Roswell Fanatics

Max hadn't told Isabel who had come to visit but he'd told his mother. Isabel was still sleeping heavily. If it weren't for her color, he'd be worried about her. It was healthy and that bode well. She did have quite a time of labor, much harder than any of her other deliveries. Maybe with Alex Jr. she had just been young enough to bounce back. Liberty and Kyle Jr…. their father had some alien energy in him. Jesse was completely human and Isabel was not as young as she used to be. Max supposed they were all contributing factors… and he was certain Isabel hadn't taken care of herself as well as she normally would have.

"You love your sister." Irene murmured as she stood near the bassinette. Mother and baby were sleeping soundly. Max nodded. "I always wanted Jesse to have a sister. Maybe it is good that Sebastien will have a sister. I never had a brother or sister. I have cousins and my husband had three sisters but it's not the same."

"She's older but I always look after her." Max told her, softly.

"Three brothers and a sister to look after this one."

"And boat loads of cousins."

"Yes. Many, many cousins." She nodded. "I didn't think I'd seen another grandbaby born a Ramirez."

--

Lynette pulled her shirt back over her head. "I think it's a little weird is all."

"I'm glad we waited to have this conversation." Alex straightened his bed. "It would have been awkward to talk about while getting into the mood."

"Jesse is my cousin. You are his daughter's half-brother… it's a little weird."

"You know what's really weird? That we're having this conversation in the post-coital." He plopped down on the newly made bed. "I do believe we're cuddlers and… yet we're not cuddling. We're in an extremely empty house… putting clothes back on… when we could be taking them back off because your mother thinks you've got practice today… for another two hours."

"You're evil, do you know that? I know I said it helps the day before a meet to be relaxed but you're abusing my words."

"I'm just happy to be of service."

"You're avoiding the subject."

"You're right. It's weird. Can we talk about something else?"

"If I let it drop today… you owe me." She pushed him back on the bed. "I'm talking… you invite me to dinner… two or three times a week… I'll even cook if that's what needs to happen. Little Gina needs a babysitter, you call me first. My mom thinks about going to a meet and you offer to take her to the Mercado. If there's a dance, we go but we arrange for a second dress at your house."

"That's a long list of demands."

"And that thing you did at prom, it happens more often."

"Yes, ma'am."

--

Max scooted around the table serving children. Liz scooted the other direction. They were all chattering excitedly. "Hey, everything's okay. I'll get you kids in to see her tomorrow. She'll go home at the end of the week."

"That long, Max?" Liz stopped what she was doing.

"She's just tired."

"Sorry, I'm late." Kathy slid into an empty seat. "Adam and I were talking."

"Adam." Max breathed. "This is the new boyfriend?"

"Potential boyfriend." Liz corrected and took a seat. "Do we meet Adam in this decade?"

"After the third date. You know the rules." Kathy tsked and looked around the table. "Where's meathead?"

"Library."

"The other meathead."

"Alex? His grandparents' I think." Liz motioned for Max to sit and eat. "Don’t call your brother or your cousin meathead please."

"This Adam, kid… he wouldn't happen to be captain of the chess club, would he?" Max poured himself something to drink.

"Track star." She grinned at her father.

"Where is that time machine?" Max groaned.

"It's on back order… along with the freeze ray and the mind probe." Liz carefully reached for her glass. "Will heard back today. He's going to read through and give us a call later. He said he had a meeting with someone at the hospital."

Max nodded and didn't say a word.

--

Will gave her a pen. "By signing, you agree not to repeat anything I tell you about your mother or your father."

"I don't understand. Who are you?" Christine stared at the young man.

"All confidential and after you sign the disclaimer."

She hesitated but eventually signed the document. She sat back and waited.

"Ma'am… I am Agent Goldblum. I have the files on your mother. When she had herself committed, it was for a diagnosis. They performed experimental procedures to find out why she never went through menopause. She donated her eggs to science, to be used in private studies. You do know she donated to the various medical funds." Christine nodded that she knew. "It is impossible that Penelope gave birth to Isabel Evans. It is not impossible that one of the eggs Penelope donated was used to create life currently known as Isabel Valenti. It is not impossible that another egg was used to create the life currently known as Max Evans."

"It's impossible. That man looks exactly like my father."

"That he does… Your parents have always been involved in experimental medical studies. It is not impossible that a sample he gave when trying to determine why conception and term length were difficult for your mother. It is not impossible that the samples were frozen and set aside. He willed his DNA to science. But you know that."

"What are you trying to say?" She wiped a tear from her eye.

"Biologically… yes, the Evans siblings are your brother and sister. They don't know where they come from. If I could hazard a guess… I'd say the United States was ahead of the game genetics wise. It is not impossible they were cultured and brought to life i.e. test tube babies and the like. Several projects from the 1970s and 1980s were shut down. Maybe they were liberated from their facilities. Trouble is, no one can say with any certainty what exactly happened. What we do know is they want to forget. They knew where you were and possibly where they come from. That's all they want to know… especially after the incident last year with Mason III."

"These phrases you keep on using… 'not impossible'…"

"When a government faction is closed down, they close everything down. It's speculation on the highest order. I can show you this. A record of your mother's hysterectomy in 1980. It was the final solution to her problems. The tie to these people is the length of a strand of DNA or two." Will fell sorry for the woman. "Any contact with her will have to be initiated by Isabel."

"And who are you exactly?"

"I'm the man in control of the information."

--

Isabel sat up as much as she could. Jesse set her tea on the tray over the bed. "Everyone wants to see Little Gina. And absolutely everyone wants to speak with you to make sure you're still alive."

"Gina? Is that what they're all calling her?" Isabel examined her baby. Ten fingers, nine toes… She shook her head. No, ten toes, little one was hiding. "Just look at her. Those eyelashes…" The baby let out a wail so Isabel bundled her up again. "Oh, it's okay. Mommy's just looking. Shh. You're just so precious."

"So, I was thinking… maybe… I should limit my presence just now. I… don't know how this will work without my forcing myself into your house or alienating Sebastien."

"You should see her… after work, on weekends, whenever you can." Isabel never took her eyes off her baby. She touched her little curls. "Oh honey, it's okay. I shouldn't have slept so long. When was she fed last?"

"It's about that time again."

"I'm coming, sweetie." Isabel went about adjusting her gown. "Can you call my brother's? I want to talk to my kids."

"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten."

"Only if you can sneak me in some real food. I'm sick of this stuff."

"Alright. When your mom comes back, I'll go get you something." Jesse settled himself next to the bed to watch his daughter. "I… someone came to see you today and Max didn't let them in." Isabel tore her eyes off her child to look at him. "A woman, actually. Bruce said a woman had stopped by the office earlier today. I asked Max about it."

"What did Max say?"

"He didn't want you to know right now. He thought you were too weak, which he also didn't want you to know." Jesse shifted slightly in his seat. "I think you should know. If it were me, I would."

"Jesse?"

"Your… donor's daughter is in Roswell. She knows who you are but not exactly what the connection is."

"And he wasn't going to tell me?" Isabel shook her head. "That is so like Max."

"Would you like to meet her?"

"Not now. By now… Max has already put into place some half-assed story to explain away a connection. He's scared her off." She looked down at her daughter once again. Then she looked to Jesse. "If she's still in Roswell, find her… please?"

"I will work around the Mighty Max."

--

"Hi Mommy, when are you coming home?"

Liz smiled at little Kyle. Max shooed her away, in charge of phone sharing so she could talk to Will. The Agent didn't say a word to her, just handed her a folder. "What's this?"

"I really hate to leave you alone with that but… I have a date… sort of. I suggest you mull that over for a few days before you talk to your father. I stand by my opinion that you should tell him and you'll see why, especially when you read that."

"Huh." Liz breathed out. She set it aside. "You've got a date?"

"No."

"Come on… who is it?" She teased him lightly.

"A doctor."

"Ah." Liz clapped her hand over her mouth. "Isn't she a little old for you?"

"Just a couple of years."

"Ah." Liz cursed under her breath. "I thought you meant… So, Sydney Davis?"

"You know her?" Will furrowed his brow.

"Yeah… I mean. It's good. I'm glad you met someone. Now… there's going to be a little distance between you but you should really know something about her…"

"Oh God…. Is there anyone in this town…" Will cut himself off. "Is she an alien?"

"No." Liz winced a little. "She'll tell you. Just tell her you know us… really well."

TBC

90/108 and counting

The Fate of Destiny Part 91

Max tried to bury his head in his pillow but it didn't help. He could hear her every noise and movement. Page flip, holding her breath, letting it out, muttering to herself, page flip. "Liz, It's late. Sleep… it does a body good, or so I'm told… regularly… by you."

She just rubbed his back like he was one of the kids having a mildly bad dream. "Go back to sleep, honey."

"Liz…" Max rolled over to look at her. "What is that?"

"This is a first hand account of the ride from Antar." She winced at the look he gave her. She had not asked him. She hadn't felt it necessary. "I wanted to know, okay? I didn't know it was going to be so… thorough and from such a reliable source or else I would have never asked Will to put his neck on the line."

"If you're going to keep me awake with the light, you may as well read it out loud. I wanted to know… I just didn't think anyone knew the answer to that question." He dropped his head back onto the pillow to listen.

"'Early in 1946, we received our first official orders from her highness the Queen mother via our new system that would route our signal around the galaxy using technology that I was never made privy to. I thank the stars that it worked. Our ship was commissioned to prepare the royal essences for hybridization. We sampled humans from sparsely populated areas and discovered that not all humans would be viable candidates for our cloning process. We spent much of that year sampling from travelers and defined the DNA sequence that would allow assimilation by Gandarium, the germ that permitted cross-species alignment. We were able to develop a scanning process for this trait. It expedited our search so that we could reserve resources for the hybridization. As it turned out, very few humans were eligible. We prepared for the worst.'

"'It was in 1947 that we found him, the one who would be our future king. He was not traveling alone. The initial scanning had rejected his passenger but a second scanning aboard our vessel showed that we could glean a viable clone from this female. When we applied the Gandarium, the host did not absorb as readily as it should have. We became quickly frustrated and had to conduct further tests on the female to divine the discrepancies in our data and the practice. Our findings were of a great surprise. This female was pregnant…'"

Max looked up at her face when she trailed off and flipped the page almost violently. "Liz?" She flipped the next page. "Liz."

"It just goes into a detailed explanation of what they did to her. Whoever this guy was… he was a scientist. He's quite prolific with the terms… it's hard for even me to follow." She shook her head and read in silence for a moment longer. "They were intrusive in their later tests. You'd probably understand this stuff if you read it. It explains why she had so many health problems later."

"Intrusive?"

"They opened her up. They had to recreate the genetics in her baby, which probably explains the mental problems Mason Jr. and our Mason had. They had to take samples from him too. They ended up using her eggs to host you and Isabel and an altered sampling of his sperm to create the female host… so you really are biological siblings." She breathed loudly and searched for her place on the page. "'Repairing the bodies was a simple matter though it would take time to ensure their health. Another viable subject journeyed into the scope of our scanner. We moved into position to retrieve the individual… like our previous encounter with the first male, this male was not alone.'"

"Not alone." Max repeated and shut his eyes, his head leaning against her thigh.

"'Like our first male specimen, the second took to the Gandarium immediately. The female we scanned again aboard our vessel but unlike the first female specimen she did not trigger a belated response. Our resources were running low and I admit to a bit of panic. It would be foolhardy to engage the vessel in much travel looking for another specimen while the Gandarium were allowed out of their chambers. Looking to accelerate our progress, I skipped many initial tests and attempted to fashion a female from both specimens as we had with the first two specimens. Several attempts failed. Due to an error in basic computations, the specimen expired. We suspended animation to keep her bodily fluids fresh for further testing. We conducted a screen and recalibrated our instruments which seemed to have corrected the malfunction.'" Liz stared at the pages in her hands with some measure of disgust.

"'We agreed to risk shifting our scope to a new area. It took some time before the next specimen was found. In the meantime, we harvested the fourth specimen's ova and set about completing our war commander and encoding the king and his sister. When we found our fifth specimen, we were ready. This time we approached the quandary properly and performed all the tests 'to the T' as the humans say. Our only cause for pause was the immaturity of the specimen. Lacking for time and resources, we pushed ahead. First, we paired her DNA with a host ova from our failed endeavor. The Gandarium assimilation was difficult and we dared not duplicate the process this way. We were prepared to leave our tests at that. We had completed the encoding for our royal family.'

"'Then we welcomed a communication and transfer of resources from Antar. Her highness was not impressed with our results. She questioned the stability of her children. She demanded we copy our attempts twice more to ensure the survival of our only hope. As I have stated, duplicating our progress was not recommended. We had to start over from the basic elements. When we examined our queen's specimen we knew we wouldn't risk the unstable blending again so we had to chemically mature the fifth specimen's ova to prepare a proper host for the clones.'

"What does all that mean, Liz?" He knew but he wanted to her to tell him it was wrong. That they hadn't conducted experiments that humans had deemed unethical.

"Hold on." Her eyes flicked rapidly from side to side as she read on. "'We presented our findings and complied data on our three sets of royal clones… but a battle had broken out on Antar and her highness was unable to send a communicate or more resources. We were forced to release our specimens. I spent much time and too few resources conducting experiments on our failures while we waited. The Gandarium worked rapidly bridging gaps as the zygotes progressed.'"

Max could read between the lines. "They experimented on her dead body." He could feel Liz nod. They remained silent for the longest time absorbing until finally Max tapped the papers. "Keep reading."

"'It seemed so long before we could regain contact with our side of the battle. There was a great rush to finish matters. Her highness had communicated a message for her children that we were not privy to. We dutifully made preparations while she examined our data. Quote: 'the changes of all sets surviving is slim. The chances of selecting a single set, and choosing wisely, is far slimmer. Examine carefully your subjects. Select two sets most viable and discard the weak links.' I studied and I observed. Before I could make my choice, I had to speak with her again. All of our specimens were strong but I could not in good conscience rely on any of the queens I had created. As I explained to her precisely my predicament, she shared with me her personal fears. Quote: 'Do what you have to. I cannot allow my son to live life alone on that far off planet. He must have his bride to keep him grounded. After all he has suffered at the hands or our enemies, my son deserves to be happy in his Earthly life.'" Liz seemed to want to say something but she refocused her eyes and kept reading. "'I picked the strongest specimens and I studied them. They were all alike in the sheer amount of Antarian qualities they had retained. I did what I've never told anyone. I sabotaged the three best. I discarded the cultures. As we were transferring the other nine into their incubation pods, I contacted her highness to let her know we had completed the hybridization.'

"'During our communicate the royal safe hold was attacked. The link allowed a blast to transfer to our vessel. We severed the link immediately but the damaged had been done. The Gandarium had gotten free. We destroyed what we could of the stores but the hive queen eluded us. We shut off deck after deck, cutting off oxygen but the alarms still blared and we only had one deck left. We had to lay bait. Our human specimen seemed to distract it for a time but it targeted our royal clones. I regret that we could not prevent the Gandarium from doing some damage to one set. We contained it and set about repairing the tears but the alarm sounded once more… and too late at that. The blast had knocked out our long distance radar. We never saw the vessel enter the Earth's atmosphere. The enemy was upon us and firing. All we had left to do was 'assume the crash position' as the humans say. If I remember correctly, it was you who managed to fire a pulse before we lost thrusters.'"

"What?" He lifted his head at that last sentence.

"That's what it says. Whoever Will got these from must have transcribed a conversation between him and the other survivor."

"What are you talking about? Two survivors?" Max blinked at her.

"I'll explain later but let me finish." She shushed him and tried not to look as guilty as she felt. "'We did what we could. I had my priorities. I took the Granilith and my favorites with me. You guarded the others until I came back. I found a safe place to store them all… but it had taken much out of me. You and he tried to move them but you had to hide. The humans were everywhere by daylight… and they had our responsibilities in those trucks and buses. We lost him that night but you and I got them out thanks to that human. Maybe he was impaired but he didn't 'sound the alarm' as the humans say and we got our charges to safety. It took months to figure out how to shape shift successfully into humans. You took the well set somewhere, I remember that much. We had to leave the others and the Granilith right where they were. I tried to fix them but without my equipment it was a futile effort. When I left, I took the third queen out of the country. Just me, my queen and the remains of her primary donor.'

"'I always intended to return to the States and make sure the programming held in the damaged set and to ensure the destruction of the Gandarium but I succumbed to my injuries while raising the young queen. I can no longer hold a shape other than my own. I always must hide now. It has made traveling long distances quite impossible.'"

"Programming?" Max's voice made Liz turn her head. "You skipped parts."

"Just the technical mumbo jumbo. You were programmed in sets but reprogrammed into the new sets. He was afraid too strong an alien hybrid would have medical problems… like the Burkhardts so he destroyed the most alien set. If I followed this correctly… you were initially programmed to be with Oriel, then reprogrammed to be with Tess… but you were damaged… and you fell for me instead because Oriel was my grandmother's sister's clone."

