Til We Meet Again (CC, Mature) - Chapter 84 - Completed - 09/01/2022

[keepsmiling7]

Question, what would Brady have done if he had known the truth about Mariah?
We'll never know!
Lex is being a good brother, hope that continues.
LOL......Max was on the other side of the interruption!
Hope Roxie doesn't cause more trouble for the group......they have enough going on as it is.

[Parker1947]

Max Evans knew very well who he was. That has never been in doubt. Not since high school, those were the days he thought. And now he was waiting for his son to wake up. So, they could have that talk that they should have had long before now. In his house out by the dessert. Max was pacing the living room area. Unsure of what would happen. All he knew was his son’s door was closed, which meant that his son River was sleeping in. Usually an early raiser, especially with school in session and having to travel into town. But this week his son was off school thanks to it being Spring Break. And as was his customed, Max knew his son tended to sleep in when given the chance. And especially because he knew his son was also working long hours at whatever job he was working something he had yet to be filled in on and Max was not anxious to know because he might have to disapprove of it, and that would not work for the tentative nature of his relationship with his son. So, yeah, we do not need the tension he would think. But he did know that River had to work at some point today. So, he was allowing his son to sleep in, and he was using the time to think about how he would give his son the talk and knew it was a laugh that he wanted to give his son the talk.

Because his son was now seventeen and Max had largely kept a do not ask, do not tell policy with his son. Why rock the boat? When Max rarely even wanted to go down that route with his son. While his son rarely dated. Still, his son was growing up, and kept his private life mostly out of the house, which was to his father’s approval. So, to see Sierra here the night before. On top of what he had just overheard about her. It was a shock to be confronted by the notion of his son growing up. Sex was always intense. No matter what age that you, and because Max was such an early riser these days. It made him have to deal with a lot going through his mind. And think of how he was going to have that talk with his son.

After all, he figured a talk with his son got him out of thinking of what else that was in his mind today. Two other people.

One who was constantly in his mind. But on this day, it was someone else. So, yes, make that too people he muttered. Liz and of course Mariah.

As if this was any different day than it had been the day before, or any day since he had been told the truth.

But this day was different, very different he thought.

Knowing that today was Mariah’s birthday. He hoped the flowers had not been rejected and put in the trash can. Living with his sister, he knew how much girls like flowers, and he was told, red roses.

But he also chose some white flowers…

Even if he knew white roses were Liz’s favorite flower he thought. Something he knew well because of the past. Although he had not been able to give her any since he lost that ability when they graduated from high school. So, knowing what Liz liked, and finding out through the grapevine how small it was because he did not know much about Mariah.

So, he had chosen red roses. With some white ones, because why not? He had not flinched at the price when quoted over the phone. It’s her sixteenth birthday. She will not accept a car from me, or jewelry, so I have to spend some money on her.

But he also knew how much moody some people get, and there was so much he did not know about his daughter, at least I now know about her he thought. So, he hoped she accepted the flowers as something to make her feel good about herself. After all, he knew so much was tentative in this world.

Growing up is not easy. And especially coming into abilities that she had no knowledge of before or could ignore.

When it is new, you cannot ignore it. And will yourself to be something you were not. You need to know and be able to balance it all.

Max remembered how that time for him and knew how it was for Liz. One of the reasons they had ended because everything had been overwhelming for her because he had changed her. And on this day. Everything was in his head. All the memories. The good and bad. And he had been unable to sleep which meant he had gotten up too early, and now his son was sleeping in, but knew from the schedule on the computer that his son had plans with Sierra before he had to report to work, so he decided to check his son’s room, but he was shocked to find it was empty.

Completely.

River was not sleeping.

The bed was shockingly made. And it was evident that he was not even home. Because the house was state of the art, but it was not exactly small. You could not hide, so he would know if he was not home. And he was not because Max had been up for far too long.

River, where did you go without a note to me? Max asked himself. But he thought of his son, now seventeen, almost eighteen. And knew his son had grown into his own and was very independent and did not always report his movements, He is probably off with Sierra and it was a reminder how he had never at home when he had Liz in his life. And now that thought of a talk was out of the window, just like my son he thought. And as he was confronted by memories of his childhood and how he and his sister had been hiding who they were from their parents, so there was always somewhere to be. So, now his son was not at home was repeating old habits. It forced to make Max acknowledge that soon his son was not going to be home at all. Before December, he would stay in his room or putter around in the vast landscape outside, away from the memories of yesteryear, but now he was conscious of it all. And he was restless. With the knowledge that the talk would not be happening, at least not right now. Still though he was unsure of what to do if he did not have to interact with his son. It made him tempted to call Liz’s house to see how the flowers were received. Still though he knew it was probably the wisest call or action because anyone could pick up the phone, he thought still it gave him something to do, so he was headed towards the phone when he was stopped by the doorbell.

Hmm he thought as he went for the door even though he had not been expecting of anyone of importance, and certainly my son has his own key if they door was locked, he muttered which it never is because he lived too far out of town to get walk by’s who were trying to sell something, which had been a godsent for him over the years as he tried to keep to his hermit lifestyle. Which of course, meant he rarely had visitors unless it was from a select pool of people he knew well, too well he thought. And now today, he stood surprised to find Liz standing there.

“Liz?” Max asked.

“Hello Max,” Liz said as she was facing her ex, and still she did not know why she was here or why she was always coming back here. When all she had to say could have been said with a simple phone call. She had even taken her phone with intention of calling him but found she could not dial the number and instead taken the drive out this way. Because she needed to get out of the house and found herself driving this familiar route.

“Come on in,” Max said softly as he invited his ex to come into his home. An offer that Liz did take, as she walked in. “You are always welcome here.”

I should not be she thought. After how things ended, she muttered to herself. And it has been sixteen years, which is too long to be visiting the past. Yet here she was. “I do not know why I came instead of simply calling?” Liz asked as she looked around the home that Max and River had made their own, and knew it was so different than the one she had created for herself these last sixteen years, and especially these last four months since they had been back in Roswell.

“I always happy to see you,” Max said with a smile because he found it a gift from heaven to have the woman he loved in his home. “Did Mariah get the flowers?” he asked of their daughter.

“Yes, that is why I could have just called. To say thank you,” Liz said softly as she looked into Max’s eyes and felt guilty for having flashes of the past, when she should be mourning the man, she had called her husband for sixteen years. Someone who had given her the ability to move on. Allowed her life to be sane, and normal. And to help her raise their children. Yet here she was looking into the past when that was too far gone to even try to go back again. You can never go back…

Max nodded and even smiled. Which made Liz feel faint, a feeling she should not be feeling not now “Whether she accepts me or not, she is my daughter, and I cannot give her things she probably would value more than flowers, but it’s a start.” Max said softly. “A beginning. You always have to start somewhere, right?”

“Yes, it is, and yes you do have to start somewhere,” Liz said softly. “And of course, yes, she is your daughter.” Our daughter Liz thought and said softly as if even though it was now more than three months later since the reveal that had changed her family, still, there were days that it was still truly unbelievable, and slightly incomprehensible.

Yes, we have to start somewhere…

“She is ours,” Max said softly as he found him entranced by how beautiful Liz still was to him. As if he was in a bubble. Nothing was bursting, nor was he noticing that outside the house. A car stopped. And a blonde got out of the car, and walked up to the house, and glanced through the window and saw that her brother was talking to Liz.

“Yeah, I am not going in there,” Isabel said softly as she saw that her brother was where he wanted to be, and that was with Liz. She saw the warmth on his face, and the undercurrents of even a smile and knew how cold everything had been in her brother’s life these past years, and nothing she was going to do was going to disrupt his chance.

So, she got back into the car and drove back towards town.

*

While back in town. Michael was getting off the phone with the shop where the car was, after being told that they could come and pick the car up. As it was only a minor issue, and easy to fix which was the bill was going to be low, thank god Michael muttered to himself. The last thing we needed to do was shell out more money Michael grumbled as he got off the phone and noticed his wife coming into the kitchen as she had slept in late because of her late night at Liz’s, and this was the first time either spouse had seen each other since Michael had been in bed when Maria had gotten home, in the dead of the night. “The car can be picked up.”

“Great,” Maria said softly. “Then I can do some grocery shopping,” she said opening the door of the fridge and noticed how the fridge was beginning to look a little sparse, and it was not like Michael would actually do any shopping. Even if she was away, and out of town. That is so foreign to him she thought. As her husband and son was known to resorting to takeout if it meant that needed to set foot in a grocery store. Which of course made it sparse now that she was at home and was going to be cooking.

Which meant she would need some of the necessities.

“Mac went off early. I believe he’s having breakfast at the Crashdown,” Michael murmured. “He’s working…”

“Have there been any complaints from those jobs?” Maria asked as she saw the schedule on the fridge. She was not thrilled that their son was over at the Crashdown when he could be having breakfast here at the house. “At least it not a waste of our money…”

“So far, they all seem happy,” Michael said. “…enough,” he added with a flourish that was totally him, and it did make Maria want to laugh as she took the eggs out of the fridge dumped them into a bowl and prepared to make some scramble eggs for herself. It was a picture of domestic life that Michael at one time never believed he could be capable of because that was going to be Max he thought. I was going to wander the roads, but nope, he murmured. This was the life I needed as Maria was singing to herself, and Michael could not help but smile. “You did not get home until late last night, which is unlike you, so, I cannot help but ask what happened?” he could not help but ask in his own way because he might have been invested in that game the previous night, but he had known that his wife had done a quick pit stop before heading on out.

Maria stopped singing. She did not know how to broach the discussion they would be needing to have. “Have you talked to Max lately,” Maria asked unsure of how to handle what she knew. Now that she had new information on Rath, and what it could mean. Not that they knew anything, and it could be meaningless for all they knew. Not like Rath has come our way she thought. Why would he? Because of their history. She rarely kept something from her husband but arriving home in the dead of the night and finding her husband to be asleep. Well, it kept her from the difficult conversation.

And allowed her brain to stew through the night, which forced her to sleep in.

But she was awake, and knew the time was coming.

Not that she knew what it meant, but at least in the simplest of terms. It meant there was someone else, in their little coven…

“Nope,” Michael said. “Isabel mentioned there was some noise yesterday, but I was busy, and we never got to talk about, nor did I connect with Max,” he muttered which is not so unusual. “What is going on?” he wondered because he knew something had to be up because he could tell his wife was antsy.

“Mariah got busted breaking into the high school yesterday,” she remarked at the insanity of the fact they had out of the loop, because it was something that was rare.

“Shit,” Michael muttered. “How bad?”

“Fortunately, the school did not press charges. But Mariah is suspended and is on probation when she is allowed to go back to classes,” she sighed as she could not help but think how all this time they had been worried about their own son, and his need for mischief. It was actually someone else they needed to worry about. Because no one had been thinking of Mariah. She was always so mild-mannered Maria thought. Of course, she was the only one who knew the girl because Liz had not brought the children their way until the family had relocated.

“That is good,” Michael thought.

“It was also fortunate that it happened yesterday because today is Mariah’s birthday, and she has now turned sixteen” Maria thought. “Although with Jim on the case. It still might have been dealt with lightly, but still,” she sighed as she thought of her goddaughter. “I do not know with that girl,” she muttered. Even if I do.

“Did it scare her?” Michael asked.

“Liz does not know, but the time in the cell got Max to talk to her and try to get through to her” Maria thought. “Whether that has made an impact or not, I cannot say.”

“Max was there,” Michael asked as his interest in the conversation peaked as he knew how much his friend wanted Mariah to accept him as part of her life or how it had not been an easiest of times these past months, although it had probably been much easier than the preceding sixteen years not to be picky, he thought.

“Yes,” Maria said with an embellished flourish. “Not because is Mariah’s father, although he might have been there if that were the case. But yesterday was a day when River decided to go and get himself picked up along with Jessica and Sierra” Maria muttered. What is it with these kids?

“Really,” Michael asked a little wearily because this was not what the group needed. What they needed was their kids to lay low and stay quiet. They did not need any more memories of their own time when they were a teenager coming from the newest generation of their clan. Although fortunately none of it had so far risen to the drama that had gone down in the elder’s generation. Still, you never wanted to take any chances. And given that he knew River’s reputation, he was surprised. “Really, River?” he asked as he contemplated that piece of information.

“Yes,” Maria acknowledged. “Simple at the end of the day. But still it was an altercation in the park with Roxy Turner and her crew,” she sighed because they were all knowledgeable about Roxy.

“Just great,” Michael asked a little wearily.

“Roxy was the one responsible in getting Mariah to break into the school. Although River thought they were busting up a party, and they were wrong, and things escalated at that park. And the department was called, and the teenagers were all taken in…”

“Perfect,” Michael muttered. Not really.

“Yeah,” Maria said softly. “But fortunately for us, that is not our problem because fortunately Mac was working and was not in the midst of the drama.”

“For once,” Michael muttered as there was a ring of their doorbell. “I will get it,” he said with a groan because he figured there was something else his wife had to tell him, and he did not know whether he wanted to hear it, so he went for the diversion that the door provided him.

“Isabel,” Michael asked surprised to see his friend.

“I came to check in,” Isabel was saying as Michael allowed her into his house. “I tried to head out to my brothers, but you know he was busy.”

“He’s busy?” Michael and Maria asked in unison. Because that did not seem like Max at all… they both could not help but think.

“With you know who,” Isabel said softly. “And I was not going to interrupt,” she smiled. “Although I was tempted, but I resisted the urge.”

Interesting was all Maria was willing to think as she also smiled. Liz cannot help herself can she, she could not help but think to herself, although because of today, it might be expected “It’s Mariah’s birthday. The big 16,” she muttered as her own son was only months away from that same fate. And she was not looking forward to it because she could tell Mac was willing to let loose a lot more mayhem than Mariah was capable at the moment. Mariah is grieving the unknown, my own son does not that excuse he thought of the day she was not looking forward too.

“So, they have things to discuss” Isabel murmured.

“I would think,” Maria murmured.

“At least she is including him,” Michael muttered. And both women simply rolled their eyes. They both knew what Michael thought about the fact that Max was kept in the dark for so long. Isabel was of the opinion along with the others that it was not intentionally, although your brain will trick you sometimes, she thought. But Liz would not have kept the knowledge from my brother if she knew she thought.

She did not what it would have meant for the two to know, but that was not how it transpired, until now. “You need to give her the benefit of doubt Michael,” Maria muttered.

“It’s hard,” Max muttered. “She was not here, and she stayed away for a reason” Michael muttered. “She barely came back, and you went to her, so it as if she knows something and she stayed away because of it.”

“You are reaching bud,” Isabel muttered. “Yes, she did not come back. Probably because she did not want to run into my brother. I cannot say I blame her,” she sighed.

“And Mariah was born after you know what is traditional to mere mortals like Liz or I,” Maria smiled as she knew full well her own pregnancy was no funny business.

“Liz is slightly different than you are,” Michael muttered.

“Even if she were,” Maria muttered as she glanced over at her husband. Someone she had a chance to love for nearly two decades. Years full of ups and downs she thought. I might be normal, but I was not completely immune” And what does it matter now because what matters is she is back, and he has a chance.

