Hello
At long last, here is the conclusion of this story...
about a month too late, sorry about that!
I hope you'll like it even if it's a bit out of season now
Thanks
begonia9508, out of this world and Flamehair for the feedback :
: Thanks to everyone who has been reading this!
Here's the last part for you
*******
Part 9 - Christmas 2075 - Once Upon A Christmas
Pairing: P/D and M/L. Who are P/D? Read on and find out!
Spoiler/Notes: Way, way after Graduation
*******
Paul nervously climbed the steps leading to the front door. He dried his sweaty hands on his pants before ringing the doorbell. Why was he so nervous? It's not like this was their first date, far from it. But there was no cure for the way she made him feel.
The door opened and Paul's breath caught in his throat. Her light brown hair fell in ringlets around her face, all the way down to her shoulders. She was so very beautiful.
"Hi!" she greeted him cheerfully.
His stomach rumbled loudly and he hoped that she couldn't hear it. "Merry Christmas, Deirdre. Ready to go?"
"Absolutely! Mom! I'm leaving now!" she called behind her into the house.
"Have a nice time, honey," Paul heard Deirdre's mother say. When the door was closed, Paul took his girlfriend's hand and leaned in for a kiss, which she returned eagerly.
Soon, too soon perhaps, they were sitting in his car, on their way to the big family gathering.
"I'm so nervous about meeting your family!" Deirdre said, playing with her scarf.
"Why? You've already met my parents. That was the hard part!" Stephen and Nicole Evans were not the strictest parents on the block but Paul knew that his father could be fairly intimidating when you first met him.
"I know, but there will be so many people there!"
"It won't be that bad," Paul promised, taking his hand off the steering-wheel only long enough to give hers a reassuring squeeze.
"Can you walk me through it one more time?"
Paul smiled. "Sure." He stopped at a red light.
"My parents, you already know. Stephen and Nicole. Isabella will also be there, of course."
"Good! I'll have someone to talk to besides you, then," Deirdre said, a bit relieved. Isabella was Paul's 15-year-old sister.
"Marty and Riley will also be there. You know them."
"Right, I remember. They are your cousins, right?"
Paul shrugged. "Something like that. I'm not sure if we're even related, but we grew up together." The light turned green and they started moving again.
"Aren't they Evanses like you?" she asked curious. She had been pretty sure they were.
"No, Guerin."
"Okay, who are the Guerins, again?"
"Not yet," Paul smiled. "I don't want you to get confused." His family tree was a bit on the complicated side. "My grand-parents will be there. That's my dad's parents, Jonathan and Erika Evans. My mom's parents live in Iowa and their flight was delayed because of a snowstorm so you won't meet them tonight. Grandpa Jon's sister will also be there, Aunt Maddy. Are you with me so far?"
Deirdre nodded. "I think so."
"Okay. Now, my great-grandparents are still alive. If they're up to it, they'll also be there. I haven't checked with my dad."
"Wow! They must be, like, a hundred!" Deirdre exclaimed.
Paul laughed. "Close. I'm pretty sure they are in their 90s. So that's Grandpa Max and Grandma Liz."
"Okay," Deirdre concentrated. "Grandpa Max and Grandma Liz are Jonathan and Maddy's parents. Jonathan and Erika are your dad's parents. I think I got it so far. Is your Aunt Maddy married?"
"She was but her husband passed away. Her daughter Lindsay will be there though, with Lindsay's twin boys. They are a bit younger than Isabella. Still with me?"
Deirdre nodded, taking all of this in. She wondered if maybe she should be writing this down, or have everyone wear a name tag.
"Okay then. Marty and Riley's grandfather will be there. His name is Mike. Well, Michael Junior, but since Michael Senior died a few years ago, now he's just Mike. His mom Maria will probably be there. She's as old as Grandma Liz but she still has all that energy, you won't believe her! That's the Guerins."
"And they're not related to you?"
Paul shrugged. "I think maybe Michael Senior was Grandpa Max's real brother, but they were adopted by different families. It's not very clear. I know my dad always called him Uncle Michael."
"Okay. Is that everyone?"
