A Touch of Fey (Merry Gentry XO Adult UC) Complete ~ 5/26

[polartwins]

Title: A Touch of Fey
Disclaimer: We own absolutely nothing, all characters and original Roswell/Merry Gentry verse settings belong to other very lucky people.
Pairings/Couples/Category: UC/Crossover. Michael/Liz/Alex.
Rating: Adult
Summary: Liz has a heritage and destiny of her own as a Princess of the Seelie Court; she befriends Michael before Max and Isabel find him again in the third grade, and they begin the path to a relationship that will resume almost a decade later – after she is taken from him and her family to a new and scary world, and after he deals with his own destiny as Lord General of Antar.
Warnings: Contains violence, romantic interactions including a couple very adult scenes, and of course, angst.

A/N: This story is complete and will be updated every week (since there’s two of us, that should even stay true ). It is told as a long series of drabbles showing both Liz and Michael’s lives from childhood to adulthood. There will be a sequel written as a more traditional story showing their relationship as adults, and dealing with more of the canon events of the Merry Gentry Books. We hope you enjoy!

First Impression

Shifting uncomfortably, Michael stood in the front of the room, staring at his toes as he felt the curious, burning press of eyes on his forehead, and scuffed his shoes, fighting the urge to roll his eyes as the teacher went through an introduction of him to the class. His third such introduction in the past six months; a price he paid for being a ward of the state, bouncing from home to home when the family couldn’t deal with his ‘special’ needs.

Biting back a sigh, he lifted his head, his face and eyes blank as he flicked his gaze over the happy, shiny faces filling the room, feeling at a loss as he couldn’t understand the innocence filling their eyes, or the excited tilt of their lips. They lived a life he’d never experienced, one where they went to bed with the knowledge that they were loved and cherished, and they’d never have to worry about having enough food or even a warm place to sleep. Smirking derisively, he turned away from the bright eyes, certain that this was just going to be another futile waste of time until his eyes lit on her.

Unlike the others, her eyes were turned away from him, studiously trained on the small, clasped hands on her desk, her bottom lip clenched firmly between her teeth, and although she was obviously part of the class, she had an air of isolation surrounding her, a feeling he understood all too well. It wasn’t obvious to the kids around him; they wouldn’t have picked up on the subtle reserved vibes, but they were there plain as day, washing over his senses in a light ripple. It intrigued him; she intrigued him in a way no other had.

Soft, shiny dark brown hair sheltered part of her face and he couldn’t help the spark of curiosity that shield invoked, even surprised at himself for wanting to delve deeper behind the façade she presented to the world. Licking his lips, he barely quelled the impulse to dip his head to catch a glimpse of those eyes that she kept carefully diverted and tore his gaze away from the girl as the teacher spoke to him.

Caught up in his intense study, he had nearly missed the teacher moving across the front, leading him to what was supposed to be his prison cell for the year, and scowled at the idea of putting up the effort of being nice to his desk mate, a curious, pleased surprise filtering through when the teacher led him to the girl he’d been watching. Head popping up at the sound of her name, dark eyes that reminded him of the deer he’d once seen in the woods met his, an almost fearful panic filling them as the teacher introduced them, making his lips curl in reassurance, the desire to soothe her nerves an oddity to him.

Sitting at his desk, he scratched at his eyebrow and went through the motions of listening to the teacher explain the materials she handed him, flicking an impatient glance over the gathered books and tools, knowing he could scan and understand those books in the matter of minutes if he chose, but nodding so that the teacher would hurry up and leave. Throwing his materials carelessly into his tray as she walked away to begin class, he groaned internally at having to pretend even superficially that he cared, when really, he found school to be a waste of his time when he should be looking for his family, until he caught a subtle movement from the girl in his peripheral vision.

Turning his head toward her, the one the teacher had called Liz, he was startled when shy brown irises met his, a faint golden glow filling them as their eyes clashed, battling with an underlying sense of loneliness he’d have never expected, and his heart stilled as a slow smile spread over her face before she turned away. Swallowing thickly, he faced the front of the classroom, but didn’t hear a word of the lesson as he studied her from the corner of his eye, confusion swirling in his gut as she presented him with a mystery he couldn’t quite decipher, followed by a jolt of shock that he actually wanted to find out.

[Ashita]

Thanks Kris, tigerr100 and panda2001 for your comments. Whims and I are glad you liked (or at the very least are intrigued by) the first installment.

AN: Just a quick note, we aren't subbing Liz into Merry's place, but integrating most of the Roswell characters and verse into the Merry verse, (with significant changes of course) and most notably the three Roswell characters in our main pairing. Michael, Liz and Alex's places in the Merry verse will be shown over the course of these drabbles before we jump into the main story. (Yes there is a sequel in the planning. This story is just to build the background story.)

AN2: I am posting this under my sign on because I forgot the password to mine and Whimsy's joint account. Sorry! Anyways, enjoy!
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Hidden Folk

Liz had always known she was different, even before she knew why, and she had always known she had to hide it. It was what her mother whispered to her every night as she fell asleep, no lullabies or bedtime stories, but words of warning, protection, and concealment. Her mother’s magic had wrapped around her like a cloak at all times, warm and tingling and safe, hiding the truth of what she was from all eyes, even her father’s. By the time she could walk, she could almost control the wild magic that bubbled inside of her, and her glamour, the shimmering veil of illusion that hid her from the world, was almost strong enough to stand by itself, to maintain the pretense that she was a normal, human child.

She didn’t want to be human; she didn’t want to be oblivious to the sparkling currents of magic, of energy, of life, that flowed through the world around her, but she could feel her mother’s fear in those flows, almost as strong as her love, and so she pretended. By the time she could talk, her mother let her practice it without her help, even in front of others, and by the time she went to Kindergarten, she could maintain the invisible shield of magic throughout the day – a stifling, but necessary protection.

