Veracity (M/L, CC, TEEN) – Repost, complete

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Tasyfa
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Veracity (M/L, CC, TEEN) – Repost, complete

Post by Tasyfa »

<b>Title:</b> Veracity
<b>Author:</b> Tasyfa
<b>Disclaimer:</b> The characters of <I>Roswell</I> are the property of Twentieth Century Fox Television and Regency Productions. All original characters and concepts are the property of the author. No profit has been made from the distribution of this work of fiction.
<b>Category:</b> Max/Liz plus group.
<b>Rating:</b> Teen; includes some profanity. Epilogue veers towards Mature.
<b>Plot Summary:</b> Post-<I>Departure</I>. Tess has just entered the atmosphere in the granolith, headed for the aliens' home planet. Or has she? Those left behind seek that and other answers as Max's behavior grows stranger and stranger, until finally all hell breaks loose and someone must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save them all.
<b>Dedication:</b> For 6throck; epilogue for sugarbaby.
<b>Author's Notes:</b> This is a repost of a long-completed story; I hadn't realized that the bit in the RF archive is only the last couple of chapters, so I'm just doing it from the beginning all in one shot. Feedback is welcome, of course, but completely not necessary. :)

Image

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
<b>Chapter 1</b></center>

<I> "I have to save my son."</I>

The words echoed in the mountain air. Air that was too still for what had just happened, in spite of the stiff breeze. Liz felt as if there should be a gale force wind whipping at them all as the weight of reality settled in.

Tess was gone. The event that she had tried so hard to prevent, had given up everything for…it had happened anyway. But what was truly crushing Liz was that Tess had not gone alone: she had taken her unborn child with her, <I>Max's</I> son, the heir to an alien throne. And more…she had taken Liz's innocence and her dreams.

Standing in the sunlight, Liz could still feel Max's hands in her hair, his lips on her forehead. The hard warmth of his body as he pulled her into his arms. The words he had spoken… <I>"I was right…to love you." </I> They were branded into her mind, but the feel of them was fading beneath knowledge.

Tears gathered in Liz's eyes as she broke the formation, one corner of her mind noting that they had all automatically fallen in behind Max. She stumbled blindly down the path a few feet, only to find herself spun back into Max's arms.

"I will not let you walk away from me again, Liz. I should never have let you go the first time," he stated with conviction, and tightened his arms around her so that she could hardly breathe.

"Max…I need air," Liz murmured, her voice wobbling with a hint of laughter. His grip loosened but he did not let her go. He drew back just far enough to look into her eyes. Liz met his gaze, seeing all the emotions that swirled there. Emotions that had been missing these last few weeks, not that she saw much of him anyway. Liz raised a trembling hand to his cheek, never looking away.

"Max, I also need space, and I need some time. I just…there's a lot to process, and I need to deal with it. Alone," she emphasized softly, aching at the pain she saw in his eyes. She quickly added, "I intend to work with you and everyone else to piece together exactly what's happened, and where we go from here to rescue, um, to rescue…your son."

Max had not known that it was possible to hurt more than he had when Liz had walked away from the pod chamber, leaving him to his supposed destiny. He had been proven wrong when he had found her in bed with Kyle. But that paled in comparison to how he felt now, seeing the anguish that speaking those words put in Liz's face.

"Liz," he breathed out. Just her name, but it held so much meaning. A thousand apologies, a thousand pardons for lying to him about Kyle. A lifetime's worth of love.

"Max," she choked out through the tears that were falling freely now. She closed her eyes and raised her face as Max bent to kiss her lightly, his lips brushing over hers in the tenderest of caresses. He leaned against her, their foreheads touching, as he searched her gaze. At last he spoke.

"I'll be waiting. Whenever you're ready, Liz. I don't care how long it takes; I can't lose you again. I can't," Max repeated, his voice cracking a little. She slowly nodded, accepting his words as truth because she knew she felt the same. But she was not ready to grant him absolution; there was too much to work through yet. For the first time since Future Max had appeared on her balcony, Liz felt a glimmer of hope.

Oh, God. Future Max. Tess was gone, had defected to the enemy side. Had the future been changed enough? Was Alex's death enough to prevent the millions of other deaths? Or had she, in the end, failed?

Liz let out a keening moan and slipped through Max's arms, collapsing onto the ground. Her arms clasped her knees and she rocked back and forth, muttering over and over through her tears, "Tess is gone. Everyone will die. Tess is gone. Everyone will die. Tess…"

Max crouched down beside her, trying to snap her out of it. He could hear what she was saying, but it made no sense to him. He looked helplessly at Maria.

"Do you know what she's talking about?" he pleaded. Maria came closer, bending so she could see her best friend's blank face. Comprehension flooded through her.

"She's talking about Future Max. Liz. <I>Liz.</I> LIZ!" Maria shouted. She got no response; Liz continued to rock and chant. Max was not the only one that was scared now; everyone crowded around, concerned about Liz. Maria shooed them away.

"All right. Since we only have one car here, this is what we're going to do. Michael, pick up Liz and carry her. Kyle, Liz, me and Michael will go back first, then Michael can come back out and get Max and Isabel. What?" she demanded of Max, who was shaking his head.

"No way. I'm going with her," he declared. Maria pointed a finger at him.

"Max, don't piss me off. I am floating on cloud nine here and I will not allow any version of you to screw it up. Right now, <I>you</I> are part of the problem. Liz needs to be away from you for a little while, OK? OK," she answered her own question. Max was confused.

"What do you mean, any version of me? And who is Future Max?" he asked. Maria threw her hands in the air.

"She said she told him she didn't sleep with Kyle, I just assumed she told him why," Maria commented to the air around her. Max was starting to get angry.

"Maria, tell me what the hell is going on with Liz!" he ordered. Maria's eyes flashed fire, and almost of its own volition her hand whipped up and cracked across Max's cheek. He caught her wrist, but controlled his own response, merely glaring at her while he held onto her until he was sure she would not do it again. Michael and Kyle both had their mouths hanging open, and Isabel had the tiniest of smiles on her lips.

Maria took a deep breath, knowing that she needed to break her promise to Liz. She looked at Michael pleadingly, and sighed in relief as he came forward and gathered Liz into his arms. He started to walk away, but Maria shook her head. He needed to hear this, too.

"OK. Back in October, Liz had a…visitor. No, you know what? I'm going to give you the short version here. The night that you showed up and serenaded Liz, your future self came back from 2014. He told Liz that she had to make you fall out of love with her and push you towards Tess, because otherwise the world would come to an end and everyone would die. And the reason he came back then was because the night of the Gomez concert, it was supposed to be <I>you</I> in bed with Liz, only for real, and you became such a jerk to Tess afterwards that she split. Which was why the world ended. Because just the three of you weren't enough to win," Maria spat out the words, barely controlling her anger. She had been holding it in for so long, but Liz was in so much pain…

Max's mind was careening wildly, trying to comprehend what she was saying. He started to speak several times, but nothing got past his throat. Finally Michael said, "Maxwell, you and Isabel can sit and stew about this if you want to. I'm going to take Liz and the others home, then I'll be back for you."

Max nodded dazedly. "Yeah, OK. We'll, uh, we'll come down with you so you can just come back to the same spot."

They went down to the Jetta in silence, each one locked into their own thoughts. Michael carefully loaded Liz into the back seat, where Maria buckled them both in and laid Liz's head on her shoulder. Liz turned her face into Maria, simply crying now. Wordlessly Michael and Kyle got in, and Max and Isabel watched as the little red car sped off into the distance.
Last edited by Tasyfa on Sun Oct 14, 2007 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tasyfa
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Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 2</b></center>

Max leaned against a large rock, closing his eyes and raising his face to the sun. Isabel stood close by, watching him.

"She was in that ship, wasn't she, Max? You let her go. She murdered Alex, and you let her go," the intensity in her voice belied her outer calmness.

"I didn't have a choice, Iz. If she dies, the baby dies," he muttered. Knowing it was the only thing he could have done; knowing that it was not good enough.

Isabel sighed. "I can't even summon the energy to be more pissed at you right now. There are already too many things in my head," she admitted. Max looked at her, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah," he agreed. He scratched behind his ear then sank to the ground, his back resting against the rock. Isabel sat beside him, close but not touching.

"What are we going to do now, Max? I know; I don't like the question either, but I feel so…lost," she smiled a little at Max's look of mild disgust.

"I haven't got any idea, Isabel. I'm not sure that I know anything anymore. I'm being pulled in so many directions, and I don't have any control over it," he exclaimed in frustration.

"You, uh, you seemed pretty sure about what you said to Liz," she offered. Max looked at her sharply and she shrugged. "I would be with Alex if—if he were still here," Isabel's voice broke and her eyes filled with tears. Max patted her arm.

"We'll find a way, Izzy. Somehow it'll be OK," he reassured her. They sat together, staring at the empty road, while the tears slid down Isabel's cheeks and sparkled in Max's eyes.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

"I can't believe it," Jim said, sinking back into the couch. Liz and Maria looked on with sympathy as Kyle explained what had happened. "Right here in this house. In the bedroom where she called me Dad yesterday," he whispered, a few tears escaping to run down his face. "In God's name, <I>why</I>?"

"We have to wait for Max to find out," Liz said tonelessly. "He was alone with her in the chamber when she left." Jim noted the lack of tone and looked at Liz. He saw the same signs of emotional shutdown that she had shown after Alex's death.

"Liz," he started to say, when she met his eyes. There was a ferocity there that made him back down. "All right, then we'll just wait for Max, Michael and Isabel."

The four of them were lost in their private thoughts, the room silent and full of tension.

Outside, Michael pulled into the Valenti driveway for the second time that morning, and turned off the car. All three got out, maintaining the silence that had reigned over the ride into town. They stood for a moment and looked at each other.

Isabel's face still bore some tear tracks and her eyes filled again as she looked at Michael. They had come so close to losing him. Wordlessly she let him know how glad she was that they were all still together. Michael's eyes were slightly wet as he silently told her the same thing, then he turned to Max.

Max was more open than he had been for a while, and Michael saw a level of pain there that he had not realized a person could feel and still remain standing. He also saw the relief that Max would never normally show, though Michael knew it was there—relief that he had Michael and Isabel to share his burdens with, that he did not have to do it alone.

Max turned to look at Isabel and their eyes echoed what their voices had already spoken: we are home. Finally they walked up to the front door, each feeling a harmony with the other two that had been missing for a long time. Over a year now…since the arrival of Tess.

Everyone except Liz looked up when the door opened. She kept her eyes on the floor. Not that it mattered anyway; she had known they were here even before anyone had heard the car. Her awareness of Max's proximity had been growing slowly since she had projected to New York City to save his life.

Michael entered last and closed the door. He crossed the room and sat on the floor in front of Maria. Absently she leaned her leg against him and laid a hand on his shoulder, which he reached up to hold. Their actions had an easy intimacy that was not lost on Liz, who narrowed her eyes at Maria. Maria gave her a tiny smile and a nearly imperceptible head wiggle, indicating that they would talk later. Liz rolled her eyes and smiled a little in agreement.

Kyle stood and went to Isabel, handing her a plastic case.

"Dad was just about to go over to give this to your parents when we showed up. I guess you don't need it anymore," he murmured. Isabel took the tape case from him, her hand trembling. She looked at Max, her eyes wide with pain. Part of her had hoped that Jim would have already delivered the tape, forcing them to explain everything to their parents. Max smiled a little in understanding, but his face told her that it was for the best. She turned away, going to sit down in the spot Kyle had vacated on the couch. Kyle sat back down, on the footstool this time. Max was the only one who remained standing, and they all waited for him to speak.

"Right. Well, you all know by now that Tess killed Alex. She had been…mindwarping him the entire time that he was away, forcing him to translate the book. She said…she said that his brain had been so weakened by the constant mindwarping that it just—failed, when she tried to do it again. Then, then—she said some…personal things," Max glossed over her outburst about Liz, not feeling that everyone needed to know that. He rubbed his upper lip and absently chewed on a fingernail before continuing.

"Uh, Tess finally admitted that there was a plan. Nasedo…Nasedo had made a deal with Khivar forty years ago, to…to deliver us all to Khivar once Tess—became pregnant with my child. The three of us," he indicated Michael, Isabel and himself, "were to be executed."

Tense silence filled the room again as Max stopped speaking. No one was looking at him, and Max knew that they were thinking the same thing that he had been since he left the granolith chamber…that he had walked right down the lion's throat without thinking. Tess had played him for a fool. He was vaguely surprised that no one was hurling accusations yet. It did not matter if they did; nothing anyone could say would hurt more than the look in Liz's eyes.

Michael finally looked Max in the eye and spoke, "Max…you should have let me stay." The meaning behind the words was clear: Michael would not have allowed her to leave…or to live. That was his role, the part that he played in protecting and serving Max. Part of Max understood the need for Tess's death, but he could not condemn her unborn child. Not an innocent life. Especially after he had almost murdered Jennifer Coleman. If not for Liz… Max shook his head.

"No, Michael. It wouldn't have been right," he said softly, watching understanding and compassion flicker in Michael's eyes. Michael nodded.

"Max, why don't you sit down? It's been a long night, for all of us. I'll make us all some coffee, and we can come up with a cover story for why Tess was driving your Jeep," Jim said with a touch of false cheer. Max nodded wearily, grateful for the respite, and pulled out one of the dining room chairs. He felt a thousand years old as he sank down, his body numb with fatigue. One hand crept up to his mouth and he started biting his nails, leaning on the table with his elbows as if he needed it for support.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

The room slowly swam into focus. It was small and plain, a gray concrete box with only one door and no windows. One corner was closed off with a curtain, and there was a narrow cot against the wall opposite the door, neatly made with a dark green wool blanket. Overhead, a single bare light bulb provided harsh illumination.

Tess groaned and uncurled from her position on the floor. Every single part of her ached, especially her head. She was freezing from lying on the concrete so she laboriously rose to her feet and went to sit on the bed, pulling the blanket up around her. She leaned back against the wall, trying to recall what had happened, then snapped her head back up as she heard voices outside the door. Her hands automatically went to her abdomen in a protective gesture as the door swung open.

"Well, well, you're finally awake, I see. Feeling all right? Do the accommodations meet your approval, or should we send in the Royal decorators? Oh, wait…for that you would have to be the Queen and sadly, you seem to have been demoted. Silly me," sneered Nicholas. Tess shrank against the wall, her mind whirling. Had Nicholas returned to Antar? Or had she never left Earth? Nicholas watched the play of emotion across her features and he smiled broadly.

"Bet that pretty little head is full of questions, isn't it? All in good time, my dear, all in good time. I merely wanted to make sure that you were conscious; my men aren't always as careful as they should be with prisoners. There are facilities where you can relieve yourself behind the curtain, and someone will bring you food. Oh, and Tess…don't try to use your powers. You remember that little sojourn that Max had last year, right? Well, let's just say that the FBI isn’t the only one with effective drugs," he smirked at the flash of fear in Tess's face. Nicholas bowed mockingly then exited the room. The door slamming behind him had an air of finality, and Tess slid down the wall until she was lying down on the bed, tears streaming down her face as she hugged her stomach.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Liz, Max, Maria and Isabel came through the back door of the Crashdown, to be greeted by the sight of Sean sitting on the stairs. He rose as they entered, looking first at Liz, assessing her emotional state, then at Max. Before he had a chance to say anything Liz turned to Max.

"Max, I—I just need to talk to Sean for a sec first, OK? I'll talk to you after," she said, her voice asking for understanding. Some of the tension flowed out of Max as he looked into her eyes.

"Yeah, fine," he nodded. Maria looked at the way the two men were sizing each other up, and took hold of Isabel's arm.

"Isabel and I will just be having more caffeine in the Crashdown while we wait," she announced, and steered Isabel towards the swinging door. Max watched them leave, then took a seat as Liz and Sean went upstairs.

Sean sat on the couch in the living room and Liz perched on the chair opposite. She did not quite look at him as she began to speak.

"Look, Sean, about—about this morning," she said hesitantly.

"It's OK, Parker. It's not like I didn't know that if you had the chance to get back together with Max, you would go for it," he said gently. "I always knew I was the rebound guy or whatever."

Liz looked a little guilty. "Sean, I—Max and I aren't together," she protested feebly. He smiled sardonically and rose, coming to stand in front of her as Liz stood up, too.

"Liz. I'm not blind, I've seen the way you look at each other, like you just did downstairs. I'm just gonna bow out gracefully while my ego isn't too bruised," he joked. Liz nodded, looking at the floor. Sean reached out and grasped her chin gently, lifting it so that she met his eyes.

"Do you love him?" Sean's voice was quiet, intense. Liz wiggled her head, her eyes darting from side to side as if she could avoid answering. One corner of Sean's mouth lifted in a smile.

