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.
***
Tis time this heart should be unmoved,
Since others it hath ceased to move;
Yet, though I cannot be beloved,
Still let me love.
-
Lord Byron
***
Isabel entered the Evans' home, weary from jet lag and the
emotional strain of the possible death of her brother. She was operating on automatic pilot. It was only at the loud gasp, did Isabel
bother to look up as she padded her way through the kitchen. "Isabel?"
Her mother stood in front of the stove with a spatula in
hand. Her father sat in his familiar
spot at the kitchen table. "Hi
Mom," Isabel smiled sheepishly.
She was exhausted. Isabel did
not want to have a long drawn out conversation with her parents. "I'm home!"
Mr. Evans cocked his head with almost a look of dismay on
his face rather than Mrs. Evan's look of shock. "What are you doing home?" he asked, setting down his
cup of coffee and newspaper.
Isabel sat down on one of the kitchen chairs. "I heard about Max from Michael and I
came home as soon as I could," she explained looking up at her Father.
He frowned.
"And what about Jesse?
Where is he?"
Isabel shrugged.
"I came alone. Jesse
couldn't ask for time off. He's in the
middle of a heavy case load or something." Isabel relaxed as she felt her mother come up behind her, kiss
her forehead and give her a hug.
"I'm beat Mom. Can we talk
about this after I get some sleep?"
Mrs. Evans nodded.
"Of course Isabel. There's
a lot you don't know about what's happened with Max. But I don't want you to worry over it. You get some sleep and we'll try to figure all of this out."
~
* ~
"Max?"
Isabel called. Her voice seemed to echo
across the desert dreamscape. Suddenly
the scene changed. The sky was crimson
red and dark jagged cliffs stood above her draped in the warm sun. "Hello?"
"Isabel."
A
familiar voice surrounded her. As she
searched in the rolling green valley, Isabel couldn't identify where it was
coming from. "Who's there?"
"Maxwell
is sick," the voice stated.
Isabel
closed her eyes in frustration. It was
seemingly less and less like a dream.
"Of course he's sick. Why
are you telling me that? I know
that!" yelled Isabel.
"Liz."
Isabel
frowned. "What about
Liz?" Isabel frantically searched
the jagged cliffs for any sign of a person.
"Tell me who you are! Why
don't you show me your face?"
Unexpectedly, Isabel found herself staring at a petite figure standing
at the peak of the cliffs. It was a
woman, her hair flowing in the breeze of the noonday. The yellow sun framed her body and its rays hid her face.
"I
can’t tell you that. My time is running
short," she whispered. The images
began to fade and Isabel felt herself awakening from the trance. "Trust me. Help is coming."
Isabel sat up in her bed, sweat ran down her face. She propped herself up against the headboard
and ran her fingers through her hair.
Her head was pounding. What was
that?
~~~
Michael hadn't slept all night. Maria left his apartment early that morning for the early shift
at the Crashdown. "This worrying
is going to kill you Michael. You need
to sleep," Maria chided as she grabbed her apron and headed out the
door. "I'm telling you now,
Michael. Sleep will help in the long
run."
He had tried to take the advice, but nothing would allow him
to receive that restful darkness.
Michael couldn't explain it.
He'd always, even in the midst of danger, been able to sleep. It was as if something, someone would not
leave him be. Visions of Max writhing
in pain and images of a man laughing flooded before him.
Finally as he climbed out of the shower, Michael's horrible
visions stopped unexpectedly. As he
dried his damp hair with a towel, Michael pulled a Snapple out of the
fridge. Suddenly there was a knock at
the door. Michael wasn’t expecting
anyone this late in the afternoon. He'd
arranged to meet Isabel during the evening and head back to the cavern to check
on Max. "Who is it?" he asked
gruffly.
A frantic knock on the door sounded, and Isabel's voice rang
through the thick barrier. "It's
me Michael. We need to talk."
Michael wrapped his towel around his neck and opened the
door. "Isabel?" The tall auburn-haired woman stepped into
his apartment distracted and fidgety.
