"Home"
Part 1/?
By Aimee Rose ([email protected])

Disclaimer: Roswell and it?s characters belongs to Jason
Katims, Twentieth Century Fox et al, (who use and abuse them).
Bridget Jones? Diary belongs to Helen Fielding and Miramax.  If
you sue, all you would get would be a bunch of college textbooks
and some college debt.
Spoilers: Hybrid Chronicles, End of the World, Wipe Out, Sexual
Healing.
Rating: PG
Summary: Tess POV. Tess and Kyle admit their feelings for each other!!



I sit on the lounge chair, looking up at the heavens.  The stars
are so magnificent, shining brightly in the vast expanse of
night sky.  At this point I do not envy those living in big
cities, for they never will truly experience this vista in their
locale.  When I was in New York City, the heavens were obscured,
blotted out by the vast quantities of light emitted by the
hustling city, all but obliterating the lights from above.  I
sigh, remembering that time so clearly, recalling the smog that
permeated the entire city, the fast pace that reminded me of my
former life, the life that was lived with Nasado.  Not the
former life I lived with Max Evans.  

I think about that trip as being a turning point in this new,
settled life, changing me from a wandering nomad to a permanent
resident.  Yet, who would have guessed it would be in Roswell?
Not me, I would have thought originally I would have ended up on
Antar, the planet I had been told about from the beginning of my
life, the planet fabled by Nasado's bedtime stories.  The planet
I hated now because it made me different from him.  Fate once
again interceded, this time influencing me to give my heart to
one that was not of my own.  I became a hypocrite, one that
espoused Destiny but was secretly in love with one that was NOT
destined for me.  

I glance at my watch and see it is growing late and tomorrow is
a school day.  Funny how my life has grown into a routine,
something I can depend on and rely upon.  So unlike the first
ten years of my life, those filled with departures and arrivals,
so ingrained into my memory that I became stir crazy back in
October, feeling the need to leave, not allowing myself to get
used to the new home opened to me.  I look over my shoulder at
that house and rise off the lounge, walking over the grass that
was growing dewy in the late winter months.  In a few short
weeks I could celebrate my first anniversary in this town, the
longest I have ever been in one locale.  I push open the screen
door to the house and walk in, wiping my feet on the mat, taking
off my shoes.  I pick them up and walked to my room, or at least
the room I shared with Kyle, in terms of storage of things, and
dropped the shoes onto the floor.  I found Kyle there, staring
into the closet.  

"Kyle, what are you staring at?"  I ask, peering into the closet
with him, wondering what he found so amusing in the closet, very
aware of his presence so near to me, and secretly thrilling at
the excuse to get near to him.  

"I have a big presentation to give tomorrow to Coach Peters, I
want to try out for football captain next year, and I need to
look professional."  Kyle replied,  "And my nice clothing seems
to have developed some strange white marks on them."  he
complained, looking at the bleach stains that were sporadically
spotted over the material.  

"Well I could do something about that."  I suggest, giving Kyle
a look that meant me using my powers to save his butt.  "But it
would cost you."  I tease, knowing exactly how to push Kyle's
buttons after more than six months living under the same roof
with him.  

"What exactly will it cost me?"  Kyle asks suspiciously.  

"Just going with me to go see a movie.?  I reply in complete
innocence, recalling the few times Kyle and I had decided to
spend some quality time at the local cinema.  "Simple as that."
I state.

"Tess, come on, there has to be a catch in there somewhere, I
know you too well."  Kyle said, straightening his back and
looking down at me.  I feel very aware of his presence and begin
to bite on my lower lip nervously.  

"I want to see Bridget Jones? Diary."  I mumbled, knowing Kyle
would ridicule my weakness for chick flicks.  With a life more
like an action movie combined with a horror movie, I love to
loose myself in the simple drama of a romance.  

"Tessss."  Kyle whined,  "Come on, that's a chick flick."  he
pointed out.

"Yes, and I. Am. A. Girl."  I volley back.  "Now do you want the
stains gone or not?"  I ask him, knowing full well that I have
him where I want him.  "And you did say I was your favorite
Martian."  I teased.  "Now, are you going back on those words or
what?"  I ask him, giving him a mock threatening look.

