Finished Canon/Conventional Couple Fics. These stories pick up from events in the show. All complete stories from the main Canon/CC board will eventually be moved here.
Summary: If you had the power to change what had already been changed, would you?
A very special thanks to Cynthia (To_kiss_a_frog) for being my beta and mrsjbehr for the amazing banner!! Thanks you guys!!
Prologue
...5 years after graduation
I need you to help me fall out of love with you.
All I have to do is just close my eyes and it’s like I’m back there, reliving every emotion that went through me. And yet, through all the pain and tears, I’m still here. It’s not like I can just freely go anywhere. Especially with my powers running amok every now and then. Besides that, where would I go when my home is right here with me.
Its when I look over at the person sleeping beside me, and I loose all train of thought. His breathing is normal, and he’s not tossing and turning so much. Normally he would violently shake at night when the nightmares would come, and I’d be there with him, soothing him and letting him know that he wasn’t alone. Now, he’s got this content look on his face, which is so rare now adays. These are the times, I really stop and look at the man he’s been; the man he became, and through all the pain, heartache, and tears, deep down...I know I love him. No one could ever take his place and I tell him that everyday.
I also look around to the others here, who at the moment, are deep in slumber. How close we’ve became over these past eight years, we’re a family. I see Michael, whose arm is wrapped protectively around Maria, who took the longest to finally trust us, also with a content look to his face. I still remember the day he had returned my journal, and how he told me he was glad he found someone he could trust. Right then, I knew I’d try my hardest not to let him or the others down.
Then, there’s Maria, my rock. She’s been there for me through everything, human and alien alike. She’s the one person in the world I trust wholeheartedly, and I’d protect her with everything I’ve got, even if it meant my own life. She’s also had her share of problems, and even though her and Michael used to fight constantly, these past few months they’ve actually settled things and have gotten closer. Closer then anyone here would’ve imagined, and I’m very happy that she has Michael and that he’ll protect her just as much as I would.
Isabel, that girl has been through hell and back. I should know. We both lost someone who was very dear to us. Not a day goes by, that none of us doesn’t look up at the sky and talk to Alex. It’s still hard on us, and the betrayal that was behind it, hurt us even more. At first glance, it seems like she’s got it all under control, but she’s dealing with the loss of someone she loved and had to let go, her husband, Jesse. It’s almost too much to bear.
It was the night of graduation, also another night, I’ll never forget. He’s in Boston now, living the life Isabel so desperately wanted. That’s the reason we’re all staying together in this one hotel room. We’ve been in this room for the past two days, trying to come up with a solution, and I think I did. Tomorrow, the plan is set into motion, that’s why I’m writing all this down, so I know what I’m fighting for.
If things go the way Serena said, I think all of us will get that chance at finally living a normal life or at least close to as normal as we can get, and the best thing for me to do is to start at the beginning.
A/N: I'll be posting once a week..Hope you guys enjoy!!
Last edited by linliz68 on Sat Dec 31, 2005 1:24 pm, edited 26 times in total.
A/N: If there are any errors in this chapter, my apologies. My beta is probably asleep and since its 12:12 A.M., my time I wanted to go ahead and post. Also, Several quotes are taken from "Graduation"
I also wanted to thank you guys for reading and posting FB. I truly know how it feels when the authors say that the FB keeps them going, because its the truth. Thank you!
Chapter 1
Gazing up at the hotel ceiling, I think back to the day I wrote my last journal entry before I mailed it back to my parents. It’s funny how at different moments of the day, certain memories hit you. I remember it just like it was yesterday, it was about two years after we graduated and it all seems so clear as I look back on it.
The sun was barely under the tress and there was a light breeze, which tickled my neck. It was just another normal day for those in this small town. For me and those close to me, it was anything but normal. The smell of the food cooking downstairs always made its way up here. I sighed and slowly closed my journal, knowing that this would be the last entry in a journal whose entries held secrets only a few knew:
I can't tell you much more than that. It wouldn't be safe, for you or for us. ...I can tell you that we're far away, and that we're all trying to avoid the law and do good in the world... Oh, and I guess I should tell you that, Max and I did eventually tie the knot. Give my love to Mom. Let her read this journal, too. Then, give it to Maria's mom. And after that, take it and burn it out in the desert by the ruins of the pod chamber... where my husband was born. So that's the end. Our life in Roswell. What a long strange trip it's been. Will we ever go back? ...I don't know... Even I can't see everything in the future. All I know... is that I'm Liz Parker... and I'm happy.
I already had everything ready for sending. I knew, in the end, that none of us would be able to return home safely, so I did this in order to bring at least some peace to our loved ones. They didn’t know the truth about us, and as much as it pained all of us to leave, I didn’t want to leave them with unanswered questions. I just hoped that one day, we would be able to come home.
“Earth to Liz?”
“Huh?” I reply, shaking her head, lost in her own thoughts.
“Just wanted to make sure you’re still with us.”
“Hardy har har.” I reply. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
Good comeback I thought to myself.
I see Maria frown and knowing I caused it doesn’t make me feel any better then I already feel. I mean, hell not even 6 months ago, we had another close call with the Special Unit. Something I really don’t like going into. None of us do, but its taking a toll.
“I’m sorry, ria.”
She doesn’t reply for a few minutes. She knows its not easy on any of us, and sometimes we do take out our aggression on each other.
“It’s ok.” she replies, barely above a whisper.
It’s been exactly 2 years, 4 months, and 12 days since graduation. Just ask anyone here, I’m not the only one who keep track of how long we’ve been gone. We’ve had to change vehicles so many times, I’ve lost count. We go to old car lots, where no one thinks to look, and find a vehicle that suits all of us.
I glance back at Isabel and Kyle. Kyle’s looking out the window, has been for the past four hours and hasn’t said a word since our last vehicle change. Isabel’s looking down, like she’s asleep, but I doubt anyone here has gotten over 8 hours straight of good sleep. She’s holding her rings that she and Jesse exchanged on their wedding day. She’ll just stare at them for hours at a time, hardly speaking a word to any of us. We’ve tried talking to her, but ‘I’m sorry’ will only go so far. She knows we mean well, but she’s lost, just like everyone else here. She’s trying to find her way back, but as we all know too well; to take one step forward, is to take two steps backwards.
We’ve been in six states the past four months and it never gets any easier. Did any of us ask for this, to be hunted like wild game? No, all we ever wanted was to live a happy, normal life. They didn’t give us that either. I get sick of being treated like an object, instead of being treated like a human being. Which is what I am. Well, minus the little fact about my powers.
I know Max wouldn’t change that day for anything, but deep down, part of me wishes I could. That way, Alex would still be alive, we’d never known Tess and her betrayal, and Max, along with his sister, Isabel and their friend, Michael would be safe. If you had asked me back then, I’d tell you, without a doubt, yes. But to change that, would be to erase all memories I have of Max and his love. And to do that, would literally kill me.
I close my eyes as memories of Alex enter my mind. What I wouldn’t give to hear his laughter, his music...god I miss him. I can feel the tears begin to form and after taking a deep breath, I force those tears away which is what I do. But I’ll find myself, at different moments of the day, crying.
During his death, I never really took the time to grieve. I was focused on what was in front of me, trying to do what was right and I never took the chance to let everything set it and just grieve like any normal person would and thats something I’ll never forget. Every time I remember that day, I see her face. In her own way, she got what she wanted, but not before destroying everyone else in the process. Including Max. He blames himself for not seeing who she truly was in time, he doesn’t tell us he does, but I know. It’s in his eyes, and once while he thought I was asleep, I heard him; I felt the bed shift as he moved. I figured he was trying to get comfortable, that was until I realized the bed was still shaking. I turned to move when I heard his voice:
‘God, what had I done. How could I have been so blind?’
I turned slightly, seeing he was no longer laying down, but sitting up with his back towards me, his head in his hands, trying to hide his tears.
‘I let h..her down. I let them al..all down.’
I didn’t realize I was crying, till I felt the moisture of the tear slide down my cheek.
He had put it on his shoulders, when really I was the one to blame. They still did not know of future Max, nor did they ask. I knew now, I should’ve told him when we were on that road back in Copper Summit. He needed answers only I could give him, and yet I had lied.
He no longer hid his tears. His shoulders shook from the force of his sobs. He had wrapped his arms around himself as if to bring some warmth to his cold body. The sobs shook him, as I got up and walked around to lean down in front of him. He didn’t realize I had gotten up, till I placed my small hand on his forehead. He didn’t say anything, just grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me close to him. He continued to cry, he knew he couldn’t hold it in any longer, and I didn’t want him too.
‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ He kept repeating, over and over, as if more to convince himself, then me.
‘Max, look at me.’
He didn’t. He just kept repeating those two words.
‘Max.’ I said, placing my hands on his cheeks, my own tears falling as well. ‘Baby, please look at me.’
‘Why are you with me, Liz? I did something that’s not worth forgiving. I betrayed everyone, and yet, you’re all still here. Why?’
‘Maxwell Evans, look at me.’
He finally did, and the look in those amber eyes were so broken. His soul was broken. Right then, I knew I had to tell him, what I had been hiding for the past four years.
‘You did nothing wrong.’
‘Liz-‘
‘Let me finish.’ I reply softly. ‘I pushed you towards her, because I had to. I was told you two had to be together or else the world would end. Do you remember the day you came to take me to the Gomez concert?’
His face looked even more broken as I brought up that day, and more tears slide down his face. ‘Y..yes.’
‘I knew you’d be coming back for me. But Max, you didn’t want to go to the concert. I knew what you wanted.’
That day was still fresh in his memory, like it was in mine. I don’t think either one of us is going to forget that day. ‘That wasn’t my first intention-‘
I silence him as I kiss him softly on the lips. ‘I wanted what you wanted that night, and if the following events didn’t happen, I would have.’
‘What events?’
‘Right before you showed up and sang to me, a visitor came to me. It was you, from the future. A future where only 2 days earlier, he held Isabel dead in his arms. He told me that for the sake of our planet, you and Tess had to be together. I tried everything, and with each time I tried, a piece of me died. I lied when I said I didn’t want to die for you. I would give anything to be with you, and to keep you, Isabel, and Michael safe. So, when Maria and Michael were having problems with Courtney, I knew the only way for you to believe it was over was to do what I did. Ever since that night, I cried myself to sleep. The look on your face when you saw me and Kyle killed a part of me. I wanted to tell you so many times, but you told me I was to tell no one. And I haven’t, with the exception of Maria.’
‘I told you to do that.’ he scoffed. ‘I was even stupid in the future.’
‘Don’t say that. You did what you felt, in your heart, was the right thing to do. Yet, I wish he, you would’ve gone to someone else, but you said it was me you had faith in. So, I had done what he-you had said. But before you left, I had my wedding dance.’
‘Wedding dance?’
‘We eloped, we were 19.’
‘19?’
‘I know. I told hi..you the same thing. But of course, you had replied that I mentioned that Romeo and Juliet were even younger when they were married. But yeah, it was at the Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas.’ I pause and I see him putting those events from when we were all in Las Vegas together, even when I asked him about that very same chapel. ‘We invited everyone; Alex, Maria, Michael, and Isabel were all there.’ I paused, giving him some time to fully understand what I’m telling him. ‘We even had a song just for us.’
‘Liz,’ he pauses. Then there’s something I see in his eyes that I would have never thought to see there. ‘What was our song?’
‘I Shall Believe by Sheryl Crow. We danced to that song under the stars and ever since then it was our song.’
The tears were coming down harder, but I knew I had to do this. This was what we both needed, but I needed for him to know it wasn’t his fault the way things had happened.
‘Max, ever since that day and how things have changed, made me wish I could’ve gone back to that day and told your future self to stuff it, because I loved you then as much as I do now. Ten times more. Its just that-‘
My words were lost as he kissed me, hard and full of passion, that even had me forgetting what I was saying for a minute. But I knew I had to get this last part out or it never would.
‘Max, it never was your fault. It was mine. I had made everything worse, and when Alex died, I almost left. Knowing he died, because of the choices I had made was too much, and I didn’t mean to push you away, if anything, I would’ve tried to grieve just like everyone else had, but I knew Alex, as Maria and everyone else here in this room did, and I had to do what I felt was right. But it was my fault, we both made mistakes in these past few years, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is my love for you.’