"You happy? You were right." Max stared up at his wife, his words soft.

"No." She shook her head, eyes staring wide at the pages in her hand.

"Do you believe me when I tell you I love you?" She didn't answer him. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do."

"I love you beyond the tickle of recognition I got when I first met Oriel. I can't say that I feel any particular way about her. I'm sometimes ashamed to know that I don't know her all that well despite her very heavy inclusion in our little world. That's beside the point. If I had a reaction to her the way I did to Tess, I could see you worrying. We did find out she warped me a good part of that, so it wasn't even really the programming that made me do some of the things I did.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I was attracted to you because of your relation to Oriel but that doesn't explain why I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much, I do stupid things that about kill me. Do you honestly think I could have faked you out all these years? I do some really stupid shit, Liz. Really stupid and your willingness to love me despite all that only makes me love you more. The things I truly love about you have nothing to do with your DNA.

"I love it when you want me but don't want me to know so you arrange for the kids to be gone and taken care of and let me think it's my idea to take advantage of the situation. I love the light in your eyes when you talk about something you love. I admire that you know your place is beside me and not three steps behind me and that you don't allow me to blindly follow you where you know we can go together. I respect that you hold on to your beliefs when I can't fathom how you can maintain your strength. I love all the little things that made you, you… and that cannot be defined or programmed." Max picked up her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. "I will love you Liz Parker Evans until the day I die or until you discover that I'm not good enough for you. Whichever comes first."

"Parker?" She raised an eyebrow at him, trying to dissipate the intensity of feeling that he could still make her feel.

"You'll always be Liz Parker to me. Always the 16 year old who let me up on her balcony with so much trust and her heart on her sleeve. When I look at you, that's what I see."

"You don't see the grey hair and the flabby stomach? Crow's feet? Saggy… everywhere? I think I have corns."

"Don't know what you're talking about. You're every bit as beautiful as you were on our first date." Max looked down at himself. "If you can put up with this body and all of my other flaws… I'll stay right where I am."

"Eh. I can deal." She teased him and set aside the report. She clicked off the light and slid down into bed with him.

"I know I don't look the way I used to. Can you really deal with it?" Max whispered into her hair. "The gut? Blackened lungs? The weird beard phases that come and go? My going into heat every couple of years… That sometimes frightens me, by the way."

"You know I love it all." They held on tightly to each other. "I know you're still sneaking cigarettes too, mister."

"I'll pretend you didn't say that."

"I'll have to tell my dad."

"Tell him, Liz. He's all worked up over this. He needs to know who his grandchildren are." The couple lay awake for a long time in silence before drifting off for a few hours of sleep.

--

"Your bad feeling doesn't mean anything anymore." Oriel whispered. Neither of them were sleeping tonight though Stephen was sleeping through the nights more and more.

"I guess I just feel responsible for her." Michael breathed, his chin rested on her shoulder. "After Alex died, she was inconsolable for so long… but Max was taking care of her, so I could worry about Maria… When I came back, I made myself be there for her but that was wrong. When she married Kyle, I worried much less. I knew him. I knew he was a stand-up guy. I hadn't seen her happy in so long. I got used to it."

"You didn't let yourself see them being unhappy, did you." She stroked his arm around her middle. "You think maybe you were hoping it would fix itself while we got ourselves straightened out and together."

"Maybe."

"She's still hurting, you know. She puts on a good show but she was always good at that, wasn't she?"

"You remember much about us… from before?"

"Vaguely. I get impressions. Vilandra was always a very good actress… but even through the show, I could tell… just tell there was something… off."

"You think this Jesse guy is going to help her piece it together?"

"Maybe. You feel responsible but she's not your responsibility and she is not Max's. She's a grown woman. Support her but… she'll come into her own. I'm certain of it. Perhaps it's time she spent some time figuring things out for herself." When she turned her head, his eyes were closed. "She's not your mate. She's not your sister. She's your friend. A very good friend in a tough spot. Offer your help but don't push it on her. She'll ask for what she needs."

--

Jesse put the baby in his son's arms. Sebastien had been resistant to the proposed changes in routine but it all seemed to have clicked once he met his little sister. "Alex isn't gonna be here. He's going to college right? I'm gonna have to be the big brother… and not just for the baby."

"I don't expect you to do that but it would help if you pitched in." He wrapped an arm around his son. "Could you do it? Going to Isabel's for dinner. Helping Grandma more at home?"

"Yeah."

--

Isabel gripped Alex's hand as they slowly walked to the cafeteria. She had been allowed to shower and put on her own nightgown. They were meeting everyone there. Maybe Max had been right about her needing more rest. "So, have you decided where you're going?"

"Not really." Alex sighed heavily. He was encouraged by his mother's wanting to talk about it. "California has earthquakes. Florida has hurricanes and the occasional tsunami. New York is full of weirdoes." He appropriated a wheelchair from the nurses station as they passed. He could feel her getting weary. "Sit. Grandpa wants to do the tour thing with me next month."

"Chuck?" She never really saw Chuck as the traveling man.

"No. Grandpa." Alex shook his head. "I think he's feeling useless right now but once you and the baby get home, he'll have something to do."

"That'd be nice for the two of you." Isabel chose her next words carefully. "My donors lived in Florida. Some of her family still lives there."

"That's weird. I never really thought about that." Alex guided the chair into an elevator. "They'd be really old."

"My donor is long dead but she's got a daughter who actually is in Roswell right now. She wants to meet me… but she thinks that I'm her sister."

"Who told her that?"

"She came to it on her own and Uncle Max didn't disabuse her of that." She sighed. "Should I meet her and explain?"

"I don’t know if explain is what you should do but meeting couldn't hurt is she already knows who you are and suspects a strong connection."

"I'm supposed to meet her for lunch tomorrow. I'll call you in sick if you sit in with me."

"You told me not to ditch. You are a bad influence."

--

Liz took a deep breath before knocking on the Guerin front door. She had the folder with her. She was a little relieved when Michael answered. "What's up?"

"Um… in the neighborhood. Needed to talk to Oriel… and show you guys some stuff. Is she here?"

"What's going on? Did Max do something?"

"No… it was me this time." Liz stepped through the door when he held it open for her.

--

"She's fine, Mom." Max shrugged.

"You didn't want her going home for another week. Max, tell me." Diane poured the coffee with a shaking hand. "You had to have a reason for it and that woman isn't an excuse."

"I'm just being overprotective. The last time I delivered a baby with that degree of difficulty… Maria died."

"You delivered Emily? Max, you… never mind. As I understood it, Maria had a genetic disorder and there's nothing you could have done about it had you known sooner. The delivery didn't kill her."

"okay." Max poured the cream into his mother's cup for her and handed her a spoon. "Isabel is fine. I just wanted to make sure there were no complications. Mrs. Ramirez told me she'd help out and I feel better knowing she won't be alone."

"Max, she's a mother of four. She's done this before."

"Okay. Fine. I'll stop babying her…" He laced his coffee with Tabasco and sat with her at the table. Jim waved as he wheeled Michelle through the kitchen and out the back door. That man had been silent for days. Watching them through the window, Max could easily see how the two had been married. After all the years between them, they could still predict each other's movements.

Diane followed his gaze. "It's like they're dating all over again. He comes over in the mornings to help me out. They chat while we go through the routine. Then they go for a walk. They talk about Kyle, I guess. The grandkids. It's good for them both."

"It would be a terrible thing to outlive your kids." Max breathed. That thought frightened him.

"Yes." Diane nodded and smiled at her son. "I was meaning to tell you…Steph and Nathan are coming this weekend. She really wants to see all of you."

"Just Nathan?"

"His wife left him. I honestly can't remember her name just now."

"Oh. Are you still seeing Dr. Turnbow?"

"Off and on. His kids are trying to get him to move into the retirement community."

"I don't see that happening."

"Me either." They sat sipping coffee for a long time. Diane smiled at her son in that way she'd developed since her granddaughter had started dating. "Did you meet the new boyfriend?"

"Not yet. They've only had one official date. Two more and then I get to grill the little bastard." Max rolled his eyes. Who made up these rules? "She's not serious about him. Jacobi's coming around and I still don't know what's going on there. I don't want her going so far away, knowing that Jacobi's going to be there and this new Adam kid."

"You ran away, Max. Left us. We didn't want you to go but you did… and you came back when we needed you. We didn't want you to go after the babies came either."

"I was 26, it was high time to get out of the house."

"I know but it doesn't mean I liked it." She reached for his hand. "You're going a little gray and you're still the little boy I used to hold when he cried. When she's going gray and has a hundred kids, you're still not going to want her to go but she'll already be gone."

"I have to, don't I? Aside from the fact she's in and Liz would kill me if I said no… I have to let her go."

"She's a strong girl, Max. If any of the kids are ready, it's her. She's always been ready to move on to the next thing. She's smart and resourceful. Have you any idea how much of her Crashdown money she's saved? Even if you say no… she'll be prepared to leave." She cleared her throat and lifted her coffee cup. "I'm going to match her down payment on a car."

"No." Max shook his head. "She's dorm bound the first year. If she's really serious about the car, she'll save for another year and we'll get her a new one."

Diane put her cup down firmly. "You're devious. You were going to get her a car all along. She's distraught over this."

"I'll pay for the plane tickets and all that stuff but you remember what Dad made me do to get mine… Mowing lawns and painting houses to earn money. Putting that jeep back together from almost nothing. If she can learn to get along without for a year, she'll appreciate the car when she gets it."

TBC

91/109

The Fate of Destiny Part 92

Michael stared at his wife as she rocked their child to sleep. They hadn't spoken about it since Liz had left. Still, he could tell that it had affected her. "Babe…"

"I'm okay." Oriel whispered, staring at her son. She had been thinking about it. She had never had anyone to call her own. Her protector could very well be alive, trapped overseas by an inability to shapeshift but… he had never contacted her to tell her as much. He, himself, had admitted she was botched, it was all there in black and white. She had never been meant to survive long enough to find either Zan. She was back-up. An understudy… but she had abandoned having that life when she had met her host parents in Michigan. The Blacks. Frank had always been like a father to her but Janine wanted nothing to do with her. What had been their daughter's name? Oriel couldn't remember. It was so long ago.

"Babe?"

She looked up. "Pourriez-vous répéter?"

"What?" Michael blinked at her. {What was that?} "You look sleepy. You want me to take him?" He repeated slower, louder. She barely nodded, as if she'd still barely heard him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." She relinquished her baby. "Maybe I will go to bed."

"Did you want to talk to Jeff? I'm sure Liz has told him by now." He pulled the sleeping boy into his arms and looked her over. She had been too quiet all night and that sudden burst of French was definitely weird.

"I'm fine. I'll be up in a minute." She watched her men go. She stared at the papers where they lay across the room. It was so strange. That there were people who were biological ancestors. A tomb where a biological ancestor lay at rest in France, probably near her childhood home. Her fingers had closed around the phone before she could complete another thought. Agent Goldblum's number on the report led to his voicemail. "Agent Goldblum, this is Oriel Guerin. I'd like you to do something for me if you would. A man to find. Frank Black. He lived in Michigan in 2000. I think he was born there, in Battle Creek, in 1954. There's no rush. Just let me know if you find him. Thank you, Agent Goldblum."

--

Liz sat with her father. He didn't have a heart attack. He just stared at her. Then he stayed quiet when she explained the rest of the alien stuff. He hadn't said anything since she had stopped talking. He flipped through the pages almost listlessly. "Abducted," he said finally. "By aliens." He looked around at his restaurant. "Is Max offended by all of this?"

"He thinks it's kind of funny… because of what he really is… as opposed to what we draw up there." Liz smiled weakly. "Do you believe me?"

"I don't know." He took a deep breath and clasped his hands on the table. "I cannot believe that any of that was going on under my nose and I didn't suspect anything."

"We got good at hiding, Dad. You and Mom were on that stargazing kick, you were gone a lot. Then after I moved out… The Evans didn't know but we were busy trying to keep ahead of the kids and Max's school. Bad things happened but we just kept on moving… It's been a long time since we were on the run from something."

"All the lying and sneaking around." He closed his hand around a bottle of ketchup. "One of these bottles was the first lie."

"Yeah." Liz nodded.

--

Alex wiped the sleep out of his eyes and accompanied his mother down to the cafeteria. They left Grandma with the baby. The woman was already seated at a table when they got there. There was hesitation and then quiet as they took their seats and sorted out their thoughts. Christine started. "I had so much I wanted to say but now that I know the truth, it really doesn't have any relevance anymore… All I can say is… My God… You look just like her."

"Thank you." Isabel took a deep breath. "This is my son."

"Alex." Alex reached over with his hand extended.

"I figured we could just… share… you know… about our lives…" Isabel took a deep breath. "I mean, you're here. You shouldn't leave without feeling like it was worth it. Like… you haven't been searching and had nothing to show… you know?"

"I think I'd like that. Was there anything you wanted to know about Mom?"

--

Danny pinched his nose under his glasses. The counselor went on and on and on… and yet, on. "I realize the past year was a difficult one for your family. I hope you're still considering your options."

"Yeah." He nodded. "I've got all my applications ready to mail today. All scholarship essays finished. I'm good to go."'

"With your scores, you could go to Boston."

"With my father, I can get as far as Texas… the west-most parts."

"Who is going to college? You or your father? You can get into the best medical schools."

"Good medical schools do not a good doctor make. A good doctor is determined by the character and motivation of the person. My father stayed in Roswell all his life and is the most promising surgeon that any of the doctors on staff have ever seen. If the furthest I can get is Lubbock… I'll take it. I have to prove myself to myself."

"Sounds like your father has given you all the arguments." The counselor sat back. "Is it the money? You can always apply for a loan."

"It's not just about him paying for college. My girlfriend is staying here. I want to go away but not too far that I can't see her on an occasional weekend. My brother is young, I want to see him as often as I can. He's… going to grow up a lot when I'm gone." He met the man's eyes. "He might be bullying me into staying close but he wants me to have this as much as I want to have it. If I am truly up to the challenge, I will succeed."

"That's one way to look at it."

"My father wanted me to stay in town. He gave on that front. So I gave on the distance. We compromised. Lubbock has a good medical school."

--

Kathy pinned her hair out of her face as she got ready for her advanced physics experiment. Everyone else had regular experiments, slinkies and wood blocks to demonstrate depreciating ripple effects but she got to make her own independent study. She was in her element. No thoughts about which boy she wanted to date. No worries about how her life was going to be next year. None of that. Just the science.

--

Emily thought about ditching her mandatory meeting with the counselor but she'd be ducking him for the rest of the year if she didn't just get it over with. "I'm staying to help with the baby. I'll get through my basics and then I'll decide on a major. I'm just not sure what my thing is."

"I'm glad you're being honest with me, Miss Guerin but I had you slated for an aptitude test… you didn't show."

"A test wouldn't tell you what you're passionate about. It would tell you what a computer thinks you kind of excel at. Maybe I want to be… an arch-welder. Your test couldn't conclude that. It might tell me that I have a future in law enforcement."

"Maybe you do."

"I don't think so… and right now… I wouldn't consider it." Emily shook her head. "You don't even know, do you?"

"That Sheriff Valenti was my uncle. See… there are factors that your tests could not possibly know and respond to. Be glad I came in at all."

--

Oriel was putting away her readers when the door opened. The tall young man she'd seen around town. "You're Agent Goldblum?"

"That's me. We haven't really had the pleasure." He held out his hand. "This man you're looking for?"

"An old friend. I'd like to know if he is well. That's all." Oriel took his hand and gestured to a chair.

Will shook his head. "Well, I ran it through as you gave me on my voicemail. It seems that he's a difficult man to find. I did find a record of him in his birth city. I found his employment record until 2003. He moved around too much to put a finger on it. I haven't given up yet but… I thought I'd let you know that I was looking into Frank Black."

"I called him François. Sometimes he went by the French. His family was fourth generation American… roots in France. He was fairly fluent. He may not speak it anymore though."

"Is there a situation?"

"He left town abruptly around 2003. I had conflict with his wife. She did not allow him to leave me a forwarding address. I never knew when exactly."

"What was the conflict?"

"Je ne sais pas." She shrugged. "des soupçons d'adultère." She tilted her head and then shook it. "Sorry. I meant…"

"It's okay. I understood. Baseless accusations, I'd assume."

"Yes." She sighed. "I apologize. I'm tired. Michael told me I slipped last night and I… I would just like to speak to François."

"I will do what I can." Will nodded.

--

Max sat across from his young daughter at a table away from her classmates at lunch. "So."

"It's not so bad… over here." Bethany admitted. "If they aren't so close, it doesn't get so jumbled up in here."

"That's fine… for now… but later… you'll want to hang out with your friends. You don't want to keep your distance just because."

