Roswell Fanatics

Latina Rebel 720 wrote:great, so i can harass you here to update THERE lol
postmoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremore!!! lol

Nessa

Is it too late to take that back

Well anyway....here's the next couple of chapters.

Chapter Twenty Two

***
So dear I love him that with him,
All deaths I could endure.
Without him, live no life.

- William Shakespeare
***

Tess hadn’t expected everything to happen so quickly. Andaria had disappeared earlier on that night. She suspected Andaria had gone to check on Zander after Tess had been mentioning him every couple of minutes. Tess was left to the task of assimilating all the information that had been laid before her.

Medgio helped in large by giving her some space to think, though always standing by to answer any questions she may have. Her mother had shown her plans for Tess’ return to Earth under Khivar’s nose. Tess had fretted over leaving her son.

She didn’t know what Khivar had up his sleeve in regards to Zander; it could have been anything. Down in her gut, Tess just knew he was waiting for an opportunity to use her son in retaining his throne. Khivar would rule for a lifetime if he had Zander under his thumb.

“What if he finds out?” Tess asked, breaking the silence.

“Andaria would not allow that to happen Your Highness,” Medgio answered calmly. “You will return before Khivar has realized you even left Antar.”

“But if something goes wrong? What then?” she countered. “What if I can’t get back or Khivar does something to my mother?” Tess began to pace back and forth at the horrible possibilities.

Medgio placed his strong slender hands on her shoulders and forced Tess to look up into his older and wise, gentle grey eyes. “If you know your mother, you know that Khivar is the one that needs to worry, rather than Andaria, about him.”

Tess cracked the first smile she’d had since phasing through that wall. She felt her heart lighten at the servant’s confidence in her mother. “Really?” she laughed as she patted his arm.

Medgio seemed to remember his station again and placed his hands stiffly down at his sides. He bowed his head and stood about an arms’ length away from Tess. “You are very much like your mother,” he murmured.

Tess shook her head slightly. She was nothing like Andaria. Tess may have looked like her mother, but Tess thought her mother was wiser and stronger than she could ever be – no matter how brave a front Tess put on.

Tess thought Medgio read her thoughts as he spoke his next words. “Do not doubt that you are your mother’s daughter. She is as proud of you as she has ever been, even when you were raised on Antar.”

~ * ~

The time drew near as Medgio led her through a darkened corridor. Tess felt anxious, yet also anticipation during their short jaunt through the winding tunnel. There were small round spotlights illuminating their path. The lights were about three inches in diameter and spaced intermittently against the smooth wall, which encased them.

As they arrived at their final destination, the tunnel began to expand and open into a large room built out of the familiar iridescent charcoal-colored metal she’d seen in Khivar’s house. The metal had the strength of adamatium, but a strange malleability when pressed under heat.

Medgio led her to a cushioned swivel chair, which was positioned before a large panel of lights and buttons. As she settled into her seat, Tess waited expectantly as Medgio began pressing buttons and flipping unknown switches on the panel. Just as she was about to ask Medgio a question, a short plump man in a contemporary military uniform – rigid, sharp and clean cut – appeared up from behind the control panel.

Medgio’s eyes lit in recognition. “Hammon, you are here!” he exclaimed excitedly. He stepped aside and allowed Tess a clearer view of the stranger. “Your Highness this is Major Hammon; Major Hammon, this is Her Highness, Tess, or as she was formerly known, Ava.”

The young major seemed beside himself. An immediate sweat broke out upon his smooth brow. He couldn’t have been older than in his early thirties by Earth standards. Major Hammon smiled awkwardly and began to fidget, shifting from one foot to another. “Your…uh, Your Highness,” he stammered as he bowed. “We have…waited, uh, so long for your return.”

Tess nodded her head in acknowledgement of the Major. So far she’d met three in a supposed army of Loyalists. Sometimes she felt as if it was all a dream and everything was happening was all in her mind. Tess sighed softly as she unconsciously cradled her arms.

Zander. It had been only a few hours since she’d left him in Khivar’s house, but it already felt like days. Tess swallowed hard and strengthened her resolve. She would save Max and return to her son – Maxwell or no Maxwell.

“Your Highness?” Medgio beckoned softly.

Tess awakened from her reverie and followed Medgio’s gaze over to a set of doors at the far left corner of the room. It was Andaria. She had come back.

~ * ~

“Come,” Andaria summoned.

Tess frowned as she rose from her chair, quickly bowing her head to Major Hammon and Medgio, who knelt before her. As she fell into step with her mother, Tess voiced her confusion. “I thought I was going back? Is something wrong?”

Andaria smiled and stroked Tess’ hair. “No, not yet. We must prepare Max for what is about to happen and you need to know exactly what you’re facing. Dalia will explain precisely what is ailing Maxwell and the best course of action.” The older version of Tess brought her to a small room with a white leather chair, almost like an over-sized beanbag chair. The room was filled with candles.

“What is this?” Tess asked curiously.

“This,” a low voice answered gently from a dark corner of the room, “is where you’ll be safe and speak with Zan, or as he prefers, Maxwell.”

Tess felt her heart leap as the stranger startled her. She strained forward in attempt to catch a glimpse of the stranger’s face. There was no need. The woman stepped out from the cover of darkness and revealed a tall slender woman in her forties. Her dark hair was tightly pulled back into a low ponytail, and in the glow of the candlelight, a light flashed across the woman’s face. It was just below her dark brown eyes. Tess realized she was wearing an unusual pair of glasses, with no frames or nosepiece. “Your Highness,” the mysterious woman greeted humbly.

Tess acknowledged the woman with a nod and a polite smile. As she glanced at her mother for an introduction, Tess watched as Andaria moved forward to shake the woman’s hand. “Tess,” Andaria said, presenting the stranger, “this is Dalia, the woman I was telling you about.”

A weary smile was about all Tess could muster. For all of the sudden she grew very tired. She wanted to get down to business already and back to her son. “Tell me what you know Dalia,” Tess ordered. “I know Max is sick because of his…well, his liason with Liz, but why?”

The brunette took a deep breath and smiled. Clasping her hands together as if readying herself for this moment, Dalia began slowly explaining in latent terms what was happening to Max. “Well Your Highness, Max’s healing gift enables, as you know, Max to heal physical illness and disease.” Dalia paused waiting for some sign of understanding from Tess.

Tess nodded, “Yes. Go on. I’ll stop you if I don’t understand,” she commanded.

Dalia smiled at her quiet authority and motioned for Tess to have a seat in the white chair. “Well,” she continued, “when Max heals a human body he manipulates and regenerates certain molecular structures in the human genes.” Dalia began pacing as if the movement helped her think. She briefly glanced up at Andaria and Tess and resumed her story. “When Max healed Liz, he restructured her genetic make up somehow, causing the development of her ‘so-called’ powers.”

“Now these would have appeared slowly over time and would have gradually faded as the energy he exerted into her body wore off; though the body would be healed because Max was just speeding up the process.”

Tess was on the edge of her seat. She never knew the science of Max’s powers and it was quite fascinating. “And?” Tess coaxed.

Dalia’s eyes twinkled as she was asked continue. “Well as Liz apparently had some anomaly within her genetic makeup already, which pre-deposed her to a physical, and on some level a spiritual connection with Zan. I mean Max,” she explained excitedly. The scientific mind continued to work beneath those brown eyes and a low chuckle escaped her lips.

Tess still didn’t see what exactly she was getting at. She couldn’t quite grasp where it could possibly lead. Tess shook her head. “I still don’t see how that could put Max in the state he’s in,” Tess complained. “So what if Liz was genetically flawed?”

Dalia’s face fell and once again she was reserved and composed, as when Tess had first set foot in the room. “The point is, as far as I can theorize without Max’s physical body here, is that when Max and Liz had se, their connection was made again and the remaining energy or power, whatever you would call it, ignited some genetic acceleration within the two bodies. For Liz it accelerated the process of her ‘powers’ emerging, but for Max it had an adverse reaction, sending his body into a spiral.”

Tess rested her head in the palms of her hands. It was so much to take in. She thought most of it made sense, but would her powers not wreak more chaos and havoc to Max’s body? Tess had never even healed anyone before. What made them think she could do it now?

“But how am I supposed to fix it?” Tess groaned.

Andaria kneeled before Tess and clasped her hand. “Tess, you and Maxwell are connected; not just by your past, but as partners you are physically linked. That is why you felt nauseous and dizzy the day of my interview when Max was hurting.” Andaria locked gazes with her daughter. “I know you don’t want to hurt Max, but trust me when I say that you are his only hope.”

Tess nodded slowly, accepting the fate of the love of her life into her hands. “And am I just going to ‘know’ what to do?” she asked somberly. “All Nasedo taught me was how to protect myself and mind warp, a power I already had.”

Dalia smiled. “Your healing Max is something inherent in each of the Royal Four. When you were created, they sent you to Earth with the knowledge that there would always be the possibility that you would could be hurt or ill and there wouldn’t be a physician-of-sorts to heal you.” She took a deep breath and continued on in the history of the weird story that was her life. “So they connected you to your partner in a way that you would always be able to heal each other physically.”

Tess stood up and ran her fingers through her curly hair. “This is amazing,” gasped Tess. “I mean these are big things that I never knew, and Nasedo never even bothered to tell me.”

Andaria pushed herself up until she was standing eye to eye with Tess. “He didn’t know,” she explained. “There was a limited amount of time to teach those who would guard you and teach you all that you needed to know to return to Antar.”

Tess stared at the two women, who had her life locked up inside their heads, standing before her. They were her first true link to who she was. Nasedo gave her guidance and some sense of purpose, but now to have her mother and now this other fountain of knowledge in her grasp, Tess felt unusually calm and ready. “So am I ready?” Tess asked softly.

Andaria folded her arms across her chest. “You tell me Tess,” her mother challenged.

Tess turned around and looked at the white plush chair, which sat in the middle of a circle of candles. She let out a sigh and straightened her posture as she nodded. “I need to talk to Max.”

***

Max hadn’t expected the visit from Andaria. And he sure didn’t know what to make of their conversation. As she spoke about Antar and his people, once again Max felt the weight of an unknown people fall upon his shoulders.

He’d even tried to remember his past life. Max tried to focus on his mother. What had she looked like? It was the first time he’d asked himself that question since the fateful shooting at Crashdown. Max used to imagine what it would be like to meet his parents. He and Isabel would lay in the dark, in his room and talk about who she was and what she would be like.

Maxwell rubbed his tried face. He didn’t know what to do. Every part of him ached for some rest, but there was no sleep in this place.

“Max?” Tess voice called out.

Suddenly in the dark nothingness, Tess appeared before him - life size and real to the touch. It was an odd sensation, but somewhere deep down in his gut; Max knew that this would be their final meeting. “Tess?”

The petite blonde smiled and clasped his hand in hers. “Max, there isn’t much time to explain everything, but it’s happening Maxwell. We’re going to get your out of here.”

Max was filled with an abundance of emotion. He didn’t quite know what exactly to feel first. The first reaction he had was to wrap his arms around her waist and swing her around. “I’m getting out of here!” he shouted out in elation.

Suddenly Max realized who he held in his arms and set Tess down, her body slowly slid down as she braced herself against his chest. Their faces were only inches apart. Max didn’t quite know exactly how he got here, but as he was about to pull away, Tess caressed his face and suddenly the darkness, which once enveloped him, flickered and opened a portal of light. His brow creased in wonder. Was it going to be this fast?

“Max,” Tess whispered. “You need to find the past to step back into the present. Will you go?”

Max looked at Tess hesitantly. How could he trust her? How could he trust the woman who murdered Alex? Never before had he not trusted his instincts about a person, and the one time he did, it brought him the death of one of his close friends.

But he needed to get home, and there was just something about Tess. Even now, looking at her, Max had the feeling there was more to her stories and lies than she’d let him know. Max came back to the present, or whatever it was. Time didn’t necessarily seem to apply in that dark place. “What is it? Is it taking me back?”

Tess lowered her gaze. “To be honest Max, I don’t exactly know. But Andaria told me that it would be dangerous and there is a lot working against you here,” Tess said bluntly. “She said that if you didn’t go through this, there would be no going back Max.”

He didn’t like the sounds of this. “Do you know what’s going on Tess? I’d like to know before I take this leap of faith again and find myself in some web of lies that you’ve created to trap me,” Max demanded. “And you know Andaria?”

She took a deep breath before raising her eyes to meet his. “Max, look, your body’s sick from your connection with Liz. I need to go back and heal you. But before I could, Andaria, my mother, told me that you needed to take a journey of your own, while I prepare for mine.” Tess swallowed hard and her pale hands slid from his chest down to her sides.

“Your mother?” he said disbelievingly. “You met your mother?”

Tess nodded. “But we can talk about the mushy stuff later Max. You need to walk through that light.”

All of this sounded so surreal. “So I need to take ‘a trip’,” he repeated slowly, debating whether this could possibly be the truth. “And you’ll be going back to Earth to heal me?”

Tess rolled her eyes. “I know that this sounds so surreal,” she laughed in disbelief, “but this is the truth Max.”

Now it was his turn to laugh. “Since when do you deal with the ‘truth’ Tess?” Max retorted.

She shook her head in frustration and Max watched as her blonde locks fell neatly against her shoulders. “You either take this trip Max and realize that I am not trying to hurt you or you can just fade away Max,” she spat angrily.

Max fazed out during Tess’ tirade. He was surprised at the understanding Tess had of what he’d been experiencing. He had felt weary and faint. Max did fear he was just fading away. Suddenly Tess’ voice brought him back from his thoughts and questions. “I am not trying to kill you, it’s just the opposite, and if you knew what I went through to keep you alive…” She stopped short of finishing her thought.

Max frowned. “What do you mean, what you went through? What did you ever go through that…?”

Tess shook her head and turned her back to him. “Never mind Max. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that time is running short and our people are counting on me to bring back their king alive.”

Max smirked. He knew there was a catch. “I’m not going back to Antar, Tess. And if you think that you can trick me into some sort of…” Tess interrupted him before he could finish. “Look Max I don’t care what you think right at this point. I’m on Antar and I have taken on my responsibilities and duties as the mother of the heir to Antar. I will not have my child grow up on a planet ruled by Khivar,” growled Tess. “My son will not be a puppet.”

He was taken aback. Max never thought about how ruthless Khivar when it came to his son. But Max belonged on Earth with Liz; he had made that choice; actually Tess made it for him.

“Listen,” Tess commanded, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “I don’t care about the future, or what’s going to happen later on and the choices you will and won’t make. Right now, I’m here to tell you to walk through that light and help me to save you.”

Max swallowed hard. He’d sworn to himself that he’d do whatever it took to get out there, but now the time had come and Max had become unsure of what choice to make. His gaze fell upon Tess’ beautiful face; it showed nothing of the murder and betrayal that hid beneath the surface.

***

Tess saw the uncertainty in his face. There had to be a way to convince him to step through that door, which held keys to their past, and who he was. She cautiously approached Max and placed both hands on his brow. Closing her eyes she let him into mind and the private places there.

As she opened herself to Max’s painful and scrutinizing eyes, Tess let him roam free. She had nothing to hide. Though she secretly hid the lies she had told him about Alex’s death hidden in the darkness, but in plain sight, Tess prayed Max would look into the recesses of her mind and realize quickly that she had nothing but the best intentions.

Tess could feel Max raking through her memories and her dreams of the future. Max was leafing through the joy of giving birth to their son Zander and the memories of his first laugh and the smell of his hair after she’d just given him a bath. He’d seen all of it.

Suddenly she felt Max pull away from her mind link and yet again Tess stood before the scrutinizing gaze of her would-be husband. Tess felt herself grow faint, gasping after that painful search. “Did you see Max? Do you know that I’m not lying to you?” she panted, holding her head gently.

“I’m going to do it Tess,” Max announced stoically. “But I warn you Tess, if you try to pull something.”

Tess looked up at the man she loved. It hurt deep inside to see distrust and anger burning beneath his dark brooding eyes. But she wouldn’t allow him to know that. Max would not get the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt to be separated from him and seeing his face everyday in Zander’s eyes. She took a deep breath and sighed warily. “I’m not Max.”

*******

Chapter Twenty Three

***
You will never know true happiness
until you have truly loved,
and you will never understand
what pain really is
until you have lost it.

- Unknown
***

By the end of the weekend it had been announced that school had been re-opened. This pronounced a large problem for Michael, Liz and Maria. Each had classes, which now had to be sped up since the students had missed so many days due to the water main break. Michael more than anyone couldn’t afford to miss another class; at least that was Mr. Kent’s opinion, Michael’s guidance counselor.

Michael tried to convince Isabel that it was all right; he didn’t care if he missed a couple of classes. The situation with Max was top priority. But Isabel refused to allow any of the three to miss any school because of Max. “People would get suspicious,” she had argued. Finally Michael, Maria and Liz agreed with Isabel and went back to school.

The only set back in Michael’s mind was Isabel’s desire to include Jesse in the bedside schedule. Michael hackled at the idea. “Why? He didn’t want anything to do with us before, why now? What’s changed?” Michael asked tersely.

“Michael you can’t expect to pull shifts at work, go to school and still have time to come here for hours on end!” Isabel snapped. “Jesse wants to help and I think we should let him.”

After almost breaking out into a huge argument, Michael once more gave in. By the time Michael was about let the disagreement break out into a full-scale argument, Liz and Maria had arrived and put in their two cents worth. In the end it was three against one

***

When they had returned the trio was bombarded with questions and the exacerbating amount of sympathetic glances and apologies for Max’s disappearance. It drove them up the wall and they were tiring of all the lies and trying to remember what they had said the day before. They hoped they didn’t have to keep this up for long.

“His parents must be going insane,” Jenny, a bubbly blonde from Liz’s Chem. class commented as Liz was walking through the cafeteria lunch line up. Liz smiled politely and shrugged. “I guess,” was her only response.

Liz and Maria buried themselves in extra-curricular activities and hoped to avoid unwanted conversations. After a few days, Liz and Maria figured if they pretended they were fine the other kids would stop hassling them. It worked, but for one flaw in their logic.

“So how about Friday night?” Tommy, the star center for Roswell High’s basketball team inquired.

Liz was at a loss for words. She hadn’t expected it. Just as she was about to reply with a rude remark, Kyle showed up. “Buzz off Henderson!” barked Kyle, pushing the lanky 6 foot 2 inch senior down the hallway.

Liz let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you Kyle. I can’t believe that just happened!” she laughed, pretending to gag as she locked arms with Maria as they walked to homeroom.

“All to happy to help m’ladies,” Kyle replied cheekily, as he also followed along.

***

However, as life seemed normal on the surface, the group of friends worried about Max. Michael had somehow gotten a heart rate monitor in the last couple of days to keep an eye on Max’s pulse. He seemed to be getting weaker, his pulse thready. Finally Michael called several into the Granolith chamber: Isabel, Maria, Jesse and Liz.

It was the middle of the night and it was storming outside. Droplets of rain fell lightly as they paired off and drove to the cliff peak. But as time wore on, the five had arrived at the hidden cavern and it was a torrential downpour.

“I think it’s time we stop playing around,” Michael announced firmly. “It’s been days since we’ve heard from Tess and I have my doubts about her even getting here. If she’s even trying.”

Isabel frowned. “We need to wait a little longer. Just let me try to get in touch with her one more time,” she pleaded. “She said in our last meeting that things were almost ready.”

“No!” Maria cried. “You’ve tried for the past couple of days. We can’t risk Max’s life on the word of a lying, conniving murderer!”

All eyes fell on Liz. The petite brunette shook her head. “I don’t know guys. I mean if there were some actual plan to help Max, but we don’t even have that,” Liz sighed. “Michael, what are you planning on doing? I mean, is there a plan?”

Michael clenched his teeth and shook his head frustratingly. “No, but what else can we do?” he exclaimed. “His heart rate is dropping and we can’t wait here forever!”

“Then what do you propose we do?” Jesse challenged. “Are you going to drop him off at the hospital? Hmmm, maybe you could drop him off on the Evans’ doorstep? I’m sure they’ll be relieved.”

Michael had had just about enough of Jesse’s cutting comments. He offered nothing, and agreed with nothing. Jesse knew nothing about their situation, or Michael’s continuing internal debate over the right decision. He finally had enough. Michael lunged at Jesse, but Maria and Liz held him back. “What do you know?” Michael growled. “The only reason you’re here is because of Isabel.”

“And that’s the only reason I need, Michael!” Jesse smirked as he wrapped his arms around Isabel’s shoulders.

Isabel pulled away and put up her hands, signaling the two men to stop. “Look we need to decide!” Isabel shouted tensely, her eyes glanced between the two men.

Tension filled the stale room. No one moved. Every muscle stiffened like waiting for the pin to drop, but before anything else was said Max sat up gasping for air and then crumpled into a heap on the ground.

“Max!” Isabel screamed as she rushed to her brother’s side. Her trembling hands hovered over his chest and forehead, unsure of just exactly where she should place them.

Isabel looked up hopefully at Jesse, who stood grimly at Maxwell’s feet, while Michael studied the heart monitor. Max’s heart rate was erratic, with many high peaks and valleys. She looked over at Michael, who had Liz hovering beside him, wanting to be at Max’s side, while Maria held her back. “What is it?” Isabel whispered as she watched Max’s chest begin to rise and fall.

“He’s breathing again,” Michael smiled in relief.

Everyone let out a shout of joy. Isabel slowly released the air within her as she had been holding her breath for some prognosis. “Oh,” she sobbed, tears welling up in her eyes. “I can’t believe it.”

Michael had learned a lot over the past several days about heart rates and some of the anatomy of the human body. He’d hoped most of it would apply, which it seemed to. Their bodies seemed to function with the same meta-physiology a full-blooded human would, with the exceptions of powers and other little known factors.

Suddenly Michael watched the line on the heart monitor weaken and become unstable. He grabbed Max’s wrist and felt for a pulse. It was faint. Though Max had begun breathing again, his pulse seemed slower and weaker than ever before. His face drained of what color it had left. Michael looked at Liz, Maria and lastly Isabel. Now it was his blood that drained from his face.

“What?” Liz cried anxiously. “Is something wrong?”

Liz pushed Michael away from Max and held his face in her hands. “Max?” she whimpered. “Don’t do this. Please…what’s wrong?”

Michael dropped his head. “I can’t find a pulse.”

Isabel’s eyes widened and her hands fell limply to her side. “Maybe you made a mistake?” she said softly, almost in a daze.

“Try harder!” Maria yelled, pacing behind Liz whose head was resting on Max’s chest.

The high pitch screech of the Max’s heart flat lining seemed to fill the stark, sterile white room. Everyone fell silent and all things seemed to be frozen in time. This was not happening.

~ * ~

Isabel watched as Michael lifted Max’s lifeless body into his arms and carry him quickly out into the entrance way and through the narrow tunnel. “Maybe I’m wrong,” Michael said quickly, seemingly in despair. “If we could just take him to the hospital…”

Liz and Maria followed him next, while Isabel just sat still beside the blankets, which had just a few minutes ago, warmed her brother. Her chest began to hurt and she couldn’t breathe. “Max,” she gasped, finally able to utter something in the sheer silence of the room.

Her hands gripped the blankets that lay in front of her. Isabel’s thoughts wandered to their first day of school; the day the Evans’ adopted them; their first celebratory birthday party. Once more she found her voice. “Max! Max!” Isabel cried out, her voice strangled by the unnoticeable tears. “No!”

She closed her eyes as the turmoil and disbelief overwhelmed her. Isabel didn’t even feel Jesse’s arms embrace her; rock her. She didn’t hear his voice whisper comforting words. Isabel reached out into the darkness with all the will and power she had within her, searching for some sign of her brother. Instead the couple was awakened from their grief by an illuminating light, which filled the now lifeless room. It shook as if its foundations were being shifted from within.

***

The shimmering light pierced every crack and crevice within the dark, dusty cliff peak cavern. Liz, Maria, even Michael were stopped by the wonder. Michael’s heart began to pound when he realized that Isabel and Jesse were still in that room. If anything had happened to Isabel, Michael knew there was nothing else for him here.

At that moment, he couldn’t even fathom why he even held Max’s lifeless body in his arms. He’d obviously made the wrong choice, believing and trusting Tess one last time. It had cost him everything he loved.

“Isabel!” Michael cried out. “Isabel!”

He looked at both Liz and Maria who seemed disoriented. Michael placed Max’s body gently on the rocky soil as he approached the Granolith chamber one more time. “Isabel,” he repeated once more.

A woman’s figure approached him within the blinding white light. “Isabel, you’re okay,” he murmured, placing his hand on his chest.

Michael stood up and reached out to the faceless woman and was about to take her hand when he realized that it wasn’t Isabel. The light faded in the box-like room and he was stood once more in the hidden cavern of their birth. Liz and Maria came up behind him to face this stranger, whether friend or foe. “Who is it Michael?” Maria asked as she came upon the entrance to the chamber.

There was no response. As the woman’s face came into view, all who stood there were stunned into silence. There in the Granolith chamber stood Tess.

Here I go again!


Chapter Twenty Four

***
Love cures people –
Both the ones who give it
And the ones who receive it.

- Karl Menninger
***

Tess found herself standing amidst the familiar white room she once fled from. Looking around, several familiar faces appeared in front of her as if she was waking from a dream. “Tess!” she heard someone gasp.

As she acclaimated herself to her surroundings, Tess quickly remembered what she was there for. As she stepped down from the platform, Isabel was the first face she saw. Kneeling right beside her though was a stranger. He had dark hair and eyes, sort of cute if he didn’t have a perma-scowl on his face. Tess frowned as she slowly stepped past them towards the dim entrance.

Tess recognized Michael’s voice as she was he was shouting frantically. She couldn’t make out what he was saying. Then as she stood at the entrance to the chamber, a black hole abounded before her. Finally her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she recognized the rocky walls that led to the room.

***

Michael was stunned. He never believed that she would come. It was a fool’s dream. But there she stood, unchanged with the exception of her hair, which was longer; and she looked weary.

“Tess?” Michael heard Liz gasp from behind him.

Michael swallowed and he parted his lips to say something but Tess’ face suddenly drained of color and she pushed past him. “Max!” she cried, as she dropped to her knees beside the ashen grey body.

Michael snapped out of his state of shock and turned on his heel to join Tess beside Max. “Are you going to do something or what?” Michael managed to ask. “Or are you too late?”

Tess’ blue eyes peered up at Michael, her expression fearful. Unexpectedly, she stood up and cleared her throat. Tess’ body stiffened and she wiped a stray tear that had gone unnoticed until now from her cheek. “Get him into the chamber, it’ll be easier for me to kneel in there,” she commanded darkly.

Michael quickly obeyed, lugging Max’s cold body back into the lit chamber. He didn’t even blink. Michael didn’t care if she killed Alex right now all he cared about was not losing another person he cared about deeply.

He watched as the petite blonde took command of the situation. Her hands caressed Max’s face and she lowered her lips to his ears as if whispering something. Then she lifted Max’s t-shirt, revealing a golden handprint. It hadn’t faded since Liz had attempted to heal Max. “What’s this?” Tess asked curiously turning her head around.

Liz stepped up to the blonde outsider. “I tried to heal him,” she replied stiffly.

Michael blinked as the two women faced off in a cold deadly war of wills. Then when he’d thought it had gone on long enough he stepped in and pointed at Tess. “Look, we don’t have time. Can you help him or not?”

The clear blue eyes left Liz and focused on Michael. “I don’t know.” She paused a moment quickly glancing down at Maxwell. “They said that I could do this, but there wasn’t time to explain how. They said that I was the only one who could save him.”

Maria suddenly coughed, muffling her sarcasm with her hand. “Liar,” she said in between her throaty spasms.

Michael didn’t give Maria a second glance, too focused on the situation at hand. “You either can or can’t Tess, tell me now!”

Suddenly Isabel stepped out of the shadows, her face pale and creased with worry. “You are going to save him,” she stated emotionless. “You have to. Now focus and prove that we weren’t wrong in trusting you this one last time.”

Michael glanced over at Isabel. She seemed drained of emotion and rigid in her stance. All he wanted to do was hold her while they waited to see if this lying conniving traitor would save one of their own. Isabel seemed to feel his eyes on her and her gaze met his. Michael swallowed hard and turned away before seeing Jesse wrap his arms around her and whisper comforting words in her ear.

“If you’re going to save him,” Michael growled, “do it now. Or else you’re nothing but a waste of human DNA and you can go back to the planet you came from.”

***

Tess swallowed and prayed to an unknown power to guide her as scorning watchful eyes were upon her. As she placed her hand on his chest, slightly above the golden touch of death, Tess licked her lips and closed her eyes. While she focused on an image of Max’s face, Tess began to remember all of the quiet moments she’d shared with him. Memories of their first time in the observatory flashed before her eyes. Tess remembered everything about him and the warm beat of his heart.

Suddenly she was drawn into a dark tunnel. Tess called out to Max; when she was brought back to her own body, Tess felt a tingling warm all of energy hovering in the pit of her stomach. However, Tess willed that ball into the palm of her hand. It glowed a bright pale silvery blue as it enveloped her hand and then was absorbed into Max’s body.

An unexpected understanding of what she needed to do next filled her senses. Tess knew she was a part of Max and that just as they’d become one in body, now they needed to become one in spirit. As she slowly breathed in, Tess placed her other hand upon Max’s chest, precisely on top of Liz’s handprint. Tess closed her eyes once more and began to search within that darkness for that shimmering portal that Max had escaped into.

***

Isabel watched as an unusual silver bubble began to envelop Tess. It shimmered under the crystal lights that hung above the group of seven. Suddenly it began to extend across to Max’s body until the couple was encased in a translucent bubble of energy. The intensity of its energy was astounding. Isabel could feel herself being pushed back by it.

As she watched with mesmerizing rapture, Isabel pulled away from Jesse’s embrace and walked over to Michael. He extended his right hand slowly and grasped hers in a vice like grip. The two were stunned at the powerful connection that was happening in front of them. Tess and Max were as still as statues and didn’t make a sound as the bubble seemed to solidify and began to turn opaque.

All of the sudden, Isabel found herself awakened as if she’d been in some sort of dream-like trance. The soft mumbles coming from the others hinted to Isabel that they’d also been hypnotized by the remarkable healing. “What happened?” she whispered to Michael.

A thin casing of a hard crust-like substance stood before them, which they’d never seen before. It was woven like a cocoon, and it shimmered as if the stars themselves had lent their light. No one knew what to make of it.

His light brows furrowed and he rubbed his mouth laboriously. “I…I don’t know Isabel,” he replied. She watched him walk around the shell, lightly fingering the casing. He sighed heavily and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he repeated.

“Good work Sherlock,” Maria retorted. “That black widow could have him trapped in that bubble and be sucking the life out of him.”

Isabel frowned at the misplaced sense of humor. “That’s not funny,” Isabel replied sharply. “Besides what else were we supposed to do?”

Maria glanced briefly at Liz, who was leaning her forehead against the shell, eyes closed. Suddenly she clamped her mouth shut as if suddenly realizing how inappropriate it was. “I’m sorry guys, but how do we know that was her plan? I mean, she could have just put on that light show for us and teleported Max’s body back to Antar?”

Isabel closed her eyes and searched for Max and Tess within that casing. She opened her eyes and shook her head. “They’re still in there.”

Liz seemed to snap out of her somber state and grab Isabel’s wrist. “Are they alive? Is Max alive?”

Isabel looked down at Liz pityingly. “I don’t know Liz. I don’t know.”

***

Max felt cold, a chill that cut like a knife right through him. He wrapped his arms around himself, hoping to be able to keep whatever body heat he had left inside him. His eyes, he realized, were closed, and his whole body was tired. When he swallowed, his mouth was dry and his lips felt chapped. He cleared his throat quietly and forced his eyes opened.

Max was blinded by the brightness that filled his senses, and he lifted his right arm to shield him from its harsh intensity. As his head lolled back, and he realized how heavy every appendage and body part felt, Max fell back onto his back and rested. It was at that moment, he realized that he was not alone. His leg brushed up against something.

As he lifted his head up once more, Max saw a small figure curled up into a ball, a mass of blonde curls hiding the woman’s face. He swallowed again, this time; his throat didn’t hurt as much as some moisture had returned. Max turned over on his stomach and pulled himself over to the woman. As he brushed a few locks that had fallen across her face, Max discovered an unconscious Tess lying before him.

He frowned. Where were they? And how did Tess get here?

Max could hear shuffling beyond the light thin shell that surrounded them. A muffle of voices filled his ears. He recognized one voice. Liz was out there.

Just as he was about to tear his way out of the bubble, the mass of curls rose up and her hand swept the long hair out of her pale face. Max was suddenly overwhelmed by a torrent of images. He was seeing a thin blonde waif at the edge of a cliff, then, it flashed to a woman smiling at him with these clear blue eyes. She was laughing and running around in the white surf of the ocean. And lastly, an image of Tess’ stunned face appeared as he gave her a silver ring, diamond encrusted with a solid blue gem in the center of it.

Max held his head as the images stopped and as his eyes fell upon Tess once more, the mother of his child smiled softly. “I remember too Max. I remember it all.” She reached out to him, but he pulled away, scared and desperate to be near Liz.

There was a small crack in the shell layering and Max glanced guiltily, one last time at Tess, who looked rejected and upset. Max swallowed and pulled at the opening. It gave way and the shell tore, revealing the familiar white room he’d last laid eyes on before the darkness.

“Max!” a familiar voice called excitedly.

As he stepped out of the dim shell into the illuminating room, Max was surrounded by a host of people. His eyes first met Isabel’s, whose were filling up with tears. As she draped her arms around his neck, Max felt all the tiredness melt away. He was home again.

There was a large commotion and many of them bombarded him with questions. “Are you all right?” “Is everything okay?” “What happened Max?” He didn’t even know who was asking the questions, let alone which to answer first, if he could answer any.

Finally he heard Michael’s loud obnoxious voice shout above the crowd. “Give the man some room!” Max met Michael’s stout gaze and he smiled. Everyone parted as Michael slowly made his way over to him. “We were doing fine here ya know! You didn’t need to come back so soon!” Michael’s feigned bravado was transparent.

“I’m sure,” retorted Max. He studied Michael’s face and both snorted at Michael’s comment. Suddenly the walls fell and they embraced gruffly, patting each other on the back.

“You know you had us scared there for a while?” Michael growled.

Max nodded. “I was scared myself,” he began to explain, when suddenly his eyes fell on Liz.

She stood there silently, a wounded look on her face. Liz’s face scrunched up and her eyes closed, trying to hold in the tears. Max approached slowly until he was standing in front of her, his hand caressing her smooth cheek. “I missed you,” he sighed.

Liz smiled unable to speak, tears trickling down her face. She wrapped her arms around him and he felt her body collapse in a torrent of tears. Finally she managed to speak through her sobs. “I didn’t think I’d ever hold you again,” she sniffled. Suddenly she was laughing and smiling as her hands reached up to cup his face, as if to make sure this wasn’t a dream.

Max smiled, realizing that his own tears were falling and mingling with hers. “Me too,” he whispered.

***

“Oh, how touching,” Tess sighed dryly as she watched the touching reunion.

As she stepped out of the shell, Tess found herself ignored. Everyone had forgotten that she’d even existed. It was as if they thought that she would disappear after healing Max. What could she really have expected? Tess thought to herself. Why should anything change?

Tess’ gaze fell upon Max. Things should have changed. Max remembered; he remembered when they’d first met, he remembered when he’d proposed to her, Max remembered loving her. Instead, Tess watched as Max ran desperately to the love he’d clung to the first day she’d met him. A harmless crush had turned out to be the biggest obstacle keeping Max from admitting the true love that they’d shared, that they’d fought and died for.

“Tess,” Max whispered distractedly. “Thank you.”

“Yes, thank you,” Liz agreed, clinging to Maxwell.

It was enough to make Tess puke. She plastered on her poker face and pushed back the bile that rose in her throat. “So glad I could help,” she retorted stiffly. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Suddenly Tess felt herself pushed forward from behind. She took a couple steps forward to balance herself and turned around in anger. “What the heck?” she cried.

Maria was a few inches from her, eyes a blazing. “Don’t even think of getting angry little girl. You don’t have any right to be angry.”

Tess clenched her teeth and her anger seethed at the audacity the little humanoid had. “Excuse me?” she asked when she was in control of her emotions.

“You heard me. Don’t think that saving Max makes up for anything! You killed Alex and I will always remember that.”

“Maria!” Michael growled through clenched teeth.

Maria turned around to glare at her former lover. “Uh, no! Don’t think you can shush me! I’m not your girlfriend anymore, I don’t care what you say,” she spat. “This woman got away with murder because she was pregnant with Max’s baby. Well, she’s not anymore.”

Silence filled the white chamber. Finally Tess laughed hysterically. “Whatever Maria.”

Max frowned at her. “Why are you laughing?”

Tess shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. “You really are pathetic you know? I can’t believe that you don’t know me by now!” She turned around and looked at Max, whom had Liz glued to his side. “You tell me Max? Am I the woman who killed Alex? You tell me Zen! After all, you were going to marry me?”

Tess couldn’t take it anymore. She’d had enough of the accusations. There had been a reason why she’d led him to believe that what Liz had told him was true, but not anymore.

“I don’t know what you mean Tess,” Max said defiantly.

Tess confronted her fiancée. “Do you remember what you saw in there Max?” She pointed inside the crystallized shell. “You remember me Zan and the woman I was. You tell me? Would I kill Alex?”

Suddenly Liz stepped forward. “It doesn’t matter Tess. We have proof that you killed Alex. I don’t know why you’re trying to deny it now!” she exclaimed angrily.

Tess scowled at the petite brunette. “You don’t know anything Liz! You never did.”

Max stepped forward, making Tess give ground. “Just because I remember loving you Tess, doesn’t mean anything.”

“It doesn’t?” Tess challenged. “You mean you don’t remember the kind of woman you fell in love with and are in love with now?”

Max looked at her defiantly. “I don’t love you anymore Tess. You know that. I never loved you.”

Tess swallowed and her face softened at that last declaration. “You’re wrong Max,” she said, losing the inner fire that stoked her anger. “I know you loved me and still love me. How could you not?”

Max looked quizzically at her. “Tess, look, I’m thankful that you saved my life, but I’m staying here. There’s no way I could forgive you for killing Alex, let alone fall in love with you.”

Tess didn’t know what to do. She’d thought for sure that she’d seen something beneath his dark brown eyes when she’d woken up in the chamber. Tess was almost sure that once he remembered his feelings, as she did when she’d retrieved her memories, Max would realize that they really loved each other. Now looking at Max, Tess wasn’t sure.

But things had been coming together. Tess thought that there might be some chance of being with Max again. However, by Max’s behavior, it was as if retrieving the memories of his past life meant nothing to him.

“Tess?” Isabel called to her softly. Tess turned around to face the tall, now brunette woman, whom she’d considered a sister. “Are you all right?”

Tess swallowed. She didn’t know. How was she ever going to be all right?

Andaria expected her to return to Antar. The people expected their king to return to his rightful throne. Had she screwed this up one more time? Was Andaria wrong?

Suddenly Tess felt faint. She doubled over in pain as her whole body began ache. Tess lifted her hand up to touch her head when everything was suddenly fading and darkening. She recognized Isabel’s face as her knees gave out and Max’s face before everything turned to black.

***

Isabel felt the full weight of the small figure as she collapsed beside her. Isabel looked up at Michael, who was standing beside her, asking silently for some help. Michael gently slipped his arms underneath her and swept her up in his arms. “Are we going to just leave her here?” he asked.

“I think so,” Maria stated. “I mean, if we just leave her here, maybe she’ll just flicker and teleport herself out of here.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “We can’t do that,” she sighed. “She just saved Max’s life.”

“And killed Alex! Or don’t you remember that?”

Isabel felt torn. There was something about Tess. It wasn’t even some mind trick that she was playing. There was something in the frustration and desperation of her voice that led Isabel to believe that there was more to the story than just accidentally killing Alex. It didn’t seem right.

The tirade that Tess had pulled before Max’s declaration of his inability to love her seemed to be leading somewhere. But when he told her that he didn’t love her, she seemed to lose focus and attack Liz. “We need to keep an eye on her,” Isabel protested. “Just in case she decides to pull something.”

Isabel didn’t believe that Tess would, but it was a sound enough excuse not to leave her here in the white sterile empty room. “I agree,” Max said, looking at Isabel.

Isabel thought she caught a glimpse of something in Max’s eye. It seemed like there was more to his agreeing than his compassion for another human being, or hybrid. As Isabel studied Max, who hadn’t left Liz’s side, it seemed as if Max was debating something within himself. Max was conflicted in ways she couldn’t read, which was a first for Isabel.

“Well I vote no,” Maria pouted. “Liz?”

“I say…well, I say yes,” Liz said hesitantly.

“That’s three against one,” Isabel stated, looking around the room.

“I say no,” Jesse chimed in.

Isabel looked curiously at him. “What?”

“Well, if she’s a killer like you say, then why do we want her anywhere near us?” he questioned.

Isabel bit her tongue as she thought of a rude reply. She didn’t even know why he should even have a vote. He had just gotten involved in this whole mess and didn’t know anything about Tess. Isabel just wished Jesse could understand where she was coming from.

“See!” Maria exclaimed. “What about you Michael?”

He looked down at the unconscious woman and then over at Isabel. She knew he understood why they couldn’t just leave her here. Isabel knew Michael would make the right choice. “Yes.”

Isabel smiled and looked around the room. “We better get going. Can we stash her at your place Michael?”

Michael nodded and headed out the chamber door with everyone else following behind.

“Are we meeting there?” Isabel asked.

Max nodded. “Yeah, we gotta figure out what’s going on, and what to do next.”

Isabel looked over at Max in the evening light of the stars. She couldn’t imagine feeling better than she did that night. Max was all right and she didn’t need to lie anymore. Isabel could tell her parents that she’d found their brother, which would make them ecstatic and her father stop the investigation.

Isabel looked over at Jesse who seemed awfully quiet. “Are you all right Jesse?”

“Fine. But I have to get home. I’ve got a lot of phone calls to make to New York about this case I’ve been working on.”

“But honey, it’s late?” Isabel said confused. “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“It’s got to be dealt with tonight.”

Isabel shook her head and frowned. He seemed a little off, like something was on his mind. And it wasn’t the case either, but Isabel couldn’t worry about that now. Max was healed, but they still had to figure out what to do with Tess. “Fine,” she answered. “You take the car. I’ll go with Michael.”

Jesse nodded and Isabel thought he mumbled something under his breath. Something like, “I’m sure you will.” Isabel wasn’t sure what that meant, but she let it go, not wanting to start a big argument in front of the other five.

“I’ll see you later tonight honey,” she called as Jesse walked away. Jesse waved his hand in acknowledgement. “Remember don’t tell my parents!”

Jesse didn’t answer. Isabel watched the car roar to life, the headlights shining brightly into her eyes. She raised her arm to protect her eyes from the glaring lights.

“Isabel, aren’t you going with Jesse?” Liz called.

Isabel turned around to face the petite brunette. “No. He’s kind of tired. He’s going home.”

Max came up beside Liz. “Is he going to tell Mom and Dad?” he asked worriedly.

Isabel shook her head. “No,” she said, feigning confidence. “I reminded him not to.” Max looked skeptically at her. “It’ll be fine Max.”

Michael popped his head up from the inside of the jeep. “Are we going or not?”

Everyone began to head towards the jeep. Isabel and Max joined Tess and Michael in the jeep, while Maria drove Liz back to Michael’s apartment. Isabel noticed the longing looks between Max and Liz, but the three of them needed to discuss things on the way to their destination.

***

“Max what happened?” Michael asked as he drove the jeep down the dry dirt road. He couldn’t believe that he was talking with Max right now, who’d just a half an hour ago, laid dead in his arms.

“I’ll explain it all when we get to the apartment,” Max replied evasively.

Michael peered into his rearview mirror at Maxwell, who had Tess’ head lying in his lap. “What happened between you two?”

Max looked at him darkly and answered softly, “I can’t explain Michael. It’s still all a blur to me.”

Michael sighed. It was the same old Max, vague and secretive. “We have to figure out what to do with her,” Michael stated.

“We can figure it out at the apartment,” Max repeated himself. “Why do I have to answer so many questions? What’s with the third degree?”

Michael looked over at Isabel. “You try, cause he’s still not listening to me,” he grunted.

“Look Max,” Isabel smiled. “It’s just that Liz and Maria aren’t as objective when it comes to Tess.”

Max frowned. “And you guys are?”

Michael rolled his eyes. “What we mean Max is, you wouldn’t be here if we had a democratic vote,” Michael pointed out. “Liz and Maria were ballistic about bringing Tess back.”

“Well, I could see why, couldn’t you?” Max challenged. “She did kill their best friend, our best friend.”

Both Michael and Isabel sighed. “Look Max, there’s a lot of changes happening and we have to figure out what to do.”

Max moved forward. “Okay, now I know something’s up. Now tell me what’s got you guys so spooked.”

Michael nodded for Isabel to show him the box. The brunette opened the glove compartment in the jeep and handed Max the box. “I found this one night when I drove out into the desert.”

Max frowned. “Where did we find it exactly?” he asked, as he opened the box.

“Somehow,” Isabel sighed. “Somehow I ended up driving into the desert while I was sleeping and it led me to this huge boulder. It was glowing and underneath it was this box.”

Michael watched as Maxwell appeared to be reading the note inside the box. He waited for Max’s reaction, which was tame and expressionless. “Well,” Michael said, “what do you think?”

Max looked up at both Michael and Isabel. “I think we’ve already answered that question haven’t we?”


And you're in luck...i've got another chapter for ya!


Chapter Twenty Five

***
Where we love is home,
Home that our feet may leave,
But not our hearts.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes
***

“So what are we planning?” Maria asked warily.

They had been sitting in Michael’s apartment for a half an hour. Michael watched, as everyone seemed awkward and uncomfortable around each other. It was true that there had been strains in several relationships within the small group. Nothing was as it had been before.

“Well, we have to find out what we’re going to do with Tess,” Liz answered slowly. “Don’t we?”

Maxwell had been holding hands with Liz as if letting go meant that he’d never see her again. He couldn’t help but feel like his past life was slipping away from him and if he didn’t hold on to it then it meant losing it all. “She’ll go back to Antar,” he said calmly.

“But what if she can’t Max?” Isabel chimed in. She had been silent most of the evening, since Jesse’s hurried departure. “We can’t just abandon her after she saved you.”

“We can’t?” Maria retorted.

Isabel felt torn between her hatred of what Tess had done to Alex, but gratitude that she’d come home to save Max. But surveying the tired and skeptical faces, Isabel didn’t think it was wise to voice her empathy for the woman. Isabel ran her hand through her short auburn hair and sighed loudly.

“Look,” Michael sighed. He was emotionally and physically drained from the entire night’s events. “I think we should sleep on it? Besides we have school in the morning.” Michael frowned briefly. Where had that come from?

He rolled his eyes at the stunned faces sitting in his living room. “What? I can’t be responsible once and awhile?” he challenged. Michael knew that it wasn’t out of responsibility that he had mentioned turning in. He needed some alone time with Max and Isabel. They hadn’t had enough time to discuss the message that had been sent to them from Antar, when they arrived back at his apartment with Liz and Maria waiting for them.

“Uh, no?” Maria deadpanned.

Michael appealed to Max, who seemed kind of edgy since they arrived at his apartment. “What do you think Max?”

The dark brooding leader seemed to remain silent for a moment and then nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah. Guys, we won’t make any decisions tonight. Besides, I need to get home and figure out a way to explain to my parents why I disappeared and how I got back home,” he sighed.

Liz moved forward in her seat on the couch as if to get up, and brushed a lock of hair out of Max’s face. “Do you really think we should even worry about school right now? Do you think we can?” she asked incredulously.

Max gazed steadily at her when he turned to answer. “Yes. We have to act as if nothing happened.” He paused. “I think our best plan would be to just say that some weirdo guys abducted me from the hospital and when I finally found the strength to get away, I made my way back to the desert. And that’s where Isabel and Michael found me,” he said, pondering whether he’d covered all his bases.

Liz frowned. “But Max, do you think your parents will buy that?”

“They have to,” he stated, looking around at the doubtful faces in the room. “Because that’s exactly what I’m telling them.”

When they had sorted out their stories and the little details, everyone rose to leave. “Are you guys catching a ride with me?” Maria asked curiously.

“Uh, I think I’m going to stay here a little while. To make sure Tess is all right,” Isabel stammered. “Besides, I’m not worrying about school tomorrow like you guys are.”

Maria’s brow creased, a look of tension crossed her face. Suddenly she smiled politely. “Uh, yeah sure. That’s fine with me. How about you Max?”

Both Isabel and Liz looked toward Max with scrutinizing eyes. “Yeah, Max. I’m sure your parents would like to know that you’re okay,” Liz commented.

Max swallowed uneasily. “Well, I probably should stay here and go home with Isabel. Besides, I need to talk to them about some things before my parents start grilling us,” he explained.

“But you don’t have a car?” Maria pointed out.

“I’ll give them a ride home,” Michael quickly replied. “It’s not like it’s so far a way.”

