Convergence (CC,M/L,ADULT) [WIP]

[Caelan]

Convergence
Summary: The podsters leave for Antar in Departure before Liz can get to them or figure out that the gerbil killed Alex. Eight years later Liz works for the Center for Disease Control. What happens when she runs into her dark haired mystery man in Mexico? Hmmm...Confrontations, longing stares, passionate embraces, viruses and a special appearance made by my favorite bad guy Khivar.--I do love to write him and he's isn't getting the screen time he deserves in Surfacing. And Liz puts the beat down on a certain blonde we all love to hate.
Rating: Adult
Coupling: M / L and maybe some M/M if I can find my inner candy
Quotes: Destiny, Departure, and the End of the World
Angst Alert: is high because you know I don't do anything if ain't angsty.
Disclaimer: I own nada!!!!


Prologue

He's gone.

It's only been two days, but in reality his being left me a long time ago. Piece by piece he withdrew himself from me. First his love disappeared and then his friendship, and now, there's nothing holding us together but that was the plan after all.

I unwind myself from my red sheets and drop them on the floor. Pooling at my feet, it almost looks like I'm bleeding to death, but maybe I am.

Just tell me one thing do you love her?

Not like I love you.

What does that mean exactly? He was coming for me but got sidelined at a rest stop. I wonder where he screwed her. Was it at some nice hotel or in his room? Did he fuck her hard and fast? No, I shake my head. He never does anything rough and unfeeling. Slowly, he must have run his fingers down her. A wave of green light trailed in his wake while his lips glided down the base of her throat. And then, every so carefully, his hands crept underneath her shirt and....

Stop.

traced the delicate line of her spine.

You're going to drive yourself insane.

Not like I love you.

Picking up the whirl wind pendant, I hurl it across the room. It clanks loudly against the wall before falling to the floor.

A genetic imperative didn't drive him to this. It wasn't just some mindless act. I choke on my sob. He made love to her.

Say their names the rational side or maybe it's the masochistic side of my brain orders.

I can't. I won't.

And as on cue, another version of him surfaces in my mind.

"It's what I’ve always said to you, Liz. We create our own destiny.”

How wonderfully profound of you, after you ordered me to destroy mine and Alex's. Bile rises in my throat. "Alex," I sob.

Roughly, I wipe away the tears. Climbing through my window, I look up at that stars, but they've lost their luster.

"Can you just do that with everyone. Make them see things that aren't even there?

“Sometimes it's easier to do that than to make someone see something that's right in front of her eyes.

It's official. I've lost it. I'm hearing Tess. "I hope you're happy Tess, because I''ve finally seen what's in front of my own eyes."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"You know what tomorrow is?" Maria asks softly.

I take a sip of my Coke. Of course, I know what tomorrow is. Tomorrow will be forever engrained on my mind, but it doesn't mean I want to talk about it, "May 15."

I motion to the waitress. "Could I have a Long Island Ice Tea?" A man coughs behind me. He's definitely in the first stages of a Streptococcus infection. Brian's right I am way too focused on my job.

"Liz."

"It's been eight years. They're either dead or they've made quite a nice life for themselves on Antar. Either way, I don't care."

Maria flinches at my tone.

"I," I soften my voice, "really don't see why we should even discuss them."

"If you were over him, I wouldn't bring it up."

"I am over him, you know that." With my straw, I stir my Coke into a mini brown tornado.

"Then say his name."

Oh, she's really playing dirty now. She knows I haven't said his name since he left. A little wall I've constructed that I'm not ripping down for her or anyone else. "Are you really over Michael?"

This time it's her turn to play with her drink. "Sometimes I feel him. It's like he's right in the room with me. It proves he isn't dead right? Do you ever feel Max?"

"No," I increase the intensity of my Coke storm, "but we never made love. It probably bound you two tighter together."

She reaches over and stops my hand. "Max did love you Liz. I'm sure of it. I used to be jealous of the sheer intensity. You were like this cosmic yin and yang, arm and hammer, pork and beans, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman," she waves her hands dramatically as she launches into one of her famous Maria monologues.

I smile and don't tell her that Tom and Nicole have been divorced for years because somewhere along the way we became her model of perfection, because Spaceboy could never live up to my intergalactic Romeo. She once told me that they were the difference between a hamburger and a fillet mignon. I like to think she saw the true Michael before he left."

She smacks her forehead in frustration, "you're not listening to me."

"I'm still a little jet lagged," I yawn.

She abandons Fussy Maria for Mother Maria. Opening her purse, she pulls out a vitamin bottle. "Take this it will help. I don't see why you couldn't get a job working in a lab so you could stop globe trotting."

"I like my job."

"I saw Outbreak the other day. What if you get infected like Renee?"

"It's a movie, and I'm not going to get infected."

“Do they really burn the bodies on pyres like that?

"They do in the remote villages. In the cities, they use incinerators." The waitress sets my drink down in front of me.

"I still don't understand why you would want to put yourself in all that chaos."

"Because I like fixing it. I make a plan. I find the cause and then I restore the balance."

"Could it be that you enjoy it so much, because you can't restore the balance in your own life?"

I roll my eyes, "not everything goes back to him." Taking a very large gulp, I start sucking on the lemon.

She puts her hands up in defeat, "no more about Max." She leans into me. "So tell me did you and Brian finally bow to the inevitable and get some crisis sex in while the two of you were running around Africa restoring the balance?"

"Maria, he's my boss, besides, he’s been stationed in Central America for the last month."

"Don't let geography stop the sparkage babe. Please tell me you're secretly seeing each other. It would really make my day. Heck, it would make my year. You guys could have super scientists kids together. I can see it now. They would find the cure for cancer or win the Nobel prize and take care of their Auntie Maria in her old age."

"Funny."

"Or I settle for you admitting that Mr. Nordic is somewhat attractive."

Try drop dead gorgeous.

"You so want to jump him."

"And what makes you think I haven't already?"

"I knew something happened in Vietnam," she squeals.

The beginning notes of I'll Shall Believe start to play from my cell phone.

"Or it didn't because you still have yours and Max's song on your phone," she grouses.

"It was our future selves' song. We never had a song." I hit the send button. "Elizabeth Parker. Access Number A236852."

"Voice code accepted," the clipped computerized voice answers.

"So little me get this straight you're being nostalgic over something that never happened to you personally? I don't want hear anymore crap from you about me going to see psychics."

I stick my tongue out at her.

"Oh, that's real mature. Who is it?"

"Shh it's work."

"Contagion Alert 1. You are booked on El Azeteca Flight Number 232 departing for Mexico City from terminal E Gate 24 at 9:30 in the p.m. Information will be provided in route."

I fold up my phone. "Can you take me to the airport tonight?"

"You just got back four days ago," Maria groans. "Wait," a wicked gleam shines in her eyes. "It's Brian isn't it? He's going to get you in the jungle and ravish you."

"Not with an Alert 1, he isn't," I mumble, but the De Luca eagle ears still pick it up.

"Alert 1, what is that? It isn't the highest one is it?" All the color drains from her face. "Don't go. I have a bad feeling about this. You'll be there the same day they left for Antar. Cosmically, this is a bad day for us a complete mystical convergence. I can’t loose you like the others."

I reach over and squeeze her hand. "It's going to be fine. I've worked on several Alert 1 contagions. We do it by the book just like with anything else."

"Do you still have the medallion Max gave you?"

"Yes." I answer slightly thrown by her change in subject.

"I want you to wear it. It will help protect you from all the negative vibes floating around tomorrow. Better yet, don't take it off until you get back here."

"Maria."

She pins me with her eyes.

"Alright."

"Now, what's that so hard," as a visible look of relief surfaces in her eyes. "What time is the flight?"

"9:30."

"We need to get you home and packed. You're going to need some mosquito repellent and definitely a box of condoms."

I spit out my drink.

"For when you and Brian fix the crisis," she explains. "Celebration sex isn't as good as crisis sex or makeup sex or even reunion sex, but at least it's something."

"Sex is not a cure all."

"Well I definitely think it could cure all you ills. Put some color back into your cheeks. I just want you to be happy and don't tell me you are. Now drink your drink and don't argue with Doctor Maria."

[Caelan]

So without further ado, here comes
This might be a little weird but when Liz is speaking with the old woman she's speaking Spanish even though it's written in English. I know it's odd.

Quotes: End of the World, and Departure
Lyrics: Madonna's The Power of Goodbye

Chapter 2: Visitation

I make my way down the very narrow airplane aisle trying not to smack anyone with my backpack. Stopping momentarily, I readjust the sack whose increased weight tells me that Maria went a little overboard with her additions. Just over my seat an older woman struggles to fit her suitcase into the compartment.

"Do you need some help?"

No response.

I repeat the question in Spanish.

"I can't make it fit."

"You have to flip it, like this."

"Gracias hija," she slides into the seat next to mine.

I'm just about to put my own luggage into the compartment when a dark haired boy runs by me. Charging into the nearby seat, he looks out the window at the ground crew. "I've never been on a plane before. Isn't it cool?"

I don't answer, because all I can think of is that their son would be the same age. Picturing him in my head, I can see the dark eyes and hair he would inherit from his father while his mother's genes would code for curl. His small body housing their DNA in an everlasting union that will trickle down for generations. Their bond will be forever while ours is just a memory.

I pull at the cold pendant around my neck wanting nothing more to rip it off, but my promise to Maria prevents me. My angry hands tuck it under my shirt instead.

"Are you ok lady?" the boy asks as his mother drags him away.

"You have the look hija," the older woman comments over the seat.

"What look?"

"The look of a woman who longs to be a mother."

I shove my backpack into the compartment and slam the door a little harder than I intended. "I'm not married."

"That doesn't seem to be stopping anyone nowadays." She extends a liver spotted hand, "I'm Serena Vega."

"Excuse me."

"Serena Vega," she says slower. "You speak Spanish so well; I almost forgot you’re not a native."

Get it together Liz. This is just a coincidence. She's nearly seventy. We're not saving the world together. My clammy hand clasps hers, "Elizabeth Parker."

The seatbelt light flashes overhead.

I sit down while Serena pulls out a long black sweater from her bag. "Do you knit?"

"A little, my grandmother taught me. I'm afraid I'm not very good at it."

"Well that's better than my godson's mother," she scowls. "Why his father was ever attracted to her, I have no idea. It has to be the size of her breasts." Her needles click furiously. "Warped his brain for a bit."

I laugh.

"It's a fact."

Good, you got her to wear that top.

I look down at my insignificant chest. "Yes, I guess you’re right.”I feel the tires start to whirl furiously under me. Faster and faster, they compel the plane onward. The force pushes me back into the seat. My stomach lurches, and the plane lifts off.

"Excuse me; I have to use the bathroom. At my age, long trips get a little hard. I blame my son," she smiles before leaving.

I slide the large caramel envelope marked with the CDC logo from my purse and break open the top. Dumping it out on the pop up table, a small note is attached to the first page written in his familiar scrawl.

I've missed you.
Brian

I trace the loops of his Ss. Guilt twists into my stomach. I've messed up. He deserves better that what I can give him. I'm in a limbo, that I can't get out of.

Knowing you has made me human. Whether I die tomorrow or fifty years from now, my destiny is the same: it's you. I want to be with you, Liz. I love you.

No, you don't a year later you'll be too busy loving Tess.


Puncturing the plastic back with my nails, I pull the headphones out and stick them into the seat's arms. A Madonna song from her techno period begins.

You were my lesson
I had to learn.
I was your fortress
You had to burn.

I rip the headphones out of my ears even Madonna has it out for me.

Focus.

CDC Field Report
5-13-09
Field Leader: Brian Erickson

Overview: It is believed that patient one, a soldier in the Mexican army, encountered the carrier while patrolling the Chiapian border. Patient one became separated from his unit while on patrol. His unit later found him floating in a stagnant pool of water. Taken to the St. Clara village hospital, the doctor on duty reported that patient one had internal and external bleeding surrounding his eyes and sinus passages. His lymph nodes had metastasized and severe trauma to his torso had occurred. The initial diagnosis was that patient one had suffered an allergic attack from the La Reina spider. However, within three hours, five medical personal, four soldiers, and two patients had succumbed to similar symptoms. Their bouts were characterized with server hallucinations followed by the emergence of a silver handprint...

What. I wipe my eyes. I have him on the brain today that's all this is.

Their bouts were characterized with sever bouts of hallucinations followed by the emergence of a silver handprint upon their skin. As of yet, we have not been able to separate the virus' enzymes using ELISE. A miniscule green substance has been the only by product of the procedure.

Gandarium? Now, you're really jumping to conclusions.

In attempt to keep the contagion under control, the borders of Chiapas have been closed. A team of five will be departing from Mexico City on 5-15 while a secondary team will coordinate efforts from the capitol.

Grabbing my purse, I start looking for my cell phone. I have to be on this team.

Completely engrossed, I barely notice Serena brush by me.
"It an exercise in the futility Miss. Parker. You won't be able to stop my little project. "

My eyes shoot up. Instead of a matronly Mexican woman, a dark haired man stares at me with a voracious intensity.

“Of course, I might spare you in the end, “his eyes roam down my body.”You have such a passion about you; it's like aphrodisiac to us. I can literally taste your anger and your sadness. You batted those little pretty eyes of yours at our dear king, and he was a goner."

Instinctively, I try to move away before I realize I'm in airplane. There's really no where to move to. New approach be direct and hope he doesn't blast me into bits. “Who are you?”

"Here, I thought you were one of the more intelligent members of your species Liz. Can I call you Liz? Elizabeth seems so, well, queen like, and Antar already has a queen." He leans in closer, "tell me, do you ever imagine the happy little family? Max lifting their son up on his shoulders while Tess looks adoringly on," he pauses to gauge my reaction,” or maybe it's the more intimate moments that drive you crazy. Tess writhing beneath your beloved and my nemesis as his tongue caresses….”

"What do you want Khivar?"

"Ah, there’s the Parker intelligence I've heard so much about. You know it would have never worked between you and Max." His fingers reach out to touch my knees. "You challenge him too much. Generally, powerful men don't like that Lizzie, but I, on the other hand, find the battle for supremacy rather attractive. The pulling and the pushing against another," he traces a line up my thigh, "ending in one final pop," he drawls.

I stop his hands, "I scream, and this could get very ugly for you."

"Who's going to save you?" He laughs while making a show of looking around," I don't see Max charging in to rescue you. How bout we do a little scientific experiment? Think he feel it if I snapped your neck?"

"No," I say firmly, "but if you want to try your experiment on Tess I'd be more than willing to listen to your results."

"Smart and sarcastic, I think I'm in love."

I pull a glossy photo of a body out from my folder. "This your handy work?"

Khivar turns his head, "bad lighting and a terrible camera angle. Who do you have taking these? There should be a lot more internal bleeding, and the body isn't even bloated. I could make you a queen."

"And why would I want to do that when Tess is already the queen? How is the disease transmitted?"

"Person to person contact. Royalty comes and goes Liz. Are your lips as soft as they look? Max seemed to think so."

I stiffen losing my control, "Is he alive? Where is he?" my voice softens.

"Tangled in the sheets with Tess. She's quite the little fertile one. Of course, you know that already. Tell me, how much does it bother you that she had Max's heir and several others?”

Something in my stomach twists. "Are you using gandarium as the accelerator?"

"A question for a question Liz, and don't lie. I'll know."

I sigh, "What do you think?"

"I want to hear the answer come from those very kissable lips of yours."

"It hurts."

“More adjectives Liz."

"The accelerator Khivar."

He leans into me, and his lips graze my ear.

I repress the revulsion that surges through me. He has information, and I need it.

"It's not gandarium. Go back to the States I wouldn't want you getting hurt," he pulls back. "You've already paid enough for being connected to him. A beauty like yours should be preserved and where would the little spitfire be without you."

Spitfire? Maria "Leave her out of this."

"Jealous, there's enough of me to go around, besides, I've always had a thing for brunettes rather energetic in bed. It's a shame Max never got to see that side of you. Would have enjoyed seeing those images from his head then again I rather find that information out for myself."

Serena clears her throat above us.

"You're in her seat."

"That I am." He gets up, "I'll be seeing you Liz."

I watch his lanky figure head to the back of the plane. A flight attendant obscures him for a moment. Seconds later she moves, but he's already gone. Scanning the plane, he isn't here. Can he teleport?

"That one is evil," Serena comments, "reminds me of my first husband. He was always playing games."

"Yes, but if I have to play his game to get what I want then I'm doing it."

She regards me for a moment, "then I suggest you don't play his game by yourself. Wait for some help."

I turn towards the window and look out at the midnight sky, "no one is coming to help me."

"Sometimes help turns up in the places you least expect it to."

[Caelan]

Quotes: End of the World, It's Too Late It's Too Bad ~ otherwise known the Tex episode. EKKK!!!!

I don't know if Mexico is like Europe and American cell phones don't work there, but let's pretend in my Mexico they do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Three: Femina Sola


Standing on my tiptoes, I try for the second time to pull Serena's luggage out. "I hate being short." I grumble.

"Wait till you get older and start to shrink. Sometimes I feel like the incredible shrinking woman."

"Oh joy," I stretch my fingers out and grasp the handle of her suitcase. "I can carry this to customs if you want?" I ask sliding it towards the edge. "Serena?" Glancing down, I catch her looking at my stomach in horror. Quickly, I yank my tank down and set her bag beside me.

The color returns to her cheeks and her eye lands on a girl beside me with a belly button ring. "Those are such disgusting things," she adds quickly. Moving from her seat, she follows behind me down the aisle. "Sixty three and I've officially become my mother. This is so depressing. God should just take me now. Of course, I don't think I'll be allowed into the pearly white gates. I was a bit wild in my day. Husband number three and I used to," she stops, "I think you're too young to hear the bulk of the things we used to do."

We say good bye to the pilots and flight attendant and head up the ramp into the airport.

"What do you parents think about this job you do?" she begins tentatively. "It's rather risky."

"My parents are dead," my voice wavers slightly hoping she will drop the subject all together.

She frowns. "That is why your spirit is starving."

"What?"

"This work you do. Running around the world, you’re constantly giving, but you take nothing back."

"I get things back when the people I help recover."

"And loose when they don't that creates a famine. Your soul is screaming for someone to love you to be your home.”

"I'm perfectly content on my own. It's not healthy to make one person your end all."

Her amber eyes narrow in on me in a look that seems almost familiar in a way, "spoken like someone who has gotten burned."

"It happened. It's over. He's in my past. We never had a future." I answer briskly.

She pats my shoulder, "a past and a future do not exist. Time does not stretch out into one continuous line. It winds up like film in a movie projector and sometimes given the right impetus different moments will touch. Elements long separated will find themselves thrown back together into the mix."

"A temporal fold."

"Temporal folds," she scoffs, "Back to the Future mumbo jumbo. The stupidity of your physicists amazes me still. Einstein may have had a brilliant mind, but he knew nothing about time travel. I'm talking about second changes, a righting of the divergence you and he suffered."

"He has wife and a child. He could have even more by now."

A look of distaste crosses her face.

"I wasn't with him while he was married."

"Hija, you are definitely not one of those women, but say he wasn't with the child's mother. Do you think you could love the child?"

"I don't know, and who's to say his son would even like me. His mother sure didn't."

"Well obviously his mother is lacking."

"Tess isn't exactly a bad person."

Serena looks at me sternly.

"God, I hated her. She used to wear this shiny lip gloss. She was such a ..."

"Ho," Serena inserts.

I snicker at hearing an elderly woman use such a word.

"Did I use it right?"

"Yes," I smile. "Where did you learn that?"

"My granddaughter Miranda burned me a rap C.D. They kept using it over and over. I had to call her up and ask what is this ho? I thought it meant shovel."

"You told me you didn't know English."

"I know a little," she admits.” Spanish comes easier to me since it's more like my native language."

"You're not Mexican?"

"Well, I think this is the end of our journey for now."

"Why?"

"Customs."

Looking up, I notice numerous lanes teaming with waiting people. "It was nice meeting you. Will you be able to handle your bag?"

"I'll get one of those fine looking baggage carriers over there to help."

"Serena."

"God created men for women to appreciate, and I've done a lot of appreciating in my day. I intend to do a lot more before I'm done." She hands me a scrap of paper with her number on it. "I know you're going to be busy, but if you need anything please call, besides, I'd like you to meet my godson's father. You two would be perfect for each other."

"The one who likes big breasts." I point to my chest, "I think he would be woefully disappointed."

"Oh, I've cured him of the breast thing. I got hold of him and beat some sense into his brain. It took months, but, believe me, I can be very persuasive. Think about it. Adios Liz." I watch her head for one of those aisles.

Serena said--she's going to be a friend of yours someday.

I stare down at the paper.

"Serena wait."

She stops.

Fiddling with my back, I pull out a pen and a scrap of paper. Quickly, I jot my cell phone number on it and give it to her. "I'm not the most interesting person in the world...but..."

"I find you to be infinitely interesting." She squeezes my hand. "Whatever life throws at you, you don't give up. Few people have that ability."

Liz Parker the good little soldier.

"Don't worry things are going to work out for you this time." A seriousness enters her tone, "I personally guarantee it. Be safe and please don't go near that man from the plane," she kisses my cheek.

"I promise. Good bye." I watch her retake her spot in line.

A slight vibration comes from my purse. I grab my phone and see Maria's caller ID.

"Liz,youhavetocomehomerightnow?"

"You have to calm down. I can't understand you."

I hear her take a sniff from her cedar oil.

"Monique did a reading for you. She saw you floating in a pool of water."

"I hope I was face up."

"This isn't funny Liz. You got the death card. You're going to die out there."

"Maria, you can't get something so definite from Tarot."

"Miss. Cleo did."

"Miss. Cleo got busted for fraud."

"What else was there?" I ask hoping to calm her down.

"The high priestess."

"So I'm meeting a wise woman," I snap back to look at Serena waiting in line.

"And Brian's going to have you counting ceiling tiles real soon," Maria squeals. "Monique pulled the lover's card."

"Ok see everything is going to be fine."

"You get laid and then you die. Please explain how this is fine?"

"Maybe it's the sex that kills me. I spontaneously combust."

"Well you take this more seriously. The Great Beyond is clearly trying to tell you something. Did anything weird happen on your trip down?"

"No."

"Liz."

"Maria."

"Don't make me come down there and drag your lying butt back to Atlanta. I'll do it."

"I saw Khivar." I hold the phone away from my ear.

"YOU SAW WHO?" A large thuds sounds in the background.

"Maria?"

"I just fell off the bed. Did he hurt you?"

"No, he just flirted with me."

"What are you like catnip to these people?"

"One sec Maria."

Proceeding through the diplomatic aisle, I hand the custom's officer my papers.

"Do you have anything to declare?"

"No."

Opening up my passport, he stamps it.

"Thanks." I get on a moving walk way. "No, he just told me that the king and queen of Antar are single handily repopulating the planet."

"Could you spare me the disgusting visual? I'm coming down."

"No, you have work."

"Screw work, the alien abyss appears to be opening at your feet and you need someone to watch your back besides school ends next week anyway."

"You can't skip the last week of school. Your students would never forgive you. I'm fine. Khivar is just fishing for something."

"Yeah you, it would be a wonderful way to stick it to Max."

"I doubt he'd care one way or the other."

"You don't really think that do you?"

"He choose Tess... not me. It's perfectly fine."

"If you're so over it, why does it sound like your gritting your teeth?"

"I got to go."

"Alright, but if Caligula and the little misses show up with junior in tow I want you to call me. This is something you don't need to take on by yourself. If you see Michael," she inserts trying to sound offhand but failing miserably, "tell him. I don't know. Tell him something."

My heart dips. I'm not the only one dealing with the past. "I will." I say stepping onto a very crowded elevator. "Bye."

I'm about to step off when a familiar voice calls out "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes Miss. Parker."

I lurch forward as my boot heal catches in the escalator’s groove. I'm seconds from landing flat on my face when two strong arms steady me.

"Brian," I breathe trying to calm my racing heart.

He takes my bag from me. "Never had a girl literally fall head over heals, because she was so excited to see me," his arms enfold me, "God I missed you." His lips move against mine in a soft kiss, but it doesn't make me burn. No one can now.

"I'm sorry," I stare into his brilliant blue eyes. "You must think I'm terrible for leaving like I did. Please don't think I was trying to use you, because that's not what it was at all.. It's just that I," I pause as the pressure in my lungs builds to a fever pitch.

"You’re still in love with Max," he states rather bluntly.

"No, of course not. Who...who told you his name?" I stutter.

