Roswell Fanatics

Hi! Thank you so much for the feedback!! I'm just gonna drop this chapter off before I'm leaving. I'm going out of town for the weekend, but I will have some time to write on the airplane, so it will hopefully not take that long until a new part is out

Take care!

*hugs*

Josephin




Chapter 44


Alex glanced at the closed bedroom door. He couldn’t hear anything, but he knew that they were in there talking. The only reason he was still hanging around was because he wanted to know where Liz was. There was a nagging feeling that something had happened to her. He knew with certainty that she was, in fact, missing. He hadn’t heard from her in days and the people she had spent the last couple of days with had no clue to where she was. Or so he figured. They hadn’t really told him anything. He could just as well be a fly on the wall. He was given the same amount of attention.

That Max guy had only spared him one glance before firmly grabbing Isabel by the arm and more or less dragging her to the bedroom. He hadn’t asked what Alex was doing there. He hadn’t told him to leave. He had just ignored him. Which left Alex without knowing really what he was supposed to be doing. Should he stick around and try to force some information out of them? Should he just go home and try to reach Liz later? Should he go up to that closed door, bang on it and demand that someone told him what the hell was going on?

He had no idea at all what to do. So, with no good options left, he had ended up on the couch, occasionally glancing at the closed door. From time to time, he would try to reach Liz’s cell phone, but as with all other thousand times he had tried, it was shut off. The silence and the absence of other people had lulled him into a half-sleeping state, immersed in his own thoughts. That’s why his heart almost leaped out of his chest when there was a forceful knock on the door.
“Geez,“ Alex breathed, trying to get his racing heart under control as he stumbled towards the door. “Who is it?“
“Open the door!“ he got in reply. The person did not sound happy. But Alex wouldn’t let anyone in without some sort of identification. Not when there were too many bizarre things going on as it was.
“Who is it?“ he tried again.

He heard a muffled ‘dammit’ and then the door flew open, almost knocking Alex to the ground.
“Who are you?!“ an angry voice asked. Alex found himself face to face with a guy his age with burning eyes that, without question, warned him of danger. This guy was not to be messed with.
“Alex,“ Alex answered, “Who are you?“
“This is Liz’s apartment?“ the guy asked, biting off Alex question.
“Yes,“ Alex answered, trying to work against the warning bells in his head and straighten up and use some of his length for intimidation. He really had the feeling that he was in the great need of using all methods he could against this guy, or else he would be crushed like a bug under his shoe.
“Max?“
The guy wasn’t that big on talking either. Of course he would be friends with Max.
Alex motioned towards the bedroom door with a nod of his head. The guy took off and voices slipped out from the bedroom when the door opened.
“Who the hell is that guy?!!“ Alex heard the guy boom from the bedroom before the door was closed.

Great friends Liz had made... Alex shook his head and started to close the door when a female voice traveled up the stairs outside the door.
“Michael!! Where the hel- Oh, hi.“
Alex stared at the blonde girl in disbelief. At this point he wasn’t sure what to believe any longer.
“Hi,“ he answered.
“I’m Maria,“ the girl said, “Who are you?“
“Alex,“ Alex answered. Wow, it seemed as if he had finally met a sane person.
“Oh, Alex. You’re Alex. Liz’s Alex?“ Maria asked.
“That’s me,“ Alex answered.
“Well, Alex. Have you by any chance met a disheveled, about 6.1, not really big on talking?“

“Uh-huh,“ Alex nodded, “In there.“ He pointed towards the bedroom door.
She gave him a big smile. “Thanks. I hope he wasn’t too unfriendly.“
“No, not at all. I guess he treats all people he doesn’t know like that.“
“He treats all people like that,“ Maria said, and shrugged, “You just have to knock some sense into him once in a while.“
With that she stomped away towards the bedroom.
“Michael! Can’t you behave for two seconds? Do you have to be an antisocial bastard to everyo-“
And the door closed.
Alex sighed, wondering if he should be laughing or crying. This was really ridiculous. What the heck had he stepped into?

<center>---------------------------------------------</center>

“Does the name Aliandra mean anything to you?“ Isabel asked.
The color drained from Max’s face and if Liz’s bed hadn’t been placed just behind him, he would have fallen to the floor when his legs gave out under him and he slowly sank down on the white covers.
“How...“ he whispered, and then realization struck him, “The mirror.“
Isabel nodded, sinking down beside Max on the bed. “You recognized it too? Limbrè.“
“Help,“ Max translated.
Isabel nodded. “It was like it catalyzed memories locked away in my mind and I remember all these bizarre things.“
“Voices,“ Max echoed.
“Yes. And then I just knew. It was me. And Aliandra. Max, do you know what this means?“
Max stared at her. He knew very well what this meant. It had been swirling around in his head ever since he saw what had been written in red lipstick on Liz’s bathroom mirror in shaky handwriting. He knew exactly what Isabel had been going through. It had brewed in his own heart ever since he had met Liz. Even before he had met her. The first time he saw her in one of his premonitions, he had known. He had known that she was important and that the main purpose was to keep her safe. It was like it was an integrated part of himself. Imprinted in him so deeply it had almost turned into an instinct. It had been natural to think that Liz’s safety went before everything else, even his own safety.

But it had been when the feelings had begun to form that he had really felt himself change. Or to be more precise, it had been when he had admittedto himself that there were feelings there. The feelings had always been there. From the first time he saw her in his premonition. He had instantly recognized her essence, her soul. It had been so familiar, so right that it had been frightening. And his mind had clicked into denial.

Liz’s lips brushing against his had opened up something inside of him. Had unlocked the door to old secrets and memories of a past life.

“We have lived before,“ Max answered.
Isabel nodded. “Your name was Zan, I was Soria, and-“
“Liz was Aliandra,“ Max filled in.
Isabel frowned as she searched her mind for information. “She was important. But I can’t remember how. I remember grand buildings and dinner parties. Jewelry. We were wealthy. But you are not as clear. Zan.“
“I don’t remember either,“ Max said, “I just know one thing...“
The door flung open and Michael stormed in, “Who the hell is that guy?!!“
Isabel sprung up from her seat in surprise. “Michael!“
“Close the door, Mike,“ Max said.
Michael slammed the door behind him, barging into the room. “What the hell is going on, Maxwell?“
“You called him?“ Isabel asked her brother.
Max rose from the bed. “We need reinforcement. We have to find Liz.“
“What’s this about her being missing?“ Michael asked, his voice calming down somewhat with the determination in Max’s voice.
“I have a bad feeling about this,“ Max said.

“Are you sure she’s just not taking a vacation? Maybe she needed some time on her own or something,“ Isabel tried, even though she knew that she should trust Max’s hunch. It was almost always right.
Max started pacing the floor. “Something is very wrong. I can’t feel her anymore.“
“What do you-“
“Michael! Can’t you behave for two seconds? Do you have to be an antisocial bastard to everyone?!“
Everyone looked up at the new arriver.
“Maria, calm down,“ Michael sighed.
Maria opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again without uttering a sound when her eyes fell on Max’s haunted face. She walked up to Max and pulled him into a tight hug.
“Honey, what’s going on?“ she asked against his shoulder.
Max let Maria’s support balm his frantic emotions and he relaxed a little in her arms.
“Liz is gone,“ Isabel answered in her brother’s place.
“They are doing something to her, Maria,“ Max said, agony threading his voice.
Maria pulled away from Max and worriedly searched his face. “They?“ she whispered, fear bolting into her.

“You think someone’s taken her?“ Michael asked.
“I know,“ Max answered.
“Maybe you should try and dreamwalk her,“ Maria suggested, looking at Isabel.
Max followed Maria’s eyes and looked at his sister with a new brief hint of hope flashing over his face.
“You think that would work?“ Isabel asked Max.
“But that would only show her dreams, not her whereabouts,“ Michael said disbelieving.
“Her whereabouts might reflect in her dreams,“ Isabel said, “She might be dreaming of her location. Or some person she has met there.“
“She might be able to give us some information,“ Max said.
“Not without revealing who you are,“ Michael objected. “Don’t you think she might find it a little weird that you can step into her dreams?“
“The keyword here is dream, Michael,“ Isabel said, “She’ll think it’s a dream and will just answer our questions.“
“Let’s do it,“ Max decided.

