Author: To_Kiss_A_Frog
Pairings: M/L and all other CC
Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize
Summary: The Sequel to Chasing Memories.
After six years of captivity, Liz Parker finally makes it back to Roswell but nothing is as it once was. She now finds herself thrown into a world that doesn't make sense with people she no longer knows. Has too much time passed or can Liz somehow win back the happiness that was stripped away from her all those years before?
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Chapter 1
“Something bad happened here, mommy” Anya declared woefully and scrunched her eyes closed while covering her ears with her hands. At five years old she didn't yet have much control over her empathic ability which led to a lot of headaches and tears. “It hurts” she sniffled.
Liz felt her own heart break as her daughter bravely tried to hold in the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes. “It’s okay, baby” Liz assured and rubbed her hand over her daughter’s head, taking away as much of the pain as she could.
“If you touch any of them I will kill you with my bare hands” she warned and spat in his face.
Before she could blink, Nicolas slapped her hard across the face, nearly knocking her out of the guard’s hold with the force of his blow. “Listen, little girl” he hissed and grabbed a handful of her hair, forcing her to look up at him. “There’s no one here to protect you now. All those powers you have inside of you are useless” he stated and openly leered at her body.
“It’s better now” Anya informed and buried her face in the crook of her mother’s neck. “Thank you” she murmured.
“You’re welcome, baby” Liz replied and tried to hide how shaken up the vision had made her feel. “Come on. Let’s see if we can…” she trailed off as the vortex opened again. With her hand poised, ready to attack, Liz maneuvered her body so that she stood between her daughter and the swirling abyss.
Instead of a soldier sent to bring them back, a tall woman with burgundy colored hair fell to the ground in front of them. “Blast!” she yelled and stayed flat against the dirt and concrete floor as Liz let loose a string of power blasts. Bits of skin rained down around them but the vortex closed once more without emitting any other arrivals.
“Villandra” Liz gasped and gently set Anya on the ground. “I can’t believe you escaped” she said and held out both hands to help the other woman up.
“Thankfully you inflicted enough damage against the rebellion guards” Villandra stated and pulled Liz into a warm embrace. “Nicolas is dead, by the way” she added and opened her arms to Anya, who wasted no time running forward for a hug. “It’s good to see you, Angel” she said and ran her hands through Anya’s chestnut curls before handing her back to Liz.
“Good” she said simply, reluctant to ask any questions for Anya’s sake.
“What is this place?” Villandra queried after giving the room a once over. “Do you recognize it?”
“No” Liz shook her head and held her daughter a little closer, remembering the vision Anya’s empathy had given her. “I don’t remember it at all.”
“Well hopefully we aren’t too far away from civilization” Villandra replied and looked down at her body. “Do you suppose we’d be too conspicuous out there?” she inquired, referring to the uniforms they had “borrowed” to blend in with the rest of the rebellion guards.
The images from her vision flashed before her eyes in rapid succession, coming and going before Liz had the opportunity to blink. “I’d say so” she answered, recalling the jeans and t-shirt she’d worn in the memory. “We’ll get rid of the jackets and change the colors of our shirts” she suggested and released Anya long enough to shed the heavy, red and silver coat. Both women wore tank tops beneath in the same crimson shade and each was eager to get rid of the maddening color.
“What about me, mommy?” Anya questioned anxiously.
Liz stared down at her daughter with a critical eye, certain that there wasn’t much she could do to turn the Lycra suit into something earthier. “Perhaps we could shorten the length and sleeves on one of the jackets.” Villandra offered. “It should cover her suit.”
“That’ll probably have to do” Liz agreed and grabbed her jacket up off the ground.
In less than a minute, they managed to convert the jacket into a much smaller one. Then, because she couldn’t stand to see any more red, Liz changed the color to a deep purple and melded the silver ornamentation into the material. The result was a glittery coat that Anya absolutely adored.
“Okay” Liz sighed and glanced at the doorway with a reluctant look on her face. “I guess its time.”
“Don’t be scared” Anya coached, wearing a solemn expression. Timidly, she slipped her much smaller hand into Liz’s and stared ahead at the closed door.
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“Evans, I need those floorplans on my desk and I need them five minutes ago” barked Kathleen Topolsky, Max’s boss and the current bane of his existence. “Move!”
The moment her door slammed shut behind her, Max ran a frustrated hand over his face. “I guess someone forgot to take her Midol this morning.” The muttering came from his partner, Jesse Ramirez who for once, was not on the receiving end of Kathleen’s temper. “If she doesn’t get laid soon, someone’s gonna have to take one for the team. I shit you not, my ears are still ringing for at least an hour after I leave this place every night.”
