Roswell Fanatics

BelieveInTrueLove, That's a good concern, wondering if Michael will have enough energy to make it to the Granolith.

Kath, I've always been curious about the dupes. Especially since Ava seemed so nice. I always thought that Zan had to have been at least half decent if Ava loved him. Is it that whole nature vs. nurture at work? It seemed from the show that Ava was considered to be low on the ladder of significance to the NY set. Is that what made her nice? Because she was the 'runt', so to speak? So I've tried to write on the fence when it comes to the dupes. In this one, I've tried to show that they're a lot rougher than the Roswell set...more violent. But that underneath it all, they have the same fears. Plus, they're adults now...not the same punks from the show. Ok, I've blathered on about this enough. I just wish this was something they would have explored more on the show. Along with a list of 50 other things.

LTL, You're not forgetting anything.

Breathless, Thank you! Congratulations to you, too! You had a sweep!

jason's lover, Awww, disaster? Have a little faith, my friend.

cherie, :::looking up sleeve::: Nope, nothing there.

Gigo, The white shirts have been bugging you? Man, you grasp on to the smallest of details, don't you?;) You'll get your answer, uh, not in this part.

frenchkiss, Breathless, BehrObsession, Yes, poor Liz having to hang around with her parents instead of having wild monkey sex with Max in Cal's private jet. I can't let them have too much fun. You know me.

Craig Beatty, Yes...quite ominous.

Sternbetrachter, Who did he call? Not Ghostbusters, that's for sure.

~~Dreamer~~, Well first and foremost, congratulations on slogging through this entire thing in a day. Second, thanks for the feedback!

sonii, Thanks! And thanks for the feedback!

Tasyfa, Well, thank goodness he's not flying commercial, then.

woodwinds, Come on now, Max's plan can work! Max's plans always...um...ok, maybe not always, but this one might.

Sali103, Thanks!

FallenMagic, Thanks, and I see you've updated Shadows. I must get over and catch up.

mitra, Thanks!

RedRoze, Thank you! Yes, Cal knows about the other timelines. He didn't see everything, though. Congrats on school being over!

paper, Heh, that is a good line. I think I might start using that in everyday life. Like, when the UPS man comes.

jbangelo, Welcome, new reader! Hey, good thing you like angst. I've got truckloads of it. Thanks for the congrats. I have to admit I was scratching my head over the Candy Fic one. I never intended this to be Candy, but I guess it morphed somewhere along the way.

vegas, Where ya been? Vacation? Space Bimbos. Sounds like a porno.

Thanks for all the feedback, and thanks again for all the congrats for the awards. I'm still a bit overwhelmed by them. Sorry this is a day late, but I've been reformatting my completed fics (along with some serious re-editing...good God, they're full of mistakes!) for HTML for a friend to post on her site. It's been a while since I reread Ruins, but...sniff...it was kind of sad, wasn't it? I didn't realize. Maybe I was depressed when I wrote it. But I'll still be back Friday with a new part.



Part 60

Countdown: 8 hours

Isabel can’t believe it when she realizes that Alex is pulling up the driveway to her parent’s house at 7pm. “Alex, I thought we were going back to the hotel.” She’s wanted to be alone with him all day, but he insisted on taking her to breakfast. Then the quarry. Then a picnic in the park, and twenty other places around Roswell. Not that it all hasn’t been incredibly romantic and sweet, but it is her last day on this planet. She thought they could spend some alone time together before she leaves.

“Soon. Don’t get overheated, we’ll get there eventually.” Alex winks at her and gets out of the car, jogging around to open the passenger door for her.

She narrows her eyes at him and follows him up the front yard intending to go to the front door. But he turns abruptly and takes her hand, leading her around to the back of the house. When she sees why, she’s stunned, her eyes immediately flooding with tears. “Alex,” she whispers and looks up at his beaming face.

“You guys coming? I just put the hot dogs on.” Her dad is standing in front of the outdoor fire-pit, wearing an apron that says ‘Licensed to Grill’ with two hamburgers and an open hotdog bun underneath forming 007. She laughs as she brings her hand up to her mouth and looks over to see her mom, Max, Liz, Michael and Maria playing cards. Then she hears Zan yelling about someone cheating and she looks over to see him, Ava, Kyle and Serena playing Monopoly.

“Come on, I think they even got marshmallows.” Alex tugs her into the backyard just in time to hear Liz laughing and Max complaining that something’s not fair.

“Suck it up, Evans. Liz is right, you suck at poker,” Michael smirks as Max rolls his eyes and throws his cards down on the table.

“Isabel, come over here and take your brother’s place,” her mom calls her over. “He’s out of chips.” She says this as she gathers the chips from the middle of the table and adds them to her own formidable pile in front of her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Countdown: 5 hours

As the game playing, hot dog eating, and marshmallow roasting winds down, Max and Liz find themselves on the hammock lying side by side staring up at the stars.

“I really wish your parents would have come,” Max says. When Liz told him how it went this afternoon with them, he felt incredibly guilty. His parents invited them over, but they said they just couldn’t go to a party and pretend like nothing had happened.

“Me, too. My dad is just so angry and confused. And my mom, she won’t stop crying.” With a sigh, Liz absently places her hand over her stomach as Max rocks the hammock back and forth with his foot.

They can hear a momentary swell in the volume from the other side of the yard and they turn to see everyone gathered around the fire talking. Max watches his sister as she leans close to their mom and smiles at something Michael’s saying. She’s changed so much in the last six months. She’s happier. The three of them have always been close, but seeing her now surrounded by real family and friends, something she’s never really had, he’s finally seeing the Isabel he remembers. The Isabel he knew before they realized they weren’t meant to be on this world.

They had only been in school for a few days. Isabel found Michael the first day they were there and they quickly realized that he was like them, they remembered him. And when he told them about the first foster home he was sent to and how much he scared them by making the table float off the ground, they all knew that they had to keep their abilities a secret. Because after that, Michael was sent to live with an awful man who was mean to him and hit him. To their young minds, Max and Isabel thought they got one chance with nice people and if you blew it you got sent to someone like Hank.

It was just the three of them after that, vowing to never tell anyone about themselves, to blend in and be normal. As much as they blamed him and yelled at him for healing Liz that day in the Crashdown, though, he can’t help but look at them now and think that it was better for everyone that he did. Michael was always so quiet, lonely. Now look at him. He’s over there laughing and telling stories with his wife by his side.

And Isabel. He’s never seen her like this, in love. She seems softer, so unlike the hard person she always projects to everyone around her. Love is a funny thing. He shifts his head to look at Liz and he smiles, placing his hand on top of hers.

The silence is pierced by the sound of his cell phone and he knows what it means. Everyone who would be calling him is here, so it must be Cal. And it must mean Tess and Lonnie have shown up.

“Yah?” he answers and Liz looks at him with a worried frown on her face. “I’ll be right there. Keep your eye on them.” He ends the call and leans over to place a kiss on Liz’s forehead. “They’re there.”

As he maneuvers himself out of the hammock, she follows him and says, “I’m going with you.”

He sighs and says, “Liz, you don’t have to do this.”

She steps up to him and says, “I know I don’t. But you can share a little of the responsibility. You don’t have to do everything alone.”

Max doesn’t get a chance to respond because everyone else heard his phone ring, too and they’re all looking at him expectantly.

“We have to go,” he announces and looks at his watch. “We’re leaving at three, so that gives you about four and a half hours to get out there.”

Michael stands up and says, “I’ll go with you.”

“No.” Max shakes his head. “Stay here. I’ve got it taken care of.” He feels Liz step closer to his side and he turns to his parents. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

They quickly stand up and walk away from the group with Max. When they’re out of earshot, Diane hugs Max close and says, “We’ll be there, too. To say goodbye.”

Max nods and smiles at his dad over his mom’s shoulder. “Good. But can you do me a favor?”

Diane pulls away and says, “Of course, anything.”

“Can you call the Parkers and try to convince them to come with you?”

“We were going to do that anyway, Max. They’re just in shock right now. I know they’ll regret it if they don’t settle things with Liz before she goes,” Phillip says. “If I have to physically drag that stubborn mule out there, I will.”

Max smiles and says, “Thanks. I know it’ll mean a lot to Liz if they come to say goodbye.” He hugs his dad briefly and they rejoin the group.

“Ready?” Max asks Liz. “We probably won’t have time to come back to town. Is there anything you need?”

“I think I have everything,” she says with a brave smile, feeling anything but brave. Especially since she can see Maria starting to cry from the corner of her eye.

Max brushes her hair behind her ear and smiles back. “Ok.”

Finally, reluctantly, Liz looks over to see Maria and Alex standing side by side. She plasters a smile on her face and says, “I’ll see you guys in a little while.”

They both nod, Alex bravely trying to comfort Maria and Maria already with tears rolling down her cheeks. Liz walks over and puts her hands on both of Maria’s cheeks. “Don’t you start crying yet. You won’t have enough for later. Besides, I’m gonna see you in a few hours.”

“Ok. Just, be careful,” Maria says with a sniffle.

“I will.” Liz gives her a quick hug and squeezes Alex’s hand before turning and leaving with Max.

~~~~~~~~~~

On their way out to the cave, Max asks, “Are you sure you don’t wanna stop and pick anything up?”

She gives him a long look and says, “I have everything I need.”

He smiles and grabs her hand and they make the rest of the drive in silence not noticing the headlights following them at a distance. They pull up about a half mile from the cave and see the car Cal came out in and a limo parked next to it. They get out of the car and see Stephanie rummaging in the trunk of the limo.

She looks up at them and says, “Hello. Mr. Langley is waiting for you just over the hill.” She turns and points toward a thick copse of trees.

“Thanks.” Max sees that the trunk of the limo is packed with bags and he wonders if they’ll be able to bring all of that with them.

Max and Liz make their way toward Cal as quietly as they can in the dark. They finally see him crouched down in some bushes with binoculars trained in the direction of the cave. “Cal,” Max whispers and sees Cal motion them forward with his hand.

“They’re just sitting there now. They’ve been in and out of the cave several times. Looks like they’re just waiting now.” He hands the binoculars to Max so he can see.

Max sees Tess and Lonnie sitting side by side in the dirt, throwing rocks, bored. “Have you seen any Skins?”

“Two. I’m pretty sure that’s all there is. One is about twenty feet to the south, the other to the north,” Cal says.

“Alright.” Max lowers the binoculars and hands them to Liz. “Two is doable.” He stands up and takes a deep breath. Pushing his fear aside, he says, “Let’s get this over with.”

When they arrive in the clearing, Tess gives Max an impatient look, as though having to sit out there and wait for him has been an inconvenience to her and he should feel bad. “Jesus, took you long enough.” She rolls her eyes and stands up before taking in Liz’s presence. Narrowing her eyes, she says, “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Liz responds, raising her eyebrows in disdain.

“Hey brother, you weren’t plannin’ on goin’ home without me, were ya?” Lonnie stands up next to Tess and fixes Max with a smirk.

“Actually, yes,” Max answers.

“You sure didn’t try to hard to keep yourselves hidden. One benefit of being a guest of the FBI…People Magazine,” Tess says. “Your second’s picture was in there every other week. We appreciate your effort to make it easier for us to find you.” She smirks and makes a small jerking motion with her head.

Liz sees one of the Skins step out of the trees from the corner of her eye and she turns toward him. He has a gun in his hand and he’s just raising it when she throws her hand up and blasts him. Just as she sees him reduced to a cloud of floating skin, she hears another gun go off and feels a sting in her leg. Max throws her behind him and puts his shield up between them and the other Skin.

“Damn. That stung,” she mutters as she leans down and places her hand over her thigh, healing it.

Max glances back and asks, “You ok?”

“Yah. Put it down.” She motions toward his shield and she throws her arm up, blasting the Skin that shot her before swinging up both arms toward Tess and Lonnie. She sees that Cal and Max are in a similar stance.

Tess looks bored, but impressed. “Wow. Nice bodyguard you have there, Max.”

“That was a shitty thing to do, turning us over to the Feds,” Lonnie says to Cal. “But see, that’s all water under the bridge now. We’re goin’ back home, and I guess I should thank you for startin’ up the ride for us.”

“You’re not coming with us,” Max says, his arm raised toward her, at the ready.

Tess smirks and says, “Oh, we know. We’re going without you.” She suddenly looks over at Liz, then, and smiles slowly as her eyes drift to Liz’s midsection. “Except maybe you. Looks like someone has a little royal bun in the oven.”

Lonnie looks over then, too, and smiles. “Well, surprises all around, then. Khivar’ll bust a nut when we bring the heir with us.”

While Tess and Lonnie are congratulating themselves, Liz is waiting for Cal to make his move, but in a split second she sees Tess shoot a powerful blast right at Max’s chest and he falls next to her. “Max!” She raises her shield, creating a bubble around them and drops down next to him. There’s so much blood already and she tries to heal him with her free hand but it’s not working. “No, Max! Come on!”

As she pours more of her energy into trying to heal him, her shield weakens and she feels a tug in the back of mind. It’s almost as if she can hear Max yelling at her from far away. As she lets her shield fade, she can hear him getting louder and louder until she can just make out the words, but it’s too late.

“…a mindwarp!” She hears it a split second before someone barrels into her and knocks her down on the ground.

“Shit!” She has dirt in her mouth and she’s lying face down on the ground. Able to turn her head slightly to the side, she can see a brief flash of blonde hair. “Get the fuck off me you cow!” she spits, trying to clear her mouth.

She feels a burning sensation in her back as she struggles to roll over. A few feet away to her left where she can’t see, she can hear a struggle and assumes Lonnie, Max and Cal are fighting. She tries to throw her shield up but she can see a blast directed at Tess fly over her head and assumes it’s coming from either Max or Cal. So she holds off, hoping one of their blasts will catch her first.

The burning in her back is getting worse, but she can also feel her body healing itself even as Tess burns her. She bucks up off the ground, trying to throw Tess off, but she has a death grip on her hair and she’s pressing her face into the ground. Liz finally gets her face turned the other direction and sees Max leaning over Lonnie, who’s lying prone on the ground, and Cal turns toward her and Tess, his arm raised, ready to blast.

But before he gets there, a shot rings out from the west and the weight and pressure on her back suddenly goes away. When she feels Tess roll off her, Liz scrambles away on her belly and flips around to see Tess lying right behind her staring sightlessly up to the sky, a bullet hole in the middle of her forehead.

Liz and Cal freeze and whip their heads in the direction the bullet came from and raise their hands. They hear the leaves rustling as someone walks through the woods closer to them. Finally, Liz sees a figure, both arms in the air.

“It’s ok, don’t shoot.” Jim Valenti comes into view with both hands in the air, his gun dangling from one of his fingers.

Shocked to see the sheriff there, Liz still hasn’t processed that he’s the one who shot Tess, mainly because she can smell the odor of burning flesh and it’s making her nauseous. She turns and sees Max rushing toward her, his eyes trained on Valenti, the charred remains of Lonnie on the ground behind him.

Jim stops at the edge of the clearing and slowly puts his gun on the ground. “Would you mind not pointing those at me?” He motions toward Liz and Cal’s hands and Liz lowers her arm and stands up.

“Sheriff?” Liz wipes the dirt from her face and reaches out to Cal, telling him to put his arm down. “What are you doing here?”

“Liz!” Max reaches her, his eyes wide in horror and staring at her back.

She reaches her hand up and winces when she feels burnt skin. She also realizes that the entire back of her shirt is burnt away. “Shit, I thought this shirt would last more than an hour.”

Max looks up at Valenti in suspicion. “You followed us.”

Jim nods and says, “Good thing I did.” He looks toward the ground where Tess is laying.

“You shouldn’t have interfered,” Cal says.

“Way I see it, that woman there was trying to kill Miss Parker. And all you did was throw a few of those blast things at her,” Valenti challenges. “Who was she? I recognize her, three years ago, the feds took her.” He’s still looking at Tess, but has stepped a little closer.

“She’s like us,” Max says.

They watch Valenti walk closer to Tess and he takes his hat off. “That’s just something. I saw everything you did.” He turns to Liz with a look of astonishment on his face. He half-smiles and scratches at the back of his head. But his gaze falls to her back and he frowns and looks at Max. “Aren’t you gonna heal that?”

Max looks surprised for a moment, then shakes his head. “She can do it herself.” He sighs in resignation. There’s no point in trying to hide anything from him anymore. He obviously knows everything anyway.

Jim looks over and his mouth drops open when he sees Liz’s back transform to smooth, healthy skin right before his eyes. “Oh my God.” He looks up at her face to see her smiling sadly back at him. “Are you…did they make you like them?”

She simply shakes her head and steps toward him. Glancing down at Tess’ dead body, she looks back up at him and says, “Thank you. You really shouldn’t have gotten involved in this, but still, thank you.” She doesn’t acknowledge that Cal probably would have gotten Tess off her within seconds, or that she could have thrown her shield up and taken care of Tess herself. Because what he did should mean something.

“Well, I figure I owe you,” Valenti says, unable to keep the pride from his voice. He turns to Max and asks, “So they were like you, but you came here to kill them, didn’t you?”

“They were our enemies, yours, too,” Max says.

Valenti nods and sets his hat back on his head. “So I guess we need to get rid of the bodies.”

“We’ll take care of it. You can go,” Cal says dismissively, clearly not wanting to tolerate his presence any longer.

Jim ignores him and says, “Kyle told me you’re leaving. Are there others like them here?”

“No,” Max says. “But there are others, another race. Serena will help you spot them.” He puts his arm around Liz and looks down at her. “Are you ok?” He puts his hand over her stomach, relieved to feel the connection to their daughter as strong as ever.

“I’m fine,” she says with a smile. “But I’m wishing now that we’d stopped and gotten an extra shirt.” She can’t fix this one with her powers, the entire back is missing. She can’t create something from nothing.

Max looks down and realizes with a grimace that he doesn’t have anything on under his. He shrugs and starts to pull it over his head anyway, but the Sheriff says, “Here, take mine.” He unbuttons his uniform shirt and drapes it over Liz’s shoulders, helping her arms through.

Liz looks up at him in bewilderment and says, “I couldn’t…”

“Take it. I have more where that came from.” Valenti shrugs. “So, about these bodies? Should we bury them?”

“I’ll take care of it,” Cal says to Max. “Go take care of this mess.” He nods towards the sheriff before leaning down and dragging Tess’ body away.

~~~~~~~~~~

Countdown: 1 hour

Kyle, Serena, Zan and Ava are the first ones to arrive. When they step into the clearing, they’re initially relieved to see that there’s no sign of Tess and Lonnie. But then they see Max and Liz sitting with Kyle’s dad.

“Dad! What are you…” Kyle rushes toward them, noticing that his dad is sitting there in his undershirt.

“It’s ok, Kyle.” Liz looks up at him with a smile on her face and he notices that she’s wearing his dad’s uniform shirt.

“Uh, right. So…” He looks around the clearing, wondering what’s going on.

“It’s taken care of, Kyle. Your dad kind of helped us out,” Liz says, continuing to surprise him with every word out of her mouth.

“So where’s that bitch sister of mine? Please tell me she died a fiery, painful death.” Zan walks forward, his hand intertwined with Ava’s.

“Something like that,” Max tells him.

“Good. Still think you shoulda let me do it,” Zan postures, but Max can tell by the way he’s fronting that his decision to not ask Zan to help was the right one. Zan’s a lot of talk, but Max knows it wouldn’t have been as easy to kill his sister as he makes it sound.

Valenti is openly staring at Ava and Liz notices. “This is Ava. She looks like Tess, but she’s with us.”

“Ok.” Then his gaze moves to Zan, then back to Max. “I…I never realized there were two of you. There was talk around town, but I just thought…”

“That I liked to dress weird sometimes?” Max offers.

“Hey, I ain’t the one that dresses weird, preppy boy,” Zan objects.

“I hate to break up the introductions, but what are you doing here, Dad?” Kyle asks again.

Jim stands up and puts his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it later.” He turns to Max and Liz, who are also standing, and says, “Well, I guess I should be going.”

Liz steps forward and grabs his hand and smiles up at him. “Thank you, again. Take care of everyone for us, would you?”

“Of course.” He nods with a smile and turns to Max. The two shake hands and Jim says, “It’s an honor to know you.”

Max grips his hand and says, “Thank you.”

As the sheriff walks back into the woods toward his car, he looks back and tips his hat, and then he’s gone.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Kyle says, “Ok, that was weird.”

Serena turns to Cal and asks, “Did everything go as planned?”

“Not exactly,” Cal says with an eye roll. “Cowboy Sheriff came riding in and shot Tess.”

“So where are Tess and Lonnie?” Serena asks.

Cal points into the woods and says, “About thirty feet that way. They’re ash, no one’s gonna find them.”

“Huh.” Serena stands there, looking around at everyone. “So I guess that’s that.”

“Kinda anti-climactic. We were expecting to find lots of bloody gore and walking wounded when we got here,” Kyle says.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” Liz rolls her eyes.

“Do I wanna know why you’re wearing my dad’s shirt?” Kyle eyes the too-big shirt hanging almost to Liz’s knees with the sleeves rolled up.

“Mine got sort of singed.” She shrugs and grabs Max’s hand. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” She tugs him toward the woods, away from everyone.

“What is it?” Max puts his hand under her shirt in the back to check that she healed it completely.

She pulls his hand out with a smile and says, “I thought I could spend my last hour on Earth alone with you, if that’s ok.”

He tugs her close to him and says, “Good idea.” before he leans down and kisses her.

When he moves down to her neck, she falls against him with a sigh and says, “You know, we don’t know what to expect when we get there. This could be the last time we’re alone for a while.”

“That’s a valid point,” he whispers as he tugs on her earlobe with his teeth. He steps forward a few feet until he has her pressed back against a tree and says, “We should probably take advantage of what ever time we have.”

“Oh, yah,” she moans when she feels his hands snake up under her shirt.

~TBC~

tequathisy, boy, you and Gigo just don't let go of those little things, don't you?;):lol: There will be an answer for Max's 'especially now' comment later.

Sternbetrachter, yes, that was the phone call Alex made.

Itzstacie, :::sliding a box of tissues your way:::

woodwinds, Valenti's like a dog with a bone. And I wanted to make it clear that he's really a good guy.

RedRoze, you might wanna keep those tissues handy.

cherie, :::looks up other sleeve::: Nope.

frenchkiss, I think Liz and Cal could have easily taken care of Tess. But it happened so fast and before they knew it, Jim stepped in and did it for them.

BelevnDreamsToo, At least Max learned how to see through a mindwarp.

Kath, yes.

paper, Max can see through the mindwarps because Zan and Ava showed him how. Liz can't, though. And no, no baby supplies. I don't think they have room for diapers.

I am a dreamer, Boy, I hope so, too!;)

babylisou, Welcome! And thanks for reading! It's not ending anytime soon.

