Yours (CC M/L ADULT) ( Complete)

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 41

“I can’t believe it’s come to this,” Maria sniffled, hugging her friend tightly, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing, girlfriend?”

Asha shrugged from her embrace with solemn eyes. “I’ll be fine, Maria.”

“I gotta say that I agree with her, Parker,” Alex grumbled, “The idea of you staying behind on this planet is creeping me out. I don’t feel right about it. Maybe we can stay…”

“No,” she said before he could finish. It was an ongoing argument and dance that Maria had been doing for nearly a month now, she didn’t need for Alex to join in as well and only a few minutes away from take off, too. “This is how it’s supposed to be,” she told them, “The Great One has promised me that He would never withhold anything good. If I’m not with Max and the baby right now then there has to be a reason.”

The three friends looked over to where Max, Isabel, Michael, Kyle and Tess stood in a small circle, murmuring amongst themselves. Max had Charlie strapped to his chest in a harness designed specifically for keeping the baby close while freeing up his arms. But even with that freedom his hands were all over his son…stroking his hair, fiddling with his bare toes, caressing the downy soft skin of his arm… Every so often he would drop an unconscious kiss to the top of Charlie’s head whenever the baby fussed even slightly. Asha’s heart lurched whenever she saw it.

“Are you really just going to let them leave, Lizzie,” Maria whispered, following her friend’s line of sight, “when you know it’s going to kill you?”

“It’s not going to kill me,” she protested thickly.

Alex shook his head sympathetically and offered her a light hug. “It’s killing you now.”

Michael strode over to them then, his expression a mixture of dread, sadness, excitement and relief. “The ship’s been loaded with supplies,” he informed Alex and Maria, “We should start boarding in a little while.”

“Have all your goodbyes been said?” Asha queried.

“We said them after the coronation this morning,” Michael replied, “All except one.” He leveled her with a penetrating stare and Asha knew what was coming before he ever opened his mouth. “You know, I could never live with myself if I didn’t try and convince you to come back with us one last time, Liz.”

“And I could never live with myself if I did,” she countered boldly, “Save yourself and me further pain with the refusal and…please don’t ask.”

He nodded, evidently not pleased with the request but respectful of it as well. “Can I…uh…hug you,” he asked tentatively, “Or are you too holy or something?”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Come here.”

When they hugged tightly Michael whispered in her ear, “Is this killing you like it’s killing him?” She nodded mutely when he pulled away. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he murmured grimly.

“I do.”

Kyle, Tess and Isabel followed him, all heartfelt in their goodbyes and all imparting a little piece of wisdom they thought she could use. Kyle’s had been succinct and irreverent as always. “You and Evans go together, Liz,” he said, “It’s in the cosmos. Hell, I know it, Evans knows it, even the Great One knows it…now you have to figure it out.” Of course, she wanted to dismiss his words and comfort herself by saying he had no idea what he was talking about. She was where she belonged, where she’d always been meant to be. Yet, there continued to be a part of her that wondered…

Max came to her last…his shoulders hunched forward with defeated sorrow. He looked how she felt…emotionally raw. It was a chore to even look at him and see the damage she’d caused.

“We’ll be leaving in a few minutes,” he announced inanely.

“I know it.”

He watched her with enigmatic eyes. “And you’re sure you don’t want to hold him…just once?”

She floated back reflexively in unconscious retreat. “I can’t,” she uttered sharply, “Don’t ask me to…”

“Okay,” he conceded quietly, “I just…thought you might…”

“If I touch him,” she whispered shakily, “…if I hold him…I won’t give him back.”

Max nuzzled against Charlie’s temple, understanding perfectly what she was saying to him. He knew there was nothing further to say about that. “Um…so what will become of my mother?” he asked, forcing himself to address a different issue for fear he’d die from the pain crowding his chest, “Will she be alright?”

“She’s been appointed as Aled’s royal advisor,” she explained, “Technically she will rule until he is old enough to assume full responsibility and control of the throne.” Sensing his tension and worry, Asha wanted to offer some kind of physical reassurance for him…a touch of his hand, a hug, something… But she dared not do it. She couldn’t touch him for the very same reason she couldn’t touch Charlie. She’d never let go if she did. Finally, she sighed. “Your people are in good hands, Max,” she told him, “You shouldn’t feel guilty for leaving them.”

“I know they’re in good hands,” he said, “because you’re here.”

“Yes,” she agreed quietly, “I’ll protect these people with everything I have, Max.”

“I know you will,” he murmured, eyes downcast. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them like miles and miles of deserted country road. There was so much left unspoken, too many things to cover in a few minutes or even a lifetime. “Well, we should be going,” Max declared gruffly, blinking back the tears in his eyes, “You…um…take care of yourself.”

She swallowed back a tearful laugh. “I should say that to you,” she replied wryly, “I’m protected by God, remember?”

He didn’t smile. “Right.”

Asha stared over his shoulder, noting for the first time how their friends watched every detail that transpired between her and Max. When she caught their eyes, however, they sheepishly dropped their stares and dispersed and began boarding the ship.

“They’re getting ready to leave,” she said when she looked back at Max again, “You should go now.” He nodded his agreement but remained rooted in place. “Max?”

“I’m leaving…” he said, but still he didn’t move.

“No, it’s not about that,” she replied with a small smile, “It’s about…it’s about your son.”

She didn’t miss how he winced at her wording and she winced inwardly in return. Asha knew that her emphasis on Charlie being his son now was like a kick in the gut for Max. Honestly, it was just as shattering for her but she had no other way of distancing herself from a child she could never be a mother to.

Bravely disregarding the pain constricting her heart, Asha said, “Charlie is very special.”

“I know that,” Max acknowledged.

“No…I don’t mean simply that he’s alien,” she clarified urgently, “He’s…different. He will see things…know things that no one else should. Charlie is a very special child and his life will not be easy because he won’t be like the others. You’ll have to give him a lot of love…you’ll have to help him believe that he’s okay. Do you understand?”

He buried his nose into his son’s swirling dark hair to still the trembling of his mouth. “Yes.” He wanted to say more, wished he could say more but Max knew they were far beyond words now. “Okay…” he whispered gruffly, “Goodbye.” Max walked fast to get away from her, almost a running retreat. As he boarded the landing deck to the ship he never looked back.

Asha stood aside and watched as the doors to the ship retracted and sealed tightly. A few minutes later the large vessel hummed to life and she stepped back as the anchors were unfastened and the ship hovered on the landing strip. Workers scrambled to open the gates to the launch pad wide while the countdown for take off began. She followed the countdown in her heart, closing her eyes as the whirring of the ship’s engines grew louder and louder.

