Title: The Stranger With In
Author: Lori R 4/02
Email: 'Gussywussy55@y...
Category: Cliffhanger
Rating: 'R' for violence and some language.
Disclaimer: These characters are not owned by me. I
borrow them for my 
own amusement.
Feedback: Sure why not.
Summary: Takes up from Michael's line to Jesse in 'Who
Died And Made You King?" 

**************


Flashback....

Michael sat in the dark on Isabel's sofa waiting for
'him' to come back.
He should have killed him the first time she mentioned
his name. 
But no, he had felt sorry for her being all alone
while he and Max had played around with the humans.
That day he had seen her upset with her 'mother' he
should have stayed strong. But he didn't, and now look

where they were. 
She was his, and he should have reminded her of that
fact then....no, no he shouldn't have had to do that,
she should have remembered that she belonged to him.
Only him.

He was antsy. Ever since the 'V' had appeared on his
chest he had felt different.
Stronger...powerful...smarter...alive! 
His body serged with the new powers he had gained with
the transfer of the seal, making Michael someone to be
reconned with.
He was the King now, and he was going to take care of
things the way Max should have, but was too weak to
do. This must be what Courtney had meant by Michael
being the true King. He had no problem getting rid of 
anyone that threatened their survival here on Earth.
He was destined for this.

The door opened and 'he' walked in.
Jesse.
Michael didn't move, except to clinch his hands so
tightly that his short nails dug into them. 
Isabel's...husband.
Micheal frowned with a grimace as if the word was
bitter to him.

He stood up, and called to Jesse, "You told them?!"
Jesse turned startled, and afraid. 
"Get the hell out!"
"You sold us out didn't you?" accused Michael as he
approached Jesse.
"NO!" said Jesse backing away. The look in Michael's
eyes was crazed.
Michael flung Jesse up against the wall.
"I told Isabel not to bring another human into the
secret, but she was so in love that Max said yes,"
sneered Michael at the memory.
"She was mine first, did you know that?" he taunted
smiling. "We were together before you were born, and
we'll be together when you're nothin' but bones!"
Jesse hung against the wall sick with fear. He was
being attacked by an alien gone mad. 
"I should have killed you when I had the chance,"
Michael said with such deadly calm that Jesse knew 
his life was about to end.

Isabel and Max came running in with Kyle, Liz, and
Maria close behind.
"Oh my gawd!" gasped Isabel, her hands covering her
mouth as she saw Jesse pinned high on the wall by
Michael's powers. 
"Michael, stop! Don't do this!" ordered Max as he
cautiously approached Michael. The sneering grin
alerted Max. Michael was more than out of control, he
was out of his mind.

"Shut up Maxwell! I'm taking care of this! Jesse
should have died long ago just like the rest of them!
Having humans know our secret has caused us nothing
but trouble, and that's all your fault! If you hadn't 
saved Liz none of this would have happened!"
"Michael, you aren't yourself, you don't mean the
things you are saying," Max said as calmly he could.
He had to figure out how to retrieve the seal without
killing Michael. The way Michael was acting now he
could kill them all.
"Michael...please...please put Jesse down! Please
don't hurt him," Isabel entreated as she watched the
wide eyed excitement cross Michael's face. He was high
on the power the seal was giving him, and it was
scaring her.
Michael shook his head. "No! He dies Isabel! He can't
be trusted...none of the humans can! Maxwell's soft
spot for Liz has endangered us, but all of that is
about to change!"
"Michael...Michael, he's my husband," whispered
Isabel. She had vowed to protect Jesse, and she was
going to carry out that promise.
"No! You belong to me Isabel, no one else!" growled
Michael as he glared at Jesse.



Present....


Michael lay on his bed lost in thought.
He had tried to kill Max and failed.
What was happening to him?
He looked at the woman sleeping next to him.
She didn't deserve any of what Michael had done to
her. All she had wanted was to be happy, and he had
almost killed her.
The bruises on her had been bad. Max had been livid
when he had seen them, and he had wanted to kill
Michael. He still couldn't believe he had done that to
her.
He shoved his hair out of his face as he rubbed at the
wetness that fell down his cheeks. 
After what he had done to her, he should be dead, but
Max had decided his fate for him.


Flashback...


