Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, but to
the writers and producers of Roswell
Spoilers: After Chant Down Babylon, changes happening
where Max is successfully rescued,
and Michael was the one
who broke up with Maria.
***
It is only with the heart that one can
see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye.
-
Antoine De Saint-Exupery
***
"Isabel?" Max's dry scratchy voice wafted from the
unusually humid and drafty cave.
"Is that you?"
The damp, dull brown hair hid Max’s face. "Max!" Isabel gasped, as she
quickly dropped down beside her brother and stroked his forehead. “You’ll be okay. I'm here now."
She tried to quell the tears welling up in the corners of
her eyes. Isabel had tried not to
imagine her brother and how sick he would have to be for Michael to phone
her. As hard as she tried, Isabel kept
on receiving flashes. A clammy hand
seemed to reach out and touch her before Isabel would awake from these
projections.
Isabel grasped Max's limp hand. She turned to Liz, who was hovering behind her. "Has he been getting worse or is this
how he's been for the past few days?" Isabel inquired.
Liz shook her head and bit her lip. She brushed her hair back with her fingers
before she answered. "He's been
steady for the past day now. Max hasn't
gotten any worse, but he hasn’t been getting better. Can you guys do something already?" Liz pleaded, her voice
reaching a piercing pitch beyond sound.
Maria, who had been standing guard at the entrance of the
cave, was now holding Liz and comforting the distraught girlfriend. "Guys, can we break out those glowy
stones already?" sighed Maria.
"Waiting any longer will not be a good thing."
Isabel peered over at Michael who was kneeling beside Max,
in front of Isabel. "We'd better
do this fast." Isabel wiped Max's
pale brow with a cool wet cloth, sitting near by. Michael stood up and pulled a velvet pouch out of his jacket
pocket. "Here."
Michael handed Isabel one of the stones. Isabel joined Michael, pulling herself from
her brother's weakened body and stood, closing her eyes, and concentrating on
the hard amber stones. She could feel
the warmth of her body seeping from her hands and into the 'healing stone'. Isabel took a deep breath, drawing herself
further into a trance-like state, almost reaching outside of herself, and
suddenly she felt the warm energy cease.
Isabel was confused and opened her eyes. She found herself looking at a similarly
confused and stunned Michael. They both
looked down at Max. His eyes were
closed, face dripping with sweat.
"It didn't work," Isabel whispered.
Her heart was racing at this point. She'd considered the possibility that they'd
need the four. That the stones wouldn’t
operate correctly without the other two stones. And the stones wouldn’t work without two other hybrids. Isabel
prayed that her hypothesis was incorrect and that another way could be found;
if she didn't, Max would have to find another way to be healed, if he could be
healed at all. Isabel pushed the
thought away.
~~~
Michael was in a state of confusion. What
was happening? Michael's gaze
lingered on Isabel's tear stained cheeks.
Her lips moved silently, without a sound uttered. Michael knew she was beginning to panic, as
she always did when she wasn't in control of something. He gripped the stone in his fingers and
swallowed. He had to do something. He had
to find another way to help Max.
"What are we going to do Michael?" Isabel's fearful eyes questioned him.
Michael had always, somewhere deep down inside, wanted to
lead. Now that he had this chance,
Michael wanted nothing more than for Max to wake up and yell at him for just
standing around there. "We'll have
to find another way," Michael stated calmly. He wouldn't let her see him crack.
Suddenly Liz stood in front of him, screaming, "How can you be so calm? Max is dying! How can you just stand there and let him die?" Maria tried to pry her away from a
distraught Michael. "I can feel
him slipping away!" Finally Maria
managed to calm her as Liz fell to her knees beside Max. The blonde mouthed an apology to him.
Michael motioned Isabel over to his side. Her shaky footing caused Michael to reach
out and catch her before she fell. Both
looked intently at each other before heading towards the cave entrance. Michael cleared his throat as he looked up
into the clear, dark desert sky. He’d
begun formulating a plan in his mind, but didn’t quite know how viable it was.
“Michael what are you thinking?”
Michael peered over at Isabel who had begun biting her
thumbnail, nervous and anxious. She
kept looking over her shoulder into the cavern. “I think we need help Isabel,” said Michael slowly. “I also think that we need to do it fast.”
Isabel’s dark eyes pierced deep inside of him. He could see the fear on her face and he
hated the helplessness he felt. On top
of that, Michael was fighting off the pensive thoughts brooding within him
about being without Max. Max was like a
brother to Michael. And since Max had
been ill Michael hadn’t stopped moving for a second, knowing that a single
moment would have him in tears.
“Well, we can’t just stand here Michael. Who can help us? I don’t know of any ‘alien doctors’ just hanging around Roswell.”
Michael swallowed.
“If we had Tess…”
Suddenly a change came over Isabel’s worried face. “Tess?”
Worry was replaced by anger and Isabel took a deep breath. “Why would you even think to bring her into
this? She’s gone. Vanished, back where she belongs. She made her bed, now she can lie in
it.” Venom laced each word.