"For tonight, yes. Grandpa Max has a sister, Isabel. Aunt Isabel and Uncle Kyle live in New Mexico. That's where the family is from originally. They are too old to travel now, so all my uncles and aunts and cousins on that side go to Roswell to be with them for the holidays. We sometimes fly out there for Thanksgiving."
Paul pulled the car to a stop. They had arrived at his parents's house.
"Oh, and one more thing, especially if Grandpa Max is there. He likes to tell stories about when he was young. Just humour him."
Deirdre smiled. "My grandfather is the same. That won't be a problem."
Paul laughed. "Yeah, but I'm pretty sure no one in your family makes up stories about being aliens! Okay, so Grandpa Max only makes up stories about running from the law, it's my uncles who like to talk about alien stuff. But don't worry, they are all human and harmless."
*******
The house was warm and inviting but Deirdre still felt a little intimidated when they walked in. Paul's parents greeted her first. Then Paul introduced her to everyone. It was easier to remember everyone's names now that she had faces to go with them.
She saw an elderly couple sitting quietly in the corner by the fireplace. The woman had gorgeous white hair and was smiling softly at her companion. Deirdre liked her immediately. She seemed warm and kind, like a grandmother should be. Sitting next to her holding her hand was an old man. Even though he was obviously nearing his hundredth year, Deirdre could tell that he had been quite good looking in his youth. He still was, actually. His silver hair was falling on his forehead. Every line on his face spoke of years of experience and when he smiled back at his wife, Deirdre knew that a lot of those experiences had been good ones. He was sitting very straight in his chair and his alert eyes were moving around the room. Deirdre noticed that those eyes were exactly the same shade as Paul's eyes, a mix of hazel and golden brown she had never quite been able to describe accurately.
"Grandpa Max!" Paul exclaimed. He pulled Deirdre by the hand to meet the elderly couple. "Grandma Liz! I'm so glad you could make it! Oh no, please, sit down," he said. Deirdre watched as Paul hugged first his great-grandfather, and then his great-grandmother. He took her by the hand again.
"I would like you to meet someone special. This is my girlfriend, Deirdre Robinson. Deirdre, these are my great-grandparents, Max and Liz Evans."
"It is very nice to meet you," Deirdre said. She shook Max's hand. His grip was still strong. She extended her hand to shake Liz's, but the older woman took her into a hug. When she pulled away, Liz had a small smile on her lips. She glanced at Max who raised his eyebrows in question. Before she had a chance to talk to him, though, Paul pulled up a couple of chairs.
"Grandpa, will you tell Deirdre some of the alien stories?" he asked as they sat down.
Max felt Liz tense beside him. He put his hand on her shoulder. Most of the threats to their existence had been eradicated years ago but they had never been comfortable discussing their situation in front of strangers, even those who were potentially future great-granddaughters-in-law. Old habits were hard to break.
"Not when we have company, Paul. Do you want your lovely girl to think that your Grandpa Max has lost his marbles?" he said smoothly. He winked at Deirdre. If there had been any doubts, they all evaporated at that moment; Grandpa Max might be old but he was far from being senile.
"Oh come on, Grandpa! They're fun! How about the one when you saved Grandma Liz after she'd been shot? Did that actually happen?"
"Who told you that?" Grandpa Max asked, a slight smile on his lips.
"Uncle Jimmy," Paul said. Jimmy was Isabel and Kyle's son.
Deirdre's eyes were wide. "Were you really shot?" she asked Grandma Liz.
Liz smiled. "I was working as a waitress in my parents's restaurant. A gun went off and it startled me. Max came up to me to make sure I was okay. I fell and broke a bottle of ketchup. It spilled all over me and people thought it was blood."
"But it wasn't. No siree. It was ketchup. Definitely. I was there."
Paul got up and offered his chair to the newcomer. "Deirdre, I would like you to meet Maria Guerin. She's Marty and Riley's great-grandma."
"Nice to meet you," Deirdre said politely, shaking the woman's hand.
"Likewise," Maria said with a warm smile. She turned to Liz. "Don't you hate it when they introduce us as their great-grandparents? It makes us sound so old!"