… 6, 5, 4, 3, 2…1. She opened her eyes at the very second the vessel blasted off, rocketing off the launch pad with such strength that it shook the very foundation. Asha stepped forward to watch it arc into the purple sky before disappearing from her sight altogether.

~~~***~~~***~~~

She went to the temple to pray…for peace, absolution, faith… She didn’t know what. Her sole motivation was to ease the pain, to soothe her heart. Watching them leave in that spaceship had proven to be one of the hardest things she’d ever done. Asha supposed she should feel vindicated for sticking to her convictions and holding to her faith but if she was honest she had to admit that her conviction was rather shaky at the moment and her faith wasn’t all that strong either.

Desperately needing reassurance, she knelt before the Granolith for hours it seemed begging the Great One to give her the strength to go on, to accept that which she could not have but she received no answer. She wanted to prove herself a loyal servant to Him but then she could not completely deny the part of herself that longed for something else.

Finally, when there were no more prayers, no more pleas left within her she cried. Her tears fell in silent droplets onto the smooth, cool surface of the Granolith and were absorbed into the hull. They encompassed not just that day’s events but also the endless days before it as well as the days without Max and Charlie that loomed ahead.

Defeated and weary beyond comprehension, Asha started to push herself upright when the Granolith began the rumbling that had become its custom for the last few weeks. Asha fell back to her knees, preparing herself for the moment when the Great One would speak but something altogether different happened instead. A figure of light slowly stepped forth from inside the Granolith and took hold of her hand.

Her gaze slowly traveled up from his bare feet, to the flowing white robes that shrouded his body, heart thumping with the visual ascent. Asha might have stumbled back in fear and guarded surprise were she not arrested by the figure’s face. He looked much like she had imagined Charlie would someday, dark, curling hair, deep brown eyes with ridiculously long lashes…an arresting combination of herself and Max. She shook her head in disbelief, her breath fluttering in her lungs. “Who are you?”

He smiled at her. “I am Selvan,” he declared as if his name should be common knowledge, “I am here to set you free.”

“Set me free?”

“I am the keeper now.”

“The keeper?” Asha echoed in confusion, “But I don’t underst--,”

Asha hadn’t even finished voicing the question before Selvan tightened his grasp on her fingers the flashes began. She saw Charlie lying on the altar, the knife slashing downward and gashing his thigh and the slow dripping of blood… The scenes shifted and blurred as she witnessed Selvan’s forming from those few droplets of blood. She saw him progress from tiny embryo, to thriving fetus, to robust baby, to active boy…to powerful man, nurtured within the Granolith all the while and growing stronger everyday. And then finally she understood… The Granolith’s recent and frequent flutters, the Great One’s continual reassurances…it had all been planned from the beginning.

“It was written in the stars,” Selvan said, “Your love for Zan…and his love for you.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Don’t you?” Selvan wondered, “Haven’t you realized yet? Zan was always planned for you…that was always His plan.”

“Then why?” she asked aloud, “If he wanted us to be together…” Why all the pain? Why all the sacrifice? If the Great One had wanted that all along…

“He always had intentions to free you, Asha,” Selvan explained, “But time was his to choose. You changed the natural order of things when left your lawful place and turned to Zan and took him for your lover. It was not yet time for you to be together and you violated His timetable by doing so. You sinned.

“However, the Great One knew your heart but He also had to be sure you had truly repented for your error,” he continued deeply, “When you let them go today then He was sure. Your forgiveness is complete and now you are free.”

Selvan pulled her to her feet and, as he did, the changes began. Ribbons of energy fluctuated between their bodies, flowing from her and surging into Selvan. Likewise power flowed from him into her. Gradually her hair darkened from bleached white to glossy brown. The glow faded away from her body, leaving behind only radiant, olive toned skin. Her pupils died down from their incandescent brilliance to their usual deep brown. Progressively, like the washing away of sand in the tide, Asha faded away leaving behind only Liz Parker, the smallest of small town girls.

When the transformation was complete, Selvan smiled at her and she smiled in return. “Now you may go,” he whispered.

“How will I get to them?” Liz asked, “Their ship left hours ago. I’m sure they’re well out of the star system by now. I’ll never catch u--”

Selvan pressed his fingers to her lips, cutting off her protest. “Is anything impossible for the Great One,” he challenged, “Surely you know better.”

Liz smiled in chagrin. “I do.”

Eyes glowing, Selvan gestured towards the Granolith. “Through there,” he told her solemnly, “Go be with your family, Liz…be happy.”

Heart pounding, Liz started to step through just as he indicated only to turn back at the last second. “What about you?” she queried anxiously.

“I was born for this, Liz Parker,” he whispered, “Go.”

Liz needed no further prodding. She slipped into the cloudy interior of the Granolith and felt the synergetic energy within flow through her body as she passed through the other side. When she stepped out into the world again she was no longer inside the gilded walls of the temple, no longer on Antar at all but in a large, quiet stateroom.

Taking a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dimness, Liz glanced around the dense darkness, her heart lurching into her throat when she spied the sleeping figure in the bed. His bare back was to her, the sheets riding low on his hips. Though his head half buried under a pillow, Liz didn’t need to see his face to know it was Max.

“Thank you,” she whispered in a small prayer of gratitude, “Thank you.” Liz knew she couldn’t hear Him anymore, that the mental connection she shared with Him was broken in her mortal state but still she could swear she heard a whispered, “be happy,” in her mind. She intended to do just that.

Liz drifted towards the cot on jellied legs, her blood pounding so furiously in her veins that she felt lightheaded. She was caught up in a mixture of fear and excitement. There was just so much uncertainty. Max might be overjoyed to see her again but then he might decide he wanted nothing to do with her at all after the heartache she’d put him through. Realizing his reaction could swing either way caused Liz more than a little anxiety.

As she started to near the bed, she stretched out her hand with the intention of shaking him awake when the small bassinet at the foot of his cot stopped her short. She literally stopped breathing. Liz’s slight trembling then became an uncontrollable palsy. It began in her hands and slowly crept its way through her extremities, a shaking so violent and uncontrolled it rattled her bones.

“Oh my…” she whispered, falling to her knees beside the small baby bed, “…my baby…” A ball of acrid tears formed in her throat when she saw him for the very first time. He stared up at her…wide-eyed, solemn…waiting. Liz recognized with a fluttering heart that Max had been right. He was stunning. Liz didn’t realize she was whimpering until the mewling sounds reached her ears.

In those seconds her world reduced down to that single moment and nothing existed for her except her son. With trembling fingers she reached out to touch her child’s tiny hand, marveling at the warm, silky feel of his palm. A bubbling sob of joy escaped her lips when he grasped her index finger firmly, as if holding on for dear life.

“Do you remember me, Charlie?” Liz wept, stroking her free hand through his downy tufts of hair, “Do you know who I am?”

The flashes tumbled through her mind in reply, more sounds and rumbling than anything. She could see the view from inside her own womb and hear the faint lilting flow of her own voice. She could feel love surrounding her. Charlie was letting her see life through his eyes. He was telling her that he remembered. When the moment ended, Liz bent to brush his forehead with a tender kiss.

“I wonder if your daddy knows you can do that, huh?” she whispered teasingly, “Bet it’d freak him out if he did.” Liz lingered near for a moment, closing her eyes and inhaling the sweet, clean scent of him. “I’m going to pick you up now, okay,” she whispered to him, rising up on her knees so that she could scoop him from the bassinet.

She couldn’t believe how tiny he felt in her arms. Though she was well aware that he was no longer a newborn he still felt incredibly fragile and delicate in her arms. Liz cradled him close to her breasts, a small, contented sigh escaping her lips. She had yearned for this moment for so long that it was hard not to feel overwhelmed with emotion.

Her tears fell silently at first, companions to her wobbling, overjoyed smile. However, they quickly progressed to soft, hiccupping sobs as the reality of the moment finally hit her full force. She was holding her son. She was holding her son! “Oh, my baby…my baby…” she crooned brokenly, peppering kisses all over his small face, “I’m never leaving you again…not ever…”

She was so enraptured, so caught up in exploring every minute detail of her baby that she didn’t hear the shifting of the bed sheets. And by the time the sounds penetrated her senses it was already too late. Max bolted upright in the bed. They locked eyes through the murky dimness of his bedroom, a wealth of emotion crackling between them.

“Liz?” he uttered, his tone clearly one of disbelief.

Liz lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers at him in absurd greeting. “Um…hi, Max.”

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 42

“What the hell? Am I dreaming?” Max whispered, stumbling from the bed and dropping down near where she sat, “Are…Are you really here right now?” He blinked several times, expecting her to waver from his vision but she remained where she was…curled up at the foot of his bed with their baby in her arms. It was all so unbelievable though Max still half believed he was hallucinating.

Liz held out her hand to him. “Touch me,” she invited softly. She pushed her hand closer when he appeared reluctant. “Go on,” she insisted again, “Touch me, Max.”

He snatched hold of her hand quickly, as if he expected her to dissipate any given second. Yet, the moment he realized she was no apparition or dream mirage he released her just as abruptly, almost like her skin burned him. “You’re real,” he uttered incredulously, “Holy shit…you’re here right now.”

“Right…I’m here,” she agreed softly, tucking her hand back beneath the baby’s bottom. Charlie had begun to fuss softly in her arms and beat his tiny fist against her breast.

Max stared at her wide-eyed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m free,” Liz replied in between crooning to Charlie, “I’m home.” His quiet whimpers were gradually escalating to soft cries and he began rooting against her breast, his rosebud mouth seeking.

“What do you mean you’re ‘free,’” Max demanded suspiciously, “How did you even get here in the first place? Last time I saw you,” he paused to rake another incredulous look down her body, noting the physical changes, “you were standing on the launch pad. That was hours ago, Liz. How did you even get on the ship?”

“Max, can we talk about this later,” Liz implored a little anxiously when Charlie’s cries began to progress to full fledged screams, “He’s getting upset.” She rocked gently but the motion didn’t seem to have the calming effect it had before. He was clearly indignant.

“He’s hungry,” Max explained, extending his arms for the baby, “Give him to me. I’ll get him a warm bottle.”

“No,” Liz protested, swinging away from his seeking gesture. Now that she had her son it would take nothing short of a crowbar to pry him out of her arms. “If he’s hungry I can feed him.” She began unfastening the laces to her tunic, ignoring Max’s wide-eyed stare over her actions.

“You’re not going to try and breastfeed him, are you?” he burst out dubiously, “Liz, it’s been over a month! I don’t know a lot about that but I know enough to realize that it’s a little late to try breastfeeding now.”

Nothing is impossible. The words echoed over and over in Liz’s mind. Logically, she knew it was impossible to expect she would still have milk after a month’s time but she wanted badly to breastfeed her son and she couldn’t believe that opportunity was lost to her. Not when “nothing was impossible.”

When Charlie’s mouth first clamped around her nipple Liz couldn’t keep from wincing. His strong little gums worked furiously. For a moment Liz held her breath, a small part of her waiting for his cries of enraged disappointment. But they never came. Seconds later she felt the tingling rush within her breasts and heard the moist, greedy sounds of successful nursing. Liz smiled down at him; despite the mild discomfort his avid feeding caused her.

Max gaped, watching tiny milk bubbles form around his son’s mouth. “Oh…wow…” he breathed in awe only a split second before he registered he was staring at Liz’s naked breast. She was larger than he remembered, her translucent skin threaded through with faint blue veins. Max suddenly felt the urgent need to trace those lines. He jerked his gaze aside. “Um…sorry,” he grumbled when he realized his gaze had grown intense.

“Why?” Liz wondered softly, the intimacy of the moment dawning on her as well, “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

Max stared at the floor between them. “Not for a while,” he whispered.

“Too long,” Liz countered, “I want you to look at me, Max.”

His gaze bounced back to her face, his stare befuddled and concentrated, dark with desire he didn’t want to feel. “Liz…what’s going on?” he uttered, “I thought you were staying behind.”

“Are you disappointed I didn’t?”

“I’m confused is what I am,” Max countered fervently, “One minute you’re absolutely refusing to come with us and the next I find you in my room. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on. What happened, Liz?”

“I’m mortal now,” Liz explained simply, “The Great One rewarded me for my faith by restoring me to you and Charlie. We can be a family now, Max.” As briefly as she could Liz recounted her experience with Selvan and the things he had revealed to her. By the end of it Max was as speechless as ever. He was back to blinking and gaping.

“So you don’t have to go back?” he asked when he managed to unglue his tongue, “Not ever?”

“Not ever,” Liz confirmed softly. Their eyes met again, this time the atmosphere between them altogether different. Charlie began to fuss once more, however, and forced Liz to break the stare. “I think he’s still hungry,” she remarked in quiet amazement, deftly transferring the baby from one breast to the other.

“He’s like that,” Max whispered, “Big appetite.” He smiled at her as their gazes connected again. “When he’s a teenager he’s going to eat us out of house and home.”

The moment crackled between them, full of unspoken promise. His quiet use of “us” and “we” didn’t escape Liz’s attention. Even after all that had happened Max still wanted them to raise Charlie together. He still wanted her, even if he didn’t say so aloud. As Liz finally popped her nipple from Charlie’s mouth and brought him up against her shoulder, Max shifted away his gaze while she recovered herself.

“I usually burp him between bottles,” he said softly when she began rubbing the baby’s back, “It’s easier sometimes.”

“Oh…thanks,” was all she said, raising her brows in inquiry. No doubt she was wondering how he usually did anything with Charlie when, until two days before, he had been on a month long military campaign.

“Isabel used to dreamwalk me while I was away,” he explained, seeing the question in her eyes, “That’s how I was…able to be with him when I wasn’t with him. I had already missed so much with him and…I just didn’t want to miss anymore.”

There was no need to question him further. Liz knew instinctively Max was haunted by those missed kicks and turns, as well as Charlie’s birth, just as she was haunted by the month she’d been away from him.

“Um…I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” she whispered, continually rubbing Charlie’s back but with no results. She pressed an anxious kiss to his temple. “Come on, baby,” she coaxed softly.

“No…you’re doing it too fast,” Max instructed gently. He reached forward and covered her hand, teaching her the slow, circular rhythm Charlie seemed to enjoy. Moments later he let out a satisfied belch. Max offered her a sheepish smile. “He’s particular.”