Isabel looked at Max. She didn’t want him to get his hopes up. She wasn’t sure he could handle a hope like that being crushed right now. “Max, it might not work. If someone has taken her, like you say, then she might be drugged. It might be difficult to reach her and if we do her mind can be so twisted that we can’t stay there long enough to try to decipher her unconscious and get some information.“
“I know, but this is the best chance we’ve got right now,“ Max said. And it would be a great accomplishment just to see for himself that she was okay and to be able to disregard his fears. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the premonitions were wrong. He hoped so. He hoped so with all his heart, because he would die if he knew that Liz had been captured and then tortured, like she had in his premonitions. Ice cold shivers run down his spine as a flash from Liz’s abdomen being opened and her screams piercing his senses, flashed through his mind.
“Let’s do it now,“ he said, struggling to stop himself from bolting out the door in blind search for Liz. But where would he start? He had no idea to where she was. She could be anywhere. New York was a big city and nothing promised that she would still be in New York. She could be anywhere. He took his sister’s hand and sat down on the bed, forcing himself to calm down. She could be somewhere in Europe right now. Chained away in some cold room in Russia.

“Close your eyes and let your mind go blank,“ Isabel instructed. Max eyes closed, and laid down on the bed. Behind his closed eyelids he saw her face. Her beautiful eyes. Her shy smile. The adorable flush that covered her cheeks when someone complimented her. Her small, slender hands. Her dark hair. Aliandra. His love that had found him again. He wouldn’t let her slip out of his hands this time. If she did, they would find each other in the next life, because he couldn’t survive without her.


TBC...

Hello all beautiful people!

Finally... Finally, I have a new update for you. I still haven't seen my lovely muse around. I wonder where he might be *glares at Stefanie*... But hopefully, he'll find his way back to where he belongs soon

Everyone who has left feedback, everyone who has bumped, everyone who has read... *HUGS* THANK YOU!!!



I will not allow myself to stay away from updating for this long... When work calms down over the Xmas holiday, I'm gonna write. Promise

I'll just post the next chapter for you and then it's back to Xmas cleaning and Xmas presents

Jeni - I'm sorry to hear about your condition. That must be so terrible. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live with something like that. Take care of yourself, okay? *Hugs*

Elizabeth - Thank you for putting up with me... And thank you, hon, for editing!!



Chapter 45


”Max! Max! God, Michael. Stop him, please!”
”Max! Wait!”
The new addition to the group watched with eyes as big as saucers from the backseat at the heated orange flames licking the night sky. The air was filled with smoke, making it thick and unable to breathe.

And now Max was running towards it like a moth flying straight into a warm lamp.

Alex glanced at Maria, fidgeting in her seat with trying to get the seat belt off. Was this making any sense to everyone but him? He wouldn’t be the least surprised if he suddenly woke up in his bed in his apartment. This was so surreal that not waking up would be horrifying.
”What’s going on?” Alex asked Maria. But she wasn’t listening.
”Hey! Maria!” Alex tried again. The seatbelt slammed back against the side of the car as it was pulled free and Maria quickly rose as she simultaneously pushed the door open.
”Maria!” Alex yelled. He felt fear invade his senses as he watched Maria, the only confidant he had found in all of this, run after the others. He really didn’t want to be left here alone.
”Oh crap,” he muttered and unfastened his own seatbelt.
Soon he was running after people he hardly knew, straight towards a burning warehouse.


Present time - 2 hours before a warehouse in Colorado mysteriously caught fire.

On a small graveled road a couple of miles north-east of Durango, Colorado


”What’s wrong?” Isabel finally asked after having watched her brother’s agitated glances in the rearview mirror for the last minute.
”I think someone’s following us,” Max answered.
”What?!” Isabel, Michael and Maria exclaimed in unison, turning in their seats.
”Don’t look!” Max hissed, pushing Michael, who was sitting in the passenger seat, so that he was looking straight ahead instead of being suspiciously half-turned in his seat, staring through the back window.
”Who is it?” Isabel asked, her voice close to a stage whisper, as she leaned forward in between the front seats.
”I don’t know,” Max answered and sneaked another glance in the rearview window. It was a red Chevy. He didn’t know anyone with a red Chevy. And even if he did, why would this person be following them out in the middle of nowhere?

”Oh God,” Isabel whimpered, ”This is bad. This is very bad. Someone is following us, Max. Following us! How did we end up here? We were doing just fine in Roswell. You should never have gone to New York, Max.”
”I needed to,” Max said quietly, ”She needed me.”
”Okay, maybe Liz has some connection to us, but that doesn’t mean-”
Michael looked at Isabel, utterly confused. ”What do you mean that she has a connection to us?”
But Isabel just waved him off, ”She is putting us at risk. I don’t know about this Max. She was having weird blackouts and you took her with you to Roswell. Later there was this mysterious man asking for her at the restaurant. The wrong people obviously know about her and we really don’t want to attract their attention.”
Max opened his mouth to reply, but Michael beat him to it. ”She’s right, Max. Why don’t we just drop this? Obviously, someone doesn’t like our interest in it all,” he gestured towards the rearview mirror where the red car was still behind them, ”And we can’t afford exposure.”
”Fine,” Max said and hit the brakes.
They all lunged forward with the force.
”What the hell are you doing?!” Michael yelled as the car came to a stop.

”Max! There is someone following us and you stop?! Start the car right now!”
Maria looked at Max anxiously. If she was forced to take a side, she often took Max’s. But even to her, stopping right didn’t seem like such a good idea. “Max, this is really not the time to stop.”
”You don’t want to help me, then fine,” Max said calmly. ”I’m not leaving Liz there, wherever she is.”
“How is stopping now going to help Liz?” Isabel cried.
“We are being followed for some reason. That person might know-“
”This chat is very cozy and all,” Michael hissed, ”But can you put the damn car back in gear and continue driving!!”
”Let’s just get out of here,” Isabel said.
Max turned blazing eyes towards his sister. ”How can you be so indifferent about this? You have felt it too, Isabel!”
”Felt what?” Michael demanded. He felt like he was missing something and it was starting to make him really angry.
”I don’t know what I felt, Max. That was the first memory from our past. How do we know it is accurate?”
”We both had them.”
”Excuse me,” Michael hissed, ”But can we possibly have this cryptic conversation at some other time? There is a car pulling up behind us. The same car that was following us.”
Isabel unceremoniously spun in her seat and Max tensed. Max’s eyes narrowed as he tried to see who it was in the rearview window.
”Don’t stalkers just continue and drive past?” Michael murmured, referring to the knowledge he had gotten from movies about these kinds of situations.
”Max,” Isabel murmured pleadingly as she turned around in her seat to face her brother, ”He’s probably FBI or some other organization. Please, just start the car.”
”Yes, really Max,” Michael said, ”This is not the right time for being childish.”

“Oh my… This is not good, this is not good,” Maria mumbled, fidgeting with the pocket in her jacket to find her cypress oil.
”Let’s see who it is,” Max said slowly, his eyes transfixed on the rearview window, where the car was coming to a final halt. It might be some side effect of his ability to see the future in his premonitions or it might just be some kind of strengthened intuition, but he had a good feeling about this. Well, not good, exactly, but not bad either. Somehow, he didn’t think that the person following them would be from the FBI.
”‘Let’s see who it is,” Michael mumbled. He never thought he would think it, but Max might actually be the one to get them killed.
Maria pulled out her oil, unscrewed the lid and put it under her nose, taking deep breaths and inhaling the aroma.
”Think about it, Michael,” Max said calmly, ”We are three aliens against a human. Why would we be in danger?”
Michael stared at Max and slowly his friend’s logic dawned on him. The stalker was anything but professional. Why did he stop when they did? Why was he alone? If he really thought he was following aliens, would he really do all of those things?
”You’re right,” Michael agreed.

”What?” Isabel asked in disbelief, fear squeezing her heart even harder. ”You’re with him now? Have you both gone completely insane?!”
The hand holding the cypress oil was lowered slowly, as Maria stared at Michael only to turn her eyes to Max. “Max, I know that you are trying to follow your instincts here, but maybe it would be for the best just to continue driv-“
”Crap,” Michael murmured, his eyes focused on the side mirror. ”It’s that guy.”
This caused Isabel to once again turn in her seat.
“Who?” Maria asked, not sure she wanted to know. She slowly turned in her seat, unconsciously fidgeting with the oil in her hand.
”Alex,” she whispered, putting a name on the person silhouetted in the other car.
”What the hell is he doing here?” Michael hissed.
”Let’s find out,” Max unfastened his seatbelt and reached for the door handle. Michael’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.
”Wait, Max. He could be FBI. He already knows too much.”
”Then it’s better if we confront him, right?” Max advised.
It got quiet in the car as Max’s statement was taken under consideration. Isabel could feel herself calming down some. It wasn’t some scary FBI-guy. It was just Alex. Granted, she didn’t know Alex all that well, but he had seemed pretty okay to her. Maria shakily refocused on unscrewing the lid of the cypress oil again.
”Well, if he’s giving us any trouble, we can just blast him,” Michael shrugged.
”Let’s wait with that, okay?” Max said. ”Let’s see what he wants.”

