Zan got about ten feet when the van door opened, issuing forth Rath. The taller man quickly caught up to Zan. �Where you going?�
�For a walk.� Zan answered shortly and made to go on with his plan of taking a walk.
�Yo... I... I gotta tell you somethin�.� Rath�s hesitant statement made Zan freeze. Rath never needed to tell anyone anything, mostly because he could barely string together a coherent sentence by himself. �I shoulda told ya before but we wasn�t back here before.�
�What?� Zan shook his head at his second.
�It�s just that when you told me to kill Liz. I didn�t.� The street-light shone down on the both of them. Rath lowered his voice slightly when he heard a set of footsteps walking across the street.
�What the fuck you talkin� bout?� Zan took a step closer to the moron.
�Well, ya see... I was gonna and then I wasn�t too sure if I could just off some chick. Then some punk beat me to it.�
�What are you sayin�? Someone wanted her dead... for real?�
�I guess so... yeah. I guess I just never thought of it that way.� Rath shrugged uncertainly under Zan�s glare. �Look, I just thought that since we was here... you should know.�
�You just thought.� Zan�s eyes narrowed even more. �I don�t tell you to think. Get your ass back to the van and protect the ladies, genius. I�m goin�a get Liz.�
�How you gon do that? Huh? We ain�t seen her all night!� Rath called after Zan�s departing figure. �She ain�t gonna come back!�
Zan kept walking, wishing all the while that he could reach out his mind to her like she could to him. She said someone had seen him heal her. What if that someone was the person that tried to kill her? He had to find her... fast. He put a hand to his head for a minute. The ramifications of what Rath had said were sinking in. Zan had really been destined to save Liz�s life. Someone or something out there had wanted her dead... and that made her even more important than before.
--
Max wrapped his arms around himself to fend off the cold night air. It was so quiet out that he was glad he didn�t take the jeep. The engine would have been heard all over. His mind raced. Liz Parker was really alive after all these years. Max could remember sending her a couple of anonymous Valentines every year. He would watch her eyes light up when she opened them and then glance around as if she�d be able to tell who sent them.
�I shoulda told you before but we wasn�t here before...�
Max quickened his pace as he noted two unusual characters standing underneath a streetlight across the street. He should just hurry up and get to Alex�s. Just two more blocks.
--
Liz tossed and turned in her sleep. It was obvious to Alex that she was in pain but he didn�t know what to do about it. Should he wake her? Should he call someone? The hospital? Her friends? Where were they? What was happening to her?
A soft rap at the front door told Alex that Max had finally arrived. He rushed to the door and pulled in his friend. �Max, okay... She told me that she was killed and an alien brought her back to life. She says you are a different kind of alien that shape-shifts. She�s asleep but she�s hurting. I don�t know what�s going on so I don�t know what to do.�
Max blinked at Alex�s immediate rant upon his entrance. Had he just said what he thought Alex said? �Whoa. Slow down.�
�Ok.� Alex led Max into the living room where Liz still lay asleep though sweating profusely. �Check this out. She said she drew this the other day.� Alex showed Max the pictures of himself and his family. Max�s eyes widened at the amazing likeness to Tess. �She says that�s Zan, um... Lannie... Rath and she says that is Ava. Her boyfriend and his family. She said that these pictures are in a book or something that�s really important. She said that they have to find it.�
Max sank back into the chair he sat in. he flipped through the book and found excerpts from the book and other symbols that were ingrained in his head, programmed into his mind before he was created. �My God... I know this...� Max traced a symbol in the book.
�So it�s true? You�re an alien?� Alex�s eyes widened. While he said it and thought it... the idea didn�t really take in Alex�s addled mind.
�You can�t say anything to anyone but... I may need your help now.� Max whispered. �She trusts you and I need to talk to her about what she knows about her boyfriend and his family.� Max suddenly stopped and turned to Liz.
--
Zan stopped walking mid-stride. He felt Liz in his head. She was nearby somewhere and she needed him.
--
Max couldn�t stop himself from moving to her side. Alex watched in silence as something seemed to take over his friend. Liz reached out and touched Max in her sleep, her glove vanished. Her hand lifted to his face as he turned to press a kiss to her palm. Her back arched, raising her upper body up off the couch towards Max. Her jacket vanished and her bare arms came in contact with Max�s suddenly bare torso.
Alex blinked and then shut his eyes. He shouldn�t be witnessing this. This shouldn�t be happening. Liz�s boyfriend had seemed pretty possessive and if he knew that she and Max were getting friendly...
Liz shuddered as she began waking up. The pressure in her head was making it difficult to stay asleep. Somehow Zan had found her and he felt so good. Just his skin against hers was lessening the pain. His lips on her palm allowed the minor visions to be released. That�s when the physical sensations registered. His chin was smooth against her hand, the absence of his lip stud struck her suddenly. �No!�
Max�s eyes sprung open as Liz leaped off the couch. It was then he realized his shirt was gone. He saw Liz cowering on the other side of the room. He started to get up and cross over to her, when a light tap to his chest pushed him back down. Her outstretched hands drew back to her sides.
�You just stay away from me.� She hissed and then turned to Alex, who had opened his eyes to this bizarre turn of events. �And you... I trusted you and you led him right to me.�
�I thought I was helping.� Alex raised his hands up.
�You thought wrong.� A growl came from the open doorway. All three sets of eyes moved to the figure standing there. �Liz, come here.�
Liz wasted no time in grabbing her bag and notebook on her way over to Zan. He thrust her behind him immediately. Max stood slowly, hands down, to face his mirror image. �I didn�t hurt her. I wasn�t trying to hurt her.�
�Your kind spells trouble.� Zan narrowed his eyes at the shirtless man before him.
