The Son Also Rises (CC ALL,MATURE) {Complete}

[Midwest Max]

Part Twenty-One

The Evans house was quiet, but a current of nervous energy seemed to be humming through it all the same. Nate sat dejectedly on the couch, listening to various hushed whispers around him. He assumed Michael had informed the older generation of his failure to produce an energy blast. Doom. Everywhere.

In the hallway, Michael and Isabel were speaking in hurried tones about something. Nate hated the constant, distracting din their voices created – it was making him uneasy. He would have felt so much better if one of them would have just screamed, “Oh my God! We’re gonna die!” Panic he could deal with. Anxiety, he couldn’t. Upon returning home, Alyssa and Maria had taken the rental car back to Maria’s house to get clean clothes and take showers. Nate didn’t like seeing them go alone, but Alyssa assured him with a kiss that she was a strong little hybrid – she could protect them if she needed to.

On the other side of the living room, Liz was on the floor playing quietly with her baby, making goofy faces that had her giggling and snorting adorably. Nate smiled at them, then felt a pang deep within his chest. He hated that his little sister had been born into this mess.

What fate awaited little Emily Evans? She would forever be “different” from other kids, she would always harbor a secret no one could know. Nate had only seen glimpses from Alyssa of what growing up like that was like. He’d been fortunate enough to have a blissfully ignorant childhood. It would be different for Emily.

Who would she date? Nate’s brow furrowed. Who would his kids date? Eventually, they were going to have to breed outside of their tightly-knit circle. He thought of Isabel dating an outsider and lying to him the entire time – lying by omission, but lying nonetheless. What had that been like, afraid every minute that the man she loved would find out she was a faker, a betrayer, afraid that he would stop loving her because of it? Nate had seen how much Isabel and Jesse cared for one another. Apparently Jesse had been able to see past Isabel’s otherworldliness enough to have a healthy life with her. But maybe Jesse was the exception. It wasn’t even possible that every other person out there would be so understanding. In his head, Nate heard playground taunts of “Freak!” and “Mutant!” and his heart ached for his baby sister and his unborn children.

Aside from the threat of a dying breed and romantic disillusion, there was also the ever-present possibility of being killed or beaten. Nate had witness that first hand, having a front row seat to the torture. This was the umbrella the youth of tomorrow lived under – secrets and fear.

Nate sighed louder than he’d intended and Liz looked up at him.

“You okay?” she asked, picking Emily up from the floor and turning her around on her lap so that she faced Nate.

His eyes went to the baby and he couldn’t help giving her a smile. Emily blinked a couple of times, then squealed happily and kicked against Liz’s crossed legs. “I’m fine,” he answered in a soft voice.

“It’s okay, you know,” Liz replied, dodging Emily’s flying fist.

“What’s okay?”

“That you couldn’t…uh, you know.”

As Liz looked away uneasily, like she’d just told him it was okay he couldn’t obtain an erection, Nate frowned. No, it wasn’t okay.

“There are people coming to kill me, Liz,” he said evenly.

She glanced back to him. “I know. But you’re not on your own. You know that, right?”

He nodded mutely, then watched as Liz’s gaze fell uncomfortably into her lap. She was only trying to help and only making it worse. He felt for her. “I need something to drink,” he said, pushing himself up. “Can I get you anything?”

She shook her head, seemed relieved that their short conversation was over. “Thanks anyway.”

In the kitchen, Nate found Max sitting alone at the table, staring at a half-eaten sandwich. His gaze was far away and he was so motionless Nate had to wonder if he’d fallen asleep with his eyes open. But when he opened the refrigerator, Max turned toward him and smiled – a full, handsome smile that Nate hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“Hi, Nate,” Max said, pushing the sandwich away from him.

“Hey, Max,” Nate replied, pulling some lemonade from the refrigerator. He held the pitcher out toward Max and raised his eyebrows in question. Max nodded and Nate moved to get some glasses from the cupboard. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Max answered, though his voice still sounded a little tired.

Nate sat down across from him and poured the lemonade, let out a long breath.

“Did you do what I said?” Max asked.

Nate nodded. “When will they come?”

“Soon.”

“Should I be somewhere waiting for them?” Maybe he needed to be back at the pod chamber where he’d activated the pentagram.

“No.” Max picked at the crust of the sandwich and Nate could now see what it was – peanut butter and jelly.

“How will I find them?”

Max looked up and grinned. “They’ll find you.”

“How?”

“They’ll know where you are. Don’t worry – they’ll find you.”

Nate watched his father silently, wondered how stable Max’s mind was. He seemed a little more normal than he had, but he was definitely off a little, like his synapses were firing about a half second too slow. “Max?”

“Hmm?”

“What do I do when they get here?” Nate’s stomach turned – it was a question he feared. He might actually fear the answer more.

“You tell them what to do,” Max said simply.

Nate’s jaw set. “You mean I tell them to go kill Nicholas and Kev – Khivar.”

Max gave a little shrug. “Is that what you want them to do?”

Nate looked down at the tabletop, his emotions jumbled. He didn’t really want to kill anybody. He just wanted to live. And if he wanted to be granted the right to life – why shouldn’t Nick and Kevin have the same right?

“How do you live with it?” he asked quietly. In his head, he rephrased the question for himself – How are you going to live with yourself?

Max picked at the crust. “You mean with making a tough decision?”

Nate nodded. He did mean that – sort of. He was alluding specifically to murder, but wasn’t that also a tough decision?

Max sat back in his chair, his expression pensive for a long moment. “You do what you have to do, Nate. All you have is your best judgment. After you’ve weighed all of the facts and you’ve searched your heart for what is the best solution, you have to do what you know is right. That in itself has to give you enough solace to sleep at night.”

Nate snorted in bewilderment. “But how can killing anyone ever be the right decision? What gives me more right to live than them?”

Max looked at him for a moment, then seemed to drift far away as he looked out of the window at the end of the table. Outside, it was getting dark – the conclusion of Nate’s day of failure.

“I had a boss at the UFO Center,” Max finally began, his gaze still fixed on something outside, or perhaps fixed on nothing at all. “Brody Davis. He just showed up out of the blue, bought the place from the old owner and started setting up all kinds of sophisticated equipment. At the same time, Tess’s guardian – the shapeshifter – was murdered.” He pulled his eyes from the window and sighed as he regarded his son. “There were many things that pointed to Brody being the killer. We felt that our enemy had found us out, that he was on our doorstep.”

Nate swallowed hard. They’d killed him.

Max looked away again, drew in a deep breath. “Michael and Isabel wanted to kill him. No questions asked, let the evidence speak for itself.”

“So what did you do?” Nate’s blue eyes were round.

“We went to the Center after it was closed to kill him.” Max’s gaze was steady, but Nate saw just a flicker in the corner of one of them – shame and regret. “Like an alien hit squad.”

Dread filled Nate’s body. “Did you do it?”

Max’s eyes fell to the tabletop. After a few moments, he shook his head slowly. “No.”

Nate released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“I couldn’t,” Max continued. “And I couldn’t let them. As we were going for Brody, I keep thinking about all of the brutal things that had happened in the past year – Liz being shot, Pierce dying, being tortured by the FBI…” His voice trailed off and Nate saw a cold, hard look in his normally warm eyes. Maybe this wasn’t something they should be talking about so soon after Max’s latest torture.

“Was he an enemy?” Nate asked, trying to push past Max’s memories of brutality.

“No,” he replied, shaking his head again. “He was an abductee.”

Nate raised an eyebrow.

Max smiled slightly and waved him off with a hand. “Long story, better suited for a more boring time.”

“Where is he now – this Brody guy?”

“He’s dead now,” Max answered, his demeanor slipping toward the melancholy once again. “Natural causes – bone cancer. He was a good man. It would have been a poor choice to kill him.”

Nate played with his glass, wiped the condensation from its sides, looked cautiously at his father. “Max, I don’t want…um, I don’t want to kill anyone.”

Max looked a little surprised. “Most people don’t, Nate.”

“Do you think…do you think I should kill Nicholas and Khivar?”

Max fell silent. Nate could imagine what was going through his head – after twenty years of fighting against this enemy, the answer had to be yes. Max and the others would be free from that threat for once and for all. Here was opportunity, about to knock on Nate’s door. A gift from the gods – with a bright red bow on top.

“What are your options?” Max finally asked.

Nate found himself struggling to come up with an answer and realized he had none. “I don’t know.” He frowned – he hated confusion. “Isn’t there another way? Does everything always have to be about death and destruction?”

Max studied him silently, then looked out the window again. Weary, he rested his cheek against his fist, his gaze drifting away, possibly to his happy place. If anyone at that moment wanted peace, it was Max.

“Is there no chance for peace?” Nate asked, his eyebrows lifted pleadingly.

“They’re killers, Nate,” Max said, his words measured. “They don’t care about peace. They care about you. They care that you die.”

A creeping sense of doom crawled over Nate’s skin, making every hair on his neck stand up.

Max was still staring out the window as he spoke. “They won’t quit until you’re dead. They’re like a rabid dog.” He dropped his hand and looked directly at his son. “So, no, there is no hope for peace.”

Despair dropped like a lead ball into the pit of Nate’s stomach. He was going to have to give the order to have them murdered – two beings he’d never even met. Of course, he’d seen what they’d done to Max and knew that everything he was saying was true.

“So, we kill them,” Nate said, barely forcing the words past his lips. “And then what? Who’s next? When will it end?”

Nate saw a flash of apology in Max’s eyes. They’d talked about it this many times – this wasn’t what Max had planned for his son. Nate was supposed to be back in New York, selling bait and going to college, not sitting at a table in Roswell planning an assassination.

