Max walked into the house and tried to get past the kitchen and up the stairs. Too bad it didn�t work. �Maxwell! Give me a hand?�
�What?� Max groaned and shuffled into the kitchen where Michael sat between Isabel and Tess. They had the table covered in books. Wedding dress and tuxes adorned the models on every page of every book.
�I don�t know what to do with this stuff.� Michael pointed to the magazine in his hand. �How do I know what will look good?�
�And you think I would? I thought Isabel had everything covered.� Max sank into a chair across from all of them.
�I was going to be nice and let him pick his own tux. You need one too... if you�re going to be best man.� Isabel glared at her brother and then snuck a glance at Tess. �So did you think about it?�
�No.� He shook his head. �It�s not going to happen.�
�Max...� Isabel sighed heavily. �It just makes sense to get it over with. While we�re planning for me and Michael, we might as well get you and Tess--�
�No.� He banged his fist on the table. �How many times do I have to say this? It�s not going to happen.�
Michael sat back and crossed his arms. �The guy�s right. No weddings. Just sex.�
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than did both Tess and Isabel hit him. Max rolled his eyes and made his escape. The four of them had lived together since high school graduation. Michael had moved in shortly after Mr. Harding revealed to them their destinies.
Max stared at the page with their four faces as Ed explained to them what he knew. How could this be true? For eight years the three of them had hid from everyone, knowing they were different, knowing they were in the �47 crash. Suddenly, Max was king of a planet in a galaxy far, far away. It sounded like a bad science fiction movie.
�Tess was your bride.� Ed explained to Max. Max glanced over at Tess. Granted, she was very pretty and there was this pull between them. He was almost certain that it went both ways. �She was your Queen. She was made for you.�
�We were married?� Max asked. He was nearly 15 years old. Going out with a girl for a month seemed like forever, being married was just... wow.
�And Isabel was engaged to Michael. Michael was your second. The commander of your army.� Ed went on. Isabel glanced at Michael and blushed. She had never thought of Michael that way before. �You were both great... warriors. Good soldiers.�
�So what about our powers?� Michael asked eagerly. �How come Max and Isabel don�t have any problems but I can�t do anything?�
�I lost you. That was partly my fault. You haven�t been trained. That is what I am here for. To teach you, to train you, to make your destinies known to you.� The man�s blue eyes danced as he paced the living room of his new home. �I do believe there is a situation that needs to be rectified. Michael, you will not stay on Old Chisholm Trail. No, that would be unacceptable. You leave everything to me and you will be living here before the month is out.�
�What are you talking about?� Michael glanced at his friends.
�I can�t take Max and Isabel from their parents without making anyone suspicious but Hank Whitmore is a problem that can be dealt with... unless you�d prefer those living conditions. The drunken rants, dirty floors and midnight beatings.�
�Beating?� Isabel�s head snapped around. �He hits you?�
�Leave it alone, Iz.� Michael muttered and nodded to Mr. Harding. �Do what you have to.�
Max had just entered his room when he felt Tess at the door. She didn�t walk in, she just stayed in the doorway and stared at him. �What do you want?�
�I didn�t... it wasn�t my suggestion. That was all Isabel�s idea.� Tess whispered. �Would it be so bad, Max?�
�You tell me. You want to be married to a man who doesn�t love you?� He turned on her. �To a man who would use you as a sexual outlet?�
�Stop it. You know you don�t really feel that way about me. You wouldn�t keep coming to me if you did. I know you.� Tess turned slightly and leaned against the door. �You wouldn�t use me. If you did, it would go against everything you believe.�
�What do you want from me?�
�Just admit that you feel something-- anything for me.�
--
Liz looked up from her notebook and immediately wished she hadn�t. Rath and Lannie were going at it on the other bed across the room. Zan and Ava had gone to scam some food, leaving her to decipher her visions. Her head was swimming with the four faces revealed to her by the boy opening the book. That book was important to them.
She sat drawing out every symbol she could make out from the brief flipping of the book�s stiff pages in her mind. Those faces called to her and begged her to draw them. So she started with Zan. It was him and even with the obvious differences, she knew it was him. She could almost imagine him without the spikes, with soft hair that would fall across his forehead, without the piercings, without the goatee, with a sexy half-smile that would make her melt in an instant. No matter what he looked like, she would know him and love him, but a clean cut Zan was definitely something to drool and dream over.
Zan was complete. She ran her finger through the pencil marks, smudging them to make hair and eyebrows. Then she shaded in his full lips. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips at the thought of kissing him. She traced his jaw line and remembered it had been such a long time since he had smooth hairless cheeks. He had started growing his goatee as soon as his facial hair had come in.
Very quickly, she drew the images of the other three she had seen in her vision so she could get back to her daydreaming. She drew Rath without his mullet Mohawk and monster sideburns but with short spikes. Lannie had long hair and bright smile, no short curls or dark makeup. Ava had the same chin length hair but had curls and a sugary smile. �God, could they be any more cornball?�
On a fresh sheet she began a drawing of herself with her long braids, her darkly shaded eyes and cheeks. Making sure that Rath and Lannie were totally lost in each other, she pulled out the missing poster from her pocket. Comparing the two images, Liz realized that Zan was right. She barely looked the same. In fact, she looked like she could be her own mother... or older sister but definitely not the same person.
Liz stuck her head out of her little corner of the Antarian territory of the sewer. She motioned for Zan to join her. He was up and off the beat up old couch in seconds. Rath yelled after him. �Pussy!�
Zan pulled the curtain shut after he climbed into her sleeping area. Liz pulled him down for a deep kiss. Her fingers wound in his hair while his tangled in her braids. Their tongues fought for dominance as their bodies found their way down to the mass of pillows that she slept on. She let her hands move away from his head and down his body, caressing his developing muscles beneath his black shirt It didn�t take long for his to mold themselves to her ripening curves.
Liz had been putting him off for months but now they were finally going to cross the ultimate line. She felt she was finally ready to make love to him. He started testing her. First his shirt dissolved and then hers. Her lack of protest and eagerness to touch him and to respond to his touches, drove him on. Piece by piece the rest of their clothes dissolved and hands covered more ground.