"I know… but right now… this is better."

"Ok." Max reached forward to fix her glasses. "Just for now. You feeling better?"

"At home. I know what you sound like and Mom and Kat and Danny and Davey… and Grandma but… other people. Strangers… they just… sneak in." She twirled her spaghetti but didn't really taste it when she put it in her mouth. Her fork smeared sauce on her roll and when she looked up, she giggled. "Daddy, Mrs. Gregory thinks that Mom looks like a toy that you can pick up and put on the desk."

"What?" Max tried to tamp down a chuckle.

"Because the boys in the high school are so tall and Mom is so little." She giggled again. "And Susie thinks that Bobby G. is mean to her because she won't talk to him but Bobby G. thinks she's pretty and he's too shy to talk to her."

"So he pulls her hair and chases her around the playground?"

"Yes." She laughed. Her head didn't hurt so much when she could laugh about how silly people were.

TBC

Thanks ptiboudesucr ! As you can tell my dictionary/grammar primer sucks. I knew the 'sais pas/savoir' thing was wrong but the book wouldn't back me up. '-)

The Fate of Destiny Part 93

Isabel sat in the house alone, her first day home and with her surrogate sister gone home to Florida, she had nothing she needed to do. This part she didn't miss. Baby sleeping. Kids at school. Not sleepy, not particularly motivated to do chores and no one to talk to. Forcing herself to straighten the kitchen was the first step to getting out of the bedroom. On her feet and out the door with the baby monitor in hand and down the hall and… finding her… whatever she was already washing dishes. "Mrs. Ramirez, hi."

"Good morning." The older woman spoke over her shoulder as she scrubbed at the breakfast dishes. "Baby sleeping?"

"Yes. She'll be asleep for a couple of hours. You don't have to do that. I was about to get started." Isabel tried to protest but couldn't help but feel relieved that she had one less thing to do.

"The house doesn't clean itself and I had a baby once. Work gets done with two sets of hands faster than with one."

"Thank you. I do appreciate it." They shared a moment of awkward silence before Isabel began to make some tea. She was horrified to find her tea had been replaced with a decaffeinated brew. She'd kill her brother later. "Did Jesse bring you over?"

"Yes, he didn't want to wake you. Your brother said you needed plenty of rest. I'm going to pick the niños up after school." Irene took a deep breath and rinsed off the last of the dishes. "You've got four children now. Five with the old man."

"Dad will help. He just needs time to himself. He misses Kyle." While her water heated, Isabel grabbed a towel and helped to dry the dishes. She glanced at the short hallway that led to his bedroom. She hadn't seen him in two weeks. He had called her at the hospital and she knew he was the one who had picked the kids up from Max's and got them to bed the night before.

"And you?" The woman's voice cut into Isabel's thoughts.

"What?"

"You don't?"

"No. I do. I miss Kyle." She nodded and fought the urge to go back into her bedroom to cry. "I want you to know that I think the world of your son. He's a good man… a very good man. I know you were upset by this and I don't think I have enough words to thank you for being here and for helping at the hospital."

"My son seems to think he loves you. I ask one thing." Irene fixed Isabel with a stare and waited until the younger woman met it. "Don't tie him down unless you love him. Right now, I don't think you do. He's a lost soul. He doesn't know where he belongs… pero… he's better when he talks about you and when he holds that little girl."

"I promise not to lead him where I can't go."

"Now… where's the baby? You shower, I'll baby-sit."

--

Emily spent her free hour roaring around town. She was a woman on a mission. The counselor had pissed her off the day before. She was going to prove the man wrong. She didn't need to decide on a career to plan for it. After a bunch of rejections, she ended up at the Crashdown. Mr. Parker was behind the counter, doodling on a pad. "Hey, Mr. Parker."

"Emily, long time no see." Mr. Parker nodded to the girl. She seemed normal enough. "So… what can I get for you?"

"A job? Or at least a direction I should head in to find one. No one in this town is hiring. I got a free period at the end of the day… It's useless if I can't find something to do." She griped and accepted the coke when it was placed in front of her. "I just need something that will allow me to make some cash for the bike and to set aside. Strictly college fund money."

"I see." Jeff nodded. "Are you running off like my grandchildren?"

"No. I'm staying here but I want to be able to help out. Dad is… like bent on sending me to like… Stanford or Berkeley and… sure… later… maybe but I'd like to save for it." She sighed and looked up at the old man. Future-in-law. Weird. "Danny's going on to wherever and I'm here but I don't want to be that girl that waits and pines for her boyfriend to come home from college. I want a life and the first thing is to have something to occupy my time with. Something I can throw myself into. Dad says that you've got to have a thing."

"Huh." Jeff shook his head. He didn't know what he was so worried about. These kids were just kids. College worries and love problems. "Tell you what. I want to renovate this place. Take it a whole new direction. I need some input from someone in the know. Someone young and someone… from… not around here to help me move this place into a hipper and more… inviting place."

"You mean… more… friendly to… certain… species…" Emily narrowed her eyes.

"Something like that. I wouldn't ever want my grandkids to feel like this place embarrasses them. Maybe you know something about that. I know your dad was never keen on all of this… He was a good worker. You get me started with this… and come summer when Kathy runs away… you can take over for her."

"Sounds like a plan."

--

Isabel handed Gina to her father when Jesse entered the house. They had spoken on the phone, he knew what this was about. She waited and a few moments later, Alex made his way into the house. Their eyes met and Alex knew it wasn't good. The little ones moved around them and went about their after school rituals. Irene scooted past the two and said something about dinner. "We have to talk."

"Mom?" Alex tried but had to follow her to her bedroom where she closed the door and pointed to the chair next to the desk. "What is it?"

"Do you know what I found in your room when I was putting away your clothes?" She sat and then got back to her feet. "Don't answer me. I know you know what I found in your sock drawer." She paced. She had hoped that she wouldn't have to do this. Alex was a good boy. Hadn't she asked him? Hadn't she made herself available for him to talk about this stuff? "An empty condom box." She motioned for him to stay quiet. "And do you know what I found in the trashcan?"

"Mom."

"No. Alexander. No." She paced a little faster.

"Mom." He raised his voice. "We're being careful." He could tell that she didn't like that answer. "What do you want me to do? Lie?"

"I don't know. Would you lie to me? Tell me something?" Isabel sank onto the bed, her head in her hands. "You just… started having sex with your girlfriend in my house while I was in the hospital?"

"I made love to my girlfriend in my bedroom." He corrected her softly.

"Did this… just start?" She didn't want to know but she had to know how long this had been going on right under her nose. They'd been together… almost a year?

"No."

"You're seventeen."

"And I've been having sex since I was fifteen."

"Alexander Charles." Isabel exclaimed but those were the only words she could find. She racked her mind for words but she just could not get any out. She had to take a deep breath and she had to look him in the eye. "I'm disappointed."

"Because of what I've done or because I didn't tell you?" He got up and reached for the door. "I told Dad. Okay? I already had this talk. I don't need to have it again."

--

Emily walked into the house and gagged. Ugh. They were making out in the kitchen. She reached in blindly for the cordless phone and dialed as she made her way to her room. "Hi Max, is Danny around?" She waited for a few minutes before her boyfriend picked up the phone. "Hey. How about we rendezvous at the end of your street?" She listened to his list of reasons why no. "You're no fun. I wanted to celebrate… maybe head out to the desert for a while… why not? … Come on… Sneak out if you have to… I'll let you drive…"

--

Valenti looked up from where he knelt, surprised to see his daughter-in-law approaching. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah. Jesse's watching the kids. I just… needed some advice." Isabel knelt next to him. "He was always so good at giving it… but he never could seem to take it."

"I guess you're right." He nodded and turned his gaze to the headstone. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh nothing… my son is fornicating with his girlfriend under my roof… when I'm conveniently in the hospital… He's been doing so for quite a while… Kyle never told me. I've got a bone to pick with my husband… several, in fact. Now, he can't run away." She laughed dryly and reached out to touch the cool stone. Bitter tears stung her eyes. "I'm so angry at him. He got the last word and that was it. No ands, ifs… or buts about it. We didn't treat each other so well for a while but… I wanted the chance… To say all those things that I needed to say."

"I know." Valenti nodded and reached for her. "He always had to have the last word. He was… ten years old. I told him that he couldn't have a new bike. That was it. Case closed. He looked up at me and said, 'Fine. No new bike for Kyle. It's not like I haven't done every chore you gave me. Or brought my grades up a whole letter when I only promised half. Fine. I'll just… ride this one… until I'm 18 and living on my own… on my old… little… bike.'"

"He always went for the drama." Isabel laughed a little and leaned on his shoulder. She hadn't really visited Kyle since the funeral. She had brought flowers but she hadn't lingered. "Why'd he do it?"

"He probably wasn't thinking." Valenti shrugged. "He saw a civilian in the line of fire… so he put himself in the way. He said he was going to serve and protect and that's what he was going to do."

"I know. I think sometimes that he could have died that day. If Max had been Max and let him be… But that day… he wasn't Max and he saved Kyle. He pulled Kyle more into our world with the whole midwifery and then I fell in love. I got married and I got two children that… I love to pieces and… Kyle got to meet them. He got to be the hero for his kids but…"

"He did the thing he was most scared I was going to do." Jim nodded and just held onto his daughter-in-law for a good long while. "Alex isn't a bad boy… he just follows his path without looking ahead. The boy is looking at the sky or at his feet but never at the road ahead. He wants today and all of it… tomorrow be damned."

"He got that from Kyle."

"Maybe."

--

Kathy leaned against the closed door, her fingers on her lips. That boy could kiss. Could he ever kiss! Beth ran by with her hands over her hears. "Not feeling you, not feeling you!"

"Shut up, runt!" Kathy bit out but smiled anyway. Adam had kissed her. She was late and everyone was heading for bed but she was far from sleepy. Hanging up her jacket, she wandered into the house. Her dad was busy transcribing his notes onto his computer. "Hey."

"Late for a school night." Max didn't pause in his typing, but his eyebrows were raised. He was giving her a chance to explain.

"I know." She plopped down on the ottoman and scooted near enough to see. "Sorry." No explanation if it was just going to get her in trouble and that always came with a lecture that she was in no mood for. She watched the words appear on the screen as his fingers tapped on the keys. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?"

She pressed her lips together as she pondered the words about to pour from her mouth. "Were you upset when she died?"

Max froze for a moment. {She? Right. Tess.} "Yes. I was."

"Why? I mean, you keep saying your relationship wasn't all that good and everything. I figure… maybe you were a little glad?" She propped her head up on her hand, elbow on the desk. "I mean, you said she made you miserable."

"I was always very conflicted about Tess." Max found the words and kept typing his notes. "I wasn't happy about the situation I always found myself in with her. You know? This destiny with a girl I didn't know. Then… when she… forced my hand. I didn't feel happy to have her in my life… but I certainly never wanted her out of it that way. She… when she…" He stopped his fingers and turned to his daughter. She was just curious and she deserved the truth. "That day… we panicked. She called and it was too soon. Through it all, I never thought for a moment that she wouldn't be there to see you grow up. It was a hard labor and when I saw you… I was just… so happy that you were healthy and alive… and then… when I looked up, she had her eyes closed. I handed you to Kyle and I tried to wake her up."

"Was she dead already?"

"No, but she was slipping away and nothing we did could stop her. I tried using my powers but she just wouldn't come back. When I realized that she was gone… I sat and I let Kyle take over. He cleaned things up and I held you, tired little thing. We waited for the Sheriff to come home and he… took care of things. I got you home… explained things to Mom and my parents and… I didn't cry that day… or that week but one day it hit me. I felt kind of relieved that all the questions I'd had about what to do about you had been answered for me. I remember really clearly that I could see her face in my sleep that night and she kept running away… just out of reach. I woke up crying. Mom says she didn't notice anything but she knew."

"She never held me?"

"No… and that bothered me the most for a long time. I would look at you and in rare moments think… If she had just held you once, maybe she would have stayed. I have no idea how you would have grown up… probably living at the Valentis and not seeing me much but… I wonder."

"Me too. I love Mom but I wonder what Tess would have been like as a mom… Night, Daddy."

Max stared after her. {What was that all about?} He turned back to his work but he couldn't focus on it anymore.

--

Isabel made Jim sit at the table and pulled out the leftovers. She reheated as she went, serving him and setting a bottle of beer in front of him. She had things to do. This was her house. "Kyle. Bath time."

"Do I hafta?"

"Yes." Isabel swatted him lightly to get him going. She kissed Berty's head, her hair was still damp. "You got in early?"

"Uh-huh. I spilled my soda." Berty kept scribbling the answers to her math homework. "I got all sticky. Can I have a story tonight?"

"Yeah, just get all your homework done. Okay?"

"Almost done."

"Good." Isabel glanced down the hallway. The light was off but the radio was on. Alex. She sighed and went in search of her baby. She found Jesse in the living room reading property laws to Gina. "Bedtime story?"

"They um… say you can read anything as long as it's in a soothing voice." Jesse blushed and set the heavy volume aside. "I just fed her. I didn't know how long you were going to be."

"Sorry about that." She sank onto the couch next to him to stare at their daughter. "I just… Alex."

"I thought you knew… before… about him and Lynnette." Jesse offered weakly. At her look, he sighed. "When Tía called you about him sneaking in, that's what she meant. She's just too… proper to say it out loud. Lynnette told me all about it."

"Maybe I did know… but I didn't." She shook her head. "I… Kyle did all the talks with him and didn't tell me. I just don't know what to do. He's… just…"

"He's a boy. He's a boy who's grown up a little faster than most. He feels he's mature enough to handle his relationship this way. He doesn't need your approval… but…" Jesse stared at her. "Maybe he just wants to know that you aren't going to judge him."

"He's my baby, Jesse. He's supposed to stay that way."

"No. He's not. He turns 18 this summer and then? He's going away to college. He'll be where you can't find evidence of his misdeeds. He'll go a little wild… maybe. Alex is a good young man. He just wants a little space."

"Did you talk to him?" She accused him softly.

"A couple of times but not today." He took a deep breath, unsure whether or not he should say anything more. "He's afraid that you don't love him… that maybe you love who you want him to be." She looked a little dumbstruck. "Like maybe when you look at him… you're not really looking at HIM but… who you think he is."

--

Will stared at Sydney. So, their dates hadn't gone quite right after that first one. So what, she had been saved by an alien. They… just weren't clicking the way they had when they had first met at the grocery store. Dinner had been quiet. Coffee had been so still. He had wanted this to work, to have someone he could call at the end of the day, and eventually come home to, sleep next to someone who knew what he did for a living. So it was Sydney who spoke up at last. "I… don't know. I guess I was just eager to meet someone. Roswell isn't big on eligible bachelors. Never has been. I thought about moving back… to be with my mother but… my dad…"

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"More like nipping this in the bud. We could probably do this. Meet for dinner. Chitchat. Be exclusive and just fake our way to happily wedded bliss but… um… before we trap ourselves… I know you know about me but… I don't know if I could handle what you do… your connection to this whole thing."

"I don't really have one. It's a work thing."

"I know… and it's your work thing and it's not just a work thing though, not for you. I mean… you were thinking about what to get the little one for his birthday. You asked me if Max had a water element in his office… It's not just a work thing for you."

"Maybe not… I don't have family and they treat me like… I belong there. After they got used to the idea of me… it was like... 'Hi Will, how's it going? You staying for dinner?' At least, at Max's it is. I like that."

"Yeah. They're like that." Sydney laughed to herself. "I wouldn't want to get more involved than having to hear about them from you… if you could say that much in front of me. This whole… government thing…. I was looking for a normal relationship. Like my parents had before my Dad was abducted or whatever. I barely even remember being healed and the whole Max thing is a sore issue for me. I can't let this be anything."

"Guess it's a good thing, then." Will drained his coffee cup and got to his feet. "I guess I'll see you around."

"Will, don't leave mad at me."

"No. I understand. My wife and I ended over my job… I guess it's just something that's going to be an obstacle for me." He slid into his jacket and made for the door. "My job has never been something you can just walk away from and now… I have complete job security, you know? I'm the only person in the world with this job, this duty and it's important. Even if I had the choice of walking away from it… I don't think I would. I think it's… kind of… an honor. To be this person with this information, this connection to a world that… no one else on the planet has a clue about."

Sydney sat in her chair for a long time after he walked out the door. Had she just screwed up a good thing?

TBC

93/109 only 16 parts behind now. '-) sorry I've been lax on the posting but my mind wanders and I'm writing but really on anything I should be wrighting. Damn these visions of naked Zan. They make me all woozy and light-headed and unable to concentrate on plotlines. FoD won't suffer as I'm still reposting here and have a tidy little stockpile of new parts for a whole two months of scheduled posting. CC is an issue as I've not even opened the file in a week. ISO has not a syllable of a new part since last week. WOSK is eluding me, which sucks because it's almost done. even BU seems to be mocking me. I have one and 2/3 parts left to go on that before I can post again. grrr. either take naked Zan away or make him put on a robe so I can get something of current consequence done. '-)

The Fate of Destiny Part 94

Isabel sat on the porch and waited until her son sat next to her. "So, I was a little unfair the other day… but you didn’t have to avoid me."

