Part 11

Once Alex had Liz out of the motel, he managed to control his thundering heart long enough to try and formulate a plan. His first instinct was to call in Max, Michael, and the others, but it didn�t take him long to realize that handing his friends over to their enemies was not the soundest idea. He had not lied when he told Kate that he didn�t believe she was evil, but it was also clear that she didn�t believe him when he said that Max and the others weren�t either.

There was only one other person he felt safe calling at this point. He still had Liz firmly by the hand as they stood at the side of the highway. He was beginning to get his bearings, realized that they were on 285 South, likely about ten miles out of Roswell. Since he didn�t want to stay close to Will and Kate if he didn�t have to, in case they changed their minds about letting him and Liz go, Alex started to pull Liz after him towards town.

He was becoming more concerned for Liz the longer she went without speaking, which she hadn�t since she had begged him to get her out of the motel. Instead, she stumbled after him, her eyes slightly glassy. More than anything, Alex wanted to know what Will had said to her. Whatever it was, it had obviously freaked her out on a level Alex couldn�t even grasp. He felt a flash of anger. Liz certainly had not needed more bad news - not after what she�d been going through over the past couple of weeks. Being told by a future version of your soul mate that you had to push the present incarnation of said soul mate towards your biggest rival or you would be responsible for the end of the world was about all one person should have to handle at one time.

"Do you have your phone?" Alex asked her now, hoping she would answer, so that at least he would know her brain hadn�t been fried somehow. He wondered briefly why he was so preoccupied with alien brain frying today. It wasn�t like he had ever witnessed such a thing before. It was the second time he had thought of it, but, for some reason, it was really weighing him down.

Liz blinked, then nodded. She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to him. Alex was relieved to see that her eyes were clear. "Don�t call Max. I don�t want him anywhere near here."

Okay, brain intact. Check, Alex thought with relief. Liz�s brain would always think of Max first. "I�m going to call Valenti," Alex reassured her. "He needs to know about this, Liz. We have to tell someone."

Liz sighed. "Okay."

Alex quickly dialed the sheriff�s station, and was relieved when Deputy Hanson didn�t think it was weird that a teenager would call and demand to be connected to the sheriff. But, then, Alex reflected wryly, he was likely used to it by now. Moments later, Valenti�s once terrifying, but now reassuring voice, sounded in his ear. "Kyle, is that you? I told you I�d pick you up in time for the game. If we leave by three, we�ll be in Phoenix in plenty of time."

"Sorry, Sheriff, it�s Alex." Alex grimaced when he realized that it was likely that another father/son bonding session was about to be tossed into the alien abyss.

"Mr. Whitman?" The sheriff was instantly on alert. "What can I do for you?"

"Can you pick Liz and me up? We�re sort of stranded and we don�t want to call the others."

"May I ask why?"

"I promise we�ll tell you everything, but we just really need a ride."

"Fine. Give me the details."

Alex did so and hung up, handing the phone back to Liz. She was watching him anxiously. "He�s coming?"

"Yup." Alex shrugged in the direction of town. "Let�s walk though. I don�t feel like having them show up suddenly again."

"Okay."

They walked in tense silence for close to five minutes before Alex finally blurted impatiently, "Well?"

He saw Liz glance at him warily out of the corner of her eye. "Well, what?"

"Liz."

She sighed. "Okay, I�ll tell you, but he was lying anyway, so it doesn�t really matter."

"Will?"

"Yeah." There was a long pause and then she said quietly, "He told me that I�m an alien too."

Alex stopped walking abruptly and stared at the back of Liz�s head. He knew his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn�t help it. If he had thought that the time-traveling story was mind-blowing, this was beyond even that. "Why would he do that? We know that�s not true!" Alex finally managed to stutter.

"I know," Liz grimaced. But from the tone of her voice�

"Liz, you don�t actually believe him?" Alex demanded, astounded. "What about the whole human DNA thing? Isn�t that how you found out about Max in the first place? By comparing your DNA? That�s what you told me!"

"I know all that, Alex!" Liz snapped. "I know it�s not true, but he reminded me about something, and it freaked me out a bit."

"What?"

"The way Max and I connect," Liz replied. "I know that Michael has gotten flashes from Maria, but she hasn�t gotten them from him. I�ve always thought it was a consequence of Max healing me, but when I asked Kyle about it, even though he told me that he got them from Max, I think he was kidding." She smiled slightly at the memory. "I�m pretty sure he was kidding actually." Alex frowned, wondering what Kyle had said. "Anyway, I�ve gotten them from Max - so many times - the last time being only a couple of weeks ago." Her voice softened slightly. "When he was trying to convince me that we belong together." Alex grabbed her hand and squeezed it, knowing that what Liz had done two weeks ago had been the most difficult thing she had ever faced. He didn�t want her thinking about Future Max at the moment.

"So what�s the point?" he asked, trying to bring her back to the topic at hand.

Liz shook her head, apparently trying to rid herself of a painful memory. "Will told me that was my gift," she continued. "That I could always connect with people, that I read their true intentions by doing so. His cousin can apparently read essences too, and he recognized mine in Copper Summit�" She trailed off, obviously thinking hard about what she had been told.

Alex narrowed his eyes. "What else did he say?" He could tell that Liz was holding something back, that there was something else particularly awful.

"He told me that my name was Rowena and that I was his wife."

"Whoa. He pulled out all the big cards, didn�t he?" Alex rolled his eyes. "Liz, I think that, more than anything, has to prove that he�s lying."

"Why?" Liz asked, hopeful.

"He must have known how much you mean to Max. He�s trying to get at them through you. Maybe he�s trying to get Max�s allies on his side."

"But he seemed really hurt when I told him that I loved Max." Liz sounded unsure. "Like it was the first time he�d heard it."

Alex reflected on the fact that Kate had seemed equally as shocked by the news that Max and Liz had been together. "I don�t know what to say," he finally shrugged.

"Alex, there�s something else�" Liz trailed off again, sounding scared. "You know how I told you before that it seemed like Will knew me when I met him?"

Alex nodded, wondering where she was headed with this.

"I didn�t tell you this." Liz swallowed, looked right at him. "I knew him too. From the first moment I laid eyes on him. And that�s why, even though I don�t want to, I think I believe him."

***

When he and Michael entered the Crashdown, Max�s eyes lit immediately on his friends, who were all gathered around a table at the back of the restaurant.

He was not at all surprised to see that they were arguing. Maria was actually shrieking in frustration, but Max was pleased to see that, for once, it wasn�t directed at Tess, who was sitting quietly, listening. Max was shocked to see who it was that was taking her abuse, but was relieved that besides that, Alex seemed perfectly healthy. Max sighed and hurried towards them, Michael on his heels. "You guys! What�s wrong? Everyone�s staring at you!" Max quickly scanned the table, felt his relief at the sight of Alex evaporate. "Where�s Liz?" He looked at Isabel accusingly. "You said they were both back!

"She�s upstairs." This came from Alex, who sounded extremely weary. "She�s looking for something."

Max barely had time to take this in before Maria pounced on him. "Max, make Alex tell us what happened. He won�t! I think they did some sort of silencing spell on him."

"Maria! They did not do a silencing spell on me," Alex retorted impatiently. "I told you, it�s not my story to tell and even if it were, this is certainly not the place." He looked around meaningfully. "You should know that by now."

Maria�s eyes filled with tears. "I�m sorry. I�ve just been worried sick," she said. Michael moved forward and pulled her up into his arms, running a comforting hand down her back.

Alex sighed again, looked at Max. "Liz is okay. Physically anyway."

Now what was that supposed to mean? Max wondered. "I�m going to find her," he said quickly, moving away before anyone could stop him, although that didn�t mean he didn�t hear Alex calling after him, telling him it was a bad idea.

He pushed his way through to the back of the Crashdown, just in time to meet Liz coming down the stairs. She stopped abruptly at the sight of him, her dark eyes widening. For one instant he thought she was going to turn on her heel and run away from him, but was pleased when she took a deep breath and stayed where she was.

Max ran his eyes over her, breathing a sigh of relief to see that Alex had not been lying that she was okay. But he asked, just to be sure. "Are you hurt?" He barely resisted the urge to rush up the stairs and pull her into his arms so that he could check for himself.

Liz managed the shadow of a smile, but it was quickly gone. "No."

"Thank God." He took a step towards her. He saw her bite her lip, but she continued down the stairs, in spite of her obvious discomfort. "Liz, what happened?" For the first time he noticed that she was carrying something in her hands. He frowned slightly when he realized that it was a photo album.

"They let us go," Liz said simply. "They didn�t hurt us. We just left and called Valenti and he came and picked us up." Max nodded, now understanding why the sheriff had been sitting quietly at the counter, not part of the group, but obviously in the restaurant for some specific reason. He felt a pang of misery that she had not wanted him to come for her.

"Why didn�t you call me?" He tried not to sound hurt, but knew he didn�t succeed.

"Because they�re not dangerous to me, but I can�t say the same about you," she replied. "Max, I think I can keep them away from you, but you need to stay away too."

He stared at her. "What do you mean?" How could Liz keep their enemies away from them? If Courtney had been right and Will was his enemy Khivar, then there was no way that he would stop before he killed Max and everyone he loved. It was why he was on Earth after all.

Liz looked at him steadily. "He�s wrong about something, but I think he truly believes it. He cares about me, Max, and he won�t hurt me. If I make it clear to him that I won�t tolerate anything happening to you, I think he�ll listen."

"I don�t understand," Max told her. He felt the pain of it right in his heart though, because really he did understand. Something significant had obviously taken place between Will and Liz while she had been gone. Something that he was not going to like if the tone of her voice was any indication.

Liz looked torn for a long moment. Finally, she stepped forward and took his hand. His heart started to pound more quickly, instantly aware that this was the first time she had willingly touched him since he had caught her in bed with Kyle. "I think you have to know, Max, and I just realized that I have to tell you first. Alone. Because this is going to be hard for you to hear." She glanced down at the photo album in her hands and said, "I just need to give this to Alex. I�ll be right back." She moved towards the swinging door that led into the dining room, glanced over her shoulder. "Actually, you might want to go out back and climb up to my balcony. We can be by ourselves there."

"Okay." He watched her go, totally confused. Liz seemed almost too calm. It was a little scary actually. She had just been abducted by strange aliens and she didn�t seem even fazed by the fact. It told him more then sheer panic on her part would have. Something was horribly wrong.

He went out back and used the ladder against the brick wall to climb quickly to Liz�s balcony. He closed his eyes briefly after hoisting himself over the wall. The last time he had been up here�

A flash of Liz and Kyle on Liz�s bed, naked and laughing, ran through his mind, but he quickly thrust it aside and leaned back against the wall. He forced his gaze away from the window and, instead, focused it on the place where he had drawn the heart with his and Liz�s initials inside on the night he had accidentally gotten drunk. Memories of that night had slowly started to return over the months and, thinking about it at the moment, Max wondered how different things might have been if Liz had simply agreed to run away with him then.

If she had, there would have been no Tess, no Pierce, no stupid destiny. It would have meant no Skins and, now, no Will Spencer.

He tried not to feel ashamed that he really wanted to ask her to do it again - run away - even after everything that had happened, even though he knew he couldn�t just escape from all of his responsibilities. But, somehow, he just knew that if they could get away from the mess their lives had become, everything would be okay again. He and Liz had been happy once. They could be again, if only they didn�t have the weight of his world resting on their shoulders. He could pretend to be normal and he could keep her safe and give her the life she had told him she wanted when she had come to his room a couple of weeks before. It would just be the two of them and he knew they would be happy.

But, even as he daydreamed about it, he knew that she would never agree. Liz would never let him do it. She was the one who knew that he couldn�t just turn his back on who he really was. It was why she had walked away from him at the pod chamber and it was also why she had slept with Kyle - or so he was beginning to suspect. He wondered if he should confront her about that again. Maybe now that it was clear that just because she wanted it broken, their bond could not just be forgotten - at least it wouldn�t be by their enemies - maybe now she would tell him the truth about why she had done it.

He was going to tell her again that he didn�t believe that she had slept with Kyle. It was the only thing to do. And, if she still insisted she had, he was going to ask her to prove it the only way he knew how. He would ask to connect with her. Because she could not hide from him when they did. They had never been able to hide from each other when the bond they shared was open between them.

As Max sat down on Liz�s lawn-chair, his elbows resting on his knees, he decided not to think about what he would do if they connected and he found out, once and for all, that Liz and Kyle had made love. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. At this point, he was so sure that it hadn�t happened, he couldn�t even bear to imagine dealing with it again if it had. He hoped he wasn�t setting himself up for a fall.

Max frowned slightly, wondering what was taking Liz so long. He stood, pacing over to the edge of the balcony. He stared up at the V constellation that he knew marked where his home planet was found. His thoughts drifted to what his life might have been like there. Had he really been as irresponsible and self-absorbed as Courtney said? Why had he been so against marrying Tess? Frustration was mounting now that he was starting to learn bits and pieces of his past life.

Why couldn�t he just remember? It would solve everything. He didn�t understand why he and the others had been sent to Earth with no memories and with no real information about the path they were supposed to take. How were they supposed to help their planet without them? It all seemed like a gigantic waste of time. If they couldn�t be bothered to give him the information he needed, why should he bother with them either? Even Nasedo had been little help. What was his point if not to give them the guidance they so desperately needed? Shouldn�t he have told them more before he died? There had been months after all.

Max thought about Tess, wondered if she knew more than she was letting on. It seemed likely. She had been very eager to jump on the fact that Will had called him Zan. It was almost as if she had known that was his name before.

There was no further time to pursue this line of thought though because he heard movement behind him. Turning, he saw Liz standing in her window, staring out at him. Their eyes met and held.

"Is everything okay?" Max asked quietly. Her expression was still too calm - almost mask-like - like if she didn�t stay that way, her entire world would come crashing down around her. He realized abruptly that she had been like this ever since he had caught her with Kyle. It was why, when she sometimes couldn�t hide her real feelings, he suspected that she was lying. Liz�s natural expressiveness was one of the things he loved about her. If she was trying to control it, she was hiding something.

"Yes," Liz replied. "I gave the book to Alex. The pictures in there prove I�m not crazy."

"What was in there?" Max didn�t really understand what she was getting at, but he was willing to go at her pace. Whatever it was she had to tell him was obviously difficult for her.

Liz pulled herself out onto the balcony. He tried not to feel hurt that she stayed close to the window, keeping as much distance between them as possible.

"My baby pictures," Liz told him, her eyes shadowed.

"Why did Alex want to see your baby pictures?" His confusion was mounting with every word out of her mouth.

"Max, can I just ask you something?"

Max frowned, wondered why she didn�t answer him, but nodded. He took a step towards her. "Liz, you can ask me anything.

There was a long pause and then Liz blurted out, "Do you still love me? And, if so, I want to know why."

Part 12

"What is that, Alex?"

Alex sighed, glancing over his shoulder at Maria, who was hovering nearby. Her expression was half concerned, half hurt, that he was obviously keeping something from the rest of them. He had decided that it was not his story to tell though. When Liz handed him the photo album she had whispered, "I�m going to talk to Max. Don�t say anything to the rest of them until I do. I, at least, owe him that."

But Alex had already decided that he wouldn�t be telling tales out of school anyway. First of all, he wouldn�t even know where to start. Secondly, he just didn�t have the energy. All he really wanted to do at the moment was head home, crawl into bed, and pull the covers over his head. Then he wouldn�t have to deal with any of it. He wouldn�t have to come up with a way to protect Liz from herself, because with every passing moment she seemed more and more determined on self-destruction. She had broken her own heart by pretending to sleep with Kyle. Alex knew that her guilt over what that lie was doing to Max became more intense by the hour. And, now, she was allowing their friends� enemies to convince her that she wasn�t entirely human. Worse than that. That she one of them.

His best friend was completely losing herself in the alien abyss and he didn�t know how to stop it.

The photo album had been Alex�s idea. Liz�s whispered words, right before Valenti had picked them up, continued to haunt him.

I think I believe him.

The photo album was Alex�s attempt to make Liz face reality, to make her look at the book and acknowledge Will�s lies when her own baby pictures stared up at her, showing them for what they were. But he knew already it hadn�t worked. He knew it when she handed it to him that she was pretending to agree with him. But, in her heart, she didn�t. He knew her. It was written all over her face.

The Liz Parker he had been friends with since fifth grade, who believed in cold hard facts and physical proof above all things, was letting someone who had already kidnapped her once, someone who had freely admitted his hatred for their friends, pull the wool over her eyes. This was only the latest in a long string of events that made Alex worry that the Liz he knew and loved was long gone. Because, ever since Max had healed her, Liz had let her heart guide her instead of her head - something she had never done before. And, in the end, when had it ever turned out for the best?

Liz had kept Max�s secret from him, Alex, for so long, it had almost destroyed their friendship. She had allowed herself to fall in love with Max, even though it had only ever ended up hurting her�even more so since they had learned that Max was destined for someone else. She had also followed her heart when she had believed Future Max that she had to make Max fall out of love with her - something that didn�t appear to be happening, in spite of all the sacrifices Liz was making to assure it. Because hadn�t Alex just witnessed the fear on Max Evans�s face a few minutes before when he thought Liz might not have returned after all. In spite of it all, Max would be devastated if anything happened to Liz. Nothing had changed.

Liz following her heart was a disaster waiting to happen - every single time. And it was up to him to convince her of it.

The worst part of it all was that Alex actually admired the part of her that had thrown herself body and soul into Max Evans�s world. He wished that he knew for certain that one day he would love someone that much, that he would know that he was loved that much in return. Which only made his goal of protecting Liz from herself pretty much dead in the water before he even started. Because he wanted her way to work, even if, up until now, it certainly hadn�t.

Her way was going to get them all killed. Alex slammed the album shut so that Maria couldn�t see what he was looking at - so that she couldn�t see the album filled with proof that Will Spencer was a liar. Liz could believe him all she wanted to. The evidence that Liz had been born to Nancy and Jeff Parker seventeen years ago was right in front of him. He didn�t care that Liz�s heart was telling her to trust the new boy. Liz�s heart was wrong. She had been right about Max Evans, but she was wrong about Will Spencer.

Unfortunately, for the moment, there was little he could really do to convince her of something she wasn�t willing to believe. If she could look cold, hard fact in the face and still believe Will, there was only one avenue left for Alex at the moment. In order to protect and support his friend, Alex was going to have to stick by her through whatever crazy plan was likely brewing in that too smart for her own good brain of hers. Even if it meant angering and distancing himself from all the others. Including Maria. And Isabel.

Isabel. Isabel, whom he was fully aware had been watching him quietly, her dark eyes brighter for him than he had seen in months, since the moment he and Liz had reappeared from their adventure. Alex shook his head ruefully. Trust his luck that Isabel Evans would start to care about him again the instant he wasn�t sure he wanted her anymore. He clenched his jaw when he realized that Kate Spencer�s face was actually invading his thoughts again. He sighed heavily. Trust his luck even more that he would be the idiot to transfer his crush from one alien to another - and not even just any alien. An evil one this time!

Yet, he knew deep in his gut that Kate was not evil. She had fully believed everything she had told him about Max and the others. She hated them for what she thought were good reasons. Which could only mean one thing. Will the wanker was lying to her too.

He blinked when he realized Maria was still talking. "Alex!"

"What?" Alex asked. Ignoring her had seemed like a good plan. Usually when he ignored her, she got frustrated and just went away. He thought she was just blowing off steam. After all, he never knew anything before anyone else. How could Maria have deduced so quickly that this time he actually did?

"Why are you and Liz shutting me out?" Maria asked, not sounding hysterical any longer, but, rather, simply, hurt.

She was pulling out all the big guns. Maria reasonable was not someone he enjoyed dealing with. Psycho Maria he could handle easily. Compassionate and ready to listen Maria - bad news. It didn�t help that he actually really did want to tell her what was going on. But he had promised Liz.

"Maria, I can�t�" He yelped when Maria reached past him and made a grab for the closed photo album behind him on the counter. "Maria!"

But Maria was already on the other side of the restaurant, which was now empty of any customers, Mr. Parker having locked up a few minutes ago. He was, as always, amenable to Liz�s friends hanging around after closing. Alex guessed that he preferred to know where they were, rather than having them "cat around the desert" - one of his favorite expressions. What it meant precisely, Alex didn�t know. It sounded better than running from evil aliens and FBI agents through the desert though. He really wished they could just "cat around" every once in a while.

Alex shook his head, glared at Maria and went after her. Apparently all the evading of evil aliens was making her slippier, he thought, annoyed, as she threw a chair into his path. A year ago he would have wrestled her to the floor already. "Kids!" Mr. Parker yelled helplessly. "Watch the glas�"

Too late. The pile of glasses Michael had been drying at the booth he was sitting in with Tess went flying as Alex tripped and crashed into the table. Alex made a wild grab for Maria anyway, almost catching her.

"Isabel! Catch!" Maria shrieked, ignoring Liz�s dad and the mess. She threw the photo album over Alex�s head to Max�s sister, who was now standing, looking perplexed. But not for long of course. Isabel flipped the book open, narrowing her eyes as her eyes scanned Liz�s baby pictures.

"Isabel," Alex ground out between clenched teeth. "Please give me that book."

Isabel�s dark eyes met his. They looked confused - and slightly pained. "Liz�s baby book? Alex, what is this? Why won�t you tell us what�s going on?" She paused. "Was it really that bad?"

He blinked, realized that Isabel�s guilt was real. She thought he was keeping quiet because he didn�t want her to feel bad about whatever "torture" he had undergone at the hands of their enemies.

Alex smiled at her gently, no longer fuming. "I promise you, Isabel. They didn�t hurt us."

