Part 11

Roswell, New Mexico, Earth - 24 hours later

"Any luck?"

Alex jumped at the sound of the voice close to his ear. He turned to stare at Jennetta, who had appeared suddenly near his elbow.

"I thought you were helping Ren and Maria bring books in here?" Alex asked, narrowing his eyes.

It had been almost a full day since Isabel, Michael, Kyle and the sheriff had boarded a plane to Miami, hoping to catch Max and Tess before they made their connection to London. When Isabel had called late the night before she had sounded totally bummed. There had been no luck at all, having made it all the way to London without finding a hint that Max and Tess had even come through the United Kingdom�s customs. The sheriff�s APB should have caught up to them at least by then.

There were only two possible answers to the riddle of how Tess and Max seemed to have disappeared off the face of the planet.

Either they already had "fallen" off the face of the planet, literally, and had somehow used super-speed to make it to the portal (Alex would not have put this past Max Evans at this point) - or else Tess was mind-warping like a maniac. If the latter was true, then the luck of one stubborn alien king was about to run out. Possibly at the worst possible time too - right when Max and Tess landed on Illyria and were confronted by a legion of Dernian troops.

There was no way that Tess was going to be able to keep up with the pace. She was strong, but she wasn�t that strong.

As Michael told Maria on the phone earlier this morning, Tess was exhausting herself to the point of complete drainage of her powers. He could feel it.

Both Isabel and Michael were certain that they would know if the portal had been opened. Both also felt that they would know if the two AWOL members of their four-square had left the planet. The energy that it took from the planet, and from Max as well, would be felt by both of them. Just as they could feel when Max used a great quantity of energy, they could feel it from Tess too. And if Michael was to be believed, he could barely feel her anymore. Max�s spirit still burned somewhere on Earth, but with every passing hour, Tess�s aura faded a little more.

She was draining herself completely.

But at least they were still on Earth, if not answering their mental cell phones at the moment, Alex reflected wryly. Tess had shut off her dreams to Isabel as well, but they were still there to shut her out

There was still a chance of catching them at Stonehenge.

Everyone was even more on edge, not only concerned that they weren�t going to be able to find Max and Tess in time, but also now horrified at what might happen to them once they made their way to Illyria.

The best possible scenario was capture.

Alex wasn�t even convinced that this wasn�t what Max intended. At least if Tarsus caught him, Max would be taken to Liz. But Alex also trusted that Max wouldn�t deliberately bring Tess into such a dangerous situation. It was entirely possible that once Tess made it clear that she was going with him, Max had changed his mind about how he wanted the whole operation to play out, depending on Tess�s mind-warp to see them through those first initial moments on the planet.

But he had clearly not counted on the fact that Michael and Isabel would be pursuing him so determinedly, and so quickly. And since he still likely thought they were going to try to stop him, he was letting Tess waste her powers in order to avoid them. Which meant that they were in real trouble. Because, if they resisted capture once they reached Illyria, relying on Tess�s mind-warp to save them, hoping that she would still have enough strength to create one of such a magnitude, they could be killed.

It was entirely possible that Tess wouldn�t be able to mind-warp at all.

They now knew for sure that Max had not originally intended to take Tess. Maria found the note on Michael�s messy bedroom floor last night. It had apparently fallen off the bed. Tess begged them not to blame Max for her decision to accompany him. Apparently she had not even known for sure that he was going, and had just gone to the airport on a hunch.

As she had written in her closing line: He�s only doing what I should have done a long time ago. Michael, please tell Kyle that I am going to try and resolve this once and for all.

Kyle was absolutely silent on the other end of the phone when Maria read him that part.

To top it all off, Jennetta was behaving very strangely. Alex sighed, eyeing Michael and Maria�s daughter where she hovered over his shoulder.

Like right now, for example.

As she became aware of Alex�s regard, she blushed, clearly unsure how to answer his question. "I just wanted to see if you needed more help with the vocabulary program," she finally said quietly.

"Er - okay." Alex moved over, letting her pull up a chair.

They had set up Alex�s PC in the pod chamber. Ren had somehow figured out how to hook it into the compound�s main energy source, and it was humming along more happily than Alex had ever heard it. Alien juice clearly agreed with it.

Alex had started loading Illyrian vocabulary into one of his translation programs early yesterday morning. It had not taken very long for the computer to find an earthly language similar to Illyrian. Illyrian, apparently, was almost exactly the same as ancient Sumerian, one of the first recorded human forms of writing.

Alex and Maria exchanged a look at this news. "Apparently Stonehenge wasn�t the Illyrians first contribution to our civilization," Alex finally managed to choke out.

Aliens had been on their planet for a very long time.

The good news was that the computer had been happily translating silver metal books for close to twelve hours. With Jennetta and Ren filling in certain words here and there, it had all gone very smoothly.

Too smoothly in fact. Alex now knew more than he had ever wanted to about Illyrian agriculture, industry, fashion and, most horrifying of all, sewage - or at least the lack thereof.

Maria had giggled slightly at that. "Didn�t I mention that little detail?" She asked him. "It�s outhouse city there, babe. Or at least sometimes."

"And I�m choosing to go to this planet?" Alex asked, feeling pained. He was sonot a camper. Alex Charles Whitman liked his creature comforts. Both Father�s Camping trips into Fraser Woods had practically killed him. Even his dad�s raid of every camping store in Roswell for the latest state-of -the art camping equipment on their last journey into the woods had not helped.

At least he knew that if he and Isabel ended up together he wouldn�t be expected to be "outdoorsy dad." She was even less outdoorsy than he was.

Alex propped his cheek up on his left hand, staring at the scrolling computer screen. "Are you bored of reading the old-fashioned way?" he asked Jennetta, trying to stop his eyes from crossing.

"I was bringing some more books in here to read, but Maria insisted that I rest my eyes for a while. She said they were getting blood-shot." She looked at him from under lowered lashes, her cheeks still slightly pink. Her dark lashes swept upward until she was staring right at him. "Do you think they look okay?"

Alex blinked.

Her eyes didn�t look the least bit blood-shot to him. In fact, they were actually really pretty. He had never noticed before. They looked a lot like Michael�s, but they had a peculiar ring of green around the edge of the iris that made them seem even darker�

What the hell was he thinking?

Alex sat back abruptly. "They look okay," he muttered, swallowing hard and turning his own eyes back to the computer.

If Alex Charles Whitman was not mistaken, Jennetta Elizabeth Evans was flirting with him!

But he had to be mistaken. She was a kid for criminy�s sake - well, sort of. How old was she anyway? Alex wondered, casually looking at her from the corner of his eye. She was now staring at the computer screen too, her full lips, almost identical to Maria�s, pursed in concentration.

As far as he knew she was supposed to be about twenty-one, or at least that�s what Ren had speculated she would be. But then she had only been in existence for just over two years.

So not only was she was too young for him, she was also too old.

It was too weird - and disturbing.

Not to mention she was sort of Isabel�s sister. Alex mentally smacked himself. She was so not flirting with him. Was he insane?

And, yet, Alex swallowed again. He tried to inconspicuously move his chair away from Jennetta�s.

He blessed his lucky stars that Michael was currently on the other side of the Earth. If he had been there with any inkling of the way Alex�s thoughts had just turned, Alex Charles Whitman would not be long for this world.

Must turn train of thoughts�must do it now! Alex ordered himself. "So, why�d you decide to call Michael and Maria by their first names?" he blurted out.

Great, you fool! Remind her that she has an abnormal and sad relationship with her biological parents. What the hell is the matter with you?

Jennetta didn�t seem upset as she replied though. "We just decided it would be easier. It has to be natural that I call them by their names - I mean, at least on Earth. I can�t slip up and call them Mom and Dad. How could we ever explain that? Not even the Evanses� know our real relationship."

"Are you okay with that?" Alex asked quietly, feeling sorry for her, but even more so for Maria. He knew that this whole grown-up child thing had almost killed her. His best friend seemed to be bouncing back now, but Alex had a feeling that she would never be completely the same as she had been. Maria might still be wacky, but she would never again have the innocence she had lost since Jennetta�s arrival.

"I wish things could be different," Jennetta replied matter-a-factedy. "But this is my destiny."

Alex grinned sadly at her. "Don�t you know yet that that�s a dirty word around here?" he asked teasingly.

Jennetta smiled at him. "Not always," she replied. "There are lots of things I want in this world�" She paused, biting her lip, then looked away from him. Alex frowned slightly. What was going on in that head of hers? "That I can�t have," she finished. "But I do want to be queen, and that is one thing that I can have."

Alex couldn�t help himself. He reached out and took her hand reassuringly. "I really don�t think any of this is fair but I really do hope you get the happiness you deserve, Jenny."

Jennetta just gazed at him, her eyes bright, her expression unreadable.

Alex let her hand drop when Maria appeared at the entrance to the transformation chamber, stumbling under a pile of silver books. "Help!" she yelped. Alex jumped to his feet to help her, but not before Alex saw Ren standing nearby, staring at him.

Alex grimaced. How long had he been there? Too long if the weird expression on his face was any indication.

The fact that there was any expression on Ren�s face at all was not reassuring. Alex knew that the shapeshifter took his duties as Jennetta�s bodyguard very seriously. If he even suspected that Alex might have harboured even one inappropriate thought about his queen - which he so had not! - it might not be pretty.

He had only been comforting a very brave girl. That was it. Point blank.

Of course, that very brave girl�s face was currently a shade of red that had never been seen before, but it meant nothing. Nothing!

Fortunately Maria seemed oblivious. "Alex! Help!" she screeched again, as the pile of books went tumbling onto the floor. He managed to catch one before it hit. "Gee. Thanks," she said sarcastically. "Anything new?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"No," Alex said firmly, turning back to the computer, refusing to look at Jennetta or Ren. "But that doesn�t mean that we�re going to give up. But let�s hope that Isabel and Michael are having more luck."

***

*Dreams* Isabel

"What are you doing? Tris, I�m coming with you!" I grabbed him by the arm, but he shook me off easily.

"I�m going to check on Jax and Sabby," he replied. "He said that he spoke to them a few minutes ago, but I don�t believe him. He�s behaving strangely, Mirana."

"I�m coming," I told him firmly.

Tristandor turned, staring at me with his dark eyes. "Miri, I won�t be able to do what I have to do with you there. I�ll just be worrying about you."

"I�m coming," I repeated stubbornly. "He�s my brother." I felt tears filling my eyes. "Tris, I can�t feel him anymore!"

Tristandor sighed, nodded. "Fine. But you stay behind me. Do you understand?"

I nodded quickly.

We left our chamber, hurrying down the long corridor to the Royal Quarters of the Citadel. It was hard to believe that we had only left Jaxon and Sabrya an hour before. It was their wedding night after all. But they had insisted that we stay, that we play Quintus well into the night. I knew that Jax hadn�t been eager for this match, but he had affection for Sabby. He shouldn�t have been dreading it as much as he was.

They had both been on edge, nervous. Only looking back could I see it now. Why had I not demanded that Jaxon explain himself to me?

It was even worse than we could have possibly imagined.

Had he known, even then, what was going to happen to him?

Later, as I held Tristandor�s dying body in my arms on the battlefield, I reflected, realizing that my brother had known very well. Because I knew when it was my time. I stared up at our enemy, glaring, determined not to let him see me cry. My beloved was already gone. I had felt the last of Tris�s life-force slip away moments before.

I had nothing left to live for.

***

Isabel gasped. She realized that someone was shaking her on the shoulder. "Isabel? Wake up." It took her a moment to get her bearings, and to realize that it was the sheriff. He had awakened her from her nightmare.

"Are you okay?" the sheriff asked. "You were talking in your sleep."

But Isabel couldn�t answer. She didn�t remember any of it, but she knew that the dream had been bad - dreadful.

It was then that she noticed Michael on the other side of the van, staring at her, his eyes wide. He seemed to be barely breathing.

And it was then that she knew. He had seen it too.

Stonehenge, near Salisbury, England - 12 hours later

"Where the hell are they?" Michael growled, staring through the night-vision binoculars Kyle�s dad had "borrowed" from the Roswell Sheriff�s Station for their little expedition.

"Give me those," Isabel snapped, grabbing them out of his hands. "We�ll catch them, Michael. Tess has to come out of mind-warp for Max to open the portal."

"Why?" Michael demanded. Kyle could see his scowl even in the dark. "Why would she have to come out of it? She hasn�t bloody well come out of it for the past two days! She�s killing herself - and if that happens, I will kill Maxwell myself before Tarsus gets anywhere near him."

"Would you two kindly shut up?" Kyle whispered heatedly. "No wonder they won�t come out. They can probably hear you guys all the way back in Roswell. I thought we were trying to keep the royal moron from knowing we were here."

Michael and Isabel had been arguing all day, helping Kyle to achieve one of the biggest headaches of his lifetime. He and his dad had shrugged at first, thinking that they had both just gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. Not that Kyle had officially seen a bed since Isabel had woken him up two nights before.

They headed straight to the stone monument from the airport. His dad had rented a van and they parked it near the ancient circle, even sleeping in it, all of them determined not to miss Max and Tess when they made their attempt to open the portal.

But Isabel was acting too weirdly for this just to be a normal bad mood. Something had happened.

Kyle wondered if it was somehow linked to the nightmare he knew his dad had woken her from early that morning. She had been curled up on the back seat of the van, whimpering.

Kyle had only been able to make out one word�or, rather, a name. "Tris." As in Tristandor. As in Michael Guerin�s alien name. As in Isabel�s past life husband.

It was pretty clear that Michael had heard her too because, after Isabel woke up, Kyle watched them stare at each other for what felt like three years until Michael looked away.

They had been at each other�s throats ever since.

Kyle rolled his eyes at the fact that these thoughts were currently rolling through his head and they didn�t even sound weird to him anymore. Past lives, past life husbands�Oh yeah, Tess had really done a number on him. So much for keeping his frigging distance. But that one line from the letter she had left for Michael�

Michael, please tell Kyle that I�m going to try and resolve this once and for all.

Kyle squashed the thought. This was no time to think about Tess. His dad had been grilling him about what was going on between the two of them since they had boarded the plane in Roswell. He was sick of talking about her, he was sick of thinking about her, and he was bloody well sick of loving her.

Right, a little voice muttered in the back of his head.

Shut up. Let me be irritated in peace. It�s not every day that I get to lie in a pile of manure with a front row seat to Moonlighting the Next Generation, Kyle snapped at the little voice.

Because it was pretty clear that something intense was going on between Michael and Isabel. And whatever it was, it was not going to be making their little humans sitting at home very happy.

"Where�s your dad?" Michael whispered to Kyle a few minutes later, after they had all stewed in silence for a while.

