Roswell Fanatics

HypnotiqBlueEyes: Maria.. Serena on the other hand, if she hadn't been so tired she would have been watching over Liz with her hawkeye.
AvalonRose: I've got you answers right here!
Queen Fee : don't worry, I thought I missed a few of my own updates this week. Allergies are killing me!


Don't know if its just the after effects of a few days of blinding migraines but this chapter felt like it had too much going on so I split it into two. Since it was all going to be posted anyway I'll post both chapters.


CHAPTER 52

It had taken three weeks to get Dean and Sam to feel confident that everything was okay with her and the baby before they took another case. Liz was once again working in the living room on her latest project while her mind drifted to the incident that ended up giving her the last pieces she needed for this very idea.

She had made it to Bobby’s and saw for herself that he was alive and well. She also found out why he hadn’t answered his phone the night before. Serena hadn’t been exactly wrong but wasn’t completely right either. A few hours later Dean, Sam, and Serena got there with Dean’s first words asking what Ellen was doing in Bobby’s kitchen. A smile came to Liz’s face as she remembered how Serena smirked at Dean until it finally sank in why Bobby would have a woman in his house. As she smoothed out the canvas in front of her she tried to think of anything but the rest of her stay at Bobby’s but like most annoying memories from recent past it crept back into her thoughts.

They decided to give Liz time to rest and figure things out before they headed back to the safe house which really meant Dean telling her to stay in their room and sleep. Liz sat on the bed for as long as she could before she found a way to slip out undetected and wander the junk yard to clear her head. She never liked staying in one place to clear her mind, it never worked. She needed to move, to get her blood flowing so her thoughts could flow as well.

She wandered aimlessly between rows of cars and trucks in different stages of rust and disrepair. While trying to let her mind breathe, she realized her phone was buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out like the annoying insect it felt like only to find a group text conversation playing out that kept her phone in an almost constant vibration. She struggled to keep up with the argument between Max, Kal, and Ava as she learned that the space ship was still in the same hangar in California but they couldn’t decide on where to hide it or how to get it out without any of their faces being remotely connected to the theft. As much as she tried to focus on the conversation and come up with a clear answer, her mind was spinning out of control. The more she struggled to concentrate, the more blurry the words became. A bolt of pain lanced through her head and the phone slipped from her hand.

With a scream, she finally succumbed to the insistent memory as she let it play out in full. She knelt in agony as she watched the bullet pierce Bobby's skull and do irreparable damage to his brain. Her hands hit the dirt, her fingers digging into the ground. She watched helplessly as her love and brother lost their last shred of family. She barely felt her own body crumple to the dry ground. Her heart hammered against her chest as they mourned his loss, her skin broke out in a sweat as Dean’s depth of despair seemed to deepen to a soul crushing level. Finally, the memory's voice heard, it faded slowly into the back of her mind, leaving her mind, body, and soul spent.

She gradually forced her eyes to open only to see the damp ground in front of her and her forgotten phone inches from her. She grabbed her phone with one hand and wiped her face in haste as she tried to stand on shaky legs. Her suspicion had been correct. It felt so real because it was a physical memory just not from this timeline, or universe. At that moment she couldn't put any title on it she was just relieved to put it behind her, hoping never to experience it again. She figured between the stress she had been under and the pregnancy hormones running rampant, her mind mixed that memory into a dream. Her walls and lockboxes apparently didn’t hold up when too much was going on with her, when too much energy was needed elsewhere.

Once the confusion had cleared she forced herself towards the house with what little energy she had left, almost calling Dean for help but instead looked back at the conversation in her text inbox. After a few messages back and forth with Kal, she gave Ava the green light to head back to the safe house without any further poking around. Max would probably give Ava a little grief but thankfully she could rely on her to get him to understand. They needed some time before they took any action. She didn’t need anything connecting them to the disappearance, not that they would have been able to fly it anyway. Really how did Max think he would get the spaceship out of there anyway?
She felt herself stumble and her hands hit the ground hard as the earth spun heavily off its axis. She took a deep breath and got herself up to her knees, ignoring the stinging discomfort in her hands, telling herself it was only a short way to Bobby’s front steps. She tried to push herself up onto her feet only to fall back to the ground. The soreness and stiffness in her knees was alarmingly more painful than she had originally thought. She would have welcomed the cool relief from the ground on her overheated body but instead felt something warm and hard yet soft. Her eyes were heavy but she opened them one last time to catch his soothing green pools with flecks of brown. She felt she was losing her battle with consciousness as his voice seemed to float in the fog, distant but calming just the same. “I’ve got you. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

Liz shook the memory off as she picked up another custom picture frame and hung it very carefully in its place on the wall. She couldn’t really blame them for being so worried about her. She had never used that much energy without knowing it before, it was a wakeup call that the pregnancy was taking more out of her than she cared to admit. Her acknowledgement of that very fact had started the whole process to help them calm down. After they got back to the safe house, she finally admitted out loud that she couldn’t handle as much on her own. That seemed to prove to them that she wouldn’t be pulling any more one man stunts at least for now.

The one good thing out of the whole mess was what she was currently working on. While wandering around Bobby’s junkyard after her little breakdown, she had stumbled upon a small wooden box of pictures. They were perfect for the plan she had for the large blank wall in the living room that she couldn’t bring herself to do before because she didn’t feel it would be complete without more pictures of Dean and Sam. The small wooden box was the exact thing she wished she had when she first thought of the idea.

She had been working hard all week on finding the right pictures and making the canvas frames for each one. She hung the final frame up when she heard the door and Dean’s voice, “no crazy adventures while I was gone this time?”

She laughed, “very funny.” She turned towards the door as he stepped into the living room.

His jaw dropped when he saw the wall filled with pictures. A large picture of the entire group from last Christmas dominating the wall and then smaller pictures scattered all around it. There were pictures from different times with different groupings of their friends, he noticed Alex in at least two of them and then his gaze froze on three pictures just underneath the large one. One picture was of Dean, Sam, and Bobby all laughing at whoever held the camera, the picture seemed fairly recent judging on Sam’s hair although he couldn’t remember when it was taken. The other two pictures were of him and Sam as children, one with their father on the impala and one with their father and mother in front of their old house in Lawrence, Kansas. He knew it was the last family picture they had taken before everything fell apart. He walked closer to the wall, “where did you get these?”

“I found them at Bobby’s. Just because they’re not here, they’re still family and I want my baby to know his family.”

Dean turned towards her unable to move any further. She walked to him with a smile, wrapping her arms around him when she reached him. He hugged her tightly against him, his voice soft. “Thank you.” He felt her nod against his chest. He stood there for a few moments breathing in her scent, the soft vanilla of her shampoo. He knew she was giving him time to clear his throat, knowing he didn’t need to say any more, knowing he couldn’t even if he wanted to.

Liz’s soft voice finally broke the quiet moment. “Have you thought about any names?”

He pulled away slightly to look down at her, “what?”

She chuckled, “the baby Dean. We’re six months along, we need a name.”

“You can name him whatever you want. I know we were talking about a family name.. but giving him both our fathers names is just wrong..”

Liz looked over at the picture of Dean and Sam with their mother then turned back to him with a smile. “I have the perfect name.”

CHAPTER 53

A week later Liz was sitting in the kitchen in the middle of the night sipping chamomile tea hoping it would help the baby settle and go to sleep so she could get some as well.

“Hello Liz.”

Liz looked over her shoulder, “hey cas, didn’t hear you.” She chuckled softly, “I guess you’re getting better at the whole stealth thing.” Cas gave her a soft smile as he walked to her and laid his hand on her stomach. She felt the baby settle and sighed, “thank you.” She looked up at him, “what are you doing here anyway?”

The angel’s brow furrowed, “Kal didn’t call you?”

Liz shrugged, “my phone is upstairs charging.”

Cas gave a slight nod, “we’re ready for you.”

Liz looked slightly confused and then connected the dots. “Oh. Okay I need to slip upstairs and get it.”

Cas shook his head, “no need.” He disappeared for a second and then was back in the same spot with the whirlwind pendant dangling from his hand. “Here.”

Liz took the necklace in her hand gently, “well now I know my little hiding place isn’t angel proof.”

Liz stood and took Cas’ outstretched hand. “Close your eyes.”

She did as she was told then felt the shift beneath her feet. She felt Cas release her hand and opened her eyes. She was in a cave not unlike the one the old granolith used to be housed in, this one had a lot more space but really how different can a hollowed out rock look from any other hollowed out rock? During her text message conversation with Kal they had decided creating another cavern just outside Roswell was the best hiding place. They knew the rock in the desert was able to handle the alien enhancements and Nicholas would never think they’d put it anywhere near the original hiding place. To add to the security of its new placement, they had all decided Liz, Cas, and Kal would be the only ones with the location.

Kal had found a suitable area and started creating a chamber underneath the rock formations that jutted out from the desert floor. Once he had a cavern hollowed out he had sent the green light message to Castiel who made the spaceship disappear from the secret hangar and reappear in the hollowed out space. Liz was finally laying her eyes on the finished product of a plan that had been formed weeks before. Her eyes fell on Kal who nodded and turned towards the ship.

The space ship seemed so much bigger in person than it had in the vision she received from Max all those years ago. It was breathtaking. She felt a pulse in her hand and looked down to the forgotten whirlwind pendant. She walked towards the ship but as she got close she stopped just short and glanced to Kal in question. She wanted to ask what exactly she should do but no words came as she just watched him nod with a polite smile. She looked back to the ship and took the final two steps then closed her eyes. Words from Evelyn echoed in her mind,"there is no operator’s manual, just the connection. When the time comes, you’ll know." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she held the pendant tightly in her left hand and laid her right palm against the ship.

She waited for something to happen but all she felt was the cool, smooth metal of the ship beneath her palm. Nothing. She let out a disappointed sigh, dropped her hand, and opened her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the large inverted cone. She looked around and found herself standing in what looked like an exact replica of the original Granolith chamber. She walked to the closest wall and placed her hand gently against the cool metal as if the movement was second nature. A portion of the wall slid away revealing the hidden door and she saw Kal and Cas standing on the other side in the cave.

Kal smiled, “good job kid.”

Liz smiled as she walked through the door and heard the soft hiss as the door slid closed behind her. She glanced at the necklace in her left hand then placed it over her head.

“If we’re done here I’d like to get you home so you can get that sleep you so desperately wanted earlier.” Cas glanced down at her stomach before meeting her eyes.

Liz’s smile grew, “that sounds perfect.” She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. A weight she hadn’t even realized she had been carrying. Now that the granolith had a real home again something just seemed to click. It gave her a slight high, made her feel like maybe everything was falling into place. She nodded at Kal and then took Cas’ hand, “I’ll see you later Kal. Tell Evelyn I said hi.”

~~

The next night.

Max came out of the house and leaned against the railing on their porch. Michael and Maria were arguing about something stupid again and he needed an escape. His eyes went to the stars that were just as bright as they were in Roswell. Thankfully the nights weren’t as hot here as they were in the desert even though the Midwest still had its share of really warm nights. As he looked out across the lawn he noticed Liz sitting on her porch. The light from the moon almost seemed to be making her glow as if it was shining its special spot light on her. He started walking towards the other house and as he got closer, he saw her rocking slowly and looking up at the sky. Max followed her line of sight and saw the gorgeous full moon.

"Nice night." Liz's voice made him jump.

Max took the last few steps to the small stairs that lead up onto the porch. Liz glanced at the empty chair next to her. Max gave a subtle nod before taking a seat. He listened to the sounds surrounding them, the creaking of the rocking chairs against the wooden floorboards, the various insects that filled the warm night. He glanced at Liz seeing her eyes closed looking completely relaxed. "I remember nights like this in Roswell."

Liz smiled, "not as many bugs though."

Max chuckled softly, "yea, they definitely weren't as noisy in the desert."

They fell silent against of the sounds of the night again as Max watched her from the corner of his eye. He enjoyed the fact that they could once again sit alone together and even more that it wasn't awkward but there was still something that nagged at him that kept him from being completely comfortable. His voice was quiet, almost apologetic for interrupting their peace, "do you think you could ever forgive me?" For a moment he thought that he was so quiet that she didn't hear him but then he heard her sigh.

"Do you really need my forgiveness Max? It's in the past. It's behind us."

Max felt the stab of pain in his chest. How could he possibly get her to understand how badly he needed it? He couldn't even explain it. Yes, they had a somewhat building friendship and could be in the same room without her rushing out or pretending he wasn't there but somehow it wasn't the same. Maybe it just came down to the fact that he didn't think he could ever really put it behind him or really forgive himself unless she could. Maybe he was just hoping that if she could find it inside herself to forgive him then maybe he could one day forgive himself as well.

He felt the lump in his throat as he tried to say what he felt but after a few attempts, he still didn't know what to say. How could he possibly ask her to forgive him when he didn't even think he could possibly forgive himself? He tried swallowing the lump again and felt a tear silently fall down his face.

"Is it really that important to you?" Her voice was soft and gentle. Even after everything she was still kind, still keeping his feelings in mind even though he didn’t deserve it in the least.

He tried to disguise wiping the moisture away as scratching his face then coughed to hopefully get rid of the lump. "You have no idea but I don't really feel like I have a right to ask you. I'm sorry.. I.." He heard the creaking of her chair halt as he felt the warmth of her small hand on his own. He looked over to see her face lit up once again in the light of the moon. He remembered his talk with dad from so many months ago. "Because I can't start to forgive myself until I know I've earned yours. I know I made a lot of mistakes and I can blame Tess for giving me false information all I want but when it comes down to it, I made those choices and I've been trying to deal with that. When I talked with my dad I realized I'll never get past it until I can forgive myself for all those things. For hurting you.” His eyes dropped to her small hand on his. “But I can't forgive myself when I don't feel like I deserve it.. and trying to fix everything that's just where I start a downward spiral. Liz.. I don't want to be that guy anymore. I want to be the man that you thought I could be. I know I can't be where I want now but I'd rather have you by my side as a friend then not being able to stand by my side at all.” He finally brought his gaze back up to hers. “I would like to be your friend, Liz. To be there for you whenever you need help.. Not that you don't have your pick of friends that would be there for you at the drop of a hat but I would like to be one name on that list someday."