Michael knew it was unreasonable to blame Liz for not coming back or for not knowing. Max does not even hold it against her he muttered to himself. Sure, okay, he could quibble about the fact that she should have questioned it at least. Although he did not believe Liz was type to lie about the paternity of her child. Or do anything to knowingly cover up said paternity. Tess was the type, not Liz he now thought. Although with River, Tess was too honest, and his best friend paid the price unfortunately Max paid for it… So, it was unreasonable to hold it against Liz when he knew she was in an uncomfortable position.

Leaving Roswell and leaving Max and discovering she was pregnant. And a baby that was born after you would expect a child conceived in Roswell to actually be born. But Michael could not help but hold it against Liz because he knew his best friend’s life might have been so different if only, she had wondered sooner, because too much of his friend’s life had been a mess.

Of course, Max would say, it was only because he had put that on himself Michael would think and yes there was some truth to it. Max is the one who chose the road he walked down, and he could have chosen to react like he had a future, and not get stuck in the mud. So, why should Liz get the blame, thought Maria as she stood next to her husband.

After all, Max did not have to sink.

He chose the course of his life. Because no one was asking him to sink into a sixteen-year depressive abyss. “Give it a rest Space boy.”

“Yes, fine, whatever” was all Michael was willing to say, especially when he had Isabel who knew all too well what Max had descended into, and what state he had largely rested in during all these years. They all knew that Maria had quickly given up and lost all patience with him, even thought it had been Liz who had left Roswell, and broken Max’s heart. Max was only trying to cope, and to move in.

The fact was he did not move on Michael thought. Even if his friend chose keep the baby who turned out to be River. A decision that none of them could regret because of the alternative. So, it needed to be one made because they could not have River out there if there was any possibility that Tess was lying. And she was a liar. And they were too, because River had soon shown just what kind of abilities, he would have… Although now the three would think of someone else who had been out there unknown to their little world.

Mariah they would all say. Or one other to that total Maria would think because Isabel had interrupted before she was able to say what she had to say.

Not like it meant anything she would think but you could never be too sure she thought. Not with the lives they led. But anyways, Mariah had no history with them, or been exposed to all they knew about their weird and wonderful little world. Which of course was part of whatever state the teenager was now in. It would have been easier if Liz had not stayed away…

But Maria knew why her best friend had to stay away. It would have been hard to have her marriage if she was always coming to town and risking seeing the greatest love of her life. Brady was something special, but he would be able to math what Max was to Liz Maria knew. It never took a genius to know.

And now there was a link that would make them last for an eternity.

A link who did not know the power of the love her biological parents had for each other. And existed in a whole different life. So, Maria knew how much it was going to be for Mariah to make that transition to acceptance. But Maria also knew there were other factors at play. She was in the know Thanks Max, but her husband and friend did not know of this other information.

And they needed to know.

“Which reminds me that we have got to talk,” was Maria could say because how could you bring what she had to say. Space boy. We have Mac but you might be genetically linked to another child because your duplicate went and had a child.

How do you say those words? So, she went with the gentle approach. “The two of you probably will need to hear this because I have no idea what it could mean in the long run,” she murmured knowing full well that she would not be making much sense for either her husband or for Isabel.

“What are you talking about?” Isabel murmured as she did not know what Maria could be babbling about. “Out with it,” Isabel sighed clearly unafraid to know what Maria had to say. Because it cannot be that bad, right?

Michael on the other hand knew his wife had been starting to approach him about something before Isabel’s arrival, “Just say it,” was all he could say in his own weird way which was all groans and mutters.

“I have no idea what it could even mean,” Maria murmured as she started with the preamble. “It was something Max told me yesterday as I was rolling into town,” she allowed. “After my business trip. The car broke down and I had it wheeled to the shop, and on the way home. I took the pathway through the park, and met up with Max.”

“Max, my brother?” Isabel asked, surprised.

“Is there any other in our world?” Maria asked because no there was no one else like Max in their world. “I found him talking to some woman, so naturally it got me a little curious.”

“Some woman?” Michael asked with Isabel not so long after. Because rarely could Max be out and about, and especially with a female.

“Yes,” Maria nodded. “Although, it turned out to be Kate Cruise,” she said softly. “You know Sierra, River’s new girlfriend?” she murmured of the other blond in their little world. “The other transfer to our little town?”

“Oh,” Michael muttered as his attention to the conversation started to waver. Nonsense he would think. “And how does this even matter to us?” he would ask as he was not in the mood for mundane gossip. The last thing he needed to be listening too was the love lives of the younger generation.

Because it did not take a genius to know the last thing his best friend would be attempting was a suicidal match with the mother of the girl his son was dating. Especially when father and son already had a fraught relationship as it was.

“Give the woman a chance to explain,” Isabel said with an exaggerated sigh, which only made Maria laugh because of course she had by now nearly two decades of knowing how her husband reacted to things.

So, she batted his words away.

“Thank you,” Maria said to Isabel with an equally exasperated laugh. “I guess this was after the drama at the department?”

“Yes, I believe Sierra’s mother was there at the station when we were dealing with the aftermath of the kids’ mayhem at the park,” Isabel muttered because she still did not know how to react to whatever went down the day before. And how her daughter was part of it. Was it a blip or a bad omen for coming events?

Isabel did not want to know.

Not on your life.

All she could do was be grateful for the fact that it was so easy to handle, and that Jessica’s future was not forever marred by the event. A few hours in lockup were not going to interrupt the plans her daughter had for herself Isabel told herself.

After all, she knew how a life of worry and danger can get in the way of what you might have wanted for yourself.

Although Isabel loved her life. And would never to take anything away from it. Except for how it ended with Jesse, or that he died. Still, I love Kyle and I love my life and I have high hopes for Jessica’s future as she quickly came back to reality of today by the musings of her disgruntled best friend.

“Which does not tell us how this is even in our league?” Michael muttered. “Or worth us discussing?”

“Michael,” Isabel warned as she was losing patience with her friend. “If you did not interrupt so much than your wife might tell us…”

“Really, it is nothing Isabel,” Maria muttered. “I know how my Space boy operates,” she said with a laugh. “I love him no matter how much of a jackass he is being,” she said with a smirk, and it got her husband to shake his head. But it made Maria acknowledge that she had to pick this story up. She needed to say what she had to say. She did not know why she was stalling.

“Continue,” Michael muttered in response.

So, yes Maria did continue. “Fine, one thing led to another, and it seems as if Sierra is the daughter of someone that we all know,” she muttered. “Albeit not very well,” she conceded because they really did not know any of the duplicates well. Thank goodness.

“Whom?” Michael and Isabel would ask in unison.

Maria decided to go with the direct approach and just blurt it out. “Seems as if your friendly duplicate Rath has procreated and his daughter is Sierra,” Maria muttered in the direction of her husband as she had elected to ignore the whole rant, she had spewed towards Max about what it might mean to her husband, so she blurted out the fact that her husband alien duplicate was Sierra’s father.

And it was clear her bombshell had its desired impact and that it had landed with a thud with the two alien human hybrids mouths dropped open, and clearly, they were in shock. As they were looking at Maria as if she had just thrown a bomb in their world.

And she had, and she knew it.

“Yes, I know.”

*

All the while Max was simply taking in the fact that Liz had stepped by, and she was not leaving. It was bliss to be here with her, he thought. This was everything he wanted. He wanted nothing more. Except maybe for his daughter to accept that I am her father, but this was a very close alternative because this is not about rejection he thought. “Are you okay?” Max was asking as they took a walk outside his home. They had kept to themselves, and they had not talked much.

Only walking. As both were in their own little worlds. Neither taking the risk of talking and ruining things. And for her part. Liz was not ready to get into her car and head back to town if it meant she would be at the mercy of whatever mood her daughter might be in.

But she should be heading home I have a son at home but for some reason that she could not even admit to herself, well, she was here, and she was sticking. She had come simply to say thank you to Max for the flowers. The mere thought had taken her breath away even though she knew she could simply have called and that might have been the more sensible move, but something had led her here.

And she knew that the drive had too often been happening much too often she was telling herself.

She felt guilty once more because I am married, she protested to herself or was she corrected herself. That mere fact was too present in her life.

To come here was seemly simple.

Despite a history together was so wrought with tension and angst. But no, that was the past yes, the past she told herself. This is about now, and she had to acknowledge that…

Home was hard.

Especially because she knew her daughter’s life would be upheaval until she came to terms with how she was changing. Which was a not a shock to Liz because she was not a newbie to changes, and so, yes, she was an expert in it, because once upon a time it had been her that was having to deal with her world changing.

And how did I cope she told herself. I ran away she thought. I run away a lot she now told herself.

So, yes, she wished she could be dealing with changes that were normal and yes, mundane. Like any other person on this planet. Why cannot I not be one of those mothers who worry that that their daughter was flunky her classes, or whether is going to be coming home at night, because of some boy has her heart?

Nope, that is not my life she thought. Maybe that will be one day when I have to deal with Lex, she thought but it was not for Mariah, at a time she needed it to be simple because so much else was difficult. So, being here spending time walking with Max offered her relief instead of heading back to her real life.

This was her refuge.

Which is why she was not leaving…

And Max was loving it that she was staying and was trying to seek some distance from a life that she could not control. After all, that was why he had picked this place to settle down in he thought. It was far away he thought. But it was as far as I dare to go, he mused to himself as he would never leave Michael or his sister to fend for themselves because they were never knowing what might come next.

And especially now that he knew there was potentially a few out of their circle who could come back and impact their now. Not that he was necessarily worried as he told himself before. Rath has shown no reason to want to be around our parts he thought The Granolith is dealt with… There is no reason to be here he thought.

So, he was going to treasure this while he could and worry about what he had too when he had to, some other time.

And as if Liz could read his mind “I probably should be getting home,” she muttered as she knew this was not the answer. The fact is that I am not eighteen anymore she told herself. I am a mother so I should not be using Max to hide out. To be in this refuge and away from her real issues of her life was not the answer. I have to get home and deal with what there is there for me to solve she thought.

Max did not say anything to sway Liz or to convince her to stay because he knew it would be unreasonable for him to do so, and it would be about him rather about her.

And his whole existence had always been about her.

To his very detriment.

And so, he could only smile and walk with her towards her car. “Thank you,” was all Liz could say as they both knew they had gotten something out of this encounter, no matter how simple it was, and it was tame by what had been their history. As they stopped by the car. “Max, about Mariah…” she wanted to say because that was why she had come.

And yet they had not talked about it. We did not talk at all.

“All I wanted was for her to have something beautiful,” Max murmured. ‘Even if the flowers do not last still at last, she deserves to know I am thinking of her, and I am not trying to convince her to accept me. Any other gift would probably be seen as a bribe by her and to get her to accept me, and I know how much flowers mean to a girl,’ he said with a sexy smile that had brother shivers down Liz’s neck because it was a memory of a different time.

When so much was possible.

Max continued. “We both know I would do anything for that acceptance, but it is early on, and I know how much I would love for it to happen, but I know that would be unrealistic given she had not known me, and I have to acknowledge the life she did have.”

“As I said, thank you” Liz said as they learned in for a simple hug because yes, once upon a time he had known all the right moves she thought. He always knew what to do even though they had what you would have called an unorthodox courtship. When you fall in love with an alien. Yes, you would have a relationship that would not be considered normal.

Not by any stretch.

And now they were taking the hug they were giving each other, as nothing more that something simple and meaningful because of their long history together. Anything more would have been the last thing either of them would have wanted in this moment.

Okay one of them wanted it more but he was too much of a gentleman to try anything. So, both of them stepped back from the hug and looked at each other.

Liz knew all too well how much Max wanted their daughter to accept him. It is too much she thought. But one day… Max might have many abilities but forced acceptance is not one of them she thought. It would not be something he would do anyways.

Yes, he was too much of a gentleman.

“One of these days,” was all Liz could say as she simply got into her car and drove away, all the while Mac watched as the car drove away.

Sighing he turned and headed into the house which seemed too small and totally different than it had been, and he wondered why that was…

But Max was not stupid, so he knew why.

Because of Liz.

And he tried to ignore the memories of how much spending time had change everything for him.

[Parker1947]

While her biological parents were having a meeting that was fraught and unexpected. During all this, well, Mariah’s definition of getting space and some fresh air had been given new directions by ending up not anywhere close to the house that contained her younger brother, who she should have been keeping track of now that he was home all the time. When he was at home with a girl. But Mariah knew she could trust her brother. After all he is only thirteen, she thought. And plus, there is no deceit in my brother Mariah thought at least not yet she muttered to herself as she found herself on the main street of their town. There is still time, but I know I can trust my brother.

Trust that meant something to her now.

But now she was on a street that contained her grandfather’s restaurant. She saw the flashing lights of the alien spaceship above the entrance of the establishment, and she would have laughed on any other day. But not on this day. When she knew too much about herself.

And not enough at the same time.

Why is this my life? she wanted to know. Why could Mom not get out of this town in time. But then who knows where I would have ended up as if I did not like this this, she told herself. She did not. She so wanted her old life back.

But at what cost?

Why should I want to be anyone other than who I am? Mariah asked herself once more as she walked up the street and stopped, I am who I am for a reason she thought as she looked through the window and saw that River was in there with the blonde he was now dating. Sierra, she thought. Someone she did not know. But then I do not know much about this town.

And whose fault was that Mariah her conscious was telling herself. She wanted to blame her mother for not bringing her back here, but it was not her mother. Not when this has been my home for four months now, she muttered to her when she knew how much her little group was trying to get to know her, and she was resisting. They have been trying to get to know you. To get through to you, so that they can let you know what it means to be who you are her sane side would tell her.

Yeah, I know Mariah thought as she saw her grandfather Jeff Parker milling around behind the back counter of the restaurant.

Clearly in his element. She did not see her grandmother. But it was not unusual she had been told. The Crashdown is more of Grandpa’s baby. It was something he cherished.

She wondered what it would be like to be cherished. She shook her head and tried to get away from those thoughts as she saw River talking with his cousin Jessica, our cousin she corrected herself. But then she knew she did not think River as her brother, half or full she muttered to herself. I have a brother; I do not need another one.

She wondered if she should go in.

She told herself that she should be going home and dealing with the life she was throwing away, and not stay here. She listed to that side of herself and turned around and was heading home and see what the brother she loved was up to, and to celebrate her big day away from the judgement that comes from prying eyes.

But her decision came too late and saw that it was River…

*

River had been ignoring the looks that coming into the Crashdown had given to him when he walked in with Sierra. Because they had elected to meet up for breakfast. And the only place they could both agree was the Crashdown., Although it was not a hard choice to make because there was no other suitable dining establishment in their town for the gathering masses to come for breakfast.

And why would they want another one, when you had the perfect place in this one River thought.

Although anything would do this morning. So, finding Jessica and Mac at a table did not surprise him because this was an establishment that most of the town would find their way too. There was something special about this place he thought. Even if you ignore the fact its whole creation and name is so on the nose for my life that its crazy. And seeing Mac and Jessica sitting at one of its tables laughing at each other. It was acknowledgment that he had not seen Jessica since the debacle at the Sheriff department the day before, and he had not seen Mac at all given the events the day before…

After all, for once Mackenzie Guerin was not in the mix, and River knew he would have been told what happened soon enough. So, he was relieved to see his friends so that he did not have too many conversations. Although it did not matter to him who Sierra was, or who her father was.

