Sternbetrachter Thanks...even though I'm still having a hard time understanding the fact that I won.
As for winning here...we'll see. I'm not that optimistic about it.
LEL
... coracat *raises an eyebrow* So far it seems that way, but I'm still considering myself a tad better than average...somewhere around 5% area or so.
And as for keeping up the good work, you can count on it, even if the RL (better known as school) is kicking me to the rear.
NScotian
Hey, you earn some credit too, otherwise I would be posting rather embarrasing material. And thanks for pointing out the parts that weirded you out. I did my best to fix them. Well...now without further delay, part 9. We'll see when the next two parts will be posted, but I know it won't be soon.
Title: "Shattered Images"
Author: Bored to Mundane life
Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell or X-Men : Evolution. I'm just borrowing them for this. But if it HAS to be necessary, I promise that I won't damage any of them too badly.
Summary: Things are going from bad to worse. Liz supposedly slept with Kyle, to prevent the the end of the world Future Max told her about. Now no one except Kyle and Alex are talking to her now. If things weren't bad enough already, Liz suddenly gets abnormal pains. When she lost consciousness from a really intense moment of pain, she seeks help from a doctor, and discovers that she's terminally ill. Now Liz must race against time to find the cure, but with little to no allies at disposal, can she survive through this before her time runs out?
Category: Crossover with X-Men : Evolution, with reasonable additions from me.
Pairing: Roswell: Mi/L, Ma/Ma, the rest is CC. X-Men: Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, no clue from the rest.
Rating: PG-13, possibly R at some point
Feedback: I don't think I have to tell you how important FB is, now do I?
["*"] indicates thoughts.
-"*"- indicates telepathical communication.
Part 9
West Roswell High, 7:50 a.m., School Hallway
Liz and Alex were heading to the principal's office, while talking with one another. There had been some things that Liz wanted to straighten out, most notably about his lack of knowledge about the aliens. With his telepathy, he could have found out easily. Too easily for her comfort. Alex HAD already told her how he had been unable to get any information from her and Maria, and he also told her about his inability to read the alien quartet's minds mostly because of his unfamiliarity with them before. But now she had remembered another source who could have told him everything...or two to be exact.
"So how come you didn't learn about the aliens from Topolski?" Liz asked silently, while looking at Alex intently. She didn't dare to raise her voice. With some of the students milling around the hall, she definitely didn't want to draw attention by 'projecting' her thoughts to Alex. "I mean...she must have given you a lot of reasons to ask question from me...or them."
"Oh, she did bring up a few questions in me, but I chalked it up as the mental rantings of a maniac," Alex said.
Liz blinked. That wasn't the answer she had expected. "Huh?" was all she managed to say.
Alex scratched the back of his head, searching for an explanation. "Ok, what I got out from Topolski was...to say the least, organized chaos. She was thinking about one thing first, then her thoughts completely shifted focus, going into something totally else, and then changing again into ANOTHER completely strange line of thinking. I swear, I felt dizzy in her presence. I did get some thoughts about you, Max, and Michael; something to do with that blood sample I gave you, to substitute it for Max's...which I later changed into a different sample. I also got something else I couldn't decipher. So I brushed it up as her being delusional...for a while," he said.
Liz nodded. Alex probably meant the time she had asked him to hack into Topolski's laptop, and finding out she was an FBI agent. Although now, when Liz thought about it, it had probably confirmed Alex's own suspicions about Topolski.
