Awakening Abduction (UC,Z/D, ADULT) Pt 13 - 04/21/04 [WIP]

[ZansLove]

<center></center>

I decided to just go ahead and repost everything here on the new board, since I only had a few parts
posted. That way we don't have to mess with the archives. ~Chelsie

Category: AU Z/D
Rating: will probably get up to ADULT, but definitely MATURE for pretty harsh language and situations.
Summary: ok, I'm no good at this part, so you're just gonna have to read.
Disclaimer: We all know that I own nothing even remotely related to Roswell or any of it's characters.
Author's Note: Ok, this is my first attempt at writing anything, so you guys really need to let me know what you think. I started posting this about a year ago, but got caught up in having a baby, and wasn’t faithful. I really do want to see it through, and my muse has once again hit, so please let me know what you think.[/color]

Dylan ~ Liz (dupe) -she will be a little different in her physical appearance as far as her build, but she's still got the same looks. Just think of Liz built more like Isabel. Tall and curvey. (What? This is AU! I can do whatever I want.)

Veronica (Ronnie) ~ Maria (dupe) -she's the same in every way, unless I otherwise describe in the story.

Jane ~ think Courtney

Van ~ Cool Alex Dupe



<center>Chapter One</center>

Two young men, who looked to be in their early twenties, were walking through the streets of NYC discussing their impending actions.

"We've known about his punk-ass for months now. What kinda info you get that makes us all a sudden gotta get rid of 'im?" the one with the light brown, mohawk looking hair inquired.

"Rath, he’s a Skin. That's all we need ta know. He knows he shouldn'ta f*cked wit us. He signed his own death warrant." the other one answered.

"Yeah, Zan, I already knew he was a Skin, but I thought he was harmless. I wanna know, why now?"

The darker-haired man stopped and turned toward his companion, getting in his face, "I said now. Thas'why!" He turned around and started walking again.

Rath still persisted as he followed, "Did you find somethin out that I don't know 'bout?"

"Loni found out that he's been workin with Nicko. Fact, he's right up there on Khivar's right hand with our old friend Nick." Zan informed him.

"Sh*t." was all Rath could say.

They stopped outside of the apartment building where they were supposed to be meeting Zan's sister, Loni, and their other 'family member', Ava. This is where he lived. Sean Deluca. 'He ain't gon know what hit 'im.' Zan thought. 'F*ckin Skins! When they gonna learn they can't out-smart the King? Not in this lifetime anyway.'

The two women showed up moments later and they discussed what each person was to do. Zan and Rath were going in to confront Deluca and off him. Loni was the look-out for anything suspicious. And Ava was hiding all of them with her powers. No one would know what happened. It would just look like he disappeared.

They went into action.........

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
At the same time.........

Dylan had just slipped into her new silver chemise. Her brown hair was held up loosely, with a few strands hanging around her face. She knew he liked her hair like this, and she bought the chemise last night just for him, well, maybe for her too. She was determined to seduce her boyfriend, of eight months, tonight. She knew that he cared a great deal for her. After all he did treat her like a queen, but their physical relationship had been close to non-existent lately. She was sick of it. 'Didn't he know that women had needs too?' She was just going to have to see to it that he met hers. And tonight was the night. When better to start than on their eight month anniversary. Although, she wasn't so sure that he even remembered that. Oh well, after tonight, he would never forget again. She'd make sure of it.

She looked at the clock. It was 12:17am. She walked to the bedroom door and stuck her head out into the hallway. "Sean, babe, aren't ya gonna come to bed? It's startin to get late."

In the other room, she heard a mumbled, "Yeah, I'll be there in five." and then nothing else. She knew he was probably watching football or something. She rolled her eyes, and went to look in the mirror one last time. She put a couple of finishing touches on her eye make-up - no she didn't usually put make-up on before going to bed, but tonight was special. She checked out her attire. Her best friend, Ronnie, had helped her pick it out. The chemise had spaghetti straps that were black, and the entire top of it - the part that covered her breasts, or didn't - was black, see through lace. Just under her bust line started the silver satin that fell down to just below her butt, then there was about an inch of the black lace again. She loved it. It just barely covered her in all the right places, while still being revealing in others. She slipped her panties off, and went to lay in bed and wait for Sean.

After a while, she drifted off into sleep.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
Zan and Rath entered Deluca's building, going past the doorman completely undetected, thanks to Ava. Rath followed Zan, who seemed to know exactly where he was going. They headed down a long corridor toward their right and turned left at the end. Zan stopped at the sixth door on the right.

"Here we are. One fourty-two." Zan stated quietly. "No crazy sh*t. Let's try ta keep this a surprise attack." He looked meaningfully at Rath, who was not known for his stealth. Rath only nodded his understanding.

Sean had been sitting watchin the game when he realized what time it was.12:49. He stood up in front of the tv and was watching this one last play, when he felt someone walk up behind him, "Babe, I know I said five minutes. Lemme just finish this quar........"

"I know we close, man, but wouldn'ta guessed ya for the type ta call me babe." Zan stated sarcastically.

Sean was about to whirl around, but a hand on his lower back stopped him. "I wouldn't even try it if I's you." Rath said coldly.

Sean knew who it was and he was scared out of his mind. "What do you want?" He was surprised that his voice didn't sound as shaky as he felt.

"You ain't been completely honest wit us Deluca. Seems you ain't as unimportant as you was leadin us ta believe." Zan told him. "So now we gotta get rid of ya." He reached in front of Sean and turned the tv off. "First, I's gon get some info from ya tho."

'How'd they find out?' "Man, really. I'm not important. I'm just hangin out till it's time ta go back. I don't know anything. Khivar keeps me in the dark all the time. I don't want no trouble. I'll give ya anything. Money? I got lotsa money saved up and stashed in my closet. The girl. You can have her too. You won't be disappointed. It's like she was made for royalty, she's so amazin." He said the last sentence with a pointed look at Zan, that Zan wasn't too sure how to interpret.

"I wanna know where Nickolas is." Zan told him blankly. Then he raised his pierced eyebrow, "Then I's gonna go get ya money." He wasn't sure what Deluca was talkin about this girl, so he didn't really think much more about it. They weren't going to go hunt down some Skin b*tch just for kicks. They could take any ho off the street to do that.

"I don't know where he is. We have rendevous points. Never the same place." Sean answered.

"How's you communicate wit eachotha to know where ta rendevous, then?" Zan asked.

Sean was visibly shaking now 'F*ck, what can I tell them?' "Um, we correspond through a po box once a week." 'Yeah, that's buyable.' he thought to himself.

Zan was falling for it, "Numba?"

He made one up. He figured that by the time they found out that he'd lied, he'd be long gone anyway, so who cares.

Rath spoke up now, his hand still on Sean's lower back. "A'ight, now where's the money? And how much is there?"

"It's about fifty grand, and it's in my closet. The back left corner. I use simple molecular restructuring to seal it, but it's nothin either of you couldn't handle." Sean told him.

"Thanks." Rath said. He released a small amount of energy into that certain spot on Deluca's lower back, and then he was standing alone with Zan - dust flying around them.

"Mutha Fu.......sh*t, Rath. I had more questions for 'im. GOD, you meathead!! Now how we gonna find out what Khivar's plannin for the summit? HUH?!?!" Zan was furious. Rath was always doing sh*t without thinking.

"Aw, ita be okay." Rath answered with a smirk."Now, les'go get the dough."


to be continued………….

[ZansLove]

<center>Chapter Two</center>

Rath walked into the bedroom turning on the light, followed closely by Zan. Rath stopped as he entered, noticing the form in the bed to the right, and Zan kept walking past him to the closet at their left - unaware that they weren't alone.

Dylan turned her head to look at the clock when she heard the closet door open. She squinted against the light and saw that it was a few minutes after 1am. "Sean, I thought-" She stopped when she turned and saw a stranger standing next to the bed with an evil smirk on his face. A chill ran down her spine.

"Hmm, looks like Deluca had his b*tch waitin right here fo us." Rath said to Zan, while keeping his eyes on the girl. The money pretty much forgotten to him.

She was sitting up now and had pulled the sheet tight against her chest, trying to hide how little she was wearing. What he called her had just registered when the one crouching down in the closet answered.

"What?" Zan said, as he turned and looked up at Rath who was staring intently at something on the bed that he couldn't see. Then he heard...........

"Who-? --- wha.....his WHAT?!?" Her eyes flashed. "What the hell's goin on here? And what is he doing in the closet?!?!" she said gesturing in Zan's general direction. Then it hit her. A little more quitely she said, "Where's Sean?"

"Uh, he's gone. You's aaaall mine now." Rath answered her question as he leaned over to grab her arm and pull her to the side of the bed where he stood.

She yanked her arm free and said, "Do NOT touch me. Where is Sean?" Her eyes started to mist up, 'What did he mean by -gone-? Dead? Oh GOD!'

"Fiesty, aren't we? S'ok, I like it." He reached over and grabbed her again, this time making sure she couldn't get loose. When he had ahold of her, he spoke to Zan. "Yo, duke, while you grabbin the green, I'ma get me a little sompin sompin. This b*tch tight!"

Zan was moving stuff out of the way, so that he could find where the money was. He was waving his hand over certain areas, trying to figure out where Deluca had sealed it. He was having some trouble finding it. "If that mutha lied ta me, I swear I'ma kill 'im all ova 'gain." he grumbled. Then he heard what Rath said, "Fine, do 'er. But make it quick. Soon as I find this sh*t, we out."