�I�m not a shape-shifter.� Max cleared his throat. �I�m like you. I was once called King Zan of Antar.�
�Bullshit. I�m King Zan.�
�When my mother recreated me, she made two sets... just in case.� Max went on. �My protector just told me this tonight. She made a backup set to throw off the scent of the Skins... but to tell you the truth... I�ve yet to see one. I�m not too sure if they even exist.�
�I�ve killed dozens of them.� Zan stood his ground. �They are on Earth. Trust me.�
�Okay, I�ll take your word for it.� Max searched his brain for any information that would pacify Zan. The book! �I have the book. The one with your faces in it. Zan, Vilandra, Avaria, Rathard.�
�You took the book?� Zan almost took a step forward.
�The girl, Avaria... the one they call Tess. She showed him the book in the library where my vision said it would be.� Liz whispered to her Zan while shaking off her headache. Some holes in her visions were becoming clearer but the pain kept her from remembering them all. Max watched the way Zan�s eyes shifted to Liz and softened. �Let�s go. I can find them later.�
�You... I told you we would meet again.� Zan pointed to Max and backed out the door, nudging Liz ahead of him. When the door shut, Max turned to Alex and ran a hand through his hair.
�You�ve got to tell me everything that she told you.�
--
Liz stumbled as the adrenaline rush stopped. Zan caught her and pulled her down an alley. She was weak. They fell in a heap behind a dumpster. Liz clung to him and pleaded. �It hurts... why does it hurt so bad?�
Zan slipped his hand up her shirt and caressed her skin. He put aside being angry with her for running off so he could check her out. She didn�t appear to be physically hurt. Her visions must have been wreaking havoc on her senses all night. �How bad is it?�
�Awful.� She hissed and closed her eyes, allowing his touch to heal her. She pressed her body into his, needing to be closer, needing to be touched and relieved. He nuzzled at her neck, leaving soft kisses along her throat. �He could heal me. How is that possible?�
�He healed you?� Zan almost drew away from her for a moment before he remembered the pain she was in. �What happened in there?�
�I went to Alex because he used to be my friend. He was one of my best friends and he remembered me. He wanted to be my friend after all this time.� Liz guided his hands to her breasts as she panted her tale. �I talked to him. I told him but I could tell he didn�t believe me. I tried to explain but then I got so tired. I was having a nightmare and I called to you in my mind.�
�I know. I heard you. That�s how I found you.� He murmured into her ear. His fingers began teasing her nipples slowly, just letting the pleasure build. He cursed at their awkward position in the alley.
�I felt you but it was him. He kissed me like you do, his skin felt just like yours. It was so strange. Then I got the images of him making love to his... Ava and I knew it wasn�t you. You have a goatee and this.� Liz bent her head to lick at his lip stud. He tasted so good and she couldn�t stop kissing him. Minor visions released themselves at a rapid clip as she arched into his hand. �He was so different but the same. Zan...�
�What?� He paused but resumed his touching when she whimpered.
�There are four of them. They look like you.� She moaned and felt the pain go down a notch. �I think I may have pulled a muscle in my brain when I used my powers on Max. But I didn�t know then.�
�Know what? What is he?� He pulled her tighter against his body, hoping to infuse her with as much energy as he could muster.
�He�s you.� Liz gasped then suddenly stopped moving. Her body went limp against him. She shivered as the cold night touched her skin. �I know where he lives. He lives with the shape-shifter.�
�And this matters why?� Zan rubbed her skin to create some warmth. �What the hell is wrong with you? You�re cold as hell.�
�It still hurts. I need more.� She fought to keep her eyes open. �You remember when all it took was for you to touch me and it went away?�
�Yeah. I�d just touch your nose and they�d just rip on through.� He chuckled and reached for her bag. She had to have another jacket in there. �Hey, you remember the time we scared that old lady when you had a vision in the store? Thought she was gonna shit bricks.�
�Never could look at Twinkies the same way again.� Liz smiled a little at the memory of the way she jumped Zan�s bones in the junk-food aisle of a grocery store when they were supposed to be on a grub-run.
�Still get a little worked up when I see cupcakes.� He admitted, tucking her head under his chin. His fingers came in contact with paper. Looking over it, he found it was a page from a phonebook. There it was Max Evans, after a quick scan he found the appeal in the paper. �We need to get you comfortable.�
�Zan. I need help. I can�t get them out.� Liz cried, the tears slipped down her cheeks and soaked his shirt. �I feel like I�m dying.�
�You ain�t gonna die. I ain�t gonna let you.� Zan told her sternly. He forced her to look at him. �You hear me? I am not going to let you die on me.�
�The visions...� Her eyes slid away from his.
�Fuck the damn visions. They�re killin� you but I�m gonna beat �em. You ain�t leavin� me.� His voice cracked, revealing the strain that he�d been holding in. �You got that? We been through too much shit for you to leave now.�
�You can�t do this alone.� She whispered, the longer he touched her, the better she felt... it just wasn�t enough to make her whole again.
�You learn who can help?� Zan stroked her hair and waited for her answer. Once she whispered to him what to do, he picked her up and started walking out of the alley. He just hoped he wouldn�t get lost.
--
Max dumped his keys on the table and trudged up to his room. He stripped down and slid back next to Tess. He just needed some sleep. If only he could just get the feel of Liz�s skin out of his mind. Against his will, his cock hardened. If he licked his lips, he could probably it taste her palm. That thought only served to get him even more worked up. First he glanced down at the growing tent in the sheet then over at Tess where she still slept. Gently he nudged her awake and pulled her on top of him.
--
Zan almost lost his footing as he walked the streets of Roswell. Where the hell was Manchester Boulevard? He shifted Liz�s small form in his arms and kept going. Glancing down, he saw her eyes flutter closed. �Liz, wake up.�
�Mmm?�
�Don�t go to sleep on me. Talk to me.� He ordered her.
