BOOK 6 Ð CAUSATIVE RELATIVITY
(THE PROBLEM OF
LIZ)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
PART 2
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Over the next few months Liz and Max grew even closer. Now that Liz knew the truth, Max
confided in her about everything, except his true feelings for her. He was careful to keep her at arm's
length, reasoning it was better to stay away from her than to put her in
danger.
So when Liz suggested they go to the prom together, Max was
hesitant until Liz proposed they would just go as friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Episode Equivalent - Heart of Mine)
(Friday, April 27th, 2001)
(West Roswell High School)
(Senior Prom)
Liz took Max's hand as they walked into the gym. She greeted a few people as they moved
to a table, but Max remained silent.
He had been acting increasingly nervous since he had picked her up.
Hoping she could use this evening to reshape their relationship
into something more than friendship, Liz had chosen a dress with Max in
mind. It was black with a fitted
bodice that flared out at her waist until it ended just below her knees. It had thin straps, extending down her
back, exposing her smooth, soft skin, and she had put her hair up, leaving only
a few tendrils to brush against her neck.
When Max had arrived at her house, she had greeted him cheerfully
and curiously watched as his smile slowly dissolved into a look of shock as he
had taken in her appearance. He
had pulled at his collar as if it were suddenly too tight and swallowed
repeatedly. Finally he had
produced a small smile and in a voice deeper than usual, he had managed a
strained, "Liz, you look great."
Liz glanced at Max and noticed that he was looking anywhere but
at her and she thought her plan
must be working.
Max looked around the room, pretending to be taking in the decorations,
but really he was trying to get his emotions back under control. His head had been spinning with
dangerous possibilities since he had picked up Liz. When he had first seen her he felt as if he had been punched
in the gut and the feeling was only intensifying as the evening continued.
She looked beautiful and mature in a way he had never imagined,
and not for the first time, he wondered what he had done to deserve her. But she was there with him and he
pushed away his uneasiness, determined to enjoy her company. He turned to her and held out his
hand. "Would you like to
dance?"
Max led Liz onto the dance floor and gathered her into his arms,
her small frame fitting perfect against his, as he had known it would. And as they started to sway to the slow
beat of the song, he was amazed at how right it felt. He had always dreamed of being with Liz this way, and now
that they were together, he never wanted to let her go.
Max pulled her closer as a new song started. He inhaled the clean, fresh sent of her
hair as he ran his hand over the smooth skin of her back, exposed by the cut of
her dress. She was everything he
had ever wanted and she accepted him exactly as he was. Liz was the only girl he had ever loved
and he knew there would never be another.
As he held her, the lyrics of the song started to penetrate his
brain.
I can't fight this feelin' any longer
And yet I'm still afraid to let it
flow.
What started out as friendship has
grown stronger
I only wish I had the strength to let
it show.
I tell myself that I can't hold out
forever
I say there is no reason for my fear.
'Cause I feel so secure when we're
together
You give me life direction, you make
everything so clear.
Even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight
You're a candle in the window, on a cold dark winter's night
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might
I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I've started fighting for
It's time to bring this ship in to the shore
And throw away the oars forever
I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I've started fighting for
If I have to crawl across the floor, come crashing through your
door
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore
Max's heart was pounding so hard it felt
as if it would break through his chest.
He couldn't believe the words he was hearing. It was as if he had written the song. They lyrics expressed his feelings
perfectly and stated the things he had tried so hard to deny. He might have been able to stay away
from Liz if he were just fighting his own feelings, but he had been trying to
fight her too and he was beginning to realize it was an impossible task.
Liz shivered in Max's arms as he pulled
her closer. She could almost feel
the change in his attitude toward her.
He had been fighting for so long but she could tell he was on the edge
and she was determined to pull him over to her side. She wrapped her arms around his neck, teasing his soft hair,
and laid her head against his chest.
My life has been such a whirlwind since
I saw you
I've been runnin' around in circles in
my mind.
And it always seems that I'm followin'
you girl
'Cause you take me to the places that
alone I'd never find.
And even as I wander I'm keepin' you
in sight
You're a candle in the window on a cold
dark winter's night
And I'm gettin' closer than I ever
thought I might.
And I can't fight this feelin' anymore
I've forgotten what I started fightin'
for.
It's time to bring this ship into the
shore
And throw away the oars forever.
'Cause I can't fight this feelin'
anymore
I've forgotten what I started fightin'
for.
And if I have to crawl upon the floor
Or come crashin' through your door
Baby I can't fight this feelin'
anymore.
