| Secrets In The Past |
| Chapter 55a _______________ �Max,� Liz giggled, trying to push him away from her exposed neck. �Come on, its late. We have school...� Losing her train of thought, she whimpered as he ran his tongue along the ridge of her collar bone. It was approaching the witching hour and Max and Liz had been spending a fairly productive evening of not talking on the couch in the break room of the Crashdown. After dinner had broken up Michael and Maria had gone upstairs and Liz didn�t want to intrude, they needed some alone time just as much as she and Max. So they had stayed down stairs to discuss going to a movie or something but they never made it off the sofa. Maria had left half an hour ago but they never even heard the door open. �Liz...� Max whispered her name again as he tasted more of her sugary skin. He�d been doing that all night, saying her name over and over again like an oath. It made Liz shiver every time and she derived a secret pleasure knowing her�s was the only name that he would ever say quite like that. �Max. Max,� she tunneled her fingers through his already mussed hair, tugging lightly to get his attention. Reluctantly, he removed his mouth and brought his forehead up to rest against hers. His shining, happy eyes met hers and their heavy breaths mingled in the tiny bit of space between their lips and she almost gave in again. Almost. �Max, its late. We�ve got school tomorrow, Michael is still upstairs-� �You want me to leave?� Max asked her in an overly wounded voice, giving her puppy eyes, and pouting his bottom lip so it barley brushed against hers. Liz rolled her eyes, �that�s not working this time Max.� In response he whimpered like a lost dog in the rain. �I mean it mister,�she said sternly while pushing at his chest again. He slowly got off her, as if it were causing him physical pain. �Ok,� he sighed dramatically, �if you really want me to go away, all alone, in the dark, and the cold, I will.� Liz shook her head, taking the hand he offered to help her to her feet. �Max,� she looked up at him, a huge grin plastered on her face. �You�re going to your house where I know there are people, there are street lights all the way there, and we live in New Mexico, its not that cold out.��Well, now you�ve taken all the fun out by rationalizing. How am I supposed to worm my way into your affections if you take away all my excuses?�Liz stood on tip toe, linking her arms around his neck. �Its too late, I�m afraid I already fell victim to your charms long ago Mr. Evans.� �Is that right?� �Mhhmm,� she rubbed her nose affectionately against his. �A long, long time ago.� Closing the space between them, he pressed a firm but chaste kiss to her lips. He pulled away before either could deepen it, knowing she was right and it was time for him to leave. �Call you when I go to bed?� he asked, pulling out of her grasp. �Yeah, I�d like that.� �Ok, I�ll see you tomorrow,� he held on to her hands as he backed towards the door. �Right, tomorrow.� Letting go of her hands, Max pulled her back to him for one last embrace. �I love you,� he whispered into her hair. �I love you too,� she answered, pulling away again. �Ok, bye.� He stepped out the door slowly, waiting until the last minute to take his eyes off her. �Bye Max,� she sighed more than said. Liz moved to close the door behind him when his head popped back into view. �Liz?� �What Max?� She was trying really hard not to laugh. �Before you go upstairs, you should clean yourself up a bit. If you were my sister, I wouldn�t respond very well to how ravaged you look.� Very satisfied with her shocked gasp, he disappeared from view and a few seconds later the jeep could be heard roaring down the street. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Liz stepped inside the apartment, after running a hand over herself to erase all signs of her earlier make out session with Max, to the glow of the tv coming from the living room. Walking down the hall she could hear the distinctive �bams�, �splats�, and �zings� that accompanied cartoons. �Were you waiting up for me?� Liz asked slightly annoyed, as she dropped onto the couch next to Michael. �Yes and no,� he answered non comitally, not taking his eyes from his cartoons. �and that means?� Waiting until the commercial to answer her, he flipped off the tv and turned his body to face her. �I wanted to talk to you but I wasn�t waiting for you.� �Uh-huh,� she nodded, still in a playfully good mood from her teasing with Max. Michael, it seemed, wasn�t. �Whatever. I just wanted to see if you were ok but obviously you�re fine so I�ll just leave you alone.� He stood, tossing the remote on the coffee table with a thud. �Michael,� she grabbed onto his arm. �Come on, I was just teasing. I need to talk to you about some stuff too.� She motioned to his empty seat, �please?� There was a short silence before he relented and plopped back down on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. Liz smiled encouragingly despite his defensive posture. �So, what did you want to talk to me about?� �What was going on in that back room?� Michael asked bluntly. He wasn�t meaning to be so coarse with her tonight but something was putting him on edge. Normally he wouldn't have reacted that way to her goading him about waiting up for her, but the little episode in the back room was nagging at him in a not so good way. He was probably over preparing for her to fight telling him what was going on and that�s what was making him so defensive. Liz froze for a minute, she�d been prepared for another interrogation about Max but not to have to explain her fight with Justin. Max hadn�t even pressed her about what happened. �I umm, why do you ask?� Michael gave her a look that said �don�t be stupid�, �oh, I don�t know. Maybe it was the way Max was pacing around like he had ants in his pants, or the fact that I could feel how upset you were. Or maybe it was that all of us could hear the raised voices all the way out in the cafe.