Michael nodded. “I
know, Isabel. But even so, if she were
here, I think there’d be a chance to heal him.”
Isabel’s darkened face became solemn and calm. “Well, that’s not an option!”
Michael walked out to the cliff peak. “Well, I don’t know what else you want me to
say. I don’t have a plan
Isabel!” Michael yelled out frustrated.
“I’m not Max!”
He surprised himself.
Michael had worked very hard to conceal his emotions, but somehow
Isabel’s presence made it hard to remember.
Her soft hand pressed on his shoulder.
“Michael, I don’t expect you to,” she replied softly. “You have to remember, we’re here has a
team. We’ll figure it out
together. It doesn’t have to be you
fighting to save Max’s life.”
Michael closed his eyes, with his back turned towards
Isabel. “But I need to do
this. How many times has Max saved my
butt? How many times has he been there
for me? And this one time, I
need to step up to the plate, I balk?”
He could hear her lick her lips. “Michael, I promise, we’ll figure it out together. We have to.”
~~~
On Antar.
“Ma!” a child’s voice called.
Her crystal clear blue eyes peered down on her son’s
face. “That’s right Zander. Mommy’s here.”
“Da! Da! Daaaaaaa!”
the child giggled as he raised his milky white arms up towards her.
She swallowed hard.
“No. Dada isn’t here.” She could still imagine his face, his warm
full lips, and his dark eyes piercing her soul. “Dada…”
Suddenly she felt it again.
A nauseous, light-headed wave passed over her. Ava, as she had begun being called by the people of Antar ever
since her return, had been feeling odd and even ill, over the past few
days. It was enough to have to bring a
nanny in because she was unable to carry Zander for long periods of time. She’d had to rest frequently throughout the
days.
“Ava?” Eliana called as she supported the
would-be-queen. “Is it happening
again?”
Tess couldn’t help feeling a sense of defiance at the
name. Try as she might, she couldn’t
rid herself of the name. She hated
it. It reminded her of every past kiss
and whispered word that she’d lost from her beloved Zan, her beloved
Maxwell. Tess had been banished. Since her betrayal on Earth, Tess was
nothing to the friends and the family she had formed. None could understand.
And no one would ever know why she’d done the things she did.
Tess knew that her soul mate, her true love would never really
know the extent of her love for him.
“Ava!” Eliana snapped.
“You must eat.”
The older woman, her handmaiden if Tess could call her that,
motioned to the tray of uneaten fruit and pastries that lay before her. Her servant was in her fifties. She was a kind woman, gentle with Zander and
kind to Tess, but she was at her master’s bidding. “I’m not hungry Eliana.
I’ve told you before. I can get
my own food from the kitchen whenever I’m hungry.”
She shook her head.
“The mistress of the house will not do such menial tasks such as this!”
Eliana stated defiantly. “Lord Nicholas
has strict orders to keep you healthy.
And lately you’ve not been feeling very well.”
“Well, he can kiss my…”
“Love to,” Nicholas sneered as he interrupted the
conversation. “Now what’s this I hear
about not eating anything?”
Eliana curtsied and grimaced. “I’ve tried, but she insists on making her own food and will not
touch anything we bring to her.”
Tess felt bad for Eliana.
She’d apparently raised Nicholas since he was born, but he treated her
like dirt under his feet. Truthfully,
Tess couldn’t believe she’d be forced to live with him. She’d made bargains with Khivar and the
powers of Antar and he was not mentioned once.
“Leave us,” Nicholas spat, a look of disgust emerged on his
pug face.
Tess did everything she could to keep the bile from rising
to her throat. “What do you want?” Tess
snapped, keeping Zander in sight.
Nicholas wandered over to the child and picked him up. “He’s such a sweet boy,” Nicholas cooed, as
the child gurgled in his arms.
Tess pulled her child from his grasp gently. “Come on Zander. Time for you to go beddy bye,” whispered Tess, almost song-like.
Finally when she’d returned from the Zander’s bedroom, Tess
smiled through clenched teeth. “What do
you want?”
“I’m just checking to see how my guest is doing?” Nicholas
chided, like a mother to her child.
“I would be great if you’d just let me and Zander leave.”
Nicholas shook his head.
“Now that’s just not possible,” smiled Nicholas. “You know very well Khivar wouldn’t be happy
with that. Especially since the huge Vilandra
debacle.”
Tess couldn’t help but smirk at the memory. It had been all over Antar how Isabel had
rejected the ‘reigning king’.
He’d been furious. Tess, on the
other hand, couldn’t have been more pleased.
“Yes, isn’t that too bad,” Tess’ voice laced with syrupy venom.
“Now is that the way to talk about your king?”
Nicholas wagged his finger in front of Tess’ face. Tess smiled politely and made a quick move to bite his
finger. Nicholas saw it coming and
pulled his finger away. “Ah ah! That wasn’t very nice. Maybe for that, I won’t tell you about the
news I heard about Earth and our little would-be royal three?”