"Either you do or you don't, Parker. Which is it?" he prodded. Tears stood out in Liz's eyes as she finally nodded, and he let go of her chin, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Good girl. I'm outta here. One of Aunt Amy's customers has a sister with a ranch, and she's talked her into getting me a job out there. So, I'm leaving town, probably tomorrow," he confessed. Liz's breath caught in her throat and she threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"Thank you, Sean. I—you've been a good friend, and I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for," she said as she stepped back, wiping her face. Sean took a good look at her, a smile on his face.

"You, too, Parker. I'll see ya," he said as he turned to go.

Max stood as Sean came down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, they stood facing each other, the air between them thick with distrust. Sean broke the silence.

"Liz said for you to go on up. And Max, if you hurt her again you'd better hope to God that I don't find you," Sean threatened. Max stared straight into his eyes, seeing his concern for Liz, and nodded ever so slightly. Sean bobbed his head sharply, and left through the back door without another word.

Liz entered her room behind Max, closing the door softly. She was not quite sure why she had not just talked to him in the living room as she had Sean; it just did not feel appropriate. Maybe she had a perverse desire to hurt him by forcing him to look at the bed where he had believed she and Kyle had made love. Maybe it was a desire to heal that lie. She only knew that it felt…right…for him to be there.

Max glanced around, stuffing his hands in his pockets uncomfortably. He looked at the swirling red design on her comforter, finding that it did not hurt like it had before. It still ached, but it was different now, and heavily laced with guilt. He should have known. In spite of the fact that Liz had continuously pushed him away, he should have known.

Liz watched the pain in his face and took pity on him.

"Here, Max, you can sit in the chair," she said as she moved to sit cross-legged on her bed. Max made his way to the chair, but then turned to face her. He forced a small smile.

"Thanks, but I, I'd rather stand. Um, Liz, I know that now isn't the time to go into everything about—about what Maria said, about—Future Max. We will have to talk about it, but just—not now. But there is one thing, that I need to know," he said softly, his voice vibrating with intensity. He was standing close to her now, and Liz tilted up her face to look at him, nodding.

"Yeah, OK. Go ahead," she encouraged, wincing with him when she remembered the last time those words had passed her lips. Liz scrunched her eyebrows in apology and Max smiled a little.

"Why?"

A maelstrom of emotions ran through her eyes, but they never left his as she answered him honestly.

"Because you asked me to."

A long moment passed, each absorbed in the truths they could read in each other. Max raised his hand towards her face as he sighed her name, "Liz…"

Liz shook her head slightly and Max let his hand drop. She rose to her feet, standing in front of him, so close that if either of them reached out they would touch.

"Liz…I love you," Max whispered, tears standing in his eyes. They gathered in hers, too, as she nodded with a gentle smile.

"I know you do, Max. I know," she whispered back. "Not yet," Liz added, and she raised trembling fingers to brush across his lips. Max closed his eyes at the soft caress, and swallowed hard before opening them again as she withdrew her hand. They shared a long look, and then Max went to the door and opened it. Before he left, he turned to Liz and declared quietly, "If not for the baby…I would have stayed."

Liz smiled sadly, her tears falling freely now. "If not for the baby, you wouldn't have needed to leave."

Max nodded once, acknowledging the truth of her statement, then closed the door behind him.
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Tasyfa
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Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 3</b></center>

A hand crept out from underneath the yellow blanket, groping blindly along the coffee table until it encountered the ringing phone. The phone disappeared back under the blanket with the hand, and then the blanket was thrown back as Kyle sat up, abruptly wide-awake.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kyle? Is your dad there?" Sheriff Hanson's voice was toneless, and Kyle immediately knew why he was calling.

"He's around somewhere. What's wrong?"

"Ah, I'd kind of like to speak with your dad first, Kyle."

"Hanson, I'm eighteen now. I think I can handle it," Kyle said dryly. He heard a sigh on the other end of the line.

"Do you know where Tess is?"

"Yeah, she went for a drive early this morning. Said she couldn't sleep. I offered to come with, but she wanted to go alone, she needed to think about something. Why?"

"Did she take her own vehicle?"

"No, there's something wrong with it. Dad was planning to look at it today. She borrowed Max's Jeep yesterday—ah, that's Max Evans," Kyle spoke the lies easily. There <I>was</I> something wrong with Tess's Explorer, Max had made sure of that before leaving the Valentis'. A small, natural-looking leak in the radiator hose.

"Thank you, Kyle, that's what Max said."

"Hanson, why are you asking me these questions—and why are you talking to Max? Did something happen?"

"I'm afraid so, Kyle. There was an accident; it looks like she ran off the road and ruptured the gas tank. I'm sorry, Kyle, but Tess…well, she would have died instantly. The only reason we even knew it was the Evans's Jeep was because the license plate got blown off," Sheriff Hanson spoke slowly, his voice full of pain at the loss of another teenager, so soon after Alex Whitman's death.

"Oh, my God," Kyle exclaimed, not needing to force the grief into his voice. He was still reeling from the monumental betrayal of the girl he had considered a sister. That was why he had been sleeping on the couch; though his room was no longer occupied, Kyle could not quite bring himself to go back in it yet. Not since he had remembered that Tess had murdered Alex there.

"I'll, let me tell my dad, please, Hanson. Do you want him to come into the station?"

"Not now, but I'll need him later for some paperwork since he was her legal guardian."

"OK. Thanks for letting me know, Hanson. I'll go find my dad now."

"I forget sometimes that you're not a kid anymore, Kyle. Tell your dad to come in when he's ready."

Kyle hung up and put the phone back on the table. He stared at it for a long moment, then heaved a sigh and started to fold the blanket. He would not be able to sleep any more now.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Maria entered Liz's room and flopped down on the bed beside Liz.

"I feel like I've been run over by the Mack truck of emotions," Maria complained. "I've been so far up and so far down in the last twenty-four hours, I don't even know which direction is which anymore!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Liz agreed softly. Maria turned on her side to look at her best friend.

"You told him you needed time?" she asked. When Liz nodded, Maria continued, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I don't even know what to think right now, let alone do. I feel—I just feel like it was all this big cosmic joke, you know, like someone out there was trying to do as much damage as possible to my life. Except that I'm hardly important enough to be the target of a joke on that scale," she said bitterly, placing her arm over her eyes.

"Well, I don't know. I mean, you are the love of the King of another planet. I'd say that has some importance attached to it," Maria teased gently. Liz smiled a little, then grimaced.

"Yeah, well, not when someone else is pregnant with his child," she muttered. Maria was silent for a moment, lost in thought.

"Liz, do you remember the conversation we had after Max kissed Tess last year?"

"A little. Why?"

"You said that your heart told you he wasn't cheating on you, and so you decided to find out what was really going on. I was wondering, what does your heart say about Max now?"

"I have no idea, Maria. I haven't been listening since Future Max broke it. It hurt too much, because it kept screaming at me to go to Max and I couldn't do that. What difference does it make now, anyway? He's already fulfilled his "destiny,"" she said with disgust.

"Liz. It matters because you love him, and you <I>know</I> Max loves you. I mean, he just declared it in front of everyone, for Pete's sake! Surely that's worth some brownie points! And if you being in his arms wasn't you listening to your heart, then I don't know what is," Maria poked Liz as she spoke. Liz moved her arm off her face and a small smile appeared.

"Yeah, that was—nice," she agreed.

"See? Now, all we have to do is figure out exactly how much groveling Max has to do before you let him back in," Maria said brightly.

"Maria! I do not need Max to grovel, that's ridiculous. I just…we just need to talk, and take some time, and…oh, God, I don't know. What about when…well, what if it's different with aliens?" Liz said apprehensively.

"Oh, don't worry, it's not all that different," Maria said thoughtlessly, and Liz rounded on her.

"Oh, my God, Maria! When? Right before he left? Did you know he was leaving? You used a condom, right?" she demanded. Maria beamed.

"Yes, sort of, and absolutely yes—you have the other half of the box, remember? I knew something huge was up, and I kind of had an idea what, but I didn't let him say anything till—till after," she said excitedly. "Oh, my God, Liz it was amazing! He was like, sooo gentle with me, like he was afraid I was going to break or something, and it—well, at first I thought I was going to die from the pain, but it kind of went away, and then—wow! I can't even describe it. It's like the feeling you get from kissing, only a million times stronger!"

"Explosive," Liz murmured, smiling at the memory. "So…I know you've been getting closer, but why now? Especially since you knew something was up?"

"Well, you remember after Max healed you, and he came over and made that connection with you? Michael—he made one with me. AND he said he loves me," Maria crowed in delight. Liz hugged her friend.

"I'm so happy for you! And he stayed for you, too, which says even more. You know, you and Michael are the one good thing that's come out of this whole mess," Liz said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that psychic said you weren't going to last, and that Max and I would get married. But then Future Max came and screwed up Max and I, but now you and Michael are happy together!" Liz explained. Maria was nodding slowly, and Liz gave her a quizzical look.

"What? Come on, spit it out!" Liz encouraged her.

"Well, no, I was just—I'm still thinking about when Max kissed Tess last year. He was—she made him, right?" Maria asked, groping her way through her idea.

"Yeah, but he knew she was doing it. Nobody forced him to sleep with her," Liz rolled her eyes.

"Well, yeah, but when Isabel dusted Whitaker, Max was talking about how they were all getting stronger. I mean, he didn't used to be able to do that shield thingie, right? So, Tess would've been stronger, too. And—well, and she had all that practice with poor Alex," Maria's voice broke, but she continued on. "Maybe he wouldn't have been able to tell. It just—it's so not like Max to just—you know—sort of out of the blue. Especially with someone else, even her. I mean, think about how long it took him to kiss you!"

"Yeah, well, it's a nice theory, Maria, but I think Max did what he wanted to do, and now he has to deal with the consequences. It's—we're just going to have to try and get past it, that's all," Liz said resignedly. Maria fell silent and nodded, then gathered Liz close for a hug.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Tess sighed and placed the empty tray by the door. The pudding-like stuff had been filling, but it tasted disgusting. She had eaten it all, though; she needed the nutrients the guard had said it contained to keep herself and her child healthy. She paced across the room again. It took her exactly seven steps. Pacing the length of the room took ten steps. Tess went over to the curtain and pulled it back.

The sink and the toilet were precisely the same as the first time she had looked at them. Tess had not quite summoned up the courage to use either one; she had not even lifted the lid of the toilet to look at the water. She was all too afraid that she knew what she would find.

"This is ridiculous. You have to know," Tess chided herself. She took a deep breath and crossed to the sink, twisting on both faucets.

Hot and cold water ran from the faucets. Clear, colorless, <I>liquid</I> water. Tess splashed her face, then turned off the water flow and sat down on the bed, rocking back and forth with her hands held over her abdomen protectively.

She was still on Earth.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Max, Isabel and their parents sat down to lunch together. They were not usually all together for midday meals on the weekend, but Max had recently gotten off the phone with the Sheriff's department, and now he and Isabel needed to put up a grieving front. The four family members ate in silence for several long minutes, before Diane spoke up.

" Max, Izzy, you two are going to have to contribute to—towards a new vehicle for you. Your father and I just don't—we don't have the ready cash, and you're going to need, well, something," she said tentatively. Max looked sick.

"I am so sorry, Mom. I—it's my fault, Isabel shouldn't have to contribute," he said, guilt thick in his voice.

"Oh, Max, we don't blame you for what happened to the Jeep. It's certainly not your fault for lending it to your girlfriend. It's inconsequential compared to…I'm just sorry about Tess," Diane hastened to reassure him. Max could not quite hide his wince at the affectionate term with which his mother had referred to Tess. He was still wondering what had possessed him to go down that road with Tess in the first place; to hear her called his girlfriend sent shudders down his spine.

Diane misinterpreted his reaction as grief, and patted his arm, looking distressed. "I'm sorry, honey. If you'd rather not talk about Tess right now, I understand."

"Thanks, Mom. Yeah, I—I'm not up for that right now," he said gratefully, ignoring Isabel's faint snort at his word choice. Isabel looked at him, and for a moment the shutters in her eyes flew open, spilling out her rage and renewed grief for Alex. At the haunted expression that came over Max's face, her gaze softened, and she lifted the corners of her mouth in a tiny smile of sympathy before returning her attention to her plate.

"I think the best thing to do would be to see if we can get hold of another Army surplus Jeep. I mean, you kids are always going off road anyway, it only makes sense. Plus, they tend to fall into the "affordable" range," Philip said wryly. Max shrugged and nodded.

"We could—use some of my college money, and I could make it back. I—I've decided to stay, for now. I don't—I think I need to be here, and…deal. I can—get a job, or take some night classes or something, and then go—go with Max, next year," Isabel offered hesitantly. Max's eyes snapped to hers, and she gave a minute shrug. He smiled; the first genuine smile Isabel could remember seeing on his face for some time.

"Well, if that's what you think is best, honey. I must say, I thought it was a great opportunity to go to San Francisco, but with everything that's happened…perhaps it is better that you stay here, with your family and friends. We can talk about what you're going to do later," Diane said, a trace of relief in her voice. With that settled, the Evans family continued to eat in a comfortable silence.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Since there was no body, Jim opted to rush through the funeral process for Tess. He placed a last-minute notice in the Sunday paper stating that only a few close friends would be gathering to mourn, and anyone who wished to offer their condolences could make a donation to the Pediatric Cancer Fund, in lieu of flowers. At least some good might come out of the situation that way. He and the six teenagers congregated at the Valenti home Sunday afternoon, along with Amy DeLuca, Diane and Philip Evans, and Nancy and Jeff Parker. Sean had already left town; Amy had told him not to worry about her and Maria, that Michael would take care of them. He had known better than to argue, and had made his exit from Roswell gracefully.

There was little talking, and after a couple of hours the Parkers and the Evans left. Liz had spent the afternoon watching Amy tap her fingernails against any available hard surface, and quietly she drew Max aside.

"Max, Maria's mom is going to break out of her mindwarp any time now. She'd already started a little bit yesterday morning; that's how Maria and I figured out what happened, because Kyle and Alex were tapping their fingers like that too," she said urgently. Max was instantly on his guard.

"What? You mean that annoying noise she's been making this whole time?" he asked incredulously. Liz nodded and he sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Great, just what we needed. None of us can mindwarp, so what are we going to do? Maybe Isabel could dreamwalk her, make her think it was a nightmare or something. What? Why not?" he queried Liz's shaking head.

"Max…you're going to have to tell her the truth," she insisted, rolling her eyes when Max began to shake his head vehemently.

"No way, Liz. No one else," he said adamantly. Liz glared at him.

"Max, it is the only solution, and it's also the right thing to do. You don't know if Isabel would be able to do that, and besides, don't you think her mind's been messed with enough already? Plus, there's her relationship with the Sheriff. I mean, with Valenti," Liz corrected herself.

"Yeah, so?" Max asked. Liz groaned.

"So, it looks like they're getting more and more serious, which means they could move in together and get married. Think about how hard it would be for Valenti to not share this with his wife! And how would we be able to count on his help when he has to sneak around all the time, huh? I'm telling you, Max, it's the only way," Liz declared passionately. Max stared at her for a long moment, then slowly nodded in resignation.

"All right, but everyone has to agree first. I'll get Valenti to take Amy out for a while, and we can discuss it," he capitulated. Liz flashed him a brilliant smile, and Max smiled back. She went to sit with Maria, whispering to her about what was going on, and Max went to speak with Jim as Maria rose and dragged her mother into the kitchen to help make some coffee for the group.

"Uh, Sheriff, you know how Tess mindwarped Ms. DeLuca into forgetting about the hostage situation with Brody in the UFO Center?" Max said nervously. Jim nodded, looking puzzled, and Max plunged on. "Well, Liz—Liz has figured out that it's about to, um, dissolve or whatever. That—tapping thing she's been doing, that's apparently a signal that the warp is breaking down. Anyway, we need a little time to talk about it, because Liz…and I think that we need to tell her the truth." He carefully watched Jim's face as it ran the gamut from shock to anger to fear to elation. Jim shook his head.

"Are you sure about this, Max? I mean, Amy's a wonderful person, but…all right, it's your secret," he finished, shrugging at Max's firm nod. "I'll take her for a drive, we can get some take out for all of us. No, it's OK; I expected that you would be sticking around for a long time. You've got a lot to talk about, and this is as good a place as any to do it."

"Thanks, Sheriff—ah, sorry, Mr. Valenti," Max corrected himself with a small grimace. Jim smiled wryly.

"Max…you can call me Jim," he offered. Max was surprised, then his face softened into a gentle smile.

"Thanks, Jim. I appreciate that," Max said respectfully. Jim's smile widened and he nodded, then went to collect Amy. As they left the house, Max looked over at Liz and nodded. She rose and stood beside him as they faced the other four teens, looking for all the world like a team.

