Sorry for the slight wait, this is a long one. You'll recognize some of this from the show, but most of it is changed
Things are about to get really complicated, just a warning. You already have so many questions already, hehe, and that's just the start. All in due time, I promise!
Thanks to all of you for the wonderful feedback! I love hearing what you guys think!
Dreamers are gonna kill me for parts of this, but remember, nothing is as it seems! This is definitely M/L!
Chapter Five
Maria waited until Tess was in the Valenti’s house before rounding on Kyle. “Alright Buddha boy, you’re gonna explain to me right now what the hell that was all about!”
He looked away. “Maria--”
“Don’t! You know what, I don’t care. Just don’t ever come near Liz or me again, or I’ll rip off your balls and feed them to a pit bull.” Maria enunciated carefully. She shoved him back, watching as he stumbled over his feet to regain his balance. Lowering her voice to a lethal hiss, she continued, “You and I both know you never slept with Liz. You have
no right to say any of those things. To that blonde bitch, no less.”
His brow furrowed. “Wait, what?”
“Don’t play dumb, you ass. You know exactly what I just said, or have you finally taken one too many whacks in football and are incapable of holding even the simplest of conversations? Oh, wait, that’s right, you had no trouble discussing Liz’s sex life with Tess! I guess it’s just us humans who render you idiotic.”
“Maria, I don’t know what Liz told you, but I remember quite clearly having sex with Liz.” Kyle blurted out, holding up his hands to try and offer peace.
Maria froze, finger poised to reprimand him with a hand on her hip. Her mouth worked silently, opening and closing, for several seconds. “Come again?” she managed.
“I said: Liz. And. I. Had. Sex. I remember it. Liz might’ve been drunk, but I remember it. That doesn’t mean I have any idea why, because I was over her, and thought she was over me. Apparently I was right, but maybe we were both desperate and turned to each other. All I know is that Liz and I were together that night, and it wasn’t her first time, if you know what I mean.” Kyle made a strange gesture with his hands, beginning to look annoyed.
She spat at his feet, spinning around to stomp away. She'd thought he was a decent guy. She'd been wrong a lot lately.
Michael gripped her arm, whirling her around to face him. He dragged her back into the shadow of the trees where he'd been hiding, holding her in place by her shoulders and frowning down at her. “What the hell is going on, Maria, and I want the truth. Now.”
She shook her head, exasperated and tired. “You want to know what’s going on? Your bitch of a queen is spreading lies about my best friend, and stupid, gullible Max hangs off her every word!” Maria whispered, tone accusing and intense as a shout. “And now Kyle thinks he really slept with Liz. And I have no idea what to do.” Her posture shrunk, anger leaving with her breath. Gazing up at him helplessly, she allowed him to pull her in his arms.
“Did they have sex? Yes or no, Maria.”
Maria swore never to tell. But then, everyone else seemed to be breaking promises recently, and she was floundering on her own. “No, Michael. They did not sleep together, Liz could never do that to Max. It was all a set up because Liz has a martyr complex and Max is an idiot.” She paused to laugh, quietly, bitterly. “Wouldn’t it figure that a future version of Max decided to come back in time and break the two of them up because they’re so wrapped up in each other that the possibility of the world ending for any reason other than their love doesn’t even cross their mind?”
Michael opened his mouth, searching for the right words. It didn’t make sense but then, it sounded exactly like something Max and Liz would do and it was just far-fetched enough to belong in the alien abyss they lived in. He settled for “Oh.”
---------------------
Max sighed, shuffling his keys in his pocket. He was working, but there was nothing really to do and Brody was nowhere to be found. Working seemed like such a normal thing for him to be doing, especially after all that had happened recently, but it was a welcome chance to throw himself into something other than agonizing over Liz. Surprisingly, being alone around the museum had given him the opportunity to clear his head. He wasn’t sure what he’d do yet, with the Liz situation or the Alex situation, but he felt confident in his own personal sanity for the time being. So long as nothing else happened for a few days.
He knocked on the large, metal doors once more. No one answered the first time, so he called out just in case, “Brody!”
Scraping from within the office barely made it through the thick doors, but Max heard it. “Brody?” he called.