"In time, Max. I know in time I will not only forgive but forget. I hope in time our mistakes won't even be a slight memory but completely forgotten. I don't want my life defined by things we did as children, you weren't the only one that made bad decisions with the best of intentions." She gave him a soft smile.

Max let out the breath he had been holding. The feel of her warm hand still on his made him smile. "Thank you." He raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of her hand.

Liz chuckled softly as she brought her hand back to her round stomach and continued rocking. He heard her start to hum and recognized the tune but couldn't figure out what it was. "You’re going to make one hell of a mother." She smiled as she continued to hum and it finally hit max. He looked at her in question, "Hey Jude?"

She looked at him, small smile still in place as she patted her stomach. "It's a family thing."

HypnotiqBlueEyes: Hey Jude is one of my favs too! You won't have to wait too much longer for the name and the story behind the song.
AvalonRose:Yeah, quite a bit going on now. We're starting to dive in head first..



CHAPTER 54

Liz sat quietly on her favorite lawn chair writing in her journal in the soft glow of the candles around her balcony. Soft music was floating out of her bedroom window creating a relaxing atmosphere.

“Liz?”

Her head popped up at the interruption. She smiled at the confusion on Dean’s face as he glanced around. “It’s my balcony. My room over the Crash, remember?”

His eyes cleared as they connected with hers. “Okay, I get that but what are we doing here?” He walked over to her as she scooted forward on the chair giving him space to sit behind her.

She settled back against his chest. “It’s comforting. I woke from a nightmare but I didn’t wake up in our room, I woke up here.” His hands massaged her shoulders then smoothed down her arms and over her stomach.

“So how am I here?”

She shrugged then elaborated, “I must have pulled you in when I was trying to get out of.. when I was trying to wake up.”

“What was it about?”

He felt the shiver run through her body almost like a ripple effect on his own. Her voice was quiet as she looked at the journal in her hands. “I don’t know.”

His soft lips nuzzled against her neck, “well.. since we have this balcony all to ourselves.. maybe I can chase the demons away.”

Liz chuckled softly then froze when she heard a child’s laughter. She felt Dean straighten as they listened. They both stood from the chair and walked towards the boisterous giggles that seemed to come from the end of the balcony. As they moved, the grey balcony floor shifted to green grass beneath their feet and the scene around them brightened as sunlight dissolved the dark night they had come from. They saw what looked like a swing set up ahead with a light wood fence behind it. A boy about seven or eight years old laughed as he ran around the yard alternating between chasing and being chased by a chocolate colored dog.

Liz smiled, “we’re in a backyard.”

Dean watched the boy play. The scene in front of him was so normal it almost hurt. “Is that..”

All of a sudden the scene changed so drastically, the boy’s laughter turned to screams of terror as hands grabbed at him. The dog attacked the man closest to him and a gun was drawn, a quick shot to the head and the dog fell silent as the boy’s cries for his mother rose in pitch and volume. Dean took off towards the man lifting the boy and carrying him towards the back fence as another man kicked down a portion for them to walk through. Liz threw up her hand shouting for the men to let the boy go but as she called on the energy in her body she felt something was off. Dean swung his fist hard at the man but hit nothing. The air wavered in front of him and he turned back towards Liz.

Both of them shot up in bed, Liz’s hand clinging to Dean’s. His eyes focused on Liz, his mind spinning with the images from what he could only imagine was a premonition. “Was that..?” His hand came to rest gently on her stomach unable to say it out loud.

She turned to him hearing the fear in his voice, a subtle shake of her head telling him no. Her eyes finally met his and he could feel the confusion and heartbreak radiating from her expressive eyes. “It wasn’t but it’s someone I know.” She jumped out of bed releasing his hand as she moved to the dresser pulling out a pair of sweats to throw on.

Dean watched her trying to wrap his brain around what just happened and who the child was. “What are you doing?”

She turned back to him as she grabbed her sweater from the hook on the back of their door, “I have to go talk to Max and Michael.”

She pulled open the door as Dean jumped from the bed grabbing his jeans from the floor. “Care to tell me what the hell is going on and why you have to talk to them?” He winced as he heard his own voice. He didn’t mean for it to come out so harsh, he was still shocked by what he just witnessed.

She looked at him apologetically and held out her hand, waiting for him to catch up with her. “The boy we saw..” She recalled the brown hair and amber eyes, “that was Max’s son.”

~~

It had been a week of trying to track down Zan before they had a breakthrough. They tried going through Mr. Evans first but that had been a bust. Max’s father did his best so that the boy would never be traced back to Max according to Max’s instruction to keep the child safe. Liz had always known his father was extremely good at his job but it wasn’t until this whole mess that she knew why he was always being requested in other areas, taking so many business trips. The man wasn’t just good, he was amazing at his job. There was no way to even find out where the baby Max put up for adoption was even placed in the country let alone the adoption system he was placed in. Mr. Evans had said he most likely wasn’t placed into a system but adopted through legal but private channels that placed him directly into the family that had wanted a baby boy. He said adoption was a very hard and very tricky legal hassle but when you know the ins and outs and maybe have a friend or two high up with some favors due, it was easy to slip through the cracks.

Max had called Isabel and asked her to try dream walking him. Honestly it was the best lead they could get because there was no way to track down adopted baby boys with no information, although with the way his father hinted, Zan may not even be on any lists of adoption and if he was they were most definitely sealed. It took her a week but she finally got into a dream thanks to a photo of Zan as a baby that Max had hidden in his old room. The dream didn’t tell her much but she knew he must live near mountains if the background of his backyard in his dream was to be trusted. She was able to talk to him a bit but he was suspicious of her immediately and wouldn’t answer any questions about where he lived. Isabel had a feeling he was afraid of something and he placed her in whatever category of monster he was guarding himself from.

Max, Michael, Ava, Serena, and Liz sat around the kitchen table with Isabel’s voice coming through a speaker on Max’s phone that sat in the middle of the table. Ava had suggested her going in with Isabel but Max thought that could be a bad idea if Zan had any sort of old connection to Tess. With Ava being a clone she might trigger something inside Zan that could make him doubt them even more. Liz watched Max carefully and understood his frustration and worry. He had thought that if he sent Zan away from him with nothing to connect them then he would be safe but instead it looked as if he sent him out without protection and left him a sitting duck wrapped with a bow for his enemies. Max’s tortured gaze met Liz’s and she gave him a small smile. Max’s mouth spread slightly in what he may have thought was a smile but only appeared as a tight line.

Liz’s phone vibrated against her hip and she rolled her eyes thinking it was Dean making sure she didn’t have any cravings for something he didn’t have on the list. She excused herself from the table and walked out of the kitchen as she pulled the phone from her pocket, opening it on the way to her ear. “Hey lover.”

“Parker?”

It took her a few seconds to recognize the voice that was most definitely not who she thought it was. “Henriksen?”

She heard the humor in his voice, “I’m guessing you and Dean are doing well.”

She chuckled softly, “you could say that.”

“Got something you might be interested in.” Now he was getting right down to business as his voice lowered.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah just someone walking by the room I’m in.”

She felt the old guilt rush forward that she put him in this position but he was careful. He had been in the FBI for a long time, he knew what he was doing. She just hoped she wasn’t fooling herself.

“I’m fine, Parker. Calm the motherly instincts okay? By the way, Congratulations.”

He shocked her with that, “how did you..”

“Spoke to Dean a few weeks back. We were helping each other with a case. Anyway listen I overheard something about the king’s kin and did some digging, found a file I think you might be interested in. Sent it to the email we set up.”

Her mind was still spinning on the fact that Dean hadn’t told her about talking to him and then the words ‘king’s kin’ kept repeating in her mind. “I.. thank you. You’re still in the clear? No one suspects you?”

“I just barely got off of probationary status so they take the whole highest security clearance pretty seriously. I’m moving up which means I’m passing the test. Don’t worry kid, I know what I’m doing.”

She bristled slightly at the kid word again but heard the humor in his voice and shook it off. “Just stay safe okay?”

“You too Parker. Keep that boy safe. Oh yea and your son too.” She laughed as he ended the call.

She went back to the table where they were still talking and opened her laptop, quickly typing in the address for the secure email they had set up. She opened the email from Henriksen and skimmed the file. She couldn’t believe her eyes, “I got it.”

All eyes at the table went to her and Michael spoke up, “what? Who was on the phone?”

A smile formed on her face as she looked to everyone, “that was Henriksen and I’ve got the town.” The smile dropped as the email’s origin hit her, “but so do they. You guys need to get to Pennsylvania.”

Dean, Sam, Kyle, and Maria walked into the kitchen carrying bags. Kyle spoke as he brought his bags to the counter, “what’s in Pennsylvania?”

Sam noticed the looks around the table and knew, “you found Zan.”

Max’s eyes came up to Dean’s, “we got the location from the F.B.I.”

Dean turned to Liz, "the suits.."

Liz nodded. The men in her dream weren't just FBI, they were Special Unit.

barbara87413: Sorry about the cliffhanger.. here you go! (just a little secret.. I kinda love cliffhangers.)
AvalonRose: and I was afraid that was too long of a calm before another storm.. You kind of get the answer to your question in this chapter.
Twilighteyes Ooo.. Interesting theory.

I know its a little early! Surprised me to but I've been able to get quite a few chapters out and got the chance to edit this today.


Chapter 55

Max, Michael, and Maria sat in Maria’s Suv across the street from Zan’s house while Dean and Sam sat in the Impala parked just a few houses behind them. Max had wanted to go directly in but Michael and Dean had held him back and made him see reason. Zan’s family wasn’t going to just let him take the kid away or move the whole family because some stranger said they were in danger. Maria calmed the tension with a quick suggestion of a stakeout and Sam agreed that it would be the best way to find out if Zan was being watched. For three days they hadn’t noticed anything off with their habits. Zan and his mother had come and gone a few times with no sign of any kind of tail except for the Impala or SUV that took turns following them.

After those three clear days of watching, it was Maria who got tired of waiting and broke the silence in the car. “Okay that’s it, I’m going to go in as a new neighbor and try to talk to Zan.”

Michael looked at Maria skeptical, not sure if she was serious or just wanted to start a fight because she was bored.

Max was obviously too stressed to think that far and took the bait, “are you serious? You really think they won’t know their neighbors? Or wouldn’t have noticed a for sale sign let alone a sold one?”

Michael rolled his eyes as Max continued to list all the ways that something could go wrong and an argument broke out over this new idea as Maria fought back with ways it would go right. At the same time back in the Impala, Sam had finally seen something that was worth noting when he spotted a suited man walk down the street for a second pass and this time the suit was checking out the perimeter of Zan’s house. He woke up Dean who immediately recognized the agent Sam was pointing to, it was the man who lifted Zan and tried to carry him away in Liz’s dream. Dean sent a text message to Michael that had dropped their car into silence as they all watched the suit make his way around towards the back of the house.

Michael and Max jumped out of the car telling Maria to stay put and followed the agent’s path. Sam and Dean got out of the Impala and made their way to the front door but as they reached the front lawn they saw the dark haired man they knew as Zan’s next door neighbor at the front door being invited in by Zan’s mother.

Sam heard Dean’s whispered curse and knew they had the same thought. This was the last thing they needed in their way. They approached the door quietly then heard the noise from inside. A noise they were very accustomed to, it was the sounds of a struggle and a loud one at that. Dean kicked the door open and moved inside quickly with his gun drawn out in front of him. Sam moved up to his side mirroring his position. They followed the noise further into the house and found the neighbor pinning Zan’s mother to the floor asking about Zan.

Dean yelled, “freeze!”

The man’s head whipped towards them, black eyes flaring as a demented grin spread across his face. Before they could even register their shock, Dean was thrown out of the room and slammed against the hallway wall. Everything went to chaos so quickly but that was where Dean thrived. He saw Sam run head first into the man knocking him off Zan’s mother and his mind pushed the screams and sounds of Sam fighting off the demon to the back of his mind so he could focus on what needed to be done. The glimpse of a kitchen had him making a break for the room, his eyes scanning for salt sitting out instead of ransacking the cabinets and wasting time. In situations like this an organized kitchen made things a lot easier, the thought sped through his mind as he grabbed the nicely labeled salt shaker off the table knocking over its neighbor he was sure was full of pepper. “Thank you Suzy homemaker.”

He heard Zan’s mother screaming her son’s name and saw her banging on the window that faced the backyard as he came back into the room. His gaze automatically sought out his brother who stood trying his best to block the demon from the woman losing her mind as Liz’s dream probably played out in front of her eyes. Only this time the people interrupting weren’t wisps of thought inside a premonition but flesh and bone who would stop at nothing to keep the men from disappearing with the boy playing with his dog.

Dean tried catching Sam’s gaze as he moved towards the demon that was facing off with his brother but Sam was too focused on the demon. Dean called out knowing Sam would know what to do, “Hey hell bitch!”

The demon spun towards him and Sam took the opportunity to run at the demon’s back, wrapping his arms firmly around the demon. Dean’s hand went to the demon’s head forcing it back and poured the salt into the man’s mouth. The inhuman screams coming from the demon made Zan’s mother turn towards them. The confusion written all over her face seem to outweigh the fear as the screams mixed with the Latin pouring from Sam’s mouth. The demon spit out the salt while screaming for them to release him.

