Hi everyone! Hope the start of the week has been good. I just got back from sunshine and warmth and I hope that some of it will stay in my system for awhile
Now... let's get back to updating (for those of you reading "Unbreakable", there'll be an update there soon as well).
- Jo
Helen (roswelllostcause) - Yes, you're right. Liz just needs some time. To let that sink in. Thank you for the feedback!
Natalie36 - Thank you
L-J-L 76 - Thank you for the feedback!
Eve (begonia9508) - The weather in Spain was fantastic. No need for an umbrella
But thanks for the heads up
About your fb: Liz probably hasn't that much problems understanding that she's still her and has always been her. What freaks her out is that there is another being/individual sharing her mind. That's so surreal it becomes scary. Thank you for the feedback!
Carolyn (keepsmiling7) - Thank you for those reflections
saori_1902 - Thank you
Previously on "Lethal Whispers"...
Max, Tess, Michael and Isabel believe themselves to be aliens, because of them lacking memories from their first living years and having special abilities.
Michael recently went back to the "birth" cave in the desert outside of Roswell. The cave was protected by a force field which was not very healthy for Maria (humans). In the cave Michael found writing he couldn't interpret.
That same cave was later visited by a person we don't know the identity of.
Max brought Liz back from recent death when she was just young. He seems to have formed some type of connection with her since then, enabling himself to see when she's in danger through premonitions.
Liz has been let in on the secret of the aliens walking the earth.
Liz was attacked, drawing the attention of the FBI and the group is now on the run to keep themselves safe.
Liz was just abducted by the special unit of the FBI, asked for the information she has on the group. She was returned just a couple of hours later. Traumatized.
Tess has been trying to get Max interested in her and did a mindwarp on Liz to drive a wedge between Liz and Max. This was revealed in the previous chapter.
Max normally works as an EMT, with a colleague named Melissa. Melissa just saved the gang while they were being hunted by the FBI at a mall.
Melissa doesn't seem to like Liz very much; using her powers to "sedate" the girl, which revealed that Liz isn't necessarily the only one in her mind. She seems to share a mind with someone named Aislin.
In the last chapter Melissa told the story of how Max, Isabel, Tess and Michael have all lived before - on the planet Antar. Antar exploded not too long ago, meaning that the aliens are now "stuck on Earth", while the initial plan was for the aliens to eventually return home and reclaim their right to the Antarian throne from Max and Isabel's uncle Khivar.
Zan was married to Ava as a newly crowned prince (after the death of his father due to an Antarian disease), but it was - according to Melissa - rumored that Zan had already fallen in love with a farm girl named Aislin.
There was an uprising; Aislin was killed, but it seems as if her essence was retrieved by Zan, saved along with his own as scientists extracted the essence of the Royal Four and sent them Earth. Young Max accidentally transferred Aislin's essence into Liz's (at the moment) dead body, just before he brought Liz back. This means that Liz and Aislin are sharing the same mind.
Which is something that Liz is having troubles dealing with. As one would. But in the last chapter, Max and Liz talked about the situation and Max did his best to convince Liz that he loved
her, not Aislin. And they kissed - for real this time. Not just as a cover to hide from the police in a mall.
CHAPTER 51
Max
She crawled very close that night. So close that he was almost afraid to move, afraid to scare her off.
They only had the meager softness supplied by a woolen jacket as mattress on the cold and hard metallic flooring of the vehicle. When he closed his eyes, he had the sensation that he was scraping along the concrete surface beneath the van rather than floating above it on wheels. His shoulder was aching from where it was crushed underneath the weight of his upper body and the small movements normally caused by a vehicle tracking asphalt felt more like earthquakes ripping through his whole body than innocent jostling.
With that in mind it was almost laughable that he was considering placing this night at the top of his ‘Five Best Nights of My Life”-list. It made him wonder if he could now be categorized as a ‘love sick puppy’ as he felt his heart skip beats and his blood vessels flush at the feel of her body spooned against his front and his free hand carefully placed across the hollow of her waist. He wondered if she was asleep or if she too had been laying awake for the past three hours, analyzing how well their bodies fit together and how their breathing had become synchronized.
