There's a whole universe...(Multi,XO,CC,TEEN.) {WIP}

[WomanofMystery]

TITLE: There's a whole universe out there.

AUTHOR: WomanofMystery.

RATING: Teen.

DISCLAIMER: The Tribe belongs to Cloud 9 and Roswell and Dark Angel belongs to the various networks who created them. So all dialogue, characters, locations etc from the three shows belong to them and not me. The only thing I can lay claim to right now is Lily, although I wouldn't mind having Zoot/Martin as my own personal plaything.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: You don't have to have watched all three shows for this story to make sense. I'm guessing you've all watched Roswell or you wouldn't be here and all you need to know is that all of series one happened but none of series 2 has yet so Alex is still alive and Tess may or may not be evil.
In Dark Angel this takes place before the start of series one so the X5s escaped from Manticore when they were kids and have been on the run ever since but that's it. Lily is the youngest in her Unit and she is 16, Zack and Tinga have just turned 20 and Max, Brin and the others are somewhere inbetween in terms of age.
This starts in the very first episode of The Tribe so you don't have to have watched that at all. All you need to know is that a virus was released which sped up the aging process and killed everyone over the age of 17/18. The younger kids were sent away to evacuation camps and the show started months (it was never made clear how long) after the last adults have died and the kids are heading back into the city.
Just in case any Tribe fans read this: I know the show was filmed in New Zealand but as far as I know it was never mentioned where exactly they were meant to be, they were all just in a big city somewhere. It could quite easily be somewhere in America.
Now, on with the story.


THERE’S A WHOLE UNIVERSE OUT THERE.

CHAPTER 1.

Lily glances around herself yet again as she prepares to make a dash across the road. Part of her couldn’t believe that she was this worried about being seen by other kids, none of them older than her and none of them Transgenic. But the rest of her accepted how dangerous those ‘kids’ could be in this new world. Especially now they’ve formed themselves into tribes. Most of them reminded Lily of herself and her siblings the day they chased –and killed- the convict in the woods. Wild, vicious, more like animals than humans. If she were attacked by enough of them even her Transgenic gifts wouldn’t save her. They’d rip her apart.

The road is littered with debris of various kinds and smeared with filth but there’s no sign of anything living. There are tall buildings all around her, useless now, and empty windows stare down on the Transgenic like sightless eyes.

Lily shivers slightly and is unable to shake the thought that someone is watching her even though she’s used all her senses and can’t locate anyone nearby.

She’s aiming to get to the Phoenix mall, she’d seen it on an earlier sweep of this Sector and had yet to find anything more secure looking. It was as good a place as any to stay while she gathered enough supplies to leave the city again and make a new start out in the countryside somewhere. Maybe now Manticore was gone Zack would let her know where her siblings were.

The sound of a police-car siren makes her freeze and she presses herself into the shadows of a building until the noise has faded away before sprinting across the road.

The Locos are on the move again. Time to get off the streets.

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

Max looks around the side of the building to check there’s no one nearby then glances back at the others.

Isabel is sat on a box, her head resting on one hand. Her long blond hair that’s she’s always been so proud of is scraped back into an untidy ponytail and her clothes are dirty. None of them are any better but he’d become so used to his sister looking perfectly turned out that her current appearance is still a surprise to him. Kyle and Alex are leaning against the wall not far from Isabel talking quietly but both keeping an eye on the street at the same time. Kyle has accepted that Max and the other three are aliens and seems to have no problem with it but it’s clear he doesn’t like having to follow Max’s lead. Max believes that Kyle still resents him for how things ended between him and Liz. Liz. Max’s attention, never far from her in any case, turns back to Liz. She’s huddled with Maria with her arm around her best friend. Both girls look scared and more than a little overwhelmed. Maria’s lost weight and always seems to look on the verge of tears. Her mother was the only family she had apart from a cousin she hadn’t seen in years and losing her hit Maria hard. Michael had moaned to Max that once they were at the evacuation camp Maria would start trying to talk him into giving their relationship another try but that seems to be the last thing on her mind these days. Michael actually appears a little hurt by that.

Max suppresses a sigh as he looks at Liz. She looks tired and she’s lost weight too but she’s still the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. He wants to be with her so badly that it’s like a constant ache in his chest but, like Maria, romantic relationships seem to be the last thing on her mind. Not that long ago Max had thought, hoped, that the two of them were going to spend the rest of their lives together. That had been before Tess, before destiny, before the Virus. After everything that had happened at Eagle Rock and afterwards Liz had made plans to spend the summer with her aunt before her father became one of the first people affected by the Virus and she stayed in Roswell to help her mother look after him. Even after everything that has happened in the months since then it still hurts that she was prepared to spend the summer thousands of miles away from him with barely a goodbye.

Max takes another glance out at the street and sees Michael and Tess carefully making their way towards him. Michael thought they were being followed and he and Tess had doubled back to try and find out for sure.

“Well?” Isabel asks, standing up and moving to join them.

“Yeah we saw someone. A blond girl. She didn’t try anything, just stayed where she was for ages.” Michael answers.

“Did she see you?” Max asks.

“No, I mind warped her into thinking the street was empty but I think she sensed me. She kept glancing around like she was trying to find us.” Tess tells him.

“So you think maybe she’s an alien?” Kyle asks.

“There’s something different about her. People can’t normally sense when I’m using my powers on them.” The blond alien replies.

A police siren cuts through the air and they all freeze. It’s the Locos. The Roswell gang has only been in the city for two days but they’ve heard of the Locos. One of the biggest tribes in the city gangs of them patrol the streets on rollerblades looking for kids to steal from or take as slaves. Riding in the police car is the evil Zoot and his ‘queen’ the tiny, dark skinned Ebony whom. If the rumours are true, is just as vicious as Zoot if not worse.

Everyone sighs in relief as the siren fades into the distance.

“The Locos are on the move again. Time to get off the streets.” Michael says grimly.

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

The streets are completely deserted as Lily moves through them. Not surprising, as most people don’t risk being outside in broad daylight. The Phoenix mall is just up ahead so all Lily has to do now is find a way to sneak inside.

As she passes the remains of a chemist Lily hesitates. Should she look for some Triptophan? No, she’s ok. Kids looted the shops and houses when they first came back to the city but an herbal food supplement didn’t get much interest. Lily already has enough for at least six months. She nods and carries on walking.

There are other people nearby. A group of them, eight. Four guys and four girls judging by the sound of their footsteps. They’re moving slowly like they’re trying to make sure no one spots them. Not Locos then. Or Demon Dogs for that matter. They’re going the same way as Lily though, almost as if they’re trailing her. Why?

The footsteps have stopped and the feeling of being watched is strong again. Lily backs further into the shadows between two buildings and waits to see what these other kids are up to.

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

“The girl’s just up ahead. She’s hiding between two buildings, I think she’s waiting for us.” Michael reports as he rejoins the others after scouting on ahead.

“So? There’s only one of her.” Kyle shrugs.

“But if she’s an alien then we don’t know what her powers are.” Tess tells him.

“Our mother said that we have enemies here on earth, she could have friends nearby.” Isabel says.

“You guys keep walking, make sure she sees you. I’ll circle around and go at her from behind.” Michael says. “Can you make sure she doesn’t know I’m there?” He asks Tess.

“Yes but you’ll have to move quickly. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold it for.” She replies.

“Michael, just be careful. If anyone sees you using your powers everyone in the city could know about us before long.” Max warns.

“I know what I’m doing Maxwell.” Michael responds curtly. He glances at Maria as if expecting her to add her own warnings but she merely looks calmly back at him.

“How much further is this place you found?” Tess asks Kyle once Michael has gone and the rest of them have started walking again.