After that night, the nightmares still came to him, but with me by his side, it seemed to calm him down. Pretty soon his nightmares had stopped altogether. We’ve always talked about everything, and once we were ready, we told everyone else about that night with future Max. There was some confusion among the group and after all questions had been answered, they understood and I felt as if a little bit of peace had came to me. I knew we all had a long road ahead of us, we just hoped it’d lead to home one day.
None of this would be possible without the persistance of Selena (RoswellianPrincess16) and the awesome beta work of Cynthia (To_kiss_a_frog)!! Thank you guys and especially to the readers. My story wouldn't be possible without you. I hope you enjoy this newest chapter!!
Glancing over at the parted curtains and feeling the first few rays of sunshine flood through reminded me of the heat I and the others felt that day back in June. It was not even a full two years on the run when it happened, but the fact that it did happen will forever stay with me. It had been about one year, six months and three days since we left graduation that day. It’s not something we like to remember, but it was one hell of a ceremony. I doubt anyone will be forgetting our class.
My attention is on the radio, which is on and very rare in our situation. We’ve always tended to keep quiet during these long trips, but today felt different. The song that was currently playing at a low volume is ‘Hope’ by Twista. Kinda ironic in our situation, with...
“Michael.” Max simply said, bringing me out of my thoughts.
It was the first time any of us had spoken for the past two days. But something told me, this wasn’t a social call for either of them. This was serious and yet, I wasn’t as scared as I was when we first ran, because we had each other and we’d make it through anything.
“I’m on it.”
It’s strange how easy these two know each other. Usually it was Michael who spoke up when he sensed something was wrong, but this time, he waited for Max to say something. As many times, as he’s told us that he’s not leader, we still always look to him. Always will.
“He’s still back there. Has been for bout an hour and was about four cars back. Last time I looked back, I could barely see him, so that means he’s making speed to catch up with us.”
I turned to look at everyone, when I felt his soft hand cover mine, which at the time was in my lap. He squeezed gently.
“It’s getting ready to pass us, Maxwell. What do you wanna do?” Michael asked, never taking his eyes off of that car. It was a black Lexus of course. “Wait. Okay, now its slowing down. I really wish these guys stayed at one speed.”
Didn’t these guys ever get it? They are being really obvious, but then again, I’m glad they are. Other wise, we’d be in some major trouble.
Max, on the other hand, didn’t reply for several seconds. He didn’t know what to do, just like the rest of us didn’t know what to do, but whatever we’d do was only to save our lives and try not to hurt those around us.
“We fight for our lives.”
I looked up for only a second, and when I did. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There up ahead of us, was a road block.
“Max.”
He turned his attention from me back onto the road, his eyes widening for only a split second, before returning to back to normal. None of this shocked us anymore, we were more then used to it. The only thing that surprised us was them being able to find out where we were. No matter how far we’ve gone, they always manage to find us.
“Shit.” he mumbled. “Everyone be ready. Michael?”
“I’m right behind you. Just let me know who I’ll get to blast first.”
There was a small amount of humor to his voice which did not go unnoticed. On a group decision, we had all decided that we’d use our powers to help those in need and not hide like we had done in the past. I understood Michael’s tone, he was always the one jumping into things, and of course we’d always bail him out, but its in his nature. I turned around once more to look at the group, and Isabel, too, was on full alert. This wasn’t a game to her, to any of us. Everything and everyone she ever loved was taken from her, from us and she wasn’t just about to sit down and let it happen again. She always put up one hell of a fight, and never showed hesitancy.
“Isabel, think you can mess with their cars some?”
“You know it.”
Isabel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her powers, like Max’s and Michael’s had also been growing over the years. Her dream-walking had also grown, to where she could bring two people into the same dream. And sometimes when she’d be sleeping, we’d get pulled into her dreams without knowing. I guess it was her way of keeping us close to her and safe.
I looked back at the road towards the roadblock, and saw what looked to be smoke coming from two of the cars. Next thing we know, one black Lexus had exploded at least 10 feet into the air and came down with a even louder crash onto the one beside it. There were at least four to six men running from the fire, guns in hand.
Sighing, I close my eyes and envisioned what I had just seen into my mind. I saw them in their ‘Men in Black’ suits and then I focused in on what looked to be nine millimeters.
‘Don’t these guys ever learn.’
With a simple flick of my mind I saw the guns fly out of their hands into a pile on the opposite side of the street. And when they reached in for more, I simply added them to the pile. With a single deep breath I imagined a fire and what it looked like. How its flames seem to go on into eternity, and reach towards the skies. Within seconds I saw smoke from the pile of ammunition, the fire started out slow, then grew with what it had been given.
“What about the one-“ Maria began, when suddenly the vehicle we were in immediately swerved to the left, then back to the right.
Maria was jerked to the side, with most of her weight causing her shoulder to hit the window, hard. I gripped the seatbelt tighter, as I heard Kyle and Isabel do the same. Michael just took the swerve, and with no seatbelt, didn’t seem to be doing much damage as it was to the rest of us. Max, who had lost control of the wheel, was trying desperately to gain control of the car and tried to break. The more we turned the more off the ground we got. He had let go of my hand to allow me to focus on the job at hand, but I knew now his fear was getting the better of him. I closed my eyes once more as I heard Michael scream out.
“Damn it.” Michael said seconds later, his shoulder coming in contact also, with the window on his side, and took that instant to open a window. Sliding his hand out a small window, and sent a wave of energy straight for the Lexus. It caused the car to explode and flip several times for coming to a complete stop on its backside.
I felt our cars movement as I matched it with my own. I willed the car to slow down, so that Max could gain back some control over the car, which luckily, in those few seconds if I hadn’t done something, we’d all be injured or worse.
Max slammed on the breaks as hard as he could once more. We came to a stop with our vehicle sideways. His fist came in contact with the steering wheel.
“Okay, now I’m pissed.”
Max looked out the window, which was rolled halfway down, at the agents and thrust his hand out, which sent the agents flying a good 600 feet, knocking them unconscious as they came in contact with the ground.
“Michael, if you see any movement, don’t hesitate.”
Max got out of the car followed by Liz and the others. We were so close to each other, it was almost impossible to see where one began and one ended. The silence was almost deafening as we waited for yet another sign of any agent.
“Nothing, Maxwell. They’re still as can be.”
Michael made his way back over here, when shots were fired. We ducked immediately, when I felt Maria fall into my arms. I assumed she had fainted, like she did once before, but what caught my attention was the spot on her shoulder, close to her neck where blood was slowly seeping throw her shirt.
“Max!” I screamed.
He was behind me in a second and so was Michael, who saw nothing but red. Max put up a protective shield around us and the vehicle as Michael threw his hand up and yelled. This time his energy went in every direction possible.
It was then that you heard the scream. I turned to my left, as the last agent went flying into the air and landed on his Lexus, halfway through the windshield. His body limp merely seconds after impact, told Michael and us all that we needed to know.
“Liz....Liz.” Maria said frantically.
“Maria, I’m here. Just calm down. Max is here, he’s not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Max slide off her sweater and noticed it wasn’t her shoulder that was hit, it had hit close to a lung, and from the reaction, he knew it had pierced her lung and that there wasn’t much time. Closing his eyes, he placed his hand over the wound, then he felt another hand on top of his. Liz’s hand.
“Let my energy flow through you. It could speed up the healing, in case more are on the way.”
Max simply took a deep breath, and was pulled in instantly. He saw her whole life, like Liz’s when he had healed her. He saw her father leaving and how it affect her and her mom, he saw Liz back in elementary school playing silly games with her, all the way up to high school and falling in love with Michael and how much he meant to her, along with memories of sophomore year till now. He also felt her protectiveness toward him and everyone else in the group.
He felt his powers surge as he found the wound. It had, indeed, pierced a lung, which was collapsing fast. He saw the bullet and before he do anything, it too had dissolved.
“Focus on the wound. I got the rest.” Liz’s voice sounded in his head.
He found the hole and began patching it up. Making sure he didn’t injury her more, and once the hole was sealed, he checked to make sure the lung worked properly. It did. Liz was also finishing up, with making sure the bullet was fully dissolved before also pulling back. She, too, had also seen the memories he had seen of Maria’s life.
Liz opened her eyes to the sounds of Maria coughing and Michael, who came up immediately, and sat right behind her, soothing her while rubbing her back in small circles. She looked up at Max and Liz, with tears in her eyes, then threw herself into their arms and hugged them tight.
“Thank you.”
Max only nodded. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to save you, any of you. You’re a part of this family.”
Maria smiled and squeezed his hand, before looking at me.
“Don’t you dare say it. You know I’d also do anything to save your life. You’re my best friend and always will be.” Liz and Maria hugged like their life depended on it.
When she pulled back, she settled into Michael’s arms, which were wrapped protectively around her. She knew what he had done, and didn’t say anything; she didn’t have to. She knew that his love for her matched hers. She brought her hand up to her mouth and kissed his knuckles lightly, in which he relaxed tremendously.
After a few more minutes of everyone sitting silently, Max, Michael, and Isabel stood up. We knew what they were going to do. What they had to do. We just huddled closer together, as I slide my hand to find the tire that had blew out and repaired it instantly.
We saw cars go up in smoke, and explosion after explosion. We had to do this, so no one else would get hurt at our expense. The agents that were unconscious, they had moved to a safe location for their sakes, not ours. Isabel just barely touched their head and took what information they needed. She knew what she was doing, and even though she wanted to, she wouldn’t purposely end another’s life, unless she absolutely had to.
They slowly made their way back to us, each taking their time. As this event always took a toll on us after several days. Michael, who picked Maria up without hesitation, Isabel who leaned on Kyle for support, and Max who came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and laying his head down on my shoulders.
I turned around and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Let’s go get some rest, baby.”
Max smiled regardless of what just happened. This was just another day for us, a day we hoped would never come again. But we knew better, and we always used our time respectfully and wisely.
“I love you.”
I knew then, as I know now. “I love you too, Max.”
A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long, RL has been a killer, but I'm really happy you guys are enjoying it. Here's the next chapter:
Chapter 3
Glancing at the clock, I saw I had fifteen minutes to meet Serena at a café that was located down the street. Slowly sitting up, I saw everyone was still asleep and I knew if I didn’t leave now, I never would. I was already dressed in the cloths I chose last night, because I didn’t want to make any unnecessary noises.
Getting up and walking to the door, I took one last glance to the people sleeping soundly for the moment, and knew that that was the exact moment I knew that what I was doing was right. The hardest part wasn’t sneaking out, it was what would happen after I snuck out and met Serena to finalize the plan. I didn’t actually think I would meet her, but like Max said, she would become a friend of mine someday, and be able to help me. She understood the granolith after all, so I knew she’d help me in this situation. Slowly closing the door behind me, I began making my way to the café.
People were walking to or from work, without a care in the world, not realizing that they were certain people out there in this very world who would hurt, or possible kill to get their way. The café was coming into view as I walked past several more shops. Taking a quick glance inside, I saw her already there, sitting in the back drinking coffee. Opening the door, I quickly made my way to her. We both knew that there wasn’t much time, and the fact that in several more minutes Max and the others would be waking up and I wouldn’t be there.
“We haven’t much time.”
“Hi to you, too.” I try to joke.
“Liz, I’ve been up all night, and I think I’ve figured everything out.” Serena said, taking all the information she had, and putting in on the table in front of me.
“I’m ready. What do I have to do?”
“Well, since the granolith is gone, I’ve been working twice as hard to find another way for your plan to work and I found something.”
Serena reached into her bag and pull out a beautiful small stone wrapped in wire and attached to a solid chain. Smooth on both sides, the wire holding the rock in place could barely be seen. The green color stood out while the swirls of purple were subtle, but if you looked closer, there were many more colors to be seen; among the purple swirls, there were spots of brown and patches of blue. Cool to the touch, I knew this was a stone unlike any other and it was not to be tampered with.
“It’s beautiful.”