Milla, I didn't think Tess and Lonnie deserved a long, drawn out battle. The group has bigger fish to fry and those two are definitely guppies.

BelieveInTrueLove, Tess was trying to kill Liz, but didn't know Liz had the ability to heal herself as she was trying to fry her. Unlike Lonnie, apparently. No, Serena didn't activate the orb. We already know what the message is that's on it. So do Max and Liz.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Hope you all have a great 4th of July!


Part 61

Countdown: 30 minutes

Michael and Maria ride out to the reservation with Isabel and Alex so that Maria and Alex can drive back together. The drive is unnaturally silent, which Alex can’t help but think strange, considering Maria is in the car.

They see three other cars parked when they pull up and Cal is standing with Kyle and Serena by the limo and a big pile of bags. No one makes a move to get out of the car. As if getting out of the car will make leaving the planet an irreversible decision. As if the car is their anchor to this world and if they just stay inside of it, they’ll stay here.

Finally, Isabel takes a deep breath and opens her door. She’s anxious to see for herself that Tess and Lonnie are taken care of. She still can’t believe Max plans on taking them. It’s a mistake she hopes they don’t pay for later.

“Hey guys,” Kyle calls out in greeting.

“What’s all this?” Alex asks, motioning toward the bags.

“A few supplies for everyone. Going there empty handed is probably not a good idea,” Cal says. “Let’s all grab one and get down there, the others are waiting.”

Everyone grabs a backpack and heads through the trees and down the hill toward the cave. When they get to the clearing, Maria only sees Zan and Ava waiting. “Where’s Liz?”

“Where are Tess and Lonnie?” Isabel asks, not knowing what Max’s plan really was.

Cal dumps a couple of backpacks on the ground and says, “Max and Liz are…I don’t really know where they are. They went off into the woods about a half hour ago. And I’ll let him explain where Tess and Lonnie are.”

Michael walks over to the cave and looks in, expecting to see Tess and Lonnie tied up inside but he doesn’t see anything besides the glowing Granolith. He starts to get a bad feeling about what really happened out here just as he sees Max rush out into the clearing from the trees.

He’s straightening his shirt and running a hand through his hair and Michael shakes his head. “Taking in some nature, Maxwell?”

Max smiles slightly before walking over to inspect the bags. “What’s in here?” he asks Cal and Stephanie.

“Each bag has a flashlight, rain poncho, stun gun, extra batteries, a few protein bars and a bottle of water, don’t know how long the walk will be after landing. I drew a rough map of the capital city, Alterious, and the outlying areas and towns. On the back is a layout of the palace as I remember it. It could all be different now, but Larek surely has any information you would need. You’ll also find two-way radios, sunglasses, hats and sunscreen.” Off Max’s confused look, he explains, “Two suns. Your human skin will be fried within hours if it’s not protected. That’s why I told you to wear white.”

“So what’d you do with Tess and Lonnie?” Michael asks.

“They’re dead. And I didn’t say anything because I don’t want my parents to know and I didn’t want you insisting on helping,” Max explains as quickly as possible, anticipating Michael’s questions before he can ask them.

“But…wait. They’re dead? Are you sure?” Isabel is confused at this turn of events.


“I’m sure,” Max says as he bends down and opens up one of the backpacks to inspect it.

Stephanie turns to Isabel and says, “I also took the liberty of including a brush, hair bands and feminine products in yours, Ava’s and Liz’s bags.”

“Uh, thanks.” Isabel didn’t think about the feminine products. She’s glad someone did.

Hearing Cal explain the sun’s effect on human skin, Max can’t help but ask, “So what should we be expecting as far as the people there? Will they look like us?”

“No.” It’s all Cal says before Liz walks out of the trees.

She notices everyone staring at her, most with a look of amusement. “What?”

Maria walks over and pulls a big twig out of the back of her hair and holds it out for her inspection. “Oh.” She looks toward Max and narrows her eyes at him. How could he have not told her she had twigs in her hair?

Serena looks at her watch and sees what little time they have left. “Max, you’ll need to secure the Granolith when you arrive. Remove the crystal and guard it with your life. It will be the only sure way you can get back.”

“Will it be safe from Khivar if he finds it?” Max asks.

“Yes, only you or your heir can activate it. That programming can be altered, but it would take someone who knows the Granolith’s technology, and it would take time. Between that and the fact that I won’t be there, it should be safe. But in Khivar’s possession, it’ll be harder to get to in an emergency.”

Max nods. He’ll make sure it’s hidden well and he’ll be giving the crystal to Liz. One, because he’ll be guarding her with his life and, by default, the crystal. Two, if something happens to him, she’ll have a way back. He looks at his watch and wonders where his parents are. “Fifteen minutes.”

He watches as Maria and Michael walk a few feet away, as well as Alex and Isabel. To give them some privacy, he motions Zan, Ava and Liz over toward the opposite side of the clearing with Kyle, Serena, Cal and Stephanie.

“Man, I feel like an ass in this shirt,” Zan complains, looking down at the long sleeved, white t-shirt with the phrase, ‘May The Force Be With You’ in bold black letters across the front.

“It’s all I had. You’re lucky I had a white shirt,” Kyle says. “And don’t be bashing the force. Just turn it inside out.”

“Oh yah, I didn’t think of that.” Zan quickly pulls the shirt over his head and turns it inside out.

“I wonder where your parents are,” Liz says as she searches the woods. But as soon as the words are out of her mouth, she sees dark shapes moving toward them. She wonders why they waited so long to get out here, and gets her answer when they step into the clearing.

“Mom? Dad?” Her parents step cautiously into the clearing and look around, their gazes briefly stopping on the glow of the cave before moving to Liz. She glances up at Max and sees him smiling, happy that she’ll get to say goodbye to them.

“What are you doing here?” She’s not entirely convinced they’re here to say goodbye and she looks at them expectantly, waiting to hear their last plea that she stay. And maybe one last ‘I can’t believe this’ from her dad.

Nancy walks over to Liz and says, “We came to say goodbye, Liz. We uh…” She glances over at Diane before turning back to Liz. “We realized that we couldn’t let you go without letting you know how much we love you.” Nancy already has tears in her eyes and she pulls Liz close to her in a tight hug.

Jeff steps in close to his wife and daughter and runs his hand down Liz’s hair before turning to Max. “You swear to me that you won’t let anything happen to her.” His eyes are piercing, his voice angry.

“I’ll protect her with my life,” Max says quickly, meaning it with every fiber of his being.

“Me, too. With my life.” Zan nods toward Jeff and feels Ava grab his hand.

Jeff looks between the two men who look exactly alike and nods his head slightly, in acknowledgement, before he pulls Liz away from her mother to hug her.

Max turns to Zan and says, “Thank you.”

Zan shrugs and says, “I told you I owed you, and I owe her.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Promise me you’ll come back to me,” Maria cries into Michael’s neck, holding onto him as if her life depended on it.

“You know I can’t promise you that. But I promise to try,” he says. “You’ll be ok, Maria.

“No I won’t,” she pouts with a sniffle.

He pulls her face back so he can look at her and says, “I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“I want you to promise me that you won’t wait forever. I want you to live your life, and to be happy. If…if something happens to me, I wanna know that you’ll do that.” He wipes a tear from her cheek with his thumb and bends down to kiss her softly.

She shakes her head and says, “No. I’ll wait for you, because you’ll be back. I know you will.”

“Remember when we first met?” he asks, earning him a surprised look from Maria. She thinks for a moment and nods and he says, “It was the best day of my life.”

“What are you talking about? We were nine years old and you tripped me when I was running across the playground at recess.”

“Yah, but when you got up and started yelling at me and you called me a disgusting pig, I remember thinking that you looked really pretty when you were mad. After that I couldn’t get you out of my head. When you started singing, I always went to watch. I bought all your CDs and listened to them in my room so Max and Isabel wouldn’t find out. You weaseled yourself inside me that day when we were nine and I’ve loved you ever since.”

“Oh Michael…” Maria leans her forehead against his chest. “I love you, too, and I’ll forget that you just compared me to a rodent-like creature.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe this is it,” Isabel says as Alex leads her away from everyone else. She looks toward the cave apprehensively, not quite ready for whatever’s in store for her in there. “I’m not ready for this to be it.”

Alex grabs her shoulders and forces her to look at him. He can tell she’s on the verge of a panic attack. “Listen to me. You’ll be ok, and you’ll be back. I’ll never believe anything else, ever.” He would be panicking himself if it weren’t for the state she’s in. She doesn’t need to see him losing it. Contrary to his calm exterior, inside he’s scared to death. He’s scared for her and for Liz.

She swallows and nods her head along with him. “I’m scared.” Her voice is small, a whisper almost, as she looks toward the cave again.

“That’s good,” he tells her. “Scared is good. That means you’ll be careful, and you’ll do what you have to do to get home safe.”

He sees her chin quiver a little bit as she asks, “You’ll be here when I come back, right? You won’t find someone else?”

“Never. I’ll be waiting for you, Isabel Evans. You can be sure of that.” He pulls her close, never wanting to let her go. He’s determined to stay strong for her, to stay confident. “I love you. And if I have to wait until I’m 80, I’ll wait.”

She looks up at him with tears in her eyes and says, “I love you, too.” A strained sob escapes from her throat. “But don’t wait that long. If…if I don’t come back, don’t wait forever, Alex. I wouldn’t want you to.”

He wipes the tears from her face and says, “You’ll come back.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Countdown: 5 minutes

Liz is reluctant to break up the goodbyes. But after hugging her parents one last time, she walks over to Alex and says, “It’s time.”

He nods and when Isabel turns away to say goodbye to her parents, he hugs Liz close. “You better take care of yourself.”

“I will,” she says. “Take care of Maria. I’m counting on you.” Looking up at him, their gazes meet for a few moments. They’ve known each other so long that words aren’t needed. He nods slightly and pulls her close to him again and kisses the top of her head.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Parker,” he says, choking on her last name.

Liz squeezes him one last time and pulls away, unable to look up at him again and she immediately feels Maria pull her into her arms. “Are you sure about this? Don’t go unless you’re sure you’re coming back.”

“Maria, I wish I could tell you I was. I really do. But I’m sure about this,” Liz says, feeling Maria grip her tighter. She looks over Maria’s shoulder and sees Isabel and Max saying goodbye to their parents. Behind them, her dad is doing his best to comfort her mom. This is too hard, she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to get through this without falling apart.

She pulls away from Maria and picks up her backpack, arranging it over her shoulders. “You guys take care of each other and we’ll be back before you know it.” They both nod tearfully. “I’ll see you soon.” They all know they’re just words. Words that soften the blow of ‘goodbye’.

They both hug her one more time and she lets them go before they can see her break down. She’s fighting so hard to keep herself under control right now that her hands are shaking. Hell, her whole body is shaking. She doesn’t want to think about the possibility of not seeing them again. She can’t.

Kyle and Serena join her when she steps toward the cave. “Be careful, Liz. I’m counting on our kids being friends someday,” Kyle says.

“Me, too.” She smiles as he gives her a quick hug.

“Watch your back, and we’ll take care of everything here.” He hands Liz over to Serena quickly when he feels a lump build in his throat.

Serena studies Liz for a moment as she idly straightens the huge shirt Liz is wearing. Finally, she says, “You’re the bravest person I know, Liz Parker. And I’m glad to call you my friend.”

Liz smiles through her tears and says, “We’ll send word through Larek whenever we can.” She can’t say more than that and Serena seems to understand.

From the corner of her eye, Liz can still see Maria clinging to Alex’s arm and she can’t look. She closes her eye and tries to swallow. Tries to breathe.

~~~~~~~~~~

“We have less than five minutes. We need to go,” Max announces as he grabs Liz’s hand and walks into the entrance of the cave. When he turns around, he sees Cal standing next to him. “What? Did we forget something?”

“Me,” Cal says. “I’m going with you.”

Max studies him for a moment, then nods his head. He doesn’t have time to think about Cal’s decision. He watches as Isabel and Michael reluctantly pull themselves away from Alex and Maria. “You guys should probably go back by the cars so you don’t get hurt.” He looks toward his parents noticing that their calm façades are slowly fading. He knows they’re trying to remain strong in front of Liz’s parents and he’s grateful for it.

Alex has a sobbing Maria folded in his arms and Kyle and Serena are standing close by. Serena bows her head at him and he does the same back. He’s glad that she’s staying. At least one of them will be here to keep an eye out for their friends and family. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Liz raise her hand toward her parents just before they turn to begin the trek up the hill. He admires them for coming out here to say goodbye when they clearly didn’t want to.

He waits until it looks like everyone is finally headed into the trees and he grabs Liz’s hand and smiles thinly before stepping further into the cave.

Before they reach a point where they won’t be able to see out of the cave anymore, Liz turns her head back and sees Alex and Maria looking back at her. She raises her hand to them and tries to smile bravely. As she watches them turn and disappear into the trees, she hopes it’s not the last time she ever sees them.

~~~~~~~~~~

By the time the devastated group reaches the cars, the ground beneath them starts to rumble and they all turn around to look in the direction of the cave. The light seems to be glowing brighter from the opening, but then it blinks out.

They stand huddled in a group together and watch in both horror and awe as the top of the cave seems to break apart. Seconds later, the ground shakes even worse and they all gasp as the Granolith, transformed into a ship, shoots up out of the hillside and into the night sky without a sound, leaving a mess of broken rocks and trees behind.

Then, silence. The nine of them, eight humans and one remaining alien hybrid, stand frozen and staring up into the black night, at a trail of thin smoke leading from where the cave once stood and up toward the stars.

~TBC~

Tasyfa, Yes, a big round of applause for Administrative Assistants world-wide! Without them, life as we know it would probably grind to a hault.

tequathisy, Max & Twiggy. And yes, Stephanie knows. She's been in and out for a while now. Not a huge part, but I feel that her role is a pivotal one.:lol:

Gigo, Oy, stop thinking so much.



Part 62

Max isn’t sure what he expected, but this certainly isn’t it. In the moments before they took off, everything happened so fast. He was a little shocked when Cal told them he needed to shift to his natural form before he boarded the Granolith. And before he had a chance to catch his breath and recover from the surprise of Cal’s new appearance, he was being pulled by Zan into the Granolith.

There were so many colors and lights blazing around him that he felt like shielding his eyes. But just like with the visions they went through in the pod chamber cave, he found that he wasn’t able to move very well. Then everything went black and he felt gravity pull away from him and he knew they were going up.

Now he feels suspended, frozen, and he can’t move. He can’t see. He can’t see anyone else and his thoughts are all jumbled, as if everything’s distorted. Instead of the panic he expects to be feeling, though, he feels strangely peaceful. Silence and darkness surround him, but he can feel a steady hum of energy. He doesn’t know if he’s standing, sitting, or lying down. He just feels as if he’s in a cocoon.

Although he can’t see anyone else, he can feel their presence, so he doesn’t worry about it too much. He can feel the presence of his daughter the strongest and he holds onto it, savoring it. It’s almost as if she’s talking to him, telling him that everything is alright and that everyone is safe. He grasps onto the connection and realizes that he doesn’t really need to; she’s keeping their connection open by herself.

~~~~~~~~~~

Deciding it would be best to leave the reservation before anyone comes to investigate, Mr. Evans suggests they all meet back at their house. Stephanie says her goodbyes, showing more emotion than anyone has ever seen from her. She’s visibly shaken and awed by what she saw. But she tries her best to remain professional and she disappears into the limo and pulls away, carefully following the gravel road out to the highway. As Maria watches her go, she wonders what kind of person takes a job as an assistant to an alien. How does Cal know that she’ll stay quiet?

At the Evans’ house, Mrs. Evans makes a large pot of coffee, grateful for something to keep her busy, and they gather in the living room, still silent. Holding onto Alex as if he’s her lifeline, Maria’s glad that she at least has him here with her.

Finally, Nancy breaks the silence by asking, “How long will it take them to get there?” Her hands are shaking and Jeff grabs them between his hands and rubs them in an effort to calm her down. Maria notices that it doesn’t work so much.

Everyone looks at Serena and she says, “I’m not positive, but our original estimates for the transport of the Royal Four and myself were two Earth months.”

“Two months?!” Maria exclaims.

Serena looks at her in sympathy and explains, “That’s not so long considering that if an Earth ship tried to make the trip it would take a lifetime.”

Maria thinks about that a moment, realizing maybe for the first time how far away that is. “Can you tell us what’s happening to them? How they’ll spend that time on the ship? Are they awake?” Mr. Evans finally starts with the questions. She was wondering how long he’d last.

“They’ll be individually suspended. The ship will accommodate their different physiological needs, but they probably aren’t aware of much around them,” Serena explains. “When they arrive, they won’t be aware of how long it took them to get there.”

“But two months?” Maria still can’t comprehend it. “That’s like, four months just in traveling. Plus who knows how long they’ll be there.”

Alex grabs her hand in an effort to calm her down, knowing that she’ll get stuck on the two months thing and never move past it. He turns to Serena and asks, “So, in the meantime what can we do?”

Serena shrugs and says, “Not much. Wait. Larek should be contacting me in a few days and I’ll tell him they’re on their way. Hopefully that gives him enough time to prepare for their arrival.”

“Larek? Who’s that?” Jeff asks.

“He’s an ally, the ruler of another planet who has found a way to communicate through a human here,” Serena explains. “He knew they were coming, so I assume he’s already started getting ready.”

“Ready for what? What kind of preparations would he need to make?” Jeff asks, still not getting the whole picture from the little he learned earlier that day.

Serena looks from Jeff and Nancy to the Evans’ and says, “Our planet is not like Earth. There will be adjustments that will have to be made on both sides. Larek is probably already working on translators. Obviously, they won’t be speaking English on Antar. Also, the air is a little different there. Thicker. Human lungs won’t be capable of functioning for very long.”

“Wait, do they know this?” Mr. Evans asks, alarmed.

“Yes,” Serena answers. “That’s why it’s imperative that Larek be there when they arrive. I have no doubt that breathing devices will be available when they get there. Don’t worry, they will have time before they start to feel the effects. We found that our people are capable of adapting to your atmosphere, but not the other way around. And our technology was far superior to yours sixty years ago, it can only have gotten better since then.”

A silence falls over the room as everyone struggles to understand. It’s almost dawn and Maria’s exhausted. It feels like days since she’s slept. Wait, it has been. “Sorry about all the questions, Serena. But I guess you’ll have to get used to it,” Mr. Evans says apologetically.

“I understand. And if any of you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I don’t know if I’ll have a good answer, or any answer at all, but I’ll do my best,” Serena says as she stands up. “But if you don’t mind, I’m beat. And I’m on call tomorrow. Or today,” she says as she grimaces at her watch.

“No, no, of course. I think we all could use some rest,” Mrs. Evans says as she starts gathering empty coffee cups.

Maria still has a death grip on Alex’s hand as he pulls her up. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

Her grip tightens as she says, “You’ll stay with me, right?”

He nods and says, “Sure.”

They walk out at the same time Kyle and Serena do and as they get closer to the cars, Kyle asks, “So uh, what are you gonna do now? I mean, about staying in Roswell.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think either one of us has thought about it yet,” Alex says. “How about we meet for dinner tomorrow night, though, and we’ll talk?”

“Sounds good,” Kyle says. “No drinking, though,” he warns.

Alex smiles and says, “Definitely, no drinking.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael’s first thought after they blasted through the top of the cave was that they weren’t even gonna make it to the damn planet. They were all gonna die on the ship. But things have settled down now, at least as much as he can tell. He can’t even see anything, although he’s aware that his eyes are open and that he’s blinking. There’s a steady hum vibrating all around him and he feels alone. He senses no one around him.

The strange thing is that he’s not really worried about it. He knows they’re there, even though he can’t see or feel them. He actually feels comforted, surrounded by warmth. Serena told them about this, and she also said she didn’t know how long it would take them. It could be weeks, it could be months. He’s hoping for weeks.

His thoughts turn to Maria and he wonders what she’s doing. For all he knows, years could have already gone by on Earth and she’s moved on with her life. She could be raising their child with someone else. Or she could be alone and hating him for abandoning her. Oddly, neither of those thoughts worry him. Maria will be fine.

He can’t even get himself worried about what will happen when they land. He feels totally at peace, as if nothing could be more perfect.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shadows from the two suns follow him down the long palace hallway as he makes his way to his ruler’s office. The news he carries is urgent and he’s anxious. Everything is about to change, the lives of every Antarian are about to change forever. And he’s carrying the reason in his hands.

Bentrel looks down at the communiqué once more, the small green light at the top indicating that it’s been verified. He carries the small black disc carefully in both hands as he speeds up his pace. When he reaches the ornately carved Borelean wood door, it opens with a hiss before he barely has time to slow down. He glances at the small camera mounted outside the door as he passes through.

“I have an urgent communication from sector 3,” he says immediately and hands it over carefully.

Khivar takes it and slips the disc into a slot on the wall behind him. An image of his top research scientist appears and begins his message. “Sir, we have confirmed that the Granolith departed Earth and is on a trajectory toward Antar. We calculate that the Granolith has been on course for Antar for approximately six cycles, and the estimated time of arrival to be in two cycles. We do not know who, if anyone, is on board. But our signals also indicate that two more of the hybrids are dead. I will contact you the second we know more.” The scientist bows his head slightly and the image disappears.

Bentrel watches Khivar expectantly. He was expecting a little bit more reaction than, well, nothing. He stays silent, though, waiting for his response.

Slowly Khivar turns around and faces his aide. “Interesting, don’t you think, Bentrel?”

“Yes, sir,” Bentrel answers, knowing a further response isn’t required of him right now.

Khivar sits back in his large chair and folds his hands in front of him in thought. “And two more hybrids are dead. I’m afraid poor Tess and Vilondra have met their end. But the Granolith. Now that’s something. Do you suppose Zan is on board?”

“Hard to say, sir. We probably won’t know until it arrives.”

“Hmm. I am so very curious now.” Khivar’s voice is smooth and tinged with amusement. “Tell me, what do you think about this?”

Bentrel tenses, wondering how candid he should be. “I think that the Granolith will bring change for your people. If you control the Granolith, you will control the planet. Remaining rebels in outlying areas will have no choice but to stop fighting.”

“True, very true.” Khivar nods his head thoughtfully. “If Zan is on board, though, it will only bolster their cause. The bloodshed will increase.”

“Should I contact the council?”

“Yes. We have only two cycles to prepare. Contact the shifters, too. I’d like a representative here today,” Khivar finishes his orders and turns away from his aide, shifting his attention back to where it was before he came in.

“Yes, sir,” Bentrel says as he backs toward the door and bows his head. He quickly slips through the door and races back down the grand hallway to his own office. Waving a greeting to the familiar faces he passes, he makes it to his office and makes sure the door is secure once he’s inside. He pulls a small device from an opening in the wall, pushes the red button and waits. Within moments, a green light appears and he knows that his office is free of surveillance.

His position is a precarious one. And he knows Khivar has suspicions about his loyalties. But these are complicated times, and with this current turn of events, they promise to only get more complicated. He picks up the silver orb from his desk and quietly records a message. He presses lightly on the swirling emblem on the top and puts the orb down with a sigh, knowing that right now Larek is receiving his message that Khivar has obtained confirmation of the Granolith’s departure from Earth and is calling the council together.