� �You could?� �Yeah, we could,� his voice grew softer. �Did he say something to you or, I don�t know. Did the two of them corner you about something?� �No Michael,� she shook her head slowly, taking in a deep breath. �It wasn�t like that. I was actually the one that started the whole thing.� �You were?� he asked in disbelief. �Yeah, kind of. Gwyn came back to talk to me in private. I had something I needed to ask her and Justin anyway so I asked her to call him. The thing I asked, I knew they weren�t going to be very perceptive to the idea at first, but I thought if I explained things to them logically they would see it my way.� �And they didn�t?� �No. Well, I think Gwyn did. She was pretty quiet most of the time. It was Justin I was arguing with.� �What exactly did he say to you Liz? Because the way you were feeling and the way Max was acting, it wasn�t a simple argument.� Michael was once again trying to exercise his ever growing bank of patience. He was on a slow learning curve but it was becoming evident that when dealing with Liz and Maria, if he wanted real information on sensitive subjects, he had to let them take their time. It was probably in Justin�s best interest as well because right now he really wanted to take a little drive over to his house and explain to him exactly what happened to people who upset his baby sister. Liz pursed her lips mentally sifting through what information to leave out. She didn�t mind telling him what they fought about, she thought she�d be able to wait �till it was all said and done but it wasn�t a big deal. What she did mind was telling him anything about Max and his current state of mind. It bothered her enough that she had to tell Gwyn and Justin, but she wasn�t going to tell anyone else his business without his permission. �I asked them, or whoever does this sort of thing, to make up a document stating that if something were to happen to me, or Max, that Isabel and you would be named our successors. Justin didn�t take it too well. He argued that I was only making what amounted to a will because I thought something was going to happen to me. I think for some reason he thought I was expressing a doubt in his ability to protect me, which couldn�t be farther form the truth. I tried to explain that I just want us to be prepared, I don�t want a repeat of Antar, but he wouldn�t listen. I-I ended up having to order him to do it.� Michael had been listening attentively and he saw how much she believed what she was asking of him was necessary. He also saw and felt how much it hurt her that Justin hadn�t been willing to listen to her and it compounded her feelings when he�d told her that her feelings were wrong. �What do you mean you ordered him?� �He gave me an ultimatum and I...� she looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him both to understand and tell her she did the right thing. �He basically told me the only way he would do it was if I used my- position and ordered him, so I- I did.� �Your position? As in �I am your Queen and you will do my bidding� type of position?� �I, well, I guess.� She shrugged, casting her eyes back to her lap, �I didn�t really see it like that though. I don�t like the whole thing either way, and- and I would never use it like that, like a play thing. I just- this is really important to me Michael,� she explained softly. �Hey, I�m sorry. I didn�t mean it like that. I wasn�t... condemning what you did or how you did it. I was just... surprised. I know you aren�t very comfortable with the whole thing.� �Yeah,� she affirmed in barely a whisper. Not wanting to prolong the situation or Liz�s unease he moved on. �As much as it makes me... uncomfortable,� as punctuation he squirmed unconsciously in his seat. �I think its a good idea.� �You do?� Liz looked up sharply in surprise. �Yeah. From a strictly strategic perspective, we need something like this. Anything to give us an edge over our enemies and in a case like that we�ll need all the help we can get.� Liz looked at him for a moment in complete amazement. Was this really the same Michael Guerin that only three months ago couldn�t even sit in the same booth with her when she was crying and who�s approach to everything had been attack now, ask questions later? �When exactly did you become rational and start using phrases like strategic perspective?� she asked smiling. �Since you turned our leader into a drooling puppy, and a biting one apparently. You missed a spot.� He grumbled and pointed out the hickey she had missed, partly because he didn�t want to know what Max did to his sister and partly to break the moment a little. He hadn�t meant to drudge all this stuff up, he only wanted to know what had upset her and if he needed to hurt someone. Just because he was a little more patient and thoughtful didn�t mean he wasn�t still Michael. Flustered, Liz blushed profusely and quickly waved away the bruise. �Can I ask you something else?� Michael asked somberly, ignoring Liz�s embarrassment. She nodded, trying to collect herself. �Are you, did you ask Justin to do it because you think we should be prepared or because you think something is going to happen to you?� Liz bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ears, gestures that told him instantly that it was the latter. He didn�t say anything, he would let her explain first. �Its not,� she looked up at him. �Michael its not that I think any of you would let anything happen to me... I just, I have this feeling. I can�t say if its going to happen tomorrow or twenty years from now, but something is going to happen.