By then she also knew why they were hiding, knew that the father she loved, who loved her in return, although he had never seen her true face, wasn’t her real father, and that her real father was a dangerous man. Well, a dangerous person since he wasn’t a man at all. She knew that her mother had fled when she learned she was pregnant; fled to protect Liz from the same prejudice and danger that haunted her, fled from a world that Liz could picture clearly in her mind – beautiful, magical, and cruel, as cruel as her real father.

It could have been a lonely existence; always hiding, always afraid, but she could feel her mother always, a loving, comforting glow, and she could feel the Earth, the constant pulse of life beneath her feet. There was a continued sense of emptiness she didn’t quite understand; something that should be there that wasn’t, like a memory of the taste of salt on her tongue, but it was usually overwhelmed by the sheer joy she took in life, in learning. She knew that there were others like her in town, a couple of adults and children who had that inner glow of magic, the faintest touch of inhuman other, of fey, but she wasn’t allowed to reveal herself to them.

Who and what she was had to stay hidden, always.

It was hard though, to not reach out with her magic, to resist the pull of knowing others of her kind, and one boy in particular, new to her school, prickled at her senses, calling to that empty part of her. His inner glow was strong with that subtle strength of sidhe power, but not consistent; fitful bursts of magic and something else, brushing against her skin like electricity, as did his ever watchful gaze, burning caramel eyes she tried to ignore as she ignored all the other children.

Unfortunately, he was not as easy to dismiss as the others, and although he never spoke to her outside of required class projects, she could sense his regard focused on her. It made her afraid; afraid that this one, strange boy, would be the person who ripped away her protection, who revealed her true identity and brought danger to her and her mother. And danger to her father, who wouldn’t be able to protect himself, and might not want to protect her once he learned the truth.

Going to school became a tense and strained event, because in addition to frightening her, he intrigued her. She was an outsider by choice, withholding herself from others, making acquaintances, but never friends, choosing to focus on her studies instead and gaining a reputation as a bookworm, a teacher’s pet. But, although he also made no efforts towards friendship, neither did the other students, avoiding him as if on some primal level they too could sense the tingling power she felt, a deeper deterrent than the more superficial reasons of his poverty and who his foster father was. Something in his eyes told her that he was aware of the other children’s reactions, told her that like herself, he didn’t think like a normal child.

If she had been free to make friends, if she didn’t know that the same attributes that made him interesting, made him dangerous, she might have broken her own reserve to approach him. But she did know the dangers, and so school was no longer a safe haven of learning, but a place where she had to constantly keep her guard up, not just her glamour, but all of her shields, magical and emotional.

The park was the only place left where she could relax, where she could hide from everyone – the other students, Michael, her father, even her mother, who would not approve of her dropping her guard even for a moment. Once she was deep into the trees, she released all of her shields so that she could feel the heartbeat of nature, could taste the magic in the air; could feel the gentle caress of the wind and sun against her true skin. Reaching down, she gently touched the leaves of the bushes she was walking past, smiling at the pulse of life against her fingertips.

The sudden sound of a sharp intake of breath made her heart race, the metallic taste of fear burning on her tongue as she spun and saw him, the boy who made her so afraid, staring at her true form in wonder. How had he found her? Had he been following her? She stood frozen in fear and indecision, not knowing what to do, Then he tried to touch her, and instinct took over. Her shields snapped back into place and she backed away, turning to flee, to find her mother who would know what to do, who would know how to fix this.

His hand wrapped around her wrist, holding her with more than human strength, which wouldn’t have been able to stop her, and she felt her glamour falter at the touch of his power, her throat tightening in panic as she met his gaze, barely processing his words as he asked her to wait. His grip slackened when her glamour fell completely and she wrenched out of his grasp, feet poised for flight until his next words penetrated her haze of terror. “I have a secret too!”

[polartwins]

A/N: Thanks for the feedback you three! We will get quite a bit more background about all the characters in the next few drabbles. Basically this whole series is about setting the background and stage for our longer story, which will then incorporate the books and characters more (while the drabbles will only have a few characters from the books). And pandas2001, I'm so glad we could inspire you to read them! They're amazing books, and while you don't need to know much of the plot of them for this series, other than the structure of the world created, the sequel to this will involve the overall plot of the book series.

Secrets Revealed

Kicking a loose stone across the ground, Michael walked through the park stiffly, grunting when a flash of pain stitched his ribs, forcing him to slow his pace and rub at the sore muscles before he dropped his hand. Lifting his head, he studied the sparsely populated park with a quiet, brooding glance, happy that few people came this early in the morning, because he didn’t want to explain why he was stiff and hurting. It was a secret that most of his classmates wouldn’t be able to handle.

Not to mention the all too helpful moms who would fuss if they realized he wasn’t being supervised, although he didn’t see why they worried about him; he was old enough to take care of himself and they certainly didn’t care enough about him to keep him from Hank. Scoffing at their feigned concerned glances, he ducked his head and cut to the left, walking swiftly over the grass as one of those so-called concerned mommies looked in his direction, her brow pinching, but unable to comment without running after him

And they never bothered with that.

A sigh rippled over his lips as the mother paid him no mind after that initial good Samaritan notice and he looked up, his brow creasing when he caught sight of another lone kid walking stealthily through the park, her curtain of dark brown swirling around her face. Looking around, he noted that the mothers paid her no mind, almost seeming to look through the girl in question as she passed, making him frown at why he seemed to draw their eyes when she walked past without a word. But then again, it was Liz Parker, model student and daughter opposed to Michael Guerin, the troublemaking foster son of the town drunk.

Arching a brow, he watched her melt into a patch of trees; that was the only way he could put it, she simply disappeared from view as if she were a part of them. Walking over to her last location, he ignored the curious glances he drew and entered the trees, electricity dancing over his skin as he passed through the opening, searching out the girl that was only steps ahead of him, halting when he didn’t hear a sound. Closing his eyes, he reached out with that sense that always seemed to get him in trouble, gently probing for her presence, and smiled when he felt a ripple of golden energy to his right.

