Chapter 11
Alex sat at his computer the following morning and was typing away on the keyboard when there was a knock on his bedroom door. Assuming it was his mom, he called out, "Come in."
"Good Morning." Came a sultry voice, and Alex froze. That was not his mom's voice. He slowly turned and there in the doorway stood Isabel Evans. "May I come in?"
He jumped to his feet, and was immediately aware that they were bare and he was clothed in the rumpled pajama bottoms and tee shirt that he'd slept in. He hadn't even combed his hair yet. "Um, Isabel," he stammered, "wow, um, you're certainly out and about early." He bumped against a stack of diskettes on his desk and they scattered, ‘Oh, sorry." As he bent to retrieve them, Isabel hid a smile. "You're mom let me in. She asked me to stay for breakfast, is that alright with you?"
Isabel Evans in his house, his room, staying for breakfast... He blinked. "Um, sure, I was just about to clean up, um, for breakfast."
She smiled, "Then I'll see you in the kitchen." As she turned to leave she looked back, "Oh, Alex? Does this remind you of something?"
Confused he asked, "Huh?"
"That time when Max and Liz went missing, and I stopped by to ‘look for clues'. Remember?" When he nodded, she smiled, "Maybe this morning will end the same way." She closed the door behind her and as he remembered how that other morning ended with a kiss, he sank to the bed as his knees gave way.
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Kyle walked into his room to find Tess there, making herself at home using her powers to test colors on the wall. "Hey, this is still my room, so don't be doing that bewitched crap in here. And is that my jersey?"
Glancing down at the jersey, she shrugged. Looking over her shoulder at Kyle, she said, "Fine, take it back." She started to lift it up, revealing her bare backside to him. "Woah!" Kyle cried out. "You just keep it."
Tess turned and smirked, "Kinda uptight about nudity for a guy who reads ‘Jugs', aren't ya?."
Kyle's eyes widened as he saw his nudie mags were now lying on his bed, instead of under the mattress. "You looked through my stuff?"
She laughed, "I found the post-it notes a nice touch. You also had your Buddhism guide under there. How do you think the Buddha would feel about you sticking him between Hustler and Busty Biker Babes?"
And indignant Kyle grabbed up the magazines and stuffed them back under the mattress, "You know, we have a concept here on Earth called ‘privacy'. Just because you're staying here for a while, it doesn't give you run of the house."
"Fine, I'll just leave. There's nothing keeping me here anyway."
Kyle ran a hand through his hair, "Look, Tess... I didn't mean..."
"No, you're right, I don't belong here. I'm a girl from another planet and the only three people like me in this world either hate me or just aren't interested enough to do so. The man who raised me was just murdered, so now I have no family and no friends." With tears in her eyes, "I don't belong anywhere," she brushed passed him, but he caught up with her in the hallway and grabbed her arm. "Tess, stop. You can belong here, but you have to adjust. You have to accept that Nasedo is gone, Max is with Liz, and..."
"I don't have to listen to any of this. Let me go!" Tess brought her hand up in his direction, but Kyle quickly grabbed it and twisted it behind her body, "Oh no, you aren't blasting me!"
The movement brought his body flush with hers, he looked down into her face. "If you don't change then you are going to end up..." he remembered that she was naked beneath his jersey, "alone and bitter and..." he felt how her breasts pressed into his chest and noticed how her eyes now sparked with anger, "and... oh, hell." He leaned in pressed his mouth to hers. Tess was so stunned that she automatically opened her mouth to object, and Kyle's tongue moved right in. At first Tess struggled, but he held her tight and soon she relaxed against him, unaware that she had wrapped her arms around his neck and was kissing him back until he lifted his head and whispered her name as his lips moved down her jaw to her throat, his hands sliding down to cup her bottom. Feeling his erection pressing against her, she pushed him away. Then looking at him with eyes wide, she ran back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
"Damn." He whispered as he brought his fingers up to touch his tingling lips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the surreal experience of eating breakfast with Isabel in his own kitchen as she charmed his mother, Alex and Isabel returned to his room and where Alex was presently sitting at his computer while Isabel sat on the edge of his bed. As he looked up information and printed off pages, Isabel wondered, "What if "The Vilandra Project" is the name of their plot to kill us? They've already gotten Nasedo!"