Kneading her soft flesh, Zan shifted on top of her, bringing his chest flat up against hers. Fast and heavy breathing filled the small curtained area. Liz moaned as his mouth fixed itself on her throat. A burning ran through her body, settling low in a place barely discovered and about to be charted. She gasped when his fingers slid between her legs and rubbed her folds, allowing them both to realize how hot and wet she was. �Zan...�
Zan nudged her legs apart, pressing his cock against her heat. She arched her body against him, wanting the ache to subside, wanting him to soothe it. Taking her cue, he guided his throbbing cock inside her body slowly. He had to grit his teeth to keep from shouting out how good she felt surrounding him. Then he encountered one of the last shreds of innocence that she had left. Drawing back slightly, Zan pushed through the fine membrane, eliciting a cry from Liz.
�Wait.� She whispered, grasping his arms. That�s when he looked into her eyes, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. As her lids closed over her brown eyes, a tear appeared at each eye. Unable to take the sight of her crying, he buried his face in her neck and rocked against her. Liz bit her lip to muffle her soft grunts as he picked up speed. Finally, oh finally, was she able to move past the pain and feel him as he moved inside her body. �Zan... more...�
It was the only invitation he needed to move with more strength and speed. The sweat eased the friction between their bodies as they built up the pleasure to come. Liz threw her head back and wrapped her arms around him, placing her palms flat on his back. Zan continued to thrust forcefully between her legs. Just as he felt himself reaching his orgasm, her inner walls fluttered and clamped down on his cock. The extra tightness was enough to make him cum on the spot.
Ten spots of pressure pushed into his back as he fought to stay still over her writhing body. Liz felt the warmth spread through her middle as her breathing returned to normal. She couldn�t keep a smile from crossing her face when she gazed up into his face. He pulled out of her and collapsed on the pillows next to her. Liz drew a blanket over the both of them and lay facing him. �Zan... I love you.�
�Yeah... love you too.� He touched her cheek tenderly and let his eyes flutter closed. She curled up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.
�Happy sixteenth.�
Liz looked up when the door opened. Rath�s harsh yell filled the air. �Shut the damn door.�
�Not my problem.� Zan dropped a bag on the table and took the other to Liz on the bed. �You are goin� ta eat.�
�Ok.� She nodded and took the bag from him. �What is this?�
�Don�t know. Swiped it off a park bench while the chick wasn�t lookin�.� He shrugged and took a burger from the bag. �There enough for all of us this time.�
�Yeah.� Liz nodded and pulled a carton of fries from the bag.
�What�s this?� Zan pulled her notebook from beside her. He eyed the images and then turned to her. �What the hell is this?�
�That�s what I saw. It�s in the book.�
�Yo, I still say this is shit. We ain�t got nothin� to do here.� Ava spat from her chair by the table. �I oughta tear all those braids off yo head.�
�I�d like to see you try.� Zan tossed over his shoulder, smirking at Liz. �My money�s on Liz.� His let his eyes fall on the notebook again, chewing his burger slowly. The burger was good, it had jalapenos cooked into the meat. �You don�t even need a damn pencil. Why you keep drawin�?�
�It�s fun.� She tilted her head. �Like readin�. That�s fun. So is a lot of stuff that you don�t do.�
�You got gifts. Use �em.�
--
�You will never believe this.� Isabel slammed her purse down on the foyer table. Michael and Max didn�t even look up from the game playing on the television.
�Iz, you get the burgers?� Michael called back to her.
�No.� She scoffed and stomped into the room, placing herself in front of the TV. �Let me tell you what happened. I went through all the trouble of walking into town and ordering your damn specialized burgers and fries and you want to know what happened?�
�The convertible still in the shop?� Max craned his neck to see the game around her.
�Not anymore. I set the bags down on a bench to get the keys that fell into the gutter.� Isabel turned around and shut off the TV. �When I got up... the bags were gone. Gone. You�re dinner is gone.�
�What? What are we supposed to eat?� Michael sat up.
�Fix something. I am not going back out there. I cannot believe someone would just walk up and steal someone else�s food.� She huffed and stamped her foot. Michael finally got up and hugged her.
�Iz... I�ll order us a pizza.� Max got to his feet to retrieve the phone. Lately, anything was liable to set Isabel off and only Michael could calm her down. In some ways, they were really just too normal.
�Max? Where�s Tess?� Ed poked his head into the kitchen.
�She went for a walk.� Max shrugged and flipped through the phone book. �She said not to wait up.�
�You can�t keep treating her like this.�
�Like what?� Max slammed the phone down and faced his protector. �I don�t think she wants this either. I think she does it because you keep on her back about it. You know you can�t tell me what to do and so you ride her. Just drop it.�
�Michael and Isabel never had this problem.� Ed pinched the bridge of his nose in a human gesture of stress.
�Michael wasn�t brought a stranger and told to love her. He loves Isabel and I�m happy for them. They�re going to get married because they want to. I don�t. If it happens, it happens... don�t push it.� He finished and began dialing the phone number to the nearest pizza place.
�Maybe you should have told her that you didn�t care about her.� Ed raised his eyebrows and ducked out of the room.
--
Zan stared at the picture of his face that Liz had drawn. She had obviously spent a great deal more time on his than the others. Flipping the page, he saw her self-portrait and it blew him away. That smirk on her lips was the one he loved. Quickly he flipped back to the beginning at her earlier drawings. He vaguely remembered her complaining about beginning to forget her parents and friends. She had drawn them all and written little biographies about each one. The only time she used her limited powers to draw was for colors.
There was a skinny kid with blue eyes, the girl that died, an old guy that had to be her father, a woman with brown hair was possibly her mother. Zan never bothered to read her little captions. It fascinated him that she had this whole world before he came along with his family and his destinies. Tossing the notebook aside, he settled into the bed that he was sharing with Liz. Ava had secured the room for them.
As soon as he had gotten comfortable, Liz had immediately sought him out in her sleep. Sometimes he knew exactly why he was supposed to save her life that day but sometimes... he wondered why... just why he needed her at all. Why would a king and his family need a human to give them these visions of what needed to be done? What was the point?