Suddenly, the door swung open and Max felt his heart skip at the barrel of a gun in his face. He stepped back, until Brody lifted the gun higher, fingers tightening on the trigger.
“Don’t move!” Brody hollered, mouth twisted in a scowl. “You lied to me! You lied! You’re an alien, aren’t you?”
Max blanked, shaking his head instinctively. “Brody, what are you talking about? I’m not, I’m just Max--”
”No! You were there, in New York! You and me, and those aliens!” Brody shouted, cutting him off. His eyes were wide, hands trembling with the weight of the gun. “What are you? Am I-am I an alien too? Why is all this in my head?! Am I really Brody? Or am I Larek?”
Max held out his hands, praying he could take sense into his boss. Larek. Was something wrong that the alien needed to contact him? If so, why was Brody affected? Why was he freaking out? “Brody, what’s going on? What are you talking about? I’m not an alien.”
“Sit down!” Brody pushed the gun in his face, backing him up against the autopsy display. Max sat on the ledge, obedient. He watched Brody pace across the room, gun clinched at his side protectively.
At least it was just him, Max reasoned. If anyone else were around, he wouldn’t be able to do anything. With that thought, he raised his hand, prepared to blast Brody just enough to knock the weapon from his hands. Concentrating, Max waited for Brody to go flying.
He didn’t. Instead, the redhead turned, as if knowing Max’s plan, and waved the gun. “Don’t even think about it, Max.” Brody held up his other hand, a small, black pentagon nestled safely in his palm. “This? See, how do I know what this is? And how do I know that because it’s on,” he motioned to the spinning light at the center, “your powers won’t work?”
Max took a deep breath, working through what he knew. There had to be a way out of this without telling Brody the truth and without hurting him. It was only a matter of finding it.
His stomach fell to the floor as a voice called his name. “Max?”
It was Tess. He wanted to scream at her to run away, get Valenti, or Michael and Isabel, but Brody had already turned to the blonde girl coming down the stairs, gun aimed at her chest.
“Stay where you are!” He shouted, startling her into losing her footing. She stumbled, caught herself, and cautiously moved down the last few steps. “Get over there! You were there too! I remember you! You were both in New York! You’re an alien too, aren’t you?”
Tess looked at Max helplessly. She frowned, biting her lip and closing her eyes. She’d fix this, and Brody would be none the wiser.
But the moment she touched Brody’s mind, she was thrown aside in the chaos. There was too much there for her to sort through. She caught Max’s gaze, shaking her head. Following Brody’s gestures, she moved to stand beside Max, sitting down and hugging her knees.
“Max,” she whispered, “Max, what’s going on?”
He leaned over. “I don’t know. He’s been ranting about aliens and the summit in New York.”
“Why can’t I mindwarp him?”
“He’s got that pentagon. It somehow blocks our powers.”
The two sat in silence, wearily keeping their eyes on Brody. He kept pacing, back and forth at a furious pace, muttering. He seemed distracted enough, maybe they could--
“I mean, honestly, I really hadn’t planned on coming here, but I just couldn’t resist. You know? I mean, Roswell, New Mexico. How could we possibly not visit the UFO Museum?” A girl’s cheerful voice echoed in the hallway as two shadows appeared at the top of the stairs.
Max groaned. As if this couldn’t get any worse, they now had tourists to worry about.
“Hey!” the man shouted, spotting Brody and the gun. “Whoa there! What’s goin’ on down here?”
The girl froze, flitting her gaze from Max to Tess and back to Brody. She twirled the end of her long, black hair around a finger, chewing on her lower lip. “Um, we’ll just be going.” she began, backing up the stairs.
Brody fired, missing and hitting the wall, but getting the point across. “No! No one leaves this room until I get answers!” He aimed the gun again, daring them to leave.
The girl shared a timid look with her companion, then moved further into the museum, keeping her distance from Max as well. As she eyed him with suspicion, he realized where he’d seen her before. “Serena!” he realized aloud.
She pursed her lips. “Hi. You're that guy who bailed on Liz in Bio. Not very nice, seeing as you’re her lab partner and just as responsible for cleaning up as she is.”
