Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2003 11:38 pm
AN: A reminder about something that is mentioned in this chapter. I have chosen not to bring in the Dupes, so in this story they never existed. As mentioned in an earlier chapter, Michael's recount of his meeting with Hal Carver only involves the mention of their four pods.
Chapter 48
When Kyle and Sera arrived at his house, they entered to find Valenti sitting in front of the television. Valenti seemed surprised to see Sera with Kyle as he hopped up, tucking in his shirt and slipping his shoes back on. After exchanging pleasantries, Sera excused herself to ‘powder her nose’, and nodded to Kyle.
“Dad, you’d better sit down.” Kyle told him. As Valenti looked at him apprehensively, he asked, “What’s happened now?” He was even more surprised when Kyle filled him in on Sera and Tyler’s secret. Valenti looked at Kyle with concern on his face, “Son, I know you and Sera had been getting closer, but you’ve just gone through a very traumatic experience. Shouldn’t you take a step back, especially now?”
“You didn’t see my reaction last night, I freaked. I even accused her of being one of the enemy.” Kyle shook his head with a smile, “I know that what Tess did wasn’t my fault, that I was manipulated. But I still had sex with her, Dad, and now she might even be pregnant.” Kyle looked towards the hallway, “If anyone should be wanting to back off, it’s Sera.”
“But, Kyle…” Valenti started, only to be interrupted, “Dad, she and I talked a lot last night. I can’t explain it, but when I’m with Sera, it just feels right. Please don’t make her feel weird or unwelcome.”
Valenti looked at Kyle and realized he was seeing his son on the verge of manhood. Sighing he nodded, “Okay, son. It’s just that after Tess, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
After Sera returned to the living room, Valenti offered to make some coffee. When he went to the kitchen, Kyle said, “I guess we should look for that picture.” He and Sera went to Tess’s room. Looking around at the mess she left behind, he said, “I gave my room to Tess when she moved in, but I don’t know if I can ever sleep in here again.” Sera slipped her hand into his and with a comforting smile. “Maybe we could paint and you could get some different furniture in here – that is, after we fumigate.” Kyle laughed, “Yeah, maybe.”
Over hearing Kyle laugh, Valenti thought to himself, “Maybe Sera is just the medicine Kyle needs after all.” He called out, “Coffee’s ready.”
As they sat at the table, Kyle told his dad, “We need a picture of Tess so Isabel can try and dreamwalk her, but she must have taken that Christmas album with her.” Valenti told him, “I have a framed picture of the three of us at my office. I need to drop by the station anyway, so you can come by and get it.” Looking at Sera he asked her, “What about you, Sera, can you do the dreamwalk like Isabel, or heal like Max?”
Sera shook her head, “No, I have all the standard abilities that the four of them have, their normal powers like manipulating molecular structures,” she reached over and touched the salt shaker, turning it form white to red and then back again, “but while they had special gifts encoded into their makeup, I didn’t.”
She blushed prettily when Kyle told her, “Don’t sell yourself short, I think you’re very special.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A couple hours later, Max and Liz were side by side on Michael’s couch, feet propped on the coffee table, as Max read through the translation Alex had printed out earlier. Alex’s computer skills with the ‘borrowed programs” from Las Cruces had not only rendered a readable translation, but some of the symbols in the book had translated into diagrams; one being the Granolith itself.
Max discussed what he was reading. “Most of what we learned from Sera and Tyler is included here. They were right, it seems that our main purpose in being created was so the Royal House of Antar could continue its vigilance in guarding and defending the Granolith.” He looked over at Michael sympathetically, “I’m sorry, Michael, it doesn’t look like we were ever supposed to go back there.”
Michael just shrugged, as he looked over at Maria. “I had kind of let go of that notion anyway, Maxwell.” Earning him a big hug and smack on the lips from Maria.
Max smiled at Liz and put his arm around her, “I have to admit, I actually feel relieved. I know the only home I want is here with you.” Liz leaned in bestowing a sweet kiss on him.
As Alex looked up from where he was packing up his equipment, he noticed Isabel wore a pensive look as she looked at the floor, he felt a pang that she seemed to be disappointed. Did she still want to go back there, to leave him? He walked over to lay his hand on her shoulder, quietly telling her, “I’m sorry, Isabel. I know that you had hopes of someday going back, seeing your real mother.”
At his words she shook her head, “What? Oh, Alex.” She stood up to wrap her arms around his neck. “I’m happy here, with you, and my family and friends. I was just realizing that somehow Tess must have faked that orb message.” She looked at Max with a look of sorrow, “In fact, I don’t think that was our real mother at all.”
Max nodded solemnly, “I think you may be right. Her image indicated that the four of us were to be paired off, like Tess and Nasedo kept claiming, and that we were to go back and save them, but that conflicts with the translation and what Sera and Tyler told us.”
Maria spoke up, “I bet that creepy Nasedo told Tess to do it and gave her the information. As a so-called protector, he’d have known your backstory. But I’m betting he never knew what that book said, thus the contradiction.”
Liz looked over at Isabel with sympathy, “I know you’re disappointed, Isabel, but you do have a real mother, one who loves both of you very much. I’ve heard her tell my mom how the two of you were her little miracles.”
Isabel nodded. “I know, and I love her and Daddy very much, it’s just …,” as she began to tear up, she shook her head, “I’m sorry.”
Alex wrapped his arms around Isabel as she leaned in to him, “Shhhh, Isabel, it’s alright to be sad.”
Michael cleared his throat, uncomfortable with all the talk of families. “Maxwell, what else does the translation say?”
Max continued, “There are some passages here regarding the possibility that in order to defend the Granolith, we might actually have to use it as a weapon. I’ll have to study up on that. Because I have the DNA of the king, I’m the only member of the royals who can operate the Granolith.”
Michael rolled his eyes, “Figures.”
“Wait,” Max said in surprise, “according to this, I’m supposed to have some kind of seal in my brain.” He instinctively reached up to touch his head.
“A seal?” Liz asked, “What kind of seal?”
“Here’s a diagram.” Max pointed, “It looks like the V formation made up of five small circles.” Michael walked over to look, “Yeah, that looks like the cave map after I put the healing stones into it.”
“It looks like we all have this seal, only mine’s active and the other three are dormant.” Max looked around, “I guess if I died, then one of you would become active.”
A rush of fear stabbed Liz, and she grabbed Max’s arm, “Max! Don’t even think that.”
“Honey, it’s okay.” He assured her, “I don’t plan on going anywhere without a hell of a fight.”
Isabel looked alarmed, “So if something happened to all three of us, that would leave Tess in charge of the Granolith?”
Michael shook his head, “I’ll kill her myself, before I let that happen.”
“But first we have to find her.” Isabel reminded him.
Flipping the page, Max did a double-take at the small object shown along side the Granolith, he asked, “Alex, did you happen to see this illustration of the Granolith?” “Yeah, Max, why?”
“Um, did you see this thing that’s supposed to be the key? Looks like a piece of crystal or quartz.” Max pointed out with his finger.
“Key?” Michael asked, “You mean we just crank the thing up?”
Isabel smiled, “Somehow, I don’t think it’s that simple, Michael.”
Maria wandered behind the couch and leaned over Max’s shoulder looking at the drawing. “Omigod!” she began to laugh, “that’s not a Crystal Key, that’s a Crystal Dildo!”
As everyone took a look, Isabel rolled her eyes, “Why is it that regardless of species, men are always obsessed by phallic symbols?”
Maria walked over and removed her keychain from her purse, the one with a little green alien figure. As she held it up, she pointed and said, “I’m guessing the Antarians just had penis envy, seeing as they don’t seem to have any of their own.”
Liz, Maria and Alex all laughed, and Isabel joined in while Max and Michael wore offended faces. Liz leaned over to kiss Max’s frown and whispered, “Awww, baby, you know you have nothing to worry about.”
While Maria continued to giggle, Michael glared. “Stop – Stop – My sides are splitting.” Looking back at Max, he asked, “So does it tell where this ‘key’ is at?”
Max flipped through the pages, “I don’t think so, maybe it’s hidden there in the pod chamber. We should ride out there later and look around.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After everyone met up at Michael’s, they were soon on their way out to the pod chamber. Max led the way in the jeep with Liz, Isabel and Alex, followed by the Sheriff, Kyle, Sera and Tyler in the Sheriff’s SUV, while Michael and Maria brought up the rear on Michael’s motorcycle.
Isabel looked back at the others, then she looked at Max, “Gee, Max, do you think we could be more conspicuous? We’re a convoy for crying out loud.”
Max just shrugged, “Hey, everyone wanted to come.”
Alex chimed in, “I admit I’m curious. Unlike Liz and Maria, I’ve never seen the pod chamber.” He took Isabel’s hand in his and with a smile, “I’d like to see where you were born.” She smiled back and squeezed his hand.
Everyone trudged up the mountain path to the pod chamber entrance. Max waved his hand across the rock face, and the silver handprint appeared. Just as he was about to open the cave, he stopped and waved his hand again and the handprint disappeared.
“Max, what are you doing?” Michael asked.
“I just want to test something.” He then had each of them wave their hand over the rock face. Nothing happened when Maria, Alex, and Valenti tried. Sera and Tyler, as expected were able to gain access, as were Isabel and Michael.
“Kyle”, Max said, “Since you have been healed, let’s see what happens with you.” Kyle waved his hand, but nothing. Max nodded, “I’m not surprised, Kyle. Even though I’ve healed you, you haven’t experienced the high fever that Liz did.”
Then it was Liz’s turn. She waved her hand and felt a tingle of surprise when the silver hand print appeared. She looked uncertainly at Max, he gave her a smile and nodded. She pressed her hand against the print on the rock face, and the cave opened. Max took her hand and led her inside as the others followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 49
As they entered the pod chamber, they all looked around. Affixed to the wall, hung the tattered remains of the pods. Those seeing them for the first time looked at them in awe. “Wow” whispered Sheriff Valenti as he removed his hat from his head. “Ditto,” said Kyle.
Isabel and Alex walked to stand before the pods, “So this is where you were born,” he murmured. As Isabel took his hand, she pointed an upper pod, “This one was mine, with Michael’s beside me. Max and Tess were in the bottom two.”
Tyler and Sera inspected the pod remains. “Interesting, they look so primitive,” Tyler observed. Then he looked embarrassed, “Oh, I just meant that you had to fight your way out. I didn’t mean to…” Max waved him off with a smile, “I’m guessing that Sera’s pod was a bit more sophisticated?” Tyler nodded. Then he bent over to look at the two lower pods. “This is a bit odd.”
“What is it?” Max asked, Michael and Isabel moved closer to look at the pods.
“It’s just that this lower pod looks a bit out of place. See how these three are tightly joined?” And he pointed out the tightness of the upper pods and where the lower right pod joined the one above it. “But there is some separation with this one.” Tyler pointed to the small gap between the left pod and the one beside it and the one above it. “Max, which is yours?”
“The one on the right is mine. The left one is Tess’s.”
Liz walked up to Max and touched his shoulder, “Max, remember how you guys had different memories of hatching, then Tess came along and you all remembered it differently?”
Max then relayed the two different memories to Tyler and Sera. Sera just shook her head, “Curiouser and curiouser.”
“Nasedo!” Maria declared, as the others gathered around the pods. “He must have planted her here after the three of you hatched, and Tess warped you all into having a false memory. She’s a fake!”
As Isabel shook her head, her blond ponytail swayed. “But Tess’s picture is in the alien book. That proves she’s definitely one of us.”
“Oh, yeah,” Maria said with disappointment.
“Wait a minute.” Alex said, “Maybe you’re both right.” As all eyes turned to him, he continued, “Tess’s story was that the three of you were already gone when she hatched, but that Nasedo was waiting here for her. Now, let’s suppose that is true. But what if Nasedo put her pod here after the three of you left? That would explain your first memories and the not quite correct placement here.”
“The leaky pod.” Michael stated. “I told you I bet she was the leaky pod.” He explained to the others about Hal Carver, his experience as part of the ’47 investigation, seeing the small aliens who were there to retrieve the pods. “There were three pods still in the pod sack, but the fourth one had been removed and he saw that it was leaking.”
Liz picked up the speculation, “So if Tess was in the damaged pod, maybe she was taken elsewhere, while the three of you were placed here.”
Isabel questioned the pod placement, “But if only the three of us were brought here, why place Max’s pod below Michael’s, why not place them in a row?”