Paul chuckled. "You probably thought 90 was old too when you were 20 like me, Aunt Maria." He pulled another chair for himself and sat back down next to Deirdre.
Maria turned to him. "You think I'm only 90? Bless you child," she said. Max and Liz laughed. Deirdre understood what Paul had meant. Maria would never get old.
"That gun going off is what brought Max and I together, so it was ultimately a good thing," Liz said to Deirdre.
"That's nice. So you've been together for...?"
Grandpa Max smiled. "We've been married for 73 years."
"And we've been together for 76, give or take a few months," Grandma Liz added.
"But I've been in love with you for about 85 years," Max said, bringing Liz's hand to his lips to kiss her fingers.
"Wow! That's very impressive!"
"I wonder if we'll still be together in 75 years?" Paul asked Deirdre. She blushed and he kissed her cheek. Neither of them noticed the looks and smiles the older folks exchanged.
"Well, if you won't tell those stories, how about some from when you were on the road?" Paul asked, turning his attention back to his great-grandfather.
"You mean that you want to impress your girlfriend with actual family facts instead of lore and legends?" Maria winked.
Paul laughed. "This is also kind of a family legend, isn't it?" He turned to Deirdre. "Grandpa and Grandma travelled all over the country just after they got married. I guess they were kind of free spirits. Aunt Isabel and Uncle Michael went with them too. Is that where you met him, Aunt Maria?"
"Oh no. Spaceboy and I go back way before that. We met around the same time Max finally decided to make a move on Liz, instead of just mooning over her while pretending to eat Saturn Rings."
Deirdre raised her eyebrows at Maria's choice of words. Paul hadn't been kidding about the alien-related conversations. Maybe it all had to do with the fact that they were originally from Roswell.
"I really did eat the Saturn Rings," Max said. "Those were good."
"They left just after graduation, I think," Paul continued. He turned questioning eyes to his great-grandparents.
"Just after, yes," Max smiled.
"Some would argue, during," Maria smirked.
By the smiles the others exchanged, it was clear to Deirdre that there was something she was missing in Maria's comment. These people had a set of references and connections that went way over her head. You couldn't catch up on 85 years of friendship in one night.
"Where did you go?" Deirdre asked.
"All over the place. Um, California first," Max remembered. "Then north to Oregon and Washington, before we moved east."
"We stayed in the Midwest for a while, then we went down south," Liz continued.
"We stayed in Florida for a little bit. Remember that Christmas we spent in Disney World?" Maria asked.
"Christmas 2004," Liz smiled, her eyes far away. "The boys were like kids in a candy store. Who would have thought a bunch of 21-year-olds would get so excited over Space Mountain!"
"I seem to remember someone who was quite happy to walk around the world, Epcot-style," Max pointed out.
"That was different," Liz argued. "Anyway, after that, we went up north to Pennsylvania first, then New York."
"Winter didn't agree with us, so we came back to the South West," Maria said. Deirdre marvelled at how they were effortlessly adding to each other's stories.
"We visited our families for Christmas in New Mexico, then we went back to California and we settled here," Max said.
"That must be around the time Grandpa Jonathan was born, right? Wasn't he born in L.A.?"
"He was," Liz smiled as her eyes landed on her first-born. Even though he was pushing 70, Liz sometimes still saw him as the little boy who had learned to walk on the beach while trying to escape the waves of the Pacific ocean that were lapping at his short legs. He would giggle happily everytime one managed to catch him.
"Why did you choose California?" Deirdre asked. Her family had been here for generations and generations, so long that they'd forgotten why they had come in the first place.
"Can't beat the weather," Maria quipped.
"I think Grandpa had dreams of becoming an actor," Paul smirked. "Didn't Aunt Isabel mention something about you missing her wedding because of an audition?"
Max chuckled. "First of all, I was at Isabel's weddings. Both of them. And I never actually
wanted to be an actor." Deirdre noticed that Max hadn't denied auditioning. She wondered if there was some truth to that family rumour. But Paul's mind was clearly on another part of his great-grandfather's statement.
