�Oh dear Lord, no.� Jeff�s jaw dropped open. Maria and Michael exchanged pained looks. �Not him, anyone but him.�
Before either teen could stop him, Jeff had made his way out into the diner and pulled his daughter off the strange guy she had been sitting on. Zan smirked and looked the older man over. �Yo, pops. Gotta problem?�
�Keep your damn hands off my daughter.� He growled. �I don�t want your kind in my restaurant.�
�My kind?� Zan stood up, while he wasn�t as tall as Mr. Parker, he was certainly a lot stronger, even without his alien gifts.
�You know what I�m talking about.�
�Dad. Come on.� Liz started in on reasoning with her father.
�Go upstairs Liz.�
�But Da--�
�Elizabeth Parker. Upstairs. Now.� Jeff ordered. Completely and utterly embarrassed, Liz ran out of the dining room and up the stairs to her family�s apartment. �You will not go near her again. You had no right to wake her.�
�It was already started before I got here. I just made it less painful.� Zan crossed his arms. �I was so sure you was a rumor. Trash to be swept under a rug. Tryin� to pass yoself off as one a them. Forget where you come from, what you are. It was a mistake.�
�Your mistake. That�s why we�re here. Your mistakes made our lives unbearable.� Jeff felt his will falter. He knew that Zan couldn�t do anything to him in front of so many people but later would be a different story. �Don�t go near her again.�
�Fine but I won�t stop her from comin� to me.� Zan strolled out the door. �Be seein� ya pops.�
Maria watched Mr. Parker rush up to the apartment. She hadn�t heard much of what had been said but she knew it was serious. Michael motioned for Jose to take over the stove and started up the staircase very slowly. This was something worth spying on.
--
Nancy had stopped her daughter on her way to her room and sat her down in the living room. �Liz. What�s wrong?�
�Dad just embarrassed the hell out of me downstairs.� Liz felt out of control. The electricity in the air crackled even as she struggled to calm down. She sank down on the couch, clutching a pillow to her chest. Nancy Parker watched the pillow rapidly change a myriad of colors.
�Oh God...� She breathed. She squeezed her eyes shut tight. When she opened them again, the pillow was still changing color. �Jeff!�
Liz jumped to her feet, abandoning her pillow in the midst of a color change and walked into the kitchen. �I�ll be in here.� She muttered to her mother. Liz yanked a bag of chips from a shelf, using the Fresh Clip to pull her hair up and sank down into a chair after pulling the Tabasco from the cabinet. She could hear her father stomping up the stairs.
Jeff stormed into the apartment and began his rant to his wife, oblivious to the fact that she was distraught. �I should have done something more to protect her. Mother would be rolling in her grave if she knew her granddaughter was Zan�s Antarian whore.�
Nancy gasped at the blunt words from her husband�s mouth. Liz nearly dropped her bag of chips where she sat inside the kitchen, out of sight but not out of earshot.
�Are you sure, Jeff?� Nancy asked softly.
�She�s wearing King Zan�s mark. I�d know it anywhere.� He paced the living room. �He awakened her.�
�Can you be certain? Lizzie�s a good gir�� she started to say but he cut her off.
�They were putting on a show for the whole restaurant, Nancy. He had his hands all over her... He knows who I am.� Jeff�s eyes fell on the pillow his daughter had just been clutching. �You see that? It�s happened.� His voice was defeated. �She�s fourth generation Expatriate and he�s ruined it all. He had the gall to tell me that it wasn�t his doing. How else could this have happened?�
�What does he want with her?� Nancy whispered as she sank into a chair.
�Who knows? My grandfather fled Antar with his brothers and sister and half a dozen other families that already had relatives here so that we wouldn�t have to be Zan�s servants. They suppressed all Antarian tendencies and urges. I was so sure that Liz would be free of them.� Jeff looked to a picture of Claudia Parker for strength. �I never showed any signs of awakening. Why would it pop up in Liz?�
�Your mother was full-blood... she�s always known there was something different about Liz. I don�t think it matters that Liz is only truly 1/3 Antarian... because it�s still there.�
Liz rose slowly from her chair and walked into the living room in shock. It couldn�t be true, but she knew it was. They still hadn�t noticed her.
�Don�t you see what�s happening? This was my mother�s worst fear; that the rumors of Zan�s reincarnation were true. That he would come for her.� Jeff sank to his knees. �He couldn�t have my mother so now he�s taken my daughter.�
�Are you sure? It sounds so archaic.� Nancy sighed. �Why would a race so advanced and evolved do such a thing to their own people?�
�The monarchy was strong, Nancy. They had to be sure. Rumors were that Avaria was barren, that Vilandra was unfaithful and disloyal. They wanted to ensure Zan�s heir made it to the throne. My family�s line was noble. We were the obvious choice. When my mother came of age she would be the one to bear the heir to Antar. Zan would have done it... no matter how much he loved his wife. He would have made that sacrifice to see his name live on.� He paused. �Do you see now, do you? Why we left?�
�How did you do it?�
Jeff answered the question before he realized who had asked it. �My grandfather staged a raid and collision. They were believed dead.�
�Why didn�t you ever tell me?� Liz asked another question, tears filled her eyes. He turned to take in her lost appearance. He didn�t bother to ask how long she�d been standing there or how much she had heard.
�I wanted you to be normal.� He whispered.
�I stopped being normal 15 months ago.� Liz whispered and stepped into the room. �Why? How did you know that was Zan?�
�I would know Zan anywhere. Every being with Antarian blood would know Zan. I don�t know how he found you but he knows. He knows you should have been his.�
�I�m human.� Liz shook her head even as the words passed her lips. �Why didn�t I ever have powers when I was little?�
�We are hiding from them. We don�t awake the Antarian within. It was easier to suppress once we joined with humans.� Jeff took a step closer to his daughter. �Now that you have been awakened... He had no right to do this. You cannot see Zan again.�
�No.� She stood her ground.
