xmag- Maria is anxious and depressed. A lot of bad things have happened to her this week, and she is still reeling. Add in her loss of trust in her mother, the death of her father... The changing of the timeline can have bad effects too, so she is making sure she has her 48+ hours now, rather than risk them later. Because as the Longest Day taught her there might not be a later. (Isabel is working on that assumption right now. Come to think of it so is Courtney.)
Sean has a headache because Courtney used her telekinesis to whack him over the head with a frying pan. He's lucky to not have a concussion.
RhondaAnn- Hey, hope you are having an enjoyable summer!
I've answered some of your questions above in my response to xmag. All I can say is I'm not done with Madame Vivian. Blame xmag.
In a pm she sent me a while back we were discussing how Madame Vivian really was not able to tell the real future. And I got to thinking, but what if she could? What would happen if the future that she saw was changed?Michael was speaking Antaran and he got affected by Maria's summons of him. Liz got a flash off of both Isabel and Michael. Both were very similar. She reacted the way she did, pulling her hand away and blushing because she saw Michael making love to Maria.
Courtney has promised to protect and train Maria. As for Sean, Courtney's morals aren't exactly very high. She is a soldier/agent in a foreign land in the threat of immanent death. Sex is both highly pleasurable for her and has no chance of complications as she is of a different species and her husk would kill anything it percieved dangerous to her. The only thing slowing her down are possible social implications. So what do you think Maria's reaction will be?
Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine and no infringement is intended.
Eidolon chapter 30
Brody-
Brody stood awkwardly by as they laid Carlos Ibanez to rest. He supposed he could have been closer, with the grieving family, but most of the extended Ibanez clan hated him. He was close enough to see his ex-wife Alicia. Agent Byrnes was there as well saying something to her softly.
He could not see Sydney anywhere. Hopefully his daughter was okay.
There were three others who drew his eyes as well. All three seemed a little dazed and confused at being here, but none turned to go.
One was a tall well dressed black man. Brody did not recognize him at all, although there seemed something familiar about him. He neither liked nor disliked him. The name Sero came unbidden to his mind.
Then there was Francine Carter, a middle aged woman whose large body packed a personality to match. Brody knew her from when he had first gotten involved with the local groups of ’abductees.’ A hard woman but full of fun. Brody liked her. The name Hanar floated through his consciousness.
Lastly there was a cold-eyed beauty standing off a little to herself. She carried herself as if she held everyone around her with a measure of contempt. Brody hated her instantly. Her name was Kathana.
He could feel his thoughts become strange even as he fought to hold on. He really wanted to talk with Alicia. He wanted to know how Sydney’s treatments were going, wanted to arrange a visit with his daughter.
There was a, a Presence in his mind, one that seemed to take some measure of pity on his plight. But he could feel the being’s need and could feel his own awareness recede. His last thoughts were on the strange hand movements that he and the other strangers made as the ceremony ended.
Of all of the four, only his were different.
He glanced once more at Alicia who was cautiously walking towards him. And he struggled and strained against the darkness that was over taking him.
And he saw no more.
----
Maria-
Karis sat quietly near Khivar’s bed. None of her former friends knew what to do with her. She had been such a Royalist for the last few years, fighting so hard against them… And yet she had saved Khivar…
For the Royalists might be finished, facing total defeat after the battle of the High Tower. She’d been questioned repeatedly regarding Vilandra’s last actions. Why had Vilandra destroyed Antar’s long range fleet?
The simple truth was that she did not know. Vilandra had just wanted to save Khivar. Karis knew that Khivar would have wanted to do the same. Vilandra needed him, needed him to wake up so that he could marshal his troops to save her from the Revolutionary Council.
The Council owed Khivar for almost everything, surely they would let her live? Or at least let her die clean. The last Karis had heard is that scores were being settled and soul after soul was being trapped in the Hall of Judgment.
If only he would wake. Vilandra did not have much time. Karis was watching the broadcast on her Aide and she could see her friend’s head standing in line to be destroyed. “Please Khivar, you must get up. She needs you.”
How had things gotten this bad? The whole world was torn apart. Mere minutes after Zan had died the Mithar Principalities had declared independence from Antar. Karis had heard of anti Ryjhaelian pogroms in some of the coastal Taran cities. And the Revolutionary Council was killing and worse everyone who had ever caused them or any of their friends trouble. Even the Legion was fractured between those who sought to restore the old order and those who sought to just restore order.
They should have listened to Rath when he argued to crush the Resistance. But Zan had wanted to keep the bloodshed low, to make the reconstruction easier. Karis nodded to herself, they should have listened.
Karis turned to look at her Aide and watched in mordant horror as her friend stood valiantly against the Council’s accusations. Vilandra who had helped found the Council so many years ago, when all it had sought was to promote awareness about Drimordjian. She watched her friend of many years was condemned.