"So why are we really leaving the house?" Amy asked as she and Jim got into his truck. He smiled at her.

"Just to give them, and us, some alone time. They're all good kids, and they've been through a lot lately. I figured they could use a little bit without us parents breathing down their necks," he explained as he pulled out of the driveway. "Besides, we really do need to pick up some food, I don't have enough in the house right now to feed six teenagers!"

Amy laughed and placed her hand on Jim's thigh as he drove. They went to an Italian family restaurant whose food Maria liked, and ordered half a dozen different dishes. While waiting, Jim and Amy walked down the street a little and back, holding hands and talking of unimportant things, sometimes not talking at all. They were close enough that the silence no longer bothered them. Finally, they returned to the restaurant and paid for the food, loading it in the cramped back seat of the truck, and headed back to Jim's.
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Tasyfa
Addicted Roswellian
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Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
Location: Canada

Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 4</b></center>

Kyle heard the truck first, accustomed to the sound of its tires on his driveway. He looked around at the group.

"OK, they're back. We're going to do this?" he asked one last time. There were nods all around, some less enthusiastic than others but they were all in agreement. After Isabel had said she was sure that she would not be able to repair the warp on Amy, they really did not have a choice.

"Once Max starts to explain, I think Maria should sit with her mom, and maybe the rest of us should, um, discreetly block the exits," Liz said thoughtfully. Maria scowled.

"I don't think that's really necessary, Liz. I mean, my mom isn't that paranoid," she scoffed at the idea. Liz smiled wryly and raised her eyebrows.

"Well, your version of not flipping out involved running down the street screaming, so I'd rather not take any chances," she reminded her friend. Maria blushed and looked embarrassed as everyone else laughed. As Liz had hoped, the mirth lessened the tension in the room considerably. They were all smiling as Jim and Amy came in, loaded down. Michael and Kyle grabbed the food from their arms, and Amy looked around quizzically.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, Liz just told a joke. Nothing major," Maria said hastily.

"Oh. Good for you, Liz. You must be getting better at telling them if people are laughing now," Amy teased her second daughter gently. Liz smiled at her and went to help Kyle pull out plates and cutlery. As soon as the food was set up, everyone filled a plate and found a place to sit. They were all quiet for a while as they ate, Jim and the teens pondering what might happen when they told Amy, Amy thinking that they seemed like an unusually cheerful group of people considering what had just happened to Tess.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Tess was lying on the cot staring at the ceiling. By this time, she had calculated exactly how many quarts of paint she would need to turn the room into her favorite shade of pink, and how many rolls of that ivy wallpaper border she would need for around the ceiling. Such thoughts kept her mind occupied harmlessly, so that she did not work herself into a frenzy of worry.

She was worried, though. Tess had not felt anything from the baby in the last few hours, either physically or mentally. She had been able to sense his presence when she was with Max, these last few days, like their son was connecting with her through his father. Even when she had first woken up here, she could still feel him, but no longer. She wondered anxiously if he was getting weaker or sicker from the atmosphere. The strange thing was that <I>Tess</I> felt fine. The sweating and the shakes, the muscle cramps, they had all stopped. In fact, she felt perfectly healthy, and that worried her more than anything else. She had to do something.

"I need to speak with Nicholas," Tess demanded as soon as the guard entered the room with her tray of food. He put the tray on the floor and straightened, smirking at her.

"I wouldn't go trying to tell the General what to do, little lady," he said condescendingly. Tess moved to stand in front of him and stared into his eyes, making her own blue gaze as chilly as possible.

"I said, I need to speak with Nicholas. I didn't ask for your opinion, or your permission. I gave you an order, and I expect it to be obeyed. If it's not, I have no doubt that Nicholas will be quite…annoyed with you," Tess intoned, enunciating each word. She felt a thrill of satisfaction at the way the guard's eyes widened, and he nodded before hastily leaving the room. Tess sat on the bed, staring at her bowl of nutrient pudding. Suddenly she did not feel thrilled anymore by the way she had frightened the guard; instead, she felt rather nauseated. <I>"What's happening to me?" </I>she asked herself. <I>"I don't even know who I am anymore!" </I> She settled down to wait for Nicholas to appear; she knew that eventually he would come, and she would need to be strong.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Maria was holding her mother's hand and Max was sitting on the footstool in front of her, having just explained the basics of their situation. Amy had remained quiet throughout, looking intently at Max as he spoke. Maria was beginning to be a little apprehensive.

"Mom? Are you OK?" she asked concernedly. Amy gave her head a shake, as if to snap herself out of her trancelike state, and a smile appeared on her face. It grew to a huge grin, and then Amy started to giggle. Her giggles quickly escalated until she was clutching at her stomach, the tears rolling down her face from laughing so hard.

Liz was unable to keep a smile from her own face as she watched Amy laugh. Max glanced at her and his lips twitched upwards as Liz shrugged at him. He turned back to Maria.

"Um, maybe we should let her calm down before I say anything else," he suggested. Maria nodded distractedly as she shook her mother.

"Mom. Mom! MOM!" she shouted. At the last shout Amy winced, and wiped her eyes. She was still grinning when she looked at Max.

"Max Evans, I didn't think you had it in you. You never seemed like the practical joke type," she declared. Max's eyes widened as he realized that she did not believe them. He exchanged a glance with Michael, who was standing near the front door, stony-faced. He shrugged too, and Max sighed. He stood and held up his hand.

A green shield suddenly appeared, shimmering in the air between Max and Amy. Amy's mouth dropped open and she stared at the shield in wonderment. Max held it for about a minute, then dissolved it and sat back down.

"Good God in Heaven, you were serious," Amy whispered. "My daughter's in love with an alien."

"Mom," Maria said exasperatedly, while Michael rolled his eyes. He had known she would pick up on that first.

"Ms. DeLuca, I know that this is a lot to take in right now. We can give you all of the details in time, we just felt that it was important for you to know the generalities so that you could understand what you might be remembering," Max said soothingly. Amy nodded absently, then focused on Liz.

"Liz, you said you were changed somehow when Max healed you. Are you the only one?"

"Ah, no. Kyle's been changed too, and Maria might," Liz clamped her mouth shut, a look of horror crossing her face. Beside Amy, Maria slumped into the corner of the couch, her forehead resting in her hand. Michael was edging closer to the door as Amy whipped around in her seat.

"You slept with my daughter!?!" she yelled in furious amazement. She stood up, preparatory to charging Michael, but Max grabbed her arms.

"Ms. DeLuca, one of the details that we left out was that only Isabel, Tess and myself were going to leave. Michael…decided to stay," Max enunciated carefully, hoping she would realize what he meant. She understood immediately and shook off his hands, marching up to Michael.

Michael looked as though he wished the floor would open up and swallow him, but he stood his ground. Amy stopped in front of him, staring into his eyes.

"You were going to go home, leaving this planet forever, and you stayed?" she asked intently. Michael nodded.

"Because of Maria?" she pressed on. Again, Michael nodded.

"Did you use protection?" Amy demanded. Helplessly Michael looked at Max, who like everyone else was smiling. Only Maria had a straight face; she was ready to jump to Michael's defense if need be. Michael looked back down at Amy. For the third time, he nodded.

Amy sighed. She glanced back at Maria, seeing how Maria bristled protectively, and sighed even more deeply as she turned back to Michael.

"Come here," she said wryly, and pulled Michael into a hug. The smiles around the room widened as Michael's stone façade crumbled into an open look of utter relief and his arms hugged Amy tightly. Amy gave him one last squeeze and stepped back, wiping at her eyes.

"You be good to her," she admonished, shaking her finger in his face. Michael smiled.

"I will, Ms. DeLuca," he promised. Amy sighed again, patting his arm, then went to sit back down beside Maria. Maria instantly enfolded her mother in a hug, and Michael pulled out one of the dining room chairs, sagging into it bonelessly. He caught Max's eye and they smiled at each other. One major life hurdle overcome.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Max and Isabel entered the Crashdown, heading immediately for the back. Max stopped at the swinging door, waiting for Liz to finish with a customer, while Isabel went on through it. Liz came over once she placed the customer's order with the kitchen.

"What's up, Max?" she asked. He looked kind of keyed up, but in a good way.

"Can you take a five minute break? There's something we want to show you outside," Max smiled a little. Liz raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, sure. Who's we? Oh, never mind," she cut herself off as Isabel and Michael came back out the door. The four teens went out front, where Isabel pointed to a vehicle and proclaimed, "Ta-da!"

Liz and Michael looked at each other, both trying very hard not to laugh. The vehicle in question was absolutely identical to the Jeep that they had blown up.

"Couldn't you guys have gotten something a little more, uh, road worthy?" Michael asked with a smirk as he circled the Jeep.

"Actually, the engine and that is pretty new. Dad said we were lucky to get it," Max defended their vehicle choice.

"Yeah, I specifically asked about the radiator hoses," Isabel said dryly. Liz laughed, remembering that Maria had rescued her a few times when the old Jeep had overheated.

"Well, we have to get back to work, but thanks for showing it to us," Liz smiled broadly at Max and Isabel, then she and Michael went back into the café. As soon as they got to the back room, Liz dissolved into giggles and Michael grinned. Just then, Maria walked in through the back door. She smiled, puzzled.

"What's so funny?" she inquired. Liz calmed down enough to answer her.

"Max and Isabel got a new car. Well, a used car. Actually, it's—you just have to go see it, Maria. They're out front," Liz waved her off. Michael went into the kitchen and Liz, a smile still plastered to her face, went back into the front to finish her shift. Maria entered the café and went straight to Liz.

"It's like they reincarnated the Jeep!" she exclaimed, amusement in her voice. Liz nodded and both girls laughed, then got to work. Max and Isabel came back in and sat in a booth. They looked at the two smiling waitresses.

"I think we made their day," Isabel joked. Max smiled, his eyes tracking Liz's movements automatically. Isabel rolled her eyes, then smiled at her brother. He was oblivious until she waved at someone behind him, then Max turned around.

Kyle waved back and came to join them, sliding into the booth beside Isabel.

"Nice wheels," he commented. Max and Isabel looked at him in surprise.

"How'd you know it was ours?" Isabel wanted to know.

"Easy. I figured the guy who wears the same six shirts all the time would get the same kind of car he had before," Kyle smirked.

"I have more than six shirts," Max said a little petulantly. Kyle and Isabel both grinned.

"Yeah, but they're all the same, Max," Isabel teased him. Still looking somewhat put out, Max shrugged.

"I'm comfortable. Besides, there's only enough room for one fashion maven in the family," he shot back. Isabel stiffened, and Kyle stepped in before they could start trading insults in earnest.

"Cool it, guys. We were just kidding you, Max," he said in a conciliatory tone. Max nodded and shrugged again. The situation was defused when Liz came over, carefully carrying three glasses. She set them down on the table.

"Hi, Kyle. I just assumed you guys would want these, so I figured I'd skip a step. Can I get you anything else?" Liz asked. They all ordered fries, and Liz smiled before leaving to place their order. Kyle noted the way Max's eyes followed her.

"Evans, can I ask you something without you getting all defensive?" he said, leaning forward. Max looked sharply at him, then nodded.

"Why <I>did</I> you sleep with Tess? It's obvious that you still love Liz. And I know it wasn't to get back at her because you thought she slept with me; you're not that petty. Besides, you guys seemed to be moving past that anyway. I mean, I realize you didn't know Tess's plan was to get pregnant and get your head cut off or whatever, but still," Kyle stated quietly.

Isabel's eyebrows had flown up when Kyle posed his question; now she leaned forward too, her attention focused on her brother. Max looked uncomfortable.

"The truth of the matter is, Kyle, I don't really know. It just…sort of happened. Izzy and I had had a big fight, and I'd said some pretty harsh things to Liz, too, and… Tess was there, and she was listening, and then suddenly we were kissing. I don't even remember how we got inside now," Max confessed, shaking his head.

"Inside where? You weren't in the house, were you?" Isabel queried apprehensively.

"No, Iz. We were…it's not important where we were. I just…after the things that Liz said at the prom, about being in pain, I tried to let go of her. Tess and I had already been spending a lot of time together at that point, what with the memory retrieval sessions and the like, and we kissed at the prom. After you two found me in the lounge," Max gestured to Kyle. "Nothing happened after that, until…well, that night."

"What, you mean you kissed once a couple of weeks before and then you just, dove right in?" Kyle asked incredulously. A slow blush crept up Max's face as he nodded shyly. Isabel, however, was staring at Max in horror.

"Good God, Max, that's how you were remembering those things? From working with Tess?" her voice was tight with shock. Max looked at her oddly, and she continued on.

"Don't you get it? She was probably planting that stuff in your head!" Isabel exclaimed. Max rolled his eyes.

"No, Iz. Everything we worked on was based on the flashes that I got from Larek's memories, from when I healed Brody. Didn't I tell you that's what we were doing?" Max was bewildered at her reaction, and he absently began biting his nails.

"No, all you said was that you were remembering stuff. You never mentioned how you were doing it," Isabel said. She could see that Max was shutting down, so she let the subject drop, gesturing at Kyle to let him know to do the same. Just then Liz arrived with their orders, and the three teens settled down to small talk as they ate.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

It had been two days since Tess had demanded to speak with Nicholas. At least, she assumed it was two days, since she seemed to be getting thrice-daily bowls of nutrient pudding to force down. She was getting really worried now; she still had not been able to feel the baby. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed when the door opened and Nicholas strolled into the room at last.

"Well, well, well. Someone's growing claws. I admit, I'm impressed. Enough to see what it was you wanted to talk to me about, anyway," he drawled, moving to stand in front of her. Tess recognized his body positioning as an intimidation tactic; she was unable to rise to her feet, where even her own slight stature was greater than his. She refused to acknowledge his supremacy.

"Nicholas. I realize that I didn't complete my entire mission; I wasn't able to bring Max and the others. But I <I>was</I> successful with the other half. The problem is that keeping me here on Earth is jeopardizing Zan's life," Tess stated softly. From the moment Max had said that the baby was a boy, she had called him Zan. It just seemed to fit.

Nicholas looked at her, his expression revealing nothing. "What might the successful half of the mission be, and why would that put Zan's life in any more danger than it already is?"

Tess realized that he thought she was referring to Max. She curved her hands over her abdomen.

"Nicholas, I meant…Zan <I>junior</I>. I am pregnant with Max's child, as per the deal that Nasedo made with Khivar," she said proudly. "But he's ill, the Earth's atmosphere is poisoning him. I need to go home, to make sure that my son is OK." He stared at her for a long moment, noting the protective gesture; then he began to laugh.

Tess stared at Nicholas in utter shock as he laughed. Finally he calmed himself, though a sardonic smile remained on his lips.

"Ah, Tess. I so needed that! Commanding can be so wearying at times. It's always nice to have a pleasant break," he said conversationally. Tess gaped at him, and he sighed.

"Among the many things that Nasedo taught you, did he ever tell you what sort of person was most vulnerable to a mindwarp? And I'm not talking the "see the little birdies" kind of mindwarps, either. I mean the ones where you play around in someone's head and recreate their reality," Nicholas's voice was as smooth as silk, but Tess could hear the dark undercurrent. She shook her head and he smiled, winking at her conspiratorially. She kept herself from flinching as he reached out and ran his fingers through her blonde tresses.

"Well, you see, it's someone like…you. A mindwarper who's never been taught to block properly. It was so easy to get in, Tess, when you conveniently came to New York with Max. There was never any deal; Nasedo had his own agenda. He wasn't working for us, but he wasn't working for the Royals exactly anymore either. You thought that Lonnie and Rath tried to mindrape you, little one, but the truth of the matter is that it was me, and I was successful. I sent you back with Max, a ticking time bomb in a pretty package," Nicholas gloated. Tess had closed her eyes, still refusing to flinch away from the feeling of his hands in her hair but unable to watch the expression of unholy glee on his face as he continued.

"The only thing I wasn't able to get from you was the location of the granolith. Somehow, you kept that locked inside. So…plan B went into effect. I planted enough compulsions and memories in you to allow you to create a situation that would dictate using the granolith to try to get home. I must say, you were quite inventive! I wouldn't have thought of the pregnancy myself," he admitted ruefully. "Obviously you actually do have feelings for Max, and of course, that's where we're different."

"If I'm not pregnant, then why didn't you just kill me? I'm no good to you now!" Tess cried, the tears finally leaking past her tightly closed eyelids to trickle down her face. Nicholas brushed them away almost tenderly, and bent closer to whisper into her ear.