Smirking, Max tossed his pencil down on the desk and gathered up the blueprints Kathleen asked for. “That’s all you, buddy. I’m not into drill sergeant sex.”
“What do you mean?” Jesse inquired with open curiosity.
“You know the type” Max replied. “In… out… in… out…” he directed using the deepest voice he could muster.
“Are you kidding me” Jesse laughed. “That’s like every woman I’ve dated since college” he admitted shamelessly. “I like being ordered around in bed.” Disgusted, Max held his hand up to stop his friend from saying anything else.
“Way too much information.”
“Are you deaf and dumb Evans? Get your ass in here now.” Neither noticed the reappearance of their boss but the moment they heard her voice, their smirks instantly disappeared.
“Good luck, man” Jesse offered and shook his head in amusement when he spied the reluctant expression Max wore. Then the exact moment the door closed again, Max’s desk phone began to ring. Not one to let it go unanswered whether it was for him or not, Jesse reached across his workspace and grabbed the receiver. “Max’s phone… Jesse speaking.”
“Haven’t they fired you yet?”
“Pretending you hate a guy when you’re secretly in love with him is really junior high, Tess” he couldn’t resist teasing. “When are you gonna quit pretending and just admit you want to jump my bones?” He couldn’t help but grin when he heard her muttered curse and decided to goad her a little further. “Seriously, blondie… I’m getting real lonely waiting for you.”
“In your dreams, Ramirez” Tess dismissed. “Now put Max on the phone so I can have an actual conversation with someone who’s IQ is higher than his belt size.”
“Well aren’t you shit out of luck? He’s in with the dragon lady” Jesse informed.
“Fine” Tess sighed. “But after she’s chewed him up and spit him out, tell him to call me.”
“Something wrong?” Jesse queried, sounding sincere for the first time since answering the phone.
“No, not really” Tess assured. “Isabel’s just driving me crazy and I was hoping he could talk her into toning it down a little. Lord knows she won’t listen to me.”
“The velvet steam roller” Jesse muttered under his breath. “I wouldn’t go up against her if you paid me. Hell, I’d rather pick a fight with my crazy ass boss than disagree with Isabel Evans” he admitted, causing Tess to laugh out loud. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that funny” he defended.
“You’re such a baby” Tess declared. “Just tell Max to call me back, okay.”
“Sure thing” Jesse agreed and mock saluted, despite the fact that he knew Tess couldn’t see him.
“How the hell did you manage to graduate if this is the kind of work you turned in to your professors?” The voice of Kathleen Topolsky rang out loud and clear through the closed mahogany door. Shaking his head, Jesse returned the phone to its cradle and sympathized with his friend. He’d received a tongue lashing just as bad the day before and knew by the tone of her voice that Topolsky was just getting started.
<center>~*~*~*~</center>
“Elizabeth?!” All three females turned as a tan Ford Explorer pulled to a stop beside them. The man inside wore dark tinted sunglasses and a white Stetson that covered up the majority of his graying hair. His expression was a mixture of surprise and disbelief but something about his face seemed familiar to Liz.
“Just because you’re my son doesn’t mean I won’t give you a ticket the next time I catch you speeding” he warned sternly. “And if I have to do that, I’ll take away your keys for a month.”
“You know, there’s something to be said for nepotism” he replied then quickly held his hands up in defense. “Kidding. I swear I was kidding.”
“Just make sure you and Elizabeth get back to the CrashDown in one piece.”
“Do you know me?” Liz queried once he’d walked around the Explorer so that he could get a better look at her. Despite knowing that Anya would have warned them if he meant any harm, old habits died hard and Liz once again put herself between her daughter and the unknown. In this case… a stranger who seemed to recognize her.
“Of course I know you” he stated and pulled Liz into a fierce hug. At the first touch of his hands, she visibly stiffened in the embrace though he didn’t seem to notice. “God, we were worried sick about you. Where have you been? When did you get back?” he questioned.
“Please don’t” Liz murmured and placed both her palms flat against his chest to push him away.
“Wha… Elizabeth, what’s wrong?”
“She doesn’t like to be touched” Villandra intervened in a hard tone. “Who are you and how do you know her?”
“They did something to you didn’t they?” he asked back, ignoring Villandra’s questions. “Kyle kept saying you’d been taken. He knew you wouldn’t just leave like that.” The name sparked another image in Liz’s mind but it coincided with a memory from Antar. One face with two sides. “He’s been looking for you.”
“Stop it!” Anya screamed, startling the sheriff with her outburst. “Stop it. You’re hurting mommy” she declared and scrunched up her eyes in obvious pain.