He wanted to bury his face into the soft curve of her neck and breathe in the smell of her hair. He had been considering doing that for the past 43 minutes but hadn’t worked up the guts. Just being this close to her in that vulnerable sleeping state had already reached new heights of intimacy. Cuddling into the body that had sought out warmth and comfort in the wee hours of the morning would possibly cross some borders that were not yet meant to be crossed.
They had been circling around each other for enough weeks as it was. He really didn’t feel like starting all over again by stepping over the line. Instead he closed his eyes and tried yet again to fight the insomnia while the van without mercy jumped another rock in the road, causing his head to bump harshly against his bicep.
He seriously doubted that he was the only one in the van having difficulty sleeping.
*****
The sun had only been up for about an hour when Tess made her announcement. The company had been up with the sun and were alternating between staring tiredly into the walls and staring blankly out the windshield. There had not been much conversation yet, everyone occupied by trying to sort out their private thoughts and make sense of their pasts and possible futures.
So when Tess spoke up, it caused a ripple of activity through the group.
“When we reach the airport, I’m leaving.”
Melissa had revealed her plans to them yesterday. They were all to board a plane to Australia, under fake identities of course, and go under ground in that country on the other side of Earth for however long it would take for their trail to run cold. Apparently, Australia had a large alien population. So large, in fact, that aliens had infiltrated the Australian community and government. The aliens living there had, according to Melissa, structured plans in place on how to hide their compatriots in plain sight, and there were several examples of humans marrying aliens and creating children. Settling down where they felt safe and protected.
Consequently, that’s where they were headed now; the airport.
Max opened his mouth to protest, but found no words. With a dash of guilt he realized that he wasn’t all that upset about Tess’ decision, so who was he to object?
Melissa, on the other hand, spoke after a second of complete silence, “You can’t leave.”
“I’m not welcome here. They’ve all made that very clear.” Tess’ face was devoid of emotions, her features hard and determined. Max might not know Theresa Harding very well but he was sure of one thing; she’d made up her mind.
“That’s not what-“ Isabel started to protest, worry and sadness in her voice.
Tess cast her a fleeting smile. “It’s okay, Isabel. I know you mean well. But I sought you out to get answers. I’ve gotten my answers. It would’ve been a bonus to actually be reunited with…” she hesitated before skimming a glance in Max’s direction, “…Zan. But I can see that his heart is set on someone else. There’s no place for me here.”
“You’re my friend,” Isabel tried again, but even to Max’s ears the protest sounded weak. His sister knew that it was a losing battle. She knew, just as well as Tess did, that Tess was not very liked and would perhaps never be an integral part of the group.
“It’s dangerous for you to be on your own,” Melissa objected.
Melissa’s eyes were red from sleep deprivation. She had hardly slept since she had picked them up outside of that shopping mall and she looked dead on her feet. In spite of her lack of sleep, she was trying to balance her body in a moving van (with Michael at the wheel) causing her to sway from one side to the next.
“I think it’s more dangerous for me to stay with such a large group,” Tess said and looked in Max’s direction again.
Max got the feeling that Tess wanted him to say something, wanted to convince her to stay or at least make an effort at convincing her. But he had no words, his throat was clogged up. He couldn’t force Tess to stay; he didn’t want to. He was acutely aware of the warmth of Liz’s body next to his and how much danger Tess had put Liz in.
He still had not forgiven Tess for that and maybe he never could.
Tess looked away, her cheeks flushed. She looked hurt. Hurt that only Isabel and her advisor (whose
job it was to keep the group together) wanted her to stay.
“We can’t force you to stay,” Maria whispered and Max couldn’t look at Tess anymore. He felt ashamed. It had been better if Maria hadn’t said anything at all. His friend’s voice betrayed what she really felt; what they all really felt.
Please, Tess. Feel free to leave.
“What if they find you?” Melissa said. “We can’t protect you from a distance.”