"No." Kyle mumbles, sitting down on the bed.  "Okay, go on, use
your Samantha-genie-powers, and leave me be."  Kyle says,
clearly put off at having to go see a chick flick.

I turn back to the clothing, and wave my hand over the articles
of clothing, cleaning them and adding a fresh scent to the
material.  "Okay, there you go."  I reply to Kyle, walking over
to the bed, sitting down on it, next to him.  "So, what are you
going to say in your speech tomorrow?"  I inquire, wanting to
keep things casual, not scare him with the intensity of my
feelings.  

"The usual, how much time I?ve invested in the team, seen the
players grow, how I know their strengths and weaknesses."  Kyle
replied.  "Typical stuff, he'll eat it up."  Kyle assured me.

"Oh, but what if he asks you what your strengths and weaknesses
are?"  I ask him, challenging him to open up to me.  

"Hmm, good question."  he notes.  "I would say that my strengths
would be that I can see clearly the balances in the world." Kyle
states, stretching out on the bed.  "And that I'm starting to
think differently than I used to."  he reveals.  "Like down in
the Gandarium hive, I really surprised myself with the whole
crystals-in-the-bottle thing."  Kyle says, picking up some
Buddha figure, and turning it over in his hand.  I am fascinated
by the hand, I want it to hold me close and tell me that I was
not a hypocrite, that I was loved for who I was, not what I
knew.  

"And your weaknesses?"  I prompt, leaning back to lie across the
bed, next to him.  This feels so right, I think to myself as I
look up to his face encouraging him to continue.

"Well, I do have a weakness for blonde Martians."  Kyle states.
I hold my breath as my brain processes the information.  Then I
think to Isabel, the beautiful one, and almost wish she had some
other hair color than mine, that I could know that he was
speaking about me, and not the "safe" Isabel Evans.

"Oh, so you are among the legions of Isabel-adorers."  I say
sarcastically, referring to the masses of fans Isabel has at
West Roswell High School.  

"Nooo..." Kyle drawls, making my breath catch in my throat.
"Small, blonde, Martians."  he enunciates each word, each
syllable feeling a mile long; and just like a mile is a long,
the words take just as long to permeate the haze that had
settled over my brain.  "And the only one of those I know is
you, Tess."  he states, looking fully at me, his beautiful brown
eyes full of emotion, relaying the feelings that he cannot put
into words.

"Oh."  I state.  Awestruck that this was happening at last.
Thanking the higher Antarian power, thanking Liz for breaking up
with Kyle for Max, thanking Nasado for bringing me to Roswell,
even thanking the Buddha statue Kyle had placed on the bedside
table.  

His gaze continues to keep mine locked the his orbs that serve
for eyes, the urge to kiss him becomes greater and greater.
"Kyle."  I say in an almost whisper, afraid to kiss him now,
afraid that if I let myself kiss him, there would be no going
back.  I drop my gaze unwittingly to his lips as my tongue darts
out to lick my own in anticipation of this exquisite moment.  I
am surprised when he makes the first move, lifts me up that my
face is level with his, cupping my face in his hands, the
roughness of the athlete's palms abrading my skin. Yet his
movements over my face are delicate and unhurried, much like the
meditation Kyle now practices.  I sigh, feeling Kyle's breath
wash over me, the warmth drawing me in.  

Since I was almost lying on top of him, I make my move now, I
lower my mouth to his, the first contact with his lips tentative
and hesitant.  His lips open slightly, his hand moving from my
cheek to the nape of my neck, applying pressure, allowing for a
deeper, more satisfying kiss.  My hands are not idle, they skim
up his built chest, over the bunched cloth of his shirt.  I rest
my one hand over his heart, the other reaching up to the back of
his head, increasing the pressure of our lips.  
   
"Tesss."  Kyle moans into my mouth, his warm breath intoxicating
me.  "Tessss."  he repeats my name, the sound almost making my
breath stop.  I stop, trying to catch my breath.  "Kyle?"  I
ask, unsure if he wants to stop or not, unable to move save for
my lips, to formulate his name.