He watched her pacing back and forth.
"What's wrong?"
Suddenly she stopped pacing and looked Michael straight in
the eyes. "I had a vision, or
contact, or…well, I don't know what you'd call it, but I had it," Isabel
rambled. "She was talking and
telling me that she would help. Now I
don't know how, but I think she's going to."
Michael shook his head and held out his hands in
confusion. "What are you talking
about?"
Isabel stopped talking and pulled Michael onto the
couch. "I went home this
morning. And when I got there, I was
exhausted. So I went to bed. When I thought I had gone to sleep, I found
myself in this almost surreal place. It
was like the cliffs in the desert, but not.
Then I heard this voice. It was
a woman. She told me Max was sick,
which I already knew. I thought I was
dreaming, but I knew somehow that this was someone actually talking to me. She
told that she would help Max. And before that, she mentioned something
about Liz. She really just said her
name, but somehow she's either part of the reason Max is sick or the
solution." Isabel stopped talking,
breathing heavily, like she'd just run a race.
"Where did this come from?" Michael asked.
Isabel shook her head.
"I don't know, but it's a start.
I mean it's more than we've had to go on for a while."
Michael shook his head.
"I've been kind of having visions…seeing things ya know?"
Isabel's eyes lit up.
"Was it the same kind of thing?"
Michael became somber.
The thought of those images sent shivers down his spine. He sighed.
"No. Not even
close." He felt Isabel draw closer
to him, resting her arm around his shoulders.
"It was creepy. I don't
even want to talk about it."
The soft beat of her heart drummed against his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and
rubbed his back. "It'll be okay
Michael. We have to stay positive or
we'll lose Max. And that's something I
know we're both not ready to
do."
Michael nodded. He
turned to face her and buried his face against her neck. The soft comforting smell of lavender and
chamomile helped to erase the images of a screaming Max. Slowly Michael finally pulled away from the
reassuring embrace. "Do you know
who she is?" Michael inquired.
"I mean could it be another alien?"
Isabel frowned.
"I don’t think so. I think
she's not here. I get the feeling that
it was somewhere far off. But I also
got the feeling that I knew her and she was trying to hide something."
Michael ran his hands through his still damp hair. "Well, do you think she'll talk to you
again?"
Isabel shrugged and smiled half-heartedly. "I don't know."
Michael slouched into the cushions of the couch. "Well at least it's something. I think we need to talk to Liz about some of
the stuff that's been happening to her and about what that woman said. I can't say that I'm ready to trust that 'vision' or whatever you called it, but
if it's all we've got?"
Isabel tucked her left leg underneath her and put her hand
on Michael's knee. "Do you think
that Liz has something to do with his sickness? When did he start getting sick?"
Michael hated to say it, but he'd been thinking about it
ever since the Evans' took Max to the hospital. "Right after Las Vegas.
Right after they…slept together."
~~~
“Ava?” a dark chilling voice called. “Have you been doing naughty things?”
As Tess cradled Zander in her arms while sitting on the pure
white couch, she tilted her head up to meet Khivar’s gaze. “Hello Khivar.”
His tall broad frame cast a shadow over her son’s peaceful
sleeping face. His black eyes seemed to
bore into Tess’ soul. As she swallowed
hard, trying to retain her casual demeanor, Khivar kneeled before her. Instinctively Tess drew Zander tightly to
her chest, causing her sleeping child to squirm. “Ava, I thought we had an understanding?” asked
Khivar curiously. Tess felt his strong
hand press tightly upon her knee.
Tess nodded. “We
do.” Quickly maneuvering herself into a
position to be able to rise up from the enveloping cushions, Tess smiled and
moved away from the suffocating stare of her reigning ‘King’. “Why are you here anyway? Don’t you have some plotting to do? Or maybe send our armies into war again?”
