Part 41

Max was still on his knees, where he had remained after Will�s attack. He was staring at Kate in shock, his fists clenched at his sides. He almost wished that they had just let Kate�s brother pummel him. Anything was better than the guilt and grief he was presently feeling.

He had barely known Kate, and, yet, he felt that he did. He knew that she had been important to him in his past life, and he had the feeling that it soon would have been the case in this one as well. Her kindness, courage and strength had been more than obvious. He would have recognized them even without having made a connection with her the day before.

She was one of them. And now she was gone.

What had gone wrong? This wasn�t supposed to happen. He had been afraid coming here, but he had never really doubted that they would all come of it alive. No one was supposed to die. He had not even thought of the possibility that some of them might not come back. He was the healer. He was supposed to be able to save them. If he couldn�t, what was the point of even possessing this gift?

"We need to get out of here."

The silence that had fallen over the room when they all realized that Kate could not be saved was broken by Whittaker.

It brought Max back to himself. He didn�t have time to grieve for Kate right now. As much as they all wanted to, it was not the moment. It was his job to make sure that the rest of them got out of there alive. He looked to his left, where Nasedo�s body, in the form of Agent Pierce, lay in a heap. It was the first time Max had noticed him there. He shuddered, whether in disgust or because of a remnant of the horror that face still engendered, he couldn�t be sure.

"There is no rush," Grant said mildly. "The guards are contained." Max glanced at the guard standing in the doorway, looked at Grant again, raising his eyebrows. "Rylan is loyal to Ava," the shapeshifter told him. He stared at Max, then at Tess to include her. Max understood abruptly that they shouldn�t reveal to the guard that they knew that Tess wasn�t really Zan�s Knosian bride. "The rest of them will be too when they understand that Nasedo was threatening her," Grant added. "They are all from Knosis."

"What about Nasedo?" Isabel demanded. Max�s sister was kneeling beside Alex, her arm around his shoulders. Their dark-haired friend was still holding Kate�s lifeless body tenderly, his head lowered. "What are we going to do with him?"

"He will no longer be a problem," Grant told her grimly. And, then, before any of them could say or do anything, he moved to Nasedo�s side. Dropping down beside the unconscious man, Grant placed his hand firmly on his fellow shapeshifter�s chest and burned a hole right through him. Max felt his eyes widen as Nasedo shifted, seemingly by reflex, to the infamous large-eyed, grey alien shape - and then disintegrated into a pile of dust.

Max met Isabel�s gaze. She looked as shocked as he felt. "No one told you to do that," Max said, his voice steadier than he expected it to be.

"This is war, your highness," Grant told him. "There is no quarter to be given. He would not have given you any. In fact, he has not. He has made it his life�s work to assure that you never reclaim your throne." He looked around at the assembled group, including them all in his statement. "This is true of any of you. Once he had his hands on all of you, it would have been the end of any hope of healing the breach in our galaxy."

Max swallowed, then looked at Will, who was standing stiffly next to Whittaker. He was staring unseeing in front of him, his lack of concern about any of this quite obvious.

"He is right, Zan." Max frowned at Whittaker, who spoke softly. "He would have only come after you again. There was no choice."

"Then why didn�t you do it a long time ago?" Isabel demanded, glaring at Grant. "You�re our protector? Some job you�ve been doing!"

Max saw Grant flinch. "I have been protecting you to the best of my ability, princess," he said quietly. "Nasedo could not die until I was sure exactly where everyone�s loyalties lay." He glanced briefly at Will, frowned, then looked at Whittaker. "There is no more doubt. We are all on the same side."

"Then why did she kidnap Tess?" Isabel was unwilling to let Grant off so easily. Max wondered how his sister was dealing with the fact that the man she had been dating had been lying about his true identity. And she didn�t even know about his real interest in her. Max felt a flash of disgust. He didn�t want Isabel to have anything to do with Grant after this was all over, but there was no doubt that his sister had been attracted to him. He, Max, might not have any say in the matter.

Grant glanced at the guard standing next to him again, then at Tess, who was watching the whole scene with a slightly bewildered expression on her pretty face. "We cannot get into that now," he stated firmly. "Let it go."

"I won�t!" Isabel snapped. "I�m tired of being lied to!"

"Isabel," Max interrupted. She glared at him, and opened her mouth to argue again. "Not now. Please." Her mouth snapped shut, but her dark eyes continued to glint with her outrage.

"I�m sorry, Isabel," Whittaker said, her voice reflecting that she meant it. "It will all become clear in time. For now, we need to get Kate back to the granolith."

Max started. He couldn�t believe he hadn�t thought of it himself.

The granolith is life.

Kate�s words filtered through his mind, lightening his heart in a way he had never expected to feel again. Not after losing one of their own because he had been too confident in his own ability to protect them all. That with him around, none of them could ever die.

He had learned a valuable lesson here today, but the feeling to which Whittaker�s reminder gave birth meant that maybe it wouldn�t be at the expense of someone who did not deserve to die. Not again.

Because what he was feeling was hope. Maybe it could all still be fixed.

Max had been sure that he was going to carry the burden of Kate�s innocent death for the rest of his life. Was there a chance that it didn�t have to be permanent?

"Can she�" He trailed off, barely daring to voice the words. He didn�t want to get anyone�s hopes up after all.

Whittaker�s blue eyes met his. "Yes," she said. "She can be brought back. But it must be soon, or I�m going to have to start from scratch. This human body won�t remain viable to receive her essence for very long."

Alex�s head had snapped up at the words, She can be brought back. Max watched his friend�s face light up as Whittaker spoke. He looked at Isabel, who was watching Alex, a strangely resigned expression on her face. Max frowned slightly. He hoped that his sister wasn�t beginning to realize what she had let slip away from her. It was obvious that something good had grown between Kate and Alex, but the idea that his sister might be hurt by it saddened him. And, yet, he did understand that perhaps it was no less than Isabel deserved. He loved his sister, but she had not treated Alex very well over the last months.

Of course, none of this mattered unless Kate could be brought back. He couldn�t believe he was even wasting his time thinking about it.

"Let�s get out of here," Max said, determined that, in spite of what it might mean for all of them in the long run, Kate Spencer would get her second - well, third, he amended wryly to himself - chance at life.

Grant commandeered one of Nasedo�s vehicles for the drive back to the pod chamber. Max was relieved. It meant that he, Isabel and Tess could ride together in the Jeep. He wanted the chance to talk to his sister alone.

It was not meant to be though. They freed the remaining Knosians from their cells, Tess ordering them to stand down and remain in the compound until she returned. They complied to this only after it was agreed that Rylan would accompany her to the pod chamber. Max had a feeling that this would not turn out to be a positive. They were going to have to get rid of him at some point, because they wouldn�t be able to talk freely with him around. Once he found out that Tess wasn�t really Ava, there would likely be hell to pay.

Max wasn�t happy about letting Alex ride in the truck with Will, Jack, Whittaker and Grant either, but his friend refused to leave Kate. Since they couldn�t exactly expect Will and Jack not to ride with her, Max was forced to allow it. He had a feeling that Alex wouldn�t have taken orders from him anyway. Alex had changed over the past few days, becoming more sure of himself and entirely self-reliant. Will and Jack seemed to trust him far more than the rest of them anyway.

It struck Max abruptly that Kate�s revival wasn�t only necessary for her own sake. Although one might have assumed that it was Liz who held their tentative alliance with the Sardicans firm, in reality, Kate was just as important. They were all slipping naturally into the roles they had played in their past lives without even noticing.

Max wasn�t sure if this was a good thing or not.

He was about to put the Jeep into gear when Whittaker appeared at his elbow. He turned his head and stared at her, aware of Isabel stiffening beside him in the passenger seat.

"Can I come with you?" she asked. "There are some things we need to discuss before we get back there."

Max narrowed his eyes and examined her carefully. He had no idea who she was, really. And, yet, her steady gaze convinced him to say, "Get in."

They all sat silently for several long minutes, until Max pulled onto the highway.

"So, I suppose you�re wondering who I am?" Whittaker finally asked.

"I�m wondering why you�re still alive," Isabel snapped, turning her head and glaring at the "congresswoman."

"I think I can explain that," Tess said meekly from her seat in the middle, Rylan on her left and Whittaker on her left. "I�m sorry, Isabel. That was me. I made you think you�d done it."

"What?" Isabel exclaimed.

Max felt his jaw tighten. He didn�t say anything though, just glanced at Tess in the rear-view mirror. She met his eyes, her dismay obvious.

"I forgot to mention one other time I might have messed with you guys," she admitted. "I�m sorry, Max. I swear I just forgot. I really was kidnapped. But, by the time Isabel came to find me, Nasedo had replaced Whittaker. That was when he took her captive."

Max sighed. "Fine, Tess. I believe you." He could feel Isabel�s eyes on him. He glanced at his sister. She was staring at him incredulously. He didn�t blame her. But, then, she had missed a lot while she had been held by Nasedo. "Iz, trust me. It�s a long story." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully, nodding slightly in the direction of Rylan, who was already eyeing him suspiciously, as though ready to jump to Tess�s defense.

Isabel pressed her lips together, but nodded slightly. She was much more interested in interrogating Whittaker anyway, as was proven by her next question. "Why did you kidnap Tess? Who are you? You�re obviously not a Skin," she added pointedly.

Max blinked, but kept his eyes on the road. He realized that Isabel was right though. There had been absolutely no indication that Whittaker was peeling away. But the Skins had covered for her in Copper Summit. She had to be linked to them somehow.

"I don�t wear a skin," Whittaker explained patiently. "I�m not Sardican in my make-up. I don�t need one."

"So, you�re a shapeshifter?" Isabel prompted. "Is that why you look human?"

"No, I�m Valonian. I look human because that is the form you expect to see."

Max glanced at Isabel again. She looked as confused by that as he felt. "What?"

"Valonians are not shapeshifters. We are a race born to mediate. We have always been the balancing planet in our galaxy, a race of diplomats. For that reason, we have the ability to appear to others as they would like us to appear."

Isabel gasped slightly. "Max! Doesn�t that remind you of something?"

He shrugged, having no idea what she was talking about. "Should it?"

"Don�t you remember what our mother said to us in the orb message?" Isabel demanded, sounding annoyed.

Max grimaced. He realized that he didn�t really remember very well. He had been trying to forget it ever since, after all. Not to mention, immediately following having heard it that one and only time, Liz had ripped his heart right out of his chest, so he thought he could be forgiven for having been a bit preoccupied. "Er�"

Isabel sighed in exasperation. "She told us that she looked human because it would make us feel more comfortable!"

"That would make sense," Whittaker assured her. "Your mother was Valonian. She was the king�s distant cousin. It was she who arranged your betrothal to Rath."

Max could see that Isabel was fascinated by this piece of information. Max found it interesting, but he was sure not in the same way his sister did. Diane Evans was his mother. He was more concerned with finding out exactly what it meant that Whittaker admitted that she was Valonian - the same race as Rowena.

Max took a deep breath, then blurted, "Nasedo said into the radio that he was dealing with Rowena."

"I�m not Rowena," Whittaker replied. She sounded so firm about it, Max glanced back at her over his shoulder. She was staring at him, her gaze completely open and honest. "Rowena is dead. She died on Valonia when Zan�s clone had it destroyed."

"So then Grant was telling the truth about that?" Tess asked. "That wasn�t really Zan?"

"No," Whittaker assured her.

"That�s it?" Max demanded. "No?"

"I won�t go into it now," Whittaker explained. "You will learn it all yourself through the granolith. It will convince you of the truth better than I ever could." Max heard the compassion in her voice. He wondered at it. He was surprised when she continued, "I know it troubles you, Max, all the stories you have likely heard over the past few days about how horrible Zan was. If I could have stopped Will and the others from making contact with you when I could not be there, I would have. They do not know the whole truth either. I was mistaken to live away from them as I did. Nicholas was a little too vehement in his support of my husband."

"Your husband?"

"Khivar," she said quietly.

"Khivar is your husband?" Tess exclaimed. "Then that means�" She trailed off, glanced at Rylan, then shut her mouth with a snap.

Max watched in the rear-view mirror as Whittaker reached out and picked up Tess�s hand. "Yes. You know who I am. And now I know who you are. It�s why I kidnapped you. To know for sure, although I suspected some of what had happened by what Liz told me when she was working with me. Nasedo wanted to make sure I didn�t get the chance to find out the truth. It was why he took me then. He thought me a Skin up to that point. It was a very grave error, but once I knew for certain that Liz was who she is, I had to know about you, Tess. About how it all got so mixed up."

Max glanced at Rylan nervously. The last thing they needed was for some Knosian bodyguard to flip out on them. "You found out she�s Ava," he reminded her sternly.

Whittaker simply smiled. "Indeed." Max was relieved. It was obvious that she had been in no way about to blow Tess�s cover. "Anyway, I hope that I have said enough to let you know that you can trust me." This was directed at Max.

Isabel shifted in her seat, sighing in frustration. "I don�t feel like I know anything. God! I missed so much."

"You will know, Isabel. I guarantee it," Whittaker reassured her. "The granolith will heal you and you will know, once and for all, who you really are."

Max felt a rush of guilt. With Kate and all that had followed, he had completely forgotten that his sister had been gravely tampered with during her captivity. "Iz, are you okay?"

"As long as I know that this emptiness will go away," Isabel replied, her voice trembling slightly, "I�ll be fine." Max reached out and took her hand, squeezing it lightly before letting her go again. He sometimes could not believe how strong his sister was. His will to protect her often made him forget. He knew, better than anyone, how vulnerable she really was under her ice queen persona. Yet, he was reassured that she would get through this intact - and that included whatever she might be feeling about Alex and Kate. She was strong enough to survive this.

"There will be no room for emptiness once you have experienced the granolith," Whittaker said. "It will not only heal you individually, for the granolith will only operate with all eight of you in its presence. It will tie you to each other with bonds so strong, they will never be broken again. The granolith - and the eight of you who will join together through it - are the very hope for the future of our entire galaxy."

Max swallowed, staring out the front windshield. He wondered what she�d say if he told her that he wasn�t particularly interested in being the �hope of an entire galaxy.� That all he really wanted was to be with Liz and to secure the safety of the people he loved.

But, he also knew that those things would ever happen if he refused the granolith. Because there really wasn�t a choice, was there? The granolith was his destiny. He could not curse his sister and Jack to a lifetime without the core of their being, nor would he even bear the thought that they leave Kate dead.

He could not run away. Not again. Not like he had in his last lifetime.

No wonder Zan had hated being a king. From the very moment of his birth, his life had not belonged to him at all.

Max shook his head, hard. He was starting to feel sorry for himself. He had to stop that. Because, in the end, none of this was just about him. It never had been. It was the mistake Zan had made before, the refusal to accept that sometimes actions had consequences far beyond what could be foreseen at the time. The inability to see past his own problems to how others were affected. It was the mistake that Max was determined not to make again.

He abruptly remembered something his history teacher had said at the very beginning of the term. Max hadn�t been paying close attention to school work lately, but he did like history, even more since their study of the Cuban Missile Crisis had helped him to make one of the few right decisions he had since he had found out he was a king.

Mr. LeFeber had said that if people didn�t learn from it, history always repeated itself. At the time, Max had questioned that statement. He didn�t think it was possible that people could ignore their history, that they always remembered it. And if they remembered it, didn�t they have to learn from it?

And, yet, he could see that he and the rest of his fellow aliens had already traveled far down the same road they had taken in their past lives. He more than anyone. They may not have known anything about their history at first, but even as they had learned more, they had still refused to accept that some things just could not be denied - or changed.

Zan had not wanted to be king, and so he had given up his throne. Whether on purpose or by the actions of others, he had not ruled himself and it had resulted in disaster. Everyone he loved had died and his world was in chaos to this very day. Max knew, because of Liz�s visit from that future version of himself, that it was entirely possible that it could happen here too, on his new world, his new home. That a decision to ignore his destiny could result in the end of the Earth.

His destiny might no longer include Tess, but the crux of his future had not changed. He had always overlooked the most important aspect of what his destiny meant, always so concerned about Liz and how it might be affecting her.

He was a king. He didn�t want to be a king, but he was. Accepting it couldn�t be just about trying to avoid being killed. It meant much more than that. It meant millions upon millions of people expecting him to do the right thing, to see past his own petty concerns and even past his not-so-petty concerns in order to think about what was the best way to protect them.

It was time to step up to the plate and accept that sometimes, even though it sucked, destiny just had to be accepted. That every once in a while you just had to see beyond yourself to the big picture.

He still did not want to be king. But he knew that he had no choice. He would join with the others and he would go back to Antar.

There was no choice. Not any longer. But, then, in the end, there never had been.

And, so, finally, he would make it his choice to do it well.

Part 42

"Guerin, if you don�t stop that, I�m going to kick your ass, Buddha be damned," Kyle exclaimed, making Liz heave a sigh of relief. Michael�s pacing had slowly been driving her insane too. In fact, she was beginning to get a head-ache from watching him. He had been at it since they had climbed out of the granolith close to half an hour before.

"Language, Kyle," the sheriff said mildly from the corner where he stood against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, his patience clearly greater than either Kyle or Liz�s. Liz watched Kyle give his dad an incredulous look, as though not quite believing that his father was bothering to comment on his choice of words when they were presently in the middle of an alien crisis. Liz raised her hand and covered a smile just in time. Max had been right earlier when he�d said that if they didn�t keep their senses of humour, they were all going to go crazy.

"I still don�t understand why we can�t just try," Michael complained, having thankfully paused in the midst of his 3000th trek back across the pod chamber, although apparently refusing to dignify Kyle with an answer. He was staring right at Liz, a scowl on his face.

"Michael," Liz sighed. "I told Max that we were going to try and figure the granolith out, but it�s wrong to mess with it any further until everyone�s here. We�ve already gone over this."

And they had. What was still amazing to Liz was that Michael had listened to her. She had told him not to touch anything and he had complied, even though it was obviously the last thing he wanted to do. She wasn�t quite sure what it meant, but it made her a little uncomfortable. She remembered what Maria had told her about Michael calling her "the queen" earlier. She still hadn�t quite adjusted to the idea that she was indeed a leader of some sort. Not only that, she was apparently a leader Michael had chosen to obey.

It was beyond weird.

"Plus it might be dangerous, Mr. Guerin," the sheriff was adding. "I prefer to wait until we have Grant Sorenson back here so that he can confirm that the room we found will make the granolith work."

"That�s ridiculous," Michael replied, obviously trying to modify his tone while addressing the sheriff, but still sounding a little rude. "He admitted himself that he doesn�t know how to make it run."

"Be that as it may�" The sheriff shrugged. "Humour me. At least let me pretend that you need an adult of some sort around."

Liz grimaced, exchanging a glance with Maria, who raised her eyebrows. That had been a little pointed. Liz couldn�t blame the sheriff for being annoyed at them though. They had been keeping him out of the loop lately.

"Sheriff�" she started, deciding that she owed him an apology on behalf of all of them.

His blue-eyed gaze met hers kindly. "Don�t worry about it, Miss Parker," he reassured her. "I get that maybe I�m more of a nuisance than a help sometimes. I appreciate Max trying to protect me, but I�m in this by choice. I�ve always been in by choice. If it takes some more time for you all to accept that completely, I understand."

"It�s not that we don�t trust you, Sheriff," Liz replied. "Really it isn�t. Max just doesn�t want you to end up in a situation where you find your loyalties divided." She sighed. "We haven�t always been completely law-abiding after all."

"It seems to me that the law hasn�t always been abiding either," Valenti reminded her mildly. "When the FBI did what they did to Max last spring, my loyalty was decided once and for all. You kids need someone working with you, not against you. I want to do what I can, but, in order for that to happen, I need some cooperation."

Liz glanced at Kyle, who shrugged. "I�ll talk to Max," she promised. "He just finds it really hard to ask for help."

"Well, he made a step in that direction tonight, by getting Kyle to call me," the sheriff told her. "Maybe he�s learning."

"We�re all learning a hell of a lot more than we ever wanted to," Michael muttered. "Not that�s it done us any good so far."

"Michael, will you just give it a rest?" Maria snapped. "You�re going to get your bloody answers! Why can�t you wait like everyone else? I mean, aren�t you even worried about them? They should have been back by now!"

Michael looked at her in surprise, then scowled. "Of course I�m worried! Why do you think I�m focusing on the freaking granolith? I�m trying to keep my mind off of it! My entire family is out there, Maria."

"My best friend is out there, Michael! And he�s the only one Nasedo has no need to keep alive. Has that even crossed your mind? That Alex might die because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"What are you saying, Maria?" Michael demanded. "I�ve told you a thousand times it�s not safe being with me - for any human to be with us. Are you saying you want out? Because if you want out, then get the hell out! I wasn�t the one who asked you to be here! If I remember correctly, you made that choice yourself! I�ve been trying to keep you out of this from the very beginning."

Liz felt her eyes widen. "Michael�" she warned. She could see that his face was already reddening though, like he knew he�d gone too far.

It was clear, however, that Maria wasn�t upset. She was too angry. Liz could practically see steam coming out of her best friend�s ears.

"Buddha, have mercy," Kyle muttered. "What have I done to deserve having to listen to this?"

"Guys, can we just chill please?" Liz tried again. "They�re going to be back soon. I know they are. We�re getting all worked up here. It�s not doing us any good to freak out on each other just because we�re worried."

Maria turned her back on Michael, folding her arms over her chest, and looking at Liz. "I�m sorry, Lizzie, but he just drives me nuts sometimes." She glanced over her shoulder at Michael and added pointedly, "I�m going to completely ignore everything he just said, because I know he didn�t mean a word of it, even if he wants me to think he did."

Michael pressed his lips together, clearly willing himself not to say anything further. Liz knew that the only reason he was doing it was because Maria was right. They all settled back into a tense silence. Liz saw Kyle roll his eyes when Michael started to pace again.

Fortunately for them all, it was no more than five minutes later that Liz perked up, her entire mood brightening. "They�re back!" she exclaimed. She could feel Max�s presence, knew that he was nearby. In fact, not two minutes later, the entrance to the pod chamber slid open, bringing the sun with it. Liz didn�t even notice that day had come again though. She was across the pod chamber and in Max�s arms before he even had a chance to straighten completely.

While she had known deep within her that she would have felt it if something had happened to him, it was still reassuring to be able to touch him, to know with certainty that he had returned to her in one piece. She hugged him tightly, breathing him in, her relief so great, she hadn�t realized how truly worried she was until now.

"I�m okay," he whispered. "Everything�s okay."

It was clear, when she finally pulled back, that this wasn�t entirely true. She turned her head, slightly uncomfortable for some reason. It wasn�t unexpected to discover that someone was staring at her. She met Will�s blue eyes, then blushed at the intensity with which his gaze was piercing her. She realized that this was the first time he had truly seen her with Max. The only other time they had all been in the same company, she had thought she was Serena and had been staying as far away from Max as physically possible.

Liz looked away from Will, biting her lip. She felt Max take her hand. He squeezed reassuringly, as though he understood exactly what she was thinking. She felt a rush of love for him, then returned her gaze to Will, almost defiant. He was going to have to accept that whatever he might have thought about her in the past, she was not his wife. In fact, Rowena never had been. She felt sorry for him, but it didn�t mean that she was going to hide her true feelings for Max. She had spent far too much time trying to pretend that he wasn�t her entire world. She would never do it again - not for anyone.

Will�s expression remained stony, but he looked away first.

It was then that Liz took the time to glance around the pod chamber, which was now practically bursting at the seams, with so many new people in it.

She felt her eyes widen as she took in Congresswoman Whittaker�s unexpected presence. She wasn�t entirely surprised though. There had been so many crazy revelations over the past few days, nothing shocked her now.

Alex was standing nearby, Maria still clinging to him, as though not quite believing that he was really there. Liz wanted to hug him, but she could see that he was pre-occupied. She gasped slightly when she understood why. Jack and a man Liz didn�t recognize were gently laying Kate�s lifeless body on the ground near the pods.

"Oh my God," Liz whispered, looking up at Max for an explanation. She could see the strain around his eyes as he ran a weary hand through his dark hair.

"Serena says she�ll be okay," Max said reassuringly, although Liz wondered if he was really trying to convince himself.

"Serena?" she asked, glancing over at Tess, who was standing near Kyle, the man Liz didn�t recognize now hovering behind her. Tess met her eyes. She shook her blonde head once, firmly, then looked at Whittaker.

The congresswoman smiled at Liz. "I�m Serena, Liz."

This was apparently news to Will and Jack as well, because they both turned their heads to stare at her. She nodded. "It�s true, boys. I am Serena of Valonia."

"Who the hell is Serena of Valonia?" Will demanded, his eyes narrowed. "Your name is Venora."

"It is not," she told him quietly. "Venora is an identity Nicholas and I came up with until you were ready to hear the truth."

"Are you even Sardican?" Jack asked, his tone less confrontational than Will�s.

"No," Whittaker replied. "I am Valonian." She lowered her gaze for a moment, then continued quickly, "I am Rowena�s clone."

Liz grimaced. She watched Will�s entire body go rigid with shock. She had a feeling that this was not going to go well at all. The dark-haired boy had seemed on the verge of completely losing it when she had met his eyes before. Now he started shaking slightly, as though barely controlling himself. Liz didn�t blame him. His sister was apparently dead; she, Liz had no intention of being with him; and, now, he was being told that his wife had been cloned. "Um�You know what? I think I need to talk to Will - alone. Is it safe to go outside?"

Liz felt Max tense through where they were still joined by their hands. "It�s okay," she said to him softly, looking up and meeting his eyes.

He frowned slightly, but nodded, "It�s safe." He looked at Whittaker. "Let Liz tell him the truth. You and I need to get the granolith ready."

