| Secrets In The Past |
| Chapter 24 ___________________________________ Calm. He had to stay calm. The initial relief of getting to Liz and that she was still in one piece was wearing off. He had to stay calm for her. If he freaked out it would only upset her more. God, there was so much blood. He didn�t have to ask what she had been dreaming about to know. Hearing Isabel�s dream had most likely brought back her earlier dream with renewed clarity. She had been reliving her own murder. The only thing that was keeping him from ripping her out of the bed and checking her thoroughly for any stab wounds was how much blood there was. If this had all come from Liz�s body there was no way she would still be alive. Liz was not coming out of her dream and pain induced daze. The pain had almost completely subsided now. It was just a dull ache that would only last a few more minutes, she remembered from the last time. So how come her head still felt so fuzzy? She looked back down to where his hand was still firmly pressing hers into his chest. His heart was beating so fast and his breathing was quick. He was worried about her. A wide smile spread across her face when she realized he had rushed over here. He came because she asked him to. He came to this horrible place that held so many bad memories for him. Not only that, he said he would always come for her. After all that she had done to him... he was still going to protect her. She could feel the lump in her throat and the tears starting to pool but was distracted by something on his shirt. She leaned forward to get a better look in the darkness. She gasped. �Max,� she looked up into his face for some kind of explanation, �your shirt...?� Max�s brow furrowed in concern. She had just said the blood was not hers, right? He leaned around her to flip on the bed side lamp. The room flooded with a dim light accentuating the shadows in the corners and out on the balcony. She gasped again bringing her hand off his shirt. �Max, what happened? Why is there blood on your shirt?� Her eyes were wide with fright. �Liz...� he started slowly. Was this some kind of traumatic regression? She had said it wasn�t her blood. �Nothing happened Liz.� In the light he was able to study her a little better. She was way too pale and her lips were a little blue. Calm suddenly went out the window. He grabbed on to her arms, running his hands franticly over her limbs checking for wounds. �Oh God! Liz you said it wasn�t yours. You said!� Max was scaring her. �Max what are you doing? I said what wasn�t mine?� Even to her her speech was sounding a little slurred. She groaned as her head bobbed to the side. Why was she feeling so light headed? �Liz! You have to tell me where your hurt.� He was in a full on panic now. She was becoming more listless and her eyes kept rolling back in her head. �Ma-ax, something�s wrong. I-I�m going to pass out.� �No you are not.� He grabbed her face so he could look in to her eyes. �Liz you have to tell me where it hurts, I can�t fix it if I don�t know what�s wrong.� �But Max, it doesn�t hurt anymore.� she replied in a sing song voice. She was going into shock was the only thing Max could think of. He couldn�t see anything in the bed, there was too much blood. He quickly picked her up off the bed and laid her out on the floor. �Liz, Liz. You have to stay conscious. I can�t connect with you if your not conscious.� Hot tears streamed down his face while he tried to get her to stay awake. Taking a quick assessment of her prone form he saw that the blood had spread out from her stomach like when she had been shot. Soaking into the front of her top and shorts, leaving her sleeves clean. He pushed her top up over her ribs and the waist of her pants below her navel. He grimaced at the sticky stuff covering her tiny waste. Waving his hand over her exposed midsection he dissipated the blood so he could check for any wounds. What he saw drew a strangled sob from his throat. Covering her once perfect skin were at least two dozen slash marks varying in length and depth. Only a few were still bleeding. The others were covered by a fresh, raised layer of pink scar tissue. The worst wound was only an inch deep but it was still leaving a crimson trail over her side and onto the carpet. He looked back up to see that she had finally succumbed to the darkness. His heart stood still for a moment while waiting for the rise and fall of her chest. Another sob escaped him when her heard the steady sound of her breathing. The wounds were light enough that he didn�t need to make a connection to heal them. He placed his hand over her trim tummy and concentrated. Fleetingly Max was reminded of the last time this happened. So help him, he was going to make it his mission to never have to heal her again. Under his hand he could feel the cuts close and the tissue return to normal. Liz could feel the warm tingling on her flesh. It was spreading over her body leaving her wrapped in a comforting blanket. She stirred a little reveling in the feeling. It was like Max, not his body but his presence, was wrapping around her. Making her feel safe and warm and protected. He lifted his hand from her once again pristine skin. Without thinking he placed a feather light kiss on the spot then pulled her shirt back down. She moved a little and mumbled his name. Sitting back against the wall her pulled her small body into his lap. Cradling her head in the crook of his elbow, he ran his other hand lightly over her face removing the dried blood. Her breathing was steady and so was her pulse. He took in a deep, cleansing breath to calm himself again. She was asleep now, not in a state of unconsciousness but he still needed to wake her up. He hated to, she looked so beautiful. The way her lashes brushed her cheeks and her soft lips had the slightest pout made her look like she had fallen from the heavens. He smiled when he realized that essentially she had. However, he needed to wake her up because he didn�t know how much blood she had lost. Not all of what was soaking the bed was hers. There was simply too much. �Liz...� he said softly, repeatedly skimming his fingers over her forehead and into her hair line. �Liz you need to wake up for me.� he said a little louder shaking her a bit. She moaned a little and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up into his tear stained face �Max?� He released the breath he had been holding and smiled down at her. �I feel funny, like Jell-O,� she murmured, trying to sit up. He placed his hand on her shoulder firmly, holding her in place. �Sit still Liz, I don�t know how much blood you lost.� She stiffened at his words. �Th-that was my blood.� she pointed weekly to the bed. �Not all of it, but some.� �oh� she closed her eyes trying to fight the waves of dizziness from the blood loss. Max squeezed her tighter and brought his forehead down to rest on hers. They sat like that for what seemed like both seconds and days. Comforted by their closeness. Celebrating every breath she took. The intimate moment was shattered by four horrified gasps. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Michael raced up the back stairs to his sister�s apartment. He didn�t even bother to unlock the door before thrusting it open almost ripping it from its hinges. All he could think was that he had to get to Maria. He had not even stooped to ask Max what he meant by �Liz didn�t know where they were.� Maria would not have left Liz of her own volition if he was not there. Something was terribly wrong. He rounded the corner to the kitchen at a dead run but stopped in his tracks at what he saw. Isabel ran directly into his back knocking him into the room a farther. �Alex!� she screamed and rushed to his side. Michael stood motionless for a few seconds longer, tears pricking at his eyes. Maria and Alex were slumped over the kitchen table. Their arms hung lifelessly at their sides and their breathing was shallow. Giving himself a mental shove he fought back the threatening tears and ran to Maria. Kneeling next to her chair, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders bringing her back off the table. �Maria, Maria wake up!� he cried franticly. He could hear the same phrase being repeated by Isabel on the other side of the table. He braced his hands on her shoulder and shook. �Damn it Maria. Wake up!� Her head bobbed back and forth as he shook her body but she didn�t stir. What the hell was going on? She was alive, he could hear her, feel her breathing. So why wouldn�t she wake up? A light snore escaped her lips. She was snoring? He was here freaking out that she was dying and she was snoring! He grabbed her face and shook her again. Nothing. He was growing desperate. Then he remembered something he had seen someone do on one of those medical shows on tv. Leaning her back into the chair he cupped on side of the face with his hand. Pulling back a little, he took a deep breath, then slapped her across the face. Her eyes sprung open. Confusion and disorientation flashed through her them before being replaced with a seething anger. Moving her hand up to grip her stinging cheek she shoved him back on to the floor. �Michael Guerin what the hell do you think you are doing?� she yelled at the top of her voice. Isabel saw the exchange and quickly did the same to Alex. His eyes fluttered open to Isabel�s crying face. �What did I do?