“Never?” Nate asked rhetorically, his tone defeated.

Max worked his bottom lip, then turned back to the window. Nate thought he saw a tear in the corner of his eye – a result of the situation or Max’s fragile state of mind, he wasn’t sure.

“I’m sorry,” Max said softly. “I truly am.”

Nate felt a wave of empathy for him. “I know you do, Max. But isn’t there anything we can do to make it better?”

Max shook his head slowly, then his eyes stopped on something outside. “Nate, you have a visitor.”

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Part Twenty Two

She was tall, lean, her hair a dark brown, her eyes a piercing blue. She wore a suit of fine linen – a dark jacket and pants, though not unfeminine. As Nate stood dumbly in the doorway of the Evans home, he couldn’t help but stare at her. She was beautiful to say the least…but not in an entirely human way. There was something unnatural about her eyes, about the way they seemed to drive right through his skull. Oddly enough, he wasn’t intimidated by her, rather awed.

The truly unbelievable was that upon seeing him, she’d laid one hand on her chest and bowed her head slightly. “My lord,” she’d said quietly.

It was the “My lord” part that had robbed Nate of his voice.

“Nate,” Max said from behind him, a chuckle in his tone. “This is Aubrey.”

Aubrey lifted her head and looked a little surprised to see Max in the doorway. Well, it was an expression Nate guessed indicated surprise – her facial expressions were a little muted compared to the average human.

“Sir,” she said, smiling slightly toward Max.

Nate looked over his shoulder to see Max dipping his head in her direction, a greeting of familiarity.

“Aubrey was Agent Darmon’s wife,” Max explained to Nate, a flicker of pain behind his eyes. Then he turned to their visitor, his expression sad. “I’m so sorry, Aubrey. He was a good man.”

If Aubrey was upset, Nate couldn’t tell. Did these creatures grieve for their lost mates? Were they so different after all?

“He died doing what he was born to do,” Aubrey stated matter-of-factly. “Protecting his king.”

Max smiled, the action bittersweet. “He saved my life.” His tone was distant, full of unwelcome memory. He placed a hand on Nate’s shoulder. “He contacted Nate, told him where to find me. Nate healed me – I know you’re wondering how I could be here. If Agent Darmon hadn’t done what he did, I would be dead now, Aubrey. I owe him my life.”

Those words seemed to have some sort of effect on her, though Nate wasn’t sure exactly what. This race had very subtle mood shifts.

“He helped save me once, too,” he said, an offering of gratitude.

Aubrey’s eyes shifted to his and he fought the urge to look away.

“That’s right,” Max said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “He did. We’re forever indebted to your house. Thank you.”

Aubrey lowered her head once again, accepting their gratitude. As if nothing had occurred, she quickly snapped her head up and fell into full military mode. “I’ll set up a perimeter,” she announced. “When the others get here, we’ll be ready to follow whatever orders you give us.” She was addressing Nate directly.

He managed not to gulp, though his belly was starting to churn again. Orders? Setting up perimeters? This person was looking to him for direction and he had none. Surely she must see that. “Okay,” he said lamely. Okay? Inside, he cringed. He was a doufus.

“Thank you, Aubrey,” Max added, the chuckle back in his tone.

“I’ll be right out here if you need me,” she said, bowing slightly and backing away.

Nate watched her turn on her heel and stride around the house, looking up at the roof as she disappeared into the shadows. He grimaced slightly. “Um, Max? Won’t people notice her casing the place?”

Max laughed lightly and closed the door, blocking Nate’s view. “Nope. Aubrey is as good as Agent Darmon was. She’s your personal body guard now, Nate. That’s why she got here first.”

Nate shoved his hands into his pockets uneasily as he watched Max wander back toward the kitchen and his half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If Aubrey had been able to find him so easily, what was to say that the evil Khivar and his henchman wouldn’t be able to as well?

Alyssa was suddenly at his side, sliding her arm through his, a ray of sunshine amidst Nate’s gloom. “Who was that, honey?” she asked.

“My guardian angel,” he said absently, watched Max disappear into the kitchen.

“Really?” Alyssa voice rose sharply at the end, surprised. She opened the door and peeked outside. Quickly she whirled around. “Uncle Max!”

Max’s head poked through the kitchen doorway, his eyebrows lifted in question.

“Can I go meet her?” There was excitement in Alyssa’s voice, something that baffled Nate.

Max nodded and disappeared once again.

Alyssa squeezed Nate’s arm happily. “I’ve never met one of them!”

His brow furrowed slightly. “One of whom?”

“The protectors. Daddy has talked about them and Uncle Max has always had one, but I’ve never got to meet one!” She giggled girlishly, then sprang through the door, evaporating into the night.

Nate blinked in her wake. He didn’t feel so elated about the arrival of Aubrey, but maybe Alyssa had more cause to be excited than he did. After all, this was just a day in the life for her – for Nate, it was still all very confusing.

In the kitchen, he found Max pushing the rest of his sandwich into the garbage disposal. He looked tired again, older than his years – Nate knew Max was going to return to his bedroom soon.

“Can I ask you something?” Nate asked tentatively, trying to shove his hands as far into his pockets as he could.

Max washed his hands, wiped them on a towel and nodded.

“If Aubrey could find me…” He found it hard to say the words. “I mean…couldn’t Khivar and Nicholas find me as well?”

Max didn’t try to sugarcoat it. He simply nodded, his expression grim.

Nate gulped, dread filling his whole being. “Shouldn’t we be worried about that?”

“Aubrey’s here,” Max said in reassurance. “No one is getting past her.”

But someone had gotten past Agent Darmon. In a major way. Nate looked warily at his father.

Max seemed to read his mind. Sighing softly, he leaned back against the counter and regarded his son wearily. “It was a trap,” he explained. “Khivar and Nicholas have been gone for nearly twenty years. We let our guard down.” He drew in a deep breath and shook his head – in shame or anger, Nate wasn’t sure. “It won’t happen again.”

Nate wanted to believe that. He wanted to believe that this house was safe with that unusually beautiful alien patrolling outside. But in truth, he’d never felt more naked, more exposed, in his life.

In his first gesture of affection since Nate had healed him, Max reached out and gave Nate a tight hug. Nate was momentarily thrown by the gesture, confused as to the sudden outpouring of affection. But when Max pulled back, Nate saw moisture in his eyes and remembered that Max was just starting to get a foothold in this world again.

“You’ll be okay,” Max said, managing a tired smile as he cuffed Nate lightly on the chin. “You’re an Evans – you’ll be more than okay.”

Nate returned his smile, not sure what to say.

Max’s grin faded away, his demeanor serious once again. “She won’t let anyone hurt any of us. Believe that. I have to go to bed now. I’m not feeling so well.”

Nate nodded mutely and Max made his exit. He watched as Liz met him in the hallway, Emily balanced on her hip; Max put his arm around her and the trio retreated to his room, a traumatized, shell-shocked family unit. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Suddenly a little claustrophobic, Nate slid open the patio doors and stepped outside, his eyes immediately going to the bushes, wondering if his protector or his girlfriend was lurking there. So intent was he on checking the shrubbery that he didn’t notice his Aunt Isabel sitting in plain sight on the glider.

“Close the door,” she said softly. “Mom gets all tense if bugs get in the house.”

Nate jumped slightly at the sound of her voice, then slid the door shut.

Isabel patted the empty seat beside her on the glider. “Come sit with me.”

He did as he was told, feeling a little nervous about being out in the open.

“Relax,” she said, letting out a tired sigh and starting the motion of the glider with her long legs. She looked up to the sky as they slid back and forth in silence. “When I was a little girl,” she finally said, her gaze still fixed on the stars, “I used to dream that I had a home up there. Full of people just like me.”

Nate watched her silently, pondering what it was like to be a young girl growing up with no knowledge of her heritage.

“Then one day I found out I did have a home up there.” Her lips turned downward into a frown. “And it wasn’t a home I ever wanted to go back to, that I didn’t necessarily like people who were just like me.” She dropped her gaze to her nephew. “We’ve never cared, you know? Max never wanted to be king. I never wanted to be a princess.”

“What did you want to be?” Nate asked quietly.

Her face was a mask of utter irony. “Human.”

Nate gave her a look of sympathy.

“More than anything, I think we all came to realize that we just wanted to stay here, to lead human lives. I have a human husband. Max and Michael have human wives. We couldn’t care less about what’s going on up there.” She scowled. “It’s just that those beings up there care too much about what’s going on down here.”

“Can’t we just abdicate the throne?” Nate asked with a shrug. “Can’t we just sign something that promises we will never come back and want to rule their world?” He knew he certainly didn’t want to do that.

Isabel gave a little laugh. “Oh, Nate. You’re still so innocent about all of this.”

He liked his Aunt Isabel. He thought she was loving and caring and beautiful. But he hated the fact that she’d just called him innocent. He suddenly felt like an imbecile. An idiot king of old.

Isabel reached over and rubbed his shoulder. “Don’t look like that – I wasn’t trying to insult you. I just meant that if you knew half of what we know, your choice wouldn’t be so hard.”

He looked at her curiously. “What choice?”

“To kill them.” She said it bluntly, like she was announcing she was going to the store to buy some cheese.

Nate frowned.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “I wanted peace and all of that, too, when I was your age. Then I looked pure evil in the face and I knew that peace was never going to exist. Not for me. Not for Max. Not for any of us.”

Enthralled, Nate pressed her. “What happened?”