“The Phoenix mall? Not far.” He answers.

“Are you sure we’ll be safe staying somewhere that obvious?” Maria asks.
“Yeah, the walls are thick, there only seems to be one main entrance and it doesn’t look like anyone’s been there for a while.” Kyle assures her.

They fall silent as they carry on walking, all of them looking out for this mysterious blond girl.

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

Lily spots the group immediately as they round the corner and start walking up the road towards her. Four girls and three guys none of them older than her. Where’s the fourth guy? She hadn’t heard him break away from the group. They look nervous but they don’t seem to be taking great care to stay out of sight. Fools. It’d serve them right if the Locos picked them up.

As they draw level with Lily one of them, a petite blond girl with long curly hair, suddenly turns her head and looks directly at her. As Lily recoils slightly in surprise she’s aware of a presence right behind her and whirls to face the threat. It’s a guy with shaggy brown hair, about her age but quite a bit bigger. As he makes a grab for her Lily dodges to the side then grabs the back of his shirt and shoves him hard enough to leave him sprawling in the road. She’s more angry that she didn’t sense him than anything else.

“Michael!” A tall blond girl cries as the rest of the group hurry to join their friend.

They help him up then turn to stare at Lily who drops into a defensive crouch, her arms held up in front of her with her hands balled into fists.

“So what’s the plan? You lot hold me down while the guys take it in turns to have a bit of fun with me? A nice little gang-bang? You’ll have to find someone else because I’m really not into that sort of thing.” She sneers at them.

“We’re not going to hurt you, I’m sorry if you were scared.” A muscular black haired guy says seriously.

“Do I look scared?” Lily snaps.

“We thought you were following us. We were just trying to find out why.” A short girl with long dark hair speaks up.

“I was here first. You were following me. I’m guessing it was one of you who was watching me earlier as well.” Lily says coldly.

“We’re just trying to get to the Phoenix mall.” The tall blond girl says just as coldly.

“No, you’re not! That’s where I’m going, it’s my place!” Lily protests at once.

“How do you figure that?” A brown haired guy asks.

“I’m headed there now and I got here first which means I found the mall first. It’s mine!” Lily splutters.

“It’s a big place, there’ll be enough room for all of us.” The guy says.

“Do I look like the sharing type to you?” Lily demands.

Shouts and screams suddenly come from the next street.

“We need to get out of here. Let’s just get to the mall, we can sort everything out then.” The black haired guy says.

The others nod and start walking towards the mall again. The small blond girl is pretty much the only one who spares Lily more than a glance. She smiles at her apologetically.

“Aww, hell.” Lily mutters as she realises she’s going to have to go along with them at least for the moment.

Refusing to trail behind them like some lost puppy-dog Lily pushes her way to the front of the group and strides on ahead. They reach the mall quickly and Lily leads the way to the car park.

“This looks more like a car park than a mall, did you get lost?” Michael asks caustically from behind her.

“There’s always an entrance to a shopping centre from the car park, moron. How do you think the customers used to get from their cars to the shops?” Lily sneers, glancing back at him in disgust.

There’s a snort of laughter from the brown haired guy and giggles from a couple of the girls.

The door into the mall is easy to find and Lily pulls it open soundlessly.

“Welcome to the Phoenix mall.” The brown haired guy murmurs as they all go inside.


A/N: I need feedback to know whether or not to continue with this so be kind guys.

[WomanofMystery]

Hey guys, sorry I've taken so long to update but I was ill over the last few days and spent the weekend curled up in bed feeling very sorry for myself.
Slickkav: You're making me blush! I'm really glad you like the first chapter so much. The tribe side of this is the one I'm most worried about getting right so it's nice to know that a tribe fan likes what I've written. I wasn't sure about how I introduced everyone so I'm glad you like that bit too.
I hope you like the rest of the story just as much.


Chapter 2.

Lily leads the way through the corridors until they turn a corner and enter the main body of the mall.

There’s shop fronts leading away from them and stairs leading up to another level of shops. At the top of the stairs is a food court with a kitchen area leading off from it. Directly in front of them is a dried up fountain with a huge statue of a phoenix rearing up from it and hanging down from the ceiling above it are loots of little fairy lights.

Sat on the low wall around the fountain are two girls about Lily’s age or a little younger, a short boy who looks like he’s of Indian descent, two little girls and a little boy as well as a golden retriever sat on the ground beside them. They’re all wearing the colourful make up a lot of the city kids have adopted. Even the dog has a blue circle painted around its eye.

As soon as they see Lily and the others the kids tense up.

“It’s ok, we’re not going to hurt you.” Lily says, holding her hands up to show she’s unarmed.

“Who are you, what do you want?” One of the older girls demands. She has blond hair in Zulu knots. Her clothes are all in dark colours but her facial make up is the most colourful of the group of kids.

“My name’s Lily. I’m just looking for somewhere safe to stay, this place seems as good as any.” Lily replies.

“Who are your friends?” The girl asks, relaxing a little.

“They’re not my friends, I don’t know them. They had the same idea as me of using this place for shelter.” Lily shrugs. Since there’s already people staying at the mall she’s accepted the fact that she won’t be able to kick the lovely Michael and his friends out so she can have the place to herself.

“I’m Max, this is my sister Isabel and our friends Michael; Kyle; Tess; Alex; Maria and Liz.” Max quickly introduces everyone.

“I’m Amber. These are Salene; Dal; Patsy; Paul and Cloe.” The blond girl says.

Salene is the other older girl and her hair is such a vivid shade of red that there’s no way it’s natural. Patsy and Paul both have pale skin and light brown hair and the way they’re sat huddled together suggests they’re related. Cloe is a shy looking little girl with black hair and dark brown skin. Dal is the short boy.

“And this is Bob!” Patsy declares, hugging the dog. Everyone relaxes a little.

“How long have you guys lived here?” Lily asks.

“We just arrived, we had the same idea as you.” Amber says.

Paul suddenly makes some gestures with his hands, which Patsy watches intently.

“He’s deaf?” Lily guesses. Salene nods.

“What did he say?” She asks Patsy.

“He’s hungry.” Patsy answers simply.

“I’m got a little bit of food in my bag. He can have some of that.” Lily says, swinging her bag down from across her back.

“How very generous of you.” A guy’s voice says and everyone turns sharply towards him.

Three teenagers have arrived, two guys and a girl. The one who spoke is a tall guy, hard-faced with long black hair. The other guy is bulky, more muscular. The girl is small and delicate looking. The front right half of her hair is dyed bright pink and the front left half is dyed royal blue, the rest of it is left light brown and tied back.

The first guy studies them all for a moment. Lily guesses he only expected to find Amber, Salene and the kids there so the presence of Lily and the others has thrown him but now he’s committed himself he’s going to try and intimidate everyone until he gets his own way anyway.

“What do you want?” Max asks sharply.

“What have you got?” The guy tosses back.

As the three of them walk forward grates suddenly come rattling down, blocking the entrance and stopping them from coming any further.

“What the-?” Kyle starts.

“How the hell did you do that?” The guy demands, slamming a hand on the grate. “We’ll find another way in, you’re not getting away that easily.” He threatens.

As they turn to leave a second set of grates come down in front of them, trapping them The guy spins around, furious, to face the others again.

“Looks like you’re the ones not getting away.” Lily smirks.

“What do you want with us? We’ve got no argument with the Locusts.” Dal says. Lily raises an eyebrow, there’s no way these guys are Locos.

“These aren’t Locusts, if they were they would have done the job right.” Amber says.

“Open it up. Open it up now or you’ll regret it!” The guy threatens.