�About what?�
�Anything. I just need to know you wit me. Talk, sing, hum. Just do something so you don�t fall asleep.� He looked up at the sign on the corner, cursing when it wasn�t Manchester. �What�s that song you always used to sing?�
�Which one?� Liz wanted so much to close her eyes against the pain and just drift away.
�You know the one by that chick with the hair?� Zan crossed the street and was once more enveloped in darkness. The streetlights seemed so far apart. So many thoughts raced through his head. If Rath hadn�t shot Liz, who did? Where was the bastard? What did he know about what was going on? What was with this Max guy that had given Liz visions so large she was dying? Why were there two sets? �Liz?�
�I don�t remember.� She sobbed and buried her face in his neck.
�Let�s remember together then.� He whispered and rubbed her leg with his fingers. �It�s okay. Sh. It�ll be okay.�
--
After catching her breath, Tess leaned forward and propped her chin up on Max�s chest, letting her body slide down along his. Sighing in contentment, she fixed her eyes on his face. Her mate was so handsome. �Max?�
�Hm?� His eyelids barely cracked open.
�What�s been going on? He spent tonight looking through the book.� She asked referring to the way Ed read through the book several times and had this expression of confusion on his face all night.
�Don�t worry about it.�
�But Max... he seemed really upset. What�s going on?�
�I�m handling it.� Max lifted his head and opened one eye.
Raising herself off him to show him she meant business, Tess raised her voice. �Where did you go tonight?�
�Nowhere.�
�You�ve been really strange lately. What is it?�
�Just go to bed, Tess.� Max told her and lay back to close his eyes.
�No. Tell me, Max.�
�I�m tired. I just want to go to sleep.� He attempted to roll over, making Tess get off of him. Huffing, she grabbed her robe and left the bed. She wrapped the robe around herself before storming out of his room. Sighing heavily, Max opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. His mind wandered to various and sundry things. Softly, he began singing. �Come to me now...�
--
�Come to me now...� Zan hear the words before he knew he had said them. Liz lay her head against his shoulder. She hummed for a moment and then began singing softly.
�Come to me now. Lay your hands over me. Even if it�s a lie, say it will be alright and I will believe.� Liz let out a breath as she let the tune sink in.
�Keep singin�.� He told her and let his feet guide him. He didn�t know where he was going but he was sure he could trust his instincts now.
�Broken in two, I know you�re on to me... that I only come home when I�m so all alone but I do believe.� She couldn�t believe she had forgotten her favorite song. Zan hummed right along with her, the vibration beside her body creating pleasant feelings inside her. He remembered.
�Come on. Don�t fall asleep on me.� He whispered.
�That not everything is gonna be the way you think it oughta be. It seems like every time I try to make it right it all comes down on me.� Her voice was fading away. �Please say honestly, you won�t give up on me. And I shall believe. And I shall believe.�
�Never give up on you. I swear.�
--
Max found himself putting on his sweats, still singing that song he hadn�t heard in years. �Open the door.�
Suddenly he couldn�t remember the rest of the words. That phrase stuck in his head. �Open the door... open the door... open the door.� So that�s what he went and did. Some force made him go downstairs to the front door and open it.
Ed watched him carefully. It was almost as if the man were sleepwalking. The shape-shifter watched his king stand at the door in a daze... almost as if he were waiting for someone.
--
�Open the door...� Liz trailed off. Zan shook her lightly but she never started singing again. Down the street, he heard a door open. Automatically, his eyes snapped to the origin of the sound. Looking up, the street sign said �Manchester BLVD.�
Zan broke out into a jog. He didn�t want to upset her delicate frame but he needed to get there. That�s where he was supposed to be with her. He had to take her there. As he approached the house, a figure in the doorway came into view. Glaring, Zan walked slowly up to the front door. �If she dies in this house, I will not hesitate to kill you.�
�Understood.� Max nodded and stood aside to let his duplicate enter with the ailing augur.
Part 11
Zan lay Liz down in the extra bedroom and glanced around a bit. It was made up like a guy�s room. Metallica posters and hockey banners adorned the walls. Max moved around getting extra blankets and pillows. �This used to be Michael�s room but he hadn�t used it in a little over a year... unless Izzy gets mad at him.�
�Who the hell are Izzy and Michael?� Zan muttered and busied himself with stripping Liz of her clothes. She still hadn�t woken up. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow and her skin varied from feverish head and shoulders to ice cold arms and legs.
�Um, Vilandra and Rathard.� Max supplied after a moment. He couldn�t help but stare at Liz�s beautiful body as she lay here in just her underwear. She was perfection in his mind�s eye. He was snapped out of his trance when Zan glared at him and yanked a blanket over her still form. �What�s wrong with her?�
�You.� Zan muttered and turned his attention to his ailing lover. �Liz? Liz, come on. Talk to me. Liz.� He touched her face and neck, just hoping to get a response out of her.
�Me? How did I do this to her?� Max sat on the edge of the bed.
�You touched her. She needed me and you touched her. I don�t know what it is you know that she needs to tell us but it�s too much for her to handle and... this time she�ll die if she doesn�t get it out.� His tone grew softer.
�She gets visions?� He stared at her face and mulled everything over.
�Yeah. Ever since I healed her... she gets these headaches and they release the visions once the pain goes away. Over the years, the pain got worse and she got more sensitive to everything. She reads moods like a fuckin� fortunate teller, she can tell you what someone is like if she holds somethin� of theirs... she gets little visions from touchin� things and bigger ones from touchin� people. These last few years, she ain�t been able to control it.� Zan pushed her braids out of her face. �The pain got worse lately. She been weak. She ain�t never been like this, though.�
�Why did you come take her?� Max asked, daring to be brave with his rough-looking duplicate.