There were tears in Isabel�s eyes. "Alex�" She obviously didn�t believe him.

"I swear it, Iz."

She stared at him for another long, charged moment and then collapsed, her relief almost a living force. Alex actually felt it sweep through him, warming his heart in a way he wasn�t sure she was even aware of.

It was Michael who reached Isabel before she hit the floor. "Izzy? Are you okay? None of this is your fault. You didn�t actually think that?"

Alex rushed to kneel beside her too. Something more serious than worrying over him was obviously affecting Isabel Evans. He wondered that he could still feel disappointed. He was used to it after all. It must have just been the momentary mistaken belief that it was actually him she had been worried about that caused it.

"Isabel, what�s wrong?" Alex asked now, reaching out and taking her hand. They were friends after all. If something was upsetting her, he owed it to her to be there for her.

"I�ve been so worried! All day, Alex!" she sobbed. Alex blinked. Okay, so maybe she had been worried about him. He barely noticed Michael quietly withdraw, clearly wanting to give them a little privacy. Within moments their shaggy-haired friend had herded everyone else into the back - including Mr. Parker, who looked seriously confused. Alex heard the sheriff assuring him that it was just a "lover�s spat." Alex rolled his eyes. If only things could ever be that simple in the alien abyss.

"Shh, Izzy. It�s okay," Alex soothed her, pulling her against him and stroking her long blonde hair. "I�m perfectly fine."

She sniffed. "Everything is just so messed up, Alex. God. I�ve been so horrible to you - to everyone. It wasn�t until this afternoon, when I thought I�d lost you, that I even realized what a fool I am! I drive away everyone I should hold on to."

Alex�s heart started to pound more quickly as he looked down into the face he had fantasized about for years. Were all his dreams really finally coming true? After he had basically given up on them for good? "Well, I hope it won�t take a life-threatening situation to make you remember next time," he joked mildly, still feeling a little off balance.

"It wasn�t even that." Isabel hiccuped. "It was when I heard that you were in the Eraser Room with Liz�" Isabel trailed off, laughing slightly. "God, Alex, my heart just stopped. Max knew right away it couldn�t be what I thought, but�"

Alex frowned slightly. "That what couldn�t?"

"Well, you and Liz? I wouldn�t put anything past her," Isabel continued darkly, "But that I would even suspect you�I mean, you�re my best friend!" She laughed again. "I just should have known better," she finished quietly.

Alex pulled back, stared at her. Best friend? He was her best friend? One who wouldn�t be in the Eraser Room with anyone else? What the hell was that supposed to mean? "Known what?" he asked, hoping for clarification.

"That you�d never do that to me, of course," Isabel replied, smiling at him.

He frowned more. "And what would I have been doing to you exactly, if Liz and I had been in there for real?" Alex demanded, he blood beginning to boil. He didn�t care that, until a few hours ago, what Isabel was saying would have been entirely true. Just where did she get off being so sure of him? (Might have been the strip tease, a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him. He instantly told the small voice to shut up.) Especially since she had just called him her best friend? Not boyfriend, not desired love slave. Best friend. "I mean, have you not told me a million times that you just want to be friends?" he continued. He was aware that he was ranting and didn�t care. "Including three minutes ago when you just called me your best friend?"

Isabel blinked, her gaze faltering. "Alex, I�" She obviously had no idea why he was so upset.

"Okay, I just have one question for you, Isabel. Which is it? Best friend or boyfriend? Because I really can�t be one if the other one is constantly being dangled in front of me. I can�t wait for you forever."

"Alex, I�m not just going to fall into your arms," Isabel flared, suddenly irritated. "I�ve told you. Things are complicated. I just found out that in my past life�"

He held up his hands. "Don�t tell me. As your potential best friend - and even as your potential boyfriend -, I would like to know, but until you decide, I don�t want to hear any of it. I just don�t. Not to mention I have had just about enough of past lives for today, thank you very much."

"Alex!" Isabel was beginning to sound worried.

Alex clenched his jaw. "Yes, I know I�m being unreasonable. I realize that I am behaving in a psychotic manner which you think may be the result of potential alien brain suckage, but I swear it�s not." He narrowed his eyes. "Speaking of brain suckers - bores being among the worst sort - any plans to see Grant later tonight?"

There was a long pause. Isabel�s eyes widened. "Well, technically�"

"I thought so. Okay, that decides it. No more fall-back guy for me. I�m sorry you were worried, Isabel, but you know what? I think, for now, I�m done here." Alex stood up, wondering where the hell this was coming from. He felt like he was watching himself say these things. Yesterday the pleading look on Isabel�s face would have melted him into a pile of butter. "Still love ya, Iz, but I just don�t feel like playing second fiddle anymore. If Liz comes down, tell her I went home."

With that, he pushed his way out into the early evening air, taking a deep breath and letting it go. Amazing. He actually felt like he had just had a one thousand pound weight lifted off his back. Had he really just done that? Had he truly just left Isabel Evans sitting on the floor of the Crashdown Caf�? His goddess? Isabel Evans?

Alex thought about it for a few minutes as he started off in the direction of his home because he really didn�t have anywhere else to go. He hadn�t been expecting to make a grand exit like that. It seemed a little anti-climactic to just go home after. He decided to go for a walk in the park, apparently needing a little more fresh air in order to truly grasp what he had just done.

He realized fairly quickly that he did not regret it. Alex did not doubt that Isabel cared about him, that she would be deeply upset if anything ever happened to him, but the hesitation she had shown when he had asked about Grant had confirmed what he was beginning to realize he had known for a long time. Isabel did not love him. She liked him a whole lot, liked the way he made her feel about herself. He was the first boy to know the truth about her. He was also the first boy to not be fooled by her ice queen exterior. She liked that she could be herself around him and that he continued to pine for her. It was humiliating to think she simply expected him to be there for her when she needed him but, in the end, only as a friend. She didn�t love him.

The fact that she could run so hot and cold, even after everything they had been through together, only confirmed it. Maybe someday they could be friends, but not right away. Because he knew he was still precariously perched on the edge of a big cliff when it came to her. One glance from those dark eyes and it was entirely possible he would fall head over heels for her again. Walking away from her five minutes before had probably been the most difficult thing he had ever done - even if it hadn�t seemed like it at the time. But he would not be second fiddle any longer. He wanted someone who really loved him.

Alex was pleased with his new resolve to get over Isabel once and for all. He was strong enough to do it. He would help Liz and then he would leave the whole Czechoslovakian mess behind him. Because, if he broke his ties to Isabel, as he fully intended to do, there was nothing binding him to any of them anymore. Not once Liz was back to normal. He could do it! Alex Charles Whitman was not going to be anyone�s whipping boy any longer!

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked at a can on the path in front of him. He frowned slightly, realizing that his heart was beginning to hurt. That damn conscience. Guilt already! He quashed it ruthlessly. He deserved to look out for himself for once.

But Isabel had looked so sad. Something was clearly haunting her. She hadn�t meant to make him feel like crap. He knew she hadn�t. She just hadn�t been thinking. She couldn�t help it if she liked Grant�

"Stop it!" Alex ordered himself aloud. "Weak! You are so weak, Whitman!"

Of course, saying it out loud didn�t help the fact that Isabel�s eyes were haunting him. He hadn�t given her much of a chance to tell him what was upsetting her. Maybe if he had listened, it wouldn�t have come out sounding quite so bad. What kind of friend was he anyway?

"Stop it," he repeated firmly. "Let it go! She has Michael and Max and Tess! She has more than proven that she only wants you when there�s no one better around."

He wasn�t convincing himself. His feet were actually trying to make him turn around. They wanted him to go back to the Crashdown.

He couldn�t! If he did that, he�d apologize. Unacceptable!

"Bloody hell!" Alex yelled before he could stop himself. "Is it too much to ask for a little peace?"

"Are you okay?"

He literally jumped about three feet into the air. He was absolutely sure that he had been completely alone moments before, no one in front or in back of him. He was in a fairly open area of the park too, his experiences in the alien abyss making dark shadows anathema.

In spite of all this, Kate Spencer stood in front of him now, staring at him.

"Where the hell did you come from?" he demanded, his heart in his throat. Will the wanker better not be coming for Liz again. Alex didn�t know what he would do to him if he was, but it would be�well, something. So the wanker had alien fire bolts. So what? And his knees were not quaking. They just�weren�t.

"I teleported," Kate explained. "I�m alone by the way. So you can stop looking."

"Holy crap!" Alex exclaimed. "Am I supposed to be scared?" he asked, narrowing his eyes, deciding to ignore the fact that he kind of was. But not really. "Did you change your mind about killing me?" He realized that he actually wasn�t scared anymore, now that he knew Kate was by herself. He wondered why he wasn�t afraid of this girl - not at all.

"Of course not," Kate snapped. "I told you, we don�t do that."

"But my friends do?" Alex flared back, annoyed almost immediately. As angry and as confused as he was about his relationship with Isabel, he would not let this girl continue to insult her or her fellow aliens. Kate didn�t even know them. While his Czechoslovakians could be as irritating as hell, they weren�t evil and they didn�t deserve to be hated - especially not for a past they didn�t even remember.

Kate ignored his question. "Where are your friends?" she asked instead.

"Why?" Alex glared at her. "You want me to hand them to you on a silver platter, just because I told you I don�t think you�re evil?"

Kate apparently dismissed his sarcasm because she asked him quite calmly, "Why didn�t Zan come after us? It�s been over two hours. You should have led them straight back to us by now."

"Max," Alex emphasized the alien king�s Earth name deliberately, "is not like that. And he�s with Liz. She�s telling him the crazy story your brother made up to freak both of them out."

Kate frowned. "It�s not made up, Alex. Liz Parker is Rowena."

"She is not," Alex replied firmly. "Did Will send you?" His earlier panic returned. "Wait a minute! If he�s not here, where is he? He didn�t go to the Crashdown, did he?" Alex�s mind was filling with images of Michael, and maybe even Max, blasting first and asking questions later. As much as he distrusted Will and would enjoy seeing it, he knew it would not be what Liz wanted. He tried not to think about the fact that he was also reflecting on how upset Kate would be should anything happen to her brother. Why he cared, he wasn�t sure, particularly since he was being downright nasty to her at the moment, but he did.

"Will�s still at the motel," Kate told him, sounding mildly bitter if Alex was not mistaken. "He trusts Rowena to come back to him. Now that he has told her the truth, he will not pressure her."

"You don�t sound like you approve," Alex commented, his heart beginning to return to a regular tempo.

"She was clearly taken from her pod too early. She has no memories. Until she is made to remember, she won�t," Kate said. "And the longer she is allowed to stay under Zan�s power, the harder she will be to convince that he is her enemy."

"She�ll never be convinced of that," Alex said. "She loves him."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. "I thought you said that they no were no longer together."

Alex mentally kicked himself. "Er�Well, they�re not. But they still have a soft spot for each other," he finished lamely.

"Well, it doesn�t matter anyway." Kate waved her hand in the air dismissively. "She will not love him when she remembers."

"He is not the same person," Alex stated. "I�m telling you�" He trailed off, knowing that he would be continuing the argument in vain. She did not believe him. Except�

There was a long silence. Alex watched a bevy of emotions play across Kate�s face. He recognized disbelief and frustration that he would not accept her version of what Max was supposed to be like. But he also thought he saw a slight glimmer of hope there. It made him wonder.

"Did you know Zan?" he asked.

"I knew him," she replied, closing her eyes. "Very well, but only before he took the throne. I was raised with Vilandra you see. He was different then - kind, but restless. He didn�t want to be king, not then. His father sent him away in the summer before I left Antar. He said that he was going to make Zan accept his destiny if it was the last thing he ever did - and it seemed to work. The old king could not have known what he had done though. Because when Zan came back�"

"He had changed?"

"Yes." Kate�s eyes snapped open, as whatever memory she had been living disappeared. "It is why I do not blame you for not seeing what he is. He has always been a marvelous dissembler."

"So you think Max is pretending to be something he isn�t?" Alex asked. "That once he accepts his destiny, once he accepts he will someday be a king, he will change?"

"I don�t necessarily think he�s pretending," Kate said carefully. She looked right at him. "You told me before that you were a good judge of character. I see that you are. You do not fear me at all, do you?"

"No," Alex agreed. "And you don�t fear me?"

"No." Kate smiled slightly. Alex thought she wanted to say something else, but she didn�t elaborate. Instead she said, "My point is that perhaps you are right about Max Evans. Perhaps he has not become the monster he is capable of being. Not yet anyway."

Alex frowned. "But you still think he might?"

"He will," Kate insisted. "It is who he is. His true nature will win out." She swallowed. "And may the stars help us all if we allow it to happen. We cannot be fooled, Alex. Not again. There is far too much at stake."

With that, Kate closed her clear blue eyes. Alex jumped when she disappeared into thin air.

He felt his blood run cold when he understood that she was really gone. Because her words were just beginning to make sense to him.

Kate Spencer had come to him wanting to be convinced that Max really was a good person. Because, for her, it only proved more strongly what she was sure he would become. He, Alex, had not convinced her to leave Max alone. In fact, he had convinced her of quite the opposite. What had he done?

It was a rhetorical question of course. He knew exactly what he had done. Although she had not said it in so many words, he had just convinced one of Max Evans�s enemies even more firmly that he had to die.

Part 13

He was shocked and, underlying that, hurt. While Max was very good at masking his emotions, he had never been able to hide from her - not since he had saved her anyway. Liz felt an overwhelming urge to throw her arms around him, to take that look off his face. She could see the turmoil of confusion and despair he was struggling with, could feel it in fact.

Was this another sign that Will was right? Was it because she had the alien gift of empathy that Max�s pain was her pain as well? Deep down though she knew it wasn�t that. This was Max. It was because she loved him that she shared his grief.

"I don�t know what you want me to say," he finally said hoarsely. "I really don�t know what you want from me anymore, Liz."

I want you to be safe. I want you to be happy. The thoughts came unbidden, more natural than breathing. I want to stop hurting you. But, somehow, Liz knew that none of these hopes for him were anywhere in his future. Because he would not be safe until she figured out what Will wanted from her. And he would not be happy because, in order for her to find that out, she was going to have to let Will in. She was going to have to hurt Max even more than she already had. She had to protect him�and to protect him, she needed information, which meant getting close to Will.

Liz had not been as out of it on the way back from the motel as she thought Alex suspected. Instead, she had been deep in thought, trying to figure out exactly how they had all ended up in such a complicated mess and how she could fix it.

She thought Will was wrong about who she was, but she no longer thought he was lying. The more she reflected on it, the more she understood that he truly believed that she was this Rowena - the love of his life and Max�s victim. But she also knew Max. She knew that he never could have been the monster that Will made him out to be, not even in a different lifetime. His essence - his soul - could not have changed so drastically. Not Max. Something had clearly gone wrong in their past lives - something that had to be fixed in this one.

Rowena of Valonia was the key. And if Liz had to pretend to be Rowena for a while, until she figured it all out - until she neutralized the threat to Max�s life that Will represented - then she would do it.

But, first, she had to make Max understand. She had to try to modify how much this was going to hurt him. And, somehow, she had to do it without telling him the whole truth.

"I want you to think about it," Liz told Max softly. "Do you love me?"

Max stared at her for a long moment, vulnerable and still confused. "Of course I love you, Liz. I can�t just turn it off you know," he added bitterly.

"Why, Max?" Liz asked gently. "Why? Loving me has only ever hurt you, has only ever put you in danger. It�s not worth it! Why can�t you see that?"

"Because I know you," Max replied, suddenly firm. Liz felt her heart start to beat more quickly as his spine straightened and his eyes flashed with anger, reminding her of the night in Copper Summit, when his plea for the truth had almost broken her. "You�re lying to me, Liz."

She opened her mouth to protest, but Max raised his hand to stop her. "Liz, I�m not an idiot. I�ve seen how upset you are lately. You�re hiding something and I think I have a right to know what it is. You didn�t sleep with Kyle - did you?" His voice was raised.

Liz bit her lip, disbelieving that after everything she had done to convince him, in spite of all his pain, his belief in her was still so strong, he refused to accept it. For one moment, the temptation to admit he was right, and to then kiss him senseless for having so much faith in her, was so strong, she barely resisted.

They didn�t belong together. Being with her put him in danger. What had happened with Will that afternoon only emphasized it. She knew, deep down, that Will was not evil. But she had also seen the obsessive glint in his eye when he had spoken of Rowena. If Will truly believed she was Rowena, he would hurt Max to keep him away from her.

And the only way to make sure that Max stayed away from her of his own volition was to keep lying.

"I did, Max," she said, pressing her lips together. "It was the only way I could think of to make you back off."

There was a long moment of silence. Liz could hear Max�s ragged breathing. She could feel his impatience, could feel that he still didn�t believe her. Why not? Just that morning, she was sure that he had finally bought it. What had changed? She had to convince him!

"Max, what do you want from me?" Liz demanded. "I�ll always be grateful to you for saving my life, but I�ve told you, I won�t give up my life for you. Not anymore!"

Max remained quiet, his eyes unreadable. Liz continued to babble, desperate to convince him. "I know you latched on to me when you were a kid, that you built this whole fantasy world around what you wanted me to be, but I�m just normal! I don�t have the strength to be with you. It�s why I walked away from you at the pod chamber and it�s why I slept with Kyle. I want to get away from you! I�m trying so hard to keep away."

Max�s eyes were glittering now. He still didn�t say anything. Liz frowned. Why did he suddenly seem pleased?

"Max!" she exclaimed in frustration, frantically searching her memory for what she might have said to make him look that way. "Will you say something? Please?"

Max complied, surprising Liz completely though by changing the subject. "Liz, what happened this afternoon?"

"What?" Liz demanded, distracted. She was still trying to figure out why Max no longer seemed devastated. In fact, he was about as smug as the cat that had swallowed the canary.

"Courtney told Michael and me some stuff this afternoon," Max elaborated. "Will is most likely my enemy. The fact that he released you and Alex without any trouble at all just strikes me as a bit weird. Even if you don�t care about me at all anymore, he has to know that I love you." He paused, adding, "Anyone can see it. I never realized how obvious I was until today. There were these sophomores�"

Liz cut him off. "What else did Courtney tell you?" she asked, feeling nervous for some reason she didn�t understand.

"Well, I didn�t want to marry Tess in my previous life. There�s a surprise," he muttered, off-handedly, before continuing. "Apparently I was something of a selfish bastard too. I wasn�t a very good king, and I had a mean streak as well. Basically the whole star system appears to be better off without me." Liz could hear the slight tremor in Max�s voice. What he had learned from Courtney had obviously upset him, although he was trying to hide it. "It all makes me wonder why anyone would want Zan back anyway. Maybe I should just let your new best friend Will kill me and be done with it."

Liz�s horror must have been reflected on her face, because Max quickly continued, "I�m sorry. I don�t really mean that." He collapsed onto a deck chair, as though the weight of the world had suddenly been deposited on his shoulders. "My experience with Pierce and what happened to Nasedo�" He trailed off. "I don�t want to die. I�m too much of a coward to let them kill me, even if it would probably make everyone else�s life easier."

Liz went and sat near him, barely refraining from touching him, her natural instinct. "Max, you can�t think�"

"That everyone would be better off with me dead?" he asked, snorting slightly. "Sometimes I really do, Liz." She flinched when he looked directly at her. "Would you have to lie all the time if I was dead? Would you have to go through life acting completely contrary to your nature if I didn�t exist?" His voice lowered and he raised a hand and gently cupped her cheek. "I�m not trying to make you feel guilty, or hurt you, or make you feel sorry for me. I hope you know that. It�s just that you�ve always been the only person I can be completely honest with. I feel like I can tell you things I can�t even tell Isabel or Michael." He paused. "I miss that most of all I think. Knowing that I can say anything to you and you won�t judge me or hate me. I even miss you telling me that I need to get over myself." He quirked a weak grin. "Because I definitely need that sometimes. I need you, Liz."

Liz felt tears filling her eyes. He was saying everything she had been thinking since the pod chamber, everything she had thought about all summer when she had tried to convince herself that maybe she could be with Max, in spite of what his mother had said in the orb, in spite of Tess. It was why she had not been altogether surprised when Future Max had told her that she had given in during that other life, that they had been together. Because, more than anything, she missed him. She missed everything about him.

Most of all, she missed how he wanted to tell her things from his deepest soul, things that he would be ashamed to tell anyone else. She used to be able to say anything to him too. She could tell him anything because he knew it anyway.

It was what being soul mates meant.

And here he was reminding her of what she was giving up, weakening her. She couldn�t help herself. She reached out and took his hands. A feeling of sweet relief flowed through her as his fingers twined through hers. Her heart started to beat more quickly.

"Max�" Liz felt his sadness through the connection that had sprung to life from the moment she touched him, could feel his burgeoning hope that maybe he had finally gotten through to her. Because everything he said was true. She was lying to him. She was betraying everything they were supposed to be. Just because he - or at least a future version of himself - had asked her to, it didn�t make it right. This Max hadn�t had a choice in the matter.

She opened her mouth to tell him everything, to tell him about Future Max, about Kyle, about what Will had told her, about how she thought Will might be telling her the truth, as much as she was trying to deny it.

She opened her mouth and nothing came out. Her entire throat seized up and she stared at him helplessly, wondering why this was so difficult. Why did every single decision she made when it came to Max have to be about life or death?

Max must have sensed the difficulty she was having in speaking though because he said, "I don�t blame you for wanting a normal life, Liz. I don�t like what knowing me has made you do. I don�t like that you�re constantly in danger. I don�t like that you worry all the time about protecting me, that you never worry about yourself. I know that I should let you walk away because, in the end, it will be better for you." Max squeezed her hand lightly. "But the thing is Liz, you�re not walking away. I know you�re not. In fact, after today, you�re more connected to me than ever. I just know it. I don�t know how I do, but I do."

