Roswell Fanatics

Where Loyalty Lies
Disclaimer: I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.
Category: Roswell/Dark Angel XO
Rating: ADULT
Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl
Summary: Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Ten

Looking at them watching her was unnerving. For three days they had been in this room- three days they had kept her secret. They had leverage, they had blackmail, but they kept their silence. Tactically, keeping information to use against the enemy was smart, but not using it against one of your captors was not.

Liz could see the shadows of her past reflected in their eyes. She knew what it took to look that soulless, to be void of human compassion- and it hurt her to think this was what her brothers had been put through for their whole lives. Like a knife twisting in her back, Liz fought down the rise of emotion empathy. Being a soldier was not an easy life, but it was theirs- choice or not.

“What is your designation?” Start easy.

“X5-568,” Ethan proclaimed.

“X5-690,” Raed announced.

“What is your mission here?” Liz watched their eyes. Both were well trained- the brief flicker that passed through their eyes almost escaped her…almost.

Taking a different tact, Liz placed both hands palm flat down on the table in front of them, “Do you know who I am?”
Again that same flicker.

“I’m your sister. I am X5-581,” Liz said, leaning down to eyelevel. They stared back at her, but not with blank eyes; they were fully aware who she was. “What has Lydecker told you about me?”

“X5-581: traitor, dangerous, unpredictable. Weakness: to be determined,” Raed’s voice rang clear. It was a start.

“What about X5-452?” Liz asked, directing it at Ethan.

“X5-452: ‘09 traitor, dangerous. Weakness: emotions,” Ethan rattled off what was probably a standard response.

“Do you remember your childhood?” Liz questioned. They were unresponsive. “Do you remember our unit? How close we were? Do you remember when you would hold me at night when I couldn’t sleep- Ethan? Or trying to outrun me on the course- Raed?”

Both stared at her, expressions blank. He had really done it. Lydecker had really wiped out their recollections of their childhood- their unit. Growing up all they had was each other, and even though Liz was young when she was detached from her unit, she remembered them. A transgenic has a long member…having it stolen was like stripping them of their last shred of dignity.

“Why haven’t you told them about me? About what you saw?” Liz asked.

For the first time, both men turned their heads to look at one another and communicate silently. They turned in unison to stare back at Liz and a creeping chill tingled her spine. They didn’t respond.

“I need to understand you,” Liz told them, biting her lip, showing a breakdown in her usual contained demeanor. “I won’t let him take your memories.”

Going around the table, Liz jerked back Ethan’s chair and then Raed’s. They continued to stare and that was all Liz needed. Turning to Raed, Liz placed
her flat hands on either side of his head and stared into his eyes, seeing a flicker of fear.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

Breathing deeply, Liz forced the connection, ripping open the psychic link between her and Raed. Connecting with someone else was not like Max Evans had made it seem. It wasn’t a simple connection of two people. Psychic strands existed on a telepathic level between every being in the known universe- a link to one another that everyone could tap, but most don’t know it is even there. When a mother knows what her newborn needs it is the use of that psychic connection at work. When a person feels the passing of a relative on the other side of the world it is that connection. The mind is a terrible thing to waste- unfortunately, most people do.

A surge of neural energy blacked her vision and in the next moment, Liz was swimming through the oppressed confines of Raed’s mind. Convoluted, feral, and battered; the visions of his past assaulted her in pounding severity. At first it was fragmented, pieces unconnected and others jammed in where they shouldn’t be; but like a web being restrung, Liz’s presence forced the pathways to clear and reconnect. Images of herself as a child, of Max, and Tinga, and the others flitted across her mind’s eye and played out in sequential order.

Yanking herself back, pulling away from the vortex of the human mind, Liz found herself back in her own mind, seeing with her eyes into Raed’s.

“Adia?” he asked, searching her eyes.

“I have to help Ethan,” Liz told him, pulling away before the connection could pull her back in.

Doing as she had with Raed, Liz felt the sensations, battled her way into Ethan’s mind, and felt his mind revolting. He wasn’t accepting her, he was rebuking her attempts to reach him in a severe backlash that assaulted her like shrapnel in the confines of the connection. It was a push and pull for several moments and Liz thought she would be lost even to herself before she hit something- a strand of sanity among the ravages of his brain. Snares dug at her while she penetrated the thick miasma of Manticore training. The sights she saw, the pain she felt, the hopeless, unrelenting numbness that came with reaching your breaking point. The restoration was searing and slow, but Liz wouldn’t leave her brother there.

When she finally pulled back out of it, her world was irrevocably altered with the images she had seen, and the emotions that had wracked her. The eyes that welcomed her when she came back into herself were aware, and awed.

Everything hurt. Her skin was a livewire of heat and ache; her eyes felt too bright; the lancing sensation of hearing was numbing, and every breath was labored. Liz’s thoughts were too fast to discern actual meaning, but they wouldn’t stop coming. She registered the feel of cool floor, and the sound of a bang before she faded into everything.


Throbbing. She was throbbing. Breathing. She was breathing. She was throbbing and breathing. Both felt unnatural as she awoke. Her eyes came open immediately as her body tensed in the unfamiliar setting. Pulling up, Liz set for an attack. It pained her to use her senses, but she relaxed when her nose picked up the familiar scent of TC.

“How you feeling?” asked a voice behind her.

Turning, Liz masked her pain, and nodded her head. It was a medic she had met once or twice. She was in the infirmary.

“Liz?” It was Maria.

“Yes,” Liz answered, trying to recall why she was there. She then remembered helping Ethan and Raed. It had obviously gone downhill from there.

“Are you okay?” Maria asked.

“I’m fine. Where is everyone?” Liz returned.

“Max is with Ethan and Raed,” Zack responded; he stood between hers and Maria’s beds.

“And Alec?” Liz couldn’t curb that question.

“He carried you in, set you down, and then stormed out,” Maria informed her- she looked very pleased with this turn of events.

“I don’t see what it matters where he is,” Zack inserted.

“You wouldn’t.” Maria told him, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just that your completely absorbed with being a soldier and can’t see what’s right in front of you. But that just means you are a typical male,” Maria
sniped. Maria never failed to amuse Liz even as she blushed at Maria’s implication about her and Alec.

“I am anything, but typical. I was genetically designed to be the way I am.” Zack argued, frowning in a rare display of confusion.

“All I’m saying is that you are just like any other guy when it comes to emotions. If they did any tinkering in that department you wouldn’t be quite so oblivious, or insensitive,” Maria made several emphatic gestures while talking.

“Maria, stop.” Liz jumped in. Zack was building a head of steam and between the two of them her head was starting to throb harder.

“Just tell Captain Oblivious I’m right, and I’ll be fine.”

“I was trained in Special Ops Analysis for intensive training, a term of which lasted six months. I am highly observant,” Zack told her- refusing to back
down.

“Well maybe they skipped a chapter, or two,” sniped Maria.

“Are you children?” Max asked from behind them; she had quietly strolled up to them while Maria and Zack bickered.

Neither answered, but both stared at each other, daring the other to say something; Liz fought the urge to laugh at the blatant attraction between them, and mental made a note to herself about Maria’s preference for emotional-challenged soldiers with too much attitude.

“How you feeling?” Max asked.

Repetitively, Liz answered, “Fine.”

“What did you do?” Liz knew what she was talking about, but she really didn’t know what to say in response.

“I helped them.” Silently, Liz pleaded with Max to let it go. And she did.

“How is she?” Max demanded of the medic closest to them.

“X5-581 suffered a minor aneurism. Several minute blood vessels ruptured; but remarkably the tissue reformed. No long term damaged seems to have taken place,” the medic was the same as last time that Liz had been hospitalized, but she could careless to find out what his name was, or any fact about him. Her thoughts were only for what he was saying.

She was an utter freak. As if growing up in Manticore hadn’t been a big enough anomaly in her life, now she was a something completely different. Liz rolled her neck and popped it several times before swinging her legs off the edge of the bed, and standing.

Several protests immediate rose, but Liz shrugged them off, and took off before anyone could do anything. Speed felt amazing. Moving cleared her mind, forcing her to exert her muscles which, so soon after her mental injuries, took all of her concentration. Blurring was nothing to her- it was a release, an outright relaxant. The ground beneath her feet was a phantom sensation that thudded in and out with each running step.

Liz ran for several miles in the confines of Terminal City. As she came around the corner of a narrow block her foot caught on something unseen, and she threw herself into a forward flip- praying as gravity took hold, and landed harshly on her bent legs- skidding with her legs folded under her, knees out in front of her. She stopped a few feet later, sitting on her legs, heels digging into her ass. Her eyes were closed and she was gritting her teeth against the pain of broken glass, asphalt, and debris.

“Do you know how not to hurt yourself?” questioned a voice in the shadows. Alec approached her quickly, and Liz battle the natural reaction to grimace in the face of talking to him when she had been purposefully avoiding him for so long.

“Do you know how not be an asshole for two point five seconds?” Liz deterred, not accepting his hand as she got to her feet, and stood. Her fatigues were torn and blood and skin were meshed, and baldly noticeable.

“What is your problem with me?” Alec burst angrily. It was the first time she had heard anything but jest or ease in his voice.

“Maybe you’re coming on to strong Casanova. I’m not interested and maybe if you weren’t so full of yourself you would see that,” Liz said venomously.

“Not interested?” It was clearly a foreign concept.

“That’s right.” The wounds were already healing over, bits of glass and debris coming out of their own accord.

“Bullshit. You know you come here; you act like a badass; you pretend you don’t care about anything; and you refuse to let anyone in. I get it- you were hurt. Guess what? Everyone here has been too. I don’t know what your damage is, but I can tell you that whatever it is, you need to deal with it, and stop letting it affect who you are now,” Alec informed her, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at her.

Liz could feel everything roiling inside like a boiling pot of water about to bubble and explode. He thought he knew her. He thought he had an iota of a idea how she felt. He was wrong.

“You think you know even the remotest thing about me? You are probably just like everyone else here. You think I had it easy. You think I went traitor and took off- I couldn’t hack it, right? Let me tell you how it really is. I started out with a unit just like you, and I trained, just like you. I went through the routine day after day- my family all that I had that was mine. Then I was shot, and they took that away from me.

“Lydecker had his scientists tinker around with my inside, adjusting my DNA until he got exactly what he wanted. Then I trained harder, went through days of torture, frequent Psy Ops evaluations, and experienced a deadness you know nothing about. They sent me on missions and I killed people. I was slowly becoming numb, and I had to do something. I got out. I clawed my way out of that Hell tooth-and-nail.

“I ran, I hid, I escaped. I trusted no one and nothing. Life was the mission and my goal was to survive. Eventually I landed with a couple of Ordinaries who took me in; but the vicious killer inside was still there- waiting. I went through my paces as a “normal” child. I embodied my new cover- Liz Parker, small town girl. I trained every morning before the town woke and every night long after everyone else was tucked away in their beds. I was prepared for escape every second of every day should I be found.

“I was shot while working. And you want to know what? I wanted to die. When I saw the gun I could have stopped it from happening, or moved at the least, but everything went into slow motion and I realized it could all end. The constant fear of discovery, the non-stop memories of the living nightmares I had experience- it could all be over. But as the Blue Lady would have it, I was touched by an alien. A boy- seeming normal- dissolved the bullet in my body and healed the wound. He changed me that day, and I became even more of a freak than I had already been.

“Then my life became all about protecting his secret and those who were like him. I ended up running from the FBI and a whole new mess of government conspiracy. I entrusted my heart with him because I felt as if we had a true connection- that I had finally found someone as different as me, but I should have known that wasn’t true. My best friend died, the other became pregnant, and then HE and his unit left.

“I heard all about Max and what was going on up here. And then I was found. White came for me. Him and his men dug into my past, ripped away the mask Liz Parker had been, and they brutally murder two of the closest people to me. So I ran. I grabbed Maria, and I ran. We went through Hell to get here.

“You think you know me? You only know what you want to see,” Liz finished. Her whole body was shaking with the effort of holding herself together. She wanted to fly into a million pieces as each scene flitted through her mind, and every emotion she had bottled up ate at her.

“Aliens?” Alec sounded incredulous.