~~~~~~~~~~

Reality intrudes on Liz as she slowly realizes that the constant hum she has grown accustomed to is suddenly gone. The silence is literally deafening. She looks around and still sees blackness, and she’s also lost the sense of euphoria she’d been feeling. Suddenly, she feels a little panicked, wondering what’s changed. What’s happened to them?

And then there’s nothing but bright light around her and she falls to her knees in pain, clutching at her eyes in an attempt to block out the light. She can hear the others around her, groaning and swearing, and she assumes they’re reacting to the light as well.

Then she remembers her backpack and she blindly struggles with it, peeling it from her back and fumbling with the zipper. She digs around for what seems like forever while squinting her eyes shut painfully and covering them with her free hand. The going is slow because she also feels like there’s a crushing weight on her chest and she can’t breathe very well. She feels like she’s in a steam room. Finally, she finds them. Sunglasses.

She quickly puts them on and cracks open one eye experimentally. It’s still very bright, but the sunglasses wrap around her head and thankfully block out most of the light. Her eyes start to adjust and she slowly opens them, getting her first view of another planet.

What she sees startles her so badly that she squeals and falls back on her butt, making a wet squishing sound on the wet ground beneath her. An alien. There’s an alien right in front of her, not two feet from her face. And it’s staring at her with its head tilted to the side. She turns to the side, hoping to see Max and she squeals again. Max is on the ground next to her, having just found his sunglasses. Except his face is covered in a beard, a lot of beard. She sees Michael a few feet away and he has one, too.

“Oh my God,” she whispers, her voice feeling unused, the feel of mucus built up in her throat.

Max stands up when he hears her and asks, “Are you ok?” His voice sounds like hers, but at least she can hear him. He steps toward her and helps her up from the ground, an odd and surprised look on his face, before finally looking at his surroundings. “Holy shit,” he says, and Liz finds herself having to agree with him. Because standing in front of them are at least 75 to 100 aliens. And they’re all staring at them.

The alien that Liz opened her eyes to steps forward and bows its head at Max. Liz feels Max’s grip on her hand tighten and he tries to clear his throat. She can tell it’s just as hard for him to breathe as it is for her. “Is Larek here?” Max asks the alien and it tilts its head to the side again. If she weren’t so scared, Liz would smile at the familiar look of curiosity.

She glances over past Max to see Michael, Isabel, Zan and Ava watching on in fascination. Then she hears someone speaking. Except it’s not English. She remembers Cal was with them just as she sees him step out from behind Isabel to face the aliens. Which really isn’t right. Because she’s the alien now, not them.

Now she remembers Cal changing shape seconds before they materialized in the Granolith. She only got a brief glimpse because before she knew it she’d been plunged into darkness. She steps closer to Max and watches as Cal speaks to what looks like the head alien. All of the aliens turn their heads toward Cal at once.

The language sounds like nothing she’s ever heard before. Their voices are low and smooth with an almost musical sound. After a few tense moments, the head alien puts its arm on Cal’s shoulder and turns to the crowd behind it and says something while raising its arm toward Max. There seems to be a large, collective gasp, then every single one of them falls to their knees with their heads bowed.

Michael starts coughing and Liz suspects he tried to say something sarcastic and choked himself up. The coughing gets the aliens’ attention and Max says to Cal, “We can’t breathe.” She’s surprised at how calm he seems, but she know that underneath that exterior he’s probably so panicked that he can barely stand.

Cal says something urgently to the head alien and it stands up before motioning the alien behind him to come forward. They bring a small black box toward them while talking to Cal and Liz looks inside, seeing thin silver strips lying inside. Cal picks one up and walks toward her. Now that it’s closer, she can see that it looks like a small tube about four inches long with a little clip in the middle. There are three small lights on both ends, which curve up slightly.

He moves it toward her face and she glance at Max as Cal clips the tube onto the middle of her nose. There seems to be a murmured gasp from the large group of aliens that sounds like shock but all she can pay attention to at the moment is the fact that breathing has suddenly gotten easier. The tube must be some kind of filter for the moisture in the air. She coughs up some mucus before turning to Max with a smile. “Much better,” she says.

He nods distractedly and she notices his eyes keep dropping to her stomach. She follows his gaze and gasps when she sees the large bump there that didn’t used to be there. “Oh my God!” She looks up at Max and exclaims again, “Oh my God!”

Isabel hears Liz’s cries and looks around Max and her eyes widen in shock. “Liz! You’re…” But she can’t get any more out before her face turns red and she starts coughing uncontrollably.

As Liz is marveling over her new shape, Cal distributes the breathing tubes to everyone else. She can hear more talking now, human talking, and figures everyone’s feeling better now that they can breathe right. Cal appears in front of her again, this time with a metal wire curved into the shape of a C. He holds it toward her ear, and understanding what he wants her to do, she slides it over the backside of her ear.

“Can you understand me?” Cal asks her. Only it doesn’t sound like Cal.

“Yes,” she says. “This is incredible, is it a translator?”

“Yes. But it only translates one way. No one can understand what you’re saying besides me and anyone else who might happen to understand English,” he explains as he passes out the rest of the earpieces.

“Can you not speak English when you’re in that form?” Liz asks, curious as to why she needs the earpiece to understand him.

“No. The vocal cords in this form aren’t equipped for the English language. I could try, but you wouldn’t understand half of what I say.” Cal finishes handing out the translators and returns to Max. “They have voice translators for you back at camp. Once you have those, you should be able to speak freely and everyone will understand you.”

“Is that Larek?” Max asks, motioning toward the head alien.

“No. He’s waiting for you, though. That’s Warek, Larek’s liaison.” Cal glances behind them and nods toward the Granolith, once again in the shape of a black cone. “That needs to be taken care of. I’ve gotten the location of the camp from Warek. They’ll go back and we’ll meet them there after that gets hidden.”

Max nods his agreement and turns to Warek. “Tell him thank you,” he says to Cal.

Cal translates and Warek bows his head to Max as Cal tells him that he and his men can go back to the camp, that the king has business to attend to. During their conversation, Liz sees Warek’s gaze move to her. His large, oval shaped eyes focus first on her face, then down to her protruding belly and she feels a shiver move down her spine.

“Can you believe this?” Michael says from behind Liz and she turns to look at what he’s looking at. She’s been so concentrated on all the aliens around her that she didn’t get a good look at the landscape. She already knows from her wet butt that the ground is soggy. But it’s also green and grassy, almost like home. Behind them is a large dark, moss covered rock wall that rises up at least five stories. If she turns to the right, she can see dark green fields spreading out in front of her, spotted with dense copses of trees heavy with foliage.

But the most amazing thing is what’s in the sky. Two bright suns shine down on them, heating the wetland and creating a thick, moist air that they can’t breathe very well. And on top of that she can feel some type of mucous substance forming a film over her skin.

“Look at you,” Max says as he steps behind her and covers her stomach with both hands. “It must have taken us over two months to get here.”

She places her hands over his and leans her head to the side when she feels his beard scratching her neck. “Definitely more than two months by the looks of you, Michael and Zan.” Michael’s beard is so bushy she can’t see his mouth.

They all walk over to the Granolith and Zan says, “They didn’t look too happy when you gave Liz the first breathin’ thingy.”

“No. They interpreted it as a sign of disrespect to the king,” Cal says as he looks toward Max. “Your faces and necks are red already. You better get that sunscreen on.”

Max glances up at the suns before turning away quickly, squinting his eyes shut. “We haven’t even been here an hour.” He can feel the heat of the sun beating down on the top of his head and understands now why Cal told them to wear white shirts. They’ll reflect the light and heat away from their bodies.

Liz is still marveling over her large belly while Max, Michael and Zan work on hiding the Granolith in the large rock cliff. Isabel comes over with a bottle of sunscreen. “Here, put this on. Your face is burned already,” Isabel says as she passes the bottle to Liz.

As she puts the lotion on her exposed skin, Liz says, “I’m so overwhelmed right now, I don’t even know what to start thinking about first.”

“Yah, I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it,” Isabel says as she surveys their lush surroundings. “I guess I thought it would be…dryer.” She smirks and Liz smiles back at her.

“You know, this is just gonna ruin our hair,” Liz jokes, earning her a small laugh from Isabel and Ava. She then turns serious as the realization of what they’ve all just done sinks in. “I’m just really relieved that we made it here in one piece.”

“I can’t believe how much time has passed,” Isabel says, looking at Liz’s stomach. “I guess if it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t really know.”

“You’re like our own personal calendar,” Ava says as she adjusts her hat on her head.

“I wonder what’s gonna happen now.” Isabel looks out over the swampy green field in the direction all the aliens went.

Liz joins her and says, “We do whatever we have to do to get home as soon as we can.”

~TBC~

Gigo, I believe you will actually get an answer in this part. Not to everything, but at least you'll get one.

frenchkiss, Yes, Khivar knew the Granolith was coming. "But he has his reasons for not being there.

Lolita Behrbuns, Earth's technology isn't advanced enough to pick up the Granolith.

Tasyfa, They'll figure out soon enough that she's pregnant. Warek already as an idea that she is, hence the strange look he gave her before leaving.

Little Miss Roswell, Welcome! Thanks for reading and for leaving feedback!

Kath, No, I didn't know it would be THIS long. And when I realized where the story was going, I originally intended to end it when they left Earth and make the re rest a sequel. In the end, I decided to keep it as one. So you all get a gargantuan epic instead of two separate fics.

Milla, Yes, they knew they'd have trouble breathing, but Larek assured them they would have a solution to that problem.


Part 63

The smell of something delicious floats down to Alex as he climbs the stairs to his apartment. He shakes his head with a smile and picks up his pace, anxious to see what she’s got cooking tonight. But his smile disappears when he goes to unlock the first lock on the door and finds it already unlocked, along with the rest. Pushing the door open, he calls out, “Maria, how many times do I have to tell you to keep the door locked?”

He sees her roll her eyes from the kitchen as she says, “Yes, Dad. But as you can see I’m just fine.”

“It’s not safe. And don’t call me Dad. If you stopped acting like a child, I’d stop nagging.” He dumps his briefcase and keys by the front door and walks into the kitchen. “So what’s on the menu tonight? It smells good.”

“Stuffed chicken breasts, garlic roasted baby potatoes, and salad with strawberries, almonds and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.” She steps aside to allow him a look at the offerings.

“You’re spoiling me,” he says. They came back from Roswell three months ago and Maria said she wanted to stay in New York. She took a permanent break from touring and decided to concentrate on working on her new CD. And Alex has been reaping the benefits of her free time. Last month she enrolled in a cooking class to pass the time that she didn’t spend in the studio.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it spoiling. You have had to suffer through some disasters.” She smiles and gets to work slicing strawberries for the salad.

He loosens his tie and sits at the small kitchen table as she works and he waits. She knows he’s waiting, he can tell by her silence. “So?”

She doesn’t turn around as she says, “Everything’s fine. I’m twelve weeks. I even got some horse pills to take everyday.”

“Did you call Serena?”

“Yup. She agreed that she should be here for the birth. She doesn’t think we should risk going to a hospital, either.” She stops her slicing and slides the strawberries into a bowl.

“And how are you feeling today?” he asks, having just lived through what could arguably be the worst three months of his life.

“Good. Better. I didn’t barf once today.” She finally turns around and he finally sees her red-rimmed eyes.

He smiles and says, “That’s good. Maybe it’s over.”

“God, I hope so,” she says, and he sees her chin start to quiver. Uh oh. He stands up quickly and grabs a tissue from the Kleenex box on the counter. He hands them to her without a word and she takes them gratefully. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

“It’s just hormones. You better get used to it, you have six more months of this to go,” he says in sympathy. He’s tried to prepare himself for this by reading a couple of books on pregnancy. He knows more than he ever wanted to about mood swings and bodily changes now. But he’s gotten used to the tears and puking over the last couple of months.