Liz and Maria looked at each other sighed. “Whatever you want,” Liz said tentatively.

Max hated leaving Liz out of this, but there were things he needed to discuss with Isabel and Michael that would have hurt Liz to hear. He needed to figure out how to explain to Tess that she needed to tell a whole planet of people that he, Max, their king was not planning on coming back. Max wrapped his arms around Liz, whose embrace was tight and familiar. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the Crashdown. I don’t think I’ll be going to school tomorrow. There’s too much to sort out at home.”

The trio of hybrids watched as Maria and Liz exited the apartment hesitantly, as if willing themselves to go.

~~~

Tess was floating like in a restless dream. Before her stood her mother, tall, regal and majestic in her beauty. As Tess approached her, she saw that her Andaria held Zander. The tiny baby was laughing and giggling as her mother rocked him in her arms. “Mother,” Tess called.

Her mother looked up from Zander and frowned. “You haven’t accomplished your mission,” Andaria stated quietly. “You need to convince him to come back Tess.”

Tess swallowed, shaking her head in defeat. “But I can’t. He said he wouldn’t go.”

Andaria lifted Zander up and rested him against her shoulder. “Your son needs his father Tess. And you know that Max needs you. He’s just not willing to admit that right now,” Andaria spoke in soothing tones, careful not to awake her grandson. “He’s afraid Tess, and he’s confused. Max has a choice and he doesn’t want to take the road less traveled.”

“How can you be so sure of his feelings for me?”

Andaria smiled knowingly at her child. “Because I remember how you two looked the day we celebrated your betrothal,” she whispered. “And because you were destined to be my child. From the day Zan saw you on the Cliffs of Inoria until your deaths on the Plains of Balin, you and Zan have been inextricably linked. And no human child will keep him from you. No matter how intoxicated he may be.”

Suddenly her mother faded in a clouded mist and Tess awoke in a dark room, with only the stars twinkling above her as companions. Tess swallowed and remembered that she had blacked out after healing Max. The dimensional shift had been a strain on her body, though she didn’t feel it when she caught sight of Max’s body. Adrenaline had kept her going, and given her the strength to complete the task that had been laid before her.

Now that it had been half-completed, Tess needed to keep her sight on the finish line. She needed to convince Max that he was in love with her. He was just too afraid to let himself feel it.

Tess laughed to herself. It seemed quite pathetic to her that she was scheming a way to make Max fall in love with her again. She didn’t think that it was right. If everything her mother had said were true, Max would realize that Liz wasn’t the one for him.

Tess swung her legs over the side of the queen-sized mattress and listened intently to the whispers beyond the closed grey door. She wasn’t ready to face the barrage of questions Michael, Isabel, and Max would ply her with. So after a moment, Tess decided to bide her time alone in what apparently was Michael’s room.

The floor was cluttered with clothes and magazines. Tess chuckled at the thought of what kind of life Michael would have had, if Isabel weren’t apparently attached to that stranger in the Granolith chamber. She’d have Michael whipped into shape in no time. As Tess amused herself with what kind of lives they might have lived had everything gone according to plan, she was oblivious to the soft creak of the door opening.

“Tess?” Isabel whispered. “Are you awake?”

Tess was startled and turned around to find Isabel squinting in the darkness, searching for her. “I’m awake,” she answered.

Now it was Isabel’s turn to be startled. The tall brunette’s head jolted up and her gaze fell upon Tess, who was lit in the pale rays of the evening light. “Oh, good. Can I come in?”

“Suit yourself. It’s not my place, right?” Tess scoffed. “Besides aren’t I your prisoner?” She made little quotations with her index and middle fingers.

Tess readied herself for an attack from her former friend. She knew how devastated Isabel had been when Alex had died. In fact, Tess was surprised that she even gave her the time of day. “Have you guys decided what to do with me yet?” Tess asked, her voice softening towards the one person who could possibly understand her.

Isabel fumbled her hands against the wall, and finally found the light switch. “No, we thought you might just be planning on going back to Antar.” Tess watched as she sat down warily on the edge of Michael’s bed. “You know we’re all thankful that you saved Max,” she offered slowly. “We just kind of got caught up in the surprise of everything.”

Tess shook her head and turned her gaze back towards the stars. “They didn’t get caught up in everything, they just hate me,” she retorted. “Not that I can blame them.” She closed her eyes and was glad that Isabel wasn’t in there to attack her or try to get rid of her. The relaxed cadence of the conversation was comforting to her. She missed having someone to talk to.

“So why did you come back?” Isabel asked.

Tess turned from her own thoughts and looked at Isabel who sat with one leg tucked underneath her. “Why do you think I came back?” she countered.

“I think you came back because you love Max.”

The simplicity and insight of the statement made Tess laugh. “Are you sure? I think a lot of them would think that I came back to finish him off,” she replied.

“If you did, then he wouldn’t be alive, would he?” Isabel countered.

Tess swallowed and nodded. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. “You were always the smart one Isabel,” Tess smirked.

“So what was it you were trying to say to Max tonight?”

Tess frowned, hoping to mask the sudden nervousness that came over her. “What do you mean?” she asked. She tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear.

“It was like you were going to tell us something about the night Alex…”

Before Isabel could finish her sentence, Michael came barging in. “So is she awake or….” Michael stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell upon the two women in conversation. “Uh, since she’s awake, we need to talk,” he coughed.

Tess swallowed and unconsciously smoothed a non-existent wrinkle out of her t-shirt. The same t-shirt she’d worn the night she had lied to Max and was banished to Antar. She hesitantly moved towards the door, slowly stepping past Michael, her eyes gazing intently up at his.

Tess prayed that she was prepared for what seemed to be a long night ahead. As she strode down the small hallway and into the living room, Tess met Max, who was pacing back and forth, deep in thought. “So what’s the sentence?” Tess said mockingly. “How guilty am I for saving your life?”

~~~

Max looked at Tess, whose face was dark and almost expressionless. She was trying to hide her emotions, but Max knew that Tess was just putting on a front for everyone. “We haven’t condemned you Tess,” he sighed.

Tess feigned extreme relief. Her eyes widened in surprise and her jaw dropped opened. Pressing her left hand to her chest, Tess cried out, “You mean I didn’t do anything bad by saving your life?”

Max saw Michael groan out of the corner of his eye. “Look Tess, I know you came to help me out, but what are your plans now?” he asked, deciding that bluntness was the best way to handle the situation.

“Well, hmmm, Max, what would you like for my plan to be?”

Max glanced at Michael and Isabel, who both seemed to have found an ounce of forgiveness for the woman, and then back down at Tess. “I thought you might be going back to Antar,” he said uncomfortably. “Unless there was something more to this trip?”

“Antar. Yes. Let’s talk about Antar Max. You know, the place where you are the king?” Tess sat down on the couch and crossed her legs neatly in front of her. “What do you plan on doing about that problem?”

“What problem?” Michael asked gruffly.

Max felt a lump develop in his throat as Tess scoffed, as she looked around at the trio. “What problem do you think Michael?” she said in a condescending manner. “The fact that a planet full of people are waiting for their great king to return. You got the message didn’t you?”

“Did you send that?” Isabel asked sitting beside Tess on the couch.

“No,” Tess replied. “But Andaria told me that a message had been sent, preparing you for what’s coming up next.”

Max cleared his throat and rested his hands on his hips. “And what does that mean?” he demanded, staring intently at his ex-fiancé, if he could call her that.

“What do you think it means?” she challenged.

Suddenly Michael burst in waving his hands in the air. “Wait, who’s Andaria and what is coming next?” Michael shouted.

Max sighed frustratingly. He hated that she was so cryptic with her messages and never explained herself. “Are you going back to Antar?” he asked darkly.

She seemed to sit there for a moment pondering his question. Finally she slowly nodded her head and spoke. “Yes,” she answered. “But...” He knew there had to be a ‘but’. “But what?” Max asked.

“But you have to come with me.” Tess leaned forward, resting her arms on her thighs. “All of you.” She looked at Max, then Michael, and lastly, Isabel, who seemed stunned at the revelation.

Max frowned. “I’m…we’re, not coming with you,” he stammered.

“Well, that’s the only way you’re going to get rid of me. And oh,” she paused. “Just to let you know, Khivar doesn’t know I’m gone.”

“So?” Isabel choked out. “So what if he does or doesn’t know?”

“Well that would depend if Max cares about his son or not,” she countered.

“What about him?” Max scowled. “What does he have anything to do with Khivar?”

“Well he’s living with Khivar, Max, so Khivar matters.”

Max was dumbstruck. How could she let him have Zander? Max shook his head in disbelief. During her arrival, Max gave her the benefit of the doubt, when it came to her motivations, but now he knew she couldn’t be trusted.

‘How do you know Max?’ a voice asked inside. ‘You don’t know what it was like for her.’

Max rubbed his mouth, which had grown stubble, from not shaving. He knew he couldn’t just jump to conclusions. “What have you done to Zander?” he yelled, trying to control his overwhelming anger.

“I didn’t do anything!” Tess yelled. Standing up, her face twisted in anger. Her mask of unconcern and carefree attitude was replaced with cauldron of mixed emotions. “I had to leave him with Khivar. I had no control over it.”

Max debated whether he could believe her or not. “I can’t believe you left him with that scum,” he spat.

Tess laughed though tears began to run down her face. “There are a lot of things I can’t believe you’ve done Max, but hey, anything for a life lived with Liz right?”

The cheap shot filled Max with disgust. “You know what? I don’t have to explain anything to a woman who murdered a supposed ‘friend’ of hers.”

Complete silence filled Michael’s apartment. Max took the opportunity to catch his breath and calm down. He’d never been this angry before.

“I think we should leave you two alone,” Isabel said awkwardly

“Why?” Michael frowned. “We’re a part of this. We need to find out what’s going on and besides, if we’re not here, Max might just strangle her.”

Max closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Isabel’s right. I need to talk to Tess alone for a moment. Can you guys give us a few minutes?”

Michael looked hesitant, while Isabel rose from the couch and crossed in front of Tess. Max watched as Isabel tugged Michael into the hallway and into his bedroom. Then he turned his sights upon Tess, who had began pacing back and forth, mumbling to herself. “You’re going to tell me everything I ask Tess, or there will be hell to pay.”

~~~

Isabel sighed heavily as she waited for the sound of the door to close behind her. “Michael what do you think about what Tess said about returning to Antar?”

Michael peered up at her with uncertainty. “I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting it.” He shook his head and leaned his body against the dresser drawer on his left. “I think it caught everyone by surprise,” he answered.

Isabel smiled half-heartedly. “Well it certainly isn’t something that Tess hinted at when we were talking in here.”

“What were you talking about?” he asked curiously. “I mean she always so cryptic.”

Isabel shook her head in protest. “I don’t know what it is Michael, but I feel comfortable around her. It’s weird. Even after all that’s happened, I feel like there’s still something about her that I know that no one else does. I feel like we have a connection.”

Michael scoffed. “Some connection, she’s been lying to us since the day we met her.” Michael walked towards Isabel and stood at the foot of the bed. “Are you sure she’s not just mind warping you or something?”

“No!”

“Well, you never know.” He sighed. “I’ve been thinking though,” he wavered. “About what life would be like on Antar.”

Isabel studied Michael, who stood kicking a lump of dirty clothes on the floor. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“I think that maybe I should go back to Antar,” he said hesitantly.

Isabel swallowed hard. She never imagined Michael considering the possibility of leaving Earth for Antar. It made her feel uneasy and disconcerted. “Are you…are you really thinking about it?” she stuttered. “I mean what would you be going to.”

“Well, I think that if Max doesn’t go back and stop Khivar, then maybe I should. I’m his second in command right? That means if he’s not there, then I’m the man.”

Isabel leaned forward and slid down closer to Michael. “But you don’t even know what you’re getting yourself into?” she exclaimed.

“It’s just a thought I’ve been playing with Isabel. I don’t even know if it’ll happen,” he chided. “Don’t worry about.”

Isabel sat back down on her heels. How could she not worry about it? She needed Michael. He could leave all of them behind.

~~~

Michael wasn’t even sure where the thought of returning to Antar had come from. When the words tumbled out of his mouth, Michael knew it was actually he’d been contemplating for a long time. He had always known that his life wasn’t here on Earth. As much as he loved Maria, Liz, Kyle, Valenti and the Evans, Michael had dreamed of going home.

But there seemed no viable way for him to return. In fact, Michael didn’t even know where home was. So there was no point in even thinking about it. But now? Now Tess was calling them home. She was telling them that there was a whole population waiting for the return of the Royal Four.

Michael glanced down at Isabel who seemed immersed in her own thoughts. He sat down at the foot of the bed. “You know, this is probably just a stupid idea that I’m having. I mean, you’re right when you say that there’s nobody there for me.”

Isabel looked up at him. “You’re wrong. I mean you could have parents there right?”

Michael swallowed. Parents. He’d wanted to know his real parents since the day he knew what one was. He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Michael don’t lie to me. Okay? I know you have searched all your life to find out just who you are, and now you have your chance.”

He studied her concerned face. “Are you telling me I should go?” Michael asked gruffly.

Isabel swallowed and her eyes lowered. “No!” she said softly. “I would miss you too much. But if it’s…if it’s something you feel you need to do…” Her voice trailed off.

Michael shook his head. He didn’t even know what he was thinking anymore. The feeling of losing her in that blinding moment at the chamber came back and Michael knew that he couldn’t leave her, whether she would be with him or not. He wouldn’t leave her unless she told him to go. And that was something he never hoped she’d do.

“I don’t Isabel. I’ll...I’ll stay with you,” he stammered, as she lifted her dark brown eyes to meet his. “And Max, of course.” He then added, hoping he hadn’t been obvious in his commitment to her.

Isabel smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. “This has been one long night Michael,” she said, changing the subject. “Do you think that it’ll ever be over?” Isabel gazed warily at the door, which stood between them and Max and Tess.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” he asked, awkwardly wrapping his arm around her waist. Michael told himself it was because it was more comfortable that way.

Isabel didn’t lift her head to answer. “I think that Tess still loves Max and Max is too scared to leave,” she sighed. “I think that Max is fighting between his responsibility between being King of Antar and being infatuated with Liz.”

“So who do you think will win out?”

“Take your pick,” she laughed, lifting her head to look at Michael. “I think right now it’s a 60-40 split for Liz.”

Michael sighed. “Yeah, I would have said the same thing.

Chapter Twenty Six


***

Let him go forth to duty while she weaves the spell which makes home a paradise to which he may return,

ever welcome, whether he is victor or vanquished..

- R. B. Hayes

***


“What do you want from us?” Max asked through gritted teeth.



“You need to come back to Antar one way or another Max,” Tess sighed. It was like riding a merry-go-round. And she wished it would stop. How was she going to convince him that it was the best thing? How was she going to make him realize that his place wasn’t here?



“You’re like a broken record. I’m not a king.”



Tess watched Max pull away from the conversation. He turned his back on her and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Is everything we’ve gone through so far been for nothing?” Tess asked frustratingly. “Do your people mean so little to you? Does Zander?”



“Don’t use Zander to guilt me into this! I never signed up to be a father. That happened unexpectedly,” Max pointed out warily. “You can’t expect me to just drop everything to be king of a place where they killed you, Isabel, Michael and me!”



“They didn’t,” Tess protested. “Khivar did.” How many excuses would they wade through? She wished she could just reach inside of Max and pull out the strong leader and King she knew was hiding in there. Tess began to pace back and forth, racking her brain for an answer.



“So what I’m hearing is that you don’t care that the people you keep saving the Earth from are ruling over Antar and probably treating them exactly the same way they would have humans, if we hadn’t stopped them?” Tess exclaimed wildly. “Or don’t you remember the husks?”



“That is an exaggeration,” Max said calmly. “Plus they were trying to kill me, so I wouldn’t return to Antar. Don’t rewrite the past Tess.”



The blood began to rush to her face as he called her on the past events. Tess wasn’t lying, she knew that Khivar would have taken over Earth too if he had the chance. “I’m not,” she denied. “But do you feel okay that you’ve exiled your son to a place with people like that?”



“No! But you made that choice when you killed Alex,” he argued softly.



“Again with Alex!”



Max turned around his eyes blazing. “Yes, again!” Max cried out incredulously. “How many times do we have to go over the same thing.…”



“You tell me,” Tess interrupted. “I’m trying to tell you that hundreds of thousands of people are counting on you to rid them of Khivar, and you’re cowering under the cloak that they don’t need or want you?”



“They’ve done fine so far,” Max declared hesitantly. “I mean what did they do for the past 18 years or more?”



Tess threw her hands up in the air and shook her head in disbelief. “You know what Max,” raising her voice sharply, “I’ll have a survey taken and get back to you on that!” As the adrenaline pumped through her veins, Tess walked away from Max, who was staring at her, and opened the balcony door. The soothing warm breeze wafted over her and once again, she regained her composure. Tess closed the door and returned to their debate.



“You know what I mean!” Max stated irritably.



“No. No I don’t Max,” Tess sighed. “If you’re asking me how they survived, I think it’s because they’ve been in hiding.” She brushed back her long blonde locks over her shoulder. “They’ve pretended to be loyal to Khivar, all the while biding their time for our return.”



Max pursed his lips as he tried to explain why he couldn’t be king. “Why can’t they pick someone else to be their hero or leader?” he cried out in frustration.



“Why can’t a bird be a deer?” Tess mumbled sarcastically to herself. Tess tugged on her grey t-shirt as she shuffled into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, revealing row upon row of Snapple fruity drinks.



“What?” Max asked, overhearing Tess’ scorn. He turned around and once more leaned on the kitchen counter.



“Max we are who we are. We can’t choose to be someone else. I know it’s hard, I mean real hard, to wrap your mind around being the leader of thousands of people, but pull it together! We need to do this.”



“Don’t presume to know what I’m thinking or feeling about any of this. You don’t know what this is like for me. I know they need me, but it’s a people and a place that doesn’t even seem real to me.” Max turned around and began to pace back and forth. “And I don’t even feel like I belong there.”



“Well you would if you could come back and see it!” Tess coaxed. She grabbed a grape Snapple and popped the lid, taking a careful sip. “How else are you going to remember what we were fighting for and why we were fighting at all?” Tess manovoevered around the counter and closed the gap between her and Max. Tess set down the bottled fruit drink and reached up, resting her right hand on his shoulder. “Just consider it?” she whispered.



“But my home is here,” he protested.



“Is it really Max?” Tess caressed his face lightly. “If you saw it Max…the red sky, the purple sea. It’s a magical place. When you sent me there, I didn’t think I could adjust. I kept seeing all these strange people, and I had to keep reminding myself I wasn’t in a dream or watching some sci-fi movie. Everyone was different; not in a Star Trek kind of way, but beautiful. It was nothing like we could have imagined on Earth.”



Max held his position, her touch somehow comforting and relaxing. “How can I live in a place where people don’t even look like people?”



“But there are!”



“Are what?” he asked curiously. “Humans?”



“No, Antarians who have human form. Apparently they can shape shift like we, and Nasedo could and can. I know it isn’t where we grew up, but in a way it is.” Tess watched as Max’s face scrunched into one of disbelief and confusion. Though he looked upset, Tess thought she might have been getting through to him. But she was wrong.



“Look Tess, what do you want me to say?” Max groaned, pulling away from her touch. “I won’t tell you that I’m coming back and be their king. I just can’t. I’m human and belong here.”



“You’re half-human, and now who’s sounding like a broken record?” Tess retorted, folding her empty arms across her chest.



“Stop,” Max stated firmly. “You already have my answer.”



“And my answer to yours is ‘no’.”



“What do you mean no?” he replied exasperatedly.



“No I don’t accept it.” Tess approached Max quietly.



“Well it’s not like you have an option. You can’t change my mind.” Max pouted as a child would, disobeying a parent.



“You don’t know what you want.”



“You’re unbelievable Tess,” Max exclaimed. “I know exactly what I want.”



“Do you?” Tess stopped short of being able to touch him. “Somewhere deep in side of you is a Max who made love to me in the observatory. But that never happened right?” Max remained silent, averting his gaze from her piercing blue eyes. “That same Max climbed into my bedroom one night and told me three words that gave me just a spark of hope. Do you remember what you said?” Tess asked, again drawing closer to Max, until he was only a few inches away. “You said, ‘I remember you’.” Max looked away guiltily, as if he felt ashamed.



“You can’t tell me that Max doesn’t understand the consequences of letting his people die! But this time they’ll die without a King or leader fighting beside them,” Tess declared.



She hoped she was getting through. Somewhere deep inside, Tess knew something worse was coming. Khivar had fought and killed to rule Antar the first time, but now, now it was something else. He was fighting to keep it. And to prove his power he needed to bend all it’s people to his will.



Tess knew they were running out of time. She knew she was running out of time. Though Tess knew on Antar, time didn’t quite work in the same plane as time did on Earth, she knew Khivar would soon be checking up on her. Tess hadn’t been gone a long while by Antarian standards, Khivar was jumpy about his plans and she knew he was worried about her.



~~~



“That’s quite a guilt trip,” Michael muttered loudly, startling Tess and Max, who were immersed in their discussion. He and Isabel had thought they’d had enough time to talk certain things out.



“It’s not a guilt trip. It’s the truth,” Tess said calmly.



“Well it might be one way to look at it,” Michael growled. “But I’m sure there are other perspectives you might be leaving out.”



Michael still didn’t know what to do, or what direction to turn. He didn’t think Tess was trying to lead them into a trap. It didn’t make any sense. But he knew she had ulterior motives for wanting them to return. Whether they were dangerous or not was the question.



“It’s the only way Michael,” Tess sighed. “Look, I know you understand.”



Michael’s expression was one of skepticism. He watched as she moved toward him slowly, as if any sudden movement would chase him off. “Really?” he replied.



“Yes. You were always more connected to home than either Max or Isabel were,” Tess reminded him. “You were like me. Nothing held you to this place except Max and Isabel.”



Michael stuffed his hands in his pocket and looked at Isabel, and then at Max. She was right. Nothing kept him there except Max and Isabel. They were his family. But then Maria and Liz entered the picture. Kyle, Valenti and the Evans, all of them had gotten under his defenses, and he wasn’t sure if he could leave now. Especially since he knew Isabel would have a hard time leaving Jesse.



“So?” he frowned. “Doesn’t mean I agree to whatever you’re demanding us to do.”



“Don’t you care about home?” Tess asked.



Everyone became silent, each hesitant on how to answer the question.



“Tess, you don’t know what you’re asking,” Isabel lamented.



“I know Isabel,” Tess sighed, lowering her eyes. They still didn’t understand how hurt she was when she left the three people in her life that were ‘family’ to her. Tess swallowed hard and continued on. She had to convince them, and now was the time. “And I also know I’ve given you no reason to trust me in the past, but I know that they need you guys,” she pleaded. “They need us.”



“How could they?” Isabel protested. “Look how we screwed things up the last time! I don’t even know why they want us back.” Isabel rested her forehead on the nearby wall. “I betrayed my family and got us all killed. What could we possibly do to change the past?”



Michael walked over to Isabel and pulled her into an embrace. “It’s not your fault remember Isabel.”



Suddenly Max exclaimed. “Exactly!” He glanced at all the faces in the room. “How much better could I do than Zan, who was groomed and raised as king?”



Tess shook her head and looked at him adoringly. “I think you are stronger than ever Max,” she objected. “There was a reason we were all sent down here.” Tess’ gaze made contact with each of the Royal Three. “You’ve learned things here that as a prince you would never have faced. You know what it is to be one of the people rather than a king exacting his idea of what paradise and right and wrong are. You now know what the people need.”



“How do you keep coming up with this stuff?” Max asked incredulously. “It seems to me that you should be the one to rule Antar. You know and love the people obviously.”



“I do,” Tess admitted. “The limited amount of people I’ve met, have become a part of me and I don’t want to see them hurt or killed, but they need a king Max.”



“Well I don’t remember and that’s a problem when it comes to ruling a whole race of people, isn’t it?” Max exclaimed.



“How hard have you tried?”



Max shrugged. “That’s not the point.”



“It’s exactly the point.”



“So we could remember if we just tried harder?” Michael retorted, shaking his head in aggravation. “Why didn’t we think of that?” The sarcastic tone was more out of frustration at the whole situation rather than at Tess, although she wasn’t absolved for bringing it about in such a blunt fashion.



“Look guys, you remember a lot of what you want to remember. It depends on how motivated you are to remember your life back then,” Tess explained.



“But why would we want to remember a past where we died?” Michael exclaimed. “What I have remembered I’d like to forget!”



“Not that easy when we’re the Royal Four and have a whole race of people depending on us though,” Tess answered facetiously.



Michael groaned. “It’s getting really late.” He opted to change the subject, in fact, he opted to stop talking at all about this.



“Uh, yeah I guess,” Max agreed, briefly glancing at the clock which hung on the kitchen wall. “Maybe we should be getting home?”



Michael tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes. His neck was sore and stiff and he was tired. Michael rubbed his nape of his neck and nodded slowly. “I’ll drop you guys off,” he murmured, walking over to the door and grabbing his keys off the kitchen counter.



“I guess I’ll wait here!” Tess smiled innocently.



All three of them shook their heads. “You’re coming with us,” Max exclaimed. “We don’t want you to bolt off.”



Tess frowned. “Cause the fact that I’ve spent the entire night telling you that I’m not leaving without you Max doesn’t seem like a good indication that I am going to wait for you?”



Michael watched Max shift uneasily at the reminder. “Let’s go,” Max muttered, ducking under Michael’s arm, which was holding the door open.



“This is going to be a long night,” Michael sighed to himself.



Tess followed after Max and Michael waited until Isabel exited before locking the apartment up behind him.



~~~



Jesse pressed the talk button on his cell phone and rested the small silver receiver to his ear. “Hello?” he said anxiously.



“Yes?” a man’s voice answered on the other line.



“It’s Jesse. We need to talk.”



“I thought you had everything under control?” he asked mockingly.



“Just meet me at the abandoned apartment on Delany, all right?” Jesse growled irritably. “We need to talk about Isabel and the other three.”



Silence filled the airwaves. “What do you mean three?”



Jesse looked up from the wheel and found himself jerking the wheel to the right, swerving quickly, just in time to miss an on coming vehicle. “Look, I’ll be there in five. I’ll fill you in then.”



He squinted in the dark vehicle, his thumb searching for the end button. As he set the cell phone down on the passenger side seat, Jesse felt himself tense up. Jesse couldn’t believe this was happening. He had to set up this meeting before they found out about all of this.



As he stepped on the gas pedal, Jesse shifted his body until he was almost leaning over the steering wheel. He prayed to God that he was doing the right thing. Jesse tapped his signal lever and passed the quickly approaching vehicle in front of him. If he could just make another deal…



~~~



Isabel didn’t know what to expect when arriving home that night. There was so much to think about, so many burdens weighing on their shoulders. And talking about it for the past hour hadn’t done a thing to resolve any of it. They were stuck right back where they were when Liz and Maria had left the apartment.



Michael dropped them off at Evans’. She saw that he’d waited until they had entered the house before driving off with Tess. Isabel hoped that she wouldn’t badger Michael anymore about going back to Antar. There was no way that they could go. Isabel ran her hands through her hair as she snuck into the dark house. It felt like only yesterday that she had just turned 16 and the boys had finally started to notice her enough to ask her out and she had to sneak in and out of the house to go for a joy ride. Isabel swallowed as she lifted her left hand and gazed at the shimmering diamond setee encircled on her finger.



“Isabel,” Max whispered. “Do you think we should wait until morning to do this?”



As they both stumbled down the hallway, Isabel pondered the question until she realized that if their story was to be believed, they needed to wake their parents up. “I think we need to let them know now,” she said in a low raspy voice. “They would wonder why we didn’t wake them up tonight if I just found you.”



Isabel took a deep breath and steadied herself for the onslaught of questions her parents would probably ply them with. She took a look at Max, whose hair was disheveled and he had the start of bags under his eyes. He nodded to Isabel, signaling that he was ready to play the part of the abducted patient.



“Mom! Dad! You’ll never guess what happened!” Isabel squealed breathlessly as she rushed into her parents’ room.



The look of shock and surprise were plastered on their groggy faces. Isabel flipped on the light switch and began to pull her mother and father out from the warm covers. “What on earth are you doing Isabel?” Mr. Evans cried out indignantly.



“You’ll see,” Isabel said, pouring on the emotion. She had learned during her teen years how to make herself tear up. And it was a talent she found very useful at the moment.



With her parents in the lead, Isabel guided them forcefully into the kitchen. Max was sitting on one of the kitchen chairs, his head resting on the table. “It’s Max, Mom!” Isabel whispered through her ‘tears’ of joy. “He’s back!”



She watched as both her parents stood there quietly, frozen, as if afraid to move. Then suddenly her mother rushed to Max’s side, her hands wandering all over his face, arms and chest, as if trying to find some sign of injury. “Max,” she began to sob. “Is it really you?” The stalwart mother Isabel had witnessed over the course of several weeks had broken down and she was a mass of tears. “I couldn’t…I couldn’t even…” Isabel watched her mother stumble over her words, trying to express the whirlwind of emotions.



“You’re not…you’re not dead,” she exclaimed in a state of shock. “I knew it!” And again Mrs. Evans broke down into a sobbing mess, as if she were able to grab just enough composure to say those three words.



Isabel then realized that the tears that now slid down her cheek were real tears of joy. She was relieved that in the midst of lying to her parents about Max’s whereabouts, she could at least bring him home to them. As she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, Isabel walked up behind her father, who still hadn’t managed to move an inch towards Max.



Isabel wrapped her arms around her father’s chest and rested her chin on his shoulder. “I told you he’d come back Daddy.” Then as she glanced up at her father, Isabel saw the glitter of tears streaming down his cheeks. Isabel had never seen him cry.



“I thought…” Suddenly he began to choke on his tears. Isabel felt her father’s large strong hands pat her arm. “He’s back,” he finally managed to choke out.



Isabel smiled and slowly began pushing him over to the tearful reunion Maxwell and their mother were having. She stood on the side as she watched Max and their father stand silently before each other. They had tears in their eyes and they didn’t seem to want to move. “Will you just hug already?” Mrs. Evans’ laughed through her tears.



Finally after a moment, they broke their silence and Mr. Evans wrapped his arms around his son. Isabel watched him give Max a bear hug. She smiled and felt a pair of eyes on her. It was Mrs. Evans beaming at her. “I’ve got all of you back again!” she sniffled, as she quickly reached behind her and grabbed a few Kleenx.



Isabel was finally overwhelmed by this pure, untouched moment of happiness. All of the troubles and worries were forgotten and they were happy for this one moment. Isabel found herself staring at her mother, father and Max, who were waiting for her to join in the wonderful embrace. “I’m glad you’re home Max,” Isabel whispered. It was something she’d forgotten to say in all the commotion at the Granolith chamber.



Suddenly Isabel found herself in a single embrace with her brother, while their parents tried to absorb the reality of their son returning home unharmed. “Me too,” Max answered happily.

Latina Rebel 720 wrote:yay a new chap at fanfiction.net!
i'm going to read it right now! i just saw it.

Nessa

Guess what?

I have what out? Yes...you know exactly what!

Anyway...on with the next couple of chapters!


Chapter Twenty Seven

***
Security is the mother of danger and the grandmother of destruction.

- Thomas Fuller
***

“So what is happening Jesse?” a strong angry voice demanded from the hallway of the empty apartment building.

Jesse walked up the final couple of steps and into the hallway. He knew this had to be done, but Jesse couldn’t help but think how much Isabel would feel betrayed by him. Jesse swallowed and laughed to himself. Wasn’t he the one who was betrayed first?

Jesse shook his head, as he was only a few feet from the tall man, clothed in a black trench coat. How original? Jesse thought to himself. “Let’s go inside. I don’t want anyone to hear us,” Jesse said in hushed tones.

“And there’s so many people hanging out in an abandoned apartment,” the man said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Jesse motioned for the man to enter the dark apartment. It was dimly lit with a few candles. Jesse watched as the man sat down on one of the two lone chairs in the apartment. “Look, let’s get to the point. There’s a lot of things we need to discuss.”

They’d met twice before and in the same location. Once Jesse had found out the shocking news about Isabel, Max and Michael he was at wits end. He’d even moved out of their house for a few days. And in those few days, Jesse had done some investigating on the trio. He’d used his connections within the F.B.I. to find out all about what they knew and who was hunting them.

Jesse knew how dangerous it was for Isabel, Max and Michael, so he contacted his friend in the Bureau. He knew he could trust him. Jesse would have staked his life on this man. “Cal, I need you to tell me if anyone at the Bureau has been keeping an eye on Isabel,” Jesse said anxiously. “A lot of things have been happening and I think that they might come down on her.”

The tall stocky man lifted the fedora off his head, revealing his unsettling green eyes. His face was etched with apprehension. He left the question unanswered and asked one of his own. “Jesse, tell me first about a fourth?”

Jesse swallowed, remembering his utter confusion and surprise at the sudden appearance of a stunning blonde woman in the empty chamber. “Yeah, there’s a fourth. I don’t know where she came from but everyone seemed to know her.”

“What did it look like?”

Jesse began to pace slowly back and forth in disbelief at what had all happened. “It was a she for your information and she was a blonde, blue eyes and short,” Jesse replied cautiously.

“And how did she get here? By ship?” Cal sat inquisitively on the edge of his seat.

Jesse frowned and shook his head, his mind blurred with mixed images from that night. “She just appeared out of nowhere.”

“How?”

“I don’t know!” Jesse exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “It just happened. I mean Max was dead and then she appeared.”

“Max?” Cal said tentatively. “What has Max got to do with it?”

Jesse turned around to face Cal, whose face was illuminated by the orange glow of the candlelight. “You know that I told you Max was sick and that Isabel was coming back to Roswell because of that right?” Jesse sighed, grabbing the chair that was positioned in front of him and straddling it. “Well, I guess they had him hidden in some cave and were trying to figure out a way to heal him.” The more he explained, the more abnormal it sounded. It was as if he was spinning some fantasy novel or something, instead of telling him the facts.

Then suddenly Jesse frowned and wondered why they hadn’t known that Max was sick in the weeks prior to their conversation. But when he was about to ask, Cal interrupted his thoughts. “Why didn’t they take him to the hospital?” Cal asked, confused.

“Because apparently it was brought on because of the alien genetics in him,” Jesse explained dismissively. Even he didn’t know the full explanation or reasoning behind the madness. “I think they didn’t want the doctors to find out that he wasn’t human either.”

Jesse looked up to see if what he’d been explaining, telling his friend, seemed to make sense to him. Cal was nodding his head and looking quite intent on his story. “Yes. They would be able to tell by his blood work,” Cal murmured, somewhat to himself.

“Well, this woman arrived and they called her by name. Tess I think is what they said,” Jesse said, wracking his brain for the name. He ran his fingers through his hair.

“Why was she there?”

“I think from what I heard, was that she was the only one who could save Max from whatever was killing him,” Jesse explained.

“Okay, so Tess, which I think I have seen in our files, came to heal him. Did you see it happen?”

Jesse nodded. “Yeah, it was like something out of a dream. It was like I was standing there, watching a special effects movie.”

“What happened?” Cal asked, grabbing his seat underneath him and pulling it closer to Jesse.

“Well she put her hands on him and then there was this amazing…energy,” Jesse said excitedly. He pushed his chair back and stood up, remembering what had occurred that night. “It was like you could feel it pushing against you. And it seemed to come from within her.”

Jesse turned on his heel and looked bewildered at Cal. “I’ve never seen anything like it. You hear stories from crazy UFO junkies, but you don’t’ think people could do stuff like that!”

“Well, apparently they can,” Cal sighed uneasily. “And there are people who would like to get their hands on someone like that.”

Jesse frowned. He didn’t quite understand what Cal meant. “What would they do if they had proof of Isabel’s…” Jesse searched for the words. “Genetics.”

“Our people would hunt her down.”

He closed his eyes and leaned against the chair he had been momentarily sitting on. Jesse would never let that happen. He couldn’t. “What do I have to do Cal?” Jesse asked gravely. “I know that you guys have been monitoring Michael and Max since we left. Have you been monitoring Isabel too now?”

“Jesse,” Cal said hesitantly. “You know I would do anything for you…”

Jesse knew that they had. “Cut the crap Cal! You have been, haven’t you?”

Cal pushed himself to his feet and stood only a few inches away from Jesse. He looked at him seriously and pressed his index finger into Jesse’s chest. “Look Jesse, we had a deal and I made good on it.”

“But?” Jesse said through clenched teeth.

“But you broke it when you let your wife came prancing back to Roswell,” Cal said unapologetically. “I told you, hands off if you ever came back here.”

Jesse narrowed his gaze and was also pressing his index finger into Cal’s chest. “Now look here Cal, I trusted you enough to tell you everything,” he growled. “You were going to look after them, not track them.”

Every bone in his body was filled with regret now. He knew he shouldn’t have relied an agent in the Bureau, even if he was a trusted friend to understand about aliens. And now he had put his wife and her ‘family’ in danger. She wouldn’t understand about this. “I haven’t seen them, but I know the Bureau. You probably have them in every nook and cranny of this town,” Jesse groaned. “Damn it. I should never have trusted you.”

Cal smirked. “Look Vasquez, I’m sorry. I told you to stay away from Roswell.”

“Well, it’s kind of hard when her parents live here!” Jesse exclaimed frustratingly.

“Not the Bureau’s problem. You made the deal that if I stayed away from you wife, that you would give us information on strange activities in Roswell,” Cal chided. “And to tell you the truth, we really didn’t have anything on your wife or her brother and her friend. Oh, we had our suspicions, but all evidence, except a few photos and standard files on them, were destroyed or lost by previous directors.”

Cal tilted his head and looked sympathetically at him. “I was quite excited when you called me. I didn’t really believe all that you were babbling about, but I figured it showed initiative on my part to my Superiors. Now when I found out that there was a sect of the Bureau quite interested in this information, I made the best of it. I went all out Jesse,” Cal explained meticulously. “I had the green light to do whatever surveillance work I needed to, to get the goods on your Michael and Max.”

Jesse felt a lump grow in his throat and his knees begin to shake. What had he done? And he’d just spilt his guts to Cal about everything that happened tonight. What a complete idiot he had been! Now Jesse knew exactly what Isabel, Max and Michael had meant about it being dangerous for them, for anyone to know about them. “But you didn’t do anything to them?” Jesse asked, morosely. “Why?”

Unexpectedly, Jesse noticed that Cal’s expression had turned from one of delight to irritation. “Well what you had given me led the Bureau nowhere. This Max and Michael have shown no signs of alien activity. And that didn’t make my Superiors’ day,” Cal replied acidly, locking gazes with Jesse.

Jesse remained silent and stared at him grimly. “So?”

“So, now I’m going to have to prove to them that I didn’t let a schmoe like you work me over,” Cal’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight that had suddenly appeared from under the cloudy night sky. He walked away from Jesse, his hands clasped behind his back and looked out the dusty apartment window.

“I thought I would have to hurt you tonight Jesse.” Cal looked at Jesse over his shoulder. “But it was a pleasant surprise that you willingly gave out all of this information.”

Jesse swallowed and licked his dry lips. “You’re not getting anything more from me Cal,” he spat. “I can’t believe I ever thought a greedy suit like you could be human.”

Cal strode quietly over to Jesse, the traitor’s face inches away from his. “You know what Ramierez, I thought you were a pussy when I first met you in the Bureau. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but now I see that you don’t understand what it is to be loyal. You made a deal,” he spat in disgust, “to save an alien whom you had made your wife.”

“She’s half human,” Jesse growled. “And she’s shown more signs of humanity than you ever have!”

Jesse stalked out of the dusty apartment building. He had to get Isabel away, or they’d track them down. As he jumped into the jeep, Jesse realized he didn’t know how he was going to explain all of this to Isabel. He closed his eyes and prayed that she didn’t hate him for it. He was just trying to protect her from those that would hurt her.

Jesse slammed his fist against the wheel. Who was he kidding? He’d put her in more jeopardy now, than she’d ever been in before.

~~~

Michael closed the door behind him as he watched Tess slowly drag her feet to the couch. She turned around and looked at him blankly. “So I get the couch?” she asked.

Michael snorted softly and flung the keys on the counter. He didn’t know why he did it, but he heard him say the words out loud. “You can have the bed,” he grunted.

Tess tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, studying him. It made him uncomfortable. “What?” he muttered. She remained silent, her gaze still on him. “If you don’t stop looking at me like that I’ll take back the bed!”

At that, a slow lazy grin crept across her face and she yawned, stretching her arms up above her head. “Thanks,” she replied shortly.

Michael watched her out of the corner of his eye, as she shuffled into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. He shook his head and groaned. “Thanks,” Michael mimicked in a high-pitched feminine voice. He ambled over to his closet and pulled a couple of blankets and an extra pillow from the top shelf and hunkered down for the night.

~ * ~

As the morning approached, Michael awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs frying on the stove. As he struggled to rub the sleep from his eyes, Michael grabbed his pillow and placed it on top of him. He swallowed as the smell of the greasy food awoke the taste buds in his mouth and began to salivate. “What time is it?” he asked out loud.

“It’s 7a.m.” Tess answered.

Michael sat up quickly and frowned. He hadn’t expected an answer. As he turned around and found Tess standing in front of the stove with a red apron around her waist, slowly sliding scrambled eggs onto an empty plate, Michael groaned and sat still for a moment. Finally when he found enough energy, Michael dragged himself from the couch and over to the counter. “I forgot you were here,” he grumbled.

Tess looked up at him pleasantly and smiled. “That’s all right.”

Michael scratched his head and looked at her through heavy lids. “You didn’t have to do this you know?” He motioned to the plates of eggs, bacon and toast.

Tess pushed an empty plate towards him and shrugged. “I know,” she replied casually. “I just woke up early this morning and didn’t know what to do with myself, so I cooked.”

Michael picked up the plate of scrambled eggs and scraped some onto his plate. Then he picked up a couple strips of bacon with his fingers and began to eat. He could feel Tess’ watchful eyes on him and he smiled briefly.

Tess apparently got the hint because she reached behind her and untied her apron. Michael watched as she grabbed the other empty plate that sat on the kitchen counter and placed small amounts of food on the porcelain flatware. “What time do you usually get up for school?” Tess asked quietly.

“I don’t know. A quarter to?” Michael replied gruffly, with a mouthful of bacon, eggs and toast in his mouth. “Why?”

Tess shook her head. “Oh, I don’t know. Just wondering,” she said non-chalantly. “I just didn’t think you would wake up if I hadn’t been cooking this morning.” She walked over to the living room and out onto the balcony.

Michael watched as she slowly ate her breakfast, staring out at the neighborhood below. As he pulled his eyes away from the balcony, Michael stole a quick glance at the clock and realized he had enough time to take a quick shower before school. He shoveled the remainder of his food into his mouth and made his way into the bathroom for a shower.

When he stepped out of the small steaming room, Michael quickly ran into his bedroom. He’d forgotten to grab some clean clothes before jumping into the shower. Normally it wouldn’t have mattered, but Tess was staying there and he didn’t want to ‘run’ into her, half naked.

“Hey Michael?” Tess called from the living room.

Michael quickly pulled a dark blue t-shirt over his head and pulled up his khaki cargo pants, buttoning them before exiting his bedroom. “What?” he yelled.

As his eyes scanned his living room for a pen and his Chemistry binder, Michael felt a tap on his shoulder. “Are you looking for these?” Tess asked.

When Michael turned around, he found Tess holding his blue Chemistry binder and a chewed up Bic. He grabbed them out of her waiting hand and looked down at the floor. “Thanks,” he muttered.

Tess leaned back on the kitchen counter, which had already been cleared of its dishes. “What am I supposed to do while you guys are in school?” she asked matter-of-factly.

Michael frowned. “You’re going to stay here,” he said obviously. “What did you think?”

“Well, I’m just surprised that you’d let me stay here all by myself!”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m sure Isabel and Max will be over here soon.”

“Soooo,” Tess drawled. “I can’t go anywhere then, huh?”

Michael didn’t know where she would go. Everyone in town who knew her well enough hated her. Michael didn’t know where she would go. “Look, you’re going to stay here,” Michael growled.

“Well, I guess I could talk to Andaria and find out what’s going to happen next,” Tess mumbled to herself.

Michael’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “You aren’t going to contact anyone unless someone’s here,” he declared. “Look, just wait until…”

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Michael frowned and looked out of the peephole. It was Sheriff Valenti. It was an unexpected visit and Michael was taken aback for a moment. “Just a second.” Michael mouthed, ‘It’s Valenti’.

Michael motioned for Tess to go hide in the bedroom. Tess frowned and shook her head. “No!” she whispered. “It’s not like people will find it weird that I’m here! Especially Valenti.”

“Except the fact that you killed Alex and mind warped his son!” Michael shook his hand in the air; frustrated that Tess wouldn’t listen to him. “Will you just get…in…?”

“Michael? What’s going on in there?” Valenti called from behind the door.

“Uh nothing!” Michael grunted.

“Well if it’s nothing, then let me in!”

Michael glared at Tess, trying to drag her into the bedroom, but she pulled away from him and ran to the door. As Michael lunged at her, she had slowly opened the door and he came to a screeching halt with Valenti only a few inches from his face. “Uh, hi?” Michael waved, as he stood up.

“What is going on?” Valenti frowned as he entered the apartment.

Michael opened his mouth to explain but then Valenti spotted Tess. “You!”

The cat was out of the bag.

~~~

Isabel awoke to an empty bed that morning. Jesse’s disappearance had gone unnoticed by everyone last night, including Isabel. It was only when she had went to bed that Isabel realized that Jesse wasn’t home and she hadn’t seen their car. She assumed he might have gone to get some air after last night’s events, but now she knew something was wrong. Jesse hadn’t come home all night.

As she stumbled into Max’s room, Isabel found Max still fast asleep. Isabel reached down and shook him on the shoulder. “Max,” she whispered. “Max.”

Max hadn’t realized how tired he was until his head hit the pillow. He’d been running on adrenaline since his healing and after the emotionally draining reunion with their parents and Isabel, he was only running on fumes. Max sat up groggily as Isabel continued to shake him awake from his dreams. “What Isabel?” he said raspily.

“Jesse didn’t come home last night.”

Max rubbed his eyes. “What do you mean he didn’t come home?”

Isabel felt a lump develop in her throat and she couldn’t help but feel nauseous. “He hasn’t been home all night Max,” she whispered.

Suddenly there was a gentle knock on the door. Max and Isabel sat on the bed and watched as their mother peeked her head in the door. “Is anyone awake?” she chirped.

“Mom,” Max laughed. “I’m awake.”

Their mother grinned widely and opened the door until she was in full view. “Isabel?” Mrs. Evans frowned curiously. “I didn’t know you were awake?”

Isabel smiled and waved weakly. “Uh, yup.”

Mrs. Evans folded her arms across her chest and her eyes seemed to get misty. “I remember when I used to find you two here whispering and giggling about who knows what, at all hours of the night and day,” she sighed. Then as quickly as it came, Mrs. Evans snapped out of the trance and smiled. “Breakfast is ready. Come down when you’re ready.”

Max and Isabel waited until their mother had closed the door behind her before continuing their conversation. “Do you think I should have asked Mom if he came home and then maybe left?” Isabel asked worriedly.

Max rubbed his face. He needed a shave. When he looked over at Isabel, he smiled and shook his head. “I’m sure he’s all right. He’s probably holed up at Dad’s office making calls or something,” Max reassured. He didn’t believe his story, but Max didn’t want Isabel to worry over nothing. “I’m sure he’ll come back this morning for breakfast.”

~~~

Jesse didn’t know what was going on, but the last thing he remembered was a bright flash of light from above and then blackness. As he tried to lift his head, Jesse felt a sharp jagged pain shoot up the back of his neck. He swallowed and found his mouth was dry and lips chapped.

He tried to move his hands, but Jesse found that they were tied behind his back. Then Jesse realized he was blindfolded and not even in his car. “What the heck is going on?” he muttered to himself. “Hello? Anyone there?”

There was silence. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Actually he didn’t have a clue what was happening. He was on his way home to admit to Isabel that he’d made a deal with the FBI, so that they could have a clean slate in New York, but he never made it.

Suddenly Jesse felt a chill run down his spine. Was it the FBI who was detaining him? Was it those same FBI agents who had tried to hunt down Isabel, Max and Michael?

Jesse felt very anxious and nervous. He didn’t know where he was and no one knew where he had gone. So if someone wanted to hurt him, or torture him, no one would even begin to know where to look. Jesse closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “What the heck have I gotten myself into?” he cried out, struggling against the tight confining bonds that rubbed against his wrists and ankles.

Then unexpectedly, Jesse heard the scratching of gravel against pavement. There were several footsteps approaching. “Who’s there?” he shouted out angrily.

Jesse felt the warm breath of a person against his ear. “No need to shout Mr. Vasquez.” Suddenly he felt a man’s fingers at the back of his head, working at the blindfold, which kept him in a state of perpetual darkness. “All will be explained in due time.” The stranger laughed menacingly.