�What?� His anger returned. His daughter had always obeyed him before. He blamed Zan for her defiance now.
�I said no.� She crossed her arms and turned her face away, exposing the butterfly on her neck. �I... care about him... we�re connected in a way that I cannot even begin to explain.�
�No daughter of mine will become Zan�s whore... even if she�s been awakened. It doesn�t make any difference to him whether you care about him. He�s made you Antarian so he can use you.� Jeff�s voice boomed through the small apartment. His rage flared up as the hidden meaning in that crowned butterfly dawned on him. That combined with his mark on her leg sent Jeff through the roof. �You let him make his mark on you. He�s marked you like property, like cattle.�
�It�s not like that.� Liz screamed. Her words were all true; she could feel it in her bones. �Zan did not awaken me. He helped me do it myself. It�s been a long time in coming. 15 months at least.� She backed towards the door. �Just because you want to deny what you are doesn�t mean that I want to. I love being like this.�
�Don�t you dare leave this house.� He warned her.
�How are you going to stop me? I have your genetic memories of Antar. I have the earth based powers.� She started down the staircase, calling over her shoulder. �I have full access to everything that makes me Antarian and I�m not afraid to use it.�
Michael caught Liz as she pushed past him. The feeling Michael had been getting in the days prior to his knowledge of Liz, flared up full force. It was much stronger than it had been the day before. Now he knew why. �Liz.�
�Let go of me.� She pushed against him.
�What the hell is going on?� He demanded.
�Fine. I just found out that I am more alien than you are.� She bit out and suddenly her shoulders sagged. �God... I just need to get out of here.�
�Come on. I�ll take you to my place.� Michael led her down the stairs and gave Maria a nod to the back door. They slipped out the back.
Maria turned to the kitchen. �Jose, you gotta cover for Michael.�
�What? No, chica. I get off in an hour.� The short Mexican shook his head over the grill.
�He�s gonna give you whatever he was going to make tonight... besides... he�s already gone.� Maria threw her arms up in the air. �Sorry.�
�Pinchi bendejo.� He muttered under his breath and glanced at the schedule. Michael was on until closing. �Ay! Bendejo huey.�
--
Lannie rubbed the butterfly on the back of her neck. She didn�t want to look at Nicholas. The small boy was pacing in front of her, lecturing her. �You were supposed to off Zan, get that incompetent hick to take his place and all this would have been over with. What went wrong?�
�He was more like Zan than even we thought. He ain�t nearly as incompetent as you thought neither.� She ran a finger from the crown at the head of the butterfly to the bottom of the body before tracing the wings.
�How did he remember those things? The notes I have say that one set wouldn�t remember. You do so they don�t.� Nicholas paused his swift pace. �Why is Tess here? You were just supposed to bring Max. Where is Ava?�
�We ditched her back in Cowpoke. She�s scared shitless. Max insisted on bringin� Tess.� Lannie jumped to her feet. �Dammit. How was I supposed to know the reject would remember so much?�
�Khivar is going to be pissed.�
�Yo, you settin� up the meetin� like Duke asked?� She rose up off the bed and strode over to the window.
�I�m supposed to contact Khivar when this is over. If I contact him before... he�ll have my head. I am NOT going to be buried in this body.� Nicholas sank into the armchair behind him. �You know... as much as I hate this city... they have the most plush hotels.�
�Zan loved me. He trusted me. He would have never even threatened to kill me.� Lannie stared over the city, her eyes coming to rest on the Empire State building. �And I would still do him in again if I had to.� She knew that�s where Max was. She could feel it. He was standing on the top of that building, staring right back at her. �Max won�t hesitate to kill me. He sees me separate from Isabel. He don�t think he owe me nothing.�
�He�s weak.�
�Weak? He�s over there, staring right back at me. I know it. I can feel his goddamn eyes on me from across 13 blocks. The minute I leave here, I�m dead. He knows what we did to Zan.�
�I�ll think of something. We are going home... even if we have to wait until after the summit to kill him.�
--
Max could feel Lannie and Nicholas. They were meeting again in his hotel room. Max ran his hands through his hair; it shortened and went up in spikes on the top of his head.
�Max, what�s happening to you?� Tess whispered. She looked him over from spikes to piercings to goatee and mustache to the dark clothes he had started wearing.
�I�m taking control.�
�You can�t just step into his shoes. Zan knew what he was doi�� He cut her off.
�And I don�t?� He accused her. �Say it. You don�t think I know what I�m doing.�
�I didn�t say that.� Tess leaned against the railing. The floor was practically deserted, a rare thing for the popularity of the building and its view.
�Thanks to me, our people have a chance to survive Khivar... You aren�t being tortured by Rath or Lannie. They don�t have any power with the Summit leaders. I have made sure that we survive this.� Max stopped talking. His eyes dropped from the window across 13 city blocks to the silver ring on his finger. �They don�t know about Isabel and Michael. Isabel wants to be normal and if I can give that to her, I will. Michael will learn to accept that he won�t be going home.�
�They can never be normal, Max.�
�Why not? The Expatriates are doing it.�
�That is a rumor. There was never any proof of that.� Tess hissed.
�I can see why they would run. Our people were unhappy with the way things were going. Larek, my... best friend, he was practically family and he lost faith in me. It killed him to watch us die but knew we were going about it the wrong way.� Max touched Tess�s face gently. �I remember a lot of things.�
�You do?� She leaned into his touch and let her hopes take flight.