"I asked Maria about him at your New Year's Party. Said he was an ass. No, I believe her exact term was an intergalactic ass of royal proportions, and she planned to murder him if he ever came near you again.”

"I'm going to kill her."

"She loves you Liz." He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, "you know in the hospital you kept calling for him."

" I was pumped full of painkillers. It's doesn't mean anything."

His cell phone interrupts me.

"You better get that."

"They can call back."

"Brian, you're the field leader."

"I'm your friend first. Speak Parker or we staying at the airport indefinitely. We’ll have a slumber party right over there." He points to some nearby chairs. "Be just like the time we camped out in Kenya."

I owe him an explanation. “It’s stupid really. “Ma--,” my mouth refuses to say his name. “We weren’t even together that long, but I fell so hard, and like that," I snap my fingers, "he was gone. I'll never understand how something so strong could burn out so quickly. If you want intensity, I can't give you that. I don't work that way anymore," my voice wavers as I find an interesting spot on his shirt to study.

"Parker, shine those pretty eyes of yours my way." His thumb strokes my hand, "the only way to survive this job is to detach, but this last month has been hell without you. All I've wanted to do is talk to you, but you made yourself dammed near impossible to get in contact with," anger creeps into his tone, "that hurt more than anything. I know you were busy but, Liz, you could have given me a call."

"I was embarrassed. I thought you were calling to say you never wanted to see me again." Reaching up, I trace my fingers along his tanned cheeks. "I really don't have many friends. Maria, Kyle, and you. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Friendships just don't end Liz."

I have a responsibility to alex to find out what really happened.

Liz, if you go, our friendship is over.

Oh, but they do.

"Hey, don't cry. God, I hate it when you do that."

"I'm so sorry for messing up. You mean the world to me, but you don’t deserve to go through this with me."

His lips frown slightly, “just tell me one thing, are you still in love with Max? Be honest.”

"I will always love him, but I'm not in love with him. He has life, and I have mine."

“So, where does that leave us? I don't want this to sound awkward, but I don't regret what happened," his blue eyes level mine.

I swallow.

Don't you realize what you are to me...and you're always gonna be? You're the love of my life. Everyone else is gonna be second best. There'll never be another you.

Shut up.

"Judging by the deer in the headlights look you do," he takes a step away from me.

I grab his arm, "this is going to sound stupid considering how long we've known each other, but can...can we go slow?"

"Snail pace or sloth slow?"

I smack him. "You're real funny."

"Whatever happens," his tone deepens" just remember I'm not Max. I won't hurt you like he did."

"I hurt him just as much as he hurt me."

"Sounds like the two of you were rather the fun pair."

His phone launches into the Imperial March theme from Star Wars.

"You better get that."

"Yeah." Flipping the phone open, he hits the send button. "Brian Erickson. Got it. I'm coming." His face turns grim. "It's time to talk shop Parker. Let's get out of here."

"What is it?"

"The virus breeched the quarantine. There's two confirmed cases in Acapulco. The preliminary culture came back from Acapulco, and it's a different strand. Factor in that there's nothing in the neighboring states in between shows the virus is not naturally occurring. Someone is releasing it. You have that look. If you know something, Parker share."

My knees wobble underneath me.

How do I say this? I used to date the reincarnated essence of alien king, and his mortal enemy is now unleashing a plague on Earth. Is this how it started the first time around? I ripped my heart out and his. It changed nothing. Except, now there's only me to fight this threat, and I have no idea what I'm doing. "I think it might be spread by person to person contact."

"How so?"

A megalomaniacal alien told me. We pass through the revolving doors. An immediate breeze caresses my skin. "It would account for the medical personal getting sick."

"I thought so at first, but after I sent the report off to you two other soldiers got sick. They weren't even in patient zero's unit." Brian stops a bright green VW taxi.

"Which means we're back to square one."

I slide into the backseat with him.

" Calle de Ojo numero viente quarto," he tells the driver who whips the car out into incoming traffic. "The government’s called an emergency meeting." He leans his head back against the seat, "Manuel said there's some American military advisors down here as well. You know how I love those guys. They never giving me anything I need because of national security, but they expect me to share everything with them. It's funny you know they already had a guy down here before we were even operating under the bioterrorism scenario. A real ass."

"You never did play well with others. What's his name so I'll know to stay clear of him."

"Pierce something."

"What?"

"He was constantly hanging around while we trying to study the samples. It was almost like he was looking for something."

This is bad. There are just too many coincidences.

"You should stay at the hotel and rest, I'll go to the meeting."

"I think I should go to."

"I don't think it's a good idea. Pierce will be there," he pauses, "look, I don't want to scare you, but, he seems to be rather interested in you. He keeps pumping everyone for information about you, and he went over my head to get you down here. I thought you needed some time off after Africa."

My blood chills. I've just left bad for ominous.

"Do you have any idea what he's up to?" he asks concerned.

I take Brian's hand. Tracing his knuckles, a warmth radiates into my fingers.

Warm and Alive.

I bite my bottom lip.

Alex.

Cold and Dead.

If I bring him into this, it's possible he'll end up the very same way. The I Know an Alien Club is not kind to its human members.

"I have no idea," the lie tumbles out of my lips. Looking out the window, the stone turrets of Cathedral de Guadalupe loom up in front of me.

A knot forms in my stomach.

I've never lied to him before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Caelan]

Quotes: Tess, Lies, and Videotape
Chapter Four: The Odd One Out


"Are you sure about this Parker?" Brian asks holding the door open for me. "You don't need to be here; besides, you're looking a little pale."

"Stop worrying. I really don't think Pierce is going to be lurking around the lab at two in the morning."

His frown only deepens.

Hoping to distract him, I reach out to straighten his tie. Yet, it still looks like a mess. Undoing the loop, I start to make a new knot.

Brian touches my wrists, "he was asking about your parents."

The pieces of fabric slip momentarily out of my hands. "I can...handle it." Now go to your meeting and play nice with the other bureaucrats. I've got some cells to look at."

"Yes ma’am. If anything happens, I want you to page me."

Standing on my tiptoes, I smooth a blonde fly away down.

"Are you done dressing me mom?"

"If I had been dressing you, I would have never put the tie with that shirt."

He looks down at his tie.

"Kidding." I kiss a tanned cheek and push him toward the door. "You're going to be late."

"You know I think you’re trying purposely to get rid of me."

"I guess I might as well come clean. Mani and I are having a fling."

"That would be the day," he snorts. "See you."

I lean up against the wall and watch him leave.

"I'm sorry that you had to come down and do this Ms. Parker. It's just that only family can claim the remains. If you just initial here, I can send them off to the funeral home for cremation."
"I want to see them."
"I beg you to reconsider. Their injuries--."
"I want to see them."

I wipe at something in my eye. Stopping at the security desk, I hand the guard my credentials.

“Everything seems to be in order," he pauses, "where did you get your necklace?"

"It's Pueblo."

"That crest is all over the Mayan temples at Chichen Itza. I'm studying archeology at the university," he explains.

"Do you know what the Mayans used it for?"

"They believed it would protect them against the Nzaran."

"Nzaran?"

"They were a mythological people that came from the sky. Mayan priests thought they would bring about the end of the world. Senorita are you all right? You look as a white as a ghost."

"I'm fine."

He opens the security door. Turning the corner, a very red slightly over weight man blocks my way into the haz-mat facilities.

"Mani."

"The stain image shows the sample is a filovirus. Why are you questioning my findings? He grimaces, "you're doing that witch thing again aren't you? It's how you always seem to know what the virus is before anyone else."

"It's actually an Antarian thing."

"What?" He fondles a box of Marlboro's peeking out of his shirt pocket.

"Go have your cigarette Mani." I duck underneath his arms and begin to slide a blue protective suit up over my clothes. My attention falls on large TV feeding images of the virus's cultures. "It's beautiful." I trace the u shaped design. "The body is almost perfectly symmetrical."

"How did you know I wanted a cigarette?"

"You're starting to get irritable."

"You sound like my wife."

Poor woman.

"It's just that Brian wanted me to fill in as your lab partner."

"I always work alone. You know that." I snap away from my study and begin to zip up the front of my suit. " He wanted you stay with me because of Pierce didn't he?"

Mani suddenly finds an interesting spot over my head to study.

"What is this guy built like a linebacker?"

"No, more like an evil Ronald Regan."

"He's old?"

"Yeah, like sixty. He's got these black beady eyes, and he likes to get up in everyone's face. A real pendejo," he mumbles.

I pull my hair back into a ponytail.

"And he had the nerve to tell me that smoking is bad."

"Smoking is bad for you Mani. Can you help me put the mask on?"

"He didn't have to give me a lecture on it." He slips the large spaceman contraption over my head. "For such a little woman, you have a giant head."

"God decided to give me a big head to make up for the other areas he left me lacking in." I take a deep breath of the filtered air.

"Hey don't listen to what Max told you."

"Does everyone know his name now?"

"I was ease dropping at your New Year's Eve Party. Maria threatened to have him drawn, quartered, castrated, and have his remains eaten by a tribe of cannibals. Kyle said he just planned to shoot him in the head. Brian offered to expose him to small pox. We're all going to tack team if he ever shows up here."

I roll my eyes, "you might want to rethink that scenario."

"What does he have super powers?"

"Sort of it. Now go smoke please."

"I'll be back in five minutes Isabella."

"I told you not to call me that."

"It's your name in Spanish," he shrugs.

Trudging to the next door, I punch in the clearance code. A loud suction sounds as the hermetically sealed door opens to reveal a world of white. Ivory tiles gleam while a large clear pod and microscope sits in the center of the room. The sight triggers a sudden bout of nostalgia.

His sienna eyes look up from the microscope in frustration. "I can't find anything."

"Let me try." Placing my eye to the lens, I watch a spindly filament move across the slide. "You have to see this Max," I tap his hand excitedly.

"I see it now."

"Isn't it incredible? No matter how big or small or whatever our genetic makeup we're just living our lives out day by day. We're all the same."

He turns his face to mine.

"You must think I'm the biggest nerd."

"No," he says solemnly. Something flits across his face but is gone before I can make sense of it. "I don't think Liz Parker and nerd even belong in the same sentence. You see things in a way few people do. Science is your passions don’t ever apologize for it."

I blink.

He blushes.

I can feel him closing up on me again. "I like that I can loose myself in it no matter what is happening."

"That and the order it gives," he adds, "in science there are no gray areas."

"How did you know that was what I thought?"

"I'm your lab partner after all until you decide to trade me in for a new one," he smiles.

"I won't ever do that," I blurt out. "I mean you might want a new one next year."

"Never."

I bite down on my bottom lip trying to halt my walk down memory lane.

Since you're obviously so eager, Mr. Evans, I'd like you to come up and be Miss Harding's lab partner. I'm sure with your help, she'll be caught up in no time.

A warmth drips down my lip. I wipe the red liquid away.

It's just that we used to have an even number of students, and now that Tess is here, it's odd... it's an odd number. So, someone is going to be stuck without a partner, you know, mathematically.Enough!!!

I approach the clear container that houses several virus cultures. Opening it up, I scrape of a sample, stain it with a drop of iodine, and then place it underneath the microscope. Seconds later an image appears on the computer screen of a u shaped structure. "A textbook filovirus."

"There's nothing textbook about it Liz."

"Could you please not sneak up on me Khivar when I'm handling a deadly virus?" Quickly, I put the sample back into the pod and turn to face him. "How did you get in here anyway?"

"Magic." He gives the room the once over. "I have to say I'm not impressed. There is no way you're going to stop me with such inferior equipment. You know you were doing something remarkably similar when Max realized he was in love with you. He found your empathy infectious and in that moment all he wanted to do was take you in front of the whole class." Khivar flicks a piece of imaginary dust of his fingers, "no sorry that was Tess."

"Then I'm glad he got what he wanted. Why don't you give me what I want and leave? " I point to the cameras, "before someone comes and makes you."

"No one makes me do anything, besides, the guard is otherwise distracted for the time being. Take the hat off. It makes you sound like Darth Vader. You don't need it. The virus isn't airborne."

"I am not..."

His black eyes lock with mine.

A hot and confined feeling settles over me, and I rip the mask off.

"Isn't that better?" He reaches out to stroke my cheek.

I brush his hand away. "Don't you have some small animals to torture and children to terrorize?"

He crosses his arms, and his full lips fall into a pout. "I happen to like animals. As for children, how about having mine?"

"It's not happening."

"So what you're going to have blondie's children then?"

"I never said that."

"I knew it. You're still hung up on Max."

"I never said that either."

A predatory look appears on his face, "you know I could make you want me. A couple of suggestions you would be begging for it."

I swallow.

"What no pithy comeback?"

Keep one step ahead of him my brain screams. I lick my lips and watch his eyes follow my tongue's path. "You won't use your powers on me."

"Why? I used the same tactic to seduce Vilandra."

"Because you're all about the chase. You get nothing if I don't commit myself fully to you without manipulation."

"Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that you will only commit yourself fully to one man?"

Reaching up, I loosen my hair. "Why do we have to always talk about him?"

His pupils dilate and practically obscure the black of his iris. "Max loved you hair. He thought it felt like silk." His head dips down to mine, but I dart away.

"Honeyed words worked when I was sixteen." I struggle to keep the anger out of my voice, "those aren't even your memories."

"Sometimes they feel like it," he mutters. "Then tell me, what works with you now?"

I point to the virus. "You said it wasn't textbook. How so?"

"Fishing are we?"

"I'm a scientist and behind that guard is the first known extraterrestrial virus. You want me appeal to my mind."

"Alright. What do you think you know?"

"It's filovirus. There's one strain in Chiapas and another in Acapulco. It's not being spread naturally."

"Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. You aren't really presenting me with the challenge that I thought you would."

"I know you're releasing it. There's no contagion in the bordering states."

"And?" A gleam enters his jet black eyes.

"That just doesn't happen with a naturally occurring virus."

"Think outside of the box Elizabeth," his fingers walk up the base of a microscope. "What do you know about mitochondria?"

"It converts ATP into energy in cells. Scientists theorize it used to be parasite that a cell's nucleus has since made harmless."

He looks down at the cultures, "now imagine if the mitochondria decided to reassert its control over the situation."

"I don't see the connection. Hypothetically, it might be able to live outside of its host due to being organic, but a virus’ inorganic state would make that impossible.”

"Outside of the box," he mummers over my shoulder. "You smell so good."

"You're in my space," I push him away. "Outside of the box. I don't under-- Oh my God. It doesn't need a host does it? Somehow you've engineered a virus to have a body of its own, but there's still the dead. I don't get it."

A Cheshire Cat like grin spreads over his face, "come over here and sit on my lap like a good little girl and maybe I tell you some more."

"The Russians were trying to do something like that during the Cold War, but they never succeeded. I always thought it was completely theoretically."

"I'm glad you're impressed. It took me years of trials to achieve. Of course, I've always enjoyed science. No other discipline can provide one with so many varied ways to end life."

"That's not what science is about at all."

Grabbing my shoulders, he shoves me up against the wall.

"You dare to judge me? They’re two types of life forms in this universe predator and prey. I decided long ago I was most certainly not going to be anyone's prey."

My pulse throbs in my neck. I've overplayed my advantage. A stinging begins in my palms. "Let go of me."

He pins my wrist over my head. "We could have so much fun together Liz if you would just stop fighting me. Do you really think that bumbling blonde idiot has any idea who you are?"

"And you do?"

"I know you in a way that no will ever know you. I've seen your love and passion lying dormant just waiting to be tapped by the right person."

"You've seen nothing,” I struggle in vain to free my hands. "All you've done is take memories that were never yours in the first place.

"I've taken a lot more than that from Max."

"Stopping playing with me and tell me the truth. Is he....dead?"

"Dead is a word with multiple connotations Liz. Let's just say Max has been irreversibly changed by his time with me." A sticky tongue licks the side of my face," just like strawberries and crème."

I wince as the pain in my palms intensifies into a full-blown burn.

"Pity, you're not ready."

"Let me go and I'll show you how ready I am," I purr rubbing my legs against his thighs.

"What are you doing?" he hisses.

Probably getting myself killed. "Bowing to the inevitable. Anyone everyone tell you that power is an incredible turn on. How much do the planet do you actually control?" I whisper into his ear.

"Half," he croaks.

"Only half."

"Seventy-five percent," he corrects quickly.

"What will you give me?" I drag my lips across the side of his jaw ignoring my need to throw up.

"Anything," he swallows.

"I want Tess' head on a platter."

"I never really liked her that much anyway," he releases one of my hands. "I'll throw in their whelp to."

My fingers trail down his arms. "You're too good to me."

"Seth takes too much after his father anyway."

My hand stops.

"Something wrong? You wouldn't being playing me would you Liz?" He crushes my remaining captive hand.

YES, YOU ARROGANT BASTARD!!! "No, I would never be that stupid. I'm harmless to someone of your stature," my lips hover inches from his causing a new infusion of bile to rise in my throat.

"You are far from harmless," his eyes land on my mouth.

I can't do this.
I have to do this.
I need flashes. If I got them from Nasedo, it should work on him.

He licks his lips.

I imagine a super size bottle of Listerine.

"You could stab me in the back at anytime."

"If you want safe Khivar, I suggest going back to Antar and find a nice girl you can dominate. I don't do docile."

He releases my other hand.

I clear my head of any thoughts.

"I've had docile. Docile is predictable."

"There's nothing predictable about me." I punctuate my statement by ramming my lips into his.

His tongue throttles mine, but I get nothing.

He pulls at my hair.

Great Plan. Next time you get a bright idea don't ----.

Khivar's mauling becomes non-existent. I feel my mind falling past bone and muscle, past the night when he strangled Zan with his bare hands, and to the day when Nicholas dropped a bloodied Max at his feet. Khivar can't stop laughing about how a lying woman brought him to this point.

I didn't know. I thought I was helping you. I was only doing what Future Max told me to.

"See what happens when you let your heart guide your way Max," Khivar needles.

"I never loved her," he states flatly.

Max never loved me.

Another memory quickly replaces the last.

Khivar walks purposely through a winding corridor. Entering a room, Nicholas hands him a towel.
"Who would think humans could be so messy? I barely touch him. He spurts all over me."
"Your highness, why must we continue to speak this disgusting language? You have mastered English. Could we please move on to something else?"
"It's Liz's language," Khivar crouches down beside a bed. "How is he?"
"He was born two hours ago. Genetically, he's an exact duplicate of the deceased host except for..."
"He's carrying a deadly plague. You can spare me the summary of my own work." He nudges the figure, "It's time for you to wake up Alex."

An angry storm snatches the image away, and two simmering black eyes come back into focus. "You have been a very naughty girl."

I sink down into the corner.
Max never loved me and Alex...
My mind can't even begin to think about Alex.

"If you had been anyone else, you'd be dead by now."

He never loved me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shakes me.

He never loved..

"Look at me dammit."

He never...

Khivar slaps me across the face.

He....

"Still beating up women," the guard's voice comes from the doorway, " I have to say it was an interesting maneuver locking me out from my regular emissary. I miscalculated your over zealousness. It will not be happening again."

"Look Liz, Max sent his personal lackey to protect to you." Roughly, he hauls me up from the floor. "Take another step Larek, and I'll kill her."

"Do you really want to spend the rest of your life running? Max would hunt you down and rip you from limb to limb then after that maybe then he put you of your misery."

"Larek paints a pretty grim picture, but he always was a pessimist. What do you think dear?"

"He never loved me. He never loved me."

"She seems to be quite adamant on that subject.

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, yet," he groans, "I couldn't figure how to get this damn suit off of her. Next time Liz wear a dress." His fingers trace a line up the inside of my thigh. "It will show off those nice legs of yours."

I cork up my hurt. Think. It's three feet to the door and Larek. "Then you wouldn't be able to see my tattoo."

"You have a tattoo. I never saw that when..."

"I got it on my twenty first birthday." I turn around in his arm. "You might know how he saw me, but a lot has changed in that time."

"Like what?"

"I'm a lot angrier than I used to be." I trail my burning fingers down his neck until I find his windpipe.

"You're hands feel like they're on fire."

"It's all for you."

Seth is too much like his father.

I never loved her.

Do you love her?
Not like I love you.

It's time to wake up Alex.

Webs of green shoot out of my fingers and wrap around his neck in an emerald chokehold.

I take off running for the door. I'm vaguely aware of Larek shoving me behind him and a yellow shield expanding around us.

On the other side, Khivar eyes me. "An interesting little trick. It would be even more effective if you could hold it for more than two seconds."

"I recall your last mistress saying something remarkably similar," Larek quips.

"This isn't over Liz."

Grabbing me, Larek covers my eyes. Seconds later he lets me go. "Sorry."

Dumbly, I look at the empty room. Khivar isn't here.

"Liz, you have to focus."

"He disappeared. I thought he might be able to, but thinking and witnessing are totally different."

"It's very important that you never look directly at him when he's doing it."

"I don't want to look directly at him period." I drop my head.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't breath."

"You overdid it with your powers. Lean on me. We need to go."

"Go. I can't go. I may be infected.”

"You’re fine. We stole the viral strain.”

"Then what's in there?" I point to the pod.

"Nothing. It's a mindwarp."

"That's just great. How are we supposed to figure out how the virus works if you’re making off with all of the samples?"

He opens the door.

"The cameras and Mani."

"It's been handled."

"Do you know how to stop the virus then?"

He doesn't answer me.

"Larek."

"We don't have a fucking clue," he answers bluntly. "I was hoping you could help us with that."

"I need to get very drunk right now."

He riffles through his pockets and pulls out a set of car keys. "It appears that I have a car."

"I think you might be my new favorite alien."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now the real question is where is Larek taking Liz and who is she going to meet when she gets there and will she be smashed when said meeting occurs. I think next chapter should be a little lighter because this one really made me sad

[Caelan]

As for Max saying he didn't love Liz, all I can say is that just chapter answers that question.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Five: Legacy

My eyes snap open. A green traffic light casts its hue over my sweaty skin. Traveling down my arm, I'm suddenly back with Max in Michael's apartment. Goosebumps rise at his phantom touch. The car lurches forward causing the color to vanish along with the memory.

"You ok?" Larek asks from the driver's seat.

"I just dozed off," I feign a yawn. "It must be from using my powers."

"I think you were having a nightmare."

Sliding down the window, I stretch my arm out into the warm night air.

"Do you remember it?"

"No, but that's not abnormal considering."

"Considering what?"

I pull my arm back in and gesture to his borrowed body, "what is this guy going to actually remember about tonight?"

His black eyes flick away from the windshield and regard me for a moment, "He'll remember what I want him to remember. That he took an alluring brunette out after work. Of course, I'm going to have to switch bodies pretty soon. He has finals to study for."

"Ah, a body snatcher with a heart," I tease, "what do you really look like?"

"A giant E.T."

"Seriously?"

"I have three heads and fifteen eyes."

"You're putting me on."

"I crawl around on webbed feet, and stick to walls."

"When you're not playing the white knight," I add. "Thank you for saving my life. I sort got a little in over my head."

"It's easy to do with Khivar. He has this ability to spin webs around his victim that only become clear when it's too late." he tightens his hold on the steering wheel, and the blood leaves his fingers. "I don't won't to give you a lecture, but the game you are playing with him is extremely dangerous."

I rub my swollen cheek.

"For the moment, he finds you amusing."

"Which is all the more reason why I have to try to convert that into an advantage. I saw things when I kissed him."

"You kissed him?" The car swerves.

"For the flashes. Someone has to try and understand his motives."

"Someone already does. Your presence could upset his control over the situation."

"Whose control?"

"Liz, your importance lies in figuring out the science not as a spy."

"But..."

"Have you ever been mind rapped or tortured? How long do you think you could actually hold out against Khivar? When he's done with his victims, there's nothing left," his voice hitches. A familiar mixture of anger and guilt swirl across his face until a steely control rises up.

I know that look. I've spent years perfecting it. It's the one you wear to the world to prove you're ok when you're far from it. I press my lips together. "I lost my parents a while back. At their funeral, everyone kept coming up and offering a shoulder to cry on. It really pissed me off. They wanted to help, but they had no idea what it felt like. I was so angry at them and my parents, but I was really mad at myself."

"Because you survived."

"Yes."

"Do you still feel this?"

"No."

He turns the car onto a gravel road and awkward silence rises between us. Great Liz. Offer advise to a person you don't even know. Sticking my head out of the window, I look up at Venus glowing in the sky.

"You see Venus. Now look to the left for a faint bluish tinge."

I squint my eyes, "I don't see anything Brian."

He frowns. "It isn't clear enough. I wanted you to see it."

"Roswell has an observatory if you want to try there."