"But you are, little one. Max on a silver platter would have been nice, but I'm a patient man. You see, Tess, when I was playing in your mind, I formed a connection to you. I could always find your mind if I was grounded properly and reached for you. By the same token, you've formed a connection with Max, from all of your playing in his mind. Quite simply, I can use you to drive the King insane."
"Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage done in a system where contemporary myths are owned by corporations instead of owned by the folk."
~Henry Jenkins
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Tasyfa
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 155
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
Location: Canada

Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 5</b></center>

Amy stumbled through the living room, heading for the front door. She had not even stopped to do more than throw a robe on over her nightgown. She had been up very late comforting a friend and was not due at the store until the afternoon, so she was not exactly thrilled about the incessant pounding that reverberated through the house.

"I'm coming!" she yelled. Amy reached the door and flung it open.

"What do you—Jim!" she exclaimed, one hand automatically going to her hair. "What are you doing here?"

Jim was beaming as he grasped the lapel of his jacket and drew it across his chest, allowing the polished Sheriff's star to sparkle in the early morning sunlight. Amy gasped.

"Oh my God, you did it! They gave you your job back!" she squealed, and dragged him in the house. Pushing the door closed with his foot, Jim caught Amy in his arms and squeezed her tightly.

"Yep. You're dating the Sheriff of Roswell now," he teased her. Amy squealed again and began to kiss him. Clutching each other and kissing madly, they careened into the living room, landing on the couch. Maria came into the room to see what all the fuss was about and gagged at the sight before her.

"God, you could at least have waited till I was out of the house! I'm going to work, Mom. Hi and bye, Sh—Jim," she called over her shoulder as she grabbed her bag and left, averting her eyes after that first glimpse.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

The minor furor created when Tess Harding died had dwindled almost to nothing since the accident. Very few people in town had known her, and so they left what they believed to be her small group of friends alone to grieve. It was a great relief to everyone who knew the truth; it would take some time for them to recover from her betrayal.

Hence the wide berth around the booth in the Crashdown where four of the group were sitting. Max, Michael, Isabel and Kyle had gathered fairly early for breakfast, simply to celebrate the fact that it was a weekday and they were no longer in school. The last couple of weeks had been eaten up with studying for finals; now the teens were beginning to look farther ahead.

Maria brought over cups and saucers for all of them, returning minutes later with a pot of coffee. She smiled at Kyle.

"If you're looking for your dad, he's at my house. I think my mother is his idea of breakfast," she rolled her eyes as everyone laughed. Maria cocked her eyebrow at Michael.

"What, no good morning kiss?" she inquired, too sweetly. Michael glared at her, then slung an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She bent down, kissing him lingeringly. When she straightened, she was beaming. Michael had a small smile on his lips as he watched her practically dance away.

"You are so whipped, Michael," Isabel laughed. He just shrugged and started adding sugar to his coffee.

"Speaking of whipped, how sad is it that my father is getting more action than I am these days? It's getting so I have to double check the house before I come in, in case I'm interrupting something," Kyle mock-complained. In actuality, he was happy that his father had found someone, but he wished that he did not keep catching them in a clinch.

"Aw, poor Kyle," Michael snorted.

"I think it's cute," Isabel countered. Max merely smiled, not offering an opinion.

"Yeah, well, it's not your dad. It's just—wrong," Kyle gave a dramatic shudder, both to emphasize his point and to indicate that he was not being serious.

"So, are you still sleeping on the couch?" Max asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. I don't know if I'll even go in that room again," Kyle answered with a sad smile.

"Oh, Kyle, that reminds me. Liz, Maria and I figured that we would go through Tess's things, get them out of there for you. Maybe then, you know, you might be able to sleep there. We'll donate her clothes and stuff to local charities," Isabel offered, sipping her well-sweetened coffee.

"Really? That would be so great, Isabel. I appreciate it," Kyle said sincerely as Maria came back to the table. Her cheeks were pink and she looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Um, yeah. Did you guys want to order anything?" she asked, not looking at Michael. The other three smiled at the couple as they all ordered, and Maria left hastily.

"Who's whipped again?" Michael said sarcastically. Kyle elbowed him.

"Jeez, man, alien sex must be something else if just kissing you throws Maria for a loop!" he joked. "So…is it that different?"

"Don't look at me," Isabel waved him off.

"I don't exactly have anything to compare it to," Max said evenly, his very lack of tone indicating that it was a subject he did not wish to discuss.

"Well, I don't either, but…I'd say it's not much different at all," Michael stated quietly. Max's eyes snapped up to meet his with an incredulous look. Michael raised his eyebrows meaningfully, and Max's expression became thoughtful. He took a sip of his coffee, still looking at Michael, then broke their eye contact to look at Isabel as she spoke. Unconsciously Max raised one hand to his mouth and began to bite his fingernails while he listened.

"Can we like move on here? So, we're having a meeting. Are Valenti and Maria's mom coming?" Isabel asked.

"No, it'll just be the six of us. Ms. DeLuca is—still adjusting," Max said wryly. Michael grimaced.

"Yeah, she's still looking at me like she expects me to grow an extra head or something," he snorted. "Maria says she isn't asking questions yet, but once she gets a handle on things she's going to want to talk to one of us. Personally, I nominate Max."

"Me? She's your girlfriend's mother," Max protested.

"Exactly my point, Maxwell. She'll be far less inclined to maim you," Michael informed him.

"Whatever. Just let me know," Max agreed somewhat listlessly. Michael and Isabel exchanged concerned looks, but did not have a chance to respond as Maria brought their orders and the four teens dug into their food.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

It was dusk when a dark blue sedan pulled up to the ranch house. It was designed as a cross between a house and a hotel, with corridors on the inside leading to all the rooms. Each room also had its own door to the outside, which meant that the layout of the house was something of a large U-shape with the common rooms, such as the kitchen, in the center of it all. A woman with dark hair in a short pixie style got out of the car and went around to the side of the house, knocking on one of those outside doors. It was opened rapidly and she slipped inside.

"I was beginning to worry about you," Sean DeLuca told her as she placed her bag on the floor and sank into a chair.

"Sorry. Stupid rental got a flat and I had to change the damn thing. Nothing important. How are you settling in here?" she asked, her tone conveying her own annoyance at the delay.

"Good, good. Better than I'd expected. Roswell's hardly a big town, but compared to out here it seems like a city," Sean laughed.

"True enough. So, tell me what's been going on with Liz Parker," she ordered. Before responding, Sean grabbed a bottle of water and a can of beer, passing her the water as he popped open the can and sat in the other chair.

"All right. After you gave me the heads up to watch for Max and Liz coming back from Las Cruces, I waited for them by the Crashdown. Once they showed, they sat for a long while and then talked. I wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but he handed her something and kissed her, pretty passionately, which she returned. It was so obvious they still love each other. Anyway, she went inside, and as soon as she was gone Max started to cry. I felt for the poor guy. He went home after that, so I did too.

"About three in the morning, I heard knocking. I opened the door and there's Liz. She didn't even say anything, she just started kissing me. We made it to the pullout, still kissing, but she wasn't really there, you know? She was completely tense, stiff as a board. I was feeling like a heel, for keeping on kissing her, but that's what I was there for, so I did. She stopped it, though, and apologized, saying that Max broke her heart. I held her while she cried, then went out of the room when she wanted to be alone. Maria showed maybe two hours later, and they caught Aunt Amy tapping her fingers in the kitchen. Liz put two and two together, telling Maria that they had to go because Tess mindwarped Alex and Kyle," Sean narrated.

"Which is when they ended up at the rocks, and prevented the others from a death sentence. Tess obviously was in the ship. Why didn't they kill her when they realized she'd killed their friend?" the woman mused.

"I'm not a hundred percent positive, but I overheard some stuff that made me think that Tess got pregnant when she slept with Max," Sean offered. She stared at him.

"Max did what? You didn't tell me that part! When?" she demanded.

"Uh, the night before Liz and Maria went to Las Cruces, I think. I was guessing that was part of what Max said in the Jeep, you know, part of why Liz came to me," Sean said.

"What was he thinking? He could lose Liz over that!" she exclaimed.

"First of all, spontaneous sex doesn't generally involve much thinking. From what I understood, Liz had been pushing him at Tess for months, and Tess was obviously willing, so…it happens. Secondly, after Liz and Maria left to chase the mindwarp idea, I couldn't get back to sleep so finally I went to the Crashdown and waited for Liz to show up. Which she did, eventually, with Maria, Isabel and Max in tow. She and Max were apparently going to talk, but I talked to her first, and got her to admit to me that she loves him. And when I went back down, I warned Max about hurting her again, and he seemed—I don't know, like he took that at face value. Like he wanted himself to not hurt Liz even more than I did, if that makes any sense. So in spite of Max having been a jerk lately, I was left feeling OK about them," Sean reassured her. "Although, the fact that he got Tess pregnant will make things a lot harder on both of them."

"She's not pregnant, she must have faked it to get them to go along with activating the granolith. That's why they didn't kill her too," the woman stated, rising to pace a little.

"How do you know she's not? They definitely spent the night together," Sean asserted.

"They're hybrids, they were designed to breed with humans. Sean, did you say that Max has been acting differently recently?" she focused on what he had told her.

"I'm hardly an expert, but everyone else seemed to think he was being a real jerk, like that was really unusual. In particular, his behavior hasn't been consistent with the person that Liz talks about him being, and I'd say that she probably knows him better than anyone. I've even seen a difference from when I first got back into Roswell, I guess it started—you know, when he started spending a lot of time with Tess. You think she was messing with him?" Sean asked worriedly.

"It's possible. Some of it's probably connected to the mating cycle, but if Tess used that, that's probably how she got him into bed," she thought out loud.

"Speaking of the mating cycle, are we done with this debriefing?" Sean smiled devilishly at the dark-haired woman. She smiled back as he rose and took her into his arms.

"How can I be sure that you're thinking of me, and not Liz?" she teased, slipping her arms around his neck.

"Liz may be something special, but for me she was just a childhood crush. Besides, hers isn't the brilliant mind that I love," Sean breathed before he kissed her.
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Tasyfa
Addicted Roswellian
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Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
Location: Canada

Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 6</b></center>

"So, tell me why we're meeting up here again?" Kyle asked as everyone settled onto a seat in the Parkers' living room.

"Because we needed somewhere private to talk that didn't include our parents in a lip lock, and Liz's parents are away for about a month," Maria informed him with a long-suffering sigh.

"You're not staying by yourself, are you? That could be dangerous," Max said worriedly. Liz and Maria exchanged a look.

"No, Maria's staying with me. And yes, I lock all the doors—and the windows—before we go to sleep. I'm a big girl, Max," Liz was torn between amusement and exasperation, and her voice demonstrated that.

"Right. Sorry," Max apologized. Liz suppressed a sigh; she could virtually <I>see</I> the walls going back up. He was worse than Michael these days.

"Well, I have one piece of great news. My dad's been reinstated," Kyle grinned.

"Oh, Kyle, that's amazing! What happened?" Isabel exclaimed.

"Well, from what he said, the city council was pretty upset with the way that Hanson handled the situation in the UFO Center, and once it all came out that he'd been going against Dad's advice and everything they did another review and, well, that was that," Kyle explained. "He'll have to be really careful now, but at least he's got his job back."

"That's great, Kyle," Max said in relief. He and Isabel smiled at each other; it was a weight lifted off their shoulders, too. They had felt responsible for the events leading to Jim's dismissal.

"That's the best thing I've heard in a while," Liz said warmly.

"Me, too. So, moving right along here, I've already filled Kyle in on the whole back-story leading up to when all us humans disappeared. You know, the FBI, that hologram thingie of Max and Isabel's mother, Congresswoman Whitaker and her lovely extended family, Courtney and the Michael-Worshippers…you know, all the basics," Maria laughed. Max and Isabel stared at her.

"The what? Michael-Worshippers?" Isabel asked. Maria looked at Michael, whose brow was furrowed in disgust.

"You didn't tell them?" Maria was aghast.

"What was I supposed to say? "Oh, by the way Maxwell, the reason that Courtney's not an enemy is because she's part of a group of renegades who want to make me the King instead of you?" Come on, Maria!" Michael expostulated.

"You should have said something, Michael," Max agreed with Maria.

"Oh, like you would have understood, Max! He probably didn't want to say anything for the same reasons that I didn't say anything about Vilandra. He didn't want you questioning his loyalty," Isabel accused.

"I would <I>never</I> question Michael's loyalty! I wouldn't have questioned yours, either, if you had just told me the truth right from the beginning!" Max yelled.

Liz listened to the bickering with increasing anger. As soon as Max yelled, something inside of her snapped and she jumped to her feet.

"ENOUGH! I have had it with you guys acting like a bunch of preschoolers! If <I>I</I> can talk about all this constructively and come up with a plan without letting my emotions dictate what I'm doing, then by God you all can too. You have no idea what I have been through these past few months since Future Max asked me to change the future, all right? Max and I were supposed to get married and spend the next fourteen years happy together until <I>your enemies</I> took over the Earth. Isabel and Michael <I>died</I> just before he came here, and he said that you needed Tess. He said that she left town after Max and I got back together, and without her everyone would die, so I had to make Max fall out of love with me and push him towards her, to make sure she stayed. Well, I did. I did <I>everything</I> he asked of me and more, and she left anyway. So your four-square is still gone, and Alex is dead, and none of it mattered," Liz's voice died down to a whisper as she finished her outburst. She passed the back of her hand across her eyes, angrily wiping away the few tears that had escaped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that. Sometimes it…sometimes it just gets to me," Liz added quietly as she resumed her seat. Maria, sitting beside her, covered Liz's hand with her own, prompting a tiny smile of gratitude.

There was a profound silence in the room as everyone tried to assimilate the magnitude of what Liz had said.

"Liz, I—we had no idea," Isabel finally breathed. Liz looked up, the corner of her mouth twisting in a wry smile.

"You weren't supposed to, Isabel. The only reason I even told Maria was because of the rumors. You know, about me and Kyle," she elaborated. Everyone still looked blank, and she sighed.

"It went all through the school that we slept together. I'm surprised no one said anything to you, Kyle. Your buddies definitely heard it," her voice held a trace of bitterness.

"Three guesses as to who started that one," Maria rolled her eyes.

"Liz, did you get harassed?" Michael asked disbelievingly.

"Um, a little. Nothing I couldn't handle, it just kind of made me feel, you know. Anyway, Maria and I managed to kill it eventually," Liz looked at Maria and they shared a smile. Isabel snapped her fingers.

"That one about Pam Troy's underwear, right? That was you guys!" she exclaimed. The two women nodded. "I just about died laughing when I heard that!"

"All right, I don't think we need to go into any more details," Kyle interjected with a smile. "I for one do not want to hear anything about Troy's gotchies, no matter how funny it is!"

"Same here," Michael agreed. "Liz, I—it doesn't seem enough to say that I'm sorry. Or—or thank you. I mean, you saved our butts and we didn't even know."

"Yeah," Isabel echoed. "As inadequate as it seems—thank you, Liz."

Liz merely nodded, not really looking at anyone. Everyone else looked at Max, expecting him to say something too. He felt their eyes on him but continued to look at Liz.

"It was in Vegas, wasn't it," he said softly. Liz met his eyes, a slight smile appearing on her lips.

"Yeah. When you said it felt like a memory flash…I almost told you, and then the music ended…"

"White satin and white roses," Max continued. Only Maria had more than a vague idea of what they were talking about, but she stayed silent. Liz's smile grew as she nodded.

"In the Elvis chapel?" Max was incredulous, and Liz laughed.

"Yeah, that's what I said. But the way he talked about it…it sounded like magic. It was magic—for them," she said quietly. Her smile widened. "Even if they were only nineteen."

"<I>Nineteen</I>? Were we crazy?" Max actually laughed. Then he sobered. "I should never have asked that of you, Liz. Never."

"You didn't have a choice. Neither of us did," Liz made a helpless gesture with her hands and Max nodded.

"Still. I am sorry, Liz. I can't even imagine…well, you know what I mean," he half smiled.

"Yeah, I know. Um, so, moving on," she said, seeing how everyone was trying to not listen.

"Obviously Future Max didn't know about Nasedo and Tess's plan, right? 'Cause if he had, he never would have told you to get Max and Tess together. I mean, that would be like signing his own death warrant," Kyle thought out loud.

"Right! If Tess just up and left, they must not have known that she was working for Khivar," Isabel exclaimed.

"So, maybe they lost because she was on the other side, not because she wasn't part of their team anymore," Maria speculated.

"Yeah, maybe, but how does that help us? I mean, she's still with the other side, we just know about it now!" Liz stated.

"Maybe we should reconstruct how things might have gone in the first timeline. See what's happened since that might have happened differently," Max suggested.

Maria snorted. "Well, I can tell you right now why Tess left in the first timeline. Once you and Liz like cemented your relationship, she would've known she had absolutely no chance of ever getting in your pants. She could work on killing you guys from a distance, so why stick around?"