Tess frowned. “What
about them? What are you planning?”
Tess inquired warily. “We had a deal
Nicholas.”
Nicholas tilted his head and cocked his eyebrow. “I do seem to recall such a deal, but
then something happened. Ah, yes, you double-crossed
us!” Nicholas spat. His controlled
demeanor was lost for a moment and a dark and powerful force loomed in front of
her. And then, as quickly as it arose,
it was gone.
“I came back with the child!” Tess stated.
Nicholas drew nearer, until his nose was inches away from
Tess’. His fingers twirled her blonde
curly tendrils and all the while, his eyes inspected her. “But,” he whispered, “without the king.”
Tess swallowed. “You
didn’t need him.”
“But he was part of the deal!” Nicholas snaked
his way around Tess. It made her skin
crawl.
“He was part of the deal because I wanted him to be part of it. I thought I loved him, but it was obvious to me that the human was all he really wanted.” The words stung as they formed on her lips. Though they were lies, Tess couldn’t help but know there was some truth within them. “But you didn’t want him anyway. So why not just leave him on Earth. It’s not like he’s coming back to Antar. He’s no threat to Khivar.”
Nicholas forced a smile.
“But Ava, it was important to us.” Nicholas whispered into her ear.
Tess stepped forward, hoping to put some distance between
herself and the repugnant husk of the vile alien. “What about Max?” She
changed the subject back to her former lover.
Nicholas sighed and rolled his eyes. “All right,” smiled Nicholas. “If you insist on knowing. Your former royal counter-part is dying.” He pouted, mocking Tess and reveling in the
knowledge of her shock.
“What!” Tess yelled, and then swallowed hard finding her
composure again.
Nicholas clucked his tongue. “Now Ava, yelling isn’t becoming of you.” He paused and then looked over at the
entrance to Zander’s room. “And we
do have a sleeping baby to consider.”
Tess seethed. He
could get under her skin like no other creepy crawly insect or bug. Nicholas and Khivar knew exactly what she
was all about. They knew that she’d do
anything for Maxwell. Anything for the
man she loved. As hard as she tried to
hide her feelings for Max, she was an easy read. And as many times as she’d told them about her hatred for Max as
he abandoned her for a human, Tess knew that they believed less than she’d
like. Tess followed the younger, yet
evil follower of her nemesis, to the terrace balcony.
Calmly and casually Tess began to inquire about her
beloved. “Why is he dying?”
The question caused Nicholas to snicker. “Oh.
I don’t think you really want to know.”
Nicholas turned around to face Tess as he leaned against the terrace
railing.
“Yes. Now tell
me.” Part of her feared the answer, but
part of Tess needed to hear it. “Why is
he dying?”
Nicholas smiled and cocked his head. “Hmm, maybe you would enjoy hearing
why the pathetic wretch is dying. It’s
really ironic if you ask me.”
Tess bit her lip. “Why?”
she repeated her question.
“He’s dying because he slept with her, that human
growth of cells!” announced Nicholas, who burst out laughing.
Tess stood without sound, movement or speech. Her heart lurched at the words. ‘He slept with her’ resounded through
her ears. Tess took a deep breath and
exhaled slowly. She forced a smile and
licked her lips as her hand rested on her stomach, which felt like a thousand
daggers were stabbing her over and over again.
“Wow,” she managed to utter.
Nicholas stood up, one hand clutching his side and the other
wiping away the tears of joy from what he’d just realized. “You do realize how perfectly delightful
this revenge is for you? I mean, you’ve
gone on and on about how you hate him because of her. And now you’ve got your revenge? I mean, anything we could have done here on
Antar, doesn’t compare to the agony of dying because of sleeping with the woman
you love.” He broke into another
fit of laughter. “Hope I’ve made you’re
night,” Nicholas smiled, again wiping a tear away before leaving Tess alone on
the balcony.
She could hear his laughter continue as he left the
apartment. Tess closed her eyes,
praying he’d just leave. “You know,”
Nicholas called from the doorway, “what would have made this complete?” Tess waited for his sick answer. “Letting him know why he’s dying.”
Tess covered her mouth as she waited to hear the door
close. Finally when she heard the click
of the lock, Tess let out a muffled cry.
“Noooo!” She leaned against the
balcony railing as the tears began to fall on her pale white cheeks. Tess couldn’t breathe. All those nights and days of restless sleep,
she finally knew it was because of Max and his sickness. Tess turned her back on the crimson hued
sunset and felt herself collapse against the balcony railing. Not Max.
She’d sacrificed too much to lose him now. There had to be a way to save him. Tess rose from the stone floor and made her
way to Zander’s room. As she studied
the rise and fall of her son’s chest; so peaceful, so beautiful, Tess whispered
to their son, “I’ll save him Zander. I
promise I’ll save your Daddy.”