The blindfold fell away and Jesse tried to adjust himself to the blinding light that hovered above him. Once his eyes had adjusted to the brightness above him, Jesse found himself in a dark abandoned building, sitting in a lone chair. There were two men standing in front of him dressed in black and had this unsettling gleam in their eyes. Jesse also noticed there were a couple of men with guns in their hands, guarding the exits.

One was short and stocky and the other tall and muscular. The short man approached him, leaning in, the man’s nose almost touching his. “So Mr. Ramierez,” he smirked. “What can you tell me about these aliens living in Roswell?”


Chapter Twenty Eight

***
Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.

- Ralph Emerson
***

Liz couldn’t concentrate in class. Her thoughts kept on wandering to what Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess had talked about last night. She hadn’t gotten much sleep either.

“Psst, Liz!” Liz turned around just as a piece of eraser hit her in the face. She turned around to see Kyle with a goofy grin on his face. “Sorry about that,” he whispered.

They were in study hall, and it was as boring as it had always been. Liz had tried to finish up on a couple of assignments that were given out that day, but all she could do was doodle Max’s name on the empty piece of lined paper. She smiled at Kyle, welcoming a distraction from her over active imagination. “What?” she mouthed to Kyle, glancing briefly over at Mr. Kendall to make sure he was still immersed in marking assignments.

Kyle jerked his head to the side, signaling for Liz to sit at the desk in front of him. Liz glanced once more over at Mr. Kendall. His beady eyes peered over the thick black frames of his glasses, making sure everyone was working quietly. As he slowly lowered his gaze back to the pile of papers in front of him, Liz slowly closed her binder and lifted her backpack from the tiled floor. She scrambled across the aisle and maneuvered herself into the chair, breathing softly at the adrenaline rush.

Liz needed to talk to someone, and she thought since Maria was in different classes most of the semester, Kyle was the next best thing. “Hey,” she smiled, tucking a strand of long brown hair behind her ear.

“Ahem,” Mr. Kendall grunted.

Liz looked over her shoulder and saw his stern glare and turned around in her seat, the blood rushing to her face. She quickly opened the binder to the white loose leaf with chicken scratches and inattentive doodles. Leaning over her desk, Liz pretended work on an assignment as Mr. Kendall kept a watchful gaze in her direction. Liz rolled her eyes at the man who taught English. When he’d finally stopped staring at her, Liz leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

Suddenly she felt Kyle’s lips brush against her ear. “Are you all right?” Kyle whispered.

Liz kept her body facing the front of the classroom. She nodded stiffly, not wanting Mr. Kendall to give her the ‘evil’ glare. “I’m fine,” she lied through the corner of her mouth.

As she leaned forward, Liz felt Kyle’s hand hold her back. “You look really tired and distracted this morning.” He paused, sitting back down in his seat, as Mr. Kendall lifted his head and narrowed his dark round eyes, trying to discern where the chatter was coming from. When the coast was clear, Kyle leaned forward on his desk, while Liz turned around slightly to face him. “I don’t think you’re doing to good. Something with Max again?” he asked.

Liz lowered her eyes and let out a deep breath. She slouched in her seat and leaned over her chair. “It’s good news,” she said unenthusiastically.

Kyle frowned, a look of disbelief on his face. “Oh really? I can tell!” he joked.

“No, really. It is good news,” Liz hissed. “Max is back. He’s all right.”

Kyle leaned forward even further, making the legs on his chair scratch against the floor. It made a loud screeching noise on the hard tile floor. All of the students turned around in their desk and looked up, including Mr. Kendall, who looked ready to kill. There was silence for a moment and Liz watched as Kyle’s face turned a lovely shade of rose. Liz shrunk down, feeling embarrassed for him, but unexpectedly Kyle stood up and started waving to the class and took a bow. “Thank you!” he grinned.

The whole study hall erupted in applause and laughter. Liz shook her head in incredulity. She laughed along with the class. The only person who wasn’t laughing in the room was Mr. Kendall. “If the show is over now Mr. Valenti, I would ask you to kindly remain in your chair,” the rigid and irritable teacher commanded.

Kyle touched his forehead with his index and middle finger and saluted casually. “Yes sir,” he replied with a serious look on his face. There were a few chuckles and giggles at Kyle’s sarcasm.

Liz rolled her eyes at Kyle. She had forgotten how funny he could be in class. Though he was one of the best athletes in the school, he also was a class clown. “Great performance, I’m sure Mr. Kendall appreciated it,” Liz said sardonically.

Kyle shrugged. “Hey, whatever I can do to put a smile on that man’s face,” he grinned.

“If that’s what you call a smile,” Liz glanced over at Mr. Kendall, “then I’d hate to see what he looks like when he’s excited.” Liz and Kyle shared a soft chuckle over her joke.

However, after a moment, Kyle frowned at her. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not too happy about Max being healed?” he asked, turning his expression to one of seriousness.

“No reason,” Liz answered curtly.

“Liz, c’mon!” he coaxed. “Remember I’m the one who found you bawling in the loft above The Crashdown. Don’t lie to me!”

Liz swallowed and debated whether he should let Kyle know that Tess had returned to heal Max. As she studied Kyle’s tanned face, Liz realized they had never really talked about what he felt about Tess mind warping him. Just when she was about to give a lame excuse, the bell rang and signaled the end of study hall. “I have to go back to my locker, I forgot my textbook for Chem.,” Liz lied. “I’ll talk to you about this later okay?”

Kyle looked suspiciously at Liz, as if trying to read whether she was avoiding the subject or not. He sighed out loud and nodded his head, much to Liz’s relief. “All right. But you’re going to tell me what’s happening! I’m a part of this too!”

Liz plastered on a smile and nodded. “I will,” she promised, grabbing her books and backing away quickly. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

As soon as she entered the hallway, Liz headed quickly to her next class and chided herself for chickening out. She should have told him about Tess. They would probably find out sooner or later. Liz shook her head and dragged herself into the next classroom.

~~~

Isabel and Max drove over to Michael’s apartment later that morning. They were both grateful that their father had to go to work that morning, so questions would have to be saved until supper that evening. Mrs. Evans was disappointed that they were going over to Michael’s though. She had thought they might spend some quality time together.

“I’m sorry Mom,” Isabel smiled regretfully. “How about tonight? Then you, Dad, Max and I can just hang out?”

“Don’t you want to spend sometime with your mother?” she asked hurtfully. “I mean I thought Max was dead and now he’s back. I just want to be able to talk with him a bit.”

Max kissed her on the cheek. “Look Mom, I would love to spend sometime with you. But I don’t really have anything new in my life to talk about. I was kidnapped and that was about all that happened to me. It’s not like I went away on some great adventure,” Max explained. “I really don’t want to talk about it all that much.”

“Well we don’t have to talk about the kidnapping. I just want to be with my son,” their mother replied softly. “Is that too much to ask?”

Isabel glanced over at Max, at a loss for words. How could they sneak out without making it a big melodrama? Suddenly Isabel had an idea. “Mom, how about we meet you for a late lunch?” she suggested.

Mrs. Evans seemed to ponder the idea for a moment. She didn’t seem to buy it. “Well, where do you guys have to run off to? I mean you have been in and out of this house for the duration of your stay Isabel? It’s like you’re just using the house for a place to put your stuff and sleep.”

Isabel swallowed uneasily. “I know Mom, and I’m sorry. It was just hard being here when everything reminded me of Max,” she lied. “It just made me want to keep looking for him even more.”

Their mother sighed and got up from the kitchen table, clearing the dishes and putting them into the sink. “Well you found him and you’re still running out of this house. Except this time you’re taking Max with you!” she exclaimed in dismay. “Is there something going on that you’re not telling me?” She turned and grabbed the dish detergent from under the sink and filled the sink with hot water.

Isabel locked eyes with Max and then turned away. “Look Mom, I just want to get back to my normal life,” Max sighed, helping Isabel out of the corner she was pinned in. “I’m back, so why do things all of the sudden have to become so serious, like you’re never going to see me again?”

Their mother looked at them incredulously. Obviously not the right choice of words, thought Isabel. “Well you have your son missing for months and have him waltz back into your life in the middle of the night and see how normal you can be!” she shouted, her voice cracking. Isabel watched their mother lean against the kitchen sink, hands dotted with dish detergent bubbles.

Max walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He tilted his head back so that he could see her face and creased his brow. “I’m sorry Mom. I know it must have been hard,” he apologized.

Mrs. Evans shook her head. “No Max. I’m sorry,” she sighed. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, leaving a small fluff of bubbles on the bridge of her nose. “I’m just being silly. I am so glad that you’re back and I just want to spend time with you.” The older Evans shook her head and smiled. “You go ahead. Go see your friends,” she chuckled. “I’ll see you guys at supper. I’m sure Liz is dying to see you.”

Max looked appreciatively at their mother. “Thanks Mom. I promise, tomorrow, just you and me, okay?”

Mrs. Evans nodded and waved her hands in the air, shooing them out of the kitchen. “Now go before I change my mind!” she exclaimed mischievously.

~~~

“And how is my little Zander,” cooed Khivar as he leaned over the playpen where the dark haired heir of Antar sat. “I can’t believe how big you’re getting.” He began to bounce him up and down, allowing the child to play with the pendant that hung around his neck.

“Khivar?” Nicholas called, peeking his head in the door. “How is everything going?”

Khivar turned around to face his sniveling right hand man. “How do you think?” he growled. “I’ve got this elderly woman waltzing in and out of my house unannounced and I don’t know what she’s up to.” Zander began to gurgle at the mention of Maia.

Khivar narrowed his eyes down at the baby, studying his face. The large round eyes that had peered up at him some moments ago seemed occupied with the smooth silver pendant in his hand. Khivar lifted the child slowly in his slender hands and looked at him in the eyes. “There’s just something about you, isn’t there Zander?” he murmured, as he looked for something tangible in the little rug rat’s brown eyes. “You’re just like you’re father, aren’t you?”

Zander began to gurgle again and a trickle of saliva dripped on Khivar’s tanned face. Khivar screamed in disgust and handed off the child to Nicholas who had come into the room. As he wiped the drool off his face, revulsion for the brat filled his every pore. “He’ll be a problem if we don’t get to work on him soon,” Khivar spat. “But that old woman is always hovering over the child. I was lucky to find him alone this morning.”

Khivar watched Nicholas as he comfortably rocked Zander back and forth, contorting his faces and nuzzling the child’s neck. He didn’t know what to do with the simpering fool. Khivar had been deeply disappointed in Nicholas’ failure to destroy the Royal Four on Earth. They hadn’t come into their full powers, yet somehow his plan had been foiled.

“Do you think we’ll be able to keep Ava from realizing we’re turning little Zander against her?” Nicholas asked as he set Zander down on a nearby blanket.

“No,” Khivar smirked. “She won’t realize it until it’s too late.”

“Then why haven’t we begun the mind encoding process?”

Khivar clasped his hands behind his back, walking slowly to the balcony. “You know,” he drawled. “There’s something familiar about Maia.” Khivar ignored Nicholas’ ignorant question. He paused for a moment, waiting for Nicholas to realize that he expected the fool to follow.

It took a few moments, and then finally Nicholas was by his side and walking with him out onto the balcony. The sun had begun to travel west in the noonday hour. “What is it my King?” Nicholas frowned, leaning lazily against the stone ledge. “I haven’t been able to find anything on her and she never lets anything slip in our short conversations.”

Khivar’s brow creased and he gazed steadily down at Nicholas. “She’s one of them,” he growled. He didn’t know if he was just saying that out loud or whether it was for Nicholas’ benefit. “And I know she will stop at nothing to foil our plans for the heir of Antar.” At the mention of Zander, Khivar noticed Nicholas glance uneasily at the child who was playing quietly in the middle of the room. “Is there a problem?” sneered Khivar. “Have you suddenly formed an attachment to our little experiment?”

Nicholas jerked his gaze onto Khivar. He shook his head furiously. “No my liege. I am fully committed to our plan.”

Khivar hid his distaste for the small statuesque man who lowered his head and bowed dramatically. “Oh stop groveling,” he said in disdain. “It doesn’t become you!”

“Yes my King,” Nicholas whimpered, his head still hung low.

“I said stop it.”

Nicholas lifted his gaze and stood at attention to his King and Commander. “I am sorry Khivar,” he announced stiffly.

Khivar had had enough of watching the man squirm. “Go check in on our informants in Kedar and Tel Edrei,” he commanded. “I want to know what Ava is up to and whether Maia has been spotted there recently.”

Nicholas bowed at the waist and turned to execute his orders when suddenly Khivar stopped him at the balcony entrance. “Nicholas,” Khivar called out firmly.

“Yes?”

“Also find out if General Garrick has any reports on Pilan. We need to get it up and running soon. We’ve had enough set backs and delays on the project. Tell him I want some good news and I want it now!” Khivar demanded staunchly.

Khivar turned his back on Nicholas and waved his hand, dismissing him. As he looked out on the crimson horizon, Khivar was confident that nothing would stand in his way of complete dominion. He would finally have exactly what he dreamed of so many years ago. The people of Antar would be under his complete control, even the Sons of Kedar.

~~~

Tess looked blankly at Valenti, the man who had taken Nasedo’s place as a father figure. His grim face had aged, since she had last seen him. He had a few more grey hairs, although the intensity in his eyes remained. “Hello Valenti,” Tess said, her body tense and alert. Tess was ready to jump away from any sudden movements the Sheriff might make.

Valenti looked away from her for a moment and glared at Michael. “What is she doing here?” he said through clenched teeth.

Michael let out a sigh of frustration, turning his back on Valenti. “You couldn’t just hide could you?” he muttered under his breath, though Tess heard him perfectly.

“Michael, tell me what she’s doing back here!”

Tess stepped forward to explain, but Valenti pulled the gun from his holster. “Don’t you come any closer,” Valenti warned. “I will shoot you where you stand.”

Tess swallowed, and put her hands up slowly. She hadn’t expected a warm welcome from him, but the ‘pointing a gun thing’ was something new. “Look Valenti, I’m not here to hurt anyone,” she said slowly. “I came back…”

As she was about to tell Sheriff Valenti about healing Max, he interrupted her, shaking his head. “No. I don’t want to hear any of your lies,” he frowned, turning to Michael. “Tell me what she’s doing here Michael.”

Michael shook his head and sighed. “She’s telling the truth. We asked her to come back,” he answered. “Max was sick and she was the only way to save him.”

Sheriff Valenti turned his head and glared at her. “Is that what you told them?” Valenti laughed skeptically. “I have a hard time believing anything that comes out of your mouth.”

Tess saw Michael approaching Valenti out of the corner of her eye. She quickly focused her attention on Valenti. “Look Valenti, I’m sorry I had to mind warp Kyle, but there was no other way.”

Sheriff Valenti shook his head and smirked. “Is that what you’re telling yourself these days?” Valenti saw Michael approaching and frowned at him. “Has she mind warped you too? She killed Alex and now you’re letting her stay in your apartment?” he exclaimed.

Michael stopped his approach and shook his head. “Look Valenti, we all hate her for killing Alex. We haven’t forgotten that,” he declared, glancing briefly at Tess. “But we had to do what we had to do. She hasn’t come to hurt or kill anyone.”

The Sheriff pursed his lips and gazed steadily at Tess, as if trying to catch some telltale sign of the evil that she represented. Slowly, he put the safety back on and holstered the black shiny revolver. “I’ll put away my gun, just because I don’t want to have to fill out a stupid report over shooting you,” Valenti explained irritably. “But don’t think that means I trust you.”

Tess briefly closed her eyes relieved the tense situation wouldn’t escalate to the point of her having to use her powers. She didn’t want that. “What Michael said is true. I don’t want to hurt anybody,” Tess said pointedly. “I just came because Max was dying and I was the only one who could possibly save him.”

Silence filled the room as Valenti, Michael and Tess were at a loss of words. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, startling all three of them. Tess looked over at Michael who seemed anxious and irritable. “Who is it?” he shouted.

“It’s Max and Isabel,” Max’s voice said muffled by the door.

Michael walked over to answer the door, all the while, cautiously watching both Tess and Valenti to make sure they wouldn’t hurt each other. As the door opened to reveal a confused and surprised Max and Isabel in the entrance of Michael’s apartment, Tess moved to her left to get a better view of the brother and sister duo. “Hey Max and Isabel,” Tess said casually.

Max and Isabel frowned at Michael. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have school?” Max asked, confused.

Michael rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, and I’m late because as you can see, we have company!”

Max and Isabel turned to Sheriff Valenti and smiled. “Sheriff Valenti, nice to see you,” Max said awkwardly. “What brings you here so early in the morning?”

The Sheriff turned and smiled half-heartedly at Maxwell and Isabel. “Well I heard from Kyle that Liz was quite upset at dire state that I thought I would come and find out from Michael how you were doing.” He gestured towards Maxwell and raised his eyebrows in astonishment. “Obviously you’re fine now,” Valenti stated.

Tess watched Maxwell nod and receive a hug from the Sheriff. “Well this is some kind of love fest,” Tess said cheerily, plastering a smile on her face. “At least he didn’t pull a gun at you when he saw you.” All eyes fell on her as the last word passed her lips. Tess frowned and rolled her eyes. “What?” she exclaimed. “It’s true!”

She was tired of all the explaining she’d been doing lately. Part of her had half a mind to just go back to Antar. She missed her son and longed to hold him in her arms. Tess just had this awful feeling that something bad would happen to Zander if she didn’t return soon.

“Well,” Isabel said, clearing her throat. “I’m sure you’re busy Sheriff Valenti, and have other things to do today.” The auburn haired beauty slid her arm around Sheriff Valenti’s shoulder and began guiding him out of Michael’s apartment. But Sheriff Valenti had other ideas.

“I think I should stay and hear the rest of the story,” he said sweetly. “I mean I’m sure you just forgot to inform Kyle and I of Tess’ arrival in Roswell again.”

Tess watched as Isabel, Michael and Max glanced uneasily at their former ally. “It just, well, completely slipped our minds,” Isabel apologized. “We meant to tell you, it’s just that everything was in a mess and we didn’t want to bring anyone else in on the mess.”

Sheriff Valenti snorted and shook his head. “Except I was already in it,” he said sarcastically. “And now I want to know what you’re going to do with her, now that Max is healed?”

Tess felt all of their eyes fall upon her again and let out a petulant cry. “Will you guys stop looking at me like that?” she yelled and turned on her heel and stomped into Michael’s bedroom.

As she paced back and forth in the dark musty room, Tess felt herself breaking down into tears. “Why do I have to be this leper?” she muttered to herself.

‘Well you wouldn’t if you just told everyone the truth about Alex,’ a voice chided.

“Well I can’t exactly do that, can I?” she responded out loud. “It’s not like they would believe me now anyways.”

‘And who told you that?’ the voice replied.

Tess ran her hands through her blonde hair and stared at the door, as if able to see past the inch and a half thick door to the trio who were discussing her return. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Tess sighed, falling back onto the unmade bed. “I just wish I could go home,” she choked out. The walls were the only witness to break down of her defenses, as it watched her pull her knees up to her chest and hide her moistening cheeks.

~~~

Max walked away from the conversation as Michael and Isabel began their explanation of Tess’ awaited return. He didn’t know the details and all he could do was listen, so he decided to check up on Tess. When she had exiled herself into Michael’s room earlier, Max could feel the loneliness and frustration that she’d hid from him, Michael, and Isabel. As he knocked lightly on the door, Max wasn’t at all sure what he was going to say, or what he was about to walk in on, but he took a deep breath as she answered.

“What do you want?” she called out through the door; he could hear the waver in her voice.

Max quietly entered Michael’s room and found Tess staring out the window, with her back to him. “I just wanted to check and see if you’re all right.”

Tess didn’t move, and continued to stare out the window. He noticed the short deep breaths she would take, as someone would, if they were trying to catch their breath after crying. “Well I’m fine. You can leave now.”

Her curt reply drew Max further into the room. “Are you sure?” Max asked worriedly.

She was a vision as she stood in the rays of the sun. Max remembered the first time she’d approached him on the hills of Ramera. The sun was behind her and she had sprigs of purple wildflowers in her hair. The light hit her hair just so….

“Max?”

Max looked up at Tess, who had moved from her spot in front of the window and was a few feet from him. “Hmmm?” he replied, as he stirred from the images of his past.

“What were you just thinking of?” Tess whispered, staring intently at him.

Max averted his gaze from her clear blue eyes. “Uh, nothing,” he said quickly, turning away. “Uh, we should go back out into the living room.” He took a step towards the door, and felt a gentle but strong hand pull him back. Max turned and found Tess standing there, her hand resting on his arm, looking up at him.

“Tell me what you were thinking of just then,” Tess urged quietly.

Max pursed his lips and closed his eyes. He shouldn’t have come in after her. Max swallowed and tried to gather his composure, with her hand squeezing his arm gently. “I said it was nothing,” he repeated firmly.

“Then why are you so uncomfortable right now?”

“I’m not,” Max exclaimed. “I just think we should see if Valenti’s gone.” Once more, Max tried to leave the room but Tess stopped him.

“You were thinking about me, weren’t you?”

Max turned around and frowned. “Of course I was thinking about you,” he chided. “You were standing in front of me and I thought you might be upset.”

“No, you weren’t thinking about that,” Tess protested suspiciously. Her brow furrowed as she stared up intently at him. She was quiet for a moment, licking her lips as if she almost had something in her grasp, but not quite.

Max pulled his arm out of her grasp. “Then what was I thinking about?” he retorted. Her steady gaze unnerved him. She could probably probe his mind and find out what he had been thinking of. Max frowned and tried to close his mind to those happy images.

“I’m not going to read your mind Max,” Tess snorted, finally lowering her eyes. “I’m not that pathetic.”

Max looked at her curiously. She seemed distant and distracted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you would…”

Tess looked at him skeptically. “Like it would be first for me in the tight-knit group friends you’ve built here.”

“Well, it just seemed like you were…” Max’s voice trailed off.

“Trying to read your mind?” Tess finished his sentence.

“I don’t know,” he murmured.

Tess closed the gap between them and reached up and touched his face. “I don’t need to read your mind Max. I know you were remembering us. I could feel you remembering me,” she whispered. “It’s been a long time since you looked at me like that Max.”

Max swallowed. He’d never felt connected with Tess the way he did now. Since he’d received his memories back, it was like Tess was always on his mind. Max struggled against that. He cleared his voice and swallowed, taking a step back from Tess, who was too close for comfort. “I wasn’t looking at you ‘like that’,” Max denied weakly.

Tess’ lips raised into a soft delicate smile which wrinkled her nose. “You did,” she insisted. “And it’s the first time since before I left that I think we might…” It was her voice that trailed off now.

“We might what?” he asked curiously.

Tess shook her head lightly. “Never mind,” she chuckled. “It was stupid.” Tess walked past Max and towards the door. “Are you coming?” she asked, opening the door.

Max frowned and let out a deep breath. What did she mean by ‘we might’? ‘We might what?’ he thought to himself.

“Max?” Tess called.

He turned around and nodded. “I’m coming,” Max replied, distractedly. Swallowing, Max followed Tess out into the living room.

‘You know exactly what she meant,” a voice said inside Max’s head.

Max frowned at the comment and pondered what it meant.

~~~

Isabel looked relieved at Michael, who was closing the door behind Sheriff Valenti, who was radioed about a disturbance in the area. “I thought he’d never leave,” she sighed.

Michael raised his brown and shook his head. “Yeah. I wasn’t exactly expecting him to show up at my door this morning!” Michael groaned.

Isabel smiled at Michael and patted him on the arm. “Don’t you think you should be getting to the school? You’ve missed first and second period, but if you hurry, you can catch third.” Michael groaned, which made Isabel smile. “C’mon! It can’t be that bad Michael!”

He rolled his eyes at her. “You can say that cause you’re not in high school anymore!” he joked.

Isabel laughed. “I guess. But I still say that you’re just being a baby,” she chided.

“Am not!” he pouted.

Isabel shook her head and laughed. “Go!” she commanded, laughing at him while she pushed him out the door.

“Hey!” Max called.

Isabel turned and saw Tess walking down the hallway with Max following behind. She frowned. She’d forgotten that he’d gone in after Tess. “Sheriff Valenti’s gone, but I have a feeling he’s going to be back,” Isabel warned.

Max nodded. “What did you tell him?” he asked, distractedly.

Isabel furrowed her brows and looked at Max for a moment. He seemed a bit flushed. What had they been doing in there? Isabel shook her head and scolded herself for thinking that way. Max was in love with Liz, or so she had thought. Lately today, she had caught Max off in dreamland and he would get this far off look on his face.

“We told him everything about your being dead and Tess showing up and saving your life,” Michael answered from behind Isabel.

Isabel nodded. “Yeah,” she agreed. “I think he’ll lay low on this whole Tess being back thing. But we told him that we didn’t know when Tess was going back and he didn’t seem to like that idea much.” Sheriff Valenti looked like he would pop a vein in his neck when they had mentioned that Tess might be here for a while yet.

“Did you tell him about Jesse?” Max asked.

Isabel felt the blood rush to her face as Tess and Michael frowned at her. “No,” she managed to choke out.

Michael turned her around with a confused expression on his face. “What about Jesse?” he asked gruffly.

She lowered her eyes and felt a lump growing in her throat. How could she answer his question when she didn’t even know? In fact Isabel had almost pushed that to the back of her mind until Max brought it up again. And her stomach began to churn again.

Isabel had left her cell phone on just in case Jesse phoned, but she hadn’t heard anything yet. “Jesse didn’t come home last night,” she whispered.

Michael ran his hand through his unkempt curls and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“We mean that he wasn’t home when we got there and in the morning, apparently Jesse never came home at all,” Max explained calmly, wrapping his arms around her.

Isabel smiled at her brother, glad that he was there to explain something Isabel, herself, didn’t want to even say. “Max thought that he might have just been too overwhelmed by last night, but I don’t think it’s that,” she choked out.

“Why didn’t you mention anything about this before?” Michael exclaimed loudly.

Isabel looked up at Michael and she could see the anger in his eyes. She didn’t know what he was angry about, but it just made her feel worse. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to think about it. I mean Max just came back to us when we all thought he was dead!” she gasped. “And what? Now my husband is missing? That’s a little too much to ask!”

Michael’s eyes softened and Isabel hoped that meant he understood. She felt Max’s comforting arms rubbing her back gently and looked up expectantly at Michael and Tess. “You don’t think anyone has gotten to him do you?”

Michael shook his head slowly, but then Tess spoke up. “I don’t know. It sounds pretty unclear to me. I mean he just disappeared?” Tess exclaimed.

Isabel looked over at Tess and she could feel the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “Do you think one of Khivar’s men got him?” Isabel panicked.

Tess shook her head. “I don’t think Khivar would bother with someone like him. Jesse, wasn’t it?” she asked.

Isabel nodded. “Then who?”

“Probably the same guys who chased you before Khivar and that mess of husks.”

Isabel looked at Max and Michael. “The FBI?” Max groaned. “But how would they know how to find him or even that this happened?”

Tess lifted her hands up into the air. “Don’t look at me!” she exclaimed candidly. “I don’t even know the guy.”

Isabel felt her heart skip a beat. The Feds would stop at nothing to get them into a lab and examine them, alive or dead. She closed her eyes and prayed that nothing had happened to her husband. Though they were having troubles, Isabel loved him.

“Do you think he might have contacted the Feds?” Tess asked innocently.

Isabel’s eyes shot opened and she glared at the blonde. “No!” she shouted furiously. “He would never have talked to them!”

Tess backed away. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see why they would have taken him then! Or even known where he was,” she explained. “I’m sure he had nothing to do with this, but you shouldn’t rule it out. Not everyone is what they seem.”

“We know, we learned that the hard way with you,” Isabel snapped at Tess. She couldn’t believe she would even accuse Jesse of something like that. Even though Jesse hated the fact that she’d lied to them and that she wasn’t who she had claimed to be, he loved her and wouldn’t do anything like that.

“Look, let’s get a grip here,” Michael sighed. “We should just go back to the desert and see if we can’t trace his steps.”

Isabel looked at Michael gratefully and nodded. “Yeah. Why didn’t I think of that?” she smiled, a look of relief on her face. “Max and I can go to the desert and see if we can find his tracks.”

“You’re not going without me,” Michael growled, grasping Isabel’s hand.

“But what about school?” Isabel protested.

“School can wait, I’m coming,” he said firmly.

“Well, I’m coming too then,” Tess declared.

Isabel, Michael and Max stared at her skeptically. “Really?” Michael retorted.

“Uh yeah,” Tess replied. “As if I’m going to stay here and wait for Valenti to show up again!”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “I don’t need that kind of help,” she muttered.

“Well, it’s not like you have a choice,” Tess said forcefully. “You’re going to need me. I have picked up a couple of things since I’ve been on Antar.”

“She might as well come,” Max sighed.

Isabel looked over at Max and frowned. “Fine, but I’m telling you right now, lose the attitude about Jesse. He has nothing to do with the FBI,” Isabel warned, pointing at Tess.

All four filed out of Michael’s apartment. They were going to find Jesse. Isabel just hoped that it wasn’t too late. Michael had been right about letting Jesse in on the location of the cave, not for his reasons, but because it had been too dangerous. If she had only been more careful about protecting Jesse!

Isabel couldn’t stand it if another man she loved died. What was ironic was that the same person who killed the first man she had let through her defenses was now helping rescue the second one. As Max drove the jeep into the open desert, Isabel glanced over at Tess, who was sitting ponderously in the back seat with Michael. She shook her head. Was she crazy to trust her again?

Yup. Two new chapters!

Chapter Twenty Nine

***
Some hearts are broken and mended,
Others are shattered or torn,
Although it was never intended,
For love is eternally sworn,
I've cried and prayed and pleaded,
for that love to hold its ground.
hope was all I needed,
and pain was all I found.

- Brennan Hill
***

“So what’s with you and Kyle?” Maria asked mischievously.

Liz looked at Maria in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Maria raised her eyebrows and took a bite of the carrot stick in her hand. “You know what I mean,” she whispered, leaning over the lunch table. “He’s been awfully cozy around you lately. It’s almost like when you guys were dating ages ago!”

Liz couldn’t believe she was saying that. She felt her mouth drop open in shock and she could hear herself gasping. “Ah, no!” Liz replied disdainfully. “Kyle’s just been trying to cheer me up about Max. Besides, I’m in love with Max. Remember?”

Maria clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Honey, if you ask me, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” Liz frowned peculiarly at Maria’s imitation of a rich southern accent. “The three of them obviously don’t seem to want us around lately. Or weren’t you there when they couldn’t wait to rush us out of Michael’s apartment?”

Liz shrugged uncertainly. “Maybe they really needed to…uh, talk about stuff…” She knew she didn’t sound convincing at all.

Maria rolled her eyes. “I haven’t seen Michael today, have you?” Liz raised her eyebrows. It was true, she hadn’t seen Michael all morning. Suddenly Maria’s attention was drawn elsewhere, her eyes looking past Liz and a crooked smile formed on her lips. “Hey Ky-le,” Maria drawled, smiling impishly. “You can eat lunch with us over here!”

Liz pursed her lips and glared at Maria as she began to pack up her half-eaten lunch. She would kill her later. As Kyle sat down to her right, Liz turned around and smiled. “Kyle, hi!” Liz greeted, with forcefully joy.

She hoped she wouldn’t have to see him until class, and even then, their contact would have been minimal. But now that Maria had invited him over to their lunch table, it was inevitable for Liz not to talk to him and face some unanswered questions. Liz glanced over her shoulder once more at a perky Maria who was busily stuffing her face with potato chips and rolled her eyes.

“Uh, so guys what’s up?” Kyle asked cheerfully. “I was hoping to catch you guys at lunch.”

Liz lowered her eyes and busied herself with eating her lunch. “So how’s the basketball team shaping up?” she asked, hoping to keep the subjects light and about school.

Kyle shrugged. “Ah, not bad,” he answered distractedly. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Suddenly he lowered his voice and leaned forward. “I know something’s up, just by Liz’s face and the way she’s been acting. Now would you please tell me what’s happening with you know…” He lifted his head and looked over his shoulders both ways. “Aliens and spaceships and all that sci-fi stuff.” Kyle began to make odd faces and wiggle his fingers like they were UFO’s hovering, whistling an almost X file’s tune.

Liz looked over at Maria tilting her head slightly, expressing her inability to know what to say. As she cleared her voice, Liz was relieved when Maria finally decided to step in. “Tess is back,” Maria admitted bluntly.

Liz closed her eyes and hid her face in the palms of her hands. If she had known Maria was going to blurt it out, Liz would have never signaled her to get her out of the conversation. As she peeked out from her small yet comforting hiding place, she saw Kyle sitting motionless beside her. Liz lifted her head and placed her hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “Are you all right?” she asked, squeezing Kyle’s arm. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I just didn’t know how to say it.” Liz glared disapprovingly at Maria, who just gaped at her, not understanding how unsettling this news might be to Kyle.

Her ex-boyfriend seemed to lick his lips repeatedly while frowning, staring into the cement courtyard. When he finally came around, Kyle blinked and then gazed bewilderingly at Liz. “So that’s why you’ve been avoiding me today? Because Tess is back?” Kyle asked calmly.

Liz nodded. She wasn’t quite sure how he was taking it. His first reactions weren’t always the standard to gauge him by. At this point, he seemed relatively calm and composed, but Liz knew better. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked worriedly, glancing at Maria.

“You know it’s okay to freak out about Tess?” Maria said frankly to Kyle. “I mean I know I’m not exactly thrilled at the prospect of having that lying, conniving witch back in this earth, let alone town.”

Liz watched as Kyle seemed to gain more color in his face and he seemed less stiff than he’d been previously. Kyle shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Then after a few moments, Kyle seemed to drift back into the present. “How?” he cried out. Kyle was so excited that Liz had to practically make him sit back down on the bench. “Why? When?” he whispered, when he realized that other students were watching them.

“She just up and appeared out of nowhere.” Maria jumped in before Liz could explain what had brought the blonde hybrid back. “We were going to bring Max to the hospital and then she showed up,” Maria explained, moping.

Kyle frowned. “What?”

Liz gently stroked Kyle’s back, hoping to calm him. “Look, it’s a lot more complicated than that,” she sighed, shaking her head at Maria. Liz knew Maria disapproved of her siding with Isabel and Michael on allowing Tess to come back to heal Max, but lately Maria seemed more distant than ever, even from Liz, her best friend. She turned to face Kyle and sighed. How would she explain something she didn’t quite understand herself?

“Look, Kyle, you know how upset I was over Max and his sickness?” Liz asked warily.

Kyle nodded. “Yeah, was he getting worse?” he asked.

Liz closed her eyes, trying to erase the sound of the loud high-pitched flat line of the heart monitor. He had been dead, legally dead for several minutes before Tess arrived. “Yeah, Max was getting worse and so Michael, Isabel, Maria, Jesse, and I went to take Max to the hospital,” Liz explained, pausing to look up at Kyle who was trying to understand all of this. “But we were too late. He flat lined when we were just deciding that we couldn’t wait any longer for some miracle cure.”

“But where was Tess in this?”

Liz looked over at Maria, whose eyes were now hooded by the earthen-hued lids. She wouldn’t look up at Liz, who was willing her to help her out. When she received none, Liz continued on. “Isabel and Michael had been in contact with Tess,” Liz answered curtly. “They said that she had contacted them and that she was the only way to save Max.”

Kyle frowned and Liz looked away from his probing eyes. “And you believed her?” he asked skeptically.

Liz’s head snapped up and she looked defiantly at Kyle. “Of course I didn’t!” she said angrily. “But what else were we supposed to do?”

Kyle backed down and Liz felt the short-lived release of anger fall away. “How come you guys didn’t let me and my Dad in on it?” he groaned. “I think we deserved to know!”

Liz lowered her eyes again and shook her head dismayed. “I know,” she admitted matter-of-factly. “I should have told you and your Dad, but I was hoping that she wouldn’t come at all, which is what it looked like.” There was a lump the size of a golf ball in her throat. Liz didn’t mean to keep anything from either of them in fact she thought that Tess wouldn’t come anyway. She looked up at Kyle. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I was wrong.”

Kyle’s eyes softened and his eyes rolled upwards and then he sighed. It was a reassuring sign. Liz knew that he wasn’t completely mad at her and that he’d get over the initial shock and hurt at being kept in the dark.

“Well you’re lucky I’m a forgiving kind of guy,” he declared. “I’m not so sure others would have forgiven two of their friends first of all for not telling them anything of what’s been going on; secondly, that they didn’t take them to the cave and see the show!”

Liz stared blankly at Kyle, unsure of what he meant. Then suddenly realizing he was trying to make a joke, Liz felt relaxed enough to crack a smile. Kyle shook his head and threw his hands up in the air. “Finally, she realizes it’s a joke!”

“You’re such a dork Kyle,” Maria stated dourly as she sat across the table from him. Liz looked over at Maria who was on the verge of cracking a smile of her own. Maria rolled her eyes at Liz and began to pack up her lunch. “Come on Parker,” Maria commanded. “We’ve got biology to learn about!”

Liz sighed and then looked at Kyle. “Are you really okay?”

Kyle smiled and nodded. “I’ll get over the shock…I think.”

“Let’s go! Ms. Churchill is on a rampage I heard!” Maria beckoned as she stood up with a balled up lunch. “Maybe she can help us solve the mystery that is Kyle Valenti!” Liz and Kyle followed suit, standing up and putting away their lunches.

Kyle rubbed his hands together and smiled snidely. “Maybe you’d like to find that out the hands-on way?” he threatened playfully.

Maria seemed to spasm, which Liz guessed was an attempt to feign a shiver. “Ew,” she grimaced, shaking her head. “Don’t ever say that again!”

Liz and Kyle looked at each other and laughed. She grabbed Maria’s arm, though the blonde was still wriggling as if trying to shake off some disgusting insect, and pulled her away from the lunch table. “I’ll talk to you after school maybe?” Liz called to Kyle who was heading in the opposite direction. Kyle waved and nodded, signaling that he’d heard her.

As she and Maria headed towards their locker and to their next class, Liz was relieved that Kyle knew and that she didn’t have to stress over it. Liz had enough on her plate, and she didn’t want to have to lie to him or avoid him just because Tess was back. Tess may specialize in lies, but she wasn’t that kind of a person. Liz smiled. Check one more thing off her list of stresses. The first had been Max’s illness. Now all she had to deal with was getting rid of Tess.

~~~

“What do you mean the tracks stop here?” Isabel asked frantically.

They stood on the edge of the highway. Jesse’s tire tracks had been easy to find. They were the only ones heading away from the other two tracks they had made that night. It had been quite easy to find their tracks. Because of the downpour last night, the dirt had been like moldable clay when they had left that night. The tracks were now drying into a reddish brown cast mold.

“I mean he hit the highway and there are a dozen tracks on the black asphalt!” Michael explained frustrated.

“Isn’t there a way we can track him?” Isabel asked turning to Maxwell.

The newly healed leader and king was at a loss at what to do when Tess came up from behind him. “We could use our powers to pull the same tracks out of the black asphalt,” Tess mumbled, as she walked along the trail of tracks that the car had left right to the highway. “I’ve never done it before, but I know that it can be done.”

“How?” Max frowned curiously. “I’ve never even heard of doing anything like that.”

Isabel looked hopefully at Tess. “If you know how…then do it!” she commanded anxiously.

Tess looked up at Isabel. She knew she must have looked awful. They’d been standing under the rays of the hot sun for a couple of hours now. Isabel wiped the sweat from her forehead and combed her fingers through her flat hair and bit her lip.

“Well I’m not exactly sure how. I remember seeing Michael doing it once with shoe prints,” Tess said hesitantly. “I don’t know that I can do it.”

Isabel looked over at Michael who had been kneeling near the shoulder of the highway. He stood up as Tess mentioned his name. “Michael’s never done anything like that before.”

Tess stared steadily towards Michael, who now returned her intense gaze. “It wasn’t here on Earth. Michael showed me when we lived on…on Antar,” she replied. “I know he knows how to do it, but I don’t know if he remembers how?”

All eyes fell on Michael who stood fixed in his place. Isabel knew where Tess was going with this. She just hoped Michael wouldn’t balk at the idea. Isabel licked her lips and walked over to Michael. “You have to remember how Michael,” she whispered.

His face betrayed no emotion, frustration or expectation. “What do I have to let you do?”

~~~

Michael felt like he was at ease while tracking down Jesse’s trail in the desert. He’d easily found the tire marks and followed them to the road. There was something inside him that aggravated him when he was unable to continue to pursue Jesse’s trail. It was like he knew there was something more he could do, if only he could remember.

Then when Tess mentioned a memory of learning to track and hunt, it was like something triggered his memory and Michael knew that she was right. He couldn’t remember exactly doing it, but there was something familiar about the thought of teaching others about tracking things. Rath in his life could have trained his army how to track the enemy. It seemed logical to Michael.

“I remember you concentrating on the tracks that you were looking for,” Tess explained, concentrating on her cloudy and vague memories. “Some light came from you and it somehow lifted the tracks from the ground, forming an image of the track we were looking for.”

Michael frowned. He didn’t know how he could have done that. All of his powers ever emerged as just a force, nothing intricate and controlled as copying an image from an imprint on the ground. He could be libel to just blow it away. “I don’t know if I can do this,” Michael hedged. “I mean my powers definitely are stronger and more controlled but nothing so focused as that.”

Isabel’s hand slipped into his and she rested her forehead on his shoulder. “Please Michael, you’ve got to try. Jesse’s life might be at stake.”

Michael took a deep breath. He hated having Jesse’s life in his hands. In some ways Michael would have preferred it if he wasn’t found, but when he looked down at Isabel, he knew that he could never wish that on her. “What else do you remember?” Michael grunted. “I need as much help as I can get.”

Tess’ brow creased, as she seemed to go into some sort of a trance. “I don’t know,” she whispered as her eyes remained closed and her back was hunched over. “You just were able to do it. It’s not like it was something I was good at. If you want, I could pass the memories on to you?”

Michael considered Tess’ offer while he felt Isabel’s hand tighten around his. He let out a soft sight and nodded. Tess was giving him nothing else to go on. He knew he had to at least give it a try. Michael closed his eyes and heard the soft crunching of the soil breaking beneath Tess’ approaching feet. He felt a light feathery caress against his temple. Her hands were warm and moist.

Suddenly a flash of light appeared before him. It was Tess or at least he thought so. Her image was a little different than the one he was used to seeing every day.

She was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. At that moment, she seemed perturbed. “Rath, why do I have to learn how to do this?” she pouted. “It’s boring and not something I’m good at!”

Michael then heard himself speak. “You don’t only learn things that you’re good at Ava, besides, you should know how to do this. In case anything happens to us and we get separated or something.”

She frowned at him. “Why do you say that? Nothing’s going to happen to us Rath. Khivar is just blowing smoke.”

Rath shook his head and remained silent for a moment. Finally he let out a sigh and looked at her seriously. “Let’s start again…”

The images flew through his mind quickly. Michael watched himself draw the shapes out of the grass, mud, loose soil, and off of trees. It was incomprehensible that he had power to do something like that. When he felt Tess’ hand leave him, Michael opened his eyes and found Isabel gazing hopefully at him. “Do you remember?” she asked hopefully.

Michael shrugged. “I don’t remember exactly how to do it, but I saw myself doing it. It was weird,” he explained. “I’ll try my best.”

“That’s all you can do,” Max said, coming over and patting him lightly on the shoulder.

While he readied himself for the ‘trick’, Michael slid his hands from Isabel’s grip. As he closed his eyes, Michael just concentrated on the image of the prints in the dry soil. Michael cleared his mind of all thoughts and concentrated on drawing on the surfacing whirlwind of energy that filled him. He opened his eyes as the heat and crackling energy that coursed through him had reached a fevered pitch and was aching to be released. Usually at this point, Michael would allow that energy to be expelled from within him, causing destruction in his wake, but he forced himself to once again, close his eyes and focus on the tracks that lay before him.

“You’re doing it,” he heard Isabel whisper excitedly. As Michael opened his eyes, he saw a blue almost transparent glow stretch from his fingertips. It appeared as he’d seen in Tess’ memory. “Wow,” he heard himself say. Michael swallowed as he approached the drying tracks. He thoughtfully commanded the energy out above the tire tracks. As he lowered his hand the blue glow seemed to fill the dry and cracked mold like smooth liquid. Michael could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead and onto his reddening cheeks. Now he just had to be able to pull the track back as Tess described.

“Now just lift it up Michael, as you continue to focus on keeping that mold,” Tess whispered.

As Michael lifted the energy field from the dry clay impression, the blue glow grew faint and began to waver. “Michael!” He heard Isabel whimpered behind him as he closed his eyes once more and the blue hue darkened and strengthened once more.

When he was confident that he had control over the impression, Michael turned his head and looked at Tess. “What do I do now?”

The petite blonde motioned him over to the shoulder of the road. “Now see if you can find matching tire marks on the asphalt. Your powers should illuminate whatever tracks were left from the reddish clay,” she explained carefully. “Hopefully he didn’t go far and there was enough of this mud that stuck to his tires.”

While Michael did as Tess instructed, he couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder at Isabel who was following closely behind him. Her hair drooped when it usually shone; her eyes were clouded and weary. Michael turned his attention back to the tracks that floated before him and uttered a prayer that he never thought he would. Please let us find Jesse.

~~~

Max felt out of place. It wasn’t just because he wasn’t fully recovered from his sickness either. As he watched Michael and Tess worked together, figuring out a way to track Jesse down, Max couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy if that was what it was. It should be him, who found Jesse, shouldn’t it? He swallowed and pushed down that feeling of irritation and walked over to where the other three now stood. He wasn’t sure where that thought came from.

Max was glad there was no oncoming traffic. It was usually slow in the afternoon, actually no one really ever traveled down these roads unless it was for solitude and even then, there were many places like this to travel to. “How’s it going?” Max asked, rubbing his moist and sweaty neck. The heat was unbearable. It loomed down on him like a heavy weight.

“I think I found it,” Michael exclaimed, lowering his hand, which in turn lowered the blue glowing field. “It’s still fresh under the light of my track mold. I can tell there’s a slight difference between it and the other tire marks that are on the highway.”

“Yes,” Isabel squealed, “That’s our tire marks. I can tell because one tire is flatter in the back and one tire mark is kind of more vague than the other. It’s like the tire was smudging it.”

Isabel was jumping up and down, clasping her hands to her chest. Tears of joy ran down her face. Max on the other hand was wary that this would lead them to Jesse. “Can you keep the field up while we chase down Jesse?” he asked warily. “I think it will look a little suspicious driving down the highway with a blue glow coming from the jeep, don’t you?”

Max knew he was raining on their parade, but he didn’t want them to get their hopes up. He was the levelheaded one, and he still needed to be. While he looked at the disbelief on each of their faces, Max couldn’t help but shake his head. “I am not saying that it might not lead us to him, but we have to realize how careful we need to be, especially in daylight. Max motioned to the open area, with only small little tufts of green plant forms scattered across the somewhat deserted highway. “We didn’t even think to worry about cars driving by. Now we’ve got Michael with this blue light shooting out of his hand?”

Suddenly he felt a hard tug on his forearm. “What is wrong with you Max?” Tess exclaimed. “Why are you acting like such a jerk? I mean you’re even touchier than usual.”

Max pulled his arm out of her grasp. What did she know? Tess had managed to just pop into their lives, save his, and all of the sudden she’s teaching Michael how to use his powers? He just wanted out of this whole mess. In fact, Max didn’t quite know exactly how he got into this mess either. They hadn’t cleared up the mystery surrounding how he’d gotten sick in the first place.

“Hello?” Michael hollered. “Earth to Max. Is anyone home?”

Max blinked a few times and realized that Michael was now standing in front of him and waving his hand in front of his face. Isabel and Tess looked curiously at him. He shook his head. “What?” Max frowned, backing a couple of inches back.

“Uh, you were totally zoning out on us Max,” Michael said uncertainly. “What is with you?”

Max stared out at the three of them. “Nothing.” He turned away from them again and started heading toward the jeep. “We’d better start tracking Jesse down,” Max called out. “There’s not a lot of time before we have to get back home.”

“Don’t you think this is a little more important Max?” Tess asked as she jogged up beside him.

“Well our Mom and Dad are expecting us home for supper, so I think that it’s important.”

“Max? You’re kidding right?” Michael scoffed. “Jesse is missing and you’re worried about a family dinner?”

Max turned around with the trio on his heels. “Look,” he frowned. “We don’t want anymore people looking into our business do we?” The three nodded in agreement. “Then I think we don’t need our father continuing his investigation. From what Isabel is telling me, it was getting a little involved,” he said forebodingly. “I remember what it was like before when my Dad thought I was in real trouble and on the lam. I don’t want that to happen again.” Max remembered what it was like finding out that he had flow charts and investigators on his tale. It was too close.

“It was,” Isabel agreed. “But I don’t think that he’s going to keep looking into it. I think they bought our story.”

Max shook his head. “Well all the more reason to keep them thinking that way. We can’t do anything suspicious to make them think that we’re lying!” he exclaimed.

“Except that you are lying,” Michael mumbled sarcastically.