“Aliens.” Liz confirmed, and then turned to leave. Strong hands stopped her, and Liz flew into a rage. She flipped him over her shoulder and got on top of him, proceeding to pummel his face in repetitious hits until he grabbed her hands and shoved her backward off of him.

They both slammed into the brick side of the alleyway. Grunts and groans filled the air as they wrestled for control, neither willing to submit. Liz flexed her muscles and felt his flexing too. It was a ridiculous contest of action, and Liz knew if she wanted she could kill him- she felt the center of power she struggled to control in extreme circumstances, but part of her wanted to give in. To let him hold her. So she did.

Giving in, Liz stopped fighting him and turned into his chest as his arms came around her. She rest her head against his chest submissively and tears poured heavily down her cheeks. Her body wracked against his as his hands massaged her and he laid a cheek against the top of her head- kissing it periodically. Their hold was instinctual, and Liz allowed herself to let go. She had cried in the past, but this was a purging long in the making.

Licking her lips, Liz nuzzled her head against him, and felt his gripping response. He murmured huskily into her hair, nothing intelligible, but comforting. The husk his body was giving off calmed her frayed nerves, and Liz clutched him more tightly in response. How he knew her body she didn’t know. Nor did she understand why they fit so well together, but she did understand how he made her feel.

Hiccups broke up her crying, and Liz pulled back. They stared at each other for several long moments, and Liz could feel a connection forming. Her natural reaction was to fight it, to pull away, but she let it happen.

The maelstrom that accompanied their joining was twice as powerful than the norm, but Liz embraced it. It flew through her and she found him. His essence- who Alec was. His weaknesses, his missions, his memories- they laid out before her, and she was in awe. Coming out of it, Liz’s body was zinging with energy, her body translucent, her veins shinning, and her power ultimate- a primitive element had touched her when she had touched him, and it was not like anything she had touched before.

“What was that?” Alec asked, he was equally roused, his feral male urges caused him to tower over her.

“I can connect with people,” Liz told him. She ran a hand up his arm to his bicep and held it while peering up at him.

“Is that what you did to Raed and Ethan?” Alec asked, tugging her around the waist to grind their lower halves together.

“Yes,” Liz growled, and then used her free hand to pull him down to meet her in a fierce kiss. Mashing their lips together, Liz gave in to lust. She opened her mouth and shoved her tongue into his mouth, not pausing in her veracious hunger. In response, Liz was pushed back against the wall, and hoisted up to wrap her legs around his waist.

Higher and hotter they grew. The air crackled and sizzled around them, and they became a mass of gyrating sin. Noise, smell, color- it faded into nothingness. And then it was over in a moment as they heard felt the presence of another.

Panting, Liz turned to see Mole and Joshua averting their eyes and looking elsewhere while mumbling nonsense.

“Not a good time,” Alec growled, furiously tense as he held Liz against the wall.

“Little Fella sent us,” Joshua said, bashfully playing with a strand of hair.

“Max? It figures,” Alec huffed, but didn’t move.

“What’s going on?” Liz questioned Mole.

“There’s a problem,” he responded.

“What kind of problem?” Liz pushed.

“White is here, and he’s not alone. It seems like Deck isn’t as reformed as we thought- and he and White are new found friends.”

“I wanted to get fucked today, but this wasn’t what I had in mind,” Alec said crudely, gritting his teeth as Liz punched him harshly and shoved him
away. He had only been speaking in half truth, but Liz was irritated by his comment.

“Let’s go,” Liz ordered. She didn’t know what this all meant for her and Alec; but she couldn’t think of a better way to take out her frustration than on
the sons of bitches that started it all.


Author's Note: Hey guys thanks so much for your patience and support. I loved the feedback and it really helped me get better faster. My sprained wrist is okay, and my Strep is no longer contagious or painful. I'm up on my feet- and as you can see, writing. Thanks again. Hope you enjoyed the update. Let me know what you think. EK!

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the reviews thus far. I really appreciate your kind words. I want to thank pijeechinadoll for my new banner. For anyone interested in seeing it- the banner is posted on the first chapter. Thanks again. EKI!

Where Loyalty Lies
Disclaimer: I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.
Category: Roswell/Dark Angel XO
Rating:ADULT
Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl
Summary: Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Eleven

By the time Liz, Alec, and the others had joined the front line Lydecker and White had assembled a small contingent in front of the main entry way. X series soldiers stood in impressive ranks at every possible weak point. Strategically, they were a sound infantry.

“Max, good see you are well,” Lydecker called in greeting.

“Why are you here?” Max asked, overriding her natural sarcasm to address current issues.

“You have two of men in there. We have merely come to retrieve them, and talk about what we can do about your current situation,” Lydecker replied. White was silent thus far, but his jaw was in a vicious clench- obviously biting back words of war.

“The soldiers you sent into my territory have chosen to stay. We have no situation here. Or do we?” Max questioned in challenge.

“Those two are already a part of another unit. Return them to me, and we won’t have a problem.”

“They have chosen to stay with their original unit. Back away from our perimeter,” Max ordered.

Alec was watching and listening to everything with a neutral expression. Lydecker had brought ten X series soldiers, mostly X7s, and White had his Scooby gang of six. They were lethal, but the numbers they were face far out numbered their own. It was clearly a retrieval operation. Standard numbers and horrific odds, but nonetheless- they hadn’t come to conquer.

Glancing around at the faces around him, Alec saw something for the first time that he had never seen- Liz, a radiant soldier of death, was afraid. Her face only showed strength and courage, but a look at her shaking hands, glowing that faint translucent way he had come to recognize as her danger point. She was a bomb ready to explode. She held rank just like the rest, standing strong beside Max and himself.

White spoke next, drawing his attention away from Liz and the question mark that stood between them.

“Give up the others, or we will ripe through you dirty abominations one by one,” White barked out, and the others of his group murmured appreciation at
the suggestion.

“Step one foot into our territory and we’ll make you pray for death,” Alec informed him, and he tightened his jaw as Max slanted him a look of warning.

“Things do not have to get hostile. We aren’t here to harm you. We merely want our men returned to us,” Lydecker cajoled.

“They are not your men. The robots you sent here are dead. My brothers are staying exactly where they are,” Liz said with a snarl, projecting her voice outward.

“And who might you be?” Lydecker asked.

“That is X5-581,” White said, eyes darkening. “We almost had you in Roswell.”

“You would never have gotten to me.” Alec watched her with an unyielding intensity. He was stunned that Max hadn’t stepped in to quiet her, but
apparently Max was just as interested in the exchange as everyone else present.

“Ever escaping us, 581. You know if you worked with us, things could be more beneficial for the both of us,” Lydecker suggested, eyes flaring with interested. Alec clenched and unclenched his fists at that.

“If you ever came near me, I can guarantee you that it would not be beneficial to you.”

Alec watched Liz crouch down into a fighting stance, ready to launch at him should be breathe in her direction. Max stepped forward then, and Alec held his breath.

“You want “your men”? Come and get them,” Max challenged, opening her arms in the universal sign to ‘bring it’.

White and his men got into position much like Liz and several overzealous soldiers. Lydecker’s men also took stance, but Deck seemed off his game- he waved them back, stopping the confrontation.

“Maybe we can work together on this, 452.”

“Or not,” Max said with a slanted ‘get real’ look. Alec smirked when she saw Lydecker’s face drop. “Leave now.” It was an order. It was also a defining moment. Alec took the defense position, and he waited.

“Fall back,” Lydecker shouted. There was a collective intake of breath around him, and Alec watched as White and his men scowled. It surprised him that White and his men were the submissive partners in that alliance. The X series seemed indifferent- which was not unusual for the X7s.

“We will be in touch,” Lydecker promised, and Alec didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered on Liz longer than the others before his own retreat.

Max started barking orders and everyone jumped to attention immediately. Liz seemed frozen in place- ready to attack still. Mole and Joshua came over to him, and Alec had a half assed conversation regarding the next weaponry mission. Things were registering, but his attention was focused on Liz. When she finally pulled back into herself, she seemed to realized many eyes were averting away from her- obviously interested in her interaction with Lydecker and White.

“Alec,” Max called.

Liz’s eyes met his and Alec felt a fissure between them, and she took off in a blur.

“Alec!” Max repeated. Alec snapped out of it, and turned to face Max.

“Heya Maxie. What needs doing?” He watched as her anger and tensions cracked a bit at his nickname, and wanted to pat himself on the back.

“Shut up. I need you to organize a group of soldiers fit to be C.O.s. We need to up the training if White and Deck have joined forces,” Max announced.

“Joined forces? Good cliché Maxie,” Alec teased.

“Get serious- now,” Max ordered, expression deadly. Obviously she wasn’t in the mood for that much teasing.

“Yes ma’am, Maxie,” Alec pushed the envelope, but turned serious. “When do you want the list, and how soon will training commence?”

“I need the list by 1800 hours. Training will begin tomorrow at 0400. Make sure those who are schedule for guard, or other activities find a smooth
transition from their duties to training,” she informed him.

Alec was already categorizing a list of names and times. He watched as Zack approached them, stone-faced and commanding. He hoped this wasn’t going to be another power-tripping convo about desertion, and the current chain of command.

“Max?” Zack questioned, pausing for once- waiting to be addressed.

“What Zack?” Max asked, she was anticipating trouble as much as Alec- at least that’s what the tone of her voice said.

“I am requesting permission to guard the infirmary while the others train. I will train in off hours-” Zack began, and just as Alec thought he was finished, but Zack surprised him by adding, “-should you find this acceptable.”

He was asking instead of demanding? Alec shook his head in shock, but didn’t let his face express what he was feeling. Watching Max was almost as entertaining as hearing Zack ask for something. She was completely at a loss for words. It took her a full ten seconds to come out of it- Alec counted.

“Request granted. Active duty begins immediately,” Max answered him. Zack’s didn’t change, but his body relaxed a degree- Alec wondered what was going on with him, but dismissed it once Zack was gone.

“So I guess he’s off the list,” Alec said.

“Yeah,” replied Max, staring off into the direction her brother had disappeared to.

“Anything else Maxie?”

“No. Dismissed,” Max said absentmindedly.

Alec didn’t stick around for her to change her mind, and took off in the direction of the bar. A pitcher of beer sounded good at that moment, given the
events of the day. As he walked in, Alec spotted Jondy at the pool table- she had been one of the first to disband after the confrontation with Lydecker and White.

Ordering a pitcher at the bar, Alec walked over to the pool table and took a seat on the edge. Jondy spared him a glance as she sank a shot, and then another. They hadn’t spoken much after hooking up, and Alec realized that he actually cared. Jondy seemed like a good person- something he rarely attributed to anyone.

“So you here on Max’s behalf, or you here for something else?” Jondy questioned after sinking the last ball into a corner pocket on a side shot.

“Little bit of both. I think you’d make a good C.O. and I’m going tell Max that. She wants to start training up the soldiers around here. Keeping them at their peaks. But that’s not why I came here,” Alec told her, and just then teenage X6 brought Alec his pitcher of beer, but didn’t respond when he winked at her in thanks. “I figured I’d have a few beers.”

“You want to make me a C.O.?” questioned Jondy. Alec glanced up from the glass he was draining to see Jondy’s disbelieving look.

“Sure. You’re strong, fast, sexy- why not? You were in Max’s original unit- you know the ways of Manticore. I would say you are more than qualified,” Alec commented off-handedly.

“To get a choice?” Jondy asked. Alec was confused as to where the problem was.

“Why?”

“I don’t want to be a C.O. I’m not meant for that. I’m a part of a unit, not the leader of one.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t become a leader. A leader is just as much a part of the unit as anyone else- more so even,” Alec pursued.

“I don’t want this,” Jondy told him definitively.

“Why?” he asked again.

“Because if someone dies, then it’s my fault. I’m not strong enough for that. I’m not Max, or you, or Zack, or Liz. You are leaders. I’m not meant for this
position. I don’t even think I’m meant for this life.

“Everyone thinks that because some scientist tinkered with my DNA, I am meant for this life. That’s not true. That is what I realized when I was a kid- and it’s why I escaped with the others. We are innately soldiers, but who we are is in our hearts. It’s easy to see who belongs and who doesn’t. I will fight. I will follow Max. But I know I’m meant for more. I guess what it comes down to, is where your loyalty lies. Mine is beside my family. I am meant to be Max’s sister- I believe that. That’s why I’m here. So, no. I don’t want to be a C.O.” Jondy concluded.