She was pullin on her arm trying to get free, "What then, HUH? I'm just gonna call the cops soon as you walk out that door!" She cursed herself for saying it out loud. Now they'd probably just kill her. She stopped struggling and gave in to the inevitable. 'Not like it would be the first time.' she thought.

When she stopped struggling, Rath threw her back on the bed, so that her legs were hanging over the edge from the knee down; they were spread slightly and revealed how little she was actually wearing. He took in the sight before him and licked his lips. "Damn, how come you was waitin like this for that slimy Deluca f*ck?" He turned to Zan, "You want me ta kill her when I'm done? Or you could have 'er first, then we could kill 'er."

Zan found the seal on the opposite side of the closet from where it was supposed to be. He waved his hand over it. He pulled up the rectangular piece of flooring and saw an old wooden box. He picked it up and slid the top off to reveal the money that he was sure Deluca had lied about. He smiled and turned to Rath, "I don't want no Skin ho. Hurry, I got the stuff. We been here too long." That's when he noticed the legs hanging from the bed. Nice, long, tan legs. 'NO! Don't even go there. She’s a Skin.'

He stood up just as Rath yanked the girl to the edge of the bed, which caused what she was wearing to hike up to her smooth, golden stomach. She wasn't wearing anything underneath it either. 'SH*T!' he thought. Now Rath was undoin his pants. "Rath! Fa'get it. We outa time." He headed for the bedroom door. He had yet to look at her face. He had a strange feeling that he'd like that too if he saw it. He completely understood why Rath wanted her so bad.

"Come ON, man. Look at 'er. She so hot, I'm burnin up." Rath said.

"Rath, get rid of 'er, and let's go!" It was an order. They didn't have time for this. He looked at the girl's face as he was speaking. It was contorted into a tight grimace, like she was anticipating the pain to come. Even with her eyes shut tight and scruched up like that he could tell that Rath was telling the truth. For the first time he felt something he had only ever felt for his family - protective. After a second, he said, "You know what? Just leave 'er. No need ta kill 'er. She ain't got nothin to tell the cops." Then with a pointed look, he added, "But she will if you don't take your hands off 'er."

The one holding on to her let go, with a grunt, to fasten his pants back up. She opened her eyes as she said a silent prayer of thanks to whoever was up there watching over her. The other one was already out in the hall. She lept for the bedside phone. If she could call 911 now, they'd be here before these punks were half-way down the block. He was quicker though. She heard, "Sh*t!" Then he was on the bed next to her and had ahold around her waist, so she couldn't reach the phone. His other hand was on her lower back now. All of a sudden, she felt this burning heat that felt like it started at the base of her spine, then it spiraled outward to overtake every part of her body. All she felt was pain.

Rath saw her going for the phone, "Sh*t!" He lunged at her and grabbed her. He placed his hand on that Skin 'spot' and released some energy to kill her, just like he had Deluca. Nothing happened. He let a little more power go into it, then he heard her groan in pain. "Aw, f*ck. This is NOT good."

Zan came running back into the bedroom when he heard Rath's exclamation. He saw Rath half on top of the girl holding onto her. His left hand on her lower back. She was groaning, and barely moving. "What the hell's goin on? I said leave 'er and les'go! What about that can't yo f*ckin brain undastand?!?!"

"Chill! She tried to grab the phone when I let go of 'er. I stopped her and tried to kill her. She ain't a Skin." Rath explained. The girl groaned again. Then there was a knock on the front door. "Prob'ly Loni and Ava."

Zan looked up and silently communicated with Loni. They'd learned how to do it not long ago. It had something to do with them being siblings. Then he said, "No, they still outside. Le's jet."

Rath got up and said, "What about her? I gotta finish 'er." Another knock at the door was heard.

Zan thought for a second as he looked at her laying there. "No, bring 'er. We need ta find out who she is." He took his jacket of and went over to put it on her, so she'd be somewhat covered. Couldn't have other people seeing her practically naked.

She hurt so bad, she could barely think straight. They kept talking about her like she wasn't even there. Why couldn't they just kill her like they said before, then it wouldn't hurt anymore. And what were they talking about 'Skin'? They kept saying stuff about a 'Skin.' 'Whatever. Who cares. I am NOT going anywhere with these two.' She thought. The one that seemed to be in charge was pulling her up now and she looked at him for the first time. 'Hmmm, Dayum!........oh my god! This guy is gonna kill me, after he kidnaps me. He KILLLED Sean!! I have lost it. Must be the pain. It's making me dilerious.' He put his jacket around her shoulders and told her to put it on. He looked up at her face as he spoke and their eyes locked. She thought she saw something. She wasn't sure though. The pain was getting worse and she was having trouble moving. She wanted to die. That's all she wanted now. She looked at him again, "Please. Just kill me. The pain's too much. I would only slow you now anyway." She pleaded with her eyes.

Zan felt a pang in his chest at the look in her eyes. She was beggin him to kill her. That's crazy. 'Wait. Pain?' "Sh*t, Rath, what did you do to 'er?" He finished putting the jacket on her since she didn't seem capable at the moment. The knocking at the door became more insistent, and there were shouts accompanying it now.

Rath walked over to to window and held his hand up toward it. He looked over his shoulder and answered Zan's question, "I thought she was a Skin, so I tried to kill her." He shrugged, then released an energy blast that shattered the window.

"Oh f*ck! You're ALIENS?!?! God I should've known! So, you did kill Sean. What are these 'Skins' you keep talking about? Is that more alien sh*t?" Dylan had had enough. Her head was spinning. She saw the two men give each other a look. Then there was nothing.


to be continued.........................

[ZansLove]

Thanks so much to Zan Da Man, Cinder, alienmom, Anais Nin, and Dirty Dreams! It's nice to see old and new readers. You guys are so encouraging, that it makes me wanna post aaaaalllll the time. Ok, but I have to be realistic .......here's the next part. Hope it's ok.


<center>Chapter Three</center>

Zan caught the girl before she slid to the ground. She was right, she was going to slow them down, but he didn't have time to think about that right now. He followed Rath out the window. Rath looked up at the window and then at Zan. "Ya mind?" he asked. Zan nodded and lifted his right hand, with the girl's legs still flung over his arm, and waved it down the length of the window. There was no trace that it had ever been broken.

They headed around the side of the building and up the alley toward Loni and Ava, when Zan thought of something. He stopped, and silently called out to Loni. Seconds later she was walking down the alley towards them, Ava hot on her heals.

The two women joined Zan and Rath, and Zan quickly started giving instructions as they walked around to the back of the building. "Ava, go over to that window there. There should be a couple of people comin into that room any minute now. You seen Deluca before, right?" Ava nodded. "A'ight, I need them to see him and this one here." He said moving, so that she could see the girl's face. "Make it look like everything normal. They surprised to see strangas in the room."

Ava turned and watched the bedroom door through the window. She didn't understand what was going on, but she trusted Zan to know what he was doing. She heard Loni start asking questions about the girl Zan was holding. She tuned them out so that she could concentrate.

Not even a minute later, Zan, Rath and Loni watched as three men - one in a security guard's uniform, and the other two in dark suits - burst into the room. The first one in the suit, a tall thin man with dirty blond hair, stopped in the doorway with the other two behind him. He was looking at the bed and saying something. He looked confused. He motioned to the other two and they entered the room, looking around. The uniformed security guard, an average height man who was a little on the thick side, walked toward the window and began to inspect it closely. The three watching from outside, held their breath. The guard turned and walked back over to the door, joining the two suits. The tall one said something to the bed again. Then they saw a strange look cross his face as he very obviously flushed and swallowed hard. Then they left the room, closing the door behind them.

Ava turned around with a smirk. "They shouldn't be botherin 'Mr. Deluca' anymore."

Zan was glad. "Good." Then he narrowed his eyes at the devilish smile on her face, "Why? Wha'd you do?"

She smiled and put her hand on his cheek, "I let 'em know it's not nice to barge in on people in the privacy of their own home." Zan thought that was a good enough explanation, but Ava wasn't finished.

Their eyes locked and she connected to him. Zan was seeing and hearing everything as if he were standing in the room, his mind being manipulated like the three men. He was stunned. When the connection was broken, he shook his head a little, trying to rid it of the images that, for some strange reason, were quite disturbing to him.

He didn't have time to dwell on it though. Loni was asking questions again. He ignored her and headed toward to corner of the building, "Yo, les'bounce." and they were once again heading down the alley, on their way home.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
They arrived at the small hole in the abandoned subway that they called home. Zan knew that the girls wanted answers. They'd been asking questions the whole twenty minutes that it took them to walk home, but he'd ignored them. He'd decided he would explain everything when they got back to the crib. He was getting really worried about the girl in his arms. She hadn't moved a muscle, and her breathing had slowed considerably. He layed her on the old, worn, quilt covered sofa. He grabbed another beat-up blanket, and threw it over her exposed legs, and watched her for a few seconds before he turned to Rath, "A'ight, tell me exactly what you did when you tried to kill her."

Loni and Ava looked back between the two men, and then looked at each other. Loni shrugged at Ava and tuned back in to the conversation unfolding before them.

"Man, I told you - I thought she was a Skin." Rath countered. He didn't like how upset Zan was about this. It shouldn't be a big deal.

"I KNOW YOU THOUGHT SHE WAS A SKIN. TELL ME HOW YOU TRIED TO KILL HER SO'S I CAN FIX IT!" Zan yelled. He was getting sick of Rath's vague answers. She was running out of time. He could feel it, for some reason.

"A'ight a'ight. Chill, yo. I sent energy into that Skin 'sweet spot' on her back. When nothin happened, I sent a stonger blast. Tha's when I realized.........ya know-" Rath told him, but he stopped when he saw Zan had tuned him out.