"He went to get some more French Fries," Kyle replied, snorting. "He�s addicted to them."

"That would be chips," Isabel told him haughtily. "We�re in England."

"Then what do they call chips?" Kyle demanded. He could see that Michael looked curious too.

"Crisps."

"Why?" Michael inquired, sounding pissed.

"Because its a different country, Michael." Isabel�s tone was long-suffering.

"Well excuse me, Lady Britannia," Michael snapped back.

"You are so paying for this, your mightiness," Kyle muttered to himself. It made life so much more pleasant to just blame all of this present torture on Max Evans.

Everything was his fault. As usual.

He never would have been shot if it hadn�t been for Evans. He never would have become some sort of freaky alien/human if it wasn�t for Evans. Nothing would have happened to Liz if it wasn�t for Evans, which would mean that they wouldn�t be chasing Evans across the globe, so that he could rescue her.

Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense, his annoying second brain told him.

You never would have met Tess if it wasn�t for Evans. Liz would have been dead that day in the Crashdown� if it wasn�t for Evans.

I told you to shut up.

He would not have developed a frigging split personality if it wasn�t for Max Evans.

Kyle snapped to attention when Isabel suddenly gasped. "Michael! Did you feel that?"

"Oh crap!" Michael was on his feet and running towards the fenced in monument before Kyle could even register what was happening.

"What�s going on?" He managed to grab Isabel�s wrist before she went tearing off after Michael.

She was gasping. "He�s opening it. Max - he�s opening the portal! It�s like all the energy has been sucked out of this whole area." She was scanning the stone circle, clearly waiting for the expected blast of white light.

Kyle stared at her. She had never reacted like this to the portal opening before. "Isabel! What�s wrong?"

"We�re not close enough Kyle. We need to get closer. We�ve never been this far from it when its been opened." She was inching her way steadily towards the fence.

Kyle saw a flash of light as Michael took out one of the expected security guards. He had assured them all that he would just knock them out, that he had done it the last time - when Max had come back. The sheriff had reluctantly agreed since they had little choice.

Kyle grabbed Isabel by the wrist, tried pulling her faster. He felt fine, and didn�t understand why she was acting like she was moving through quicksand.

They finally reached the fence where Michael had altered the molecular structure, creating a gaping hole. The instant they were through, Isabel seemed to snap out of whatever had been holding her back. She was sprinting across the open field standing between them and the stone circle. She was shrieking. "Max!Stop! I believe you!Max!"

It was then that the whole circle seemed to come alive. Light danced from stone to stone, increasing in brightness until it met in a central column in the middle of the monument.

"There they are!" Kyle yelled. He could see Michael on the far side of the circle, his face lit up strangely by the portal�s weird glow. He looked like he couldn�t see a thing.

"Where are they?" Michael bellowed. He was reaching around frantically, clearly trying to smack one of them by chance.

Kyle stopped, staring at him. He could see them as plain as day. Max was standing almost directly to Michael�s left, one of the blue orbs held in his outstretched hands. Tess had her arms wrapped around his waist, her eyes closed too. Clearly she was still mind-warping everyone.

Except him.

But why would she? She probably didn�t know he was there!

"Tess!" Kyle yelled at her, running again. They were so close!

Isabel was still shrieking at the top of her lungs. "Max! Michael, stop them!" She obviously couldn�t see them either, although Kyle thought she could see the portal, if the way she was shading her eyes was any indication.

It was then that Kyle realized what was really going on. Tess was losing her warp! She was almost completely drained.

They had to stop them - now. They were going to be sitting ducks if they went through like this.

Damn Max Evans!

But it was too late. As Kyle watched in horror Max and Tess stepped into the light.

He didn�t even think. He was almost there, he could almost reach out and touch Tess�s coat�

Kyle launched himself at them, hoping to hit them out the far side.

It was a perfect tackle. Coach Clay would have been proud.

He hit them squarely, knocking them both to the ground with a thud. He heard Tess shriek. Her eyes snapped open.

"Kyle!" she gasped. "Oh my God! What did you do?"

"I saved your butt from making the biggest mistake of your life!" Kyle snapped, glaring at Max, who was lying flat on his back staring up, looking like he had the wind knocked out of him.

Kyle narrowed his eyes. What he wouldn�t give to have another chance to do that tackle�this time with Tess out of the way.

Tess was smacking him on the chest though, seemingly panicked. "You idiot! Why did you do that?"

"We believe Max!" Kyle exclaimed, grabbing her wrists and holding them so that she would stop hitting him. "Isabel talked to Liz on the dream plain."

More alien mumbo-jumbo, Kyle thought. The dream plain. There�s no hope for me now.

"That�s not what I meant." Tess closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were shining with tears. "You idiot. I was trying to keep you safe! How could you have done this? You aren�t supposed to be there! I didn�t know to warp you."

Kyle stared at her. "I figured that much out." He scowled. "What�s the big hairy deal? We stopped you."

Max was sitting up, groaning. "Look around you," he managed to mutter.

Kyle scowled, but forced himself to look away from Tess� face.

He wondered how it could possibly have taken him so long to notice that it was no longer night-time. The sun was shining weakly, melding in with the yellow sky that surrounded it.

What the�oh good Lord.

For the first time in his entire existence neither Kyle Valenti, nor his smart ass split personality, had anything to say.

Instead of stopping Max and Tess, apparently he had joined them. He had truly fallen into the alien abyss.

They were on Illyria.

And they were not alone.

Five blank-faced guards were staring at them, their weird alien weapons pointed right at them.

Part 12

The Citadel - 12 hours earlier

Milena had fallen asleep on her cot in the far corner of the chamber hours before. Liz couldn�t sleep though. She was determined to get through her grandmother�s journal as quickly as possible. It was absolutely spell-binding, and even if the information within it was not vital, Liz was unable to put it down.

Poor Andrina�s situation just seemed to get worse with every entry.

***

September 12, 1813

I have not written in months, as I have absolutely nothing of worth to report. The mission is at a complete stand-still.

My grief for my brother�s loss is without end. What will I do without my Gordian, my king? He has been my closest companion since our birth. While we have been at odds since Laren�s arrival at the Citadel, I know that he always loved me, only wished me to be happy. It was why I agreed to come to this Ring forsaken planet to begin with. I wanted to help my brother achieve peace once and for all, so that he would recognize that Laren is true and trustworthy.

I have no idea what is happening on Illyria. Milena has been absent from the dream plain since she managed to pull herself from her mourning long enough to tell me what happened to Gordian.

I knew already though. The minute I tried to open the portal, I knew. We guessed that since Gordian could not open the portal to Earth, I would be unable to open the portal home. But I tried anyway. The portal would not even generate at all. It should have opened on the other end, there should have been people waiting for it in the Ring. But when I attempted it, nothing happened. I fear it is because my brother�s energy has gone out of the universe.

We truly know next to nothing about how the cursed portal works. Before Gordian and I, it had been a millennia since it was opened. All knowledge of the portal�s function is lost. It was only chance that we opened it to begin with. We took a wager on an ancient legend, and it proved to be true.

It has ended in disaster. I am trapped here. Will I ever see my home again?

January 27, 1815

I spoke to Milena today. She was evasive and hidden in shadows upon the dream plain, but she was there. It was the first time in over a year. She came to tell me that little Jaxon has been crowned. He is now king. That poor child! He has lost his father and has no one to guide him. I know that Laren will help him any way he can.

Oh my love! How I long for you! I fear that we will never meet again. I am trying to accept it, that I must make a life for myself here now.

I will never see my beloved home again, but I cannot accept that I will never see Laren again. I asked Milena to bring him to me on the dream plain. She refused and disappeared immediately. I do not understand her at all. I know that she grieves for my brother, but should maintaining contact not be her most important gift to her son? I will still try for the human treaty for Jaxon�s benefit.

Jendar has made contact with a liaison with the British government. It has been determined that they are the most powerful on this world, at least for the time being. The rumours that the Emperor Napoleon is perhaps going to try and escape his island prison seem to have little real merit. Jemma has returned from France, declaring that the French are not a good option. And so, the British it shall be.

I am to enter British society as a widowed countess. We shall see. I should be able to play the role of a bereaved wife quite well I think. All I do is cry.

London, England - June 28, 1815

A major strategic error has taken place. After deciding on the British, the Emperor Napoleon did escape from his exile on Elba. Jendar and Jemma were both torn as to who to support, but decided in the end upon the Emperor, which was a great mistake. The British and their allies have served the Emperor a great defeat at Waterloo. We fear the our part in aiding the Emperor will be discovered. My entr�e to English society has been far too successful. I am too well-known.

We have decided to leave for North America immediately. It can no longer be delayed and although I dread leaving the Ring, our only link to home, it is time for us to disappear. Well, at least I will escape the lecherous attentions of the Prince Regent. He really is most revolting.

Boston, Massachusetts - March 23, 1849

I am still alive. It is hard to believe I did not end my life a long time ago.

My entire existence has been a disaster. I have not even bothered to write in this journal. What is the point? Who wants to read about a silly princess who got lost on a distant world? For that is what I am: silly, ridiculous, and a complete failure. Our attempts to connect with the humans have been fruitless. It is unlikely they would even be able to grasp the reality of where I am from, of what my nephew is. We gave up long ago.

Milena has been out of contact for over twenty years. I assume that she is still alive, but I have no way of knowing. The last contact I had with her she informed me that she was remarried - to Hamor, Gordian�s right-hand. He is a great general, and a good choice. He will be able to protect Jaxon and Mirana.

Stupidly it did not occur to me until about ten years ago that Jaxon and Mirana might be able to open the portal, that they are twins as Gordian and I were, that I can possibly return home. But now that I know, Milena refuses to communicate with me. I do not understand. We were close once. Why does she shut me out? Why will she not help me return to my people?

I have all but given up hope. Jemma and Jendar have decided that we are moving to the new territories in the west, that it is time to truly settle on this planet for the duration. Not to mention, our neighbours are beginning to be suspicious. We do not age as they do.

I could care less.

Why are we cursed with such long lives? Why did my brother lose his so tragically? Will I never hear a word about my love again?

***

Liz swallowed, tears coursing down her cheeks.

Poor Andrina! Liz understood exactly how she felt.

Every day she spent away from Max was like torture. She was trying to be strong, knew that he was coming for her, but she missed him so much. She knew what it was like to endure a long separation from him.

What if she never saw him again?

Liz squashed the thought ruthlessly. She refused to think that way. She had never thought that way through their last separation, and they had found each other again. It would be the same this time.

"Liz? Sweeting, what is wrong?" Milena�s voice was soft as she propped herself up on an elbow on her cot across the room. "Are you weeping?"

Liz smiled sadly. She now understood why Milena had not wanted to speak of Andrina. Her guilt for abandoning her sister-in-law, alone on another planet, must be great. Liz did not understand it. The Milena she knew was warm, and kind, and loving. Why would she have let her husband�s sister remain lost, anchorless?

"I am sure that Andrina forgave you," she said quietly. The soft light filtering through the barred window showed Max�s mother�s eyes widen. A panicked look crossed her beautiful, ageless face. "Milena?" Liz probed gently.

"I will never forgive myself," Milena finally admitted.

"Why did you leave her alone for so long?" Liz asked. She thought it might help the older woman to voice thoughts that had clearly been troubling her for more years than Liz could imagine.

"I could not bear for her to know how wonderful life under my son�s rule became," Milena replied. "Jaxon was so good in every way, peaceful and strong. I did not want Andrina to realize what she was missing. She was trapped, sweeting. She never could have come back."

Liz frowned. "But couldn�t Jaxon and Mirana have opened the portal?" She lifted the journal. "That�s what Andrina wonders in this. And how wonderful could it have been if you were still at war with the Dernians?"

Milena paled again. She looked down at her clasped hands. Liz could see that she was clenching them so tightly, her knuckles were white. Finally she glanced up, smiling lovingly. "You are too smart for me, Liz. Andrina was never as sharp as you prove to be." She paused, seemed to gather her strength. "Laren betrayed her."

"What!" Liz exclaimed, shocked. "How?"

Milena pursed her lips. "You know that Ren is Laren�s son, Liz. He betrayed her with another woman. He was faithless. I didn�t want Andrina to ever know. She would have been completely devastated. It was better for her not to know."

Liz stared at Milena in shock. She knew what it felt to be betrayed by the one you love more than your own life. A brief image of Max kissing Tess in the rain flashed through her mind. She couldn�t even imagine how she would ever feel to find out that her Max had fathered a child with another woman.

She would die, plain and simple.

Liz had felt a kinship with Andrina from the opening lines of her journal, had imagined Andrina�s face as her own, Laren�s as Max�s. The pain she felt for the poor lost princess was almost personal.

She knew that there were reasons for why she felt this way. Her suspicions had started to gather together in a kernel of truth that was staring her right in the face. It was a reality that she had not wanted to recognize because of several facts that could not be ignored�

Liz knew. She knew that Andrina was her grandmother.

It meant two things, one interesting, one horrifying.

Interestingly, she was � alien.

And horrifyingly, Max Evans was her cousin.

It was not a close relationship, but it was definitely disturbing. Even his alien/human hybrid status could not mask it. They were related, if not by blood, because of whatever human genes he possessed, then by ancestry.

Liz swallowed, hard.

She had to know for sure. Now.

Milena was eyeing her with concern. "What is wrong, Liz?"

"Where is Tarsus?" Liz demanded suddenly. "Why hasn�t he come yet? He told us two days ago to prepare to go to the Ring. Where is he?" She could hear her voice rising in pitch, trying to let hysteria take over.

She refused to allow it. Cousins or not, she loved Max and the relationship wasn�t close enough to make a huge difference. They would only be third cousins. It wouldn�t be like loving her mother�s disgusting nephew, Rodney.

Besides, kings in the Middle Ages married their relatives all the time.

That was rational Liz�s thinking.

Irrational Liz was beginning to get the horrible feeling that she had fallen into an alien tragedy of Shakespearean proportions�or at least Days of Our Lives proportions.

"I�m not sure where he is," Milena replied. "Something must have happened to delay him."

"Well, I don�t miss him," Liz joked. She could feel the fake smile plastered on her face beginning to crack. She stared at Max�s mother. "I need to keep reading, Milena. I�m sorry. I just do."

Milena frowned slightly. "Very well."

Liz closed her eyes briefly, taking several deep breaths and plunged in again.

***

September 1, 1850

We have settled near the Mexican border. Jendar and Jemma have made contact with the local native populations. They are friendly and helpful. Jendar has asked the help of one of the chiefs to determine the best place to begin building the compound. He has decided that we will go underground. It will be the safest for us. We fear that large groups of settlers are not far behind us.

