Fan Fic and More

TITLE: Out Of Darkness
AUTHOR: Katiekatt23
SHIP: Mostly CC (M/L, M/M, not sure about Isabel yet)
DISCLAIMER: You know the story, the characters and the show Roswell are not mine. Just having some fanfic fun.
RATING: pg-13
AUTHORS NOTE: This fic picks up 8 months or so after 4AAB, Graduation did not happen. Liz does have powers, but they were not being hunted, nor did they have to run from Roswell. The only other major difference is that Jesse never existed. This is my first fic here , I would love feed back, enjoy.








She felt it first. Liz sat up in bed, her hair damp with sweat. She caressed her protruding abdomen, wondering if the baby had woken her. But no, that wasn’t it. The air felt different, still and almost crackly. Normally Liz could feel the warm New Mexico breeze thru her open window, but this night there was no wind. Everything seemed to be waiting. The feeling reminded her of that night when Max’s future self had appeared outside her window. She half expected to see him there now, but that couldn’t be. They had changed the future so much since then.
The baby kicked. Liz smiled; the movement brought her joy and sadness. She thrilled at the show of life from her child, Max’s child. But the sadness came when she wondered if this child might ever know their father. Max had disappeared before she had even discovered her pregnancy. Everyone else knew now, but not the one person she wanted to know, the one person she needed. Despite how she tried to keep a brave face around the others, this type of night made her think of him more.
The baby stirred again, Liz rubbed the spot. “Do you feel it too, little one?” Liz sighed and closed her eyes. But the moment she did so a rush of images swept over her. She saw the desert, near the ruins of the pod chamber. She felt that someone was there. Then she saw him, lying on the ground, in pain. Calling her. Liz’s eyes flew open. She knew.

At the same time, out in the desert night, a loud cracking sound was heard accompanied by a flash of light. A moment later it faded, leaving only the darkness and silence again. But something was there now, a man lying on the ground, his clothing filthy and ragged. He rolled onto his back, watching as the stars above swam across his vision. He summoned up the last of his strength to whisper into the night. “Liz…help me.”

“What!” Micheal grumbled into the phone.
“Micheal, it’s me, Liz.” Liz juggled the phone as she slipped into her clothes.
“Parker!” Micheal was instantly alert and alarmed, firing questions at her. “Are you okay, is it the baby?”
“I’m fine, the baby is fine. It’s not that.”
Micheal let out a loud sigh of relief. “Then tell me why you’re calling me at one in the morning.”
“I had a flash.”
“You haven’t had one in a long time.” Micheal sounded calm, but Liz could hear the curiousity he was hiding.
“I know. He’s back, Micheal.”
“Max? Are you sure?” She understood his apprehension, there had been many false alarms since Max had vanished. They were all hesitant to get their hopes up anymore.
“Yes, I’m sure. And I think I know where he is. Please come get me. I’d drive myself, but I’m too big to get behind the wheel now. Please.” Liz knew she was talking too fast, but the vision was still so fresh in her mind, pushing her.
“I’m coming Liz. Just give me a few minutes.” Micheal hung up without saying a goodbye, a usual for him.
Liz moved about her room, deciding whether to call the others. Better not to alarm the gang before she was sure. As much as she was desperate to tell them about her vision, she didn’t want to see the let down on their faces if she happened to be wrong.
She paused to look in the mirror. She had changed so much since Max had last seen her. Her pregnancy was now undeniable, even under the oversized gray sweater she wore. She had dreamt of a better way of telling Max about his impending fatherhood, but this would have to do.
“I just want him back.” She murmured to her reflection.
The baby kicked again.




“Micheal, I’m fine! Stop looking at me like I’m going to explode, watch the road instead.” Liz chuckled. Micheal had kept tossing worried glances in her direction since she had got in the car. Liz had to admit that it was funny to see Micheal being so paranoid and protective of her. She had thought he would be the one most awkward about her being pregnant. But strangely Micheal had assumed a brotherly role, as if he felt that he had fill Max’s leadership shoes until he returned.
“I’m sorry.” Micheal raked a hand through his already disheveled hair.
“Don’t be sorry, I appreciate it.”
“It’s just we don’t know how this whole thing works with us, and you guys.”
“You mean us humans?” Liz grinned.
“Exactly.”
“Well, so far everything is fine. We’re both fine.” The baby kicked, as if to back her up. Liz laughed.
“What?” Micheal looked worried again.
“Nothing.” Liz looked up. Her breath caught. “Micheal Stop! We’re here.”

Micheal pulled over quickly, but Liz launched out the door almost before the car came to a complete stop. She was walking as quickly as she could out into the darkness. Micheal cursed, and dug in the backseat for his flashlight, before chasing after her.
Liz could hear Micheal running behind her, and saw the beams of his flashlight dancing on the ground, but she didn’t slow down. She felt him close by, and he was in pain. She walked purposefully up and over an incline, almost as if being directed by an inner compass. Her blood pounded in her veins, he was hurt, she felt it. Quickly she scrambled over another hill, as fast as she could in her condition.
“Liz, slow down!” Micheal yelled as he came to the top of the hill. For a moment he panicked as he saw her crouched on the ground a few feet in front of him. His first impulse was that she had fallen, but as he swung his flashlight in that direction, he noticed another figure in the dirt.
“Max?” Max lay on the ground, but in a state that Micheal had never seen him. His clothing was filty and ragged, large holes and tatters torn in it. His hair was shaggy and unkept, his features dirty and covered with bruises and cuts. He looked as if he’d been through a war. Micheal felt a lump form in his throat.

Liz was knelt beside him, tears streaking her cheeks, she didn’t know if they were from happiness to see him alive, or despair over his battered state. He was breathing, but not conscious. She touched his face gently, avoiding the rather large gash on his cheek.
“Max,”
Micheal found his voice again. “What happened to him?”
“I don’t know. Max, please.” Liz whispered. She closed her eyes and put her hands on either side of his face.
“Liz, be careful” Micheal cautioned, seeing the familiar green glow forming in her palms. The glow intensified for a second before she let go. Max’s eyelids fluttered. His warm brown eyes looked tired and confused, but that quickly faded as he saw Liz. He murmured her name, “Liz.”

um hey. come back. i'm hooked. totally. so many questions. but i'll holdl them off for now. just know this. i'm enjoying it. and will be back to read more of it. so max was somewhere. um does everyone know about the not of this earth status. let me guess he went to go and find his son.but when did him and liz get back together?

Okay, here's the next few parts. I had this up on your old board a long time ago I think.

Part TWO

“Hey Stranger.” Liz smiled, her face still wet with tears. She started to reach out for him again, but Micheal gently stopped her.
“Wait. Don’t try and heal the rest of him yet. It’s not safe for you to exert yourself all at once. Not safe for either of you.” Micheal glanced purposefully at her middle. Liz caught the hint, and although it killed her to see Max in so much pain, she withdrew her hands.
“You’re right, let’s just get out of here now.”
Max turned his head, keeping his eyes on Liz. He didn’t try to speak again, but his brown eyes plagued hers with questions.
“We’ll tell you everything soon, I promise.” She stroked the cheek that wasn’t bruised. Max nodded. Micheal stood and helped Liz struggle to her feet before reaching for Max’s hand. It was clear that Max lacked the strength to stand or walk on his own, so Micheal put his arm over his shoulders to support his weight.
“Thanks.” Max’s voice sounded raspy, as if it hadn’t been used in a long time.
“It’s good to have you back.” Micheal smiled.
Max turned his head to look back at Liz, and caught his first good look at her figure. His brown eyes suddenly stared at Liz with a blazing intensity. He was staring most importantly at her swollen middle.
“Liz?” He whispered, sounding panicked. His eyes met hers with a look of confusion, desperation, and hurt. It made Liz’s heart ache.

“Yours!” She said quickly, moving to his side. “All yours, ours.” She clutched for his free hand, entwining her fingers with his. A flash flew through her mind: Max in a dark room, Max being tortured by someone, Max in pain, crying out for her. Liz let go, fresh tears brimming in her eyes. But she saw in Max’s gaze that he had a flash too, and his doubts about their child were now gone.
“Come on, time enough to explain all this later.” Micheal interrupted. “Let’s get back ,there are a lot of people who will want to see you Maxwell.”

Max slept nearly all the way back to Roswell, neither Liz nor Micheal had the heart to wake him once he dozed off in the backseat. He looked as if he hadn’t really slept in weeks.
Micheal pulled his car into the driveway of his apartment and turned toward Liz.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course, he’s home. Why wouldn’t I be?” Liz offered a smile.
“No, I mean because you healed him a little out there. That doesn’t affect the baby does it?” Micheal looked genuinely concerned. Liz playfully socked his arm.
“You are worse than a doctor!”
“I’m serious.”
“I know, but you really shouldn’t worry. I feel fine, and I’m pretty sure he or she is fine too.” Liz fondly rubbed her tummy. “Car rides usually put him or her to sleep.”
“Good. Just let me know if anything feels bad or different.”
“I will.” Liz chuckled. “Dr. Guerin.”
“Shut up.” Micheal laughed.
Liz knew part of the reason for Micheal’s paranoid behavior. He and Maria had patched up most of their problems since Max had disappeared. And Liz knew that she and Max’s baby being healthy would give Micheal more hope about a permenant future with Maria at his side, and possibly children of their own one day.


Micheal roused Max and managed to get him into the apartment and laid down on the couch. Max looked slightly more alert, it was all Liz could do to restrain herself from reaching out and healing him. Instead she busied herself with trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Finally he grabbed her hand.
“Sit down.” He pleaded.
Liz did so, perching on the couch at his side. “I have so many questions. Where have you been?”
“Antar.” Max said softly.
“How did you get back?”
“Larek.”

The name was familiar to Liz, but it took her a moment to place it. “Wait, Larek? Wasn’t that the name of the alien that possessed Brody Davis a year or so before you disappeared?”
Max nodded. They could hear Micheal in the kitchen making phone calls to the rest of the gang. Max smiled weakly.
“Isabel is going to be so happy to see you, they all are.” Liz murmured. The baby kicked just then, making her giggle. Max looked curious.
“You want to feel it?” Liz took his hand and placed it over her abdomen. It only took a moment for the baby to take the hint and kick. Max’s brown eyes lit up for a moment, a genuine smile playing over his features.
“Your baby, I mean ours. I found out just after you had gone.”

“I’m sorry.” Max mumbled.
“For what?”
“For not being there. I tried to come home, but I ….” Max stopped and turned his head, closing his eyes. Liz understood, she remembered what she had seen in the flash out in the desert; his torture, his imprisonment.
“You couldn’t. I know. It’s okay.” She turned his face back toward her. “I’ve had lots of help. Micheal has been the worst, he watches me like a hawk.” She giggled at the look of surprise on Max’s face. “I know, I never would have figured it either.”
Micheal appeared in the doorway. “I called Isabel, and Maria said she would stop by and wake up Kyle, Valenti will probably want to know too,” Micheal was interrupted by a loud bang as the front door swung open.
“Max!”

Isabel Evans stood in the doorway, in her sweats. Micheal repressed a chuckle; Isabel usually never left the house looking anything less than perfect. But the tears on her face were excuse enough for her disarray.
Max offered her a warm smile, as much as he could manage. Liz moved away from the couch as Isabel stumbled forward to hug her brother.
“Oh Max, where have you been?” she said brokenly.
“Antar,” Liz answered. “He said they were keeping him on Antar.”
Isabel glanced at Liz, with somewhat of an envious expression. Liz knew why, Isabel and she had never quite gotten along well. Isabel found it hard that Max trusted Liz more than herself at times, and Liz never understood

Isabel’s jealousy fully. In the months that Max had been gone they had tried to begin a friendship, if for no other reason than for the sake of Max’s child.
“Hey Sis.” Max murmured.
Isabel smiled through her tears. “Hey brother.” Her eyes darted over Max’s many injuries. “I wish I could heal.” She sighed, then glanced at Liz again. “Did you try?”
“A little, out in the desert. Micheal wanted me to wait though, because of…” Liz trailed off, looking down at her stomach.
“Oh, of course. Micheal’s right. You should wait until Kyle gets over here to help you.”

Max looked confused at Isabel’s last remark. She was about to open her mouth to explain when Micheal’s front door opened again and Maria, Kyle and Valenti all came spilling in. All of them looked tired, but the moment they laid eyes on Max, it vanished.
Everyone started talking at once, the room filled with the most pleasant sound Max had heard in months. Even though it hurt his broken rib, he could not help but laugh a little. He was home, at last.
It was Micheal who halted the excited chatter. “Okay, I know you all might not care if I get evicted for a noise disturbance, but I do! Shut up a minute.”

Surprisingly everyone obeyed. Max looked intrigued. It was obvious to him that Micheal had assumed a leadership role in his absence. And it looked as though no one minded quite as much as the times he’d tried before.
Max looked around at the faces of his friends, as they settled in chairs and on the floor around him. Maria’s hair was longer and curly, the way she had worn it the summer after Tess had arrived in town. She sat beside Micheal on the floor, leaning against him. Micheal’s hair was shorter, and his clothes clean, he looked as though he had cleaned up his whole act a notch. Isabel had changed her hair back to it’s original golden blond, and now wore it in a short layered cut. Valenti and Kyle looked the same, except for one important difference, Max noticed that Jim was wearing a sheriff’s badge on his jacket again.

Max looked back at Liz, the one face he had missed the most. She sat in a chair nearby, watching him, looking as if she didn’t know what to say first. His eyes drifted over her pregnant belly and back to her face. He had so many questions.
“Okay, first things first. Kyle you’ve got to help Liz heal him!” Isabel commanded suddenly.
“Kyle?” Max whispered, looking very confused.

“Yeah, unfortunately I’ve got some alien juice in me now too.” Kyle looked at him sheepishly, as if asking Max’s permission to help. Max nodded at him, knowing they would explain all this to him later.
Kyle moved to kneel beside him, Maria helped Liz do the same. Micheal watched the action, his brows furrowed.
“Liz…” there was a warning in his voice. “Be careful”
“I know, if I feel weak I’ll stop. I promise.” Liz winked at Maria, who promptly began to chuckle. Micheal shot both girls a sharp look.
“Ready?” Kyle asked, looking toward Liz, who nodded.
Max closed his eyes as their hands touched him. Images rushed through his mind at breakneck speed. It was all he could do to focus on any of them. He saw Kyle sitting beside a crying Isabel, Liz sitting on a doctor’s office table looking shocked, Valenti receiving his new badge at a ceremony, Liz sitting out on her balcony crying, Kyle as a young child playing soccer, Liz as a small girl, he saw Liz looking at him the day he healed her.

“Liz, stop.” Micheal’s hands were on her shoulders, pulling her back. Her face was covered in sweat, she hadn’t even noticed. Kyle was in the same state, but worked for another moment or two before letting go, gasping for air.
“His broken rib is fixed, and some of the internal injuries. It probably still hurts a lot though. I’m still new at all this.” Kyle panted.

It had made an obvious difference. Max’s eyes were clearer now, and the cuts on his face had healed under Liz’s touch, all that remained was a bruise near his right eye. Max pulled himself into a sitting position.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” Kyle murmured, wiping off his face. But Liz sat down on the couch, looking winded. She put her arms around her middle and tried to put on her best calm face. The last thing she wanted at the moment was to ruin Max’s homecoming.


Max looked around at the circle of expectant faces, knowing they were expecting him to talk now. He cleared his throat. “Okay, I’m not sure where to start, I guess with that day I walked out into the desert. I had a vision on something out at the podchamber, some sort of artifact. I was convinced it was real. I drove myself out there early in the morning to see if I had dreamed it. Someone was there waiting for me.”

“Kivar?” Micheal ventured.
Max nodded. “Well, not himself, some of his henchmen though, creatures like Langley. It had been a trap, the entire vision. I was terrified that it had been sent to all of you, but I was the only one who came. I tried to fight them off, but there were too many. Eventually I offered myself as a sacrifice, I would go willingly if they all left with me, if they left the rest of you alone.”