"There is that," Michael agreed. "What about New York? Would you still have gone, do you think? I'm sure you wouldn't have taken Tess, at the very least."

"I don't know," Max sighed. "We probably wouldn't have gone to Copper Summit, though, so the Skins would have had their harvest as scheduled. And they'd be at full strength, because they wouldn't have come here with the time field for revenge and been torched."

"If they really did get torched. I mean, who knows what's real and what's not? Tess could have mindwarped you guys about that too," Maria suggested. Max, Michael and Isabel all shook their heads.

"No, she was really freaked about that. She didn't even know what she did. I wish I knew how Nicholas managed to survive it, though," Isabel said.

"I've kind of figured that out," Liz offered. She smiled nervously as all eyes turned to her. "Tess helped Max power his shield in Copper Summit, and later Courtney said that Nicholas could do everything you guys could do but stronger, right? So, my theory is that Nicholas used a shield like Max's to protect himself. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would care about anyone else getting out as long as he was alive, so he could have just stripped the power from the other Skins around him to make his shield powerful enough."

"That makes a lot of sense," Max praised her.

"Works for me, too. Maxwell, didn't you say that Rath and Lonnie tried to mindrape Tess?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, she said she fought back and they didn't get the location of the granolith. That part at least is true, or they would have used it already," Max answered.

"Right. So that's a dead end. I guess it's a good thing that you didn't take the deal," Isabel said. Max nodded in agreement.

"So basically, you would have had a lot more enemies, who were already on Earth, plus you didn't know that Tess was in the enemy camp," Maria summarized.

"I think that about covers it," Kyle agreed.

"What about Liz and Kyle? If Max hadn't gone to the summit, we never would have known that they were changed somehow by Max healing them," Maria commented.

"That's right! Kyle's able to piggyback on a dreamwalk, and Liz was able to…I don't really know what happened when she contacted Max. She outdistanced me," Isabel said thoughtfully.

"I did?" Liz asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Maybe we should practice or something, see if you can piggyback like Kyle, or if either of you can do it alone," Isabel suggested.

"Well, not tonight. My head is starting to spin from all this stuff," Kyle grunted.

"Mine, too. I only know two other things about the first timeline, one being that they modified the granolith for time travel," Liz's voice was hoarse.

"Future Max used the granolith to get here?" Michael demanded. "How?"

"He didn't tell me much, just that a friend of mine named Serena had something to do with the modifications, and she told him that if he and Max came into contact they would both be destroyed. That's why he didn't go to you," Liz told Max.

"But he didn't come in a ship, he just appeared on your balcony," Maria was confused.

"Yeah. One minute my balcony was empty and then there was this bolt of lightning and suddenly he appeared. So whatever they did, they must have programmed not only the exact time but also the place where he would arrive," Liz said.

"But that would mean that the granolith can do more than one thing," Max exclaimed.

"Not to be paranoid here, but now that we know Tess is the one that got Alex to translate that book, is it possible that the version we found was edited somehow?" Maria asked. "You got the instructions to do the one thing she wanted you to do, go home. Maybe there was other stuff that she cut out."

"I'm getting a headache just thinking about it," Isabel complained. "Liz, what was the other thing?"

"Um, Alex—Alex was at our wedding. Tess must have left before she—before she mindwarped him into translating the book," Liz choked out, her throat closing with tears.

"No!" Isabel cried in horror, staring at Liz while tears gathered in her eyes. Before she could begin crying in earnest, Kyle cleared his throat.

"There's something I've been meaning to say to you guys. When Alex and I were shut in that damn cave with the crystals, he asked me if I would want to leave there if it meant that I was just going to be Joe Ordinary, who didn't know squat about real aliens. He said that we were part of this amazing knowledge, and we both agreed that it was worth it. We thought that we were going to die in that cave, killed by freaking aliens, and Alex thought that was OK. So. Don't any of you go beating yourselves up because Tess killed Alex. That's her crime, and hers alone. Alex made his choice to be part of the group, and he knew the risks. Don't belittle that choice by blaming yourselves—especially you," Kyle pointed at Isabel. Tears were sliding down her cheeks, but she had a tiny smile on her lips as she nodded.

"Tess will pay for what she's done. I don't know how yet, but I will make sure of that," Max declared with a quiet intensity.

"Yeah, but we can't get at her right now. You said Brody didn't even pick up anything," Michael said in disgust.

"You know, Future Max went from one place on Earth to another place on Earth. What if Tess didn't go home? What if she's still on the planet? Wouldn't that show up differently on Brody's equipment?" Liz asked.

"It should, yeah, but why would she still be on Earth?" Max responded.

"I don't know! It's worth checking though, right?" Liz answered.

"Yeah, sure," Max said. Neither of them noticed Kyle and Isabel exchanging looks, coming to a silent agreement.

"Well, I'm out of here. I'm going to have to let all this information percolate in the old brain before I have anything remotely useful to say," Kyle announced, standing up. Isabel stood as well.

"I'm just going to catch a ride with Kyle. I'll see you at home, Max," she said. The two of them left, Michael getting up to lock the door behind them.

"I'm not good for any more thinking either," Maria said, watching Michael predatorily as he returned to his seat. Liz caught the look and laughed.

"Go! Now, before I get any more PDAs from you two," she ordered, pointing down the hall. Maria flashed her a smile and dragged Michael to his feet, propelling him in front of her. He did not appear to be protesting much at her tactics. Liz watched them go with a smile.

"I take it that Michael is occasionally staying with you as well," Max remarked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, a couple of times. It's nice for them, and I, I do feel safer when he's here, too," Liz admitted.

"That's good," Max said, then fell silent. He was acutely aware that it was the first time they had been alone since they had talked the morning after Tess left. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes, neither one quite sure what to say now that they had a chance to say something.

Liz was also aware of that fact, and combined with everything else tonight it was making her control of her emotions tenuous at best. She fought to hold back the tears that had been threatening since her outburst, but she was not entirely successful. Max saw the shine on her face.

"Liz," he said softly, aching with her pain. Liz scrubbed at her cheeks, then gave it up and looked at him.

"Max, would you mind…" she was unable to finish the request. Max smiled a little.

"Of course not. Come here," he patted the couch. Liz sat facing him and buried her face against his chest as her shoulders heaved. Max's arms came up around her, one hand stroking her hair soothingly.

"Sh. It's all right," he whispered, tears shimmering in his own eyes as he listened to her cry. At last her sobs died away and he half smiled as he heard her sniffles.

"Better?" he asked, receiving a nod in return. Liz kept her face pressed against his shirt as he continued, "I wish that I was able to heal this kind of pain for you, too."

"You're helping to," Liz pulled back to look at him. Max caught his breath as their eyes met and his hand cupped her face, tenderly stroking away the tear tracks.

"Maybe so, but I was the one who caused it in the first place," he stated, his voice laden with regret. The corners of Liz's mouth turned up and she shook her head slightly.

"Not alone. We both did our share," she admitted. A faint smile ghosted over his lips as he acknowledged that truth with a short nod.

"I guess. How is it possible to be jealous of myself?" he asked ruefully. Liz looked at him quizzically and Max elaborated. "My—future self or whatever. He had fourteen years with you, Liz. I can only dream of what that might have been like."

"I know what you mean," Liz said with a small smile. She closed her eyes as his thumb drifted across her mouth, her lips parting under the gentle caress.

"Liz," Max breathed, a question in his tone. In answer Liz tilted up her face, her eyes remaining closed as his head lowered.

Max brushed his lips against hers and drew back a little. When she did not move or object he brushed her lips again, settling his mouth over hers. Liz opened her mouth under the light touch and tentatively, his tongue crept out to taste hers. As the kiss deepened Liz's hands slipped up to hold Max's face, while his arm tightened around her waist. Max held her head gently as he kissed her, his lips holding onto hers even as he pulled away.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered against her mouth. Liz's eyes filled with tears again as she replied.

"I've missed you, too. Max…can you just, hold me? For a while?" she asked, the tears running down her cheeks. Max brushed them away.

"As long as you want me to. I'm not going anywhere," he responded. Liz shifted in his arms so that he was cradling her head against his shoulder and they both closed their eyes, savoring the closeness that had been forbidden them for so long.

A few hours later, Michael found them still sitting like that, both sound asleep. Max's head had fallen back in an uncomfortable-looking position, and Liz was curled up as if she were cold. Michael shook his head, smiling, as he patted Max's cheek to wake him. Max yawned and opened his eyes, blinking at Michael.

"Come on. Why don't you put Sleeping Beauty here to bed? I'll go turn down the covers," Michael said quietly. Max looked down at Liz, still asleep with her face pressed against him, and smiled.

"Yeah, OK," he whispered, gathering Liz into his arms and slowly standing up. Michael went down the hall ahead of him, opening the door to Liz's room and pulling down the covers. Max carefully laid her on the sheets then knelt beside the bed and covered her. Liz sighed and turned into her pillow. Max kissed her cheek and stood up, turning to look at Michael.

"I heard Maria's not the only one who's staying over," Max indicated Michael's attire, which consisted of just his jeans. Michael scratched his eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, I feel better if I'm here, too," he said evasively.

"I'll bet you do," Max teased with a startlingly broad smile. He looked back down at Liz, and Michael sighed.

"I know where the blankets and stuff are; you can sleep on the couch. OK?" Michael offered.

"Thanks," Max said gratefully. They left Liz alone and went into the hall, where Michael indicated the closet that contained extra bedding and went back into Liz's parents' room.

"Max is still here?" Maria asked sleepily from the double bed.

"Yeah. They fell asleep with Liz laying across him on the couch," Michael replied as he tugged off his jeans and climbed back into the bed.

"Really? Yay!" Maria exclaimed, wide-awake now.

"I guess. It's funny. Just now, when I woke him up, Max seemed more like his old self than he has in—I don't know, months," Michael commented.

"Well, personally I think that Tess was playing some serious head games with him. Liz won't even listen to me about it, though. Which I can understand, I mean, she's not exactly in an easy position," Maria rationalized her friend's behavior.

"True. Max won't listen to anything like that, either. Guess we're just going to have to keep investigating on our own," he smirked at her.

"We do make a good team," Maria purred. "So, are we done talking about Max and Liz now?" she asked as she cuddled up to him.

"What else do you want to talk about?" Michael teased, running his hand up her bare arm and touching her cheek.

"I was thinking, no more talking would be perfect," Maria smiled as her hands slid into Michael's hair, pulling his head down for a deep kiss. Michael slowly rolled on top of her as they kissed, then his mouth trailed down to her neck, pressing kisses to her throat and collarbone.

"That's exactly what I had in mind," Maria murmured breathlessly.
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Tasyfa
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Posts: 155
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
Location: Canada

Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 7</b></center>

"I'm telling you, I can't get in! I've been trying for three hours, Nicholas! I'm too tired to try any more tonight," Tess exclaimed in frustration. She was absolutely wrung out, and Nicholas grimaced as he looked at her.

"I can see that. Fine," he said resignedly. Walking to the door, he opened it and murmured something to the guard. A moment later, someone handed him a large bottle of cold water, condensation on its sides, and a Thermos. Nicholas walked over to Tess, handing her the bottle. Tess looked at him measuringly, then accepted the bottle, tearing off the cap and chugging some down. She wiped her mouth after, and gestured at the Thermos.

"What's that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Vegetable soup. I know, it's hardly a mealtime, but you need to keep your strength up. Why not the pudding?" he asked, correctly interpreting her raised eyebrows. "You've earned a little something for good behavior. You can eat it once I've gone; it'll stay hot long enough." Tess nodded, sipping at the water now.

"So. What is Max doing differently that's blocking your access? Do you have any idea?" Nicholas asked as he paced thoughtfully.

"Not a clue. I don't think he's learned to block or anything, if that's what you're worried about. Although—it doesn't feel like it's Max, exactly. It feels more…external, if that makes any sense," Tess offered.

"External. Hmm, yes that's possible. Perhaps he's found a physical location that acts as a shield," Nicholas mused.

"Those exist?" Tess inquired, surprised.

"Oh, yes. They're rare, at least on Earth. It's even possible to create such a place, but they don't know how to do that," Nicholas smiled fleetingly. Tess's curiosity was aroused.

"Really. How would you do that? Wouldn't the energy be detectable?" she asked. Nicholas gave her a superior look.

"Only at very close range; presumably you would have physical deterrents in place to prevent anyone from getting that close. It's actually not that complicated," Nicholas sat down beside her and explained the process to Tess, flattered by her attentive interest. Tess memorized the information, filing it away in the corner of her mind that was still her own. She had discovered over the past couple of weeks that she could block Nicholas out of certain parts of her mind. Very carefully, she had started to alter some of her own memories, rearranging certain things so that most of the useful information was stored in a blocked off area. She had not been able to do as much as she wanted, but her control was growing.

"That's amazing," Tess said admiringly when Nicholas had stopped talking. "The things you can do are just incredible."

Nicholas leaned closer and ran his fingers through her hair. "And you haven't seen the half of it, little one," he whispered close to her ear. Tess clamped down on her revulsion, resisting the urge to attack him. Instead, she gave him a pouty smile.

"I suppose not, Nicholas dear, but I told you that I want to remain true to Max. I love him," Tess simpered, knowing the words were a lie, but that Nicholas did not know that. If there was one thing Tess had learned from rooting around in Max's mind without having Nicholas's compulsions on her emotions anymore, it was that she did not love Max. Cared about him, respected him, yes; loved him, no. Oddly enough, she felt as if she had learned more about herself since her "death" than she had ever known before. Unraveling the compulsions and false memories had shown her what truths she had been missing. Tess snapped herself out of her reverie as Nicholas continued to talk.

"Yes, you've told me, and I do applaud your loyalty, little one. I'm just not quite sure that you and Max were actually together," he said sinuously.

"What are you talking about?" Tess stared at him, her shock and confusion unfeigned. Nicholas smirked.

"Your night together. I'm not sure how much of it was real, and how much of it you manufactured in your own head. You used the trigger phrase, but the way it all plays out is somewhat peculiar. It's not relevant, though, as long as <I>Max</I> believes it happened," he said loftily.

"Trigger phrase?" Tess asked.

"Mmm-hmm. When Max was down and out, so to speak, and said something sappy like, "I'm all alone," you were to respond, "I'll be here for eternity." And then drag him off to bed somewhere. I know you did the dragging part, but the rest is so tangled and confused I can't be sure what happened. Since you seem to think you did it, I'm just going to go with that," Nicholas was pleased with the stunned look on Tess's face. He stood, stretching.

"Well, little one, I'll leave you to your soup and your rest. We can skip tomorrow; I know this took a lot out of you. Sweet dreams," he called as he sauntered out.

Tess's mind was whirling. Was it possible that she and Max had not slept together? How could it be? She remembered taking off his shirt, and the feel of his skin against hers. She remembered his kisses, and falling back together onto the coat she had brought. Tess had to admit it got a little fuzzy after that, but she had attributed that to the fact that now that she was in full possession of her faculties, she knew that Max was not the person she would have chosen to sleep with. It was not something that she wanted to recall clearly. She reached for the Thermos with a sigh, knowing that she was going to have to go over her memories of that night with a fine-toothed comb in order to find out the truth. It was going to be a long night.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Liz stumbled down the hall to the kitchen, following the smell of coffee. She was still dressed in her clothes from the previous day; they were all rumpled from having been slept in. She stopped short upon seeing Maria and Michael seated around the table, while Max, looking equally rumpled, was pouring himself coffee from the pot they had just brewed.

"Good morning," Maria waved cheerily. Liz smiled at her and Michael; they both looked relaxed and happy. She reminded herself to make sure she cleaned her parents' room thoroughly before they were due back. Then she turned to Max, who was getting out another mug, and raised her eyebrows.

"Hey. I—I hope you don't mind, I didn't want to just take off last night after, you know, what I said," he said softly, his eyes catching hers. "Do you want some coffee?"

"No, I don't mind, I was just a little surprised to see you. And yes, please, I'd love some," Liz answered, sitting down with Maria and Michael. The corners of Liz's mouth turned up as Max automatically added the correct amount of sugar and cream to her coffee before bringing it over and joining them.

"Thanks," Liz said as she took the mug. Maria gave her a significant look, one that said, <I>We'll talk later,</I> and Liz smiled fully. The four teens sat together in a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

The dark-haired woman slipped on her shoes then sat down on the bed. Sean smiled at her.

"You're sure you can't stay another day?" he wheedled. She reached out and brushed his cheek. Sean caught her hand and kissed her palm.

"You know I have to get back to Roswell, especially since you aren't there anymore. Besides, my vacation time is almost over so I have to get back to work, too," she said gently. "Much as I'd love to spend more time with you…but you knew this was an impossible situation when you agreed to help, Sean."