"Oh, that reminds me," Liz said. She had already moved away from Max, and had taken Will by the hand and was leading him towards the pod chamber entrance. He slipped away from her in her distraction, preceding her out. "We found out how to make the granolith work. Well, Maria did," she amended. Liz glanced at Michael, smiling slightly. "Michael can show you." And, then, she realized even that wasn�t necessary. "Or I guess Serena can." She looked over at Whittaker, who was still watching Will, a worried expression on her face. She seemed to become aware of Liz�s regard, however, and nodded.

Meeting Max�s gaze once more, Liz smiled at him reassuringly. He was still frowning, but he managed to smile back.

Moments later she was breathing the fresh air of a bright New Mexico morning. She had been in the pod chamber for close to half a day. It was a relief to get out of there. Not that she was particularly excited to have this conversation. But she was looking for small blessings.

Having exited the pod chamber before her, when Liz emerged, Will was standing on the edge of the cliff, staring off into the distance. Now he turned back, his expression inscrutable.

"So, what are you supposed to be explaining to me?" Will asked. He was no longer confrontational, or even upset. He just sounded exhausted. "My sister is dead. My wife is in love with my enemy. I think I pretty much get it."

"You don�t get it," Liz told him firmly. She wasn�t going to beat around the bush with him. He needed to know the truth, and he needed it now, before this entire affair became even more entangled. "I�m not your wife, Will. I was never your wife. I�m sorry to have to tell you this, but it�s the truth. Rowena and Khivar were never married."

He stared at her dully. "Really? Oh well, then, everything�s fine. I�ll just turn off all these memories and everything will be great." His tone was sarcastic, but Liz could tell that he didn�t really mean it - that he didn�t really care anymore.

"You don�t understand," Liz said, softening slightly. "Your memories are real. Khivar thought he was married to Rowena, but he was really married to her clone. To Serena. He was deceived. " She paused briefly, then decided that he had to know everything. "Tess is Serena."

"What?" Will demanded. That had gotten a reaction. In fact, he was beginning to look at her like she might be insane.

"It�s true." She stepped forward, reaching out to take his hand, no longer able to bear how solitary he seemed. "The marriage scarf that you gave me�It made her remember."

"That makes no sense," he insisted. "She�s Ava. Why would they send two Rowenas? Zan was married to Ava."

"Don�t you understand?" Liz asked. "There were always two of them. Rowena cloned herself and sent her clone to be your wife."

"Why? Why would she do that?" Will demanded. "She loved me."

Liz lowered her gaze, searching for a way to make him understand. "She did love Khivar, Will. She wanted him to be happy, but she knew that she could never make him happy. Because she didn�t love him in the same way he loved her. She couldn�t."

There was a long moment of silence. She raised her eyes to meet his. He was staring at her, comprehension dawning on his face. "They were right," he finally muttered, "I can�t believe it, but they actually guessed right. I should have known. When has she ever been wrong?"

"Who?" Liz asked, concerned by the way his face was freezing over.

"Kate and Alex," Will replied. "They guessed that this was what happened. That Rowena was in love with Zan. I couldn�t believe it because I remember the way she was with me." He shook his head. "But it wasn�t even her. No wonder."

"I�m sorry."

He focused on her, then frowned. "Why are you sorry? It�s not your fault, Liz. None of this has ever been your fault."

"But, in a way, it is my fault," Liz argued. "I�m her."

"No," Will insisted. "You�re not. I�m only beginning to realize how much we aren�t them." He pulled his hand from hers, and moved away. He stared out across the desert again.

Liz watched him silently for a few moments. She could see the tension in the line of his back, and wondered what he was thinking. Finally, she couldn�t wait any longer. After all, they only had a limited amount of time. Soon they were going to have to return to the pod chamber - return to the granolith - and they would know the truth once and for all.

"Will?" she asked tentatively.

He didn�t turn to look at her, but he started to speak quietly - so quietly, Liz had to step forward in order to hear him. "I knew. Somehow I�ve known all along. But I ignored what I knew to be true from the moment I understood that you were in love with him. I was sure that he had tricked you, or was using you. And, so, I played dirty."

Liz felt her heart go out to him. "Will, you didn�t. You�ve only ever been kind to me. I knew from the moment I met you that you would never hurt me, that I could trust you."

He turned, his eyes fierce. "You don�t understand. You can�t trust me. I�m an awful person. You have no idea the stuff I�ve done, Liz."

"It can�t be that bad," Liz insisted. She couldn�t have been so wrong about him, could she? She had felt attached to him from the moment she met him, and her gift was supposed to be the ability to truly see people. It was why she had never allowed her friends� doubts about him to sway her belief that he would never hurt her. And, yet, now here he was admitting that he had. She was already beginning to feel a little scared. What had he done?

"Liz, I gave you that scarf knowing full well what it could do to you," Will told her.

Liz felt her eyes widen. "What?" she gasped.

"I thought you were Rowena, and I knew that it might bring her out. That you might get lost in the process. Nicholas told me that when he gave it to me. I wanted you so badly, I was willing to do anything to make you remember me. The fact that it didn�t doesn�t make it any better. "

She took a step backwards, disbelieving. "Oh my God. Will!"

"I�m sorry," he said, looking away again. "I know you won�t believe it, but I am sorry. I�m just glad you weren�t hurt."

"Will, it did work," Liz told him. "I can�t believe you did that to me!"

He stared at her. "It worked? I don�t understand."

"All of yesterday, I was someone else. The only one who knew it was Max. He knows me so well, he could tell almost immediately. What happened only confirmed what I�m telling you now. I wasn�t Rowena when it happened. I was Serena. For a while, I was your wife, but it wasn�t me."

She watched him carefully as he absorbed this. He looked momentarily shocked, and then just confused. Finally, he sighed. "I�m just so sorry, Liz. You have no idea how sorry I am," he finished bitterly. He met her eyes. "Because that wasn�t all I did. When that didn�t work, I did something even worse."

Liz closed her eyes for a moment. Her emotions were in turmoil. She could not grasp the depth of the betrayal that Will had perpetrated on her trust by giving her that scarf. And there was still more. How could it be any worse?

"I know that you�re going to hate me after I finish telling you everything, but you need to know," Will said firmly. "I can�t hide it any longer. It will all come out in the granolith anyway and, if not then, when we bring Kate back, she�ll tell you."

"Kate is in on this?" Liz demanded.

"No," Will insisted. "But right before�Before what happened to her, I think she figured it out." His voice cracked and he looked down again. Liz was amazed that she could still feel sorry for him. He really was something of a monster, and, yet, she did believe that he had done whatever it was he had done out of some twisted feeling of love for her. "I think Alex might eventually figure it out too," he added, his voice strengthening a bit as he got a hold of himself. "I made a mistake in front of him. He�ll likely remember when Kate is brought back. He�s too focused on her right now."

"Tell me," Liz prompted firmly, her heart now filled with dread. How could I have been so wrong? How could I have been so wrong? It was like a death tattoo beating in her head. She had been so sure of him, so trusting. How could I have been so wrong?

"When Nasedo first took us�Me, Alex and Kate I mean�He was disguised as Tess. He knocked Kate and Alex out, but me�Me, he kept conscious," Will said, sounding far away, as he remembered. He looked at her briefly. "Please understand that I�m not trying to make you feel sorry for me, and I�m not trying to excuse what I did, but he tortured me. He mindraped me, showing me things that nearly killed me."

Liz felt tears fill her eyes. She remembered how Isabel had suffered in the message Nasedo had played for them. She still had no idea what the shapeshifter had done to Max�s sister then, but she imagined it must have been terrible. That Will had experienced the same thing�She could believe that he might have agreed to do something awful to make it stop.

"What did he show you?" she asked.

"I think you can guess," Will told her. He met her gaze meaningfully. "With the way I feel about you, you can imagine what the worst possible thing for me to see would be."

Liz felt her heart stop, and then she felt slightly nauseous. "Oh my God. Did he show me with�?" She trailed off, unable to imagine that her privacy had been so violated, even if what Nasedo had shown Will had likely not been anything that she and Max had ever even done anyway.

"With Max," Will acknowledged. "But not only that. He showed me things from before - from our past lives I mean. Rowena with Zan. Things that I know now were probably true, but at the time I only imagined he was making me think could be true. Either way, I couldn�t bear it. He got what he wanted from me."

"What did he want?" Liz asked, although she was pretty sure she had already figured it out.

"He wanted me to work with him to bring down Zan. Since it was the only thing I wanted anyway, I agreed," Will continued grimly. "I pretended to be his captive, but I was always free. The entire time I was in that compound, I could have escaped at any time."

Liz couldn�t say anything. She just stared at him in horror.

"I never thought it would go so wrong. I knew that he wanted us all alive." He paused, shook his head sharply. "But it�s still no excuse," he added firmly. "What I�m telling you is that I could have left. That no one had to risk their lives coming for me, or Jack, or Isabel. That my gifts were fully accessible the entire time I was there. And now it�s obvious that lives were in danger. I let him take Alex, even when I was pretty sure that he was going to kill him. I didn�t even try to intervene. I was so focused on saving you from Zan, on making you remember that we belonged together, I was willing to do anything. I wanted Zan to come - because I knew he would; that he would come for Isabel and Alex - and I wanted him dead. I wanted the spell he was weaving over you broken and I was willing to do anything to get my way."

Will looked down, his voice softening as he came to the crux of the matter. "But that�s not even the worst part. Liz, when my sister was shot down in cold blood, the first thought that crossed my mind wasn�t that she was going to die, and that I loved her, and that I was going to miss her. No, my obsession was still so complete, that wasn�t the first thing that I felt." His voice cracked again and Liz could tell that he was really crying now. She didn�t know what to do. She was angry and, yet, his regret was so obvious. He was punishing himself far better than she ever could. And when he continued, she understood why. "My first sense was one of relief. Because I knew that she was the only one who knew for sure that I had betrayed you all - that I had betrayed everything I was created to be. And, if she was gone, you�d never know."

"Oh, Will." Liz knew there was nothing else to say. She couldn�t even begin to imagine how he was going to live with himself after this. Because she knew him well enough to know that he would feel the guilt of this for the rest of his life.

"Karma�s a bitch, isn�t it?" he asked, beginning to sound a little wild, totally unlike himself. "Because I think I�ve known the truth all along. From the moment I understood what was between you and Max, I�ve known it. And because I refused to accept it, I�m going to have to live with the fact that I wanted my sister dead more than I wanted him to win."

Will raised his haunted gaze to meet hers once more. "I�m going to have to live with the fact that I�ve allowed myself to become exactly the bastard I always took him for. The complete bastard I now know he never was."

Part 43

"Here, Alex."

Alex looked up. He was seated on the dirt floor of the pod chamber and had been staring off into space since Max, Michael, and Whittaker had taken Kate�s body into the granolith chamber. Maria joined him for a while, filling him in on the basics of what had been happening while he�d been gone, but she eventually went to talk to Isabel, seeming to understand that Alex wasn�t really in the mood to converse.

And, so, Alex was surprised to hear Isabel�s voice now . She was standing over him, a sandwich in her outstretched hand.

"Where�d that come from?" he asked, without interest.

"The sheriff. He brought some food with him when he came."

"Thanks, Izzy, but I�m not hungry," he told her.

"Alex, you need to eat something," Isabel insisted. "I�ll bet you haven�t even thought about food since yesterday. It�s just been so crazy around here." She leaned back against the wall next to him, then slid down until she was sitting beside him on the filthy ground. He smiled slightly to himself. The Elle MacPherson of the junior class didn�t seem to mind getting her jeans dirty when it mattered.

"Isabel, thanks, but I�m really not hungry." It was true. His stomach was in knots. While he believed Whittaker that Kate could be brought back, his nerves would not return to normal until she was alive and well and standing in front of him. He would eat then.

Isabel sighed. "Alex�"

"Isabel, please," Alex snapped. "I said no."

"I was just going to say," she continued firmly, "this isn�t just about you. You need to keep your strength up for her too, you know. She�s going to need you."

Alex turned his head and stared at her. "Who?"

"You know who I�m talking about. Kate," Isabel replied. "I have a feeling that dying is going to be a whole lot more difficult to deal with than any loss of an alien side has been. And I know how hard that is. You helped me, Alex. Just being with you helped me. She�s going to need that too." Isabel looked away, her voice barely audible. "She�s lucky to have you."

"Isabel, I don�t even know what you�re talking about," Alex told her. "Kate won�t need me. She has Will, and she has Jack."

"That may be true," Isabel told him, "but it�s you who hasn�t taken your eyes off of her since she�s been gone. It�s you she needs. And even if I don�t know her very well, I have a feeling that it�s you she�ll want. I was there when she came to get us, Alex. You were all she cared about."

Alex met her eyes. He was surprised that Isabel would have noticed. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked. He couldn�t deny that it was what he wanted to hear. It had only been after Kate was killed that he understood exactly how much she had come to mean to him in the short time he�d known her. But he had never had a chance to find out if she felt the same way. His past experiences with alien princesses had told him to never take anything for granted, after all.

"Because you deserve someone who isn�t totally screwed up, Alex," Isabel said. "Someone who understands what she has from the very beginning. I don�t really know her, but I have a feeling that Kate is that person."

She sounded sad. Not for the first time, he wondered what was going through her beautiful blonde head. But, he realized, as much as he loved Isabel, for the moment, he really did have other things to worry about. If she wanted to support him through something for once, well, he wasn�t going to say no.

"Thanks, Iz."

"You�re welcome." She handed him the sandwich and, as he ate it, they sat in comfortable silence.

When he was done, Isabel reached out and took his hand in hers. She looked back across the pod chamber, to where Grant stood. He was talking to the sheriff, but his eyes were on them. When he became aware of Alex�s regard, he turned his head quickly, focusing on Kyle�s father again.

"So, Maria told me a bit about who he is," Alex said tentatively. "What about you? Are you okay?"

Isabel shrugged. "I don�t know," she admitted. "It�s just kind of weird. I mean, I liked him, but I wasn�t crazy about him. He was more of an excuse to try and pretend I was normal. I guess it�s romantic that he betrayed his entire race for me, but I don�t even really know who he is. I have no idea what any of it even means." She turned her head and met his eyes again. "You do understand that, Alex, don�t you? That Grant was about trying to pretend I�m not who I am?"

Alex sighed. He wondered why Isabel�s motivations over the past few months were so clear to him now, when he wasn�t nearly as emotionally invested in her every move. He really could have used the insight he now had a week ago. "You wanted someone who didn�t know anything about the abyss, am I right?"

"How ironic is that?" She sighed again. "I mean, I�ve realized now that I�ll never get majorly involved with someone who doesn�t know the truth about me. It�s just not fair to do that to anyone. Our lives don�t even really belong to us. I know that too well now." She squeezed his hand. "But, I�m not ready to be that serious with anyone. That�s why I backed off from you, Alex. It�s because you know who I really am. With you, it would have been too much, too fast. I need to know who I am first." She looked at him anxiously. "Does that make any sense?"

"It totally does," Alex told her. "And I do understand, Isabel." He looked at her for a long moment, wondering whether he should just tell her the truth.

Since they were being honest, he decided to go for broke. There was no way of knowing what the future might bring. The last forty-eight hours had more than proven that life - particularly alien life - was fragile. She was his best friend, his first love. He needed her to know how he felt. "I just wish you�d told me that from the very beginning. If you just want to be friends, I am totally fine with that. I love you. I�ll always love you and I�ll always be here for you."

"I love you too, Alex," Isabel replied, tears in her dark eyes. She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Maybe someday�" She trailed off, suddenly sounding uncertain, but also a little hopeful.

Alex frowned slightly again. Maybe. But he didn�t think so. Not if things turned out the way he was beginning to realize he wanted them to. He just hoped that Isabel had been telling the truth earlier - that she was going to be able to handle him getting involved with someone else. Particularly with someone like Kate, who was so similar to Isabel in so many ways, and, yet, totally herself. Someone who was fine with her alien baggage, but seemed, if Isabel was right, ready to explore the more human side of living on Earth.

He loved Isabel, and he had not been lying when he�d said that he�d always be there for her. It was what he wanted, what he hoped would be possible. But, in the end, he knew that it might not play out that way. That he might be forced to make a choice and, that, he might not be able to choose her.

Closing his eyes, Alex leaned back against the wall again, enjoying being close to Isabel one last time. There was time to worry about all the rest of it later. For now, while he waited for later, he needed her. And, for once, he was going to take what he needed, damning the consequences.

***

"I thought we needed all eight of us to make it work," Michael said. "If Kate�s dead, how is she supposed to help?"

Max looked at Whittaker, glad that Michael had been the one to ask the question. He would have thought of it himself eventually, but he was a little preoccupied. He was worried about Liz. He could feel that something upsetting was taking place between her and Will. Max�s connection to her was burning stronger with every passing hour. He figured it had something to do with the granolith, and, maybe, also with the fact that all eight hybrids had finally been brought together in close proximity.

Or it might just be that he fell a little more in love with her with every passing hour.

Max wasn�t sure how it could even happen, but it was the truth. Her joy at his return made his heart swell even now, just thinking of it, reminding him that once upon a time he had been unable to even imagine the possibility that she might someday feel as much for him as he did for her. That she did�It was humbling.

He felt sorry for Will, which was why he had been amenable to Liz trying to explain things to him herself. While Liz would never belong to anyone, she had chosen Max. He had lived through the experience of feeling that she had decided on someone else - the mere thought of the horrible night of the Gomez concert still sent a shiver down his spine - and he wouldn�t wish it on anyone. Not even on his worst enemy, which Will clearly no longer was. Liz would try and break the news of all that had transpired - in this life and that other one - as gently as possible. But it would still suck for Will, no ifs,ands or buts about it. Max knew that he would never have been able to accept it had it been the other way around. He only hoped that Will�s relatively short acquaintance with Liz would make it easier on him.

He understood why Liz was upset. She never liked to hurt anyone. And Will was going to be hurt. But, in the end, it was better to be honest. Secrets and lies were what had gotten them all into this mess in the first place. The shapeshifters had excelled at both. He wouldn�t allow the society they were going to try and rebuild suffer the same fate again because of them.

"Her human body has died, but her alien essence lives on in the granolith," Whittaker explained patiently. "We�ll use the healing stones to help guide it back into her body."

Max exchanged a glance with Michael. "Is that how we healed Nasedo?" Michael asked, tilting his shaggy head back and staring up at the cone above them skeptically.

Whittaker frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Last spring, when they took Max," Michael explained. "He was killed. Tess told us that he couldn�t die, that we could bring him back." He shrugged. "We used the stones and we did it. We were here. I just thought that, maybe�"

Whittaker didn�t speak for a long moment, her eyes wide, as though thinking about it. Finally, she said, "That�s strange. I guess you must have accessed some of the granolith�s healing capabilities without even realizing it. The stones are a way to harness its power. Although, since Nasedo didn�t know where the granolith was, I don�t know how he would have known to have you bring him here." Shaking her head slowly, she seemed perplexed. "I�ll admit, I don�t understand the granolith fully myself."

Max stared at her. "What? I thought you invented it. Liz remembered that. The granolith belonged to Serena."

Serena smiled slightly. "That�s not entirely true. Rowena always gave me more credit than I deserved. The granolith existed on our planet long before I ever knew of it."

Michael interrupted briefly, "You mean on Valonia?"

"Yes. Its legend fascinated Rowena from the moment she became aware of it, as a young child. She was a queen, but she was a scientist, first and foremost. She wanted to understand everything. She wanted to prove that all life had an explainable basis. To her, the granolith was the key to its secret meaning." Whittaker�s eyes became unfocused, as she remembered her �sister.� "But she never had enough time. Being heir to the throne took up more of her attention than she liked�" She trailed off, sighing.

And, finally, Max understood exactly how Serena had come to exist. "So she cloned herself so that she could literally be in two places at once," he finished for her, shaking his head in amazement. He still could not quite grasp the magnitude of what Rowena had done, the immensity of what she had set in motion with her curiousity.

Whittaker looked at him seriously. "You make it sound like a bad thing," she commented. "My sister was brilliant. That she was even able to do such a thing�"

"She was messing with things beyond her comprehension. She brought about the destruction of her own planet."

Max looked up, then grimaced. Liz was standing slightly above them, obviously having heard the last bit. She had a slightly shell-shocked expression on her face. Max wondered if it was because of what she had just learned about her past life, or because of her conversation with Will.

"Liz�" He began, holding out his hand to her. "It�s okay."

She descended the last few steps without saying a word, coming to join him. "I know it is," she replied simply, although the bitterness of her tone seemed to indicate the complete opposite. "Because, really, in the end, this has nothing to do with me. I don�t remember being Rowena. Even Will has finally come to terms with the fact that we�re no longer them."

"But you are," Whittaker insisted. "You are Rowena, Liz. You must accept this. Without you - all of you," she added, looking at Michael and then Max, "our system is doomed to continue its downward spiral. The people will not emerge from the darkness until their rulers return to lead them to the light."

"Their rulers were the ones who turned the lights off," Liz snapped. "They don�t need us."

"You�re wrong. Our society was on the verge of a golden age, the cooperation between its inhabitants at its peak. This was because of who you all were, because of the relationships you had formed and the vision you all had for what could be. The shapeshifters ruined everything. They were the most trusted beings in our system and they used that to infiltrate everywhere. Including on Valonia, where Rowena was working to answer the last questions of our civilization."

"If things were as rosy as you say, the shapeshifters shouldn�t have had any power at all," Liz told her. Her voice was sharp, uncompromising. "We all know how quickly the bonds between Sardica and Antar broke down. And that was Rowena�s fault too. Not only was she trying to play God, she brought two other planets to their knees with her games."

Max could feel her tension through their connection. "Liz, what�s wrong?" he asked under his breath. Things had clearly gone very badly with Will. Before their conversation, Liz had been much more accepting of who Rowena had been. Now she seemed determined to believe the absolute worst of her past-life alter-ego again. Although she had said moments ago that their actions in their past lives could not be blamed on them now, he could tell that she was beating herself up about something. And if it wasn�t Rowena, about what she had done to Will, then what was it? "What did he say to you?"

"He didn�t say anything," Liz replied, pulling her hand from his. She crossed her arms over her chest, as though she was cold. "I just want this over with. Can we please just do this?"

"Liz�" There was absolutely no way he was doing anything until she told him what had happened between her and Will.

"Max, please." She turned her head, meeting his eyes. He could see the glimmer of tears shining in their dark depths. "Can we please just do this?" she repeated. "I�m tired. I�m just so tired of talking and analyzing. I just want to know the truth. I want to know, once and for all, exactly who I was. I�m telling you that we need to bring Kate back, now, before this gets any worse."

He frowned. "Liz, I don�t know. Are you sure?" He was seriously disturbed about letting her do anything at the present time, when she was so obviously upset. Why wouldn�t she tell him what Will had said?

"I�m sure. Please, Max."

Max looked at Michael, who shrugged, obviously as perplexed as Max felt. Max could see that Whittaker was frowning, as though she wanted to argue further with Liz, to convince her that what Rowena had done had been good, that it had been others who had twisted her scientific achievements to be used for their own nefarious purposes.

But, in the end, Liz was right. Nothing could convince her better than knowing for herself. They needed their memories back. They could not wait any longer.

Max reached out. He pulled Liz to him and dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. She was so strong, but even she had her limits. Dealing with Will had obviously been the last straw. He wasn�t sure what she had learned that had so upset her. He wished that there was time to really press her, but she was right about one thing. Kate needed to be brought back sooner, rather than later. They owed it to her.

If this was what Liz wanted, then it was what they would do. "Okay," he said simply, pulling her against his chest and stroking her dark hair comfortingly. He felt a flash of relief, when she brought her arms up and hugged him tightly.

"I�ll go get the others," Michael said quietly, already disappearing up the lighted staircase.

"Liz," Whittaker began, after Michael disappeared. "You really can�t blame yourself."

"I told you. I�m not blaming myself," Liz said firmly, pulling slightly away from Max to address her. "But I can�t just take anyone�s word for it anymore. Will remembers thing so differently from everything we�ve been told. Because of that, he�s pretty screwed up right now. I just can�t listen to anyone else�s version of events anymore. Can you understand that?" Her voice had gentled by the end of this, as though she finally recognized how rudely she had been speaking to Serena.

Max met Whittaker�s eyes. She was obviously upset. "Liz is right," he told her. "We need to know for ourselves. Nothing you tell us will ever convince us better."

Whittaker sighed, then nodded. She had no chance to say anything else anyway, because footsteps were already sounding on the stairs above their heads. Within moments, the entire group from the pod chamber had joined them.

Max watched Will approach. He couldn�t help the slight scowl that appeared on his face at the sight of his nemesis. Whatever Liz had said, Max knew that Will was somehow responsible for her upset. Will met his gaze squarely for a moment, glanced briefly at Liz, who was still standing close to him, and then looked away. He expression remained blank, annoying Max even more.

"You managed to get rid of your bodyguard, I see." Whittaker addressed this to Tess, who was standing next to Kyle.

The small blonde nodded. "I sent him outside to guard the entrance. He seemed okay with that. He understands protocol, knows that he has nothing to do with what�s going on down here. As long as I don�t try and leave here without him, he won�t bug us." Tess was addressing Whittaker, but her eyes were on Liz, her forehead slightly creased, as though she could sense her sister�s disquiet. "He apparently thinks you�re all willing to give me my just due," she added wryly, while her gaze shifted to Max�s, her eyebrows raised questioningly.

Max shook his head slightly, warning her not to start in on Liz. The last thing his girlfriend needed at the moment was the third degree again.