His body stiffens. "No, I'd rather not."

"Coming out here was a good idea. Maria means well, but she just..I don't know is...."

"Stifling you."

"Yes. She's worried that I haven't cried yet. After Alex, I sort of shutdown, but there really wasn't anyone for me to go to with it anyway. "
I snuggle closer into his warm body. "I think she feels I'm doing it again."

Brian folds the edges of the blanket up around me. "You should have never had to have gone through Alex's death alone."

"It made me the strong kick ass chick I am today."

"Yeah," he whispers as he pulls some fuzz out of my hair.

I glance up at the sky. "I've forgotten how pretty the stars are."

"Why? You always loved the stars."

"They sort of lust their luster after an evil alien king broke my heart.

Abruptly, he sits up.

"You know I was kidding."

He stares out over the horizon.

"Brian?" I touch the back of his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. I wish that I could make everything right for you again."

"Just tell me why am I here ? I should be dead to."

Almost immediately, I feel his arms enfold me. "Don't ever say that."

I cringe as a tear slips down on my cheek.

"Your parents loved you, and they wouldn't want you putting yourself through this." He cups my face in his hands. "You're alive and you have to live. You just have to," he pleads as tears begin to form in his own eyes. With his thumbs, he wipes my tears away, "and go after every dream you ever had. Promise me that Liz."

"I promise," I vow kissing the back of his hand.

I twist a strand of hair around my index finger.

"How did you get over the guilt?"

My hair drops from my fingertips. "A good friend. He has his moments when he can be really deep then other times well...," I grin.

"The two of you get into a bit of a trouble."

"I got two other friends and when we all get together trouble does seem to follow us."

I watch as Maria and Kyle stagger down the cobbled stone street.

"Despite being drunk off my ass, I have to say that I'm proud of you Parker. Who would have thought that the shyest of all my discussion students would graduated Harvard magnae cum laude," he slurs.

I smack him, "I'm not shy. I emote mystery."

"Mystery my ass. You were petrified the first day. It made me nervous just watching you."

"I was." I admit. "I would have flunked if it had been for you."

"That and you worked your cute little butt of."

"You wouldn't be trying to come on to me Mr. Erickson."

"Possibly," Brian stops suddenly at the gated off founder garden. "Maria, Kyle, want to do something illegal?"

They slowly make their way back to us.

"We did illegal all the time back home. Let's see. There was the time we made it look like I was run over," Maria begins to count on her fingers. "We broke his royal pimpness out of a military facility, helped cover up a murder, Liz jumped off a bridge, broke into school."

Kyle puts his hand over her mouth, "sure. What do you have in mind?"
"Ever scale a wall."

"So you illegally breeched a closed of perimeter? Why?"

"Because we could. Haven't you ever done anything because you weren't supposed to?"

Larek looks at me somewhat perplexed.

"It's a human thing. We sort of ended up in the fountain."

"Let me go," I squeal as Brian and Kyle stick my head underneath a spurt of water.

I see a flash from a camera.

"Maria," I gurgle.

"Blackmail Lizzie. Oh god, I think I'm going to puke." She wretches all over the cement.

Kyle watches over the side, "damn woman."

I wiggle out of the grasp and slush over to her. "You ok?"

"I am now," she wipes her mouth.

Two flashlights land on us.

"Oh shit," she mumbles.

"Hey, Kyle show them your badge G-Man," Brian offers. "The FBI has to have some clout around here."

Maria shrugs her shoulders. "Happy Graduation Liz."

"How did you get out of it?"

"Maria and I just started balling are eyes out. They let us go. Works every time," I chuckle.

A large hacienda estate comes into view lined with cars.

"Um..Larek, this doesn't look like a bar."

"It's my mom's house."

"Your mom."

He stops the car.

I open the door. In the air, I can here the faint sounds of music. My eyes land on the house. "I don't know if this such a good idea."

"We need to be in a place that has a lot of Antarians, and people flock to my mother. Their shared power helps keep Khivar out."

"Is M-- the royal family here?"

"No."

"Good."

"Liz there are some things you need to understand about Max and Tess."

"I'd rather not."

"It's just..."

"Please."

"I guess it can wait. I'm not really the person who should be telling you this anyway. About my mother, she can be a little..."

The front door swings open and almost immediately I find myself firmly entrenched in a hug. "I've been so worried about you hija."

"Serena," I pull away, " you're Larek's mom."

"Mother, what have you've been up to?" Larek asks behind me. "How does Liz know you?"

"You're an alien," I stutter still trying to put everything together.

She links her arms with mine and guides me through a crowded hallway. A sea of heads move in unison. Eye after eye studies me like I'm some bug pinned to a board. I turn around for Larek, but he's gone.

I smile nervously, and they go back to their conversations.

"You handled that well hija," Serena comments as we enter the kitchen. "I knew you would be a natural."

"A natural for what?"

"You hungry? You must be." She goes to the stove and starts heaping food from several pots on to a plate.

"Why didn't you tell me you were an alien?"

"To be honest, I'm so old. It sometimes slips my mind. I've been living here for so long. I've developed a case of human envy." She says dramatically sitting the plate down beside me.

"Or you're trying to smooth talk me."

"Little bit of that to," she smiles and for some reason I can't stay mad at her.

"Just as long as you're not keeping anything else from me."

She hastily places a Corona in my hand.

"Serena."

"I have your best interests at heart. Think of me as your fairy godmother. I'm going to make all your wishes come true," her eyes sparkle.

"Which would be what mother?" Larek asks from the doorway.

Getting up, she flicks Larek in the chest.

"What was that for?"

"For not calling me more often. Just because you rule a planet it doesn't mean you can't come down here and see me."

"I am here."

"In your real body for once. To think I was in labor..."

"For fifty two hours, and the pain was tremendous," he finishes taking a seat beside me. "Liz is safe that should get me something."

"It's a start. Here I made your favorite." She hands him a plate of shriveled up prunes and then turns to me. "You must eat."

"She actually wants to get drunk," Larek answers.

"Well I was..."

"Drunk I can do," Shuffling to the cabinet, she grabs a bottle of Tequila and three shot glasses.

"You can drink? I thought that it made you all go a little wild."

"There are ways around that little problem." She begins to pour the liquid into the glasses.

"Limes mom."

"Oh yes."

Three limes fly off the counter and land on the table sliced in half.

"Does it bother you for me to use my powers?"

I lick my wrist and sprinkle salt on it, "it's just a little bit unusual for me."

We clink out glasses.

"Amarae verdae," Serena toasts, "to true love," she translates.

We down the liquid.

I begin to suck on a lime to keep from coughing as Serena fills up my glass.

I throw back the shot and then another enjoying the warmth spreading through my body.

"So," she begins tentatively, "are you seeing anyone?"

"Sort of. We're going slow."

"Which is code for going no where."

"Mom we decided..."

"No, you decided." she turns to me. " I'm sorry hija. I'm sure this boy is very nice, but he's not for you. He's nothing more but a cup of chocolate ice cream."

"I don't like chocolate ice cream."

"Precisely. You like vanilla, but you've been enjoying chocolate because vanilla was out of your reach. There's nothing wrong with that," she pats my knee. "I mean you have wants, and they have to be meant one way or the other."

"Mom," Larek warns.

"But vanilla has come back, and it's time to start having your needs satisfied."

Larek says something in a language I don't understand.

"I'm cleaning up the mess that I helped to make."

"No, you're meddling."

"You know I could die tomorrow, and you're going to regret taking that tone with me."

"You've been dying for forty years mom."

"My son the smart ass. This is what I get for having a child with a human. Husband number four," she explains. "I just had to go out of species for that one. He had the most beautiful eyes and dimples I had ever seen. We couldn't keep our hands off each other."

Larek's face turns several different shades of red.

"I'm sure you know how it is. You're just going die if you don't touch him."

"And when he touches you, it's like you're burning from the inside out," I hiccup. "You never want it to end."

She gives Larek a know it all glance. "It's a very rare thing to find with another."

"I wish I had never found it." I down another shot and a delightful heat begins to form in my cheeks. "I would have loved him with my mind, body and soul. I did in the first timeline, and he still ordered me to cut myself out of his life so he could screw his destiny. You just don't do that to someone you love, but he never did. I finally get that now," I say stumbling as I get up from the chair.

Larek catches me and sits me back down. "Are you happy now?"

"I had to know how she feels about Max."

"He's a bastard. I hate him." I grab hold of the bottle, but Larek takes it from me.

"I have to get Khivar out of my mouth."

"What was Khivar doing in your mouth?" Serena demands. "He didn't...with her. Max will..."

Larek shakes his head.

"Why? He never loved me, and I don't love him anymore." Standing up slowly, I use the back of the chair for balance. "I love someone else, and he loves me."

Serena steadies me. "Here we go with the boy again."

We all turn as my cell phone starts to ring.

"Alright mother, I know that look and whatever your thinking stop it. When Max finds out you made contact with Liz, you're going to be enough trouble as it is."

"Shhh, that's their song hijo. Hold Liz."

"Whose song?"

"So hija," she slides my cell phone out of my purse. "You say Max means nothing to you."

"Yes," I nod emphatically.

"Why do you have this song on your phone? I assume you know the significance."

"Which is what?" Larek asks sounding rather frustrated.

"It was their wedding song before. She used to play it over and over until I hid it from her. I got a little sick of it."

The haze in my brain clears a bit. "You remember what happened before."

She frowns at the caller id. "Who is this Brian?"

"Her boss."

"Is this the boy?"

"No," I reach for the phone.

She hits the off button and sends it floating out of the room.

I turn to Larek. "Am I hallucinating or did she just make my cell phone fly away?"

"Give Liz back her phone."

Serena smiles demurely at us.

"Mother."

"Are you not having fun Liz? Two more hours and then you can talk to the boy as much as you like, besides, you shouldn't be with a human at a time like this. Am I not right Larek?"

"Yes, but..."

"Liz and I are going to mingle."

"Serena I need to call him. He's probably worried about me."

"Later," she grabs my arm and scoots me out the door.

"But the virus."

"It can wait. You need to unwind. You're like this bundle of nerves, which is terrible considering you're garbage."

"Are you calling me trash?"

"No," she blushes. "What is when you're drunk?"

"Oh, wasted."

"See there I go again. I should just leave the lingo to my granddaughter, but you are definitely wasted."

I am not." I stumble, and she holds on to me. "How old are you really?"

"Old enough not to be answering that question. Excuse me just a moment," and she turns to chat to another woman in a language that I suppose is her native tongue.

I walk through an archway covered in portulaca blossoms into a large courtyard. In the center, a group of children gather around a heart shaped piñata that is somehow suspended in the air without any cords. Armed with a bat, a blonde boy approaches the red paper papier-mâché contraption. He swings, but misses. Ripping off his blindfold, he shoots a red blast at it, but it bounces off.

The rest of the children scatter leaving a small dark haired boy.

"You blocked my shot," he yells hotly. A red ball of flame forms in his hand.

"So what if I did Talen you were cheating," he answers as a green ball appears in his own palm.

I take a step forward, but stop. These kids have flaming fireballs. It takes all my power to squirt green energy from my fingers for three seconds. I tap a man on the shoulder. "Don't you think you should do something about that?" I point the boys.

"We let our children settle their own disputes," he sneers and returns to his conversation.

Ass. I hate aliens.

"What are you going to do now that daddy isn't here to protect you?" the blonde grits. "He's off with his whore."

A green ball whizzes haphazardly through the air and slams into the trunk leaving a sizzling crater. The boy clinches his finger, but no new orb forms.

"Is anyone going to do anything? He's going to kill him."

"No, he isn't," Serena answers beside me. "You just need to believe."

"What is this some freaky alien right of passage? They're fighting over nothing."

"It's hardly nothing. They're establishing the bounds of control. I just wish his father could have been here."

"To see his son get beat up. I don't understand you people at all."

Talen advances on the boy with a red burning bolt.

The boy flicks his fingers for the twentieth time and nothing happens.

I put my hand over my eyes. "Come on. Come on. Come on," I repeat over in a mantra.

"It's over Liz," Serena announces with dismay. "Poor boy. He just never gets a break. It's that ho of his mother's fault."

Peeking through my fingers, I see the boy on the ground as Talen gloats over him. "Bastard."

Serena grabs my arm. "Liz you can't get involved in this."

"He's hurt. This has to stop."

She pulls me back by the waist. "You mean well, but this is how it is," Serena explains. "You go out there. You're going to shame him even more. He has to take his lumps just like anyone else."

"He's only a child."

A smile forms on her lips. "I knew you'd be perfect."

Getting up, the boy hobbles over to us. "I lost."

"I know honey," Serena answers, "you're just not ready yet."

"I can't do it." The boy's gaze narrows in on Talen and a woman, who looks to be his mother, fussing over his injuries. "I might never do it." His wounded amber eyes fall on me. Something inside of me shatters. He has Max's eyes. Their child is no longer some indefinable entity but is real.

He exists.

Destiny won.

I never loved her.

Behind him, a boy splits open the heart shaped piñata. Candy streams out on to the floor. The rest of the children swoop down on the shiny wrapped pieces and carry them off.

"Look at me," he demands scowling in a way that's all Tess.

I shiver.

"You're Liz aren't you?"

"Yes." From his chestnut colored hair to his slender hands, he is every bit his father's son.

"My dad doesn't want you back. He doesn't even like you. He never did."

I swallow.

"Seth that's enough," Serena inserts.

"You're the reason why everything is messed up." A pure hatred shines in his eyes. No, they're Max's eyes. I can't take the resemblance any longer, and I won't wait around to see the same look in his father.

I'm practically through the archway before I hear Serena calling my name, but it makes no dent in my pace. I have to get out of here. Grabbing the doorknob, I try to turn it, but it refuses to budge.

I look over my shoulder to see Seth standing on the stairway. "Having trouble Liz?"

"Open this door now."

"I don't have to do what you tell me to do."

I pull on the doorknob. "I'm sorry that other kid beat you."

"He didn't beat me. I lost my temper."

"So you're going to keep me locked up in here forever because of it."

"Serena says Khivar is after you."

"He isn't."

"You're lying. Of course that's what you do. Humans are nothing but liars."

I spin around to him, "I only lied because your dad, no, the future version of your dad.......you wouldn't even be... just forget it."

"I wouldn't even be what?"

"It's not important."

"It seems to be pretty important to you." He crosses his arms.

"Let me out of here Seth."

"So Khivar can take you and use you against my dad. Do you have a plan for when you get outside? Who's going to drive you back, and what are you going to do if Khivar shows up again?"

"You take too much after your father," I groan.

"I'll just act like your good friend Tess then?"

"Why bother? You're definitely acting like her now." I watch the doorknob start to move. "Finally."

The door swings open, and I instantly back up.

"So now you want to stay," he jumps down the four remaining steps and lands next to me. "Oh, hi dad."

[Caelan]

Quotes: Destiny
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Chapter Six: Destiny's Fallout

Nerves flutter to life as my knees suddenly go weak.

This can't be happening to me.

Looking over my shoulder, I contemplate running up the stairs and hiding. There's no way Max would bother to look for me.

I never loved her.

Right doesn't care.

I don't care either.

Screw Max.

I smack my head in frustration. Those are two words that don't belong in the same sentence.

Two dusty boots step into the doorway connected to a pair of legs clad in faded jeans.

Tendons tighten in my neck.

Look up Liz.

Look at him dammit.

I can't.

I close my eyes in defeat.

"Dad," Seth launches himself off the stairs.

"So what you would you say to him?" Brian asks lining up his shot with the cue.

"Say to whom?"

"The evil alien king," he hits the four and eight ball straight into the corner pocket.

"Nice shot."

"You're dodging my question."


"After all this time, there really isn't anything to say."

"Would it bother you to see him again?"

"Let's just say I rather be with you instead."

"Why?" comes the barely whispered question.

"You don't make me cry."

He misses his shot.

I flash of bronze skin is all that I see before a crowd of people circle around him.

My stomach lurches as I remember his shyness.

Stepping off the stairs, I hear Max's voice launch into a language I can't even begin to understand. By his tone, he sounds rather pissed off. Obviously, he's gotten over the shyness factor.

Right Liz.

A lot of things change in eight years.

Max, you do have a destiny. You just heard it. I can't stand in the way of it.

Some things remain the same. My hand reflexively covers my heart.

"Are you mad at me hija?"

"It was bound to happen. There's an alien plague. He's an alien king. Seth is your alien godson." I turn slowly around to an apparently contrite Serena. However I'm not letting her off so easily. "We're going to have another little talk about honesty Serena. First, I want my cell phone."

"But.."

"No excuses," I interrupt her.

"Alright," she snaps her fingers. Almost immediately, my phone comes flying down the stairway into my waiting hand.

"Now I want answers, or I'm finding Brian. We're going to have sex, lots of it."

She makes a pained face. "I deserve that."

"You deserve a lot more, but I'm being nice. It must be the alcohol. I'm not making any promises when my buzz wears off. Did M--, the king of Antar send you after me on the plane?"

"No," she pauses, "funny how you still can't say his name after all these years."

"It's a riot. Then who sent you?"

The crowd shifts to reveal a steak of blonde hair.

"Seth sent me."

"Yeah right. I'm out of here." Weaving through the dinning room, I smack into Larek. "You. I'm revoking your favored alien status."

"I would have never sprung the two of them on you like she did. My mother set us both up."

"You help me get out of here. I'll call it even."

"It isn't safe Liz."

"I can't stay here. I just can't," I whisper. "Please."

"We can get out through the courtyard."

"Hijo," Serena huffs after us, "she shouldn't be going anywhere."

"Don't hijo me."

"Seth had a vision."

Larek grabs my arm, "Wait Liz. This better not be another con."

"It isn't. I promise."

Larek and I both eye her suspiciously. "Swear on my father's grave."

"I swear."

"I'm afraid she's telling truth," he groans. "What did he see?"

"A dark haired woman dead in the ocean."

"Mother, the majority of people on this planet have dark hair?"

"She had Nessa's medallion, and there's only one person on this Earth who has that."

I lift the pendent off my neck. "Then I'll just give it back to M--," I stomp my foot in frustration. "The king and leave."

"You can't. It's binding," Larek explains.

"Binding of what?"

"You're not ready to know," Serena answers.

"Sex Serena lots and lots of it. Hey I might even get pregnant. I've always wanted a daughter."

Her eyes grow large. "You supposed to help fight the evil within," She blurts crossing herself. "Ay dios mio. You're are going to get me kicked out of the order hija."

"The evil within. And that would be what exactly?"

A familiar blonde head comes around the corner. I can't get across the room the fast enough.

"Lizareyoualright? " Maria heaves.

"What are you doing here?" I ask taking in her tank top and pajama bottoms. "Did something happen?"

"Not if you don't count the large squiggle thing that tried to murder me in my bed."

"Maria de Luca. This is Serena and her son Larek."

"Larek as the one that used to possess Broody and take him all over the country. Khivar's here. Hell even Max is paying us all a little visit so stop time sharing other people's bodies and get your ass down here."

Serena throws her hands up in the air. "You are preaching to the band."

"Choir mom."

"Same thing. You don't know how many times I've been telling him that." She pinches his cheek, " I can't even remember what he looks like anymore."

Maria picks a carrot from a plate of vegetables on the table.

"He's as stubborn Michael. I've been on the boy for years to get his hair cut."

"Michael's alive," she stops in midchew.

"Yes, and I've been keeping very good care of him for you," she lowers her voice so I can no longer hear her.

"We need to talk." Larek guides me back into the kitchen. "I know this is difficult for you. Here drink this."

He gives me a glass of something, which slips from my shaking hands and on to the tiled floor.

"Damnit," I grit crouching down for the red shards.

Larek waves his hand over the pieces causing the cup to reform in my palm. "In thirty minutes, there is going to be a council meeting regarding the virus."

"I want in."

"Antar is not very conducive to the idea."

"Or is it their king that isn't?"

"You're able to read between the lines. That's lesson number one. No one is going to come out and tell you anything."

"I've notice that," I answer dryly.

"Forwardness will get you killed. He strokes his chin in thought. "As the governor of my planet, I can get you access. It all comes down to can you handle it?"

"Why can't you just give me whatever you have right now?"

"The council has to approve you."

"Approve me? There's a deadly plague outbreak, and you want to waste time going through the proper diplomatic channels."

"Lesson number two do not loose your temper. We have ways of doing things that cannot be circumvented. Open mindness is essential."

"Why are you helping me?"

He smirks getting up. "There is lesson number three. Nothing is exactly what it appears, and everyone has an ulterior motive."

"Helping me isn't going to get you any closer to Khivar."

He blinks momentarily before recovering. "Do not expect much from Max? It will be best to forget your personal relationship ever existed for the time being."

"I've already have."

"No, you haven't, and he hasn't either" Larek says softly before leaving me.

"You're wrong Larek," I whisper. "He never loved me."

A fit of laughter sounds before both Serena and Maria crash through the door.

Serena shakes an accusing finger at Maria, "handcuffs and whip cream."

"You have to use what's available believe me he wasn't complaining."

Serena chuckles holding her side. "I'm officially adopting both of you. The two of you are such a breath of fresh air. I hate my own people. They are such stiff asses."

Maria frowns.

"Tight," I correct studying the Mayan calendar on the empty Tequila bottle.

"Gracis. Anyway, there are always so serious about everything. Especially my son. He's such a kill joy. That's another one that needs to get laid. He's going to be my next project. You know anyone I can set him up with?"

Maria bursts out in hysterics. "You're a woman after my own heart."

Talen appears at the door.

"Excuse me duty calls," Serena explains following him out.

"I love that woman," Maria states.

"Watch it. She's extremely manipulating."

"It appears the alien abyss has snagged us once again. Are all these people in this house...you know... aliens?"

"I know they're all certifiable, and this is the freakiest night I've had in a very long time."

"Well my night has just been plain henky. I'm was up late watching Braveheart, because you know."

"I know."

She points to her eyes, "because we're here."

"Yeah, we're here Maria cut to the chase."

"Impatient much. Anyway, this huge giant tentacle thing appears in my living room. I'm not talking about I took off my invisible cloak and here I am kind of Harry Potter thing. It was definitely a Bewitched I wiggled my nose kind of appearance. The thing would have sucked my brains out if it hadn't been for Max."

"It was a Scion. They come up from the floors," a small voice comes from underneath the table.

I cringe. I don't need this right now.

Maria lifts up the tablecloth and peeks under. "Liz there's a kid underneath the table."

"There's no law that says I can't be here."

"Where are your parents kid?"

"My dad is busy."

Maria makes a slight squeak, and her head snaps back up. "Max's," she mouths.

"Yes." Taking a deep breath, I dip my head under. "What are you doing under there Seth?"

He glares at me. "Thinking how sad you must be since my dad never loved you."

"Great he takes after his mother."

"Her name is Tess," he says hotly.

"I know I had the special privilege of making her acquaintance."

"We'll she hated the both of you," he answers crawling out from under the table with a plane clenched in his fist," and I hate you to."

"You're a real..."

"Just ignore him, and he'll go away."

"You'd like that Liz then you could take my dad away from me."

I roll my eyes.

"Just because you don't have family doesn't mean you can steal mine."

Spinning around, I grab his arm hard.

"STOP HURTING HER. YOU'RE BEING BAD," he grabs frantically at someone ankles.

Immediately I let go, and the flash disappears. His amber eyes study me for a long moment before taking off through the door.

"I don't understand that kid at all."

"He's a monster nuff said." Maria pulls a very large wooden spoon out from the drawer and swats the air with it. "Maybe we can smack him with this next time."

"He'll just burn it up with one of his fireballs."

"Fireballs eh? So much for corporal punishment," she puts it away. "Have you figured out what he's doing walking around and breathing Earth's fine air?"

"With everything going on, I never even thought about that."

"So her royal whoreness was telling us all a huge whopper."

"It's possible Tess was mistaken."

"Or the skank wanted them back on Antar? Have you seen her?"

"No, but with my luck her curls will be bouncing into my view real soon," I grumble.

She opens a pot and checks inside. "Is this mole?"

"I think so."

She grabs a plate from the cupboard and starts heaping food on it. "This is culinary gold. My grandmother used to make it. It takes like days to prepare." Sitting down at the table, she scoops a brown spoonful into her mouth and sighs. "I love this woman." Her spoon pauses in midair. "Do you have a plan for when you meet Satan's father?"

"Seen Michael?"

"Today is about you. Tomorrow will be about me so stop being cagey."

"What was your question again?"

"So bitchey Lizzie has come out to play. Think you'll be able to say the bastard's name when you see him. Of course, he saved my life so I might have to downgrade him to jerk."