"Tess, please don?t stop.'  he begs, putting pressure on my
neck, bringing my mouth back to his.  I feel the warm breath
once more, then feel his lips upon mine, coaxing them apart this
time.  His tongue invades my mouth, the electricity tingling
around us, feeling like a summer storm.  I gasp as I see white
and then a flash.  I see Kyle as a child, holding a ragged
stuffed animal, bringing it into Jim's room, and leaving it on
the bed so his father did not have to sleep alone.  I see the
tear falling down small Kyle's cheek, felt the pain at his
mother's leaving, the enormity of his heart.  My vision turns to
white again and I gasp aloud, breaking the contact with
present-day Kyle.  "Kyle, did you see anything??"  I manage to
utter, wrapping my arms around him, trying to get my breathing
under control, rising up on my elbow when I had and looking at
Kyle's face.  

"Yeah."  Kyle says, clearly shaken by the vision he received.
"I saw a little girl on her first day of school, sitting alone
at a lunch table."  he replies.  "Tess, what is going on here?"
he asks, "Did you see something?"  

"Kyle, I saw you as a child, giving your father your stuffed
animal after your mom left."  I reveal, knowing concretely that
this was Kyle's memory.  Michael had told me about the *flashes*
Max and Liz would get when they kissed each other on certain
occasions.  I felt certain that this was one of those instances.
"Kyle, we are getting these memory flashes because of my hybrid
status."  I further reveal, looking intently at his face,
watching his reaction closely, like an artist studies their
subject. "Max and Liz got them last year, because they were
connected."  I explain, trying to wipe the look of confusion off
his cute features.  

Kyle rises up on the bed, and I lift myself off him, giving him
some space.  I was unable to process the ramifications of these
revelations myself, choosing to concentrate on Kyle's rather
than my reactions.  "Wait a minute here." he demands.  "Are you
telling me that we can see each other's *thoughts* when we
kiss?"  he asks, a look of bewilderment clearly etched over the
canvas of his face.  

I sigh deeply, knowing the road ahead might not be as smooth as
I had initially hoped for.  "Yes."  I venture, beginning to
explain.  "You saw my memories and I saw yours."  I state the
obvious, ducking my head.  "But it's a bit deeper than that."  I
say, looking at him, "Max and Liz, or at least Max, knew they
were destined for each other from the start.  They were linked.
Michael could get flashes from Maria, but not vice versa because
Michael stated that he wasn't *open* to her."  I try to explain.
"And Isabel got some flashes from Alex once, but I don't know
if Alex got them back from Isabel."  I state, never sure about
that situation.  "We all decided it was because they were
connected in some inexplicable way, almost like soul mates."  I
posit.

"Oh."  Kyle states, eyes downcast.  I feel my heart close
suddenly, the organ unable to function properly.  I fear his
rejection like I fear the anger in myself that caused the
destruction of the Skins.  I fear being unloved, unwanted, so
much that I have shut myself off from human love until now.  Max
Evans was a mission, never a test of love.  I no longer wanted
that mission, yet long to test my love for this boy in front of
me.  I hope Max can forgive me in time. I slowly stand up,
forcing myself to leave him to his thoughts, my throat suddenly
constricted by unshed tears.  As I reach the door I hear a
choked "Tess, wait."  uttered from Kyle's lips.

Slowly I turn, feeling the tear that perched in my eye course
down my cheek, tasting its salty residue as it reaches my mouth.
I lift my eyes from the brown carpet to Kyle's body, my eyes
creeping up his frame, finally resting on his eyes.  I feel
caught in this moment, my heart beats slowly as I can hear his
labored breaths from across the room, the silence permeating the
atmosphere.  "Yes?"  I ask tentatively, screaming inside for
some reaction to my information.  

"Tess, don't go."  he echoes his words that made me stay not
more than a month ago.  I hold my breath, knowing the power
behind such words.  "Tess, I need to ask you one question."  he
says.  I allow my eyes to speak for me, urging him to ask the
question, speaking volumes about my mental state.  "Does this
mean I've turned into an alien?"  he finally says, joking.  I
finally exhale the breath I didn?t know I had held for so long,
and laugh.  