For Max, there was no decision to make, his actions were
completely instinctive. As the
song ended, he loosened his hold on Liz just enough to pull her to him for a
searing kiss.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Sunday, December 23rd, 2002)
Max was awakened by a knock at his window. He glanced at the clock noting the
time, three thirty-six a.m. He got
out of bed, crossed to the window and pulled back the curtains, unsurprised to
find Michael there.
He opened the window and they greeted each other as if it had only
been a few days since they had seen each other instead of almost three years. "How's it going Maxwell?"
Max grinned, "Good, and you?"
"Fine," Michael said, indicating the floor. "You mind if I crash here
tonight?"
Max automatically reached for the bedroll that was still under his
bed.
Michael dropped his gear on MaxÕs floor and climbed in the
window. "Thanks."
Max was still smiling as he got back into bed. "Goodnight Michael."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Monday, December 24th, 2002)
The next morning Max and Michael surprised Isabel and the three
sat and talked for over an hour, discussing the time they were apart. Michael regaled them with his
adventures in the surrounding states, chasing alien sightings and leads that
didn't pan out and Max and Isabel caught him up on the events surrounding the
discovery of the alien parasites.
When they reached the part involving Liz, Michael leapt angrily
out of his seat. "What gives
you two the right to involve anyone in our secret? This affects more than just you."
Max started in a placating tone, "Michael..." only to be
cut off by the other boy's outburst.
"How do you even know Liz will keep it to herself?"
Isabel came to Max's defense, "Michael stop. It was my idea to tell Liz. We needed help and she was the only one
we could trust."
"Trust?" Michael yelled. "We can't trust anyone!"
"We can trust Liz," Max said, trying to stay calm as his
temper rose.
"You're both fools," Michael snapped. "SheÕs probably just playing you
along while the government goons move in."
"Michael, shut up!" Max exploded. "You can't talk about Liz that
way! You don't know what you're
talking about." He took a
deep breath and continued more softly.
"Liz has known for over a year. She would never betray us, she is completely
trustworthy."
Completely stunned, Michael studied Max. He had never seen Max so angry and suddenly the truth of the
situation hit him. "You're
involved with Liz."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Max asked
angrily.
Michael turned to Isabel accusingly, "How could you let this
happen?"
"Don't you dare blame this on me,Ó she said angrily. ÒYou left us, Michael. Max and I had to make a life without
you, so don't you dare come back here and start criticizing us. We had hard decisions to make, matters
of life and death, and we did the best we could."
Michael fidgeted under both of their gazes. He felt guilty about leaving them alone
for so long and he almost didn't blame them for getting help from Liz. Almost.
But for Max to get involved with a human was just stupid. They had always known they might just have
to pack a bag and leave and Max was getting attached, planting roots, but
Michael could tell by the way Max had defended Liz, it was useless to argue
about it now. He would bide his
time and make Max see the futility of his relationship with Liz. Finally he nodded, "Liz Parker,
huh? Why don't you tell me the
whole story?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Sunday, May 26th, 2002)
Michael had spent the last few months trying to convince Max of
his mistake in continuing the relationship with Liz, but he had made no
progress. Uncharacteristically Max
had stubbornly refused to back down, and when Michael tried to talk to him
about it, Max had repeatedly told him it was none of his business.
But Michael was not one to give up easily. "Max, where do you think this thing
with Liz is headed? You can't
possibly think you have a future together."
"Michael," Max started with a warning tone in his voice.
"Max, she isn't part of the plan. What will you do when our people come for us, bring her with
us?"
"WeÕve been alone this whole time,Ó Max pointed out. ÒWhy would anyone come for us
now?"
Michael ignored his comment and continued doggedly. "We must have been sent here for a
reason and I really don't think it was to date the locals."
Max shook his head.
"You don't understand."
"Then why don't you explain it to me, Maxwell."
"When IÕm with Liz, I feel normal. I feel human for the first time, like I belong
here." Max took in the
disbelieving look on Michael's face, not sure how to explain so his friend
would understand. "Micheal,
nothing good has ever happened from our being alien. The only other alien weÕve found, kidnapped and tried to
kill a girl. If that's what it
means to be alien, I'll choose human every time." Max took a deep breath and continued,
"I love Liz, I always have and we belong together."
"Max, you're not even the same species," Michael argued.
Max sighed, knowing the time had come to tell Michael of his
plans. "Michael I've been
keeping something from you because I knew you wouldn't approve. Liz and I have both been accepted to
Harvard and we plan to go, together."
Michael nodded.
"I see," he said, his voice clipped and harsh. "Nice of you to finally tell
me. So youÕve chosen Liz over me
and Isabel, over your family."