Having heard from Larek earlier today that everyone arrived safely on Antar has helped buoy their spirits, but over the last few weeks it’s been dawning on both he and Maria that Michael, Isabel and the others will never make it back in time for this baby to be born. They’re on their own.

~~~~~~~~~~

After they secure the Granolith and are sure it’s hidden well, Max hands the crystal to Liz. “I want you to keep this on you.”

She shakes her head and says, “Max, I think you should keep it with you.”

“No. I wanna know that no matter what, you’ll have a way back. That the rest of you will be able to use the Granolith without me.” He tucks the crystal into the front zipper pocket of her khaki cargo pants.

“Don’t talk like that, Max. We won’t be leaving here without you,” she says, her jaw set in determination.

He smiles and says, “I don’t plan on it. But I still want you to have it.” If anything happens to him, she’ll be able get herself and anyone else back to Earth without him.

As they make their way to the rebel camp, they all grimace at the wet texture of the ground. “Is it all like this?” Zan asks, frowning at his soaked boots, glad that he worse some that are waterproof. “Is the whole planet a swamp?”

Without turning back, Cal answers, “No.”

Zan rolls his eyes in Ava’s direction and she gives him a look like, What did you expect? She looks toward Liz and Isabel and sees that they’ve already pulled their hair back and she remembers that Stephanie told them there were rubber bands in their backpacks. She reaches into hers and finds them easily before pulling her hair up. “Ah, that feels better.”

Zan gets a glimpse inside her pack and says, “Tampons? Why the hell you wastin’ space with those?”

Ava looks at him incredulously and says, “When you start bleedin’ outta your penis every month, you can ask me that question again,” and she stomps off ahead of him, muttering under her breath.

Zan watches her go and glances over to see Michael laughing at him. “Dude, you don’t mess with a woman and her period. Even I know that.”

Shrugging, Zan says, “It was just a question. Don’t know why she’s gotta get all sensitive about it.”

Isabel hears Ava stomping closer toward her and she slows a bit to wait for her to catch up. “How are you doing?” she asks.

“Alright. I just feel…wet. And retardo back there don’t know when to keep his mouth shut.” Ava jerks her head back toward Zan, raising her voice so she knows he can hear her. “He thinks my tampons are wastin’ space? I’ll shove ‘em up his ass and then we’ll see how much space their wastin’.”

Isabel tries to hold back a laugh as Liz turns around in surprise. After taking a moment to let Ava’s statement settle in, the three start laughing and have to stop walking, forcing everyone else to stop as well.

Max and Michael are rolling their eyes at Zan as the three women laugh, throwing glances at Zan and laughing even harder.

Cal turns around when he realizes he’s walking alone and says, “Alright boys and girls, can we get moving please?”

They all turn around and see Cal standing a few feet away with his hand on his hip in irritation. The sight of Cal as an alien standing there in indignation throws them all into laughter and Cal throws his hands in the air and starts walking away. This causes even more laughter, and Cal decides they need to have their breathing tubes examined when they get to camp. Obviously there’s too much nitrous in the mix.

It’s hard to tell what time of day it is when they finally reach camp, or even if they have days here like on Earth. Will the two suns ever set? As they approach, Max can tell there’s been a flurry of activity. But as soon as they’re spotted, all activity stops and it seems like every eye is on them.

Not that he thinks that’s odd, considering these people are four to five feet tall with heads larger than his sitting atop thin, grayish green bodies. He definitely feels like the proverbial sore thumb and he wonders if they’ve ever seen a human before.

They’re also the only ones wearing clothing of any kind. There must be something in their skin that protects them from the sun’s rays. He does notice a small round object on several of their chests that looks like it’s mounted there and he wonders if they’re some kind of ranking insignia.

He sees the rest of his party looking around the camp with the same curiosity and fascination that he is. There seems to be some kind of confusion when they first arrive. He can see the alien’s desire to drop what they’re doing and gather around, but he hears orders being given to continue what they’ve been assigned. But as they walk further into camp, that order obviously gets disobeyed as more and more of them start to line the main pathway hoping for a closer glimpse at the arriving humans.

Max hears murmured words as they pass, heads close together. The murmuring gets louder and louder the further they get until one word starts popping out more clearly: breeding. He feels Liz grip his hand tighter as she follows closely behind him as arms start reaching out, crowding them, and pointing toward Liz. The crowd starts getting closer, but Cal remains right in front of Max, shielding him.

Suddenly, a loud voice yells, “Fall back!”

The crowd parts and moves away from them and Max glances around at his wide-eyed companions to make sure everyone’s still together. He looks in the direction of the voice and sees a lone alien walking toward him from a stone building that looks to be the center of the camp.

As he approaches, Cal steps to the side and the alien raises his hand toward Max and says, “Zan, it’s so good to see that you arrived safely. I’m Larek.”

Larek’s hand glows dully and Max looks at it curiously for a moment before he remembers seeing Serena and Cal do this. He raises his palm to Larek’s and the light grows brighter for a moment before Larek drops his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you face to face, Larek.”

Larek nods and steps to the side, indicating Max should walk with him toward the building he came from. After making sure everyone else is following him, Max steps in beside Larek and says, “You understand our language.”

“Yes, you’ll find quite a few of us understand English. It was necessary for the leaders of our worlds, as well as most of our scientists. The Shape Changer Coalition also knows English. I believe you call them shapeshifters,” Larek explains. “We will discuss this all later. For now, I’ll show you to the habitat we created for you and we’ll have our physicians make sure you’re all healthy from the trip. I’ve already contacted Serena to let her know you’ve all arrived safely.”

As they approach what Max had originally thought was a stone building, the word habitat jumps out at him and it makes him feel like a hamster. Instead of stone, the outside walls look like they’re made of a smooth plastic-like material. A large black door slides open as soon as Larek approaches it and they find themselves walking into an enclosed room with no windows.

“It will be just one moment while the atmosphere regulates,” Larek says. “When you enter, you may remove your breathing apparatuses.”

Less than a minute later, another set of doors slide open and Max steps through and his mouth drops open. The inside of the building looks like a house. He steps into what looks like a normal foyer that leads to a large living room.

“Wow,” Isabel says as she walks past Max and takes in the furnishings.

“We have created an environment that we hoped you would feel most comfortable in,” Larek explains as he stands to the side. “You’ll find a fully equipped kitchen for meal preparation on this level. We are aware of your human need for privacy and have provided individual sleeping quarters on the second level for each of you. I hope you will find it adequate.”

Max unclips his breathing tube and notices that the air in here is the same as it is at home. He takes a few deep breaths and says, “This is really amazing. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“Your people want you to feel at home, Zan.” Larek says. “I’ll let you get settled in. There are bathrooms upstairs, fully stocked with anything you might need. I’ll send someone to check on you later and we’ll talk then.”

Max nods and says, “I’d like a doctor to look at Liz as soon as possible.”

“Of course. One will be here right away.” Larek turns to Cal then, and says, “Armin, please come with me.”

Max stares at the door as it closes behind them and he finds himself at a loss. The trip here, the conditions, the people. And now this. He can stand here and breathe the air and look at his surroundings and pretend that he never left Earth.

Slowly turning around, he finds five pairs of eyes staring back at him. Waiting. Expecting. “Well, here we are.”

They all stand around for a few moments, no one knowing what to say before Michael finally speaks up. “So, who’s gonna bring up the big elephant in the room first?”

Max sighs and walks further into the living room and drops his backpack on the floor. To his left, he sees a big kitchen complete with the normal looking appliances and a table and chairs. There’s even a bowl of what looks like apples sitting on the counter. “We kind of stick out in a crowd, don’t we?” He runs his hand through his hair and grimaces at how long it feels.

“Stick out?” Michael exclaims. “We might as well have big, flashing neon sights mounted on our heads.”

Rolling his eyes, Max says, “Let’s just wait until we talk to Larek before we panic. They knew we’d look this different and still wanted us here. There must be a good reason. Obviously, we won’t be running any undercover missions looking like this.”

“I wonder if everyone on the planet looks like that,” Liz says. “Because I hate to say this, but they all looked the same to me. I don’t know how we’re gonna tell them apart.”

“Maybe we’ll be able to see differences the longer we’re around them.” Isabel shrugs and starts wandering around the living room, inspecting the furniture and odds and ends lying around.

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m gonna go check out the bathrooms and hopefully take a nice, long, hot shower. I feel like I’m covered in slime,” Ava hikes her backpack up on her shoulder and starts turning around, looking for stairs. “If I can find out how to get there. He said second level, right?”

Zan walks around the perimeter of the room, looking at the walls. “Hey, I think we got an elevator or somethin’.”

As everyone gathers around to inspect what they assume is an elevator, backpacks discarded on the living room floor, Max takes a look around. The living room looks comfortable. There’s lots of light coming in from a large wall of windows toward the back. Outside, he can see other buildings intersected with narrow roads. He doesn’t see any activity going on other than the occasional, what he assumes are, cars racing by. They don’t really look like cars, more like a long tube that glides over the ground. And he can see aliens sitting inside of them.

Focusing once more on the interior, he sees a large display hanging on one wall flanked by bookshelves. It looks like the shelves are filled with books and thin, plastic cases. He passes them by intending to inspect them more closely later and heads toward the kitchen, weaving around the dark green, plush sofas and chairs arranged around a square coffee table made of dark wood.

The kitchen opens into the living room, separated only by a curved countertop with tall chairs arranged around it. He runs his hand over the stone-like counter and it feels cool to the touch. There’s a sink, stove, oven, microwave, and a large glass-front refrigerator. He can see what looks like fruit and vegetables inside, as well as a large container of milk. Without looking inside, he can’t tell what lies in the rest of the containers.

Toward the back of the kitchen is a door that leads to a small bathroom. Curious, he walks in and turns the faucet on. What looks like water starts flowing and he holds his hand underneath it before bringing it to his mouth and taking a tentative taste. Yup, water. He wanders back into the living room and thinks that it really is amazing.

There are even pictures hanging on the walls and rugs on the floors. He wonders if the places the aliens live look like this, too. But then he remembers what Larek said about his people wanting him to feel at home, and he guesses they probably live very differently.

He looks over toward what Zan thought might be an elevator and notices that everyone is gone. It must be. Not quite ready to join them, he walks back into the living room and sinks into a chair facing the windows. In the distance, all he sees are green fields dissected infrequently with what he assumes are roadways. The windows must be tinted because it doesn’t look nearly so bright outside as he knows it is.

Leaning his elbows on his knees, he looks down and realizes that he’s still carrying his breathing tube. As he stares down at it, he feels an unpleasant surge of doubt for the first time. What was he thinking coming here? None of them belong in this place, that much is glaringly obvious. The environment is so inhospitable to them that they need their own special habitat. They’ll never be able to blend in. They can’t even breathe the air without this damn thing clipped to their noses.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Why are we just now learning that the Granolith has been in Zan’s possession on Earth all this time?” Hanar’s holographic image demands.

Khivar straightens and says, “I felt it was something you didn’t need to know. I had a plan for its return from the very moment it left and I achieved my goal. The Granolith is returned to us.”

“This is unacceptable. You have been claiming false leadership of Antar and I will not stand idly by as you continue to block our trade routes,” Kathana says before looking around at the others gathered around the table. “Khivar has no place on this council. I demand that he abdicate his position.”

“Kathana, you’ve hardly been idle during my leadership. You constantly attack my agricultural regions in your petty need for a show of power. And I have no intention of giving up my place on this council. So you can dismiss that thought right now.” Khivar places his hands on the table and continues, “We must end this. Can’t we begin now to ease the tensions between us? Haven’t the last 60 years taught us that this fighting will only bring loss? Haven’t we lost enough already?”

Sero agrees, “He’s right. We have to find a way to end this. My world longs for peace.”

“We can’t even begin talking about peace until Larek is present,” Kathana says to Khivar. “But he seems to be too busy to join us. Mingling with your rebels again, no doubt.”

“Yes, well, you know he and Zan were very close. But it does concern me that he’s chosen not to join us today in favor of rallying Zan’s followers.” Khivar turns to gaze out the window, once more thinking of the Granolith’s unexpected return. Just as he’s thinking that the two things are related in some way, he hears his communicator beeping from where it sits on his desk.

He raises his hand and in the next second the communicator is in his hand. He passes his hand over the top and sees that it’s a message from one of his spies in the rebel city. “Please excuse me for a moment,” he says to the three holographic images and he presses a button on the table, muting the sound so they can’t hear his message.

Satisfied that they aren’t listening, he presses the symbol in the middle and hears, “Sir, I have just received visual confirmation on the occupants of the Granolith.” Khivar recognizes the excited voice as one of his most trusted guards. “The Royals have returned, sir. Zan is here.” He listens to the awe in the spy’s voice and he leans back in his chair. Zan has returned. This is a disaster. “We also saw Vilondra, Rath and Ava, sir. And what looks to be Zan’s biological duplicate that was sent with him. Everyone saw them. They walked right through the middle of the city. And there was one more. A human. And sir, this human appears to be breeding. With Zan’s child.”

The communication ends and Khivar drops the device onto the table unseen. Ever since he learned that the Granolith was headed back, this has been the fear he’s had. That the Royals were coming. This is a delicate time in the planet’s history and their arrival will only make it worse. It will cause more rebel uprising, which means more death. And this planet has already seen enough death.

~TBC~

FSUMSW94, Thanks and welcome to the story!

mrslaws & cherie, We'll learn more about Khivar soon. But things are not always what they seem.

I am a dreamer, I think the Antarians were more confused and curious at Liz's pregnant state than anything.

Arianneleigh, Between Larek and the fact that Antarians obviously know a lot about Earth, they were able to create something familiar for them.

tequathisy, Maria's not showing yet, so the press isn't a problem...yet.

Gigo, Khivar's character will be more fully developed in the next few parts. Then we'll really see what his story is.

Kath, Yes, Serena told them what happened to them. Part 40, I think.

BelieveInTrueLove, They were just curious. Hmmm, good guess on how it'll play out. But dethroned and beheaded with his body parts strewn across the galaxy?:lol: That's a little violent and bloody, dontcha think?;)

Thanks for being patient and waiting for me to update. And thanks for all the great feedback!


Part 64

Their first day on Antar has proven to be so full of surprises that Max doesn’t even know what to think. After showering and shaving, he finds clothes laid out for him that appear to be in his size. They look like normal clothes, khaki pants, a light colored shirt. Even underwear, socks and shoes. He wonders who laid them out because they weren’t there when he got in the shower.

Once he’s dressed, he walks out into the hallway and looks down at the many doors lining the way. At the end of the hall, he sees one of the aliens appear and start walking toward him. “Your Majesty, I am Safron and I will be helping to care for you while you are here.” The voice is softer, almost feminine, and Max guesses that this alien is female. She bows her head and says, “If there is anything you need, please let me know.”

“Thank you, Safron,” Max says before he realizes that she probably can’t understand what he’s saying. But she gives no indication one way or the other and hurries into the room he just came out of.

When he gets downstairs, he sees that he’s the last one there. They all look anxious and Liz stands up and walks toward him. She’s dressed similarly to him, her belly stretching the shirt in the front. “Max, um…” She looks toward the front door and when he follows her gaze he sees three more aliens just standing there.

Turning toward them fully, he says, “Hello,” not knowing if they’ll know what he’s saying or not. They seem a little nervous, but one hesitantly steps forward at the urging of the other two.

“Your Majesty, we have come with vocal translators for you. And Larek informed us you requested an examination of…of…your child and its vessel.” The alien’s voice is practically shaking with nervousness and Max narrows his eyes at their description of Liz.

“Do you understand my language?” he asks them through clenched teeth. When the alien in front nods, Max says, “Good. I’ll only say this once, then I’ll trust you to let everyone else know. The vessel’s name is Liz. And she will be treated with the same care and respect as I would be treated. Do you understand?”

At the sound of his raised voice, two of the aliens visibly flinch and drop to their knees with their heads bowed. The third stays standing and says, “Of course. I meant no disrespect.”

Max relaxes and feels Liz step up to his side. “What’s your name?”

“Crale, your Majesty. I am a physician in this sector.”

Max nods his head and steps to the side, holding his arm toward the living room. “Alright, Crale. You can tell them to get up off the floor now. Come on in.”

Crale kicks his foot behind him at his companions to get them up and he steps forward. “You must forgive them. They’re a little nervous,” he says as he passes Max.

Max smiles at that and follows them into the living room, Liz at his side. He looks down to see a smile on her face and she leans up to whisper in his ear, “You’re not gonna make me start calling you ‘Your Majesty’ now, are you?”

He winks and says, “Only in bed.”

She rolls her eyes at that and steps forward to see what the translators look like. The two nervous aliens have a box that they set on the counter in the kitchen. One of them takes a small metallic disc out, no larger than a nail head and says, “These will be implanted on your larynx. It is a very simple procedure and once in place, you will be able to communicate with us.”

“Will it hurt?” Isabel asks, her eyes widening at the thought of some kind of surgery.

“You will feel nothing, Your Highness,” Crale assures her.

Isabel doesn’t look like she trusts what he says so Michael takes a deep breath and steps forward. “I’ll go first.”

The alien steps toward Michael with the disc balanced on the tip of one of his long fingers and holds it toward Michael’s neck. There’s a soft glow of light for a couple of seconds and then it’s over.

Michael brings his hand up to his neck and says, “It tickles.”

“It will pass shortly. The device is accustoming itself to your immune system so there will be no infection,” Crale says.

Once everyone has their translators in place, Crale pulls out a small device with a screen and looks toward Liz. “We use this for our livestock to monitor their breeding. Since we don’t carry our children as you do, this is all we have available at the moment. We only learned a short time ago of the child. Our scientists are already working on something for you and the child, but for now this will have to suffice.”

“What will it tell us?” Max asks, moving closer next to Liz. The protective gesture not lost on the three aliens.

“Just the general health of the child, I’m afraid. By tomorrow, we’ll be able to tell you more,” Crale says and touches the screen on the device, bringing it to life with a soft green glow. He looks toward Max warily and holds the device toward Liz’s stomach. “It will just take a moment to get a reading.”

Max nods and watches the display fill with symbols that he doesn’t recognize. It beeps once and Crale pulls it back toward him. He studies it for a moment and says, “Everything looks to be as it should.”

“What does it say?” Max asks, wondering what kind of data it compiled in that short time.

Crale looks up at him with what Max could swear is nervousness, although it’s hard to read the aliens’ facial expressions. “I do not wish to offend you, Your Majesty. This is meant to be used on our farming animals, not humans. But the readings appear to indicate the child is healthy.”

“I’d like to know what it says,” Liz says, speaking for the first time.

Crale glances from her to Max and presses his finger to the screen. Suddenly Max hears a voice from the device. “One animal in gestation. Life signs are within normal parameters. Origin unknown. Sequence unknown. Possible unintentional cross breeding. Recommendation is to terminate.”

As soon as the device turns off, Crale quickly says, “Like I said, Your Majesty, it was not meant…”

“It’s alright, Crale,” Max tells him. “Thank you for telling us what you could. And for the translators. We’re all grateful.”

Crale bows his head as well as the other two before they leave. As they open the inner door, though, Max sees yet another alien waiting to come in.

Liz is still feeling overwhelmed. She’s barely had time to catch her breath and take in her surroundings. But she’s impressed with how Max seems to be handling everything. He hasn’t shown any nervousness or doubt to any of the aliens although she knows he’s feeling it.

“Zan, I trust you found everything you need?” the new alien asks, and Liz recognizes his voice as Larek’s. She hopes it becomes easier to recognize all the different aliens on sight.

“Yes, thank you. Everything is perfect,” Max says.

“What are all these?” Michael asks as he pulls out some of the plastic cases from the bookshelf.

“Entertainment. I believe you call them movies. Warek had several Earth movies and television transmissions recorded for you. They also had some of your Earth literature from our old databanks made into books for your reading enjoyment.” Larek turns to Max and says, “Your people put a lot of effort into creating items for your habitat that they thought you would enjoy. Your comfort is their primary concern.”

“Cool,” Michael says as he inspects the collection.

“I’d like to thank them,” Max says.

“You’ll get your chance in a while. You should make a public appearance soon to officially announce your arrival. But first we have some things to discuss,” Larek says as he makes his way into the living room. “Do you mind if I sit?”

“No, go ahead,” Max says, taking a seat across from him on one of the sofas. Liz sits next to him followed by everyone else scattering around the room.

“I’m sure this has all been a little confusing for you. But I’d like to officially welcome you all to Antar.” Larek looks around the room and sees their overwhelmed expressions. “Word has spread quickly of your arrival, I’m afraid. I’ve received word that unsanctioned attacks in your name have escalated. It’s as I expected, but your people have been waiting for this day for many years.”

“Who’s in charge here? How can we get these attacks under control?” Max asks, not liking the idea that battles are already being fought just because he arrived.

“Warek is actually the overseer of this city. He’s also my liaison on this planet. But he has limited control over your follower’s activity in outlying areas. Khivar does not attack unless provoked, but your arrival has caused a little excitement as you can imagine.”

Max rubs at his forehead and says, “I’m kind of at a loss here, Larek. I’m gonna be honest with you, the primary reason I decided to come is to keep Khivar from destroying Earth.”

Larek blinks his large eyes a couple of times. “I am aware of no plots to destroy Earth. From where did you receive this information?”

Max looks at the others, wondering how much he should reveal to Larek about the Granolith. But no one gives him any easy answers with their gazes. Taking a breath, he turns back to Larek and says, “The Granolith.”

“I see. Until recently, myself and the rest of the council believed the Granolith had never left Antar. I was quite surprised to learn that you had it with you on Earth,” Larek says. “I hope that turning over the Granolith to Khivar is not the solution you have in mind.”

“No,” Max says.

“Well then, it seems our goals are congruent. My goal is to bring peace to our five worlds. Your people are fiercely loyal to you. Your deaths and subsequent resurrections have turned you into legend. Martyrs. The rebels who still fight Khivar are the most devout in their loyalty to you, longing for the day of your return. But a good percentage of this planet is occupied by pacifists. They don’t agree with Khivar’s claim to the throne, but they don’t want to cause problems for themselves.”

“And where do you fall in all of this?” Max asks, not liking the sound of this so far.

Larek looks down for a moment, then says, “We were friends, you and I. Like you, the rule of my planet passed to me at a young age. After your death, I suppose I aligned myself and my planet with your people out of grief, and anger at Khivar for turning against you in such a violent manner. I believe that your presence here will help bring unity, peace, to all our worlds.”

“That’s a tall order to fill,” Max muses. He came here to take down Khivar, not act as some kind of holy figure for the people of five planets. He’s no martyr.

“I do not understand that phrase. But I suspect you’re hesitant. The first step is to address your people and request that their unprovoked attacks stop. The second, I’m afraid, will be to meet with Khivar himself.”

~~~~~~~~~~

As he looks around the large room in the overseer’s offices, Cal remembers why he didn’t want to come back here.

“Explain to us how three of your charges ended up dead,” the head of the coalition asks him as all the other members at the table turn to study him.

“Browan had his own agenda,” Cal tries to explain but is cut off before he can speak more.

“That is not our concern. The hybrids were still your responsibility.” Cal continues to take whatever they dish out to him. He’s been in here for what seems like hours answering their questions as best he can, and suffering through the chastising of his mistakes.

From what he can tell, the arrival of the Royals is creating some strong tension on the planet. Fighting has escalated in the provincial sectors and word from the palace is that Khivar kept the fact that he hasn’t had the Granolith all this time from the council.

Instead of trying to explain why three hybrids are dead, Cal simply says, “Zan made the decision regarding their fates. I could only comply with his wishes.”

Not one of them can argue his point. So they move on. “This is obviously not a prudent time for Zan to return. Why did he choose to come here after all this time?”

“We believe that Khivar was involved in the attempt to take the queen’s life. Zan also has reason to believe that Khivar intends to attack Earth and he wants to stop him,” Cal explains.

“By bringing the Granolith back, it seems that Khivar would have no reason to attack Earth anymore. And this human, the one carrying the heir. She is Zan’s mate? The one he claimed as his queen?”

Cal confirms this and says, “But she’s more than human. She has abilities that are far more powerful than those of the Royal Four.”

“Interesting. Koltzor did warn us of what could happen by introducing human DNA. We will be anxious to see what the child is like, even after its primitive gestation.” The head of the Shape Changer’s Coalition, Cesare, indicates that he’s finished with the meeting by standing up. “I must retire and think on what our stance will be now that the king has returned. Armin, you may return to the king now.”

And with that, the room empties, leaving Cal behind and staring at the doorway. It didn’t go as badly as he expected, but then it seems like there are more pressing matters to worry about besides his past mistakes right now.

On thing that came from the meeting is he found out that there are spies around them, as well as shapeshifters in the palace. It seems there are no secrets to be had in this conflict.

He leaves the building and heads back toward the elaborate living quarters created for Max and shakes his head. They all seemed so overwhelmed by what was created for them. If only Max knew what he’s really entitled to.

~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day, if that’s what they call it, was spent in a flurry of activity and confusion. Michael watched as Max made a nervous speech to the large crowd of Antarians. He didn’t say much about Khivar, only that he wanted the unprovoked attacks against Khivar’s people to stop. He thanked them for making him feel so welcome and he told them he hoped that together they could find a peaceful solution to end the conflict that has plagued them for long.

All in all, Michael thought he did a pretty decent job. Afterwards, Michael met several key Antarians. One of which was in charge of the troops. He learned about their weapons as well as recent campaigns that have been fought against Khivar’s troops.

The people here seem to fully embrace their presence here. He always feels welcome, if not a little like a fish in a bowl. He knows that he’s constantly being looked at and finds himself trying not to do anything stupid. But that just makes it worse and amplifies his self-consciousness. It’s like what Maria goes through…amplified by a thousand. And he hates it.

Trying to get his thoughts away from Maria, Michael leans against the side of their temporary housing and watches Max and Liz talk to Cal.

He likes being near Liz. She diverts the attention away from him. It seems that everyone is fascinated by Liz’s pregnant state and can’t keep their eyes off of her.

“I’d say this ranks as the absolute strangest day of my life,” Max says as he walks over and joins Michael.

The two of them keep their eyes on Liz, who has now been joined by two more aliens. Michael has no idea what they’re saying, but he thinks they’re talking to her about her powers. “Yah. That was a good speech earlier. Didn’t know you had it in you.”

“I was nervous as hell,” Max says. “Did you find out anything interesting today?”

“They showed me some weapons. Pretty cool stuff. Where are the others?” Michael hasn’t seen Isabel, Ava or Zan for a while now.

“They’re with Larek.” Michael sees Max push away from the wall and take a step toward Liz when more of the aliens start to gather around her and he subtly grabs Max’s arm to hold him back.

“Take it easy, Maxwell. Liz can handle herself,” he says as he watches Max lean back against the wall reluctantly. It wouldn’t look good if Max turned into Mr. Overprotective every time the Antarians approached Liz.

Nodding, Max seems to realize the same thing that Michael does. But his eyes don’t leave Liz. They both watch the easy way Liz talks to them. They seem curious and she answers their questions with a smile. She even lets one of them put its hand on her stomach.

Liz looks over and sees Max and Michael watching her and she says something briefly before turning and walking toward them. When she gets close enough, Max can see the excitement on her face and he can’t help but smile in response. “Isn’t this amazing? I feel…I don’t know how I feel, but I think the baby is connecting on some level with the people around her. I don’t know how to explain it, but I think they can feel it, too.”

Max’s smile immediately fades into a frown. He doesn’t like the sound of that. Who knows what they could do to the baby?

Liz sees his frown and says, “Max, it’s ok. It’s nothing bad.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be around them so much,” Max suggests, knowing as soon as the words leave his mouth what type of response they’ll get.

Liz eyes him, knowing that he realizes how ridiculous that statement is and says, “Cal thinks I can help identify Khivar’s spies here.”

Cal sees Max throw him an exasperated look and he quickly says, “With the power she has, she can easily pick out liars and traitors, Max. It’s an asset we should be using.”

“They’re right, Max. It would help to know who’s blabbing everything to Khivar. I found out earlier that the largest problem they have is that it’s hard to do anything by surprise because Khivar’s troops always know what’s coming,” Michael says.

Before Max can say anything about it, he sees Isabel and Larek walking toward them. “Where are Zan and Ava?” he asks when they get closer and doesn’t see them around.

Isabel shrugs and says, “Off somewhere with their adoring public, probably.”

Liz laughs a little at that and when she sees Max’s confused look, she explains, “The people here have been waiting a long time for their king and queen to return. I don’t think we measure up to their expectations.”

And then he realizes. Zan and Ava look like what the people here expected their king and queen to look like. They must have been confused when they realized he wasn’t with Ava. “So they’re getting the royal treatment?” He finds himself immensely relieved at that prospect.

“Jealous?” Michael asks with a smirk.

“Zan, I was just about…” Larek starts to say something, but Max interrupts him.

“Max. If you don’t mind, could you call me Max? It’s starting to get confusing.”

“Of course. Max. I was just telling Vilon…Isabel that I will be contacting Serena soon. Are there any messages you would like me to give her?”

Michael perks up at this and Max notices. “Yes, I’m sure there are messages we’d all like to send if that’s ok.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“So that’s about it. Everyone’s doing ok and right now they’re just trying to get settled in.” Serena’s voice sounds from the speaker phone on the table as Alex and Maria huddle close to it.

“Did you tell him to let Michael know about the baby?” Maria asks.

“Yes.” Serena says.

Alex is still grinning from the message from Isabel as he asks, “So how’s Liz doing?”

“Good. I guess she’s pretty far along, but Larek said she’s handling it all pretty well. He said everyone there is really curious about her.”

They sit in silence a moment, trying to imagine what it must be like there. Finally, Maria says, “Maybe I should come back to Roswell.”

Alex looks up, surprised, and asks, “Why?”

Maria shrugs, feeling conflicted and Serena says, “You don’t have to do that, Maria. I’ll call you immediately whenever I hear anything. You don’t need to come here and wait. Besides, you have your recording there. It’ll be good for you to stay busy.”

“I know,” Maria sighs. She hates the waiting and not knowing when the next time will be that she’ll hear something. They just got there. It could be years before they come back here.

Alex reaches across the table and grabs Maria’s hand. “It’ll be ok. At least we have a little communication. And pretty soon, you’ll have your hands full with that one.” He nods down toward her midsection.

“You guys let me know if you need anything. And keep me updated with the baby’s progress,” Serena says. “I need to get to the hospital.”

“Thanks for calling, Serena,” Maria says. “Tell everyone there we said hi.”

After ending the call, Maria stands up and takes a deep breath. “So, what do you think Michael meant?”

Alex grins and says, “Hard to tell what hidden meaning may be lurking in the message, ‘Tell Maria I said hey’.”

Smiling, Maria says, “Yah.”

~TBC~

Milla, I have it figured that Serena's about 7-8 months along at this point.

.Lana., blushing Thanks!

Breathless, I don't know that they're looking down at Liz, just that they're not sure how she fits. She's not the queen they were expecting, and she's carrying a child unlike any way they're accustomed to seeing.

BelieveInTrueLove, no hidden meaning in Michael's message. Just Michael being Michael.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! And I'm sorry for the lateness of this. I wanted to have it posted sooner, but I just couldn't get it how I wanted. I must have rewritten it a hundred times. So I'm just gonna post it and move on. You know, this is the problem in having it finished so soon. I keep rereading and editing. I should just leave the damn thing alone.


Part 65

After a surprisingly good dinner consisting of steaks, vegetables and bread, Max explores their dwelling more carefully and discovers a stairway leading up to the roof. Clipping his breathing tube back on, he goes through the sealed compartment that leads outside and freezes in surprise. The suns have set and the night sky is unlike anything he ever imagined.

He slides to the ground and leans back against a wall behind him, leaning against the side ledge that overlooks the street in front of their quarters, and gazes upward. There are three…no, four moons that he can see. All shining a brilliant white. They cast their light down, creating a much brighter night than Earth’s one lone moon can. He can see the land around him, shimmering in a greenish, silver light.

From what he can tell, there are no artificial lights coming from any of the buildings around them. Only the glow from below that he knows is coming from the lights they have on inside. He watches as one of their cars glides by below him without headlights. They must be able to see without them.

He’s anxious for what will happen tomorrow. Surely, as Larek suspects, Khivar will summon him for a meeting. What will happen? Should he go? Or should he insist on a neutral meeting place? There’s no way for him to anticipate what will happen while they’re here until he has a chance to speak to Khivar. He needs to know his point of view and what his intensions are.

He hears the swoosh of the airlock behind him and he turns to see Liz walk out. An easy smile comes to his face and he reaches his hand up to help her sit next to him. “Hey.”

She’s looking up at the sky in awe, no doubt marveling over the moons like he had been doing. “Wow. It’s beautiful.”

Seeing the moonlight making her face glow and her eyes shine, he says, “Yes, it is.”

She glances over at his wistful tone of voice to catch him looking at her instead of the sky and she smiles. “Hmm. So what are you up here thinking about?”

“Tomorrow,” he says, his smile fading and his doubts settling over him once more.

“Oh, well, that’s a disappointment. I thought you were up here thinking about me,” she teases him, watching as he looks at her in confusion before his smile returns.

“I’m always thinking about you. I can think about more than one thing at once, you know.” He points to his head and says, “Advanced alien brain and all.”

She laughs and rolls her eyes, then gasps when she feels a hard kick to her ribs.

“Liz? What’s wrong?” Max immediately starts to stand up intending to bring her inside. Maybe her breathing tube isn’t working right.