�Don�t you see it? When you look at her? I seen her in my dreams one night. She haunted me for a week until I found her. I was s�posed to save her life. I followed her for a day. Then someone was s�posed to shoot her and I was s�posed to save her life.� Zan found himself recounting those first experiences with the mild-mannered man sitting on the other side of the bed. �The second I saw her. I knew I had to have her.�
�Me too. I saw her when I got off the bus the first day of school. I watched her for nearly six years and then she died.� Max never looked away from her beautiful pale face. �I always thought she might be alive... just never knew for sure.�
�Asshole. You don�t let someone like her get away. I don�t intend to. She said you could help, so help.� Zan turned to Max. When Max just stared at him with a blank expression, Zan began stripping off his shirt. �Then leave us alone.�
Max nodded and left the room. He had no clue what to do, and so he went to Ed and started explaining what had happened that night.
--
Isabel tiptoed into the kitchen and tapped her brother on the shoulder. He barely turned. She could tell he hadn�t gotten much sleep the night before. �How come Michael�s room is closed?�
�Liz Parker is in there.� Max shrugged and took a sip of his coffee.
�You�re joking, right?� She shook her head.
�Nope... and she�s dying from me touching her. Zan is in there trying to heal her.�
�But you�re Zan...� She narrowed her eyes at her brother. �Max... what�s going on?�
�Apparently there are two Zans. Me and Zan.� He pointed to the door. �As to which one of us is the real Zan... who knows?�
�I am.� Zan stated and moved into the kitchen, bare-chested. Isabel practically climbed onto the counter to allow him room to pass. She stared at his piercings and tattoos in a mixture of shock and disgust. Zan paused to look her up and down. �Cornball.� Then he kept moving to the refrigerator. �I�m gon grab some grub, aight? Aight.�
�How is she?� Max poured a little Tabasco sauce into his coffee before taking another sip.
�Figure out how you s�posed to help her?� Zan countered, pinning the man with a look. Max shook his head slowly. �Then she ain�t doin� so hot.�
�How do you know you�re the real King?� Isabel mustered up the courage to ask the strange man standing in her kitchen.
�Any of ya�ll ever been to a Summit? Do you know who Hanar, Kathana, Sero and Larek are? Nicholas or Khivar?� Zan grabbed a slice of pizza and made his way back over to Max. �Please tell me you know who Larek is.�
�No clue.� Max shook his head.
�That�s why I�m the King. Larek is my best friend from the home system. There�s these five stars, each one�s got a ruling house. I rule ours and Larek rules his. Close as brothers we was... until dear sis, here.� Zan pointed to Isabel. �She decides she likes Khivar�s dick better than her own betrothed�s. She sold out the house of Antar to that backstabber Khivar and his sidekick, Nicholas.�
�You�re lying.� Isabel whispered.
�Face it sweet cheeks. You were the death of us all. Just couldn�t keep those legs closed, could ya?� Zan taunted her, knowing he had struck a nerve.
�Enough!� Max shouted. �Isabel is not Vilandra.�
�Oh but she is. I trust Lannie, just not as much I used to trust Vilandra. She�d sell me out in a second if she knew she had a chance at ruling Antar. She may be my sister but she�s a fuckin� slut. If I wasn�t her brother, she�d fuck me too.� Zan examined Max�s clean-shaven face, his neat and tidy hair, soft hands and strong but tender flesh. �Bet you never killed before.�
�There�s been no reason for it.� Max spoke quietly.
��Nother point. I�ve killed to protect my family. I killed Skins. I killed Nicholas right after the Summit. I killed FBI agents that got too nosy in my city. I will kill whoever necessary to ensure the survival of my family. Can you do that?� Zan raised his voice and stepped to Max. It looked like some bizarre mirror image. �There�re still Skins out there, just waitin� to take us all out before the ship comes.�
�How did you get the ship to come?� Ed stood in the doorway, Tess and Michael behind him. �How did they contact you?�
�Yo, simple. I cut a deal at the Summit. Liz told me what to expect. So I go in there to be the benevolent King that I am and I settle things. I tell Khivar�s man hell no. Afterwards, I killed him. I promised I�d use the Granilith if they come get us.�
�How do you know about the Granilith?� Isabel whispered. It had taken years for Ed to tell them about the Granilith and this guy already knew about it.
�Liz told me. She said she�d tell me where it is before the ship comes... which ain�t gon be for years. She said it�d be safer if no one knew where it was until then.� Zan crossed his arms.
�You mean to tell me that human girl knows where the Granilith is?� Ed�s eyes widened and he began pacing. �She gets visions as a result of being brought back from the dead. This doesn�t make any sense.� Finally, as if coming to a decision, he stopped moving and faced Zan. �Wake her up.�
�Yo, it ain�t that easy. She still in major pain and I�m doin� everythin� I can short of fuckin� her but it ain�t workin�.� Zan held up his hands and made to go back down the hallway.
�Max, is this guy for real?� Michael pointed to the duplicate.
�Yeah, he is.� Max nodded stiffly.
�Max, help him bring her back. We need to know what she knows.� Ed motioned for Max to follow him down to Michael�s room. �Zan, how did you do so well if your protector was murdered?�
�The protector...� Zan growled and turned on the shape-shifter. �She was a traitor. She was going to kill the others so I killed her. I don�t like your kind.�
�My kind. Your people are my kind.� Ed countered.
�Then I just don�t like protectors. I ain�t been out the pod three weeks and she turned on us once those Febes knew where she was. They told her they was takin� her back to the white room and she turned to me, ready to kill me, ready to kill them. They was still in they pods.� Zan got in the protector�s face. He wouldn�t hesitate to take this one out. �I was the only one there was to protect them and so I killed her. I raised them all. I took care of everything.�
�I trust you did just splendidly. Now, we really need to wake sleeping beauty.� Ed nodded and pointed to the door behind him.