Liz stared at him, disbelieving that he was so right. How did he know all of this? It couldn�t just be because of the connection they shared, could it? Did he really know her so well?

Of course he does, a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her. Just like you know him. How else did you come up with the plan to pretend to sleep with Kyle? You know him and you thought of what would most devastate him and you did it - for his own good.

Again, Max seemed to be reading her mind because he said, "I know that what happened with Kyle�" He swallowed, forging ahead. "I know that it hurt you even more than it hurt me. I can�t imagine what happened that made you think that you had to do that. I know that it has to be about more than the fact that I wouldn�t leave you alone though. Because if I had truly believed that it was what you wanted, I would have. But I know you didn�t, Liz. You still wanted me then as much as I wanted you. I know you did. When I touched you outside the Crashdown on the night Nasedo died, I felt it." He paused, looked directly at her, almost pleading. "Liz, please tell me the truth."

As she stared at him, as she gazed into his beloved eyes, she almost caved. She almost gave in. But this was Max. How could she tell him the truth when it might still result in the end of the world? When it might result that the purity and beauty of their love would destroy the only home either of them had ever known?

Why did he have to make it so difficult? Why couldn�t he give up on her? How could he still have so much faith in her, after everything?

"Max, why? Why can�t you believe it? Why can�t you just accept that I want an ordinary life?" she demanded desperately, willing him to let it go, but, deep down, wanting him to convince her - wanting him to make her tell him.

"Because you�re an extraordinary person, Liz Parker," Max replied quietly, brushing the tears, that were falling unheeded now, aside with his thumbs. Both of his hands were now gently cradling her face, stroking lightly, sending shivers of desire and love throughout her body. "You showed me that every time you tried to convince me to take a chance with you, and, then you showed me every time I kissed you. I knew it the first time I laid eyes on you in that playground. I knew when I saw you that day that if you knew the truth about me, you�d accept it, that you wouldn�t be afraid."

Liz could feel herself getting lost in his dark eyes. Why did being with him always just feel so right? This was where she belonged, this was where she was normal. His lips were only a breath away from hers now. "Max�"

"Liz, if you can�t tell me, then show me. Please. Show me what�s wrong. All you have to do is choose us. Liz, please!" His breath was warm on her face. Her entire body was tingling, pushing her to do exactly what he wanted her to - exactly what she wanted anyway. He knew it. He always did. And, finally, she understood why he couldn�t let go.

It would be so easy. All it would take was one kiss and all the secrets would be out, all the pain would be over. She and Max would be back together, stronger than ever. It would be so easy to give in�

Even if she wasn�t quite sure, he might not see anything anyway. There hadn�t always been flashes when they had kissed in the past. Maybe she should test it out. If he saw, then he was meant to - it was fate. If he didn�t, she would know once and for all that she was choosing the right path, that she had to keep pushing him away.

She knew that she was trying to come up with excuses to allow him to kiss her, but, in the end, not allowing it would be like telling herself to stop breathing. She just could not say no. Not again. This was Max and she loved him. She wanted him. And, in every way, except for a destiny that he had not chosen, he was hers. She had tried to push him away and, yet, still he loved her. She had done her best. It had to be enough.

Liz felt Max�s lips brush hers lightly, tentatively, ready to stop if she demanded it. She was weak, she knew it. But the instant their lips meant, there was no turning back. As the kiss deepened, she was overwhelmed by how much she loved him, was reminded of how she had willingly chosen to spend the rest of her life in misery to protect him.

Because, the first flash, as always, was of her.

It was the scene in the playground where he saw her and the instant love he felt for her careened through her veins and into her heart, warming her in a way she couldn�t begin to describe.

But, she realized, after she started to control the flashes, started to sort through them, finding it easier than she ever had before, that something was different. Suddenly, she thought of Will. She remembered all he had told her and why, for a while, she had believed him when he had told her that she was not human - that she was an alien queen named Rowena and that she was his wife.

This was her gift. Seeing beneath the surface. Understanding the true motives and the true hearts of the people she came in contact with. It had always been her gift. She remembered it.

Because, this time, beneath the love Max felt for her in that memory when they were both children, she also felt his heart skip a beat - in recognition. He had known her. She had been right. For the first time ever, she heard Max�s thoughts at that moment in her own mind. Instead of just feeling what he felt, she thought what he thought.

It was so crystal clear, she didn�t understand how she could not have heard it before, how she could have ignored it for so long.

Rowena.

Max, as a little boy, in his mind, called her Rowena.

It was all true then. She wondered why was no longer upset about it. Her entire life was a lie, but she no longer even cared to deny any of it, DNA and baby pictures be damned.

Because she knew why she wasn�t scared. It was all there in the connection she and Max were sharing.

Because, without a shadow of a doubt, she knew that Zan of Antar and Rowena of Valonia had not been enemies at all.

Part 14

For one precious moment, Max ignored the flashes that came fast and furious as soon as Liz�s lips touched his. He allowed himself to revel in the softness of her skin, the silkiness of her hair when his hands came up to cradle her delicate skull. He deepened the kiss, hardly daring to believe that he had actually finally broken through her resolve.

He could tell that she was trying to refrain from giving him flashes, could feel her will at work, but also knew that her desire to shut him out was weak. Her heart wanted him to know, even if her head didn�t, and she could not hide from him. Not anymore.

At first he didn�t understand what the flashes were telling him. They were confused and random, Liz�s emotional state making them so. The image of his own face as a little boy was the only one he recognized immediately. He felt her love for him, even then, although he could tell that she didn�t know about it.

The next image he understood was the instant following the shooting in the Crashdown, Liz�s awe and fascination running through his veins and then, the moment when she knew she had fallen in love with him, when he told her that it was too dangerous for them to pursue any sort of relationship. The flashes ran through all the moments they had shared together before they knew who he really was. The moments of happiness were mingled with small hurts and pains, but nothing matched the complete sense of despair and terror Liz had felt when he was held by Pierce - which was then replaced with the calm realization that here was her true love, that they were both way too young, not to mention the extenuating circumstance that he was an alien - but that she didn�t care as they kissed in the abandoned van in the woods. She had been scared, but also accepting, relieved that she had found him, because what if there had been no Max?

And then the horror of finding out about his destiny with Tess; a completely miserable summer in Florida, where she picked up the phone to call him at least ten times a day. The feeling of mixed panic and joy when he approached her on the street outside Whittaker�s office. And, then, the sense of relief when she finally accepted that she couldn�t turn him away again. They were meant to be. Hadn�t the fortune teller told her so?

I, Liz Parker, take Max Evans�

Do you really see grey?

As I threw the flowers up to you, I remembered that you preferred white roses.

He sat down! You got him to sit down with her!

The night of Gomez, I came to your room. That�s the night that things between us were cemented.

I�ve fought a thousand battles�but watching you do that was the hardest thing I�ve ever had to do.

This is a different world�

Max broke the kiss, his heart thundering in his chest. "Liz!" he whispered, his forehead pressed against hers. He opened his eyes, could see that she was staring at him too, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What�what was that?"

***

Kate knocked on Will�s door. Her brother opened it a moment later, his face blank. He eyed her, then stepped aside and let her enter the room.

Kate�s eyes immediately fell on the bed - or, rather, on what was sitting on the bed. She sighed, felt a pang of worry. He was pining. He started to think about doing crazy things when he pined. Crazy things like handing over the entire government of his planet. "Will�"

Will picked up the small, stained piece of fabric, stuffing it into the pocket of his jeans. "What?"

"I thought you said you were going to give Liz time."

"I am giving her time," Will retorted, turning to meet her gaze again. "Where have you been?"

Kate scowled at him. "Don�t try and change the subject. You want to give that to her, don�t you?"

"I want to, but I won�t," Will replied, squinting at her. His eyes looked strangely bright, like he had been crying. He had never cried in front of her and she knew he certainly wasn�t going to start now, but the fact that traces even remained at all meant that he was losing it. Her stoic brother was actually losing it. "She has to remember on her own or it won�t mean anything," he continued.

Kate approached him, gently touched his arm. "Will, it might be the best thing to do. She may never remember on her own. Zan has constant access to her. He might make her remember things wrong. Don�t forget that he has Ava with him."

"Ava would never do such a thing," Will scoffed, moving to the sink in the corner of the room and running the water. He cupped his hands under the faucet, collecting a small amount and then splashing his face. When he finished drying himself off, his expression was again carefully neutral. "It would kill her to even allow Zan to pretend to love someone else. You know what she was like."

Kate sighed, collapsed on the bed. "I do know," she agreed. "But�"

Will frowned. "But what?"

She grimaced. "You asked where I went�" She trailed off, knowing that he was going to be angry. "I started off looking for Jack, but then I went somewhere else instead."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

She hated when he did that. It always made her feel like a small child waiting for her father to yell at her. Not that she really knew what it was like to have a father - at least not in this life. She thought briefly of Liz Parker�s dad, whom they had met in the Crashdown earlier. What had Ro�s life been like with two parents who loved her? How had she even ended up there? How had she not known about her alien heritage before today? She had been right to seek out Alex Whitman the way she had. He knew things, could give them information Rowena might never provide. Kate believed that more now than ever.

If she had doubted it before, she did not now. Rowena believed herself in love with Zan. And though he had not said as much, Kate suspected that Alex truly believed that Zan loved her back. If Max Evans was playing some sort of game with her brother�s wife, then he was apparently an extremely good actor.

But, then, he had been last time too.

The horrible part was, as much as she told herself that, as much as she tried to convince herself that he was putting on an act, that he was using his charm to bind Rowena to him, Kate couldn�t help herself. She believed Alex. She believed him that Max Evans was not a bad guy, and that he truly did love Liz Parker.

Could his lack of memory really have changed his personality so drastically? Was he a superior version of the being he had been in his past life? Could things really turn out so well for all of them?

And, yet, he had destroyed the Harvest, basically sentencing her people to a living death. How could a good person have done such a thing?

No, he had to be pretending, just like he had before. There was no other explanation. She could not believe Alex. She knew that he was not lying to her. He was only telling her the truth as he knew it, but he was wrong. She felt a pang that soon he would have to confront how truly evil his "friend" was. She remembered how much it hurt to find out that you were so completely mistaken about someone. Because, when Khivar had first come to her, in her past life, to tell her what Zan had done to Valonia, she had refused to believe it too.

"Kate, where did you go?" Will demanded impatiently.

"I went and spoke to Alex Whitman again," she replied, looking away. "Don�t bother getting mad about it. I know it was dumb, but I just felt like he might tell me the truth."

"About what?" Will asked, coming to sit beside her. "What did he tell you?"

"About Max Evans," Kate told him. "What he�s like, who he is."

"And?"

"Well, Alex firmly believes Max is in love with Liz." Kate rolled her eyes. "He tried to pretend he didn�t, but he does think that."

"He thinks that we�re using Ro to try and hurt Zan, is that it?" Will asked, sounding weary.

"Yeah, I think he does. It sounds like Max and Liz are definitely on the outs right now though. They�re not together, as a couple anyway. I�m not sure why, but Alex told me that Ro is with him now. She went straight to him from here, just like I knew she�" She stopped, could have kicked herself. "I�m sorry."

"They�re together right now?" Will swallowed. Kate could almost see him struggling to control his jealousy. "Well, it�s to be expected. She has known him for a long while, knows what he is. If anyone can help her to figure out if I�m lying or not, it�s him."

"But Will, what if he�s messing with her mind?" Kate demanded. "He can tell her all sorts of lies about us and then she�ll never trust us." The thought of Rowena hating her�It was enough to make her feel physically ill. She had been jealous of Ro on many occasions in the past, but it hadn�t stopped Kate from loving her like a sister. While Vilandra had been her kindred spirit, Rowena had always been everything Kate had aspired to be. The idea that she might stay with their enemies, that they might have to fight her to get to Zan�It was intolerable. Not to mention that Will would never do it. If Rowena joined Zan against them, their side would lose before the battle even started.

"Ro will get all the facts before she makes her decision," Will said firmly. "She hasn�t changed much Kate. Even through our brief conversation, I could tell that she is the same. Though she speaks with him first, she will come back to me. Even if I is just to get my side of the story." He stood up. "Now, I don�t want to talk about this anymore. I�m assuming you never did track down Jack then?"

"No," Kate frowned. "Where is he? I�m worried about him. He hasn�t checked in all day."

"Jack knows what he�s doing," Will shrugged. "He�ll come back when he has something worthwhile to talk about."

"Don�t you worry about him at all?" Kate demanded. "He�s such a dork sometimes, Will. He doesn�t know how to stay detached. If he meets up with one of them, he might�"

"He won�t do anything he�s not supposed to," Will said mildly. "He never does." He eyed her, slightly amused. "And since when do you use the word dork? You�ve been hanging around humans too much."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You�re going to be sorry when we find him in a pile of dust somewhere." She was flippant but the mere idea of anything happening to her cousin was enough to make Kate�s stomach start doing flip-flops. He was one of only two people on this planet she could truly depend on. Their people�s days were numbered after all, unless they found the granolith. It was another reason that making Rowena side with them was so important. If she knew where the granolith was, or if she could get the information out of Zan�

Kate�s eyes narrowed. Maybe it wouldn�t be a complete disaster after all if Zan was actually in love with Rowena. For the first time, she felt a pang of hope that it might be so. Because if they could get their hands on the granolith, they would win. It was as simple as that.

"Did you ask Rowena about the granolith?" Kate asked her brother abruptly. He looked slightly surprised by the abrupt change of topic, but answered her anyway.

"I never got a chance. I was preoccupied with the fact that se sort of freaked out on me and all," he replied, a little sarcastic. Kate glanced at him sharply. He was trying to hide how much it had hurt him that Rowena had been so upset by what he had told her. The last thing Will ever wanted to do was hurt Rowena. That it had happened, even so indirectly, would haunt him for a long time.

"Hmmmmmm�" Kate said, pretending not to notice his upheaval. "I wonder if the granolith could do anything to help her remember."

Will started, suddenly interested. "That�s actually a pretty good point," he admitted grudgingly. He sighed. "And yet another reason that we need to figure out where the hell it is."

Kate smiled suddenly, an idea popping into her head. "We don�t necessarily have to go through Zan and the others," she said. She ignored the pang of guilt that was trying to make her stop from saying this. It didn�t matter that she sort of liked him. Her brother came first and always would. If finding the granolith could help to bring Rowena back to Will, then she would use him to make it happen. "I can maybe plant the idea in a receptive ear�"

Will had been pacing, his hands behind his back, his frustration about the hidden granolith evident. He looked up now, met her eyes and understood. "Alex Whitman."

"Right." The way Will�s face lit up - she was doing the right thing. She knew she was. "He�ll suggest it to Ro and Zan and then�"

"We follow them."

Their matching blue eyes met and held. The hope she saw in her brother�s eyes - it killed any last remnant of remorse she had over the fact that she was going to use Alex , someone she had come to like considerably, even in the short time she had known him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She closed her eyes and pictured Alex�s face in her mind and then willed herself to be with him.

She felt her body breaking apart as her mind reached out and found the place it was looking for. It was harder to teleport to specific people than it was to decide on a location. If she had time to figure out exactly where Alex was, she could have envisioned the place and found herself there much more easily. But she didn�t have that luxury. She had to do this before she chickened out, before she started to regret that she might be losing a new friendship before it even really had a chance to start.

Of course, she should have realized that where Alex was might not necessarily be somewhere she should be. Because, when she felt her body solidify again, after she knew that she was back in one piece, she opened her eyes and her heart stopped.

Her eyes met Zan�s and she knew that she had just made the biggest mistake of her life.

***

There was a long pause. Max watched the emotions play across her face, could feel her turmoil as she tried to figure out what to say. "Just tell me the truth. Please," he whispered. "Liz, please."

He saw the exact moment where she decided to honour his wish, his most ardent wish that she would stop lying to him - and herself. "It was you," she replied simply. "I would do anything for you, Max. You asked me to and I did it."

"That was me? I don�t understand." But he thought he did. He had recognized himself in those flashes of events he knew that he had not lived, at least not directly. He had been there, but not as a player in the disaster they had both wrought.

That had been him. Another him perhaps, but him just the same. He had recognized himself in the way she felt about him - in the way she loved him.

"You came to me from the future and told me that if I didn�t make you fall out of love with me, everyone would die because Tess would leave town and you wouldn�t be strong enough without her. If we ended up together, like we were supposed to, the world would end and it would be all our fault." Her eyes were glassy as she recited the story, as she relived the horror of being told such a thing. "And now I�ve ruined everything because I just can�t bear to lie to you anymore, Max. I just can�t!"

Max pulled her against him, feeling his heart breaking as she sobbed. How had she endured all this on her own? How could he have ever asked her to do such a thing? "I am so sorry, Liz."

"It�s not your fault, Max," Liz said, pulling back and giving him a watery smile. "It wasn�t your fault then and it isn�t now. You did the only thing you thought you could. I just wasn�t strong enough. He was wrong to trust me. He should have known that I can�t live without you. You�ve always had too much faith in me though." She shook her head. "Isn�t it ironic? It�s your faith in me that made you know that I didn�t sleep with Kyle, but it was also your faith in me that made me try to convince you of it - because you asked me to. It was a stupid plan. He should have gone to Tess. She would have been strong enough�" She trailed off. "I just hope that she�s strong enough to stay."

Max shook his head. "No, Liz. I have faith in you because I love you. You can�t blame yourself for letting me. I can�t help it. I am meant to love you and because I do, I believe in you. It�s just who you are. Even when everything looked completely screwed up, when I wondered if I had been completely wrong about you, I knew I wasn�t. I�ve seen your soul, Liz. I know you." He paused, trying to figure out some way to comfort her. "I�ve always known you."

Liz�s eyes widened. "What did you say?" she whispered.

"I said I feel like I�ve always known you," he repeated, confused.

"No you didn�t," she retorted. "You said you�ve always known me, not that you feel like you have."

Max blinked. "Er, okay. So? What�s the difference? Either way, it�s the truth."

Liz sighed, leaning forward to rest her cheek against his chest. His skin tingled under his shirt where her arms wrapped around him. "God, Max. You have no idea. The Future Max thing is just the tip of the iceburg. I don�t even know where to start�"

"Just start at the beginning," Max told her, stroking her hair lightly. "We have all the time in the world."

"Um, I beg to differ."

Max�s head snapped up and he stared in astonishment at Alex, who was staring right back at him from the ladder on the other side of the balcony. "Alex? Are you okay?" Max didn�t think he had ever seen Alex�s face as white as it currently was.

Alex didn�t reply to Max, looking at Liz instead as he pulled himself over the ledge, grimacing. "Jeez. I thought I was in better shape," he muttered. "So, you told him, huh?"

"Yeah," Liz sighed heavily. "I just couldn�t do it anymore, Alex."

"Alex knew?" Max asked, relieved that she hadn�t borne the entire burden alone.

"I just told him today. After what happened this morning, I had to tell someone."

"What happened this morning?" But he realized he already knew. "Will Spencer."

She flinched against him, but agreed. "Will." He tried to ignore the pang of jealousy that ran through him at the way she sad the other alien�s name. What the hell had happened between Liz and Will Spencer that afternoon?

Max saw Alex�s gaze narrow. "I guess you didn�t get to the really good stuff? You better hurry, Liz, because I think I just really screwed up. Guess who just had another run in with Kate Spencer?"

"What happened?" Liz asked, suddenly alert. "Did she hurt you?"

"Will someone please tell me what you�re talking about?" Max demanded, his concern for Liz and his curiousity finally overwhelming his patience.

He watched Liz and Alex exchange another glance, and then Liz turned to him, taking one of his hands in hers. "This might be really hard for you to hear, Max�"

But she never got a chance to say whatever it was she was trying to, because a strangled gasp from Alex made Liz whip her head around to stare at her friend. He was looking beyond them both, at a point just behind where they still sat on the lawn chair. Max turned and felt his own eyes bulge as the air seemed to come alive. It shimmered for one long moment and then, as simply as he took his next breath, the three of them became four.

And, as he watched Kate Spencer�s blue eyes widen in surprise as they met his, he could see that they were not the only ones who were taken aback.

"Max! She�s here to kill you!" Alex yelped, leaping in front of Max and Liz so abruptly, Max fell back on his elbows on the lawn chair. "And it�s all my fault!"

Part 15

It took Liz a moment to get her bearings. Alex�s sudden move had thrown her backwards and she was presently sprawled across Max, who was struggling to raise his hand, trapped as it was under Liz. It took Liz less than an instant to realize that he obviously intended to put up his shield. She rolled, trying to help him to free his arm. The whole scenario was so ridiculous, she felt an hysterical giggle ready to burst from her. She managed to stifle it, ordering herself not to lose control. She had already let herself freak out once today. It was not going to happen again.

"Alex! Move!" Max ordered when he finally managed to shake free of the pile that he, Liz and Alex had created when Liz�s best friend had jumped on them both.

It was only then that Liz managed to catch a glimpse of the expression on Kate Spencer�s face. She looked just as surprised to see them as they were to see her - in fact, more so. Max�s green force-field sprang to life in front of her, snapping and crackling, as though he didn�t quite have it under control. Liz kept her eyes glued on Kate, wondering what the other girl was going to do. She was beginning to look like a cornered animal, backed up against the wall beside Liz�s window.

Liz�s eyes met Kate�s through the shield, the other girl�s terror palatable. As Liz watched, Kate closed her eyes and started to fade away, almost as abruptly as she had appeared.