�I loved you. I really thought I did. I knew that you thought it wasn�t real. To me it was real.� His amber eyes poured nothing but truth into Tess�s blue eyes. �You didn�t have faith that I would love you once I knew you couldn�t give me an heir. You sought out the nobles. When they wouldn�t accept the order you gave them, they fled... or at least they tried to. Who knows? Maybe they made it. Maybe they are living on earth, leading normal lives.�
�There is no way they survived that crash.� Tess knew it was true. Her extraordinary loyalty and faith in this life was to make up for the lack thereof in the previous... and he had just called her on it.
�No? I feel them. They are everywhere. I think they had been planning it a long time. A very long time. Can�t you feel them?�
�No. I can�t.�
�Too bad. They are so carefree. No worries save one. Me.�
�How do you know?� Tess whispered as his hand fell away from her face.
�I remember it. I don�t know how I know it but I do. I think they made it.�
--
Zan ran a hand through his hair, shortening it but keeping the spikes. He admired his work in a store window before walking in. He strolled around the store, backpack open just wide enough to slip an occasional item into it. When he turned the aisle he came face to face with Isabel and her mother. �Well, well. I ain�t seen you around.�
�I didn�t want to be seen.� Isabel hissed.
�Come on. Don�t you got a hug for your big brother?� He smiled at Mrs. Evans.
�You are not my brother.� She glared at him before turning on her heel and walking the other direction.
�I really am sorry. I don�t know what�s gotten into her. Maybe... Would you like to join us for dinner?� Diane smiled gently at Zan.
�Might be good.� He nodded. The confrontation with Jeff Parker had left him deprived of a meal. At least it�d be home-cooked.
�Okay. Drop around the house around 6 o�clock. We�d be glad to have you.�
�I�ll do that.� Zan stared after the two blondes a while before slipping a package of donuts into his backpack and then heading for the Tabasco sauce. He fired the alarm before leaving the store. Mrs. Evans waved at him and Isabel scowled after him.
�I cannot believe you just invited him to dinner.� Isabel hissed at her mother.
�And I cannot believe how rude you were. He says he�s your brother and I have to say that he bears a striking resemblance to... Max.� Diane wiped at her eyes as she spoke the name of her absent son. �The least you can do is hear him out. I�m rather curious myself about what happened to your parents. Maybe he could tell you... since neither you or... Max... can seem to remember.�
�Maybe some things are better forgotten.� Isabel insisted. �I don�t want to talk to him. I�ve run into him twice already and... I don�t... he scares me.�
�He seemed nice enough when the Sheriff brought him by a few days ago...� Diane pushed the cart on down the aisle. �Maybe if we talked to him a little more... we might find out why Max left. Maybe why you thought he was dead.�
�When... how...� Isabel stuttered. �How did you know I thought he was dead?�
�You remember when I told you that he was at the house. You said something about how he was supposed to be dead.� She steered them toward the check out counter. �Honey, did you remember something?�
�I really don�t want to talk about it... especially in the grocery store.� Isabel caught her mother�s eyes and knew she had to do something to alleviate the pain in those blue eyes. �It�s just... I don�t... I�m scared to learn about this stuff and Zan... is something that I can�t ignore. I just wish Max was here... cause then he could take care of it.�
�Oh honey. I�m sure it�s not as bad as you think. He already told your father that he�s just here to talk to you. He�s not going to take you back with him.�
�I hope you�re right.� Isabel whispered as she slipped into her own thoughts. �Can I invite Michael?�
�If you think he�d be comfortable.�
�Okay. I think I�ll do that.� She nodded and wondered how she was going to get Michael over to her house for dinner on such short notice. She didn�t even know if he had to work or not. Isabel was determined not to be alone at any point of the night with Zan.
Part 14
Liz leaned back into Michael�s arms. For some reason she felt really safe. After all the words shared between herself and her father, she needed comfort.
�So...� Michael started. His need to protect Liz had definitely grown since he had last seen her. �Max made you an Antarian?�
�No. I was born one.� Liz whispered. �My father is half. My grandmother was full but a child when they left Antar. I think when Max healed me... he started to wake up the alien in me.�
�It makes sense... I guess... but then nothing really makes much sense anymore.�
�Can I stay here? I just really can�t go home and I don�t want to see Zan right now.� Liz sat up and glanced around. �Can I trust you?�
�Yeah.�
�Can I trust you?� She insisted, looking him in the eye.
�Look.� He sighed. �My... reaction to you that day... was really more as a result of what I had seen and felt. I don�t feel like that. I swear.�
�Okay. I believe you. Things have just been so weird.� Liz flopped back on the bed.
�When haven�t they been weird?�
�Before Max saved me.� She whispered softly.
�As much as I give him grief for that... we... I... we have a lot to thank you for.� Michael got up. �There�s a lot that we wouldn�t know without you. Thanks.�
�Are you being nice again? Of your own volition? Is this going to be a habit?� She teased.
�I guess it is.� He chuckled to himself. �Just wish I knew why I have to protect you.�
Liz nodded and stared at the ceiling. If she closed her eyes then Antarian memories would take over. There was a thought. Just as she was about to voice the possibility of delving into the genetic memories, Michael�s phone rang. After a bit of hushed talking, he hung up and turned to Liz.
�I�m gonna head over to Isabel�s. Just stay here. There�s food in the fridge, not much but whatever. You gonna be alright?�
�Yeah.� She nodded. Liz would just have to explore her Antarian side on her own.