Liz nodded. “You’re right, Isabel. So all four of you must have been put here to begin with,” Liz pointed at each pod, “forming the foursquare. Then when Nasedo escaped from Eagle Rock he probably came here and discovered that Tess’s pod was damaged. So he took it with him, to watch over it, repair it, whatever. Then he returned it later only to find that the three of you were already gone.”
Maria finished up, “And then Tess fed you guys false memories of the three of you leaving her here alone, probably to put you guys on a guilt trip so you would accept her.”
“Works for me.” Max stated, “Unfortunately, Tess probably wouldn’t tell us the truth if she knew it, and with Nasedo dead, I doubt we’ll ever know the full story.”
Kyle looked around, “So what about this Holy Grail of yours?”
Max smiled at Tyler and Sera, “I’m guessing you are both ready to see the Granolith, too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Max led the way through the opening behind his pod, and soon everyone had crawled through to stand in a large circle staring at the Granolith. Sheriff Valenti asked softly, “How did you guys discover that this thing was in here?”
Isabel spoke up, “Actually, it was me. After Whitaker told me about ‘Vilandra’, I came out here to the pod chamber to yell at our real mother for, well, everything. I picked up a rock and tossed it towards the pods. It went through Max’s and this light came on. I crawled in here and found this.” She indicated the Granolith.
“Don’t take offense, but I was expecting something more… more religious looking.” Kyle said.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Agreed Sera. “Are we sure this is the Granolith?”
“It matches the diagrams from the alien book translation.” Alex stated.
“This is it.” Tyler said reverently. “A galaxy’s worth of knowledge is contained herein.”
Max reached up and started to lay his hand on the side of the inverted cone, when Liz grabbed his arm, “Max, no!” Startled, he turned to her, “Liz. What’s wrong?”
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry.” She stepped closer to the Granolith and gazed up at it, “It’s just that this is what took you away from me, I mean Future Max from Future Liz.”
Max moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, “Ahh, Liz.” She turned in his arms and looked up at him, “When I saw your hand reach out, I just knew how she felt.” Liz couldn’t help the tears that slid down her cheeks, “She knew that she would never see him again.”
Max held her tight and kissed her temple. “Liz, honey, I’m not going to let anything take me away from you.” With one arm around her waist and the other gently holding the back of Liz’s head, Max slowly rocked Liz back and forth.
Maria and Isabel looked at each other with compassion in their eyes. “But, Lizzie, you changed the future.” Maria soothed, “That timeline doesn’t exist anymore.”
“Maria’s right, Liz,” Isabel assured her, “those versions of ‘Max and Liz’ no longer exist, so he never had to leave her.”
Those members of the group who had never heard the story of Future Max looked on in obvious confusion. Kyle looked over at Sera, “Am I the only one confused here?” She shook her head, “No.” Kyle wiggled his hand in the air, “Um, excuse me, but Future Who?”
Tyler looked over at Max and Liz, “Liz, last night you mentioned FutureMax said the Granolith was powerful, but we all started discussing the Granolith, and I never got around to asking what you meant.”
As Liz looked up at Max, he smiled at her. Then looking over at Maria. “Maria, would you do the honors, please?”
Maria grinned, “Story time, boys and girls.” She gave Tyler, Sera, Kyle and the Sheriff the cliffnotes version of the FutureMax story.
Kyle looked at Liz in surprise, “So that’s why you came to me and asked me to help you that night? So you could save the world?”
With her eyes downcast, Liz gave a bashful nod.
“But how did this FutureMax travel back in time?” Sera wondered. “Time travel is against all the laws of science and nature. You’d have to devise a way to create a rip in the time-space continuum, and then you’d have to build a time machine, which is completely out of the realm of possibility.”
Liz grinned at her, “Don’t ask me, you’re the one who modified the Granolith.”
“Me! Modify the Granolith?” Sera was shocked.
Liz nodded, “FutureMax said that ‘Serena’, who would one day be my friend, modified the Granolith which allowed it to be used to time travel.”
Sera looked at the Granolith in amazed disbelief, “Wow.” She whispered.
Maria brought them back to the task at hand, “Okay, gang, now that we’ve all been brought up to date, let’s find that dildo.”
Michael gave her a look, “Would you please not call the Granolith Key that?”
Completely unrepentant, Maria just grinned, “Hey, I’m like an umpire, I call ‘em like I see ‘em.”
The group looked around the Granolith Chamber’s completely smooth walls; however, there did not appear to be a hiding place. Neither the walls nor the Granolith itself had any nooks or crannies. There were no knobs or pulls that might open a drawer, nothing to indicate the key was hidden there.
As Max looked around in disappointment, Sera told him. “Max, maybe you should go ahead and touch it.” She then looked over at Liz and assured her. “Since I haven’t done anything to it, we shouldn’t have to worry about Max going anywhere.”
From the time they had entered the chamber, they all had heard the slight humming sound in the room, like the buzzing of a florescent bulb. When Liz nodded at Max, he slowly reached out and as his fingertips touched the surface, the humming increased.
“Hey, Max, I think it recognizes you.” Alex observed.
A nervous Liz couldn’t help but reach out to touch Max, as though she could keep anything from happening to him. When Liz touched Max, the humming changed, it became louder almost musical.
“Wow,” Maria said, “Pretty.”
As Max pressed his hand firmly against the side of the cone, his face wore an expression of concentration. As Liz held tightly to his hand, she felt a surge of energy flow from Max. Suddenly lights around the base of the cone began to pulsate and a panel slid open. Max removed his hand and opened his eyes, to see what appeared to be a control panel with various lights and buttons, including a small blank keypad.
“Max?” Isabel asked in amazement, “How did you do that?”
Max just stared in surprise, “I’m not sure, I was just trying to concentrate and this is what happened.”
Liz softly spoke, “I felt energy flow from Max. I think it obeyed him.”
Everyone crowded around looking at the exposed panel. “Damn, no key.” Stated Michael. “But there are several slots here,” Alex observed, “so I’m guessing depending on what this thing does, you’d insert the key in one of these.”
“So, we’re still on the hunt for the Crystal…” Maria started, cut off by a glare from Michael, “Key.” She finished.
Valenti looked at his watch, “Guys, it’s starting to get late, maybe we better call it a day.”
Max nodded, then still holding Liz’s hand, reached out and once again touched the Granolith. As he concentrated, the panel slid shut.
“Amazing,” Alex declared. “There is nothing to indicate that a panel even exists. No seams, no fastenings, nothing.”
Tyler suggested that Max study the alien book translation more closely before coming back out to check out the Granolith more carefully.
One by one, they crawled back into the main pod chamber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC
Chapter 50
As they were all preparing to leave the pod chamber, Liz noticed something small lying on the floor near a ledge of rock. She walked over and leaned down, picking up what appeared to be a small syringe.
Everything went black as Liz felt the world slip away ~~
As the group began to make its way out of the pod chamber, Max noticed that Liz had wandered over near the rock ledge, and that she stood motionless, eyes staring vacantly. “Liz?” He quickly stepped over to her side and gently took her arm. She remained stiff and unmoving. “Liz!” He stated louder.
Hearing him, Isabel turned, “Max? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. It’s like she’s in some kind of trance.” He looked from Liz’s face back to Alex and Isabel, with fear in his voice, “What should I do? Do you think I should try and pull her out of it?”
“No, don’t.” Alex answered, “It might be like waking a sleepwalker, and I think that’s dangerous.”
By this time, Maria and Michael had turned back. “What’s going on?”
Isabel answered, “It’s Liz, she’s in some kind of trance.”
Maria stood in front of Liz, “Lizzie?” She waved her hand in front of Liz’s face, but there was no response.
Michael noticed Liz’s hand, “What’s that thing clutched in her hand?”
As the others filed back into the chamber, Kyle took one look at Liz and groaned, “Oh, Buddha, what now?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***Liz felt as if she were floating in midair, unable to move because she had no body. Suddenly she was aware that she was looking around the pod chamber, but she had no control over what she looked at. She saw a box with what appeared to be smoke coming out of it. No, it was a cooler filled with dry ice, and some vials in it. Then she saw Tess lying on the rock ledge, naked from the waist down. Liz was moving directly towards Tess, and she saw Tess close her eyes and turn her face away. She was horrified as she saw hands, male hands pushing Tess’s knees apart and inserting the syringe into Tess.***
“Liz?” She heard her name being called from a great distance, “Lizzie? Are you alright?”
Suddenly she was free. As she swayed, she looked down at the object in her hand, “Auggghhhhh!” she screamed and tossed it away, shaking her hand. “Omigod, omigod.” She recognized Max’s worried face, as he called her name, and she threw her arms around him, hiding her face in his chest.
Max held Liz close as she trembled, “Liz! Baby, what happened? Did you get a flash?”
“I don’t know what it was,” She looked at him and whispered hoarsely, “It was something different than our flashes.”
“Here, Liz.” Sera offered a bottle of water. Liz eased away from Max, “Thank you, Sera.” She took the bottle with her left hand and tilted the bottle to take a few sips, then surprisingly poured some of the water on her right hand. Looking at Isabel, she asked, “Isabel? Could you sterilize my hand, please?”
Max reached for her hand, “Liz, I can do that for…”
“No!” Liz backed away. At his startled look she apologized, “I’m sorry.” Reaching for Max’s hand with her left, she looked at Isabel, “Isabel, now, please? But don’t touch my hand.”
“Um, sure.” Glancing at Max in confusion, Isabel reached over to lay her hand above Liz’s. Liz felt a soothing warmth flow through her hand.
Liz whispered, “Thank you.” Then noticed that everyone looked at her with expressions of confused concern. “Max, I’m sorry, it’s just that,” she pointed to the syringe now lying across the chamber against the wall and stated. “That’s the syringe they used to put your samples in Tess.”
“Ewwwww!” cried Maria, as the others stared at the syringe with equally disgusted looks on their faces.
“Wait a minute, did you say they?” asked Alex.
Liz squeezed Max’s hand. “Max! Tess has an accomplice!” She then explained what she had seen, and the way she saw it. “It was like I was inside someone else’s body . ‘Someone’ was here with Tess, and he’s the one who put that sample in her.”
“But you couldn’t see who it was?” Alex asked. Liz shook her head, “All I could tell was that it was a man’s hands, that’s all I could see. It was like I was seeing what he saw.”
“Eyes of Lara Mars!” Maria exclaimed. As eyes turned towards her and stared, she said in exasperation, “Don’t any of you ever watch the movie channel? Lara Mars is one of my mom’s favorites, and this is just like it.” Looking at Liz, she said, “Faye Dunaway plays Lara Mars, a fashion photographer who develops psychic abilities when a serial killer starts a killing spree. But the twist is – she can only see out of the killer’s eyes as he is committing the murders.” Maria pointed at her own eyes.
Isabel looked at Maria, “But Liz didn’t see it when it happened, she saw it now when she picked up the syringe.”
“Mere technicality,” Maria insisted with a wave of her hand, “she still saw out of someone else’s eyes.”
“I think I’ve read about something similar.” Michael stated. This brought about even more surprised looks. “What? You guys think I can’t read?” an offended Michael glared.
“Go ahead, Michael,” Maria encouraged.
“There was this documentary on cable about historical weapons. I found it interesting, so I started reading some articles. Anyway, I read about this phenomenon where someone with psychic ability picks up an old weapon, and actually sees an image from the past. They actually saw a scene of the past involving that weapon or some other old object. It’s called ‘psychometry’.”
Isabel pondered out loud, “So maybe what we have here is a psychic combination – Liz picked up the syringe and experienced this psycho meter thing…”
“Psychometry.” Michael reiterated.
“Whatever.” Isabel shrugged, “but the vision she got was a view out of the other someone’s vision.” Suddenly Isabel looked at Liz in horror, “His vision…out of his eyes! Omigod, Liz, that means you saw…you saw…”
“Naked Tess?” Michael smirked.
Liz slowly nodded, as Maria gave an exaggerated shudder. “Oh, gross. That is just wrong in so many ways.”
Kyle held up his hands, “Please, I never want to hear the words ‘naked’ and ‘Tess’ in the same sentence ever again.”
With his arm around Liz, Max looked down at her face, “Liz, are you sure you feel alright?”
She shrugged, “I do feel a little dizzy. I just need to sit down for a minute.” She sank down to sit on the floor. Soon the others had all pulled up a piece of floor.