"Just a reaction I had to being blind-sided by you going through my room."

"I put away your socks, I emptied your trashcan. I hardly call that an illegal search and seizure."

"You’re right." Alex nodded to his hands. "I was careless but I wasn’t hiding… I was trying to be respectful."

"By sleeping with your girlfriend."

"By leaving some things unsaid. It’s your device. I learned from the master." He glanced up at her and she just nodded.

"Okay." Isabel had to suck it up. "You’re being careful all the time?"

"All the time." They sat for a long time. "I don’t want to call you a hypocrite but why did you come down so hard on me?"

"Maybe because of what I did."

"If… Dad hadn’t died?"

"I don’t have the luxury of what ifs, Alex. I made my bed. I have to lie in it."

"So… Jesse’s just going to be here even more than before?"

"Maybe. She’s going to stay here with me. He can come over as often as he wants to see her. I’ll let him take her to his relatives all he wants. We’re making it up as we go."

"Do you really care about him?"

"Yes." She turned to him. "Don’t ask me if… Don’t." She pulled him into her arms. "I love you, kid. I really do and I don’t like it when we don’t talk. You have to promise me that wherever you go to school that you call me constantly. If you think you’ve called too much, you have to call one more time. You won’t ever stop being my baby."

"You're gross, you know that, right?"

The door opened behind them and it was Jesse with a fussy Gina. "I didn't mean to interrupt but I've tried everything. Diapers, bottles… I tried rocking her."

"Oh come here." Isabel took her baby and tried to calm her but she just screamed more. Alex shifted uncomfortably and got to his feet.

"She's colicky. Kyle was the same way, remember." He told them. This was disconcerting. He remembered feeling connected to Berty and little Kyle but for some reason he didn't like being connected to Gina.

"I got it." Jesse pulled Isabel to her feet and led them all into the kitchen. "This I know how to do."

"There's nothing to do, Jesse." Isabel rubbed the baby's belly but it didn't help much. "What are you looking for?"

"I know my mother." He pulled a box out of a cabinet. "She couldn't help herself." He moved around getting water to boil. "When she went to Boston after Seb was born, she brought this and Patty thought she was crazy."

"Bring it here." Isabel nodded for Alex to help, which he did.

"I'll boil the water." Alex sighed heavily and put his hand on the kettle and within seconds it was whistling. Jesse put a mug on the table and tipped the leaves and twigs into the cup. Alex poured the water over it and they still had to wait a few minutes while it steeped. Alex cooled the brew a bit before allowing Jesse to strain it into a bottle. Isabel held out her arm to test it.

"Here." Jesse handed it over. "I don't know why it works. You drink this tea to calm yourself down, to unwind and for her… it soothes her belly and makes it easier for…" He rubbed her back as she drank the warm tea and was rewarded with baby farts.

"That's kind of gross." Alex shook his head. "I can't believe I participated in making that happen."

"It's good for her. If she doesn't get burped, it makes her uncomfortable." Isabel kissed her baby's head. "I remember somebody who used to keep up his mother and grandparents and aunt and uncle and cousins because he needed to toot-toot."

"Mom. Stop." Alex couldn't believe she had just said that.

Jesse clapped the boy on the shoulder. "I'm old… and my mother still does that to me. She'll never stop."

--

Max shook his head at the man on the gurney. Malamud. He could almost feel his face hitting the pavement all over again. Scribbling on his chart, he set it aside and reached for his penlight as the man groaned, awakening from his concussion. "Do I know you?"

"Once." Max nodded and shone his light in the sensitive eyes of his patient. "You took quite a fall, Malamud. You could have cracked your head open when you fell."

"I fell?"

"Yes, sir. You had us worried for a few moments. How did it happen? Do you remember?"

"I was… on the stage… and… we were cutting the cake and… it started to fall."

"You tried to catch it and took a header off." Max nodded. "I would have just let it fall."

"You married?"

"For 18 years."

"How old am I? I mean… are you?"

"We went to high school together, Malamud." Max finally caved. "You beat my face in when we were sophomores at West."

"I did?" Malamud squinted at the doctor and tried to place him. "Why'd I do that?"

"You thought you were helping out your pal Valenti and all you really did was mess my face up and get him dumped by his girlfriend." Max reached for the chart again. "Which actually worked out for me…"

"Evans? That you?" Malamud shook his head and found it painful. "Am I okay?"

"That depends. What's the year?"

"2021."

"Month?"

"March. It's March 6."

"Good. It's a mild concussion. You're already recovering. I wouldn't advise taking any naps for the next few hours. You feel sleepy, you take a walk with someone. The nurse will be in to give you something for the pain."

"Hey Doc, you still keep in touch with him? I know you guys were friends…"

"Pardon?"

Malamud shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Kyle Valenti, I ain't seen that guy since he went off to the police academy. He still in town? I've been gone a long time."

Max furrowed his brow. Surely Malamud had heard. The cops had done the rounds with his friends and Isabel had called everyone Kyle kept up with right before the funeral. Wouldn't one of Kyle's friends in the wedding party have told the groom? "Kyle Valenti died last summer. It'll be a year this June."

"What? But… I used to hang out with him. We didn't hear back when we sent out the invitation. I just figure he was busy or forgot who I was. We're 37… that's too young. How did it happen?"

Max hated to do this but he had gotten used to saying it to doctors and well-meaning friends who had just wanted to know what happened. "He was off-duty and we had ourselves a gang war in Roswell. It was a drive-by. I'm sure Isabel got the invitation. She's just been busy. I'm sure she meant to call and explain."

"Isabel Evans?"

"My sister. Yep."

"Wow. She was a real knock out."

"Didn't you just get married today?" He narrowed his eyes at the former jock.

"Right. Are you sure I'm okay? How long have you been a doctor? I don't think I should be seen by someone my own age. Are there older doctors in the hospital?"

"Hey, there's a doctor here who was six when we were in high school. I could always call her in here."

--

"Mom…" Kathy scrunched up her nose at the concoction on the counter. "Please tell me that Dad's surgery was a success, despite how he almost died."

"What?" Liz paused and looked to her daughter then at her evening snack. It was just a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry jam, chocolate sauce and Tabasco sauce. Maybe the extra hot stuff was still around. "What?"

"Please tell me that you're not making another addition to this freaky family."

"Kathy, no!" Liz gasped and handed her daughter a spoon. "Help me eat this. I just… like it."

"You didn't use to. Not since after David."

"I have too. Last year, in fact. I remember I had waffles and Tabasco. I don't need to be pregnant to indulge in alien appetites." She chided her daughter, who looked like she needed an ice cream talk. "New boyfriend?"

"Adam… He's nice. He's cute. He's… not so smart but funny." She sighed heavily and took a huge bite.

"So, he's not the one. It's okay." She reached over to stroke her daughter's hair.

"It is?"

"Sure. You can have fun. You're young and you've got a pretty busy career ahead of you. I would personally prefer if you didn't meet The One until you were set at the college and were able to handle your workload and a relationship. 30's a good age."

"You're funny."

"Ok." Liz nodded and leaned on the counter. "My grandmother once told me that not every relationship has to feel like the one. Like magic. It's okay to have some fun. Maybe the one isn't here in Roswell. Maybe he's in Santa Fe, waiting for you to be brilliant and blow him away with how smart and pretty you are."

"You think?"

"I know."

--

"Dr. Evans, can I talk to you?" Sydney tapped on the door to his office. Max tilted his head and furrowed his brow but nodded. She stepped inside and closed the door after her. "I really need some advice."

"What about?" Max finished off some remarks in a case and closed the folder.

"I know that I've been doing this awhile. The surgery and I like it okay but… I'm beginning to feel that this isn't the place for me anymore." She sank into a chair and stared at the waterfall on the wall. She shook her head.

"Is it because of Will?" He had caught her looking at his early birthday present from the Agent. All Will had said was that it hadn't worked out between him and Sydney. "He's professional, he wouldn't ever try to make you uncomfortable."

"I make myself uncomfortable. It's just… I became a doctor because I wanted to help people and while I do… I'm not getting anything. I'm not feeling anything. I know it's not about me but if the doctor isn't happy, eventually the work is going to reflect that."

"You're probably right. Do you know what you want to do about it?"

"I wanted to switch specialties. The more I think about it the more I like the idea. I'm a surgeon. I know how to do all the emergency procedures that come in and the ones that make me feel like I've done the most good… I'd like to go into obstetrics. And it's not just for myself. I'd like to start a private practice and that could eventually benefit you."

"Me?"

"You." She made a circle with her hands. "I saw Kathy. I saw Emily. The blood work is fascinating… what I saw of it before I discarded." She added quickly. That speech Will had given had gotten to her. "I want in."

"Syd… I don't know how to tell you this but you were already in." Max gave her a small smile. "I'll do some asking around. We'll see how to do this right."

--

Oriel watched through the window as Michael and Emily worked on their bikes. Her son was sleeping and she was alone in the house. It left her alone to think. Agent Goldblum still hadn't tracked down Frank and that just made her remember. [Oriel sat on her bed studying her English transitive verbs when she heard the footsteps over her head. When she looked up the ceiling fan swayed the way it always did when the Blacks were getting ready for bed. If she listened hard, she could make out their words but her English was nowhere near to perfect yet.

"For God's sake, Frank. She's 17." That was Janine's voice.

"What are you talking about?" That was Frank.

"You know what I'm talking about. 'Speaking French makes her feel more at home.' You only do it so I don't know what you're saying… and just what are you whispering in her ear that you don't want me to hear?"

"You've lost it."

"You think I don't see the way you look at her, the way you touch her when you think I'm not looking." There was a long stretch of silence. "You aren't the man you were before Rachel died and you know it… or maybe you are and now I get to see it up close."

"You don't know what you're talking about?"

"Where were you that you were late picking her up from ballet? Where were you?"

"Janine, please."

"I want to know. According to the cops, you were coming from a totally different direction that you normally would have from work. You did a U-turn in the middle of a busy street to correct for the different way your car was facing. Who lives on the South side? Was it Samantha Beck? Were you seeing to the Widow Beck's needs while our daughters were at ballet?"

The silence seemed to stretch out for hours. Oriel stood and stared up as if she could decipher more but she barely understood any of that.

"Christ, Frank. Danielle didn't go to rehearsal that day. Christ, Frank. You sick fuck."]

Oriel shook her head and smiled when Michael looked up from the bike. Those words she hadn't understood back then eluded her. All she remembered was they fought about their daughter Rachel and that they did that a lot.

--

"Wow, cool." Davey ran his fingers over the strings that wove in and out with each other all over the place inside the hoop. "What does it do?"

"It's a dream catcher." Will explained and hung it from the hook he had just installed over the boy's bed. "See, it looks like a spider web and there is the spider."

"That bead?"

"Yep. See, it hangs over you while you sleep and it catches all the bad dreams for the spider to eat and lets all the good dreams through… but you have to believe in it. Do you believe in it?" Will turned to the small boy. "Do you believe this is a dream spider who eats bad dreams?"

"You bet I do." Davey sat on his bed and stared up at it. It was the best thing ever. Anything to keep the bad dreams away.

"Good. Consider it an early birthday present."

"Thank you, Will." Liz smiled at her brave little boy. "We appreciate it."

"Will? Where do the dream spiders come from? How do they eat dreams?" Davey interrupted with all the questions of an almost six year old.

"Well, see, my grandma used to tell me all about them." Liz sat on the bed. She paused when Max leaned into the room. "Hey, sweetie. Go away. It's story time and then bed time."

"I'm sorry." Max made a face at her then furrowed his brow at the hoop, string, beads and feathers hanging over his son's bed. "What's that?"

"A gift." Will motioned it for a second and the men retired to the kitchen while Liz put Davey to bed. "I thought it couldn't hurt."

"We'll try anything." Max nodded and poured coffee for them both. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow." The agent took a seat and watched as Max laced his coffee with Tabasco sauce. "That's good?"

"I like it." Max shrugged. "So soon?"

"I've got to do some recruiting. Some men and women who, while ambitious will be willing to stay put. I have to stop in at D.C. to talk to some profilers to get some advice. I can't exactly post this position on the FBI intranet. I'll be discreet."

"I trust you to it." Max reached for the sugar and nearly poured half the small container into his cup. "Make sure they're people who can take orders sight unseen. If you can recruit someone with medical background, let me know."

"You think you aren't safe without me here? I can't see that I'm doing much protecting here. You've got this town wired."

Max just shrugged. "No rush but let me know. I… I had a patient today. A guy I knew in high school. He got married for the first time, today. I… can't fathom waiting so long."

"Maybe he hadn't met the one yet. Maybe the ones he thought maybe… turned out not to be. Not everyone is as lucky as you."

"How's that?"

"To have the love of your life just a breath away your whole life." Will caught a movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Night Daddy." Kathy crossed the kitchen to give her father a kiss and a hug.

"You waited up for me?"

"I never get to see you anymore." She complained and leaned on him for a moment before sipping his coffee and straightening. "Needs more sugar."

"Go to bed." Max sent her off with a swat.

"Night, Will." Kathy scooted toward the door.

"Night, Kathy. See you in Santa Fe."

"You got it." She grinned and bounded out the door and a few seconds later they could hear her stomping her way upstairs.

"You were saying something before she interrupted." Max poured more sugar into his coffee and stirred slowly.

"I'm just saying that we all don't have the luxury of knowing the right girl at age nine. Some of us have to look." Will nodded to Liz when she joined them. "The love of my life has never been right under my nose for years."

"You've got time. You'll find her." Liz kissed her husband's lips and reached to refresh Will's coffee. "Someday."

Will just nodded and thanked her for his coffee. Someday. Maybe.

tbc

94/109 when next I post the year will be 2028 for our unlucky aliens. '-)

the next few parts happen all in the same day but were originally broken up due to length.

The Fate of Destiny Part 95
May 2028

Max gathered his trash and tossed it into the biohazard bin next to him. His volunteer waved as the bell rang and wandered off to his next class. Blood drive at the high school, good times. He was still reeling from the fight with Liz the night before, if you could call it a fight. It was more an airing of impotent feeling toward their daughter. ["Honestly Max, I don't know what to do anymore. She leaves the house looking normal and when I see her in the halls at school, it's like she's a totally different person. Black lipstick, trashy clothes and her new boyfriend?" There, she had Max's attention with that one. Boyfriend? He spun around, soap still on half of his face. "He wears a dog collar with spikes. I'm almost positive that he's completely stoned every time he comes into my class. Talk to her. She listens to you."

"She listens to me." Max nodded at her and laughed, turning back to the mirror to finish washing for bed. "Yeah, she listens to me. She spies on me, Liz. To see what I'm really thinking when I tell her to tone it down."

"And what are you really thinking that makes her ignore the words that come out of your mouth? Don't tell me you approve of this… phase." Liz glared at his reflection in the mirror, reaching past him for her toothbrush.

"And what if it isn't a phase, Liz? What if this is what she likes? Dying her hair, wearing those… corset thingies and painting her nails dark colors." Max didn't like it one bit. The corset thingies nearly gave him a heart attack when he found out about them. He gave up and moved aside so his wife could spit. "She's so special, Liz. She's tired of pretending she's like everyone else. Maybe she does it because she likes it."

"It keeps her from fitting in, from making friends." She opened the door and peered outside, no sign of their resident psychic.

Max had to wait until they were safely in the confines of their bedroom to speak again. "Maybe but maybe that's why she does it. It keeps too many new people from approaching her. Her gifts… are a strain, Liz." He pulled back the sheets and checked his beeper. It needed a new battery soon. He was tired and he had an early surgery. "She's doing so well, now, and if it works… let her do it. She doesn't suffer for friends. She's got more than I can name accurately. She's okay."

"I hope you're right, Max. I really do. I worry about her and I…" She trailed off and climbed into bed. She leaned against him and let him turn out the lights with a flick of his hand. "I just don't know how to talk to her anymore. Thank God they're keeping you home for once. I won't have to chase after her by myself."]

And it was more than a mild shock when the rainbow-haired, pale-faced, black lipstick-wearing, bespectacled child of his rounded the cubicle and greeted him with a scoff. "I'm assigned to you?"

"Don't look so put out. I asked for you. Special request." Max told her with a small smile. Okay, so maybe it had been awhile since he and Beth had had a talk. Torn fishnets? More makeup? Maybe he hadn't seen her in her school get up before. So maybe Liz had a right to be concerned. She had enough jewelry hanging around her neck to start her own store. "I figured we could catch up. I could spend some quality time with my youngest female offspring. You know… without the… Shit Apes blaring in my ear."