"I can't. Every time I try it just won't come out. What does that mean?"

"You know what it means. Where did I put that wooden spoon?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to use it to beat some sense into you. Do I have to remind you what he did to you?"

"We weren't even together Maria."

"I'm not talking about that. You had such an open heart Liz and now because of that jackass you've got more walls than Michael Guerin himself."

"You sound like Kyle."

"Why do you think he and every other guy breaks up with you? Your inability to commit," she answers.

I thread my fingers through my hair. "I really don't want to have this conversation right now."

"Fine. Stand up."

"Maria."

"Do it Parker." She orders. "Now you're going to say him name and then you're going back to the hotel to be with Brian. I'm talking about being in the biblical sense of the word, because that man has the potential to love you with the intensity that you deserve. I mean the looks that he gives you sometimes. Damn. He definitely wants to rip your clothes off and that's just want you need right now." She stands beside me. "I saw this on Oprah once. Now drop your head and sway back and forth."

"What?"

"Sway."

"Swaying."

"Now we're in a nice safe world where no psychotic, " her voice lowers, "alien fathers and their brats exists. Picture that beach you’re always telling me about. Imagine the orange rocky cliffs and the aqua water. Are you imagining Liz? Now say it with me Mmmm."

"Mmmm," I buzz.

"Mmmaaaxx. Max." She squeals shoving me behind her. " Liz and I were just doing a bit of deep breathing. Helps relief tension," she gestures wildly.

The blood hammers against my ear drums. Remembering Larek's words, I force myself to step out from Maria.

I stifle a gasp.

Long brown hair reaches to his muscular shoulders. He's wearing it the same way as the version that came to visit me all those nights before.

I didn't change a thing.

Vaguely, I'm aware of Maria's hand closing around my own. She gives me a light squeeze.

A long silver scar stretches from his lip up to his eye. From the raised texture, it appears to be from a knife wound. It takes all my nerve not to cross the distance and hold him. His hardened features tell me that my sympathy wouldn't be welcomed.

Good God his eyes.

Icy knives prick my heart.

No longer do they speak to me or anyone else for that matter. An inky substance now pools in them blocking out any warmth.

His eyes look inhuman.

His eyes look like an alien.

"I need to talk to you now," the cyborg voice orders.

"Kay," I answer standing glued to the floor with Maria at my side. Four seconds in his presence, and I'm ready to run again.

"Alone."

"Max, Liz is a little ...."

"Did I ask you Maria?"

"Apparently the apple does not fall that far from the tree after all."

"What?" he snaps with irritation.

"You know your son, the fruit of your loins, is a brat."

"Liz, are you coming?"

His tone causes me to shake off my timidness. "No."

"No," he parrots as if not used to the word.

"You heard me. I haven't seen you in eight years, and you're barking commands at me."

"You're not going to the council meeting."

"Try and stop me. My day of taking orders from you or whatever variation of you that cares to grace me with its presence are over. I will not follow you around like some lap dog."

"Yeah, don't you get that at home already?" Maria adds. "Liz is being courted by an epidemiologist and your mortal enemy. She has prospects. What did Khivar offer you again? He cute?"

"Extremely. Good kisser to."

The room grows brighter.

"The thing he does with his tongue."

A loud pop sounds as the light fixture shatters plunging the room into darkness.

"Real mature Max."

Two muscular arms capture me and throw me over an equally impressive shoulder.

I try to push off his back, but his grip only tightens reducing all my ability to move. "Maria."

"Babe I do something if I could get by this green force field. You’re a real dick Max. You know that," she mutters as the door close behind her.

"I hate you."

"I'm quite aware of that thanks. Consider this my way to ensure you don't run away from me again."

"Screw you."

"What a very interesting idea Liz?"

"It wasn't an invitation."

We pass a couple who barely give us a second look.

"This cavemen tactic a common thing for you now? I bet it gets Tess all hot and bothered."

"Never knew you were this fascinated with my sex life. Tsk Tsk. Brian not satisfying you? Maybe I should give him a couple of tips."

"Like you would know the first thing about it?" I spit as we enter a room.

Stopping, he slides me down his chest at a deliciously slow pace that causes my breasts to pass over every hard inch of his chest.

I shiver.

A mixture of sweat, peppermint aftershave, and something entirely of his own making assail my senses. I wet my lips. No man should smell this good.

His hand cups my swollen cheek, "Liz."

My name on his lips gives birth to a new form of torture.

I imagine him groaning it as he slides in and out of me. Our tangled arms and legs making it impossible to tell where I begin and he ends. And later, holding me close, it appears again in a soft declaration of love. One he mummers in that same honeyed tone that sends shivers through me at all that it promises.

My eyes open on the sight of his unreadable face.

Promise is no more.

He doesn't belong to me.

He never did.

His hand drops from my face, and the dream that threatened to ensnare me fades away.

My attention lands on the door.

"Try it and you'll be sorry," he warns picking up a cup of something off the table. Taking a sip, he makes a face and puts it down. He waves his hand over the liquid causing steam to rise.

I touch my still swollen cheek. "What do you want?"

"A Spice Girls reunion tour. I always had a thing for the brunette. What was her name?"

"Posh."

"Could you sit down? Your pacing is making me nervous."

"Will you stop worrying about me running away? I don't run from anyone."

"Only me," a brief vulnerability creeps into his tone before he steadies it again.

An image of me stumbling from the pod chamber surfaces in my mind.

"My son, you were the beloved leader of our people. I have sent with you your young bride."

I slide into the couch.

An uncomfortable silence ensues.

I open my mouth to break it, but no sounds comes out as yet another change becomes apparent.

I have no idea how to talk to him anymore.

From his hardened eyes to his care worn face, he looks nothing like the boy who turned parking meters into giant sparklers and fractured my heart right down the center. In his place sits a stranger I know nothing about a man who lives while the boy exists only in memory right along with the girl who loved him more than with life itself.

I smile a sad smile at least we'll always be together on some plane.

Curling my leg underneath me, I watch him slide a silver ring up and down on his finger.

The wrong finger.

"Care to tell me why you're so interested in my left hand?"

So the the battle begins. I lean forward, "I always thought you had extremely sexy hands. I used to imagine them at night trailing up my skin."

He chokes on his drink. "Funny Liz."

Too bad I was telling the truth.

"Why did you leave me that day at the pod chamber?" he asks seemingly out of no where.

And this time I'm choking. "It's in the past leave it there."

"It isn't the past for me," he growls. "I think I deserve an answer since I'm down here cleaning up the mess that you made."

"The mess that I made."

"You said that you loved me and then hours later you just turned around and ran, because you were too scared to accept me for what I am."

That wasn't it all.

"Maybe if I'd been Sean de Luca you would have hung around a bit longer."

"Go to hell."

"I've been there thanks to you," he hisses.

I swallow once again at the sight of his scar.

"Is there anyone else you plan to fix me up with? Maria perhaps? Next time you want to play God with my life don't."

Angrily, I get up from the couch. "YOU and your future version were as much of part of what happened as I was. Do you have any idea how it felt to listen to you tell me that we were married but if I put Tess in some slutty shirt it would be enough to destroy whatever you felt for me? If I hadn't played God you wouldn't have... your son...so I think you can cut me some slack." I cross my arms around my chest, "Where did you make love to her?

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to?" he slams his cup on the table.

"Or are they answers you just don't want give me?" I demand refusing to get sidetrack. "I bet there were candles, and afterwards, you wrapped your arms around her and gave her the same speech you gave me in the van. What was it? If my life ends tomorrow or fifty years my destiny is with you."

"Stop it. You don't understand."

"Help me then."

He hesitates, which breaks my already fragile patience. "Whatever, I don't care. You have your family, and I'm with someone that actually knows me."

"Why do you think that is Liz?" Something burns in his face that looks almost akin to jealousy.

"I don't have time for your possessive tendencies," I head for the door.

"And yet again, I get to see your back."

I flick him off.

As quick as lighting he pins me to wall. The skin on skin contact triggers an ache in the exact spot where his hand marked me all those years ago. Alternating between dull and sharp, it twists its way through my very body. My bones shriek, yelling for him to make me his all over again
NO!!!!! I DO NOT WANT HIM!!!

"Let go of me now," I sneer my lips a feather's breathe from his own.

"Why did you leave?" he demands right back at me.

"Why did you fuck Tess?

His adam's apple bobs up and down.

"And don't give me that I love her but not like I love you speech. What the hell does that mean anyway? I was you guinea pig until someone of your own species came along. Heck I even helped you find her so the two of you could go off in your spaceship and breed. Yet am I free of you? No, you give me this nice necklace that still somehow binds me to you and all your psycho friends."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't keep you out of it. I tried," he says as he regains his controlled demeanor and releases me. "As for my numerous children, I have one who I have will be having a little chat with shortly."

"One or a hundred, I don't care. I want you out of my life," I state passionately trying to provoke a response from his new pod person persona.

"Then explain how attending a council meeting that I preside over is going to achieve such an objective?"

Crap he got me. I scrunch up my face in frustration. Khivar where are you? At least, I can outthink him.

"You're not going to the meeting, and it's final. You can leave," he waves a dismissive hand.

I give him my best glare.

He groans, "I know. You don't do docile. I'm trying to protect you from this world."

"Fine," I give a little bow.

"Please don't do that."

"You are a king aren't you." I'm several steps out the door when I deliver my coup d'état . "I guess I'll just have to ask my special friend Khivar more about the virus next time I see him."

An electronic pop sounds in my wake. Looking back, I see the room bathed in darkness.

"You keep that up. We aren't going to have any lights left in the house," Larek says stepping out from the shadows.

I wink. "I'm just trying to stir his pot a little."

"More like causing it to boil over."

"He's so shut off. I doubt that I could have the much of an impact either way. "

"The question is do you want to have an impact?"

"If I show up at this meeting, can he force me to leave?" I ask changing the subject.

"No. You're now an integral part of our organization, and he knows it."

I lift up my necklace.

"You're catching on."

"Are you going to tell me how and why I'm an integral part?"

"No."

"Larek."

"Stop giving me that face. It isn't going to work."

"How about this face?"

"Still now working."

"You're a cold, cold alien. Is that a smile I see?"

"I don't smile," he answer gruffly as we stop in front of two wooden doors. "Now, they will probably be rather antagonistic to you."

"What else is new?"

"Max will be the worst, because it is what they will be expect of him."

"Why?"

"You're a threat to his control over the council."

"Huh?"

He smoothes the hair around my face and hands me a small microchip. "Put this behind your ear. It's a translator." He sizes me up "you're going to be fine."

"You don't really sound all that sure."

"I just don't like seeing you upset," he admits. "I think it has something to do with the size of your thelius."

"Excuse me?"

A slight blush tinges his cheeks. "Our vision is a lot more sensitive than with humans. Each person has this presence that surrounds them, which we can read. Yours is rather expressive among other things. It's why Seth ran away from you. He couldn't take it."

"That and the fact he hates me."

"There's only one person he hates in this world, and you're not her." He turns the golden doorknobs.

I stop him. "What do I do in there? I don't know the customs or people or any of it. He's right. I shouldn't be here. I'm in over my head."

You know the science. As for the other parts, I'll walk you through it.

I touch my temple. "You're telepathic. I heard you in my head. How does it work?"

The corners of his lip twitch upwards. "One thing at a time Liz." He offers me his arm.

I take it tentatively, and he pushes open the door.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Caelan]

It starts of a little weird. I'm not talking crack dream surfacing weird but it is a little odd so bear with me. It's some insight into Liz's character.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 7: Nothing and Everything

A ceiling fan ticks furiously over me. Its brown blades cut frantically through the dry air. Despite all the work, it hardly rustles my hair or the vase of roses sitting in front of me, because sometimes all the effort in the world can still cause you to come up empty.

My heart constricts.

"Have you ever been in love Liz?" her innocent child's voice asks me.

"Once."

'What was it like?"

I slide her leather bracelet up and down my wrist.

"When he kissed you saw stars, like real ones?"

"I felt like I was flying."

"You miss him."

"Sometimes."

"I bet he misses you to."

"I bet he does," I lie.

I clinch my fist.

I pull back the curtain.

"Sierra I brought the book. You're going to love it."

"Liz," she smiles. "I've missed you."

The book falls from hands. A dime shaped legion stands out on her skin.

What if it happens again, politics was never my strong suit. I’m never going to get them to give me their information.

"If you would just allow us to use AZT in minster. It would stop mothers from spreading it to their children during birth."

"How many times do I have to tell you Ms. Parker? My party condones the use of the drug. It is toxic to the fetus."

"And Aids isn't?"

“Eating garlic has been found to be far more beneficial than your drugs. You Americans kill me the way you're constantly thrusting your head into our people's business. My country has survived slavery, European imperialism, and it will survive this epidemic. Now, this meeting is over. We do not need help from outsiders."

I pull out her picture from my purse. "Look at it. She's nine years old. Her father was a trucker who gave it to her mother who gave it to her. They’re both dead so it falls to me to explain what those funny spots that keep popping up all over her face are.

My eyes snap back to the couple with glassy eyes and Larek hovering around them. I'm just spoiling for a fight with these arrogant aliens if only they would get their minds down her. "Are we going to have this meeting or am I going to sit around with the stoners all night? If not, I do have places I need to be."

He halts his examination. "They're stuck in transit."

"Yeah, well they've been in transition for the last thirty minutes."

He arches his eyebrows, "is there something wrong? You blanked out there for a moment.”

"Why are they stuck?"

"Seth I imagine."

"Then his father should spank him until he unsticks them."

"You don't like him do you?"

"He doesn't exactly inspire warm and tingling feelings in me especially when he's spying on me." I get up from the chair and begin to pace "now he’s holding everything up. The virus could be an epidemic right now."

"It isn't. We still have time and as for Seth holding things up he isn't doing it on purpose. When he gets a vision, he creates this energy field which makes it impossible for the master to connect to the vessel."

"Hmm?"

"We call the people we inhabit vessels. Kathana and Tharo had control, but they lost it. Seth kicked them out of their connection."

"I never realized that he is so powerful."

"He's powerful in all the wrong ways," he answers esoterically. A thoughtful silence settles over him.

"Can all of you take over bodies like this?"

"No, it's extremely difficult. It takes a huge amount of control not to get completely sucked into the vessel's memories."

"You can access their memories. Don't you think that's a little intrusive?"

"It's more like they float at the edge of my conscious and come into focus in response to certain stimuli."

"I don't understand."

"When you inhabit a mind, you form a connection. The vessels memories and feelings become yours on a subconscious level."

"So you actually become them on some level."

"You should know he wasn't spying on you. His first memories are of hiding underground. Enclosed spaces are comforting, which is ironic considering Max refuses to go near them." "

"He's claustrophobic?"

"Very."

"Did Khivar do that to him?"

"Liz."

Glancing down at the cherry oak table, I picture Max's bloodied face and all the possible methods used to get it that way. "I'm not some shrinking violet that needs to be protected."

"I would never presume that of you. What I do know is very little, because Max has never told anyone the particulars."

"How long did it last?" my voice hitches.

"It was two years before they escaped. Isabel and Michael came out relatively unscathed, but it was never about them to begin with. Max had to adapt and adapting meant shedding certain human characteristics for Antarian ones."

I press my lips together.

"However, Khivar's actions did have some unforeseen consequences. A binding was placed over all four of the royals' minds. It served to block out their predecessor's memories. Ideally, the wall is supposed to lift gradually to prevent any one of them from being swamped with too much stimuli. Khivar destroyed this blockage in Max. However, it enabled him to regain full access to all his powers and memories from before. Michael and Isabel have yet to."

"He remembers everything," I repeat. "He remembers Ava?"

"Yes."

An overwhelming need to destroy something grips me. My rage turns on the roses. Pulling a flower out of the bunch, I study its white head for a moment.

The color that absorbs nothing and is forever lacking.


"I'm sure Tess is thrilled by that." Wrapping my hand around the flower, I squeeze ignoring the sting in my skin.

My destiny is with you.

I squeeze harder.

"I couldn't make it work Brian." Angry hot tears stream down my face. "I looked into her eyes, and everything, and it just didn't work. I know he gave the gift to me. I can sense it in her. I just can’t make it go away."

"Do you have something against Antar's planetary flower?"

"What?" My hand springs open to reveal mutilated petals stained a bright red color.

"I've often wondered about Max's obsession with them. I should have known it had something to do with you. It's oddly symbolic in a way making a flower that can't even grow on Antar his symbol."

Several drops of blood drip down my wrist.

"Do you want me to heal that for you?"

I wipe my hand against my jeans. "No, it's what I get for being childish.

"You want childish. I never went outside after dark for a whole year, because the stars reminded me too much of....," he stops abruptly. "I better go and see about Seth in case he's having a bad vision. Will you be alright alone for a moment?"

Yet, he's out the door before I even get my answer out.

"You think, Kathana, after sixty years he'd be over it," a man's voice sounds sadly behind me.

I whip around to the couple whose eyes are no longer vacant.

"He's half human Tharo. What do you expect? They are forever over romanticizing their offspring. It isn't like he couldn't have more."

Bitch.

Tharo gives me the once over. "So who do we have here?"

"More like a what," she answers. "I'd venture that this would be Max's little human pet."

"Why don't you go back to your Courtney Love impression?"

A momentary bout of confusion crosses her features only to be replaced with a dawning understanding. "How dare you? I'm the Queen of Creusa not some trampy drugged out singer." A purple bolt appears in her hands.

Swallowing, I take a step back.

"Do you think because you have inkling of power that you’re on the same footing as us? You will never be one of us."

"And here I was looking forward to being the treasure of your alien club and learning the secret hand shake."

"You are an abomination. I know for certain that if Max had it to do over again he would have let you die on that floor."

I exhale sharply as a simmering pain throbs in my stomach. Burning its way up my chest, it feels like I've been shot. I stumble backwards into a pair of muscular arms and almost immediately the sensation ceases. In its place, a comfy warm snuggles around me.

"You are going to have to forgive her Kathana. She hasn't learned the finer points of respect or obedience."

My eyes grow large. I'm in Max's arms. Oh hell. I struggle against him, but his grip only tightens.

"But what do you expect from a human?" he adds.

The three of them all laugh.

Kathana's burst disappears.

He spins me around to him. "Now why don't you say goodbye to Kathana and Tharo."

"Yes master, I'll blink myself straight back to my bottle right away." I answer doing my best impression of I Dream of Genie.

"What is she talking about Max?"

"Excuse us," he shoves me out the room and closes the door. "Could you be anymore reckless?"

"That depends, could you be anymore of an asshole? Apparently, you were too busy fantasizing about Tess when Mr. Taylor explained the finer points of hybridization." I teeter forward and his arms find their way back around my waist.

"Just remember sweetheart, this asshole kept you from kissing the floor."

"Here I thought chivalry was dead." I grit against my swimming vision.

"You have no idea how chivalrous I've been to you and what it has cost me."

"Don't do me any favors."

"Will you stop fighting me for two seconds and tell me what is wrong? You can barely stand up Liz." A concern enters his voice that sounds almost like the Max of old and something thaws in me. "You're going to tell me."

And freezes again. "I'm drunk," I say purposely slurring my words together.

"You're not drunk," he states bluntly.

"How do you know? Have you ever seen me drunk? I'm quite sloppy."

"Fine. I don't care. Stumble around and see if you can slice up your other hand."

How does he know about that?

"But you are staying out of the council meeting."

A throat clears behind us.

Max's head snaps up over me.

"Liz is an envoy to Nausica," Larek answers, "as such you can't deny her access."

His eyes turn stormy. "Do you even know where Nausica is?"

"Yeah, outer space." I pat his bicep and feel his muscles twitch under my fingertips. "You can't win them all slugger."

"This isn't a game," he hisses.

"Nothing with you ever is."

Wrapping his hand around the pedant, he pulls me in closer to him.” Just so you know your new best friend is using you to get to Khivar. " His warm breath puffs causing goosebumps to rise on my skin.

I bit down on my lip to steady my thoughts. "My new best friend actually showed up while Khivar was smacking me around so right now he has a lot more credence than you. And besides," my knees brush his legs,” isn’t using others the number one rule in politics."

"I would say rule number one is don’t start things you won't be able to finish." With scorching fingers, he traces the line of my collarbone.

I let out a ragged breath as a dull ache flutters to life in me.

His full lips smirk upwards.

I imagine them coasting down the arch of my neck. My eyes grow large, not again. "I'll take your comments into consideration," I say primly desperately trying to ignore my racing heart.

"You do that," his hands slide away. Yet, I can still feel his arms hovering protectively behind me. "You get into trouble in there you are on your own."

"Blah. Blah. Blah. You're like a broken record."

"I wouldn't have to be a broken record if you would listen to me."

"Maybe I would listen to you to more if you weren't such a condescending ass."

"I could have your head cut off for that."

"You like my hair too much to do that," my face turns red. Did I just say that?

A hearty laugh filters through the air. "Your face, Max, is priceless." Serena holds her side. "I wish I had a camera."

I glance up at Max, but his mask like features show me nothing.

"Where's Larek?"

"He decided to give you some private time while...what does Miranda call it? Suck head."

"Suck face," Larek answers coming around the corner.

I giggle while Max remains stoic.

"Glad to see you've progressed through adolescence Liz."

"Lighten up."

Kathana sticks her blonde head out the doorway. "Max," she says in an overly saccharine voice and bats her eyes. "Would it be possible for us to begin? We are in desperate need of your guidance."

Beside me, Serena makes a face. "Ho," she coughs.

"Did you say something Serena?"

"Just clearing my throat darling. When you get my age, the phlegm is always a flowing."

"And tell me, how is that wonderful son of yours?"

"Still hating your fake ass," Serena snickers behind them.

Max silences her with a steely glare and begins to speak with Kathana.

Serena turns to me. "It's like I told you no sense of humor. Hija," She presses her hand to my forehead. "You're feverish. Did she say something to upset you? Don't listen to her." Her voice drops to a whisper,” she been trying to get into Max's pants for years. She wants to be the next Queen of Antar if you could believe that. You think one planet would be enough for her."

"What about Tess?"

"He didn't tell you? It's not like my plans have no rhyme or reason to them. I just didn't pull them from the sky. Everything would be so much easier if people would just do what I tell them to do. He was supposed to tell you about her. I'm going..."

"Where is she?"

"Burning in hell with Medea, I hope."

"Serena."

An arm spears me away from her. "And here I thought you weren't concerned with the past Liz?"

"Will you stop dragging me around?"

"Eat more then. You wanted to be included in the meeting so I'm including you." He shoves me into the room and closes the door behind us.

"Gee thanks."

Tharo narrows his eyes at me, "its back."

"She," Larek corrects him pulling out the chair for me, "is an envoy from Nausica as such I would appreciate it if you would show her the respect she deserves."

"Easy, I wasn't aware of her position."

"Her position is meaningless. Why don't you run back to your little humans and leave the real work to us?" another male's voice joins in. I turn to see Talen and a man who appears to be his father. "It's interesting you would designate your good friend Larek as her patron. Don't think I don't see want your doing Max? You want her power for yourself. This..this thing" he motions to me, "isn't going to make up for where you son is sorely lacking."

I wait for Max to say something, anything in Seth's defense, but nothing comes.

"He will forever be his mother's child."

A horrified expression crosses both Kathana and Tharo faces while the vein in Larek's forehead starts to bulge.

"Say what you will about Tess, but at least, she wasn't picking on child that is half her size."

He whips around to me. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"No, and I don't care, but I have sneaking suspicion you're going to entertain me with all the fine details."

Talen's mouth freezes in an O shape while his father looks momentarily flustered.

{You accomplished the impossible. You've thrown Sinon for a loop.} A mental chuckling follows, which takes me a second to recognize as Larek

Telepathy, aliens, plagues. What did I do to deserve this?

"If you would sit down Liz, I'd like to start this so I could get back to my sorely lacking son who happened to save your life Sinon and the lives of your family."

"We would have stopped the revolt and caught Khivar if it hadn't been for her." His eyes narrow in on me. "She has the evil in her. It's only a matter of time before she joins forces with him."

"I have to disagree with that," Tharo replies. "It's something entirely different. She feels and blames herself for too much."

"Liz's humanity is not the issue," Max snaps.

"At least I still have it," I mumble.

Larek covers my hand, "the issue is that she is a meaglan ."

"I'm telling you she isn't. I was seventeen year old kid when I healed her. I never consciously made the decision to choose her."

"You didn't have to. Seth did it for you."

"That has nothing to do it with it."

"It has everything to do with it."