<center>--------------------------------------------------</center>

Two hours later

Alex stood staring up at the hot inferno blazing in front of him. When he had woken up this morning, he would not in a million years have imagined that he would be in a place like this at the end of the day. It seemed to be a big building, a facility of some kind. At least it once had been. It was quickly being reduced to black ruins and ashes under the greedy feasting of the hungry flames.

From the look of it, it seemed as if the facility was top secret. Maybe even belonging to the government. It was enclosed within high fences with barbed wire on top. Alex wasn’t really sure how exactly the other guys had managed to break into the area either. Come to think of it, it seemed highly unlikely that they would be able to gain entrance at all. That is, not if the security system had been wired to the main building, which was facing its last days as a recognizable structure.

Or maybe the people he was now blindly following, being left with no other choice, were of some very questionable background. Most likely they were criminals. But they didn’t act like criminals. Not at all. If they were the top criminals they needed to be to get into a top security facility like this, he didn’t know how they managed to keep themselves from getting caught. Looking at the people running towards the burning inferno, Alex couldn’t exactly claim that they were subtle.

Max was the most obvious of them all. His advance was narrow-minded and frantic. He was running towards the burning building like he had a death wish. Alex let his eyes travel further, lingering at Isabel.

Isabel. He couldn’t deny that he felt drawn to her. There was something there, but after this completely insane turn of events, he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to spend another second in the same room with her ever again. For not the first time, and he guessed not the last time either, he wondered what these people had gotten themselves involved in.

He could not see Maria any longer. She had disappeared somewhere in the smoke. Somehow she seemed different than the others. Even though she was working as an integrated part in the group, she was different. She was an outsider of some kind.

He took a few uncertain steps forward, not debating whether he should follow them, leave as fast as he could, or just stay where he was. Where were all the people? Shouldn’t there be other people here, running around, and at least trying to put out the fire? There should be fire brigades or something, and yet the area seemed deserted.

He watched as Isabel reached out with her arm and snatched Max backwards just a couple of feet from running into the fire, and somewhat dazed he wondered what Max thought was inside that building that was so precious that he would risk his life to get it out. Before he had the chance to finish that trail of thought, a new thought hit him with a cold and violent tremor.

Did Max think that Liz was in there?

<center>----------------------------------------------------</center>

Were they slowing down?

Alex watched the car in front of him drove off the road and stop.

Why were they stopping?

A feeling of cold insecurity spread inside of him, when he was suddenly faced with a frightening decision to be made. Should he keep going or should he stop the car and confront them?

They hadn’t let him come along with them when they had decided to leave Liz’s apartment. He knew that they were going to search for her, and he wanted to help. That’s what he’d told them. They were, on the other hand, not open to the idea of him participating. It had actually been more or less obvious from the beginning that he was intruding, so he was really pushing it to ask them to be a part of their highly secret search unit.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should have looked for Liz on his own. The problem was that he didn’t have the slightest clue to where to begin the search. He had already called Mr. Parker, who still believed that Liz was in Roswell, New Mexico. Alex had to tell a white lie, saying that nothing was wrong. He didn’t want to upset Mr. Parker for no reason. He didn’t want to tell him that Liz’s boss, Mr. Smith, hadn’t heard from Liz in five days. Mr. Smith hadn’t seen Liz since he sent her to work on a new project downtown. Then there was the bizarre information that Mr. Smith had given Alex about his other employee, Liz’s colleague, who also gone missing at about the same time. Maybe he and Liz had gone on some romantic getaway. Maybe Liz just finally wanted to take some time off without any planning ahead and without informing anyone. Just escaping all her duties and responsibilities.

But then there were Liz’s new friends, who were acting really weird. Alex had the strong feeling that they knew a lot more about Liz’s absence than they were saying; that they might even know where she was, or at least where to look for her.

This suspicious feeling was what made Alex follow the others’ car when they hurriedly left the apartment in New York and drove out into the wilderness. Now he was no longer sure that he was doing the right thing. He could still pull out of this. He could just continue past them. But instead he found himself steering his car off the road and slowly easing on the brakes. The need to find his friend and to know what was going on had apparently won over his rational thoughts.

The car slowed down until it came to a complete halt. Slowly, he reached out with his hand and killed the engine. Then he waited.

It felt like several minutes, hours even, passed before the front door opened, closely followed by the passenger door opening and the door behind it. He was still sitting in his seat, seatbelt on, when three figures stepped out of the car. Isabel, and the rude guy, rounded the car and came to stand next to Max. Maria came out last. They lined up beside each other with Maria slightly behind the others and he looked up to meet their eyes. Once again he found himself wondering what he had been thinking when he had decided to follow them…

<center>------------------------------------------------------------</center>

“Max! Stop it!”
Max vaguely registered that someone was pulling him backwards and he instinctively fought against the restraint.
“Max! Listen to me! You can’t go in there! Are you crazy? You could die! You will die!!”
“Liz is in there!” Max cried out and pulled himself free from his sister’s hold.
“No! Max!!” Isabel went after him again, “Michael!!”
Obviously, Michael had been close by, because he appeared at the exact moment of her frantic cry. He caught hold of Max and held his struggling body in a tight grip.
“Maxwell! She’s dead, Max! If she were in there, she’s dead!”
“Nooo!!” Max cried out.
The warmth was billowing around them and Isabel worriedly looked up. They were standing too close. Walls could fall on them. Windows could explode as a result of the fire. The whole building could explode.
“Damnit Max!” Michael shouted.
“Michael, we have to get away from here!!” Isabel screamed with desperation.
“Liz is alive. I can feel her,” Max murmured.
He and Michael were more or less involved in a fight right now. Michael was trying his best to hold Max back and even had to get help from some non-human abilities, since Max was working hard to get loose. Michael might be taller than Max, but Max was stronger and it seemed as if some unknown power had taken a hold of him.

“Isabel! You gotta help me with him!!” Michael shouted breathlessly.
Isabel instantaneously took a hold of her brother’s arm and summed all the strength that she could muster.
“No, you’re letting her die! You’re letting her die!!” Max screamed.
“If she’s still in there she won’t make it out of there alive. There is no use for you to run in there straight towards your death!” Michael yelled and pulled harder.
His efforts were wasted though, when he felt Max’s resistance end. Going from an inhuman maximum to nothing in the matter of a nanosecond. Isabel lunged forward when Max suddenly stopped trying to move into the other direction towards the burning building. Neither Isabel nor Michael felt the need to at the moment investigate further why Max had stopped resisting them. They barely had the chance to be relieved that he seemed to have come to his senses. Their main concern was to get all of them out of there before the whole thing exploded.

<center>--------------------------------------------------</center>

Alex’s hand trembled as he grabbed the door handle to yank the door open and he silently cursed himself for being such a wimp. They wouldn’t do anything to him. Would they? He was Liz’s friend. They wouldn’t do anything that could hurt Liz, directly or indirectly. Right…?

His legs were shaking as they made contact with the ground. He slowly straightened up and took a deep breath before meeting their eyes. He quickly came to the decision to focus his eyes more on Isabel than the other two. Max and Michael were just downright scary. They gave a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘intimidating’.

He was expecting them to say something, but it seemed as if he was supposed to be the one to utter the first word.
“Um… hey,” he said, trying to sound casual. He winced at the hysterical cheerful note the words were really spoken in.
“Cut the crap,” Michael said. Alex stared at him, getting increasingly convinced that it had been a mistake to step out of bed this morning.
“Okay,” he squeaked. It was intended as a calm agreement.
“We both know that you’ve been following us,” Michael continued, pushing out the words through clenched teeth, “Why?”
“I…I…” Alex stuttered nervously, suddenly not remembering at all the answer to that question.
“I would suggest that you turn your car around and forget about this,” Max said. His voice was frightening cold and calm. Alex let his eyes drift to Isabel’s face. What he saw reflect on her face before she regained her mask of stone was enough to help him to regain his footing. Isabel was scared. Maybe just as scared as he was. Maybe even more so. Why was she afraid?

“What are you doing out here?” Alex asked, giving himself a mental pat on the back for not letting his voice tremble. He actually sounded pretty calm and collected.
“I suggest you turn around now,” Max said, making it sound as far away from a suggestion as possible.
“You know where Liz is, don’t you?” Alex asked.
“Hey buddy,” Michael said, his voice not sounding very friendly, “Trust me, you don’t want to find out what we will do to you if you don’t get into that car of yours and drive back to where you came from.”
As Michael took an intimidating step forward, Alex involuntarily took one backwards. His mind was working with high speed, trying to come up with something to get him out of this, without getting into his car and just turn around. He needed to know what had happened to his friend. He had been Liz’s only friend for so long and she had been a great friend to him too. He had strong brotherly feelings towards her. He wanted to protect her in any way that he could. If someone had hurt Liz, he would hurt them. No one was allowed to hurt Liz in any way.