� �That�s why you kept Max at arms length even after he knew everything,� Michael realized aloud. A lot of Liz�s actions over the past few months were starting to make a little more sense than simply dealing with Durton. �Yeah, I don�t want to hurt him again but... I need him Michael. I can�t let this stupid feeling control my life any more than I can Durton. If I can use it to help us be more prepared for the future, then I guess it did its job. If nothing happens, great. If it does, we�re ready. � Liz waited for him to say something, anything. She felt around for him and realized that he was blocking her. Was he really that angry? Would he really cut off their connection like that? A heavy feeling settled in her stomach at the thought. Glancing down, she nervously played with her hands. Suddenly, she was enveloped in his strong arms, pulling her into his body. After a moment he pulled back some but didn�t relinquish his hold on her. She looked up at him apprehensively, �you�re not mad?� �No,� his voice was gruff trying to cover his turbulent emotions. He�d even blocked their connection in an attempt to limit how much she felt from him. �I think- you�re very brave,� he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. �And that you did the right thing.� Liz sighed in relief, �you do?� �Yeah, I only wish you would�ve told me sooner,� he cut off her apology with a look. �But I understand why you didn�t. I�m not always the easiest person to tell stuff to,� he admitted. �I know, but I also know that you only react like that because you care about something or someone very much.� Michael looked away, already uncomfortable with the emotional level of the conversation. Liz didn�t push it any further, he knew how she felt about him and she didn�t want to make him squirm, that wasn�t the point of this discussion. �With that said, and now that I know you�re not angry with me,� she gave him a quick squeeze around the middle to show him how much that meant to her then pulled completely back. �I need to ask you to do something if something should happen to me.� Michael took a deep breath, eyeing her wearily. For the time being he kept their connection blocked so she wouldn't be hurt if he had an adverse reaction to her request. He did understand about the feeling thing she was having. He�d had the same thing about her just before Gwyn came but he was unsettled by how much thought Liz was putting into this. He couldn�t help but wonder if it was because she felt it so strongly or because she hadn�t told anyone about it until now and it let her paranoia about it fester. Either way, how she was preparing for her own death, they hadn�t said it but that was what she was doing, was very disturbing. He knew it would only upset her and there was not point in telling her to stop or getting mad at her. That just wouldn�t work. Michael could only hope that in becoming so prepared it would prevent disaster. �Ok, I�m listening.� �On my balcony there is a loose brick in one of the walls. Behind it is my journal and a small stack of letters. If anything should happen to me I need you to give those letters to our friends and my journal to Max.� �Ok,� he nodded, �I can do that.� He was actually very relieved that wasn�t something that big and it would give her peace of mind if he said yes. Liz let out a relieved sigh and thanked him sincerely. �It really means a lot to me.� Michael shrugged, not needing to be thanked. He was just glad he could do something to make her feel more secure, about anything. �Is that it?� he asked, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. �We do need to talk about my parents and what we�re going to tell them,� she said, trying to stifle a yawn. �Why don�t we talk about that another time?� Liz nodded in agreement, yawning again. �I think that may be a good idea. I didn�t realize how tired I was.� �You want me to sit with you?� he asked her gently when she stood up. �I think I�ll be ok tonight,� she told him remembering that Max would be calling soon. Michael smiled sardonically as she left the room. �Tell Max his jacket is still here.� Liz stopped suddenly, her back to him. She knew he�d heard her little gasp but she didn�t know if he knew that Max had been there Sunday morning or just that he was calling her before bed. She wasn�t going to fall into his trap though, she and Max had done nothing wrong. �Goodnight Michael,� she called with a smile in her voice. �Goodnight Liz,� he returned, smiling to himself. Oh he knew alright. He�d just wanted to make her squirm. What else were big brothers for? Chapter 55b _________________ Justin approached his house with trepidation. He�d stayed out a while to give Gwyn some time to cool off and himself some time to think. That, and she had the car so he had to walk home. Taking a deep breath he turned the knob and slipped quietly through the front door. The house was dark except for the flickering glow of the tv in the living room. Not giving himself time to go back, he strode purposefully in and felt the breath he was holding leave his lungs in a deep whoosh of relief finding only Kyle and a sleeping Tess there. Kyle saw him standing in the entrance way and waved, motioning for him to be quiet because of Tess. Justin offered him a tired smile and nod before turning towards the kitchen. Kyle stood slowly, gently putting Tess� head on a pillow, then following Justin. The light from the porch and the waning moon flooded in through the big bay window over the sink and provided enough light to not bother with the overheads. �So, uh, how�s Tess?� Kyle glanced through the door to the couch, �she�ll be ok. She�s just feeling a little lost right now.� �I hope you know we�ll do everything we can to find out what happened,� Justin assured. �Its just not high on the list, though. She understands, she just needs some time. She�s stronger than she thinks she is, she wouldn�t have survived this long if she wasn�t.� Kyle continued to watch her for a minute, losing touch with reality as he thought of how vulnerable she was earlier and how, in an odd way, it had felt like the best thing on Earth that he had been the one she needed right then. Shaking his head to get his thoughts back on track, he slapped Justin on the shoulder. �Besides man, I think Tess is the least of your problems right now.