“ARE YOU INSANE?” Micheal suddenly exploded all of his calm falling away, revealing the old anger that used to rule him. He rose to his feet. Everyone whipped around to stare at him, but he raged on. “Why would you do that? Just so you could play the hero, the martyr? God Max, I thought you had some brains in that head of yours!! We could have helped you!”

Max’s dark eyes flashed. “Helped me what? Be tortured? You’re angry because I didn’t drag the rest of you with me to that hell? Do you want to know what I saved you from?!” Max slowly stood and reached out for Micheal’s hand, almost as a gentle challenge. Micheal grabbed it, still fuming. Micheal suddenly felt all the images Liz and Kyle had seen come through him. But this time there was more detail, he could feel the sting of when Max had been whipped, feel the kicks administered to him, the blows, the gnawing hunger in Max’s stomach, the burning of a torture instrument, everything.

Max let go. Micheal staggered back a few steps, sank to his knees beside Maria and said nothing more. He nodded at Max to continue speaking.
“I’m sorry Micheal, but it was all I could think of at the time. I figured maybe if he had me, that would be enough. I lied to them all, so many lies. I said I was the only one with any real powers, that the rest of you were almost entirely human. I said anything that would keep the focus on me, convince Kivar that I was all he needed for his stupid trophy.”
“Trophy?” Isabel asked tentatively.
“Yes trophy. All that stuff about the way, all the things in that message from our mother we saw. Most of it is ancient history on Antar now. The time is different there, goes faster I guess. Kivar has been ruling their world for years, the war ended before we even entered junior high here.”

“So why would he care about us then?” Kyle spoke this time.
“We are a legend among the people. How we were sent here to grow up, how we were these great leaders that would return someday. Kivar had tried to crush whatever rebellions arose against over the years, I learned that much from the guards at my prison. But always the topic of the ancient saviors came back. How we would return, it was what kept them fighting, until Tess went back.”
Liz was still sitting beside him on the couch, looking uncomfortable. “Tess?”
“When she went back with my son Kivar convinced the rebellion that his union with Tess meant a compromise, he used it to make deals with the leaders of the rebellion. He claimed that he would raise Zan as the heir, with Tess as their queen. So they would have their old hopes under the new regime.”
“Wait, but Tess said Kivar betrayed her.” Jim asked this question.
Max nodded. “He did, but only after he had slaughtered all the leaders of the rebellion and most of their followers. When Tess fled with Zan, it caused the panic he hoped and he was able to crush the last futile forces of the rebellion during the chaos. All he wanted with me it seemed was to use me as a symbol for any who would dare oppose him in the future. He wanted them to see their ‘hero’ for what I was, weak and unable to do anything to help them.”

Max sighed, closing his eyes. It pained him to remember the horrible words Kivar had shouted at him, filling him in on all this history, hearing that his parents had been killed years ago by their time. Hearing that Antar would never again be under the control of him or his family.
“The only thing I didn’t understand was what he kept asking me in the end. He kept screaming at me, Where is the girl? I assume he meant Tess, but he refused to accept that she was dead. He just continued to scream about the girl, the girl this and the girl that. And where was she…and why had he never known about her. It made no sense.”
“How did you get back home?” It was Maria asking this time.
“By playing dead.”

Everyone looked confused, Max smiled softly. “I learned, during all the time I was left alone in my cell to think. I discovered that if I used my powers a certain way I could slow my breathing and my heart down to almost nothing. I decided it was as good an idea as any and tried it. It actually worked, the guards assumed I had starved to death and carried me outside to where they dumped the bodies of prisoners. When they went to report to Kivar, I woke up and managed to get out of there.”
“But then how did you get from Antar, back here?” Isabel again.
“I stumbled along, near death. Eventually I passed out, this time for real. Some people from the nearby town found me and brought me to Larek.”
Liz looked up. “He was living on Antar.”

“Yes, in secret. Larek is the new head of the rebellion there. He was happy to see me, but sad also. He said I had to leave Antar, not only for my own good, but because the sight of my face could cause problems with the attack they were planning. Apparently he knew of where the original machine was that Kivar used to send his shapeshifters to earth was located. He brought me there, and sent me home.” Max finished, taking a deep breath. He looked at the faces that stared back at him. Most of them looked deep in thought. All except one.

Uh, all except one? Get back here! Great start! Interesting that Max was able to convince them that only he had any real powers... and then that he was dead. 8) And I really liked the passage where Liz finds Max...

At the same time, out in the desert night, a loud cracking sound was heard accompanied by a flash of light. A moment later it faded, leaving only the darkness and silence again. But something was there now, a man lying on the ground, his clothing filthy and ragged. He rolled onto his back, watching as the stars above swam across his vision. He summoned up the last of his strength to whisper into the night. “Liz…help me.”

:D

Glad you guys are liking this. I had the entire thing posted before the huge hack at the ezboards, but apparently they lost everything. Here's the next part.


Liz’s brown eyes were glassy, she bit her lower lip. Max gazed at her, his face a mass of emotion.
“Liz, what’s wrong?” Maria moved to her friends’ side.
“It’s me…” She whispered.
“What about you?” Maria put her arm around Liz’s shoulders.
“The girl…the girl Kivar kept asking you about. Max, he was talking about me!” Liz struggled to keep her tears at bay.
Max shook his head vehemently. “No! There is no way he was talking about you, Liz. He doesn’t even know who you are.”
“No, he does. Max…he must. Tess …she must have told him.”
“Liz, listen to me. Even if Kivar does know about you, you’re just a human to him. He was only ever interested in me and the rest of the Royal four. As far as humans were concerned, I don’t think he could have cared less.” Max looked for any explanation that would calm her fear. Liz still looked stricken.
“Max is right. If humans mattered anything to Kivar, he would have asked about Maria and Kyle too, especially since you and Kyle have developed powers. It really makes no sense that he would torture Max for information about you. It’s like Max said, we’re just trophies of war to him, nothing more.” Micheal’s words seemed to hit home a little, Liz wiped her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I’ve just been so scared…for you. I was terrified I’d never see you again. And when I found out about the baby, I’ve been scared about that too, that someone would find out and come after us.” She paused and tried to manage a weak smile. “Being emotional comes with the pregnancy territory you know.”
Max smiled then, moving closer to Liz. She managed a laugh as she looked from the face of Maria on her left and Max on her right. “I’m being ridiculous, here I am getting upset and being comforted, when you’re the one who’s been missing for months.”
“Liz, we understand.” Maria grinned. “How about some hot chocolate, would that cheer you up?”
The baby kicked, and Liz had to laugh, hot chocolate had been a big pregnancy craving of hers, and everyone knew it. Even Micheal kept some in his cupboard for when she came over.
“Yeah,” Liz rubbed the spot where the baby had kicked. “I think he wants it more than me.”
Max looked intently at Liz for a moment. “He?”
“Umm, well I think it’s a he. I get the feeling.” She looked sheepish. “I didn’t’ want to say anything about it in case I was wrong.”
Maria got up and went into Micheal’s kitchen. The atmosphere lightened for a few moments, as Kyle made a few jokes about Liz’s silly cravings over the last few months, and Isabel filled Max in on the situation with their parents.

“You’ll have to come over in the morning. I managed to convince Mom that you were okay. But she’s been pretty upset, and Dad started clipping out any weird articles in the newspaper and examining them, to see if there was any significance between your disappearance and any of the other weird things that happen in Roswell. They’ll both be so happy to see you home and safe.”
“I’m anxious to see them too.” Max paused. “Do they know about Liz?”
Isabel nodded. “We had to tell them when Liz started showing. They were shocked at first. But Liz came over and had a talk with Mom, assuring her that she wouldn’t miss out on being a grandmother to this baby.” Isabel chucked a little. “Mom even redecorated the guest room so the baby will have a place to sleep when it comes over. I think she’s been using the baby as an excuse to be happy about something, since you’ve been gone.”
Liz smiled. She remembered the look on Dianne Evans face when she had spoken to her about the baby. Diane had smiled for what had looked like the first time in weeks. Phillip had been more concerned, and she didn’t blame him after what had happened with Tess and Zan.

Isabel yawned. “Are you staying here with Micheal tonight?”
Max nodded. “I’ll come over in the morning, better than waking Mom and Dad up now. Plus getting a few hours of sleep doesn’t sound like a bad idea right now.” Max suddenly realized how tired he was. It had been days since he had gotten any good sleep, and months since he had slept in a bed.
Jim and Kyle seemed to take that as a hint. Jim stood. “Well, we should head home then. No sense on making this an all nighter. You need your rest Max.” Jim strode forward to pat Max’s shoulder in a fatherly gesture. “We’ll see you soon.”
Kyle followed suit. “It’s good to have you back, fearless leader.” He grinned and reached out to shake Max’s hand.
“Thanks again Kyle.”
Kyle nodded, knowing what Max meant. “We’ll let you sleep. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“Count on it.” Max smiled, seeing finally what looked like a good friend in Kyle Valenti.
Isabel stood also. “I guess I’ll go home too, I mean I don’t want to leave. But I don’t really feel like sleeping on the floor either.” She looked at Max, as if asking permission to go. Max smiled at his sister.
“No worries, Iz.”
She came forward to embrace him again. “Bye Max.”
“Not bye this time, see you tomorrow.”
Isabel gave him a genuine smile that warmed Max’s heart, then followed Jim and Kyle out the door.
Micheal, who had mostly been quiet since Max’s speech, spoke up again. “Liz, do you want to stay the night?”
She nodded, there was no way she wanted Max out of her sight just yet.

Micheal smiled knowingly, and cast a glance into the kitchen. He understood how she felt, as he watched Maria re enter the room, balancing mugs of hot chocolate. For a long time he had envied Liz and Max, envied the connection they shared. But this past year he had rediscovered his love for Maria, he had become more of the person he wanted to be, and that had only been possible with Maria in his life. He had kicked himself for not realizing it sooner, and vowed to spend the rest of his life making it up to her.
“You gonna stay too?” He asked Maria, who had handed him a steaming mug. She grinned at him. “You want me to, Space boy?”
Micheal didn’t answer, instead giving her a tender look that said it all.
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
“You two can have the sofa bed, I’ll get the extra blankets.”
Max looked amused. “Since when do you have a hidabed? And keep extra blankets on hand?”
Micheal looked embarrassed, and jerked thumb at Maria.
“Mom bought a new couch and I convinced her to donate the old one to Micheal.” Maria laughed.
Micheal left the room to get the blankets.
Maria leaned over toward Max. “I’m determined to turn him into a normal guy, instead of the crazy loner checoslavakian we used to know.” Maria paused. “Plus it was invaluable when Liz had morning sickness and slept here a lot to avoid her parents seeing her.”
“Maria!” Liz blushed. “I didn’t’ think the right way to break it to my parents was for them to see me throwing up.”
“Do they know now?” Max asked.
Liz smiled. “Yes, they’ve known for awhile, it’s hard to miss now. I broke the news when I started showing.”
Maria rose, and walked down the hall to find Micheal.
“I’m glad you had them to help you.” Max said.
“They’ve been great, everyone has been wonderful. Micheal is a bit paranoid but I’ve managed to ignore that for the most part. Paranoia just seems to be a prominent element of his personality.”
Max laughed. “More than you know.”

Liz sipped her hot chocolate, pondering everything she had heard. Images from her dreams swam through her brain. She wondered if any of them were tied to what Max had been going through on Antar. She’d had a vision of a tall man with graying dark hair and kind eyes, could this have been Larek? She’d also had visions of a great fire burning down a city the likes of which she’d never seen. She wondered if these images were her imagination or a vision of Antar’s past or future. Liz shook her head, they couldn’t be true. If they were that would mean that some of the people she’d seen in her dreams were alive, and these were people that she had seen die.

“What are you thinking about?” Max asked.
“Just a dream I had.” Liz tried to shake the worry from her mind. But she couldn’t fully put away the feeling that they were all sitting in the calm eye of a great storm.
“You’re a bad liar.” Max said softly, taking the mug away from her and setting it on the coffee table.
“I’ll tell you later, it’s nothing important at the moment.” Liz touched his arm, feeling his warm skin. She wanted more than anything to touch him all over, to hold him against her and never let go.

“I want that too.” Max murmured, as if he’d heard her thoughts. He leaned toward Liz and kissed her gently. His hands came up to twine in her hair. Liz let out a small moan. She’d had missed this so much.

She whispered his name against his lips. Max pulled back to gaze into her eyes, there was so much he wanted to tell her, things that couldn’t be expressed in words. He put a hand on her protruding abdomen, rubbing gently.
“A baby…” He said softly, his eyes a mass of emotion. “I dreamt of this, I never knew it would come true so soon.”
“I know, me neither.”
“I would have liked to have married you first.” Max said, his smile fading a little.
“Oh well, we can do that later on after he’s born. I don’t care about the order anymore Max, as long as you’re safe.”
“Liz, you know I love you.”
“Yes.”
“I want you to know something.”
Liz gazed at him expectantly.
“This child will be in danger from the moment he or she is born.” Liz’s eyes fell, but Max continued “But nothing is taking this child away from us, nothing. I swear to you. I’m never letting anything come between us again.”
Liz felt her tears welling up for what seemed like the umpteenth time that evening. She brushed them away quickly. “Max, please I’ve got enough trouble with these pregnancy hormones without you making me cry.” She laughed.
Micheal and Maria re-entered the room, carrying blankets, and a pillow. Liz rose so Max could help Micheal pull out the bed. Maria looked questioningly at Liz’s watery eyes.
“Max, please don’t tell me you’re tormenting the woman carrying your child.” She teased, tossing her blond curls over her shoulder.
“No, they’re happy tears, I swear.” Liz laughed.

******************************************************************


Liz awoke the next morning to the most content feeling she’d had in a long time. Max was still asleep beside her, looking like an angel. Liz stared at the sunlight dancing over his handsome face, and was overcome with a rush of feeling. She loved him, completely. Not wanting to wake him, she slipped out of bed quietly and into the kitchen. Maria was already seated at the table sipping her coffee. Liz chuckled at her pajamas, which were printed all over with tap dancing elephants.

“Nice threads.” She giggled, retrieving a carton of orange juice from the fridgerator.
“Hey, these are comfy okay? Isn’t that the only requirement for PJs?” Maria laughed, but quickly stifled it. “Is Max still sleeping?”
Liz nodded, pouring herself a glass and sitting beside Maria.
“Have you told him yet?’ Maria asked quietly, her eyes serious.
“No.”
“You are going to tell him, right?” Maria set down her mug.
“Yes, but not until he’s been home for a little while. He’s been through so much, Maria. I can’t burden him with all this stuff in my head, we don’t even know if the dreams mean anything.”

“We don’t know that they don’t mean anything either, Liz. And if you want to know my opinion, your visions haven’t been wrong yet.” Maria leaned over and squeezed Liz’s hand.
“I know. Maybe I’m being silly, trying to ignore all those dreams. But I can’t dump this on Max, not just yet. When he was his strength back, and has settled back into being home.”
“Maybe after the baby is born?” Maria finished, catching what Liz didn’t say.
“Yes. I have had a theory that I may just be paranoid because of all the hormones jumping around in my system. Maybe they’ll stop after he’s born.”

Maria’s eyes lit up again. “You’re sure it’s a boy now aren’t you?”
“Not positive, but that’s the feeling I’m getting. It’s gets stronger all the time.” Liz sipped her juice again.
“You’re due soon, right? In three weeks?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a good thing Max came home, isn’t it? We wouldn’t want him to miss out.”
Maria smiled.

“Miss out on what?” Max’s voice came from the doorway. Both girls turned to look at him, Liz blushed.
“On becoming a Daddy.” Maria said, playfully.
“No, I wouldn’t want to miss that.” Max grinned.



An hour or so later Max, Liz, Maria, and Micheal all walked through the doors of the Crashdown Café. Some of the morning customers watched them as they chose a table and sat down. Liz excused herself and walked into the back to find her parents. A few moments later, Kyle and Isabel joined them.
Max looked around at the restaurant. Even though little had changed, Max felt as though he’d been away for years. The sheer normalcy of the place comforted him greatly.
The smell of pancakes and bacon made him realize just how hungry he was. He chatted with Isabel for a few moments, his eyes flicking now and then towards the door Liz had gone through.