--
Tess had been mulling over the situation. Max�s words came back to her. �I loved you. I really thought I did.� Past tense. He knew that he no longer loved her. The badge he wore around his ring finger was proof of that. Tess only knew one thing anymore. She had to prove her loyalty and faith to him once and for all... even if he couldn�t return it. That was why she approached him before the next session of the Summit. �Max?�
�Yeah?� Max turned from the door.
�I�ve made my decision. I�m going back.� She pushed her blond curls back from her face and stepped closer.
�We�re going back in a week anyway.� He shook his head in confusion.
�No, I mean to Antar. I�ll go.�
�We�re not going back. I don�t see why we have to leave Earth.� Max crossed his arms and stroked his newly forming goatee. Every passing of his fingers made the hairs grow longer.
�You�re not listening to me.� Tess sighed, exasperated with his selective hearing. �They need someone with Antarian blood to lead. Even if Larek takes control... he�s not one of us.�
�It�s better than to leave them with Khivar.� He closed his eyes. His head was suddenly throbbing. He just didn�t understand what Tess was trying to say.
�I am Queen.� She stamped her foot. �I will go and take our planet back. Me, all by myself. You can stay here. I will go and free them. They need only one of us to make it happen. I will act in both our interests.�
Max swallowed as he turned everything over in his mind. Then his original thought about the Summit came back to him. �It could be a setup.� If Tess went back alone, they could kill her.
�Let me do this. What if you�re right and we have Antarians here? They�ll need a leader. With Zan gone... it�s you.� Tess whispered urgently. �I�m ready to make the sacrifice here.�
�If I let you go... I�ll have to erase your memory of the Granilith.� Max lifted his eyes to hers.
�Then do it and let�s get this over with... before I change my mind.�
�You don�t have to do this. They could kill you once you go.�
�If someone doesn�t go... we�ll have failed them all. The Antarians and the Expatriates.� Tess stepped closer and dropped to her knees. Max placed his hand on her forehead and concentrated on making the connection. He had never attempted one with her before. The memories swirled around in his head. He carefully drew out all the ones pertaining to the Granilith�s location.
When it was done, Max felt strangely weak. He staggered away from Tess. He barely registered the moment that her eyes went wide and her hands shot out. He fell to the ground and passed out. Tess�s fury ran through the room. Nothing had been done to Max but she wasn�t about to allow that to happen either.
--
Isabel shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Zan�s eyes watched her carefully. Michael sat down at the table between them. Diane and Philip felt the tension at the table but began the meal.
�So, Zan. What is it that you do in New York?� Philip tried to start conversation but no one seemed interested.
�Nothin� much. I don�t got what you call a job or nothin� but I take care of myself.� Zan managed between bites of the pot roast in front of him.
�Forgive me for asking this but... what�s happened to your parents?� Diane glanced at Isabel before letting her eyes rest on Zan.
�Pops died a long time ago. Moms is still around and all but she�s not exactly within easy reach.�
�Where is she?�
�Let�s just say that findin� her ain�t a problem but talkin� to her is. Poor woman had too much to grieve in her lifetime.� Zan answered rather cryptically and let Mrs. Evans draw her own conclusions.
�Oh, was she... um... put away?� Diane whispered.
�I think Isabel knows the word Mom uses.� Zan raised his glass to his lips, eyes locked on hers.
�Enslaved.� Isabel whispered and glanced at Michael.
�Oh and right you are.� Zan nodded.
�You know, I�ve always wondered. What is Isabel�s real birthday? She just turned 18 a couple of months back.� Diane smiled at her daughter.
�Same as Max�s. They�re twins.� He repressed an amused snort. It was too easy to lead on these people. �Brought into this world on the same day in December. I can�t remember but it must have been around the same time that you found them.�
�Oh. I didn�t realize.� Diane sighed. �Social services assigned them birthdays, separately. If we had known...�
�Why are you here?� Michael asked in his gruff manner, surprising both the Evans.
�I think you know why. Too bad my friends up and left before I got here.�
�Some friends you got.� Michael muttered.
�You right. Can�t believe that Rath and Lannie came all the way down here and told you I was dead.� Zan shook his head and sat back in his chair.
�Isabel? When did this happen?� Philip leaned forward.
�Couple weeks ago... right before Max...� She trailed off and waited for her parents to blow up.
�Is that why Max ran away?�
�I don�t know.� Isabel lied. �He�s been really unhappy... you know that. He stopped talking to me.�
�Don�t blame him.� Zan polished off his meal. �His girlfriend breaks up with him, his sister and best friend keepin� secrets from him, then the whole thing with Nicholas, then his ex and her ex get together, and to top it off his big brother is presumed dead. That�s a lot to deal.�
�Liz and Max broke up?� Diane turned to Isabel.
�How do you know all that?� Michael demanded.
�Liz and I have been... talking.� He pronounced the word slowly and watched Michael�s nostrils flare up. �I mean who else to get the story from than the closest person to lil' bro.�
�Mom, you know that Max doesn�t like to talk about that stuff... not even with me.� Isabel calmed her mother down. �They just had a falling out right before she went to Florida for the summer and I think they�re trying to be friends.�
�Why didn�t I know that so much was going on with my own son? Who�s Nicholas?� Diane�s eyes filled with tears.
�From what I understand he picked a fight that he should have known he could never win.� Zan shrugged; a little pleased with the distractions he had thrown onto the table.
�Max was in a fight?� Philip closed his eyes.
�I�m only repeatin� what I was told.� Zan downed his drink. �Thank ya�ll for a wonderful meal.�
�Wait. I have to talk to you.� Isabel abandoned her barely touched meal and led Zan back to her room. She let Michael know that he didn�t have to follow her. She turned to him. �What do you think you�re doing? My mother is going crazy as it is without Max. My father hasn�t been to work in two weeks. I... can�t take not knowing whether Max is dead or alive and then you just waltz in and pull this crap.�
�There�s the Vilandra that I know and love.� Zan tsked and shook his head slowly.