“What are you doing here?” Dean barked in the demon’s face.

Sam whispered in his ear, “go ahead smoke out, let everyone know you failed. We’ve heard what happens to demons that can’t carry out their assignments.”

The demon’s eyes burned into Dean’s. “The kid’s ability, Crowley wants him.”

Dean stared hard at the demon, “who the hell is Crowley?”

Sam’s brow was drawn together as he looked at Dean over the demon’s shoulder. The name seemed familiar somehow but he couldn’t recall why.

The demon just smiled at him then he threw his head back. Dean poured the salt in his mouth but the smoke funneled out around the grains filling the man’s mouth. The body fell heavily in Sam’s arms and he laid the man down gently on his side so the salt wouldn’t choke him. Sam looked up at Dean, “what the hell is going on?”

The hysteric voice that rang out reminded them they were not alone. “That’s exactly what I’d like to know!”

They looked over to Zan’s mother and saw Michael and Max with the boy through the window behind her. She was staring down at the body of her neighbor with salt still slowly trickling from his mouth. Dean put his gun away, “do you believe in demons.. or maybe aliens?”

Sam turned to Dean incredulous, “really?”

Dean raised his brows, “what? How would you like to explain it?”
~~

Thirty minutes later, they were gathering around the dining room table with Zan and his mother. Maria moved towards Zan’s mother easily holding out her hand, “I’m Maria. Sorry about the circumstances.”

Zan’s mother gave a shaky smile when she shook her hand. “Rachel. It’s nice to meet you.” Rachel’s grey eyes glanced around the table as she brushed a lock of her dark auburn hair behind her ear, “I think.”

Maria chuckled causing everyone to look towards her, varying between confusion and slight annoyance except for Michael who tried to hide his smile. Maria shrugged, “what? I should’ve known we needed at least one other woman.”

Rachel grinned at that, “it is a little..”

Maria raised her brow, “masculine?”

The laughter that bubbled out of Rachel seemed to ease the tension in the room. Sam and Dean were amazed at how easily Maria seemed to control a very tense and unusual situation. Rachel sat next to Zan and took his hand gently. “This is my son Alexander but we call him Zan.”

Maria dropped into the last seat next to Michael and almost fell off as the boy’s name rolled off his mother’s tongue. Max looked at Rachel in disbelief that they actually called him Zan. When he spoke his voice was soft. “Why Zan?”

Rachel met Max’s gaze and noticed the tight control of his features although his voice had given away some of what he was trying to conceal. She just couldn’t put her finger on what exactly that was. “When he started talking, he just always referred to himself as Zan even though everyone called him Alex.” She noticed Max’s gaze soften as it fell on her son. Something about it combined with his look made her feel sad for him and yet a part of her felt protective of her son. It was confusing but there wasn’t much about this whole situation that wasn’t.

After a short moment, Max cleared his throat and filled them in with the cliff notes version of why Zan was in danger. Michael and Dean exchanged glances at how easily she seemed to take the ‘whole aliens were among us’ detail specially when combined with it being the reason they were in danger.

Dean asked, “the demon said the reason they wanted your son was his ability. What was he talking about?”

Max threw a look at Dean and caught Michael waving him off. Rachel looked at Zan, his hand still in hers. The boy looked up at his mother’s silent question and gave a slight nod. She turned back to Dean, “it started about a year ago, right after his father’s death.” She shook her head at the looks shot around the table, “cancer.” She gave a soft smile to the few ‘I’m sorry’s’ that were whispered. “I would overhear him talking to himself and thought he was just finding his own way to deal, imaginary friend maybe. Then one day I went into his room and saw who he was talking to. His father was kneeling with him right there in front of me in Zan’s bedroom. I just.. ” Zan squeezed her hand as her eyes fell to the table. “After I screamed and he disappeared, Zan told me he did it. He could make him appear. I didn’t know what to do. I knew if I said anything to anyone they’d take him away from me and most likely lock me up. So I told him to never let anyone else see and that it would just be our little secret.” She looked up and noticed the tears in Maria’s eyes and the tension in Max’s face while the others were either in full control of their expressions or looking down at the table.

Max’s voice was quiet, “he has his.. birth mother’s ability.” He noticed the stiffness that came over her and Max shook his head softly, “she’s.. she passed away.” Max’s eyes fell to the table unable to explain further. He knew that she may want an explanation or maybe she didn’t want to know anything. He hoped for the latter.

The tension seemed to fill the room again and Maria spoke up moving their little impromptu meeting along. “I think the best way to keep you protected is to get out of here. You can come with us or go on your own but.. I think you’d be better off with us. We know who’s after you and we know how to fight them.”

Rachel’s eyes drifted to Maria’s as the bigger picture fell on her. She had to forget about everything else that was spinning in her mind right now because they were no longer safe in their own home town, in their home.

Maria gave her a sad smile, “it would be up to you. We won’t force you to do anything. We can only give you the best options. There are more women in our group too so you don’t have to worry about being shacked up with a bunch of men. Not that it’s a shack.. we actually have two pretty nice houses.” She caught herself before she went into a full on ramble. Her smile softened, “my best friend Liz is actually going to have a baby in a couple of months. A first in our group.”

Michael and Dean shared a few glances and excused themselves from the table. They walked well out of ear shot from the dining room table before Dean spoke, keeping his voice low. “I hate to say it but demons and aliens again. You don’t think they could be working together?”

Michael turned to him, “if they were working together they wouldn’t be going after the kid separately.”

“You call that separately? One went after the mom and the suits went directly to the boy.”

“It doesn’t make sense. You were the one that said the demon was asking for the kid. You really think this Crowley guy would just be the one to distract the mother and let the aliens have the kid if he wanted him?”

Dean sighed, “I don’t know what the hell to think. We got aliens with a hand on the control panel for the special unit and then we got demons both going for the same kid who just happens to be your buddy’s illegitimate son. They’re either working together or they’re getting the information from the same source.”

Sam walked through the hallway and stopped next to them. “I remember why that name sounded so familiar.”

Dean and Michael spoke at the same time. “What name?”

Sam rolled his eyes at their quick side glance at each other. “Crowley. He was the crossroads demon Serena and Liz talked to about your deal. All the fine print information she used against Lilith she got from him.”

Dean scrubbed his face with his hands, “you know, I hate demons and I hate al..” He threw another side glance at Michael catching his raised eyebrows and the slight tilt of his head. He rolled his eyes as he put emphasis on his next word, “SKINS but the only thing I hate more is both of them in bed together. This is a friggin' nightmare.”

Michael’s forehead scrunched together and Sam stared at his brother like he’d grown another head. Dean bristled, “what? Liz is getting on me about cursing around the baby.”

Michael and Sam smirked.

“Hey I don’t know what you two idiots are smiling about, you think she’s not going to rip into you when the baby comes, let alone your own women, you’re dreaming!” Dean pushed off the wall and moved away as Michael and Sam chuckled quietly.

HypnotiqBlueEyes: Your questions about Zan will be answered not in this chapter but the next.
Twilighteyes:
AvalonRose: There is a mention in this chapter that answers your ponderings about Zan's mother. We'll delve into her and Zan in the coming chapters.


Chapter 56

Ava and Serena walked into the kitchen to find Liz fully engrossed in whatever she was cooking. Serena smiled as she continued over to the stove and looked into the large boiling pot with a loud sniff. “Thought we smelled something cooking.”

Ava pulled a pitcher from the fridge, “and it smelled too good to be Kyle’s.”

Serena laughed but Liz continued undisturbed as she checked the oven, “Kyle’s actually a pretty good cook.”

Ava and Serena shared a look and Serena glanced in the oven, “you do know it’s just the four of us right? Dean and Sam may be on their way back but Maria, Max, and Michael are still helping Rachel get everything together before heading out.”

Liz nodded with a slight wince, “I know, just needed to do something to keep myself busy. Won’t hurt to have some food prepared for whenever we don’t want to cook. With Michael and Maria gone our cooking schedule sucks.”

Ava poured a glass of iced tea and tried to hand it to Liz. “Maybe you should take a break for a few minutes. We can watch..” Ava looked at the pot, “the soup?”

Liz shook her head with a slight smile, “I have a glass on the table. I’m okay really. I just need the distraction.”

Serena moved to the other side of Liz effectively blocking her in. “What’s up?”

Liz turned to her, “I don’t know what you mean.”

Serena quirked her eyebrow and Liz mirrored her. Serena huffed, “listen you’ve been.. extra fidgety today and I’ve noticed the twinges you’ve tried to hide. You know earlier I let you brush it off, that your back was bothering you but you took a bath and that usually works so I’ll ask again. What’s up?”

Liz sighed and rolled her eyes, “I’m fine. It’s just Braxton hicks, the baby books say it’s completely normal.”

Ava tried to hide the concern in her voice, “how long have you been having them? I’ve seen you wince all morning.”

Liz turned and leaned back against the counter, resigned to the fact that they wouldn’t let this go. Her eyes fell to the floor, “since sometime last night.”

Serena took a deliberate breath to keep calm as her eyes connected with Ava’s. “Even if it started.. during the middle of the night.” She paused as she quickly counted it out in her head, “that’s nine hours Liz..”

Liz shrugged as she looked to Ava for help, “they’re completely normal.”

Serena stepped in front of Liz making sure she had her complete attention. “Yes for someone who’s completely normal.. and even then I don’t think nine hours straight of contractions qualifies as braxen .. whatever! You’re in labor!”

Liz shook her head vehemently, “no! I’m only seven months.. that’s two months too early..” Her voice cracked slightly, “Isabel is flying in.. she’s read up on everything and..”

Liz noticed Ava leave the room and Serena tried to bring her attention back, her voice softer this time. “Again you are not completely normal.” When Liz’s eyes came back to Serena’s they were starting to water. Serena could tell her argument was starting to seep into her stubborn mindset.

“Dean’s not here, he wouldn’t come if..”

Serena pulled Liz over to the table, “he’s a baby. He doesn’t care who’s here or not. Sit down and calm yourself.. listen to your body.”

Liz sat and took a few sips from her glass as she took deep soothing breathes in between. She felt the rising anxiety calm and smiled at Serena. “See it’s just Braxton..” Her voice cut off as a contraction ripped through her lower abdomen and back stronger than any she had felt that morning. She grabbed the edges of her seat and doubled over as far as her stomach would allow.

Serena knelt down in front of her, “Liz!”

Liz’s head popped up, her eyes connected immediately with Serena’s. “Call Dean and tell him to get his ass home! NOW!”

Serena grabbed her phone and dialed as Ava came back into the kitchen with Kyle on her heels. Liz’s contraction passed and she jumped up from the chair, “I need to call Iz.”

Ava laughed softly, “we got this. You just need to relax, we made up the couch for you.”

Kyle’s eyes were wide when she looked to him, “weren’t you playing football? I’m not going to interrupt your game and I was making lunch..” She glanced at the stove.

Kyle smiled as he felt Liz’s anxiety rise, “and by the looks of it dinner too. Why don’t you play with me?” He threw his arm over her shoulders and led her out of the kitchen. “I’ve heard waiting for a baby to come can get long and boring.”
~~

A few hours later the impala slid to a stop in front of the house as Dean and Sam jumped from the car. They rushed through the front door only to slam to a stop when they saw Liz sitting on the couch next to Kyle loudly playing a video game in the living room.

“What the hell?” Dean wasn’t sure what he expected to see but this was not the crazy scene he envisioned at all.

Liz paused the game and smiled sweetly, “hey you made it.”

Dean stood still, held in place by his confusion. Sam was the first to recover when he saw Serena and Ava come down the hall from the kitchen. Serena patted Dean on the back, “good you made it. We still have time to kill before the real action.”

Dean turned to Serena as he seemed to snap out of the daze, “what are you talking about? She looks fine.”

Serena whispered as she pushed him into the room with her, “just wait for the real pain sweet cheeks.”

Both Sam and Dean looked at Serena in question as Ava chuckled. Liz stood as Dean came to the couch and reached to hug him. She whispered in his ear as he held her, “thank god you made it. I didn’t think I could do this without you.”

Dean grinned, “don’t let them mess with you. You’re the strongest person in this room.”

Kyle waved his controller, “hey! No stalling there’s a game on the line here!”

Liz laughed and pulled Dean to sit with her on the couch as she waved Kyle off, “calm down you’ve been letting me win for the last hour. I have nothing to stall for.”

Five hours later the scene was very different from what Dean and Sam had walked into. Ava had taken over Isabel’s position since she had yet to arrive and breathed a sigh of relief when Serena let them know Isabel’s plane just landed. Liz was sitting on the mattress that the boys had brought down into the living room after she had yelled that she couldn’t make it up the stairs. She was breathing through a strong contraction, crushing Dean’s hand as he coached her through the breathing like Ava had taught him. Ava checked her phone and realized the contractions were definitely faster and harder. Ava walked to the doorway telling Kyle what they needed as she ran through the list Isabel had sent her before her plane took off. Once Kyle was off gathering more things, Ava turned to Serena. “Isabel isn’t going to make it, this baby is coming and I don’t think I can do this alone.”

Serena nodded, “I’ll tell Iz to get here as quick as she can but we need all hands on deck here.”

Ava turned and bumped into Sam, “isn’t there anything we can do about the pain?”

Ava smiled at the panic on Sam’s face. “Serena and I have been doing as much as we can. Believe me Liz can do this.” Ava moved around him and took a deep breath as she made her way back to Liz. She knelt beside her and dipped the wash cloth in the cool bowl of water that was almost empty. She brought the wash cloth to Liz’s forehead as the contraction passed. “How are you doing, cornball?”

Liz looked tired but was still putting on a brave face. “I’m good.. they’re so close. She’s not gonna make it, is she?”