I exist from day to day with little hope. Jemma is getting frustrated with me. I don�t blame her. Thirty years of my long face is not pleasant I am sure.

December 21, 1863

The War Between the States continues in the east. It has not penetrated this far into the Territories, but we hear reports on occasion from settlers passing through. Civil war is the worst possible disaster that can befall a people. I grieve for the Americans and hope that they can settle their differences more easily than Illyria could.

November 13, 1867

The unbelievable has occurred.

I have spoken to Milena. I am still in shock, cannot believe it. It has been so long, I feared that perhaps my Illyria had ceased to exist.

But it is even worse than that.

Jaxon and Mirana are dead.

Milena was almost impossible to understand. She was inconsolable with grief. From what I have understood, this is what occurred.

Three or so years ago, my niece, Mirana, fell in love. In the supremest of all ironies, somehow, somewhere, she managed to meet Tristandor, the Duke of Dernia�s son.

Milena informed me that Lazar was long dead, that his daughter Danala rules Dernia in his place. Tristandor defected from Dernia, however, for love of Mirana, and has been Jaxon�s boon companion ever since. He was Jaxon�s general and right hand.

In the end, Danala seemed to let this go. The planet has been fairly peaceful since Lazar�s death. Despite arranging for my brother�s murder, because surprise of all surprises (my sarcasm is apparent I am sure) it seemed that even the Dernians were horrified by the treachery behind Gordian�s death (well, perhaps not horrified, since they are incapable of that emotion, but suffice it to say they did not enjoy their leader acting without honour). Lazar had tried to occupy the Ring, killing my brother when he came to parlay under truce. The Dernians refused to follow their leader after that, and Danala assumed command as the eldest. Lazar did not live long after. His death was suspicious, but few cared.

Danala was not pleased by Tristandor�s departure, but accepted it after Mirana and Tristandor were judged in the Ring and were proven worthy. It was only when my nephew tried to solidify the connection by marrying the youngest of Lazar�s children that Danala attacked.

After that, Milena became a bit confused. She does not know how Jaxon and his bride were killed. She told me that Mirana and her husband were killed on the battle field as they tried to hold the Citadel.

There is now no heir to the throne of Illyria. Danala rules the planet, although she did not take the Citadel, and so it is in name alone.

And then she told me the most incredible news of all.

Lucianus has returned. And not only that, he has cloned Jaxon, Mirana, Tristandor and Jaxon�s wife, Sabrya. Milena has sent them to me.

They are not coming alone.

Laren is accompanying them.

I will see my beloved again.

November 23, 1867

It will take years for them to reach Earth. I know it. I may not even live to see it�and, yet, I feel my heart has lightened.

My love! Finally we will be reunited!

November 24, 1867

Milena has disappeared again but it is to be expected. She is holding Illyria under interdict, so that it will seem that no time has passed since my nephew�s death. The Illyrians may never even find out about it.

When Jaxon and Mirana are born here on Earth, they will open the portal, and will return to our plane, ending this conflict once and for all. Their marriages to Tristandor and Sabrya will be the unifying miracle we have been searching for.

I cannot believe how long I am going to have to wait. Time is moving at a snail�s pace. I spend many hours with the local people, learning their ways. It is most enjoyable. If women were allowed to be researchers on this planet, perhaps I would write a book to pass the time.

January 1, 1901

Another year begins, a new century in fact. I have been on this planet for nearly a hundred years - almost half my expected life-span.

The ship is expected within the next fifty years. How absurd! Half a human lifetime!

I must stop reflecting on all these issues of time. They only give me a headache.

April 16, 1915

Jendar has completed the compound and begins work on the transformation chamber tomorrow. Several of the local natives are helping him. Milena informed me long ago that Jaxon and Mirana�s ship would contain a new variety of pods that would mature them to their full potential more quickly than most children. That will be odd.

Progress. My time with the first peoples of this land has made me question whether it is as wonderful as the humans like to think. I hear horror stories from the battlefields of Europe, perpetuated by that horrible human weapon, the gun. The Americans have not joined the conflict, but may yet do so. It grieves me to witness so much pain. It reminds me too clearly of the pain my home planet has endured.

March 23, 1947

Jendar has managed to make contact with Jaxon�s ship! Oh the excitement! They are almost here! It is unbelievable!

I will see my Laren soon. I wonder how he has changed. I fear that he will find me greatly so. My sorrow over the decades has aged me prematurely I fear. I look in the mirror, see a still young face (by human standards anyway). But the Earth has not been good to me. To Illyrian eyes, I may not seem myself at all.

But I am still his Andrina inside. I trust in his love. He would not forsake me.

July 12, 1947

I write in haste, preparing to go meet the ship. Jendar has spotted them within the Earth�s atmosphere! We only pray that the humans do not take note of it. It would be disastrous to be forced to deal with them at this delicate time.

When Jaxon has been podded and reborn, he can establish contact. His old aunt is of no use in that department anymore.

My heart is beating a mile a minute! I feel like the young princess in love that came to this planet so long ago, so full of dreams.

Do dreams die I wonder?

***

Liz closed her eyes briefly, trying to control her racing heart. She knew what came next.

The Crash.

Dreams did die.

And, yet, still Liz could not help but hope that there was something in this journal that was going to fix the gigantic intergalactic heartache to which she and Max were about to be subjected.

She must have inherited that never-ending hope from her grandmother. Because, no matter how much Andrina spoke of her grief and despair, her hope shone from the pages of her journal like a bright light.

And, yet, Andrina had been betrayed by the one she trusted most. Milena had said as much. Liz was not surprised. Nasedo had not struck her as the romantic hero in a fairy-tale, that was for sure. If he was anyone, he was the stupid side-kick who always got them in trouble. After all, he was the one who had made the crucial error that had landed Max in the White Room.

If Liz had disliked him before, she hated him now, for betraying the innocent girl her grandmother had been, for damaging all of Andrina�s illusions about love - even if she never knew about it herself.

Liz shook her head, trying to suppress her anger.

She needed to read - needed to find the answers she sought once and for all.

And she found it. In the very next entry�

December 25, 1955

I have not written in years. Could I write about the torture I have undergone, relive it within the pages of my journal? I do not know, but I have never had the opportunity before now anyway. I have told myself that I owe it to the original tenet of that book to be honest within the pages, to relay all my experiences among the humans, but if I ever do manage to transcribe the words I write here, I do not know if I will want anyone to know how humankind has disappointed me.

I trusted in their goodness, in their emotions. Gordian believed in them. It was why he sent me here in the first place.

My experiences in this hell-hole have proven us delusional.

And, yet, they are not all the same. There is one who has proven himself a friend.

His name is Bill Parker.

He has been my guard for close to eight years now. I know that I frightened him to death the first couple of years. The concept of my existence was almost too much for him to grasp, but I have managed to wear him down. Laren always said that one of my greatest strengths was my charm. Bill is an intelligent man. He soon saw that I was no different from him; that I might not be human but that I loved, hated, felt.

We have been friends for years now. We speak intimately about many things. I was happy for him when he married Doris, grieved with him when she died giving birth to their little Jeffrey. He is disillusioned with the army these days, is disillusioned with what he has been forced to watch me endure - and, yet, he remains, trying to protect me to the best of his ability. I am astounded that they have let us grow so close. It is most peculiar, but I do not want to jinx it by reflecting on it too long.

It is Christmas for the humans who celebrate that holiday and Bill told me that his little boy decided to send me a gift. Apparently Bill has told Jeffrey all about me, leaving out the otherworldly details, of course! Anyway, Jeff asked his father what he thought I would like, what I loved most. He intended to spend his birthday money on a gift for me!

Life would be so much easier for those who are different if children ran the universe! I cannot imagine our children on Illyria, before the Dernians pod theirs and force them to lose their emotions, continuing that farcical conflict. Human children are much the same it seems, although I have had contact with few.

But I am getting off track. It seems that Bill informed Jeff that what I would like more than anything is a small book in which to write my thoughts. I think he emphasized "small" so that he would be able to hide it easily for me. Anyway, I am grateful. I am afforded few luxuries here.

It is hard to believe, but there is an even greater gift that Bill Parker has offered me however.

He wants to help me escape.

Part 13

The Waylandian Ring, Illyria

"I don�t think we�re in Kansas anymore, Toto," Kyle said.

Max rolled his eyes mentally, but kept his face completely impassive. He knew that Kyle was totally freaked. He could tell by the tone of his voice. If making dumb comments was going to help him get through the next five minutes without totally screwing everything up, well, then Max wouldn�t stop him.

The Dernian guards were still staring at them, their weapons primed and ready to fire. And, yet, they didn�t move.

"What do we do now, Max?" Tess whispered. All three of them were kneeling motionless, their eyes glued on the guards. For some reason Tess seemed incapable of mind-warping them at the moment.

Max heard Kyle snort, but didn�t bother to look at him. It wasn�t his problem at the moment that Kyle Valenti could not seem to get his narrow little mind around the fact that Tess did not love him, Max. This was no time for his ridiculous jealousy issues.

"Why are they just standing there?" Tess continued, her voice still low. "I�m not warping them. They can see us. Max, what�s going on?"

Max stared at the guards�s faces, one after the other, trying to get a read on what was going on in their heads. Their faces were blank, as was always the case with Dernians.

And suddenly he saw a flicker cross one of the guard�s faces. He was very young, likely no older than Ren - but then age on Illyria was all relative. He could be fifty years old and not look a day over eighteen.

"All hail Jaxon, King of Illyria!" the young guard suddenly yelled, dropping to his knees. Max blinked.

He heard Kyle snort again. "Well, this is just peachy," the sheriff�s son muttered.

While all the other guards paused momentarily, they quickly joined their comrade on his knees.

"Max! What are they doing?" Tess squealed. She was beginning to sound hysterical.

"They think Max is still their king," Kyle replied for him, sounding annoyed. "Typical."

"I don�t think Tarsus ever gave them orders otherwise," Max added, feeling amazed that the shapeshifter could have made such a strategic error. "I mean, I was technically their leader before I went back to Earth."

Yes, technically he had been, although Tarsus had really been running the show. It had all been a farce. Max had never willingly been on their side, he had been brainwashed. He shuddered, remembering how awful not having his real memories had been. He had been in such turmoil, hating all those he loved most, not even really remembering Liz.

But she had taken care of that pretty quickly. The minute he was around her again, he started to remember who he was. Liz Parker was his anchor - in every world he had ever existed on. Which was why he had to find her, immediately, if not sooner.

And, thank the good Lord, apparently these guards had never been informed of the fact that he wasn�t their leader anymore.

Max stood slowly, reaching down and helped Tess to her feet. His head was absolutely killing him from the journey through the portal. He quickly brought his hands to his temples, easing a light healing force through his mind.

"Er - just give me a moment," Max told the Dernians. They all seemed sort of in awe. He just hoped he could keep them from contacting Tarsus for a while.

"This is the best luck we�ve had all day," Max told Tess and Kyle quietly. He could see that Kyle had his lips pressed together tightly, lines around his eyes showing that his head was beginning to pound too. "You guys need to get out of here." He reached out, gently touching Tess�s hair, searching for the headache he knew was there, easing the tension in her brain.

He saw Kyle�s eyes narrow. "Don�t even think about it," he snapped when Max made a move towards him. Max sighed, dropping his hand.

"Max! We�re not leaving you," Tess insisted. Max smiled at her. Who knew that she would so quickly become his greatest ally and closest companion? He was going to miss her. They had worked well together in the hours leading up to opening the portal.

But Liz, as always, came first. And he needed Tess for something more important.

"They�re going to take me straight to Liz," he told her gently. "I have to go. But we can�t all be captured. You need to go find the Illyrians, Tess. They have to be out there somewhere. The minute Tarsus sees me, he�s going to lock me up. But if I can play this out long enough, I might be able to see Liz first. It�s going to be up to you and Kyle to rally the troops." He paused, staring at her intently. "Tess, as far as they�re concerned, at this time, you are their queen. You can do it."

"But how are you going to get Liz out of the Citadel?" Tess demanded, still sounding like she wasn�t at all happy with this plan.

"I�ll find a way," Max replied. "The first thing we need to do is take back the Ring. The entire planet is off balance with it under occupation."

"How do you know all this?" Kyle asked, sounding suspicious.

"I just know," Max replied, surprised to realize that this was true. The minute he had stepped through the portal, he felt like he was coming home in a way. All the memories of his last time here came rushing back, reinforcing his feeling that he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Great." Kyle shook his head. "And that�s supposed to be enough? What about Michael and Isabel? They�re going to be freaking."

Max�s eyes narrowed. "They were trying to stop me. Let them wait," he snapped.

"And that just proves once and for all that you don�t know what you�re talking about, oh mighty one." Kyle was practically yelling. He flinched suddenly, bringing his hands up to massage his temples. "They did believe you. They were trying to stop you so that you could all go together."

Max heard Tess�s sharp intake of breath. "Oh no!"

Max felt guilt hit him with its usual force. He pushed it aside for the moment. "Well, I�m sorry about that," he finally replied quietly. "I didn�t know. But it�s too late for regrets now. I�ll make it up to them later."

"You really are a king aren�t you." Kyle sounded disgusted. "It�s always about you and what you want. Don�t you even care that our best friends are stranded on Earth with no way to help us?"

"Of course I care," Max snapped again. "But Liz is all that matters right now. She�s in the hands of a lunatic shapeshifter. At least they�re safe. That has to be enough for the moment."

"It is." Tess nodded resolutely, glaring at Kyle. "There�s nothing we can do about it, we didn�t know. I�ll find our people, Max. We�ll be ready to help you."

Kyle sighed heavily. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Whatever," he finally muttered, sounding defeated. "It�s not like anyone ever cares what I think anyway."

Max felt another pang of guilt, but quickly suppressed it. Tess would deal with Kyle when they were alone he was sure. He reached out, hugging her quickly. "Be careful."

He could hear Kyle starting to complain as he walked away, towards the guards. "Can I ask how we�re supposed to find these people?" he was saying to Tess.

Max approached the guards. "Who am I addressing?" he demanded, trying to make his voice sound as commanding as possible. He sort of felt ridiculous, but this was no time to be shy.

"I am Jaxon, your highness." The youngest guard stepped forward.

Max felt his eyes widen. "Er, pardon me?" The guard looked proud, an emotion that should not have been on his face if he had been podded.

"I was named for you," he admitted.

"Right." Max could feel his face reddening. Would things ever stop being so weird? "Where is Tarsus?" he asked, deciding to get right to the point.

"At the Citadel," young Jaxon replied. "Balthor has contacted him." He indicated another guard who stood nearby.

Max swallowed. So much for trying to not let Tarsus know that he was there. "What did he say?"

"He said to bring you to the Citadel, that you would speak to each other there."