� he asked completely befuddled. Isabel let out a chocked sob and threw herself into his arms. Michael ignored Maria�s remarks and crushed her to him. He was holding her so tight he would probably leave bruises but he didn�t care. She was alive and she was mad at him. If she wasn�t mad then he would be worried. He let out a great heaving sigh. Michael had never been so relieved in his life. �Michael. Michael, what�s going on?� she grunted trying to release herself from his death grip. He pulled back a little to look her over. �Your not hurt?� �No, I�m not hurt. No thanks to you I might add. What are you guys doing here and why on earth are you beating us up.� �Yeah, I�m a little curious on that one myself. Not that I am objecting to a little bondage play with a beautiful girl.� Alex smiled down into Isabel�s watery eyes. She hit him again. �You guys were passed out on the table. We couldn�t wake you up.� Michael looked into Maria�s eyes and she noticed just how scared he was. She wrapped her arms a little tighter around his waste to assure him that she was OK. �What do you mean passed out?� Alex asked �Just that. You were both slumped over the table and we couldn�t wake you up. Do you remember anything?� �No, one minute I was siting here talking to Maria about this whole Liz thing. Congratulations, by the way,� he turned to Michael and grinned �then you were slapping us.� �Something is so not right here, I think we should get Liz out of here. Hey, what are you guys doing here anyway? I thought I told you not to come back tonight.� �Liz called Max. He never told us why, just that she didn�t know where you guys were. I think she was calling for you or something and you didn�t come so she called him.� �Like I said, something is way wrong. Come on.� Maria grabbed Michael�s hand and led the way to Liz�s room. When they got to the door way all they could do was gasp. It looked like a horror movie had been shot in there. The bed, sheets and most of the carpet around the bed were soaked through with blood. The bed side lamp had been turned on casting erie shadows all around. Max was sitting under the window holding and rocking a very still and limp Liz. They were both covered in blood. He was leaning over her, his forehead pressed to hers, nuzzling her nose. You could barely make out a small, Liz size hand print on his shoulder. Max looked up when he herd them come into the room. Upon seeing his blood shot eyes and the drying tear tracks both girls dissolved into shuddering sobs. �NOOO!� Michael let out a feral wail. He stumbled over and fell in front of Max and what he thought was the body of his sister. �Michael, No!� Max tired to quickly diffuse the situation. �She�s ok, she alive.� He gestured to the bed �it�s not all her blood.� Michael looked down into her face not believing him. Liz opened her eyes and smiled weakly at him. She raised her hand to brush his cheek. �Michael, I�m Ok,� she rasped out. Her throat was still raw from the dream. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly to his lips. He closed his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. Maria, Alex, and Isabel saw Liz move. They were so releived words failed them. Tears of joy replaced those of grief as they came to stand next to Michael. Liz raised her eyes to meet each of theirs assuring them that she was indeed among the land of the living. Regaining his senses Michael let go of Liz�s hand and looked expectantly at Max. �Would someone like to explain to me exactly why my sister is covered in blood.� Maria rolled her eyes. Same old Michael. �and if that is not all her blood then who�s is it?� �It was from the dream, but I can explain that later.� He looked up to Isabel �could you get Liz some juice? I am not sure how much blood she actually did lose but it was too much. She�s really weak and I had to heal a couple open wounds on her abdomen.� She nodded and quietly slipped out of the room. Max turned hard eyes to Maria and Alex. �Would you like to tell me were you guys were while Liz was screaming in pain?� They both looked down guiltily, �We don�t know.� �You don�t know?� Michael jumped in to their defense. �Its not their fault Max. We found them passed out on the kitchen table. It took forever to wake them up.� Isabel returned with the juice and handed it to Max. He propped her up a little and held the glass to her lips. After a few swallows she rested her head back against his chest and closed her eyes. Max handed the juice back to Isabel. He was quiet for a moment getting his thoughts together. �Something is going on here other than her dream. Michael, Isabel, and Alex I want you to take Liz back to our house. Our parents are going to be in Clovis for a week so she can stay there. I don�t want her staying here until we figure out what�s going on. Maria and I will stay here to clean up and she can pack a bag for Liz. Any objections?� Everyone shook their heads. They wanted out of Liz�s apartment too. There was a erie feeling here. Max gave Liz one last squeeze and peck on the forehead before handing her over to Michael. Maria grabbed a blanket out of the closet and wrapped her in it. She was fighting to stay awake but after the breakdown earlier today, the dream, and the blood loss she could not keep her eyes open. Michael shifted her in his arms as he stood and she snuggled up against him finally giving herself over to sleep. They started to go in their separate directions. Max pulled Izzy to the side for a minute before she followed the others out. �Watch her carefully. Make sure she drinks some more juice and eats something with sugar. I don�t know how much blood she lost and we can�t exactly take her to the hospital right now.� Isabel smiled softly and patted his arm �Don�t worry Max, we�ll take good care of her for you.� She turned and followed the others down to the Jeep leaving Max and Maria alone to clean up the blood bath. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Somewhere not too far away... That had been close, she had almost woken up. He punched in the numbers on his cell as he walked swiftly down the street. He was careful to keep in the shadows so as not the be seen. That sounded like some dream she had been having. He was glad he didn�t have anything to do with it. Although, he had a pretty good idea of what she had been dreaming about. He had not been there but he had heard the tails of just how gruesome the slaying had been. �What?� the voice on the other end snarled. �It�s me.� �Good, I�ve been waiting for your report. Did you get everything?� �Almost. She was having a nightmare and I had to leave early.� �You didn�t stop it?� �I couldn�t. She would have know I was there. I blocked her emotion waves though. I was not sure if any of them can feel her like they used to. I thought I better block them to give me time to get out.� �Oh right, good thinking. Anyway, you can get the rest later. Those are not essential until the final phase of the plan. I was just hoping to be ahead of schedule.� �I�m sorry sir.� �No it�s fine, there are a few slow downs on the other end of things anyway. Did you leave it like I told you?� �yes, out on her balcony.� �Good, good. That should make them scramble for a while.� he chuckled to himself at the thought. �How did your little encounter with her the other day go?� �I didn�t get too far. The blonde one interrupted me.� �Hmmm... I wouldn�t worry about them right now. They are inconsequential at this point. Keep an eye on them, though. On all of them, just in case.� �I can do that.� �did you run into any trouble other than the dream?� �There were two of them in the apartment but I put them to sleep. No biggie.� �You didn�t kill them did you?� �No, just a very deep sleep.� �good, that would attract too much attention this early. Anything else?� �Not as yet.� �Keep me updated on your progress and their actions. I�ll be in touch with the next phase shortly.� He heard the dial tone before he could respond. The guy never was good with pleasantries. Probably came from being certifiably insane. He pocketed his phone making his way back to his house for a well deserved night of sleep. Part 25 _______________________________________ Max and Maria quietly made their way back into the Evans house. �Is it ok if I use your phone to call her? My cell battery is dead.� �Yeah use the one in the kitchen.� Max replied stifling a yawn. It was a little over an hour since the others had taken Liz back to his house. He guessed it was somewhere around four thirty. No one had gotten much sleep in the past few days. It was hard to believe that it had only been the night before when he had stayed out until two am driving in the desert. It seemed like weeks ago. �Do you want me to call Tess and Kyle too?� Maria asked as they came into the living room where Alex and Michael were. �Yeah, they should probably not be alone right now. Ask the sheriff to come too. I want to keep him in the loop on this. Especially after what happened tonight.� �When who comes?� �After what happened?� Alex and Michael asked at the same time. They had only heard the tail of their conversation but it sounded important. She put up a hand to halt their inquires for the moment, �The sheriff�s a no go. Things have been pretty quiet for a while so he went away for a few days with my mother.