"Perhaps."  I throw back, "You never know with us *hybrids.*"  I
say, holding back the laughter that threatens to overtake me in
my nervousness.  "But, I might have to *examine* you for more
*evidence* to this change."  I tell him, watching the mirth
cross his face, the tension between us loosening, relaxing into
our typical repertoire.  Suddenly the tension is back, but in a
different, altered way.  The electricity returns, and I feel
pulled towards the bed, pulled towards Kyle.  I push the door
closed on my way there, feeling a sense of foresight.  

"Tess, if you would have told me last year that there were
aliens in this world, I would have told you you were crazy."  he
stated.  "Much less fall in love with one."  Kyle's eyes darken
from brown to almost black as he stands up.  I immediately feel
overpowered by his height, yet that thought is fleeting as he
lifts his hands and skims them up my arms, slowly but surely.  I
shiver at his actions, my skin under my long sleeved shirt
tingling at the contact.  My gaze drops to his hands, watching
them as they reached my shoulders.  Kyle brings his hands up
under my chin, forcing my eyes back up to meet his.  "Tess."  he
rasps, the emotion clearly choking his words.  I suddenly find
my voice, yet the only word that can manage to force past my
lips is his name, which I drawl lovingly as his hands reach
around my head to cradle my head.  
   
My hands spring to life, rising from my sides to rest on Kyle's
hips, allowing one hand to snake between our bodies, resting
over his madly beating heart.  My other hand traces over the
bunched muscles on his back, tracing the contours, like a sailor
runs fingers over an unknown map.  After what seems like a year,
I realize that Kyle's hands have moved, shifted so that his
thumbs are tracing my lips.  I reflexively lick my lips with
tongue, wetting his thumbs.  His breath catches in his throat,
his eyes darkening inferentially.  I gasp at this as his thumbs
spread the moisture over his lips, wetting them with my saliva.
We tease each other with our small movements, torture each other
with the wait to mold our mouths together.  The electricity
builds around us as his hands return to the back of my neck,
dragging my head willingly forwards to meet with his.  I feel
the sudden wetness of his lips on mine, feel the new emotions of
kissing Kyle.  I groan and lift my hand off his heart and reach
behind Kyle's head with my two hands, keeping his lips affixed
to my own.  I drink from his lips, lips that taste like pear,
feeling emotions I never felt with Max, never felt with any
other human on this planet.  

I finally surface from the kiss when Kyle takes his lips from
mine, allowing us to catch our breath.  He leans into me,
placing his forehead against mine, wrapping his arms around me.
I feel secure and loved, for the very first time in my life I
feel like I belong somewhere.  Ironically enough it was in the
arms of a human.  I hug him back tightly, trying to absorb his
presence into mine.  

Gradually I feel Kyle break the hug and feel myself being lifted
off my feet.  I am amazed again at Kyle's strength, yet I
shouldn?t be... I had seen him in action in enough football
games, and knew his strength from afar.  Yet, when confronted by
his strength up close, it sent tingles down my spine.  I felt
myself being held in his arms, and I wrap my arms tighter around
his neck as he holds me like a baby.  He sits down on the bed
with me, still holding me close.  He strokes my hair, and
whispers into my ear, "Tess, you have no idea how you make me
feel."  he states as he cups my cheek in his hand.  My breath
catches at his words, my mouth struggling to form words to
reply.  "Ditto"  I manage, echoing Michael's oft used phrase.  I
feel like I am floating on air, my hands clenching Kyle's shirt,
in an attempt to mold myself into his body.  

Finally, after what seems like an eternity wrapped in Kyle's
arms, I begin to feel the love, to feel it's power wash over me.
My eyes dart to Kyle's own eyes meeting in a communion of
souls.  I finally feel what I thought I felt with Max.  I feel
that connection with someone, not because I was supposed to feel
that way, but because I want to feel this way.  I suddenly
understand Max's love for Liz, can understand Isabel and Alex's
strange dance around each other, and the fiery passion that
consumed Michael and Maria daily.  As Kyle pushes a wisp of hair
from my face, I gaze at Kyle and feel something I had never felt
before.  In Kyle's arms, I feel at home.  I feel loved.