Alex watched Liz carefully, trying to find out what she was thinking, now that he was unable to read her thoughts, which was pretty refreshing change for him, considering the fact how other people were open books for him. Although...Alex wouldn't mind being just an average American teenager...without superpowers. Yes, he was a telepath, but with that power, far too many doors were opened in his mind. Since he couldn't possibly keep the thoughts out from his mind, he had managed found a way to actually keep them at bay for some time, but it was hard. Sure, some of the knowledge he got out from the jocks could prove useful to get him out from a tight spot. Luckily he never had to resort into that kind of blackmail. But in truth, Alex would be more than happy to live without his powers. Even through the cacophony of thoughts, he could tell which thought belonged to whom, and some of the things he got out from of them...Alex shuddered at the thought of it. There were students who really had their minds in the gutter...and the same went for the cheerleaders, as well as the 'popular' girls who weren't cheerleaders. Some of them were amusing, he admitted it, but there were so many things that he would certainly like to live without. He winced when he passed Pam Troy, but not because she had sent an obvious glare towards him and Liz, but at the obnoxious thoughts she had in her head regarding her current boyfriend...as well as the poor bastard who Pam was 'doing' behind her boyfriend's back. ["Is it REALLY that hard for them to NOT think about that kind of stuff ALL the time?"] he asked from himself, inwardly groaning when he picked up another 'not-so-clean' thought from one of the girls...involving Isabel and the shower room...and now Alex didn't know whether to feel jealous or mortified at that VERY clear thought.
Liz glanced at Alex carefully. "You ok, Alex?" she asked. She hadn't missed the glare Pam had sent her, but she had to be blind to miss Alex's obviously disgusted look when they passed Pam Troy. In fact...if she remembered correctly, Alex's facial expression always tended to shift from nonchalant to revolted at the drop of a hat...and until now Liz had never truly realized why. She briefly wondered how it would feel like to pick up every stray thought from the kids around them...she grimaced. She CERTAINLY didn't want to know what was going on in Pam Troy's mind, and DEFINITELY not what was going on inside the school jocks minds. Only now did she realize how much secrets Alex could possibly keep from every single student and teacher at the school...and she started to feel sorry for him.
"I'm fine...other than the fact that I REALLY need to find some way to get some disturbing images out from my head," Alex said, but his voice was strained.
Liz nodded. "Ok...I won't pry," she said. Alex didn't say anything, but there was certain amount of gratitude visible in his eyes.
"Thanks, Liz. Although...I can't help but wonder if Isabel knows that one of her clique friends has the hots for her," Alex mused to himself, earning a wide eyed look from Liz. And as much as she wanted to press Alex for more details, she refused to do it. No doubt Alex was aware of that little information thanks to his powers, which only emphasized the fact that Liz would much rather be like she was now than being a telepath.
Liz blinked when Alex suddenly stopped, and was watching him with a confused expression. "Why did you stop?" Liz asked.
"We ARE going to the principal's office, remember?" he said, and pointed at the door which said 'school office'. Liz blushed slightly and they made their way inside. About an hour later, they came back, Liz watching at Alex with mortified look.
"I can't BELIEVE that you did THAT," Liz said after she managed to get her bearings straight. It had been somewhat difficult for Liz to tell her reasons for transferring to another school...one on the other side of the country, no less, but she had managed. She hadn't lied...for the most part. Her mutation was something she hadn't told to the principal. She HAD told him the 'why', that she was transferring to another school because it was close enough to a hospital facility that could help her to find a cure for the leukemia. Liz sometimes was scared of her ability to 'lie-yet-tell-the-truth' at drop of a hat. But that wasn't what scared her the most. No, it was what Alex had done. When the principal had asked if their parents knew anything about this, Alex had said deadpan that they fully supported his transfer, and that he had a relative in that area where he could live, but Liz had been unable to say anything. Then she had seen, for the first time, a side of Alex's power that really gave her the creeps. His right eye had glowed, and the principal's eyes had turned glassy, as if he were looking at something else at far away. Then he had asked that either their mother or father would to sign the papers, and Alex had signed for his father...and Liz couldn't even start to speculate when he had learned to do something like that. Liz had signed the papers for her mother...something she didn't like to do, but it had to be done. Liz had actually sighed from relief when they had walked away, but Alex had, again, done the 'eye-flashing' thing to the secretary when she had picked up the papers.
"All I did was make sure there wouldn't be any uncomfortable questions later," Alex said.
"Well, if that's the case, then why did you...do whatever it is that you did to that secretary," Liz demanded.
Alex shook his head. "I just put a small mental nudge to make sure that those papers go to Bayville NOW rather than in 2 weeks," he said, but then added, "and I did NOT cause any permanent damage to either of them."