“Mom, Dad?” Liz called up the stairs. Her parents’ faces appeared instantly.
“Lizzie?” Her dad looked concerned, as always.
“Could you come down here a moment? I have something to tell you.”
Jeff and Nancy walked down the stairs, Jeff watching his daughters face for any sign of pain or panic. “You’re not…”
“No, I’m not in labor.” Liz rolled her eyes, with a smile.
“Then what is it?” Nancy asked.
“Max is home.”
Both Jeff and Nancy’s eyes widened. Jeff looked as if he didn’t know whether to be angry or relieved.
“Where has he been? I hope there is a good explanation for him disappearing and leaving you to deal with all of this on your own.” Jeff put his hands on his hips.
“Dad, he’s been through a lot of bad things. And I’ve told you, I didn’t even find out about the baby until he was already gone. Don’t you remember?”
“Yes, but still…”
Liz interrupted him. “No, Dad. I don’t want you out there interrogating him. He’s been through enough. He knows about the baby now and he wants to do everything he can to help. It’s good that he’s home. ”
“But Liz, I still think I should,”
“Jeff. I think Liz is right. I trust her.” Nancy smiled at her daughter, almost as if to say that she need not worry about Jeff misbehaving.
“Thanks Mom.”
“Lizzie, you know that we both are proud of you for taking care of all this on your own. I just….I just don’t want to see you hurt, if he goes away again.” Jeff’s eyes were soft as he looked at her. Liz knew he was remembering the nights she’d cried after Max’s initial disappearance, before she knew that he’d been taken against his will.
“I’m okay Dad. He’s not going anywhere. He promised.”
“And you believe him?”
“Yes, Dad. I do.”
Jeff paused. “All right then, I’ll be civil. But if he even looks like he’s skipping town again, I want full permission to tie him to a chair. Agreed?”
Liz had to laugh. “Agreed.”


Liz walked back out front, and sat down in the empty chair beside Max, who looked at her curiously.
“Just had to warn my parents about you.”
Max looked worried, and glanced toward the back door as if he expected Jeff Parker to come out with a shotgun.
Liz placed her hand over his. “They’re fine about it, don’t worry.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. Dad said his only condition, is that you not leave town again.”
Max relaxed a little. “I think I can deal with that.”
“If you two are done whispering, can we order please?” Kyle interrupted.
********************************


Most of that first day passed in a blur. Max spent most of the afternoon with his parents, Isabel, and Liz. It had taken Diane Evans, a full five minutes of hugs and crying before she calmed down enough to sit and hear Max’s story told. Phillip Evans waffled between worry and happiness, listening intently as Max talked about the time he’d spent in an Antarian prison.
Diane showed Max the room she had decorated for when Liz brought the baby over. She had repainted the guest room a soft blue and bought a small crib which now sat in one corner, opposite the guest bed. There were also some stuffed animals and toys scattered about the room, as well as some shopping bags from Baby Gap. Max had to laugh, if there was one thing that Isabel and Diane Evans had in common, it was shopping and planning, and this room was clearly the end result of both obsessions.
No sooner had those words come out of his mouth than Diane insisted that Max let her and Isabel go buy him some new clothes.
“We can’t have you borrowing Michael’s clothes forever.” Diane teased.
Isabel looked excited at the prospect of a shopping trip, but she hesitated.
“Mom, it’ll have to be semi-quick this time, I’m meeting someone this afternoon.”
All eyes, except Liz’s, turned to Isabel, who squirmed under the scrutiny.
“Who are you meeting dear?” Phillip asked.
“Just a friend.” But Isabel’s small smile said that she hoped whoever it was would be more than that.
Max tried to resist the urge to be overprotective of his sister, like he used to. He remembered the days when he felt he had to scrutinize everyone he, Isabel, and Michael interacted with. But at the moment, he didn’t feel like picking a fight with Isabel on his first day back. He also suspected, from her calm exterior, that he would be able to ask Liz what this was all about.

“All right, have your little secret, honey. Just don’t be out to late, okay?” Diane smiled at her daughter, happy to finally have both her children home again.

Back at the Crashdown, Michael and Maria reluctantly worked their midday shift. Maria had thought to ask Jeff for the day off, due to Max’s homecoming. But the rush of the lunch crowd was unreasonably large and she knew that Jeff needed them both to stay. Michael had since taken his job back at the Crashdown, as a cook, and had almost started to like the position. Maria had laughed over the day when he had talked Jeff into a new entre he’d created; the Zarthon Burger. Michael had found that he almost enjoyed cooking, once he had gotten the hang of it. But he refused to admit it in the presence of anyone but Maria.
Maria lounged in the kitchen, fixing her ponytail, and taking a small break from her waitress duties.
“So talk Space boy.”
“About what?” Michael glanced at her as he flipped the burgers on the grill.
‘About the fact that Max is home, and I know you’re in turmoil about it.” Maria crouched to re-tie the laces of her sneakers.
“I’m happy Max is home.”
“But?”
“I can’t help wondering,”
Maria moved closer to his side. “Wondering what?”
“If this means things are going to get bad now.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. Max said Kivar was holding him prisoner? It seems to me, that it will only be a matter of time before Kivar realizes Max wasn’t really dead. Then what if he comes here hunting him again? Or looking for Tess, or whoever that ‘girl’ he kept asking Max about is.” Michael chewed his lip, trying not to look too worried.
“Michael,” Maria said gently, reaching her hand up to touch the back of his neck. “It’s Liz, isn’t it? You think Kivar was talking about Liz?”
“Yeah, All right that is what I think.. She is carrying Max’s baby, the heir to this throne or whatever. And last night she said she thinks the baby is a boy, that’s even worse. Kivar might see it as a threat or something. It makes sense, despite what we told Liz last night”
“Liz knows Michael, she’s suspected that too.”
Michael looked surprised.
“How?”
“She said she’s been having weird dreams about things like that. You’d have to ask her for the details, I don’t think she understands it herself yet.”
“Has she told Max about this yet?”
“No, and do you blame her?”
“Why?”
“Same reason you and I used to fight so much.”
“She’s scared, scared of losing him again.”
“You were scared?”
“Scared of loving you as much as I did.” Maria gave him a flirtacious smile.
“Did?” Michael grinned.
“Do! Yes, I love you Michael Guerin! You know that.” Maria giggled as Michael grabbed her around her waist, pulling her close for a scorching kiss.
“Hey! Guerin, Deluca! We do have customers you know!” Jeff Parker stood in the doorway of the kitchen, hands on his hips.
“Sorry, later Space Boy.” Maria disentangled herself from Michael’s embrace and scurried back out onto the floor.
Jeff gave Michael a stern look before exiting the kitchen, but Michael could hear him laughing as he walked back up the stairs.


Max did not get a chance to be alone with Liz again until Isabel and Diane left to go to the mall. Phillip decided that he needed to make a brief appearance at work before his office closed for the day. Max smiled as he watched his dad drive away, glad to be home, but also glad to be left alone with Liz.
Max sat beside Liz on the couch and let her lean her head on his shoulder. This felt so right, more right than anything ever had. She was all he needed.
“So, tell me about all this.” Max touched her tummy with a smile.
“I found out about two weeks after you disappeared.” Liz began, “you can imagine how freaked I was. You had been missing for days and almost all of our time had been spent looking for you. Max we combed the desert, the ruins of the pod chamber, we even tried to contact Langley, but he had changed addresses and aliases again. Everything kept leading to dead ends, I figured the fatigue and other symptoms were because I was so stressed out.”
Liz paused a moment, watching his dark eyes. “I stressed out for days about it, I used to sit out on my balcony and try to think this message to you. Try to tell you somehow about it, I didn't feel right about telling everybody else before you knew, but finally I had to. I told Maria first, then Michael, because I needed someplace to stay in the mornings when I started getting sick. Eventually I told my parents and yours, and Isabel. When I started showing, it was too late to try and lie about it. Anyway everybody would have known the truth anyway, there was never anyone for me but you."
"And you know it's a boy?" Max asked, smiling.
"I’ve definitely had that feeling, I don't know for sure."
"Well, allow me to solidify it for you."
"What do you mean?"
"When you were healing me...you and Kyle...I got flashes one of them was of the baby."
Liz's eyes brightened. "You saw the baby? Is it okay?"
"He's fine, and you're right, he is a boy." Max's eyes watered. "He's perfect Liz, absolutely perfect." The tears spilled over his cheeks, and Max found himself crying into Liz's shoulder. All the pain, hurt, misery he'd kept bottled up over the months finally poured out of him. Liz held him gently, stroking his hair and murmuring comforting words.
"It's okay, I love you. Max, everything will be fine as long as we're together."
Max straightened up after a few moments and ground the tears from his eyes. He stared into her face, memorizing her features, tracing them by heart. He knew what he needed to.
Liz watched as Max moved to kneel in front of her. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Liz Parker, there is something I've wanted to ask you for a long time. You know I love you, I've loved you since we were children, and the day I healed you I knew. I knew that I would never love anyone else but you. I never did, I know I hurt you when I tried to follow my destiny with Tess, but there is a reason that didn't work. I never could feel anything for her, my heart has always belonged to you. And coming home, finding you pregnant with my child...I've never been more sure of anything than what I'm about to say."
Max paused. "Liz Parker, be my wife. Let me love you for the rest of our lives and me be a father to my child."
Liz was crying too now. "Max, yes! Of course yes! Yes! Yes!" She laughed through her tears, leaning forward to hug him. Max stood and hugged her gently, his sorrow leaving him completely.
"I don't have a ring to give you yet, but I'll get one."
"I don't care about that, I'd marry you in city hall if you wanted." She laughed.
"No, I want a real wedding for us. One where I can watch you walk down the aisle in a beautiful dress, where I can have Michael as my best man, and Maria as your maid of honor. I want everyone to see how much I love you, if they can't already."
"Of course! Of course! I love you Max!" Liz laughed, but it was replaced with gasp. Max released her and looked alarmed. Liz looked down at her feet, her expression one of shock.
"Liz! What is it?!"
"My water just broke!"

Well, Max is going to be singing, "You and me and baby makes three" it looks like! And he proposed! :D That was very sweet. And this was, too:

“This child will be in danger from the moment he or she is born.” Liz’s eyes fell, but Max continued “But nothing is taking this child away from us, nothing. I swear to you. I’m never letting anything come between us again.”
Liz felt her tears welling up for what seemed like the umpteenth time that evening. She brushed them away quickly. “Max, please I’ve got enough trouble with these pregnancy hormones without you making me cry.” She laughed.

Bravo! And the parents are being very helpful. That's good to see. Oh, and so is Michael... bringing Liz a pillow and all!

Great chapter! :D

"Crashdown Cafe, how can I help you?"
Michael looked up as Maria answered the phone a few feet away.
CRASH!! The tray of food Maria had been holding was now on the floor, the plates broken, food all over the floor. But Maria was still standing here, clutching the phone with both hands as if someone was trying to take it away from her. Michael felt a wave of panic rise up in his throat. Maria turned toward him, her eyes wide.
"We'll be there!" Maria slammed the phone down into the holder, just as Jeff Parker came running into the kitchen.
"What on earth?!! MARIA!" Jeff was staring down at the mess.
"Liz is having the baby!" Maria blurted out.
Both Michael and Jeff stared at her, open mouthed for a moment. Suddenly they both broke into action. Michael tore off his apron and tossed it to Jeff. Jeff nodded and moved toward the grill. Maria knew that Jeff knew full well that he couldn't be of as much help to his daughter at the moment as Michael and the other aliens could. The Parkers didn't know the full alien history yet, but they knew some of it, enough to know that it was sure a good thing Max was home because Liz could not give birth to this baby in a hospital. Maria ripped off her apron, and ran after Michael out to his car, jumping in just before he sped off toward Max's house.

************************************************************************

"Does it hurt?" Max asked Liz for what seemed like the hundredth time since they'd gotten in her car to go to Michaels' apartment.
"A little." Liz had begun to sweat. "Max I'm worried, he's a few weeks early. Do you think he'll be all right?"
"He'll be fine Liz, maybe babies with Antarian DNA don't need the full nine months. We don't know for sure."
"I hope so."
Max pulled up at the apartment at almost the same time as Michael and Maria. All three hurried to help Liz out of the car. She had to smile. "You guys I'm not going to explode, I'm just in labor!"

"Chica, don't even. We are allowed to fuss over you!"
They helped her into the apartment and sat her on the couch. Liz felt the contractions now, this was happening too fast, faster than all of her books had said to expect. But then again, this was not a normal birth.
"Maria, did you call Kyle and Isabel?"
Maria nodded. Max smirked for a moment, realizing that the person Isabel talked about meeting had been Kyle. Michael caught his look. "They were going to tell you, they've been dating for a couple of months now."
The door flew open just then.
"Speak of the devil," Maria laughed, seeing Kyle and Isabel standing in the doorway.
"Shut the door." Michael ordered, ushering them in.
Liz gasped, but then her head slumped back, eyes closed.
"She's unconscious!" Liz heard Max say, but his voice already sounded far away. She tried to grasp onto the sound of his voice but failed and felt herself slowly slipping into the blackness.

Images rushed around Liz, so fast she could barely grip them. Remembering what Max had said before, she tried hard to imprint what she was seeing on her memory. Images of a battle, of an older man with graying hair shouting orders to an army, an army fighting underneath a dimly lit sky. A teenage boy hiding in a dark alleyway, scratching at the back of his neck. She saw a blond toddler, laughing and clapping his dimpled hands, an explosion, and stars streaking by her as if she were flying through space. And a flash of dingy white blond curls.


"Liz! Wake up!" Michael was sponging a wet washcloth over her forehead; she was propped up on the floor, her head in Micheal’s lap, a blanket over her knees. "Liz you have to wake up, it's almost over."
Liz struggled to open her eyes. When she did she saw she was surrounded by all of her friends. Max and Kyle knelt on either side of her, and Maria was kneeling in front of her, behind the blanket.
"What happened?"
"You fainted. We've done most of it for you, he's almost out, and you just need to push Liz." Max said gently.
"You did most of it?" Liz was confused, and the pain made her want to double over forward.
"We were able to put a shield around the baby to help bring him down, so it wouldn’t hurt you so much, but you have to push now.” Max’s face was serious.
Liz did as she was told, pushing with all her might, even though the pain felt as if she was going to split in two. Max and Kyle both leaned back for a moment, as Liz concentrated. She pushed and pushed, for what seemed like an eternity, although it was really only minutes.

Maria suddenly squealed. “I got him! He’s out! It’s a boy!”
A loud cry filled the air, eliciting smiles from every face. Liz struggled to sit up more so she could see him, but Maria was a step ahead of her. Maria grabbed a clean blanket from the floor and wrapped the squalling infant in it. She held him up so Liz could see him.
Liz began to cry and laugh at the same time. He was perfect, the right size and everything. He waved his tiny fists in the air and cried loudly, as if angry about all he had just gone through. The baby had a shock of black hair on his head, and when Maria handed him to her, she noticed that he had the same dark eyes as his father.
“Funny, I always thought babies had blue eyes when they were born.” Kyle murmured.
“We only know that about human babies.” Isabel corrected him, and Liz noticed that she had come to sit beside Kyle.

“He needs a name.” Maria said, a smile lighting up her whole face.
Liz looked toward Max, who had moved so he was right next to her staring into the face of his son. Max reached out to touch the baby’s hand, the infant grabbed onto his finger, holding tightly.
“Max, I’d like to name him Jackson. We’ll call him,”
Max interrupted with a smile “and we’ll call him Jack. It’s perfect. Can I choose the middle name?”
“Of course.”
“Michael.”
Michael looked up. “What?”
“No, I mean that is my sons’ middle name, after you.”
Michael looked as if he didn’t know what to say, a tiny smile on his face. “You don’t have to do that.” He said finally.
“Yes I do, you took care of them while I was gone, and you didn’t have to do that. And you’ve always a brother to me. My sons’ name is Jackson Michael Evans.” Max said calmly, smiling at Michael.
“I’m….I’m honored Maxwell.”