"Aunt Isabel was married before Uncle Kyle?"
"Briefly," Liz confirmed. "But I think you got your stories mixed up because we sort of, um, befriended a Hollywood producer when we moved there. He helped us get settled before Jonathan's birth."
"Who was it?" Deirdre asked.
"A man by the name of Kal Langley," Maria said, smoothly picking up the thread of conversation when Max and Liz failed to. It was not a time they liked to reminisce about. To keep his promise to Liz, Max had had to become someone he had vowed he would never be again and be ruthless with the shapeshifter. "He was quite popular in his days. He won, like, four Academy Awards."
"I don't know who he is," Deirdre said, shaking her head.
Maria waved her off. "Don't worry about that. He, um, had to retire around the time we moved there. He never worked in the business again." In the end, Langley had done everything Max had requested and the family had been quite safe from that moment on, but Langley had not gone quietly. Maria was pretty sure Max still had nightmares about ruining the man's life. She saw Liz rub Max's shoulder gently. If she had been at liberty to speak freely, Maria knew what her friend would have said.
Langley had 60 years of the life he wanted before you asked him to do what he was supposed to do in the first place: protect you and your own. It was true, but Maria knew it was the one thing that would haunt Max until the day he died. That the safety of all those he loved had come at the price of a man's happiness.
"Then we moved a little further north," Liz said finally. "We didn't like Los Angeles that much."
"We settled here in Santa Rosa, and Michael finally proposed to me, after hinting at it for like three years!"
"And Madison was born," Max said. He looked at his daughter currently in conversation with her own daughter, Lindsay, and not for the first time he thought that everything that had happened in Los Angeles had been worth it, since it led directly to him and Liz feeling safe enough to make another baby. Max smiled softly as he remembered those nights spent in Liz's arms planning their future and loving each other. They had finally known what true happiness was.
"And we became the boring and predictable people you see now today," Maria concluded.
Deirdre had serious doubts that these people had ever been boring. There was still an air of mystery around them and Deirdre realized that it wasn't so surprising that some crazy family rumours could have been started about them. She didn't know where those rumours originated but she was starting to get an idea why. These were special people. She couldn't quite put her finger on how, but they were different from anyone she had ever met. Maybe that came from being together for so long. From what she had seen, Paul's family was extremely tightknit.
"Nothing happened after that?"
Maria snorted. "Compared to what happened before, not really. Michael Junior was born a couple of years after Madison. Isabel also had her children."
Paul remembered something he had heard as a child. "So, Grandpa Max, is there any truth to the story that Aunt Isabel nearly died when she gave birth to Kelly Ann?"
Max nodded, the memory still fresh in his mind. Something had gone very wrong with the baby. They had almost lost both of them.
"Well, then, is it true that Uncle Kyle used special healing powers to keep her alive until you could come and save her?"
"Kyle doesn't have healing powers," Max said. Fortunately for the couple and their new baby girl, though, Kyle's latent powers had decided that this precise moment was the perfect time to show themselves. And while it was true that healing was not one of his powers, Kyle had been able to connect with Isabel and slow the internal bleeding long enough for Max to show up and stop it completely. "And I think it was Isabel's strength and the help of the doctor that saved her."
"Are the kids bothering you, dad?" Jonathan asked as he approached the small group, a glass of punch in one hand. Deirdre looked at him. His hair was almost completely grey but she had to admit that he was also a very good looking man. The Evans men had been blessed with good genes for generations, it would seem.
"No, they're not. We're just making conversation," Max smiled at his son.
"I think Paul is looking for confirmation on some of the family rumours he might have heard over the years," Maria said pointedly.
Jon looked at his grandson. "Is that so? How old are you, now?"
"I'm twenty, Grandpa," Paul answered, a little confused at the change of subject.
Jonathan exchanged a look with his father and Deirdre wasn't sure if she had really seen the older man nod slightly to his son or if that was just her imagination. The eldest Evans had an air of authority about him, which she figured wasn't that surprising since he was the patriarch of this family. Deirdre wondered if he had always been like that. She remembered her first meeting with Paul's dad. That was another thing the Evans men had in common, that air of quiet authority. Leadership seemed to come easy to them. Even Paul had been named captain of his basketball team.