She grabs his arm to stop him and says, “No, Max. It’s ok.” She smiles and scoots closer to him, placing his hand on her stomach. “She’s just kicking, here, feel.”

He waits for a moment, afraid to move and miss it. “I don’t feel anything. Am I doing it right?”

Liz laughs lightly at his worried tone and says, “Just wait. It’s faint because she’s still small, but you should be able to feel it. There!” She presses his hand against the spot on the side where she feels it.

Max’s eyes go wide and a large smile comes to his face as he looks at Liz. They’re both grinning like fools, and he can feel the connection to the baby even stronger. As if she knows it’s his hand she’s kicking and she’s saying, “Here I am!”

When the movement stops, he keeps his hand there and brings his other hand to her cheek. “I love you.”

She smiles and leans into his hand, placing her hand over his on her stomach. He’s looking at her lips and in response, she opens them slightly in anticipation. Her eyes drift to his lips as he moves closer and his lips brush over hers in a tender kiss.

But when they try to deepen the kiss, their breathing tubes suddenly interfere and get tangled together. They both laugh, unable to pull apart as Max tries to get them separated without having to unclip the tubes from their noses.

Once they’re separated, Max stands up and helps Liz up off the floor. “Well, that was romantic,” he says with a laugh.

When Liz is standing, she steps close to Max and finds her way impeded by her growing belly. She frowns and looks down at it. “That’s certainly going to get in the way of my plans.”

Max feels his desire heat up at the thought of seeing Liz naked and pregnant. “Plans?” he asks.

She looks up at him and licks her lips in a way she knows drives him crazy and says, “We have a lot of mornings to make up for.”

His body instantly reacts to the husky sound of her voice and the way she’s looking at him and he closes his eyes, trying to bite back the groan threatening to escape. “I couldn’t agree more.” He opens his eyes when he feels her pull her hands away.

She’s frowning down at her stomach and she says, “But I’m so fat now.” He hears the teasing note in her voice and gets ready to argue with her, but freezes when she reaches up and grabs her breasts. “And my boobs are so much bigger now.” She looks up at him in one part amusement, one part genuine amazement. “I mean, look at these!”

Growling at her blatant teasing, he picks her up in one swift movement and carries her inside, ignoring her squeal as they go.

~~~~~~~~~~

A soft knocking on the door wakes Liz up and she opens her eyes, realizing where she’s at. She looks over to see Max still sleeping next to her and she hears the knocking again. Looking around for something to put on, she spots Max’s shirt lying on the floor and she gets up to put it on.

She opens the door and starts when she sees an alien on the other side. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but Larek is here with a message,” the alien says before quickly walking away.

Liz closes the door slowly and leans against it, trying to get her heart rate back to normal. She needs to stop being so surprised when she sees them.

Crossing the room to the bed, she sits down and nudges Max’s shoulder. “Max,” she says softly. “You need to get up.”

He moans in protest and reaches up to pull her down next to him. When he feels the shirt she’s wearing, he groans, “You’re wearing clothes.”

Liz laughs and says, “Yes, it’s a novel concept, but one I think we should stick with. Even here.”

She feels his hands move down to the buttons to undo them as he says, “I like you better naked.”

When his hand sneaks inside the shirt, she grabs it and says, “Larek’s here.”

He makes a sound of protest before pulling his hand away and sitting up. “Well, that’s like a bucket of ice water.” He turns to look at her and his eyes roam slowly over her. “I think I’ll make an official law today saying that you can never wear anything buy my shirt.”

She rolls her eyes and laughs at him as she stands up in search of her clothes. But she doesn’t get more than two steps from the bed when he pulls her back with a growl and pins her beneath him. “God, you’re sexy in the morning.”

She sucks in a startled breath, both at the statement and his obvious arousal pressing against her thigh. Her gaze meets his for one longing moment before he slowly separates her shirt, leaving her exposed before him. Her breathing picks up as his gaze moves down her body. He’s not touching her, but she feels like his eyes are and her skin flushes with desire.

“Do you think it’s strange that seeing you like this turns me on more than anything ever has before in my life?” he asks as he runs his hand over her expanded belly. “Since we got here yesterday, I can’t help it. Every time I look at you I get hard.”

“Oh God,” she whispers as his hand blazes a trail from her stomach down her thigh and back up the inside. She swallows and makes a half-hearted attempt to stop him. “Max. I…uh, we should…” But her words turn into something unrecognizable when his fingers finally reach the place she aches for them the most.

She opens her eyes to see his hooded gaze locked on her face. “Max?” she questions and tries to reach for him. But he grabs her hand with his free one and laces her fingers through his as he shakes his head.

“You’re so beautiful. I just wanna watch you.” And with those words, she feels the familiar tingling start in her toes and work her way up to her belly as Max’s name escapes from her lips with a breathy moan.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later, Max makes his way down to the living room and sees Larek, Isabel and Michael waiting for him. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” he says, hoping to keep the smile off his face.

Michael looks him over, noting his disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes, and rolls his eyes.

“No, of course not,” Larek assures him. “I apologize for waking you so early, but we’ve received a message from Khivar. He’s requesting your presence at the palace.”

“That didn’t take long,” Michael says sarcastically.

“Max, I would advise you to bring Liz and Ava with you. Their abilities will…” Larek starts to say, but Max interrupts him.

“No. I don’t want Liz anywhere near him,” he says forcefully.

“Max, you shouldn’t go in there blind. Liz could really help you,” Isabel says, trying to get him to see beyond keeping Liz safe.

Standing up, Michael says, “I should go with him.”

“Khivar specifically asked that you and Vilondra not be there,” Larek says. “His invitation is for Zan and Ava, the former King and Queen of Antar. That is how he phrased it.”

Max thinks about that a moment, then says, “I guess with Tess dead that makes Ava the real former queen. I’ll take her, but not Liz.”

“I ask you to reconsider. I am impressed with Liz’s power of insight. She could be a great asset,” Larek says. “Khivar will not attempt to harm you on an official visit. The council will be watching the meeting remotely, I received word of this when the message arrived. He wouldn’t dare do anything to you under our watch.”

Logically, Max knows that having Liz with him would be better. She may be able to tell him whether or not Khivar is telling the truth. But he’s still having a hard time willingly putting her into dangerous situations. He’s glad she’s upstairs in the shower, or she’d be down here kicking his ass for hesitating. With that thought, he sighs and says, “Fine. When do we go?”

~~~~~~~~~~

While Max goes up to get ready, Michael goes searching for Zan. He finds him and Ava asleep in one of the bedrooms upstairs and he wakes them up by kicking the bed. “Zan, get up.”

Zan grumbles in protest and cracks his eye open to see Michael standing over him. “What?”

“We have someplace to go. Get dressed,” Michael says before leaving.

Zan flings his arm over his eyes and mumbles, “What the fuck?” He pushes the fog of sleep from his head before turning his head to see Ava still asleep.

Remembering how late they got back last night, and what they did when they did get back, he smirks and pulls the covers down. As soon as she feels the air on her body, she grumbles and grabs for the covers in her sleep and he pulls them further out of her reach.

He watches in amusement as she slowly wakes up in her struggles to cover up. She finally opens her eyes and sees what’s going on. “What’re you doin’, asshole? Gimme the covers.”

Trailing a finger down the valley of her chest and down her stomach, he says, “You remember last night?”

She smiles and closes her eyes. “Mmm hmm.”

“I remember, too. I remember how you dug your nails into my skin. I remember how you almost ripped the hair outta my head. I remember how you tasted. And I remember how you screamed my name over and over again.”

“Yah,” Ava sighs, ready for a repeat performance as she feels his hot breath on her skin.

“You know what else I remember?” he asks, looking up to see her shaking her head.

She suddenly feels him pull away and she opens her eyes to see him lying next to her on his back, his hands folded behind his head.

“I remember you fallin’ asleep right after and leavin’ me with a ragin’ boner for the rest of the night,” he smirks at her and glances down, showing her that said boner is still there.

Narrowing her eyes at his teasing, she sits up and grins. “Aw, you poor baby. Want me to make it better?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later Michael and Zan have secured the help of an alien named Tai to take them into Alterious. Warek assigned him as one of the human’s guards and Michael asked him to help him and Zan follow Max and the others to the palace.

“So, now what?” Zan asks as he, Michael and Isabel stand outside with Tai.

“Just for the record, I think this is a stupid idea,” Isabel says as a white and silver tube-shaped car glides past quickly on the street in front of them.

“Then don’t go,” Michael says. “We can handle it.”

Isabel rolls her eyes, not that Michael can see behind her sunglasses. But it makes her feel better anyway. She turns to Tai and says, “I guess we’ll need a car, or whatever you call those.”

Nodding once, Tai walks to the control pad next to the door and a few seconds later, a car pulls up in front of them.

They all watch, impressed, as the side swings up to reveal cushioned seats inside. “Now that’s prompt service,” Zan says as he climbs in.

Tai is the last one in and he tells the driver, “Take us to Alterious, outside the palace gates.”

Michael watches the passing scenery as they glide along the roadway, and he’s impressed by how smooth the ride is. “We’re just gonna check things out, make sure nothing happens,” Michael reassures Isabel. “Besides, don’t you wanna get a look at the palace?”

Isabel shrugs and says, “Not really.”

Michael studies Isabel for a moment as she gazes out the window and he realizes that she hasn’t said very much since they arrived here. She’s been around, she just doesn’t comment much on anything. He chalks it up to homesickness and looks out his own window.

In the distance, he can see the skyline of a city getting closer and he assumes this is Alterious, capital city of Antar. The closer they get, the more activity he sees going on outside his window. As their car slows down, he sees something he hasn’t seen since he got here. Something he never even thought about being missing. Children.

At least, he thinks they’re children. They look like the run of the mill Antarian to him, only smaller. He leans closer to the window, almost with his nose pressed against it and asks, “Are those kids?”

“Yes,” Tai responds. “Did you think we didn’t have them?”

Michael can almost detect the note of amusement in the alien’s voice and smiles. “I guess I didn’t think about it. There aren’t any back at the camp, or town, or whatever you call it.”

“It’s commonly referred to as the Rebel City. It started as a temporary camp years ago and evolved into what it is today,” Tai explains.

“And Khivar doesn’t care that it’s so close?” Isabel asks.

“He has no reason to. He knows we’re there and he knows what we do. There are few secrets in this conflict.”

Zan looks confused and says, “But I thought there was a war goin’ on. Doesn’t seem too smart to set up camp on the enemy’s doorstep.”

“I sense a misunderstanding regarding what our conflict is about. I know of your Earth battles. I studied them when I was young,” Tai says. “We do not strive for bloodshed and killing. Yes, it happens, unfortunately. When we attack, we do so only on Khivar’s military instillations and prisons. We have no wish to attack the palace or the capital. There are innocents there. Just as Khivar would never attack our city. I believe our wars here on Antar differ greatly from what you are accustomed to.”

“So it’s sort of like a political stalemate?” Michael wonders aloud.

“I suppose so,” Tai says. “Ah, we are here.”

The car stops and the door once again rises, exposing them to the harsh suns. As Michael gets out, he thinks about what Tai said. Between that and bits and pieces he learned yesterday, he’s guessing that the last major bloodbath this planet saw was when Khivar took the throne.

“I’m not too sure this was a good idea,” Zan says as a large group of Antarians start to gather around them. Unfortunately, they’re instantly recognized and there’s no way for them to hide.

~~~~~~~~~~

She can hear voices approaching, and she instantly recognizes Khivar’s as one of them. It’s been a long time since he’s come to see her, but if the guard’s gossip is to be believed, she knows why he’s here. The Granolith is back on Antar.

He comes to a stop in front of her cell and motions for the guard to leave them alone. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” he says as he takes a cursory look around. “I trust you’ve been treated well.”

“What do you want?” she asks, although she already knows.

“I’m sure you’ve already heard that the Granolith is here.” When she nods, he continues, “The Royal Hybrids have returned as well.”

Surprised because she hadn’t heard that bit of news, she asks, “Where are they?”

“In the rebel city, of course. Although, Zan is on his way here now to meet with me. I’m anxious to see Koltzor’s handiwork.” Khivar steps forward and notes the sudden fear she can’t hide. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on killing him. Yet.”

“I assume there’s a reason you’re here,” she says belligerently.

“I believe that your usefulness is finally here. I need you to turn over control of the Granolith to me,” Khivar says.

“I can’t do that without the key,” she says, hoping he doesn’t have it.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And what if I don’t agree?” she asks, knowing what his answer will be.

“Well, then, I guess I’ll have to have Zan publicly executed and get rid of him once and for all. I really have no choice.”

She studies him for a moment before saying, “I want to speak with him.”

“I don’t think so. I’m afraid you’ll only stir up trouble. I’m trying to do this as peacefully as possible and you’re influence will do nothing to help me,” he says before turning to leave. As he walks away, he calls out behind him, “Think about it, Serena. I’ll be back for your answer.”

She listens to his footsteps get further and further away before sinking down on her bed. The day has come that she’s always feared. And she has no idea what to do.

~~~~~~~~~~

It’s obviously no secret that they’re coming. As their car pulls past the gates to the palace, Max sees the roadway lined with spectators hoping to catch a glimpse.

“Looks like we were expected,” Liz comments as they slowly make their way through the crowd.

“Word spreads quickly here. Especially word of your return. Mostly, they’re probably just eager to get a look at you,” Cal says.

Max turns to Liz and sees her studying the crowd outside as she absently rubs her stomach. He puts his hand over hers to get her attention and asks, “You doing ok?”

She nods and forces a smile. “Just a little nervous, I guess.”

They arrive in a large courtyard and get out of the car. Max notices that no one bows to him here, unlike where he came from. Not that he misses it, but it reminds him that he’s on Khivar’s turf for the first time.

Cal walks directly in front of him as they’re led inside. He keeps a firm grip on Liz’s hand with his right as Ava walks quietly next to him on his left. He tries to keep his expression blank and neutral as he surveys his surroundings. The palace looks as if it’s been here for a while. He can sense the history, almost like walking into an old church. But he can also see modern technology integrated in. Of course, it’s probably not modern technology to them.

“It’s beautiful.” He hears Liz say quietly as they walk through a large room with twenty to thirty foot ceilings. Glancing over at her, he sees her head tilted up admiring the architecture and artistry of the ceiling.

Surprisingly, there’s a lot of activity around them. Max doesn’t know why he was expecting it to be empty and quiet, but it’s anything but. There are groups of Antarians going about what looks like everyday work. They enter a long hallway and on each side are open doorways leading to what he guesses are offices.

And thankfully, no one makes a show of watching the three humans walking amongst them. They get glances, but no one openly stares at them.

They reach an area of the hallway that has one side opening to a large courtyard and there are more Antarians lingering outside. If not for the aliens everywhere, he could almost believe they were at an old college campus on Earth.

At the end of the hallway, they stop outside of a large wooden door and their guide waits until the door slides open and motions for them to enter.

~TBC~

Thanks for all the feeback, everyone!


Part 66

It’s 3pm and Alex can’t get the code on his latest project to work right. Sighing in frustration, he leans back in his chair and rubs his hands over his eyes. He got to work early this morning thinking he’d be able to finish this before lunch and he’s no closer to getting it done now than he was when he got here.

It doesn’t help that he can’t concentrate. His thoughts keep drifting. To Isabel and what might be happening to her, Liz and the others. And to Maria.

Maria’s in the studio today. She probably won’t leave until late in the night. She’s pushing herself in an attempt to fill up time. He knows this because it’s what he’s doing, too. Filling up time. It’s almost as if they’ve both put their lives on hold, both going through the motions of everyday living. But in reality, they’re in a holding pattern. Waiting.

And it’s taking a toll on their sanity. After getting their messages from Serena, he spent the rest of yesterday and today thinking. They can’t go on like they have been. They need to pick themselves up and start living, really living. Pretty soon, they’ll have a baby to worry about and they won’t be able to continue with their selfish brooding.

Eyeing the envelope sitting on his desk, he picks up his phone and dials Maria’s cell phone. When she answers, he asks, “What’s on your calendar for tomorrow evening?”

“Well, hello Alex. How are you today? I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Maria answers and he can almost feel her eyes rolling through the phone.

“I have an invite to the Black and White charity ball sitting on my desk. We’re going,” he says.

There’s silence for a few moments before Maria asks, “Do we have to?”

“It’ll be fun. We’ll get dressed up, eat good food, dance all night. Come on.” Alex knows she doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t want to do anything lately beyond going to the studio, her cooking class and hang out at the apartment. But he’s determined and he won’t let her back out of this.

“You really wanna go to this?” Maria asks.

“Yes, I do. And I need you to go with me,” Alex says.

He hears her sigh dramatically and he smiles, knowing that her sigh means yes. “Fine. I guess I have to go buy a dress now, and some shoes,” she says, annoyed. But he can hear the hint of excitement in her voice at having to shop for the event, no doubt making a mental list of the designers she’ll go to.

The next night, as they sweep through the entrance of the candle-lit ballroom, Alex knows that coming here tonight was a great idea. They’re immediately surrounded by the elite of New York society when they recognize Maria. And for a few hours, they both escape.

They spend the evening pretending. Pretending that their lives are as simple and uncomplicated as those around them. Pretending that their biggest concern is what to wear to the latest party. And pretending that they care about all of this.

Maria grabs a small biscuit covered in caviar from a passing tray and points toward the far end of the room. “Mitsy over there confessed to me that she listens to my music while she shags their pool boy in the Hamptons.”

Alex laughs and says, “You’re kidding!”

“Nope,” she says as she pops the appetizer in her mouth.

He glances over at her to see the smile on her face and asks, “So, glad we came?”

She smiles up at him and says, “Yah. Thanks, you know, for making me.”

“Hey, what could be better than spending the night making fun of New York’s finest?” he asks with a grin.

“You always know exactly what will make me feel better, Alex,” she says with an answering grin.

As Alex leads her to the dance floor, he sweeps her around before settling together comfortably. “I think it’s time for us to start living again, Maria. I can’t go on the way we have been.”

She looks up at him, understanding what he’s saying. “I know. Me either. It’s so…hard. Some days, I just can’t stand it.”

“We can’t spend our time waiting in limbo. They wouldn’t want that. I don’t want that, and I know you don’t either.”

Maria bites her bottom lip for a moment before looking back up at him. “You’re right. So how about we make a pact. Tonight will be a new start for us. A new beginning.”