"She�s leaving," Alex whispered. His tone was odd. Now that they were relatively safe behind Max�s protective barrier, her friend sounded almost�he wasn�t disappointed, was he? Liz stared at him, whipping her head around again when Alex gasped.

"Oh my God," Liz exclaimed as Kate solidified again, her eyes opening wide in panic and then rolling up into her head. The alien girl collapsed in a heap in front of them. "Max!"

Max pulled his hand back, already on the move as the shield dropped. Liz followed him instantly, her heart in her throat as he fell to his knees beside the dark-haired alien.

"Max, be careful!" Liz murmured urgently. "It could be a trick."

Max shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "I don�t think it is. Liz. I felt her lose consciousness."

Liz blinked. "What?"

"I felt it, Liz. We connected on some level when our eyes met. The same thing happened this morning," Max explained, reaching out and gently pushing Kate�s long hair off her face. "She wasn�t blocking me because she was surprised to see me. We connected, not very deeply, but we did."

"What�s wrong with her?" Alex demanded. Liz realized that he was standing beside her, shifting from one foot to the other nervously.

"I think she burnt herself out," Max replied, still frowning and staring at Kate�s face. Liz, watching him, could almost see him trying to remember how he knew her. "I did it earlier this afternoon too - when I had my shield up at school." He glanced over his shoulder at Liz. "I think she was trying to leave again but couldn�t make the trip twice in such a short amount of time."

"Max, how do you know all of this?" Liz asked, her heart beating quickly. How did Max know so much about Kate? They had never even exchanged two words!

Max shook his head, obviously as perplexed as she was. "I don�t know, Liz. I just do."

Silence fell over the balcony, everyone still a little shocked by what had just happened and by the fact that one of their enemies had fallen into their hands so easily.

"What are we going to do with her?" Alex finally asked. "She�s just going to teleport out again when she wakes up."

Max was staring down at Kate again, his brows knit. "We need to figure out a way to keep her here. We need to talk to her, need to figure out what they want."

Liz felt Alex�s eyes on her. "Liz, you need to tell him."

Max glanced up. "Tell me what?"

Liz bit her lip. "It�s what I was trying to tell you before Kate showed up." She could feel her heart thundering in her chest, wondered how Max was going to react to the news that she was just as alien as he was. "Max, it�s not you they want. Not right now anyway."

"What?"

"They want me."

Max stared at her. "I don�t get it."

"Max." Liz met his eyes squarely and made herself say it. She hadn�t even quite accepted it herself yet, but she knew that she could no longer keep him in the dark. Not when Kate and Will kept popping up everywhere, putting him in danger. "Will told me this afternoon. I didn�t believe him, but when you and I connected a few minutes ago, I knew he was right." She paused, knelt beside him and took his hand. "I�m one of them."

Max�s mouth literally fell open. "Wh�what?" He reached up and gently cupped her cheek. "Liz, did they do something to you?"

"Nothing, Max. I swear it. All Will and I did was talk. And he told me that I�m like them�and you. That I�m not entirely human."

Max looked past her at Alex. "Alex, what did they do to her? And why did you come here? How did you know that this girl was coming?"

Alex sighed, closing his eyes briefly as though to gather strength. "Max, she believes it. That�s all I know. They really do think Liz is one of them."

Liz felt a flash of annoyance that they were discussing her as though she wasn�t even there. "Max, I need you to listen to me." He shifted his eyes back to her, looking a little shell-shocked now. "They hate you but they don�t hate me. I�m going to get to the bottom of this if it�s the last thing I do. I have to go back to talk to Will."

Max�s lips pressed together at that, his disbelief not tempering his instant stubbornness when it came to her safety. "No. There is absolutely no way, Liz."

Liz took a deep breath, forcing herself not to snap at him. Now was not the time for him to go all protective of her again. She had just as much invested in finding out the truth about all of this as he did! "Max�"

"Um, guys�" Alex interrupted. "We still haven�t figured out what we�re going to do about Sleeping Beauty here. There is absolutely no way to get her to stay once she wakes up. She can probably give us some answers, but she�s just going to take off unless we can convince her otherwise."

"It doesn�t matter," Liz insisted, now absolutely sure about what she had to do. "I�ll go with her. It might be why she came here in the first place."

"Liz! You are not going to take off with some random alien!" Max exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"

"Max, you can�t tell me what to do," Liz replied, scowling at him. "I absolutely know that they won�t hurt me."

Max ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "How? How do you know it?"

"Max, it�s because I�m who they say I am," Liz told him, gentling her voice. She knew that he was just scared and confused and still upset about the whole Future Max fiasco. Having all of this thrown on him in one fell swoop was a lot to ask of him. She knew that he didn�t mean to order her around.

She reached out, touched his cheek. "Max, when we kissed, I had a flash of the first time you ever saw me. In this life anyway." She swallowed. "You knew me. Just like you knew Isabel. Just like you knew Michael and Tess. Just like you know Kate. You recognized me. I felt it."

"Liz, you�re human!" Max argued. "We know that for a fact. For God�s sake, it�s how you got the proof about me. You compared our DNA!"

"Max, I felt it okay? I�m not making this up!"

"Hello? Sorry to interrupt again here, folks, but I�m seeing movement," Alex spoke up. "I think I should talk to her. I think she kind of trusts me. Maybe I can convince her to stick around while we get this all sorted out."

Liz�s gaze was still locked with Max�s. He appeared to be frantically searching his mind for the memories she had told him she had seen. He glanced down though when Kate continued to stir, her long eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.

"Where am I?" Kate struggled to sit up, her eyes glassy. Max automatically reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to support her. Liz grimaced, waiting for her to realize who was helping her. She saw the instant Kate tensed up.

"It�s okay," Max said quietly. "I swear no one�s going to hurt you."

Liz watched, a pang of something she didn�t understand running through her as Max and Kate�s eyes met and held. It wasn�t jealousy exactly, but more like she felt slightly excluded. It was a familiar feeling, as though she had felt it many times before. Max and Kate seemed to be holding some kind of private conversation, one that shut out the rest of the world. Liz realized abruptly that they were connecting. They were speaking to each other on another plain.

Liz was not at all surprised to see Kate�s frame relax suddenly. "Zan?" she whispered, reaching up and touching Max�s face with the tips of her fingers. "Why? Why did you have to change?" Her voice hitched slightly.

"I�m sorry," Max replied, sounding regretful. "I don�t remember what you�re talking about."

"No," Kate said. Liz watched in amazement as tears filled her bright blue eyes. "But you won�t have to, will you? Because we�re all doomed to live it again. It�s only a matter of time."

With that, her eyes closed, her brow furrowed as though in great concentration, and then she disappeared.

Silence fell over the balcony again, emphasizing Max�s ragged breathing. Liz wondered what on Earth Kate had shown him in their connection to put that look on his face. She had never seen him look so bleak. A shudder ran through his frame as Liz watched. Finally, Max raised his eyes to meet hers. "Did you see the way she looked at me? What kind of monster was I, Liz?"

Liz�s entire heart went out to him. She had never heard him sound so defeated, not even when she had continued to tell him to leave her alone. Had that whole farce really only ended a few moments ago? The whole Future Max fiasco seemed very far away now, totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things. All she knew was that she couldn�t allow Max to be hurt anymore, whether physically or emotionally. He had been through far too much - first with Pierce, than with her, and now from a past he didn�t even remember and, yet, was still being held responsible for.

Liz crawled over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. She could feel him trembling. She held him tighter. "It doesn�t matter. None of it matters."

"It does matter," Max murmured into her hair. "Everyone I care about is in danger because of things I did, things I don�t even remember doing." He pulled back slightly so that their eyes could meet. "Liz, she�s not evil. I just know it - I felt it. And if they aren�t the bad guys�" He trailed off, his face hardening with resignation. "It can only mean one thing."

"No, Max," Liz insisted, shaking her head. "It�s not true. We�ll make you remember and we�ll find out for sure that it�s not true."

"Liz, I saw things when she touched me. She gave me flashes of what I did." Max�s voice cracked. "They�they were horrible things. Courtney told me about some of them, but�I mean, I didn�t know how bad it was."

"What do you mean?" Liz asked quietly. "What did you see?"

"Liz, I killed her. Her last memory from her past life is of me ending it."

***

Alex crept past Max and Liz, who were totally wrapped up in each other, and through Liz�s window, landing heavily in his rush to leave them alone. They had apparently forgotten his presence anyway, but he still felt like an intruder, watching Max melt down and Liz attempt to hold him together.

"Liz, I killed her. Her last memory from her past life is of me ending it." Max�s tortured voice drifted through the window, making Alex cringe. He couldn�t imagine what it must be like for Max to find out that he had apparently been a psycho-maniac in his past life. It did make him happy that he hadn�t totally misjudged Kate, as he thought he had when she had appeared so suddenly on Liz�s balcony. He felt a pang of guilt that he had so instantly assumed that she was there to hurt someone. He had trusted his gut up until that point. What had changed? Why had he been so willing to be believe the absolute worst about her?

Maybe because if you believe the worst about her, even though you already know she�s not evil, than you can still pretend that you�re on the verge of actually escaping the alien abyss, that damn small voice in the back of his head taunted him.

Haven�t I already told you to shut up? Alex demanded wearily. He let himself out through Liz�s door, making sure to avoid the living room of the Parker�s apartment, where he could hear Liz�s parents arguing about what to watch on T.V - the absurdity of their parent�s obliviousness never ceased to amaze him - and trotted down the stairs into the back room of the Crashdown.

Alex blinked when, as he looked over the banister on his way down, his eyes met Maria�s. She was staring up at him anxiously. "Alex? Isabel said you left! What are you doing up there? What�s going on?"

Alex grimaced, stopping on the stairs. He wondered if it was too late to make a strategic retreat. Because his gaze was moving from Maria, to Michael, to Tess, to Kyle�and, yes, to even the sheriff, all of whom were still obviously waiting around for some sort of explanation as to what was going on. He also noticed that Isabel was nowhere in sight. "Er�" He began weakly. "Max and Liz are still talking."

"About what?" Tess demanded, moving forward. "What can Liz possibly have to say that�s taking so long? She�s lost any right to even speak to Max after what she�s done."

Alex narrowed his eyes at the short blonde, relieved that he could finally tell her to go jump off a bridge. "She�s telling him the truth, Tess," he snapped. "That she tried to save the world by pretending to sleep with Kyle because you�re so selfish, you can�t accept that he loves her. Because that�s the kind of person Liz is. She puts other people before herself. Unlike you. All you�ve done since you�ve arrived in this town is mess with people�s minds and, if Liz didn�t do what she did, you would have left town and that would�ve screwed us all over big-time. Not that any of us would even miss you. At all."

The collective round of gasps made Alex close his eyes. Shut up Whitman! Just shut up! He couldn�t help the small sense of satisfaction he felt at the sight of Tess�s mouth hanging open in shock though. Of course, if she left town now, it would be all his fault. But he couldn�t seem to make himself care. It didn�t mean he didn�t feel a pang of relief when everyone turned to stare at Kyle, who looked supremely uncomfortable.

"Hey, it wasn�t my idea!" Kyle exclaimed testily. He grimaced when his gaze met his father�s. "It�s a long story, Dad. Trust me."

"I�m going up there," Michael said suddenly. "This secret stuff has gone on long enough. We�re at war here. We don�t have time for all this relationship crap." Alex looked at Maria, whose face had whitened at Michael�s words. Alex felt an instant flash of anger at Michael, who was starting up the stairs. "Get out of my way, Whitman."

Alex folded his arms, staring Michael down. "No. They need to be alone. It�s why I left again."

"Why did you come back anyway?" Michael demanded. "And what the hell did you say to Isabel? She left a few minutes ago. She looked like she�d been punched in the stomach."

"If she didn�t tell you, then it�s none of your business," Alex flared. He wondered where all this testosterone was coming from. First he punched Michael last week on Maria�s behalf, and now he was ready to do it again, just because he felt like it. Was he going to turn into some sort of raging meat-head now that he�d started down this road? "And why did you let her leave anyway? You have enemies out there you know!"

"Funny," Michael snapped. "I don�t know that for sure, do I? Because no one ever tells me what�s going on!" This last came out as a roar, making Alex jump in spite of his new spine.

"Well, don�t expect me to start," Alex replied, forcing his voice to be icily polite. "It�s not my job. I just seem to be the unlucky bystander to most of it."

Michael�s nostrils flared. "Get the hell out of my way, Whitman."

"No." Alex prepared himself for the blow he was sure was about to land as Michael�s fists clenched at his sides.

"Okay, enough! Both of you." This came from the sheriff. "I�ve tried to be patient here, but it�s time to tell the truth, Mr. Whitman. When I picked you up earlier, you told me you�d fill me in. It seems to me that there is something big going down and I need to know what it is. If you won�t tell me, than I want you to go up there and get Max and tell him that I�m through waiting. I am the grown-up here and this is my town. I�ve had just about enough of this."

"I don�t blame you, Sheriff." Liz�s voice from above him made Alex look over his shoulder. She was coming down the stairs, Max behind her, his face expressionless. Alex noticed immediately that they were holding hands. He glanced down at Tess, who had apparently noticed as well. She looked as though she had swallowed something sour. "I don�t blame any of you for being angry."

Alex stumbled down the stairs after Michael, after Liz gently pushed his back to make him move out of her way. "Thanks, Alex, but Max�ll take it from here," she whispered to him as she passed. "I need you to stay here with me."

Alex blinked as Max stonily told everyone that they would meet out at the quarry in half an hour. He didn�t appear upset any longer. But, then, if Alex was not mistaken, Max was very good at shutting down his emotions when they were inconvenient. The only person who ever made him face them was Liz and, for the moment, she seemed almost relieved that he was so calm.

Everyone else seemed to recognize that something momentous had taken place between Max and Liz upstairs and that neither of them was in the mood to argue, because they all filed out, not a single peep of protest coming from any of them. Only Maria glanced back once, her expression troubled.

"Where�s Isabel?" Max asked Alex, as the door swung shut behind the sheriff.

Alex wished more than ever that he hadn�t told Isabel to buzz off earlier. She had run off because he had hurt her feelings and now she was potentially in danger. "I think she went home," he offered weakly.

"Okay, I�ll pick her up," Max sighed. The first sign that he was still upset appeared on his face as he looked down at Liz, his brow furrowed. "I don�t like this, Liz. Not at all."

She hugged him. "It�ll be all right. They won�t hurt me. I know it, Max. And after I deal with this, there won�t be anything standing between us anymore. We can finally be together."

Liz pulled back, as Alex frowned, wondering how these two had gone from meltdown Max and Liz only a few minutes ago, to calm and purposeful Max and Liz. He could sense the underlying note of hysteria that they were both trying to control. He didn�t like it. Not one bit. When Liz pretended to be "calm and purposeful," she did dumb things like pretending to sleep with Kyle. When Max became "calm and purposeful," bad things happened to him - like White Rooms and stupid destiny messages.

Liz reached up and brushed Max�s hair off his forehead. "I�m going to find out the truth, Max. I know that you weren�t like that. I know you. This is the only way to do it."

Max lowered his head, sighing heavily, until his forehead touched Liz�s. "I love you. Whatever they tell you, you have to remember that. Please."

Liz kissed him gently. "Max, it�s the only thing I do remember from before. You�ve always loved me and I�ve always loved you. Now we just need to find out why no one else knows it."

Alex stared at them, not understanding any of it. He wondered if they had forgotten he was standing right beside them again as they lost themselves in a series of lengthy kisses that made him blush. He cleared his throat. "Er, guys?"

Max and Liz broke apart slowly. "Sorry, Alex," Liz said quietly. She kissed Max again, then pulled away, pushing him towards the door. "Go. I�ll call you when I get home."

Max took a deep breath. "Okay. Be careful, Liz. Please." With that, he turned on his heel and disappeared through the swinging door into the restaurant, so quickly, Alex realized that it was the only way he could make himself do it.

"Okay, Liz, what the hell is going on?" Alex demanded as soon as the door closed. His best friend was staring at it, a worried expression on her face.

"I hope he�s going to be okay," Liz murmured. "He knows intellectually that whatever he did before isn�t his fault, but his heart�He cares so much about hurting people, Alex. He�s going to feel guilty about it anyway."

She took a deep breath and turned to look at him. "I made him promise to tell Isabel everything. Maybe she can help him until I can again."

Alex stared at her. "I don�t get it, Liz. Why can�t you help him?"

Liz�s expression hardened. "Because, as of right now, Max is my enemy. At least in public." She smiled grimly. "There�s only one way to get to the bottom of this, Alex. You and I are going to join the other side."

Part 16

"Liz, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Liz sighed, leaning back wearily so that she was cradled against the head-rest of the passenger seat. They had walked over to Alex�s house to pick it up his parents� car after the others had left for the quarry, Liz not wanting to have to explain to her mom and dad where she was going with their vehicle. Alex�s parents were not nearly as on top of him when it came to staying out late on school nights. It didn�t hurt that he had three older brothers. The Whitmans had just been too tired by the time Alex came along to give him many rules at all. While the Parkers were by no means unreasonably strict, they did always want to know where Liz was going when she took the car and Liz was tired of lying. Since she couldn�t tell her parents that she was going to a run-down motel in the middle of the desert, she preferred to just tell them she was going out with Alex, something they always approved of. She had been lying for weeks now. It was exhausting. If she could avoid it from now on, she was going to try.

Of course, she was about to turn her entire life into a lie again by pretending that she was willing to turn on Max. But she would just ignore that fact for the moment. She was tired enough. She didn�t have the energy to even contemplate it.

"I�m not sure of anything any more," Liz admitted, staring out the window at the setting sun, which was throwing its shadow over the desert scrub they were passing through. "All I know is that this is all totally screwed up and I have to protect Max. These people want him dead, Alex - for something he didn�t even do!"

"But maybe he did do it, Liz," Alex suggested tentatively. "I don�t know Kate very well, but she doesn�t strike me as evil. She�s never set out to deliberately hurt anyone that I�ve seen. Maybe Max was who they say he was."

Liz turned her head, scowling at him. "He wasn�t. I know it."

"How?"

"Because I know Max," Liz replied firmly. "I just do. Whatever Kate thinks he did, she�s wrong."

There was a long silence and then Alex asked quietly, "Liz, you don�t really believe what they�ve told you about yourself, do you?"

Liz didn�t reply for a moment, wondering how she could explain to someone who had never really experienced an alien connection that there were some things that just could not be denied. Not once you knew. "I do," she told him. "If it had just come down to Will�s word, I think I could have ignored the whole thing, but Max�deep inside, he knows the truth about me too."

"But what about what Max said? What about the fact that you have human DNA?" Alex demanded. "I just don�t get that, Liz."

"I don�t either," Liz admitted. "It�s just something else we�re going to have to try and figure out."

"And you�re positive that Will is going to just accept you? That just because you want him to leave Max alone, he will?"

Liz thought about Will, thought about the way he looked at her. "Yes," she whispered.

"Oooo-kay." When Liz looked at Alex again, he was shaking his head. "I�ve learned enough by now to not bother to question the alien chaos. You seem to know what you�re talking about, Liz. I just hope you�re right."

Liz reached out, gently laying her hand on top of Alex�s, which was clutching the gear shift. "Thank you for coming with me. I�I really didn�t want to do this alone."

Alex looked at her out of the corner of his eye, quirking a sad grin in her direction. "Can�t abandon my best girl now, can I?"

"Still, thank you, Alex." Liz really meant it. When she had told Max that she was not going to take no for an answer, that she fully intended to infiltrate into Will and Kate�s lives to find out what was going on with them, the only way she had finally managed to convince him to allow it was by telling him that she would take Alex with her. Max trusted Alex to keep her safe and, if he couldn�t, to call in reinforcements. And, in the end, Max knew that he had to let her go, as much as he didn�t want to. Because until they knew the truth about the new aliens in town and what they wanted, there was no way to even figure out how to deal with them. But by pretending that he was agreeing because Alex was going, Max could gracefully give in without making her any less aware of how worried about her he was going to be.

"You don�t trust me?" Liz had demanded, scowling at him, but not really angry.

Max just looked at her seriously. "Liz, you don�t think about your own safety. You don�t think about yourself. If there�s anything that this past week has shown, it�s that you don�t put yourself first. Alex will do that." He paused and then had added darkly. "And it�s not that I don�t trust you."

Deep down, Liz knew that Max was right. When it came to protecting him and her friends, she became single-minded. It would be handy to have someone watching her back. Plus, while she was a lot more sure than Max that Will and Kate would never hurt her, she didn�t entirely trust them either. It was reassuring that she would have someone with her that she could completely depend on.

Not to mention, it would be a lot less lonely.

"So, speaking of best girls," Liz said, trying to lighten the mood in the car, "What�s going on with you and Kate?"

"What?" Alex demanded, sounding really surprised. "What are you talking about? Nothing!"

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Right. Alex, I saw the way you looked at her earlier."

Alex wrinkled his brow. "How did I look at her?"

"Like you thought she was kind of intriguing."

"Liz, I so don�t need another alien princess to obsess over. Particularly one who�s gunning for our friends. You are imagining things."

"Hmmmm," was all Liz said, grinning when Alex snorted. "I know you, Alex, and I know when you�re obsessing. You are obsessing over this girl." She was serious when she continued though. "What about Isabel?"

"Isabel doesn�t love me," Alex said after a moment of silence. "I mean, I know she cares about me, but she�s not in love with me. Which doesn�t mean I�m interested in Kate. I mean, I have spoken to her a grand total of three times."

"Aliens are very attractive, Alex. All Max had to do was tell me what he was and I fell for him. It doesn�t take long," Liz teased.