"Guano Apes, who are from your day… if you were any measure of cool when you were my age… 80 years ago, you might know who they are. Did Mom put you up to this? Don't lie to me, you know I can tell." She warned him as she grabbed the list of donors for the next hour for their station.

"She may have suggested we have a chat. She's only worried about you." He let the age barb slide. She was a rebelling teenager, after all. He plucked some fresh instruments from their boxes and plastics and motioned for her to find their first victim. He hated that she always threatened to read him for the truth. She did it enough anyway, threat or no. "The cookies are over there. They get one and they have to sit for half an hour afterward. If they feel dizzy they can't leave until I look them over."

"Whatever." She wandered away and wandered back with a scared looking teen. Max just couldn't tell who scared the boy more, the girl with the mile long lashes and black fingernails or the doctor with the needle. "What does she want me to do?"

"Talk to her. Maybe bring dog-boy home."

"Dog boy?" Beth blinked at him and took a seat, straddling the bench, fisting her hands against the padding between her legs.

"This will only hurt a second." Max told the boy as he wrapped the rubber around the boys arm. "Squeeze the ball for a few moments." He focused on positioning the needle and the tube. "Beth, you know… the boy with the collar. Mom told me about him. Stop squeezing, please."

"Who? Joey?" Beth snorted and picked up the clipboard again. "Joey's just a friend. He also thinks he might be gay. He's not sure yet, so I think he's safe until he does." She mumbled to her father and wandered away to get the next victim, musing aloud. "Maybe she means Gabriel. He wears a bike chain around his neck. I could see how she might be confused."

"Okay. Just relax and count slowly to twenty and pump the ball. Not constantly… just… " Max nodded to the boy and got the next chair ready by the time Beth returned with the nervous looking girl.

"What does she want me to do?"

"Not lie to her, for one." Max quickly got the girl prepped. "She hates the lipstick and I can also say I'm not wild about the clothes. The music… I'm getting used to. I understand you like that stuff. It makes you feel better. Whatever." He turned to his daughter, a little hurt showing in his voice. "I would like to talk to you without having to trap you in a cubicle on Blood Donor Day."

"I get it." She rolled her eyes and glared at the teens giving blood. They were scared of her. The boy thought she might be a vampire. The girl thought she was a skank… or a witch, she hadn't decided. A skanky witch?

"Sweetie? Can we focus here?" Max interrupted her readings and patted the bench next to him. They had a few minutes while the blood pumped into the bags. His daughter had just been blatantly reading two perfect strangers. They needed to have another talk about that but not right this second.

"You can get in trouble for hitting on kids, you know. You might be a doctor but we're witnesses." The girl butt in.

"Chill." Beth rolled her eyes. "This is my dad."

Max stared at her, ignoring the rude girl. His daughter was in there somewhere. Under the stockings, pants and skirt. {What's with the layers? Is she cold?} Under the pale make-up, velvet choker and hair dye. How many shirts was she wearing? "How many colors are in there?"

"Six." Bethany stared back at her father, he was doing a good job of only thinking about the words coming out of his mouth. {He's gonna make me work for it.} "Crimson, azure, pomegranate, verdigris, coal, and chalk."

"No orange?"

"Not really what I'm going for." She shook her head at him. "What about you?" she motioned the ever-growing patches of white and gray on his head, which was still mostly black. When had her father gotten so old?

"See this patch?" Max turned his head so she could see the wide stretch of gray that ran from his temple to just behind his ear. "That's a color I call Kathy." He turned his head the other way. Just a stripe of gray beginning at his temple in Grampa Munster style. "This color is Danny and this one." He tilted his head forward to expose the small patch on the top of his skull. "That's the color of Bethany."

"The stuff in back?" She teased.

"Davey. Definitely Davey-colored in the back." Max sighed. Despite the clothes, the hair and the jewelry, she was his daughter. Somewhere under the dye was Liz's hair. Under the pale makeup were Liz's cheekbones, Liz's smile behind the dark wine lips. Like him, her baby fat had drifted away early, his jaw line fading into Liz's chin. A daintier version of his nose. When those dark eyelashes lifted, those were his eyes behind the oval frames. She had already overshot Liz to 5'5" and her face was thinner but there was no hiding whose daughter she was. They were sitting the same way on the bench, astride, their hands in fists against the padding between their legs. He eyed the black and silver cross hanging from her neck. That was new. "Are we believing in God again?"

"I am." She tilted her head at him in a way that was definitely her mother. "Did you ever?" Touché. They were no longer united on that front, then. Just him and Danny against the ladies and Davey. "Why do you lie to yourself? You and Danny both?"

"We lie to ourselves?"

"Being what you are. Knowing what you know. Working where you do." Bethany stared into her father's eyes, exact matches of her own. She had caught him off guard and his mind was working overtime, now. He was like an open book. "Wouldn't it be easier if you could just admit that you do believe? You ask for his help all the time and you thank him for it and you keep your promises to him the best you can. Just admit it."

She was slipping, letting her walls down so she could read him better. Max almost had her. He hated that they had to do this to each other but she played so many games with him. If he didn't play along, she shut him out and there was no reaching her. "When did you believe again? When you met this boy, Gabriel? When you… had your… fit? I thought that's when you stopped."

"Yeah, that's when I stopped but when my… fit was over… I could trust him again." {Where's he going with this?} Her eyes narrowed just a bit in reaction to his line of questioning.

"Why do you lie to me?" Max scoffed and pushed off the bench, breaking eye contact, breaking the connection and disrupting her read. She didn't believe anymore than he did. Gabriel had given her that necklace, whoever that kid was.

{What?! What a dick!} Bethany's jaw dropped as she realized what he'd done. She couldn't even call him on it because there were civilians two feet away. "What did I lie about?" She scowled at the seat he had just vacated. She was a reader, it was her power. What else did he expect from her? He connected without her permission. He violated the space that wasn't even hers anymore. It was a stomping ground for all those idiots who were so caught up in themselves, they didn't realize they were thinking so loud she couldn't block them out. "How dare you go through my… things?"

"I only do it because I love you and because you won't keep your hands out of my things." Max hissed back, readying the station for more donors as his first donor was almost done. "You have privileges, Bethany. When you abuse them, I… I'm sorry but I just want to know you. You don't talk to me anymore and I hate sneaking around you. I would never have had to do this to Kathy."

"Because Kathy's perfect." Beth glowered, her eyes still on the seat. The amber orbs burned holes into the plastic seat though her oval frames. "Kathy had a 4.0. Kathy was popular and pretty. Kathy got a scholarship to UNM Santa Fe. Kathy finished her basics early. Kathy had all her… things in order. Kathy got into a super graduate study program. News flash, Dad. I'm not Kathy and Kathy is not a saint."

Max labeled bags and pulled tubes and let Bethany pass out the cookies before moving with her into the next cubicle. He discreetly put up his shield so no one could hear them anymore. "Listen to me. I love you. Bethany. I don't compare you to Kathy. I just don't understand why you don't trust me." He had tears in his eyes and Beth didn't have to read him to know how upset he was. "I can live with the hair and the clothes and even the awful music if you'll just trust me." He took a breath to control himself and to keep the tears in his eyes from falling freely. "You second-guess me and it hurts."

"Is it because I lied about believing in God?" She whispered. Emotions were rolling off him in waves and he was very upset but she just couldn't get a clear read off of him. He was angry. What right did he have to be angry? He had violated her mind, connected without even a warning.

"No. I don't care if you believe or don't believe as long as you're honest with me." He reached for her and when she shrank away, it stung. "Do you believe me when I tell you that I love you?" Max threw up his mental walls and blocked her reflexive read of his thoughts. "Don't check, Beth. Listen to me. Do you believe me when I tell you that I love you?" He could still feel her probing. "Stop it, Bethany Parker Evans. Look at me. Listen to me." A tear slipped down his face as he waited for her to comply. He gripped her shoulders, wanting to shake her until she listened but waiting until she looked at him. Waiting until those confused, tearing amber eyes looked at him. "I love you."

"Not like you love Kathy." She whispered, her chin trembling. "Why can't you love me the way you love her?"

Max's heart broke but he held firm, keeping his walls up against her probing. "Stop reading me, Bethany and listen to me. I love you. Don't you ever believe that I love any one of you more than another. You think Kathy doesn't second-guess herself and her place in our family? I tell her the same thing I always tell you. I love her. I love you. I love Danny and Davey and Mom. I just need for you to trust me. Do you believe me when I say that I love you?" She shook her head from side to side. His heart was breaking and he wished he had the answers. Why couldn't he find the right thing to say or to do for her to believe him? "Why not?"

"Where am I, Dad? I'm not the oldest like Danny. I'm not the first girl like Kathy. I didn't do anything first." A black tear slid down her face. "And I'm not the baby like Davey. Who am I, Dad? I'm just the girl in the middle and I can't ever do anything right to please you and Mom. Kathy never had a… fit…"

It was still this thing. "You are my child. I love you." Max dropped his walls and was relieved when she didn't immediately push at them to find out what he was really thinking. "I remember the day you were born. Exactly one week before Thanksgiving. I got in trouble at work and you were the only good thing happening right. I missed so much when Danny and Kathy were babies because I had two jobs and I was going to school full time. I was secure when you came, in trouble but not losing my job. I got to see it all. First smile, first laugh, first step, first word. I could see you anytime I wanted. I got to bathe you and get in a lot of firsts that I couldn't have before. I got to spend time with you. Real time. Not midnight feedings like with Danny and Kathy. You don't need to check with me, Beth. I'm your father and I love you."

"You think I'm a freak." She whispered. "Because of what I do. The reading."

"No. I think you think you're a freak. Danny thought he was a freak and Kathy definitely thinks she's a freak. Davey… probably thinks he's a freak. Emily thinks she's a freak. I know how you feel. I went to school here and I thought I was a freak. I thought that no one could love me. You know what's different?" She shook her head between his hands. "Your parents know who you are and what you are and what you can do and we still love you. I was too afraid to tell my parents. My Dad never knew about me. I never got the chance to tell him."

"What do you want from me?" Tears fell freely from her eyes, washing away eyeliner and making streaks down her face.

"I want you to trust me. I want my little Beth who said she was going to use her big ears to fly away." Max always grinned when he remembered she said that. Was it nine years ago already? "Who said she was going to college on the moon. I want the little girl who trusts me."

"I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm 16 and a half." Beth sniffled softly, she gave up trying to read him at all. Her head throbbed and she needed a nap. Needed to find her boyfriend and let him take care of her.

"When I told you to block out the noise, I never wanted you to block out your mom and me. We love you and we just want to know what's going on. Mom and I don't like fighting with you. I know you don't like people. I understand. Mom doesn't. So, we're going to find some middle ground. I don't like being this way with you."

"Daddy." Beth choked on the words. Her reddened amber eyes fixed on his, she leaned her cheek on his hand. "I miss you."

That's when it hit him. He had done it without realizing. He was out of town a lot on lectures, conventions, and doing an occasional surgery in other towns the last three and a half years. She had been falling apart and he hadn't caught it soon enough… just like with her fit. Pulling his little girl into his arms, he kissed her head. He had been there for Danny and Kathy when they had gone through their pubescent awkwardness and he never realized he was missing Beth's. "Come on. Go get cleaned up. We'll talk about this stuff a little later. Lay some rules for you and for me. Okay? Like adults. One freaky alien to another. Okay?"

--

Oriel stared at the phone in her home office and after a large amount of hesitation she dialed the number Will had found just a few months before. He was in France. Four long rings echoed in her head before someone picked up. "Oui. Je suis chercher Monsieur Black… Oui, François Black… C'est bon… Le petit oiseau… Oui." She listened to the woman's persuasion to call another time or to leave a message because it could take a while to find him. "Je le attendre… de quelque façon." She ended up on hold for half an hour.

"Je Sui Black." Came the voice.

"Bonjour, François." She spoke clearly. He got very quiet and she doubted he was still there for a moment. "Ta petit oiseau."

"Oriel?" He stammered.

"Oui, Oriel de Michigan." It felt so good to hear his voice after so many years.

"Mon Dieu, ce aller tait dure." He whispered to himself. "Oriel Jordan de mon cœur." He chuckled to himself.

She laughed with him for a moment. "Je suis Mère Guerin de nos jours."

When he choked on his response, she laughed again. This time when he spoke, it was in English. "I've only been speaking French again for six months. Did I hear you right? Married and a mother?" He breathed. "My little bird all grown up."

"Married seven years to a wonderful man. I have two little boys and a grown stepdaughter."

"Still in the States?"

"Yes. You are a hard man to track down."

"Yeah…" He trailed off. "That wasn't all my fault but I am to blame for not stopping her. Janine…"

"I understood."

"I don't think you did but thank you for saying that. She wasn't fair to you and I was afraid you'd think all Americans were hateful. She was just very sad and jealous."

"It was just the opposite for me. Because of you, I stayed and I found the place I've been searching for all my life."

"And I… am finally where my family began."

"I think on you often." Oriel admitted. "When my first son was born, Michael tried to get me to find you but I couldn't… We didn't know where to start but after Matthew was born, I couldn't put it off anymore. You've always been like a father to me."

He seemed to choke on his words. "Et tu, comme un… fille, chéri. I want to hear all about you and your family."

--

Alex strolled down the ladies aisle and pretended he knew what he was doing. In town for two hours and he was on a hunt for feminine products. {What did she say? Wings? Super-absorbent? Maybe it was tampons.} He scanned all the brightly colored packages and wondered why they were so bright. When he went up to the register, everyone was going to know exactly what he was buying. He nearly leapt down the aisle when he heard a voice in his ear. "Shopping for your mom or your sister?"

"Good God woman, don't do that." Alex leaned on the nearest shelf to catch his breath only to find he was leaning on a bunch of douches. Standing up straight and crossing his arms, he tried to look cool. "So… hi."

"Hi." Lynnette smirked at him. "When did you get in?"

"Couple of hours ago. I did all the hugging and being force-fed and then they shoved me out the door for… hygiene reasons." Alex couldn't help but look her over. She was just a little taller and most of her curves were still there but… less so around the middle and… he desperately wanted to see for himself if she was an actual hourglass. Was his blood pressure suddenly fatal? Why did he break up with her?

She avoided his eyes while he stared at her. She seemed to want to leave but clasped her hands behind her back before speaking. "So… Florida still hanging out in the ocean?"

Right, the distance. When she stood like that, she really just… seemed to be… swelling right out of her V-neck. {She probably still smells so good. What? Florida?} "Yeah, still all… penis-shaped and… hanging out there like a big… penis." {Did I really just say that? Good one, Alex old buddy, ole pal.} Dragging his eyes back to her face, he swallowed thickly. "Home for the…"

"Wedding. Yeah. I heard." Lynnette nodded and readjusted her top just enough to create uber-cleavage for a second. "I gotta go… Tía's waiting on me."

"Right… it was good to see you… Maybe… later…"

"Maybe." She nodded again and started to go. "If it's Berty, it's the green pack with the bird on it… if it's your mom… the orange one right there."

"Thanks." Alex waved until she was gone. He could die… but not in this aisle and not until after he got the green pack home. He was not dying with a bright green pack of unscented, regular tampons with rounded applicators in his hands.

--

Kathy listened to her notes and yawned. She wanted classes over with. One more day, one more test. Eh, it was just Latin. She just wanted to go home and veg until the wedding. It was finally happening. Her housemates wandered through the room quickly except for one. "Hey you."

"Hey." She nodded absently.

"I almost forgot to tell you. Your idol is coming back to the college." Billy sat across from Kathy on a beanbag.

Kathy's blue eyes widen. "You're kidding. She's like…"

"85 years old." The girl nodded back. "Rumor has it someone's graduate study has brought her out of retirement."

"Whose?" Kathy set her notes aside and shut off her tape player.

"Dunno. We'll find out this summer."

"This summer?"

"Oh shit, you're going home, right?" Billy winced and glanced at her housemate's bodyguard. "You think you could come back early?"

"It's family."

"Guess you have to be there for that." Billy sighed and tried to seem sympathetic.

"Yeah… it's been a long time coming." Kathy nodded but her thoughts weren't on her roommate or family anymore. [Kathy left Adam's apartment and made her way to her dorm, then her shadow felt in step behind her. It was annoying. Here she was in her third semester at college, a very mature 19, still waiting on wheels and she still had a babysitter. "Do you have to go everywhere I go?"

"Part of the job description. Did you have a swell time?"

"Swell?" Kathy laughed and turned to him.

"Things are getting serious, huh. Two years?" He cleared his throat and motioned for her to slow down as they reached the curb. A car was coming.

"It's not serious." She shook her head, not really watching where she was going anyway. "He's nice and we're compatible for the most part…"

"But…" Will motioned for her to go on, speaking and walking.