"Why don't you come with me, Paul. I would like to have a word," Jonathan said. "If you'll excuse us?"
Paul was surprised, but followed his grandfather into the kitchen, after making sure that Deirdre didn't mind being left alone with the old people.
"Is something wrong, gramps?" he asked.
"No, nothing's wrong. I just think it's time for you to learn a thing or two about the family secret."
*******
Deirdre watched as Lindsay's twelve-year-old twin boys approached their great-grandparents carrying a wrapped box.
"Grandpa, Mom said we could give this to you now," Andrew said. Even though they were identical, Deirdre knew that Andrew was the one with the red shirt. He flipped his dark bangs off his forehead with a shake of his head. Deirdre smiled. Paul also did that all the time.
"It's for both of you," his brother Samuel said to Liz, tugging the sleeve of his green shirt over his hand.
"Thank you," Grandpa Max smiled. He put the present between Liz and himself and they started to unwrap it. Their fingers were not as nimble as they once were though, and when Max had trouble pulling the ribbon off the box, he fished in his pocket for something. He pulled out an antique pocket knife and quickly cut the ribbons that were holding the box closed.
"Could you hold this for me, please?" Max asked Deirdre, handing her the knife.
"Sure," Deirdre said. She took it from him and studied it for a moment. It was very old, probably dating back to the turn of the century. The handle was well worn but it was obvious that Max had taken extremely good care of it. She turned it over in her hand. On one side of the handle she could see an inscription. It had faded with time but she was still able to read what it said. MAX & LIZ 4 EVER.
"Liz gave that to him when they started dating," Maria leaned over to tell her. "As far as I know, Max kept it on him everyday after that."
"That's so romantic," Deirdre said. Her hand automatically went to the necklace that Paul had given her for her last birthday. She wore it everyday. Would she still be wearing it in 80 years?
Max and Liz had opened the box and were carefully removing the tissue paper, revealing a large framed portrait of the twins.
"Mom said that you liked hard copies of photos, even if you do have the digital file we sent you," Samuel shrugged.
"Is it true that when you were kids, all the pictures were printed like that?" Andrew asked.
Liz laughed. "It's true," she said. "And your grandpa and I are old-fashioned. We do like printed pictures. Want to see one?" she asked. She picked up her purse from under her chair and pulled out a worn and creased photograph from her wallet. She showed it to the curious boys. "That's how people carried photos of their loved ones, before those tiny digital screen thingies," she said.
"Who's that?" Andrew asked.
"That's me and Max on our wedding day," Liz said.
"It looks like Paul," Samuel said.
Deirdre craned her neck to see. Liz handed her the photo with a smile. Deirdre took it from her after handing Max back his knife.
"Oh my God," she gasped. She looked from the picture in her hand to the old man sitting in front of her. You couldn't really see it anymore but his younger self truly did look like Paul. Except for the smile and the ears Paul got from his mother's side, he was an almost perfect replica of his great-grandfather.
"Now you know why I couldn't resist him," Liz smiled at the young woman.
Deirdre blushed and nodded.
********
"So, you mean that
everything is true?" Paul asked his grandfather for what felt like the tenth time. Jonathan nodded patiently.
"Grandma Liz getting shot, Grandpa Max saving her?" Jonathan nodded again.
"All those stories about Aunt Isabel cleaning things with just a wave of her hand?" Another nod from his grandfather. Paul ran a hand through his hair. His aunt's house was always spotless. She was kind of a neat freak and Paul had always thought her children had made up stories about her special cleaning powers to tease her. Thinking of Isabel's family made him remember something else.
"Uncle Jimmy getting mad at Uncle Kyle and making everything in the house blue?"
Jonathan smiled widely. His cousin had gotten in so much trouble for that.
"But how is that even possible?" Paul stopped his grandfather before he could start explaining again about the Roswell crash and the hybrids and the podchamber. "No, I know. Antar and all that. But, I mean... how? Are we
all aliens?"