It was weird, Alec thought, watching as Jondy took off for the door with haste. He hadn’t thought of life in those terms. He was a soldier. He was an alpha male. But maybe that’s what Jondy was getting at. He was meant for this life- but not everyone felt that way. For a long time, Alec had wondered why the 09ers had chosen desertion. He also wondered why his twin- Ben- had gone insane. Maybe he was meant for Manticore, and had found out too late.

Downing the next few glasses, finishing off the pitcher, and giving another wink to the waitress who had attended him- Alec left the bar. He made his way back to his room. He’d make the list Max wanted, take a quick nap, and take off to meet with Max. Sounded like a plan.

When he reached his door though, Liz stood waiting for him. He hadn’t even known she knew where he lived, let alone that she would use that knowledge to deliberately seek him out. Given her Alec-phobia the last few days, he thought she might still be swimming in the sea of denial.

“Well this is a surprise,” he greeted. Upon further inspection, he noticed that she didn’t look all that happy. “What?”

“You are a pig,” Liz said, hands on her hips.

“What?”

“What was the comment you made before we had to go face off with Lydecker and White? Oh yeah: ‘I wanted to get fucked today, but this wasn’t what I had in mind’. Tell me what you had in mind, Alec,” hissed Liz.

“Really? This is what you are going to greet me with? No kiss? No hug?” Alec joked.

“Forget it,” Liz said and began to march passed him. He grabbed her before she go, and held her elbow even though she refused to turn and face him.

Leaning in, Alec whispered to her, “When you stop finding excuses for why we can’t be together, come find me. But until you stop being so scared to let this happen, don’t seek me out.”

“I’m not scared,” she denied.

“You’ve been running since the moment you escaped Roswell, and you have yet to stop. Be who you are meant to be. Don’t hide from it,” Alec reiterated what Jondy had just told him.

“Let go of me.”

“You got it,” Alec said, and he released his grip on her before stalking away and into his apartment, slamming the door behind him.

He waited to hear her receding footsteps, but she stood there for several moments. Alec wondered if he had reached her. He wondered if she would wake up, turn around, and come to him. But he knew she wouldn’t do that just yet. She wasn’t ready yet. She was still afraid, as he had said.

Two more minutes passed with Liz standing in his hallway before she left. Her hesitation gave him a sense of hope. Something he hadn’t allowed himself to feel when it came to women in a long time- and the memories that came with that hope had him scowling. He didn’t know the last time a woman had twisted him up inside- it was ridiculous, but unlike Liz, he was coming to accept that it was a part of him. He would be who he was meant to be.

Alec laid back on his bed and closed his eyes, running through each name that he would consider a leader- crossing Jondy off his list- and slowly picking out the strongest individuals. Strength in all areas was his single requirement. Male, female- it didn’t matter when it came to being a leader of a transgenic unit. He had been chosen as an alpha who excelled in all areas- and that was the standard to which he was holding everyone he chose.

When that was done, he closed his eyes, and hoped when he opened them again things wouldn’t seem quite so grim.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed- I was blown away by your comments- in a really good way! Sorry it has been so long, but I've had a long run of bad luck and midterms. I hope you enjoyed this chapter- despite it's shortness. Let me know what you think. EK!

Where Loyalty Lies
Disclaimer: I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.
Category: Roswell/Dark Angel XO
Rating:ADULT
Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl
Summary: Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Twelve

He was a frustrating, self-absorbed…Liz paused her line of thought. She was not going to think about him right now. Alec was wrong. He was dead wrong. She was not afraid of anything. She was smart. She wasn’t going to take unnecessary risks- and Alec was an unnecessary risk. Liz remembered what her grandmother had said to her on her death bed, to follow her heart; but this was not an instance where that was the right thing to do. If she gave in, she would just cause herself more troubles than she needed to.

God, Liz needed to see Maria. It felt like forever since they had had a heart to heart that wasn’t monitored by every inhabitant of Terminal City. She needed her friend. She need to get away from her life. Nothing was going right.

As she got nearer to the infirmary, Liz noticed how barren the streets were. Normally transgenics were flitting about, some socializing- but it seemed Lydecker and White had raised the alert, and everyone was responding accordingly. Max hadn’t addressed her directly with a specific order, so she assumed that she was unneeded as of yet.

Liz was about to march into the infirmary when little Michael stepped into her view, halting her progress. He shook his head mutely, and nodded to the side of the building. Liz followed with a curiosity that consumed her. Why had he stopped her. She hadn’t talked to him in a while, but she trusted him. As they made their way around the building- ultra-aware- Liz heard voices, and stopped by a window that shone down into the infirmary, directly above Maria’s cot. With her superior hearing, Liz listened in.

There was shuffling, and then a male voice reached her.

“You shouldn’t move,” he said. That was Zack! Liz would know his voice anywhere.

“Listen hear G.I. Joe, I need to stand up. This whole bed rest thing is driving me nuts. I was a waitress- I’m used to moving around and doing things for myself,” Maria argued back, flipping her hair in, what Liz recognized to be, a determined manner.

“The doctors think it best for you to remain in bed. I have been assigned guard duty here, and you will fall into rank.”

“Fall into rank? Someone’s on a power trip. And you are here to guard, not nag. Go…guard. I’ll only stand for a minute or so.” Maria shoved Zack back- and because she was by far the more fragile of the two- he allowed her too, but caught her elbow and lifted her up into his arms- not allowing her to stand. “Put me down you Neanderthal!”

“You Ordinaries always make things difficult. Why can’t you follow an order?” Zack sounded extremely puzzled, still not allowing her to stand on her own.

“I have a name. It’s Maria. M-A-R-I-A, Maria. Use it. And what is it will all you super soldiers, and thinking I’m just going to jump when you say to jump? I am a free woman of the 21st century. I can make up my own mind about sitting or standing. Now put me down,” Maria demanded, shoving at his shoulder- not even budging him.

“I am not saying to jump, Maria. I am saying to lay down and rest. We are doing this with your optimum health in mind.” Zack ignored her pushing, holding Maria as if she weighed nothing. Liz noticed that in the short time she hadn’t seem Maria- her stomach had expanded quite noticeably. It was strange that she had grown so much. Abnormal. Almost…Alien. Liz’s eyes widened at the thought.

“Look, put me down and let me stand for a couple minutes, and I’ll try not go give you so much “trouble”. Deal?” coaxed Maria, putting on her innocent face.

Liz couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing when Zack placed her gently- as if she were made of glass- on her feet; his arm remaining around her should she need assistance. Zack had just taken an order. From an Ordinary. From Maria. Liz gaped in amazement, and backed away from the window and slid down the side of the building.

How was this happening? Zack, her big brother, pushy badass with a chip on his shoulder was letting his guard down. Liz knew that Maria was amazing, and she herself had cracked slightly under the Maria babble- but seeing Zack do it? It just didn’t seem feasible. Liz glanced up at little Michael who was looking down at her with concerned eyes.

“How long have they been talking?” Liz whispered- not wanting to clue Zack in to their presence.

“Since you sent him here to watch over her. Miss Maria is pretty. That’s what she told me to call her,” little Michael added, obviously uncomfortable with the informality of it.

“She asked you to call her Miss Maria?” questioned Liz.

“I was asked to wheel her outside, and she said it reminded her of something called Driving Miss Daisy, and when I addressed her, she told me to call her Miss Maria.” Little Michael looked adorable, standing with an innocuous expression on his face as he explained himself. Liz smiled for him, and then joined him again at the window.

Zack was helping Maria back onto her cot, and when she sighed in content, Liz could have sworn she had seen a flicker of a smile on his face. There was definitely something there. Something more than what Liz could possible understand at that moment. But as Zack retreated to his post, Liz slipped back to the front of the building.

Marching passed Zack, who nodded in greeting, Liz made a beeline to Maria. Cozy as could be in her bed, Maria had a radiant smile waiting for Liz, and it warmed her. She missed Roswell and her family- or the one she had created- but Maria was a piece of that life she had with her.

“Hey chica, where have you been? Hi Michael.” Maria said. She greeted Michael with a wave.

“Miss Maria,” little Michael said, standing pin straight while Liz took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“I’ve been well. Miss Maria,” Liz teased. Her tension was melting away as she talked to her best friend.

Maria laughed in response, and her skin glowed slightly. In fact, Liz noted, Maria seemed to be glowing all over. Not in a supernatural freaky way, but she had that pregnant beauty. Her skin was flawless, her hair was silken and blond, her smile infection- but in addition to those, her stomach protruded obtrusively. Maria was far enough alone to have a bump, yes, but Liz wasn’t sure it was normal to be quite that large.

“How do you feel?” Liz asked concerned.

“Fine. Better than fine. I’m ready to get out of here. But they say I need bed rest. People around here are pushy,” Maria complained.

“That’s because they aren’t regular people, Maria. They are soldiers. Chain of command is everything. If you were ordered to rest, you are going to
rest,” Liz enforced with resolution. She hated pulling rank, but Maria had learned a long time ago that when Liz insisted on something, it was usually for a highly important reason.

“What am I? The bottom of the totem pole? You know I’ve taken care of myself my whole life.”

“You weren’t pregnant before. You weren’t in the midst of a war. Your life wasn’t at major risk. You have to trust us to do what’s right for you,” Liz informed her.

“Liz, I just-” Maria paused. “Michael, could you give us a moment?”

Little Michael nodded and left them. Liz didn’t want to tell Maria her attempts at privacy were futile, she knew that would just upset her.

“Liz, I just don’t feel like this is my life anymore. You know? I mean, I lived as a free person for so long, and now- suddenly- I’m expected to fall in line? I’m to give up the right to stand and speak and do as I please? I feel like I’m not me anymore.” There were tears in Maria’s eyes, and Liz sympathized. She knew this was hard on her friend. She knew long before they reached TC that things wouldn’t be sunshine and daisies. But they were there, and they needed to survive. Survival was key.

“I know, Maria. I understand. But this isn’t the life you had before. This isn’t Roswell, and you can’t go back. I’m sorry,” Liz said. Tears were welling in her own eyes, but as usual she clamped down, bit her the bullet, and hugged Maria. Maria’s round belly pressed against Liz between them as they hugged, and both laughed.

“You are so different, Liz.” Maria pulled back from the hug and looked into Liz’s eyes. They were piercing, but Liz met them head on.

“I told you that I was. That you couldn’t fully understand what I am, or why I am the way I am. This is the life I was born to, only worse. I wish I was who
you thought I was. I wish I could be the girl on the pedestal that Max made me out to be. But I’m not.”

“That’s not what I mean. I get that you are uber soldier with badass moves, and animal DNA. I mean that, you seem so closed off. It’s like you shut down so long ago, and cocooned everything inside. I loved how unafraid you were to love, Liz. You and Max might not have been meant for one another, but you didn’t hold back. You let yourself feel, and that’s what I was always so jealous of. Michael could never do that, he couldn’t open up.” Maria placed a hand over her stomach protectively, reverently. “And now I’ll always have a piece of him.”

“About the baby, Maria. Do you think this is normal? I mean you are growing abnormally fast. Last time I saw you this bump was a lot smaller,” Liz broached.

“You just avoiding the question by saying I’m fat.” Maria looked on the verge of tears again.

“You aren’t fat. It’s the baby. All I’m saying is that maybe the baby takes after its father,” Liz was deliberately avoiding the issue Maria wanted to talk about. She would not talk about it. Not for the second time today.

“You think that the baby is a…Czechoslovakian?” Maria promptly burst into tears, and Liz sighed mentally. Liz knew that the thought had occurred to Maria, but maybe the current physical evidence and Liz’s voicing of the idea had been a little too much for her. Hormonally, Maria was naturally an unstable person. Pregnant, Maria was a maelstrom of confusing emotions- the rollercoaster ride of which did not stop.

“Maria,” Liz made some shushing noises while reaching around Maria’s back to rub it, her belly brushing hers again.

“I hate him,” Maria whispered angrily, pulling away from Liz to brush the tears away from her cheeks.

“Who?” Liz asked, lost again. It happened often when Maria was speaking emotionally.