"So, what�s the process?" Michael asked Whittaker, eager as always to get started.

"Is this even going to work for us?" Jack spoke up. Max glanced at him, surprised. The other new alien boy was so quiet, Max barely knew what his voice sounded like. But, now, with Kate gone, and Will pretty much mute, he appeared to realize he was the only one able to speak for the Sardicans.

It took Max a moment to understand that Jack was actually talking about himself and Isabel though. He didn�t, in fact, until Jack added, "I mean, we apparently aren�t aliens anymore."

"It will work," Whittaker assured him. "Whatever Nasedo told you, your essences cannot be stolen. The fact that you live means that they�re there. He has thrown your balance off, encouraging your human side to dominate. The healing stones will restore your balance when you use them to help Kate."

"Like they did for Nasedo," Michael suggested, obviously putting the pieces together in his mind.

Whittaker looked at him. "You are referring to�?" she asked.

"He got his balance all thrown out of whack a long time ago," Michael explained. "A native elder on a local reservation told us all about it. River Dog was able to restore his balance using the rocks. Max, Isabel, Maria, and Alex did the same for me a few months ago."

"That makes sense," Whittaker replied. "Anyone can use the stones. They are merely a tool to help you focus your energy. They have no power themselves. You will use that focus to access the granolith�s healing properties to revive Kate."

"Jeez. Is there anything this granolith can�t do?" Kyle demanded. "It clones, it heals, it�s a time machine! Does it make pretty little roses out of tomatoes?"

"I don�t suppose we�ll ever know all of its possibilities," Whittaker told him, her voice reflecting her amusement. "They are as limitless as our imaginations."

"Have you thought about the time machine aspect?" Liz asked, making Max jump slightly. He hadn�t expected her to delay matters by questioning Whittaker. He knew that she, more than anyone, just wanted to get on with things.

"Michael told me a little bit about your visit, Liz," Whittaker told her. "I wish I could tell you how I did that�"

"So, you think you did it?" Tess interrupted, sounding disappointed. "We just assumed it was me."

"From what I understand, Tess, you were gone," Whittaker reminded her. "It was your absence that caused all the problems in the first place. It seems unlikely that it was you." She paused, then added gently, "I�m unsure if you would have ever accessed the secrets of the granolith anyway."

"Why not?" Tess demanded, sounding a little put-out. "Am I not smart enough this time?"

"That�s not it at all," Whittaker assured her. "The problem is, you are not entirely me."

"Okay, what?" This came from Kyle, who was voicing all of their shock. "Are you telling us that Tess isn�t Serena?"

"She is," Whittaker replied, "but there is a reason that Nasedo insisted on vetting Tess to take Ava�s place. Haven�t you all understood by now that she was never part of Max, Michael and Isabel�s four square? It�s blatantly obvious. I coded you to be able to match up correctly." To Max, she sounded slightly exasperated, as though she was only just beginning to understand fully how far her plans had been thrown out of whack.

"Coded?" Tess asked, sounding as confused as Max felt.

"Colour coded," Whittaker told her. "You, Will, Kate and Jack are all blue-eyed, while the members of the other four-square all have dark eyes. Have none of you ever noticed this?"

Max shrugged when he met Isabel�s dark-eyed gaze, while they all looked around at each other, surprised. He had certainly noticed Tess�s eyes when he�d first met her, as well as Kate�s. In fact, he was beginning to realize that it had been something in their eyes that had helped him to recognize them. But since they hadn�t known who they were, the idea that they should be matched up that way had never even occurred to them.

"I guess we noticed," Max replied for them all. "We just never understood what it meant."

"I think it did work - kind of anyway," Isabel added. "When I first met Tess, it was her eyes that drew me to her. I didn�t realize it at the time, but I think I recognized her because of them."

"Well, that�s something anyway," Whittaker sighed. "Because you weren�t supposed to have to recognize each other. If everything had gone according to plan, you would have all been raised together. The eye colour difference was mainly to make sure there was no Rowena/Serena confusion." She lowered her gaze. "That was Khivar�s one condition for allowing me to clone everyone. I had to guarantee him there would be no chance of mistaken identity this time around."

Max grimaced, glancing down at Liz. She was looking at Will, whose jaw was tightly clenched.

Tess seemed to feel the tension that had abruptly entered the room, because she quickly interjected, "You said that Nasedo wanted me for a reason�" she prompted, encouraging Whittaker to change the subject.

"I didn�t find out the truth until I lured you to that abandoned warehouse, Tess. When I hired Liz, I was trying to understand what had happened between all of you. The orbs being set off in May alerted everyone in Copper Summit that your four square had finally been united. But, when I came to check things out, nothing made sense. Liz was already gone, and you had blue eyes. I knew that you weren�t Rowena, and that you couldn�t have set the orb off with the other three."

"That still doesn�t explain why you took Tess," Liz told her. "I�ve never understood that."

"It was through my connection to Nasedo, when he was imitating Pierce, that I first learned about you, Liz.

When you came back to Roswell, I arranged it so that you would apply for the job with me. It was when you and I discussed Tess that I finally understood the mistake you were all making. What I still didn�t get was why. I knew from Nasedo that Max was drawn to you, and, yet, you were all completely convinced that Max was supposed to be with Tess. It wasn�t until I learned what Grant had done - that he had made you more human by implanting you in a human womb for a period of your gestation - that it began to make sense. None of you knew who Liz really was - that she was as alien as any of you."

"Can we just back up for a minute?" Michael demanded. "What was the deal with you and Nasedo anyway? Didn�t he know who you were?"

"He knew," Whittaker replied grimly. "I don�t think he knew for sure when I approached him, but he suspected. He gave me just enough information to make me hang myself. Taking Tess like I did was the final confirmation he needed."

"What I don�t get is why Nasedo was so desperate to have me and Tess together?" Max asked. "What difference did it make? He never intended for any of us to rule anyway. Why didn�t he just kill us all?"

"And what about the book he made me find in the library?" Tess put in. Whittaker just looked at her. "Oh." She smiled, slightly embarrassed. "That was just meant to convince me to keep pursuing it, wasn�t it?"

"You�ve all mistaken what Nasedo wanted," Whittaker said. She shook her head, sending her light brown hair swaying against her chin. "When I took Tess, I was planning to reveal to her who she really was, but once I had her, I realized it wasn�t that simple. She wasn�t entirely what I expected to find, just like Liz wasn�t."

"What do you mean?" Tess asked, sounding a little frightened. "What�s wrong with me?"

"There�s nothing wrong with you," Whittaker assured her. "Nasedo wanted Max with Tess, because she holds elements of Ava of Knosis�s genetic make-up in her DNA."

A long silence greeted this.

"So, I�m not Serena?" Tess pressed, beginning to get upset. "Nasedo wasn�t lying?" She glanced at Liz, her disappointment obvious.

"No, you are," Whittaker replied. "Just let me finish explaining. You have to understand why Nicholas and I came to Earth. About a year after Nasedo left Antar with you all, Khivar managed to get his hands on the shapeshifters who helped me create the pods. They had disappeared almost immediately, taking all my research with them, revealing with that action that they had been working against us all along." She paused, grimacing slightly. "It was then that they told us about the deal that the Knosians had made with the Wendarians."

Max eyed her suspiciously, wondering exactly what Khivar and Serena had done to get that information. It seemed unlikely, that after all their plotting, the shapeshifters would have just randomly chosen to tell the truth. He decided not to dwell on it at the moment though. For the first time since he had come into the granolith, an emotion flashed across Will�s face. Max recognized it as revulsion - at himself. Or at least at that other version of himself.

If Khivar and Serena had indeed stooped to torture, no one needed to know about it. At least, not now.

"The deal was that the Knosians would support Nasedo�s return with the eight royals, would support his rule, on Antar, as regent for the human replicas and their children, as long as Ava continued as Zan�s wife," Whittaker elaborated, seemingly unaware of the unease that had flashed around the room. "They wanted one of their off-spring to be heir to the throne of Antar. It was completely opposite to what I had intended by cloning myself and Rowena. There were supposed to be two of us again. One for Zan and one for Khivar. But, this time, everyone would know the truth from the very beginning. The reason for all the conflict between the kings would cease to exist."

"Khivar was okay with this?" Jack asked. "Are you telling me that the other Khivar knows who you really are?"

Whittaker lowered her eyes briefly. "He knows," she said. Max could hear the pain in her voice. It seemed pretty clear that the other Khivar wasn�t too happy about it. "He has accepted the truth, but our personal relationship is over. The ties between us now exist only to ensure the restoration of the monarchies under our reborn replicas."

"If he�s accepted that I�m supposed to be with Serena, then why was I led to believe differently?" This came from Will, whose disgust seemed to be growing exponentially with every word that came out of Whittaker�s mouth.

"I�m sure that was Nicholas�s doing," Grant informed him. The other shapeshifter was standing near the stairs and had been listening quietly until now. "He obviously used the fact that your pods released you early, without all the memories you were intended to have, to his advantage."

"I thought Nicholas was on Khivar�s side," Maria said. "Why would he try to undermine what his boss was trying to do?"

Grant rolled his eyes. "Nicholas was a slimeball and an opportunist. I�m sure he knew how Khivar really felt, in his heart. Khivar is a good guy and I believe he was willing to let the new Rowena be with Zan. But Nicholas wasn�t about to settle for his king having second-best if he could help it. Rowena was the one both Zan and Khivar wanted. And, since Khivar was Nicholas�s king, he was the one who was going to win that particular power struggle. No way Nicholas was going to allow himself to ally with the runner-up."

Max watched Whittaker flinch at each word coming from Grant�s mouth. He felt horrible for her. He wondered if she had known that Nicholas had been working to undermine her almost the entire time they�d been on Earth. It likely wasn�t nice to have the fact that her husband would have chosen someone else over her shoved in her face every five minutes.

"Why didn�t you tell us any of this before?" Max demanded, hoping to end this line of conversation as quickly as possible.

"I told you," Grant replied, "I wasn�t entirely sure of anything. Some stuff Will told me on the way here helped me to put two and two together. It only makes sense that he was undermining the mission all along."

"Where is he, anyway?" Jack asked.

"He�s dead," Whittaker told him, her voice slightly dull now. "Nasedo killed him when he first took Will, Kate and Alex."

"How tragic," Kyle muttered, voicing the opinion of virtually everyone in the room. Max knew it was wrong to be relieved at the death of anyone, but Nicholas had been completely untrustworthy.

Not that he was entirely sure that Grant and Whittaker fell into the "trusted" camp either. But, at the moment, they didn�t really have much of a choice other than to believe them.

"Nasedo was beginning to understand that Nicholas had been screwing with Will�s head," Grant added, "but he couldn�t be sure that it was going to continue. Nicholas never would have sided with Nasedo against Will. In the end, the little brat would have told the truth. Nasedo couldn�t take that risk, so he killed him." He grimaced slightly. "He made it his goal to get rid of everyone who could have helped you all to know the truth about yourselves. The Crash turned out to be a big help because it messed with the timing in the pods and you were all even more helpless than you would have been if he�d raised you. The down-side was that he lost most of you for a while. Nicholas and the Skins managed to find Will, Kate and Jack before Nasedo could come back for them. Tess had already emerged early - I�m guessing because the shapeshifters had messed with her pod when they added Ava�s genetic material - and he had her, but he made a mistake in leaving the others behind, because he lost them. He, of course, didn�t know where the other four were, because I was the one who hid them."

"He wanted everyone dead?" Michael prompted, when Grant seemed finished. "Is that why he killed Courtney?"

There was a long pause. Grant glanced briefly at Isabel, then said quietly, "That was me. I impersonated Jack and did it. To prove my loyalty."

"God! That was you?" Isabel�s disgust was obvious.

Max watched Grant look at her again, sadly this time, as though he knew he was irreparably damaging himself in her eyes. And, yet, he continued, "I did what I had to do to maintain my cover, your highness. He needed to believe I was on board or he would have just killed me too. She was dying anyway," he finished lamely.

"Not necessarily," Michael growled. "We could have saved her with the granolith."

"Not in time," Grant replied. "I knew you�d never trust her soon enough to make that possible."

"We would have if you�d come to us," Isabel snapped. "If we�d known she was no threat to us, we would have helped her."

"It seems highly unlikely that you would have trusted me quickly enough either to make that true."

"You didn�t give us the chance!" Isabel exclaimed.

Grant met her eyes again. "I�m sorry, your highness."

Isabel�s lips were pursed and her eyes flashed with outrage, but she said nothing more. She simply turned away from him. Max narrowed his gaze. He didn�t want to feel sorry for the shapeshifter, - he was a killer - but he almost did. He was relieved that his sister had apparently no romantic interest in Grant any longer. He supposed that was why it was possible.

"I still don�t understand why Nasedo wasn�t just planning to kill us all?" Michael was asking. "I mean, why did he want us to go back at all? Couldn�t your people just finish off the last of Khivar�s resistance on Antar and take over? Nasedo could rule the whole system himself."

Grant took a deep breath, obviously forcing himself to get past his hurt at Isabel�s anger. He then said, "You don�t understand Wendarian culture, Michael. No Wendarian would want to rule in their own name. We believe in equality, no Wendarian sitting higher than another. Our one goal is the superiority of our entire race. It is much more in keeping with our ways to rule through the kings and queens the other races would accept. It is what my race has been doing for generations. In a manner of speaking, we have always been the power behind the throne, ruling in everything but name on Antar, Sardica, Valonia and Knosis. This whole fiasco emerged from the fact that neither Zan, nor Khivar, nor Rowena would have ever allowed themselves to be controlled. It was Zan�s strong will, Rowena�s intelligence, and Khivar�s sense of justice and fair-play that forced our hand."

"So Nasedo decided to bring us back as helpless no-nothings." Max shook his head, finally understanding. "He was going to suppress our alien sides to make us feel even more worthless to the system, and then he was going to take us back, set us up as puppets, and return the system to the status quo."

"Exactly," Grant told him. "But, first, he needed to destroy you all in your last lives."

"He didn�t even have to do that," Liz said, sounding angry. "All they had to do was pull a few strings and we destroyed ourselves. So much for Zan�s strong will, Rowena�s intelligence, and Khivar�s sense of fair-play," she added, mimicking Grant�s earlier words, her sarcasm obvious.

Max looked down at her, concerned. She had been quiet through much of this, but, now, he could almost feel fury coming off of her in waves.

"Liz." Whittaker addressed her firmly, obviously frustrated again by Liz�s cynicism. Max wasn�t frustrated. He was scared. Liz was behaving entirely out of character. He looked at Will again, suspiciously. What had he said to her? "They were all of those things," Whittaker was insisting. "They were played against each other. You will learn this in the granolith. None of it was their fault."

"No one is going to learn anything in the granolith, if you guys don�t get your asses in gear and bring back Kate." This came from Alex, who was standing near where Kate�s body was resting on a silvery table - one that didn�t look entirely Earthly - in an alcove. "Can we please get the show on the road here?" Alex glared briefly at Max, silently demanding that he back him up.

Max felt a flash of guilt. Liz�s emotions settled slightly, Max aware of it through their connection. He felt her matching recognition of their inability to prioritize.

"Alex, we�re sorry," she said, her tone much calmer. "We�re being idiots. We can talk about all this stuff later."

Instantly, they were all in movement, Whittaker directing the seven conscious hybrids to their positions around the dark-haired girl�s still body after Alex had moved her gently to the floor in the centre of the underground cave.

Before Max relocated, he squeezed Liz�s hand, murmuring under his breath, "We�re going to do this and then we�re going talk. Alone." He met her eyes briefly. Liz�s were unreadable as she looked away, not answering. Max frowned, sighing.

Moments later, he stood at Kate�s head, where Whittaker had placed him, a healing stone lying in his open palms. Liz was directly across from him, at Kate�s feet. Tess and Will, and Isabel and Michael, were also paired up, across from each other. To Max�s surprise, Whittaker decided that Jack�s participation wasn�t necessary.

"It will work better to have clean connections between the pairs," she explained, after thinking about it briefly. "Since Kate is Jack�s match, having him in there without her essence present might just muddy the waters."

"You�d think that would help," Jack insisted. "I�m the most strongly connected to her. I want to be involved."

Whittaker frowned slightly, obviously a little unsure. Max felt his first flash of trepidation. "Stand ready. We�ll send you in if this doesn�t work. You may be right, but I want to try it this way first."

"Do you know what you�re doing?" Michael demanded, sounding suspicious. Max didn�t blame him. He was beginning to wonder the exact same thing.

"In principle," Whittaker replied. "I can�t say that I�ve ever seen this done before though. I know it will work, I�m just not sure exactly how."

Michael stared at her for a long moment, scowling. "Great," was all he said, although his tone was distinctly sarcastic.

"Okay, close your eyes and concentrate on connecting with each other," Whittaker instructed. Max complied, immediately sensing the tentative feelers the others were sending out in his direction.

"Whoa!" It was Kyle�s voice. Max�s eyes popped open briefly. He looked up at the cone above their head, which was beginning to burn brightly. Glancing down, he saw that the stone in his hands was doing the same.

His heart was pounding nervously, as he forced his eyes closed again. He realized that he could feel something strange. There was energy he didn�t recognize running through his veins. He briefly thought it was the others - that they were making a connection�

It was only when he became aware of Isabel, as a mental link between the two of them abruptly opened, that he realized that wasn�t it at all. The energy was coming from the granolith.

He could hear Whittaker�s voice on the edge of his consciousness, instructing them to use their combined energy to force Kate�s essence to join them. They needed to draw it out of the granolith and back into her human body. Max understood what she wanted them to do, but he couldn�t focus. Isabel�s familiar presence was not disturbing, but as the others started to make themselves known, he felt overwhelmed.

Too much was happening at once. Max felt like his legs were about to give out on him. It was too intense. Something was wrong. This didn�t feel anything like what it had felt like to bring Michael�s balance back. It hadn�t felt like this when they�d brought Nasedo back to life either.

Something flashed in his mind - almost like he�d blinked - and, then, everything changed again.

Max! Something�s not right!

Max felt like he was stumbling. He knew his sister wasn�t yelling at him, but her voice was suddenly screaming through every nerve of his body. He forced his eyes open again, only to find he was no longer in the cave. He was standing in the same circle in the desert where they had pulled Michael back from the brink.

Looking around, he counted heads. Isabel was to his right, Michael to his left. Will and Tess were further away, standing at the end of their own spoke of the wheel. Kate was lying in the centre of the circle, motionless.

Calm overtook him. Settle down, everyone. It was Will�s voice. He was taking a step forward. Max could feel the tranquillity the other guy was sending out through the connection, succeeding in helping them all to regroup and focus. Max felt slight admiration. Whatever had been stuck in Will�s craw earlier was apparently gone, now that they needed someone to step in and assume leadership of the situation.

What�s wrong? Tess asked, after a moment. Isabel�s right. I feel it too. Something isn�t right.

But Max already knew. He was looking straight ahead, to the spoke of the wheel directly across from him.

It was Liz. She was missing. She wasn�t there with the rest of them.

That was what had felt wrong. He wasn�t sure how he knew it, but he understood that it was true. He had been bearing the brunt of the energy that he was supposed to be sharing with Liz. He hadn�t been because she wasn�t in the connection. She had been left behind.

Where�s Liz? he demanded.

He watched them all turn their heads to stare at the spot where Liz was supposed to be standing. They all seemed to be moving in slow motion. Clearly, none of them had noticed the fact that she wasn�t there. They had felt that something was wrong, but none of them had been able to figure out what. Max figured it was her absence that was causing the lack of focus. The energy wasn�t being evenly distributed.

Max, it�s just like last time! Isabel sounded annoyed. Where is she?

We need to get out of here, Tess thought, beginning to sound a little hysterical. Where is she? What happened to her? Her tone indicated that she wasn�t angry, like Isabel, but, rather, worried. Max understood completely. This was about more than just Liz not showing up in the connection.

He knew it deep within himself. Something was wrong.

He couldn�t feel her at all.

Tess is right, Max told them all, trying to stay calm. We need to let go of the connection, regroup and try again. We can�t do this without Liz.

Oh for� This came from Michael, but when Max looked at him sharply, he simply rolled his eyes, closed them, and seemed to be trying to release himself from the circle. As Max watched his best friend, his eyes narrowed. Michael�s expression was entirely too strained for what he was trying to do.

Several moments later, Michael�s eyes were open again. Max saw Michael�s fear, knew that it matched the almost strangling terror that was starting to crawl up his spine.

Maxwell, I can�t do it. I can�t get out of here.

Max looked around at the others. They were all staring at each other, their combined mounting desperation clear.

They were trapped.

Part 44

"That can�t be good."

It was the sound of Kyle�s voice, breaking the silence that had fallen over the granolith, that cued Liz in to the fact that nothing was happening.

Opening her eyes, she frowned, becoming aware that this wasn�t entirely true. She had realized that something was wrong when Max�s presence, which was always just on the edge of her awareness, blinked out. Kyle only confirmed to her that she had not managed to join the connection.

Liz�s eyes were drawn to the upside down cone of the granolith hanging over their heads. It was blinking erratically, no longer demonstrating that steady brightness that had defined it since the eight hybrids were finally brought together in its presence. She wondered if it was the blinking that had made Kyle comment.

A moment later, glancing around at the others gathered around Kate�s body, she realized it wasn�t. Her eyes widened and she felt panic beginning to overwhelm her. She had been doing her best to dampen the confusion and fear that was her constant companion since her discussion with Will, but now it all broke loose. Her heart started to pound, her palms became sweaty and her stomach tied itself in knots.

Max, Isabel, Michael, Will and Tess were all hovering an inch above the ground, their heads thrown back, their eyes wide open and staring at the base of the granolith. It was as if some sort of tractor beam had taken control of their bodies and was attempting to pull them towards the ceiling. The healing stones were still sitting in their hands, and they were burning brightly, but it was extremely clear that their handlers were no longer in control of them.

They were gone. Liz could not feel any of them. It was why Max�s essence had disappeared on her. It was no longer there.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"Liz!"

She became aware of Maria grabbing her elbow. She turned to stare at her friend. Maria�s fearful expression matched her own, she was sure.

"Are you okay?" Maria demanded. "What happened in there?"

"I�I�" Liz opened her mouth, trying to explain that nothing had happened. She hadn�t gone anywhere.

And, yet, it was fully clear that something had indeed happened. She had just been left behind.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head to see Whittaker stepping forward, a perplexed expression on her face. "Something�s wrong," the former congresswoman said, glancing around at the five hovering hybrids.

"You think?" Kyle demanded. He was now standing under Tess, obviously annoyed but, more than that, Liz could tell that he was extremely worried as well.

"What happened?" Maria asked again. "Liz, why are you here?"

"I don�t know!" Liz wailed, the words coming before she even thought them. "I knew this was going to happen. I knew I was going to screw everything up!"

She blinked when she understood what she had said. It was the first time she had put voice to her deepest fear. She hadn�t even realized that she felt it. Preoccupied as she had been by the fact that every revelation over the course of the last two days had seemed to confirm that she and Max were complete idiots in their past lives, it hadn�t even occurred to her that she was unsure still that she even believed that she really belonged with them.

She wanted it more than anything, wanted to be destined for Max, but it was only now, when everything had gone completely wrong, that she realized that she wasn�t really certain that she believed she was Rowena.

She had no gift at all. That had been more than proven by how badly she had misjudged Will. And, now, at the time when she most needed to prove that she was one of them, she had failed.

She might hold Rowena�s essence within her, but she was too human. She could not imagine living anywhere but on Earth. She didn�t want to live anywhere but on Earth. She belonged here.

The confusing part was that, she also knew, in her heart, that she belonged with Max. And he didn�t belong here. He had finally accepted who he really was, and was ready to take on everything that it meant. Did what had happened here mean that she wasn�t?

Liz felt tears fill her eyes. She didn�t know anything anymore. How could she so want to be a part of Max�s life, but still be so unsure? What was wrong with her?

She felt Maria�s hand tighten on her arm. "Lizzie?" her best friend prompted gently. "What do you mean you knew you were going to screw everything up?"

Liz could not answer her. Her mind replayed all the times when the others had depended on her and she had failed them. The first time they�d used the stones - to heal Michael - she had let her fear get the best of her. Then there had been when they�d heard the destiny message and she had run out on Max. She had failed them then too. If she�d stayed, maybe they would have figured out the truth sooner. Everything had become screwed up because she left. Nasedo had almost won because Whittaker was unable to figure out what had happened to Rowena. All because Liz had left.

And, then, there as Future Max. She almost destroyed Max by what she had done at Future Max�s instigation. She understood that it had, perhaps, changed things for the better - that Will and the others would have been forever lost to her friends, not to mention Tess, if she hadn�t - but she could not completely forget how she had almost torn her friends apart by what she had done.

Every time she thought she was making a decision for the good of the group, she was wrong. Just like Rowena had been wrong.

Will was mistaken. She was entirely too much like her past life alter-ego. She was destined to destroy them again. As had been proven just now, by the fact that she couldn�t even make a simple connection with them to save Kate�s life.

"Liz!" Maria was waving her hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention. "What�s wrong?"

"I�I don�t think I really belong here," Liz replied, turning away. "I can�t do it. I don�t want to be her. I didn�t even realize it was true, but it is."

She didn�t, she realized. She did not want to be Rowena. She remembered when she and Max had completely lost control of themselves in her bedroom the day before. She had felt what it would be like to be Rowena then. To be so self-absorbed in physical longing that everything else fell to the way-side. They had made out on Liz�s bed, while Isabel was in Nasedo�s clutches, in the process of being tortured.

Liz was still completely self-absorbed it seemed. She didn�t want to be Rowena, but she was. And she hated herself.