Ava smiled as Dean gently took the cloth from her hand and ran it down Liz’s face to her neck. “No but you’re going to be just fine. I talked about all this stuff with Isabel just in case. I figured someone needed a backup plan just in case it slipped your mind.”

Liz closed her eyes as the cool rag Dean dragged to the back of her neck soothed her heated skin. “It didn’t. I knew you guys wouldn’t let me down.”

Kyle came into the room his arms overflowing with items and Sam grabbed the cup of crushed ice and the pitcher of water from his hands. They both moved to the makeshift bed and placed the items where they were needed. Serena sat behind Liz and started to massage her back and smiled as she moaned at the sensation.

“Liz you keep that up and this is going to start sounding like an orgy.” Kyle cracked and saw the smile appear on her face.

Liz’s voice was quiet but clear. “That’s what got us into this situation in the first place.”

The laughter filled the room then another contraction hit Liz and everyone focused on helping her through it. Once it passed Liz laughed quietly, “this may not be exactly what I pictured but it’s exactly what I want.” Her eyes popped open and she looked into Dean’s eyes, squeezing his hand. “I don’t want the baby to be illegitimate.”

Dean searched her face and shook his head knowing she must have caught part of his conversation with Michael or some of his thoughts on his car ride there. “It’s okay, it’s not..”

She shook her head vehemently, “no.. I don’t want him to have any more of a target or..”
Serena rubbed Liz’s shoulders as the thought occurred to her, “by Antarian tradition you’re already married.”

Liz turned her head to look at Serena when another contraction hit. Once again they coached her through it and as it passed Liz looked to Ava, “she’s not just trying to make me feel better, is she?”

Ava looked to Serena, “the bond?”

Serena nodded and then continued for Liz, “the bond is like the marriage license I guess you would say. They have a ceremony but that just announces the bond publicly. They can’t have the ceremony unless the bond is in place. I mean think about it Liz, unless you’ve both surrendered to each other, the bond can’t form. That bond is proof that two people have made a vow to each other and have accepted one another completely. You both trust and know each other deeper than any other soul can. If that isn’t real marriage I don’t know what is.”

Dean looked at Serena thankfully. He didn’t know if it was true or not but he didn’t need some piece of paper to say he would love this woman forever. Liz’s eyes met his and he smiled, “Antarian tradition is good enough for me.” He kissed her lips softly and another contraction hit.

Ava’s voice was calm and controlled, “okay cornball this is it. Are you ready?”

Liz nodded as Dean squeezed Liz’s hand and Serena grabbed her free one. Kyle knelt next to Liz with a few things Ava had asked for as Sam knelt behind Serena not knowing exactly how he could help. With her support system around her, Liz pushed through the contractions until the first cry pierced the air. Ava wrapped him in the towel Kyle handed her and with a wave of her hand the baby was clean and at Dean’s nod she cut the cord then wrapped him tightly. She handed the baby to Dean, “here’s your healthy baby boy.”

Liz watched his face as he laid his eyes on his son for the first time. She wanted to commit the image to her memory, the complete awe on his face. She knew this was something he never thought he’d ever have. Dean’s eyes connected with hers and he laid the baby carefully in her arms. Everyone was quiet as they listened to the sounds from the small baby that looked up at his mother. Time seemed to freeze as this one moment seemed to make everything else in their crazy world meaningless.

Liz handed the baby back to Dean as she felt her exhaustion start to drag her heavy eyes closed. Serena and Ava quickly cleaned the makeshift bed so Liz wouldn’t have to go anywhere to pass out. Thanks to some alien mojo they quickly cleaned the room then helped her get into a comfortable position. Dean stood just a few feet away in front of Liz’s wall of pictures with Sam right next to him, both looking down at the small boy in Dean’s arms. Dean’s voice broke the hush that fell between them as he brushed a finger over his son’s cheek gently, “hey Jude.”

Sam whispered, “Jude?”

Dean nodded with a glance at his brother, “Liz chose it. After the song mom used to sing to us when we were kids.”

Sam’s eyes moved to the picture of his mother holding him as a baby with Dean’s goofy kid grin next to their father’s. Sam heard Dean’s soft whisper, “holy shit.”

Sam chuckled softly and looked at his brother as he whispered back, “yeah you’re a father now.” Sam clapped him on the back gently, careful not to rock the baby too much. “Good going with the whole not cursing around the baby thing.”

Author's note: Got quite a bit of writing done this past week so I'm hoping to be able to get a few weeks of two posts a week if I can. It's getting exciting and I'm finally getting to my favorite parts that I've been planning forever! So hopefully if everything pans out I'll be posting again on Wednesday or Thursday!


HypnotiqBlueEyes: here's a little bit of your Zan answers.
Twilighteyes:
AvalonRose:



Chapter 57

Zan sat in the backseat of his mom's car sporting its new color and license plates. She drove quietly with the radio playing softly, her old fall back of soft blues that told him she had a lot on her mind. He didn't blame her since he had a lot going on in his head too.

He could see the suv they'd been following for the past eight hours through the front windshield. Inside that car was the reason for the flurry of activity in his mind that he couldn't turn off since the minute he saw that face.

A face that he thought he would only see in his dream. The man that sat in his dining room looked different from the one in his dream, older, more weathered but still projected the same strength. He had always thought it was just something he had conjured up like he could do making things appear in front of him. A man who looked like him, could do things like him, who loved him even though he couldn't have him. The message was always the same every time he appeared.

And the girl that always appeared with him was real too. The one who brought him into this world and gave him life. They always appeared happy with love that shined in their eyes, love for each other and love for him. His mother.. that Max said shared his ability, that he said passed away. His mind slowly brought him back to that table in his dining room where they made his world explode.

He watched the man from his dream who looked at him with such sadness yet he could still see the love shining there. The man who called himself Max. Max Evans, the man from his dream had a name. The man from his dream was real. He watched Max as he cleared his throat and took a deep breath. Max's eyes dropped from his own gaze as the words flowed softly, apologetically from his mouth. "I wish there was time to say this better, to explain it more but I don't know how much time we have and I know you won't leave without knowing the truth." Max's eyes came up from the table and connected with his, "I had Zan when I was in high school and my life was way too dangerous because I'm an alien/human hybrid." Max's eyes moved to his mom's, "I know it sounds crazy but that's my life. Michael is too but the rest of my friends at this table are human. The FBI has a small secret group called the Special Unit that was hunting us at the time and since Zan appeared completely human, I wanted to give him a chance at a real life and get him out of danger. Just a few years ago, the FBI started coming after us again and somehow they found out about Zan. My friend had a premonition about them taking him away. We found out through a contact that they had your address and he gave it to us so that we could intervene. I'm so sorry that this happened. I can answer any questions you have and explain further but I don't think it would be wise to do it here."

He watched as the man from his dream dropped into silence and another man at the table asked his mom something but he couldn't take his eyes off his father. What did they call that in the movies? Biological. His biological father was an alien. An alien/human hybrid that thought his son was human so he gave him up. But he loved him. His biological mother loved him. He saw it in the dream. There's no way he just happened to have their faces appear to him.

He felt his mom's anxiety rise and felt her hand tighten slightly on his. He looked up at her catching the question on her face but he didn't know what was going on. He nodded figuring whatever it was she wanted couldn't hurt because she always protected him.

His eyes glanced back at Max who's attention was still on his mom. Why did he think he was human? He could do things.. things that would scare people. He wasn't just human, he was like his biological father. He could do things like him or was that just part of the dream? The longing for someone else who could do something like him. He felt his mom's hand tighten again and heard the hitch in her voice. He glanced up at her as he squeezed her hand. He noticed her eyes glance around the table and then he heard Max's voice, low and gravelly. “He has his.. birth mother’s ability.” His birth mother. His eyes went back to Max. He was the same as his birth mother, his mother could do the same thing as him. His excitement skyrocketed. The questions he wanted to ask her, the things he could talk to her about that wouldn’t scare her because she was just like him. He watched Max shake his head and the words that left his mouth next felt like a punch in the gut, "she's.. She passed away."

It wasn't that he didn't love his mom who loved him and cared for him since he could remember. He still loved her more than anything but ever since he saw the man from his dream in real life he had been.. waiting to see the woman that always appeared with him. His excitement tripled when Max said she was his birth mother and she was just like him but he lost her before he ever really got to meet her.

His mom’s voice broke him out of his memory, “we’re going to stop for the night soon. Are you hungry? Do you want me to stop somewhere first to get snacks or anything?”

He smiled at his mom in the rear view mirror, “no thanks. I’m good.” She smiled back with so much love he almost felt bad for wanting to meet his birth mother so desperately. Her eyes went back to the road and his thoughts went back to her, the woman who let him play with her hand. He had thought for so long he had just created the images of the young man and woman who loved him more than anything, who loved each other just as much. Every time they appeared smiling and he could hear the man’s voice, “no matter where you are Zan, know that we love you.” It almost felt like a memory and then the dream always continued without fail, every detail the same. He was only a baby in the man’s arms and he looked at her loving face as he grabbed at her thin fingers. The soft smile that played on her face as the man pressed his lips against his head.

The dream was always a good one and so many times it had chased away his nightmares and his fears. Now he would never get to meet the beautiful woman who gave him life and helped him through so much. He pictured her face with her long dark hair and those soft loving brown eyes. He hoped at least that Max would tell him all about his birth mother. All about the woman who was just like him and helped him through more than she would ever know.
~~

Dean walked over to the crib and laid Jude gently down in his crib. He looked back at Liz to make sure she was still asleep and quietly left the room. He shuffled into the kitchen and found Serena and Sam at the table with coffee mugs in their hands. He went towards the coffee maker when Serena blocked his path. He raised his eyebrow and she smirked, “how bout Sam and I take the baby monitor and you get some sleep.” He opened his mouth but she interrupted him before he could get a word out, “you need it, you look like shit.”

Sam coughed and tried to hide his laugh at Dean’s annoyed expression. When he looked his way Sam held up his hands, “listen we’re just trying to help okay? You don’t have to do this by yourselves. We live here too and he’s my nephew.”

Dean moved to the table and sat heavily in a chair, “I know I said we need to take shifts with him and that we took all the precautions with the salt and holy water around the house but I.. it just doesn’t feel like enough. I’m terrified when my guard falls someone is going to come in here and take him away.”

Serena sat back down, “but it’s impossible for you to be on guard twenty four hours a day and without sleep you’re pretty useless.” She smiled when Dean looked up at her, “that’s why we’re here because we’re stronger as a group. We are just as invested and we aren’t going to let anyone run off with our kid.”

Sam squeezed his brother’s shoulder, “we're starting our shift a little early so get some sleep.”

Dean looked at his brother and nodded. He stood from the chair, unclipped the monitor from his belt and placed it on the table then left the room. He walked towards his room checking windows as he went by. Serena and Sam had come up with a holy water salt solution to soak the ground around the house and coat the windows with. They weren’t sure if the salt being wet would dilute its effect or not so the windows also had a small line dug in the sill filled with salt just in case. He opened their bedroom door and almost jumped out of his skin. He angrily whispered, “damnit Cas!”

The angel turned toward him, “what? I was watching him sleep. I’ve done the same with you before.”

Dean rolled his eyes and waved him out of the room. Cas followed him into the next room that they called Jude’s nursery although they hadn’t moved the crib in there yet. Dean waited for Cas to enter the room then closed the door. “What are you doing here? Is something going on?”

Cas took in his anxiety, “no. I did a check on the area and everything was clear so I decided to check on him and to see how Liz was doing. You are not getting enough sleep.”

Dean waved him off and walked to the window checking the salt line. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Something Liz wanted to know.”

“You mean the marriage.”

Dean turned back to the angel not surprised in the least that he already knew. “Yeah. The thing that Serena said about Antarian tradition..”

Cas shrugged, “I don’t know about Antarian tradition but in the eyes of heaven you have made your vows in front of God and each other and have consummated the marriage. Neither one of you have been following man’s law for quite some time so I don’t know why you would care about it now.” Dean’s eyes widened then he chuckled quietly. The angel's brow scrunched in confusion but Dean’s mirth seemed contagious as a small smile bloomed on his face. “You should get some sleep, what I said wasn’t funny. It was truth.”

barbara87413: they're relationship is definitely going to play a big part in coming.. chapters.
AvalonRose: He was picturing Liz from his dream.
HypnotiqBlueEyes: Yeah no one else knows about his dreams so him going off the small amount of information he's gotten so far without much context is a jump, he just doesn't know it yet. You don't have to wonder too long.. this chapter has the meet.
Twilighteyes That would definitely be an interesting crazy twist.. and I have no idea how I could spin that.


Chapter 58

Kyle and Michael were drawn into the kitchen by the smell of food and found max at the stove. Kyle was the first to crack a smile, "uh oh.. Why are you cooking?"

Michael's frown slipped for a moment with his quiet chuckle as he headed over to the coffee pot. He poured himself a mug and saw Kyle's cup snake out next to his, with a grunt he filled Kyle's. Kyle grinned triumphantly as they turned to the small kitchen table and noticed another presence. Michael sat with a small nod to acknowledge the new member of their ever growing club while Kyle greeted him. "Ah, so you’re the reason our fearless leader is cooking for our ranks huh?"

Zan watched the two quietly from his seat at the table, taking in the ease of their movements together. Ava had said they were a lot like brothers the way they get along and fought. He understood what she meant from kids at school with siblings, something that he had envied at times. Having someone you know so well that you could get on their nerves yet still know the bond remained the same. His eyes bounced back and forth between Michael and Kyle then threw a quick glance at Max before coming back to the two men at the table. "So, are you all a cult or something?"

Michael choked on his coffee as Kyle chuckled softly. Kyle noticed the inquisitive look in the kid’s eyes but the small curve to the corner of the kid’s mouth gave him away. He decided he liked the kid. Zan was going to fit in with them perfectly.