� she grimaced at the thought. �Oh, well, we can manage this on our own for a while. We can fill him in when he gets back.� Maria nodded, plopping down onto the couch to dig through the bag she had packed for Liz while Max answered Michael and Alex�s questions. �Maria is going to call Gwyn.� Michael turned incredulously to his girlfriend. �and how exactly is she going to do that?� �a week ago she called me and gave me her number to call in case of an emergency. She gave strict instructions not to tell you,� she pointed to Michael, �because you would call right away. She said it was for immanent danger only.� �and someone chasing Liz down the street was not immanent enough for her?� �Michael, I don�t know, ok. After what Max and I found tonight we decided that we should probably call her.� �Why? What did you find?� �While I was packing a few things for Liz I noticed that most of her dresser had been gone through. Everything was pushed around and wrinkled. You know Liz, she�s meticulous about stuff like that. Nothing was taken but all the tags in her clothes were sticking out.� Michael and Alex shook their heads not getting what she was saying. �Like someone was checking for sizes. They wanted to know what size her clothes were.� �Why would someone break into her room to see what size clothes she wears?� �I have a few theories on that but it�s not the most important point.� Max interjected, �I went out on to the balcony to make sure everything was in order. I had been in such a rush to get through the window that I didn�t look around. Laying on her lawn chair was a decapitated alien doll like the ones she was getting a few weeks ago. The stuffing was ripped out and tossed all around. That�s not the worst though. Over by the window, was a fairly large skin.� �Skin? As in came off of a skin?� Alex shuttered �Yeah.� Max�s eyes darkened at the thought of one so close to Liz. �So, I told Max that I thought I should call Gwyn, that it�s pretty obvious they found her. Ooofff,� she pulled a small pouch out of Liz�s bag with effort. �Here it is. Do you have some were safe you can put this? I didn�t think I should leave it there. I don�t know if it could be of some advantage to them or not.� Max took the small, black, velvet bag from her �sure, what is it?� �It�s the necklace Liz got from the Granolith.� Max�s eyes widened as he stared down into his hand. �yeah, I�ll give it to Isabel. She has a wall safe in her room for her good jewelry.� Looking back up he turned to Michael �How is she?� His face softened at the thought of his sister �she�s better. We got her to sit up and eat a little. She�s totally wiped out and still pretty shaky but not as weak. Isabel�s up with her now. We didn�t think she should be left alone.� �Maria, why don�t you go ahead and call Gwyn? I�m just going to go check on her and get out of these clothes.� He gestured to his blood soaked attire. He could wipe it clean but knowing some of Liz�s real blood was on his clothes left him with a burning desire to never see them again. �Is she in Isabel�s room?� �No. Iz thought she would be umm... more comfortable in your bed.� Max bowed his head unable to stop the shy smile or the light blush gracing his features. Michael turned narrowed eyes on Alex at his thinly veiled insinuation. Max cleared his throat, �Right so, I�m just going to...� he turned to the stairs avoiding eye contact with everyone as he backed away. Maria had to suppress a giggle as she watched Max�s hasty retreat. She stood and stretched, making her way towards the kitchen. �Maria, wait.� Michael called after her. �Michael, not now.� she answered wearily �I�m really tired and frazzled. Not only are evil aliens trying to kill my best friend but they were in her room tonight and most likely did something to me and Alex. You can yell at me later, ok?� He walked up to her and pulled her into a firm embrace. After a few moments he pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. Looking down into her eyes �I just wanted to say thanks.� he smiled crookedly and kissed the tip of her nose. Maria wrinkled her brow �Who are you and what have you done with my Space Boy?� He chuckled as he released her. �I�m still here... consider that a moment of temporary Max channeling. I wouldn�t let it go to your head.� Maria smirked back at him and swatted his arm. �Come on you can sit with me while I call Gwyn and Tess.� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~* Max poked his head around the slightly ajar door to make sure it was safe to enter. He had intended on getting Isabel�s attention but his eyes would not budge from the bed. His bed, where the most perfect girl in the universe was sleeping peacefully. Not only that, it looked like she was wearing one of his shirts. Isabel turned towards the door from her spot in front of Max�s computer when she heard the soft intake of breath. Max was standing slack jawed, staring at the bed, not even fully inside the room. She smiled and ushered him back into the hall so she could talk to him. Max�s wide eyes met her knowing grin. �Is,� he cleared his throat to conceal how high his voice had suddenly become, �is she wearing my shirt?� Izzy had to cover her mouth to suppress the giggles, �yeah, I didn�t think she should be wearing those bloody jammies and none of mine fit her correctly. We decided to go with one of your T shirts instead. I hope you don�t mind� Max shook his head vehemently, �No, no, no. Its fine.� Max continued to stare at the closed door until Isabel attempted to continue the conversation. �How did things go back at Liz�s?� He snapped out of his Liz induced daze and turned his attention back to current events �not so great. We found some things and someone was in her room. We think while they were all in the house. Maria can explain it all to you guys. I want to sit with her a while.� �Someone was in the house? This is so not good Max. What are we going to do? We don�t even really know what they want.� �As far as I can see what they want is Liz. There is not a chance in hell that it�s ever going to happen. Maria is calling Gwyn and hopefully she will be here soon so she can give us all some more answers. She�s also calling Tess and Kyle. We should all stick together for the time being. I think that whatever happened to Alex and Maria was caused by whoever was in that apartment. We will be much safer if we are all together and so will Liz.� �Good idea.� �Oh I almost forgot. Can you put this in your jewelry safe?� She took the small pouch from him, �sure, what is it?� �Maria said it�s the necklace from the Granolith. Part of the proof of who Liz is or was. Maria didn�t think we should leave it there in case it could be used against us.� �Yeah, tell Liz, it will be hidden away until she wants it.� Max�s attention had once again been captured by his bedroom door. Isabel smiled again, �I guess I�ll go get the rest of the story from Maria.� She patted his shoulder as she headed for her room to put away the necklace. Quiet as a mouse, Max slipped back into his room careful to avoid looking at the bed. He went to his dresser and pulled out a fresh maroon (he thought Liz liked that color on him) shirt and a pair of jeans. He had them in his hands and was going towards the bathroom when he realized it was four doors down from his room. That was way to far away from Liz. He looked out into the hall but no one was there, Isabel must have already gone downstairs. Max really did not want to stay in these clothes any longer. In addition to being covered in blood he had been wearing them for almost twenty four hours and they were starting to feel a little skanky. Thinking fast he opened the door wide and stepped behind it, effectively blocking Liz�s view of him. He didn�t mind if she saw him, not in the least. He just didn�t think that she would want to see him sans clothing if she happened to wake up. He stripped off his shirt and replaced it with the fresh one. That was the easy part, the pants were proving a little more difficult. He was tired so his balance was not the best. Unbuttoning the soiled pair, he let them drop to his ankles before remembering he was still wearing shoes. Pulling the pants back up he hit the door with his butt sending it swinging closed. Dropping the pants again he grabbed the door before it could bang closed and he got caught. With the door safely open again, he changed his position, pulled up his pants, kicked off his shoes, and then the offending pants. Pushing the thought that he was standing in his room, with Liz in his bed, wearing nothing but a T shirt and boxers to the back of his mind he reached for the clean pair of jeans. Bending over a little he started to put one leg in but lost his balance. Unfortunately he chose to lean towards the door instead of the wall. It swung closed with a bang and he fell to the floor. Max lay perfectly still, sprawled out on the floor one leg half way in his jeans, the other bare. He held his breath as Liz stirred at the sudden noise. She made a cute little murmuring sound before rolling over and clutching one of his pillows to her body. After a moment she stilled and her breathing evened again. Exhaling heavily, he stood quickly and finished putting on his pants. He picked up his shoes and sat in the chair to put them on. He had never been so happy to be clothed in his life. He didn�t think Liz or heaven help him Michael, would take it the right way if they found him in here with out pants on. After getting his shoes on and catching his breath he sat back and watched Liz. She was curled into the fetal position facing him. She clutched one pillow to her small body and her hair was fanned out gracefully on the other. Her long lashes brushed her cheeks and her lips were parted slightly giving them a little girl like pout. Aside from her still being a little pale and the fact that she needed to gain ten pounds, he thought Liz had never looked more beautiful. If he had not already been madly in love with her, he most definitely would be now. Even in sleep Liz could feel his heated gaze on her. She fought her way up to the conscious world, �Max...