Because she hated it, she couldn�t embrace that side of herself, could not get in touch with the part of her that was alien. She knew it inherently. She had tried and she just could not do it. She had failed them again. She should have known. It was all she had ever done.

"You�re wrong." Liz started. She stared at Jack, who had spoken. He didn�t sound angry. In fact, he sounded amazed. "Don�t you understand? How can you not get it?"

"Get what?" Liz asked, unsure. She had barely heard him speak two words before this afternoon, but he was staring at her now, his gaze so intense, it made her blood heat, reddening her cheeks.

"You are the lynch-pin that holds us all together, Liz," Jack told her. "You are mostly human, but you�re so much a part of us all, I was able to feel you in Copper Summit simply because you had been there. I�ve never been able to do that with anyone before. I�ve always had to be in their presence. Being Rowena has nothing to do with the fact that you�re an alien, and it has nothing to do with anything you do. It�s who you are."

"I don�t understand," Liz told him.

"You don�t have to do anything," Jack insisted. "Just being who you are makes you one of us. Whether you want to be Rowena or not, it�s what is. Of course you�re unsure. It�s what we all loved about Rowena, and it�s what we all love about you. You do the right thing in spite of being unsure. You always know what is right. You always have. And you always will. You know because that�s your gift. Rowena�s gift was always one of understanding but, above that, it was her capability to love. She always made her decisions with her heart, and, because of it, she was always right, no matter what the consequences."

Liz stared at him. Her grandmother Claudia�s words from the year before suddenly filtered through her mind.

Promise me you�ll follow your heart, wherever it takes you.

She had tried to do that. She tried to follow her heart. Even the time she�d been unable to help Michael restore his balance, she had been following her heart. Her heart was absorbed with fear for Max then, and it had resulted in their initial break-up. She knew now though that it had been a good thing. Although painful at the time, it had been right, because neither of them was ready for the intensity of what their relationship was destined to become.

Doing as Future Max had bid her had been painful too, but she had followed her heart, even though she almost broke it in the process. She had known deep inside that what she did to Max the night of the Gomez concert wasn�t going to end their connection. He would see through it - and he had. He had never believed it. But, because she had done it, Tess remained in Roswell and the three other hybrids had joined them. It had been the right thing to do.

The only time she hadn�t followed her heart had been when she�d walked away from Max at the pod chamber the spring before. It was the only mistake she had ever made. It had made things more complicated for Whittaker, and had helped Nasedo. Not following her heart - which had been imploring her to stay with Max, to help him heal from what had been done to him in the White Room, and to help him fully explore what Tess�s presence in their lives meant - had been a mistake. She had never given Tess a chance, her jealousy outweighing what her heart was telling her to do. If she had, she would have seen sooner that Tess wasn�t bad, that they were connected, that the sense of trust she had briefly felt in Tess that day at the Harding house, when her sister had told her that she wasn�t trying to take Max away from her, was valid. She got now that she believed Tess that day. That, for one short moment, before Nasedo�s lies intervened again, Tess had been telling the truth. She had not wanted Max at all. But, because she, Liz, had not listened to her heart, she had almost destroyed them all.

Liz felt her heart lighten in a way she had been unsure she would ever feel again. It was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Ironically, it was at that moment that Kyle demanded, "Jeesh. Pressure much? No wonder she�s freaking out! Who the hell would want the weight of always doing the right thing resting on their shoulders?"

Jack shrugged. "I can�t explain it. It�s just who she is. The love she has for life and for all of us will always make it so. It�s her destiny. There�s a reason she couldn�t make the connection." He turned and addressed Liz again. "Liz, you probably don�t even know what it is, but it exists."

Liz sighed, accepting what he told her to a certain degree, her new analysis of past events making her see the situation in a new light. "You may be right." And, yet, a small doubt still existed. Why was she so frightened of what being Rowena really meant? Why did she still doubt that she would make the right decisions? If she accepted Rowena as part of herself, shouldn�t that change? "But, if it�s true, then why am I so sure that I don�t want to be her. That I want to be me?"

"Do you think Rowena wanted to be who she was all the time?" Jack asked. "She didn�t want to be what divided Sardica and Antar, but there was no way to avoid it. Because it wasn�t her fault. She couldn�t change what she meant to Zan or Khivar. They were the ones with the problem, not Rowena." He nodded towards the others, who were still hovering. Liz stared at Max, abruptly recognizing the expression on his face. It was fear. Something had gone extremely wrong in the connection. Her heart started to pound again, desperately wishing that she was with him. Why wasn�t she? Why had she been left behind?

It was as if Jack read her mind, because he continued, thinking aloud, "I think it�s the Rowena part of you that refuses to let you make the connection. There are some things that need to be fixed on their own. You can�t be the mediator all the time. Kyle�s right. No one can handle what Rowena had to handle on their own. It�s too much pressure. Things have to be different this time."

Liz frowned. "I swear that�s not true. I want to fix things. I just don�t want to be her."

Jack sighed. "Believe what you want. You are her. But you�re yourself, too. It�s not a question of whether you want it or not. It�s just what is. You�re strong, Liz, but you can�t do everything. Whatever�s going on with them," he glared at the dangling hybrids in annoyance, "it has nothing to do with you. And, I think, your Rowena essence knows it. I think the granolith knows it too, and it�s why you haven�t been able to join them."

Jack looked at Whittaker, who was staring at him with her mouth hanging open, as though she couldn�t quite believe he�d come to this conclusion. "Why do you think you didn�t want me involved in the connection? I mean, how would that randomly just come to you? We�re not in control here at all. It�s all the granolith. It tells you what to do. I don�t think you even realize it. You said yourself that you�ve never completely understood it. I�m not in there because I�m not involved either. Katie isn�t, because she�s gone. She isn�t one of the ones with the problem anyway."

"But, what about Tess?" Kyle demanded. "She didn�t do anything! Neither did Isabel!"

"I never said they did anything to each other," Jack replied, sounding impatient. "But they certainly have things to work out in there. Vilandra was in love with Khivar." He glared at Grant as he said this. "Her Vilandra side needs to deal with that. And, as for Tess� Serena lied to Khivar for years." He looked at Whittaker again. "You, better than anyone, should know that they have things to discuss, things to decide. Not figuring them out early was what destroyed your relationship with the original Khivar."

Liz was unsure how Jack had decided all of this out. Maybe he could see most clearly because he was the one with the least baggage brought over from their past lives. Or maybe the granolith was somehow helping him to understand. However it had happened, Liz believed him. This hadn�t been about her doubts at all. She had them still, she knew, but the granolith had not taken them seriously. It recognized them for the insecurities that any of them might hold, considering the extraordinary circumstances under which they were becoming aware of who they really were.

Liz felt a flash of awe, followed immediately by one of curiosity. What the heck was the granolith? How did it know exactly what to do? How did it know, that before they could really know what had happened in their past lives, they needed to come to terms with each other in the present? That, to really be a team, they needed to be able to accept each other in spite of what they might learn when their memories returned.

She and Jack and Kate had already accepted the rest of them, flaws and all, which was why they weren�t involved. They would only complicate things by being present.

This did not negate Liz�s concerns about her own role in the group. She still did not understand how she had so completely misjudged Will, but she knew that she forgave him. It was one reason that she was not involved in whatever the granolith was up to. Her gift was obviously screwed up somehow though. She wondered if part of her doubt about wanting to go back to Antar might stem from the suspicion that she would end up being more of a hindrance than a help. If she couldn�t play a full part, she didn�t want any role at all. The last thing the rest of them needed was to depend on her, only to have her fail them in the end.

It was something she was going to have to work out, this sense of inadequacy. Jack was right. She was who she was. She could not change that. But, she did love the rest of them; Max most intensely, but the rest of them as well. She wanted to be one of them, whatever that meant, and it wasn�t just because of Max. Max would have loved her whether she was Rowena or not. It was only now, when she was beginning to understand that she wanted acceptance from the rest of them too, that she knew it. Until she was certain she had it, her doubts might not go away.

For now, though, that was going to have to wait. She didn�t have a purpose in whatever was going on with the rest of them. She shook her head slightly, smiling wryly to herself. She was lying to herself when she had said before that she wanted out. She didn�t want out. She wanted in, completely. Now that she didn�t know what was going on with the rest of them, she was felt nothing but impatientience.

She just hoped they would hurry and sort out what needed to be sorted. But, based on the amount of tension that existed between some of them, she was pretty sure they were going to be in there for a while.

Part 45

"Okay!" Max yelled. Everyone was talking at once, the high pitch of hysteria becoming more pronounced with every passing second. "Everyone just shut up! We need to think here!"

"What is there to think about?" Michael snapped. "We�re trapped, Maxwell! The only thing we need to do is get the hell out of here."

"And how are we supposed to do that without thinking about it?" Tess glared at him.

Michael appeared about to respond to her, but when it dawned on him that she was right, his mouth shut with a snap.

"Let�s all just calm down," Max continued, nodding at Tess in thanks. "Liz isn�t here. It�s obviously screwing things up. We need to figure out why she isn�t here and deal with it."

"Isn�t it obvious?" Isabel demanded. "She can�t be depended on. I so knew this was going to happen!"

"Isabel, what are you talking about?" Tess rounded on her. "For God�s sake, we all know that Liz is the only one who can be depended on all the time. The things she�s done for us�" She raised her hand, her fingers spread. "Do I need to list them? Because I will." She dropped one finger. "For starters, she walked away from Max when she thought that was the best thing for all of us�"

"Okay," Isabel interrupted, sounding embarrassed. "I know. I�m sorry. I�m just upset. I know this isn�t Liz�s fault. What I don�t get is why she isn�t here. What did we do wrong?"

"We didn�t do anything wrong," Michael argued. "We�re here, aren�t we? I say we get on with it and try to heal her."

"Michael, that�s what we were trying to do," Tess reminded him. "It didn�t work. We need Liz here. Obviously."

"I don�t think it�s obvious at all." Will spoke up, making Max grimace slightly. He glanced at his nemesis, who had been listening quietly as they all argued. It dawned on Max for the first time that Will was technically the only "new" alien who had made it into the connection. Kate was there in body, but was quite obviously nowhere to be found in spirit.

"What do you mean?" Tess demanded.

"I think there�s a reason Liz isn�t here," Will replied. "It�s the only thing that makes sense. She�s already made a connection to both Max and me. She should be here. Which means that there�s a reason she�s not."

Max exchanged a glance with Isabel, who was frowning. He could almost see the wheels turning in his sister�s head. He didn�t know what to make of what Will had said, but could see that Isabel was taking it seriously.

"Did anyone else think it was weird that Whittaker decided that Jack shouldn�t be a part of the connection?" Isabel asked abruptly. "I mean, he was right when he argued that he should be here. He has the strongest connection to Kate. He should be here. I know that if anyone could call me back from somewhere, it would be Michael." She looked at Max, then continued carefully, as though she was afraid that she was going to somehow hurt him by what she was saying, "We�ve always known that there was a special bond between Michael and me. It wasn�t until Tess came that we understood it, but we�ve always felt it."

Max nodded slowly, recognizing what his sister was getting at. Michael and he had always been close, but more out of proximity and necessity, rather than understanding. He loved his friend like a brother, but he didn�t always understand him. Not like Isabel did. It wasn�t a bond like the one he shared with Liz - he knew that Michael and Isabel weren�t in love - but there was certainly something there beyond his own connection to Michael.

Which made him agree with his sister. It was extremely odd that Jack had been left out of this connection. Max didn�t know Kate or Jack very well, but it was obvious that they were very close.

"Are you saying that he was left out to screw things up?" Michael demanded. "That Whittaker can�t be trusted?"

"Did anyone really trust her anyway?" Isabel countered.

"I did," Tess stated. "I mean, in a way, she�s me."

Max looked at Will. He shrugged. "She has pretty much spent her entire life lying. I don�t know what to think."

"So, you�re planning to reject her, too," Tess said, sounding disdainful. "Just like you did last time?"

"She�s not my Serena," Will snapped. "Not to mention, it wasn�t Khivar�s fault. Serena lied to him. He loved Rowena."

"That�s ridiculous," Tess exclaimed. "He was married to Serena. No matter how good an actress Serena might have been, he had to love her at least a bit. Not if their marriage was as happy as you both seem to remember. She couldn�t be Rowena completely - ever."

"She was her clone," Will argued. "Close enough."

"Please," Tess retorted. "That�s like saying we�re all exactly the same as we were back then. We know already that�s not true."

"You�re not even really Serena!" Will yelled. "You�re some weird half and half freak show!"

"Whoa!" Max exclaimed. "Enough!" He scowled at Will. "You can�t talk to Tess like that."

Tess didn�t seem upset, or at least not in the way Max would have expected having been attacked in such a fashion. She wasn�t on the verge of tears. Instead, she was crimson with fury. Max had never seen her so angry. Tess was always as cool as a cucumber, at least in his dealings with her. She had been emotional with Liz, but never had she been as furious as she was presently. He could practically see steam coming out of her ears.

"Need I remind you that we�re all half and half freak shows?" Isabel added, sounding a little amused, if Max was not mistaken.

"What�s so funny?" Tess demanded, glaring at Max�s sister.

"You are, Tess," Isabel told her. "You let him get to you. I�ve never seen anyone get to you." She paused, then added impishly, "Well, except maybe Kyle."

Tess turned her head away, obviously deciding that there was no possible come-back to that.

"We�re getting off track here," Max said firmly. "The question on the table is, do we trust Whittaker or not?"

"What does it matter?" Will asked, obviously struggling to control his tone, so that he was no longer confrontational. "It doesn�t matter if we trust her. We don�t even trust each other."

"That�s not true," Max replied mildly. "I trust everyone here."

"Of course you do," Will said, sounding sarcastic. "Just like I do."

Max clenched his jaw, determined that this irritating son of a bitch was not going to get to him. "Why would I lie?"

"Oh, you wouldn�t," Will replied, obviously even more irritated. "Not the perfect Zan. So perfect he stole my wife."

"She was never your wife!" Tess shrieked, so surprising everyone, even herself, that the silence that followed was almost eerie. Max watched in fascination as Tess took several deep breaths, so that when she spoke again, it was almost kindly. "You need to get over it. I know it�s hard." She glanced at Max. He felt his face heating up. He realized she was referring to the fact that she still had some feelings for him, in spite of everything they had learned. "But it just wasn�t true."

"I know it," Will said, his voice cracking a little. Max watched in amazement as Tess moved forward slightly, then stopped. It was as if she wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but didn�t feel entirely right doing so. "It doesn�t make it any easier to accept."

There was another long moment of silence, and then Isabel spoke up tentatively. "I� I wonder if that�s what this is all about." She waved her hand in the air, indicating the fact that they were trapped in the granolith. "That we�re all stuck here until we accept that we might not like what we�re going to learn about ourselves in here."

"That still doesn�t explain why Jack and Liz aren�t here," Michael reminded her.

"Maybe they�re ready," Isabel shrugged. "Maybe we�re not."

"But we�re the ones who�ve always known we�re aliens!" Michael exclaimed. "It doesn�t make sense that we�re having trouble with this!"

"Jack�s always known too," Will reminded him. "But he�s always been the one who rolls the easiest with the punches. Jondar was killed in our last lives, but he wasn�t a major player in the war." He paused, then added, "I�ve always sort of suspected that it was why he wasn�t as desperate for revenge as Kate and me. He just doesn�t feel the same anger about it all."

"Liz doesn�t have the same baggage the rest of us do either," Max said pensively. "She�s actually accepted this all pretty well. I think Isabel�s right. We�re here to learn something. Something we haven�t allowed ourselves to learn."

"What can we possibly learn that could be anywhere worse than what we already know?" Tess asked, sounding tired. "I don�t think I can take much more of this."

"I think we all sort of feel that way," Max told her, knowing that he sounded wry. He couldn�t help it. It had been the most hellish week of his life, and he was even including the time he had spent in the White Room. At least then there had been no grey area. There had been good and there had been evil, and he had known he was on the right side.

"I�m ready," Michael insisted. "I know I am."

"But are you really, Michael?" Isabel asked. "I mean, it�s going to change everything. What if you go in there, come out with your memories, and then suddenly you�re in love with me again? Doesn�t that scare you even a little bit? What about Maria?"

Michael stared at her. "I won�t be." Max heard the slight tremor in his best friend�s voice though, as if Isabel�s words were somehow hitting the mark.

"But what if it happens?" Isabel pressed. "It�s happened before, Michael. Back when we thought I was pregnant with your baby. You totally flipped out and became someone completely different. I don�t think you are ready for this." She moved forward, taking his hand. "I think you�re scared, even if you won�t admit it. You�re scared that you�re going to hurt Maria again, without even meaning to."

Max shook his head in amazement. As usual, Isabel had understood Michael better than he had. If they were all in here for a reason, he had been pretty sure that Michael was the only one of them who was there quite by accident. Rath had no difficult history with anyone, after all. He had been the most loyal and trusted of friends - then and now.

And, yet, now he worried about how loyal being here was to the one person he loved more than anyone.

"Maybe," Michael finally muttered gruffly. "I don�t see what standing around here is going to do about it though. I can�t change how I feel."

"I think just acknowledging it is going to change things," Isabel replied. She looked at Tess. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Tess asked, taking a step back.

"What are you worried about?" Isabel asked.

"I�m not worried about anything," Tess insisted. "I like what I know about who I was. I want to be Serena."

Isabel just stared at her. Max looked at Will, whose arms were crossed. He had a strange expression on his face, one Max couldn�t quite identify, but he was, without a doubt, waiting for Tess�s response.

Tess�s shoulders sagged suddenly under the weight of Isabel�s regard. "You�re really annoying, you know that?" she muttered.

"Don�t be annoyed," Isabel told her firmly. "Just be honest."

"Honest like I was before?" Tess demanded. She looked at Will, then away. She continued though, almost blurting it out. "Why do you think what he said pissed me off so much? He was right! I was, am, and always will be a complete liar. My entire gift is a lie for God�s sake! Serena deserved everything she got!"

"What did she get, Tess?" Max asked gently, his heart going out to her. He couldn�t help it. Even though he had once been the victim of her lies, there was no question now that everything she had been before had been completely engineered by Nasedo. She had been raised in lies, had continued the lying, but, now, she feared that she could never escape it.

"She got rejected," Tess replied tearfully. "The one person she wanted didn�t want her. Just like none of you wanted me."

Max was about to move to comfort her, but surprisingly Michael beat him to it. "Of course we want you, Tess," he insisted, his arm going around her slender shoulders. She seemed impossibly small and vulnerable next to Michael�s large frame. "We just want the real you. We�ve always been ready to accept her."

"But I don�t even know who the real me is!" Tess wailed, burying her face against Michael�s chest.

"What? And you think any of us do?" Michael demanded. "Why do you think we�re here?"

"I know why I�m here," Isabel admitted. "It�s because I don�t quite believe that Vilandra was as innocent as everyone seems to think. Whether she was fooled by that shapeshifter or not, she knew that loving Khivar was wrong. She was betraying her brother and her entire planet."

"Isabel, you don�t know how it was," Max reminded her. "You can�t make judgments like that before knowing for sure."

"Maybe not," Isabel replied. "But I already have. And I think that�s why I�m here. Because I�m going to misinterpret everything I see. I know I am." She shrugged. "And figuring this out isn�t going to help much, because it�s not going to change how I feel, just because I know that�s what I�m going to do."

"But somehow me knowing what I�m worried about does change things?" Michael demanded. "That makes no sense, Isabel."

Isabel started, then stared at him. She eventually smiled slightly. "Point taken."

Michael nodded his head in satisfaction. He looked at Will, "So, what�s your guilty secret? What are you afraid of?"

"You know mine," Will muttered.

"What? That you�re going to find out your precious Rowena never loved you?" Michael demanded. "I don�t buy that. You know it already. No, it�s something else."

"Why do I have to tell you?" Will snapped. "Isn�t it enough that I know?"

"I don�t think so," Isabel told him gently. "I think the whole point of this is to make us trust each other. In every way. You need to tell us."

There was a long pause, as Will seemed to mull this over. "This doesn�t really seem fair," he finally told them. "I mean, you�ve all known each other for years. Why do I have to bare my soul to complete strangers?"

"We won�t be complete strangers after the connection," Isabel reminded him. "I think that Whittaker or the granolith, or whatever, is giving us the chance to come clean before we all know anyway."

"So, what about Liz and Jack?" Michael asked. "Don�t they need to know this stuff?"

"I have the feeling that those two will accept anything we show them," Isabel answered. "We�re the judgmental ones. They�ll still like us anyway. But, this group here, if we see something we don�t like, we may pull out."

"How do you know all this, Isabel?" Tess asked, sounding dumbfounded.

"I just know me," Isabel replied. "I�m not too jazzed to be about to find out exactly what you all think of me. I�m also not very happy that you�re about to know what I think of all of you. It just seems logical that the granolith is trying to prepare us in advance."

"I wished my sister dead," Will blurted, startling Max. He had been focused on Isabel, as had the others, and they all whipped around to stare at the dark-haired guy.

"What?" Michael demanded.

"Well, not really," Will amended. "But�" He paused, then continued in a rush, "I told Liz this earlier. I was working with Nasedo. Kate figured it out. Because of that, for one, brief, moment, I never wanted her to wake up."

"What!" Michael bellowed. He looked about ready to leap at Will, but Tess was clutching his arm tightly. Max moved rapidly towards them to help her. "You were working for Nasedo?"

"I didn�t know what else to do," Will admitted, his guilt clear in his voice. "I felt completely out of control. I�ve been raised to be in charge and, with you people, I�m just not. I thought working with him for a while would give me time to line things up properly again. But everything went crazy. I never expected him to take Alex. And I didn�t expect Kate to get hurt. I didn�t expect anyone to get hurt�"

"That is the biggest piece of bullshit I�ve ever heard!" Michael informed him, interrupting. "You hoped at least one of us would get hurt." He looked at Max. "If you�re being honest, be honest. You wanted Maxwell dead. That�s what your real goal was. That�s how you planned to be in charge again. Not only that, but you�d get Liz, too."

"I think the one thing I�ve learned from all of this," Will replied, his voice firmer, "is that Liz doesn�t belong to anyone. But I still didn�t want her to know what I�d done. And I�m going to have to live with the fact that, for one moment, I wished my sister would stay dead, so that Liz wouldn�t find out the truth." He paused, as though searching for words. "I guess that�s what I�m most scared of here. Of finding out that I was responsible for everything bad that happened back then. That I let my love for Rowena come before my planet. Just like I let my obsession with Liz come before my sister."

"God." This came from Isabel. Max looked at her. His sister seemed stunned. As he watched, though, strangely, it was as if a light went on inside Isabel. Max met his sister�s eyes. And, abruptly, she was speaking to him - privately, in his head.

I can�t believe he actually felt that way, Max. Even if for only a second.

Obsession is a scary thing, Iz.

I would never think that you�d be better off dead. Never.

I know, Isabel.

Don�t you get it, Max? Isabel demanded. I�m free! I won�t betray you again.

Isabel, I never doubted that.

She smiled at him. I know, Max. But I did. I just can�t believe he even thought that.

Max wondered why he didn�t feel as shocked by Will�s revelation. Maybe it was because he�d been having some of the same types of fears - that he really had been a horrible person, that Zan had deserved to die. He was just glad that he hadn�t made any choices in this life, so far, that would haunt him for the rest of it. No matter how much he disliked Will, the fact that he understood how wrong his feelings about Kate had been meant that he could not be all bad. Max felt sorry for him.

He thought he finally understood why Liz had been so upset after talking to Will, too. Will had admitted to her that he hadn�t always been completely above-board, that he had been working against them. He had proven her certainty in him wrong. Her faith in him had been misplaced. She would feel that. Liz trusted with her heart, not with her head. The irony of this was that she considered herself to be thoughtful and intelligent, which she was. But it was her heart that was her true gift. Her hurt was almost certain. So, as far as Max felt bad for Will, he also felt angry.

Silence had fallen over the group again, as they all reflected on what Will�s revelation meant. Finally, Tess, spoke, "Are you going to tell Kate?"

"She�ll know," Will replied, sounding pained. "When we bring her back, she�ll become part of the connection, and she�ll know."

"She�ll understand," Tess reassured him. "She will. She has to."

"I don�t think so," Will said. "And she shouldn�t."

And, after that, there was nothing else to say. Max looked around at the others. He realized that they were all staring at him.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what?" Isabel asked. "You�re here too, Max. Give it up!"

"I swear, I can�t think of a single thing," Max told them. "You know all my dirty secrets. I�m not particularly excited to see some of the things I did in my past life either," he continued, looking directly at Isabel. "You all know already that I�ve never really wanted to be the leader. You all know too that I love Liz more than anyone�" He trailed off, the truth suddenly dawning on him.

There was only one deep, dark secret the people here did not know about him.

He knew exactly why he was here. He felt his heart start to thunder in his chest, and was aware of all the blood draining out of his face. He knew that there was no way he could ever tell them this. Tess and Will would understand, maybe, (and he didn�t particularly care about Will�s opinion anyway) but Michael and Isabel�They would be so hurt. He could not do it.

The only person who knew this truth about him was Liz, and they had never even discussed it. But he knew she knew. He had seen it in their connection. In fact, he had once even told her, although not directly, but he had implied it. He didn�t remember it, seeing as he had been drunk at the time.

"Max, what?" Isabel�s voice was gentle. He felt his sister take his hand.

"Iz�" He cleared his throat. "I�"

"Maxwell, just tell us," Michael snapped. Max almost smiled. He couldn�t help it. Michael was trying to make him angry, in his typical manner, and was trying to get him to spill it that way.