"Alright, I think I've been really patient, but could you please tell me what the hell you are both talking about?"

"You need to test her Max before Khivar does it instead," Larek warns.

"No."

"Do you think you can just ignore Nessa? I did, and you know what it cost me."

I push my chair away from the table and stand up. "I'd like to say it's been fun, but it hasn't."

Larek grabs my wrist.

"Look, I came here for information about the virus not to listen to the five of you bitch back and forth at each other and talk about some obscure calling that you refuse to tell me about. " I turn to Max, "You can have your lucky charm back." I lurch forward as a pressure weighs down on my lungs. Clawing at my neck, my fingers clink against a heated metal collar. "It's the medallion," I gasp. "Get it off."


Its hold tightens, and my legs turn to jelly under me.

I'm vaguely aware of Max lowering me to the floor. "Get Seth now." He tells somebody.

Hot bursts of pain jab into my eyeballs. "Make it stop please," I beg Max.

Any minute he'll put his hand on me and make it stop.

Except, he doesn't.

A pair of two very different hands touch me instead.

My shoulders tense.

"If you start convulsing, I don't want you choking on your tongue being that yours seems to be the only one that can shut Sinon up," Kathana explains.

My head lurches back in her lap.

"Help me. Do you... hate me... that much?"

He doesn't get a chance to answer.

A bright yellow explosion blossoms before my eyes. Streaks of red and orange suffocate out all other colors.

Glass shatters.

Blood spills across a wooden floor.

A shrill scream sounds.

My scream.


Flesh curls away from bone.
I stand naked and she is everywhere.
Ripping, breaking, and tearing.
I am shredded.

"You have always had everything. Let's see how you enjoy having nothing. Maybe, we won't be so different after all."

"I tried daddy, but she was just too big. I couldn't stop her."

"Damn it Liz, let me in. I love you, and it isn't going to end like this. You're going to go on to have the husband, the kids, the dog, everything, but you have to let me in."

Just when I think my brain is going to explode, the sound bites stop.

The fiery red gives birth to one shimmering sapphire blue eye. "I've been waiting for you."

I'm possibly in a comma, hearing things that never happened, and now, an eyeball is talking to me. I'm ready for my padded cell.

"Aren't you going to entertain me with your dazzling wit?"

"Who are you?"

"She speaks."

"What were you trying to do, kill me?"

"If I wanted you dead, we wouldn’t 't be having this conversation. Here's a bit of advise. Keep my medallion on. I didn't dream walk your friend to get you to wear it for nothing."

"Stay away from Maria."

"And thus your greatest fear rears its ugly head."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You should tell Max about it. He'd understand why you left him that day."

"Does this meeting have a point?" A tepid green presence shines down on me.

Her eye looks upwards. "Hello Seth. He could have done so much good. " A bit of water appears in her orb.

"What do you mean?"

"His scales were tipped the very moment he was conceived."

"Where was that?" I grit.

"And there you go asking the wrong questions again."

"Then what should I be asking?"

"How and why?"

"Like that's really an avenue I want to dwell on."

"You two have a lot in common you know. You’ve both been brushed by the same evil.”

"What's a meaglan?"

"Something you're not but may yet will become. Your switch has yet to be thrown."

"Who throws it?"

"The King of Antar."

"There seems to be some debate to who that is."

"I can see why he likes you." It winks. "I want to show you something." Its pupil enlarges and scenes start to play in it.

"STOP IT!!!! STOP IT !!!! STOP IT!!!!"

"You tell Max he'll better fall into line, or I'll show you every little sordid thing he's keeping from you and believe me there's many. Go to Chiapas. The government wasn't down there looking for insurgents. They were looking for something entirely different."

The green light intensifies, and reality rushes back into me.

Kathana's cheap perfume

The small hand in mine

Maria's hysterical voice

Serena helping me off the floor

Yet, those sensations are meaningless because all that matter is his face.

A face that houses the soul that I thought at one time was my mate to be young and stupid again.

A weird noise leaves my lips, and it takes me a second to realize I'm laughing. I look at his zombie face wanting him to hold me and being repulsed by the feeling at the same time.

"So help me God, you better let me go this instant spaceboy." Maria pushes past Sinon and Tharo. "You're freaking aliens with super powers," she tells the staring men, "you can't tell me you haven't seen this before."

I press my palm to my aching head but remove it just as fast when I feel the liquid.

"Tros withdraws it rejection."

"As does Dardinmus. Ms. Parker you'll have everything we have on the virus and Khivar within the hour."

"Well if all the kids are doing it, you can count Creusa in as well."

"That’s just great. You all nearly killed her to prove…What the hell we’re you all proving anyway?" Maria points at Max. “You are in my book big time buddy. You just stood there like some zombie why she’s writhing all over the floor. Don’t you have anything to say? Whatever, I give up. Liz you’re going upstairs to rest.”

"I just need to sit down for a little while."

"You can sit down upstairs now move it." She stops to ruffle Seth's hair. "You saved the day kid."

"I just did it because my dad told me," he shrugs of her hands.

"Yeah, but now we're here," she points to her eyes.

"You're very weird."

"I actually prefer the term eccentric."

Looking over my shoulder, I see shattered glass and eleven scorched white roses.

Ashes to ashes
and dust to dust
We now commit the souls of
Nancy and Jeff Parker to the earth.

My hands enclose around the medallion that is no longer wrapped my throat.

"You should know that Nessa can be a little pissy at times," a man says to me, "and she always has an agenda behind everything she shows people."

"Yeah."

"You have no idea who I am do you?"

"Um.."

He smirks.

Michael." I throw my arms around him. "You're alright. You're not dead. They all die," I mutter.

Awkwardly, he pats my head.

“Is Isabel alright?"

"Yes. I imagine she's on quite a power trip as we speak."

"Huh?"

"Max left her in charge."

I wince and let go of him.

"What did Nessa show you Liz?"

Nothing and everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Caelan]

I have to make the shoutout and question answering fast because my time on the computer is very limited. I'll be coming back to add to it tomorrow.

First off, I want everyone to go the first page.




Are you on the first page?


Seriously get thyself to the first page.


What do you see?

The most faboulous banner ever. Isn't it beautiful? I squelled when I saw it and ran around like the freaky person I am. So big thanks to Majesty because it's freaking beautiful and I will personally take anyone on who questions the beauty of the banner


On a side note, I lost all my cds today. I'm very sad I know less personal and more story. Just wanted to share.


Roswelluver ~

what the heck is a meaglan!

That's the thousand dollar question. It will it's sort of going to be like answering what is the Matrix? There will be answers but they will not be forthcoming.


I am Dreamer~ Spec away girl. I love your specs. It's gets me excited when you get where I'm going and some of your specs are even better than what I actually thought up. You have such great ideas. You should write fanfic. I would definitely read it.

Elle

I don't know why, but for some reason I kept flashing to when Liz's parents died and "BRIAN"(i.e. Max inhabiting Brian) spent so much time with Liz afterwards. If he was so concerened to be there for her during the emotional aftermath, would it not make sense to have him drop everything and rush to her side during her physical trauma as well?

I'm feeling coy tonight. So you get smiley.

The most interesting part was the fact that Max was 'frozen like a zombie' when Liz was writhing on the floor. Her asking if he really hated her that much--all I could think was he doesn't hate her, he loves her and it's killing him to know that she is indeed a meaglan (thus her little episode, which seemed to convince the others in the room of her status) and he so desparately did NOT want her to be a meaglan

I think we were seperated at birth. Seriously. you are right on here. It's exactly what Max is feeling.

Quotes: It's Too Late It's Too Bad
Lyrics: Usher's Confession Part 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Eight: Lost

The faint glow from the television lightens the darken room. Waves of shadows travel over the popcorn ceiling.

Maria's spoon scrapes against an ice cream cartoon. She gestures to the set. "I don't see why Romano and Julia don't admit that they want each other. I mean it's so obvious."

"Julia thinks Romano is with Theresa."

"Liz babe. It's so obvious he isn't. Look how he's always touching her when they're fighting. Her hair, her neck. He wants her bad. Get it on already." Maria shouts in encouragement.

Romano grabs Julia by the wrist and shoves her up against the wall. Breathing harshly, they both stare at each other.

"Oh baby, it's coming. Tell her Romano."

Silence ensues.

Julia pushes Romano off her and walks away from him. The telenovela fades to black, and the credits start to roll.

"Like always I get no closure. Freaking soaps. The lack of communication kills me."

"Like people are actually going around screaming I love you from the rafters."

"Michael did," she answers softly.

"WHAT." I roll over onto my side. “You’re just telling me this now."

"Well I was waiting until we discussed what happened tonight. You know. I share. You share otherwise known as having a heart filled conversation."

"You're blowing it out of proportion." Drop it Maria. Drop it. I chant in mantra.

"Blowing it out of proportion. You were reenacting scenes from the Exorcist. You were thrashing all over the floor, and Max just stood there. You blew up a vase and you looked like you were going to catch the entire room on fire until the kid calmed you down."

"What did Seth do exactly?"

"He just held your hand and said something to you. I think it was in Antarian."

"He probably said F you, and I hope you don't wake up lady."

"No, he was upset. He kept talking to Max, but Max seemed to be just as out of it as you were. Liz what did you see?"

Hands traveling down a slender back.

A blonde curly head locked with a dark brown one.

The answer to a question that has been plaguing me for years.

And something else. Something I really don't get, but disturbs me all the same.

There's something in Brian that shouldn't be there.

"I don't want to talk about it," I swallow.

"Liz. I know this is tough with Max and his kid but hiding from it isn't going to make it go away."

"I have to because there are just too many things on my plate right now. What I saw isn't relevant to the current crisis." I glance down at my watch. Where are those stupid files? "Tell me about you and Michael."

"Are you trying to distract me?"

A body writhes on the payment. Blood and saliva spill from the mouth.

"I need to be distracted Maria."

"Just so you know I'm giving you a reprieve. I'm not dropping this."

I squeeze her hand in thanks.

"I sort of spoiled the story by telling you the ending. Anyway, I'm sitting with Serena. Michael came right through the doorway. My head froze. You know when you drink something cold really fast. That's what it felt like. I was speechless babe. When have I," she points to her chest, "Maria Alejandra De Luca ever been speechless. I'd thought about him for so long and there he was. His grooming habits still leave much to be desired, but that was never the appeal to begin with," her eyes twinkle in a way that I haven't seen in years. A faint color tinges her cheeks.

I'm jealous. The love of her life came back to her and mine came back a stranger. I can't even remember what it feels like to be in love. No, I can't remember what it felt like to be in love with Max. I should have never burned my journal.

"He's going to leave Antar and come back after this thing with Khivar is settled."

"That's great."

"No, it's weird. Out of all them, he was the one that always wanted to go home. It gets stranger." She scratches her head. "He walked through the door and told me he loved me with Serena in the room. I mean straight out of the blue. That's not normal Liz. He was always about being the wall or some crap like that. Where did the Michael Guerin I know go?"

"He grew up."

"He said he's seen how fragile life is, and he isn't going to waste time not going after what he wants."

"What did you say?"

I smacked him.” How dare he come down here and tell me he loves me." Her hands gestures become erratic. “He completely changed the rules without even consulting me. What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know. Tell him you love him back that every guy you date you compare to him."

"I do not."

"Really."

"Sometimes, ok more like all the time but that's because the bastard ruined me between the visions and the one hour" her mouth stops in an O shape.

"One hour what?"

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I discovered some rules are still in place. See." She rolls down the neck of her shirt to show several impressive hickies. "Make out and ask questions later. Kind of nice to know that some things haven't changed. It gives me some consistency. What am I going to do?" she groans. " He left just like... my dad. I know he didn't have choice, but he still did it. How do I know it's not going to happen again if Max knocks up some other brood and he needs him back or something or he gets tired of me and wants an alien chick."

"You don't."

"Thanks Liz. I was looking for a little sweetness and light."

"Just hear me out. Bad things happen, but it doesn't me you take all your chips off the table and refuse to play."

"Reaaaallllly," she gives me a pointed look.

"I play."

"With whom?" She props her head on her hand and look of rabid curiosity dawns on her, "and was there any hot and sweaty play going on in Vietnam? Maybe a game of strip poker."

"I thought we were talking about you and Michael."

"Sue me, I have a short attention span."

" I'll see about getting you some Ridlin for that."

"HAHAHAHA!!! You're so funny."

"Your paths crossed again for a reason."

"Yeah, Khivar decided to kill everyone." She twists a strand of hair around her finger. "I mean it's why they're here."

"Yes, but he didn't have to tell you he still loved you."

Her lips pucker up.

" You need to take the chance but take it slow. It's been eight years, and he's definitely different now. I didn't even recognize him. I mean he was...nice to me. He was never nice to me."

"You used to scare him."

"What?"

" It was your openness. He once said you were fearless from Michael that's a huge complement. You know about this slow thing. Here's the problem. The thing is I sort of want to jump his bones right now."

"Wait."

"We can all be dead in two weeks. I should be getting with the loving why I still have a pulse. According to Serena, Creusa is pretty much wiped out and the others are on their way. It hasn't hit Antar yet."

"Why would Khivar go after Creusa and not Antar first? He baffles me. When I kissed him..."

"Hold the phone you actually kissed Khivar. You little slut."

"I was doing it for information. It's not like I'm attracted to him. He did say he'd kill Tess for me."

"Who is surprisingly MIA?"

"Here whereabouts are not my problem."

"If you knew she wasn't in the picture would you and Max.."

"Two words. Hell no. I would have to be certifiable."

"He does have a lot of baggage with the kid and all." She touches the pendant. "I shouldn't have ever insisted that you wear that thing. It nearly tried to kill you. It was wrapped around your throat like some snake. Then there's your scar," her fingers brush across my forehead. " How could I've ever thought it would protect you when Lord Farquad gave it to you?"

"Shh. I think she can hear us."

"She who?"

"I think it's a she. I couldn't really tell. It's like a giant eyeball thing."

"This is just too much. I need a drink. See if I date Michael it's back to fighting aliens with skin problems and getting rid of giant phallic weapons. You can't have a relationship with those kinds of distractions. It's doomed to failure."

"Don't say that. With what you said, I think it could work. "

"Then there's Isabel."

"Maria, she’s like a sister to him."

"The first thing about royalty is that their family trees doesn't have branches. Just think about it if Michael is into being human and Max is to being an alien that means Isabel is finally into being nice."

"Isabel was always nice."

"Yeah, did she have your back when Alex died? She refused to even listen to you when you thought his death was alien related she jumped down your throat."

If I recall, everyone except Kyle was jumping down my throat at the moment including you Maria.

"Wake up Alex."

Should I tell her? Tell her what. I still can't put the pieces together. "Look. People grief in different ways. You shouldn't hold that against her."

"She and Max abandoned you after all you had done for them." .

I slide off the bed. "I'm going to get a drink of water."

"I'll get it."

"Maria go talk to Michael."

"I want to talk to you."

"Don't use me as an excuse."

"When did you start spouting the virtue of the touchy feely variety?"

"I give out advise doesn't mean I follow it."

"So you're hypocrite?"

"I prefer the term conversationally challenged."

"You suck Liz."

I push her. "You suck harder."

"You act like you're five."

"And you act like you're four."

"I love you," she says seriously.

I hug her. "I love you to. Now go and talk to Michael."

She walks two steps and stops.

"Maria."

"I'm working it out in my head. Visualization is the key."

"Do you want me to pretend to be Michael?"

"That would go well if we were dealing with old Michael now we're dealing with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Michael."

"I wouldn't go that far. He's still fashionably inept."

A wide smile spreads across her. "There's my evidence that he isn't with Princess Amidala."

Like she needed any.

"I'm going for my water."

"And I'm going to get laid," she sing songs back to me.

"Maria," I warn.

"Kidding."

Mentally, I count the stairs as I go down them.

I feel wired.

I need a coke.

No caffeine makes me crazy.

A couple bows to me.

Milk maybe.

Wait.

I turn back to them.

Did they just bow to me?

Liz they hate you here.

You just imagined it.

I hear their voices and the radio playing just before I come into to view. I hide on the other side of the door. Through the hinges, I watch Max and his legacy.

"You have to hide me dad. Serena is trying to make me go to bed. She says I have to go to sleep.

Max looks up amused from some papers.

My missing files no doubt.

"I've never slept before. I don't understand why Serena makes me, because we're down here."

"Because that's what human boys do. Of course, they're usually in bed before three in the morning, but Serena has never really been a details person."

"I don't want to be a human boy. You never sleep. Why do I have to?"

Must be why he's so moody.

" I want to go home. I don't like it here. It's noisy and things smell funny and and...this sleeping thing is stupid."

"We're going to go, but I have to fix some things first."

Max slides the papers away from him and lifts Seth up on to his lap. "I know it's tough for you being down here away from your room and Tharoon."

"I miss her. Do you think Isabel is taking care of her right? I left her a list."

"Trust me Izzy got it covered."

"What are you doing?"

"Deciding how long of a rope to give Liz to strangle herself with," he sighs.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to let Liz strangle herself. Nessa would get mad."

"It's an expression buddy," he ruffles his hair. "You know Serena and Maria said you weren't being very nice to her."

"Why do I have to be nice to her? She hates me. "

Don't I feel terrible. He knows I'm uncomfortable with him.

"She doesn't hate you. When you're not nice to her, it makes it look like I'm not a good dad."

He throws his arms around his neck. "You are a good dad," he answers with an overwhelming sincerity. "You didn't send me away, because I'm broken."

"Seth look at me. You're not broken. They don't know anything about it. You expect too much from yourself."

But Max's words don't seem to register.

"I'll do anything you want but don't make me be nice to her. She hates me. I can see it in her thelius."

"If there's anyone she's hate, it's me."

"Doesn't matter. I don't like her."

"You don't know her."

"So."

" Do you remember how we talked about the fake people?"

"Yes." He tugs on Max's sleeve. "How they pretend to be my friends, but they aren't."

"Liz and Maria would never do that. They've sacrificed a lot for us so remember that."

"Kay," he rubs his stomach. "I'm hungry. My tummy won't stop making noises."

"It's past dinner time."

"I didn't eat anything when the others ate. If we were home we'd be eating right now. Why is it since we came to Earth, you've started acting all weird? It's because of Liz isn't? You still like her."

"You want some cereal."

Did he just dodge Seth's question? No, you're reading way too much into this.

Seth crawls off his lap. "Mac and cheese."

"A sandwich."

"Mac and cheese," he repeats with a single minded determination that is all his mother's.

A small burst of energy spills from my hands.

"You've had nothing but macaroni and cheese for a straight a week."

"That's not true. I had an apple this morning. Serena lets me eat anything I want when you go on your trips."

"Serena spoils you."

I cover my ears as my least favorite song ever starts to play.

This by far is the hardest thing I think I've ever had to do
To tell you, the woman I love
That I'm having a baby by a woman that I barely even know

I'm going to be sick.

The radio station switches to another station.

I look upwards. "Thank you," I whisper.

"I like that song. It's got a cool beat."

"You shouldn't be listening to rap." He takes out a pot from the cupboard.

"Usher isn't rap. Eminem is rap."

"I told her to stop playing that for you," Max grumbles.

"Miranda took all the bad words out. You know Eminem's mom was really bad to him. She never loved him."

Max stops abruptly filling a pot with water, "Do you...do you want to talk about it?" he asks tentatively. "I know you said you didn't but...."

"And he's much better than the Counting Crows."

He frowns slightly debating whether to pursue the subject. Finally, he shakes Maria's wooden spoon at him. "Keep this up and you're not going getting any mac and chesse. I'm not going to make it glow. The Counting Crows are a classic."

"They whine."

"Do not."

"What's foreplay?"

Max drops the spoon on the floor. "Um..who did you hear that from?"

"Serena says that's why you're fighting with Liz all the time, because you're foreplaying. Is it a game?"

"In a way."

"Are you winning?"

"Liz and I aren't playing that game with each other."

See. He's not even attracted to me anymore. A sick feeling churns inside of me.

"Why aren't you playing?"

"Could you get the milk and butter out of the fridge please?"

"You never taught me that word. How I'm supposed to learn this stupid language if you don't teach me all the words?"

"I tell you about it when you're older, much older," he adds turning the burner on.

"You know you could just use your powers. It would be faster."

"We're on Earth now. We should act more human."

"You'll still make it glow?"

"Yes, I'll make it glow," he smiles lifting him on top of the counter.

He's going to fall off and crack his head on the floor. Max what are you thinking? I cover my mouth. I sound like my mother.

Mom.

"Make it float to. I like it when it floats."

"Watch it, or I'll make you float."

"Dad stop tickling me. That's not fair." Seth bursts our giggling.

I close my eyes against the sight.

He loves his son.

Of course, he loves his son.

Why shouldn't he?

Because you're not Seth's mother a little voice answers.

Shut up evil Liz.

A drip of liquid falls down my forehead. I wipe it away. Great I'm bleeding again.

Finding the bathroom, I rest against the door. "Keep it together. It's all in the past."

I stare at the new formed wound just below my hairline.

Max has been in my life for less than four hours and he's already leaving new scars.

Just like that anger trumps forgiveness.

"What happened to the boy that made you see stars?" she wheezes.

I close her chart not needing her dwindling T cell count to know what's lurking around the horizon. I have my special alien talents for that.

He broke my heart.
He had a baby with someone else.
He loved her but not like he loved me.


"He's married."

"Why don't you wear a wedding ring then?"

"He didn't marry me sweetie."

" I don't get it." She tugs on my shirt to sit down beside her in the tiny bed.

"Sierra, I won't fit."

"I'll make you fit. Please, just for a minute."

Her warm body snuggles up to my chest. I fight back my tears, because very soon, she'll be as cold as ice cold. I wrap my arms around her tiny waste.

"He was dumb."

"We were too different." I slide her leather bracelet up and down her wrist.

"Did you fight a lot?"

"Just once then he left."

"He didn't give you what I have inside of me. My dad and mom had a big fight about that, and he made us leave because he said my mom got him sick."

More like the prostitute on his trucking route.

"No." He gave me something entirely different.

"But your tummy has spots on it like the ones on my face but yours are pink."

"I got burned."

With a wet washcloth, I rub trying to make it go away. Like with anything else, it doesn't.

"My whole life I've wanted to be this person, this normal person. Human. My whole life I've been thinking that this alien side of me was this bad thing. This thing that made me a freak. This monster. I realize that I haven't just been hiding from the government and the law all this time. I've been hiding from myself. I don't know what's going on anymore. I thought I knew but I don't. I've lost everyone."

You lost everyone, because you drove them away. I strangle the washcloth.

You left him first the annoying little voice pipes up again.

Shut up Enabling Liz. Angry Liz has center stage for the moment.

I'll be here for eternity.

How wonderfully original Tess?

Framing her face with his hands, he presses her lips to hers. Gently, he lifts her shirt over her head.

I lift the medallion up. "Alright you've already made your point floating eyeball thingy so cut it out. I don't won't a repeat viewing."

The medallion answers with a faint green glow.

"Look after I get their files. I'm going to Chiapas. If I wanted free porn, I download it off the net."

"Did you know talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity?"

My eyes snap up to the mirror where Khivar's reflection stares out from it.

"He's downstairs. I'll scream, and he'll come."

Maybe.

Face it Liz.

You're hardly a blip on his radar screen anymore. He's found his eternity and Khivar has somehow found you again.

"I think you're a little old for a chaperone Liz," he purrs. "I've never been much for sharing, besides, I'm totally harmless for the moment." A small bolt shocks him as he puts his hands up against the glass, "That damn hag and her little pupil locked me out. It was her on the plane wasn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're a rotten liar."

I open my mouth to scream but no sound comes out.

"Serena doesn't concern me. You do."

Keep in control. "You don't even know me Khivar. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Then stop calling me. "

"Call you. You're insane." I touch the cold metal doorknob but refuse to turn it.

"We want the same things you know."

Angrily, I turn around. "I want to help people, and you want to kill them.”

"Collateral damage to ensure my endgame."

"Which is what?"

"Max made love to Tess in the Roswell observatory right after a very sweet little stargazing interlude. Something he used to do with you if I'm not mistaken, and afterwards, he told her how much he loved her and never felt anything for you."

Something attempts to prick my mind. Reflexively, I cover my forehead. "Stay out of my head," I warn. "What was between you and Zan?"

"What makes you think there was something between us Elizabeth? I took his throne and bedded his sweet sister, because I could."

"You strangled him with your bare hands. You didn't use your powers, which implies politics had nothing to do with what you did."