� she mumbled while her eyes fluttered open. Max came to kneel next to the bed. He was almost level with her face so she didn�t have to sit up. He brushed her hair off her temple, smiling down at her. �Hey,� he said softly �how are you feeling?� She looked up into his soft amber eyes �mmmm, a little weak and rubbery, but better.� �You scared me� She looked away from him �sorry� Continuing to stroke her hair lightly, �Just don�t do it again.� he said teasingly. She turned back to him and smiled. There was a pause and the smile slid from her face. �Do you know?� �yeah.� his entire face lit up knowing what they had once been and if he could help it, what they would be again. She didn�t see it because she was studying the pillowcase. �Are you mad?� He waited for her to turn her eyes back to him, �Why do you think I would be mad?� �because I didn�t tell you.� �I understand why you didn�t tell me Liz. I know a little something about not telling someone something because other people don�t want you to.� He raised his eyebrows and she smiled a little, relaxing her shoulders back into the bed. �I�m not very happy with Michael, but I can�t say I wouldn't have done the same thing if it had been Isabel. How about you? Are you ok with this?� �I don�t really know what this is for me to be ok with it. Pretty much all I know is that my parents lied to me, someone I have never met is trying to kill me and probably all my friends because he thinks he�s in love with me, and that apparently I am still completely human.� tears of bitterness welled up in her eyes thinking about every thing she still did not know. Max absently twirled her soft hair around his fingers brushing away her angry tears with his other hand. He didn�t know what to say to make her feel better. He only knew a bit more than she did and he agreed with Michael on that part. He didn�t want Liz to know about Lillyah and Zan's relationship until he knew he could be with Liz for good. The only thing he could tell her was that she would be getting some answers soon. �Well, Maria is calling Gwyn right now, so hopefully you will get your answers in the next day or two.� �really?� �really.� The grin that broke across her face was blinding. He felt himself answering with one of his own knowing that he had done something to create that beautiful display. �Why? I mean how?� Liz�s facile mind suddenly kicked in and flooded her with questions she would soon be getting the answers to. �Maria had her number and was under strict instructions not to call unless it was a dire circumstance.� Her brow furrowed in question. He answered before she asked. �While we were cleaning up your room we found a couple things. A skin over by the window and your dresser had been rummaged through but nothing was taken. We think someone was in there while you were.� He discreetly left out the part about the alien doll, she was already scared enough. �Oh my gosh� she gasped �It�s ok though, Maria is calling Gwyn and Tess and Kyle. So we can stick together and your going to stay here for a while. Until we know it�s safe. If-if that�s ok with you.� Liz smiled at his uncertainty. She knew it was wrong, but right now she didn�t care. Max knew, well not everything but something, and he wasn�t upset with her. Not only that but before even a day had passed he was making everything better. He chased away her nightmare, saved her life, was keeping her safe, and getting her answers. It was not possible for her to love him more than she did at this moment. She could worry about their non relationship status later. For just a little while she was going to let herself feel what she wanted to. ` �Yeah, that's fine.� she said through a yawn. Max smiled again, she was just so darn cute when she was sleepy. Like a little kitten. He skimmed the backs of his fingers up her cheek while she closed her eyes at the sensation. �you should get some more sleep.� he began to stand just to sit in his chair, but she thought he was leaving. Opening her eyes again she grabbed his hand �Will you stay with me? Until I fall asleep I mean?� Sitting back on the floor, he took the hand that gripping his and raised it to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on the back of her knuckles, �Always� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Maria and Michael came back into the living room where Isabel and Alex were curled up together on the couch. Alex had his arm around her shoulder holding her close and Isabel had her arms wrapped around his waste, her head resting on his shoulder. They both had their eyes closed and small smiles played on their faces. Michael cleared his throat to get their attention. They opened their eyes but made no attempt to disentangle for the other. Michael shrugged and pulled Maria down into a recliner with him. �How are Liz and Max?� Maria asked after she was situated. Isabel laughed, �When I left him he was having trouble forming a complete sentence. They�re fine, he�s probably just sitting there staring at her. Is Gwyn coming? Max told me a little bit about what happened but like I said, he was suffering from a Liz induced memory lapse.� �Yeah, she�s coming. Apparently she is somewhere in Arizona so she�ll take the next flight to Albuquerque and drive down. She should be here by dinner time.� The door bell interrupted her, standing and moving to towards the hall she further explained �and this should be Tess and Kyle.� She opened the door to Tess and a very grumpy Kyle. They moved past her and into the living room �What is so important to his royal alienness that we have to be here at five in the morning on a day we don�t have school?� �Kyle be nice.� Tess scolded him leading him over to sit with her on the love seat. She looked around the room �Where are Max and Liz?� �Liz is asleep upstairs and Max is sitting with her.� Maria said matter of factly. She knew Tess was pretty much with Kyle now but she didn�t want to take a chance on her staking a claim to Max with Liz in her current condition. �ok, so why are we here?� Kyle asked again impatiently, he really was not a morning person. �Max had this stupid idea that you might prefer being here rather than being dead.� �Michael!� Maria swatted his arm. �Stop that, we�re just being cautious. We don�t know anyone is after anyone else except Liz.� �Did something happen? Is Liz ok?� �That depends on your definition of OK Tess.� �That�s it Michael. You are not allowed to talk anymore. You may sit there and be quiet while I explain everything to you guys or you may go upstairs and watch Max drool over your sister. Take your pick.� He opened his mouth to say something but the look on Maria�s face made him think twice. With an exasperated sigh he leaned back against the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. �Good.� She turned back to the rest of the group. �Yes, Liz is better now. We don�t know how much blood she�s lost but Isabel says she�s looking better. Right?� �Oh, yeah. She getting color back and was able to stand to change her clothes so I think she will be ok by this afternoon.� �Hold on, back up. Blood? She lost blood?� �The way Max explained it to me Isabel�s recount of her dream triggered Liz�s dream of the same event. Only it was from her point of view.� �Oh God.� Isabel covered her mouth in shock. Alex squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. �Max thinks she has actually been dreaming about it since November but finding out she was Lillyah a month ago stopped the dreams temporarily. She was never able to get clear images or discern what they were about so she didn�t equate the two things. When she heard about Isabel�s dream and discovered that she was murdered combined with the stress of her little breakdown later brought on the dream again. This time it was very clear. Apparently it was so intense that she started to create things from her dreams in reality using that remote reconfiguration power thingy of hers. Because she was basically reliving her murder,� she glanced over when Isabel let out a muffled whimper from where she had her head buried in Alex�s chest. �She umm... she created all this blood all over the place. It was really gross, when we got there her room looked like a slaughter house. Anyway, she�s always felt pain with the dreams, from where she was, you know, hurt. This time because of the added clarity to the dream somehow she managed to almost recreate the whole event on herself. When Max found her she was all pale and her lips were blue. There were like two dozen stab marks on her stomach and a few of them were bleeding. Most of them were covered with fresh scar tissue, though. He didn�t know whether they had all been open at one time and when she woke up her body started to heal them or if only the few had opened to begin with. Which ever it was she lost enough blood to pass out and scare us all to death. We walked into that room and Max was holding her...we thought she was dead. God, it was one of the worst moments.