“The research I’ve done shows that upon clearing your mind and focusing on a particular place and time, this stone will take you there.”
“Sounds simple.” I reply, knowing there has to be a catch.
“Liz, it’s not something you close your eyes, and boom you’re there. You will feel pain. It’s taking you back to a time where things have already happened, things that you need to change.”
“I know. It’s just...I can’t leave them behind. What if I return to that place and time, and something goes horribly wrong. I couldn’t risk it, but as I left and looked at each one of them, it hit me. I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing it for them. They deserve a normal life, or one sure as hell close to it.”
“Liz..” Serena replied placing her hand on mine. “I hope you succeed in this. You’re a great person. Your friends deserve the best.”
I nodded my head, and took the necklace she offered. She helped tie it around my neck so I wouldn’t lose it and to keep as a reminder of what I was doing and who I was saving. The necklace felt cool against my skin, and almost instantly I could feel the energy from the stone slowly flow into me.
“From my research, it’s been known that this stone is a beautiful green / blue stone which creates a sacred connection between our voices and our hearts, and this unity provides us with the insight to build and use our voices to their full potential. We affirm our perceptions and desires constantly through the Throat Chakra, transmitting our intention outwards, and receiving back what we have created.”
My eyes widened. I had no idea that this stone contained so much power, power which would help me do what was needed to be done. It was then I noticed that my vision was beginning to get blurry.
“Serena, what’s going on?” I asked feeling slightly panicked. “My vision..It’s getting really blurry. I can barely make out you.”
“It’s working.”
I couldn’t really see much of anything, but I could hear papers being rustled and moved about. Everything was happening too fast. Why was my vision going bad and why did I all of a sudden feel dizzy?
“Take my hand, Liz. I need to get you back to my place.”
Taking her hand, I could hardly feel the ground under my feet as I followed her as best as I could. I didn’t know how long it took us to get there, but by the time we reached her door, I could hardly feel anything.
“Liz...listen to my voice. Just focus on my voice.” Serena’s voice was fading out. She sounded like a whisper to me.
Next thing I felt were little pin pricks all over my skin, gently at first. Then what felt like stab wounds, and I couldn’t get the pain to stop. It was all over my body. Whenever I moved or even breathed, the pain would get worse. I couldn’t feel anything, then everytime I moved the temperature seemed to go up several degrees.
“Serena...” I try to get words out but the pain is so bad, I feel like I’m shouting. “I’m burning up...what’s going on?!”
Every second that goes by, I’m getting more and more freaked. This isn’t how I imagined it would happen. I just figured I’d close my eyes and poof I’d be there, watching myself back then do all the things I did and somehow stop her.
“Liz..Listen to me. Clear your mind. It’s the only way the pain will slowly stop.”
I hear her, but I feel as if I’m not really listening. My body’s hurting way too much, and I feel like I’m locked in a tanning booth. My body’s overheating, but thankfully the pinprick feelings have lessened. The burning sensation hasn’t stopped, but with deep even breaths, the feeling is less and less. Closing my eyes, my body begins to feel light, like I’m floating on water.
“Liz...”
I try to lift my head to see where she’s at, and find that I can’t even move a muscle. My head and body feel like solid lead. I can’t even turn my head to the side or open my eyes. Is this supposed to be happening? Serena didn’t make any mention of not being able to move or see.
“Liz...”
Who keeps saying my name and why does the person saying it sound so familiar. The burning sensation has surprisingly stopped, but the fact that I can’t move is beginning to scare me. The darkness around me feels like a deep sea, pulling me deeper and deeper in every direction.
The heaviness gone, as I realize I’m able to move again. My senses feel slightly back to normal, and voices are becoming clearer. I’m still surrounded by the darkness, but pieces of light began to shine through, revealing where I was.
“I, Liz Parker..”
Words that haven’t been spoken in almost six years are now heard, and it’s then that I realize that I didn’t come back like Future Max did, I came back as me from this particular time. This isn’t how it was supposed to happen. I was to warn him that the actions taken in the next day needed to be prevented.
I’m no longer an observer, I’m me in this moment, as if the five years on the run were nothing. That’s when the memories flood my senses and I’m forced to sit down and literally watch the events I pushed deep down inside me come raging to the surface. The unimaginable pain, the hurt, anger, betrayal, loss and being trapped with no way out. Then the unthinkable happens, little blue strikes flash across my hands, which is still holding the piece of cloth. After throwing it to the ground, I took several deep breaths remembering all that Max, Michael, Isabel, and Serena taught me about controlling my powers.
Without time to react, a brilliant blinding light fills my room and the man I have not seen for six years appears at my window.
“Liz.” He states in a calm, yet impatient tone.
His eyes looking directly into mine as I find myself falling in love all over again; knowing what needs to be done, I push those feelings aside as I’m about to speak. Taking a deep breath and wiping my sweaty hands on the side of my jeans, I hold my head up high and look at him straight on, wanting to see the full effect of what I have to say.
A/N: Guys...I have about two more chapters written to this story and then it'll be awhile between posts. RL is taking a major toll on me right now and I'm dealing with some MAJOR personal situations and its taking a lot out of me. But I will try to post regularly...but you guys have the most kind, and very helpful and your words of FeedBack are forever cherished by me. They are what keep me going, you guys are truly a blessing for me, and I thank you guys.
Chapter 4
“How did you know?”
Strangely I find myself resisting the urge to scoff and roll my eyes. How could I not know about him?
Without any direct way of telling him, I watch his shoulders sag in defeat. The tingling feelings which were gone just seconds before are now back as I quickly cover my hands in attempts to keep him from seeing it and knowing more then I’m ready to tell him at this moment.
“I’m not the same person.”
His intense gaze on me, at the moment, makes me nervous. What if he doesn’t believe what I have to say? No, he has to believe me; this has to work. I refuse to allow things happen the way they did last time. Same goes for how his life went.
“What do you mean?” His voice gruff, and not a trace of kindness is shown.
“I’m not the same girl you once knew. I’ve changed; matured into the woman I now am, but in order to prevent certain events, I’ve come back to make sure my life and the lives I care about don’t go to hell.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t. Hell, I’m not even sure if I do, but I know that I’m here and that it worked. And that means that..”
“What worked?”
Does he have to cut me off? Ugh, men...they can’t stand to be left in the dark for too long. I look at him, and I know that every single thought he’s had about this, coming back and changing what’s already happened, but he never expected me to know about him and his reasons. I know about his past, and how the two people he cared most about in a world died and right in front of his eyes. He’s still haunted by it, I mean hell, just before he left all of this death and dying was happening right in front of him and he had to do whatever he could to stop it.
Looking back into his eyes, I feel warmth come to my body. It’s as if some part of me was distant even from myself and being back here, with him looking at me, it feels like I’m beginning to find myself. In a way, that’s never happened before. I feel like I’m changing and I don’t know if it scares me or what, I know things have to change. I won’t go through the pain and betrayal again.
“Well, Serena and I...she actually found a key, another key that brought me back here, to this time. I was supposed to come back as an observer, like you, but I was brought back as me from this time. It’s the one thing I don’t get..I mean-“
“How do you know about Serena?” His face now on full alert.
“She’s a friend of mine. I met her about four years after graduation. She’s the one whose been helping me find a way back to prevent the things from my time from happening.”
“I don’t understand..What are you saying?”
Taking a deep breath, and holding both my hands in my lap, I know what I’m about to say will the be the hardest thing I’ve had to ever say in my life, but I know it has to be said. I know this is too much for him, but he deserves to know.
“I’m from the future, much like you are, and I’m here to change it, for both our sakes.”
He suddenly looks at me as if seeing me for the first time. He doesn’t know who I am or what I’m talking about and it suddenly feels like the room has gotten smaller and I need to be out on the balcony for what happens next. Walking past him, out onto the balcony that holds so many memories, I feel him follow me, with no questions asked.
“This night...everything that happened changed my life...twice.” I pause, watching him absorb this as much as he can. Now he has to come to terms with my future along with what happened in his. “Both times, I lost you and with it, I lost myself.”
“Liz,” His voice gruff, but gentle. “What are-“
His voice halts as I place a light kiss to his lips. The fire still strong as ever as I feel a single tear slide down my cheek, which I feverishly wipe away. I know deep down he needed this as desperately as I did. Pulling away slowly, I gaze at his beautiful face, his eyes still closed, savoring this moment and holding onto it as long as he can.
Moving my eyes upward, I take in his features, ones that are all too familiar and ones that I’m just now seeing for the second time. His eyes, even though closed for the moment, when opened, they hold so much emotion, so much pain and loss, but greater love then anything I’ve ever seen. I see an inner battle with himself, wishing more then anything to be his younger, former self. Something with which I was granted. Now, more then ever, I know this has to work, not for me, but for him.
His eyes slowly open, his questions, obvious. He wants answers, and not just for the kiss, but for everything. As I prepare myself to answer those that he has at the moment, music slowly fades into the background, getting louder with each second.
“The mariachi band.” I whisper out before he gets a chance to comprehend anything that’s happened since he’s first arrived and he takes several steps back into the shadows, allowing me this moment just one more time.
Watching Max down there singing, after spending a week learning the lyrics, just brings a smile to my face as he removes the hat covering his face and throws the roses up to me. Feeling happier then I have in a long time, I know that the roses will change colors, but seeing them again brings back twice as many butterflies as before. I know he’s singing just for me, and although I have no idea what he’s saying, it means a lot to him seeing me here, holding these roses, and just living in the moment.
“Liz, what is going on? It’s eleven o’clock, not to mention a school...”
I smile hearing my fathers voice. God, it’s been too long since I’ve heard that voice, and after given a second chance, I know I won’t take anything for granted. He comes to stand beside me and all anger that was once there, gone. He’s smiling down at Max, something I didn’t notice before.
“Aw, Jeez...”
It’s then that he turns and looks at me and he’s about to say something, but doesn’t. He just simply places his arm on my shoulder as if to say don’t let him go. That right there, means more to me then anything he’s ever done for me. God, I have missed him.
“Night dad.” I whisper out.
He smiles and simply nods his head. Hearing his foots slowly fade away, my gaze is once again brought down to the man who saved my life. He’s now humming to the music, but his gave has never left my face. I really don’t know what to say to him, because last time I didn’t get a chance to really say anything at all. I smile down at him one last time, before bringing my hand up to blow him a kiss. His expression is priceless and I find myself giggling as he slowly walks away. He turns and with a bow, mouths the words:
I’ll see you tomorrow
Without realizing it, I feel myself blushing and continuing to watch him until the shadow is gone and silence has settled down upon me. Silence only he and I can hear, but after closing my eyes, I can still hear the music, see the love in his eyes, and it just makes me momentarily forget everything I have come here to do.
“You can come out now. He’s gone.” I reply.
I turn around and sit down in the chair closest to me as he does the same, yet making no movement to speak. He looks up at me, no words spoken, but his eyes speak volumes. I know he wants answers, but as he tilts his head I notice his features are sharper now, more noticeable. The scar above his left eye, a reminder of that other life he came to prevent, the grayness under his eyes, proof of lack of sleep, and his posture is more stiff and guarded then ever before.
It’s then that I’m pulled away from my observations as my phone rings. Groaning, I make my way back inside my room and answer the phone.
“Hello.”
“Girlfriend...”
“Maria..What’s up?” I say, knowing that I have missed hearing her voice for far too long and then notice that this is actually a good thing that she’s called.
“Ugh, it’s Michael again. I don’t know what’s so wrong with going to a movie, but he’s too stuck into this ‘soldier’ mode.”
Thinking back to the day in the café, where he and Maria were arguing, its more understandable knowing that he still cares. I mean, he loves her with all his heart, he’s just scared. I should know about that fear, too, I almost lost the man I love.
“Uh..Ria, Can I ask a favor?”
“Is it Max again?”
Thinking about what just happened, brings a smile to my face. “Oh, no. It’s not that. I just need to borrow the Jetta for a few hours.”
“Yeah, sure. I have to work tonight anyways. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just be back by eleven, okay.”
“Okay. Thanks Ria.”
“You know I’d do anything for my girl.” She pauses. “Wait, where are you going?”