Turning in that direction, he passed through the brush silently, curious eyes darting around, his gut jumping when he caught sight of a familiar head of brown hair just ahead, sauntering through the trees as she hummed a lilting melody, her fingers dragging along the bark. Holding his breath, his eyes rounded as her hair seemed to change before his very eyes, the single color giving way to a deep, rich nut brown, streaked with raven blue-black and a gold so rich it almost looked like the gold on the ring he’d seen his teacher wear.

Rubbing his eyes with his fists, he blinked and stood stock still when the colors seemed to take hold and deepen, the nut brown taking on an undertone of bronze, the tresses catching the light and gleaming in the pale sunlight. Mouth slightly agape, he watched as she tipped her face to that pale stream of sun, her eyes closing in pleasure as her tanned skin changed, a true gold undertone lighting the skin, giving it the true meaning of sun-kissed, its radiance nearly blinding in its purity and beauty.

Gasping aloud, he winced when her head whipped around, her startled eyes flying to his as she tensed, a ripple of palpable apprehension riding over her skin as she froze down to a cellular level, fear dancing in startlingly beautiful eyes. Licking his lips, he remained perfectly still, as if met with a startled deer and his eyes flicked over her face as tri-colored orbs met his, the irises a deep earthy brown at the center, blending into a coopery bronze and then to a pure golden circle that matched the golden and bronze highlights in her hair.

Fey. Liz Parker was fey; and not just any fey, but sidhe by her coloring.

Hypnotized, he reached out his hand to touch her cheek, breaking the spell between them and sending her panic up another notch as she shook her head, her glamour springing up instantly as she backed away, cheeks and lips paling as he continued to stare at her, faintly disappointed when she covered her true form. Taking a step forward, he frowned when she stumbled back further, apparently scared of her discovery, which he didn’t understand in the least. Why would she cover up such beauty with an ordinary human mask? The fey had been visible for centuries.

Shaking her head, she spun around, making as if to flee, her usual mocha touched skin chalky and her eyes wild as she looked for a way out, fighting him when he stepped forward quickly and wrapped his hand around her wrist, sending her reassuring waves as she faced him, the fear in her eyes stabbing him in the heart. He knew that look; knew it far too well and knew instinctively, for whatever reason, that he was not supposed to have witnessed her transformation and that she wasn’t supposed to be in her true form.

“Liz, wait. I…” he swallowed, struggling to keep his grip on her arm as her agitation grew and that mask dropped, her glamour failing in her distress and the brilliant, gold, bronze and browns coming to life under the sun once more, leaving him stunned by the sheer, shining beauty in front of him. He’d thought she was pretty and intriguing before, in a kind of abstract way, but her true form was overwhelming to even his eight-year-old mind. Startling when she wrenched her hand away, he held up his hand as she whirled, preparing to flee, revealing in a rushed tumble of words. “I have a secret too!”

Liz halted mid-step, turning back around slowly, her body vibrating with tension as she studied him suspiciously, her glamour still down as that cloud of multi-colored hair swirled around her shoulders and brilliant eyes glinted at him warily. Swallowing harshly, she looked around furtively before she edged closer to him, almost like wild animal, wondering if the hand before it were friend or foe, her voice low and controlled as she queried. “What kind of secret?”

“I can do things others can’t,” Michael replied, remaining in place as he shrugged quietly, not wanting to make any movement or gestures that would have her fleeing once more. He hadn’t run into any of his kind before (at least he thought he was fey, but having no memory of his youth and found alone on the road, he couldn’t be sure) and he didn’t want to lose her trust or have her fear him. He had so many questions and she might be the only one in this town that could answer them.

“Like?” she asked breathlessly, her shoulders sagging a bit as she watched him steadily, a thousand questions flitting through her eyes, completely unaware that she still hadn’t rebuilt her glamour or hid her appearance, a level of trust that gave him hope for a potential friendship; if he could keep her from running away from him.

Closing his eyes, Michael delved deep into his center, where the electric-blue pulse of power pooled in his gut, moving and shaping it into a ball before he opened his eyes and focused on a nearby rock, his brow crinkling in concentration as he lifted it about three feet off the ground. Handing trembling slightly, his brow broke out into a sheen of sweat as he tried to keep the power flowing out of him steady, the rock hovering mid air for a moment and the air crackling around them before it dropped back to the earth. Shaking slightly, he met wide tri-colored eyes, smiling weakly when she walked forward, wonder etched into her features as she halted at his side.

“Wow…” Liz whispered, her hesitance bleeding away into awe and excitement as she studied him quietly, reaching out a hand to grasp his, the air still vibrating around them, a ripple of that remaining electricity arcing between them as soon as their fingers met. Gasping, their hands clutched around one another as scenes flashed before their eyes and emotions zinged back and forth between them before they yanked away, eyes wide and frightened as she stammered. “I - I’m sorry. I’m s-still learning to control m-my gifts. Are you fey?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered back, sober, stunned gazes meshing, as they stood inches apart, their chests heaving as they tried to decipher what had just happened.

[polartwins]

A/N: Thank you all so much for the feedback! I can't tell you how thrilled we are to see so much reaction to this story already. Cjsl8ne, I definitely recommend reading them, they're a fantastically interesting world, although fair warning, quite a bit more sex-centric then our story . I hope you all continue to enjoy!

Elfstruck

He ran through the streets, his breath rough and ragged, thankful that Hank’s latest binge made it easy for him to sneak off before the man stirred and used him to vent his frustration at the world, but cursing the fact that his having to sneak out meant that he was running late again. He knew that she’d be there already, waiting for him to join her. Liz was unfailingly on time, while he was always running behind. Not that she seemed to mind, but he had hoped to beat her to their place for once, so that he could watch her transform and lose that common mask she hid behind as he did the first day he discovered her secret.

The change between her forms never ceased to fascinate and amaze him, especially when it crept up on her like a butterfly changing, the color slowly blooming on her cheeks, hair, lips and the three, bright colored rings in her eyes, not that he’d ever mention it to her. It was bad enough that she teased him about his poetic soul in the few times they connected; he could only imagine what would happen if she found out how much her natural form affected him.