"You just seemed so...like it wasn't a big deal," Liz said, watching him carefully.
Alex stopped and stared at Liz. "Liz, first of all, I did NOT enjoy what I just did, but it was necessary. Secondly, it WAS a big deal, because I don't want to manipulate people like that," he said.
Liz stared at him for a while, then nodded. "I'm sorry...it's just that...you have so much power over people that..." she started, but Alex stopped her.
"That you think I wouldn't even blink if I'd have to do it again?" he asked. Liz didn't answer. He sighed. "Did you know that Topolski drugged me?"
Liz's eyes widened from that. "What?" she asked.
Alex sighed again. "I take that as a 'no'," he said. "You remember the day after Michael swapped Max's blood sample with mine...and which I changed later to another sample?"
Liz nodded. "Yes...I saw you talking with Topolski and decided to intervene before she could ask any awkward questions," she said, recalling what had happened then...though it felt like it had happened a long time ago rather than a year ago.
Alex nodded. "Actually, I think 'drug me' is a too strong word...more like she slipped me something that made me...less resistant. It also took most of my inhibitions away," he said.
Now Liz was worried. She had already seen how little control he had over his powers, and loosing that control altogether could have had disastrous results. However...she did remember him speaking his mind to her after Topolski had disappeared from sight. "You told me straight out what you thought about me then," she said.
Alex shook his head sadly. "Actually...that was the only way that I could think of to keep myself in control at the time...yelling at you. You have NO idea how hard it was for me...how every single fiber in my body was screaming at me to just go into your mind and find whatever it was that you were hiding...no matter what the damage it could do to you...or what I could lose by doing it. Actually...the only good thing about this power is that nothing can affect my mind unless I allow it...but drugs are a completely different story. I can fight off the effects...but not fully. I was wrestling with myself REALLY badly, but I did manage to get a hold of myself," he said.
Liz's mind processed what Alex was saying...wondering when he had managed to get a hold of himself. A day later or...her eyes widened a bit when she realized the possibility. "Was it...when your nose started bleeding?" she asked.
Alex nodded, but then grinned. "I think I hid my headache well...and the need to rip the information out from Max's head when he came talking to me later," he said. Then he frowned. "Although...now that I think about it...I doubt that I could have done it at the time. I would have probably given BOTH of us a new definition for headache."
"I'm sorry, Alex," Liz said, turning her gaze away from him.
Alex shrugged. "Hey, it's over and done with. Besides, after you told me about them, I managed to put the pieces together...even though I was still skeptical about it," he said.
Liz shook her head. "You still manage to surprise me, Alex, even after the 6 years I've known you," she said.
Alex grinned. "There's still a lot you don't know about me, Liz, but let's keep the interrogation off from our schedule for the time being. Now we don't have that much to do until our ride is here," he said.
"Let's empty my locker now. We can worry about how to kill time after that," Liz said as she started to make her way to her locker. Alex shrugged, not really able to suggest anything else at the moment. They were walking in silence when Alex suddenly started to feel uneasy. Something was definitely off...and the feeling was getting stronger. He could still hear thoughts around him...but they were being silenced by something stronger...like someone was projecting their emotions so strongly that it was overshadowing everything else. But it didn't make any sense, to feel the need to sulk THAT strongly would require a tremendous emotional turmoil from someone, and Alex doubted he knew anyone with THAT strong a need to vent their emotions to practically anyone that came in their way. But when they neared Liz's locker, the emotions he felt kept intensifying exponentially with every step he took. ["What the heck is going on?"] Alex thought, as his mental shields adjusted to keep the pressure away...with little success. ["I only know ONE person who could project emotions THIS strongly..."] he stopped that thought process the minute he realized who he was thinking about. Maria. She had always been more than an open book to him. She NEVER kept her opinions and emotions at bay...well, not around her friends. She voiced out her feelings in both a verbal and mental way equally...although Alex was the only one who could 'hear' her mental rants. He wasn't unfamiliar with Maria's mental ranting...quite the opposite in fact. But this was different...in a VERY drastic way. First and foremost he could tell was that Maria was VERY unhappy about something...but what, he couldn't tell. There were too many things going through her mind...far too many for him to get a clear idea of what was going on, and then there was the intensity of her emotions. They were now overriding her thoughts so much that Alex couldn't tell what she was thinking even if he tried...and she was even overpowering the other students' thoughts and emotions from him. But what he COULD read from Maria was...troubling. Betrayal...that was the clearest emotion he could sense. The second was anger, he had little doubt about that. The third was...hurt. Again, there was no doubt about THAT particular emotion. Alex's brow furrowed, wondering what could have possibly stirred THOSE particular emotions in her. He hadn't talked to her...not even at the meeting. He had been rather distant from her, but he knew that THAT wasn't enough to bring these three emotions out in her. Alex groaned, earning a confused glance from Liz in the process. The emotions were getting thicker, pounding his defenses with wild abandon now.