"I know, I know. I didn't expect to change your mind, but I had to ask," he grinned. "I've always been aware that your mission comes first, Serena. And I accept that."

"How did I get so lucky as to find you?" Serena smiled.

"<I>I</I> found <I>you</I>, remember, and I thank my lucky stars for that every day. So. You've got my number—has yours changed again?" Sean asked.

"No, it hasn't been necessary. When I do, I'll let you know. You shouldn't have any security problems here. I'll keep you posted on what's going on," she said as she rose and picked up her bag preparatory to leaving. Serena stopped, turning back with a smile, as Sean spoke.

"I'll miss you."

"And I you. Hopefully I'll be able to drive up here again soon, in my own car this time! I didn't want to be away for this long, but I had to track the ship…and I had to see you," she admitted.

"There's no way anyone else saw it, right?"

"No. Its stealth technology is beyond Earth's equipment. And the mountain returned to normal, so there wasn't any trace left behind."

"All right then. Be safe," Sean cautioned. Serena gave him a little wave then exited the room.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

"So what's up with you and Kyle?" Max asked as he came into the Evans' kitchen. Isabel was washing her breakfast dishes and their parents were at work.

"What's up with you and Liz?" Isabel countered.

"I think…hopeful would be the best word. I held her while she cried for a bit and we fell asleep like that," Max smiled shyly, wanting to keep the kiss all to himself. Isabel turned and saw the smile, returning it.

"That's good, Max. As for Kyle, we just thought that you guys might need some time alone. Sounds like it was a good plan," Isabel said warmly.

"So there's nothing going on between you?" Max pressed.

"Between me and <I>Kyle</I>? Oh, I don't think so, Max! We're getting to be friends. We just kind of hang out together, you know, since…well, we just do," Isabel censored herself.

"Since you bonded over me being an asshole," Max supplied, a wry smile turning up one side of his mouth as Isabel gaped at him. "It's all right, Iz. I know the score. If there was any further way I could apologize to you, I'd do it."

"Well," Isabel looked thoughtful, "you could clean my room for a month."

"Yeah, you really want me digging through your stuff, right? Not!" Max laughed. Isabel canted her head, looking at him. "What?"

"I haven't heard you laugh for a while. It's nice," she said sincerely. Max brushed it off.

"I feel good this morning. Better than I have for ages; I haven't felt much like laughing lately," he admitted.

"Max, I've been thinking that—is it possible that Tess did something to you?" Isabel asked hesitantly. Max's mood shifted instantaneously and he glared at her.

"Isabel, would you get off it? God, you and Michael both! Just leave it alone!" he ordered. He spun on his heel and stalked out of the room, leaving Isabel profoundly sorry that she had brought it up and ruined his good mood. She did not notice that as soon as he had stopped talking, Max began chewing on his fingernails.
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Tasyfa
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 155
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
Location: Canada

Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 8</b></center>

"All right, will someone please tell me why you're all invading my home so that we can have a meeting without Max? What is going on?" Liz demanded to know.

"Liz, since Tess left, how would you describe Max's behavior?" Michael asked.

"More or less normal. He's more like himself than he has been since he got involved with her," Liz said. "Why?"

The other four people exchanged glances, and Liz rolled her eyes. "Just tell me why already!"

"OK, the thing is, he's only like that when he's with you," Isabel explained.

"What are you talking about? We've only been alone a couple of times since then," Liz was baffled.

"No, not just when you're alone—I mean, how would we know about that anyway—but when you're in the room, he's his usual self, like you said. The problem is when you're not there," Maria elaborated. "He gets…kind of unpleasant."

"Unpleasant," Liz repeated.

"Remember when you came to the house to ask Tess some questions, and Max was yelling at you?" Kyle asked.

"Vividly," Liz said dryly.

"Well, that's sort of what he's like. Moody and irritable, like he's got the world's worst case of PMS," Kyle snorted. All three women glared at him. "What? I never said you guys were bitchy, just Max!"

"And he gets worse if Tess is mentioned. You haven't," Isabel trailed off at Liz's shaking head.

"Ah, no. We have a sort of mutual silence pact on the subject of Tess for the moment. We're in a rather fragile place right now, so… Does this have to do with Maria's theory that Tess was mindwarping Max?" Liz inquired.

"It's not just Maria's theory, we all think she was messing with him. It's the only thing that makes any sense," Michael declared.

"OK, let's suppose you're right. He hasn't been tapping his fingers, because I've been watching for that, so maybe it's some kind of aftereffect of whatever Tess was doing," Liz speculated.

"Wait, you've been watching for finger tapping? I thought you didn't believe me!" Maria exclaimed.

"It's not that, I just—I can't get my hopes up, all right? I can't afford to even entertain the idea that he might not have acted of his own free will," Liz said tightly. Maria's face flooded with comprehension.

"I get it. I'm sorry, Liz, I never even thought of that," Maria said compassionately. The others understood what she meant as well; Liz needed to work through the fact that Max had slept with someone else, and she could not do that effectively if she believed it was a mindwarp.

"So, why are you telling me this? Obviously there's something you want to do about it, or you wouldn't have bothered with a meeting. What is it?" Liz queried, looking around.

"Well, until we can figure out what's going on, and maybe try to reverse it or something, we want you to spend as much time as possible with Max," Michael told her. "Even sleeping on your couch if we can somehow swing that."

Liz was staring at him in openmouthed shock. "You want me to baby-sit him, like 24/7? Are you crazy? What part of fragile did you not understand?"

"I know what you mean, Liz, but the rest of us are getting nailed with this constantly. Yesterday he said some—really mean things to Mom, and I could see her trying not to cry. We talked about all this before we decided to ask you, but we don't have any other options right now. Being in your presence seems to be the only thing that keeps Max on an even keel," Isabel pleaded.

Liz closed her eyes, sighing. Isabel's description of Max saying hurtful things to their mother was what finally convinced her that something was very wrong. And if she could help, and did not…she sighed again and opened her eyes.

"Fine. I'll do it. But on one condition: Max knows why," she stated.

"Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?" Maria was flabbergasted, as was everyone else.

"No, it does not. I am not going to lie to him, not now, not ever again. Either I tell him what is going on, or you guys are on your own," Liz's voice held a note of finality.

"OK, OK, you can tell him," Michael capitulated.

"Well, then when do you want to put this into effect? We're working close tonight, so maybe you can go get him after, Michael, and he can stay on the couch again," Liz said, unable to believe the words coming out of her mouth. Of all the ways she had pictured Max staying with her while her parents were away, this had never entered her mind.

"Works for me," Michael nodded.

"Then it's settled," Liz stated decisively.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Michael was just getting ready to leave his apartment when Max barged through the front door, having apparently used his powers to unlock it instead of knocking. He had an intense, focused look on his face.

"Michael, let's go. I need you to go somewhere with me," Max said flatly. Michael shot him a look that spoke volumes—or would have, if Max had been paying any attention.

"Maxwell, I've got to work in twenty minutes. We can do this later, all right?" Michael finished putting on his shoes and grabbed for his jacket.

"Michael. Now," Max ordered, brooking no opposition. Michael regarded him carefully. There was a strange light in Max's eyes. Max normally had a hot temper, and the way that he looked right now…well, Michael did not care to find out how angry Max might become if he did not do what he wanted of him.

"OK, let's go then," Michael agreed. He was surprised when Max tossed him the keys to the Jeep as they walked outside. "Where are we going?"

"The observatory," Max said shortly, climbing into the passenger seat. Michael shrugged to himself as he started the engine. He could not for the life of him figure out why a trip to the observatory was so important, but he was willing to play along for now. He stole glances at Max as he drove, noting that Max sat like a statue, staring straight ahead, his only movement the occasional slow blink. It was unnerving.

There were quite a few cars in the parking lot, and a lot of people inside. Michael overheard them talking about some planetary body moving into alignment with such and such a star, but he was not really paying attention. He was focused on Max.

"OK, we're here. Now would you mind telling me what the hell we're doing here?" Michael asked. Max continued to stare off into one particular corner as he spoke.

"Do you know, it's been one month? Since Tess and I…since Tess conceived. Somewhere in the universe she has our son now," Max said dreamily.

"What does that have to do with the observatory, Maxwell?" Michael was getting impatient.

"This is where it happened," Max swept his hand in a circle, indicating the corner where his eyes were still focused. Michael choked back a laugh of disbelief then his gaze sharpened as Max, finished pointing, brought his hand up to his mouth and started to chew his fingernails.

"This is where you and Tess had sex," Michael repeated, wanting to be absolutely clear. Max nodded, still chewing. Surreptitiously Michael looked at his other hand, knowing that he had seen Max with both hands near his mouth lately. His nails looked perfectly normal, not ragged and bitten. Apparently Max was merely closing his teeth, not actually biting his nails, which was the weirdest thing Michael had ever seen. Something was definitely up.

Suddenly a cell phone began its shrill ringing. Max's hand dropped from his mouth and he smiled, raising his eyebrows, as Michael fumbled a cell phone out of his pocket. Michael held up a finger to Max as he answered the phone.

"Yeah, hold on a sec," Michael did not even wait for the other person to say anything, just put the phone on hold. He shrugged.

"Maria totally flipped when my phone got disconnected. We've been arguing about this," he indicated the cell phone, "ever since. A couple of days ago she finally persuaded me that it would be worth my while to get one." He grinned and Max smiled back.

"I'm not even going to say it," Max told him. "I'll, uh, I'll just go stand in line while you talk to her." At Michael's nod he turned away, and Michael saw his hand go back up to his mouth as his eyes fell on the corner he had just indicated. Michael flipped open the phone.

"What? I thought this was for emergencies, Maria," he said abruptly.

"It's Liz, actually. Maria gave me the number. Where are you, Michael? Your shift has started," Liz said exasperatedly.

"Oh, Liz! Great! I'm glad it's you. Look, I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to call. Max dragged me out to the observatory. That's where I am now."

"OK. Please explain to me what on earth you're doing there, and why it's more important than coming into work."

"Well, Max is exorcising his demons or something, and for some reason decided he needed me along for the ride. He tells me this is where he and Tess got busy last month. Liz?" he asked when there was a long silence on the other end. Michael winced inwardly; maybe he should not have been so blunt.

"Are you saying that Max, as in Max Evans, actually—in a public place? I can't believe that!"

"Me neither. <I>And</I>, he hasn't taken his fingers out of his mouth since we got here. I think he's biting his nails instead of tapping his fingers. Liz, I'm telling you something is not right here," Michael said excitedly.

"Did he tell you where in the observatory?" Liz's mind was evidently working furiously now.

"Yeah, he pointed to a corner over by the telescope thing, in the main room."

"Where's Max now?"

"In line for the telescope. There's some conjunction or other so there're a bunch of people here. Why?"

"The main room has security cameras for all the expensive equipment in there. If they were really in there, it should have been on tape. Michael, in behind the gift shop, you know, down the hall marked "Washrooms," is the security desk. There should be a guard there. I don't care how you do it, but get me that tape."

"How do you know the building so well?" Michael was amazed. He could hear the smile in Liz's voice as she replied.

"Sometimes my little telescope wasn't enough, after I knew about you guys."

"I'll bring Max and the tape over tonight. I think I'd better stay with him until then; if he's going to blow his top it's best that it's on me. Can you get someone to cover for me?"

"Yeah. I think you're right, you should stay with him. And Michael, thank you," Liz's voice throbbed with gratitude. Michael smiled goofily, glad she could not see him.

"No problem. I want him back too, Liz. Being the substitute leader sucks."

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Liz hung up the phone, a wide smile spreading across her face. She hurried into the back room to catch Maria before she changed out of her uniform.

"Hey, can you pull a double in the kitchen? Pretty please?" Liz entreated. Maria looked askance at her.

"Why would I want to do that? Where's Michael, didn't he answer? And more importantly, why do you look so happy?" Maria asked suspiciously. Liz grabbed her hands.

"Michael can't make it, he's with Max. Max is being very strange and made Michael go with him to the observatory, apparently because that's where he and Tess, you know," Liz gave her head a little shake.

"In the observatory. Max. The same Max that turned thirty-seven different shades of red when I caught you two in Michael's apartment last year, and he didn't even have his pants off? I don't believe it," Maria declared firmly. Then it dawned on her why Liz was excited. "And neither do you, I take it. Don't they have cameras in that place? I seem to recall making faces into one while you were staring skyward."

"Yes they do, and Michael's getting me the security tape for that night. No, I don't know how and I don't care either," Liz headed off her next question. Maria looked thoughtful for a moment then a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

"Well, Michael will need to do something major to make up for me taking his shift. I vote that he gets to watch the tape," Maria said slyly. Liz laughed and slapped her palm against Maria's in a high five before the two women got back to work.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Michael wandered down the corridor, looking carefully at the security desk and guard on his way by. He went into the washroom and waited for a couple of minutes, then came back out and casually walked over to the guard. He had a tiny television that was tuned to the Stanley Cup finals and Michael smiled inwardly.

"Who's winning?" he asked in a friendly tone. The guard started and looked around, returning Michael's smile. Michael noticed that his nametag said Carl.

"Jersey so far, but it's still in the first period so that don't mean nothin'," Carl announced.

"Too true. You rooting for Jersey?"

"I suppose. Better'n Colorado. What kind of fool name is the Avalanche for a hockey team? I'll take the Devils over that. Course, I'd've preferred the Flyers, but they didn't make it," Carl snorted.

"Ah, a Philly fan! Maybe this year Carter'll get his head out of his ass and get rid of Lindros. He's a dead weight for them," Michael said conversationally.

"Yeah maybe. I heard they might trade Lindros to the Leafs," Carl laughed.

"That might actually work out. Clark won't take any of his crap that's for sure," Michael responded. The two men were quiet for a moment, watching the puck fly across the tiny screen.

"Listen, Carl, I gotta ask you something. Do you ever get people coming in here like after hours, to get a little action? I'm just asking because my buddy and I kind of had this bet going. He's one of those shy guys, you know," Michael rolled his eyes and Carl grinned, caught up in his story, "and he was supposed to sneak in here with a girl and, you know, get it on with her. Now, he tells me he did that about a month ago, but he won't even tell me her name so I'm thinking that he's pulling my leg, right? And I was thinking that you'd probably catch it all on camera, so you might be able to help me out here. Can you help me, Carl? I have a fairly significant amount of cash riding on this."

"Kids sneak in every so often for a little somethin'. Long as they don't go near the equipment I just lets 'em have their fun. Your buddy, he got dark hair, works out a lot?" Carl asked, grinning. Michael's heart sank as he nodded. Carl started to laugh.

"He must've had too much liquid courage afore coming here 'cause he stumbled in after this fine blonde, lookin' like he didn't know which way was up. They kissed some, but he didn't get no further than unsnapping her bra afore he passed out cold! My guess is that he promised the little lady some of his winnin's, given what you told me, 'cause after he passed out she stripped 'em both and went to sleep lyin' on top of him. He was some confused come dawn, but he must've figured they did since they was both naked as a jaybird," he related gleefully. Michael grinned at him as an overwhelming flood of relief washed through him.

"Carl, my man, you have made my day. You wouldn't happen to have the tape still, would ya? My buddy's probably not going to believe me if he doesn't see it with his own two eyes. You know the type," Michael said in a low voice.

"Aye that I do. And as a matter of fact, I do still have the tape. We usually keeps 'em for about 2 months afore reusin' 'em, but there ain't nothing else on this one so you can have it. You have fun with that cash now, you hear?" Carl laughed as he handed Michael a videotape. Michael extended a hand.

"You've been great, Carl. It was nice meeting you. Thanks again," Michael said sincerely as they shook hands. He turned to leave and Carl went back to watching the hockey game, cheering as the New Jersey Devils scored a goal.

Michael stuffed the tape in the back waistband of his pants and went to find Max. He was just coming off of the platform where the telescope was, a slight smile on his face, which vanished as he looked around the room for Michael. His hand crept up to his mouth again. Now that he had some proof that Tess had been mindwarping Max, at least for that night, Michael was beginning to worry about the lasting effects her warps might have on Max. She had told Max that Alex's brain had been so weakened by her constant mindwarping that one more warp killed him. How much damage had she done to Max?

"What took you so long?" Max asked abruptly as he spotted Michael and came over.

"Oh, you know Maria," Michael cupped his hand and made a flapping gesture. "Anyway, she's going to cover for me tonight so we can hang out. Till you go see Liz, at least."

"Liz? I'm not seeing Liz tonight," Max said in confusion.

"Well, she told Maria that you were coming over after work, so I guess she thinks you are," Michael said carefully, watching Max.

