Author: Linda

E-Mail: [email protected]

Rating: R (Content and a little violence)

Category: Max & Liz, Maria & Michael, Isabel & Alex, Kyle & Cassie (She's mine)

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, just borrowing 'em. I'll return' em the way I found 'em.

Summary: This sequel deals with issues the six were left with right after my other story ended. What 'other' symptoms might Liz develop carrying Max's child? What happens when Kyle and Maria commiserate about their parents' dating? What happens if Kyle finds out about the alien trio? And, what about the other alien pods from the same crash as the trio? Can there be more
alien shape shifters out there?

Author's note: If you haven't read my previous story, "Us Six Against the World", it is recommended before reading this one. This story begins the day after my other story ended. It's gonna be another LONG one. ;-)

I Knew I Loved You
By Savage Garden

"There's just no rhyme or reason
Only this sense of completion
And in your eyes
I see the missing pieces
I'm searching for
I think I've found my way home
I know that it might sound more than a little crazy
But I believe

::CHORUS::

Sense of Completion (Part 19)

Kyle and Cassie exchanged glances but neither said anything. Then Kyle looked around at the others. He had not missed the exchange of agreement Max had gotten from all of them after...whatever it was that Max had done. The others, he realized were not surprised by what had happened.

Then flashes came together in Kyle's head. Rumors that Liz had been shot, but then Liz denying it, saying it hadn't been blood, just ketchup. Rumors that Max had been involved. And all the times his father had followed Max around like a hound dog on a trail. And the little bits and pieces he had heard about how odd the shooting had been that day at the Crashdown, and how his father always talked about aliens and Max...Aliens...

Kyle narrowed his eyes as he looked at Max. He must be mistaken. But it all fit. The reason why his dad was so obsessed with Max. And that all of it had started after the shooting in the Crashdown last fall. But maybe Max was just a healer of some sort...

"Max?" Kyle finally asked, meeting Max's calm gaze. "Are you--is my dad's obsession and his trailing you have something in common?" Kyle finally managed to get out. He did not want to say anything too loudly. He just realized how dangerous it could be.

Max looked at him intently for a second then nodded slowly.

Kyle swallowed, not sure he still had it right. He looked around at the others and saw their anxious faces. They were scared. But they were not surprised by what Max had admitted. They were scared of him, and the knowledge he now possessed. Still, he had to make sure.

"So...my dad has been right...and my grandfather? All these years?"

Max again nodded and held his breath waiting for Kyle's response.

Kyle felt Cassie squeeze his hand and he looked down. He met her eyes as they pleaded with him. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew Cassie was begging him not to tell anyone this stunning knowledge. Kyle nodded and smiled at her lightly, squeezing her hand to reassure her.

He looked at all of them, then back at Max. "I owe you, Max," he said and looked back down at Cassie and then over at Liz, "For both of them. And your secret is safe with me," he said softly.

Max let out a breath and nodded. He looked at Cassie, who nodded her acceptance as well.

"How is the girl?"

They all looked up to see Will, the leader coming over with a frown.

"She looks bad. You should let her go," Kyle said quickly and squeezed Cassie's hand when she started to argue.

"She don't look that bad to me. And no one is going anywhere until we get what we want," Will said, looking Cassie over and seeing her alert eyes and that there was still some color in her face. He looked relieved and then walked back toward his partner who was busy pacing and swearing.

The phone suddenly rang and Will smiled as he went over to pick it up.

"Max, we've got to do something," Michael whispered as the two men were distracted by the phone call.

"Maybe we can cause a distraction and you guys can do something about the guns," Maria said.

"You are NOT going to distract anyone! I will not have you shot next!" Michael growled and grabbed her to him.

"We have to do something! We can't just sit here," Liz agreed with Maria.

Max stared her down. "YOU are going to do exactly that. Just sit there! Do you want to jeopardize the baby?" he reminded her.

Liz paled and her hand slid over her stomach. She shook her head. Max's eyes softened and he caressed her cheek.

"What if when one of them sleeps, I go into their dream and convince them to give up?" Isabel offered.

Kyle and Cassie looked from Liz to Isabel and then to each other. "Ah...Max. Isabel is... like you?" he asked to clarify.

"And Michael," Max confirmed.

Kyle and Cassie stared again, this time at Michael who just grinned at them.

"And Liz...you're pregnant? Is that possible?" Kyle whispered looking between Liz and Max.

"Yeah. And it's okay, Kyle. I'll explain later," Max assured him.

"No wonder you looked so pale and dizzy this past week," Cassie said softly and touched Liz's hand gently in support.