Max sighed. "Very well. Lead on."

He followed two of the guards towards a nearby transport. His mind was focused on one thought and one thought alone. What was he going to do to make Tarsus let him see Liz?

He suddenly felt very alone.

Part 14

Why am I lonely?

You�re sitting right here.

Why am I talking?

It�s like I�m talking to the air.

What am I looking for that just isn�t there?

Why am I angry

And how�d it get so bad?

Why am I missing what we never really had?

Why don�t you love me the way I love you?

Why don�t you feel things as deep as I do? We�ve got a fundamental difference

In matters of emotion,

But I need to feel you need me

Like a river needs an ocean,

Baby, why don�t you love me?

Who am I kidding baby? It wasn�t meant to be.

But you wanted a believer

And I needed to believe.

For every wall you built around you

I learnt a brand-new way to climb.

If I could have been your angel

I would have found a way to fly.

Why don�t you love me the way I love you?

Why don�t you feel things as deep as I do?

We�ve got a fundamental difference

In matters of emotion,

But I need to feel you need me

Like a river needs and ocean,

Baby, why don�t you love me?

Amanda Marshall

"Where the hell are we going?" Kyle demanded a few minutes after they left Max behind.

Tess had taken off across the grass-covered plain in which the stone circle sat at a fast pace. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew that they needed to put as much distance between them and the Ring as they could. "We�re going to walk until we find something familiar," she replied.

She was still adjusting to the fact that Kyle was really there. She was angry and confused by it. The whole point of this trip had been to protect Kyle, not to bring him right into the thick of the danger. How had this happened?

To top it all off she was worried about Max. He was walking willingly into the hands of their enemy. The last time he had done that it had ended disastrously. And she had let him do it.

But somehow she had known that it was the right thing to do. Max needed to deal with the situation on his own - at least for the moment. In the end, this was all about Tarsus and Max and the twisted relationship that existed between them. Why else would Tarsus have taken Liz?

Tess couldn�t even begin to understand Tarsus�s motives. After all, his leader, Danala, was long dead. What did he hope to accomplish by continuing this conflict? She and Michael were the only members of the Dernian ruling family still alive, and they were firmly entrenched on the Illyrian side. The Dernian position seemed hopeless.

And, yet, they were winning. Holding the Citadel and the Ring meant nothing less.

"Can we stop for a minute?" Kyle said what seemed like forever later. He had been trudging along behind her, Tess doing her best to ignore his misery as there was really nothing she could do to help him. He was huddled in his letterman�s jacket, clearly freezing. He had also not allowed Max to heal his portal-imposed head-ache.

But they needed to keep going. They had to find help before the sun set. It was hanging low in the yellow sky at the moment, almost at the horizon of the yellow waving grass which seemed to stretch on forever.

It was all so strange and, yet, so familiar. Tess was not having memories exactly, but she knew this place. It wasn�t home, and, yet, it was.

"Just a little further," Tess replied.

She heard Kyle sigh heavily. She didn�t look at him, didn�t want to see how much he was hurting. There was nothing she could do and she had to get him to safety. They had to find the Illyrians. Max was sure that his people were out here somewhere. She would find them, rally them, take them to help Max regain the Citadel.

"Tess." Tess realized that Kyle�s voice suddenly seemed kind of distant. She turned, and saw that he was standing about fifty feet away from, clearly having stopped walking.

"Kyle, c�mon. We�re not safe out in the open. We need to find�"

"Who, Tess? There�s no one! We�re not safe anywhere," Kyle replied, highly irritated. "We need to talk. Now."

Tess looked at his face. He was staring at her steadily, his eyes blazing with what seemed to be a combination of anger and hurt. Her stomach clenched.

"Kyle, you need to pull yourself together here," Tess told him, wincing at how cold her voice sounded. "I know this is weird for you, but we have to help Max. We don�t have time for this right now."

Kyle�s eyes flickered. "It�s not as weird as you might think," he finally muttered. He started walking again, his head down. "I�ve had dreams like this you know. Being alone with you. But we�re never really alone, are we?"

Tess watched him pass her, her eyes wide. "I don�t understand." But she did. He was talking about Max - again.

Kyle stopped abruptly again. "You�re not the only one. I don�t get you at all, Tess." He turned around, staring at her again. "Why did you even write that note to Michael? Coming here has nothing to do with me at all. It�s all about Max, just like it always is. Isn�t it?" he demanded.

Tess swallowed. "No," she whispered. She couldn�t put this off any longer. She didn�t want to. They had to resolve this.

But Kyle wasn�t listening. He had apparently been storing this up for a long time and now that the floodgates were open, there was no stopping him. "Why did you even come to the prom in the first place? I was doing fine until you decided to show up, looking all gorgeous and sexy. I was okay, I was getting over it. I had a girlfriend for God�s sake! Do you know I dumped Vicky the day after the prom? What kind of bastard does that make me? A stupid one that�s for sure. I can�t do it again, Tess. I can�t get over you again. And, really, what is there to get over? I mean its not like we�ve even kissed�which makes me an even bigger idiot." His voice was lowering. He suddenly sounded incredibly weary. He shook his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don�t even know how the hell I ended up here. How stupid was I, following you to England? You have what you want - Max Evans needing you."

"No," Tess said again, more firmly this time. She could not believe the pain she had put him through.

Well, that wasn�t entirely true. She knew. She just had not had the courage to deal with it. And then, when she had finally worked up the strength, at the prom, they had been interrupted again.

And now it seemed to be too late. Kyle was certainly in no mood to listen to her. She didn�t even think that he would believe her if she told him that it was him she loved. He had convinced himself so completely that she wanted to be with Max, how could they ever get past this?

"Just forget it," Kyle continued. "Let�s just go. The sooner we deal with this, the sooner I can get off this rock." He started to walk off. "I think I see lights over there," he told her over his shoulder.

"Kyle." Tess tried one last time. "You have to listen to me�please."

But Kyle was in his own little world. "Definitely lights." He was talking to himself. "So let�s go find these minions of Max�s and get this over with."

"Kyle!" Tess practically yelled. He sighed heavily again.

"What, Tess?"

"I think we need to get something straight once and for all," Tess told him.

"What?" Kyle asked sarcastically. "Oh wait, are you going to tell me that I should call you your highness now? How rude of me." He sneered at her. Tess blinked. She wondered why he was so good at making her want to kiss him and hit him at the same time.

"Can you just shut up?" she asked him quietly. "You wanted to talk, so let�s talk."

"I changed my mind," Kyle snapped. "The last thing I want to do is hear you tell me what I already know. Let�s just go."

Tess closed her eyes briefly. He was completely unreasonable. In situations such as these, there was only one thing to do.

"Fine. If you don�t want to talk, we won�t talk," Tess told him. She marched over to him. She saw his eyes beginning to widen. "I don�t think words will convince you anyway." She frowned when she realized that he had started to back up. "Stop. Stay right there," she ordered.

"What are you doing?" Kyle asked, his voice sounding a little squeaky.

She glared at him. "If you won�t listen to me, then I�m going to have to show you, aren�t I?"

"Show me what?"

"What a complete and utter moron you are," Tess replied, smiling despite herself. He just stared at her as she stopped about a foot away from him. "I really don�t think you�re ready for this, Kyle Valenti, but I can�t think of any other way to make you stop feeling sorry for yourself."

"Tess�" Tess ignored him. She reached up, ran her hand down his face. He was staring at her, his expression actually frightened.

"Can�t you ever just act, Kyle?" Tess whispered, bringing her hand to the back of his neck, pulling his face down close to hers. "Kiss me. I�ll show you exactly how stupid you are."

Kyle swallowed, then frowned. She had taken his hand in hers, and could feel his pulse beating at a mile a minute. "I can�t do it," he whispered. "I can�t do it first, Tess."

She arched an eyebrow at him. She could not believe that they were actually finally in this position. She understood how he felt. By taking the next step, there was no turning back. Once and for all, they would be laying their cards on the table. There would be no more stupid games.

She bit her lip, staring into his eyes. This was right. She knew it was. She loved him. He was the only one who liked her the way she was. He was the only one who saw her as Tess, not as Sabrya, not as a pawn to be used.

"If you can�t, it�s okay," she told him. "I�ve waited a long time for this. I�ve been a chicken long enough. I�m willing to go out on a limb here."

She could see that Kyle�s blue eyes were shifting down to stare at her lips. He licked his own, swallowing again. "It�s time to give up," she whispered. "I love you."

And with that, she brought her lips up to meet his.

***

*Dreams* Isabel

"Are you all right, Miri?" Tristandor�s hand was gripping mine tightly. The transport had stopped. I could feel thousands of eyes on us, watching, waiting. "There�s still time to turn back. We don�t have to do this, you know."

I stared at him. I could see that he wasn�t frightened at all. But that was my Tris. He was the bravest person I knew, even more so than Jax. Tris had turned his back on his entire people to be with me. The least I could do was go through this for him.

And it wasn�t just for him. It was for our entire planet. If the Judgment went off without a hitch, everyone would see that uniting the Illyrians and the Dernians was what was meant to be.

"I�m fine." I smiled weakly. "Let�s just get it over with. It�s not like anything is going to happen anyway. We know this is right."

Tris brought my hand up to his lips, kissing my knuckle. "It is more than right. It is destiny."

He helped me down. I could see Jaxon nearby. He was standing with his arms folded, our mother and step-father beside him. His lips were pressed together tightly. He was glowering. I knew it was only a ruse to hide his fear.

He didn�t want us to do this. He said that it wasn�t necessary, that he would find another way to appease Danala.

It was another reason that this had to work. Jax could not be left alone. He needed us. Surely the powers that controlled the Ring would see this?

"You should go talk to him," Tris told me quietly.

I shook my head quickly. "Let�s just get this over with," I insisted. My eyes met Jaxon�s across the short distance between our transports. His face twitched, but he managed to tame it into an expression of bland indifference.

He was my king. He was my beloved brother. We had to do this for him - to keep his throne safe.

"Is she here?" I asked, as Tristandor and I stepped through two of the standing stones into the Ring proper. I was clutching the green orb in my sweaty palm, my other hand still firmly clenched in my husband�s.

"I don�t care," Tris replied. "I�m sure she�s over there somewhere."

"Tris, she has to see it or it won�t have the same effect," I told him gently.

He was quiet for a moment. I could feel the eyes of the Dernians on the far side of the Ring. They were, of course, outside the stones, but they were there. "She�s there," he finally told me. "I think Sabrya is there too."

"You can go see her first, Tris." I knew how much my husband missed his younger sister. She was the one person who could have made him go back to Dernia, but she had never asked that of him, knowing that it would be like cutting off his right arm.

Tristandor might have been born Dernian, but in spirit he was all Illyrian, and always had been. His emotions were never far below the surface, whether joy, anger, annoyance, love.

It was one of the many reasons I adored him.

"It�s all right. If all goes according to plan, I�ll see her soon enough," he told me.

We had reached the centre of the Ring. I could feel my heart thundering in my chest. I wasn�t really nervous, I knew that Tristandor and I were meant to be. And, yet, standing in the exact spot where thousands of traitors, criminals and evil-doers had been incinerated�Well, I wasn�t exactly comfortable either.

I took a deep breath, turning to my young husband, gazing up at him for what might be the last time. He was staring down at me, his dark eyes gleaming with love. "You are my heart," he told me.

"You are my soul," I replied. It was how we always told each other that we loved each other. Jaxon often rolled his eyes when he heard it, but I had also seen him smile on occasion. He was happy for us, although my brother had never understood the way I felt about Tristandor. He didn�t really believe in romantic love, my brother. I wondered if that would ever change.

At the thought of Jaxon, I sent my love to him, hoping that he knew that in these last moments, my thoughts were of him.

I squeezed Tris�s hand, kissing him gently on the lips and closing my eyes.

I waited for judgment to be passed.

***

Salisbury, England

Isabel gasped, sitting up in the bed, the sheets clutched to her heaving chest. She was covered in perspiration.

The dreams wouldn�t stop.

Ever since she had set foot in England again, every time she closed her eyes, they came.

And they were all about Michael.

She brought her hands up to her face, trying to compose herself. Several moments later, she glanced at the clock. It was after three a.m. She was amazed that she had managed to fall asleep at all. She had been tossing and turning for hours.

After Max, Tess, and Kyle disappeared through the portal, Michael and Isabel had stared at each other across the stone circle.

Isabel�s own horror had been etched on Michael�s face. She knew that he had seen them at the last minute too. Kyle�s tackle had surprised Tess enough to make her drop the warp.

But, by the time Isabel managed to gather her wits, they were all gone.

Her brother was gone. Again.

"Idiot! Why is he always such a bloody idiot?" Michael�s yell of rage had broken the silence that had fallen over Stonehenge. It was enough. Isabel collapsed in tears where she stood.

Michael was at her side a moment later, pulling her into his embrace. "We�ll find a way to get there, Izzy. I promise." His anger seemed to have drained away quickly. But then that was Michael, quick to anger, just as quick to let it go.

They hadn�t even known what to tell the sheriff. When he showed up, he had just stared at them dumb-founded as they recounted what had happened.

"What the hell was Kyle thinking?" Valenti asked when they were through. He was clenching his hands tightly at his sides. Isabel could see that he was trying to suppress his fear for his son, which had reinforced to Isabel that losing it was not going to help them help her stubborn brother and stupid friends.

They checked into a hotel in Salisbury, called Roswell to see if any progress had been made on finding another way to open the portal. But there was no good news on that end either.

Isabel talked very briefly to Alex. She just needed to hear his voice. He was the only one who could calm her down. She had wished that he was there so that she could collapse into his arms, sobbing out her fear.

Now, sitting up in bed, staring out the window at the star-pocked sky, she felt the longing for Alex even more strongly. She needed him with her. If he was there, these stupid dreams would not be happening. She loved Alex. He was the one who understood her, he was the one she wanted.

No matter what her dreams said.

And even if he had sounded a little weird on the phone - sort of distant and stiff. Totally unlike himself. He had almost sounded like he wanted to tell her something, but was refraining.

"Is something wrong, Alex?" she finally asked.

"Wrong? What do you mean wrong? Other than the fact that we have fifty thousand alien books to go? No, what could be wrong?" Alex demanded.

Isabel blinked on her end of the phone. "Er - okay then. You just sound kind of odd."

There was a short pause. "Just tired I guess. How are you sleeping by the way?" Isabel frowned slightly at the quick change of topic, but she let it go. Alex likely wasn�t acting strange at all. They were all totally on edge. She was sure that she sounded like a lunatic too.

It hadn�t helped that she hadn�t told Alex about her original dream, that she hadn�t talked to anyone. Keeping a secret like this from Alex was probably making her paranoid, making her think that he was keeping secrets from her too.