Michael answered his question, "nah kid, see if we were, we'd actually listen to your da.."

Kyle inserted quickly, “to Max but we don't."

Michael threw Kyle a sideways glance letting him know he was grateful for the save. "But really we just like to bust his balls." Michael was rewarded with a quiet giggle and a small grin brightened his tired face.

Zan noticed Max throwing glances his way and caught the smile on the man's face. Zan looked back to Kyle and Michael, "so you just listen to Liz."

Michael’s forehead rose while Kyle gave him an indulgent smile. Kyle answered, "well yeah maybe when she sees something that helps us out. Ava too. When their ability gives us a heads up, we take every advantage we can get but besides that.."

Zan sat up straighter in his seat, "what's their ability?"

Kyle smirked, "they have a few actually but the big one Liz has is premonition. She sees things before they happen. That’s how they got to you just in time.” Zan seemed to perk up at that. Kyle smiled, “don’t worry you should be able to meet her today. She was out of it last night when you guys got here. She’s up crazy hours with her new baby.” Zan nodded and Kyle noticed him trying to hide his excitement then continued, “and Ava has intuition. If she gets a strong feeling about something it's pretty much right but that's not her strongest ability."

Michael noticed the kid's small smile he was trying to hide. The knowledge that other people had abilities like him probably helped the kid a lot more than anything they ever could try to do. “No, that’s putting up with Kyle. It’s pretty amazing really.” Michael grinned at Zan’s soft bark of laughter. He decided to bring it back to lighter topics before it somehow wound its way to Tess. He was not going to be the one to stumble into that crapshoot. He lowered his voice and spoke with a conspiratorial smile, “but don't ever let them know you don't really do what they say."

Kyle took his narrowed eyes off Michael and looked to Zan, "women are a very complicated breed, my friend."

Zan nodded, "yea my dad used to say he was in charge too but I knew my mom ran the house. Moms are always in charge because they know how to keep everything together."

Michael's eyes widened and there was a moment where all three guys were quiet until Michael's outburst echoed around the kitchen. "The kid’s been corrupted!" Max and Kyle laughed.

Max cleared his throat as he brought the plates of food over to the table, "no he's just observant and smart."

Kyle’s boisterous laughter dwindled to a chuckle, "you would say that, mama's boy!"

Zan laughed out loud for the first time. He looked between the three men as they grinned then dug into the bacon and pancakes Max had brought over. Zan grabbed a couple pancakes for himself and a few pieces of bacon. He decided he might like this place after all.

~~

Liz tossed and turned in her bed as dark images slowly took over her dreamless sleep. She felt the world spinning then slam to a halt as her feet hit something solid. Her eyes opened to a grand looking palace, gleaming silver and gold all around her with brushed marble under her feet. She looked around trying to figure out what was going on. She heard quick footsteps behind her and turned to see a small dark haired boy not much older than Zan rush by her with tears streaming down his face. She heard the voices that seemed to follow him, yelling at him for something he did, something he was supposed to control.

She didn’t understand what the child was being punished for and followed him into a large room. Once he was inside the door behind her slammed shut without a touch. She tried to calm the boy but he didn’t seem to see or hear her so she stood back quietly watching as he stared at himself in the mirror. He watched his tears run down his face and she heard his small voice even though his lips never moved. You’re stupid, your lack of control is disgusting. That is why they hate you, that is why they can’t love you. If only you could get a handle on it.. if only you knew what you were supposed to do then you could make them proud. You could be a good son.

Liz heard steps from the hallway then the boy turned around and walked back to the door. He pressed his ear to the door listening. She heard the voices clearly. The same voices that were yelling down the hall were belittling him for not controlling his ability, talking about him like a failed project. She looked at the child as his face contorted with pain.

He swung open the door and stepped into the hallway yelling at the two adults, “just tell me what to do! Tell me how to control it!”

Both adults spun to face the boy, she noted the looks of fear on their faces. The man covered his quickly with contempt but the woman wasn’t as fast. When the fear finally fell from her face only disappointment remained. The man’s voice boomed in the hallway, “back to your room now! At least serve your punishment like a competent child.”

Liz watched as the boy stared at his father then walked quietly back into his room. Once again the door slammed with nothing more than a thought. Liz watched the adults in the hallway, fear once again covered their features. A small girl with bouncing blonde curls ran up behind them squealing with joy and the man swung her up into his arms easily. The two adults poured adoration and love on the girl as they hugged her and cooed over her. Liz was thankful the boy didn’t see what was unfolding in front of her. She felt how he longed for his parents to love him, to gush over him like they were doing to the small girl. Could that be his sister? She turned towards the door and saw that the boy was in fact witnessing the scene in front of her. He must have quietly opened the door at the sounds from the girl. She could practically feel the anger that radiated off him like the heat of a large fire. For the first time she actually felt fear as she watched him stare daggers at the laughing little girl in the man’s arms.

All of a sudden the scene changed quickly and she was standing in a very large room with a long table. She saw the small girl seated at the table with odd colored fruit in front of her on what she guessed was a cutting board. With the knife in her hand she chopped the fruit into small bite sized pieces. Liz looked around for one of the adults that she assumed would be watching the girl but instead she only found the small boy hiding in a doorway on the other side of the room. There was a harsh bruise that covered one side of his face but it was the rage in his eyes that made her take a step back. She knew who the boy was staring at and moved towards him hoping to calm his anger.

She heard his voice and just like before his lips never moved. My dear sister.. today will be the last day they love you more. That sweet knife in your hand will go into your stomach like that berry in front of you.
Liz stilled and turned towards the little girl. She noticed the knife move away from the cutting board and towards her small stomach. She ran towards the girl yelling even though no sound seemed to come from her mouth. She heard nothing but the sound of the knife ripping through the colorful dress and into the small girl’s stomach. The piercing scream that left her small mouth froze Liz in place then the boy’s voice rang crystal clear in her mind, goodbye my dear sweet Ava.

Liz shot up in bed breathing hard and searching the room with wild eyes. Dean walked in and saw her face then ran to her, “are you okay? What is it?” He sat next to her in bed and gently touched her face, turning her head to look at him.

Liz stared into his eyes as she felt her racing pulse calm and waited for her breathing to follow suit. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I.. thought Jude was crying but I couldn’t find him.” She looked towards the crib where Jude was sleeping peacefully. “It must have been a dream. Just a dream.” In her head she tried to use the same sentence to soothe her but it only seemed to make it worse. You’ve had many dreams and none of them looked or felt like that.

He watched her for a few moments feeling her calm down as she watched Jude sleep. Wasn’t he just as paranoid that something would happen to him? Something felt off about it, a slight tinge of something he couldn’t quite grasp but maybe it was a nightmare that she didn’t want to put on him. He had enough of those recently that he was trying his best to keep from her because of how exhausted she’s been. He decided to let it go for now but made a mental note to keep an eye on her.

Her eyes came back to his with a small smile, “I’m okay now. Really.”

He nodded, “if you feel up to it Zan wants to meet you.”

Liz smiled, “they’re here already?”

“Yeah they got in last night but they didn’t want to wake you.”

She got up from the bed going straight for the dresser, “yeah I want to meet him.”

Dean walked to the door, “okay I’ll let them know they can head over.” He watched her and she seemed like everything was back to normal. Maybe too normal.. or maybe he was the one being paranoid.
~~

Max led the way across the yard towards the other house. Zan rolled his eyes as if he could really get lost crossing a yard but kept quiet when his mom smiled and took his hand. He was too interested to finally meet Liz to complain. She was the one that saved him from those men and Dean was pretty cool so she had to be too. From the stories Michael and Kyle told him, he already thought that he’d like her a lot but he felt nervous to meet her. He tried to figure out why his palms were sweaty or why he was so worried she wouldn’t like him. Dean, Michael and Kyle said he was cool and Dean had said she cared about him but she didn’t even know him, what if he disappointed her? What if he wasn’t worth saving?

He felt his mom squeeze his hand and he looked up at her. Her warm smile instantly calmed him. His mom had seen his powers and even though she had been scared she never stopped loving him. Liz had powers, she had abilities even though she was human so she wouldn’t be afraid of him. Kyle had told him about how her abilities were all over the place when they first appeared. Liz wouldn’t be upset with the fact he didn’t have complete control over all his abilites, she would understand maybe she could even help him. He felt his nervousness ebb slightly as Max opened the door for them. He would be just fine. Liz was just another one of the group who already welcomed him with open arms. He felt like she was the most important part of the group but she was with Dean and he liked him so he would be okay. Dean would have his back and Kyle too.

Zan let go of his mother’s hand as they walked into the living room and she said hello to Serena. He was drawn toward the pictures on the wall but something halted him before his first step. A flash of dark hair on the side of the room, he turned his head towards the couch where two figures sat smiling over a baby and his mouth fell open, “you’re alive!”

Liz and Maria looked up from Jude in Maria’s arms to see the new arrival with his look of surprise staring straight at Liz. Everyone in the room was looking at Zan in confusion. Dean was standing behind the couch with Sam and noticed the shock on Zan’s face, “what do you mean little dude?”

Zan was still staring wide eyed at Liz with a smile slowly forming on his face, “max told me you passed away.” His smile faltered and he looked to Max, “why did you say my birth mother died?”

The room went silent as he watched the blood drain from Max’s face then he felt the tension in the room rise. What did he say? He looked back to Liz and the confusion on her face made his heart sink. His voice came out small and scared, “am I doing this? You’re not real, are you?”

Liz’s heart broke at the sound and she had to swallow the cry that tried to escape her throat. She walked towards him and knelt in front of him. She grasped his hand gently and gave him a small smile, “Zan, don’t be afraid. You’re not doing this. I am real but I’m sorry I’m not your mother. My name is Liz.”

Zan watched her closely looking for any sign of deception but he already knew she wouldn’t lie to him. She was telling the truth but it didn’t make any sense. He shook his head, “but I saw you.. in my dream. You and Max. It was always you two together.” His voice started to crack as tears came to his eyes.

Liz felt the tears choking her as she quickly glanced at Max who had yet to regain his own composure after Zan’s bombshell. Her eyes connected with Zan’s gaze again as she squeezed his hand gently, “tell me about your dream.”

As everyone listened, Zan told her about her face along with Max’s always smiling at him, at each other. Then Max’s words telling him that they love him and then himself as a baby playing with her hand. Her smile as Max kissed his head. He realized he was still holding her hand as he watched the tear slide down her face.

“Zan, that was a real memory. That was the day Max gave you away, I was there saying goodbye.” Liz threw another glance at Max before continuing, “Max gave you a memory that day before you left and that must be what you see. I did love you because you were a part of him but I wasn’t your mother. She loved you very much and she sacrificed herself so that you could get away safely, so we all could.” Liz watched him as he soaked up the information. “I’m sorry that you feel so confused. I’m not your mother but I’d really like to be your friend.”

Zan smiled at her through blurry vision. “I’d like that, Liz. I’d like that a lot.”

Liz nodded and saw a hand gently grab Zan’s free hand and squeeze. She followed the arm up to the new face. “Hi, I’m Liz.”

Rachel wiped her eyes with her free hand, “Rachel.”

Zan looked up at her, “she’s my mom.”

Liz smiled at Zan, “she must be a very good mom because you’re such a gentleman.”

Zan blushed and looked down as he shrugged, “she’s the best but I don’t know about the gentleman thing.”

Liz chuckled, “I think that’s a very attractive quality. A humble gentleman.”

Michael, Kyle, and Zan spoke at the same time, “then why are you with Dean?”

The room erupted in laughter as Dean’s narrowed gaze bounced back and forth between Kyle and Michael. “Which one of you is corrupting him huh? I’m cool one and you guys are just jealous that he liked me first!”

Zan smiled at Liz as the room fell into uncontrollable laughter. Liz’s hand cupped his cheek as she brushed the tear away with her thumb. He closed his eyes thinking to himself, if only you knew how much you’ve helped me already, how amazing I think you are.

Liz’s eyes widened as she heard his voice in her head. She took a chance and thought of an answer, thank you.

His eyes snapped open to her small smile. He glanced around the room and no one else seemed to catch the secret conversation going on between them, they were all still laughing or chiming in with the three men that were poking fun at each other. His gaze came back to hers when he heard her soft voice again in his head, welcome to the club. His secret smile grew almost in time with hers.

barbara87413: Thank you! The dreams are just getting started..
HypnotiqBlueEyes: good questions.. the dreams are just getting started.. I don't want to give them away. Zan and Liz.. don't want to give that one away either so I'll just say Liz is wondering the same and will be trying to figure it out as well.
Twilighteyes: lol Thank you!
AvalonRose: Thank you! Don't worry the dream mystery shouldn't last long.


Chapter 59

*Lyrics in italics in this chapter belong to Led Zeppelin, “Kashmir.” I own nothing but love for their greatness.*

Liz once again found herself engulfed in dark images that spun around her relentlessly. The world finally materialized around her halting the spinning images but not before the nausea took hold. She fell backwards and hit a wall that she let her body slide down trying to calm her raging stomach. She noticed the brushed marble under her feet first and then groaned when she looked up to see the silver and gold covered hallway. Once again the boy came running through only now he was much older, maybe a teenager but it was hard to tell. He was muscular like Max was in high school but it looked almost a little odd because he had a leaner build like Alex. There were no tears on his striking face this time but it was contorted in pain.