And, so, he would. They wouldn�t forgive him, but they would find out soon enough anyway. They deserved to know.

"I don�t regret healing Liz," he told them.

He watched Isabel�s face anxiously, but she just stared at him, as though she was waiting for more.

"And?" Michael prompted. "This we know, Max."

"No, you don�t get it," Max said. "I don�t regret putting your lives in danger. I never did, even though I told you I was sorry about it. I wasn�t sorry. Not a bit. I would do it again in a heartbeat. She is the most important person to me." He looked at Will. "You think you�re bad? I�m ten times worse. If I had to choose any of you, ever, I would always choose her. If she asked me to run away with her, to leave all this behind, and to ignore all of it, I�d do it. Without even a second�s thought. That�s what I need to tell you."

There was a long pause. Max watched Isabel exchange a glance with Michael. And, then, to his amazement, she burst out laughing. "Are you kidding? Max, that�s your deep, dark secret? I mean, we know that."

"What?" Max demanded.

"Max, c�mon. We know that you think you would do that, but we also know you wouldn�t," Isabel insisted. "You would never do that."

"Isabel, I think I know what I would do! I did it once before after all." He paused, frowning. "Well, not before exactly. I would have. In the future. The world ended because I married Liz and made Tess leave town. That was my fault. And I would do it again in a second. Why do you think Future Me had to go to Liz? He knew I couldn�t be trusted."

"Max, you didn�t know that making that decision would result in the end of the world," Tess told him. "In fact, that wasn�t your fault. You�ve always told me how you feel. If I left then, that was my decision. You couldn�t have stopped me."

"But he told Liz that we treated you badly."

"According to who?" Tess asked. "I have a feeling that what Future Max considered treating me badly wasn�t that bad. I mean, I know how you�ve been with me all along. Kind and thoughtful, and always completely honest. It wasn�t your fault if I couldn�t deal with it."

"You know, you and Liz need to get over this martyr complex," Michael stated. "I think that�s why you�re really here, Maxwell. Actually, now that I think about it, Liz seems to know now that she can�t always make every decision for all of us by herself. Or at least that�s what this whole future fiasco has taught her. You don�t know this though. You get to make some decisions that are only about you. And since everything you do is about Liz, it makes sense that you�d get it all mixed up."

"What?" Max demanded. They weren�t taking him at all seriously. He was actually a little annoyed.

"Do you think that I think about how everything I do is going to affect you?" Michael asked.

"No, Michael," Isabel put in wryly. "I don�t think any of us have ever been in danger of thinking that." Max stared at Tess when she giggled.

Michael just rolled his eyes and continued, "My point is that you think far too much, Maxwell."

"Thinking things through stopped us from killing Brody," Max reminded him.

"That�s true," Michael conceded. "But thinking things through also sent that idiot future you back through the granolith to throw the entire blame for the end of the world on Liz�s shoulders. I mean, like it was all your and her fault. Any of us could have stepped in and kept Tess with us. But none of us made the effort. That�s pretty damn clear."

"Michael, what happened because of Future Me was a good thing," Max snapped. "If it hadn�t, Tess would have left and Will, Kate and Jack never would have found us."

"Maybe." Michael shrugged. "All I know is that, it was a pretty stupid thing to think that only you and Liz were responsible." He glanced at Isabel, as though he knew she would agree with him. "Martyr complex." Isabel nodded, as though they had discussed this many times before.

Max stared at his sister. Was it true? Was that why he was really in here? To get over himself?

He remembered suddenly how he had decided a few hours before that he was going to return to Antar and fix everything. That it was his responsibility, even if he didn�t want it, and that he was going to do it. He hadn�t even thought about asking the others what they wanted. In fact, he realized now that he hadn�t thought of asking because, in the grand scheme of things, what they wanted wasn�t very important.

It was only now that he realized that a small part of him believed that he was the only one who could do it. That having the rest of them there was incidental. How arrogant was that?

He hadn�t been ready to completely connect with these people because he hadn�t really thought, in his heart, that any of them were necessary. Well, maybe he had thought Liz was necessary, but more because of how important she was to him, rather then in her own right.

He did believe that part of his reasoning for not involving them was to protect them. He wasn�t a complete ass. But he was pretty sure it wasn�t a large enough part to make up for the rest of it.

But, in the end, this wasn�t just about him. It was about all eight of them. They were all important parts of the equation, none of them more consequential than any other.

And, as this thought passed through his mind, the entire world seemed to shift on its axis.

Max shook his head, trying to get his bearings. He felt a warmth run through his entire body, a warmth that had been missing since this connection started. When he opened his eyes again, what he knew to be true was confirmed.

Liz was standing in front of him, smiling. "Hi!" She reached out and hugged him. "You did it!"

He held her tightly, glancing over her head at the others. Jack was there too, standing next to Will. He was looking around with something approximating amazement, as though he couldn�t quite believe he was where he was.

"I guess so," Max replied, grinning, although he still felt the shame of his conceit running through his veins.

"What happened?" Liz asked.

"I�ll tell you," Max said, "but later. Right now, we need to bring Kate back."

Liz nodded. "You�re right." She smiled slightly. "I have a feeling that I�m about to find out anyway, if this works properly." She moved away from Max, passing Kate�s still body. She crouched, touching her hand gently to the motionless brunette�s forehead. "We�re coming for you, Kate. Just hold on a little while longer."

No more words were necessary. Within seconds, they were all back in their spots on the wheel. Max could feel the tension running through them all, the mere presence of Liz and Jack among them seeming to heighten his connection to everyone else.

Max briefly met the eyes of every other member of the circle. Isabel, his sister and greatest supporter. Michael, his brother and his conscience. Tess, his friend. Jack, the unknown. Will, his, now strangely trusted, enemy. And, finally, Liz, his love.

Whether it was overbearing or not, in that instant, Max knew that they were all looking to him to take the lead. They were trusting him to know what to do.

And, for once, without even thinking about it, as Michael�s earlier words ran through his mind - Maxwell, you think too much - he did.

He closed his eyes, sending his focus out to the rest of the circle. Feeling his friends� energy surging through his veins, he knew that he was more powerful than he ever had been before.

This was right. This was what was meant to be. He was not the only important one, but he was the leader. Not because of what had happened before, not because of his destiny, but because they had chosen him.

Let�s do this.

Part 46

The granolith chamber was quiet. After Jack convinced Liz that there was a reason she had been left out of the connection, the two of them had taken up their places around Kate, the healing stones in their hands, waiting. What they were waiting for, Alex wasn�t entirely sure. Would the others come back for them, or would they just be pulled into the connection when it was time?

All he knew was that it was all taking too long. He couldn�t quite believe that they didn�t all just get over themselves long enough to bring Kate back. He knew that his anger was irrational - that Isabel, Max and the others were as confused by everything that was happening as he was - but he couldn�t help it. Kate had been gone for close to three hours now. What if there was a time limit? Whittaker had implied that there was, and that if they waited too long, Kate�s human body would be unable to accept her essence any longer. With every second that passed, as Liz and Jack stood patiently, watching the others, who were still hanging lifelessly a couple of feet off the ground, Alex felt his own patience wearing thin.

He could not take his eyes off Kate�s lifeless form. He still could not quite grasp that she was no longer in there. He had never seen a dead body before. The emptiness of her expression was beyond what he had expected. It was terrifying. How could that empty shell be Kate? It was just inconceivable to him. It made him feel helpless, and brought home, yet again, how dangerous his friends� lives were.

It was one of the reasons he had contemplated getting out of the alien abyss permanently - the danger, and the fear that went with it. It hadn�t all been about Isabel and her lack of interest in pursuing anything romantic with him. He didn�t want to die. He was young and he had his whole life ahead of him. In some ways, it was a terrifying prospect, remaining tied to these people. He could still get out, could still live a long, healthy life, pretending that he�d never known anything about kings, queens, and princesses from other planets; that he�d never heard a word about four squares, or pods, or shapeshifters.

But, in the end, it was even more terrifying contemplating life without them.

What had happened to Kate - losing her before he�d even had a chance to know her; the fact that she had died before she had really lived - drove home that there was more to life than just breathing.

That living and loving were not exclusive. He couldn�t really choose one over the other. He wasn�t just thinking about romantic love either. Because leaving the alien abyss would mean leaving behind Liz, and Maria, and Isabel. It was all or nothing with his friends. And, when it came right down to it, there was really no decision to be made. There never had been. He couldn�t even imagine not being a part of this anymore. He, quite simply, cared too much. He always had.

The real problem wasn�t that he wanted out of the alien abyss. The real problem was that he wanted in -completely. And, because he was human, he would never really be a part of the group. He would never truly be one of them. He would always be left behind, waiting. The question now was, could he be that brave? Could he be strong enough to accept that the people he loved most in the world would always be in danger? That there would always be the threat that one of them would be taken before their time? The possibility was there. The reality of it was proven by what had happened to Kate, the one person he suspected might someday become the most important of all.

How could he do it? How could he endure it, when just standing here now, when he was pretty sure none of them were really in any danger, was the worst torture he had ever dealt with?

"Are you okay?" Alex felt Maria take his hand. He looked down at his best friend, who was leaning into him, her eyes glued to the spectacle in front of them.

"Not really," he admitted, squeezing her hand. "It really sucks being the one left standing here."

"I know," Maria replied quietly. Alex saw Liz�s eyes shift slightly from where she stood. She had been staring at Max intently, but she obviously could hear them, and was curious. Maria seemed to notice too, because she lowered her voice. "It�s not that I�m jealous of Liz," she continued. "I�m not. I know this has all been incredibly hard and painful for her�"

"But she gets to play a role," Alex finished for her. "She doesn�t have to stand on the sidelines and just be a cheerleader." He paused, then added, "I guess we know now why everything always seemed more intense between Liz and Max. She was one of them all along." He looked down at Maria, embarrassed, and a little ashamed. "You say you aren�t jealous, but, you know what? I was. I am."

Maria sighed, nodding her head slightly, in agreement. "We�re complete idiots, you know."

"Yup," Alex agreed. He knew they were. That Liz had been through hell, and that, if she had been given the choice, she might not have chosen to be "one of them." She had chosen Max of her own free will, but she hadn�t chosen Antar. She hadn�t chosen Rowena.

And, yet, he was still jealous.

"Is it worth it?" Maria asked him. "Alex, do you think the small part of them we get to share is worth the pain of what we don�t?"

Alex didn�t answer right away. He felt Liz�s eyes on him. He blinked. He read the expression on her face quite easily, knowing her as well as he did.

She was worried. And, not about Max and the others. Not at that moment. No, she was worried about him.

Because, after all, it went both ways. Worry wasn�t a one way street. They worried about their friends being in danger, and their friends worried right back.

He felt his heart lighten slightly. "It�s worth it," he told Maria, smiling slightly at Liz, before shifting his gaze back to Kate. "But I think we�re going to have to work on our patience," he added wryly.

"Is there a class for that?" Maria inquired.

Alex brought his arm up around her shoulders, squeezing. "No, but there is a support group."

Looking back on it later, Alex realized that the whole moment was as if the granolith had been testing them too. It was almost like it had been waiting for them to accept their part of the burden, of being a part of the group, before it would allow things to move forward. Because as the words left his lips, the time for patience ended.

Alex heard Maria gasp slightly, and followed her eyes to Liz. His dark-haired friend was staring down at the stone, which sat in her palms. It was beginning to light up from within, at an even pace, not as erratically as the other stones had when Isabel, Max, and the others had been pulled into the connection without her.

He felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders when the other five gathered around Kate descended to the floor. They still weren�t back in the granolith chamber, but it was obvious that they were back in control of wherever they were.

"Are you ready?" Jack asked Liz.

Alex�s friend nodded. Before she closed her eyes, Liz looked at Alex directly again. "We�re going to bring her back to you, Alex."

"I know," he told her.

And, as Liz closed her eyes to join the others, he did know it. Just like he knew that he would be waiting for Kate when she opened her eyes.

***

Liz reached out with all her senses. It felt different this time - completely different. Before, when the connection failed, she hadn�t sensed anything, not even Max. It had been terrifying, mainly because she had become so used to his presence lingering in the back of her mind. And, so, when it disappeared, she couldn�t quite adjust to its absence. It had been impossible to accept the big, blank spot where he had been.

The big, blank spot was gone. Oh boy, was it gone.

She was almost overwhelmed by the images passing through her mind.

Shame.

That was Will. Liz sighed, knowing that his guilt over all that he had done, was taking its toll on him. She felt bad that she had reacted so poorly to his revelations. All that he feared had come true. She knew, deep down, that she was not wrong about him. He had taken the wrong road, but it had also not taken him long to realize it. With Kate�s "death," the price he had been forced to pay for his action was too high.

Determination.

Jack. Liz didn�t know him well, but she sensed that it was him. Something in his essence was similar to the way he had convinced her to believe in herself in the granolith chamber. She was looking forward to learning more about him.

Fear.

Surprisingly, this was Michael. Of everyone, Liz was shocked that he was the one most scared of what they were going to learn. She sensed that it had something to do with Maria. Her friend�s face was uppermost in Michael�s thoughts.

Calm.

Liz recognized Isabel next. Max�s sister was not afraid. She was, in fact, eager to finally learn the true story of who she had been. It was clear to Liz, though, through the connection, that this was a new development. Something that had happened here had changed Isabel�s attitude.

Uncertainty.

Liz�s heart went out to her sister. Tess was unsure that she was ready to know how completely she had been lied to by Nasedo. She wanted to know, but she didn�t, at the same time. She was also wary of what Will was going to do. She was unsure that he could be trusted. Finally, Liz felt the stirrings of fear in Tess. She was scared of something�that Liz was going to see�

Liz blinked, then sighed. She sent out reassurance to her sister. It wasn�t like she didn�t already know that Tess still had feelings for Max. It was going to take time for that to change.

Love.

The last person she encountered was Max, but he was, of course, the one who ended up anchoring her. She was able to shut out some of what the others were sending her, by latching onto him. She couldn�t explain how she did it, but it happened. It was a good thing too. The flashes from the others were still coming fast and furious, and were, in fact, starting to give Liz a headache.

It took all of her willpower to make them slow down. Feeling Max�s familiar presence gave her the final strength to accomplish it. It was what allowed her to join the connection, not only with her senses, but physically as well.

In the end, because of it, Max was the one she first saw in the connection.

He was staring down at her, looking a little astonished, and not a little pleased.

"Hi!" She reached out and hugged him. "You did it!"

Max held her tightly, making her laugh slightly, not at him, but in relief. She could tell by the way he held her, that he had been just about as freaked by her disappearance from his mind as she had been by his from hers.

"I guess so," he murmured into her hair.

She also felt something more. He was a little embarrassed. She wondered at it.

"What happened?" Liz asked, curious

"I�ll tell you," Max said, "but later. Right now, we need to bring Kate back."

Liz nodded. "You�re right." She smiled slightly. "I have a feeling that I�m about to find out anyway, if this works properly." She didn�t elaborate on the fact that she already knew more about the others than she ever had before. She looked around, and saw them watching her - waiting. They all seemed a bit tense. Liz realized that she felt it too - that she was a little overwhelmed by what they had shown her - but more than that, she felt close to them.

It was pretty clear that they didn�t all feel that way. She wondered what they had seen from her when she�d made the connection.

Well, at the moment, it was unimportant. Moving away from Max, she passed Kate�s still form in the centre of the circle. She bent slightly, thought of Alex, and for him, she touched her new friend gently on the hair.

"We�re coming for you, Kate. Just hold on a little while longer."

Taking her place in the circle, Liz glanced around at the others. She wondered what was going to happen next. She felt her attention being drawn to Max, then noticed that everyone else, including Will, was turning towards him as well. Her boyfriend was now clearly focused on the task at hand. Somehow, naturally, they were asking him to take the lead. Liz felt a surge of pride when he did so, without a moment�s hesitation.

Let�s do this.

She heard Max in her head, and didn�t need him to elaborate. She knew what he wanted from her.

Without hesitation, Liz threw her entire will towards Max. She felt him catch her easily. Her entire body started to tingle as, what could only be described as his essence, or perhaps, more exactly, his soul, entwined with hers, filling her up to the point that she gasped, almost unable to handle the completeness of the sensation.

She couldn�t help the thought. She knew that Michael was going to have a field day with it later, but it was the only way to describe it.

This must be what making love will feel like.

But, that was Max. It was what her connection to him had always felt like. It was different with the others. And this time it was so much more intense, the conclusion was logical. Not that any of this was logical. Not at all.

As they all became tangled up in each other, it was hard to pick out who was who. Liz could feel Max trying to keep them all in line, but their wills were so strong, and so different, it was proving difficult for him. It was a giant mess within moments. Fear, doubt, determination, embarrassment, shame, pride, happiness, misery, hatred. It was all there, until Max eventually started to whittle it all away, refining it into the one thing they needed to accomplish Kate�s healing. Liz felt him doing it, and could feel his exhaustion at the time it was taking.

He was stripping all of their emotion down to the bare bone, until all that was left was the heart of it. Because at the crux of it all was love. And it was love that was going to bring Kate back to them.

Michael and Isabel got a hold of themselves first, and managed to link with each other, thus alleviating some of the stress on Max. They became more clearly defined in the connection when they did it.

The others were a little harder to pull out of the jumble. Liz finally realized that she could sense Tess and Will circling each other, trying to decide if they could trust each other or not. In the end it was Tess who made the leap. Liz heard her sister snap in her mind, "Get over yourself. This is for Kate."

It worked, because Liz felt a bit stronger, and knew that the rest of them felt it too.

Jack was alone, and he was the one who, in the end, was going to have to bring Kate back to the connection. Max would wake her up, but it was Jack who would anchor her.

It was only now, with the seven of them so closely linked, that Liz felt the empty, black space where Kate�s essence should be. This was the spot that Max was going to fill with all of their love for the girl they had lost.

As Max slowly poured their healing love into the darkness that was Kate�s soul, a brief, bright flash blinded Liz, although she knew that her eyes were not open. She felt a great tearing within, as though her very heart was being torn from her body. She swallowed, trying to control the pain. It wasn�t so bad. If it meant bringing Kate back, it was worth it. She thought she heard Tess scream. Liz tried to find her sister within her mind, to soothe her, but by the time she got there, she was already being comforted by Will and Isabel.

She could hear Jack calling out in her mind. Kate! Katie, we�re here for you! Kate! Come back!

And, then, abruptly, it all stopped. It was as if the entire world stopped turning. Liz sensed that she was holding her breath.

Gradually, slowly, Liz became aware of a delicate presence on the edge of her awareness.

Kate.

She was there.

It was only then that the air rushed back into Liz�s lungs. Later, when she and Max discussed what happened, she realized that all seven of them had stopped breathing in order to take that first gulp of air with Kate, as she came back to them.

Opening her eyes, Liz found herself back in the cave beneath the granolith chamber.

Liz met Max�s gaze across the circle. He looked entirely too pale, but he managed to smile weakly at her.

And, then, they both dropped their eyes to Kate. She still lay quietly on the floor, but, Liz felt tears threatening as something else became clear.

Kate�s eyes were open. Not only that, but they were alert. A slight frown was forming on her pretty face, as she obviously tried to understand what had happened to her.

It was Alex who moved when the dark-haired girl struggled to raise her head. He was on his knees beside her a moment later, helping her to sit up. Kate was looking around, her gaze drifting from face to face, as though trying to place them.

For one, brief, horrifying moment, Liz absolutely knew that Kate did not recognize any of them. She looked at Max, who seemed to be coming to the same conclusion.

But, in the end, they needn�t have worried. Kate�s gaze came to rest back on Alex, who was cradling her gently against his chest. She licked her lips, smiled slightly, and then, very carefully, reached up and touched his face.

"Alex."

Part 47

She would always remember that the first thing she felt when she returned was the chill. She never again forgot how cold living could be.

The experience of being brought back was strange in and of itself. It was like being pulled back through a long tunnel, wrenched from warmth and security, into a world not of her choosing. She had not been traditionally born in this lifetime but, afterward, she knew what it must be like for a new baby, hauled from its mother�s womb, in some ways, against its will.

But, whether she willed it or not, she heard them calling for her, recognized that she was needed, and she went.

When she opened her eyes, for several long moments, she had no idea who she was, or where she had come from. She felt the terror of it deep in her belly. She gasped slightly, struggling to sit up.

Where am I?

Her second memory of returning was of how quickly everything could change. Because - while she always remembered it - the seconds when she felt the cold, the confusion, and the fear were quickly replaced.

She felt someone touching her, helping her to sit up. Heat flooded her body, as her eyes scanned the anxious faces gathered around her.

Biting her lip, she knew that they were familiar, but her thoughts were in turmoil. It was too much. She focused instead on the warmth, and on the strong arms holding her.

She looked up and recognized him immediately. She smiled. She had heard him calling her. Not as the others had, with their voices, but she had heard him calling her with his heart.

She had come back for him. She knew this to be true.

And, yet, she was unsure. She lifted a trembling hand to touch his face. "Alex." She meant it as a question, but it came out as a certainty. Her heart knew, after all.

He was staring down at her, as though not quite believing she had spoken. His dark eyes were a little watery, but he smiled. "Kate."

Kate. I am Kate.

She remembered everything after that. It all came flooding back, forcing her eyes closed again. His had been the last face she�d seen before the dark had come, and now it was the first she knew back in the light.

Because there was light here. There had been warmth, and security, and happiness, and freedom there, once she had gone through the darkness. But they were here, too. Just different.

He was here.

Kate heard movement somewhere beyond him, but she could not take her eyes from Alex�s face. His head was lowering towards her, and in the next moment, he was pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Welcome back," he whispered.

They sat there for what must have been a long time, but it did not seem that way to Kate. Finally, it was clear that the others could not wait.

"I�m sorry, Alex. I just need to check her over to make sure she�s okay."

She recognized the voice, knew it as one that had called her back. She looked past Alex, and saw him watching her with gentle eyes.

Zan.

His name, coming to her as it did, made her think of them all. Zan. Rowena. Vilandra. Rath. Serena. Jondar. And Khivar. They had all been there. They had all worked together to bring her back.

She started to laugh. She couldn�t help it. They had all worked together. It was a miracle!

Kate could see that Alex was looking down at her with concern. He helped her to sit up more completely.

"I want to stand," she told him quietly.

He opened his mouth to protest, but, after a pause, said mildly, "Lean on me, if you need to."

"I�m okay," Kate addressed Zan. "But, thanks."

"Katie, let him look at you."

Turning her head, Kate regarded her brother, feeling something close to amazement. Did he really just ask her cooperate with Zan? Will was standing stiffly, his arms folded across his chest. She frowned. Why did he look like he was waiting for the other shoe to�

It did not take long for her to remember why Will was so tense. The anger of the moment when she had realized that Will had betrayed them ran through her, as though it had been mere moments before. Of course, she had no idea how long it was since�what had happened to her, so perhaps it had been.

She looked briefly at Alex. "How long have I been gone?"

"About three hours," Alex told her gently, as though the news might upset her.

Three hours. It felt like three years. She could sense how completely everything had changed between them all. Will was upset, yes, but his was the only unease in the room. Everyone else was comfortable, focused on her, but not wary of each other.

They had all forgiven her brother for what he had done. She knew it. His guilt was still there, but none of the rest of them wanted him to feel it.

Kate glanced at Liz, who was staring at her, her brown eyes wary. "Kate, do you need to be alone?" She looked at Will meaningfully. "Or sort of alone? We can leave."

"No," Kate said quickly. "This needs to be said in front of everyone." She paused, then smiled slightly. "No more secrets, am I right?" It was something she remembered from the connection, something that had greeted her upon her return. Trust bound them all to each other now.

"No more secrets," Liz agreed.

"Kate, please let Max look at you," Will pleaded.

Kate tilted her head, examining her brother. "Why? I�m fine. You�ve all made sure of that."

"Kate, you were dead," Will replied. "We need to know that you�re really okay."

"I�m fine, Will," she repeated. She took a careful step forward, and was relieved when her legs held her up. With every movement, she was regaining her strength. She was glad that Alex kept a firm hold on her elbow though, helping her. Moments later, she stood in front of her brother, reached up and took his face between her hands. "Khivar, listen to me�" She realized too late that she had called him by his other name. She never called him Khivar. It had been a secret for so long, it had always seemed unnatural. But now, after the connection, she was thinking of them all by their real names.

She wondered if it made them uncomfortable. She thought about what she would feel if she was called "Karana." If, finally, now that all the hiding was behind them, she would accept the name again. Kate glanced briefly at Alex, then frowned. She couldn�t even imagine hearing a name other than "Kate" on his lips.

But she was getting distracted from her purpose. Will was pulling away from her. "I�m not going to let it be this easy. Kate, I�m not going to let you forgive me."

She was forced to smile at that. "It�s not your choice, brother. Khivar, in my heart, you were forgiven before I even thought to do it. It is important for us all to move on now."

She paused, frowning slightly, as she mentally examined her words. She had meant every one of them, but there was something wrong. Her speech patterns were off. She recognized that. She felt mildly uncomfortable in the skin to which she had been returned. She wondered what it meant.

Looking around, Kate found the shapeshifter watching her from a corner. He was standing apart from the group, not truly with them, but contemplative of the scene, as she was sure a protector was supposed to be. If the shapeshifters had ever really protected them, of course. Which they never had.

"Kate?" Alex�s voice was low. He seemed to sense that something was amiss, apart from Will�s inability to accept forgiveness, as the present shaking of her brother�s dark head seemed to indicate.

"What happened to me in there?" Kate asked Grant. She knew that something was awry, and that while she remembered being Kate, she didn�t exactly feel like the person she had been before.