"Yeah. I guess, I must have forgotten. Thanks, Michael," Max said softly, flashing him a brief smile. They walked out to the Jeep and Michael climbed into the driver's seat again. Max made no objection, nor said anything at all as Michael drove them back to his apartment.

<center>*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</center>

Tess curled up around her pillow, sobbing as quietly as possible so as not to alert the guards. Unable to discern the truth in her own memories, she had finally been driven to extremes. She had waited for a night when she was not so drained and carefully insinuated herself into Max's mind, sending him to the observatory in the hopes that the physical location would trigger one or both of their memories.

Tess could feel Max's mind seething behind its barriers, but at this moment she was still helpless to assist him much. If she did she would give herself away and she would be killed. Or Nicholas would take over her mind completely and simply use her as a conduit. The reason he had not done so was that it required his own energy to use her that way, whereas using her as a tool expended only her energy. But Tess had painstakingly learned how to seamlessly block Nicholas out, which allowed her to use her powers without his knowledge. That was what she had been doing tonight.

Max's memory remained locked, but as soon as he entered the observatory's main room with its huge telescope, it all came crashing down on Tess. She remembered leading him inside, and the way he had trembled and kept his eyes on her face as she removed her shirt. She remembered gentle kisses that were not without feeling, but had no passion. Max had cared for her, much the same way that she had cared for him: as a friend. Tess pushed on, remembering the way he had pulled her on top of him and she had kissed him and whispered that it was time to go to sleep. His eyes had fluttered closed, his breathing evening out, and only then had she removed the remainder of their clothing. Even her memory of his nude beauty did not stir desire in her, merely aesthetic appreciation.

And so she cried, in the knowledge that while her virginity might be intact her innocence was most certainly lost. What she had done to Max made her stomach turn over in disgust. No one should be used like that. And she cried for lost chances, because in her lack of desire for Max she had realized where her passion truly lay, with Kyle. Kyle, whom she had made think of her like a sister. Kyle, in whose room she had committed her one completely unforgivable act, her mind free of coercions though not of misconceptions, and whom she had made into the unwitting accomplice of that act. And lastly she cried for Alex. Alex, with his gentle humor and his open smile, with his love for Isabel, with his unwavering loyalty and support. Alex, who should not have died.

Tess's tears slowly faded as her anger roused, growing by leaps and bounds as she came to the realization that there was only one true course of action left for her. Everyone she cared about had suffered injury at her hands, and she vowed that her hands would be the ones to make it right. Somehow, some way, Nicholas was going down.
User avatar
Tasyfa
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 155
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
Location: Canada

Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 9</b></center>

Liz opened the door to the soft knocking, motioning for Max and Michael to enter. As Max passed her she looked anxiously at Michael, who gave her a subtle thumbs up as he mouthed, "Got it." Liz nearly sagged against the door in relief but she held herself together and locked it instead.

"Liz, you mind if I borrow your VCR for a bit? I think mine's drawn its last breath," Michael grimaced.

"That's what happens when you buy electronic equipment from some guy on the street," Max needled him, surprising Michael and Liz both. Liz looked inquiringly at Michael and he shrugged.

"The price was right and I was broke. What can I say?"

"Whatever. Um, go ahead. Maria went home to get some more clothes and stuff; she'll be back later. Max and I will just—go sit in my room," Liz declared, feeling awkward all of a sudden. Michael flashed her a sympathetic smile before going over to the television, while Liz and Max went down the hall and into her room.

Gingerly, still very hesitant, Max slowly sat down on the edge of her bed. It was almost as if he expected the mattress to burst into flames when he touched it, and Liz stifled a giggle. Her inappropriate desire to laugh stemmed as much from her own nervousness as from the expression on Max's face and Liz quickly squelched it, sitting with her legs drawn up beside her in the middle of the bed, not too close to Max. He arranged himself so that he could see her then they looked everywhere but at each other for a long moment.

"Liz, I…"

"Max…"

They both laughed as they began speaking in unison. Max gestured for Liz to go first and she cleared her throat.

"Max, there's—there's something that we need to talk about," she started. He nodded.

"You mean Tess."

Liz's head whipped up and she met his eyes. There was such deep sorrow there that she feared she might drown in it if she stared too long, yet she was utterly incapable of tearing her gaze away. Max broke their eye contact first, looking down at where his hand was idly tracing the pattern on her bedspread.

"We've talked about almost everything else in the last month, Liz. All the meaningless chatter that we could possibly throw at each other, in the hopes that the problem would go away. It's what I do best: watch the world go by without stepping in to do anything about what might be happening in it," Max's voice was so low Liz could barely hear him.

"No, Max. What you do best is believe in other people so fiercely that they believe in themselves, too," she said softly. "You accept, and you love, freely."

"I love you," he whispered, and Liz smiled a little, nodding.

"I know."

The sorrow deepened even further in his eyes when she said no more. What Max did not know was that Liz could not say the words, could not surrender that much without surrendering it all. And that was a step she was not yet ready to take. Her heart was still too fragile.

"Max, everyone else is—worried about you. Apparently—apparently you've been, kind of, moody lately and it—well, there seems to be something about being around <I>me</I> that keeps you, well, calm. So, they want—they want us to spend as much time together as possible. I, uh, Michael and Isabel are figuring out something so that you can stay here at night, too," Liz watched him carefully, a smile tugging at her lips at the total shock on his face.

"Stay here at night?" Max's voice cracked as he pointed downwards. Then he realized how that might be construed, since he was currently sitting on Liz's bed. "I mean—I didn't mean, not <I>here</I> here, I meant…"

"I know what you meant," Liz interrupted him. "You'll be sleeping on the couch again, if that's all right. Maria still has to stay because her mom knows she's here and she calls every night to make sure that Maria is here and not at Michael's!"

"Which they neatly get around because Michael stays a lot, too. I see how that works," Max smiled.

"Exactly," Liz agreed. "I'm sure that Ms. DeLuca is perfectly well aware of what's going on, but since Maria isn't lying about her whereabouts she's willing to let it go. She knows that she can't turn Maria back into a virgin." The words were out before Liz realized what it sounded like she was saying. "Oh, Max, I didn't..."

"It's all right, Liz. It's nothing more than the truth, after all," Max said, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "You waited, and I…I didn't."

"No, you did what I asked you to and went to Tess," Liz admitted quietly. "I was pushing you at her for almost a year when you finally started spending time with her, you know. I—I was really angry, when you told me what happened, but…I started you down that road."

"And you did that because I asked you to," Max said with a half smile. Liz shrugged and nodded and both their smiles grew a little broader at the ridiculous irony of the situation.

"Maybe we should stop asking each other to do things," Liz suggested facetiously, making them laugh.

"Yeah, maybe. Although that's going to make it tough for you to ask me if I want fries with that," Max teased.

"Max! How dare you say that to the manager of your favorite restaurant?" Liz laughed.

"Oh, right. Right, you're the manager now. Guess that means I have to be serious," Max chuckled.

"Max," Liz said exasperatedly and they both laughed.

"I like this, Liz. Having fun, laughing with you. I—it seems that the only time I smile anymore is when I'm with you," Max admitted softly. Liz ducked her head, the admission making her shy.

"The rest of the time, it's like—I'm swimming underwater or something. It's only been in the last few days that…" he trailed off, looking uncertainly at Liz. She cocked her head at him with a faint smile.

"Rule number one, remember?" she prompted, eliciting an answering smile.

"Ah yes, the list. Rule number one: no secrets and no lies," Max recited.

"Exactly. Which is why I told you why I'm spending as much time with you in the near future as is humanly possible," Liz said dryly.

"Yeah. These last few days, I've been—it's like a fog has lifted. I can see how I'm acting and hear what I'm saying, but I don't seem to have much control over it unless I'm with you. And—and it tends to be worse when someone mentions Tess. Yesterday my mom, she asked how I was dealing with her death, and I…"

"Isabel told me. Not the details, but enough. So then you think they're right, you're being—influenced or something?"

"Yeah. But—that's not all. I can—I can feel," Max cleared his throat, looking exceedingly nervous as he stared at the bedspread. "I can feel Tess in my mind. And it's not—when Nicholas tried to mindrape me, the touch of his mind was pure evil, Liz. It was revolting and scary as hell. But Tess—doesn't feel like that. She—she just feels, normal. If such a thing can ever feel normal."

Liz thought about what Max was saying, putting her feelings on hold for the moment. "Do you think it could be, like, residual? Or does it feel more active, like maybe she's the one controlling your actions?"

"The latter. It's definitely an active feeling. But the weird thing is, from what I've heard Michael and Isabel say in the last couple of days I've been—like this, since Tess left. So why am I now becoming aware of it?"

"Maybe she's getting careless. Or maybe," <I>I cannot believe I'm going to say this, </I>Liz thought to herself, "maybe she's trying to help. I don't know, Max. But I think it's significant that you're aware of being controlled now. And I guess it—it reinforces having us spend time together," she finished in a quiet voice.

Max's mouth twisted in a bitter half-smile. "Is that so bad? I know I've—done and said things that you might—you might never be able to forgive me for. And—I understand that. I live it, every day. But if you—if you don't want—I mean, if you'd rather not…ah, hell, I don't know what I mean anymore, Liz. I am selfishly glad that the current solution is to be in your presence, but I'd like to know, why you agreed to it," he did not look at her as he spoke but twisted his hands in his lap, waiting for the blow to fall.

"Because I'd never be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try," Liz said softly, her meaning running deeper than the words. This was the moment, the point of no return. She knew Michael had gotten the tape but did not know what it revealed yet. For all she knew, the man sitting in front of her, amber gaze veiled by his thick eyelashes, had spent the night with another woman. Liz looked at his face, bowed, expecting defeat, and then allowed her eyes to wander over him, drinking in the sight as a parched man does water. Her gaze rested at last on his hands.

Max had large, well-formed hands with sensitive fingertips that knew exactly how to touch her. To stroke her cheek as he looked into her eyes, or to run his fingers through her hair, making her feel cherished and safe. Hands that were attached to arms, strong arms that made Liz feel like there was no place in the universe that she would rather be. Head, feet, and everything in between: it was all Max, and it was all loved. And so it was not such a hard decision after all, in spite of everything. No more secrets; no more lies.

"I could no more have refused to help than—than I could stop breathing, or stop loving you," Liz declared gently, thinking she was prepared for his reaction. She was not. How could she have anticipated the bright blaze of joy in his eyes, their golden fire eclipsing the sun? How could she have known that he would take her hand and hold it to his face, pressing kisses to her fingers and her palm as his tears splashed onto her skin? How do you ready yourself for transcendence, for the fulfillment of a destiny too long denied?

At long last Max stopped, holding the back of Liz's hand to his wet cheek as he gazed at her, glory in his eyes. Liz made a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh and he smiled as he reached out his other hand to tenderly caress her face, the familiar gesture spilling fresh tears from both of them. Liz turned her face into his hand and kissed it, whispering, "I love you, Max."

"And I love you. It's been so long, Liz, so long. I thought I would never hear those words from your lips again; God knows I don't deserve them," Max said brokenly. Liz moved towards him, opening her arms and he crushed her slight body to him, hugging her hard. One hand began a ceaseless run, from the top of her head to the tips of her lustrous tresses, and her hair crackled around him with electricity.

Time seemed to stand still as they held each other, reacquainting themselves with the sensation. Only when they heard a knock at the door did they reluctantly move apart a little, as Liz called out, "Come in!"

Michael pushed open the door, raising his eyebrows at how close they were sitting. "I see that you two have gotten past apologizing to each other," he said archly.

"What are you talking about?" Liz demanded.

"Just that you're so much alike. Max thinks it's all his fault, you think it's all your fault, and the truth is that it's everyone's and no one's fault. You just deal and move on. Maybe if you two had been more possessive of each other and less self-sacrificing in the first place you'd never have broken up," Michael shrugged.

"As I recall, you were the one who held me back and told me to let her go," Max said tightly. Michael regarded him keenly.

"No, Maxwell. I had just as hard a grip on your arm that day in the Crashdown when Liz was shot, and you didn't let me get in your way then. You didn't go after her 'cause you knew she was right. No matter how shitty things got…you needed to know. Both of you." Michael paused for a moment, allowing that to sink in, then jerked his head at the door before continuing, "Come on, there's something I want you to see."

Max and Liz rose, following Michael into the living room. On a sudden urge, Liz pointed Michael towards the kitchen and told Max she would be back in a minute with some sodas. She met Michael and just looked at him entreatingly, unable to form the question.

"Man, if I never have to see that again it'll be too soon! I think I may be scarred for life," Michael joked, not noticing at first how Liz paled at his words, then firmed her chin determinedly.

"I—thank you, Michael, for watching the tape and confirming it. It—gives it some closure," Liz said stiffly. How had she allowed herself to hope? Thinking it was true, hoping it was not, she had opened her heart and she would not close it now. She turned to leave the kitchen and Michael caught her arm.

"Whoa, there! Liz, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," Michael explained hurriedly. He drew himself up and announced quietly, "Miss Parker, I have the distinct pleasure of informing you that you are in love with a virgin!"

"Really?" Liz whispered, the room spinning crazily around her. She leaned against Michael until it stopped then looked up at him, hope rebirthing in her eyes.

"Really. They only got so far and then Max passed out. The security guard thought he was drunk," Michael chuckled.

"How far? Why did you say you were scarred for life if they didn't do anything?" Liz asked with narrowed eyes. Michael cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable suddenly.

"Liz," he was going to tell her that she did not need to know.

"Michael," Liz cut him off, her tone telling him that he had better 'fess up right now. Michael knew better than to continue to prevaricate.

"All right. There was a little kissing, and then right before he passed out Max unsnapped her bra. Very handily, too, which also seemed un-Max-like," he smirked.

"Mmm, no, he was always…that is, you know what? Never mind," Liz stammered, her cheeks becoming rosy as Michael's smirk deepened. "So what's so scarring about that?"

"It's not that, it's—Tess takes off their clothes after, while Max is a zombie, and then she goes to sleep too," Michael shrugged.

"She didn't like, <I>do</I> anything else, just went to sleep?"

"Yeah," Michael said slowly. "Why, would you have done something differently with a sleeping, naked Max?"

Liz blushed furiously and Michael laughed at her, laughing even harder when she smacked him.

"Michael! That was rude!" she hissed.

"Yeah, but it was funny!" he retorted. Then he became serious. "Look, I don't think you should watch it but I'd like you to stay in the room to keep him balanced."

"It's fine, Michael. You can go into my parents' bedroom and wait there. I—I need my own proof," Liz grimaced. Michael winced inwardly at the thought of her watching the tape, but they were her eyes.

"If that's really what you want, fine," he agreed reluctantly, passing her the VCR remote control. Liz surprised them both by stretching on her tiptoes and kissing Michael's cheek.

"Thank you, Michael. This means—so much to me, I can't thank you enough," she said sincerely. Michael ducked his head.

"Whatever. Call if you need me. And make sure you cue through the whole night, so he can see that nothing happened later. Besides, the look on his face in the morning is priceless," he said abruptly and left for the bedroom. Liz smiled at his hasty retreat and went to sit beside Max on the sofa.

"So what are we watching?" Max asked as she handed him a can of Cherry Coke. Liz gave him a little smile.

"You'll see. Max, I want you to promise me that you will sit here and watch this entire video with me, until <I>I</I> turn it off," Liz requested earnestly. Max glanced sideways at her, clearly wondering what was going on. But he nodded readily enough, and Liz sighed as she started the tape.

Michael had set it to just before Max and Tess had entered the observatory, and she felt Max stiffen beside her as their two forms came onto the television screen.

"Liz, what the hell is this?" he said angrily.

"Just—trust me, Max. Just watch it, please."

Something in her voice alerted Max to her suspicions and he narrowed his eyes, returning his attention to the events unfolding onscreen. Intellectually he knew the male was himself, but it was increasingly difficult to reconcile his memories with what his eyes were telling him. As the tape played he started to fidget, subtly at first then changing, wiggling on the sofa like a two year old.

Liz had just as much trouble believing that was Max, for somewhat different reasons. If there were such a thing as an expert on the way Max Evans kissed, Liz would be qualified, and she saw nothing of Max in what was transpiring. It was bizarre, to say the least. She felt a moment of inadequacy, glancing down at herself, when Tess removed her shirt, then realized that Max did not even look at her bared skin. Only when she had seen Tess place her bra on the floor did Liz avert her eyes. It seemed wrong somehow to see Max for the first time like that; it could certainly wait. She noticed how fidgety Max had become and her gaze sharpened in worry.

A few minutes later Liz looked back at the television, seeing two people sleeping peacefully. She hit the cue button and the VCR sped up, wavy lines racing across its surface as Max and Liz watched them sleep. Finally there were long beams of sunlight streaking through the open roof, falling on the sleeping people. They watched Max stir and rise, waking Tess and smiling a greeting. And then, once Tess's eyes were hidden, Liz watched Max's face fall, crumpling in on itself in realization and utter regret, and for a single moment she wanted to crow in triumph.