� �Yeah,� he scrubbed at his face with his fingertips, leaning heavily against the counter top. �Gwyn and I got into a fight.� �I kinda figured.� �Really? Did you, you know, talk to her?� �Not so much talk as listen. The screaming, slamming doors, and stomping were hard to miss.� �Oh.� He looked down at the floor, his hands coming down to wrap tightly around the edge of the counter behind him. �Did she uh, break anything?� Kyle couldn�t help but crack a small smile, he really hoped he never got Tess that mad. Then again, the fact that Justin knew what questions to ask didn�t speak too well for either situation. �You don�t think we were watching tv in the dark on purpose do you?� Kyle watched as Justin winced and cleared his throat, poor guy. �Was it all the bulbs in the house?� �No, just this floor and whatever you�ve got down in the basement. That�s where she was. We were siting on the couch watching a movie when she comes storming in the house. She slammed the door so hard the pane of glass broke and Tess had to use her powers to fix it. Gwyn stomped down the basement stares, I don�t think she even realized we were here. We hear this ear piercing scream and all the light bulbs shattered. It was kinda funny really. I mean, well not for you I guess.� �At least she went down there and didn�t destroy the house. She�s got a practice room down there,� he explained. �Its lined in an alloy compound that absorbs and distributes her bursts of telekinetic energy better than other surfaces. When she gets angry she has a build up of energy that�s hard to take back into herself.� �So she goes all Carrie?� �Pretty much.� �Cool. I mean, again, if your not in the general vicinity.� �I have to go, you know,� he gestured up, indicating in guy speak that he had to go try to mend fences with Gwyn. �Yeah, I should probably go too,� Kyle said reluctantly, glancing into the living room again. �If you want to stay on the couch or in the guest room that�s cool. I�m sure Tess would like having you around in the morning. Just, separate beds. Sorry but I�ve already got enough to deal with right now.� �Hey, no. I appreciate that. I wouldn�t want to get on Gwyn�s bad side. I�ll just call my dad to let him know where I am.� �Ok well,� Justin pushed himself away from the counter and towards the door. �Here�s hoping I see you in the morning.� �Yeah man, good luck,� Kyle wished him seriously before going back to Tess. He covered her with the throw blanket then grabbed a pillow off a chair and settled on the floor next to her. He�d meant what he said to Justin, he really didn�t want to piss Gwyn off. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ When he got to the top of the stairs Justin could hear My Favorite Things coming all the way from their bedroom. If Gwyn had pulled out The Sound of Music he was in even deeper trouble than he thought. It was one of her comfort rituals when she was very sad or upset. Popcorn, M&M�s, cream soda, and The Sound of Music. He�d given up trying to figure out why that movie a long time ago. There were things about her he hadn�t figured out in two lifetimes. Steeling his courage he knocked on his own bedroom door. In answer the sound on the tv was turned down but she didn�t say anything. �Gwyn? Can I please come in?� he asked, trying to sound as apologetic as possible while shouting. �No,� came the short response. �Gwyn please?� He leaned his head against the door, bracing his arms with the door frame. �Just let me talk to you for a few minutes. If, if you don�t like what I have to say you can throw me out again.� His ear pressed to the door he could hear some rustling and movement and the tv click off. �Please Gwyn. If you don�t let me in I�ll just sit out here all night and annoy you to death.� Finally the rustling stopped and he heard an exasperated sigh that made his lips quirk for a fraction of a second. The lock popped and he stepped away from the door as it opened slowly. Coming in, he closed the door quietly behind him and turned around. Gwyn was sitting cross legged at the top of the bed, bowls of popcorn and M&Ms on the night stand next to her. She had changed into gray pajama pants and a green oversized shirt, her hair was pulled back in pig tails taking at least five years off her appearance. His heart clenched when he saw how puffy and bloodshot her eyes were from crying, like he didn�t feel bad enough already. She looked so vulnerable sitting at the top of the big bed, for a minute he just stared at her, worried anything he said would hurt her further. At the same time she was incredibly intimidating. They didn�t fight often, but when they did Justin was reminded of just what a living hell she could make his life. Not out of malice, Gwyn wasn�t like that, it was just that not being on speaking terms or not being able to touch her or really be with her was pure hell for him. �Did you come here to stare at me or did you have something to say?� she bit out harshly. It was bad enough that she looked like crap, he didn�t have to stand there inspecting her too. �Oh umm, sorry.� He looked around the room surreptitiously before moving to her side of the bed. �Can I sit?� She stared at the place on the bed where his fingers were grazing the quilt. She was still too mad to have him that close, if he was sitting right there she would start crying as soon as he started speaking and she bet he knew that. Holding out her hand she used her powers to draw one of the wing back chairs closer, but not too close. �You can sit there,� she told him coldly. She hadn�t meant to be quite so mean but it was either that or the quivering, tear laden voice that was hovering just below the surface. Justin took his seat swallowing convulsively and wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. He still didn�t know exactly what to say. He watched her hand tracing the pattern of the quilt, wondering what she was thinking. �Gwyn, I�m sorry,� he began. �If I could take it back I would. I shouldn�t have said- what I did. I know its only words and it might not sound like a lot, but I am so sorry.