Zan turned around abruptly. He felt this strange cold run through his veins. He ran to the sofa and found that she had stopped breathing. He sat down next to her and lifted her into a sitting position, supporting her back, "Yo, help me out!" He was trying to take the oversized jacket off of her, but having trouble doing that and holding her up.

Loni ran to his side and helped him get the jacket off. Now she saw why he had put it on her. She shook her head. She could tell that having this one in their life was going to change their world. Zan was acting too strange about her.

Still hugging her to him, he lifted the back of her chemise and ran his hand along her lower back. He found where the damage had started, and where it was the worst. He slowly worked things back to normal. He layed her back down and ran his hands, hovering just above her body, all over trying to find out what was still wrong. It had been too long since she had stopped breathing. With one hand on her head and the other on her stomach, he did everything he knew to do. He finished, mumbling, "Come on. Everything should be a'ight now. Come back."

The others watched in awe. Zan had never healed a stranger before, especially no one with that much damage. He just simply didn't care enough about humans to do anything like that. Rath was fidgeting, Loni was just curious, and Ava didn't miss how careful he was with this stranger. This was not like him, and it un-nerved her somewhat.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
Zan checked her over one last time. She was breathing normally now. Probably exhausted from the drama her body had been through, she was sleeping soundly. He stood to retrieve his jacket to cover her back up, but had no strength left and stumbled. Loni rushed to his side and helped him to the chair that sat across from the sofa. As soon as he was seated, he told Loni to put his jacket back on the girl and cover her while she rested. As Loni walked over to do as instructed, he fell into a deep sleep, his thoughts on all of the images he had seen in the girl's head, so he never saw Rath leave or Ava walking deeper into the sewers in a huff, to sulk.

Loni picked up Zan's leather jacket and pushed the girl into a sitting position to put it on her. As she did this, the girl's flimsy attire rode up making a tattoo on her lower back visible. It was just to the right of her spine, on her right, back hipbone. Loni's eyes widened as she took a closer look. She quickly covered the girl and went to her makeshift bedroom. She pushed some things aside on an old desk and waved her hand over the top left corner, revealing a translucent silver handprint. She reached through the handprint and pulled out a silvery-purple object that was almost egg-shaped. She looked closely at it, studying the symbol on the top of it. Her face scrunched in confusion.


to be continued.................

[ZansLove]

T-Ma ~ :shocked!: Is it really you??? So nice to know you're still out there somewhere. Now you just need to be around at normal humanly hours, so that we can actually talk in person.

Thank you so much Zan Da Man, cylclana43, alienmom, and Anais Nin. You guys are the greatest!!!

Here ya go...................


<center>Chapter Four</center>

Zan woke up three hours after passing out, to find Loni sitting on the loveseat next to his chair. She was watching him closely. He looked at her strange and said, "Wha's your prob, sis?"

"I wanna know who she is, and why she here." She looked thoughtfully at him and added, "And why you put yourself through all that to heal 'er."

He told her everything that had happened while they were at Deluca's, and that he decided to bring her along instead of leaving her there to call the cops. When he was done with that explanation, he said, "I got this strange feelin that she important somehow, to the Skins. She don't know it tho. We could use that."

"So, you just decided ta take Deluca's b*tch, cause you had a feelin?!?" she could not believe this. Zan was usually way more careful than this, and now she knew they weren't human. This couldn't be good.

"Hey, she got a name! It's Dylan Knight." With a smirk he added, "She a chef."

Rath, who had walked in just as he said this, asked, "How you know dat? She ain't said what 'er name was."

Loni looked at Zan. She knew he didn't find it out any time after they got home, cause she's been with him the whole time.

"When I fixed 'er." He shrugged, "I connected to 'er. Saw sh*t from 'er life. Which was way messed up, by the way."

Loni's eyes went wide. "You connected to a human? I didn't know that was possible."

"Neitha did I. Till now." Zan told her. Rath was just standing off to the side shaking his head. Zan looked over at him, "Wha's wi'chu?"

"I don't like it. She's gonna mean trouble. She already know too much. We need ta just get rid of 'er." Rath was nervous about this connecting thing.

Zan stood up, "She wouldn' know so much if you used yo f*ckin brain ever once in a while. It was YOU that used ya powas in front of 'er. Ramemba?"

"Hey, I was savin our asses. We had ta get outa there! 'Sides, when I did do it, she didn't think twice about callin us aliens. She already knew somethin before we eva showed up." He turned and looked at her on the couch. "I still say you lemme do 'er and off 'er."

Zan got up in Rath's face now, "You will not touch her. Undastood?"

Rath locked eyes with him for a couple of seconds, then seemed to relent. He nodded and half smiled, "Yeah, I undastand. You da king, duke."

Zan walked past Rath, slapping him on the back in a friendly gesture, and stood by the sofa. He stared down at Dylan. He shook his head thinking about all the flashes he'd gotten while he was healing her.

----- --- ----- --- -----
*at age six or seven - sitting alone in the corner of a room full of other kids feeling afraid and alone*

*a kind woman in a foster home asking her if she liked the name Dylan, and the woman giving Dylan her last name - Knight*

*being taught how to speak by the same woman*

*riding in an airplane scared about going to a new city*

*at age eight or nine - being abused by a drunken foster father, then crying under her bed*

*being taken advantage of as a pre-teen, by yet another foster father*

*being raped by "family members" and just wanting to die all through her teen years*

*meeting Ronnie in junior high*

*finding an outlet for the hurt in cooking, and figuring out that she's good at it*

*hanging out with Ronnie and having a blast*

*going to cooking school and getting a job at a nice restaurant*

*meeting Sean and feeling like a queen whenever he was around, then later feeling like there was something missing in the relationship*

*finding out that Sean was an alien and telling him that it only made him special, not any less human*

*telling Ronnie all of her secrets, and feeling a weight lifted getting it out*

*terror when she saw Rath standing there leering at her in bed*

*anger at he and Rath calling her names like she wasn't there*

*grief and saddness when she realized that they had killed Sean*

*wanting to just get it over with when Rath decided he was going to 'have' her*

*her thoughts and feelings when she first saw him*

*confusion when they kept calling her a 'Skin'*

*everything she felt when Rath tried to kill her*

*a mixture of confusion, anger, and fright when she realized that he and Rath were aliens*
----- --- ----- --- -----


Zan was shaken out of his thoughts when Ava came in demanding answers about the human. He immediately spun around and said, "Shut up! Can't you see, she's sleepin?"

Ava flinched, hurt by his outburst. She was his mate and all he was worried about was waking up this human? "Why's it matta if I wake 'er? I wanna know why she’s here." She demanded.

Loni cut in, "Ava, chill. It's been a mad long night. Zan's ti'ed. Leave 'im be. I'll tell ya everything he told me. Just keep it down, yo."

Ava nodded curtly and walked over to the bedroom she shared with Loni. She plopped down on the bed as Loni followed her in. "A'ight, so tell me. Wha's so f*ckin important 'bout girly girl in there?"

Loni connected to Ava and showed her the whole conversation, including the one between Rath and Zan.


to be continued.....................

[ZansLove]

Thanks, Anais Nin, Zan Da Man, Lupe, and strawberryapple!! You guys are just too kind!

Pinky, I am honored that you would take the time to fb me. You know how much of a fan I am of adj! You the PEACHY QUEEN! LUVIES!!! :flasingsmile:

Ok, nuff o' that............

<center>Chapter Five</center>

Dylan started coming to, and the first thing she noticed was the smell. She had never smelt anything like it before. She kept her eyes closed and concentrated on it. It was kind of a musky smell. Incredibly masculine and strong, and what else was that? Leather? That's when she realized that she was wearing a jacket. The man from Sean's. He put his coat on her. Everything came flooding back. It was all she could do to keep from groaning.

Then it registered that there were people talking behind her. She heard the tail end of the conversation between the two men. She also felt one of them standing over her, and then when the other woman came in demanding answers. She was as still as she could will her body to be. It was hard to keep from shaking. She didn't understand what they wanted from her and she just wanted to cry - for Sean, for herself, for this situation, for everything. She could hear the voices of the two women several feet in front of her now. She could also hear someone moving around behind her, this person was much closer.

She opened her eyes and saw the colored patches of a quilt that covered the back of the sofa that she was lying on. She lifted her gaze toward the other end of the sofa, and saw a bookshelf with random knick-knacks on it. It was leaning against what seemed to be a stone wall. She raised her gaze higher and saw that they seemed to be in some sort of tunnel.

"Was wondering when you would wake up." She heard someone say. She thought it was the one who seemed to be in charge, Zan, but wasn't sure.'How did he know I was awake?' She hadn't moved a muscle, except her eyes. 'Must be something alien.' she guessed. 'Instincts maybe.' She went to turn and then groaned loudly as her hand flew to her head.

He studied her closely, "Somethin wrong?"

"My head." she said without looking up. "It feels like - like Grand Central parked itself right in the middle of my brain."

He smiled at her comparison, and walked over to her. He laid his hand on the crown of her head and moved it around slightly.

She felt a warm, almost comforting sensation, and then the pain was gone.

"That betta?" He asked.

She nodded, and looked up at him. "How did you - neva mind. Why am I here?" Then she rushed on, not giving him a chance to answer. "I won't tell anyone about you. I knew Sean was an alien. I never told a soul."

He sat down on the couch next to her as she pulled her knees closer to her chest. "You tol' that blonde chick. Ronnie." He raised a pierced eyebrow at her.

"She doesn't count. She's my-. Wait, how did you know that? Have you been like stalkin me or somethin?!?" She was freaked now.