************************************************************************

That evening Max sat on the couch, holding his son. The baby slept soundly in his arms, as if knowing that he was completely safe. Max couldn't stop gazing at Jack, memorizing his tiny face. This was his child, the child no one would take from him. Liz sat next to him, clothed in a pair of flannel pajamas. She made a funny comment about how giving birth was a lot easier when you had a couple aliens who knew how to heal you and could clean up afterwards.

Everyone seemed completely enamoured with Jack, even his aunt Isabel, who at first had looked completely uncomfortable holding him. But after a few moments with Jack, Isabel was cooing at him and grinning as if she'd been around babies all her life. It had taken Liz a few minutes to extract her son so she could feed him.

Michael and Maria had driven over to Liz’s parents house to pick up some things Liz had been keeping for the baby, along with the carseat so Liz could take him home. There had been much discussion over where she and Jack were going to stay for the time being. Michael had offered them the sofa bed indefinitely, but both Max and Liz denied, not wanting to abuse his hospitality. It was finally determined that Liz and the baby would stay at the Evans house with Max, in the guest room.

For the moment, Liz sat in the Michael’s bedroom, feeding Jack and thinking. They were all so happy for her and Max, so happy that Jack was born healthy. And every time Liz thought of what Max had chosen for Jack’s middle name, she could not help but smile. It had been the perfect choice, and Michael really did deserve it. Jack was practically a nephew to him anyway. But the visions she’d had during the birth disturbed her. Unlike some of her other dreams and visions, these impressions felt imprinted on her mind. She could close her eyes and bring them up at will. Maybe my powers are getting stronger, she thought. Or maybe these dangers I’ve seen are very close.

Closing her eyes, Liz focused on the images, trying to make sense of them. It didn’t seem like a good idea to tell the gang about them unless she knew how to describe them first. She saw the battle first, what looked like an army raging on a palace. She saw thousands of soldiers breaking down it’s doors and easily overpowering the outnumbered guards. This vision gave Liz a sense of hope, she could only assume that the army belonged to Larek, from what Max had told them.
The next image that came was the toddler. Liz tried to recognize the baby she saw. It wasn’t Jack, she knew that for sure. This little boy had very light blond hair, almost white, and he looked about two. Liz was able to observe him playing on a green lawn, almost as if she stood beside him. He laughed and clapped his chubby hands, waving to her. He seemed very content. Liz tried to peer closely at his face, and she now saw that the little boy’s eyes were a blue green color. Something else about his facial features looked familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Her one guess was that he was baby Zan, even though he looked nothing like Max.

“Liz?” Max stood in the doorway, a diaper bag over one shoulder and a small suitcase in the other hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I was just thinking.”
He came to sit beside her on the bed. Jack had stopped eating and had dozed off in her arms. “What about?”
“Just something I dreamed.” Liz murmured, smiling down at her son. The amount of love she felt for him nearly overwhelmed her.
“Michael and Maria just got back with the car seat and the things your mom sent over. Your dad was even kind enough to send some food from the restaurant for us.” Liz could see the relaxed look on Max’s face, her parents acceptance of him had been an unexpected pleasure.
“Everything is going to be okay Liz, I feel it.” Max said, taking Jack from her, so she could dig through the suitcase for some decent clothes for him.
“I know.” Liz said, although her thoughts argued with her over the truth of this.

********************************

Nearly a thousand miles away, a brunette woman sat on her back porch steps, watching a little boy playing in the grass a few feet away. The mother watched as her adopted son stopped for a moment and stared up into the sky. The little boy waved and laughed happily as if he saw someone he recognized, but there was no one.

****************************************

Diane and Phillip Evans were overjoyed at the sight of Liz and Max standing on their porch, holding their grandson. Diane nearly pulled them inside, with an excited shriek.
“How could you not tell us?!”
“It just happened this morning Mom.” Max laughed, setting down the baby carrier so Diane could un-strap the baby so she could hold him.
“Oh Max, honey he’s beautiful.”
Phillip interrupted. “Care if I ask my grandson’s name?”
Liz grinned. “Jackson Michael Evans.”
Diane smiled. “Hello Jack, I’m your grandma.”
Jack made a small sound that delighted Diane. “He knows.” She said happily.

Both Liz and Max knew part of her joy was the knowledge that this was a grandchild she would not have to give away. This grandson would be available for all the spoiling she cared to do.
“Dad, we’ve got a favor to ask of you and Mom.” Max began.
“Go ahead.”
“Well, since Mom already has a crib here and the Parkers really don’t have the room,” Max hesitated.
“Of course she and Jack can stay with us. We assumed she would want to the minute we knew you were home.” Phillip grinned and patted Max’s shoulder in a fatherly gesture. “Plus, I doubt you’re going to be able to get that little boy away from Diane anytime soon.”

********************************************

“Kyle, we shouldn’t be doing this.” Isabel murmured.
“Of course we should.” Kyle rubbed his fingers across her palm.
“I still feel like we should have told Max first.” She chewed her lower lip.
“He’s got enough to worry about right now.”
“What about Liz? What if she notices us doing this?”
“She won’t, and even if she does I’m sure she would understand, Isabel. Now stop talking.” Kyle leaned forward and kissed her playfully.

“No fair.”
“I never said I played fair, Iz. But let’s do this now, get it over with. Come on, dream time.”
Kyle and Isabel sat on the floor of Kyle’s room, facing each other , hand in hand. Both knew that Liz was hiding something from the group, Kyle said he’d sensed it when he was healing her after Jack was born. He’d mentioned to Isabel some of the images he’d seen in Liz’s mind. They’d decided to dream walk her and try to get to the bottom of things. But Isabel was still hesitant.
“Iz, please stop worrying. We’ll be careful. She won’t even know we’re there.”
“Fine, but quickly. If she even looks at us I’m getting us both out of there.”
“Agreed.”

Isabel took hold of Kyle’s hand and looked down at the picture of Liz she’d borrowed from Max’s room. Closing her eyes, she let herself slip into the dreamwalk state, and felt Kyle being pulled in along with her.
“Is it working?” She heard Kyle’s words in her head, though he hadn’t spoken aloud.
“Yes, just wait. She probably just fell asleep.”
No sooner had Isabel spoken then they were surrounded by noise, cars honking, people yelling. They were standing in an alley of a busy street. Garbage bags spilled out of the dumpsters on either side.
“What are we supposed to see here?” Kyle thought to her.
“Look.” Isabel pointed to a huddled figure near the end of the alley. The figure wore dirty jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, he sat with his back against the brick wall and a his knees pulled up to his chest. They couldn’t see his face. Kyle dragged Isabel closer. The boy lifted his head and stared at them. His hood still hid his face for the most part. But he raised his hand and started to scratch at his neck, then his hands. Isabel smothered a gasp. She knew who he was, even before he pushed back his hood.
“Nicholas!”

*************************************

Liz sat up in bed. Jack was crying, hungry. She walked across the room and retrieved him. He quieted the moment she held him in her arms. She sat on the bed to nurse him. Max was still sleeping in his room across the hall. Both Phillip and Diane had insisted that they not share a room just yet. She didn’t quite blame them, she and Max weren’t actually married, not yet.
She thought over the dream she’d been having, all the same images as usual, just in a different order. This time the scene in the alley had been last, and it had been different. Closing her eyes, Liz concentrated on that picture. The boy was there again, sitting in the semi darkness, but someone else was there too. Concentrating harder she looked at the two figures that stood hidden in the shadow of the dumpster.

Liz opened her eyes. She heard Max’s footsteps outside her door. He knocked softly.
“Come in.”
Max entered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He yawned and sat beside her.
“I heard him cry.”
“He was just hungry.”
Max smiled, but caught the look of worry on Liz’s face.
“What’s wrong?
“Nothing, there’s just something I need to discuss with someone.”
“With me?”
“No, your sister and Kyle Valenti.”

***********************************

She could hear them talking about her.

“Has she responded to any of the treatments?” One male voice asked.
“No, though her burns seemed to have healed themselves without any of our medications. She still hasn’t regained consciousness.” Another voice piped in.
“Well, they’re having us keep her on sedatives so that even if she does wake up she wouldn’t be able to do anything but look around.”
“There might be good reason for that, you saw what she did at the base.”
There was a pause, they must not have realized that I can hear them, she thought.
“Disaster, it’s hard to believe.”
“I almost wonder why we’ve been instructed to keep her alive after all that. She destroyed almost all their evidence, you’d think all they’d want to do now would be an autopsy investigation.”
“Are you daft?! What good will that do if we can’t figure out how she did all that? How is she supposed to tell us, or explain if she’s dead?”
“You honestly think, after what she did at the base, she’s going to just wake up one day and explain exactly how she conjured up that explosion? They’re intelligent, we know that. She’s practically human too, judging from the DNA strands. There is just that one difference that sets them apart from us.”
“And what’s that?”
“Couldn’t tell you just yet, my theory is, she is human.”
“What?”
“But evolved, her brain scans are so similar, just her brain is more active, active in sections that never light up on a normal human. But that is just a theory.”

Tess heard their voices fading as they left the room, and dared to open one of her eyes. The room in which they were keeping her had no windows, only white walls and medical equipment, most of which she was hooked up to. She observed the IV dripping into her arm, she knew that this was what was keeping her asleep, what made it so hard to even focus her eyes, let alone do anything else. How much time had elapsed since the explosion? How long had she been lying here in this room?
Already she was too tired to look anymore and closed her eyes. She needed to get out of here somehow, to warn them. But she knew they wouldn’t listen to her, not without proof, and she couldn’t blame them. The drugs kept her paralyzed, but not her mind. Her mind was active, and she’d had lots of time to think. She reviewed everything in her dreams; the years of neglect, the brainwashing, the constant badgering from Nacedo about Destiny. The guilt over all that she’d done weighed heavily on her mind. She wondered what her son looked like, was he happy? She thought about his conception, so much deceit. How could she ever tell them all that she knew? It would involve telling them the truth about Zan, something she’d hoped to never have to do.
But before she could do any of that, she needed to find a way out.

Oh my! So Tess is in the white room. That promises to be interesting! Poor Tess! I hope she gets away! Knowing Tess, she will.

I loved Maria's reaction to the news of the baby.

And you had me going for a moment with this segment with Kyle and Isabel.

“Kyle, we shouldn’t be doing this.” Isabel murmured.
“Of course we should.” Kyle rubbed his fingers across her palm.
“I still feel like we should have told Max first.” She chewed her lower lip.
“He’s got enough to worry about right now.”
“What about Liz? What if she notices us doing this?”
“She won’t, and even if she does I’m sure she would understand, Isabel. Now stop talking.” Kyle leaned forward and kissed her playfully.

“No fair.”
“I never said I played fair, Iz. But let’s do this now, get it over with. Come on, dream time.”
Kyle and Isabel sat on the floor of Kyle’s room, facing each other , hand in hand. Both knew that Liz was hiding something from the group, Kyle said he’d sensed it when he was healing her after Jack was born. He’d mentioned to Isabel some of the images he’d seen in Liz’s mind. They’d decided to dream walk her and try to get to the bottom of things. But Isabel was still hesitant.
“Iz, please stop worrying. We’ll be careful. She won’t even know we’re there.”
“Fine, but quickly. If she even looks at us I’m getting us both out of there.”
“Agreed.”

Dreamwalk! Oh! Good idea. Great part! :D

I have to agree with Gerry, I LOVE the idea of Tess being in the white room. It's a great twist that I've never seen before

PART 5


Maria sat contentedly in the Crashdown, cooing over Jack. Michael couldn’t help but feel a pang of longing as he watched her. She turned to look at him, reading his feelings.
“So when do I get one of these, Space boy?” Maria giggled.
“A baby?”
“No, my own restaurant, of course a baby.” She enjoyed watching him squirm.
“Ummm, do you mind if we do it the traditional way and get married first?”
“All you have to do is ask.” Maria held her breath, wondering if Michael would take her playful hint. He walked closer, and touched her blond curls.
“Deluca, I would love to ask you right here and now. But you deserve better than me kneeling down right here in a diner…you deserve something special. Give me some time to plan it before you ask me again, okay?”
“Okay,” Maria gazed at him, lovingly. “Do you have any idea how much I love you, Space boy?”
“Yeah, I think I have a good idea.” Michael smiled, and leaned in to kiss her.

Maria pulled away at the sound of Isabel’s voice. She, Kyle, Max, and Liz were standing near the back door having a rather heated conversation. Both Michael and Maria strained to listen.

“It was an accident….see Isabel and I were….” Kyle fumbled for an excuse. Isabel simply seemed fascinated in the bracelets she wore. But both could tell that neither Max nor Liz were buying it.
“We didn’t mean too, I mean it could have been anyone’s dream….and I’m new at all this alien stuff….I…”
“Kyle.” Liz stared at him, her dark eyes not amused.
Kyle dropped his hands and tried his best puppy dog look.

Liz cracked a small smile. “Not working, Valenti. I fell for that look too many times before.”
“Fine, okay we were spying!” Isabel blurted out.
All three pairs of eyes fixed on her.
“But do you know who that was Liz? How could you not tell us about your visions? At least that one.” Isabel looked a cross between guilty and angry.
“I remember him vaguely. But I hadn’t seen his face until last night when you two did. These visions aren’t always easy to read.” Liz explained.
“I’m sorry.” Isabel muttered, dropping her gaze again to the floor.
“I know you two meant well…I just. It felt like an invasion of privacy.” Liz had her arms folded across her chest and was looking pointedly at Kyle and Isabel who squirmed under the scrutiny. Max stood beside Liz, looking irritated as well.

Kyle scratched the back of his head. “Sorry Liz, we were just worried.”
“You should have told us about those visions though.” Isabel sputtered.
“I wanted to get them straight in my head before I tried to explain them. At first they were just pictures that flew by so fast I couldn’t see what they were. That one you two were spying on last night had just come into focus.”
“But Liz, do you know who that guy is?” Isabel was wringing her hands.
“He’s a skin, obviously.”
“Not just a skin Liz, that’s Nicholas. Don’t you remember Copper Summit?”

“Not much of it. I remember there were lots of them there.”
Michael jumped up from the booth and walked over. “Did I just hear you say the word ‘skin’. What is going on?”
“Nicholas was the boy, the one who said he was Whittaker’s younger brother.” Isabel continued as if Michael hadn’t spoken. “the one who was the ringleader when they came to Roswell later on and everyone vanished?”
Liz nodded her head. Max stood at her side, taking in all the information. Isabel pushed on. “He ambushed me later that year, when they did the thing to the town that made everyone disappear. He claimed that in my other life he and I were….”

Kyle looked almost jealous for a moment, but it faded when he saw the look of embarrassment plastered over Isabel’s face. He put his hand on her arm. “We get it.”
“He was the most dangerous one. He even survived that blast that killed all the other skins.”
Max bit his lip. “I know.”
“How did you know?”
“I saw him in New York. That time that Rath and Lonnie showed up and took Tess and I to the conference. He was the speaker for Kivar.” Max looked upset at the memory, so did Liz. Both of them remembered what things had been like when Max and Tess had run off to New York that weekend. Max had almost been killed.
“Will someone please explain to me what is going on?” Michael scowled, not enjoying being left out of what seemed like an important topic.

“Liz was having visions of stuff, I accidentally saw some them when I was healing her after Jack was born. I told Isabel and we thought we would dream walk her to help figure them out. I figured she would have enough to worry about with Jack, and Max being home and all. I’m sorry, we were just trying to help.” Kyle scratched the back of his neck and looked embarrassed. Isabel fidgeted with the bracelets on her wrist.