� �I don�t understand Justin,� she looked up at him and he could tell she was fighting for control. �Why would you say something like that? Why would you want to hurt me like that?� �Oh Gwyn,� his face contorted at her question. How could she ever think he would hurt her on purpose? He scooted the chair closer to the bed and picked up one of her small hands enfolding it in his larger ones. �I didn�t do it on purpose, I swear. I was angry and I said somethings in the heat of the moment. It was a cheap shot. I wasn�t looking to hurt you, honey. You know I would never hurt you on purpose.� He thought she nodded in agreement but he couldn�t be sure. �Do you,� she sniffled and rubbed one eye, �do you really think that was my fault?� She looked up at him expectantly. �Gwyn, I wasn�t there. The only things I know about the situation are what you told me. I know you feel guilty about it. I know you would never hurt Liz on purpose. I also know that if your leaving at that precise moment did do something to hurt her its just as much my fault as it is yours because I was the one who called you away.� She sighed almost inaudibly. Justin�s opinion meant so much to her that even though she knew he was being a complete ass and she wanted to ring his neck, somewhere in the back of her mind came the nagging idea that maybe he had been right. �Then why would you say that?� She shook her head, a little more in control of herself. �I-� he ran a hand agitatedly through his hair. ��Cause I�m a jerk?� he offered. One corner of her mouth lifted and she blew out an amused breath. �I guess, I guess I was a little hurt,� he admitted reluctantly Gwyn looked up at him confused. �You, umm you were right. That stuff you said about me thinking that, that Liz asking that sounded- to me, like she... like she didn�t t-trust me, or something.� Gwyn squeezed his hand this time, she might be angry with him but she still loved him and she knew how difficult it was for him to admit something like that. �I thought about it and-� he shook his head letting out a long breath. �I was being stupid. I over reacted and took it out on you and I am so sorry for that. I don�t know why I reacted that way. Well, yeah I do,� he retracted. �But I shouldn�t have let myself get so angry. I only made the situation worse and... God, that was a really horrible thing to do to Liz. �I really screwed things up,� he leaned forward releasing her hand so he could run them through his hair. Pressing his palms against his eyes, he leaned his elbows on the bed. �I wasn�t- I just, I didn�t want to come off like that. We were just getting to know each other too.� He looked up at her pleadingly, begging her to understand. �I didn�t mean to make it about me, I know she�s worried about Max, we all should be.� �Then why did you?� she asked calmly, Gwyn already knew the answer but he needed to acknowledge it as well. �Because, because... It felt like she was throwing it in my face. Like she was standing there anticipating, preparing for the next time I wouldn�t be be able to protect her, for the next time I would fail her.� �You know that�s not what she was doing,� she said gently. �I know but at the time... I just snapped. I actually think its a good idea.� Gwyn narrowed her eyes skeptically, was he saying that to appease her or because he really felt that way? �You do?� �Yeah, I do. On Antar the King and Queen always ruled equally but it was only the King that had the true power. Maybe if Vanos or Zan had made the distribution of power law we wouldn�t have had these problems to begin with. �If what Liz says about Max is true, what if its not that something happens to her but to him. What if he can�t deal with his demons and cracks under the pressure? Without some kind of decree Liz won�t have the power to over rule Max if he starts disregarding her opinion.� Picking up her hand again, he traced the scar that ran over the inside of her wrist. �Do you think she�ll forgive me?� She raised her other hand to cup the underside of his jaw. �She�ll understand. I think you should apologize, but she�ll understand. This is just as hard on her as it is on us, remember?� He nodded, turning his cheek into her warm hand before meeting her eyes again. �Can you forgive me?� He asked in a small voice. �I shouldn�t. I should let you suffer but, I believe you didn�t mean to say it. That doesn�t excuse the fact that you did mind you, but I can�t say I�ve never said something I regretted when I was upset so...� She raised up on her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck. �You�re forgiven.� �I love you, you know that?� he asked looking deeply into her eyes. �Yeah? How much?� He pulled her closer, eliminating all the space between them. Aligning the side of his head with hers, he breathed deeply of her rose scented shampoo and peach lotion, letting the heady combination flood his consciousness and soothe his soul. �All the way to the moon and back,� he whispered into her ear. Pulling back he kissed her forehead sweetly. �I need to take a shower before bed,� he stood holding out his hand to her. �Care to join me?� She smiled, relieved they would be sleeping in the same bed tonight after all. �Tempting, but no. I�m too tired, today really sucked.� �Right, the whole Tess thing and then Liz and then me...� he trailed off giving her yet another apologetic look. �Yeah, I�m just gunna curl up and go night night.� He helped her get under the covers and kissed her goodnight. �Sweet dreams peaches.� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Justin stepped out of the shower feeling like a new man. A tired man, but a new one none the less. Grabbing one of the towels off the rack, he dried himself quickly, anxious to get to bed. He hadn�t really realized he had all those insecurities built up and he wondered how long Gwyn had known. One thing was for sure, he felt worlds better after telling her. He pushed the things concerning Liz to the back of his mind for the night. He�d just spent too much time thinking about it today to have any objective opinion or productive idea other than sending her to Max�s therapist. Although, that might not be a bad idea, for them. Justin wasn�t discrediting her feeling, he just wasn�t sure what to do about it. He was a soldier and a business man, he dealt with hard facts and enemies he could see. How was he supposed to fight a feeling? Let alone one that wasn�t his. Dropping the towel in the hamper, he went back into the bedroom, retrieving a pair of clean pajama pants from the dresser. Picking them up, he smelled them for a second. That was something else he�d missed when they were apart. He could never get the laundry to smell right. It always had this certain scent when Gwyn did it, like fresh rain, fabric softener and a little touch of her. Slipping them on he flipped off the corner lamp she�d left on for him and climbed into bed. Gwyn was on her side facing away from him but even in sleep she felt his presence and turned over. Justin shifted, sliding his left arm under her shoulders to draw her closer while he settled onto his back. Sleepily, she snuggled up to him, throwing her right leg over one of his and rubbing her cheek against his still moist chest. Flattening out her hand over his heart, she murmured her love before slipping back into dream land. Curling his hand around her�s, he sighed deeply. The fact that he had done something to jeopardize this moment weighed heavily on his heart. Pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, he let his eyes slide shut. Everything would look better in the morning. Chapter 56 ______________ Sunday, March 25th. The phone rang and Gwyn picked it up as best she could trying not to get the her sticky fingers all over everything. �Hello?� �Hey Gwyn, its Chase.� �Oh hi Chase, how are you?� she asked, balancing the phone on her shoulder. Chase was one of the organizers of the underground, and a VP in LGM. �Gwyn, I don�t mean to be rude but this isn�t a social call. Is Justin there?� �Sure, is there something wrong?� She was instantly concerned both by his request and his tone. �Gwyn I really need to talk to Justin,� he pressed. That�s when Gwyn knew it was bad. She was just as much a player in the alien spy business and Justin was, more so as far as field work went. If Chase wouldn�t tell her what was going on, it was very bad. �Al- alright, hang on a minute. He�s in the backyard.� Setting the phone on the table, she gave up and wiped the marshmallow concoction on her pants. Walking through the open door at the rear of the kitchen, she stepped onto the porch. Justin turned around from where he was lighting the coals in the barbecue before she even said anything. She had turned pale, her red hair setting off her blue eyes like sapphires. The corners of her mouth were turned down and her brow was furrowed. Tossing the matches on the picnic table, he went to her quickly, reaching out a hand to grip her small shoulder. �Hey, what's wrong?� �Chase is on the phone. He won�t tell me what�s wrong, only that he has to talk to you right now.� Justin averted his eyes, automatically knowing as well as Gwyn that meant something was really bad. Swallowing, he took her hand and walked back to the phone. Gwyn sat down, absently playing with the twist tie for the buns as she listened to Justin�s end of the conversation. �Hey Chase.� �No, I was just lighting the grill, Gwyn�s having a little party.� �Yeah, uh huh.� �I don�t want to sit, just tell me.� A minute passed and Gwyn watched as Justin went pale and gripped the chair at his side. �Were they, uhh, how did you find out?� His voice was choked now and he refused to meet her questioning eyes. �How long ago?� �No, you did the right thing.� �Not too many, I don�t want to attract the town�s attention.� �No, we can�t. Her parents will be home soon. Its a really sticky situation.� �She�s with Michael at the moment, he should be bringing her here.� �Yeah, I�ll meet you there. I don�t think we should talk about that over the phone.� �Ok, fifteen minutes.� �Bye.� Turning away from her, he walked back to the counter and carefully placed the phone back in its cradle. He leaned against the counter, bowing his head and Gwyn felt the pit in the stomach grow and a lump in her throat begin. �Justin?� her voice timidly asked for an explanation. �What is it? What happened?� Sighing, he finally met her eyes and a cold hand gripped her throat at their stormy color. �Honey,� he came to kneel in front of her, his large hands cupping her knees. �Somehow Durton discovered Ronna and Daniel.� Tears instantly began to pool in her eyes, her hand moved reflexively to cover her open mouth. She shook her head in denial, knowing the worst but hoping there was a chance. �They�re not...� �I�m sorry, so sorry,� he intoned softly as wetness gathered in his own eyes. �He killed them sweetheart. I�m so sorry.� A mournfully hollow sob escaped her lips while she continued to shake her head negatively. He leaned forward, guiding her head to rest on his shoulder while he stroked her back. Ronna and Daniel were, had been, very good friends of theirs. On Antar they were first inline, along with the two of them, making the decision to go to earth. During their years here the four had become quite close. Gwyn and Justin headed up the logistics of everything and Ronna and Dan were in charge of all field work and assignments. They had taken this mission themselves because it was so vital. And now they were dead. Justin let a few of his own tears come as he tried to soothe her soft sobs. He would never get used to this part, never. It wasn�t the first time and it probably wouldn�t be the last that he would out live a friend because of this infernal war. To an extent he could deal with that. Its just the way it was. It was the fact that he was, until they had found Max and Michael, the military leader on Earth. Whoever lost their lives here, it was because he sent them there. That he would never get used to. Gwyn clutched tightly to him, devastated by the loss of her friends and just as upset that until two hours before the implantation it would have been her and Justin. Liz. It was the one thought that broke though Gwyn�s grief stricken haze. If Durton knew his camp had been infiltrated then he knew about them and he knew they knew he had found Liz. �Liz.