Max sat behind Liz pulling her to sit between his legs, wrapping his arms around her. Leaning back against Max, Liz admitted, “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. First, there was the lightning bug stuff, then being able to open the chamber door, and now this. Even though I knew you had changed me,” she turned her head to look at Max with a troubled smile, “I never imagined that I would actually turn into one of you.”
At Liz’s alarmed expression, Tyler spoke up, “Liz, you are not turning into an alien. You do not have any alien DNA. The powers you are developing are human in nature.” He looked at Max, “In fact all of your powers are human.”
“That’s what Nasedo told me, when we rescued Max from the White Room.” Michael told Tyler. “He said that we were engineered to do everything the human brain is capable of doing, just programmed several thousand years ahead of mankind.”
Valenti looked a bit alarmed, “Max has healed Kyle twice, does this mean that Kyle will develop powers, too?”
Kyle looked around, “You mean I might start crackling like tinfoil in a microwave someday?”
Tyler shrugged, “I don’t know, Kyle. Perhaps Liz’s change was because she had such a high fever, or maybe it’s directly linked with her bond to Max, but you should be aware that Max’s healing could lead to some changes in you some day.”
Sera slipped her hand into Kyle’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Kyle, if anything ever happens, I know you can handle it. And I’ll be here.”
Tyler reminded them, “Let’s not forget the information that Liz’s vision gives us, and that’s the fact that someone else was involved with Tess in finding and using those samples. We need to find out who it is and why they wanted Tess pregnant with Max’s child. One thing is for sure, whoever he is, he knows everything about the three of you, maybe all of us.”
“What about that other alien?” Maria asked, “The one who saved Liz?”
“But why would he save Liz if he’s in cahoots with Tess?” Michael wondered.
“Because he had no choice.” Tyler answered. “From his actions and what Maria heard him say, I would assume that he is a protector.” Tyler turned to Max, “Even though it’s true that the four of you are not the same people as your Antarian donors, you do all have their genetic DNA and some Antarian characteristics are a natural part of your genetic makeup, such as you bonding with Liz. Your original protectors were programmed to protect the Royal 4, and Liz is now considered a part of that.”
“But you said I don’t have any alien DNA.” Liz reminded Tyler.
Tyler smiled, “But Max does, he has the DNA of the King, and as such he has chosen you as his Queen.”
“Hey, how did he do that, anyway?” Alex asked, “Doesn’t Tess have the alien DNA of the Queen?”
“Yes, she does.” Tyler looked at Max and Liz, “But although Max and Tess were created from the DNA of King Zan and Queen Avarina, they are not connected to each other. After all, the four of you were created as new beings, genetically engineered from both human and alien DNA.”
“I get it,” Maria looked at Liz, “Max is not Zan, he just has a part of Zan inside him. And that part of Zan, the alien characteristic, is what prompted Max to declare you, his sweetiepatootie, as his Queen.”
Max smiled down at Liz, pressing a light kiss on her temple.
Isabel speculated, “So this other alien is obligated to protect us, including Liz, even though he may be Tess’s partner in crime.”
“It would appear so.” Tyler concurred.
“Damn,” Michael groused, as he rubbed at his temples, “this has been a hell of a weekend. I think my brain is on overload.”
“Michael’s right,” Max agreed, “We’ve had had a lot to absorb. Let’s just all go home, try and relax this evening. Besides we have school tomorrow.”
Kyle began to laugh, “Unknown aliens, betraying bitches, Holy Grails and a psychic Liz, and His Highness is worried about being late for school?”
Alex grinned, “Ironic, ain’t it?”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 51
After retrieving their belongings from Michael’s apartment, everyone went their separate ways, leaving just Michael and Maria behind.
Maria stepped up to encircle her arms around Michael’s neck. “Hey, Spaceboy, I left the Jetta at home earlier. Think you could give me ride?”
“Sure. Do you have to go right now?” He asked sliding his arms around her waist.
“Actually, I was hoping I could take a shower first,” Maria answered running her fingers along his ear. “I feel kind of grungy from that trek to the desert.”
“Sh...shower?” Michael swallowed hard as he envisioned Maria, in the shower… naked, with water sliding over her body… naked and wet. “Um, yeah, okay.”
Feeling his reaction pressing into her stomach, Maria slid her hand down to cup his hardness. At Michael’s quick intake of breath, she whispered against his lips, “Besides, I thought you could disprove my theory that aliens have penis envy.”
She darted to the bathroom laughing, with a grinning Michael hot on her heels. Soon a very naked and wet Maria was moaning in the shower as Michael proved he had no reason to be envious at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex sat propped up on his bed playing his guitar when from the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow cross over his window. Setting the guitar aside, he rose just as he heard a tap on the window glass. Pulling back the curtain, he saw Isabel. Opening the window and helping her inside, he grinned as he shook his head, “What is it with you Evanses and windows? Were you frightened by a doorbell as a child?”
Isabel grinned as she sat on the side of the bed, “We do have a tendency to avoid parental units whenever possible.” Pointing at his guitar, “What were you playing?” Alex shrugged, “Nothing special, just fooling around.” As Alex sat beside her, “I thought you were going to take it easy tonight? Just stay home and rest?”
Shrugging she said, “I did lay down, but I couldn’t rest, what with everything we learned this weekend swirling through my brain.”
Alex nodded, “I know what you mean. Learning what Tess did to Kyle, and what Pierce did to Max was boggling enough, but toss in Sera and Tyler, the Granolith and LizzieVision, and it’s mind blowing.”
With a look of ewwww, Isabel replied, “Poor Liz, of all things to get a vision of, I’m sure she wishes she could forget that part.”
“Yep, it’s right up there on the Yuck-o-Meter.” Alex agreed.
Isabel reached over for the guitar, “Would you play something for me?”
Taking the guitar, Alex lightly strummed, “Any requests?” She shook her head, “Anything’s fine with me.”
Isabel smiled as she recognized the opening strains, “Will you sing it to me?”
As he continued to play, he raised an eyebrow, “Now, you know Maria’s the one with the voice, not me.” But when she looked at him with puppy dog eyes, “Okay, but you’ve been warned.”
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way You Love Me All The Time
Maybe I'm Afraid Of The Way I Love You
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way You Pulled Me Out Of Time
And Hung Me On A Line
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way I Really Need You
He sang softly, his voice was husky and little coarse, but to Isabel it was beautiful ~
Maybe I'm A Man And Maybe I'm A Lonely Man
Who's In The Middle Of Something
That He Doesn't Really Understand
Maybe I'm A Man And Maybe You're The Only Woman
Who Could Ever Help Me
Baby Won't You Help Me Understand
* (Paul McCartney)
The words Alex sang struck a chord in Isabel. She gave him a bittersweet smile as she put her hand over his, stopping his playing. “That was wonderful, Alex.” As he sat the guitar aside, he said, “But…?”
Isabel stood and walked over to stand in front of his desk, idly pushing items around. “When Max healed Liz that day in the Crashdown, a connection formed between them. I know she loves Max, but Liz never really had a choice, she was sucked into the alien abyss that day. And now she’s changing.” Looking down at her hands, she told him, “But you…you and Maria do have a choice. You can still leave here, Alex, go to MIT or some other university.” As she turned to face him, Alex just looked at her. She swallowed hard, and managed to say, “Why, with your skills you could easily be the next Bill Gates.”
As Alex looked at her shaky smile and the tears in her eyes, he softly asked, “Isabel, are you asking me to leave Roswell? To leave you?”
“I just… I just want you to be safe… and happy. It’s not too late for you.”
Alex rose to brush the tears from her cheeks, “I can’t speak for Maria, but,” he whispered. “It’s way too late for me. It was too late for me the day we stood in the Christmas village and you told me that you loved me. I couldn’t believe my ears, until I noticed that you had missed three burnt out bulbs. Then I knew it had to be love.” As a grinning Alex wrapped his arms around her, Isabel declared, “Oh, Alex,” laughing and crying at the same time, “I do love you. But I don’t ever want you to wake up and feel that you’re caught in a trap.”
Pressing a kiss to her temple, “If loving you is being caught in a trap, then I hope to God that I never escape.” Turning her face to his, their lips met and Alex proceeded to show her just how much he loved her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a long warm soak in the tub, Liz padded into the Parker’s kitchen dressed in pink plaid flannel sleep shorts and a pink baby tee with an unbuttoned knee length sleep shirt worn as a cover-up. Her hair was piled up on her head, loose tendrils falling around her face and neck.
“Liz?” She pulled her head from the fridge to see her dad standing in the doorway. “Oh, Dad. Did I wake you?”
“No, honey, I was just about to turn in. Are you hungry? I can fix something.” Mr. Parker offered.
“No, I’m not very hungry, I just wanted some milk, but thanks anyway.” She poured some milk in a glass, “Actually, I was about to turn in myself. I’m sort of tired out from our hiking trip in the desert today.” She smiled at over her shoulder, “Beautiful scenery, but sore legs.”
As she walked past him, headed back to her room, he pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the forehead, “Sweet dreams, Lizzie.” “Thanks, Daddy.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After closing her bedroom door, she sat the glass of milk down on the bureau, and removing her cover-up, looked at herself in the mirror. Contemplatively, she reached up and touched her cheek.
A tap, tap, tap interrupted her ruminations. She turned to the window to see Max looking in from the balcony. He slid the window open and eased into her room. Walking up behind her, he slipped his arms around her waist and nodded at her in the mirror. “Nice looking couple, don’t you think?” Their reflections smiled at each other.
“You looked pretty serious when I came up, are you sure you feel okay?” He worried.
“Yeah,” She shrugged, “I know it sounds stupid, but it just seems that I should be able to see a difference.”
With a smile Max raised his fingers up behind her head in a V mimicking antennae, “like this?”
Brushing her hand across her blushing cheek, Liz turned to face him with a chagrined smile, “Something like that.”
Max’s smile faded and his expression turned serious as he took Liz by the hand and led her over to sit beside him on the foot of the bed. “Liz, that’s not stupid at all. Changes have been happening to you, to your body, and it’s my fault.” Liz shook her head, and softly said, “Max, no.”
He looked at the little diamond on her finger and rubbed his thumb across it, “I’m serious, Liz. I never meant for your life to be turned upside down. All I’ve ever wanted was to be normal and have a chance for a normal life with you, instead I’ve taken all normalcy from your life.”
She smiled and echoed his words from the past, “What’s so great about normal?”
Max shook his head, “Liz, don’t… I…” She pressed her fingers to his lips, “No, Max, you ‘don’t.’ Liz slipped her arm around his waist, and he wrapped his around her as she rubbed her face against his shoulder. “Don’t you understand by now how special you are? If you had been ‘normal’, I’d have died that day in the Crashdown. You didn’t take anything away from my life, Max, you gave it to me.”
She looked up at him with those beautiful doe eyes, “Max, by all rights, not only should I have died that day in the Crashdown, but there was the bus accident and then being hit by that car. There have been times when I’ve felt that I’m living on borrowed time, that fate is out to get me.” Then a bit of abashedly, she smiled, “But then again, maybe fate is trying to tell me that I’m special, too. That I’m meant to be here – here with you.”
Max cupped her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. With a voice husky with emotion, he whispered, “You are an amazing woman, Liz Parker, and I promise, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you never regret choosing me.” Leaning over, he caught her lips with his. As their kisses grew more passionate, they fell backward on the bed. Liz ran her hands down his chest, and with a sexy glint in her eyes, “You know, I can actually think of a few ways you could show me your gratitude.”
“Is that a fact?” With a grin, Max waved his hand towards Liz’s dresser and several candles caught flame. Snapping his fingers the other lights went out, and he stretched out over her pressing his body against hers. As she felt his hardness against her thigh, she wrapped her arms around him and sighed against his mouth, “I love you.” As he kissed her deeply, his tongue swirling with hers, his hands were busy as they ran up the back of her tee pushing it up. He broke off their kiss to pull her tee over her head. Her dark eyes sparkled in the candlelight, and her skin glowed soft and supple. “I love you, too, Liz.”
He caressed her body, cupping a plump little breast, its hardened nipple pressing into his palm. Moving his lips down her jaw, “and want you,” down her neck, “and need you,” and down further to lick her other nipple, “and worship you,” he rolled the delicious little berry with his tongue as his thumb flicked its twin. Liz moaned her approval as he sucked it into his mouth.