"We've been mixing with humans for a long time now so most of our alien characteristics have been diluted. Even the hybrids' powers were only advanced human characteristics, so to the outside world, we only seem like gifted humans. Nothing extreme to draw attention to ourselves which, believe me, makes my parents very happy."
"I don't have any powers," Paul argued.
Jonathan tilted his head to the side. "You don't?"
Paul shook his head. Hell no! And he didn't want any, either! All those years he had thought his family's alien fantasies were just funny stories they liked to tell to amuse the children, now he found out they were actually true! He had always found them entertaining but had stopped truly believing in them around the same time he had stopped believing in Santa Claus.
"How about your photographic memory?"
Paul was not convinced. "We all have that."
"Yes, and it comes from our alien side."
"Other people have it, too."
"That's what I'm telling you, our powers are amplified human characteristics. Only Dad, Aunt Isabel and Uncle Michael were true hybrids. Because Dad healed Mom and Uncle Kyle, Madison, Jimmy, Kelly Ann, her sister Juliet and myself, we have more alien characteristics than Mike Junior does, because his mom, Maria, is fully human. Mike's gifts are comparable to those of your dad, because my wife is fully human. And yours are a little less, to the point where we didn't feel the need to tell you until now. But you understand why we like to keep it under wraps when there are people from outside the family, don't you? When you marry Deirdre, you can tell her."
"What can you do?" Paul asked. If Uncle Jimmy had been the one telling him all of this, Paul wouldn't have believed a single word. But he found it hard to believe that his ever-so-serious grandfather would kid about something like this. Still, he wanted some kind of tangible proof. Grandpa Jonathan had some sort of alien powers? Well then, he should just prove it.
With the tip of his finger, Jonathan touched the glass of Coke Paul was holding. The brown soft drink turned bright orange.
"That's a trick of the light!" Paul said.
"Taste it."
Paul took a sip of the orangeade before putting the glass back down on the counter with a trembling hand. Jon turned it back to Coke.
"Talk to your dad about it," he suggested. "I can tell you know I'm telling you the truth. Have you ever wondered how it was that you could never get away with anything?" Jonathan asked. Paul's eyes widened. "It's like a sixth sense your father has. He can feel things. He gets it from my mom."
"That's how he knew about the car?" Paul asked. Being grounded for a month had had the desired effect. Paul had never taken the car without permission again. But he had never figured out how his dad had found out. It made him wonder what else his father knew about him.
Jonathan grinned. "And the night you didn't come home and said you were with Riley."
"I
was with Riley," Paul argued weakly.
Jonathan chuckled. "My money is still on Deirdre," he winked. "I'm not sure your dad actually knows that, though. Remember, my powers are greater." Jonathan squeezed his grandson's shoulder. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed. I was young and in love once, and I like Deirdre."
Paul just stood there in stunned silence while he tried to process all that he had just heard. Jonathan reflected that it was going rather well. Isabel's grandson Ian had reacted badly and threatened to notify the government before they had managed to calm him down. Jon didn't think it would be a problem with Paul. That boy had always had a good head on his shoulders.
When Paul was still silent a few minutes later, Jonathan nudged him with his elbow.
"Think about it for a while, talk to your Dad, or me, or even your Grandpa Max. We'll help you the best we can. I know it's a bit of a shock but I promise, you'll only have to make a small adjustment. It won't have more impact on you than if you just recently found out your family originally came from Sweden or something. No one expects you to learn Swedish." Paul nodded slowly. "What do you say we go back to the party?"
When Paul walked back into the living room, he saw that his Grandpa Max was opening a present. He took a deep breath, resolutely putting his conversation with his grandfather on the back burner for now. There would be plenty of time to worry about his alien origins later. Right now, he wanted to try and enjoy Christmas.
"Who is it from?" he asked Deirdre as he came up to her.
"The Christmas Nazi," she replied. "But they didn't say who that was."
Paul smiled. "That's Aunt Isabel. Apparently, she invented Christmas or something."
Deirdre frowned. "Your Aunt couldn't possibly have invented Christmas."