Pausing to look out my window at the man whose gone through hell to get here, and the way he’s looking up at the sky I know that it’ll only be a matter of time before I have to tell the others about him, about everything.
“I’ll tell you everything later, I promise. I just really need to borrow the car.”
“Okay, just bring it back in one piece.”
I’m shocked to hear that. “Maria!”
“Kidding.”
“I know. Thanks, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
After hanging up the phone, I glance back at him to find him no longer looking at the sky, but at me. His gaze friendly and curious as he stands up and comes back into my room, only to stand directly in front of me.
“Be ready in the next few minutes to leave.” I simply say.
“Where are we going?”
“The desert. We need to talk.”
A/N: Chapter 5 will be posted on Thursday, September 1st. I promise. Take care guys and have a great week!!
Last edited by linliz68 on Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
A/N: I have to say thanks again to all you guys! You have no idea how much love I feel when I see the FeedBack you leave me. I wont completely desert this story, but I wont lie to you guys either. Posting will not be as regularly as it used to be. But I will try my hardest to continue going with this story.
It's just that someone very close to me is hurting extrememly bad and I have to be there for him. Its a time in both our lives where we need each other, and I take to heart what each of you say. You are truly a blessing, each one of you guys.
A personal thanks goes to my girl, Selena. Girl, you've been there for me when I've been at my lowest and helped me see the postive in everyway. I truly thank you for everything you've done for me.
Chapter 5
“Why there?”
The tingling sensation is back in my hands, and covering up with my sleeves is only going to work for so long. I know that this should not affect me this much, but there’s only so much I can do about keeping my powers hidden.
“Because,” I state, beginning to get agitated. ”I really don’t think you want the rest of the restaurant and my parents to hear what I have to say, so the farther away, the better. Besides it’s the only other place I feel safe.”
“Why are you pushing yourself away from me?” His voice barely above a whisper.
Whirling around to face him, all the anger I was feeling quickly slipped away at the sight of him. The way he crossed his arms over his chest, a feature most guys do, but for him, it was a way of holding himself, keeping himself warm when others couldn’t. To everyone else, he was so guarded, but standing before me, he was like an open book, for only me to see.
Coming from a time with all these memories and feelings, and not able to explain myself, I could see how much it was hurting him. Feeling no control over my body, I walk over to where he’s standing. His back facing me, as he gazes out the window, his mind elsewhere. As if he’s trying to remember all the simple things he did and then, in the blink of an eye, losing everyone he’s ever cared about. It’s too much on him and he knows it, but he has no one to turn to. This was his time, and in a way it still is, but he’s focusing on things other then himself, everything else gets pushed down. I should know about that, I perfect that one habit about myself, too.
“I’ll tell you everything soon, I-“
“Liz, Maria is here.” Did I mention I really hate getting interrupted?
“Just a second, dad.”
Glancing back at Max, his expression becomes suddenly unreadable. With only a slight nod, he makes his way out onto the balcony. Making sure that he was out of sight, I grabbed my jacket and made my way down to meet up with Maria. Stopping by my parents room, I made sure to say a quick bye and then proceeded the rest of the way downstairs into the back room where I can already hear Michael and Maria bickering at one another.
Clearing my throat to make my presence known, the arguing abruptly stops, both pulling away from each, giving one another enough distance for me to walk through into the main room. Michael doesn’t say anything, just goes back to the grill as Maria follows me, order book in hand. Going behind the counter, I pick up a rag pretending to clean the counter, while waiting for her to say something. When she doesn’t, I take the opportunity to give her some much needed advice.
“Maria, you know I love you, but you have got to give Michael some distance.”
Knowing she’s ready to argue, I give her a look saying you need to hear this. Maria doesn’t realize how much love she has for him, and over the years her love for him has grown tremendously. She just needs to give him the space he needs now, so that when the time comes they’ll both be happy together.
Pausing, I glance back to the grill where Michael’s at, I know he could hear me, but I honestly did not care. He needed to hear this as much as she did. I knew his back was to me, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t listening. Knowing what she needs, I pull her into a hug, because moments later her arms wrap around me tightly. The tears came within seconds.
Pulling back to look her in the face, I know I have to make this quick; god she has no idea how good it is to see her like this again; Michael, too.
“He loves you. Everyone can see that, but with everything that’s happened, it’s just really starting to take a toll. Especially with what’s been happening in these past few months and your wanting to try to pick up as if nothing happened, its just more pressure on him.”
I see Michael out of the corner of my eye, he’s watching me, but is pretending like he’s working; but I know better. I turn my head fully and give him a small smile, knowing that he’s grateful for what I’m saying now.
“It’s just so..So hard.”
“Sweetie, I know it is. But trust me, be there when he needs you. He’ll be eternally grateful to you for it. He knows you love him, just be there for him.” It’s then that I catch a glimpse of the clock. “Speaking of love, keys please.”
She rolls her eyes at me and I know she’s back. She reaches into the apron and hands them to me.
“Thanks, and don’t worry. I will bring it back in one piece.”
“Go, get out of here.”
After hugging Maria one last time, I make my way out of the restaurant, knowing that there wasn’t much time. Thankfully she had parked the Jetta near the alley which made it easier for Max to make his way down without being seen and surprisingly he was already down the ladder waiting.
A quick glance to make sure no one was nearby I motioned for him. After getting settled in the car and putting my seatbelt on, I heard the door open and without any words spoken, we made our way towards the desert.
The only sounds made were the ones coming from the air-conditioning, which only brought some sense of normalcy, but nothing about this situation was normal. I tried to think of something to say, but what could I say? What could either of us say?
Taking my attention off the road and focusing it on him, I knew that in a sense, his mind was elsewhere. I brought my focus back to the road, knowing that we were only minutes away. I was so determined on keeping my attention on the road, that I barely heard him speak.
“Somehow it feels like it was just yesterday that you and I came out here and spent the night.”
Closing my eyes, that night under the stars felt so far away. It was also only a few days before Tess arrived. We had gone out into the desert due to a vision I had. It was also that night in which we both had come close to taking our relationship to the next level. Instead we found what had been in my vision and just spent the night in each others arms under the stars. After that night, things seemed to change and when Tess fully came into the picture, it seemed that things were never going to be the same.
“I remember that night as well.” I paused, tears threatening to break free, as I push them down. “The sky was so clear, the stars were extrememely beautiful, and the way you held me in your arms...was magic.”
With nothing more said I turned onto the road that would take us to the cliff where the granolith is located, I looked back over at him and surprisingly he was no longer looking out the window, but at me. His eyes, looking at me with such passion and such love, that it takes my breath away. It’s then that I feel a surge in my powers. With the surge I’m feeling, I don’t have to squint to see in the darkness to know that the granolith is close by. Bringing the car to a stop, I take my seatbelt off and get out of the car; he did the same.
After walking for a few minutes in silence, I knew I had to say something and the only thing I could say was what needed to be heard.
“This is where things were forever changed.” I paused, knowing he was already out of the car and following close behind me. “The day your destiny was revealed.”
“I had only one destiny.” He paused. “It was to be with you.”
“Yeah, and look where that led.” As soon as the words were out, I knew there was no way of taking them back. “I didn’t mean that-“
“I know what you meant.”
Turning around, I moved to sit down, knowing it’d only be seconds before I would be up on my feet again. “I don’t think you do.”
“The only thing I don’t seem to understand is how you knew I was coming and even that you won’t explain.” His voice echoing in the distance.
This quiet stretch of land, with nothing and nobody insight was peaceful. The sky so clear that it seemed like each star was just waiting to shout look at me. For a second, I was eternally grateful for being away from town. This place had become my second home, and over the years it seemed as if I spent more time here then I did at home.
Quickly standing, I made enough distance between us so that the effect of my powers wouldn’t hurt him as I could feel the slight pain start to course through my body. The energy, isn’t obvious at first, but at a closer glance, you could see little electric sparks, mostly coming from my hands. It’s where Serena taught me to focus my energy. After a few weeks of training me, she once said “The power of your gift is in your hands.” I had the power to heal or to hurt, and yet she told me hand nothing to do with my powers.
“Are you really that afraid of me?”
“Afraid of you? I’m over here because I’m trying to protect you!” I all, but yell out.
The pain becoming momentarily unbearable as the energy from earlier at the café slowly fades out of me, being replaced by all the anger and emotions of memories and events that I came to keep from happening.
“You’re not making any sense.” He takes a few steps toward me, in which I take the same amount of steps back.
“Please, just stay back.” I whisper. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“No, I won’t just stand back. I want to know what the hell is going on. Why won’t you let me near you and how did you know that I would be here?”
I wince, but it’s a given. I knew he wouldn’t just stand on the sideline and just accept the answers I’d give him.
“Can’t I have a few seconds of peace?! God, you have no idea the hell I’ve been through these past few years!”
“What hell..As far as I can tell, the only hell for you was pushing me away which you still are doing, even now.”
I take two steps forward, not close enough to hurt him, but just enough for him to feel some of the effects of my powers. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that. Ever!”
“Did I strike a nerve by saying that? Why not, it’s the truth.” His eyes are wide and full of anger; his hands clenched at his sides, preventing him from doing things he’ll regret. “From the moment I arrived on your balcony, you’ve been acting really strange. You knew I would come to your window, you knew my younger version would come to you, singing and yet I still have no explanation from you about any of that. So explain to me how apparently you seem to know everything.”
“You don’t know shit.” I pause, taking another step forward, knowing full well that I’m crying, but could care less. “I know the hell you went through. I know that Tess left because of us, and how we treated her and without her how your powers combined wasn’t strong enough. I know you lost Michael and Isabel right before you came here, how you held them in your arms, dead. I know that you were about to lose me and even yourself, but you found a way, using the granolith, to come back and keep all of it from happening.”
“How..”
I give him a look that silences him. ”But don’t you ever say that I pushed you away purposely. I died a little each day, even while I was in Florida. I thought that distance away from you would help, but it didn’t. I cried myself to sleep every. single. night.”
Emotions cross over his face, from anger to sadness, to shock. I know it’s not much, but he’s beginning to understand that something happened to me; something changed me. He begins to take a step forward, immediately stopping. I know he’s felt something that even he can’t explain.
“What was that?” He asks in a don’t bullshit me tone.
“What was what?” I reply back sarcastically. Knowing that he realizes that I have powers, he might go on the defensive side and try to hurt me, or worse.
Closing my eyes, I mentally push my emotions down for the time being. One of the perks of being trained by the best:
“I can’t move. It hurts too much. The pain..” I try to move, but Serena’s hand to my shoulder stops me. She knows not to use to much force, due to the currents running through my body.
“Liz, you have to focus on controlling your powers, and not letting them control you.”
“Easy for you to say Rena, you dont feel like your laying on a bed of nails right now.” I retort, beginning to get pissed off, mainly at myself for not figuring out how to control these stupid powers.
Even through all this pain, she still manages to make me a little nervous. Hell, she even knows it. She’s been reading my thoughts for so long, that she’s use to it. It’s also how she knows when to calm me down when others don’t. Others would scream at the top of their lungs for me to stop, but that would only piss me off even more. Serena would always come into my mind and plant a serene, calming image into my self-conscious. At first it wouldn’t work, because I wouldn’t even know she would be there, but after a while it was her normal thing to do.
“Close your eyes and focus on a point across the room. You know this room in and out, Liz. You can do this.”
Mustering up all the energy coursing through my body, I see my brain plant the mental image where I can see it and chose a spot close to her, but not too close. Wouldn’t want to scare her off. Pulling all the negative energy I could find, I threw it with all my strength, not realizing that I had thrown my hand outward causing a stream of energy to blast the wall causing a hole the size of 22" inch Giovanni rims.
“Next time not so close to me, okay.”
She wasn’t angry with me, if anything, she was proud. I had learned to focus my energy through my hands. It had taken me some time to even focus on nothing but my powers and the energy that surrounded it. She even showed me her power and explained to me that even I had the same power she did, that I just hadn’t tapped into it yet. But given enough time and enough practice that after I mastered this power that she would show and begin to teach me about hers, too.