�I am not Vilandra. I would never do to Max what she did to you.� Isabel sank down onto her bed. �I love Max.�
�I loved Lannie, that don�t mean she wouldn�t push me under a speedin� truck.� He hissed at her. �Rath was my best friend and...� He trailed off as his eyes fell on a picture of Max, Isabel and Michael. Max had an arm slung over Isabel�s shoulders, she was smiling brightly and Michael was just a ways off, scowling at something off-camera. Just that one picture said a lot about how together the trio was. �Who needs enemies when your own family would stab you in the back?�
�Look, I don�t know what�s been going on since you came out of your pod but my life was just fine until Liz happened to Max. Then after her it was the Sheriff and then Michael almost died and then Liz was seeing visions and then came Tess and then everything went to hell.� Isabel ranted. �The FBI nearly killed Max. I can�t survive without him. I couldn�t live if something happened to him in New York. I mean, just when I think things are going to be some semblance of normal, Lannie, Rath and Ava show up and throw everything up in the air. Max and Tess disappear and they leave Ava here. Liz is changing and I know that it has something to do with you. So forgive me if I don�t trust you.�
�Good answer.�
--
When Max came to, the members of the Summit were standing around him. Tess was kneeling beside him, channeling his force field to surround them. He sat up and made the field disappear. His eyes focused in on the bodies of Lannie and Rath nearby. He scrambled to his feet, cursing under his breath.
�Max. Good to see you awake.� Larek breathed a sigh of relief.
�What happened?� Max knelt between their bodies.
�They surprised us.� Tess answered.
�I guess that won�t happen again.� Max waved his hands over their bodies, disintegrating their particles into nothingness.
�How shall we proceed?� Sero spoke up.
�Tess will go back.� Max announced. �She knows my mind well enough to do what is best for all our interests.�
�The deal was for you to return and rule as a figurehead.� Nicholas spoke up.
�No one accepted that deal, little man.� Max strode over to him. �Unless Khivar and I can speak, I make no compromise. I don�t deal well with terrorists.�
�When did you grow a pair?� Nicholas sneered up at the taller young man.
�When are you gonna grow facial hair? Your intimidation tactics don�t work so well when you look like you still need a teddy to go to sleep.�
�Enough.� Tess cried. �I am going back to Antar. Khivar had just better be ready for me.�
�Max,� Larek pulled Max aside. �Are you sure this is the best way to go?�
�At the moment, it�s the only way to go. Just help her.� Max pleaded. �The Expatriates are here. If I can get them to join us in arms... we�ll take back Antar.�
�Expatriates? You know they survived the crash?� Larek tilted his head.
�Yes. I�ll build an army here to have someplace for our people to find refuge if we fail. This is just the back up plan.�
�Nice to know you have one this time.� Larek shook Max�s hand. �Good Luck, cousin.�
�I think we�re both going to need it, cousin.�
�What will you do now?�
�Go home and rest for the coming trials.�
--
When Michael returned to his apartment, Liz was sitting on the bed with her eyes closed. He had seen Tess do this but he never knew what it was she was doing. Slowly he reached out and touched her arm.
The visions that rocked his brain also knocked his body to the ground. Now he knew what Tess had been doing all summer. Remembering. That was what Liz was doing, pulling up memories from her Antarian side.
Several moments later, both their eyes opened and locked on each other. The knowledge that they both had was overwhelming. Michael stood and crossed the room to draw Liz into his arms. They hugged tightly. He tried to talk but a lump in his throat prevented the words from leaving his mouth. Finally, several long moments later, he was able to get out one word. �Wow.�
Liz nodded against his shoulder.
�Cousins...� Michael cleared his throat and blinked his eyes rapidly to keep them dry. �Never had family before...�
�Pretty distant but... my dad might like to know.�
�We�ll tell him when he calms down.�
--
Isabel sat next to her mother in the living room. Her father was staring out the window across the room. She took a deep breath before starting in. �Zan didn�t mean to be the way he was. He was just trying to get a rise out of me.�
�Is he in trouble?� Philip asked without turning.
�No... not anymore.� Isabel hated lying to her parents but she had to answer their questions.
�Honey...� Diane couldn�t even form a sentence.
�Mom, I don�t know why he�s really here but... he�s going to stay around until he does whatever it is that he came here to do.�
�You know, he could demand that you and Max go live with him. He�s 20.� Philip turned slowly. �I keep waiting for Max to walk in the door.�
�Dad. I�m 18. I don�t want to go with him. Max is almost 18, he won�t want to go.� Isabel reassured them. �And Max didn�t run away because of either of you or me. He just needs to... I think Max just needed to be by himself. He... he just hasn�t really been himself since Liz broke up with him.�
�Why can�t he talk to anyone about this? He doesn�t talk to the therapist and he doesn�t talk to any of us...� Diane prepared herself for her nightly tear fest.
Isabel hopped to her feet and whirled around, her heart beating wildly. She knew that she hadn�t just imagined the words in her head.
�Isabel? What�s wrong?�
�Honey? What is it?� Diane rose to her feet in a panic.
�Nothing. Nothing�s wrong.� Isabel was nearly giddy with happiness. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. �Everything�s going to be all right. I promise.�
--
Max sat back in his seat on the bus. He could feel Isabel�s happiness through the connection they shared; a connection rarely seen except in human twins. His newfound knowledge had strengthened it and he had let her know that he was safe and he was on his way home.