“We’re all shaking with fear.” Isabel mocks.

“I’m going to count to ten. One! Two! Three!” The guy starts to yell.

“Four.” Another voice says from upstairs. Everyone looks around trying to see who it is as the voice counts to ten. Lily spots him first, a skinny boy with bright red hair stood at the top of the stairs. “So what happens now?” He asks. “I think you’ll find that was a fairly empty threat, you didn’t quite think it through, did you? Hi, I’m Jack and I think you’ve got something to say to me.” He says as he comes down the stairs.

“Like what?” Amber says defensively.

“In my day it was ‘thanks’ but times are changing.” Jack grins.

“Thanks.” Amber says.

“Don’t mention it. Those gates can only be lifted with a special winch. I’ll lift the far one when you guys have had a chance to cool off.” Jack tells the three teenagers. “ Come on, I’ll show you around.” He says to everyone else.

As they all follow him the guy starts to yell and bang on the grate again.

“Why are you helping us?” Lily asks Jack suspiciously as they head towards the stairs.

“She’s right, you didn’t have to let us in here.” Amber agrees.

“Simple. I’ve been living out of a crate of baked beans for six weeks and even that’s running low.” Jack explains.

“None of us have much food either.” Max tells him.

“No, but you can help me find some. It’s the least you can do after I helped you with your little problem back there.” Jack says as they go up the stairs.

“And here we were thinking you did that out of the goodness of your heart.” Michael sneers.

“No-one does anything for nothing anymore.” Lily points out.

“We’re not all staying anyway. Me and Amber are moving on.” Dal says.

Lily glances at Amber who looks at Dal then quickly away. Dal doesn’t notice.

“Suit yourself but you won’t find a better place to crash then this.” Jack says as they reach the top of the stairs.

Everyone turns to look back over the empty mall. He’s right, it’s secure, warm enough and there’s more than enough room for everyone.

“It’s so big and empty.” Salene breathes.

“I’m tired.” Cloe whines after a moment.

“Me too.” Patsy agrees, looking at Salene.

“It’s getting dark, what are we going to do about sleeping?” Salene asks, turning to Amber.

“I’ve got a blanket, the younger ones can have that. The rest of us will just have to make do.” She replies.

“Sounds good but I can do one better.” Jack says with a grin before anyone else can speak up.

Intrigued everyone follows him across to a large shop, which turns out to be two rooms leading off one another, both full of beds complete with pillows and duvets.

The younger ones rush to jump up and down on the beds while everyone else gives exclamations of delight.

As the others wander around looking at the beds Lily follows Jack and Amber across the shop, recognising in the blond girl a personality that she can respect.

“What do you think?” Jack asks.

“It’s like…heaven.” Amber smiles.

“It’s been months since I’ve slept in a real bed.” Lily joins in the conversation. Amber nods in agreement and smiles at Lily. Lily smiles back, knowing that first impressions are important in developing good interpersonal relationships with people.

“Of course I sleep in the electrical workshop, sort of grown attached to the place.” Jack says.

Downstairs the guy yells again and the three of them leave the shop to look over the railings at the three captive teenagers.

“What are we going to do about those three? Locked in a cage.” Amber wonders.

“Forget it. That’s what you do with animals, lock them up.” Jack says loudly enough for the teenagers downstairs to hear before motioning for Amber and Lily to follow him back into the shop.

The others have already started to settle down for the night. The guys are in one room of the shop and the girls in the other. Paul is sharing a bed with Patsy and the two of them are already fast asleep. Salene; Tess; Maria; Liz and Isabel are all already dozing or asleep so Lily takes off her jacket and boots and gets into the nearest empty bed.

Cloe starts to whimper then to cry quietly. Amber goes across to sit on the edge of the little girl’s bed and talks to her softly but Cloe continues to sniffle. Lily tries to block out the noise for as long as possible before finally sitting up in bed.

“What’s the matter?” She asks.

“She can’t find her teddy.” Amber answers.

“I want to go home!” Cloe sobs. Lily’s mouth twists in a grimace of sympathy at the distress in the little girl’s voice.

“This is your home. For now at least.” Amber tells her gently.

The police siren sounds again somewhere close by and the guy yells again from downstairs. Lily and Amber exchange glances then relax when the siren dies away.

“Are they going to come and get us?” Cloe asks in a trembling voice.

“No. No-one knows we’re here.” Lily tells her quickly.

“Lily’s right, we’re safe in here. Try to get to sleep.” Amber smiles down at the small girl.

Cloe gives another sniffle then turns onto her side and settles down.

“Good-night.” Amber says quietly to Lily as she gets up and goes back across to her own bed.

“Night.” Lily replies, lying back down again.

[WomanofMystery]

I'm evil, I admit it freely. I'm really sorry I haven't updated this in so long but I had a torts exam on monday and for the past month or so I've been revising, going to work, going to work, revising. I went on holiday at the end of last month and got a lot of revision sorted while I was away. Came back thinking I'd have time to work on this before my exam only to find a letter telling me I had a coursework essay to do and it was to be handed in on the same day as my exam. During term time we get a couple of months to work on these essays but they seem to have decided that since we were on holiday from uni we only needed a fortnight to work on this one. I swear, if I fail that essay because I didn't have enough time to research it properly I'm suing the university.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my friend Kaveena who helped me with my coursework and is convinced I'll have passed my exam since she thinks I'm a lot smarter than I think.


Chapter 3.


Lily stays in bed a little longer than everyone else does the next morning and when she does get up she’s still tired. It’s a warning sign that she’ll have a seizure soon but the actual feeling of tiredness isn’t unpleasant. It’s so nice to sleep in a proper bed again. To be under warm covers with her head on a soft pillow.

Finally though, she gets up pulls on her boots and goes looking for the others. She finds Amber leaning on the railings just outside the shop, staring down at the teenagers still trapped between the grids.

“What are we going to do about them?” Lily asks.

“I don’t know.” Amber sighs.

“We can’t exactly leave them in there to stave to death and we can’t let them go because they’d just find another way to get in here and cause trouble. Although I’m pretty sure we could handle them.” Lily lays out their options thoughtfully. Amber nods in agreement.

“Let us out!” The guy with long black hair yells suddenly, having caught sight of the two girls. They look down at him silently. “If you don’t let us out soon you’ll be sorry.” He threatens.

“It’s easy to make threats from behind bars.” Amber says calmly.

“It’s not a threat, it’s a promise!” The guy yells.

Amber touches Lily’s arm and they start walking towards the food court.

“Let’s get everyone together and decide what to do about them.” She says.

Lily nods and the two of them separate to round everyone up.

Lily finds Max and his friends easily and they head to the food court. Salene and the little ones are already there and Amber appears with Dal and Jack in tow almost immediately afterwards.

“We need to decide what to do about the three downstairs.” Amber informs everyone.

“Let them stay in here with us.” Michael shrugs. The others look at him in surprise. “There’s three of them and the girl doesn’t look like she’d be all that good in a fight.” He points out.

“The only problem is if they belong to a tribe. We could let them in here, trust them and then they run off to tell their tribe where we are.” Alex speaks up.

“We don’t have much choice. We can’t leave them there to die so we have to let them out sooner or later.” Liz says.

“Let’s go and see what kind of mood they’re in.” Amber sighs.

Lily goes down the stairs to stand in front of the fountain, facing the three teenagers. Alex; Kyle; Michael and Max follow her while Amber: Dal and Jack move to lean on the railings outside the shop they all slept in, everyone else stays in the food court.

“This is the last time I’m going to tell you losers, let us out of here!” The black haired guy yells at them all.