“Michael. He left me. He left this planet, and now I’m alone. Liz I’m so scared. I’m trying to be strong, but what if I’m not a good mom. Look at me, I’m an utter mess. How is this mom material? And what if it is a Czech? What then? I don’t know how to answer his or her questions about being one, or what it means to be one, or how to use his…natural talents.” Maria was now in full on hysterics, and several transgenics were listening in with interest- each of them carefully averting their eyes, but their stillness betrayed their interest.

“Calm down.” Liz tried to calm her, and slowly Maria relaxed into her hold. “You aren’t alone. I will never leave you alone. Like my unit, you are my family, Maria. I have no doubt that together we can handle this. You are not alone.”

“Liz?” little Michael asked. He had approached quietly from behind, but Liz had heard him coming. She had also heard Zack by the door telling him to come inform her that Max needed to speak with her.

“Yes?” asked Liz. Maria’s head was on her shoulder, sniffling, but not crying.

“You are to report to Max immediately. Mandatory attendance.” He looked very much like he didn’t want to be disturbing them, and his eyes were large, staring at Maria.

“Noted.”

“Miss Maria?” little Michael asked.

“Yes?” Maria chimed, lifting her head high, attempting to appear as though she hadn’t been sobbing moments before.

“Are you hurt?”

“No, why?”

“Because you are crying.” He said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, but with as much respect as she deserved.

“I’m not hurt physically, no,” Maria responded, and she seemed to see in him what Liz had when she had first met little Michael. He didn’t understand emotions well- he hadn’t been allowed to experience them. Manticore made sure to be the humanity right out of its prized soldiers.

“Are you going to be okay?” Liz asked, focusing on Maria.

“I’ll be fine. Go. Be a good little soldier,” Maria told her, cracking a smile, albeit it was a bit watery.

“Yes ma’am,” Liz said in mock salute. She saluted little Michael, then smiled at him with a wink. “Take care of my friend?”

“Yes ma’am.” Little Michael mocked a salute the same way Liz just had, and she laughed out loud. Maria joined in a moment later too.

Marching out of the infirmary, Liz realized she hadn’t really had the conversation she’d been looking to have with Maria, but now wasn’t the time. Maria was a mass of convoluted emotions and thoughts. Part of Liz hated Michael too, having left Maria behind; having abandoned them after all they had done for them. But another part knew why he had done it, and that if he knew he had a child on the way he would have stayed. Maybe it was better this way, Liz thought. Maybe it was better that he stay with his unit. Michael wasn’t equip to be a father, or to handle a pregnant Maria- he barely held his own against regular everyday Maria.

Passing Zack, Liz noticed he had shifted his head toward Maria, and he looked ten seconds away from joining little Michael at her side. He seemed to be attracted to women who played themselves off as strong most of the time, but deep down they were fragile. His infatuation with Max had been a long time deal, but from the looks he was casting Maria, as covertly as possible, Max had been replaced.

They trek to meet Max wasn’t long, but when she found her, it was in a room with twenty other transgenics. Max and Alec stood out among them, and Liz’s mood turned sour again. He stood arms crossed, stance strong, and face impassive. When Liz made her way toward the front and stood off to the side, she could feel eyes on her. More than half of the others were still looking at her with question in their eyes.

“Alright, settle down.” It was silent.

“I’ve assembled you because you have been chosen. Each of you will be given a list of names. These names will be your new unit. You each are to train and command a group of X series, or Normalies. Should you choose not to fulfill this duty, you will be reassigned to guard duty,” Max informed them sternly. It sounded as though choosing that option would be the worse of the two.

“Anyone want to back out?” Max called to the group. No one responded. Liz was not a happy camper. She was not wanted here. She was not someone anyone here trusted, and everyone knew it. Why she had been picked to be a C.O. she had no idea. Max knew she was solitary- it had taken so long for her to come out in train in public period. How did this translate into a good idea at all, Liz thought to herself.

Alec came around with the lists. He checked through the names of the soldiers present and the lists in his hand, and then handed each one out to the correct individual. He saved Liz for last. She knew he had done it on purpose, and when she took the list from him, it occurred to her that it was he who had chosen them.

“You did this,” Liz whispered accusingly. He smirked in response, and march back to Max’s side.

Steaming, Liz reviewed her list. Jondy, Krit, Syl, Raed, Ethan, and a bunch of other names she didn’t recognize. At least she knew some of them. But in the same token, Liz would have preferred not to have anyone she knew in her unit- she didn’t want her family to know just how fucked up she really was. When she fought, Liz lost herself to Adia. She became the soldier. A vicious, unrecognizable being of anger and cold blood. But she would not back down. If Max told her she was to fulfill this duty, she would. Simple as that.

“Training will commence tomorrow at 0400. Every transgenic on your lists have been informed of the training process. You will be required to train from 0400 until 1400. Half of your unit will appear at 0400 and then the other half will change out with them at 0900. You will be in charge of what you teach your unit, but they had better be in top shape. I will be making rounds periodically to check your progress. Your training site is listed at the top of your list. Questions?” No one spoke. “Dismissed.”

The others left hurriedly, marching out the doors; some speaking as they reached the exit. Liz held back. Max and Alec stood talking a ways away, and Liz thought about her approach. Stiffly, she marched over to them- saluting Max. Both appeared surprised at her behavior, but neither questioned her as they saluted her back.

“Permission to speak?” Liz questioned. She was infuriated, but she was going to keep things civil.

“Liz you don’t need to do this,” Max stated, confused. When Liz continued to stare at her without speaking, Max sighed. “Permission granted.”

“Why was I chosen?” Liz asked flat out. There would be no dancing around the issue.

“Alec was in charge of choosing appropriate C.O.s. I approved the list. You are a strong soldier, Liz,” explained Max. The look in her eyes said that she understood Liz’s upset, but that she was going to stand by her second in command.

“Why was I chosen?” Liz redirected the question to Alec. He was staring at her, and his posture was that of insolence.

“Because you fit the profile. Demanding, fit, and you fight well.” It sounded like compliments, but it wasn’t. She could hear the “because I said so” in his tone.

“I’m sure there is someone better qualified,” Liz suggested.

“Are you questioning my judgment?” Came her reply.

“I believe I know myself better than you, yes,” Liz threw back, biting venom in her tone. He was pressing her last nerve and she was fighting to repress the surges of power.

“Are you questioning our leader’s judgment? She did approve my decision,” Alec rejoined.

“Maybe I’m questioning where she places her faith.”

“Enough. Whatever problem is between you two, fix it. Liz, you are a good soldier. One of the best. I know it, you know, and soon so will your unit. Dismissed.” Max barked at them, and Liz felt herself turning red with embarrassment and anger.

Saluting them again, Liz marched off with defiance in every step. Tomorrow would come, and Liz would do what she was told. But Alec had his coming, and oh was it coming.

A/N: Well here is my way of saying sorry for not updating for sooo long. That and I had an inspirational strike that wouldn't let me rest until I wrote more. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for all the great and expedient reviews. Let me know what you think, EK!

Where Loyalty Lies
Disclaimer: I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.
Category: Roswell/Dark Angel XO
Rating: ADULT
Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl
Summary: Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Thirteen

It was like a time warp had dropped him back into his days at Manticore. All the soldiers in their units, marching, fighting, taking orders- Alec could almost see the forest and the barbed wire fences. The COs had been promptly up and at their assigned training locations a good ten minutes before they were supposed to be. Everyone seemed eager, as if they had been waiting for this moment- where their lives would take on the order they had been used to for most of their lives.

Observing from the sidelines, Alec could appreciate their symmetry, the way they found a rhythm with their unit; it was eerily unnatural, and yet right at the same time. The chosen COs were not going lightly either, everyone seemed serious in their duties. Alec had only been through about half of the training sites, and he had to admit he was anticipating seeing how Liz was fairing.

Liz’s anger at him had been both amusing and expected. After their exchange in front of Max, Alec was sure he would catch flack for it- but Max had surprised him. Her response- which came at the bar later that night- was to look at him oddly, and warn him not to hurt Liz. Alec had to admit he was stunned, and a part of him was disturbed, as if Max knew something he didn’t. Then she had disappeared to go speak with Raed and Ethan; something that she was making a habit of.

Approaching a large empty building, Alec walked through the rusty doors that were wide open. A draft breezed around him, and Alec discretely made his way to the outskirts of the center of the large room. Rows and rows of soldiers stood looking straight-forward with focused gazes. Some were clearly awaiting instruction, but Alec noticed several Xs who were staring at Liz- who stood front and center- with contempt and unease.

It was then that Alec heard Liz’s voice carrying on the wind- strong and impartial.

“I have been assigned your CO. I realize that some of you are unhappy with this turn of events, but I am here to prepare you for the coming fight against White and Lydecker. You will section off into groups of four. We will be practicing team combat,” Liz announced.

Alec watched as everyone followed her orders, some mumbling under their breath- most just stoic figures. Watching the groups break up, Alec came to stand beside Liz. She didn’t acknowledge his presence, but Alec could see the tense lines of her shoulder blades through the fatigues she was wearing. Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and her face was like granite.

“Report soldier.” Alec spoke to her directly, and watched as her jaw clenched as she turned to him.

“The shift change just occurred. The last group progressed well, we move through standard battle strategy and team combat. We are on schedule,” she informed him.

“Any trouble?” Alec questioned, stepping closer, almost invading her personal space. Liz’s eyes flickered with something indistinguishable, but she merely shook her head. “Now is this as terrible as you thought it was going to be?”

Liz glared daggers at him, but did not respond. She turned her back on him, ordering everyone to take fighting stance. When they began fighting, she circled the groups- ignoring Alec’s presence behind her.

“Are you not going to talk to me?” Alec asked after fifteen minutes of her continued silence.

Liz didn’t even turn to look at him. Alec was about to demand that she turn and speak to him- frustrated with her silent treatment- when a vicious fight broke out to their left. There was a resounding crack, and a fairly young X6 slammed to the ground. Liz blurred into the fight before it registered that one of the X5s had taken a particularly angry turn. Obviously an argument had broken out.

Alec watched as Liz grabbed hold of the X5’s ankle as it was about to collide with the face of another soldier, and shoved her backward, sprawling onto the concrete floor. Liz shouted out for everyone to stop, and the mini-groups all around them came to a halt. Liz knelt down beside the X6- he was probably no more than seventeen- and assessed his injuries.

“Name?” Liz asked in gentler tone than Alec was used to hearing her use.

“Jason.”

Alec joined them, and as he stood over the boy, realized that his leg was broken. The harsh crack had been the sound of his leg snapping. With a glance back at the fallen X5, being restrained by a pair of Xs nearby, Alec wasn’t sure what had prompted the brutality. During training, transgenics were taught to spar without leaving marks on their partner. Breaking a leg, arm, etc., was a pure break of protocol.

“You have a broken femur. You will be taken to the infirmary and attended,” Liz informed him, already pointing to a pair of X6s his age to help him. “You will not be allowed back to training until it is mended.”

“But I’ll fall behind,” the X6 argued, and that was when Alec realized he had spoken out of turn. It seemed like some of the other Xs- around Liz’ age or younger- were less afraid to speak with her. It was progress. Slow, but there.

“When you are well, I will spend extra time with you, one on one. Dismissed soldier,” Liz ordered. She shifted awkwardly again as she watched her orders being followed. Alec remembered that feeling- it had happened to him when Lydecker had promoted him to CO.

Liz turned to the X5 female, maybe 26, who had caused the problem. A granite expression of anger settled into Liz’s features, and Alec wondered where this was going. He wouldn’t mind seeing a cat fight. Even if it ended up with him having to take the other woman to the infirmary, or worse, get between them to stop too much blood shed.

“Name?” Liz demanded, voice cold.

“X5-772,” came the response.

“I asked for your name,” Liz reiterated. The pair of Xs holding the short, stocky blond stood straighter when Liz turned the full force of her stare in their direction.

“I have not chosen one. Only deserters and the weak have chosen names,” said the blond.

Alec couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He knew that some transgenics were having a harder time of settling in than others, but he hadn’t realized to what extent. Obviously this woman, and maybe others, were unhappy about being away from Manticore, or their life. Glancing back over to Liz, he noticed that her hands were taking on a slightly translucent appearance, but the slant of her mouth indicated that she was fighting herself.