Slipping into the trees, he skidded to a halt in the middle of the clearing where they had first revealed their secret to one another, surprised that she wasn’t there, his stomach sinking as he wondered if something had happened or if she had gotten sick, disappointment niggling as he scuffed his shoes, trying to decide if he should wait or go. Rocking on his heels, he bounced slightly, about to leave when a slight rustle caught his ear, his head shooting up when he felt a familiar thrum of gold energy.

Awestruck, he watched as she walked through the trees, that odd, absorbed expression she got whenever she was in the woods on her face as the layers of her mask slowly stripped away, his heart speeding up as her appearance changed, making his cheeks flush with discomfort. Clawing at his eyebrow, he wanted to tear his eyes away, but there was something about her appearance that made it nearly impossible for him to look away and he had to wonder if it was some mild case of being elfstruck. He knew that most fey were attracted to the sidhe and ordinary humans had little chance against their charms.

And it seemed he was no exception.

Truthfully, such power would frighten him, make him wary of his friend if it weren’t for the fact that he knew she had no control over his response to her; to her, his reaction was just because fey, especially sidhe, were uncommon in their small town. They were the only ones along with her mother as far as he knew and all three of them were in hiding. She had no idea that it made his stomach tingle and jump, that he got flustered around her not because he wasn’t used to her natural form, but because he was drawn to her in a way he couldn’t explain.

“You just going to stand there and stare at me all day, Mikey?” she giggled, drawing him out of his thoughts, making him shake his head as a smirk flickered across his face and he rolled his eyes, turning his back to her so he could get his expression back under control as she walked into the clearing, her light laughter tugging a reluctant smile across his lips. “Or are we going to practice?”

“Whatever,” he muttered, his lips twitching as they walked through the clearing and deeper into the woods, feeling the familiar press of her glamour wrapping around them, shielding them from prying eyes so they could work on their individual powers. Their first meeting had pointed out all too well that they both needed a finer control. Flicking the giggling girl an exasperated glare, he grumbled without heat as she took the lead. “And stop calling me Mikey.”

[polartwins]

A/N: Thank you so much for the feedback you three! We appreciate each comment, and usually end up sending them to each other all 'look what we got!' And yes, pandas2001, we did say they get separated, and we will find out about that soonish , in the mean time, enjoy the chapter and thanks again for the comments!

White Lies

Liz tugged on Michael’s hand , warm and tense in her own, as she walked across the backroom of the Crashdown, ignoring the reluctant scowl on his face. “My mother can help you with your powers more than I can; and besides, I don’t think that my father believes that I’ve actually made a friend, so you have to meet him.”

He arched a disparaging eyebrow at her, pulling uselessly against her small but surprisingly strong fingers, and muttered. “I’m not sure that I’m the kind of friend he wants you to have.”

Rolling her eyes at him, Liz continued determinedly up the stairs. “Stop being so dramatic. He’ll love you because I do, and trust me, he’ll just be happy that I have a friend; it’s my mom you’ll have to win over.” Stopping so suddenly that he almost collided with her back, she shot him a warning and slightly fearful glance. “Just, don’t forget –”

“That your dad has no idea about you and your mom, I know.” He finished for her, giving her a grimace that was almost a smile as his face softened. “I won’t say or do anything, I swear.”

She beamed at him as some indefinable tension released inside of her. A part of her hated that her father didn’t know the truth, that he didn’t even know what she looked like, what her mother really looked like, that she would never know if he loved the real her. But the rest of her knew that it was that ignorance that kept him safe, and both for his protection, and the protection of her heart, which couldn’t bear it if he hated her or her mother for the omission, he could never find out what they had been hiding from him all this time. The fey didn’t lie, but they did conceal the truth, and as long as he never asked, was never given a reason to ask, their secret would be safe.

Opening her front door, Liz jerked a still resistant Michael into the apartment, leading him down the hall to the living room where both of her parents were waiting. Her father was sitting in his favorite recliner, attention divided between the door and the television, which was displaying a game featuring his favorite football player. Her mother was leaning against the arm of his chair, a gentle smile on her face that Liz knew was there to conceal the tension she could feel rippling off her mother in waves, only detectible to Liz’s other senses.

Her mother had not been happy to learn that Liz had been careless enough to be caught without her glamour, even if the one doing the catching was like them (and was clueless about his heritage), and only the fact that she knew fear drove her mother’s anger, enabled Liz to not take hurt from the words her mother had used when she first told her what happened.

Michael had dropped her hand and was staring uncomfortably at his feet; she frowned for a moment, and then covered it with a bright smile, linking her arm through his stiff one and chirping cheerfully. “Hi mom and dad, this is my friend, Michael.”

Her mother’s smile tightened for the briefest second before warming further, while her father turned away from the TV, a genial grin on his face that didn’t flicker at all when he saw the clearly tense boy standing next to her. “It’s very nice to meet you, Michael; clearly you have good taste in friends.” He said with a jovial chuckle, his blue eyes twinkling as Michael looked up hesitantly, not smiling, but no longer scowling either.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. and Mrs. Parker.” He mumbled, shifting his weight but not trying to pull his arm away from Liz again when she grabbed his hand, earning a gentle squeeze and a smile from her. She was glad that her father had proved to be just as welcoming as she’d expected; it was her mother, and the empty smile in her blue eyes, that worried Liz.

“Why don’t you come into the kitchen, Michael, and I’ll make you and Liz some lunch.” Nancy said serenely, gesturing towards the small hallway that led to the kitchen with a pale, delicate hand. Michael hesitated, glancing at Liz who nodded encouragingly as she took a step forward, pulling him along with her, willing or not. Lunch would be a start, and meant that her mother was willing to give him a chance. Liz knew that she could persuade her to trust Michael given time – the fey didn’t have reputations as silver tongues for nothing.