Tess snorted. “Right. Like Liz doesn’t deserve it. You don’t know the story behind them, so mind your own business.”
“Tess--” Max started.
“I don’t give a damn if they were married and she slept with his brother! Or the whole town! They’re partners! Implies shared responsibility, which means that no matter what,
no matter what, he shouldn’t have abandoned her!” She flung her arms, kneeling in front of him and leaning close, eyes tiny, gray slits. “But no, you got your feelings or your balls or whatever stomped on, and so you leave her behind at the first opportunity to clean up the mess both of you made!” Serena ranted, raising her voice with each word.
Max turned his head, staring at the man accompanying the fiery girl. The man’s lips twitched, obviously unable to resist grinning. Feeling his mouth dry, he faced Serena, wondering briefly if she was talking about the lab at all. Of course she was, he thought, what else would she be talking about? She didn’t know anything.
He glared back at her. “Will you just get out of my face? Now isn’t exactly a good time.”
“He’s right, Ser. Not now.” The man reached for her arm, dragging her to the ground to side beside him. Looking back at Max, he introduced himself. “My name’s Josh. Care to explain what’s goin’ on or are you as in the dark as we are?”
“We’re pretty in the dark. Brody, he’s my boss, and he just--”
The scraping of metal interrupted him, and the group watched as Brody piled an assortment of UFO displays in front of the stairs. The gun was still in his hand. He was muttering under his breath, too quiet to hear. Max observed his behavior, worried.
“There,” Brody called out, apparently finished. He stood back to admire the blockade he’d created at the base of the steps. “Now, it’s just the lot of us. No one’s leaving until I get answers. I know you know why this stuff is in my head! Why I know things that I shouldn’t know! Tell me!” His shoes scuffed the floor as he shuffled back and forth. A quivering hand grabbed at his hair as he sped up, his steps shorter, snappier. “There’s too much, too much in my head.” he mumbled, clenching and unclenching his fist around the gun.
“What’s in your head?” Serena asked.
Brody halted. “Dimaras Rock!” he exclaimed, “I remember now, Dimaras Rock!” He spun, pointing at Max. “It’s where the two of you met! It was before you were king, you were so nervous and uncertain then.”
Max sat, half-awed, half-horrified by Brody’s words. What he’d wanted his whole life, just a piece of his past, was before him, and perfect strangers were around to hear it. Riveted, he couldn’t have prevented Brody from continuing if he’d wanted to.
Tess was stiff beside him, eyes lost in memory.
“Zan, we were swimming, the water was crimson red, remember? That’s when you first saw her, standing up on the cliff above. Dimaras Rock!”
The tingling of remembrance, a faint echo, grew in the back of Max’s mind. He could picture it, painfully clear but no more familiar that a scene dreamed up from a book. Ignoring that, he tried to imagine Tess, as she might’ve been, with longer hair, whiter.
Vibrant green eyes pierced his across time, cool water flowing against his skin.
His heart ached sharply as the impression dissipated, leaving the breath in his lungs stale and the blood in his veins still.
Had Ava’s eyes been green?
“You said she was the most beautiful woman you’d ever seen.” Brody’s quirky grin appeared. “She was too short for my tastes. Too wild, fiery. I could never have tamed her. You were terrified to try.” His laughter filled the silence, the others transfixed as he spoke, attentive as small children listening to their favorite bedtime story . “But you never did. Tame her, I mean. She was the one to free
you. The love between you, the attraction, was instantaneous. You never would’ve approached her, though, if I hadn’t introduced you that night--”
“At a party.” Tess breathed, opening her eyes.
“Yes, at a party.” Brody said, moving closer and getting excited that he wasn’t the only one. Dazed, Tess smiled up at him.
“No.” Max said, cutting through the peaceful atmosphere and Tess’s daydream. “No, Brody, that never happened. I’m not Zan, and she’s not Ava. We’re not in love, we never have been.” He emphasized every word, staring down his boss form his seat on the floor.
Brody’s frown replaced the carefree grin, shadows lurking in his eyes. His forehead crinkled above light red eyebrows, the trembling in his limbs returning. “No. No!” He backed away, shaking his head violently. “It’s not just a story! It has to be true! How am I supposed to know what’s real?” His hysteria didn’t faze the two strangers, but Max rose to his feet.