“I met a Skin. Our enemy. Nicholas and Khivar are Skins. So was Congresswoman Whitaker.” She looked back to the sky, lost in the past. “She kidnapped your mother. Or so I assume she did – it was always hard to tell what was real and what had been a contrivance on Tess’s part.” She waved a hand to dismiss the thought. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Whitaker took Tess to get to me.”

Nate listened mutely – it was rare that anyone talked at such length about his mother.

“So, I found Tess and Whitaker found me. And right then I knew that there were beings out there that weren’t interested in peace or gaining a throne via treaty.” She looked to the ground, the darkness masking the emotion in her eyes. “So I did what I had to do.”

Her first kill. Nate followed her gaze to the ground; he could almost see shadows of her lost innocence there.

“You don’t have to do it yourself,” Isabel said, turning her gaze to him. “You only have to order the followers to help us.”

So, he could sign the death warrant like a judge and sit back with his hands clean…it was a cold comfort. He nodded just to let her know he was listening.

After a silence between them, she asked curiously, “How did your training session with Michael go today?”

Nate snorted. “Horrible. I can’t blast anything.” It was humiliating to admit it.

It was even more embarrassing when she laughed. He glanced up at her in indignation.

“It’s not really funny,” he mumbled.

“I know it’s not,” she said, still laughing as he put a comforting hand on his knee. “It’s just that you’re so much like Max.”

Nate lifted an eyebrow.

Isabel shrugged. “He can’t blast either.”


tbc

[Midwest Max]

Part Twenty-Three

Nate and Isabel stayed up very late, until the whole neighborhood had fallen silent around them. They talked about an ancient history from a planet far away, about how Isabel had once been Vilandra, about how she had had an elicit affair with the evil Khivar, about how her family had come to ruin. Isabel did most of the talking, Nate simply listening quietly while she placed the pieces on the board, explaining the treachery that was their enemy.

Nate knew this for sure – Isabel Ramirez was not that person, not Vilandra from another lifetime. He didn’t know that person but he knew that none of what Isabel said in any way was a self-description. Reincarnation had given her an identity of her own and she was anything but a betrayer of her family. When Nate voiced that opinion, she smiled gently at him and patted him on the arm. It seemed that Isabel had spent years trying to figure out who she was, if the Benedict Arnold still ran in her veins, to come to the conclusion that she was indeed her own person.

It was well past three in the morning as Nate drove to Maria’s little house in the less-affluent area of Roswell. In the passenger seat beside him, Aubrey sat seemingly motionless, but he knew that her gaze was constantly moving, her unnatural senses searching for any signs of danger. It was kind of creepy to have this person attached to everything he did, but he didn’t see where he had a choice – as he’d been climbing into the rental car, she’d simply slid into the passenger seat without a word. He’d hesitated, waiting for an explanation that never came. He knew why it didn’t come – her mission was simple. Protect the king. That’s what she’d said she was going to do and Nate was sure she found no reason to explain why she was tagging along.

As he pulled into the driveway, Nate cut the headlights and let the car slide quietly to a stop. He turned off the ignition, then turned to his protector.

“Do you want to come inside?” he asked.

She shook her head, her eyes briefly meeting his before quickly surveying the shrubs on the other side of the car.

“Where are you going to sleep?” he asked next.

Aubrey tilted her head slightly, like a confused animal. “I don’t need to sleep.”

Nate’s brow furrowed. What good was she going to be if she tired herself out? Who wanted an exhausted bodyguard?

“Ever,” she clarified.

Nate’s eyebrows shot up quickly. “For real?”

She gave a short nod of her head. “I’ll be outside. I’ll set up a perimeter. Rest assured – you’re safe.” With that, she climbed out of the car and disappeared into the shadows again.

Nate looked after her, scratching his head. He wasn’t sure he liked having this perimeter-obsessed creature tailing him – there was nothing he could do without her knowing it. It was a creepy feeling.

Inside the house, Nate moved quietly toward Alyssa’s bedroom, the floor boards of the old bungalow creaking softly in his wake. He bit his bottom lip, hoping he wasn’t waking anyone – especially Michael. Although, he did need to ask Michael why he’d lied about Nate’s ability to blast…

Thoughts of lies faded away as Nate nudged open Alyssa’s door. She was sleeping on her side, facing him. He smiled lightly and let the door drift shut behind him. Kicking off his shoes, he lifted the sheet and slid under it, his knees knocking against hers as he stretched out. In the half-light created by the moon streaming through the windows, he caught the glint of the necklace he’d given her for her birthday around her neck. She’d never taken it off – just like she’d promised. Reaching out with his fingertips, he touched the gem, his smile soft.

Melancholy slid into Nate’s mood as he watched her sleep soundlessly beside him. There was so much uncertainty right now, so much turmoil – he didn’t even know if they’d live long enough for him to ask her to marry him. But amidst all of that angst, Nate could find refuge in one thing – Alyssa. He’d barely known her a year and yet he felt so tightly bonded to her that she may as well hold the key to his next breath. When he became anxious or worried, all he had to do was think about her, about her true spirit and he’d relax. Simply, he’d be lost without her in his life.

Alyssa drew in a deep breath and mumbled something groggily. Nate smiled and put his hand gently on her shoulder. She blinked a couple of times, then returned his smile, hers sleepy.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Mmm,” she said, blinking slowly.

“I missed you.”

She nodded in return.

Nate watched as her smile straightened slowly and her breath started to fall into a deep rhythm again. He frowned – he wanted her to stay away, to talk him through his fears and doubts.

“I had a dream,” she said slowly, surprising him that she was still awake.

“You did?” he asked softly. “About what?”

She blinked and opened her eyes into small slits. “Us.”

Studying her face, Nate realized he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. After all, a lot of Alyssa’s dreams had proven to be prophetic – what if she said something bad about them? “What about us?”

“We were together,” she sighed. “Just you and me.”

He waited for more and got nothing. “In a bad way?”

She breathed a sleepy laugh. “No. In a good way.” Reaching under the sheet, she took his hand in hers. “We were making love…by a pond…” Her words faded and he had no doubt this time that she was sleeping again.

“Alyssa,” he said close to her ear.

Her breathing hitched and she sighed a response.

“I want to see you.”

Her eyes opened again but he couldn’t read her expression.

“We don’t need to do anything,” he assured her. “I mean, I know we’re in your parents’ house and all. I just…you’re the most beautiful thing that’s ever been in my life. I just want to look at you.”

She smiled softly, then drew in a deep breath and sat up; Nate put a hand on her back to steady her. Then he watched in the moonlight as she pulled her T-shirt over her head, dropping the garment over the side of the bed. She turned to him, the bluish glow from the window illuminating her silhouette and Nate nearly gasped. She paused for a moment, then looked down at her body. Wordlessly, she pushed the blankets away and reached for her underwear. Nate took her by the wrist.

“No,” he whispered. “It’s enough.” His eyes scanned over her in the half light and he felt tears stinging the backs of them. “You’re so pretty.”

Alyssa smiled bashfully, one of her hands moving toward her chest as if to cover herself in an atypical gesture of groggy modesty. Nate shook his head and took her hand in his. He kissed the back of it, then caressed her bare shoulder. Her skin was so soft beneath his hand, so flawless. He trailed a path between her shoulder blades, down the ridges of her spine, to her trim waist. The whole time she watched him silently. When he reached her waist, he circled around to her flat belly, slid his palm up to her sternum, pausing between her breasts before diverting to one side, tracing her breast lightly with his fingertips.

“I love you so much,” he whispered, meeting her gaze.

He thought he could see her swallow hard and had the idea maybe there were tears in her eyes. She covered his hand with hers, then leaned in to kiss him long and slow on the lips. The kiss was over with too quickly, however, as she pulled away and slowly descended his body. He tilted his chin to his chest and watched her go, curious, then nearly yelped in surprise when she dropped his zipper. Immediately, he took her by the shoulders and she looked up at him.

“Not here,” he said, rolling his eyes toward the door.

But Alyssa smiled and crawled up his body, lay flush on top of him. Unable to stop himself, he wrapped her arms around her, his hands curving over her round bottom.

“You wanted to see me,” she whispered playfully. “And now I want to taste you.”

With that, she started her downward assault again, Nate stunned into silence. A million stupid thoughts ran through his head, one of them being he wished he’d showered before coming here. But all thoughts were gone as he felt her release him from his jeans, his heart suddenly thudding rapidly in his chest. It was new territory, unexplored – it both enthralled and terrified him.

“Oh, Jesus!” he whispered harshly as she kissed him where no one had ever kissed him before.

“Nate,” Alyssa whispered.

He raised his head and looked down at her. She shook her head from side to side – no noise while she was going down on him in her mother’s old bedroom. Nate nodded in understanding, then fell back against the pillow, grabbing the sheet in his fists as a means to leverage himself. For a long time he stared at the ceiling, trying to concentrate on anything but what his girlfriend was doing to him. But eventually that became impossible and he closed his eyes and tightened his fists against the urge to cry her name.

Later, Nate found himself hoping that they did live long enough for him to propose to her. After all, he wanted there to be enough time for them to do that again - a few times.

Morning found Nate alone in Alyssa’s girlie bedroom, the sun glinting off the glass mobile that hung by her window. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock – it wasn’t even eight yet. His body felt the affects of his short night – he ached everywhere.

Knowing that there was no time to relax, not while “followers” were coming to Roswell and evil Skins were waiting to attack, Nate pushed himself from the bed and followed the sounds of hushed voices to the kitchen. At the table, Michael was leaning over a bowl of cereal, his shoulder-length hair tied back in a ponytail at the base of his neck – the alien equivalent of tying on the Rising Sun? Maria was at the stove, stirring something in a skillet. Upon Nate entering, Michael stopped mid-scoop and narrowed his eyes.