[polartwins]

Feedback: Thank you so much for the feedback you three! We appreciate it like crazy! And we don't see it this time, but we will have more interaction between Nancy and Michael

Family Bonds

He felt them before he saw them, before they even walked in the door, a ripple of familiar energy that flowed through his veins like water and sparked a deep-seated memory of a cold dark cave, dank, stale air wafting around him as he stared at something he couldn’t quite recall, but glowed invitingly in the dark. But he knew them, knew the taste of their power, an almost metallic, sweetness that reminded him of the taste of blood as it trickled over his tongue when he had split his lip. Or really, when it had been done for him.

Heart thudding in his ears, he watched as two new kids walked into his class, wishing Liz was sitting next to him so that he could get her reaction to the raw power that seemed to pour off the brother and sister team, but she was in a different class this year and that assessment would have to wait. Looking around the room, he flicked a cool, bored glance over his classmates, wondering if they too had picked up on that strand of power that seemed to circle the room, beating against his senses heavily, but they were null, staring at the two blankly; no apparent psychic gifts among them.

Looking back to the front, his stomach jumped when the blond girl’s brow furrowed, one slim brow arching as she turned silently to her dark-haired brother, the two of them sharing a look that only they seemed to understand before gripping each other’s hand and he felt the power in the room increase subtly, one of his classmates finally flinching a bit, indicating a small psychic awareness. He himself remained placid. Two sets of dark eyes latched onto his classmate making him squirm and look away as they turned to each other once more, shaking their heads in unison.

Chuckling internally, he smirked as he continued to study them; obviously his classmate didn’t make the cut and they knew he was here, but hadn’t the sensitivity or fine tuning necessary to decipher who in the room was the one putting off the power, so they hoped that by drowning the person with their own, it would rat him or her out. Thankfully, he and Liz practiced at least once or twice a week with their powers, and he had gotten to the point that he didn’t react to such power plays after her significantly stronger power, that tasted of what he always imaged what the ocean would, had flooded over him routinely.

Leaning back into his chair, his face sobered as the girl looked over at him, making that funny jump in his stomach once more as she studied him quietly, the corner of her mouth twisting and a shrewdness he wouldn’t have expected sparked in her eyes, one that would made him squirm had he not trained. Meeting her gaze unflinchingly, he gave her a bored, inscrutable moue, all the while scenes flashed through his head of a night where a hand reached out to him before he turned away, making him shift slightly.

Gasping when he felt an electric sizzle of energy whip through his blood, her brother turned as well, his sober eyes lighting as the landed on him and he felt a gentle probe of familiar power touch his mind, awakening him to a possibility he never dreamed, his stomach icing as he realized that his assumptions about his past were wrong. Turning back to the front, he watched the two warily as they smiled at one another, the teacher separating them and leading the boy to the desk next to him much to his dismay.

Aliens? It wasn’t possible, was it?

Tilting his head as the boy leaned over to him, a relieved, happy smile quirking his lips as Michael flicked a stoic, reserved glance over his extended hand before taking it hesitantly, his eyes widening as a bond flared instantaneously. Hastily jerking his hand away, he watched the other boy with a mixture of distrust and fear as he smiled quietly, his dark eyes sparkling with knowledge as he said. “Hi, I’m Max.”

[polartwins]

pandas2001: Good questions! And they will all be answered, I promise Thanks for the feedback!
garcia88: Thank you for the feedback! This part should answer most of your questions, and they will all be answered eventually
KiaraAlexisKlay: K! I missed you! I'm glad you're enjoying our story We definitely also love seeing Michael not as the weak link, lol, so there will definitely be more of that! Hope you enjoy it once we dive more into the MG universe too. Thanks for the feedback!
cjsl8ne: Thanks for the feedback! This isn't what will separate them, but it will definitely lead to a little bit of drama. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

A/N: So sorry for the delay everyone, I'd love to have an excuse, but honestly, I just totally spaced and Ashita's on vacation so she has limited internet access. Hope you all enjoy and we'll be back next Sunday with a new chapter!

Not What You Think

“You can’t avoid them forever,” Liz murmured quietly, as they sat on the grass at lunch, her face tipped up towards the sun as Michael broodingly watched Max and Isabel from the corner of his eyes as they sat directly across the playground watching him and Liz with a perplexed, disgruntled expression. Scratching his brow, he turned to his friend as she faced him, her chocolate-tinted eyes regarding him seriously, looking far too adult for her tender years, a quiet knowledge simmering in bronzed irises.

“I know,” he muttered, looking away as he plucked at the grass absently, his stomach gurgling slightly since he hadn’t been able to find anything edible in the trailer that morning, wincing when Liz looked at him accusingly before reaching into her bag and handing him a second sandwich, giving him a pointed look when he almost refused. Flushing slightly, he took the sandwich, nibbling on it quietly as she turned away and stared at their new schoolmates once more. “I just don’t know if what I’m feeling is real.”

“Weirder things have happened,” she replied, biting into her own sandwich daintily, chewing as she studied Isabel and Max with a thoughtful frown, and he felt her powers ripple, creeping out gently as if she was probing them, her brow furrowing when the other two jolted, looking slightly spooked. Turning back to him, she shook her head at the reaction and shared a smile with him. He had to agree, if they kept acting so jumpy, people were going to wonder.

“Aliens?” he asked skeptically, cramming the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and reaching over to swipe one of the chocolate chip cookies her mom had packed into her lunch, grinning unrepentantly when she cocked a brow at him and nudged his shoulder as she handed over one of the milks she’d bought.

“I’m fey,” she shrugged, tossing the rest of the cookies his way as she brushed the crumbs from her jeans and grabbed her peach, preferring the naturally sweet juicy fruit to the sugary treats any day. She only brought the cookies because she knew they were his weakness, although that was something neither would admit to. “Why not aliens?”

“It just seems so…unreal,” he protested, greedily diving into the cookies as he glanced back at Isabel and Max, the two quietly talking amongst themselves as they ate their own lunches, both of them looking as if they wanted to sink into the building and become invisible, their actions only making them stand out like a sore thumb. “Like one of those bad movies Hank pretends to watch late at night when…late at night.”