He laughed. He could have some fun with this. "Nope. Just saw it in ya head." he reached over and tapped her temple with his finger as he said it.

Her eyes widened, "Oh my god!"

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
Zan turned, following Dylan’s gaze, just in time to duck the hockey puck that Rath sent flying his way.

Rath sneered, "I hate ta break this up, but we got sh*t ta do, yo."

Dylan jumped up and took the jacket off. “I am getting out of here NOW!” She wasn’t sure what was going on between these two, but she knew she couldn’t hang around to find out. She was pretty sure that she wanted to see tomorrow and she didn’t think that was gonna happen if she stayed with this bunch. She got up just as the two women that she had heard earlier, walked out of the bedroom. She didn’t so much as glance their way as she walked past Zan and Rath, heading towards the tunnels of what she was pretty sure was the New York subway. She had left Zan's jacket on the sofa, so she was wearing next to nothing.

Loni was gaining respect for this girl by the moment. Nobody just got up and walked out them, especially when they’re as scared as she knew Dylan was. Ava was just glad that Dylan was gonna be out of her hair. She knew that that one was gonna cause trouble for her, so she already didn’t like her.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
Dylan was shaking. She hadn’t realized how cold it could get down in the abandoned subways. That’s when she noticed what she was wearing, or wasn’t. She wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the cold. It wasn’t working. She was out of sight now, but she could still hear their voices behind her.

She was just trying to decide which way to go at a cross in the tunnel, when she heard a distant male voice, “Ya know, you could keep goin sweet thang, but I’d hate t see who, or what, ‘ll find ya out there all by ya’self. Specially dressed like 'at. I'm sho they's plenty a street trash that'd like ta get they paws on your sweet flesh. Not to mention the rats that'll get ya when they done witcha." There was a pause, then, "Yeah, babe, I'd say we 'bout ya safest bet 'round here. If ya don't believe me though - by all means, keep on goin." She knew it was the one they called Zan, and just as if to prove his point, a pack of five or six rats ran past here bare feet just as he finished up his little speech. She fought the urge to squeal, and turned around to see if he was using something alien to make her see things, but there was no one there.

She walked back toward their lair, and there he was. He hadn’t moved from the spot that he was in when she walked away. Now she was just frustrated. She knew he was right. She wasn't gonna make it out of this place alone. She walked purposefully up to Zan, and looked down on him with more confidence than he'd ever dreamed of having.

He just smirked at her as the other three watched with interest.

"Take me home. There is no reason for me to be here." She scowled, because he was still smirking. "I am of no use to you. I mean, yes, I knew Sean was an alien, but it wasn't made into a big deal. We just sorta went on like normal after I found out, only he didn't have to lie to me anymore. I didn't know any specifics or anything." She knew she was rambling now, but she didn't care. She just wanted to reason with him. If that was even possible. "All I know is that he didn't know why he was here, but he knew someone who was trying to find a way back to his planet. There. That's all the info I have for ya. But you already knew that, didn'tcha? Since you saw in my head and all. So, once again, I demand that you take me home!"

Zan stood up and looked down on her, much like she'd done to him. She was a little more affected by the tactic than he had been, but regardless of how intimidating he was, she looked him straight in the eyes. He stood only a few inches taller than she did, but he radiated a confidence like she'd never known. And she'd met a lot of arrogant men in her life. But, damn, if he wasn't the most beautiful one she'd ever seen. Her own confident stance began to falter -but only enough for him to see it- as he began to speak in a low steady tone.

"You's stayin right here where I can keep my eye on you. Got that?" She opened her mouth to argue, but he continued before she could get anything out. "See? You know too much now. So you got three choices. One, you can stay here and keep us company till I say you can go home. IF I say you can go home. Two, I can just let Rath here f*ck ya, then kill ya. Or three, I can just turn ya loose to the sewer bums and let the rats finish ya off." Then, with a small smile, he added, "So, it's your choice. What'll it be?"

Dylan knew she wasn't getting out of this. Not alive anyway. So, now she was pissed. With an exaggerated huff, she stomped over to the sofa and plopped down next to a very amused Loni. "You at least have to take me home to get some clothes. I can't - no, I won't go around dressed like this-" she indicated her current state of undress "-for however long you decide to keep me here."

Zan seemed to think it over for a few seconds, then he looked her up and down and said, "Oh, I don't know. I kinda like whatcha got on. And I know Rath here's enjoyin the view." He stopped abruptly at that thought, then quickly added, "You know? You may be right actually."

At this Rath stepped in, "Oh, come on Zan. Don't tell me you listenin ta her! Ya know this whole thing's prolly a set-up. Nickolas planted her at Deluca's, 'cause he somehow found out we was comin. I don't trust her."

Zan looked at him. "I don't either. That's why she stayin here where we can watch her." He walked over to the sofa and told Dylan, "Stand up." She did, but with fire in her eyes. This did not go unnoticed by Zan -or Loni. "Turn 'round."

"Excuse Me?!?! I am not here to entertain yor every horny little whim! Now are you gonna take me ta get my sh*t or not?" She didn't back down even a little, as she waited for his answer. He seemed to be thinking about it.

Zan was getting frustrated with Dylan's defiance. He was used to getting whatever he wanted, especially from women. She was not cooperating one bit and he hated it. For some reason though, he was kinda liking her. She had a spine, unlike most women he knew. He decided to put her in her place this time though. He grabbed her arm and yanked her around so roughly that she almost fell over. Through clenched teeth, he said, " I said, turn 'round!"

At this point, Ava jumped up from her chair and ran over to Zan. She did not like him touching that human, in any way. She put her hand on his arm, and Dylan was thankful that the girl had enough compassion to at least try to help. That is until the girl opened her mouth and started speaking.

"Come on, baby. Why don't we just let Rath take care of her? We don't need no fifth wheel 'round complicatin our sh*t any more, right?" Ava was quite proud of what she considered a sound argument.

Zan's voice dropped menacingly low. Dylan thought that it should have been frightening, but for some reason, it didn't bother her. She figured it was because his anger wasn't directed at her, for a change. Through clenched teeth, he said, "Ava, don't call me that. And you know that we don't kill anyone unless it's absolutely necessary." Ava started to protest, but he continued, "I already said I connected to her. She's not lyin. I KNOW it." Ava flinched, and walked away.

He looked back at Dylan and spoke to Loni. "Loni, she looks 'bout your size, yo." He let go of Dylan and shoved her toward Loni. "Take her and find somethin ta put on her. Don't let 'er outa your sight!" Then he looked at Dylan, "Try ANYTHING and you will be sorry. It's much better ta have me on your side. Trust me. You don't want me as yo enemy." He watched as the two women walked away. He had to get her away from him. He wasn't used to the way her body was affecting him. He always knew he could have any woman he wanted, but for some reason he knew that Dylan was different. Maybe that's what attracted him. Or maybe it was because she had the most amazing doe-like eyes that flashed fire whenever she was talking to him. He rubbed a hand down his face and turned to talk to Rath. He needed to stay away from her as much as possible.

Ava watched as Zan stared at the human girl walking away with Loni. This was not good and she knew she had to do something before everything that she had worked for was ruined.


to be continued..................

[ZansLove]

T-Ma - I'm probably gonna be working on some more this week, so we gonna hafta chat. I gotta run my ideas past THE BLUE ONE!!!!!!1111111 :flasingsmile:

Thank you so much to CharmedDestiny, alienmom, and Anais Nin for the great fb and bump-age.

Sorry this one is so short. I'll try to post again in a few days.


<center>Chapter Six</center>

Dylan followed Loni to the bedroom, grumbling. She just sort of stood there once they entered. She still wasn't too sure about this Loni chick. Loni rifled through some stuff in an old dresser. She found what she was looking for and threw a pair of black cargo pants and an army green cut-off tee with the sleeves torn off at Dylan.

Loni looked at her and asked, "Yo, what size shoe are you?"

"Eight." Loni waved her hand over a pair of her boots to resize them from her size nine, and Dylan stood there amazed. She came to her senses and said, "That's handy." Then, with a small smile, she asked, "What else can you do?"

It was Loni's turn to be amazed. Even though Dylan knew what they were and was still somewhat scared of them, she didn't make her feel like a freak. Just the opposite, she acted like it was cool. With a twinkle in her eyes, she waved her hand down the front of herself and the shirt she was wearing went from being solid black to a multi-green camouflage. She waved it back up and the shirt was black again.

Dylan let out a small giggle. Then her look changed completely, to something that Loni couldn't interpret, and she said, "Those powers woulda been convenient to have a few times in my life." Her expression changed again just as suddenly, as she grinned and asked, "Can ya zap things too?" She put on the socks, that Loni had given her, as she watched Loni.

Loni laughed. She walked over and pointed to an I HEART NY mug sitting on a desk. She walked back over to Dylan, then raised her hand toward the mug. Dylan watched as the mug shattered. Then her eyes went wide when Loni walked back over to the broken pieces, waved her hand over them, and the mug was good as new.

Loni then turned to Dylan with a serious look on her face. "People can't know. You don't understand what they'd do to us if they did." Dylan nodded her understanding. It was then that she realized that they were only trying to protect themselves by keeping her here. She pulled on the pants that Loni had given her, then she turned her back to Loni and pulled her chemise over her head.

Loni gasped as Dylan took her top off. There, on the center of her back, just a little higher than her tattoo was a glowing silver handprint. It disoriented her a little. The only time she had ever seen that mark was when one of them had killed someone with their powers. She shook her head to clear it. She also got a better look at Dylan's tattoo, as her pants hung low on Dylan's hips. Dylan was pulling the shirt over her head, when Loni commented, "Epic tat you got there."