Part 7
Zan followed the map that Liz had made for he and Rath to follow. There was an orb to be found. Communication orbs but the real question was who they communicated with. Images swam around in his head as he drove. He and Liz had a rather interesting shower that morning. One thing that he never told anyone, especially Liz, was that sometimes he got images and impressions from her. That was how he had first found out about how Rath and Liz had started up.
Liz found herself struck with a horrible bout of homesickness. Zan was out insuring that the locals knew not to mess with his crew. Crying, she stood beside a grate and hid her face from the others. Lannie snorted and turned to Ava. �Come on. I�m hungry.�
�No more pizza, girl.�
�We�ll do Chinatown.� Their voices faded as they left the lair. Liz never even heard Rath come up behind her. His hand came up to rest on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, startled, and turned to face him.
�What? You homesick?� He asked in his gruff voice, to which she nodded stiffly. Unable to stop the tears, she reached out and hugged him, wrapping her arms around him, hiding her face in his chest. Slowly, his arms came around her tiny body, giving her just a little comfort. It was some time before she calmed down and they both realized how close they were, so close and they�d never been so before. Liz looked up at the guy who hadn�t really spoken to her in the three years that she had lived with them. Before she could stop to think, he kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth when she gasped.
The only reaction she had to the invasion was to reciprocate. Her tongue joined his in a dance. He tasted so different from Zan, kissed so differently... Was that his hand on her ass?
Zan had felt that kiss and shortly after that... he had turned to Ava, convinced that Liz was beginning to stray. Maybe the King wasn�t all that if he couldn�t keep the interest of a human girl.
�That�s the marker.� Rath pointed a finger to the side of the road.
�We off road for ten minutes. There�s s�posed to be a tower or somethin�.� Zan eased the van off the road and into the desert.
�I don�t see shit.�
�She said--� Zan started but got cut off.
�She said. It�s always about Liz. She gets the bed if there�s only one. She gets food. She gets your trust. She ain�t one of us.� Rath shouted and jabbed a finger at his leader.
�She�s mine!� Zan yelled and slammed on the brakes, just barely missing a cement base and a fallen radio tower. �You see, there it is.�
They jumped out of the van. Zan pulled out his map and instructions. He stalked over to the spot marked and motioned to Rath. Rath put his hand over the ground and the hard desert floor opened up. A wide circle formed and deepened. Dirt swirled out of the hole and evaporated. A shine filtered out. Zan leaned down and scooped up the blue glowing orb.
�You goin�a doubt her again?� His eyes never left the orb in his hands.
�Whateva you say, Duke.�
--
Liz strolled down the streets of Roswell. Her gloved fingers ran over items, wishing she could feel them under her bare fingers. Her thin gloves had become a second skin to her over the past three years. Her hood rested on her head, hiding her face and hair. How she longed to be able to feel the sun all over her pale body. Absently she rubbed the back of her sore hips. Zan had entered her shower and pressed her against the wall to make love.
He was searching again, which meant she could lose him. Every time he doubted her place in his life, she stood the chance of losing him. Every time he left her, he went to Ava. Once he had slept with Ava... she was the other woman. Liz had caught them together. Hurt and upset, Liz ran to Rath, remembering the impressions she had gotten from him the one time they had kissed. All those impressions had come to her in visions when she touched him intimately. The things he wanted to do to her.
She thought it was what she needed to get back at Zan for screwing around with Ava. Rath was so rough with her that she couldn�t enjoy it. She had sex with Rath but she made love with Zan. At first it was revenge... then she became disgusted with herself.
When Zan found out, he was pissed. He and Rath nearly got into it. Then she and Zan got into a fight.
�I�ll leave. You obviously don�t want me anymore. I�ll just go and you and Ava can just screw at will.�
�I only fucked her once.�
�Bullshit!� Liz screamed at him. She had seen him with Ava more than once in her visions but she hadn�t told him that.
�Liz... you listen to me.� He backed her into a wall and braced his arms on either side of her.
�Why should I?� Her voice faltered as she tried to remain strong in her vulnerable position. �You took me from my home three years ago because you said I was someone special. I guess I�m not special anymore, huh. So why the hell should I listen to you?�
Her small fists started beating on his chest even as his arms slipped around her. �Liz.�
�Let go! I�ll leave.�
Zan had to think quickly. There was no way he could let her leave. No matter what she had done or he had done. He would never admit it to anyone or even himself that he needed her. �No, Liz. I love you. I do. I love you. I don�t love Ava.�
�Then why are you sleeping with her?� Liz felt the tears slip out of her eyes as she lifted her head to look at his face; his eighteen-year-old face barely reminiscent of the fourteen-year-old one that had saved her life on that street in Roswell. His face had hardened with every day he got into a fight, with every life that he took to protect his family.
�I told you she was my mate. It�s just somthin� we�s s�posed to do. We s�posed to mate. Why the hell did you fuck Rath?�
�So you get me and her and I just get you?� Liz glared at him and tried pushing him away again.
�What? You wanna keep fuckin� him?� Zan stepped back in shock. That�s not what was supposed to happen. Liz was his, she loved him, she only wanted him; that�s the way it was supposed to be.
�No!� She screwed up her face in frustration. �I only want you.�
�Then what the fuck?� He held out his arms for her to explain herself.
�It�s not right. If you�re with me, you�re with me. Don�t be with her too. If you get someone else, why can�t I?�
He never answered that one. So Liz did her best to see that he was satisfied with her. Rath kept coming to her though. If just to make Zan sorry that he kept going to Ava, Liz let him. Sometimes she made it clear that she didn�t want his attentions and others she just didn�t want to make him angry. Zan would never let Rath hurt her but then Zan wasn�t there all the time.
Liz wandered away from the store window that she had been staring into and continued her walk. Ava and Lannie were supposed to look after her but they had fallen asleep the second the guys had left. So Liz went for a refresher tour of the town where she was born. So much was different about the town and about her. Had anyone tried to tell her that she would be key to the existence of royal aliens on earth, she would have laughed in their face. Had anyone told her that she would receive visions, become empathic... overall develop extrasensory perception and mild psycho-kinesis, she would have told them such things didn�t exist. Zan thought she was crazy looking for a human definition for the things she could do.