It was too much. She set it down. She turned to bitterly look at Khivar, who had failed the woman he had so claimed to love. And watched as the man in a coma began to wake slowly as if from some horrid night mare.
Karis could vaguely hear, “No, no Lonnie, don’t leave me. You have to fight it, don’t leave me…”
Behind her she heard a pop as her Aide shattered and the building shook.
Khivar said clearly, “Goodbye my love, until next we meet.”
Karis moved closer, “She’ll never met you again, you fool. You just let her soul be destroyed!”
Khivar opened his eyes, but they were not normal. They were a dark glittering blue. His arm shot up and grabbed hers, “She is not dead. She is no longer alive and yet she lives. On a cold and dusty planet you will find them. You will find them and make a choice. And you will die.”
Maria sat up suddenly in the warm water. Her body still ached from last night. Next time she seduced Space boy it would be in a hotel. With a nice big fluffy bed and soft pillows.
There would be a next time, she was sure of it. She had not seen anything, but the vibes she had felt had been intense. The whole experience had been intense, just thinking of it made her sore muscles tense in anticipation.
Her mother would kill her of course. Maria could not bear to think what her mom would do to Michael. Which is why she was here in this tub full of bubbles and bath salts trying to sooth away her aches before she had to meet her mom. What was ditching school compared to premarital sex? Her mom could only kill her once.
Hopefully tomorrow. Maria wasn’t really ready for it today. Plus she was meeting Michael at his apartment later.
Maybe she didn’t need that hotel.
She’d been promised a passionate 48 hours with him. And while the future may be different, while it could be that they would endure this time… She still wanted those hours before she flipped out and started killing her friends.
For she felt… dangerous. The energy from Saturday was back filling her to the brim. But there was so much of it she could feel it spill out of her, feel it pour through her into the world.
She felt like a bomb that was about to go off.
Which was why she still rested her aching body in the surprisingly still hot water in the hopes of a series of repeat performances tonight. After he showed her whatever inconsequential thing he planned on showing her.
Somehow she was sure that Michael wouldn’t mind.
Tomorrow she could fend off all the questions and her mother. Tonight Michael was hers.
----
Max-
Max watched as Liz walked straight to his table in the Quad. He loved to watch her, always had and likely always would. Even when he had thought that he had lost her he had still caught himself staring at her.
He couldn’t help it. Her beautiful hair, her vibrant smile, her glorious eyes… The way her hips softly swayed when she walked… The sweet taste of her lips…
Liz stared at him for a moment. “Is something a matter Max?”
“Uh, no… Except have you seen Isabel? I know she’s here. I brought her to school.”
“No, well I did see her talking to Alex in the hall after second period. I’ve never seen her so open with him at school before. Uh, have you seen Maria?”
“No, I usually see her after third period as our class rooms are right next to each other, but nothing.”
Liz’s tone was unusually dry when she asked, “And have you seen Michael?”
“No. What? Do you think they are ditching together or something?”
Liz remained quiet and her face calm. She shrugged slightly and opened her lunch. “Maybe,”
“Is there something going on I should be aware of Liz.”
“Max we have something more important to discuss.”
“Is there Liz?”
Liz sat in silence for a moment and picked at her lunch. She looked up at him sternly. “Max, when you healed me did you think of them? Of what your actions could do to them?”
Max just stared at her for a moment, a bit of repressed anger in his voice. “Did you expect me to just let you die? I have always loved you. I couldn’t, simply could not let that happen. Even if it meant discovery.”
Liz nodded and took a bite out of an apple. After a moment she said, “So your love for me was so great that your first thought was not on the whole alien conspiracy, it was on me. You aren’t the only one in love now. And as important of a situation it is right now, it is not their first concern.”
“What is not their first concern?”
Liz gave him a disbelieving stare, “You know the Summit? What we are going to tell Ava, you know that kind of important alien matter. For what it is worth, I think you should go.”
Max switched mental gears, “Okay, but why?”
Liz looked at him, her eyes full of worry and longing, “I don’t want you to go. I don’t want to risk you. But we need the information. I was, I was talking to Tess earlier today. She agrees. She said that, that she’d be willing to go with you and protect you.”
“You and Tess were talking about me.”
“I sort of, well I sort of yelled at her last night. I went to apologize this morning and we got to talking. Her sister doesn’t want to go back. It brings back bad memories I guess.”
“Her sister… Do you trust her, trust Ava?”
Liz shook her head and raised her hands, “I do, I don’t know why but she seems….”
“Softer.”
“Yeah, softer than Tess.” Liz shot a suspicious look at Max. “Do I need to worry about this, Max?”
Max chuckled softly, “Liz, the only one I want is you. Soooo, Friday. Will you go out with me on Friday?”