Taking a deep breath, and mentally preparing himself for the blow, he spoke, “What is “nîmra”?”
“What?!” Michael exclaimed. His body was suddenly in movement, moving towards Alex. But Isabel stopped him.
“Where have you heard that?! How do you know about that word?!”
“Michael! No!” Isabel cried. It was difficult to restrain his strong body.
“While you were in Liz’s bedroom, discussing whatever conspiracy you’re involved with, I started to go through Liz’s encyclopedia. Then I powered up her computer and began searching the net.” He took a deep breath while assessing the expressions on the persons in front of him. “The word doesn’t exist. Never has.”
He could see Isabel pale. She looked like she was about to faint. Letting his eyes drift from the first person to the next, Max didn’t look so healthy either. Maria was looking shell-shocked, her eyes drifting to Max. The only one with color in his face was Michael, who was red with anger.
“At least not on Earth…”

<center>-------------------------------------------------------</center>

Suddenly he felt a shift in the air. It hit him like a violent tidal wave, leaving him gasping for air. Isabel came to an abrupt halt beside him, eyeing him worriedly.
“Max?” His pale complexion worried her and for a second she was worried that he might faint. She took a hold of his arm and yanked it to get his attention. “Max!”
“She’s here”, Max mumbled.
Isabel’s eyes widened and she caught Michael’s equal expression.
“Can you feel her?” Isabel asked.
“Yes,” Max breathed. His reply was barely audible in the hostile sparkles of the fire eating away at the building in the background.

Then there was movement. He was out of Isabel’s hands before she had the chance to react.
“Where’s he…” Isabel began, only to be cut off by Michael’s loud shout.
“Max!”
Michael went after Max and reached him as he stumbled to his knees. Smoke was now surrounding them, thick and impenetrable, creeping up from all sides, making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
“Max,” Michael coughed his name as he crouched down and took a hold of Max’s arm, intending to pull him up and get him out of there, when the figure of another person appeared in the smoke.

Liz.



TBC...

Hi!

I'm back with a new part I hope you all had a relaxing holiday and banned the Christmas stress from your life. Well, you can always dream, right?

Thank you everyone for the feedback!!! You are the best!!

I won't leave you hanging in suspense for much longer...well, in some way I am, but at least we are moving forward


Take care everyone, and since I won't be "seeing" you until the next year. Happy new year!!


*hugs*

Josephin



Chapter 46


Maria could feel the impending doom vibrate through her body. As she ran past the burning building, she didn’t spare it a glance. There was no doubt in her mind that the building was teetering on the brink of disaster. It would not end its last days peacefully dying in the flames. She could feel it in the air. She could smell it. They needed to get out of there. Fast.

Her lungs burned with the poisonous smoke that filled air as she struggled through the dark mists to find the others. The ground was uneven under her feet and she could even feel the heat through the soles of her shoes as she stumbled to the location where she had last seen Max. Her eyes stinging, she spotted movement further ahead.
“Max! Michael!” she yelled.
She ran faster, continuing to call the names of her friends. Her pace quickened when she didn’t receive an answer. They didn’t even acknowledge her.

They were all standing in a circle. Michael, Isabel and Alex. She didn’t see Max anywhere though. “Michael! Where’s Ma…” Her breathless voice trailed off when Alex stepped to the side and her eyes landed on the two persons on the ground. Max, holding Liz.

And she was glowing. Literally.

<center>-----------------------------------------------------</center>

Maria looked up, startled when Max and Isabel simultaneously inhaled sharply. She noticed Michael rising from the armchair out of the corner of her eye.
“What did you see? Could you reach her?” Michael didn’t waste one second to start firing questions at the siblings.
Isabel slowly sat up on the bed, rubbing her temples. Dreamwalking was still new to her. She rarely used it, only for fun. Often, she used it to find out what people in her school were dreaming about. Sometimes she had even used it to see that her closer friends didn’t suspect anything about her otherworldly origin. On the other hand, she had never let anyone really close. The only one who she could honestly call her friend, who was human, was Maria. There had never been anyone else. And she would rather keep it that way.

Next to her, Max bolted up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
“Did you talk with her?” Maria asked. She put a hand on his arm, wanting to calm down the obvious feelings of distress surrounding him.
“She’s in danger,” Max said. Maria shivered at the sound of his voice. She didn’t recognize it. He sounded…detached.
“Has someone taken her?” Michael asked. “Where is she? Did you find any clues at all where she is?”
“She’s held captive somewhere…” Isabel started, but Max cut her off.
“They are telling her that we aren’t real. They are brainwashing her…”
Maria’s eyes widened with fear. “What?!”
“Brainwa…” Michael stumbled on the words. It was something they had feared all their lives. A fear that had been as large a part of their lives as their next breath, and yet it felt foreign to actually face it. “Is it the government? The FBI? CIA? Who?”
Max looked distant. His eyes were fixed on the door, like he was waiting for someone to enter.
“Is he still here?”
Maria frowned and unconsciously looked at the door. “Who? Alex?”

Michael started for the door. “I’ll take care of him.” His angry advance snapped something in place within Max. He stood up and lifted his hand in a halting motion. Michael ripped the door open, only to have it pull out of his grip and slam closed again.
“What the…” He tried the doorknob again, but when it stubbornly remained in its closed position, his head whipped around to Max. He found his friend with his hand outstretched, directed at the door.
“Calm down,” Max said calmly.
“But he…” Michael protested, his words tainted with anger.
“We can’t screw this up,” Max said. “We have to come up with a cover story. We can’t risk that he finds anything out just because he has gotten this close. That is just another reason to make sure he does not suspect anything.”
“What should we say?” Maria asked.
Isabel bit her lower lip as she looked between her brother and Michael. She knew that her suggestion wouldn’t be welcomed, but she had to say it nevertheless. “Maybe we should just tell him the truth.”

“What?!” Michael exploded.
Isabel gathered her confidence and raised her head to meet Michael’s outraged eyes. “Maybe it’s safer to have him with us than against us…”
“What can he do if he’s against us?” Michael said hotly, “He’s no threat, so-“
“Exactly, he’s no threat!”
“Damnit! You know what happened the last time you thought it was a good idea to let someone else into our lives! She was abducted a couple of days ago!”
Maria watched how Max paled at Michael’s outburst. “Michael!”
“He knows Liz! He’s already involved. Maybe he can help-“ Isabel’s voice quickly rose in volume.
“Just because he’s Liz’s friend, doesn’t ensure that we can trust-“
“Maria didn’t bolt when we told her, did sh-“
“Stop it!”

Both Isabel and Michael mouths closed and they stared with an expression of surprise mixed with apprehension at the source of the authoritative command.
“Someone has taken Liz. Probably someone from the government,” voice breaking with audible agony, “God knows what they are doing to her right this moment, just because I contacted her.”
Michael’s hand dropped from the doorknob, his chest heaving with heavy breaths as a result of the heated argument. Isabel’s eyes dropped guiltily to the floor.
“And all you can do is…” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“What do you think we should do, Max?” Maria asked carefully.
Max stood in silence for a few long seconds before he opened them, a new determination in his eyes. “West. We should go west.”
“West?” Michael asked, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.
“That’s where Liz is.”
Isabel and Maria stared at him, thousands of questions milling in their heads, but none of them important enough to ask at this moment. Not when time was such an important factor.
Max answered their main question for them. “I have this…feeling. Like something is pulling me in that direction.”
“And what if you’re wrong?” Michael asked.
“Do you have a better solution?” Maria asked and glared at him to keep him from saying anything else.
Michael met her eyes and after some seconds of silent battle, he realized that he had been outnumbered. “What should we tell Alex?” he mumbled sourly.
“What he wants to hear,” Max answered.

<center>-------------------------------------------------------</center>

“What’s wrong with her?” Maria’s eyes were transfixed on Liz’s body, her pupils contracting in the bright purple light surrounding Liz, like a shield of color.
“I guess this answers the question about her human status,” Michael said.
Maria turned to look at Alex standing beside her. Everything she expected to see on his face at this moment, he was displaying, and more. Fear, confusion, shock, disbelief… Maria silently watched the emotions play over his face. He looked like he had been hit by a train without even knowing what a train was.
“Alex?” Maria put a hand on his arm. He took a slow step back from her and her fingers left the material of his shirt. His eyes were fixed on Liz and his mouth was opening and closing as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t decide if he should use the little air he was getting in to breathe or to try to pronounce syllables. Either way, he probably wouldn’t be able to say anything comprehensible.