Moving his mouth over to give equal attention to her other breast, he slipped a hand down her stomach, sliding inside her sleep shorts, his breath hitching as he discovered that she wasn’t wearing any panties. Max kissed his way from her breasts down her flat stomach, circling his tongue around her navel, sliding off the bed and onto his knees, pulling her shorts off. Liz fisted her hands in the sheets as Max gave her the most intimate of kisses. Through a haze of pleasure, Liz’s head thrashed from side to side, her hips undulating as Max dipped his tongue inside her. As the pressure built, “Max, oh God, Max,” she whimpered. Max inserted his fingers inside her passage, massaging her inner walls as he licked and nipped at her. When he felt the first tremors begin, he gave his fingers a slight alien boost as he sucked hard on her little bundle of nerves. Liz grit her teeth as her orgasm rushed through her, trying to stay silent, knowing her parents were just on the other side of the apartment.
As Liz lay on the bed, her body still shuddering, Max rose to tear off his own clothing. When Max kissed her, Liz could taste her essence on his lips. She ran her hands across his chest, around his back and down to clasp his firm butt as he lay cradled between her thighs. “Max, please,” Liz pleaded as she reached down to try and guide him into her still throbbing core. “Just a minute, baby,” he reached for his pants. As he sank to the hilt, he stilled his body, savoring the feel of Liz wrapped around him, inside and out.
Bracing his weight, he looked down at Liz, taking in her hair spread on the pillows, her lips puffy from his kisses, and her eyes almost black with passion as she gazed back at him. He smoothed her hair back and pressed his forehead against hers as their connection flowed between them. Feeling her love flow through him, he knew without a doubt that he was indeed the love of her life, just as she was his. He slowly began moving within her, long slow strokes, building rapidly faster and harder until their passion reached a crescendo that rocked them both. When Liz would have cried out, Max smothered her cries with his kisses as their bodies shook together in their climax.
As night gave way to the beginnings of dawn, Liz Parker gazed at the sleeping form lying beside her. As a smile crossed face she thought, “Who knew that the shy boy who was afraid to step out from behind the tree would be such an incredible lover?” Unable to resist, she ran a finger down his nose.
Lashes lifted as sleepy amber eyes looked at her, “Hi,” he whispered. “Hi, yourself,” she pushed his ruffled hair off his forehead. He asked her, “What are you smiling about?”
“I was just thinking, it’s always the quiet ones.” At his look of confusion, she laughed softly as she leaned over to place a sweet kiss on his lips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC
Chapter 52
The following day at school, the gang met at their usual table for lunch in the quad. Liz had brought a mini-cooler from the diner filled with subs to share with her friends. Alex and Isabel had made a run for fries at the school cafeteria, while Maria and Michael hit the vending machines for sodas.
Kyle walked up to the table, good naturedly grumbling, “Isn’t it bad enough that my girl isn’t even at this school, but I have to watch you guys canoodling, too?”
Looking up from feeding Alex some of her fries, and indignant Isabel responded, “We are not canoodling.”
“Actually, Isabel,” Maria grinned as she and Liz split a turkey sub, “I believe hand feeding is a first cousin of the canoodle.”
Rolling his eyes, Kyle sat down, to immediately be interrogated by the girls. “Sooo, tell Auntie Maria, any canoodling with Sera last night?”
As Liz handed him a sandwich, he said, “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” immediately taking a big bite.
Isabel gave him a disbelieving look, “Are you telling me that you and Serena didn’t see each other last night?”
Shaking his head as he swallowed, “Actually, she and Tyler joined Dad and me for dinner and we grilled steaks. Sera made this garlic mayo salad dressing, and it was damn good, and I don’t even like salad.” As Maria and Isabel shared a look, an oblivious Kyle looked around at the guys, “Hey, did you guys know that Tyler is a Colorado Rockies fan? Anyway, it was nice.”
“Nice?” Maria exclaimed, “Dinner with your dad and her ‘cousin’, talking baseball, and you made her cook?”
Alex, Max and Michael having decided that silence was the better part of valor, quietly munched on their subs.
“Maria, it wasn’t like that.” Kyle retorted, “She offered.”
“Kyle Valenti, Sera has probably already scoped out new guys over on campus.” Maria grumbled, “and after all my hard work getting the two of you together.”
Kyle defended himself, “Sitting down to dinner last night was the first feeling of normal I’ve had in ages, Maria. No headaches, no weird images of Tess in my head, no alien voodoo, just good food and conversation. And yes, damn it, it was nice.”
As silence fell, Isabel softly said, “Oh, Kyle.” Maria looked down and whispered, “I’m sorry, Kyle. I didn’t think...” Kyle reached over and awkwardly patted her hand, “No, Maria, I know you just care about us, but Sera and I have to do things our own way.”
Feeling bad for snapping at Maria, Kyle told her, “Look, the evening wasn’t a total fam-fest. Tyler left not long after dinner, then Dad turned in early, so Sera and I caught some television and then I drove her home later.”
Liz propped her chin in her hand, and with a grin asked, “So, what did you watch?”
“Watch?”
“Yeah, Valenti, what show did you guys watch?” Max joined in the teasing.
Shifting on the bench, Kyle mumbled, “Uh, just that show, the one on cable. You know, those chicks always talking about their love lives?”
“Sex in the City?” Isabel grinned, “You watched Sex in the City with Sera?”
Alex wiggled his eyebrows, “Did you learn anything new?”
As Kyle made a face and stuck his tongue out at Alex and Isabel, Liz teased, “And after watching that show you just drove her home?”
Kyle grinned and as he snitched one of Liz’s fries, admitted, “Well, there might have been a canoodle or two.”
“Oooh,” Maria gushed, “come ‘on, girlfriend, spill.”
Exaggeratingly batting his eyelashes, Kyle simpered in a falsetto voice, “A lady never kisses and tells.”
Across the quad a nondescript young man watched the group at the table as they shared lunch, talking and laughing. Although he was unable to hear their words, it was plain that camaraderie existed in the group. He turned and left the area.
Back at the table, Max grinned, “As much as I would love to continue to torment Kyle,” he looked over at Isabel, “last night Isabel and Alex teamed up to dreamwalk Tess.”
As the group became serious, all eyes turned to Isabel. “Any luck?” Liz asked.
Isabel nodded and took a sip of cola. “It was weird. I found her, but she wasn’t asleep. She seemed to be hiding out in some ratty motel room.”
“Could you tell where she was?” Kyle asked with a touch of fear in his voice.
“No, there was nothing to designate a location, but there were red and blue lights flashing around the edge or the curtains into the room, like from a neon sign, but I didn’t see the actual sign.” Isabel answered.
“I don’t recall any motels around Roswell with a red and blue neon sign,” Max stated, “but I’ll ask the Sheriff if he can find out if there are any nearby.”
Isabel she looked over at Liz and Maria, “You wouldn’t believe how awful Tess looks. She’s cut her hair off short and dyed it black, and she was wearing these ugly glasses and baggy clothes. She looked so haggard, that I don’t think she’s slept at all. The room was trashed with empty pizza boxes and take out containers.”
“Sounds like she’s more scared of us finding her, than we are of her coming back.” Liz surmised.
“What about her accomplice, any sign of him?” Michael asked, Isabel shook her head, “No. She was the only one there. What was strange is that I knew she wasn’t asleep, but she didn’t seem to realize that I was even there.”
“Your dreamwalking abilities must be evolving.” Liz speculated, “You must be able to enter a person’s subconscious state even though the person isn’t asleep.”
Maria looked between Liz and Isabel, “You know what, Isabel? You should try again, with Liz. Maybe she can boost your abilities.”
Liz smiled at Isabel and shrugged, “I still can’t turn it on and off, but we can try.”
“That’s an ability that could come in handy.” Alex squeezed Isabel’s hand.
Max looked over at Kyle, “Kyle, did the Sheriff take care of Tess being gone from school?”
“Yeah, Dad called the school this morning to say that Tess’ father was back in the country, and that she had gone to Albuquerque to visit with him. Later, he’ll just say that she decided to leave the country with him.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Michael commented.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Max sat in English class that afternoon, he was supposed to be reading an assignment given out by the substitute teacher. Instead, he was staring at the back of Liz’ head as she sat a few rows in front of him. Dressed in a beige skirt, brown suede boots and a white button down oxford shirt, with her hair twisted at the back of her neck, Liz looked downright prim and proper, but Max knew just how improper she could be when they were alone. After all, he grinned, he still had the scratch marks on his back to prove it. Sure, he could have easily healed them, but he liked having the proof of her passion on his body. Max drifted off into Lizland, remembering how she had looked the night before.
Max had been lying back on Liz’s bed with her straddled over him, his hands guiding her hips, her breasts bobbing slightly as she rode him. Candlelight reflected off her glistening skin as she tossed her head back and forth, her long dark locks hanging down. He had watched her face as she closed her eyes while she moaned with pleasure, and he had never wanted it to end. Then she had opened her eyes, a picture of wanton beauty, smiling as she had rubbed her hands up his chest, leaning over to press her mouth to his. It had taken all his control not to explode inside her before she reached her own peak. God, was there anything on this earth or any other better than being buried deep inside of Liz Parker?
Kyle sat at his desk beside Max, bored with their reading assignment. He looked over and rolled his eyes at the glazed expression on Max’s face as he stared at Liz. “Damn,” he thought, “Goner doesn’t even begin to describe Evans.” Then his eyes widened and he hid a smile behind his hand as he noticed a certain effect Max’s thoughts were having on him.
Max was rudely startled out of his memories when Kyle punched him in the arm and passed him a note. Max’s face blushed flame red when he read, “Don’t look now, but there’s a party in your pants.”
Shifting uncomfortably, Max avoided looking at a grinning Kyle. Finally, the bell rang, and Max grabbed Liz’s hand and headed straight for the Eraser Eoom. As they left the classroom, Liz half running to match Max’s steps, Kyle’s laughter rang out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Max pulled a surprised Liz along, pushing their way around the students the hall, “Max, where are we going?” Max reached for the door to the Eraser Room and pulled, but nothing happened. As he twisted the door handle, he heard a rough, “Get Lost!” followed by a muffled feminine giggle.
Liz looked at Max and grinned, “Is that Michael and Maria?”
But Max was looking around, then they were off down the corridor, “Max, what in the world?” Max jerked the door to the janitor’s closet open, and locked it behind them. “Max, what is go…upmph” Liz found her mouth suddenly occupied by Max’s lips and tongue, as he devoured her. Max clutched her to him grasping her behind as he ground his hardness against her.
As he pulled her skirt up Liz tore her mouth from his, “Max,” she gasped, “we’re in school.” “I know,” he answered sliding his lips down her jaw. Her head fell back when he began to suck on her neck. “We…we can’t do this.” Liz whispered, but Max’s desires fired her own, and she tugged at the fastening of his pants. They fell around his ankles to be joined by his boxers. Max ripped off Liz’s panties and lifted her up to pin her against the wall as he sank into her welcoming depths. “Oh, God, Max,” Liz panted, “we’re going to get caught,” she clung to Max. “Ummhmm” he murmured. Their mouths and tongues dueled as he grabbed her bottom pumping up and down, as she wrapped her legs around him, her suede boots caressing his backside. Their blood seemed to pulse through their bodies in rhythm to their thrusts. It was hot, fast and wild and they both quickly reached explosive climaxes. Max’s knees gave out and he sank to the floor holding Liz close, his body still joined with hers.
Shuddering as small tremors still shook their bodies, Liz was the first to regain the ability speak. Still draped around Max, feeling disconcerted as she whispered, “My God, Max. What was that?”
“I don’t know.” He pressed his forehead against hers, “I was sitting in class, remembering last night, and it just swept over me, it was almost uncontrollable.”
“Almost?” she grinned with a raised eyebrow. Max looked her with concern, “Liz, are you okay? I mean, I wasn’t too rough, was I?” At Max’s reddened cheeks and flustered look, Liz cupped his face in her hands, “Max, no. That was incredible.” She looked around the room added, “Totally unexpected, but incredible all the same.”