It wasn’t just she alone that taught me. After graduation, Max, Michael, and Isabel all took time to teach me certain things about my power; Isabel showed me how to hide the electricity that sometimes is noticeable, Michael taught me that in case of certain events and if my emotions got the best of me to not hold it in, it becomes worse doing that, and worse come to worse to let it all out and hope no one got hurt. Max taught me patience, I know I know, it’s the only thing that helps in most cases, but he taught me to care for my power and to not abuse it.
Thinking back to that day, and all of her help...god, I miss that girl so much. She really helped me through a lot, especially when Max, Michael, and Isabel weren’t around or if they were asleep. Sometimes I’d get too restless and just start working on my techniques she had showed me. Shaking my head, I bring myself back to the present.
“I felt something, and I know you felt it too.” Max said, looking for the words to try to explain it. “It felt like electricity in the air, almost as if its energy were right here, but that’s not possible. Is it?”
Swallowing hard, I take a deep breath, knowing full well that what I’m about to say will forever change him.
“You want the truth about how I knew you were coming and that your younger version would come to my balcony singing to me?”
“Yes.” His voice hard and stern.
“Well, I’m about to give you a little bit of my history. So don’t get too comfortable, because you’re not going to like it.”
T.B.C: Thursday is when I plan on posting chapter 6. So, stay tuned!!
A/N: Hey guys, thanks for being so patient with me. This chapter is slightly shorted then I expected it to be, but have no worries, I'm hard at work writing the next chapters to this story.
Just wanted to drop by before posting, to thank you guys for sticking with me and reading this story. It's definitly one wild ride for me, too. (LoL)
Chapter 6
“I don’t understand, what do you mean by your history?”
“You have your history, which I know all about, but you don’t know anything about mine. Here’s some information that you didn’t know. Tess, the one you so desperately wanted me to push you to, she’s not who you think she is.”
His posture straightened and then looked at me head on. It’s almost as if I’m speaking a whole different language to him. “What are you talking about? She’s like Michael, Isabel, and me; a hybrid.”
“Yeah, among other things.” I scoff, feeling my anger and hatred brewing right below the surface.
He rolls his eyes. “Again, you’re not making any sense.”
“The first time you came here and gave me your speech about the end of the world, I did what you said. I pushed them together as best I could, and yet nothing seemed to work. That is, until..” I paused.
“Until what?”
“When she killed Alex.”
His face emotionless as he tries to comprehend what I’m explaining. The significance of what I was saying brought a change in face, reminding me of the same look he had once before, while I was talking to Tess about her powers, the look he had on his face was full of anger and fear that I was now pointing the finger at one his kind.
“She mind warped him into decoding that stupid book which apparently was critical to the four of you.” I paused, feeling anger flow through my body, fueling my powers. “She didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything, except getting home.”
“It’s not true.”
His wearisome eyes began to water, the reality of my words striking a chord deep within him as the fullness of everything came crashing down on him
“It’s not true.” He whispers again, wiping his tear-stained eyes. “I would’ve felt something..anything about this, and I didn’t.”
“You didn’t feel anything, because I didn’t open my memories up to you.” I pause, looking at him straight on. “I don’t have to share everything with you, because you sure as hell don’t share everything with me.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I believe you told me that she had used the phrase stupid bitch to describe me.” I cock my head to the side, as I begin to pace; not in worry or fear, but out of anger.
“God, you still don’t get it do you; It wasn’t the fact that she called me that, hell I’ve heard worse, but you slept with her! She killed Alex, and yet you still slept with her.”
His eyes widen for a split second and looks at me head on, running a frustrated hand through his hair, and I can tell this is going to take a while. His posture is straight and I know I’m in for but, but all I can think is bring it on buddy, you have no idea what I’ve been through and I’m sure as hell not going to give up without a fight.
“Stop the bullshit. Just stop.” His voice raises with each word. “You don’t know what the hell your talking about..”
“Just like I don’t know anything about Khivar or your world?” I spit back in his face. The wounds from Alex’s funeral still very fresh in my memory. “I sure as hell know a lot more and your just too stubborn to see that what I’m saying is the truth.”
“How do you know about Khivar?” He demands.
“Oh sure, I’ll tell you.” I retort, removing my hands from my pockets, but putting them behind my back, ready at any moment. “When hell freezes over.”
“What the hell is your problem? You were never like this. You never-“
“Stood up for myself and what I believed in.” I mocked his tone, as I cut in, not letting him finish.
He grits his teeth and its taking every ounce of control not to do something to me. Let him try, then we’ll see who comes out on top.
“Can I get a word in at all?” He spits out.
I simply smirk and shrug my shoulders. “I believe you already did. Now you are going to listen to what I have to say or...heh, lets just say you dont want to know the other option.”
Sighing, I close my eyes, trying to calm myself down a notch. “Tess killed Alex, to decode that piece of sh..crap book, not caring who she hurt in the process. She made it seem as if he committed suicide, and it drove a wedge between the group and us. She almost succeeded, too, if it weren’t for me.”
Replaying these events immediately pulls me back to his room all those years ago, where it all began. It all started with three words: you are responsible. I pushed back at him, his worst fear that someone who knew him would die. It’s what split us apart, forever dividing us.
I forced myself to breathe, emotions like this always drained me and I never knew how bad it was until I let the energy inside me go or passed out. More times then I can count it always ended up where I passed out without realizing it.
“She played on everyone’s emotions, but mainly it was you. In a way she won, she got you to the point of where you were alone, physically and emotionally. It’s then that you..you slept with her, and got her pregnant.”
“I..I would never..” Max stutters.
“I know, but you did.” I pause, leaning over and grabbing my stomach as a wave of pain passes through my body.
“What’s wrong?”
“Its..nothing.” I grit out, standing back up.
He moves towards me, hands ready to fix whatevers bothering me. Little does he know that nothing can fix whats wrong with me. Knowing I’d have to tell him sooner or later, I chose the latter.
“Stop.” I say, standing my ground.
“Your hurt.”
I scoff. “Like I said, its nothing. Its not like you’ll listen to me. What’s bothering me is not the point, the point is you have to listen to me or otherwise I’ll watch him and everyone else I love die again and I will not go through with tha-“
Without realizing, I’m thrown back a few feet, my back striking a sharp rock. My head seconds later, slamming against that very same rock before sliding down to the dusty road beneath me. Pain follows within seconds, so excruciating that I don’t realize I’m screaming until blood begins filling my mouth.
“Ah..no, no!” I yell out as my head, thrashing back and forth, connects with a rock to the left.
“Liz!” He yells out and runs toward me.
“Stop.” I scream and spit out the blood onto the dry, parched land. “Don’t come close, it’ll kill you.”
Another wave of pain shocks my body so hard that my right hand smacks the rock closest to me, blasting it into pieces. The energy flowing upward causes me to bite down on my lip hard, trying my hardest not to scream out, but moments later it’s the only sound made.
“Eno..enough of this.” I grit out, turning my line of vision towards him. “Get your ass on high ground now.”
He takes a step closer towards me, but I wont allow him to be hurt or worse because of me, and with a push of my hand he’s thrown back a few feet, landing on his stomach. Throwing my arms out in any direction, I begin screaming as millions of currents are thrown violently out of my system.
Eyes snapped shut tight as electricity is running like a live current through my veins. Moving is beyond worth it, and I think its beginning to stop, I’m being thrown up against the very same rock with more force then before. Nails begin digging into my sides and into my already bruised back.
“I can’t stop it..” I cry out. “Somebody help me.”
You have to focus, Liz. You know this place inside and out, pick a spot and throw every ounce of energy you have at that spot. Remember, you control your powers, they don’t control you.
The rock formation we had passed on our way into the desert is the only clear thing I remember. Placing my hands on the ground beside me, I force my already aching body to stand. Spitting out the remaining blood left in my mouth, I take a painfully deep breath before closing my eyes. Once I see the formation in my mind, I throw my hands out in the direction of the cliff and scream one last time feeling myself being drained as the energy is leaving my body.
I feel his presence behind me, as I put up a wall around me to keep him from receiving further injury. Once the last piece of current has passed through my body, I feel nothing but the ground underneath me as darkness consumes me. The darkness is my place of comfort after this happens. It allows my body to heal, even though I’m unconscious, I can still feel and hear everything that’s going on around me.
It took awhile for me to open my eyes. One of the side effects of my power is that even though you’ve released all you can, some manages to be left behind. The first thing I notice is the acidic taste of blood in my mouth, as I turn my head and spit. I manage to sit up slightly before I feel hands on my shoulders gently push me back down.
My vision was also effected by my outburst. Opening them, I’m immediately thrown into darkness, relying on my other senses to help me through my pain. Colors slowly seep together, but darkness is still everywhere and for the first time in a long time, I feel truly scared.
A/N: First of all, you guys have been amazing! Leaving the FB that I've read just keeps me going. These past two weeks have been hectic, and the situation with a friend of mine has been settled. School's also been another factor in my absence.
But have no fear, I am here with the latest update to this story. I thank each and every one of you guys. This story would not be possible without you. I THANK you!!
Also, I just wanted to drop in and say thank you to all of you who nominated my fic. I'm trying to work around my hectic schedule to get another chapter out to you guys. But thank you again, it means a lot to me!!
Chapter 7
“Don’t try to move.” He whispered, as hands of healing began to pass over my body. The warmth emanating from his touch.
He was careful not to come close as my powers went haywire, but being near him in this close proximity is too overwhelming for me and I can already feel myself becoming concerned. If he continues to try to heal me, the connection will open up and he’ll see more then he ever wanted to see. Thankfully the other senses were not affected by my outburst, so while my eyesight is temporarily gone, my hearing ability has increased and I’m able to hear every move he makes.
As his left hand passes over my head, pain immediately follows. I bring my hand up to push his healing hands away, but he persists. Didn’t he just see what happened when my emotions got in the way?
“You need to lie still.”
I scoff. “What I need is a few minutes of peace, and solitude.”
“You’re hurt.” His concern for me coming off him in waves, not only concern but fear. Not of what he’d do to me, but what I could possible do to him.
“That’s really not needed.” I reply, feeling his emotions nearly take me over. Did I mention that these powers I was gifted with suck.
“Just walk away for a few minutes and I promise you that I’ll answer any questions you have for me.”
“Hesitation is not really needed.” I whisper, knowing that’s exactly what he’s doing. “I’m fine, I promise.” I begin to push myself up into a sitting position. After moments of extraordinary pain, my sore back comes in contact with the very same rock I was thrown against.
Closing my eyes and taking deep breaths, I begin to slowly get the sensation that I’m no longer in the desert, but in the place I’ve reserved for whenever I need to heal. A calm, quiet place that only I know of comes to the front of my mind and the feeling of wheat flowing through my fingers brings a smile to my face. The first thoughts that come to my mind are that I’m finally home, where I’m safe and no one can touch or hurt me. The warm sun fills my heart with so much emotion that I can’t help but smile and lean my head back to feel even more.
The ground, soft under my bare feet holds more then I could ever know. The wheat that tickles my hand, surrounds my body as though I alone own this place. It’s then that my attention is brought back to the sky where as before there was nothing, but the beautiful sunshine, now birds fill the sky singing their sweet song. Everything is as it was before, from the beautiful birds to the soft tickling of the wheat as I continue to walk. It’s then that I realize that I’m no longer alone.
Liz
That voice...sounds so familiar, but how is it that another presence is in my mind without me bringing them in?
Looking around the open field brings nothing to view. Only things seen to the naked eye are the birds and the wheat flowing through my fingers. The other voice now quiet, as I realize that I am once again alone. Even the birds have ceased their singing, along with the wind that brought comfort to everything in my place of peace. It’s as if whoever spoke those words to me moments ago was never here, as if it was a dream inside a dream.
But the dream began to conform; the surroundings around me begin to change into something more, something darker. The clouds, once white and fluffy, now full of tears ready to be shed. The field gone, replaced by hard concrete in the shape of a road, where a part of me knows I should follow, but at the same time I know that where the road ends is something I’m not ready to face.
All you need to do is believe.