� She pulled back wiping the tears from her cheeks, she could grieve later, now wasn�t the time. Justin pulled back as well, shifting into work mode. �Michael should be on his way here with her now. The others are coming too. She�ll be safe for now. I need to go into the office to discuss some plans with Chase and Rick, safe houses, surveillance, that kind of thing. Will you be ok until everyone else gets here?� �Of course.� She stood stiffly, brushing off his concern with the siltiest bit of irritation. �You go do what you need to. I�ll explain everything to the others when they get here. Then we�ll wait for you to contact us.� Justin studied her for a minute as she moved back across the room to wash her hands and began taking things out of the fridge for the potato salad. Her face was set hard, her brow furrowed so deeply she was sure to have a head ache latter. Her movements were measured and precise as she chopped the potatoes, celery, and onions to keep her mind off all else but her cooking. He knew better than to push her when she was like this. After two lifetimes Gwyn was a master at stuffing her gut feelings for temporary denial. It was the only way she had survived on Antar and old habits died hard. To her credit it had made her a tremendous soldier and leader in times of crises, like now. She knew the number one priority was the safety of their Queen and the group, there just wasn�t time to feel the loss of their friends. Later, they would cry together and remember them as they should have been. For now they would find comfort finishing what Ronna and Dan had started. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ �And did you see the shoes Tia Doyle was buying?� Isabel scrunched her nose in disgust. �Oh, I know. Come on, yellow, stiletto sandals? In Roswell? I don�t think so.� Maria and Isabel were just leaving the mall, they had been there all day. �Well, maybe they were a career investment. She barely dresses when she comes to school anyway.� �Isabel!� Maria�s jaw dropped in shock �You are so bad!� �I am aren�t I?� She laughed, a devilish twinkle dancing in her eye. Maria grinned at her. Isabel was so much more fun than you would think. Once you got her to let her guard down and get rid of her ice princess act she was really pleasant to be around. Not to mention the fact that she had practically gone to gossip school in the circles she usually ran in. Although Maria was beginning to notice that she rarely spent time with them anymore. Isabel was slowly warming up to the group beyond Max, Michael, and Alex. This little excursion of theirs had been proof enough of that. Whoever thought there would be a day when Maria �scatter brained� DeLuca would lead and instruct Isabel Evans on a shopping trip? �But seriously Maria, you really think she�ll like?� Isabel glanced into the back seat where the gift wrapped box with Liz�s gift lay. They had been to almost every store in the mall and nothing seemed right. She wanted it to be personal and actually look like she put some thought into it. She wanted it to look like she cared, because she did. Perhaps more than anybody really understood. Usually she just would have gotten her a sweater or a hair clip or something but those were all things that she got people who didn�t really know her and she in turn probably didn�t know them either. For whatever reason that�s the way her group liked it. Whether they were having problems at home, were insecure, or were just plain shallow, they all had reasons for hiding behind their popularity and good looks. Whatever those reasons were, for them, they were good. So they were cold and shallow, it was better than feeling and possibly being rejected or ridiculed. Everyone wanted to be accepted, they had just found a surface way of doing it and for a time it worked. Things were different now though. Things were harder and scarier and everything hurt more but at least she could allow herself feel again. Anyway, Liz was a big part of her changing and Isabel wanted to do something to thank her for it. That�s why it had taken forever to eventually find a present, everything she saw was just too ordinary. Finally as they were going towards the food court to regroup Maria had spotted one of those stores where they sold all keepsakes and engraved them. There were all sorts of personal kinds of things that could have related to certain events in their related lives. Music boxes you could choose the tune for, little keepsake boxes with gold name plates, a maraud of desk implements, photo albums, but none of them seemed quite right. Maria had finely spotted something that she said would be beyond perfect. A leather bound journal with a years worth of blank pages. The cover had a small gold plate that could be monogramed and the inside front cover could be embossed with an inscription. Isabel was still unsure until Maria had explained exactly how important Liz�s journal had always been to her. She finally gave in deciding she couldn�t think of anything else and Maria was so certain it would be perfect. They�d had the name plate engraved with her name in fancy script and Iz had written out a small but heart felt inscription for the inside of the cover. She was going to get a few different colored pens and tie them to the bow on the package as a small side gift. Maria groaned, �Isabel for the four hundred and twenty seventh time, Liz will love it. Its totally her and she�ll be really touched that its so personal. Trust me I know. Liz was always the type that liked the hand made cards from her friends better than the store bought ones with money from her relatives.