"Are you alright?" Liz asked.
"Have you talked to Maria without my knowledge?" Alex asked, trying to keep his face as impassive as he could, but the obvious strain was there. Liz could see it clearly...and she suspected that Maria and their alien friends could see it as well if they bothered to look long enough.
Liz shook her head. "No...I haven't. Not since I fainted," she said, and was quite surprised when Alex used his telepathy to talk to her.
-"Maria is at your locker...waiting for you. I can't tell for certain what is going on in her mind right now, but she's angry and hurt. But the strongest emotion I can get from her is betrayal...which troubles me. But the fact that she's projecting her emotions so strongly suggests that she's...pissed off, to put it lightly,"- Alex 'said', not trusting to keep his voice down enough so that other students wouldn't hear them.
["But what could possibly get her that angry, Alex?"] Liz projected to Alex, glancing warily at some of the students who were milling about.
Alex wanted to shrug, but resisted the urge for the moment. -"Beats me...her emotions are overpowering her thoughts so I have a little difficulty figuring that part out...and it isn't helping that the closer we get to her, the stronger her emotions keep pounding at my mental shields,"- he 'said'.
["We'll soon find out,"] Liz projected to him when they came to the hallway where her locker was. They both could see Maria leaning against Liz's locker, her arms crossed over her chest. Maria's expression was unreadable...which troubled Liz. She had never seen her friend like this, in a way that there was no hint of showing no emotion. Maria would always ensure that people around her knew EXACTLY how she was feeling, but this was different. Maria could probably give Michael a good competition if wearing a stonewall became a sport.
"Maria?" Liz said tentatively, not really sure how her friend would react. At first it seemed that Maria hadn't heard her, and Liz was about to speak again, when Maria turned her gaze to Liz. Liz flinched from the raw emotion she could see in Maria's eyes. So she wasn't completely oblivious to everyone around her, it seemed.
"Why?" Maria said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Liz blinked. "Why what?" she asked, not understanding what Maria was talking about, but fearing the worst. She glanced at Alex, and stifled a gasp when she saw Alex's right eye glow...brighter than it had in the principal's office. But the troubling thing was that Maria didn't seem to notice.
-"I'm using my powers, that way that other students can't see or hear us...and so that Maria doesn't see the fact that my eye is glowing,"- Alex 'said' to Liz, who had to resist the urge to nod. She was unable to stop herself from flinching when Maria snarled at her harshly.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were...a mutant," Maria said, barely able to keep her voice even. She didn't miss Alex's wince at her tone...and she could care less at this point. She turned her gaze to Liz. "Well?"
"Maria...I...I didn't...I didn't know how you would react. And considering how you reacted to the whole 'aliens exist' thing I told you, you do realize why I was worried," Liz said, trying to force herself to calm down. Unfortunately...she wasn't succeeding very well. Good thing her mental lock was on...and that she had took her painkillers before she came to school.