Closing my eyes against that voice that a part of me knows so well, but won’t share with the rest of me is beginning to aggravate me. Its as if a part of my mind is closed off to even me, and I dont know how to unlock that part of myself.
“Liz.”
“No..” I protest.
“Liz, it’s me, Max.”
“Max...no, it’s not possible. I left you in the past.” I squint my eyes against the sudden brightness that is brought upon my eyes.
“Liz.”
“No...” I look down and suddenly out of nowhere hands have appeared and are gripping my forearms. “Get off me!”
I try to turn my head to yell or even get my body to move, but nothing works. Not even my powers. Strangely enough, I notice that the sky is no longer dark and that everything is back to the way it was before, but I’m not easily fooled. Something was off about what just happened and after everything I’ve been through, I don’t take anything lightly.
Just then an image of Alex’s face flashes in my mind and is gone as quickly as it came leaving me momentarily paralyzed and unable to breath. Nothing like that has ever happened before and it freaks me out. Everytime I’ve gone into my healing phase, its always what I expect it to be. I control everything and what just happened was out of my control, and I really really dont like it when things are out of my control. So when I find out who or what took control out of my hands, there will be some serious ass kicking going on, but the thing that keeps bothering me is the particular image of Alex that decided to appear.
It was from the time Maria, Alex, and I got together for a quick picture. It was right before Maria’s and I’s shift at the café. I practically begged my dad to take the picture, but he was so swamped with orders that mom had to do it. It was one of the best days we all had together, in fact, Alex stayed the whole time Maria and I had to work. He would make hilarious comments as we passed him in his ususal booth. What’s even funnier is that my dad would give him an application every time he did stay till closing that in his closet, Alex had a stack full of them. Maria and I even suggested that he work with us, but everytime we brought it up he’d always make the same comment: “No way am I wearing those short skirt alien uniforms, with matching headband.” I still laugh at his expression.
A violent rush of ice cold water is thrown on my face. Heh, okay if I was mad before, I’m pissed off now. I bring my hand up, powers ready in a moments notice; ready to throw whoever it was a good twenty feet.
“Whoa, whoa. It’s me, Max.”
Forcing my eyes open takes a good few minutes, considering every muscle in my body feels like its on fire. And I do mean every muscle.
“I don’t want to talk to you.” I sigh in exasperation. “Speaking of which, don’t you have someone else to bother?”
“No one else would believe me. Speaking of not believing, what the hell just happened with you?”
I scoff, and begin to push myself up. “None of your damn business.”
I see movement to my left, and I immediately bring my hand up to block whatever it is. It’s then that I hear him sigh, and I have to learn that not everything in this time line is out to get me.
“Will you stop being so stubborn?” He asks, and I know he’s at his whits end. Hell, I’m right there with him.
“Just stay away from me.” I say, even though he’s moving as I continue to speak. “I mean it. I will use whatever I ha..whatever I can find against you.”
“What are you so afraid of?”
I slowly turn to face him, pushing my feet to walk towards him. “You do not want to have this conversation with me. I love you, but I will not go down that road with you. I did once, and it killed me in the end, so don’t. Don’t give me ‘there’s nothing to be afraid of’ talk. There is plenty to be afraid of, and I’ve lost it all. And to answer your question, no I don’t feel like sharing.”
“Then would you just talk to me?”
“About what?”
“Damn it, Liz. About what just happened, why you freaked out and how I got thrown over ten feet. How about the fact that you knew that I would show up at your window and know what I’m about to say before I say it.”
“I’ve changed.”
I turn around, back facing him. Not allowing him to see my tears as they threaten to spill out and those that have managed to escape, I wiped away feverishly. The sobs that wanted so desperately to get out, I pushed deep down.
“Why won’t you let me in?” He said barely above a whisper.
“If..If I let you in, I won’t be able to let you go. I’m afraid of what you’ll see, I’m afraid of what I’ll see, and I’m terrified that you won’t ever look at me the same again after you see the things I’ve been through.”
The final wall surrounding my broken heart crumbles to the ground, with me following, but then that warm hands surround me, pulling me flush against the body that brings me warmth. The sounds coming from me are sounds I never knew existed, the strength of the very emotions that I buried deep inside me are erupting and the force of my sobs shook my entire body.
I cried for everything I lost over the past six years, for the loss of a loved one, for the loss of lives of those around us. I cried for my parents, Max’s parents, Maria’s mom, Alex’s parents for never knowing the truth, and for Kyle’s dad who had to stay behind. I cried for the life I’d never have and for the life that Max, Michael, and Isabel so desperately wanted, but never got. I felt anger through my tears, as it mixed with my sadness and loss. I felt anger at those who hurt us, anger at those who killed a part of us, and I cried anger at the one person I hated most in this world.
I felt my powers come alive with my breakdown, but the connection that was already opened, Max just absorbed my emotions. Every single one of them was absorbed into his body. Once the sadness was gone, I felt nothing but pure anger. Max felt it, too, because his arms tightened around my body and held me closer. He didn’t pull away as I fought, nor did he pull away when all I could do was scream when nothing else could be done. I felt my powers surge even more, and with one final scream everything ever buried inside me came out, and everything around us exploded. Neither of us were hurt due to his protection, but instead of having all these emotions inside me, I now felt empty, and with that emptiness came the determination to fix what both Max and I had lost once and for all.
T.B.C
Last edited by linliz68 on Sun Oct 02, 2005 8:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
A/N: Whoever said kindness from others is not needed, is wrong. The feedback you all leave for me makes me want to write and write for this story and that means a lot to me. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
An update on RL: the situation I had mentioned is no longer a situation, it took sometime for me to realize some things, but all that drama and nonsense is over with. I did lose something in the process, but it takes losing someone to realize all you have here. In the process of losing a friend, I received something of great value to me; a very special someone dear to my heart. I’ll actually have a picture or two of us, hopefully, sometime soon. But thank you to those who asked and were concerned, and all your thoughts and comments. It was greatly appreciated.
Elle-answer to the did they connect question: They did connect, but for Liz right now it was a one way connection. She showed Max(future Max) everything that's been bottled deep inside her, plus she was afraid of what she'd see through Max's side of the connection. The rest will be explained soon.
Selena-answer to what are they going to do? That will begin to show in the upcoming chapters. I know it seems like its taking them forever, but just remember that coming from two different time lines to find one simple solution is complicated.
Lizard_queen-answer to something happened to Liz in her past to keep her this way. I’m surprised you picked up on that...I do plan on adding that in this chapter. I'm glad to see you picked up on it.. I’m also sorry about not informing you about the update.
Chapter 8
“Michael, have you seen Liz?”
Michael looked over the counter from the grill, and watched as Maria wiped the sweat off her forehead. Her headband already tossed on the counter from working a six hour shift.
“She borrowed my car like three hours ago and everytime I try calling her, she won’t pick up the phone.”
Michael glanced up from the grill, once more, to look over at the woman now standing in the doorway, her facial expression full of exhaustion and worry. Something deep inside him tugged at him the way she looked at him, that made him want to erase all her worries.
“She’ll be back soon and if she’s not back in..” Michael pondered for a second. “An hour, we’ll try calling her again, and if she doesn’t pick up, I’ll give you a ride home.”
Maria was taken aback by his statement. Not once had he used sarcasm or gotten aggravated with her and deep down she really appreciated it. Stepping away from the door, she grabbed her cloths from her locker and went into the bathroom to change. Closing the door behind her, she braced her hands on both sides of the sink and took a long hard look at herself in the mirror. Bags under her eyes were slowly forming and the usual spark that was once there a year ago, was slowly fading.
Lately it seemed all she ever did was go to school, work, fight with Michael, and help out her friends. It had become a daily routine for her. She always did what was expected of her; if someone was hurt, she’d help them, if someone needed help, she’d help them. She was the go to girl, and granted she had changed remarkably over the year, those closest to her thought of her the same.
Shaking her head to rid those thoughts that managed to sneak their way to the front of her brain, she pulled off her uniform and began dressing back in her regular cloths. The feel of soft cotton on her skin caused her to sigh in relief from being inside the sweaty uniform where any senior in high school to senior citizen would hit on her or give her a big tip just to see more then what the uniform showed. On more then one occasion, she’d go get Michael and he’d take care of the situation, but at times she felt like she relied on him more then she should, but even when she didn’t ask for his help, he’d always be there.
A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. “Maria, you okay?”
Clearing her throat and making sure she had picked up what clothing she didn’t change into was in her hands, she unlocked the door and came face to face with a worried Michael.
“Yeah, I’m good.” Maria whispered, noting that his expression still hadn’t changed. “What’s wrong?”
Without answering her question, arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her tight. The warmth emanating from his body quickly seeped into Maria’s body and she was instantly put at ease. Warm hands slid up and down her back, erasing any bad memories and relaxing her body. Maria, slightly unsure of what was going on, didn’t take anything for granted and without a second thought wrapped her arms around his body and placed her head on his chest and listened to the rhythm of his heart beat.
“Michael, is everything okay?” Maria asked once she felt that he, too had calmed down. He looked slightly in a panic when he pulled her close to him. It was almost as if he was more worried for her then he was about himself, which made Maria even more worried, but the way he held her told her different.
“I’m okay.” He sighed. “I’m okay now.”
Maria lifted her head to look at the man who had captured her heart, and as their eyes connected she finally felt like she was home. Content with the moment, Maria laid her head against his chest and focused on the sound of his heartbeat, as it slowly became the only thing she heard.
After a few more seconds of peacefulness, Michael looked up to the ceiling as if he could see through to heaven and thanked every single angel for bringing him this woman, he also sent out a special thank to a dear friend of his.
He began to reach for the phone that was right behind her to call her on her cell, when he remembered what Maria had said just moments ago. He contemplated whether or not to call, and decided in the end, he’d wait and see if she showed up. In the meantime, he’d be with the woman he loved.
“Oh, is that how this is going to happen?” I pause, placing my hands on my hips in annoyance at his flagrant disregard for others help. “You’re going to become the hero and save the day, well, I hate to break it to you buddy, but last time you came you screwed my world and everyone in it. So to speak.”
“Damn it, Liz. How many times do I have to tell you, that wasn’t me!” He raises his voice and a rock close behind me explodes, momentarily shocking me.
I take my hands off my hips and try to relax the tension I feel flowing in my veins, which is slowly causing a headache. I think back to the memories of freshman year; a year of no worries or threats from the F.B.I. The only thing I had to fear was receiving a bad grade on a term paper. Boy how the times have changed.
“Look,” I begin, walking over to where he was standing. “Arguing isn’t going to get us anywhere, if anything, we should try to come up with a plan to keep both your future and mine from happening.”
“Okay Einstein, how do you suggest we do that?”
“First of all, don’t call me Einstein. Secondly, cut it out with the sarcasm. It’s not wanted nor needed.” I reply, feeling a sense of deja vu from being in the janitor’s closet with him while keeping a look out for Mrs. Topolsky and just being able to have those few seconds of normalcy.
His head lifts slowly, his eyes holding a lot of emotion, but mostly caution and weariness. His guard against me was slowly fading, and as much as he needed it to be up to keep his future from happening, I knew I needed him to open up to me to get the necessary information from him on what went wrong in his time and from mine. And saying “it takes time” wasn’t going to help either of us in our current predicament and being frustrated at each other wasn’t going to help either. My last option had just become my only option.
“The only thing I could do was watch as everyone I ever loved be taken from me.” I sighed in defeat as I sank to the warm ground below. “It didn’t happen all at once. We’d move to a new town and one way or another, they always managed to find us.”
Max felt the shift in my voice and focused on me and only me. Through his weariness, his eyes still hold the only thing they can hold, love. As much as he didn’t want to he still did.
“Something happened, didn’t it?”
When I didn’t respond, he knew that something had happened, and it was something no one would ever expect to hear from me, and he said the only thing he could say.
“It’ll be okay.”
With those few words, he tried to offer a hand of condolence, but my mind and body couldn’t handle it. A hand of sorrow and a few words don’t erase the past nor the guilt that I’ll always carry with me from that night.