His anger at Max for taking the seal back was still
strong. Max had no right taking it back! His
forgiveness almost made Michael want to choke. 
Michael rubbed his shoulder, and closed his eyes.
His eyes were still a bit sensitive from the glass
shards cutting them when the window Max shattered hit
him, but he would recover. Max had made sure of that.
But he had left a scar from when he removed the seal.
He had said he had healed Michael as best as he could,
but Michael wasn't buying it. Max could have healed
him completely if had wanted too. This was his way of
punishing Michael...leaving him with a permenant
reminder of when Michael had dared to go against Max.
A reminder of trying to kill Max and failing.

He looked up as Isabel entered the apartment.
She eyed Michael as she hesitantly approached the side
of the bed.
"How are you feeling?" she asked him with concern.
"Do you really care?" he asked.
"Michael, you know I do," said Isabel, the sadness in
her voice at having him doubt her obvious.
"Where's Jesse?" asked Michael as he tried to control
the feelings that he had building inside.
Tears gathered in Isabel's eyes as she answered.
"He's gone. He wanted me to leave Roswell with him, go
away so no one would ever find us, but I couldn't. I
couldn't leave you and Max."
"I should have killed him, but I wasted too much time,
and lost my chance," said Michael with self loathing.
Isabel sobered at Michael's tone and words. 
"Michael, he doesn't deserve to die! What's gotten
into you? Max said it must be the seal making you act
the way you did, but it's gone now and you're still
acting like a...bastard!" 
Michael reached out like lightning and grabbed
Isabel's wrist, twisting it in his grip.
"That just shows how little Max really knows about me!
As for Jesse, he's human, and he dared to take you
from me! That is cause enough for him to die!"
Isabel's mouth fell in open in silent pain as
Michael's grip tightened around her.
"Michael! Michael please! Michael you're hurting me!"
gasped Isabel as her body wrenched sideways trying to
alieviate the pain Michael was inflicting on her.
Michael stood up beside her, his fingers digging into
her skin. He grasped her upper arm in his other hand
tightening his hold on her.
"You are mine Isabel and don't you forget it!" he told
her, his voice low, and menecing close to her face. 
"We were together in another life time, and we're
together now whether you like it or not! When these
humans are dust we will still be together...there is
no escaping what is meant to be!"
Isabel stared at Michael as his words resounded in her
head. 
"Michael, how can you say that? Our lives here are so
different from what they were on Antar! You are with
Maria...I'm with Jesse...we..."
"NO!" Michael backhanded her hard across the face.
"You are mine or no ones Isabel! I will kill you
myself before I let another man touch you again!"
Isabel gasped in shocked horror and pain at Michael.
Her hand touched her face. 
This wasn't the Michael she knew, and she didn't know
how to handle this one. 
Michael stared at the imprint beginning to form on the
side of Isabel's face. He touched it gingerly making
her wince in fear and pain.
He smiled, but it was a cruel smile, and it made
Isabel shiver.
"Since when do you show fear? You always reveled in my
touch and now you cringe. I'll make you ache for
me....like you used too."
He slid his hand around the back of her head, gripping
her hair as he forced her mouth open with his tongue,
kissing her with such force their lips bled.
Isabel fought against Michael, her head trying to pull
away. Suddenly they were on the bed, Michael tearing
at her clothes, his mouth and hands everywhere.
"Michael! Michael no! Michael stop it!" screamed
Isabel as she fought him.
She scratched his face, her short nails leaving trails
of blood across his cheeks.
"BITCH!" he yelled at her before slapping her across
the face.
Isabel moaned.
Michael drew her hands together, holding them above
her head with one hand as he tore at her clothes with
the other.