Liz shook her head sadly. “I don’t know anything about what he likes and dislikes.”

“That’ll come with time,” Max whispered, “It took me a while to learn, too.”

“I’ve already missed so much as it is,” she lamented before leveling Max with a careful stare, “Are…Are you mad at me because I wouldn’t come with you before…because I pushed you away?”

Max shrugged. He’d known instinctively that the question was coming from the moment he found her curled up mysteriously at the foot of his bed. Honestly, he didn’t know how he felt. When he’d left Antar that morning Max had been sure that his life was over. He was determined to remain strong for Charlie but he’d lost his zest for everything else. He saw endless days of loneliness stretched ahead and he’d reserved himself to that plight…until he rolled over in bed and found Liz holding their son.

To see her doing what he’d been practically begging her to do for the last month had brought instant tears to his eyes. The world was right. He was happy. Nothing could take it away. The confusion over why and how she’d come to be there didn’t set in for a full minute and when it did it brought with it raging doubt. Was she here just for the moment or was she going to stay?

And now she wanted to know if he resented her? Honestly, Max didn’t know for sure right then. He hadn’t let himself think about his feelings for Liz but if he had to answer based on his feelings at that particular moment he would say no. He was too damned happy to be resentful and he told her that.

“You understand why I did it though, right?” Liz pressed fervidly.

“I know you did what you thought was right,” he replied vaguely, “I’m not blaming you, Liz, and I don’t…hate you, okay?” She nodded mutely but the sparkling tears in her eyes told him she was unsatisfied with his answer. He looked away from her. “Charlie needs a change,” he declared, “We can do it together.”

Liz followed Max over to the area he had designated as Charlie’s changing table and reluctantly laid the baby down. She waited patiently while he explained to her the nuances and occasional adventures of changing a little boy. “Sometimes you gotta watch out for his little doodle,” he warned after he’d powdered and rediapered Charlie’s bottom, “He’s got really great aim.”

Liz hid her snicker behind her hand. “His little ‘doodle,’” she queried in amusement, “Somehow I’ve never thought of it like that.”

“On him it’s a doodle,” Max clarified laughingly, “On me, however, it’s a di--,”

“Shh,” Liz scolded, pressing her hand to his mouth before he could finish, “Don’t say it!”

It was a mistake in touching him because the moment she did all laughter between them ground to a halt. The moment was understandably profound and fraught with sexual tension. It was the first time she had touched him physically in over two months. Their eyes melded in a liquid stare as Liz slowly removed her hand from his mouth.

“Sorry,” Liz whispered.

“Why?” Max whispered back.

“You’re still working out your feelings for me,” she mumbled, forcing herself not to stare at his mouth. He pressed imperceptibly closer, nuzzling against her temple and cheek. Liz shivered at the gentle caresses. He moaned her name. “—and I don’t want to pressure you,” she finished breathlessly.

“Uh-huh,” he mumbled, feinting kisses against her lips.

Liz met his tumultuous stare. “We can go slow if you want,” she offered shakily.

His lips curved in a half smile. “Thanks.”

Just when he would have sampled her lips for a tentative kiss Charlie let out an indignant squawk. With simultaneous sighs, Max and Liz turned amused smiles towards their son. Apparently, someone didn’t like being ignored. He stared up at them as if to say, “Hey? What about me?”

“He’s not going to fall asleep unless I hold him,” Max said, scooping him up from the table and heading towards the bed.

Liz trailed behind them. “Sounds like someone is spoiled.”

Max tossed her a chagrined smile as he climbed back into bed. “Maybe a little,” he confessed, ducking his head. Liz stood a few feet from the bed, nibbling her lip in uncertainty as Max and Charlie settled beneath the covers. “Come on…get in,” Max invited her, “There’s plenty of room.”

Liz wasted no time crawling in on the other side of Charlie so that he was sandwiched, quite contentedly, between his parents. Max and Liz’s knees just barely touched beneath the covers and Liz was sure if they did she would go insane. It had been a long, lonely two months. His naked chest was already more than enough to deal with, but if he actually touched her…

“He’s really sleepy,” Max remarked in a stage whisper.

It took superhuman effort to redirect the carnal flow of her thoughts. “How can you tell?”

“Look at his eyes,” Max instructed laughingly, “Look out how he blinks…it’s almost slow motion. Whenever he does the slow blink I know he’s dead tired. He’s just stubborn about going to sleep.”

“The ‘slow blink,’” Liz considered, carefully studying Charlie’s small face for the phenomenon. Sure enough, his lids fell closed heavily before drifting back open in the same lazy manner. He even punctuated the gesture with a broad yawn. Liz fell in love with him all over again.

She stroked her fingers over his scalp, pressing unconscious kisses to his forehead and cheek. Finally, she snuggled close and pulled Charlie’s tiny body against her all the while aware that Max watched her with hooded eyes.

“He sent me flashes,” she blurted after a moment, suddenly bursting with the need to share that bit of amazing news, “He remembers who I am.”

“Of course he does,” Max reasoned mildly, “We…We would talk about you all the time to him…show him your picture. Just because…just because you couldn’t be with us doesn’t mean I was going to cut you out of his life, Liz.”

“I didn’t know,” she mumbled, “You were so angry with me…”

“Liz,” Max uttered with some disappointment, “I was angry but…I’m not vindictive.”

Liz sniffled and nodded her agreement with that. She knew better. No matter how angry he was or betrayed Max would never intentionally hurt her. Liz studied him through her lashes, wishing she knew the thoughts going on behind his eyes. She wished he would just take her into his arms and kiss her…let her know that everything was okay. He had been close before Charlie started fussing but maybe he had changed his mind since then.

Determined not to dwell on those morose musings, Liz turned her attention to another subject altogether. “So…how did the others take my staying behind?” she asked, “Did they understand?”

“Maria and Alex were totally wrecked, of course,” Max told her, “Kyle thought we should have stayed behind longer…tried to convince you some more. He didn’t think we tried hard enough. We had a little bit of a fight about it. Um…technically we’re still having a fight about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Liz murmured.

“It doesn’t matter now…you’re here,” Max replied, “We’ll let the others know in the morning. No use in getting everybody riled up right now.”

She nodded again and he gently brushed away the tears she didn’t realize were meandering over the bridge of her nose. There was another moment of intense connection as skin brushed skin but both of them seemed much too uncertain to act on the feelings coursing through their bodies right then.

Finally, Max lowered his eyes to regarding a drifting Charlie. “Uh-oh, we’re losing him,” he teased softly when the baby’s lids open and shut, open and shut, before sinking closed one final time and staying that way.

“Should we put him in his bed?” Liz wondered.

Max shook his head. “Nah…let him stay here with us,” he whispered, “I think he needs to be near us both and I think we need it, too.”

They followed their son a short time later, their fingers linked together over his chest.

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 43

Max acted on pure instinct.

He awoke to find Liz’s sleeping face was only a few inches from his and he reacted in the most natural way imaginable. He leaned over their dozing son and kissed her.

At the first touch to her lips Max lost his head. He brushed of his mouth against hers in the barest caress but still Liz responded, moaning softly in her sleep. Her lips softened in unconscious response. Encouraged by her sleepy reaction, Max nuzzled her with his mouth, waiting until she sighed in satisfaction before pressing his tongue between the seam of her lips. She moaned again but this time parted her lips slightly for the invasion of his tongue.

It was a slow, progressive kiss. Deep, explorative, seeking… Their tongues courted and danced and touched and tasted, making tentative forays again and again until fire ignited between them. Max cupped the back of her head, holding her captive to his pillaging lips, scraping the warm recesses of her mouth with his tongue. He pressed her back into the bed, a hungry growl of arousal rumbling in his throat. Only Charlie’s uncomfortable shifting beneath him was enough to bring Max back to reality.

Max reared back with a soundless gasp and met Liz’s dilated gaze in the darkness, his body alive with lust. “Let’s put him in his own bed,” he suggested gruffly. Innocent words to be sure…if only Liz weren’t aware of their underlying meaning. Put him in his bed so we can be alone. Put him in his bed so I can kiss you some more. Put him in his bed so we can make love. They brought with them crashing uncertainty. Was it really the right time to make love when there was so much left unresolved between them?

Liz licked her lips, suddenly nervous. “Max, are you sure?” she asked softly, “Maybe we should talk--,”

He kissed her again, silencing her protest. “Liz, put him to bed,” he urged.

Swallowing audibly, Liz did as he instructed, scooping the baby in her arms and scooting to the edge of the bed to deposit him in his bassinet. Charlie stretched and snuffled a bit at first but settled down comfortably after a few moments. Liz took an inordinate amount of time straightening his blanket and smoothing back the dark brown curls from his forehead. She felt nervous, shaky and indecisive. As much as she wanted Max right then she was also afraid of the intensity of her feelings.

She nearly jumped out of her skin a second later when she felt his hand settle against her shoulder. Max deftly replaced it with his mouth, dropping a tender kiss to the juncture of her neck. He whispered her name, stroking his hands up and down the length of her arms in a comforting caress.

“You’re tense,” he observed quietly, “Are you scared to be with me?”

Tense was hardly the word to describe it. She felt like a mountain was between them and, though Max was clearly ready to resume their relationship, Liz couldn’t help but suspect something was off with him. After inhaling a deep breath, Liz nodded in answer to his question.

“Aren’t…Aren’t you?” she queried shakily.

For a moment, Max considered giving her a sugarcoated answer but then thought better of it. He really didn’t have the strength or patience to deal with pretense. Liz deserved honesty and Max recognized if he wanted to restore their relationship to what it had been he could give nothing less.

“I’m terrified,” he whispered, resting his chin atop her shoulder, “I…I feel like we’re not the same people we were in the beginning and that scares me.”

Liz turned her head to regard him sadly. “We’re not the same people,” she said, shifting around so she could face him fully, “Does that bother you, Max? Do you feel like you don’t know me anymore?” He shook his head but there was something lurking there in the depths of his eyes, something Liz knew she shouldn’t ignore. She cradled his chin in her hands, splaying her fingers over his jaw. “Maybe we should talk first,” she whispered.

He brought her hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to the backs. “What do you want to talk about?” he queried lightly.

“You don’t have to be afraid to tell me your feelings,” Liz began shakily, “You can let yourself be angry, Max. I understand.”

“I’m not angry,” he denied, but the near undetectable bunching of his jaw said otherwise.

“I…I know you must have a lot of resentment--,”

“—Liz, no--,”

“—Hear me out, please,” she interrupted in a pleading tone, “I would understand if you do. Were I in your place so would I.”

He dropped his eyes, his fingers clenching around her hands reflexively. “If I hold onto my anger what is that going to solve,” he whispered tautly, “You did what you had to and I get that. Can’t we just let it go now?”

“There’s never going to be another choice like that, Max,” she promised desperately, “I’m never leaving you again…I swear it.”

His features became shuttered with her avowal and Max released her hands before rolling to the opposite end of the bed. “Please, don’t make promises you can’t keep, Liz,” he admonished grimly.

Liz swallowed back her hurt over his withdrawal and instead directed her focus towards addressing and alleviating his obvious insecurities. Folding her legs beneath her body, she regarded him with a probing stare across the distance. “Why do you think I’d be making promises I can’t keep?” she wondered softly, “Don’t you believe me when I tell you I’m never leaving again?”

He shrugged noncommittally. “You always leave, Liz.” And then, without warning he exploded, whipping upright to fix her with an accusing stare. “You walked away from our son this time, Liz,” he ground out, “A tiny, innocent baby and you didn’t blink! I begged you. I begged you, dammit! You would have let him grow up without you just to fulfill your duty?”

“You know it was much more than that,” she replied huskily.

“Yeah, I know,” Max choked, “I know very well, Liz, which is why I feel like a complete ass for even being angry about it…because I know you made the right decision for everyone but… God, it nearly killed me! You turned away from us so easily, Liz, and I’ll always be afraid that, if you had to, you’d do it again. I can’t shake that fear and I just couldn’t take if you did. Neither could Charlie.”

“It wasn’t easy,” she protested vehemently, “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do! Don’t ever think that it wasn’t.”

“You still did it,” Max whispered, impressed by her strength of character in fulfilling her duty even as he was frightened by it.

“This time is different, Max, I swear it.”

“Why?” he asked dully, “Because you’re free now?”

“Because I’m yours, Max,” she replied quietly, drawing his gaze back to hers. He stared up at her in unconcealed hope and longing. “I’m yours. 100% percent, always, forever and I always have been…yours,” she whispered, “Didn’t you know that I’d always come back to you?”

“I don’t want you to have to come back to me,” he lamented, “I don’t want you to leave at all. Liz, I’m serious. I…I couldn’t take it another time…”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she vowed, breaking her resolution to keep her distance and crawling over to him, “The first time we were together I gave you something that wasn’t mine to give. The second time we didn’t have all the facts. But you know what they say about the third time, right?”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile. “It’s the charm,” he ventured quietly.

“Right,” she said, scooting closer, “I promise you…I’m never leaving you again. You and Charlie are my whole world and everything I’ve ever done has been for you…and our baby. Please believe me.”

He brushed his knuckles down the slope of her cheek before curving his fingers over her chin to strum her trembling lower lip. “I believe you, Liz,” he replied deeply, “I think I’ve always known that…I just needed…to hear you say it aloud.”

“I love you, Max,” she murmured, cupping the nape of his neck to bring his lips to hers, “Please…love me back…”

“Yes,” he groaned in need right before slanting his mouth over hers for a fiercely hot kiss. “Liz, I love you,” he gasped, easing her back down into the bed and following her down, “I love you so much. Let me show you…”

He kissed a sizzling path all over her body, his hands coasting over her skin, baring flesh wherever they ventured. Articles of clothing fell in silent puddles onto the floor. Their bodies molded together, rubbing, grinding, melting into one… Liz arched against him, using the balls of her feet to push his pajama bottoms from his hips so that there was nothing between them at all, only electric skin.

When Max thrust inside her at last there was a momentary pinch of pain for them both as their flesh converged. Max stared down into her flushed face, brushing back the sweaty tangle of hair that clung to her face. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he began the slow drives of his body, “You were made for me, Liz.” It wasn’t long before Max’s insistent strokes brought them both to the edge. They came apart in each other’s arms, clinging to one another with low moans of repletion.

They fell asleep that way…tangled in the sheets and each other.