“What did you say?” Max asked irritably, scowling at Michael. As he glanced up out at the sun, Max felt himself stumble back. His head swirled with images and memories. Everything was getting a little fuzzy. Max wasn’t sure what was wrong, but he wasn’t feeling very well. He took a couple of deep breaths and hardened himself to the worried glances that were before him. All that was wrong with him was that he had a little heat stroke and needed to get into the shade.

“Max?” Isabel said his name, a tinge of worry in her voice.

Max shook his head, as if the motion would clear his mind of the flood of images and the overwhelming sensation of falling. “I’m fine. Let’s just start looking for Jesse okay?”

He jumped into the jeep and started the engine. As he waited patiently for the three to pile into the dusty black jeep, Max took a deep breath. He was going to be fine.

~~~

“What do you want?” Jesse cried hoarsely as he felt the trickle of blood slide down the corner of his mouth.

He had been kept in the dark humid building for hours, although it felt more like days. The man who had been asking the most questions had been answering to the name Watts. Agent Watts. He was short and stocky and had a small patch of hair that sat right on the top of his head. The other agent, if he really was an agent, seemed to answer to the name Patch. He was the muscle in the building, though Watts, as small in stature as he was, could very much hold his own. Patch didn’t seem to have all his marbles and it was all he had to stop himself from calling him ‘patchy’.

Jesse watched as the two mysterious men stopped mid-conversation as his voice was obviously heard from across the building. He was torn at whether he should have yelled out his frustrating question or kept quiet. It was a question that they seemed unwilling to answer and the payment for asking was a blinding blow to his face. He had asked a few times and now his head throbbed and he had just enough strength to keep his head up and scowl at the approaching men.

“Haven’t you learned my boy?” Patch chided as he pressed his face in close to Jesse’s; his hand slapped his face endearingly. “That ain’t a question you wanna ask!” The tall brute hovered over him; the entire width of his body was double Jesse’s.

“Well why don’t you just answer the question?” he muttered, as his blood mingled with his saliva. Jesse hated the taste of blood. It reminded him of his childhood where he had once tried boxing. He’d managed just to get into the ring and put in his mouthpiece when his opponent, Chuck Delany, a scrawny boy with pencil thin limbs threw a right hook and took him down. Jesse never went into the gym again.

“I don’t think so Jesse,” Agent Watts drawled. “You don’t get to be the one who asks the questions.” He paused and replaced the ugly mug of its predecessor.

Not that Watts was any better. He had a lazy right eye, which made him look as loose in the nuts department as his partner. “You’d better learn to spill about your little alien friends my dear boy, or just like your little friend, you’ll be swimming with the fishes.”

Jesse frowned and he could feel his heart beat a little faster. “What friend?”

Just in that moment, Agent Watt’s scowl lifted and was replaced with a malevolent grin. “Oh, I’m sure you’re probably happy to be rid of him,” Agent Watt laughed. “I mean he wasn’t much of a friend was he?”

Jesse’s eyes darted around; looking for any signs of this ‘friend’ Watt was talking about. “Who are you talking about?” he growled. Jesse strained against the tight binds around his wrists and legs. It was as if a new strength and energy had somehow filled his tired and broken body.

Agent Watts looked over at Patch through the corner of his eye and snapped his fingers. “Won’t you bring Mr. Ramierez his little friend? I’m sure he’s getting a little lonely and would like someone to talk to.”

Jesse watched wearily as he slumped back down into his chair and watched the tall goon exit through on of the guarded doors, into a dark room. A slow scraping sound perked Jesse’s ears, and then followed by two quick scuffles. Suddenly it was joined by a heavy breathing sound. The two sounds combined to create a nauseous and apprehensive sensation in the pit of his stomach.

Patch appeared from the room with his back to Jesse. There was a black plastic bag being dragged along the floor. That was what the heavy scraping sound was. And as he began to draw near, Jesse realized that it was not an ordinary black plastic bag. It was made out of a heavy material, that he’d only had the ‘pleasure’, if he could call it that, of seeing. Suddenly Agent Watts patted him hard against the back, startling Jesse, who was fixated on the mesmerizing image of a dead body being dragged towards him. Watts uttered a low guttural laugh. “Aren’t you glad to see your friend?”

Jesse swallowed hard and closed his eyes as Patch inched closer to the dangling 90-watt bulb. He scraping and huffing sounds stopped and as Jesse opened his eyes he saw that the big lug had placed the plastic bag at his feet. His body shuddered at just the thought of there being a dead boy in that bag, let alone someone he knew. “Get that away from me!” he shouted desperately, scrambling away from the ominous bag while still bound to the chair.

“Open it for Mr. Ramierez, as he is kind of tied up at the moment,” Agent Watts drawled as he held the chair in place. “Let him see who came to visit!”

Jesse turned his head away and closed his eyes; his gag reflex was working overtime at that moment. He couldn’t bear to see who it could be. Isabel? Michael? Max? He felt short stubby hands clutch his chin and jerk his head forward. “Now Jesse, is that a way to treat an old friend?” Watts chided. “Don’t you want to even say ‘hello’?”

Jesse gulped down a mouthful of air before he heard the unzipping of the body bag. God please don’t let it be Isabel. Agent Watts held his head as he squirmed to turn away as Patch grasped the two sides of the body bag and tore it open. “Oh God no!” Jesse gasped as his eyes fell upon his old friend Cal. His face was ashen grey and beginning to puff out. Rigor mortis had set in and now the bloating process had begun to ravage his body. There were dark circles under his eyes and his matted hair clung to his face.

“Oh God why?” he sobbed. “Why?” His voice cracked as he strained to express his shock and disbelief. Jesse couldn’t believe it was Cal. Wasn’t he one of their own?

Jesse felt his body wretch and the contents of his empty stomach lurch and as he leaned forward, a putrid yellowish liquid was excreted from his mouth and nose. Cal was ambitious and even a jerk sometimes, but to see him lying at his feet, the blood drained from his face, it brought a new sort of indescribable pain and anguish shooting through him. Jesse didn’t know what to do. These men had killed Cal, and for what?

As Jesse sat hunched over his seat, his head hung low between his knees, Agent Watts pulled his head up by his hair and his cold grey eyes glared menacingly at him. “Now, do you understand we mean business Mr. Ramierez?” The indifferent agent let go of his hair and Jesse once again sunk down, his head drooping. “Agent Chasser was a big help, but it turned out he was more useful dead to me than alive. For some reason he got it into his head that letting you go without getting all the information we needed was acceptable. Go figure,” he said snidely. “Now, it’s your choice. We could do it the hard way or we could do it the easy way. Either way, well get what we need or you’ll have a reunion of sorts with your little friend here.” Agent Watts kneeled beside the body bag that held Cal and patted his cold cheeks.

Jesse closed his eyes and let his head hang, with his chin resting against his chest. How was he going to get out of this? Either way, there was no choice he could make and end up alive at the end. It was either tell them what they wanted with less pain or get tortured and spill everything anyway.

He stifled his sobs and gritted his teeth. He had to be strong. There wasn’t a choice.

After a moment of clarity, Jesse gathered his strength and pulled himself up and looked Watts straight in the eye. All he could think about was Isabel: how beautiful she was, how much he loved her. There was no way he would let them get near her.

“Go to hell!”


Chapter Thirty

***
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved

- Shakespeare
***

They followed the tire marks to an empty apartment building. It should have been condemned. There were pieces of brick scattered along the pavement and all the windows had either been shattered or were darkened with years of dust and grime. “Can you feel him now?” Tess asked as she followed Isabel up the dark crickety stairs.

Isabel shook her head slowly. “He was here,” she confirmed. “But he left.” Isabel wandered into an empty apartment that looked like it hadn’t been lived in for sometime now. She closed her eyes and received flashes of darkness, then a bright swinging light overhead. Rubbing her neck, Isabel tilted her head a bit, as if it would help her find Jesse quicker.

She didn’t know why she couldn’t find him as she dream walked. Though Isabel had almost mastered the skill of walking into people’s minds while they were still awake, she couldn’t quite reach Jesse. And she didn’t have a clue why.

“It looks like someone had a fight in here,” Michael surmised as he looked at the scattered chairs and a piece of cloth lying on the floor. Though the place hadn’t been lived in, Michael knew that the chairs had been knocked down recently. The scuffmarks and scratches on the floor had been made recently. As he picked up the cloth, Michael received a flash. It took him for a loop. “Whoa,” he grunted.

Isabel opened her eyes as she felt Michael reach out to her mentally. As she turned around, she saw Michael stumble forward, holding his head. “Michael?” she gasped. “What’s wrong?”

Michael shrugged her off as her gentle hands grasped his shoulders to steady him. “Nothing,” he said dismissively. “I just got dizzy.”

Isabel shook her head and looked uneasily at Tess and Max who had come up behind Michael. “He suddenly got dizzy,” she explained to Max and Tess, who were upset at the deterring circumstances surrounding Jesse’s disappearance.

“But why did you get dizzy?” Tess asked, stepping forward and tilted Michael’s head up with her hand. She looked into Michael’s eyes searching for some answers. Michael jerked his head back and out of Tess’ grasp. “Don’t touch me,” Michael growled.

Tess shook his head and rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t going to hurt you Michael, I just wanted to make sure you were all right,” she replied irritably. “Is that okay with everyone?”

Silence fell upon the Royal four in the dusty run down apartment. The three glanced uneasily at each other while Tess stood wary from their tiring search. “You know…never mind,” Tess sighed and waved at them dismissively. She walked over to search the kitchen at the north end of the apartment.

Max wasn’t far behind to try to convince her that Michael didn’t mean anything by his comment. It took a few soft words of reassurance before Tess allowed Max to lead her back into what should have been the living room in the apartment. “Michael, what made you so dizzy?” Max asked as he walked towards Michael and Isabel, with Tess in hand.

Michael looked up and saw that Tess had returned. Tess’ eyes were hooded by her long lashes and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. In that moment, he felt ashamed about snapping at Tess. She had only been trying to help. Michael swallowed and rubbed his forehead; the headache brought on by the flash had subsided. He began rubbing the piece of cloth that he clutched in his hand. Michael felt like he was in a fog, but suddenly remembered why he was there. As he lifted his hand and revealed the thin piece of black cloth that had momentarily left him in a daze.

“I found this on the floor next to these scratch marks on the floor,” Michael explained.

Max frowned. He picked up the thin cloth, that seemed to have a sheen to it. “Why would this make you dizzy?” Max asked curiously.

Michael shrugged. “I picked it up and then suddenly I had some kind of vision.”

“What vision?” Isabel frowned, as she folded her arms across her chest. “Was it about Jesse?”

Michael shook his head and raised his hands. “I have no clue. First everything was dark and then it was like I was looking out a window, out at the night sky.” He furrowed his brow as he tried to remember the details. “Suddenly it was like I was lying on the floor and then I saw a pair of arms clawing at the floor, as if they were mine and they were pulling me away,” he sighed. It was like there was something else but he could reach out and grab the memory.

Michael swallowed and combed his fingers through his hair. “That’s all I remember.”

“Do you think it was Jesse?” Isabel asked anxiously.

Michael shook his head. “He wasn’t wearing clothes made out of this material when he drove off last night,” he said uneasily. “And from the tracks, it’s not likely he drove to your parents, changed and then came here. He drove straight here.” Isabel’s eyes looked up hopefully at him. “I don’t really think that this belonged to Jesse.”

“So there was someone else here?” Tess said thoughtfully. “But who would he be meeting here.”

“I don’t know,” Michael said, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his khaki cargo pants. “I wish I could remember more Isabel.” He looked at her apologetically.

Isabel could tell how frustrated Michael was. She was feeling the same thing, except it wasn’t because she couldn’t remember something that she had just saw; it was because she couldn’t find her husband in the light of day. As she reached out to comfort Michael and let him know she understood what he was feeling, Isabel heard the creaking of wooden panels. “Did you guys hear that?” she asked suspiciously.

Max and Tess tilted their head towards the door that was slightly ajar. Max nodded to Tess that he’d also heard the slight creaking and rattling, to which Tess nodded in agreement. Then a new noise occurred, it was some kind of shuffling. Albeit it was moving way from the apartment, Max knew that they had to find out who or what it was. Max motioned with his head to Michael that he should take the far side of the door, as he began to creep towards the nearest wall that ran along the hallway.

Isabel felt Tess grab her hand and pull her behind Max. As she pressed her back against the grimy walls, Isabel tried to push the thoughts of what might be on those walls to the back of her mind. Suddenly Tess stopped moving, which made Isabel bump into her and step on her foot. Tess glared at her, to which Isabel responded by raising her hands and mouthing, ‘what?’

Max looked back at his sister and Tess and raised his finger to his mouth, signaling them to be quiet. When the noise had stopped, Max signaled Michael to open the door. His second in command was already slowly opening the door, enough for Max to peer out into the darkened hallway. It was only dimly lit by the clouded sunlight that was filtered by the dirt smudged windows.

Michael gestured to Max that he was going to check it out when the floor groaned under his weight. The sudden noise must have startled the stranger or creature because the next thing the four hybrids heard was a quick shuffling and then several loud thumps and a large thud. Michael frowned and jumped out into the hallway, with the other three not far behind. He ran down the narrow staircase and towards a groaning lump lying at the bottom of the stairs.

Tess was the last to confront their mystery guest. Michael had rolled the groaning mass over and revealed an old ragged man clutching a brown bag. As she stood over him, his large round grey eyes peered up frightfully at her. He was dressed in a tattered coat that had several holes at the seams and the pocket linings were hanging at his sides, unable to hold anything. She had never seen anyone like that so close up before. Sure she had come close to it, during Max and her trip to New York, but not right in front of her, so close that she could reach out and touch him. Tess smiled at the man and reached down to help him up, but he shrunk away.

“What’s the matter with him?” Isabel asked.

Michael pulled the homeless man onto his feet. “Who are you?” he growled ominously.

The man fell like dead weight and tried to curl up into a ball. “L-lleave me be!” he shrieked. “I…I didn’t see nothing…nothing!”

Max was bewildered at the man’s behavior. He thought it just might be the fact that they were crowded around him and hovering over him. But then again…

Max raised his eyebrow suspiciously at the tramp that was clutching tightly at the brown bag hidden beneath his coat. “What do you have under your coat?” Max slowly asked, as he reached down to try to catch a glimpse of what the bag held. The homeless man jerked backwards, scrambling away, trying to make it to the exit. “It’s mineeee!” he sneered.

Michael caught the man by the scruff of his neck, clutching the nape of his coat. “Whoa, first of all, you’re going to tell us what you heard and saw here last night,” he commanded. The older man tried to scramble out of Michael’s grasp, but he had a firm grip on the man’s clothes. Michael grabbed the front of the man’s cloths and lifted him up until his toes barely touched the ground. “Tell us what happened last night!”

Tess frowned and pulled on Michael’s arms to get him to lower the poor man. She didn’t know exactly why she felt much compassion for the man, but the fear in his eyes was genuine and she knew that threatening the man wouldn’t get them anywhere. “Michael, calm down and put him down!” Tess could feel the three’s eyes upon her strange command.

As Tess tugged gently at Michael, Max knew she was right. “Michael, she’s right. We can’t just put the fear of God in him and expect him to trust us,” Max sighed as he relieved Michael of the man’s clothes. He looked at the stranger in the eyes and smiled. “Please, we’re trying to find out what happened here last night.”

The man’s eyes narrowed and his face scrunched up into a menacing scowl. “I don’t know anything!” he spat, struggling against Michael and when he almost lost his grip the old man tried to make a break for the exit.

Michael once again grabbed the homeless man and glared at Max. “That really worked well,” he retorted. Then Michael, once again, grabbed the man by the front of his coat and scowled. “A man was here last night, he had short dark hair and brown eyes. What happened to him?”

Isabel didn’t know what to do. Everything was whirling out of control. Everyone seemed to be on edge and they still had no idea why Jesse drove to this abandoned apartment. “Please,” she heard herself plead with the wary stranger. “I need to know where he is.” The old man turned his head around to look at her. He seemed to stare at her for the longest time before his snarling and growling quieted and then turned into a whimper.

“What do you want from me?” he cried out wildly. “I don’t know any dark men…no. Never saw any here. Nope.” His eyes darted back and forth as he began to mumble incoherently to himself.

Isabel swallowed. “No dark men?” she said slowly. “You know something don’t you?” She felt her emotions welling up from within her. The homeless man head began to loll back and forth and his arms began to swing aimlessly in the air. He had lost touch with reality. As she watched the only lead to Jesse, Isabel felt herself crumble back onto the steps of the staircase.

Max glanced down at Isabel who seemed lost in despair. He frowned as he watched the deranged homeless man flail about while Michael tried to keep his grip on him. There had to be something that the homeless man could tell them. Max glanced at his watch. Time was running out in the day.

Suddenly, they got a break. As the homeless man flailed uselessly in Michael’s arms, the brown paper bag, which the old man clutched so dearly, fell to the ground. Max reached down and picked up the bag. He had thought it was a bottle of alcohol when he first noticed it in his grasp, but then Max realized that it was too small and crumpled to hold a flask or even a bottle. As he reached into the crumpled bag, he found a brown leather wallet.

Isabel jumped up as soon as she saw Max pulling out an object out of the bag. “What is it?” she gasped, her heart pounding, praying that it was a lead to her husband. When she realized it was a wallet, Isabel reached out and opened it. It was empty, with only a couple of rumpled sheets of paper with numbers jotted down on them in pen. There was also a picture of a tall Caucasian man with his arm around a petite Hispanic woman. She dug around in the hidden pockets and found a driver’s license.

“Whose is it?” Tess asked, hopping up a couple of steps to look over Isabel’s shoulder.

Isabel frowned. “Cal Chasser?” Isabel read the name on the driver’s license. Isabel shook her head. “I don’t recognize the name,” she said tiredly. “He’s never mentioned anyone named Cal Chasser before.”

“Isabel, can you search through the jumble that’s in there and pull out any memories he has about last night?” Michael asked.

“I think so,” Isabel said hesitantly.

Isabel waited until Michael had a better grasp on the uncooperative old man before placing her hands, one on each side, of the man’s temple. She gently waded through the darkness until she found her way out of the fog and herself standing in a room with booming voices surrounding her. It was almost too much to bear. Isabel understood now why the man couldn’t think straight. Everything was in a jumble. There was everything from images of a child skipping rope to a group of people dressed in black standing about a wooden coffin.

“NO!” a man’s voice screamed.

Isabel turned around and saw a black room with shadows of what seemed to be four figures. She frowned as she slowly made her way past the child skipping rope to the frameless door that was a couple of feet away from her. As she peered into the room, Isabel witnessed three figures standing over a frightened young man. In the room, there was no light to illuminate the 3 menacing figure’s faces, as well as the man curled up into a ball.

“Where is he?” one man yelled, striking the victim’s face with his fist.

“I don’t know,” he yelped, cradling his head.

“Well that’s not the right answer,” another man, taller than the first growled. He loomed closer, crouching over the man and grabbing his face. “You’ll pay for letting him get away!”

Isabel could hear the ominous smile in his voice. They definitely weren’t going to let him go. She closed her eyes, telling herself it over and over that it couldn’t be Jesse. Suddenly the scene changed and she was standing out in the hallway. The view of the room skewed by the older man’s position. He obviously was crouching hiding in the corner of the hallway, lurking in the shadows. As she searched for some evidence of how much time had passed, Isabel once again heard voices.

“Plea-ssse! I’ll do better next time…I promise!” the victim’s voice cried. Isabel turned around in time to see two men dragging someone by their feet. The man was scrambling, clawing at the floor for something to cling to.

Isabel frowned. It was just as Michael had pictured it. From the low position of the homeless man’s view, Isabel tried to move in closer, but there was nothing she could do. The closest thing she came to the kidnapping, or whatever it was, was to see the men strike him once more and the man fall limply to the ground. No more struggling.

The three men picked him up from the hallway and began to drag him down the stairs. But as they picked him up, something fell from the unconscious man. The memories moved forward. The homeless man snuck up behind them and reached for the wallet. Suddenly Isabel heard screaming and apparently the three men noticed him, because the next thing she knew he was running and she was standing outside.

Isabel stood for a moment in the fog of the dreaming and memories. As she was about to break away from the dream walk, Isabel was suddenly confronted by the image of the homeless man. His grey eyes glowed an intense blue, and then black. “G-eeet outttttt!” he screamed.

Isabel fell to the ground as she let go of the man. “Uhhh!” she gasped.

Michael watched as Isabel collapsed to the floor. As he let the homeless man go to tend to Isabel, the man unexpectedly collapsed himself, holding his head and screaming. “Ge-t oooooouut!” His voice was shrill and piercing, like a man tormented. The man writhed as if in pain. Michael was confused and unable to understand what could have happened. He lifted Isabel up into his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked anxiously.

Isabel grunted. “Uh, yeah,” she said breathlessly. As she opened her eyes, Michael’s face hovered above her. His touch brought with it a warmth and strength to her tired body. “I don’t know what happened. It was like he saw me in the dream walk, which never has happened to me before.” Isabel rubbed her head and placed her hand in Michael’s, who helped her to her feet. “Not unless I wanted to be seen.”

Max was uneasy about this whole situation. And what made it worse was the old man was screaming and mumbling in the apartment entrance. They couldn’t leave him in this condition.

“Tess, can you make him forget what happened?” Max asked quietly.

Tess looked at Max and then at the older man. She frowned. “I don’t know. He’s not exactly in the perfect state for me to erase memories whether they are causing him to freak out like this or not,” Tess said hesitantly. “It might make him worse off than he is now.”

Isabel looked incredulously. “Now you’re worried about hurting someone?” she exclaimed. “I think it’s a little late!”

Her blonde brows furrowed at the sharp reminder. “I think it’s better if we just…” Tess didn’t know what was the solution. His screams were getting to her. It was like his voice was piercing deep inside of her.” Michael, Isabel, and Max looked at her, pleading with their eyes for her do something. She didn’t know what this would do, but she didn’t see any other way. Whether it would induce some catatonic state, Tess didn’t know.

Tess lowered her eyes and let out an uneasy sigh. “Fine, but I’m telling you that it might not even be worth it,” Tess mumbled as she prepared herself to dive into the mind of the sad, and distressed man in front of her.

As she entered his mind, Tess tried with all her might to block out the screams and get to the core of his memory. As she pushed past the startling images in his mind, Tess found the entrance to his memories. Tess focused on the faint outline of a door and concentrated on pushing it in like she would a door. As she entered the room, there stood the same homeless man, whom she had left physically writhing on the floor. He was dressed in a black suit and what was left of his hair was slicked with mousse and combed to one side.

Tess approached cautiously as the man just stood there motionless. The complete opposite of what she had encountered throughout the rest of his mind. She needed to make contact before wiping clear any memory of what had just happened and what happened last night.

Suddenly the man in the black suit frowned. “What are you doing here?” he asked curiously.

“I’m just here to help you,” Tess explained sweetly. “I don’t know if you realize how much pain you’re in right now.”

“So?”

Tess reached out her hand, his arm just within her grasp. “So I’m here to help make that pain go away.”

The man shook his head. “No. I don’t want that. Pain…pain is needed.”

While Tess didn’t quite understand what he meant, after a couple of steps, she was able to clasp his hand. “This will be a little strange, but you shouldn’t feel a thing,” Tess whispered softly as she closed her eyes and began the process of locating the memories.

Max swallowed hard and began pacing back and forth as his gaze remained on Tess as she kneeled in front of the semi-conscious man. His screams had subsided and the man had become unusually calm. His heart was racing at the thought of what he was doing to this unwitting man. He was an innocent.

“Max?” Isabel called his name.

“Hmmm?” Max turned his head to face his sister, who was standing beside him.

“Do you think it’s working?”

Max frowned. He knew that it was working. Tess knew exactly what she was doing. For some reason it brought more comfort than the unsettling feeling he once got when he saw Tess using her powers so adeptly. Swallowing, Max nodded and replied, “Yes.”

The trio continued to watch Tess kneeling, motionless before the man. Suddenly the exiled fourth raised her head and peered over at the group of observers. “It’s done,” she sighed, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.

Tess stood up and looked down at the now unconscious man. “He’ll be out for a couple of hours. He’s exhausted.” As she looked down at the homeless man standing before her, the image of Alex lying in front of her flashed before her. Tess closed her eyes. She felt her stomach lurch at the memory. The horrible memory affected her so much that she just turned on her heel and pushed her way out of the apartment building. She needed some air.

“What happened?” Michael scoffed, motioning to Tess who was standing outside.

Both Max and Isabel stared hauntingly at the figure lying before them. “What do you think?” Isabel whispered as she gestured to the unconscious man.

Isabel couldn’t stand being in the apartment any longer. As she made her way out, Isabel heard Michael and Max’s footsteps not far behind her. The warm air of a late afternoon breeze brought new life to Isabel as she closed her eyes and let it caressed her face.

“What happened in there, Isabel?” Michael asked inquisitively. “You didn’t tell us what you saw.”

Isabel turned around to face Michael and Max. She heard Tess come up behind her and complete the group. Running her fingers through her hair, Isabel closed her eyes and drew the images of the four men from the back of her mind. “There were for guys. One was being beaten for some reason,” Isabel explained as the images came back to life in her mind. “He let someone go. Then the guys dragged him out of the apartment and carried him off somewhere.” Isabel opened her eyes and shrugged. “That’s all he gave me.”

“Did you see any faces?” Max asked.

Isabel shook her head. “No. But I think the guy they beat up, well, I’m actually pretty sure it was this Cal guy.” She pointed to the wallet that Max held in his hand.

Michael nodded. It was just as he suspected. Some goons were in there and beat struggled with this guy Cal. But what did that have to do with Jesse?

“Do you think this Cal guy had something to do with Jesse?” Tess asked, coming out of her quiet reverie. Tess looked at the three, interested in what they thought: Isabel stared at her blankly, while Michael was immersed in his own thoughts, and as she turned her gaze over to Max, she found him frowning. “What do you guys think?”

Max sighed and nodded. “I’m going to have to agree with you on this one. I think that maybe Jesse met up with this guy Cal Chasser.”

Tess let out a sigh of relief. She was happy that no one was going to jump down her throat for suggesting that this man was connected with Jesse. After all, Tess hadn’t said that this man was actually FBI. But deep down, she had a feeling that those men who were upset at good ‘ole Cal, definitely had something to do with the FBI.

~~~

Andaria was getting worried about her daughter. She hadn’t been contacted in a couple of days in Earth time and though she had warned Tess to be careful, Andaria had a gut feeling that something was wrong. She shook her head as she paced back and forth in Zander’s nursery. And things on Antar were just as unsettling.

Her spies had been keeping an eye out on Khivar. They had heard rumblings about a project being developed that would bring Khivar under control of ultimately all the people of Antar. Andaria clenched her teeth and clasped her wrinkled hands together. She was in the form of elderly Maia and though she had fooled Khivar and Nicholas, Andaria didn’t know how long she could keep them in the dark about her true form.

As she peered out at the rising of the two moons, Andaria clasped the thin pendant resting against her chest. It was the one possession she owned that she cherished more than any other thing. Radim, her beloved husband, father of Ava, presented it to her the night before their wedding. The intricately twisted metal, interwoven with a single sapphire was comforting under her old fingers. Andaria allowed for the memories of the past to surge from within and flash before her. Memories of the doomed past, that made way for a hopeful future.

~ * ~

Andaria had loved Zan like her own son. When news of the engagement between her daughter and Zan had been revealed, Andaria had been worried about Alaric and Fadila’s reaction. Ava was first of all, a child of a servant, though Radim was General to King Alaric’s First Battalion. But the news had been well received and Alaric was overjoyed.

Earlier, plans had been discussed about a marriage of peoples; more specifically, with Zuri, daughter of Hakan, overseer of the Iturians, a race of people from which Khivar hailed from. There had been rumblings among the servants that Hakan was a malcontent, and grew tired of being ‘overseer’ in Alaric’s kingdom when he had a strong following within a sect of the Kedran dissenters. Some had mentioned rumors of war and how that was the reason for Alaric’s decision to form a covenant with the Iturian Overseer.

But when Zan unexpectedly announced his secret courtship of Ava and his plans to wed her daughter, all agreements and covenants were called off, much to Hakan’s chagrin. For it would have assured him more power and authority. Though Alaric cherished the peace in which the two races of Antarians had lived in for hundreds of years, he would not sacrifice his son’s happiness because of Hakan’s pettiness. Many including the royal family did not think that Hakan would have the forces to truly put up a difficult opposition. As Andaria looked back, how she could have told Alaric what she knew now.

Alaric died and left Zan successor of Antar. By then the rumblings of war had become much more than words. Zan’s inexperience and his stubbornness had caused uncertainty in the minds of the Antarians, which Hakan pounced on. It had been several years of struggling and defending against Khivar, Hakan’s protégé’s advances. Andaria had watched her daughter and son-in-law come together as a force no longer willing to wither under the scrutinizing dissenters and opposers, and finally begin to come together and face this enemy head on, with whatever loyal servants they had left. They were no longer afraid and worried about making mistakes; the King was fighting for his people.

Just when she thought that the tide was about to turn, betrayal fell on the lips of Vilandra. She was naive, not having lived a full life and experienced how deceptive and greedy men were. Lies filled her ears as Khivar had secretly drawn Vilandra into his web of lies and deceptions. Vilandra found out too late about Khivar's lies, to the detriment of the Antarians. Her family especially would have to pay for believing the Enemy.

With the fall of the house of Kedar, the stronghold crumbled. Through the despair, there still had been some hope that held firm with Queen Fadila and her army. But all that had changed in a single moment. Radim had been entrusted to with the task of overseeing their children’s voyage to Earth, but his unforeseen death would leave the plans in her hands. Fadila had come to her with the news of Radim’s death. Andaria remembered that night vividly.

“I am sorry,” Fadila whispered, as the words left her mouth.

Andaria collapsed into the Queen’s arms; her mistress’ strength was the only thing that kept her from dying in that moment. Queen Fadila grasped Andaria’s shoulders gently and spoke comforting words, drawing her into a warm embrace. “Oh Andaria, my heart goes out with you. In these times, we should be watching our children have children and live in peace.” Queen Fadila tilted her head up so that she looked into her mistress’ sorrowful dark eyes. “We have had to suffer much. I am just grateful that Alaric passed on before watching the slaughter of our people.”

Andaria wrapped her arms around her, cradling her stomach. Her child had died only a day ago, now her husband had deserted her. “We are truly alone, my Queen,” she wept, unable to imagine ever feeling joy in the midst of such pain.

Queen Fadila shook her head. “No Andaria, we have hope. Once more in these dark times we have hope!”

Andaria closed her eyes and shook her head. “Our husbands have left us and the wretches have taken our children too. What hope do we have in this?” she cried.

“Before Radim was slain, he kneeled before me and told me all had been arranged for the return of our children. Their bodies lie in pod like chambers even now.”

Andaria looked up in confusion. “So it was true, the rumors of the resurrection of the royal four are true? The architects have found a way to generate new bodies for our children?”

“How did they solve the many defects of the DNA regeneration?” Andaria asked.

“They did so with much toil, my child. We now must accept a new race of Antarians, for the architects have found a new race of people for which they have intermingled our genetics with.”

Andaria was stunned. “A new race of Antarians? Will they look different?”

“Yes Andaria. They will no longer shine like the stars of the outer planes. Their bodies will be formed of altered human living cells spliced with our enhanced genetics. Our cells do not regenerate as quickly as this race of people whom we have located on a planet called Earth, which is why we need these strange people, to perform this process. So though their form may be strange to us, you must know that their essence remains unchanged. They are our children. But, no longer will they live as free spirits,” Queen Fadila said wistfully.

“How can we do this to them?”

Queen Fadila lowered her head and let her hands drop to her lap. “It is the only way I can think of to save our people Andaria,” Queen Fadila explained. “If you can foresee a way to bring our children back from the grave, the by all means tell me.”

Andaria swallowed. “I’m sorry my Lady, I overstepped my place.”

Queen Fadila looked up at her with her intense blue eyes. “All is forgiven my friend. Things are not as they were and no longer can we remain in the same roles as we have in past years.”

Andaria bowed her head low and lowered her lips to the pale white hands. “I’m still at my Lady’s command.”

Queen Fadila smiled wistfully at Andaria. “Radim had already given orders for their voyage to another planet, where the enemy would not be able to track them until they are fully mature,” she explained. “But I need someone to oversee their permanent return to the throne. This war is almost over and our people are either slain, in hiding or enslaved. I will gather the remainder of our forces and regroup for one last stand, but Khivar searches for the last threat to his place on the throne. General Obi has arranged for my disappearance. We must prepare for the future, for our present is grim.”

It had all been a blur. Suddenly the Queen had vanished into thin air and the reign of Khivar had begun. Andaria, as Fadila’s trusted maidservant and confidant, had now been charged to ensure the safe return and care of their children. She and a few other Loyalists assisted in tracking down the pods and monitoring them over the years. Many of the Queen’s servants and army went underground in attempt to hide under Khivar’s watchful eye. Only Andaria remained hidden in plain sight.

Khivar’s spies found out about the regeneration process the architects had perfected and informed their now ruling King. No sooner had his spies informed him of the process, did Khivar figure out what it would be used for. For the bodies of the Royal Four had been found missing. After capture and torture of several of the Loyalist architects, Khivar grew frustrated at the resolute nature of the enemy, for they would not talk.

Khivar was about to execute the lot when news of the controlled atmospheric poisoning Khivar had ordered had spread. The poisoning affected the genetic make up of the Antarians. To his chagrin, his own architects had not foreseen the spreading of the poison and were at a loss at what to do. Man

Chapter Thirty One


***

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived, and dishonest –

but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and realistic

- John F. Kennedy

***





“How are we going to find him?” Isabel asked as she stared into the rows of buildings stretching up before them. Again they had tried to track Jesse’s tire marks with much success until they reached the narrow closed street of an industrial suburb. They found his car, which had been forced into a ditch. There was a trail of blood on the steering wheel.



“Dream walk again,” Tess urged. “You’ve got a good chance of finding him here, where his trail is the warmest.”



Isabel looked back at the smear of blood on the steering wheel. She didn’t know if she wanted to do that. For all she knew, the nothingness that she found would be explained only by his death. And that was something Isabel wasn’t ready for. She swallowed. “I don’t think it will work,” she gulped. “I mean it didn’t work at the apartment building where Jesse had been. So why would it work here?”



She peered uncertainly at Michael, Max and Tess who stood scattered around the crash site. Isabel hoped that they wouldn’t push her to find out something she didn’t want to know. Max walked over with a white handkerchief in hand. Isabel frowned. “What is it?”



Max placed the handkerchief in her hand. It was stained with blood. Jesse’s blood, Isabel presumed. Taking a deep breath she let her finger graze the crimson smear. Her powers found a connection through the red smear on the thin piece of cloth and Isabel was transported into a dark warehouse. There was Jesse and he was slumped over, tied up in a chair.



“Jesse?” Isabel called.



Jesse’s head lifted, but he winced as if in pain. “Isabel?” he whispered. “Is that you?”



Isabel stepped over a black back and kneeled before her husband. “Jesse. It’s me. Where are you?” She looked around, but Jesse couldn’t quite focus on any specific thing in the building.



Jesse looked down at her, there was dried blood caked on the corner of his mouth. His face was a mix of purple and green bruises. “Isabel, get out of here! They’ll see you,” he warned, looking around. “How did you get in with all the guards?”



Isabel turned around and saw the guards standing beside the door entrance. “I’m not really here Jesse. I’m in your mind, it’s one of my powers.”



Jesse frowned. “But…”Suddenly Jesse’s head jerked up. “You have to get out, someone’s coming.”



Isabel shook her head, Jesse, don’t push me out. She stood up and was about to get a closer look at the short man, who was approaching her husband. Isabel forgot about the black bag that was behind her and tripped, forcing the bag opened. A man’s arm fell out and as she crouched down for a closer look, Isabel gasped and was then suddenly locked out of Jesse’s conscious.



“Oh my God!” Isabel gasped as she fell back into Max’s arms.



“What is it?” Max asked anxiously.



“Cal Chasser, the guy whose wallet we found, he’s…” Isabel couldn’t bring herself to speak the words. His face was horribly disfigured and bloated, almost unrecognizable to her.



“Tell us,” Michael coaxed. “What happened?”



Isabel looked up at Michael, covering her mouth. She felt like she was going to throw up. “He’s dead.”



~~~



“How do you know?” Max asked.



“I saw him. He was in a body bag. Jesse was sitting there and there were these guys coming and I wanted a closer look at them, but I tripped over this bag. When I leaned down to look at his face it was the same exact man in the wallet, except his face was…grey and bloated,” Isabel explained. She put her hand over her mouth and held her stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick.”



Max frowned, as worry creased his brow. He didn’t like the sound of this. But she was in Jesse’s mind, so he was still, at least, alive for the moment. “Isabel?” He walked over to his sister who was sitting in the jeep, her head between her knees. “Did you get a look at where they were?”



Isabel shook her head disparagingly. “I couldn’t see any specific clues to where he was,” she said breathily. “All I know is that he’s in an abandoned warehouse. But that’s all I could tell.” Max put his arm around her as she began to sob. “I should have gotten a better look, but Jesse pushed me out.”



Max swallowed as her big brown eyes looked desperately at him. “It’ll be okay Isabel. I promise.” He let out a loud sigh. Max wasn’t sure how he would keep that promise, but somehow he would. Jesse wasn’t going to die because of them, not if he had any say about it.



“What happened that made you leave?” Tess asked, as she approached the jeep.



Isabel looked up. “There was this short man coming to him.” She paused, as if back in a trance. Isabel let out a deep breath. “They’ve beaten him Max. He had dried blood on his face and there were bruises on his arms and face.”



Max knew that Isabel was frantic about what might happen to Jesse. After Alex, she had been careful not to let anyone in, and then Jesse came along. He knew what a risk she took letting him in, knowing exactly what dangers they could possibly face. Isabel had been able to take that chance and it worked out for them. Though Max was not exactly happy with the fact that Jesse was trying to put distance between his sister, and both he and Michael; Max knew that he loved her.



“Well we’ve waited here long enough,” Tess sighed. “I think I’ve found a partial print of the tire marks that haven’t been tread over or swept by the street cleaners.”



“So Michael, let’s do it again.” Max said as he turned to Michael who was already concentrating on the tire marks that had almost been hidden by a tall tuft of grass.



The familiar blue field appeared once more. “I got it,” Michael smirked.



Max stepped onto the deserted asphalt street and looked around cautiously, making sure there were no witnesses. “It’s clear. You can see if there is any matching marks on the road.” He walked down a little ways, making sure that there were no oncoming cars down the way to spot them. “I’ll keep watch. You try to track Jesse down.”



He was impressed how useful Michael’s new power was. They would have spent probably weeks trying to track down even a small minute lead on Jesse if Tess hadn’t remembered that Michael had this ability. How could he deny how crucial Tess had been in all of their current successes? Max ran his fingers through his warm hair, as he scoped out the terrain. They must be close because the area seemed to be a perfect place to hold someone hostage.



Suddenly he heard a small commotion growing behind him. Max spun around and saw Isabel and Tess waving him over. “What is it?” he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.



“We’ve found some partial tracks that match!” Isabel exclaimed happily. “Come here!”



As Max rushed over to the dim faded tracks that the blue mold hovered over. He kneeled down and pressed his fingers into the shallow tracks. “They look like they turn right and lead into that alley way.”



Max looked up at Michael who seemed to agree. “Well no time is better than the present, right?” Michael quipped grimly.



“Let’s go.”



~~~



Tess felt uneasy about going into the darkened alleyway. She didn’t come all the way to Earth to watch Max get hurt again, all because of a weak human. As they quietly crept down the narrow corridor, Tess could feel the power stir from within her. She had to be ready for anything.



The building that made up one side of the corridor was made out of an aluminum siding. As she ran her hands along the smooth rise and fall of the indentations, Tess focused on the clear sky at the end of the alley. But before they reached the clearing, Tess felt her fingers accidentally run against a thin sharp edge. It cut the palm of her hand. “Ah!” she gasped, pulling her hand from the side of the building.



“What happened?” Max whispered, turning back and gazing anxiously.



Tess shook her head. “No,” she said, dismissing Max’s concern. “I just accidentally cut myself on the jagged edge of this corner.” She pointed to the piece of aluminum jutting out of the building. Tess felt foolish. How could she have let herself be so careless?



Max motioned for Michael and Tess to head towards the clearing. “Just wait for me there. If there are any windows, see if you can scout out the building,” Max commanded Michael and Isabel.



Tess gazed up at Max who just then, bore a striking resemblance to Zan. The authority and weight he carried in his voice sent shivers down her spine. His warm fingers grasped her injured hand and tilted it upwards, so that he could have a better look at it. His dark brown hair covered his brooding eyes. “Max I’m all right. I promise,” Tess laughed nervously. “I just accidentally cut myself. I can just hold a tissue in my hand until it stops bleeding.”



Max looked up at her, his eyes locked with hers. “It’s bleeding pretty bad,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers. Tess felt the flat of his hand slip over top of her bloody palm. Their eyes remained locked as the warmth of his hand and the energy arising from within him seeped into her hand and coursed through her arm.



When the warmth had ebbed and they were just left standing there, his palm pressing against hers, Max seemed to realize where he was and pulled away. “It should be fine now,” he said uneasily.



Tess unconsciously let her thumb caress her now-healed hand, and she smiled softly at Max. “Thanks,” she whispered.



Max nodded and turned around to make his way down the alleyway. Tess followed closely behind, peering around Max, to see an empty clearing. She frowned. Where could Michael and Isabel be?



~~~



“You take the door at the end of the building, I’ll see if I can’t find an opening through this window,” Michael instructed, as he pointed Isabel to the grey steel door that was a couple of feet away from where they were standing.



“But Michael, I think we should stick together,” Isabel whispered anxiously. “I know that Max told us to try to find some windows, but I don’t think he meant for us to go in them!”



Michael frowned. “Did you or did you not say that Jesse was in there?” he asked irritably.



Isabel nodded. “Yes,” she sighed. “But they’ve got guards posted at every door.” Isabel had tried to reach Jesse again and she had no trouble contacting him. He was a little worse for wear, but the men who threatened him weren’t about to get rid of him yet.



“Well we’ll just have to sneak our way in,” he stated, hopping on a near by crate and peering into the dusty window. Michael wasn’t sure exactly what was going to happen when they had made their way in, but with Isabel and his powers combined, he was sure they could take them out. He turned around and looked down at Isabel who was nervously looking around the pier that the building happened to run along. “Isabel, I can see him.” Michael pointed to the window.



“Really?” she exclaimed excitedly.



“I think I see a window opened on the other side of the building,” Michael whispered, as he strained his eyes to see across the building through the window. “I think we could sneak in through there.”



“And then what?”



Michael crouched down on the crate and hopped off. “And then we get your husband out of there.” As he made his way around the corner of the building, Michael signaled Isabel to follow. Michael would pull this thing off, he had to, or he’d end up watching Isabel go through losing Jesse, as well as having lost Alex.



Along the way, Michael found a few small crates, which he grabbed and handed to Isabel, as well as taking a few of his own. They would need them to reach the window he had spotted. As they neared the corner of the building, they passed a nearby door, Michael accidentally let one of the crates slip from his grasp. Both Isabel and Michael paused and waited for any signs that someone had heard the loud clatter outside the building. Michael heard from beyond the wall a few raised voices and footsteps heading toward the door. He steadied himself, as his heart was racing, for the confrontation that was about to occur. “Isabel, get behind me!” Michael ordered, as the door began to open.



Suddenly a group of four men with semi-automatic guns in their hands appeared and began scouting out the area. Michael waited until he saw the whites of their eyes before preparing to let them feel the full extent of his powers. As he raised his hand to release the energy he had drawn from within himself, Isabel stopped him. “What are you doing?” Michael cried as the men approached them with guns. “They’re going to capture us if I don’t do this.”



Isabel shook her head and raised her arm, pointing to the disoriented looks on the men’s faces and how they looked right past them. And as Michael tried to figure out what was happening, he saw two lone figures out of the corner of his eye, behind the four men. Michael hadn’t seen them; he was too focused on the four goons. It was Tess and Max. They had found them and he could just barely make out Tess as her hands covered her face. She was mind warping them.



Michael watched as the four goons approach them, kicking the crates, which they had once held in their hands. Unexpectedly one of the men spun around and was a few inches away from both he and Isabel. “Watch out,” he whispered as he grabbed Isabel’s hand and pulled her against him. The lackey paused a moment, frowning as if he had something, but couldn’t put his finger on it. Fortunately one of the other three men called him and he waved at them in acknowledgement. The man leaned forward, waving his hand in the air, almost brushing against Michael. As Michael pressed Isabel against the wall of the building, knowing that if he touched them, it would wake all of them from their reverie, he could feel Isabel’s heart pounding underneath his chest. When they had finally passed, Michael relaxed his body and wrapped his arms around Isabel. That had been a close one.



“What do you guys think you were doing?” Max cried out in an angry whisper.



Michael rolled his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood for a lecture. “We don’t have time for this Maxwell,” Michael growled. “Jesse’s in there. And they’ve given us the best opportunity to sneak into the warehouse.” He gestured to the door the armed men had left opened.



Max glared at him, with a look that told Michael that they weren’t finished with this conversation yet. He cocked his eyebrows and nodded warily. Something to look forward to! Michael and Isabel followed behind Max and Tess. It was as if they were in some spy movie or something.



When they managed to crawl behind some large crates, suddenly the four men who had been hunting them earlier returned. “What was out there?” a harsh voice demanded.



One of the armed men shook his head. “It must have been a cat or something. We found some empty crates knocked down,” he explained.



“Fine! Get back to your posts then!”



Michael worked himself through the maze of crates, enough to find a location where he couldn’t be spotted, but had Jesse in his sights. He heard someone crawl up behind him. As he turned around he saw Isabel trying to squeeze in beside him. “Go back,” he mouthed.



She shook her head stubbornly. “I need to see if he’s all right,” she hissed.



Michael turned his attention back to Jesse and the two men standing over him. The tall one punched him in the stomach, making Jesse grunt. He felt Isabel lurch forward. Michael turned around and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Come on,” he coaxed. “We can’t let them know we’re here yet.”



Isabel looked at him incredulously. “What?” she mouthed.



“We need to find out what they want with him,” he whispered into her ear.



Isabel’s face contorted into one of disbelief and then of resignation. “Fine,” she huffed. “But if they go anywhere near him with a gun, that’s it! I don’t care what they want from Jesse.”



Michael nodded. He put his index finger up to his lips. They were talking to Jesse.



~~~



“You know I’m sure Cal there,” Agent Watts pointed to the body bag, “is rolling in his grave thinking about the opportunity you are giving up by being so stubborn. I’m sure he wouldn’t have passed it up.”



Jesse swallowed, and another disgusting taste of blood trickled down his throat. It seemed that he’d been swallowing his blood far too often in the past couple of hours. And it wasn’t going to stop. The brief glimpse of hope he had when Isabel came to him in his mind seemed to fail when another hour passed and there was no sign of the alien hybrids. Please someone! That was all the energy he had, just enough to think that two-word plea.



Some part of him resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die. There was no way out of this mess. How could they possibly find him? He was in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Jesse shook his head and smirked. “Is that the only threat you’ve got?”



All day they had been threatening to kill him as they did with Cal. At this point, Jesse was ready for it. It would have been better than the beatings he’d been getting all day. And he would be glad that he wouldn’t have to listen to either one of their voices again.



“You know I don’t believe he’s going to talk,” Patch sneered. “I think this is just a waste of our time.”



Jesse saw Patch reach underneath his suit jacket and behind his back. He swallowed. Jesse knew that this could be it; he closed his eyes and waited for the press of cold steel to his head.



“No,” Agent Watts growled. “If we can’t get any information on the aliens and what they are doing here from him, we can certainly use him as bait.”



Jesse didn’t like the sounds of that, but it gave him hope. At least he knew that he wouldn’t be killed just yet. Just when Jesse was about to relax, he felt Patch begin untying his feet and arms. “Wha-at?” he exclaimed. “What are you doing?”



Agent Watts grinned. “We’re going to let your little alien friends know where you are and how much we will hurt you if they don’t turn themselves in.”



Now it was Jesse’s turn to scoff. “You think that they’re just going to ‘turn’ themselves in? You’re majorly deluded, man!”



Agent Watts frowned and Jesse felt Patch’s grip on him tighten. “You better hope they care about you enough to rescue you, or someone’s not going to survive long enough to see the sun set tonight.”



Unexpectedly, there was a loud clatter at the far end of the building, near a large stack of crates. Jesse squinted trying to make out shapes in the area the noise had come from. “Go check it out!” Agent Watts ordered, yelling at the armed guards.