Khivar quickly stood up, which was surprising since his
stature and gangly limbs would cause anyone to be uncoordinated. “I have to say that I’ve heard rumors that
you’ve tried to contact someone on Earth?” frowned Khivar. “Now the only ones you could possibly want
to talk to are your fellow hybrids. And
you’ve assured me that you’d never do that.”
Tess felt her knees go weak as she walked towards the silver
bassinet. As she placed Zander down on
the white blankets, Tess rested against its walls. She’d been exhausted from the mind convergence earlier that
afternoon. It had been a strain making
contact with Isabel since she’d lost touch with the other three almost a year
ago. Turning around to face Khivar Tess
denied the accusation. “You’re
right. I did tell you I would never
contact them, so why are you asking me if I did?” asked Tess through gritted
teeth.
She felt waves of nausea overwhelm her as she tried to
balance herself against the bassinet.
“Now Ava, you should know better than to lie to me. I’ve been monitoring you for a while now.”
He sneered. “Well, actually ever since
you’ve arrived. I thought we’d be fast
friends after making our agreement, but when you returned without the agreed ‘king’
well, forgive me if I don’t trust everything you say.”
Tess licked her lips and tucked a straggling lock of hair
behind her ear. “Is that all?” Tess
smiled politely. “I don’t want Zander
disturbed.”
Khivar studied her for a moment and then silently
nodded. “I’d be careful Ava. Your beauty and wits have kept you alive so
far. But no one breaks an agreement
with me without consequences.”
Tess stood stoically as the threat hung in the air. “Now why would I do that?” Subconsciously Tess peered quickly over her
should her at her innocent son.
Khivar stood at the door.
“Do not cross me Ava. Zan
may be dying, but that doesn’t mean the process couldn’t be sped up. Contacting Zan or the others will be the
biggest mistake of your Antarian life.
I’m sure if Zander could speak, he’d agree. He does understand the way things are. Zander and I have had many interesting conversations,” laughed
Khivar before closing the door behind him.
Tess looked down at her son and then at the doorway where
Khivar had just stood moments ago.
Gently caressing the brow of her son, Tess leaned down and kissed his
warm forehead. “You know he can’t be
trusted right Zander. If he’s touched
an innocent thought in your head, Khivar will rule the day he met me,” growled
Tess. “I love you Zander and I’ll
figure out a way to save Daddy without having you pay the price.”
~~~
Max’s fever was rising and he tossed and turned beneath the
dull grey wool blankets. Liz moped his
sweaty brow as his face contorted in pain.
A flurry of jumbled words, some understandable, but most were a flood of
foreign pleas. “It’s going to be all
right Max,” Liz whispered. “I’ll take
care of you. I promise. We’ll be together just like we’ve always
planned.”
Her heart sunk as she watched this man whom she’d given herself
to, heart and soul deteriorate before her. “Amdedis sedari,” mumbled Max.
Liz frowned and leaned her ear closer to his dry chapped
lips. “Max?” she whispered. “What are you trying to say?”
Suddenly Max’s dark brown eyes opened slowly and a soft
smile appeared upon his face. “Max?”
Liz exclaimed. It had been days since
he’d opened his eyes and seemed cognizant of his surroundings. He began to speak in that same foreign
tongue she’d heard just moments ago when Max finally began to speak in English. “My love.”
His clammy hand reached up and caressed her cheek. “I have found you again. I’ve loved you since the beginning.”
Liz smiled tenderly at her soul mate. “I love you too Max,” murmured Liz, kissing
his forehead.
Max reached up, his eyes glazed, but yet full and dark. “My Ava, I’ve waited so long to hear
those words,” Max whispered tenderly.
“We will be together again. Even
death shall n’er tear our souls apart.”
His voice began to fade and Liz had to gently place his head back down on
his pillow. “We are one as destiny
has promised.”
Liz wiped a lazy tear from her burning cheeks. She swallowed hard and tried to remind
herself that it was a hallucination, some delusion brought on by the
sickness. But somewhere deep inside,
Liz couldn’t help but feel like her heart had been shattered into a million
pieces that night.