~~~***~~~***~~~

“Aww, buddy…come on. Work with me here.”

Liz prized open one eye, grimacing at the gritty, burning sensation that came when she did. She felt bone tired, like she’d only fallen asleep a few minutes before. Gradually, however, the mewling cries of her son began to penetrate her senses and she shifted around in the bed.

Max paced the darkened stateroom, holding his son cradled in one hand and gripping a bottle in the other. He appeared harassed and extremely exhausted. His features were still swollen with sleep, his lids heavy as he tried to coax Charlie into taking the bottle. Unfortunately, Charlie was having none of it.

“Why?” Max lamented in frustration as if his son could understand him; “You were fine with it before. I know from personal experience how addictive Mommy’s breasts can be but this is ridiculous.”

She couldn’t help it. He sounded so disgruntled, so exasperated that she had to snicker. Max jerked around with a wide-eyed stare. “I thought you were asleep.”

“I heard the baby crying,” Liz replied, her voice hoarse with sleep, “What’s the matter?”

“He’s hungry,” Max said, “But he won’t take the bottle.”

“Why not?” Liz demanded, already swinging upright in the bed to wrap the sheet around her body. She crossed over to where he stood with an anxious frown. “Is he sick?” she wondered, pressing her hand against Charlie’s brow, “He doesn’t feel hot.”

“Liz, he’s not sick,” Max told her, “He just doesn’t want the bottle.”

“But you said he was hungry.”

“He wants…” Max trailed off to level a meaningful glance towards her breasts.

“Oh…” she chimed, biting back her delighted smile. She eagerly lifted a whimpering Charlie from his father’s arms and took him back over to the bed to nurse. “I’ve already made an impression on you, huh?” she whispered, stroking his cheek while he ate. He watched her the entire time, his brown eyes watching her with the same intensity as his father.

“Why didn’t you wake me before?” she asked Max, never looking up from her baby’s contented face, “You didn’t have to let him cry.”

“I knew you were exhausted,” he said, setting aside the bottle, “We only fell asleep an hour ago and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Liz gaped at him. “An hour? Really?” She considered her son once more. “Does he usually sleep so erratically?”

Max let out a crack of laugher. “Are you kidding?” he guffawed, “This is his regular routine. I’m lucky if he sleeps three straight hours a night. While I was away, Isabel would dreamwalk me whenever he woke up. She said if she couldn’t get any sleep then neither could I. She’d even do it when Tess or Maria was watching him. I guess because they’d wake her up, too. It was awful.”

“I remember,” Liz replied softly, “I used to think they were being irresponsible keeping him up at all times of the night.” She chuckled to herself. “But he was the one keeping them up.”