Suddenly, she found herself looking up at the Crashdown�s neon UFO sign. Immediately, she high-tailed it across the street and into the nearest building. She walked into a group of people taking the tour of the UFO Center. Once within the main building, she filtered herself out of the group and looked around on her own. It would figure that the first exhibit she came to expressed the connection between the paranormal and UFO activity. �If only they knew.�
�Hey, did I go to high school with you?� A voice drifted over her head. Liz turned slightly to make out the tall and gangly figure of a familiar blue-eyed face. Who was he again?
�Highly unlikely.� She replied and turned back to the exhibit.
�You just look very familiar. I�ve lived here my entire life and so if I recognize you it must be because you lived here at one point or another.� The man continued to chatter on.
�I�m from New York.� Liz told him and moved on to the next exhibit expressing the involvement of unidentified aircraft with foo fighters.
�Are you sure you aren�t from here? You look very familiar and I never forget a face.� He prodded and followed her to the exhibit on secret government factions.
�Look. I ain�t never been here before.� She pulled her hood further around her face.
�Alright. Sorry. Hey, let me make up for this misunderstanding. How about I give you a tour of Roswell? We could see all six sites and then grab some lunch.� He smiled warmly. One look into his face and Liz couldn�t say no.
�Fine.� She finally said and lifted her hood off her head. �I�d like that.�
�I�m Alexander Charles Whitman. You can call me Alex.�
Liz furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment but shook it off. Those headaches were really screwing with her mind. �I�m... Call me Cassandra.�
�Cassie?� Alex arched an eyebrow up.
�Sure, why not.� She managed a small smile and let him lead her through the Center.
�I�ve been coming here for years. It�s just fascinating. The possibility of life on other planets and their part in our lives if any. Do you believe?�
�Yeah. We can�t be the only intelligent life in the vast universe. It�s just not plausible.� Liz shrugged and fiddled with one of her braids.
�What brings you to Roswell?� Alex inquired as they made their way out of the Center. Liz stopped watching where she was going and led him lead. �You�re a long way from New York.�
�I came with... my boyfriend and his family. They came through here once a long time ago and it was time they came back.� It wasn�t a total lie.
�Oh, so you have a boyfriend... Where is he?� He flirted with her. �I know I wouldn�t let my girlfriend wander strange cities if she was as beautiful as you.�
�Well, he had some business to take care of.� Liz smiled a little as she took a seat across from him at an outside table.
�Business... what does he do?� Alex contented himself to nice conversation with a pretty lady that stuck out like a sore thumb in the small town of Roswell.
�Well, he�s important. He�s got people who depend on him to make decisions that no one should have to make.� Liz pondered aloud. �He�s like a King.�
�Wow. So, Cassie, what do you do?�
�I love him.� The response was immediate.
�Besides that.� He chuckled and shook his head.
�I read, write, draw.� Liz rubbed at her gloved fingers and shrugged slightly. �Sometimes I dance and listen to music.�
�I�m curious, so don�t get offended. It�s like 85 degrees out here and you�re wearing a long sleeve shirt with gloves and that hood. Aren�t you a little hot?� Alex pointed to each item in turn.
�I am.� She laughed and dropped her gaze to the table. �My skin is very sensitive...�
�Ah... I see, well the desert is no place for you.� He leaned on the table and stared at her hard. �I just can�t get over how familiar you look.�
�I guess I just have one of those faces.�
--
�Do I have this right?� Max trailed a hand over his face. �They are using you to get to me now?�
�I just said I�d bring it up. I didn�t say I�d change your mind.� Michael flipped the channels on the TV at a rapid pace. �I�m doing the wedding thing because Isabel wants it. What Isabel wants, she gets... you know?�
�Yeah but can�t she leave me alone. When and if I get married... I�ll make that decision. She should be happy she�s getting her wedding.� Max shoved himself off the couch. �I�m heading out.�
�Where?�
�Anywhere but here.� Max grabbed his keys and went out to his Jeep. Destiny was the house conspiracy. He drove into town muttering to himself. �Be a King, Max. Take charge, Max. Be nice to Tess, Max. Get engaged, Max. Get married, Max.�
Pulling into the Crashdown, Max hopped out and started into the restaurant when someone called out to him.
�Evans!� Called the familiar voice.
�Whitman...� Max shook his head and headed over to the table where the lanky guy and a braided girl sat. �I thought you were still in Tucson.�
�I was... for a month but I couldn�t stay away. Anyway I could talk your sister out of marrying Guerin?� Alex asked hopefully then leaned forward to the girl across from him. �Let me tell you that his sister is the most beautiful woman in the world and she won�t give me the time of day.�
�Sorry, man. Date�s set. I�ll see if I can swing you an invite.� Max chuckled. Everyone at West Roswell had seen the way that Alex drooled over Isabel Evans. After a trip to Sweden, he had come back and actually asked her out, regardless of the fact that she was dating Michael. He had been hounding Isabel ever since. Max and Alex had formed a twisted friendship. Whenever Alex was in serious danger of being killed by Michael, Max would step in and lend a hand. Once upon a time Max would have like his sister to date someone more like Alex, prove to Ed and Tess that destiny wasn�t all there was... but then he realized that Isabel was really and truly in love with Michael.
�Oh! I�m sorry. Max Evans, meet Cassie... Cassandra... you never told me your last name.� Alex motioned to the girl that was staring off into space while the two men conversed about things she didn�t know about. Max turned to see the braided woman in the seat across from his friend.
�Hi, nice to meet you.� Max held out his hand to shake with the girl.
�Oh uh, hi.� Liz took his hand before looking up at him. If she had looked first, she wouldn�t have held out her hand. There was the image that she had drawn the night before. It was Zan but not. She knew Zan was out in the desert; there was no way this could be him. Her eyes widen as she jerked her hand back and got to her feet. She should have never left alone, she should have waited until someone would go with her. It was HIM. Her visions had told her many things, aside from being able to read the book that they never found, he was bad. The shape-shifter.