"I don�t think it�s just the alien part that attracts you, Liz," Alex shot back. "Much to my chagrin, then and now, I know that you and Maria had certified Max as a West Roswell hottie long before his Czechoslovakian heritage was common knowledge." Liz smiled, knowing he was right. Alex narrowed his eyes and continued, "But, since we�re on the topic of otherworldly attraction, what about you and Will? I actually can�t quite believe that Max is letting you go off to be with him."

Liz sobered. "Max doesn�t run my life, Alex. But whatever Will seems to think we were to each other before, it doesn�t matter anyway. It�s Max I love."

"What are you going to do if Will doesn�t accept that?" Alex asked. "Tess has more than proven that just because one destined partner isn�t interested, it doesn�t mean the other one is going to give up. And, as far as we know, Tess doesn�t even remember being with Max. Will seems to remember you, doesn�t he?"

Liz frowned. "He says he does."

"So what if this big scheme to protect Max by letting Will get close to you blows up in your face, Liz? Because what if the more time Will spends with you, the more he loves you and the more determined he is to get rid of Max once and for all?"

"He wouldn�t do that," Liz whispered, trying to ignore the lump that was forming in her throat.

There was another long silence. Then Alex said, "Liz, what if you fall in love with him?"

"What?" Liz flared, shocked. "That could never happen!"

"Didn�t Max find himself attracted to Tess?"

"Well, yes, but she was mindwarping him," Liz insisted. "We know that." Alex seemed to accept this comment readily enough. He didn�t say anything more about it, because, in the end, he knew what Liz knew. There was absolutely no way that Liz would ever betray Max like that. She loved him. She had always loved him. If there was one truth about her past life that was becoming ever more clear to her, it was that.

She and Max were meant to be together. She didn�t yet know how or why, but she knew it was true.

But what about the way you felt when you first saw Will? a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her. What if Alex is right and you find yourself falling for him?

What if this plan to save Max ended up hurting him even more in the end?

"It won�t," Liz murmured quietly to herself. "It won�t happen."

But she was no longer quite as focused as she should have been when Alex pulled his parents� Volvo to a stop outside the door to the motel moments later. Her heart was thundering in her chest. She was nervous, she realized - nervous that she would feel the same instant attraction to Will that she had that morning when she again laid eyes on him.

Now that she and Max were finally back on the same wave-length, having that happen again �She didn�t know if she would be able to handle the guilt. This morning, things had been so bad between Max and Liz, she had relegated the instant connection between her and Will to her loneliness and misery. What if it was more than that?

Liz bit her lip, staring at the motel. She wondered suddenly if this was all a really bad idea, if both Max and Alex were right that she was playing with fire here. But, deep down, she knew she wasn�t. She knew her own mind and she knew her own heart. It was Max she loved.

She felt her heart start to beat more calmly as she reached out to take Alex�s hand for support. She knew herself. No matter what she was told and what she learned tonight and over the next few days, Max Evans was her soul mate.

And no one - not even Will Spencer - was going to convince her otherwise.

***

Kate lay staring up at the ceiling, her exhaustion so complete, she couldn�t even get up to go tell Will that she was back. She didn�t know how she had managed to screw up so completely, but coming face to face with Zan again like that�It had been devastating.

They had connected and now she knew for sure that Max Evans did not remember anything about being Zan. He could not be held responsible for what he couldn�t remember, could he? Morally, she knew it was true. Before, she had been allowed to doubt all the people - Liz, Alex - who told her that Max didn�t know the truth. She could still pursue the granolith and blame him for the mess they were all stuck in. But now that she knew for sure that he didn�t remember any of it�

She could not hold him responsible. None of them could. And, somehow, she was going to have to convince Will of that. Because, if they punished Max Evans, a virtual innocent, for Zan�s actions, then, in the end, they were no better than Zan, were they?

Kate managed to turn her head at the sound of a light knock on the door. "Come in," she called out weakly, lifting her arm and sending a jolt of energy towards the lock and making the door swing open. She really hoped that it was Jack and not Will. She didn�t know how she was going to tell Will that Max Evans was now beyond their reach. He was going to be furious - especially now that the whole thing had become so personal to him because Rowena was involved.

But Will was no more a murderer than she was. He would have to accept it. She would make him accept it.

Her prayers were answered when her cousin poked his golden head through the crack she had created. "Katie, what�re you doing in here?" Jack asked, entering quickly and shutting the door behind him. "Will said that you�d gone out."

Kate frowned slightly. "Then why are you knocking?"

"Hey, I wasn�t in the mood to walk in on you if you were here. These close quarters are getting to be a bit much," he admitted, flopping down in a chair near the TV. He picked up the remote. "Will�s boring. I came in here to watch cartoons."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Jack, are you ever going to grow up?" she demanded, sitting up carefully.

He grinned at her. "Why? What�s the point?"

And Will wondered why she didn�t think Jack was up to all the responsibility he gave him, Kate thought, shaking her head. "Where have you been all day?"

"Around," Jack replied non-committally, flicking on the TV with his powers and then using the remote to switch the channels. "I met that friend of Rowena�s - Alex Whitman." He looked at Kate, his expression darkening. "Oh, and I ran into Rath. Moron." He focused his attention back on the television, not even noticing that Kate�s mouth had fallen open.

She lifted her hand, waved it at the TV, shutting it off.

"Hey!"

"Excuse me, but you can�t just tell me that you ran into Rath and then watch the Transformers," Kate snapped. "Did you tell Will this? You were supposed to be undercover."

"He didn�t know it was me." Jack waved his hand in the air dismissively. "They�re all preoccupied by something else. Zan, Vilandra, and Ava all came in with one of the humans. They totally forgot about me." He grinned at her. "And what Will doesn�t know won�t hurt him."

"Jack!" Kate flared, exasperated. "You were in the same room as all of them? Are you crazy?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I wasn�t the one who teleported right into Zan�s arms an hour ago," he replied slyly.

Kate swallowed, narrowed her eyes. "How did you know that?"

"Like I said, I�ve been around today." His blue eyes met hers, suddenly serious. "And like I said, Katie, what Will doesn�t know won�t hurt him."

"Jack, I�m going to tell him."

"Right."

"I am!"

"Why?" Jack demanded. "What�s the point?"

Kate bit her lip. "Jack, I connected with Zan." She swallowed. "He doesn�t remember anything. I�m guessing that none of them do. We can�t hurt them to get the granolith. And if they won�t tell us, then we�re screwed."

Jack leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "And that�s why you won�t tell Will that, Katie."

"What?" Kate demanded, confused. "I won�t tell him what?"

"That Zan doesn�t remember," Jack replied. "We need the granolith. We have no choice, Kate. We have to do whatever it takes to get it."

"But, Jack! Max Evans is innocent! We can�t just use an innocent person!"

"Was he innocent when he destroyed the Harvest?" Jack demanded. "Kate, you didn�t feel the destruction. Not like I did. Those people are dying. And that is Max Evans�s fault, whether he remembers being Zan or not."

"That wasn�t Max�s fault. He didn�t destroy the Harvest. I did."

Kate and Jack both turned their heads. Kate stared at the blonde girl standing in the doorway, so completely flabbergasted to see that they were no longer alone, that she momentarily just sat looking at her. "Who are you?" she demanded finally.

Jack leaned back in his chair, lifting his feet up and setting them on the bed next to her. Kate wrinkled her nose, slapping them aside so that they thumped to the floor. He was no better than an annoying younger brother on occasion. She forced herself to push aside her irritation and focus on what he was saying. "Oh, did I forget to mention Courtney? She�s someone I picked up in my travels today. She was hanging out in Rath�s apartment. Will�s just been chatting her up." He winked at Courtney, who glared at him. "Lovely for a traitor, isn�t she?"

Kate stared at Jack, not understanding her cousin�s strange behavior since he had entered her room. Jack was usually the most compassionate of people, but he was acting completely out of character. What was wrong with him?

She jumped to her feet as Courtney stumbled into the room. Kate helped the other girl to the bed. She looked like she was about to collapse. "Are you okay?" Seeing a Skin in such an advanced stage of decomposition�It only reinforced to her how absolutely vital it was that they get their hands on the granolith. "Who are you?" she repeated quietly after she had settled Courtney against the pillows.

"She�s one of those stupid Rath worshippers," Jack replied for her. "She�s madly in love with him. It�s really kind of cute." He scowled at her this time. "Except for the traitor part."

"I�m not in love with him," Courtney said quickly, folding her arms across her chest and raising her chin. Kate could tell she was lying by the spasm that crossed her face at the taunt though.

"But you know him?" Kate asked. "Well?"

"Well enough to know that I�ll never sell him out to you freaks. I wouldn�t tell Khivar anything and I�m certainly not going to tell you two," Courtney snapped, turning her head and looking pointedly at the wall, clearly unwilling to say anything else.

Kate glanced at Jack, who was narrowing his eyes in annoyance. Kate felt her eyes widen when she actually saw him make a move, like he was going to physically shake Courtney to get her to talk. She reached out and pinched her cousin. "OW! What was that for?" he demanded, rubbing his leg and glaring at her.

"It�s for being such a jerk. This is one of our people, Jack. If she�s supporting Rath, it must be for a reason." Kate looked back at Courtney, who was now staring at her suspiciously. "We know Rath was a good man," she continued. "Loyal to the end. It wasn�t his fault Zan betrayed everyone - including him."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "You�re all the same aren�t you? Blaming Zan for your own incompetence." She gestured at the door. "He just tried to do it too." Kate knew she meant Will. "I mean, he was no King Arthur, but he certainly wasn�t the monster you all make him out to be." She paused, then grinned pertly. "Besides, even King Arthur had his weak moments."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jack demanded. Kate looked at him again, staring him down warningly. She had no idea what had gotten stuck in his craw, but if he couldn�t stop speaking out of turn, she was going to have to tell Will. She was of superior rank here and she was running this interrogation.

Courtney snorted. "I expect you�ll all find out soon enough. You�re all so sure history is going to repeat itself. And now that Khivar has his Rowena back, I guess we�ll see, won�t we?"

Kate realized that this was the second time that Courtney had called Will, Khivar. At least, that�s who she assumed the Skin was referring to. "How do you know he�s Khivar?" she asked quickly. No one was supposed to know. As far as everyone knew, Khivar was still sitting on Zan�s throne.

She blinked, realized what she had just thought. She had called it Zan�s throne! It was not Zan�s any longer. He had lost it through treachery and violence. What was she thinking? Kate felt a flash of fear run through her. She had been right. That connection with Max Evans had been far more damaging than she had even guessed.

It was Khivar�s throne - rightfully, through conquest. Zan was no longer worthy to sit upon it.

"He has Rowena back?" Jack asked. It took Kate a moment to realize that while she had gotten stuck on the Khivar part of Courtney�s last statement, Jack had gone right to the important stuff. It annoyed her even more. She couldn�t let distractions interfere. She had to keep her head on straight, particularly since Jack seemed to be going through some sort of weird teen rebellion phase, while Will was almost useless since he had started obsessing over Ro. "What does that mean?" Jack looked at Kate, clearly expecting her to glare at him again. "C�mon, Katie. You want to know too!"

She didn�t dignify that with a response. Because she did damn it all. "Well?"

"That�s why I�m in here," Courtney said, looking bored now. "Liz Parker just showed up with her trusty lap dog. They�re in with Khivar. He kicked me out."

Liz Parker. Here? Kate jumped to her feet in panic. This was so not good. Will wasn�t ready to face her. She hadn�t even told him what she had seen through the connection with Zan. He didn�t know that Max Evans was not the evil creature Zan had been.

He didn�t know that Liz Parker was truly in love with him. That Max had not bewitched her, that he had not coerced her, that Max Evans had not even approached her until he had been forced by circumstance to reveal himself to her in order to save her life. But Kate did know. She knew it all - had seen it all. And it was going to devastate her brother!

"Jack, watch her!" she exclaimed, throwing the door open and slamming straight into a firm body. Kate blinked, staring up into Alex Whitman�s amused brown eyes.

Oh. Right. The trusty lap dog. She should have known.

"Hi!" Alex said. "Will told me to come join the party. Hope no one minds." He looked over Kate�s shoulder, only seemed mildly surprised to see Courtney, but his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Jack lounging in the chair. Kate watched his face shut down but he wasn�t able to completely hide his reaction, especially since he couldn�t help muttering, "I should have known. Four and four."

Alex seemed to regain his composure quickly though because he sauntered into the room, narrowing his eyes at Jack. "I hope you managed to sharpen your pencil."

Jack had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "Didn�t know who you were, man. Truly. But can�t say that I was sorry to find out. I�m glad Ro has had someone like you watching her back all these years."

Alex merely snorted, although he did seem slightly appeased. He looked back at Kate, who was still hovering in the doorway, unsure what to do. "They�re going to be a while, Kate. You might as well come back in and make yourself comfortable."

"But�" Kate stared helplessly at the door across the hallway, her drive to go and protect her brother so fierce, it had to be the right instinct.

"Trust me." Alex shrugged. "You don�t want to be interfering in there. I wanted to stay, but it was all I could do to get Liz to let me come this far."

"Why?" Kate asked, finally turning and shutting the door behind her. "Is something wrong?"

Alex sighed, leaned up against the wall. "Other than the fact that Lizzie�s entire world has been turned on its head in a single day? Nah."

Kate narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you here?"

"To find out the truth," Alex admitted. "Well, Liz is. I�m here for her."

Kate felt a flash of disappointment. It was enough to make her blink. Why the hell should that disappoint her? She was clearly losing her mind!

"But�but�" Kate was at a loss. After what she had seen when she teleported onto Liz�s balcony, she had been convinced that Rowena was staying loyal to Zan. Why would she be here if that was the case? If she was on the other side, neither she nor Zan would ever give Will so much leverage over the former king by playing her right into Will�s hands. It was what had destroyed Ro last time after all - playing intermediary.

Alex looked her right in the eyes and said quietly, "Let�s just say that Liz�s - and my - loyalties are yet to be decided."

With that simple statement, Kate knew that the entire game had changed. Again. But it was the way her heart flip-flopped when he quirked a grin at her that she knew that the rules might be much more than she had ever bargained for.

Part 17

Liz wasn�t sure if letting Alex leave had been the best idea. But when Will suggested it, his blue eyes never leaving her face, his expression displaying no surprise that she had returned so quickly, she finally nodded in her best friend�s direction. Alex was scowling as he walked out, but he had agreed earlier that they would play this Liz�s way. He knew that whatever she had to do, it was for a reason. And if being alone with Will meant that he would trust her more quickly, then alone with him she would be.

But, now, as she sat carefully on the edge of the chair near the television in the crummy motel room where her life had already changed once today, she couldn�t stop twisting her hands in her lap. She wondered why she was so scared. Will had never done anything to suggest that he would ever hurt her.

He would hurt Max though. He already tried once today, a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her. And that�s really what you�re most concerned about. It�s why you�re here. To protect him. You need to make that clear � right off the bat.

Liz realized that she had lowered her gaze to the floor as she tried to sort out exactly how to approach this. Taking a deep breath, she raised her eyes and met Will�s piercing gaze head-on, willing herself not to react. She let out a small sigh when her heart continued to beat normally.

Thank you, God.

Whatever it was he had ignited in her earlier that day seemed to have faded now that the balance between her and Max had been restored. She could look at Will without feeling a rush of blood to her head and without feeling a slight fluttering in her stomach. The relief was so great, she closed her eyes momentarily, just to assure herself that her reaction was genuine.

Finally, she accepted that it was true. Will Spencer could have been Alex for all the attraction she felt towards him at the moment. And, yet, the slight sense of recognition that she had felt in his presence from the first time she had seen him was still present. There was no question that she had been connected to this man at some point before. She knew him, and she knew that he was not lying when he said that he believed that she had been in love with him. Believed was the operative word though. Because, although she did think that Will truly thought that Rowena had been in love with him, she knew inherently that it was not true. There had to have been something between Zan and Rowena. There was no other way to explain the fact that she and Max felt so completely that they belonged together.

Where had the mistake been made? Had Will been blind to his wife�s true feelings in their past lives or had the change taken place sometime more recently? Had the fact that she and Max had found each other first changed everything? Had they mistaken each other for their respective spouses � Will and Tess � and was that why they felt such a keen sense of being made for each other?

Liz straightened her spine and raised her chin, meeting Will�s eyes firmly. She was here for information and she was going to get it. She was not leaving this motel room tonight until she knew everything Will knew � until she had all the information there was to have so that she could meld it with what she knew in her heart to be true.

She decided for the moment to ignore the pang of guilt about the fact that, more than likely, Will was going to end up hurt. She couldn�t think about him right now. Max was all that mattered.

"You�re probably wondering why I came back," Liz began tentatively.

"No."

She blinked, then bit her lip. He sounded so sure that he knew, so sure that she recognized that they were meant to be together. She could almost read his thoughts. How could he have been so wrong about Rowena?

"I believe you," Liz continued, as though he hadn�t spoken. "I�I talked to Max and well�" She swallowed. "I know it�s true. I�m one of you."

Will�s eyes darkened at the mention of Max�s name. "So he does remember." He sounded disgusted, as though he couldn�t quite believe that he had actually contemplated the fact that Max might not know exactly what he was doing.

"No!" Liz exclaimed quickly, cursing the error. How had she made a mistake so quickly? "You don�t understand. We connected. I saw myself through his eyes and I just knew suddenly that the reason he fell in love with me was because he recognized me. He was drawn to me because we�re the same."

"So he says."

Liz narrowed her eyes. "Weren�t you the one who told me that when I connect with people, that I see them truly? That it�s my gift?"

Will did not deny it, simply raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"I know Max. Whoever he was before, he�s not that way now. You can ask your sister if you don�t believe me. I think she finally knows it too."

"I don�t understand."

"Didn�t Kate tell you?" Liz asked, momentarily confused. She wondered briefly why Kate would have kept the fact that she had connected with Max a secret from Will.

"Tell me what?" Will demanded, interrupting her thoughts. "I didn�t even know she was back."

"Well, she paid us a little visit earlier," Liz replied. "I think it was an accident. I was with Max and Alex and she just popped in. Anyway, she and Max had�" Liz was forced to sigh slightly, deciding that she had every right to be a little jealous. She had always felt that the connection between her and Max was unique, but the fact that he had shared one with Kate�well, apparently not. "I guess you�d say they had a moment," she finished wryly.

"What?" Will was on his feet, heading for the door. "Why wouldn�t she tell me this?"

Liz grabbed him by the hand as he passed her. "I�m sure she had her reasons. You can talk to her later. I need to get some things straight with you � now."

It wasn�t until she was in the middle of the flash that Liz even realized what she had done. And by then it was far too late because at that point all she could hear was the screaming�

Rowena! Rowena, save me! Please! I�m not Rowena! You don� t want to do this! Ro! Roweeeennaaa!

"RO!"

She snapped out of it after what felt like hours, Will�s voice finally breaking through the shrieking voice that had invaded her head. Liz�s heart was racing and she could feel beads of perspiration on her forehead. She took deep gasping breaths and stared into Will�s eyes. She realized that he was on his knees in front of her, his hands on her shoulders because he had obviously just finished shaking her.

He seemed to recognize the instant that she was aware again because his expression was momentarily relieved before it hardened with concern. "What happened? What did you see?" He touched her face gently, forcing her to look at him.

Liz backed up against the chair, trying to escape his touch. "Get away from me! Don�t touch me!" She could not control herself. She saw each word stab into him like a dagger as his hands fell away from her. He rocked back on his heels, continuing to stare at her. But touching him had done that. Touching him had made her feel like her entire soul was being ripped from her body.

And, from the look of horror on his face, he apparently knew it.

"I�m sorry," Liz finally managed to say, realizing that it was more of a sob than anything. "I thought I could do this�"

"It�s okay," Will replied, standing up and turning away. She saw a shudder run through his lean frame, wondered briefly if he had seen what she had.

But what exactly had she seen? Already it was fading back into the shadows of her mind, evading the grasp of her memory.

The only thing that remained were a pair of piercing blue eyes.

Will turned back. "Why are you here?" he asked roughly, his expression shuttered for the first time that she had ever seen. If she needed confirmation that he had seen something from her, then there it was, written all over his face. She felt horrible that she could not meet his eyes. She didn�t need to anymore. They were branded on her brain after that flash.

"I�I need to know what happened to me. To us. To everyone," Liz said finally, keeping her voice low so that it didn�t crack.

"You want to know what happened to him. You�re doing this for him," Will�s tone was accusing, but Liz thought she heard an undertone of resignation there as well. It scared her more than any anger could have.

"No." Liz could hear the lie in her voice, wondered if he did as well. He had collapsed on the bed, his head clutched between his fists, as though he was trying to push something out of his mind. Liz felt another flash of fear as she pondered what he might have seen from her. Had he seen how every beat of her heart was for Max, how every breath she took was because he loved her?

Liz sat beside him. She reached out and took his hand in hers. Will looked at her, his expression now blank. She forced herself to meet those suddenly disturbing blue eyes. "I�m here because we were all sent to this planet for a reason and I can�t believe that it�s because we�re supposed to be enemies. Any of us. Yes, I�m here because of him. But I�m here for me too and I�m here for you, and for Isabel, and for Michael, and for everyone. I�m here for answers."

"What if the answers you find aren�t the ones you want, Rowena?" Will asked in a monotone. "Because the ones I�m getting sure aren�t the ones I was looking for."

"I�m willing to take that chance," Liz replied firmly. She squeezed his hand. "I trust you, Will. I�" She swallowed. "I don�t know what you saw in that flash, but I can tell that it was about Max."