�Who?� Tess whispered to Isabel.
�Liz Parker. She�s alive but now she�s dying.� Isabel hissed back.
�Liz Parker? That girl that Max has been obsessing about?� Tess felt like she had been punched. Of course, that�s where Max had gone last night. He went to her.
�Yep.�
--
�I don�t like this.� Lannie shook her head. It was daylight and Zan wasn�t back yet. �I don�t like this.�
�He just went after her. She isn�t even one of us.� Ava grumbled.
�She�s a good piece of ass. Worth it to me.� Rath shrugged.
�A vacuum is a good piece of ass to you.� Lannie snorted. �No, he loves her. He�s goin� to bring her back. No doubt.�
�Find him, Lannie.� Rath ordered.
�Here goes.� Lannie�s eyes slid shut and she reached out to her brother�s mind. Before he knew she was there, she saw the house and street sign. She then saw all the faces in the room where he was. Then she was thrown out. �Let�s go. I can find him.�
--
�Get the fuck out of my head, Lannie!� Zan shouted and shook his head. Isabel blinked. They had the same powers they did? Tess and Isabel held onto each other as the situation escalated. Liz�s prone body lay in the middle of the bed, practically naked and covered in sweat.
�Max, she said you could help, so help her.� Ed prodded.
�What am I supposed to do? I don�t even know what�s wrong with her.� Max protested.
�She�s hurtin�, that�s what�s wrong with her.� Zan snapped and took her in his arms.
�Let Max try.� Ed insisted and motioned for Max to take off his shirt.
�No. Nobody�s with her but me.� Zan shook his head and held her closer.
�You said it�s the only way.� Ed lifted his hands to the King. �You�re the King. It�s your call.�
�Everybody out. There�s too many people.� Zan ordered. �Just Max and the shape-shifter.�
�Why do you need him?� Max gestured to the older man as the others obediently filed out and shut the door.
�Cause Liz said he was important.� Zan whispered and stroked her hair out of her face. �You touch her but I�m gon hold on to her. No funny shit.�
Max nodded and pulled his shirt over his head before sitting on the other side of the bed. He touched her hands, her skin was so soft. Liz let out a sigh and sank back against her lover. Zan wrapped an arm across her chest to shield her bare breasts from Max�s view. Max reached out and touched her calves. He drew her legs against his bare chest to keep skin-to-skin contact as he stroked her legs from ankle to knee before daring to touch her thighs.
�Don�t go fallin� in love, now.� Zan warned. �She loves me.�
�She wanted me to touch her earlier.� Max commented.
Ed broke in when he saw the anger flare in his kings� eyes. �This isn�t a pissing contest boys. I�m curious as to why this girl can see what she sees. I want her awake.�
�What the fuck do you think we tryin�a do?� Zan growled. �No one wants her back more than me.� He stroked his fingers down her face. Then he noticed her breathing had returned to normal. �Liz?�
Liz arched her back. Zan was all around her. How was it possible for him to be touching her face, holding her and be driving her insane by stroking her legs? The pain lessened considerably but the dull ache was still throbbing through her. The visions chose that moment to slam through her body, ripping painful wave after painful wave through her body.
Max let go and jumped away when she started convulsing. Zan glared at him. �Get your ass back on this bed and help her.�
�What�s happening?�
�I don�t know but she was doing better until you leaped off the bed like someone lit a fire under your ass. Sit the fuck down and help her.� Zan shouted. Max did as told. He felt like he was eight years old and had spilled the paint can in art again. Help but stop making a mess. Max was scared as he pressed her legs to his ribs and rubbed her thighs from knee to hip.
�What�s happening?�
�I don�t know.� Zan whispered and moved his hand from her face to her stomach, his fingers played at the edge of her panties. He debated on whether or not he should help her like this with these men in the room. �Fuck it.� He slid his fingers underneath the cloth and through her soft curls to find her little bundle of nerves.
�What are you doing?�
�What�s the ultimate pleasure?� Zan raised an eyebrow and began rubbing the little nub the way that he knew she liked. �Liz, baby, come on. Come back to us.� Max felt her hips bucking against Zan�s hand as he kept touching her legs. �You need more baby?� Zan kept talking to her as if she could hear him. His fingers worked at her faster. �Cum for me. Liz, cum for me.�
Max watched her face as it contorted first in pain and then in a grimace of pleasure. He parted her legs just a little and dropped his gaze to where Zan�s hand worked under the flimsy cloth. He could see Zan�s hand slip further down inside and knew the instant that his finger had entered her body. Her legs stiffened and then her hips began bucking wildly.
Zan kept his fingers pumping in and out of her body as his eyes fluttered closed. He leaned his head against hers and whispered to her softly. �You ain�t leavin� me. You�re gon come right back here to me cause I love you. You got that. I love you. I ain�t never gon do anythin� you don�t like if you just come back to me. Do you hear me, Liz? I love you.�
Liz arched her back and thrust her hips down on Zan�s curled fingers. �Zan!�
Max watched her ride out her orgasm and only wished that he could be the one to give it to her. Then her body went limp. He panicked and looked to Zan. �What happened?�
�She�s restin� now. I think she feelin� better.� Zan kissed her temple. �She likes to sleep afterwards.�
�King Zan... I�d like to talk to you regarding a few things.� Ed, who had remained but a spectator through the whole ordeal, spoke up and gestured to the door.
�I need to hold her now.� Zan shook his head.