Part 15
Jeff Parker stared into his morning cup of coffee. Cold had been passed an hour ago. It was probably icy. Nancy kept glancing down the hallway to Liz�s door. Her arms were wrapped around herself.
�I�m sorry. I shouldn�t have said the things I did to her.� Jeff whispered.
�I�m not the one you need to tell.� She mumbled. They sat in silence. Nancy let a tear fall down her face. �How could you have called her that?�
�I was upset. The only reason Mother even told me any of this was because we had a daughter.� Jeff rose from the table. �Zan was goading me.�
�You should have let her talk. She was trying to tell us something.� Nancy slumped lower in her chair. �She said she hadn�t been normal for 15 months. What did she mean?�
�She said it twice and I can�t think of a thing. Last September...� Jeff shook his head. Then his parental instincts kicked in. �That�s when she stopped talking to me.�
�To us both... but what happened?�
�You know... Zan looks almost exactly like Max Evans.� Jeff mused aloud. �When I first saw him... Liz told me that it wasn�t him but the resemblance is uncanny.�
�Honey, what are the chances that two people who look exactly alike would take an interest in Liz?� Slowly, very slowly, realization set in for both Parkers.
�Max couldn�t be... there�s no way. I would have known it.�
--
Michael walked out of the bathroom and did a double take at the sight in his bed. He had slept on the floor and gave up his bed to Liz. As far as he knew, she had been alone when he had fallen asleep. At the moment though, Zan seemed to have joined her sometime during the night. �Okay. I agreed to let Liz sleep over. No way did I mention her alien boy-toy.�
Liz rolled over to glare at him for waking her up. �What are you talking about?�
He pointed to the bed. Zan sat up and looked annoyed. �Yo.�
�No. No. No. No �yo�s.� Michael shook his head. �I don�t like you. I didn�t invite you into my home and I sure as hell didn�t offer you my bed.�
�Chill already.�
�Michael. Calm down.� Liz grumbled and sat up.
�What the hell is he doing here?� Michael growled.
Liz started to say something but when Zan slipped an arm around her body and pulled her against him, she felt so at ease that she just wanted to go back to sleep next to him.
�And I see you�ve lost interest in my reason for being upset.� Michael groaned and shoved his feet into his shoes. �I have to go work Jose�s morning shift but you had better be gone when I get back and...� He pointed to the two of them. �NO and I mean absolutely no sex in my bed while I�m gone. I will not have my bed baptized unless I�m one of the parties involved.�
His exit was accented by the slamming of the door and mumbled curses about alien kings. Zan nuzzled Liz�s neck, tightening his grip around her waist. �A little overprotective?�
�Me or him?�
�I guess both. He�s just going to get worse. How did you find me?� Liz turned to meet his lips. The kiss turned out to have more kick than a cup of coffee. All her senses were wide-awake by the time their lips parted.
�Trust me. I could find you anywhere. You wasn�t at home and I know you wasn�t at the factory.� He initiated a string of open mouth kisses down her neck, pressing her back into the bed.
�Zan, stop. My father... he told me some things last night.� She placed her hand against his chest. �And I did a bit of soul searching I guess you could call it.�
�What is it?� He huffed even as he slid a hand up her leg from calf to thigh.
�My grandmother was supposed to carry your child?� Liz raised her eyebrows. He was trying to distract her and it was working for the most part. �You are just using me? Um... Michael is my cousin... or rather Rath was third cousin to my great-grandfather?�
�Sweet.� He shrugged. �You gettin� genetic memories. You can go a lot farther than your grandmother if you tried.�
�Was any of that true?� She pleaded with him.
�Avaria set up the arrangement with your grandmother. She was just supposed to be a surrogate or whatever.� He laved his tongue over her collarbone, sucking lightly.
�And the other?�
�You think I�d do what your pops said I�d do?� He looked her straight in the eyes. She couldn�t deny the burning that she found there. There was only a touch of lust in his eyes; the rest was a reflection of what she felt for him.
�No.�
�Nuff said.� He lowered his mouth to hers. Zan started to lay his body over hers but Liz stopped him.
�Michael said not in his bed... Let�s move to the floor.� Liz whispered. Then as she was holding him off her body and trying to sit up, they lost their balance and fell on the floor hard. �Ow.�
�Well, now you�re on top.� He ran his hands up her legs and started tugging down her underwear. Liz helped him help her out of the flimsy garment and then went to work on his fly. She shoved his shirt up his stomach, pressing her open mouth to his abs while she yanked down his pants.
�No underwear? Not even boxers?� Liz commented as she took his dick in her hands.
�Easy access.� Zan pulled her up his body, gripping her hips and grinding up against her.
�Definitely a time saver.� She hissed as their bodies merged.
--
Isabel picked up their pace. She was too excited to sleep the night before and had woken up Alex bright and early to share her news. �I�m telling you the truth. I heard his voice in my head.�
�Are you sure that you didn�t just imagine it?� Alex groaned. �Why couldn�t you have brought the Jeep? Or let me get my dad�s car?�
�I can�t sit still.� Isabel waved him off and turned the corner, reaching back to drag Alex with her. �You don�t understand. I haven�t been able to contact Max since he left. I couldn�t deal with the distance factor while he was blocking me.�
�You�re going to have to explain this a little better.� He pulled her to a halt. �Sit and explain.�
�Alex, I�ve always been able to talk to Max. Always.� She didn�t sit but she did stop walking. �Even when we couldn�t speak English, we could talk to each other in our heads. Once we learned to talk out loud, the need for the mental connection kinda fizzled but I�ve always been able to do it if I tried.�
�Are you saying that you and Max have some sort of telepathy going on?�
�Not exactly. Something about Max has changed since he�s been gone. I just know it. Max has not been able to initiate a mental conversation since we were seven and last night...� Isabel twirled around. �Last night Max reached across half the continent and initiated a connection with me that was stronger than I ever remembered. He told me that he was safe and that he was coming home.�
�Are you sure it was Max?� Alex asked doubtfully.