"I don't get that… buh-buh-boom anymore when I see him. He's still interested but… he doesn't care as much as he should… I think." She saw she had lost him and cleared her throat. "The happy ending doesn't go both ways…"

"Oh." It was his turn to clear his throat. When he had told her she could speak freely with him, that really wasn't what he meant but the girl never stopped talking. "So, he's a bit selfish. Men can be taught."

"Not by an inexperienced teacher… and I sincerely doubt the other woman in his life is getting a happy ending either."

"So you found out about her." He had the good grace to look ashamed of himself but she had always had the feeling he didn't approve of Adam. That's all she needed, a surrogate brother judging her dates all the time.

"She left her panties under his pillow. He didn't come clean. I just won't take his calls anymore."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Hey…" Kathy slowed her stride a bit. "Can you do me a favor?" He nodded, eyes always moving, watching the shadows. "The next time my boyfriend steps out on me and you find out before I do… could you clue me in?"

"I don't know. That might violate that rule you made for me when you came up here. Something about me not butting into your life and making it more difficult."

"I'll forgive the butting in if it keeps me from looking like an idiot." Kathy groaned in frustration. "I would just like to meet a guy that's not looking for sex after the requisite third date… if that. I want a study partner without ulterior motives. I would like to enjoy my college career without the trappings of the drama that comes with interacting with co-eds."

"I hate to be the one to tell you… but you brought your own drama to the college table there. Being an alien and everything… it's hard to be truthful with someone who is obviously not all that forthcoming. I speak from experience."]

"Hey, Evans. I was talking." Billy waved her hand in front of the girl's eyes. "… maybe you head back a little late?"

"If she's coming back for somebody's study, she'll be around next semester. Send me a program if they've got her picture in it. I've been having the hardest time finding one of her. I could have passed her on the street for all I know."

"Have fun. When do you leave?"

Kathy turned to Will, who was sipping his coffee at a small table in the entryway. He looked up and waved to them. "Two days and four hours. Hope you're packed."

"Thanks." Kathy sank back into her chair.

"That guy creeps me out. He makes me wish the other one was still here." Billy hissed as she got to her feet and marched upstairs. Kathy just nodded. Billy was the only one of her housemates who still had a problem with the Agents who followed her around. Usually he was discreet and kept his distance but Will was different. In the house, he set up camp in the foyer. He had already proved more than once he could keep up with her if she snuck out, so she let him do his job. It saved them both a lot of grief. Of course, that was only when he was around. The other agents were a little more lenient with her after a bit of charming and flirting.

tbc

The Fate of Destiny Part 96

Alex stepped into the house and was immediately accosted. Berty kissed his cheek and disappeared with the bag. Then Gina ran up and threw herself at him. "Alex! You're home!"

"Heya squirt." He ruffled her hair. It took some getting used to. The last couple of years on his trips home, Gina had taken to throwing herself on him and acting like he had been gone for years when she had just sat in his lap the entire time they ate dinner. "Whatcha doing?"

"Waiting for Daddy to get home." She stared up at him with her father's eyes. "Then we're going to Lita's for dessert."

"Everyone?" He felt a little pang. She obviously adored him but he never really had time to bond with her the way he had with Berty and Kyle. Mostly his own fault. Whatever distance there was between him and his baby sister, he had put there himself and it wasn't her fault. It wasn't his mother's fault. It wasn't her father's fault. He couldn't blame anyone but himself.

"Just me and Daddy."

"Where's your brother?"

"Bastien's at Lita's already. Kyle's out back. He won't play with me. He says girls can't play football."

"You know what? It's not that girls can't play football… it's just that they're too smart to play football." Alex bent to hoist her onto his hip. She was getting too heavy to do that very easily anymore. "Where's Mom?"

"Went to see Grampa." She planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Where?"

"Back there." She pointed and Alex followed her finger down the back hallway. She giggled when he turned in circles, pretending not to understand where she was pointing. Sure enough, Grandpa was being pampered by their mother. He had taken a fall and broken his foot three weeks before. "Mama, Grampa. Alex is back!"

"Yes, he is." Isabel nodded and made sure Jim had enough pillows.

"Would you explain it to her? I'm 65 years old. I'm not a baby." Jim complained to his eldest grandchild.

"He's injured." She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Not infirmed." He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "And certainly not feeble."

"Shut up." She handed him his ice cream and sat on the end of the bed. "What are my babies up to?"

"Alex isn't a baby." Gina giggled, shaking her head at her silly mother.

"Well, he's my baby."

"I'm your baby." Gina scrambled out of Alex's arms and into her mother's.

"Hey Mom…" Alex kicked at the doorway, hands in pockets. He had been the bad guy and done the breaking up… for everyone's own good. His mother had refused to talk to him for a month after breaking Lynnette's heart… still he had to swallow his pride and ask one question of his mother. "Is… Lynnette… is she seeing anyone?"

"No." Jim announced before Isabel could open her mouth. "And don't lie to the boy. It's all she's been talking about for weeks. 'Lynnette's single again and Alex is coming home and maybe they'll get back together.' For weeks, I tell you. The last two, I've been in this bed listening to nothing but."

Isabel shushed the old man and tried to remain cool and detached about it, despite the cat being out of the bag. "Just out of the blue, you ask about her?"

"I ran into her at the store." He shoved his hands into his pockets. He did have to admit there were still some rather strong feelings there. Not just ones pertaining to her body but deep-seated emotions that he had never quite shaken despite the time and distance. Maybe she still felt the same.

"oh. I see." She shared a look with her daughter. "Alex loves Lynnette."

"Ew." Gina made a face. "Dey's gonna kiss?" She talked through smushed up lips to her mother, who nodded, the girl's hands smushing her face as well, preventing her speech. "Ew. I don't wanna see that. Kissin's gross."

"No one does, kiddo." Jim fed her some ice cream and nudged Isabel off the bed with his good foot. "Now, everyone out. Let this old man eat his ice cream in peace."

--

Liz set her bag down at the table and tried to get a late dinner together while her family milled around. Max was in charge of setting the table. Beth had been sent to wash her face, no overdone makeup at the dinner table. A rule they had come home with apparently. David had been instructed to get his homework off the table. Adjusting the phone at her ear, she listened to her daughter. "Are you bringing the mysterious boyfriend? … No? … Oh… okay but you're still coming day after tomorrow?"

Max paused to eavesdrop. Boyfriend? Liz kept talking, ignoring his obvious interest at that word. "Was it sudden? … I'm sorry sweetie, that's just the way it goes… I don't know. I've seen him around but… Well, do I even get to know the jerk's name? … Fine. Don't tell me. I'm just your mother… Okay, I get it… No, I do. You and me have a date. In two days it will be you and me and a pint of ice cream, I promise."

"What's going on?" Max hissed. Liz just waved him off.

"Well, Dad's going to pick you up at the airport… Do you know if Will is going to bring his girlfriend? … It was just a question and watch your mouth… You know how your grades are coming? … Good. And the car is fine?" Liz eyed her husband, who hovered. "No, he didn't ask but he's standing right here, I'm sure he was gonna." She pulled the phone out of the way. "If you're looking for something to do, you cook so I can talk." Max rolled his eyes but did as told. "Just the brakes then? … Oh, he did. See, Kat, he is good for something."

"She needs new brakes?" Max asked over his shoulder, lacing the tuna helper with loads of Tabasco.

"She's got it." Liz covered the mouthpiece for a second. When Beth came around the corner, cleaning her glasses, they exchanged a look, to which Beth rolled her eyes and plopped down at the table. "You don't want to come down early? Straighten out your sister? … Yes, the Goth phase… How can you say that? Have you even seen her?"

"Kat's on my side." Bethany pointed to the phone, announcing to her father.

"Kat's vote doesn't count." Max told her and tossed half a bag of frozen vegetables into the boiling water. He felt Liz's hand on his shoulder and turned. She pointed at the fifth plate at the table, eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, you don't know something for once. Nice change. Gabriel's coming for dinner."

"Gabriel?" Liz blinked and turned to her youngest daughter in shock. "Gabriel Silerio? … No, your father and sister just blindsided me. Max, we can't have a boyfriend over to dinner to eat this…" She had to split her attention between the crisis at home and her daughter on the phone. "He's in my fifth period honors class… I know but he's one of her friends."

"Mom, Dad got his name out of me and I talked him into coming. He can come tonight. He's coming. He doesn't care what we eat." Beth groaned. She had caved on the make up. She had caved on the boyfriend to dinner. She was holding at her attitude and having a boyfriend.

"Kat? I'll talk to you tomorrow. Okay? … alright… Love you, sweetie, buh-bye." Liz hung up the phone and began running around the house straightening up. Did they have a lasagna in the freezer? They could order in or no… maybe there was time for Max to defrost some chicken. "Why didn't you tell me something before?"

"If we make this a formal dinner, we'll scare him." Max offered lamely. He was in trouble he knew it. David knew it. That's why the boy was sitting at the table laughing at all of them. "It's been a really long day, about which I'll fill you in later."

"It doesn't matter what you make, Mom." Bethany sighed when the doorbell rang. "He's a vegetarian. Dad's got the veggies, going. He's just here for the meet. That's it." She disappeared around the wall and a few minutes later, Liz could hear them talking.

"Whoa, what happened to your face?" That was a rather deep voice for a teenager, Max tilted his head to hear better.

"Ha, ha. You're funny. It's a new house rule. I can't wear it at the table."

"Do I have to wash my face?"

"Probably not. Thanks for coming. I don't know how else to shut them up."

"It's okay. I'm here."

"They're kissing." David nodded and waggling his eyebrows to his father, who was about five seconds from barreling around to the front door to break them up.

"Beth? Who's at the door?" Liz called out. She hoped she sounded sincere.

"They are not smooth, come on." Beth appeared, hand in hand with Max's worst nightmare. "Mom, Dad, David… this is Gabriel."

The kid was tall, athletic build, clearly a senior and commanded all of his little girl's attention. He had wristbands on each arm at the elbow, mid-bicep and mid-forearm, leather bracelets with silver studs, piercings in each ear and one under his lip. He wasn't wearing much makeup but Max could see the eyeliner and lipstick that didn't belong to his daughter. Hair stuck up on top of his head in short colorful spikes. Black clothes, heavy black boots, torn blue jeans. Bike chain rested under the boy's Adam's apple and a collection of silver necklaces hung beneath that, including a silver and black cross in the same fashion of Beth's newest accessory.

Finally, Max gathered his strength to leave the stove. "Max Evans, doctor. Pleased to meet you. I've heard very little about you." He held out his hand, which the boy shook firmly. "My wife, Liz."

"We've met." Gabriel shook her hand. "I enjoy your class, Mrs. Evans."

"When you show up." Liz didn't miss a beat. "I wasn't expecting to entertain tonight. I hope you'll forgive our dinner."

"Hey Davey." Gabriel bent over the table to greet the boy. Max fumed. Why did he have to be so tall?

"David." The pre-teen corrected.

"Well, let's eat." Liz set food out. "I understand you're a vegetarian. I didn't have time to prepare anything special but I've got some boiled broccoli and cauliflower here. I have fixings for a salad."

"The brassica oleracea is fine by me." Gabriel took his seat next to Beth.

"What's that?" Max shook his head as he served the rest of them from the saucepan.

"Latin for the edible cabbage genus, encompassing but not exclusive to both broccoli and cauliflower." Liz explained under her breath. "So… Gabriel… aside from rarely showing up to my class, what other interests do you have?"

The boy's right arm lay over the back of Bethany's chair, much to Max's ire, and he appeared to be left-handed though his handling of his fork was a little awkward. "I write a column for the school paper."

"He's really good. It's reprinted in the opinion column that comes out with the Thursday edition of the Roswell Gazette." Bethany offered but her parents were clearly not interested in giving her boyfriend a chance.

Max ate quietly for a while. He couldn't stop staring at the many holes in the boy's head. He had thought Danny's earring was too much once upon a time… but this was a little excessive. "I wasn't aware many vegetarians wore leather."

"You're thinking of the animal rights vegetarians." Gabriel shook his head. "No, I don't have anything against animal products in general. I just don't like the taste of meat. My doctor says that's okay as long as I get my protein from another source. It doesn't make me a joy on long car trips but it's better than forcing myself to eat something that I can't enjoy strictly for the nutritional benefits." He smirked a little until he realized no one at the table was even going to grin at his little joke.

"Do you drive?"

"No. I have to pay rent and it's not conducive to my lifestyle to own a car and all that comes with it. Gas at three and a quarter bucks a gallon, insurance through the roof at my high-risk age and all that on top of regular car maintenance. The inspection, the registration, brakes, oil changes. I have a driver's license but… we can do without a car. Roswell's not that big a town."

"You live with your parents and pay rent?"

"I help out." The boy clarified. "It's just my dad taking care of us. The money I get from the Gazette goes to help pay rent, little things we need between his paydays. He travels a lot. Company dime gets him to and from."

Max lifted his glass to his lips and sipped slowly. He didn't have a reason to hate the kid but that didn't mean he liked him either. He had learned his lesson with Kat. He had to stay on top of these things. Beth rolled her eyes and huffed suddenly. She'd done it again. They were definitely going to have another talk about her reading people. She shook her head at her plate, her body turned away from her boyfriend as she picked listlessly at her dinner. Liz stared between her daughter and her husband. "Max."

He ignored her. "How many kids in your family?"

"Eight." Gabriel nodded. "I'm the oldest. I've got a couple of brothers about David's age. I got a sister who just turned nine and my mom's got the rest of them. We don't have much contact. I know there are four of them, all pretty little."

"Who's looking after them if you're here?"

"Our neighbor. She helps me out so I can study and hang out with Beth."

Why was the boy making this so hard? Max just shrugged at Liz, who took over but Max knew she had made her mind up before the boy had showed up. "Do you have plans after high school? You are graduating, aren't you?"

"Next week with everyone else." Gabriel nodded and sat up straight. "I've got a scholarship, partial, to Roswell Community."

"I don't see how, you're not passing my class." Liz bit out.

"No, ma'am. I'm not but your class is an elective for me. I've got all my credits and my counselor and I are discussing whether or not to make up the credit for your class."

Even Max could feel Liz's anger at her honors environmental science class being dismissed as an elective. David stood up, plate emptied and in hand. "Can I be excused? Thanks." He rushed to put his plate away and raced to his room before it was officially granted. Max wished he could do the same. Where were his cigarettes?

--

"One more story." Gina demanded of her big brother.

"Don't do it. You'll never stop." Kyle warned from the doorway.

Alex sighed and picked another story to read to the six-year-old. "Who gave you this book, anyway?"

"FBI Will." She told him, snuggling into her bed with her teddy bear. "Read, Alex."

"Where'd Mom go?" Alex looked to his little brother.

"They went for a walk. Same thing every night for a while." Kyle rolled his eyes.

Berty snorted from where she was seated beside Gina's bed. "They're getting all weird. Sebastien's graduating and with the wedding…"

"They walk and they kiss. It's gross." Gina cut in, still trying to keep Alex's attention.

"What she said." Berty shoved herself to her feet. "I don't care what anyone says. They're old and it's wrong." The 16 year old stretched and bumped her little brother out of the way so she could exit.
"What do you think?" Alex asked his brother. The 14 year old shrugged. He had only been seven when Dad had died. He barely remembered how his parents were together. Kyle looked a lot like Dad, sometimes acted like him but the kid didn't really care about that stuff. "You ok with it?"

"I guess. Berty's got her panties in a twist over it but… it's Mom and Jesse. What're we gonna do about it? They're… them." Kyle shrugged again. He was just used to having Jesse around. He respected his position in the house and didn't cross any boundaries. Kyle liked it that way. "She smiles a lot more than she used to."

"Is he staying here?"

"Stupid. Daddy sleeps at Lita's." Gina pouted. She had really wanted another story from her biggest brother. "With Bastien."

"Yeah. I mean, they're all careful and stuff around us but… Berty's really the only one around here who cares about what they do." The kid shook his head. "Grandpa's all for it. Something about life's too short to worry about what people think." He snorted. "I mean… look at her. She's seven. Everyone assumes they've been together all this time. It's not gonna hurt anyone if they just start… whatever."

"But he's not living here?"

"No." Kyle stood up straight. "I mean, I'm not stupid. The walking at night just started in the last couple of months but they've had a regular date night for a few years, you know? They just don't want to upset any of us until they know what they're doing… cause I really don't think they do."

"Alex… are you gonna read me a story or what?"

--

Beth hugged her knees on her bed. Her father sat in her chair near the door. "I know Mom hates him. I don't even need to read her to know that. Tell me what you think."

"You going to check up on me?" He arched an eyebrow at her. That was one of the rules. She had to restrict herself from reading her parents, intentionally.

"Dad… please." She didn't want to rehash the day. She was tired of talking and thinking and all she wanted to know was if she was going to be forbidden to see her boyfriend.