"We won't let that happen, Isabel." Alex turned to assure her. As she gave him a startled look, he amended, "I mean... I'm sure Max and Michael will protect you."
"And you, Alex?" She stood and stepped over to him, "Would you protect me?"
He rose to his feet, and swallowed hard. "With my life." He softly answered. Stepping closer, their faces just inches apart, Isabel told him, "I would never allow that to happen, but I can't tell you how it makes me feel to know that you mean it." Then she whispered, "I think that you should kiss me now, Alex." And he did.
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Liz looked up as the doorbell chimed to see Alex and Isabel entering the Crashdown. She looked over at Maria to see that she too had noticed Isabel's hand on Alex's arm as she laughed at something he said. As the couple approached the counter, Isabel asked, "Max not here yet?"
Liz cut her eyes over to the clock before answering, "Max doesn't get off on break for another ten minutes, and Michael's on the grill. You guys want something?"
Isabel smiled, "Just a Cherry Coke for me. We had breakfast at Alex's."
"Orange soda." Alex added wearing a totally goofy grin. "Oh, I brought you both something." He handed each of the girls a CD. "It's a couple of songs The Whit's have been working on."
After fixing their drinks, Maria gave them to Alex, "Why don't you take these on back and see if Michael's ready for his break? I need to speak to Isabel." At his frown, she smiled, "Just a little girl talk."
But once Alex left, Maria looked sternly at Isabel. "I know that I've encouraged this, but if you hurt him again, powers or not, I will personally kick your ass all the way back to Antar. Comprende?" Isabel's eyes widened in surprise, "Si," then she smiled. "You're a good friend, Maria." As she too headed to the back, Liz cut her eyes over at Maria who shrugged, "Just saying."
Once Max made it over, they gathered in the break room. "Let's go upstairs." Liz suggested. She looked over to where her dad was helping on the grill. "Daddy, we're going to take our breaks upstairs, check out Alex's new CD." Mr. Parker smiled, "Okay, but Lizzie? Fifteen minutes, no more."
They all found seats in the Parker living room. "I didn't see Courtney downstairs, isn't she working?" Alex asked. "No, she's not on until this afternoon." Maria assured him as she plopped down on the couch beside Alex.
Alex informed them, "The only thing I could find online about ‘The Universal Friendship League' was on the Arizona Secretary of State's website. They filed for corporate status as a non-profit organization ages ago. Their corporate address is located in Copper Summit, and their registered agent is a Theodore Greer. I pulled up their corporate officers: Greer is President, and an Ida Crawford is the Secretary/Treasurer."
Liz looked at Max, "T. Greer, he's the guy who signed that letter to Courtney."
Alex continued, "So washing out on finding out anything else for UFL, I tried to find out something about Copper Summit. Seems back in the wild, wild west it was a mining town."
Maria interrupted waving her hand about, "Ooh, let me guess - copper?"
Alex winked at her, "When the mine played out it became a ghost town until the entire area was purchased by The Universal Friendship League. The population from the last census is listed as only around 50 people. It's not even a speck on the map."
"Sounds like the perfect place for a nest of skins to me." Michael said.
Maria looked around, a look of fear on her face. "You mean that there are fifty of those beings, and they're all looking for you guys?"
Michael wore a determined look, "Not if we find them first. We should head out there this weekend."
Max shook his head, "We can't go this weekend. Remember? Friday is July 2nd."
Michael groaned, "The Crash anniversary. All the more reason to get out of town what with every UFO nut in the country headed here."
"It's also one of the Crashdown's most profitable weeks." Liz informed him. "If we took off from work this weekend, my dad would kill all three of us, Michael."
Max nodded, "Yeah, I just got Milton to take me back, you know how crazy it gets at the UFO center during Crash week. I already have to work late tonight getting the Center ready."
Maria grinned, "Maybe I can get my mom to sponsor another Alien Smackdown. Interested, Spaceboy?"
Michael shook his head, "Hell, no. I'm still sore from last time."
Alex looked first at Isabel then informed them, “There’s one more thing, guys. Remember the Congresswoman who headed the dismantling of the Special Unit?”
“The one from Arizona?” Liz asked, already feeling a sense of dread.
“Make that Copper Summit, Arizona.” Alex informed her.