Part 8
Zan slammed on the brakes just after re-entering Roswell. He had been just about to make a right turn to go back to the room they had secured but then a vision had appeared in the street. Liz stood there in the intersection waving her arms at him, panic clear in her eyes. Yanking on the steering wheel, Zan cut across two lanes and turned left.
�What the fuck? You tryin�a kill me?� Rath shouted from the passenger seat. �Where the fuck you goin�?�
�Shut the fuck up.� Zan gritted through his teeth. He had to get to Liz and kill whatever made her so scared. �Liz is in trouble.�
--
�Get away from me.� Liz stood up on the chair in an attempt to put more distance between her and the man in front of her.
�Whoa!� Alex had just planned on taking the pretty girl to lunch. She had seemed nice enough at the time. The second she set eyes on his friend Max, she had freaked. Max held his hands out in a gesture that he hoped showed he didn�t mean any harm. He took this opportunity to really look at Alex�s new friend. She looked so familiar... almost like... but Alex said her name was Cassie. She was covered from neck to toe.
�What�s wrong?� Max asked softly, vaguely aware of the spectacle they were making.
�Don�t touch me.� She hissed with so much venom that both men moved away. �I don�t know who you are but stay away from me.�
�Cassie, calm down.� Alex finally stepped in. �This is just a friend of mine. He won�t hurt you.�
�Like you would know, you don�t know what he is.� Liz never took her eyes off the man who looked like her lover under major makeover influence. Max immediately paled at her words. She knew what he was? �Why do you look like him?�
�Look like who?� Max asked, his voice barely a whisper.
�Oh, you know who I�m talking about. You almost had it. You have the face and the body but Zan would never be caught dead dressed like that.� She shook her head with a slight smirk. She knew he could probably kill her but if she could keep him off-guard she could have some time to build energy. It wouldn�t cause him much damage but maybe she�d be able to get away.
�Zan...� Max trailed off. Ed had tried to tell them about their past lives but Max really hadn�t paid much attention, maybe he should have. He stared up at the beautiful woman and tried desperately to make some sense of the situation.
�Cassie, come on. Get down from there. No one is going to hurt you.� Alex spoke up and reached for her hand. She allowed him to guide her off the chair. She scooted away from Max in an attempt to put some distance between them.
�Shit.� Both Alex and Max whispered when a man stalked up to them and put his arm around �Cassie�. Max stood there dumbfounded as a man that could have been his twin calmed down the distraught woman.
�Liz.� He murmured into her braids as he ascertained that she was unharmed. Then his eyes fell on the two men before him. Their eyes widened at his use of her real name. �Who these fuckers?�
�He�s gotta be the shape-shifter.� Liz whispered even as she clung to his body.
�What the hell you doin� out by yoself? Where�s Ava and Lannie?� He griped her out but his eyes never left his duplicate and his friend.
�I just went for a walk. I ran into that guy Alex across the street. He bought me lunch. Then that other guy came, said his name was Max.� Liz whispered, her eyes stinging at unshed tears. He was angry with her and would probably yell at her later.
�Look, Zan.� Max managed to put his tongue to use. �We weren�t trying to hurt her. We were just saying hi.�
�No one touches her.� Zan sneered. �You and I are gon meet �gin. When that happens, we get some answers.� The two backed down the street and disappeared around a corner.
�Did you hear what he called her?� Alex whispered. �That�s not possible... is it? She can�t be Liz. Liz is dead.�
�It looked like her.� Max spoke softly as bells went off in his head. He had to go to Ed.
�She�s gone. No one knows better than I do. I was her best friend for... five years... both of their friends.� Alex started losing it. It just could not be her.
�Alex, don�t worry about these people... I�ll take care of it.�
--
�What were you thinkin�?� Zan yelled at her, watching her braids fall over her face. Her eyes fixated on her boots, blinking back the sting. �I never leave you alone �cause you can�t defend yourself. If it ain�t cause of the visions, it�s cause you cain�t gather enough energy. Who knows what he would�a done to ya if I ain�t hauled ass over there?�
�Stupid bitch.� Ava muttered.
�You! Shut the fuck up.� Zan whirled on the small pink-haired girl. �What the fuck were you doin� sleepin� when I told you to look after her?�
�What�s the shit anyway?� Rath interrupted.
�She says it was the shape-shifter. He was wearin� my face.� Zan chewed at his lip stud and raised a hand up in the air. �He was dressed like a cornball but it was my face, my body he was walkin� around in.�
--
�She said I looked just like Zan. Then this guy shows up. He was wearing my face and my body. He was dressed like a punk but... it was me.� Max ran a hand over his face then raised it up in the air. �What didn�t you tell us about the mission to bring us here?�
�Did she let anything else slip?� Ed stared at his King hard. They had retreated to his office the second that Max had stepped into the house.
�I think she thought I was you.�
�Did he say anything?�
�He said that no one touches her. He and I would meet again. That when we did, he was going to get some answers. No, he said we. �We get some answers.� I get the feeling that he wasn�t just talking about him and Liz.� Max nodded solemnly. �What haven�t you told us?�
�You said he looked like you but was dressed like a punk. Anything else different?� Ed asked, he just needed a little more information.
�He had this accent. He is not from New Mexico, or Texas. No place from the South. Not west coast either. Maybe East coast, up North.� Max heard the thick accent in his head over and over again. �He drops his endings, talks tough, bad grammar. He hasn�t had any schooling, no supervision from the way he took control of the situation.� Max chuckled lightly thinking of how he learned to analyze a person in one of his courses at the college. �And you said those classes wouldn�t come in handy.�
�I think I know who it is.� Ed stood up and began pacing his office. �When we were briefed on our mission, we were given specific tasks. We would bring you to earth and wait for your emergence. You were set to emerge first. We would explain things, beginning training. Then we would tell you and only you about the other set.�
�The other set?� Max looked up at his protector.
�We were sent to protect the royal four. Thing was... there were two sets. Then there was the crash and the government. We hid you four here and she took the other four somewhere else. You are the four that matter. The others were a decoy; a back-up plan. I honestly didn�t think they survived. Your pods were leaking and I tried to repair the damage.� Ed closed his eyes as he saw it all again. �I wanted to get you further away but not with the damage you all had sustained. I told her to go.�
�Her? She? Who are you talking about?� Max pressed.