Max shook his head, "It doesn't have to be that way."
"I hope you're happy in your new life, Maxwell. Send me and Isabel a post card
occasionally," he turned to walk away and then looked back, "if you
remember us."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Wednesday, January 1st, 2003)
(The Pod Chamber)
Sam and Cuerena talked quietly outside, while Alyssa looked around
the pod chamber. With Sam's help
she had been able to recover her memories of the events surrounding the time
when she had emerged from the pod, and she ran her hand over its cool, dusty
surface. She remembered pushing
her way through the membrane and focusing her eyes for the first time on the
man she would come to know as her protector. He had briskly cleaned and dressed her in clothing he had
brought, and then ushered her into the car where he had left her while he
quickly scoured the area.
At the time she hadnÕt known what he was doing and had been more
interested in the multi-colored instrument panel in the car than the actions of
the man. Now she knew heÕd been
looking for the others that should have hatched with her. Later Sam had told her he suspected the
other three pods had hatched early because of the damage done to them by humans
after the crash.
Alyssa studied the three pods, wondering about the others, her
family. Her protector had always
been concerned with business and had never shown her any kind of affection or
love. She had often wondered how
it would have been if the others had been with her. She knew they would have accepted her, loved her; after all
they were her family. Her
protector had told her about them often enough, her husband Zan, her
sister-in-law Vilondra, and Vilondra's betrothed and Zan's second in command
Rath. They were the Royal Four.
There were vague pictures in the book that had been sent with them
to Earth. She and Sam had
recovered from its hiding place in the library yesterday and she had studied
the images eagerly but they were so generic they really didn't tell her much.
In the years they had been together, Sam had taught her memory
recovery techniques that had helped her regain vague memories of her previous
life on Antar. She remembered
Zan's face and she remembered being loved. She sighed as the sensations flowed through her, regretting
all of the time that had already been wasted, and more eager than ever to
regain her husband and the others.
She and Sam had come back to the pod chamber for the first time
that morning, because the shape shifters had agreed to meet Cuerena on this
date. Sam had told her, Cuerena had
been on some kind of mission for the last fifty years and now she was going to
stay with them.
Alyssa walked out of the pod chamber and into the morning sun to
join the two shape shifters as Sam was finishing his story.
"Alyssa and I have spent years looking for them, often moving
and changing names. Currently I am
Sam Morgan and she is my daughter."
Cuerena studied the blonde girl before her. She was identical to her charge Ava but
they were so different that even standing next to each other you might not
notice the resemblance. The
thought echoed through her head, the resemblance. "That's it," she said. "It will be easier to find them because now you will
know what they look like."
She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and waved her hand over
its surface, leaving behind the images of Zan, Rath and Vilondra.
Alyssa grabbed the paper from her and eagerly studied the faces of
her family. "Which one is
Zan?" Cuerena indicated the
boy, who in Alyssa's mind was the more handsome of the two and she smiled with
satisfaction. She looked back to
Sam. "Well, where do we
start?"
"I have always thought it was more likely that they were
taken to the closer town, Artesia."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Thursday, June 5th, 2003)
(Cambridge, MA)
(Harvard Campus)
Max was nervous. He
glanced at the beautiful, dark haired girl who held his hand and walked by his
side. He still couldn't believe
Liz was with him, and every day he thanked whatever cosmic accident had brought
them together.
They had just finished their first year of college and would be
starting their summer jobs next week, having decided to stay in Massachusetts
instead of returning to Roswell.
During the last year they had taken all of their classes together; they
had studied and eaten together.
The only time they had been apart was when they retired to their dorm
rooms for the night. But lately it
wasn't enough for Max. He wanted
to be with Liz all the time. The
time away from Roswell had shown him he could live as a normal human, and he
liked it. He wanted to set up a
house, he wanted to continue to live a normal life with Liz, and he wanted to
make it legal.
As far as Liz was concerned this was just like any other
night. They often walked along the
river in the evenings, but for Max tonight was anything but usual, and his
fingers closed around the small, velvet-covered box in his pocket. He knew Liz loved him but it was asking
a lot for her to commit her life to him, a being from another planet.
They stopped and sat on their usual bench by the water's edge and
Max stroked Liz's long dark hair.
She sighed serenely and leaned into him, snuggling into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her small
frame and held her to him as he considered his words. He was scared of losing her if she refused him but her
reaction to him helped to shore up his courage.