"We could be perfect for each other. If I could just break this obsession, you have with the boy king. Tell me, has you beloved Max confessed his undying love to you and told you how he's been pining away for you these last eight years?"

"Actually he has. We just made love, and we're getting married. He's going to make me his queen," I snit. "What did he do sleep with your wife?"

He snorts. "I make sure my women are not left wanting. You do well to remember that Lizzie. Did you get a good look at the child Tess gave him?"

"Why choose Creusa over Antar as ground zero for the virus?”

"How did you know that I did that?"

"I didn't you just told me."

"You would have made a wonderful queen. There's a delicious deviousness to you, but it isn't going to be enough to get what you want."

"Which is?"

"The apple from the Tree of Knowledge. Max is never going to let you taste it, but I will. I'll even lick the juices off you skin when you're done with it."

"Thanks for the very disgusting mental image. You wouldn't be trying to get me kicked out of Eden would you?"

"Would you really call a world where Max rules Eden? He wants to squash your potential, but I could show you so many things. The power is in your reach you just have to seize it."

"Power doesn't attract me."

"If you had power, maybe you could have prevented what happened to that little girl. What was her name? Sierra. Or you parents for that matter. I imagine losing Ma and Pa at twenty one was rather difficult. It has to get little tiring waking up from those nightmares in that big bed of yours scared and all alone, but I guess not remembering how you got those lovely marks on your stomach has to be even more annoying. What does your shrink call it? Post traumatic stress disorder. Must had been quite an event Lizzie."

"You got flashes from me." Bring on the bile.

"Next time you go on a fact finding mission, you might want to make sure things are secure on your end." He touches his forehead. “You’ve been to our bitchy little ocularess, and she’s deemed you a potential. It must have been hard for our dear little to king to watch. I bet his guilt is killing him right now. What do you think about your new calling?" He pauses, "Max hasn't even told you what you are now, has he? He throws his head back and roars. "This is classic Max burying his head in the sand, because he dislikes the results."

"If you have all the answers, trump him and tell me what a meaglan is?"

"Destruction," his eyes run down my body, "wrapped up in a oh so pretty package. Should be interesting to see how long it takes before Max tries to unwrap you?"

I roll my eyes.

"He's probably downstairs working on his little speech on how he needs your powers to help junior stay on the straight and narrow but when it comes down to it Lizzie, he isn't going to be the first to see what's inside. Max has no idea who you are anymore or what you need, but I do. Now let me out, and I'll show you just how accommodating I can be."

"What is that I need so badly?"

"To feel whole again. To get back what his lovely wife Tess took from you?"

"You're full of crap Khivar. I don't want him back. She can have him. This discussion is over."

He holds up a small silver glove against the glass. "This belonged to my mother. It belongs to you now."

At the sight, something foreign bubbles within me. Reason drowns under a torrent of need, desire, and want. I lick my lips and meet his dark eyes. "Is there a point to this?"

"Let me breech your walls, and I guarantee you won't find my point to be lacking."

"You're a pig."

"You like that about me." A wraith like hand reaches unhindered through the glass. "Thank you darling."

"I didn't do anything."

"You do a lot more than you know." The silver chain linked glove sits in his outstretch palm.

The inch in my skin is unbearable. I have to slip my hand into it. It's mine.

I'm in trouble.

Max.

He won't come.

He never comes.

"Come here."

"I'm quite happy where I am." I place my hands behind me.

"Always in control," Khivar muses. "You should try losing it once in a while. Remember how free you felt dancing down the bowling alleyways after you caught Max kissing Tess."

Once again, my hand circles the doorknob but nothing happens.

Turn it.

Get out.

Khivar's suddenly solid hand grabs my wrist and spins me a round.

I crash into his body.

He's out of the mirror.

Max help me.

"Stop calling for him. He can't hear you," Khivar slips the glove over my left hand and sits me on top of the sink.

A feathery sensation enters only to be replaced by a liquid heat. Filling every crevice in me, I no longer feel empty.

I no longer feel me.

"You like that."

The rich taste of power slides down her throat. She arches her head back. Sweaty tendrils of hair brush against the cold glass.

Teeth nip along her neck. "The things that you do to me Liz. You’re in my head, and I can’t get you out of it.”

She studies the woman's reflection in the mirror.

The way her two cold humanless eyes move back and forth in their sockets.

A faint green glow tinges her cheeks while her exhalations fog up the mirror.

BREAK OUT OF IT.

"Stop fighting me. I'm doing you a favor. Max never loved you," the thing over her says forcing her head up to meet him. "You mean absolutely nothing to him, but you mean everything to me."

Her hand aches from the glove squeezing it. The cold metal against her neck heats up. Her mind travels elsewhere to raindrops tapping on the ceiling and to warm arms that turn she back into me.

"Do you have any idea what it would do to me if I lost you? I'm hanging on a thread as it is and that's on my good days. I can't do another round of you in the hospital hooked up to all those machines and not being able to do a damn thing to help you."

"I'm sorry. Things just got weird, and I got careless. "

His voice takes on a strange edge. "Define weird. What happened out there Liz?"

Tell him. You're a freak, and it's getting worse.

His cobalt eyes study me. How will he look afterwards if I tell him? I ran from Max when he told me. "I don't want to talk about it Brian."

Something crashes outside.

"What is that ?" The bed springs creek as I jump up.

He pulls me back down to him. "Shhh. It's just the thunder."

"I'm so wired. It's like everything is intensified by a hundred percent."

His mouth forms into a thin line.

"I feel so strange like I'm not me anymore."

He presses his forehead to mine. "You're still you."

"How do you know? I could be some scaly alien posing as a human."

"Here I thought I was the only one doing that."

I'm smack him. "You're such a dork."

He traces the vertex of my cheek. "Don't doubt who you are or what you have. I did once. I got lost because of it and hurt the one person who means everything to me."

A hand slaps me across the face. "You're in love with the blonde," Khivar hisses.

"I don't fall in love." I clinch my fingers hoping to form a spark anything to get away from him but nothing happens.

"You've been de-clawed dear."

Something plummets in me. I've lost control. I feel weak. I hate being weak.

"How long?"

Think Liz. My fingers scout around behind me.

Hair brush. Candle. Bobby Pins. Rubber bands. Toothpaste.

A plastic bottle.

Hairspray maybe?

Was there a bottle?

He shakes me by the shoulders and the bottle tumbles into the sink. "How long have you been in love with the human?"

I slide my hand up his shoulder. " I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would I choose to be with a human who has no powers when I could be with someone as powerful as you are?"

He shoves me back against the sink. "Not falling for it again."

I grab the bottle from the sink.

Hairspray.

"Are you planning to style my hair with that?"

Matches.

The medicine cabinet.

I dive at it.

Boxes tumble out.

Khivar throws me against the wall, and the bottle slips from my grasp.

He picks it up and reads the back. "Flamable,” he sounds out the Spanish word. “You wouldn't be trying to burn my face off now would you Lizzie?"

I don't answer. Silence seems to be the only thing I have going for me right now.

He crouches down and his black eyes dive into me. "I'm not going to ask you again. When did you cement yourself to your little human?'

Driven by some compulsion, my mouth opens and words come. My words not his. "My sex life is none of your business."

"Still fighting me," he says with admiration. "If you were any other woman, I'd be so buried in your head by now you wouldn't know where you begin and I end."

I'm going to be sick.

"We're going to have some wonderful children together when the time comes. They definitely will not resemble my first attempt."

"I'll kill myself first."

His cold fingers touch my skin. "Responsibility and duty weigh too much on you to do something in that vein. Now, I want to know when did you cement your mind to the human. How strong is the bond?"

Oh God. What did I do to Brian? Poker face.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?"

I've just signed his death warrant.

"Which means your little Brad Pitt isn't entirely who he appears to be? There is something disgustingly familiar about him in your memories." His palm presses on my mark. "I hate to do this to you Lizzie. I promise to make it as painless as possible unless you fight me that is," he says ominously.

I kick him and lunge at the door but my hands refuse to turn the knob. No sound comes out of me as I try to scream.

BRIAN

A force picks me up, and I'm flying through the air. My body smashes into the titled wall, and I fall into the tub.

Pain blossoms in every muscle and bone.
More blood drips down my head.

I blink back my tears to see six Khivars staring at me over the tub's mouth. "If I have to break, you to get obedience then I will. You are going to be my meaglan if you like it or not." Six hands reach for me, but something green springs up around the tub and blocks them.

"I was wondering when you would show up. Your memories of her hardly do her justice. I can't begin to describe how she tastes."

Bulbs pop.

"Do you really want to do this here Khivar?" comes a low voice. "I seem to remember your first lesson as being let your enemy come to you."

Max? Lessons?

"That's only when said enemy is capable. You're not."

"Things change."

"Your little plan...." Khivar's voice breaks up. " Two of you..could... a formidable couple....lost everything...breasts..."

A pressure pops in my head. I wince.

"Better get junior.....heal her."

"Leave...or....let...die..."

"No....won't."

"Try..."

I fight to keep my eyes open.

Fingers touch my arm. "No Khivar, please don't."

"It's me Liz," Max says softly.

Why can I hear him now?

"Keep your eyes open for me. I think you have a concession." Gently, he eases me to a sitting position. "Where does it hurt?"

"My head and my eyes. Khivar?"

"He's gone." Max brushes my hair away from my face.

"How? Brian. He's going to hurt him."

"I have someone watching him. It's okay."

A new wave of popping begins. "Oh God, please make it stop."

"Rest your head on your knees." He rubs my back.

"I bet your getting some sadistic delight out of paying me back," I grit my teeth and more tears drop down my cheeks.

His rubbing stops. "If I could make it stop Liz, I would," his tone sounds almost hurt.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Dad. "What happened? You just rushed off. I tried to come in, and you blocked me. You were afraid just like when Tess.." his tone turns accusatory. "It's because of her isn't? What did you do Liz?"

"We talked about this Seth."

"You're trying to kill us all aren't you? This is all your fault."

Slowly, I lift my head up and stare at five angry Seths. "Do you think I enjoy being here? That I'm getting a real kick out of seeing you running around? Help me. I'll leave and then your dad can take you to visit the Roswell observatory."

Oh God did that just come out of my mouth. Good Job be a bitch then they'll really help you.

"Are you done?" snaps an angry Max.

"What's an observatory?"

"It's where you go to look at stars."

Among other things. Bad thought. Liz is going to be nice until the evil alien and his kid fix her up.

I turn to one of the angry Seths. "I'm sorry. I'm seeing five of everything. Could you please help me here? Then I'll leave."

"You can't. Dad tell her."

I can't win even when I'm trying to be nice.

"Heal her please and then Liz, and I are having a little chat," he answers dryly. Can you handle it?" Concern creeps into his voice.

"I'm not a baby Dad." He leans over me and his fingers graze my temples. "My dad is mad at you," he whispers. "You're going to get it."

So what else is new.

"He's going to send you to jail because that's where bad people go."

"Seth stop talking and heal her please."

A slight warmth enters my skin, and the five pictures condense into one. "Oh my god." Immediately, I try to jerk away from Seth's hand, but Max prevents me. "It's hurting him," I screech. "His eyes are rolling back into his head. You never did that."

"He heals differently than I did. Stay still until he finishes."

Two amber irises and black pupils drop back into place. A weird look comes over his face. "I knew, but I didn't," he mumbles.

Max hugs him immediately. "Seth talk to me."

"She was just too big daddy."

Max cradles his face in his hands. "Snap out of it." Fear rolls off every word.

My heart speeds up. Max is scared.

I throw my legs over the side of the bathtub and kneel down beside them.

Think. He's in shock.

"Seth talk to daddy."

"She was just too big, and she won't stop hurting the lady. Her screams are in my ears."

He looks up at me. "The lady is fine. I told you that."

"She was just too big. She wanted to make the lady sad, and she did."

Tentatively, I reach out and touch his shoulder. "I'm sure the lady is okay."

Whatever terror that holds him breaks apart. He turns around to me. "Did I tell you that you could touch me?" He whips back around to Max. "Dad you're crushing me. I can't breath. Oh no. Dad don't start kissing me."

More pieces of me shatter as I watch Max and his son.

Their son.

Not our son.

Evidence of their love.

Not ours.

Ours apparently was nothing more than a fantasy.

I slide away from them. Water and oil can not mix, and I am simply not a member of this bond.

"You just took five years of my life."

"I'm sorry. My mind went on vacation, but it came back."

"You promised me you were never going to do that again. Do you remember why your mind went away?"

"No."

"Liz made me come back. Where is Liz?"

I open the bedroom door. Liz is doing what Liz does best. Liz is running far away from here and she is never going to look back.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well? You're probabbly even more confused. What I can say? I'm trying to get nominated for most confusing story ever

Pose Questions and I will come back to answer them.

[Caelan]

YIPEEE FANATICS IS BACK!!! I don't know about you guys but it has been torture.

Thank you Majesty and Elle for all of your help. It really means a lot.


This chapter is for I am a Dreamer. Your specs rock and I really enjoy reading them.


I am a Dreamer ~

Two amber irises and black pupils drop back into place. A weird look comes over his face. "I knew but I didn't," he mumbles.
i don’t have a clue about this one, but i can tell that it is important.

Super important.

I know that i’m jumping to conclusions here, but liz and brian cemented their relationship and kivar’s pissed off because it could have formed a connection between the 2 of them. and we all know about what happens when the podsquad “do it”, the whole 1 hour orgasm thing, even maria said it happen to her. and if liz felt that from brian, then the sighs are pointing to him being a little green man walking around in a human suit.


Yes and no. There's a very big clue about who Liz was actually with is in the beginning of the last chapter. I guess the key here is that things aren't exactly what they appear to be.

I can't say anymore because you're definitely knocking on the door.


Elle

I loved hearing about Maria & Michael. It would just kill me if I were Liz, I loved how you noted that she was jealous.

I think having Liz react to her jealous and be a little hestant of Seth makes her more realistic. I don't really like the sainted characterizations of Liz. It doesn't seem realistic to me if that makes any sense at all.

I'm, of course, intrigued. You know I'm dying to figure out how Liz got those burn marks on her stomach, and then Maria's mention of the scar on her forehead doubled my curiosity

.

My writing was a little wiggy there. Nessa gave her the scar on her forehead. More on that later.

And then you know I did a happy dance when our deliciously sexy, evil Khivar made an appearance

!

I'm actually going to write myself into the story and run away with Khivar.


Kath7

I'm beginning to wonder if there is more of a connection between Seth and Liz then I previously thought.

I just love Seth - how aware he is that Liz might take his dad's attention away from him. He is such a realistic kid.

I love him to. He's fun to write. Kids seemed to get short changed into the cute catergory while that's fun sometimes. I like the more indepth bratty yet good type better. There's more angst there.

Woodwinds~

It was nice to see Max interacting with Seth a little bit. He is Max's son even if Tess was the mother.

Liz coming to terms with this fact is going to be a big part of this story.

Liz basically has been burned very badly on her stomach. It looks pretty icky.

Love Khivar all you want I love him to. How could you not?



Doublestuff~ I'm all about kick ass Liz. Doormat Liz is boring for me.
Glad you like his royal pimpness. Snarking on Max is fun. You know being snarky in general is fun.


Venus_star2.com

Can you do me a favour and tell the lovely necklace to stop sending images of tess and Max?

This cracked me up. It is very important thought what the necklace is showing her and when it starts to act up.

Max and Liz-agnst.....and Seth....something must have happened to him....

Something very bad happend to him.


BehrObsession~ Information will be coming. Think of it as moving from confusion and disunity to clarity and unity if that makes any sense. It's going to be coming but bit by bit.

Gigo, BelevnDreams, Roswelluver, Cyberchic121, Aurorasky, Thumbelina~ (R you a football fan?), Nitpick23, Chosen Now, Miss Jamie, Michelle, Awakenedremear and Mitra- thanks for reading.

Sorry to make this rather brief, but the Olympics are on and well I'm an Olympic freak. I can't get enough of it that and I think I really want to go to Greece now.

With out further ado here comes chapter Nine.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Chapter 9: The Pretenders


I stumble down the stairs. Disjointed thoughts circle in my head. Flipping from the past to the present, they create an angry hum that is almost unbearable.


"Why am I here? What do you mean there was an accident?""

Max + Tess+ Seth = a family
Liz = 0

"YOU'RE WRONG. MY PARENTS AREN'T DEAD. I JUST SAW THEM, AND THEY'RE FINE."

A family = Max + Tess + Seth
0= Liz

“I don’t want this to be awkward, but I don’t regret what happened.”

Brian + Liz= ?

Get out. You need space and time to regroup.

I throw open the front door to find him waiting for me on the other side.

"We need to talk," his cyborg voice tells me.

Looking over my shoulder, I stare up at the room I just left him and his son in. "Nice trick. I know you're just dying to say it," I say deciding to beat him to the punch.

"Say what?"

"Something about me running away again."

He bends down to my eye level. "What are you running from Liz?" With his long hair and scarred face, he looks nothing like the Max that I knew, but he still looks too much like the version that cost me everything.

I stare blankly at him.

A grandfather clock ticks behind me.
An itch begs to be scratched on my heel.

"Scream, yell, do what you have to do, but please talk to me." His stranger's face pleads.

I can't.

You're not my Max.

You killed him.

No, I killed him.

The buzz of white noise begins in my ears followed by a coldness that creeps up my spine.

Words come out of Max's mouth, but I can't make them out. His arms circle around me and then I feel nothing.


Drop after drop falls like tears from the sky. It is after all the rainy season.

Leaning my head back, I catch several droplets in my mouth while others slide down my throat. The water's cold touch washes away the tension and panic bubbling within me. Rubbing my wet hands together, I feel like a waterlogged version of Lady Macbeth. Opening my left hand, I press on the still tender flesh. I let out a shaky sigh when nothing happens. It was just a one-time thing.

I'm still me.
I'm still human.
I'm still in control.

I peer through the balcony's bars and watch a bullock cart maneuver through the soaked streets. In reality, it is an empty gesture, because somehow I know Brian is standing behind me. There was no squeak of the door or movement of board beneath me. My eyes never landed on him and transformed various light waves into blue eyes and blonde hair, but I know he is there. This single fact bothers me far more than the cause that ripped me from my bed, because it just proves what I've hidden from all along.

I'm not me.
I'm not human.
I'm most definitely not in control.

I stare ahead, and he waits behind.

Max once told me he would wait for me. I snort. Max told me a lot of things.

A car horn blares. Immediately, I cover my ears against the blaring sound. Raised voices break through the barrier of my hands. "It's too loud, and they're too angry."

The warmth of his arms touches me as he forces me up. "You're going inside," he says in his soft commanding way. If he had used that voice on me five seconds sooner, I would have told him to get lost. He knows me way too well. No, he can't ever know me. No one can ever know.

Closing the door, he leads me to the bed. Outside, the argument grows only louder. With a perfect clarity, I hear every rise in pitch and tone in their voices. My heartbeat speeds up, and my nostrils flare. I feel their anger.

Something warm and fuzzy brushes against my ears, and it takes me a moment to realize that Brian is drying off my hair.

"I didn't think my hair looked that bad."

"Personally, I've always liked it longer." He stops his ministrations and hands me the towel. "You better dry off, or you'll catch cold."

I've not been sick in nearly three years. Not a sniffle, a cough or a sore throat, it's funny I sort of miss it.

"You told me the nightmares had stopped."

I bite my bottom lip and taste the slightly acidic rain water.

"Why do you always do this?"

"Do what?" Bending down, I wrap the towel around my head.

"Shut me out. I can't help you if you don't talk to me. You're always hiding from me."

My head snaps back up. "That's funny coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

" Tell me, why you've been practically hovering over me for the past two days. I told you what happened was a freak occurrence. Why won't you give me the clearance to go back and do my job? You gave it to Mani, and he was just as much in the thick of things as I was."

"I have my reasons," he answers staring up at the popcorn ceiling.

"There you go again with your split personalities. There's the Brian that tells me everything, and then there’s the doom and gloom version who tells me nothing. Could you pick one? I’m having a bit of trouble keeping up with you."

His focus lands back on me. "You think I'm gloomy?"

Propping myself up on my elbows, I stare down his blank face. Its emptiness mirrors my own. Tension twists in my stomach as a feeling surges through me that I thought died long ago at the hands of an amber- eyed murderer. "You have an edge about you. You hide it well, but sometimes it comes out. I think someone hurt you very badly."

"No more than I hurt her." He swallows. "Were you dreaming about what happened in the jungle?"

"This woman, who was she?"

He touches my cheek.

"No, matter what you're always there for me. Why won't you let me do the same thing for you?"

"You are here for me in a way that no one has or will ever be. I'd probably be locked up in a padded cell if it wasn't for you, but there are just some things...I can't tell you. "

"Can't or won't?" I ask.

A tantalizing gap separates our bodies while gravity pulls on me to breach it.

"Don't do this Liz," he warns darkly.

"Don't care? I do, more than I thought I could care about anyone ever again."

He shakes his head refusing to listen to my words. "If you knew me, really knew me, you wouldn't."

"I know you're empty like me," I sink lower. "I can see it in your eyes. You know what's it's like to have the one person you trust beyond all others destroy you."

"Liz."

"I'm not offering you forever or eternity. I don't believe in that anymore. When I was out in the jungle, I thought about you, and I think...I think could love you maybe." Dropping my head, I hide behind the curtain my hair creates.

The springs squeak as he sits up sharply brushing against me. "You don't mean that," he says firmly lifting my chin. "You're confused. I've confused you. I thought I was helping you, but I'm not. There are rules. They are very good rules, and I've always broken the rules where you've been concerned. You always paid the price for it, and I can't do that again. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"Then love me instead, because I really need you to right now." For one click of my wrist watch, the hole in me nearly fills as my lips brush against his.

The next tick finds me on my back listening to the door slam.

"Hija," Serena calls. "Liz, please tell us where you are?"

Disoriented, I look up. Colors swirl before my eyes. I shake my head causing the shapes to come back into focus. A warmth touches my skin. Grabbing the medallion, I notice it's glowing again.

"Where is she?"

That is a very good question. Crouched in a corner, I have no idea how I got here. I open my mouth to speak, but no sound comes out.

"What if Khivar has her?"

"He doesn't have her, Mother."

"How do you know?"

"We're still alive and breathing."

"She inhabits every facet of Max's mind and crook of his heart. Yet, he can't even string the words together to tell her. I'm going to kill Max. That's after I chase him around the kitchen with a butcher knife."

"Here I thought that was only something you did with me, Mother. Ouch. Why did you do that for?"

"You aren't taking the situation seriously, besides you deserved it that time I chased you around with the knife. How many times had I told you to bring home a human girl or not to bring one home at all? Of course, I never meant for you to abduct one."

"Funny."

"I think the rescue from the army was what won Yvonne over. You couldn’t have planned a better wooing opportunity."

"My goal at the time was not about wooing her."

She waves a dismissive hand at him. "You only helped her, because you had a thing for her. Don't think I didn't know about all the time you were spending down here watching her."

"I was down here hiding with Miranda. Remember the little death squad Khivar sent after her?

"Don't give me that. You were down here chasing some tail."

Larek rolls his eyes. "I stand corrected."

"That's why you have to help me."

"With what?"

"Getting Liz and Max back together."

"Getting them back together isn't really on my list of priorities."

"My whole locking them in a closet or the basement routine isn't going to work with Max's claustrophobia."

"Don't you have other more important things to worry about? Finding Liz, the virus, Khivar, the end of our existence as we know it."

"Maybe I could lock them in a room that shouldn't set Max off." She frowns in thought. "He'll just use his powers on the lock. We could shoot Liz, and he'll be forced to admit his love for her. You know how he gets when he thinks she's in trouble; that boy would walk through fire to keep her safe."

HA HA!!! Yeah right.

"No one is shooting Liz."

"We'd heal her right up afterwards, hijo. It would feel like a little pinch."

"Trust me being shot hardly feels like a pinch."

"It isn't like she hasn't been shot before," Serena reasons. "We have to do something to get them back together."

"Personally, I think she's better off with her boss. Ouch, mother will you stop hitting me."

"I didn't raise you to be stupid. I've found someone for the boy."

"Great you've moved on to tormenting people outside of our family. How about you try leaving everyone alone for a change?"

"Miranda is going to be perfect for him.”

Larek's voice turns grave. "Leave Miranda alone. She's grieving."

"She's been grieving for forty years Larek, as have you, and it needs to stop."

His calm demeanor falls apart before my eyes. "It will stop when Khivar is six feet under," he practically roars.

"Then what?"

"Could you go bother Max with your excessive questions? He wants Khivar dead even more than I do."