�You know the story as well as I do. Three died in the crash and two were captured. The next time I saw her, we were both in the hands of the Special Unit. She told me he took them far away but close enough that we could get to them. She faked her death and escaped but she couldn�t wait for me. She left. When I escaped, finally... I went looking for her. I spoke to her briefly once. We decided to raise you separately. Since we were the only two left and there were eight total.� Ed paused to see that his charge understood.
�What happened to her?� Max whispered.
�I found her, dead. I assumed that they had gotten her and killed them too. I thought they were gone and so I didn�t tell you when I found you. There was no point in bringing them up as a strategy if they were gone. When I got back here after I found her, the three of you were gone. I took Tess and set out to find you.� Ed finished his little oratory.
�What was her name?�
�Her name is not important. I should have known that they had survived. They are stronger than you are.� Ed pinched the bridge of his nose and sank into his desk chair. �Zan, Rathard, Vilandra and Avaria.�
�They have Liz.� Max whispered. �I am almost certain that it�s her. Zan... he has her.�
�I should have paid more attention to you.� The old looking man admitted. �If he does have her, there must be a reason. A reason that you fixated on her, a reason that he has had her all these years... it can�t be just because she�s a beauty as you say.� Ed scratched his head.
�That not it. Not it at all. The second that I saw her, I knew she was special. I was eight years old, Ed. She�s always drawn me to her.� Max whispered. He thought back to all the times he had stared at her during class or across the schoolyard. �I never believed she died. I had a vision of myself healing her before she died. Maybe it wasn�t a vision after all.�
--
Liz looked around for her notebook. It was old and tattered, pages torn, binding bent... but it was hers. She remembered drawing in it the memories of her family and friends. Zan was ordering them back into the van. It was too risky to stay in the room. �It was right here. I left it there.�
�Let�s bounce already.� Lannie sauntered out of the room, pulling Rath after her.
�I had it last night. Where is it?� She felt the tears stinging her eyes. That notebook was all she had left of her deteriorating memories.
�I chunked it.� Ava shrugged and went out to the van.
Liz stood there, dumbstruck. She stormed out of the room after Ava. �You did what?�
�I threw it away. It�s just a dumb notebook.� Ava barely batted an eye until she heard the scream. Liz reached out and grabbed her by her pink hair.
�You had no damn right to touch my notebook!� She screamed at the woman, tossing her to the ground. She gathered her energy quickly, fueled by her anger and loss. Liz had no clue what she was going to do with this ball she was building but she was too pissed to think.
Ava picked herself up off the ground and wiped the grit from her face. �Oooh, bitch. You gon regret that.�
Just as the two lunged at each other, Zan grabbed Liz and pulled her away. �Chill!�
�Let her go. I want a piece of her.� Ava hissed.
�I said chill.� Zan pinned her with a look. He glanced down at the obviously furious Liz for a moment before letting her go. �Let it go.�
�I can�t.� Liz shoved herself off him and tore down the street.
�Look what you did!� Zan turned on Ava, who cowered under his gaze. The three of them could feel the anger coming off him in waves. �She can�t even remember her way around you stupid bitch.�
�It ain�t my fault she flipped.� Ava meant to shout it out but it only came out as a whisper.
�You don�t touch her shit. Her brain is fryin� to keep us ahead of the game. That�s why she gets what she wants. That�s why she gets a bed and food before we do. She even taught you dumb asses how to read as good as she can.� Zan growled at them. They stared at him like children who had gotten caught playing ball in the house after the window broke. �Now, instead of lookin� for the damn shape-shifter, we gotta look for her. Get in the fuckin� van.�
Rath and Ava did as told, knowing they were the main cause of any discontentment Liz had. Lannie approached her brother slowly. �How sick is she?�
�I don�t think I could fix her.� Zan whispered. �Somethin�s gone wrong. I don�t think she was s�posed to get like this.�
�Where you think she�ll go?� She glanced down the street in the direction the smaller girl had taken off.
�She doesn�t even know.� He stared at his feet for a long time, until after Lannie had climbed into the van. He always held back on Lannie. He wondered sometimes if she knew it. Liz probably didn�t even realize how much the visions were taking out of her.
--
Liz opened the phone book and turned it to the back and ran her finger down the rows of names until she hit the one she wanted. Whitman, Charles. The only Whitman in the book so there had to be some relation to the man she met at the UFO center. On a whim, she flipped to the beginning. Evans, Max. Curiously enough there was an Evans above and below his name. The one above had the same address but different phone number, listed as Evans, Isabel. The other name was across town from what she could remember. Evans, Philip. �Interesting.�
Wincing, she raised a hand to her forehead. Scanning was out, so she ripped the pages from the book and tried to get her bearings in a town that she had once known the ins and outs of. Where was she?
She started walking around and ended up back at the room. The van was gone and so were Zan and the others... but the cleaning lady�s cart was right outside. Sneaking up to the cart, she quickly retrieved her notebook from the bag. Opening to the first page, she recognized the name of the man she had met earlier and her crude drawing hardly did him justice. Maybe he knew what was going on.
--
Alex jogged to the door. Who in the world would be dropping by so late? �I got it Mom!�
He opened the door to see the ghost that had haunted him all day. She stared up at him with those brown eyes that had lost the light that he had loved. She had seen so many things in the years following her �death� that her eyes no longer smiled. They still conveyed everything that she felt but in such a stronger way than before. �Alex?�
�Yeah, that�s me...� He didn�t know what to call her.
�I know you, don�t I? I mean... I used to know you. Right?� Liz furrowed her brow in confusion.
�You don�t remember?� Alex asked softly.
�I don�t remember a lot of things. I know my name is Liz. Elizabeth Parker. I know that you have the same name and face as this person.� She showed him her notebook. �I drew that a long time ago. It is you?�
�Yeah, it is.� He nodded and slowly reached out to hug her. Hesitantly, she hugged him back. His body jerked suddenly and sobs filled her ears. �I�ve missed you, Liz.�
Part 9
Max studied the page in front of him for a minute then turned the page. �That one.�
�Good choice. Which one will you be wearing?� Isabel noted the page number and style.