And she had just had another stupid dream.

She was beginning to realize that these were more than dreams though. They were almost like memories. She was living these vignettes - in them, she was Princess Mirana of Illyria again.

And when she woke up, there was only one person she wanted to talk to.

It wasn�t Alex Whitman.

Isabel pressed her lips together, thinking about Michael.

She knew that he had shared that first dream with her. He never said as much, but the look on his face when they both woke simultaneously in the van had made it clear. Didn�t it seem likely, then, that he would have shared this latest vision too?

She and Michael had bickered all day, had tried to hide from it, but it couldn�t be avoided any longer. It needed to be dealt with so that they could move on. She was no longer Mirana, he was no longer Tristandor, but if they remembered being them, it needed to be addressed.

Because one thing was becoming abundantly clear. Her marriage to Michael in their past lives had been a love match.

Isabel climbed out of her bed, padding across the carpeted floor to the door that separated her room from the one shared by the sheriff and Michael. She knocked lightly.

Michael opened it almost immediately. His hair was standing more on end than usual. He looked exhausted. But the look on his face told Isabel that he was expecting her.

"Come in here," she told him quietly.

Michael just stared at her for a moment, but finally complied, shutting the door behind him quietly. He raked his hands through his hair, standing defensively.

So he had definitely had the dream again too.

"Michael�"

"What the hell is going on, Isabel? Are you doing this to me?" Michael demanded suddenly, cutting her off. "Because it�s really low. You�re giving me the heebie-jeebies. You�re like my sister for Christ�s sake. Didn�t we have enough of this crap with Tess a couple of years ago?"

"What?" Isabel screeched despite herself. Trust Michael to thrust all the blame on her. "Excuse me, Mr. Arrogant! Do I have to remind you that I love Alex? Why on Earth would I be doing this?"

"I don�t know, Isabel. But it seems awfully convenient that this is happening when we happen to be almost alone together." She could hear the slight trace of fear in his voice. He didn�t want to deal with this almost as much as she didn�t want to deal with this. Blaming her clearly made it easier. Because at least then there would be an explanation.

"Michael, get over yourself," Isabel snapped back. "We have to figure out where the heck these dreams are coming from. And why are they coming now?"

Michael sighed heavily, flopping back on her bed, his eyes closed. "We don�t have time for this," he said wearily.

"Don�t you think I know that?" Isabel asked, sitting down carefully beside him. "And I don�t want to deal with it, Michael. But there has to be a reason that we�re remembering all of this now."

Michael opened one eye, glaring at her. "What do you mean remembering?"

"Michael, these aren�t ordinary dreams," Isabel insisted. "Or nightmares even. I feel like I�m living those moments."

Michael sat up abruptly. "Are you saying that we�re reliving our lives as Tristandor and Mirana?"

"I think so," Isabel replied, watching him carefully for his reaction.

"Well, we�re just going to have to stop." Michael stood up, pacing. "How the hell am I supposed to explain to Maria that when I go to sleep I�m suddenly married to you?" He stopped, staring at her. "She�s going to kill me, Iz. I can�t be the cause of more pain for that girl. She�s got enough to deal with."

Isabel got to her feet, putting her hand on his arm. He jerked his arm away quickly. Isabel felt sad, then wondered why. "Alex and Maria don�t even have to know about this, Michael. We�ll make it stop - somehow."

Michael�s features were shadowed in the dark room and, yet, Isabel could feel his dark eyes burning into her.

Her Tris.

She shook her head quickly, horrified. Good grief! Now she was losing control of herself when she was awake!

Isabel felt rather than saw Michael shudder. "I�m going to call Maria. Right now. I suggest you call Whitman - fast."

"That sounds like a good idea," Isabel squeaked.

He was gone a moment later.

She was completely unsurprised when her heart ached, missing him already.

Part 15

Roswell, New Mexico

"Hello? Alex? Jenny?" Maria hurried through the long stone corridor, poking her head into each small chamber she passed. "Hey! Where is everybody?"

There was no answer.

She had gone home for a few hours sleep, and to wait for Michael to call to see if they had made any progress.

So far they were exactly where they had started from - at the beginning with diddly-squat.

Maria was able to hear Michael�s irritation the last time they had spoken.

"There has to be something, Maria! You can�t tell me that in all the books you�ve gone through you haven�t found one single clue!"

"Hey! We�re going on very little sleep here, Spaceboy! It�s not like we�re sitting on our butts in a foreign country twiddling our thumbs!" Maria snapped back, her natural response to Michael attitude being a good dose of her own.

She heard him sigh heavily. "We�re not exactly twiddling our thumbs on this end," Michael finally replied wearily.

"What�s that supposed to mean? What are you guys doing over there anyway?" Maria did not like the slightly cryptic tone of his voice.

"Nothing. I don�t mean anything. Listen�" There was another long pause. "I�m sorry, Maria."

Maria clutched the phone to her ear. She felt her heart start to beat faster. "Michael, is there something wrong over there? If there is, you�d better tell me or I swear I�m going to be on the next plane."

"No!" Michael sounded half-panicked at that idea. "No, I mean it�s okay. We�re just going on a minimum of sleep over here. I just meant that I�m sorry for being such a jerk."

Maria frowned to herself. "Well, okay."

"How�s Jennetta?" he asked abruptly, clearly wanting to change the subject.

And, so, they had returned to safer topics. But Maria now had a knawing feeling in the pit of her stomach, that something was wrong in England - something other than the fact that they had just lost three of their friends in an alien portal to another planet.

"Ren?" Where the heck was everybody? She had arrived to find both the transformation chamber and the library empty. Alex�s computer was still humming along though, making its translations. "Jennetta!"

No answer.

She kept walking, beginning to pick up her pace. She was following the footsteps in the dust on the stone floor, footsteps that seemed to be leading off into nowhere. As far as Maria was aware, no one had been into this section of the compound in ages. The dust was thick, so thick that kicking it up was causing her to have more than one sneeze attack.

It was then that she heard an answering sneeze somewhere behind her. It sounded muffled but was definitely not far away. Frowning slightly, she retraced her steps, then realized that one of the silver hand-prints on the stone walls was glowing. She couldn�t see the door, but assumed that it was there - that behind the wall was a chamber of some sort that had recently been opened.

She could hear voices through the stone.

"�.what you think you�re doing? You are a queen!" Maria thought that she recognized the voice as Ren�s.

"I�m�.anything." The voice was higher-pitched, had to be Jennetta�s. "I�if I like him! I am half human�all!"

"It is entirely unsuitable!" Ren yelled back.

Ren yelling? Maria blinked with disbelief.

Their voices were rising, to the point that the words were becoming much clearer.

"What would you know about what�s suitable or not? You have no feelings! All you do is order me around! And stop yelling at me. I am your queen and you have no right to speak to me in such a manner."

Ren�s voice modified again. "Your highness, he is a commoner and he is human! I cannot believe we are even having this conversation. Why would you even ask me such a thing?"

Jennetta�s answer was too quiet for Maria to hear at all. She bit her lip. What the heck was going on? Who were they talking about?

She had a sinking suspicion she knew who. She had been trying to ignore it but she wasn�t blind. It was impossible to miss the way Jennetta changed about twenty-seven different shades of red whenever she was in Alex�s presence. The way she behaved reminded Maria of the way Max used to be around Liz, before the shooting. Always staring, always looking away when on the verge of being caught.

Her daughter was crushing on her best friend.

Michael was going to have a fit. Maria did not even want to reflect on what Isabel�s reaction was going to be, but it was not going to be pretty.

Sighing heavily, Maria pounded on the stone. "Hello in there! Jenny, I know you�re in there! Open the door."

There was a pause as both voices cut off abruptly. A moment later the wall slid away and Jennetta stood there, her face white. "What�s wrong?"

Maria glanced past her. She saw that Ren was facing away from them, his back tense. "Are you okay?" Maria demanded, pulling her daughter out into the corridor with her. "Where�s Alex?"

Ren�s back flinched at that. "Ren, are you okay?" Maria asked with concern. He appeared on the verge of a nuclear explosion. It was so far from his usual state of complete detachment, it was actually kind of scary. It was sort of like what Michael would look like if he didn�t go off on everyone within a thirty-seven foot radius when he was pissed.

"I am fine," he replied, his voice controlled. "Or I will be if your daughter starts behaving like the queen she is."

He turned, stalking past both of them, staring hard at Jennetta before he left. "Remember who you are at all times, your highness."

Jennetta�s nose wrinkled at him. "And you had better remember who I am too. I am your queen and this is the last time I will allow you to speak to me like this."

Ren�s nostrils flared but he did not reply, just stormed off. Maria blinked when Jennetta stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.

"Whoa," she said, linking her arm with her daughter�s. "What was that all about?"

"It was nothing," Jennetta replied, breathing deeply, clearly trying to control her temper.

"It�s not like you to trump the queen card, Jenny. What�s going on?" Maria asked, squeezing. "You can tell me. If you can�t tell your mom, who can you tell?" The words sounded so ludicrous, Maria smirked despite herself.

Jennetta sighed, smiling slightly. "I think my bodyguard would prefer that I make his job a little easier. He doesn�t like that he can�t control me."

Maria paused before replying. "Jenny, I couldn�t help but overhear a bit of that." Jennetta snapped her head around, staring at her. "I think maybe Ren is worried that you�re going to get hurt."

"What do you mean?" Her chin raised in a gesture very reminiscent of Michael.

"Were you talking about Alex?" Jennetta pursed her lips, then looked away. "Jenny, I can understand having a crush on Alex. I mean, he�s a great guy, the best friend I�ll ever have, but Ren is right. He�s human and I don�t think that he has any intention of marrying an alien queen. If he�s going to be marrying any alien, its going to be the princess he�s been in love with for years."

"I have no interest whatsoever in Alex Whitman," Jennetta replied quickly. "I just think that there are very few people who appreciate who he is. I tried to tell Ren that and he went off the deep end."

"Well, I think you�re right about how wonderful Alex is, but no one wants to see you get hurt, sweetie. You need to be very careful. We�re all going back to that planet of yours very soon. It�s going to be hard enough losing you. I don�t want to know that you�re pining away with a broken heart too."

Jennetta turned her dark eyes on Maria. "I would never do anything to make this even harder on you, Mother."

Maria closed her eyes, took a deep breath. "I know, baby. Just promise me that you�ll be careful. You were right with what you said to Ren. You are half human, which means that your heart is a very fragile thing. When you give it away, make sure it�s to someone who feels the same way about you."

Jennetta grinned suddenly. "Really, Maria! You�re one to talk. You can�t tell me that you ever in a million years thought my father would turn out to be as loyal as he has."

"Hey! Once trapped in the Deluca web, there�s no escape. I had him from the first moment. He sent out the vibes you know."

"Right," Jennetta replied knowingly. "Anyway, enough of this. It�s all pointless anyway. Alex is off limits, I know it, and he has no interest in me anyway. He went to get us some lunch, by the way. I guess we better go back and see if the computer needs reloading."

Maria nodded, but felt a pang of worry.

Something in the tone of her daughter�s voice�She didn�t think Jennetta had any intention of giving this up so easily.

Just what they needed. More complications.

***

Desperate for changing

Starving for truth

I�m closer to where I started

I�m chasing after you.

I�m falling even more in love with you

Letting go of all I�ve held on to

I�m standing here until you make me move

I�m hanging by a moment here with you.

Forgetting all I�m lacking

Completely incomplete

I�ll take your invitation

You take all of me.

I�m falling even more in love with you

Letting go of all I�ve held on to

I�m standing here until you make me move

I�m hanging by a moment here with you�

Living for the only thing I know

I�m running and I�m not quite sure where to go

And I don�t know what I�m diving into

Just hanging by a moment here with you�

Lifehouse

The Citadel, Illyria

"You really must eat something Liz, sweeting."

Liz glanced up from her grandmother�s journal. Milena was standing over her, a plate in her hand. Sitting on it was some weird looking fruit. Liz frowned slightly. She had not been eating well since she had arrived on Illyria, not finding the food particularly appealing.

But Max�s mother was right. She needed to keep up her strength. Who knew what she�d be facing over the next few days?

Tarsus still hadn�t shown up to take them to the Ring. Liz was beginning to wonder if he had changed his mind about having her judged. It was at least three days since he had first announced it.

She couldn�t say that she wasn�t pleased though. It was giving her more time with her grandmother�s journal. She had read it from cover to cover before falling asleep last night.

She was half-way through her second reading and there were two things that were now clear.

She was not related to Max. Not by blood, not even by ancestry because Claudia Parker had not been her real grandmother.

But she was connected to Max in a way that was not earthly. It was not just through the bond they had formed after the healing. There was something else going on, something that her grandmother had never been able to write down. She had died before she had ever had the chance.

One thing was certain though. Andrina had known about the connection for a very long time.

Liz took the fruit off of Milena�s plate, bit into it, wrinkling her nose slightly. It had a bitter taste that wasn�t really unpleasant but wasn�t great either.

She flopped back on her cot, flipping through some pages, reaching the spot that she had left off.

It was the part that explained how Andrina, Princess of Illyria had ended up as her grandmother.

The sheer coincidence was almost monumental, but fate apparently had always meant to place Max Evans and Liz Parker on a collision course. They were meant for each other. If Liz had not believed it before, she believed it now more than anything.

Linking her legs up behind her, Liz bit her lip and started to read again.

***

June 30, 1960

It has been close to five years since I have written. I don�t know why I even decided to pick up this volume again. It is not like it will ever be of any importance. My connection to Illyria is over for good. I will never be going back there. My planet will never be saved, not with the final disaster that befell my people years ago.

And, yet, it still seems important to get it all down, that someday circumstances will depend on it.

I am happy.

But I must not jump ahead of myself. First I must return and record what happened to me in 1947 that led me to the place in which I currently find myself.

I went to meet Laren and my king at the landing site on the night of July 12, 1947. I still remember the way my heart was pounding as I stood outside, watching the sky for any sign of the ship that I knew was arriving. I was about to be reunited with my beloved after so much time!

But my dream come true quickly turned to a nightmare.

I saw the ship crash. It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen. And with it all my hopes disappeared.

I tried to save them, but I never made it to the site. I was desperate to prove to myself for sure that Laren had been killed, that my nephew and niece had been destroyed when their ship fell from the heavens.

I was only a mile or so away from where I could see the fire from the crash lighting up the sky when they found me. They were on me in a minute, had knocked me unconscious before I could even struggle.

When I awoke in that room I believed that there had been some sort of mistake, that they had only arrested me in order to find out what I had seen. I didn�t realize until later that they had already done tests on me while I had been asleep, that they knew what I was.