“Explain your actions.”

“I was fighting as per instructed,” the woman claimed.

“Breaking the leg of another transgenic is not part of instruction. I want fifteen laps around the perimeter, and then you will be reassigned from this unit to the infirmary- they could always use a hand cleaning up,” Liz replied, steel in her tone. “Who will run with her? Obviously X5-772 needs a refresher on how things are done.”

Almost every soldier in the room took a step forward as a volunteer, and Alec smirked. The blonde’s face had turned a shade of red, but she kept her mouth shut. Liz picked a tall, well-muscled X5. Alec recognized him; it was Grey, an old CO. They had talked a few times, he seemed like a nice enough guy, he got the job done.

“Name?” Liz asked.

“Grey.”

“Fifteen laps around the perimeter. No side trips, no food breaks- the only exception is for a restroom breaks. We clear?” Liz questioned, her stance demanding. It was weird for Alec, watching someone so small as Liz command someone so big as Grey. But Grey nodded like the good soldier he was, and saluted Liz, who did so in turn.

“You do not harm another member of your unit. You do not break protocol,” Liz told the blond, and then Liz leaned in closer- Alec had to strain to hear her next words. “I am not weak. I am not a deserter. No one here is, and the next time I hear you say otherwise, I will put you down. I don’t care if you know better, or not. You have been warned.” And then louder and back to her original stance, “Dismissed.”

Grey and X5-772 marched out of the building, and Alec paused a moment longer to see Liz order everyone back to training. Side-stepping a sparring pair, Alec joined Liz as she foresaw a particularly young pair. It took him a minute to gain her attention, but he knew that she knew he was their when her body froze in the familiar way it did.

“Good work, soldier,” Alec whispered close to her ear. Her body seemed to lean back into his for a moment, but the next she was ramrod stiff, unyielding.

“Thank you,” she returned.

“Come by the bar tonight for drinks,” Alec told her, and then, before she could answer, he made for the door. He still had rounds to do.

As he made his way down more streets, he watched two blurred figures race the perimeter, and smirked. Grey was doing his job.

Making it to the next training location, Alec searched out the CO. It was Ash, a short red head with a Manticore perfect face, and fit body to kill. She was doing hand on hand combat with each of the transgenics. They were in perfect rows, each waiting their turn. Seeing Ash, a genial woman in her free time, kick the ass of men twice her size with ruthlessness, reminded him of Liz. Of just how fucked up Manticore was.

Alec remembered the days when he thought Manticore was a fine institution, refined and in control. He remembered the days before Rachel and what peeled the blind fold back from his eyes. Psy-Ops had done their part to make him the perfect soldier he had been before, but Max and the outside world had served the greatest of reminders. This lifestyle was fucked up, and like Jondy said, they weren’t all meant for it. He couldn’t imagine not being a soldier, but he could imagine what his life would have been life had Rachel lived.

Putting on his poker face and shoving his thoughts off- they weren’t of any use- Alec made his way to where Ash was fighting. A few Xs recognized him and waved, but Alec noted that most of them were in soldier mode- too wrapped up in studying Ash’s technique to greet him, or acknowledge anything else.

Turning his attention to Ash, he watched as she flipped over backwards, and nailed a roundhouse to the female transgenic sparring her. It took two more speedy kicks to bring her opponent down hard. The woman on the ground was Kylie, a former second in her unit back at Manticore. Alec had thought about making her one of the COs, but she couldn’t hold her own when it came to speed. Speed was an excellent weapon, too important to overlook.

“You need to center your balance, you favor your left too much. You also slow down after each attack, you need to speed up. Take a five laps around the building. You will be timed,” instructed Ash. The second Ash nodded to an X off to the side- he was timing everything- Kylie was gone.

“Hey Ash,” Alec greeted. Ash paused from calling her next partner up.

Her radiant smile hit him, and Alec forgot for a second about the fact she was a violent femme fatale. Ash excelled at solo missions where she was a teacher, or someone in a motherly roll. It was deceptive, but- Alec thought- who knew. Maybe someday she could turn out to be a typical housewife. If they ever made it through whatever was headed their way.

“Alec,” she said with a smile. He would admit to having had a night or two with her, she was attractive with her many curves and flaming hair.

Remembering their audience, and why he had come, Alec turned serious. “Report.”

“Hand to hand combat and speed evaluations. The shift was expedient, and only one accidental injury. Cracked rib, the X6 is in the infirmary getting bandaged. A day and she’ll be back on her feet.”

“Good. Carry on,” Alec ordered. Ash saluted him as Liz had- very briefly- before returning to her work.

Alec stayed to watch a while more, but move on. He wanted to finish up and then get back to Mole and Joshua. Mole was working on the next run, and Josh promised to save him some food. There wasn’t much time for food while making his rounds. Alec might even run into a stray bet or another- he was running a little low on cash. Worse came to worse he would sell the cigars he had picked up a couple missions ago. Mole ran through them like Alec went through women.

The last of the units were all similar. By the time Alec had finished assessing everyone’s progress he was beyond hungry. He caught glimpses on his way back to command central of Grey and the blond. Grey waved to him at some point, and Alec smirked and half waved at him.

Finally reaching Mole and Joshua, Alec snatched up the sandwich set aside for him and tore into it. Josh gave him a big smile and he returned it between bites. Mole started filling him on the next mission. It was more complex structurally, and more transgenics were involved. Analyzing the mapped out route and names of those going, he noticed that he wasn’t on it.

“Mole, buddy, you made a mistake,” Alec said, finishing off his last bite.

“What? Where?” Mole growled. He hated any insinuation he wasn’t pulling his wait.

“Look at the names, my friend. You forgot mine,” Alec told him, tapping the corner of the large layout.

“Nope, no mistake. Max requested you stay here on this one,” Mole said.

Glancing again at the list of names, Alec noticed that Liz was on it. How was it that she was going and he wasn’t? He saw Zack’s next. Who was taking point? He ran through the list several more times and couldn’t find one person he would put in charge on it.

“Who’s in charge on this one?” questioned Alec. “And why aren’t I going?”

“I am taking point. And you aren’t going because I need someone here while I’m gone,” Max spoke up from behind him.

Turning to face her, Alec’s eyebrows flew up on his forehead. Raed and Ethan stood on either side of her, arms behind their back. Alec wondered when they had been allowed out.

“Am I missing something? This is only a run for necessities. I always take point,” Alec said.

“Actually, things have change. We are detouring. We’re bringing someone back with us,” Max said. Mole swore behind them, muttering something under his breath about last minute configurations.

“Who?”

“Sandeman.” Max stated, folding her arms over her chest.

“Father?” Joshua asked, jumping in from his spot ten feet away.

“That’s right Big Fella.” Max’s eyes softened as she talked to Joshua. Alec was still hung up on the whole Sandeman thing.

“Uh Max, not to burst a bubble, but we still don’t know where Sandeman is. Remember?”

“Actually we do. That’s why Lydecker and White have teamed up. They’re trying to tear us down because Sandeman is back,” Max told him.

“And you know this how?” Alec asked.

“That’s why Lydecker sent Raed and Ethan in. Dealio is, Sandeman is now a big target. We have to get to him before good Ol’ Deck, or White and his breeding cult.”

“And we’re believing them why?” questioned Alec, pointing at Raed and Ethan with skepticism.

“Because I do.” Max told him.

“Is this part of your woman’s intuition?” he asked, his tone sarcastic. Max smacked his head, and turned to Mole, not even justifying his question with a
response.

“Sandeman is at this address, rework the route. I want an update in two hours,” Max said to Mole, handing him a piece of paper that obviously held the address.

“Two hours? You still have me setting up three other runs,” Mole said.

“This takes priority. You got this. I have faith in you, Mole.”

Alec watched Mole turn bashful in a very gruff way. He chewed the end of his cigar and grunted something that they took for ascent, and Max smiled her big smile. It amazed him sometimes, how easily Max charmed people. He remembered telling Logan once that it was because she was hot that they did so much for her, but sometimes, Alec knew it was a little more. Maxie was a good person, he knew. Sometimes that was enough to make people believe in her. To take her side.

“The units started today. Report,” Max demanded, giving Alec her full attention. Everyone bustling around down below the top platform had already gone through training, and some stilled to listen.

“Good. The units are working out. A few accidental injuries landed some Xs in the infirmary, but nothing major. Each CO has their own style, and the routines are efficient. Shifts transitioned without trouble,” Alec named off what he had seen and what he had been told by the unit leaders. He considered telling Max about what happened with the blond in Liz’s group. Considered mentioning that there were still unease with some of the transgenics, but he let it go. They would address they issue when it became one.

“Good.” Max said, voice stronger. He knew she had been worried about how they would function in TC, but no one had caused any ripples in their plan. They would be ready when Lydecker and White stopped playing nice.

“Do they talk?” Alec asked, pointing again to Ethan and Raed.

“Yes they talk, jackass. They are just choosing to stay silent. Unlike some people they know when to do that,” Max defended.

Alec noticed the way Raed twitched a little when Max got irritated. Maybe it was his imagination, Alec thought.

“Alright Maxie, don’t get your fatigues in a twist,” Alec teased.

“Jerk,” Max said, smacking him again. “Dismissed.”

Alec rolled his eyes, and then turned to Mole.

“You want any more cigars? I got a stash.” Alec asked.

“Talk to me later, I could use a few,” said Mole, even as he was bent over his work.

“You got it.” Alec replied. Then he took off for his apartment. He could use a shower before heading to the bar. He hoped to knock back a few and hustle
a few rounds of pool before Liz showed up. And she would show up.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I've been a little less busy lately, and this story has just been begging to be updated. Let me know what you think. EK!

Hey guys. I'm working on an update as we speak but I am 3 weeks away from taking my finals for the fall semester. I'm a bit taxed at the moment and free time is a pleasure I haven't been afforded in a while. I hope to update sometime this weekend, but it might take me until next week sometime. Sorry for the delay and thanks for all the support. EK!

Wow guys, you wouldn't believe the run of bad luck I've been having. Just a few short days after I posted my last A/N I got sick. A week later I was still sick and I had to go to the hospital because I had pneumonia. I also accidentally deleted the few pages I had written during a computer malfunction. Finals are three days away so I'm in buckle down mode. I will for sure have an update by December 12th. Hope you are all having happy holidays. Thanks for your understanding and support, Egyptian_Kiss aka Caitlin.

Where Loyalty Lies
Disclaimer: I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.
Category: Roswell/Dark Angel XO
Rating: ADULT
Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl
Summary: Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Fourteen

Liz stood outside the TC bar struggling with the decision to go in. She had promised herself she wouldn’t come- she wasn’t going to jump just because Alec said jump. But then she had rethought her decision. She could go to the bar, tell Alec to back off, and then go on with her life. Now that she stood in front of the bar door she couldn’t make her feet move.

Narrowing her eyes in determination, Liz reached for the door and swiftly- before she could change her mind- stepped through. She spotted him immediately. He was hustling a few transgenics in a game of pool. Liz watched him bend over the pool table and let her eyes wander over his backside. The soldier was fit.

After sinking the last ball in a corner pocket, Alec stood tall and shook his head.

“Sorry boys, that’s game.”

The two X operatives that were playing him in a handicap game turned red and snapped their pool sticks in two before turning on Alec.

“You cheated,” the first said. His bald head shone in the light hanging from the ceiling above the pool table.

“Fellas, we played a nice game, let’s not ruin it with a show of poor sportsmanship,” Alec replied. Liz noticed that his legs were tense and his eyes were
scanning the surrounding bar for a weapon. No doubt he could take them on regardless, but it was second nature to have a weapon at hand.

“What do you take us for? A couple of idiots? We know when we’ve been hustled,” said the second one- he was shorter and his build was more for endurance than offense.

Liz crept along the side of the wall, down behind the bar and passed a few bar hands who were watching the spectacle with interest. Inside the ring, outside the ring- a fight was a source of entertainment.

Grabbing a couple of dull knives from under the bar, Liz made her way out the other side of the bar and around the pool table. Alec spared her a glance, the two transgenics barely turned in her direction, and she made it behind them. She moved in a flash of speed and lowered the knives from her sleeves and up against the back of their skulls.

“Throw down the pool sticks- now,” Liz warned.