“Well, it could be the last time if we just leave you in there till you starve.” Jack says. Michael and Lily both smirk at that.

“You? You couldn’t hurt anyone if your life depended on it, nerd!” The guy sneers.

“He doesn’t have to hurt you. He doesn’t have to do anything. That’s the whole point of someone starving to death.” Kyle points out. Michael gives a snort of laughter at that and Amber bites her lip to hide a smile.

“Lex, stop. He doesn’t mean anything. Really.” The girl speaks for the first time.

Amber motions with her head towards the food court and everyone heads back there.

“If they’re stuck in there and the grids are blocking the entrance, is there any way for the rest of us to get out of here?” Lily asks as everyone assembles again.

“There’s another way out through the old sewers.” Jack tells her.

“Let’s use that Amber, let’s get out of here and head for the country like we planned.” Dal says to Amber.

“We can’t Dal, not now.” Amber replies.

“Why not? We’ve said all along that we were going to do that, find somewhere safe to start over.” Dal protests.

“Maybe you and I could have made it out of the city without running into the Locos but there’s no way everyone will make it out.” Amber explains, glancing over at where the three little ones are playing with Bob.

“And we can’t leave them because they wouldn’t survive on their own.” Max agrees, also glancing across at them.

Michael makes a show of rolling his eyes and Dal doesn’t look too happy either. Amber focuses her attention on Dal.

“This is the safest place for all of us, for now, if we stick together.” She tells him.

“You mean…like start our own tribe?” Dal asks.

“Maybe.” Amber answers.

“What about them?” Tess asks, nodding towards the three downstairs.

“Easy. I just lift the outside gate and they have to go back on the street, take their chances.” Jack shrugs.

“We can’t trust them.” Amber nods firmly.

“Can we trust them if they leave? What if they tell the Locos or the Demon Dogs where we are?” Max questions.

“So, let them in or kick them out, boss?” Lily asks, turning to look at Amber. Max and his friends look a little surprised at her words but Lily can sense in Amber the qualities of a good CO.

“Salene? Salene, we’re hungry.” Patsy says suddenly as the little ones rejoin the rest of the group.

“So am I, actually.” Alex admits sheepishly.

“Yeah, we haven’t had anything to eat yet today.” Kyle says and rubs his stomach while pulling a comic face that makes Liz, Maria and Tess giggle.

“Who has any food? I haven’t got a lot.” Lily asks.

“Dal and I have some.” Amber says.

“All the food we have is in Michael’s bag.” Maria says. Michael glares at her for volunteering information to anyone, especially in front of Lily whom he’s still suspicious of.

“Everyone fetch your food and bring it to the kitchen.” Amber orders. Since everyone’s hungry they do as they’re told without argument. “If we’re going to stick together then we have to share everything.” Amber says once everyone’s returned to the kitchen with his or her food.

There are nods from everyone but Michael and Isabel who both think that living with this many strangers is a bad idea and people start putting their food on a table for everyone to see.

“What have you been living on Jack?” Lily asks when she realises he isn’t holding any food.

“I, umm, haven’t got much.” He hedges, drawing everyone else’s attention to him.

“Still better than nothing.” Lily says firmly.

Jack looks around at the others, realises they’re all staring at him, and nods. He crosses to a large cupboard fixed to the kitchen wall and opens one door slightly, giving everyone a brief look inside before shutting it again.

“That’s it, that’s everything.” He says carelessly.

Amber and Lily exchange glances then Amber pushes Jack out of the way with one hand and opens both cupboard doors fully. The cupboard has three shelves in it; the bottom one is full of bottles of water while the other two have cans and tins of food scattered across them. Lily’s jaw drops as she stares at it all.

“I don’t believe you, you have ketchup! I love ketchup!” Dal exclaims in delight.

Patsy tugs on Amber’s sleeve then tips three sweets into her palm. Her contribution to the food store.

“Thanks Patsy.” Amber smiles at her and the little girl beams.

“So, who’s for beans, tinned meat and ketchup?” Amber asks once all of the food has been put into the cupboard.

Lily wrinkles her nose. Cold baked beans, lovely. Kyle catches her eye and pulls a face which makes her smile.

“And, we don’t have to have them cold.” Jack announces.

He reaches down beneath a counter and pulls out a portable gas hotplate to cook food on.

“Nice one Jack.” Lily grins at him.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a cooked meal.” Maria says a little sadly as she remembers all the meals she used to share with her mother.

The food seems to take forever to cook and everyone is starving by the time it’s dished out.

“I bet they’re starving down there. I don’t think they have any food.” Lily comments to Amber as they eat. Amber nods then smiles suddenly. “What?” Lily asks.

“I think I know how to keep their attention long enough to find out if they can be trusted to join us.” Amber tells her. Lily raises her eyebrows but Amber doesn’t elaborate. Instead she goes across to the hotplate and ladles out another plateful of baked beans before heading for the stairs. “I shouldn’t be long.” She tells everyone.

Maria and Liz have started a conversation about people they went to school with, wondering what’s happened to them, but Lily only half listens. She sees no point in bringing up the past. The world has completely changed from the days of school and dating, when your biggest worries were dressing right and getting good grades.

Michael checks to make sure Lily isn’t paying attention to him then pulls Max out of the food court and into the kitchen.

“What’s the matter?” Max asks.

“What are we going to do about that girl, Lily? We still don’t know if she’s an alien or not.” Michael hisses.

“Michael, if she was an alien or had any kind of powers she would have used them outside when you tried to grab her. She didn’t recognise us at all, she thought we were going to attack her.” Max says patiently.

Michael clenches his jaw at Max’s naivety but before he can say anything a strange scraping noise comes from downstairs.

“What was that?” Lily calls to Amber as everyone goes down the stairs.

“It came from the sewers.” Amber tells her.

“How do you get to the sewers?” Max asks Jack.

“Go through there, past the barrows, middle door.” Jack says, pointing the way.

“Can anyone get in from there?” Lily asks.

“They could do, I haven’t had a chance to secure it yet.” Jack answers nervously.

“Right. Michael, Alex, Kyle, let’s go check it out.” Max orders. Lily raises one eyebrow at the way he just put himself in charge but says nothing.

“Dal and I will come too. Lily, stay here and look after everyone else.” Amber says. Lily nods, pleased in spite of herself that Amber trusts her so much already.

“What if it’s the Locos?” Salene asks as they watch the others go.
Lily looks at her then at the little ones, Jack and the other girls looking after the boys and Amber nervously. If it is the Locos and they get in the mall there’s no way she’ll be able to protect everyone.

[WomanofMystery]

Wow. I knew it'd been a long time since I updated this but I didn't realise it had been that long. In my defence I would like to say that I started back at uni a couple of weeks ago and it's been hard getting back into the swing of things since I've been on holiday since may. I passed that exam I mentioned at the start of chapter 3 so go me!
Anyway, thanks for the feedback Calinia, I'm glad you like this. Yeah, the Tribe had a lot of main characters so sorry if it's a bit confusing. Hopefully it'll get clearer as I go on.
The Tribe, Roswell and Dark Angel are three of my favourite shows so I gotta admit I'm having a lot of fun melding the three universes together. I hope you carry on liking it.



Chapter 4.

End of chapter 3:
"What if it's the Locos?" Salene asks as they watch the other go.
Lily looks at her then at the little ones, Jack and the other girls looking after the boys and Amber nervously. If it is the Locos and they get in the mall there's no way she'll be able to protect everyone.



“Take the little ones back upstairs. If whoever it is gets past Max and the others find somewhere to hide.” Lily orders Salene.

Salene nods and ushers the children upstairs. Lily glances around at the others. Jack, Liz and Maria all look nervous but Isabel and Tess seem calm enough. Lily raises an eyebrow at that as she braces herself to fight if she needs to.