Paul shrugged, then a frown appeared on his face. "I always thought that it was a family inside joke because she loves it so much, but now I'm not so sure. I'll have to talk to someone."
"So when your aunt dies, so will Christmas?" Deirdre teased, trying to shake him out of the strange mood he seemed to be in since talking to his grandfather.
He laughed. "Not a chance! Auntie Juliet is there to take over. Did I tell you? Her husband is the mayor of Roswell and she has city workers build this huge Christmas village in front of City Hall every year. You should have seen how proud Aunt Isabel was the year it opened!"
They fell quiet when Paul's dad, Stephen, teasingly announced that since Max and Liz had even less patience than the kids, the exchange-of-gifts portion of the evening was officially opened. They unwrapped presents for almost two hours. When it came time to thank everyone, Paul approached his great-grandfather.
"Thank you for the music player, Grandpa Max," Paul said hugging the old man.
"And thank you for the nice book," his great-grandfather replied, hugging him back. He pulled away. "Will you be okay with what your grandfather told you?"
Grandpa Max was not one to beat around the bush, Paul realized. He shrugged, a little uncomfortable.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I mean, Uncle Jimmy tells all these stories but I never believed them, you know?"
Max nodded. "Did Jon give you proof?"
"You mean, did he use his hocus-pocus to make me see impossible things? Yeah."
"But you're still not sure it's true."
"I can't do anything like that, Grandpa," Paul said shaking his head.
"No, you can't, and I can't tell you how thankful I am for that."
Paul frowned. "Why? Don't you like being an -- I mean, what you are? Grandpa Jon made it sound like a good thing."
Max looked at Liz who was hugging the twins.
"The day I saved Liz from that gunshot wound, I wouldn't have traded it for the world." He met Paul's eyes and the young man could see how serious he was. "But one day I'll tell you the story of what happened to me when the FBI found out and they thought they would try to see what made me tick. Literally."
Paul's eyes widened. "They experimented on you?"
Max nodded, his eyes far away as if he was remembering the whole episode. "But that wasn't even the worst thing." He was looking at Liz again. "What I am, who I was supposed to become, that created all sorts of problems between your Grandma and I. I hurt her beyond belief."
A corner of Paul's mouth lifted. "I have a feeling maybe she forgave you."
"She did," Max confirmed. "She's a very special woman, your grandmother. But she sacrificed so much that she shouldn't have had to. But in the end, I think we both agree that everything we went through was all worth it. Because now we have this beautiful, normal, human family, and my great-grandson will not have to worry that loving his cute girlfriend could kill her. It's all we ever wanted."
"She sure is cute, isn't she?" Liz said as she approached the two men and put her arm around Max's waist. "I'm so sorry that we won't be able to attend your wedding," she told Paul seriously.
Paul blushed and his eyes sought Deirdre, who was laughing with Isabella and Marty. "I really like her, Grandma, but I don't think I'm ready to get married. Not for a long, long time."
"Which is why your Grandpa Max and I won't be able to come. We'll be long gone by then," she said, hugging him.
Paul returned her hug. His Grandma Liz always said cryptic things like that. He had always thought she was a bit strange that way. Now something his grandfather Jonathan had just told him came back to him. He pulled away from his great-grandmother and looked at her in a new light.
"When you say things like that, you know they are true, don't you?" he asked slowly. Liz only smiled.
"So you know things like when you're going to die? Isn't that majorly creepy?"
Liz patted his arm. "I don't know when we're going to die. But when I hugged Deirdre earlier when you introduced us, I got this flash of her wedding. Which was also your wedding," she smiled. "I saw everyone who will be there, including some new ones we haven't met yet. But Max and I weren't there. Maybe we'll just be too old to travel at that point."
"But whatever the reason, we'll be there in spirit," Max promised, "and I want you to know now how happy I am for you and how proud I am of you and Deirdre. You will do great things together."
Paul couldn't help but be a little uncomfortable at his great-grandfather's pronouncement. Did Grandpa Max also get flashes like Liz?
"We know you have a lot of questions," Max said. "Come and see us in the new year. We'll explain everything to you."