� Iz raised her brows in question. �I know, we don�t know what�s wrong with her either. We love her anyway and that�s the important thing.� They both burst into laughter after a moment of mock seriousness. They pulled up across the street just as Tess and Kyle were pulling into the drive. They waved, hurrying across the yard to meet them. �Hey how was shopping?� Tess greeted as she grabbed her backpack out of the trunk. �Great. I think.� Isabel looked to Maria for reassurance. Maria rolled her eyes, �yes it was great. Iz got a really great present for Liz. And she is going to love it,� she said pointedly, ending any further discussion on the topic from the taller girl. �Well, how was your day?� Isabel changed the subject as they progressed up the walk �Don�t ask,� Tess answered wearily. �Hey, its not my fault,� Kyle exclaimed defensively. �You heard dad, no one in my family is good at science.� �You were doing homework all afternoon?� Tess unlocked the front door, leading the group in through the living room. �No, Kyle was doing homework. I was banging my head against the table repeatedly.� Maria laughed, �you actually let him con you into tutoring him n science? Even Liz gave up on that one.� �Hello? Standing right here.� Kyle waved his hand at her. Maria cocked her head in confusion. �And your point is?� �Gwyn, we�re home,� Tess called as they entered the kitchen, thinking she would be on the back porch putting things out. She stopped short when she saw her standing at the counter with a rather grim expression and strangling a tea cup. �What�s wrong?� �We need to talk as soon as everyone gets here.� She said ominously, watching as everyone filed into the room, their jovial moods left at the door. �There�s been a development.� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ �Liz?� Michael came into the back room grabbing his jacket out of his locker. �Yeah?� she stifled a yawn. Liz was just finishing up the floor in the back when Michael hurried into quickly say goodbye. Today was Sunday and spring break would be next week, along with her birthday on the 3rd. Her parents would be back a week from tomorrow. They had called with the incredibly good news that they would be gone a few days longer than they expected because their travel agent had given them the wrong itinerary. They wanted to assure her that they�d be home in time for her birthday and to take the cafe off her hands before spring break. Liz still hadn�t spoken to Michael about the whole adoption thing so this bought her some more time on that as well. She was waiting for the right moment and for him to be in the right mood, so far the two hadn�t happened at the same time. Michael eyed her suspiciously. �How late did you stay on the phone last night? You can�t let Max keep you up like that. You�ll get sick if you get too tired,� he continued before she could answer. �Michael, Max and I only say good night. That�s not why I�m tired.� He raised an eyebrow, obviously not convinced. �There was some commotion in the ally last night. Probably just some stray cats prowling in the dumpster. They woke me up around three and I had trouble going back to sleep. That�s it, I swear. Besides, Max is just as bad as you are, remember?� He gave her one last narrowed glance before relenting and changing the subject. �Alright. Alex is out front, he said he wants to talk to you about something.� He took a quick glance through the window. �Probably Isabel �cause he seems kinda nervous, not that that�s unusual. Max should be here soon and everything is all closed up so I�m going to take off and pick up Maria. Ok?� �Yeah, we�ll see you at Gwyn�s, tell Alex I�ll be out in a sec, I just have to finish up back here.� He pulled on his jacket, heading for the door. Turning back he asked one last time, �you sure you�ll be ok until Max gets here?� �Yup. Alex is here and Max shouldn�t be much longer. He knows I want to be on time to for Gwyn�s party.� �Kay then, I�ll see you there,� he called as the door swung shut. Liz quickly set about finishing the floor so she could go talk to Alex and still do whatever it was Max wanted to do. He had called earlier this morning asking if he could pick her up before the party, there was something he wanted to show her. When he said it was a surprise, Liz of course agreed. She would have anyway but his surprises lately had been so wonderful she was intrigued to the fullest as to what this new one could be. Liz was still deep in thought, pondering exactly what Max was up to, when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and warm breath feather over her ear. Startled, she let out a little screech, dropped the broom with a clang, and jumped away from the warm body pressed against hers. Whirling around, she felt a relieved breath escape her adrenaline shocked body when she laid eyes on a dark haired mystery man. �Oh! Max you scared me,� she held her hand to her chest, trying to calm her rapid breathing and thumping heart. �Sorry Liz, I thought you heard me come in.� He shrugged apologetically, his ears tipping pink in embarrassment. Liz just shook here head, watching him, and that�s when it hit her. Something was very, very wrong. Back Next |
| Author�s note: ~ I could find no reference anywhere to an exact date of Liz�s birth. I chose a random number and month that would work in my time constraints. March 25th however, will be important. ~ For reference sake, the story began the day after Liz�s parents left. Friday, Jan. 19th. They will be returning Monday, April 2nd, just in time for the beginning of spring break and Liz�s birthday. All dates are correct according to a 2001 calendar. |