Tess glances at Lily as she gets ready to mindwarp the intruders if she has to. Despite what Michael and Isabel have said Tess doesn’t think that the girl is evil, she seems too worried about protecting the other people in the mall.

“What if they don’t come back?” The longhaired guy –Lex the girl called him- says after a while. Everyone looks at him. “The Locos could be on their way in right now. I saw them catch someone once. A weedy little kid, bit like you Jack. They tied him to a tree.” He carries on.

“Shut up.” Lily snaps when she sees Jack is becoming uncomfortable.

“You should be worried too. You’re all pretty girls; the Locos would like you. Probably get a good price too when they sold you to other tribes.” Lex sneers. Maria whimpers and clutches at Liz.

Angry at Lex’s attempt to bully everyone Lily strides forward and slams her hands against the grid. Lex takes a step back.

“I said shut up. If whoever’s in the sewers can get past Amber and the others what chance do you think you and your two friends have?” She demands.

“What’s going on?” Michael asks as the others return.

“Nothing important. Did you see anyone?” Lily asks, turning to face Amber and the others.

“Yes but we lost him or her.” Amber replies.

“We’ll have to post a guard down there to make sure it’s secure.” Lily says.

There’s another banging, scraping noise from the direction of the sewers and everyone tenses.

“Too late.” Lex says flatly. “Look, you need as much help as you can get if it is the Locos.” He points out.

“He’s right. Just let them out, there’s three of them, even if they are spies for one of the other tribes, what can they do against all of us?” Michael asks, looking Lex up and down.

Amber glances at Lily who looks at Lex, measuring him as a threat, before nodding.

“Do it Jack.” Amber commands.

Jack hurries up the stairs and pulls the winch to raise the grids. Lex ducks under the grid and stands in front of Lily for a second, trying to stare her out, before heading for the sewers.

“Come on Ryan.” He calls to his friend.

“And me? Are you just going to leave me here?” The girl demands.

“Just stop your whining. You wanted to get out now you’re out. Go fix up your makeup.” Lex snaps at her before he carries on walking.

“Come on.” Max tells the other guys.

“Maybe Lily should come too. She knows how to take care of herself. Michael’s ass can agree with that.” Kyle says. Michael glares at him but the rest of his friends look amused.

Lily nods and heads after Lex. Max; Michael; Kyle; Alex and Ryan soon follow her.

Once in the sewers Lily’s eyes adapt immediately to the darkness and she moves confidently through the tunnels as she searches for the intruder. At one point Lex tries to push in front of her but Lily ‘accidentally’ elbows him sharply in the ribs and he backs off again. Lily turns a corner and stops sharply, making Michael swear as he almost walks into her. At the other end of the tunnel is a ladder leading outside and climbing the ladder is a tall young man with light brown hair. Even as they watch he slips and bangs one knee sharply on a rung before catching himself.

“Gotcha now.” Lex mutters viciously.

Everyone hurries down the tunnel and up the ladder. By the time they’re all outside the guy is almost out of sight. They race after him, Lily at the rear since it’s common knowledge that poor helpless girls can’t run as fast as guys. As they chase after the young man Lily starts to feel weak and light-headed, almost as if she isn’t truly connected to the rest of the world anymore. It’s getting close to the time of her next seizure and the shakes will start soon. That can’t happen in front of this lot. God knows what Lex would do to her while she couldn’t defend herself and Michael and his friends tried to attack her only the day before.

She keeps moving, drawing on all her strength to make it appear that everything’s fine. She can’t even watch the intruder because her vision is starting to go haywire, zooming in and out on random objects.

“We’ve lost him!” Michael shouts suddenly.

“Where did he go?” Alex asks, peering around.

“He’s found somewhere to hide obviously.” Michael says flatly.

“We should split up and look for him. Ryan and I will go this way.” Lex says and he and his friend jog on ahead.

“Michael and I will go east, Kyle and Alex can go west. Will you be all right going that way on your own?” Max asks Lily.

She nods, not wanting to risk speaking in case her voice sounds strange.

Max looks at her for a moment, sensing there’s something not quite right but not knowing what it is. He doesn’t mention it to Michael as they jog off eastwards, knowing what conclusions his friend would jump to.

Lily heads off in the direction Max indicated, looking for somewhere sheltered where she can ride out the shakes. After a couple of minutes she finds an upturned car with its doors ripped off. She crawls inside and curls into a ball as the shakes rip through her body. The actual seizure will be even worse; she’ll have to find somewhere in the mall to hide when that hits. Years of running make her reluctant to have Amber and the others find out about her condition.

After the shakes trail off Lily stays where she is and rests for a while before moving into a sitting position and taking some Triptophan from the container she keeps in her pocket.

It’s getting dark by the time Lily feels strong enough to move again and she heads back to the mall, abandoning the search for the intruder. Alex and Kyle are already stood by the manhole leading down into the sewers and the other four arrive shortly afterwards.

“So he got away.” Max sighs.

“We’d better just pray he doesn’t go running to the Locos or the Demon Dogs.” Lex mutters. Lily nods in agreement at that.

The others seem tired and no one says anything as they move through the sewers. The voices of Amber and the others are coming from the food court and everyone heads in that direction. Max is in the lead and he stops in his tracks in surprise as he gets to the top of the stairs. Lily steps around him and raises her eyebrows at what she sees. Some of the tables have been pulled together and the others are sat around them. At the head of the table is sat the intruder.

“You hid somewhere and doubles back on us. Impressive.” Lily comments, taking an empty chair between Tess and the strange girl.

“You should have put a guard on the sewers.” Michael scowls at Amber.

“He’s right. We could have been a Loco patrol and you guys wouldn’t have known until it was too late.” Lily agrees.

“Who are you?” Lex demands, glaring at the intruder who looks calmly back at him.

“This is Bray, he does tricks!” Patsy says excitedly.

“I don’t like tricks, Bray.” Lex says, advancing around the table towards him.

“Stop it Lex. He just wants shelter.” Amber snaps.

“Can’t he speak for himself? We’re already got one deaf one here. Bray, are you dumb?” Lex asks.

“I don’t shoot my mouth off, you call that dumb?” Bray asks. Amber smiles a little at the barely veiled insult and Kyle gives a snort.

“Why have you been hanging around here? Why didn’t you come inside before?” Lily asks as the boys get seats.

“I had to be sure it was safe. I don’t have a tribe to back me up.” Bray answers.

“Unlucky for you because we do.” Lex says coldly.

“Oh, you and your friends have decided to join us then?” Lily asks innocently. Lex glares at her.

“He could be spying on us for the Locos.” He snaps.

“I’m not.” Bray replies.

“Says who?” Michael demands.

“Bray does.” Maria answers sharply with a glare at Michael.

“And we believe him.” The strange girl adds.

“And that’s it? You’re just going to trust him?” Lex questions in disbelief.

“He hasn’t threatened us or tried to steal from us. Unlike you.” Amber tells him flatly.

“I only want shelter for the night. You might have noticed it’s dangerous out there.” Bray says.

“Anyone other than Lex have a problem with that?” Lily asks. Everyone shakes his or her head. “That’s sorted then.” She shrugs.

“Oh, these are Lily; Michael; Max; Kyle; Alex; Ryan and Lex.” Amber tells Bray.

“I’m Zandra.” The strange girl smiles brightly at Lily and the boys and Lex glares at her.

“It’s late. We should get to bed.” Amber says.

The little ones are tired and let Salene lead them off to bed without protest. There are a few doubtful glances at Bray as the others follow on but no one says anything. Lily finds herself walking with Zandra.