Dylan turned her back toward a mirror against the wall behind Loni. She then lifted her shirt so that she and Loni could get a better look. She didn't raise it high enough to see the handprint though. She had no idea it was there. "Thanks." Loni walked right up behind her and noticed that the color of the tat was pretty much the same color as the orb she had with that symbol on it. Dylan replaced her shirt and turned around, as Loni asked, "What is it? I mean, where'd ya see it at?"

She put the boots on. "If I tell you, you'll laugh. It's so f*ckin stupid." Dylan told her, rolling her eyes.

"Naw, it can't be that bad." Loni said with a smile. She wasn't really sure what to think. For some reason, she wanted to trust Dylan, but she didn't understand why she would have a tattoo of that symbol if she wasn't alien related. She had decided not to say anything to Zan about the tattoo until she found out how Dylan got it. Now she would know.

"Well, it's actually something I came up with all by myself. Can you believe something that tight came from this little brain?" She said the last while tapping her forefinger against her temple.

Loni gave a fake smile. "Really?" 'Does she actually think I'm gonna buy this sh*t?'

"Yeah. See, I have this really annoying habit of doodling when I talk on the phone. And I don't mean just every once in a while. I have a notebook that I take out every time I get on the phone with someone. I actually have several full of drawings I've done over the years, while on the phone. That's the only time I do it too. Anyway, I was talking to Sean one day-"at this her demeanor changed notably, and it was not lost on Loni. She almost felt bad - almost. "-and I started drawing this swirly thing. I drew it three times, but still felt like something was missing. I finally added the spot you saw there in the center. Then I re-drew the whole thing on it's own page." She shrugged. "I had been wantin ta get a tat for a while, but I didn't know what to get. When I showed my drawing to my best friend, she commented that it would make a beautiful tat. So, that's what I did. The color, I just picked out of the guy's book at the tattoo place. I figured it would be cool, because no one else would have one like it. You know. One of a kind."

Loni still didn't know if she should believe her or not, but then again nobody could make up a story like that. She decided to give her a chance. "Wow. That is a crazy story."

"Maybe, if 'his highness' in there ever let's me go back to my place to get my stuff, I can show ya some of my drawings. They're mostly weird stuff like this one, but Ronnie, my girl, seems to think they're pretty good. I let you judge for yourself though." She smiled at Loni. She was starting to kinda like her. Behind the punk, badass cover, she seemed to be a pretty decent person. Dylan could see herself being friends with her under different circumstances.

"That sounds- Wait. His highness?" She narrowed her eyes. "You mean Zan. Why would you call him that?"

Dylan shrugged. "I don't know. It just - is he always so irritating? The guy acts like he's god's gift or something. - I just heard that other guy, Rath, say somethin about him bein the “king” earlier. I just figured it was somethin between the two of 'em. It just sorta came out. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry if I offended you somehow."

Loni waved her hand in dismissal and her appearance softened. "You didn't offend me. It's just that he is, ya know? The king."

Dylan looked at her, "He is." Then she rolled her eyes. "Says who? Is this just some self appointed title? He gets ta be the boss 'cause he's the meanest alien?" This was just too much for her. 'Who does this guy think he is?' "You don't have to listen to him, ya know."

"Yeah, well, he's the only family I got here. 'Sides, he's not so bad as you think." Loni said. She was really amused by how much Dylan disliked Zan. It was a refreshing change, since most women just fell all over themselves for him.

"Family?" Dylan asked.

Loni smirked, "He's my brotha. And he is the king where we come from. He-"

She was cut off by Ava's declaration behind them. They both turned around as she spoke. "That's right. He's the king and I'm his queen. Don't eva fa'get that! And if I eva hear ya talkin sh*t 'bout him again, Rath won't get a chance at ya. I'll kill ya myself." They weren't sure how long she'd been standing there, but it was obviously long enough to hear what Dylan had said about Zan.

Ava didn't take her eyes off of Dylan as she spoke to Loni, "Le's jet. I waited long enough. Or did you fa'get about our little shoppin trip? You havin too much fun with ya new friend to hang out with your good ole sista anymore?"

Loni was towering over Ava in a split second. "You best check ya'self, sista. You fa'gettin who's got the royal blood runnin through 'er veins. You gonna find yourself out in the cold - alone - if you go mixin up who's the sh*t 'round here! As far as our 'shoppin trip', I didn't forget. We gonna have ta postpone due to unforeseen circumstances." She said the last sentence with a glance in Dylan's direction.

"I’ll talk to Zan." Ava stated. Then with a pointed look at Dylan, she put in, "He does whateva I ask."


to be continued................

[ZansLove]

Thanks to Zan Da Man, CharmedDestiny, Anais Nin, and alienmom for the awesome fb!!!!!

Here ya go..............

<center>Chapter Seven</center>

Zan and Rath decided to go get some breakfast. It was close to seven in the morning now. He figured they could all eat and then Dylan could get some sleep. He walked toward the bedroom just as he saw Ava go in. He stood there a minute and listened. He heard everything that Ava said. He shook his head and entered, just as she proclaimed that he would do 'whateva' she asked. He almost snorted. 'That's a load a sh*t.'

As he entered he was almost frozen in time. He looked Dylan over as Loni responded to Ava. Dylan was dressed, and her hair was down now. It was this incredible chocolate color and it fell down her back, past her shoulder blades. He didn't think he'd ever seen anything so enticing. And she had this little twinkle in her eyes. She was amused by something. His inspection only took about a second, but it seemed longer to him. That's when he remembered what Ava had just said, and decided to see what she was up to. It reeked of jealousy, but he didn't see any reason for her to be jealous, since they weren't involved. Never had been and never would be. Not to mention the fact that Dylan was their 'prisoner', not someone he was romantically interested in. At least he kept telling himself that.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
Loni smirked and said, "You do that." Dylan tried to hide her smile. She had a strong feeling that Zan didn't do 'whateva' anyone asked. And Ava was getting ready to find that out. Zan had walked up behind her as she made her last statement, and who knows how long he stood outside the curtain, that served as a door, before that.

He winked at Dylan and Loni and said, "S'at so?" Ava jumped ten feet. "And what are you s'posed to be talkin to me about?"

She turned and grinned at Dylan as if to say - See? Dylan just smiled sweetly back at her. Zan didn't miss one bit of it either. He was intrigued. He didn't have time to think about it much though, because Ava was hangin on him again. 'F*ck, I hate it when she does that!'

"Hey, baby. Remember? Me and Loni was s'posed to go shoppin today. We talked about it last week. It's gonna be extra fun now that we got that dough from Sean." She leaned into him, and ran her fingers down his chest. "I been lookin forward to it for days. You don't wanna disappoint me, do ya?"

Loni rolled her eyes and Dylan put her hand over her mouth so they wouldn't see how funny she thought this was. Zan looked so irritated that she thought he'd crawl right out of his skin if he could. It was hilarious!

Zan, very deliberately, removed Ava's hand from his chest and moved her away from him as he spoke. "I told ya before, quite callin me that, and don't be touchin me like that! I neva said you'd be usin that money for shoppin, and as far as disappointin you, well......that’s just your own damn problem." Then he spoke to all of them, dismissing the subject completely. "You three's stayin here while me and Rath go get some food. We won't be long. Don't go anywhere."

Ava feigned hurt and walked over to the bed passing the other two women on her way. As she got to Dylan she "accidentally" rammed into her left side, taking Dylan by surprise and knocking her off of her feet. Zan was about to go defend Dylan, when Loni stopped him. He checked himself, and wondered briefly what had gotten into him, as they watched Dylan jump to her feet, and get into Ava's face screaming every obscenity they had ever heard and even a couple that they hadn't. Loni was still laughing when Zan decided to break it up. He asked Loni and Dylan to excuse he and Ava for a moment. When they were out of sight he waved his hand in the air and a transparent, green colored barrier surrounded he and Ava.

Ava smiled coyly at him and said, "If you wanted privacy, we coulda just gone to a motel."

His jaw tightened, "Unlike you, I ain't no cheap a*s b*tch, hittin it with every stick that walks down the street. Now shut up and listen to me." She stiffened and looked at her feet. " If I find out you done anything else ta Dylan, you will regret it. That's a promise. Clear?"

She nodded just as Zan felt a surge of energy. He looked over at the curtain and Rath was standing there, lips flapping, but no sound. He had hit the green barrier with a blast to get Zan's attention. Zan pulled in the privacy bubble just in time to hear Rath yell that he was starved and they needed to go.


to be continued.....................

[ZansLove]

Thanks for the faithful fb, Zan Da Man, Anais Nin, Charmed Destiny, and alienmom.

Now, on with it..............


<center>Chapter Eight</center>

A couple of days passed, and Dylan had yet to be allowed out of the tunnels that the aliens called home. Today she was extra restless. Loni and Ava had gone to get some lunch, and Zan and Rath were out in the tunnels. They said something about needing privacy to talk. Zan told her that she shouldn’t think about trying anything, because they would be in the only tunnel that led out of here, and she would never get past them without him knowing. This earned him a glare, and some comment about not caring anyway.

She was bored out of her mind. She tried watching TV, but the only good channels they got were because they used their powers on it. Without that, there were only two. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stood and looked around the place. It really was like a lair - an alien's lair.

She decided to do what she always did at home when she was bored or needed to think - clean. She didn’t think these people knew the meaning of the word. It was always trashed here. She surveyed the area, taking note of places to pay special attention to. That’s when she saw something that had gone unnoticed the past three days. It was a large archway. She walked over to check it out, thinking that it may have an exit. What she found was something far more!