Sure, I had a bad initial reaction, but it had to let it sink in, and I like Sierra too much to walk away and the mere thought blew him away. Because he had not experienced this before. Someone who matters to me. And he wondered if it was something like his father had experienced with Mariah’s mother. Whoa he thought. That sudden thought surprised him, and he quickly tried to get back to not thinking about those kinds of things. After all, I have plans to get out of this town.

As he looked at Sierra and she smiled when she looked at him, and despite recent events. He was not looking for any attachments. I want out of this town. But he knew the box was open, and events were shaping the future whether he wanted them to or not, and he might not have a choice one of these days by what he ended up doing.

“Hey River, where are you?” came a voice and he quickly forced himself him back into reality of their situation, and the fact he was here in the Crashdown and facing his cousin and best friend.

And knew that they needed to be told what he knew.

Because you could not go long uniformed in their little group. As he knew the truth of their lived that We cannot keep secrets from each other.

Sierra did not care. On this morning. She was amused by the whole thing. Because since things had clarified itself with River Or were beginning too, she added. Things were lighter between the two of them and she was not as worried about her secrets being exposed. After all, she now knew she was a part of a community. And they needed to know what she had always known because of course she always had known this.

But until the night before, she had been a secret.

And to most everyone. She still remained a secret. On the cusp of being found out and still there was so much they did not know, and they had not contemplated what it would mean. But like River. Sierra knew Mac and Jessica needed to know. At this point. She did not care because for Sierra this was something normal and freeing. To be facing the firing squad which was River’s family and friends. Sierra knew how much Jessica and Mac meant to River, and how he would never do anything in his life without informing them.

So, as they faced the looks coming from Jessica and Mac. Sierra’s eyes were drifting around the restaurant. Assessing the crowds. Seeing no danger in their midst. At this point, she did not have a high opinion of her father not even close she thought. Too much disappointment she mused. But one thing she always was taught was to know your surroundings.

So, she could thwart any surprises. She was finding nothing on this morning. Which was good but out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone through the window. She would not have known the person if she had not seen her the day before.

But on this day, she was looking very different than she had been the day before. All the black and black wardrobe did not do her any favors Sierra thought. But Sierra would recognize her because even though River took after his biological mother. Sierra would now see the similarities that might run in the family, and it made sense to her that River and Mariah were siblings. Even if they do not feel like siblings.

She did not do anything particular about it. Except she nudged River who looked back at her, and she did not say anything except to signal towards the window.

River took the hint and looked towards she had been pointing and found Mariah looking through the window. Obviously contemplating whether to come in, and choosing not to, and turning and preparing to walk away.

Sudden understanding of what day it was… When your father has the date circled on the calendar. You could not forget.

It still amazed him how he had a half-sister if he could claim that of her because he knew she did not want anything yet with him or their mutual father. Someone he did have an admittedly complicated relationship… to put it mildly.

And nothing could be described as mild between my father and me.

But you cannot ignore the fact we share the same father River thought. If the resemblance did not tell you that, well, it was the powers he thought. Sighing as he looked at his half-sister. All his life he had wanted a sibling to share his unique upbringing. Given he had a mother who was a pariah to most of his family, and a father who had made being distant a way of life. It would have felt nice to have someone who would have understood.

In the same house because he had Mac and Jessica out of it, but nothing is like a sibling relationship because he saw it with his father and his aunt. Their unwavering love for each other.

Now he stood staring at the child his father would have wanted.

Yet he did have a chance to raise her, and instead was forced to raise him.

No, River did not feel resentful.

Although it would have been nice to know Mariah growing up, he supposed a lot of his half-sister’s life was because of the fact they were related. River could not blame her for her recent behavior or her hesitating in accepting her new status, and the life that her mother had in this town before she was born.

“Hello, River” came Mariah as she stopped in her tracks and saw that it was someone they knew as both could not help but know how crazy their situation was because not so long before they only had met. On a night of so much possibility, and in the wake of that night. So much had gone down.

And so much had changed in both of their lives.

“Happy Birthday,” said River. “It is your birthday, right?”

“Right,” nodded Mariah. ‘Although it does not feel like it is my birthday,” she thought. “I am not in the mood for getting older.’

“One day we will want that sentiment,” River cracked. “Today is probably not one of them…”

And Mariah exhibited a tiny smile.

Finally, he thought as his words had indeed brought a tiny crack of a smile as he thought of the girl he had met on that night when the impossible had happened. She had been so far removed from the girl he had seen on that night.

“Do you want to come in?” River asked.

Did she? Mariah did not know.

*

“Where is your sister?” was the first words coming out of Liz’s mouth as she arrived back at her home. And she did not walk into the house that had a sullen birthday girl in it. Not at all, because walked into the house after arriving home from her adventure out on the outskirts of town.

And now I am not back to my normal life she thought as she parked the car and got out and walked into the house through the front door and instantly seeing her son, Lex on the front couch playing a video game with Jamie Valenti. And it appeared that they were into the competition of the game.

Grateful for the fact her son was only thirteen because if he was older than Liz might have more worries on her hand.

But on this day, he was shouting when Jaime got ahead in whatever game they were playing, and it was only when she slammed the door did their attentions wander from game. Lex looked up from the game. Something that he and Jaime had gravitated after their discussion about his sister went nowhere, and they finished with the tutoring session for the day, and he wanted to do something fun, and had invited Jaime to join him, and she agreed, and soon they had been caught up in it and now his mother back and he could not help but sigh because he knew his mother was not going to be happy to know his sister had left them alone.

And had yet to return home.

Who knows what she could be up too Lex thought? Because who knows what his sister could be doing. I sure do not know.

Liz took in the scene and of course she did not see her daughter, nor did she hear the music coming from upstairs which usually was her daughter’s calling card to say she was home, and not out galivanting around town. And she had this sudden sense that her daughter as not home. “Your sister is not home, is she?”

“Nope,” Lex said as his attention went back to the game. Although Jamie knew it might be time to call it a day. As the had indeed gravitated to the game after concluding their study session and because she had no place where she wanted to be.

So, she had chosen to stay and knew that now that Lex’s mother was home. It is time to go home she thought as she stood up. “I guess I better get going as Dad and Isabel will be wondering why I did not come home.”

Liz ignored it and chose to concentrate on her son. “Where is your sister?” she asked as she repeated the words she had uttered when she first came to the house. “I do not hear the music coming from her room.”

“Out,’ Lex said.

“Where?” Liz asked as she looked at both her son and Jamie who shook her head and did not really want to be getting into this.

“Who knows,” Liz muttered. “She did not let me in on her itinerary,” he sighed and knew from his mother’s frown that she did not appreciate the answer he had given while Jamie stood amused by the fact because she had often seen that reaction in Isabel or even her own father. And Lex also knew it was not a wise to give attitude to his mother, and he was sorry for it and because he knew so much was overwhelming for his mother.

Liz only shook her head and looked at the clock. “Grab your coat, and you might want too as well Jaime because I can drive you home.”

“Where are we going?” Lex asked.

“Out,” Liz muttered.

And Lex knew he should not be questioning his mother. As he only nodded and hobbled off and collected his coat, while Jaime got her own and they were off…

*

Meanwhile back at the Crashdown. Jeff Parker was puttering around his restaurant. His pride of joy if he discounted his only child he thought. Lizzie wins that award, he thought but this was the place he had put all his sweat. Now he was in his element as this was the life that he was destined for. Running his own establishment. You never would have known it from the life he had led early on in his life when choices he had made had nearly derailed his life.

And my future.

Choices that led him down a rocky road and ultimately it would cost a life. While he had survived and carried the scars from it as he would forever be sorry for that, and he would feel guilty for surviving while my former girlfriend died he thought, but he would also never forget how close he had come to forever changing his life and I supposed however you slice my life, I still changed it he thought as he knew how his own life had been too wild and he could never get back all that went down back then. Which is why he had gotten so scared for his daughter at one time in her own life. When she was younger and going down a track that was so foreign to them because it had not been the track, they believed their only child was going down when she was starting out in life.

And yet she took that unfortunate detour.

And it was because she had met someone. Max Evans, he thought. Someone who appeared to be one way and then ultimately it had taken his daughter down a road that could have been a reenactment of his own youthful mistakes. It had made for a time of intense flashbacks as he feared for his daughter, as sins of the parents came back to haunt the next generation in their own way.

Yes, it had come way too close he thought as he stood watching those who had come into his restaurant. Mostly friendly strangers who often passed through his doors. And he had certainly seen River come into the establishment with his girlfriend Sierra and that was surprising to him because he had often seen the teenager come into the restaurant and it often with his best friend Mac Guerin, Maria is a mother, who would have thought as he remembered the perky best friend of his daughter and how he had seen her grow up before his very eyes as she worked in his restaurant. And now she had her own life, and marriage, even if he privately wished she had found someone else. Because Michael Guerin definitely did not seem to be her type.

And then he would never imagine his own daughter going the route she had or picking her own men or how it had all begun to go wrong in this restaurant. On an occasion he still did not quite understand or how all of what happened. After all, stuff was kept from us parents he thought.

And he still wondered if he wanted to be enlightened about what had gone down.

Maybe not?

Although at the end of the day, he supposed it did not matter because his daughter had been able to move on and find something that meant to her more than this town. And he was proud of what she had been able to accomplish in those years she had been absent, but she was now back in town and although he was relieved to be able to see her because of how much he and Nancy had missed out on their daughter’s life once she left this town at eighteen, although they had been fortunate that they had been able to see their grandchildren.

But so much was missed there also he thought. How could we have missed it he wondered of the news that had upset both his daughter and granddaughter’s world these last months since the inexplicable loss of his son-in-law.

And now he saw his granddaughter was outside his very establishment talking to River who had gone running after his girlfriend had said something to him. And then he had seen what she was referring too in his granddaughter standing outside, looking like she wanted to come in, and choosing not to before River had gone running.

And he saw the uncertainness on his granddaughter’s face through the glass window that drew people into the establishment. You can see all he thought. Oh, Mariah he could not help but think as he could not but draw back to the bombshell thrown into the middle of the family. Max Evans is Mariah’s father.

He knew his wife had been shocked at the revelation…

He not so much…

Because he remembered nearly seventeen years and how intense it had gotten for his daughter and her former boyfriend. And he and Nancy were well aware of the that short-lived engagement and neither Jeff nor his wife were overly thrilled with the decision of their daughter to become engaged. And while Max had come back into their favor over the latter half of their daughter’s senior year.

Still marriage at eighteen was not something that they would have given their blessing too if he had been asked, and he had not although they did believe the actual proposal had been a spur of the moment decision and something Max had not overly thought about, he thought. And it showed in how soon it was called off he mused. Which meant Jeff and Nancy were wary of their potential son-in-law, and they were not thrilled by their daughter’s decision to say yes. And when their daughter chose to end it almost as soon as it begun.

He and Nancy breathed a sense of relief.

And especially once their daughter chose to further her education and attend Northwestern. Because they were afraid, she was setting herself up for their local university which was a fine institution, but it is no Harvard or Northwestern he thought or worst yet not gone to university at all and hated that for their daughter, so they were yes, relieved, when she chose to leave for university, although the fact their daughter within six months was re-engaged to someone entirely different and married within days…

It had given Jeff pause. Because they had not met the man, but he supported his daughter.

And after all, he would support her in anything. She is my Lizzie.

Okay, maybe they would not have supported her in everything she had done in her life. As there were limits, but he loved his daughter and respected her decision and grew to respect and even like Brady Anthony even though they did not see a lot of their son-in-law and had not escaped either Jeff or even Nancy’s notice that they actually had to travel to Chicago to see their daughter, or their grandchildren.

She never came back to her hometown. Nor did she bring her husband or children in the odd miraculous visits back to this town, which was always a quick and to the point if the visit actually took place, because you can count on one hand the times she came to this town.

And it was largely he supposed because of the boy that was now talking to his granddaughter. Half siblings Jeff now thought. Because he knew that Max had fathered a child back in high school, and it was the primary reason for the engagement to be called off even though his daughter was aware of the fact of the child before she said yes, he was told.

A very confusing time he thought.

And knew Max had chosen to keep his son rather than go forth with the adoption that was arranged after the baby’s birth mother had died under mysterious circumstances. Circumstances he still was not clear on.

And even the town Sherriff was not talking about it even though he had been the girl’s surrogate foster home before she disappeared for a s pan of months, and then would reappear which led to the end of his daughter’s relationship.

She would leave town, and Max would stay behind and raise his son.

Not that we ever really saw him Jeff thought of the fact Max went into hermit mode once he moved with his son out of his parent’s home. And he stayed away despite staying in state.

Jeff did not blame Max because he knew all too well what it was to think of your past all the time.

Fortunately, Jeff had a chance to make a future for himself. I was lucky.

Something Max had not done, despite keeping his son and raising him because from what Jeff could gather and much to the heartache of his parents, Max had stayed a recluse until recent events.

That involved his daughter, once again.

Naturally.

Simply because the fact that his daughter and her former boyfriend now share a child, they had not known was his because his daughter believed Mariah’s father was her husband’s, oh Lizzie he thought.

And now his granddaughter was coming discovering what was kept from her, at no fault of the older generation. They simply had not known and Jeff and Nancy both believed their daughter had not known.

It was the truth…

Because if she had that kind of information, there would be no way his daughter’s marriage would have lasted as long as it had, if his Lizzie had known she shared a child with Max.

Liz might have believed she could have stayed away.

Jeff doubted it.

And many others did too so that is why Liz’s brain told her something that was obviously not true and now it was coming back to roust in having to deal with their daughter, oh god he thought.

…and across the room and taking it all in were Jessica and Mac who could not help but watch the scene unfold. Sierra was too because she had taken a seat at the table.

“It’s a bizarre situation is it not?” Sierra asked. “I meant I do not know you people as well I could, but River has been telling me a bit about his family life, and how he now has a half-sister he did not know he had?”

No shit Mac commented silently, as both he and Jessica could only nod in unison. “Complicated would be an understatement,” Jessica Ramirez Evans murmured as they watched as River was still outside with Mariah. As she still could not believe how much had changed. Because she did remember back to that night, and while she knew River was crushing on the new girl and how she knew it was destined to not go anywhere.

But even she had not known how it would go from there, the fact were siblings had not even registered to her, how could it? she thought. I grew up listening to the stories she murmured. All I got was a sense that it was intense and when she saw River and Mariah together, she got the sense that it was not a love match because of her abilities to get insight into people. But she never had the whole story on Mariah, or anyone for that matter.

But now she did.

And so did everyone in their small little circle. But Sierra is a looking in as an outsider or so she thought Sierra muttered.

It is craziness Mac thought this all stinks if you ask me. “But that is what happens when you let love get to you,” he muttered out loud and both women just looked at him as if he was crazy.

As he was clearly, he was still under the notion that love with you get you nothing except problems if you went down that route. It will get you nothing but trouble.