After a few moments, he pushed away from her slightly and her eyes
immediately met his. She was
concerned something was wrong. He
smiled. At times, when they were
close like they were now, he could almost hear her thoughts, but he could sense
a rhythm, a unity between them that was unfulfilled. It was as if there was a deeper connection between their
souls waiting to be completed and then they would truly be one.
He cleared his throat.
"Liz," he started, taking her hand in his, "this last
year has been great, being here with you, spending time with you. I have never felt anything so right, so
normal, and that is mostly due to you and the way you have accepted me."
Liz started to respond but Max silenced her with a finger on her
lips. "When I'm with you I
don't feel like a outsider, I feel like I belong here, like it wasn't an
accident Isabel, Michael and I ended up here. Earth feels like home for the first time. Knowing you has made me human and I
love you more than I ever thought was possible."
He kept her hand in his as he knelt in front of her. "Liz you have given me so much,
your smiles, your sweet kisses, your friendship, your acceptance and your
love. It is more than I could hope
to give you in return but if you will let me, I will spend a lifetime
trying.Ó He took a deep breath as
he reached into his pocket and withdrew the velvet box, opening it to show her
the ring inside. "Liz Parker
will you marry me?"
He watched breathlessly as tears glistened in her eyes for a
moment before she threw herself into his arms.
"Oh Max I love you so much, of course I'll marry you.Ó
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Monday, August 11th, 2003)
(Roswell, NM)
Sam and the others had searched unsuccessfully for the missing
three for over six months before Cuerena came up with the idea to check old
high school yearbooks, and then it had only taken two weeks to locate
them. The three they were searching
for had attended West Roswell High School together until the end of their
sophomore year, when Michael Guerin, as Rath was now called, disappeared from
the yearbooks. Isabel and Max had
stayed at the school and had graduated the year before.
It had been a simple matter for Sam to let himself into the school
one evening and check the records to get the EvansÕ address. Then the three of them had watched the
Evans house for a week, but they had only seen Isabel. They had decided to send Alyssa to meet
Isabel, having determined that Isabel would be less intimidated by someone her
own age.
For the summer, Isabel was working at a clothing store in the mall
and Alyssa had gotten a job there two weeks ago. Alyssa had used her powers on Isabel to help make her accept
her more quickly, and in that time they had become good friends.
Cuerena thought they should wait longer until Isabel trusted them
more completely but she was overruled by Sam and Alyssa who were anxious, for
very different reasons, to bring Isabel over to their side.
Alyssa walked into the house where she and the two shape shifters
were living as a family. "I
invited Isabel to come here tomorrow to have dinner. That is when weÕll tell her who we are."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Tuesday, August 12th, 2003)
(The Morgan House)
Isabel sat back in her chair looking at Alyssa's parents. They were strange, stranger than most
parents. Alyssa's father Sam, as
he had asked her to call him, was fond of strange jokes Isabel didn't find
funny, and her mother Cuerena had barely said a dozen words all evening.
After an awkward pause under their collectively intense gazes,
Isabel started to rise from the table.
"Can I help you clean up?"
Alyssa also rose from her seat. "No, that won't be necessary," she said, and a
single pass of her hand over the soiled dishes returned them to their formerly
pristine condition.
Isabel jumped up so quickly that her chair crashed to the ground
and she backed slowly away from them.
"What are you?"
Alyssa used her powers, sending waves of relaxing energy to soothe
Isabel's fears. "We are your
family and we have been looking for you for a very long time."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Wednesday, August 13th, 2003)
(Cambridge, MA)
Sam, Alyssa, Cuerena, Isabel and Michael had driven straight from
the airport to Max's apartment.
After the three had convinced Isabel who they were, she had called
Michael to come over and once again they had related their story. Michael, who was eager to prove to his
stubborn friend Max, that they did have a purpose other than blending in with
humanity, had suggested they simply drop in on him. So even though it was close to midnight, five otherworldly
visitors stood pounding on his apartment door.
After a few minutes, a sleep-tousled Max opened the door to
Michael, Isabel and three strangers.
He glanced nervously at the others as he spoke to Michael, "What
are you doing here?"
Michael smiled and replied flippantly, "What? Can't we just drop in for a visit
Maxwell?"
Max knew something was up when Michael called him 'Maxwell' and he
doubted he would like it. "At
midnight?" he asked, motioning over Michael's shoulder with a jut of his
chin to the people standing quietly behind him. "With the Brady Bunch in tow?"
"Good guess but wrong show." Michael smiled.
"Try My Favorite Martian."
Max recoiled as if he had been struck and Michael couldn't help
but laugh at the expression on his face.