�I�m sure Max will make a fine substitute. This is really important.�
Knowing that Liz said that the shape-shifter could read the book and would give the answers they needed. He agreed. He nodded for Max to lie back before he laid Liz in his duplicate�s arms to rest. �You try anything with her and I will know about it.�
Part 12
Max stroked Liz�s braids, fingers lingering on the one red strand. She had wrapped her body around his in her sleep. He had dreamed about holding her like this for most of his life and now that he was, it was all he was allowed to do. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, and make love to her. Liz sighed in her sleep and pressed her cheek against his chest. Her legs tightened their grip on one of his legs and one of her hands had slipped just inside the waist of his jeans at his hips. Rolling his eyes heavenward, Max prayed for the strength not to act on any of the many urges he was feeling at that moment.
--
Isabel eyed her brother�s duplicate with earnest. Zan had a hand on his hip, looking at something that Ed was gesturing to. She couldn�t believe he had just made himself at home in their house. There he was in his bare feet, bare-chested, and unzipped, unbuttoned jeans slung low on his hips letting everyone know he didn�t wear underwear. He was covered in tattoos that were vaguely familiar to her and had silver piercings all over his body. She honestly didn�t know whether to be disgusted or turned on. Shaking her head of that last thought, she berated herself for forgetting he was her brother... if not actually her brother. She could never think of Max that way.
�Take a picture, Princess. It�ll last longer.� Zan called out without even looking up. He studied the book and listened to Ed�s brief run-through of what was in it but it didn�t seem all that important. Either Zan already knew this stuff or it was just scientific babble that only Liz could understand. �Ok... say I trust you with my Liz... what are you going to do?�
�Let Max take his rightful place as King.� Ed replied and wished he hadn�t said anything. Zan�s amber eyes flashed with anger.
�He doesn�t even know what�s goin� on!� The King roared. He closed his eyes to calm down but it wasn�t working. �I am the King. I been recognized and ordained by the Summit leaders. I was the one who risked his neck to get this deal done. You and Maxie boy know nothin� about what went down that day.�
�What did happen?� Ed unflappably asked as if he hadn�t been yelled at. He was used to it, Max was always yelling at him for some reason or another but it never really bothered him. Humans were really immature creatures.
�We was contacted, we went after a little investigation and then we cut a deal.� Zan growled and tried to get his emotions under control but knowing that Max was holding onto his Liz wasn�t helping. Liz could calm him down and soothe his frazzled nerves. Knowing just where she was only served to put him further on edge.
�I�ll need a bit more detail. How did Liz help you though that?�
Zan took a deep breath and leaned on the desk, staring at the book. �I wasn�t goin�a go. Liz kept havin� a dream about Nicholas and sos I know I gots to check this guy out and the fuckin� shrimp refused to talk to me until I was recognized by the contact as the king of Antar... which I gotta say is the sweetest fuckin� thing I ever saw.� He recalled how all the contact had done was place his hand behind his head and a hologram had lit up the room with the five houses of their home system. �Liz knew he was gonna ask about the Granilith, she knew he was gonna attack me to find it and she knew how he was gonna do it. Mind-rape. That�s why she didn�t tell me where it was. Liz was damn scared of the punk but he wun�t nothin� to take out.� Zan snapped his fingers as he remembered how easy it was to overtake Nicholas. Once the pre-adolescent body had let down his guard, the mind-rape had been turned on Nicholas at the most crucial moment and the shorter alien had kicked the bucket.
�When was this?� Ed perked up.
��Bout three years ago...� Zan slammed his fist into the desk hard. �That�s when she got worse. Fuckin� Nicholas.�
--
Liz inhaled the entirely male scent of her bedmate. She knew it wasn�t Zan so it had to be Max. She became more and more aware of herself and how she was clinging to him with every passing second. She was both dreading and anticipating what she knew to be inevitable. The more aware her body became to his, the less it cared that Max was not Zan. Her bare breasts pressed against his chest, hard nipples stabbing into his muscles, his strong hands rubbed up and down her back. Liz just knew he could feel how wet her panties were becoming where her legs where wrapped around his thigh. She was so tempted to let the hand resting between his hip and his jeans slip down lower. How would this version of Zan even react to her sexual drive?
Finally, Liz lifted her head from his chest and studied his face and his closed eyes. It was the first time she had really allowed herself to look at Max. It was looking at his face in the dim light of this strange place she was in that she remembered how familiar she had thought Zan was when he had saved her life. Later she hadn�t been able to remember but now she could. Max Evans had come to Roswell in the third grade and sometimes he had classes with her. Liz bit her lip as she remembered the crush on the boy who had sat behind her in eighth grade English. She had never had the guts to turn around and talk to him. Then he had turned out to look exactly like the man she had been in love with since she was 15 years old. �God, you are so Zan.�
�Hey, you�re awake.� Max whispered and opened his eyes a crack. �Why aren�t you scared? You were ready to kill me last night. I felt you push me away.�
�I didn�t know what you were then. I know now.� Liz whispered, her eyes still running over every plane of his face. He still had a little baby fat in his cheeks and he kept his face shaved close. She had always wondered what Zan would look like if he hadn�t grown up in New York. Now she knew.
�You want me to get Zan... or a shirt?� Max tried desperately to keep his eyes on her face. He stopped rubbing her back and felt horror at how thin she was. Her ribs stood out plainly to his touch.
�Where are we?� Liz rolled onto her side and looked around. �Is this your room?�
�No, this is my best friend, Michael�s.�
�Where is Zan, anyway?� She asked, turning her eyes back on him for a moment as they traveled the room.
�Um, Ed... that�s our protector, he�s telling him about our mission.� Max explained and watched her look around the room. �Explaining about the book you told him about.�
�Then don�t bother him. He needs to know all the stuff he wasn�t able to get from his own protector... the bitch.� Liz murmured. She had so many answers and so many more questions. She had gotten some of her memory back but not all of it. �I... I�ve missed being in Roswell.�
�You don�t have to go back.� Max told her sincerely. It bothered him slightly that this beautiful creature was mal-nourished and hurting and that not one of her friends was doing anything about it.