How would you know? Jessica wanted to tell him.

And he would agree, he did not know.

But he was clinging onto the notion maybe out of a new to protect his heart from feeling too much…

Regardless he was not thrilled his buddy River had been fallen by the seductive powers of a female, and plus, he was not sure that he trusted Sierra if he was honest with himself. But he knew enough not to utter those words because you do not say that if you do not want to get punched, he thought. Still like his father before him, he did not trust newcomers to their clan, and especially ones that come on suddenly into their circle. Especially when we hold secrets.

Jessica did not have those same fears of Sierra. Something told her that they could trust her, and because she had heard Mac’s grumblings before, and she was not willing to give them airspace on this day. “Stuff it,” was all she was willing to say to her friend even though she wanted to say more because there was a certain amount you would not say in the earshot of a newcomer, so she settled for something simple and to the point. “You should not take it personally,” she murmured to Sierra who could only smile.

She knew what she knew.

“I know how to deal with the Mac’s of the world,” Sierra muttered as she chose to ignore the doom of the teenager’s words. “I do not know what River and I are together…” she murmured. “Neither of you should worry about it because I am not about to hurt your friend or your cousin,” she said as she focused on the welcoming face of Jessica.

She already could tell that Jessica trusted her, and of course Sierra trusted her right back…

“River wants to get out of this town,” Mac muttered, and Jessica could only shake her head.

All of us want to get out of this town Jessica thought. But she and Mac still had two years to go before they graduated, while River had only slightly over a year to go before, he was out there in the world.

“What makes you think I would want to stay?” Sierra muttered.

“It does not matter to me if you want to stay or not because whether you do or not, but if you are thinking that you are going to be able to hold River from…”

“Leaving?” Sierra asked as she could see Jessica’s glare at her friend. “Really it does not matter to me Jessica because I do not know if River and I will even still be together at the end of this school year, so how can I go and predict a year from now?” she asked to a snort coming from Mac and yet another glare from Jessica. “Did it even occur to you that I do not come from this town Mac, so unlike you guys, I have no attachments to this town except that it is the one I am living in at the moment,” she muttered and for other reasons she thought as she had many reasons why she and her mother stuck around his town. “For all I know when it does come time for me to graduate. Maybe I will want to leave this town too, and so do not think it will be me who will be keeping him here if that were what comes to pass,” she sighed. “At the end of the day, it will be what River wants, and it will be for him to decide…”

“Well, I guess she told you,” Jessica said with a smirk at Mac.

“Yes, she did” came an arriving River with a smile at the fact that Sierra had told off Mac. As he chose to approach the table with his companion. “And I approve of what she did say.”

Mariah who he had convinced to come into her grandparent’s establishment with him watched as River visibly flinched at the comments they had overheard. “Leave my love life alone,” he would say. “I do not interfere in yours so you can give me the same consideration.”

“Whatever,” Mac muttered. And you did interfere at New Years, remember he mused but wisely did not say it as he looked at the now brunette thankfully, she is back to her old look he thought. “Mariah, you came in?”

“Yeah,” Mariah muttered even though she was not convinced she wanted to stay and was even scared to be here, where did that come from?

I am never scared. Why would I be scared to come in here? she asked herself because this was her grandfather’s restaurant.

But I do not know it.

Not even close.

“I must say you look better this way,” Jessica commented as it was obvious that Mariah was better off with the kind of look, she had now in contrast to that other one. “I was not like the other one…”

“My mother was not either, but she does not know I changed back” Mariah muttered because she did not feel like her old self, but still it was a better look because at least she could look at herself in the mirror. She had not liked how she was looking, and now she was recognizing the person on the other side of the mirror.

But still, who is that person on the other side of the mirror? she asked herself.

Who am I?

“She might now,” Jessica commented as she saw that Mariah’s mother was walking into the Crashdown as they noticed as the doors opened and Lex Anthony was hobbling in on his crutches and Jessica was surprised to see her stepsister, unofficially, Jamie coming in with them “Interesting,” she laughed as she checked her watch as saw the morning had gone quickly by. She saw that Jaime and Lex were laughing about something and at ease with each other. It was nice to see after months of crushing on someone she was going to succeed with, for many reasons Jessica murmured to herself.

“Seems Jaime has taken to someone else,” Jessica said as she smiled at River. “I guess she has lost the crushing feeling on you River…”

“Whatever,” River said as he was not so oblivious to the fact Jaime Valenti had a small crush on him. Something he had not encouraged but was something he could not prevent, and really, he did not think anything of it because she was younger than him, and eventually it was going to pass. And if she was now interesting Mariah’s younger brother, sure, that was fine with him except maybe he was a little young, but that was not his problem.

I am not going to be the morality police.

The girls laughed.

As Mariah eyed her mother and her brother.

[Superman86]

This fic has been great thus far. I love looking forward to the next update. Especially the Max and Liz moments, looove them. I hope they find their way back to each other soon..This fic makes me think of Celine Dion song "It's all coming back to me now" this song is very fitting for Max and Liz

[keepsmiling7]

Complicated is an UNDERSTATEMENT........for all involved in this story, but more than even for the young teens. I can't imagine going through teen years dealing with the things all of this latest generation are dealing with.
Thanks for this great story and insight!

[RoswellFan68]

This fic has been great thus far. I love looking forward to the next update. Especially the Max and Liz moments, looove them. I hope they find their way back to each other soon..This fic makes me think of Celine Dion song "It's all coming back to me now" this song is very fitting for Max and Liz

I have always thought it that song was fitting in many Max and Liz stories.

[Parker1947]

Liz saw the girl she knew in Mariah. My first baby she thought of the pregnancy that had changed her life. The one she ultimately did not know of when she left this town, and now as she walked into her parent’s restaurant. She saw the girl she once knew. The brown hair that was just like hers, and maybe a little like Max in her she conceded. I should have known but she knew that the constantly punishing of herself was not going to get her anywhere. Nothing can change the past. It had happened, and now they had to deal with the present.

What mattered was the now, and how she dealt with it. And she was happy to know that her daughter had gotten rid of the godawful jet-black hair, and the black wardrobe. And now she was looking like she had before the last months went haywire on all of them.

And especially her daughter.

Jeff who was puttering around the restaurant doing multiple jobs at once had seen his daughter walk into the restaurant and he smiled and decided to approach his daughter. Taking the initiative to walk towards his daughter. “Hello, honey?”

“Hello, Dad,” Liz said softly. “I know I said we were going to come later?” she said of the plans for her daughter’s birthday, and she did not even know her daughter would be here, but she felt once she had gotten home and found it was just her son with Jaime Valenti, well, she needed something to make sense. She needed to come and see her parents, and to see her father.

Jeff always made it make sense for her. And she needed it right now. “I see Mariah has beat us?” she asked of her daughter.

“She almost did not come in,” Jeff murmured. “I think it was River who convinced her to come in,” Jeff murmured as they both looked at the group of teenagers. And of course, his granddaughter stood out. She always stood out. Because she looks like my Lizzie. “I saw her outside, and she was hesitating, but I have not talked to her yet,” he said of his granddaughter. “But I can tell, her look has changed?” he asked as he remembered the last time, he had seen his granddaughter and how he had been aghast to see how she changed in a span of a few months. “Your mother is getting ready for dinner,” he said of the plans for that evening.

All the while her son Lex and Jaime were headed over to where Mariah was with the others, and he smiled. “Lex is looking like he is adjusting well?” he asked of his grandson. Someone who was taking everything of the last few months in stride. And had yet to really show any anger

“He wishes I had not pulled him out of school,” Liz muttered of her son.

“He finishes in a few weeks does he not, so there was really not a lot of time for him to be with his classmates that he had barely met,” Jeff asked, and his daughter nodded. Because it did not really make any sense to send him to classes when it was only for a span of weeks.

“Fortunately, he begins high school in the fall” Liz murmured softly. As she could only pray that by September that all their lives would be better off, and life could begin to make sense again. “I suppose you heard about yesterday?”

“It is hard to miss with you run the chief gossip mill in town, and cater to the blabber mouths of our town,” Jeff sad with a laugh. “Yes, the news has gotten around, just like it did in your own day,” he sighed as he though his own daughter’s scrapes with the rumor mill, and it definitely was hot for a time because of his daughter’s association with her new crowd. Spliced of rumors were always spilling out. Most of them could be discounted, barely he thought, but it had taken a toll on them and thankfully it slowed down once his daughter had left their town.

Liz could tell what her father was thinking.

Because she was thinking of the same thing.

It was a time where she got out by the thinnest of margins. She was constantly amazed she did because not everyone did, she said crying for her lost friend Sorry Alex she thought. “It is alright Dad,” Liz muttered. “I have learned to live with it, and Mariah will have to do the same,” otherwise we are going to be in for a hard time until she graduates Liz sighed. But her daughter has not had the attachment to this town that she did in her time. Everyone knew me, but they do not my daughter she thought. And that is my fault she muttered. But all she could do was concentrate on the now as she concentrated on her daughter. “Hopefully it has scared her into thinking before she acts,” she muttered. “The change in her already is a good first step,” she said of the hope she now had for her daughter. And she prayed that it was a false start, and they could only look up from now on “But there is something we she should talk about, which I suppose my daughter has not brought up, huh?”

“As I have said I have not personally talked to her, because it was River who convinced her to come in here,” Jeff asked of his daughter as he suspected his daughter had something to ask of him. “What is up?”

“Let us go and talk somewhere private,” Liz said softly, and she knew it was uncomfortable for her daughter to be seeing her talking with her grandfather. Jeff nodded, and they walked away into the backroom, through the swinging doors.

Mariah spotted them going off.

*

The fact Liz had vanished with Jeff did not escape the notice of the table that had now included Jaime and Lex who hobbled around with his crutches, more at ease than those early days. When it was a hard adjustment. But he was young, and it quickly came to him. And now he was sitting as a chair was immediately found for him and he concentrated on the birthday girl “Mom was not happy that you were not at home when she got home?”

“Well, she now knows where I am,” Mariah muttered even though she knew the attitude was not warranted. “I wanted some space, and I ended up here.”

I did not have any set out plan.

“How about I treat you to the Crashdown’s best milkshake,” River said as he knew he had not spent much time, or no time at all with Mariah’s younger brother. But knew Jaime was spending time with Lex because she had been to tutor him because he could not be physically in school, and as dealing with on-line classes. But he had not spent much time with Mariah since everything went down. Given that she had slowly moved away from. “Call it a birthday gesture, because you have not had an Alien Blast, have you?” he asked of the famous milkshake.

Mariah never thought of the drink through prism of what she had learned over these past months, or not learned she supposed. But now she had big questions. It might be a food item, but still she thought. “Do you not think it is a bit too on the nose shall we say,” she asked without really saying the words. River could only smile at both Mac and Jessica, and even Sierra though the table as a whole did not know what he knew, and he knew they had to know.

But something was always getting in the way of the disclosure.

“It’s just a drink,” Sierra suggested and received a grin from River in response.

“But…” Mariah muttered.

“But nothing,” River smiled. “All it is a drink, that is delicious and as the birthday girl at the table you deserve something delicious. Your grandfather caters to the myth surrounding this town. Because seriously, do you believe that those little green creatures could be the truth?” River asked for the benefit of those around him who might be overhearing because this town was a nosey bunch and liked to be in the know, so they could have some gossip of their own to spill.

And the table knew it. The only person deprived of that knowledge was Lex because even Jaime, the resident normal one of the clan knew it. It was one of the features of the restaurant that is fun, unless its gossip mill is directed at you Jaime thought. But it is never me, it’s Jessica who has to worry. As she only knew too well how her stepsister or even River flowed when they really wanted to talk about the truth of their existence.

Lex was in the dark. On so much. He did not know, or even have a hunch of what was the undercurrent of the conversation. So much was foreign to him. Sure, of course, he knew that the tourist sector of this town relied on the little green men, but he never really had put much stock into it. It sells food. And he never knew of anyone who could truly believe that they could be real. So, why would he think of anything different. “They do not exist, right, so how could anyone believe that they would exist?”

“People will always believe what they want,” River muttered because he was aware that was all he could say as a response to Lex’s words because after all the number one rule of their clan was to lie about who you are and simply not to tell and so in a public place he could not really say anything other than what he had already said to an outsider of their weird little clan so he knew it was probably a little hard for Mariah to be the strange one in her family. Only her mother might know, obviously if she fell in love with my father, he muttered to himself, but it was obvious his half-sister’s little brother did not have a clue and that was going to be difficult, and it was causing her identity crisis. Because at the exact time her life was changing because she was grieving. She was also coming into a world that she did not know and trying to be her old self at the same time.

It was a hell of a balance she was trying to find.

Yeah, it was hard Mariah thought as she thought of her little brother’s words. I was once like that. Laughing at the myth surround the crash. Figuring, how could it be real she thought. Now, I know. And specially to know her little brother was different than she was. How can I be different when everyone else is not who I am? she asked herself. Although she supposed this little group knew what it meant to be who they were, minus my brother and Jaime.

“I guess so,” Lex muttered but he was not sure.

Jaime knew Lex would have questions the longer this went on, and more that Mariah came into the life it almost like a mob family she muttered to herself without the capability for violence, mostly she thought since she knew that some of them were capable of it or had a history of such behavior…

Just as it might look like Mariah might cave to ordering a drink. Nancy came out and brightened when she saw her granddaughter. Mariah’s mood lifted when she saw her grandmother and knew she needed to see her grandmother. “I think I will go and say hello to my grandmother,” she murmured to the table and to her little brother, who nodded, but chose to stay at the table. “Thank you for the offer, River, but I am not sure I am ready for all that, even if it’s only a drink as you have said.”

River nodded, and Lex still did not get why his sister would have gone weird over an offer of a drink, “it is only a drink”” he would mutter not really with a anyone as a target as the others did get a craving for the drink, and soon it was being ordered for the table.

Although his comment could not help but be overheard and they could only lift their eyebrows because they knew it was so much more, and Lex saw the looks but did not say anything and Jaime knew, yeah Lex is going to have questions she thought. How can he not.

All the while Mariah walked over to her grandmother and immediately embraced the woman. “Grandma?”

“Happy 16th honey,” Nancy said with a smile and a hug. Something that Mariah took willingly because it was something she needed. “I am happy to be able to see you today. It has been a long time since your grandfather and I saw you on the actual day of your birthday,” she said of the smile the curse of running this place, but we did have a chance to go more than you would think she thought to herself. “You are looking so grown up,” she said as she glanced over her granddaughter and smiled approvingly of Mariah returning to her old self.

“I wish I was not so grown up,” Mariah muttered. “I want to be a kid again, without these worries.”

“We all feel that way honey,” Nancy soothed. “Come back, and we can talk.”

“If it going to be about my life, and how I am running it or ruining it in the opinion of Mom?” Mariah asked. “It’s my birthday, and I do not want to hear about it, okay?”