� �But she�s ok now right?� Kyle asked. He was leaning forward in his seat and Tess had become quite pale during the story. �Yeah, Max fixed her up. She just needs to rest.� Kyle nodded �I�m really sorry for Liz, and I can�t tell you how glad I am that she�s ok but that still doesn�t tell me why we are here.� Tess rolled her eyes and cast an apologetic look at Maria. Maria sighed, �Alex and I were in her apartment when she was having the dream. It�s safe to assume that Liz was screaming bloody murder but we didn�t hear it. When she woke up she called for us but we didn�t come so she called Max. Thank the Lord. Michael and Isabel found us passed out on the kitchen table. Something put us into a deep sleep right in the middle of a conversation. Max sent Liz back here with everybody else while we stayed to clean up her room and I packed her a bag. When I went to get some things out of her dresser it had been gone through and not by Liz. Max found one of those alien dolls that she and I were getting a few weeks ago. Its head was ripped off and the stuffing was all over the balcony. That's not even the funest thing, by the window, which was sealed when Max came in, was a skin. Like came off an evil alien skin. Someone was in that apartment with us, went through Liz�s stuff, knocked Alex and I out, left some freaky love token and sealed the window on his way out. That�s why your here.� �Oh� Maria smiled at Kyle�s lack of comeback �Max thought it would be a good idea if we were all together until Gwyn gets here and can give us some answers on if this guy might go after any of the rest of us.� �I guess that makes sense. So what do we do now?� �We hurry up and wait. Gwyn should be here by dinner time.� �I�m hungry, its morning, why don�t we whip up a little breakfast?� Alex offered, he was always in the mood for food. �Great idea, come on Space Boy, lets see what you can do with an omelet.� Maria pulled Michael into the kitchen, everyone trailing behind laughing. Lost Conversations Part 6 Max, Michael, and Liz _________________________________________ This is the training on the Thursday following the attempted attack on Liz. Just like they had planned at lunch in Chapter 16. It occurs between Chapters 17 and 18. _________________________________________ "Liz we don't have to do this right now. We can wait it's not important." Max told her as he, Liz and Michael got out of the Jeep and walked to the middle of the quarry. It had only been one full day since Liz was attacked and he thought she should rest more. Liz sighed he was only trying to be nice but she was getting sick of people asking if she was ok. "Max, I appreciate the concern, but really I'm fine. I was not hurt. There is no reason I should not continue as if nothing has happened." "All right, lets get this over with." Michael did not like that Max had to be here for this. Max was the only one with a shield so he was the only one who could teach Liz how to use hers but there was no way he was leaving the two of them alone. Max chose to pretty much ignore Michael. "Ok, Michael you stand a few yards in front of Liz and I'll stay here." Michael glared at him before grudgingly taking his place. "Liz do you want to try this on your own or do you want me to feed you some energy like Isabel did." "On my own." Liz said just a little to quickly. "I-I mean I have already done it once so I think I can do it on my own." she smiled shakily at him. She had such a loose hold on her emotions and thoughts right now that holding Max's hand could be a very bad idea. Max tried not to let her quick response hurt him. It was not that she did not want him to touch her, he told himself. She was just eager to get the hang of her powers. "Whenever your ready then." Liz closed her eyes and concentrated on building the power in her outstretched hand. The first time she had done it the shield had been the some color as the light from the Granolith so she concentrated on that. In her mind's eye she gave the simmering power color and substance. Picturing it taking form and solidifying into a wall. When she felt the power seeping from her fingertips she opened her eyes. Michael and Max were literally gapping at her. Their gaze flitting between the shield and herself. She crinkled her brow and looked at the two strangely. "Is there something wrong?" "Umm Liz? How much power are you using?" Max asked stepping forward expecting her to fall any time. She had to be draining herself. "Barely any. Why?" "Liz, you need to put that thing down now." Michael had stepped up to the barrier and was leaning against it. He thought that maybe if he applied pressure it would collapse before she did. "Why? I don't understand. Am I doing something wrong?" "Liz this thing is way to big. Your going to drain all your power, now shut it down." "Max what are you talking abo-" she cut herself off as she shifted her view to where Max had been gesturing. There was a bright violet swirling wall at least six feet tall, spanning the entire width of the quarry. "Oh my gosh." Her eyes grew wide as looked between the two boys. "Liz you have to take it down, you know how much it drains Max and his is much smaller." Michael tried to hide his smile as a rather impure thought flitted through his mind at the possible double meaning of his statement. "But- No. I am barely using any energy at all. It takes more to lift a stain." When the two looked at her skeptically she adjusted her stance so one hand was on her hip and her legs spread a little wider. She gave them both pointed looks that conveyed her intention to stay put until she was ready to leave. "Fine, if you start to get tired put it down ok?" She smiled and nodded as Michael backed away a little. "What now?" she turned to Max "I guess we test its strength. Michael throw a small rock at it." "What? No! I am not throwing a rock at her." Liz rolled her eyes "at it, not at me. Its pretty big, throw it a few feet away." Knowing she would not move until he did it, he found a small rock. Walking a few feet away from her he lightly tossed it at the purple wall. He barely had time to drop to the ground when the rock was thrown right back at him at three times the speed. "what the hell? Liz did you do that?" "Not intentionally, sorry. Does it usually do that Max?" "Umm... Kinda. Except things just bounce off mine. That looked like it gained speed." "Try it again Michael. This time really throw it and at an angle so it does not come back at you." "Liz, I'm not sure this is a good idea any more." "You never thought this was a good idea. I'm not going to know what I can do if we don't test it." He stood contemplating for a moment. "Please, Michael for me." She stuck her lip out a little and batted her eyes. "Fine," he breathed out. She had been spending too much time with Maria. He picked up another rock and threw it so it hit a little ways in front of him. When it hit the shield the color in that spot intensified for a second before the rock was shot back at him. Luckily it missed him and hit the quarry wall a few hundred yards away. Max was watching Liz more than he was the experiment. There had been a moment when the rock hit that her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. "Liz? What happened, did you feel something?" "Yeah, when the rock hit I could feel the shield suck a little more of my energy." "Suck? Did you release it consciously?" "No it was not a release it was a pull. It was being sucked out of the shield. If I did not feed it more energy it would have weakened." "Liz I don't like this. I think we should stop until your stronger." "Max, it's fine. I just want to try one more thing please. I really need to learn how to control this Max." The pleading, desperate look in her eyes left him unable to say no. "Ok, what did you want to try?" "Michael?" He came back up to where he could hear her. "I want you to fire a small power blast at it." "No!" both boys answered in unison. "Liz that is way too dangerous." "Dangerous how? Its not going to get anywhere near me. Please, I just want to see what will happen when its met with another energy based form as opposed to an inanimate form." "As much as I hate to say it she's probably right. We need to know the difference." "See Michael, Max agrees. I won't get hurt I promise." "All right," he conceded he could maybe win if it was just Liz but with Max on her side he didn't stand a chance. He backed a few paces away and aimed at a spot a few feet away from her. Taking a deep breath he fired a small blast that would barely burn a wall. Liz gasped when she felt the blast hit the wall. The energy seemed to latch on to hers and leach off it to grow more powerful. Just as quickly it tripled in strength and flew past Michael's head to the wall behind him. It blew a hole a little smaller than a beach ball. "Michael!" Max yelled, "How much power did you use? Something that strong could have penetrated." "It was barely anything. It would barely have singed a wall." They turned to Liz for an explanation. Both were met with a completely unacceptable sight. Liz was completely drained of color and her eyes were closed. "Liz, are you ok?" Max put his hand on her shoulder She opened her eyes and took a deep breath "yes, I had to direct a little more energy to the shield, that's all. I'm fine." "Liz, you're really pale I think you should let it go." "No I want to try one other thing." "Liz you said one thing the last time, we don't even know what happened. I did not send that much power in that blast." "I think I know what happened. When the blast hit the energy reacted to mine. It kind of took hold and stole some of it to build its own strength. Then it returned fire." "You felt it taking energy out of the shield again? Liz I don't like this." "Come on guys, this is important to me. You have had years to work on your powers. I have had a few months. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere, getting some answers. Please just one more thing, then I promise we can stop." Michael and Max exchanged hesitant looks. They wanted to say no but when Liz put it like that how could they? "I can't believe you have been able to keep it up this long at all. What did you want to try?" "Thank you. I want Michael to fire another stronger blast but this time in closer proximity to my body." "Are you crazy? Absolutely not." "I just want to see if I can direct where the blast goes, I thought if it were closer to me it would be easier." Michael took a deep breath trying to calm his anger. Was she trying to kill herself? Still, he knew she would not back down until he did it. There was no way he was firing it at her though. He nodded his head in defeat while aiming. He juiced up a little more so the blast would be roughly as strong as the one that had made the return trip last time. Muttering a silent prayer he let it go. Liz was silent in concentration trying to will where the blast would bounce to. All intentions of direction were lost when the blast encountered her shield. The blast was strong so it was easier for it to suck her energy out through the shield. In those few long seconds she could feel all her energy and power reserves being drained by the greedy blast. Just as the blast bounced off to obliterate one side of the quarry Liz lost her hold on the shield and collapsed. Max had been watching with baited breath as Michael shot a mild blast at Liz. Fear struck him straight in the heart when in mere seconds Liz flushed with exertion, lost all color again, wavered, her eyelids fluttered, and as she let the shield down started to fall. If he had not been standing a few feet from her she would have hit the ground. He was quick enough to brake her fall with his strong arms. "Liz!" Michael yelled as he watched his sister collapse into Max's arms. He raced back to her while Max gently sat her on the ground. Liz blinked for a moment letting the world come back into focus. "What happened?" Michael was franticly looking her over to see if somehow part of the blast had penetrated the shield. "I'm ok, I'm ok." She struggled to stand up but both boys pushed her back down. "You are with as a sheet. Sit." her brother commanded. "Liz?" Max smoothed her hair off her brow, "What happened? Are you ok?" "Would you both calm down please? I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting it to surge like that." "What do you mean surge?" Max asked. He had no idea what had happened. His shield had never affected him like this. "When the blast encountered the shield it sucked the energy right out of my body in order to turn it around. I tired to block it but it was too fast and too strong for me to do it." "It just sucked your energy out of your body this time, not the shield? Until you passed out?" "Michael I did not pass out. I just blacked out for a second. I didn't lose consciousness. I think it might be a partial side affect of my powers being unused. Tess said they were like a muscle. They get tired quickly at first but with practice they get stronger." "Well this is one power of yours that is not getting stronger." Michael stood and attempted to to take Liz from Max. Max held on tight glaring at Michael. Liz rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Guys. I can walk. Let go Max." "No, you are still too weak. Look, your hands are shaking." He stood and started moving towards the car. Max was right so she didn't argue any further. Michael followed close behind. "and no more practicing the shield. You don't need it you can use your other stronger powers if you have to." "Michael you don't know th-that." She blinked and shook off the fuzziness invading her consciousness as Max gingerly placed her in the back seat. Michael pushed past him climbing in next to her. "Would you shut up woman? Here lie down your about to pass out again." "I am not," she whined weakly even as she let him pull her head into his lap. "What are you standing there for Max?" He glared at him. Max was standing there watching them, trying very hard not to blow up. Telling himself he had to get Liz back to town no matter who was holding her, he climbed stiffly into the drivers seat and sped off towards the Crashdown. Part 26 ____________________________________________ Liz woke slowly when the prickly numb feeling in her left arm started to inch towards her stiff shoulder. Opening her eyes she noticed she was stretched out spread eagle on her stomach in a strange bed. Lifting her head groggily she looked around the room and tried to pull her arm up from where it dangled off the bed. She was met with resistance. Something or someone was pulling her arm back down. Struggling to sit up without the use of that arm the room came into focus. She was in Max�s room. Leaning over the bed she saw what was keeping her arm in the awkward position. Sprawled out on his back, Max was holding tightly on to her hand even in sleep. She smiled down at him while she gently extracted her hand from his. His hair was slightly mussed from sleep and gave him the most adorable little boy look. Swinging her feet off the other side of the bed so she didn�t step on Max, she glanced at the alarm next to his bed. No wonder her arm had been asleep, it was one in the afternoon. Coming around the edge of the bed she picked up the comforter off the bed and gently covered Max. He was sleeping so soundly she couldn�t bare to wake him. At the same time she could not stay in bed any longer. She was so excited she was almost giddy. Gwen was coming, Gwen was coming, Gwen was coming! She felt like doing a little dance she was so excited. Her tummy rumbled and she realized she was absolutely starving. The feeling surprised her. It was the first time in over a month Liz had actually been hungary. She had taken to eating only when Michael or Maria forced her to. Taking one last look at Max she slipped soundlessly out of the room and skipped down the stairs. A wide smile permanently etched on her face. Rounding the corner into the living room she came to a sudden stop. Liz had expected to see a couple of her friends watching a video or something instead she saw six exhausted teens sprawled out all over the living room fast asleep. Michael and Maria were on the floor in front of the tv, he was on his back and her head was resting on his chest. Tess and Kyle were on the love seat. Kyle was sitting up with his legs propped on the coffee table, Tess was stretched out on the sofa with her head in his lap. That was an interesting development. Liz had not noticed them before. She wondered just how close they had gotten. Not that it mattered much where her relationships were concerned. Isabel was hogging the whole couch and it looked like she had pushed Alex on to the floor. He was laying sideways, his face pressed into one of the couch�s legs and his arm draped precariously over Iz�s waist. Liz smiled at her sleeping friends as she tip toed between them into the kitchen. Making a bee line for the fridge, she opened it up finding several leftover omelets. Glancing at the dirty dishes still in the sink she theorized that Michael had made breakfast before they had all fallen asleep. Popping two of them into the microwave she went back to the fridge to get some juice to accompany her meal. Settling herself at the table she took a big bite and sighed. Food had never tasted so good. Michael definitely deserved a raise in salary. While finishing her two large omelets she went over what all she wanted to learn from Gwyn. At first she thought about making a list but decided against it. As much as she wanted to think so this was not all about her. Gwyn could give the others answers too. If she took dominance in the meeting later Gwyn might leave out something. It would probably be better to let Gwyn tell what she thought was pertinent then ask questions to fill in the blanks. While she put her plate in to the dishwasher and did the dishes the others had left she laughed at herself. She was even making a plan on how to conduct a meeting that she was not in charge of. Scrubbing the skillet out it briefly went through her mind that this meeting might not go as well as she would like. From what Michael had said about Gwyn she was hardly forth coming when it came to answering inquires. Every conversation produced more questions than answers. Then there was the possibility of not getting the answers she wanted. What if some of the things