“Did you spend last night in my daughter’s bed?” he demanded harshly.

Nate shrugged and pulled out a chair, no longer threatened by this man. “Did you lie to me about everyone being able to blast things?”

Michael blinked but otherwise remained motionless.

“He’s got you there,” Maria murmured from the stove.

Nate raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips, a perfect imitation of Michael.

On the other side of the table, Michael dumped his spoonful of cereal back into the bowl. “I didn’t lie to you,” he said sharply.

Nate only continued to stare at him.

“How was I to know you didn’t have that power?”

“Because my dad doesn’t have that power,” Nate stated calmly. “You said everyone had the ability to blast stuff. Didn’t you?”

Michael shrugged, obviously not willing to give in to this kid. Maria set a plate on the table at an empty seat and returned wordlessly to the stove. Nate waited patiently for Michael’s response.

Finally, Michael sat back in his chair and blew out a sigh. “I didn’t want to tell you Max couldn’t do it up front. I thought maybe you could and I didn’t want you to think you couldn’t just because Max couldn’t. Okay?”

Nate pinned him with a stare for a long moment, then said, “Don’t lie to me again.”

Michael tipped his head. “Fine. Don’t sleep in my daughter’s bed again.”

Nate snorted. “Not going to promise that.”

Down the hallway, Nate heard the bathroom door swing open – he was still glaring at Michael as Alyssa slid into the seat behind the plate of eggs and hash browns Maria had placed there. Her hair was wet from the shower and she smelled like a fresh spring morning. Before she started picking at her food, she leaned to one side and kissed Nate on the cheek.

“Good morning, Sweetie,” she said happily. Then she leaned over and kissed Michael. “Good morning, Daddy.”

Michael and Nate continued their stand-off as she dove into her breakfast. In short order, Maria came back to the table with another plate and biffed Michael on the back of the head with her free hand. He flinched and turned to glare at her as she slid the plate before Nate.

“Knock it off,” she said simply, then looked at Nate, smiling like a 1950’s housewife. “I hope you like eggs?”

Nate couldn’t help his victorious smirk as he nodded his head. He picked up his fork to start on the eggs, but noticed Maria giving Michael the evil eye before he dipped his head to his plate.

“You really need to get over yourselves,” Alyssa said casually as she reached for the pitcher of orange juice. She was so blunt in her tone that her father and lover both looked at her startled. “I mean, for real.” She looked at Nate first. “He’s my dad. He’s going to be a jerk to you just because he thinks it’s his God-given right.” Michael looked affronted as she turned her gaze to him. “He’s the love of my life. He’s going to do what he wants with me even if it pisses you off.” She shrugged and cut into her eggs. “So let’s just accept it and move past it, okay?”

Nate looked across the table at Michael, who was staring at his daughter in disbelief. Alyssa glanced at her father, then pointed to his cereal bowl with her fork.

“Eat that so we can go confront the bad guys,” she commanded before turning her attention to Nate. “You, too. Eat up.”

Nate hesitated a moment, then looked back to Michael, who was looking at him steadily but without threat. At the same time, they started polishing off their breakfasts. Nate wasn’t positive what had just happened, but he was pretty sure that Alyssa had just put an end to the Spencer-Guerin war that had been waging for the last year.

He could only hope that her powers of ending conflicts so peacefully would work on Khivar and Nicholas.

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Hi everyone! Sorry for not answering fb - I'm doing good just to get the parts written lately I do appreciate all of the time you guys put into leaving the fb!


Part Twenty Four

Nate couldn’t see them, but he could feel them. All around him. A hundred at least.

He stood outside of the pod chamber, the October wind blowing his bangs into his eyes, a reminder that he’d forgotten to go to the barber since he’d moved to Boston. His eyes were wide as they searched the horizon, seeking out those bodies he knew were close but obviously hiding.

“Where are they?” he breathed to Aubrey, who was standing rigidly at his side.

“Awaiting your command,” she stated simply. She had donned a pair of Ray Bans against the bright desert sun, and Nate wondered if she was a label freak. After all, that suit she was wearing wasn’t exactly off the rack.

“Yes, but where are they?” he asked again. “I mean, I can’t see them.”

“You’re not meant to.”

His brow furrowed, he turned to look at her. “Then how am I supposed to command them?”

Her expression was stony, unemotional. “Through me.”

Nate frowned. Until yesterday, he’d never met this person. Now she was just expecting him to trust her enough to relay his orders to a bunch of beings he couldn’t even see?

Below them, Max and Liz climbed out of Philip’s SUV, drawing Nate’s attention away from his spooky guard. As soon as Max was out of the vehicle, he grabbed Liz’s hand in his and quickly ascended the slope to the pod chamber – it was obvious that he was nearly as good as new.

“Hey,” Max grinned as he greeted Nate and Aubrey.

“Morning,” Nate replied, still uneasy about Aubrey’s sudden authority. “Hi, Liz.”

She smiled at him and pushed her wind-blown hair out of her eyes. “Hi, Nate. Everyone here?”

“They’re inside,” Nate said, tossing his head toward the entrance. He looked at Max. “You must drive slow, old man – Isabel got here fifteen minutes ago.”

Max chuckled. “No, my sister drives like a maniac. Should we go in?”

Nate nodded and turned to follow his father into the chamber. He’d only made it a few steps before turning back to Aubrey. “Are you coming in?”

She gave one short shake of her head. “No. I’ll stay out here and – “

“Set up a perimeter,” he finished for her, a smirk on his lips.

Aubrey looked at him expressionlessly, then turned back to her surveying of their surroundings. Nate’s grin dissolved and he hung his head in disappointment as he followed in Max’s footsteps – the protectors of the world were humorless, it seemed.

“Max,” Nate called, stopping his father before he’d reached the entrance. “Do you feel them?”

Max lifted a surprised eyebrow. “Do you feel them, Nate?”

Nate nodded.

Max exchanged a grin with Liz, then clapped his son on the shoulder. “Yes, Nate. I can feel them.”

“Why can’t I see them?”

He shrugged. “They don’t want to be seen. But they’re out there, trust me.”

Speaking of trust…Nate looked uneasy for a moment, bit his lip. “Max, about Aubrey…”

“What about her?”

“She said she would command the troops for me.”

Max nodded. “That’s right.”

“Should I…um, I mean…should I trust her?”

Max studied him for a moment, then laughed lightly. “Yes, you can trust her. By the way, she can hear you.”

Nate’s expression resembled that of a deer in the headlights and he spun toward Aubrey, who remained stoically on her perch. “She can?”

“Yep. She has better hearing than I do.” Max cuffed him on the arm. “It’s okay – she’ll forgive you the insult. Let’s go inside.”

Guilt twisting in his stomach, Nate followed Liz and Max into the pod chamber. Aubrey was insulted? Did she feel the same emotions as he did? Had he really hurt her feelings? Would she “forgive” him by turning his troops against him? He had so much to learn – and seemingly so little time.

Inside the chamber, the rest of the group had taken seats in a wide circle – it reminded Nate of an Indian pow wow. Before anyone else even dared, he grabbed a spot beside Alyssa, dropping down beside her and immediately taking her hand in his. Max and Liz sat between Isabel and Michael and Nate noticed how relieved Isabel seemed to have Max fully functional once again.

“So,” Max began.

“So,” Michael repeated.

Nate wondered if it was an alien ritual, if they’d all have to say “So” before the meeting could commence – sort of like in AA when everyone has to say, “Hi, my name is Whoever, and I’m an alcoholic.” Maria blew that theory out of the water.

“So, Khivar and Nicholas are back,” she stated flatly. “What now?”

“We kill the bastards,” Michael replied bluntly, without hesitation.

There were uncomfortable glances all around – Nate got the feeling many of them in the room wanted to jump on the band wagon, but didn’t want to seem as anxious as Michael was.

“How do we do that?” Isabel finally asked.

Michael looked straight at Nate. “With bait.”

Alyssa tightened her grip on Nate’s hand and he could almost feel the fear coming off her in waves.

“That’s harsh,” Isabel said softly.

“No, it’s practical,” Michael stated. “They’re going to find him just like all of those aliens out there did. They probably already know where he is. We put Junior out there, Khivar and Nicholas come looking for a snack, and we get rid of them right there.”

Nate frowned. He wasn’t sure he liked being referred to as a “snack.”

“They won’t waste any time,” Max said softly, his words directed at Michael. “If they get to Nate, they’ll kill him on the spot, no questions asked.”

“What makes you say that?” Maria countered. “Did they kill you that quickly?” A flash of pain raced across Max’s face and Maria withdrew slightly. “I’m sorry, Max. I didn’t think before I spoke.” She looked at the floor in shame.

“It’s okay,” Max said, letting her off the hook. “You have a valid point. But they don’t know Nate. They both knew me.” He swallowed visibly. “They wanted to see me suffer for things in our past. I doubt they would hold such a grudge against Nate.” He glanced apologetically at his son before addressing the group again. “So, back to the original point – if they get to him, they’ll kill him.”

“They we don’t let them get to him,” Isabel said simply. “We leave Aubrey and a few soldiers here to protect him.”

“Not here,” Max said, shaking his head. “This is the only place we have that no one has ever found out about. I don’t want to give up our one safe haven. We need to find somewhere else.”

Isabel nodded in agreement. “Okay. We’ll scout, find some place that is easy to defend, that someone can’t sneak up on. We leave Nate, Aubrey and a few soldiers there.”

“And then we wait for them,” Michael added, his eyes showing a vengeful fire Nate never hoped to be on the receiving end of.