His familiar bedroom door opened as he got close and shut behind him just as before. Liz found herself in his room in the same position as she was in the hallway, only now she was against a bedroom wall. He clutched his head as he dropped himself onto a large bed. He screamed into the fabric of the mattress as pain lanced through his brain. Liz stood unable to stop herself from going to him. She stopped next to the bed when he popped up and grabbed something from a shelf in the wall next to bed. It looked kind of like a book but no book she had ever seen, well maybe not ever. It reminded her of the destiny book but it made the destiny book look more like a pamphlet. He dropped it onto the bed, opened it then placed his hand on a blank page. Like a hologram appearing in front of him, she saw the image of the little girl stabbing herself but it was fuzzy and erratic. Her memory of the event seemed smoother and clear. She watched him as he stared at the images with such confusion. He clutched at his head again as he screamed in his mind, what did you do to me?!

Liz took a few steps back at the venom in his voice. Something was wrong. Someone had messed with his memories, with his mind. It reminded her of Tess but this was different. Somehow she could feel what the boy was feeling, like part of his brain had been shut off and it repressed his brain power, made it harder to do other simple functions. He flipped through the pages in the book slapping his hand on them and throwing images up in the air. The images were choppy and played like an old silent film Liz had seen once. Men in uniforms that she somehow knew were Royal Guardsmen taking his sister away then the images jumped to his mother doing something over the boy’s head. Each vision seemed to cause him pain, sometimes debilitating pain.

He placed both palms against his temples and screamed as the pain built to an excruciating degree. His hands began to glow then it spread to his forehead and down his face. Liz stood shocked at the sight of his entire head emitting the eerie blue glow. She covered her eyes as it grew too bright to watch and she realized she had pressed herself against the wall again. After a few minutes the room seemed to dropp into darkness. Liz opened her eyes to find it back to the lighting she had come into originally and the boy was sitting on his bed, his hands flat against the surface of the hologram book. He was panting and his face was dripping with sweat. She looked back to the images and they were no longer playing out in those jerky fuzzy movements but completely clear, smooth, and coherent.

She watched as the small girl stabbed herself in the stomach and the two adults rushed into the room taking the knife from the girl’s stomach. The man lifted the girl holding his hand over the gaping wound as the woman searched the room. The image sped along and the royal guard walked away with the girl and the man. The woman had the boy strapped down in the chair, telling him she was doing this for his own good as she performed some sort of ritual over his head. A binding ritual. She didn’t know how she knew but she knew that was why he had all that pain, why he couldn’t remember.

The images sped along again and he sat there in the chair as the two adults spoke on the other side of the room. The high prince Zan had saved Ava and the man had given her to him as a bride. The King and Queen blessed the betrothal and requested to be kept informed of the binding and its effects. Liz stood transfixed as the hologram shimmered out and the boy stood from the bed and turned to his mirror. His voice came clear in her mind once again, all those years of frustration and pain all because of them. Because they couldn’t teach me. All those years of feeling inferior. His face turned hard as he stared at himself in the mirror. No more.

Liz felt the ground beneath her move and the room around her start to her shift. She squeezed her eyes closed until she felt the movement stop then she slowly opened her eyes. She was standing outside underneath a bright star filled sky by a beautiful garden filled with deep purples and various shades of greens and blues. She could smell the sweet air that seemed to seep into her skin. She looked around and saw the boy although calling him a boy now seemed silly. His scrawny features had filled out and Liz couldn’t deny that the man standing there was handsome. She couldn’t tell how many years had passed especially when she thought about how quickly Max’s appearance seemed to change let alone Kyle and Michael. A few years could make a boy look like a man pretty easily. Although it could also have something to do with the very beautiful woman he held in his arms. Their small touches and looks clearly showing they were in love and with the scenery surrounding them, Liz felt like she was a voyeur in a very intimate moment.

Liz missed the question he whispered into her ear but could clearly hear her answer, “he still sees her too. I hate to say this but I know he’s in love with her. I can see it when he talks to her. It seems my brother and I have more things in common than I thought.” She giggled softly and seemed to miss what Liz couldn’t. The stiffness that came over him, the tightening jerk of his jawline. Whatever that woman meant, it angered him and Liz knew this was not someone to piss off.

Liz heard his voice come out smooth and calm, “so he still sees the advisor? Don’t you see how your brother disgraces the crown he’s supposed to be taking? Please just come away with me, stay with me Vilandra.”

Liz jerked out of the dream and would have fallen out of the bed had Dean not grabbed her arm. He eyed her curiously as he held her arm while she maneuvered herself closer to where he was sitting on his side of the bed with his other arm firmly around a sleeping Jude against his chest. She propped herself up and rested her hand on Jude’s back, feeling the soft movement as his small lungs filled with oxygen and expelled carbon dioxide. Dean quietly watched her wondering if he’d get an actual explanation this time. He couldn’t deny that her features softened and her breathing calmed as she felt Jude in a peaceful slumber but he couldn’t erase the fear that covered her face when she woke.

She gave him a shaky grin, “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

Dean raised his eyebrow, “I’m not the one who looks scared Liz.”

Her eyes fell to Jude. “Everytime I fall asleep.. my fears seem to come alive and choke me. It’s never the same thing just a culmination of the fear that something will get him somehow.”

His free hand came up to her chin, bringing her attention back to him. “You’re not the only one. I had a hard time even letting myself go to sleep the first couple of days because I was terrified that’s when something would get him.”

“What changed? How were you able to go to sleep?”

A small smile appeared on his face, “Serena and Sam actually. They told me that I wasn’t any good to them or you and Jude without any rest. And she told me I looked like shit.. I can’t take the hit to my good looks. It was a low blow.”

Liz giggled, “you’re so easy.”

“Well, it also made me look at the people around us. We’re not alone, not even close. I guess I needed that hit to realize it myself.”

Liz smiled, “yeah and the group is definitely not shrinking.”

Dean grinned, “I think he has a crush on you.”

“Who?" Her brow drawn together as she looked at him and realized what he was saying. "Shut up, I’m way too old for him.”

“Never stopped me, not when they were as hot as you.”

A chuckle burst from her lips and she quickly covered her mouth as Jude started to squirm. Dean tried to stop his shoulders shaking from his quiet laughter. Hearing Liz’s unstoppable giggles muffled by her hands then her pillow only seem to make it worse. He looked at Liz as she moved the pillow away from her face, her eyes were full of tears from her laughter and her cheeks were red. The sight warmed him and made him felt light. He hadn’t felt this good since holding Jude for the first time. Everything got in the way, worry, fear, about Jude and about Liz. With the high tension recently it just felt like they weren’t getting a break but this one moment gave him a brief moment to forget everything and just be with her. There was still a small nagging feeling but it was diminishing maybe because she was opening up to him. She would probably say it was partly some chemical after effect in the brain from the laughter but they hadn’t laughed like that in a while. Even she knew they needed that. He watched the small smile spread across her face as she caught him staring at her, not that he hid that in a long time.

Liz climbed carefully off the bed as she whispered, “I’ll be right back.” She walked out of the room and into the bathroom in the hall, softly closing the door behind her. She turned on the cold water and leaned down as she filled her cupped hands. She splashed her face a couple of times then looked into the mirror. The boy looking at himself in his bedroom mirror with such fury flashed in her mind and she had to grab the counter to steady herself. She looked at her face in the mirror again as she quietly whispered, “what the hell is going on?”
~~

Dean grumbled to himself about cheating alien mojo as he carried the trash out. He swore Serena was helping Sam when it came to the chore list and there was no way he was going to even think of blaming Liz for making the list in the first place. As he threw the two bags in the bin on the side of the house he noticed movement in the backyard. He moved slowly around the back of the house and tried to get a better look without giving himself away. He reached the edge of the house and chuckled to himself. From this angle, he had a clear view of the large rock just beyond the backyard that Liz loved to escape to and now it seemed Zan had found a fondness for it. He made his way out to the rock and noticed his head was bobbing. He got closer and could see the headphones covering his ears. He smiled as he approached him, "hey zan, what are you doing out here?"

Zan didn't move to acknowledge him, just continued to look out at the woods and bob his head. Dean chuckled when he saw the CD player in Zan's lap. "So I'm not the only one that hasn't jumped on this small douchey music player thing." Still no movement to show that he knew dean was even there. Dean looked back to the house and debated whether he should just go back instead of interrupt. The kid was obviously really into his music.

He turned and started to walk away when he stumbled to a stop as the small voice behind him started to sing. "Talk and song from tongues of lilting grace, whose sounds caress my ear."

Dean turned slowly, not believing his ears as Zan continued. "But not a word I heard could I relate, the story was quite clear."

Zan still sat facing away from him, his head still bobbing to the music as dean stared openly. "Zeppelin? Seriously?" Dean walked back to Zan and sat next to him on the rock. He grinned at Zan when he finally turned and acknowledged him with a nod. Dean pointed to his ears, "Zeppelin?"

Zan read his lips and smiled then pulled his headphones off, "only the best."

Dean nodded his head, "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

A brilliant smile lit up his face, "you wanna listen?"

Dean shook his head, "nah they're your headphones, enjoy your music. I know them by heart anyway."

Zan held his hand over the CD player and the music came from the headphones like coming out of a boom box. "I don't have to wear them over my ears to listen."

The corner of Dean’s mouth quirked up in a crooked smile, "better use of your mojo then some aliens I know."

Zan chuckled, "I heard about Max and Michael using it while playing games and stuff. Maria said they abuse their power to get things and that I shouldn't follow in their petty footsteps."

The bark of laughter that erupted from Dean made Zan share a chuckle of his own. As their laughter calmed, Dean glanced back at the house. "So what do you think about everything or everybody?"

Zan shrugged, "they're pretty cool. At first it was kind of overwhelming. I never thought I'd meet someone else like me let alone a whole group. Everyone is so laid back about it even though I can feel the tension that lies in the back of everyone's mind."

Dean looked down at him, "you know that's not about you right?"

Zan nodded, "yeah. It's about the skins and some demon thing."

Dean shook his head with a small smile, "and everyone thinks they're hiding the scary stuff."

Zan shrugged, "I may be just a kid in their eyes but I'm not stupid. I'm observant and it's pretty easy to know what's going on."

Dean looked out at the woods that stretched out in front of them. "Well, you're younger than us so they're just trying to let you be a kid and not have to worry about anything. They don't think you're stupid, they just don't want to destroy your childhood."

Zan looked up at him, noticing the small changes in his face. "It didn't destroy your childhood. You knew about all that scary stuff and you knew how to fight it off. That's awesome."

Dean looked down at him in question and Zan tapped his head, "a little bit of listening and a little bit of alien mojo."

Dean chuckled, "yeah I didn't think it was so bad but Sammy didn't like it.. and Max was so afraid someone would find out he was different that he hid his entire childhood. I guess it just depends on how you take it and how you decide to handle it. You seem to have a pretty good head on your shoulders for a kid who knew he was different and didn’t know there was anyone else like him.”

Zan looked down at his hands, “I guess I had it pretty good growing up. My mom and dad were always there for me even if they didn’t understand exactly what was going on.”

Dean’s voice softened, “I lost my mom when I was a kid. I know it sucks.”

Zan looked up at Dean interrupting him, “I knew it was coming. I got to say goodbye. I can’t really complain that much.”

Dean’s brow rose, “you don’t sound like a kid at all. Who are you? Listening to Zeppelin, being all insightful and shit.”

They looked at each other silently for a few moments before they both chuckled.

“You’re pretty cool little dude.”

Zan punched Dean’s arm, “you’re not so bad yourself old dude.”

“Hey I’m not that old.”

“Okay okay.. just dude.”

Dean held out his fist, “pound it.”

Zan looked at him then smiled as he bumped Dean’s fist with his own.

Dean glanced back at the house, "tell anyone I cursed in front of you and I will straight up deny it."

~~

Liz swayed around the kitchen humming to a very tired Jude. She spotted Dean walking towards the woods beyond the backyard and stayed in front of the window to keep an eye on him. She saw him sit and noticed he wasn’t the only one there but with some trees blocking her eye line and the brush that hid most of the rock it was hard to tell until she realized only a child wouldn’t come above the brush.

Sam came up alongside her looking out the window with a cup of coffee in his hand. “He’s always been good with kids. It took me twenty two years to notice but he has a gift.”

Liz smiled, “I know.”

Sam looked at her from the corner of his eye knowing she meant the visions of the other universe or timeline or whatever she and Castiel called it. Sometimes he thought about asking her about what happened, what went so wrong that Castiel tried to fix it. He remembered the one time he asked Dean what he had seen when he saw some of it but the way his face closed off and the words that fell from his lips, “you don’t want to know.” It was enough to tell him that nothing good can come from knowing events that were impossible in this present. Hell, Sam knew enough from personal experience that sometimes the past was better left in the past.

barbara87413: Sorry this wasn't as soon as I promised! Figures when I say I'm going to try to get a couple weeks of two posts a week, things get crazy! And I may or may not have been inspired with another fic.. But here's chapter 60 and fingers crossed 61 will be up Wednesday or Thursday!


Chapter 60

It was the smell that first alerted Liz that she was no longer in her own dream. The sweet air swirled around her and once again she found herself in the garden filled with flowers she had never seen before although a few were close resemblances like the deep lavender flower that hung by her face that looked like a dyed Calla Lilly. She glanced around the garden and spotted the man almost immediately. She briefly wondered why she couldn’t bring herself to say his name. From the all the dreams so far there was no denying who he was but to even think his name proved too much for her.

He stood facing away from her, gazing out at the star filled sky with a small setting sun and huge rising moon greeting each other as they passed by. Vilandra entered the garden and called out his name sweetly, “Khivar.” Liz wasn’t sure if it was just his name or the way she said it that sent the shiver up her spine and the bile up her throat.

He turned to her and they rushed to meet each other, their arms automatically wrapping around and caressing the other’s body. Liz turned away feeling once again like a creeper watching something that was meant to be unseen. It seemed more than just the intimate way they held but something about the whole thing screamed hidden and secret.