“We can talk about whatever you want to talk about,” Nancy murmured as they walked back, following the track that her mother had only made minutes before…

*

Meanwhile Max was in a mood. All he could think about was the past, and his ex-girlfriend. Ex-fiancée ever so briefly he murmured. The girl who he threw away with the choices he had made in the past. The fact they shared something that could never be vanquished as long as they both shall live and would exist into eternity if the worst one day were to happen and if they left this plain and this earth. For so long I could live without her in my life he mumbled to himself but knew it was a lie.

A blatant lie because nothing he had been doing had been about moving on.

And the fragile state of his life or even his relationship with his son was proof of this. Everything had been about Liz.

She was able to move on with her life and get that white picket fence Max thought. But me, no thank you. Even if I did build myself a house.

But it was about hiding, not living. But these last few months. Everything had been changed.

And he was finding he did not know how to deal with his changed world. Except to be restless, and he did find himself restless and found himself coming into town and needing to do something. To try to escape the memories of Liz, and what it meant to be loved by her, and what they had shared that reverberated through and continued to tie them to each other today. It was not just the memories. But their daughter.

And the fact that today was her birthday. So, he could not stay at home, and therefore he found himself in his car and he found him also coming into town and found himself drifting towards the Crashdown.

He did not know why, because it was not like he was going to find her there, right? but he was coming this way.

Which was odd to him.

Because it was not like he actually set foot in the restaurant in many years. Nope and it suited him that way to not know what kind relationship he still had with Jeff and Nancy as he knew how it gone down so long ago. And what they had felt about me he muttered. So, it was better to just stay away, and not test any bitterness that could be still lingering.

But now he was opening the door, and walking in.

*

River radar went up immediately as she saw his father come into the Crashdown. A forbidden place almost for his father. Somewhere he would always refuse to come in and if he was in the vicinity than he would keep to the premises outside if he even dared to come into town he thought. Which was not something he really ever did If he did come to town. The Crashdown was off limits. So, there was almost a policy of never coming into this place and even had tried to keep him away, but River would often have a mind of his own especially once he was old enough to know how awesome the food was in this place. There was no stopping him from coming in. Of course, time would tell him why his father refused to come in, and even then, he really did not know the nitty gritty of it until recent moments. And then he learned so much more, and even the stuff he would have rather he had stayed ignorant on.

As it was now just him and Jessica along with Sierra and Jaime at the table.

Lex had hobbled off into the back to be with his mother and sister. Mac was headed back to change because he had to get back to start his shift. Since the morning had flown away, they were now having lunch.

And so, when the door opened, and River noticed that it was his father. Jeez he thought. Why is he even here? he muttered out loud.

“Why so upset? Sierra asked although she did know how complicated her boyfriend’s relationship was with his father. And while Max had been pretty reasonable the night before, still, she had not spent a lot of time with the man because River liked to keep that part of his life separate from their relationship. And mostly she was okay with it because she also had a complicated relationship with her own father.

And give recent revelations. It made for a tough time.

“He never comes in here,” River muttered. “And I mean it when I saw never, because this is like the first time in my life that he actually stepped in here.”

“He was known to come in here when you a baby, you just never would have known it” Jessica commented.

“How would you know. You were not even born?” River muttered. Because I am one the one here who had the illustrious fame for being born at the tail end and being the reason, my dad did not get to spend his life with the love of his life.

Or his daughter he muttered to himself.

“I heard the stories that you wanted to ignore,” Jessica commented as River only shook his head and got up from the table and headed for his father.

“Should we count down to the explosion?” Jaime asked of her stepsister.

“Truthfully, I have no idea, but we probably should take cover to be on the safe side” Jessica muttered because history told them this could go anywhere, and it was not going to be necessarily good for either of them.

*

“Why are you here?” River muttered as he approached his father. Because he had absolutely no idea why his father could be here of all places. How can he know who is here? he wondered. My aunt is the one who knows what is happening, not my father. And given that River did know who was here, and the fact his father saw fit to come here when he had spent so many years away from it and would not see fit to come here before everything went down in December, and even in the months that followed that horrific night.

“Do I have to report my movements to you?” Max asked with slight amusement in his voice. “Am I not the parent here, and you the child?

“Well, that has been how it has been in the past,” River muttered because he would rather not have this fight with witnesses surrounding them and given who yes was here in this very premises that his father had now walked into, he knew this could be a recipe for disaster given Mariah was at a very delicate stage. “You never come here…”

“How would you know what I have done or not done?” Max asked even though, yes, he had not come in here, because of the memories, and because of the history that was between these walls. And why am I here today?

He could not tell you for the life of him, but here he was, and he did not need his son playing security guard. “Can you let me pass?” he asked. “Maybe the reason I wanted to come in here was because maybe I was wanting to taste one of Jeff’s famous burgers?”

“You mustered the will to be without them for this long,” River muttered. “You can muster that will some on more…”

With the fight his son was giving Max knew something was up, and that his son knew more than he did. “What are you hiding son?” he asked. “What or is it who, do you not want me to see?” he could not help but ask because he did not know what the hold could be up, and why his son was so resistant to him, coming into these doors. “Is there a reason you were out at the crack of dawn, so we could not talk about last night?”

Unprepared to have it turned back on him. River did not know how to respond. Clearly seeing that his son did not want to get it into it but was resistant on letting him actually come into the restaurant. And given the fact that his son had wanted him to engage with the world for a long time, the resistance was unnerving. “What is going on?” he wondered as he could not help but glance around the restaurant.

And saw the same players that he would have expected.

“Fine,” River muttered because he did not want to have to engage, and his father was going to require more, because for once his father was wanting to come in, and he figured that there was one way he could get his father to actually leave, was to tell him. But in the meant time, he figured the table he had just come from had to be finding this conversation amusing, and it was all great fun for them. It is not for me…

“What is it?” Max asked.

“Mariah is here,” River muttered as he could see that his father was looking to see if he could see her, he did not “Along with her brother and mother, and they are in the back.”

“She is?” Max asked as his mood improved significantly and wondered if this was sign that had led him to come here, and River was not amused by the display or the fact his father was so happy that his other kid was in the building. Way too happy he muttered to himself. In some ways River wished he would stop, being so blatant. But he ignored it, and buried whatever he felt down deep, “She has had a hard time and I do not want her to be upset,” he muttered. “Not today at least.”

“I am glad you are trying to protect Mariah,” Max said softly as he was pleased at least in the inside to know the brother and sister were trying, whether they truly were who knows but it made him happy to know that he was trying to protect her, and he was being considerate.

“Which is why you should go,” River asked of his father.

“Too late,” Jessica said as she came over towards where her uncle and cousin were. “Hey there Uncle Max,” she said smiling, and for a minute Max was reminded again of his sister, Isabel ever the peacemaker.

Mostly it was to keep from him from getting into blows with Michael in their early days.

But it could not escape his notice how Isabel had tried it even over the years within his relationship with his son. And largely it had been rebuffed by him because he had no energy to be the bigger man, and now he did feel guilty about it because he knew how much family meant to his sister, and she had been trying to make peace especially as things had deteriorated within his relationship with River as their interactions had gotten angrier and angstier with the passage of time, in the last couple of years.

Once River had gained his independence.

The test of the wills had exploded on occasion at home. And he was not proud of it, and he was trying to put it behind him over the last few months, and he had to admit it had been slightly better. “Nice to see you too Jessica,” Max said of his niece. “As I told my son, I do not know why I came here, except I felt a need for a burger, and I am not looking for trouble.”

Was it too late?

Because as soon as Max said those words. The back swinging door opened, and out walked Mariah, and she froze when she saw Max.

Shit, River swore.

[Parker1947]

Meanwhile,

Michael was stewing. The broken off revelation that had come from his wife had been interrupted by some emergency with Maria’s mother, Amy, and the shop his wife once upon a time had run with her mother. Amy at times tended to still work at the store, taking the load off her daughter. And these was one of those days or shall we say weeks because Maria tended to take off the week their son had off for Spring Break, to keep an eye on him. When Mac was younger, they tended to take small little trips. But those days are no longer he thought with his son growing up, and now working. He supposed there was going to very little chance of a family trip unless they actually planned something. And that is rare with us he thought. Because you never knew what was going to develop when you were away. Anyways on this day. Something had developed at the show and so his wife had gone off to figure it out, and so Michael had been pacing the house because he was alone.

Although that would not last.

Because he knew his son Mac should be home anytime because he had to report for the afternoon shift at the Crashdown. The schedule was on the fridge, and his son was largely keeping up to his commitments, and Michael was proud even if he was not of the circumstances that would lead to why his son would need so many jobs, it brings back too many memories he thought of his old need to have multiple jobs to pay the rent or other bills. But my son’s life is different because he knew this situation was different.

Because he was currently paying off debts although the New Year infraction is not on my son, he thought but was playing the price because Mac had taken the blame for the true offender.

Mariah.

And his son was working off the payments he and his wife had made to the town to clean up the mess in the park. After all he and Maria had paid it off, and now their son was paying them back. He knew Max had taken the same tack with his own son because it was better off because of the genuine fear that the boys would never be able to pay off the damage if some-kind of mayhem were to come up again, which could not be counted out, so it was easier for the adults to pay it off.

So, the town did not do their own investigation, and maybe track down who actually did the crime.

Or the footage of the crime. Which thankfully had not emerged.

We got lucky he knew.

Anyways, that was not what he was worrying about today because for once Mac was heeding his schedule, and not causing trouble. Yet. Nor was he in the middle of the scene the day before, thankfully. But he was sitting in the dark. Because once Maria had gone off to deal with the store. Isabel knew she had to get home because she did not have any other information. So, she could not help Michael. She figured she could get home and figure out what was going from there. Which meant Michael was still in the dark and depending on information from his wife.

Why did Max not come to me? Michael muttered. It’s my duplicate we are talking about, right? he mused.

So, he knew Isabel probably had the right answer. As they would need to track down Max for the full story. Assuming he knows anything more than he told my wife Michael stewed. Chances are he is not going to know much of anything. Because if he did, he would have come to me or his sister.

If Rath was really back, it could mean almost anything because Michael’s doppelganger had only made one appearance in their lives, and it had been too memorable and taken his friend to almost his death because his friend had the common sense not to follow the words of some lethal version of themselves.

Although Max’s version of himself was dead.

But Michael and Isabel’s were too much alive and up to no good, okay maybe they had a sensible mission because of the life they had, but still… Michael stewed. Rath no last name given made Michael look clean cut and at odds with the behavior he gave most people. And seeing his doppelganger and Isabel’s, it made for a hellish time.

Only Ava had been sensible. And that should have given us a clue he thought as it was almost like there had been a switch at landing and they got the version that should have gone to New York, and we should have gotten Ava. Although he supposed Liz playing with the timelines did not help matters.

And it was not like we knew Ava that well… Michael thought.

We did not know any of them well at all.

And now Rath had gone and had a kid, not completely unexpected. It happens he thought given he did have his own kid.

All of them had kids, despite who they were….

But having Sierra in town made things confusing for Michael because he did not know what it meant for him, for his family This is so not what I need right now he thought because he had other worries.

And the slam of the door brought him back to reality and his other worry. As he looked up and spotted his son coming into the house. “Mac,” he thought, finally he thought as he saw his son walking into the house. Checking the time with the clock on the wall. “You are cutting it close?”

Not really caring about whether he was going to be late or not. “I have been early enough times, and really I was already over at the Crashdown so they know I am alive,” Mac said with a laugh. “If I do not show up, they will have a reason to come after me, but I was there and now I am here,” he cracked, and his father only shook his head.

And Michael wanted to say something, but Mac continued on. “You do not have to worry, I am headed there, but I could not leave when I was listening to the gossip of you know about what went down,” he said because he was well aware if he did not know, then his parents had to know.

“And that would be?” Michael asked as if he did not know.

Because he knew.

After all the adult gossip vine went as fast as the one catering to his son’s crowd. Although in this case, he had only just learned what had happened. Which is something that did not happen often. Usually, the flow of information came their way at a quicker speed.

“River, Jessica, and Sierra got busted,” Mac murmured. “Grandpa gave them a slap on the wrist because it was Roxy and her crew.”

“Which you know not to run with?” Michael as pointedly.

“They are not in my league,” Mac said softly because like River, he knew not to deal with Roxy. I might want to walk on the wild side, but I know the limits he thought. “Anyways, River and Sierra were over at the Crashdown, and we got to talking, and we stayed for the show.”

“What kind of show?” Michael asked.

“Mariah and her mother decided to show up,” Mac said with a smirk. “Although apparently, I left too soon and therefore, I did miss out on the true show because Jessica just texted me that I missed out on River’s father also showed his face,” he said with a laugh. “I have to get going. Because I have to run and change so I can get back so I can start my shift and see if there is any fallout” he said with a grin and rushed off to his bedroom.

Michael only shook his head Mac has a very different outlook on life he thought. Only my son could see mayhem as motivation to show up at work.

But at least it gets him there, Michael muttered. That was half the battle most days.

The slam of the door once again got him out of his mind. As he realized he had trailed off once his son had vanished. It made him wonder if his son had done a pit stop and was gone again but he was able to see that it was his wife this time. It was then he heard the television going upstairs, and therefore he could tell that his son was still at home.

Because Mac knew they did not like him to keep it going if he was going to be out of the house. So, he figured their son was on premises.

“Maybe there is a disadvantage to him making his own money?” Michael commented as his wife made her appearance who could only smile because he knew their son was seeing the wisdom of making his own money, and not counting on handouts from him or his wife, because they knew as soon as he had gotten a sizable amount collection from the portion allotted for his spending money. As opposed to his college fund, or the fund to pay him and his wife back. One he had that portion collected. Mackenzie had taken the money and gotten a new television for his room. And there was not anything he or wife could do about it because it was their son’s money. And now Michael heard the blaring of the music.

“I can hear that our son is home?” Maria asked as she also heard the noise coming from upstairs. “Should he not be on the way to work?”

“He knows, and he is headed there…”

“Good,” was all Maria said because she knew her son was largely responsible these days about showing up for the job of the moment. Largely because of the money that was coming out of it, as long as there is motivation to get him to work.

“Were you able to help your mother?” Michael asked of his mother-in-law. Now married to the town sheriff, so it made for a unique little family when you took in all the factors. The many factors.

“One of the crazy little things, that developed because I had to be out on that little trip of mine,” was all Maria would say as she sighed “I fixed it,” of her mother who was a reformed hippie. Someone who liked to jump into things, and things and relationships and they did not always work out as they should but fortunately this time, she had found a relationship that did work out after many frustrating attempts for her mother and Jim, who made a compelling couple.

And they were making it currently work for many years.

“Good,” Michael murmured. As he was aware how much was done for them by Jim and even Amy over the years and knew how some of those scrapes had been hard to get out of, and if they had not had the Sheriff on their side, then we would have been out of luck he muttered. Although he did regret how it would bring hardship and especially for Jim in his job. Thankfully they were past with all that which is why we do not need our children to take up the baton and complicate things.

“Were you able to talk to Isabel about youknow,” Maria asked as she had been relieved when her mother had come calling because it meant she did not have to deal with this latest distraction, but now she was home.

“No,” Michael said shaking his head as he came back to the conversation. “Since we do not have much information,” Michael sighed as he knew they needed to know more, to have answers. “Isabel is going to find her brother and see if we can find out more.”