There was a long silence in the chamber, each person looking for objections from the next guy. Nate noticed that Jeremy hadn’t said a peep during the whole conversation and silently hoped that the teen would be left behind with him - it was wrong that one so young should see war so soon. Naturally, his gaze went to Alyssa, who was looking at him intently, a mixture of bravery and fear in her eyes. She’d already seen too much, his pretty little girlfriend. He grieved that there was no way to protect her from what she’d already witnessed.

“What if their powers have advanced?” Liz questioned, breaking the silence in the chamber. “I mean, what if they’re like ten times more powerful than they were the last time we saw them?”

“We’re stronger, too,” Michael pointed out. “And we have a whole legion of supporters outside.”

They were really going to do this. The knot in Nate’s stomach twisted a little tighter, his heart thumping a little quicker. War was knocking on his door – a conflict centered directly on him – and he had no idea how to react.

“I want to fight,” he said before he even reconsidered the words.

All eyes in the chamber turned to him, some round, some narrowed (those ones belonged to Michael Guerin).

“Nate,” Max said gently. “It’s too soon. You haven’t developed enough powers to defend yourself.”

“I can do that shield thingie,” he protested. He wasn’t sure why he was pushing this because he didn’t really want to fight. Perhaps it was just a sense of everyone fighting on his behalf that he didn’t want to deal with.

“Really?” Michael snorted. “Do it now.”

Nate’s eyebrows lifted quickly. “What?”

“Go on – do it now.”

Nate glanced at the rest of the group and received an encouraging nod from Liz. Drawing in a breath, he lifted his palm and thought about the shield producing before him and…nothing happened. Defeated, he lowered his hand and dropped his gaze to the floor simply because he didn’t want to see the self-satisfied look in Michael’s eyes.

Alyssa put her arm around his waist and gave him a comforting squeeze.

“So, Nate is the bait,” Max continued, like his son’s failure had never occurred. “When do we do this?”

“As soon as possible,” Isabel said.

Nate frowned. He felt like a sacrificial lamb about to be tied to a stake.

“Who’s in?” Max asked.

“Me,” Michael said.

“Me,” Isabel replied.

Then a steady round of Me’s from Jeremy, Liz and Alyssa.

Maria tossed her hand in the air. “I’d be in if I had any powers. I guess I’ll stay behind.”

Max smiled at her in understanding, then turned to Liz. “You, too.”

Liz’s mouth dropped open. “No, way, Max!”

He nodded silently.

“No! Not after what they did to you! Not after what they –“

“Think about Emily,” he replied softly.

Liz’s words cut off in her throat and Nate saw a swirl of emotions in her eyes – anger, determination, fear and understanding. Max picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.

“Emily needs one of us,” he said. “I have to do this, Liz.”

Liz’s bottom lip quivered and she looked to the cave floor, aggrieved. Nate felt a lump in his throat that she had to stay behind. He knew exactly how she felt – after all, his lover was also going off to fight and he was also staying behind. It was an unpleasant, impotent feeling.

Max slid his arm around his wife’s shoulders as he spoke to the group. “Isabel, you and Michael scout for a location to put Nate. Nate, I’ll need your help in getting orders to Aubrey – she takes commands from you only.”

Nate felt another twist of panic – he had no orders to give her. Max chuckled.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll tell you what to tell her.” He winked at his son, then pushed himself to his feet. “Alright – let’s go.”

tbc

[Midwest Max]

You guys and your creepy twins theories!

*I used a itty bitty line from the pilot in this part


Part Twenty Five

Nate wanted to scream in agony, his ribs collapsing so tightly around his lungs that he could no longer breathe correctly. There was a churning, debilitating cramp in his stomach, one that twisted his insides into a huge, half alien/half human knot. Tears threatened at the backs of his eyes…

But he wouldn’t let them see him cry. He wouldn’t let any of them see him cry. After all, how could he?

In his arms, Alyssa felt warm and alive and very much a part of his very being. Sending her off to battle was more painful than any torture he’d ever endured. For one manic moment, Nate imagined a world without her and he realized that this – just holding her close to him – was what he would miss the most. It wasn’t the sex – which he had to admit was pretty incredible – and it wasn’t her youth or beauty. It was her warmth, her loving spirit, the way she simply melted into him, that he would miss the most. The thought of never being able to hug her again was absolutely devastating.

But he wouldn’t let her see that. He couldn’t. There was no way he was going to break down and cry in front of her as she was about to go out and battle the bad guys when he lacked the ability to do the same. So when she pulled back, he smiled at her and found that she wasn’t exactly quivering in her boots – she had so much confidence and determination in her dark eyes that in nearly took him aback.

“You’d better be here when we get back,” she said teasingly. “Because I’m going to need a long, long night of victory sex.”

He laughed in surprise and picked up her hand in his. “I’m not going anywhere.”

And that was the truth. Michael and Isabel had found yet another cave in the middle of nowhere – this one not as large as the pod chamber and lacking the decades-old incubation pods hanging on the wall – where Nate, Maria and Liz would hole up until the ugliness was over. Liz had also brought little Emily with her, perhaps thinking she’d be safer here than out in the real world should Khivar or Nicholas somehow realize that Max had yet another heir. Nate frowned.

Alyssa touched his face, her frown matching his. “What is it, baby?”

Nate glanced at Maria, who was saying goodbye to Michael, and at Liz, who was saying goodbye to Max. “I feel like a pussy,” he admitted.

This time, Alyssa gave the startled laugh. “What? Why?”

Nate blushed slightly – “pussy” wasn’t exactly a polite word to use in the company of women. Jonathan Spencer would whip his ass if he’d heard him just now. “It’s just that I’m getting stuck behind with the women and children…” he sulked.

Alyssa lifted an eyebrow. “That’s sexist and very nineteenth century of you,” she observed, though there was no hint of reprimand in her voice.

He gave her a look of agreement, then let out an uneasy breath. “Listen,” he began. “You need to come back in one piece, okay? There’s something I need to ask you.”

She tipped her head to the side, curious. “Yeah? What?”

He shook his head. “Not now. Not here. When you come back.”

She looked to the wall for a moment, then shrugged. “What if I don’t come back?” she asked casually, as if she weren’t talking of her own death. “Are you really going to let me die wondering what you meant?”

“Alyssa!” Nate scolded. “That’s not even funny.”

“Wasn’t meant to be.”

He furrowed his brow, knowing deep within that she was manipulating him into getting him to reveal his secret.

“A hint?” she prodded.

He sighed, looked down at their hands. So not the way he’d planned on doing this… “Okay, a hint. It has to do with happily ever after.” When she didn’t respond, he glanced up at her and found her mouth hanging open in surprise.

“Are you saying -?” she began, then swallowed. “Are you asking me -?”

Nate shook his head. “Not yet, but I will be.”

She was speechless, perhaps for the first time since he’d met her.

“Look,” he said rubbing the backs of her hands with his thumbs. “There’s no one else for me. There never will be. I want to make that official, but not here, not in this place with all of these people here. I want that to be special. Do you understand?”

She nodded mutely.

“Then come back to me, unharmed,” he pleaded.

She nodded again. “I will.” Then she hugged him to her again, her soft perfume filling his nose, making his soul ache. “I love you, Nate,” she whispered against his ear.

“I love you too, Alyssa,” he answered, squeezing her tightly one more time.

“What time does the bus leave?” a voice boomed from the cave entrance.

Nate jumped, disentangling himself from Alyssa. At the doorway stood that annoying Deputy Valenti, the one who had once scraped Nate up from the side of the road and then proceeded to embarrass him at every opportunity. Isabel was obviously happier than Nate was to see Kyle, as she ran over to him, laughing, and threw her arms around him.

“What’s he doing here?” Nate muttered to Alyssa.

“He’s going to help us,” she answered. “He’s like Aunt Liz. He can blast, too.”

Nate wilted, neutered completely. “That guy can blast?” he moaned.

Alyssa laughed and tweaked his cheek, obviously amused at his dilemma. Shortly, Kyle was before them, those blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Dingo bait!” he greeted Nate, then stopped and rolled his eyes to the ceiling, thinking. “Wow. I didn’t know that one day you’d really become bait of some kind. Maybe I’ve become prophetic…”

Nate blinked a couple of times, not finding the humor in this short, annoying little lawman.

Alyssa leaned in and hugged Kyle. “Hi, Uncle Kyle. Ready to kick some alien ass?”

“You better believe it, sister.” He looped his arm around her shoulders and started to steer her away. Over his shoulder, he called to Nate, “Don’t worry, she’s in good hands.” Then he winked in a totally I’m-putting-the-moves-on-your-chick kind of way.

Nate was still glowering when Max stepped before him. “That guy gets to go?” Nate questioned.

Max looked after Kyle and Alyssa and nodded. “Sure. He’s helped us before. We need all the help we can get.” When he looked back to his son, Max’s eyes softened, seeming to understand everything that was going through Nate’s head. “It doesn’t make you any less of a man,” he stated bluntly. “I can’t do it either – remember?”

“Yeah, but you’re going.”

“I have to. Trust me, Nate, what you’re about to do is as important as what we’re going to do.” Max’s eyes settled on Nate’s chest. “Is the seal there?”

Nate pulled open his shirt and saw that his skin was unblemished.

Max’s eyes held every ounce of regret and apology Nate could imagine any single man feeling. “I’m sorry, Nate, but I’m going to have to make the seal appear. Once it does, hopefully Khivar and Nicholas will be able to zero in on it and come here.”