"I really don't know. He seems like a nice boy despite all the holes in his head and the make up…" Max sighed heavily. His daughter was 16 years old and this kid had to be 18 years old. She was obviously smitten. "How do you feel about him?"

"I really like him and he's so smart. You heard, he made it into Mom's honor's class. It's a hard place to get into and he's nice to me. Treats me like a person." She rushed ahead to find any little thing that would let her father relax about the almost high school graduate that she was dating. "I've already gotten used to blocking him out but when I do hear him… Daddy… he cares about me. He's not always trying to kiss me. He likes hanging out with me."

He caught the unspoken. The kid liked Bethany, not her older siblings, not her parents but her. The her she wanted to be as much as the one she was. "Okay. I approve but you've got to promise me you're not going to rush into anything with him. He's 18 and he's a man and…"

"Ugh. Dad, stop right here. First, he's 18, yes but he's responsible. Second we have an understanding about what is acceptable. Third, I'm not Kathy. I'm not going to do anything stupid." She snorted. "Not for a boy I've only been dating for two months."

"Two… months…" Max pinned his daughter with a look.

tbc

96/110. '-)

The Fate of Destiny Part 97

Isabel straightened Sebastien's collar and smoothed out his shoulders. "Well, how does it feel?"

"Like a big dress. Who started this tradition anyway?" He held out his arms and looked like he was ready to take flight or burst into a Gospel hymn.

"I meant to finally leave high school behind." She smiled at him, turning him to the mirror in the meeting room of her office.

"Doesn't feel real yet. I still have a class this afternoon." He checked himself out in the mirror. He had twenty minutes to make sure the suit fit and the gown hung right and then he had to be on his way back to school. "Where'd Dad go?"

"Court." Isabel told him even as she peered at a case file beside her. Just for a moment. She promised Sebastien that she'd help him and she would. "I make him take the cases I don't want to deal with."

"Hey, thanks for doing this. I know you don't have to. Grandma's just been tired lately and Dad's busy all the time… big shocker for you. You know that."

"He's carved out a huge block of time for you tomorrow." She reminded him with a grin. She was picking up the slack for the next two weeks. "And it's not a problem. I'm glad to do it. He'll get your tie cleaned."

"He better have."

"And I'm not letting him in this building the day after tomorrow and the following day is all about you." She looked up at the young man. He looked very grown up and not much like the gawky pre-teen she had met seven years ago. "Your mother would be proud."

"Yeah…" He looked over at her. "You know… after I'm gone to Cambridge… Grandma won't stop him from moving in with you."

"Berty might have something to say about that." She took his robe and hung it on a large hanger and slipped it back inside the garment bag. She sighed heavily. It had only taken Sebastien a year and a half to get over himself and accept that Isabel was a part of his father's life. He let her mother him and she knew it was just because he missed having a mother. Kyle and Jesse got along alright despite having opposing football teams. Gina had never known anything but their life where Jesse lived with his mother and Sebastien but came for dinner every night and took her for the weekends to visit relatives. Isabel and Jesse had only become romantic in the last three years. Liberty was vehemently against their flirtation since it had become more than friendship and the sharing of a daughter.

"My buddy thinks Berty's pretty and he wants to ask her out but…" He turned to share a look with Isabel. "Besides being too naïve."

"Damn straight she's too naïve for one of your friends." She agreed with him.

"Does she even like guys? When I talk to her…"

"She's clinging to her girlhood. She's my little tomboy." She shook her head at him. Her little tomboy had developed early and fully, just like her mother, but refused to buy into the girliness of her teen years. She'd also had her almost brother Sebastien looking out for her in high school.

"I'll let him down easy then. Poor guy is smitten. I mean, bad." He caught her eye in the mirror. "She'll give Dad a heart attack when she does start dating."

"And her grandpa." Isabel sighed. "Hopefully she'll put it off a while. When I was her age, I was already trying to break hearts."

"When did you stop?"

"Shut up, Casanova. Go change and go to class. This is a place of business. I have work." Isabel swatted him and shooed him off.

--

Liz laid the test on her desk between them as a taunt. She was never going to intimidate anyone with her face or her eyes or her size. Tests were all she had. "You didn't have to come in today. You're a senior and as you've already pointed out, set to graduate whether or not you're here." She refused to speak his name. Gabriel just stared back at her, green eyes laughing at her. Yeah, she hated this kid. "Did you come to take my end of year exam?" She shook her head at him. "You'll never pass. You've missed too many lectures and too many projects. You'd need a nearly perfect score on this test to even get credit sans honors."

"I am going to put more than just my grade on this test." Gabriel smirked at her, leaned on her desk. So far, she was the only teacher he'd had that wasn't intimidated by him when he did that. It was his mission to figure her out. She was going to be the one to stand between him and happiness. "If I fail. I won't see Beth anymore."

"Sounds like a plan. You'll need a number two pencil." She slid a Scan-tron his way, doing nothing to hide her glee at his proclamation. This would be too easy. When he failed, she didn't have to worry about him anymore.

"If I pass?" A pierced eyebrow arched of those laughing green eyes.

"If you pass the test, I'll consider it." She barely moved her lips and she couldn't believe she was hanging out the hope for him.

"If I ace the test?" Did he have to smile like that?

"If you ace my test, I won't say a word about the two of you ever again. You have my word on that." Liz pulled her pencil from her hair and held it out to him. "Here. Use mine. Sharpened it five minutes ago."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans. I'll hold you to your word."

"If you ace my test." She stopped him before he turned. "I won't say a word about you and Beth and… I'll give you honors credit… If you ace my test."

"I like those honor cords. I think they'd be flattering on my gown." He nodded and turned to find an empty table to take his test.

--

Emily leaned over the table to cut her brother's food for him. "You be good, Mattie, okay? Stevie, you watch him."

"Em." The boy groaned.

"Look, I gotta work. Your mom is finishing up her yearly reports. Dad is working. You're stuck with me." Emily straightened her uniform and looked them over. Did they need anything else?

"How come we don't go to the hospital anymore?" Stephen groaned again. "I miss Becca."

"Dad's got a better job now. He doesn't work at the hospital anymore so he can't take you to the daycare." Emily managed to get out. "Are we good? I got tables."

"Yeah." Stephen kicked his feet against his chair. Sulking.

Emily tugged at her uniform. The black dress suit rode up just a little more than she had planned but who knew how it would affect her tips. Pulling her order pad from behind the counter and grabbing a pen from the jar, she greeted her first table. "Welcome to the Crashdown, what's your torture?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your order?" Emily blinked at the guy as if she had said it the first time. Humans. Heh.

"Right. Um…"

"A drink perhaps? We have the usual soft drinks, sweetened and unsweetened iced tea and a lovely array of government cocktails made from the entrails of yours truly."

"Pardon?"

She tapped his menu. "Smoothies, man. Smoothies."

"Hey, is your family from around here?" The man's wife asked.

"Just the five generations." She nodded to her and turned back to the man. "You're obviously out of your league. I'll bring you a sprite and for you?"

"Iced tea, unsweetened if you've got it." She waved Emily off. "Sweetie, it's not that hard. It's a theme. They have to act the part."

Emily rolled her head around to her boss and made a face. He just smiled and went back to his lunch. Every year with the tourists. If Jeff caught her using manipulated imagery again, he was definitely going to fire her before she got the chance to quit. She moved around the counter to get drinks and looked him over. "Should you be down here? You look like you didn't sleep a wink."

"Oh, I got sleep. Plenty of it but Nancy and Liz were up in arms about Beth again this morning."

"Poor thing." She scrunched up her nose. "Both you and Beth. The girl just wants to express her inner Edgar Allan Poe."

"As long as she doesn't pierce anything but her ears, I'll be happy."

"Have you read any of her poetry?"

"Yes and while I have to admit it's not my cup of tea, it is rather good."

"Isn't it though? I think she'll make it in the literary world."

"So… when are you giving me your two weeks?" Jeff stopped her as she moved to deliver her drinks. "I would expect by the end of the month."

"I was going to talk to you about it today." She sighed heavily and leaned on the counter.

"It's not like I didn't know this day was coming. Six years is a long time to deliver food to tourists. You graduate at the end of the summer, right?"

"Yeah but this last summer session is a tough one and…"

"It's okay. Liz wants me to give Beth some more responsibility anyway. Seems she's got a boyfriend that no one likes." Jeff tilted his head at the door behind her. "Michael."

"Hey." Michael stepped into the restaurant fully with a handful of light rope. "I'm just here on a mission."

"Daddy, you said you had to work." Emily turned, tray in hand.

"I do but I have something to do first. Arms up." She narrowed her eyes at her father but did as told, balancing the tray in one hand. He wrapped the rope around her hips low and cut, handing that to Jeff. Hips, high. Waist. "You got those in order?"

"Yeah." Jeff nodded, not quite understanding but doing his best to keep up.

Michael did her ribs and then, awkwardly around her chest and then under her arms. Then he let a piece fall from her shoulder to her waist and then from her waist to her ankles. "Okay. We're done. Go work. Jeff, just a minute more." He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, pushing his daughter toward her table and out of his hair. He pulled out a roll of tape and took the pieces in order and taped them to the paper. "All right. Thanks."

"Michael." Jeff clasped his hands on the counter. "You buying her a dress?"

"Something like that." Michael shrugged and exited the way he came through the back. He shrugged again before he disappeared.

"Well, he was weirder than usual." Emily leaned on her boss. Then she tapped him on the shoulder. "Who's this boyfriend Beth's got?"

--

Beth passed her mother's room as she made her way to her last class of the day. Gabriel was sitting, his arms crossed over his chest, directly in front of her mother's desk. Her mother was bent over a stack of papers before her, red pen in hand. Fingers tapping a sequence into the scantron machine. Gabriel turned his head slightly, his eyes lighting up when he saw her, he pursed his lips just a bit at her then jerked his head for her to go.

Would she ever be able to have him look at her without her heart doing a triple-beat? Without her stomach doing flip-flops? Without her mouth involuntarily turning up at the corners? Choosing to skip her last class, she waited in the hallway, out of sight, for him to come out. He was the first person she had seen when she stepped foot on West Roswell soil. He hadn't gotten quite so bulky yet but he was sitting on the curb, headphones on, watching each and every person step out of their parents' cars and onto the sidewalk. Her mother had pushed her along, reminding her which hallway her classroom was in if she needed anything. Then Beth had watched him for two years until she realized he was watching her back since at least her dad's birthday.

[Beth looked up from her lunch, surprised to see the 6'3" vision standing over her. He pointed to the ground next to her. "Mind?"

"Go ahead." She nodded, swallowing her Tabasco and Strawberry Jelly sandwich. She couldn't seem to look up at him, so she fixed her eyes on his fingers peeling a grapefruit.

"Gabriel." He tilted his head at her as an introduction.

"Bethany." She nodded with a small smile. Oh God, were his eyes really green?

"Are you a freshman?"

"Sophomore and a half."

"And a half?"

"I started school when I was supposed to… almost a year behind because of my birthday. When I hit junior high, I got way into math and science. I took some extra classes that doubled as electives because of… some rule or another. I don't like band or choir or art. They allowed it and I showed up with some extra credits as a freshman…"

"You took high school courses in junior high?" He sat up with an amazed laugh. "Wow."

"You're a senior, right?"

"Yeah… and I got there the lazy way. You know… Setting the bar at normal." He peeled the fruit open to get directly to the pulp. "It's all good, though. I was almost set to graduate with honors."

"Why aren't you?"

"This heinous science teacher." He watched her face fall. "I like science and everything but they wouldn't let me take another photojournalism or journalism class and I'd completed all my sciences but I needed an elective. So I took environmental science, which would have gotten me the honors credit because I've got everything else but that bitch hates me." He licked his fingers and shrugged. "The class isn't hard. I borrow notes from people and I show up for tests and I do alright but… I'm just used to teachers working with me but Mrs. Evans is just… I'm just glad that I don't actually… need her class to graduate. It would have been nice is all. To have my dad be there when I walk across the stage with those cords…" He trailed off when he realized she was really quiet.

Bethany was slightly amused but slightly offended. "Maybe we should try this again."

"Huh?"

She held out her hand. He wiped his off and took it. "Hi. I'm Bethany Evans."

"Gabriel Silerio. Some call me assboy." He pumped once and let go. He stared straight ahead, nodding to himself, brow knit together. "So… I'm gonna go… bury my head in a garbage can."

"Don't. Please." She bit back a smile and reached for his arm. "She kind of is a bitch but her being my mom is really just an issue for me. I didn't want to eat alone but Joey is… having another talk with himself in the boy's room."

"Joey. Poor confused Joey." Gabriel sighed and chanced a look at her. Everyone in their social… ellipse knew about Joey's issues. Part of the reason he hasn't approached her before was because her side of the ellipse didn't know all of his side and vice versa. He thought they were together. "How could he be confused about his sexuality when he gets to eat lunch with you?"

"Oh we dated once." Beth nodded to him, fighting the blush and an urge to run and hide. "Me and Joey and the first kisses."

"What happened?"

"Oh, well, it turned into a bad week for me and I took it out on him." She shrugged with a smile. "We were 13 and we couldn't handle the pressure of puberty." She nibbled on her sandwich for a moment. "How did I get the pleasure of your company today?"

"Oh… um…" He laughed a little, his cheeks coloring just a bit. "I take photojournalism. Cameras are kind of my hobby. I've got all kinds, big and really, really small. I take pictures all the time… and I realized that if I held onto these any longer, it might constitute stalking unless I showed you." He set his fruit aside and opened his bag. He handed her a manila folder.

Beth took the folder and opened it. "You've been following me?"

"Not… following… exactly. Casually showing up places I'd seen you before… I actually… do not have lunch this period." He bowed his head, his bronzed cheeks going a deeper red.

Reading him was too easy. He was trying not to scare her but he couldn't put off meeting her any longer. Beth bit her lip to keep from smiling as she flipped through the file. It was almost like seeing herself through his eyes. Her heart hammered in her chest as she felt how nervous he was just sitting next to her.

"So, I was wondering, if you aren't doing anything tonight… if we could do something."

"I can't." Beth handed the folder back.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll just…" He gathered his things.

"Where are you going?" Beth panicked. She'd given him a sign to leave. What had it been? His thoughts were coming too fast for her to read accurately. When he turned, his green eyes were on the ground. He looked like a great big puppy who'd just been kicked. "Why are you leaving?"

"I just thought you said…" He lifted his gaze to her face.

"My dad has the night off. We're taking him to dinner. His birthday's on Monday. It's a family thing. I can't get out of it."

A smile erupted across his face before he could hide it. "I've got to get to class before Mrs. Evans kills me. So, I'll see you Monday… right here. It's a date."]

tbc

97/110

The Fate of Destiny Part 98

Isabel listened to her associates give reports, nodding every once in a while. She glanced up from the papers in front of her when Jesse entered the meeting room. She mouthed 'you're late.' He winced and slid into his chair to catch up. He never disappointed. He had heard only half the report but was able to call the bluffs laid out by the young employees. This had only happened once or twice before but they were going to have to cut a bad apple and probably file for disbarment. This kid wouldn't go without a fight and the thought wearied her. She already knew how it would go. They would reprimand the young upstart. He would take a dig at the firm, then at her. She'd be forced to defend herself. Jesse would say something wise but ineffective and Isabel would have to ask the punk be escorted from the room if he couldn't muster a modicum of grace. And that's the way it happened.

Isabel kept her eyes on the young man until he grabbed his briefcase and walked out the door. The other young lawyers sat quietly until they were dismissed. Jesse turned to her. "How did you know?"

"I didn't. He said it himself. He took advantage of the ambiguities of the law." Isabel tucked away her files. "I hate firing lawyers but I really don't think we should take on anyone else until we've done a full back-ground check. I've spoken to Judge Irwin. He realized that Henry was under review. He's going to file for disbar. They're going to do an investigation and they'll be in to talk to us but not until next month."

"I've got all the files pertaining to the case." Jesse patted his briefcase. "Our client, our property."

"Good." She straightened and looked him over and then glanced at her watch. "Seb's tie?"

"Yes. I've got it." Jesse smiled and pulled a box from his case. He opened it and showed it to her. "It's the shape he likes."

"Oh." Isabel picked it up. When the light caught it, stitches shone with the letters S.J.R. embroidered on it. "He'll love it." She tucked it away. "You should have seen him in here, today. He looked so handsome. He's going to break hearts at Harvard."

"After all this time, he's going home." Jesse sighed.

"He just wants to make you happy. He thinks Harvard is the way."

"And I want him to be happy. If he wants Harvard, he should go. I went. He'll get to see his old friends, his other grandparents more often."

"It'll be good for him. He'll come back on his own. He loves you. He wants to make you proud."

"And he does." Jesse leaned his head against hers. "He does." He took a shuddering breath. "I'm 52, Isabel. When he graduates law school…"

"You'll be 58." She nodded. "When Gina graduates high school. You'll be 63."