“She’s so cold, so cold,” Max murmured and Maria turned her head back to Max. Max discarded his jacket and spread it over Liz.
“Is she okay?” Maria asked.
“I don’t know,” Isabel answered. She looked pale in the light of the flames dancing in the background. The fear and guilt were haunting her eyes. She was unable to tear her eyes away from the unresponsive girl.
“Did you find anyone?” Michael asked and Maria looked at Michael. When her eyes met his the air compressed around her, getting heavier and pressing against her chest. She could feel tears prickling the back of her throat. Could feel her lips stinging with hidden emotion. She shook her head in answer to his question. Her eyes dropped as she tried to compose herself. They had far more important things to concentrate on than her having a breakdown.
“Hey…” A gentle voice made her look up and she found Michael standing next to her, looking at her with concern in his normally guarded eyes. The first tears fell and her bottom lip started to tremble and she stepped into Michael’s warm arms.
“It just hit you, didn’t it?” She nodded against his chest, taking comfort in his protective embrace. Michael always put up this tough exterior, pretending to be an uncaring womanizer. It was only with Maria that he was real. It was only Maria who could anger him until he lost his temper. It was only Maria who made him feel real. And she knew it. She was the only one who had seen the other side of Michael. The side he didn’t let anyone else see. They weren’t together. They had never kissed or even held hands, but still there was something else there. Something that was perhaps even more important than romantic gestures. Friendship. Trust. Support. Love.

She clung to him and tried to block out the horrors of the last couple of days, for at least a few seconds. The commotion continued around them. Michael followed what was happening, while his hand consolingly threaded through her hair. He watched as Isabel kneeled down to help Max. He watched as she reached out to pull Max’s jacket closer around Liz. When the powerful blue streak of light exploded as Isabel’s hand connected with the light around Liz and she was thrown three feet through the air, his hand rapidly left Maria’s hair. Maria, hearing Isabel’s cry of fear, turned around in Michael’s arms and her breath caught in her throat as she saw Isabel fell heavily to the ground.
“Oh my God!” Maria cried.
Michael moved behind her, running towards Isabel.
Max looked into the mist, trying to spot his sister. “Isabel!”
Isabel lifted her head with a groan of pain. Michael fell to his knees beside her. “Is, are you okay?”

Isabel carefully pulled herself up into sitting position, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. “Yeah, I’m fine.” There was a strain in her voice and she was pale, but after some quick checking Michael could see that she was okay. She would probably have some bruises tomorrow, but other than that she was only shocked.
“What happened?” Maria asked, stepping up behind Michael. Her hands were brushing away lingering tears from her cheeks.
“I… I don’t know…” Isabel said. A grimace of pain formed on her face as she started to stand up. Michael reached out and helped her up.
“It was like she pushed you away,” Michael said.
Isabel rubbed her back. “That’s an understatement.”
“Is?”
Isabel turned to Max, who was now standing up, cradling Liz in his arms. Michael frowned at the sight. Maria voiced the question for him, “How are you able to touch her?”
Perplexed, Max looked down at the unconscious Liz, dangling loosely in his arms. “I…I… I don’t know.”
“That…that thing that she’s emitting is some kind of shield,” Michael said, “Why is she letting you touch her?”

“What are you talking about?”
Three faces turned to Alex, who uttered his first words since they had found Liz.
“Who the hell are you?” His eyes were darkening with anger, his mouth thinning out, “What have you done to her? You have done something to her!”
“Hey, listen man,” Michael snorted, “She’s the one who’s purple!”
“Alex…” Isabel said, reaching out a tentative hand towards Alex. Alex wasn’t hearing her. The protective streak within him kicked in full force, and it was giving him one clear message: get Liz away from these people.
Max instinctively cradled Liz’s cold body closer as Alex took a step forward. One of Max’s hands stretched out in the air, dangling there in indecision. His heart had told him to protect Liz against anything, but the rational part of his mind stopped him from letting his powers have free reign. His mind knew that Alex wasn’t a threat, but still there was something imprinted in him to not let anyone near Liz. She was hurt, completely vulnerable to anyone who wished her harm. He had failed her once, but he wouldn’t do it again.

Max took a step back, partly to stop Alex from trying to separate Liz from him, but mostly to prevent what he suspected would happen. Seeing what he had seen, Alex still tried to defeat the forces of nature. His mind wasn’t following rational routes any longer. In the last six hours, he had heard and seen things he could never even begin to imagine. The only action his mind could sort out right now was to get Liz as far away from here as possible, and then pretend that none of this had ever happened.

Isabel stepped forward to prevent Alex from doing the same thing she did, but she was too late. Alex reached for Liz’s arm, intending to pull her out of Max’s grip. With a cry of pain, the light flickered violently around Liz, and Alex was catapulted away from her. Isabel impeded his landing and together they fell to the ground, Alex groaning loudly in pain. Isabel rolled on her side and turned around to see if he was all right. He was grabbing his right hand with his left one with deep lines of pain on his forehead and around his mouth.
“Alex!” She tried to get his attention, but he only rolled away from her.
“Get away from me!” he yelled.
Isabel’s hand hung in the air as she looked into Alex’s face and saw just what she had feared all her life: someone looking at her with fear and…repulsion.
“Please, Alex,” her voice broke as she pleaded with him for understanding, “Let me look at your hand. You’re hurt, Alex.”

A loud crack interrupted Isabel and they all turned to see a massive iron bar hanging on with its last strength. The bolts in one end of the bar were being melted in the thousand degrees heat and it was frighteningly close to let go and fall down.
“We have to get out of here,” Maria cried.
Isabel looked at Alex in indecision as the others started running for the car.
“Isabel, come on!!” Michael shouted.
“Alex… Please, come with us,” Isabel pleaded. Alex looked her right into the eyes. He didn’t know what was worse. To be abandoned out in nowhere, where there was still no sign of any fire brigades, in the middle of the night several miles away from any living sign, or to step into the same car as people who could break in anywhere and weren’t shocked by the fact that a girl was glowing purple.

There was an earth-shattering rumble and Isabel’s head once again whipped around towards the warehouse. A large part of the building collapsed under her terrified gaze.
“Alex…” Her eyes back on Alex, she wanted him to see that she wasn’t dangerous. That she wasn’t repulsive and different, as his eyes were accusing her of being. For some reason, the need to have him accept her was greater than ever before. Maybe it was because he was the first person who didn’t know already know her, to learn that she was different. Maybe it was because his reaction fulfilled all her fears and insecurities. Or maybe it was something else.
“Please…come with us. You can get off in the next town. Just please…”
“Isabel!!”
Isabel didn’t let Alex go with her eyes, even though the urgency of Michael’s shout and the threatening sparking of fire behind her, told her of how vital it was to get out of here as soon as possible. Alex searched her face and Isabel stopped breathing for a second. It felt like he was looking right through her. Scanning her insides to see if she meant what she was saying, if he should trust her words instead of his own eyes.

His voice was breathless, but still determined when he answered her, “Next town, okay?”
“Yeah,” Isabel nodded, relief spreading inside of her. They rose in unison and started running for the car, not turning their heads even once when they heard the deafening sound of the warehouse collapsing behind them and small explosions echoing in the darkness.


TBC...

Hi everyone!

Okay, a long time has passed since my last update and I apologize for that. Things have been a little hectic with me flying to another country (at the other end of the world) and commencing my veterinarian studies. In addition, I’ve been busy with one of my other fics “Love by Any Other Name” since I just started to have some inspiration for that one. I took the chance at writing down every idea before they disappeared again.

So, I’m really really sorry for leaving you hanging like this. I’m not sure that I even have any readers left, but for those of you who are still around – THANK YOU! For the patience and the support in the form of bumps and letting me know that you are still interested in knowing what’s going to happen in this fic.

I was thinking that maybe it would be a good idea if I gave you a brief summary of what’s happened, just to refresh your memory. I usually suck at summaries, because I always have troubles keeping it short and concise. I’m going to give it another try today

Okay, this is what has happened. Liz Parker was living in New York. She had lived there most of her life. Her mother died when she was young, stepping out in the street in front of a bus. All her life, Liz has known that she was different. She didn’t have any friends growing up. She was a prodigy. She could speak a lot of different languages and was always considered very intelligent and mature by teachers.

Moving to present time… Liz gets attacked by someone trying to rape her. She is saved by a mysterious man who disappears just as quickly as he appeared, after making sure that she is safe again. The mystery person was of course Max Evans. Max is not of this Earth (no surprise there ) and he is haunted with premonitions about people ending up in “bad” situations. One day he just starts dreaming about this dark-haired, beautiful woman (guess who ) and he goes to New York to help her. The premonitions don’t end though and soon Max and Liz meet, even though Max tries his best to prevent it, in order to protect Liz.