I endured eight terrible years in that room, until I was saved in every way by the man I now call husband.

I mentioned in the one journal entry I was able to write in captivity that Bill Parker wanted to help me escape. I only learned why later.

He was in love with me.

It was dangerous what he did for me. He managed to smuggle me out in the dead of night. We were on the road for years and now we hide in plain sight. We have returned to Roswell, have even kept the same name. Bill believes that they stopped looking for us years ago, that taking back his former life is what will save us.

I really don�t think anyone followed us though. They had done every test physically possible on me. I suspect that the only reason I was still there was that they had not decided what they were going to do with me. I am sure that extermination would have been the eventual answer.

Or at least this is what I deduced after I realized why Bill saved me.

He loves me. It is still incredible.

I feel fickle that I love him too. He is, of course, not my Laren, but my beloved is gone. We were so close to being together, but it was not meant to be. I will never stop loving him. Bill knows this, accepting the piece of my heart that I am able to give him.

He is so good. I could not help but love him.

His son Jeffrey is now my own son. We loved each other from the day we met. Bill and I are considering adopting another child as well, perhaps a little girl. I am unable to bear a human child it would seem, as we have spent years trying. It might have something to do with my advanced years. Back on Illyria I would be well past my child-bearing years as well.

It is amazing how quickly one�s life can change. Illyria seems to be a dream now. I have let it go.

I am Claudia Parker, citizen of Roswell, New Mexico, United States of America, Earth.

And I am at peace.

June 12, 1968

Laren did not die in the Crash.

I am still so in shock, I do not even know what to do.

How do I know this? Well, I stumbled across the truth so by chance, it still does not seem quite real.

I was visiting the Mesa Laco Reservation, researching a book that I am planning to write on the history of the Native Peoples in this area.

I was out hiking near the reservation when I stumbled across the cave. It was full of markings that could only have been made by one of my people. At first I thought that perhaps Jemma and Jendar had turned up after all these years, but I soon learned this was not true.

I had a flash. Touching that wall in stupefaction, I had a flash of my beloved. I saw him painting that wall.

I cannot believe that I gave up on him so quickly. But I now know that he did not die, that perhaps my nephew and niece did not die either. How could I have been so blind as to just accept that they were gone?

I am trapped in my own delusions. How am I to tell Bill? He will be devastated. It will destroy our family. Jeffrey and Julia will have to be told the truth about me.

But I know one thing. I will be unable to rest until I find out what happened to Jaxon and Mirana.

November 13, 1979

It is a happy day for the Parker family. Our Jeffrey has finally found the girl of his dreams. Her name is Nancy and I quite like her, although I don�t think she knows what to make of me. I am too "out there" sometimes, as my Jeffrey told me only last week.

How can I not be when my entire life revolves around finding out what happened to my king?

I am able to mask my activities and searches under the guise of research for my books. Only Bill knows the truth. He has accepted that I must do this, although I know that he fears what it will mean for our relationship should I find Laren.

I don�t fear. It won�t mean anything. It is Bill I love now. It is Bill who made me happy for the first time that I was destined to live out my life on Earth.

But I must find out what happened to my former love, what happened to my brother�s children and their spouses.

I have tried contacting Milena on the dream plain many times, but all is quiet. I even wonder if she still lives. Who is controlling Illyria without my nephew? Is it still under interdict? It has been so long.

June 12, 1983

Elizabeth Anne Parker was born into the world today. She is my Jeffrey�s first child and she has already stolen my heart. She is perfect in every way. I don�t think that there has ever been a more perfect baby. Jeffrey laughs and says I am biased, but I know that I am right.

The minute I laid eyes on her, I knew that our little Lizzie was going to be special. She is going to conquer worlds someday. I just know it.

October 28, 1989

My Bill has passed on. I am prostrate with grief. I have given up my search. Nothing matters anymore. How will I survive without him?

April 15, 1992

My nephew and niece did not perish in the Crash. I have finally uncovered the proof.

It took me many months after Bill�s death to finally come back to myself. I still miss him every day, but I know that he would want me to keep our quest alive. My quest became his quest after all, because he loved me.

Today I found where Jaxon and Mirana were hidden. Laren must have somehow managed to spirit them away from the crash site, although how he was able to do so in all that chaos is still a mystery.

I am still not even sure how I managed to stumble across the pods, but I did. It was almost as if they were calling out to me. I awoke up in a sweat this morning, dressed and drove straight to the spot where the cave which sheltered them is found. It is in the middle of the desert, near the crash site, but high on a cliff.

The four pods were dead and empty.

Empty. Which means that Jaxon and Mirana are out there somewhere. It is only a matter of time until I find them.

August 15, 1994

The supreme irony of my life is that, despite all the tragedy that has befallen me, fate still conspires to drop answers into my lap.

It has been years since I found Jaxon and Mirana�s empty pods. I have searched all the adoption agencies and social services in the surrounding area with no luck.

And, then, today, they walked right into my life.

I am visiting Jeff, Nancy and Liz, my sweet little granddaughter. Jeff has opened a restaurant in Roswell which revolves around the theme of the Crash. Another irony - that my son does not even know what I really am and, yet, his entire career is centered on aliens.

Anyway, when I am in Roswell, I spend most of my time with Liz. I adore the child, more than I ever imagined I could love another living being. Today we were eating dinner at the Crashdown, both of us sitting at the counter. Liz was telling me how excited she was about the special science project their teacher was beginning the next morning, when the bell over the restaurant door rang.

We, of course, both turned to look. Liz clearly recognized the family who came in because she jumped off of her stool and hurried over. "Hi! Welcome to the Crashdown!" She chirped. "Hi Max! Hi Isabel! Are you here for dinner?"

It was only when my grand-daughter stepped aside that I saw the two children she was addressing.

I almost fell off my stool.

They were the spitting image of my brother and his wife.

Jaxon and Mirana. There could be no doubt. Much younger than I had expected to find them this long after the Crash, but there was no way it was not them.

I watched the children join their "parents" in a nearby booth. They were both so beautiful to me, all I wanted to do was rush over there and embrace them. My brother�s children! In fact, my king.

Liz rejoined me several minutes later. I managed to compose myself by then.

"Do you know them, Honeybear?" I asked.

"Yup! I go to school with them. Max and Isabel Evans," Liz replied. "They�re both in my class."

"How long have you known them?" I asked, trying to get a read on this situation.

"Since Grade 3," Liz told me. "Isabel is kind of snooty," she added, lowering her voice. "But Max is so nice. I don�t think he even knows how to be mean."

I glanced over at the family happily eating their alien-themed dinners. I wondered if those poor children even knew who they were? Did they know they were different? How had they ended up with the Evans?

It was then that I noticed something peculiar about the little king. Jaxon - or Max, rather - was staring right at me with dark, piercing eyes. I felt a tremor descend my spine. Did he recognize me? But how could he? Jaxon never knew me.

And it was then that I realized that he was not looking at me at all. He was watching Liz. She was calmly eating her hamburger beside me, totally oblivious to the little boy staring at her with such adoration.

Because that was definitely what I saw in those eyes that seemed ages older than they were. Love. For my grand-daughter.

I laugh now, thinking about the absolute perfection of it.

Liz will be the key. My original purpose in coming to this planet will be realized.

My king has found his love.

***

Liz glanced up from the journal. She knew that her eyes were glistening with tears.

To read about how long Max had loved her�It was humbling.

And it made her miss him even more. She lowered her head, wiping at her eyes. She had promised herself that she was going to be strong. She had come here for a reason - to save Max from Tarsus. She had chosen to be here.

Someday they would find their way back to each other. It was fated. She knew it.

It was the hope that her grandmother�s journal had given her.

There was still more of it to re-read, but she was suddenly fatigued beyond belief. Worrying was exhausting.

And she had so much to worry about: that Tarsus might get his oily hands on Max or Jennetta; that Tarsus�s plan for her, whatever it was, would be fulfilled.

That she would be judged in the Ring and would be found lacking.

That she would be incinerated into a pile of ash, leaving Max all alone.

Liz shut the journal, dropping her head onto her folded arms. The tears she was trying too hard to control were beginning to fall as she fell asleep.

Her last conscious thought was of his face.

Max.

***

*Dreams - Liz

"Liz, sweetheart, wake up!" His touch on her hair was feather soft, barely making contact, as though he feared that if he really touched her she would disappear.

Liz didn�t want to open her eyes. She knew that this was a dream, knew that somehow Max had found her on the dream plain.

She didn�t know if she could bear it. To be with him in her dreams, and then to have to do without him again in the real world. It seemed better to just not see him at all. It was just too painful.

"Liz! Please!"

Well, that was it. There was no way she was going to be able to turn away from that tone.

And it wasn�t like she really wanted to. The minute she had heard his voice she knew that she couldn�t not see him. No matter how much common sense was telling her that it was just going to make everything doubly hard later.

What she and Max had was never about taking the easy route though. And it certainly was never about common sense.

Liz opened her eyes.

It was dark, but she could see his outline above her. "Liz?" he whispered, his beloved voice practically cracking with emotion.

"Max." Liz reached up, putting her hands on both sides of his face. "Oh my God. I miss you so much." She wound her hands through his soft hair, bringing his lips down to meet hers.

It was the sweetest kiss she had ever experienced. Her entire soul seemed to fly out of her body to meet his.

His hands were everywhere: combing through her hair, touching her face, stroking down her sides. "Oh my God, Liz. You�re alive. You�re really alive." He was murmuring into her hair as he rained kisses down the side of her face. "I knew it, but I didn�t really know it. Oh thank God. Thank you, God."

"I would never leave you," Liz whispered. "Not permanently anyway."

Max pulled back, bringing her up with him until she was straddling him. He brought his lips back to hers, making her heart swell with so much love, tears that she had not allowed earlier began to fall.

"Why are you crying, Liz?" Max asked, pulling back, brushing her tears away gently. "We�re never going to be separated again. I will never leave you." His tone was slightly teasing. "I know I promised you that once before, but this time I really mean it."

"Well, technically, you didn�t leave me," Liz replied, bringing her arms around his neck and hugging him to her. "It was my fault this time."

He kissed her on the temple. "It was never your fault. It was his fault. Which is why we�re going to take care of him once and for all."

"Max! You can�t!" Liz felt a tremor of terror descend her spine. "It�s too dangerous. You have to stay on Earth where you�re safe. You have to! For now this will have to be enough! I know it�s hard but at least we have this!"

Liz felt Max stiffen under her. She heard his sharp intake of breath, frowned slightly at it. "Max? What�s wrong?"

"Um, Liz?"

"What? What�s wrong?"

"You think you�re asleep, don�t you?" Max sounded slightly amused, slightly annoyed.

"I am asleep," Liz replied.

"Well, this is just great," Max told her jokingly. "Clearly my technique is seriously lacking when you can�t tell it�s really me."

Liz felt her heart stop. "Max!" She brought her hand up to touch his face. "Please tell me you�re joking!"

"Should I be offended?" He sounded more amused than annoyed now.

"This is not funny, Max Evans! It is too dangerous. It�s you they want!" She felt panic beginning to claim her. "How did you get in here? Where�s Tarsus? Oh my God!" She jumped off of his lap, fumbling in the dark to the table nearby where she knew a flint and a lumoglobe rested.

The room was bathed in a feeble light moments later. She turned around, staring at Max, who was still seated on the cot, staring back at her, one eyebrow raised. "Well?" he said after they had eyed each other in silence for several moments.

"I cannot believe this!" Liz finally exclaimed. "Don�t you know how much danger you�re in? Tarsus is going to flip out when he finds you here."

Max did not look concerned. "Well, then we�ll just have to deal with that, won�t we?" He raised a hand, reaching out for her. "Come back over here. Liz, please. I need you."

"Max!" Liz felt a flash of fury race through her. "Why aren�t you taking this at all seriously?"

"I�m taking it very seriously," Max replied. "I am seriously in need of you. Right now."

His dark eyes were hooded, glittering with desire. Liz felt her knees go weak.

"Where�s your mother?" Liz demanded, although her entire being just wanted to throw herself into his arms. She could see that he knew it too. He was beginning to look smug.

"Elsewhere," Max said. "Distracting Tarsus."

Liz just frowned at him. "Max."

"Liz."

"How did you get in here?"

"Through the door."

"Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?" Liz asked, hearing the exasperation in her voice.

"No. I�m trying to get you to relax," Max replied, sighing. "We�re perfectly safe here, Liz."

"What! What are you saying?"

"Tarsus knows I�m here." Max told her. "In fact, he sent me."

Part 16

Salisbury, England - June 10, 2002

It was raining when Michael stepped out the front door of the hotel where he, Isabel and the sheriff had holed up for the past three days. But, then, this was nothing new. It had been raining since they arrived in England. It was the one thing he couldn't get used to: the constant humidity. He had lived his entire Earthly life in the dry, scalding heat of a New Mexican summer. He kept getting soaked in the flash storms that hit the British isle without any warning. He refused to carry an umbrella like Izzy was getting in the habit of doing though, preferring to hunch into the collar of his jacket with whatever happened to be in his hands over his head, whether it was a newspaper, a book, his lunch...It was all good.

The one thing neither he nor Isabel had let the rain do was force them to spend time with each other. In fact, they did everything in their power to avoid it. The sheriff had obviously noticed too, but he wasn't saying anything. The three of them just seemed to go their separate ways, all twiddling their thumbs waiting for the group back in Roswell to uncover something, anything, that would allow them to rescue their friends.

As the days passed, and nothing turned up in the massive alien archive deep under the desert floor back in Roswell, the less hope that Michael had that they were ever going to find anything.

And, yet, Max had always said that there had to be a way. Tarsus had gotten to Earth without the portal, so had Danala. The method had to exist.

As the days passed though, the more convinced Michael became that he was never going to see Tess, or Max, or Liz ,or Kyle again. That their friends, his sister, were lost to them forever. His home planet would remain enslaved in civil war. Jennetta would never have her chance to play the role she was meant to as saviour and queen.

Michael ducked out of the rain, into a book store near the cathedral. The tall spire was becoming extremely familiar. He spent a lot of time in the close surrounding it, mostly brooding.

There were two reasons that he was in such a perpetual bad mood.

The first was pretty clear cut. Isabel was driving him crazy.

The dreams would not stop. They were coming every night, each one shared between the two of them, forcing them to remember a relationship that neither of them particularly wanted to recall. Michael still hadn't figured out if he was actually dreaming about his past life or whether for some strange reason it was Isabel, consciously or subconsciously, forcing him to participate. All he knew was that he was reliving his past life every single night. These were not normal dreams either. He was flesh, and blood, and breathing in them. He was Tristandor of Dernia again.