"Oh...so you thought that I would react the same way to you as I reacted to the 'Czechoslovakians'?" Maria asked, her voice edged with sarcasm. "Well...it was close, but you forgot that just the mere fact that our Czech friends are, I don't know, a tad more 'out there' than what you are, and it did help me cope better. It DIDN'T help me that my own MOTHER turned out to be like you...and like you, she lied to me ALSO!! So I ask again...why didn't you ever tell me about THIS?!" Maria demanded, her voice rising to a yell. Liz flinched at Maria's tone, but didn't back away.
Alex raised an eyebrow to what Maria said. ["Amy is a mutant?"] he thought, thinking about the possibilities of that fact. He glanced at the other students, worried. He had the students' minds, in this and all the adjacent hallways, along with teachers and students from the classrooms clouded. But if Maria kept yelling, someone else might hear her...someone whose mind he couldn't control. If he could just get them somewhere else...the eraser room was a good choice, but the fact that there already was a couple 'occupying' it didn't help. He turned his gaze behind him, and smiled. Janitor's closet. That should do for a while, and the good news was that it wasn't 'occupied'. Any noise Maria would make would be dampened effectively, and he would have a better chance at preventing others from 'listening in'. "I think we should go somewhere...more quiet, don't you think?" he said.
Maria glared at Alex, who just barely managed to not flinch at the emotions that were hurtled at him. "And you...what do you know about this!?" she demanded...rather loudly.
Alex shook his head, and grabbed Maria's arm, pulling her to the janitor's closet, while Maria demanded to know what he was doing. Liz followed Alex, but she felt bad inside for what Maria had said. The fact that Amy was a mutant hadn't registered in her mind yet.
Once they were finally inside the closet, Alex locked the door and turned to look at Liz and Maria. Maria was shooting daggers at Alex, and Liz couldn't look in Maria's direction.
"What the Hell do you think you're..." Maria started, but gasped when Alex glared at HER...and his right eye glowed angrily, illuminating the janitor's closet with a dark bluish light.
-"Maria...do Liz and me a favor and SHUT UP for a minute!!"- Alex mentally yelled, causing Maria to flinch away from him, her hand immediately going to her temple. She...she had heard him speak...but she heard it inside her mind. -"And...don't 'talk'...you THINK what you want to say."-
"What..." Maria started, but then her eyes widened when the evidence sunk in. "You're a mutant TOO!?" she yelled in disbelief.
-"WHAT DID I JUST SAY TO YOU?!!!"- Alex mentally yelled at her, and Maria flinched back again. She had never seen...or even heard Alex like this. Well...'hearing' wasn't probably the right word at the moment. And besides...seeing Alex like this was scaring her.
["That...I should think what I say from now on,"] Maria thought...not really believing that Alex could hear her, but was shocked when Alex's features softened, and the glow in his eye dimmed.
-"Much better,"- Alex 'said', turning to Liz. -"Can you hear me?"-
Liz nodded. Maria was looking at both of them with wide eyes, trying to take in what was happening. She had...'heard' what Alex had said to Liz, but she didn't expect HER to 'hear' it. Alex turned to Maria, switched on the light and said, -"Now...I suggest you start tossing us your questions."-
Maria opened her mouth, but then thought better of it. She stared at Alex for a minute...before thinking, ["If he's a mutant, what's his power?"] She hadn't taken into consideration that Alex heard that too.
Alex smiled. -"I'm a telepath, Maria. You know...able to read thoughts and communicate without saying a word out loud...and much, much more,"- he 'said'.
Maria nodded dumbly, shifting her gaze between Liz and Alex. ["What about...Liz?"] she thought.
Alex looked at Liz for a moment, before turning back to Maria. -"I can't talk for her, Maria. She has to tell you herself. But...I don't know if I should let her,"- he 'said'.
["Why NOT!?"] Maria thought loudly, surprising herself how easily this was going.
Alex glared at Maria. -"Damn it, Maria! You hurt her when you yelled at her. You should start THINKING first, THEN start asking the '20 questions'. Now, what the hell did you mean when you said your mother is a mutant?"- Alex asked. He was a bit worried about Liz. He had made sure that this mental conversation was something all three of them could hear. There was no doubt in his mind that Liz WAS hearing them...but it was just that Alex couldn't hear her, and it was bothering him. He had no idea what Liz was thinking...or if she was thinking at all. ["I wouldn't know that anyway, with her own mental defenses up at the moment,"] he thought grimly.