"I can�t answer that," he told her, glancing to his right. "Maybe she can." Kate followed his gaze, and found herself looking at someone she had never expected to see again.

"Venora?" Kate felt her brow wrinkle, as she tried to understand. "But you�re supposed to be dead. Vilandra killed�" She paused, grimaced, looking at Isabel. "Sorry."

"Don�t worry about it," Isabel replied. Kate stared at the tall blonde for a long moment. She realized that she had been wrong before. Will was not the only one on edge. Isabel seemed pretty tense as well. Kate wondered at the brief insight she felt that it had nothing to do with the congresswoman, and everything to do with the fact that Alex was still holding her close. "It turns out that her name isn�t Venora," Isabel continued. "She�s really Rowena�s sister, Serena."

Kate returned her gaze to the one she had grown up knowing as Venora. "I don�t understand."

"Like the original Khivar didn�t die, the original Serena didn�t either," Max elaborated patiently. "She followed us here after we were sent because the shapeshifters were traitors. She was also the one who originally cloned us."

Kate looked at Tess. "So, you�re her clone. And she was a clone of Rowena." She remembered being told the truth about Tess before.

Tess smiled slightly. "Something like that. Just toss in some human DNA and Ava of Knosis and you�ll have it."

"What?" Kate shook her head, unsure if Tess was joking or not.

"Never mind," Venora said. "None of that matters. You�ll learn it all in the granolith anyway. Kate, do you feel up to retrieving more memories with the others? It can be put off, but I think the rest of the group is fairly anxious to proceed. Isabel and Jack have been incomplete long enough."

"I really don�t think this is a good�" Alex started to say.

Kate squeezed his arm gently and he stopped talking. "More memories?"

"You feel different?" Venora/Serena asked. "Don�t you? I can tell. It�s because you are much closer to who you were before than the others. After your ordeal, your essence was called back to your body with the healing stones. But you have been in contact with your purest self for several hours. It is only understandable that you feel a little strange. The memories will come eventually. They are there, merely waiting to be awoken by further connection with your four square."

"Are we all going to feel different?" Michael spoke up here. He was standing with Maria, his arm slung over her shoulders. He didn�t sound very pleased at the prospect.

"I would expect so," Serena shrugged. "Don�t tell me you�re changing your mind? After what you all just accomplished by connecting with each other, I would have thought you�d be even more eager to pursue your true self." Kate could hear the envy in her tone, but didn�t understand it. "You will all achieve a bond that your past incarnations were never granted. It is going to be a good thing. It will more than make up for any differences you might endure."

"I don�t want to be different," Michael snapped. He looked at Kate. "You don�t seem that different. You just talk kind of strangely. I mean, you obviously still remember who you were." He glanced at Alex, and raised an eyebrow meaningfully. "You still have Kate�s feelings." He said the last as though willing her to confirm it.

Kate met Alex�s eyes, then lowered her gaze when her cheeks suddenly felt hot. They had never, not once, spoken of what this was between them. She certainly didn�t want to start now, in front of all the others. Forgiving Will publicly was one thing. Discussing her feelings for Alex was something entirely different.

"Michael!" Liz exclaimed, sounding annoyed.

"What?" Michael demanded. "You were in that connection too, Liz. You know I�m not off-base here. What�s the harm in her admitting it?"

"Michael, shut-up." This was Maria. Kate did not look up though. She could feel her heart pounding at about fifty times the usual speed.

"I still have my feelings," she finally confirmed softly. "None of that has changed." She refused to look at Alex directly. She hadn�t confirmed anything, but she suspected they all understood what she meant.

"Then I�m in," Michael was saying to the group at large. "I say we get this over with."

"There�s still a lot of stuff to discuss," Liz reminded him.

"Like what?" Michael demanded. "Everything will still be here when we get back, to discuss," he added sarcastically. "I�m tired of discussing. We need to know."

"God, Michael," Isabel sighed. "Is it possible for you to do anything without going from 0 to 100 miles an hour in ten seconds?"

"You�re the one who needs your essence back, Isabel," Michael shot back. "It seems to me, the sooner we�re all back to normal, the better for all of us."

"Is this really necessary?" Tess flared. "It�s not our decision anyway!"

There was a long moment of silence. Finally, raising her eyes, Kate realized that everyone was now staring at Max, who momentarily seemed taken aback that they had all turned to him. He had been mostly quiet up to this point. Looking at him now, Kate understood that he had been watching her this whole time, judging for himself if she was all right. She had not given him permission to do it physically, but he had been trying to ascertain it from a distance.

Now, getting hold of himself, he smiled at her, his gentle smile, the one that stirred the sense of familiarity she had known in his presence since first seeing him in the flesh a couple of days before. "May I?"

Knowing that allowing it would settle the whole dispute once and for all, Kate nodded. She was fine, after all.

Max stepped forward, and gently laid his hands on her shoulders. "Just take deep breaths, and let your mind blank out," he instructed.

Kate did as he asked, focusing on his amber eyes - the eyes that were exactly the same as they had always been, even if they now shone out of a human face.

The flashes, when they came, were reassuring. They were the same visions into his soul that he had shared the other time they�d made a connection, on Liz�s balcony. His goodness was the first thing she encountered, as well as his desire to do the right thing, no matter the cost to himself. Finally, and most importantly, she felt the intensity of his love for all of them, but for Liz in particular. She remembered briefly when she had first encountered that truth - that Zan loved Rowena. It had changed everything, for all of them. Apparently in two lifetimes. And, yet, they still didn�t know the whole story.

They needed to retrieve their memories. Once and for all, the reality of who they had been before, and what they had done, needed to be known. They could not move forward without exorcising the past.

Max knew this too. Kate understood that in the connection. But she also felt that he would not allow any of this to proceed if she was unready.

I can do it, she told him firmly. Please. You know I can.

Kate blinked when Max stepped back abruptly, a slight smile on his face. "I know it," he told her. He then looked around at the rest of them. "She�s okay. Physically, she�s fine. I think doing this now will only strengthen her emotionally."

"But, Max, are you sure?" Isabel asked. "I mean, she died. How can she just be all right?"

"I can speak for myself," Kate reminded Isabel gently. "I really am okay, Isabel."

"She�s even beginning to sound normal," Michael added, clearly trying not to show his impatience.

"Michael," Maria sighed, sounding frustrated. "Can you be any more insensitive?"

"Okay, then," Max said, obviously trying to head an argument off at the pass. "We�ll try it in a few minutes. I need to talk to Serena first, to make sure we know exactly what to expect. I�m sure the rest of you can find something with which to occupy yourselves." He looked directly at Kate while saying this. She stared at him. It abruptly dawned on her that Max didn�t really need to talk to Serena at all, but that he was giving her a few minutes because he knew that she had something else to do before they connected with the granolith.

Glancing over her shoulder, Kate found Alex standing nearby, although he hadn�t touched her again since Michael�s embarrassing revelations. She looked around uncomfortably, and realized that everyone else had somehow managed to migrate to the other side of the chamber, meaning that they were virtually alone. She met Isabel�s eyes very briefly before turning back to Alex. The tall, blonde held her gaze steadily for a long moment, and then smiled at her. Kate felt almost as though a blessing had been bestowed upon her. A fleeting memory of Vilandra flitted through her mind, making her smile back.

"They�re pretty obvious, huh?"

Kate took a deep breath, then turned to face Alex. He was shaking his head, looking mildly embarrassed, but not so much so that he couldn�t meet her eyes. "Kind of," she replied, biting her lip.

"I don�t know what the expect us to do," he added. "I mean, it�s not like this is the last time we�re going to see each other or something." He swallowed visibly. "After what happened before�this is kind of weird."

He looked down, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Kate watched him silently, completely unsure what she was supposed to say in this situation. She had never even considered having feelings like this for anyone before. It was becoming pretty obvious that the feelings she had developed for Alex were not unreciprocated, and, yet, he seemed just as uncertain as she did.

"Maybe�" She trailed off, blushing when Alex looked up eagerly. "Maybe we should just agree to talk about it when this is all over."

She felt her stomach clench when he frowned. "When it�s all over?" he asked, not sounding pleased at all. "I don�t think I can wait that long."

There was a long pause. Kate wondered what she had said wrong. How had she managed to blow it so completely, so quickly?

Finally, she took a helpless step forward. Much to her relief, this seemed to reassure him, because his expression softened and he continued, "I have to be honest with you, Kate, I made that mistake once before. Waiting for it all to be over. I let someone I cared about go off in pursuit of her destiny without telling her how I really felt, and I lost her. I�m not taking that chance again. Especially not after losing you once already today." He took a step towards her, so that they were standing mere inches apart. "I don�t care if I barely know you. I feel like I do, and that�s all that�s important. If I�ve learned anything today, it�s that life is short. You deserve to know how I feel."

"How do you feel?" she whispered, breathless.

"I think you know," Alex replied, lowering his head. "But, if you don�t, I�ll show you."

When his lips finally touched hers, Kate felt like she had stopped breathing altogether. She tentatively lifted her hands, placing them on his chest. She could feel his heart thundering under her palms. She was amazed at it. She was the one making it race like that.

Finally, after what seemed like too short a time, Alex pulled back, so that his gaze met hers again. "I don�t care what you find out in there," he told her firmly. "I�m not stepping aside. Kate, Karana, whoever you are, I want the chance to prove to you that being part of a group isn�t your only destiny. You do get to have something for yourself, too. You have to remember that." The intensity of his expression warmed her to her very toes. "Please, remember it."

For the first time, Kate had an indication of how nervous he was about what she might find out when the granolith returned her memories. She had to somehow reassure him that nothing she learned could change how she felt about him.

Kate reached out and hugged him, hard. "I will," she whispered into his ear. She didn�t know what else to say to him, and hoped that it was enough.

With that, she moved away from him, and went to join the others, more eager than ever to get this over with. Because, now she knew exactly what was waiting for her when was done. She also knew how hard this was for Alex, and the last thing she wanted was for him to be worried for longer than necessary. She had already put him through enough.

She could see that Michael and Maria had also taken a moment alone, away from the group. The strawberry blonde was just pulling away from her boyfriend as Kate passed them on her way to her spot beneath the granolith�s inverted cone.

"We�re all going to leave the pod chamber until you�re done," Serena was telling the others, when Kate slipped into the group. They were all there, listening.

Max and Liz were standing close to each other, but not touching. It was as if they were somehow acknowledging that, while this was a group endeavor, they were all going in as individuals too, just as Alex had reminded her. They all belonged here in their own right, and they would all be learning about their own pasts, and would have to deal with it all, in the end, alone.

Will had an unreadable expression on his face. Kate knew that he was deliberately masking his inner turmoil. Whatever he encountered in the granolith would forever end any hope that he and Liz were meant for each other. A dream would be dying for her brother. Jack was at his shoulder, though, backing him up, supporting him, as had always been her cousin�s way. With their help, and with the strength he often forgot he possessed, Will would survive this.

Tess and Isabel were there, too, both clearly a little nervous, but more eager than anything. Michael was directly behind Kate, having followed her.

"The sheriff is taking the humans out," Serena continued. Kate turned around briefly, and saw that it was true. Alex and the others were gone. She felt a flutter of nervousness in the pit of her stomach. This was really going to happen.

"Don�t worry," Grant added. "I�ll take care of them all."

Kate heard Michael snort behind her. "Great," he muttered. "That is so reassuring."

"What do we have to do exactly?" Max inquired. He was staring at the shining cone intently, a slight frown on his face.

"Just find your handprint," Serena told him. "The granolith recognizes you already. It is just waiting for you all to acknowledge it." She gestured around the shining cone. For the first time, Kate noticed that there were eight handprints ringing the granolith. She felt her heart start to beat more quickly when her eyes landed on one in particular. It did not look entirely human and, yet, somehow, she knew that it belonged to her. "Touching your handprint will tell it you are ready to accept who you are," Serena continued. "The granolith will do the rest."

With that, she and Grant retreated up the silvery staircase, leaving the eight of them in silence.

When the quiet continued to stretch out, Kate realized that none of them had any intention of saying anything at all. She knew she didn�t. Everything that had needed saying had been shared between them all in the connection they had made to bring her back. She had missed some of it, but had joined it long enough to understand that it was true.

They were never all going to be best friends. In fact, she knew for a certainty that some of them even still hated each other. But none of that mattered. Not here. Because, here, in the end, they were the same. Here, they trusted each other. Here, they would finally move forward in spite of their differences.

What was going to happen here today would be the beginning of the end of the conflict that divided their system. Because, in the end, trust was the first and most important step towards reconciliation.

Kate�s heart lightened and she knew that she was no longer afraid. She took a step forward, so that she could reach the silver print she knew to be her own. Without anymore hesitation, she placed her hand squarely within it.

And, an instant later, she was no longer Kate at all.

Chapter 48

Liz opened her eyes and found herself staring up at a star-studded sky. She felt her heart start to pound even more quickly than it had when she�d placed her palm on the silver hand-print that she instinctively knew was Rowena�s. This time the beating wasn�t caused by anticipation, however.

No, this time she was afraid.

And she was afraid because she was alone.

Where were Max and the others? But, more specifically, where the heck was she? She hadn�t expected to be transported anywhere physically in the granolith, but looking around, she knew she had been. She was outside. How had this happened? Had something gone wrong?

Her heart contracted briefly at the thought of Max. Where was he? Was he okay?

Liz climbed carefully to her feet. Looking around, the desolation of the field in which she found herself made her bite her lip.

She was used to emptiness. She spent a lot of time in the desert, after all. But this was not the desert.

Glancing down, Liz confirmed what she had felt under her back upon waking. She was standing on well-manicured grass. Or something like grass, anyway. She couldn�t quite make out what was different about it in the dim light thrown by the stars, but she knew somehow that it was altered.

It was only after she straightened that Liz�s mind registered something else that had been different when she had looked down. Quickly glancing over her body again, she was amazed to confirm that she was wearing a long blue dress, not the jeans, sweater and leather jacket in which she had been clad upon entering the pod chamber. Not only that, she was barefoot.

Liz was perplexed. She was still afraid, but more curious now than anything. Was she taking part in some kind of strange Antarian rite? Why had Whittaker not told them that this would happen when they were in the granolith? Did she not know? Of course, Whittaker hadn�t seemed to know much, in spite of being Serena, the nominal "inventor" of the increasingly confounding alien artifact.

Looking around again, Liz noticed that the ground inclined slightly above her, in a gentle slope. She wondered what she would find on the other side of that hill. Taking a deep breath, she started to walk. Her steps were tentative, as she somehow knew already that what she was going to see once she reached the top was going to make this situation even stranger.

She was not mistaken. And, yet, it was still beyond her wildest dreams. Gasping, she fell to her knees, her eyes staring in disbelief.

Laid out before her was an absolutely magnificent building, lit up as though a thousand spotlights were shining from within. It shimmered against the black sky, its several towers reaching towards the heavens.

"Your highness!"

The voice came from behind her. Liz whirled, still so shocked, all she could manage to say was, "Oh!"

"Are you well, your highness?" A tall, burly man stood in front of her, a slightly anxious expression on his face. "I told you it would be too cold for you out here. I hope you haven�t caught a chill."

Liz looked behind herself, to make sure that he wasn�t talking to someone there, then turned back to the man. She had no idea where he had appeared from, but there was no question that he was addressing her. "I�I�m fine," she managed to stutter. "Er�where did you come from?"

"You wanted to be alone," the man shrugged. He motioned towards some tall tree-like plants standing nearby. Liz stared at them. They looked like nothing she had ever seen before. "It is my duty to follow, however. I shifted into the trees." He sounded wary, as though expecting a reprimand.

But it never even crossed Liz�s mind to demand why he had been following her. She was too focused on the fact that he had just admitted that he had shifted. Liz felt her heart drop slightly. A shapeshifter. But why on Earth was he being so open about who he was? The Wendarians were their enemies!

Although, why on Earth was probably a poor choice of words, Liz thought, almost hysterically. Because, she was beginning to suspect that she wasn�t on Earth at all anymore.

"Your highness?" The shapeshifter was starting to sound even more worried. "Are you quite well?"

Liz forced herself to focus on maintaining some kind of normal conversation. She knew that she was staring at him like he was some sort of freak, and quickly dropped her eyes, as her mind raced frantically.

If she wasn�t on Earth, then she had to be on�Well, there were really only five other places she could possibly be. She shook her head in amazement. It was the only explanation that made any sense. She had to be on another planet!

And, yet, this didn�t seem to make sense either. Because if she was on Antar, or one of the other planets in the Antarian system, then why did this man look human? And why were they speaking English?

"I�m sorry," Liz eventually replied. "I�m fine."

The man didn�t look convinced. "Well, I think you better return to the palace now. Prince Zan will be arriving at any time. You need to be waiting for him."

Liz felt her hear leap. Max! She refused to allow her hopes to rise though, until she confirmed what the shapeshifter was saying.

"Zan?" she inquired tentatively.

"The crown prince of Antar," the shapeshifter reminded her, really frowning now. "He is coming to make his decision about the trade agreement? You invited him, your highness!"

The trade agreement? Liz felt her heart stop. And, suddenly, she understood everything. She had somehow gone back in time. She was Rowena and she had ended up back on Valonia, at Rowena�s summer palace, right at the point in Antarian history when everything had changed.

This could not be good. Oh, no. Not good at all.

Nor did it explain why she was still human if she was Rowena. Because holding her hand up in front of her face now, it looked exactly the same as it always had.

"Of course," Liz made herself reply briskly, as she lowered her hand, knowing that she wasn�t going to be able to ask any more questions without raising the shapeshifter�s suspicions even further. Until Max arrived, she was just going to have to play along. "I just received a message that he might be delayed until morning. Didn�t I tell you?"

For the moment, she would pretend she understood exactly what was happening here. She would play the part until Max arrived and they could figure out how to fix this mess together. Because, this time, there was absolutely no way she was dealing with this alone. Her experience with Future Max had more than taught her a lesson. This was bigger than she was capable of handling by herself.

If what she was beginning to suspect was true - that the granolith had somehow launched her back in time, into Rowena�s body at the point when the entire war could still be averted - then there was no way she was going to make any decisions without Max.

God. Why couldn�t he be here now?

"No," the shapeshifter was responding, relaxing slightly.

"Well, I guess I don�t tell you everything�do I?" Liz attempted to sound haughty. She tried to throw herself into her role, but the last came out slightly squeaky, it suddenly occurring to her that she didn�t know whether or not Rowena told this guy everything. What if she did?

"I don�t expect you to, your highness." He sounded offended, but no longer wary. Liz let out a tiny breath of relief, although she felt a slight twinge. Was Rowena generally so rude to her servants?

She didn�t address the shapeshifter�s annoyance, however. Since she didn�t know if it was usual or not, she decided just to ignore his reaction for the moment. Once she understood what was happening here, she could always apologize. And, for all she knew, he was evil. After all, Rowena had been unaware of it at the time, but Liz knew that the Wendarians had been working against the princess the whole time they had been in her employ.

This thought made her back straighten slightly. She might be completely in the dark about some things, but there were other things that she knew, which put her in a position of strength.

Liz started to walk down the slope of the hill, in the direction of the blazing lights, before she abruptly realized that she had no idea where she was going. Not to mention every step hurt. The grass under her feet was far coarser than that on Earth, and it was scraping up the soles of her bare feet mercilessly. She stopped moving. The shapeshifter had moved past her before he realized that she had halted.

He turned to look back at her. He was beginning to sound annoyed when he demanded, "Is there anything amiss?"

Liz felt a slight tremor of fear. Something had flashed briefly in his eyes�Something she thought she recognized as disdain.

Oh, yes. There was no question now. The Wendarian plot was well underway. She wasn�t the only one playing a role here.

"I�m�I�m fine," Liz finally replied. "I was just wondering�" Inspiration hit her like a bolt of lightening. "Where is my sister? Where is Serena?"

Tess. Tess had to be here somewhere. Zan had known her during the period when he and Rowena had fallen in love, which meant that she had to be here. Liz�s heart was pounding in anticipation of no longer being alone.

"In the lab, your highness," the shapeshifter replied readily enough. "Where she always is."

"Oh," Liz said, searching her mind for a way to get him to tell her where the lab was, without making herself appear even more foolish than she did already. Only one solution presented itself.

She placed a hand on her temple, and swayed slightly.

"Your highness?" The shapeshifter rushed forward, grabbing her by the elbow, but quickly retreated, as though he had been burned. "I�m sorry, your highness!"

Liz grabbed his arm before he could move away. He was looking at her, his mortification apparent. "For what?" she demanded.

"I touched you without permission."

Liz blinked. "Oh. It�s okay. Er�" She clutched at his arm, allowing herself to stumble slightly into him. It went against every instinct of self-preservation to be this close to someone who was very likely her enemy, but she had no choice in the matter. Until she figured things out, she was going to have to put on the performance of her life. That she wasn�t a very good actress, she knew already. After all, it hadn�t taken Max more than a couple of days to figure out that she was lying about having slept with Kyle.

No, she had her work cut out for her, Liz reflected, almost wryly. She felt the urge to laugh again, and understood that she was becoming hysterical. Taking a deep breath, Liz looked up at the shapeshifter, who was staring down at her, his confusion clear. "I think you were right," she said quickly. "I think I�ve caught a chill. I don�t know that I can walk back to the palace. I know it isn�t usual, but would you please help me to my chamber, so that I can rest before receiving Prince Zan? I then need you to go get my sister. Serena is the only one who can help me now."

The shapeshifter relaxed slightly under her hand. "Very well, your highness." He reached out, tentatively placed an arm around her waist. Liz leaned into him, barely managing to refrain from cringing. The shapeshifter couldn�t seem to resist adding, "Maybe next time you�ll listen to me, Princess Rowena."

I wouldn�t count on it, Liz thought, her fear starting to be out-maneuvered by her suspicions of this man. After all, her gift was to "see clearly." She was pretty sure she had seen this man�s true nature during that split second earlier, when he�d appeared about ready to blast her, his innate sense of superiority almost defeating the carefully laid plot of which he was a part.

The granolith had sent them back here for a reason. Liz would, with the help of Max, Tess, and hopefully the others, figure out what it was, and, then, she prayed, this peculiar nightmare would end.

***

Liz was tapping her fingers impatiently against her thigh, as she awaited Tess�s arrival. Or, at least, she was desperately hoping that it would be Tess who showed up in her high-vaulted chamber. She wasn�t quite sure what she would do - or say - if Serena proved not to be Tess. The mere thought of being here all by herself was about enough to shatter the fragile calm she presently possessed. Liz grit her fingernails into the palm of her hands, and forced herself to take deep breaths.

She was seated in a fairly preposterous chair at the moment, which stood beside an even more preposterous looking bed. Liz had barely refrained from allowing her mouth to fall open in astonishment as the shapeshifter - whom she now knew was called Yorvin due to the blessed guard who had called a greeting to him as they had passed by - had escorted her to her rooms. The absolute magnificence of the entire palace had been breath-taking, and not a little off-putting. For a scientist, Rowena seemed a little preoccupied with ridiculously opulent decor. Of course, she couldn�t entirely blame Rowena, Liz suspected. She had a feeling that the palace probably far out-dated her. Passing through a long hallway, Liz had stared up at frieze after frieze, all of them depicting past rulers of Valonia, and, she assumed, her alien ancestors. They all looked human to her, but Liz knew that they had been far from that at heart.

She still hadn�t managed to figure out why everyone looked like they would be able to walk down the main drag of Roswell quite comfortably, without raising an iota of suspicion. She hoped that Tess might have some idea, or might at least be able to help her sort through her own thoughts on the possibilities.

As Liz thought of Tess, a light knock sounded on the door that led to the outer antechamber.

Finally!

"Come in," Liz called out, her heart in her throat. Please be Tess. Please be Tess. It did not escape Liz�s notice that, not three days before, Tess would have been the absolute last person in the universe she would have wanted to be dependent upon in these circumstances. Standing quickly, she shook her head at the absurdity of all they had learned in such a short time.

Now, except for Max, Maria, and Alex, there was no one she�d rather see.

The door opened. Liz held her breath, letting it out in a great gasp when the familiar curly-haired blonde crossed the threshold.

"Oh, thank God!" Liz exclaimed, flying across the room and throwing her arms around her sister. She pulled back, and stared into Tess�s blue eyes. "Is it you?"

Tess was staring at her just as hard. She bit her lip, then whispered tentatively, "Liz?"

Liz hugged her again. "It�s me! Thank God!" She could feel Tess clutching at her just as desperately. Liz finally pulled back again. "Are you okay?"

"I guess so," Tess replied. "Except for being completely confused." She smiled slightly. "Oh, and except for the fact that I�m about three feet tall and grey. And I thought I was short before." She giggled, sounding about as hysterical as Liz felt. "Well, at least I�m not slimy. Or green."

Liz stared at her. "What? You�re not grey! You look exactly the same!"

Tess blinked. "No I don�t. Liz, I�ve seen myself in the mirror. They�re all over the place in that lab I showed up in."

"Tess, you look human." Liz paused, perplexed. "Is that why you asked if it was me?"

"Yeah," Tess confirmed. "It sounded like you, but I wasn�t sure, because you sure don�t look like you."

Liz pulled away from Tess, and hurried to the mirror across the chamber. Staring into it, what she already knew to be true was proved. She looked exactly the same as she always had. Long dark hair, brown eyes, even, but kind of boring, features. She looked over her shoulder at Tess. "I look like me, Tess."

Tess sat down on the chair Liz had recently vacated, shaking her blonde curls. "Not to me you don�t."

Liz frowned, searching her mind for an answer. When one finally came to her, it seemed so obvious, she couldn�t understand why she hadn�t thought of it before. "Oh my God. It�s my gift."