�Okay...� Isabel pursed her lips. �You don�t believe me.�
�I want to. I really do but I just don�t understand.�
�Let�s try this. When you were small... you went shopping with your mother... you got lost...�
�How did you know that?� He cut her off and sat on a low wall.
�Cause every kid goes shopping with their mother and gets lost at least once.� She rushed on. �While you�re trying to be brave and look for her on your own... other mothers call for their children. Now, you never mistake those other mothers for yours... why?�
�Because... trust me. I would know my mother�s voice anywhere.� He shrugged. �Once I even picked my mom out of a store full of screaming women arguing over the last He-man.� They both gave a little laugh over that.
�I would know Max�s voice anywhere, in any dimension, in any language. Max is a part of me. He�s my brother.� Isabel watched understanding cross Alex�s face. �You see. It had to have been him.�
�Well, we�re six feet away from your destination. Do you want to take the risk of waking Michael?� Alex stood and began the journey very slowly.
�Are you kidding? He�s going to kill me once I tell him Max talked to me right after he left and I didn�t run out and tell him right away. After all the crap that Zan dumped on us last night, he�ll need some good news this morning.� Isabel strode over to the door and didn�t bother knocking.
�Zan!� Liz screamed as she came, writhing uncontrollably on top of him. Her sweater had been tossed across the room and her bra straps were falling down her arms. Zan�s shirt was wrenched in two.
Isabel stood there stunned. All she could see were their heads and shoulders over the side of the bed, for which she was very grateful. Slowly the situation was sinking into her brain. Even as she watched how they kissed gently, lovingly in the aftermath of their... she didn�t even want to think it. �I�m thinking that Michael isn�t here.�
Liz gasped, startled.
�Liz? What�s going on here?� Alex hesitated to step into the apartment.
�Um, Michael let me stay here last night.� She bit her lip.
�Yo, stare much?� Zan pinned Alex with a glare.
�Nothing I haven�t seen before.� He muttered and shook his head. Zan was on Alex before anyone could blink. His hand wrapped around Alex�s neck.
�What did you say?� Zan growled.
�What?� Alex barely managed to ask the question, afraid of what might happen to him at the hands of an irate alien.
�What did you say?� The shorter man lifted the much thinner man up off the ground.
�I didn�t say anything.�
�Zan. Stop it.� Liz fixed her skirt and bra and stalked over. �Alex is my best friend. He�s seen me in less clothing albeit in less compromising situations. Put him down. Now.�
Zan turned his head to Liz. Their eyes locked as Alex slid to the ground and scooted away.
�Don�t do anything like that again.� She warned him before grabbing her sweater and storming out of the apartment.
--
Maria glared at Michael. �You don�t think it�s just a little bit suspicious that Max and Brody have been missing for the exact same number of days and the same exact dates?�
�Brody is a kook. He�s probably hunting little green men as we speak.� Michael broke two eggs onto the grill and went about scrambling them. They both looked up when Liz ducked into the kitchen. �Hey Liz?�
�Oh, hey Michael. My folks been down yet?� She asked even as she peered into the dining room.
�I haven�t seen them since we opened.� He shook his head.
�Ok.� She turned to go upstairs but whirled around. �Oh yeah. Michael, if you find my underwear, could you get them back to me? Those were my favorite pair.�
She then snuck out the back door before Maria could pick her jaw up off the floor. Before Michael could say anything, Maria�s fists began flying at anything she could hit.
�Whoa.� He stepped away fending off some of the blows. �Hold on!�
�How could you?!� She screamed at him.
�I didn�t!� He screamed right back at her. �Liz is my cousin.�
�What?� Maria automatically sobered. �Your cousin but...�
�Maria, you know that Liz stayed at my place last night. We just realized that we are very distantly related last night. This morning... she had Zan over and I know even want to know how she lost her underwear.� Michael shrugged.
�How?�
�Long story short. My great-grandmother was sister to Liz�s great-great-great-great-grandfather. By the way, Liz is 1/3 Antarian.� He caught the startled look on her face. �Don�t ask me how and why. I don�t know. Grandma Claudia was full blooded Antarian.�
�But...� Maria felt so lost and left out.
�Just deal with it Maria. I�m tired of walking on eggshells around you.� He turned back to the eggs burning on the grill. �Believe me or not. It�s the truth.�
--
Max stared out at the trees as they whizzed by. The closer that he got to home, the stranger the mix of feelings were. He knew his parents would be upset. Isabel was anxious and excited, it was pouring through the connection. He didn�t want to pry but if the anxiety kept up, he would check it out.
He really had a lot to think about. How to explain to Isabel that she could be normal. How to tell Michael that he had the option but it was better to go on pretending he was normal. How to face Liz now that he knew the truth about Kyle. How to explain that Tess would no longer be an obstacle. How to comfort Liz after what Rath did to her. How to share with her what he had learned.
Max had learned quite a bit. When he had become King, he was only the equivalent of 25 years old. He was na�ve and was foolish enough to think that he had fallen in love with his young bride. She had adored him and praised him, remained loyal and true to him. She didn�t love him or even feel for him the way that he felt for her. It was then that she kept secrets. She was barren and sought out a noble family to surrogate an heir to the throne. He was going to go through with it, but only because he had to. He had wanted to remain true to his wife.