As they struggled up off the floor, Liz began to giggle. “Max, look at your pants.” Max glanced down to see his pants and boxers wound around his ankles.” Joining her in laughter, he pulled his pants up. Then he grinned and pointed upwards. Liz looked up to see her torn panties dangling from the light fixture. Max retrieved and repaired them, and once they were both presentable, they slipped out of the janitor’s closet. As they walked hand in hand down the hallway, the only evidence of their recent activity was the smiles on their faces.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 48
When Kyle and Sera arrived at his house, they entered to find Valenti sitting in front of the television. Valenti seemed surprised to see Sera with Kyle as he hopped up, tucking in his shirt and slipping his shoes back on. After exchanging pleasantries, Sera excused herself to ‘powder her nose’, and nodded to Kyle.
“Dad, you’d better sit down.” Kyle told him. As Valenti looked at him apprehensively, he asked, “What’s happened now?” He was even more surprised when Kyle filled him in on Sera and Tyler’s secret. Valenti looked at Kyle with concern on his face, “Son, I know you and Sera had been getting closer, but you’ve just gone through a very traumatic experience. Shouldn’t you take a step back, especially now?”
“You didn’t see my reaction last night, I freaked. I even accused her of being one of the enemy.” Kyle shook his head with a smile, “I know that what Tess did wasn’t my fault, that I was manipulated. But I still had sex with her, Dad, and now she might even be pregnant.” Kyle looked towards the hallway, “If anyone should be wanting to back off, it’s Sera.”
“But, Kyle…” Valenti started, only to be interrupted, “Dad, she and I talked a lot last night. I can’t explain it, but when I’m with Sera, it just feels right. Please don’t make her feel weird or unwelcome.”
Valenti looked at Kyle and realized he was seeing his son on the verge of manhood. Sighing he nodded, “Okay, son. It’s just that after Tess, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
After Sera returned to the living room, Valenti offered to make some coffee. When he went to the kitchen, Kyle said, “I guess we should look for that picture.” He and Sera went to Tess’s room. Looking around at the mess she left behind, he said, “I gave my room to Tess when she moved in, but I don’t know if I can ever sleep in here again.” Sera slipped her hand into his and with a comforting smile. “Maybe we could paint and you could get some different furniture in here – that is, after we fumigate.” Kyle laughed, “Yeah, maybe.”
Over hearing Kyle laugh, Valenti thought to himself, “Maybe Sera is just the medicine Kyle needs after all.” He called out, “Coffee’s ready.”
As they sat at the table, Kyle told his dad, “We need a picture of Tess so Isabel can try and dreamwalk her, but she must have taken that Christmas album with her.” Valenti told him, “I have a framed picture of the three of us at my office. I need to drop by the station anyway, so you can come by and get it.” Looking at Sera he asked her, “What about you, Sera, can you do the dreamwalk like Isabel, or heal like Max?”
Sera shook her head, “No, I have all the standard abilities that the four of them have, their normal powers like manipulating molecular structures,” she reached over and touched the salt shaker, turning it form white to red and then back again, “but while they had special gifts encoded into their makeup, I didn’t.”
She blushed prettily when Kyle told her, “Don’t sell yourself short, I think you’re very special.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A couple hours later, Max and Liz were side by side on Michael’s couch, feet propped on the coffee table, as Max read through the translation Alex had printed out earlier. Alex’s computer skills with the ‘borrowed programs” from Las Cruces had not only rendered a readable translation, but some of the symbols in the book had translated into diagrams; one being the Granolith itself.
Max discussed what he was reading. “Most of what we learned from Sera and Tyler is included here. They were right, it seems that our main purpose in being created was so the Royal House of Antar could continue its vigilance in guarding and defending the Granolith.” He looked over at Michael sympathetically, “I’m sorry, Michael, it doesn’t look like we were ever supposed to go back there.”
Michael just shrugged, as he looked over at Maria. “I had kind of let go of that notion anyway, Maxwell.” Earning him a big hug and smack on the lips from Maria.
Max smiled at Liz and put his arm around her, “I have to admit, I actually feel relieved. I know the only home I want is here with you.” Liz leaned in bestowing a sweet kiss on him.
As Alex looked up from where he was packing up his equipment, he noticed Isabel wore a pensive look as she looked at the floor, he felt a pang that she seemed to be disappointed. Did she still want to go back there, to leave him? He walked over to lay his hand on her shoulder, quietly telling her, “I’m sorry, Isabel. I know that you had hopes of someday going back, seeing your real mother.”
At his words she shook her head, “What? Oh, Alex.” She stood up to wrap her arms around his neck. “I’m happy here, with you, and my family and friends. I was just realizing that somehow Tess must have faked that orb message.” She looked at Max with a look of sorrow, “In fact, I don’t think that was our real mother at all.”
Max nodded solemnly, “I think you may be right. Her image indicated that the four of us were to be paired off, like Tess and Nasedo kept claiming, and that we were to go back and save them, but that conflicts with the translation and what Sera and Tyler told us.”
Maria spoke up, “I bet that creepy Nasedo told Tess to do it and gave her the information. As a so-called protector, he’d have known your backstory. But I’m betting he never knew what that book said, thus the contradiction.”
Liz looked over at Isabel with sympathy, “I know you’re disappointed, Isabel, but you do have a real mother, one who loves both of you very much. I’ve heard her tell my mom how the two of you were her little miracles.”
Isabel nodded. “I know, and I love her and Daddy very much, it’s just …,” as she began to tear up, she shook her head, “I’m sorry.”
Alex wrapped his arms around Isabel as she leaned in to him, “Shhhh, Isabel, it’s alright to be sad.”
Michael cleared his throat, uncomfortable with all the talk of families. “Maxwell, what else does the translation say?”
Max continued, “There are some passages here regarding the possibility that in order to defend the Granolith, we might actually have to use it as a weapon. I’ll have to study up on that. Because I have the DNA of the king, I’m the only member of the royals who can operate the Granolith.”
Michael rolled his eyes, “Figures.”
“Wait,” Max said in surprise, “according to this, I’m supposed to have some kind of seal in my brain.” He instinctively reached up to touch his head.
“A seal?” Liz asked, “What kind of seal?”
“Here’s a diagram.” Max pointed, “It looks like the V formation made up of five small circles.” Michael walked over to look, “Yeah, that looks like the cave map after I put the healing stones into it.”
“It looks like we all have this seal, only mine’s active and the other three are dormant.” Max looked around, “I guess if I died, then one of you would become active.”
A rush of fear stabbed Liz, and she grabbed Max’s arm, “Max! Don’t even think that.”
“Honey, it’s okay.” He assured her, “I don’t plan on going anywhere without a hell of a fight.”
Isabel looked alarmed, “So if something happened to all three of us, that would leave Tess in charge of the Granolith?”
Michael shook his head, “I’ll kill her myself, before I let that happen.”
“But first we have to find her.” Isabel reminded him.
Flipping the page, Max did a double-take at the small object shown along side the Granolith, he asked, “Alex, did you happen to see this illustration of the Granolith?” “Yeah, Max, why?”
“Um, did you see this thing that’s supposed to be the key? Looks like a piece of crystal or quartz.” Max pointed out with his finger.
“Key?” Michael asked, “You mean we just crank the thing up?”
Isabel smiled, “Somehow, I don’t think it’s that simple, Michael.”
Maria wandered behind the couch and leaned over Max’s shoulder looking at the drawing. “Omigod!” she began to laugh, “that’s not a Crystal Key, that’s a Crystal Dildo!”
As everyone took a look, Isabel rolled her eyes, “Why is it that regardless of species, men are always obsessed by phallic symbols?”
Maria walked over and removed her keychain from her purse, the one with a little green alien figure. As she held it up, she pointed and said, “I’m guessing the Antarians just had penis envy, seeing as they don’t seem to have any of their own.”
Liz, Maria and Alex all laughed, and Isabel joined in while Max and Michael wore offended faces. Liz leaned over to kiss Max’s frown and whispered, “Awww, baby, you know you have nothing to worry about.”
While Maria continued to giggle, Michael glared. “Stop – Stop – My sides are splitting.” Looking back at Max, he asked, “So does it tell where this ‘key’ is at?”
Max flipped through the pages, “I don’t think so, maybe it’s hidden there in the pod chamber. We should ride out there later and look around.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After everyone met up at Michael’s, they were soon on their way out to the pod chamber. Max led the way in the jeep with Liz, Isabel and Alex, followed by the Sheriff, Kyle, Sera and Tyler in the Sheriff’s SUV, while Michael and Maria brought up the rear on Michael’s motorcycle.
Isabel looked back at the others, then she looked at Max, “Gee, Max, do you think we could be more conspicuous? We’re a convoy for crying out loud.”
Max just shrugged, “Hey, everyone wanted to come.”
Alex chimed in, “I admit I’m curious. Unlike Liz and Maria, I’ve never seen the pod chamber.” He took Isabel’s hand in his and with a smile, “I’d like to see where you were born.” She smiled back and squeezed his hand.
Everyone trudged up the mountain path to the pod chamber entrance. Max waved his hand across the rock face, and the silver handprint appeared. Just as he was about to open the cave, he stopped and waved his hand again and the handprint disappeared.
“Max, what are you doing?” Michael asked.
“I just want to test something.” He then had each of them wave their hand over the rock face. Nothing happened when Maria, Alex, and Valenti tried. Sera and Tyler, as expected were able to gain access, as were Isabel and Michael.
“Kyle”, Max said, “Since you have been healed, let’s see what happens with you.” Kyle waved his hand, but nothing. Max nodded, “I’m not surprised, Kyle. Even though I’ve healed you, you haven’t experienced the high fever that Liz did.”
Then it was Liz’s turn. She waved her hand and felt a tingle of surprise when the silver hand print appeared. She looked uncertainly at Max, he gave her a smile and nodded. She pressed her hand against the print on the rock face, and the cave opened. Max took her hand and led her inside as the others followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 49
As they entered the pod chamber, they all looked around. Affixed to the wall, hung the tattered remains of the pods. Those seeing them for the first time looked at them in awe. “Wow” whispered Sheriff Valenti as he removed his hat from his head. “Ditto,” said Kyle.
Isabel and Alex walked to stand before the pods, “So this is where you were born,” he murmured. As Isabel took his hand, she pointed an upper pod, “This one was mine, with Michael’s beside me. Max and Tess were in the bottom two.”
Tyler and Sera inspected the pod remains. “Interesting, they look so primitive,” Tyler observed. Then he looked embarrassed, “Oh, I just meant that you had to fight your way out. I didn’t mean to…” Max waved him off with a smile, “I’m guessing that Sera’s pod was a bit more sophisticated?” Tyler nodded. Then he bent over to look at the two lower pods. “This is a bit odd.”
“What is it?” Max asked, Michael and Isabel moved closer to look at the pods.
“It’s just that this lower pod looks a bit out of place. See how these three are tightly joined?” And he pointed out the tightness of the upper pods and where the lower right pod joined the one above it. “But there is some separation with this one.” Tyler pointed to the small gap between the left pod and the one beside it and the one above it. “Max, which is yours?”
“The one on the right is mine. The left one is Tess’s.”
Liz walked up to Max and touched his shoulder, “Max, remember how you guys had different memories of hatching, then Tess came along and you all remembered it differently?”
Max then relayed the two different memories to Tyler and Sera. Sera just shook her head, “Curiouser and curiouser.”
“Nasedo!” Maria declared, as the others gathered around the pods. “He must have planted her here after the three of you hatched, and Tess warped you all into having a false memory. She’s a fake!”
As Isabel shook her head, her blond ponytail swayed. “But Tess’s picture is in the alien book. That proves she’s definitely one of us.”
“Oh, yeah,” Maria said with disappointment.
“Wait a minute.” Alex said, “Maybe you’re both right.” As all eyes turned to him, he continued, “Tess’s story was that the three of you were already gone when she hatched, but that Nasedo was waiting here for her. Now, let’s suppose that is true. But what if Nasedo put her pod here after the three of you left? That would explain your first memories and the not quite correct placement here.”
“The leaky pod.” Michael stated. “I told you I bet she was the leaky pod.” He explained to the others about Hal Carver, his experience as part of the ’47 investigation, seeing the small aliens who were there to retrieve the pods. “There were three pods still in the pod sack, but the fourth one had been removed and he saw that it was leaking.”
Liz picked up the speculation, “So if Tess was in the damaged pod, maybe she was taken elsewhere, while the three of you were placed here.”
Isabel questioned the pod placement, “But if only the three of us were brought here, why place Max’s pod below Michael’s, why not place them in a row?”