“Liz...I’m so-“
“The first time,” I began, cutting him off not wanting his pity. “We lost an innocent who became caught in the crossfire; she was only sixteen years old. She was walking home from the theater, at least that’s what the paper said, but we knew better. We never even saw the girl except once, earlier that night, when all of us decided to go to the movies. We never saw the shooter until it was too late, and we didn’t even know that we were being followed or that they even knew where we were, but they did.”
A rock about the size of my fist that was just to the right of me exploded. My energy no longer focused on me or Max, but everything around us. With each word spoken, another piece exploded; no matter the size or shape, my anger was out of control and I couldn’t stop it. It was like an endless black river that had been blocked from flowing, which was now flowing out of control. My walls were down, my emotions bare, and everything that came out of my mouth couldn’t be stopped.
“Hell, they weren’t even aiming for us, they knew where we were and yet, with no remorse, they sought after someone...someone who reminded the group of who we were. The paper said she was about my height and had sandy blonde hair, but their message was clear. It was me they were killing and it was me who was killed that night. I guess, that in the back of their minds they knew that they couldn’t get us alone from each other or hurt us directly, they decided to go after what we swore to protect.”
“You couldn’t have known that they were going to do that. It’s not your fault that she died, it’s not anyone’s fault, except for the one who pulled the trigger.”
“That’s where your wrong.” I whisper. “I watched her die before my eyes, in a premonition, and I did nothing. What kind of person does that make me? I’m no better then those that were after us. I mean, after Alex died and you...did what you did, Isabel moved on. She married a man named Jesse Ramirez, and was very happy. We all focused on just trying to live a normal life. Then, Isabel was shot by people who only wanted help from you. Once you helped them, your body died and your soul was transferred into the body you tried to help. Michael then became king and almost killed you and Jesse; that was the night that Isabel and Jesse tried leaving, but Jesse had to do one thing before they could. A FBI agent had gotten into contact with him and wanted to use him to get to Isabel, but before the agent could do anything, Jesse killed him. After that, nothing was the same ever again. Tess came back, with your son.”
“My son..sh..She came back? Why?” Max whispered, his attention completely on me. The desperation evident on his face.
“She sacrificed herself to protect your son, who by the way, was completely human. Then you did the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do, you gave your son up for adoption. You didn’t want him to become hurt or hunted his whole life. You wanted him to have a normal childhood and to be put with a family that had parents just like yours and Isabel.”
The area right behind me begin to swirl as dust and rocks began to move as if a sudden change in weather had occurred. Wind started blowing roughly through both Max and I as more dust was collected and thrown into the mix. The energy he used in dispelling his anger on choices that were made in the life he tried to prevent from happening and protecting us at the same time reminded me of the power he carried within him.
“If that wasn’t enough, graduation was just around the corner, and my powers were developing. It was one of the after effects from you healing me that day. It was small changes at first; my hearing sometimes went out, and I would get extrememely dizzy, and tiny electric currents would run all through my body. When that would happen, I couldn’t touch or be near anyone or anything without hurting it or worse. You even tried to heal me, but in a way, you enabled me control over them It was also then that I began to have premonitions.”
“Did..was I able to help you at all through the ordeal or did I make it worse?”
Those few whispered words, carried off by the wind were surrounding me. I knew lying wouldn’t solve anything and the truth would hurt worse, but he had to know that despite everything, being around him was the only calm thing I could do. Regardless if my newly developed powers were connected to my emotions, I needed him near as much as I needed him to stay away.
“There was nothing anyone could’ve done to help. It was something new to all of us, and you wouldn’t give up. You did everything you could to try to find a way to help, and even though the only way was to stand back, you took charge. You gave me hope that maybe there was an out-clause and maybe this whole thing would pass. With everything that had happened, you never once backed down or ran away, you stayed by my side through each moment. Even though it hurt for you to be around, at the same time it was the only peaceful time I had during this whole ordeal.”
“But yet, I still managed to hurt you.” He scoffed at himself. “I mean, just knowing me has hurt you worse then anyone else could ever hurt you, and at the same time, you’re still here, you’ve fought my battles with me and haven’t left my side, even after all I caused you was pain.”
“Because you showed me what true love is. Without your touch, I wouldn’t be standing here. Max, you saved my life, even if it meant risking your life, I know you’d do it again in a heartbeat, because you feel the same for me as I do you. A few nights before graduation, you and I saved a woman from being mugged out in the back alley and I saw I had been accepted before opening the envelope. That was an interesting conversation when my dad mentioned the little fact that I had yet to open the letter, and then you proposed to me on my deck saying we’d take each day and make that day a lifetime of memories.”
Max’s hand came to rest atop of mine as energy began to flow into each other. The roughness of his hand felt as smooth as a baby’s hand. His thumb lazily drawing circles on the underside of my hand as my heart rate begin to speed up. I placed my other hand on top of his, which increased the energy flow, and I could feel his heartbeat as well as mine, and he could feel the intensity of this moment just as well as I could.
“I’ll never forget that night, nor will I or anyone in our graduating class forget graduating night. It was supposed to be a night of celebration, but instead that night was stolen from us. It was the night all six of us ran from home, for good.”
His head hung low as I finished all the thoughts that had been running through my head and heart since we first came face to face in my bedroom. My words and actions broke him tonight, and without any anger, I brought my hand up to tilt his chin to look me in the eyes for the next words spoken were barely above a whisper.
“Even though we’ve been through our trials and tribulations, I wouldn’t give up a single moment of it for anything. Every tear, every laugh, every moment I have is of you, and if I said to you right now that none of it matters, I’d be lying. Every bit of it mattered because it gave me you. I don’t know how my life would be if I didn’t have you in it. No matter what mistakes were made in the past, mine or yours, you complete me. I love you and only you.”
I brought his hand to my lips and gently brushed a kiss across his knuckles. To feel his touch, alone, was like breathing. It was as if my former self was beginning to come to the surface, it was his touch she wanted and it was his touch she needed now.
“Liz..”
The evident need in his voice changed the atmosphere around us. We were no longer strangers, but lovers in need of touch. That one touch that would satisfy us and consume us til we became caught in its wave of love. My hand that was intertwined with his came up to his lips as he brushed an even softer kiss across my knuckles, just raveling in the softness of my hand as he brought it up to his cheek. His eyes closed as if he were in heaven and the touch of an angel was upon him.
“We’ll come up with a way to keep all our loved ones safe and for us to be together, but I just needed you to know that I do and always will love you.”
His eyes slowly opened, the look in his eyes completely different from before. As he sat before me completely open, nothing hidden from view as he brought my face close to his and kissed me with such passion that I felt myself become lighter than air and just start to float away. After what seemed like eons, we slowly pulled away from each other. With our foreheads touching and our breath mingling, he spoke as if he carried a deep secret within him.
“Max, would you hurry up?” Isabel complained as she knocked on his door for the third time since they received the call from Michael at the crashdown.
She didn’t know what to think of the call, but something in her gut told her that whatever it was, it wasn’t good. The one thing that bothered her the most, was how calm Michael had seemed while talking to her. It was almost as if something within him had changed, like some of the walls he had always kept up were slowly crumbling. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but all he said was that no one had seen Liz for almost four hours and she wasn’t even picking up her cell phone. Under any other circumstance, it’d be normal, but over the past year and a half, anything that happened to anyone in their group was anything but normal.
The opening of Max’s door brought Isabel out of her thoughts. Her brother had walked back into his room to turn off his CD player which was currently playing “Photograph” by Nickelback. The smile on his face was also evident, and only meant one thing, he was thinking about Liz. Isabel was so anxious about what was happening to Michael, that she had forgotten to mention why they were going to the crashdown. It wasn’t to see Liz, because according to Michael, she had borrowed Maria’s car and left without saying where she was going or what she was doing, and that was hours ago.
“I’m ready, Is.” Max replied, reaching for his jacket which was hanging on the back of his desk chair.
The soft fabric covered what the short-sleeve shirt didn’t, after flipping the collar down and everything was in place, he walked over to where his sister was and turned the light off. After quietly shutting the door behind him, he turned to face his sister who was looking less then happy at the moment, quickly brought him out of the haze he was in.
Turning around to make sure his parents wouldn’t be in ear shot, and that the coast was clear, he began to open his door again when Isabel’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Liz.” Isabel said, as she braced herself for what was to come next. “She’s missing.”
“The night that we..we made love, was one of the best nights of my life. It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I no longer felt like an outsider. I felt like a normal teenage boy who had fallen in love with one of the most beautiful girls at school. Being with you was like breathing air into my lungs, and finally able to show you how I felt not only with words but with actions, it lifted me to an even higher state of being.”
I could tell that he was struggling with how to put his feelings into words, much like I had been a couple of minutes ago. I knew I had to give him his time, just as he did for me, but the knowledge he had inside him was crucial to all of our loved ones survival.
“The hours that passed, the feeling of your body underneath mine as we moved together as one, nothing could bring me down from that high. You completed me, and ever since that night we were as if one person. We knew each other’s thoughts and feelings without ever having to say a word, and although we could do that before, it was stronger then ever. It’s as if you were inside me all the time, filling my heart with love and happiness.”
Hearing him speak the words that I would have felt that night when things changed between us, caused an ache in my heart. With each word spoken, the ache seemed to get bigger and bigger.
“After that night, we were inseparable, and for Tess, it didn’t get any easier. We constantly made her feel like the outcast, someone who didn’t belong in our group. But at the same time, it was so comforting for us to be able to be together without worry or constant fear.” Max paused, taking a deep breath.
I could tell it was taking a lot of strength and courage for him to tell me this, and in that moment, a sense of calmness washed over me as he spoke of how we once felt for each other, how I still feel for him. Closing my eyes, his words seemed to wrap around me, protecting me from any harm. The hoarseness of his voice seemed like silk to me as his presence surrounded me.
“It also wasn’t just the freedom of being with you, it was the sense of absolution from what had happened the summer before. After the night we had made love, the nightmares that I had continued to have about what Pierce had done to me...it was as if they stopped completely. I had no more anxieties about going to sleep for fear of waking up screaming, and it felt like that summer had never even happened.”
The thought that he had continued having nightmares never occurred to me and sent chills throughout my body. “What do you mean by they stopped completely?”
Siting down on the rocks below, he pulled me close to him. The warmth from his body seeping into mine as the day slowly transformed into night. The sun slowly making its exit as the moon began to show its colors, and the millions upon millions of bright stars that would soon litter the midnight, black sky. Taking a closer look up at the sky, I could see the beginning of what appeared to be meteor shower, but shook that thought from my head. The scientist in me knew that a meteor shower wasn’t going to be happening for another two weeks, but knowing what me knew, anything could happen.
“I think that by sharing my body with you in that one intimate act allowed my body to heal from all the scars that I had. I felt at peace and felt no anger towards anyone, not even Tess and her many ways of trying to show me what destiny was. I felt like I was actually normal, and that feeling was closer to any other normal feelings I had had in the past. It was frightening and exhilarating all at the same time.”
“I missed coming out to the desert in the middle of the night with you and just sleeping under the stars.” I said, glancing up at the sky.
Nuzzling his chin against the top of my head, he seemed to find comfort. “Nothing ever felt real unless you were in my arms. Nothing was real, except for your love for me and nothing was ever real. Only the thought of you kept me sane for when things started turning worse.”
Taking his hand in mine, I laid a soft kiss upon it. I could literally feel the tension roll off him as it, along with his warmth, wrapped around me. A coyote howled in the distance, reminding us of our last visit out here and how we easily lost ourselves in each other. The wind seemed to blow around us as I leaned my head against his chest focusing on the heart that beat steadily.
“It didn’t really sink in that Tess left. No one knew how important she would be to our group until it was too late. We all had treated her poorly and not one of us took the chance to see things from her point of view, and looking back on it, deep down, I hated her because she left. She didn’t have to suffer the pain and loss that I had to suffer. She didn’t have to see her parents die by the hands of someone who had no soul and she didn’t have to watch the four people she cared most for in this world executed in front of her eyes.”
It was then why I understood his pain and the lingering traces of hate towards the one who he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with.