He didn�t answer, which only confirmed it. She continued in a rush. "I�m sorry. I don�t remember what we meant to each other before. I want to try, but I need you to accept that it�s unlikely that my feelings for Max are going to change. That was then. This is now."

"Why?" he demanded. "Why do you want to know if you don�t think it�s going to change anything?"

"Because I think I owe you that much," Liz told him. "And I�m beginning to think that you�re just as lost as I am."

"What?" He did not sound impressed by this assessment.

"Will, I don�t think you were in love with me at all," Liz told him. Until the words left her mouth, she hadn�t even realized that it was true. But she knew somehow that she was right. "I think that there was much more going on in our past lives than even you know about."

"I do remember, Liz."

Liz narrowed her eyes. "I think you remember what they want you to. And I think it�s the same with Max and the others. But I�m beginning to wonder if any of it is real."

"Who are they?" Will asked wearily. "Liz, we�re the ones in charge. I�m the one who had myself cloned and sent here. I remember exactly what I intended myself to remember."

Liz blinked, then grinned. "Well, that was confusing."

Will stared at her, then smirked slightly as well. "This really is a mess, isn�t it?" The atmosphere in the room lightened slightly.

"I know this is hard. It�s hard on everyone," Liz told him seriously. "But I�m here as a go-between." She paused, continued quickly. "I�m going to make a confession here, Will. I was going to pretend that I remembered you."

"You were?" His gaze darkened again. "Why?"

"You were right that I came here to protect Max. I was going to pretend to side with you if you promised to leave him alone."

"What changed your mind?" he asked. He didn�t sound hurt, merely curious.

Liz thought about it for a moment. "I told you. I trust you. I think that if I ask you to leave him alone, you will. Because I think, deep down, you know that you need him as much as he needs you."

"I�m glad you trust me, but I can�t trust him, Liz. It�s impossible."

The fact that he called her Liz�It raised her hopes more than anything that he had said before. He was beginning to accept things the way they were. She was no longer his Rowena. She was Liz Parker, who was in love with Max Evans, and that�s who she intended to remain.

But it didn�t mean that she wasn�t still curious about exactly who Rowena of Valonia had been. She was frightened to find out, but she knew that unless she did, she could potentially be haunted by her forever. Although it had faded, she could not forget that flash, could not forget the screaming voice of someone she had been unable to save in her past life. Because she was sure that�s what it had been. But who? Who had she failed so completely?

She realized that now was not the time to think about it. She needed Will to agree to this, needed him and Max working together if any of them were ever going to have any hope of straightening this out.

"You could try," she told him quietly.

Their eyes met for a long, charged moment. Finally, he grinned and said, "I never could say no to you, Rowena."

"Well, that�s handy to know," she replied teasingly, squeezing his hand again. "In that case, I�m going to demand that you tell me everything you can about who I was."

There was a long silence as he measured her with his eyes. "I think that you�re right, Liz. I don�t think this is just about the two of us anymore."

Her heart started to beat more quickly. "What do you mean?"

"I�ll tell you together. Because, really, I think that�s the way you want it." He straightened his spine and for a moment Liz could see that this had indeed been a king once upon a time. He was disappointed with how things were turning out for himself, but he would not let it interfere with what he knew to be right. And he was beginning to see that working with Max instead of against him was right. "It�s time for me to meet Zan of Antar."

Liz stared at him, almost couldn�t believe that everything she had hoped for had happened so quickly � and simply because she had been honest. Would wonders never cease?

And, yet, that small voice in the back of her mind was urging caution. Be careful, Liz. You could be walking Max right into a trap.

But she could not believe that of Will. He would not betray her that way. To him, she was still his wife, even if they were no longer meant to be together. He would not lie to her. Somehow she just knew it.

The little voice was not completely wrong though. "I do have one condition."

Liz frowned. "What?"

He looked away, then took a deep breath and stood, going to the bedside table and pulling open a drawer. Liz watched him curiously as Will pulled out a long piece of fabric. It was the most delicate piece of material Liz had ever seen, gossamer thin and so pale that it seemed almost colorless.

She had reached out her hand for it before she even knew what she was doing. She knew it had belonged to her. Will handed it over without comment.

"I want you to have it," he said quietly. "It�s all I have left of Rowena."

"I don�t understand." Liz wound the fabric around her hand, marveling at the softness, at the fact that this had come from another planet. "How is this a condition?"

"I�d like you to wear it when I meet him."

Liz looked up, frowned again. "Why?"

"I want a piece of you to still belong to me."

She felt a shiver descend her spine. She couldn�t tell if it was one of attraction or of fear. But her lips were opening and she was saying, "I will," before she could stop herself. "What is it?" she asked, biting her lip, knowing that it was too late to take it back. He had bent so much already. She could not deny him this much.

"It�s the sash that was used to bind us at our wedding," Will replied, his voice expressionless, which only reinforced to Liz how much the simple piece of cloth meant to him. "Rowena always wore it on her wrist after that."

Liz stared down at it, realizing that she had wound it around her own wrist without even thinking about what she was doing. Another tremor ran through her body. She considered throwing it back at him, almost started to do it, when something caught her eye.

It was a stain. She knew almost instantly what it was too.

Blood. Her blood. From before.

She felt all the color drain from her face as she looked up at Will, who was watching her intently, his eyes gleaming strangely.

And, she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she had been tricked.

Part 18

"Where�s Isabel?" Michael demanded, as Max joined the group. They were all huddled on the cliffs over the reservoir, looking very small and vulnerable as he moved toward them. A chill descended his spine as he reflected on how completely useless he felt when it came to leading any of them. Maria was huddled into her usual frilly jacket, obviously cold and lonely because she was being left out of the new bond between Alex and Liz. Tess stood as far away from Maria as possible, looking slightly uncomfortable as usual, although her face relaxed at the sight of him, which irritated him and then made him feel guilty. She was standing close to Kyle, who looked even more out of place and, on top of that, annoyed. The sheriff did not look any happier to be there, still slightly upset that he had been kept out of the loop for so long.

The only person who seemed at all pleased with this meeting was Michael, whose arms were crossed over his chest in a business-like manner. The change that had come over his best friend since they had found out about their destiny never failed to amaze Max when he reflected on it. Michael was perfectly content to accept the role that had been shaped for him by others in a galaxy far, far away. Not for the first time, as his eyes lit again on Tess, Max wondered why he had never felt the same way.

But, now that he knew something about who he had been in his past life, Max realized that perhaps it wasn�t quite so surprising.

He didn�t want to be king. It was as plain and simple as that, but everyone here expected him to be anyway. They were all depending on him. Max felt a pang as he realized how absolutely lucky he was to have all these people and how ill prepared he felt to lead them, how unlikely it was that he would be able to protect them when the time came.

And, now, with the new knowledge that he likely didn�t deserve to lead them� it all seemed ten times more daunting.

He was trying not to let the horrible scene he had seen in Kate�s subconscious replay itself in his own mind. He was trying to believe Liz � that whatever he had done in his past life, he was not the kind of person who would kill his own friends in cold blood. Because he knew now that it was what Kate had been to him before. It was not something he had ever expected to be forced to acknowledge. He had been a monster in his past life. The image of his own hands closing around Kate�s neck from her perspective � it would haunt him for a long time. He had felt her despair and her sense of betrayal as the end came. Because, in that connection, he had been her at the moment of death.

What if Isabel was right and they were all doomed to repeat the same mistakes over in this life? What if instead of Kate this time, it was Maria or Alex or Michael? What if he somehow became responsible for Isabel�s death? What about Tess, or even Kyle? Hell, hadn�t he already once almost gotten Kyle killed just because of who he was? What if next time it was really his fault?

In fact, hadn�t the end of the world once been his fault? A future version of himself had even come back to stop him and Liz from making the same mistakes after all.

Max glanced at Tess out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she was even now contemplating leaving town. If so, what could he do to stop her? He certainly wouldn�t give up Liz. He just couldn�t. He knew that, inherently, this was why he was a bad leader. He could not be completely selfless and that was what his friends needed now. Someone who wasn�t concerned about his own wants and desires before their lives.

No, he could easily believe that he had been a bad king.

I know you weren�t like that. I know you.

Liz�s voice penetrated his little pity party for one as he stared at his friends, as he wondered how he could ever be strong enough for these people.

Max steeled his spine. He could be strong enough because he had Liz. She believed in him. She believed in him so much, she had been willing to destroy her own heart just because a future version of himself had asked her to. She was right after all. There was no way that he would ever do anything to purposely hurt his friends. Whoever he had been before, he was not that person now and he wouldn�t become him either. Hadn�t he told Isabel earlier that whatever had happened before didn�t matter? It was ridiculous that he wasn�t letting himself see that the same thing applied to him.

He knew exactly who he was, and nothing was going to change the fact that he was first and foremost Max Evans, son of Diane and Phillip, brother of Isabel, boyfriend of Liz. Zan of Antar might be a part of his past, but he was certainly not going to play any role in his future.

"She wasn�t at home," Max told Michael briefly now, his voice firm, which pleased him. "I don�t know where she went, but I�ll fill her in later."

"I�m not surprised that she�s run off," Tess said, sounding annoyed. "Alex was just plain mean earlier."

Max glanced quickly at Maria, whose eyes narrowed, but she stayed quiet. Michael�s hand instantly going to the small of her back was probably partly responsible for that, but at least she didn�t say anything. The last thing they needed at the moment was more strife within their group. They needed to stay unified, needed to focus on their real enemies.

He grimaced slightly when he realized that, technically, Liz and Alex now numbered among them. Oh, this was going to be a fun conversation!

"He didn�t mean what he said," Kyle was telling Tess softly. Max heard Maria snort, but ignored her, choosing instead to watch Tess�s reaction to Kyle�s words. Her expression lightened slightly and it was only then that Max realized that Tess�s feelings had truly been hurt somehow. Had Alex said something to her? He made a mental note to do damage control later. The absolute last thing they needed at the moment was for Tess to feel like even more of any outsider. If they had ever needed their four square strong, it was now.

"Whatever." Maria stepped forward, deliberately turning her back on Tess. Max sighed despite himself. "Max, where are Liz and Alex? What is going on?"

Max ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. "It�s a long story. But, before I start, I want you all to know that the decision has been made and you�re all just going to have to play along. I trust Liz to deal with this." He was actually surprised that he was able to say those words and mean them. Not that he didn�t trust Liz. But his fear for her was just as great as his trust in her. He was still slightly amazed at himself that he had gone along with any of it at all.

He was guessing that, somewhere deep inside, the connection with Kate had freaked him out so much, he almost didn�t trust himself with Liz. That was it, he was sure. At this point, with their complete lack of information, he almost felt Liz was safer with their enemies than she was around him.

He knew who he wanted to be, he was determined that he would stay who he was, but that didn�t mean that a small part of him wasn�t still hearing Isabel�s voice in his head.

I will betray you. Because I did before.

The sheer irony of that statement now was that it seemed that he had deserved it. Vilandra�s betrayal had been justified. Courtney had said so and his connection with Kate had only confirmed it.

He had killed in his past life. He could do it again.

"I don�t like the sound of this, Maxwell," Michael was saying, his grip around Maria�s waist tightening. Max shook his head, forced himself to focus.

"I�m sure you don�t," he replied mildly. "But it doesn�t really matter what any of us think. This is Liz�s call."

"Why?" Tess demanded. "What does she have to do with any�"

"She has everything to do with it," Max interrupted firmly. "Listen to me, all of you." He looked at them all one by one, meeting their eyes. "There is going to be absolutely no more questioning of Liz. Everything she has ever done has only ever been for our benefit." He looked at Kyle. "What you helped her to do�" He paused. "Thank you."

Kyle looked uncomfortable, but nodded slightly, glancing at Tess, whose lips were pressed together tightly. Max shook his head slightly. He was really going to have to talk to her alone later.

"Would you please stop being so cryptic?" Michael snapped. "We all know Liz and Kyle didn�t sleep together. Alex told us. Why did she pretend she did?"

Max smiled slightly, despite himself. It really was hard to get to the point here. Because, dammit, there was just too much to tell. "She was trying to save the world," he finally replied quietly. "How and why, I can�t go into right now." He looked at Tess again. "I need to talk to a couple of you privately about that first."

Michael looked like he wanted to protest again, but this time Maria was the one to reach out and stop him with a warning squeeze.

"Where did Liz and Alex go?" she asked.

"They went to see Will and the others," Max told her gently. "I know they both wanted to talk to you first Maria, but there just wasn�t time."

Maria�s nostrils flared slightly. "Why are they shutting me out?" she demanded, her tone high-pitched. "There is something weird going on with both of them. I can�t believe Liz did all that stuff with Kyle�" She was beginning to gesture wildly with her hands, her frustration so complete. "And she didn�t even tell me! What is this all about, Max?"

"It�s about why Will and the others are here," Max said, searching his mind for the easiest way to tell the story. He shrugged, decided that it was best to just say it. They certainly weren�t going to believe him at first anyway. Hell, he wasn�t even quite sure he believed it yet. "They want Liz. And, for the moment, she�s going to pretend that they�ve got her. Alex went with her so that she wouldn�t be alone."

"Hmm. Sources on the inside. I think I like it." Max looked at Michael. He almost rolled his eyes at the gleeful expression on his best friend�s face.

"Easy there, general." The sheriff stepped forward. "I don�t like the sound of this at all, Max. Who are these people? How do we know that Liz and Alex are going to be safe with them? Did they, or did they not, already try to kill you and Isabel earlier today?"

"Liz is sure that Will won�t hurt her," Max reassured him. He tried to ignore the stab of concern this still caused him. He did not like the connection that existed between Liz and the other alien. He knew that this was no time for jealousy, but it wasn�t fun to send the girl you loved off to bond with another man � particularly one you suspected she might actually, secretly feel something for. Max and Liz had never been able to hide anything from each other when they connected and he had seen more than just the Future Max stuff earlier that evening. He had felt her inherent trust in Will and it reminded him way too much of how she had trusted him after their first connection.

It wasn�t that he didn�t trust Liz. It was that he remembered how completely out of control he had felt when Tess had first appeared in town. He had been attracted to her, mainly because of a mind-warp, but her familiarity had also pulled him to her. Liz�s recognition of Will was a frightening thing. Max was all too aware that if it hadn�t been for the fact that he had healed Liz, she never would have known of his feelings for her, never would have given him the time of day.

But Will she had recognized immediately. It was Will to whom she had been drawn at first sight.

The simple thought of it was enough to make his blood run cold.

Hell! This was a stupid plan! What if Liz never came back?

Then you�d deal.

He blinked as the thought appeared unbidden in the back of his mind.

Even if she isn�t meant to be with you, truly, you are strong enough to survive on the memory of what she was to you � on who you want to be because of her. In the end, it�s her choice. You can believe in her, like she�s always believed in you, or you can freak out and become useless to everyone, like you have been for the past couple of weeks. But you know which way is the right way.

"And you believe that she�s right?" the sheriff asked. "Why, Max?"

"Because of who she is to him," Max replied tightly. "She was his wife."

The silence that greeted this statement was so complete, Max could hear the water in the reservoir lapping lightly against the rocks far below.

"Pardon me?" Michael was the first one to regain the use of his voice. No surprise there. He would actually be the easiest one to convince Max was sure. After all, he had been there when Courtney had told them about Rowena.

"She�s Rowena," Max told him. "I know it�s true too. Earlier�" He looked at Tess, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but he went ahead anyway. "Liz and I connected. She saw that the reason I was drawn to her from the beginning was because I recognized her."

"Who is Rowena?" Tess demanded.

"She�s a link in their four square," Max replied. "Liz is like us. Will and Kate�"

"Oh Lord." Michael�s voice broke through Max�s explanation. "I should have seen this coming."

"What?" Max asked, perplexed.

"Remember I told you that Hal Carver told me that there were eight pods when he let Nasedo and that other shifter go?" Michael raised his eyebrows meaningfully. "I�m guessing our new pals were in those pods."

Max frowned. "That sounds highly likely. But it�s kind of weird too. Why would our enemies have been sent in the same ship as us?" He looked at Tess questioningly. "Do you know anything about this, Tess?"

From the expression on Tess�s face � dumbfounded amazement � Max could see that she didn�t. "I�m only beginning to realize how much Nasedo didn�t tell me," she finally admitted, sounding hurt. "Why wouldn�t he have told me about them? Shouldn�t he have been responsible for them too?"

"Weren�t there two protectors?" the sheriff interjected. "Maybe the other four were sent off with him?"

"Maybe." Max shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, sighing. "We just don�t know anything. At least with Liz and Alex on the inside, we might get some answers."

He looked over at Kyle, who was clearing his throat. He looked disbelieving, which didn�t surprise Max at all. "What I don�t get here is why you think Liz is one of them. We know she�s human."

"Right!" Maria jumped in. "Alex was looking at baby pictures earlier today. He must have been trying to convince Liz that they were lying to her!" She pressed her lips together, annoyed. "Although I still don�t get why it all had to be such a big secret."

"Liz has been living with secrets for weeks," Kyle reminded her. "Can you imagine having the weight of the world on your shoulders, like she literally did? Constantly having to worry that something you do is going to result in the destruction of an entire planet?" He looked impressed. "Poor Liz. I just don�t get why she thought you and she being together would end in that." He looked at Max questioningly.

Max glanced at Tess. "It�s kind of difficult to say�"

"Max! You keep looking at me weirdly!" Tess exclaimed. "Why? What aren�t you telling us?"

"Tess, I don�t want to do this in front of everyone," Max replied gently.

"Do what?" She sounded exasperated. "I didn�t end the world somehow!" She paused. "Wait a minute. I didn�t, did I?"

"Of course not!" Max said quickly. "It�s just that, well�" By the expression on her face, Max knew that she wasn�t going to let it drop. It was just time to tell it all it seemed. "You left town, Tess. A�well, a visitor came back from the future, through the granolith, and told Liz that if she and I didn�t break up, you were going to leave town and when our enemies came we wouldn�t be strong enough without you and�well, the world ended because of it."

"Well, that�s a cheerful story," Michael finally said after the silence had stretched out into what felt like eternity again. "I can�t believe Liz even believed that. Who was this "visitor?" Doesn�t Liz know not to trust strangers by now?" Max scowled at him. Michael�s tone had been decidedly sarcastic during that last statement.

"I would never leave you, Max," Tess added. Max grimaced. Oh, hell. He didn�t like the expression that appeared on Kyle�s face at that one. And he didn�t like hearing it either. He was just glad that Liz wasn�t standing beside him.

"Well, be that as it may," he said, deciding that changing the subject was the best route, "Liz believed it. Because, the thing is, the visitor was me."

"You? And you didn�t know?" Michael demanded incredulously.

"Well, not me me," Max amended. "But another me. From the future. I came back through the granolith."

"The granolith? I keep hearing that word," the sheriff said impatiently. "What the hell is a granolith?"

"That�s one thing we need to find out," Max admitted. "Even though we know where it is, we still don�t know what it does. When I connected with Kate earlier, I felt how much they want to get a hold of it. Until we know why, we�re screwed. We know it can be used as a time machine�"

"How does Liz know that it was you from the future?" Michael interrupted, obviously still stuck on the whole Future Max thing. "Couldn�t it have been a trick? A shapeshifter?"

"Michael! Get over it!" Maria screeched. "Liz knows Max, okay? If there�s one person she knows, it�s him."

Max shot her a grateful look. "It was me," he agreed. "I believe Liz. The important thing is why I came back. It must have been really bad."

"I would think that the expression "the end of the world" pretty much tells us that," Kyle muttered, earning a look from his father. "Sorry."

"That�s not what I meant," Max continued, choosing not to be annoyed. "What I meant is that it must have been bad because it sounds like we were both giving up an awful lot to change things."

"What do you mean?" Tess asked.

"Liz and I were married," Max replied. "It�s mainly why you left town, Tess. Because you and I were never going to be together."

"Oh." Tess�s mouth snapped shut and she looked befuddled. Max was surprised when she smiled slightly. "You know, I was going to leave town a couple of weeks ago." She said it so abruptly, everyone stared at her in astonishment.

"You were?" Michael demanded, sounding more annoyed than anything. "Why?" Max glared at him. Michael had the grace to look a little embarrassed and he shut up.

"Because I felt like a total outsider," Tess replied quietly. "But since everything happened with you and Liz�" She trailed off. "You needed me. I couldn�t leave you." She looked directly at Max, her expression troubled. "And now I don�t think I could leave - ever." She paused, as though truly examining her feelings, then said quietly, "I know you don�t love me, Max. It still hurts." She shook her head, sending her blonde curls flying. "I can�t say that I�m not still disappointed. I remember more than you do. I remember how we felt about each other before�"

"Tess, I don�t think any of that is real," Max interrupted gently. "I�m sorry. Didn�t Michael tell you what Courtney said? We had an arranged marriage. We weren�t in love."

"My memories aren�t real?" Tess asked. "Max, I have them!"

"My question is, why does Tess have memories and we don�t?" Michael said, changing the subject abruptly. "All this love talk is pointless. Who cares?"

"Michael!" Maria exclaimed. Max was surprised to see that she was looking at Tess with something actually approaching concern.

"What?" Michael snapped. "Hey, I�m sorry if my thoughts are preoccupied with the end of the world stuff. Liz made a sacrifice, I admire her for it, but it was her choice. This is a different world now, am I wrong? If we don�t figure out exactly how to make sure that whatever happened in the future doesn�t happen again, everything she did to you," he looked at Max seriously, "over the past couple of weeks will have been for nothing. Do we really want that? I�ve been here. It has not been pretty, Maxwell. She did it though and now we have to use this second chance."