That moment was short-lived, however, as she became aware of Max. He was in distress and she slid onto her knees in front of him, taking his hands away from his mouth and holding them firmly when he kept trying to replace them.

"Max? Max. You didn't sleep with her. You didn't sleep with Tess. There's no baby; she's not pregnant," Liz said soothingly, the words balm to her own soul. But for Max they were like fire. He whimpered, like he was in pain, and turned blind eyes to Liz.

"Liz?" he asked hoarsely. She nodded, then, realizing that he could not see her, murmured, "Yes, it's Liz. I'm here. It's OK, Max. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." She freed one hand to stroke his bangs off of his forehead, then immediately recaptured his hand as it rose to his lips.

"Liz. Help," Max begged. He sounded so profoundly lost, so alone, that Liz's eyes filled with tears and she pulled him into her arms, holding his head against her shoulder. His arms went around her, gripping her tightly and squeezing so that she could hardly breathe. They stayed like that, frozen, for an eternity…and then Max's arms slackened and dropped, his body suddenly sagging against Liz so heavily that she had to push him back so that she would not lose her balance. Max fell back into the sofa and Liz could see that his eyes were still open but he was no longer present in them. She picked up his hand and let it go, seeing it drop like a dead weight. Hard on the heels of that action came the rising panic and she grabbed his hand again, feeling his wrist desperately for a pulse. It was there, as strong as ever, and his chest rose and fell with his breathing. But his eyes remained totally empty.

"Michael! MICHAEL!"
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Tasyfa
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Post by Tasyfa »

<center><b>Chapter 10</b></center>

Hearing the fear in Liz's voice, Michael raced down the hall and skidded to a stop in front of Liz. He stared down at Max's limp body.

"What the hell happened?" he asked in shock. "Is he like catatonic or something?"

Liz looked at him in surprise and Michael shrugged.

"I saw it on TV. Some girl went catatonic when her little sister got kidnapped," he said defensively. Liz chose not to comment on the irony of an alien watching a show about a vampire slayer.

"Then you would have seen that girl moving around. Her body was still functioning, it was still connected to her brain, her mind was turned inward is all. This is different; Max is all disconnected. He's—Michael, Max is in a coma," she stated quietly.

"So he's like completely shut down," Michael wanted clarification. Liz nodded. "But, I don't understand. He was showing signs of breaking out of the mindwarp, seeing the tape should have cracked it wide open."

<I>Well, it cracked something wide open, </I>Liz thought privately. <I>Like maybe my tenuous hold on my own sanity. </I> Aloud, she said, "This is just an educated guess, but I'd say that—that the conflict between what really happened and what he—what he remembers happening was too strong. Maybe he couldn't accept it, you know, that he doesn't—isn't a parent after all." Her voice trembled throughout the last sentence and Michael placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Liz, are you all right?"

"No, Michael, I am not all right. I haven't been all right for a very long time now. Not since—truthfully, not since the night we were running from the FBI after you rescued Max from Pierce, when Max told me he loved me for the first time. I wish that night had never ended because as soon as dawn came my life turned into this sick nightmare. I have been falling into this black hole ever since you guys activated those stupid orbs and I don't know if I'll ever see daylight again," Liz scrubbed at the tears she could no longer control. Awkwardly Michael patted her shoulder then pulled her into his arms, where she cried for a few minutes unrestrainedly. Then she straightened, sniffling and rubbing her face.

"Thank you, I needed that," she said softly. Michael nodded with a half smile.

"So, can you help me with Max? We need to get him into my room," Liz said briskly, once again the picture of efficiency. Michael raised his eyebrows but did not comment, merely hoisted Max over his shoulder and gestured for Liz to lead the way. He placed Max in the down turned bed and started to back away when Liz told him to stay there.

"Hold him up so I can get his shirt off," she ordered. Michael did as he was told while Liz pulled Max's T-shirt off over his head and then allowed Michael to lay him flat. She took off Max's socks and reached for his jeans when she was halted by a wave of nausea, flashing to the image of him having already been undressed while unconscious by one woman. Liz withdrew her hands and turned to Michael.

"Would you, um, can you get his jeans off? I don't—I don't think I should do that," her cheeks were slightly pink at Michael's smirk.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed. Liz turned her back, listening to the rustle of the denim and then the thud as Max's jeans hit the floor. She waited a moment longer and turned back around, to find that Michael had pulled the covers up to Max's chest. She smiled in relief and picked up the jeans, folding them and placing them on the desk chair.

There was just enough room between Max and the edge of the bed for Liz to fit so she sat down, letting her fingers trace his jaw line. He looked so pale, like when he had been in the hospital after that car accident. There was no response to her touch and she allowed her hand to drop, resting on his chest so that she could feel it rise and fall with his breathing. It was a small comfort. As long as he was alive Liz knew that she could get through to him somehow.

Michael cleared his throat, feeling as though he were intruding on a private moment. Liz turned her head to look at him, smiling faintly at the discomfort on his face for interrupting.

"It's all right, Michael. OK, we'd better call Isabel, and probably Kyle as well, to come over so we can talk about what we're going to do," Liz said calmly.

"Yeah, in a minute. Listen, Liz—what all did Max tell you about the baby?" he asked hesitantly.

"Not much. He pulled the Jeep over on the way back from Las Cruces and told me he'd spent the night with Tess and she was pregnant, and then later, when he finally told me you guys were leaving, he said the baby couldn't survive here so you were going back. That's when I yelled at him, and that's the last time either of us mentioned it. In fact, we only even said one more thing about Tess until tonight, and that was that he—didn't love her like he loves me," she concluded in a whisper, turning back to Max. Her hand moved across his chest, skimming along the sheet and against the warm skin of his shoulders, still exposed. Just touching him was reassuring to her.

Michael did not miss the anxiety in her tender gestures or her voice. "So, he didn't mention to you that the night after he found out he had a little meltdown because he was scared out of his mind by the idea of being a father? Liz, he's eighteen. He's not ready for that and he knows it. Hell, he's not even ready to really be the king but he doesn't have a choice. The point is that whatever his conflict in there is, it's not because he wanted the baby. He was prepared to do the right thing, but he never wanted to be where he thought he was. He wanted to be with you," Michael said bluntly.

"And I couldn't allow that to happen," Liz's voice was heavy with irony. "You know, Michael, none of this is fair."

"If you go through life expecting it to be fair you're going to be pissed most of the time, Liz," he snorted. "What's between you and Max is…indescribable. When you find something like that you've got to grab hold of it and never let go."

"This coming from the guy who was always pushing everyone away?" Liz smiled at him. Michael shrugged.

"Things change. I mean, I tried to leave last year, before I got emancipated, and I got so far and I had to come back. Max, Isabel; they're more than my family, Liz, they're part of me. And now with Maria, I just—I'm not running anymore. At some point you realize that the things you're trying to run from are the ones you should be fighting to hold on to and suddenly it all looks completely different, you know?"

Liz looked down at Max's pale face, not wholly relaxed even in his sleeping state. His brow was slightly furrowed and his long lashes quivered against his cheeks as his eyes moved rapidly beneath their lids. She touched a gentle fingertip to his lips with a hint of a smile.

"Yeah, I know."

The resulting silence between them was broken by Maria's cheerful voice calling out, "Hey, where did everybody go?"

Liz stood, smoothing the front of her pants. "Why don't you go call Isabel and Kyle, and I'll explain to Maria. And Michael—thanks," she added sincerely. "I think that's the most open you've ever been with me."

He shrugged again, smiling awkwardly. "You needed to hear it. Besides, your best friend there is doing her level best to turn me into a sensitive guy!"

"Are you taking my name in vain?" Maria asked coquettishly as she came into the room. Then she saw Max and gasped. "Oh my God, what happened?"

"Liz is going to fill you in while I go call Iz and Kyle," Michael told her. Maria looked at him and frowned in confusion, noticing his shirt.

"Michael, why is your shirt all wet?" she demanded to know.

"Liz needed to cry on it," he answered, slightly embarrassed. Maria raised her eyebrows in surprise then reached up and kissed him soundly.

"Go make your phone calls but don't leave; I definitely want you to spend the night now," she breathed in his ear, just loud enough that Liz heard her too. Michael smiled and made a face at Liz as if to say, <I>See? Motivation! </I> Liz laughed and Michael brushed his lips against Maria's then left to use the phone in the kitchen so he could hear. Maria went to sit down on the desk chair and found Max's jeans.

"Care to explain these first?" she asked as she placed them on the desk and sat down.

"Oh, after we got Max in here I—I asked Michael to take those off," Liz admitted with a light blush. Maria nodded, smiling.

"OK, so now tell me why Max is lying there like a dead man. Did Michael get the tape? Did he watch it? Did you? What happened?" Maria shot questions at Liz and she laughed.

"Well, yes Michael got the tape and he watched it first while Max and I talked. He—Maria, I caved. There was a moment when I knew I had to say it or—or we'd never get back on track. Max was—he was sort of trapped into blaming himself for everything and I couldn't let him do that."

"He should blame himself, he's the one who slept with another woman!" Maria exclaimed.

"No, he didn't," Liz declared with a wide smile. "Nothing significant happened."

"Oh my God, Liz, that's the best news! So—backtracking here, how did he take it? When you told him you still loved him, I mean—we'll get to the rest. He doesn't look like he's going anywhere anytime soon."

"He—Maria, you can't say anything about this, but—he cried," she said wonderingly. "I've never seen him actually cry before. It was—rather humbling, to have him kissing my hand with tears on his face."

"I'm guessing they were happy tears," Maria said dryly. "I'm glad you told him, even though you've been unsure about committing." She paused, observing the way her friend was sitting. "Something tells me that you're not unsure anymore."

"No, I'm not. In fact, I've never been more sure," Liz confessed softly.

"Good. You belong together, Lizzie. And you don't have to explain how you got that sure, you know I understand already," Maria told her. The two women shared a smile.

"OK, well, after Michael watched it he got me and Max and we went out to the living room. Michael told me what was on the tape—he didn't want me to see it, because—well, they do kiss and once Max like passes out she takes off all their clothes. But I had to know for myself, and—you get it, I know. So I started it and we watched it, and I cued through them sleeping all night, and—oh, you should have seen his face in the morning, Maria. I had a—I had this urge to let out this, like, Tarzan yell at how miserable he looked," Liz smiled in embarrassment and Maria laughed.

"Hey, no need to explain that to me either! I would've yelled," she winked.

"Yeah. So anyway, Max—this Max, here, not on the screen—was completely fidgety by this time—he reminded me of, um, remember Wendy Johnson, that hyperactive girl we used to baby-sit?"

"Oh, yeah—the one who couldn't sit still if her life depended on it!"

"Right. So I turned it off and told him that there was no baby, and he didn't sleep with Tess, and he—he looked at me, Maria, and there was such confusion and—all kinds of other things in his eyes. I wanted to cry at the way he said my name and held on so tight, and then he—he just, collapsed, and I yelled for Michael."

"Who brought him in here," Maria fell silent for a moment. "What did you say to Max before showing him the tape?"

"Only that there was something I needed him to see and I made him promise to watch all of it. Why?" Liz asked, puzzled.

"Damn it, I told Michael that Max should be told what it was first. He didn't say anything?"

"No, I did not. I thought it was better if Max just saw the tape with his own eyes, especially since he was in a really shitty mood. I figured if we said anything he'd bolt instead of watching it," Michael answered her question as he re-entered the room.

"I told you that for a reason, Michael. My mom has a lot of customers who do past life regressions and hypnosis and stuff, and she's told me before that when these people confront memories that are so completely overwhelming they need to be prepared a little ahead of time for what they might find. Because the conflict of the resurfacing memory with what they currently believe and know can be very traumatic and if they're not prepared it can have some bad effects. I'm guessing that Max being in a sort of coma qualifies as a bad effect," she said tartly.

"Maria, he was not regressing or being hypnotized or any of that crap," Michael said disgustedly.

"No, he wasn't, but he was dealing with powerful memory conflicts and once you throw in his emotions it was a situation that was begging for trouble," Maria retorted.

"Enough, you two. Maria, what do you mean by his emotions?" Liz asked.

"Just that Max feels things very strongly. I'd bet anything that his first reaction was relief and that his second was overwhelming guilt, not only for feeling relieved, but also for putting you and everyone else through hell for a child that doesn't even exist. And, for letting Tess go free. That was probably the clincher," Maria asserted.

Liz felt a hot rush of anger. "I can't believe that I actually coached her on how to attract Max's attention. I had her reading Steinbeck and talking a certain way. I made sure she wore her hair loose. I even told her to wear the stupid freaking top that he still remembered after fourteen freaking years!" she ranted. "If I ever get my hands on that bitch I am going to <I>slap</I> her!"

Michael looked astonished by Liz's outburst; Maria started to clap.

"I'm next in line, honey, and I'll do more than slap her," she agreed emphatically. Liz started at her words, realizing what she herself had said.

"Oh. Michael, are Kyle and Isabel coming?" she inquired, rapidly changing the subject.

"Yeah. That should be them now," he responded as they heard knocking. "I'll go let them in."

He returned a moment later with Kyle and Isabel in tow. Isabel rushed to the bed, kneeling beside it and looking at her brother, placing her hand on his cheek.

"Max? Oh my God, what happened?" she cried. Gently, Liz explained the situation, leaving out the reconciliation between Max and herself. Some things should be private.

"So what are we going to do now? He's only been out a little while, right? Are we just going to wait or what's the story here?" Kyle cut right to the point, looking at Liz. In fact, with the exception of Isabel, who was still looking at Max, Liz found that they were all looking at her—even Michael.

"I think that we should let him sleep it out tonight. Who knows, he may resolve it in his own mind and wake up. But, tomorrow, I think that Isabel should try to dreamwalk him, see if she can get in," Liz said decisively. There were nods around the room and Isabel stood up, moving towards Michael.

"All right, that sounds reasonable. Michael, can you help me get him home?" she asked. Liz rose and stood in front of the bed.

"He's not going home, Isabel," she informed the taller woman. Isabel whirled and glared at her.

"What are you talking about? He needs to be at home, where his family can take care of him!" she exclaimed.

"And ask questions about how he came to be in a coma," Maria commented. Isabel shot her a look and Maria held up her hands. "I was just pointing it out, no need to bite!"

"I'll think of something to tell Mom and Dad, I always do. Let's just get him home," she reiterated, sounding near panic.

Liz crossed her arms determinedly. "<b>No.</b>"

"Liz, he's my brother!" Isabel shouted. Liz met her eyes and the steel in her gaze forced Isabel to calm herself.

"He's my everything," she said simply, willing Isabel to understand. "The next time that Max leaves this room will be when he walks out of it on his own two feet."

"What're you going to do?" Kyle asked, his voice subdued.

"Take care of him. Talk to him; they say people in comas can hear everything, maybe listening to me will help him somehow. Maria can take over as manager for the time being, she knows how and I'm only a minute away if she has any questions. My bathroom's right there, I can shower and stuff with the door open so I can hear anything, and Maria or Michael can bring me food. If it goes on for more than a couple of days, Michael can help me with the—personal stuff, and Isabel can take over my shifts in the café," Liz said matter-of-factly. She held in a smile at the flabbergasted expressions they were all wearing.

"You're talking 24/7 nursing duty, Liz," Michael clarified.

"Yes, I know," she nodded.

"What—what time do you want me here tomorrow?" Isabel asked, almost timidly. Liz smiled at her.

"It's pretty late now, so maybe you could come around eleven and stay for lunch after. Uh, can you bring, hmm, some changes of clothes—whatever Max usually wears to sleep in, boxers or pajama pants or whatever, and maybe his toothbrush too. Oh, and his paperback copy of <I>Of Mice and Men</I>, the one with all the notes in it. Be careful with it, there are some loose pages because he cracked the spine," Liz added absently.

Isabel blinked at the contrasting level of detail in Liz's request but agreed readily. "OK, I'll see you in the morning then. Kyle, will you drive me home, please?"

"Yeah, sure. Liz, why do you want that book? I know it's his favorite, but…" Kyle queried.

"I figured I could read it to him when I run out of monologues," Liz explained. "Maybe the notes and that will reach him in some way."

Kyle nodded and left with Isabel. Maria hugged Liz and went to the kitchen to get her a soda and a glass for water. Michael just stood there, leaning against the doorframe and looking at Liz with a tiny smile. She finally noticed him and scowled at his expression.

"What?" she asked shortly. Michael's smile broadened and he straightened, watching her eyes widen in shock as he sketched a salute.

"It's about fucking time."
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