“Are you going to come with me or did you get him to change his mind?”

Liz turned back to see the man staring into her eyes. Her answering voice was soft, “I’m sorry I can’t break the betrothal, Rath won’t betray my brother. Things are complicated.. Zan found out and he won’t hear of it.”

Liz felt the rage build quickly as he pushed Vilandra away, “Zan?! Zan won’t hear of it?” He paced like a caged animal and Liz felt a current of energy pulse in the air. “He’s the one sneaking around behind my SISTER'S back with an advisor! He won’t let you and Rath break your betrothal even though you BOTH want out?” He turned and stared at Vilandra who shivered slightly probably from the rage in his eyes or maybe Liz wasn’t the only one feeling the heated energy in the air. “You have to see that your brother is letting his crowning go to his head!” He walked towards her slowly and held her arms gently, his hands rubbing up and down her arms. Liz wondered if he had noticed her fear and was trying to soothe her because of his quick change from shaking with rage to caressing her softly seemed so out of place.

All of a sudden, two uniformed men came rushing from the far side of the garden and grabbed the man’s arms roughly pulling him away from Vilandra. She screamed for them to let him go when a tall muscular man came from the direction Vilandra had entered. His voice boomed, “protecting my sister from the likes of you is letting the crown go to my head? Really Khi?”

The man’s angry gaze connected with the newcomer, “Zan. How nice to see you without your concubine.”
Zan wasn’t fazed or at least didn’t show it. He walked confidently towards the man and looked him in the eye, “you will never have my sister, Khivar. Not as long as I’m alive.”

Vilandra pleaded with her brother as she stepped in between her lover and brother. “Zan. Please just listen to me.”

As Zan turned to her, his face softened. It reminded Liz of how quickly the man had changed just moments ago when looking at Vilandra. The only difference between the two men was Zan’s polar attitudes were directed at two different people not the same person. “Vi, I wish you could see that he is only using you.”

She shook her head, the glistening tears so evident in her eyes but it was the man who spoke. “No one is using anyone like you are using my sister.”

Zan turned back to the man and swung his fist hard into his face. Liz could hear the crack of the bones in the man’s face and cringed. Zan’s eyes went to the guards, “Kalavin, Telvan, get him off my palace grounds.” With a nod from both they started to drag the screaming man away.

“You keep seeing Svarenna and disgrace my sister yet you act like you are so much better than I!”

Zan’s voice shook with disgust as he held his hand up directing his guards to stop. “I never tried to kill my sister!”

A wide grin spread across the man’s bloody face, “neither did I. She tried to kill herself, high prince Zan.”

The blood drained from Zan’s face. “You remember.”

“I don't know what you’re talking about.” He said nothing else but his bloody smile spoke volumes.

With a nod from Zan, the guards continued to drag him away. The last sentence from the man echoing around in Liz’s mind as she shot up in her bed, I will have my revenge Zan.

Liz was thankful that Dean wasn’t in the room this time. She didn’t know why but she couldn’t stop the tears that fell from her eyes. She knew what came next, she knew that he did fulfill that promise. Max had died, they all died. She covered her mouth hoping she wouldn’t make any noise that brought anyone within earshot into the room. She shoved her head into her pillow and closed her connection to Dean just slightly enough so he wouldn’t be alerted that she was doing it and so he wouldn’t feel her fear and confusion. She knew who the boy was from the first dream because Evelyn had told her who Ava’s brother was but the dream had just been a dream. Now though, there was no way she had so many dreams about something she truly didn’t know the story behind. She was creative yes but not like that. Why? Why would she create those stories? She felt pulled into them like she was purposely seeing these events but to what end?
She pulled herself together and grabbed her phone off the bedside table quickly dialing Isabel’s number. Isabel’s voice was groggy, “Liz?”

Liz noticed the clock’s red numbers bleeding three am. “I’m sorry I didn’t know what time it was.”

“Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“I just.. I. You know when you were having those dreams. The ones about Khivar?”

Her voice was much more alert, “what’s going on?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking about those dreams and wondering about them.”

“Liz if something is..”

Liz interrupted her, “I just needed to know what they were like. I need to know that I’m just dreaming and that no one is messing with me.”

There was a quiet rustle and then Isabel’s voice came back, “it felt different. Like the dream walk feels different. I brushed it aside when it happened because I knew I was stressed about the wedding and I blamed it on that but I knew it felt different, it felt controlled. What are your dreams about?”

Liz bit her lip as she thought quickly, “that’s the thing, they don’t make any sense. A few people I know are thrown in there but nothing else makes sense. Sometimes someone wants Jude but it’s all shadows.”

“What made you think about my dreams?”

“One of my dreams talked about Vilandra and Rath. We don’t really talk like that so my first thought was you and then the dreams you told me about. I guess I jumped to how you said he was trying to reach out to you from the shadows.”

“He was. He was deliberately messing with me, making me see what he wanted me to see. Liz you have to be honest with me, did they feel different? Did it feel more like a dreamwalk? Or like your astral projections? You know the different feels of your abilities.”

Liz closed her eyes and bit her lip, “no.”

Isabel’s voice was softer, “he was here when he reached out to me Liz. Just remember that. If you even get a tiny bit of a feeling like something is forcing you to see something..”

Liz’s eyes snapped open and she answered making sure her voice was even. “I will Izzy. I felt like I was going crazy and when Dean told me he was having nightmares about something taking Jude I just wrote it off as a regular nightmare but then I was afraid I was brushing it off too easily and not really thinking it through.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I know the difference. I just needed to hear it from someone who would really know.”

“If the nightmares are getting descriptive just make sure to tell someone okay? You never know if there’s something in there that can help.”

“I will. Thanks Iz.” Once Liz heard her hesitant goodnight she closed her phone and dropped it on the bed. She stared blankly at the wall as Evelyn’s words from what felt like so long ago bounced around in her mind, Khivar won’t leave that throne unless he is absolutely sure he has the granolith within his grasp. The words seemed to mix in with Isabel’s soft statement, he was here when he was reaching out to me.

Liz rushed from the room towards the bathroom making it to the toilet just in time. She retched as the words rushed faster, spinning together, and smashing against one another making her head pound. She rested her head against the cold porcelain as she tried to settle herself. She was the brains, she just needed to think clearly. It was impossible. There was no way Khivar knew where she was, Nicholas didn’t and he was Khivar’s point of information. Maybe someone else was feeding her the dreams. Nicholas could mess with minds, he stole memories from people. It probably wasn’t that much different to insert memories rather than take memories. If Khivar could dreamwalk Isabel than there was probably other aliens that could too. One way to pull her away from everyone would be to freak her out, make her act irrationally. A smart way to get her to leave them if they didn’t know her very well.

“Hey you okay?” Dean’s quiet voice came from the hallway and she flushed the toilet and stood quickly.

She turned and saw him appear in the doorway. “Yeah, just not feeling too good.” She went to the sink and picked up the mouthwash as he leaned against the doorway watching her quietly.

She rinsed her mouth and looked at him in the mirror, giving him a small smile. She turned and walked into his arms, “you haven’t been eating much maybe you need to eat more, getting more sleep would help too. You’re feeding a growing boy but your body needs the nutrients too.”

She smiled into his warm soft shirt, “okay daddy.” She felt his chuckle rumble through his chest.

She giggled as he lifted her up into his arms and took her back to their bed, “come on you need to get some sleep.”

Liz let him lay her out on the bed and then pull her snuggly against him as he pulled the covers up over them with his other hand. Liz felt safe in his arms but even though she thought she rationalized her fear, it wouldn’t go away completely. Her mind wouldn’t shut off that night as she spun different scenarios for what the purpose of the dreams could possibly be and to what benefit someone would use them.
~~

Dean sauntered into the kitchen to find Liz, Ava, Serena, Kyle and Sam sitting around the kitchen table teaching Zan how to play some card game. Maria was helping Michael at the stove and oven, must be family dinner night or whatever they called it. Their version of Sunday dinner when they got everyone together for dinner instead of eating at random times in the different houses. Of course now they had to use the dining room because they couldn't fit everyone comfortably in the kitchen anymore. It was a weird tradition for dean at first but they always had a good time. It didn't take long for him to come to love it.

Dean sat in one of the extra chairs against the wall that hadn't been moved into the dining room yet and watched the group at the table silently. He smiled when they laughed at something Sam did with the cards. Sam was good but probably pulling his punches because of Zan. His eyes fell on Liz as she helped explain something to Zan about the cards in his hands. What are you hiding from me? And why? He noticed the looks between Liz and Zan, almost like they had some kind of silent communication going on.

He felt a cold bottle press against his shoulder and looked to his side to see Michael holding the beer out to him. Dean took the beer with a grin and Michael dropped himself into the neighboring seat. For a few moments they watched the card game and opened their beers then Michael spoke quietly, "she tell you what's going on?"

Dean shot a sideways glance at him then took a swig. He leaned his elbows on his knees and kept his voice low, "not really. She’s confused. I've been waiting for her to be ready to tell me but it just seems to get worse and she gets quieter."

Michael leaned back on his chair, "don't let her take too much time. I really don't want to see history repeat itself."

Dean slowly sat up straight while throwing a glance at the table to make sure no one was paying them any attention. "What do you mean?"

Michael took a swig then faced him, "you know about the whole pretend to sleep with Kyle thing, right?"

Dean nodded, "yeah, the alien DeLorean, future Max bullshit."

Michael sent a quick glance in Liz’s direction. "She thought she was saving everyone, protecting us from the end of the world, from Khivar. She didn't even tell Kyle what was really going on. Just don't let her stay so long in her head that she thinks she's gotten it all worked out and doesn't tell us the plan. I know she felt like she learned her lesson and that it was a huge mistake.. Twice really thanks to Cas showing her future Max didn't know the full situation either. But there's a lot more on the line now and she's not getting a lot of sleep. She’s more likely to fall back on old habits."

Dean nodded, "yeah. I see what you’re saying."

"Remember when I said I wasn't going to make the same mistake again? Sit by and just watch her dig herself a grave? Well, we all see her. She's not doing herself any good and she needs a wakeup call."

Dean looked at him, "if I push her she will only hide away. You and I both know that."

Michael met his gaze, "don't let her. For everyone's sake, don't let her run."

Twilighteyes : Oh yeah, she isn't going unnoticed at all. Way too close to avoid that.
barbara87413: I love ominous. I love that word so much!
AvalonRose: Definitely a lot and she's not quite done with those dreams yet.
HypnotiqBlueEyes: worried for Liz is pretty normal at this point.. Michael was always observant and he knows his friends, specially how they act when stressed. And liz, well she already has a history with the whole future max thing of going along with a plan even though no one else knows what that plan is.
roswellian love: stubborn beautiful fragile. I love that!


Chapter 61

Liz sat on the rock she had found so comforting when they first came to their new safe house. It was a place to hide when she needed to get away but also just a place that reminded her a little bit of her balcony back at the Crashdown, especially on nights like this. She could sit there looking up at the stars and let her stresses fade away but as badly as she wanted it to tonight, it wasn’t working. She hadn’t had another dream in a week but she’d barely been sleeping which was taking a toll on her not only because of the demands of being a new mother but because of the looks everyone was giving her. She could only play exhausted or sick so long with this group before they knew something was up. Everyone understood her worry for Jude in the first few weeks, hell everyone was worried so it wasn’t really a stretch but now that it had been quiet they expected her to come out of it, to get better but she knew she was looking worse. They were questioning what was going on with her and she had nothing to give them. The only bad thing about their group being so tight, they knew everyone too well. Any crap excuse she could come up with would have been immediately laughed off but to tell them any version of the truth, she just wasn’t ready for it. She couldn’t give them something else to worry about if she didn’t even know if it was worth it. She couldn’t have everyone off their game, her being off was bad enough.

Dean knew about the nightmares so he tried to keep them off her back but his looks were changing too. His fear for Jude hadn’t changed but his fear for her had. He was becoming more and more worried about her as the nights passed and she couldn’t sleep longer than two hours. She wasn’t sure if it was her body fighting the chance of another dream or fighting the beginning of a nightmare that she just didn’t remember. She was constantly weighing the pros and cons of hiding the dreams from him and when she caught his worried looks they disappeared because if she told him it wouldn’t be just looks. He’d lose it. He’d be out of his mind that someone was inside her head but that wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible, Ava made sure of that.

“I know you’re there.” Dean’s soft voice broke her out of her downward spiral. She glanced up and let the shield fall. A tired smile came to his face when he sat next to her. “Are you finally going to tell me why you’re blocking me?” Her confusion must have shown a hint of her surprise because his smile faltered and he shook his head. The pleasantries were obviously over. “I haven’t said anything because I figured you would talk to me when you were ready. Even if it’s just about the nightmares that are keeping you up. But you’re killing me here, how can I help you if you’re hiding from me? I mean I get it.. you think you’re protecting me just like I thought I was protecting you by not telling you the nightmares I was having about the yellow eyed demon showing up in Jude’s nursery but you can’t go on like this Liz. I’m terrified too but we’re doing everything we can to protect him. You need to do whatever you have to so you can get some real sleep again. I just.. I don’t know what to do for you and it scares the shit out of me.” She watched him quietly as he looked up at the stars above them. “You know me, I would have run from this before, thinking I was putting you in more danger but I know that it wouldn’t help anyone. Shit I’m spilling my damn guts here and you’re not saying a word.” He threw a quick glance at her and she smiled sadly.