Weird things are happening the more time Max and Liz are spending together. There is an almost instinctive need between them. And this need catapults weird things to happen. Like Liz getting a fever the day after Max and her first kiss. The fever is gone the next day. But during her fever-distorted dreams, she hears voices speaking a language that isn’t English. Dreams have always haunted Liz during her life. Nightmares tainted with the guilt of her mother’s death, but also nightmares of losing someone she loved more than life itself. Of being pregnant and having the child ripped away from her before it was even born.

This is where I came to the conclusion that I had confused my readers enough, so I started to throw in interludes. The interludes were of another culture, on another planet, several million light years away. A short tale of how a princess fell in love with her personal protector, their love forbidden and hence kept secret. The story ends tragically with both the princess and the protector being killed.

As the interludes play out, the story set on Earth in present time still runs. There Max and Liz are getting closer, but not close enough, since Max is still unwilling to share his secret of his origins with Liz. Liz feels that he doesn’t trust him and she is not able to give him her trust if it isn’t returned. So after spending a couple of days with Max in his home town Roswell, Liz flies back to New York.

Liz’s colleague, David Anderson, at work has set out to catch the unattainable Ms. Parker in his nest. The fact that she didn’t fall for his charms, as the majority of women did, angered him, but also challenged him to “win” her. So he set out a personal hunt to get Liz interested in him. Unfortunately, his attempts went unanswered and something snaps. When Liz comes alone to look over a house for future building prospect, David arrives and tries to rape her. Something happens when Liz tries to defend herself. David rolls away, in pain, leaving Liz confused and terrified. Not knowing what to do, she calls the police. But the people arriving short thereafter are not the police. They sedate her and she is brought to a facility out in the middle of nowhere. There she is told that she is committed because of a sleeping disorder. A serious case of insomnia, leaving her in a comatose state for several days. This would mean that she never actually met Max, Maria, Isabel and Michael in reality, but only in her dreams.

Her heart and mind doesn’t allow this “truth” that the men at the facility are providing her with, to settle. And as soon as she starts resisting, they start the test, without anesthetics.

In the meantime, Max and co is trying to find Liz. They are finally led to an abandoned warehouse. At their arrival, the warehouse is on fire, and the chances of finding anyone alive are miniscule. They find Liz though, in torn clothes a couple of meters away from the burning warehouse, her body scratched and showing some lighter burns. What’s weird is that she’s glowing. A purple light is surrounding her and when the others try to touch her they are repelled. For some reason (hmmm ), Max is not repelled and they get her back to the car.

During the whole search for Liz, Alex plays a smaller role, but it’s getting more significant. Alex was Liz best friend from university. He’s the only close friend she has ever had and they mean a lot to each other. So when Liz ends up missing and the people looking for her are acting really weird, Alex doesn’t hesitate much before deciding to follow them. So he’s along for the trip as well.

So, that’s where we are right now… In a car, out on the highway someplace out in the middle of nowhere…





Chapter 47


A silence had fallen over the interior of the moving vehicle. The only sound to be heard was the humming of the car as it was moving along the empty highways. Neither the sound of the engine nor the meeting of an occasional car was noticed by the passengers completely immersed in their own thoughts.

Alex was sitting at the back, staring out the window. He had very conflicted feelings and thoughts about everything that had happened lately.

Next town.

That’s what they had agreed upon. He turned his head slightly to inconspicuously look at Isabel in his peripheral vision. Since they had all gotten into the car, Alex had had the chance to get to know the others more, just by observing how they were handling the situation. Especially Max and how he took care of Liz. Something told Alex that Max wouldn’t do anything to hurt Liz. Not intentionally anyway. And that he would do anything to keep her safe. They were a lot alike that way, Alex and Max. Their main goal right now was to protect Liz. And they would stop at nothing to do it. Which was probably the reason why Alex was still riding in the car along with some strangers with very questionable backgrounds and probably the reason to why he hadn’t jumped off in that “next town”, when they had gotten some gas. He kept telling himself that the only reason he was still here was because he couldn’t just let some strangers take Liz away in the night. The thought of abandoning her like that was chilling him. But his heart told him of other reasons too.

Isabel looked at Alex out of the corner of her eye. For some reason, which she didn’t quite dare to think any further about right now, he was still with them. He hadn’t jumped off. She knew that he was only looking out for Liz, but there was something inside of her rejoicing over the fact that he was still here. His presence calmed her even though it scared her to some degree as well. There was this unexplainable need to tell him everything about herself. Everything. Green slimy details and everything. She had never felt that need to tell anyone about that before besides her mother. The really absurd thing was that didn’t even know Alex and all the signs she was getting was telling her that he really didn’t want anything to do with her.

But still, he hadn’t gotten off at the first chance he had gotten.

Maria caught the look Isabel gave Alex and inwardly she smiled. There was definitely something going on between Isabel and Alex, even though Alex wasn’t at the most cooperative level at the moment. Which was fully understandable. She had been shocked to find out that her friends were not human and they had been her friends many years by then. Alex had no reason to stay. He had no reason to believe anything they were telling him. He didn’t know that Max, Michael and Isabel were just like any other human, just a tad more insecure and with a stronger need to feel loved and accepted. She had never met anyone that was more loyal. On the other hand, their loyalty could mean the difference between life and death, so maybe it wasn’t too strange that they stuck by each other through thick and thin. She knew that she could always count on them. They had always been there for her. Her thoughts wandered to the sacrifice Max had done when he had healed her two years ago. That’s the only time he had gone against that loyalty to his friends. He had followed his heart and saved her.

Maria looked at Max sitting in the front seat and her heart twitched with compassion and pain. She had never seen him more worried. He was not in the world of living any longer; he was somewhere else, focusing completely on Liz. Maria knew how much Liz meant to him; maybe she was the only one who had really been able to see just how much. And seeing the devastated state Max was in right now was enough to break her heart. With a tired sigh, she leaned back in the seat, squeezed in between Alex and Isabel, and closed her eyes. This was going to be a long night.

Michael looked at Max to his right. Liz was curled up in Max’s arms, and if it hadn’t been for the purple light Liz was still radiating, Michael wouldn’t be able to tell where one ended and one began. He glanced at Maria in the backseat, and, noticing that her eyes were closed, he sighed. It felt like the weight of an elephant was pressing down on his chest. Was this how it felt to have responsibility? He was afraid. So frightened that he would do something wrong, now that everyone seemed to depend on him. He looked at Max again and for about the one hundredth and fiftieth time drew the conclusion that he couldn’t count on Max to help out. Max was as lost to the world, like a dead man. He wondered what he was going to do. He needed to have a plan. He glanced in the rearview mirror again at Maria. She was the only one in the group who seemed really there and she was probably the worst to depend upon in emergency situations. But looking at her now she seemed reasonably calm. He snorted softly and shook his head to himself. She never ceased to amaze him. She had to be the most unpredictable person he knew. She could freak out if the rain forest was getting burned down but when it came to her own safety she was cool as a cucumber. That reasoning he didn’t understand. What made rain forests so important? He stole another look in the mirror and was a little surprised to find Maria’s eyes looking back into his. He quickly averted his eyes back to the road, pretending that it was raining. Maria leaned forward between the seats, and as if hearing his worries, she asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

Michael gave her a grunt in response.
“You do have a plan, don’t you?” Maria asked pointedly.
“I didn’t exactly foresee this happening,” Michael snapped.
“Michael,” Maria said softly, “I’m not accusing you of anything. If you need my help, just ask.”
Michael pressed his lips together. He felt like he should be able to handle this on his own. But he had been completely unprepared. Even though Max wasn’t the official leader of the group, it was always Max who had come with the wisest decisions. Michael had just taken for granted that Max would always do that. Michael had more or less leaned back and laid his feet on the table. Max being so distant was as frightening as it was unexpected.
“You have any ideas?” Michael mumbled, ashamed to have to ask.
“Maybe we should stop somewhere,” Maria answered him.
“Yeah, that’s my thought too,” Michael said quickly.
“I think we need to lay Liz down or something. She doesn’t look so good.”
“That purplish light looks a bit freaky,” Michael admitted, looking at the light purple glow surrounding Liz.
“Hey.” Michael gave a startle when Maria’s placed her hand gently on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this.”
”How are you so calm?” Michael asked her, frowning at this very un-Maria behavior. She had been freaking out when they had been at the warehouse, which on one hand was totally understandable since it had been a scary environment. But now she was unnaturally calm. He frowned suspiciously and looked at her in the mirror.
“It doesn’t help to freak out,” Maria said. “Michael, Max can’t help us right now. It’s the rest of us who has to help him for a change.”
“Don’t I know it,” Michael murmured.
“Let’s just take this one step at the time,” Maria said.
Michael turned half-way in his seat. “Okay. Who the hell are you and where’s Maria?”
“Michael,” Maria said sternly, “Watch the road!!”