It was a room, and it would have been pitch black, except that, on the opposite wall from where she stood, there was a large circular area that seemed to be cut out. In the center of it were four large, oval shaped objects that were stacked two on top of the other two. They looked like they had been torn to shreds. That wasn’t even the strangest part, and it was pretty strange. The weirdest part, was that they were lit up - from behind. They seemed to be glowing a greenish color. The cutout in the wall, that held them, had what looked like some kind of metal beams, which were curved and rounded, holding the objects on place. It made it almost look pretty, except for the cobwebs covering it. Dylan wrinkled her nose at that thought. It was obviously something alien, and something that they didn’t want anyone to know about. Otherwise she would have heard them talking about it. Never once had she seen anyone come back here since she had been down here.

She walked fully into the large, open room. She was freezing. ‘It must be forty degrees down here! For the first time she noticed the other things that were around her. There were beds - two of them. One was a full-sized bed in the far, right corner of the room, and the other was a twin that sat just to her right against the wall. The bigger bed had to have like eight pillows on it, and the other had a brass headboard that looked really old, with only one pillow. To The right of the small bed was a stack of milk-crates, that looked to be about four-high, storing clothes. On the adjacent wall, next to the other bed, was a large armoire, with the doors torn off of the front, also holding clothes. That was all the furniture to be seen. There were also clothes strewn throughout the room. Upon closer inspection, she found that they were men’s clothes. She figured she’d found where Zan and Rath sleep. She thought it was odd that she hadn’t ever seen either of them come back here. She looked at the alien objects again. 'They must really wanna keep this sh*t hidden.’

She decided to just ignore her discovery and set to her previous plan of cleaning. She was definitely going to start in this room. It had to be the worst! She walked out to the front room and gathered five or six candles and some matches for more light in the darkened room. She set them about, but they didn’t offer much help. She began to pick up the clothes all over the room. Some of them were foul smelling and she couldn’t figure out why, with the powers they had, they would have nasty sh*t like that laying around their home. She straightened the disheveled covers on the twin bed as well as she could to make it, and walked over to the other one.

There seemed to be pillows everywhere. She shook her head, and briefly wondered whom the bed belonged to. She removed the pillows and tossed them on the other bed and began to make this one. As she moved the blankets around, she found a black hooded sweatshirt at the foot of the bed. She picked it up and smelled it. It didn‘t repulse her, so she put it on. ‘He shouldn’t have a problem with it. After all he’s the one keeping me down here and only giving me a sleeveless shirt to wear when it’s the middle of October in NEW YORK!!’ Dylan stopped mid-thought. She had immediately started thinking of the shirt as Zan’s. ‘Why?’ She stuck her nose into the top of the shirt that she was now warming up in. It was the smell. She knew it was him. She stayed that way longer than necessary, then looked at the bed that was half made in front of her. She walked over and picked up one of the pillows that she had removed from it. She wrapped her arms around the pillow and inhaled, closing her eyes. WHY was she so intoxicated by that scent? She threw the pillow back on Rath’s bed and went to finish making Zan’s. ’I do NOT like that smell, or the person it belongs to.’ She kept telling herself, but she knew she wasn’t buying it.

Dylan had just finished with Zan’s bed, and was folding the clothes that she guessed were clean, when she thought she heard something. She walked to the doorway and jumped when she heard voices out in the main area. She knew it was Zan and Ava. She walked out into the open so they didn’t freak out and think she’d bolted. What she found made her stomach turn. The funny thing was, she didn’t see any reason why she should feel that way. It was none of her business. They were meant to be together. It was in their genes.

Loni had told Dylan all about their “destiny” and how they got here, but they didn’t know why they were sent. Loni also told her that they were hoping to find the answers, they’d been wanting, at the summit they were going to next weekend. Loni had said that none of them really bought into the whole "destiny" thing. Especially Zan.

That’s why Dylan couldn’t believe what she was now seeing. There, right in front of her, and without even noticing that she was there, were Zan and Ava. Ava was on her back on the couch, and Zan was on top of her, kissing her like she was his last meal. They didn’t even seem to realize that she was there, or even care if she hadn’t been. Dylan’s face turned red and her brows crinkled together. Then she gave an exaggerated, “UGH! I hate this place!” She was almost as angry at herself for being this affected, as she was about what she was seeing.

She stomped back into the room that she had emerged from and began sloppily folding clothes again. Ten minutes later, she was done with the guys’ room. She cautiously walked back out to the front room just in time to see Ava replace her shirt and leave the lair. Zan was nowhere in sight.

She went into the other bedroom, where she slept on a palate on the floor. She made up the bed that Loni and Ava slept in, and straightened the knick-knacks on the desk and dresser. After she finished in there, she went back to the other bedroom to get the candles that she had left in there.

Her head was now killing her, and she was still fuming. Hadn't Loni said that Zan didn't want anything to do with Ava? Dylan even remembered Loni saying that Ava had tried several times to seduce Zan and he always told her to 'F*ck off'. Loni said that she knew the only reason Zan even allowed Ava to stay around, was his sense of obligation as the king. He felt responsible for her safety as part of the 'royal four'. Dylan didn't really care about all of that, all she cared about is how much it stung when she saw them together. Then seeing Ava like that right before she had left, Dylan couldn't figure out why she cared so much. Sure, Zan was an amazingly attractive man. That had not been lost on her, but there were plenty of attractive men in NY, why'd she care about this one? She figured it was because he would probably be the last hot guy she ever saw, with the way things seemed to be going for her lately.

At that thought, Dylan stomped over the alien objects that were set in the wall, and began to inspect them. She realized now just how gross they really looked. She reached out and touched the one on the bottom left side. She pinched some of the dry substance between her fingers, and rubbed it with her thumb. It felt almost like dry skin, only thicker. At that thought, she jerked her hand back like she'd been burned. 'Sick!'

She adjusted her position, and placed her hand on the cool metal frame of the one on the right. As she traced her fingers along the slight curve of the line, the light behind the objects started to pulsate. It grew a hint brighter and Dylan was amazed. She slowly withdrew her fingers and started looking closer at the openings surrounding the objects. She could see that it was completely open behind them, so all she had to do was figure out how to get back there, and maybe she could get away from these people.

She started to climb up the right side to see if she could find an opening large enough for her to fit through. The light was pulsing faster now, and was a little brighter than before, she noticed. She kept looking, but couldn't find a way through. She got down and touched the 'skin' again as a thought occurred to her. She crept to the doorway to make sure that no one was back yet.

She ran to the girls' room and grabbed one of Ava's breakneck, high-heel boots and ran back to the other room. She climbed through the opening on the bottom right, and started to beat at the 'skin' at the back of it, with the heel of the boot. It only took two whacks and there was a small hole there. She stuck her hand through the hole and the 'skin' easily tore all the way down.

She climbed through the hole that she had torn, and stood. She was in what looked like some kind of entryway, and right in front of her, there was a door. It was made of some kind of metal that she had never seen. She looked around and saw that that was the only way out of here. That or back the way she came, and she did not want to think about that right now.

She walked up to the door and touched it. It was unusually warm. She jumped back as it slid open at her touch. She gasped and stared in awe. The doors had opened into another room that had walls made of the same strange metal as the door. In the center of the room was a huge, black, cone-shaped object that came to a point about two feet off of the ground. Directly under it was a sort of base that was lit up and almost met the point of the 'cone'. It was just a couple of inches from it. There were lights dancing on the walls, but there was nowhere for them to be coming from.

'Is this ever gonna stop gettin so f*cking wierd?' Dylan thought to herself. She walked into the room, but kept an eye on the door. The last thing she needed was to be trapped in this place. As she did this, the room completely lit up. It was as bright as daytime at noon. She squinted her eyes, 'Guess not.' She answered her thought from mere seconds ago. She was freaked now and so she bolted. As soon as she stepped back out of the room, the light went dim again and the doors slowly slid shut. "Sh*t." She said out loud to herself, as she climbed back through to Zan and Rath's bedroom.


to be continued..................

[ZansLove]

Thank you so much alienmom, blndie2272, Zan Da Man, xsuper_novax!! You all have been so patient, and I really appreciate it. You guys rock!!! My time just gets divided like crazy lately, and this seems to be what gets neglected. Sorry.

k, nough a that...........


<center>Chapter Nine</center>

She retrieved Ava’s boot and returned it to the bedroom. She found a rag and started cleaning off any exposed furniture she could find. The whole time that she was working, she could not stop thinking about what she found in the guys’ room. She finished wiping down the bedrooms. As she was leaving the girl’s room, she glanced over at the toilet in the corner, but quickly decided to just leave it. Loni always made sure it was spotless, so she wasn’t gonna bother. She still wondered how they had gotten working plumbing down here.'Probably something alien.’

She walked out to the front room and started dusting. She had finished everything except the top couple of shelves of the tall bookcase against the wall. As she walked over to it, she put her free hand to her forehead and rubbed her thumb and middle finger against her temples. She lazily wondered if her headache was ever going to go away.

She reached the shelving unit, and climbed on top of the desk next to it. She steadied herself and began to clean off the top shelf. Just as she was finishing, she started to feel light-headed. What happened next was so quick, that she hardly had time to register that she wasn’t alone anymore.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
Zan and Rath had finished their discussion about the summit, and headed back. Rath stopped to talk to some bum, trying to get liquor off of him, while Zan went on home. He didn’t like the idea of Dylan being there alone any longer than necessary. Ava had gone back there a while ago saying that she’d forgotten her jacket, but he knew something was up when she returned to Loni’s side without one.