"Max has Seth who keeps him from running off and getting himself killed. You have no one. You've shut me out, and you've shut Miranda out as well. Do you know how much that hurts her?"

Larek meets her observations with a stony silence.

"The only person you seem to connect to is Liz. You know how this family is with humans. Put us in a room with fifty of our own kind, and we're going to seek out the human. Liz is a beautiful girl, and I could understand if you had developed some feelings for her after watching over her so long."

"You've found me out mother. I'm passionately attracted to her. Every time, I see her I have to fight the urge not to break into poetic verse praising her beauty. Despite the fact that I'm old enough to be her grandfather."

"That doesn't seem to be stopping Khivar."

"I loved one woman," he says seriously. " There will never be another, so can we drop it?"

"I wish I could understand the appeal humans hold for us. They don't have any powers. They barely use their brains. Living as long as we do, you would we think we see them as annoyances, but Maria and Liz have so much life and vitality to them. I never had that when I was their age. They make me feel so alive."

"There's your answer."

"Yet, there is never enough time to show them everything. They all are like stars that burn out before their time. I've buried so many human friends. You think I would learn," she muses sadly.

Running feet smack against tiles. "Have you found her yet?" Seth asks breathlessly. "My dad thinks she's sheining, but she doesn't know she's doing it. Larek, maybe you can see her. She likes you. I saw it in her head."

"What do you mean, 'like', Seth?”

"Mother will you drop it."

"Does she want to kiss Larek, or is it more like she wants to be his friend?"

"MOM."

"Fine." Serena puts her hands up in surrender. "Just checking. Liz is a lot different than she was before. Her spirit is in pain. If I ever get my hands on that...”

"Were you able to sense anything?" Max's voice cuts in.

"Larek would you mind going to the kitchen and getting me my butcher knife." Serena crosses her arms. "I'm rather put in with you right now Max."

"Put out, mom."

"Do not correct me when I'm disciplining. Next time I'm pulling your ear." She turns to Max. "What did you do to Liz to get her so upset that she's sheining? Do you want her to go to Khivar?"

A light shatters.

"Or would you prefer to see her back with the boy? According to Maria, he showed her a very nice time in Vietnam."

A row of terra cotta pottery explodes.

Seth’s eyes grow large. “Dad, stop breaking everything. You’re being bad.”

Max takes a breath and crouches down beside Seth. “I’m sorry. Your godmother can be a little hard to take at times.”

“I maybe six hundred years old, but I can still hear young man.”

“You’re five hundred and ninety mother.”

“I was rounding up for dramatic effect,” Serena huffs indignantly.

Max whispers something in Seth’s ear.

“Okay, but no more breaking anything,” Seth says seriously.

“I promise,” Max answers before Seth runs off.

“It’s good to see that one of you has a bit of control,” Serena chides. “You should have never approached Liz while she was in such a state. How many times have I told you the importance of being subtle?"

“Subtle,” Max repeats before turning towards Serena. “Liz had no idea that I or Seth was going to be here, did she?”

“I may have hinted something at the airport.”

“More like you talked around it like you always do. I’m telling you stop pushing this. She and I were over years ago.”

I jam my fist into my stomach to ease the throbbing pain there.

“Over? Is that why you tried to take Khivar on by yourself? That wasn’t exactly a cautious move on your part considering your current state.”

"You try having someone you care about pop into your head screaming bloody murder and finding them bashed up in a bathtub with your mortal enemy standing over them and see how cautious you are?"

"Wait. Liz called for you, and you heard her,” a Cheshire smile spreads across her face.

"No, yes. It's complicated."

"So you are saying you heard her calling for someone else?" Larek asks. "How is that possible?"

He heard me calling for Brian. That’s why he came. Using the wall, I push myself up.

"Could you stop giving me the third degree and help me find her?" he snaps.

Am I lost? I touch my head. Nope, I'm still here.

"I think Maria would be able to see her due to their friendship. Liz wouldn't deem her a threat," Larek suggests.

"We are not bringing Maria into this. She'll just overact, besides she and Michael are otherwise engaged."

"That was fast," Larek comments.

"You should have seen them in high school. They were together. They were apart. I could never keep up with them. I told Michael to take things slow. When does he ever listen to me?"

Serena shakes her finger at Max. "Could we focus on the situation here? A potential meaglan is sheining between two planes, because you drove her to it. Throw in the fact that she's calling Khivar to her…."

"She is not calling Khivar to her," Max growls.

"He could be with her right now doing God knows what," Serena smacks her hands over her eyes, "oh the horror. All because she thinks you don't love her. If you were to um let's say tell her otherwise..."

"Stop trying to manipulate me.”

I let out a harsh breath.

“He was laying it on Liz pretty thick, and it wasn't working."

She lifts one of her liver spotted hands up. "What did you mean it didn't work?"

"She was fighting him when I came in.”

Larek turns to Max and gives him a speculative glance. A blue vein bobs out of his forehead. "I have to see about something."

"You should know he's in love with Liz," Serena leans into Max. "He going to tell her so you might want to tell..."

"Stop meddling," Max interrupts.

“She isn’t here,” Seth answers coming in from the archway.

Serena pats Seth on the head. "When you grow up, promise me you'll do whatever your godmother tells you, and never, never behave like your arrogant hard headed father.”

Max puts his hand over Seth's mouth. "That's not a promise he'll be making."

Seth says something behind Max's hand. "What?" Max takes his hand away from his mouth.

"If I don't do what Serena says, she won't help my sister get born."

"What have you been putting into his head?"

"Wouldn't you like to know Max? However, right now I'm too angry to tell you."

"Whatever you're doing stop it Serena." Max picks Seth up. "I know you get lonely buddy, but there aren't going to be any sisters."

"Why?"

A pained expression comes over Max. "It's just isn't going to happen."

"You're wrong," he says with a starling certainty.

Digging my nails into my palm, I reopen my old wounds.

"What makes you say that?" Max carefully asks.

You know, because Tess is your eternity. I think I'm going to be sick. Slowly, I make my way out from the corner. Their heads never turn as my shoes click against the tiles.

"I've seen her Dad, in my head. You don't have to worry. We aren't going to fight. I want her to be the queen, because she isn't going to get broken like me."

"You're not broken."

"I'm going to keep her safe from all the bad people. When I start to do bad things, she will make me good again."

"You are good Seth."

"I even know her name."

"Seth you are good," Max stresses.

"No I'm not.” Seth slides down from Max grip. “Where are you going, Liz?”

I freeze at the sound of his voice.

"Where is she?” both Serena and Max say in unison.

Seth points at me. "Right there. Can't you see her?"

Max shakes his head.

"She looks sick. I'm not healing her again. I don't like the things in her head. She did something she wasn't supposed to do in the jungle."

I close my eyes.

"It's why Khivar wants to put babies inside of her, but Liz doesn't want any babies in her."

"What did she do?"

My eyes snap open at the edge in Max's voice. "It's none of your business what I did." The ground rumbles beneath us, and a sudden wind whips the hanging baskets in front of me.

“Hija, I know that Max can be an idiot sometimes, but he means well.”

Red streams shoot out of my glove covered hand and hit a flower pot. Dirt spills out on to the floor. For a moment, I imagine the black particles transforming into a dripping crimson oozing out of a little dark haired boy. Oh God. Flicking my head over my shoulder, I catch Serena and Seth disappearing through a doorway.

A dark cloud unfolds itself in my mind. "It would be so easy Liz."

I shiver at the sound of Khivar's voice in my head.

"Max left you empty, and now it's your turn."

"Seth is an innocent child."

"Nothing about him was ever innocent."

I cover my ears. "Go away."

"Liz," his familiar voice interrupts Khivar's connection.

"Brian. What are you...." my train of thought flies away from me.

"I'm worried about you," he says softly taking a step towards me.

"He wants me to do something terrible, but I won't do it," I answer emphatically. Looking down at the flesh colored pot, the image of Seth's body returns along with the charred corpses of my parents. I shut my eyes.

"Liz, I need you to focus on me. Can you do that?" One arms snakes around my waist.

"Yes."

Fingers walk down the back of my bicep. "You have to calm down."

"I can't."

"Do you remember that beach we went to after you got out of the hospital? The way the sun sets turned the cliffs a bright orange and made the water sparkle? You said that if you ever got married that was where you'd want it to be."

"It beats being a teenaged bride in Vegas."

He stiffens against me. "Do you remember the little restaurant we ate at?"

"I had lobster for the first time and then we went and looked at the starfish in the tide pools."

Fingers stop at my wrist. The glove slides against my skin. Red sparks swirl from my fingers. Whipping around, my energy collides into a burst of green. Streaming back between our outstretched palms, a band of red attacks a line of green coming from his own hand. For a second, I’m distracted by the mere beauty of the sight, but this feeling evaporates as soon as dark hair and eyes replace light ones. "You mind warped me. You son of a bitch."

His stranger's face regards me coldly.

"How did you know those things?" I demand.

"Flashes."

My insides tumble to a new low. He's still getting flashes from me, and I haven't gotten anything from him.

I'm letting him see me.

I can't still have feelings for him.

I won't.

"I hate you," I sneer hoping to cover my vulnerability.

"I'm well aware of what you think of me. It's in your eyes when you look at me." He says with an underlying sadness.

I will not feel sympathy for him. I can't afford to.

He looks up at the sky. "Talking to you used to be like breathing and now I can barely get the words out. It's so much easier when I'm..." he stops abruptly as his eyes drift back down to me. "I know that Khivar has probably been telling you things, and Nessa has been showing...I never wanted you to see that, and now you think...I can only imagine what you think. I need you to know you were never…”

He falters as emotion enters his vacant eyes. For a split second, I travel back to the brief time to when I loved him. Yet, just as quickly, the look disappears, or maybe I just imagined it.

“You were never insignificant to me,” he finally gets out.

I never loved her.

“There you go with your lovely words again because that is what they are.”


The green flowing through his fingers becomes erratic while the red flowing through mine strengthens in intensity.


"I needed you when Alex died, and you were too busy fucking your destiny. You promised that you would always be my friend and then you just," my voice grows hoarse, "you just abandoned me."

"Like you abandoned me that day at the pod chamber."

I swallow back tears.

"I had just been tortured by an insane lunatic. Where we you for the months after, I woke up screaming from the nightmares? You were the only one who had any idea what it felt like."

"I never knew you had nightmares." One tear gets by my defenses as I remember the terror I felt from his flashes. Khivar is right. Max and I would have never worked. Our marriage in the first timeline must have been disaster. Tess was made for him, and I wasn't.

"We’ve both done things we aren’t proud of. Tess...."

"DO NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT YOUR PERFECT LITTLE TESS." The bright red coming from my hands turns a fiery crimson while every nerve ending in me starts to scream.

"If you don't drop the surge, you're going to hurt yourself. Look at the color. Yours are green.” His eyes land on the glove. “You are channeling something you shouldn't be."

“So you’re the only who gets to get in touch with their alien side? That is what her appeal was to you, wasn’t it?”

“You’re not an alien.”

“Don’t side step me. Khivar is right. You are a control freak.”

"I'm trying to make things right. Why can't you see that? Do you think I feel good about the way I treated you before I left? It makes me sick just thinking about it.”

"You want to make it right." Sweat trickles down my brow. "Then tell me what did you turn me into?" I accuse circling him as the band connecting us stretches outwards. "What is a meaglan?"

"Power and weakness, destruction and life, yin and yang. Action defines a meaglan." He answers vaguely. His eyes never leave the spot where his green and my red energy touch.

"I'm not following."

"You're not ready to follow it. I hope that you never are. It’s a burden that is not yours to carry. He was scared, and he didn‘t know what he was doing.”

I wince as a slight discomfort begins in my head.

"Drop the surge," he orders.

"What are you going to do? Turn me over your knee and give me a spanking?"

"Didn't really know you were into that kind of thing, Liz. I'll try anything once."

"Yeah anything where you're in control."

"I have no problem with you being on top if that's how it has to be."

“Your little woman might have a problem with that.”

“What happened in Vietnam?”

The color coming from me dims while his sparkles to life with a newfound intensity.

“Did you suffer from any lapses of time while you were there?”

"Yes,” I whisper. “It was terrifying.”

His face pales.

“I came to at a Karaoke bar. I was singing Stairway to Heaven.”

"Damn it Liz," he snaps. "I can't protect you if you don't talk to me.”

"The chairman asked me never to return to the country again. I really didn't think...can't." I gasp grabbing my neck while a heat charges in my body. Burning hot, it courses up from the tips of my toes to the ends of my hair. In every muscle and tendon, the energy sizzles begging desperately to be let out.

A green beam shoots out from Max's other hand. Wrapping around my waist, it yanks me into Max's arms. Our palms slap together. Green and red light jump off our skin.

"What happened to the boy that made you see stars?"

"Liz, you have to calm down."

"I'm your lab partner after all, until you want to trade me in for a new one."

Heat sinks its fangs into my muscles. Pulled to the limit, they snap underneath me. I grab on to Max's biceps to steady myself. The pain in my stomach is almost unbearable. “I need,” I repeat over and over in a mantra hating the thought that I could need anything from him and hating even more that I have no idea what I’m asking for, but knowing all the same that only Max can give it to me. Reaching up, I run my fingers down his scar. My touch scatters red sparks across his bronze skin. The lines and creases that seemed to have been his perpetual companion lessen.

Something primal and very alien surfaces in his eyes somewhere between a predatory sheen and dangerous glow while blue tendons stand out in relief against his neck. Around my waist, I feel his arm tighten and relax and then tighten again.

I wet my lip in a nervous gesture. A strange feeling flutters to life that displaces the fiery one that threatened to burn me from the inside out. Despite the respite, my pulse throbs more now than it did before, and the pounding in my ears roars like a tidal wave.

Wordlessly, Max’s hand covers my own and together they slide down his face. Raising my hand to his mouth, I feel his lips brush my knuckles in a butterfly kiss that by some cruel chance of fate warms me in a way that no kiss has in eight years.

Disgusted, I try and yank my hand away, but he doesn’t let go. Instead, his fingers start to coast back and forth down the arch of my hand.

“Roswell has an observatory,” I hear my voice suggest in my head.

“Stupid medallion,” I mumble. “Look, can I have my hand back?”

He turns my hand over and stares at the center of my palm. “Promise me something first.”

“What?” I snap.

His eyes look up from my hand.

I back away.

Alien Max I can fear.

Adult Max I can hate, but against the caring boy persona he’s currently chosen to inhabit I can do neither. I’m completely vulnerable to him, and he’s the version that hurt me the most.

“Never,” he begins, “offer me what you just did. It isn‘t mine to take. No matter, how much I want it.” He lets go of my hand. “For the longest time, I was so angry with you for taking the life away that we would have had together.”

“I did both of us a favor. We would have been terrible together.”

“We weren’t in the first timeline,” he breathes. “I loved you, and I’m pretty sure that you loved me. Until, I left you there to die,” he adds bitterly, “and jumped into this timeline and offered you up as some sacrificial lamb all over again.”

The pain in my stomach begins again with a vengeance. Twisting and turning, it takes all my will power to keep from doubling over. I turn my back on him as water begins to build in my eyes.

“It’s how I know. I can’t give you what you think you need, because the thing is that you don‘t need it. You never did.”

I take a deep breath. “It, meaning you.” I answer struggling to keep my voice even.

“Yes,” comes his barely audible answer.

“While you were away, did you ever feel like you needed me?” The nagging question comes out before I have a chance to cage it. “Don’t answer that,” I add quickly.

I never loved her.

“I already know the answer.”

“Shit, Liz don’t do this again.”

Turning around, I watch his hand thrash through the air. As I walk out of the courtyard, I never turn around to record one final memory of Max for posterity. The truth is I don’t want to. Like some kind of ghost, I float by couple after couple before I find myself on the driveway. My eyes darting from the cars that line it.

“Liz,” Maria whispers darting up from the side of a BMW.

“Maria what are you doing out here?”

“What the hell did that bastard do to you? You look like he ripped you to shreds.” She rushes up and captures me in a hug.

“I’m fine,” but my trade mark lie doesn’t carry me through. “I’m not fine. Would it be too much for him to cut his hair? I’m not fine that he has a son who hates me, Maria. I shouldn’t care, but I do. Guess what? There’s some other kid on the way, and I’m really getting tired of my stomach hurting.”

She pulls away from me. “Let me see.”

“No,” I wipe my eyes.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. It’s gotten a lot better.” She lifts up my shirt. The color immediately leaves her face. “Liz hon, you’ve got two handprints on your stomach, and they’re glowing.”

I place my hand over Max’s print while a smaller one twinkles at my fingertips. “Whose print is this?”

“I have no idea.”

Noise erupts from the house.

“Get in the car,” Maria orders pointing to a shiny convertible.

“I can’t leave. They have to tell me what’s going on.”

“Because they been so forthcoming as it is. We need to get out of dodge. The minute they have one of their own pulling a Pam Troy you have to know it‘s not a very good operation.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The body snatcher.”

“Larek?”

“He gave me these keys and this,” she held up a vanilla folder. “He said you were going to make a run for it and to wait for you out here. Liz, the man was flipping out. He even lost his body. Serena’s in there right now messing around with the kid’s head he took over. I love that woman dearly, but Lizzie her little memory wipe thing reminds me a little too much of her royal skankyness. Can we go?”

“What about Michael?”

“We sort of got into a fight. I’ll tell you all about when we’ve put mucho distancia between us and this place.”

“Fine, I’m driving.”

“Not when you're lighting up like a Christmas tree over there.”

“You don’t know how to drive a manual, Maria.”

“Neither do you.”

“Sean taught me.”

Maria makes a face. “What else did my good for nothing punk ass cousin teach you?”

“Oh, you know, the missionary position.”

“Gag me,” she throws me the keys and gets inside.

I put the car into reverse. Turning on to the road, I roll down the window.

“You were just kidding about that missionary thing right? Kyle was your first. I know you never said that he was, but I‘ve got this sixth sense about these things.”

I move the car into third.

“You always keeping everything inside, but I can read through the lines. I’m good at that. Nothing and nobody gets past Maria de Luca.”

I switch to the inside lane. Picking up speed, the wind whips my hair around my face.

She places her hand over her mouth. “You lost your virginity to Sean didn’t you? That’s why you would never tell me who it was?”

“I never told you, because it is private.”

“I’m going to be sick, and it feels like there's a seventy pound weight on my legs. Where’s your cellphone?”

“In my purse. What are you doing?”

“I’m calling my loser cousin, and I’m reaming his ass out. It maybe eight years too late, but, hell, he’s getting it from me. Then I’m going back to the house, and I’m reaming Max’s ass out to, because you would have never done it if it hadn’t been for his little unholy union.”

“Are you done?”

“I’m just getting started. What were you thinking?”

I turn on the radio.

She eyes me suspiciously. "Sometimes you say things you don’t mean. However, you have these moments when you say exactly what you mean but make it sound like you don’t mean it.” She smacks her head in frustration. “You are like a freaking onion Lizzie. You have way too many layers. Here's hoping he can get underneath them all?”

“Who?” My grip tightens around the steering wheel.

“Mr. Erickson.”

“He can’t.” I say firmly glancing down on my stomach. "He can't ever know."

[Caelan]

I debated to post this now or wait until I had the next chapter. However, my impulse control problems won out so here you guys go. I just want to stress that I know things are going to look a little bad but hang in here with me for a moment. This is a dreamer fic if I make Max to much of arse it sort looses the oomph. Since this is pov, what Liz thinks isn't exactly what happend so don't hate me. I'm running off to hide underneath a table I think I see a tomato coming my way


Elle~ Here we go!!!


Kath7

I just love every single character in this story, particularly Liz and Max.

Thank you so much. I'm more of a character writer than a plot person. I have feel for every single one of them so I'm glad it's translating and they are coming off as being interesting.

Serena - too hilarious for words. The image of her chasing Max with a butcher knife totally cracked me up.

You should see my grandmother. She is a force to be reckoned with.

What is the deal with Tess anyway? I can't remember if we know if she's even alive anymore.

Max needs to tell Liz that he was Brian. She's going to kick his ass, but she needs to know.

Yep, she is.




Alana ~

BRAVO!!!OLE OLE OLE!!!!!! This is fantastic , i like your writing and the fic because is realist and you make a characters that are complex and feel more that oe emotion.You know i´m a Liz fan yeah i know , why some crazy chick want to be a fan of a character that general in all fan fics is a person who can forgive all the tipes of things

Thank you so much. I'm Liz fan to. It why I only write from her perspective. She's the one I always related on the show until they made her Max's doormat Sorry, I have to let it go I always loved her character until the writers ruined it. GRRR!!!

I´m with the people that say that Brian is Max , Brian is the vessel and that way Max can be with Liz , but in my theorie i have to say that Max is doing this with the hope that Liz can know a the Max that he is now , and no the Max who he was in her teenager days.

All I can give you is a wink for now, and tell you that you are very close with this one.

Liz think that the Max who she loved died the night that future Max die but in reality that Max lost his way for sometime

Very true.

In another hand if that is the case and Max is Brian , Liz fried that bastard what class of man can make some thing like that?(ehhh..is a rethoreal question i know the answer and is for the best let unsay)

Thumbelina ~

so i guess max loves liz but doesn’t want what they may have in its present condition, the way they are both so broken...

Yep. His reason are going to even clearer in a couple of chapters. He has some major guilt issues over the future max thing. He basically screwed Liz over twice already and he doesn't want to do it again.

"Talking to you used to be like breathing and now I can barely get the words out. It's so much easier when I'm..." was max about to say when hes brian by any chance??? just a thought

ummm by what serena said is khivar in love with liz? if that is so then is it like an obsession thing cos of how much max loves her???

A bit of both but more on that later. Like Lelea said, Khivar getting Liz would certaintly be a major f you to Max.

it was alot of fun, till we lost the final that is and then i still went out and partied anyway, so there you have it.

Sounds like fun. I was in England during the last World Cup. I had way too much fun until they lost. Then I went up to Scotland and had a lot of fun until Ireland lost.


Smac~

I just love this story. Everytime I think I am sorting something out you throw in a new twist. It is like a constantly unraveling mystery and I love trying to figure it all out

I'm a Hitchcock fan. Can you tell? Glad you're back. I always like reading your posts.

Lelea~

I admit I don't understand everything in this story but I don't feel that I need to. Some of the best stories I've ever read I didn't understand them until the end, then it was like WOW.

I totally agree with you on that. I love William Faulkner and half time I have no idea where he's going with it. When I'm finished, I always feel like man what a story.

That second handprint would his correct? From when he healed her? At least he did that much for her.

Yes and no.

So Khivar wants to "put a baby in Liz" ? Bet she's all kinds of thrilled about THAT.

This line killed me.

Max....I don't understand why he doesn't just speak! Clear up a few of those misunderstandings. Men.

He He. I've always seen Max as rather repressed. He's gone back behind his giant ass tree again. Of course, Liz is coming and she's going to seriously yank his ass out of from it very shortly.

See-I like this fic so much I even registered just so that I could tell you! .

Thanks. Welcome to Fanatics!

I get a sense that maybe Liz unconsciously opened a "space" within him somehow and pulled a part of Max into it, but it's a quite nebulous idea.

I wouldn't exactly say nebulous. In, fact you are rather warm here.

Wait, is Liz still "wearing" some sort of metaphysical glove that Khivar gave her? Very unclear on that point.

I'm sorry. I did a crappy job writing that. It's real. I'm going to go back and make that better. Next chapter is exposition so I'm going to clear that up. Sometimes I get so excited I put horse before the cart.

BelevnDreamsToo

I can't wait to see what's next, but I do completely understand the Olympic draw! I'm seriously addicted too!!

I'm like addicted. I never watch TV and now I can't get away from it. It only happens every two years so why not

Tina N Blair

Khivar and Liz, I just love their banter. I guess that's the Traitor ship in me coming out.

Those are fun parts to write. I actually think I maybe a closet traitor. I always seem to ship Liz with a lot of people. I know. It's very bad dreamer of me.

VeronicB

I geuss people have lots to talk about now... Thing is no one is ready to talk about it... This is goping to only get more complicated isn't it?

You just hit the nail on the head. Unfortantly for one character his time has run out. Getting ahead of myself again.

Venus_star2.com, Chosen~Now, Angel Eyes, Aurorasky (answers are coming. Liz is a woman on a mission now.), Gigo, Roswelluver, G7silvers, BehrObsession, Becca 1974, Begonia9508, Awakenedreamer~ Thanks for your reviews.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Ten: Loca

“I’m going to tie him up by his toe nails or maybe I’ll try the Braveheart approach. I think I’d enjoy having him drawn and quartered. You know poison could be good.”