“Please, don’t start,” Isabel moaned beside Maria.
“Isabel, do you have a plan? What should we do?” Maria asked, turning towards Isabel.
Isabel rubbed her forehead tiredly. “We should probably stop somewhere like you said.”
“How about there?” Michael said, pointing at a bed and breakfast to the left of the road.


<center>-----------------------------------------------------------------</center>


Michael jumped out of the car to open the door for Max and Liz. Max gave him a slight nod of gratitude before returning his attention to Liz. He gently cradled her closer to his body and began to move out of the car.

Isabel looked over at Alex tentatively as they walked out of the car. “Are you okay?”
Alex met her eyes and answered seriously, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Isabel didn’t know if she should be happy about that or not. She gave him a timid smile.
Max stood up with Liz and carried her like she weighed nothing.
“I’ll get us a room,” Maria volunteered and disappeared.
Alex started moving, somewhat awkwardly, after Max and Isabel.

The room was fixed in a minute and Maria led them to the room with the numbers matching that of the key. They stepped into the room, containing a dresser, two chairs, a table and a double bed.
The first thing Michael did as he stepped into the room was to clear his throat uncomfortably. “Uhm… I’m hoping that we aren’t staying over. It’s not really enough space for me.”
“I don’t know,” Maria said, her statement making everyone except Alex look at Max expectantly, out of reflex. He was just lowering Liz on the bed, brushing some strands of hair from her forehead.
“Max?” Isabel questioned.
Max straightened up, his hand lingering at Liz’s unconscious form. His eyes never left her face, and he answered, “I have to… I don’t…” He looked up and met Michael’s gaze, and they all saw Max’s whole demeanor change in front of their eyes.
“Michael, we need to check out which routes we can take. We need to get back to Roswell, the sooner the better.”
Michael just nodded, slightly taken aback by Max’s sudden leadership qualities floating to the surface.
“Isabel, can you check the radio and see if they report anything from the warehouse? If there is anything suspicious you have to tell me.”
“Sure,” Isabel said, glad that she had something to do. Alex’s looks were unnerving her slightly.
“Maria, could you call Liz’s father? Liz has been gone for some time now; he has to know that something is wrong. Oh, and while you’re on it, call Liz’s boss as well.”
“Okay,” Maria nodded. She worriedly looked over Liz. “How is she doing?” She wasn’t dead, that much they could all see by the energy field surrounding her.
Max turned his eyes back to Liz, lowering himself on his knees by the bed. “I don’t know,” he whispered, the worry penetrating his every word with a strong acidic taste. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”
Maria stepped up to him and gave his shoulder a consoling squeeze. “She’ll be okay, Max. I have a feeling.”
Michael grunted at Maria’s last comment before leaving the room. Maria glared at his disappearing back before giving Max a soft reassuring smile and moving to the phone. Alex stayed where he were, watching Liz like a hawk.

<center>-------------------------------------------------------------------------</center>

“Hey Alex, you want something to eat?” Maria asked.
Alex yawned and nodded. He was getting really tired of sitting in this chair. But he it was still with some reluctance that he considered the aspect of leaving Liz alone with Max. They others were still away and Maria had just finished her phone calls. Max was lying on the bed next to Liz, asleep, with his arm wrapped around her. The glowing purple light had lessened to a soft, almost non-existent, white glow. No more than an inch in diameter surrounding the outer surface of her body. Alex took one last look before surrendering to the grumblings of hunger in his stomach. “Sure, but can we bring it back in here to eat?”
Maria smiled knowingly. “You don’t have to worry about those two. Max is harmless.”
”I really want to believe you.”
”Just follow me,” Maria said, “I have something to tell you that might change your mind.”
Alex was unable to hide the curiosity on his face and rose, languidly stretching his stiff limps. “Okay, but only if it doesn’t take too long.”
”Deal.”

They disappeared out the door, leaving Max and Liz alone in the hotel room.


Feet were thudding against the green ground. The sunlight was tickling her face, making her heart sprint in happiness. She could feel the soft warm breeze against her rosy cheeks and the softness of the grass under her bare feet.

Running.

She saw a butterfly pass by her face and a radiant smile bloomed out on her face. She felt free. Free like a bird. Like a butterfly.

Running.

Running over the green carpet, with bird song in her ears.

Her steps faltered in contemplation as she saw a figure at the end of the hill. It was still; the clothes cladding its body moved slightly in the wind. Her eyes squinted and her forehead furrowed in concentration when she desperately tried to see who it was. Her heart already knew, but her mind was still suspicious. Her feet were already picking up the pace, her heart already matching the newly awaken bouncing in her steps.

Her smile widened as his eyes became more detailed and a happy soft giggle left her lips. He was smiling too, watching her come closer.

Running.

His eyes widened, opening up his warm embrace for her. She had never run as fast. She had missed him. She had missed him so much. Her heart almost exploded with all emotions when she closed in on him, before she threw herself in his arms and the familiar safety, contentment and relief spread itself through her with the warmth of his secure arms closing around her.

She burrowed her face in his shirt, nuzzling her nose against the bare skin of his neck, letting his scent fill her once again. She hadn’t forgotten it. She had just lost it for a while.

He kissed the top of her head, before angling her face up towards his. Her breath hitched in her throat when his eyes met hers and she felt the tears build inside of her, wanting to break out. He gently cradled her face between his warm strong hands, his thumbs softly caressing her flushed cheeks, and ever so slowly he lowered his head face towards hers. He had no power of it. The forces moving between them were greater than they would ever know. His lips softly touched her, barely making contact, like the touch of the wings of the butterfly, which was sitting on a flower somewhere in the meadow. Her eyes closed at the contact, inhaling his taste, his touch, his caress. Him.

“Am I dead?” she whispered, her eyes still closed.
“No,” he whispered back, before his lips moved to hers again. The softness of that kiss moved her, reached into the deepest parts of her essence. It was strong, passionate, yet still comforting and tender. Like feathers caressing her soul.

Their lips reluctantly parted as the need for air overtook them and she looked up at him. “But you…you died.”
She could feel the motion of his thumb against her cheek like he was shooting fires of pleasure into her exact nerve endings. He smiled sadly. “So did you.”


Her breath caught in her throat as the surroundings around her started to change. The green fresh colors turned gray, the red, blue and yellow turned black. Then it started to melt; to blend. The trees blending together, forming concrete. The softness under her feet transformed into hardness.
“Nooo…” she whispered as she felt, sooner than saw, him start to dissolve into particles. Disappear into nothingness in her arms. Her eyes quickly moved to him. He was now translucent, but his eyes were shining bright. Shining with never-ending love. Love for her.
“Don’t leave,” she pleaded, fresh tears of despair running down her cheeks.
“Don’t forget.”
His voice was merely a whisper, carried by the wind, as he disappeared into the darkness that was spreading around her. And suddenly urgency invaded her senses. Her heart started to beat erratically inside her chest, wanting to make her run. She knew that she had to run. She had to hurry. She turned and ran. Her bare feet hit the hard ground, sharp pebbles sunk into the soles of her feet, tearing away the skin layers, leaving trails of blood behind her. Her long hair hung heavily against her back, some lighter strands getting caught in the wind, while the other strands were fueled with water from the surrounding mist.

Run.

She needed to hurry. Hurry.

She felt like she was flying and suddenly her stomach jerked as if being pulled with suction. And then there was baby cries. Screams. And a bright light hit her eyes. She could feel the coldness against her skin. Her bare skin. And she soon realized that it was her voice she was hearing. It was she who was crying.

Big hands took her and wrapped her up. Old, wrinkled hands, filled with the lines of age and wisdom.
“Welcome, Aliandra. Welcome to this world.”

Aliandra.

She could hear his voice in her head as she was placed against someone’s warm chest.

Don’t forget.

She could feel the weakness in the heart under her head, and she knew that the person at whose chest she was resting was dying.

And then she was pulled free again. The air was being sucked from her lungs and she was thrown through space and time. Through vacuum and eternity.

She was sitting on the floor. Looking down, she saw pink flowers on a dress, where tanned legs were sticking forward with white stockings and white sandals. She looked up around her and it didn’t take her long to realize where she was. And she knew what she had done. She had forgotten. But now she was starting to remember.

She turned her head to the left, knowing what she would find there. A piece of paper.
“Mommy! Look what I’ve painted!”
Her mother turned around, her bright eyes smiling as she crouched next to the paper.
“Oh, that’s beautiful, honey,” she said and pointed on the two children that the little girl had painted with such accuracy. A boy and a girl. “Is that a boy from school?”
The little girl bit her lower lip and smiled secretively. “No. His name is Zan and he just came back.”
She remembered the confusion on her mother’s face with painful clarity. It was when she had felt him emerge from the pods. When she had felt him being reborn. When she had felt him coming alive at the back of her head.