“The books say he should grow out of it by the time he’s six months old.” He groaned. “Thank God! I don’t know if I could handle this kind of sleep deprivation for any longer than that.”

“The books?” Liz asked, frowning, “What books?”

Max grinned at her sheepishly. “I searched the ship’s database on references for human childrearing,” he told her, “I…I figured if I was going to be doing this thing alone I wanted to have a good idea of what was going on.”

“Oh, Max…” Liz murmured regretfully.

“That’s not a slur against you,” he rushed in reassurance, “I just wanted to be a good parent, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” she mumbled, returning her attention back to her son.

Liz wanted to be a good parent as well. Max already seemed so far ahead of the game with all the research he’d done and the time he’d spent with Charlie. She wanted to build up that same store of knowledge and strengthen the unfathomable bond she already had to her child. Doing so meant the world to her…more than she could have ever dreamed.

She sifted her fingers through his soft curls, her mood turning reflective as his suckling began to slacken. “Our folks are going to freak out when they see him,” she remarked when Max dropped down beside her, “We’ve been gone for nearly four months now and we won’t actually reach Earth for another two. What are we going to tell them, Max?”

Max dragged his hands down the length of his face in weary contemplation. “I don’t know,” he whispered, “We…we have to tell them something plausible. You and I hadn’t been together in months when Charlie was conceived. They’re going to do the math, Liz, and it’s not going to add up.”

She nibbled her lip. “Do you want to tell them the truth?”

“I don’t guess we have any other choice,” he sighed.

“Do the others know what you’re planning?”

He shook his head. “We haven’t had the chance to discuss it,” he said, “Everybody’s been too busy giving each other the silent treatment.” He squeezed her fingers when he noted the flash of guilt across her face. “We’ll work it out,” he promised softly. She nodded, but didn’t seem too convinced. “Our parents love us, Liz,” Max reasoned with a heavy sigh, “They’ll find a way to accept us…and Charlie.”

“I know you’re right,” she said, nodding once more, “But I can’t help how I feel. I dread facing them. I mean…we’ve got so much to explain, not just about the baby but…”

“…about Alex, too,” Max finished glumly, “Not to mention where we’ve been all this time and what we’ve been doing, plus everything will be so messed up with school…”

“Yeah,” Liz agreed grimly, “They will have already started for Fall term by the time we get back to Roswell. Our senior year is pretty much shot since we blew off the end of our junior. We’ll probably have to repeat the 11th grade.”

Max fixed her with a wry grimace. “Our problems just don’t end do they?”

“Nope.”

The two exchanged a sigh, their gazes falling mutually onto their son. “At least we had some good things come out of this whole experience,” Max murmured, fingering Charlie’s tiny toes and watching as his tiny mouth gradually stopped working, “I think he’s finished now, Liz.” He watched with curious interest as she popped her nipple from the baby’s mouth. “What does that feel like?”

After propping Charlie against her shoulder for burping, Liz favored Max with a soft, solemn stare before asking, “You mean nursing him?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s…it’s amazing,” Liz answered, groping for the most perfect description she could, “I feel really connected to him…like I know what he’s thinking and he knows what I’m thinking. It’s like when he was inside me…we’re one person again. I really missed that.” She noticed his enraptured gaze then and blushed self-consciously. “Why’d you ask me that, Max?”

“I…I dunno. I guess because before…uh…when we were…making love…” Max stammered uncomfortably, “You started to…um…”

“…leak?” Liz concluded in mortification. She tucked her chin against her chest. “Yeah, I was hoping you missed that part.”

“Um…no, I didn’t,” he grunted with equal self-consciousness, “But I liked it. I wanted to…taste it b-but I was afraid of how you might react.”

Their gazes collided in a smoldering stare. “You want to know what it taste like?” she asked in disbelief.

“I’m curious,” he rushed out, “If it makes you uncomfortable…”

“No,” she interrupted softly, “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” She swallowed and licked her lips, her actions unconsciously provocative. “Let me just…put the baby down…”

He watched with barely concealed excitement as she placed Charlie back in his bassinet before quickly closing the distance between them, sans bed sheet. Max opened his legs so that she could step between them. Liz curled her fingers into his hair, nuzzling against his temple and bringing him into vibrant contact with her skin. Her turgid nipples scraped against his cheek and mouth, teased him…

“Tell me if I hurt you, Liz…” he murmured as he sought out one distended peak. But the last thing he heard was her satisfied groans rumbling in his ears.

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 44

When Liz strode into the dining area the next morning everybody froze. Six jaws fell agape as conversation ground to an abrupt and immediate halt. Mouths arrested with half chewed food and Maria nearly fell out of her chair; however, Liz seemed unaware of the stir she caused. She was rather intent about striding up to Tess and holding out her arms for her baby.

“I can take him now,” she said, her eyes only for her son, “Thanks for watching him, Tess. I needed that few extra hours of sleep.”

Tess was too dumbfounded to put up much of a fight when Liz lifted Charlie from her arms. That’s when Liz caught on to their disbelieving gawking. They were all staring at her like a freak of nature and Liz knew that could only mean one thing. Her cheeks flushed darkly.

“Oh God…” she muttered, chagrined and self-conscious, “Max didn’t tell you yet.”

Almost hot on the heels of her flustered conclusion Max came skidding into the dining area, harried and breathless. “Okay, I’ve got the ship on autopilot for a sec,” he announced, “There’s something really important I need to discuss…” He trailed off into silence when he caught sight of Liz and their shell-shocked expressions. “…with you guys,” he finished inanely, “Liz is back.”

They all continued to gape. No one moved a single muscle and Max and Liz’s features grew more and more ripe in the silence. It was so quiet that dust circulating in the atmosphere was nearly audible. Even Charlie was silent, as if he sensed the profound moment unfolding right then.

Finally, Maria swung a careful glance around to Max, as if she was afraid looking away from Liz would cause her to disappear altogether. “Oookay…what’s going on, Max?” she whispered deliberately, “Is she really here or are we hallucinating or something?”

“Maria, I’m here,” Liz laughed, a little embarrassed, “I’m standing right in front of you.”

“It’s talking to me,” Maria uttered in a bit of panic, “Max, tell it to stop talking to me!”

“I’m with Maria,” Kyle threw in, “We left Liz back on Antar, remember? I don’t know what that is,” he pointed at Liz with a trembling finger, “but it sure as hell ain’t Liz!”

Max didn’t know whether to laugh or throw up his hands in exasperation. “You guys, that’s Liz!” he cried in amusement, “I promise…it’s her.”

Maria looked at her again in wary scrutiny before she whispered hopefully, “Liz? It’s really you?”

Her friend emitted a small chuckle. “I’m starting to feel a little put out that you don’t recognize me, Maria,” Liz teased softly. A moment later she was almost knocked off her feet when Maria threw her arms around her in a fierce hug. “Careful,” she clucked solicitously when Charlie whimpered between them, “Don’t crush the baby.”

Maria reared back dutifully and pressed an apologetic kiss to Charlie’s forehead. But when she met Liz’s gaze again her green eyes were spitting fire. “I could throttle you,” she told Liz direly, “Do you know how stressed out I was? How the hell could you put us through all this emotional drama?”

“Ditto,” Alex concurred, throwing his arms around Liz as well but being careful not to squish Charlie when he did, “What the hell were you thinking, Parker?”

The others followed in line with their own eager embraces and admonishments, their generous consensus seemingly indecision over whether to hug her or choke her. Despite the general disgruntlement over the entire situation Liz had the impression that her friends were happy to see her again and harboring no ill feelings about what had happened two days earlier.

Tess was the last to welcome her and the two young women exchanged a poignant stare when their embrace had ended. “I know we haven’t been the best of friends lately…” Tess began tentatively.

“That doesn’t matter anymore, Tess,” Liz interrupted gently, “You risked your life to save my child and me. I think it’s time you and I started over…that we all started over.” She glanced around the group, her eyes settling on Max at the last. “We’re a family, you guys and…it’s about time we started acting like it.” Max offered her a smile of approval across the distance, nodding his head slightly in agreement.

“No more divisions,” Liz declared firmly, “No more aliens against the humans or couples against couples. From now on we act as a unit and we support each other. We stick together.”

“Okay…well, in the interest of sticking together,” Kyle drawled, inciting a groan from all present because they knew he was going to say something irreverent, “I think I’m quite entitled to tell you that I thought your decision to stay behind on Antar just…sucked. Frankly, I wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of having to tell your parents you were dead so I’m happy to have dodged that bullet. I never thought we should leave you there in the first place. Personally, I didn’t think you were acting in your right mind.”

“Kyle!” Tess balked in horror.

“Well, neither did you!” he threw back defensively, “Or Michael and Maria for that matter.”

“I thought you were off your nut,” Maria revealed quite bluntly.

“Yeah, I heard…” Liz acknowledged with a small smile.

“Do you know how crazy you’ve made us?” Alex demanded, “I mean…we tried to have faith and everything but…well, it got a little ugly at the end. You don’t even want to know…”

Another wordless look passed between Liz and Max. “Um…I have a few ideas,” she replied sheepishly, “But I never meant to cause friction between you guys. I…I was just doing what I thought I had to.”

“So what changed?” Isabel queried bluntly. All eyes zipped around at her question and she blushed slightly from the study. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing you’re here,” she rushed out, “I’m glad you’re back, Liz but… It’s just…the last time we saw you were on the Antarian landing strip. How’d you even get here in the first place?”