The energy around us changed in an instant. My powers which had been dormant for the last few hours suddenly came alive with a force I had never felt before. The grip on my hands became tighter as I felt pain slowly seep into my system. The pain for past loss and having to relive it all over again.
Focusing on something other then the pain, a mental picture of Max and I from that night appeared in my mind. It was just seconds before we made love, we were both laying on the bed and as he had begun to settled his weight on top of mine he sent soothing waves of power through my body preparing me for what was to come. He spoke words of lust, passion, and love, all words heightened the moment and as he slowly slide inside me, I felt nothing but the pure love from him as it mixed with my love and I could see nothing but the hypnotizing hazel eyes pulling me deeper and deeper inside his soul.
His hold on me tightened as he lived in the moment of the memory shared between us. I could slowly feel him relaxing as my powers seemed to drain out of me and into him, as he began to get a hold of his emotions that were threatening to break loose. The memory of us entangled in passion seemed to slowly fade away like an old black-and-white movie. While I was disappointed, I felt privileged to have been shown it.
Sensing that he needed a few minutes of serenity, I pushed some of my power into him, letting him know that he wasn’t alone.
“No one loved her, she had no permanent roots to keep her to this town and she knew she could just pick up and leave at any time. That’s what made it so easy to hate her, the freedom that she had. She just left and never looked back, and never tried returning.” Max scoffed as he looked towards the sky, cursing under his breath. “It was like our enemies were waiting for her to leave, like they had a crystal ball or something. We all knew something was going to happen, something big and what drove us crazy was not knowing when or how or even who. Hell, it didn’t even happen til two years after she left. Without destiny hanging over our heads, Maria and Michael slowly began working on their relationship together, and I knew that Isabel was ready for Alex, it just took some major trust on his part to fully open his heart again. But once he did...he loved one-hundred percent. I remember the day after she and Alex had gotten back together, she literally ran to my room and told me every single detail. Some I didn’t want to hear, and half the time I wasn’t even paying attention, and I think she knew that. She just had to share this wonderful experience with someone who felt the way she did.”
The sound of pounding against his door had him on instant alert. Reaching for his bat, he slowly slid off the bed. The cool air immediately surrounded his warm body as he crouched into a position Michael had taught him weeks earlier, bat in hand.
“Maxwell Evans, if you have that bat in your hand I will be forced to use my alien powers on you and I don’t think you’d like for that to happen. Remember what I did to Kyle.”
Immediately covering himself and a wave of his hand, his door unlocked and his sister skipped inside, looking more cheerful then usual. Tossing the bat back on the bed, he straightened up and stretched out his muscles. Slower then most days, he sat on the edge of his bed, aware that his sister meant business when it referred to hindering him from reproducing. Although it was quite funny hearing it from Kyle.
“Yes, sister dearest.” he replied sarcastically, and before she could get a word in, he spoke again. “And for your information, I was sleeping.”
“Whatever.” Isabel said, her face practically glowing. “Alex and I are back together.”
“Wha..that’s amazing Iz. I’m really happy for you.” Max said pulling his sister in for a hug. “When did it happen?”
“Just now. He just left.” she replied, with a toss of her hand, acting as if that wouldn’t bug her older brother.
“I didn’t hear the front door shut.”
“That’s because he didn’t use the front door. He used the ‘Michael method’.” Isabel smiled as she began to look off into space, reliving one of the most happiest moments of her life. “I just had to tell someone. I’ve never felt this way before and he makes me so happy. I think..I think I love him, Max. And I won’t lose him again.”
“I’m happy for you Isabel. I really am. I have just one question.” Max replied yawning.
“Sure.”
“Can I go back to sleep?”
Trying to appear shocked, Isabel grabbed the closest pillow and threw it at her brother. Mentally applauding herself for hitting him directly on the head. “Night, dear brother.”
“She was so happy, and not even a year after that everyone around us starting dying. I should’ve seen it coming, I should’ve stopped it. It was just random people at first, people we didn’t even know but then it began to get personal.”
Brushing away a stray tear, I risked a glance at the man who had taken so much pain for a gift he was born with and because of that gift, people wanted to see him die. Taking a closer look, I noticed I wasn’t the only person crying, and it broke my heart to see him that way. I brushed as many tears as I could but they just kept on coming and I knew he had to get this out.
“It was storming and we had all stayed late one night at the Crashdown. We didn’t even see the body at first because the storm was so bad, but she managed to find a way inside the café. God, she was so bloody and...broken that we hardly recognized her. Only one did, and it was then that everyone heard the most bone chilling scream that anyone could ever hear. It was Maria’s mom.”
I immediately tensed up at the thought of Maria having to discover finding her mom like that and even worse knowing that it could’ve been prevented was even more for anyone to bear, let alone Max.
“That was just the beginning. By the time I was able to reach her, she..she was gone. No one knew what happened or how it happened, all we knew was that Amy Deluca was dead and that her killer was still out there. Maria wouldn’t accept it and she wouldn’t let anyone close, not even you, Liz. It hurt her too much and a part of her blamed me for not being able to save her, but what happened next was something I’ll never forget. It was almost a week since we lost Amy, and we were all together at the Café, well you were in the back working as Michael worked the grill while Isabel and I were sitting in our usual booth, keeping an eye on the customers who came and went, and for just a split second I got this intense feeling that something bad was going to happen and it was coming from where you and Michael were working. I immediately got up and ran to the back, slamming into the swinging door, I managed to pull you back before Jax was able to grab you. He gave no warning of his presence, the door that opened up to the ally exploded into pieces as he ran in with a speed no one had ever seen before, and just before he could grab you, Michael sent his ass flying back a good twenty feet.”
“Wait,” I interjected. “Who the hell is Jax?”
“He was one of the main people who worked under Khivar, I’m assuming that he wanted Jax to take you, because he knew how much it would kill me to lose you, but then again, it never entered his mind at how much more that would empower me. Yes, it would kill me, but it would make me that much more determined to hunt him down and kill him. That’s exactly what I did, but not before he killed our parents.”
Closing his hand around the doorknob, Max felt a sense of déjà vu from the day he had saved Liz’s life when Jax tried taking her. Taking a quick glance around his yard, he expelled the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. His thoughts then drifted to the friends who had become his family, Isabel was at Alex’s, while Maria was spending the night at Michael’s, his thoughts shifted to where Liz had decided to stay; the granolith. She had mentioned to him that she needed to be somewhere safe, and knowing how scared she was, Max gradually agreed.
Although a part of him warned him not to leave her there alone, the granolith would be the first place anyone would look, if they knew about it. He just assumed that if Jax came, Jax would automatically think that Liz would be with him, that he wouldn’t let her leave his sight, well he was in for a rude awakening. Slowly turning the knob to the right, he used little force to push it open and was immediately pulled inside as the door behind him was slammed shut.
“Nice of you to finally join us, Max.”
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he was thrown against the wall once more, but instead of falling back down to the ground like before, a source of power was holding him up forcing him to look the attacker straight in the eye. Before him stood not only Jax, but his mom and dad. They were both bound and gagged, laying motionless on the floor in front of him.
“Noooo!” Max yelled out, using all his strength to try to push the field off of him. “Mom! Dad!”
“Tsk, Tsk, tsk.” Jax said and sauntered over to where he held Max. “You should know me better then to just kill them and not enjoy it or go without having an audience. Although I did rather enjoy torturing and finally killing Jeff and Nancy. The poor adults couldn’t just take anymore and begged, begged me to end their life. I, of course, couldn’t deny them that one request, although before their death I explained, in detail, what I was going to do to their dear Liz. Now that was enjoyment.”
“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch.” Max gritted out, using every ounce of power he had to throw against the force field. Noticing a slight tear in the field, Max pushed harder, watching in growing anticipation as the tear became bigger and bigger.
“You see, Max, you’re not the main target here. Khivar wants you alive, to have the pleasure of killing you himself, but not before taking the one thing you love most in this world, your family.”
With a twist of his hand, Max watched in horror as immense pain coursed through his parents body, shocking them back to reality and he could only watch in terror as the people who loved him and raised him all his life die in front of his eyes. He watched in desperation as his dad tried to reach out for any help he could offer, but as he tried to turn his head Jax in his twisted mind forced his head back and his eyes to remain open. He watched helplessly as his parents were murdered in front of his eyes.
Furious beyond anything he’s ever felt, Max pulled every single ounce of power and slammed it against he force field weakening Jax enough to drop the field. Momentarily stunning Jax, Max used it to his advantage and began slamming him with blast after blast of immense fire and heat. Not fully able to destroy him for the lives he had stolen, Max was able to injure him enough and sending one final blast at Jax, was enough to bring him to his knees taking the last breath from him like he did to Max and Liz’s parents. It was then that he was able to escape, but not before catching some of the blasts, himself, and getting to Liz was his main priority and nothing was going to keep him from seeing her one last time.
“He took our parents from us, Liz, and I did nothing. I couldn’t do anything, and that sick bastard forced me to watch, and as hard as I tried I couldn’t look away. Every second that passed a piece of me died, and he enjoyed it. He enjoyed seeing them in pain and took even more joy at how it was tearing me up. I wanted to kill him. What kind of person does that make me?”
“It makes you human,” I paused, explaining to him how I saw the situation. “Max, you did the only thing you could. You took the life of a man who killed your parents and mine, not to mention Maria’s mom. If I was in your position, I would’ve done the same thing, only I would’ve brought him back to life, only to kill him again. He stole the people we loved most in this world, and I would’ve given anything to take his life.”
“Thank you for saying that,” He paused, and I knew this was taking a toll on him as well, just having to relive it. “But in reality, I felt nothing when I killed him. No remorse, and no sadness, I was just empty inside and I had to get to you before I completely fell apart. When I had finally made it to the granolith, and I saw you sleeping peacefully, I broke down. I cried uncontrollably and sobs coursed through my body, and you would’ve never heard the things that came from me, but I let it all out and you were there constantly by my side, even when I told you the news of what had happened to your parents.”
“I felt the exact moment I lost them.” I whispered, not even realizing what I was saying until Max tensed up behind me.
“What did you say?”
“I felt the exact moment I lost them.”
He let out a shuddering breath. “That’s exactly what you said to me when I told you. You had mentioned this fleeting memory dream thing to me, and that you just assumed that it was a nightmare, but that a part of you also knew that it was true. You were waiting to hear from me to finally make a decision and once you saw me, you knew it was true. We both cried for our losses and that night we held each other and allowed our pain to flow openly as our powers went haywire through-out the granolith.”
“Wait, how long did it take me for my powers to fully show?” I asked, openly curious about how my powers came in to effect.
“About a year after Graduation. It was small things at first, but they gradually grew. Just like how Michael’s, Isabel’s, and mine.” Max whispered as he began drawing circles on my hand with his fingers. “You weren’t scared at all, you were nervous, but not scared. You knew that eventually it would happen, and with that knowledge you were prepared.”
“It all makes sense now.” I felt Max nod his head as those words were spoken.
“After losing our parents, it continued to become worse. They would tease and taunt us until we thought we’d go crazy. It was almost as if they knew each move we made before it was made, and after losing Alex, Maria, Isabel, and Michael, I had had enough. I knew there was a way to change this and prevent it from happening, and that’s when Serena mentioned the granolith and the power it hid within. We came up with the plan to send me back and after careful planning we put it into action and my last seconds leading up to when I was finally brought back to this time, was spent with you. You have to know Liz, that even though everyone we loved was taken from us, I wouldn’t trade our time of love for anything. I couldn’t.”
“Max,” I whispered. “What happened to Alex, Ria, Isabel, and Michael?”
“They were executed in front of us. Maria was beheaded and Alex was tortured for days before they finally killed him. His screams forever imprinted in memory. Isabel...was caught in an ambush, along with Michael, but he was able to escape. Only to be killed two weeks later; I held him in my arms, dead. That is a feeling worse then..then death.”
His sobs that escaped from his mouth kept him from continuing and I knew that no matter what, I refused to see him go through that pain ever again. It was my job to keep him and everyone we loved alive.
That’s how I knew that the plan which was slowly forming in my head would work. It would take careful consideration and planning on each and every single one of us, but it would work. If it didn’t, then the world would end again.