“Sounds good. To new beginnings, then.” He smiles down at her before twirling her around the dance floor as she throws her head back and laughs.

~~~~~~~~~~

Khivar waits at his desk and sees on his monitor that Zan has arrived at the door to his office. He looks over to Bentrel and nods his head once, indicating that they should be let in.

As they enter, Khivar stands and walks around his desk to face his visitors. He prepared himself for Zan’s human appearance, but finds himself still taken aback at the sight. Pushing aside his fascination with the human forms in front of him, he says, “Welcome, Zan. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

Zan doesn’t say anything, and for a moment Khivar thinks he may not understand him. But then he finally speaks. “Khivar.” Just his name, but said with an unfamiliar voice and a trace of nervousness and uncertainty.

Khivar moves his gaze to the rest of Zan’s party, not surprised to see that Armin and Ava have accompanied him. But then he notices the small, dark haired human female standing close to Zan and he freezes. He looks at her closely, noticing the way she’s openly studying him. She seems unafraid, and he can sense that she’s very powerful. Then he notices the large swell in front of her and recognizes her as the human Zan claimed as his queen. The human he apparently failed to kill. And now she is carrying Zan’s heir.

Remembering himself, he steps forward, noticing the way Zan stiffens, and approaches the human at his side. He bows his head slightly to her and says, “I believe introductions are in order.”

He can feel the tension in the air as he hears Armin say, “May I present Liz Parker, future mother of the heir to Antar.”

With amusement at Armin’s not so subtle insult, Khivar says, “It is most certainly a pleasure to meet you. Please, come in.” He steps back and sweeps his arm toward the large conference table in the corner. “Bentrel, refreshments for our guests,” he orders his assistant as he follows his guests.

Liz looks around the office, marveling at how much it looks like…well, an office. She’s still trying to recover from the chill she felt at Khivar’s perusal as she takes in the large windows surrounding what looks like an ordinary conference table.

She watches Khivar stand at the head of the table and wait for them to be seated. He looks toward Ava and says, “Ava, it’s good to see you.”

Ava nods her head, not knowing what to say to the familiar greeting. She looks toward Cal and asks, “Doesn’t he know?”

“Know what?” Khivar asks pleasantly.

Cal turns toward Khivar and instead of answering him, says, “Larek informed us that the council would be present during this meeting.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” Khivar waves a hand over a panel on the table and suddenly three holographic figures appear at the opposite end of the table. “Hanar, Sero, Kathana, and Larek, welcome to this unprecedented and truly remarkable meeting.”

Liz watches the three figures look them over and nod without saying anything. Larek told them that they would be there for observation only.

Khivar returns his gaze to Cal and asks, “So what is this that Ava thinks I don’t know?”

Liz sees Cal turn to Max in question, wondering if they should reveal anything to Khivar. She’s not sure what they’re referring to, but Max seems to know because he turns to Khivar and says, “In the interest of starting this meeting off on the right foot, I should tell you that we don’t remember our lives on this planet.”

Liz immediately looks at Khivar to judge his reaction and senses shock and surprise when he asks, “You don’t remember? Anything?”

“No,” Max says.

Khivar sits back in his chair, clearly caught off guard by this revelation, and Liz can hear murmuring coming from the council. After a moment of silence, Khivar leans forward and asks, “This phrase…starting off on the right foot? What does that mean?”

“Uh, beginning on good terms, I guess,” Max answers, relaxing slightly.

“Ah, yes. Very good. I appreciate your revelation, but must admit that I am more than confused now,” Khivar says. “If you have no memory of your lives, why exactly are you here?”

~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you think’s goin’ on in there?” Zan asks as they hide behind a small stone building and look up toward the palace. It took some maneuvering, but they were finally able to escape the crowd by skirting around the wall of the gate and hiding.

“I wish we could get closer,” Michael laments, looking through the heavy iron fence in front of him. At least it looks like iron. He tried to manipulate it earlier and found that the metal couldn’t be budged.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Larek said Khivar wouldn’t dare try anything because the council will be watching,” Isabel says, still wondering what they’re doing there.

Zan snorts and says, “Like we can trust Khivar. Max shoulda sent me in first.”

“That would have just pissed off Khivar,” Michael says. “It had to be him. Damn, let’s move up this way and see if we can get closer.” He nods to the right and starts making his way along the fence.

They climb a small hill and come to a turn in the fence. Michael keeps an eye on the palace as they go, looking for a spot that will get them a closer view. But no matter how far they go, it seems they can’t get closer.

Just as he’s about to give up, though, they’re spotted by a group of Antarians. There’s no hiding and they’re quickly surrounded by the curious aliens. “Shit,” Michael mutters as they head back to the main road.

“Guess there’s no covert ops in our future,” Zan says. “We might as well head back.”

“We’re of no use here. We might as well have huge targets on our backs,” Michael laments. “What in the hell are we gonna be able to do?”

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve come for my throne. I can’t allow a tyrant like you to rule in my place,” Max says, surprised at how he’s kept the nervousness from his voice.

“A tyrant?!” Khivar exclaims, his gaze darting to the council, before returning to Max. “I find that amusing coming from you.”

Max waits for more of a reaction, but doesn’t get one. Instead, it seems that Khivar relaxes before saying, “Let us not resort to accusations just yet. It will get us no where. Please, enjoy your refreshments.” He gestures toward the platter of food and drink his assistant brought in. “Of course, Armin will want to scan it first.”

Confused, Max watches Cal hover his hand over the food before saying, “It’s ok to eat.” Max looks at the food, realizing that Cal was scanning it for poison and he doesn’t really want it. “Eat,” Cal says a little forced, motioning toward the food.

Max reluctantly takes what looks like a muffin and glances toward Khivar. He’s waiting expectantly and Max thinks that this must be some kind of formality, that maybe it would be considered rude if he didn’t take what was offered. He takes a bite and chews slowly, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. It tastes like a blueberry muffin and he swallows, not feeling any strange effects, and nods toward Liz and Ava to do the same.

As they eat their muffins, Khivar seems to relax and asks, “So, I’m curious. Now that I know you don’t remember this planet, how are you finding it?”

Max glances at Cal before answering, “Wet.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s understandable, considering the climate of Earth.” Khivar’s gaze travels to Ava once again and asks quietly, “It is regrettable that you don’t remember your past life, Ava. We were close once, you and I. I’m sure your mother feels the same as I.” His glance flickers toward the council as Ava follows his gaze.

“My mother?” she asks, wondering if one of the four aliens there is her.

“Sero,” Khivar says. “Will you not greet your daughter?”

Ava sees one of the alien holograms step forward and bow their head. “Ava,” is all she says.

Ava swallows once, feeling confused at learning her mother has been in the room and that she doesn’t have anything else to say.

“I believe I speak for everyone here when I say that I’m slightly confused as to why Zan has not claimed you as his queen. I believe it was Koltzor and Serena’s purpose when they had you created that you would once again assume the rolls you held here on Antar,” Khivar says.

“As you already know, there were complications. Because they had no memory of their lives here, they were raised as human with no preconceived notions of their destiny to be together. Zan chose another,” Cal explains.

Khivar’s gaze moves to Liz once more and says, “Yes, I can see. But I find it odd that I, along with everyone in this system, felt the queen die.”

His look freezes Liz to the core. She knows now that he’s the one who tried to kill her. He’s the one who possessed Zan that night and attacked her. She stares right back at him, determined to not show him any fear. She knows from his statement that the council has no idea of his attempt on her life. They also don’t know that Max claimed her as his queen. In that one statement, she gathered from his mind that he’s been keeping many secrets from the council.

Should she bring this information out? Should she make Khivar admit, in front of the council, that he tried to kill her? As she continues to stare at him, she can see the challenge in his eyes. “I can imagine how disappointed you are to find out your attempt to kill me failed,” she says, her gaze never wavering. “Your mistake was not making sure I stayed dead.”

She feels Max stiffen beside her, but she continues to study Khivar. He has no noticeable reaction to what she says, but she hears more murmuring from the council. After several long moments of uncomfortable silence, she raises her eyebrow and asks, “You’re not going to deny it?”

Khivar raises his hands and says, “Of course not. As Zan’s queen, you were standing between me and the Granolith.”

“Unacceptable!” Liz hears a hushed voice from the council, recognizing the voice as Larek’s.

“Quiet,” Khivar orders. “The council is here for observation only.” He looks at Liz once again and says, “I shouldn’t have to remind you that you killed Rath. But I’m willing to let the past remain in the past.”

Liz bites her tongue, not wanting to get into the reasons she killed Rath. Her goal of having the council know he attempted to kill her has been achieved. There’s no reason to keep arguing about it. It would be counter productive.

But it seems that Max doesn’t share her view. “Tell me why I shouldn’t just kill you and end this now.”

Khivar seems surprised at Max’s outburst and says, “Kill me? And what would that accomplish? Do you really think you can just take the throne and rule Antar as if you were never gone?”

“My goal is not to rule. It’s to keep the Granolith out of your hands,” Max says.

“Ah, so that is your reason for returning. You must realize, though, that only by turning the Granolith over to me will the conflict among our planets finally end,” Khivar says.

“The conflict will end when you’re no longer in power,” Max answers.

Khivar studies Max for a few moments and seems to sit back with a sigh. “These human emotions.” He shakes his head. “I find them confusing. I find myself not recognizing the Zan that I knew.”

“I’m not the Zan you knew,” Max says.

“This meeting is not turning out as I expected. You are much too serious, Zan. Let me try to make things better.” Khivar stands from the table and holds his hand toward Max. “Come, I believe there’s someone who is anxious to see you. Let me take you to see your mother.”

~TBC~

Part 67

“My mother is here?” Max asks, clearly surprised.

“Of course. Where else would she be?” Khivar says.

“It’s been 60 years. I thought…” Max begins, but Khivar interrupts.

“Our life spans differ from humans. I assure you, she’s alive and well. Come.”

Max looks at Liz with the question in his eyes. She senses no dishonesty from Khivar regarding Max’s mother and she nods once at Max, letting him know.

Standing up then, Max grabs Liz’s hand and helps her to stand as well. He looks toward Cal and Ava, motioning for them to come along. “Does she know I’m here?” Max asks Khivar.

“Yes. I told her as soon as I heard the news,” Khivar says as he leads the way out of his office. “I am not a monster, Zan. I have always thought of her as a second mother. She’s been treated well.” He seems to sigh in resignation before continuing. “You and I have a complicated history.”

“I know all about our history. Serena told me. I also know that you killed me, so forgive me for not wanting to reminisce,” Max says shortly.

“So Serena made it to Earth,” Khivar comments. “I can certainly understand why you didn’t bring her along for the trip back.”

Max hears the note of amusement in his voice, and wonders why he doesn’t seem angrier that Serena’s not here. He files that away for later, though, as they come to a stop.

Khivar leans close to a panel by the door and says, “Mother, you have visitors.” He turns to face Max and says, “I’ll leave you for now. When you’re finished, feel free to explore the palace. I’ll have a small dinner prepared for us for later. Bentrel will see to your needs.” Khivar motions toward his assistant before turning and walking away.

Max turns back toward the door and looks down at Liz, squeezing her hand for comfort. She smiles nervously up at him and he turns toward the door when he hears it slide open. He hesitates for a moment before finally taking a step inside.

The first thing he notices is how lush everything looks. The floor is covered in thick carpeting and he feels suddenly awkward with his big boots making large indentations in it. The walls have tapestries hanging from them depicting what looks like landscapes.

But his gaze is quickly drawn to the far side of the room, which opens up to the outside with grand arches and pillars leading to a large balcony. And standing on the balcony, he assumes, is his mother.

She turns around and he’s slightly disappointed that he doesn’t feel any recognition. To him, she looks like any other Antarian he’s seen so far.

“Zan, my son,” she says as she holds her hands out, beckoning him toward her.

He takes the few steps that it takes to reach her and holds his hands to hers, palm to palm, and feels a warmth pass between them along with a soft golden glow.

“I feared you would never return,” she says as she lowers her hands. Studying him for a moment, she straightens as if in understanding. “You don’t remember me.”

“No, I’m sorry. None of us…we don’t remember our lives here,” he tells her, regretting that he has to hurt her with the knowledge that her own children don’t remember her.

“I see.” She looks behind him at the others. “Armin, I see that my trust in you was well placed.”

Cal feels a pang of guilt at the praise but just bows his head. Thankfully, Max doesn’t say anything to contradict her good thoughts for him.

“Ava. Child, step forward.” She motions for Ava to step up next to Max. Cal watches as the queen slowly realizes that things are not as they should be. He sees her head turn slightly to the side, perhaps just sensing the other presence in the room, perhaps sensing the presence of the baby. “You are no longer my son’s chosen one,” she says to Ava.

“No. Not in this life,” Ava answers as she steps to the side to reveal Liz standing just behind Max.

Liz steps up next to Max and Cal sees the queen study Liz and her obvious pregnancy. “A human?” Cal hears the disdain in her voice and cringes inside as he watches Max bristle at the comment.

“I am human,” Max says.

The queen looks at Max in surprise. Whether from the way he spoke to her, or from what he said to her, Cal can’t tell. But her shoulders fall slightly and she bows her head slightly. “Of course. I meant no insult. This is all very unexpected and I’m afraid I am slightly overwhelmed.”

“I know how you feel,” Max says, hoping to put her at ease.

She looks up at him and motions for them to join her out on the balcony. Outside, they find comfortable looking chairs arranged around a small table. “Please, sit. I long to hear of your journey and of Vilondra.”

Once they’re seated, the queen turns to Liz and asks, “By what name should I call you?”

“Liz, Liz Parker is my name,” Liz tells her.

“It’s very good to meet you, Liz Parker. You may call me Ashanka.”

“I’m glad to meet you, Ashanka. That’s a beautiful name,” Liz says.

The queen nods and looks toward Liz’s stomach. “That looks very uncomfortable.”

Liz smiles and says, “It is sometimes. But it’s worth it.”

“We have physicians here at the palace who can examine you if you have need.” The queen continues to stare openly at Liz’s stomach. “Space travel is not good for the child.”

“There are physicians that have already examined her. Everything is fine,” Max says, not comfortable with the idea of Khivar’s doctors examining Liz.

“What do those provincial physicians know of human childbearing?” she asks.

“Probably as much as any physician here,” Max volleys back. He holds her gaze, challenging her to say otherwise.

“So tell me, is Vilondra well?” The queen changes the subject abruptly.

“She is. She’s at the rebel city with Michael…Rath, and my duplicate,” Max tells her. “We call him Zan, so it might be less confusing if you just call me Max.”

“This must seem very confusing for you if you don’t remember your past lives. I suspect Khivar was surprised to hear this news as well,” the queen says.

“I was surprised to learn that you are alive and well,” Max says instead of confirming his confusion.

“I don’t know what you have learned of what happened, or of your lives here, but I think of Khivar as a son. He was a member of this family, and I know he thinks of me as his only family left.” She sees the confusion on Max’s face and continues. “Don’t misunderstand me. We’ve had our moments of animosity. I still hold him responsible for your deaths. He acted too rashly when he took the throne, and I can never forgive him for that.”

“Then why do you stay here with him?” Max asks.

“He is all I have left. We have that in common,” she says simply, almost sadly. “He was misguided and greedy. It came from his youth. In that, he reminds me of you.”

“You know that I’ve come here to remove him from power?” Max wonders aloud, thinking of the message from her in the other timeline.

“I suspected as much. You belong on the throne, my son. Once you are in your rightful place, peace will follow. Khivar knows this to be true, but he believes if he can gain control of the Granolith he can stay in power and still have the peace our worlds long for.”

“Why does the Granolith need to be in the hands of the ruler of Antar? Why not the ruler of another world?” Max asks.

Ashanka looks taken aback by this suggestion and she says, “The ruler of Antar has always ruled the five planets. To suggest that the responsibility and power just be given to another world is unthinkable.”

“But why? Why not Larek, for instance?” Max still doesn’t understand and isn’t satisfied by her answer. It sounds to him like it’s a matter of pride, not necessity.

She studies him for a moment before asking, “This isn’t something you are considering, is it? Our family has been the rule of Antar for twenty one generations. The Granolith belongs to us, surely you don’t plan to hand over the power of the Granolith to Larek.”

“I’m just exploring the options,” Max says.

“That certainly is no option. The conflict that exists now would only increase if power of the Granolith were given to Larek. You would be upending the entire political structure of this star system,” she says, clearly agitated at the idea Max brought up. “If you are unwilling to take control and rule this planet as you should, then give the Granolith to Khivar. Those are your options.”

Max feels as if he’s just gotten a lecture and he decides to concede her point and not discuss it further. He looks out from the balcony and can see the same large courtyard he saw on their way to Khivar’s office. “It’s very nice here. Beautiful.”

Ashanka looks in the same direction and nods before looking back at him and eyeing the breathing tube he wears. “Beautiful, but inhospitable for you.”

“Yes. The air is too thick for our lungs. And the suns are harmful to our skin and eyes,” Max tells her. “But the breathing tubes help.”

“I suppose that is reason enough for you to not want to stay on this planet. It would not be comfortable for you, and especially not a human child.” She looks once again toward Liz. “But I must admit to wanting the opportunity to see Zan’s heir. Not only am I blessed to have my children return, but to have a child on the way as well.”

“Can you leave here? I know Isabel would love to see you,” Liz says, feeling a motherly bond with the queen.

“I would enjoy that. I see no reason why I couldn’t,” she says. “Isabel. I will have to accustom myself to your new names.”

They spend the next hour or so answering the queen’s questions about their lives on Earth. She seems reluctant to talk about their deaths and the events leading up to them, so conversation is steered clear of that subject.

When they leave, Max promises to arrange for her to visit the rebel city, but he makes no promises on what his plans for the Granolith are. And he leaves, knowing that she’s disappointed.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t think I was quite what she expected,” Max says as they wander down the hallway.

Liz squeezes his hand, making him look down at her. “Hey, she wasn’t really what you expected either. But I think it went really well.”

“You do?” he asks, wondering where she got that from.

“Yes. I think the loss of your memories just threw her, you know?” Liz can’t imagine what it would be like to wait for your children’s return for years, never knowing if they were alright, and then find out that they don’t even remember you. It must be devastating for her.

“You’re right,” Max says as he turns to take in their surroundings. “This place is pretty incredible, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t mind livin’ here,” Ava says with a grin.

Cal follows closely behind and resists the urge to roll his eyes at them. Not that he could in this form. “You did. Live here, I mean. This is all yours, Max. This is your birthright.”

“Well I don’t want it. But I don’t want Khivar to have it, either. I need some ideas here, Cal,” Max says.

“My first idea is that we shouldn’t be discussing this here,” Cal says and walks ahead of them. “Come. I’ll give you a tour. I’m sure you’ll be interested to see what I have to show you.”

Liz, Max and Ava follow Cal through the hallways and try not to gawk at their surroundings. Liz feels a little self-conscious as they walk, feeling the eyes of the Antarians on her. She knows they have to be curious, but she feels like she’s in a fishbowl. At least they’re not stopping and crowding around them.

She notices that Khivar’s assistant, Bentrel, is keeping a sizable distance behind them. He’s following them, but not getting too close to make them feel uncomfortable.

They reach a large opening in the hallway and when Cal leads them through, Liz stops completely, noticing Max and Ava doing the same. They’ve entered what looks like a huge ballroom. It must be the length of a football field, and the ceiling goes up at least five stories.

But what immediately gets their attention is that the walls and ceiling seem to be covered in gold. At least it’s some kind of metal that shines like gold. There are ornate carvings set into the walls, strategically placed between life-sized sculptures circling the room.

“The Hall of Kings,” Cal says as he walks in to the middle of the room and approaches a podium with some kind of touch pad on it.

“Holy shit,” Ava says as she spins around, her head craning backwards toward the ceiling before sweeping around the room. “Holy shit,” she repeats.

Liz walks over to the nearest life-sized, gold sculpture of an Antarian. An important one, by the looks of it. Cal said this is the hall of kings and her gaze drifts down the wall to all the statues lining it and realizes that each of these statues is probably a past king of Antar. She glances toward Max just as he searches her out and she knows they’re thinking the same thing. ‘Where’s his?’

“Hey, are there queens in here? Or do they get a separate hall?” Ava asks as she joins Cal in the center of the room.

Liz and Max join her and watch Cal touch the pad in front of him. The lights in the room dim and Cal says, “Present Zan, last King of Antar.” Suddenly one of the statues from the opposite side of the room from where they entered glides effortlessly forward until it stops less than five feet away from the podium.

There seem to be some sort of lights positioned around the base of the statue that shine up and illuminate it. Liz looks at the likeness in fascination. This is Zan. This is who Max used to be. She doesn’t realize that she’s standing there with her mouth open until she hears Cal say, “History,” and another voice fills the air around them.

As the voice begins talking, images appear in front of them. Life-sized holograms that seem to move about the room freely. “Zan the twenty first, son of Zan the twentieth and Queen Ashanka. Born in the rotation 8,754.” An image of the king and queen with a young Zan appears and Liz feels Max take a step back, closer to her. She grabs his hand in silent support as the voice continues.

“Ascended to the throne upon the natural expiration of Zan the twentieth, rotation 8,768.” The images shift to show what Liz assumes is his coronation. She can actually hear the cheer of the crowd as Zan walks up the steps to the palace and stands before his mother as she bows down to him. “Joined in bond with Princess Ava of Illyad, daughter of Queen Sero, rotation 8,769.”

Liz starts realizing that ‘rotation’ must mean year. Maybe they count years the same as Earth, by how many times their planet rotates the sun, or suns. Instead of year, they must just use the term rotation. She already knows that they call a week a cycle here. “You were only 14 when you became King,” she whispers to Max after she does the math.

“Hey, there I am!” Ava exclaims during the scene of Zan and Ava’s bonding ceremony. She walks toward the holographic image of herself, circling around to the back to get a view from all angles. Liz can’t help the smile that comes to her face at Ava’s excitement. But her smile fades when she notices Max’s face twisted into a grimace.

Suddenly, the scene changes, causing Ava to jump back in surprise. “Killed in rotation 8,774 during a successful overthrow of the house of Zan by Khivar, son of Lord Baltran of Antar. Interned in the Hall of Kings and currently considered the last King of Antar.” The hologram shows this very room, only it’s crowded to nearly overflowing as a ceremony takes place. Liz watches as they place Zan’s body into some kind of tomb, and she realizes with horror that the tomb is actually the base of his statue.

Her eyes fly to the statue, not five feet from her, and she takes a step back. Then she turns to look at all the other statues, knowledge that each one contains the remains of each king flooding through her. They’re standing in the middle of a giant mausoleum.

Another hologram appears in front of them which takes them all by surprise. It shows Max, first in his pod, then in a series of images showing his growth from child to adult. “Utilizing the latest cloning technology, King Zan the twenty first, along with Queen Ava, Princess Vilondra, her betrothed, and the Granolith Keeper were recreated using human DNA and sent to the planet Earth with the Granolith. It is believed at this time that the Royal Four, as they came to be known after their deaths, continue to reside as humans on Earth. As long as the Granolith is in the hands of King Zan, he will remain the last King of Antar.”

As the image of Max fades away, they all stand there staring at the spot it occupied for several moments in silence. Liz’s gaze is once again drawn to the golden statue of Zan, and the base that holds his remains. This must be so strange for Max.

Glancing at him, she sees him staring at his statue and she decides to walk closer to it for a better look. Circling around Cal and the podium, she joins Ava just to the side of Zan’s statue. Whoever created it did an incredible job with the detail. She can see every line and fold on the skin. He stands, just as all the others, with his hands folded in front of him holding a long rod of some sort. The rod extends above his head and on top sits a brilliant sparkling stone that catches the light coming in from the outside, creating a rainbow of colored rays.

On his chest is some kind of emblem, but she doesn’t know what it says. As she steps closer to it, she can see her own reflection staring back at her in the golden surface of his eyes. “Liz, come on.” She turns when she feels Max tug on her arm. He looks slightly disturbed so she steps back with him.

“It’s a little strange, isn’t it?” she asks him, wondering what he’s thinking.

Swallowing, he looks back at the statue and nods his head. “So there were twenty Zans before me?” he asks Cal as his gaze sweeps along the walls of the room. “Were they all kings?”

“Some were queens. The name is given to the first born of each generation,” Cal explains. “Regardless of whether they’re male or female.”

Max thinks about that a moment before saying, “Let’s get out of here. I’m sure there’s more to see.”

Cal nods and waves his hand over the podium and they all watch as Zan’s statue goes dark and glides back to its spot on the wall. He leads them out of the hall and they follow him down another series of corridors.

Liz notices the hard set of Max’s face and knows he’s thinking about that room, his statue, and his remains. She wishes she knew what he was thinking, but realizes that now isn’t the time to talk about it. So instead, she grabs his hand and says, “Just so you know, we’re not naming this child Zan the twenty second.”

She catches his eye and sees an amused smile come to his face before he whines, “But Liz, that name has been in my family for 21 generations. What will my mother think?”

Biting her lip as she rolls her eyes, she leans into him and says, “Dork.”

~~~~~~~~~~

After a full day of touring the palace, and a lengthy stop in the library where Liz wanted to stay for weeks, Bentrel tells them that they should head for the dining room where Khivar is waiting for them.

Max is ready to get this meeting over with and leave. He doesn’t know what Khivar’s agenda is, but he knows now that nothing productive will result from further conversation. He’s anxious to talk to Larek and arrange a meeting between just him and the council.

The first thing he notices as they walk in the small room is the presence of two Antarians in the room, one he assumes is Khivar. The other he thinks might be his mother, Ashanka.

“Max, please come in,” Khivar says, using his real name for the first time. The surprise at hearing it must show on his face because Khivar explains, “I’ve been informed you prefer your Earth name. Am I being too presumptuous?”

“No, Max is fine,” he says as he leads Liz and Ava further into the room. In the middle is a large round table, adorned with flowers and normal looking place settings for a meal.

Khivar motions them in and says, “Good. I had the palace chefs prepare a traditional Earth meal in your honor. I insisted there be dishes found in the region you come from. I do hope you enjoy it.”

Max moves to the opposite side of the table from Khivar and he looks to Ashanka. He can’t be sure it’s her, but he feels that it is. So he nods once in acknowledgement as Liz sits to his left, Ava to his right. Cal sits next to Liz.

“Did you enjoy your tour of the palace? I find that I must keep reminding myself that you have no memory of it,” Khivar says.

“It was…interesting,” Max says. But he doesn’t get a chance to say more when he hears a small commotion from behind him and he sees Khivar stand.

“Ah, Soless, so glad you could join us,” Khivar says before turning to Max. “Max Evans, may I present my bonded mate, Soless. And my daughter, Riza.”

Max turns to see the newcomers walk into the room and he stands as well. The smaller of the two, the child, openly stares at him and he says, “It’s good to meet you.”

Khivar introduces Liz and Ava before the two take their seats on either side of him. Soless and Riza seem to take great interest in the three humans, especially Riza. Max sees her lean close to her mother and speak to her in a voice too low for him to hear.

“So, Max, we have much to discuss,” Khivar says, drawing Max’s attention back to him.

“We do?” Max asks, thinking the exact opposite.

“I would like for you to understand what exactly is at stake here.”

“And what’s that?” Max asks.