“You know that it might not mean anything,” Maria asked. “Rath has not seen fit to come our way,” she murmured because she did not know what it could mean either and she was not thrilled about finding out because they had always too much drama in other aspects of their life. The last thing they needed was Michael’s doppelganger to come to town.

“Although his daughter is here, and Sierra might make this all the more complicated,” Michael groaned.

“You cannot be serious?” came the shocked voice of their son who had come down the stairs and overheard the last of the conversation. “You are kidding me, right?” came a shocked Mac, “Because if you are, I mean, holy crap,” was all their returning son could say as he walked into the kitchen. Wow.

Intending to say he was off again, only hear the name Sierra, and wow once again as he thought of his first sentiment. “You are talking about River’s girlfriend, right?” he asked of his parents. Maybe I misheard, maybe it is another Sierra? “Sierra Cruise?”

Michael and Maria were caught, and unsure of what they could say to their son. And for Mackenzie, it was annoying to hear nothing from his parents, and being forced to make connections. “Are you saying Sierra is one of us?”

*

Sierra is one of us Mac was asking himself as he walked into the Crashdown five minutes late, because he could not just rush off once he heard some life changing clan news. But his parents were tight lip. So, his stay was only temporary, and he had rushed off, and was able to make it almost one time. Thankful Jeff was not downstairs monitoring his arrival time. Rushing in, he saw the table was still occupied.

But only by River and Jessica.

Apparently, he had not missed much of the drama. Because there had been a standoff. Mariah had vanished back behind the doors, and Max had stayed and gotten his own table and because River had gone back to his and Jessica and Jaime table, as they were still there, and they had talked any further. Mariah still had not come back in and River did not want to leave while Mariah was upstairs and staying there or unless his father did his own disappearing act.

That meant River was not going anywhere.

Mac immediately noticed that Sierra was not around as he passed by the table, acknowledging his friends, who nodded right back.

Sierra was not there because she had to get going, so, she had left not too far before Mac walked through the doors.

Exhausted from the battle of wills with his father. River needed a break and once he knew his best friend had shown up for his shift. River got up from the table, and walked back into the dressing area, and saw as his friend grab his apron from his locker. As he looked at the back room. Still residing in a different era. So much was the same. Not that he had been old enough to know, and given how everything had gone back then, the last thing he would have been taken was here, because he had only showed up right before things went bad for his father.

And for Liz.

Liz would then leave, and this place was cornered off and he did not dare come into it until and his friends had come of age and were free to do whatever they wanted, and their parents could do very little about it, or most importantly his father.

Not that he even cared.

Until now, that is.

“You are late,” River asked.

“At least I showed up at all…” Mac said with a shrug.

River nodded but then he knew his friend was keeping to the letter of the start time, and this was an arbitration more than a normal thing, still it was something to comment on. “You are lucky your boss is dealing with his family right now,” he said, and Mac nodded, as they walked into the kitchen and Mac waved off Tomas from his shift, although he did get some grumbles about Mac being late.

“10 minutes at the most,’ Mac muttered as Tomas departed the scene.

“Time is important,” River muttered as he reflected on the past. “You never get it back…”

“I would have been here in time but got surprised by a discovery that got dropped my way,” Mac muttered as he glanced over at his best friend and could see his friend was at ease with his life, and did not seem to have tension on him, “Were you going to tell me, or do you not know?” he wondered because River did not act like he was in the dark, how would you act? he thought.

“What do you mean?” River wondered. And he really did not know what his friend could be referring too.

“Sierra?” Mac asked.

“What about Sierra?” River asked clueless. Because it could just be about anything he muttered. Almost anything, right?

After all, River knew how his friend felt about his relationship. Mac was either hot or cold on Sierra. And right now, it’s cold he thought because he thought River was better off not tying him down if he wanted to get out of this town one day. Which River still had a goal to do. Being with someone will not stop me, and who knows where Sierra and I will be by graduation. A day is like a year in this family.

“That she is one of us?” Mac asked simply, and to the point.

Drat River thought. How did Mac find out? he wondered because he had wanted to be the one who told him but had not found the time, yet he thought. That had been his goal for the day, but something was always coming in the way.

“How did you find out?” River asked.

“It’s out among the family,” Mac muttered. “At least the elders,” he muttered as he knew Jessica was still in the dark, and once she found out, she would not be pleased to know she was the last to know, and it was not River who had told them. “I thought maybe you would not have known which is why you did not tell us. But it does not sound like it is so foreign to you, am I right. So, it was only me and Jessica, huh? he muttered. “So, you knew, and you did not see fit to tell Jessica or me about Sierra.”

“Why would I do that?” River asked and knew why I would do such a thing because it needs to be done.

“You know why you would have done it,” Mac muttered as he focused. “But we cannot have that talk about it now, but I have to get to work, so we will talk about it later” he sighed as he saw his boss out of the corner of his eye as Jeff had come downstairs. And he knew he had to get to work, as orders were coming into the kitchen, and were starting to pile up. “Catch you later.”

River nodded, and sighed and walked out of the kitchen, and found Jessica in his path, and it was clear she might have overheard something “Hey Jessie,” he asked of his cousin.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Jessica asked as she was not letting her cousin walk pass her, without getting in his face. “I came to say something to Mac, and I overheard him, what is this about Sierra?”

“Jessica, drop it” River muttered. “This is not the time to be discussing this and especially not the place.”

Jessica was on the scent and was not going to leave it alone. “Nope, you are not going to get out of this one” Jessica said pulling her cousin towards the door in the back, and into the alley. So that they could have some privacy. She knew Mac would want to be here, but you cannot have everything you want, right? “We definitely need to talk.”

“It has nothing to do with us,” River muttered, trying to dig in his heels.

Once the door was closed behind them, and they were standing in the alley where the garbage bin was, and not a lot of people go down, it would be the perfect place to talk. “What is going on with Sierra?” she demanded of her cousin. “What is it that I do not know?”

“Nothing,” River muttered. “You do need to know everything,” he muttered as he tried to brace for the onslaught that was coming from his cousin. The one thing Jessica was good for is that she knew how to get to him, probably because they were the only ones of the branches of family tree, bonded by their abilities. Although I guess I am not the only one, he thought. There is Mariah he thought. But for the last decade or more since Jessica had been born, well, they had been able to bond because of what they shared, that no one else could.

“Tell me,” Jessica demanded. “If this is about our family, or who is in this fraternity of ours than I think you know that I deserve to know. So, you are only stalling,” Jessica muttered because she was not going to be taking it personally that she was not told. She figured River would have come to them eventually but still she was struggling to comprehend it even if she only knew a sliver of it. “So, is it true, what Mac said ever so briefly. Is she one of us?” she asked because she was trying to make it make sense, but she could not. While she was getting vibes from Sierra of late. But she knew how to identity someone who was like her, right? she told herself. Although you struck out with Mariah. Because you did not know Mariah was related, she thought. Okay my radar might need a slight adjustment she would have to mutter. But then why would I not have seen it, because for so long, it was only she, River and Mac were the only ones of the newest generation.

Now there might be someone else? She thought. On top of the discovery of Mariah, this was too much.

Right?

“Why does it even matter?” River asked.

“It matters and you know why it does,” Jessica mutter. “I understand the need to protect her privacy, but why not level with us?” she asked. “Because the one thing our parents always told us was to be careful, and know who you can trust, and as we have recently learned with Mariah that it is important for everyone to be upfront, and for us to know about each other, even if we are not as intimately involved as say you are,” Jessica said. “I think you know that, so you do not need me saying this too you” she said as she was trying to comprehend how it was possible.

River sighed, as he gave a simple nod.

It is not, right? Jessica told herself of the possibility. “How can it even be true?” she wondered as it was starting to sink in. “We know our group,” she asked. “Because come on, it made a weird sense of sick sense with Mariah because of your father, and her mother, but Sierra…”

Normally it would not make sense, and River knew it, which is why he knew why his cousin was having a hard time with it. And it was not like I have reacted positively to it, he knew. Personally, he was still struggling it. But his feeling for Sierra were overwhelming any freak out for the moment he thought as he was trying to figure it out too. “We are not the only people like us around you know,” River muttered as he said the words and as almost an automatic reflex, he could not help but check to see if they were being watched. It was almost habit. But fortunately, they usually were not. And they were not being watched this time either. But living the life they led, well, of course, it had been engrained in them to be careful. To be wary. To keep things behind closed doors. It would make New Years’ Eve an aberration because while Mac tended to color outside the lines if he could manage, still, there were limits to what they were willing to do, even if by having their abilities, they might be able to get away with it. Because their generation were conscious of the fact, they had it easier than their parent’s generation because there was so much, they did know, unlike their parent’s time. When everything was being discovered for the first time. “We might like to think we are the only ones of our kind, but we are not…”

“So, Sierra…” Jessica asked as she thought, sure, we are not the only ones but come on, it is so easy to assume we are.

“Yes, damnit, yes.” River muttered.

Even though she was asking River about that little tidbit she had overheard, still the confirmation shocked her, and her jaw dropped. “Wow, okay, wow,” she asked. “But that makes very little sense because as I said, so you are saying, she is a someone from outside our little community?” she wondered as she was trying to make some sense of it.

“Yes,” River sighed.

*

While Jessica was trying to process the information. Liz was upstairs. But outside, getting some fresh air. How she was doing this was because she was standing out on her balcony. A place of so much action. There were so many kisses, but too much angst at the same time. She spotted the space she had once said the magic word, yes to Max. When he had gotten down on his knees and asked her to marry him. The flashes of that moment were intense.

So why am I out here? she wondered to herself when she knew she was getting bombarded with images and flashes of that time. Of not even the moment they had gotten engaged. But there had been so much more.

And not enough at the same time.

I am a masochist she muttered to herself. Yes, that is what I am she sighed, as she glanced over to the spot, and remembered of what had come after she said yes, because they had taken everything so farther than they had before.

Before they had gotten busted, but not so on that night.

When they were thinking so much was possible. Both of them were thinking they had come through the worst and were willing to try again. It could not be any worse than what we had experienced she remembered thinking. Of course, they knew they were only beginning, but we believed we could have handled it together.

Only did the light of the next day show that they would be wrong. “Mom,” she heard. Thinking it was the kid who was talking to her, her son Lex she thought. As she turned towards the window, but nope she thought. “Mariah?” she asked with a degree of surprise because her daughter had been the last one, she thought it would be because the last she had seen her daughter had been when she was talking to her grandparents. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Should I not be asking you of that?” Mariah asked as she looked out onto the balcony and thought once more how it would have been fun to have something like this back home. Nope, I had a tree outside my window she thought.

She did not know why she had come looking for her mother. Because it was not like they had spent much time talking.

Because so much was difficult these days.

Liz knew teenagers were hell. Because of being one and knowing how much she had put her own parents through but raising one is a different breed of responsibility she now thought. I thought I was prepared. I guess not. And now Liz was looking at the child who might have been conceived when she was last on this deck, back when everything was bright. Max had surprised her with that diamond she thought. Crafted after seeing Superman do it or so I am told she thought. Those movies had never been her thing back when she was a kid.

Why would it have been? I was the brain, the academic scientist who had plans she told herself. They were only movies, and not something real.

Boy was I wrong. So, on that day. The man-made diamond had shocked her, and she had been swept up in the romance of the moment. Everything they had gone through. I thought everything was different. Max had just given up his son she thought. While she knew how hard it was for him to give up the baby, but still she knew it was the best for the boy, and for them.

She knew that was selfish to feel.

But I wanted Max to want me, and not the baby.

But Max then changed his mind. And she rejected him and ran off, even though it was probably the only decision Max could have made. But it was hard to be there, and to be what Max would have expected of me she thought.

So, I left.

She taken her chance at her future. And she had ended whatever that had started on this balcony and now she saw her daughter, someone who was defined by choices she made.

Brady had been an incredible father first to their daughter, and their son. She did not regret meeting or marrying Brady because he had made her happy, but still, there was a lot of what if she thought. And if only…

I had enough strength to accept Max’s son, but I did not she thought. Tess was too fresh. Every time I looked at the baby, I saw what Tess had taken from me she thought. It was not just Max’s one night with Tess, or whatever they had together because I could almost deal with that she thought. Okay, I did not deal with it well she thought.

Nope.

But still she could have dealt with it, Liz knew. Because she knew what she had done to force Max to go off with Tess. Future Max told me it was the right thing, she told herself, Boy was he wrong she would sigh now. I should never have listened to him.

But she had, and so she had gone and had changed the timeline and made everything change in a blink of the eye.

As a result, Alex died. Max slept with Tess, and there ended up being a baby.

While she hated it. She knew she probably could have handled the sex, but the baby changed things, and made everything more adult and because the baby’s mother, she could not look at the tiny baby and know what Tess had taken from them.

Even if that mother was dead and was not going to be in our lives.

So, she ran for her future.

And found Brady and they started a new life. Not without some tribulation. But she loved her life.

And then that life that had cruelly been taken from her, and now she was dealing with starting a whole new life. With a daughter who was angry. As she knew she was zoned out, and Mariah did not know how to deal with her mother.

I wish I could just accept all this she thought. When she knew she had a missing piece of herself all these years. I knew something was up but now, all I want is to go back to my old life.

But she knew it was not possible.

She hated how she was feeling. “I know you are pissed at me for how I am reacting to all this?” Mariah muttered as she saw her mother starting to come back to reality.

“I am not anything at you honey,” Liz muttered. “I know how hard it is for you to accept any of this. And I am sorry about that. If I could do everything again, and change it all for you, I would…”

“Would you?” Mariah asked surprised

“Yes,” Liz said softly.

“You would have stayed here even if it meant that River’s Dad was raising him?” Mariah asked as she was well aware that was what tripped up her mother’s prior relationship with her biological father. She did not know how to handle it. I still cannot fathom it.

The fact she almost had a different life.

If only.

[keepsmiling7]

Now what??

[Parker1947]

Downstairs,

How is this even true? Jessica muttered to herself as she was staring at her cousin and wondered what the hell was going on. For so long, she, River and Mac had been the three musketeers in this life. River being the first born of course, followed by her and Mac. It had been only them all these years. Trying to figure out how to grow up in a complicated family structure and be different. And instantly they knew they had to blend in, and celebrate your true self, but you are not to show it to anyone else. Keep it to yourself she would mutter.

So, River, Mac and Jessica would deal with in their own individualistic ways. Striving in many ways and looking for trouble in other ways. But keeping to the family first motto. It was only the three of us who knew what it was like she thought. Because even Jaime could not know. There was no one else. Even their parents having lived through the first generation, would not know what it meant to have to live up to what came before.

Still, they managed it, but only months before, things had started to change. Starting with Mariah. Now they were living in a different world. And trying to keep it from spinning out of control. Because she knew Mariah’s arrival was the first stone in their wall surrounding of their clan. More than a decade and counting from when and Mac had been born. We could successfully blend in. Nothing was changing the basic structure. Things were quiet, which was quite the contrast because she had been told there had been plenty when River arrived on the scene. But by the time she and Mac were born, well, things had tone down dramatically.

And so, they lived a different life.