Liz nodded. “You’re right, Isabel. So all four of you must have been put here to begin with,” Liz pointed at each pod, “forming the foursquare. Then when Nasedo escaped from Eagle Rock he probably came here and discovered that Tess’s pod was damaged. So he took it with him, to watch over it, repair it, whatever. Then he returned it later only to find that the three of you were already gone.”
Maria finished up, “And then Tess fed you guys false memories of the three of you leaving her here alone, probably to put you guys on a guilt trip so you would accept her.”
“Works for me.” Max stated, “Unfortunately, Tess probably wouldn’t tell us the truth if she knew it, and with Nasedo dead, I doubt we’ll ever know the full story.”
Kyle looked around, “So what about this Holy Grail of yours?”
Max smiled at Tyler and Sera, “I’m guessing you are both ready to see the Granolith, too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Max led the way through the opening behind his pod, and soon everyone had crawled through to stand in a large circle staring at the Granolith. Sheriff Valenti asked softly, “How did you guys discover that this thing was in here?”
Isabel spoke up, “Actually, it was me. After Whitaker told me about ‘Vilandra’, I came out here to the pod chamber to yell at our real mother for, well, everything. I picked up a rock and tossed it towards the pods. It went through Max’s and this light came on. I crawled in here and found this.” She indicated the Granolith.
“Don’t take offense, but I was expecting something more… more religious looking.” Kyle said.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Agreed Sera. “Are we sure this is the Granolith?”
“It matches the diagrams from the alien book translation.” Alex stated.
“This is it.” Tyler said reverently. “A galaxy’s worth of knowledge is contained herein.”
Max reached up and started to lay his hand on the side of the inverted cone, when Liz grabbed his arm, “Max, no!” Startled, he turned to her, “Liz. What’s wrong?”
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry.” She stepped closer to the Granolith and gazed up at it, “It’s just that this is what took you away from me, I mean Future Max from Future Liz.”
Max moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, “Ahh, Liz.” She turned in his arms and looked up at him, “When I saw your hand reach out, I just knew how she felt.” Liz couldn’t help the tears that slid down her cheeks, “She knew that she would never see him again.”
Max held her tight and kissed her temple. “Liz, honey, I’m not going to let anything take me away from you.” With one arm around her waist and the other gently holding the back of Liz’s head, Max slowly rocked Liz back and forth.
Maria and Isabel looked at each other with compassion in their eyes. “But, Lizzie, you changed the future.” Maria soothed, “That timeline doesn’t exist anymore.”
“Maria’s right, Liz,” Isabel assured her, “those versions of ‘Max and Liz’ no longer exist, so he never had to leave her.”
Those members of the group who had never heard the story of Future Max looked on in obvious confusion. Kyle looked over at Sera, “Am I the only one confused here?” She shook her head, “No.” Kyle wiggled his hand in the air, “Um, excuse me, but Future Who?”
Tyler looked over at Max and Liz, “Liz, last night you mentioned FutureMax said the Granolith was powerful, but we all started discussing the Granolith, and I never got around to asking what you meant.”
As Liz looked up at Max, he smiled at her. Then looking over at Maria. “Maria, would you do the honors, please?”
Maria grinned, “Story time, boys and girls.” She gave Tyler, Sera, Kyle and the Sheriff the cliffnotes version of the FutureMax story.
Kyle looked at Liz in surprise, “So that’s why you came to me and asked me to help you that night? So you could save the world?”
With her eyes downcast, Liz gave a bashful nod.
“But how did this FutureMax travel back in time?” Sera wondered. “Time travel is against all the laws of science and nature. You’d have to devise a way to create a rip in the time-space continuum, and then you’d have to build a time machine, which is completely out of the realm of possibility.”
Liz grinned at her, “Don’t ask me, you’re the one who modified the Granolith.”
“Me! Modify the Granolith?” Sera was shocked.
Liz nodded, “FutureMax said that ‘Serena’, who would one day be my friend, modified the Granolith which allowed it to be used to time travel.”
Sera looked at the Granolith in amazed disbelief, “Wow.” She whispered.
Maria brought them back to the task at hand, “Okay, gang, now that we’ve all been brought up to date, let’s find that dildo.”
Michael gave her a look, “Would you please not call the Granolith Key that?”
Completely unrepentant, Maria just grinned, “Hey, I’m like an umpire, I call ‘em like I see ‘em.”
The group looked around the Granolith Chamber’s completely smooth walls; however, there did not appear to be a hiding place. Neither the walls nor the Granolith itself had any nooks or crannies. There were no knobs or pulls that might open a drawer, nothing to indicate the key was hidden there.
As Max looked around in disappointment, Sera told him. “Max, maybe you should go ahead and touch it.” She then looked over at Liz and assured her. “Since I haven’t done anything to it, we shouldn’t have to worry about Max going anywhere.”
From the time they had entered the chamber, they all had heard the slight humming sound in the room, like the buzzing of a florescent bulb. When Liz nodded at Max, he slowly reached out and as his fingertips touched the surface, the humming increased.
“Hey, Max, I think it recognizes you.” Alex observed.
A nervous Liz couldn’t help but reach out to touch Max, as though she could keep anything from happening to him. When Liz touched Max, the humming changed, it became louder almost musical.
“Wow,” Maria said, “Pretty.”
As Max pressed his hand firmly against the side of the cone, his face wore an expression of concentration. As Liz held tightly to his hand, she felt a surge of energy flow from Max. Suddenly lights around the base of the cone began to pulsate and a panel slid open. Max removed his hand and opened his eyes, to see what appeared to be a control panel with various lights and buttons, including a small blank keypad.
“Max?” Isabel asked in amazement, “How did you do that?”
Max just stared in surprise, “I’m not sure, I was just trying to concentrate and this is what happened.”
Liz softly spoke, “I felt energy flow from Max. I think it obeyed him.”
Everyone crowded around looking at the exposed panel. “Damn, no key.” Stated Michael. “But there are several slots here,” Alex observed, “so I’m guessing depending on what this thing does, you’d insert the key in one of these.”
“So, we’re still on the hunt for the Crystal…” Maria started, cut off by a glare from Michael, “Key.” She finished.
Valenti looked at his watch, “Guys, it’s starting to get late, maybe we better call it a day.”
Max nodded, then still holding Liz’s hand, reached out and once again touched the Granolith. As he concentrated, the panel slid shut.
“Amazing,” Alex declared. “There is nothing to indicate that a panel even exists. No seams, no fastenings, nothing.”
Tyler suggested that Max study the alien book translation more closely before coming back out to check out the Granolith more carefully.
One by one, they crawled back into the main pod chamber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC
Chapter 50
As they were all preparing to leave the pod chamber, Liz noticed something small lying on the floor near a ledge of rock. She walked over and leaned down, picking up what appeared to be a small syringe.
Everything went black as Liz felt the world slip away ~~
As the group began to make its way out of the pod chamber, Max noticed that Liz had wandered over near the rock ledge, and that she stood motionless, eyes staring vacantly. “Liz?” He quickly stepped over to her side and gently took her arm. She remained stiff and unmoving. “Liz!” He stated louder.
Hearing him, Isabel turned, “Max? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. It’s like she’s in some kind of trance.” He looked from Liz’s face back to Alex and Isabel, with fear in his voice, “What should I do? Do you think I should try and pull her out of it?”
“No, don’t.” Alex answered, “It might be like waking a sleepwalker, and I think that’s dangerous.”
By this time, Maria and Michael had turned back. “What’s going on?”
Isabel answered, “It’s Liz, she’s in some kind of trance.”
Maria stood in front of Liz, “Lizzie?” She waved her hand in front of Liz’s face, but there was no response.
Michael noticed Liz’s hand, “What’s that thing clutched in her hand?”
As the others filed back into the chamber, Kyle took one look at Liz and groaned, “Oh, Buddha, what now?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***Liz felt as if she were floating in midair, unable to move because she had no body. Suddenly she was aware that she was looking around the pod chamber, but she had no control over what she looked at. She saw a box with what appeared to be smoke coming out of it. No, it was a cooler filled with dry ice, and some vials in it. Then she saw Tess lying on the rock ledge, naked from the waist down. Liz was moving directly towards Tess, and she saw Tess close her eyes and turn her face away. She was horrified as she saw hands, male hands pushing Tess’s knees apart and inserting the syringe into Tess.***
“Liz?” She heard her name being called from a great distance, “Lizzie? Are you alright?”
Suddenly she was free. As she swayed, she looked down at the object in her hand, “Auggghhhhh!” she screamed and tossed it away, shaking her hand. “Omigod, omigod.” She recognized Max’s worried face, as he called her name, and she threw her arms around him, hiding her face in his chest.
Max held Liz close as she trembled, “Liz! Baby, what happened? Did you get a flash?”
“I don’t know what it was,” She looked at him and whispered hoarsely, “It was something different than our flashes.”
“Here, Liz.” Sera offered a bottle of water. Liz eased away from Max, “Thank you, Sera.” She took the bottle with her left hand and tilted the bottle to take a few sips, then surprisingly poured some of the water on her right hand. Looking at Isabel, she asked, “Isabel? Could you sterilize my hand, please?”
Max reached for her hand, “Liz, I can do that for…”
“No!” Liz backed away. At his startled look she apologized, “I’m sorry.” Reaching for Max’s hand with her left, she looked at Isabel, “Isabel, now, please? But don’t touch my hand.”
“Um, sure.” Glancing at Max in confusion, Isabel reached over to lay her hand above Liz’s. Liz felt a soothing warmth flow through her hand.
Liz whispered, “Thank you.” Then noticed that everyone looked at her with expressions of confused concern. “Max, I’m sorry, it’s just that,” she pointed to the syringe now lying across the chamber against the wall and stated. “That’s the syringe they used to put your samples in Tess.”
“Ewwwww!” cried Maria, as the others stared at the syringe with equally disgusted looks on their faces.
“Wait a minute, did you say they?” asked Alex.
Liz squeezed Max’s hand. “Max! Tess has an accomplice!” She then explained what she had seen, and the way she saw it. “It was like I was inside someone else’s body . ‘Someone’ was here with Tess, and he’s the one who put that sample in her.”
“But you couldn’t see who it was?” Alex asked. Liz shook her head, “All I could tell was that it was a man’s hands, that’s all I could see. It was like I was seeing what he saw.”
“Eyes of Lara Mars!” Maria exclaimed. As eyes turned towards her and stared, she said in exasperation, “Don’t any of you ever watch the movie channel? Lara Mars is one of my mom’s favorites, and this is just like it.” Looking at Liz, she said, “Faye Dunaway plays Lara Mars, a fashion photographer who develops psychic abilities when a serial killer starts a killing spree. But the twist is – she can only see out of the killer’s eyes as he is committing the murders.” Maria pointed at her own eyes.
Isabel looked at Maria, “But Liz didn’t see it when it happened, she saw it now when she picked up the syringe.”
“Mere technicality,” Maria insisted with a wave of her hand, “she still saw out of someone else’s eyes.”
“I think I’ve read about something similar.” Michael stated. This brought about even more surprised looks. “What? You guys think I can’t read?” an offended Michael glared.
“Go ahead, Michael,” Maria encouraged.
“There was this documentary on cable about historical weapons. I found it interesting, so I started reading some articles. Anyway, I read about this phenomenon where someone with psychic ability picks up an old weapon, and actually sees an image from the past. They actually saw a scene of the past involving that weapon or some other old object. It’s called ‘psychometry’.”
Isabel pondered out loud, “So maybe what we have here is a psychic combination – Liz picked up the syringe and experienced this psycho meter thing…”
“Psychometry.” Michael reiterated.
“Whatever.” Isabel shrugged, “but the vision she got was a view out of the other someone’s vision.” Suddenly Isabel looked at Liz in horror, “His vision…out of his eyes! Omigod, Liz, that means you saw…you saw…”
“Naked Tess?” Michael smirked.
Liz slowly nodded, as Maria gave an exaggerated shudder. “Oh, gross. That is just wrong in so many ways.”
Kyle held up his hands, “Please, I never want to hear the words ‘naked’ and ‘Tess’ in the same sentence ever again.”
With his arm around Liz, Max looked down at her face, “Liz, are you sure you feel alright?”
She shrugged, “I do feel a little dizzy. I just need to sit down for a minute.” She sank down to sit on the floor. Soon the others had all pulled up a piece of floor.