Liz didn�t answer him. He didn�t know what she knew. �God, you know, the last time I saw you... You were sitting behind Kinsey in algebra and she used to bother you so much.�
�I remember that.� Max chuckled and lifted the blanket up over her shoulders, more for his comfort than for hers. �I... I saw you get shot that day. I thought someone had ripped my heart out of my chest. I wanted to help but I was scared and then you were gone. I regretted everyday that I saw you and didn�t say hi and didn�t ask you out.�
�Must be in the genes. Zan crossed a country to get to me.� Liz pondered aloud. A throbbing began low in the base of her skull. �I... I had such a big crush on you in freshman year and I didn�t think you even knew I was alive.�
�Maybe I would have gotten up the courage to be with you if you hadn�t left.� Max reached out and touched her hair without thinking. His fingers trailed along the red braid and then along her cheek. The soft touch relieved some of the still growing tension inside her brain cavity.
�Anything�s possible.� Liz gasped as her head began to throb all over. She cursed silently at the frequency of this rash of violent visions. Couldn�t they give her a least a day�s rest? She still wasn�t whole.
�What�s wrong?� He studied her carefully. His eyes snapped down to her hands when she reached out and gripped his arms. Her knuckles turned white with the force of her grip.
�I�m having a vision and it�s causing major pain.� She gasped again and pulled herself back over to him. �You have to help me.�
�Shouldn�t I get Zan in here?� Max protested weakly, if what he had seen earlier was any indication of what he needed to do then he was more than ready. It was Zan�s threat of murder that stayed him.
�He�s busy. You can help... I just need you to... ah... to touch me.� Liz whispered and pulled him on top of her, their chests meeting sent a ripple of pleasure throughout her body.
�Should I be doing this?� He asked aloud of himself. He wanted to. He had wanted to for so long but now she was there and she had a jealous lover that looked exactly like him.
�Max... just help me.� Liz pleaded and began laying kisses along his throat. Whenever Zan wasn�t in a particularly sexual mood during her vision invasion that always turned him on. She felt the vibration of his groan as her tongue ran along his pulse. He even tasted just like Zan. Would he love her the same way? That was the last curious thought she had as the need to get the visions out grew. �I hope you�ve got stamina... I�ve got a hell of a headache.�
�What?� He almost choked at her words. In response, she pulled him down for a steamy kiss that blew away any doubts about what he was getting himself into with this beautiful creature. He didn�t know which one of them had done it but their remaining clothes had disappeared, leaving him lying skin to skin with his dream.
--
�Hello, hello.� Lannie called from the doorway of the Harding house. She and her two companions looked over the foyer and whistled. �Looks like they got the good end of the stick.�
�They?� Ava asked cautiously.
�Yo, these people got our faces. Messed �em up real good.� Lannie shrugged and wasn�t surprised when her mirror image walked into the room and gasped. �What the fuck you done to my face?�
�Oh my god... Zan!� Isabel called over her shoulder into Mr. Harding�s office. �Your... they�re here.�
�What the fuck?� Zan raced out the door and stopped upon seeing his family. �What the hell are you doing here? I said I would take care of this.�
�Just checkin� up on you, bro.� Lannie sauntered over and kissed his forehead. �You just up and left Rath to take care of us. I got worried. Did you find her?�
�Yeah.� Zan nodded stiffly and crossed his arms. He noticed Rath looking Isabel over with great interest. �Yo, Rath, her boy is in the other room. Don�t think he likes you doin� that shit.�
�What the fuck?� Rath crossed his arms. �You just take off and don�t tell us shit?�
�You here now, right?� Zan motioned for Rath to join him in the office. �Dumbass, you ever think that maybe it was Nicholas you saw that day on the street?�
�Yo, you stupid, Nicholas was 14 when we met him.� Rath shook his head, laughing at his king.
�Idiot!� Zan smacked him upside the head. �Nicholas been 14 for 50 years.�
--
Max thought he was going to die when Liz impaled herself on his cock and started riding him for round two. She had managed in so little time to rile him up so much that just being inside her body was almost too much. Her skin tasted so sweet and it was so soft. The feel of his obsession finally all around him was absolute heaven. He watched as Liz�s back arched suddenly, her head thrown back and a low moan met his ears. Her inner muscles fluttered all around him. Growling, he let himself cum.
Instead of collapsing into sleep as he thought she would, Liz began working him up again. Her mouth on his flesh was maddening, as was keeping his off hers. Max ran his hands over every inch of her that he could reach and rolled on top of her for another round. Never in his life had he been this insatiable, nor had he ever wanted to be. Rolling her taut nipples between his fingers and sucking on her soft flesh, he didn�t know what had done to deserve this reward. They just kept giving themselves over to each other over and over again.
--
Tess watched the interaction in the room. Zan and his group talked amongst themselves, only Zan seemed to talk to anyone else. Finally, she decided that Max had been alone with Liz too long. Grabbing a pitcher of water and a couple of glasses, she excused herself from whoever was still paying attention to see if they needed anything.
For some unknown reason she found herself walking very slowly to Michael�s room. A sudden high-pitched cry came from the room, followed shortly by a familiar groan. Tears stung her eyes as she reached for the doorknob. However much she didn�t want to open the door, she knew she had to. It seemed like years before her shaking hand touched the cool metal, she had almost expected it to burn her fingers. She turned the knob slowly and gently nudged the door open.