�That one.� Max reiterated. �You�re not giving that one to Michael.�
�He wanted a powder blue tux, Max.� She groaned.
�Can�t we wear the same style? It�ll look different on both of us.� He tried to help out.
�But you�ll end up looking better than him and I am determined to have him looking his absolute best.� She flipped through the book. The phone rang and Isabel had it in her hand before the second ring. �Isabel... Alex, I�ve told you. I�m engaged... Oh... Max, it�s Alex.�
Max sighed and took the phone. �Hey man... you�re kidding... It�s really her? ... Why not? ... Why won�t she say? ... No man, I have no clue what she was talking about... No, don�t know who that guy is... maybe... I guess I�ll just have to talk to him... Tell her that I�m cool... It�s really important that I talk to her, Alex... Yes it does have something to do with her boyfriend... hell, I�m curious as to why he looks like me too... catch you tomorrow then.�
�What was that all about?� Isabel asked, curious as to why her stalker hadn�t wanted to talk to her.
�Nothing.� Max hopped up from the table and disappeared into Ed�s office.
--
Liz walked into Alex�s room with a towel around her hair and clad in his sweats, tank and her gloves. She sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed her hair dry. �Your parents won�t mind you keepin� me here?�
�My parents barely notice that I�m here.� Alex shook his head with a smile. He took in her appearance. �What�s happened to you? The gloves, I mean?�
She sat silently for two full minutes before speaking. �How much do you know about Max Evans?�
�Plenty. I know his sister is beautiful and won�t talk to me beyond a casual �how�s the weather� conversation. He�s a genius. He�s hilarious and he�s a stand-up kind of guy.�
�Never mind, then. You obviously don�t know him too well.� Liz whispered and ran her fingers through her hair.
�We all thought you died that day... then when the evidence disappeared and your body was missing...� Alex shut his eyes against the memory of how hard that summer was without his best friends. �Why did you disappear?�
�I had to.� She murmured as she focused her energy on restoring fresh braids to her head while he wasn�t paying attention. �I still don�t know who shot me... Zan saved me. I�ve been with them in New York. He protects me.�
�Why did you come here tonight?�
�I-I don�t know. Ava tried to destroy my notebook, my sanity, my memories. I tried to hurt her... I�ve never tried to do that before. I feel like I�m losing myself the longer that I�m with them.� Liz rubbed her gloved hands together.
�Then why do you stay with them?� Alex pulled his chair closer to the bed.
�I love him. He loves me.� She shrugged and stared down at her hands. �Zan protects me, he heals me... I need him. Ava�s just jealous that he doesn�t love her. She�s just sex to him. I�m what he wants.�
--
Zan surveyed the around but there was no sign of her. He was exhausted but he needed to find her. Rath pulled the van over into an empty lot. �We�ll start again in the mornin�. She can�t have gotten far, especially if she�s got Swiss chese for brains.�
�When we get her back, you will never touch her again.� Zan muttered and sank into the passenger seat, his eyes still sweeping the area outside the van.
�Whateva.�
�No whateva.... That�s an order.�
--
�Tell me about what you think Max is.� Alex asked, spreading sheets on the couch for her to sleep on.
�You wouldn�t believe me if I told you.� Liz shook her head. She wanted to tell Alex everything but so many years of keeping things to herself had paid their toll on her soul. She watched his blue eyes full of concern. He wanted to know everything that had happened to her since she had �died.� �Are you ready for a long story?�
�I got all the time in the world.� He smiled gently and sat on one end of the couch. She pulled on her jacket before joining him. Once again, none of her flesh touched anything that wasn�t hers.
�I see it in my dreams. I see it happen. We were standing there talking and waiting... I guess for you. Then some guy ran through and shots rang out. They got us both. I just lay there on the sidewalk bleeding when Zan appears over me. He put his hands on me and healed me. Then he picked me up and we got out of there.� Liz shut her eyes. �He said that someone was after me. That I was special and he had seen me in his dream. That he was supposed to save my life. It was strange while we were still in town. I saw my own casket put into the ground. Where are my parents?�
�They sold the Crashdown about five years back and went to Florida but I guess they come back every once in a while because I see new missing posters around town. After your body disappeared, they thought you might still be alive.� He wanted to hug her for dear life but didn�t want to stop her from talking. Alex loved that she felt she could go to him after all this time.
�Oh.� She nodded. �When we got to New York, he tells me who he really is. Zan is the King of this planet in a solar system far away. Lannie is his sister, a princess. Rath is her fianc�e and Ava was intended to be Zan�s bride.�
�Where do you figure in to this alien nation?� Alex teased lightly, not quite sure what to make of what she was implying.
�I�m the augur. I chose the name myself. They didn�t really read much before I got there. It was a couple of months after I was there that we discovered what was special about me.� Liz twirled a braid between her fingers as she recounted that innocent experience. �Zan was comforting me because I was homesick. He gave me my first kiss and then I saw things. I saw his birth on Earth. He had never told anyone about the shape-shifter that was there when he came out of his pod.� A whimsical smile crossed her face, making Alex glad he was there to witness it. �So I see things. Past, present, future. Like the prophet Cassandra, like the oracles at Delphi, like a soothsayer.�
�You didn�t used to be able to do things like that.�
�Alex, I didn�t used to be able to do a lot of things.� She told him with a slight smile. Being in his presence had taken the edge off her headache. She had a vision building but she chose to ignore it. � Like this.� She gathered her energy and held out her hand. Across the room, Mrs. Whitman�s vase slid from one side of the table to the other. �Or this.� She lifted her hand to her hair. One braid turned red. �Zan changed me when he healed me. I�ve got psycho-kinetic abilities and some ESP. You wanted to know about my gloves...�
�Yeah.� He nodded in awe.
�I can get... flashes when I touch things with my bare skin. Like I know that someone may have seen Zan heal me that day and that is dangerous because someone knows I�m still alive. My life is still in danger.� Liz sighed and touched her temples.
�Do you want some aspirin or something? It looks like you�re fighting quite a headache.� Alex started to get up.