He walked through the entryway of their home and stopped in his tracks. Dylan was standing on the desk, cleaning the bookshelf next to it. Her hair was in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck, and she was wearing his sweatshirt. His jaw tightened as he tried to will his pulse to slow down. He watched her for a couple more seconds, taking note of the pensive expression she wore. Before he could think about what might be causing it, she was swaying on her feet, and then she was on the floor. He was by her side in an instant.

Dylan had no sooner hit the ground - flat on her back, than there was someone leaning over her asking if she was all right. She looked up and met the eyes of the inquisitor. Zan. She felt herself relax, and there was a warm tightening in her stomach at the look of tenderness she saw in his caramel gaze. She nodded to him as he ran his hands over her. She figured he was checking for broken bones or something. Then she remembered her last couple of hours. She sat up abruptly, and the dizziness hit her again.

He sounded concerned when he softly spoke to her. “You’re not a’ight, angel. Lemme fix it.”

Rath walked by unnoticed, heading toward his room, just as Dylan swatted Zan’s hand away from her head and snapped at him, “No! No more of your alien sh*t. I don’t want you in my head anymore!” At the slight hint of hurt in his eyes, her tone softened as she added, “Besides, I’m fine. I just got a little dizzy. It’s probably just ‘cause I need to eat somethin.”

Zan stood and there was once again a cold wall where the concern had been in his expression. He took hold of her arm and pulled her to her feet. He grabbed her hand, ignoring the electrical current that shot up his arm at the skin to skin contact, and lead her over to the sofa. “Lay down till they get here with the food.” He turned and sat in a chair as far away from her as possible.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
Rath came over to them with murderous intentions radiating off of him. Dylan sat straight up as soon as she saw him, her headache forgotten. He had come from the room where she had made her strange discoveries, and she was sure that he knew what she’d been up to. He walked up to Zan, and was about to speak, when Loni and Ava started making a commotion with the food they carried, as they entered.

Dylan’s hands were shaking. She knew Rath was going to tell Zan that they had to kill her now. She didn’t know what to do, and she began to panic. She wanted them to know that she wasn't going to tell anyone about them. Rath turned to Zan again, and Dylan stood abruptly. Loni. She trusted Loni the most out of the four. She had to find out if they knew about the metallic room yet. If not, she wanted to see if Loni thought she should tell Zan. It seemed kind of important, and for some reason, she didn’t like the idea of Rath finding out about it first.

Zan looked at Dylan strangely, “Yes?”

She walked toward Loni, “I need to talk to Loni - alone.” She latched onto Loni’s arm, and pleaded with her eyes for her to go along.

Rath narrowed his eyes, “You ain’t got nothin ta say to her, that you can’t lay out on the table fa all of us.”

Loni realized that something was happening that Zan wasn't seeing. From where she stood, she could see that Dylan was almost hysterical with fright, but hiding it well. Dylan’s hands on her arm were violently shaking too; and from the way that Rath was looking at Dylan, she’d bet her last dime that Dylan would be dead the next time Zan turned his back.

Loni was surprised at how strong Dylan’s voice sounded when she answered Rath’s demand, “Yes, I do.” She let go of Loni’s arm and gave the two men a sarcastic grin. “Unless you two want to hear all about my feminine problems.” She looked at Zan and quietly said, “It shouldn’t take long. I just have a couple of questions for her.”

Zan nodded, somewhat uncomfortable with the topic. He figured that that was probably the cause of her earlier dizziness. “A’ight, go. But stay close.”

Dylan glanced at Rath as she and Loni were leaving the front room. She grumbled to herself, “Damn! If aliens could shoot death rays with their eyes, I’d be SO dead right now.” Loni snickered.

The two women entered the bedroom, and Dylan started to speak in a low voice, “Thank you so much, Loni. I know he was ready to blast my f*ckin head off. I didn‘t me-” She was cut off as Loni’s hand quickly covered her mouth.

Loni gave Dylan a meaningful look, and waited for an acknowledgement before she removed her hand. Dylan then watched as she walked over to the tall, curtain covered doorway and waved her hand across it. The curtain was changed into a solid, soundproof barrier.

At Dylan’s questioning look, Loni simply said, “Advanced alien hearing. Don‘t want any eavesdroppas.” Dylan once again was amazed by all that they could do. She smiled and then with a serious look, she asked, “K, what’s got you ‘bout ta piss your pants?”

Dylan’s somber expression bothered her. She was really liking Dylan. The two talked all the time since they had found her at Deluca’s. Loni would almost go as far as saying that they were friends. That is, if they weren’t holding her here against her will.

“Well, after you two left to get the food, Zan and Rath went off into the tunnels, sayin they needed privacy. I was bored, so I decided to kinda clean up a little bit. That’s somethin I do at home when I’m bored or need a distraction or whatever.” She gestured and rolled her eyes at herself. “Anyway, while I was doing this, I found the room that, I’m assuming, the guys sleep in.” She tentatively watched Loni’s reaction, silently praying that it wouldn’t be the same as Rath’s. She was going to continue, but Loni’s outburst stopped her.

Loni’s eyes widened in realization and then she smiled. “You found the f*ckin pods.” It was a statement, not a question.

Confusion crossed Dylan’s face, “I’m sorry, pods?”

“Yeah, you know. Suspended in the wall. Glowing. That’s where we was born.” At Dylan’s questioning gaze, she put in, “Ya know? Actually you were born - we were ‘hatched’.”

Dylan was slowly taking it in, but then something bothered her. “Wait. As babies, you all just fell out of these things? I don’t understand. Aren’t they kinda, I dunno, large?”

Loni nodded. “Yeah, we was ‘bout six when we came out. Not babies. But we had a protecta that was there to help us when we came out.”

Dylan just stared at her. This was unreal. Then again, she was talking to an alien. She shook her thoughts together, and started talking a mile a minute. “I didn’t mean to find them, I was just curious about what was back there. I’ll never tell anyone, I swear. I know Rath wants to kill me ’cause he thinks I’m gonna go tell everyone, but I promise I’m not a liability.” She laid back on the bed that she was sitting on and sighed, “Oh god! What is Zan gonna say? I know Rath’s out there beggin to kill me right now. What am I gonna do, Loni?”

Loni was deep in thought. She couldn’t figure out why Rath would be goin postal about the pods. Dylan already knew more than she should. That shouldn’t make it any worse. She decided not to say anything about that. She dodged Dylan’s question and instead interrupted her rant with a thought of her own, “Wait. Wait. Hold up, crazy canary. Did you clean the chamber?”

Dylan looked confused. “The chamber?”

“The pod chamber. That’s what we call that room that they sleep in.” She looked amused. “Before it was their bedroom, tha’s what our protecta called it.”

She smirked, “Well, yeah. It was trashed.”

Loni openly laughed, “Sh*t, that’s probably why Rath wanted to murder ya. He hates when anyone touches his sh*t.”

Dylan laughed at her, and then she thought of something. “There’s more to it than the pods, isn’t there?” She asked.

Loni gave her a strange look, “More?”

“Behind the pods.” At Loni’s confused look, she figured she should just tell her what she found. “I got kinda grossed out after seeing Zan and Ava together, so I decided that I was gonna try to find a way outa here.” She stopped to make sure Loni was still following her.

Loni took the opportunity to cut in, “What do you mean seeing Zan and Ava together?”

Dylan dismissed the question. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.....anyway, I could tell that it was kinda open behind the pods, so I tried to see if I could get back there.” She recounted the whole story, and when she was done, she asked, “Do you think I should tell Zan? I don’t want Rath to find out first. I don’t trust that pr*ck.” She stopped when she realized that Loni was no longer listening to her.

After a long silence, Loni gasped in realization and whispered, “The Granolith.” She quickly stepped up to the doorway and waved her hand over it, before Dylan could stop her.

As soon as the barrier was gone, Zan came barging through the curtain with Rath right on his heels. Dylan quickly jumped up from the bed, and took a small step back as they entered. Loni was caught off guard, and just stared at them for a moment.

Rath walked around Zan and went straight for Dylan. He grabbed her by the arms and demanded, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU DOIN', B*TCH!?!"

Dylan instinctively stiffened at his aggression. She knew he wanted to kill her - literally. She just wondered if the others would let him do it, now that she knew way more than she should. She looked at Zan, then Loni, helplessly. Neither of them had seen her visibly frightened before now. Dylan turned back to Rath, "I- I wasn't doing anything. I was just cleaning up. I got bored. I didn't mean to see that other stuff. I swear!" Her arms felt like they were being crushed under his tight grip.

"WHAT? YOU EXPECT US TO BELIEVE THAT?" He turned his head to Zan, who looked highly pissed, and said, "Can you believe this ho?"

"Rath…." Zan said with warning in his tone. He did not feel like being pushed right now, and Rath was most definitely pushing it with his hands on Dylan. She was obviously in pain.

Rath turned back to Dylan, "So what was ya plan? To come and get in tight wit ar group and then send Khivar down here ta finish us off?" Rath knew very well, that that wasn't the case, but he wanted her gone, and he figured this would be the best way to convince Zan to let him kill her.

Dylan had no idea what he was talking about. "Khiv-? What?" She just looked at him, confusion etched in her features.

He only questioned more, "Yeah! And what was Deluca talkin 'bout when he said you was made for royalty, huh?" His grip tightened, and she cried out.

"I don't know! I don't know why he would say that. I've learned since being here, that there's a lot about him that I didn't know. I really don't know why he would tell you anything about me. I'm just an orphan from New Mexico." At that last statement, she saw Rath's eyes widen in something that was familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place why. It was almost like recognition. She wasn't sure. What she was sure of though, was the next look that crossed his face.