Maria huffed. ["Well...Liz's mom came to our house last night, and she and mom talked for a while. Mom then tells Nancy that she's a mutant...and provided a good demonstration of it as well. But it's what I heard later...that my father left because he was afraid of her...that was something I couldn't take well,"] she thought, providing Alex the images of the conversation between Amy and Nancy.
Alex scratched the back of his head, frowning. It was amazing that his uncle wasn't able to track down Liz...let alone Amy. True, he had only recently started to use Cerebro in his quest to find mutants, but still...Alex had seen Cerebro, and it should have been able to locate Amy. It hadn't. He filed the information away for the future. The bell rang, signaling that the classes were about to start. He watched Maria for a while before he narrowed his eyes to her. -"Don't you have class?"- he 'asked'.
["I have study hall,"] she thought, shrugging.
Alex shook his head. -"Maria...did you blow up at Liz because you didn't hear this from her?"- he 'asked'.
Maria nodded...not able to form words vocally or mentally. -"That's what I suspected. Maria, Liz is still your friend...she was just afraid that you might shun her if you ever found out that she is a mutant,"- Alex 'said'. -"Besides...I KNOW you have some...reservations towards mutants."-
Maria stared at Alex for a minute before she uttered a comment...or a thought. "Have you been reading my mind?" she asked out loud, practically growling at him.
Alex grimaced. "No," he also said out loud, surprising Maria. "You aren't a very quiet thinker, Maria. You think your rants are bad? Trust me, it's at least 100 times worse when I hear it in stereo, from BOTH your mouth AND mind. And I can't help it...it's hard enough to keep THEIR," he pointed the closet door with his thumb, "thoughts out from my head. You are practically broadcasting yours so loud that my mind can't help but take it in like a lightning rod."
"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked, hurt by what Alex was saying. "And before you answer to THAT question, just let me get some facts straight. Just because you knew what I have been thinking, doesn't mean that you would know my reaction to this type of information. God, I've been through enough weird shit with our Czech friends; that dealing with this should be relatively easy. I'm just...it hurt...to find out that your best friend was keeping a secret from me...and apparently not just one friend...but two."
"Can you blame me?" Liz asked in such a small voice that Alex and Maria didn't almost hear it.
"What?" Maria asked.
"Can you blame me for not telling you?" Liz said, turning to face Maria. Maria, however, was unable to say anything. Her eyes were locked on Liz's...yellow eyes. "I knew how you'd react if I'd tell you about this...and it seems I was right." Liz dropped her mental lock, and brought forth her true form. Maria backed away a bit, caught off guard by Liz's appearance. Light blue skin, dark red hair with yellow eyes. Liz shook her head sadly, closing her eyes. "You considered the 'Czech's' as monsters as well, Maria. I couldn't take it if you'd consider me as one too."
Maria closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get some of her composure back. She hadn't expected this. She thought that Liz had kept this from her because she didn't trust her. That couldn't have been far from truth. Liz hadn't told her...because she was afraid of her. But what Liz said next took her breath away. "I guess...now that you know what I really am, you also should know that I'm dying."
"What?!" Maria blurted out, not understanding at first, but then it hit her. Liz was sick...that much they all knew. But terminally ill...Maria stifled a sob when it hit her. Maria glanced at Alex, who wasn't looking at them. He was giving them as much privacy as they needed. "Chica...I'm SO sorry. But...wait, you could go to Max...he could heal you..." she started, but Liz's outburst stopped her.
"He can't heal THIS!! And even if he could ensure that I live, I CAN'T go to him!" Liz yelled, not caring who would hear them. Alex and Maria winced at her tone...which had become a bit louder suddenly. Alex, however, didn't let that distract him from keeping the students outside from hearing them. That was his task at the moment.
"Why not?!" Maria asked, stunned by Liz's behavior, even if she was blue skinned...she shook her head. ["Better not go there now, DeLuca,"] she told herself, and sends a glare to Alex. ["And not a WORD from you!"]