“Back off bitch,” came the bald one’s reply.

“Say please and I might not shove this blade up through your skull and into what little brain cells you may have,” she threatened and pressed the blade sharply under the skin of both men.

They both dropped their broken sticks. Liz pulled back the blades and held them at the ready. “What are your designations?”

“X5-877,” said the short one.

“X5-876,” said the bald one.

“Expect a visit from Max. Now get lost,” Alec ordered, arms folded, usual smirk in place.

Once the two took off, Liz tossed the knives at a nearby dart board and hit the bull’s-eye both times. The sound of the knives clanging together thrummed through the air, and one of the volunteer waitresses went over to take them down. She smirked at Liz and nodded.

“Look at you coming to the rescue,” Alec spoke up for the first time to her, coming to lean against the pool table right in front of her.

“Look at you getting into trouble as usual,” Liz sniped back. “You know, I haven’t known you long, but I have a feeling this is a regular activity. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

“See I like a woman who’s observant,” he said, charming smile in place.

“You are always so cocky.”

“Come on play a game,” Alec offered, picking up his old stick and tossing her a new one. Liz knew she was swimming dangerous waters, but she kicked aside the broken remains of the other two sticks and joined him.

“Hey sweetheart, can we get a pitcher of beer?” Alec requested as the next waitress walked by. She winked at him with a nod and went on her way.

“I don’t drink,” Liz informed him, taking the chance to break.

“Why is that? We don’t begrudge anyone a beer.”

Liz took stock of the table as it was, and then took her shot. She sank two stripes and scratched. She rolled her eyes when Alec wagged his eyebrows at her and took his turn.

“I don’t handle my liquor well.” That was an understatement. Liz used to be able to knock back drinks like a champ- that was her one solace when she hit her teen years and her heat kicked in. Then Max healed her and with her next drinking session she discovered that it only increased her sexual tension. Nothing made her hotter than a shot of Jack and a smooth pick up line. It was then she swore off drinking.

“You don’t handle your liquor well? You’re an X5, I’m sure you knock ‘em back like a pro. What you don’t like to loosen up? Come on, what’s one beer?” Alec galled her, handing her a mug full of frothy liquid.

Liz knew she shouldn’t, but looking down into the beer- one of her favorite drinks- she was tempted. She could have one. One wouldn’t do anything. She would just have one.

Alec sank three balls, did a jump shot, and then winked at her before getting another. He was on a roll, and Liz knew that if he didn’t scratch soon, she was done for. She hated losing, especially to someone like Alec. He sank another and then another and all he had left was one more of his balls and the eight ball. Liz crossed her fingers, and at the next shot he sank one of her balls and the white.

Indulging in a long pull, Liz drained half her beer, and then picked up her cue before taking stock of the table. She had a lot of clear shots, and she took them one at a time, but scratched two balls before she could finish.

“Why did you make me a CO? You know that no one here really wants me here. You knew I would have problems,” questioned Liz. She took another pull and finished off her mug.

“Looked like you enjoyed that beer, have another. And to answer your question; how do you think anyone around here is going to learn to accept you? We all need to work together and that means they need to accept you. Being a CO you earn respect. Besides, you’re a strong leader,” Alec complimented and poured more beer from the pitcher into her mug.

“Anyone around here that has a problem with me can either say it to my face, or keep it to themselves. I don’t need to be a CO.” Liz argued back and against her better judgment, took another drink from her mug.

“You know you fight everything and everyone? What you been on the run so long you can’t accept having a place where you don’t have to be a hard-ass all the time?” Alec sank the eight ball and called it game. “Another game?”

“Rack them up. I’m not a hard-ass,” Liz denied, then checked herself. He was right. Liz stopped knowing how to have fun a while back, even Maria had noticed. Her best friend. Liz felt her body warming up and her head was beginning to feel light-headed. She should stop. Right after she finished her second drink.

“De Nile is a river in Egypt.”

“How clever. You going to quote clichés at me all night now?” Liz said, but her shoulders relaxed and she rolled her neck. It felt good to have a drink.

“Why don’t we put a bet on this one?” Alec asked, pouring more beer into her mug- signaling the waitress for another pitcher after his third glass.

Polishing off her third and final drink, Liz nodded. She watched him bend over to break and bit her lip before shaking her head to knock some sense into herself. This was ridiculous she needed to stop thinking about him and his muscles and how well sculpted he was.

“What did you want to bet?” asked Liz. She tried to defer the offer of a refill from the waitress, but Alec took the pitcher from the volunteer’s hands and poured it into Liz’s mug himself, then refilled his own.

“I don’t think I should have anymore.”

“You’ve only had three,” Alec blew that off. It took at least seven before he even felt a remote buzz.

Liz sighed and gave him a look before taking a gulp to get rid of the head on the beer. She decided that if she was going to drink it, she needed some lime.

“Excuse me, you have any limes?” Liz called to the male X5 behind the bar. He nodded and brought over a small dish of sliced limes. “Thanks.”

“I thought you don’t drink?” Alec asked with a smirk, and tossed her her cue. Liz caught it deftly and ignored him.

“So this bet?”

“You win, I leave you along,” Alec told her.

“And if you win?” Liz questioned, drinking her beer with the newly sliced lime.

“You stop fighting this and let what ever is happening between us happen,” Alec stated, staring right into her eyes. Liz felt his electric stare all the way down her body, and every nerve in her body jumped.

“That’s ridiculous,” Liz told him, but she was considering it.

“You afraid to lose?” he taunted.

“Afraid?” Liz scoffed, and downed the rest of her drink. Instead of waiting for him to pour her another drink, Liz took the pitcher herself and filled the
mug to the top- making sure not to build a head.

“Yeah, afraid,” Alec reiterated, sinking another ball.

“Okay fine,” Liz agreed.

“Great.” Alec smiled devilishly and then began to sink ball after ball. Apparently he had been holding back. Liz watched him closely and bit her lip as he showed off with a few fancy shots. She had the sinking feeling she had been had. When looked up at her as he went to sink the eight ball he gave her his most
seductive smile, and Liz grabbed up one of the lime wedges and sucked it dry.

Unfortunately for Alec, he scratched. Intentional or not, he scratched and it was over. Liz had won. The look on Liz’s face was incredulous- he had had such a good streak, it was weird that he had lost. Liz stared for a few moments when she heard Alec sigh and pick up his jacket, getting ready to leave. Realization hit her that he was about walk out of her life, for good. She should feel secure. She should feel relieved- it made distancing herself easier. But she felt none of those things.

“Alec wait,” Liz yelled when he reached the door. She stood up from the stool she had been sitting on, and her balance was flimsy at best. Shaking her head to clear it, Liz fought her inebriation and made her way over to him.

“What?” Alec asked.

“I don’t want you to leave me alone,” Liz said. She didn’t think she could say what she wanted just then, not yet. But she knew that she would be the stupidest person in the world to walk away from whatever was between them. In a broken world people had to take happiness where they could get it.

“You don’t?” he asked.

“No, I don’t.” Leaning up on tiptoes, Liz took the dive and pressed her lips against his. It felt so good, so freeing, and the next moment, Liz was hoisting herself up around his waist- locking her legs around him tightly. Her hands gripped at his head, tugging at his hair, focusing all her attention on the feel of
him.

His tongue came out to play, his hands coming around her- gripping her ass tightly- pulling her more tightly against him. Their mouths were meshed hard together, and the force was intense. Liz was sinking further into the sensual cloud of lust that had risen up inside her, and it was blanking out her reservations and denials.

Her fingers twisted in his hair, messing it, and then they broke apart for air. Alec held her close still as they breathed harshly, cleaving to one another. They didn’t want to break apart, they didn’t want to let go, but it registered in both their minds that Liz had had too much to drink.

“I need air,” Liz whispered, hands still in his hair.

“Hold on,” Alec said unnecessarily.

Alec walked backward out the bar entrance, and reached up to make sure Liz ducked her head while clinging to him. Cool night air hit them both, and Liz hissed at the sensation. The caress of the wind against her sweaty, heated skin caused goose bumps to raise up along her arms, and all of her muscles to clench.

“Better?” he questioned.

Liz was incapable of speech, but she nodded. Slowly, Alec released her and she slid gently down his front. When her feet touched ground, Liz leaned her head against his chest.

“You are a lightweight, huh?” Alec chuckled, but his arms rubbed her back in soothing circles.

“After I was healed when I was younger, my body stopped adapting to alcohol so well. I heal faster, but for some reason, I picked up a weakness with drinking. I don’t understand it….because my liver should be working at optimum level,” explained Liz, her speech was slurred slightly, and her head was still light. She wanted him, but she held her desire on a short leash.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Alec stated.

“Yours?” Liz purred. She knew she shouldn’t bait him, but she couldn’t help it- her body was still alive with his touch.

He chuckled his usual chuckle, but it was strained. Liz knew that he had a bulge in his pants that wanted to say yes, but he merely shook his head and escorted her back toward the infirmary. She was still staying their with Maria. Liz just couldn’t bring herself to leave her friend.

They walked together for a few blocks, but Liz couldn’t help but to zigzag slightly back and forth. Her balance wasn’t the best, and finally Alec swept her up in his arms- despite her strong protests. They struggled against one another for a moment, but Liz gave in.

Turning down a dark alleyway, Alec decided on a shortcut. The sooner Liz got to bed, the better. The further they went into the alley, the more Liz felt endangered. Something was wrong. Something was completely wrong.

“Alec,” Liz whispered, “stop.”

“What is it?” he asked impatiently, halting his movement halfway down the alley. There were two streetlights, one at each end of the alley and a dim wall
sconce against the brick building to their right.

“I sense something.”

“You sense something?” came his skeptical reply.

Liz didn’t respond, she jumped out of his arms- her mind still cloudy, but her body sobering up quickly. The thick fog that wanted to overtake her mind was hard to keep at bay, but Liz knew something wasn’t right.

Crouching down on all fours, Liz waited. She scoped her surroundings, and heard Alec mumbling behind her before taking fighting stance. Liz spotted a metal pipe to her left in the shadows and knew her next move. The attack came fast. The two transgenics dropped from the roofs of both buildings in the shadows and rushed them. Alec was surprised- despite Liz’s warning, but managed to catch a fist to his face.

Liz lunged between the legs of the second man and rolled to the side, snatching up the pipe and then did a back flip into a standing position. The X5 came at her with a knife, and Liz slammed herself against the building wall to avoid the blade. Bringing up the pipe, she slashed it downward and heard the resounding crack against her assailants wrist. The man hollered in pain, but quickly sent a roundhouse kick her way, and Liz didn’t duck out in time. His foot caught her right side and she slammed back again into the building.

Alec shouted something to her, but she couldn’t hear him. The X came at her again and she brought her arms up to shield her before dropping down to lunge between his legs again, but her move wasn’t fast enough and the male caught her left leg and pulled her back- lifting her clean off the ground to hang upside down.

Blood rushed to her head, and the fog crept up on her. She wanted to sink into the darkness threatening to overwhelm her, but Liz fought it. Curling up, Liz steadied herself, and smashed her elbow back into his face. The X dropped her, and Liz landed with a thud on her back.

Coughing violently, Liz rolled onto her stomach and back onto her knees. She attempted to crawl away when the operative again grabbed for her ankle and pulled her back. Her shirt rode up and scraped against the gravelly pavement, tearing at her delicate flesh.

Liz turned to get a look at him and realized it was the bald man from earlier at the bar. Gritting her teeth, Liz kicked out at his face, and was satisfied with the sound of his nose crunching. He already had a black eye from her elbow. Jumping to her feet, Liz brought her foot down on his crotch and let it sit there while she stared him down.

“You didn’t get enough earlier?” Liz bit out.

“Stupid bitch,” Liz heard from behind her, and the next thing she knew she was being flung down across the alley and into the streetlight. Coughing up a little blood, Liz looked back to see that both the men had turned their attention to Alec. Gaining her balance, Liz raced down the pavement and threw herself onto the back of the short, brown haired man. He shouted out in stunned surprise, and Liz gripped him around the neck. Instinct took over, and Liz gave a hard twist, the sound of his neck snapping halting all movement.

Alec took that moment to give a well placed upper-cut to the bald man, knocking him out cold. He faced Liz and watched as the body dropped to the pavement. One dead, one injured.