"What?" Tess demanded.

"Think about it. Rowena sees people as they really are - their true natures. We�re here, we�re back living the lives we screwed up so royally last time�" She paused, wrinkling her nose, "Excuse the pun. But I must be seeing us this way because I know who we really are. We�re still Liz and Tess. Inside, I mean." She stopped again, shaking her head. "That still doesn�t explain why everyone else looks human to me.

Tess shrugged. "Well, it sounds like as good an explanation as any. I don�t really care anyway. What I want to know is, how the heck did we get here? I mean, obviously the granolith, but why did it send us back here?"

Liz went and sat in another chair, which faced Tess�s at an angle. "I�m assuming it wants us to fix things."

"Oh," Tess sighed, falling back into her chair wearily. "Because time travel worked so well for us last time. What with all the emotional devastation and all."

"Well, it kind of did," Liz said, forcing the image of Max�s face when he had caught her in bed with Kyle from her mind. "I mean, we know a lot more than we ever would have otherwise."

"We assume we know more," Tess reminded her. "We don�t know for sure. Thanks to Future Max and his stupid rules."

"That�s true," Liz admitted.

They sat in silence for a long moment, simply staring at each other, brown eyes glued to blue.

"What are we going to do?" Tess finally whispered.

"We wait for Max," Liz replied. "He should be here anytime."

"Really?"

"Don�t you know when this is?" Liz asked.

"No," Tess replied. "I didn�t ask any questions. I just tried to get through it. I was apparently in the middle of some huge experiment when I suddenly popped in here." She grimaced. "I�m pretty sure my lab assistants think I went momentarily insane."

"What do you mean?" Liz asked.

"Well, since I had no idea what I was doing, I just started accidentally dropping things so that I wouldn�t screw things up for good," Tess answered, sounding a little embarrassed. "I�m assuming she was working on something to do with the cloning. The last thing I wanted to do was mess that up. I mean�" She trailed off, raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

"Without Serena�s experiments, we wouldn�t exist," Liz finished for her.

"Right."

"Good thinking," Liz told her. "But we better hope that Serena�s already designed the basic gist of it, because otherwise we�re in big trouble. If that cloning doesn�t happen eventually, we�ll go poof back on Earth."

"But are we still on Earth?" Tess demanded. "I mean, how can we be? We�re here."

"I�m assuming that our bodies are still on Earth, but our essences are here," Liz said. "I�ve been thinking about it ever since I realized what must have happened. It�s the only thing that makes any sense."

"So the granolith was designed for time travel all along, but only of our essences?" Tess guessed.

"I think so," Liz replied. "When Future Max came back, Serena�well, you�" Liz sighed. "No, I guess it must have been Serena/Whittaker who did it�Anyway, she must have modified it to take his physical form back in time, not just his essence."

"How do you figure all this stuff out?" Tess demanded. "I�m getting a headache just thinking about it. And I�m supposed to be the one with all of it in my brain somewhere."

"Well, we�re clones," Liz said. "It�s got to be in both of our brains."

Tess laughed slightly. "How weird is this anyway?"

"Pretty weird," Liz admitted. "You know what I was thinking before you came in here?"

"Let me guess," Tess suggested, sounding wry. "That you couldn�t believe that you were actually hoping it was me who came in. And how strange that was, because a week ago, I would have been the last person you�d want to see."

Liz stared at her. "How did you know that?"

"We�re sisters, Liz," Tess replied. Liz liked the way she said it deliberately, as though avoiding the use of the word clone at any cost. Because, in the end, even though they might share DNA, they were still two entirely different people, shaped by their separate experiences and souls. "But, up until a day ago, we also hated each other�s guts. And I was thinking the exact same thing as I waited for you to tell me to come in. I have absolutely no idea what I would have done if it hadn�t been you."

Liz smiled, then leaned forward and squeezed Tess�s hand. "You would have managed, Tess. We both would have. I�m just glad we don�t have to."

"No kidding," Tess agreed. "And when Max gets here, we can all figure this out together."

Liz felt her heart lighten even more. Maybe this wasn�t as bad a situation as she had originally thought. After all, they had enough information about what had gone wrong to hopefully change things for the better. The war didn�t have to happen. A lot of it had been caused by simple misunderstanding, and also by behind the scenes manipulation. They could stop it all this time!

It was then, and only then, that the ultimate complication in all of this occurred to Liz. She sank back in her chair, her hope draining out of her so quickly, even the thought that Max would soon be with them wasn�t enough to console her.

"What�s wrong?" Tess demanded. "Liz, are you okay?"

"I just realized�Tess, if we change things�" Liz swallowed, then met her sister�s wide, concerned eyes. "Tess, that can�t be the reason we�re here. Or, if it is, I don�t know if we can actually do it."

"Why not?" Tess asked, beginning to sound frightened again.

"Tess, if we change what happened in this system before we died here�" Liz trailed off, closing her eyes against the headache that was starting to pound through her head. She took a deep, fortifying breath before continuing. "If we change things, Tess, then there won�t be any need to send us to Earth. We will no longer exist there. Absolutely everything will change."

Liz heard Tess gasp slightly, but didn�t open her eyes. She didn�t want to see the horror and fear she was feeling reflected on her sister�s face. She didn�t want to see Tess realize what she had instantly grasped.

With the fate of five worlds balanced upon their actions here, there was really no choice. They could not allow the war to happen. Which meant that their lives in Roswell would never exist. They would never need to exist.

They were never going home again.

After that, she and Tess sat in silence until Yorvin came to tell them that Prince Zan�s shuttle had landed.

Because, in the end, there was nothing left to say.

***

In spite of the fact that she was excited to see Max, Liz�s mood was heavy as she stood beside Tess on the landing platform. Her thoughts were in turmoil, her heart having been in debate with her head since she had realized what their interference in the Antarian system�s history was really going to mean.

At least I have Max and Tess, one argument went. It was quickly countered by, But can you really live without seeing your parents, or Alex, or Maria, again?

I have a responsibility to millions of people, her brain reminded her. But I didn�t choose to be queen! Why is it my job?

Because that�s what being queen is going to mean, her head replied impatiently. You, and what you want, doesn�t come first. Haven�t you learned that yet?

Apparently she had not. Because, even though she knew what they had to do, even though she knew she would have Max, even though she wasn�t a completely selfish wench, something still seemed off with the entire situation. There was no choice, and, yet, she also knew that the entire extent of what was going on here had not been fully revealed. She wasn�t sure how she knew it, but she did.

Later, looking back, she understood that it was because she was already trying to connect with Max on the shuttle, even before it landed, that her uncertainty was so pronounced. But, at the time, she was so preoccupied, what with the fact that Max was actually arriving on a spaceship, and they were somehow going to have to accept the fact that they were never going home, that it wasn�t until the shuttle�s gang-way lowered that Liz realized what was truly wrong.

She couldn�t sense Max. He was supposed to be on that ship, but something had obviously gone wrong. Because, he wasn�t. Reaching out with her senses, Liz frantically searched through the many essences crowded into the small shuttle.

Nothing.

Liz grabbed Tess�s hand. "Te�Serena. I don�t think he�s on�"

She frowned when an honor guard of six soldiers, wearing grey armour with the familiar whirlwind galaxy insignia, descended the ramp, preceding the dignitary. If it wasn�t Max - Zan - it was obviously someone of equal importance.

It couldn�t possibly be Max. She would know if it was Max.

And, yet, in the end, it was.

He appeared at the top of the gangway, his face an unreadable mask. He looked out, and his dark, familiar eyes met hers. Liz couldn�t read what he was thinking, but he was there. And he looked human, too.

Their gazes locked for that one brief moment, and in that instant, Liz was sure she was wrong, and that everything would work out somehow. Because, of course, it was Max. She was just confused, upset. That was why the connection was so screwy�

He looked away, glanced at Tess, and seemed to relax slightly.

Liz�s mouth dropped and, then, tears filled her eyes. She couldn�t help it. Because it had suddenly dawned on her exactly what was wrong.

Glancing down at her simple gown, and her still bare feet, she realized that he didn�t realize she was Rowena, the princess. He recognized Tess, in her more sumptuous attire - and she was dressed more regally, Liz noted for the first time - as being his royal welcome to the palace. In fact, if he was seeing Tess as Tess was seeing Liz - as a small, grey alien - then there was no question he�d think she was Rowena.

Zan was not supposed to know there were two of them. Not at this point in history. It was obvious that this was indeed true, as his eyes shifted from Tess, the more clearly royal of the two of them, to Liz, who was dressed simply, but was, Liz realized, likely identical to Tess, in Zan�s eyes.

She recognized the mild interest on his face, as well as the surprise. After all, this was Max. She knew him. She knew exactly what he was thinking, just from the expression on his face. He had not known there were two of them until this instant.

But, if he didn�t know about Serena, it was clear that he didn�t have Max�s memories. In fact, it meant that, in spite of how he looked, he wasn�t Max.

And, if he wasn�t Max, that meant that he did not know her, Liz, at all.

Part 49

"What�s the matter?" Tess whispered, sounding worried. "Liz, it�s him! What�s wrong with you?"

He was wearing a long, greyish robe, and he looked exhausted as he followed the guards off the ship. To the naked eye, Tess was right. It was most certainly Max. Every thing about him looked exactly as it had when Liz had last laid eyes on him in the granolith chamber. And, yet, as he walked toward them, Liz knew that he was not the same.

She could not feel him at all. As he approached, it was even more obvious that he had absolutely no idea who she was, unless he was the universe�s best actor. But Max had never been able to fool her. His feelings and thoughts had always been as clear to her as her own. And he couldn�t fake a lack of connection. It was, quite simply, impossible for him to shut her out that completely.

It was not him.

"Tess, it�s not him," Liz managed to mutter back before he was within ear-shot. She raised her hands, rubbing viciously at her eyes. She was not going to cry! She refused. Until she understood exactly what was happening here, she would not give in to despair. There had to be a logical explanation for why she and Tess both remembered their human lives on Earth, while Max didn�t. She would figure it out. She had to figure it out.

"Should we curtsy?" Tess whispered urgently. Max - Liz could not think of him as anything but Max, even if he presently wasn�t - obviously heard her, because he smiled slightly.

"There is no need," he said firmly, as he stopped in front of Tess. "I am your guest here."

"Not my guest," Tess replied quickly, obviously finally understanding that Max thought she was the princess. "I�m not Rowena, your highness."

Max raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Liz. "Forgive my confusion�" He trailed off meaningfully, obviously waiting for an explanation as to why there was two of them.

"I am Rowena," Liz said quietly. She met his eyes directly, searching desperately for some sign that Max was in there somewhere. "This is my sister, Serena," she added, when she realized that he was starting to shift uncomfortably under her penetrating stare.

Great. You�re making a wonderful first impression, Liz, she reprimanded herself sarcastically. He�s sure going to fall in love with you this time.

"I wasn�t aware that King Raynor had two daughters," Max replied.

Liz glanced at Tess, who looked as perplexed as she felt as to how to explain Serena�s existence. It suddenly dawned on her that it was entirely unlikely that Rowena would have met Zan with Serena present last time. They were changing things already! She felt a knot starting to form in her stomach. It was going to become a permanent ulcer fairly rapidly if she didn�t start to get control of this situation.

"He doesn�t," Liz told him. "It�s a long story."

"One I hope I�m going to hear," Max replied, beginning to sound a bit suspicious. Liz didn�t blame him. She had the feeling that the crown prince wasn�t going to be too happy to hear that one of his subjects was going around cloning herself. Liz was aware of how inherently dangerous the technology Rowena and Serena had perfected could be in the wrong hands. In fact, she knew all too well. It had ended up falling into the control of the enemy. The planet upon which she was presently existing had been destroyed because of it.

Maybe this was what the granolith wanted, Liz reflected hopefully. Maybe by simply clueing Zan into the fact that cloning existed in his system, they would change everything. He wouldn�t allow the shapeshifters to clone him, would he? It seemed unlikely. Wasn�t it possible that the first time around, Zan hadn�t known about the cloning process until it was too late? Until he�d already been cloned?

This could be a good thing. Of course, it could also mean that she and Tess had just somehow completely altered history in a way that meant they were never going to be able to go back to Earth. But, really, in the end, there was no longer any point in worrying about that. They could not recreate everything that had happened last time. It was impossible, because Rowena and Serena were different people this time around, simply because they were really Liz and Tess. Even if Liz knew exactly how this was all supposed to go, there was no way they wouldn�t make mistakes. Nor could they allow it to be the same anyway.

They could not let the Antarian system fall into civil war again. It was wrong. Which meant they had to play this out and see where they were left when the game was done. Every move they made was going to change things. There was no stopping that now.

Liz could see that Max was waiting for an answer. She was saved from having to reply immediately, however, because she became aware of her shapeshifting bodyguard, Yorvin, standing just beyond Max. He was staring at her, a slightly annoyed expression on his face. She realized that protocol probably didn�t approve of the crown prince of Antar standing around on a landing tarmac conversing with a barefoot princess.

"All in good time, your highness," Liz said, hoping she sounded more confident then she felt. "You must be tired after your journey. I know that the summit was not a relaxing time. Might I suggest that Yorvin show you to your rooms? Serena and I would be pleased to receive you for breakfast in the�" Abruptly, Liz drew a blank. Where on Earth - or Valonia actually - would Rowena be likely to invite Zan to meet them?

"In the conservatory," Tess inserted smoothly. Liz looked at her, surprised. "It�s lovely," her sister added.

"Right," Liz agreed, a little too profusely, hoping that Tess knew what the heck she was talking about.

Max was staring at her, Liz, his expression mildly amused. "Very well," he finally said, apparently willing to leave them. Liz didn�t blame him. He probably thought they were both nuts.

"This way, your highness," Yorvin urged, leading Max away. One of Zan�s guards followed him, but the rest returned to the shuttle.

Liz was astounded that it was a relief to see the back of him. She was actually relieved that Max was gone! It was enough to make her want to burst into tears again.

"Well, that went well," Tess finally said, after they had stood in silence for several long moments.

"Please tell me you�re kidding," Liz snapped. "It was a disaster!"

"Liz, it wasn�t that bad," Tess insisted, as they started to walk back towards Rowena�s rooms. "He�s here. That�s what�s important."

"Tess, I�m telling you, that was not Max," Liz replied. "I don�t see how this situation can possibly be interpreted as anything but a complete fiasco!"

"We�ll figure it out, Liz," Tess soothed, reaching out and putting an arm around her shoulders. "There�s got to be an explanation."

"I�ve already thought of an explanation," Liz said glumly. "I just don�t like it." It wasn�t until the words came out of her mouth that Liz realized she had. Her heart was trying to ignore what her mind had already figured out, because it wasn�t going to be able to handle what she knew she was going to have to do.

"What?" Tess demanded. "Spill!"

"It�s so obvious," Liz sighed. "And I really just can�t believe that I have to do this again, but it�s the only thing that makes any sense."

"Liz, what?"

"Tess, last time Rowena and Zan fell in love and it complicated everything," Liz explained quietly. "I have a feeling that we�ve already changed things to a degree where the entire war might be avoided."

"How so?" Tess asked. "And isn�t that a good thing?"

"I don�t think Zan met Serena right away last time," Liz replied. "It just makes sense that he didn�t. He was cloned secretly by the shapeshifters, so that he could be replaced and become their puppet. I just can�t see him agreeing to that. It was too dangerous. I think the fact that he met us together this time is a turning point. Things can be completely different from now on."

"Okay," Tess said, still sounding confused. "But I still don�t understand why Max doesn�t remember us."

"Don�t you get it?" Liz asked tonelessly, not understanding how she could possibly sound so normal. She realized that she was becoming numb. She quite simply could not emotionally deal with the fact that she was going to be forced to give him up again, and, so, her heart was freezing over to protect itself. "He can�t remember. Because if he remembers, things won�t change the way they need to change."

"What do you mean?" Tess was beginning to sound frightened.

"Tess, Rowena has to marry Khivar," Liz explained patiently. "It�s the only way to avoid the one thing that truly allowed the Wendarians to drive a wedge between Antar and Sardica." She pulled away from Tess, and started walking more quickly, her arms wrapped around her middle. "To make sure that Zan doesn�t interfere this time around, we have to make sure he doesn�t fall in love with Rowena. We have to make him fall in love with someone else."

"Liz�" Tess called after her. "Liz, stop! You�re not saying what I think you�re saying?"

Liz didn�t answer. She could not. But she heard Tess�s final wail of disbelief, and knew that her sister finally got it.

"You want him to fall in love with me?"

***

Liz slipped through the double doors leading to the terrace outside Rowena�s chamber. She knew she should be in bed, but needless to say, sleep was presently impossible. Her brain would not leave her in peace. And, so, she had come outside in what she knew would likely be a vain attempt to find some solace.

She took a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves, but ended up wrinkling her nose slightly at the unfamiliar scent that greeted her. Glancing down, she stared at a strange flowering plant, one she had obviously never seen before. Lowering her head, she sniffed again, then took a step back. The disgusting smell, which was obviously supposed to be pleasing to her based on the fact that the flower was on her balcony, only reinforced the absolute strangeness of the fact that she was even on Valonia.

She hated it here. She hated the granolith. She, in fact, at the moment, hated everything. All she wanted was to go home. She wanted things to go back to the way they were before they had so stupidly placed their trust in Whittaker and the granolith.

Plucking the offending bloom off the plant, Liz tossed it over the terrace wall, muttering to herself, "What I wouldn�t give for a plain old white rose right about now."

Of course, thinking of white roses made her think of Max serenading her on her balcony, which just made her want to cry again. She had come outside to escape the stifling atmosphere of the palace, but the horror of having to relive this whole matchmaking scenario again was really what was suffocating her. She quite simply knew that she could not do it. Not again.

There was no choice though. She didn�t know how she knew that this was why she and Tess had come here with their memories intact, but somehow she did. The granolith was giving her a second chance to fix what she had screwed up so royally after Future Max�s visit.

The reason she had needed to escape Tess had been simple. While she didn�t blame her sister for again proving to be Max�s real destiny, she also didn�t want to weep and wail in front of her. Tess didn�t need to see it, nor did Liz really feel ready to share her pain over what they were going to do. Liz was growing to love Tess, but she also knew that Tess, in spite of everything, still had feelings for Max. In the end, Tess would not be unhappy by this turn of events. She would be hard-pressed to hide that from Liz, which she would feel bad about, which, in turn, meant they couldn�t discuss it. It just had to be done.

Tess seemed to understand too, because she had not come after Liz. Liz had been allowed to grieve her impending loss in solitude, and, now, she was finally able to get enough of a grip on herself to move events forward. Because, deep down, all she really wanted was for this to end. She wanted the pain and the despair to be over. And, eventually, if they changed things enough, they would be. She, Liz Parker, would cease to exist, if they did this right.

Finally she was able to understand why Future Max had seemed unafraid of his impending disappearance. For him, it had been a relief�in fact, a release. Because, to him, going on in a world without his Liz in it had not been a life at all. Liz knew that, for her, going on without Max would be the worst kind of hell. She had tried it once, and it had been impossible. She was a strong person, but, in the end, this was too much. She could not live through the pain of knowing that she was going to be alone forever. Not again.

The worst part of all was that, deep inside, Liz knew that she didn�t want to fade away. She did not want to cease to exist. But, if they did what they were supposed to, she would. But, if she didn�t, she was the worst kind of coward, completely selfish, and unlikely to have what she wanted anyway, since Max didn�t even know who she was, obviously felt no connection to her, and might very well think she was insane, based on the way he had looked at her earlier.

"Could this entire situation suck more?" she demanded aloud, glaring up at the stars shining down on her. "I�m tired of you too! Go away! Why can�t everyone just leave me alone!" Stupid stars. Stupid destiny. Stupid conscience. Stupid alien stupidity!

"I�m intruding."

Liz jumped, then whirled. Max - no, Liz quickly amended, it was Zan. She had to remember that this was not Max - was standing on the far side of the terrace, a concerned expression on his face. He was holding the flower she had just thrown over the balcony in his hand. She took an involuntary step forward, so surprised - and so happy - to see him, she just about threw herself into his arms before she realized what she was doing.

"I wasn�t talking to you. I was talking to the stars," she said quickly, when he made a move to go back down the staircase he had obviously just come up. The one she hadn�t noticed. The irony of the entire situation was that, in spite of the fact that she had just screamed at the heavens for everyone to leave her alone, the one person she really wanted to see - Max - had suddenly joined her. Not that it was him. He didn�t even know who she was. It was almost as if the fates were combining to drive her stark-raving mad.

"You were talking to the stars?" Zan asked, sounding surprised. And not a little afraid, Liz reflected, suddenly wanting to laugh at the absurdity of this situation. If the fates were trying to drive her insane, Zan seemed to think she was already there.

"Never mind. Were you in the garden?" she asked, deciding to change the subject. She cringed slightly when she heard the weariness in her voice. "I�m sorry if I disturbed you."

"You didn�t," Zan replied. "I was actually doing a little stargazing myself," he admitted. "Although with a little less annoyance at the stars. We don�t see them often on Antar. I don�t know them well enough to dislike them."

Liz felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. He apparently wasn�t going to let this drop. Sighing, she asked, "You don�t see them on Antar?"

"Too polluted," Zan explained, moving forward slightly, so that he could lean on the terrace�s ledge. Liz eyes were drawn to the way his long fingers were still playing with the bloom he held. She could feel her body starting to heat up, and not because she was embarrassed this time. He might not remember her, but this was still Max, and her entire soul knew it.

For one brief moment, she wondered what he would do if she just threw herself at him. He already thought she was crazy. What did she have to lose?

But, he was no longer hers. It was Tess who was supposed to be out here with him.

Liz realized that he was looking at her strangely. She hadn�t answered him. "Oh. That�s too bad. I�ve never been to Antar," she added, hoping it was true of Rowena. "I�d like to go someday."

"Really?" Zan sounded surprised.

"You don�t believe me?" Liz demanded.

"Well, I�ve been told that you don�t like to leave Valonia," Zan replied. "That it�s why you haven�t yet married Khivar."

Liz stared at him. He sounded questioning, but more than that. He sounded knowing. He was getting personal pretty quickly, considering they had supposedly only met once before today. Meeting his eyes, she saw that his were slightly narrowed, as he waited for her reply. She recognized Max�s pensive expression, and knew that he was trying to understand something about her - about Rowena, she realized. It was like he already knew something and she couldn�t figure out what it was. The tone of his voice implied that he thought she wouldn�t marry Khivar for another reason. Why?

"Who told you that?" she asked carefully.

"I know your future sister-in-law, Karana, very well," Zan replied. "She seems sure that your marriage will never take place because you won�t leave this planet, and Khivar will not leave his own. I�ve now met Khivar. I think Karana is right." But, yet again, Liz could hear in his voice that he was really asking about something else entirely. What was he getting at? This wasn�t about Khivar at all. It reminded her of the conversations she used to have with Max about Kyle - the ones where they had both known darn well that they were just skirting around the issue of what they really wanted to ask or say.

"Why do you care?" Liz inquired uncertainly. She wondered if this conversation had happened in their past lives, or if it was entirely new this time around. Because what exactly was Zan trying to find out here?

There was a long pause, their eyes locked together, as they each tried to read the other. Liz could tell he was doing it, because after all, she knew him. He just didn�t know her.

She was absolutely shocked when he abruptly grinned at her. "Actually, if you really want to know the truth, I don�t care. Not a single bit."

"What?" Liz demanded. "Then why are you asking?"

"I have a feeling that I�m asking for the same reason that you agreed to your betrothal to Khivar," Zan answered, sounding amused, although slightly wary as well. "To get my father off my back. He�s exhausting. Since I saw you here, I thought I�d find out something fairly insignificant for him, so that he�d leave me alone for a while."

Liz stared at him, unsure how to respond to this. She knew, somehow, that he was not telling her the truth. This was not about his father at all. He was trying to find out something else entirely. It was about Khivar, and, yet, somehow, she knew it wasn�t.

She couldn�t admit that she didn�t want to marry Khivar. He needed to think it, needed to know that she was unavailable. She decided that the opportunity to glean some information of her own was too good to pass up however. "Well, you likely know something about unwanted betrothals," she responded.

He blinked. "I do?"

"Ava?" Liz suggested.

Zan stared at her. "Ava?" he repeated, sounding confused.

"The sister of the king of Knosis?" Liz replied impatiently. "Your fianc�e?"

"I have no idea what you�re talking about," Zan replied, his expression changing slightly. His "this woman is crazy" face was back.

Liz wrinkled her brow. "You�re not engaged to Ava this time?"

Instantly, she could have kicked herself for the mistake. He was starting to wear a matching frown now. "This time?"

"At this time," Liz amended lamely, internally rolling her eyes at her own stupidity.

"Since I don�t even know who this Ava is, my betrothal to her seems unlikely," Zan finally said, still sounding a bit suspicious.

Liz didn�t quite know what to make of that answer. "Are you saying the king of Knosis doesn�t have a sister?"

"Are you saying you think he does?" Zan shot back. "Of course, it is possible. Apparently you have a sister of which I�ve never heard as well. But I�m fairly certain that I�m not engaged to either of these mystery siblings."

Liz barely heard him though. Her mind was racing. Was he serious? Could it be true that Ava did not exist in this reality? And, if she didn�t, what did it mean?

It did not take her long to understand what was likely going on. Somehow, the granolith must have adjusted this world for the fact that the Tess who was here was a combined version of Serena and Ava. Because of this fact, both Ava and Serena needed to disappear for Tess to be able to exist. It was like what Future Max had told Liz about being unable to meet his younger self. If Tess had run into either Serena or Ava, it would have been disastrous. And, so, they were both gone.