“I’ll be okay,” Tess answered, a break in her voice that made her more human than Max had ever heard her. “I’ve managed so far.”
“You’ve already made up your mind,” Melissa stated in resignation.
Tess confirmed with a simple, “Yes.”
That seemed to be the end of the conversation. There wasn’t much left to say. As the van continued its bumpy ride, Max heard Melissa tell Tess in a quiet voice that she would still keep track of her, that she wasn’t alone. And despite what had happened between Tess and Max, that promise made Max feel a bit better.
Melissa was stepping up to the plate when Max couldn’t.
*****
Liz
She gasped as she felt the hand around her wrist and the gasp would have been closely followed by a scream if another hand hadn’t been placed over her lips.
But in the second that her assailant pulled her body close to his, she relaxed.
She could feel him tingling at the edges of her consciousness, that special bond between them firing up. The connection had been momentarily torn apart between them, as Aislin had surfaced, but as soon as Liz had returned to consciousness it was there again. Stronger than ever.
“Sorry,” his dark voice whispered in her ear, the two day stubble on his cheek brushing against hers.
She pulled his hand away from her mouth and turned to face him. She tried to put a chastising look on her face, but her words of admonishment caught on her lips as her eyes reached him. His hair was red now, but rather auburn red than tomato, and his eyes were sapphire blue.
She felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she placed a hand to his cheek and let her eyes drift to his lips. She leaned in and placed a soft caress on those lips. His lips hadn’t changed. Not one bit.
“You scared me,” she whispered, her lips brushing against his with each syllable.
His arms were around her waist and with a sharp movement he pulled her body against his. A breath left the entrance of her mouth and she had to close her eyes for a second to catch her heartbeat that was suddenly in every detail of her soul. The heat of his body simmered against her clothed skin and she could feel his steady heartbeat beneath her fingers, her arms bundled up between their bodies.
“I didn’t mean to,” he said and she looked up at him through her lashes.
He was taller than her by almost a head, but, instead of making her feel inferior, the height difference made her feel protected in the space beneath his chin.
Heat was pulsating back and forth through their mental extraterrestrial bond, which, combined with the smell of him and the touch of his fingers against the back of her shirt, made her feel unstable on her feet.
Without any effort showing on his face, Max added pressure to the sides of her body and lifted her to the points of her feet and beyond. When he returned her kiss she was floating in the air, her feet an inch off ground level, her arms around his waist for support. She felt herself melt into that kiss, let her lips fuse with his, her tongue brush his, her palms leaving his waist and spreading out against the cold damp wall behind his back.
They both knew that they ought to be heading back. Knew that they were not safe yet, not safe to make out in corners of a pit stop and put their guard down.
Liz could, however, feel through their connection that he wasn’t 100 percent focused on her. There was a slight distraction, a slight apprehension and edginess which assured her that he would notice if there was a single movement or sound around them out of place.
He had lived a life on edge, it would probably take much more than kissing to get him out of that habit.
Max pulled back, out of breath, and rested his forehead against hers as she felt her feet touch the ground again. In more ways than one. She still hadn’t gotten used to his latest eye color of disguise, but the emotion behind them was all Max. It came crashing into her now, the volumes of his gaze. Sometimes that loaded look frightened her; it was almost too much.
How could he possibly love her so much when they still had so much to learn about each other? It frightened her because she didn’t know if she could live up to that. If she could reciprocate. There was no denying, even to herself, that her feelings for him were strong. She loved him more than she’d ever loved any one else.
But was it enough? Was she, Elizabeth Parker, enough? Or was he still expecting the love of Aislin?
“I want you to call your dad,” Max whispered at that moment, just as insecurities were starting to cause unease through her heart and mind, as she was starting to feel cold despite the warmth of his body so close.
His ‘request’ startled her and she met his eyes again. “It’s too dangerous.”
Max shook his head. “I’m sure we can do it safely.” He placed a hand against her cheek, cradling the softness of the curve as he had done so many times before. “You
need to call your dad.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Because we’re leaving the country? He already believes I’m on a trip around the world.”