There were various expressions of surprise all around. “Copper Summit.” Max looked at Liz, “No wonder she was anxious to shut down the Special Unit.”
Maria shook her head in disbelief, ‘Damn, an alien is a member of Congress. Don’t they investigate people who run for office?”
Alex shrugged, “Apparently not her, or at least not too closely. See, she married Congressman Whitaker, and when he died in a car accident, she stepped in to finish out his term.”
“Who wants to bet his ‘accident’ was no accident?” Michael guessed.
Max ran a hand through his hair and noticed the time on his watch. “Damn, I have to get back to the UFO Center.” Liz nodded, “Yeah, my dad’s gonna be hollering for us soon, too.”
“Maxwell, we’ve got to figure this out.” Michael objected.
“Look,” Alex offered, “I’ll keep digging into Copper Summer, the UFL and Whitaker. See if I can come up some more information.”
Max patted him on the shoulder, “Sounds like a plan.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The influx of visitors for the UFO festival arrived and for the next few days everyone was kept busy. Isabel even volunteered to help Max out at the UFO Center.
As evening rolled around, Maria locked the door of the Crashdown behind their last customers of the day and sighed, "Thank goodness. Come'on Lizzie, let's hurry and cleanup so we can meet the guys."
"That's okay, girls." Mr. Parker grinned at them. "Agnes and I will finish up. Go ahead, have some fun." Mr. Parker didn't catch the drop-dead look he received from the less than happy Agnes.
"Thanks, Daddy." Liz gave him a buss on the cheek. As she and Maria changed, Maria giggled, "Did you see Agnes' face?" Liz grinned back at her, "As often as we've covered for her? Payback, baby."
A short while later, the foursome walked down the midway, the air was filled with the happy squeals of children, the smell of hot buttered popcorn and the grumblings of Michael Guerin.
"I can't believe I let you guys drag me here." He looked over at Max and Liz, "Do I have to remind you two what happened at the last carnival you were at?"
"Michael, this is just a small fair that's part of the Crash festivities, hardly constitutes as a carnival." Maria rolled her eyes. "I mean, the Haunted House is put on by the folks at Baker’s Funeral Home."
Max, who had an arm slung over Liz's shoulder, grinned over her head at Maria. "I guess that's somewhat appropriate."
"Whatever," Michael groused, "but if I were you two, I'd stay out of the House of Mirrors."
"Stop your grumbling, Spaceboy. We're here, so you might as well have some fun." Maria tugged on Michael's hand. "Come on, win me a prize."
As Maria drug Michael off towards the row of games, Max and Liz followed. "What shall we play," he asked Liz, "ring toss, balloon darts? What’s your favorite game?" Liz glanced at him with pink cheeks, "Promise you won't laugh?" Max just raised an eyebrow. Liz sighed, "It's the pick up ducks."
"Ducks? You mean the baby game?" He started to chuckle. "Maaaxxx." Liz punched his arm, "It was the first fair game I ever played." Soon Max and Liz stood at the booth amidst several small children watching tiny yellow plastic ducks bobbing along a water trough. Looking at the available prizes, Max noticed a large green plush alien sitting on the top shelf, and noted it's number. When Liz reached for a duck, Max stopped her. "Wait, let me," and he reached down.
Liz's eyes opened wide and she squealed with delight when the fair worker reached up and handed her the top prize, while fixing a suspicious look at Max as he tried to figure out how that number ended up on one of the ducks.
"Oh, Max." She gave him a hug. "Wait a minute," giving him her own suspicious look, but before she could question him, she turned and saw a little girl staring at Liz’s prize as she held a strand of plastic beads. Noting the trembling lip, Liz’s heart melted.
Liz bent over, "Hi, there, what’s your name.”
“Missy.” Came the tiny voice. “That's a pretty name, and a pretty necklace. I wish I had a necklace like that. Would you like to trade?" The little girl's eyes lit up as Liz held out the plush toy. As she danced off to her mother with her prize, Max just looked at Liz with a smile as she put the tawdry beads around her neck. “What a softie.”
But he laughed out loud when they walked off arm in arm and Liz shrugged, "Well, this way, we’ll both have an alien to play with tonight."
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TBC
Thanks for all your encouraging words about the situation with my vision. :hug:
warning. 