Quickly forgetting her own inner turmoil, Liz blocked Anya from her mind, halting the reading she was getting from her demeanor. “It’s okay, baby. I’m sorry. Mommy didn’t mean to scare you.” She apologized and crouched down to Anya’s level. “It’s okay now” she assured and swept her up her arms.
“Oh god, you’re a mother” Valenti muttered as he watched the two cling to one another. “How old is she?” he asked but after taking one good look at her face, he was positive that she was at least five. There was no mistaking those eyes and who they had come from. “Elizabeth… she’s Max’s daughter, isn’t she?”
“That’s none of your business” Villandra stated before Liz had the opportunity to answer. “Who are you?” she asked, repeating her earlier question.
“Huh… oh, I’m… Sheriff Jim Valenti. I’m Kyle’s father” he provided but his eyes were still on the small child in Liz’s arms.
“Well then, Sheriff Valenti… do you suppose you could drive us into town? We have people we need to see.” With his mind still in shock, it took the sheriff a moment to register what the other woman had just asked. Immediately after, his expression shifted from surprise to pensiveness. It was obvious that Liz had holes in her memory which was why he was having trouble finding the words to explain that she no longer had family in Roswell.
“Sure, I can give you a lift” he agreed and slowly backed away. “Climb on in” he invited and pulled open one of the backside doors.
While Liz and Anya slid into the backseat, Villandra decided to sit up front so that she could keep an eye the sheriff. Since Anya hadn’t said anything negative about him, she decided it was okay to trust his motives but only as much as she needed to. She’d take what he said with a grain of salt and she would watch over Liz and Anya while they got everything straight in their minds.
Yet even vulnerable, mother and daughter had more strength between them than anyone could defend against. Villandra had no doubt that if anyone posed a threat to Anya, Liz would put aside every single one of her personal issues to protect her daughter. She’d done it more than once before but Villandra hoped they’d never be in a situation where Liz had to do it again.
“What is that?” Anya whispered in Liz’s ear and pointed out the window to a passing plant.
“That’s a cactus” she answered while a small smile spread across her lips. Being on Antar had robbed Anya of most her innocence. The anger and desolateness… fear and resentment were all emotions she was forced to feel because of her gift. Liz did her best to lessen the pain of it all and when she could… make Anya forget, but that was a difficult task since many of her daughter’s worst memories were tied to something else that she couldn’t forget. At that point it became a challenge of trying to pick her battles.
Now Liz was willing to do anything and everything in her power to make sure the last of Anya’s nightmares were over.
She wanted her daughter to find peace. She wanted Anya to be able to hear a loud sound without flinching or raising her hand. Liz hoped that they’d finally find that peace of mind on Earth, now that she was positive neither Khivar nor Nicolas would ever follow them.
“Elizabeth, when we get into town, I’m going to take you to my house” Valenti stated and attempted to glance back at Liz through the review mirror. “My wife, Amy is there and we’ll call Kyle and the others… if that’s alright with you” he added when Liz didn’t immediately reply.
At least a half dozen memories slammed into Liz’s consciousness simultaneously, causing her to grimace in pain.
Again, the names were triggering memories that she didn’t quite have access to. Liz was fighting two halves that were both threatening to swallow her whole.
Yet even as she was pushing away the pain, she was also pushing her daughter out of her head, ensuring that she didn’t feel a modicum of her emotions. “That’s fine” she managed and turned to look back out at the passing scenery. “Look at the desert” Liz whispered to Anya once everything had faded back into her subconscious. “See how the air wrinkles out there.” She continued on as though Valenti had never spoken and as though she’d never had any pain. “That’s because of the heat. It makes the air dance in wavy lines” she explained to her daughter who looked positively enthralled.
“What else?” she eagerly queried and crawled into Liz’s lap so that she’d be closer to the window.
Silently, Villandra listened to the two and vowed to herself that she’d make up for all the damage she caused.
Liz said on more than one occasion that she didn’t blame her for any of it but despite the words that were so obviously sincere, Villandra couldn’t help but continue to blame herself. So much had been taken away from Liz and her daughter as a result of her own inability to decipher the truth and until she made things right, Villandra couldn’t and wouldn’t forgive herself.
“Here we are” Valenti announced, interrupting their thoughts and conversations.
Instantly, Anya curled up closer to Liz though she suspected her daughter’s move was more about her own desire to protect rather than fear for herself. She was definitely a strong little girl. One who adored her mother and often stayed by her side.
“Before we go inside, I just want to say to you that Amy and I both know about… about where you’re from” he stated after struggling to find words that wouldn’t offend any of the three females. “Kyle told us about it some time ago so you don’t have to be afraid or anything. We’re perfectly okay with it.”
“He’s telling the truth, mommy” Anya whispered in her mother’s ear.