"Well, I�m not going anywhere," Tess said firmly. "So you can stop worrying about that." She looked at Max. "I really feel like we�re friends now, Max. I believe that my memories are real, but if you don�t, there�s not much I can do to change that." She paused. "My point is that, whether we end up together or not, I feel like I belong with you." She turned her gaze to Michael. "All of you. And now I feel like I have a purpose here apart from destiny," she admitted. "You do need me."

"No one has ever disputed that, Tess," Max told her. He paused. "I�m sorry if we made you feel like we didn�t."

"I can�t say that I blame you," Tess replied. "I wasn�t exactly forthcoming when I first arrived. I went about everything the wrong way. I see that now. But it was Nasedo�" Her expression darkened. "He was all about secrecy and that�s how I was raised."

"Honesty really is the best policy," Maria interjected. Tess looked at her suspiciously. Max could see that she was wondering if the other girl was being sarcastic, whether Liz�s best friend was going for a dig, but Maria looked sincere. "I don�t think any of us has done much to make you feel welcome, Tess."

"You were looking out for your friend, Maria," Tess said. "I can�t blame you for that."

"Well�" Maria shoved her hands deeper into her pockets. "Liz and I could have tried a bit harder with you. We just went into defensive mode right away."

"Okay!" Michael exclaimed. "You�re both to blame! Enough of this lovey-dovey stuff! What is the plan here? What exactly is it that Alex and Liz are doing?"

Max didn�t reply right away, still astonished that all the tension between Tess and Maria had been resolved that quickly. He wondered if he�d ever understand girls.

"Maxwell!"

Max shook his head, realizing that he felt like a huge weight had abruptly been lifted off his shoulders. Tess was going to stay. It was one less thing they had to worry about and it was enough to make him want to shout for joy. Well, almost.

"Right, sorry. Here�s what�s going on�"

And, with that, Max launched into the plan he still wasn�t entirely comfortable with, but was going to support until his last breath, because it was what Liz wanted.

***

By the time Max got home, it was close to one in the morning. He considered knocking on Isabel�s bedroom door, which was by now firmly closed, signaling that his sister was back, but the thought was so exhausting after the length of the meeting at the quarry, he realized he just couldn�t face telling it all again right away. And then there was the whole thing with Alex, which Tess had filled him in on while he had driven her back to Valenti�s, wanting a few minutes alone with her to make sure she was really okay (which she seemed to be). The fact that Isabel had so deliberately chosen to stay out of his way tonight seemed to indicate that she wasn�t ready to talk about anything either. Morning would be soon enough.

He flopped back on his bed moments later, glancing at the clock and then at his answering machine. He felt a slight flash of concern that Liz hadn�t called yet. It was pretty late. They had agreed that she and Alex would go to the motel and set things in motion, but would then be home early.

He sat up, reached out, and picked up the receiver, dialing Liz�s number quickly. He heaved a sigh of relief when she picked up on the third ring, sounding like she had been sound asleep.

"Hi," he said gently. "Did I wake you?"

"Oh." There was a long pause. "Yeah. I�m just really tired." Max frowned. She sounded completely out of it.

"Liz, are you okay?"

"What? Oh. Yes. Max. Yeah, I�m fine. Sorry."

"You don�t sound fine. You were supposed to call me."

"I know. Sorry. I just needed to go to sleep." There was another long pause, as though she was trying to focus. "How did things go with the others?"

"Pretty good," Max replied, settling back against the headboard of his bed. His heartbeat was slowing down now that Liz seemed to be getting her bearings. He couldn�t blame her for being so tired. She had been dealing with a lot of stressful stuff lately. It was probably the feeling of finally being able to let go slightly that was making her want to sleep so badly. "I won�t give you all the details right now, but just know that everyone is behind you. And we don�t have to worry about Tess. She�s okay with everything."

"I�m sure," Liz replied, sounding slightly annoyed. Max frowned again.

"Liz?"

"What? Oh sorry. No. Never mind. It�s just that I got some interesting information from Will about sweet Ava. Apparently we weren�t exactly the best of friends before either."

"Er, okay. So, everything�s okay with Will then."

"Yes." Liz�s voice softened. Max swallowed. Okay, why was Liz being so weird? "He�s going to leave you alone. We were right, Max. All he wants is to be close to me. When I told him I wouldn�t be unless he stopped threatening you, he accepted it."

"That�s good, I guess." Max realized that he had never found it this difficult to converse with Liz before. He didn�t quite know what to say next. "Liz, are you sure there�s nothing wrong? You sound kind of weird."

"I told you I�m tired," Liz almost snapped. Max blinked. "Listen, can we talk about this in the morning? I�m being a total bitch and I�m going to feel awful about it tomorrow."

"Okay," Max replied reluctantly. "Can we meet somewhere before school?"

"I don�t think that�s a good idea," Liz told him. "I promised Will that I�d give him a real chance. I told him I wouldn�t see you for a few days. It was part of the plan, Max. Remember? He has to think I�m really trying."

"I know," Max sighed. "But it sucks. I hate this plan."

"Well, I�m sorry, but it will all be for the best in the long run," Liz replied briskly. "I�ll call you tomorrow night. I�m going to try and arrange for you and Will to meet. It might take me a couple of days�"

"The sooner the better," Max insisted. "Liz�" He was about to tell her that he was beginning to realize how bad a plan this truly was. He was glad that Will wasn�t a threat to Liz, but the stress really seemed to be getting to her. All of this needed to be brought out into the open so that they could all work together.

He was beginning to understand that there had to be a reason that they had all been cloned and sent to Earth in the same ship, and he was also beginning to realize that it was likely because they were supposed to resolve things here. They weren�t supposed to be enemies anymore. That the other hybrids were hampered by the negative memories of him had started him wondering if he, Michael, and Isabel were not remembering was for a reason. Clean slates and all that. So what had gone wrong with Will and the others?

"Night, Max. I�ll talk to you later."

He stared at the receiver in disbelief. She had just hung up on him! He had been right in the middle of a sentence.

Well, it was clear. This plan was not going to fly. Liz would never hang up on him, especially after the hell they had recently been through. Will had done something to her. Max just knew it.

It took all of his strength not to leap off his bed and head straight for the Crashdown to confront her. But she was tired. Maybe sleep would help her fight off whatever Will was doing to her. She was safe at home for now. He�d call Alex quickly before he went to bed to make sure that she was alone, but then he�d leave her in peace for the moment.

But he was not going to risk Liz. It meant that the only way to resolve this was swiftly and cleanly. Which meant confrontation with Will. And he was not going to wait for Liz to set up some sort of summit. No way. She was already beginning to lose herself.

It would be tomorrow, Max thought grimly. First thing. They were going to end this once and for all.

Part 19

"Good morning!" Alex managed to avoid grimacing at the cheesy cheer in his own voice. He couldn�t help it if he still wasn�t entirely comfortable around Kate and her companions though. He didn�t care how well things had gone the evening before. It was still weird to be hanging out with people who had tried to kill his friends only yesterday.

While he knew for sure that they were not evil, he and Liz were engaged in a delicate balancing act at the moment. They were trying to pretend to side with Will, Kate and Jack and, yet, they were also trying to protect Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess too. The two goals were not compatible.

But, at the moment, as his eyes met Kate�s weary blue gaze, he couldn�t help but hope that soon they would be.

Things had gone well the night before. He had spent a pleasant enough hour watching T.V. with Jack and Kate. It had been a strange thing to do, but had also served to make them more comfortable with him. He already liked Jack after all. By the time Liz and Will joined them, he and Jack were back to bantering, this time insulting various stars on the television rather than their fellow classmates. Kate was more quiet, but she had not seemed unduly resistant to his presence either.

The fact that Courtney just sat there the entire time was strange. Alex decided not to ask why she was there. He wanted to make Kate and Jack trust him, after all. If he started interrogating them right away, it would take more time. Besides, the Skin girl had not seemed to be in any danger, nor had she seemed scared. She just sat on the bed, listening to their inane chatter, but not trying to join in. It wasn�t until he was lying in his bed later, thinking about the evening, that it dawned on Alex that Courtney was completely resigned to her death. She wasn�t even attempting to connect on any level with anyone anymore. She wasn�t going to help either side willingly. Her allegiance was only to Michael and now that she knew that he would never betray Max, she just didn�t care about any of it. She wasn�t keeping any secrets, but she wasn�t helping any of them either. For the first time, Alex felt sorry for her.

For the first time he felt sorry for all the Skins. What must it be like to know that your days were numbered, that you were going to simply shred away into nothing? These people were on Earth, fighting a secret war that, in many ways, was not about them at all. And now they were going to die because of it. War sucked. While intellectually Alex had realized it before, he knew it for fact now. It was started by people in power, but it was the little guy who always paid the price. Even if took two separate life-times.

When he and Liz finally drove back to town in the wee hours of the morning, Liz had related the gist of her conversation with Will. It seemed that he bought that Liz remembered him. In fact, he had even given her something that he said belonged to her in her past life. Liz spent the ride home fingering the delicate piece of fabric, which was tied around her wrist. She was not really focused on it, but obviously connected to it.

"It�s weird, Alex," she said quietly at one point. "It�s only a little piece of cloth, but, it�s like, finally, for the first time, I�m about to find out who I really am. I know what Will tells me, and what Max showed me, but now I feel like I�m about to find out for myself."

"Are you remembering?" Alex asked, concerned. This was not part of the plan after all, having Liz remember being an alien. He wasn�t entirely comfortable with that proposition. He felt deep down that there was a reason that she didn�t remember, a reason that she was more human than the rest of them. He had no idea what that reason could be, but somehow he just knew it. Hadn�t the fact that Kate, Will and Jack did remember, only made things worse? Even if he and Liz did somehow manage to broker a deal between Will and Max, in the end, it still wouldn�t be entirely safe. Because, even if they came to a tentative trust, somewhere inside of them, Will, Kate and Jack would always remember what Zan had done. They might be able to get past it, and might be able to understand that Max was not to blame, but they would always remember. And how could any sort of truce really exist in those circumstances?

"Not really," Liz replied, sounding distant. "I can�t explain what I feel. I just know that nothing is as it seems."

Alex frowned, but didn�t ask anything more. He knew that a piece of cloth could not put Liz in any danger. He was worried about her, but they were both driving home, safe and in one piece, and, for now, it had to be enough.

It was why he found himself reassuring Max when his friend had called him in the middle of the night. It seemed that Liz had been a little weird on the phone with him. But Alex knew that sometimes things had to get a little weird in order for them to get any answers. Liz had been as normal as she ever was - at least since Max had healed her the year before. He told Max that she was just tired, wondering if it was a mistake after he hung up, but ended up deciding that it wasn�t. They had to give the plan time to work. It wasn�t the best plan in the world, but it was the only one they had that didn�t involve alien powers, blasting, or killing.

It was a delicate balancing act all right.

And, yet, as he grinned at Kate now, he felt a new sense of purpose, a sense that it would all be worth it in the long run. That this was going to work. Because, in the end, these were all good people and none of them really wanted the strife to continue if it didn�t have to.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked, yawning. "Didn�t you just leave?"

"Well, I could take that as an insult," Alex replied. "But I won�t. I know we all had a late night last night."

Kate�s eyes narrowed. "You are entirely too chipper for someone who insisted on staying over until the late, late movie ended. And it wasn�t even good!"

"Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a classic," Alex argued good-naturedly. "Jack agreed with me. Even Will got into the spirit of it, after he and Liz had dealt with all their angst."

"That�s because guys don�t know good cinema." Alex blinked as Courtney emerged from the bathroom, directly behind Kate. Kate stepped aside to allow Alex to enter. "I�ve been on enough crappy dates to know that by now."

"You date?" Alex asked before he could stop himself.

"I�ve been on this God-forsaken rock for fifty years," Courtney snapped, crossing the motel room to the mirror over the dresser. Alex tried not to grimace as she leaned in and peeled a layer of skin off her cheek. He saw Kate flinch beside him. "I had to do something to pass the time."

"You seem to be feeling better this morning," Alex ventured tentatively. "I called Michael and told him where you were, like you asked. He was worried."

Courtney�s expression softened. "I knew he would be. He�s such a sweetheart."

Alex raised an eyebrow. Sweetheart and Michael Guerin were not two terms that he would have ever associated with each other.

"Why is she still here?" Alex whispered to Kate, as Courtney returned to the bathroom, a bottle of moisturizer tucked under her arm. He felt his gag reflex kicking in when he realized that she was leaving a trail of dead skin in her wake. Kate seemed to realize this, because she quickly waved her hand and it all disintegrated.

"She knows that Rath won�t reveal the granolith�s location out of loyalty to Zan," Kate whispered back. "While she hasn�t turned against Rath, it would appear that she isn�t entirely ready to give up her life for him. I told her last night that our first goal is to find it. I think she wants to live."

Which would explain Courtney�s sudden change of disposition, Alex thought, a lump in his throat. This was not the same resigned girl of the night before.

"The granolith can help her?" Alex asked nervously.

Kate�s head turned, her eyes speculative. "Didn�t you know that?"

"No. We don�t know much about it," Alex admitted.

"But you do know where it is?"

Smooth move, Whitman. The disdainful voice in the back of his head had returned and it was pissed. "Er, well, I know that it exists. I don�t know where it is." Which was only the truth of course. He knew the others had found it, but they hadn�t told him where it was specifically because he had never asked. He wondered why he felt guilty for not confirming to Kate that Max and the others did know where it was. Maybe it was because of the way her expression fell, which, for some reason, made his heart hurt.

"Too bad," Kate sighed. "Because it�s all we really want. If Zan really doesn�t remember, if he really just wants to stay here�Well, telling us where the granolith is would be the smoothest way to a truce. In fact, it would be the quickest truce in the history of truces."

Alex frowned. "What is the granolith anyway? Why is it so important?" He decided not to tell Kate what he already knew that it could be modified to be used as a time machine. Those secrets were not his to tell. He and Liz were here to get information after all, not to give it out, despite the fact that he was beginning to feel worse about it with every minute he spent in Kate�s company.

"It�s hard to explain," Kate replied. "It has many uses. But a major one is that it has healing capabilities. It can renew life. It�s why we need it so badly - to save our people."

Alex stared at her. "Are you telling me that it can bring people back from the dead?"

"In a way, yes." Kate shrugged. "It zeroes in on the problem and fixes it. Our people can�t survive on Earth without their skins. The granolith could fix that."

"No wonder Nicholas is so desperate to get his hands on it." Alex shook his head. He paused, then continued, "I�m sorry I don�t know where it is."

Kate smiled slightly. "I believe that, Alex. And I�m sorry too." Her eyes were sad though. "Do you think that it would change things if Zan knew this? Do you think he would tell us where it is?"

"To save the Skins?" Alex asked, surprised. "Kate, they tried to kill them!"

"Only for us," Kate replied heatedly. "They�re innocent, Alex. They were only following orders."

So were the Nazis, he thought. Or so they said anyway. Alex narrowed his gaze. "Your orders?"

"Well�" She trailed off, finally admitting, "No. We didn�t know they had been found until after the Harvest was destroyed."

"Isn�t that kind of weird? They�ve known where to find Max and the others for a long time, Kate. Liz was hired by Whittaker for a few weeks because she knew Liz was close to him. They obviously knew who he was. Why wouldn�t they tell you? Isn�t Will their leader?"

Kate frowned, but didn�t reply. Alex could see that she was becoming upset. Not for the first time, Alex began to wonder if perhaps the Skins didn�t have an agenda of their own - one that didn�t include their own royals. And perhaps Kate was beginning to wonder the same thing, if the expression on her face was any indication.

"Why are you here?" she finally asked, shaking her head firmly, as though trying to clear it of doubt.

"Liz asked me to come pick you all up. She wants me to bring you to the Crashdown for breakfast." He shrugged when Kate�s eyes widened in surprise. "That�s Liz."

Kate smiled again. "It sounds like Rowena. She was always bullying everyone into taking care of themselves." Alex felt a shiver descend his spine. He wondered if he was ever going to get used to the fact that she was referring to Liz. It was just too weird that his best friend was suddenly someone with a whole past none of them even knew about. He was used to it with Isabel, Max and the others, but Liz had always been the grounding force in his life. She defined normal. The fact that, suddenly, none of them really knew who she was�It was upsetting in a way he couldn�t really explain, even to himself.

He forced himself to push his fear aside for the moment. He had to keep acting normally. It was the only way to keep the balancing act going. Alex knocked lightly on the bathroom door. "Are you coming?"

"Yup," Courtney replied. "I need to talk to Michael. I didn�t know for sure before that the granolith could heal me. He�ll help me once he knows."

"He won�t help you if he thinks you�re just going to turn around and tell us," Kate reminded her gently.

"I won�t tell you," Courtney said evenly. "I�m sorry, but I was brought here against my will. Whatever you thought, I haven�t changed my mind. If I can save my life, great. But I won�t betray him."

"Then you�re of no more use to us."

Alex felt someone brush past him, knocking him to the side. It was only then that he realized that the door was still open. He heard Kate exclaim, "Jack!" What happened next was so sudden, it took Alex a moment to even understand what he was seeing.

Jack had Courtney�s blonde hair wrapped around his hand, was twisting her head so that her neck was exposed. Alex moved forward as he realized that this could not be a good thing.

Because, the next thing he knew, Courtney was gone. Well, not completely gone. A pile of dust swirled in the place where she had stood.

"Jack!" Kate exclaimed in horror. "What have you done?"

"We don�t have time for traitors," Jack replied darkly. "She was a liability. I brought her here so that she could see the error of her ways, to maybe go back and get us some information. Now that we know for sure that�s not going to happen, keeping her around is pointless."

Alex realized that his mouth had fallen open in horror. He closed it abruptly, wished that he could stop his heart from beating a terrified tattoo against his chest. How had he forgotten so easily that these people were dangerous? He took a quick step backwards, wondered if he should just turn and start running.

"You had no right to do that!" Kate was yelling now. "You don�t have the authority to take matters into your own hands! What on Earth is wrong with you?"

"The fact that I�m stuck on Earth is what�s wrong with me!" Jack yelled back. "I�m tired, Kate! We�re so close, but it�s still beyond our reach. I�m just tired of it."

"You killed someone," Kate whispered, the change in tone so abrupt, it made Alex turn to look at her. He felt slightly better that she seemed as shocked as he was by what Jack had just done. How could this be the same guy he had spent time going over the finer points of Baywatch with the night before?

"This is a war," Jack reminded her, his voice now gentle. "She was a traitor. Our people need to know that we will protect them, but only as far as they protect us."

"Who are you?" Alex blinked when he realized that Kate had taken a step back too, because she was now slightly behind him, as though she was terrified. "You are not Jack."

Jack�s eyes widened. "I am so."

"You�re not. Who are you?" Kate demanded, her voice rising. "Will! Will, get in here!" Alex�s head was now ringing because she had screamed almost directly into his ear. He wondered if it was wrong that he sort of felt pleased that she thought he of all people could protect her.

Or was he so insignificant, she somehow knew that Jack would never even bother to hurt him?

"Will!" Kate screamed again.

Jack�s lip curled. "Call your precious king," he snarled, his mask falling away entirely. "He�s as weak as Zan. You�re all so stupid. Keep fighting amongst yourselves. It�s only a matter of time now."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode from the room, brushing past Will, who had finally appeared. He still had shaving cream on his face, which only accentuated the fact that none of these people had any idea of the enemy in their midst.

"What the�" Will turned his head, watching the Jack impersonator sprint away. "What�s going on?"

Alex swallowed, putting an arm around Kate�s shoulders comfortingly. She was trembling. "Jack," she whimpered. "That wasn�t Jack, Will."

And, with those words, Alex knew that the rules of this game had just changed again.

***

She awoke, her eyes gradually adjusting to the unfamiliar ceiling above her. She knew that she should recognize it. It had been her ceiling for the sixteen years she had existed on this planet after all. This morning though, she felt like she was seeing it with brand new eyes. As she sat up and looked around Liz Parker�s bedroom, she felt her heart beginning to beat more quickly. The realization that she was no longer Liz was only accentuated by the fact that this no longer felt like home.

She forced herself to rise, moving to the vanity and picked up the photograph of Liz, Maria and Alex that sat there. She knew that until she adjusted, she needed to keep the facade of Liz�s world intact. She needed to remember that these were her best friends, that Alex in particular was her ally in the game she was supposed to be playing with Khivar. It was sheer irony that because of the plan she had devised as Liz, Khivar had brought her back to herself. She didn�t even know if he knew. She had done a good job of hiding it from him last night. She knew that he hoped giving her the scarf would cause this, but he had not known for sure that it had worked.

She had seen the disappointment on his face when she managed to continue to behave like Liz. She had continued the lie, even though she felt horrible about it. She loved him after all. But she couldn�t tell him the truth. Not while he still called her Rowena.

He had always called her Rowena. She knew it wasn�t his fault, that she was the one who had allowed him to believe that it was who she was. She hadn�t even realized until last night that it had hurt her that he had never recognized that she was not his erstwhile betrothed, that he had not seen who she really was, not even after they were wed. She had not thought she minded, that it was enough to be with him. But, for some reason, it hurt now. As she raised her eyes from the photograph and stared at her human face in the mirror - at the dark hair, the even features, the small scar, the dark eyes that did not seem quite right - she wondered why.

A light knock made her turn from the mirror to the window. She felt her heart enter her throat. Zan.

He was crouched there, staring in at her, his dark eyes worried. His eyes had not changed. Why had hers?

"Liz, I know I�m not supposed to be here. I�m sorry." He swung gracefully through the window. "I couldn�t help it though. I barely slept last night. I had to come check on you."