Max sat behind Liz pulling her to sit between his legs, wrapping his arms around her. Leaning back against Max, Liz admitted, “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. First, there was the lightning bug stuff, then being able to open the chamber door, and now this. Even though I knew you had changed me,” she turned her head to look at Max with a troubled smile, “I never imagined that I would actually turn into one of you.”
At Liz’s alarmed expression, Tyler spoke up, “Liz, you are not turning into an alien. You do not have any alien DNA. The powers you are developing are human in nature.” He looked at Max, “In fact all of your powers are human.”
“That’s what Nasedo told me, when we rescued Max from the White Room.” Michael told Tyler. “He said that we were engineered to do everything the human brain is capable of doing, just programmed several thousand years ahead of mankind.”
Valenti looked a bit alarmed, “Max has healed Kyle twice, does this mean that Kyle will develop powers, too?”
Kyle looked around, “You mean I might start crackling like tinfoil in a microwave someday?”
Tyler shrugged, “I don’t know, Kyle. Perhaps Liz’s change was because she had such a high fever, or maybe it’s directly linked with her bond to Max, but you should be aware that Max’s healing could lead to some changes in you some day.”
Sera slipped her hand into Kyle’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Kyle, if anything ever happens, I know you can handle it. And I’ll be here.”
Tyler reminded them, “Let’s not forget the information that Liz’s vision gives us, and that’s the fact that someone else was involved with Tess in finding and using those samples. We need to find out who it is and why they wanted Tess pregnant with Max’s child. One thing is for sure, whoever he is, he knows everything about the three of you, maybe all of us.”
“What about that other alien?” Maria asked, “The one who saved Liz?”
“But why would he save Liz if he’s in cahoots with Tess?” Michael wondered.
“Because he had no choice.” Tyler answered. “From his actions and what Maria heard him say, I would assume that he is a protector.” Tyler turned to Max, “Even though it’s true that the four of you are not the same people as your Antarian donors, you do all have their genetic DNA and some Antarian characteristics are a natural part of your genetic makeup, such as you bonding with Liz. Your original protectors were programmed to protect the Royal 4, and Liz is now considered a part of that.”
“But you said I don’t have any alien DNA.” Liz reminded Tyler.
Tyler smiled, “But Max does, he has the DNA of the King, and as such he has chosen you as his Queen.”
“Hey, how did he do that, anyway?” Alex asked, “Doesn’t Tess have the alien DNA of the Queen?”
“Yes, she does.” Tyler looked at Max and Liz, “But although Max and Tess were created from the DNA of King Zan and Queen Avarina, they are not connected to each other. After all, the four of you were created as new beings, genetically engineered from both human and alien DNA.”
“I get it,” Maria looked at Liz, “Max is not Zan, he just has a part of Zan inside him. And that part of Zan, the alien characteristic, is what prompted Max to declare you, his sweetiepatootie, as his Queen.”
Max smiled down at Liz, pressing a light kiss on her temple.
Isabel speculated, “So this other alien is obligated to protect us, including Liz, even though he may be Tess’s partner in crime.”
“It would appear so.” Tyler concurred.
“Damn,” Michael groused, as he rubbed at his temples, “this has been a hell of a weekend. I think my brain is on overload.”
“Michael’s right,” Max agreed, “We’ve had had a lot to absorb. Let’s just all go home, try and relax this evening. Besides we have school tomorrow.”
Kyle began to laugh, “Unknown aliens, betraying bitches, Holy Grails and a psychic Liz, and His Highness is worried about being late for school?”
Alex grinned, “Ironic, ain’t it?”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 51
After retrieving their belongings from Michael’s apartment, everyone went their separate ways, leaving just Michael and Maria behind.
Maria stepped up to encircle her arms around Michael’s neck. “Hey, Spaceboy, I left the Jetta at home earlier. Think you could give me ride?”
“Sure. Do you have to go right now?” He asked sliding his arms around her waist.
“Actually, I was hoping I could take a shower first,” Maria answered running her fingers along his ear. “I feel kind of grungy from that trek to the desert.”
“Sh...shower?” Michael swallowed hard as he envisioned Maria, in the shower… naked, with water sliding over her body… naked and wet. “Um, yeah, okay.”
Feeling his reaction pressing into her stomach, Maria slid her hand down to cup his hardness. At Michael’s quick intake of breath, she whispered against his lips, “Besides, I thought you could disprove my theory that aliens have penis envy.”
She darted to the bathroom laughing, with a grinning Michael hot on her heels. Soon a very naked and wet Maria was moaning in the shower as Michael proved he had no reason to be envious at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex sat propped up on his bed playing his guitar when from the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow cross over his window. Setting the guitar aside, he rose just as he heard a tap on the window glass. Pulling back the curtain, he saw Isabel. Opening the window and helping her inside, he grinned as he shook his head, “What is it with you Evanses and windows? Were you frightened by a doorbell as a child?”
Isabel grinned as she sat on the side of the bed, “We do have a tendency to avoid parental units whenever possible.” Pointing at his guitar, “What were you playing?” Alex shrugged, “Nothing special, just fooling around.” As Alex sat beside her, “I thought you were going to take it easy tonight? Just stay home and rest?”
Shrugging she said, “I did lay down, but I couldn’t rest, what with everything we learned this weekend swirling through my brain.”
Alex nodded, “I know what you mean. Learning what Tess did to Kyle, and what Pierce did to Max was boggling enough, but toss in Sera and Tyler, the Granolith and LizzieVision, and it’s mind blowing.”
With a look of ewwww, Isabel replied, “Poor Liz, of all things to get a vision of, I’m sure she wishes she could forget that part.”
“Yep, it’s right up there on the Yuck-o-Meter.” Alex agreed.
Isabel reached over for the guitar, “Would you play something for me?”
Taking the guitar, Alex lightly strummed, “Any requests?” She shook her head, “Anything’s fine with me.”
Isabel smiled as she recognized the opening strains, “Will you sing it to me?”
As he continued to play, he raised an eyebrow, “Now, you know Maria’s the one with the voice, not me.” But when she looked at him with puppy dog eyes, “Okay, but you’ve been warned.”
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way You Love Me All The Time
Maybe I'm Afraid Of The Way I Love You
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way You Pulled Me Out Of Time
And Hung Me On A Line
Maybe I'm Amazed At The Way I Really Need You
He sang softly, his voice was husky and little coarse, but to Isabel it was beautiful ~
Maybe I'm A Man And Maybe I'm A Lonely Man
Who's In The Middle Of Something
That He Doesn't Really Understand
Maybe I'm A Man And Maybe You're The Only Woman
Who Could Ever Help Me
Baby Won't You Help Me Understand
* (Paul McCartney)
The words Alex sang struck a chord in Isabel. She gave him a bittersweet smile as she put her hand over his, stopping his playing. “That was wonderful, Alex.” As he sat the guitar aside, he said, “But…?”
Isabel stood and walked over to stand in front of his desk, idly pushing items around. “When Max healed Liz that day in the Crashdown, a connection formed between them. I know she loves Max, but Liz never really had a choice, she was sucked into the alien abyss that day. And now she’s changing.” Looking down at her hands, she told him, “But you…you and Maria do have a choice. You can still leave here, Alex, go to MIT or some other university.” As she turned to face him, Alex just looked at her. She swallowed hard, and managed to say, “Why, with your skills you could easily be the next Bill Gates.”
As Alex looked at her shaky smile and the tears in her eyes, he softly asked, “Isabel, are you asking me to leave Roswell? To leave you?”
“I just… I just want you to be safe… and happy. It’s not too late for you.”
Alex rose to brush the tears from her cheeks, “I can’t speak for Maria, but,” he whispered. “It’s way too late for me. It was too late for me the day we stood in the Christmas village and you told me that you loved me. I couldn’t believe my ears, until I noticed that you had missed three burnt out bulbs. Then I knew it had to be love.” As a grinning Alex wrapped his arms around her, Isabel declared, “Oh, Alex,” laughing and crying at the same time, “I do love you. But I don’t ever want you to wake up and feel that you’re caught in a trap.”
Pressing a kiss to her temple, “If loving you is being caught in a trap, then I hope to God that I never escape.” Turning her face to his, their lips met and Alex proceeded to show her just how much he loved her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a long warm soak in the tub, Liz padded into the Parker’s kitchen dressed in pink plaid flannel sleep shorts and a pink baby tee with an unbuttoned knee length sleep shirt worn as a cover-up. Her hair was piled up on her head, loose tendrils falling around her face and neck.
“Liz?” She pulled her head from the fridge to see her dad standing in the doorway. “Oh, Dad. Did I wake you?”
“No, honey, I was just about to turn in. Are you hungry? I can fix something.” Mr. Parker offered.
“No, I’m not very hungry, I just wanted some milk, but thanks anyway.” She poured some milk in a glass, “Actually, I was about to turn in myself. I’m sort of tired out from our hiking trip in the desert today.” She smiled at over her shoulder, “Beautiful scenery, but sore legs.”
As she walked past him, headed back to her room, he pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the forehead, “Sweet dreams, Lizzie.” “Thanks, Daddy.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After closing her bedroom door, she sat the glass of milk down on the bureau, and removing her cover-up, looked at herself in the mirror. Contemplatively, she reached up and touched her cheek.
A tap, tap, tap interrupted her ruminations. She turned to the window to see Max looking in from the balcony. He slid the window open and eased into her room. Walking up behind her, he slipped his arms around her waist and nodded at her in the mirror. “Nice looking couple, don’t you think?” Their reflections smiled at each other.
“You looked pretty serious when I came up, are you sure you feel okay?” He worried.
“Yeah,” She shrugged, “I know it sounds stupid, but it just seems that I should be able to see a difference.”
With a smile Max raised his fingers up behind her head in a V mimicking antennae, “like this?”
Brushing her hand across her blushing cheek, Liz turned to face him with a chagrined smile, “Something like that.”
Max’s smile faded and his expression turned serious as he took Liz by the hand and led her over to sit beside him on the foot of the bed. “Liz, that’s not stupid at all. Changes have been happening to you, to your body, and it’s my fault.” Liz shook her head, and softly said, “Max, no.”
He looked at the little diamond on her finger and rubbed his thumb across it, “I’m serious, Liz. I never meant for your life to be turned upside down. All I’ve ever wanted was to be normal and have a chance for a normal life with you, instead I’ve taken all normalcy from your life.”
She smiled and echoed his words from the past, “What’s so great about normal?”
Max shook his head, “Liz, don’t… I…” She pressed her fingers to his lips, “No, Max, you ‘don’t.’ Liz slipped her arm around his waist, and he wrapped his around her as she rubbed her face against his shoulder. “Don’t you understand by now how special you are? If you had been ‘normal’, I’d have died that day in the Crashdown. You didn’t take anything away from my life, Max, you gave it to me.”
She looked up at him with those beautiful doe eyes, “Max, by all rights, not only should I have died that day in the Crashdown, but there was the bus accident and then being hit by that car. There have been times when I’ve felt that I’m living on borrowed time, that fate is out to get me.” Then a bit of abashedly, she smiled, “But then again, maybe fate is trying to tell me that I’m special, too. That I’m meant to be here – here with you.”
Max cupped her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. With a voice husky with emotion, he whispered, “You are an amazing woman, Liz Parker, and I promise, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you never regret choosing me.” Leaning over, he caught her lips with his. As their kisses grew more passionate, they fell backward on the bed. Liz ran her hands down his chest, and with a sexy glint in her eyes, “You know, I can actually think of a few ways you could show me your gratitude.”
“Is that a fact?” With a grin, Max waved his hand towards Liz’s dresser and several candles caught flame. Snapping his fingers the other lights went out, and he stretched out over her pressing his body against hers. As she felt his hardness against her thigh, she wrapped her arms around him and sighed against his mouth, “I love you.” As he kissed her deeply, his tongue swirling with hers, his hands were busy as they ran up the back of her tee pushing it up. He broke off their kiss to pull her tee over her head. Her dark eyes sparkled in the candlelight, and her skin glowed soft and supple. “I love you, too, Liz.”
He caressed her body, cupping a plump little breast, its hardened nipple pressing into his palm. Moving his lips down her jaw, “and want you,” down her neck, “and need you,” and down further to lick her other nipple, “and worship you,” he rolled the delicious little berry with his tongue as his thumb flicked its twin. Liz moaned her approval as he sucked it into his mouth.