Once of relative normalcy except for the fact her own biological father had died in a car crash before but that had been a senseless crash on a slick road. She knew her mother and uncle, during a lucid moment of engagement had investigated it along with Mac’s father and found her father’s manner of death to be completely innocent manner, there was no funny business, except it left her mother a widow, before the divorce degree could be finalized. Majority of her father estate at the time of his death would go into a trust fund for Jessica because by then Isabel was able to the assistance of her own family move on, and she had only needed a tiny bit for housing once she and her new baby moved out on their own. Sometimes she thought of her parents and wondered what kind of life they had. She knew her mother said that she was committed to the marriage, but from what Jessica gathered. The marriage likely would not have lasted long.

Not when you are not your true self with someone you love. Jessica knew her biological father was not able to wrap his head around her mother’s true self. And probably would have not been able to stick if he knew his only child would one day turn out to be like her mother, and uncle. She was taught by her mother, and especially her grandmother what kind of man her father had been, but knew the women were colored by their wishes, and especially her grandmother.

Her mother rarely talked about how complicated it was to be with her biological father. And if any of what she heard from Maria, and even her grandparents were true because they were upfront about how there was still so much, they did not know. But still Maria knew, and Michael too. She rarely was able to speak to her uncle about it because her uncle had turned into a recluse as time went on. So, if any of it was true than Jessica was happy her mother had found love in Jaime’s father, Kyle. Kyle was someone special to Jessica too. Someone who did not take over the role of father, but someone Jessica could go to over time, and she appreciated it.

As she thought of how her uncle had turned away from them as time went on. So, Kyle had been her male role mode.

So, with time. Things were toned down as she, Mac and of course River grew up. As I said, we were the three musketeers. Able to be guided by what our parents knew, because they had come first with the knowledge. Knowing they had to stay quiet about who they were in front of the mere mortals, with Jaime exempted. Keeping their abilities to behind closed doors, which was fine for the three of them because why expose yourself to the judgment of others. Best to be your true self and not face the wrath of people who do not know better.

And then came Mariah.

And now Sierra. So naturally her first response would be, are you kidding me? and said as much.

“Look I know,” River said. “We have not talked much about it, but yes, I know, and I have known since last night when I found out.”

“How did you find out?” Jessica asked.

“Does it really matter?” River asked. “All that matters is that she is one of us, because of her father. I do not know much more because from the little I know; her father has not been in this town since long before either of us were born.” he muttered. “How I know this is because you know, Rath, Lonnie, Ava?”

“Oh,” Jessica asked them. “Yes, I remember hearing their names” she nodded as she knew the three of them had been warned of the case of the duplicates. About the fact there was another set out there, so, they would know not to be taken in by any version of her mother, nor Mac’s father, because Uncle Max’s was currently dead, she thought as nothing these past years since they were born had risen doubt.

It was all a touch too sci fi for her she thought. I like it more real she thought.

“So, you are saying, what, Sierra’s father is this Rath?” Jessica asked as she was trying to process it. “The duplicate of Mac’s father?”

“I have never met the man, but I am told that is what is going on” River muttered. “Sierra is sensitive about her father, because I suspect that they do not have the easiest of relationships” he wondered.

“So, the two of you cannot help but bond over your mutual Daddy issues?” Jessica asked with a smile.

“Jessica, please…” River muttered.

“Please what?” Jessica asked with a smile. “I was making a comment, that is all. I am just surprised that is all. Because I am trying to process all this because even though we were warned. Still, I never imagined it could happen. Because, yes, I know there are others out there, and most of the time we seem to forget that fact, but it is easy to live in our own bubble,” she muttered. “And of course, we their children only know half of the stories. Or that were fit to tell us as we grew up.”

“Yeah,” River muttered as she thought of his half-sister upstairs “And some of us know too much, but still we do not know much about them except they came to town during junior year and needed my father to go New York with them, to some Summit,” he muttered of the planets, and he omitted that part because they were still outside.

They had privacy, but he had no idea how much.

“Since my father’s “duplicate” is dead, then there was only one male other, and his name was Rath,” River muttered.

“And that means, what?” Jessica asked.

“Who knows,” River muttered. I do not know of anyone who can tell you what is going on?

*

Because at the same time her daughter was trying to come to terms with the new world order. Isabel did not know what was going on. Or why this was coming back to them, at this point. Was it just blip? Of course, we never did know what did happen to Lonnie and Rath she thought. Or if Rath did something with his life, which of course he did, or albeit just enough to create a child. What about Lonnie she thought. A form of Vilondra she thought. Isabel remembered bristling at the knowledge they had a life on another planet and it how it set her off on an identity crisis of sorts with the finding of some of the downside of that life. They were not happy memories. She was more interested in the life she had here on this planet. Michael was the one who wanted off, and then my brother when he impregnated the wrong woman.

Although he would end up a child with the woman he did love although he would not know it, she would mutter as she sat at the kitchen counter and looked door as she had spent time tracking where Rath and Lonnie might be today. All evidence was they were still alive. Currently Rath was somewhere on the other side of the planet and had not been seen in close to six months, not even by his own daughter, so he is a crappy father she thought.

But Lonnie was in the wind. And now Isabel could not get a grip of where she was. Annoyed, and she was asking herself why she was doing this. Because it’s not like we are family. Because she and Lonnie were two very different individuals. Lonnie is probably in jail or something, or maybe dead. Isabel thought. So, why am I doing this to myself? But she knew she probably should be looking to find out where her duplicate might be so they could be armed, and not face any surprises. After all, she did not like surprises. None of us do. So, she did not hear the door to the kitchen close and looked up and found her husband-to-be walking into the house. Surprised, but then remembered the high school was on break this week, and her fiancé had the week off just like their kids did.

In the past, they had taken the opportunity to travel to other parts of New Mexico, or even Arizona when the kids were small, but now the kids were older, and did not want to travel as much during their break off. And this year in particular, with everything brewing. They had decided not to plan something. Especially since they had a wedding to plan, and maybe a honeymoon to look forward. The honeymoon was Kyle’s to plan.

So, they had spent the week off, and her fiancé tended to find things to do, or was making plans for the upcoming games once school was back in session. After all, Kyle coached football.

Kyle found his girlfriend in the middle of something. Something she had not been when he had left for his fishing day with his father. Now he was home.

“Did you catch anything?” Isabel asked as she perked up.

“No, not today” Kyle said. “Has there been anything with the kids?” he asked although he knew if something had truly come up regarding their daughters than Isabel would have reached out to him, and because she had not, except for a message ranting about her duplicate, and explaining that Sierra was Rath’s daughter, therefore, it had not made a lot of sense until he figured out more on the drive home, but still that time with his father had allowed him to be blissfully ignorant.

“Nope, Jaime has been gone all day so far. Which is surprising given I believe all she had was a tutoring session with Lex,” Isabel murmured. “I have not heard from either of the girls so far,” she sighed at the knowledge that both the girls were becoming more and more independent as time has gone by.

And it was unnerving for their parents.

Which is why Kyle could only nod. As he was coming home so he was unsure of why his girlfriend was knee deep in papers, as she had them all spread out all over the table. After a rewarding day spent with father doing a little fishing, and drinking beer, and now he was back home, and all the craziness that brings to his life. When he had driven up, the car was home, so he knew someone was home. With neither of their kids within driving age, and thankfully I still have a bit of time before I take on that worry Kyle thought in terms of his own daughter.

I do not have to worry about that, yet he thought. Although he knew time was ticking down as he was seeing the worry on Isabel’s face as his fiancée was dealing with that coming way too soon with Jessica only months away from her own sixteen birthday.

Jessica was already studying for the test.

Boys would have been better he could not help but mutter to himself. There were too many worries with girls he would mutter to himself, but he also knew he many worries that his own father did not have, not that we were speaking much he thought. Because my father decided to follow Grandpa’s lead and believe in aliens, he muttered.

At the time, he laughed at the thought and maybe I did not laugh much he thought as he believed his father was going down that road, a road that meant his father was following his grandfather obsession. Little did we know he muttered. As he remembered how he reacted at the time, Kyle knew he had too much before he started to settle down. So, all types of kids have a knack of causing trouble, no matter the sex.

As he prayed that Jaime did not give him a battle once she turned into that phase of wanting to hate life, assuming that would be happening because he thought of his daughter. So, much of her was like her late mother. And the more rational side came from himself. So, he was not sure he would have to worry, but looking at Jessica, and knowing what the kids were capable of…

But Jessica was different than his own daughter.

And she was proving it each day, much to the frustration of both himself and Isabel.

Which is why it was worrying his fiancée. One day she will be my wife he thought. Why they decided to change their relationship after a decade, he did not know except that life was short, you never know what was going to happen. He wanted that commitment, and after time Isabel had finally been ready to move on. She had been skittish about it because of his it had gone within his relationship with Jesse.

I am different from Jesse he thought. I know, he thought.

Unlike Liz, he had never changed. And we still do not know why I did not when Liz did.

Not that I was particularly anxious to start glowing he muttered as he saw his girlfriend perplexed by the papers on the table. As she looked up and said something, and he realized he had not heard what she had said, “Sorry,” he said coming back to reality. “Did you say something?” he asked of the love of his life.

Someone who he got, and who got him. Despite their differences. Of course, she knew the warts of his life. Just as he knew the woman was someone should not have loved. And knew his grandfather would probably have disapproved if he had any of his sanity left before death came calling. As Kyle remembered back. And knew how it shocked his father to realize that aliens did exist, and they were in the form of teenagers, and initially he harbored bad thoughts but would eventually come to see that they were only trying to live their lives, and were not trying to hurt anyone, or at least some of them were not he thought now.

Kyle would come by the knowledge in a more brutal way. Near death he thought. And for sure, he had not wanted any part of the life. And did not care for the sacrifices that were being called on to be made by his own father, and even of him once he was let in on the truth. And saw the real cost of the truth. There had been too much danger for one small group of teenagers, and he bristled at all that back then.

And of course, time would give him prospective.

And it did not help that he would fall for Isabel but could not have her at the same time because she had met someone else, who was probably inappropriate for her, although he was a decent guy. But anyone could have told Isabel that it was a mistake to go in all in on that relationship and have it turn into marriage so quickly. But at the time, Isabel was trying to grasp for something that made sense after losing someone who was something more meaningful to her, but it was not enough.

The loss was just as painful as if she had actually loved him.

Someone who was lost to them in a senseless and brutal act of deception.

Kyle would always bristle at the flashes of that time because to lose Alex had been a body blow to them all. Because Kyle could not help but feel shivers even to this day because of his own culpability in it, as he tried to shake that memory out of his mind as he tried to cling to what he did have now, something real and not horrible which was Isabel and their children; Jaime who had given him something cherish. And he did feel horrible that he and her mother could not make it work. Teri was lost to us way too soon.

We were only just out of our marriage when she got sick. Treatments failed almost as soon as they begun, and it was not like he could go to Max and ask for help, because Max was lost to them by that point and then of course Teri did not know the truth. One of the many reasons why it did not work because there was so much, he could not say.

And Teri sensed that there was something he was holding back. And he was. Because he could not be honest. But his wife would have pinned it on his unrequited love for Isabel even though he had always been faithful to his wife and was never tempted to stray. Still, and while Teri had known of his feeling before they married…

Kyle believed he could move on and be with someone else. Because it was not like Isabel actually looked at me as an option back then he thought. Unfortunately for his marriage. It did not matter, he and Teri suffered for it until they mutually decided to end their marriage. With Kyle pledging to be an active father, always be around. Jaime would never feel like she was being abandoned.

He knew that feeling and did not want his daughter to feel it.

Unfortunately, illness would rob them of Teri’s life and Kyle had spent the last decade trying to be there for his daughter, to make up for the fact she did not have her mother. Isabel had helped immeasurably, and never tried to push to be more to Jaime than his daughter wanted his girlfriend to be, as it was always up to Jaime how much she was going to accept from Isabel. Fortunately, it helped that his daughter and Jessica were close thanks to the fact they were close to the same age and were able to get along.

And were the ones pressuring their parents to formalize their relationship. As if living together was not a big deal commitment he thought but finally he felt ready to marry, and knew Isabel felt the same.

After all, he would have married her years ago, if she had wanted to.

But she was scared off by her first marriage. And it had taken a long time to get over those days.

“Yes, I did” Isabel said with a laugh, as she spotted her fiancé zoning out but now coming back to her. “Where were you?” she asked as she saw that she finally had her boyfriend’s attention back on her.

“Nowhere in particular,” Kyle said. “Sorry,” he said once again. ‘You mentioned Jaime?” he asked of his daughter.

His only child.

Although he did not consider Jessica just as much his as his daughter, but at the end of the day, she was not his, but he had helped raise her.

It was something they had talked back, having a child together. Both knew they were getting older, and it was one of the real reasons why they decided to finally to marry so that they could try for a child, born under marriage since he knew his girlfriend was traditional in many ways. Although not traditional enough to want marriage before living together, but still, a child was different. So, plans were currently being made even though they had not narrowed down a date as of yet. Although they were thinking lately of a July wedding, but they would be deciding any day now. If there was not drama coming from other corners, then we might be deciding.

“Jaime, yes, she is not home,” Isabel murmured. “She did not come home after her tutoring session ended with Lex Anthony,” she sighed. ‘I did not think she had other plans?” she allowed. “Did she call you?”

“Nope,” Kyle murmured. ‘She does not always call. So, yeah, she is off, and therefore she is probably having fun,” he allowed. “I really do not think we have to worry.”

“I am not worried, just surprised that is all” Isabel murmured.

“Sure, you are,” Kyle said with a smile as once again he saw the papers. “She knows to call if it truly does get away from her,” he murmured because he had no cause not trust his daughter. “Which is something I think you know,” he said with a smile as finally referenced the paper. “What has gotten your eye?”

“Only research,” Isabel sighed as she glanced up towards her boyfriend. As she was wanting a diversion and hoping that the girls were up to no good so that she and Kyle would go find their mischievous girls but knew of either girl Jaime was not the one to worry about because she was normal, but even if she was not, and was like her own daughter. Jaime was the most even keel kid out there, and someone you would not want to go towards the trouble or the fire.

Now Jessica she thought. Jessica gives me worries she told herself. The closer her daughter got to sixteen and getting out onto the road. And seeing the difficulties Mariah was giving to Liz, it made her worry.

But Jessica had it more together.

And he was not lied to all her life Isabel thought. Okay it was not a lie Isabel muttered to herself because she believed that there was thought to wonder. She believed in that because for all her faults, Isabel knew that Liz would never have not told her brother. “Nothing serious.”

“I doubt that” Kyle muttered. As he knew when his girlfriend was looking for a diversion and was wishing their kids to dig up the muck and cause trouble, so she did not have to deal with whatever she was dealing with. “So, what are you doing?”

“Sierra Cruise has gotten me wondering,” Isabel muttered as she knew she had laid a trippy voice message on her husband-to be, because it had me rattled, she thought. It still does. “Of what we do not know.”

“What do you mean?” Kyle asked, as if he did not know.

He did.