“The Granolith transported her,” Max answered smoothly, stepping into their midst so he could loop an arm over Liz’s shoulder and present a united front. “Liz is no longer serving as the Granolith keeper. She’s free and she’s here with us for good now.”

“Whoa, that’s a major change…” Michael breathed heavily, “We sure did miss a lot, huh? What the fuck happened?”

“Puts a whole new meaning on the phrase, ‘what a difference a day makes,’ doesn’t it?” Alex joked lamely.

“So what does this all mean?” Maria followed up quickly, “Why were you freed? When did you even get here?”

“Last night,” Max provided in a quiet tone, answering the simplest question.

It took less than a millisecond for everyone to reach the same conclusion and, by the end, faces were flaming all around.

“Oh…” Kyle considered drolly, “Well, no wonder you didn’t say anything, Evans…”

“Shut up,” Tess admonished in a hiss, digging her elbow into his ribs.

“Ow, that’s bone you’re drilling, woman!” he yelped.

“So the Granolith just let you go?” Maria asked, “But I…I thought you had to stay behind…that it was your destiny or something.”

“My destiny has always been Max,” Liz whispered wryly, “It just got a little confusing along the way.”

“Confusing…yeah,” Isabel grumbled, “Understatement.”

“There’s a new keeper now,” Liz explained briefly, “He was formed from…Charlie’s DNA, I guess because…he looks like combination of Max and me…he is a combination of Max and me. I suppose that’s how Charlie will look in twenty years and… Well, his name is Selvan and he took my place.”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Maria espoused, her head spinning over the explanation, “You’re telling me that some guy made from Charlie’s DNA has taken your place as the Granolith keeper?”

Liz nodded slowly, while the others digested this phenomenal piece of news. Isabel was the first to speak, however, her features dark with uncertainty. “What does that mean, Max?” she asked tentatively, “Doesn’t that make Selvan like your son or something? Shouldn’t we go back for him?”

“Selvan was made from Charlie’s blood but he’s a child of the Great One…a product of the Granolith,” Liz explained, “He doesn’t belong to us even though we are all connected…Max, Charlie, Selvan and me. He’s where he’s supposed to be now.” She glanced up at Max, her eyes growing luminous with love. “And so am I.”

“Okay, so you’re here for good and that’s excellent and everything,” Michael burst in practically, “but that still doesn’t solve all our problems. Though we don’t have to worry about explaining Liz’s absence anymore we’ve still got other problems to deal with. I think we should come up with some kind of plan for when we get back home because there are going to be a helluva lot of questions, most of which we can’t answer.”

“Michael’s right. We need to brainstorm something,” Max agreed, reluctantly releasing his hold on Liz. “Why don’t you go put Charlie down for his nap,” he suggested softly, “We’ll talk everything out when you get back.”

“I’ll go with you,” Maria volunteered as she started from the room, obviously unwilling to be without her friend for even a second. Alex echoed those same sentiments because he followed after them.

Once they were gone, every eye in the room settled on Max. Now the “real” questioning was about to begin. He shifted from foot to foot in nervous discomfort. “I should get back to the bridge,” he said, but when he would have escaped Michael blocked his path.

“She got back last night, but this is the first we’re hearing about it…this morning?” Michael emphasized, “What gives?”

“Were you not going to mention it to us at all?” Kyle demanded.

“It was early,” Max told them, “Liz was still asleep. We had been up most of the night with Charlie. I wanted to give her some time to rest before you guys started bombarding her with questions. Is that a crime?”

“So she spent the night with you?” Isabel queried deliberately, “All night…all alone in your room.”

“Yeah…” Max answered as casually as he was able, “We had some stuff to work out.”

“Did you work it out?” Isabel asked softly, “I mean…she’s here now but is she going to stay this time? Is that life on Antar really over for all of us or are we going to deal with the fallout again sometime down the road?”

“It’s over for all of us,” Max promised, “When we get back home we’re going to be a bunch of normal teenagers with…a few abnormal problems.”

“I’ll say,” Tess muttered under her breath, “These last four months aren’t going to be easy to explain away, especially when we suddenly show up with Alex again.”

“I’ve been thinking about that.”

Everyone jumped around when Alex’s voice sounded behind them. He, Maria and Liz had reappeared. “That was fast,” Max remarked breathlessly.

“He must have been tired,” Liz said, “He fell asleep almost the instant I put him down.” She, Alex and Maria stepped fully into the dining area and took their seats. The rest of the gang followed suit so that they were seated together as couples and circled around the small table in the middle of the room. “So what are we going to do?” Liz opened.

“I want to tell my parents the truth,” Alex spoke out immediately, “By the time we get back to Roswell seven months will have gone by and all that time with my parents thinking I’m dead. I can’t let that go on.”

“I agree with him,” Isabel said softly, “All of the parents have been through enough pain and worry as it is and…well, they deserve to hear the truth from us.”

“But telling the truth doesn’t solve all our problems,” Michael pointed out tartly, “There were dozens of people at Alex’s funeral. How are we just going to explain it away when he suddenly shows back up in Roswell?”

Almost unconsciously all gazes crept around to Tess in wordless expectation. She shook her head firmly. “I’m not mindwarping anyone,” she declared, “Not ever again.”

“Well, that plan is shot,” Michael clipped tersely, “Anybody got a Plan B?”

“I was thinking I could pose a long lost cousin or something,” Alex interjected tentatively. He didn’t receive much enthusiasm over that suggestion so Alex shrugged. “It was just a thought.”

“You wanna pose as a what?” Max demanded, “What are you talking about?”

“A long lost cousin. The people who matter would know the truth,” he clarified, “But the world in general would know me as…whoever…Alex Whitman’s eccentric cousin from…wherever.”

“That is the lamest thing I’ve ever heard,” Kyle deadpanned.

“You got a better idea, jock boy?” Alex retorted.

“Actually,” Max interrupted smoothly, a thoughtful frown creasing his forehead, “That just might work.”

“How do you propose?” Isabel asked, “Is Alex just supposed to become this whole other person or something?”

“Why not?” Max queried, “If we change his hair color, maybe his eyes…I doubt anyone would obsess over the similarities for long, especially if he’s posing as his own family member. We could rename him something like Alan or Albert…that way it’s still close to his real name.” He looked over at Alex for encouragement and received a vigorous nod. “Maybe we could even call him Al for short or something.”

“Alex doesn’t like to be called Al,” Tess murmured softly. She and Alex traded a meaningful stare. “But maybe we could call him Xander…that’s still close enough to his real name and he won’t lose his identity.”

“I like Xander,” Alex approved, “You guys should start calling me that now so I can get used to hearing it.”

“Wait a minute,” Michael cried, “Are we really going to go through with this cockamamie plot? We’re going to try to pass Alex off as his look-a-like cousin? That’s a joke.”

“I don’t usually find myself agreeing with Guerin but I gotta say he’s dead on with that assessment,” Kyle threw in.

“We can make the changes so they’re not such look alikes,” Max considered, “It wouldn’t be that hard. Besides we really don’t have much of a choice. Alex Whitman is dead as far as the Roswell authorities are concerned. We have to do this.” After a few moments of grumbling, a reluctant agreement was met.

“All I ask is that you leave his eyes blue,” Isabel ordered softly; favoring Alex with a shy smile when he whipped around at her order, “I want to keep his eyes just like they are.”

“So what do you want to change, Xander?” Max asked him, deliberately using the new name.