"It'll be a long story, but it's a good one," Liz added. "Maybe you could bring Deirdre along? You'll want to share that with her before you get married anyway, and it might help if it comes from us."
"Does everyone else know?" Paul asked, wondering how he could have been kept in the dark for so long.
"We usually tell people when it becomes necessary. Jonathan has always known. He could use his powers to make the baby mobile above his bassinet turn and play music when he was bored. But Lindsay didn't know until she was about twelve and started wandering into other people's dreams by accident."
Paul's eyes were wide.
"Your generation doesn't know yet," Max confirmed that with a look to Liz, "because none of you have powers that couldn't be found in a normal human. So we arbitrarily decided that you would be told when you turned 21. Or if you asked, like you did tonight. It is your choice to tell anyone else. But just be aware that the search for alien life has not stopped. There are still people who would be interested in you. What plays in your favour is that they would probably have a really hard time proving that you are indeed of alien origins. The easiest way to tell is by the blood and yours doesn't even present any of the small defects your father's generation has, and even that could easily pass off as something of human origins. So unless you open your mouth to the wrong people, you are safe. And Deirdre is safe."
Just then, Paul's girlfriend came back to his side and he put his arm around her. She kissed him on the cheek and he smiled at her.
"Your Grandpa Max is a bit tired," Liz said after Max unsuccessfully tried to hide a yawn. "We should head back home now."
"Well, it was very nice to meet you both," Deirdre said. "I hope I'll get to see you again." She liked Paul's great-grandparents. Grandpa Max was less intimidating to her than Stephen Evans was.
"What do you say you both come over for dinner in January and finish that discussion we were having?" Max asked.
Paul looked to Deirdre, who smiled and nodded. They made the arrangements to meet in a couple of weeks and the older couple left.
"What discussion were you having?"
"Grandpa Max promised to tell me more of the family's alien stories."
"In front of a stranger?" she smiled.
Paul hugged her close to him. "I think they know, just like we do, that you will not stay a stranger."
When they kissed, Paul knew without a doubt that his great-grandmother's prediction would come true.
*******
"I can't say that I'm sorry to be home," Max said as he heavily fell on the couch. "I'm afraid I'm not as young as I used to be."
"But you're still as gorgeous," Liz replied, sitting next to him.
Max playfully narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you buttering me up for? Because whatever it is you want, you know my answer is yes."
Liz put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Good to know," she said. She felt Max's arm coming around her.
"Are you tired, angel?" he asked. He leaned his head against hers.
"You're not the only one who got old," Liz replied. "When did that happen?"
Max sighed. "I think sometime around the time our grandkids started having babies." He pulled back so he could look at her. "All those hard times we had in high school, who would have thought that we would live to see our great-grandchildren?" he asked, his voice tinged with wonder.
Liz's eyes met his. "We are truly blessed, aren't we? I heard what you told Paul, and you are right. If we had to go through all of that just so our children and grandchildren don't have to, then it was all worth it."
"I've been blessed since the day you came into my life," Max said, kissing her. "Through the good times and the bad times. I wish it could have been easier, but if easier meant that we wouldn't be here right now in this moment, then I don't want easy. I wouldn't change a thing." He caressed her cheek with his fingertip. "Except maybe all the tears you cried because of me."
She took his hand in hers. "The tears were worth it, Max. I wouldn't change a thing either."
"I love you, Liz."
"I love you, Max."
"We may be old but those words never will be," Max said as Liz put her head on his shoulder again and he pulled her more closely against him. He knew that they should get up from this couch and go to bed but he was so very tired. Maybe they could stay here like this for just a little while longer.
As he drifted off to sleep, Max wondered; how do you quantify a life? How do you know that your existence made a difference for the better? When he was young and used to dream about what he so desperately wanted out of life, this was it; to be content and peaceful in Liz's arms, to know that his loved ones were safe and happy. If this was the sum of all the little pieces of their lives, if this was their legacy, then they truly were blessed. It had been a good life. He held Liz a little tighter against him and she snuggled closer.
That is how the first rays of morning sunlight found them a few hours later. Peaceful, smiling, holding each other close.
In love.
The end
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