-"Wouldn't dream of it,"- Alex answered dryly.
There were tears in Liz's eyes, but it was from both sadness and anger to the situation she was in at the moment. "Alex...I dropped my mental shield. Show her why I can't go to Max with this," Liz said to Alex, who looked at her, surprised. Maria blinked, some of her own tears spilling.
-"You sure?"- Alex asked, slightly worried. Maria wasn't exactly someone who could keep her mind clear, and he was worried what could happen.
"I am NOT in the mood to go through with this again. Show her," Liz said evenly.
Alex pondered it for a moment, then nodded. He turned to Maria. "Maria...what is about to happen will be shocking...to say the least. But if you want to know the truth...you have to remain calm," Alex said.
Maria exchanged glances with Liz and Alex, not sure what to say. But she wanted answers. She wiped her tears away and nodded, and took a vial of cedar oil from her backpack. She took a couple of deep breaths, pulling the aroma of the oil into her lungs. Liz smiled at that...at least some things didn't change. Maria took another deep breath and counted to 10, put the vial away. "I'm ready," she said.
Alex nodded, and his right eye glowed brightly, and then Maria went speechless. She saw everything Liz had seen and experienced. Future Max and what Liz did in order to save the world, the hurt that she felt when everyone except Alex and Kyle had avoided her, the sudden jolts of pain, the doctors office and finding out that she was terminally ill from leukemia and how little chance of survival she had; her father telling her to get out, Nancy telling her that she would always be her mother, no matter what, and then the knowledge that she was adopted. Liz going to Alex, and they both trading secrets about their true selves. Alex suggesting that they go to his uncle, who could help her in finding a cure. Alex doubted that Maria wanted to see Liz going to Michael, so he avoided that particular memory and then showed Maria how Liz felt when she had practically exploded right in front of Liz's face. The knowledge of all this was enough to send Maria reeling, and there were fresh tears falling. Liz had her eyes closed, willing the tears to not come...not now. She raised her mental defenses, cutting Alex's telepathic feed to Maria abruptly. Alex winced, but didn't say anything.
"Liz...I...I don't know what to say," Maria stammered. "Other than that I'm really, REALLY sorry."
Liz looked at Maria, and smiled. "Thanks...although I should..." Liz started, but Maria stopped her by grasping her hands.
"No...you DON'T have ANY reason to apologize to ME. And definitely not to the 'Czechs'," Maria said. "Liz...they should apologize to you...just like I did. I mean...Liz, you gave up your happiness to save the world. What could they possibly say to that?"
Liz closed her eyes, few tears finding their way through her lashes. "Yes...I saved the planet...by giving up my own life," she said.
"Don't say that!! You aren't dead yet," Maria insisted, and Alex agreed with that.
Liz shook her head. "I have 8 months to live...and I...I can't go to Max. And even with Alex's uncle's help, the chance of my survival is slim," she said.
"Why do you have to be so damn...noble?" Maria asked, exasperated. "Liz...Chica...what do I have to do to make you understand that it's alright to be the person who everyone wants to help?"
Liz sniffled. "I haven't done anything to earn that kind of attention," she said. Maria shook her head and pulled Liz into a tight hug. She was surprised how different Liz's body felt. It was like...her body was...vibrant somehow. ["Weird...just as weird as her being blue with yellow eyes,"] she thought as quietly as she could, remembering Alex's power to read thoughts. THAT power unnerved her a bit more than what Liz looked like at the moment or how her body felt.
"But you have, Chica, don't you get it? I don't know where any of us would be if it weren't for you. And that is more than enough reason for US to be there for YOU," Maria said, her voice muffled a bit.
Liz tightened the embrace, choking out the words, "Thank you."
Maria pulled away from the hug, and looked into Liz's to the eyes, then to Alex. "So...what do you want me to do? And WHAT is your power anyway?" she asked, raising an eyebrow to Liz.