“I know, and I appreciate the effort.” Liz said, unfolding her arms. “The only reason I hadn’t told anyone was because I could barely make sense out of the images the first time I saw them. I was only able to see Nicholas’ face last night. If I want more help with them I promise I’ll ask. But until I do, no more surprise night visits. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Kyle said. Isabel nodded as well. She shot a pointed look toward Kyle.
“Come on, we’re going to be late.”
Kyle looked confused. “Late for what?”
“For…for the movie we were going to.” Isabel glared at him, and Kyle looked embarrassed.
“Oh yeah, okay.” Kyle let Isabel nearly drag him out the front doors of the Crashdown. The minute they were out the door everyone heard Isabel’s loud exclamation, “I told you that was a bad idea!!”


***************************


Nicholas sat in the dim light of the alley turning a black cube over and over in his hands. He stared at the white symbols printed on each side. What good was this stupid device now? He thought. I’m just going to die anyway, it can’t help me. Nicholas gazed up at the strip of sky in between the two buildings. His whole body itched, it took all he could not scratch constantly. His husk had been shedding a full layer almost every other day. In a week or two it would run out of layers and he would die.

He just sent us here to die. Nicholas ground his teeth together as he thought of his last communication from Kivar. He’d called for help, after the failure at the conference, asking for passage back to Antar, before his husk gave out. Kivar had merely told him to stay there until he completed his mission or died, whichever came first. All the other skins like him had died in the blast which had nearly killed him, the blast that had emitted from the hybrid girl. He remembered her as beautiful, despite that he’d gone there after Vilandra. She’d proved loyal to her brother in this life, and it had all been a loss. He’d heard that the once queen had betrayed them all later on, though it seems it had done her little good. She’d been banished back to earth soon after her return. He wondered if the remaining Royals had killed her. He had no knowledge, Kivar had disabled all his communications shortly after the queens’ return.

He wondered how many days he had left. Twenty, maybe thirty? He was tempted to go to Roswell and beseech the royals for help. Appeal to their sense of pity? Maybe I could offer to join them…Nicholas thought, tell them everything I know about Kivar. They might be able to keep him alive, if they didn’t kill him on sight.
Then he heard it. A whispering voice that sounded very close. Nicholas looked up and down the alley, stowing the cube back in his pocket. He saw no one in either direction. Nicholas closed his eyes, but then he heard it again, inside his head. A faint female voice whispering.
“If you can hear me…help me.”


******************

“This is bad, this is very bad.” Maria murmured, as they watched Michael pace back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the Crashdown. She and Liz both followed his movement with their eyes.
“He doesn’t look really mad,” Liz mused, moving Jack from one shoulder to the other. He burbled and cooed at Maria.
“No, he looks anxious…or nervous.” Maria chewed her lip, as Michael continued his pacing, seeming oblivious to the fact that he had an audience.
“But things have been fine for the last month.”
Max entered from the back and walked up to the two girls. He slid his ar maroudn Liz’s waist.
“What are we watching?” He asked.
“Michael.” Maria replied, gesturing toward the windows.
‘Oh, what’s his problem?”
“We’re not sure yet.” Maria answered, her eyebrows furrowed.
Max stifled a chuckle. Liz glanced at him and caught his knowing smiled. She made a mental note to ask him about it later. All three watched as Michael finally stopped his pacing and entered the Crashdown.
“Enjoy your exercise?” Maria quipped.
Michael grumbled. He leaned toward Maria and whispered something in her ear. She nodded quickly. Michael then looked up at Max and Liz, embarrassed.
“Hey guys.”
Max smiled. “Hey Michael.”
The two guys got into a conversation about the hockey game last night, although Liz sensed it was a cover up. She nudged Max.
“Could you hold your son for a moment?” Liz handed the baby to Max and ushered Maria into the back.
“So what did he say?”
“He asked me to meet him later, that’s all. I wonder what is going on.” Maria twirled a lock of blond hair around her fingers
“I don’t know, but I think Max does, and I plan on getting it out of him.” Liz grinned at her friend, and winked.

******************

I hear you, Nicholas thought back. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard. Who are you? He waited for an answer, of any kind. Nothing came. He wondered if he had imagined the whole thing, and if he hadn’t who could the voice be coming from. None of his kind had survived the fire blast, all the new husks had been destroyed, and Kivar never used thought contact. Who are you? Nicholas tried again.
You know me, the voice finally answered. Nicholas closed his eyes and tried a different question. Where are you? There was a pause before the voice answered, sounding very weak and tired. Trapped, need help. Please. It was a girls’ voice, and for a moment Nicholas thought he knew.

Vilandra? This time the voice didn’t wait. No, please. Need help. Will you? Nicholas opened his eyes and scratched the annoying itch at the base of his neck. A layer of skin peeled off and Nicholas shook it from his hand. What do I have to lose? He thought to himself, I’m going to die soon anyway.

I’ll help, tell me how.
The voice’s answer shocked him. The cube, use it to find me.
How did she know about the device?

********************


“So tell me.” Liz said, as she laid a sleeping Jack in his crib.
He avoided her gaze, with a guilty look on his face, and walked out of the guest room. “Tell you what?”
“What the deal is with Michael today.” Liz followed him out and into his room, mustering up her best pleading look.
“I can’t tell you.” Max tried to sidestep her playfully, but Liz blocked his path.
“Why not?”
“Because I promised Michael.”
Liz stepped in closer. “I have ways of making you talk Max Evans.” Liz backed up against the door and clicked the lock. Max tossed a hungry glance her way. She looks so beautiful, he thought, scanning over her small frame dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, her dark hair pinned up at the sides.
“Don’t, that’s not fair.”
Liz merely grinned and moved in to hug him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“You’re sure you’re not going to tell me?”
Max sighed, “Liz…please.”
“Please what?” She murmured, stretching up on tiptoe to plant light kisses along his neck. She felt him tremble under her touch.
“Please, he wanted it to be a surprise.” Max whispered, his breath raspy.
Liz could tell she was getting close. She leaned her head back to kiss him on the mouth gently. Max groaned and kissed her back.

Liz giggled and pulled away. “What surprise?”
Max laughed, “You are a vile temptress, Liz Parker.”
“So tell me already.” She smiled widely. “Or do I have to try harder?”
Max sighed, “Do you promise not to tell? I mean anyone, especially not Maria.”

“I promise, now tell.”
“Michael and I went shopping yesterday, he bought something for Maria.”
“What did he buy?”
Max beamed a smile at her. “Same thing I bought you.”

“You didn’t buy me anything yesterday.”
Max moved away from her to rummage in his top dresser drawer. “I did. I just haven’t given it to you yet.”
Liz came up behind him to see what he was looking for in the drawer. “So can I have it?”

Max grabbed something quickly and shoved it into his pocket. “I imagined a more romantic scenario Miss Parker.” Max looked right into her eyes, loving everything he saw there, emotion bubbled through his veins, no this couldn’t wait. “But since you did already said yes…” Max pulled a tiny velvet box from his pocket.

Liz felt her eyes water, as if on cue. “Max?”
“You already said yes, but I do want to make it official.” Max opened the box and Liz’s breath caught. It was the most perfect engagement ring; the small sparkling diamond glittered in the base, a tiny emerald on either side of it. Max slipped it onto her finger.

“It’s perfect.” Liz felt her tears slip down her cheeks.
“It had to be. Perfect ring for the perfect girl.”
She had to laugh. “Corny, but appreciated. Oh, I love you so much!” She jumped on him, planting kisses all over his face.
“I love you too Liz.” Max laughed.
Liz suddenly pulled back, realization in her eyes. “Wait, this means that Michael is going to….?”
Max nodded.
Liz let out a happy shriek.

******************************

“Iz. I said I’m sorry.” Kyle followed Isabel through the mall, as she moved from shop to shop.
“I know.”
Kyle pouted. Isabel always shopped when something was bothering her. He knew that her dragging him along was punishment for the dream walking disaster. But after three hours, Kyle had had enough, and Isabel looked as if she still didn’t feel better.
As she veered toward another beauty boutique, he tried again. “Come on, Isabel. I’m starving. And I think you look beautiful without all that junk.”
Isabel flashed him a small smile. Kyle knew that flattery was always a sure way to distract her. “Please.” Kyle put his arm around her shoulders, and whispered in her ear. “My alien princess.”

Isabel laughed. “Fine, but your penance is far from over.”
“Thank you for the break.” Kyle noticed the disturbed look in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve just been trying to make sense out of what we saw the other night.”
“Oh you mean that skin kid?”
“Kyle, Nicholas was more than a skin, he knew things about Antar, about me in my other life. He talked as though he was a direct servant of Kivar.”
“Well, he didn’t look as if Kivar was taking care of him, he was hiding in some dirty alley, scratching.”
“I know, I’m surprised he’s even alive really after what Tess did to the skins. But that means he was stronger than the rest. It just worries me. What if he comes back here after us again? It would be so dangerous, especially for Liz and the baby.”
“Iz, don’t let it get to you too much. If he does come after us you’re not alone, and neither are Liz and Jack. Liz has powers of her own now too, and I can bet she’d kill a million skins before she let one near her son.”
Isabel nodded.

Kyle continued. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this alien stuff, it’s don’t take it too seriously until the time comes. Trust me, that first summer after Max healed me I nearly drove myself crazy worrying about whether I was about sprout Martian antennae.” Isabel had to laugh as Kyle put two fingers up behind his head to illustrate his point.
Kyle looked pleased. “See, that’s better.”
They headed toward the food court, but in the back of her mind Isabel knew that something big was coming their way. She felt it almost like a tornado warning. She only hoped that they would be ready in time.

*************************************



Nicholas looked out the window of his hotel room. He’d been glad the stupid man at the counter had been sleeping. Swiping the room key was much easier than having to mind warp the guy into giving it to him, saved his energy.
The cube had led him to this tiny town in South Carolina, nothing here but two motels, a store, and a post office. He wondered if the device was malfunctioning, what could possibly be here? The voice said she was trapped…it didn’t make any sense. Where could she possibly be in an area as small as this?
Are you there? The voice came into his mind suddenly. This time sounding stronger.
Yes, I’m here. Nicholas thought back.

Good, you sound close. Her voice was no longer a whisper.
I think I am, I can hear you better. I’m in a little town called Tidwell. Although there doesn’t seem to be anything here. Where are you?
Underground, the facility is underground.
What kind of facility?
FBI…testing facility.
Nicholas felt a chill run down his spine. Despite his looming death he had no desire to be poked and prodded by humans for his last days. He had a sudden thought, Do they know you’re talking to me?
No.
Good. How am I going to help you?
Mindwarp, I’m not strong enough to do all of them on my own. They’ve been drugging me. I was able to get enough strength this morning to manipulate the nurse into not giving me so much, that’s why I sound better. With the cube we could do a blanket mindwarp long enough to get me out of here.
Another concern plagued him. How do you know about the device anyway?
Because that is how I found you. The cube is like a homing beacon for thought communication. I just zeroed in on it. And you answered. She was beginning to sound tired again.

Do you know who I am? Nicholas asked.
No. I can only assume you were sent by Kivar, since he was the only one who could send the cubes to Earth.

I was. But I no longer owe him loyalty, if this is about him, I won’t help you.

No! It’s not. Her voice began to falter. I have to stop now, they’re coming down the hall. Stay where you are for now.

With that Nicholas felt the connection break as if someone had cut a telephone cord. He opened his eyes and looked at the blank walls of his room. The cube sat on the nightstand, looking as innocent as a paperweight. He wondered, if he was walking into a trap.

great updates. i can't wait to see what happens when tess and nicolas hook up. and you have kyle and isabel together. i love that idea

great updates. i can't wait to see what happens when tess and nicolas hook up. and you have kyle and isabel together. i love that idea

Liz paused outside the doors to the Crashdown. She shifted Jack's carrier to her other arm, he cooed in response. She gazed down at him for a second, he was such a beautiful baby, with his head of black hair and those dark eyes. He was a happy baby too, for which Liz was eternally thankful. Being a teen mom was something she had never anticipated being, but Jack was the most wonderful thing that had happened to her. She fingered the engagement ring on her finger and took a deep breath before walking into her parent's restaurant.

The diner was about half full with the straggler lunch crowd. Two new teenage waitresses scuttled about taking orders and carrying food. Liz caught sight of her father back in the kitchen consulting with the cook. She made a beeline for the back door, she wanted to tell him before anyone else had a chance to.
As she stepped into the back room her dad nearly bumped into her.
"Oh, hi honey. You brought my grandson." Jeff's smile stretched from ear to ear as he set eyes Jack in the carrier.
"Hi Dad, I have something to tell you."
Jeff's smile vanished for a moment. "Not again."
"No! Oh no!" Liz held up her left hand and wiggled her ring finger. Jeff's eyes took a moment to focus in on the ring. A tiny smile played about his face.
"So Max finally decided to make you an honest woman?" Jeff remarked, reaching out to take Jack from Liz's arms. He cuddled the baby gently and tenderly.
"Are you happy?" Liz questioned, watching her father with Jack. Despite what she always tried to tell herself, his approval still mattered.

"Of course, finally my daughter is going to be married and my grandson will be legitimate, not to mention that you'll have your family intact." Jeff winked at his daughter.
It had been so hard for him to accept her status as an adult. Even through most of her pregnancy, he'd had to supress the urge to protect and shelter her as much as possible. But the more she told him about Max, and all the experiences the two of them had been through, Jeff had been forced to accept the obvious truth. Liz was no longer a naive little girl, but a mature and responsible young woman.
"That's a pretty ring, you ought to go show your mother." Jeff gestured to the stairs. "She'll get a big kick out of it.

*************************************

It's time.
Nicholas nearly jumped out of the bed. He'd been trying to get some rest, since all contact with the voice had ceased several hours ago.
What do you want me to do?
Use the cube to find the entrance. Wait for my signal. We'll do a blanket mindwarp, something simple. Make them all think that nothing is changing. It will have to be fast. I'm too weak to hold it very long.

Nicholas picked up the cube from the nightstand, instantly it began to glow an other worldly purple. The symbols began flashing on it's side in a rythmic motion. He was confused he hadn't seen it do this particular display before. Are you doing that?
Yes. Her voice was stronger. It helps you to hear me. As soon as it's dark come to the entrance, then contact me.
Wait, he thought. How will I know you when I find you?
Blond curls, blue eyes, girl. We'll know. The cube will show you.
Okay, I'm coming.
Nicholas felt the connection cease again, and the cube's lights faded.

*******************************
The brunette woman eyed her son suspiciously. She wondered if it was something in the wind that made him behave so strangely. He was sitting in his sandbox, but not shoveling sand into his pail or digging or anything. He sat, simply staring off into the distance, the slight breeze ruffling his white blond hair. He almost seemed to be listening to a conversation. Suddenly he lifted his head and looked up into the sky, calling out a word, his first. "Momma!"

*************************


“What do you mean she’s gone?!” A male voice bellowed.
“I don’t know…I was here the whole time, I never moved. But when I looked in to check on her, she was just gone.” Another voice stammered.
“You must have left for some period of time…she couldn’t just vanish, none of them ever did that!” The first voice boomed.
“I’m sorry sir, maybe she has other powers they didn’t?”

The two voices continued arguing, across the hall Tess rested her forehead on her knees. Her brain ached from the small effort of mind-warping the guard, despite the fact that she’d only had to hold it for a few minutes, just long enough to get into the storage room across the hall and hide herself inside one of the large cabinets. She waited for a message from her mysterious ally. Last he’d told her, he’d made his way past the first floor. She closed her eyes and threw the last of her energy into the communication.
Where are you? Are you close?

Nicholas felt the cube suddenly begin to get warmer, the light from it glowing brightly again. He tried to shove it under his jacket to keep it from drawing attention. He’d made it past the first two floors of this complex so far, using the cube to amplify his mind warp powers. The whole complex seemed like one big rabbit warren, long hallways with lots of doors, stairs located in weird areas, all leading down. He wondered how much excavation it had taken to build this place. Most of the complex looked abandoned, doors locked, lights dim, except for the few guards posted on each level. He heard her voice then, much louder than before.

Yes, I’m on the third level now, where are you? You sound close.
I’m on this floor, you’ll hear men fighting in one room, make sure they don’t see you. I’m across the hall.
As if on cue, Nicholas began to hear the sounds of a loud argument coming from a room ahead of him. It sounded like a few men, yelling about the whereabouts of a girl.
Are they talking about you?
Yes, quick, in the room across from them. Don’t let them see you or we’re both dead.