“Well, if you follow my advice you’ll be in New York at the time, but the Friday after that, sure.”
Max looked at her as she calmly went back to eating her lunch. “Your taking this awfully calmly Liz.”
She looked up. “You know Max, when I came back from Florida, I had this whole plan worked out. I was going to let you fill your destiny, become the person you were meant to be with the mate you were supposed to have…. And I was going to live the boring predictable human life I had long planned for before I knew about you and Isabel and Michael. Obviously that did not happen. I couldn’t quite let go, and God knows you certainly didn’t let me go easily. But really it would not have mattered in the end. Like it or not I am part of the Alien Abyss as much as you four hybrids. And I can whine and moan about it as I watch the vortex of destruction grow, as it disorders not only my life but all my friends and loved ones as well. Or I can try to shape it. I can try to use what I know to mold a new future that hopefully has a better ending.” She picked up her water bottle and took a long sip.
Max smiled at her, “So we make our own destiny’s, huh?”
“Exactly. And a girl has to have a plan.”
Indeed. So did half alien hybrids. And the destiny he wanted involved Liz. Time to win her heart, this time for good.
----
Michael-
Rath stood there broodingly pondering the map. If he did not move now the Guard would have Tara firmly in its grasp. It would not matter that they had missed one of the Tarenons in their coup. Zan would either be a figurehead or would be killed outright.
But he could stop them.
If he wanted to. Zan may have been the legal heir since the assassinations of the rest of the Royal Family, but he was not trained in war or statecraft. The man was a doctor. A talented doctor, one rumored to have a near miraculous ability to heal, but still…
Despite his suspicions of the leadership of the Guard, he was fairly sure that they would be better leaders.
In the short term. In the long term, military dictatorships were hard on both the government and the military, weakening both. History abounded with examples.
Or… he could seize it himself. He looked at the map again, mentally figuring how long it would take for more of the Legion to support him. The Legion was much larger than the Guard.
And because of the Guard’s recent purge of senior Legion officials… Rath was now the senior general.
He was the Legion.
Tempting. Very tempting. He thought of all the good he could do, the wrongs that he could right. He could use that power to fix so many of the inequities that made the Legion have to be used so often.
He could bring peace.
But at what cost?
Rath was ambitious. One did not become a senior general at such a young age without a driving desire. Ten years ago he would have ordered the advance on the capital within moments of seeing the opportunity. Twenty years ago he would have drooled at the possibility.
But he had spent years learning the difference between audacity and recklessness. And he had paid for it both personally and professionally. He had learned of the importance of the indirect approach and of patience. If there had been one thing he wished he could have given his younger self it was patience.
Sometimes waiting really was the answer.
And now he was here with the opportunity of a lifetime. The irony of being forced to make Rathinar’s choice struck him as darkly amusing. Would he choose the same as his ancestor and seize the throne? Or would he stand by and let others seize it?
He thrummed his fingers against the desk when it hit him. He was asking himself the wrong questions. He had sworn an oath to protect Antar, from enemies domestic and foreign. He was the lead general in the Legion, but he was not the head of Antar. Zan was. And he had worked with the Prince before.
Maybe… Yes the indirect approach was often best…
Rath looked up at his aide. “Send a communiqué to his Majesty with my regards informing him about the current strategic and tactical situation. Tell him I will hinder the Guard but will not engage unless authorized.”
His aide bowed out and left Rath to his own thoughts. Zan would owe him. And would need him still. Who knows what he might get out of this. Rath chuckled, who knows he might even be named Second.
Michael woke with a start. The memories were becoming clearer, not fading as fast when he woke up. He could still feel Rath’s smug certainty.
He wished he could be as certain of his own life. He was still shocked that things had escalated so fast with Maria. And while the sheer pleasure he had gained from it filled him with joy, it also filled him with terror.
Maria was too good for him. His eyes glanced around at his meager belongings. Why would she want to stay with him? What did he truly have to offer. He had never expected a reason to want to be successful here on Earth. So he had never really tried, had just coasted. And now he cursed himself for it.
Michael really had no idea how long he would be here, but for as long as that was he wanted Maria to be in his life. A tiny part of his mind argued that he would want it even then.
He could feel her even now, several miles away. And he wanted her. But even at the height of his pleasure he had not lowered the walls that hid his soul. He had remained hidden even as he gloried in the purity and joy that was Maria.
But tonight he would do it. He would let her see him, let her see the real him. He loved her. He always would. He could not continue to hide himself from her, for he could feel how it hurt her. She didn’t consciously sense it anymore, but he could still feel the pain.
He would let her walk away from him if she chose. And it was fear of that loss that he had to fight now, as he cleaned up his dirty apartment.
Like Zan, Maria deserved to know what was going on. Only unlike Rath he had no reason to be smug about it. The situation was different.
Maria did not need Michael. Michael needed her.