“I think I’d like a stronger chin,” Alex decided pensively, “Maybe a fuller face and…blond hair. I want blond hair. All the really beautiful people have blond hair.” All the blonds at the table blushed and smiled while all the brunettes sent him fulminating glares. He cast them a sheepish smile before asking Max, “So when do we get started?”

~~~***~~~***~~~

“How much time do we have left?” Liz moaned as Max sank inside her deeply. They both groaned with mutual satisfaction, bodies sticking together. She stroked her hands up and down his waist in ceaseless appeal before finally settling her fingers into the dimples of his hips, bringing him closer…

Max set up a slow rhythm inside her, stroking her inner walls with expert ease. The bed dipped and swayed with their gentle rocking. And the sheets whispered with his every thrust.

“Ten minutes…I think,” he gasped in shuddering pleasure, increasing the tempo of his strokes, “God…Liz…I don’t want to stop…”

“Max…go faster,” she urged, grinding up into his hips as the piercing sensations began in her lower extremities. She trembled. She gasped. “I’m so close… Hmm…yes…”

He pumped into her fiercely, driving and driving until she finally began to convulse around him, her wet muscles contracting and tightening in the most maddening way. But it was the warm rush of her orgasm against the head of his cock that drew forth Max’s own climax, tearing a serrated moan from his throat.

Once it was over, Max buried his face into her neck, panting heavily. “Is this what we have to forward to from now on?” he asked breathlessly.

“What?” Liz queried, brushing a kiss across his sweaty temple.

“Quickies between feedings and naps and the goodwill of our friends,” he clarified with a groan, “I’d rather not make love to you on a time table.”

“I guess that’s just the way it is when you have a child,” Liz sighed.

Max rolled off onto her side and expelled a dazed breath. “God, we do have a child, don’t we?” he considered in amazement, “It really just hit me…the commitment we’ve signed ourselves to. Everything in our lives is going to change.” He shifted onto his side, staring at her in belated panic. “Liz, are we really ready for this?”

“It’s a little late for doubt now, don’t you think?” she teased with a drowsy smile.

“Our folks are going to kill us,” he predicted direly.

“Probably,” Liz agreed on a yawn.

Her very nonchalance had him doing a doubletake. “Aren’t you scared about facing them?” he demanded mournfully, “Liz, there’s so much to decide. We have no jobs, no money, no place to stay and then we’re just supposed to waltz back into our families’ lives and with a baby no less and expect them to take us in.”

Liz cracked open one sleepy eye. “You really wanna know how I feel?”

“Tell me.”

“I’m scared out of my fucking mind,” she confessed in a whisper, “The only thing that’s keeping me from going into a full-fledged panic is the fact that we won’t see them for another three months. I’ve got between now and then to build up my courage. In the meantime, I’m trying not to worry about it.” She snuggled deeper into the covers, her eyelids already becoming heavy with sleep. “You should do the same. Now go get the baby,” she commanded tiredly, “It’s your turn to watch him.”

With grumbling reluctance, Max pushed from the bed and pulled on his clothes before leaving to retrieve his son. However, he was back a few minutes later, Charlie-less and with an expression of dazed amazement on his face. He knelt down next to Liz and shook her awake.

“Hmm…what?” she demanded groggily.

“Liz, do you remember how you said that we’d have three months before having to face the music with our parents?” he reminded her carefully.

“I just said it to you like five minutes ago,” Liz growled in irritation, “Why, Max?”

“Because something weird has happened…”

His tone caused prickles of apprehension to wave down Liz’s spine and she slowly rolled upright in bed to regard him with a wary stare. “What’s going on, Max?”

“We’re home, Liz,” he uttered in stupefied disbelief, “We just entered into Earth’s atmosphere.”

[Deejonaise]

Chapter 45

“They’re picking us up on radar, Max,” Tess declared anxiously, aware of the others’ worried stares boring into her back. She did her best to keep her tone calm and even because she didn’t want to incite an unnecessary panic. “What do you want to do?”

Max was careful not to betray the worry her observation brought him. “Do you think they know what we are?”

Tess shook her head. “Doubtful. There’s been no attempt at communication despite the satellite activity. They probably think we’re a meteor or something,” she said, “I can guarantee you that there’s a wide spread panic down there right now.”

Max inclined his head in a grim nod of agreement. “No matter what happens…let’s land this ship,” he ordered brusquely. He was frightfully aware of the eight lives besides his own on the vessel, and despite the fact he was no longer a king, Max still felt responsible for their safe return.

But beyond that piercing determination Max couldn’t form a single coherent thought. His head was still spinning with disbelief. None of them had yet to figure out a plausible explanation as to how they’d made a three-month long journey in a matter of hours but they all had their suspicions. The Great One. Now they were only minutes from making contact with Earth and none one of them were prepared to face home again.

Michael had been the first to notice something different when the ship drifted past the moon. Earth’s moon. That had been his first indication that they had entered the Milky Way Galaxy. He had been on his way to warn Max just as his friend had exited his stateroom. Once the news became common knowledge, everyone had scrambled to the bridge and buckled themselves into their safety harnesses to prepare for landing. Liz held Charlie cradled in her arms, his small body secured by her straps as well.

“We’re going to have to land the ship fast,” Max told her, “I’m pretty sure that the government has some questions about what’s hurtling towards Earth at this very second. We don’t want them to get the idea in their head to come up and take a look.”

“And what do we do once we land?” Michael asked, “This ship is pretty big, Maxwell, it’s not like we can hide it. Once we touchdown and the world doesn’t explode everyone is going to wonder what the hell is going on and then they’re going to come looking whether we land this thing fast or not.”

Max tossed him a glance over his shoulder. “That’s exactly the point, Michael. We’re not going to hide it,” he said tersely, “We’re going to blow it up.”

“Let’s get ready, you guys,” Tess said, reclaiming their attention, “We make contact in twenty seconds.”

“Oh shit,” Maria muttered from behind, “I’m not ready…”

“Hey, where are we touching down?” Kyle asked over the loud whirring of the ship as it prepared for landing.

“Texas,” Max told him.

The last thing they heard above the roar of the engines was Kyle’s mumbled, “Damn, that’s gonna be a long ass walk.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

The eight stood outside the groaning monstrosity of a spaceship, the metal from its hull still smoking from the reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. “This will be easier if we converge our powers,” Max told the group softly, “We need to do this fast and then get the hell out of dodge.”

They formed a semi-circle and Alex and Maria joined, having been changed profoundly as well. In the distance the sounds of approaching military jeeps was detectable to their supersonic hearing. Knowing that their time was running short, each stretched forth a hand and gathered energy. It pulsed and crackled from their fingertips before converging in together one, powerful beam.

The electric line of light zipped and winded over the hull of the ship, pressurizing the metal…liquefying it. It swirled and danced in a fluid tornado before exploding seconds later into a billion tiny, beaming pinpoints. The ensuing flash was near blinding and the eight recoiled in the glare.

“Come on,” Max ordered, already grabbing hold of Liz’s free hand and starting across the desert plain in the opposite direction of the approaching jeeps, “They’ll be here soon.”

They made their escape in a dead run. Liz and Max lagged behind, but mostly because they were concerned with jostling Charlie too much. However, the baby seemed fine. In fact, Max could swear he actually smiled. For him, this entire trip was an adventure. “Yeah…well…I hope you keep that outlook, kid,” Max muttered to his son as they ran along.

However, Max took advantage of their trailing to cover over their footprints as they fled. Only when they reached the side of the highway did the eight breathe a sigh of relief and slow their gait.

“Now what?” Michael demanded hopelessly, staring out at the long, deserted stretch of road before them before swiveling around to regard his friends, “There’s no way the eight of us are going to be able to hitchhike together. It will be too conspicuous.”

“Well, we can hardly make our getaway on foot,” Maria considered, “That would be just as noticeable.”

All eyes turned to Tess, reluctant and apologetic but pleading still the same. She groaned over their silent appeal. “Come on, guys,” she whispered, “Don’t ask me to do that.”

“It’ll just be this one time,” Kyle cajoled softly, “Just until we get to the nearest hotel or something.”

“Just one person, Tess,” Max coaxed, “Preferably someone with a truck and that way the rest of us can get into the bed.” When she still looked as if she might refuse he added a soulful, “Please? You know we wouldn’t ask you to do it if it weren’t important.”

They waited thirty minutes for a suitable vehicle to approach. While the rest of the gang hung back in the dense trees that flanked the highway, Tess stood out in the open with her thumb extended in the trademark hitchhiker’s gesture. No one was surprised when she had a pickup truck stop for her on the first try though Kyle did his share of bitching and moaning about it.

“All I know,” he began direly as the driver raked Tess with an appreciative once-over, “if he so much as lays a finger on her I won’t be responsible.”

As Tess climbed into the passenger side, concentrating on her mindwarp to make the driver think she was alone, the others huddled into the bed of the trunk and settled in for the long drive to the nearest city. Ironically, it turned out that they weren’t very far from the place where they began…Marathon, Texas.

The driver dropped them off at a local rundown motel, murmuring something to Tess in a low tone before passing her a handful of bills. As he sped off the gang regarded Tess with hanging mouths as she blithely counted the money she’d been handed.

“One hundred and twenty dollars,” she announced to the stunned group, “That should be enough to cover food and a room.” No one said a word but continued to stare at her in dubious shock. “What?” she demanded crossly, “We needed money. I didn’t want to have to mindwarp another person so I thought I’d just do it all in one fell swoop.”

“So…um…what did you did you make him see to convince him to give you the money?” Liz asked as they headed towards the entrance of the motel.

Tess rolled her eyes, speaking in a low tone so that Kyle couldn’t overhear. “You don’t even want to know.”

Max went inside to secure the single motel room for the night while the others cooled their heels outside. Once he’d secured a key they rounded the building together for their room. Inevitably, the complaints began the moment Max pushed open the door.

“This place is a dump,” Isabel announced without preamble.

“There are two beds,” Maria observed dryly, “And eight of us. How’s that gonna work?”

“Well, I ain’t sleeping on the floor,” Kyle declared, grimacing down at the ratty carpet beneath his feet, “Not a chance in hell.”

“I think that’s a pull out couch in the corner,” Max observed, nodding towards the ratty sofa on the opposite side of the room, “We’re just going to have to share the beds.”

“That sucks,” Kyle whined.

“Didn’t we have enough money for at least two rooms,” Alex wondered.

“We need to be frugal with this money, Alex,” Max reminded him, “We don’t know what emergencies might come up.” He swung an unconscious look over towards his son, whom Liz had positioned discreetly under a blanket to nurse.

“Um…it’s Xander, remember?” Alex teased irreverently, hoping to lighten his friend’s heavy mood.

Max fixed him with a wry grin. “Sorry, Xander,” he smiled, “It’s just that you still look like Alex to me.” They hadn’t yet made the alterations to his appearance yet simply because they wanted to wait and get the parents used to the idea that he was alive before switching things all around.

“Well, I for one, am going to hit the shower,” Isabel declared, heading for the bathroom, “I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to bathing in water that doesn’t look and feel like blue jello.”

Minutes later they heard the sound of the running water. Maria and Liz cast longing looks towards the closed door, looks that didn’t go unnoticed by Max. “I guess we should all draw straws or something,” he sighed, “To see who gets the bathroom next.”

“I think girls should have first dibs,” Maria announced.

“You would,” Michael shot back.

“Well, I don’t care,” Tess said, flopping back onto the closest bed, “I’m just gonna crash for a few hours. I’m wiped.”

“I think I’ll do the same,” Liz said from her seat over near the window, “After I bathe Charlie and put him down for the night I think I’ll go to bed, too.”

“Liz and I will take the sofa,” Max decided, “The rest of you can divvy up the beds between you, however.”

“Wait a minute,” Kyle protested, “Why do you and Liz get to sleep together while the rest of us get shafted?”

“It’s not like we’ll be having hot, sweaty sex,” Max retorted bluntly, “We’ll have a baby between us, remember, and he’ll probably keep us up most of the night. That’s why I suggested it.”

“Oh,” was Kyle’s only reply, having been duly chastised.

“So what do we do in the meantime?” Maria asked, falling down beside a dozing Tess, “Shouldn’t we call our parents or something?”

“Valenti,” Max uttered softly, “We should call Valenti first.”

Kyle’s heart flipped with the prospect but he nodded, knowing that they had to start with someone and his dad was the most logical choice. “Okay,” he agreed quietly, “I’ll call him.”