It could not have been luck that Tess ended up in Serena�s role here, and not Ava�s. Zan had never been interested in Ava, but he had fallen in love with Rowena. It had to be a simple matter to make him fall in love with Rowena�s clone. The granolith had given Tess a better chance this time around.

She needed to find Tess, and fast. This only reinforced that Zan and Serena were truly meant for each other. She had to make sure her sister understood how important it was that this work out.

"My lady?"

She jumped slightly, focusing on Zan again. He had moved closer to her while she�d been thinking. Liz almost couldn�t believe that, for a moment, she had completely forgotten his presence. Staring at him, her heart finally caught up with her mind. It was incomprehensible to her that it still had the capability to shatter a little more each time it acknowledged that she could not be with Max. Shouldn�t it have finished breaking by now? Was she destined to always be in pain like this? What had happened to the numbness?

"I�" Liz could hear her voice trembling, and saw that he heard it too.

"Rowena, what is wrong?" he asked quietly. "I can see that something is different. Can�t you tell me?"

"I wish I could," she whispered. She jumped slightly when she felt his hand brush her cheek. She looked up at him, for one heart-stopping moment absolutely certain that it was Max touching her. Had he remembered? Was he finally here with her?

But, meeting his eyes, she knew that it wasn�t him. She could see the curiousity, and kindness, in his dark gaze, but nothing more than that. There was no recognition.

It was then that she realized that it wasn�t entirely true. She could see that he wasn�t seeing her as Liz, but there was something in his eyes that was not ambivalent. It was somehow more knowing than she had seen there yet. She could see his vulnerability in that instant. He was expecting something from her, something she didn�t understand.

What was going on here?

"Why can�t you?"

"I need to talk to my sister," Liz replied, stepping back, and away from him, barely able to refrain from moving closer. She knew she should leave, knew that she should go in search of Tess, but she could not leave him. Not yet.

"You are different from what I remember of you," Zan finally said, after a long silence.

"How so?" Liz asked, curious in spite of herself. "We�ve barely met before."

"You made an impression," he said, looking slightly embarrassed, but he seemed determined to press on. "And I remembered you. I thought that your invitation here meant that you remembered me, too."

Liz stared at him. "Really?" Her mind was trying to understand. Had something happened between Zan and Rowena at their first meeting? Even with Khivar present? What was he getting at? "Then�why�" She trailed off, uncertain of how to ask him about his cool greeting of her earlier.

"Your sister informed me that you thought that I did not know you," Zan told her. "I am sorry if it seemed that way. I was merely surprised to see two of you. Once I laid eyes on you again, I knew the difference. You seem�changed though. I do not understand it, Rowena."

Liz pressed her lips together, hoping he would continue. She needed to figure out what was going on here. Exactly what had transpired between Zan and Rowena at the summit before she had departed?

"Was it�Is it because you think I am engaged to this Ava?" Zan asked. "I�ve never even heard of her before."

"I don�t know what to tell you," she finally said, when it seemed he was waiting for an answer.

"Why not the truth?" Zan replied, beginning to sound exasperated. "What is going on here? Who is that other woman?"

"My sister," Liz whispered.

"I don�t believe it," Zan snapped. "Who is she really? Why have you brought me here? Was everything that happened in Valnor a ruse to lure me here?"

A lump was beginning to rise in Liz�s throat at the suspicion that was beginning to rise in Zan�s voice. "No," she answered quickly. "I wanted you to come."

"Why?"

"So I could help you," she said.

"How?" Zan demanded.

"I�I can�t tell you," Liz almost wailed. "It will ruin everything!" She was so weak! Max had managed to break down her defenses in order to get her to tell him about Future Max in the space of a week. And, now, he was managing to do it again, this time as Zan, and in even less time. Why couldn�t she tell him? He didn�t love her - not yet. He could pursue Tess if he knew he had to in order to avoid civil war. This time he wouldn�t have feelings in the way. He would listen to her!

"Was it you who invited me?" Max asked abruptly. Liz looked up at him, startled. "Maybe she wanted me here. If there are two of you, how can I possibly know the difference?"

"I don�t know!"

"But I do. Somehow I do. You are the one."

Liz felt her heart start to beat more quickly. His eyes would not leave her face. And, suddenly, she knew that it was already too late. He was already in love with Rowena. "I know that you are the one who drew me here," he continued. "You are the one to whom Rath introduced me. You are the one I came to see."

"How?" she whispered. "How do you know it?"

Zan stepped forward, brought his hands up gently so that they cupped her face. "I�ve always known you," he said quietly. "From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one for me. I was confused when I first came here. How could I not be? There are two of you. But not anymore. I know who you are. You are the one, Rowena."

His head lowered, his eyes on her lips, helping her to be perfectly aware of what he was about to do. Her mind was screaming at her to pull away, to deny that she was the person he remembered. He would believe her if she convinced him it was Serena he�d met. He had to! She could do it! It was why she was here!

But her heart was, as usual, completely uncooperative. Before she could do anything, he was kissing her, and there was absolutely no way she could possibly pull away.

Her heart would not let her stop him. It was arguing against every moral bone in her body. It knew that what was going to happen could not be avoided. He was hers. He always had been, he always would be, and, because of it, every world upon which they loved each other would be destroyed.

Part 50

For one long moment, Liz allowed herself to feel the pure love that ran through her entire being whenever Max kissed her. She knew that this would be the last time, and she could not resist the sensation of her soul reaching out for his, knowing that its mate was within reach. She let herself stop thinking, let herself simply enjoy it.

But, when his lips left hers and started to trace a delicate path across her cheek, to her ear, then down her neck, she heard him whisper her name. Well, not her name. Had he whispered her real name, she probably would not have snapped back to reality.

"Rowena."

Everything stopped in that instant. She remembered where she was, why this was wrong, and what she had to do. In the end, her brain won out over her heart, because there was no other choice.

Liz wrenched away from Max. She could no longer think of him as Zan. Not after what had just happened. Because, to her, this was Max. He would always be Max, no matter who he thought he was. Whatever his name, whatever the planet, he was the one for her. He always had been, he always would be, and everyone they cared about would die because they could not stay away from each other.

Her heart was destined to be broken no matter which path she took, and the truth of it was suddenly too much. If she followed her heart�s true wishes, and let Rowena be with Zan, then their family and friends would die - certainly in this lifetime, and very likely in the next one too, even if the event was still fourteen years in the future. If she didn�t listen to her heart, then she would be lonely for the rest of her life. Future Max had told her that the future was unknown, and that she might not end up alone, but she knew this was untrue. Because, if she couldn�t have Max, there was no question of there being anyone else. She didn�t want anyone else.

Liz felt wrenching sobs begin to take hold of her body. She could no longer hold in the pain of it. How could something that had felt right, from the first moment he had ever touched her, be so wrong? How could two people be allowed to feel so much, when they were not meant to be, but were, in fact, doomed from the start? It just wasn�t fair.

"Rowena?" He sounded tentative. She felt his hand on her shoulder, and could hear the concern and confusion in his voice. She sensed that he wanted to comfort her, and she wanted to let him more than anything. But it could not be. And, for the first time, she truly understood what she had to do.

She had to tell him everything. Unless she did, he would continue to pursue her, would follow his heart, and would not stop until she gave in again. Because wasn�t that exactly what had happened last time? Future Max had insisted that his younger version could not be trusted to make the right decisions, that she was the one who had to do it all alone. But Future Max was wrong. The only way to break their bond irrevocably was for them to both know that it was necessary.

Liz trusted Zan - no, she trusted Max, her soulmate, hidden inside this stranger - to do the right thing. That future version of Max may not have trusted himself, but she trusted him. He had never failed her before. He would not fail her now.

There was no other way.

Liz forced herself to take deep breaths, and managed to slow her tears through sheer force of will. She realized that she had fallen to her knees during her momentary breakdown, and that Zan was kneeling beside her. His arm was around her, and her cheek was resting against the warmth of his neck. Closing her eyes briefly, she breathed him in for the last time, and then pulled away.

She could feel his eyes on her as she stood, but she did not meet his gaze. She made herself start to talk before she could change her mind again. "I�m not Rowena."

"What?"

Turning her head, Liz could see that he was still kneeling, and was staring up at her, looking so perplexed, it made her heart lurch. It reminded her of the time she had deliberately turned away from Max in the pod chamber, when they had first learned of his destiny. As she watched him, his expression changed to that of a man having his entire world taken away from him without any warning, and without any remorse.

She continued mercilessly. There was no choice. "I am not Rowena."

"I know you are," he said, frowning slightly. "I know you."

"You don�t," she replied without hesitation. "You don�t know anything about me."

"I know what I feel," he insisted, finally climbing to his feet, much to Liz�s relief. She didn�t think she could have taken much more of that lost puppy dog expression. Now he was beginning to look angry, which would make this easier.

"What you feel for me is destructive," Liz told him. "You can�t love me. If you do, this entire system will end up in chaos. It will begin with the devastation of the planet on which we�re standing, and it will end with the annihilation of a planet far away from here. Our home and everyone we love in two separate lifetimes will suffer and die because of us. " Her voice cracked slightly, but she forced herself to raise her chin, and made herself go on. "And I will not be responsible for it. I will not make you responsible for it. Not again."

Liz raised her gaze to his. The eyes that she loved so well were staring at her, concern still visible, but dawning horror becoming clear to her as well. "What are you talking about?" he whispered, sounding afraid.

She pressed her lips together, uncertainty running through her. Was this really the right thing? Was she really supposed to mess with the timeline so extremely?

But, in the end, she could see no other answer. The granolith had sent her here for a reason. It had to be to change things. And she now knew that the only way to really change everything was to have Max on her side from the beginning. Because, most ironically of all, they had always worked better together.

She would tell him, and they would work together to make sure that they stayed apart. And, because of it, while she would lose him, she would no longer be so alone.

***

They were sitting on the ledge of the balcony, side-by-side, not looking at each other, certainly not touching, and she was no longer talking.

They sat in silence for a long time after Liz finished speaking. She could hear Zan breathing heavily. She knew that he was still trying to absorb everything she had revealed. It had taken a long time to tell it all, but she had not stopped, had not allowed him to ask questions, but had just told him. And, now, she was pretty sure he was about to tell her that she was stark-raving mad. Which was fine. Because, in some ways, she was pretty sure that she was.

Finally, when she could handle it no longer, she asked tentatively, "Do you believe me?"

Zan let out his breath in a great woosh, as though he had been holding it. She glanced at him, and could see that he was staring straight ahead, no expression on his face. "I don�t know," he admitted eventually. "It sounds crazy."

"And you barely know me, so I could be crazy," Liz agreed.

"I know you�re not crazy," Zan replied quickly. "I know you, Rowena." He paused, then modified. "I know you, Liz."

She felt her heart skip a beat, when his dark eyes met hers. "So you do believe me?"

"I don�t think you�re crazy, so I guess I do," Zan replied simply. He looked away, his brow furrowed. "I suppose the fact that we�ve technically only met once before, and, yet, I feel like I�ve known you forever, has helped me to believe you. What I don�t understand is why you seemed to think that keeping this secret was a good idea. I mean, it clearly hasn�t been, up to this point."

"Which is why I told you, I guess," Liz replied. "Because you�re right. So, you�ll help me?"

He looked at her strangely. "Of course."

She felt an overwhelming sense of relief, and couldn�t stop herself from reaching out and hugging him. "Thank you." She pulled back immediately, though, embarrassed. "I�m sorry. This is going to be harder than I thought."

"You�re not kidding," Zan said. He took her hands in his. "Which is why we�re going to forgo this whole stupid "we can�t be together" angle."

Liz stared at him, then quickly pulling her hands from his grasp. "What?" She stood, her relief quickly replaced by annoyance. "You said you were going to help me!"

"Did it work before?" Zan asked, far too pointedly for Liz�s taste, mainly because he was right.

"That is not the point."

Zan just looked at her, not replying. Finally he said quietly, "Do you not want to be with your Max?"

Liz stared at him, her mouth falling open slightly. The question so surprised her, she couldn�t even formulate a response. Because, of course she did. Which part of her story had made him even question that for a moment?

"Because based on what you just told me, that does seem to be your first answer, whenever something bad happens," Zan continued, sounding a little hurt now. "To break it off."

"That�s not true!" Liz exclaimed. "It�s the last thing I want to do - ever." But his words hit too close to home. She felt a pang of guilt, remembering that it had indeed been the first conclusion she had jumped to upon arriving here and learning that they could still change the Antarian system�s future. Even Tess had seemed shocked by how quickly she reached the decision that she and Max could not be together.

Why did she do that?

"What is it that makes you feel that you are not worthy to be with Max?" Zan asked, understanding her thoughts so completely, it made her start. But, then, in almost every way that counted, this was Max. He might not remember being her boyfriend, but he was. The fact that he knew her so well, already, more than proved it.

"I don�t know," she whispered.

"Is it because you truly blame yourself for the destruction others wreak because they are jealous?" Zan suggested. "Isn�t that a bit arrogant, Liz? Because, even in if you want to, you can�t control what others do. And you can�t make yourself stop loving him just because someone wants you to." He smiled slightly. "Just like I cannot make myself stop loving Rowena, even though I barely know her."

Liz bit her lip. "Do you miss her?"

"She is with me," Zan replied. "You and she are the same."

"Why do you love her? If you barely know her, how can you be sure?"

He sighed. "I can�t explain it. It was just something I knew when I saw her. She was meant for me."

"But why?" Liz demanded. "Why are we so lucky?"

Zan tilted his head, examining her face for a long moment. "Is that it?" he finally asked. "Do you think that what you feel must be uncertain, and that you are unworthy of it, because it is too easy? That it can�t be true because you didn�t have to work for it?"

"He loved me from the first moment he laid eyes on me," Liz said quietly, remembering how she had felt when Max first connected with her, when he had first shown her how he felt, way back after the shooting in the Crashdown. It was what had made her fall in love with him, after all. The way he felt about her had opened her eyes to how wonderful he was, too.

Maybe that was why she felt unworthy, Liz reflected. Because she was beginning to realize that Zan was right. The reason she was constantly able to believe that she and Max were not meant to be together was because she didn�t feel that she deserved him. The irony that she remembered telling Max, not twenty-four hours ago on their world, that he didn�t have the exclusive right to worry about her because he had loved her longer, did not escape her. But, maybe, deep down, she had questioned her own right to that love. Because, after all, what had she done to earn it?

"You don�t have to do anything, Liz," Zan said. She looked up, and realized that he was holding her hands in his again. She knew that he was practically reading her thoughts too, because Max had always been able to read her face. "It�s just what is. You can�t make someone love you. They do or they don�t. You also can�t make someone not love you. You can do a lot of destructive things to try, but if they really love you, they�re not going to stop, whatever you do."

"I wish you remembered being Max," Liz said, feeling tears fill her eyes. "I miss him."

"Then we need to get you back to him," Zan replied simply. "Because, I must admit, I would like the chance to be with my Rowena, too. And, so that we can both have what we want, perhaps we can figure out a way to ensure that what you think is going to happen here, doesn�t happen, without resorting to extremes? How does that sound?"

He gently cupped her face, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears. Liz felt a lump enter her throat. He wasn�t Max, and, yet, he was so like him, it was confusing. All she really wanted was for him to kiss her, but it also felt like a betrayal of the one she had left behind.

"It sounds wonderful," Liz admitted.

He lowered his head, so that their foreheads were touching. "Good."

She couldn�t help herself. Tilting her head slightly, so that their lips were a mere breath apart, what happened next was unavoidable. "Max," she whispered.

Moments later, he was kissing her. Her hands came up, wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer.

And, for the first time since she had realized where she was, Liz felt hope. They could change this for the better. She knew it. As long as they worked together, they could do anything. He was right. The way they felt could not be wrong.

As the thought crossed her mind, Liz felt something shift within her. It was as though a door that had been closed into her soul flew open and, pulling back, she met Zan�s eyes. And, somehow, she knew that it was not Zan anymore.

"Max?"

He smiled at her, the recognition on his face unmistakable. "Liz."

She smiled too, her joy so complete, she wondered how she could have ever believed that she could live without this feeling. "I love you. I want you. I�m not giving you up again."

"Good," he replied. "Not that I ever doubted it. I knew you�d remember." He kissed her again.

"Is that why we�re here?" Liz asked, after several moments. She laid her head on his shoulder, the fingers of her right hand playing with the hair near his ear. "Is this what the granolith is trying to teach us?"

"Maybe," he replied. "But I do think we�re here to change things, too."

"Starting with ourselves," Liz said. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"Kind of," he said. "I can�t really explain it. I was here, but I wasn�t in control."

Liz pulled back, sighing. "So, I guess I was the one with the lesson to learn."

"Well, maybe," he conceded. "But you taught me mine, don�t forget. That sometimes thinking we�re being selfless means that we�re being selfish. Because if you�d really decided to give me up, I would not have survived it again, Liz."

"I know," Liz replied. "I�m sorry."

"Just don�t do it again." Max kissed her on the forehead. "Please." She could feel him trembling slightly under her, being as she was presently sitting on his lap, and it made her guilt even more pronounced. How awful must it have been for Max, to hear her tell him that they couldn�t be together, and to be unable to do anything to stop her? But, then, in the end, there had been no real danger. Because, hadn�t Zan, with his measured and convincing arguments, more than proven that he and Max were indeed the same person? Wasn�t it why she had always been made to see that giving him up was always the wrong choice?

It made Liz shiver slightly, reflecting on how absolutely awful the world Future Max had left must have been. Because the Max she knew would never have decided that breaking them up would make the world - any world - a better place. They had to do everything in their power to make sure that Future Max�s world - a world that could so change any Max - never happened.

"I won�t," Liz said firmly. "I promise." She hugged him tightly.

She was perfectly content to sit there forever, wrapped in Max�s arms, but they were both jolted back to awareness by a loud blasting noise. In fact, it sounded very much like the engines of an airplane being ignited. Max and Liz both turned their heads in the direction from which it had come. Liz felt her eyes widen as she watched a small spaceship lift into the air from below them. It turned slowly, then picked up speed as it started its ascent into the atmosphere.

"We really are on another planet, aren�t we?" she whispered. "I will never get used to that."

"Don�t," Max replied grimly. "Because we�re going home as soon as we get things straightened out here."

She looked back at him, studied his face. "Don�t you want to stay here?" she asked tentatively. "Even a little? It�s your home."

"Liz, it�s not my home," Max told her. "Where you are is where I want to be, and I know that you don�t want to be here. Earth is my home. Zan and Rowena belong here. We don�t. The sooner we�re done what we have to do, the better."

Liz smiled at him. "Well, then let�s get started. You need to call a summit again. We need to get all the major players in one place and expose the shapeshifters."

"I guess that is the best way to go," Max replied. "Although I�m still not entirely sure that I�m going to trust Khivar." Liz could tell he was joking though, from the tone of his voice. After all, they had both experienced that connection when they healed Kate. He knew that much of Will�s bad behavior stemmed from his confusion, which had been as great as theirs. The Khivar they encountered here should still be fairly reasonable. He was likely going to be hurt, at first, by the fact that Rowena would not want to marry him, but Liz trusted that he would accept it. Just like she knew that the Zan she had met here had been Max at heart, she could not doubt that Khivar would be Will. She only had to reach him.

Things had to be different this time. Which meant no more lying, and no more secrets. This time they would tell Khivar the truth from the very beginning and they would trust him to deal with it. Sending Serena the last time had been wrong. Pretty much everything they had done last time had played right into the shapeshifters�s plan. And the only way to make sure that didn�t happen was to be up-front from the get-go.

Max gently set her on her feet, then stood. He looked down, shaking his head. "I�m glad Michael can�t see me in this dress."

"It�s not a dress, Max," Liz told him. "It�s a royal robe."

He frowned. "It is?"

"Yes."

"It looks like a dress to me."

Liz tilted her head, examining him. "Well, at least you look like yourself. Tess thinks we both look short and grey." She frowned. "Wait a minute! How do I look to you?"

"Like Liz," Max replied.

"Odd," she said. "I thought that everyone looked human to me because of my gift. I guess not."

Max looked pensive. "That is weird." Finally, he shrugged. "Well, I guess if it�s important, it will all make sense eventually."

"We can hope," Liz muttered, although at the rate they were getting answers, she was beginning to doubt it. She reached out and took his hand. "Let�s go find Tess. She�s going to be thrilled to see you."

"Do you know where you�re going?" Max asked, several long minutes later. They were in one of the palace�s many long corridors, and Liz was scowling at the tenth door that looked exactly like the one beside it.

"Of course," she snapped, although she could feel a dull flush beginning to rise in her cheeks. It was only now, when she had realized how stupid her decision to give up Max again had been, that she was beginning to understand just how distracting all that selflessness could be. She had been in the Valonian palace for almost two days now and still barely knew her way around. It was a little embarrassing to acknowledge that the last two days might have been better spent getting a bearing on her surroundings.

"Liz." She turned to look at Max. He was watching her, an affectionate expression on his face. "It�s okay. We can just ask someone."

"Won�t that seem a bit suspicious?" Liz demanded.

"Well, we�re not going to get anywhere just wandering around," Max replied. "We look even more suspicious right now."

"Good point," Liz admitted. She smiled. "This is a complete nightmare."

"Not entirely," Max disagreed. He reached out and took her hand, bringing it to his lips. "At least here I can do things like this, in public, without looking totally weird."

"Very romantic," Liz replied, feeling it down to her toes. "And thank you for not letting me become morose."

"If I don�t find the humour in it," Max replied, "I might start crying. I don�t think that would be very king-like of me."

"Crown Prince-like," Liz corrected.

"Right." He frowned slightly, pulling her back in the direction from which they had just come. "Isn�t my father supposed to die fairly soon?"

"I think so," Liz replied, feeling a knot form in her stomach. Max was right that it was a good idea to try and keep the situation light, but she couldn�t entirely control her nerves. They were surrounded by enemies here. It was even more frightening because neither of them was supposed to be aware of it at the moment. One mistake and they might give themselves away, and they had no way of knowing how disastrous it might be for the shapeshifters to know that they were on to them. "We are running on a very short clock here," Liz said, her voice low. "Which is why I really, really want to find Tess. Now."

"Well, then let�s just find someone to take us to her," Max suggested. "Because, you�re right."

"Your highness?"

Liz felt her heart leap into her throat. She whirled, and felt Max doing the same beside her. Yorvin, her bodyguard, was standing several paces behind them. "How long have you been there?" she demanded, before she could stop herself. Because, based on his actions before, he could have been part of the wall for most of the past few hours. Listening, learning the truth about them. She dropped Max�s hand quickly, but from the way the shapeshifter�s eyes deliberately did not look towards the movement, she knew that he had seen anyway.

Yorvin also didn�t answer her question, which only confirmed to Liz that he had heard too much. How stupid could they be, talking openly about things that no one but the two of them should know about? But Yorvin�s expression remained impassive as he said, "I have a message from your sister."

"We were just searching for Serena," Max replied smoothly. "Where is she? She�s not in her chamber."

"No," Yorvin agreed. "I�m afraid I have some bad news, your highness." He looked at Liz again, in a way that made her heart start to thump more quickly. Had something happened to Tess?

"What?" she whispered. "Is she all right?"

"I would assume so," Yorvin replied. "She was when she left the planet twenty minutes ago. That was the message I was to pass on."

"She left?" Liz asked, dumbfounded. "Why?"

Yorvin shrugged. "She said that you would know why."

Liz turned her head, met Max�s eyes. He looked as perplexed as she felt. Why would Tess leave? It made no sense.

"Where did she go?" Liz demanded again, more urgently this time.

"Her coordinates were set for Sardica," Yorvin replied. He was beginning to look mildly worried, but when Liz stared at him, she could tell it was an act. He knew far more than he was acknowledging.

And, abruptly, Liz understood. It all became so clear, she couldn�t believe she had never realized it before. "Oh my God." She turned back to Max. "We�re too late. It�s all started."

"What? What�s wrong?" Max asked, still not understanding.

Liz glanced at Yorvin, knowing that it was too late to continue to pretend that there wasn�t something going on between them. And she didn�t particularly care anymore, anyway. Because what Tess had done screwed everything up to a degree that she wasn�t entirely sure they could save the situation. She pulled Max away from the shapeshifter anyway. "She�s gone to start things with Khivar," Liz explained in an undertone. "I told her that I was going to make you get together with her, and she�s taken matters into her own hands, to make sure I don�t have the chance."

"Are you sure?" Max demanded, obviously grasping the severity of the situation instantly.

"I�m sure she thought she was helping," Liz nodded, feeling helpless. "This is all my fault. How stupid could I be not to realize that she was going to do something like this?"

"How could you know?"

"She�s me, Max. She�s my sister, she�s still Tess, but in a lot of ways, we think exactly the same. I never would have let her give you up for me, and she�s doing the same thing. She knows how I feel about you, now even more clearly because of the connection. She�s not going to allow it. And because we�re both so completely predictable, we�ve set everything in motion again."

"If that�s true, then we�re not safe here anymore. They�re going to send the clone Zan out there. As far as I know, they still don�t have my DNA, but we can�t let them get it." Max�s tone was firm. "We�re leaving. Tonight."

Liz glanced over her shoulder at Yorvin, who was watching them, but was making no effort to try to listen. It creeped her out even more than any blatant eavesdropping would have. Because it seemed that the shapeshifters didn�t even feel the need to know what they were thinking, or saying. To them, both Zan and Rowena were so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, any connection they may have established was only one more step towards victory for them.

Which could only mean one thing. They already had what they needed.

"Max, I think it�s too late," Liz whispered. "We need to find that lab. Now."