Nate nodded reluctantly and watched as Max placed his hand just below his collarbone. Within seconds, he felt that itchy, burning, icy hot sensation and knew when Max removed his hand there would be five dots on his skin. Max stepped back, his expression that of a man who had just set the timer on an explosive device. Nate felt his heart lurch in his chest, the harsh reality that this was really happening crowding into his mind.

Reaching out, Max laid a hand on Nate’s shoulder. “You’re my son,” he said softly. “I’m not going to let them get to you. I’m not going to let them hurt you.”

Nate offered him a sickly smile. “I know.”

Max lifted one corner of his mouth in an identical smile, then drew in a breath to muster his courage and turned to the rest of the group. “Let’s go,” he ordered, giving Nate one last look of reassurance.

Nate swallowed hard as he watched the fighters move toward the cave entrance. Still in Kyle’s clutches, Alyssa looked over her shoulder and Nate felt his stomach twist even tighter. This could be the last time I see her…Forcing himself to give her a smile of confidence, he mouthed the words “I love you” to her. She smiled in return and disappeared from the cave.

One by one they filed out into the desert – Michael, Isabel, Kyle, Jeremy and finally Max. Silence in the cave was suddenly deafening even though Maria, Liz and Emily remained with Nate. Anxiety coursed through his veins, like doom was eminent; he had to wonder if this was what people in airplane crashes felt. The world was coming to an end and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was simply powerless.

“They’re gone,” Liz finally said, her voice a little shell-shocked.

Maria, standing beside her, nodded.

“I wanted to go with them,” Liz said in regret.

So did I, Nate thought. But not really. He didn’t like being left behind while his father, his lover and various other family members went to face the enemy, an enemy that only cared about him. But that didn’t necessarily mean that he wanted to be in on the kill. In fact, he wished more than anything that there could be a peaceful resolution to the situation.

“Isn’t there some other way?” he asked, his words drifting out of his subconscious and straight out of his mouth.

“Nope,” Maria said flatly.

He turned slowly to look at her – she was holding Emily against her, which only made her murderous words all that more surreal.

“What other end could there be?” Liz asked in defeat, finally tearing her gaze away from the door as though she’d resolved herself to the fact that Max wasn’t coming back immediately.

Nate shrugged. He didn’t have an answer for her.

Liz and Maria exchanged a glance, then Liz moved to stand before him. “You don’t understand,” she said without accusation.

“I don’t understand what?” he asked.

“Who they are. What they are.” She looked at the floor, then back into his eyes. “I want to show you something.”

He looked at her warily. “What?”

Liz tentatively raised her hands, hesitated, then said, “I have to touch you.”

He blinked. “Okay,” he said uncertainly.

Liz looked at Maria once more, then placed her hands on either side of Nate’s head. He was still looking at her curiously when the first wave of flashes coursed through his brain. It was a jumble of images – pictures of a time long past, when Max and Liz were just kids really. It was sort of like watching a home movie on fast forward and he couldn’t really take in everything he was seeing.

But then the movie screeched to a halt and an image filled his mind. There were four poles braced from ceiling to floor, and on each pole a person was stuck. Not tied, but stuck – like their hands had been molded into the material that made up the columns. Nate realized that he was looking at younger versions of Max, Michael, Isabel…and a small blond woman. His mother? He shook the questions from his head and tried to concentrate on what was happening around him.

He was seeing everything from Max’s point of view. There was a short, pre-pubescent kid with a nasty demeanor interrogating the group, his comments harsh and unpleasant. Nate didn’t understand how the group had gotten into this predicament, how a kid had been able to put them there, but as the first wave of pain raced through Max’s brain, Nate knew how. Nate experienced everything Max felt – fingers digging through his brain like it was a filing cabinet, finding nothing sacred or off limits, looking only for what they wanted no matter the cost. Nate cringed, grimaced as the vile little creature dug deeper and deeper, until he suddenly stopped –

Another place, a more recent time. Nate was still inside of Max’s head, this time the pain more unrelenting. He saw quick little snippets of life with Liz – that cottage by the sea, Liz dancing in the living room in her panties, an echoing laughter. Max’s happy place. But that place quickly dissolved and there was nothing but absolute horror. Voices loomed in and out, threats to kill everyone that mattered. Threats to kill everyone on the planet. Nate saw spaceships in the sky and suddenly understood why Max freaked out when they tried to get to the airport – it wasn’t airplanes he had been afraid of, it was an attack from the sky.

Those same creeping, crawling fingers dug in his brain, soiling all of his memories, raping all of his experiences. The physical pain he endured was nothing in comparison to what his mind went through. And Nate understood fully that while Max had retreated to his happy place with Liz as a measure of self-preservation, some subconscious part of his being still experienced all of these horrible things.

These were Max’s real memories of the torture he’d received at the hands of Nicholas and Khivar.

Pushing Liz’s hands away from his head and breaking the connection, Nate spun in the opposite direction and threw up on the cave floor. His head was pounding, his heart slamming into his ribs. He didn’t think he would ever get the images out of his head – they just played over and over like some macabre film loop.

“I’m sorry, Nate,” Liz said quietly from behind him. “You needed to know.”

As Nate struggled to regain his breath, a new understanding of the enemy was taking hold in his mind. Understanding did not equal comfort. How could they defeat such a ruthless, conscienceless enemy?

Nate couldn’t escape the feeling that they were all going to their deaths.

tbc

[Midwest Max]

Part Twenty Six

Nate sat with his back against the cave wall, his knees drawn up before him, his head buried in his arms. Inside, turmoil churned.

All sense of time had ceased. It could have been ten minutes since Liz had shown him the horrors Max had endured – it could have been ten hours. He’d been so naïve, walking around preaching about peaceful solutions. He knew now that there could be no peace, not while creatures like Khivar and Nicholas roamed freely and undetected.

But that wasn’t the most troubling thought. The others had informed Nate that Khivar and Nicholas had left the planet twenty years prior and had only recently returned. But Max had been on his “peace-keeping” missions nearly non-stop since then. That could only mean that there were other aliens, other species on the planet that were also a threat.

How many others? Where did all of the dangers lie? Did these creatures walk the earth looking like normal human beings, much as the hybrids did? Throughout his life, had Nate been always near an alien and never known it? Was someone living in Chautauqua an alien? Someone at school? Someone who called themselves a friend?

The questions were too numerous and they made Nate’s head hurt. He lifted his head but kept his eyes closed, raked his fingers through his hair and tried to calm the worry swirling inside of him. His throat still burned from tossing his breakfast earlier, his stomach still feeling sour. Deep in his soul, Nate knew he’d never feel well again.

Often, he wondered where the others were, if they’d found their prey already. He tried reaching out with his mind, to feel Alyssa the way Liz apparently felt Max, but he came back with nothing. Either he couldn’t do it or Alyssa wasn’t able to be contacted. He didn’t like the thought of the latter. He didn’t like that he was sitting in this cave waiting for whatever may come while the others fought without him.

“Nate?”

Nate dropped his hands and slowly opened his eyes. Sitting beside him was Liz, who had slipped down close to him without his ever knowing she was there. Her eyes were full of regret and her expression was uncertain, tentative.

“Are you angry with me?” she asked cautiously.

Nate shook his head without hesitation. No, he wasn’t mad at her. She may have considered a better way to tell him about what Max had been through, but then again maybe he wouldn’t have gotten the full effect. Nate had the impression that Liz was used to dealing out tough love.

Liz appeared relieved as she let out a long breath, perhaps one she’d been holding for far too long. On the other side of the cave, Maria was stretched out on a sleeping bag, Emily sleeping across her stomach.

“It’s not the first time we’ve been through something like this,” Liz explained softly, her gaze fixed on her friend and baby.

Nate listened to her silently. He didn’t really feel like talking and didn’t know what to say anyway.

Liz shrugged lightly. “Of course, it’s the first time we’ve encountered Khivar and Nicholas in a long time, but there’s always been some other threat. Ya know?”

No, he didn’t know. That was the problem. He thought back on the night he and Max had first fled to the pod chamber, on how Max’s car had been stocked with all sorts of emergency supplies, of how the chain of communication had already been set up. At the time, he’d thought it odd and had wondered if fleeing was a common occurrence for them. Now he knew that it was.

“Max is strong,” Liz continued, still gazing into the distance.

Nate lifted his eyebrows. How strong had Max been a month ago when he’d been abducted by the vary creatures he was now hunting?

“He’ll find a way out of this,” Liz said and Nate realized she wasn’t speaking aloud for his comfort, but for her own. She frowned slightly as she watched her daughter sleeping. “He has to…”

Nate stared at the floor. He loved Liz. He really did. But right now his mind was a jumble and he didn’t feel like listening to her affirmations. “I need some air,” he said vaguely, pushed himself to his feet and exited the cave.

The sun was starting to set already. They’d been inside of the cave longer than he’d thought, the darkness depriving him of any sense of hour. He looked at the pinkish-purple sky and found it almost too cheerful, as if it was mocking his very predicament.

“Aubrey,” he called softly.

Within seconds, the bodyguard was at his side, her Ray Bans having been cast aside at some point. “Sir,” she said stiffly. “I must advise you for your own safety to stay inside of the shelter.”

Nate couldn’t help but find her duty-first attitude slightly amusing. “I’ll go back in in a minute,” he assured her. “I wanted some fresh air.”

Aubrey cocked her head as if listening for something, then gave one quick nod. “Very good, sir.” She pivoted on one heel so that she was standing shoulder to shoulder with him, her alien eyes continually surveying the area around them.

“Have you heard anything?” he asked hopefully.

“Heard, sir?”

“About – you know. Do you know how the uh, mission is going?”

She shook her head once, quickly. “No, sir.”