Max searched her eyes. Liz met his gaze, wondering what reaction he was searching for.
“Because we’re leaving the country
and because I’m pretty sure he hasn’t missed us on the ‘Most Wanted’-list,” Max said and Liz felt the chill in her bones.
Before she could get caught in thoughts of what a disappointment she most likely was to her father right now (it hadn’t crossed her mind until Max brought it up that people she knew and loved would have seen the ‘Most Wanted’-notices as well), Max added, “And because you need to talk to your dad. He’s your family. He’s worried about you and I know that you’ve been feeling guilty about leaving the way we did.”
Her heart felt a little lighter, but her tears gained weight and one rolled down her cheek. It was captured by Max’s thumb and his eyes grew more concerned. She felt ridiculous. She was always crying.
“I’m sorry, I…” she was shaking her head trying to shake off the helplessness as he silenced her by kissing the next tear that rolled down her cheek.
“Liz,” he mumbled and placed a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes remained closed as she listened to his next words. “You need to have closure. Otherwise you won’t be able to move on. You’ll feel trapped with us. With…me.”
She heard the vulnerability in his last word, but it didn’t lessen the coldness spreading through her.
Closure? Moving on?
She pulled back, pushed her hands up against his chest and disentangled herself from his grip. Her hands moved through her hair and she was aware of her shaking, of her hands trembling, as she saw him reach for her out of the corner of her eye.
“Liz…”
She shook her head, her lips brought tightly together, and held up a hand to stop him from speaking. “No… Give me a second.”
So he did. He gave her 122 seconds.
In those seconds she alternated between putting her arms on her thighs with her body bent over and leaning up with her hands on top of her head to control her breathing and stop herself from crying. She was fighting an anxiety attack. Fighting it because she knew, rationally, that Max was right.
She had to finish one chapter of her life to be able to fully move on to the next. But it hurt. It really hurt. Leave her father permanently? Say goodbye without knowing if she ever would see or even talk to him again?
“Can I tell him?” was her first question after having managed to stop her feelings from exploding all over the ground like a bloody massacre.
Max was standing silently ten feet away, giving her the space she needed, looking strong and vulnerable at the same time.
“About us?” Max wondered and it was no puzzle which ‘us’ he was referring to. Them. The aliens.
She shook her head, clenching and unclenching her fists. It hurt. Everything hurt. “That I’m safe? That I probably won’t come home? Where I am?”
“Yes, you can tell him that… I
want you to tell him that. But you can’t reveal our location, Liz.”
Of course she knew that. But she had hoped that he would agree to revealing it anyway. It would have made her happier to know that her dad knew where she was.
“How?”
“We’ll get a burner phone,” Max answered, still keeping his distance. Liz wondered if she looked as much like the trapped animal in a cage as she felt.
“Can I tell him why I had to leave? That is not just a trip around the world?”
“You’ll know what to say,” Max said, his voice calm and his - for the moment - blue eyes intensely attached to her face. Maybe she really
did look like a wild animal. “I trust you.
You have to come up with what to say, because it has to sound real. It has to be from your heart. Or else you won’t feel okay with it and your dad won’t feel okay with it.”
“Yeah,” Liz whispered and stood still. Completely still. Her head hanging low she didn’t see him approach until he put his arms around her and pulled her close.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled while burying his hand in her - temporarily - blonde hair.
“I’ll be okay,” she replied, because she knew that he was feeling guilty again. Guilty for putting her in a position where she had to say goodbye to her father, possibly forever. Her tears had dried up. She felt dry and empty. “Thank you for letting me call him.”
“Maybe you’ll get another chance at calling him. Maybe when in Australia…” he let the hope trail off and she nodded infinitely against his shoulder.
Maybe when in Australia…
TBC...
or maybe without, if you have chance... because totay is not nice at all... if you compare with this summer!
She tried to manipulate them once and more with the Max's destiny sh... but he was already too involved with Liz, for her to have a chance! 