“I like your hair.” She remarks for lack of anything better to say.

“Thanks. Yours is great too. Is that your natural hair colour?” Zandra asks.

“Yeah, it is.” Lily nods.

“You’re so lucky, I’d love to be a blond.” Zandra sighs.

Lily wonders why she didn’t dye her hair blond instead of pink and blue in that case but doesn’t say anything. Zandra seems nice enough if a little too worried about her appearance. Her outfit consists of black biker boots; a mini-skirt with a pattern of green and orange circles on a black background; a dark brown lace top with matching leggings and a green waistcoat over the top. It looks good but it’s not exactly practical.

Once beds have been found for the new arrivals Lily settles down and falls asleep quickly. A side effect of the shakes. She’s woken up the next morning by arguing in the food court.

“What’s going on?” She asks as she joins the others.

“Bray took some of our food and left.” Liz sighs.

“Lex thinks he should be leader now because Amber was wrong to trust Bray.” Tess adds.

“Not a chance Lex.” Lily says flatly.

“And how are you going to stop me?” Lex questions, moving to stand face to face with her.

“Lily’s right. Amber’s the better choice for leader.” Kyle says, stepping forward to stand next to Lily.

Everyone freezes at the unmistakable sound of the doors from the sewers opening.

“Locos!” Maria gasps, clutching at Alex’s sleeve.

Salene gathers the children to her while the others move to stand at the top of the stairs.

“Let them come, I’m ready.” Lex boasts and Lily, Amber and Tess all roll their eyes at him.

But it isn’t the Locos who appear at the foot of the stairs. It’s Bray and a girl. A hugely pregnant girl.

“Everybody, this is Trudy.” Bray says as they stop on the landing halfway up the stairs and Trudy leans against the railings.

“I know what that is, that’s a baby!” Patsy exclaims as she points at Trudy’s stomach.

“That’s right. We need a safe place to stay. She needs somewhere to have the baby and this is the safest place we’ve found.” Bray says seriously.

Everyone stares at the two of them then Lex starts down the stairs.

Guessing that he’s just going to give them abuse Lily steps smoothly in front of him and faces Bray and Trudy.

“You look tired Trudy. Let’s find you somewhere to sit and then we can discuss this." She says gently, sympathy rising in her at the scared look on Trudy’s face.

Trudy nods gratefully and lets Lily take her arm to help her up the rest of the stairs.

Lex, Max and Michael are now all stood together at the top of the stairs and none of them look keen at the idea of Trudy being there. Lily sets her jaw then ignores them. Regardless of what they might think none of them are in charge here and if they think that they can just say the word and Trudy and Bray are off to find somewhere else to stay then they’re about to find out how wrong they are.

[WomanofMystery]

Wow, I didn't realise it had been so long since I updated this. My only excuse is that I'm in my final year at university and things are hectic.


Chapter 5.

“You look half starved. When was the last time you had a hot meal?” Salene asks Trudy as everyone reaches the food court.

“I don’t remember.” Trudy says hopelessly.

“I’ll fix you something.” Salene smiles at her.

“Hang on, we haven’t said she could stay yet.” Lex protests.

“It’s one meal. If it’s that much of a problem I’ll skip lunch today to make up for it.” Alex speaks up and Lily flashes him a smile of thanks for his sweet gesture. Alex blushes a little and Isabel glares at Lily.

“I just don’t think she should go expecting to stay. We need people who are useful. I am, she’s not.” Lex sneers, looking at Trudy in disgust.

“Oh, just shut up Lex. Maybe it hasn’t sunk in yet but you’re not in charge around here.” Tess snaps at him.

Lex glares at everyone again then storms off. A couple of the others laugh as they watch him go. Ryan follows him and once it becomes obvious that things with Bray and Trudy aren’t going to be settled straight away a few of the others wander off too. The little ones run off to play; Maria drags Liz off to talk to her in private and Zandra goes off to fix her hair and make up. Bray stays in the food court to talk to Amber, Isabel and the older boys, leaving Tess and Lily to sit with Trudy in the kitchen while Salene stands at the counter making Trudy’s food.

“Do you want a boy or a girl?” Tess asks Trudy.

“A boy. Definitely a boy.” Trudy smiles.

“Like his father.” Salene says. Trudy looks uncomfortable at that although Lily seems to be the only one who notices. “He seems really nice. He’s very good-looking, isn’t he? He’s really taken care of you; it’s lovely to see. There’s not many guys like that.” Salene chatters. Her crush on Bray is clear and Lily and Tess both try to hide their smiles.

“Bray’s been really good to me. I don’t know what I would have done without him.” Trudy says.

“Well, you’re safe here. We’ll all look after you.” Tess smiles at her.

“Have you been on the move long?” Lily asks her.

“Feels like it. I feel safe here, seems like a good place. Have you been living here long?” Trudy asks.

“We all only arrived a couple of days ago. Except for Jack, he’s been here a while.” Tess answers.

“Here you go. It’s only beans and hotdogs but it’s good food.” Salene says, putting four plates of food down on the table. Trudy’s face falls as she looks down at her plate.

“I’m sorry but I can’t eat this.” She says.

“Why not? It’s good food.” Salene says in surprise.

“I’m a vegetarian. I don’t eat meat.” Trudy explains.

“Just eat the beans then, we can give the meat to the dog or something.” Lily says quickly, seeing that Trudy is about to get upset.

Trudy nods then quite suddenly starts to cry. Lily gapes at her for a second then puts her arms around the other girl. Trudy sobs into her shoulder.

“What’s the matter?” Tess asks as she and Salene move to crouch beside Trudy’s chair.

“I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do, I’ve never had a baby before.” Trudy cries, staying in Lily’s embrace.

“We’ll all help you.” Lily tells her, stroking her hair.

“I thought we might find a doctor somewhere but there’s no-one, just kids.” Trudy continues to cry.

“It’ll be fine. Having a baby is the most natural thing in the world.” Tess says.

“Not in this world.” Trudy says miserably.

“Eat the rest of your food, keep your strength up. We’ll deal with everything as it happens.” Lily tells her.

Trudy nods then starts eating. The other three exchange glances and do the same.

Trudy is yawning before she’s finished.

“Come on, let’s find you somewhere to rest.” Lily says, helping her to her feet.

“I’ll stay and clear up here.” Tess offers and Lily smiles at her.

There’s a bed on display in one of the nearby shops and Salene and Lily help Trudy to lie down on it.

“Are you alright?” Lily asks her.

“Yes but I keep getting cramps.” Trudy says, looking scared again.

“I’m sure there’s a good explanation for that. Just rest for now.” Lily tries to reassure her, stroking her hair again. Trudy nods and quickly falls asleep.

“I’m going to check on the little ones.” Salene whispers and leaves quietly.
Bray comes in not long afterwards and starts to say something but Lily puts one finger to her lips.

“Let her sleep, she’s exhausted. Scared too.” She says softly.

“I know.” Bray nods, pulling up a chair beside the bed and stroking Trudy’s hair.

“Don’t look so worried, everyone will agree to let you stay. They have to. None of us have much of a future if there’s no next generation.” Lily says seriously.

“Have any of us got a future anyway?” Bray asks. There’s not much Lily can say to that but she touches his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Amber knocks on the doorframe.

“We’re having a meeting to see what everyone wants to do about you and Trudy.” She tells Bray. He nods and gently shakes Trudy by the shoulder.

“We’re going to see what everyone thinks about us staying here.” He tells her when she wakes up.

Trudy nods nervously. Lily and Bray help her up and they follow Amber across to a shop called Home Furnishing. Zandra and Ryan have pulled sofas and chairs into an oblong around some small tables.