Liz nodded and smiled.

"We need to plan something! Can we chat later please!" Isabel stated impatiently.

"She's right." Michael agreed and looked around trying to come up with a plan.

"How about if I distract them, and you guys...do whatever it is you--ah--do."
Kyle offered.

Cassie swallowed and shook her head, then met Kyle's eyes and knew he was going to help no matter what. She sighed and closed her eyes. She was tired from the pain, and she needed to save her strength for anything they might have to do suddenly.

"Kyle, what about your arm?" Max asked.

Kyle looked down at his arm just now remembering that he had been hit and was bleeding. He knew what Max was asking and he shook his head. "It's nothing. Leave it. We don't want to add anymore suspicion." Kyle gave him a small smile.

"I don't give a damn how long it takes! We want that money and a ride out of here in three hours! After that we start killing hostages, starting with some teens we have in here!" Will yelled into the phone.

"Okay, I think we should see if one of them is going to try to rest. I think this is going to take awhile for them to talk with the cops outside. If the hot tempered one, Jamie goes to sleep, we'll let you try your sleepwalking, Is." Max paled at the mention of Will shooting hostages. "And if that
doesn't look like it's going to happen, we'll work on a way for Alex and Kyle to distract them. And we'll do something with the guns."

"One girl was shot, but she's okay. NO! We are not going to let anyone go. And she will be the first one we shoot again if we don't get what we want! You have three hours!" Will said and put down the phone.

He came back over to all of them, and motioned for them all to go over against the back wall again.
Kyle lifted Cassie and brought her over, and gently sat with her in his lap. The blood had slowed a lot, but he kept the pressure on, knowing there was still a bullet in her and that she was still bleeding.

"And no more talking!" Jamie yelled at them all. He was mad at Will for yelling at him, and mad at the teens for causing him to shoot them sooner than they had planned. Which could cause the authorities outside to try to move in on them.

Everyone went back to being quiet, and just waited to see which way their plans would fall.

Max felt someone staring and he turned to meet Cassie's gaze. She had a peculiar look on her face, and looked like she wanted to ask him something. But she just swallowed and smiled. Now was not the time to talk about anything. They didn't need to provoke the men anymore.

Max sighed and looked back over at the men. They were dangerous and had nothing to lose. His jaw tightened as he thought of all that could still happen. He felt Liz squeeze his hand and he met her eyes. *It's going to be okay, Max. I have faith in you guys* Liz assured him. He could see the worry in her eyes, but also her belief in him.

*You just take care of our little one* Max thought to her, and hugged her to him.

"You guys aren't seriously going to try to go in there! You'll get all those hostages killed!" Valenti argued in a low voice with the FBI men who were making plans with a map of the Crashdown they had acquired from the Parkers who were now standing outside the building with the other town's people.

"Sheriff, this is our case now. We know what we're doing. We've handled situations like this before. There are always risks and causalities to consider. We just have to determine which way we will lose the least amount of life," one of the FBI men said impatiently, knowing they had to cooperate with the local sheriff at least enough to explain things to him.

"Least amount of life!!???" Valenti whispered angrily, not wanting the town folk to hear them and panic. He knew his son was in there along with the among others, Amy Deluca's daughter and the Evans' kids and Liz Parker.

He looked over at Amy who was standing with the Parkers and Evans, trying to be strong. He didn't know what to tell them.

"Oh God. How could this happen?" Diane Evans whispered as she held on to her husband's arm anxiously.

Nancy Parker shook her head beyond upset. She couldn't even comprehend how this had happened. If only they had been downstairs when it had happened. Maybe they could have gotten the kids out of there.

Jeff Parker tried to comfort his wife, but knew there wasn't much they could do except wait and have faith in the authority around them.

"Oh God, why Maria? She's all I have left. None of those kids deserve this after all they've been through." Amy held a hand over her mouth to keep a sob back.

Nancy Parker put her arms around her friend to try to comfort her. And Diane Evans came up next to them to add support. "They'll be okay. You'll see. They will all get out okay," she tried to reassure herself as well as the other mothers.

When they had heard one of the teenage girls had been shot, they had panicked, but Sheriff Valenti had found out for them who it was and that Cassie was okay as far as they'd been told.

When Jim Valenti came over to Amy, she went into his arms and looked up at him anxiously. "Jim? What is it? What are they going to do?" she asked.

Jim looked back over at the FBI agents, and then down at Amy and over her head to the waiting families of the hostages, and his jaw hardened. He didn't know what was going to happen. But he didn't trust the FBI with their plan. "It's going to be okay Amy," Jim Valenti lied.

Go to Part 20

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