“The duplicates, you know the clone versions of ourselves” Isabel muttered. I never thought I would have to think about them again. “I want to say, twins, but twins have some difference to them,’ she sighed. “I need to know if I can find where Rath and Lonnie are?”

“Did you find out anything?” Kyle asked.

“More than I wish I had,” Isabel muttered.

And still, she did not know a lot.

None of them did.

*

Max had not left the Crashdown even though it was starting to thin out as the lunch crowd was finishing and the afternoon lull was now on, as he could not help but look over to see his son talking to his niece about something. Jaime had only just left, but River was staying, and Max knew it was because he was still here in the restaurant. Although Max did not know why he was still here when it was obvious his daughter did not want to see him, and he should heed it and leave but he could not, and he did not know why.

Mariah had come back, and he should be taking that as a message, but he was, and he knew it was because he wanted to see her mother again, even though he had just seen her a few hours before. And he could not help but think back and remember how this had been such a daily ritual once upon a time.

When I was younger and did not have grey hair trying to peek through to show my age, he mused to himself.

Because once upon a time, yes, he had almost daily because Liz had been roaming the room as a waitress. Today, she had not made an appearance since he had been on the premises and he should be heeding it, he knew.

Give it up he told himself. Be the big man here.

But he stayed.

As upstairs, Liz stayed put. She was still on the balcony talking to her daughter. She was having to come to terms with a lot, and it was not always pleasant. She knew she and Brady had given their children a good life.

A different one than the one they would have here. if she and Brady had moved back here after university. Which had been discussed at one point, but only briefly because if it had not been obvious to Brady that his wife had a love/hate relationship with her hometown before than it would have become obvious once they finished with Northwestern and looking to a make a life together. With a young child in Mariah, and a young toddler by that point in their son, Alex.

They were not sure they wanted to stay in Chicago. But the first jobs offered came out of the Windy City. Still, they did not lock into where they had met, and fell in love. Brady had offered to move back to New Mexico if that was where Liz had wanted to be. But Liz had bristled at the idea, even though she knew fully well that the state was large, and they did not even have to settle close to Roswell.

They could have been anywhere in the state.

But no, she had bristled and informed her husband she was fine with settling in Illinois or anywhere other than her home state. So, yes, if he had not known it before, then he would have known it then.

And the first offer that was worth anything came out of Chicago, and so they stayed, and that is where they had made their life.

Until everything changed the previous November when they moved back here because of an offer that too good to turn down for her husband. Although Liz would now know her husband had been looking for the new offer because he was not like the relationship their daughter was in, back home, and once here, only two weeks later, their lives would again change forever.

And they were still feeling the aftershocks, and the rumble.

Now Liz was looking at her daughter, “I am serious,” she was saying to her daughter as she was trying to come to terms with the teenager so they could end the war between them. A war that was one-sided at this point. Because Liz was giving all the ground to her daughter and was aching for peace because this was not the 16th birthday that she was wishing for daughter. She wished her daughter could be having a happier day. Yeah, she wished Mariah could have a day that was memorable and not one that was full of doubt, angst, and change. But then Liz would not have described her own as a celebration either as she had been up to her toes in trying to figure what was going on with Max.

It so early in the aftermath of the shooting. Still though it was all so normal, and then September 18th happened, and she was entering an abnormal world.

Whether she knew it or not.

As it was also a world that had has never left, completely, even when she believed she had. Because a piece of it was always with her.

But back then, she had not even known half of it, or what she would be sacrificing.

Or that she was willing to sacrifice it at all, and she knew she did make some major ones because she fell in love with an alien.

She had given up a lot, until a point, where it became too much and now nearly two decades after that day. She was looking at it all with a different vantage point because her daughter was now a player in this drama as if I am not one also, she muttered to herself.

I left this town to be able to get back what I lost.

My normalcy, a normal life.

Wow that did not happen she muttered. And she was foolish to even think that it could have happened. When you are in love with an alien. Any chance of a normal life is yesterday, and as a result, out the window. But I did try and now she knew she had been lying to herself and was in a state of unknown.

Liz took some of the blame of why she was like this, even if it was not warranted.

She felt like it was.

“For what?” Mariah asked.

“If I could change things for you, if things could have been different,” Liz murmured “But I need you to believe that what I ultimately did, was about you, but it was about me. I do not regret it. Because Mariah, I know I made the right decision for myself by walking away…”

“Because you would have had to deal with River?” Mariah asked as she could help but acknowledge how different her life if her mother had only stayed.

Yes, Liz though silently. “I do not know many women who would have been able to handle it,” Liz murmured. “Everything was intense. To be in the middle of it. Still, I wish I could have been strong enough to be able to, for you, but I was young, and I needed to leave. I needed to leave the situation I was in. To make a break of it all. It was about my sanity. Of course, when I left. I did not know about you, obviously, otherwise I would likely have made a different decision. Because I would have a hard time leaving.”

“You would have had to settle for a life you did not want?” Mariah wondered. Would I want Mom to have done that? To stick only because she got pregnant and resented my brother. Because of me?” she asked.

I wanted the life. Liz sighed. That was never the issue, even when it should have been she thought. I just did not want to be a mother to a kid that was birthed by Alex’s killer. So, she did not know how to answer her daughter’s assumptions. But Mariah knew the answer. “It is okay, you do not have to answer me, because I know the answer.”

“No, you do not,” Liz said softly. “Look Mariah, I wish I could say I was able to handle it. But I was young. I know you think that is an excuse and maybe it is, but I also I was also naïve back then. I was living a different life. Striving for a different future. And then one day, one normal day, it all started to change. When gunshot ran out, I was dealing with the dying days of summer, and the beginning of a new school year. Working here at your grandparent’s restaurant during the day, studying or even dating Kyle…”

“Kyle?” Mariah asked. “Oh, right, River’s uncle” and my uncle? she wondered. Because she knew some of the players.

Not very well.

Which is my fault she thought as memories of the diary she had taken which had opened her eyes to her mother’s world drifted through her mind as she now remembered how her mother mentioned dating the Sheriff’s son.

Who was now engaged to River’s aunt, although the wedding had not taken place yet but the title was still on, regardless of any formalizing of ties as her mind also drifted back to reality and she could see that her mother was also in her own little world.

So, was she?

“Yes,” was all Liz could say.

Mariah nodded.

“Everything was so normal, and then I almost died. And I would have died, bled out probably before anyone could have come to my aide, because in the mayhem they did not know what was happening. Whether they would have been able to save me. I do not know. But if it was not for one person. Someone who was here, watching me, and not acting until a gunman fired his gun and ran off. He could have run off himself given the weight of his secret, but he did not, and he came into the fire, and in ways someone else might not have.” Liz said softly. Thinking of the magnitude of what Max had one. For me she thought. “Still, Max jumped in, and saved my life by healing me, and therefore he brought me into this insane drama that got more outrageous as time went on,” Liz whispered as Mariah felt like this unbelievable tale her mother was spinning could only exist in a movie, but it was real, too real she muttered. And she knew her mother had to be telling the truth. Because she also could not fathom how it must have been to be that girl back then, unknowing, nearly dying and if not for some unique healing power, she might truly have died. “I wish I could have provided you a normal life,” she whispered once more to bring her daughter back into the reality of the moment.

Mariah felt for her mother, finally. It had to have been hell. “You did,” she whispered. “Because I cannot say you and Dad did not give me or Lex a life back in Chicago that was as normal as possible, and I know you probably would have continued to down here too if Dad was not taken from us, like he was,” she conceded. “All my life I believed in a world, she sighed. “One that made sense. I did not know any different, and if we had not come here, then I might have gone on not knowing…”

“I am sorry…” Liz murmured. I hate this.

“Don’t be” Mariah sighed. “You did not know any different,” she murmured. “You cannot blame yourself Mom. The only reason we found out was because of Dad because you know…”

“I know,” Liz sight as she thought of the ticking bombshell that had taken away her husband.

“As I said, I believe in this world, and I did not know any better or differently,” Mariah sighed as she looked out into the sun of the day. “But now I know, and it makes a weird sense because while I had a normal life, and I did, still thought, I was beginning to see that I am not normal, and it was not only stumbling on what I did to make me feel out of sorts. Because I have felt it for a while even if I did not know what it all meant,” she thought of this feeling. Or you can call it a vibe she thought. But still she had felt different, and she did not quite grasp it back in Chicago. Where she was thinking she did was clashing against her grandparent’s money ways.

Oh, Liz thought. As she immediately felt guilty for not seeing it. Maybe I did but I did not see it at the same time. “You did not say anything?”

“What was I going to say you Mom or to Dad. That I was feeling different. That I was getting these weird vibes, and even having imaginative and downright Hollywood type dreams. And I was not always asleep when I was having them…” she said speaking for the first time of the true burden she had been under, even before she had come to this town. Parts of herself that she had been able to shelve down deep and try ignore, and thank she was reading too much, and seen one too many movies. Because I could not be possibility be like this, right?

I am human, right?

“Oh, god” Liz murmured. “If you had told me?”

“What would you have done, especially what would Dad have done? Would you have believed me because we had no reason to think anything differently? And back home, everyone would have looked at me like I needed to be committed, and maybe I would have needed to be, but coming here, and finding out what I did, well, it freaked me out, and it was way too much, but it made sense at the same time. I now knew there was a reason for feeling like I did, but it did not mean it made sense to me either so I wished I was back home in Chicago where Grandma or Grandpa would be trying to push their money ways on me, or thinking that I should be dating from the right families, and especially not someone like Josh who was too low class for them,” she muttered as she thought of her grandparents views. And yes, mostly she had ignored them, and now she knew there was a reason why she never jived with their ways. It was not simply a grandchild rebelling against the wealthy class.

It was more. More than class.

She was not one of them.

She did not know why she wanted to be one of them anyways, and why she had been fighting It was obvious I was not like them, and did not want to be…

But I always figured I was like Dad Mariah thought. Because she knew how her dad had walked away from the life, and so she figured she was like both her parents. Because they did not care for that life.

Now she knew.

Liz did hate to see her daughter in so much turmoil and how she was revealing so much she did not see or had been oblivious too and I could not help but feel like her own parents during the time the aliens invaded my life she thought. Mom and Dad did not see what I was going through or was classifying it as something it was not. And I have now ignored my own daughter’s plight. She knew of her husband’s battles with his parents, and certainly knew of her in-laws’ controlling ways. She also knew they disapproved of her daughter’s relationship with Josh Anderson. Josh is many things, but not low-class Liz thought. She might have qualms about how serious her daughter had gotten with Josh, but the boy had been a good kid. Just not from any of those families the Antony elders would have approved of for their only granddaughter she muttered because se she knew that feeling well, because I was in that position once upon a time. Mitchell and Christina did not approve of me, and their son bucked against them. Although it helped that I was pregnant at the time of our marriage otherwise I might have had to deal with some of Mitchell’s heavy-handed methods that she had seen enacted with his daughter, Priscilla Liz thought. Between marriages.

Having Mariah prevented a large part or so I thought she muttered as she still had not talked to her sister-in-law about what her husband may nor may not have known about his daughter’s paternity. Thanks to my son being nosey she thought of her son.

“Mom?” Mariah asked, concerned that her revelations might have sent her mother around the bend, one too many times. “Are you okay?”

Not on your life she wanted to say.

But Liz wisely did not. “You should have told me,” Liz murmured. “You have no idea how much I know that feeling, okay, maybe not to the degree that you are feeling, but I know the feeling.”

“What would you have done if I had come to you?” Mariah asked because she had every confidence whatever her mother might have felt at one time was not what she was feeling not even close she murmured to herself. “We have no idea or what we do now, and you had no reason to believe was not my father, so if I had come to you, could you have really helped me?”

“I would have tried,” Liz sighed even though she knew she would have been at a loss because there would have been no way she would have thought her daughter’s paternity was in question, and if she had, then she would not have figured it was Max unless of course she had heard of the daydreams, because she knew those all too well. Still though “You should know that you can come to me with anything okay, and I mean anything, and same would go with your brother when he does get older, and I maybe I can be of some help.”

Mariah nodded.

Unsure of what to say and knowing that she needed to take a break from this and allow her daughter to have some time away from it. “Speaking of grandparents, okay, so, maybe not the ones we were talking of, but maybe it’s time to go back to your other grandparents, and your brother?” Liz asked. Aware that they had been away for a while and their absence was noticeable.

They probably do not know we are out here.

“I do not know,” Mariah answered unsure of whether she wanted to back and yet now she was understanding he mother a little more. She knew they still had a way left to go, but at least she did not feel so hurt, and unsure around her mother.

“What do you know?” Liz wondered. “Mariah today is your day. You can do anything you want with it, no restrictions.”

“Whatever I want?” Mariah asked a tad wearily. “No restrictions?”

“They go back on tomorrow,” Liz said with a smile. “You know that I do not like what you have been doing,” she murmured. “And you start working here on Monday,” she sighed of the agreement she made with her father for her daughter to be given a job. A job as a waitress. Something Jeff was thrilled to provide his granddaughter so that the girl could understand the business. While she could have started on the weekend, but they figured a weekday shift would been a better first day given that her daughter would be on suspension from school. And would not be heading back to classes with her friends, for two weeks. So, spending the days working would do her daughter some good so that she did not dwell on her misery, and she might come out of her funk sooner if she felt a part of the community.

Mariah of course had been resistant to it, but she knew she had no choice.

So, she accepted the offer from her grandfather, and agreed to show up on Monday.

Maybe it will be something to get me to know this town again she thought as if she could read her mother’s mind, and this instance she didn’t. Once upon a time it held so much promise and then the accident happened, everything went to hell she muttered. “I guess I do.”

“It is not a death sentence you know,” Liz said with a smile as she felt her daughter’s annoyance to be having to take the job. “You might enjoy it because I did. I loved interacting with the people down in the restaurant, and it will help you get your ground with this town. And an added plus is that it will help your grandparents out because they are getting older, and everyone could use some help, and you might get to know the town a little more,” she smiled.

Creepy Mariah thought of the ability her mother always had to see right through her, and now she wondered if this town and her biological father was the reason for it. Insane she thought but did not say anything because it was bound to open wounds that she did not want to inflict today, of all days. “We have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, right, later?”

“Yes, that is the plan.” Liz murmured as she felt that her daughter was thinking of something in particular. “What is up?”

“I think I might want to go downstairs and deal with what is going on down there,” Mariah murmured as knew what was going on downstairs. Although she had no way of knowing whether he was so still down there, but she needed to go down and suck it up and stop hiding.

“Oh,” Liz murmured because she sensed what her daughter was really saying, and she could not help but feel a mix of pride and also surprise because she had not expected this of her daughter, but she knew was the only course of action that had to be taken. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Mariah nodded. “I need to do this…” as she felt acceptance come into her core. She did not know how it would go, but she needed to take a first step.

“Then you should go,” Liz said with the knowledge that one her daughter would be accepting Max in whatever way that felt normal for her daughter, and she Liz, had better get used to it because they were now in a very different world. “Whatever you end up doing. I will support you in anything you do, okay?”

“Anything?” Mariah asked with a smile.

A rare smile expressed at her mother, and her mother took it gladly.

As she could not help but smile to herself…

Was the ice thawing?