Moving his mouth over to give equal attention to her other breast, he slipped a hand down her stomach, sliding inside her sleep shorts, his breath hitching as he discovered that she wasn’t wearing any panties. Max kissed his way from her breasts down her flat stomach, circling his tongue around her navel, sliding off the bed and onto his knees, pulling her shorts off. Liz fisted her hands in the sheets as Max gave her the most intimate of kisses. Through a haze of pleasure, Liz’s head thrashed from side to side, her hips undulating as Max dipped his tongue inside her. As the pressure built, “Max, oh God, Max,” she whimpered. Max inserted his fingers inside her passage, massaging her inner walls as he licked and nipped at her. When he felt the first tremors begin, he gave his fingers a slight alien boost as he sucked hard on her little bundle of nerves. Liz grit her teeth as her orgasm rushed through her, trying to stay silent, knowing her parents were just on the other side of the apartment.
As Liz lay on the bed, her body still shuddering, Max rose to tear off his own clothing. When Max kissed her, Liz could taste her essence on his lips. She ran her hands across his chest, around his back and down to clasp his firm butt as he lay cradled between her thighs. “Max, please,” Liz pleaded as she reached down to try and guide him into her still throbbing core. “Just a minute, baby,” he reached for his pants. As he sank to the hilt, he stilled his body, savoring the feel of Liz wrapped around him, inside and out.
Bracing his weight, he looked down at Liz, taking in her hair spread on the pillows, her lips puffy from his kisses, and her eyes almost black with passion as she gazed back at him. He smoothed her hair back and pressed his forehead against hers as their connection flowed between them. Feeling her love flow through him, he knew without a doubt that he was indeed the love of her life, just as she was his. He slowly began moving within her, long slow strokes, building rapidly faster and harder until their passion reached a crescendo that rocked them both. When Liz would have cried out, Max smothered her cries with his kisses as their bodies shook together in their climax.
As night gave way to the beginnings of dawn, Liz Parker gazed at the sleeping form lying beside her. As a smile crossed face she thought, “Who knew that the shy boy who was afraid to step out from behind the tree would be such an incredible lover?” Unable to resist, she ran a finger down his nose.
Lashes lifted as sleepy amber eyes looked at her, “Hi,” he whispered. “Hi, yourself,” she pushed his ruffled hair off his forehead. He asked her, “What are you smiling about?”
“I was just thinking, it’s always the quiet ones.” At his look of confusion, she laughed softly as she leaned over to place a sweet kiss on his lips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC
Chapter 52
The following day at school, the gang met at their usual table for lunch in the quad. Liz had brought a mini-cooler from the diner filled with subs to share with her friends. Alex and Isabel had made a run for fries at the school cafeteria, while Maria and Michael hit the vending machines for sodas.
Kyle walked up to the table, good naturedly grumbling, “Isn’t it bad enough that my girl isn’t even at this school, but I have to watch you guys canoodling, too?”
Looking up from feeding Alex some of her fries, and indignant Isabel responded, “We are not canoodling.”
“Actually, Isabel,” Maria grinned as she and Liz split a turkey sub, “I believe hand feeding is a first cousin of the canoodle.”
Rolling his eyes, Kyle sat down, to immediately be interrogated by the girls. “Sooo, tell Auntie Maria, any canoodling with Sera last night?”
As Liz handed him a sandwich, he said, “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” immediately taking a big bite.
Isabel gave him a disbelieving look, “Are you telling me that you and Serena didn’t see each other last night?”
Shaking his head as he swallowed, “Actually, she and Tyler joined Dad and me for dinner and we grilled steaks. Sera made this garlic mayo salad dressing, and it was damn good, and I don’t even like salad.” As Maria and Isabel shared a look, an oblivious Kyle looked around at the guys, “Hey, did you guys know that Tyler is a Colorado Rockies fan? Anyway, it was nice.”
“Nice?” Maria exclaimed, “Dinner with your dad and her ‘cousin’, talking baseball, and you made her cook?”
Alex, Max and Michael having decided that silence was the better part of valor, quietly munched on their subs.
“Maria, it wasn’t like that.” Kyle retorted, “She offered.”
“Kyle Valenti, Sera has probably already scoped out new guys over on campus.” Maria grumbled, “and after all my hard work getting the two of you together.”
Kyle defended himself, “Sitting down to dinner last night was the first feeling of normal I’ve had in ages, Maria. No headaches, no weird images of Tess in my head, no alien voodoo, just good food and conversation. And yes, damn it, it was nice.”
As silence fell, Isabel softly said, “Oh, Kyle.” Maria looked down and whispered, “I’m sorry, Kyle. I didn’t think...” Kyle reached over and awkwardly patted her hand, “No, Maria, I know you just care about us, but Sera and I have to do things our own way.”
Feeling bad for snapping at Maria, Kyle told her, “Look, the evening wasn’t a total fam-fest. Tyler left not long after dinner, then Dad turned in early, so Sera and I caught some television and then I drove her home later.”
Liz propped her chin in her hand, and with a grin asked, “So, what did you watch?”
“Watch?”
“Yeah, Valenti, what show did you guys watch?” Max joined in the teasing.
Shifting on the bench, Kyle mumbled, “Uh, just that show, the one on cable. You know, those chicks always talking about their love lives?”
“Sex in the City?” Isabel grinned, “You watched Sex in the City with Sera?”
Alex wiggled his eyebrows, “Did you learn anything new?”
As Kyle made a face and stuck his tongue out at Alex and Isabel, Liz teased, “And after watching that show you just drove her home?”
Kyle grinned and as he snitched one of Liz’s fries, admitted, “Well, there might have been a canoodle or two.”
“Oooh,” Maria gushed, “come ‘on, girlfriend, spill.”
Exaggeratingly batting his eyelashes, Kyle simpered in a falsetto voice, “A lady never kisses and tells.”
Across the quad a nondescript young man watched the group at the table as they shared lunch, talking and laughing. Although he was unable to hear their words, it was plain that camaraderie existed in the group. He turned and left the area.
Back at the table, Max grinned, “As much as I would love to continue to torment Kyle,” he looked over at Isabel, “last night Isabel and Alex teamed up to dreamwalk Tess.”
As the group became serious, all eyes turned to Isabel. “Any luck?” Liz asked.
Isabel nodded and took a sip of cola. “It was weird. I found her, but she wasn’t asleep. She seemed to be hiding out in some ratty motel room.”
“Could you tell where she was?” Kyle asked with a touch of fear in his voice.
“No, there was nothing to designate a location, but there were red and blue lights flashing around the edge or the curtains into the room, like from a neon sign, but I didn’t see the actual sign.” Isabel answered.
“I don’t recall any motels around Roswell with a red and blue neon sign,” Max stated, “but I’ll ask the Sheriff if he can find out if there are any nearby.”
Isabel she looked over at Liz and Maria, “You wouldn’t believe how awful Tess looks. She’s cut her hair off short and dyed it black, and she was wearing these ugly glasses and baggy clothes. She looked so haggard, that I don’t think she’s slept at all. The room was trashed with empty pizza boxes and take out containers.”
“Sounds like she’s more scared of us finding her, than we are of her coming back.” Liz surmised.
“What about her accomplice, any sign of him?” Michael asked, Isabel shook her head, “No. She was the only one there. What was strange is that I knew she wasn’t asleep, but she didn’t seem to realize that I was even there.”
“Your dreamwalking abilities must be evolving.” Liz speculated, “You must be able to enter a person’s subconscious state even though the person isn’t asleep.”
Maria looked between Liz and Isabel, “You know what, Isabel? You should try again, with Liz. Maybe she can boost your abilities.”
Liz smiled at Isabel and shrugged, “I still can’t turn it on and off, but we can try.”
“That’s an ability that could come in handy.” Alex squeezed Isabel’s hand.
Max looked over at Kyle, “Kyle, did the Sheriff take care of Tess being gone from school?”
“Yeah, Dad called the school this morning to say that Tess’ father was back in the country, and that she had gone to Albuquerque to visit with him. Later, he’ll just say that she decided to leave the country with him.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Michael commented.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Max sat in English class that afternoon, he was supposed to be reading an assignment given out by the substitute teacher. Instead, he was staring at the back of Liz’ head as she sat a few rows in front of him. Dressed in a beige skirt, brown suede boots and a white button down oxford shirt, with her hair twisted at the back of her neck, Liz looked downright prim and proper, but Max knew just how improper she could be when they were alone. After all, he grinned, he still had the scratch marks on his back to prove it. Sure, he could have easily healed them, but he liked having the proof of her passion on his body. Max drifted off into Lizland, remembering how she had looked the night before.
Max had been lying back on Liz’s bed with her straddled over him, his hands guiding her hips, her breasts bobbing slightly as she rode him. Candlelight reflected off her glistening skin as she tossed her head back and forth, her long dark locks hanging down. He had watched her face as she closed her eyes while she moaned with pleasure, and he had never wanted it to end. Then she had opened her eyes, a picture of wanton beauty, smiling as she had rubbed her hands up his chest, leaning over to press her mouth to his. It had taken all his control not to explode inside her before she reached her own peak. God, was there anything on this earth or any other better than being buried deep inside of Liz Parker?
Kyle sat at his desk beside Max, bored with their reading assignment. He looked over and rolled his eyes at the glazed expression on Max’s face as he stared at Liz. “Damn,” he thought, “Goner doesn’t even begin to describe Evans.” Then his eyes widened and he hid a smile behind his hand as he noticed a certain effect Max’s thoughts were having on him.
Max was rudely startled out of his memories when Kyle punched him in the arm and passed him a note. Max’s face blushed flame red when he read, “Don’t look now, but there’s a party in your pants.”
Shifting uncomfortably, Max avoided looking at a grinning Kyle. Finally, the bell rang, and Max grabbed Liz’s hand and headed straight for the Eraser Eoom. As they left the classroom, Liz half running to match Max’s steps, Kyle’s laughter rang out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Max pulled a surprised Liz along, pushing their way around the students the hall, “Max, where are we going?” Max reached for the door to the Eraser Room and pulled, but nothing happened. As he twisted the door handle, he heard a rough, “Get Lost!” followed by a muffled feminine giggle.
Liz looked at Max and grinned, “Is that Michael and Maria?”
But Max was looking around, then they were off down the corridor, “Max, what in the world?” Max jerked the door to the janitor’s closet open, and locked it behind them. “Max, what is go…upmph” Liz found her mouth suddenly occupied by Max’s lips and tongue, as he devoured her. Max clutched her to him grasping her behind as he ground his hardness against her.
As he pulled her skirt up Liz tore her mouth from his, “Max,” she gasped, “we’re in school.” “I know,” he answered sliding his lips down her jaw. Her head fell back when he began to suck on her neck. “We…we can’t do this.” Liz whispered, but Max’s desires fired her own, and she tugged at the fastening of his pants. They fell around his ankles to be joined by his boxers. Max ripped off Liz’s panties and lifted her up to pin her against the wall as he sank into her welcoming depths. “Oh, God, Max,” Liz panted, “we’re going to get caught,” she clung to Max. “Ummhmm” he murmured. Their mouths and tongues dueled as he grabbed her bottom pumping up and down, as she wrapped her legs around him, her suede boots caressing his backside. Their blood seemed to pulse through their bodies in rhythm to their thrusts. It was hot, fast and wild and they both quickly reached explosive climaxes. Max’s knees gave out and he sank to the floor holding Liz close, his body still joined with hers.
Shuddering as small tremors still shook their bodies, Liz was the first to regain the ability speak. Still draped around Max, feeling disconcerted as she whispered, “My God, Max. What was that?”
“I don’t know.” He pressed his forehead against hers, “I was sitting in class, remembering last night, and it just swept over me, it was almost uncontrollable.”
“Almost?” she grinned with a raised eyebrow. Max looked her with concern, “Liz, are you okay? I mean, I wasn’t too rough, was I?” At Max’s reddened cheeks and flustered look, Liz cupped his face in her hands, “Max, no. That was incredible.” She looked around the room added, “Totally unexpected, but incredible all the same.”
As they struggled up off the floor, Liz began to giggle. “Max, look at your pants.” Max glanced down to see his pants and boxers wound around his ankles.” Joining her in laughter, he pulled his pants up. Then he grinned and pointed upwards. Liz looked up to see her torn panties dangling from the light fixture. Max retrieved and repaired them, and once they were both presentable, they slipped out of the janitor’s closet. As they walked hand in hand down the hallway, the only evidence of their recent activity was the smiles on their faces.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Devil Kitty