“They said the same about fairies, or fey a long time ago,” Liz reasoned, catching his slip but not commenting on his hasty change of wording as she turned to him, her cool, assessing gaze flicking over him as she touched him with her magic, a feeling he’d gotten used to, and even invited, in the time he’d known her. “Besides, your energy always felt different, fey but more, maybe that’s why.”

Michael grunted, scratching at his brow as he thought about what she said, grudgingly conceding that there might be something to it as she had mentioned a couple times that his magic or power was tinged with something different, a flavor that she couldn’t explain or tie to anything in nature. Drawing his knees to his chest, he rested his chin on them, plucking at the grass absently once more as she packed up their trash, before continuing in that annoyingly logical way of hers.

“Your gifts feel…they don’t feel the same as mine,” she hedged, averting her eyes and staring into space as if looking for the right words to explain what she meant, her forehead crinkling for a moment, then smoothing when she seemed to find the explanation she was searching for. “It’s like they have a different taste…like soot, but mixed with a sweet metal I can’t place.”

“That’s what I first thought when I tasted their power in school,” he admitted, lifting his head from his knees and looking at the Evans with a thoughtful frown, scrambling to his feet as she got up and headed for the waste basket, trotting after her quietly, ignoring the burn of amber eyes in his back as they walked off to edge of the playground, walking the track so they could continue talking in private.

“What’s that?” she asked, tipping her head to his, her bright brown eyes flicking over him curiously, making him wish that they weren’t at school and were in their secret place so that he saw three unique bands of color, smattered with light blue flecks that were only visible when they were this close to one another.

“That they tasted like sweet metal,” he replied, looking away from her as he sensed her amusement, knowing she’d likely guessed his train of thought, making him grumble slightly under his breath as he wished that lesser fey weren’t so drawn to the sidhe. That is, if he was fey. Ever since Max and Isabel had inadvertently connected with him, and knocked loose those memories he’d obviously suppressed, he wasn’t sure what he was anymore.

“You need to talk to them,” she replied, her amusement draining away to seriousness and he shook his head as she became the mini-adult again, wondering what it was that made her seem more mature than the kid that she was. Then again, he was nearly the same age and between Hank, and being bounced around when families couldn’t handle someone with fey blood, he’d never felt like a kid. “They may have answers you need.”

“I don’t know if I want to know,” he muttered, kicking at a rock in his path, sending it skittering across the white gravel path before shooting a glance over at Max and Isabel as they made their way over to a tree, Isabel sitting against it while Max stood, his back pressed into the bark, both looking at him and Liz a little forlorn, sending a trickle of guilt snaking through his gut.

“That’s too close to a lie,” she parroted automatically, smiling sheepishly when he glared at her balefully, before cocking her small brow at him and meeting his disgruntled expression unflinchingly, her lips curving into an amused smile as she recited in a sing-song tone, making his lips quirk as well. “Fey do not lie.”

“Fine,” he conceded with a smirk that faded as he looked back to his supposed family, the trickle of guilt and unease growing as he clawed at his brow, scrubbing his hand over his hair as he kicked another rock, his stomach churning that she’d think he was weak as he admitted quietly. “I’m scared to find out.”

“Better,” she teased as she grabbed the hand that hung limply between them, giving it a little squeeze as he looked up in surprise and fought the twin urges to pull away and to keep right on holding it despite knowing they would be teased by their classmates. “They’re scared too. You can feel it. But I think they’re more scared you won’t accept them, where you’re just scared of what it might mean if you talk to them.”

“I don’t want to be alien,” he admitted, finally deciding to go with it and kept holding her hand as they walked along, willing to put up with the taunts that she was his girlfriend in order to retain that comforting link with his friend. Flicking a speaking glance at Liz, he shrugged. “Fey I can handle, but alien, that seems just too…weird to me.”

“You can’t change what you are because you wish different,” she pointed out quietly, her eyes growing sad, distant and dark as they flicked over their very normal classmates, his stomach hurting at the wistful glance she shot them, knowing she too was wishing she didn’t have such a big secret to keep, that she was just like the rest of them.

“I hate when you do that,” he teased, halting abruptly, their arms snapping between them as the action halted her progress as well and shook her out of her obviously darkening thoughts as she turned to him with a faint smile touching her lips, her brows rising inquisitively as she asked. “What?”

“Go know it all, practical fey on me,” he complained as he started walking again, dragging her with him as she giggled softly, his smile widening in response as he ignored the wistful gaze of another girl, just happy that he managed to prod Liz out of her sober mood and snorted when she cocked her head, teasing him right back, lofting arrogantly. “I can’t help it if I’m right.”

“Whatever,” he snickered, tossing a resigned look over Isabel and Max, his shoulders tightening slightly as he caught their gazes, that familiar brush of electric power flowing between them, making his gut twitch, that sweet metal taste filling his mouth as he sighed, rolling his eyes when he felt the satisfied ripple flowing over his friend as he promised. “Fine, I’ll talk to them, but that’s all I promise.”

[polartwins]

Feedback: Thanks for the feedback guys! Sorry for again having a bit of a delay, I didn't end up getting back to school until late yesterday, and Ashita's also just gotten back from vacation, so we're both a little scattered still But! routine updates should commence post haste Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Uneasy Truce

Max huddled next to Isabel, the two of them watching as Michael and Liz put their heads together, sharing some sort of confidence between themselves as they ate lunch alone once more, his gut jumping as he recalled the conversation he had with Michael just days ago when he finally approached them after a couple weeks of hedging. He had been elated when the other boy slowly walked up to them, thinking that he was forsaking his human friend and their unit was now complete, as it had been intended before Michael had run off when the Evans showed up.

He had gotten a rude awakening.