Max pondered on that. He had believed himself to be in love with Tess but that was only puppy love. It wasn�t real or true. Liz was both. The love he felt for her dwarfed the feelings he had in his previous life to the woman presented to him to marry.
He would give Liz all the space she needed to realize that he was what she wanted. He would show her that he had accepted his alien side and that they could work with it.
--
Liz stepped out of the shower and ran her fingers through her hair, drying it before pulling it back in a bun. She dressed quickly in pants and a cropped shirt. Her nails were done in a flash. �This really takes all the fun out of getting dressed.�
�Lizzie?� Jeff slowly pushed the door open. Liz just sat on the bed and waited for him to say whatever it was that he was going to say. �I�m sorry. I didn�t mean what I said last night. I was upset and you were right. I should have told you, warned you... but you should have told me that this was happening to you.�
�How could I have? I thought it was because... How was I supposed to know that these changes were because of who I was and not because of who I was involved with?� Liz stood up and faced her father.
�Zan�s only been around for a few days. How long have you been feeling the changes?� He stepped into her room and pulled her desk chair to the bed and gestured for her to sit.
�Dad... you said that you would know Zan anywhere...� Liz trailed off. �Why didn�t you know him sooner?�
�What are you talking about?�
�Why didn�t you know that he�s been with us the whole time? He�s been here for 11 years.� Liz tried to keep her voice even.
�No, I would have known. What are you talking about?�
�You�re the one that noticed Zan looked like Max. They are the same person, the same soul but two bodies.� Liz explained. He stared at her in disbelief. �I�m going to explain as much as I can and you have to promise me that you won�t report to whoever is the leader of the Expatriates on Earth.�
�I don�t report to anyone.�
�Promise me. Dad, I know more than you think I do about all this and it has nothing to do with genetic memories...�
--
Zan strolled into the Crashdown and dared Jeff Parker to tell him anything. Ava looked up and spotted her former lover. �Yo, Zan.�
�Ava.� He nodded and sat across from her in the booth. �What�s the go?�
�Nothin�. Waitin� for Kyle.�
Zan instantly recognized the name. �You a crazy bitch.�
�He don�t do it like you but it�ll have to do.� Ava shrugged picked at her milkshake.
�This shithole is drivin� me crazy.� He banged his fist into the table.
�Then leave.�
�I can�t.�
�You won�t.� She leaned across the table. �You did it, didn�t you? You fucked her and now yous in love.�
�I don�t want to hear it, Ava.� He slouched in the seat.
�No, you�re gonna listen. This is why I never gave you my heart. I knew you wasn�t goin� to love me forever. I knew the instant I met her that she was different and that you�d fall for her.� Ava continued her rant but was cut off by a look from him.
�No shit she�s different, Ava. She�s Expatriate.�
�That ain�t nothin� but talk.� She shook her head.
�You take a good look at that chump behind the counter and you tell me that he ain�t tryin� to kill me with his eyes just because I�m fuckin� his daughter.� He pointed to where Mr. Parker was wiping down the counter. �He�s Expatriate. Look at him a little closer and tell me you don�t know who his mother is.�
Ava did as told then it hit her. �But they died.�
�Apparently they didn�t. He�s got eyes like his grandfather. I�d know him anywhere.� Zan cracked his knuckles. Just then Liz rushed through the Crashdown, making it a point to ignore that Zan was sitting there waiting for her. �Liz.�
�I�m not talking to you until you apologize to Alex.� She shoved the door open started out across the street. He hopped up and went after her.
�Liz!� He got her to stop in the middle of the first half of the street.
�God, Zan, do you even know what knowing you has done to me?� Liz suddenly decided to vent right where she was. �I had a talk with my FATHER about my SEX life. I had to tell him things that I did with my current and my former boyfriends.�
Zan stopped at the edge of the sidewalk. �What the hell for?�
�To explain what�s happened to me. You don�t even care, do you? I had to tell him what I haven�t told anyone about you.�
�What�s that?�
�That I know for a fact that you see me the way that I see you. I know you love me even if you won�t say it because I�ve seen me through your eyes.� Liz couldn�t believe that she was baring her soul but she was.
�And I seen me through yours.� He admitted. �I seen you as a kid. I seen you with Max. I seen you with Kyle. I seen how you see me.�
�What you did to Alex was wrong?�
�He said he�s seen you naked.�
�He didn�t say that. But he has seen me in hardly anything. That� s no reason to do what you did to him. Alex is my best friend. My friends have to be able to trust you with me. If they don�t trust you, then they don�t trust me. It�s that simple.� Liz turned to walk away and froze. There was a semi heading straight for her.
Zan saw her panic. He had held that same expression on his face just before that truck in New York had crushed him. Without thinking, he rushed out and grabbed Liz, pulling her back onto the sidewalk. It had been close. Where they stood on the edge of the sidewalk, there was a rush of air as the semi whizzed past.
Liz could barely believe that she was still breathing and in one piece. She was so sure that semi was going to hit her. Very slowly reality set in around her. Zan�s arms held her tight, crushing her against his body for dear life. �Holy shit. Don�t you ever do that again. I need you here with me.�
Liz buried her face in his shoulder. Suddenly, just as she felt safer than she had ever felt, she was ripped away. Her parents had rushed out and were hugging her tight. �Mom, Dad, I�m okay.�
�Come inside.� Jeff steered her toward the door.
�Hold on.� Liz pried herself out of her mother�s embrace. �I�ll be in, in a minute.�
They eyed Zan but nodded and stood in the doorway. Liz stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. �Thank you... I�ll be waiting for you. I don't think locked windows will stop you.�
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