“What do you think?” Zandra asks proudly.

“It looks great.” Lily replies, amused. The others file in and get seats.

“Where’s Cloe?” Patsy asks.

“Who cares?” Lex sneers.

“Let’s just get started. Our main problem is food. There’s too many of us and not enough of it. And if we let Trudy stay that’s too more.” Amber cuts across him firmly.

“Three. Don’t forget daddy.” Lex says with a glare at Bray.

“There’s still plenty of cans in the cupboards and we can find more.” Lily speaks up with a reassuring smile at Trudy.

“You can’t just pop down the supermarket with your trolley, you know.” Lex tells her.

“There’s warehouses that haven’t been looted yet and there are plenty of fruit trees that none of the big tribes are interested in.” Alex says.

“It’s not just the food. This is a baby we’re talking about. You know babies that cry all night and won’t shut up. Could put us all in danger.” Lex snaps.

“Rubbish!” Salene cries.

“Yeah? Well, don’t come running to me when the Locos hear it and come after you.” Lex says coldly. Lily is about to point out how stupid his argument is when Amber speaks.

“We need to vote. It needs to be half the tribe or more either way. We’ll do it by a show of hands, one vote per person.” Amber declares, getting to her feet. Lily stares at her in surprise, that’s all the discussion they’re going to have?

“They don’t get to vote.” Lex says, pointing at Bray and Trudy.

“Agreed.” Amber nods.

“Why not?” Bray demands.

“You’re not part of the tribe yet.” Amber says. Bray looks to Lily but she shakes her head slightly, Amber has a point. “All those in favour of Trudy and Bray staying, raise your hands.” Amber commands.

Paul, Patsy, Salene, Zandra, Lily, Tess, Liz, Alex and Maria all raise their hands. Dal, Jack, Lex, Ryan, Max, Michael, Isabel, Amber and Kyle don’t.

“Max!” Liz cries, shocked that the gentle, caring boy she fell in love with could be so cruel.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry Trudy, but we have to think about what’s best for the whole tribe and I just think that having a baby here with everything that involves is too risky.” Max says quietly.

“Kyle, raise your hand.” Tess orders.

“No. I’m really sorry if you two have to leave but, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, I think Max is right.” Kyle says.

“Wait, Amber you didn’t vote.” Salene says as she realises that Amber didn’t raise her hand.

“I’m against.” Amber says.

“What?” Lily exclaims in total disbelief. She’d respected Amber for doing what was best for people and there was no way this was what was best for Trudy and Bray.

“We’re talking about a baby here, not a dolly. We’re a bunch of kids, babies need looking after, they need feeding. We don’t even know if we can feed ourselves. There must be somewhere else Bray, somewhere better. Sorry Trudy.” Amber explains.

“Keep your sympathy. And you know where you can stick your democracy. What sort of people turn away a pregnant girl? What kind of world are you planning? One with no babies in it? Because you won’t last long then, will you. You people make me sick, you’re no better than the Locos, at least they didn’t try to pretend to be anything. Come on Trudy. And you can keep your food, I hope it chokes you!” Bray says furiously as he stands and helps Trudy to her feet.

“Wait a minute while I get my stuff.” Lily tells him, getting to her feet. Everyone turns to stare at her.

“What are you talking about?” Tess asks.

“I’m going with them. Do you really think I want to live with people so selfish and self-interested that they’d throw a pregnant girl about to give birth out onto the street because it would be inconvenient for her to stay? Even looking at you lot sickens me right now.” Lily tells them all contemptuously.

“Lily-“ Amber starts to protest.

“Besides,” Lily cuts her off sharply, “they need me more than you lot do. They’d never survive out there on their own, not with a baby.”

She steps across the room and takes Trudy’s other arm. Between them, her and Bray guide Trudy out of the room. As they reach the door Trudy gives a scream and clutches at her belly.

“What is it?” Lily asks dumbly, getting a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach.

“It’s coming, the baby’s coming!” Trudy gasps then gives another scream.

[WomanofMystery]

Asabetha: I'm glad you're liking this story.
Kittens: At the moment the Pod Squad aren't even sure if they're going to stay at the Mall and Isabel and Michael don't trust Lily so they wouldn't let Max or Tess use their powers around her but that will be dealt with in later chapters. The issue of leadership was quite important in the first series of The Tribe so I'll be dealing with that shortly as well.
When the Virus hit everyone under the age of 18 was sent to camps to stop them from catching the Virus too so the gang had no choice in leaving Roswell and since their families are all dead they have no reason to go back there.
And now that I'm finally back...on with the story.