It started out well enough, he and Isabel excited to have their friend back by their side, the three of them talking about the night they got separated and trying to find out why Michael fled, but things started to get tense as they asked about his parents, his face closing down when he mentioned his foster dad. Flicking a nervous glance at his sister, Max had cleared his throat and dropped the subject, detecting his unwillingness to share and not wanting to scare him off after Michael’s initial standoffishness.

Isabel reached over to him at that point, startling him when she touched his arm, smiling her winsome, charming smile in an effort to make him relax, but only seeming to up his suspicious perusal until she dropped her hand, quietly stating that she was happy they were all together again. That drew a faint smile from the stoic boy until they made their second mistake in not understanding how important Liz was to Michael.

“So now that we’re here, we can be a family,” Isabel whispered softly, smiling hesitantly at the other boy, her smile dimming slightly when Michael just stared at her blankly before drawing back slightly, his expression wary. “You can hang out with your own kind and not have to worry about discovery.”

“What do you mean by that?” Michael asked quietly, his gaze hardening a touch as it flicked back and forth between him and Isabel, his lips drawn into a thin line as he cocked a brow, not at all moved by Isabel’s efforts at making him feel like a part of their group as he retreated further.

“You know what we mean,” Max whispered, sharing a pointed look with Isabel for a moment before turning it back onto Michael, who shifted uncomfortably, his face darkening as his shoulders hunched defensively, his body language clearly stating his discomfit with the conversation. “Liz wouldn’t be able to understand you like we do and this way she won’t find out that we’re…well, you know.”

“Liz understands me just fine,” Michael scowled, his eyes heating as he pulled even further into himself as he stared at the two of them with distrust, making Max’s stomach clench as Michael shook his head at him and Isabel, his face closed down and unreadable. “Why should I trust or believe anything you have to say, anyway?”

“Come on Michael,” Isabel pleaded softly, flashing that smile that always seemed to get her what she wanted from their parents, copying the little girl wiles that she had picked up from the TV and using them on the reluctant, frowning boy in front of them. “She can’t know what we’re, you know, alie…”

“Actually, she does. I told her,” he interrupted abruptly, quickly shutting them both down as he dropped that bomb on them, sending a ripple of fear through their bodies as his scowl deepened and he tossed over his shoulder in disgust as he walked away. “And to think, she was the one who told me to give you two a chance. I shouldn’t have listened.”

Michael had walked away without a backward glance, his irritation with them palpable as he walked back over to Liz and sat down, exchanging a few words with her before he fell silent, Liz wisely letting the matter drop as they stared out over the playground, only making the occasional comment or observation, finally drawing a reluctant smile over his face by the end of the period.

Stomach swirling sickly, Max met Isabel’s gaze, nodding toward the friends, indicating that they should get this over with, the two of them realizing that in order to be a part of Michael’s world, they would have to make peace with the human girl he invited into his life and accept her no matter their reluctance. Nodding, Isabel took his hand as they crossed the playground to stand before Michael and Liz, two sets of dark eyes watching them curiously as he greeted. “Hi, I’m Max and this is Isabel, can we sit with you?”

[polartwins]

garcia88: Thanks for the review! We're glad you've enjoyed them being friends, especially since now is when things start to to change As for Alex, he will be appearing soonish, but I think you'll be surprised when he does.
pandas2001: I definitely agree that for Max and Isabel, it's all about Michael, and Liz is more of a necessary evil. This chapter though, is when everything changes, so relationships will be quite different after this. Thanks for the feedback!
cjsl8ne: It is very fun writing a confident Michael, who has someone who cares about him, so we're both glad you're enjoying reading him as much as we enjoyed writing him. As for secret revealing, well, this chapter should take care of that Thanks for the review!

Unmasked

Max and Isabel Evans were out of school on some trip with their parents, so for one of the few times since they had shown up the year before and Michael had reluctantly befriended them, she had him all to herself at recess. The two of them had claimed one of the red balls and were playing two-square with it at the corner of the playground, ignoring the rest of the children, and the teacher who was paying more attention to her newspaper than the students. There was something satisfying about the slap of rubber against her palm, and the slight crack it made when it hit the cement, and even Michael was displaying one of his rare, small, and reserved smiles.

A few of the older students, ones who had made their dislike of Michael clear before Max and Isabel started school and the four of them had strength of numbers on their side, started drifting towards them. Liz tensed as she exchanged a wary glance with her friend, all of her instincts screaming for flight, since fight was not an option. The teacher was still oblivious and Liz was hesitant to call out to her, knowing that it might just encourage the other children to try again later, when they could be sure of no adult interference.

The leader of the four students, not the oldest but the meanest, stopped at the edge of the squares chalked on the ground, one of his hands reaching out to snag the ball, a malicious smile lighting his face. “Back to just the bookworm for company, huh trailer trash?” He asked mockingly as other students who weren’t involved started to edge away from their area of the playground, staying close enough to watch, but not close enough to be targeted.

“Don’t call her that.” Michael growled out, his hands clenching into fists as he rocked on his feet, clearly itching to step forward into the other boy’s space, but resisting for her sake, not wanting to start something physical unless they had no choice.

Liz let out a small chuckle, making all eyes snap towards her as she assumed a natural looking smile, no hint of the fear and anger she felt showing on her face. “But I am a bookworm, so he merely speaks truth.” Michael looked startled and the other boy smirked at her, until her smile faded into something colder, something that even on her innocent, human face, made him frown and almost lean back. “But he is not trailer trash, and you have no right to call him that.”

The bully’s face darkened angrily and he stepped towards her, Michael letting out a warning noise as she held her ground. “I’ll call him whatever I want, little miss teacher’s pet, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The other three had crowded closer, closing in when Liz shook her head defiantly, prompting the boy to grab her arm, his fingers tightening painfully on her skin. She knew she could pull away, she was much stronger than a regular human, even one older than her, but doing so would reveal her heritage, leading to far worse dangers than playground bullies. Michael started towards her, a furious and protective scowl on his face, and two of the other boys shoved him to the ground, making her heart race with fear that they would really hurt him, or that he would really hurt them.