Jesse wondered if Isabel had found someway to track him down. It gave him a spark of hope in the darkest hour he had ever experienced in his entire life. As he peered up at Patch and then briefly glanced over at Watts, Jesse tried to figure out how he was going to get away from them, before they shot him first. How much could Isabel do? Max was recovering from dying and he was sure Michael, Liz and Maria were in school. Jesse closed his eyes. Even if Isabel had managed to bring that new alien, Tess around, what could the two women do?



~~~



Tess cringed as she accidentally tripped over the small metal bracket that she did not see when following Max around to the other side of the boxes of crates. She let a short intake of air hiss through her clenched teeth. Max’s head snapped around and he froze. Tess heard a man shout orders at the armed guards who were posted at the exits. She had given them away.



Tess searched through the dim lighting for any sign of Michael and Isabel, but they had disappeared. She hoped that they had found a good spot to hide. Max tugged on her arm and pointed to a small crevice the stacked crates had created over to their right. Tess nodded and headed toward the stack of wooden boxes. As she tried to squeeze in, the quickening pace of footsteps neared and just as Max was about to squeeze in beside her, two armed men appeared and one pressed the muzzle of the gun to the back of Max’s head. “Found you!” one of the men leered. He grabbed the back of Max’s shirt and pulled him into an upright position. “Get out here!”



The other armed guard stepped out in front of the man who held Max at gunpoint. Tess couldn’t risk mind warping them with the guards as tense and high strung as they were. They could pull the trigger before she could draw them into the warp. “Okay,” she irritably. “What’s the big deal man?” Tess hoped that they didn’t know who she was, and maybe she could worm her way out of this.



The dark haired man who had her at gunpoint growled and tilted his head, signaling her to move out from behind the crates. Max stumbled forward as the redheaded guard shoved him from behind. “Boss, look what we found!”



As they cleared the maze of crates, Tess could see a bright light hanging over top of Jesse and two other men. One was of a shorter stature than the other. But the short one seemed to be in charge. “Bring them here,” he growled. “I want to see them.”



Tess felt the guard’s rough hand grasp her upper arm and drag her quickly into the brightly lit area. As she squinted and raised her free arm to shade her from the dangling light, Tess frowned. “Who are you?” Tess demanded. She couldn’t believe she allowed herself to get into such a position. If she could just get free, and if Max was just a couple of feet out of harm’s way, Tess would have no problem turning the guns that held her attention into a puddle of liquid metal.



The shorter man smirked and approached her with a confident swagger. His short almost stub-like fingers grasped her chin. He was just a couple of inches taller than she was. “So you’re the new one? Or should I say the old one?” he asked curiously. Tess could feel his eyes drinking in every bit of her; it was like he was undressing her with his eyes. It made her want to cringe. She jerked her back and wiped her chin with the palm of her hand, as if his mere touch had left some sleazy mark on her.



“Don’t touch her again,” Max warned, as he lunged forward. The short man seemed to pay no attention to Max, pulling out a neatly pressed handkerchief out of his suit jacket. Just as Max was about to attempt to take hold of the kidnapper, one of the guards pulled him away. The rounded man then approached Max, a look of contempt and disgust on his face. “Oh, and what are you going to do about it?” he said mockingly.



Tess turned around and looked behind her, searching the aisles of crates for any sign of Michael and Isabel. There was none. She sighed and tried to form a plan before they could tie them up or take them to a place where some experimentation of some kind could be performed. Come on Tess think!



~~~



“What are we going to do?” Isabel exclaimed in a whisper. “They’ve got Max and Tess!”



Michael and Isabel were lucky enough to escape any further investigation once the guards found Max and Tess lurking in the shadows. He rubbed his jaw and shook his head. Things weren’t going as planned, not that they really formed any sort of plan to begin with. “We need to create a distraction,” Michael said slowly, as an idea came to mind. “If we can just get Jesse, Max and Tess out of the line of fire, it would be like picking cans off a fence post with a bee bee gun.”



Isabel paused a moment and frowned. “Cans off a fence post?”



Michael rolled his eyes. “What you’re going to nitpick about my metaphors right now?” he mumbled.



Isabel sighed. “No. What do you want me to do?”



Michael peeked his head up above the crate, to familiarize himself to the surroundings. It was pretty much an empty warehouse except the crates they were hiding behind. “If you could tell Max, Tess and Jesse to move to their right, while you create a distraction to the left, then I could possibly get off a shot at the group of them,” he explained, all the while his eyes were intent on the head honcho and the tall enforcer.



Isabel nodded. “What do you want me to do for a distraction?”



Michael thought about it for a moment. “Is there anyway you could create some kind of fireworks or…” Michael didn’t know what Isabel could do. It wasn’t like they had done this often and were being held at gunpoint.



“I don’t know Michael, all I’ve ever really had to do was dream walk. That and there was that pulse of energy when Whitaker was trying to kill us,” Isabel whispered distractedly. Michael knew that they didn’t have time, but he couldn’t think of a better plan. Suddenly Michael felt Isabel’s hand on his arm. “I’ve got an idea.”



~~~



Isabel contacted the others and headed towards the opening on the other side of the crates. She could see the kidnappers beginning to move and knew that if they didn’t do it now, that Michael’s plan wouldn’t work. When she looked back to see if Michael was ready, Isabel could see that Michael was frowning and waving her to come back. Isabel shook her head and peered above the crate in front of her. The tall man who had been guarding Jesse the entire time suddenly had a gun to his neck and Tess and Max were beginning to be shuffled out.



This was as good a time as any!



Isabel steadied herself to run out into the open and hopefully draw some of the men, namely the ones guarding Max and Tess after her. She took one last glance at Michael, who seemed unhappy with her and about to blow their cover, and scrambled from behind the crate announcing her presence. Isabel drew whatever power she had within her and put it in reserve, just in case they fired at her. She prayed that Jesse, Max and Tess would be able to get out of harm’s way, long enough for Michael to put his plan into action.



~~~



What the hell did she think she was doing? Michael watched as Isabel scrambled out to the open area. She released a pulse of energy at a single crate before her and listened to the splinters of wood hit the cement floor. He peeked over the crate once she was out of sight and watched as four armed guards surrounded her. The apparent leader of the group of men moved to the left and began barking orders at the guards. Michael silently crept out from behind the crate and positioned himself close enough to blast the armed guards who had their back to him.



The energy surged within him and he opened his eyes as the force was released upon the unsuspecting goons. Michael had to be as careful as ever, not to let his powers get out of control. Just a few feet from the guards stood Isabel and she could easily get caught in the blast.



He listened to the men scream and gasp for breath, as they were knocked unconscious. Unfortunately Michael missed the man in charge. As he turned around to see if Jesse, Max and Tess were in the clear, a voice rang in his ears.



~~~



“Michael!” Isabel screamed as she stood up. When Michael had released his powers, Isabel turned her back and crouched down, covering her head. But when she got up to survey the damage, Isabel saw Michael turn his back on the short plump man, who had somehow escaped his blast. Before she knew it, the man had pulled a gun from the waist and was aiming at Michael.



Without thinking, Isabel reached out her hand and released another burst of energy that she had gathered within her at the man. There was a bright flash of light and then all of the sudden darkness. This time there were no flakes of dead human husks, but what lay before her was an unconscious man. Isabel felt like she was standing in a vacuum. No sound could enter and she just stood there alone, with a human bodies scattered before her. Then unexpectedly she was jolted back to reality.



~~~



“You freaks stay back!” the tall man in a suit yelled. His face was contorted in fear. “I will kill him. I will.” The kidnapper pressed his gun to Jesse’s throat firmly, almost crushing his windpipe.



Jesse gasped. “Ugh!” He knew that if the four made any false moves, Patch wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. “Please,” Jesse pleaded, his eyes fixed on Isabel. “Just stay back.”



Max pulled Tess to his side, and as he glanced behind him, he could see Michael coming up beside him. There had to be a way to get Jesse out of this dangerous situation. He debated the options.



Tess could possibly mind warp the goon, but it seemed too risky. And Michael did not have a clear shot at the hysterical man. Upping the tension could worsen the situation or make him falter. Max didn’t quite know.



“Let him go,” Michael demanded forcefully. “You have to know we will take you down the moment you pull that trigger.” He wasn’t going to let this thing get out of hand. They had to take command of the situation. Besides, from his perspective, the man wasn’t the brains behind the whole operation and would most likely give in.



“You stay away from me!” Patch warned.



Jesse looked up at his captor and closed his eyes. “Please Patch, it’s over!” The tall man looked down at him and his eyes gleamed. “Oh, you think you got out of this scott free don’t you?” he leered.



“Please, you heard the man,” Jesse gasped as he felt Patch tighten his grip around his neck. He pointed over to Michael, Max, Tess and Isabel, who had finally joined the other hybrids. “He’ll kill you.” Patch’s eyes darted around the warehouse looking for an escape.



“There’s nowhere to run,” Michael declared loudly. He looked over at Max who had been unsettling in his calm demeanor. Michael leaned over and whispered into his ear. “What are you doing?”



This seemed to wake him from his reverie. Max turned around and looked at him. “I’m trying to find a way out of this that will let all of us get out of her alive,” he growled. “I know you think you know what you’re doing Michael, but sometimes threatening a man with a gun isn’t the best course of action.”



Michael rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. “Then what do you suggest we do oh great leader?” Michael asked sarcastically.



“Can we not do this right now guys?” Isabel hissed as her eyes were firmly fixed on Jesse and this man named Patch. Michael looked over his shoulder at Isabel whose hands were trembling. He felt like a jerk. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to her. Isabel looked up and nodded. “Let’s just get him away from this guy,” she said in a low voice.



“What are you guys whispering about?” Patch yelled suspiciously.



Michael looked at Max nervously. After a moment, he shook his head. “Nothing.” Michael then turned to Tess. “Do you have any bright ideas?”



She hadn’t expected anyone to ask her for a plan. It was a first. But to her chagrin, Tess didn’t have a clue. Just when she was about to tell them she had nothing, it was like some Higher Power from above tapped her on the shoulder and said, ‘hello?’ Just at her feet there was a large disgusting cockroach crawling at her feet. It gave her just the nudge she needed for a plan to form. “Max,” she whispered. “Just be ready to shield Jesse, if anything happens.”



Max frowned. What did she mean?



Isabel wasn’t sure what was going on. She was exhausted from the strain and stress of the dream walking and energy blasts. Her brow creased as she saw Tess going into one of her trances. While she attempted to figure out what Tess was planning, a loud terrified shriek filled her ears.



“Get them off! Get them OFF me!” Patch yelped.



Jesse was startled at Patch’s sudden irrational burst of hysterics. He had let go of his grip around his neck and began slapping at himself, his legs and all the way up to his neck. It was as if there were things crawling on him or as if he was on fire. Jesse was about get out of the way when a sudden green glow engulfed him. He reached out his hand and found a solid shell had formed around him. Jesse spun around to see the shell was coming from Max. “What the hell is happening?”



Max shook his head. He was sure that Jesse would have a fit, using his powers on him, but there was no other way. The tall lackey still had a gun in his hand, and though he was mostly concentrating on the illusion Tess had put in his head, Max had to be sure a stray shot wouldn’t accidentally catch him. “It’s just an energy field to protect you.”



Jesse shook his head. “Get it off me!” he yelled.



Isabel watched as Jesse began kicking at the fluorescent green wall that separated him from any attempt on his life. “Jesse, just calm down,” she yelled. “You’ll be fine!”



Michael used this opportunity, while Patch was distracted to come up from behind him and grab the gun away from the lunatic. The man didn’t even notice. He was too busy with whatever imaginary plague Tess had unleashed upon him. “I got it,” Michael shouted as he raised the gun in the air. Suddenly the hysterical man stopped squirming and swatting at himself. He seemed to regain his composure, though his posture was hunched over as if something menacing stood before him.



Jesse was finally released from the foreign green force field and stumbled happily into Isabel’s waiting arms. It felt like it had been years since he felt her soft warm breath on his neck. He could feel her wet tears cleansing the impure blood that masked his face. He was safe, and so was his wife. And no one would know why this happened, not if he had anything to say about it.



“Don’t kill me!” Patch whimpered pathetically.



Michael frowned and rolled his eyes at him in disgust. The man wasn’t much of a threat without a gun in his hand and a hostage under his control. As he turned around to walk back over to the two unusual couples behind him, Michael was suddenly jerked back, his neck encased in a set of powerful biceps. Patch had put him in a headlock. The man towered over him, almost a foot taller than him. Michael dropped the gun and clawed at the man’s bulky forearm. He was amazingly strong.



“Michael!” Isabel yelled, pulling away from Jesse’s clinging embrace. She rushed over and pulled at the big brute’s muscular arms. He tossed her onto the ground fairly easily. Isabel watched as Michael’s face began to turn red and then a light shade of purple. His mind was too clouded from the lack of oxygen to even try to use his powers. She turned to Max and Tess who were watching in shock. “Someone help him!” she cried.



Once Max realized what was happening, he looked down at Michael’s feet and dived for the gun he had dropped. As he aimed the gun at the stranger, Max looked grimly at the man and said, “Let him go.”



Patch beady eyes peered from behind Michael’s head, holding his hostage in place as a shield. “Or what?”



“Or I will shoot you,” Max replied ominously. “If you don’t let him go, you’re not going to get out of this alive.” He hoped his well-placed threats would get through to the dense and fearful kidnapper.



“And why shouldn’t I believe that you’ll just shoot me where I sand when I let him go?” Patch began to back up; his eyes glanced over his shoulders intermittently, trying to make his way to an exit.



Max followed suit, keeping the gun pointed at his head. “I just want to get out of here with my friends. No one has to get hurt.”



Patch scoffed, gesturing with his free hand to the scattered bodies of unconscious men. “Uh and that’s very obvious!”



Michael could feel his arm lax a bit and the ability to breath came a lot easier. “What are you waiting for Max?” he shouted with whatever air he had left in his body. Again the muscles tightened around his neck, making it uneasy to breathe.



Jesse wished Max would take the shot. He knew it would be risky, but as he looked around at the bodies lying on the ground, Jesse knew it would be a matter of time before they woke up. “Isabel,” Jesse called to his wife who was kneeling on the ground, her eyes frozen on Patch and Michael. “You and whatshername should get out of here. Max and I will handle this.”



Isabel turned around when she heard Jesse call her name. “What?” She couldn’t believe Jesse was telling her to leave Michael in like this. “I don’t think so.” As she pushed herself up from the ground and slowly approached the man she heard Jesse call Patch, Isabel couldn’t help but think about what had gotten them there in the first place. What did they want with Jesse? He didn’t know anything about them. The little he knew about the four being aliens, was infinitesimal. “Please let him go,” she begged, hoping to appeal to a more human side to the stranger.



He laughed. “You really think that a pouty face and a few tears are going to make me let him go?” There was a gleam in his eye that Isabel hadn’t seen there a moment ago. “What are you going to do?” Isabel demanded.



This unexpected maniacal laugh resounded through the spacious building. “I’m going to do what my Superiors couldn’t,” Patch said, leering at the unconscious men. “I’m going back to the Bureau with a full fledged alien!” Again he laughed, tightening his grip on Michael’s neck and dragging him back towards the exit more quickly.



“We’re not going to let you do that,” Tess spoke up. “It’d be better for you if you just voluntarily let him go. If not, you’ll see what we really can do.” She narrowed her eyes and stepped up beside Max, who glanced briefly at her. Tess was tired of letting this irritating human control them.



As she closed her eyes, Tess began her mind warp. Flames began to form before her eyes and as Tess reached out into Patch’s mind, the illusion of being set on fire was so realistic that once again she had the grown man screaming out in terror. She held the illusion for as long as she could while Michael escaped his grasp.



“Ughaah!” Michael gasped as he dropped to his knees trying to make up for the lack of oxygen Patch had robbed his body of. He glanced behind him to see the agent writhe in pain, though there was no seeming reason for it. Out of the corner of his eye, Michael saw Isabel crawl over to him. She put his arm around her neck and helped him stumble to safety.



“You’re gonna be fine Michael,” Isabel whispered reassuringly.



Michael closed his eyes and slowly inhaled the wonderful air he had needed for the past several minutes. He was surprised he didn’t pass out when Patch had him in a vice grip like that. “What took you so long?” Michael groaned, crouching down and resting for a moment.



Max shook his head in dismay at how close Patch had been to the exit. His eyes were fixed on the glow of the red ‘EXIT’ sign hanging over a door, only a couple of feet away from Patch, who was still scrambling around. If Tess hadn’t mind warped him again, Michael would have been halfway to a lab by now. He closed his eyes and lowered his arm. The heavy weight of the metal weapon hung limply at his side. He knew that there was no way he would have gotten off a shot. Max had been too worried about accidentally hitting Michael.



“Hey? Are you all right?” Jesse asked gruffly.



Max looked over his shoulder at his brother-in-law. “I’m fine.” His eyes strayed over to Tess, who was still standing just a few feet from him, with her eyes closed and focused on keeping up the illusion of the mind warp. He walked up behind her and leaned in, until his lips were only a few inches from her ear. “Tess, you can stop now.” He knew that if he shook her or startled her, it might cause her to accidentally hurt the person she was mind warping.



Tess heard his voice calling to her. As she slowly opened her eyes, the frightening images of flames disappeared before her and she was once again, standing face to face with Max. It was a welcome picture. “Is everyone safe?” she asked tiredly. As much as she had conditioned herself on Antar, Tess was still not used to the strain of using her powers for such long periods of time.



Max nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leading her back to the rest of the group. He glanced briefly at Patch, who was now out of the mind warp. The tall stranger had sunk to his knees and passed out.



“We should tie these guys up before they wake up,” Michael declared, as he was now feeling stronger and surveying the warehouse.



“No!” Jesse exclaimed forcefully. “Let’s just get the hell out of here.” He gestured to the open door behind them. Jesse just wanted to get out of there. He had had enough of the FBI. After that horrible experience, Jesse would take Isabel as far away from Roswell and the FBI as possible.



“I want to know exactly how they found you and why they hurt you,” Isabel said angrily as she walked over to one of the unconscious men and flipped him over on his back. “I thought we put this behind us when I killed Whitaker. How could they know about us? Everything pointing to us was destroyed, wasn’t it?”



Jesse swallowed hard. “Please, can we just leave?” he pleaded, as his eyes darted around the room at the men who could unravel the very thinly weaved connection remaining between him and Isabel.



“Look, I can understand you’re tired and don’t want to be near these guys,” Max said sympathetically. “Why don’t you and Isabel head back to our parents’ house?”



Jesse looked hopefully at Isabel, who was frowning at Max. “Yes, Isabel, could you take me back to your parents’ house?”



“No!” she exclaimed. “I want to know exactly what the hell they wanted!”



Jesse lowered his head and closed his eyes. There was no way for him to get out of this unscathed. He had to tell them the truth before Watts or Patch put a darker conspiratorial spin on it. “I’ll tell you,” he mumbled.



Isabel frowned. “What Jesse?”



Jesse looked up at his wife. This woman had betrayed him and lied to him. When she pleaded with him to fight for their marriage, Jesse had told her he had forgiven her and that they would move on. He loved her enough to set aside his feelings of hurt, anger and betrayal. Now as she gazed at him, questioningly, it was his turn to pray that she would forgive him for putting all of their lives in danger. He cleared his throat and kept his eyes glued to the floor. Jesse couldn’t bear to see her face when he told her what he was about to tell her.



“It’s because of me that they know about you.”

Chapter Thirty Two

***
Some of us think holding on makes us strong;
But sometimes it is letting go.

- Herman Hesse
***


“Where do you think they could be?” Liz asked Maria irritably. She began pacing back and forth again. They had been waiting at Michael’s apartment for any sign of the alien hybrids for about an hour.

Maria glared at her. “I told you that is driving me up the wall!” she said through clenched teeth.

Liz sighed and threw her hands up in the air as she let herself fall back into the less-than-comfortable couch. “I just don’t understand where they could be,” Liz repeated. “Do you think Tess did something to them?”

Maria folded her arms as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “What’s to do to them?” she asked drolly. “Max and Michael are big boys. If they want to go off somewhere and skip school, it’s their prerogative.”

Liz frowned. “Why are you being like this?”

“Being like what?” Maria asked tiredly. She wasn’t up for another few rounds of ‘shutting out the humans’ today.

“Look, I know I have been so wrapped up in Max lately that I haven’t had time to be there for you,” Liz admitted apologetically. “I should have made the time. You’ve always done that for me.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Time for what? Another episode of ‘As The Planets Align’?” she retorted. “It’s stupid. What’s the point? Guerin broke up with me how many months ago?” Maria should have known it wouldn’t work, and after a few weeks of mulling it over, she was tired of trying to figure out what else she could have done to keep them together.

“We were done the first time he broke up with me. I was just too blind and desperate to realize it. So please don’t feel sorry for me when you have a crisis of your own massive proportions! I’m just being a bag today.”

Liz frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Maria raised her eyebrows up in surprise. “You mean you don’t think that there’s anything wrong with what’s been going on here the last few, oh, months?”

Liz swallowed hard. “I…I don’t know what you mean by that,” she declared. “Things have just been off kilter for the past month or so because of Max’s illness. Nothing else. Now that he’s feeling better, we can graduate high school together, and travel like we said we would. The four of us.”

Maria looked at Liz and shook her head sadly; the girl was living in a fantasy world. “Liz, hello? Did you not see the blonde appear and save Max’s life? She’s obviously after something…and we all know it isn’t our slice of alien fame!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Liz denied. “Max doesn’t feel that way about her. Not since I exposed her for the murder of Alex. He wouldn’t hurt us like that. He wouldn’t betray Alex like that.”

Maria felt like smacking the child upside the head. “Does it matter? She can just mind warp him into not caring!”

“Max wouldn’t let her!”

Liz was in complete denial. Tess had powers, Liz could only dream of. They had given her an inch almost a year ago, and they were still paying the price. No powers in the world could bring Alex back. And now Maria was sure the witch still had her sights on Max. “Well, Max doesn’t always control his you know what around that girl!”

Liz began to run her fingers through her long dark hair, stopping halfway through, so her hair hung loosely over her hands, but out of her face. “Maria, what are you saying?” she asked anxiously. “I’m going to lose Max to Tess? That’s a little far fetched isn’t it?”

Maria bit her lip and studied Liz’s worried expression. She was going on gut here, but she knew that Max was drawn to that woman. It didn’t matter how she showed up or what she did; he was drawn to her. Maria didn’t know if she could blame him, he was part alien and he had lived another life with the woman. Max had inextricably made Liz’s life more complicated. Though they shared a love that most people wish they could possibly experience, he was intricately linked to this other life and woman.

She had denied it for a long time with Michael. Though they shared a chemistry, and a bond, Michael was drawn to Isabel and had Max not fatefully healed Liz that day at the Crashdown, she doubted that their lives would have ever crossed paths. Michael and Isabel always seemed to come back to each other, which irritated the hell out of her, but when she could look at things objectively, which was in spurts, she had admitted to herself that some part of him would always be linked to her. Whether it was love or possession, or both, she didn’t know.

Suddenly Liz cleared her throat and Maria realized that she was waiting for an answer to her question. “Uh,” Maria smiled uneasily. “I just think that we need to be careful Liz. Things seem to change fast around here and we don’t usually see it coming.”

“How cryptic is that?” Liz exclaimed in disdain. “What? Do you really think that Max is going to go back with that lying, murdering, white trash slut?”

Maria felt her jaw drop. Part of her didn’t know whether to laugh, or be shocked. Liz had never expressed to her what she thought about Tess, but those last words out of her mouth revealed a lot. “You go girl!” Maria cheered. She pushed herself off of the counter and walked over to the couch, which she slumped down in.

Liz leaned back and rested her head against Maria’s shoulder and let out a muffled laugh. “Where did that come from?” she chuckled, in shock that those words had come from her mouth.

Maria shrugged. “It’s not like she doesn’t deserve it,” she sighed. “She made our lives a living hell.”

Liz looked up at her. “Do you think she’ll go back?”

Maria hesitated, not really wanting to answer the question. Deep down inside, she had a feeling that Liz wasn’t necessarily going to have the fairytale ending she so desperately wanted with Max. He had come to her like a white knight on a horse in her hour of need. He was something out of the ordinary, something exciting and mysterious. And as she thought about all these things, the one thing that came to mind was…Michael.

Look how their promising relationship turned out? Maria looked at an anxious Liz and smiled, hugging her tightly. “I hope so babe. I really hope so.”

~~~

Kyle was surprised to find his dad at home so early in the day. He wouldn’t have been home so early himself except basketball practice had been cancelled due to an unforeseen incident with a discus and Coach Landon’s head. It wasn’t something Kyle was all that upset about either; the cancelled practice, not Coach’s head.

“Kyle? Is that you?” his dad called from the kitchen.

He frowned. “Yeah?”

“Well could you come in here and help with supper?” Valenti asked.

Kyle sloughed off his backpack and threw his coat on the nearby couch. “What’s the big deal? What, you can’t make a peanut and jelly sandwich yourself?” he joked.

When he stalked into the kitchen, Kyle found his dad covered in spaghetti sauce and dancing around excitedly as he was pouring a large pot of pasta into a colander. He was at a loss of what to make of his dad. The man had never cooked in his life, and if he had, it was to make TV dinners in the microwave.

“Okay what’s going on here?” Kyle asked suspiciously. “Did you talk to a girl on the phone again and make a complete fool of yourself…or me, for that matter?”

The older Valenti glared at him and then turned back to trying not to scald himself with the steam coming from the pot. “I just thought that I would try something new,” he explained, dropping the pot with a loud clang into the sink. “Damn it!”

Kyle patted his dad on the back and shook his head. “Take a few deep breaths Dad. If you take the path to Enlightenment, you won’t have to worry about such silly things,” he explained calmly. “Buddha has a calming and relaxing affect on people. I mean, today I learned that Tess is back in town and I’m cool as a cucumber.” His hand slid out in front of him, gesturing the smoothness of his nerves.

His dad turned around and stared at him for a moment. “You know?”

Kyle frowned. “You knew?”

Valenti shook his head. “I just found out this morning. I was going to break it to you easy over supper,” he gestured to the mess in the kitchen, “but I guess I didn’t need to.”

Kyle raised his brows and shook his head, ‘no’. “So what, did you think I’d go mental or something?” he asked, gyrating his hands beside his head.

Valenti frowned. “No,” he protested awkwardly. “I knew you’d be fine.” He smiled and patted Kyle on the back.

Kyle smiled in return, not believing his father, but allowing him to patronize him. “Oh good,” he quipped. “Cause I am fine you know.”

Valenti nodded. “I’m sure you are,” he kept nodding. “But if you weren’t, it would be fine too.”

Kyle rolled his eyes, grinning and bearing his father’s overly anxious nurturing side. “Dad, uh, I have homework to do…let me know when supper…”

His dad didn’t seem to hear him, and then suddenly his eyes widened and his lips formed an ‘oh’. “Uh, yeah!” Valenti said abruptly. “Sure. Go ahead. Just as long as you’re okay?” Then he began to ramble. “Because if you’re not, then I’m here to talk about it. I know how messed up it must have been to realize that someone was screwing with your mind…”

Kyle stopped him and interrupted his long parental speech. “For the last time Dad,” he sighed. “I’m o-kay!” He watched as his dad sighed and accepted his declaration of mental stableness.

“Fine,” Valenti nodded. “I’ll…” His dad looked around at the crimson spattered walls. “I’ll order pizza.”

Kyle nodded. “Good idea,” he smirked. “I’ll be in my room. Call me when it gets here.”

~ * ~

As he lay back in his bed, Kyle didn’t know what to make of his day. He was extremely proud of himself for not freaking out at today’s earlier news. Tess. He hadn’t thought about her in a long time.

Yes, at times, his thoughts would drift to the petite blonde, with those big round blue eyes that made him feel like a schoolboy. But lately, she hadn’t crossed his mind as often as she had at first. Since her departure, Kyle found himself distanced from the alien spectacles now.

There had been the odd upheavals with the capture of Max and Isabel’s life-threatening wounds after the rescue, but overall it had been fairly quite. No clones or doubles showing up. No one from the FBI had been hunting them for a while, and no aliens in husks trying to kill them. On the whole, Kyle had been living a normal life.

Kyle rolled his eyes. Who was he kidding? The life he had been living hadn’t been normal since the day he was shot and Max healed him. Ever since that day, Kyle had been anxious about any alien powers showing up or his body mutating into something he didn’t recognize. And when he had finally gotten over that fear, and the idea that Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess were going to kill him, the truth about Tess mind warping him into carrying Alex’s dead body was revealed.

He still couldn’t get that image out of his mind. Though he still didn’t fully remember exactly what happened, the knowledge of helping Tess cover her actions made him ill. Kyle still couldn’t believe she could do that to him.

Kyle sat up in his bed and let out a loud guttural cry. He had had enough about dwelling over the past and what that two-faced woman, whom he had thought of like a sister had done to them all. Looking around his messy room, which was a far cry from the days when Tess vacated the room, Kyle pushed himself off the bed and headed towards his dark, almost smelly closet. He needed to put those socks in the hamper!

As he rummaged around, casually throwing clothes and underwear over his shoulders, Kyle found what he was looking for. In the back of his closet underneath a pile of sweats and t-shirts, he pulled out an old Adidas shoebox. Kyle opened his door a crack, peeked out into the hallway and checked if his Dad was anywhere near scraping some of the spaghetti sauce off the walls. He wasn’t.

So quietly Kyle closed and locked his bedroom door. He needed privacy when doing this. If his father caught him, the man would go ballistic. As he lifted the thin shiny black cardboard top, revealing a small picture frame, a couple of movie stubs, and a few wrinkled pieces of paper, Kyle couldn’t help but feel a small lump grow in his throat.

In the pastel pink, silver and blue frame was a picture of Kyle, Tess and his dad. Tess was in the middle, her face scrunched up like a little kid. Kyle was on her left, and his dad was on her right. They had just finished opening Christmas gifts and Maria’s mom pulled out this disposable camera. When she had it developed, she gave a copy to Tess who had it framed. It sat above her bed, and Kyle had found it when he was clearing his room of Tess’ things after she disappeared into space.

“And after all she’s done to you, you still wanna give her the benefit of the doubt?” he growled at himself. Kyle let out a heavy sigh and began hitting his forehead lightly with the metallic frame. “What are you stupid?”

He leaned back on his headboard and set the picture down on the pillow beside him. Then dragging himself back to the shoebox, Kyle rummaged through the ticket stubs he had saved from the late night movies they’d sometimes sneak into. Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Kyle held the thin paper between his fingers and rolled his eyes.

Tess had been messing with him for days and one night, she convinced him to go to the late show with her and pretended not to know what was playing. Kyle let the ticket stub drop back into the box. To say the least, he was looking at all the students in a different light for a week.

“KYLE!” He heard his Dad yell through the door. “Pizza’s here.”

Looking at the unorganized box of papers and pictures, Kyle sighed loudly and placed the lid on top of the contents, shutting out the memories. “Coming Dad!” he shouted, sliding off his bed and shoving the box back into the closet where it lived happily for the past several months. He turned around and grasped the doorknob when the sun glinted off of his pillow. Kyle leaned over and grabbed the small metallic picture frame. His eyes lingered for a moment on Tess’ smiling face before shutting out her pearly white smile. He listened to the soft thud of the light frame hit the bottom of his wastebasket.

He was fine.

~~~

Andaria rocked Zander while basking in the warmth of the morning sun. The day always seemed to bring a refreshing confidence to her. Her grandson was happily grasping at her necklace, fingering the delicate jewel that sparkled in the sunlight. She knew that they would get through this and that nothing would derail their plans. Zan would sit on the throne once more and along side him would be her daughter, Ava.

New names would pass the lips of the Antarians, but once more would the line of Kedar rule over Antar. She still had to get used to calling her daughter Tess. It seemed foreign to her. Andaria had managed to keep her feelings of awkwardness from Tess, but there was a sense of loss she had whenever her eyes fell upon her daughter. Though she didn’t look exactly the same, Tess’ essence remained and the architects had managed to bring some resemblance of her daughter into the hybrid genetic code.

Suddenly Andaria was confused by Zander’s restless behavior. He had been so calm and serene since he awoke this morning, now he was fidgeting and irritable. “Maia!” Nicholas’ eerie throaty rumble sent a chill up her back.

As she turned and glared distastefully at the short pug creature, Andaria still didn’t understand how a lowly Iturian had been granted the gift of telepathy he had. As powers emerged at birth, Antarians had always taken this gift in stride. It was the sort of thing that Antarians expected. It came to them as easily as a human would expect the ability to talk. Nothing special.

The house of Kedar had the strongest line of powers, descending from one of the oldest known Kedrans; Cian, whose powers were unmatched by an army of Antarians. This was the line which Alaric and Zan had been born into, and now, Zander. The Antarians were ordinarily granted one major ‘gift’ and once and a while other minor powers would emerge. But nonetheless, as a general rule, Antarians had one power and that would determine their station or career. As they matured, the schools would train them to use their powers to benefit the whole of Antar. It was their way.

What made the Royal house so unique was the fact that they not only had one power, but usually two or three that would emerge as prominent as the first. This is what kept the house of Kedar as rulers over Antar. They were the most powerful of the Kedrans, let alone the Antarians. Some said that they were a line chosen, destined to oversee Antar. And it was a claim, which the Iturians had long refuted, claiming they were the rightful heirs of the throne of Antar.

“How is Zander today?” Nicholas asked; a grim smirk curled up from the corner of his dark lips. “He doesn’t look too happy today.” The smug Iturian motioned to Zander’s struggling limbs, which were almost writhing out of her grasp.

“I’m sure it’s none of your concern Nicholas.” His name was said with much distaste, that it was far from hidden. A slip she could not ill afford.

“Is that the way you speak to the Second in Command to his Highness?” Nicholas sneered. “You think you’ve pulled the wool over our eyes old woman, but soon we’ll know exactly who you are and your plans.”

Andaria lifted Zander up from his waist and rested him over her shoulder, shushing the whimpering child. “Now why would say something like that of an aging woman like me?” she asked innocently while patting the easing cries of her grandchild. Andaria praised the Power Above, that granted her the ability to disguise her thoughts.

Nicholas had been attempting to read her thoughts and find out what secrets she held, but the One who granted their gifts, allowed her the ability to disguise her thoughts in an illusionary web of lies. Andaria could defend her mind from Nicholas’ brutal rakings, by allowing him the illusion of being able to reach into the darkest recesses of her mind and read her thoughts. In the past few days, she had fed him lies, which held some truth, just enough to allow Khivar to believe he was breaking her down.

Nicholas let out an evil laugh, and his eyes flashed ebony as he turned on his heel and slinked back towards the door. “Maia, Maia, Maia,” he clucked. “You’ll soon see how inevitable it is. Khivar will soon reign unchallenged, and the skulking little peons who hold fast to their dear Zan’s return will see that their King no longer desires to rule this planet.” His lanky fingers clutched the door handle as he looked over his shoulder and leered. “It’s just a matter of time my dear woman, before the House of Kedra is a distant memory.”

As she stared petulantly after him, her eyes boring a hole into the door that now stood between her and that insignificant cretin, Andaria shivered. “Only a matter of time,” she said through clenched teeth. “Before you and yours are rotting in the bowels of Volos!”

Andaria turned her gaze back to Zander, who was now resting peacefully on her shoulder. She nuzzled Zander’s soft, silky, dark brown hair. He smelled of warm saffron and junipers. “Oh my child, I pray your mother returns home soon,” Andaria whispered sweetly into his ear. “The time is nearing, and we will no longer need to hide in dark places or under pale masks. You shall see the House of Kedar in its full power and glory! And Zander, you will finally meet your father, the true heir of the throne of Antar!”

As she closed her eyes, she could hear the trumpets of past glory. Zan stood with Ava at his side waving happily from the palace balcony, to greet their subjects. The flames of white fire glowed in the slender, and unassuming torches, which had been strategically placed around the palace’s green country pasture. And connecting those bright flames were a string of small white lights that were strung around the courtyard-like expanse. The whole of Kedra was there to celebrate with the newly wed King and Queen, as well as a few lowly Iturians. Fadilia and Alaric stood proudly behind their son, as did she and Radim. ‘Long live King Zan and Queen Ava!’ were the words roaring from the courtyard. The Antarians spilled down from the marble courts of the palace into the moonlit garden and country pasture. Celebrations lasted for days.

Andaria sighed and pulled herself from the memories. She did not need to live in the past. Her daughter was alive and so was her son-in-law, though she thought of him more as a son. As she quietly walked Zander back to his room and slowly lowered him into his crib, Andaria prayed silently that Zan would remember who he had left behind and those who needed him. Her eyes fell upon Zander’s matted auburn curls, which would darken over time, and ran her worn fingers through his hair. “Your Father, the King will return to his people, you mark my words my dear child. He would never turn his back on us. Your mother will make sure of that.”

~~~

The shocking and bewildering tale that Jesse weaved had her spellbound. Isabel hadn’t expected Jesse to begin rambling on and on about how he wanted to protect her and that getting as much information on the four of them that the FBI had was the only way. “I…m-made a deal,” he stammered. “He was a close friend, or so I thought, when I was at the Bureau. He was going to help me keep you safe, as long as I told him everything I knew about you, Max and Michael.”

Isabel felt her throat closing; it was becoming hard to breathe. As she looked toward the ceiling, the darkness seemed to surround her and close in. Her head was spinning. What was he saying? She felt her stomach lurch and her body began to ache, though not physically. “Wh-what are you saying Jesse?” she whispered, still in shock.

“I knew you were a loser,” Michael growled. “But I never thought you’d sink so low!”

Michael’s voice echoed through her mind and part of the weight of the accusation fell on her shoulders. They had been right. Jesse wasn’t to be trusted. He couldn’t handle the idea that she was an alien and betrayed her by selling out her ‘family’ to a group of ruthless killers. It was her fault for bringing him into their lives.

“Isabel, please,” Jesse coaxed, drawing near to her and cupping her face in his hands. “I didn’t know this was going to happen. I swear.” Isabel stared blankly at this man she had bent over backwards to try to please and work out the problems between them. After all, the rift between them had been her fault. But now, she felt cold; a numbness had set in, and she stood there limply at this man she had married. Jesse pressed his warm lips upon her forehead and pulled her body into his embrace. “Isabel, talk to me please,” he sobbed.

Who was this man she married? As Isabel pulled out of his grasp, she looked around her and saw bodies scattered along the ground. He had done this to them? Jesse had brought this looming disaster upon them?

~~~

Max couldn’t control his anger. He lunged at Jesse who stood with his back to him. As he felt his clenched fist drive into Jesse’s unsuspecting side, only then, did Max feel release. “You traitor. I knew we shouldn’t have trusted you,” Max said, his voice raspy from emotion. He found his grip along Jesse’s collar and pulled him close, until his nose was almost pressing against Jesse’s.

“Max, I know that what I did was unforgivable, but I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!” Jesse shrieked. He could see the fear in Jesse’s eyes as Max tightened his grip on him.

“And what was it that was supposed to happen?” Michael demanded.

Max briefly glanced at Michael whose body was so tense, he could feel the energy building from within him. If Jesse made the wrong move, Michael looked like he would kill him. He turned his gaze back toward Jesse and narrowed his eyes. Maybe he deserved it. Jesse had drawn the FBI down on them again. “Well answer him!” Max commanded when Jesse seemed unable to speak.

~~~

Jesse had expected some reaction to this effect, but he never imagined how small it would make him feel. He could have melted into a puddle ooze right then. “Tell us!” Michael shouted into his ear again.

Though Michael’s intense anger and strength put the fear of God in him, he was more afraid of Isabel. She was standing only a couple of feet away; the look of disbelief and shock had not left her beautiful face. The petite blonde was speaking quietly trying to comfort her. “Look, I’ll tell you. Just don’t hurt me!” Jesse pleaded.

Max’s face darkened and he shook his head. “You should have thought of that before betraying us and Isabel for your own safety,” he retorted.

Jesse swallowed hard and his heart was racing. He knew them, or so he hoped. And they wouldn’t harm him, despite his earlier conceptions about Max and Michael. But he had realized that too late. Jesse had already hurt them more than they could have ever hurt him. “Look I love Isabel,” Jesse declared, looking over at his distraught wife. “I love you.” His declaration of love fell on deaf ears as he prayed for Isabel to look in his direction.

“Some kind of love, selling her out to the highest bidder?” Michael leered. “Is that how you got your job in New York?”

“No!” Jesse exclaimed, his gaze focused on Isabel. “I did not do that! I was just…” How could he explain to them how he just wanted to protect Isabel?

“Then what?” Max asked darkly.

“I…I met with Cal, he’s the only one I met with,” Jesse stammered. “I swear!”

“And why did you meet with him? For what good reason?” Max questioned, letting him slowly out of his grip.

Jesse took a deep breath; his four rescuers formed a tight ring around him. “Like I said, he was a friend in the Bureau.”

“But you said you didn’t weren’t an agent in the FBI,” Michael said pointedly.

“I wasn’t, but I met him when I was doing my internship,” Jesse said laboriously. “I didn’t lie to you about that.”

“Yeah, and we can completely trust what you say right?” Michael snorted.

Jesse looked worriedly at Michael who folded his arms across his chest. “Look, none of this happened until after I found out Isabel lied to me and hid from me the fact that she was an alien,” he sighed. “I wanted to find out more about you guys and if you were capable of hurting me.” As he tried to explain to the four aliens – his confusion, his hurt, and his fear – all of it just seemed inadequate and pathetic. “I talked to Cal and he said he wanted to help me. I got him to find out everything the FBI had on you and paid him to keep it a secret. When he told me there was a group of FBI agents who had heard about you guys and that they would probably have us surveyed, I freaked. I hadn’t planned on being a fugitive, someone the FBI would hunt to the ends of the earth.”

“So all of your talk about for…forgiving me was just a lie?” Isabel asked, finally managing to speak.

Jesse lowered his eyes in shame. “Isabel it wasn’t that. I was just so angry. I can’t stand lies. You know that about me,” he explained, pleading with his eyes for her to understand. “So you must know that I was desperate when I did this. I hated lying to you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you were really torn up about it,” Michael sneered.

“Michael!” Isabel cried out frustratingly. “Please.” Isabel looked at Jesse to continue.

Jesse nodded. “You told me that you would have told me, and even then, sometimes I don’t know if I could fathom truly understanding it, but then Michael and Max stepped in like there was nothing wrong with what you did!” he explained incredulously. “I was tired of it. So when I was out on my own for those few days I started talking with Cal. I didn’t tell him anything important, I mean, it’s not like I knew anything at all. He was the one who was telling me everything. Now looking back on it I should have realized that it was a stupid idea. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I just wanted to know who was hunting you guys and what it was that they knew.”

All of them had become very quiet. Isabel still seemed livid at the fact that he had even done this, but he could see in her eyes that she didn’t hate him, which was definitely the case with Michael. The dark gleam in his eyes told Jesse how much he disgusted the hybrid. As he scanned the faces of the other two, Jesse knew the feeling was similar, though he couldn’t really tell with the blonde. He didn’t know her well enough to read her face.

“I’m sorry,” Jesse whispered, the tears that ran down his face had dried and he was left with a dull unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach.

~~~

“Can we just go?” Isabel asked. She had heard enough. Nothing was computing right then. She was still in a daze, though she had regained her composure. As she stared at her husband, all Isabel could think was, getting away.

“But the FBI?” Jesse reminded her.

“Tess can fix that, right?” said Max as he looked at her confidently.

“Yeah,” Tess nodded. She closed her eyes and in a few minutes, she opened them again and motioned to the group to leave. “It’s done. They will think that some green aliens flew off in a spaceship, like a sci-fi movie.”

“But what about our faces and the pictures they have stashed somewhere?” Isabel asked.

Tess shook her head. “Possession.” she smirked. “We were just innocent humans, and in the commotion we ran away after the ‘aliens’ gave us amnesia.”

“Nice,” Michael mumbled.

“So we’d better get back. It’s getting dark and Mom and Dad will be wondering where we are,” Max reminded the four.

“We’re going to have to pretend everything’s fine, if we’re not going to tip Mom and Dad off about what happened tonight, and what we learned,” Isabel said distractedly to Max.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Max replied, glaring at Jesse. “I knew tonight wasn’t going to be a picnic, but now this?” He ran his hands through his thick hair. “Let’s get going. I don’t want to be any later than we already are.”

As the five walked out of the dark abandoned warehouse, there was an uneasy silence hovering over them.

~ * ~

“Are you all right?” Michael whispered, reaching out and rested on her shoulders, slowing her, she walked numbly towards the jeep.

“I’ll be fine,” Isabel replied emotionless. She stared straight ahead, unable to look at Michael at that moment. Isabel couldn’t bear to look at anyone. She just wanted to run away and curl up in a ball. There were too many emotions, feelings that needed to sorted out and compartmentalized; then she would be able to deal with it. But the thought of facing her parents, the idea that they would look at her with that knowing expression on their face, telling her that she should have listened to them. All of them would.

“Isabel, talk to me,” Michael coaxed. “I want to help.”

Isabel head snapped around, revealing the silent tears, which stained her porcelain face. “Help?” she cried. “How can you help Michael? I’m in a marriage of lies and I feel like at any moment, I’ll explode. How can you help or fix that?” She glared at him wildly, hating him for being right; daring him to tell her that he has the answers; wanting him to tell her it was all a dream; knowing things could never be the same and that her world was torn apart.

Michael didn’t know how to respond, so he did the only thing that came to mind – held her. His muscles tightened, as the arms that were wrapped around her soft, trembling body, longed for her to absorb his strength, his love. She struggled against him and he held her firmly as Isabel finally collapsed into his arms, sobbing.

~~~

Jesse watched his wife being comforted by a man other than himself. Jealously reared its ugly head and began to approach the embracing couple. He knew Michael would use this as an excuse to draw closer to his wife.

~~~

Tess motioned with her head to Max as they both watched the vein in Jesse’s neck bulge and his eyes grow clouded. “Uh Max?”

Max frowned and stepped in front of Jesse who was about ready to charge over and interrupt Isabel and Michael. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Jesse pushed Max back. “I’m going to talk to my wife!” he replied sharply. “Is that all right with you?”

“Uh, no you’re not,” Tess answered derisively, taking her place beside Max. “She’s been through enough and you’re not going to upset her more than you already have.”

Jesse looked at Tess disdainfully. “And who do you think you are? I don’t know you and what right do you have to stick your nose in my family’s business?”

Tess glowered at his audacity, since he had just betrayed them all to the FBI. “I think you made it my business when you lied to all them and also ratted me out to the Feds,” she retorted.

Max stepped in between the two as the anger and resentment began to mount. “Stop it,” he sighed. Max glanced over his shoulder where Isabel and Michael had pulled out of the embrace and were headed towards the jeep. “We don’t have time for this.” Max glared at Jesse. “Grin and bear it. Right now, I don’t think Isabel will appreciate any of your thoughts, sincere or otherwise. And you,” he looked Tess grimly, “I don’t think you need to make things worse.”

Tess swallowed a cutting retort, knowing full well that he was thinking about her betrayal to Alex. “Fine,” she said reluctantly, folding her arms across her chest and watching Jesse out of the corner of her eye. “But I wasn’t saying it to start a fight.” She felt like she was getting scolded like a little schoolgirl.

Max’s eyes softened. He knew she was just trying to protect Isabel, in whatever shape or form that took. In her way, Max knew that she cared about Isabel like a sister. “I know,” he whispered, nodding at Tess, whose eyes were hooded by her long lashes.

“Let’s go!” Michael yelled from the jeep.

Max waved and gestured for Jesse to start heading towards the jeep. The dark haired man, whom Max had considered a brother, in the loosest sense of the word, grudgingly began to walk to the car. He wished the night was over and that he could wake up and find out all of it was just a nightmare.

Suddenly he felt a hand slip into his and pull him from his thoughts. “Let’s go Max,” Tess beckoned, her eyes soft and clear. She had forgiven him for being sharp with her. Max nodded. He looked down at her pale hand in his and then up into her gentle blue eyes. How could someone so seemingly kind and sweet have killed Alex in cold blood?

Tess swallowed and let her hand slip slowly out of his hand. It had been presumptuous of her to do that. She had done automatically, without thinking about it. Tess remembered Zan always being so pensive and her trick of sliding her hand into his to bring him out of his reverie. It always worked, as it did now.

“Let’s go,” Max said distractedly.

Tess nodded and smiled. “Yeah, don’t want this party to stop do we?” she said dryly.

Chapter Thirty Three


***

Marriage is three parts love and seven parts forgiveness of sins.


- Mitchell Langdon

***


Everyone except their mother and father was on edge, as they sat down at the Evans’ dinner table. Mrs. Evans had prepared a feast of Max’s favorite foods. There were mashed potatoes, chicken jambalaya, corn and sweet peas, and a nice fresh green salad. And she didn’t even forget the Tabasco sauce. Isabel mumbled some lame apology for being late and why they hadn’t seen Jesse last night or early this morning. Mrs. Evans seemed to accept it, though Isabel could tell from the pensive look on her father’s face, that he didn’t quite believe her.



“Jesse, you aren’t eating much,” Mrs. Evans noted, handing the bowl of mashed potatoes around the table for the umpteenth time. “Are you not feeling well? You look like you have something on your mind?”



Isabel glanced furtively at Jesse, hoping he wouldn’t crack under the pressure. Jesse silently shook his head, unable to reply verbally. His dark curly brown hair was matted, and he looked a little pale, but Max had healed him before they stepped into the Evans’ house. Michael had lent him his t-shirt because Jesse’s had been torn after the FBI had worked him over. Her parents had eyed him strangely, but said nothing. Jesse quickly changed into something more his style.



“Mom,” Isabel flashed a smile, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “He’s just tired. The case he’s been working on has him doing overtime and he’s just not sleeping, right honey?” She smiled brightly at Jesse, running her hand through his hair. The lump in her throat grew as Jesse’s dark brown eyes looked into hers uncertainly, and then darted to Mrs. Evans, smiling half-heartedly. “Yeah. I guess so,” he smiled.



Isabel let her hand drop from the back of his neck, where she had let it rest. She glanced at Jesse before turning back to the massive plate of food her mother had served out. How were they going to pull this off? Isabel felt like she wasn’t in her own skin.



“Thanks for dinner,” Max said, as he smiled at his mother.



“So tell me what happened?” Mr. Evans said as he took another bite of chicken. “Max, you were gone for weeks. I can’t imagine how it happened at all. How did they take you without the cameras picking it up?”



Max became somber and paused for a moment, thinking of a reasonable answer to his question. “Look Dad,” Max began hesitantly. “I didn’t know where I was all right?” It was the truth. As much as he could, Max described the confusion and fear he felt while in that state of unawareness. “I was scared and all I thought about was how to get out and back to my life here,” he whispered, reliving the tumultuous emotions which had raged inside him.



“Max, that’s okay,” Mrs. Evans soothed, reaching out and clutching his hand. “Philip! Will you stop grilling our son? We just got him back. We’ve got plenty of time to find out what happened. Especially, since this is his first night back.”



Mr. Evans furrowed his brow and lowered his head. He nodded and sighed. “You’re right,” he apologized. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you Son.”



Max tried to smile, but a part of him felt a twinge of guilt, when his father felt ashamed for questioning him. It was he, who should have been apologizing. Max didn’t quite understand how Isabel had felt when she pleaded to tell their mother the truth, but now, looking at his father’s clouded face, and the light that returned to it when he accepted his apology, Max understood the weight of the lies now more than ever.



“You’re being awfully quiet tonight too, Isabel?” Mrs. Evans frowned, concern etched on her face. “Is something wrong? I thought you would be ecstatic to have Max back. Did something happen to day to change that?”



“I’m fine Mom,” Isabel protested, smiling half-heartedly. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”



“I’m sure you are. It’s a wonder you didn’t sleep the day away,” Mrs. Evans exclaimed happily. “You, Michael, and Jesse l have been pulling so many late nights.” Isabel looked at Max, who managed to keep an interested expression on his face, rather than one of agitation. “You should have seen them Max. No one could tell them no! And Jesse was so willing to pitch in…”



Max couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes at his mother’s enthusiasm over Jesse’s effort to find him. Ha. Suddenly he could feel a sharp dull pain in his left shin. Max looked up and saw Isabel glaring at him. He glanced over at both his parents, who seemed quite oblivious to the little dig at his brother-in-law, but nonetheless, Isabel’s swift kick brought him back to the present. His mother was still rambling on about how Isabel kept a vigilant search out for him every night.



“…so Max it’s your sister you should thank. Isabel looked for you day and night since she came back from New York. In fact, she was the one reason me and your father didn’t give up hope about finding you,” Mrs. Evans whispered. Unexpectedly Mrs. Evans stopped her happy chatter and pressed her fingers to her lips, pausing in a wave of emotion. A few tears slid slowly down her cheek, as she rolled her eyes at her own foolish sentiment. Her eyes fell upon Isabel whose face had flushed at the praise.



“Mom I had nothing to do with finding Max,” Isabel awkwardly blushed. “It was a happen-stance that we found him.” She glanced nervously over at Maxwell.



“I’m telling you that Someone up above was watching over you Max,” Mrs. Evans chided. “He must have heard my prayers because you’re sitting here with me now.” His mother grinned like a Cheshire cat.



“I don’t know about that,” Max said slowly. Someone up above? “It was luck that I survived. I thought I was lost when Isabel found me.” Max looked at Isabel, knowing that both he, Jesse and Isabel knew it was Tess, who granted him a second chance. So up above? She was half right.



“Well whatever or whoever, you believe brought you back to us, performed a miracle!” Mr. Evans declared firmly. “I mean you came back with hardly any scratches. In fact, now that I look at you, you look better than when you went missing.” Their father seemed to wait patiently for an answer, knowing he had said something deserving an explanation.



Max swallowed uneasily, a portion of potatoes he had just bit into, lingered in his mouth. He plastered on a smile, hoping it would cover his discomfort at the observation. His mind was working over time to remember what he had told them and churned, trying to think of reasons to explain away his unexpected return. “Uh, well, like I said…” Max looked down at his plate of cooling food. “The kidnappers gave me drugs and didn’t mistreat me. I guess that’s why I never got worse, but why? Well I guess they thought that they’d get more out me that way.”



“But get what out of you?” Mr. Evans asked curiously.



Max shook his head, feigning bewilderment at the question. “I don’t know. I was out of it most of the time because of the sickness and then the drugs,” he lied.



“Well I’m just happy he’s home, Mrs. Evans chirped, taking a bite of her chicken.



“You and me both,” Max sighed, glad to change the subject.



“Here, here!” Mr. Evans laughed, raising a flute of champagne, he had picked up from work for tonight’s celebration. “Why don’t you make a toast Diane?”



The older petite blonde smiled demurely and nodded while raising her flute also. “All right,” she replied excitedly. Mrs. Evans looked over at Max and smiled. “To Max. Like the saying goes, ‘God doesn’t give us more than we can bear’. And so, I just want to toast to the things that remind us how special and important we are to one another, and show us just how much we are willing to do for those we love.” As she emphasized the word ‘do’, Mrs. Evans glanced over at Isabel, who felt the blood rush to her face.



As the crystal flutes sang in a song-like chime, Isabel couldn’t push the lump that had grown in her throat, down. She could feel Jesse’s eyes pleading with her, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Her mother’s toast stung as she once again was reminded of how much he had hurt her. This man, who had claimed to love her, had betrayed her family. Not just her, but Max, Michael, and even Tess. How could she forgive him for something like that?



~~~



Isabel helped her mother put away the dishes while Jesse and her father went to his office to discuss business. Max had retired earlier. She jumped at the chance to help her mother. Isabel hoped that Jesse would be asleep by the time she and her mother had finished up and talked a bit.



As Isabel reached up on her tiptoes to carefully put the crystal flutes away in the china cabinet, her mother inquired, “What is going on with you and Jesse?”



Isabel froze. Could her mother have picked up on the tension? She swallowed hard and plastered a bright smile on her face. “What do you mean?” Isabel asked casually.



“Don’t lie to me Isabel,” Mrs. Evans chided. “You were never good at it.”



Isabel stopped herself from letting out a cry of frustration. She wished her mother knew her that well. You don’t know how good a liar I am!



When Isabel had taken a few deep breaths, she turned around and looked at her mother. “What are you talking about?” she asked, feigning bewilderment. In all of the years she had known that she was an alien, Isabel had learned to let others talk first, before opening her mouth.



“You and Jesse are having…problems, aren’t you?” Her mother whispered in a hushed tone as if to say it any louder would inform the entire world.



“Mom!” Isabel said exasperated. “Don’t start with this!” Isabel wasn’t worried about the lies anymore; she was too irritated that her mother decided to critique her again. It had been a while since her mother had said anything negative about Jesse and her relationship. Isabel knew she couldn’t wait for it to fail; she expected it.



“Isabel,” Mrs. Evans said soothingly, as if talking with a five year old. “I’m not trying to butt in where I don’t belong, but everyone noticed the tension between you and Jesse tonight.”



Isabel frowned. “Oh really? And why didn’t I hear about it then?”



Mrs. Evans sighed and seemed to search for the right words to calm her daughter. “I’m sure everyone just thought it was nothing, but I know better. I am your mother.”



“Stop pretending you know all about my life!” Isabel whispered angrily. “You don’t know anything about my life with Jesse!”



“Well I’ve noticed enough, to realize that you were unhappy when you got here and it wasn’t because of Max!”



Isabel closed her eyes and swallowed. She had thought she covered it well - obviously not. “Look Mom, we’re just having a disagreement.”



Mrs. Evans shook her head unable to believe the lie. “It’s more than that Isabel. I’ve noticed it ever since Jesse came home to be with you,” she said disturbed. “You and Jesse haven’t spent any time together and when you have, it was to look for Max. You’ve spent more time with Michael than you have your own husband.”



“So we’re not glued at the hips, what has that got to do with anything?” Isabel busied herself with the remaining dishes. “I told you that we haven’t been seeing ‘eye to eye’ on things. It doesn’t mean that we’re ready to sign divorce papers!” she exclaimed firmly. Isabel was growing tired of this conversation.



Her mother seemed to ignore her plea to butt out. “Is it because of Michael? Is Jesse upset about the time you’ve been spending with Michael?”



Isabel’s eyes widened in astonishment at the suggestion. Where had that come from? Michael? “What are you talking about Mom? No!” Isabel exclaimed, still stunned at her mother’s presumptuous question. “What are you thinking? This has nothing to do with Michael.”



Mrs. Evans’ eyes narrowed, looking at Isabel in complete scrutiny. She sighed and threw up her hands. “If it’s not that, then I don’t know,” Mrs. Evans mumbled. “Why are you guys fighting? Does it have something to do with what happened months ago? When Jesse left for a while?”



Isabel lowered her eyes and bit her lip, running her fingers through her short hair. It took everything Isabel had to keep herself from breaking out into tears. Her mother had always been there to support her. Isabel could always turn to her and tell her all the worries, stresses, and frustrations that built up inside. But this time, and for the past few years, when everything seemed to get jumbled with Max’s healing of Liz, it became different. Isabel knew that if she began to pour out her feelings, she would blurt out everything. How could she explain Jesse’s betrayal without explaining the rest?



The answer: She couldn’t.



“Can we not do this?” Isabel asked in a hushed voice, looking over her shoulder, praying her father wouldn’t walk in on them.



“Isabel if it’s as bad as I think it is,” Mrs. Evans replied calmly, placing her hands on Isabel’s shoulders,” then no. You and Jesse were acting like strangers tonight. You couldn’t even put your arm around him without cringing.”



“I wasn’t…”



Isabel began to protest, but Mrs. Evans shook her head and wouldn’t listen. “When you got home I thought you were distracted by Max, but it was something else. You didn’t seem to have a problem leaving Jesse back in New York,” she said slowly, as if wading through the evidence of her sham of a marriage. “And even when he came home you didn’t stop disappearing for whole days, leaving Jesse here with us to wonder what was going on.”



The words hit her like a sledgehammer, pounding home all of her mistakes. Maybe it was her fault? Maybe she gave Jesse enough reason to worry and all he was trying to do was control the only things he could?



“Isabel, what’s going on in that head of yours?” Mrs. Evans cupped her face, forcing Isabel to look into her mother’s eyes, which seemed to look right through her.



“Mom,” Isabel said choking on the tears, which had begun to fall. How could she explain her feelings when she, herself, had no idea what to think? “I don’t know.”



“Jesse and I are having some problems, but you need to stay out of it! I’m hanging on by a straw as it is, and I can’t handle your ‘I told you so’s’ on top of it. So would you please just stay out of it?” Isabel turned and ran out of the kitchen, unable to fumble her way through her mother’s probing questions, all the while wanting to curl up into a ball and die.



~~~



His mind raced with a million ideas on how to explain himself and his betrayal. Betrayal. That was what it was. As he listened to Mr. Evans ramble on about a client, Jesse’s thoughts drifted to Isabel and the way she fell into Michael’s arms. How could he have been so stupid? Even now he couldn’t justify what he’d done to Michael, Max and Tess, let alone Isabel. What seemed right at the time, now showed itself to be the stupidest thing he had ever done. And the consequences now bore its ugly teeth. He was going to pay for the web of untold secrets and lies with his marriage.



~~~



Kyle was out for his evening run when he passed the Evans’ house. It was late, and people were tucked safely in their beds. He’d always liked to run during this time of night because he could think in the quietness. No one would be in their yard or biking down the street, so he’d have to stop and wave or make inane chatter. But tonight the unexpected happened; someone was up, and they were crying.



As he slowed down, by the park bench, Kyle squinted, trying to pierce the darkness, and find the source of the soft whimpers. Tentatively, Kyle stepped off the beaten path and took a few cautious steps towards the shadowed figure. “Hello?” he called softly, not wanting to scare the person. The cries stopped immediately and the figure stood up. She was tall. He could tell it was a woman by the curves of the figure and also by her soft cries.



“Go away,” she sniffled, turning her back on him.



Kyle inched forward. Her voice sounded familiar. “Isabel?” She didn’t answer. Kyle moved closer, until he could see her brunette hair and the several crumpled used tissues lying at her feet. “Are you all right?” he asked concernedly.



She turned around, and Kyle was able to see her wet face in the moonlight. “Just go away,” Isabel mumbled, wiping the tears, which sparkled in the moonlight with the back of her hand.



Kyle shook his head. “What happened? Did something happen to Max?”



Isabel shook her head and laughed. “To think that used to be my biggest problem,” she laughed skeptically.



He didn’t know what she meant. Studying her face, something major was upsetting her and Kyle was so out of the loop that he couldn’t even possibly guess who or what it was that was making Isabel cry. Kyle swallowed hard and nervously pulled Isabel into his arms. He hoped this would help.



~~~



Her body tensed at the human touch. Kyle didn’t even know what was wrong. He didn’t know the extent of the betrayal she was feeling and yet his strong arms filled her with comfort. The first thought she had, as she ran out of the house, was to go to Michael. He would listen. He knew exactly what was wrong. But when her mother subtly hinted at the idea that she and Michael were…well, she couldn’t even bear to think about it. How could her mother have thought that? Well, after that, she couldn’t possibly go to Michael.



And so as her thoughts hounded her, Isabel found herself alone, sitting in the park, with a pocket full of tissues – until Kyle came along. Isabel pulled out of his warm embrace and as she stared up into his concerned gaze, she smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered.



Kyle backed away and shrugged. “It was nothing,” he said, the thin line of his lips curling into his signature grin. “I can’t help but rescue a damsel in distress.”



Isabel rolled her eyes, pulling out her last tissue from her pocket. “Well, I’m no damsel in distress, but I know what you mean.” She was glad it was Kyle who stumbled across her in the park. Isabel didn’t know if she could have withstood the prying questions of a neighbor or stranger, who would ask many questions. She let out a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. “I must look awful?” she chuckled, running the tip of her index finger along the bottom of her eyelid.



Kyle was a gentleman. “No way! You look amazing, even when you have mascara running down your cheeks,” he quipped.



Isabel hit him playfully on the shoulder. “You’re such a flirt!”



Kyle widened his eyes, as if stunned at the accusation. “What are you talking about?”



She laughed. He managed to get her thoughts off of Jesse and her mother’s accusations. “You’re such a dork,” Isabel lamented, blowing her nose into the linty tissue.



“I try,” Kyle smirked, sticking out his tongue. “Now how about telling Uncle Kyle all about it?”



Isabel lowered her eyes, and shook her head. How was she supposed to explain it? She began to walk towards the man-made trail that ran through the park. “I don’t know that I can,” she said exasperatedly. “It doesn’t make sense, even to me.”



Kyle frowned. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”



Isabel turned her head sideways and stopped, gazing steadily at Kyle. “Jesse told the FBI all about us,” she said calmly and controlled. Kyle’s eyes never wavered from hers. Isabel finally looked away, closing her eyes as the words echoed in her head, and began walking again. “I told you it was bad,” Isabel said morosely.



She heard the damp footsteps rustle against the grass, as Kyle ran to catch up with her. “How do you know?” he asked.



Once again, Isabel stopped and looked at Kyle, who seemed confused at the idea. “He told me,” she stated flatly.



“Well it doesn’t sound like him,” Kyle challenged. “It doesn’t make any sense.”



Isabel shook her head and began walking home. It was getting late and she didn’t want to talk about it with Kyle. He didn’t even want to believe her. “I gotta go,” she whispered. She walked away from Kyle, but his hand shot out and grabbed her. “Wait,” he exclaimed.



Isabel turned around sharply. “What?” Isabel cried, pulling her arms out from his grasp. “What don’t you understand?”



“Jesse found out what I was and got scared. He went to the FBI and asked them to find out about Michael, Max and I. And then, in the process of telling them about us, got kidnapped. What’s so complicated about that? Except that he tells me he just wanted to keep me safe and that he loves me, and he’s sorry!”



Isabel smiled ironically and shook her head. How could she ever think that loving someone would be peaches and cream? So far all it ever brought her was heartache: First, with Alex’s death and now Jesse’s betrayal.



“Look, I know how you feel,” Kyle whispered softly.



Isabel narrowed her eyes and scoffed. “How could you possibly know how I feel?”



Kyle became quiet and lifted his eyes that had been staring at the pavement, which was lighted by a nearby streetlamp. “Tess.”



Isabel swallowed. She had put her foot in that one. Isabel reached out and took his hand. “I’m sorry,” she choked out. “I didn’t mean…I mean, I forgot…”



Kyle nodded. “It’s okay,” he said somberly. “A lot of people forget that Tess lived with us and became a part of our family.”



Isabel felt horrible. She knew that both Valenti and Kyle had been hurt deeply by Tess’ betrayal, and use of them, especially Kyle, though he wouldn’t admit it. And now she had made it seem that her betrayal had hurt more deeply than his. She was running 0 for 1 tonight. “God Kyle, I’m sorry. It’s just…well, it’s just different.”



“What’s so different?” Kyle asked curtly. “You fell in love with Jesse; my Dad and I fell in love with Tess, though in our case it was more platonic.”



“She made us trust her. Tess pretended that she cared about us and that we were insane to be scared of her. And in your case, Jesse promised to love, honor and cherish you. But he was pretending too.”



Isabel stared at Kyle. He seemed so emotionless when talking about it. It wasn’t so clear-cut. Well it wasn’t in Jesse’s case anyway. “But I lied to him first,” Isabel hesitated. “He was just reacting to my betrayal.”



Kyle frowned. “And so that gives him the right to go behind your back and report your family to the FBI?”



“No!” Isabel exclaimed. “He wasn’t reporting us to them. He was just…he wanted to find out who was hunting us.”



She couldn’t believe that she was defending the jerk. Even now, her feelings for him, made her defensive of her husband. Isabel didn’t know if was right, but it was instinct.



“Whatever,” Kyle retorted tiredly.



Suddenly there was a quick shuffling of footsteps a little ways off. “Isabel?” the familiar voice called.



~ * ~



“Max?” Isabel answered.



Then out of the dark shadows Isabel watched her brother jogging towards her. “Where have you been?” he huffed.



Isabel looked at Kyle, who seemed to be studying Max, and shrugged. “I just needed some air.”



His brow furrowed in skepticism. “Mom told me you went running out of the kitchen after a ‘little’ talk.”



She slowly nodded. “Yes, but I’m fine now,” Isabel lied. “I just needed to think. I couldn’t do it in the house. It was suffocating me.”



“Wow, for a guy who is supposed to be dead, you sure look good!” Kyle exclaimed distractedly.



Max glanced briefly at Kyle and nodded. “Thanks, I think,” he replied hesitantly. “It’s good to see you too.” Kyle nodded, with a grin on his face.



“You know Liz was completely worried about you,” Kyle said seriously.



Isabel watched as Max became restless and irritated by the comment. “Let’s get going,” she said quickly, hoping to distract Max. But Max was too focused on Kyle, who also seemed a little edgy. “And what do you mean by that?” Max asked darkly.



Kyle’s eyes remained on Max as he shrugged casually. “I just mean, I had to comfort her when Isabel and Michael told her that it was her fault that you were in the condition that you were.”



Max turned around and stared at Isabel. “What does he mean by that?”



Isabel swallowed. “I…” The words wouldn’t come. They hadn’t told him about that yet. There had been so much going on, that Isabel had neglected to explain to Max that sleeping with Liz was what caused his illness. She thought Max would eventually understand, but by the expression on his face, there was no way that Max would believe that Liz was the cause, and would remain a serious threat to his health if he ever slept with her again.



“What I mean is that they accused Liz on the word of Tess,” he said the name as if it were mud in his mouth, “that Liz almost killed you, when you slept with her.”



Max turned around and looked at Kyle, hoping to see that he was just joking. Kyle’s face remained stoic. He wasn’t joking. “What is he talking about Isabel?” Max exclaimed irritably. He hadn’t received an explanation, but he assumed that Michael and Isabel just had other things on their mind. Now he was hearing from Kyle that Liz was the reason his life was in danger? It wasn’t possible. “Tell me!” he demanded.



Isabel lowered her eyes, allowing her long lashes to hide her saddened eyes. She swallowed. “I’m sorry Max. It’s true,” Isabel admitted. “Liz is the reason why you almost died.”



Max was in shock. When he came out in search of his sister, Max thought she was in need of someone to talk to. He thought she needed a shoulder to cry on. But now, it seemed, he was the one in need of comfort, because he obviously had no idea what the hell was going on.

~~~



“Nice to see you’ve decided to come home,” Maria said sarcastically as Michael and Tess entered the apartment.



Michael and Tess were startled. He had no idea that Maria and Liz would be waiting for them at his apartment. “W–w-what are you doing here?” he managed to stammer.



“The better question is why were you out with this tramp?” Maria sneered at Tess, who glared back coldly at her judge and jury.



“I believe he asked you a question first,” Tess declared. She wasn’t in the mood for their antics. That afternoon had felt right and to return to Michael’s apartment without decompressing after the stressful situation grated on her nerves. How many times would she have to make nice with them? They had no respect for her and she had had enough.



There was silence in the small apartment. Michael could have used a heater to melt the ice from the hormonal women’s glares. He sighed and shook his head. He was tired and couldn’t handle a catfight. “C’mon guys!” Michael stepped in between the two blondes before anything started. “Look,” he answered wearily. “There were things we had to take care of.”



“And what kind of things would that be?” Liz asked haughtily. Michael looked over Maria’s tousled blonde locks to see Liz standing behind her unassumingly.



“How is it any of your business?” Tess asked. Liz was getting a little self-righteous, even if she had proved her to be a ‘murderess’.



“Because we are in this together. No matter how much you would like us to disappear,” Liz spat. “And I’ll protect Max, Michael and Isabel from you and your alien voodoo if I have to. Even if you did save Max’s life.”



“You and what ‘Spice Girl’?” Tess retorted, moving towards Liz. Michael threw her a warning glare, but Tess ignored it. She was tired of playing the nice polite repentant whipping girl. They had no idea what she had been through and to have to take their ignorant accusations once more, with a smile and ‘thank you’; well, she had enough.



Tess burned with anger and hoped they would try to start something. They would learn that when they played with fire, she would most definitely burn them. She smirked, studying the fragile brunette that Max would always end up ‘protecting’. ‘How precious?’ she thought glibly.



Maria stepped in front of her while Michael had moved towards Liz, to stop her from antagonizing an already incensed Tess. “Just try it, and you’ll regret the day you stepped foot in Roswell,” Maria threatened.



Tess couldn’t help but crack a smile, which made her lose focus and the anger that had almost come to a boiling point. After taking a deep breath, she realized how pointless it was to bother herself with them. She cocked her left eyebrow in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me?” Tess smirked, folding her arms across her chest and leaning forward, into Maria’s space. They were only a few millimeters apart. “Don’t try playing with me,” she said enigmatically.



Michael watched the rising stakes, as Maria refused to back down, while Tess looked quite amused at the prospect of seeing Maria in action. He didn’t want to use his powers against Tess, but he knew she could kill Maria on a whim if she had it in her mind to do it. And though she had proved herself trustworthy for the moment, Michael was reminded of why they had sent her to Antar. “Stop it!” Michael commanded. He squeezed Liz’s shoulder, urging her to stay where she was until he had dealt with the mounting tension between Tess and Maria.



As he stepped in between the two women, he took his time looking at each one of them. “Hey,” Michael barked. “We’re not doing this!” Michael pulled Maria aside and looked sternly at her, wresting her gaze from Tess. “What has gotten into the two of you?”



“We’re dealing with an unresolved issue,” Liz declared somberly. Michael watched in horror as Liz raised her hand towards Tess, as she stepped towards Liz, and released a bluish green blast of energy.



“Uhhh,” Tess grunted, as she fell onto the carpet. She hadn’t been prepared for the blast and she hadn’t had enough time to block the attack. As she lay there, her body felt heavy and numb.



“Tess!” Michael cried frantically, dropping to the floor. “Are you all right?”



As she blinked a couple of times, Michael’s face came into view. “Oh,” was all she managed to say.



“What the heck do you think you’re doing?” Michael exclaimed as he helped Tess sit up. He never expected Liz to hit her like that. In fact, he had no idea that she had powers like that at all.



~ * ~



Liz stared blankly at Michael and Tess. She was stunned. Had she really blasted Tess? Liz knew she wouldn’t be killed from the blast, she wasn’t that powerful; but the fact that she had done it…it had been a surprise even to her. She didn’t even hesitate. And it frightened her, because that short rush of power almost excited her. As she stared numbly at the stunned blonde, Liz hardened, knowing that she deserved at least that much for what she did to Alex.



“All right!” Maria clapped gleefully, nodding her head in approval. “Girl power!”



“All right?” Michael repeated mournfully. He would usually be the first one to agree that Tess deserved it, but somehow it seemed unnatural and wrong.



Liz frowned and suddenly snapped out of the hazy trance she had fallen into. She stared at Tess, who sat disoriented on the floor. “Is she hurt bad?” The question seemed twisted in a way, since she had been the one to put her in the state she was in.



Michael’s brow creased and swung Tess’ arm around his neck, helping her to the couch. “What do you think?” he growled.



“Oh, don’t look at Liz like that,” Maria exclaimed irritably at Michael. “As if she wouldn’t have done the same thing if given the chance. Liz just beat her to the punch.



Michael looked at Tess and then at Maria and Liz, who had moved closer together, as if in a united front. He didn’t know what might have happened, though it definitely could have happened like Maria had described. But when he glanced down at Tess, who seemed to be coming around, Michael looked up at the duo. “But it didn’t, did it?” Michael replied gravely. “Look, I think you should just go now.”



“Go?” Maria exclaimed. “Like we’re going to…” Suddenly Liz interrupted Maria’s rant. “I think he’s right Maria,” she whispered, still in a daze.



“What?” Maria looked at Liz in bewilderment.



“We need to go,” Liz repeated calmly. She kept her eyes on Maria, until the blonde firecracker seemed to acquiesce, her body beginning to lean back towards the door. “Please,” she pleaded. She needed to get out of there. What had happened that night freaked her out! What was she doing? It didn’t seem like her anymore.



~~~



Andaria paced back and forth in the hidden chambers of Tel Edrei. She waited anxiously for a reply from Muna. She peered ever so often, outside into the meticulously kept garden through the translucent wall, which was obscured from the outside by what appeared to be a wall of ‘Wandering Riazia’, a delicate flower that clings to moist clay walls. It was an illusion, a realistic image, enough to hide the open view from inside the illustrious mansion. Andaria’s thoughts were divided between the goings on in Antar and her daughter.



It was the fourth day of Tess’ return to Earth. Part of her was afraid that she would remain. But Andaria knew deep in her heart that she would never do that to Antar and their people. It was Max, whom Andaria was becoming more and more apprehensive about. Though she knew in time that Max would realize his true place on the throne of Antar, there wasn’t time.



General Steren had informed her that night that a quarter of Khivar’s forces had moved out of the palace and headed east towards the Saren Dari, a remote desert plain in Antar. His concerns were voiced over an intercepted message sent earlier that day from one of Khivar’s army generals. It had read: All has been prepared. Saren Dari is prepared for Pilan. Your servants await.



Steren was sure that this involved Khivar’s quiet musings of late. He hadn’t been so obvious as in his previous raids and attacks on the other worlds, which made Steren think that Khivar’s mind was occupied somewhere else. Though neither of them had any idea what Pilan was. There was no place named Pilan on their maps, recorded on their star charts, and on any other known world to them. They suspected it to be a person, but found no such Antarian or other race in their databases.



This is what had drove her from her grandson, who was now under Barak’s, a loyal friend and spy in Khivar’s house, watchful eye, as she turned her attention to this matter. “Medgio,” Andaria called, turning around to find her stoic servant standing in front of her, attentive to her needs.



“Yes Madam.”



As she clasped her hands together, Andaria slowly began toward the communications room, with Medgio following a respectable pace behind her. “I want you to inquire as to the whereabouts of our comlink with Muna. They have not responded and time is running short I fear,” Andaria commanded urgently. “General Steren and I have just received word that Khivar has begun to move. We need to accelerate the time frame of our counterstrike.”



“But Madam,” Medgio hesitated, as they entered the dark communication room of Andaria’s base of operations.



“What is it?” Andaria asked distractedly, as she began to enter in the coordinates of Earth. She would inform Tess and the other three about the urgency of their return.



“How will the Royal Four return?”



Andaria finished entering the coordinates and looked up curiously at her faithful servant. “Has Major Hammon not informed you? The Sleeper shall soon awaken. And he will ensure our mission to return the rightful heir of Antar to his throne, will be a success.


Chapter Thirty Four


***

In dream and in love there are no impossibilities.


- Janos Arany

***



Max trudged home while Isabel jogged beside him, trying to get him to talk. He didn’t want to. And Kyle reluctantly dropped the subject, when Isabel suggested he go home.



When they had explained the idea that sleeping with Liz was the cause of his former condition, it was too much to take. Max had thought they’d gotten over all of this. He knew Isabel and Michael, from day one, had hated watching him pine over Liz. And then when he healed her, exposing their secret, both Isabel and Michael, resented her. But over the few years, Max thought that they had worked things out, and Michael and Isabel knew that it was for the best. They weren’t just aliens; they had a human side too.



“Max, come on! Talk to me,” Isabel pleaded.



He stared blankly at his sister. Could she and Michael be so heartless to come up with a theory that made no sense? There was no possible way that Liz was the reason he had been sick. “You’re wrong.” That was all he said. That was all he was planning to say. It was late and he didn’t want to talk about it. They were all exhausted after rescuing Jesse and finding out that he had lied to all of them.



Max quickly made his way into his room and closed the door. As he leaned on it, he closed his eyes and lowered his chin to his chest. He was too tired to think about it. He would definitely talk to Michael, Isabel, Liz, and Tess tomorrow.



Before hopping into bed, Max glanced at himself in the mirror. What had happened? What had happened to make everything so screwed up? He sighed and rubbed his face. How much more could he take?



Suddenly the light from his bedside lamp brought attention to the marks on his chest. When he had changed that morning, there were two handprints on his chest. They reminded him of the marks he would leave after using his powers to heal someone. The odd thing was, that there were two distinguished handprints. One was a silvery grey – the color his powers would leave. The other was a pale gold.



Max frowned. What were they? Why would Tess’ handprints be of two different colors?



~~~



“Why did you make us book?” Maria asked irritably.



“I needed to get out of there,” Liz replied as she hunkered down for the night. Maria decided she would stay over night and they would go to school together in the morning. Liz didn’t really want the company that night, not after what she had just done.



“You’re feeling guilty about the whole thing aren’t you?”



Liz pulled the covers up to her chin and didn’t answer. Maria was just going to lecture her about how Tess deserved it and how she wished she could have been the one to stick it to Tess. It wasn’t a conversation she wanted at 12 in the morning. “No,” Liz denied, hoping Maria would just let it lie.



There was a rustling of sheets and Liz could feel Maria’s eyes on her as the blonde propped herself up on her side. “You’re such a goody two-shoes,” Maria pouted.



Liz blinked once and then slowly turned her gaze upon her best friend of 17 years. “I am not a ‘goody two-shoes’,” she protested. “I just don’t think that I should cheer after almost killing someone.”



Maria frowned. “She looked fine to me!”



Liz frowned and propped herself up against the headboard of her bed. “How can you say that?”



Maria shrugged. “Michael helped her up and she could walk?” she explained dryly.



As she listened to her best friend talk, Liz couldn’t believe the things she was saying. They had changed a lot in the past couple of years. And Liz didn’t know if it was for the better. “Don’t you understand?” Liz said in a hushed tone, making sure her parents wouldn’t hear her frustration.



Maria shook her head; a confused expression appeared on her face. “No!” she laughed quite mystified. “I don’t understand. You got to let Tess feel a little of what Alex must have felt when he died. Except it was probably more tortured and agonizing.” The blonde fell on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Do you understand what it’s like dreaming about how Alex died?” Maria asked quietly.



Liz tried to swallow the lump that had developed in her throat. “Sort of,” she whispered. “But we can’t let that direct our every thought and action.”



“Maria we can’t kill her just because she killed Alex. It would make us no better than her.” Liz watched her mull over the carefully constructed sentences she had constructed in the hopes that Maria would see that it would do no good.



The long lashes that shadowed her telltale eyes lifted and Maria turned on her side once again, her face a few inches from Liz. “I know,” she said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “But whenever I look at her Liz…”



Liz nodded, understanding the tumult of emotions one can feel when pushed hard enough. “I know,” Liz whispered, reaching out and pulling Maria into a bear hug. “I just want you to see that even though I might feel that way about her, that killing her doesn’t make me feel any better. Hurting her because she killed Alex didn’t make me feel any better.”



He was still gone.



~~~



She was resting peacefully now. Michael closed the door to his bedroom and snuck quietly down the hallway. Tess had protested when he had suggested that he should call Max, just in case something went wrong after Liz’s attack. But she won him over and he believed her when she said all she needed was some rest.



Michael allowed himself to fall distractedly onto the couch. This had been one heck of a day. Jesse had been lying to Isabel for months. He never should have let her go to New York. He should have made her stay in Roswell.



Michael ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Leaning back on the couch he stared distantly at the ceiling. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and comfort her. Part of him ached with Isabel as she digested the confession. Even though he never trusted Jesse completely, especially when he ran off for a few days, without contacting Isabel, Michael had been convinced that he did indeed love Isabel. The man had even convinced him that he would never betray either him or Max. Their secret was safe.



“Ha!” Michael scoffed out loud. “What a joke!”



As he got up, wrestling with Jesse’s betrayal, Michael stepped out onto his balcony and stared out solemnly into the night. Isabel. Was this his chance to be with her? Would she forgive him? Michael closed his eyes and pushed the thought away.



There was no way Isabel could forgive Jesse for this. No way.



~~~



Under the blue submersion, a bed of kelp was floating. Green and yellow hues from the living plant seeped into the shielding of what lay beneath. The tall strands, which reached for the sparse creation of white light sparkling in the depths, danced in time with slow motion of the ocean. All was dark. The Sun brought little warmth, upon appearance, to that watery grave. Only the small air bubbles that appeared ever so often from the unusual kelp bed produced any evidence of life. If any sea creature could speak it would chatter incessantly about the oddity.



The kelp grew strong and tall, expanding its territory over the years. If it had been plucked from its fertile bed and aged, the years would be comparably few. However, in its lifetime, the life form had seen many strange things. And as the pull of the Sun and the Moon joined in all its glory, creating the pure fleeting beauty of the Spring tide once more; a shattering crescent of light pierced through the thick weight of the liquid solitude.



As it did so many years ago, the yearly tide buried that which slept in the cold warmth of its muddy tomb; but now, the unassuming celestial torrent unmasked the silent grave and revealed to the unwitting depths, one, whose sleep had been disturbed by those whose cry was fervent. His task lay before him and it would be accomplished. Truth and light would be left in his wake, though fear and loathing before him. All would be as it should have been, so many years ago.



~~~



“Muna refuses to answer my Lady,” Medgio replied, bowing before his Mistress.



“Why?” Andaria cried out in frustration, hitting the console that lay in front of her. “I cannot understand their reluctance to come up from under Khivar’s threats?”



“Perhaps it is not that they do not want to be rid of Khivar, rather than they do not want to help Zan return to the throne.”



“That is preposterous! Why would Hanar be so stubborn?” Andaria exclaimed wringing her hands and pacing back and forth.



“Khivar’s production at the Summit would be a likely reason,” Medgio offered. “All the worlds believed it was Zan’s stubbornness that cost all of them the peace they sought.” He had heard from sources on the other worlds that the leaders were outraged.



“Foolish! How could they not have seen through his lies?” Andaria said through gritted teeth. She leaned up against the glass window looking out onto the Solarium.



“My Lady, how detrimental would it be to our forces in our stand against Khivar and his army? Muna would have brought tens of thousands.”



“I do not know,” Andaria said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I must confer with General Steren and the whole of the Annex. This vendetta against Zan for what he did at the Summit will reap horrible consequences if I’m unable to convince the other worlds that Zan made the only choice he could. This could delay our schedule and that is something that is unacceptable.”



Her blonde locks fell across her face, so Medgio was unable to read his Mistress’ face. She remained still, not even a waver; frozen as one of those marble statues he had seen in Earth history. He lowered his head and bowed at the waist, accepting his Mistress’ unspoken dismissal. He left the room allowing Andaria time to sort through the various changes in plans and strategies needed to ensure Zan his place on the throne. Medgio knew the burden she carried was heavy and he would have listened as she unloaded her fears and worries, if only for a brief moment; but that was not his place. Instead he would prepare the small contingent under his care, which he kept organized and informed of Andaria’s needs, aware of the unexpected turn.



Now more than ever would the scattered few that remained fighting for their freedom, be needed. Those who had infiltrated Khivar’s home and sanctuary needed to be on their guard. The closer the Day of Reckoning approached the more difficult it was to keep their charade of fealty to the reigning King of Antar intact. Many of these Loyalists would die in the attempt to overthrow Khivar, and with the recent uncertainty of victory, Medgio was even more amazed at his fellow Antarian’s faith in the return of their absentee Leader.



Medgio closed the door behind him, leaving Andaria to her thoughts and prayed to the Unseen that she would not be disappointed. He prayed that The One would bring the Chosen back as it had been destined.



~~~



“Michael! Michael!” Max yelled through the thick apartment door. “Come on! Open the door!” When he awoke that morning, Max pretended to prepare for his first day back at school for his parent’s sake. In actuality, he had no intention of going to school that morning. Max needed to know in detail what all of Michael, Isabel, and Tess knew and had been keeping from him.



“Can you keep it down Max?” Isabel asked quietly, her eyes darting around the hallway, hoping no one would jump down their throats for waking them up. “I’m sure the neighbors appreciate your yelling at 7:30 in the morning!”



Max rolled his eyes at Isabel. “Well if you were me, wouldn’t you want to know what the heck was going on? But that doesn’t apply since you already do, don’t you?” he asked irritably. When Max lifted his arm to knock on Michael’s door one more time, Max found Michael standing groggily at the door.



“What?” the tall blonde growled.



“We need to talk!” Max said firmly.



Michael frowned and looked askance at Isabel who just shook her head and sighed. “Don’t ask. You’ll find out!” Isabel groaned.



~ * ~



“Where is she?” Max barked, looking around the apartment.



“Where is who?” Michael asked in confusion.



“Tess of course!” Max exclaimed. “Who else? We’re getting this sorted out now!”



“What the heck are you talking about?” Michael yelled, growing agitated by Max’s dictator-like attitude.



“Max knows about Liz and the…ahem, sickness theory,” Isabel explained dryly.



“Yeah and I don’t believe it!” Max replied darkly. “I don’t know how you came up with it, but it’s a bunch of hogwash. There’s no way!”



Michael looked warily at Isabel, who was also tense and anxious about explaining the theory. “Can we not wake Tess right now?” he asked tiredly. “Isabel and I can first fill you in on what we know and maybe when she wakes up then she can explain the ‘why’ later?”



Isabel frowned. She didn’t understand why they couldn’t just wake her up now.



“No, she’ll explain now,” Max stated, heading towards Michael’s bedroom.



Just as he was about to reach for the doorknob, Michael stepped in front of him and blocked his path. “You’re not going in.”



Max couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What has gotten into you? Since when do you care if I interrupt her sleep?” Max asked incredulously.



Michael shrugged. “I don’t.”



“Then?” Max waited expectantly for some reasonable explanation.



Unexpectedly Isabel spoke instead. “Did something happen?” Isabel asked worriedly.



“Yeah, something happened,” Michael answered grimly. “And you’re not going to like it.”



~~~

“Liz wouldn’t!” Max shook his head. “That’s not like her!”



Michael looked skeptically at Max. “She did!” he replied darkly.



After explaining the events of last night, Max’s adamant assertion of his need to see Tess faded, and Michael was left with a disbelieving Max. “Why would she do that? That just isn’t like her!” Max repeated distractedly.



“Is she all right?” Isabel asked, rubbing Max’s shoulders, trying to comfort him.



Michael shook his head. “I don’t know. She wouldn’t let me take her to the hospital,” he explained.



Max looked up at him, “And you couldn’t have made her?” he asked irritably. “You’re twice her size.”



Michael narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. “And she could still probably kick my butt,” he declared. “If you don’t remember, she’s had time to actually learn her powers! While I am sitting around my apartment worrying about stupid school assignments, ooooh!” His hands shook for effect as he shrunk back in mock terror. “I know I would be terrified!” Michael rolled his eyes and turned his back on his ‘Fearless Leader’.



“Well it does seem strange,” Isabel agreed hesitantly. “I mean Liz wouldn’t hurt a fly.”



Michael turned and looked at Isabel, mystified that she couldn’t possibly believe that Liz might have a grudge against Tess. “Yeah, right,” he growled. He threw his hands up in the air and shook his head at the two. “Now why would Liz, who has these neat new found powers, not want to get a little revenge on Tess, who has admittedly killed Alex?” Michael leaned against his kitchen counter. “No reason at all,” he said dryly.



“And what do you want me to do about it?” Max asked. He looked up at Michael as if caught between a rock and a hard place. “Tess did kill Alex and Liz has every right to be upset with her. How am I supposed to rationalize those feelings away?”



Michael sighed out loud and dropped his arms to his side. “No one is asking you to do anything!” he said exasperatingly. “I just want you to realize that Liz isn’t this patron saint. She isn’t this innocent girl who always needs to be protected.” He paused, hoping the words were sinking in.



Michael had thought a lot about this last night, and he had the same arguments as Max did. How could he blame Liz? Why did he feel angry that she would do something against a woman who has brought nothing but pain and death? He didn’t end up with any answers before the excitement of the evening caught hold of him and he drifted to sleep. And that was why he was cutting Max a little slack - but only a little.



“But…” Max was without words. His face contorted in a myriad of emotions.



He was torn, and that was something Michael could relate too. It was the first time Michael actually felt he could relate to Max on any level, other than the basic fact that they were alien hybrids. They were polar opposites in everyway. But now, Michael could see Max was torn. The look on his face when he had told her that Tess had been hurt was one of anger, anxiety and fear. But when he revealed to Max that it was Liz, his expression became solemn.



No. He and Max were in quite the fix. But Michael felt for the first time, he was the one at the lucky end of the stick. He knew in his heart that he and Isabel belonged together. It wasn’t a question of his feelings for Isabel; it was a matter of hers for him.



~~~



It was a lot to digest. He knew before his sickness that Liz was beginning to see strange things happening within her, but he fell ill before he knew the full extent. Now to learn that she could ‘blast’ someone, it made Max realize what he had done to her. He had somehow changed this ‘perfect creature’ he once loved from a far. And part of Max dreaded the idea that maybe this ‘attack’ on Tess was also due to his powers.



And then there was Tess. She came back from Antar to save him. Apparently putting her and their son in some kind of peril. How much could they really trust her? But once again he found himself trusting her and being drawn to her. What was he doing?



“Max?” Isabel’s voice drew him back to reality and the knowledge that Liz had tried to hurt Tess. “Huh?” he mumbled, still distracted, and questioning all that he had known and all that he knew.



“Are you all right?” Michael asked.



Max swallowed and nodded his head. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine,” he replied, plastering a smile on his face. The expressions on Michael and Isabel’s face told Max that they didn’t buy his act. But he pressed on. He didn’t want to get into this whole sordid conversation of what he should or should not feel for either woman. “I’d better go check on Tess,” Max sighed, happy to come up from under their scrutinizing gazes, but uneasy about being in the same room with Tess alone.



~~~



Tess slept fitfully. It was like she was awake, but couldn’t rouse herself from her slumber. Suddenly she found herself standing in her son’s room. Tess approached the crib, relieved to be near her son again. “Zander!” she cried happily. As she reached down into the soft folds of the powder blue blanket, Tess found the crib empty.



A loud wailing cry pierced the haze of the vision. Tess’ eyes darted around the room, searching frantically for the source. Her heart raced. “Zander?”



Tess attempted to leave, but she was unable to pass the threshold of the beautifully decorated room, pulling hard on the locked door. The cries grew and became more fervent. “Zander!” she yelled, pounding helplessly at the door. “Zander! Mommy’s here!”



However, no matter what she tried, there was no way to reach her pleading child. Then unexpectedly, the door opened on its own, revealing a dimly lit room. When she tried to pass through the door, she was unable once again. Tess watched as Khivar and Nicholas entered the room carrying Zander. The cries had stopped and Tess was forced to watch Khivar place her son into a glowing cold metal chamber. Nicholas was behind some kind of console and Khivar’s mouth moved, as if saying something to Nicholas. The fair-haired lackey nodded and pressed a sequence of buttons. It was as if she were looking at a scene through a window.



Suddenly a brilliant flash of light radiated from the machine her son had been placed into. Tess moved forward, every muscle in her body straining for Zander, to no avail. An agonizing cry seemed to shatter whatever barrier standing between her and her son. Just as Tess was about to step through the entrance, the scene froze and the image broke into tiny fragments until she was left standing in a white void. All she was left with was the memory of her child’s voice calling, burned into her mind forever.



As Tess fell to her knees among the broken shards of an ongoing nightmare, her eyes fell upon one large jagged image. It was Zander’s terrified face. His eyes were closed; tears stained his face as his perfect mouth shook from his cry. “Zander,” she sobbed.



~~~



Tess heard a soft click and before she remembered what had happened, she found herself lying in Michael’s bed. “Zander!” she cried, gasping for air, her brow was moist from her sweat.



“Tess?” Max’s low voice drew her eyes to the door.



Her brow creased as her eyes began to focus on the figure approaching her. “Max?” Tess called. “Is that you?”



Max wasn’t sure what was wrong, but there was pure terror in her eyes and her hair was damp from sweating. He sat down beside her, unsettled, when she drew back from him. His bride in a former life curled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She rocked slowly back and forth.



He reached out for her and placed his hand on her upper arm. She was trembling. “Tess what’s wrong?” Her eyes seemed to focus on the distant wall; she was somewhere else. He moved further onto the bed and grasped Tess’ shoulders in both his hands and shook her gently. “Tess, what happened?” he asked firmly. She didn’t look good.



Tess closed her eyes, Zander’s cry still ringing in her ears. She covered them, shutting her eyes even tighter. “Nooooo,” she sobbed.



Max had never seen her like this. He didn’t know what to do. “Tess!” Max barked, shaking her harder this time. “Wake up! It’s me. Max.”



Tess felt the lump in her throat grow. She had let her son down. She should have protected him. She should have…



“TESS!” Max yelled, giving her one last hard shake.



Tess opened her eyes and lifted her head out from under the folds of her arms. “Max?” In the glow of the dawn, a shadowed figure sat in front of her. “Max?” she called again. “Is that you?” Tess squinted her eyes and dropped her arms to her side, letting her knees extend forward.



Max’s heart began to slow when he saw that Tess was coming out of her trance-like state. “Tess, yes. It’s me,” he smiled. Unexpectedly Tess launched into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Max…oh, Max. We have to save him. We have to.”



~~~



“Do you think he’ll believe us? Or Tess?” Isabel asked Michael.



He shrugged. “I don’t know. Max is stubborn,” Michael sighed. “But he can’t deny the facts.”



Isabel nodded. “I just wish this never had happened,” she sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples as if she had a migraine.



“Because of Max?”



Isabel stopped what she was doing, opened her eyes and frowned. “What do you mean?”



“Do you wish this hadn’t happened because then you wouldn’t know what Jesse did to us?”



Isabel swallowed hard, her heart racing. How could he ask her this now? She shook her head and moved from the couch out onto the balcony, to get some fresh air. The room was stifling all of the sudden. “This has nothing to do with Jesse,” Isabel said calmly.

Michael joined her on the balcony. She turned and faced her ‘other half’. “Don’t start on him Michael. I don’t think I could take it,” Isabel said honestly.



Michael lowered his head and turned to look out at the intense sun, leaning against the railing. “Are you going to forgive him?” he asked tentatively.



Isabel felt like something sharp had began tightly squeeze her heart. How could she answer that question when she didn’t know? She took in a deep breath of the cool morning air, hoping it would ease the throbbing in her chest. “I don’t know,” she whispered.



Michael pushed off against the balcony and turned around to face her. He approached her slowly and with his index finger lifted her chin so that her eyes met his. “I don’t want you to go back to him Isabel. You don’t belong with him.”



Isabel felt her heart racing again, except this time it wasn’t from the pain and turmoil of the decision she had ahead of her. Michael’s dark brooding eyes seemed to look right through her. His words sent shivers through her body. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. As she tried to avert her eyes from his intense gaze, Michael grabbed her chin gently between his thumb and index finger, leaving her eyes fixed upon his. “I…” The words just wouldn’t come to Isabel. She had always felt so drawn to him, as if part of her belonged with him, and he would make her whole.



Michael felt like his heart would leap out of his chest as it pounded fast and hard against his breast. Without thinking, he closed his eyes and lowered his lips onto hers. As it brushed ever so gently against hers, Michael was long awaited dream was shattered; Isabel pulled away and dashed through the living room and down the hall. The sound of the bathroom door resounded in his ears. He closed his eyes and leaned against the railing once more; this time his heart raced from the embarrassment he felt for trying something so reckless. Michael leaned his forehead on the back of his hand, which grasped the railing.



Who was he kidding? It would never be the right time.


Chapter Thirty Five


***

Love is much like a wild rose,
Beautiful and calm,
But willing to draw blood in its defense


- Mark Overby

***


Kissed Michael. She had almost kissed Michael. The warmth of his lips on hers lingered, as she pressed them together distractedly.



This was not happening.



~~~



Michael stared at the bathroom door debating whether he should try to talk to her or if it was best to leave it alone. Frozen in indecision, Michael turned on his heel and went back to the living room.



~~~



Once Tess had regained her composure, she extracted her arms from around Max’s neck. She cleared her throat in awkwardness. “I’m sorry,” Tess whispered as she looked up at Max’s confused expression.



Max shook his head. “N-no,” he stammered. “Don’t be.” Max ran both his palms nervously down his thighs. “What happened?”



Tess swallowed, thinking back to the vision, or dream. She hadn’t decided what it was. It was so vivid, as if Zander had been calling for her. As she weighed the decision of whether to tell Max, or wait until she was sure it wasn’t some dream she subconsciously concocted because she missed Zander so much; Tess shook her head and laughed. “It was nothing,” she lied. “Just a dumb dream.” Tess pulled away from Max, sliding off the bed and shaking off the memory of her son’s cry.



“It was more than a dream Tess,” Max frowned, “you woke up in a sweat.”



Tess wrapped her arms around herself and stared out at the crisp morning view. “I told you,” she chided. “It was nothing.” Suddenly Tess turned around and stared curiously at Max. “What are you doing here anyway?”



Max opened his mouth to say something, but from the expression on his face, Tess knew that if he did indeed say anything, it would be a lie. But he didn’t. He closed his mouth and lowered his gaze.



There was a moment of silence before they both heard a loud slam of a door in the hallway. They looked at each other peculiarly, and then turned their gaze to the door. “What do you think that was?” Max asked.



Tess was relieved that he used this opportunity

Chapter Thirty Six


***

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does.

Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.



- James Baldwin***





“Tess! Isabel?” Max called from the other side of the door. “Are you guys done in there?”



Tess looked hesitantly at Isabel. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. How she would give anything not to have to face Max. What did he expect from her?



As she slid off the counter, Tess studied Isabel’s somewhat uncertain expression. Apparently she didn’t want to go out there as much as Tess didn’t. She squinted and scrutinized Isabel’s frightened behavior. “What’s with you?”



Isabel looked startled out of her thoughts again. She didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything that was happening in here. “What?” she exclaimed with a nervous laugh. “What do you mean?”



“I mean, why are you staring at the door like someone’s going to jump you, if you open it?” Tess asked suspiciously.



Isabel glared at Tess, trying to cover her emotions. “I am not,” she said indignantly. “I was just thinking.”



Tess raised her eyebrows and nodded skeptically. “Sure,” she said warily. “And I’m really human.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. At least it was getting her mind off of her problems with Max.



“Did something happen between you and Michael?”



Isabel’s eyes widened and she had a panicked expression on her face. “What do you mean? What about me and Michael?”



Tess knew she hit a nerve. She’d never seen a woman look so guilty in her life. Now she just had to figure out what it was. “It’s just that we, Max and I, thought you guys might have had a fight?” A look of relief appeared on Isabel’s now darkened features. “Uh, yeah,” Isabel said casually. “We sort of had a fight. That’s all.”



Tess had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She wasn’t the best liar when it came to her emotions. “Really? And what did you fight about?”



Isabel froze at the question. “W-w-what did…we fight about?” The pitch of her voice rose at the end of the question. The tall faux brunette looked distractedly in the mirror as she ran her fingers nervously through her hair. “Uh…”



There was another knock at the door. “You guys, we need to talk.” This time it was Michael’s voice that boomed through the door.



Tess turned around and watched Isabel curiously as her face paled and her eyes downcast. “We’ll be out in a minute!” she yelled. Slowly, she took a couple of steps until she stood side by side her uneasy friend. “Are you all right?” Isabel did not respond. Tess nudged Isabel with her shoulder. “Did something else happen between you and Michael?”



Isabel shrugged her shoulders back and stood up tall, regaining her composure. She looked Tess straight in the eye and shook her head. “No,” she said without hesitation. Tess watched Isabel stiffly open the door. She turned back and asked, “Are you coming?”



Tess wasn’t sure what had happened, but something major had happened between Isabel and Michael and it was something Isabel felt guilty about. Her forehead creased at the thought. Could the two have feelings for each other?



It wasn’t an alien notion. She and Max had been strongly connected since they first met. But Michael and Isabel seemed quite content in their relationships. The only sign of discomfort she had ever seen them display was when she first hinted at the notion that they had a destiny, and that there might be a hidden connection between someone who had been standing right in front of them all along.



Then Maria and Michael quite suddenly became steadies, as did Alex and Isabel. Tess hadn’t thought about it before, but now that she thought about it, it could have been an adverse reaction to the knowledge that they were attracted to one another. Before it had been an impossibility; and after she had arrived, it became a reality. They were meant to be, just as she and Max were.



“Tess?” Tess opened her eyes and saw Isabel waiting for her in the hallway. “Are you coming?”



Tess smiled and nodded. “Uh, yeah. Sure,” she chuckled. “Sorry, was just thinking about something.”



~~~



When Isabel emerged from her sanctuary that was his bathroom, Michael couldn’t help but stand up from his laidback position on the couch. Her eyes met his for a moment before darting away and turning her attention to Tess who followed behind her. He swallowed. She seemed nervous and uneasy. It made his heart flutter to think of what he had just done to the relationship he had managed to rebuild in the short time she had been back. He prayed that she didn’t hate him for what he had impulsively done.



“So did Tess fill you in on what the ‘facts’ are?” Max asked.



Isabel frowned, confused at his question. “What are you talking about?”



Michael cleared his throat and not taking his eyes off of Isabel. “Tess has been explaining the logistics of why Liz caused Max’s sickness,” he explained. Isabel met his intense gaze and nodded. “Oh,” she said hesitantly.



“Oh?” Max exclaimed. “Is that all you have to say?”



Isabel looked at Max. “What else am I supposed to say? She’s lying and we should burn her at the stake?” she retorted.



“You guys don’t get it do you? As long as it doesn’t affect you, you guys are fine! That’s the way it’s always been,” Max huffed. “It doesn’t matter that this information just happens to hurt me and Liz.”



Michael looked incredulously at Max. “You think that we don’t know this hurts either of you? How long do you think we’ve been dealing with this? We’ve known for weeks, and we tried to think of a way to break it to both of you, but you know, we had other things on our mind!” he spat. “Don’t mind us, we’re just trying to save your life!”



Suddenly Michael’s ears cringed at a high resonance whistle that echoed through his apartment. “Hey!” Tess barked. “Stop this! I’ve had enough.”



Michael looked uncertainly at Max and Isabel. What now?



“You guys can try to reason your way out of the truth; you can scream and cry until your voice is hoarse. I’m done,” Tess declared. She turned on her heel and headed out the door, leaving all of them stunned.



Michael closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. Tess was right. It wasn’t worth it. Max was bound and determined to live in his fantasy world where Liz was his soul mate and he and she would live happily ever after. He wanted to forget the fact that he was an alien hybrid and the powers that he had – that was fine with Michael. But he couldn’t blame Tess one bit for getting tired of it all.



The more and more Michael thought about it, home wasn’t here anymore. His ties with Maria had been cut, mostly due to his thoughtless decisions regarding their relationship. Now his relationship with Isabel had become uneasy and tense. Michael hardly had any ties here and he felt like he had no purpose. At least on Antar, he would be fighting for the freedom of his people. Michael sighed uneasily as these thoughts swirled around in his mind.



Would going ‘home’ be so bad?



~~~



“Where are they?” Liz asked irritably, glancing over at Max’s locker. She had gotten to school early that morning hoping to spend a little time with Max before classes started. He and Michael hadn’t made an appearance yet.



“Are you waiting for Max?” Maria sighed, leaning against the locker next to Liz’s. It was hard to watch. Liz had always been infatuated with Max and though she loved to support her friend, it was growing tiresome. She was like a puppy dog, waiting for her Master.



Liz turned around to find Maria looking smugly at her. “Glad to see you finally got up,” she teased. Liz tried to rouse Maria this morning, but it was like waking up a log. “And yes, I’m waiting for Max.” She grabbed a couple of textbooks and stuffed them into her backpack. “Have you seen him yet?” Liz asked curiously.



Maria rolled her eyes. “C’mon! Do you think they’re actually going to show up today? They’ve been wrapped up in that whole alien thing for the past two days!” she exclaimed. “And then there’s the Tess thing.”



Liz turned around alarmed at the reminder of what she had done last night. “Do you think Michael called Max last night and told him?” she asked nervously.



Maria shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “He could have.”



“Could have what?” Kyle asked, popping his head in between their conversation.



Liz pulled back, startled by Kyle’s unexpected arrival. “Kyle!” she gasped, chuckling. “I didn’t see you there.”



Her ex winked and stretched his arms around her and Maria’s shoulders. “Well I like to give the ladies a surprise once and awhile,” he smirked. Liz rolled her eyes and shrugged his strong muscular arms off her shoulder, as did Maria. His face drooped as if the rejection had injured him deeply, and then returned to its normal grin after the girls did not react. “So let me ask again, could have what?”



Maria was about to tell Kyle last night’s events when Liz interrupted with her cheery disposition. “So what did you do last night?” Liz chirped.



Kyle frowned and studied her curiously. “I didn’t do much,” he said slowly. He stood there silently for a moment, as if debating whether to call Liz on her obvious change of subject. Much to Liz’s relief, he opted not to. “Hey guys? Do you know what’s up with Isabel?”



Now it was Liz’s turn to frown. “What do you mean? What happened?” She hated that she was out of the loop on things. It was Michael and Isabel’s fault for starting it and Liz couldn’t believe that Max was continuing it. He hadn’t even called her. “I know you know something,” she declared.



Kyle’s expression was one of surprise. “I thought you guys would have been in on it. Obviously I was wrong,” he said shamefully.



“Well don’t keep us in suspense. What happened?” Maria said anxiously. She knew Michael and Tess had been up to something last, but she didn’t know what. It was always secrets with him.



Kyle shrugged. “I went for a jog last night and found Isabel crying in the park,” he explained. “Apparently Jesse sold them out to the Feds.”



Liz and Maria looked at each other in bewilderment. “What?” they said in unison.



Kyle shifted his backpack higher up on his shoulder and shrugged. “That’s what she told me. Jesse sold them out and the Feds kidnapped him.”



“Is he still missing?” Maria asked worriedly.



“Well apparently they went to rescue him yesterday. That’s why they weren’t at school,” he replied.



“So everyone’s okay?” Liz asked.



Kyle nodded. “Yeah. If you call Isabel being totally wrecked over Jesse.”



Liz shook her head. She couldn’t believe that Jesse had done this to Isabel, to all of them. He had always seemed like a decent guy. How could he have lied to all of them?



Maria leaned back against the locker and gripped her books to her chest. This was just one more on the list of many worries that they had on their plate. Maria took in a deep breath and sighed. How much more could they all take? When would their lives return to normal?



Then she glanced over at Liz who was deep in her own thoughts. Her best friend had alien powers, which were cool on the one hand, but she wasn’t human anymore. She was one of them. Maybe it would only last for a little while, but she was one out of a few dozen reminders of how untypical her teenage life was now. Maria had always heard that too much knowledge was never a good thing and now she was beginning to believe it.



The bell rang.



“What are we going to do about this?” Liz asked in a hushed tone.



Maria glanced sideways at her best friend. “What do you mean ‘what are we going to do’?”



Liz frowned at Maria. “Well we can’t just go to class like nothing is happening!” she exclaimed incredulously.



Maria looked wearily at Kyle and then at her best friend. “We can’t?” she said dryly. By the look on Liz’s face, Maria knew she wasn’t going to let go of it. Already, the grinds were churning in her head. “Liz, we can’t miss anymore school if we’re going to graduate,” she sang nervously. “Besides, Kyle said that they got Jesse back, so I’m assuming that the bad guys are dispatched.”



Liz couldn’t believe what Maria was saying. “We can’t just let them shut us out of this!” she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. Then quickly realizing that a few classmates had begun to stare oddly at the trio, Liz drew her hands abruptly to her side. She leaned in towards Maria and Kyle who tried to look casual about the whole thing. “We have to help, we’re still involved here.” Then Liz threw a backwards glance at Maria. “And who cares if we skip a class? It’s our friends in danger here.”



Kyle shook his head and waved his hands hesitantly. “Hey, I’ve never been involved in one of your capers here, but I seem to recall hearing stories and it’s not pretty,” he muttered. “Besides, I think Maria’s right. It sounded like they handled everything just fine yesterday.”



Liz looked at two of her closest friends. “So you’re not going to come with me?”



Maria looked over at Kyle who was eyes darted nervously between the two women. She closed her eyes, knowing that she would regret it, and shook her head. “No, we didn’t say that, did we Kyle?” Kyle opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Finally when he managed to say something, it came out as a jumble of words, unintelligible to the human ear. Maria tilted her head in Kyle’s direction and plastered a smile on her face. “See?”



Liz returned the favor and smiled politely in response, “Great!” she said sarcastically.



~~~



“A transmission from Bel Maar, Madame,” Medgio stated.



Andaria looked anxiously at Medgio. “Does he look hopeful?”



Medgio bowed his head low. “I do not know Mistress. He is very distracted and will not answer directly. He wishes to speak to you.”



Andaria nodded and with a flick of her wrist dismissed the faithful servant. She entered a five-digit code into the console before her and a translucent image floated appeared before her. The faded blue skin of the Maarican glowed through coagulation of the magnetic light dispersion.



The Maaricans were a unique race. Their ‘eyes’ were mere narrow slits in which light could be filtered into their minds’ eye. Instead of ‘seeing’ with an organ which light is allowed in and an image is transmitted though this organ; the Maaricans used radar, in a sense, to see. They had a superior sense of hearing and also a powerful yet subtle genetic anomaly only found in the Maaricans. Their minds’ eye, as they referred to it, could reach out into the somewhat dark and blank inside themselves and with the light they obtained through the pair of slits, where their eyes would have been, illuminated what they could already see through this ‘muscle’ as the Antarian ‘architects’ called it. They were a race which the Antarians had a longstanding alliance.



Andaria bowed her head in respect. “Laban, it is good to see you,” she greeted her old friend. “What news do you bring to me?”



“Andaria,” the Maarican nodded reverently, “it has been so long. I dare not speak to you but only for a moment. Sessar has been monitoring our transmissions.” The head of the seventh tribe of Bel Maar’s thin lips curled slightly. In fact the Maaricans barely spoke with their mouths, though it was possible. Most of the time they spoke telepathically. Only in races where the peoples’ minds were not advanced, would the guttural tones pass their lips.



“What say Panyin about Zan’s return to the throne?” Andaria asked darkly. If they lost one more alliance, there would be no return.



The wavering image hesitated before answering. “We have no definitive answer from him. He has heard about the Summit and Khivar is pressuring him to pledge loyalty to the throne,” his voice warbled as if the sound waves were passing through water. “I have reminded him of our allegiance to the House of Kedra, but he is wavering. This is a fearful time, for all of us, to be thinking such things.”



“These are dark times Laban,” Andaria said gravely. “But we must remember our fates our interlinked. The destiny of all our worlds is in the hands of a madman. He intends to hold our worlds hostage. You know that our worlds have not seen peace since the death of Zan, the last descendant of Cian.”



Laban shook his head grimly. “Alaric was the last true peaceful ruler, worthy of our allegiance and friendship. Zan was a rebel. He did not listen to reason. What purpose would it serve to return him to the throne?” he asked.



Andaria straightened her posture, drawing herself up to her full height. She knew this question would be asked and as many times as she had rehearsed a palatable answer, she found herself blanking out. Licking her lips, the leader of the Loyalist army, cleared her throat and gazed seriously at her companion. “Zan’s rise to the throne was abrupt and unexpected. He was young and brash. I understand your hesitancy about adding your forces to ours, but you know it must be done. Only the True King shall bring peace to our galaxy and Khivar only destruction,” she declared forcefully.



Laban’s eyes darted away from the screen and a look of fear crossed his face. There was a moment of anxiety, both for Andaria and Laban. If he were to be discovered by one of Khivar’s spies, he would surely be executed. After a moment, Laban returned his focus to the transmission, though the tenseness had not left his face. “I must end trans, but you will have our answer before the New Moons.” The image flickered and dissipated as the light molecules scattered and faded.



Andaria stared forebodingly at the now empty space before her. She closed her blue crystalline eyes and sent up a prayer to the Unseen. Andaria had been quite surprised to find that the Earth race had a similar unseen Being known as God to them. The race seemed primitive, and for there to be folklore and stories about an all powerful Being that created the universe, it boggled her mind. The Unseen had made contact, just as it had made His Presence known to Cian many centuries ago. It made her prayers seem answerable. And they needed to be answered, more now than ever.



~~~



“Your Highness,” a meek, hunchback servant whispered, as he entered Khivar’s chamber.



Khivar narrowed his eyes and turned around, not pleased that the Iturian Cycle of Meditation had been disrupted. He needed it now more than ever. The focus of power needed to keep this world from turning on him had him drained at the end of a season. Usually the Iturian Cycle of Meditation was called upon at the end of the Winter Solstice. When life began anew.



As a boy he had learned of this Iturian process of renewing and regeneration; it had been his rite of passage into adulthood. It had amazed him that such a thing could be brought about by such a concentrated focus of the mind. He felt the rush of energy and power course through him.



Then one day Hakan, his mentor, revealed to him a theory that he had been working on; the idea that the energy gained from the process of Mediation could be stored and expanded. The minute power he had been given at birth could be changed and strengthened. It intrigued Khivar. He experimented with different techniques and found his telepathic powers growing stronger, as well as his physical keenness double in stature.



In the beginning it had taken several Cycles within the four seasons to see any change in his power, and even more when he began is attack on Antar. But now, time had seen him crowned King of Antar and though his subjects were less than jovial, Khivar’s powers were taxed less. Khivar was now at the point of completing the Cycle once every season.



“What do you want?” Khivar growled. He could feel the profits of the past few hours fade. He would have to begin the Cycle again.



The measly slave bowed his head and dropped uneasily to the floor. “Forgive me your Highness,” the sniveling minion whined, his voice cracking under the strain of Khivar’s intense gaze. “I did not mean to interrupt,” he squeaked.



Khivar rolled his eyes and released the bumbling idiot. He didn’t have the energy to waste on something so ugly and useless. “Spit it out!” Khivar demanded.



Khivar pressed the weight of his fury on the weakling’s mind, causing the Kedran garbage to whimper. “Why have you entered my chambers? You know I hate to be disturbed.” The frail figure squealed as he squeezed his slave’s mind tight, and then tighter still, as if he held it in the palm of his hand. He groaned and wrapped his fingers around his balding head, as if the limp bony appendages would be able to shield him from Khivar’s wrath. “What is it you want?”



The shivering slave remained on the floor and whimpered. “T-t-the General s-s-said to tell you t-that the L-loyalists have…” The Kedran scum shook while trying to remember the message.



“Well!” Khivar barked impatiently.



“Well, there has been some recent activity,” the Kedran sniffled. “On Earth…that General Q-Qunar, thinks is…is s-s-stra-ange.”



He narrowed his eyes at the new information. Something strange? Khivar’s mind began to churn as a million possible scenarios could have caused this activity on the mundane planet. He turned his eyes back on the Kedran, who remained cowering before him. “Tell General Qunar that I will see him in one hour,” Khivar commanded. The nameless messenger slunk away to deliver his message; his shoulders slouched forward, casting a rounded shadow before Khivar.



General Qunar was a trusted advisor. He was one of the most skilled at strategic planning in his army of men. The Iturian General had come with him all the way from the ranks of a lowly messenger to King of Antar. In his most dire circumstances Qunar had always come through for him. Khivar trusted him, as far as he ever trusted any Antarian.



He had placed him in command of the Kedran Sector 233. Khivar frowned, flexing his mind, which was exhausted from the day’s meetings and strategic sessions. It was definitely one of Qunar’s better ideas, recommending that he divide Antar into different sectors with a few loyal Commanders overseeing his subjects. They reported to him daily about any unusual activities or uprisings among Antarians – Kedrans and Iturians alike. Once he had located the source of the discontent, he would quash it easily, thanks to his newfound powers as King of Antar.



Earlier that day there had been an uproar in 450 and his body was stretched to the limits of its power and also his patience. Khivar almost had it mind to turn the leaders into mindless zombies, but he knew that then they would have just ended up being pieces of celluloid that ate more than they were worth. Instead, Khivar made examples of the two ‘anarchists’. He had their molecular structure split into particles, a process that, while impressive, was draining.



Khivar licked his thin lips and clasped his hands together behind him. The cool morning breeze that drifted from the pull of Badr, the first moon, smelled of smoky Rivensence, a tart berry found on the moors of the Aga. He would succeed. He had come too far and destroyed too many to let the puny Kedrans worm their way back from their life of servitude and into his courts.



They had all but been silenced; those who tried to thwart his ‘destiny’. Other than those he had chosen to show mercy to, few survived to see his Golden Age of Power. When he had seen them down on their knees in the dirt and grim, groveling at his feet, the Chosen people, Khivar spared their lives. After all he was not a tyrant. He could show his subjects leniency. He had given them a choice. Serve the Iturians and their allies, or join his ‘Army of Order’.



Khivar drank in the thick satin Antarian air and closed his eyes, letting himself be drenched in the light of the two moons. In two days time, the Festival of New Moons would be held, one event that he had retained on the Antarian calendar. Khivar actually enjoyed the Festival of New Moons. It was one of his fondest memories on Antar.



The whole of Antar prepared for the eclipse of their 3 moons. It had been myth that something remarkable happened every second decade. The myth had not been unproven, and this year there had been more whispers and speculation of a ‘Miraculous Return to Glory’. The King of Old would redeem their people.



Khivar hardly put any weight on these murmurings, but the problem was, the Kedrans were stirring up his complacent and fearful subjects. He sighed heavily. Though Khivar knew the plans of the Royal Four, he couldn’t help but feel anxious nonetheless. Khivar turned on his heel and headed toward the hallway. He would speak with Qunar tonight about relieving his worries. Soon all would know the strength of the arm of the New ‘Chosen’ King.



Chapter Thirty Seven


***

Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love, time is eternity.


- Henry Van Dyke

***




Tess walked around the darkened chamber. “How could things have gone so wrong?” she asked out loud into the emptiness. As she crouched down and ducked into the contrasting white room, Tess surveyed the room that had seen her departure and arrival; she couldn’t help but long for ‘home’. She hadn’t heard from Andaria for days and she ached to be with Zander. “I need to go home,” she whispered to herself.



Suddenly, as if by some psychic connection, she heard Andaria voice calling to her. “Tess.” Tess furrowed her brow and looked around the room. Was she hearing things?



“Tess,” Andaria’s voice whispered in her ear once more, as if she was standing there beside her.



“Mother?” Tess frowned. At once she felt this urgency to contact her mother. Tess sat down Indian style and took a deep breath and released it slowly. Closing her eyes she reached out to her mother. She hadn’t tried reaching her mother in this manner before, and hoped it wouldn’t tax her strength too much.



As she reached out into the dark nothingness, Tess found herself growing listless and faint. When she felt like she was going to lose herself to the darkness at that moment, Tess felt a pair of strong hands draw her into a dim light. “Tess,” Andaria’s voice echoed in her ears.



Tess opened her eyes and found herself lying on the floor of a similar white room, though their seemed to be no walls, no boundaries. She slowly grabbed her aching head and licked her dry lips. “What happened?” she whispered groggily. Tess felt Andaria’s hands release her. “My child you shouldn’t have tried to contact me like this,” she hissed. “You could have been lost in that void forever.”



Tess swallowed and pushed herself into a sitting position. “What do you mean?” she asked curiously.



Andaria’s tall graceful fluid form seemed to be even more awe-inspiring than Tess remembered. It seemed as if her solid physical body seemed to mask such beauty and light. Her mother looked down at her sternly. “Interstellar communication isn’t safe,” Andaria chided. “You should know that by now.”



Tess cautiously pushed herself to her feet and shook her head. “No one told me that,” she protested. “How am I supposed to know that? It didn’t seem like a big deal when I was talking to Max.”



Andaria shook her head. “That’s different. It is much easier to communicate from Antar with a primitive world; that do not have the ability to communicate telepathically. Also, Max wasn’t conscious in his physical state. He was in a safe horizon when you reached out to him. ”



Tess didn’t understand what her mother meant. What was a safe horizon?



Her mother obviously noticed her confused expression because her eyes softened from their angry and worried state. “Tess, when you communicate with any psyche, have you noticed how easier it is to reach into when they are unconscious or incoherent state?” Andaria asked.



Tess thought about it for a moment and realized that it was true. She nodded. “So? What does that have to do with Max and ‘safe horizons’?”



“’Safe horizons’ are places created for us when we, ‘mind walkers’, communicate with each other,” Andaria said slowly, searching for the right words to explain this concept to Tess. “When Max was sick, his spirit and psyche automatically knew it needed a ‘safe horizon’ which would protect it while his body was being ravaged with whatever disease or sickness that it might be dealing with. When we,” Andaria gestured to herself and Tess, “communicate, we find ourselves in a place like this.” She lifted her hands and motioned to the white plane, which they seemed to be occupying.



“This is what makes interstellar communication for ‘mind walkers’ so dangerous. If we haven’t located the ‘safe horizon’ in which the person we are contacting, we can get lost out there. If I hadn’t found you, I don’t know if you would have been able to find your way back.”



The idea of not being able to draw herself out of the vast emptiness was unnerving. She had never even considered it. Tess swallowed and nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said distractedly. “It’s just that I thought you were calling me and I needed to talk to you about Zander.”



Andaria’s expression became one of concern and empathy. “I know my child. It has been hard for you to be separated from Zander. I know what it is to be without your child for so long. It’s an ache that just sits in your heart,” she replied.



Tess lowered her eyes, trying to pull back the tears. “I miss him so much Mother. I need to hold him.”



Andaria nodded. “It won’t be long now my daughter.”



At the mention of time, Tess stiffened and swallowed hard. How would she tell her mother that she had given up on Max and the other two? She was done fighting and just wanted to go home. “Things aren’t working out the way you planned Mother,” she said mournfully.



Andaria frowned. “What do you mean?”



“Max isn’t coming back with me. And neither are Isabel and Michael.”



The tall blonde rebel leader tilted her head and her expression turned to one of worry. “You need to convince them otherwise Tess,” she said tersely.



Tess bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “It’s too late Mother. If we had hatched out of the pods together and Nasedo found them earlier, maybe,” she paused, “maybe they would have come. But as it is, they don’t care about Antar or the throne. They’ve immersed themselves in

The Book of Eudora II, vs. 1-38[/i]the human culture and have turned their backs on their duty.”



“This is unacceptable,” Andaria shook her head. “Preparations have been made and it has been foretold. Our Seers have prophesied this.”



“Well they’re wrong,” Tess said bluntly. “I think we have to deal with the stark reality that we’re on our own on this Mother.”



As much as Tess wanted this prophecy her mother spoke about to be true, she had to deal with reality. Her son’s life was at stake. If she stayed away any longer, the dream or vision she had would no doubt become reality. And she had lost her Love because she hadn’t put up a fight, but she would not lose Zander. He was her only focus now. Tess had had enough of foolish fairytale fantasies and was now faced with the knowledge that if her people were to survive the onslaught Khivar was planning, she would have to lead them.



Andaria seemed unusually calm for the news Tess had just given her. She had thought her mother would launch into a lecture about how she wasn’t trying hard enough and that she needed to give Max time. Instead, the former maidservant to the Queen Mother, closed her eyes, as if remembering some pleasant dream, tilted her head smiled. She approached Tess with an expression of serenity and confidence. “No my child, we will not have to do this alone,” Andaria stated calmly. “I know that the True King will return and save our people and many other worlds from the Hand of Khivar. It has been prophesied and foreseen.”



“Mother,” Tess began to protest. “You can’t just stick your head in the sand and…”



Andaria shook her head and interrupted her daughter, as if Tess were 3 years old and unable to understand something of what she knew. “The truth will come and will set us free. Have courage and faith my daughter. Max will see the truth, and so will the others. Do not be disheartened, it has been destined.”



With that, Tess found herself sitting in the Granolith chamber once more, nothing but the intermittent drops of water, echoing throughout the hollow desert peak.



~~~



Max was filled with mixed emotions. As he watched Tess leave the apartment, he felt relief that she had finally realized that he wasn’t leaving Earth. Max was tiring of trying to explain his ‘choice’ to her. She had to understand that he had loved Liz since he saw her in second grade. It was love that made him risk his life and his secret to save her.



But, as always, there was this nagging voice inside telling him to after her. It urged him to apologize. He had been a complete jerk to her when she apparently was trying to tell him the truth he had asked for. Max didn’t know what it was about her, maybe it was some inherent genetic instinct that drew him to her. Max sighed and needed some fresh air.



He silently and frustratingly walked to the balcony.



‘You know it’s not genetic makeup.’



Bah. Max rubbed the back of his neck and closed out the rays of sunlight that now beat down on him. “What do you know?” he challenged the nagging voice.



‘You loved her once and you keep thinking about her.’



“I don’t!” he mumbled to himself. “The only reason I would think about her is because I’m trying to figure out what stunt she’s going to pull next.”



“Who are you talking to?” Isabel asked.



Max turned around sharply, his heart beating at a rapid pace. “Isabel!” he exclaimed, embarrassed.



Isabel took a couple of steps forward and leaned back on the railing. “You’re thinking about Tess?” she asked casually.



Max averted his gaze and thought about the question for a moment before answering. “Uh, sort of.”



“I’m going out for awhile!” Michael yelled from the living room.



Max looked over his shoulder, where he could see Michael walking out the door. “What was that?” he asked curiously.



Isabel seemed to stare after Michael for a moment before turning her focus back to Max. “Nothing. I guess he just needed some air,” she said casually.



Max didn’t quite believe Isabel. When he had come out from Michael’s room, things seemed tense. Isabel was in the bathroom with Tess and Michael was brooding on the couch. There was definitely something going on, but he decided it was in best to let it lie for now. “Okay,” he sighed.



“So you and Tess. What’s going on?”



The blunt question left Max speechless for a moment. He wasn’t expecting Isabel to be so forthcoming in her questions. “What do you mean?”



“Are you changing your mind about staying on Earth?” Isabel inquired.



Max frowned and shook his head fervently. “No!” he exclaimed. “I’m staying here.”



“Are you sure?” she asked tentatively. “I know you must be worried about Zander.”



Max tilted his head, leaned forward and studied Isabel for a moment. “What are you talking about?”



Isabel swallowed and folded her arms across her chest. “Obviously Tess didn’t tell you how worried she is about Zander.”



“Why?” Max knew she was missing their son, but worried about him? Then he remembered her waking up in a sweat. Max chided himself for not pressing her about the dream. It must have been about Zander. He frowned again. Why didn’t she tell him about it?



“Apparently she’s worried about Khivar using Zander,” Isabel explained quietly. “Look Max, I don’t know if it’s true, but I get this awful feeling that Khivar would have no problem using Zander…”



His heart skipped a beat. Using his son. He couldn’t bear the thought. Though he hadn’t been there when his son was born, or held him, Max had a connection with that boy. When he felt his heartbeat and felt his son’s pain, when Zander was sick. Max felt helpless and useless. But now, his son was in danger again, but this time it was because of Max, that he was in danger. “I don’t know!” he mumbled. He debated whether he could believe Tess, but then as he gazed up at Isabel, whose expression was also one of worry, Max knew that it wasn’t only Tess’ dream he had to believe in, but also Isabel’s vision.



“Max,” Isabel said, her voice full of sympathy. “I know this is a hard choice to make, but I want you to know, that I would support you if you did decide to go back and save Zander.”



He looked up thankfully at Isabel as her words gave him a minimal amount of comfort. “Thanks.”



“You’re going back to Antar?” Liz’s voice startled Max, as he turned and saw the hurt of the news settle on her face.



“Liz!” he gasped. Max moved to reach out to her, but she took a step back. Maria and Kyle stood behind her, as if they were her bodyguards. “I can explain.”



“You can explain?” Liz asked. She looked shaky and distraught. Her eyes pierced right through him and begged him to please make her understand.



“Yes,” he sighed frustratingly. Max didn’t know how it had gotten this far, but now the words didn’t seem to want to leave his lips. “I…I, well…” As he stumbled over the words, the doubt in Liz’s eyes grew and he could tell that her heart had sunk at the inability of Max to put together a reasonable answer.



“You can’t be serious,” Maria exclaimed incredulously. “Can you?”



“That tramp killed Alex and then lied to all of us. She manipulated us into trusting her and then mindwarped us into believing that it was suicide. She is a liar and some other choice words that I will not lower myself to say.”



Max ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, I know all of that. But it doesn’t change the fact that Zander might be in danger.”



“Zander?” Kyle asked. “Whose that?”



Max looked up at the 5’7 jock, whom had once been his mortal enemy; but all that changed once he brought him back from the brink of death. “He’s my son.”



“Your son?” Liz whispered. “You’re going back for your son?”



Max nodded. “Khivar has him and both Isabel and Tess have had some bad premonitions about leaving him alone so long,” he explained. Once more, Max reached out to Liz, who still seemed reluctant to accept this answer.



“Why doesn’t Tess just go back there? And why is she so worried about him in the first place?” Maria growled. “Didn’t she make a deal with the maniac in the first place? I thought they were close buds.” She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.



“I don’t think she really is with Khivar,” Max said hesitantly. He had listened to Tess and the way she talked and described Khivar, and it sounded as if she loathed him more than any of them either could.



“You’re going to defend her now?” Liz asked skeptically. She gazed at him angrily. “The only reason I put up with her is that she was the only one who could save your life, and even that, I have my doubts about.” The petite brunette walked around the living room coffee table and sat down on the couch, her arms resting on her knees, her head hanging low and her hands holding back her silky locks of hair.



Max opened his mouth to say something, he didn’t know what, but something. “It’s not that I trust her now,” he said cautiously. “It’s just…”



Suddenly Maria interrupted him. “It’s just what?” she retorted. “You keep wanting to buy into the lies she’s feeding you. You don’t want her to be that ‘bad guy’. I mean, how could you have slept with her and not known what she is capable of, right?” Maria sat down beside Liz and stared up at Max, her long lashes batting innocently at her past reference.



“Stop,” Liz pleaded, resting her hand on Maria’s knee. She looked up at Max and swallowed. “Can we talk?”



Max nodded. “Can you guys leave?” He implored Maria, Kyle and Isabel to give him some time with Liz. They needed that.



Maria looked hesitantly at Liz. “Are you sure?” Liz nodded. “Yeah, we need to talk,” she replied, her eyes never leaving Max’s.



Once Maria left reluctantly, reminding Liz that she would be just out in the hallway, and Isabel dragged Kyle away from the spectacle; Max found himself standing before Liz, at a loss of what to say. This woman whom he had vowed to love forever gazed up lovingly at Max, a tear in the corner of her eye. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face into his chest. “Please don’t leave Max. I don’t think I could bear for you to leave me again.”



~~~



Michael had thought about going for a walk, but then decided he needed something longer than a walk and further away from the mess that had just been accumulating. As he stepped out of the jeep, whose car keys he had managed to sneak off with, while Isabel and Max were engrossed with his little soap opera melodrama, and took in a deep breath. The desert was always a place of solitude, quietness and the picture of rest for Michael. He loved just standing out on the cliff, which had become a meeting place of sorts for the elite group of Roswellians. Out here they could talk about anything and everything without having to worry about someone bugging the place or watching them, without the group noticing.



He picked up a stone and threw it as hard as he could over the precipice. What was keeping him here? Michael sat down on the dusty rock that overlooked hundreds of thousands of feet of empty space, before the crashing reality of the jagged rocks below. Antar. He had been thinking about that place for years and years. How would he get there? Where was it?



Lately he had been having visions again. Michael hadn’t told the group about it. He knew that it wasn’t the most desirous of subjects among Max, Isabel, Maria, or Liz. He had been remembering. Bit by bit, Michael remembered his past life and the feelings he had for Isabel, or ‘Vilandra’, should he say. His earlier dreams had only been a mixture of what he had already known about his past life and reality. He was sure that Vilandra hadn’t told him about Khivar; he knew because the visions he had been having lately confirmed it. They were coming with more frequency now.



The sun hung overhead, and beat down its glaring rays. He looked up and saw the faint outline of the pale moon converging with the bright warmth of the sun. Michael frowned as he watched the spectacle occur. All of the sudden he felt as if something was sitting on his chest. Michael licked his dry chapped lips and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He wasn’t sure if it was from heat exhaustion, he didn’t think so, since he had been only sitting there for a few minutes, but he kept on fading in and out of consciousness. As he tried to fight to stay awake, Michael finally gave in and lay back against the gritty copper soil and drifted into sleep.



“They are in Commander Rath! I don’t know how they received access, but they are in the inner courts.”



Rath/Michael frowned at the officer and turned to Zan and Ava. “Fall back to the inner sanctum, I’ll keep Khivar out long enough for you two to escape!”



“I’m not running like a coward,” Zan declared.



“Don’t argue with me Zan!” Michael/Rath warned, as he saw the inner gate giving way. “Go!”



Zan pulled out of Ava’s grasp and stood nose to nose with Rath/Michael. “Like I said, I’m not running. Now you’re either going to bickering with me when they break down the gates or you’ll stand with me Rath,” Zan growled. “Either way, I’ll still be here.”



“And so will I,” Ava added, stepping up behind Zan.



Rath/Michael let out a primal scream. “All right!” he yelled. “Fine. Be stubborn. I always knew you were. But I didn’t think you were this illogical.”



Suddenly the inner gates creaked and the hundred tonne doors fell with a thud. Hundreds of raised voices cried out in victory, but no signs of Khivar. Rath/Michael commanded the remaining soldiers to engage in battle as he pushed Zan and Ava back to the throne.



Zan stood along side Rath/Michael as they picked off Khivar’s approaching squadron of Iturians. The power of Zan and Rath/Michael together, felled the attackers in tens as they flew at the Royal Four. Rath/Michael glanced to his right to see Ava standing beside her husband blasting those who made it through Zan’s blasts. He hoped Vilandra had escaped.



They took on the army of men Khivar threw at them, but in an unexpected turn, the men fell off and drew off to the side, finishing off men Rath/Michael had known and commanded for decades. Rath/Michael glanced warily at Zan. “He’s up to something,” he whispered to his Liege.



“And we’ll be ready.”



The commander of the Iturian army was unveiled through the curtain of soldiers. Rath/Michael noticed he was dragging someone behind him. It was Vilandra.



Khivar pulled himself up to full stature and smiled mischievously. “I’ve waited and planned years for this moment. And in the hand of victory I will take my greatest prize!” Khivar growled.



Ava, Zan and Rath/Michael looked strangely at each other. Zan took a step forward and shook his head in disgust. “You are too full of yourself Khivar. You haven’t won yet. Let Vilandra go and we might not make your death a torturous one”



“Oh really? Haven’t I?” he asked knowingly, arching his right brow. “Vilandra, why don’t you inform your brother how it was I penetrated your outer gates and routed Commander Rath’s armies.” He yanked her arm and she stumbled forward and fell to her knees.



Rath/Michael glanced over at Vilandra, who would not meet his questioning gaze. “What is he saying Vilandra?” he demanded, glancing back and forth between his enemy and betrothed.



Khivar nudged Vilandra with his knee. “Tell them,” he commanded Rath/Michael watched Vilandra move towards Khivar. He grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?” Rath/Michael growled.



She turned and the once warm pools he had loved to gaze into, stared guiltily into his. “I’m sorry Rath. He said that he wanted peace. He told me that if I just let him in, he would settle this with Zan without bloodshed.” Her shimmering locks fell down across her face and she began to sob. “He promised. I didn’t know Zan,” she peered up at her brother, “he said he loved me.”



“How could you do this?” Zan raged. “How could you betray us like this? How could you believe him?”



Vilandra’s expression harded at her brother’s judgment. “You would have gotten us killed Zan. At least this way, our people and our family would have lived to see old age,” she accused menacingly. Khivar moved towards Vilandra and picked her up, until she stood side by side with him. “We could still end this peacefully,” she said hopefully.



Rath/Michael watched in horror. “He is a liar and never intended to take the Royal family alive!” he roared. Rath/Michael strode forward and reached out to stop Vilandra.



Khivar raised his right hand and smiled. Rath/Michael found himself unable to move. “You are really a wretched creature Rath. I thought you would have been more of an opponent than this.” Rath/Michael seethed with anger and disgust at the Iturian scum, who stood before him. “The great Royal Four. How I enjoy watching it all crumble!” His black eyes gleamed under the celestial lights that hung in the throne room. “I wil give you credit Rath, because at least you’re correct about this one thing. I never intended to take you alive.” Then in a blink of an eye, he released a critical blast. The reddish stream of light blinded him, and the area of light expanded so that he could no longer watch Khivar’s delighted expression. As it approached and Rath/Michael watched it envelop him, he heard Vilandra’s scream echo in his ears. “Nooooooo!”



He felt dazed as his life’s energy ebbed away. As he observed from the solid plane that held him up, Rath/Michael watched as there was an exchange of blasts from Zan and Ava aimed at Khivar who easily blocked them. Zan and Ava looked worn from the battle beforehand. Rath/Michael watched as Vilandra sobbed, whist in Khivar’s grip. He whispered lovingly into her ear, while she cringed at his touch. There was a jumble of words that flew past from Vilandra’s lips, which seemed to anger Khivar. His gaze turned towards Ava and Zan, whose shield was wavering. Khivar’s eyes narrowed and a smirk replaced the frown on his face. Suddenly two blasts flew forth from Khivar. Rath/Michael was faint and could not turn and see if the blasts had hit their marks, but as he watched Vilandra’s expression turn from that of sorrow to horror and agony, Rath/Michael knew that Ava and Zan were dead.



During his last breath, before Rath/Michael closed his eyes for the last time, he watched as Vilandra pull away from Khivar and release the brightest swell of energy that had been seen since the Battle of Evgeny. Khivar dove to the ground and avoided the blast while releasing one of his own. Rath/Michael hands clenched wearily, as he watched his beloved Vilandra crumple to the ground, her beauty frozen in that last moment of time, with the glow of the palacial flames surrounding her, and the last of the Kedran army slain.



With a gasp, Michael woke up with a start. The images and the people seemed so real. He looked down at his hands, which remained clenched. How he hated him.



Michael now remembered his life as the Second in Command. His struggles with Khivar had been fierce and bloody. Each side took turns receiving massive blows to their armies with every battle.



Something then stirred inside of him as he dusted himself off and stood looking out from the ledge of the cliff, he let out a defiant, primal scream. Khivar would not win this time. Michael would tear his age old enemy to pieces with his bare hands.



He closed his eyes and images of blooded men dressed in silver armor flashed before him. His stomach lurched as he recalled each one of their names, and the brotherhood he had with these men. Khivar would pay for slaughtering his men, his brothers.



Michael gritted his teeth ad opened his eyes, a quiet tear rolled down the corner of his face. He could hear Vilandra’s laugh echo within his ears. And the image now etched into his memory of the pain and agony on her face as Khivar stole her essence from her. He swallowed as he let the need for revenge overwhelm him and the knowledge that he had another chance at saving his people from Khivar’s unholy grasp. Michael had never felt this engulfing need and desire before. It was as if he finally knew his purpose.



~~~



“Here is my chosen servant,

His slumber is as refreshing to the soul.

I have destined him to bring peace to this people,

I have chosen him to rule.



Long ago his fathers sat on star-covered thrones.

I chose them in the depths of darkness,

I made them my people and bestowed on them

The gifts of the heavens.



A time of drought I called upon their house.

They wait in anxious hope and I have heard their cries.

I did not leave them in this despair.

No, again, I will be glorified by them.



For hidden in the depths of darkness,

No false intend to find.

Four who ruled in ages past,

Will rise to their own kind.



Creator laid,

Foundations made,

His Plans will not be moved.



Sleeper rise and sleep no more.

Truth and light be told.

Though pain and grief may strike you still,

Peace and love wilt be.



They shall embrace the chosen destiny,

All Four will be put to task.

But One will join the stars together,

Loving destiny will only last.



How swift the coming days approach!

Will they hear the mournful cry?

You have seen the Chosen One.

He had been and fell before his time.

Now I shall raise him again and he shall not die.



His days will be long and arduous,

But I will bless his house and his children’s children.

No longer will the downcast sit on the throne.

No more will they disparage the name of the house of Kedra – my chosen people.



Cry out oh people!

Shout with joy!

Your King shall be returned.

One whose steadfast love will quench,

The fury of the spurned.



Beauty at his side,

His Second will command.

She who has betrayed is betrayed,

All go hand in hand.



Now I have stirred up one from the south, and he comes –

One from the rising of the sun.

He will gather and prepare the One who will be King.

Together with the Light of the pale Moons,

The way shall be paved and made smooth.



The Sleeper shall awake and bring forth the Created Ones.

Out from the depths of the void,

All shall return home.



Here begins the welcoming of Spring.

Here begins the time of renewal and refreshing.

The season of light and joy will fill the house of Kedra once more.

No more mourning or doubt.

No more tears of sorrow.

I have brought you him, who will lead you out of the darkness,

And he who has been and will be.



I have foretold these things and as I have declared,

They shall be a remnant of hope to you.”




I hope you guys are enjoying this.

Chapter Thirty Eight


***

Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They’re what make the instrument stretch – what makes you go beyond the norm.


- Cicely Tyson

***




She thought she was alone. Tess never expected to walk out of their ‘hiding place’ and see Michael standing along the jagged cliffs. It was an unusual sight. She had always been alone, and now here was Michael, sitting near a place she assumed none of them even visited anymore. As she made her way down the slightly dusty slope and around the rocks, which jutted out from the surface, Tess felt a twinge of a long hidden emotion.



Maybe Andaria was right, and she should not give up hope yet.



~~~



“Michael, what are you doing here?” Tess asked.



Michael jerked his body around and found himself face to face with Tess. His heart was racing. She had startled him. “Tess!” he gasped. “What are you doing here?”



“I think I asked that question first.” Tess studied his face and knew something was different about him. Something had changed.



Michael frowned and turned his gaze back to the clear blue horizon. “I needed to get some air. How about you?”



“Same. But you know that,” Tess reminded.



Michael nodded without turning around. “What were you doing in the chambers?”



“Thinking,” she replied casually. Tess took a few steps forward until she was standing along side Michael, also taking in the view. “I was talking to my Mother.” She decided bluntness was the best course of action with Michael.



At this, Michael’s interest was piqued. “You talked to your mother? Why?”



“I wanted to know how Zander is,” she explained. “And I wanted to tell her that I was coming home.”



“You are?” Michael was surprised that she would give up so easily. Tess always seemed determined and never the type to give up.



Tess looked up at Michael. “Yeah,” she said, studying his brooding thoughtful face. “You don’t think I should?”



Michael shrugged. “It’s your prerogative.”



Tess sighed. “Yes, but it’s nice to hear what other people think once and awhile.”



Michael scuffed the toe of his boot against the hard dry ground. “What did your mother think?”



“Andaria said to try harder and that you guys would come around,” Tess replied distractedly. “She said that she has faith that you will remember our people and that you would return to Antar and your rightful places.”



Silence. Tess didn’t know what Michael was thinking about Andaria’s words of encouragement. Knowing her luck, Michael would think that she was just making it all up. She stuffed her hands in her back pockets and bit her bottom lip, hoping he wouldn’t turn on her for telling the truth.



“How long are you willing to wait to find out?” Michael asked tentatively, while staring out at the copper-tinted cliffs. There was an emotional tumult raging inside of him and he didn’t know how to voice it, or who to voice it to. He wanted Tess to be telling him the truth, but after her cover up of Alex’s death, her credibility left a lot to be desired.



“Not much longer,” Tess admitted. “Zander needs me, and no matter how much I lov…” Tess stopped herself from using the ‘L’ word. It wasn’t appropriate. “As much as I know Andaria wants me to bring Max back home, I have to think of my son. He needs me. I can feel it.”



Michael turned his head and looked down at Tess, who was kicking the loose soil over the cliff’s edge. “Because of Khivar right?”



Tess stopped her fidgeting and looked up at Michael. “Yes. Because of Khivar.” As she stared up into his dark brown eyes, which scrutinized her every move and look, Tess knew that maybe her lies had cost her time. Maybe truth would be the only way to bring them home.



“But why?” he asked warily.



“Why what?”



“Why would you ever make a deal with Khivar? It doesn’t seem like you?”



“What doesn’t seem like me?” Tess asked hesitantly. Her heart skipped a beat at his question. He was getting close and she had held this secret so close to her for so long that she didn’t know if she could let it go.



Michael didn’t know how to explain it.



All this time she had been cozying up to them, building our trust and then to lie and kill Alex? It just didn’t make sense.



“Why would you make a deal with Khivar after you know he killed us? I may not like you and even believe you might be driven enough to do almost anything to get back to Antar, but to make a deal with a man whom you hated as much as all of us did?” Michael paused a moment, studying Tess’ lash-cloaked eyes. Her body seemed tense and twitchy, like she had something to hide. “It just doesn’t sit right, any way you look at it.”



“Well you didn’t seem to have a problem with it before,” Tess exclaimed defensively, while averting her eyes from Michael’s piercing gaze.



“Well I didn’t have time to go over all of it. And also, I didn’t know you like I do now.”



Tess lifted her gaze to meet his and stared at him curiously. “And you know me better now?”



It was Michael’s turn to feel squeamish and under scrutiny. “Yes,” he said curtly. “I remember you now.”



Tess pulled her hands out of her pocket and turned her whole body toward him, while grabbing his upper arm and turned him towards her. “You remember being ‘Rath’?”



Michael nodded, pulling out of her grasp. “I remember all of you. Our life before, my command of Zan’s armies, I remember all of it.”



“That’s great!” Tess squealed, clasping her hands together. “I never thought you would. In fact, I don’t think I have received all of my memories back like you have, but I remember the most important parts. How did you get them all back?”



“Yeah, well la dee da!” Michael scoffed, twirling his index finger in the air. “I don’t know exactly how I got them back. I’ve been having visions lately, but today was when I got all of my memory back.”



“Well that’s not important now,” Tess smiled, her eyes gleaming. “I’m just glad you remember. You and Isabel were the ones who seemed to be struggling with the memories, though Isabel more than you.”



Michael stiffened at the mention of Isabel and shook his head. They were getting off topic. “Whatever. You still haven’t answered my question. Why did you make that deal with Khivar?”



Tess backed away from Michael, who looked determined to get some answers. The color drained from her face, and she was again reserved and fidgety. “Like I told Max, Nasedo made the deal.”



“That doesn’t explain why ‘Ava’ would ever strike a deal with Khivar!”



Tess swallowed nervously. The sun beat down on her delicate and fair complexion. Suddenly she began to feel the weight of the sun’s rays upon her. “Uh, I did what I had to do.”



Michael let out a frustrated cry, throwing his hands up in the air. “Tess, what is it? What is it about you? Is it so hard to tell the truth without being cryptic?” he yelled. “You hint that there is something more, but you won’t tell us what it is!”



Tess cringed at his sudden rage. She didn’t know why she couldn’t tell them the truth. Some nagging part of her just didn’t seem to want to let it go.



“Tess!” Michael exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders.



She looked up, startled at Michael’s sudden grasp. “I…”



“Look, I may not be a mind reader, but I will force it out of you if I have to! No more lies!” Michael growled, his eyes gleaming.



“All right,” Tess said breathily, pulling out of Michael’s taut grip. “I’ll tell you everything. But know that everything will change when I tell you what happened…what really happened.”



~~~



“Liz,” Max sighed, trying to keep the tremor from his voice audible. “I’m sorry for all the things that have been happening. I’ve really been out of control lately.” He pushed her gently way, until she stood arms length from him. “Things have been just ‘happening’ to me. And I can’t seem to stop it.”



Liz looked at the man whom she had saved herself for, and whom she had given herself with abandon. “I know I’m being emotional and melodramatic, but it seems like we’re so far apart, it’s scary,” she explained. “I don’t know what to think anymore. It’s like the plans we’ve made are all falling apart. And I can’t do a damn thing about it.”



“I know,” Max whispered, pulling her into his arms again. He wished he could stay like this forever, but he knew life didn’t work that way. The image of his son flashed before his eyes. He was a small bundle of tissue, his vital organs not yet fully developed, but arms and feet had developed, and his tiny fingers, which reached out to him, from inside Tess’ womb. It made his chest tighten.



How many times had his thoughts drifted to the being Tess and he had created? He had tried to push it to the back of his mind, hoping that what was not seen would be forgotten, but the connection he had with the child and the feelings that had grown didn’t work like that.



“Max?” Liz frowned, pulling away. “Why are you so willing to trust her again?”



Max stared down at the petite brunette, whose big round eyes gazed questioningly at him. “I just don’t think she has anything to gain anymore from lying. She lied because she was stuck on Earth and she thought there was a possibility of returning her love. But she knows better now.” Max paused, remembering how Tess had stormed out just prior to Liz’s arrival.



Or if she didn’t, she knows now.

“Tess is focused on saving Zander and Antar from Khivar. That’s all.”


“Except maybe finishing Khivar’s task of killing you?” Liz mumbled offhandedly. She smoothed her hair back with both hands, letting them rest against her neck, while holding her hair back. “Isn’t that the deal she made with Khivar? She would deliver you, Michael, and Isabel on a silver platter? Except maybe this time she’ll succeed.”



Max remained silent. That was what he had gleaned from Tess in the Granolith Chamber a year ago, but there was something about her. He always thought he could see into her soul when he stared into those crystal clear blue eyes. And when she had departed, he had been too angry to process it, but there just seemed to be something she wasn’t telling him.



But now when Max looked at Tess, didn’t see the liar and manipulator, he saw the same woman he had conceived a child with. He didn’t know if it was because he had gotten over what she had done, or whether she was manipulating him, but again this nagging voice inside his head told him that they didn’t have the whole story. “I don’t think so,” he said hesitantly. Turning away from Liz, Max hoped she couldn’t see the doubts he had about Tess once again.



“I can’t believe you,” Liz gasped in frustration. “You still have doubts about her?”



Max didn’t turn around. He couldn’t look her in the eye and bear to see the disappointment and hurt in her face from his indecision. “I don’t know what I think Liz. You just don’t know what I’m feeling. I have this nagging feeling that there’s more to the story than what we found out that day,” he grimaced, turning around and facing her. “Everything in my life is never what it seems, whether it’s about who I am, what I know, and the people I know.”



Liz shook her head. “If there was something more to the story, why didn’t she explain it to you that day?” she asked pointedly. “Max…this is just another plan. Tess just wants you to doubt what you already know about her.”



“But that’s just it. That isn’t what I knew. That isn’t what I know about her,” Max said calmly. “How could she deceive us so easily? How could she pretend to love me so much and keep such a straight face about Alex’s death? I just think I would somehow know!”



“We were all blind Max. If we want to believe something bad enough, anyone can pull the wool over our eyes,” Liz sighed. “And the why? Because she wanted you so much.” Liz pointed her finger at him. “She had one goal and that was to get you back. And she used whatever means she could to do that.”



Max wanted to believe her. It would have made things so much easier. But the more he thought about it, going through it again and again – her motivations, what drove her – Max couldn’t reconcile it with the fact that Ava hated Khivar with every fiber of her being. The idea that Tess had collaborated with him just to go home – it didn’t make any sense.



“Max it doesn’t have to make sense. People who kill people aren’t logical.”



Max stared at Liz and reached out to caress her face, but his thoughts were elsewhere. It was the strangest feeling. When he was with Tess, everything in him wanted deny these things he was explaining to Liz. It was like he was a completely different person with each of them. And it was a struggle to figure out which was really his, and which voice was telling him the truth.



“I know,” he sighed, returning from his thoughts and focusing on the woman who stood before him. “I just don’t know what to believe anymore. Things aren’t cut and dry. And I have Zander to think about.”



Liz’s expression tightened at the mention of his son. “What are you going to do about Zander?”



Max throat tightened and he swallowed uneasily. “He’s my son, Liz.”



“A son that lives in Antar and cannot live here on Earth,” Liz reminded him. “So how deep does that connection to Zander run? And how much do you really trust Tess?”



“Liz,” Max whispered. He reached out to her, but she took a step back, distancing herself.



“No Max,” Liz said, her voice cracking. “I want to know. How committed to your son, are you?”



“You’ve gone days without talking to me or Maria. You’ve been cooped up with Michael, Isabel and Tess, trying to figure out your life, keeping me out when I should be a part of it. I feel like I’m with a different person now when I’m with you. Your priorities have changed.”



Max didn’t know what to say. He knew that she had a point. He had been keeping her out. These days it felt like if he told her what he was feeling, all it would do is cause pain. Because he was considering what to do about his son, Max didn’t know what to make of Tess, all of these thoughts and emotions swirled around in his head, and in his heart – that was why he kept her out. It would hurt her and that was the last thing he wanted to do.



“You’re right Liz,” Max finally admitted. “Thing have changed since Tess healed me. I’m realizing that there are a lot of things I have to consider – not just you -- but Tess, Zander, Isabel, and Michael. My indecision has affected all of our lives – yours, mine, theirs – and I realize that I need to figure out what I want. I need to make a choice.”



Liz swallowed. “And what does that mean?” she asked wearily.



Max knew this was hard for her. He had made a choice, or one had been made for him a year ago, but that had been too easy. He had to make the choice. No one could make it for him.



“I have to go away for a while.”



~~~



“So how are you holding up?” asked Maria, eyeing Isabel.



Isabel nodded and shrugged. “Fine I guess. As good as can be expected.”



“What are you going to do about Jesse?” Kyle asked bluntly.



Maria hit Kyle with the back of her hand. “Real subtle Kyle.” She threw Isabel an apologetic smile.



They had decided to take a walk around the block, giving Max and Liz some space to breathe.



“It’s a lot harder to imagine forgiving someone when it’s you that has to do the forgiving,” Isabel lamented. “But when I look at him, he’s still the same Jesse that I fell in love with.”



“But is he?” Kyle asked curiously. “I mean, he ratted you out, putting everyone’s life in danger. How can you forget that?”



Isabel swallowed and watched as a few kids rode by on bicycles. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”



“By the way, where was Michael?” Maria asked inquisitively.



Isabel stiffened at the innocent question. “Uh,” she stammered. “H-he said he needed some air.” She kept her gaze on the houses they passed by, rather than meet Maria’s gaze.



“Did something happen?” Kyle asked.



Isabel ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. “Max found out about Liz trying to heal him and Tess confirmed that sleeping with Liz was what caused Max’s condition,” she explained awkwardly. “He didn’t take it too well and there was this fight and Tess walked out and then Michael left.”



“But why would Michael be upset?” Maria asked curiously. “He already suspected that didn’t he?”



Isabel bit the inside of her bottom lip, trying to think up an excuse. “Uh, Max…well, Michael and he kind of got into it, when he had a hard time believing it.” It wasn’t the sole reason, Isabel was sure of that, but it could have pushed him over the brink -- or so Isabel reasoned. So what she had told Kyle and Maria wasn’t a lie. “So what’s new in your lives?” she asked changing the subject.



Maria and Kyle stared at each other and shrugged. “Nothing much,” Kyle answered for the both of them. “I’m finishing up college applications and scholarship applications.”



“Same thing,” Maria nodded. “How about you? This whole Max thing didn’t leave us much time to find out how life in Manhattan is going.”



“It was all right,” Isabel sighed. “I mean I missed you guys lots. And the weather is more moody in New York.”



“I still don’t understand why you left,” Kyle huffed. “I mean I had to find out from Maria that you left. Some friend you are.” He stopped and feigned disappointment, though part of it wasn’t feigned.



Isabel was speechless. She hadn’t thought Kyle would make such a fuss. In fact, Isabel never expected everyone to miss her so much. She thought the only reason to stay was to keep the ‘Four’ together. With graduation, Isabel assumed that everyone would be leaving anyway. “I’m sorry,” Isabel frowned. “I should have told you.”



Kyle scoffed lightly. “Yeah, you got that right missy!” he exclaimed, folding his arms across his chest. His expression was serious, but he had a hard time keeping a straight face. He couldn’t stay mad at Isabel. It had hurt, but he hadn’t lingered too long on the subject.



Maria rolled her eyes and laughed. “Do you guys think we’ve been gone long enough?” She looked back to the apartment that could be seen above a row of trees, a few blocks away.



Isabel checked her watch. “We’ve been gone about a half an hour. I don’t know if that’s long enough to figure stuff out like that,” she said hesitantly.



“Well, I just want to go back, just in case she’s in tears or something,” Maria said tentatively. Then realizing how that sounded, Maria bit her lip. “Not that Max would leave her in tears,” she added.



Isabel raised her eyebrows at the comment. Plastering on a smile, she took a deep breath and sighed. “Well, then maybe we should go back?” Kyle didn’t seem to care either way and Maria turned her body back towards the apartment. Isabel smiled again and began to lead the duo back to Michael’s apartment.



~~~



“Prepare for your journey to Earth…” Khivar was suddenly interrupted.



“Your Majesty,” a lowly officer stood at attention in the doorway of his chambers.



“What is it?” Khivar growled. He hated interruptions, and especially during an important meeting with Qunar.



“Sir, I’ve orders from you to inform you of any irregular comlinks to the Other Worlds.”



Khivar gestured for the officer to speed up the report. “Yes. Yes. What is it?”



The officer, who was merely a boy – tall in stature, but thin and lanky – nodded his head, which was bald underneath the beige dress cap of the Iturian army. “We have noticed comlinks have been sent to and from the planet Muna. It was bounced off of many interstellar feeds, but we’ve been finally able to trace to communications back to Antar and more specifically Tel Edrei.”



Khivar felt his rage begin to rise as he narrowed his gaze on the meek officer. “Tel Edrei?”



The officer nodded and bowed his head. “Yes sir.”



He turned his eyes upon Qunar. “Tel Edrei, Qunar,” he repeated calmly. His most loyal subject and General nodded, throwing him a knowing look. “As we thought, Your Majesty,” Qunar answered.



Khivar dismissed the officer with a wave of his hand and focused his attention of the musings of one of his most highly decorated Generals. “The Loyalists?”



Qunar nodded. “Yes. There is no other explanation.”



“But how?” Khivar asked skeptically. “We only moved Tess into that place a month ago. I suspected that she might turn back in allegiance with her former subjects, but for them to move in so quickly without notice?”



Qunar shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know my Liege, but something must be done.”



“They are planning something Qunar,” Khivar growled, clasping his hands together. “And I will find out tonight, what our former Queen has planned. Celestia be damned if they manage to convince the whole of Antar that the return of the Kedrans to their former glorified stations has been foretold. Before the Festival of the New Moons, the Loyalists will be quashed and I will rule our side of the galaxy.”



Chapter Thirty Nine


***

All truth is not to be told at all times.

- Thomas Fuller, M.D.

***



The time of truth had come. Tess hadn’t expected it to come so soon. Michael stood in front of her expectantly – half in curiosity and half in doubt – what could she possibly say to redeem herself? Her truth didn’t absolve her; but neither would she stand condemned to brimstone nor fire in his eyes – she hoped.



Before she began, Tess took a long deep breath, ridding her stomach of the pesky unwanted butterflies, which unsettled her. “Let me first say that I never meant to hurt any of you,” Tess said hesitantly. As the glaring sun beat down on her, Tess felt like she was under a microscope; Michael stood there scrutinizing her every word and look. “It all seemed so black and white when I got here.”



“What did?”



Tess looked up at Michael and licked her dry lips. “What my purpose was. Why I had to find you,” she explained.



Why was this so hard?



‘Because you’re afraid,’ a voice replied silently within her.



Tess swallowed the lump in her throat, folding her arms across her chest and turned her focus toward the wisps of soft white, painting the baby blue canvas that was stretched out before her. “When I found you,” she sighed solemnly, “I had this image of how things would go.” Turning around she looked wistfully at Michael, who stared at her blankly.



“Nasedo told me it was human weakness to imagine the perfect fairytale ending.” Biting her bottom lip, Tess lowered her eyes and began to kick at the dirt in front of her.



“I thought once we were all together you would all realize our purpose and that we were needed on Antar. And I would finally be reunited with My Love again.” Tess felt her throat close at the memory of the hope she once had. “But that didn’t happen.”



“But what has this got to with Alex?”



“You have to understand Michael that Nasedo did what he was commanded and trained to do,” Tess ignored the question, knowing she would answer it in time, “to prepare me for life back on Antar – to be Zan’s mate, to be Queen of Antar.”



“And with that came the memories and the understanding that when Nasedo found you three, we would return to Antar. But when you didn’t know anything about Antar, who you were; and we knew we couldn’t push you guys into anything, so we waited.”



Tess felt Michael presence come from up behind her until he stood beside her. “Waiting for the day you could trade our lives for yours?” he asked darkly.



Tess took a step back. “No!” she cried out in astonishment and frustration. “I didn’t know! I didn’t know about…” As she felt the tears welling up in her eyes, she squeezed them shut. There was so much to explain and Tess didn’t know how to make him understand the months of lies, betrayal and the sudden dawn of understanding.



“About what?” Michael pressed her, turning to face her. “You didn’t know what?”



Tess wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. She shook her head refusing to answer his question. They were getting ahead of the story.



“Nasedo told me about the deal he made with Khivar when we found you in Roswell,” she said, her voice catching in her throat. Even she didn’t know she would use that information to extract a portion of her heart. “By that time we both knew you guys refused to even consider life on Antar.”



“It had been a back up plan he had formulated behind my back, when he saw you were content in Roswell.” Tess envisioned Nasedo’s determined and excited state when he began to reveal his plan, and how they didn’t need the three to come willingly. “He did it to ensure at least one of the Royal Four would survive and one day restore Antar to its former glory,” she explained. “He would then work with the other rebel Antarians to ensure my placement on the throne.”



“Sounds like a ‘good plan’ for you,” Michael scoffed.



His words stung, though misguided. “I told him I would never return to Antar on those terms,” Tess declared angrily. “My life on Antar began I met Zan and ended the day he died.”



Tess felt his eyes burrowing into her. “That isn’t how you described it to Max,” Michael retorted. He looked at her conspicuously. “You did it for you. Why are you backtracking now?”



Here was the hard part – undoing the trust Michael had put in the lies she had weaved. “I lied Michael,” Tess blurted out. “I lied to Max, you, and Isabel. I didn’t fill in the grey parts in your theory about how Alex died because it wouldn’t have served my purpose.”



Michael’s eyes narrowed. “What purpose was that? And what could you possibly have to fill in?” he asked skeptically. “You mindwarped Alex to translate the book and then killed him when he realized what you were doing.”



“That’s not everything,” she said quietly. “In fact that’s not even close to being everything…and you know it.”



Michael tilted his head and licked his lips. “What else is there?”



“There’s everything before that night and the fact that everything isn’t always black and white, right Michael?”



Michael became quiet, while his eyes remained fixed on her. He nodded and signaled for her to go on. Tess bent down, rubbing her thighs. She was getting tired of standing.



“Well,” Tess continued. “I won’t deny the fact that I did mindwarp Alex in the beginning.” She looked up at Michael whose body stiffened at the verbal admission. “But it wasn’t for the reason Liz or Max assumed.”



“I asked Alex to translate the book just before school let out for the summer. He agreed to do it during his spare time. Alex said the best and nearest place he could think of for translation would be Las Cruces and that he could get into the university on different pretenses.” She paused to see if Michael believed what she was saying. His demeanor was rigid, but he still seemed to be listening. “But I wanted it kept a secret,” Tess explained.



“At first, it was just not telling anyone what we were doing, but then it got a little harder and Alex didn’t want to lie to anyone.”



“Why did it need to be a secret?” his voice growled.



“You three didn’t want to have anything to do with returning to Antar and I had been in contact with Khivar,” she admitted.



“See!” Michael exclaimed, as if she had just admitted some truth that couldn’t quite be proven until now. “Why would you need Khivar if you didn’t plan to betray us like you did?”



Tess raised her arm in front of her, blocking out the rays of the sun. She closed her eyes, hoping to shut the brightness of the light and truth of the past. “Things were all right in the beginning when he didn’t know,” she explained. “But when Alex was stuck during one part, he came over to the house and heard me talking with Khivar. I knew he was having troubles and I was getting the key to the Antarian alphabet. Well, he freaked. He refused to help me anymore. That was the first time I mindwarped Alex.”



Michael looked at her with disgust. She turned away instinctively as if blocking some invisible blow. Tess knew it had been a mistake to trust Khivar, but she had only one goal back then – returning to Antar, with or without them. “I thought at least I would be able to return to Antar once I had the book translated.”



“But why would Khivar help you if there wasn’t something in it for him?” he demanded.



Tess furrowed her brow and wrung her hands. Once more she wiped the sweat that had begun to trickle down her cheek. “He said that he would help me if I helped him get the ‘seal’. I had sworn that I wanted nothing to do with the throne and that he didn’t have to worry the Royal Four. All I wanted was to be taken care of in luxury. Khivar told me that he would believe my claim if he had proof. He ranted about how the people would never truly believe he was King until he obtained the ‘seal’,” she paused at the memory of the biggest mistake she had ever made, “so I agreed.”



“You made a pact with the Devil,” Michael whispered, as he closed his eyes and turned his back on her.



“I know it was the biggest mist…” she began to apologize, but Michael stopped her. “Don’t. Just tell me the rest,” he ordered in an eerily calm voice.



Tess bit the inside of her cheek and found the place where she had left off in her story. “Well I still needed Alex, so I mindwarped him into believing he was going on this Sweden, when in fact he would be at Las Cruces to de-crypt our language. I sent made-up postcards to Liz and Maria, and even gave him a girlfriend.” She ran her fingers through her damp locks, wet from her sweat. “But I couldn’t keep up the mind control. It drained too much energy from me.”



“Aw, poor baby,” Michael retorted.



Tess ignored his snide remark. “When Khivar realized that this would be a problem for both him and me, he told me he had the ‘perfect solution’,” she shuddered, remembering the look on Khivar’s sallow translucent face. She should have known it was a mistake. She should have trusted her gut feeling about this ‘perfect solution’.



“And?”



Michael’s voice startled her as she wallowed in pool of eternal regrets she would carry with her to her grave. “Uh,” Tess hedged, “Khivar said that he had developed a way for him to control Alex for extended periods of time.”



“How?” Michael demanded.



“He said the word or name ‘Pilan’” Tess answered, hoping the name was correct. Of course now, she wished she had never heard it at all. “I went along with it, having no idea exactly what kind of devastation it would bring.”



“So you let a madman, who killed you – all of us – use some known power on Alex?”



Tess knew now it had been thoughtless and stupid, but back then, she had nothing to lose. In hindsight, Tess wished she had known how much she would have to lose. “Yes,” she said barely above a whisper.



“And this is what killed him? This ‘Pilan’?” Michael barked, grabbing her by the shoulders.



Tess shook her head. “We’ve barely skimmed the surface,” she replied, flinching under Michael’s strong hands.



Michael pushed her away as if touching her would leave some offensive stain on his hands. “Go on.”



“Khivar needed a host for the procedure, or whatever you want to call it.” Tess swallowed, trying to whet her dry mouth. “So I allowed him to use me,” she explained.



Michael’s eyes widened and Tess could read the disbelief and shock Michael felt, on his face. He let out an inaudible cry of astonishment. Tess closed her mind to his reactions and continued on in her explanation, fearing if she stopped now, she would never tell the truth. “When he was in me it was like I was put in a box, locked away,” she explained, squirming at the memory. “I could watch him controlling me, but could do nothing.”



“Alex struggled against him, but he was too strong. Khivar held his hands against the sides of Alex’s head and a strange red light pulsated from his hands. Alex stopped moving.” Tess watched Michael turn away from her as she described what she remembered. “His eyes glazed over into these black orbs, and when he was finished, it was like some demon possession you see in the movies had taken place – his sole purpose was now to translate the book.”



“And you didn’t feel the need to stop him?”



“I didn’t think it would be permanent. I didn’t think it would hurt him,” Tess protested as unwanted tears began to form once more. “Khivar said that once he released him, Alex wouldn’t remember a thing. Or at least Alex wouldn’t remember what we didn’t want him to. Other than that, he would be the same Alex.” Tess tried to hide the regret behind a stoic face.



“He was lying,” Michael said incredulously. “But you couldn’t see that could you? You couldn’t see past your own selfish plans.”



His controlled rage made her more than uneasy. Tess was used to Michael’s outbursts, but his simmering thoughts were always a sign that he couldn’t express the anger he had, into words. She debated whether to cut the intense dialogue short and escape from the hounding heat of the day. “The heat is getting unbearable here, maybe we should finish this later?” she suggested, uncomfortably.



The tall blonde shook his head and stared at her with an intense determination. We’re not leaving until I hear all of it!” Michael stated. “You’re not walking away from this.”



Tess closed her eyes and pressed her long fingers against her forehead. Her head was troubling from the heat and dehydration. Tess attempted to moisten her dry lips, licking them several times. The glare of the sunlight blinded her and the barren wasteland before her, with few signs of life, became hazy and unfocused. She tried to shake it off, but stumbled back, feeling lightheaded and thirsty. “Can we at least go somewhere out of the heat?” she asked warily. “I’m not feeling extremely well and I don’t think getting heatstroke would do us any good.”



Michael was silent, though his eyes remained locked on hers. “Fine.” He nodded and motioned for her to head towards the cliffs. “We’ll talk in the cave.”



“I need water,” she hedged. After talking for what seemed like hours, Tess felt like her throat was on fire. She wouldn’t be able to speak so much as another sentence without soothing her throat.



Michael agreed reluctantly. “I’ve got a couple of bottles in the jeep.”



Tess smiled appreciatively and began her journey to the secret caves. Slowly making her way up the copper-toned slope that stretched out before her. Tess was grateful that she had this time to sort of the rest of her thoughts – memories of that night – as she carefully chose her steps to the caves. Just as she thoughtfully chose her steps, Tess knew she had to be careful of her words. The next steps were crucial – it would decide whether Tess could trust Michael, it would decide whether she had another ally.



~~~



His head swam with images of Alex’s always-optimistic face.



‘How much pain were you in?’ Michael asked silently. I’m sorry we put you through this. Michael sent up the remorse-filled apology, knowing it would never be heard.



As he hastily grabbed the warm clear plastic bottles that lay sprawled on the floor of the jeep. Michael couldn’t help but curse Tess’ naiveté, if that was all it truly was. Tess was always this chameleon, Michael had thought. She blended in with her surroundings and no one noticed her movements until it was too late. But somewhere deep inside, maybe it was Rath’s memory, but Michael knew Tess’ betrayal still didn’t make sense. She had Max. Even with all her talk about Antar, he knew being with Max was her greatest goal.



Max hadn’t turned to Tess because she manipulated him either. There had already been a rift between Liz and Max since she slept with Kyle. Alex’s death was just another reason for Max to understand the true depth of the canyon that had always separated ‘them’ from the humans.



Michael glanced up at the flat plateau that jutted out from underneath the looming peak. Tess’ blonde locks shone in the rays of the round star, as she waited patiently for him. He took one last deep breath before the continued onslaught of her words. He would finally have the ‘answer key’ to the puzzle that was Alex’s death.



After they had made themselves comfortable, she had explained that Alex had finished translating the book when Khivar’s hold on him was waning. Alex would slip in and out of consciousness. Apparently Khivar’s plan wasn’t quite perfected and he had to possess her again.



~~~



“…And I caught a glimpse of something before Khivar left my body,” Tess said stiffly. She leaned her head back as she sat with her back against the welcoming chill of the smooth white chamber walls. The soothing clear liquid slid down her throat with ease as she lifted the bottle to her lips once more. Even though the water was warm, Tess didn’t care. It had brought with it a renewed strength to her tired aching body.



“Khivar had hidden it well, but as he was leaving my body, he must have been over-confident in his plans, because I finally saw the truth,” she explained. “I realized he had kept something from me.” Tess recalled the image that had been burnt into her mind for all eternity since that summer night.



Khivar was standing triumphantly over Max’s limp body. In his hand hovered a ball of light, the size of a quarter; that shone with an unusual intensity. His slips curled into an ugly grin and then his mouth opened and the echo of his low, throaty laugh sounded, reverberating throughout her soul and body. “No one shall challenge me now – not even the Royal Four.”



“Tess?” Michael called her name as he had watched her fall into a semi-like trance. Her eyes darkened – a grey dense mist moved – and hid the once piercing blue pools. “What did you see?”



Tess closed her eyes, unable to produce the words to describe her worst fears. Focusing on reaching out to Michael, once she made contact, Tess revealed Khivar’s hidden secret.



Michael opened his eyes and locked eyes with Tess. “What was he holding?” he frowned.



The all-important question – the secret that Khivar knew could make her walk away from all of it. “He planned on extracting the ‘seal’ from Max all right,” Tess said through clenched teeth. “His only condition.” She wished she could wrap her fingers around his scrawny throat and choke the grin from his smarmy face. The only consolation she took was the fact that if she played her cards right, one day she would look down on his limp body instead of Max’s.



Finally Michael understood what Khivar had planned. Max had the seal inbred within his genetic make-up. Michael recalled from Rath’s memories that the seal was bestowed within the true King of Antar. Only death would separate the two.



As he began to pace back and forth, Michael asked curiously. “So you weren’t planning to deliver up Max on a silver platter?”



Tess let out a gasp of horror. “NO!” Her tongue flicked out and quickly ran across her upper lip. As she pushed herself up from the floor, Tess sent up a quick prayer – asking for understanding on Michael’s part.



“If I had known…” her voice trailed off as she imagined how different her life would have been if she had never made the deal with Khivar. Tess cleared her throat, continuing her train of thought. “If I had known, I would have found some other way of getting us home.”



Michael looked down on Tess as her long dark lashes hooded the regret in her eyes. He felt pity for her. How many mistakes had she made? How many times did she justify her alliance with Khivar for her picture perfect life? And then, to see it all crumble?



“But that isn’t the whole story, there is more?” Michael said knowingly. Because remembering the past, Tess had continued her pursuit of returning to Antar with Max, even after she found out the truth.



“If you knew all of this, then why did you kill Alex? Why seduce Max so you would get pregnant?”



Michael’s words made the hackles on her neck stand up on end. Tess glared at him defiantly. “That wasn’t what happened.”



Michael stopped pacing and studied this woman who weaved lies seamlessly, as well as a spider could weave a silk web. In the light of the day, it shone, attracting those who followed the gleam of its threads, but in the end, it always ended the same.



The knowledge that Khivar deceived her did not change the fact that Alex was still dead.



Tess could see Michael’s mind churn and his eyes darken with suspicion and doubt. “Michael listen to me,” she pleaded, grasping the ragged black t-shirt he was wearing. “Please. I found out that he wanted to kill Max and I tried to find a way out. Even though I was disgusted at the thought of Liz and Max being together, I never wanted him dead.”



Now she was the one who began to pace. “Khivar didn’t know I knew, so I was one step ahead of him and I had to keep it that way.” Tess began to ramble, allowing the truth she had kept concealed under lock and key to pour forth. It was like someone was slowly taking the weights off the barbell she had been shouldering for a year and a half.



“Alex was again under Khivar’s mind control, so I had to waited it out during the summer, keeping a watchful eye on Alex.” She stopped pacing and looked at Michael steadily in the eye. “I was counting on the fact that his mind control would fail again…which it did.”



“Khivar wanted to control him again, but I told him I saw no reason to do that.” Tess wrung her trembling hands. “I told him our plan was working, and that I just needed time to fulfill the rest of our deal – handing Max over to him.”



Michael was stunned at what she was telling him. He couldn’t imagine what it was like. As Tess continued with her explanation, he wished the story could have moved at a more rapid pace. His muscles tensed at the havoc Khivar wreaked in their lives even now.



“I thought maybe a little time and Alex would be all right,” Tess sighed. “I thought once I got him away from the mind control his mind would heal from the effects of Khivar’s newfound powers.” She paused running her fingers through her hair.



“But I had no idea how bad it was. No idea.”



Alex had been disoriented, confused and frightened. She had thought things would be in control once the mind control had faded, but Alex would soon fill her in on some of the things she didn’t know about her horrible alliance with Khivar. Tess’ dreams were fraught with memories of that night.



“Pilan. Pilan.” Alex kept mumbling that name over and over again. “It’s pointless…just pointless. All of it. Soon it will be all over.”



“Alex, get a hold of yourself,” Tess cried out frantically.



She watched Alex pace back and forth cradling his head. When Tess wrapped her arms around his neck and held him, hoping his spasming body would relax and stop its nervous pacing, she whispered into his ear. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen.” The trembling, which shook his body lessened, and Alex pulled away from her looking at her for one serene moment, as if he understood.



When she entered Alex’s mind it was all a jumble, and his thoughts were lost in a huge cornucopia of voices and memories. Where the memories should have been compartmentalized, they were intermingled and a dark foreign body seemed to be just sitting there.



As she wandered the confused boundaries of his mind, Tess found a child, no more than 10 years old, huddled in a corner. His knees were hugged tight to his chest and his head tucked protectively behind them. “Alex?”



He didn’t answer. The scared boy rocked himself back and forth mumbling incoherently.



“I’m here to help,” Tess whispered tenderly, as she crouched down and stroked his dark matted hair.



The child-like Alex peeked out and their eyes locked. “Please,” he begged, tears running down his cheek. “Make him stop!” His eyes moved past her and cringed at the chaos that run rampant in his mind.



Tess followed his gaze to the center of the chaos. In the middle of the images, loud voices, memories, Tess saw a dark silhouetted figure resting in the madness. From his hands, which were resting, as if he were sleeping, ran strings from his fingers, which seemed to be able to pull, twist and manipulate whatever was attached to it. When she followed the strings down the floor, Tess saw another figure. It was Alex. An older version, similar to the Alex she had grown to know and love. He was sitting, hunched over a pile of papers and text.



As she made her way over to him, she touched his shoulder, capturing his attention for just a moment. Alex’s dull eyes looked right through her. “Tests…that all we are. Test subjects,” he mumbled. But then his eyes glazed over and focused back on the disheveled pile of papers. “Back to work. Must work.”



Khivar’s control had been released, but chaos ensued in Alex’s mind. Each set to a task, but no one to reign in the workers. His mind, which had once worked as one, had been dismantled and dark confusion settled in Alex’s mind. There was no longer any control, and no one seemed to have a way to fix it. Tess knew she certainly didn’t have a way to undo the damage Khivar had wreaked.



“Please,” a tiny voice called from behind her.



Tess looked back at the child, who was a part of Alex, and swallowed uneasily. But she couldn’t leave him in this state. Helpless, Tess did the only thing she could possibly think of; she helped pick up the pieces and tried to piece together the shattered mind, a mind that Khivar’s ‘solution’ had so aptly destroyed.


“There was nothing I could do.” Tess’ voice cracked, as she finished describing the state she had found Alex in. “All I could try to do was stumble along putting memories where I though they should be, trying to piece together his psyche again. I did the best that I could.” She looked helplessly at Michael. How could she have known?



“The rest of his mind, well I didn’t know what to do with. After clamoring in that broken place for truth – a place to rest – they got lost somehow. He just couldn’t hold onto all of it anymore after the damage.”



“But how did he come back from his ‘vacation’ and no one noticed any difference?” Michael was confused. “Other than his ‘complete life changing experience’, he was the same Alex? He didn’t seem ‘broken’?”



Tess looked up shamefully at Michael. “I managed to heal some of his mind, I mean, to the best of my ability,” she explained. “I made him forget the pain and the agony. Along with pictures and souvenirs of an imagined trip that I planted in his mind, I added several new memories as well, where old ones had abandoned him.” Tess watched Michael as he frowned. “I had to -- for both our sakes. It was like a bandage, under which his mind would hopefully mend. And I thought I had really done it – healed him. But what Khivar had done, I didn’t know how to undo.”



Tess remembered the night of the prom. She thought everything was going to be okay. Alex seemed to be on the mend. He and Isabel were having an amazing time. It seemed like she could possibly forget the horrible mistake she had made, that maybe it wasn’t irreversible. Tess had hope that night. Max even remembered her that night. He remembered their first kiss.



She blinked away the few new tears that had begun to form in the corners of her eyes. “I really thought it was going to be all right…” her voice went soft and caught in her throat again.



Michael thought he was going to be ill. He couldn’t imagine what Alex had gone through, the pain the torment of it all. And it was all because of them. He couldn’t just pin it on Tess, though she had large part to play, but all of them. If they had never been buried on this planet, if Max had just stuck to their plan of remaining ‘uninvolved’. Michael let out a loud sigh; overwhelmed by the cost Alex had paid so that another world could be saved.



“And then what?” he asked, leaning against the pale white walls.



“I planned on stalling Khivar as long as possible,” Tess explained, tiredly. “I told him I needed Max to come willingly. If he suspected anything then it wouldn’t be easy to convince him to give up the seal. And back then Max didn’t really want to have much to do with me. It didn’t seem likely he would trust me easily or ever, so I thought we were all safe.”



“But then?” He knew it was coming. Alex wasn’t all right.



“The healing of a mind is a fragile thing, especially a…human mind,” Tess choked out. “And Alex’s mind had been through too much. And even with the healing that I had tried to perform, it…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.



It had all been such bad timing. Khivar had contacted her and was demanding a time frame on her arrival with the three. She was about to make some lame excuse, when Alex burst in.



Alex was berating her about knowing what she had done and that he was about to tell everyone about it. He was unraveling before her. She could see it in his eyes. He began to rambling on about things she had hoped he had forgotten. And his hysteria was growing.



“That’s when Kyle came in. Just as I was about to enter Alex’s mind again and try to mend things as I had before Khivar somehow opened a portal and decided to claim Alex as a host so he could deal with him personally,” Tess explained. She closed her eyes and her chest caved as the images played over in her mind again. “Khivar assumed Alex’s body, which hadn’t been properly prepared and before I could do anything, he knocked Kyle out.”



“But what about Alex?” Michael reminded her of the goal of recalling the past. “What did Khivar do to him?”



Michael watched her take another sip out of the bottled water she held in her hand. The corners of her eyes crinkled and her lips spread into a wistful smile. “Khivar seemed like he was in control, but in the early minutes of the possession, somehow, Alex seemed to find a way to keep some level of consciousness while Khivar struggled to possess his body. He fought him tooth and nail,” she whispered, letting out a reluctant chuckle. “I tried to help him in everyway I could. I tried to hold his mind together, but there was just no room for me. I thought I reached him for a moment, grasping at straws when it came to his mind being slowly erased. I felt him; Alex was determined not to be beaten.”



Tess remembered seeing Alex one last time before Khivar beat his mind into submission. His eyes sparkled, and he had this wry grin on his lips as if to say ‘there was no possible way he would win’. But then the fear – fear that invaded every facet of his soulful eyes – overshadowed him. Khivar had been stronger; and he won.



Michael frowned at her description of the events that had taken place. He had but one question. “How did Khivar get here, let alone contact you? We had the stones and you needed all four to make them work.”



Tess paused and looked at Michael in confusion. “Didn’t I explain that?” She recalled the past few hours of conversation, trying to remember if she had gone into detail about those meetings.



Michael shook his head. “No.”



While her mind was swimming in details of the past, Tess furrowed her brow and rested her forehead against her slender fingertips. “There’s just so much I have to get through,” she sighed. Swallowing the last bit of water she had, Tess looked up at Michael and began to explain the missed detail.



“Khivar had sent me a private communicator, which was very similar to the ones you have, but with the ability to work without the other three stones. It was less powerful than the four, but it suited our purposes.” Tess rolled her shoulders back, as they were tight and aching. She ran her fingers over the back of her neck, trying to ease the tension that had built up during their conversation.



“So you were communicating with him that night with that stone?”



Tess nodded. “Yes.”



Michael didn’t understand why Khivar didn’t just open a portal, like he had seen him do on Isabel’s honeymoon and snatch Max away, if he wanted the seal so much. He didn’t quite understand why Khivar went to so much trouble to manipulate Tess and have her kill Alex.



He turned his back on her. Even though Tess was explaining everything she knew, it didn’t mean he didn’t have more questions and want more answers. According to Tess’ story, Khivar seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and he didn’t seem surprised that Alex showed up that night – a mess.



“So he took over and then what?” Michael asked, getting back to the events of that night.



“Well,” Tess paused, “Khivar told me though Alex, that this problem had been taken care of and that this should speed up the process of Max’s return to Antar.”



“Why would he think that?”



Tess swallowed hard; her throat had become dry again. “Because he knew all about Liz and Max. And being the strategist that he is, Khivar deducted that this would lead to dissension between Liz and Max,” she explained slowly. “And it did.”



It made some small semblance of sense, but still there were unanswered questions. “But what about Kyle? What about his memories?” Michael pushed on.



“Just wait,” Tess balked. “I haven’t gotten there yet.”



“Well then,” Michael frowned. “Get there!” He didn’t know how much more tension and detail he could take. He also still didn’t know whether he could trust all of her information. While it seemed plausible, why wouldn’t she have told them this before?



“When Khivar had taken care of Alex’s memories, he said the timeframe for Max, Isabel, and your return should have sped up by this one action.” Tess pulled her hair back into a ponytail, only to let it fall to her shoulders again, for lack of an elastic band. “I asked him how erasing his memories would do this, but Khivar only grinned,” she explained.



Even though Khivar possessed Alex’s body and face, she could remember thinking how unlike Alex, Alex looked.



“And what did he mean?”



Tess couldn’t look Michael in the eye when she told him this scene of Alex’s death. “Khivar was being vague and told me to make it look like an accident when it was all over. And then he said he was giving me a month give or take a couple of weeks to fulfill our deal or he would do it himself, in a less subtle way.” She closed her eyes as she fought the urge to scream.



“I watched him transfer himself his conscious into Kyle’s unconscious body.” Tess moved away from Michael and towards the entrance of the Granolith chamber. “Since Alex’s body hadn’t been prepared for possession, his…body and mind…well, went into shock when Khivar exorcised himself,” her voice became hoarse from the mix of tears and scratchy throat. “I caught him as he fell to the ground.”



“No!” she cried, cradling Alex’s head. “You bastard. I could have prepared his body for the exit.”



Khivar frowned and clucked. “But that wouldn’t have served my purpose!”



“What are you talking about?”



“Well if you did that…he wouldn’t be dead,” Khivar explained casually.



Tess lifted her hand to blast Khivar, but he frowned. “Uh-uh,” he laughed. “You don’t want two friends dying in the same night do you?”



Through her tears, Tess cried out in agony. She wanted to hurt him so much. “You’ll pay for this,” she sobbed, caressing Alex’s face. Leaning down she pressed her forehead against his. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.



“No time to cry. A deal’s a deal.”



Tess looked up at Khivar and grabbed a nearby mug. Through her rage, she clenched her teeth and threw it at his head with all of her might, but missed. “What deal?” she growled. “This wasn’t part of any deal!”



“Now Ava,” Khivar frowned. “Are you really going to cry over this mass of living cells?” He walked over to where she was kneeling and smiled. “Or should I say dead?” His right brow arched at the pun.



“You need to realize what is at stake here Ava.” Khivar’s expression became serious. “Are you going to let this dead mass ruin your plans to live happily ever after with Max on Antar? Because I have to say, if you are, then I’m fairly disappointed in you. I thought you were made of tougher stuff.” He paused. “I thought you were willing to do what it takes to make it all happen.”



“Well you were wrong,” she cried out angrily.



Khivar’s eyes gleamed, and he grabbed her arm roughly. “Well that’s not acceptable for me Ava. I made a deal with you and I…we are so close to having everything we dreamed of,” he sneered. “And having Max is what you wanted…isn’t it?”



“Yes,” she sniffled. They were all lies, but if Khivar suspected anything, it would be over for all of them.



“Well then, I’ve given you the perfect opportunity haven’t I?” Khivar smiled. “And the gentleman I am, I won’t make you get your hands dirty with the other part of the ‘solution’.”



Tess turned around sharply and met Michael’s clouded eyes. “Khivar took Alex’s body and transferred it into his car, and made the whole thing look like an accident. Kyle, in a way, did help put Alex’s body into the car, but it wasn’t part of this big plan of mine,” she sobbed. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t even think that this was happening. He drove off in Alex’s car and when he returned, Khivar told me now the stage has been set for me to comfort Max and gain his trust. I didn’t know what he meant. I didn’t know what he had just done.” Her whole body was shaking. She had felt this dread over her when he had returned on foot. “After that he exited through the portal, and all I could do was catch Kyle’s body when it spit him out.”



“I sat there for what seemed like hours, cradling Kyle’s unconscious body. He was healthy and nothing seemed to be touched other than just the shock of it all. He didn’t remember a thing.” Tess coughed from the dryness of the air and her extended use of her vocal chords. “And then everything was a blur when all of you found out he was dead. I was numb during the whole thing. I still couldn’t believe it.”



Michael didn’t imagine he could hate the alien more, but he was wrong. He saw red. The psychotic alien with a God complex would have a long, painful, torturous death.



“When Valenti called all of us together, I knew they had found Alex,” Tess said, wincing at the memory. “I didn’t have a hard time acting surprised when he told us that there had been a car accident. I had no idea Khivar had been so deceptive.”



“When Max went into that van with Alex’s body, I prayed that he would heal Alex. I just wanted to be wrong about the whole thing. I hoped it was just me, who couldn’t heal his body and mind. But when he came out, I knew from his face that he was unable to revive him. From then on things went from bad to worse.”



“What do you mean?” Michael didn’t understand how things went bad to worse. How worse could it get, than Alex dying?



“After my outburst when Alex died, Khivar was livid. He was more cautious than ever when talking to me,” she explained. Tess knew none of this excused her behavior, but at least they would know that she hadn’t planned it; she didn’t kill him.



“How was it worse for you? Khivar wouldn’t hurt you, he still needed you according to your story.”



Tess sighed. It had been her greatest hope in the past, but now it had turned into her greatest fear. “Max and me. It was worse because Max finally remembered me before Alex died. You don’t know how long I dreamed of that moment; for him to look at me with those beautiful eyes again and really see me.”



“But when they ‘split’ up, it wasn’t because of me or his love for me, it was because Khivar planned it and I had to comfort him because it was in his ‘design’.”



“No one was forcing you to be there, pushing them apart, Tess,” Michael declared. “You could have told us the truth. We could have worked it out.”



“Because you guys were always so accepting of me, even without my hurting Alex and deal with Khivar,” she said cynically.



“Still,” Michael sighed, understanding her skepticism.



“Yes I could have,” Tess darkly, “but if I hadn’t done it my way, Max or the rest of you, would never have had a chance to survive. The other option would have led Khivar to invade Earth to hunt down and kill Max, you and Isabel.”



Michael shook his head and frowned. “What are you talking about?” Again he was hit with another twist to the story. “Where did this invasion idea come from?” he asked.



“From this same communicator Khivar had given me, another transmission came. The person on the other end of the transmission told me that I needed to stall for time.”



“Who was this guy and why did he contact you?”



“He was from the Loyalist army, as I later found out from my mother. His name was Lepter,” Tess said. “She had wanted me to stall for time, so that she and the Loyalists could route this army Khivar was building, and locate the hosts he planned to possess on Earth to complete the mission.”



“It didn’t seem like a hard thing to ask. All I had to do was stall, while making it look like I was manipulating Max closer to me.” Tess knew now it had been a mistake. She should have known she couldn’t keep her feelings for Max in check. While she was pretending to draw closer to Max, pretending to lure him into ‘their trap’, Tess was falling in love with him all over again. It was inevitable when they were together at the observatory, and Max felt closer to her than he had ever felt before, that she would cave.



“But…”



Tess looked up and she could feel the blood rushing to her face. “But I let him in, when I swore I wouldn’t, I made love with him at the observatory,” she said, ashamed at her weakness. “I sealed his fate and mine that night.”



“What do you mean?” Michael asked wearily. There was so many hidden and vague clichés. He just wanted her to stop dancing around what she was about to say, and just blurt it out.



“If I hadn’t let him in, Khivar’s plan would have been in vain. By the time he realized I knew and was never going to fulfill my end of the bargain, my mother’s army would have foiled his invasion scheme and Max would have been safe,” she said ashamed. “But I did let him in and I became pregnant. And because I was, this gave Max even more reason to be with me and not fight when I brought up Antar.”



“Why would you bring up Antar?” Michael asked. If she had wanted to stall, she wouldn’t have told Max about the baby at all. And if it was because of Khivar, who said he had to know?



Tess could read the confusion on his face. She knew what Michael was thinking. “Lepter contacted me again the morning after I realized I was pregnant, telling me he and Khivar knew.”



Michael frowned. “How did Khivar find out?” It was like he was the freakin’ CIA or something, knowing every move she made. He was surprised he didn’t monitor her bowel movements.



“They couldn’t figure it out either until some of their spies realized that the communicator was sort of like a camera of sorts, broadcasting my movements to Khivar.”



“Okay so he knew. What did that have to do with you?”



“He knew so I had to change my tactics…” Tess explained, remembering her conversation with Lepter.



“What am I going to do?” Tess murmured, in shock.



“Yo