He was exhausted. He felt like he had not had a decent night of shut eye since Liz's supposed death. He rubbed a hand wearily against the back of his neck, picking up a copy of one of the many classics all English bookstores seemed to sell for practically nothing. He had already managed to wade his way through two of Dickens's books, mainly out of sheer stubbornness to not confront what was happening to him and his almost sister.

They were turning back into the princess and her consort that they had been.

Michael avoided Isabel for one reason and one reason alone. He knew that she was half in love with him already. He didn't blame her. The emotions that flooded him throughout the night, the love he felt for her in his dreams...It was hard not to allow it to stay alive during his waking hours.

Yet, he fought it anyway. He fought it because he knew that it was all an illusion, that he did not love Isabel in the way he loved Maria. He remembered Max once telling them, right after Tess had first come to Roswell, that he wasn't going to let a book dictate what he was going to do. Michael now understood the way Max had felt back then.

He was not going to lose Maria over this. He was not Tristandor anymore. He was Michael - and Michael loved Maria. Michael shared a daughter with Maria. Michael wanted to be with Maria.

Mirana and Tristandor were dead. And if Michael had anything to say about it, they were going to stay that way.

Isabel's dark eyes following him every time they were together told him that she was not so sure that she felt the same. Michael knew that she was trying to fight it too, but she was losing the battle.

He also knew that somehow, some way, they were all going to end up very, very hurt. Michael, Isabel, Maria, Alex, even Jennetta and the others, were going to end up hurt if this was allowed to continue for much longer.

He plopped into a chair in the small cafe in the back of the bookstore, flipping through Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White. He barely scanned the pages, his mind not allowing him to escape so easily.

The other reason that he was in a bad mood was beginning to press on his conscience again, like a weight that wouldn't budge. He had been refusing to allow the thought to form completely, but as he stared down at the words on the page, words that made absolutely no sense, it came unbidden.

He didn't want Alex and Maria to find a way to open the portal.

Michael flopped back in the chair, scrubbing his face wearily. A waitress came over, smiling flirtatiously. She was about his age, and her short blonde hair made him think of Maria's when they had first gotten together.

He snorted to himself, remembering how bad things had seemed in those days. Their anonymity had disappeared, he was forced to accept people he didn't want to accept. He had felt like he was drowning, but then, slowly, but surely, it had all worked out. He had started to trust them, had let himself fall in love with Maria.

He had found his family.

And now he was willing to give it all up to selfishly keep Jennetta in his life.

He was willing to give up his friends to keep his daughter safe.

"Can I get you something?" the waitress asked, her English accent causing Michael to blink. He didn't know why it surprised him every time someone spoke to him. It was the small-town boy in him likely.

"Coffee," Michael muttered. "Black. And one of those scone things." The waitress looked disappointed that he didn't seem inclined to flirt back, but shrugged and hurried off behind the counter.

Michael turned back to his book, forcing himself to concentrate on the story.

It was useless. The guilt remained.

You're a terrible person. Not even Jennetta wants to avoid her destiny. How can you be so selfish? You've always been this way. How can you think this, when they would do everything in their power to save you?

Michael swallowed hard, scowling at the prickling feeling that suddenly started behind his eyes. Was he going to cry? What the hell was the matter with him? He didn't have anything to feel guilty about after all. He had them all fooled. They all thought that he had accepted this, had accepted that he was going to lose his daughter, that she was already as good as lost.

"Michael."

Michael didn't even realize that he had buried his head in his hands, elbows on the small table, until Isabel's voice snapped him out of it. He blinked quickly, staring up at her, then setting his jaw.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped. He stood up abruptly. "I have to go call Maria."

Isabel grabbed him by the hand as he tried to pass her. "It's five in the morning back there, Michael."

"So?"

"Michael, we need to talk about this."

"No." He left her standing there, forgetting completely about the coffee he had ordered. He stormed out onto the street.

The rain had stopped. At least the rain had stopped.

But apparently Isabel was not going to be this time. "Michael! Talk to me!"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Michael, you had another one too last night, didn't you?" Isabel demanded. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, refusing to look at her. "About the Ring? About our wedding, or joining, or whatever it's called there?"

"So what?" Michael replied belligerently. He knew he was being a jerk. He could almost feel his harsh words hitting Isabel like a physical blow, but he couldn�t stop himself.

"Michael, please! I'm not doing this on purpose! I swear." He could hear the tears in her voice. For the first time he really looked at her. She looked terrible. Her beautiful brown eyes had dark circles under them. She hadn't even made an effort to hide them, which was not Isabel's style at all. Isabel would ignore nuclear fall-out if it meant she had to go out without fixing her makeup.

He sighed heavily. "I know, Izzy." He turned away again, squinting up at the spire which towered above them, pointing to the heavens, soaring towards their real home.

"This has to be happening for a reason, Michael." Isabel spoke again when it became clear he had no intention of doing so.

"I know," he repeated. He looked at her again. "But I don't think I want to find out what that reason is, Isabel."

"Me neither," Izzy replied. She started to walk, clearly expected him to follow her. He did, keeping a safe distance between them. "But I don't think we have any choice, Michael."

"Isabel." She looked sideways at him, past her long blonde hair, which was hanging lifelessly over her shoulders. "What about Alex and Maria?"

He could see tears glittering on the ends of her lashes. "I don't know. I know that I love Alex, that he's the best thing that's ever happened to me. He grounds me, Michael." She paused. "But I just don't know," she finished quietly.

They both stared at each other for a long charged moment. "So what do we do about this?" Michael finally asked.

"I think we need to..." She swallowed hard. "We need to explore what this means."

Michael raised an eyebrow at her. "Explore? What the hell does that mean?"

Isabel sighed again. "We have to confront it - see it to the end." She started walking. "And I think I have an idea about how we can do it."

Michael watched her walk away, her tall figure seeming to straighten with determination. He clenched his fists at his side, closed his eyes briefly.

Isabel turned and glanced over he shoulder. "Michael? Are you coming?"

"I'm coming."

Part 17

Roswell, New Mexico - the same day

Alex snapped back to awareness as his chin smashed against his chest. He had been dozing fitfully in his chair in front of his computer for hours now. The translation program was still processing merrily, and had been doing so for close to six days.

They were no closer to finding any answers than they had been when they started.

That wasn't even the worst part. The four of them were all beginning to go a little stir-crazy. Alex was pretty sure that if they had to spend another 24 hours underground, something was going to give - big time.

Jennetta and Ren were currently not on speaking terms. Alex hadn't really been able to figure out what the heck was going on with them, but from the stony faced looks Ren kept shooting in his direction, he could guess. Maria was also acting weird. Anytime Jennetta or Alex spoke to each other, she'd start jumping all over the place in some sort of manic frenzy, her goal obviously to make them turn away from each other. The whole thing was extremely embarrassing, particularly since he had absolutely no interest in Maria's daughter. The other embarrassing fact was that it was clear that both Ren and Maria were aware that Jennetta had a crush on him - and they blamed him for it.

He snorted to himself, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Can I help it if I�m irresistible? he thought sarcastically. It was so ludicrous, he almost burst out laughing.

Oh that would look really suave - just start laughing like a freak, Whitman. Make Jennetta think you're insane - maybe that will drive her away.

Alex turned to stare at Michael and Maria's daughter, who was currently curled up on one of the nearby cots, fast asleep. Maria was tossing and turning in the one beside it.

It wasn't that he didn't find Jennetta attractive. He did. In fact, she was beautiful. But he just couldn't think of her as anything other than a little kid. Not to mention, he was already happily involved with his fantasy girl. There was no way he would ever risk his relationship with Isabel for even a minor flirtation with Jennetta.

There was also no way that he would risk Michael Guerin's wrath. Max would be none too jazzed either. The last thing he needed was an alien father who could blast people mad, as well as the one alien who could fix up the damage caused by the other, mad at him. The thought was even too scary to contemplate.

Alex hoped that she would get over her mini-infatuation soon. He didn't understand it anyway. What the hell did she see in him? He was a complete goof ball! But then that hadn't stopped Isabel either. Maybe beautiful alien girls were just naturally attracted to their completely opposite human counterpart?

Alex's attention was pulled away from Jennetta's sleeping form when the computer began to beep quietly. He frowned, quickly hitting a button that caused the scrolling to slow down.

He scanned the words unfurling across the screen. Nothing of any use to the current crisis jumped out at him. He had set the program to beep anytime orbs of any kind were mentioned after all. It was probably just another treatise on communicator orbs vs. dream plain orbs. He had actually found one of those a day or so ago. Apparently this had been a big debate on Illyria at some point. The whole thing had made his head spin. Why couldn't a civilization that had the capability to travel through time and space find a way to communicate more effectively?

He sighed heavily, then realized that the screen was flashing information about solstices and equinoxes. He didn't think that the seasonal trajectory of Illyria was one of their top priorities at the moment.

He was beginning to drift off again when a date suddenly jumped off the computer screen at him. June 21.

June 21. That was approximately the date of the summer solstice on Earth. Why would the information be in an Illyrian book? Were date and planet alignment on the same schedule on Illyria as they were on Earth?

Unless...

Unless the book was somehow discussing the link between Illyria and Earth. He grabbed the mouse, slowing the scan down to the point where he could scroll through the translation manually.

"Eureka!" Alex bellowed a minute later, jumping out of his chair.

Maria sat bolt upright on her cot, her blue eyes wide. "What? What?"

Jennetta had rolled over, and was staring at Alex with her strange dark eyes narrowed in sleepy confusion.

Alex grabbed Maria by the arm, hauling her up, then hugging her hard. "I found it! I found it! It's here!"

Maria seemed to snap out of her lethargy almost immediately. "You found a way to open the portal??" She started jumping up and down. Alex couldn't help himself. He was so giddy, he joined her.

Jennetta hung back, a wide smile on her face, until Maria grabbed her by the hand, pulling her into their insanity.

They were all still leaping around like lunatics when a throat clearing itself nearby caused them all to stop abruptly. Of course, it was at that moment that Jennetta lost her footing and fell into Alex, sending them both sprawling onto the floor, Jenny on top of Alex, their faces about two inches apart.

Jennetta barely had time to blink at him before she was hauled away. Alex just stared after her.

Ren was glaring down at him, his hand still on Jennetta's fore-arm.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his voice sounding brittle to Alex's paranoid ears. Alex turned his head, looking at Maria, who was staring at Ren as though she had suddenly solved a very large puzzle.

"We found a way to open the portal," Alex managed to say, surprised that his voice didn't crack with fear. The expression on Ren's face was extremely intimidating. For the first time Alex understood why Max and Isabel's mother had sent the shapeshifter to protect Jennetta. When Ren looked like that...Well, he looked like he could eat Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and three hundred Klingons for breakfast - and then ask for dessert.

And he certainly did not look impressed by the good news either.

Jennetta shook his hand off of her arm. "We were just celebrating," she told him, sounding huffy. "You should be happy. Why must you always behave like a beast?" She moved forward, looking like she was going to help Alex to his feet. Alex quickly got up by himself, not wanting to give Ren any more reason to frown.

For someone who wasn't supposed to have any emotions, the shapeshifter seemed to be displaying quite a few of them lately.

"Right," Maria said, marching over to the computer. "So what did you find, Alex?" Alex saw her give Ren a concerned look as she passed him. He was still glowering at Alex and Jennetta by turns. Jenny turned her back on him and joined her mother at the console.

"It's the solstice," Alex explained. "Apparently this is another thing that Earth and Illyria have in common. Both of their trajectories around their suns takes 365 days, give or take, but they are mirror images - sort of like the southern and northern hemispheres here on Earth. Twice a year, the two planets are exactly opposite. The summer solstice in the northern hemisphere matches the winter solstice on Illyria - at least in the hemisphere that concerns us. The kingdoms of Illyria and Dernia are in the southern hemisphere of the planet."

"Which means what?" Jenny asked. Alex tried to ignore the admiring way she was looking at him.

"On those two dates, the portal alternates itself," Alex replied. "Which means that on those two dates the keys are switched - the key to Illyria becomes the key to Earth, and the key to Earth becomes the key to Illyria."

"Max and Isabel are the keys." Maria's face lit up. "Which means that on June 21, Isabel will be able to open the portal to Illyria!"

"You've got it." Alex grinned at her. He could feel his happiness returning quickly. They were going to be able to save their friends after all.

"But that still doesn't explain how Tarsus and Danala got here," Maria interjected.

"Who cares?" Jennetta replied. "We have the answer we need." She put her arm around Maria and squeezed. "Now we just need to get to England so that we can be with Michael and Isabel on June 21."

"We have just under two weeks," Ren put in, sounding a little more civil. "Time to make preparations." He glanced at Jennetta. "Time to prepare you for what you are going to have to do once you reach our home."

Jennetta rolled her eyes. "There's plenty of time for that." Ren frowned again, sighing. "The important thing is getting there."

"I just hope that we're not too late. We have no way of knowing what's happened there. Jaxon and Sabrya could be dead for all we know," Ren replied testily.

"Oh stop being such a grump!" Maria was grinning again. She poked Ren in the side. "We have an answer. Can't you even crack one little smile?"

Ren softened slightly. "Well, it is good news." He looked at Alex, a weird expression on his face. "Well done, Alex." He looked like saying that was akin to swallowing a worm in his books.

"We all did it together," Alex insisted. He felt another shiver when his eyes met Jennetta.

She was smiling at him in a way that could only mean trouble.

The Citadel, Illyria

"In fact he sent me."

Max saw Liz's dark eyes widen at his words. "I don't understand," she whispered. "Why?"

"Because he's pretending that I'm his leader again," Max replied matter-of-factly.

"Pretending?"

"Basically, he thinks I'm an idiot." Max felt a flash of rage. He had been doing his utmost to control his anger since he had come face to face with the evil shapeshifter a few hours before but it was getting more difficult. Seeing the terror that was presently displaying itself on Liz's face was making it darn near impossible. "He thinks that I trust him - that I'll believe anything out of his lying mouth."

"He told you that you were his leader?" Liz asked, moving forward and seating herself beside Max on the cot. Max moved instantly to put his arm around her. She lowered her head so that it rested on his shoulder. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he's trying to screw with my mind again I think," Max told her. "But it's time for me to do a little of that of my own." He grinned at Liz. "Let him think I'm a moron. I don't care as long as it means I get to be with you." He leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers. "It's the only reason I came to this damn planet in the first place - to be with you."

Max saw Liz lower her gaze. She bit her lip. "This is so dangerous, Max! You're trapped here now too." She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. "Don't you know that the only reason I came here was to protect you? And then you go and give yourself up to Tarsus anyway." She smiled wryly, but her eyes revealed her pain. "You can be very irritating." She paused. "And it still doesn't explain what Tarsus's plan is."