The sight that greeted her was one she hoped never to see in her life. Her Max, her Max, her Max was having sex with someone else... and not just anyone else but Liz Parker. As she stood there frozen, watching Max ardently take the girl from behind and whisper �I love you�s into her braided hair, Tess thought about how many times she had collapsed next to Max and watched him stare at that damn missing poster. She knew that as she saw him touching and kissing Liz, he had never touched or kissed her the same way... nor would he ever. It was just too much. Just as silently as she had opened the door, she closed it and like a zombie made her way back into the kitchen to replace the pitcher and glasses where she got them. Without a word to anyone, she was out the backdoor, crossing the back yard to lean on the back fence as she cried.
--
Liz felt better than she had in months as she lay in Max�s arms, finally sated and finally pain free for the moment. She knew this wasn�t all it would take to make her whole but it was nice. It had been awhile since such an active and lengthy amount of lovemaking had been needed to heal her and then, she smiled to herself, she and Max had still gone once more. When she had asked about his stamina, she had only been half joking.
She just couldn�t get over how sweet he was. Max kept kissing her temples and stroking her hair, sometimes her arm but always touching her in some way. Surprisingly after that workout, she wasn�t tired like she normally was after a vision. Sighing, she pushed herself up onto her knees to stretch. She noted how his amber eyes, so like Zan�s, followed her every move. �The bathroom around the corner still work?�
�Um, yeah, the toilet handle gets stuck sometimes and the shower sometimes backs up.� Max propped himself up on his elbows. �How did you know?�
�When I get the visions... I also get a little something from you.� Liz brushed his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. �I�ll be right back.�
Max watched her naked bottom move across the room. She reached into a bag and pulled out a few items and disappeared out the door and into the bathroom just a step away. It was laying there alone in Michael�s old bed that guilt slammed into Max full force. He had protested and told himself that he shouldn�t but he did and he enjoyed himself immensely... but that wasn�t the point, was it? Max contented himself to think of how Liz would fit into his life now that she was back. They could move her into Michael�s room, or into Max�s, and they could get her started on her GED... there were so many things that he could do for her.
--
Zan surveyed the room in silence. Once he had confirmed with Rath that Nicholas was the person who had actually shot Liz, then Ed knew what to do but Liz had to be awake for it. His crew kept eyein� the cornballs but wouldn�t say much. Rath and Michael didn�t get along. Must have to do with Michael getting the brains and Rath getting the powers, Zan pondered with a slight smirk. Lannie and Isabel would barely look at each other. To Zan it was obvious they had gotten equal shares of everything but memories. He hadn�t actually seen Tess much since Ava had arrived but as long as they kept quiet and out of sight then he didn�t really care.
�Where�s blondie?� Zan snorted when Isabel suddenly glanced around, tearing her sickeningly lovey dovey gaze from Michael. She had completely forgotten about how this might affect her short friend.
�She�s in the backyard, again.� Ed sighed and motioned for Isabel not to worry.
�What�s with her?� Zan flipped through the book once more. �She�s not like the rest of them.�
�Max doesn�t know how he feels about her and so she�s upset...all the time.� Ed nodded slowly and began expressing something that had been on his mind. �It�s rather inconvenient. How does Ava deal with Liz?�
�She just does.� Zan replied and looked up the instant that Liz walked into the room. He thought she was the sexiest thing in the world at that moment. She had rigged a pair of his jeans so they wouldn�t completely fall off her small hips and she wore that burgundy tank top that he loved. Liz barely glanced around when she entered the room and went straight for Zan. �Hey.�
�What have you been learning?� She asked immediately and he noticed that she looked refreshed which didn�t make any sense to him.
�No much that we ain�t already know.� He answered as she tucked herself into his side and wrapped her arms around his waist. �Are you okay? Old man here says he thinks he knows how to fix the holes in your head.�
�Yeah, he does.� Liz nodded and turned to Ed. �The stones are still with the old man, his young friend left them on his grave.�
�You saw it in a vision?� Ed queried, still amazed that such a gift had been bestowed upon them. �I�ll be back in the morning with the stones. Please, feel free to be comfortable in our home.�
No one said a word until after the shape-shifter had departed the house. Zan took a moment to look his lover over. She was positively glowing and looking especially healthy. He took her red braid in between his fingers and restored it to its normal brown color. �That�s better.�
�God, you are so picky.� Liz stood on tiptoe to kiss him passionately, oblivious to the fact that Max had wandered into the room. His chest felt too tight as he took in the view of Liz, the woman he had just made love to several times in the past hours, in full lip-lock with a man that could be his twin. When the shower had shut off and Liz still hadn�t returned, Max had gone looking for her. Liz closed her eyes and pressed her face to Zan�s chest. �How long was I out?�
�After we helped you, �bout 12 hours.� Zan noted Max�s presence and how he was staring at Liz. �He didn�t scare you, did he?�
�I learned a lot today too.� Liz whispered and kissed his bare chest. �I am starving.�
�You are? Well, we�ll have to fix that.� Zan led her to the kitchen. �Yo, we gon grub.� He tossed over his shoulder to the others. Rath, Lannie and Ava got up and followed them. They had been good boy and girls only because Zan was in a fragile state of mind and if anyone did anything, he would snap. One thing no one wanted to find out was what happened when the king snapped. Soon they could show their true colors but only after Liz was fixed.
�Sure, help yourself.� Michael called after them shaking his head and turned an exasperated look on Max, whom he suddenly noticed looked crushed. �Max?�
�What?� Max looked up slowly, his amber eyes lost and unfocused.
�You ok?� Isabel went to her brother�s side. She had never seen him like this since they had found out who Tess and Ed really were. �Did something happen in there that we need to know about?�
�What? No.� Max snapped himself out of it. It hit him, Liz as obviously putting on a show until she could tell Zan what was going on. That had to be it... right? �I�m fine. Just tired of lying in bed all day. Let�s order pizza or something, go on a junk food run. I�m starved.�
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