The day it all began. All over again.


TBC...

Hiya guys!

Okay, I'm just gonna post this quickly before I have to go back to my studying (finals take off tomorrow). Once again, I'm so sorry for not having updated this fic in ages and I apologize for the fact that I couldn't make it up with writing a longer chapter than this. But at least it is a chapter, right? I'm gonna make it up to you after finals; you have my word.

Now, if anyone remembers what has happened up to now (God knows I'm having troubles remembering), you'll find the continuation below.

Take care everyone!

BIG hugs!

Jo


Chapter 48


“So,” Alex said, looking at Isabel out of the corner of his eye. “You are not like…uhm…other people?”
Isabel scratched at a stone protruding from the ground with her shoe, and answered, with guilt in her voice, “No.”
“So,” Alex said again, “What are you? I mean, what do you do? I mean, what makes you so different from others? I mean-“
Isabel looked up at him, the unusual mixture of fear and amusement on her face. “What do you mean really?”
Alex sighed in frustration, raking his hand through his hair, making it stand up in all directions. Isabel couldn’t help but think that it looked incredibly cute, before she stopped her line of thinking, admonishing herself for even feeling the slightest feeling towards this…this… human.
“What makes you so different?” Alex said.
By habit, Isabel looked around herself. They were out in the open street. There weren’t any people nearby, but you never knew who was listening.
“Not here,” Isabel said.
“Not-”
“Let’s wait until we get to the hotel room,” Isabel interrupted.
“Oh, okay,” Alex said, following Isabel’s eyes and looking around him. He still didn’t know what he was still doing here. He kept telling himself it was because he didn’t want to leave Liz alone, but another truth was making itself more and more apparent. The Amazon woman next to him intrigued him and he wanted to know more about her. She scared him to death, but still he was interested. It was weird. That’s the only way he could describe it.

Isabel and Michael had met up with Maria and Alex at the diner, just as Maria and Alex had ordered. They were just about to return to the room, since Alex didn’t feel too comfortable with leaving Liz out of his view for too long, when Maria received a phone call from her mother. Michael, not wanting to leave her alone, told Isabel and Alex to go back without them. That’s how Alex ended up in Isabel’s company, his hands sweating, unsure if it was because of fear, nervousness or just good old hormones. After all, he was walking next to an incredibly beautiful woman, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. That was enough to make his knees shake.

“So, uhm…” Alex nervously chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to come up with something to say to break the silence.
“You always start your sentences like that?” Isabel asked.
Alex’s mouth snapped shut and he looked at her in confusion. “Like what?”
“With a word that doesn’t mean anything. Just filling space. Like ‘so’.”
Alex scratched his forehead. “Uhm… I guess. Perhaps.”
Isabel just raised an eyebrow and stepped up to the door, discovering that it was locked. And she didn’t have a key.
“Alex, do you have a key?” she asked.
“Maria has one,” Alex answered.
“Ohkay,” Isabel said slowly. She raised her hand and knocked loudly on the door.
No reply.
She hesitated some about what to do, before putting her hand over the lock and quickly looking around her.
“What are you-“
Alex voice was cut off when he saw the bright light emitting from Isabel’s hand and he heard a click. The next second, Isabel was opening the door.
“What was- was- You did- what-“ Alex started to stutter, his eyes following Isabel’s hand when it was opening the door, the light now gone. His voice trailed off when he heard voices inside the room. Isabel’s sudden still figure told him that Isabel had heard them too.

The voices of Maria and Michael bickering drifted through the door that had been left ajar after Alex, just seconds later.
“…makes absolutely no sense at all.”
“Whatever, Maria.”
“No, this isn’t just one of your stupid hockey games we’re talking about. It’s- Oh…”
Michael frowned when Maria suddenly stopped and quickly walked up behind her. “What is…it?”
Looking over her shoulder, his eyes quickly made an assessment of the scene in front of him. Alex and Isabel were standing next to them; Alex was alternating between looking at Isabel and looking towards the double bed, where Maria’s and Isabel’s complete attention was directed.

Michael couldn’t understand a word. But the words filling the room were strangely familiar. Liz and Max were talking to each other. They were both lying on their sides, Max’s hand draped over Liz’s waist and hers resting against his chest, their faces close together. But they weren’t looking at each other. Their eyes were closed and they appeared to be sleeping. If it hadn’t been for the fact that their mouths were moving and were forming unearthly words, you could easily assume that they were in fact sleeping.

“What the hell?” Michael murmured.
Isabel looked up at him, discovering first now that he had entered the room. “Michael! What’s happening?”
“You tell me,” Michael mumbled.
“Do you understand what they are saying?” Maria whispered. She didn’t know what she was whispering. It just felt appropriate.
Michael slowly shook his head, his eyes glued to the couple. “I... it’s like…”
”It’s like I understand the meaning, from the melody of the language, but I can’t translate specific words,” Isabel said quietly.
“Exactly,” Michael agreed, paling more and more with every passing second.
Maria looked at him worriedly. “Michael?”
“How do they know that language?” Isabel asked.
“Okay, could someone let me in on what’s happening here?” Maria asked.
Michael glanced at Alex, before leaning towards Maria and whispering the truth, which both Isabel and he knew instinctively, in her ear, so that only she could hear. “It’s our language. Our alien language.”
Maria’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “It’s…? Are you serious?”
Michael nodded, his eyes once again moving back to Max and Liz.
“But how do you-“
“We just do,” Isabel answered.
“What are they saying?” Maria asked.
Michael frowned in concentration, and then he shook his head disappointed, with a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know what they are saying, just that they are sad… and afraid.”
“Why?” Maria whispered. “Is something happening to Liz?”
“I don’t think so,” Isabel said.

Silence lowered itself over them and Alex looked in confusion back and forth between the persons. “Uhm… what’s going on?”
Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him, flashes of surprise in everyone’s eyes. They had completely forgotten about his presence.
“Should we wake Max up?”
Everyone looked at Isabel, who was trying to divert the attention back from Alex’s question, before he heard something that might make him run away.
“If you can wake him up without touching him, be my guest,” Michael mumbled. The purple light was still covering both of them and he definitely didn’t want to be the one to try to break through that force field.
“Otherwise we have to stay here and wait for him to wake up,” Isabel mumbled, but she didn’t move into Max’s direction.
Maria looked between Isabel and Michael, reading their insecurities and sighed with resignation. “For God’s sake! You guys are the ones with powers and you are scared shitless.” Quickly moving up to the bed, she reached out with her hand, something that propelled Michael into action. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
“Are you crazy?” he hissed. “You saw what happened to Isabel when she touched Liz earlier. And you’re only human! Think about what that contact could mean to your body.”
”What do you mean ‘only human’?” Alex asked, but everyone just ignored him.
Michael stared into Maria’s stubborn eyes and realized that either he had to do it or she would.
“Fine,” he muttered, turned around and clapped his hands over Max’s head.
Maria jumped to sigh in defeat. “Is that always your best way to wake up people, Michael? Maybe you should try another method.”
Michael shot her a glare, before refocusing his attention on Max. “Hey! Max!! Wake up!!” He emphasized his words with the clapping of his hands.
When Max didn’t stir, Michael took a deep breath before reaching out to touch him.
This time it was Maria’s turn to stop him. “Wait, Michael. Maybe we shouldn’t-“
“Okay, are we staying here forever?” Isabel asked behind them.

Michael removed Maria’s fingers from his wrist with his free hand and with one final look into her eyes he touched Max. He could feel Maria’s sharp intake of air in anticipation next to him. But nothing happened. He felt a tingle in his fingertips, but he wasn’t thrown across the room or electrocuted in any way. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, reminding him of just how afraid he had really been. His hand tightened around Max’s arm, shaking him lightly. When Max didn’t respond, his motions became more adamant. Why couldn’t they wake them up?


TBC... (very soon hopefully...)

P.S. The poll is not relevant anymore, so you don't have to vote. The voting concerned this part and as can be seen the option to update this chapter won. The poll is still up there because something is hindering me from deleting it. It will delete itself in a couple of days though... Thank you, everyone, that did vote!

Hey everyone!

It's been a busy last couple of months (what else is new ) and I haven't been able to write anything. I've been on a "summer break" (since I'm studying in Australia everything is opposite to what I'm used to, being a Swede and all) and I was confident that I would be able to update during the 3 months I was away from school. But I've been on farm pracs and I've been working an average of 13 hours everyday (7 days a week) so there hasn't been much time (or energy) left over. I'm sorry, you guys. I won't make any promises to when I will have an update ready because school starts again on Monday (I'm flying back tomorrow and will be suffering from jetlag for a while) and it's all downhill from there - when it comes to updating...

Take care, everyone!

Behrhug

Jo