Liz chuckled a bit. "Shapeshifting, Maria. I think you know what I mean," she said, turning into Maria right in front of her. Maria gasped and looked at Liz in astonishment.
Alex was laughing at Maria's expression. Maria glared at Alex and swatted him to the chest, effectively shutting him up. "Don't laugh at me. It wasn't funny," Maria said. Liz morphed back into her 'normal' form, grinning at Alex.
"Yeah...you wouldn't want me to turn back into Isabel...wearing a VERY tight tube top and skin tight leather pants?" Liz said, arching her eyebrow. Maria turned look at Liz with puzzlement, but then giggled when she saw Alex blushing furiously.
"I REALLY hate being a telepath...we have too vivid an imagination for our own good," Alex grumbled.
Liz coughed, being serious again. "As for what you have to do...nothing much. Just...make sure that Kyle doesn't feel isolated when Alex and I are gone," she said.
Maria nodded. "Well...we aren't THAT close friends...even with the recent developments, but I'll see what I can do," she said.
"You ok, Liz?" Alex asked, but he could already tell that she was.
Liz nodded, smiling. "I am now. And I'm also glad that YOU were wrong about Maria," she said, smirking at Alex.
Alex raised his hands in a 'I surrender' gesture. "Ok...so I was wrong. I accept that," he said.
"Good!" Maria and Liz said at the same time. Then Maria glanced at Liz with a thoughtful expression. "So...you are able to turn into ANYONE?" she asked.
Liz grinned, and morphed into Kyle, much to Maria's surprise...again. "Yes...and in VERY accurate detail," she said.
Maria blinked, and then her eyes widened. "You mean..." she couldn't finish it, but pointed at 'Liz's' groin. 'Liz' smirked and nodded. "Oh my GOD!!" Maria exclaimed. "Does it...work?"
Alex smacked his hand to his forehead, not believing that what he was hearing this. 'Liz' shrugged. "I haven't 'tried'...but if I ever do, I'll let you know. However...it DOES stir a bit whenever I see a good-looking guy," she said with a grin.
Alex started to shake his head, mumbling 'I did NOT hear that' over and over again. Maria burst into laugh. "Oh God, you could pull unbelievable pranks with this power, Liz," she said between gasps of laugh.
Liz, however, didn't laugh. She morphed back to her 'normal' self, thinking. Maria managed to stop herself from laughing, and wondered what Liz was thinking. "What is it, Chica?" she asked.
Liz smiled. "You know, I've been thinking about using my power that way, but I never wanted to do it. It wouldn't be fair. But...Pam has been working rather fervently to spread nasty rumors about me," she said.
Maria snorted, rolling her eyes. She was all too familiar with the rumors Pam Troy had been spreading about Liz, and had been more than happy to get into Pam's face...even if she had been staying away from Liz at the time. "Tell me about it. Latest rumor was that you were pregnant because you slept with Kyle, thanks to that dizzy spell you had yesterday. I quelled that rumor before it even started," she said, her voice laced with distain.
"Trust me...for someone like Pam, it's easy to spread those kind of lies. Especially if she wants to draw people's attention away from herself," Alex said.
Liz's smile turned into a grin, and she morphed into Pam Troy, much to Alex and Maria's surprise. "Would you two help me and get Pam out of the way for the lunch hour?" she asked.
Maria and Alex exchanged glances. "Why?" Maria asked.
"Oh, nothing much...I just want to spend an hour as Pam Troy...and flirting with the chess club," Liz said, her smile widening a bit.
Maria blinked, then grinned as well. "I KNEW you had a mean streak going in there, Chica," she said, laughing.
"If you want to know more details about her...I'll be more than happy to provide them," Alex said, smiling.
"It seems that the 3 musketeers are together again," Liz said to herself.
"Yeah...and our goal for today is to get a REALLY good laugh at Pam Troy's expense," Maria said. And while she was alright with Liz being a mutant...a blue skinned one, but she was over it, there was still some angered emotions lingering towards her mother. However...under the light of what Liz and Alex had said to her...she decided to at least give her mom a chance to explain herself. But if Amy refused...all bets would be off.
TBC...
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