“Liz, are you alright?” Alec asked, coming over to check her out.

Liz nodded numbly. She hated killing. She had done it many times, in many ways, but it had never sat well with her.

“I’m sorry you were thrown. That one twisted out of my hold and got my side with a knife. I was stunned for a moment.”

“I’m fine,” Liz responded. She assessed his side and nodded at it. “You should get that looked at.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Alec told her, picking up the passed out form of the bald X5.

Liz nodded and followed. She had a hard time walking to the infirmary, the fog thickening up around her again, and her fatigue only adding to the problem. They made it into the infirmary and Alec told one of the medics what happened and to keep the passed out male subdued. Another took a look at Alec’s side.

Walking over to her own cot, Liz glanced down at her torn up stomach, and touched a hand to her bloody lip. Glancing over to make sure Alec was okay, Liz laid down on her cot- Maria passed out beside her- and drifted off. She would deal with the aftermath tomorrow.


Author's Note: There you have it guys. The long awaited Chapter 14. Sorry it took so long. Now that finals are over and the holidays are here, I hope to update once a week- after Christmas. Have a Happy Holidays. Thanks for the support and patience. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A hint for the next one: the mission to retrieve Sandeman. Thanks again, EK!

Where Loyalty Lies
Disclaimer: I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.
Category: Roswell/Dark Angel XO
Rating: ADULT
Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl
Summary: Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

A/N: So I took longer than I promised to update; my laptop got a virus and that wiped out my documents- but thankfully I had a backup drive and when I got my computer fixed I was able to continue working on my updates. This chapter is longer than most, I hope you enjoy and that everyone had excellent holidays.

Chapter Fifteen

Alec wondered if things would really be different when Liz woke up. She had seemed sincere the night before, but hell that girl had a way of changing her mind like nobody’s business. He’d deliberately scratched on the eight ball during the pool game. He didn’t want to force her to be in a relationship with him. If Liz hadn’t come after him, Alec would have left things as is. He would have taken the hint and backed off.

Staring down at her, seeing how exhausted and innocent she could be- he knew that that would have been a loss, for both of them. There was something in her kiss, something exciting and new that he hadn’t felt for anyone. It disconcerted him, it put him at odds with his heart. How could she make such a difference? How could one girl mean so much?

Obviously she was important. Lydecker wanted her. White wanted her. Max needed her. Maria and the baby. And if he admitted it to himself, Alec knew that he wanted her too. For all her hard edges and frustrating actions- Liz was worth it. She didn’t believe that, that too was obvious.

Liz rolled over and sighed, her forehead wrinkling in distress. Reaching forward, Alec caressed her face and slowly her forehead relaxed. Another sigh and Liz unclenched her death grip on the blanket he had put on her. A medic had noticed and taken care of her more basic cuts, and attended her worse injuries carefully not to wake her. Watching over her wasn’t a part of his duties- in fact he was AWOL on a few- but he couldn’t tear himself away.

“You really like her don’t you?” came a whisper beside him.

Alec fought his surprise. He should have realized that Maria had woken up, but he’d been too absorbed in staring at Liz to notice.

“You should be asleep.”

“So should you,” Maria threw back. Turning to face her, Alec tried again to hide his surprise; Maria’s stomach had grown larger since he had last seen her, and her hair was much longer too. “What you’ve never seen a pregnant woman before?”

“Are you kidding? Terminal City is crawling with pregnant transgenics,” Alec retorted, snorting at how moody he knew they could all be.

“Yeah, but I’m not a transgenic,” she said.

“What does that matter? You’re a pregnant female, end of comparison.”

Something shifted in Maria’s eyes, Alec noticed. They softened a bit, and Maria looked on the verge of crying. Alec was completely unprepared to comfort a crying woman. He hated crying. He hated crying women. He never knew what to say. When Max cried it made him want to hit a wall. When Liz broke down it made him want to kill someone. Seeing Maria on the edge made him nervous and frustrated.

“Thanks,” Maria intoned.

“For what?” Alec was completely lost.

“For not treating me differently. Everyone here looks at me like I’m an alien, except Liz. It’s really hard to…I just miss the way things were before all this happened,” Maria said with a gesture of her hand to encompass “all this”.

“I have a lot of human friends. You’re a person with feelings- just like us. I’m sorry it’s so hard for you here,” Alec felt weird apologizing for something that wasn’t his fault, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“Liz is my best friend, you know. She’s been there for me when I’ve needed her. She saved us and she’s been through so much. I know that she’s
changed a lot since White and everything, she’s closed off- but no one compares to her. Loyal, smart, sweet, kind, happy, funny, analytical, fierce- I miss her. It’s like she put up some firewall between everyone and her. It hurts to see you so…not Liz. Max really hurt her. So did the others when they left. I don’t know if she told you what we went through, but trust me when I say she has a reason for being the way she is,” Maria explained to him, and Alec wanted to understand.

“But you went through a lot of that too, and you’re fine,” Alec told her.

Maria laughed a bit for a second- more like a sarcastic chuckle. “Fine. I always thought I would be. I used to tell Liz that I was like Teflon, nothing
sticks to me, but I was wrong. I might still be a loud-mouth with too much to say, but I’m not fine. I love this baby, but I don’t know where its father is, or if he even truly love me. I don’t know where my mom is. Liz is so different lately, my only friend here. I’m confined to a cot. But most of all, I don’t even know where my life is going- or if I’ll survive the next year. I’m not fine.”

Alec stared at Maria from his seat on the edge of Liz’s cot. Maybe he had underestimated Maria. She hid her fears well most of the time, being sarcastic and bitchy to hide her true feelings. Liz knew that it was hard for her, which was why she stayed with her- even if she was withdrawn.

“Do you really care about Liz? Because if you don’t stay away. Liz has been closed down for a long time and I don’t want her to go further into her shell- I might never get her back. She likes you, Alec. I see it everyday, so if you aren’t serious about her, just don’t bother. I might be pregnant, but I will kick your ass,” she warned. It was almost cute that she threatened him.

“I do care about Liz. I don’t fully understand everything I feel for her, so I can’t promise that I won’t mess up occasionally, but I’ll try not to- for her.”

Maria smiled at him and Alec noticed that any trace of tears was gone. She really was beautiful, unique, but beautiful. Her eyes turned to Liz, who tossed in her sleep, and Alec turned to look down at her too. When he looked up again, Maria was staring at him.

“Goodnight Alec,” she whispered, laying back down.

“Goodnight Maria. And Maria?” Alec called.

“Yes?” she asked, turning back to face him.

“Liz isn’t your only friend here,” with that he walked out of the infirmary.

“That was nice of you,” Max said from the shadows. Alec had sensed her there and didn’t jump.

“I’m a nice guy,” he replied. He heard here let out a disbelieving laugh before coming to join him as he patrolled the streets.

“So you and my little sister?” Max sounded unsure, but there was something else there when Alec glanced to the side, sparing her a look.

“What can I say Maxie, she wants me…and I want her,” Alec said, giving her a sexy smirk.

“I thought you and Jondy-” Max began, but cut off when she realized where she was going.

“Jondy and I had an understanding. We flirt, we had a night, and then we moved on. She’s a really nice girl, but that’s not what Liz and I have going on. That’s not what I want to be going on,” Alec informed her, feeling the turn from light to serious.

“Alec, if you hurt her-”

“I’m not going to hurt her. I don’t want to hurt her, okay Max. And I don’t want to talk about this with you. I haven’t been this way about anyone since Rachel,” Alec confided, turning down another alley, and scanning the perimeter fence at the back end.

Something changed in Max’s demeanor, a visible shift, and when Alec turned back to her, he saw she was watching him and thinking. It was unnerving, so Alec spun a one-eighty and kept pace.

“Are you ready for tomorrow? To watch over and secure Terminal City while I’m out on the mission?” Max inquired; she had sped up to match his strides and kept to his left.

“I don’t like this Max. I want to be out there with you. This mission is more dangerous than all the others, and I know that I would be an asset to the operation. Finding Sandeman has been a high priority, and now that we’re in the home stretch you want me to man down and watch security here?” Alec spoke with all the frustration he had been feeling about the mission since he had found out he wasn’t on the roster.

“I need someone strong in charge, someone who knows what they’re doing. Zack is coming with me, and I don’t really trust anyone else. You’ve been through all of this with me, now I need you to do the most important assignment of all- protect everything we’ve been fighting for. It’s whack that we’re hauled up here, but you need to do this. The dealio with this mission is that it’s more dangerous- yes- but we might not come back. I’m bringing everyone strong enough to make it through this, and if we don’t; I need to know that Terminal City and everyone in it will be okay.” Max crossed her arms defensively, and stopped to face Alec.

He knew that look. It had made him do a lot of things he hadn’t wanted to do. Like return to Seattle after Manticore was burned to the ground. Like Eyes Only jobs. Like not killing Max for her barcode, and accepting his own death- only to have her save his ass over and over again in return. Now she was turning that look on him about something he felt so strongly about, especially because Liz was going and she might not come back, but again he couldn’t avoid that look.

“I want it noted that I don’t like this, and if anything goes wrong, I reserve the right to send out a contingency team to go after you,” he said, angry with the world.

“Noted,” Maxie replied, smiling her beatific smile. It was rare to see Max smile that way, but when she did it took the sting out of his upset; then it turned into her classic smirk, and she took off racing into the dark and vaulting over the fence.

Alec gave chase- as was often the situation. The patrolled the entirety of TC in three quick sweeps, and then ended up back at the main compound. Max waved off a goodbye, and Alec nodded in her direction before heading to his apartment. The second he was near his bed, Alec let himself fall back onto it, and short minutes later- with an image of Liz in his head- he was asleep.

The next morning, Alec woke up at exactly five in the morning. His internal clock never allowed him to wake up any later; all that Manticore training had left its permanent mark. Changing quickly, grabbing his coat, and heading for the door Alec made his way to command central.

By the time he arrived, Max and her chosen soldiers were assembled against the far wall in a perfect line facing the ring. Already TC was up and humming with the day’s duties. He saw Liz at the head of the line, and watched as she stared straight ahead, not chatting with the other soldiers, merely focusing on Max. He made his way over to them, and realized that Max had yet to give orders, but was waiting for him. The soldiers snapped to attention upon his arrival, and he watched Liz’s eyes slid from Max to him.

Max began going over the specifics of the mission, detailing each phase, and the duty of each soldier. The entire time, Alec couldn’t stop staring into Liz’s eyes as she stared into his. He knew she heard every word Max was saying, but she only had eyes for him. This time when he looked into her eyes she didn’t pull away, she kept eye contact. It was a start.

“We’ll be moving out at 0700. Dismissed,” Max called out. Immediately the transgenics broke off, each going about pre-mission setup. Some jumped in the ring to get their adrenaline running, others moved off to grab the necessary equipment, and still some moved to talk to one another briefly. Max passed him on his way to Liz, and Alec gave her a nod of acknowledgement.

“Morning,” Alec greeted, speaking first.

“Morning,” she returned, still not moving.

“About last night-” Alec began, and Liz finally moved, stepping forward and pressing her lips to his. Shock coursed through his veins and he couldn’t move. Some part of his brain engaged, and he kissed her back automatically. A moment later they pulled apart. “So I guess you remember.”

“I’m not going to run from this. I’ve stopped running.” Liz ran a hand up his arm to clutch his bicep, and then stare into those eyes again with more certainty.

“You know danger of today’s mission,” Alec stated. It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t a plea for her to stay. It was a fact.

“I do, but I’m a good soldier, and my sister needs me,” with a sweeping look, Liz saw all the transgenics around her, “my family needs me.”

Alec caught the gravity of that statement, and nodded.

“Maria told me that you two talked last night,” Liz whispered, again making eye contact.

“Yeah. She’s a little hormonal, but seems nice enough,” Alec said with a shrug. He let Liz’s light punch land on his upper arm.

“I wouldn’t call her hormonal to her face. Alec?” she said.

“Yeah?” He returned, running a hand from her shoulder down to her hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

“If things go wrong today, promise that Maria will be okay,” Liz asked of him, and he knew this was a big deal to her. He wanted to cut her off and say things would go fine, but he knew that was an unrealistic coping mechanism.