They stood for a long moment, Nate watching the sun dip below the horizon, Aubrey watching every cactus and tumbleweed for movement. Finally, he worked his mouth and turned to her.

“Will this bring peace?” he asked, somehow hoping that the deaths of Khivar and Nicholas would be the antidote the world needed.

Aubrey cocked her head again, her expression more confused than he’d ever seen it. “What is peace?”

Nate felt a surge of hopelessness. There were alien beings on this planet who didn’t understand the meaning of the term “peace.” How could there ever be peace when the concept wasn’t understood in the first place.

“Never mind,” he said when he realized that she was waiting for an answer from him. “Silly question, I guess.”

They fell into silence again, then Nate realized that she’d been out in the desert heat all day, protecting his ass.

“Aubrey, do you need something to eat? Something to drink?” he offered.

She shook her head once again. “I only need those things once every few days.”

Nate blinked. She never slept. She ate maybe three times a week. He wondered what other kind of unusual characteristics she had.

“I should go back inside,” he said, not feeling any better than when he’d left.

“I’ll be out here.”

“Setting up a perimeter,” he said limply, hoping to amuse at least himself.

“The perimeter has already been established, sir.”

He frowned slightly. It was like trying to humor a Vulcan. “Of course.”

When Nate re-entered the cave, he found Liz and Maria chattering rapidly, baby Emily now wide awake and squirming. Dread filled every cell of his body.

“What?” he asked, his stomach lurching again, his heart doing an annoying jump in his chest.

Maria bit her lip to hush herself as Liz turned to him.

“Something happened,” she said, swallowing hard.

“What?” he repeated, his eyes round.

Liz shook her head, dark hair swaying. “I don’t know. I just…felt it.” She put a hand to her chest like she could still feel it. Nate thought she looked a little nauseous.

“What did you feel?” he asked.

“A jolt, a spark,” she offered helplessly. “Definitely something unnatural. Maybe someone used a large burst of power or something. Sometimes, when Max does things around the house with his powers, I can feel the vibe from it. But this time…this time it was enormous.”

Nate swallowed hard, his eyes shifting to Maria. She wasn’t crying or fretting, but he could see in her eyes that she had the potential to wig at any moment. “What does it mean?”

Liz shook her head again. “I don’t know. My guess would be that they found them…” Her words trailed off. Obviously she didn’t want to run through the possible scenarios. Nate understood – she didn’t want to be pessimistic, but it would also be terrible to be overly optimistic.

So they waited. The four of them, one too young to understand why everyone was so tense. Nate tried to play with the baby, but his heart just wasn’t in it. And since she’d been connected to him at birth, he knew she sensed that there was something not quite right with him. Often she’d look at him with big brown eyes, then her bottom lip would quiver and she’d let out a little whimper – not really an infant’s cry of need, but more that of a mourning mother cat who has lost one of her kittens. It nearly broke his heart in two.

Time became immeasurable once again, regardless of the fact that the anxiety in the cave had increased tenfold. Despair started to settle in as Nate thought back on the relatively simple life he’d led up until a few weeks ago. He could deal with the alien stuff, but now that he knew exactly what they were up against, he knew that nothing would ever be simple again.

Nate’s mind drifted back to that motel in Artesia, when he and Alyssa had consummated their love for one another. It had been such a wonderful time, so full of new discovery, of finding out what true love really was. He couldn’t help the smile that came to his face as he recalled their first time together, Alyssa boldly participating in something she’d never done before. His smile flitted away as he remembered the reappearance of the seal and her cryptic reaction to it.

“It’s starting,” she’d said in awe. When pressed for an explanation, she’d simply stated that he was “the one.” It hadn’t been so much her words, but the over-joyed, proud expression she’d held while nearly bursting into happy tears that had baffled him.

Now, sitting in a cave waiting to find out the doom of the world, Nate realized that he still didn’t quite understand what she was talking about. What was starting? Was this what she’d been referring to? A battle for their lives? And what about being “the one”? The one what? The one to get them all slaughtered?

The reoccurring dream flashed through his mind, that hopeful vision that someday his people could walk the streets free and unafraid of threats to their existence. In peace. Nate snorted. There was no peace. There never would be.

Fatigue set in, but the whole group fought it off, not wanting nor daring to fall asleep. Nate’s eyes burned and his body ached. Emily became heavy in his arms until Liz came by to retrieve her for her feeding. More time passed, slowly, dragging on like a ten-mile walk to the guillotine.

At some point, Nate started to feel that the lack of activity was not a good thing. If the battle was over and the hybrids victorious, then he would have expected the crew to be back quicker than this. Their tardiness could only mean the one thing he didn’t want to think about.

Just about the time Nate thought he’d physically lose the battle with exhaustion, a shadow passed the cave entrance and he was suddenly very awake. It could be the returning hybrids, or it could be the enemy coming to assassinate him. Panic flared in his belly, twisting his insides into a tight knot.

On the other side of the cave, Liz let out a gasp and then a shriek – of delight of anxiety, Nate wasn’t sure. He didn’t have time to analyze it as a figured appeared in the doorway, a lanky, exhausted teen named Jeremy Ramirez.

“Oh, God!” Maria gasped and ran for the door. She helped Jeremy in and sat him down, immediately retrieved a bottle of water for him.

Nate stared in stunned silence at his cousin, who was covered in dirt and looked like he’d just witnessed the Holocaust. He was about to offer some word of comfort when Isabel then Kyle spilled into the cave. Liz burst into tears, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

“It’s okay,” Isabel said shakily. “He’s okay, Liz.”

Shortly thereafter, Michael came through the entrance and Maria nearly bowled him over as she jumped into his arms. On his heels, Alyssa came in next. Wordlessly, she raced for Nate, her arms held open for his embrace. Relief flooded through his veins as he crushed her against him; Alyssa burst into tears – of relief or trauma, he wasn’t sure. Nate closed his eyes and held her tightly, feeling all of his fear draining from his body in one big, exhausting surge.

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw that Max had joined them and was holding a crying Liz, tears seeping from beneath his eyelashes.

“It’s okay, baby,” Nate heard Max assure his wife. “It’s all over now.”

As Nate held Alyssa, he felt a bitter tug inside of himself. Despite what Max had said, he knew that it was never going to be over.

tbc

********
Probably only one more part to this one.

[Midwest Max]

Part Twenty-Seven

Winter settled on Boston like a dark, heavy blanket of depression.

Unable to recover from his weeks away from classes, Nate failed out of Boston College, a fact he managed to keep secret from the Spencers. He hated lying to them, but telling them that he’d been away saving his father from enemy aliens didn’t seem plausible at the time. Alyssa, though, managed to regain her footing immediately and went about her studies as though she hadn’t missed a day. Not that she wasn’t experiencing the after-effects of what had happened in the desert in New Mexico.

Jeremy Ramirez was probably the most affected by what had happened. Nate thought he could see the life, the spark literally draining out of the kid as the days passed. Worst of all, Jeremy didn’t want to talk about it. While the others had filled Nate, Liz and Maria in on what had happened, Jeremy kept his experience bottled inside – not a good thing, Nate didn’t think. Of course, he’d managed to find himself a girlfriend or two to help calm his anxieties, but everyone knew that he really needed to open up and talk about what had happened.

Maria and Michael returned to Roswell, or more likely Artesia where Maria could hide away from the success of her latest album. Nate had his suspicions that they were going to be remarried and he hoped for Alyssa’s sake they did. It seemed that she felt like her parents’ separation was an unclosed chapter in her life, that until they were together nothing in this world would be right again. Nate didn’t feel that way – he liked Maria and tolerated Michael, but he didn’t think the world would end if they didn’t reunite. Then again, they weren’t his parents.

Nate saw his own parents over Thanksgiving and Christmas, two uncomfortable holidays that he’d rather forget. He’d wanted Alyssa to go with him so that she could meet her future in-laws, but she was also wanted in New Mexico. The struggles with Nicholas and Khivar and the knowledge of the evil they dealt had irrevocably changed Nate, and there was no way he could hide that from Emma and Jonathan. While he’d planned on spending four days in New York for Thanksgiving, he was there only a day and a half, about as long as he thought he could keep up the charade. He did a bit better over Christmas, but he could see from one look in Emma’s eyes that they knew something was terribly wrong with their son.

Max grew stronger by the day until he resembled much of what he was before his mind-rape experience. Liz took another sabbatical to be with him and Emily, to shut themselves away from the world and try to heal their deep wounds. Nate would think about them and smile wondering if they’d retreated to that cabin by the sea that Max had dreamed of in order to escape the pain of his torture. He liked to think of them together and happy. If anyone deserved a long period of healing, it was Max and Liz.

Eventually, of course, Max came looking for his son and they spent hours just walking in the snow and talking of what had happened in the desert that day. It floored Nate that Khivar’s arrogance was so great that he’d brought very few reinforcements, that he’d assumed since Max was “dead” that taking out the son would be nothing more than a formality. Nate recalled the sensation of knowing that he was surrounded by many allies he could not see and could only imagine that Khivar and Nicholas had been totally taken off guard. It had been overly quickly, but apparently not easily. One look at his cousin would affirm that.

After the group return to their lives, they resumed the mentality of hiding in plain sight. Upon being home in the flat above Isabel’s garage for about a week, Nate started to think that maybe that means of survival was just not going to save them in the end. He didn’t believe they should go into hiding entirely – but maybe they shouldn’t be hiding at all.

It was a silent, cold night as Nate sat in an overstuffed chair looking out at the moonlit trees behind Isabel’s estate. An ice storm had passed earlier that evening, and the trees glistened beneath the harsh whiteness of the moon. Somewhere out there, Nate knew, Aubrey was watching. Even though he rarely saw her, he still knew she was there. Being a shapeshifter, she could be anywhere, anyone at anytime. Sometimes Nate would glance over the people in the coffee shop and wonder which one she was. Before he’d given up on his classes, he was always on the look-out for the new student, for someone who wasn’t there the day before, just to see if he could spot her. Usually, he looked for someone who appeared to have no sense of humor. She was good at what she did – he had yet to peg her.

Knowing he should be getting his rest, Nate dragged in a deep breath and let it out slowly. They were sitting on the precipice, all of them. The world was changing rapidly, almost too quickly. Soon, all would be different for them.

Alyssa was suddenly before him, her long hair mussed from her sleep. Nate smiled up at her in reflex – he no longer even needed to think about how happy he was to see her, his reaction was automatic. She was wearing a pair of plaid flannel pajamas – her first winter had not been kind to her. She was always cold, sometimes shivering out of the blue. Nate opened his arms and she climbed into them, wriggling until her head was beneath his chin, against his chest. Automatically, he reached to the back of the chair and pulled down an afghan Mrs. Evans had given them as a housewarming gift; he opened the blanket and laid it over them, his arms encircling Alyssa. Beneath his hands, she was thin, thinner than she’d been a few months before – the conflict with Khivar had taken its toll on her.

“The heart of a king,” she murmured against his chest, a smile in her voice as she echoed words she’d spoken the first night they’d spent together.

The heart of an ex-king, to be exact. Once Max was back on his feet, he’d come to Nate and explained that if Nate wasn’t ready to be the king, he didn’t have to be, that Max could take back the active seal if that’s what Nate wanted. As was his usual manner, Max didn’t force his son to make an immediate decision, but rather planted the seed and left Nate to his own reasoning. After weighing all of his insecurities and his relative stupidity in the nature of all things alien, Nate went back to Max a few days after his offer and willingly let him take the seal back. The day would probably come, when Max was too old to carry on the responsibilities of leader, that Nate would have to assume the throne but until then Max Evans was far better equipped to lead people than Nate was.

“You should be sleeping,” Nate said into Alyssa’s hair.

“So should you,” she retorted, burrowing deeper into him.

“Tomorrow’s a big day,” he said, biting his bottom lip. “Everything is going to change…”

There was a brief pause, then she nodded her head. “I know.”

It hadn’t been easy to convince the others to follow Nate’s plan. It had taken months, in fact, with the toughest nuts to crack being Isabel and Michael. Even now, Nate wasn’t sure they bought into it entirely, but they had agreed in principle that something had to be done about the situation they were in. And if there was one thing Nate had learned over the last year, it was that once the pod squad decided on something, they all went through with it regardless of one person’s reservations. They had and always would act as a unit.

Beneath the blanket, Alyssa ran her fingers over Nate’s growing pectoral muscles. Since being back on the east coast, he’d resumed his workout regiment, often going to the gym with Max. His body was really starting to show the results of his efforts – Nate Spencer was no longer the lanky, bony kid who had left Lake Chautauqua fifteen months prior.

“I like how big your boobs are getting,” Alyssa said, amused.

Nate looked down at the top of her head, a bewildered smiled on his face, then reached over and touched one of her breasts. “Yeah, me too.”

She giggled and tipped her head up to him. He smiled in return, until reality crept in again and the grin dissolved slowly.

“Are you afraid?” he asked her.

She shook her head, her expression serious.

He sighed. “How do you know we’re doing the right thing?”

Alyssa gave a simple shrug. “Because I’ve know for a long time that you were going to be the one to change things, Nate. I trust you completely.”

He swallowed, never having as much confidence in himself as she did.

Her dark eyes full of emotion, she reached up and traced the outlines of his face with her fingertips. “I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring, Nate. I don’t know if this might not be our last night together. But I do know this – if it is our last night, then I want to spend it making love to you.” She leaned in and kissed him hard on the lips. “Make love to me, Nate,” she breathed.

In one swift move, he rose to his feet and scooped her into his arms, the afghan discarded to the floor. Then they fell together on the bed, thinking only of what they meant to one another, forgetting all that was to come.

*****

Michael Guerin’s eyes were wild as he pulled the van to a stop in front of Isabel’s house. Nate and Max waited at the doorway, shifting their weight from foot to foot. Michael pushed open the van door and gestured for them to hurry up.

“Come on,” he urged. “We’ve got twenty minutes before air time.”

Nate and Max hurriedly got into the van, a dark figure sliding into the cargo area behind them.

“Evening, Aubrey,” Michael said into the rearview mirror.

“Sir,” was her only reply.

They were about to pull the sliding door of the van closed when Jesse Ramirez hurriedly jumped through and closed the door behind himself. Michael, Max and Nate watched in surprise as the counselor buckled himself into the seat beside Nate.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Michael asked, his eyebrows drawn so tightly together he looked like he had a uni-brow.

“Coming with you,” Jesse said simply.

Nate looked at the man’s designer suit and raised a quick eyebrow. The rest of them were dressed casually and he stuck out like a sore thumb.

“No way,” Michael said, using his powers to slide the door open. “Get out. You’re holding us up.”

“You’re going to need me,” Jesse said calmly, then tapped his watch. “Tick-tock, Michael.”

Michael was about to protest, but Max held up a hand to silence him. “What are you talking about, Jesse?”

“Every American has a right to legal representation.” He grinned. “That’s me.”

There was a moment of silence in the van as they each pondered that. After a few seconds, Jesse slammed the side door again.

“Let’s go,” he said, gesturing toward the drive.

Michael looked uneasily at Max, who relented and nodded. Michael pursed his lips, then put the van into gear and started across town.

Max swiveled in his seat and clapped Jesse on the shoulder. “Thanks, Jesse. You don’t have to do this.”

“I do,” Jesse replied, then his dark eyes softened. “What can I say? I love my wife.”

The rest of the ride was tense as they drove toward their destination. Nate obsessively checked his watch – get there too soon, ruin the element of surprise; get there too late, ruin an opportunity and probably end up in jail.

As though someone stabbed him in the gut, he realized that he’d totally forgotten to include the Spencers in his plans. Fingers shaking, he pulled his cell phone from his jacket and hastily dialed the number. It was Emma who answered.

“Mom, it’s Nate,” he said, trying to sound normal and knowing he failed.

“Nate? What’s wrong, sweetie?”

In his head, he could see the concern in her eyes and he felt a stab of pain in his heart. “Mom, listen to me, okay? I need you to turn to NBC.”

“What? Nate, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Please, just turn to NBC.”

“Honey, why?”

“Just do it, Mom. Please?” Nate closed his eyes, willing her to understand. “I’m sorry, Mom. I should have explained all of this to you before. I didn’t want to see you hurt, and I still don’t. Please know that I love you very much and I will be forever grateful for everything you’ve ever done for me.”

“Nathan…you’re frightening me.”

“I know, Mom.” Tears threatened at the back of Nate’s eyes. “I’m sorry. Please, just watch NBC. Tell Dad I love him.”

“We’re here,” Michael called from the front seat.

“I gotta go,” Nate said, cutting off his mother’s protests. “I love you, Mom.” With that, he ended the call and turned off his cell phone so she couldn’t call him back.

Michael pulled the van to a stop before the television station, then blew out an anxious breath. “You’d better be right about this, Junior.”

Nate nodded his head, exchanged one last look with Max and Jesse, then the group piled out of the car. At the door, they were met by security. Aubrey had shifted into a male guard while they were in the van.

“Let them through,” she said to the men at the door. “They have clearance.” She flashed a badge and the men stepped aside.

Nate, Michael, Max and Jesse never broke their stride. They walked through the lobby and then down a long hallway, following lights that seemed to grow more intense as they neared them. Pretty soon they were in the studio and Nate’s heart began to drum heavily into his ribs. There was no turning back now. Thoughts of Alyssa and his parents and baby Emily raced through his mind. He was barely aware of Michael and Max temporarily disabling the cameramen. He walked straight up to the news anchor, who was looking startled and indignant all at the same time.

“Who the fuck are you?” she demanded.

“I won’t take up much of your time,” he said calmly. “But I need to start tonight’s broadcast.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorted, then her eyes settled on her cameramen, who were slumped beside their cameras instead of behind them and her smirk faded quickly.

“The men behind the cameras are with me,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers. “I suggest you let me sit down. Now.”

She swallowed visibly, then nervously grabbed her things and scurried from the news desk. She disappeared down a hallway and Nate knew she was going to phone the police. Which was fine – it’s what he wanted her to do.

Trying to calm his nerves, Nate retrieved the anchor’s microphone and clipped it to his collar. Settling into the seat, he realized that the lights in the studio were very bright and very hot. He could barely make out the shapes of Max and Michael on the other side of the cameras.

“You’ll be okay,” Max said in reassurance. “You’ve got about ten seconds.”

“You’d better be right about this,” Michael mumbled.

Nate watched as Max counted down the last few seconds visually, then he straightened himself in his chair. The light above Max’s camera turned on and Nate knew he was on the air. For one long moment, he couldn’t think of what to say, then he pushed all doubts and reservations aside.

“Good evening,” he said calmly. “I would like to start by saying that I’m not here to harm anybody. I’m only looking for protection for myself and my people.”

He swallowed hard, his blue eyes fixed steadily on the camera lens. Then he mustered his determination and in nine short words, changed his identity and the fate of his people all at once.

“My name is Nate Evans. And I’m an alien.”


The End

[Midwest Max]

For those of you looking for the next in the series, you can find it here -
http://www.roswellfanatics.net/viewtopic.php?t=9266

Thanks for your interest!