"62." His head snapped up.

"Just making sure you're paying attention." She kissed his lips lightly. "Don't worry about this stuff."

"I just… feel like I owe it to her to be here when she does the important stuff." He sighed heavily. "My father was dead when I graduated high school. He wasn't there for any of that stuff. College. My wedding. Sebastien. I could be 75 when she gets married. I'll need help to get her down the aisle."

"Well, how long were you planning to keep that dream up?" Isabel laughed at him. "30. If we're lucky 30." He was serious, the way he always was with these talks. "I'll tell her 25. Just for you."

"This isn't funny."

"Yes, it is." She pulled his face up and kissed him soundly. "You are not an old man, Jesse. I'll take care of you. Don't you worry. You'll see grandchildren."

"Oh, let's not talk about grandchildren. After that scare with Seb last semester… I can put that off." Jesse took her hand in his. "You've had enough lovers die on you that I refuse to do it. I promised that I'd be here and I will. I will be there when Seb graduates, when Berty graduates, Kyle, Gina… all of them. I'm gonna be there at the weddings if I have to watch Berty's from across the street with x-ray glasses."

"I think she likes you more than she's willing to admit." Isabel sighed heavily. "I think she's afraid that admitting she likes you is a betrayal."

"Sebastien loves you." Jesse returned the sigh. "He was just… so young and then… across the country… I think he liked you before he liked me."

"Not true. Come on. We've still got work to do. Alex picked up Gina from school at lunch. He's going to watch her for us. Seb has got some paperwork to fill out. He wants those cords and he's going to get them."

--

Max threw open the door and his son climbed into the car. "You look exhausted, kiddo."

"We just finished having… a… water balloon fight." Davey blew out a breath just as he caught it. "Don't worry, I'm dry now. No one saw me do it."

"Good. Let's go.."

"Where are we going?"

"Took Mom's car for an overhaul. We gotta pick her and Beth up before I get yelled at." Max turned the corner and parked in faculty parking. He pointed his finger at his son. "Shut up."

The boy held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't say anything but if you come out and find a ticket… I will say 'I told you so.' I'm not even gonna stop the cop from writing it."

"It's the last day. I'm sure…" Max trailed off when he spotted Liz exiting the building on the verge of tears. He leapt out of the car and jogged over to her. "Liz?"

"I messed up." Liz shook her head, not letting the tears fall. "I laid it all on the line, thinking I had an ace in the hole and… I screwed up."

"Liz, what happened?" Max gripped her shoulders and peered into her face.

"I made a deal with that little shit. If he passed my test, I'd consider letting him come around. If he failed, he had to leave her alone." Liz set her jaw. "I just never thought he'd come close to passing."

"So he passed. We'd have to consider it anyway." He shook his head at her.

"He didn't just pass, Max. He aced. He even got the extra credit questions… all ten of them. His final score came out at 300 points." She was seething. "Every question answered fully and completely. If I asked for three of five, I got all five. Do you understand me? He aced my test."

"Liz, what's really bothering you?"

"If he aced the test, I'd let them be."

"Liz." Max sighed. He hadn't planned on actively keeping them apart but he hadn't planned on handing them a license to defy him.

"You don't understand. He never comes to class. He shows up for tests and gets… Cs… sometimes a B if he gets enough extra credit but… never aces anything. I know he didn't cheat because I watched him work out all the problems. I looked over his scratch work and it's all flawless. And I just… augh!" She stomped. "And I got him honors credit. With a score that high, I didn't even have to feel guilty when I handed in the scores a minute ago. He's going to walk across that stage as a member of honors merit."

"Maybe he's not as bad as we think. It'll be okay. Maybe it'll last the summer and once he starts college… he won't have time to come around. It'll end itself." Max tried to reassure her. "Come on. Let's go."

"You guys are gross." David called out the window. "Hugging in public. You're setting a bad example… and grossing people out. You're old."

"Listen, young man." Liz marched over to the window. "I can be much grosser." She gripped his face and began planting kisses all over it. "You're such a handsome young man. I could eat you up."

"Augh! No. Mom! Stop!" David tried to fight her off but she had many more years of childrearing behind her to let him slip from her grasp.

"Oh but you're my baby." Liz cooed and pinched his cheeks.

"Okay! I take it back! I take it back!"

"I win." Liz straightened and glanced around. "Where's Beth?"

--

"Mmmth. My dad's waiting for me." Beth murmured and tried to pull away but she really wanted to stay right where she was, encased in a pair of strong arms, kissing the hottest guy she'd ever seen.

"Right." He dipped his head for one last kiss but not letting her out of his arms. "I don't want to piss him off. I think he's the only one on our side right now."

"Oh no. He's not on our side." She shook her head at him. "He's just trying to keep the peace and don't worry… all the tension is not because of you. Most of it is just me and my parents."

"Is it because of all this?" He laughed a little when he realized the chains he was gesturing to were tangled with hers.

"They say it is but um…" She giggled as she tugged and they were stuck in knots. "Here. Let me. My fingers are smaller." She worked on the knot and tried to phrase her problem with her parents better for his civilian ears. "Right after junior high… I had this… fit."

"A fit."

"It was… psychological." She lied. She hated to lie to him but if she had gone to a therapist to deal with the voices in her head, she would have been put away… so maybe it was just a stretching of the truth. "I'm okay now but… there are… lingering issues. My dad and I had an eruption yesterday… which led to the awkward dinner."

"A psychological fit… you mean like a break down?" His green eyes shadowed as he caressed her cheek. Their jewelry clanged as it returned to their respective bodies.

"Kind of. But since then I've been doing things differently, things that stress them out." She stared up at him, leaning against him, careful not to get their necklaces tangled again. "You know… dying my hair, doing my makeup differently, dressing this way, hanging out in graveyards, summoning evil beasts, carving stakes, slaying Vampires. You know, girly stuff."

"Oh God. You were locked up and subjected to thirty-year-old sci-fi. You poor, poor girl." He threw back his head and let out a deep throaty laugh then kissed her forehead. "I will see you later… and we'll finish this talk."

"Later." She promised and headed for the doors just as her father was throwing them open. "I'm coming."

"Fix your lipstick." Max told his daughter and jerked his head to the car. He stepped inside the building and motioned for the tall boy to approach him. He had to control himself. He had to have a calm, threatening talk with the boy. "I have to talk to you."

"Look. I didn't cheat. I actually was keeping up on the work." Gabriel raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm sure you did." Max crossed his arms over his chest. "My daughter is 16 years old. She's confused. I'm sure she feels strongly or whatever. I just want her happy. What I don't want is an earlier than necessary education of the hands on variety. I'm a doctor. She knows the vulnerable spots. As long as you are respectful of my daughter and her sensitive age, we won't have a problem. You cross any lines, she will deal with you. My wife may have given up the right to interfere but I haven't."

"What are you saying?" Gabriel furrowed his brow. He was a smart kid but there was a threat in those words that he wasn't clear of.

"Just… keep your hands at the equator. Okay? Until she's 18. That'll keep me off your back." Max stepped up to the kid. This Gabriel might have three inches on him and an athlete's body but Max was not an old man yet. He had confidence that he could throw the kid over a building if he had to. "Believe me when I say that's not a place you want me to be. I don't enjoy violence. I'm a healer. Don't give me an excuse to retract that statement."

--

Alex gave the girl a shove when she came swinging his way and turned back to his cousin. "It's insane. I've been gone… since high school, pretty much. Only coming back for holidays and sometimes not even then. Right… So I'm back for an extended vacation, you know and suddenly… like … it's Day of the Exes."

"Really?" Danny blinked at his cousin. "Like who?"

"Well, Julie was at the airport. She's a flight attendant. She told me 'you look good. If you're in town in a week, give me a call.' I've got her card in my wallet." Alex gave Gina another, stronger shove and she giggled as she soared away from him. "I saw Lynnette at the grocery store. I nearly fell all over myself, I acted like an ass and she still laid the ground work for… more. Then I saw Lynette… you know… the bitch from hell at 7-11 when I ran out for a soda. Still hot, still interested and I'm still not there. You know?" He groaned and then groaned again. "It could be worse. There could be Florida exes lurking in the shadows. Believe me… one in particular… I wouldn't put it past her."

"At least you have the potential to get some." Danny blew out a breath and fingered his ear cuff. "Emily's holding out."

"How long?"

"How long do you think? It's been months. Our conjugal visits have nothing horizontal about them and nothing fun vertically either. Nothing until the day, or the night… It's hard to get what she meant."

Alex laughed and faced his cousin. "You're telling me you'd find a way to do it between the ceremony and the reception. Let me remind you of the pictures in between."

"That's it. I'm staking out the hall. I'm gonna find a closet. That's it." Danny groaned. "New subject please."

"Still going through with the wedding?"

"Yeah… but…" The young Evans sank onto a bench and ran his hands over his face. "She still hasn't gotten a dress. I ask her about it and she just keeps saying she hasn't found the right one yet."

"She set the date though."

"Right! But… I don't know. Maybe she just doesn't want to leave Roswell."

Alex used one hand to keep pushing his sister and turned to his cousin. The kid was really confused. "You guys haven't talked about it?"

"I bring it up and she changes the subject and I know she doesn't want to leave her dad now that he's got that job with his cousin and everything but… She'll graduate at the end of the summer. We'll spend the whole summer here." He shook his head and looked to his cousin. "At least that's my plan since she won't open her mouth about anything."

"Where are you guys even staying? I mean… after the nuptials."

"Grandma's." He tilted his head at his cousin's confused blue eyes. "Grandma's going to Aunt Stephanie's for a while. Couple of six months or something. Anyway. Honeymoon in Taos. Back here to housesit for the summer. Water the plants, play house. Then up to Lubbock where my apartment should be vacated by my gross roommate." He caught the look. "We will be sleeping in our old room. I've already replaced the bed, buddy. I'm not sleeping on my parents' hand-me-downs. That's creepier than setting up temporary house in my grandparents' pad."

"Pad? What century were you born in? Jesse doesn't say 'pad' and he's ancient. Sometimes he says 'crib' but never 'pad' and neither should you say it."

"But you know what I mean." Danny rolled his eyes.

--

Kathy stepped onto the curb and kept going, knowing she had almost let Will get hit by a car in his struggle to keep up. He caught up with her but kept his distance, knowing her moods. Finally she turned. "Look, we're just going to have to reinstate the rules I made first semester. Okay?"

"Right. So… I follow half a block behind so that you can ditch me at every chance. I sit in the back of the theater so you can sneak out the exit at the bottom." Will shook his head, sarcasm dripping from his every word. "Look. I am here to perform a duty. You got too involved with the last agent I assigned to you so now it's me. Okay? I should have never taken off the way I did but it was an emergency." His eyes shot around the street, he didn't know this part of town. "Let's go have some coffee."

"I don't want coffee."

"Well, I do. I'd rather sit and discuss this like adults over coffee than to look like I'm having a lover's spat in the middle of the sidewalk." Will pulled open the door behind her and pointed. Kathy knew she was acting like a child but she huffed and seated herself at a booth in the back, her back to the exit so that the mirror would let Will see the entrance in the reflection when he sat. He was so predictable in that he took his seat and checked out the café the way she knew he would. "good."

They ordered their coffees and sat sipping for ten minutes until Kathy couldn't take it anymore. "So, did you turn him in?"

"I transferred him. He didn't have clearance in the first place. No one does."

"Because we were seeing each other."

Will was so tired of her spoiled brat shit, so he barked at her. "No, you weren't. You were fucking on the job. That's not tolerated. When I left, I trusted him to take care of you and he didn't fulfill his obligations to his badge. He was just looking for pussy and you gave it up." He expected the slap but it didn't come. Because he was right. He didn't want to be but he was, so he lowered his voice. "He let you take off without him. He didn't set up perimeters at events. He fell asleep while you were in the lab. I have all of that on tape…" He caught her look and rolled his eyes. "The departures and snoozing, not the sex. I've still got all my cameras set up."

"Well good for me. I liked him."

"I know him." Will reached for a cigarette only to have it ripped from his fingers.

"Any other disgusting habits you've picked up from my father?" She snapped it in half and tossed it on a waitress's tray when she passed.

"Hey, I was just getting into character. MiB. CSM. DT. It's me." Will sat back at her snort. He waited.

She laughed at last. "Okay, so maybe Dustin isn't ever going to be Deep Throat… unless there's a Disney cartoon with Mickey working for the man."

"Dustin. That's great." Will pulled out another cigarette and got it lit before she could snatch it from his hands. "I know, Kathy. I know it's hard. There aren't people out there that you can trust but… dating the agents sent to protect you... It's not a good idea. Dustin, for as long as I've known him… he does a good job but the second there's tail involved… I trusted you in this case and…"

"You weren't wrong. Don't say that." Her blue eyes flashed hurt for a second.

"Okay. I won't say I was wrong but maybe I thought he was better in control of himself than he is. I didn't tell your father. I won't. This can't happen again, though. I have a hard enough time keeping agents on your brother and your cousin. I'm the only one that knows everything."

"Okay… Cigarette Smoking Man… how are you going to be everywhere at once? You've got four offices. Four. You've got to trust somebody."

"Not until your dad clears it. MiB buck stops here."

"Don't you ever get lonely?"

"Won't you ever wait until you're sure the guy really likes you?"

"Hey, I was talking about you."

"I don't have time to be lonely." Will shook his head.

"You're a young guy. You've got to have the hormones pumping." Kathy teased him. All was forgiven. They were back to their old selves.

"And I do… but I don't have to act on them. I have some control. Hey, it's why I took up smoking." Will sucked one last time on the filter and then put out the cigarette to resume his coffee drinking. "Are we okay now?" He waited until those blue eyes met his. "I didn't mean what it sounded like. You aren't just… pussy. You're a very fine young woman who should have higher standards."

"Apology accepted." Kathy nodded and she picked up the cigarette and relit it with his lighter. She took a short puff, gagged and handed it back to him. "I won't ever get that." She sigh-coughed. "It's a safe smell, you know? He still smokes that brand. He thinks Mom doesn't know but she does." She motioned for him to blow the smoke over her head where she could smell it but not inhale it. "Yeah… and thank you… you're right. I should have higher standards. I really need a better screening process. Preferably one that includes high marks in muff-diving."

Will choked on his smoke at that one. This girl. He tried to hide his smile behind his hand as she took a deep whiff of his smoke. "Another one bites the dust? He was just doomed from the beginning, wasn't he?"

"Bit the dust… and nothing else that'll make me happy." Kathy leaned on the table, catching the eye of the amused guy at the booth behind Will. She flipped him off and turned her attention back to her coffee. "Maybe it's genetic. I'm doomed to a lifetime of not getting any good. A penance I have to pay for what my mom did."

"Maybe you need to keep those pretty legs closed until you know that your potential partner wants to please you much more than he wants to be pleased." Will suggested mildly. He felt like he had been having this discussion with her since she had arrived on UNM soil.

"Girls are pretty… but petty. I probably wouldn't make a good lesbian… what with not liking boobs and all." She stared up at the ceiling.

"More coffee for the gentleman and his lady?" The waiter appeared, and nervously at that.

"Lady? Do you see a lady around here?" Will snorted and pointed to his companion. "This little spitfire doesn't need anymore coffee, it'll stunt her growth. I'll have another cup though."

"I'm so sorry. Your daughter then." The man apologized.

"Definitely not." Will shook his head. "She's… my charge."

"Yes, sir."

"He means, he charges for me." She told the older man. "By the hour."

"I'm not a pimp." Will told the guy as he held up his cup to be refilled. "She'll have a glass of lemonade, fresh if you've got it."

"Don't lie, master. I'm here to do as you command." Kathy blinked at him with wide blue eyes, her voice small and diminutive. "Shall I service the waiter, now. Sir?"

"Shut up. She's kidding." Will paid the man and the older gentleman wandered off, very confused. "You're gonna get us kicked out. Some people have families who aren't amused by frank sex talk and all of your other shenanigans, Ms. Evans." He brought his cup to his lips and laughed to himself, muttering, "muff-diving." Swallowing, he looked up at her. "I can't believe you kiss your parents with that mouth."

--

Sydney was just putting away her notes in her Las Cruces obstetrics practice when her head nurse opened the door and gave her that look. Dr. Davis sighed heavily, returning the look. "Tell them I've gone home."

"She claims to be a special case and that you're the only doctor she can see. It's a woman with that 'I might be pregnant' look. I've already told her twice that you've gone and she insists she knows you're still here. That you know her and would insist on seeing her but she didn't give me a name."

"Fine. I'll see her but you go on home. I'll lock up when I run her out."

Who the hell would she know in Las Cruces that HAD to see her and couldn't wait until tomorrow? Preparing a chart herself, she marched out to the waiting room and froze. "It's you."

tbc
98/110