she had to tell them were upsetting? They already knew about the war, kinda, and Valondra. Although, Liz hoped she would shed a little more light on both subjects. There was always the possibility that there was something else more sinister she needed to tell them. Could that be why she was so evasive? There was another possibility that Liz refused to acknowledge. What if the reason Gwyn was dancing around issues was because she didn�t know as much as she led them to believe? No, that was not an option. Even if there were things she did not know, she had to at least know more than they did. Plus she had mentioned a camp of others like her so there must be someone else out there, on this planet, who could tell them everything. There had to be, Liz refused to entertain any other outcomes. It never occurred to her that the news Gwyn did have was happy but had the ability to destroy her and everything she had worked for if she let it. Finishing straightening up the kitchen she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was twenty to two. If she hurried she could get a quick shower, change and be done by the time Passions came on at two. It was like the cheesiest show around but it was so funny to watch. Creeping back through the living room and out to the hall, she snatched up the bag Maria had packed for her and bounced back up the stairs to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later Liz was back in the kitchen preparing for her soap. She was wearing jeans, a red tank top, and white short sleeved button down. It was one of only three things Maria had packed for her that she could actually wear in public. Somehow Maria had managed to find every article of clothing she owned that made her self conscious or look hideous. I mean, who waits to find out who exactly is coming to murder them in red leather pants and a black tube top? Ok maybe Isabel and Buffy, but those where the only names that came to mind. Pulling out the little manicure kit Maria had tucked into her bag, Liz worked on her nails while she watched her show. During the course of her little trip off the deep end she had managed to bite all her nails down to the quick. The house was quiet. The only sounds the light conversation from the tv and Liz�s nail file. Around two thirty Liz started to become very anxious. She put away her nail things because she was having trouble sitting still. She wanted to go walk around or something. Not currently having a death wish she decided against it. She sat on her hands and tried very hard to concentrate on the demons pulling Charity into Hell. Just as she was starting to calm down she felt a pull at the back of her mind. She knew it was her raider power but that didn�t make any sense. Everyone else was still in this house. Turning off the TV she concentrated for a moment. It was someone new, but who? The hum was getting stronger. Whoever it was they were coming to this house. Stealthily she went through the living room and to the front door. Looking through the window in the door she held her breath as a dark sedan pulled into the drive. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Gwyn was anxious as she turned down Murry Lane. This would be the first time she would be with them all at the same time. Granted she had met them all and knew bits about their lives now but this was different. She was nervous. She had killed her enemies in bloody hand to hand combat for years on Antar but that did not compare to how nervous she was now. More than anything she wanted them to like her, especially Lilly and Ava, er Liz and Tess. She was still having a hard time with the name thing. She had only known their real names for six months but even after ten years she still had trouble answering to her own earth name. Justin had assured her that they would like her but she was not so easily convinced. There were still so many things they did not know. So many things they did not and would not remember about their pasts. Gwyn hoped that when they did find out they didn�t kill the messenger. She didn�t have any longer to dwell on her insecurities about this whole situation, she was pulling into the Evens� drive. Quickly, she checked her long red curls in the dash mirror, took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. No sooner had she shut the door then did the front door open. Tentatively a much thinner Lil-Liz stepped out on to the porch. She had her head cocked to the side and a curious smile played on her lips. Gwyn quickly retrieved the small package out of the back seat and met Liz on the porch. Holding a finger to her lips and mouthing a �shhh�, she motioned Gwyn to follow her inside. Following her into the house Gwyn set her package down on the hall table and continued after Liz into the living room. She could not help but smile at the sight that greeted her. Snaking quietly through the sleeping group she paused for a moment when she saw Tess. Shaking her head to clear her eyes of the tears pooling there she caught up with Liz in the kitchen. �would you like something to drink?� Liz asked walking over to the fridge. �Cherry coke it you have it would be great. The air is so much drier here than where I am used to living.� �What is it about aliens and cherry coke?� Liz asked, coming back to the table with two cans and a bottle of tabasco. �Its a little sweeter than regular soft drinks, and the cherry compliments the tabosco better than some other flavors.� She picked up the bottle adding a few shakes to her can. �Thanks for remembering.� Gwyn smiled at her. Liz nodded and smiled back, �Its second nature now, I don�t really think about it any more.� They sat for a moment in silence, not sure what to say to the other. �You were at the front door before I even pulled into the drive. I told Maria I would probably not be here until dinner time. How did you know I was coming?� �One of my powers is like a tracking device. I have like a little hum in the back of my consciousness for each of the seven other members of the group, when they come closer it gets louder. For some reason I must be tuned in to you now too.� Gwyn�s brow knotted and she held up her hand, �wait, you have powers?� Liz took a sip of her coke, �yeah, is there something wrong?� �No. I�m just a confused. How old are you?� �Seventeen.� �I wonder what went wrong?� Gwyn said more to herself than to Liz. �What? What went wrong?� �Oh, its not a big deal, nothing to worry about. You were not supposed to start showing signs of any powers until you were at least twenty, maybe twenty one.� �They were supposed to lie dormant until then?� �Yes, for your own protection because you are and were to be raised completely human.� Liz thought about it for a moment. Kyle was also developing powers, she was pretty sure he was not at all like her. �There�s not another human like me is there? A guy that was sent here fully human?� Gwyn smiled assuming it was wishful thinking on her part. �Nope, your unique.� Liz smiled shyly back, �when Max healed me it must have kick started, so to speak, that part of my brain. That�s probably why they were developing so quickly.� �Max healed you?� �You didn�t know about that?� �No, we only found out where the royal four were about six months ago.� �Oh.� Liz smiled and her eyes sparkled, �Then I�ll tell you the story. A year ago this past September while I was working at the Crash there was a shooting. I got shot and Max just happened to be there and he saved my life. He risked Michael and Isabel to save me.� Liz sighed �That sounds like something he would, especially if it was you.� Liz cocked her head, what did she mean �especially if it was you�? �Anyway, he ended up having to tell me everything and I had to tell Maria because she knew something was up. Eventually we had to tell Alex too. Then after Tess came...� �What do you mean after Tess came?� Gwyn interrupted, �She�s not always been here?� �No, She came out of her pod after the others, Nesado found her and took her with him. He said they went to look for the others but that still does not add up to me because they were like forty miles away and they were gone for ten years. We will probably never find out since Nesado is dead now.� �Wow. That�s not how things were supposed to go at all.� she shook her head in confusion. The crash must have screwed up a lot more things than they thought. Liz returned her perplexed look �how were they supposed to go then?� �I think I should wait for the others so I don�t have to tell the story twice.� Liz nodded �So that�s the three of you, how did the boy with Tess, Kyle right? How did he come into all of this and how did Max healing you jump start your powers?� �Kyle and I have a storied past but that�s not really pertinent to this part of the story. Last spring Max was captured by the special unit of the FBI.� Gwyn's face reflected the horror Liz felt in her heart for the incident. �It was so terrible, they almost killed him.� �Is he ok now?� �He�s better but he still has some fears and stuff he�s trying to work through. Don�t ask him about it, ok? It really upsets him.