Suddenly he was picked up and thrown off the bed.
"STAY DOWN MICHAEL! I WILL KILL YOU IF I HAVE TOO!"
warned Max, his hand out and ready.
Michael cautiously sat up as he reguarded Max.
"She's mine man. You're interferring with my rights,"
taunted Michael.
"She's not your 'right' Michael! Touch her again and I
will make sure you never touch anyone again!" vowed
Max.
His face softened somewhat as he tried to reason with
Michael.
"This isn't you Michael. I think the scar from the
seal is causing you to still act this way. I don't
know what else it could be. I have to try and finish
taking it from you," said Max.
Michael touched the scar.
"You left it here for me to remind me that you are the
Leader, and not me, so why don't you just leave it? Or
is your guilt getting to you?" asked Michael.
Max frowned at Michael's words. 
"I didn't leave the scar to remind you of anything
Michael. I was just too weak to finish taking it. But
I have my powers back fully now so we can try again. I
thought leaving the scar would be okay, but I guess I
was wrong."
"You're wrong if you think I'm going to let you touch
me again," said Michael rising.
Max followed Michael with his outstretched hand.
"Michael this is not you! You are behaving
like...like..."
"Like who? Rath? I think I'm acting like me. The way I
was on Antar, and should have been here. Not the wuss
you forced me to be to hide from the humans," said
Michael.
Michael glanced at the bed when movement from there
caught his eye.
Isabel raised a shaking hand to her head as she lay
dazed, her face bruising and bleeding from Michael's
attacks.
He paused a moment frowning deeply, shaking his head
as if to clear it. Something wasn't right, he thought.
Max used that opening to tackle Michael, and press his
hand to Michael's bare shoulder.
Michael fought him, but Max was stronger. Michael
screamed as Max finished removing all traces of the
seal.
Max saw images of Michael that he had seen earlier,
but had refused to accept. Pain and lonliness despite
his friendships and his relationship with Maria. He
felt Max didn't trust him to help protect them. He
also saw feelings for Isabel that he never knew
exsisted, and doubted Michael even acknowledged. 
He released Michael and sat back exhausted.
He waited to see if Michael was back to normal or if
he was going to have to deal with the form of 'Rath'
again.

Michael grimmaced, not from pain in his shoulder, but
from what he had inflicted on the others. The images
had come rushing at him as Max removed the last of the
seal from him.
He opened his eyes. 
He looked towards the bed. He slowly stood up, his
steps hesitant as he moved closer to the bed. 
Max watched Michael carefully, ready to finish him off
if he had too, to protect Isabel. He hoped it wouldn't
come to that.
"Oh gawd....oh gawd Isabel! What did I do to you?"
Michael whispered upset. He was sickened that he had
done this to her. That he was capable. He knelt down,
and gingerly touched her face.
She flinched in her dazed stated.
"Max...Max you have to help her!" he begged tearfully.
"Iz...Isabel, I'm so sorry," he whispered brokenly as
he soothed her brow with his finger tips.
Max knelt beside Isabel on the bed and placed his
hands on her face. Images of understanding, love, and
fear for Michael came flooding at him. In moments her
face was healed.
Isabel opened her eyes, and looked up at Max and then
Michael, her gaze holding on him.
"Don't move Isabel, just lay there and rest," ordered
Max.
"You're okay now Michael. The last of the seal is
gone, and whatever was causing you to act like Rath is
gone as well," said Max.
Michael nodded, but his eyes never left Isabel's.
"Will it happen again...if something happens to you?
Will I act that way again?" he asked Max. Fear of
losing control that way again scared the hell out of
him.
"I don't know. I wish I could tell you that you
wouldn't, but I just don't know," admitted Max.
"You need to lay down as well Michael. Rest for a
bit," said Max as he stood up, and went in the other
room.

Michael moved beside Isabel, their eyes still holding
contact.
"Isabel...." he wanted to apologize, but it didn't
seem enough for the way he had treated her?
Isabel raised a finger to his lips. "I know."
He nodded, and when she finally closed her eyes, he
closed his, his arms around her holding her tight.



Present....


She was watching him.
"I hurt you."
"It wasn't you Michael. It was Rath...or whoever you
were programmed to be, but it wasn't you," said
Isabel.
"How can you look at me, and not be afraid?" asked
Michael still hating himself for his actions,
possessed or not.
"Because you are the Michael I know and love, and I'm
not afraid of you." She hesitated then added, "But
Michael....if for some reason...if for some reason you
inherit the seal again....I'll....I'll do my best to
kill you if you are possessed like that again." It
pained her to say that. She loved Michael, but the
person the seal programmed him to become was a mean,
and vicious person, not the loving one she knew.
Michael slowly nodded.
"I'm sorry Isabel, I really am," he said as he gently
stroked her cheek. "I never meant to harm Jesse or
cause your marriage to end, no matter how much I never
wanted it to happen. I'm sorry I hurt you."
Isabel bowed her head as tears rushed to her eyes.
"Jesse and I were not meant to be. I was just to blind
and stubborn to see it. I wanted to prove everyone
wrong. I should never have brought him into all of
this," she said wiping her eyes before raising her
head again.
"But it's over now Michael. Let's move on."
Michael smiled at her slightly in relief. He would
always feel remorse at his actions forgiven or not. He
prayed he would never become King again.
With any luck, he never would.


End