He quickly removed the cube from his pocket and felt that it was almost hot now. He used it to project the view of an empty hallway into the minds of the men, should they happen to look out the window in the door. He slowly moved to the door opposite them, finding it unlocked he slipped inside.

Nicholas stopped a moment to scratch at his neck, feeling another layer of his skin peel off. At least it reduced the itch a little. He hoped that whoever he was risking his life saving would be worth this effort that might have shortened whatever time he had left.
“Are you worth it?” Nicholas muttered to himself.

“I hope so.” He heard the voice speak aloud for the first time. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light he watched as the door of one of the metal cabinets slowly swung open. Out crawled a figure he recognized only too well, a figure with white blond curls and blue eyes.

*******************************

Isabel thrashed in her sleep. In her mind she was still stuck in the dream, she was watching as Nicholas and Tess stared at each other in a dark room. She could tell that they were working together. She hated the sight of both of them, one had killed the first boy she had ever really loved, kidnapped her brothers’ son, and tried to sell them all to Kivar to be killed. The other had tried to kill her and the others on numerous occasions. But why would Tess be with Nicholas? She had nearly killed him once, and vice versa. The two weren’t likely allies.

Isabel felt her anger level rising, she yelled at them, even though she knew they couldn’t hear her. She let loose, venting all her pent up feelings at their frozen forms. Suddenly the vision disappated and she found herself standing in a moonlit garden, still clad in her satin pajamas. It was beautiful, oversized roses bloomed all around her, letting off a sweet perfume.
“What’s going on?” She murmured to herself.
“I should ask you the same question.” Isabel spun around to see Kyle sitting on a bench behind her, looking curious.

“What are you doing here?”
“I’m not really sure. I figured you would be more comfortable in this setting.”
Isabel was still totally confused, but she sat on the bench beside him anyway.
Kyle went on. “I could hear you yelling in my dream so I just concentrated on you, then changed the setting I guess. I thought of us together here. What is going on? Why were you so upset?”
Isabel felt some of the anger slipping away, as she leaned her head against Kyles’ shoulder. “I saw Tess and Nicholas.”
“The guy we saw from Liz’s dream?”
“Yeah, they were together. That scares me.”

“But they can’t be, Tess is dead. She died when she blew up that military base.” Kyle pointed out.
“We don’t know that, she’s not human and Tess always knew more about her powers than we all did, she could have lived.”
“But even if she did, why would she got to Nicholas? She almost killed him once right?”
Isabel nodded. “I know, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Don’t worry about it for now.”
“Why not?”
“Because that could just have been a dream you know?”
Isabel sighed. “You’re right.”
Kyle grinned, running a hand across her satin clad thigh. “Oh by the way nice pajamas.”

***************************

Liz sat on Maria’s bed watching as her best friend tried on dress after dress, chattering all the while. Jack lay contently in her arms, dozing. He always dozed just after a feeding, no matter how loud the area was. Liz sometimes wondered if his wonderful disposition was just his personality or an attribute of his mixed heritage.
“I don’t know why I even care. I mean, he said dress up right? But we all know Michael, he’ll probably end up taking me bowling, or out to help him buy groceries or something.” Maria exclaimed, holding up another possible outfit.

Liz shook her head. “You never know Maria, he might have planned a real evening for you. He’s gotten better about that this year, hasn’t he?”
“Well, a little. He’s more responsible about being on time, and he has taken me out a lot more to do actual fun things. I guess I shouldn’t be so skeptical, but part of me remembers all the junk we went through while we were all in high school.”

Liz nodded, remembering the up and down rollercoaster that had been Michael and Maria’s relationship. She fought back the urge to spill the beans about Michael’s possible motive for tonites’ evening. She had sworn to Max not to tell.
“I just wish that we could have what you and Max have, you know?” Maria kept talking. “That perfect life, I mean look at the engagement ring he gave you? It’s gorgeous, and your beautiful baby. You’ve totally got it made chica.”

“Wait a minute Maria, my life has been far from perfect for the last year okay? I was pregnant at eighteen, had my son at nineteen. I’m probably not going to get to go to college at all, or not for a long time if I do. My parents weren’t too happy about all of that, and are you forgetting that Max was missing? Held captive on Antar for months?”

Maria looked embarrassed, grabbing a green sundress to hold up “Oh yeah, all that. But you do deserve the happy ending.”
“So do you Maria. And you’ll get one I promise. ” Liz bit her lip again, she hoped Michael would show up soon. “Wear that dress.” That was the fourth time she’d almost told Maria since noon.


********************

“You?” Nicholas couldn’t believe his eyes. The fallen queen who had been presumed dead, sat at his feet. All her glory and former pride was gone from her, her blue eyes were listless and tired, her dingy white curls hung limply about her face. She seemed very frail and weak. Nicholas was having trouble convincing himself that this was the same vixen who had burned all the others of his race in an inferno just a year or so ago.

“And you.” She breathed, taking in his face. Tess too was surprised as she stared at her rescuer. Nicholas was the last person she expected to see standing before her. He looked awful, his skin red and blotchy, even peeling in some places. Tess noted that the look of malice no longer dwelled in his eyes. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place, Nicholas was dying, he no longer served Kivar.

“He betrayed you too.” She murmured, still sitting in the floor.
Nicholas sank down to his knees to be on her level. “He left me to die.”
Tess nodded, and gave her own explanation. “He tried to kill my son.”
“I heard about that. How did you end up here? Everyone thought you were dead.” Nicholas questioned, but her reply was cut off by a loud noise out in the hallway. The two men arguing about her disappearance were leaving.

“We have to get out here, now. Do you still have the cube?”
He nodded and pulled it from his pocket, he started to hand it to her. “Are you strong enough for this?”
“I think so, just help me stand please.” Tess reached a hand out to him.
Nicholas stared at it for a moment, still amazed to see his once great enemy fallen so low she couldn’t stand up by herself. She gazed at him pleadingly for a moment, Nicholas felt the last of his shock give way, and he reached for her hand.

***********************

Liz lay on her back, Jack on her tummy, cooing and burbling at her. Liz watched him with such a feeling of love. He was so beautiful. So much like his father, so much like Max. She turned her attention to the engagement ring he had put on her finger. He had chosen exactly what she would have picked out. And to think that a short time ago she had almost been convinced that she would be raising her son by herself.

“What are you thinking about?” Max wandered into the guest room, towel drying his wet hair. Liz let her eyes roam over his handsome figure, clad only in flannel pajama bottoms.
“You.”
“What about me?” Max sat on the edge of the bed.
“Just about how much your son looks like you.” Liz moved into a sitting position, and handed the baby to Max.
Max looked lovingly into the face of his son. “You really think so?”
“Of course, I mean I know it’s hard to tell yet, but I can see it. He’s going to be just as handsome as his daddy.”

“And hopefully as smart as his mother. And as kind, and loving, and faithful.” Max felt a small wave of guilt as he said the word ‘faithful.’ He knew that Liz would probably always be hurt over the fact that he tryst with Kyle was pretended for the greater good, while his with Tess had been a real mistake. Holding Jack, Max couldn’t help but wonder how his other child was faring. He tried hard to keep his expression blank so as not to hurt Liz with his thoughts.
Liz looped her arm through his as he cuddled their baby, she felt very content. She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Images slammed into her mind with such a force it nearly scared her. She saw Max holding baby Zan the day his parents took the child away, she saw Tess holding Zan, then she found herself in a memory she didn’t want to see. She stood in the observatory watching as Tess and Max made out. But suddenly Max pushed Tess away, and Liz was intrigued.

“No, I can’t do this. I’m sorry Tess, it’s not right. I love her, I don’t care what she thinks of me right now, but I can’t do this.” Max said, drawing away from Tess.
Liz watched as Tess cursed, then closed her eyes purposefully. Max’s eyes took on a vacant look and he began to move like a puppet, taking off his clothes and crawling under a blanket he spread on the floor. Tess did the same. Suddenly Max looked alert again, as he looked down at Tess on the floor feigning sleep. An intense look of guilt plastered itself across his face, guilt and confusion.

Liz’s eyes shot open. She stared at Max, wondering if he even realized it. Tess had mind warped him that night in the observatory, they never slept together!

Very cool! So did these images come from the baby somehow? I'm assuming they did, because Max is unaware still of what Tess really did.
And now Tess and Nicholas have hooked up! That could be bad or good, but I suspect it's NOT going to be good in the end. I could be wrong of course. At least Nicholas has disavowed his loyalty to Kivar. I loved this part:

He just sent us here to die. Nicholas ground his teeth together as he thought of his last communication from Kivar. He’d called for help, after the failure at the conference, asking for passage back to Antar, before his husk gave out. Kivar had merely told him to stay there until he completed his mission or died, whichever came first.

And the part where he hears Tess and uses the cube to find her was really good! :D

He wondered how many days he had left. Twenty, maybe thirty? He was tempted to go to Roswell and beseech the royals for help. Appeal to their sense of pity? Maybe I could offer to join them…Nicholas thought, tell them everything I know about Kivar. They might be able to keep him alive, if they didn’t kill him on sight.
Then he heard it. A whispering voice that sounded very close. Nicholas looked up and down the alley, stowing the cube back in his pocket. He saw no one in either direction. Nicholas closed his eyes, but then he heard it again, inside his head. A faint female voice whispering.
“If you can hear me…help me.”

Awesome new parts! :D

The flash came from deep in Max's subconscious was my original thought. Since he and Liz are so connected she inadvertently stumbled into that repressed memory. And we saw in Departure that mindwarps eventually can be uncovered (Kyle remembering Alex's death) so my thought is that Max just hadn't uncovered this one. But Liz will bring it to light in the next chapter or so.

Being a fan of the show, I always thought it seemed so inplausable that Max would sleep with Tess, even if he was hurt by Liz pushing him away.

Yeah, I agree with that. In my stories I followed a similar idea. Max was mindwarped. And the repressed memory is very plausible. I wondered about the baby, because they were all three touching when Liz had the flash. So I figured the baby could have some kind of special sense... or it could have channeled that from a part of Max's mind that Max himself might not even be able to access. Whatever you have in mind when Liz explains it, I know it will be good. It already is! :D

PART 7


Michael stood nervously on Maria’s doorstep. He leaned over to ring the doorbell yet again. Mid chime Amy Deluca quickly swung the door open. She smiled brightly.
“Hello Michael, would you like to come in or are you just making sure my doorbell is functioning?”
“Hey, I’ll come in.” Michael walked past Amy to stand awkwardly in the middle of her living room.

“I’m sure Maria will be out in just a minute.” Amy scanned over Michael’s outfit, noticing that he was dressed nicer than she’d really ever seen him. “So where are you two going tonight?”
“Um, I was going to take her out to dinner…maybe a movie.” Michael was hesitant to reveal even a bit of his plan, lest he lose his nerve.
Amy looked as if she were about to press for more details, but Maria walked into the room just then. Michael bit his lip. Maria looked completely beautiful, in a green sundress and sandals, her blond curls pinned up at the sides. Michael felt a lump form in his throat. I don’t deserve her, he thought. After all I’ve put her through, why would she say yes to me?

“Shall we go?” Maria asked, swinging her small purse.
Michael who couldn’t find his voice, simply nodded and led her out to the car.
Amy softly closed the door behind them and sighed. She had a good idea of what that Michael Guerin had in store for her darling daughter that night, judging from the ring box sized lump in his pants pocket. In her opinion, it was about time!

“So where are we going Spaceboy? Why all the secrets?” Maria teased, as Michael drove.
“Well, I thought dinner first would be good.”
Maria nodded. “As long as it’s not the Crashdown.”
“No trust me, I think we hang out at that place enough.” Michael laughed, grateful that he was finally starting to relax.
Michael pulled the car into the parking lot of one of the fanciest restaurants in town, an upscale Italian eatery with linen on the tables. Maria looked pleasantly surprised.
“Michael? Bella Rose? Can you afford this?” Maria squealed happily.
Michael felt even more at ease, seeing her so happy. “Of course, I do work, you know.” Micheal led her inside to the hostess. “Reservation for Guerin.”
The pretty hostess checked her list and then smiled, grabbing two menus. “Right this way, Mr. Guerin.”

Maria smiled, almost in disbelief, as she sat down opposite Michael in the fancy restaurant. He urged Maria to order anything she wanted, and their food was superb, even for Michael who was used to a mostly microwavable or Crashdown food.
After the waiter took their plates away, Maria beamed a genuine smile at him. “This was really nice Michael, thank you.”

“I wanted tonight to be special.” Michael felt that familiar lump forming in his throat again. Suddenly he knew if he didn’t do it now, he was going to chicken out.
“Maria, I ….I have to do this quick or I won’t do it at all, …and then you’ll never know…. And I want you to know…because…well…”Micheal babbled, fingering the small box in his pocket.
“Michael, what is going on?”
In one swift move, Michael pulled the ring box from his pocket and put it on the table. Maria didn’t move for a moment, simply staring at the little velvet box. Micheal pushed it toward her with his finger.
“Open it Maria.” Michael felt as if the lump was choking off his airway.

Maria slowly reached for the box and flipped open the lid. The ring was a similar style as Liz’s but the diamond was heat shaped, and the stones flanking it were rubies, instead of emeralds. The ring even looked just her size. Maria raised her head to look at Michael questioningly, she was sure this was a dream, a fantasy.
“Marry me Maria. I know I don’t deserve it, I know I’ve done a million things to make you sad, and angry, and upset. Let me make you happy, let me make you smile forever.” Michael’s voice was heavy with emotion
Maria gently slipped the ring onto her finger. “Yes Michael.”

She looked up at him, her eyes glassy. “Yes.”
“Yes? Yes!” Michael suddenly jumped out his chair and yanked Maria to her feet. He embraced her tightly, swinging them both in a circle, as all the other customers laughed and applauded.

****************************

“I can’t just sit on this knowledge anymore!” Isabel said hotly. Kyle sat across from her in a booth at the CrashDown. He almost looked hurt that her mind was so fixated on other things, but at the same time he also understood why.
“What can we do about it Iz?”

“First I think we should have a meeting and talk about it. I want to know if any of the others besides Liz have been seeing visions, and I want to know the rest of what was in Liz’s head.”

“Max might not like that.” Kyle said softly, not wanting to anger her more, but knowing that Max was super protective of his reunited family.
“He’ll understand when he knows, he wouldn’t want to put Liz or Jack in danger, which is what might be happening by ignoring all these visions.” Isabel’s brows were furrowed with concern as she twirled the straw of her soda.
“I’ll spread the word, if that’s what you want.” Kyle reached over to stroke the back of her hand.

Isabel felt a warm feeling flood through her at Kyle’s touch. She felt bad being so cold lately toward him, and she vowed that once they figured out what was going on she would make more time for them. The last thing she wanted to do was make the same mistake she did with Alex, pushing him away until it was too late.
“Isabel, I understand. I’m not going anywhere either.” Kyle answered her thoughts aloud.
Isabel jumped a little. “No fair, mind reader. Do you always listen in on thoughts?”

Kyle grinned. “Only yours, I give every one else fair warning before I go clairvoyant on them.”
“Well, thanks, I think.” Isabel smiled, before speaking again. “I don’t like stirring up trouble, you know. But this could be really important. I’d rather irritate a few people than have us all get killed in an ambush.”
“They’ll understand.”
“It’s not them understanding that I’m worried about Kyle, it’s more what all these visions and things might be predicting.”

At that moment the doors of the Crashdown were flung open and Michael came running in to the restaurant, dragging Maria by the hand. Liz and Max appeared in the back doorway looking concerned. Isabel and Kyle stood up, Isabel ready to hear bad news.
“She said yes!!” Michael yelled, laughing.
Max walked over and hugged Michael, a big smile on his face.

Isabel had to smile, she’d known this was coming, especially after Max and Liz had announced their engagement. At the same time she felt a little left out, the only alien not getting hitched. But Kyle was listening in again and wrapped his arm around her waist. Our turn will come, his voice echoed gently in her mind.
Maria giggled, running toward Liz with her ring hand outstretched. Liz laughed and hugged her friend, then yelled over her shoulder “It’s about time Michael!”