~~~***~~~***~~~

Jim Valenti stood outside room 14 of the Tumbleweed Inn, his heart thudding in his throat. A mere five hours had gone by since he first received Kyle’s phone call and he still had not ceased his trembling. It had taken a sheer act of will not to tell Amy the truth behind his mysterious two a.m. phone call but Kyle had stressed that he come alone…and bring a van with him.

So here he was, out in the middle of nowhere, only a couple of miles from where his son was purported to have disappeared about to face said son after a four-month absence. Sucking in a great, fortifying breath, Jim raised his fist and rapped sharply on the door.

Kyle pulled the door open almost immediately and the moment Jim laid eyes on him every greeting he’d planned, every coherent thought just fluttered from his mind. His blue eyes burning with tears, he yanked his son into his arms for a fierce hug. “Thank God,” he wept, “I thought you were dead…I thought you were dead…”

“Dad, I’m sorry,” Kyle sobbed, weeping his own bittersweet tears, “I never wanted to worry you.” He had seen the gray at his father’s temples, as well as the new weathered lines to his face and Kyle just knew that he’d been the one to put them there.

“Jim?”

Valenti glanced up to find Tess standing just beyond Kyle’s shoulder, nibbling at her lip in uncertainty. Her self-doubt was dispelled a moment later when Jim tugged her into his arms for a hug similar to the one he’d given Kyle earlier.

“You two had me worried out of my damned mind,” he admonished them gruffly, “What the hell happened? Why couldn’t you tell me over the phone?”

“We thought it was something we’d better do in person,” Max interjected softly.

His words worked to snap Jim out of his fog. He gradually became aware of the fact that the rest of the kids were there as well. Maria and Michael sat on the bed nearest to him, both regarding him with wary stares. Max stood over near the window, his expression solemn. Jim vaguely registered that Liz sat on the bed alongside Isabel. She was cradling something but before he could even begin to figure out what that something was his gaze lit on Alex. He fell back into the door with a startled gasp.

“Holy shit…” he rasped, his eyes darting from Alex’s face to Kyle and back again, “Am I seeing things?”

“That’s why we left, Dad,” Kyle explained gently, “We had to get Alex.”

“Get Alex,” Valenti repeated dully, “But Alex he…he… I saw him. He was dead. I saw him.”

“That wasn’t Alex you saw,” Max said, “It’s a long story but basically the shortened version is…our enemies took both Alex and Liz and fled the planet.”

“We went after them,” Michael followed up quietly, “And that’s where we’ve been for the last four months.”

“You went after them?” Valenti parroted dumbly, “You’ve been on another planet all this time?” The eight teens nodded slowly. “So it was you,” he surmised a moment later. When they appeared confused by the statement he clarified, “The so called meteor they thought was heading towards Earth and that blinding explosion in the desert… It’s been all over the news.”

“That was us,” Max confirmed grimly, “We had to blow up the ship. There wasn’t any other choice.”

“My God…” Valenti uttered, drifting over to where Alex stood. Isabel had now taken her place at his side and the two teens huddled together. With shaking fingers, Valenti lifted his hand to touch Alex’s cheek. “Is that really you, son?”

“It’s really me, Sheriff,” Alex replied emotionally, “It’s been a long couple of months.”

“Sure has,” Valenti concurred gruffly, before swinging around to face Max again, “So are there any other life changing events I should be aware of?”

“Just one more,” Liz replied meekly from behind. Valenti swiveled around to face her just as she eased up from the bed to present him with her son. “This is Charlie,” she whispered thickly, “Max and I have a son.”

“A son,” Valenti guffawed in understandable incredulity, “You’ve only been gone a few months!”

“It’s an alien thing,” Max replied somewhat wryly, “He was born a month ago.” When the sheriff appeared to weave at the news Max rushed forward with a chair. “Maybe you should sit down,” he offered, “You’re going to need to know and understand everything if you’re going to help us explain to our parents.” He sucked in a dramatic breath. “We’re going to tell them the truth.”

However, now it was Jim Valenti’s turn to surprise them. “You don’t have to,” he countered quietly, “They already know.”

“What?” Maria, Michael and Isabel chorused all at once.

“What the hell do you mean they already know?” Michael demanded querulously, “How? Who told them?”

Though they had already decided as a group to tell the parents the truth, Michael was still somewhat dissatisfied to learn they already knew, as if the choice had been stripped away from them. Evidently, the others felt the same because there were varying degrees of dismay flittering over their features with Valenti’s revelation. It required monumental effort not to panic right away. Valenti sensed their agitation and it made him hesitant to answer Michael’s question.

“Who told them?” Michael asked again, more stridently this time.

“I told them. I had to,” Valenti replied defensively, “After you kids disappeared they were beside themselves with grief. No one knew what the hell was going on, not even me. All I had were Liz’s theories about Alex’s death and I assumed you had disappeared to follow it up. But when I didn’t hear from you again…”

“…you assumed the worst,” Max finished grimly.

“Yes,” he confirmed in a barely audible whisper, “I told all your parents the truth because I thought they deserved to know.”

“So what did they say?” Isabel asked thickly, “I mean…how did they react to the news? Our parents…did they…” She locked eyes with her brother, his golden gaze reflecting her same unspoken fear of rejection.

“They didn’t think any less of you, Isabel,” Valenti answered, easily reading their expressions, “Or you either, Max. They wished…they wished you had told them the truth but… They loved you both just the same.”

“And what about my parents?” Alex asked breathlessly, “Do they know the truth, too?”

Valenti fixed him with a meaningful stare over his shoulder. “Yes…they know,” he said, “I didn’t tell them Liz’s theories…that she thought you’d been killed by an alien. I don’t think they could have handled that. As it was they had a difficult time believing the truth at all but then they talked to the other parents and all the pieces began falling into place.” He looked over at Maria and Liz respectively. “It helped them to understand a lot of what was happening with you kids.”

“So our parents have talked to each other,” Maria asked in some surprise and then muttered afterward, “Why doesn’t that strike me as a good thing?”

“They’re still talking,” the sheriff told her, “This…this experience, thinking you kids were…were dead has bonded them…bonded us. Through our grief we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. We watch out for each other.”

“How well we are talking about here?” Kyle asked suspiciously, noting the underlying, secretive current in his father’s tone, “What life changing events have gone on with you lately?”

“Well, you already know that Amy DeLuca and I were dating before--,” Valenti hedged.

“—Please say it ain’t so,” Maria groaned before he could finish, “Only my mom would strike up a romance when she thinks I’m dead!”

Valenti blushed a little at her comment but plunged ahead nonetheless. “We’re…um…living together now,” he revealed in a mumbled underbreath, “We’re planning to get married soon.”

“Get married?” Kyle echoed blankly, “You’re marrying Maria’s mom?”

“Yep.”

“Oh…uh…well…” Kyle stammered, at a loss for words while Maria just gaped, “Congratulations…I guess…” He ended the statement with a confused shrug.

Like his friends, he felt dazed by all the rapid changes happening. He had yet to process it all, had yet to have it sink in that he was really home again. None of them had. Perhaps after they faced the parents things would seem more real…

The ensuing silence brought with it a profound awkwardness and Tess was the one to break it. Ironically, however, she only managed to make the moment more awkward when she spoke rather than relieving any tension. “I can find another place soon enough,” she whispered, her words thick with tears, “I just need a few days to get myself together.”

Jim frowned. “What do you mean ‘get yourself together’?” he demanded, “You’re not going anywhere. You, me, Kyle, Amy and Maria are a family now. We stick together.”

The eight traded a poignant glance amongst themselves and softly echoed the sheriff’s sentiments. He was indeed correct. They were a family now…all of them, forever connected to each other.

“So now we have to get you kids home,” Valenti decided, “I’m sure your parents will be relieved to know you’re alright.” He glanced over at Alex. “Plus we’ll have to see what we can do about you. Not often Roswell sees one of its own rise from the dead.”

“We’ve actually got a plan for that,” Max said, “But we’re going to need your help.”

“Anything,” he offered generously, sweeping a grateful smile around the ragtag group of teenagers, “After all…that’s what family’s are for.”

The End


AN: This probably isn't the most satisfying ending you can imagine with a detailed happily ever after but I thought it was the most appropriate and a good place to end the story. I have never been one to spell out my happy endings. I'd much rather leave them to the reader's imagination.

Besides, I'm sure you can all guess what happens in the end. The parents accept their children, Alex is reunited with his family in a tearful reunion, the Parkers and the Evanses rejoice together over their grandson and they all live happily ever after.

Thanks for reading, you guys.

[Kath7]

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