“I promise. Besides, I have the feeling that if Maria were anything less you’d kick my ass when you got back. Or at least try to,” Alec teased.

“Try?” Liz asked with an arched eyebrow. She was teasing back, which was a real first with them.

“Yeah, come on short stuff- you couldn’t take me,” Alec challenged, then chucked her chin.

“Oh I could take you,” Liz said, her voice turned seductive. She brought their intertwined hands to her mouth and ghosted her mouth over his knuckles, briefly letting her tongue come out to skim the surface. Alec hardened immediately, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

“Maybe you’ll just show me,” Alec returned and tugged Liz closer until they were pressed together. Neither realized the public display they were creating, but neither seemed to care. Liz pulled back first, and another first between them happened- Liz blushed faintly.

“Maybe when I get back from the mission,” Liz offered, then walked off to talk to Joshua. Josh seemed to fully accept Liz better than most, and he noticed a budding friendship there.

Alec shook his head, and stiffly marched up to the computer mainframe. Security monitors surrounded the area, and a new monitor sat in the center. Heading for it, Alec took up a place next to Mole. The screen was blank and unlike the other monitors- no section label was present.

“What’s this?” Alec asked.

“The new monitor. It’s connected to Max’s gear- we’re going to have a clear view of the mission. The live feed is being hooked up as we speak. It’s a beaut too. One of the X6s came by earlier today and started setting it up,” Mole dished out the 411 and Alec nodded, checking out the small camera that would be attached to Max’s gear.

“Any bets going down on whether Max will return?” Alec questioned.

Mole seemed begrudging at first to let him in, but he nodded a yes.

“Shut them down. All of them. If I even catch wind of one- its your head, and whoever placed or took the bet will be turned out from Terminal City. Clear?” Alec ordered.

“Clear,” Mole said. His surprise was evident. Usually Alec was the first to take a piece of the action, but apparently today was not a good day.

“You not wanting to make a buck? Color me stunned,” came a new voice.

Turning, Alec realized Ash had come up beside him. She was quiet- just like Max and Liz. He spared her a smile, and then studied the piece and the monitor again.

“Betting on the life our leader and her chosen unit is not acceptable,” Alec announced, loudly enough to catch the attention of several guilty parties.

“Glad to see my life means something,” Ash teased. She too had been chosen for Max’s unit.

“Life always means something, even if it means taking it away,” said Jondy, who had been standing to their far left. Jondy was not going. For some reason Max had not assigned her sister to this particular mission.

“Morning Jondy,” Ash greeted. The two shared a small smile, and Alec wondered when they had become friends.

“What are your duties today?” Alec asked.

“To watch the monitor and take point on any perimeter breaches,” Jondy cited. She seemed content with her assignment, and Alec was glad that Max had left her out of the mission’s unit.

The conversation between them died, and the time remaining before the mission passed too soon. Alec watched the unit reform and Max in the lead at exactly 0700 hours. They were perfect. They saluted, marched, and responded in time to one another. Each was wearing the proper fatigues. Alec watched them begin marching out of the city and couldn’t help himself- he followed. He kept a reasonable distance and watched as transgenics on the street moved out of the way- clearing the path- and staring along with him.

When they reached the perimeter, Alec analyzed the route they took and the one they would be taking to get back in. Each solider passed through the perimeter exit, and when it was Liz’s turn, he wished she would turn to him and give him one last look, but she didn’t. She was too much a soldier to break protocol. Max was the last to slip through, but before she did she turned to him and saluted him. He returned the gesture and then turned away- marching back from where he had come before he could see Max make it through.

Upon return, Alec cut the preamble and hurtled himself up and over the railing to the new monitor. Jondy had taken position and was doing a sound check with Max as they marched their path. Mole was checking their route with his maps and confirming positions with each soldier through their head pieces. Scanning the visual aid, Alec noticed that Max had taken point again after going through the perimeter, and was moving swiftly through tunnels, and back streets.

Moving away from the temptation of the monitor, Alec scanned the others- watching the guards making their rounds. He had ordered them to double up, and to change their usual patterns- this was the perfect opportunity for White, or Lydecker to move in on them. They needed to take certain measures.

“Medium Fella worried?” Joshua asked, joining him at the south perimeter monitors.

“Me worried? Nah,” Alec lied. He didn’t want to give Josh a reason to worry.

“Liz special to Medium Fella?”

Surprised, Alec glanced from the monitors to Joshua. He didn’t give the big guy enough credit- he was very perceptive.

“Yeah, Liz is special. You worried Big Fella?” Alec asked, shrugging off the gawking stares of a few transgenics that had overheard him.

“Nah,” Joshua mimicked him, and gave him a big goofy smile.

There was a disturbance back at the new monitor, and Alec ripped passed a few others and came to a halt behind Jondy.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing, the feed broke for a minute, but it’s back- they ran into some Ordinaries, and Max hit the ground,” Jondy detailed.

Alec stared at the monitor and watched their progress. Everything appeared to be normal- minus the slight break in feed. Snatching up a headset, Alec adjusted it to his ear and asked Max for a report on her surroundings. She noted that they were advancing quickly on their destination and that the small group of Ordinaries were easily dealt with. It was weird that the Ordinaries had been there at all- something was off.

Heading back to check the other monitors, Alec noted that he couldn’t see the guard for camera three section eight of the west end.

“Grey,” Alec shouted out, calling the tall, muscular transgenic to his side.

“What’s up Alec?”

“I can’t see the guard here,” Alec pointed to the appropriate monitor.

“That’s…not right. There should be three guards passing through there right now,” Grey confirmed what Alec already knew.

“I want you and six Xs out there, now. Move,” Alec ordered. He pointed to six more transgenics and they raced out in a single line. Alec watched their progress via the monitors, and then ran a check of the other cameras. Two more areas on the west end were deserted. More orders and more transgenics left. Alec was getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He caught Grey’s men arriving on the scene of the first desertion. They were surveying the area and signaling to one another. Slowly, they spread out, each taking up a position. Alec watched Grey approach the perimeter, and moments later a blurred figure slashed across the screen and Grey went down. Shit.

“I want every available transgenic surrounding the perimeter- there’s been a breach!” Alec shouted, straining his vocal cords to get the message out as loud and far as possible. Immediately the red flag went up and everyone was hustling. Training was taking over, and Alec vaulted over the rail and down below. He ordered Mole to put on a headset to keep feed with him as he raced out into the streets of TC.

One minute and fifty two seconds- that’s how long it took him to get to the west end of Terminal City. He took stock of the fact White’s men were everywhere. They were scaling the perimeter, and Grey was no where to be seen. One of them came at him fast- and had he not been assaulted from behind at the same time, he could have saved himself the brutal slash of a knife.

“Mole we need back up,” Alec called loudly into his head piece, and threw his attacker off from behind. The one with the knife was a bald female with tribal markings all over her face. He hated killing women. But he would. He side stepped the next slash and used his weight to tackled her from the side- driving her into the perimeter, and then grabbing her wrist with the knife. He plunged the blade into her stomach before lifting her bodily over his head and throwing her clear over the wall.

More transgenics were pouring onto the scene, and bodies littered the ground- both transgenics and the enemy. He noticed Joshua hurling bodies over the wall, saw the fierce anger on his face, and noticed three coming to turn on him. Slipping through the fighting pairs, Alec shoved Josh out of the way in time to catch another slash- this one to his ribs. Focusing on the fight, he rid himself of two quickly, and Joshua took care of the third- snapping the male’s spine in half before throwing him and his companions over the wall.

The fight raged for little over fifteen minutes before White’s breeding cult pulled back on the retreat. Alec couldn’t find White himself in the array and wouldn’t put it passed the coward to avoid the fray.

Alec wiped sweat and blood from his brow, and called out for a body count. Joshua and a few other Nomalies had taken it upon themselves to purge the city of the bodies of the breeding cult. When they had counted and named each body, Alec was heavy with the loss- thirteen causalities, seven under the age of sixteen.

“I want the guard to stand as is- every available body on duty until further notice. Joshua, Trag, Grey- store the dead somewhere safe until we can bury them properly. Dismiss,” Alec ordered, taking strides back into the heart of the city. He needed to return to Command.

Alec couldn’t remember the last time he had killed so many people. He couldn’t remember the last time they had lost so many people. He was angry with himself and if he could get White alone in that moment he knew he would be capable of killing him.

“Alec?” Mole called when he entered.

“Report,” Alec answered.

“Perimeter secure,” Mole told him. They had shared a few comments during the battle, but most of the time it was Alec shouting directions through the
headset at Mole.

Approaching Jondy, Alec paused behind her watching the monitor. Max and the unit were on their way back, maybe two clicks north of the city. He wanted to ask Jondy about what had happened, but he need to focus on the security of TC. Things had gotten out of hand and he refused to allow that to happen again. Studying the new guard, he realized that not an inch of perimeter went uncovered. The younger X operatives were stationed farther away from the wall, the adults keeping stoic, but stern faces watching.

A call from Jondy informed him that Max and that others had returned. Alec watched their progress on the cameras- they seemed surprised by the excessive security measures- but Alec noticed that there was an addition to their number- Sandeman. It could only be him. Alec fought the urge to stare at the balding man, walking with a cane in the center of their formation.

Alec met them at the door, pulling it open and holding it for them to march through. Liz passed him last and she appeared shaken. Before he could question her, she filed into a line with the others. Sandeman wasn’t tied up or restrained, making him seem like the willing captive.

“Alec,” Max gestured him over, “report.”

“We had a perimeter breach on the west end- we lost thirteen. Every available soldier was put on red alert. It was White and his breeding cult,” Alec snarled at the last and his fists clenched and knuckles cracked in ferocity.

Max’s face stayed composed, but he knew she was upset. Knowing better, he said nothing, and his eyes landed again on Sandeman. The man had salt and pepper hair, a thick mustache, a large nose, small eyes and lips- he was lean and tall, and in his day, Alec thought he might have been a soldier.

Their eyes met, and the man offered him a smile. Weird.

“Pull back half the guard and start second formation standard,” Max ordered and then turned to her chosen unit. “Mission completed, dismissed.”

Alec gave the orders to stand down half the guard and instated second formation standard, and then went back to where Liz had been only to find her gone. Max too was gone, and Sandeman was no where to be seen. Sighing in frustration, Alec headed for the infirmary. One guess where Liz was.

At the entrance, Zack had taken up position again. He still couldn’t figure out what his deal was. Moving passed him, Alec entered the infirmary, skirted a few medics, and focused his gaze on Liz and Maria.

Maria had two medics at her side and an IV drip attached to her arm. Something was wrong and Liz was pissed.

“What’s going on here?” Alec questioned. Liz turned a fiery look in his direction before promptly ignoring him and watching the medics handle Maria.

“She had false contractions and the stress of it led to some hemorrhaging. We’ve stopped the internal bleeding, the contraction stopped, and the baby is fine. We have her on a IV drip to replace the nutrients and blood she lost,” responded a female X.

“When did this happen?” Alec demanded.

“An hour ago sir,” came his answer.

“All information regarding Maria is to be brought to my immediate attention in the future,” Alec said, setting the order in place. The medics saluted him and retreated.

“Liz?” questioned Alec. She gave him a warmer look before hugging a tired, achy Maria.

“Glad to see I’m a priority,” Maria retorted with a light, joking tone of voice.

“Always,” Alec heard Liz whisper, and he swore he heard a catch in her voice.

“Where did Max take Sandeman, Liz?” Alec asked.

“I don’t know. I came here first,” Liz acknowledged and he watched Maria’s eyes water.

“I have to find them. Will I see you later?” he asked, hoping she would say yes.

“Yes.” Good.

“Feel better Maria,” he said in goodbye and took off. Time for some answers.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed- I really enjoyed them. This chapter took longer as I mentioned earlier. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think. EK!

A/N: Hey guys. I know I've been gone for a while- I've been on and off again sick for almost two months now. I'm better- after my recent bout of pneumonia- and have already updated my other story His Kiss. I have begun work on Chapter 16 of Where Loyalty Lies, but this is Midterms week at my college and next week is spring break. I'm banking on updating during spring break at some point. I thought I'd give you a heads up between study groups and classes. Thanks for the support, it's really encouraging. More to come soon, Egyptian_Kiss!