Back in Nicholas' hotel room, Tess lay on one of the double beds, still unable to believe she was really out of that place. She had wrapped herself in a blanket, embarrassed of the hospital gown she wore. She felt so drained, but at the same time she felt freerer than she had in ages.
Nicholas sat perched on the other bed, looking deep in thought. He raised his hand to scratch an itch on the back of his neck.
"Stop that. It will make you shed faster." Tess breathed.
"How do you know that?"

"When I was on Antar, I learned everything I could about you and the skins, just in case I ever got attacked again."
"I heard about you too, being on Antar, escaping. Everyone assumed you were dead, what happened?"
"Base blew up....I thought they were all dead, but two men got to me while I was still so weak from the explosion. They drugged me quickly....I think they've had me in that place ever since."

Nicholas looked intregued. "They have a drug that can stop your powers?"
"Well, they mostly kept me asleep, I could dream but that was about it."
"Was that how you called to me? In a dream?"
Tess nodded, "Yes, I remembered Kivar telling me he had sent one of the cubes to earth, I hoped someone would still have it and hear me. And you did." Tess' voice was raspy but she felt she owed Nicholas' his answers, his payment for rescuing her.

"Why did you leave Antar?"
"Kivar discovered that my son...." she faltered.
"What about him?" Nicholas pushed.
" That he wasn't of Royal blood." Tess closed her eyes and sighed. She'd vowed never to reveal that fact to anyone, least of all a former enemy.
Nicholas looked confused. "But he's your son...."

"I was royal by marriage, not blood." Tess said, softly.
Realization dawned on Nicholas' face. "You mean, he doesnt' belong to Max. Who is his father then?"
Tess scrunched up her face at the unpleasant memory. "Someone else." She was thankful he didn't ask more, the details of her son's conception and parentage were a topic she'd rather explain when she had more strength.

Nicholas changed the subject, to one that was more important to him. "I'm dying, Tess. You know that. Do you know of any way to stop it?" It was so hard for him to ask, his voice nearly cracked, he was so used to being in control. Asking for help was almost a foreign language to him. He was resistant to lift his dark gaze to her face, afraid of what she might say; afraid she might see the vulnerability in his eyes.

But he saw sympathy and compassion in her blue eyes, two emotions he had never had directed at him before. "Yes, I do know how to stop it."
"Will you help me?"
"You saved me, it's only fair."
For the first time, Nicholas smiled, a genuine smile of hope and gratitude. Tess smiled back.

******************************

Max sat uncomfortably on the floor in Micheals' apartment. He cradled Jack in his arms, the infant sleeping soundly. Max had a bad feeling that some thing was going to happen at this meeting Isabel had called, and he waited for someone else to speak. He made it very clear that he no longer wished to be looked upon as the leader.

"Okay, I'm just going to launch in and say this." Isabel began, watching their faces for a reaction. " You all know about Kyle and I eavesdropping on Liz's dreams. We saw Nicholas in one of them."

Liz shifted, sitting at Max's side, the whole vision thing was something she had hoped that they would bring up, but at the same time she wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about it. She leaned her head on Max's shoulder for support, taking comfort in his strength.
Isabel continued. "The other night I had a vision of my own. I saw Tess and Nicholas together, helping each other."
All eyes suddenly fixed on Isabel. Max spoke slowly. "Tess is alive?"
Isabel nodded, avoiding his gaze, hating to ruin Max's newfound happiness.

"They're both alive... and they're together. It looked like they were allies."

Max looked stricken and Liz knew why. Suddenly she knew she had tell him ,tell all of them what she had seen in Max's mind. Max spoke before she could open her mouth.
"Zan's in danger then. " Max looked sadly down at Jack, knowing that despite his giving up Zan, the child still was not safe.

"But Max..."Liz began, faltering, not knowing how to say what was on her mind.
"What?"
With all eyes in the room on her, Liz hesitated. She’d liked to have had a more private moment to lay this on Max. But gazing around, she knew that all of them would be affected by her revelation.
“Go on Liz,” Kyle urged.
"I had a vision last night too....I didn't know how to tell you..."tears formed in her deep brown eyes. Max looked even more concerned now.
"Tell me Liz."

The whole room was silent, as if they all knew the importance of what was to come next.
Liz spoke slowly. "Zan...Tess' child...he can't be yours."
Maria interrupted. "What are you talking about?"
"You and Tess never slept together! I saw it in your mind, in your subconscious I guess. She mind warped you that night in the observatory."

Everyone gaped at Liz, especially Max. "Are you sure Liz?"
"Yes, I watched the whole memory. You told her no, you pushed her away. She got angry and mindwarped you." Liz looked conflicted, she hated to take the thought of Zan being his away from Max, but at the same time she didn't want him living a lie.
Max's face shifted from fear, to confusion, to a look of loss. Liz put her arm around him, lifting her other hand to caress Jack's little hand, as if to remind Max that this child was his.

No one spoke for a few moments. Isabel sat in shock of what had just been uncovered. Micheal finally broke the silence. "So who does that baby belong to?"
"Only Tess knows." Maria murmured.
"We'll have to find him before she does. Even is he isn't mine, I don't want him harmed. And I don't know if we can trust her, I doubt it if she's with Nicholas." Max said, still looking shaken.

Everyone nodded.
"Are there any other bombshells to be dropped?" Michael asked.
"I can read minds." Kyle piped up. Everyone turned to look at him. "Well , I can, anyone want their fortune told?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood. Maria chuckled, and even Michael smirked a little.
"Wait Kyle, if you're serious, that actually could come in handy. You could read my parents minds and find out where they took Zan. It would give us a head start on finding him." Max thought out loud.

Kyle held up his hands. "It's not that easy, someone will have to ask him questions so he's thinking about it. I can't just extract information from the depths of someone's mind."
"That's what Nicholas could do, that's how he killed Courtney." Micheal mused. Maria shifted uncomfortably beside him. Any mention of Courtney evoked negative feelings in her, being as how that female skin had succeeded in driving a large wedge between her and MIcheal at the time. Micheal simply tightened the arm that he had about her shoulders to reassure her.

"Then we need to move fast."Isabel said.
Everyone began to talk amongst themselves, leaving Max to ponder the thoughts swimming through his brain. This news about him and Tess, about Zan...he shouldn't have been surprised, Tess had lied to them so many times, about so many important things..but still. Max felt both sad and elated, knowing that Liz would never again have to feel hurt about his unfaithfulness. She was the only one he had slept with, and Jack was his only true child. But he was worried about Zan just the same, and wondered who his real father could be.

********************************

Unbeknownst to the alien tribe in Micheals' apartment, a purple light began glowing miles away in the desert, near the ruins of the podchamber. It lasted only a few moments before dying away again, leaving three figures standing in the darkness. Their clothes were different and made them seem to be three people from a different time, or a different place.

The one man, who looked to be in his early twenties, pulled a device from his pocket, like a flashlight only with a cool blue beam. He shone it around at their desert surroundings.

"This is about right. We'll have to walk to town." He told his two female companions. All three wore hoods that covered their hair and their faces. But the girls both nodded at his words.

He took a deep breath, smelling and tasting the dry desert air. "It's good to be home. It's been so long."

**********************

Home? It's good to be home? Okay, what's that about? Who are these people?

And Michael proposed to Maria! Yay! :D

I'm glad Liz told everyone that Tess' baby was not Max's. And Tess has confirmed it to Nicholas:

"Kivar discovered that my son...." she faltered.
"What about him?" Nicholas pushed.
" That he wasn't of Royal blood." Tess closed her eyes and sighed. She'd vowed never to reveal that fact to anyone, least of all a former enemy.
Nicholas looked confused. "But he's your son...."

"I was royal by marriage, not blood." Tess said, softly.
Realization dawned on Nicholas' face. "You mean, he doesnt' belong to Max. Who is his father then?"
Tess scrunched up her face at the unpleasant memory. "Someone else."

I'm wondering who the real father is :?: Kivar maybe? Kyle maybe? I don't think it would be Nicholas, but they do appear to be getting close now.

Great new parts! :D

PART 8


"Well that was a lot easier than I expected, I think I'm getting better at this alien stuff." Kyle laughed, scribbling the name, town and state on a piece of paper.
Even Isabel had to smile, Phillip Evans had known quite a bit more than they had anticipated, and after only a few questions from her he had revealed to Kyle (in his mind) the exact family, town and state where Zan had been placed. At first Isabel had interrupted his reading with a telepathic question as to why he father knew so much, Kyle then gently tossed the answer to Isabel that any grandfather would be concerned about his grandson.

Mr. and Mrs Evans remained in the kitchen after Isabel directed to discussion back to Phillips latest case. Isabel and Kyle sat in the living room his arm around her shoulders, looking pleased with themselves. Isabel fingered the piece of paper, reading the words Kyle had written down.
"Zan is as good as found." Kyle said, tangling his fingers in Isabel's soft blond curls.
"I know, Max will be happy, I hope. Where is this place?"

Kyle reread the words he had written. "Sebastopol, California? Not really sure, I got the impression from your dad it was in the northern part of the state. The rest we'll have to rely on maps to figure out."
"He even knew the name of the family, Dad must have been close with this attorney, to get all this information out of him."
"I know, first names and all, Jane and Robert Grayson."

"Good job Buddha Boy." Isabel leaned in to brush a kiss across his lips. "We should go tell Max and Michael."
"I have a question though, are we just going to swoop over there and kidnap the kid? He's lived with these people for almost a year. We can't exactly go in and tell them their adopted son is part alien, and needs to be with his own kind."
Isabel chewed on that thought for a moment. "I almost wish we could mindwarp, just erase Zan from their memory. It would cause the least hurt, they wouldn't even remember him."
"I wonder if we can. Maybe we can learn to mindwarp, one of us. If we just train our powers." Kyle mused.

******************************************

"So when are you planning to get married?" Jim Valenti asked. Liz and Maria looked at each other. They'd already been twittering plans of a double wedding.
"In a few months or so." Maria replied, filling the reappointed sheriffs' coffee mug, then breezing off to take care of some of the rest of the morning crowd.

"That's good, real good. We could use some happiness in Roswell again. Well, other than this little guy here." Jim said, smiling at Jack who Liz held against her shoulder. Jack responded with a wide smile and laugh.
"Would you like to hold him?"
Jim beamed. "Sure, although it's been a real long time since I held a baby."
Liz leaned over and handed Jack to him. Jim looked a little awkward for a moment, but then laughed. "He sure is a handsome little guy. Looks quite a bit like Max."

"I know." Liz sighed happily.
Jim's brow furrowed for a moment as a thought came to him.
"Sheriff ?" Maria asked, coming by to place his breakfast in front of him.
"Oh it's nothing. I know I'm not an integral part of the clan anymore."
"Jim, you're still important." Maria said, setting her coffee pot on the counter, and smoothing her apron. "I mean, it is nice to know that the sheriff is on our side now."

"Yeah, I guess." He paused. "All right, I had something weird happen last night."
"What?" Liz felt a chill run down her spine. Ever since the revelation of about Tess and Nicholas, her senses were on high alert.

Jim handed the baby back to Liz and continued. "I pulled over a jeep that was speeding on highway outside of town. There were three adults in it from what I could tell. They complied, and pulled over. I was right behind them. But when I got out of my car to walk up to them, the jeep vanished, passengers and all. I thought I was seeing things at first. But they were gone."

Both Maria and Liz looked concerned. Maria spoke first. "Tess?"
Valenti stopped eating for a moment at the mention of her name. They had already filled him in on the news of her and Nicholas.

Liz shook her head. "No, she could't be here already. She has to use human travel like the rest of us. And she seemed to be too weak to pull a big mind warp like that. Plus we only know that she is with Nicholas, Isabel didn't mention a third person."
"The whole thing just left a funny feeling with me." Jim mumbled, taking a big bite of his pancakes.
"Enjoying your breakfast Sheriff?" Jeff Parker said as he walked toward them. Liz shot Valenti and Maria a look to tell them to nix this conversation. The last thing she needed was her Dad getting worried about something they knew little about.
"It's great Jeff, best pancakes in town. I was just telling Liz here what a handsome grandson you've got." Valenti gestured toward Liz and Jack beside him.

Jeff grinned. "I know, takes after his grandpa." Jeff reached out a hand to gently caress his grandson's face. Liz smiled at the tenderness he exhibited whenever Jack was around. Her big, tough dad turned to mush around Jack, every time.
Maria watched the successful dodge with a small smile. But her gaze was drawn to the windows of the CrashDown. She saw nothing unusual, same old street. But a quivery feeling in her stomach told her that she was being watched.

******************************************


"They're going to find out soon. The one girl remarked.
The trio stood in the alley beside the restaurant, hoods up. Their clothes had changed into jeans, shirts, and sneakers, but the hooded jackets they'd worn the night they arrived were the same.

"The Sheriff nearly saw us last night, and that waitress just almost caught you staring." The other girl finished.
"I know, I know." The guy murmured, watching the entrance to the alley. "We'll tell them soon. Just not yet, I want them to lead us to the child first."

******************************************

Tess slept soundly in the double bed, the covers tucked around her. Nicholas sat by the one window, with it's sheer curtains, watching. He'd already seen several black SUV's speeding around, luckily none had the brains the check this seedy little motel. They probably think aliens would have better taste, he thought with a smirk.

He turned to stare at Tess, the fallen queen. She'd answered nearly all his questions without hesitation, despite the fact that it was exposing all of her weaknesses. He pondered the puzzle she presented. This girl, who had tried to kill him in a fiery inferno, who had killed all of his attendants, who had nearly succeeded in killing the other three Royals....lay sleeping four feet away. If he wanted to, he could kill her now. But he didn't want to, what good would it do? Kivar had broken all contact anyhow, there would be no reward. And he remembered what she had said about helping him live. She knew a way to save him.

He walked over to stand above her slumbering form. Gazing at her, he wondered, why would she help me? Out of fear? No, she'd already proven that she was a match for him. Reward? No, he had nothing to offer. Then why? There had to be a reason. He didn't deserve blind kindness, and she was never the type to offer it, in their other life.
As he stared at her, wondering, he noticed something. Something about the lines of her face and the shape of her mouth, despite her sickly complexion, and dirty hair, She really is beautiful, he thought.

******************************************

"I am not being left behind Spaceboy!" Maria stomped her foot. She dropped her duffel bag into the pile of stuff Michael was loading into the trunk of his car.

Michael looked at her sternly, trying hard not to be affected by the cuteness of her pout. "Maria, we're just going to get Zan. We'll be back in a day or so."
"No, I always get left out of the adventures, I'm going." She folded her arms across her chest.

Liz, Isabel, and Kyle walked out of Michael's apartment, and stood off to one side, watching the interaction.
Michael tossed Isabel's suitcase into the trunk. "There's not enough room in my car for five people and the kid." He was softening.

"There is if I don't go." Max said, quickly.
Micheal looked up at him. "What?"
"You and Maria, go with Kyle and Isabel. I want to stay here." Max said, yanking his backpack out of the trunk and replacing it with Maria's duffel.

"Max, what are you doing?" Isabel asked.
"I don't feel right leaving Liz and Jack alone, especially with the weird thing that happened to Valenti the other night."
"But Zan's your..."Michael started.

"No, he's not. And I need to get used to that. I'm staying." Max said slowly, with purpose.
Liz walked up to his side, Jack in her arms. She felt both sad and happy at the same time, the same mixed emotion she got every time Max mentioned Zan.
"I'll see him when you guys bring him back." Max finished.
Michael's shoulders slumped in defeat. "All right. Whoever's coming get in."

Max, Liz, and Jack said goodbye to Kyle, Isabel, Michael and Maria. They promised to call as soon as they had found Zan. Max watched Michael drive away, his arm around Liz. He silently prayed for them to be careful.