Chapter 6.
"Oh. My. God." Is all that Lily can think of to say. Midwife training wasn't exactly on the agenda back at Manticore.
"She's making it up so we'll let them stay." Lex snaps as the others move to gather around Trudy.
Lily glares at him then looks sharply at Trudy as the other girl suddenly goes very still.
"What's wrong?" Amber asks in alarm.
"My water's broken." Trudy tells them all.
Everyone looks at Trudy. Everyone looks at the floor by her feet. Everyone takes a few steps back.
"That's kinda hard to fake, Lex." Kyle comments.
"There's a bed at the end of the shop, she can lie on that." Lily tells Bray. He nods and they start to help Trudy towards the bed but the others just stand and stare at them. "Move!" Lily snaps, shoving people out of the way until everyone gets the hint and moves aside.
"We need plenty of hot water and towels." Salene says briskly as Trudy is lowered onto the bed.
"Alright you lot, the show's over, everybody out. Come on, make yourselves useful!" Amber hurries to shoo everyone out of the shop. "You too, Bray." She says as she rejoins them beside the bed.
"No, Bray, don't go." Trudy says at once.
"Don't worry Trudy, I'm here." Bray says, putting his hand on her shoulder. Lily is a little touched by that.
Salene and Lily help Trudy take her underwear off ready for the baby coming out and settle her more comfortably on the bed. Zandra returns with some clean clothes and a bowl of water. Bray wets one of the clothes and starts to bathe Trudy's neck and face with it. As the contractions begin Trudy groans and gives cries of pain.
Lily leaves her in Bray's hands and joins Amber, Salene and Zandra by a desk on the other side of the room.
"Do any of you know anything about delivering babies?" Amber asks. Lily and Salene both shake their heads. "Zandra?" Amber questions hopefully.
"Me? You're joking!" Zandra exclaims.
"Look, giving birth is a natural thing. All we have to do is follow our instincts." Lily says firmly.
"Supposing something goes wrong?" Amber asks. Lily bites her lip at that and she and Amber share nervous looks.
"How long have you been these contractions, Trudy?" Bray asks and the four girls turn their attention back to what's happening on the bed.
"It feels like hours. I wasn't sure what it was at first." Trudy answers.
"We may not have every long." Bray calls across to the other girls.
"How do you know?" Amber asks as she leads the way back across to the bed.
"The contractions are quite frequent and strong. We should get ready." Bray tells them.
"What do we do?" Lily asks.
"We're going to need scissors, rubber bands, lots of clean rags and tissues. Oh, and soap." Bray replies.
"You mean...you?" Amber demands as she realises he's going to deliver the baby himself.
"Any objections?" Bray asks, looking up from Trudy.
"It's not like any of us have a clue what to do." Lily points out when Amber looks at her.
"You heard the man. Who's got some soap?" Amber asks as she takes charge again.
"You've got some Zandra." Salene says.
"But that's my special soap!" Zandra protests.
"Zandra, go get the soap!" Amber orders. Zandra gives a huff and flounces off. Lily watches her go, not sure whether to be amused or disgusted by the girl's attitude.
"I'll go and see what else I can find that we need." Amber says.
"I'll give you a hand." Lily offers.
"No, LIly, stay!" Trudy cries, clutching at Lily's arm.
"Ok, I'm right here." Lily assures her quickly, taking Trudy's hand in both of hers.
Trudy nods then claps Lily's hand tighter as another contraction hits. Bray gives Lily a grateful look then starts to bathe Trudy's neck and face again.
The contractions increase in strength quickly after that and Lily winces in sympathy as Trudy's cries become more full of agony. Amber and Zandra arrive back with the soap and other supplies just as Trudy arches her back and gives her first full-bodied scream. Lily swallows hard and the other three girls look horrified at her obvious pain.
"Shouldn't she have painkillers or something?" Amber asks as she starts to pace up and down beside the bed.
"Lex has got some paracetamol, shall I go and get them?" Zandra asks.
Trudy starts to cry and Lily sits down on the bed behind her so Trudy is leaning against her.
"You're doing fine Trudy and like Bray said it shouldn't be much longer." She tries to soothe the girl.
"I'll get them, shall I?" Zandra asks again and hurries off as Trudy continues to cry.
Everyone looks up at the sound of a crash then turn back to Trudy as she screams again.
"I can't do it, I can't." Trudy says once the contraction has passed and starts to cry again.
"You're doing fine. Don't tire yourself, take a break and relax." Bray tells her. Lily's tempted to ask how you can relax in the middle of labour but decides against it.
Patsy and Paul turn up with some bed sheets and Amber goes to take them from the kids.
"Where are the scissors? They need to be sterilised!" Bray demands as the kids leave again.
"I'll get on it. How is she?" Amber asks. Lily looks up and she and Amber exchange worried glances before Amber leaves.
"Salene, can you see what's keeping Zandra? Then find Max and his friends, see if they have anything stronger than paracetamol we can use." Lily commands.
Salene nods and leaves for the foodcourt just as another contraction hits and Trudy starts to scream.
"Max!" Salene calls as she sees him sat with his friends on the stairs. "Trudy's in a lot of pain and Lily wants to know if any of you have any pills or anything that could help her." She explains when everyone looks over at her.
Max shakes her head and Salene hurries down the stairs to look for Zandra.
"Isn't there anything you can do for Trudy?" Liz asks Max once the Roswell group is alone again.
"My powers won't work. I can only heal injuries, things that aren't meant to happen naturally." Max tells her.
"And giving birth is as natural as it gets." Tess adds.
"Even if you could help her you wouldn't, would you? Too great a risk of being exposed." Maria says, her eyes on Michael. He looks away and she shakes her head in disgust.
Zandra and Salene are soon back with the paracetamol and Trudy is given some but it doesn't seem to make much difference to her pain. All the others can do is watch as she screams.
Hours pass. Salene makes some food for everyone and they try to get Trudy to eat something but she can't.
"You don't think there's something wrong, do you? I mean, she's not going to lose it, is she?" Zandra asks finally in a low voice.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Salene whispers back.
"Ok Trudy, ready for another push?" Bray asks, dabbing at her forehead with a damp cloth.
As the other girls talk quietly Lily helps Trudy into an upright position and braces herself as she tense in preparation for the push. As Trudy screams again Lily suppresses a childish urge to clap her hands over her ears.
"I can't, I can't push anymore!" Trudy yells at Bray.
"Yes you can. Come on, one really big effort then you can have another rest. Push!" Bray commands.
Trudy throws her head back and screams her way through another contraction. Lily holds her shoulder and Salene rubs Trudy's arm.
"I can't bear to watch." Zandra declares suddenly and leaves the room.
Lily understands her point. The anguish in Trudy's screams is difficult to listen to.
As time passes labour becomes more difficult for Trudy as she tires. She rests limply against her pillow between contractions, staring blankly into space. Lily leaves her briefly in Salene's care as she stretches her legs, joining Amber and Bray a short distance from the bed.
"What do you think?" She asks Bray.
"She's exhausted." He sighs, raking one hand through his hair as he states the obvious.
"So are you by the look of things." Amber tells him.
Trudy suddenly screams again and they all dash back to her side. For the next hour or so her screams are more frequent as the contractions become almost continuous.
"I can see the head!" Bray exclaims suddenly with a grin.
"You hear that Trudy? You're almost there!" Lily tells her with a thankful laugh.
"Come on Trudy, you can do it. One more push." Amber says, squeezing Trudy's hand.
"I want me mam!" Trudy screams as she pushes again then her voice trails off into a weird gasping cry.
"Get me a towel and the scissors!" Bray shouts.
Lily quickly does as he says then watches as he leans forward and wraps the towl around something below the sheets covering Trudy's legs. The baby starts to cry as he lifts it up. Bray cuts the umbilical cord then tucks the towel more securely around the baby.
"It's a girl." He announces with a huge smile.
Salene and Lily both whoop and hug Trudy. In the food court the others start to clap and cheer as Amber dashes out to give them the news.
Trudy holds her daughter in her arms and just stares at her while Bray, Lily and Salene clean everything up. The baby is given a wash in warm water then wrapped in a clean blanket.
"Is it alright if the others come in?" Lily asks Trudy with a smile when she realises everyone else is hovering just outside the doorway to the shop. Trudy nods and Lily beckons them in.
"Make sure you're quiet." Salene warns as everone perches on the bed or gathers around it.
"I made this for the baby, it clangs and everything." Cloe says proudly, holding up a mobile of various small objects tied to a clothes hanger.
"It's beautiful Cloe." Trudy smiles at her.
"Your daughter's beautiful, Trudy. She'll look so cute in a little dress." Maria says.
"Can I hold her?" Lily asks, sitting next to Trudy on the bed.
Trudy looks down at her daughter for a moment then nods and carefully hands her over. Lily cradles her and stares down at the baby, so absorbed in her that she misses the conversations going on around her. Her little mouth, her tightly shut eyes with their long lashes, the way her tiny hands clutch at the blanket. Michael watches Lily and has to admit that she doesn't look evil as she startes at the baby.
"Here, put her in this." Zandra tells Lily as Dal puts a woven cot down on the bed.
Amber puts a pillow in the cot and Lily gently lays the baby on it. Bray gets up and quietly slips away as everyone looks at the baby. Lily watches him go then glances at Trudy. Trudy looks sad for a moment then smiles again as she watches her daughter.
"What are you going to call her, Trudy?" Cloe asks.
"Don't know yet." Trudy admits.
"I suppose if it was a boy she would have called him Bray." Zandra teases.
"Come on, let's leave Trudy to get some sleep." Liz says, seeing how tired Trudy looks.
The others agree and quickly gather in the food court for something to eat. During the meal Zandra keeps trying to tell Lex about the baby but he really doesn't care.
Amber tries to talk about setting up a system to ration their food but Lex objects loudly and threatens to eat the dog, upsetting the little ones.
"Amber's right." Lily tells him sternly, wondering why she always seems to be the only one sticking up for Amber. "We need something like that, especially now we have a mother and baby to think of."
"What?" Lex demands.
"Here we go again." Zandra sighs.
"We voted to throw them out before the brat arrived." Lex snaps.
"Yeah but the baby's here now. We can't throw a new-born out onto the street." Kyle says.
"It's Bray's problem not ours." Lex declares.
"Where is Bray?" Alex asks, looking around.
"He's in with Trudy." Zandra says.
"No he's not." Lily tells her then shuts her eyes briefly as she realises what's happened. " Oh no." She sighs, looking at Amber. Lex starts to laugh.
"What is it?" Zandra asks.
"He's run off and left us with his kid." Michael says grimly.