After twenty minutes in which three rants have been absorbed into one, I have no idea if she’s talking about Michael, Max or even Sean. Instead, I watch her red fire engine nails dance animatedly around her. Flaying up and down in time with her pitch, it’s almost like watching a ballet. Suddenly, her small white hand transforms into the slender bronze one that patched the hole in my stomach. “You’re okay now,” but the moment I replay his voice the scene changes to a time when I was definitely not okay. This time there is no gentle arch or show of knuckles. I imagine they all had ten fingers leading into two hands. Some must have chewed on their nails while others might have had dents in their digits from wearing rings. I use the word imagine, because I can’t be certain of anything except for the puddles of blood and bone and of the little brown hand now freed of Kaposi’s sarcoma that pulled me away from it. Whether she was an angel or a figment of my own grief, she was there to me.

“Earth to Liz. You know I’m crying out my heart here,” her voice grows serious. “What happened in Vietnam?”

“Brian and I made love,” I blurt hoping to distract her.

She rolls down the car window. “DID YOU HEAR THAT WORLD? LIZ PARKER GOT IT ON WITH A NORSE GOD.”

“Maria.”

“Now, we need to get drunk to celebrate you having the best sex of your life,” she pauses. “Only it wasn’t was it?”

“It was nice.”

“Nice,” Maria repeats skeptically. “The way he looks at you Liz. It isn’t supposed to be nice. It’s supposed to be earth shattering. He’s supposed to make your eyes roll back into your head and give you the biggest org…“

“Could we stop talking about this?”

“No.”

“Maria,” I groan.

“You’re lonely,” she states empathetically.

“Who doesn’t feel that way sometimes?”

“My point is that you need to feel a part of something. If you were in a relationship with someone, he could be your family.”

I focus all my attention in front of me.

“I know you miss them. They were like your little piece of Nirvana. No matter, the changes in your own life you could go back to them and the Crashdown. They were your roots.”

“I’m supposed to go out and get some new roots by having hot and sweaty sex with someone.”

“You’re supposed to achieve this by letting someone in. I know something happened to you in Vietnam something Czech related. Why do you think I got into it with Michael? He was pumping me like I was some narc, because Max Hari sent him. Is that what you think I am? Is that why you came home didn’t tell me a word about it and then flew off to Africa? I’m your best friend Liz.”

“I’m begging you don’t ask me anymore about this,” I warn as I feel the same nervous energy left over from my encounter with Max shake off its drowsiness and open its eyes.

“I’m sure there is a very good reason you’ve taken to wearing a hand me down accessory from Michael Jackson, but like with everything else you aren’t going to tell me. “

A red spark wraps around the leather of the steering wheel.

“You can put on a light show worthy of Vegas over there, but you are going to talk to me.”

Painfully, she moves both her legs up and down.

“Your legs still bothering you.”

“Don’t change the subject. Michael was going on like you were some female Darth Vader who was capable of destroying the whole world. I told him to get Max off whatever he’s been smoking. It takes basically all of your strength to do that green ecto plasma drip thing you do.”

My breathing becomes labored. Feeling trapped and cornered; deadly warmth spreads out through my hands. “Maria please,” but she pays no attention to my warning.

“Michael says you’re broken. That’s the exact word he used. I nearly knocked his head off for that comment alone. So I was like Michael how does one become broken? Well apparently, there’s you and then there’s another person and that’s it. All the other broken aliens go skitzo, because they can’t handle it.”

Hydrogen Helium. What is the third element in the Periodic Table?

She grabs my arm.

My hand flies off the steering wheel, and a red burst shoots out from it. Frozen with a sick sense of horror, the blast is millimeters from Maria’s head when a green shield springs up in front of her. Bouncing off it, the energy sputters harmlessly to the floor.

I pull the car over and stare at my best friend and the little boy sitting on her lap.

Maria looks at me then at Seth and back at me again. Her lips move, but no sound comes out of them. She’s speechless.

A putrid taste fills my mouth. Opening the door, the remnants of my dinner stream out on to the gravel. I rip off Khivar’s glove and let it drop to the ground.

“Liz.”

I’m too much of a coward to turn and see the fear that I’ve put on her face. We’ve been friends for nearly twenty years, but she never signed on for this. Yet, most of all I don’t want to hear her tell me to get lost. I nearly died when Max did it, and I wouldn’t survive it if Maria did it. Wiping my lips, I study my hands. He was a healer. Why couldn’t he have made me one? I touch Sierra’s bracelet. I would have been able to save her then.

“Liz, look at me.”

“I’m sorry,” my shoulders shake. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I have no control over it anymore. Everything inside of me is going to crap.”

“Liz, babe it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay. I just tried to kill you. If he...” I gesture to Seth, but the words refuse to come to me, because the thought alone is enough to make my mind shut down.

“It wasn’t that big of a blast. It wouldn’t have hurt me.”

Seth shakes his head. “Nope, it was huge. It would have shot her head right off if I hadn’t been here. There would have been blood and guts all over the place. I saw…”

Maria covers his mouth. “He’s over exaggerating.”

“What’s exzackerating?” comes Seth’s muffled voice.

She hands me my cell phone. “I doubt Max knows about junior’s little field trip. Why don’t you call him.”

Seth yanks Maria’s hand away from his mouth. “He doesn’t need you calling him. He’s very busy you know.”

I stare at my phone like it’s a snake. Talking to Max is really not something I’m into right now.

“Call him, and I’ll tell my dad what you did in the hot place.”

A red light spirals up my arm. I glance down to see Khivar’s glove back on my hand.

“He has to start listening to the things that I see. I told him not to let you leave, and he did.”

“So you ran away to teach him a lesson?” I ask.

“I would never do that to my dad. He’s the best dad ever. He’s brave and a lot smarter than you are. I left him a note so he wouldn‘t be worried. Sierra told me to come so I had to.”

“Sierra,” I croak. “Who’s Sierra?”

“Stop yelling at me Liz.”

I’ve barely raised my voice.

"I'm not afraid of you,” he puffs out his chest. “I'm not going to let you mess everything up again. It's your fault my powers don't work right. Now you’ve showed up, and my sister isn’t going to get born because of you. Liz, Liz, Liz it’s all they talk about. I’m sick of it, and I’m sick of you.”

Getting out of the car, I slam the door hard.

“Where are you going Liz?” Seth demands as he sticks his head out the window.

“I’m calling your godmother.”

“No, you can’t do that. She’ll chase me around the kitchen with the big knife, because I mind warped her. She won’t make me glowing macaroni ever again.”

“Maybe, you deserve it.”

“I have to stay with you. I keep telling everyone that, and they aren’t listening to me.” He blows a piece of hair out of his eyes. “It’s so frustrating. They never tell me what’s going on.”

“Join the club.”

“I wouldn’t join any club you’re in. What did you just do?”

“Dialed your godmother.”

“How do you have her phone number? I bet you mind raped her to get it.”

“You’re really funny.”

“You’re funny looking.”

Someone picks up on the second ring but instead of a hearty warm female voice, it’s a man, Max’s to be exact. I shake my head. Will this woman ever stop?

I hold the phone away from me as he says something again in Antarian, which makes Klingon sound like French. “It’s me.”

“Is Seth with you?” His question comes out as a demand but I can hear the quite desperation behind it.

“Yes.”

He takes a harsh breath. “What the hell were you thinking leaving like that?”

“So it’s my fault?”

“You can’t be impulsive where a child is concerned.”

“Thank you Dr. Spock, but he’s isn’t my child.” I expect him to come back with some caustic remark, but instead he answers me with a long and telling silence.

“Serena has my hotel room number. You can pick him up there.”

“Liz.”

My heart flutters at the way he says my name. Entering through my ear and traveling to my brain, it creates the same jolt of excitement that his lips teasing mine would. This isn’t good.

“What?“ I try and steel my voice wanting to answer his warmth with an ice cold, but I hear the breathiness in it. I’m sure he does to.

“It’s not important.”

“Fine,” I hang up the phone and get back into the car.

Seth’s head pops up between Maria and my seat. “Did Serena seem mad? You think she’ll still make me macaroni?”

“It turns out Serena gave me your dad’s number.”

“Why would she do something like that?” He pauses, “you don’t want my dad to put babies in you do you?”

I snort.

“Trust me junior that’s the last thing you have to worry about.”

“Good,” he tries to get back on to Maria’s lap.

“Oh, no, you don’t junior. No more giving your Auntie Maria hemorrhoids.”

“I have to sit up here.”

“Seth get in the back seat please,” I say with as much sweetness that I can muster.

“Did I ask you Liz?”

“Fine,” I start the car. “Crash through the windshield for all I care.”

“You know she’s right junior.”

“I have to sit up here. I don’t know why. I just have to. That’s a pretty song.”

Maria grabs my ringing phone.

“Who is it?”

“Brian.”

“He tried to call me before, but Serena abducted my phone. What should I do?”

“Talk to him.”

“I don’t want to lie to him. I can’t do it again.”

“Tell him the truth.”

“He won’t believe me.”

“Show him what you can do.” Maria picks up Larek’s folder from the floor. “Whatever this is, you’re going to need his help with it.”

“My dad doesn’t need his help or yours. He’s going to figure it out all by himself.”

Maria pats his head. “Junior, this is girl talk. When girls are talking about a boy, boys can’t talk. They have to listen. That’s the rule.”

A bit of blush creeps into Seth’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was a rule. Does that make me bad for breaking it?”

She ruffles his hair. “I forgive you.”

“Kay.”

The phone stops ringing.

“But you see you two talked so long, and now he’s isn’t there anymore.”

I chew on my bottom lip.

“You need to have a plan for when you talk to him for real.”

Maria starts to giggle. “You are your father’s son.”

He starts. “Really? I try really hard to act like him.”

“Why don’t you act like yourself?” Maria asks.

“I can’t ever do that,” he says seriously.

“Why?” I ask.

“Was I talking to you Liz?”

“Hey, be nice.”

“I’m talking to you not her. You’re nice, and Liz is just Liz,” he grumbles.

“Could you open up Larek’s folder for me?” I ask needing to focus on something.

“There’s a computer disc and a note in it.”

“Read, it please.”

“Liz. It has...come…attention…taught..emissary…manipulated…Max…sorry,” Maria brings the paper closer to her face, “God, he has awful handwriting. He must be a doctor.”

“Nope, he used to be teacher.”

“The body snatcher and I are in the same profession. Oh, that’s comforting he‘s going around the world, snatching up little children right and left.”

“Larek wouldn’t do that. He likes kids. That’s why his heart is sad, because Khivar killed his son.”

“So Miranda isn’t his daughter then?”

“No, Liz she isn’t,” he snits.

“They couldn’t stop talking about this chick at the party. Apparently, she does this thing with a pair of knives and a cigarette lighter. She...”

“She was married to Larek’s son,” Seth interrupts. Lifting his head like some startled gazelle, he looks over the back of the seat. "Go faster," he breathes heavily.

“Seth?”

"I SAID GO FASTER," a force compels my foot down on the accelerator. Gears grind together as the car shimmies.

"STOP THAT. ARE YOU NUTS?"

"NUTS IS WHAT'S BEHIND US."

My eyes flick to the rearview mirror. "There's nothing..."

Our heads jerk forward as something hits us from behind.

"She's here. Daddy said he would never let her near me again, but she's here, and he isn't. She supposed to be in jail because that’s where bad people go. If he put her in jail then why is she here.”

"Honey, you need to tell us who you’re talking about.”

I look frantically between the side view and rear mirrors. "There's nothing," and then it hits me. "You're talking about your mom aren't you?"

"She isn't my mom," he practically roars at me. "I may of lived in her tummy for a little while, but she will never be my mom." He yanks us down beside the dashboard.

The car swerves rubbing up against the guard rail. Sparks jump off the car's body. Seconds later a yellow bolt crashes through the back window and whizzes out the front leaving a jagged hole right where my head would have been. I grab hold of the spinning steering wheel. "Is she insane? Can you see her Seth? Seth?”

“It’s like he’s in shock. What does she have the parenting skills of Joan Crawford?”

I flick my head to see Seth sucking his thumb. “I’m such an idiot. He never calls her mom. I just assumed that they had this perfect little family. They were supposed to be perfect. Why aren‘t they perfect?” I up shift and check the mirrors again.

“I guess that‘s why he such a punk ass to you,” Maria turns around in her seat and looks out the back.

“I’m sure she filled his head with all kind of nice stories about me. No wonder he hates me. ”

“If he hadn’t grabbed, you would have been splattered all over the place” she says in a strained voice that tells me that she’s nearing Maria meltdown mode. “He would have been sitting behind us. God, she would have killed her own son.”

“She could be anywhere.”

Another hit comes from the back causing the tires to lift up.

"She's trying to tip us. Hold on." I yank the steering wheel in the direction of the hit. While my eyes see an empty space, I can hear metal scrape against metal.

“What are you going to do road rage on her butt? Seth wake up. We need a plan.” She grabs my cell phone.

A large thud sounds, and the tires roll over something. In the mirror, I see our mangled bumper lying on the highway.

“Out of range. How I’m supposed to tell him that his psychotic wife is trying to run us off the road and that your playing bumper cars with her right now and to get his ass out here and do something. Freaking T Mobile. How many times I have told you Liz to get Verizon? Just because they have Catherine Zeta-Jones selling their freaking phone doesn‘t make it better. Why the hell isn‘t anyone on this road?”

Straining my ears, I can hear the faint sounds of laughter. Tess’s laughter. Bingo. A red bolt forms over the steering wheel, but this time it doesn’t buzz with electricity. It burns with fire. I can literally feel the warmth against my face.

“Holy shit, Liz. Michael never did that. Let it go. Blow the blonde bitch up.”

“I don’t know how. When I was fighting with Max, it sort of just happened.”

“The two of you were fighting with blasts, and here I thought Michael and I had issues. ”

A two small hands pulls both of us down for the second time as an orange bolt spirals through the driver and passenger’s windows shattering a second wave of glass upon us.

“I’m get really annoyed here.”

“Tess is annoying,” Seth answers. “I’m sorry for going on vacation. I sort of do it when she’s around, but it’s not going to happen again. ” A fierce determination shines in his face that is all his father’s. In this moment, I’m grateful for the resemblance.

“Next time you go. You’re taking me with you,” Maria answers. “I’m buying myself a little drink with one of those pink umbrellas in it. I’m going to get the pool boy to rub…”

“Maria, I don’t mean to be mean, but this is not the time. You can only talk if it has to do with the current problem so shhhh. Are you okay Liz?” He asks with a calmness that is almost laughable under the situation.

I don’t answer. My mind is too busy doing flip-flops. Future Max said he needed to be with Future Tess. I really don’t think Present Max would stand for Present Tess trying to murder Present Seth.

Which means what?

I’m so confused.

“Tess is gaining on us again. She can’t keep up the speed and blast at the same time. You need to go faster.”

“Go faster. Good idea.”

“You’re doing a very good job driving.”

“I need my cedar oil.”

“Maria, remember the rule,” Seth advises. “Everything is going to be okay. Liz won’t let her hurt us.”

“Alright, alright, then why is she trying to kill Liz other than stating the obvious?"

“She wants to be a meaglan so she could have more power than my dad. He’s got the most. He can do almost anything. That’s why he’s the king.”

Glancing down, I see the necklace is glowing again.

“Can everyone emissary?”

"No, it's extremely difficult. It takes a huge amount of control not to get completely sucked into the vessel's memories."

No, it isn’t possible so cut it out psycho necklace. I really don’t need this right now.

“How did you know those things?” I demand.

“Flashes.”

Max knew because of flashes. Despite all that he did, he was never a liar.

"I didn't think my hair looked that bad."
"Personally, I've always liked it longer."

He’s not the only man with a hair fetish.

“You hide it well, but sometimes it comes out. I think someone hurt you very badly."
"No more than I hurt her." He swallows. "Were you dreaming about what happen in the jungle?"
"This woman, who was she?"

He touches my cheek.

It’s a coincidence.

"How do you know? I could be some scaly alien posing as a human."
"Here I thought I was the only one doing that."
I smack him. "You're such a dork."

I frown.

“Roswell has an observatory.”
Abruptly, he sits up.

My nails dig into the leather of the steering wheel. I'm an idiot. How could he do this to me? He actually made me want him.

“Parker,” Brian groans thrusting inside me while my dull nails rake hungrily down his muscular back. He is so warm, and I'm so tired of being cold.

“WAKE UP,” Seth’s voice shrieks in my head. “Maria can go on vacation all she wants. You can’t.”

He grabs my hand and almost immediately I feel his skittish force enter into me. Swirling around, it merges with mine with a surprising ease.

A flash of him hunched over at a table enters my mind. He looks to be all of five years old. Writing bits of gibberish that could be Antarian mixed in with English, his face is contorted into a rage. “I’m not bad. Talen is wrong,” he mumbles.

Furiously, he scribbles on the paper.

Daddy= Good
Tess= Bad

Daddy + Tess = Seth

Good + Bad = Seth

He scrawls Seth =

Created by two very powerful people, he is lost in their shadow. In his mind, he has elevated Max to highest of pinnacles and thrown Tess into the lowest of caverns. There is good, and there is bad, which leaves no room for him.

Day after day, he stares at the paper looking for his place. Until one morning, he finds an answer written in neat capital letters.

Seth=my brother.

He breaks down. Shoulders shaking, he can‘t stop crying. No longer is it about being good or bad. It’s about being a brother. Yes, he decides he can do that. He will make his little sister or brother glowing macaroni every day because that is what a good older brother does. Finally, he wipes his eyes. Picking up the paper, the tears start anew. The message is gone. He is no brother. He is only Seth, and it will never be good enough.

I feel a tear drip down my cheek. Through our connection, I try and tell him that he is own person, but he isn’t interested in listening to me. He’s all about concentrating on the issue at hand. In an orderly fashion, I feel him tighten the bond around us. He exerts complete control over the situation. Yet, unlike Khivar, never once does he to try spin the calculated web of power and domination around me. I can still feel Liz Parker alive and humming within the union.

He might have half of Max’s chromosomes in him, but his touch doesn’t trigger the uncontrollable deluge that threatened to drown me earlier. Unlike his father’s muted and unreadable thoughts, his desires are quick and to the point. He wants the bad lady to go away. His simplistic need for safety activates the most potent burst of energy I’ve ever experienced. I practically gift wrapped her son for her, and she ripped him to shreds. I’m going to kill her for it.

“What the hell are you two doing?” I hear Maria scream. “How are you connecting to him and still driving the car?” Her voice seems near and far away at the same time.

Two green burning fireballs join the red one.

“Can I?” comes his mental request. “There isn’t time to teach you how.”

“Go ahead,” I say aloud.

“Go get Tess,” he orders as three balls whiz out my window.

Behind us, a large explosion sounds. Looking through the rearview mirror, I see a burning sports car, and a small figure with curly blonde hair emerge from it. “You okay Maria?”

“I can’t do this again Liz. I love Michael, but it’s never going to end is it?”

I want to tell her that it will end and that they will defeat Khivar and Tess, but the world they live in seems to have a never ending stream of bad guys who seem to go after even the most smallest of victims. “I don’t think so,” I finally answer.

Moodily, she stares out of the broken passenger window.

Beside me, Seth lets go of my hand and emptiness, my ever-faithful companion, returns. “Be careful of the glass,” I warn as he starts to crawl into the back seat.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” he snaps looking out of the blasted window.

His words hurt. The fact that at one moment I felt connected to him and had a purpose, which apparently was another one of those grand alien illusion hurts even more. Maybe, there’s some gene that Max passed along to him.

The "How to Screw Liz Parker Over" gene.

Screw.

My thoughts turn deadly.

He raped me. Is it rape if I wanted him to? He used Brian’s body like it was some toy. What if he it hurt him? Does Brian even want me? Do I even want him?

In silence, we arrive at the hotel carport in a car that has certainly seen better days. Getting out of the car, my legs feel like lead. I rub my eyes. I really need some sleep. I lower the seat so Seth can get out. Noticing a bit of blood on his forehead, I reach over to wipe it away.

A green blast nearly takes my head off. “Don’t touch me,” he snarls. “This is all your fault.”

I glare at him. It’s funny. One moment I want to protect him with my life while the next I want to ring his little scrawny neck. I take a breath. “You hate me. I get that. You want to throw a fit fine, but we are in public so you need to act like it, because if someone saw that a lot of bad things could happen to you.”

From over the roof, I see Maria staring at me with a weird expression on her face. “What?” I soften my voice.

“You just used the mom voice.”

“ I DON’T NEED A MOM.”

“Tell it to someone who cares,” I push him forward while I link arms with Maria.

“Why are you making me be the leader? I don’t even know where we’re going. I’ve never been to this stupid place before.”

“Go straight. You okay?”

“Okay has always been a relative term with us,” she sighs.

“What I said about you and Michael, I didn’t mean it.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Grandma Claudia told me once that if things aren’t complicated than the person isn’t really worth it.”

“Liz if I keep going straight I’m going to run into the wall,” Seth yells in front of us.

“Does he have to take everything I say literally?” I whisper. “You see the plastic button push it.”

“Cool it lights up."

“You know he’s testing you,” Maria says, “to see what your limits are.”

“Considering my current state of mind, I don’t think that’s a really good idea. He should try testing you for a change.”

“You don’t get it. He views you as an authority figure.”

“That’s impossible,” I scoff.

“I’m right here. I can hear you even though I can’t understand those big words you keep using. My dad never teaches me the right words and then he doesn’t even tell me what they really mean.”

The elevator doors open. Maria and I get on while Seth stays frozen on the other side.

“Seth get on the elevator.”

“What’s an elevator?”

I press the open button.

“It’s like a flying carpet.”

“Maria that’s impossible. Carpets don’t fly. I think it would be safer if we took the stairs.”

“Elevators are like moving stairs. You go up all the flights, but you don’t have to do the work,” I answer.

“That’s just being lazy.” He studies the crack between the carriage and the floor. “We should take the stairs. My dad never told me anything about elevators.” He sticks his head in further. “It’s a very small space in there.”

“It’s even better inside.”

He takes a couple of tentative steps and then a couple of more. “I thought you said this thing moved.”

“Press the button with a ten on it.”

“Look this one lights up to,” he squeals.

The carriage pushes upwards and instantly I feel his arms around my waist. “Liz make it stop. I don’t like this. I want to get off.”

“Seth watch the floor counter. We’re almost there.”

“NO, NO, MAKE IT STOP.”

Maria presses the open button, and we get off on the third floor. “I guess it’s the stairs for us. My butt was getting a little too fat anyway.”

“We should probably start him off on escalators and move up to the elevators,” I open the door to the stairwell.

“I’m not getting on anything that begins with an e ever again.” He says charging up the first flight of stairs. “Come on what’s taking you two so long?”

“Was Max ever this hyper? Liz, what’s wrong?”

Seth’s head peeks down over the railing two floors above us.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“For real.”

“Definitely for real.”

“Okay, I definitely feel the burn now. I got to cut out the booze.”

“What is booze Maria?” He calls down to us.

“Inquisitive little thing isn’t he? It’s bug juice.”

“EWWW.”

“Only people that are twenty one and older can drink it.”

“Oh really.” I smile at her.

“There’s a clause that says that young girls that get their hearts broken by alien and human scum a like can partake in a little of the water of life from time to time. Thank God, we’re here,” she opens the door to the hallway.

“You don’t have to worry. I’ve already checked for scions." Seth tells her.

Maria shivers. “Let’s not talk about the tentacle creatures.”

“Don’t be scared Maria. I’ll protect you. There are no bad people anywhere around.”

“Please, tell me your room isn’t at the end. I’m five seconds from becoming road kill.”

“It’s two doors down.”

“Would it have a mini bar?”

“I believe it does.” I touch the knob, and a strange feeling bubbles in my stomach. I motion to Seth. “Can you unlock this?”

“Why are you whispering?”

“Just unlock it for me and do it very quietly.”

“Liz, if there’s someone in your room then we need to get the hell out of here. I get you’re like Xena Alien Princess now, but you have no idea what you’re doing.”

Seth places his hand on the door. “My dad is in there. ” He pops open the door.

I walk in to find the comforter and sheets thrown on the floor along with my clothes. In the center of the chaos stands Max Evans.

Without out a single thought, the biggest fire ball I have ever formed flies off my fingers and straight for his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edited: to say I just won a free pair of jeans from the Gap!!!!! I've never won anything in my life before so I'm super hyped about it. WHOOHOO!!!