� �No, I won�t� �Where was I, oh yeah, Kyle. So Max was being held by Pierce and the others had gone to get him but it was taking to long. I went to the sheriff, Kyle�s dad, who helped us get him out. Our past with the sheriff is really long too but I can tell you about it some other time. We eventually captured Pierce ourselves and there was a shoot out. Somehow Kyle was there and he got caught in the crossfire. Max healed him and we had to tell him the truth too. Skip forward to just last fall. Nesado was killed and Max found evidence that Skins had been in Tess�s house where she was now living alone. It was too dangerous for her to stay there anymore so she went to live with Kyle and his dad.� Gwyn raised her brows �she lives with that boy out there? They looked pretty cozy. I�m not sure that�s appropriate.� �I don�t think you have anything to worry about right now.� Gwyn seemed overly concerned with Tess, that was odd. �As for their relationship, I have no idea. I�ve been kinda out of it lately. Anyway, because Max also healed Kyle, who is human, he has developed some powers or a power. Max�s healing me probably gave mine a little boost.� Gwyn nodded. �You always were quick on your feet about riddles like that. Makes sense.� There was another pause. Liz played with the top of her soda can. She looked up when she felt Gwyn continue to stare at her �What? Is there something on my shirt?� She looked down smoothing out the sides. Gwyn smiled softly. �No. I can just see so much of her in you now that I�m really looking. You know, they say eyes and the windows to the soul. Now I know its true. All of you are different than you were on Antar but you still have the same eyes.� �Oh, Maybe...maybe you could tell me a little bit about it. Them, they�re life, you, if you want to I mean.� She thought it might make her more at ease with this whole situation if she could get to know things from Gwyn's point of view. �Ok� she took a deep breath searching for some trivial pieces of information to tell her, �You, Lillyah was my best friend. Especially after things started to go wrong with Vonnie. You were sweet but logical. Very shy in public and around strangers but you grew accustomed to the royal outings eventually. You used to say it was like acting. At a social function or on a diplomatic mission you were The Noble Lady Lillyah, first daughter of the house of Sano. When you were with us you were just Lilly. You had fire and spunk but at the same time were the epitome of kind and compassionate. You had all the men in the palace wrapped around your finger just like Vonnie. The two of you together were a powerful combination. You were all charm and grace while she was huge flirt with a heat of gold. You could get virtually whatever you wanted. I do mean everything, jewels, property, peace treaties. It was incredible how people fell all over themselves to be near you. You never let it go to your head though. Rath wouldn�t hear of it.� She laughed, �Ahh Rath. How have you been getting along with Michael?� Liz rolled her eyes. �He has taken to this whole big brother thing a little faster than I have. He�s not that bad, I understand, kinda. I swear though, sometimes he�s worse than my parents.� �That definitely sounds like Rath. Although, Michael is a lot darker and more brooding then Rath was. He was so protective of you. He had more rules for you than your nannies and the Queen combined. Of course, it was only because he loved you and was terrified of losing you. When your parents were killed he felt it was his responsibility to keep you safe. You even shared a bedroom until you were fifteen. It was one of the few times you had an absolute fit and screamed his ear off. We could hear you yelling outside in the gardens. Eventually Zan, Vonnie and I convinced him to let you have a room that adjoined his.� Liz laughed, fully engrossed in the story �I take it back, I will take my Michael over Rath.� �Is he always so grumpy? When I talked to him on the phone he nearly bit my ear off.� �Michael has a rough edge to him. He had a very difficult childhood and he built his wall to keep people out. Its really hard to let people in because it leaves his heart unprotected. For him that's one of the scariest things out there.� Gwyn nodded, �On Antar Rath was similar but I think having to look after you kept that edge a little softer. You were his whole life for a long time. Until you were engaged. He never dated, all of us would try to set him up but he just blew it off. Zan even tried to get him to go out with me. In my early twenties I developed a huge crush on him,� she looked down to the table shyly for a moment, �Zan thought that since you and I were so close that he would be OK with it. He wasn�t. By the time he started to think about dating for real he was 25 and I was engaged to someone else. Liz was about to ask who Lillyah had been engaged to when an anxious wave passed through her body. She bent her head in concentration to get a better read on where she suspected it was coming from. �Are you all right?� Gwyn asked. Liz had a strange look on her face and her hands were shaking. After a moment Liz raised her head again, smirked and pointed to the kitchen door. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Max groaned as he rolled on to his side. He opened his eyes when he realized he had rolled onto a book. What was he doing on the floor? Blinking the seep out of his eyes he remembered that he was on the floor because Liz was in his bed. A goofy, lop sided grin spread across his face at the thought. Rubbing the back of his stiff neck he sat up. It only took a fraction of a second for the fear to completely take over his body. The bed was empty. Springing to his feet he listened intently to the sounds of the house. It was quiet. Ok Max, be rational here, he told himself. There are six other people in this house. Nothing could have happened to her. Looking at the clock he saw that it was almost five o�clock, maybe she needed to use the restroom. Swiftly he strode to the bathroom at the end of the hall. The door was open and the room was empty. A towel had been used and hung back up but that could have been Isabel. Isabel. Maybe she had gotten uncomfortable being alone with him in his room and she went into Isabel�s. Faster, the adrenaline pumping through his veins created a rushing sound in his ears. He ran to his sisters room. Nothing, no one. Where was everyone? No! His mind was screaming at him. Not now. He promised her. Crashing down the stares he slid and hit the hall table. Picking himself up he turned to survey the living room. Everyone of his friends was passed out. All of them but Liz. He could feel the tears start to prick at his eyes. The skins, they did this. Put them all to sleep and abducted her from his bed. Max was about to crumble to the ground in despair when he felt a presence brush against his consciousness. It was warm and safe and calming. Holding back the hysteria he honed in on the presence. It was calling to him seductively, beaconing him to...the kitchen? Without thinking he followed the benevolent voice. He tripped over Michael�s arm on the way but paid no attention. When he stepped into the doorway the relief that flooded his very soul was paramount to ecstasy. Sitting at the table with wide grin was his Liz. Sighing deeply, Max strode across the room and drew Liz up out of her chair. He pressed her to his body as tightly as he could to confirm her presence in this world. He kept his eyes closed for a moment breathing in her clean scent. Placing a kiss on the crown of her head he pulled back to look into her face. With a half smile he told her �I don�t think my heart can take it if you keep scarring me half to death like that.� Liz rolled her eyes but smiled back at him. �You didn�t expect me to stay in bed all day like the rest of you, did you?� she asked pointing a finger into his chest. Max laughed with her �I can think of worse things for you to be doing.� Gwyn sat back and watched the couple with a growing grin. They were exactly like Lillyah and Zan, she thought to herself. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Max tripping over Michael had woken him up who in turn woke everyone else. Seeing how they had slept the day away they decided to order a few pizzas and relax before getting down to the nitty gritty stuff with Gwyn. They sat around until the sun started to dip below the horizon. They told Gwyn stupid tourist stories about Roswell and which were true and which were not. They told stories about growing up here and gave her a better picture of what their earth lives had been like. Gwyn told them a few things about herself and that she was going to move to Roswell permanently. Justin would be joining her as soon as his work was finished back in Arizona. Everyone was amazed by the change in Liz. She was smiling and laughing. Her eyes were bright and she ate as much pizza as Michael. Apparently recovering from a near breakdown made you very hungry. Lounging around eased the tension considerably. Everyone liked Gwyn very much and it was a great relief to see their Liz back. After everything was cleaned up and they all had fresh sodas everyone gathered back in the living room. Gwyn was front and center in an easy chair where everyone could see and hear her. After they were all settled into a comfy position they turned expectant eyes to her. �Well,�she began, making eye contact first with Max, then with Liz and Michael, �I guess that my cue.� Taking a deep breath to gather her thoughts, �Where to start? I suppose the beginning is always a good place.� Back Next |