She grabbed his hand and laced their fingers. “I’m sorry.. I just. I don’t know what to do either and like you said it terrifies me. Nothing makes sense. You know right before a thunderstorm when you feel the electricity in the air? That’s what it’s like but I can’t see the clouds yet. Just knowing that they’re coming is making my skin crawl and I don’t know what direction they’re coming from so I have no way of knowing where to run. The dreams aren’t about Jude, well not all of them. They’re not about anyone I know, it’s confusing but maybe that’s the whole point. I have dreams about some faceless person or something trying to take Jude.. I understand that fear, I know where it’s coming from but they aren’t the dreams that scare me. It’s the ones I can’t understand that scare me. There’s nothing I can do to change anything so I just.. I don’t know what the hell is going on and it’s driving me insane.” She took a frustrated breathe as her eyes fell to their intertwined fingers.

He cupped her cheek and made her look back into his eyes, “I’m here Liz. Serena and Sam are here. Hell your entire I know an alien club is here and they are backing us up but right now they’re really worried about you. You need to breathe. You need to sleep. Jude needs you at your best and I.. I just need you. I need you Liz. I wouldn’t know what to do if..” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, “the further you fall into whatever pit you’re keeping from everyone. I can't do this on my own. Whatever it is that’s scaring you, we can talk it out until you feel just a little bit better. You need to let me take care of you and I can’t do that if you’re hiding. Isn’t that what this whole partnership.. bond thing is supposed to be about? Leaning on each other?”

Liz pulled back slightly, “who are you and what did you do with Dean Winchester?”

“What? You think some of your smarts haven’t rubbed off on me yet? Someone’s gotta smack some sense back into you and honestly I didn’t want it to be Serena or Ava. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold them off much longer. Don’t even get me started on Maria..”

She chuckled softly, “thank you.. for giving me time and looking out for me.”

“I’m a father now. It’s kind of my job.”

Liz leaned against him, kissing his lips softly. “Your parents would’ve been proud at the man you’ve become Dean. I’m proud.”

He watched her quietly for a few seconds and then a grin slowly appeared, “of course you are.. you domesticated me.” Liz giggled as he lifted her onto his lap and pulled her against him. “And I really love sleeping on a comfortable bed.”
~~

A few days later Liz woke to a dark unfamiliar place. She walked slowly towards the only light coming from an open window on the other side of the room. She froze when she noticed the large bed next to the pool of light but couldn’t tell if anyone was in it. Her heart stopped as she waited, squinting into the dark looking for any sign of someone else until movement from the bed caught her eye. She recognized Vilandra as she walked across the room then averted her eyes as the pale light from the moon highlighted her very naked body. Liz heard the soft click of a door closing and looked back towards the bed. It always involved him, Khivar had to be there. She couldn’t see any other movement and she wondered how she was there if he wasn’t. Every other dream seemed to revolve around him but she didn’t see him anywhere. She jumped when he came out of the shadows from the other side of the bed, walking straight towards her. Liz took a few steps back as he approached but his eyes never seemed to focus on her. She felt the tension in her back ease as he moved swiftly by her to a door. He glanced back for a moment towards the other side of the room that Liz figured was the direction that Vilandra had gone and then left the room.

Liz didn’t have much time to think of what to do because time seemed to fast forward and she found herself in a large room. She could easily tell she was in another palace because this one was so much different from the other. Where the first one had silver and gold everywhere, this one was covered in some variation of a brilliant emerald green with flecks of a white opal. There was still brushed marble under her feet but the coloring was lighter. She heard a door and saw him enter, look around, then move swiftly for another door. This seemed to continue as she was pulled through two hallways and two other rooms before he turned to a man in a royal uniform and whispered in his ear. The uniformed man pressed something on a panel and then Khivar moved away with a small smile. Once again time sped forward and she found herself behind him as he entered a grand looking ballroom with large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling once again colored with emerald crystal or glass dotted with varying sized opals and large paintings on the walls.

Her attention was drawn to another part of the room by a loud crash where she saw Zan come through a large door. He was flanked by another striking man and the two guards from the garden followed closely behind them. “Spread out and search the room!” Zan voice echoed around the large room.

Liz glanced back to where Khivar had been but she couldn’t see him anywhere. She turned back to Zan and noticed more men filtering into the room and a woman with long, flowing curls of blonde hair who must have come from another door headed straight for Zan and then she heard Vilandra yelling from yet another direction. “What the hell is going on? What do you think you’re doing?!”

Liz turned to see Vilandra rush forward towards Zan as he yelled right back, “You should know when you let him in!”

Once Vilandra made it to him, she didn’t hold back as she got in his face yelling about his inflated ego. The other woman had reached him at about the same time and must have been able to get them to lower their voices because Liz could no longer hear what they were saying. She moved towards them but when she was almost able to understand their hushed angry voices, an explosion rocked the ground. Chaos reigned as guards rushed from all angles towards Zan and she could hear him scream for someone to get Ava to safety. The two guards from the garden lifted the woman she assumed was Ava as she kicked and screamed to stay with Zan.

Vilandra grabbed Zan’s arm and the two had seemed to stare at one another for a moment before Vilandra looked away, her face knotted in confusion. Liz looked towards the direction Vilandra stared off in and noticed Khivar who seemed to be standing out in the open yet no one was going towards him. Liz’s eyes flicked back to Vilandra and the confusion on her face had changed to.. pain? Maybe desperation? Liz couldn’t put her finger on it and then it hit her as Vilandra’s hand moved to her waist and she caught the gleam of a small blade. This is what Evelyn had told her about.

Liz couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched Vilandra’s hand move fluidly as if she had planned this moment for quite some time but her beautiful face contradicted her own movements. It was contorted in pain, agony even as the tears streaked down her cheeks. How did Zan not see this? Liz’s eyes moved to him but he was yelling at some guards and didn’t see the dagger moving straight towards his heart. Liz looked away unable to watch what she knew was about to unfold. Screams broke out and Liz recognized one of the devastated voices as Vilandra. She glanced up and more movement caught her eye away from Zan but for a moment she couldn’t look away as he lay on the floor with a dagger sticking in his chest while his sister cried over his body. She dragged her gaze away and towards the movement where she saw the woman Zan had called Ava still trying to get back to him. Liz saw the air waver in front of Ava and then she seemed to morph into Khivar. Liz glanced back to where she saw him before and he was still standing there with that demented smile splashed across his face.

Liz’s confused gaze turned back to Ava and saw the man that had flanked Zan earlier moving towards her quickly with a sword in hand. She realized that they were seeing Khivar instead of Ava as the girl held her hands out in front of her and screamed at the man running at her. “RATH! Please it’s not me! I’m Ava! It’s Ava please listen!” Ava closed her eyes but it was too late to do any good. Just before his sword was close enough to do any damage, she dodged him at the last second and sent what Liz assumed was an energy bolt to his back. The first show of power she had actually seen. A scream caught in Liz’s throat as a sword from another guard went through Ava’s back as her tormented gaze still lay on Rath. Liz couldn’t believe how quickly all of this was happening.

There were men with different colored uniforms filling the room now and Liz heard Khivar yell for Vilandra. She turned back to where Vilandra still had her head on her brother’s chest and saw Khivar moving towards her with his hand out. Vilandra looked up at her approaching lover, her face red from more than just the tears she continued to cry then looked back to her brother. In one swift motion she pulled the dagger from Zan’s chest and turned to Khivar whispering something Liz couldn’t hear as she plunged the blade into her own heart.

Liz screamed out, “STOP! JUST STOP! WHY AM I SEEING THIS?!”

The scene in front of her froze and then slowly melted away. Liz looked around her and saw nothing but the room fading away to black. She closed her eyes trying to force herself to wake when his voice made her jump. “You needed to see. You needed to know why it all happened.”

When her eyes popped open, she found herself in the garden from her earlier dreams but she still didn’t see anyone with her. “You’ve been sending me visions to make me understand you?”

“Of course. I needed you to know that I am not the bad guy.” Khivar stepped out from the shadows in the back of the garden and moved confidently towards her. He didn’t look any older than the man who just created all that chaos.

She didn’t let his confusing appearance throw her off. “How are you not the bad guy? You’re a damaged child who attacked when you didn’t get what you wanted. You were doing the exact same thing as he was, you hypocritical asshole!”

He plucked a large white flower from a tree and brought it to his nose as he continued towards her seemingly unaffected by her words. “Oh yes but because he was going off with his beloved Evelyn it’s all okay with you but then.. he did the same in his new life with you, didn’t he?”

Liz tried to hide her shock but knew it probably wouldn’t do much good on a dream plane. “Evelyn?”

He stopped in front of her with a small smile. He pulled the flower away from his nose and ran it down her arm. Liz tried to move away but found herself frozen in place. “That is how you know Zan’s advisor Svarenna, isn’t it? Her earth name, I believe.” He watched her closely, “ah, there’s the recognition. So she wasn’t as honest as she could have been with you, now was she?”

Liz’s eyes turned hard as she glared up at him, “what does she have to do with this? You tried killing your sister, why would you be so upset..”

His outburst shocked her, “BECAUSE SHE WAS MY SISTER!” He shook himself then the calm demeanor fell back over him, “I didn’t understand what I was doing to her at the time, all I knew was that they loved her more than me. I was a child, a confused and abused child. I learned my parents were at fault not Ava but she never looked at me the same. She would no longer call me brother but she was too young to hold that kind of grudge, my parents caused that.” His voice dropped to a low growl, “Zan caused that.”

“All you do is put the responsibility on everyone else. That’s your problem.”

“No, I made people deal with their faults, made them deal with their wrongs!”

“You made your true love kill her brother, you sick son of a bitch!”

He yelled, “THAT..” He calmed himself with a little shake of the head again and then threaded the flower in her hair, “that wasn’t my intention. She was just in the right place.” He laid his hands on her arms rubbing his thumb along her bare skin. The action reminded her of a similar one he had done with Vilandra. The thought made her shiver. “If she really loved me like I loved her..” He looked away for a second and then gazed back into her eyes, “she would have understood. She wouldn’t have turned the knife on herself.”

Liz's eyes narrowed, “you’re disgusting.”

“Elizabeth you need to understand.. you need to see.”

Liz couldn’t pull away as much as she tried so she screamed in his face, “I’VE SEEN ENOUGH! Why do I have to understand? I will NEVER see you as anything but what you are!”

His right hand came up to her face making Liz wince but instead of the sting she was expecting, she felt his hand gently caress her cheek. His action frightened her more than it should have, why did they always have to do that? She wished he’d just hit her but this was just a dream plane. It was his quick range of emotion that was really annoying if not slightly terrifying. She squeezed her eyes closed as the cold shiver ran up her spine. “Because my beloved.. you need to take your rightful place.”

Her eyes popped open, “what?”

“Your rightful place is by my side. Please this would be so much..”

She shook her head vehemently and was relieved she could still achieve the movement. “NO. No my rightful place is with my husband and son.”

Khivar shook his head yet that annoying grin stayed in place. “He isn’t worth your..”

She interrupted him, her voice seething. “He’s more than you could EVER be.”

He rubbed his thumb across her cheekbone then dropped his hand and took a step back, “I’m sorry you see it that way. I guess I’ll just have to try harder then, won’t I?”

Liz felt a pop with a long falling sensation and then her eyes snapped open. The room was dark and silent but she recognized the shadows that played across the wall, her wall. She felt Dean in bed beside her and turned to him, hearing his deep, even breathing. She felt the cold fear run down her spine as Khivar’s last words echoed in her mind. She moved over and wrapped her arm around Dean pressing herself against him. Immediately he turned and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her tight against him. She shivered again as she tried to shove Khivar’s face and the feel of his hands out of her mind. Dean must have felt her shiver and even though she could tell he was still asleep he ‘shh’ed’ quietly into her hair and held her tighter. She wanted to go back to sleep knowing she needed it but she couldn’t close her eyes. She couldn’t get his last words to stop ringing in her head. She burrowed deeper into Dean’s chest and just breathed him in hoping that they would figure something out. They had to figure something out, there was no other choice. She just didn’t know what it was they had to do and it felt like it was slowly suffocating her. She tried to stifle the silent sobs that were building with every failed attempt to rid the feeling of his hand on her face.

“Liz?” Dean's voice was groggy but alert.

She wanted to say something to calm him but her throat felt like it had swollen shut and she knew if she tried to speak now nothing but sobs would escape. This only seemed to make her internal sobs stronger.

His voice was urgent as he disentangled himself from her and cupped her face, “what is it? Liz talk to me, you’re scaring me.”

Her eyes opened, releasing the dam as the tears and sobs poured from her. He pulled her head back to his chest holding it there as his other hand rubbed her back trying to soothe her. He saw the door open and a head pop in. He pointed to Jude and hoped whoever it was would get the message to take him out before the noise woke him. The tall, slim figure who he figured was Serena moved swiftly over to the crib and carefully picked him up. He saw his brother’s unmistakable outline fill the doorway and Serena moved by with Jude. Dean waved his brother away and he shut the door quietly behind him.

Dean wasn’t sure what more to do for her but let her cry it out. She had never been like this before but with all the pressure and fear she’d been under plus the exhaustion, this shouldn’t be so alarming. But there was something else that seemed to whisper at the edge of her fear. Something more that had tipped her over the edge. He felt the ice cold fear that ran down her spine when she had clung to him that ripped him out of his deep sleep. Whatever she had dreamt about had been really bad and the fact that she reached for him instead of Jude made him wonder if the dreams weren’t just torturing her with Jude’s kidnapping or death but his own as well.

He got flashes of a garden and a palace, of people that he had never seen before but none of it made sense. He recalled their conversation from a few days before, her talking about dreams like this but why did they scare her so badly? He continued to rub her back and smooth down her hair as he whispered that they were all safe until the crying slowly tapered to hiccupping breathes until she finally fell back to sleep. He just hoped that his words were true and prayed that she’d tell him what could put this kind of fear in her. No one could be this tortured by senseless dreams that she couldn’t make head or tails of. There was something in them that hit her hard and he intended to find out exactly what that was.