“No!” She cried out when one of them kicked him, unable to stop herself from wrenching out of the bully’s grasp and pushing the one who had hurt Michael out of the way, ignoring their surprised gasps at how strong she was as she pulled Michael to his feet. She could feel his power running across her skin like electricity and knew he was close to losing control; her own power, warmer and smoother, was starting to swell, to press against the inside of her skin, begging to be let out, to hurt those who had hurt them.

It might have ended there, she might have been able to contain that power, but then the fourth boy tried to grab Michael to distract him, while the first grabbed her again, and received a punch to the stomach for his trouble, escalating the planned cruelty to actual violence. The tension boiling inside her ratcheted up as the boy holding her forced her arm behind her back, while the other three converged on her friend. When she heard him cry out in pain and rage, something inside of her snapped, and that swell of power overwhelmed her, her skin suddenly glowing with golden light and her eyes gleaming darkly against her skin.

The boy let her go with a startled curse and all four of them back away, revealing a furious Michael with a split and bloody lip, his eyes widening in fear as he saw that her glamour had fallen, showing her true face to the entire playground, and the teacher, who had finally noticed the ruckus, far too late to do any good. Gasps and whispers spread through the children and Michael stepped towards her until she shook her head, tears rising in her eyes as she saw guilt flash across his face. He didn’t realize that she wanted him to stay back for his own protection, not out of anger or blame.

Better that only one of them was discovered; better that only she lose her normal life, and not both of them. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, and then turned and walked towards the school, still glowing, an icy hand of fear and grief wrapped around her heart.

[polartwins]

A/N: Thanks for the feedback you guys, we love it! You always have great comments and questions, and hopefully this chapter will answer at least some of them. We're going to start seeing more book characters now (although you still need to know nothing about the books to understand the story), virtual cookies if you know anything about the book character mentioned in this chapter

Reflections of the Past

Her house had been so silent since what had happened at the school, that the noise tipped her off first, a screeching sound like metal against metal and then a shout from her father, followed by an ominous thud. Her father had spoken less than ten words since the reveal of who she really was, who her mother really was. If four of them hadn’t been ‘I still love you’, then Liz didn’t think she would have survived the ensuing days of silence, from both parents, their house more hushed and tense than a cemetery.

These new sounds made her jump, her pulse cold and bitter on her tongue as she stared at her bedroom door, a resurgence of the fear she’d felt on the playground rising in her throat as something powerful swept through the apartment, the strongest rush of magic she’d ever felt. Her eyes began to glow as it raised her own power to the surface, prickling against her softly shining skin.

She heard her mother cry out and could no longer remain still. Dropping all of her shields so that her magic swirled around her, she ran out into the hall and towards her parents’ bedroom, where the sense of power was strongest. The door to the room was open and the first thing she saw was her father, lying unconscious on the floor, a bruise darkening the left side of his face. She gasped and would have fallen to her knees at his side, if her mind hadn’t suddenly processed the rest of the room. It contained a man, no, a sidhe, around seven feet tall, with knee-length golden hair and tri-colored eyes of varying shades of crystalline blue, who radiated a wave of menacing power that sent chills slithering down her spine. As did the fact that he was holding her mother up by her throat, a cruel smile marring his inhumanly beautiful face.

“Hello Elizabeth, I’ve been waiting to meet you,” he stated in a voice that was razor edged silk, never turning towards her or away from her mother. “Nainsí here had cruelly hidden you from me, daughter.”

Liz felt faint, all of her childhood nightmares sprung to life in front of her, and couldn’t stop herself from shaking her head, a brief surge of anger overwhelming her fear and making her voice tremble with the force of her emotions. “You hurt my father; I am his daughter, and always will be.”

That cold, threatening gaze pinned her in place, her heart beating frantically against her ribcage as the focus of his power shifted to her, fear and something else stealing the breath from her body. Her mother raised one hand and the sidhe turned back to her, catching her wrist and pointing her palm at the floor, a malevolent chuckle spilling musically from her lips. “Why Nainsí, you wouldn’t want to hurt the father of your dearest, only child, would you.”

Her mother’s eyes glowed with a deep blue light, fierce and angry, and he laughed again, the sound painfully beautiful. “I was going to kill you, for stealing away from the Court, for concealing one of my children from me, but I think the greater torment will be to live, forever, knowing that you will never see her again.”

Lowering her mother to her feet, he gently caressed the side of her face, the way her father touched her mother when they didn’t know Liz was watching. “If you fight, it will be our daughter who suffers the consequences.”

When he released her, for a moment Liz didn’t think her mother would listen, or care, the expression of hatred in her still gleaming cerulean eyes so intense it made her shiver. But the moment passed and the defiance slipped out of her mother, the glow in her eyes and skin fading as she approached Liz, wrapping her arms around her and holding her so tightly it hurt.

“Remember everything I taught you,” she whispered fiercely, the tears running down her cheeks mingling with Liz’s, the taste of saltwater and hopelessness staining her tongue. Over her mother’s shoulder, she saw the sidhe man touch her mother’s full length mirror, the surface rippling under his fingers as that shriek of metal echoed through the air once more. Her mother flinched, then pulled away slightly so that she could see into Liz’s eyes, tears still trailing like crystals down her cheeks. “I love you, Elizabeth, and we will see each other again.”

Pressing her lips against Liz’s forehead in a burning kiss that sent a wave of magic across her aura, her mother let go of her and stepped away. The sidhe man beckoned to her commandingly, and after one last desperate glance at her mother, and her father lying so still on the floor, she went to him.

“The Seelie Court is a beautiful place, daughter, you will be awed by its majesty.” Liz didn’t respond to his words, remaining silent as he wrapped his hand around her upper arm, a tiny flicker of wonder in her stomach at the thought of traveling through the mirror, a flicker more than overwhelmed by her fear, grief and anger. Resisting the urge to take one more look over her shoulder at the parents she might never see again, she did not fight when he stepped forward, pulling her into the gleaming surface and away from everything she knew and loved.