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head and staring at him. He had never frightened her - not until the bitter end. Not until he had shot her down, and she had died in a pool of her own blood. But she was not afraid of him now. That was not his fault. His eyes were innocent, gentle again. This was Zan before they had done what they had done to him.

He stopped a foot away from her. "You were kind of weird on the phone last night," he admitted quietly. "I just wanted to make sure that none of this was getting to you."

She tried not to smile ironically, fingered the scarf still wrapped around her wrist. Were things getting to her? That was one way of putting it. She had told him she was sorry last night for her strange behavior, but he had still worried. It was what Rowena loved about him, she knew. He was always worried about her. For someone who never felt like anyone cared, Zan had been able to touch Rowena�s spirit in a way no one else ever had.

His eyes lit on the scarf she could not stop touching. He frowned. "What�s that?"

"Nothing," she replied. "Just a new look. Everyone will be wearing them soon." She smiled at his incredulous expression. "I�m fine, Max. I�m sorry you were worried. I was just really tired."

He reached out a hand, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She felt nothing. It was like being touched by her brother. How strange that Rowena loved this person. She liked him, but nothing else. Odd that two people who were so alike could love so differently. "You need to take care of yourself," he told her firmly, taking her hand in his and pulling her towards him.

She tried not to be distant. She did not want anyone to know until she was ready. She allowed him to touch his lips gently to hers, thinking of Khivar. It worked. She was warm at least.

And, yet, as he pulled back, his expression was odd. It was as though he could tell the difference. Zan had always been able to tell the difference. Perhaps that was why she felt such annoyance now that Khivar had not.

"You should go. They�re coming for breakfast." She lowered her eyes, refusing to meet his, refusing to allow him access to her innermost thoughts. He would know for sure then. She did not want to hurt him, after all. She knew how ardently he had loved Rowena. It saddened her that he would never find her.

It would be so much easier if she could just love Zan. But one could not control one�s heart. For two lifetimes, hers had beat for only one person - Khivar.

And she would tell him. Soon.

"I don�t like this plan anymore, Liz," Zan said. "I want to talk to Will."

She turned him gently, pushing him towards the window. "And I�ll arrange it. You just need to be patient, Max. I swear that it�s going well. It may even be today."

"Liz, it has to be today," Zan insisted. "I just know that something really bad is about to happen. Will and I need to get past our differences and work together."

"I�ll try, Max. But I want you to stay away from him. I�m only doing this to protect you, after all. You have to let me make the decisions. I know Will. You don�t. Don�t you trust me?" That sounded exactly like something Liz Parker would say. She was pleased with herself.

Zan sighed heavily. "Of course I trust you." He reached out, pulling her against him again. "I just really hate this plan. Even pretending that we�re enemies�It�s wrong."

"We were never enemies," she whispered against his chest.

"What?" He pulled back slightly, looking down at her curiously.

"We could never be enemies," she said quickly. "It will all work out."

"Okay." He kissed her once more. She was relieved that it was short and sweet. Every time it happened she felt like she was betraying both Khivar and Rowena. But until she figured out what to do, she needed to keep this charade alive.

It was only after he was gone that she admitted the truth to herself. She did not want to lose Khivar. She knew now, just as she had known then, that if he understood who she really was, he would no longer love her. Because it was Rowena he had loved - Rowena he did love.

If he found out that she was not her sister, she would lose him. And, for that reason, Serena of Valonia could not exist. Not ever again.

Part 20

"Michael." Max grimaced as he watched his best friend beat down the fire that had erupted on the grill in front of him when he sent bacon grease splattering everywhere in his impatience to finish the order he was working on.

"I�m a little busy here, Maxwell," Michael ground out through gritted teeth. Max could see that Michael was trying to covertly use his powers to put the fire out, without letting the other cook see, but that he was only making things worse in his frustration. Jos� hadn�t yet noticed the problem from where he was sticking alien headed toothpicks into the omelettes on the pass-through, but if Michael kept making the flames bigger rather than putting them out, this state of affairs could not last.

Max hurried forward, muttering to his friend, "Cover me."

Michael moved aside quickly, positioning himself so that he stood between Jos� and the grill. Max took a deep breath and turned his concentration inward, calling upon one of his gifts - he still wasn�t exactly sure how he put out fires - to extinguish the flames. He was glad to do it. It forced him to focus his thoughts entirely on something that would have a satisfying outcome, even if it was a fairly insignificant one, something that had been sadly lacking in his life over the past weeks.

He was starting to realize that the supreme irony of his life was that, despite the inherent part of his personality that craved order and control, he rarely, if ever, achieved it. It was something Max was slowly coming to accept, mainly because he always felt in control of his own feelings, especially when it came to Liz. But, after that strange little interlude they had just shared in her bedroom, he was beginning to wonder if he had lost the certainty of even that.

Something was wrong between them - wrong in a way unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It wasn�t like when he had taken his step back last Christmas, or when Liz had walked away from him at the pod chamber. It wasn�t even like when he had felt his world ending a couple of weeks before when he caught her in bed with Kyle. In each of those situations at least one of them had been the instigator of the breakdown of their connection. There had been a direct cause and effect for the severing of their bond. One which had never worked anyway. Because, even over the past two weeks - without a doubt the worst weeks he had ever lived - the connection had never been extinguished. He had still been tuned into her, was still bonded to her in their unique way. It was why he had known deep down that she was lying about the whole Kyle thing, even if he hadn�t realized right away that he did know it.

This morning was different though. It freaked him out because when he had kissed Liz, he had felt absolutely nothing. No connection, no meeting of souls, not even any warmth. He knew last night, speaking to her on the phone, that she was not all right, knew it even following Alex�s reassurance, and, yet, he hadn�t done anything about it. And now something had happened. The worst part of the whole thing was that he had absolutely no idea what.

Max lowered his hand, staring down at the sizzling grill with unseeing eyes. He swallowed as he was forced to admit to himself that it wasn�t true. He did know.

Something had happened between her and Will. Max had gone with his heart and had trusted that there was no way that another guy - any other guy, even her past-life husband - could come between them and his heart had betrayed him. He had lost her.

There had been no connection, no flashes to tell him that his fears were justified, but somehow he knew he was right. Things had shifted in the space of twelve hours. She was no longer his Liz.

He was surprised that it didn�t hurt more. Maybe he had been expecting it all along, or at least since he had seen the instant bond between Liz and the mysterious newcomer in Bio the day before. Maybe she had been doing him a favour with the whole pretending to sleep with Kyle thing. He had already experienced complete devastating heart-break once. Once more, this time for real, seemed like old hat now.

Maybe it was just plain, simple shock - it hadn�t sunk in yet.

"Maxwell, what the hell�s wrong with you?" Michael asked under his breath. "What�s happened?"

Max turned his head, looking at Michael. Why had he come in here again? Oh yeah. To ask his second-in-command (why did it still sound completely ludicrous to Max to think of Michael in that way?) to find Isabel and tell her what was going on. His sister had somehow managed to make it out of the house before him this morning, something that either heralded impending nuclear war, or an early-morning fire sale at the mall, and he still hadn�t managed to fill her in on the current situation. Now, with his present course set, he wasn�t going to have time to look for her himself.

"Nothing�s wrong," Max replied firmly. He chose not to reflect on why he was keeping what had just happened between him and Liz quiet. Maybe it was still shock. Or maybe it was because he couldn�t bear to admit that his faith in her had been betrayed. But he knew deep down that neither of these reasons explained it.

He just didn�t want anyone to blame her anymore. She couldn�t help what was meant to be, what she felt, anymore than he could. He knew now that he had been destined to love her - that Zan must have lusted after Rowena in their past lives and Liz had been fooled by it for a time in this one. It even made sense. Rowena had obviously loved her husband Khivar and Zan had been so insane with jealousy, he had gone crazy and had destroyed her planet and then everyone they both loved. It even explained the insight he had received in his connection from Kate the night before - that Zan had not always been evil, that he had changed somehow. It was why Kate�s grisly demise had been even more shocking to her. She had never expected such a thing of Zan. He had changed because he had been rejected by the only person he had ever wanted. Love spurned - it was almost a clich�!

Now Rowena had found her real soul mate again and things were returning to the way they were meant to be. Max had been right once upon a time when he had told Liz that they didn�t belong together. They never had. He had lived Zan�s dream for several exhilarating, wonderful months, but now it was over.

It still amazed him that those few short minutes in her bedroom had told him all this. But the emptiness between them had been so complete, so unlike anything he had ever felt in her presence before, there had been no kidding himself any longer. Whatever it was that had bonded them from the instant he had seen her in the playground that day long ago, whatever it was that had made the connection real for her as well after the healing, was just gone.

He had lost her and now he had to concentrate on making sure it wasn�t for nothing. He would fix the mistakes of that other person he had once been so that all the pain she had suffered in that life - and in this one - could finally be replaced by the happiness she deserved.

There was only one thing he could do now. He was going to surrender. He was going to concede the battle before it was even fought. In more ways than one. He would do it for Liz. She didn�t need him any longer and neither did Antar. It would be better for everyone if he just gave in.

Max shook his head, focusing on Michael, knowing that he couldn�t tell him exactly what he planned. Michael would blow a gasket and would also likely do something to stop him. Max�s mind was made up. For once he would act like the king they all wanted him to be. He would do the right thing. He would not allow anyone to stop him - not even Michael. "I need you to find Izzy. Then I need you two to meet me at the motel. Fill her in on the way."

"What?" Michael�s surprise was evident in his voice. "What about the plan? The idiotic plan you said no one was allowed to argue with?"

"Screw the plan," Max told him evenly. "We�re going to finish this once and for all. I just can�t do this anymore, Michael."

"Okay, slow down." Michael grabbed Max by the shoulder and pushed him physically into the break room. "I�ll be back in a sec, Jos�. Watch those eggs," he called over his shoulder. "Talk," Michael ordered him as soon as they were somewhat isolated.

Max met his best friend�s eyes steadily. "Michael, I can�t get into it right now. Are you with me or not?"

Michael scowled, staring at him for a long moment and then said, "You know I am."

"Good. Find Isabel and then pick up Tess. I�ll meet you there."

"What about the others?" Michael called after him.

Max paused, thinking about it for a moment, then said over his shoulder, "I don�t want them involved in this. It will all be over soon enough. They can find out after."

"The sheriff is going to be pissed," Michael warned him.

"Fine. Let him be pissed. This is my war, not his. He�ll get over it. Besides, once I do what I have to do, all the excess�" Max paused, then sighed and continued, "Czechoslovakians will be leaving anyway."

"Maxwell, I don�t understand. If you�ve figured out a way to get them all out of Dodge, why didn�t you tell us yesterday?" Michael demanded impatiently.

"What I�m going to do wasn�t possible yesterday," Max explained quietly. "But everything�s changed now."

"Max�"

"Michael," Max cut him off. "Just do it. Please." With that, he pushed his way through into the alley, only to be brought to an abrupt halt.

In spite of his new resolve, he still wasn�t prepared to find himself face to face with Will. He was ready to go meet his enemy on his own terms, but had not expected to be the one sought out. Because as his eyes met Will�s piercing blue gaze, he knew that he was exactly who the other guy had come looking for.

Apparently he wasn�t the only one ready for a reckoning. The sheer irony of this was not lost on Max. Had Will waited another hour, he would have had the King of Antar exactly where he wanted him. Max sighed in resignation. So much for ending this peacefully. This was just not good, especially considering how well his last face to face encounter with Will had gone. The expression on the other guy�s face did not bode well that this meeting would end any differently.

Max clenched and unclenched a fist at his side, ready to throw up his shield at a moment�s notice. He knew that if Will really intended to kill him, the shield wouldn�t do much in the long run, but he would try anyway. He might be ready to end the farce that he ever could have been a king, or that he could ever have truly found happiness with Liz, especially after knowing that any future for the two of them would end in disaster (hadn�t he even come back from the future to tell her so after all?), but it didn�t mean he wanted to die. He had not lied to Liz the night before when he had admitted that sometimes he thought it might be the easiest thing, to give up completely, but he also knew that he was too much of a coward to take that route. He was no Marc Antony, ready to fall on his sword. His experience with Pierce had more than reinforced this fact.

And yet you�re willing to give up on Liz and on your birthright. Max grimaced as the annoying small voice in the back of his head reappeared. Like he had time for doubts about that at the moment!

"Can I help you?" he asked Will wearily, trying to hide the fear that was churning in the pit of his stomach. He was not proud of the fact that he was afraid of this guy, but he was. It wasn�t pleasant facing someone you knew wanted you dead, whether you were willing to give up your throne or not. The hatred and jealousy Max felt for Will, or Khivar, or whoever he was, really almost counteracted it, but not quite.

"Don�t play games with me, Zan. You know why I�m here." Will�s voice was quiet, but with an underlying steeliness that Max couldn�t help but admire. He sounded like a king dammit. He wished he could do that. But, then, he had never asked to be a leader. Will had been born to it, always knowing who he was.

"I really don�t," Max replied. "If it�s to see Liz, I�m not going to try and stop you."

Will�s eyes narrowed at that. "Not that you could, but I admit I�m surprised. I was equally surprised to hear last night that you let Rowena come back to see me. It was a stupid plan, Zan. She told me the truth almost immediately. Rowena cannot lie."

"It wasn�t my plan. But it�s not my job to tell Liz what she can or cannot do," Max said. Not that I don�t wish it was. He was trying to control that side of his nature, the side that wanted to keep the people he loved safe and close at all times. He couldn�t run their lives. It didn�t mean he didn�t wish he could sometimes. If Liz hadn�t gone last night, would she still have been so cold this morning? Would he still have his false claim to her? Because any sort of connection with Liz at the moment would have been just enough to make him want to deal with this. But the fact that he was standing right under her balcony, and that she was likely still in her bedroom, and that he still felt nothing�it was not reassuring.

There was a long silence as Will stared at him. Max did his best not to squirm beneath the close examination. He might be scared but he was not going to show it. "You don�t fool me with this innocent teenager act you know," Will finally said. "You�ve fooled even my sister now, but not me. Never me."

"I�m not trying to fool you," Max snapped. "And I really don�t care what you think of me. It doesn�t change what I was just on my way to tell you."

"What I have to do to get my cousin back." Will�s blue eyes, which Max was beginning to realize, as he spent more time taking their measure, were strangely like Tess�s, flashed with anger. Because of this analysis, it took him a moment to absorb what the other guy was saying.

"Your cousin?"

Will didn�t have a chance to answer though, because the air next to him started to shimmer. Max watched with interest, although he already knew what was going to happen. He was proven right when a moment later Kate appeared out of thin air. Nor was she alone. Alex was with her, looking slightly green.

"Well, it beats the bus," Max friend muttered, shaking his dark head, as though to clear it.

"Will!" Kate practically shrieked. "Are you crazy? What are you doing here alone? This is dangerous! Rowena told you she would handle it."

"Getting Jack back," Will answered mildly, not even deigning to look at his sister.

Max sighed, looking at Alex, and starting to get a little annoyed. Something had obviously happened and it seemed that he was being blamed for it. "I don�t suppose you could translate for me?"

Alex sounded more tired than Max felt as he explained, "So, I�m guessing you know that the plan is kaputsky?" When Max just rolled his eyes in acknowledgment, Alex continued, "They�re a four square too." Max nodded, it being exactly what Michael had guessed the night before. "Jack is the fourth. He�s disappeared, but not before dusting Courtney."

Max felt a pang of sorrow at the news that Courtney had passed away. He hoped that it was mostly out of compassion, although he suspected, if he were to truly self-analyze, it was because he had wanted more information out of her before she died. This fact did not reassure him that he had changed much in this life after all. He did feel sorry for Michael though. His best friend would be upset by the news. But he knew there had been no way they could help her. Perhaps it had been merciful that she had been killed before she could simply shred away to nothing.

"You know who he is," Will interrupted.

"And that wasn�t Jack," Kate insisted. "I told you that, Alex. There is no way he would have done that."

"No, that�s more Zan�s style." Will narrowed his eyes again. Max shifted uncomfortably. Those eyes�they felt like two beacons attempting to glean the secrets of his soul. "After all, we know that you�re still allied with the Wendarians. Sending in a shapeshifter to hide the fact that you�ve kidnapped our fourth would be a good way to screw with us, wouldn�t it?"

"It would," Max conceded. "If I had an army of shapeshifters at my disposal. Of course, I don�t, and the only one I did have was killed." He paused, glared, suddenly no longer willing to just stand there and take the accusations. He might be a psycho killer waiting to be unleashed, but he hadn�t done anything yet, and he was tired of people saying he had. "Oh, right. By your people." Good. Just enough sarcasm there. Even Michael would be proud.

"Deny it all you want. I know it was you." Will raised a hand threateningly. "Tell me where he is and I�ll kill you quickly."

"Okay!" Alex stepped forward, his hands raised. He turned so that his back was facing Max, effectively blocking him from Will. "There is going to be no blasting. I told you already, I know that Max did not do this. Liz told you that she knew it."

"You talked to Liz," Max demanded. "When? I was just with her a few minutes ago."

"Er�" Alex grimaced. "Well�"

"What he doesn�t want to tell you is that Rowena and I have reestablished our psychic link." Max turned his head and stared at Will, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. "I woke up this morning to the pleasant sensation of having her back completely. She�s no longer blocking me." The arrogant expression on his face was enough to seriously make Max have second thoughts about this whole surrendering business. What had he been thinking? This guy didn�t deserve Liz!

"Max�" Alex said warningly, as though he could see the pleasant thought Max was entertaining that consisted of sending various parts of Will splattering against the concrete walls of the Crashdown. He knew that both Isabel and Michael had blown people to smithereens at various times. Why couldn�t he?

Because neither Michael or Isabel has forgiven themselves for taking those lives - even though they were evil ones, that damn annoying voice reminded him. And as much as you despise him, you know that Will isn�t.

Max scowled. As pissed off as it made him, he did know it. Because he knew that Liz would never trust someone who was evil and she trusted Will. Bloody hell. Max had lost her, yes, but it didn�t mean that she still wasn�t the person whose opinion he most respected in the world. If she had chosen this guy, then he could not be bad.

"Big bad Zan wants to come out and play," Will muttered, not quite loud enough that it could truly be considered a taunt, but close enough. Max gritted his teeth, but ignored him, deciding to focus on Kate, who had by now established a death grip on her brother�s arm. Max smirked slightly because she was apparently using her nails if the flash of pain that crossed Will�s face was any indication.

If there was one thing Max couldn�t stand it was a poor winner. If he had hated Will before, the depths of his antipathy could not now be measured.

"I don�t know where your cousin is," he told Kate evenly. "I�m sorry." He paused, then said, shocking even himself, "Do you need my help to find him? I was bringing the others to see you all anyway." Kate looked like she wanted to interrupt for more information about that, but Max pressed on resolutely, although he still didn�t quite know what he was doing, "We know this town better than you do. I can have a search party ready in half an hour."

Will snorted at that but Kate�s expression softened. "Why would you do that?"

"For Liz," Alex guessed, looking flabbergasted at Max�s offer. "It�s for Liz, isn�t it?"

"If someone has taken your cousin, my guess is that they can�t be very friendly to anyone I care about," Max replied. But Alex was right, of course. It was for Liz. Because she would care about this Jack character having gone missing. Max just knew that she would. "And let�s just say that I really want to find out what the hell is going on around here. Because if there�s a rogue shapeshifter running around, I need to know about it." He paused, then added, "Being as they�re supposedly on my side." Not that it had ever done them any good.

Will did not look convinced but Kate actually smiled, "Thank you, Zan."

"It�s Max," he replied firmly. "I�m not Zan."

Her blue eyes met his steadily. "You are." He blinked when her voice was abruptly in his thoughts. And it�s not all bad.

Max frowned, but didn�t have time to pursue the comment because the back door to the restaurant flew open at that moment. He felt his heart start to beat more quickly as Liz came through, a slightly harried expression on her face. "Sorry! I meant to be here sooner but I was on the phone with Maria. She�s heading over." She looked at Alex meaningfully. "We have some bridges to mend there," she sighed.

Max could not take his eyes off her. It was the moment of truth. How would she behave with both him and Will standing right in front of her?

Somehow, in spite of it all, he was not surprised when she came and stood next to him. He had known that it was what would happen. Because neither she nor Will knew that he was aware that she was shut off from him, that the connection had been broken. Whatever was going on between the two of them, Max knew that Liz would not want to hurt him. And Will would understand because it was who Liz was. It sounded like it was who Rowena had been as well.

She had always been kind. And until she had a chance to let him down easily, a chance to fix things for them all, she would not betray that she no longer wanted him. She would pretend for a while, but she would tell him the truth eventually. Wasn�t it why he had finally made her tell him the truth about sleeping with Kyle? The whole lying thing had been tearing her apart. She just could not do it anymore.

Liz could not lie for long. She just did not have it in her. And, as this thought passed through his mind, as he tried to ignore the way his heart was literally breaking in his chest, he blinked abruptly.

Because, it was only then that Max realized something that had been staring him in the face for close to ten minutes. As Liz moved closer to him, he felt his eyes widen. He had heard it twice and it still hadn�t penetrated.

Liz had never followed the plan. She had never pretended to side with Will. Will had said so and Alex had confirmed it. But last night on the phone, and again this morning, Liz had acted as though everything was still going according to plan.

She had lied to him. And even if the connection had been broken, he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was the last thing she would ever do. Not again. Not after the hell they had been through over the past few weeks and not even if she no longer loved him. In fact, if the latter was true, she would have just told him. He knew that she would have. Because if he had felt the connection end, she had to have too. She would know that he knew it was over between them. Which could only mean one thing.

This girl was not Liz Parker.