Khivar sits back and says, “Peace, of course.”

~TBC~

Sorry about the wait! But hey, Fanatics was down anyway, so it gave me time to do some major overhauling of the ending. Anyway, thanks for all the great feedback...hope you like the next part!

Part 68

Liz studies Khivar closely, listens to every word. She’s trying not to be distracted by Khivar’s family openly staring at her and her protruding belly.

“What do you know of peace?” Max asks, unable to keep the sneer from his voice. He’s the one who killed him and his family in his greed for the throne and he’s talking to him about peace?

“Unfortunately, not a lot. But I wish for nothing more for my people. For the people of the five planets,” Khivar says. “And with your return, I sense that it is finally a possibility.”

“And you expect me to just hand over the Granolith to you and step aside?” Max asks.

Khivar doesn’t answer immediately as several platters are brought in and everyone is served. Max and Liz exchange a glance when they see what dinner consists of. Burritos and tacos. Liz looks down at her plate and tries to resist the urge to laugh. She travels all the way across the universe and gets served burritos and tacos.

She glances at Khivar and he says, “I hope that you enjoy a little taste of home. I’ve been told taste and texture in your food is very important.”

She senses nothing but sincerity in what he says which confuses her. Why go through the trouble? Eyeing him warily, she waits until Cal scans their food and tells them it’s ok to eat. Because the aliens are all watching them expectantly, she takes a small bit of what appears to be a taco. It does, indeed, taste just like a taco.

Seemingly satisfied that the humans enjoy the food offered, Khivar finally addresses Max and his earlier question. “You make it sound so simple, Max. If it were that easy, I would just go out to the wastelands and take the Granolith myself.”

“So instead, you have Liz kidnapped and try to force us to create an heir so your shapeshifter and Nicholas could steal the Granolith from Earth. I gotta tell you, as far as plans go, that one sucked,” Max says. “And to top it all off, you try to kill her. Why should I listen to anything you have to say?”

“Why are you here, if not to listen?” Khivar asks, baffled. “My orders have always been to bring the Granolith back to Antar. How Browan and Nicholas chose to follow those orders was out of my control. I was very unhappy with how they handled that situation and they knew it. The Granolith belongs on Antar. It belongs to Antar.”

“Even if the Granolith remained under my control?”

Khivar spreads his hands. “Of course. The Granolith is an icon for the people. Their loyalty is not just to you, it’s to the Granolith. Don’t you see?” He pauses for moment then continues, “We were friends once. Did Serena tell you that? I thought of you as a brother. And, I admit, my takeover did not go as planned. The politics involved were very complicated. I know you don’t remember, but the situation had been quickly spiraling out of control when you were in charge. You were so young when your father died. And you were very naïve.”

“And you thought you could do a better job?” Max asks.

“Yes. And perhaps I was naïve as well. I made mistakes. I was jealous and competitive. But really, no more so than Rath. I made a move before he could. Political ambition was like a disease back then, it seemed no one was immune.” Khivar looks toward Cal and says, “Armin can tell you the truth of it; I don’t expect you to take my word. But in a lot of ways, I believe the three of us, you, myself and Rath, were very much alike.”

“Is that why you killed them both?” Liz asks.

“Hm. If I had known that doing so would elevate them almost to the level of a deity, I certainly would have come up with a different strategy,” Khivar says. “To answer the question I know you are really asking, yes. When one plans to overthrow a throne, killing the current ruler is a necessity, unfortunately. The house of Zan had been in power far too long.”

“Khivar, just get to the point and tell him what you want. We don’t need a history lesson.” Ashanka surprises them all by speaking for the first time. “I grow tired of hearing about the past. Certainly, they can learn of it from a source they deem more reliable.”

Liz is surprised by her tone, thinking that it reminds her of her own mother. She’s getting a better idea of the relationship between Ashanka and Khivar when Khivar just nods his head toward her in agreement. He doesn’t seem angry at her comment. In fact, he seems somewhat contrite.

“Yes, of course,” Khivar says before turning his attention to Max. “The solution I would like to propose involves your cooperation. I believe that between us, we hold the answer for peace. A chance to finally end the fighting. That is all I want. It is all I have ever wanted. Our people suffer needlessly, and we can end it. Isn’t that what you ultimately want as well?”

Max remains silent, waiting for Khivar to finish.

“I propose that we present a united front to the people. Your return has brought them hope for peace, so let us give it to them. Together, I know it can happen. I also know you didn’t travel all this way to take the throne back for yourself. It’s clear you have no wish to rule.” As Khivar speaks, Max thinks that he is truly a politician. He makes it all sound so easy. “I am even willing to compromise. I will agree to let you keep control of the Granolith until the time comes that you feel comfortable turning it over to me. Then you can go back to Earth and get on with your lives there.”

Silence descends on the room as Max keeps his gaze on Khivar. When it’s clear that Khivar is done talking, Max sets his linen napkin on his plate and says, “I’ll certainly think about what you’ve said. But I’d like ask you a question.” At Khivar’s nod, Max asks, “If I had not returned with the Granolith, and if you were unable to get anyone to bring it back for you, what would you have done?”

Khivar studies Max for a moment, unsure of what kind of answer he’s searching for. “Let me preface my answer by reinforcing to you how important the Granolith is. Without it, we will never achieve balance between the five planets. Without it, fighting will only escalate to the point of total devastation. You have to understand that I would do anything to stop that from happening. I would even tear another planet apart in search of it, if that were what it took. So, I am quite pleased that that will not be necessary since you have brought the Granolith home yourself.”

Max nods, hearing the answer he expected. Coming back here is the path the Granolith tried to point him toward, and it was right. Now he only wishes it would point him in the right direction regarding what to do now that he’s here.

~~~~~~~~~~

Max, Liz, Ava and Cal are allowed to leave without any trouble. After spending the day there and the conversations he had with Khivar, Max didn’t really expect any. During the ride back to the rebel city, Max asks Liz what she sensed from Khivar while they were there.

“I never got the sense that he was lying about anything. Everything he said was in complete sincerity. I think he really does want to end the conflict here.” Liz chews her lip for a moment before adding, “But I got a weird feeling from Ashanka. Like she was purposefully keeping things from you.”

“Khivar doesn’t seem like such a bad guy. He’s not what I expected,” Ava muses.

Curious, Max asks, “Cal, what were your impressions?”

“I told you what I thought years ago, Max. You don’t belong here. None of you do. I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t give up the damn Granolith. So, here we are.” Max can hear the irritation in his voice and for a split second, he feels guilty that Cal felt like he had to come back with them.

Max runs his hands over his face wearily. Things here are definitely not turning out how he had planned. He thought he would be coming here and have to fight. He spent months honing his powers, building his strength. For what? For politics? He’s not a politician. Beyond office politics, anyway. He can maneuver around those well enough. But this?

Did he come here for nothing? Did he drag everyone along for nothing? Maybe he should just give the Granolith to Khivar. It seems to him that the only reason the people here are fighting is because of him. Because they’re still loyal to him. If Khivar truly wants peace, and if the Granolith can do that, then why not just give it up? He sure as hell doesn’t want to stay here to rule.

He feels a touch on the back of his head and he looks up to see Liz. “Hey, it’s been a long day. Nothing has to be decided right now. Let’s just get back, relax, and take some time to let everything sink in,” she says as she strokes his hair.

Smiling tentatively, he grabs her hand and brings it to his lips. “You’re right.” Letting everything but the soft feel of her skin against his lips fade away, he leans back and imagines a night spent alone with her.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Is it true?”

Khivar turns to Ashanka and nods once. “He had claimed her as his queen. I had no choice.”

“You did have a choice. And you made the wrong one. Now he will never trust you, he will never give you the Granolith.” Ashanka stands to leave the dining room.

“You sound pleased at that prospect,” Khivar says, watching her stop at his words.

Turning to face him, she says, “My son should be ruling this planet. He is the only one who will bring peace to the five planets. You can only hope to force it.”

“I don’t recognize a difference,” Khivar answers. “Peace is peace. You’ve seen him and his weak human form. He doesn’t even remember this planet. Why would he want to rule it? His mate is even human. Do you know what would have happened if he had arrived here with a human queen?”

“It makes no difference. She is carrying the heir anyway.”

“But she’s not a queen. She doesn’t have the power of a queen, and that is what’s important right now.” Khivar studies her a moment before asking, “You expected him to come back here and stay, didn’t you? You are disappointed. I understand.”

“I did not expect the loss of their memories. You cannot imagine…what if Riza were taken from you? What if she were miraculously returned half a lifetime later, only to have no memory of you? Do not presume to understand anything.” She levels him with her gaze, challenging him to respond. When he doesn’t, she turns and leaves the room with her head held high.

Khivar watches her go, thinking about their complicated co-existence. For all this time, he’s known she has just been waiting for the return of her children. She’s made no secret of the fact that she wants Zan to rule again, that she wants him to fail. She expects him to fail.

Sinking into the nearest chair, he stares at the empty doorway and vows that he’ll prove her wrong. He will seize the Granolith and claim this throne as rightfully his, once and for all. The house of Zan is dead and it’s time for the house of Khivar to begin. There are only two things standing in his way. Zan and his child.

He leaves the dining room, bolstering himself up after the disappointing visit from Zan, to seek out his assistant. He was prepared for Zan’s cocky arrogance and instead was faced with a Zan he didn’t know. And to top it all off, Zan didn’t know him, either. All this time awaiting the opportunity to complete his revenge is wasted.

Seeing Bentrel hurrying toward him, he asks, “Where is my son today? Why was he not at the meeting with Zan as I requested?”

“He is in his quarters and refused to attend, sir,” Bentrel says.

Striding quickly past Bentrel, he says, “Meet me in my office, I have a message to be sent,” before turning down the corridor that leads to his son’s quarters.

~~~~~~~~~~

She can feel it coursing through her. The power. The recognition. The Granolith has only been here a short while and already she can feel its presence and its energy reaching for her. She knows things now that she didn’t before. The Serena she created, the other her, to accompany the king fulfilled her task. Zan has returned.

But he’s different. The Granolith has told her. She also knows that time on Earth was altered twice, a dangerous endeavor undertaken, no doubt, by her clone. Her clone, who has joined with a human and is carrying a child in her human form. The idea intrigues her, but her primary concern right now is Zan and the heir that his human mate is carrying.

She needs to get word to Zan that she is alive. He must get his child off of this planet before Khivar finds out about it, if he hasn’t already. But that will be impossible. No one in the prison is sympathetic to Zan or to her. She’s been here long enough to know.

So she concentrates on the comforting presence of the Granolith. It has been so long since she’s felt the light touch of its energy thread through her mind. Absorbing the knowledge it wants her to have, she is intrigued by this mate Zan has chosen. His human mate is not everything that she seems. This could be just what she needs.

She clears her mind and allows the Granolith to do what she needs it to. Soon, the king will know that she is alive.

~~~~~~~~~~

Max’s meeting with the council and Larek doesn’t reveal much more to him than he already knew. They still seem angry that Khivar lied to them about getting the Granolith back. “He has been lying to us for all of this time. He deceived us with the communication from the Granolith Keeper.” Hanar is the most vocal out of the council members.

“What communication?” Max asks, recognizing that the Granolith Keeper is Serena.

Larek turns to Max and explains, “Not long after you and the Granolith were sent to Earth, Khivar claimed that he had the Granolith returned to Antar. His claim accompanied a message from Serena, followed by regular communiqués over the years.”

“But that’s impossible. Isn’t she dead?” Max asks, clearly remembering Serena telling him that she would never allow herself to be captured by Khivar.

“We believe so, yes. The messages were obviously fabricated,” Larek responds.

Shaking his head, Max says, “It doesn’t matter. What I need now is some idea of what to do. I’ve heard what Khivar wants, now tell me what you want.” He directs his question to the council.

Max watches and waits as the council has a hushed conversation among themselves. Finally, Sero answers him. “We want Zan on the throne once again. And we want the Granolith in the hands of Antar’s ruler.”

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Max leans back in his chair and runs his hand through his hair. He wasn’t exactly expecting them to lay out a plan for him, but his patience is running thin. They have to know that a human ruler would never be accepted here. Even if he technically is Zan.

He sees Larek studying him, knowing that he has no wish to stay here and rule. Does he have any helpful advice? Or is he impartial enough to offer it? But suddenly he remembers something Serena told him about Illyad and he turns back to Sero. “You rule Illyad.”

“Yes, I do,” she answers simply.

“Those who followed us to Earth initially, the Skins, they were your people?” he asks, curious of Illyad’s relationship with Khivar and their role in all of this.

Sero blinks once, the says, “There are several different races on my planet. As there are on Antar. These skins, as you call them, are offworlders. I claim no responsibility for their actions.”

Max remembers from the day before hearing about offworlders. People who protest their planet’s rule and choose to live on large vessels orbiting the planets. Are these offworlders some secret army Khivar uses? Does he use them to aid in blocking trade between certain planets? “And who’s rule do these offworlders follow?”

“Their own, of course. But we have suspicions that Khivar is trying to use them for his own means,” Larek tells him.

Max thinks about that a moment, then asks, “Are there other branches of the house of Zan? Other members of my family besides my mother?”

“Yes. Your father had a brother. He and his family escaped to my planet when Khivar took the throne,” Larek says.

“I see. Well, thank you for meeting with me. I will consider everything I’ve heard and let you know of any plans I make,” Max says, ready for this meeting to be over. He watches as each of the council members says their goodbyes and disappears as if they were never there.

When only he and Larek are left, they leave the administration building and walk toward his temporary house in silence. As they approach, Larek finally says, “Khivar can be very charming. But you cannot believe everything he says. Giving him control of the Granolith could have dire consequences.”

They stop in front of the door and Max says, “I really don’t know what to believe at this point. I trust you, though. And I hope I can count on you for some candid advice.”

Larek nods and says, “It has been a long day for you. Rest, and I will come back when you are ready.”

Max watches him walk toward a waiting car and speed off, out of his sight. He feels completely unqualified to be making decisions that will affect the future of five planets. And he feels the weight of responsibility like a heavy cloak pressing down on him. Suffocating him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael sits at the kitchen counter and watches as Max lingers outside the front window. He saw Larek leave a while ago, and since then, Max has been alternating between pacing the street out front and sitting on the ground. He can see the confusion Max feels. The inadequacy. This world is not what they were expecting, not what they trained for.

As he watches and waits for Max to come inside, his thoughts turn to Maria and the message he received. The message that she’s pregnant. He doesn’t know how to feel about it. Happy, devastated, helpless. It’s what she wanted and he can’t help but be glad that he could do at least that much for her.

But things here are so uncertain, and there’s no telling how long they’ll be here. Or if they’ll ever leave. It’s a big political game and he has no idea how to play it. He was ready for a battle and didn’t find one. Not that he can help fight, anyway. Unfortunately, this is a battle that Max might have to fight on his own.

He lazily trails his finger along the counter top and imagines what his and Maria’s baby will look like. A baby. A ghost of smile comes to his face and he glances around to make sure no one is around. He never imagined something like this could happen. And it all started when he went to her concert at Radio City Music Hall on Christmas.

Closing his eyes, he can almost smell the scent of the leather seats on her plane as they made love while flying to Roswell. He was prepared to never see her again after that night. But she walked back into his life the day after his art auction three years later and it was all over.

He’s so caught up in his memories that he doesn’t notice Max walk in. When he looks up, he sees Max standing on the other side of the counter with a glass of water. “Hey, what are you thinking about?” Max asks.

Michael shakes his head and says, “Nothing. How’d it go?”

Max obviously sees that he’s distracted so he shrugs and looks around the room. “Where is everyone?”

“I think Isabel, Liz and Ava are upstairs. Don’t know where Zan and Cal went,” Michael tells him, knowing he’ll be racing upstairs to see Liz. But he doesn’t. He just stands there looking at him.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen today?” Max asks.

“Nothing, all right?” Michael exclaims, then sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. He pushes his chair back and stands up. “Just let me know when we’re all meeting. I assume we’re having a meeting?”

Max nods, confused at Michael’s behavior. “Ok.”

Nodding, Michael turns and walks away toward the elevator that will take him up to the roof, regretting his tone with Max, but just needing to be alone right now. They’ve only been here for two days and already he’s feeling claustrophobic in this place.

And restless. But that’s because he has no idea why he’s here anymore. When he and Zan got back earlier, he found Isabel sitting by herself in the living room watching old episodes of the Twilight Zone and crying. She feels it, too.

Maybe Max should just hand over the Granolith to Khivar and take the next spaceship home. That’s all he wants, right? Then he won’t have a reason to come to Earth looking for it, and they will have saved everyone. It sounds simple, but Michael knows there’s more involved than that. Nothing can be that simple.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So what was he like?” Isabel asks Liz and Ava. They’re sitting on the bed in Liz’s room, where they’ve been ever since Liz and Ava got back from the palace.

“Who, Khivar?” Liz asks. They’ve just been talking about what the inside of the palace looks like and Ava told Isabel all about the Hall of Kings. She glances at Ava before looking back at Isabel. “He was…he was hard to read.”

“He was pretty nice, though. Even when Liz got all bitchy with him,” Ava adds with a smirk.

“Bitchy?!” Liz looks at Ava incredulously. “I just confronted him about trying kill me.”

“Yah, in front of the council. He coulda just lied, or gotten all pissed. But he was all polite and shit, and he admitted it. He’s got balls. Well, not that I could see, anyway.” Ava laughs at her own joke and Isabel and Liz reluctantly snort in laughter with her.

“Shhh, Michael might hear us!” Isabel tries to be stern, but it doesn’t come out right through the laughter.

Calming down, Liz asks, “What’s wrong with him? He seems…I don’t know, different, sad.”

Isabel clears her throat and glances around the room as if someone would be listening. “He went to the palace today with Zan.”

“What?” Liz asks, her eyes widening in surprise. She looks at Ava, then. “Did you know this?”

“Nope.” Ava shakes her head and looks back to Isabel.

“It’s not like they went in or anything. I think he was worried that something might happen to you guys,” Isabel explains. “Anyway, they didn’t get past the gates and ended up getting recognized and they had to come back because there was a crowd. I think it made Michael realize that there’s nothing he can do here.”

This surprises Liz and she asks, “You mean he’s depressed because he can’t go anywhere without being spotted?”

“No, I mean…” Isabel sighs, not really knowing how to explain it well. “He thought that we’d be coming here to fight. That there was this goal we had, and when we finished, we’d be able to just go home. You know, that there would be something he could do to make it happen. And then the news about Maria. I think today it just all hit him pretty hard. That the situation here seems kind of hopeless.”

The three of them just look at each other, the same thoughts going through their heads. “Is that how you feel, Isabel?” Liz asks, swallowing past the lump of guilt in her throat. Guilt because she feels that way, too. Because she talked everyone into coming, and Max into agreeing, and for what? To sit around and feel useless?

Isabel shrugs and says, “I don’t know. I just don’t know what we’re supposed to do here.”

“I don’t either, but I know Max will do everything he can to make sure it ends up ok. And we’re gonna help him, no matter what it is,” Liz says with forced enthusiasm, unaware that Max’s shadow disappears from the crack in their door back down the hallway.

~TBC~

Boo! I'm finally updating, can you believe it? I hope all my readers haven't given up. I posted all my wonderful awards at the beginning of the story. THANK YOU! *smooch* What an award hog this story has become. Just kidding, I love every single one. Just knowing that people are reading this (still) makes my heart go all squishy.

Ok, so I'm not going to go in with the lengthy excuses for the break. I'll just apologize and move on. I hope you enjoy this next part and if it sucks, you can blame Applebylicious who helped me out with it...I'll let you decide what part.

And I'm totally dedicating this part to her. You all know I NEVER do that, so let her know how special she is because I'm dedicating this to her. I love you, sweetie. *smoochies*

Without further ado, the next part of Happenstance! With a special Guest Star!


Part 69

The following days, weeks, pass with an eerie quietness. Everyone is plagued by doubts, most especially Max. And there’s an uncertainty that follows them around like a shadow they can’t shake. They’ve lost their direction, or what they thought was their direction, and rudderless, they drift helplessly as the one person they all look to the most for direction slowly retreats into himself…again.

Liz knows everyone is frustrated. She doesn’t need any alien abilities to sense that. Like everyone else, she’s confused as to what their purpose is here. And she’s afraid that Max is falling into old patterns, shutting himself off from everyone.

Determined to make him talk to her about what he’s thinking, she makes her way up to the roof knowing she’ll find him there. It’s where he spends most of his time. She clips on her breathing tube before walking out and smiles at the way his face lights up when he sees her. It’s amazing to her the way he completely transforms when she’s near, the way he makes her feel like the most important person in the world…in any world.

“Hey stranger,” she says as she steps toward him.

“Hey beautiful,” he responds and pulls her close, running his hand across her belly. “You should go inside.”

Liz gives him her best annoyed look. He never wants her to be outside, thinking it might not be good for the baby. She knows he’s just being cautious, but sometimes his over-protectiveness gets to her. “If you didn’t spend all your time out here, I wouldn’t have to come outside looking for you, would I?”

He smiles and nods his head. “You’re right, let’s go inside.” Putting his arm around her waist, he starts to guide her back toward the door, but she stops him.

“Max, no. I think we should talk,” she says, holding her ground. “Out here.”

A worried frown crosses his face and he asks, “Is everything ok?”

She sighs internally. He thinks she’s come to talk to him about her. “Everything’s fine, Max. I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” Seeing a flicker of defensiveness coming out in him, she quickly forges ahead with what she wants to say. “You’ve been spending a lot of time by yourself, and I’m worried…”

“You’re worried that I’m detaching myself again,” he finishes for her.

“Well…yes. I am. I want you to talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in your head.”

He makes a laughing sound filled with no humor as he turns from her and runs a hand through his hair. “I think I’m still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that this is where I come from. That underneath all of this,” he looks down at himself and sweeps his hands quickly up his body, “I’m really an…an…”

Smiling sadly, Liz finishes for him, “An alien?”

Looking up at her he says, “Yah. I mean, I always knew it. But seeing it…I’m scared. I’m scared that I’ll let my fear get in the way of the decisions I came here to make.”

“Your fear?” Liz asks, not following his train of thought.

“Of who I am, of what this means for you…for our baby. I’m scared of who I could be. When you were in the hospital, the alien part of me came out. It was like I had no control over myself, or what I was saying.” He shakes his head as though his thoughts are going in a direction he doesn’t want them to. “I know what I want to do, but I’m afraid that my fear of this place, of myself, is clouding my judgment.”

Liz studies him for a moment, her hands unconsciously resting over her distended belly, and wonders what decisions he’s made. She won’t ask him to tell her. He’ll tell her when he’s ready. But that’s not really what she’s thinking about. His words about what he really is, and the images of the Hall of Kings are pinging around in her head.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Advise Max Evans to turn the Granolith over to Khivar,” Cesare tells Cal when he arrives to an unexpected meeting he was called to attend. “I have thought on the matter and come to the conclusion that this is the better solution for Antar.”

Noting that the head of the shapeshifters didn’t call Max ‘Zan’ or ‘King’ as he normally would causes Cal to silently contemplate the meaning of this decision. Cesare, any shapeshifter, would refer to Max Evans as Zan, the true and rightful king of Antar. To use his human name is to classify him as human, a lower lifeform.

“And the child?” Cal asks, remembering the interest they indicated for Max and Liz’s unborn child in their first meeting.

“We have no interest in the child. I trust you will ensure that Max Evans understands that this is the best course of action.” With nothing more to say, Cesare turns and leaves Cal alone with alarm bells going off in his head.