�No. I�ll be fine. It�s a vision but I have to find an equilibrium before it can be revealed to me.�
�An equilibrium?�
�I need Zan. The visions give me pain and I need Zan to give me pleasure to get them out. They�ve gotten so bad over the years. It used to be that just a touch would help but now...� Liz shook her head. �I should rest. I have to find Zan tomorrow. My visions help him to be the King he needs to be.�
�What about Max? You said he was a shape-shifter this afternoon.� Alex scratched his head. �I�ve known him since he came to school in the third grade. We�ve become pretty good friends since sophomore year of high school. Why would you think he�s an alien? He�s as normal as they come.�
Liz shuddered as she recalled one of Zan�s memories. That had made a lasting impression on her about the shape-shifting �protectors�. Sometimes it gave her nightmares. �When Zan came out of his pod, a shape-shifting protector greeted him. She told him about his past life on Antar and his purpose on our planet. For two weeks she trained him in the extensive use of his abilities. Then... she taught him how to kill.�
�To kill?�
�He was only six years old, well he looked like a six-year-old.� Liz felt the tears well up and spill out of her eyes but she kept talking. �They practiced on homeless people and crack-heads. She showed him different ways to kill humans. Once, they killed a Skin, that�s their enemy. Zan... he�s smart, real smart and he didn�t like killing but he did as he was told because he had responsibilities and he had to take care of his family. They were going to emerge from their pods soon.�
�Wow.� Alex felt himself getting sucked into her story. He didn�t really believe any of it but he could tell that she did, wholeheartedly.
�The third week out of his pod, they ran into FBI agents as she was explaining something to him. I�ve never gotten what it was but it must have been important. She held out her hand to fend them off. One of the Agents told her something and she lost it. Zan hid in a trashcan.� Liz wiped the tears off her face. �She turned on him. She tried to kill him... so he had to kill her. He was so scared.�
�Don�t you think that maybe the FBI did something to her to make her turn?�
�No. She was angry. She kept taunting him. She threatened the pods. There was only one thing he could do and so he killed her.� Liz wiped her face on her sleeve and sniffed. �He never told the others anything more than that shape-shifters existed. When I told him that there was one here, he got a little nervous.�
�Max wants to talk to you.�
�No!� Liz shook her head. �I can barely hold my own against Ava. I couldn�t defend myself against Max.�
�Max never hurt a fly in his entire life. He always refused to dissect the frogs in bio.� Alex tried to reassure the scared girl on his couch. His eye caught on her notebook. �Can I?� Reluctantly, she handed it over. Alex looked over his young face and then Maria�s. The Parkers. �Grandma Claudia died.� He told her.
�I know. I think I saw her in a vision six years back.� Liz hugged her knees to her chest.
He turned page after page of drawings of Roswell and people she knew. Then came the four. Maybe she really did see visions. There was Tess Harding and Alex knew she had never met the girl. Alex knew all four people on the page. Max Evans, all around good guy. Isabel Evans, living breathing goddess. Michael Guerin, bane of his existence. Tess Harding, a fool for Max Evans. �How did you see Tess?�
�Tess?� Liz shook her head.
�This girl here, this is Tess.� Alex pointed. �This is all of them. Isabel and Michael and Max and Tess. They all live together at Tess�s. Did you know that they all lived together?�
�That�s Zan, Rath, Lannie and Ava.� Liz disagreed. �That was in a book that�s very important to their mission... if only we could find it. Look, I really need to rest and then tomorrow I have to find Zan.�
�Okay, Goodnight then. Holler if you need anything.� Alex left her alone and went back to his room. There was no way he was going to sleep tonight. Not with all that knowledge in his head. Could it be true? Aliens on earth. Royal aliens on earth. Sinking down on his bed, he eyed the phone a minute before picking it up. Not caring if he woke anyone up, he dialed Max�s number this time. Max rarely answered his own phone and so Alex left a message on the answering machine.
--
Max�s arms tightened around his pillow as his eyes finally fluttered closed. Tess�s even breathing against his back helped ease him into slumber. Her words echoed in his head still. �I couldn�t take it if I woke up alone again.� Aside from that thought, the night was entirely peaceful, so Max focused on that. It was in these moments that he could consider marrying Tess.
The knowledge that she trusted him endlessly with everything that was her, that she had just given herself over to him completely once again, that she would do anything at all to please him... it was overwhelming and Max had trouble believing anyone could feel that way about him. Her soft breasts were pressed against his back, her left hand rested on his shoulder, her silken hair tickled his ear just a bit and her eyelashes fluttered against his spine in her sleep. If only she knew how that turned him on. How many times in his past life had he lain like this with his wife? How many times had he given in to the urge that he felt now? That urge to gently roll over beneath her and wake her with kisses so that they could make love once again.
Yanked from his mind�s musings by the phone ringing, Max cursed softly to himself. Who the hell would be calling so late? Two more rings and the answering machine turned on. �You�ve reached Max Evans. I�m not able to come to the phone at the moment so if you would leave your name, number and purpose... I guess I�ll get back you.� Beep.
�Max, it�s Alex. She�s asleep now but... man... she told me some crazy shit tonight. I�m not sure whether or not I believe it. I know you�re there so just get back to me. There�s no way I�m sleeping, now. I won�t get into it now but I really need to talk to you about this stuff. I�ll be up so come over when you can.� Click.
There was no decision to be made. Max got out from under Tess and yanked his clothes on. He wondered if he should take the Jeep or walk. Either way, he�d be there soon enough.
--
Zan stared at the park across from the van. He couldn�t sleep if she wasn�t there beside him. His mind raced with a million reasons to worry. What if she was attacked and was too weak to send him a warning? What if she was having another vision and he wasn�t there to relieve the pain? He closed his eyes at the possible pain she could be in. Zan wished he could stop all this and go back make things different. What if he hadn�t come for her? What would she be doing instead?
He almost snorted. If it weren�t for him, she�d probably be married or in college or something. She wouldn�t know about interspecies politics or that there were at least six races of beings in the known universe. Zan stepped out of the van and began walking. What he wouldn�t give to grant her that ignorance and peace of mind...
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