“Brody,” he said, “Brody, calm down. We’ll figure this out, I promise.”
The shrill ringing of a cell phone interrupted them, echoing in the large, empty room. Serena was reminded of horror movies where the murderous stalker calls in the middle of a tense situation with an eerie message for the hero. Reaching for his pocket, Max glanced at Brody, silently asking permission. Brody shook his head.
“I have to answer it. I won’t say anything about this, but people will get suspicious if I don’t answer. I always answer.” Max argued. It was probably his parents, wondering when he’d be home. Isabel was still pissed at him for threatening her, and Michael never called for anything, Tess was beside him, and he and Liz were hardly speaking at all.
Brody glared, but aquiesced. “Just make it quick.”
“Hello?”
“Max? Is everything alright? We know something’s going on in there, Michael and I heard gun shots. Are you okay? Is everyone alright?” It was Liz, and she sounded worried.
“Liz?”
Serena’s head jerked up, giving her full attention to the phone conversation. Making note of her reaction, Max focused on how to explain to Liz without alerting Brody. If Michael was there, maybe he could do something to get them out without revealing themselves. He just wished he knew what had happened to Brody to cause this. He’d been fine earlier in the evening.
Suddenly, the phone was snatched from his ear. Brody held it up, speaking quickly, harshly. “Look, just keep the cops away. Don’t do anything with your alien powers, or I’ll shoot one of them, got it?”
“Brody?” Liz’s voice sounded confused, and Max realized why Brody’d taken the phone. The volume was up too high! He’d heard everything, which meant Liz was potentially in a lot of danger. Brody wasn’t exactly stable, if he thought she was a threat. . .
He didn’t finish the thought.
“Brody? Um, is there something you want? I mean, why are you doing this? Is there something I can do to help out, I mean, what is it you want?” she asked, hesitating on every word. The sound of her voice bringing silence to the room, everyone holding their breath for an answer. Max knew if anyone could get through to Brody, it’d be someone like Liz.
Josh got sick of waiting, glancing at Serena. His eyes begged for something Max couldn’t read, but whatever it was, Serena seemed unwilling to do it. Her lips paled as she pressed them together. Finally, she came to a decision and nodded Josh. A grin broke over his face, reminding Max of someone he couldn’t place yet. Very familiar.
“Hey!” Josh called. He lifted his eyebrows, tilting his lips up at the corner. “I could use a burger.”
Serena shook her head, exasperated. The boy was an idiot, she thought, amused. Sometimes he was so much like his mother, then he goes and does something like this. What would she think if she saw him now? Serena winced, amending that thought. What would she think if she saw him, and actually knew who he was? Would his plan work? She glanced at Brody from the corner of her eye, taking in his reaction with trepidation. Everything hinged on him.
Brody narrowed his eyes. Rumbling, his stomach reminded him it might be a good idea to get food if they were going to be down there for awhile. The girl worked at that restaurant across the street, surely she could whip something up. Deliver it, even. Mind made up, he tuned back into the phone conversation. “You know what? We could use some food. Hamburgers, all around. Five, please, and fries too.”
Liz took several minutes to reply. “Um, sure. I’ll bring it right over. Is there anything else?”
Brody eyed his hostages. Nodding, “That’s all, thanks.”
“Okay. Bye then.”
He snapped the phone closed, tossing it back to Max cheerfully. “So, I hope you’re all hungry. I figured since we’re stuck here.”
No one mentioned they were stuck there because of him.
Time crept by as they waited, Max wishing ferverently for the power of telepathy to tell Michael not to let Liz bring the food. He could do it, he was an alien and could take care of himself. Liz couldn’t. She shouldn’t be dragged into this.
She wanted a normal life.
It was too late to stop her when he felt her presence nearing. Surely Michael couldn’t be that stupid, he prayed, knowing it was futile when her form appeared at the top of the steps, wearing that silly alien uniform and her hair pulled back, swinging back and forth in its ponytail as she descended. Balanced on her hand was a box of take-out from the Crashdown, exactly what Brody ordered. Dodging the blockade at the bottom, she crawled through and handed the box to Brody.
“Here you go. Five burgers and five fries. Is that all I can get you?” she asked, in waitress mode. Brody fumbled around with his wallet, pulling out a hundred dollar bill and placing it in her hand. She shook her head, smiling. “That’s not necessary.”
“No, no, I insist.” He grinned at her, at ease for the second time that evening. “I think I’m rich,” he joked, and she laughed with him, eyes straying to Max.
Liz bit her lip, watching him as she pocketed the money. He looked so lost, and she yearned to hug him, taking him out of there and to safety. Whatever was going on, she certainly didn’t understand. Brody seemed to be himself. Or, at least, he didn’t seem particularly violent or threatening. It had to be something alien related. Her eyes scanned the rest of the assembled group, smiling at Serena reassuredly, and landed on her companion, the tall, light haired boy with his hands crossed against a rigid chest.
Swallowing, Liz gazed into lively, green eyes that were nearly identical to Mr. Thompson’s. Where the teacher’s eyes were serious and controlled, this boy’s were wild and bursting with a foreign emotion. Was he Serena’s boyfriend, and if so, why did he look like Mr. Thompson’s twin? Younger, yes, but still clearly the same.
She was starting to suspect Max had been right to worry about the new arrivals.
Brody took a bite of his burger, chewing thoughtfully. “Is there a new cook at the Crashdown?”
Liz shook out of her thoughts. “No. But the power’s out over there, and we had to use this little butane grill to cook them.”
The redhead nodded, examining his food. He took another bite, then froze. “And the fries? How did you cook the fries?” he demanded, rounding on her and forcing her away from the exit.
“The-the same way,” she stammered. But Brody was already shaking his head, dropping the box of food and reaching for her arm. He shook her, fingers diggin painfully into her jacket sleeve.
“No!” he shouted, pushing her to the floor with a snarl. “No! You used your alien powers, didn’t you? You’re one of them too!”
Max rushed forward, getting between them and trying to pacify his boss. “No, Brody, she’s not. She’s human, leave her alone.”
Brody flinched, running a hand through his already mused hair and took up his pacing again.
Turning to help Liz, Max found Josh already at her side, a hand on the small of her back as he aided her in sitting up. She looked up at Max, concern the foremost in her eyes.
“Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Josh asked, hurriedly. “I mean, you’re not hurt badly or anything? He seems pretty unstable, and I’m sure it must’ve startled you.” He stopped, unsure of how to continue. “Don’t worry though, I won’t let him touch you again, okay? You’re just an innocent girl.”
She nodded, fighting to present a smile, studiously ignoring the tiny tremors in her body as she calmed. So much for seeming nonviolent. Her butt was sore, and her arm would be sensitive for a few days, bruised, but she’d been through worse. Falling to the floor paled in comparison to jumping off a bridge.
“There are two of them, there can’t be two. There isn’t supposed to be two, only one. Which is real? Only one of them is real.” Brody chanted, pacing at a breakneck speed. His hand was permanently dug in his hair, eyes darting furiously back and forth as he worked through the shouting in his head. “One is fake. One has to be fake. Or-or one isn’t--no, that’s not possible. I can’t get this
out of my head!”
Serena twisted her lips. “He needs therapy.”
Liz couldn’t help but agree, though silently. She brushed invisible dirt from her jacket, fingers catching on the tiny camera Valenti had given her to wear. It looked like a normal pin or button, nothing overly obvious. Still, she was beginning to think it would’ve been better to not wear it. If Brody caught sight of it, he’d lose it even more.
Max stood to the side, observing Brody warily for any more words that could help him understand what was going on. Too many people were at stake, he was going to have to tell Brody the truth if things didn’t improve, and soon. Brody was a good man, he wasn’t doing this on his own. He couldn’t be.
Unless he’d found out the truth about Max, and was disgusted. What if he blamed Max for his abductions? His missing time?
But even that wouldn’t drive Brody to harm innocent people.
Tess stood, rolling her eyes at the quiet group and strolling toward the box of food, spilt across the floor. Most of the hamburgers were still tucked in the box, safely wrapped, and she pulled one out. “Might as well eat, since it’s here.” Liz could be shaken up all she wanted, Tess smirked internally, but she wasn’t. No human was going to threaten her. She’d bide her time, and get her and Max out of there. The others didn’t matter.
Serena grabbed the other two burgers, tossing one to Liz and taking one herself. “Wouldn’t want you guys getting fat on this stuff. Ruin those bodies, tsk-tsk.” She smirked, shaking her head scoldingly.
Flushing, Max was sure his ears were glowing. What was with this girl? He didn’t even know her! He refused to acknowledge her, keeping Brody in his sights.
A glint of light caught on the camera lens, and Brody lunged for her. For a brief instant, Liz pictured him as a rabid dog, foaming at the mouth and eyes rolling in his head, before his hand free hand closed around her throat, jerking her away from Josh and Max.
“You have a camera?! I told you not to do anything stupid! I warned you!” he hollered, waving the gun in her face menacingly.
Josh leapt, fists meeting the hard bone of Brody’s jaw in rapid succession. He growled, yanking Liz from between them and shooting vicious kicks at Brody’s legs. The redhead retaliated, never losing his grasp on the gun and slamming it into the side of Josh’s head. Metal cracked against bone, and Josh lurched back, hands twined in Brody’s shirt. The two tumbled to the ground, both contending for the gun and flinging limbs at one another.
The gun snapped back, trigger pulled tight against the handle and a shot rang out over the ruckus. Brody and Josh stiffened simultaneously, Brody’s hands closed over the gun and Josh sprawled on the floor to the side.
The resounding echo deafened them all for several seconds, and Liz found herself once more gazing up at the ceiling, a stinging, unbearable pain in her stomach. The world faded in and out rapidly, much quicker than it had when she’d been shot before. That couldn’t be a good sign, the distant, scientific part of her mind realized. Choking, she struggled to swallow and catch her breath. She’d be fine. Max was here, he could heal her.
If he wanted to, a voice whispered in her ears, taunting. And why would he? You’re just a slut who betrayed him, in his eyes. Her plan had worked, and he’d fallen out of love with her, so why would he take the risk of exposure to help her?
Max collapsed to his knees at her side, pressing his hand on her stomach automatically. The pentagon was preventing him from using his powers, but if he could stop the bleeding. Or if he could get through whatever shield that thing produced! “Brody!” he called, voice cracking on his tears, “Brody! Turn off that pentagon, please! Please, let me help her! Brody! She’ll die!”
Brody’s mouth fell open, horror at the blood pooling on the floor evident on his face. He’d done that, he’d shot her and she was human, and she was bleeding, and she was dying! He had to make it right. Desperately, he clawed at his pocket, drawing out the pentagon he knew so much about, but couldn’t explain how. Turning it in his hand, he waited with baited breath for the spinning light to stop, for it to shut off and Max’s powers return. He was certain he could help her, and who was Brody to argue. If he could, she wouldn’t die, and her death wouldn’t be on Brody’s hands.
Her blood always would be, healed or not.
The glow of power from his hand was all the encouragement Max needed, his other hand coming up to cup the side of Liz’s face. “Liz,” he begged, hoarse, “Liz, you have to look at me. Please, you have to look at me, Liz!” The familiarity of his words sent him reeling, and as her eyes met his, he felt the same tugging, and fell willingly into their connection.
Images rushed to the forefront of his mind, behind wide open eyes he watched portions of Liz’s life, lived portions of her life. The memories came to more recent events, and his muscles tightened. If he saw anything with Kyle, he wasn’t sure he could keep up the connection. But he pushed on, straining the tendons in his neck as flashes passed by too quickly to process. A man, leather and long, graying hair. Tears. Pain. Despair and determination wound together in knots. He saw himself, at prom, kissing Tess. The heat of an explosion as she screamed for Sean to run. Spirals of red and white on marble floors intertwined with everything else.
The breath filled his lungs in a thick gust as their connection ended. His hand hovered over her stomach, eyes trailing down to assure himself the bullet hole was gone. Her blood was sticky on his hands, bright and glaring against his flesh.
She’d been shot, again, and this time it was because of him.
”I love you but, I don’t want to die for you.” He didn’t want her to either. He would make sure she wouldn’t.
Drawing back, he sat on his heels to put as much distance between them as he could. Nothing made sense anymore, and the weight of her blood on his hand tugged at his soul. Dread pooled in his toes and his hands, knowing he’d turn to face the puzzled, horrified stares of Serena and Josh. They’d seen too much, but he couldn’t, wouldn’t take it back. Not when it meant the difference between Liz’s living and dying.
“Oh my god,” Serena murmured, eyes round. She mouthed words, unable to form sounds correctly. Exchanging looks with Josh, she swallowed a few times before speaking. “Max, whatever that was, I promise we’ll both keep quiet. Not a word. In fact, I think it’d be best if we just locked this guy away,” she motioned to Brody, “and forget this whole thing happened.”
Max shook his head. “No, Brody isn’t normally like this. But you should get out of here, and please,” He glanced at them pleadingly, “please keep quiet about this. You’re right, just forget about everything that happened here tonight.”
The two newcomers left quietly, Josh with his tail between his legs. He kept his chin high, shooting Liz an apologetic glance. He’d never meant for her to get hurt.
The four remained still, Tess staring at Liz with hooded eyes and Brody enthralled at the sight of his hands, having thrown the gun to the other side of the room. Max held a hand out to Liz, helping her to her feet and holding her arm as she steadied herself. He reached out to push her hair behind her ear, a tentative half smile on his face.
She turned away. The immediate threat gone, she beat herself up mentally. What had he seen?
“Brody,” Max called, walking over and extending a hand. “I can help, let me help fix things in your head.”
“You can?” he asked, barely more than a whisper.
Max nodded, hands coming to rest on either side of Brody’s head. The older man didn’t move. Closing his eyes, Max took deep breaths, and opened them to connect with Brody.
For the second time that night, images assaulted his mind, this time of a short woman and her pouting lips, stubborn chin and long, ivory hair that was eternally wrapped around her head in braids. She danced with him, Zan, she smiled at him teasingly, she handed him a child with mahogany curls and glowing emerald eyes. Everything through the eyes of his friend, confidant, Larek.
His heart skipped. A child. He and Ava had a child.
-------------------
Monday morning found Liz sitting in a classroom too soon. In the span of three days, she’d been in an explosion, brought back from the brink of death, been called a slut and had her reputation thoroughly battered by her closest friends, been shot, healed again, and expected to be in school. Things had spiraled so quickly, she hadn’t time to catch her breath or her sanity, and it was slipping.
Alex was dead. Sean too, in all likelihood.
It was her fault. They’d both be alive, healthy, happy if it hadn’t been for her.
She sunk further into her seat, wishing desperately to melt into the metal of her desk. Then her teacher’s eyes wouldn’t be following her as he lectured, and Max’s eyes wouldn’t be burning the back of her neck. Aliens, the end of the world, nightmares, strange powers, and red and white swirls in her dreams wouldn’t be any of her concern. Someone else could handle it. She was tired.
“Miss Parker?” Mr. Thompson asked, dropping off in the middle of his sentence about Woodrow Wilson. “Are you alright? You were ill last week, are you sure you’re recovered enough to be here?”
She nodded hastily, blushing under the gazes of her classmates. She brushed her hair behind her ear before answering. “I’m fine.”
If only she could make it to lunch, she’d have time to be alone. Then, and only then, she could cry. By the time class, ended, she flew from her seat and out into the hall, hoping to get lost in the crowd of bubbly teenagers. Lunch time meant they’d all crowd in the cafeteria and the quad, so she had the classrooms essentially to herself. Just what she needed. Maria and her questions could wait. Liz had an appointment with a dark, shadowy corner and her tears.
After that, she’d figure out what to do next.
------------------------
The steady hum of conversations greeted Max as he stepped outside into the school’s quad. It was already filled with students, hanging out in their designated areas according to the unspoken teenage hierarchy. He didn’t really have a specific group, if you left out the “I Am or I Know An Alien” club, but they always used to sit at the same table everyday. Recently, that table had been for the four aliens only. No homo sapiens allowed, so to speak.
Would all that change, because of the weekend’s events? he wondered. He hoped it would. Too much time had been wasted because of petty disagreements and hurt feelings. But their group had gotten over worse. This was just a pebble on the road. They’d get through it, somehow or another, he was certain.
In fact, it was the only thing he was sure of these days.
That, and the fact that he and Liz had a lot of discussing to do. Sooner rather than later.
He shook his head. He could worry about that later, lunch was his first priority. Something simple, mundane. The vending machines were inside, on the opposite side of the quad, so he crossed it cautiously, avoiding anyone who’d stop him and want to talk. Namely, Tess.
Dumping his change into the slot, he contemplated what he wanted to eat. Everything was just so boring, bland. He’d had the same thing everyday of his school career, it seemed. Sighing, he decided to stick to the usual chips and deal with it.
“Max!” Maria snuck up behind him. “Have you seen Liz?”
He raised his brow. “No. Not since history this morning, why?”
“I have to talk to her. That, and the fact that no one’s seen her since last class, and she’s come way too close to dying too many times in the past few days so excuse me for being really freaked out when she’s suddenly missing again!” When she ran out of breath, Maria paused. “You have no idea where she is? I know you’re pissed and all, but I’m really worried about her, and I really, really need to find her and, just, make sure she’s okay, you know?”
He nodded, bending down to retrieve the bag of chips he’d chosen from the machine. “I know. I’ll see if I can find her.”
Since Maria had already searched the quad, he didn’t bother venturing back outside. He had a feeling she was alone. For the first time in way too long, he follow his gut instincts to where he knew she’d be. Through the window in the doorway, he found her curled around her knees on the floor of an abandoned classroom. Her shoulders trembled; she was sobbing. In all the crazy events of the week, he’d forgotten she’d just lost a best friend. She’d been far too close to dying, twice, and he hadn’t even asked if she was okay. They’d yelled at her the other day, too, the people who were supposedly her friends. No wonder she sought to be alone to cry.
He twisted the metal knob under his fingertips, using only the slightest of force to open the door. She raised her head at the sound, not looking in his direction. She knew he was there, and he knew she was aware. How could she stand to be around him after the way he’d treated her? God, he’d
manhandled her! Said their friendship was over because of his own need for control.
She looked so small, fragile.
Liz kept her head down against her knees, sensing his presence in the doorway and not certain what it meant. She wanted to be alone, but of course he could always find her. If only he would move, speak, anything to indicate how she should react.
Footsteps approached, and then Max was sliding down the wall to take a seat by her side. The sleeve of his jacket brushed her arm. He didn’t bother to ask if she was okay, if she was she wouldn’t be crying alone on the floor of a darkened classroom. The silence between them was comfortable, right, and they basked in it.
“Maria had a point, didn’t she?” he finally began, staring off in the shadows.
“Yeah.” Liz couldn’t look at him. What was he doing? It didn’t matter, really, the fact that he was there was enough to calm her, comfort her. Even for just a little while.
“Look, I don’t really know what all is going on with you. But I don’t buy the stuff Kyle said.” he whispered, finally turning his head to gaze down at her. “You were just as surprised by what he said as the rest of us, and I
do know you, Liz. People don’t change that drastically that quickly.” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “Like I said, I don’t buy it. I can’t believe you’d do that to me, and I won’t. Maria was right. You just lost your best friend, and I don’t know everything that’s troubling you but that’s got to be a big part of it.”
“Max--”
He took her hand in his, entwining their fingers gently. “I promised I’d always be your friend, no matter what else was going on with us. So, here I am, if you want to talk. Cry. Whatever. Just know you don’t have to be alone.” He seemed to lose his confidence, grasping in the silence at anything to express what he was feeling. “I nearly lost you.” he whispered, barely reaching her ears and full of tense emotion. The thought choked him even as he felt the warmth of her through his jacket. He’d seen her with Kyle, yes, but by this point in his life, he knew better than to trust first glimpses. And even if she had slept with Kyle, she wasn’t the type to go from guy to guy. He knew that. He trusted that. He trusted her.
She was Liz, after all.
Or not. . .
I'm sorry this took so long to get out. Real life calls, but here it is! And this is part is the beginning of some answers for you!