"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it. Don't worry. This time I came with back up," Max replied, kissing her gently on the forehead. "Tess and Kyle are rallying the troops as we speak."

"Tess and Kyle are here?" Liz looked shocked. "Together? How did that happen?"

Max sighed, reflecting momentarily on the hard work Tess had in front of her to get that relationship back to where it was supposed to be. "Well, together is not exactly the term I would use," he amended. "But they'll work it out."

Liz pulled away again. "I don't like this, Max. It feels wrong somehow. Tarsus is playing some sort of game again."

"Of course he is." Max shrugged. "He lives to play games. He wants to control me. That's what it's always been about."

Liz just shook her head. "I think that's part of it - but not all." She reached behind her, pulling a leather-bound book out from under the pillow. "This told him something about me that made him want me in particular."

Max frowned. He didn't like the sound of this at all. "What is that?" He took the book from Liz's hands, flipping open to the first page. He quickly scanned the opening letter. "What does your grandmother's journal have to do with any of this?"

Liz's eyes were shiny as she swallowed, taking the book from him, pressed it against her heart. "She wasn't really my grandmother," she replied, her voice soft. "But she loved me so much. My parents didn't even know the truth about who she was until the very end."

Max grimaced when Liz mentioned her parents. He still hadn't told her about what had happened to them.

"Liz, there's something I need to..." But she interrupted him.

"Max, I need to tell you what this says. I've read it from start to finish twice now, and you need to hear it all."

Max frowned. "Okay." He brushed her hair back behind her ears. He couldn't stop touching her, couldn't believe that she was really sitting right there with him. He had missed her so much.

"It's the last few entries that are the most important I think," Liz continued. He could feel her shiver lightly as he touched her. "Max, stop it! You're distracting me!"

"Sorry. Really, really sorry." He knew he didn't sound sorry at all. He kissed her gently on her earlobe, started to rain kisses down her soft neck. "I can't help myself here." He could feel Liz's heart beginning to pound in time with his own.

"Max!" She managed to gasp. "This is serious!"

"I know." He reluctantly pulled back, folding his hands in his lap, then looked at her expectantly. "I'll be good. I promise."

Liz was blinking at him, her expression dazed. "How did you do that?" she asked, sounding suddenly miffed.

"How did I do what?"

"Just stop like that?"

"You asked me to," Max replied, raising an eyebrow at her. It was actually a very good question. He had no idea how he had stopped, but he was trying to make her as crazy for him as he was for her. His hands were literally itching at the moment to grab her and haul her onto his lap.

Liz stared at him for a moment, breathing erratically. "Hmphhh," she finally replied, flicking her hair over her shoulder, apparently insulted. Max felt his pulse beginning to hammer. He swallowed, forcing himself to focus on what she was saying, although it currently all sounded like gibberish to him. He was watching her lips move, almost stopped breathing altogether when her tongue darted out to wet them as she spoke.

"....she died...but she managed to create some sort of bonding between us before it happened - or at least I think she intended to."

Max shook his head. This sounded important, although how anything could be more important than kissing Liz at the moment, he had no clue. "Huh?"

Liz frowned at him. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yes."

"You are not listening to me." Liz sighed in annoyance, but she didn't really look mad. In fact, she was beginning to stare at his mouth.

Max cleared he throat, quickly looking away. "Maybe you should just give me that book and I'll read it myself," he suggested.

"It's too long to read right now," Liz replied. "But you should read the end." She flipped through the book, handed it to him, pointing out a passage. "Start here." She stood up and moved across the room. She started fiddling with something on the table.

Max looked down at the book, then back at Liz. "You know this would be much more fun if you'd sit with me while I read it." He eyed her hopefully.

"No," Liz said sternly. "There is no way you are going to read that with me beside you." She looked away, trying to hide a smile.

"Please?"

"Max."

"Fine," he grumbled. He lowered his gaze and began to read.

August 13, 1995

I have been back and forth to Roswell more times in the past year than in all the years since Bill died. I think Nancy is getting sick of me, but it cannot be helped. I must keep an eye on Jaxon and Mirana. I must protect them at all costs.

I have discovered as much about the Evans family as possible. They seem like good people. I am pleased that the twins were kept together, but do wonder what happened to Tristandor and Sabrya. I have still uncovered no trace of them.

September 28, 1995

The most horrible thing has occurred.

I have found Laren and in the process my heart has been broken for the last time. I believed that after Bill's death it could never happen again, but I was mistaken.

I am in Roswell again, staying with Jeffrey and Nancy, keeping an eye on my king and his sister. Liz is growing daily into an ever more delightful child. I also enjoy her two little friends, Maria and Alex. They are all so innocent and full of life.

I have been spending the last few days at the pod chamber, rummaging through some of the debris left there. There is not much of consequence, but it seemed important and so I have done it.

It was there that Laren found me.

I am positive that he was just as shocked to see me as I was to see him. I was fiddling with one of the pods, getting flashes of a little blonde girl with curly hair, one I did not recognize, obviously Sabrya, when the pod chamber entrance opened, causing me to whirl in astonishment.

And there he was. He was squinting in the sudden darkness that greeted him after the brightness of the New Mexico desert, but he seemed aware of my presence almost immediately. "Who's there?"

He was in disguise, having shifted into the body of a middle-aged human with a bald spot and jowls, but I recognized him immediately. His essence sang to me.

"Laren."

I saw him flinch. "By the Ring...Andrina?"

"It is me."

He just stared at me in astonishment for several long moments. Finally he spoke. "My love...but...I was sure that you had perished at the hands of those evil humans!" He moved forward carefully, as though expecting me to disappear in front of him.

I continued to stare at him silently.

"Andrina?"

"I never thought to see you again," I finally managed to say, my voice cracking. "Laren, where have you been?"

"I have been everywhere," he replied wryly. He looked like he wanted to touch me, but held himself rigid instead. He motioned to the empty pods behind me. "Looking for them. I have been searching for forty years - ever since I escaped from those bastards."

I opened my mouth to tell him that I was watching over Jaxon and Mirana, but something stopped me. I pressed my lips together instead. "Have you had any luck?" I asked.

"Sabrya is with me," Laren replied. "The other three were gone when I managed to find this place. That in itself took almost forty years."

I frowned. "You were not responsible for bringing them here?" I asked.

"No. I was captured almost immediately. I moved away from the Crash, leading the evil ones away from my charges. I don't think they recognized the pods for what they were." He paused. "I don't know who moved them. My two companions, Silesa and her mate, died in the Crash."

But I knew. It had to have been Jemma and Jendar. I wondered what had happened to them, why they had deserted the four that we were charged to protect.

"Andrina." Laren sounded unsure what to say next. "How have you fared?"

"I have done well, all things considered," I replied. I had to be truthful. "I married a human, Laren. I have children. I have a grand-daughter."

His eyes darkened. Although the face was not one I recognized, the eyes were his.

"I thought you had died," I explained in a rush.

"I do not blame you, my love." He paused. "Is it too late for us then?"

"My husband is gone."

"I am sorry for it." He sounded genuinely regretful. "It must have been difficult."

"It was. But..." I swallowed. "I never forgot you, Laren."

"Nor I you."

And in the next instant we were in each other's arms. He was stroking my hair. "Andrina. My love. My prayers have been answered."

He brought his lips down on mine.

And it was then that everything changed.

I saw evil.

Flash***

A man in the cave on the Mesa Laco reservation staring at me in horror, screaming in terror.

Flash**

A woman lying dead on the pavement, a silver hand-print shining out from her chest.

Flash** Flash** Flash**

Bodies, bodies, bodies.

Flash**

Laren entwined in the arms of a figure that seemed familiar, her face was just beyond my reach.

Flash**

Laren wrenching a small baby away from the shadowed woman. Her sobs echoed throughout my mind.

I wrenched myself away from him, my chest heaving, staring at him in horror.

"Laren, what has become of you?"

"Andrina?" He sounded hurt. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing." I forced my voice to moderate itself.

I now knew why I had not told him that I had found the king. Something was seriously wrong here.

He could not be trusted. I knew it with every fibre of my being.

"It is too late," I finally told him, when he still looked suspicious.

"Andrina! Please."

"I am sorry, Laren. I suppose I loved my husband far more than I ever imagined."

He blinked at me, looking unconvinced. "But we will still work together to find the other three will we not?"

I thought of little Sabrya. Could I leave her in his hands? Did the fate of my nephew and niece outweigh leaving an innocent child with one that I could now only see as a monster?

I had no choice.

"No."

And I left him staring after me.

I am unsure if he has followed me, but I know that he will. I do know that I need to leave Roswell immediately. I cannot allow him to be anywhere near the twins.

They will be safe with their human parents.

What will I do without my little Liz?

June 12, 1998

I have allowed myself a quick visit to Roswell. It is the first time in several years but I think that I have finally lost Laren.

I have been attempting to get my hands on Sabrya, but while he follows me, he also avoids me. I do not know where he is at the moment, but I do know that he is nowhere near Roswell. I feel his presence still and he is not near now.

It has hurt my family that I have been so scarce over the last few years, but there has been little choice. I have used the excuse of my adventurous spirit. Jeffrey buys it I think. I am not as sure about Nancy.

I am here mainly to check on the twins. They have grown by leaps and bounds, both looking much more mature than their fifteen years would warrant. I would assume that this is due to their alien DNA, but it has become clear to me that they are both more human than anything else.

I saw them today in front of the high school. They were with another boy, who was tall with the most peculiar hair. I am almost positive that he is Tristandor. The air practically hummed with energy around the three of them, like they were a unit bound by love and loyalty.

It has become clear to me that Jaxon and Mirana know that they are special. While Mirana plays at the high school popularity game, she is clearly distant from her many "friends." Jaxon is a loner, only ever with the boy I believe is Mirana's husband.

And, yet, in the few days that I have watched them, it is ever more clear to me that Jaxon is in love with my grand-daughter. He and the other boy are in the Crashdown more often than they are not, Mirana often with them as well. He watches Liz as she waits her tables, as she giggles with Maria, as she sits at the counter doing her homework. He turns the most charming shade of red whenever she speaks to him, which is usually only when they are discussing school or she is taking his order.

Liz still seems unaware of his existence on any level other than as platonic school friends, but I think it is because she believes that he would never be interested in her. I heard Maria teasing her about Max in her room last night.

"Maria, you are insane!" Liz told her best friend. "Max Evans would never be interested in someone like me! Have you seen what he looks like? He could have anyone in the school!"

"Have you seen what you look like?" This was Alex speaking. He was a charming boy, one who adored my grand-daughter. He was her biggest cheerleader. "I'm a guy, Liz. Max Evans would have to be blind not to think you were beautiful."

Liz sounded embarrassed when she replied. "You're both crazy," she insisted. "He's my lab partner. That's it. I swear."

"Riii-gghh-tt!" Both Alex and Maria sing-songed in unison.

And, so, I still wonder if my hopes will be realized. I will never force my beloved Liz to do something against her will. The bonding will only take place if she wants it to.

There is still plenty of time. I am getting old, but I have a few years left in these bones yet.

Max looked up at Liz, a bemused expression on his face.

"Well?" Liz asked anxiously.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Max replied, setting the book down beside him on the bed. "Why did no one ever tell me I was that obvious?" He muttered to himself. "A complete stranger saw it for God's sake."

"Max!"

He smiled at her. "Not that I'm ashamed of it or anything. Falling in love with you was the best decision I ever made."

Liz smiled back at him, then shook her head resolutely. "It's no good, Max Evans. You're not going to distract me again!"

Max just continued to smile at her, his dark eyes smoldering. "Darn." He patted the cot beside him. "So, come over here and tell me what you think is so important about this." He frowned when she didn't move. "Liz?" He finally sighed, sounding extremely long-suffering. "Fine. So what I gather from this is that your grandmother was my aunt?"

"Yes. But we're in no way related," Liz hurriedly replied. "She wasn't really my grandmother. She adopted my dad."

"And?"

"The bonding, Max. Did you not read that?"

Max frowned, glanced down at the last entry again. "Do you think it took place? I mean, I don't remember anything like that."

"My grandmother died about a year and a half after that last entry," Liz explained. "The letter she wrote to go with it was written the night she went into the hospital."

"Which begs the question as to how she was able to be in the hospital in the first place," Max interjected. "She was fully alien after all - not even a hybrid. The doctors should have been able to tell that she was otherworldly."

"Hmmmmm..." Liz hadn't even thought of that. "Well, we can wonder about that later." She stared at him. "The point is, the day before my grandma went into the hospital, Maria and I were talking to her about boys..."

Max raised his eyebrow again. "Well, this sounds interesting." He grinned at her. "Pray tell, Ms. Parker. Did my name happen to come up in that conversation?"

"Right after Kyle's," Liz replied. Max looked stunned, and then scowled. Liz started to laugh at the expression of disgust on his face. "Actually now that I think about it, Maria was the one who brought your actual name up. I didn't even mention you specifically."

"Liz..." His expression was seriously put out.

Liz moved forward, threw her arms around him. "Of course, it was you I was thinking about when the topic of soulmates was discussed."

"I should hope so," he grumbled. Liz began to rain kisses across his face. "Now who's doing the distracting?" he managed to say in a strangled voice a few minutes later.

"Do you forgive me?"

"No."

Liz smiled to herself over his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He sighed heavily again, his voice long-suffering as he joked, "Fine. I guess if you managed to get past my destined bride running around Roswell, I can move beyond Kyle Valenti."

"Thank you. I think. Anyway," Liz continued. "The point is, I think Tarsus thinks that this bonding must have taken place, which is why he wanted me."

"But obviously it didn't," Max replied. "I never even met your grandmother." He paused. "Which on reflection seems kind of weird since she apparently followed me around for half of my life."

"Be that as it may, I can't think of anything else that Tarsus could possibly want me for."

"Other than to torture me," Max told her. He ran his hands through her hair, causing a shiver to descend Liz's spine. "He knows that without you I couldn't go on," he whispered against her ear.

Liz sighed. "Max. Oh my God, I missed you so much." The fact that he was actually there with her...While she had done everything in her power to avoid having Max wind up in Tarsus's power again, she couldn't help but be happy.

She was never truly complete unless they were together.

"I missed everyone so much, Maria, Alex, my parents," she continued, her arms wrapped around him, her face buried in his neck. She felt Max tense beneath her. "But I could almost do without any of them to be with you," she finished. "I feel so guilty about that, but you were all I really thought about this whole time."

Max was still stiff in her arms. He was stroking her hair gently, but she could tell that there was something on his mind. "Max? What's wrong?"

"Liz, there's something I need to tell you," Max said quietly, pulling back and looking directly into her face. He swallowed. "It's about your parents."

To be continued...

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws