Exposure (M/L Mature) Anothers Note 7/1/07 [WIP]

[rie482]

*Laughs evilly* I am back with the next part!

Just a small note to say that I may, at some point, decide to stop posting for a little while. DON'T WORRY. This won't happen until the end of the month, if it does happen, and posting will continue at the end of june. Sorry to do this to you guys but I will need to focus souly on real life as I have my A levels slowly creeping up on moi.

But don't worry. I have some time left

Thanks to the following for their feedback:
Flamehair: You find out
maya
begonia9508
Emz80m: It's time like those that Max always realises what he has got. Nothing ever changes
tequathisy
Timelord31
Jennifer24: You know the pod squad can never live in peace:P
Buffsteraddict

FEEDBACK IS WANTED AND ADORED



Part Eleven

Her heart was beating so hard and fast that she felt it was going to just jump out of her chest if she continued, but the small girl that was wrapped in her arms made her continue moving towards the Crashdown, where she knew he was right now. Hope was beating away at her ribs as she leapt into the car, her husband strapped in next to her. She went towards the ignition, pausing for a moment to look at him with tears in her eyes. He reached across, placing his hand on hers that rested on the gear stick. Some how his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Then suddenly the almost tender moment was over and now she was more determined then ever before. Turning the ignition she smiled.

Today there was going to be a miracle.

* * * * * * * *

Max rolled off the sofa with a groan. They had fallen asleep in each others arms and before he knew it three hours had passed. He didn’t mind waking up with Liz, but the sofa just wasn’t the comfortable thing that he had always imagined they would fall asleep on as they watched the TV. He had always envisioned waking up with her curled up on his chest, a pleasant and warm feeling spreading over him yet the crick in the neck meant he had to move when he did wake up to find her asleep on his chest. It was perfect but the pain was just too much to deny.

He rolled over onto his knees and gazed down at the sleeping Liz, her eyes rested lightly and her hair fanned across the cushions. It seemed she just got more beautiful by the day already, but now that Max knew they were together she appeared even more so in his eyes.

He ran his hand just inches over her bare arm; needing to be close to her yet didn’t want to wake her. It was at times like these he felt so close to her as it felt Liz was letting her guard down as she slept. “Max.” she mumbled in her sleep as she rubbed her cheek against the cushion underneath. She frowned as she realised his chest wasn’t beneath her cheek and let out a small cry. “Max?” She asked confused as she dreamt that she couldn’t find him, as she dreamt that he had left her.

Standing in the meadow once again she cried as she wandered around, unable to find Max anywhere. “Max.” She sighed as fresh tears escaped and she felt ot her knees by the pond.

“Liz.” His warm voice woke her up. She felt his warm hand brush along her cheek as he reached for a lock of hair, pushing it to one side. “Liz.” He said again. “I’m here.”

“Good,” She replied as she sleepily opened her eyes to find her soul mate knelt before her. “I – I was” A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

“Worried I wouldn’t be?” Max finished sadly. When Liz nodded he felt a huge amount of regret in his chest for all he had put her through in the last couple of days. “I’m sorry – I know it’s my fault that I make you doubt whether or not I will stay… but right now I promise you that I’m not going anywhere.” Caressing Liz’s cheek he whispered, “I know I can’t live without you and I will prove it to you. I’ll build us the home we have always dreamt of. I will take you to places you have always wanted to go. I’ll be here through all your hopes and fears because – because one day - One day I’m going to make you my wife.”

“Oh Max,” Liz cried as she bit her lip. Slowly, her eyes never leaving his, she lifted herself up, taking him into her arms and squeezing him tightly. “I love you.” She declared into his shoulder.

“I love you” He whispered as he cupped the back of her head.

They had remained like that for what seemed a lifetime. They just held each other, soaking up all the lost moments. To just hold Liz was a simple pleasure for Max and now he wondered why he ever decided to take a step back. Yet again it was the most stupid thing he had ever done. Why didn’t he just learn from the last time? Didn’t he see then that he couldn’t just step back like that? Liz Parker grounded him and nothing worked if they were apart.

He smiled as he took in her scent. Life was perfect.

“Oi! I told you, you can’t go up there!” Came the voice of Mr Parker; making the couple jump out of their skins, their hands clasping onto each other as tightly as before. “I told you! YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED UP HERE!” Mr Parker’s voice boomed through the flat as the door swung wide open revealing a couple, a child held in the woman’s arms.

Everything seemed to stand still for a moment as the two couples just looked at each other. The woman stood tall, her breath coming out in small gasps as she had run up the stairs. Pulling her light brown curly hair from her face she continued to stare at the people before her, her pupils wide. Max and Liz were each others arms still, Max still knelt by the sofa his grip on her small frame as tight as he could. He didn’t know what to make of the other two.

The woman felt her husbands hand on the small of her back, reminding her to breathe and take the courage from him. Nodding to herself she gathered that bravery.

“King Max,” She whimpered as she stepped through the door. “I need your help.”

********

“You know you’re not supposed to be doing that – don’t you?” Serena mused as she watched Zan playing around with the computer that was found in the study. Switching it on he had immediately started hacking away, determined.

“Why not?” He barked as he clicked here and there, his eyes taking in every word that flashed across the screen. “We’re back in Roswell – we aren’t in the white house any longer. They can’t keep the media away from us.”

Serena took a step back in realisation. “I thought you were trying to hack into the security system.” She admitted as she neared the desk. “I didn’t think that this was what you wanted to know – I didn’t think you cared what the world thought about you.”

Zan glanced at her for a second before turning his attention back to the computer screen. “I don’t. This is for suga.” He mumbled embarrassed.

“Sugar?” Serena frowned, her heart wrenching itself out of her chest at the endearment.

“Liz,” He replied, his focus on the computer unwavering. “The attack today wasn’t just becos of that damn article.” He reasoned out loud, more for himself than Serena. “It’s more to do with what we haven’t been shown by the damn government.” Typing quickly he trudged through all the crappy sites devoted to the group and almost instantly found what he was looking for. “Bingo.” He muttered as he clicked on it.

Serena leant in closer for a better look but found that his smell was far more appealing than she bargained for. Feeling she should move she willed herself to lean away but found she couldn’t. The aroma was too appealing so she stayed where she was.

Zan’s body completely froze the moment Serena had moved closer to him to get a better look at the site. The lump in his throat just stayed and his attention, for the first time in a while was wavering. Snapping himself out of it he forced himself to look at the site. “Oh my god.” He mumbled to himself. There before him was a hate Liz Parker page. A page devoted to reasons why she should be hated, with the words home wrecker being reason number one.

* * * * * * * *

Max remained on the floor, his mouth wide open at the words that had just come out of the woman’s mouth. “Help with what?” He finally managed to force out as he pulled himself up with the sofa and stood, his body partially covering Liz, as if to protect her. No matter where, even in their own home, he felt the need to protect Liz. It made Liz feel content to know that someone was willing to protect her from anything and anyone.

The woman hesitated for a moment before suddenly turning to look towards her husband. Now he stepped forward from the door way, revealing a tall muscular man, his blonde hair spiked up slightly. His eyes roamed around and finally rested on Max.

“It’s our daughter,” He declared, as if he wasn’t at all scared or nervous because of the fact he was stood in front of Alien Royalty. “She’s dying and we need your help.” He said quickly with a tone Liz didn’t like, it was almost detached and mechanical, like he didn’t actually care.

“She has Leukaemia” The young woman, who Max thought to be just about their age, added her voice breaking as she said her last word. “I-it’s fatal. They think she has – has only about 3 months to live.” The sobs that not wracked her small body had Liz standing up and rushing towards her, taking in her arms. Holding the woman tightly she tried to stop the tears that were suddenly threatening to spill over her lashes at the thought of how she would feel if she were to loose her child like that.

Leading the woman back to the sofa she glanced at the father, who was stood where he was, his eyes burrowing in to hers. Max sat beside the woman and gazed down at the girl, who was just about Matthew’s age, lying in her mothers arms. She looked pretty much like Liz had done; her hair was missing, her face almost skeletal and her eyes sunken.

“How long has she been like this?” Liz whispered through her tears.

“Just this week.” She mumbled through her sobs. “She – she… was perfectly healthy until this week. She… was running around, a large smile on her face as she did so. Her – her brown hair was still there.” She stopped as she gripped her child to her chest. ‘It all happened so quickly.”

“What’s her name?” Max asked quietly.

“Megan,” The woman replied.

“And yours?” Liz asked.

“Phoebe.” She replied with a sniff.

“It’s nice..”

“Oh god.” The husband snapped out of the blue. “Can you just get on with it?” Instantly Liz didn’t feel so comfortable in the room any more, the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end and she could feel her powers just charging up without any notice. This was an odd occurrence because she wasn’t thinking or dreaming about what she had done, if anything she was thinking about how cold the man before her seemed. “Heal her already so we can go!”

“David!” Phoebe growled angrily. “Be polite for once.” Turning to Liz her voice lowered. “I’m so sorry about him – he’s been like this ever since last week.”

Liz’s heart started to pound as she took in the information she had been given. “What’s he usually like?” She asked as quiet as possible as not to upset Max who was glaring at David like he was the scum of the earth.

“He’s the sweetest man you could have ever met.” Phoebe stated with a small smile on her face. “He never gets angry or snaps. He’s usually so patient and kind. I really don’t know what has gotten into him. One day he was his usual self then he goes out to the pub, comes back and he’s this totally different person.”

Liz’s hand sparked with electricity as soon as she heard. Standing up suddenly she threw her hand out, encasing David in a shield.

“Liz!” Max barked as he stood up in alarm. He knew Liz wasn’t happy, he had felt it but he just thought it was the man’s attitude. “What the hell do you think you are doing?” He shouted as he rested his hand on her arm, trying to get her to lower it but found she was unwilling.

“He’s not who he says he is!” She hissed at Max.

“What do you mean?” Phoebe shrieked. “Let him out of there!” She demanded as she neared Liz. “I don’t care whether or not you can hurt me but I won’t let you hurt my husband.”

“Phoebe. Calm down. I’m not going to hurt him.” She reasoned with the woman. Lowering her hand, yet keeping the shield intact she neared him. “Watch.”

He was encased 10 metres away, but as she moved closer to him she noticed a change. Inching nearer she witnessed the way his eyes started to turn coal black, his hands clenched and unclenched as he neared the wall of the shield. As soon as she was just a metre away he lunged at the shield, claws suddenly appearing from his hands. The cool steel of the mechanical claws scrapped down the green light, ripping away at it in order to weaken.

“See.” Liz uttered sadly. “This isn’t David.”

Phoebe remained stunned at the sight that was trapped inside the cage of green electricity. He seemed primal, as if acting on an instinct that he couldn’t control. She backed away as she watched the silver claws tear away at the shield frantically.

“This – this is what Zan has been looking for.” Max gasped as he pulled Liz into his arms. Resting his chin on her head he continued. “This is what he was worried about.”

[rie482]

I'm back. *sings* Everybody dance now! *stops* I apologise... I'm in a weird kind of mood... revision has completely and utterly frazzled my brain today.

Thank you to the following for the their feedback
Timelord31 - I wonder who is going to think the exact same thing?
Asabetha - This isn't going to answer your questions. You're going to have to wait for the next part for that Sorry. But on the Zan and Serena thing... all I can say is that it is going to get more interesting soon.
Emz80m
Flamehair
Jennifer24
tequathisy
begonia9508
Buffsteraddict

FEEDBACK IS VERY WANTED!

Part Twelve.

“He just lunged at me as I got near to the shield.” Liz explained as she watched Zan circle David slowly taking in any detail he could. The things eyes were completely unmoving off of Liz who was sat on the sofa, her hands between her legs as she felt uncomfortable at the staring of the creature. “It’s – it’s as if he knows me.” She whispered in despair.

“Maybe.” Zan agreed as he circled the creature again. “The fact he will only lunge at ya is odd. It’s as if ya activate the primal instincts in it. As if ya the thing it wants.”

Liz tensed at this thought. Once again she was being chased and persecuted by something alien. It was bad enough that most of the people in Roswell hated her guts at that time, but to have yet another threat to her existence was border line crazy. Yet there was something different that came to mind this time around, she had everyone to back her up. She had learnt from last time and she wasn’t going to let go of the people who saved her from insanity.

“Sounds like something Khivar would have sent.” Max thought out loud as he entered the room.

“Nah – this has been tracking ya for much longa than Khivar has been tracking Liz. And anyway – Khivar always knew where Liz was, this first started a couple of years ago in the middle of the desert… probably at the same time ya received the message from our mom.” He paused for a moment to realise he had just said that. Not once had he thought of himself having parents that were waiting for him. He had hatched, knowing full well he was an alien with no family other than Cal who had only stuck around for a year to make sure he trained them enough in order for them to survive. Not that he wanted to – it was his job, not something he felt he wanted to do. He had no choice in the matter, he was programmed that way. With Cal and the others being his only ‘family’ he didn’t really think he had parents. Now he had parents, who actually existed and now a family who had just flung open their arms and accepted him, even though their first true meeting was a bit explosive.

“Then what are we going to do with it?” Liz wondered out loud again as she stared back at the thing inside. “It’s starting to creep me out. Plus we can’t just leave David like this. It’s not fair on him or Phoebe and Megan.”

Zan nodded, “I agree.” Folding his arms he stood in deep concentration. Where could they take him? How could he rid of the monster that had taken over David? And what the hell was it in the first place? His mind raced quickly assessing each and every option from killing him to locking him away.

“The Granolith.” Liz stated quickly and sharply as past knowledge bubbled to the surface in bits and pieces.

“What?” Max asked perplexed at the way Liz had just shot it out of no where. He kept forgetting she held all the knowledge of their powers in her mind. She seemed so much like her old self now that he had forgotten.

Liz stood up and started pacing gesturing wildly with her hands. “Well the granolith acts as so many things. As we both know Max – it contains so much power that it can be used as a time travel device. It can also take you home, be used to contain some thing and if I am remembering rightly – it also has both of your abilities.”

Zan frowned in complete confusion at this statement. “What on the earth do ya mean by that?”

Liz stopped and clearly said. “Both of you are the King of Antar. The Granolith has always been linked to the King on a level where the Granolith can act out the powers you have, if you are unavailable. You can both heal – so therefore the Granolith can. If Isabel was linked to it, the Granolith could dream walk and if it were linked to Michael it could destroy and act strategically.” She scraped her hair back with her hands. “So I suggest we take him to the Granolith and we ‘heal’ David with it. We put him in a contained environment and force the creature out of him.”

“Well if the Granolith acts out our own powers can’t we just do it here and now?” Max asked his arms were folded as well, mimicking Zan without realising it. Liz smiled slightly. The boys were not much different as they thought.

“Because we won’t be able to contain the creature in the way we could with the Granolith. The Granolith can trap the thing without the risk of it taking over someone else. It’s just too risky to do this here.”

“Ok – so how do ya suggest we get him there?” Zan mumbled. “It’s not like we can take him by the arm and walk him!”

Liz shot him a glare as she moved towards Max. “You have to use your mind! I know that’s going to be hard for you because you don’t like to use it for anything other than being sarcie with me and Serena.” Suddenly she grabbed the identical men by the palms. “Now just focus on moving us and David to the pod chamber.”

* * * * * *

Footsteps could be heard in the darkness of the room that was barely lit by the one lamp that was on. The rustling of papers and angry mumblings rang out around the room as the footsteps approached the woman, whose body was clear in the light. Her eyes sparkled emerald green as she flashed them across the desk. The footsteps neared her as she continued to search through her draws.

The footsteps stopped in front of her with a loud ringing thud which made her spin around with shock and stepping back her arm out in defence. She lowered it to her chest as she realised who it was.

“Good – you’re here.” Jo muttered as she fumbled with her paper work in frustration. “There’s something I need you to do.” She ran her delicate fingers over the paperwork desperately as she searched for the object that was laid somewhere in the middle of the mess that was her desk. Frustration took over as she began to fling the paper in all different angles. “Where the hell is it?!” She screamed as she pushed everything off her desk in fury. She scanned the mess with determination, almost laughing with delight as she spotted the object on the edge of her vision.

She trampled over the articles she had written, not caring if she ripped them with her heels. She slowly crouched, carefully making sure that she tucked her black pin stripped skirt underneath as she had learnt to, and lifted the bright blue object off the floor. Standing, she carefully placed it in the middle of her palm, admiring the blue crystal appearance as she rolled up.

“Perfect,” she whispered with a small smile. “Not one impurity.” Looking up at the man stood before her, her emerald eyes glistened with determination. “Make sure that you place this in Max’s room. And this,” She declared with a grin as she pulled a red crystal from her pocket. “This one – this one you will place in Liz’s room.”

* * * * * * *

“Whoa.” Zan sighed in awe as he suddenly found himself stood in front of the Granolith. The black cone moved with colour as the light around them bounced across the surface. He could feel the hum of the machine underneath his feet and feel the power it contained crackle in the atmosphere. His feet moved him towards the cone and he placed his palm on the surface.

“It’s cold.” He stated in shock. “From the way it hums n feels – ya’d think it would be warm to the touch.”

Max was now by his side. “Yeah – me to. The first time I came in here I was just amazed by this thing. You can quite literally feel the power that surrounds it.” Turning to Liz he noticed the tears that formed in her eyes as she surveyed the object.

Liz didn’t know what to do. She was finally seeing the Granolith for the first time since she was told of its existence almost five years ago and it made her chest tighten. This was the object that had changed the outcome of her life. It had prevented her from marrying the man of her dreams and ripped her heart in two. It had made her push her own soul mate away from her. Over the years she had always reasoned that it was to save the people she loved and the world from death but it didn’t kill the emptiness and the pain that had filled her heart. It had changed her in ways she wish it hadn’t, it had turned her into a lair and a run away. It had brought Khivar to her door and she had lived a life of pain and loneliness for five years. Yet it had given her the gift of a child. She didn’t know whether or not Future Max and Liz had ever gotten round to having children in their lives, but she knew for a fact she wouldn’t of had been given her chance at Motherhood if Max hadn’t of changed the Future.

“Liz?” Max asked tenderly as he stood before her. His hands were resting on her arms and he was gazing down on her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded slowly. “It’s just this place – this thing has changed my life so dramatically that it’s almost too hard to bear to be here.” Not wanting to continue and to get over the feelings of distaste that she held for the Granolith, she looked towards Zan and croaked out, “Zan – you need to touch the shield that surrounds David and then touch the Granolith. It should place him inside by using you as a connection to him.”

Zan, eager to see the Granolith in action thrust his hands out, touching both David’s shield and the Granolith. He felt the cold surface of the Granolith begin to warm and the energy to build. He waited for a second on the edge of his seat, his chest puffed out eagerly as he waited.

Nothing.

“Hey!” He pouted. “It hasn’t” He stopped mid sentence as a sudden bolt of pure white energy shot through the space between his two hands. His blood boiled as the light heated his body to the point sweat dripped from his forehead. The pain brought him to his knees as he screamed out as the white light flowed through his body out onto the palm of his hand. His head was thrown back as the energy surrounded David and he suddenly disappeared, to instantly reappear in the black object. “Worked.” He finally finished as he fell to the floor in exhaustion. “Why…” Zan gasped in air back into his lungs as he remained on his knees, his chest tight from the shock. “why – why didn’t ya warn me bout that!”

Liz smiled. “I thought you’d like the head rush.”

* * * * * * * *

Liz sat on the sofa of the apartment once again, nervously biting her lip as she waited for Max to come out of her bedroom. In just a couple of hours they had been presented with a sick child, been attacked and found the mystery alien who had been killing innocent people after inhabiting them. “When will we ever have a normal life,” She muttered to herself. David was still inside the Granolith, floating peacefully as the machine did its work. She knew it would be agony for David in the last hour, of the 10 hour process, but if he wanted to get out of this alive they needed to do it this way. She just wished that Phoebe, Megan and David hadn’t been dragged into this. She knew full well that Megan will eventually form powers after Max healed her, both she and Kyle were proof of that.

“How is she?” Liz asked the moment Max re-entered the room, concern on her lips over the young child that was now laid in her old bedroom.

Max nodded slightly, his expression light and relaxed. “She’s okay now. You were right Liz – there was no leukaemia at all. He had infected her with something. He probably planned to attack me when I healed her, knowing I would be vulnerable to it.” A bright beautiful smile that lit up his features crossed his lips. “They both leapt off the bed and hugged me when I healed her. I had completely forgotten how-how that felt. ”

Liz’s expression of concern turned into a frown. Patting the seat beside her she waited for Max to sit down before speaking gently. “Max – you realise that… that you can’t heal anyone who comes to us for help.” Pulling his hand into her lap she looked at Max seriously. “I have a feeling this isn’t going to be the one and only cry for help we get when it involves a child. If anything, after this comes out, more will come and seek your power out. Today you healed a child who was made ill by an alien – but normally you just can’t do these sorts of things. Because you’ve said it yourself…”

“I’m not God.” He whispered in remembrance. Slumping his shoulders forward he sighed. The once happy and complete feeling that had filled his chest was gone; taken away by the reality of the situation. Just to have felt his pure energy healing the body of a small child had given him the feeling of being worth something to the world, something he had wanted for the whole of his life. For once he felt that he could openly display his powers without making the people around him cower in fear. For once he felt that he had a place in the world, using his powers for good, to help and to heal like he had with all the children before. But now he realised that he couldn’t have that feeling because in the long run, his powers messed with the natural order of things. Some people were meant to die, nature or even God, if he did infact exist, had spoken so therefore it must be. Baring that in mind didn’t make the harsh reality any easier. “Sometimes I wish I had all the power in the world to heal everyone – sometimes I just wish I could take everyone’s pain away. But…” He paused. “But I know I just can’t do that.”

Liz gave him a small smile before pulling his large frame into her petite body, her small arms taking him into her. “It also means that you can’t help us any more – unless it’s completely alien related.” She whispered into his ear, knowing what his reaction would be. His family meant everything to him and without family Max Evans just didn’t exist. His arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her to him. He turned his head into the nock of her neck and breathed in her warm jasmine scent.

He sighed. “Sometimes I just wish I was normal – that I didn’t have this power – something I can’t use.”

Liz carefully pulled Max away from her just enough so she could look into his deep amber eyes that could calm the roughest oceans. She knew the fact he could heal was always going to be a problem for him – he just couldn’t use it on anyone and now he knew he risked losing his family to silly diseases because he would be deemed a hypocrite if he were to heal them. She had always known that one day he would come to this crossroads at some point in his life.

“Max, if you were normal – you just wouldn’t be the man you are today. If you weren’t normal I wouldn’t be here sat beside you right now – I’d be lying 6 foot in the ground, lying in a coffin. But you know we can’t just heal everyone – and that even means us. We are mortal Max, we all have to die sometime.” She took his hand in her own and kissed it lightly.

“I know,” He whispered through tears. This conversation had been long awaited. He had always known it would come from someone, but the fact it was coming from Liz made it hit home that he couldn’t just use his powers to keep the ones he loved with him. Now he realised that sometime he would have to let someone go. But he couldn’t bare it to be Liz, his soul mate after all the time he had spent apart from her. “But I want us to grow old together… and if I can’t heal you … that just won’t happen.”

She nodded in response. She wanted that too, she wanted to live in the white picket fenced house watching each and every wrinkle form on her soul mates face, there was nothing more than she wanted in the world. But lately she had learnt that just wasn’t the case sometimes, sometimes you just have to live life. “I want that too. But sometimes things don’t work out that way no matter how much we want it to. You – we – need to just take each day as it comes and love each other like it’s our last because if you think like this – it’s going to destroy you.” Leaning forward she rested her forehead on his. “I can’t stand by and watch that happen.”

[rie482]

Thank you to the following for their feed back:
kittens
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tequathisy

Part Thirteen

CHILD HEALED BY ALIEN KING

There it was blaring out loud for the world to see in big bold lettering. Liz sighed as she threw the paper on to her bedside table. It had only been two days since the whole David fiasco and when she had sat the McCray family down and explained that it wouldn’t be a good thing to spread this. *I should have known!* she thought angrily to herself. Sighing she sieved through the other papers.

I WAS INFECTED BY ALIEN PARASITE

*Great!* she screamed in her head. *That’s just what we need* She should have known the papers would get a hold of this incident. All it turned out to be was a parasite designed to look for Zan. It was a genetically altered parasite, designed to seek out the being with the most amount of power, which should have been Max, and infect him. It would then kill him within an hour. It was only after Liz because she had been changed by Max and now carried the heir to the throne. Throwing the paper in the bin she sighed. She couldn’t read the article – she knew it wouldn’t be the best thing for her to read, it would probably rip the pod squad to pieces through out.

Flinging that paper onto the table top she looked at another. MICHAEL AND MARIA CAUGHT KISSING BEHIND SHED. What was new? They hadn’t been hiding the fact they were together at all, they had actually declared their engagement a while ago. Mind you, they were the more passionate out of all the couples, sharing intimate moments in front of the press. They definitely didn’t want to hide and the press loved it.

IS LIZ QUEEN MATERIAL? She groaned as she picked this one up. It was the last thing she wanted to see. Many had been phoning up recently asking her if she felt like she was worthy to be queen for such a man like Max. To be honest she didn’t care about it. She knew Max loved her for who she was and he wasn’t looking for a queen. But it unsettled her as it reminded her of the hate websites. There were people out there that hated her for who she was; of who she was to Max. Zan insisted that they were all jealous because ‘ya gorge suga. They just can’t stand that. They all wanna jump Max’s bones cos he’s the king.’ It didn’t matter though, it still unsettled her. There was a feeling about it that she just couldn’t place. Shaking her head to rattle the thoughts out of her mind she picked the last paper up.

MAX DECLARES LOVE FOR LIZ. Now this one caught her attention. It was yesterday’s paper with a picture of Max declaring his feelings as he held her cowering body to his chest. Smiling she traced his face with her finger tips. So much had changed in just two days. They were officially together now, but were taking it slow, which was more Liz’s decision than Max’s. He’d wanted them to move into the same room the day they got officially back together but she wasn’t having any of it. It was mainly for Matthew. She just wanted to go right by him and had actually made a conscious decision to get to know him better; she was carrying his brother or sister after all.

Her hand floated down to her stomach and she frowned. Placing the papers down on the table she walked to the mirror. She stopped and looked closely at her stomach under her black low cut t-shirt. This top had always been a bit baggy, it was the reason she liked it. She had never been much of exhibitionist when it came to her body, so she had always loved the baggier clothes. But now that seemed like a thing of the past as she noticed that her top was no longer baggy. Turning to the side her jaw dropped slightly. She was already starting to show. Of course only she could probably tell and she was completely expecting it, but she didn’t realise she’d be starting to show after just after three to four weeks.

Even though she was in shock, a smile settled on her lips. Now it was evident she was pregnant. She had sort of been living in a daze, kind of knowing it was happening yet on some level it just hadn’t sunk in quite enough for her to see it was real. Lifting her t-shirt up she stared at the tight slight bump that was starting to form. Running her hand over it, she marvelled at the fact her child was really inside her body.

As she placed the soft material over her stomach again, there was a soft knock on the door. “Come in.” She shouted cheerfully.

The door open slowly and the maid entered nervously. “I-I’ve… I’ve come to remake your bed.”

“Come in,” Liz beaconed with a smile. “I don’t bite.” Turning back round her focus returned to the mirror in front of her. “So are you human or a Locack?” She asked into the mirror.

“Human.” The woman answered quickly and quietly as she fumbled with the sheets. Sweat trickled down her back. She didn’t think Liz was going to be still in her room, the others weren’t.

Liz paused for a moment before she turned back to the woman. “hmm. Do – Do I make you nervous?” She bit her lip as she picked up a shirt she had thrown to the floor earlier. She reached into the wardrobe and lifted a hanger off the rail.

The maid stopped what she was doing and boldly looked at Liz. “Honestly?” She nodded. “Yeah you do.”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

“Is – is… Is that because of what I did?” Liz mumbled as slipped the red top onto the hanger. She didn’t know why she was asking the woman this. It just seemed to fly out of her mouth as she thought about it.

The maid shook her head. “No. It’s because of who you are – you might as well be the Queen of Antar. You’re royality.”

“Oh,” Liz smiled embarrassed as she hung the hanger back on the rail. She let her fingers glide over the material, feeling the delicate silk run like water.

“Why do you ask?” The maid asked as she moved around the room, dusting the surfaces.

Liz sighed as she sat crossed legged on the chair that sat in the corner of the room, she faced the window looking out into the desert that was her home. The scene was one that could always make her feel safe and calm. It wasn’t often she felt that, but she took every moment of it eagerly. That was why the chair faced the window. “Because – because I’m nervous to be around myself. I wouldn’t know how it would feel to someone who had witnessed it. For someone who had witnessed the monster I can be.” Her voice was soft and sad.

The maid stopped once again and looked at Liz in complete and utter shock. She knew that Liz was having a hard time with the press but she had no idea how broken the woman, who had seemed so strong in the face of danger, actually was. “You’ve got to be kidding me right?” She gasped. “You are NOT a monster. Far from it actually. You’re a hero.”

Liz snorted quietly as she twiddled her thumbs. “Me a hero? I did it all for myself.”

“But at the same time you saved those people – you saved them from joining the people who were already dead.” She sat on the edge of Liz’s bed. “If it’s any constellation – I don’t see you as a monster.”

“No?” Liz whispered as she lifted her head in surprise.

She shook her long red hair slightly. “Nope. I don’t see you as a monster – I see you as a human being. One that was protecting her family, friends and complete strangers from the clutches of a true monster.”

* * * * * * *

“King Max!” Lurcan shouted down the corridor making Max freeze and his back tense. They knew not to call him King. It wound him up and Lurcan knew it, something the smile Lurcan often shot Max told him. “Max!” He shouted down the corridor again.

“What?” Max barked as he gripped onto Matthew’s small hand protectively. They were going to go out to the pool and swim. He wanted to watch Matthew him learn how, just so he knew he’d be okay if he was ever to fall in.

“You’re needed out at the entrance.” Lurcan gasped when he stopped in front of his king. He was out of breath and looked pale. Max’s stern expression soften as he decided that the King comment wasn’t actually to wind him up. He always forgot that to the Locacks in the building he was their king. “There is a commotion at the gates. A huge group of humans are gathering.”

“What do they want?” He asked more confused then frightened. He started to move back up the corridor to Liz’s room.

Lurcan grimaced “Liz was right, there was going to be others after Megan.”

“How many?” Max questioned as he stepped up his pace. He had to sort this out, but first he had to make sure Matthew was safe and sound. Unfortunately that meant he had to stay with Liz, she was the only one of the pod squad left in the hotel, the others were out shopping to customise their rooms.

“About a hundred.” Lurcan declared. “And more are coming up the road.”

* * * * * * *

“So,” Liz said cheerfully at Matthew. “You want to go for a swim?” She was crouched down to his level, watching him look out of the window. When he shook his head she sighed. That was the last thing she could think of. She had asked if he wanted to play football, to watch a film, to read a story and if there was something he wanted to do. He had been unresponsive. She should have known this was going to happen, but her determination didn’t waver. She was going to win him round.

“Do you want to hear some stories about you’re daddy?” She asked him as she backed up to the wall. She smiled when his big eyes glanced away from the window and on to her. “Come here then.” She smiled, her hand outstretched. He tentatively stepped towards her, taking her hand. “I want to show you something – that has to be just between you and me. Do you promise not to tell any one else? Can it be our little secret?” When he nodded she turned to the wall and swiped her hand across the paint. A silver hand print revealed itself and she reached into the hole. Leaning back on her feet she looked down at the things that rested in her hands.

She took Matthew’s hand and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to him. “This here,” She whispered to him. “Is my diary. My journal. I’ve kept one since as long as I could remember but this one,” Her hand rested on the black leather, caressing the journal tenderly as she remembered. “This one I’ve had since the day your father saved me.”

Matthew’s eyes grew die with wonder making Liz frown. “You don’t know much about how this all started – do you?” She asked softly.

“No.” He said innocently. “Daddy doesn’t like to tell stories about aliens.”

“No, you’re right, he doesn’t. Would you like to know the story?”

When Matthew nodded his head with excitement she laughed and opened her diary and passed on the story for what she hoped would be the start of a legend that would be passed onto his family.

“A long long long time ago, way before you were born I was working at the crashdown…”

* * * * * * *

Their calls and screams were deafening as soon as he stepped out of the building into the car park. They were stood in a huge group, their hands reaching out to the alien they thought would save their children. Each held a small child or a teenager in their arms, all weak and ill, their faces and screams full of a renewed hope that the King would grant them this one wish. Max held his breath as he moved out towards the gate. Liz had been right, she had known this was going to happen and he understood why she told him. But could he make the desperate people on the other side of the gate see it their way?

He stopped at the front of the gate, just out of reach of the people and looked over each and everyone. They were all different ages, from all different walks of life, rich and poor and each and every one of them was reaching out to him for help. The sinking feel in his stomach made he want to hurl. He couldn’t help these people even if he wanted to. He wasn’t God and he just didn’t have the strength to heal more than the 8 of them. How could he choose who lived and who died?

“I can’t help you.” He whispered. “I wish I could.” Screams of anger launched themselves at him, hitting him square in the stomach. He so desperately wanted to take their pain away; he was a parent himself and didn’t want to see any child in pain and suffering. But he couldn’t reach out and help every last child. He didn’t have the strength or the right. “I want to help you but I am not God!” He pleaded. “I haven’t got the power to heal each and everyone of these children. I wish I could, but I can’t.” Taking a step forward he took the small hand of a child, who looked up at him through big eyes. “I wish I could make this go away, I wish I could place my hands over this little boy’s body and make his illness go away, but it just wouldn’t be right. I admit, I don’t believe in God. But what if he does exist? What if God has a great plan for him? It may not be right or fair but we can’t mess with this.”

“Please” He begged as the shouts of out rage rose “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

[rie482]

Well ... I'm off school now for revision ... something I should be going right now. But I'm on my break and thought... I should give you guys the next part. So here I am. Giving you the next part

Just thought I'd warn you about two things.

Firstly - next week's part will the last one I will post until the first monday of July. This is due to exams and the need to revise. However suffocating will be continued through out June so if you miss me you shall find some entertainment there.

Secondly - This is going to be a slightly difficult part to read. It's definitely a mature one. Sorry if it offends but I thought this would show yet another side to Max. It's something that occured to me back in the show.

Thank you to the following for their feedback:
Erina - I suggest you read this part.
Flamehair
Buffsteraddict
katydid
Emz80m
tequathisy
begonia9508
Jennifer24
Timelord31


PART FOURTEEN

Liz moved slowly towards the figure that was sat hunched in the chair, holding Matthew’s hand tightly as she realised it was Max. He had been gone for two hours now and she had been worried so she had decided that she would take Matthew to find him but now that she could see he was dejected and sorrowful. Now she wished she hadn’t of brought Matthew with her. She didn’t want Matthew to see his father like this.

“Daddy don’t be sad.” Matthew was now stood in front of Max, his big round eyes looking up at his father adoringly.

“Hey, little guy.” He mumbled with a sad smile. Opening his arms out Matthew silently sat in his daddy’s arms and held on tight to him. Matthew sighed as he felt his father’s pain escalate as he held him. He was feeling guilty for being able to do something so small as to hug his child, when others wouldn’t get the chance later on.

His small eyes filled with tears as he felt his daddy’s anguish. Wanting to make the pain go away his hug grew tighter until he was holding onto his father as if he wasn’t ever going to see him again. “I love you daddy.” Matthew mumbled into his father’s shirt. “If they don’t like you – I always will!”

“I know buddy, I know.” Max smiled down on his son. Glancing at Liz he smiled back at her worried face. She was leant against the door frame of the lounge unsure of whether or not she should interrupt this moment between the two of them. She smiled cautiously as Max motioned for her to join them and she stepped forward slowly.

She sat woodenly on the arm of the chair next to him and placed her hand on the middle of his back, rubbing in small soothing circles. He leant his head on her shoulder, his eyes sliding closed as he just felt her warm hand caressing all the tension out of his back muscles. “It’s going to be okay.” Liz whispered encouragingly. “We knew that this would happen and now that it has done we can fully prepare for what we have in store.”

“What can I do about this Liz?” Max questioned, his eyes squeezing shut as he remembered the looks of pure horror gracing the faces of the people he had let down. “How can I just stand there and say I can’t help them when I have this gift?”

Liz didn’t answer; she knew full well it was rhetorical.

* * * * * * *
Headlines:

ALIEN HYPROCRITE.

GOD?

CHILD MURDERER

She sighed with relief as she lowered herself into the hot tub, feeling the warm water start to bubble around her body. She sat back, resting her head on the rim. Today had been a day she wished she could forget. The papers were out in force, intent on destroying Max and she just couldn’t handle the cat calling that was going on out side the gates of the hotel.

The gates. They had moved from one prison to the other. First it was England, the Crashdown, the white house and now it was the hotel. When was this imprisonment going to end? When was the world going to accept them?

They hadn’t really accepted them. They had accepted they were aliens and altered humans because of the healing, but they didn’t really accept the people inside. They didn’t respect their opinions and decisions. They didn’t respect them and Liz had had enough.

The final straw was this morning when Max stepped out to the gates to speak to several Locacks about stepping up security in certain areas after several attempted break-ins. He was greeted by the word ‘Bastard’ chanted at him. Several spat, several cried and several threw small stones at his face. It marred his cheek with scratches, something he refused to heal.

When was anything going to get back to normal? But what was normal any more? Was normal before the shooting? Was it before the white room? Before Khivar? When was normal? What was normal?

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Liz lifted one eye lid open to find Michael stood on the other side, his hands in his pockets. He too looked troubled tonight. His handsome face was tinted with serious lines crossing his face. His eyes were dark with the thoughts of things she wished he’d share. The Michael she knew hid his feelings. But was this Michael the same?

“Just thinking about – everything.” She sighed as she shifted up right. She paused for a moment to wrap her arms around her knees. Looking up at Michael she asked, “When did things get so complicated? Why can’t we just go back to being normal?”

“I know what you mean.” Michael muttered as he looked up at the sky. He seemed to be searching for something he just couldn’t find. He seemed lost tonight. “Sometimes I just wish that we could be back in the day when all I was worried about was searching for a way home and just plain fighting with Maria.”

“Back to a time when we weren’t the centre of attention.” Liz nodded in agreement.

“I have been searching for acceptance and answers all my life. But now that I have acceptance, I truly wonder if I want the answers to my questions.” Liz’s mouth fell open at the side of Michael she had never seen. He really had changed over the years she was away. It was finally nice to see a side of Michael that seemed so human.

Liz bit her lip as she fanned out her arms and played with the water surrounding her. A question was clearly on her mind. “Do you still want to … you know… go home?”

Michael frowned for a moment before whispering, “No. No, I don’t think I do.”

“What’s changed?” Liz asked a look of wonder on her face as she looked up at the sight before her. Michael had grown into a man.

“Maria.” He replied softly. “I love her.”

* * * * * * *

Max rested his head on the headboard and sighed. His whole body was tense with emotion and anger; too much was swimming around in his already troubled mind. The world hated him. Every last one of them wanted to wring his neck and hurl abuse at him for something that was almost out of his control. Couldn’t the world see that he was only one man? Couldn’t they see that?

There wasn’t a second that went by that he was filled with such tension, a tension that would scare Matthew and keep himself up at night. He couldn’t sleep with thoughts of self loathing and guilt resting comfortably on his shoulders. It seemed to play with him, taunting him.

Bastard

Bastard

Bastard

That’s what they had cried at him the last time he went out to the gates. That’s what they had screamed angrily in pure disgust. They looked at him with pure hatred; pure undeniable hatred. They couldn’t understand. He had healed Liz Parker – why didn’t he heal the sick?

He had even been asked, in a tone full of bitterness and contempt, ‘what’s so special about that whore?’ They just didn’t realise why. They didn’t understand the connection, the link, the reason, the love. They didn’t understand what Liz Parker meant to him. She meant life itself. He was lying on the bed alive because of her. His heart continued to beat because of her. He breathed for her. He lived for her.

Tossing his bed sheets to one side he jumped out of the bed and moved towards the bathroom door. He flung it open and reached up for the bar that was secured in to it and started to lift himself up to the bar, resting his chin there for a moment then lowering himself until he was just about touching the floor with the tip of his toes.

He could hear the sounds fill his ears as his chin rested on the bar and the spit on his face as he lowered himself. Anger raged through his veins as he moved faster, gradually gaining speed and feeling the increase of pain. The pain rippled through each and every muscle in his body as he pushed himself harder and harder. Eventually he changed tactics as the pain that washed over him just wasn’t enough. He slowed every movement down to almost a stop and moved inch by inch slowly. He could feel the tension in his already strained muscles leak pain as his moved.

The pain rippled through his body, starting from his stomach out and spread itself out through his legs and arms. It reached out into the furthest points of his fingers and his toes making him break out in a sweat that soaked through his shirt. Pain was his salvation as it pushed out all other thoughts of aliens, acceptance, hatred and anger. It soothed his soul, letting out an emotion so strong he cried out in agony as it forced itself out of his chest and filled his veins like a drug.

Letting go of the bar he collapsed onto the floor of his room, his muscles quivering in anger as the alien emotion flooded freely through him. Rolling on to his back he stared at the ceiling and allowed the peace fall over him.

His eyes slid closed and he started to dream.

* * * * * * * * *

She stood by the door, concern in her body language as she pressed her head against the door listening. Isabel had heard the grunts and the cries from his room and just knew that he was pushing himself to his limit once again. It was something he used to do a lot when Liz had broken his heart by ‘sleeping’ with Kyle. She’d often hear him screaming out like a wounded animal in the middle of the night as he finally reached the point of release.

Release. That was what it was, it just wasn’t sexual; it was emotional. It was something that used to drain Max so completely that she’d find him on the floor of his bedroom in a heap, his head pressed into a spot of his own drool and vomit. He couldn’t handle the way the emotions of the day just roamed around his head, spinning wildly out of control as the night washed away the light of day. At night there was no school or work to escape the issues and feelings that he carried on his shoulders. So he developed this primal urge to feel the only thing that would make him calm that was stronger than the feels he felt.

It was the pain.

* * * * * * * *

Zan stared up at the night’s sky from his balcony. The stars. He hadn’t had much time during the years to notice them. He was too busy trying to make sure his ‘family’ didn’t succeed in killing him in his sleep and was just too busy working his way up through the FBI. Every night he was up thinking about every little last small detail about the case of the alien, but now that case was closed he felt lost. It felt like he needed a purpose. It was calling out to him, it was in the back of his mind every day but he just couldn’t understand what it was.

Now there was a different kind of nagging that was in the back of his mind. It was so strong he couldn’t sleep, so he was looking at the stars wondering where he belonged in the world. *Damn I sound like a sissy* He mused to himself. But he couldn’t help the fact he couldn’t stop. Something was calling at him. Two things were. The first thing was it seemed like the stars wanted to just take him and swallow him whole. It was as if they were calling him home. But he didn’t even know where home was. Was it earth? Was it Antar? Where was it?

Serena.

Shaking his head he mentally kicked himself. Serena didn’t want a bit of rough like him. He had lived on the streets and lived in a sewer. He left the toilet seat up and never sprayed when he exited the toilet. He walked around completely naked, like he was now, and drank out of the milk carton. She was too good for him. She was perfect. The type of girl who never burped or farted in public. The type that had their houses neat and her bed spread uncreased. She was Serena.

* * * * * * * *

She was sat by the pool, just watching the moon light bounce over the water. She did this often when she couldn’t sleep and it was one of those nights. She had walked aimlessly around the grounds and now she was just sat by the pool, thinking. Zan. Zan. Zan. That was all that she kept thinking about; that and her jealousy.

She sighed as she tried to shake the thoughts of Zan’s reaction towards the Liz hate websites. It had almost been violent as he had found out who the sites were run by and had them shut down. He was a man on a mission on the behalf of a certain Liz Parker and Serena’s stomach couldn’t help by growl with jealousy. Jealousy. When she was younger it was something she thought she’d never ever feel but now her whole body trembled with it every time he called Liz ‘suga’.

Zan.

Her eye drifted towards his window. It was the reason she always sat out by the pool at night. Zan’s window was the one facing the pool. He had told her the day he picked the room, ‘I like watching water as the wind blows across it. It calms me.’ She liked it as well.

Her mouth fell open at the sight that was stood at the balcony.

Zan was stood on the balcony, his arms resting on the railing as he looked up at the sky, reflecting on something she didn’t think she’d ever know about. His face was highlighted by the moonlight that shone on it. She almost had a heart attack as she realised that Zan was stood on his balcony, thinking, in the nude.

Her heart skipped as she took in his body. He was perfect, his muscles defined and hard. She just felt the need to reach out and touch them, watching them rippled under her touch.

But she couldn’t. He didn’t want a good girl like her. He didn’t want the girl who was neat and tidy, who never farted or burped. He was the type of man who walked around in the nude with out caring; he’d scratch himself in public and always left the toilet seat up. He was rough and had lived in a sewer. He’d want a rough girl that would fulfil every sexual fantasy he ever had. He was Zan. He was out of her reach.

* * * * * * * *

Max’s arm jerked as he dreamt. Flashes of white filled his vision as he tried desperately to pound a hole in the wall to get at the monster out side. In the corner of one of his eyes was Ava and in the other was Pearce. He still couldn’t even find solace in his dreams.

There was no escape.

As he tossed on the floor, his hands reaching out to fight out imaginary daemons, a small blue crystal placed under his bed came to life. Its bright light shone out into the room, filling the room completely with a vivid pulsating light. It started to grow as the light became more intense. Within seconds it had turned in to the size of football. Slowly tendrils started to sprout out of the round crystal.

It stopped growing and remained completely still.

Then all of it swiftly started to levitate just a couple of inches off the floor. Moving from under the bed it hovered up and towards the ceiling, where it hung scanning the room. Its body twisted around as it scanned and stopped as it came to Max.

Its tendrils lifted, their ends shaping like daggers.

Then it let a high pitched squeal, a squeal that sent shivers down people’s spines and flew at Max, daggers forward.

[rie482]

Hey guys... so today is the last part for a little while. Hope you enjoy it - I know some of you will do... But most of you are going to kill me for leaving you hanging Again.

But any way... have a good time in the next few weeks and I shall be back on the first monday of July. Loving ya all!

Thank you to the following for their feedback:
Flamehair - You are going to kill me
begonia9508
tequathisy
Jennifer24


PART FIFTEEN

Liz looked at Michael who was sat on the end of the hot tub with a curious gaze. “Haven’t you thought about, you know, going to see Serena about your questions? She was there in your first life she must know some things.”

Michael scratched his eyebrow as he thought about it. Did he really want to know what he was like back then? Did he want to know about his family? Family. Even if they were still alive, were they family to him any more? He knew the pod squad, even Zan and Serena, were his family even if they weren’t genetically, but did that mean that the family on Antar were family to him? Would they accept him in the way he was now? Would they accept Maria? Would they love her like he did? Would he have to marry Isabel if he were to ever go back? He didn’t know whether he wanted to have the answers; it scared him too much. Not that anyone would know that.

“I could do… but…” He started; staring down at his hand as if was the most interesting thing in the universe. He always avoided talking about his feelings. Although he had changed over the years, it was the really strong emotions and feelings that he just couldn’t talk about.

“It’s just too scary to find out who you are supposed to be according someone else?” Liz smiled at him. When he looked back at her confused she laughed. “You really have no idea do you? I’ve seen into the soul of your brother, Michael. He fears the exact same thing. He fears acceptance and the word destiny.” Moving towards him she continued in a whisper. “It’s okay to be scared Michael. None of us would think any differently of you if you were. We all get scared and wonder where we belong in the grand scheme of things. It’s what makes us human. Never feel ashamed of that. Never. Because you will lose a part of yourself, the part we love. A part of our family.”

Michael looked straight in to her eyes this time, placing his hands on the hot tub on either side of his body. “I’m scared.” He admitted with a small sigh. “I’m s…scared… that I won’t find acceptance there with them. They’ll expect me to be someone I’m not and disown me for it.”

“We won’t.” Liz declared softly. “We love you just the way you are. No matter how angry and dysfunctional you can get.” Michael laughed; lightening his mood slightly and making him smile. A smile that brightened his face. “It’s what makes you, you Michael. And underneath it all you are this strong, caring and loving man who’d do anything for his family. We wouldn’t have you any other way.”

Michael looked down at Liz’s hand that was resting on the rim of the hot tub and took it into his own. “Same here Liz. Now you’ve made me see sense I think I should do it for you as well.” Liz’s smile disappeared as he said this and tried to pull her hand away but Michael kept a firm hold on it. “Don’t Liz. You need to hear this from me. Especially from me because lets face it, I haven’t been your biggest fan at times. Don’t listen to a damn thing that is said about you.”

Liz looked away biting her lip nervously, while she tried to blink away the tears that were starting to form. “I-I can’t help it.” She whispered. Her body started to hum with energy as she thought about seeing those hate pages back up and running in force. Their top reason for hating her was now plain and simply ‘murderer’. Max’s words to her that night rang through her ears yet she still couldn’t see past the words that had been on the screen. Green electricity shot from her hand and straight in to Michael’s palm.

But he didn’t let go. He hung on. “I’m not letting go Liz. Just let it out. I’ll still be here no matter how much you zap me. Because that’s what family does. Family is there for you, waiting to catch you when you fall.” When tears started to flow down Liz’s cheek freely he whispered, “They don’t know you Liz. They see just what they want to see. We love you no matter what happens in your life because we are always going to be here for you.”

“Amen”

Michael shot a glare towards the woman stood at the backdoor, a glare that turned soft when he realised it was Maria. She was stood in one of his metalica t-shirts that came down to her knees and her hair was messy with sleep. “Maria.” He gasped.

“I was wondering where you got to.” She smiled as she moved towards them. She had been stood there for the last couple of minutes and her heart just soared at the intimate exchange between the two most important people in her life. Reaching them, she slid into Michael’s open arms and took Liz’s hand in her own. “You know he’s right Liz.”

“He speaks sense some times,” Liz sniffed and laughed at the same time.

* * * * * * *

Serena sat dumbfounded at the sight before her. He was still stood there, butt naked, staring at the stars with a longing look upon his face. He was so beautiful in the moonlight that her fingers itched to touch his soft skin. She had to fight the urge to stand up and climb up to his balcony. She groaned inwardly *How Romeo and Juliet! He wouldn’t want you then!*

She looked down at her feet for the hundredth time in the last hour. She didn’t want him to see her staring and drooling over his nakedness. But her eyes just didn’t want to behave themselves and she found them starting to wander. First it was to the pool. Then to the climbing plant that was under his balcony. His legs. His stomach then…

His eyes.

He was looking at her.

*OH SHIT!*

* * * * * * * * *

Zan stood rigid as he gazed down into the pools of Serena’s eyes. He didn’t acknowledge the fact he was completely naked; that never bothered him. What he did notice was the way Serena looked back at him. For a brief second as she finally settled on his eyes he had seen hunger, pure lust and longing. But now, now there seemed to be another emotion. All time seemed to slow down as they just looked at each other. The feeling felt almost heart wrenching and full of longing. It felt like he was starting to crumble bit by bit as they stayed staring for longer and longer. Then the look changed into something he didn’t recognise. Fear? Embarrassment? He didn’t have a chance to tell as the longing look between them ended abruptly as Serena bolted off the bench and started to run.

* * * * * * * * *

*SHIT!* she thought to herself as she ran as fast as she possibly could. She had to get out of there before she embarrassed herself any further than she already had. She could have sworn she had looked at him with love in her eyes. “Shit!” She mumbled to herself as she sprinted as fast she could possibly sprint. Thankfully she had trained herself extensively in physical combat at the academy or she’d have problems running as fast she was at that moment.

She couldn’t let him know. She couldn’t. He was King Zan. He was royalty and the complete opposite from her. He wouldn’t want her.

* * * * * * * * *

Zan bolted into his room as fast he could and ran for the door, opening it and then stepping outside. It was only the gasp that he heard from Isabel who was oddly sat by Max’s door that he even considered the idea of clothes. Running back inside, without offering an explanation to a very confused Isabel, he grabbed the nearest boxers and slacks before bolting out the open door again with one thought on his mind.

*Serena*

* * * * * * * *

She ran around the corner and ran into Lurcan, sending him flying on to his backside. Skidding to a stop she grabbed onto his arm and helped him up “I am so so so sorry about that… I just I need – I just – I”

Bringing his hands to his shoulders he forced her to look at him. “Whoa girl. You need to calm down.” When she looked at him his face turned from amused to serious. “What is it? Is it the King?”

Serena frantically shook her head. “It’s nothing. It’s mm… personal.” She instantly bolted, when Zan could be seen in the corner of her eye, without so much of a word to Lurcan leaving him more than slightly stunned.

He was even more confused as Zan looked in his direction and came over to him. “Have ya seen Serena?”

Lurcan nodded his head in confusion. Turning around he pointed in the direction she ran off in. “She went…” When he turned back all he could see was the blur that was Zan running after her.

“SERENA!” He heard him shout at the tops of his lungs.

* * * * * * * * *

The red crystal started to glow from the middle of itself. Its light grew in intensity and started to grow in size, the crystal edges stretching, expanding and multiplying outwards. One minute it was the size of a golf ball then it was the size of a football. The light bathed the room in a deep angry red that look like blood. Tendrils started to emerge from the centre. A minute later it was hovering just above the door waiting.

* * * * * * * * *


Michael laughed loudly as Maria tried her hardest to throw him into the hot tub along with Liz. They had decided to turn down the seriousness of the talk they were having and had decided that they were going to start to have more fun as the pod squad used to. It started as harmless splashing on Liz’s part but now it was turning into full out war and she was winning, with the help of Michael who was trying his damn hardest to throw Maria in the water with her.

Suddenly Michael just stopped a serious look on his face as he stared at the corner. “What is it Michael?” Maria asked worriedly.

“Someone’s…. someone’s running.” He said to her, a worried look in his eyes. He lowered Maria to the floor and stood in front of her, his hand out stretched.

The moment Serena rounded the corner he sent out a shield that she instantly hit sending her flying across the courtyard.

* * * * * * * * *

Zan ran as fast as he possibly could towards the retreating back of Serena, who seemed to be running at twice the speed he was. Desperation sank in as she started to sprint quicker than before and turned the corner. He couldn’t let her go now. He’d only just seen a glimpse of what it could be like between them. The look they had shared was almost electric, making time stand still; something he thought only Liz and Max could share. Unlike his brother, Zan wasn’t shy. Once he knew what he wanted he went for it and held on as tight as he possibly could. He’d realised over time that life was too short to just sit around thinking it would come to you. He’d lost too many people that way. So that was why he was running after her.

He skidded to a stop as he watched Serena’s body be thrown across the courtyard, her head flopping back from the strong impact she had with the shield that was now evident to Zan.

He growled out Serena’s name as he painfully watched her body hit the floor harshly as his shield didn’t reach her in time. He could hear the crack in her neck as her head twisted at an odd angle and the snap of her back as it hit a rock that was in the middle of the pathway. A rock he had told Lurcan to remove two days ago.

“NO!” He screamed as he ran towards her limp body. “No. No. No” He almost cried out in relief to hear her rasping breathing. She was still alive. For a second he had thought that she had died the moment her head hit the floor. He muttered himself as he ran his hands over her body. “Serena. Serena. Ya have to look at me. Ya have to look at me.”

* * * * * * * *

Maria grabbed onto Michael’s outstretched hand and forced it down the moment she heard Zan’s cry. “SERENA!” It was so full of desperation and pain that it made her gasp with shock. She’d been convinced he wanted Liz but now it all made sense. He snapped her at when ever it was possible yet he watched her intently when he thought no one noticed. He had been acting like Max the whole time and she didn’t realise.

Liz was quickly out of the tub and grabbed Maria’s hand. Both moved forward, their hands over their mouths as they watched Zan desperately running his hands over her body and whispered the famous words of his dupe, “Serena, Serena. Ya have to look at me. Ya have to look at me.”

* * * * * * * *

The connection was immediate and breathtaking as they saw into each others souls. They felt everything they had never dreamed of being possible. They saw the possibility of something they wouldn’t have thought they could have. They saw each other the way the other saw them. Serena saw herself as being the most beautiful and wonderful woman Zan had ever seen. In both lives he had sort out to be closer to her, even hanging out with Vilandra just to have one look at her. He wanted her with such passion it made her heart cry out for him.

Zan saw himself in both lifetimes. He saw the way Serena strove to prove herself worthy to be part of his security force, all in the effort to be closer to him. He saw her dreams filled with passion, admiration and love flash before his eyes and he felt the gasp full from his mouth. He felt her wonder and longing as he watched himself stood at the balcony, asking the stars questions. He hadn’t been dreaming earlier. She really had looked at him in that way.

Both were shocked out of each others souls as the healing was complete, yet neither of them averted their gaze.

* * * * * * * * *

Liz, Maria and Michael walked down the corridor slowly in complete shock and wonderment. Neither of them could speak about what they had just witnessed. They had seen Max healing before, but none of them had actually seen the first time a strong and undeniable connection was formed.

“D-did… was it like that when Max healed me?” Liz asked in awe. She could still remember what it felt like to feel his healing hands on her body for the first time, but she didn’t realise what it looked like to the outside world.

“I-I don’t remember. I didn’t really see it.” Michael replied softly.

Stopping in front of Liz’s door they all just looked at each other and silently said their good byes. Michael and Maria carried on down the corridor as Liz walked into her room.

* * * * * * * * *

“Wow.” Serena finally managed to gasp out as she stared up at her saviour. “Was… was that all real?” She asked softly as she lifted her hand to caress his cheek.

He turned his cheek into it and smiled. “Yeah. I think it was.”

“I thought that was just for Liz and Max…”

“Me to.” They both just continued to look at each other, completely dumbfounded by the connection that had just sprung to life. Serena’s body felt like it was renewed with an energy that hummed through out her. Her heart leapt in her chest as Zan started to speak. “For years I have been ignoring this feelin that I got from ya. I’ve always been told that Aves was my destiny; that she was supposed to be my mate for life. Well she turned out to be a complete bitch – so that disproved that theory.” They both laughed slightly at the reality of it, taking in the hilarity of him with Ava then his face turned serious. “I’ve always had this naggin at the back of my mind that was telling me that summat weren’t right. It didn’t click til I could rememba my old life. I could suddenly rememba what the old Zan felt for ya and for a time I shrugged if off – thought it was his feelings. But it weren’t til I saw ya again that I suddenly realised I still felt the way the old Zan did.”

“Zan,” Serena whispered in amazement. “I’ve been doing the exact same thing since the moment I met the first Zan. I was in denial, thought that my strong feelings to protect him was because he was the king. But… but I realised the moment I met you again that it wasn’t because you were a king. The King. But you’re not a king right now. You’re Zan. A mix of you and the old one and it suddenly came crashing down on me that my feelings are still the same.”

Both smiled and fell into each others arms, not needing to say anything. They had something special.

“Zan,” Serena mumbled as she pulled away to look him in the eye. “I need to ask that we go slowly with this. Nothing to quick because I don’t think I’m re-“

Zan’s finger fell onto her lips. “I know where ya goin with this and I’d like to tell ya, I wouldn’t have it any of other way. And anyway…” He drifted off, snapping his head round to look at the hotel with a confused look upon his face.

“What is it?” Serena asked, her body tingling with the feeling of something wrong. Instantly they snapped round to look at each other, saying at the same time.

“Max.”

* * * * * * * * *

Michael led Maria by the hand excitedly towards their bedroom. After a bit of teasing on the way to their room, just a few doors away from Liz’s, he was in a hurry to get his fiancé out of his t-shirt to have his wicked way with her. He had a huge smile on his face, the witnessing of the connection between Zan and Serena making him tingle from the inside out and right now he wanted to show Maria just how much he loved her.

It was a nice tingling sensation that moved across the whole of his body. A tingling that suddenly turned into a sensation that just didn’t feel right. Something was wrong. He slowed down to an almost stop, making Maria bump into the back of him.

“Spaceboy!” She screeched in mock annoyance. “I thought you wanted to go to the bedroom, not stand in the corridor.” Her demeanour turned serious as she saw the look on Michael’s face. She had seen it before. Something was wrong.

She was stunned into silence as she watched Michael running back down the corridor, with a name still hanging in the air.

“Liz.”

[rie482]

*fanfare* I am back! Yes Rie is back! I have had a wonderful break and now I bring you the next part.

I know I was evil for leaving it there last time. Hope this answers you're questions

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End of part fifteen:

Zan’s finger fell onto her lips. “I know where ya goin with this and I’d like to tell ya, I wouldn’t have it any of other way. And anyway…” He drifted off, snapping his head round to look at the hotel with a confused look upon his face.

“What is it?” Serena asked, her body tingling with the feeling of something wrong. Instantly they snapped round to look at each other, saying at the same time.

“Max.”

* * * * * * * * *

Michael led Maria by the hand excitedly towards their bedroom. After a bit of teasing on the way to their room, just a few doors away from Liz’s, he was in a hurry to get his fiancé out of his t-shirt to have his wicked way with her. He had a huge smile on his face, the witnessing of the connection between Zan and Serena making him tingle from the inside out and right now he wanted to show Maria just how much he loved her.

It was a nice tingling sensation that moved across the whole of his body. A tingling that suddenly turned into a sensation that just didn’t feel right. Something was wrong. He slowed down to an almost stop, making Maria bump into the back of him.

“Spaceboy!” She screeched in mock annoyance. “I thought you wanted to go to the bedroom, not stand in the corridor.” Her demeanour turned serious as she saw the look on Michael’s face. She had seen it before. Something was wrong.

She was stunned into silence as she watched Michael running back down the corridor, with a name still hanging in the air.

“Liz.”


PART SIXTEEN

Liz knew there was something wrong the moment she stepped into the room, there was just this feeling of dread settling in her stomach as she closed the door behind her. But it was too late for her to do anything when suddenly she was thrown across the room, hitting the wall face first. Lifting herself up she brought her hands to her ears as she heard the piercing screech fill the room and didn’t even have time to react as she watched the red creature throw itself at her, its daggers forward.

She screamed out in pain as all four of its daggers entered her back and pushing themselves out the other side of her body. It latched itself into the floor, pinning her to it. She could feel the creature pulsating under her skin and a warm sensation flood through out her body. It made her body tingle and lull her into a deep sleep that she just couldn’t fight.

Her eyes started to drift shut.

* * * * * * * *

Isabel was still huddled at Max’s door, listening to him breathing heavily as he slept. For some reason she just couldn’t tear herself away from the door, as if something would happen if she were to. Usually she’d have left by now, content with the fact she could hear him breathing. Yet, still she couldn’t move.

She heard Alex calling softly to her from down the corridor so she stood up hesitantly, but before she moved away and back to her husband and child she stopped dead.

Something wasn’t right. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach and knowing that she couldn’t risk it, she moved nearer to the door. Instantly there was overriding feel of dread washed itself over her and she firmly took the door handle and barged in to the door; throwing the door quickly into the wall.

The moment she did a high pitch screech sounded in her ears and she watched in horror as the red crystal like creature that was hovering over her brother’s body plunged its sharp daggers into Max’s shoulders.

She cried out in anger and fear as she threw her hand up above her, sending blasts at the creature that was impaled within her brother. She watched in horror as the creature was unaffected, as it threw up a shield around itself and Max. She stood on the spot, frozen in fear and confusion as she watched Max’s body began to glow a strange shade of blue as the creature pumped something into his body.

Isabel covered her mouth in horror as she watched it’s tendrils become thicker and could see the liquid being pushed down into Max’s body.

It was something out a horror movie. But somewhere in the back of her mind, there was the voice that told her ‘it’s real life’.

“Max?” She heard Zan scream as he rounded the corner. She turned to look at him with a dazed expression on her face as she watched him skid to a stop, Serena behind him. “Whoa… what – what the hell is that?!” He gasped out loud as he threw his hand up to fire, but Serena stopped him.

When he turned a questioning look at her she simply said, “It’s too late.”

* * * * * * * * *

Michael barged into Liz’s room roaring her name at the top of his lungs. He stopped the moment he saw Liz’s small frame lying face first on the floor. She was hovering a good three inches off the floor with the creatures spikes going straight through her body and into the floor.

Slowly he backed up and instantly threw his arm out to stop Maria from entering the room.

“Maria.” He said sharply as she tried to step forward. “Stay where you are.”

“Like hell I am!” She growled at him in worry as she tried to push past him.

Instantly he threw up his shield. “Don’t make me have to keep this up Maria.” He pleaded. “You don’t want to see this.”

He shot another look at Liz’s body and forgot to maintain the shield as he realised her body was now covered in red veins that covered her whole body, well from what he could see. He instantly regretted letting his shield and composure down as that moment Maria pushed past him and stopped dead as she saw her best friend hanging almost lifelessly off the creature’s tendrils.

“Liz?” She whimpered as she started to near her friend, but was stopped as Michael lifted her off the floor and took her back outside the room. He slammed the door shut and locked it.

He received a slap the moment he placed Maria on the floor.

“YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE HER IN THERE LIKE THAT!” She screamed in fury and worry. She could just leave her best friend like that. She had almost lost Liz twice in a year. She couldn’t let her slip through her fingers after all this time. Not again. Not for a second time. “YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!”

“I AM!” He screamed back at his fiancé. He lowered himself down to the key hole and prayed that this was going to work. Placing his hand over it, he pulled all the air out of the room.

* * * * * * *

“What do ya mean it’s too late?” Zan asked confused. His heart sank as he watched Serena’s worry and pain. He’d just seen into her soul and he knew that was the face she pulled when something serious happened.

“That thing is a creature that is part of a parasite race – the Gandarium.”

“Yeah the last time we met them they weren’t doing this. They were trying to create a virus that would wipe out the whole of the world… They weren’t trying to pump strange fluids into Max’s body!” Isabel exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around herself as she continued to stare in horror at the way Max’s body was changing. His lips were now blue and bright blue veins had appeared all over his body.

Serena nodded in understanding. “I know, they were originally used to help mix both your Antarian and human DNA together. But think about it. They are designed to bond and change DNA… that’s what it is doing right now.” She said as pointed at Max. “It’s red; therefore it’s changing his DNA. It’s making him more Antarian.”

Zan frowned. “Why?”

“So he will remember what it was like to be King Zan.” A voice announced as from behind them.

* * * * * * * *

Michael was frowning in deep concentration and had been for the last 2 minutes. Maria was worried. She hadn’t seen such concentration from her boyfriend in years and she couldn’t even get him to say anything. He was a complete statue as he focused on the key hole and she didn’t have a clue as to why he wasn’t answering her.

She knelt down next to her boyfriend and stared straight at his face. It was unmoving yet she could just make out the faint signs of breathing. He was so still and so calm as she watched him. Even though he had a frown of concentration on her face he still looked so great. She shock her head. Why was she thinking about that when her friend needed her? Yet, she couldn’t believe that such a handsome man would love her as much as he did. She itched to touch his face and as her hand moved towards his cheek, he suddenly snapped out of his trance and fell to the floor gasping.

“Michael?” Maria cried as she came to his side trying to lift him up and sit him up straight. But he pushed her hands off him and pushed her towards the door, unlocking it.

“Liz” He gasped out as he swung the door open and pointing her direction.

Maria sat frozen on the spot for a second, just looking at him in shock at the fact he had pushed her away. She almost cried at the way he had done that, but didn’t. Instead she looked over he shoulder to see Liz’s body lying painfully still on the floor of her room. It was enough for her to be frantically scrambling towards her best friend.

Throwing her friend on to her back she brought her cheek to Liz’s lips and sobbed out loud as she realised that her friend wasn’t breathing. Her lips were blue and her skin cold to the touch. She was suddenly losing Liz all over again and in that moment she realised she couldn’t lose her. She had to save her. Quickly she brought her hand to Liz’s nose and then her mouth to her lips and started CPR.

She had to buy Liz time. She couldn’t lose Liz. Not her Liz. Her best friend.

She frantically screamed Michael’s name as she compressed Liz’s chest and instantly he was by her side. “Move.” He ordered her as he pushed to one side.

He settled by Liz the moment Maria had scrambled away up towards Liz’s head. She watched in fascination as his hands hovered over her friends still chest.

“What are you going to do?” She whispered, almost scared of knowing.

“Start her heart.” He answered quickly yet softly. “Lift her chin to keep her air way open.”

His hands trembled as he started to gather his strength. In an ideal world he’d have taken a minute to compose himself but he didn’t have that luxury. Liz was lying on the floor unconscious. He took one sharp breath then his eyes glazed over turning black, Rath emerging for a split second as he generated green sparks of electricity around his hands. The black disappeared the moment he pressed his hands into the centre of Liz’s chest, the electricity flowing into Liz’s body. Her chest and body heaved up and then hit the floor hard as she came back down.

He quickly ran his fingers over her throat and stayed completely still, hoping and praying for a pulse.

He looked at Maria and both held each others gaze for a moment as they waited for something they weren’t sure they’d find. The silence hung over them heavily as they waited with bated breath.

A breath they let go of the moment Michael grinned.

He had a pulse.

He quickly moved Liz into the recovery position with the help of Maria in complete silence. Tonight they had witnessed the near death of two of their friends leaving them completely sober and shell shocked. The group really was back together.

Once they were sure Liz was breathing on her own, they both sat down on the floor leaning against the wall.

“What was that thing?” Maria asked quietly with a frown as she noticed its shrivelled remains in the corner of the room. A moment ago it had scared the living day lights out her, it was so long and so big but now, now it was a small shrivelled thing that wouldn’t and couldn’t harm anyone. She almost felt sorry for it.

“It’s one of those Gandarium things.” He said gently as he remembered what it had been like for his sister Laurie to have been hunted by those things.

“What did you do to it?” Maria questioned as she turned her head to the side so she could look at him. He was staring straight out the window with a look of guilt on his face. “You seemed to be at that door for ages.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “I almost killed Liz. That’s what I did.” He whispered with guilt and shame in his voice. “I sucked the air out of this room. It’s what killed the damn thing last time, so I thought it was worth a shot.” He ran his hands over his face in frustration. “Fuck. I almost killed her.”

Maria’s expression softened and she neared her boyfriend, throwing her arm around him, bringing him to her. “Hey, you had to do it. If it wasn’t for you she’d still be floating in mid-air, with the thing sucking the life out of her.” She frowned. “Well I think that’s what it was doing. You can never be too sure with these alien related things.”

“It was pumping something into her body.” He replied to Maria’s musing, making Maria shudder.

“We really do need to make sure Max checks her over. We have no idea what the hell that thing was trying to do to her.”

“Shit.” Michael growled. “Max is going to kill me. I almost killed Liz.”

“Shush spaceboy.” Maria scolded him. “Stop talking that way. He will see that you had to do it. He might have lost her completely if you hadn’t have done what you did.” She kissed him lightly on the head then brought her arm away from his shoulders and stood up. “Right. Get up. You have to go get his royal highness so he can heal his queen.”

“Right.” He replied nodding his head. “I’ll be back as soon as possible… after he kills me.”

[rie482]

Well hello there me dearies... I'm back with a new part...

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PART SEVENTEEN

“What do you mean by that?” Isabel screeched at Lurcan, her hand outstretched ready to kill the man who stood before her.

He smiled slightly. “You know what it means Vilandra.” Moving a step closer to them all he whispered, “You’re not as stupid as you were in your past life, so you should surely understand what it means.”

Isabel stood dumbfounded. Not because of his comment but because of the way in which he spoke to her. It wasn’t fully of evil or hatred. It was calm, collected and nice. “Why do this to him?”

Lurcan moved towards Max’s body and looked down at him. “He’s the king. But he’s just a boy king. He isn’t the man we need him to be. We need him, so we had no other choice but to intervene.” He put his hands into his pockets and moved nearer to the group. “We need him to be more like the Zan that we remember, for him to free our people.”

“But ya didn’t give him the choice.” Zan growled as he brought his hand forward. “Ya didn’t give him the choice to make up his mind! He’s lived on a planet built on the basis of free will! He don’t rememba Antar. He don’t rememba the fact it’s the norm to have ya free will taken from ya – for the planet’s sake!” The anger pored from his voice as he neared Lurcan. “Reverse it. Or I will kill ya. I may not be the true king but since the real one is incarcerated right now I will take it into my own hands to protect him.”

“I can’t.” Lurcan exclaimed in worry at the way Zan’s eyes were turning dark with anger. He knew in that instant Zan would really kill him if it meant protecting Max.

“Like hell ya can’t!” Zan screamed at the Locack. “Ya just don’t want to. To save your precious planet!”

When Serena stepped forward and placed her hand on his arm, he turned his head to look at her. He melted at the look in her eyes. “It’s true. We don’t know how to stop this.” Zan looked back towards Max’s body, sighed, and then dropped his arm down to his side. He knew Serena wasn’t lying. “I’m sorry.”

“Ya haven’t got anything to be sorry for. I’m just thinking bout what this will do to suga. It will kill her.”

“It almost has.” Michael’s voice was heard from the door way. Turning round they looked at him in shock. “A blue one of those attacked her in her bedroom. Luckily I managed to kill it…”

“How?” Zan snapped with a look of hope on his face. He and Max may not have been close before this but he knew one thing. Max was his brother in all sense of the word and he just didn’t want to lose him to Zan. He knew what the real Zan was like; he wasn’t as caring as Max was. They’d lose the Max they loved.

“I sucked the air out of the room.” Michael shrugged as he looked at Isabel. “Worked last time on the Queen that appeared out of Grant.”

“Then do it.” Isabel commented quietly as she took Zan and Serena’s hands and moved towards the corridor.

“You can’t do that.” Lurcan exclaimed; his arm now outstretched as he stood in front of Max’s body. “I won’t let you.”

Michael mimicked Lurcan’s position, his eyes ablazen. “You have no choice Lurcan.”

“This needs to be done for the sake of the planet! This has to be done!”

“Not against his free will!” Michael yelled at the Locack. “Now let me do this or I will show you what it is like to be at my mercy… or if that doesn’t work, at the mercy of Rath.” His eyes flicked black for a second and then went back to normal. He knew that usually that would bring people to their knees. The one thing he remembered from being Rath was the way many feared the look that Rath could give. It brought people to their knees in submission. Something Rath was proud about.

Yet that still didn’t scare Lurcan. “You wouldn’t. You’re just the second.”

Michael, having had enough of Lurcan’s attitude, chucked him out of the open door with a flick of his wrist. He signalled to Isabel to keep him under control before walking back towards them. Closing the door firmly he did the exact thing he did with Liz. He sat at the key hole, his hand over it, extracting the oxygen from the room.

He’d already done this once. He just hoped he could do it again.

* * * * * * * * *

“Max?” Came a faint whisper from Liz’s lips as she awoke to find herself on the floor of her room. Bringing her hand to her head she frowned as she vagely remembered being attacked by a blue creature.

“Liz?” She heard a tearful Maria whisper.

She nodded her head as she tried to sit up. Instantly she felt her friend’s hands on her shoulders, helping her up into a sitting position. “What – what happened?” Liz whispered as she brought her hand to her shoulders. She shuddered as she felt a lump where the tendrils of the creature went straight through her body. Strangely, there was no blood when in all respect there should have been blood everywhere; the tendrils had gone straight through her body.

“You were attacked by a blue thing.”

Liz’s hand went straight to her stomach in worry as she remembered her baby. If she wasn’t bleeding then it suggested that the creature had a completely different motive all together. Did it want to harm the baby? Was it trying to take her child away from her after all she had gone through, fearing that she wouldn’t have children. This child was the light of her life already; she couldn’t stand to lose her now. “I think – I think I’m going to be sick!” She cried as she ran towards her en suite, her hand firmly paced over her mouth.

The moment she reached the toilet she started vomiting the contents of her stomach. She didn’t feel Maria’s hand lifted her hair back or feel the hand that rested on her shoulder in support. All she could think about was the worry about the baby she was carrying. Once she had finished retching she leant back into Maria’s arms and started to sob.

“Shhh. It’s ok.” Maria soothed her friend as she felt the sobs racking through her body.

“I want Max.” Liz whimpered. “I think there is something wrong with the baby.”

Maria immediately tensed at those words. They hadn’t even thought about how the creature had been affecting Liz. What was it after? What was it doing to her? What did it want? But she didn’t say anything and didn’t start to get nervous by babbling. She knew her friend needed a rock, a person to lean on. Not a complete mess. So she did the only thing she knew would sooth her. She stroked her hair and whispered. “Michael has gone to look for him now.”

* * * * * * * *

“Michael? Are you sure this is going to work?” Isabel asked nervously from her spot on the floor next to the unconscious Lurcan. She had to knock him out because he was still fussing uncontrollably about what they were going to do. She couldn’t understand why on the Earth would he want to change Max just for him to go home, but as she watched him sleeping she realised that she just didn’t remember what Antar had been like. She didn’t remember, where as Lurcan did. He had been there and all he wanted was to go home. The mere thought made Isabel’s heart clench in sympathy, she wasn’t condoning what he did to her brother but to some extent she thought she understood what drove him to it.

“It will if you let me concentrate.” Michael snapped as he continued to suck the air out of the room. The constant chatter was making him nervous as it was taking longer this time. He was now becoming unsure whether or not he would be able to resuscitate Max as soon as he had finished sucking the air out.

Another two minutes and Michael fell back on to the floor, gasping for air and wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead. “Go!” He ordered Zan towards the door.

Zan didn’t hesitate, quickly moving into the room and going over to Max who was lying unconscious on the floor.

* * * * * * * * *

Maria was still cradling Liz and talking to her softly, it was now half an hour after she had sent Michael off to go find Max and she was getting worried. The moment Michael had told Max about Liz he would have been there in the blink of an eye, tripping over things in his mad dash to get to his soul mate. He’d have been there by now, elevating Liz’s fears for her baby.

But he wasn’t and this scared the hell out of Maria. It was so unlike Max to leave Liz like this, to not come to her the instant something happened to her. He’d have carefully laid her on the bed and checked her over constantly for hours until he was happy that she was perfectly healthy. But he wasn’t here and Maria was worried.

Something must have happened. It was that unlike Max and the realisation that the Gandarium may not have been a chance thing was killing her. It struck her that maybe Max was in the same condition as Liz, if not worse and she was suddenly filled with fear over what may happen to both her best friends.

But she didn’t tell Liz this, she just continued to stroke her hair and listen to her quiet sobs as she whispered soothing words. She had only done this once and this was the day after she left Max stood by the Pod chamber after hearing the destiny message. At the time she didn’t realise how broken Liz was over it, until now as she witnessed her best friend cry over what may happen to her unborn baby.

It was cries of fear.

Cries that suddenly intensified. “MAX!” She screamed out in agony as she flew up into a sitting position from Maria’s arms. Maria sat wide eyed as she watched her friend clutch her chest and gasp for air. “Max. Max.” She chanted slowly and softly as she tried her hardest to maintain steady breathing, until it stopped completely and Liz fainted back into Maria’s arms.

“Liz?” Maria cried, not willing to lose her friend again. Luckily her eyes fluttered open a minute later. But she didn’t make a move from Maria’s lap, she just stared up at the ceiling a tear sliding down her cheek.

“Max.” She whispered heartbrokenly.

“What about him sweetheart?” Maria asked nervously, half knowing the answer.

“He’s…” Liz didn’t manage to say anymore until her whole body lurched upward and she took in a huge gasp of air, like she did earlier. It was a deep raspy breath, one someone took when they reached the surface of the water when they had been under water for a while.

A smile came across Liz’s lips and she started to cry. “He was dead. But – they resuscitated him.”

“He what?”

“Max died.” Liz whispered; her face paling at the thought but she maintained her smile as she continued, “But he’s alive now…”

“Michael.” Maria muttered under her breath, happy that he had managed to get to his friend in time. She then frowned. “I think it means Max is in the same state as you, so I think we should get you to a hospital or something, Max won’t be able to heal you.”

“Zan can.” Liz replied, her thoughts completely on what had happened to Max about whether or not he was okay. Something was telling her something was really wrong, but she pushed it down and ignored it her mind focusing on her unborn child. “After all, he’s Max’s dupe.”

“Yeah,” Maria sighed preoccupied. “I would prefer it if we were to go to Zan… like now. To check you over. That thing was rather nasty… and I’m worried about you chica.”

Liz nodded and with the help from Maria she stood from the floor. They slowly made their way across the motel to Max’s room.

Liz started to tremble the moment the sight of Max’s bedroom door wide open came into view. There was a deathly silence as she neared it and she just knew that everyone was sat in his room with bated breath.

They were. They were all stood over Max’s bed, all looking down on his body with worry across their faces. When they turned to see Liz stood in the door way there was a feeling of tension and horror that flooded over the group.

“Liz,” Michael warned, taking a few steps forward. “I think it’s best you stay away, for now.”

“Max?” Liz ignored Michael as she let go of Maria’s arm that was keeping her steady. She took three pensive steps forward until Max’s face came into view.

“Max.” She cried quietly as she fell to her knees. “Oh Max.”

His body was unmoving and his eyes staring straight at the ceiling, emotionless and black.



Please don't hate me for leaving it there... you know what I'm like!

[rie482]

So yeah... I was evil and left it on a cliffy... so here is the next part for ya!

Enjoy.

Thank you to the following for their feedback (I love ya for it!)
Timelord31
Jennifer24
tequathisy - I know he did! I don't know why... but I felt Michael was the best for this part of the story.
begonia9508
Flamehair


Part eighteen

“He seems to be in a state of shock.” Serena explained as they sat in the main lounge of the hotel. “I think that when Michael pulled the Gandarium out of Max’s system it caused him to fall into deep shock.”

“But those eyes.” Tess whispered. “They aren’t human.” She shifted further back into Kyle’s arms, the action causing him to hold on to her body tighter. When they had rushed into Max’s room they had found a ghostly image of Max lying on his bed. His eyes didn’t unwaver from the ceiling.

“I’m hoping that it’s just an effect of the Gandarium trying to summon up Zan. All scans suggest that there was no significant alteration of Max’s DNA, so I’m suspecting that when Max comes out of the shock they will disappear.” Serena speculated, her voice nervous and unsure.

“If.” A small voice came from the window seat of the other side of the room. Everyone turned to Liz who was leant against the window pane, her cheek pressed against the glass. Tears were running down the pane, slowly but surely making their way to the bottom where they pooled on the seat. Liz was staring out into the garden, her arms wrapped around her body, a look of utter devastation on her face. When she felt everyone’s gaze upon her she stated in a mechanical voice, “If he comes out of the shock.”

“There’s every chance he’ll come back to ya suga,” Zan declared from his spot next to the window seat. After what had happened he now felt an overriding need to protect her. He thought that once he had checked her over the feeling would leave him be and that would be it, but that wasn’t the case. Even after he was satisfied that she was completely okay, with Michael narrowly saving Liz from the same fate as Max, he still felt this need to protect her. “It’ll just be a matter of time.”

Liz snapped her eyes at Zan and snorted. “He’s in a deep state of shock and he is unresponsive to anything in the room. I can’t connect with him, Isabel can’t sleepwalk him and Tess can’t get into his mind. Serena doesn’t even know what’s going on!” She screeched. “The way he’s just staring it’s as if he’s b-brain” She paused, closing her eyes to try and stop the tears that were falling. “Brain dead. He’s gone Zan… he’s gone.”

“You can’t be sure of that Liz.” Alex said softly as he moved over to sit next to his best friend. Placing both hands onto her shoulders, he looked her straight into the eye and said, “You need to keep some sort of hope, Liz. And anyway, Max isn’t one to just leave us in the lurch.”

“True, but this time it’s different. He was here with us; he was awake, not staring out into the middle of no where like a coma victim.”

“Have some hope Liz, please.” Alex pleaded with her as his heart ached at the sound of devastation lacing her voice. “You can’t give up hope. Think of the baby.”

“I am.” Liz whispered angrily. “I’m being realistic for the baby.” With that she stood up from the window seat and charged out the room, her hand over her mouth to stop herself from sobbing out loud.

Everyone sat in complete silence, watching the door a couple of seconds after Liz had fled through it, none of them wanting to be the one to break the tension filled silence. Maria stood up from her seat next to Michael and went to sit next to a clearly hurt Alex who had been left sitting on the window seat.

Once she had her arm around Alex she asked, “Is she really okay?”

Zan snapped his eyes at her. “Of course she ain’t okay.” He growled. “She’s facin the fact she might have lost the love of her life.”

“I know that Zan,” Maria said calmly, a complete opposite tone to the one Zan had just used. “I meant physically. That baby means the world to her, especially now if it might just be the last part of Max she has left.” Subconsciously holding on to Alex for support she continued, “She can’t lose the one thing she thought she could never have.”

Serena nodded in understanding, but the look of concern on her face was one that made Maria nervous. “She’s fine. Both are psychically well, although we still don’t know why Liz was attacked by a blue Gandarium because they are used for the human half of the process in which the Royal Four were created.”

“Maybe it was to make Liz more human?” Michael suddenly asked out loud. This startled everyone because since they had laid Max on the bed he had been sat in complete silence staring out the window. It had seemed he wasn’t willing to talk to anyone and they could tell it was all because of the situation Max was now in. The last words they had heard him mutter were, ‘If only I had gotten to him sooner.’ So this was a shock, no one knew he had been in fact listening.

“That’s a possibility, probably making a hell of a lot of sense. So I think we should get Liz to check her powers later on once she feels up to it. But other than that I think she’s perfectly fine physically. But I’m more worried about Liz’s stress levels.” Serena admitted. She hadn’t wanted to bring this up, but there was a possibility that if Liz’s levels of stress were to rise she could end up miscarrying. This wasn’t a human pregnancy either, so who knew what would happen.

“Could she risk losing the baby?” Tess questioned quietly, not really wanting to think what it would mean if she were to. Tess still felt so guilty over everything that had happened in the past, even though most things that had happened were all due to Ava’s manipulation and meddling. Yet, knowing that just didn’t make the guilt any less because in the long run. Tess was who had made Liz run away and pushed her into the path of Khivar. Because of Tess and her relationship with Max, Liz couldn’t feel that she could come home and get the help she so desperately needed when she was being hunted by Khivar. She couldn’t even come home to be healed of the cancer that had riddled her body. She had been alone because of Tess. So now she wished the best for Liz and didn’t know how she would cope if Liz were to lose the only thing that meant anything to her. Because of her.

When Serena nodded slowly everyone’s feelings of hope started to disappear. Without Max, Liz was in danger both mentally and physically, and they were starting to realise just how important both of them were to the group. Once Max was laid out on that bed, his vacant expression on his face, the feeling of strength and knowledge was replaced with the feelings of hopelessness and weakness. Now Liz was lacking in hope and that just made the group even weaker. The last time they had risked almost losing Max Liz had been a rock, determined to find Max, but now she was a mess.

She was losing hope.

So the group were too.

They didn’t know what they were going to do and for a moment, it seemed all they could do was sit and wait.

* * * * * * * *

“WHAT!” She screeched at the top of her lungs at the man who was stood in the doorway.

“Lurcan failed.” The gruff voice uttered scared of the woman sat in the chair. “He’s being detained right now.”

Jo tapped her fingers harshly on the table for a few seconds, her mind wandering. Suddenly, without warning she slammed her fists on the table and growled, “I at least need Liz out of the picture.” Once again she sat, her fingers tapping harshly on the table as she turned everything around in her mind. She needed to get Liz Parker out of the way; she was what grounded Max, King Zan. The whole Gandarium thing was to make Max more alien and Liz more human. By making Liz weaker they could surprise her and take her out without anyone knowing and by making Max more Zan like, restore him to the throne.

But Lurcan had failed, because the damn Gandarium were just too noisy.

A momentary thought popped into her head and she suddenly bolted out her chair towards the filing cabinet. She swiped her hand over the lock and upon hearing the click she pulled it open. Reaching in to the far depths of the cabinet she smiled at the man stood in the doorway.

“I know how we are going to do this.” Pulling out a file she turned around back to her desk, throwing her hand out and pushing the cabinet closed with little effort. Placing it down on the table she motioned for him to come closer. “We are going to rid us of Liz Parker without actually doing it ourselves.”

“How?”

Picking up a piece of paper she smiled at him. “This,” She declared “Is a contact for an organisation called the Liquidization Institution. They are the run of the mill liquidation company that break down base metals. The usual boring institute.”

“So how is that going to help us?”

“We both know that appearances can be deceiving, we have been on Earth for long enough to be proof of that.” Handing him the piece of paper she whispered. “This institute is one that was designed to liquidate the threat to ‘our’ country.”

The man’s eyebrow hooked up in interest. “Go on.”

“This institute is a disguise for one of the many groups who are anti-Liz parker and are willing to do anything to protect the country from a woman who holds so much power in her hands.” She smiled slightly. “Anything.”

The man flashed her a look. “Anything?”

“Anything. Even killing her.” Jo replied excitedly.

The man shook his head. “Max won’t be happy about this; he’d find out and kill us all.”

Jo laughed. “You forget that he’s in a coma Nicholas.”

“He might still make it out.”

“That’s why we have to act quickly. I’m taking my opportunities, unlike my brother did. He was killed at the hands of that woman because he hesitated and didn’t bed her when he could have.” Jo spat. “So I’m making my move sooner rather than later.”

“You make it sound like you wish to avenge Khivar’s death.” Nicholas stated with a smirk, something that earned him a slap for.

“This is not about that bastard, that hypocritical and humiliating mess of a brother. This is about restoring the Royal four on the throne.”

“You mean Ava to the throne.” Nicholas pointed out as he rubbed his now bruised cheek.

“She was intended to be Zan’s bride, not Liz Parker, so excuse me for having my sister’s best interests at heart.”

“Yours more like.”

Jo ignored him but shot him a look that stated he was on dangerous ground. “You forget who you are talking to Nicholas; I’m the one who has kept you alive all this time despite everything the royal four have done to get rid of you… I can easily reverse it if you so wish it.”

“I’ll just go and contact the group.”

“You do that.”

* * * * * * * * *

“You know what?” Liz whispered. “I had told myself the last time you were in danger that I’d be by your side to stop it from ever happening again. I had assumed that it would all be okay and this wouldn’t be happening… again.” She looked at Max’s face and almost sobbed louder. There staring at the ceiling was the image of Zan that had come out at full force when Max had attacked Khivar. She shuddered as she remembered her words to Max the moment after he had become Zan, back in England. He had been this completely different man who scared her.

*****Flashback*****
As Max held her tightly to his bare chest he muttered repeatedly, “I’m sorry, oh God Liz I am so sorry.” Pulling back, from Max, Liz cupped both sides of his face and gazed into his loving eyes, melting as the tears poured. “Help me Liz. Please. I don’t want to … to become him again.”

She paused for a moment searching for any sign of Zan in Max. She couldn’t see any of the signs of Zan, she couldn’t see Zan in his eyes and she couldn’t feel Zan’s essence like she did before. She smiled, placing a small kiss on his lips, before she rest her forehead on his. She sighed contently. “Some how… some how I just have this feeling that we won’t be seeing him again any time soon.”
*****Flashback*****

She had been so wrong.

She rung her hands as she talked to the shell of her soul mate. Initially she had come up to the room to check for any changes, her little spark of hope making her curious. She had been shocked to find Matthew curled in a ball on the left side of his father, sleeping peacefully, a smile on his face. She didn’t know whether or not to laugh or cry. She had expected Matthew to be a complete mess, unable to read his father but she supposed the smile on his face meant that Max was still in there somewhere. She hadn’t the heart to move him so she left him there, content with sleeping up to his father.

Now she was just sat there talking to him, his company giving her some source of comfort.

For a moment Liz remained curled up in the chair, her arms wrapped around her knees. She just let the tears fall as she watched his chest rise and fall. It was the only thing that she could watch that gave her the knowledge he was still alive; that there was some hope of him making it out of this.

The thought he may not make it out to the real world crossed her mind and she cried harder in to her knees. “Max, you have to fight this.” She cried out as she lunged towards the bed. Now she was kneeling by him and she quickly took his warm hand in her own. “You have to make it because I don’t know what to do without you.” She brought a hand to his cheek and caressed it wishing that he’d turn his head into her palm and kiss it the way he used to. But he didn’t and that just made her sob louder. “WE-we, me, the baby and Matthew, we c-can’t do this without you, Max. I n-need you to be here when I first hold our baby, when the baby first cries. When she takes her first step, when, when, when she reaches her first birthday. When she goes to school for the very first time. I-I need you here for it… because – because I don’t think I’m strong enough to do it on my own.” She tightened her hold on his hand. “Because – because I love you.”

She stood up and quietly moved up the bed. Instantly she moved into Max’s body and rested her head on his chest. A smile of contentment swept across her face as well and that’s when she knew that Matthew was smiling because he could still hear his father’s heart beating. She laid there a moment, her eyes closed and a smile on her lips.


It was because she was laid at his side, taking in the remaining warmth and comfort of Max’s body that she didn’t notice that the lights of the whole hotel went out.

She didn’t see the small group of people, who were using alien technology, sweep through the building.

She didn’t notice them coming in the room and didn’t notice the trithuim amplification generator they held in their hands.

Once their hands were secured round her mouth did she realise what was happening.

She tried to scream.

It was completely useless.

[rie482]

So yeah, I like cliffhangers. I don't know why but it's just what happens when I'm writing Anyway, enjoy this next chapter (if you can) and I shall be back next monday

Thank you to the following for their feedback:
Luna_Seer : It makes her both... which then means that Ava was also Khivar's sister. Sorry if that confused.
Emz80m
Timelord31
tequathisy
begonia9508
Flamehair
midnightstar29 - in my stories... never
Jennifer24


PART NINETEEN

“Liz is gone!” Tess screamed out loud as she walked into Max’s room. She had known that this was the first place Liz would have gone having run out of the room earlier. She had been there the last time Tess had checked on her but now, now there was just a comatosed Max in the room. Even Matthew was gone.

Matthew.

“NO!” She screamed as she neared the side of the bed that she had left Matthew on. He had seemed so peaceful lying next to his father that she hadn’t had the heart to move him to his little bed. But now she sincerely wished she had. “Matthew!” She cried as she ran her hands over the bed trying desperately to receive a flash from the spot he was lying in.

“What’s going on?” Kyle cried as he ran into the room. He had heard Tess’ desperate scream but didn’t know what she had actually said. His eyes gazed over the bed and knew instantly who was missing. “Matthew?” He asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

When Tess looked up at him, tears in her eyes, he rushed forward and took her into his arms. Holding her close to him he could feel her body trembling with fear and worry for her son. “Why would they take him?” She whispered. “He’s only a boy!”

“I don’t know,” Kyle admitted. “But I have a feeling this wasn’t about him.” Tess looked up at him, her gaze questioning. “Just a feeling I guess,” He replied to the slight question. “And I have a feeling it’s to do with the last attack. Why take Matthew unless Liz was in the room with him?”

“To use him against her?” Tess worried out loud. “So she’d go with them?”

“Sounds about right.”

* * * * * * * *

She couldn’t move her arms; that was the first thing she noticed when she came to. She knew she was stood up, she could feel that in the way her legs slightly hung there yet kind of balanced her as she felt something solid underneath her tiptoes. She tried to move her feet, but found that they too were strapped to the wall.

She brought her head up and rolled her neck. She was free in that respect; she could freely move her head without anything restricting her movement. *That’s something I guess.* She thought to herself.

She opened her eyes to instantly shut them again as bright lights flooded into them. It was a bright and almost surgical white light that made her head pound at the mere opening of her eyes, so she closed them tight and waited until she was brave enough to face it.

Slowly she opened them and bit by bit she realised where she was. An overriding feeling of panic and nausea swept over her body and she started to gag immediately and thrashed around frantically, her body falling into a state of shock.

Old memories of her own were mixed with those of Max’s.

All she felt and saw was pure horror.

The door of the room flung open and four men entered. They strode over to Liz and quickly untying her cuffs, allowing her to fall forward onto the padded floor. They left her there heaving the contents of her stomach on to the floor.

She retched until she was spent and she completely collapsed on to the floor in a heap. She lay on her side, her legs curled into her body with her fists to her mouth. She cried hot tears that ran down her face and into her hair. They ran down her balled fists onto the white beneath her.

A couple of minutes later Liz finally managed to look up at her room and realise that in some respects it was similar, yet in others different.

The room was mostly made up of white padding, the same white that still haunted her at night. If she did actually dream, the white invaded it with Ava’s short black hair streaking across it as Liz replayed the incident over and over again in her mind. Another wave of sickness flooded over her as she replayed the image of Ava slowly pulling out a blade from Max’s stomach. That would forever haunt her.

But the room wasn’t exactly like the white room. In one wall, which was directly opposite her, was a window. It filled most of the wall and she could see through it clearly. That’s where this place differed from the white room, where there was no window, no door. Nothing. Just white everywhere, where ever you looked. Where ever you touched. But here, there was a window and there was a door. There was something visible and solid to touch.

It gave her a sense of solid reality, something the white room had lacked.

But that didn’t stop the feelings of sick rise up into her stomach. As she sat up onto her knees she wonder in her mind as she looked around the room intently.

Why was she there?

What did they want with her?

Why is it that they kept her there?

Where was she?

As she stewed over this, her emotions started to overwhelm her and once again the familiar green electricity crackled between her fingers, surrounding her hands. As she knelt, her hands on the floor to brace herself, she didn’t realise she was burning her hands into the padding. It was only until she touched the cold stone floor beneath her hands did she realise.

Looking at her hands she almost jumped for joy at the realisation she had powers, her escape. She wasn’t sure her captors were human, but some how she knew that if they weren’t, they would have known that the TAG that was in the corner of the room wouldn’t have worked on her.

*Great!* She thought to herself. *I can get out of here.*

Standing up she ran her hands over her torn trousers, repairing them so they wouldn’t be caught on anything when making her escape. Moving towards the window she lifted her arm towards it.

She concentrated on the centre of the glass, ready to crack it when a man walked into the room. Placing his hand on a button on the other side he spoke to her.

“I wouldn’t do that Liz.” He said calmly, but Liz could tell by the slight sweat on his forehead that he was nervous as hell.

He was completely human; that was for sure.

“Or what?” She asked in a slightly cocky manner. She knew she was going to just walk out of the building. Nothing was going to stop her. “Are you going to kindly ask me to come back?” She placed her hands on her hips and smiled at him in complete disbelief.

Her smile faltered as someone was marched into the room, a gun to his head. His eyes were wide with fear and confusion, making Liz’s heart break. She hadn’t realised he had been swept up in this.

“Matthew.” She whispered, her stomach tying itself in knots at the thought of why he was there in the first place. The gun to his head was a hint.

“Or we will kill him.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Dammit!” Isabel cried as she leapt up once again from her bed. She ran her hands through hair in complete frustration.

“Try again.” Michael ordered from the corner of the room, where he was sat his heads in his hands as he stared at the floor. Looking up he grumbled, “You aren’t trying hard enough.”

“Like hell I’m not Michael!” Isabel spat at him. “I have been trying this for over two hours, how could I not be trying hard enough?!”

“Well, you’re not getting through are you? Last time you did this you got into Max’s mind first time… what’s different now?”

Isabel stepped forward, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “The difference is the fact she isn’t drugged! Her mind is as clear as day!”

Michael shrugged. “What about when you did it to Max when he was in New York? You did it then and his mind was clear as day.” He said the last three words sarcastically making Isabel even angrier.

She was so close to him she could have slapped him, but she didn’t. She kept her cool and said through gritted teeth. “If you can remember that far back, Liz was the extra bit that made a connection to Max easier. It was Liz Max saw, not me.” Stepping back she wrapped her arms around herself. “But she isn’t here right now,” She said this sadly, as if she were to break at the mere thought. “She’s gone and I have no idea where.” A tear managed to escape and in a whisper she said, “I wish I did.”

Michael stood up and moved towards Isabel, his manner completely different from the way it was a few moments ago. He could clearly see Isabel’s patience and composure was shot, after hours of endless trying she couldn’t get through to Liz. They were all worried, even himself. He didn’t mean to react the way he did, he never did, it was just something that always seemed to just happen.

He pulled his sister into his arms and held her tightly. “I’m sorry,” He mumbled into her hair. “I didn’t mean to – it’s just…”

“Max isn’t here to be the fearless leader anymore.” Isabel finished for him. She didn’t need to see his face to know that’s how he felt, she felt it too. Max was always the one who grounded the group, the one who made the decisions and he was the leader. He wasn’t there, so usually they felt almost compelled to go to Liz but she wasn’t there either. They were at a loss.

“How about we give it a rest for a little while and then try then.”

“It might be too late then.”

“Not if we use someone else,” Zan’s voice came from the open door way. Something was different about him now, something almost Max like. He had this presence about him that demanded attention as he stood there, his hands resting on the door frame as he leant forward. There was a look of complete calm and power that was resting in his eye. “If we connect with someone else.”

“Who?” Isabel asked, a feeling of hope bursting in her chest.

Zan stepped forward into Isabel’s room and went towards a photo frame that sat on the side of her bedside table. Picking it up he turned to them and declared, “Our lil empath in the family.”

“Matthew.” Isabel nodded as she took the picture frame from Zan. “He will be able to let me in… he will feel my presence and let me in.” She frowned, concern etched on her face. “But I don’t know whether or not he will be able to not let it show that I’m in contact with him. He may let slip I’m in his mind.”

Zan just shook his head. “Have faith in the lil guy.”

* * * * * * * * *

Matthew stood frightened as he watched Liz move nearer the window plane, tears in her eyes. He could feel the pain and anguish at the way he had been brought into this. It made him want to cry along with her as he was confused to what was going on.

“Let him go,” She whispered as she leant against the glass, pleading them with her eyes. “Let him go and I’ll do anything you want.”

The grip on Matthew’s shoulder tightened and the gun dug further into his head, making fresh tears spill onto his little cheeks. He couldn’t understand why this was happening. He shivered at the feeling he got from the man who was stood beside him, there was a feeling of intense hate in the room.

An intense hate towards Liz.

“Yeah, like I should trust you.” The man spat at the window. “You’re an alien.”

“I’m human.” Liz corrected. “Completely human, I’ve just been healed twice. This is why I have the power.”

“Liar.”

“Just check my blood if you want proof.” She said, lifting her arm towards him. “I am completely human.”

The man shrugged. “What makes you think that it will be all okay and that we will just let you go after everything you have done?”

Matthew watched the horror and realisation expressive itself on her face. His chest hurt from the way he could feel Liz’s pain and for once he just wish he could make it all stop, but the fear he felt at the gun pointed at his head overrode everything. He couldn’t even think about trying to use his powers, all he could think about was the fact he had wet himself about 10 minutes ago.

It made him want to cry even harder.

“What… what do you mean?” Liz asked nervously as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Because of your powers you seem to think you are above the law… when you’re not. You killed a man, and now,” He said with a sly smile. “It’s time for retribution.”

“But I did that out of self defence! He was an alien! I did that to save all of the people there.”

“That does not matter!” He growled.

Matthew watched the scene fold out in front of him in complete clarity fear nestling in his stomach. He just wanted to be at home, with his Dad and Mum playing in the swimming pool. He wanted to be sat at the kitchen table with a bowl of ice cream talking to his aunty. He just wanted to be at home.

He blinked uneasily as his mind started to cloud over. The scene before him started to disappear into a sort of haze, as if he was dreaming about it. Suddenly he could feel a familiar presence in his mind. “Matthew?” The sweet voice called at him in his mind, fading out the heated conversation that was going on around him. “Matthew, if you can hear me just blink.”

Matthew stood completely still and blinked, wondering how on the earth Aunt Isabel was in his head.

“Good, I’m here to help you and Liz. But you cannot let any of the people there know that you can hear me.” There was a pause and then she asked uncertainly, “Can you do that for me?”

“Yes,” He answered in his mind.

“Good. Now I need you to look around the place. I want you to look at faces and the room that you are in.”

“Okay,” Matthew replied unsurely. He couldn’t understand why Isabel was asking this of him but he still did it.

* * * * * * * *

“They are in a type of warehouse… but the difference is that there is a padded room. It’s sort of like the white room that Ava was holding Max and Liz in when she held them prisoner.”

Isabel held her hand over a piece of paper as she spoke; leaving an imprint of the faces of the men she had been shown. “He showed me two faces as well as Liz.”

Lifting her hand away from the paper there were two faces looking up at them. One was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties, with a few scars just above his right eye. His hair was black and his eyes green; he had this sly smile across his face as if he was in complete control and knew it.

It had made Isabel shiver when Matthew had shown her.

There was something off about the man, as if he was mentally unhinged and about to do something drastic. It gave Isabel the feeling that Liz didn’t have that much longer.

The second man was a more kindly looking man. You would have thought him to be the gentle giant of the pair despite the fact he was holding a gun to her nephews head. He looked about 50, his hair was greying slightly but there was a look on his face that said that he didn’t belong in that situation. He was uncomfortable and that was reflected in the way he wore a slight frown of concern.

“Was there any other details?” Zan asked, his gut twisting at the thought that it was taking forever just to find out some small details. No one else seemed as worried as he was, but they hadn’t seen the hate websites. There were people out there intent on hurting Liz, and he had a feeling that was something to do with this.

Isabel thought a moment then nodded slightly. “Yeah, there was.” Taking another piece of paper from the draw she spread it out her hand. Concentrating she drew the image of the room in her mind. “Matthew had managed to show me images of a room he had been held in earlier.” Looking down she nodded at the image. “This.”

She slid it over to Zan who stared at intently. It was what seemed like a factory with a huge vat in the corner of the room. On the side of it was a logo that was half covered by shadow. It looked like a silver triangle. But the shadow covered half of it.

“I’ll get Rena to look at it.” He stated. Standing up he grimaced at a thought that crossed his mind.

“What?” Michael asked worried at the way Zan looked concerned.

Zan met his eye, knowing full well lying wasn’t going to get him anywhere with this guy. If he could, he wouldn’t tell him this but he had to. Liz’s life was as at stake. “We’re gonna have to get the government involved.”

“No.” Michael snapped as he stood up. There was something in his eye that told Zan not to mess with him, but he ignored it and stood his ground. “We can’t let anyone in on this. The press will have a field day.”

“But we are more likely to find them with the help they’ll give us. Rememba they have more people on staff than we do. In total, including us, we only have – what – 30 people. The white house has links to hundreds of people who could help.” When Michael moved to say more, he silenced him by putting his hand up. “I know ya wanna protect the whole of the group, but suga is in danger. If I’m right the group won’t keep her alive much longa… and ya know as well as I do that Liz is an important part of this group. We need her just as much as we need my Bro.”

[rie482]

Heya guys, sorry I didn't post this sooner - I spent all of last night dancing in the rain at cowes merina with a guy called mike. Twas a great night...

So I'm posting now. Enjoy.

Thank you to the following for their feedback:

Flamehair
Emz80m
midnightstar29
begonia9508 - sorry! hehe! But you have got have noticed I love suspense!
tequathisy
Timelord31


Part twenty.

They had left Liz sat in the middle of the padded room, tears trekking down her face. Things had gone from great to horribly, terribly, wrong in a matter of weeks and she didn’t know why. She thought that after Khivar she was going to have a break, live a semi-normal life; have her baby and have a life. But that hadn’t been the case.

Someone was being sadistic.

They had been exposed. She had been viciously attacked in the street, attacked by websites and she had just lost the love of her life after an alien attack. Now she was held captive because of their knowledge that she would do anything to keep Matthew safe.

It was ridiculous – someone must be having a joke.

******Flashback******
“It’s time for retribution.”

“But I did that out of self defence! He was an alien! I did that to save all of the people there.”

“That does not matter!” He growled. “You shall be punished for what you have done, just like every other being on Earth would do.”

“What do you mean punished?” She asked with a slight quiver in her voice. She had tried to remain as calm as she had once done when confronting Khivar, but there was something in his tone that scared the hell out of her. It was as if he was talking to her for the last time.

“You have been tried for your crime and you shall be punished.”

“What do you mean punished!” She screeched, losing all hope in the way he was avoiding the question.

“Death.”

Liz stood completely still, shell shocked at that word. Her hand fluttered over her stomach for a second as she realised, in horror, she would never be able to see the life that was growing inside of her. “No.” She whispered as she moved nearer the glass. “No… you can’t.” She met his green eyes and pleaded. “Please don’t. I’m pregnant.”

For a moment her heart had soared at the way he looked at her, as if he was thinking it all over, but it promptly sank when his smile widened and his eyes darkened slightly. “All the more reason to punish you.” He moved nearer the glass and whispered, “Can’t have anymore of the alien sporn walking around, now can we?”

******Flashback******

For the first time in months she felt like there was no hope. It was completely hopeless to even dream about the possibility of Max coming back and saving her. It was still a probability that he was staring off into space, not even capable of thinking let alone thinking about her. The thought made her sob harder.

She had always thought that if she were ever in trouble Max would be there to hold her hand or at least be trying to get her out of trouble. She thought if she was ever going to die, it would be by Max’s side. But now it wasn’t the case, he was laid out on a bed in a hotel not a sign of life on his face.

She needed him and once again she was alone.

She slowly laid herself out on to the floor of her cell and waited. They would be back soon and she would be punished for a crime that she had committed.

They had labelled her a murderer, a fitting title she thought, and she would be punished accordingly. Maybe it was just divine intervention, her punishment from God for what she had done.

Maybe it was justice.

* * * * * * * * *

“There are several companies that have a silver triangle for their logo. It’s quite a universal thing in New Mexico.” Serena stated with a hint of defeat in her voice. She clutched the paper tightly as she looked at all the different logos in front her on the screen, yet she couldn’t stop the feeling of hopelessness that settled in her chest. She felt just as defeated as the others.

“Ya need to draw more out of the picture.” Zan demanded from the table where he was searching through the criminal database, the pictures of the men in his hand. The pictures Isabel had given him were quite detailed yet he had checked a hundred times; their faces just weren’t on the data bases. These people just hadn’t committed any crimes what so ever. It could be near impossible to find them.

“Like what?” Serena snapped as she swung round in her seat to look at him. “There is a vat and a symbol on the side, which is half covered by shadow so I can’t make out the other half of it! There is nothing to go on!”

Zan looked up at her, a sorry expression on his face. “I’m sorry – it’s just…”

“I know,” She said quietly as she leant forward placing her head in her hands. She sighed in frustration as she rubbed her eyes with the balls of her hands.

“Without Liz we have no hope at all of getting Max to come back. She’s his link to this earth… and she’s not here… and she may neva come back.” He rested his hand onto top of the laptop screen and closed it, then rested his hand on the machine as he looked down on the faces he had been searching for. “I thought I had the answer – I was wrong.”

Serena shook her head and sat up right, slapping her hands on her thighs. “No. I just think we are going the wrong way about it.” Standing up she moved towards Zan with determination in her stride. She sat on his lap and lifted the laptop open.

She sighed as Zan’s arms wrapped around her middle and he rested his chin on her shoulder. “What ya tryin out?”

“You know how you said that you had a feeling it may just have something to do with the hate sites?” She asked as she typed away at the keyboard, trying her hardest to keep her hormones in check, it was safe to say she wanted him right there on the chair. She was mentally kicking herself for feeling this way towards Zan at that time, but she couldn’t help it. The incident with Liz and Max just showed her how she needed to cherish each moment they had together. She wanted to make love to him for hours out of fear she may never do that.

“Yeah.”

“Well, we have the info to track them down. Most of these sites we can track down to people, addresses and numbers. Some of them maybe fake details but it is safe to say some of those people will be cocky enough to think they can get away with it. Through that we can pair what we know to their details.”

“It’s gonna take too long.” Zan stated exhaustedly.

Serena turned to him, a sad expression her face. “It’s the only thing we’ve got.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Maria lay curled up on her side, staring into space with her red puffy tearstained eyes. Michael lay behind her, his body pressed to hers in a form of comfort. His arm was wrapped around her body, his hand clutching hers. There was complete silence between the two, both reeling from the loss of two of the group.

Michael was supposed to be having a break, sleeping for an hour to maintain some sort of strength but no matter how much he wanted to follow Zan’s order, he couldn’t. No one could. He felt that he had to be by Maria’s side, to be there for her as heart was breaking. She was almost losing her best friend again.

This was the second time, the first being when Liz had come home dying from the cancer that was eating its way through her body. Now she was losing her friend to something much bigger than that; the public.

Zan and Serena had narrowed down the search. There were three sites that had links to men who fitted the general description of the pictures. Now all they had to do was wait to find out where they worked and then go from there.

They were getting some where with the search, but it felt like it was all going far too slowly. Michael especially felt they weren’t doing enough, but the fact of the matter was they were doing everything they could. It was all they could do. They had everyone at computers and not only did they have the Locacks on it, they also had the government. There was nothing they could do but wait.

It was killing him. All of them.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Tess sat in the window seat watching all the people that had gathered around on the street below. The sight of it made her sick. There were hundreds of people just stood outside the gates, all looking like they were in a state of mourning and she just wanted to run down the stairs, out the front door, and blast them all to hell.

With the leak of Liz and Matthew having been kidnapped came the leak of knowledge that Max was comatosed with it. For the first time the public were seeing them as vulnerable, human, people who were susceptible to something like kidnapping and their reaction to the group was now completely different. Many of the Roswell citizens were carrying banners that held prayers for Liz’s safe return.

Pam Troy held a picture of Liz, a short poem about how wonderful she was emblazed across it. Her once blonde curls were now long brown tresses and her contacts were green. She had always been a sheep.

It was making her sick. It was the people down there that were responsible for Liz and Matthew’s kidnap and she wanted nothing more than to reach down there and throttle them all. If they had just left it alone, if they hadn’t of felt such threat and hatred towards the group, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. It was obvious that the group responsible believed this was all for a good cause – there was such an anti- Liz feeling that it couldn’t be ignored.

Yet, in the corner of her mind somewhere was the feeling it wasn’t a completely human thing. There was something alien in it – she could feel it.

“What has Lurcan got to say for himself?” She half snapped and half asked as she heard Kyle and Alex enter the room. She didn’t bother looking at them, her eyes were transfixed on the people below wishing so much for them to just go away. Go and live the lives the Pod Squad so dearly wanted and needed.

“He doesn’t know anything. He was contacted by someone who posed as a Locack’s child, says that he was sent back to Earth to bring Zan back.” Alex answered solemnly. He had been hoping that by integrating him that they’d be a step closer to finding Liz but they weren’t. They were losing time and it was slowly starting to get to him. What was worse was the fact there was a hint of surrender and helplessness that had the group had succumbed to due to the lack of what to go on.

Kyle sat on the window seat next to Tess and placed a hand on her arm. When she turned to face him, he lifted a hand to her face caressing the tears that were on her cheeks away. “Isabel says that he’s telling the truth. But… there is a bigger problem.”

Tess frowned as she moved into his hand for the comfort it provided. “What problem?”

He paused for a second and looked down, his expression telling Tess she wouldn’t like what he was about to say. She could see the cogs in his mind working as he tried to form the right words. He looked up and in a whisper he said, “It was Nicholas that had given him the crystals.”

“WHAT!” Tess screamed. “I thought all Locack’s knew who Nicholas was.” He was nitrous – the second to Khivar and the leader of the Skin attack. Every Locack on the site had heard something about Nicholas and each feared him, with each of them knowing about his ability to mind rape.

“They do.” Alex replied calmly as he too sat on the window seat. He placed an arm around her and explained, “But not many actually knew what he looked like – and he was supposed to have died in Eagle Rock. He didn’t realise what he was doing.”

“He’s going to be a problem – he always has been, but we have defeated him before…” Kyle said in confidence with a shrug. “It’s not like he’s ever been that much of a threat to us physically.”

“I know.” Tess replied with a frown upon her face. “I’m just worried about who it was that had actually revived him. You know as well as me that the guys destroyed him – it must have taken a lot of power to revive him…”

“Meaning that once again there is a big bad nasty to worry about.” Alex nodded in understanding.

“We have bigger problems than that guys.” Zan’s sombre voice interrupted from the doorway.

The guys looked up towards him and Tess almost gasped as she saw the look that was currently rested on his face. It was a mixture of horror and fear. His hand trembled as he held Serena’s and stepped forward into the light. He quickly moved to the television and with a swipe of his hand he turned it on.

There on the screen was the image of a white room. In the middle of the picture was Liz, her small body curled up in the middle of the floor tears evident on her cheeks. In the bottom right corner was a timer.

“12 hours?” Kyle asked. “Until what?”

“’til they kill her.”