"THAT'S IT! I'M SICK A YOUR LYIN ASS!" He threw her to the ground, and raised his hand toward her.

Over the past couple of days, Zan had been wondering about what Deluca had said as well, but something wasn't right. Dylan looked like she really didn't have any idea what Rath was talking about. He had already connected to her and seen nothing of what Rath was accusing as far as conspiracies with Khivar. That combined with the fact that he could feel the fear radiating off of her, made him move quickly to stop Rath just as Loni called out to him. "ZAN!"


to be continued........................

[ZansLove]

Ok, I know I've been a bad bad fic writer. I'm so sorry that my RL has caused me to neglect Zan and Dylan!

Thank you all so much for the wonderful words of encouragement, and all of the bumps. It does not go unnoticed. I've just had a lot of crap in my lap lately. Hey! I made a rhymn! :turn-l:

Thank you all for hangin in there with me. More is coming. I promise! I already have the next couple of chapters sort of mapped out. I just have to put everything together to get it posted.

Peace! to all my mad, crazy fellow Zanatiks!!! :flasingsmile:

<center>Chapter Ten</center>

Zan stepped in front of Dylan and threw out a transparent green barrier in the same instant that Rath released his blast. Zan absorbed it into the force field so that it wouldn't bounce off and hit Rath, then he sat down on the bed next to him.

Loni had decided during the confrontation between Rath and Dylan, that she wasn't ready for Rath to know about the Granolith yet. Something wasn’t quite right about his reaction to all of this. He was way too upset over something as small as Dylan seeing the pods. She decided to tell Zan everything that Dylan had told her, and see what he said. <<'Little bro, we gotta talk.........alone. There's somethin you should know.'>> Zan didn't make a move to acknowledge that he'd heard her, and she almost repeated herself, but stopped when Zan began to speak to Rath.

Zan looked at Rath's defiant stance, stood up, and said, "Stand down, bro. I got questions too, but I can't ask 'em if she’s dead already. An’ I ain’t gonna get nothin useful from her witchu standin here scarin the sh*t out of ‘er. Now, go find Ava. We'll all talk in a few." Rath's only response was to turn and leave the room.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
Rath walked out into the front area, just as Ava was arriving from wherever she’d been. He gave her a look and said, “Where ya been, yo?”

“Out.” She headed towards her bedroom.

“I don’t think they wanna be bothered in there……….so, you was out wit ya luuuuva?” He was mocking her, and she was quite aware of it. “So, is sex wit a Skin as good as us Anatarians?” He dropped himself down on the couch and added, “Ya know? I should just f*ck Dylan and ask her…..whada ya think Zan would say ‘bout that?” He was chuckling with the last because Ava had spun around and was glaring at him. She had such a double standard. Here she was claiming her undying love for Zan, and talking about how they were ‘destined’ for each other, then, behind his back, she was f*ckin his mortal enemy.

She then shrugged indifference, and said, “I dunno. I still don’t undastand why you ain't taken ‘er yet. Since when did you listen ta orders?”

Rath didn’t say anything for a second, then after a moment of thought, he asked, “You said anything to Khivar ‘bout Dylan yet?”

She scowled at him, “Why would I?”

“I dunno. I’m startin ta think that maybe Zan’s right. Like she has somethin ta do wit our past, but I can’t remember what.” He stood and started pacing as she walked over and stood behind the sofa.

“Rath, Zan doesn’t know what he’s talkin ‘bout. He’s just usin’ that as an excuse ta keep her ‘round for him ta look at.” There was venom creeping into her voice as she thought of the way Zan looked at Dylan. It was the way she’d been trying to get him to look at her their whole lives.

“Naw, there’s somethin ‘bout ‘er. I never seen him hold out this long on f*ckin somebody he’s totally into…….and I don’t think he ever wanted anyone as bad as her.” He wasn’t teasing her anymore, he was dead serious, and Ava knew he was right. There was something different. But what?

As an afterthought he added, “Whatever you an’ ya boyfriend got planned, you better move quick. Sumthin’s gonna be hittin the fan soon. I can feel it.” He fell back down on the sofa, and threw in, “I think I’ll have a little talk wit Zan ‘bout it lata. What da ya think?” He finished with a smirk in her direction.

She narrowed her eyes at his double meaning, “You wouldn’t.”

His response was to shrug and say, “Why not? Ain’t like I dun nuthin wrong.”

She stomped around the stand in front of him. “If you open that p*ssy lickin mouth a yours for one word to escape, bout what I been doin, I’ll tell him you were in on it ALL along.” She gave a sweet smile, “How else could ya known about it without telling him bafooor now?”

A silence fell over them, until Rath decided to turn on the TV. They both sat there together, lost in their own thoughts.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>
At the same time..........


As soon as Rath was out of the room, Zan put the soundproof wall back. Loni stepped over to Dylan and held out her hand to help her up.

As soon as Dylan was standing, Zan was in front of her wanting answers. “Tell me what’s goin on.” It was a demand, but he never raised his voice.

Dylan glanced down at her feet, and when she looked back up at Zan, there were tears in her eyes that were ready to spill over at any second. In a quiet voice, she answered, “Zan, I really didn’t mean to find the pods. I didn’t snoop through any of your things. I wouldn’t do that. I think you know that. Please just don’t be angry with me?” All she wanted was to get that look off of his face. It confused the hell out of her that, at this point in time, she felt like she couldn’t bear the thought of him being disappointed in something that she’d done.

Loni couldn’t stand it anymore. Dylan looked like she would die if Zan was angry with her. She briefly wondered why, but just decided to bring up the reason for the needed privacy. She moved to Zan’s side and gently put her hand on his arm, “Zan, there’s somethin else we need to discuss.”

He didn’t look at Lonnie, when he asked, “What?” He was still trying to figure out why Dylan was so upset. ’It’s not like I’m gonna hurt ‘er or anything’

“The Granolith.” Was the only response he got from his sister, but she got the reaction that she was looking for.

Zan’s head spun in her direction and he sputtered, “The Gran-…..what?.....Loni.” He looked from Loni to Dylan, who hadn’t taken her eyes off of him, and back to Loni again.

“It’s ok, she knows.” She gave him a small smile. It felt kinda good not having to keep it from her. Before he could respond, she added, “She also knows where it’s hidden.” She was quite proud of herself for being the one to bring him something this important.

All of his attention was focused on Loni now, as he spoke to her about Dylan like she was no longer standing right next to him. “How the hell she know that? WE don’t even know where they hid it!”

“Hey, speak fa y’self, king.” She was having fun with this, but she could tell that he was starting to get even more pissed.

“Loni.” He was tired of games. It was time to talk.

“A’ight a’ight. Dylan found the Granolith hidden behind the pods when she was tryin ta get away today.” Loni spit it out quickly so she didn’t make him more upset. She could tell he was already having trouble with the whole ‘Dylan going through their stuff’ thing.

“What? You mean it’s been here all-“ he turned to Dylan, “You said you didn’t go ‘snoopin’ through our sh*t. What the hell you call ‘snoopin’, if that ain’t it?”

A tear was making a trail down her left cheek now as she shook her head at him. “I wasn’t trying to find anything except a way out. I wasn’t looking for information. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to get away.” She dropped herself down on the bed and put her head in her hands. This was not her best of days. ’This is NOT helping my mutha of all headaches!’

In a low, almost disappointed tone, he spoke to her again. “You had no right to go thro--”

Dylan looked up at him sharply, the tears stopped abruptly, and she cut him off. “I had no right? I had no RIGHT!?!” She walked up to stand directly in front of him. “Who are YOU to speak to me about rights?” She turned around and threw her arms in the air in exasperation, “GOD! You kill my boyfriend, kidnap me, and hold me prisoner in this ‘dungeon’; and you wanna start talkin ‘bout RIGHTS?” She went to make her dramatic exit, but stopped when she encountered the wall that used to be a curtain. “LONI!”

Trying her hardest not to laugh, Loni ran to Dylan’s side and was about to wave her hand over the doorway.

“Loni….” Zan couldn’t believe his own sister seemed to be siding with Dylan. Of course Dylan had a point, but that wasn’t important now. His own flesh and blood was supposed to be loyal.

Loni gave Dylan an apologetic look as she turned back to Zan. She had suddenly remembered the reason for her need of privacy. “Somethin’s up wit ya second, yo. I don’t think we should tell ‘im ‘bout Dylan’s discovery just yet. Ava either. From what Dylan's said to me, I think she feels the same too.”

Zan simply nodded, but then said, “She feels the same? Why’s it matta how she feels about it? Loni, she’s not in this. You know why she’s still here.”

Dylan was so sick of him doing this, “HELLOOOOOO….HELLO? I’m standing RIGHT HERE! Do you not see this? Why do you keep talking about me like I’m some thing you have to deal with as if I weren’t a living breathing person who is STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!?!” Then she added quietly, not really intending for them to hear her, “Am I that invisible to you?”

Feeling kind of guilty, because he knew she was right, and because she sounded almost heartbroken in the last question, he awkwardly said, “Sorry. Guess I could work on that.” He held his arm out for her to take a seat on the bed, as a gesture of truce, and said, “So tell me how ya found this ‘holy grail’ of the Antarian people. Lotsa aliens been lookin for that thing for a loooong time.”

Loni watched as Dylan sat down and gave him a small smile, to show that she accepted his apology. She recounted the whole story again, only Loni noticed that she left out the part where she was upset about seeing he and Ava together - whatever that meant.

They had decided not to tell the other two about the Granolith, and when the discussion was over, Zan went straight to the chamber and erased the evidence of Dylan tearing through the back of one of the pods.

to be continued...............................