************************************

When Tess awoke, it was morning. She gazed at the clock on the nightstand, it beamed 8:00 a.m. at her. She sat up slowly, still feeling a big ache in her head. Nicholas lay on the other bed, passed out. At the foot of her bed, she saw a bag with clothes in it. Immediatly her thoughts turned to the shower. She got up, grabbed the bag of clothes and slipped into the bathroom.

When she finally emerged, 45 minutes later, Nicholas was awake. She was dressed in the clothes he had brought; jeans, sneakers and t-shirt. She'd used her powers to alter the fit and size. With her white blond curls clean and her skin looking scrubbed and less pale, Nicholas glimpsed the same girl he had come against all that time ago.
"Thanks for the clothes."

"No problem, I guessed on the fit. I figured anything would be better than those hospital pajamas you had on." Nicholas scratched the back of his hands, nearly peeling off a layer of skin.
Tess crossed the room to sit beside him "Here, I should have done this last night, but I was too weak." She extended her hand, and Nicholas did the same. Tess waved her hand over the spot where his skin was red and blistered. Nicholas felt a cool buzzing feeling and watched as the blistering and redness disappeared, along with the itch.
"Whoa, that's great."

"It's only temporary, unfortunately. But there is a permenant way." She moved her hand to his neck to heal that patch, as she talked.
"You’re talking about the Granolith?"
"No, it's a different device. I learned about it while I was on Antar. It was sent to earth along with the Granolith, and buried in the desert nearby. It's called a Tachyan, it has powers like the Granolith, only more. They sent it as a fail safe, in case the Granolith was damaged." She explained.

"Tachyan? I've never heard of it." Nicholas took off his shirt to reveal more blistering on his back and chest. "Would you mind?" He felt embarrassed being shirtless in front of her with his rash, but he reminded himself that in this body all she saw was a boy in his early teens.

Tess nodded, and continued to heal the patches of red. "Well, no offense, but you wouldn't have known about it. I don't think even Kivar knew about it. It's an older technology, more powerful than Kivar knows about."

"What he wouldn't give to get his hands on something like that." Nicholas muttered, as Tess healed the last of his blisters.
She looked at him sternly. "I hope he never does."

"That's not what I meant..." He said, seeing to doubt in her cool blue eyes. " I was thinking more along the lines of it being a good lure for a trap, if we ever needed one."

"A trap? For Kivar?" Tess looked both shocked and intregued. She would love nothing more than to get revenge on Kivar, the traitor who had nearly killed her infant son and herself. She shook her head, "maybe someday, but that isn't something I can worry about right now. I don't have the strength, and neither do you."
Nicholas put his shirt back on, and changed the subject. "So, do we head back to Roswell?"
"Yes, as soon as possible." Tess nodded, knowing that when they arrived in Roswell, there would be a million explanations to make. But one other thought cheered her mind; she would see her son again.

******************************************

Maria slept with her head against the window, Isabel and Kyle both dozed in the backseat. Micheal drove steadily, watching the road signs and occasionally glancing over at his fiance to admire how cute she was asleep. The next sign he saw told him they were approaching Sonoma County, where Zan was. He sped up a little. He was anxious to get this errand over with; this whole business about Zan not belonging to Max, and Tess and Nicholas being alive was making him edgy. He knew that the peace they had all been living in was soon to be shattered.
"Micheal?" Maria murmured, slowly sitting up.

"We're almost there, another 15 minutes maybe." He patted her thigh and smiled. "Have a nice nap?"
"Yeah, not bad for being in a car." Maria raked a hand through her touseled curls.
"Hey Maria?"
"Yes?"
"What do you think about this whole Tess, Zan, Nicholas thing?"

"I don't really know yet." Maria twirled her hair around her finger as she thought. " I mean, I'm happy for Liz and Max that they don't have that wedge between them anymore. But I'm curious about who Zan's real father is. Tess could have mindwarped anyone into it."
"I know. That's what I think too, that's why I've been pushing us to get there so fast. I want to see this kid for myself. Maybe Isabel could find the answer inside his head, something." Micheal mused.

Maria scooted closer to him on the seat. "It'll all work out." She said, trying to take the positive side.
"I hope so. When I asked you to marry me, I didn't want to just be offering a life of alien troubles."
Maria laughed. "You know Spaceboy, there was a time when all I wanted was to be out of the alien chaos."
Micheal flinched, remembering that New Years Eve when he had drank too much.
"But now, I don't care about it so much. Micheal, I love you. And if all this alien choas is part of that package, then bring it on." Maria grinned at him.

A grunt sounded in the backseat. Kyle was waking up. "Sorry to spoil your Kodak moment up there, but are we close yet?" He groaned.
Micheal glanced at a roadsign. "About ten more minutes, you should wake up Isabel and we..." Micheal's voice trailed off as he studied the rearview mirror. A black heep, one he had seen several times over the last two days was behind them again. Micheal's brow furrowed, he couldn't make out the driver or if there were any passengers. He returned his eyes to the road and hoped that his hunch was paranoia and nothing more. That last thing they needed was to discover they were being followed.

**************************************

A girl with long black curls drove the jeep. In the backseat the other girl lay dozing. She glanced over at her passenger, who was quietly staring at a small picture. "Can I ask you something?"

He looked up at her. "Sure."
"Who are they to you?" She gestured toward the two girls in the photo.
"What do you mean?"

"I mean, were they your sisters? What do they have to do with the little boy?" She returned her eyes to the road, and missed the look of sadness that flashed over her companions features.
"They were....like sisters to me." He paused a moment, looking at the picture one more time before shoving it back in his pocket. "And they have a lot to do with what we're doing here. I'll explain it all to you when things settle down and we find him."

"So, I'll actually get to meet them then?"
"I think our appearance among them will be inevitable." He murmured, watching as the car they followed took an exit. The girl followed them swiftly, but at a distance. He stared out at the darkness. "Especially when they realize the truth about the child."

Max tossed and turned in his sleep. So many thoughts swam through his mind. He dreamt of Tess appearing and coming after Liz and Jack in a fit of jealousy. He saw Nicholas torturing Michael and Maria. And worst of all he dreamt of Kivar coming to earth and wreaking his havoc upon them all.

A cry woke him. Max heard his son’s soft whimpers in the next room. Slowly he stood up, realizing he was sweaty from his nightmare. He wandered into the guest room. A rush of panic flew through him when he saw neither Liz nor Jack, both beds were empty.

“Liz?”
No answer.
“Liz?” Max said a little louder, his heart thumping.
“Yes?” Liz stood at the end of the hallway, near the living room. She was holding Jack in her arms. Max let out a sigh of relief. “He was fussing so I decided to walk him a little bit. Sorry if I scared you.” She murmured, walking past Max into her room again.
Max followed and sat on the bed. “It’s not your fault. I was having a nightmare.”

Liz sat in the rocker, gently moving it with her foot. “You too?”
Max looked surprised.
“Well, I haven’t been having dreams,” Liz explained. “But a general sense of fear and anxiety.” She watched as Jack slowly drifted back to sleep, his long eyelashes fluttering.
“I keep worrying that something is going to happen to you or Jack.” Max watched as Liz placed Jack in his crib.

“ I worry about that too. But I want you to know Max…I’m not defenseless.” She strode over to him, and calmly held out her palm. Max was surprised to see a green ball of light form and hover above her hand.
“When did you learn that?”
“When I was about five months pregnant. Michael had come over to check on me, he startled me and I did this, except I threw it. It was a good thing he ducked, because it broke my bedroom window.” Liz smiled sheepishly and closed her hand, letting the ball of light disappate.

Max looked pleasantly surprised. He took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “It’s good to know that you can protect yourself.”
“Max, if anyone tries to take you or Jack from me again, they will have to deal with a lot more than a light baseball.” She grinned, sitting beside him.
“I’m glad you have powers Liz, it gives me hope for our future.”

Liz looked at him with a quiet intensity. “Max, is something bad in our future?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t help being afraid. After everything we’ve gone through together, all of us…a happily ever after seems like too much to hope for.” Max looked down at the floor.
Liz placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face to look at her. “Max, don’t think like that. All the things we’ve gone through are precisely the reason we deserve a happy ending.” She leaned in to kiss him gently. “Max, we’re together now, and we have a beautiful son. We’re going to get married, and have more kids someday. Our lives might never be normal, but that is what makes them special.”

Max smiled again. “What’s so great about normal?” He repeated the words he’d said to her that night in the park. When he’d put on a show with his powers, trying to win her heart.
“Max.”
“Yes.”
“Sleep here with me tonight. I want you close to me.”
“Liz.” Her name was all he needed to say.

*******************

“We can’t just up and kidnap him.” Maria said, hotly. She, Michael, Isabel, and Kyle sat in the small town diner trying to agree on their next move.
“I have an idea,” Kyle started.
“I wasn’t saying that.” Michael interrupted.
“But I think that…”Kyle tried again.
“Well, we certainly can’t tell them the truth!” Isabel sputtered.
“AHEM!” Kyle banged his spoon on the table. At last the other three were quietly looking at him. “My idea is this: most people who adopt children do so because they can’t have children of their own. What if we mind warp them to make them forget Zan, then I could heal them so they could have their own children?”

Maria’s face looked optimistic. “Like a trade.”
“It’s a good idea Kyle, with one small problem. None of us can mindwarp.”
“Isabel can.” Kyle said plainly.
“What?” Micheal and Maria spoke at the same time.

Isabel squirmed under their scrutiny. “It’s a new thing, and it’s not technically mind warping.”
“Well than what is it technically?” Micheal looked angry he had been left out of the loop in this issue.

“Isabel and I have been experimenting with our powers since we found out where Zan was. We found that if I can render someone unconscious, Isabel can dreamwalk them and remove memories, alter them a little bit. It’s different from what Tess used to do, but it should work.” Kyle explained.
Micheal and Maria pondered the idea. “It does seem like the most humane way to do it.” Maria said.

Michael nodded. “If you think you can do it Isabel.”
“I think I can, I’m not making any promises though.” Isabel fiddled with her bracelets. She hated admitting that she knew it would it work, because of it’s similarity to the power Tess had used to ruin their lives.
Michael stood up to go pay the check. “All right, well it’s all we’ve got. It has to work, let’s go and get this over with.”

**************

Tess stared at the road as she drove, thinking about what she would say when they got to Roswell. How was she going to explain all that had happened so Max and the others wouldn’t attack her or Nicholas? She looked over at him, asleep in the passenger seat.

I’d better find the Tachyan device first, she thought. If it worked the way she’d read on Antar, it would change Nicholas’ skin into a body of his own, a human hybrid like herself. It would change his appearance too if he so chose. She figured that he would want to look older, since he was constantly griping about his teenage appearance. In fact they’d had an argument over that very fact earlier; he had wanted to be the one to drive the rental car they commandeered. Tess had intercepted, claiming that with him at the wheel every cop between there and Roswell would try and pull them over. After a few moments he had seen her point and relented.

Tess decided that helping him first would be the right thing to do. That way, if the rest of the aliens would not forgive her, or worse turned on her, she would still have made good on her promise to Nicholas. Her longing to see Zan was almost overwhelming despite her decision. She wondered what he looked like, how much he had grown.

She hoped Max would let her seem him. Would he be married to Liz by now? Tess struggled with the idea that Liz, her rival, might be helping raise Zan. Liz had been her competition for Max at every turn, and Tess had lost him to her every time. She’d been stupid to think she could come between them. She remembered how Liz had refused to send her to her death, despite all the hurt she’d caused. And she hoped that Liz would show the same compassion toward her son.

Another thought came to her then, what if Max wouldn’t let her see Zan? She felt a momentary flutter of panic, then she remembered. All I have to do is tell them the truth about my son, and they’ll hand him over to me gladly, she thought.

******************

The little house looked picturesque, a garden out front and even a porch swing. Isabel couldn’t help but wonder if the life they were taking Zan away from was better than the one they would give him.
Kyle’s thoughts chimed in. His parents wouldn’t know how to deal with him if he develops powers, Iz. It’s better if he’s with us. Kyle’s words in her mind were comforting and she tried to put on a smile as Michael knocked on the front door.

They heard footsteps approaching the door, and a woman in her thirties opened it. She had brown hair, cut to her shoulders and wore denim overalls with paint on the front. She smiled at the four. “Can I help you?”
“I think so. Are you Jane Grayson?”
“Yes I am, do I know you?”
Kyle took a deep breath and launched into one of the biggest lies he’d ever told. “No Ma’am, we’re from the college. We’re doing a report on adoption and wondered if you would mind if we asked you a few questions.”

Mrs. Grayson looked confused. “How did you know our son is adopted?”
Maria jumped in. “Court records, they don’t seal them until after the adoption has been final for two years, as a protection for the birth parents.”
Micheal and Isabel nodded, even though Mrs. Grayson looked doubtful of their story.

“Well, I guess a few questions would be fine. Why don’t you come into the backyard, my husband and our son are out there.” She led them through the house and out onto the back porch.
A small boy was playing out on the grass with an inflated beach ball. He giggled and laughed happily. All four of the them stared intently at him for a moment. There was no mistaking who his mother was; Zan’s hair was white blond and his eyes a bluish green, and the shape of his mouth looked like hers as well. Maria watched him with a smile, while Micheal’s eyes were drawn to Mr. Grayson who was sitting on the steps.

“Robert, these kids are doing a report and wanted to ask us some questions about how we adopted Adam.”
Robert Grayson stood quickly and surveyed the four aliens. He looked somewhat annoyed at their presence, and Michael didn’t quite blame him. He would be mad if strangers showed up knowing information about his family. “All right, just a few questions.”

Kyle sat on one of the porch chairs, Isabel followed suit. Maria and Micheal remained standing, Maria’s eyes on the little boy chasing the beach ball.
“Why did you want to adopt?” Kyle asked, trying to keep the pretense of the adoption interview going.
“Because we’ve always loved children and wanted one of our own.” Jane said simply.

“Do you have any other children?” Isabel spoke this time.
Roberts eyes darkened a little. “No.”
“Why not?” Isabel pursued.
Robert sighed. “Because my wife has an ailment that prevents us from being able to have children of our own.”
Isabel glanced pointedly at Kyle, as if cuing him. Kyle stood up and raised his open hand.
“What are you doing?” Robert gripped the arms of his chair as if to stand.
“Forgive us.” Isabel whispered. She nodded at Kyle. A green beam flew from his hand to alight on Robert and then Jane. Almost instantly both their heads dropped to their chests, deeply asleep. Maria gasped, fighting the urge to shriek.

Micheal nearly jumped out of his chair. “I didn’t think you were going to do it right away!”
“Better than having them get nervous and throw us out.” Isabel said quickly.
“Sorry, could you help me get her into the house so I can heal her?” Kyle looked at Michael apologetically.
Micheal looked annoyed to be taking orders from Kyle. “What about him?” He gestured toward Robert Grayson.

Isabel answered. “Leave him there, he’ll think he was napping in his chair.”
Micheal grunted but leaned down to help Kyle move Jane into the house. Isabel leaned over and took a hold of one of Robert Graysons’ hands and closed her eyes, she knew it would take her some time to erase all his and his wife’s memories of Zan and she needed to get started.

Maria quickly recovered from the shock and moved away from where Isabel sat, still as a stone. She walked down to the lawn where Zan was still playing. She stared intently at him, secretly looking for any resemblance to Michael. After their conversation in the car about Tess mindwarping ‘anyone’ a horrible thought had come to her. What if he belonged to Micheal? She scanned his tiny face, but saw nothing familiar. It calmed her slightly. Zan saw her and abandoned his ball. He came running toward her, with his arms outstretched.

“Up!” He commanded in a clear voice. Maria was surprised, he looked young to be speaking so well. But then again, all she had known for comparison was human babies.

“Up! Up!” He chanted when Maria didn’t immediately bend down. His gaze was happy, the sunlight glinted off his fair hair. He looked like a child in a television commercial. Maria’s heart melted as she watched him, her suspicious thoughts giving way as she crouched down to his level.
Zan reached forward and grasped one of her hands. He looked at her curiously for a moment, then his eyes looked distant as if he was seeing something else far away. His next words nearly made Maria fall over.

“Ria! Up!”