~~~~~~~~~~

She has been sitting on this for two days now. Undecided. Wary of telling Max, and not sure why she’s reluctant to tell anyone else. She knows she shouldn’t accept, but feels oddly drawn by the cryptic invitation. Two days ago, Safron delivered it to her.

Looking for the hundredth time at the elegantly engraved paper, her fingers trace the words. A lot of trouble had to have been gone through to come up with actual paper and to have it engraved in words she can read. This is the first piece of paper she’s seen on Antar.

Dearest Vilondra,

It has been so very long. I hope you are finding your accommodations comfortable, though I am sure they are lacking. I remember you do enjoy being surrounded by luxury. So I invite you to the palace, where you belong, if only for a short visit. Your mother would enjoy being reunited, as would I. Send word through the same channels this message reached you. I look forward, with anticipation, to seeing you once again.

Yours,
Khivar

As she looks up from the now familiar words, she looks out over the lands surrounding her. It wasn’t easy getting away without anyone noticing, or wanting to join her. And it wasn’t easy finding a secluded place to think. But she found this small hill overlooking the vast, swampy fields that lead to the palace.

She can see several small roads winding their way through the lush, green fields. The suns overhead are bright and she feels their rays beating down on her exposed skin, undoubtedly advancing her chances of dying from melanoma at an early age. The skin on her forehead and nose has peeled twice already, leaving fresh pink skin underneath. In this, she envies Liz with her already dark skin. Liz is the only one not battling sunburns and blisters from the sun. No matter the amount of sunscreen and clothing she wears, Isabel can count on red raw skin on the exposed areas of her face, neck and hands at the end of every day.

Further amplifying the suns’ intensity, her skin is covered in heavy moisture from the air mixed with her own sweat. They’ve all gotten used to it. If not for their breathing tubes, she guesses they would probably drown from the air. At first, she almost drove herself to madness by trying to constantly dry her skin off, knowing the moisture was just making the rays from the suns burn her skin even further.

Isabel sighs and wipes her palms on the front of her pants after stuffing Khivar’s invitation back in her pocket. She’ll go. She’ll send word through Safron that she’ll go to the palace. As she turns to go back to their quarters, she tells herself she’s only going to satisfy her curiosity and to meet her mother. But as she walks away, she turns her head to glance back at the palace in the distance and knows that’s not the only reason.

When she reaches the large building in the center of town, she’s surprised to see Cal standing outside the front door as if he’s been waiting for her. She sees suspicion in his eyes, but dismisses it as paranoia. Because really, how would she know what an alien looks like when they’re suspicious?

She doesn’t really have the hang of telling the aliens apart, either. But she knows it’s Cal because of the insignia attached to his upper chest. He’s the only one she’s seen with it. He told them it was the sign of the King’s protector.

“Hi, Cal,” she says as she gets closer, her chest starting to ache with the exertion of walking so far. One thing she misses with this atmosphere is running. There’s no way any of them can do more than walk about a mile before collapsing in exhaustion.

She now sees that it’s not her Cal’s suspicion is aimed at. He seems to be staring at something just beyond her before focusing on her. “Isabel. You better get inside,” he says with concern, eyeing the reddening skin on her forehead. He ushers her quickly inside. “You know you shouldn’t be outside that long.”

“I must have lost track of time,” she answers and feels him watching her as she turns the corner for the elevator.

“Tell your brother I’m here,” he calls after her, almost missing her as the doors shut.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Cal’s downstairs.” Max looks up toward his door when he hears his sister’s voice, but she’s already gone. He turns to check on Liz, but she’s still asleep on the bed, her dark hair fanned out on the pillow. Glad that Isabel didn’t wake her up, he puts the book he’d been reading down and steps to the bed, pulling the cover up to Liz’s shoulders.

He bumps into Safron on his way downstairs and says hello, but she only nods her head and continues on her way. She’s an ever-present fixture in their quarters but he’s never really heard her say anything as she makes her way around cleaning up after them and providing them with anything they need.

Because he’s distracted by thoughts of their housekeeper, Max is caught completely off guard when he walks into the living room. Sitting on one of the sofas is a very human looking Cal. “Cal?”

“Hey, Max. You don’t mind, do you?” Cal questions, gesturing toward his new appearance. “I miss being human.”

“No, you just surprised me,” Max answers and sits across from him. “So I guess this isn’t a social call.” He can see the strain on Cal’s face and figures out that he took his human form so that Max could read his facial expressions. Which worries him, because that means he probably doesn’t have good news.

Cal takes a long drink from a bottle he helped himself to from the kitchen. “I bet you’re feeling a little cooped up in here.”

Confused, Max opens his mouth to say something, but Cal interrupts him. “Tell you what. Go get Liz, let’s go for a drive.”

“A drive,” Max repeats, wondering what’s going on. “But she’s sleeping.”

“I’m sure she won’t mind you waking her up.” Cal looks at him meaningfully, as if to say that there’s no option. There’s an urgency to Cal’s expression has Max glancing around the living room in suspicion.

He looks up toward the ceiling and sees, not for the first time, small openings that most likely contain some sort of surveillance. “Sounds like a good idea. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of the area.” He stands up and says, “I’ll go get Liz.”

Ten minutes later, Max and Liz join Cal in the living room and watch as Cal changes back to his alien form. “Sorry, but this place is hell on the human body.”

Max smiles jealously as he clips on his breathing tube. He leads Liz out the front door, knowing she’s curious as hell, but not able to tell her anything more than he already has. There’s a car waiting for them just outside. It looks similar to all the other cars Max has seen. Long and tubelike, this one is silver. Probably to most effectively reflect the suns. The side swings up toward them and he follows Liz into the interior.

He’s surprised to see there isn’t a driver as Cal positions himself in the driver’s seat. He nods for Max and Liz to join him toward the front where there’s room for both of them. “Hope you don’t mind, but I thought it would be better if we were alone.”

Max shrugs and says, “As long as you know how to drive this thing.” He studies the controls and is completely lost. There’s not even a steering wheel.

“I think I can manage,” Cal says dryly and the door hisses as it shuts before the car shoots forward.

After they hit an open road leading out of the city, Max finally relaxes his grip on the seat and asks, “Can we talk here?”

Cal nods and says, “We’re clean.”

Max sees Liz’s look of surprise and dawning understanding as she realizes that their quarters are bugged. They’re traveling a lot faster than they did the other day on their way to the palace. The landscape outside the car is whipping by so fast, Max can’t make anything out and it starts to make him car sick. So he turns back toward Cal and asks, “So what’s going on?”

“It’s time to shit or get off the pot, Max. There’s no more time,” Cal says and glances toward Liz before turning his attention back to the road.

Liz sees this and asks, “Am I in danger?”

“Yes,” Cal answers without pause. “I no longer think it’s safe for you to remain where you’re at.”

“What?” Max feels Liz grip his hand as he looks outside the car once again. Their quick getaway, Cal driving, he’s taking them somewhere else. Where no one will know where they’re at. “What about the others?”

“It’s only Liz who’s at risk right now. And the child,” Cal says.

“Khivar?” Max asks, assuming it can’t be anyone but him. He remembers the fascination Khivar seemed to have with Liz and her pregnancy.

“Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know anymore.” The car turns sharply to the right as Cal merges onto another road. “We’re going somewhere safe for now.” He turns to Liz and says, “I’m sorry, but we’ll be leaving you there and returning to town.”

“No. We’re not leaving her anywhere,” Max states with conviction. He’s not just dropping Liz off somewhere and leaving her. Especially if her and the baby are in danger.

Cal doesn’t say anything else as he drives. At the speed they’re traveling, Max correctly assumes that Cal needs to concentrate on driving rather than conversation. Instead of asking any other questions, he pulls Liz closer to him and absently caresses her fingers as he watches the blurry shapes outside the speeding car.

~~~~~~~~~~

The place seems unusually empty. Between the six of them, their quarters are very often active. There’s always someone around. Always someone watching something in the living room, or eating in the kitchen. It’s usually hard to find a quiet place to be alone.

But as Michael walks downstairs into the empty living room, he looks around the corner and doesn’t see anyone in the kitchen, either. In the least, he should be able to hear Zan raising a ruckus somewhere in the house. But there’s nothing. Only the quiet hum of the ventilation system.

Sighing, he makes his way to the kitchen and grabs his favorite out of the fridge. They taste like potatoes, but look nothing like them. It’s his favorite, or at least one of the only things they’re provided with that he hasn’t gotten sick of yet. Setting the big white block of…whatever…on the counter, he heats up a pan on the stove and chops the “potato” into small pieces.

With a few spices, the fried “potato” is actually quite good. Michael brings it over to the counter and eats his meal in silence. By the time he’s finished, he looks around again. There’s something not right. Where is everyone?

Upstairs, he finds Isabel in her room. “What are you doing up here?”

She shoots him an annoyed look as she glances up from a book. “What’s it look like?”

“Have you seen anyone around?” he asks, noting her chilly tone and expecting an equally chilly response.

Not disappointing him, Isabel responds, “Just you.” She looks away briefly before adding, “I saw Cal earlier. He came by to see Max.”

“What’d he want?”

“I didn’t ask,” Isabel says dismissively as she returns to reading her book.

Taking her cue, he heads down the hallway toward the room Zan and Ava are staying in and he knocks after listening for any sex noises coming from behind the door. There’s no answer, so he knocks again but louder. When no one answers, he cracks the door open and sees that the room is empty.

Michael makes his way back downstairs, wondering where everyone went. And why no one told him they were leaving. “What the hell is going on around here?”

Just as he’s about to give up, he hears the front door open and whips around, ready to ream out whoever it is. But he stops short when he sees two aliens just walk in without saying anything. “Hey, excuse me? Do you mind?” Michael walks toward them, pissed off that they just walked in without asking.

But they’re not paying attention to him. They’re looking around, as if searching for someone. Michael notices the symbols on their chests and identifies them as shapeshifters. With little to do around here, he’s become the resident expert at identifying all the different symbols the aliens wear.

When the aliens walk right past him without slowing, he follows and says, “You need to tell me what you’re doing here.”

As if just realizing he’s there, one of the aliens turns to him and sharply says, “We don’t need to tell you anything. Where is Armin?”

Smirking, Michael answers, “I guess I don’t need to tell you anything, either.” Sensing that something more serious than he originally feared is going on, Michael starts to back away from the two aliens. He thinks about Isabel upstairs and is suddenly glad that they’re the only two here. But if they’re the only ones here, where is everyone else? He feels the fear tightly coiled in his stomach. There’s something seriously wrong here. “I think you need to leave now.”

He raises his arm toward them, knowing that his power will never be enough to fight them if they really wanted to hurt him. Before he can even get off one shot, though, one of the aliens pulls out an oddly shaped device that looks vaguely familiar to him. He can’t quite remember it though before a pulse shoots through the room and knocks him on his feet. As he lies paralyzed on the ground, he watches helplessly as the two aliens walk toward him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Isabel glances outside and sees the suns just dipping below the horizon. It’s time. Setting her book down, she closes her door on the way out and heads downstairs. She notices the quiet and looks around wondering where everyone is. It figures they’d all go without her and leave her here alone. Still, it’s not normal for everyone to be gone at once.

Shrugging, Isabel hears the chime announcing the arrival of her escort. She takes one last look around the empty living room and glances upstairs a moment, feeling a little shiver of dread whisper down the back of her neck before shaking it off and leaving.

On her way to the palace, she thinks she should have told Michael about where she was going. Or she should have left some kind of note. Suddenly this doesn’t seem like such a good idea. Outside the windows, she can see the palace getting bigger and bigger…closer. She should have told Michael or Max. She shouldn’t be going alone. But it’s too late now. Swallowing, she pulls out the invitation from her pocket and crumples it into a ball before tossing it out the window.

~~~~~~~~~~

It’s a balmy summer day in the city, the heat vapors glaring off the pavement, as Maria and Alex enter the gleaming medical office building on the Upper East Side. “What floor did Serena say he was on?” Alex asks as they peruse the directory by the elevators.

Serena and Kyle called when Serena had the baby last week to tell them everything went fine. They named their daughter Lily and both Lily and Serena are doing great. Maria was glad to hear that nothing alien happened during the birth.

Even so, Serena told her she still wants to be the one to deliver her baby. None of them think it’s a good idea to risk going to a hospital. But because Maria is still getting sick, Serena suggested they go see a doctor in New York that she knows from medical school. He shouldn’t be able to tell that there’s anything abnormal about this pregnancy, and he might be able to see if there’s something wrong.

“Four,” Maria answers Alex just as the elevator doors open. They step inside and automatically turn back around as Alex presses the button for the fourth floor. Maria’s nervous. Even though Serena said everything should be normal, she can’t help but worry that maybe her pregnancy is different. Maybe the alien gene is carried by the males. Maybe her baby will have green skin and big, black eyes.

Once they reach the right floor, Alex guides Maria out of the elevator and they search for the right office. She’s thankful that Alex is here or she’d be wandering around this building for an hour in a nervous haze. “Here we are,” Alex says as he opens the door for her. She gives him a shaky smile and steps into the waiting room.

After filling out all the paperwork, the nurse at the desk tells them to have a seat. Maria pulls her hat down and tries to keep her head down as she takes a seat in the corner. She pulled her hair back this morning and didn’t put any make-up on hoping she wouldn’t get recognized. So far, so good.

Once she’s seated, she finally notices the women around her. Some are visibly pregnant, others aren’t. But one thing she finds odd is that they all look like they’re ready to go out for a night on the town. Every one of them is dressed to impress, hair and make-up impeccable. Several women even have out their compacts and are doing last minute touch-ups to their faces.

She looks down at her frayed jeans, old t-shirt and flip-flops and grimaces at the chipped polish on her toenails. She wonders if you’re supposed to get dressed up to see the OB. Looking back up at the women around her, she does a mental shrug and turns to Alex. The only guy in the room. “Hey.”

He looks up from the Parenting magazine he’s reading. “Hmm?”

“I feel a little underdressed,” Maria whispers.

Alex follows the direction of her gaze and notices the same primping women Maria saw. He smiles back at Maria and they both share an eye roll and private laugh.

Surprisingly, they don’t have to wait long and Maria receives several irritated glares when a nurse pops her head into the waiting room and calls her name. Dragging Alex along with her, the nurse leads them down a hallway and she stops at a scale. “Ok, Maria, can I get you to step on here?”

Maria does as she’s told, handing Alex her purse. As the nurse fidgets with the scale, Maria’s surprised to see that she’s actually lost weight. “I’ve lost five pounds. That’s probably not good,” she says to the nurse.

“It’s not uncommon to lose weight in your first trimester. Especially if you’re having a hard time keeping anything down,” the nurse says as she makes some notes in her chart. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

After the weigh-in, the nurse leads them further down the hall and into an office. “Just wait in here and the doctor will be with you shortly.”

Maria looks at the darkly paneled walls and large desk in the middle of the room and asks, “Don’t I have to get examined or something?”

“Dr. Gannon likes to talk to his new patients first. He’ll do an exam before you leave,” the nurse says before closing the door and leaving Maria and Alex alone.

Maria wanders around the room as Alex sits in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. She glances over the diplomas, wondering why doctors always seem to have a wall filled with framed diplomas and certificates. Do doctors just in general like to brag, or is it required by law to put them up? Glancing at his desk, she notices that he doesn’t seem to have any personal photos, but sitting on the bookshelf to the side is a small framed photo of a cow. “Ooookaay…” she mutters as she makes her way to sit next to Alex.

“You nervous?” Alex asks.

She doesn’t have a chance to respond, though, because Dr. Gannon sweeps into the room and her jaw drops.

“Sorry you had to wait, I like to make an entrance,” the young doctor jokes as he shuts the door behind himself, glancing up from beneath a fringe of tousled blonde hair. His startling blue eyes widen and a grin stretches across his face at the sight of the pair. “Maria Deluca, we meet at last! Would it freak you out if I asked you to sign my…” Trailing off, he pats his pockets. With a muffled curse, he ends up pulling out a piece of gum and looking at it wryly. “My wrapper?” he finishes with a sheepish smile. “I’m a big fan.”

Maria chokes back a laugh at his adorably hopeful expression. Now she understands the behavior of the women in the waiting room. The man is simply gorgeous. “I uh…it’s nice to meet you, too, Dr. Gannon.” Maria can barely manage to make her mouth work and she silently curses her choice of wardrobe.

“Call me Nick,” he winks, turning to pick up a clipboard from across his desk. Rifling through some papers, he continues talking in an easy tone, doing a lot to calm Maria’s nerves. “So, friends of Serena, huh? Heard she got married, glad to hear she’s doing well. She’s something else,” he chuckles fondly.

“It was her idea we come to see you, actually,” Alex speaks up, trying not to laugh as he watches Maria watching Nick in awe.

“And you must be Alex,” Nick guesses, moving to take a seat behind his desk. Grinning at Alex’s surprised expression, he inclines his head and adds simply, “I’ve heard a lot about all of you.”

Maria and Alex exchange looks, then simply shrug. Their eyes flick back to the doctor as he hums an Aerosmith song under his breath while studying Maria’s chart. “Looks like you’re sixteen weeks along,” he muses, glancing up as Maria nods. “How are you feeling…any morning sickness? Anything you want to ask about?”

“I really don’t know. I’m kind of new at this,” she laughs nervously, suddenly feeling like a teenager. “I’ve been really nauseous. I can’t eat anything. Not even spaghetti, which is my favorite. I mean, I would never turn down spaghetti. But now, the sight of it just makes me wanna hurl. It doesn’t make sense. And I’ve lost weight. That’s not normal, is it?” She knows she’s babbling, but can’t seem to make herself stop.

Dr. Gannon nods during her diatribe, occasionally jotting things down. Alex is impressed that he doesn’t burst out laughing or in the very least look annoyed. Without looking up he asks if Alex is the father of the baby. Maria fights a nervous laugh at the idea while Alex clears his throat.

“No,” she explains. “The father is um…well, he’s…”

Dr. Gannon holds up a hand and says, “That’s ok. You don’t have to tell me. I’m just your doctor, not your mom.” He grins and pops a piece of gum in his mouth. “Everything you’re describing is completely normal, Maria. No worries. The nausea will hopefully ease up in the next couple of weeks.”

“All right, well that about covers that…” Nick muses, pushing a few papers towards her. “Nothing to worry about. These are just a few pamphlets you might be interested in. Diet, exercise, iron supplements in case you plan to breastfeed…oh, which reminds me.” He pulls out another document and hands it to Maria. “Take this to the pharmacy and they’ll be able to set you up with some prenatal vitamins. Even if you’re already taking another supplement, these will be to your benefit. Okay, let’s get you changed and ready for the exam.”

They follow him down the hallway to another room where the familiar examination table waits. “I’ll give you a few minutes,” Nick says, heading for the door. “Just change into your designer gown hanging on the door, and I’ll be back shortly.”

As soon as the door closes, Maria turns to Alex and hisses, “He can’t be my doctor!”

Confused, Alex asks, “Why not? I thought he was nice.”

Incredulous, Maria says, “Because he’s hot!”

Alex looks toward the door in thought, then shrugs. “He was ok. What are you worried about? He does this all day long. I doubt you have anything he hasn’t seen before.”

“But…but, he’ll be…and then…you just don’t get it!” What if he starts touching her and she moans or something? Oh God, how embarrassing! She can’t have a hot OB. “Why couldn’t he be some old guy?”

Laughing, Alex rolls his eyes and says, “It’ll be fine, Maria. Just change already so we can get this over with.”

Cursing under her breath, she strips out of her clothes quickly while Alex has his back turned and puts on the ugly gown hanging from the door, tying it closed in the front. “I’m done,” she says as she climbs up on the table, holding the front of the gown together.

Alex sits in the spare chair and studies the table. “God, it looks like some kind of torture device. It’s moments like these that make me glad I’m a guy.”

Maria rolls her eyes and hears a knock on the door a split second before she sees Dr. Gannon poke his head in with his eyes shut. “Is everyone decent?”

“If that’s what you call this excuse for clothing,” Maria answers. She watches him walk in with a friendly smile and she can’t help but stare at his ass when he turns to the sink to wash his hands.

“So, you two must be close,” he says, toweling off his hands. “Most guys wouldn’t be caught dead in the gyno waiting room, much less stay for the actual exam.” His voice is teasing as he adds, “They don’t know what they’re missing.”

“Oh my God,” Maria whispers in embarrassed humor, although she knows he’s only trying to make her feel more comfortable. She tries not to stare at the clearly obvious muscles that bulge through his lab coat.

“Okay, just let the front of the gown fall open, I’m going to do a quick breast exam,” he says, moving forward as Maria clutches her gown together even tighter. He appears not to notice her obvious tension, instead making idle chitchat with Alex as he slides one big palm inside her gown. She begins to relax as he goes about the exam in a quick and efficient manner, clearly speaking of his professionalism.

As he moves to slip on a pair of gloves, he instructs her to slide down to the bottom of the table and hook her feet in the straps. As she does so, she struggles not to blush when he moves to the end of the table and starts whistling as he preps.

Alex shifts uncomfortably, looking everywhere but at the table where Maria lies spread out. Good Lord, did this happen every time women had exams? If so, why did they still get pregnant?

“Looks good,” Nick comments easily moments later, turning to write the needed info down. “Everything looks good, you’re progressing wonderfully, Maria. I know you were worried about the weight loss, but trust me, you’ll get it all back after the first trimester. I guarantee you’ll move on to whining about how to get rid of it all in no time. And Alex, when this happens, I suggest you to tell her how wonderful she looks regardless. Or buy yourself a pair of ice tongs to remove her foot from your ass.”

They both laugh at his unconventional attitude and Nick smiles one last time before saying, “It’s been great meeting you both. Tell Serena to call me sometime, I’d love to get a chance to meet her husband and catch up. I’ll let you get dressed and get on your way.”

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Alex says after he leaves and Maria gets dressed again.

“Right. Maybe we can shove that speculum up your ass, spread it, and see how bad it is,” Maria says with a smirk.

Paling slightly, Alex opens the door for her. “Point taken.”

They make their way back to the waiting room and as Maria meets the anxious gazes of the women there, she smiles.

~TBC~