He stepped aside to give Max a good look at the three. "This is Sam, Cuerena and
Alyssa. They're our family."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Wednesday, August 13th, 2003)
(Cambridge, MA)
Max studied the three newcomers with apprehension as he sat on the
couch, and he wished Liz was with him.
He always felt calmer with her at his side and he had never needed her
more than at that moment.
The three were a family, mother, father and a teen-aged girl and
even though they appeared fairly normal, Max felt cold fingers of dread inching
up his spine. He addressed the man
Sam, "Why don't you start at the beginning."
"There was a civil war on our planet. Our side was losing and you, were sent
to Earth for your protection."
He indicated the woman at his side, "Cuerena and I and two others
were sent as your protectors but enemy soldiers followed us and shot our ship
down."
Michael broke in, "The '47 crash."
Sam nodded, "The military recovered the pods that housed your
growing bodies and damaged the three you occupied," he indicated Max,
Michael and Isabel, "causing you to hatch early."
"And we were found by humans instead of the protectors,"
said Isabel.
"Where are the other protectors?" Max asked.
Sam and Cuerena looked at each other. "We don't know.
We were separated after the crash and we haven't seen them since."
Max met the cool blue gaze of the blonde girl who had not taken
her eyes off of him since entering his house. "And who are you?"
He thought the intensity of her gaze dimmed briefly but it came
back full strength as she raised her chin stubbornly. Suddenly he was transported back into the chamber where he
had awoken years ago. He had
received brief glimpses of it in his dreams from time to time, but now, for the
first time, the complete memory rushed back to him.
He remembered breaking through the membrane of the pod, stumbling
out on unsteady legs and seeing a small girl and another boy. They had simply looked at one another
for a moment before his attention had refocused on the final pod. It was still occupied, and inside he
had seen a small blonde girl.
Max came out of the vision as suddenly as he had entered it, and
the first thing he saw was the same blonde girl, sitting before him.
"You're one of us?" he asked Alyssa.
Alyssa nodded.
"My pod was undamaged and I came out on schedule, over a year after
you did. Sam was there and I have
been with him ever since," she reached across to take Max's hand but he
recoiled from her touch and she finished softly, "like you should have
been."
Max relaxed when Alyssa returned her hand to her lap. "So we were sent here to save
us?"
"In hopes that you would return home one day," Sam
informed him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The three newcomers left Michael and Isabel to stay with Max, and
as they headed to a hotel, Sam glanced in the rear-view mirror at an angry
Alyssa. "We can't tell them
the whole truth yet," he reminded her. "They have lived practically as humans their whole
lives and the truth might scare them away. Zan, I mean Max, is very cautious by nature, even if he is
in a different body. If we push
him too much we risk losing him.Ó
"Yes,Ó Cuerena agreed, Òthe other Zan in New York is also
cautious and stubborn. It has to
be his decision to come to us."
"And what about the things he told us?" Alyssa asked,
her temper rising. "He is
happy living like this and he is engaged to a human?" She sat back with a huff. "Did you look at the picture of
her he showed us?" she continued.
"His human is so skinny and mousy." Alyssa had never been denied anything she wanted and she was
getting angrier with every word.
"Why doesn't he know me?" she asked petulantly, then her voice
dropped almost to a whisper, "I always thought he would remember."
Sam rushed to reassure her, "Max will remember you. It will just take time. He hasn't had the advantage of memory
recovery techniques like you have.
He loved you very much in your other life and he will again."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Thursday, August 14th, 2003)
(LizÕs Apartment)
The next morning Max met Liz early, before work, and filled her in
on the events of the previous evening.
"It was so weird having these," he paused, searching for the
right word, "these aliens just show up. I mean, I guess I always knew someone else might have
survived but it was all so surreal.
And the girl Alyssa, it was strange how just looking at her unlocked the
memories. It was as if she was
doing something to me."
Alarmed, Liz eyes quickly darted over his face. "What do you mean? She was using her powers on you?"
Max shrugged, "I don't know, maybe."
Liz's expression turned thoughtful, "What did they say they
want? They just showed up after
all these years to say hi. Like an
alien family reunion?"
Max shook his head, "They didn't really say, but I have a
feeling they are keeping something from us."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Harvard Campus)
Max walked quickly across the campus. He hadn't seen Liz since that morning and he was having
withdrawal symptoms. He could
almost smell the fresh scent of her hair, feel the softness of her skin, taste
her lips. He could see himself
kissing her, pulling her small frame closer to him, twisting her golden curls
in his fingers.
He shook his head violently to dislodge the image, as he realized
it wasn't Liz he had been kissing in his fantasy, but Alyssa. And as if his thoughts had caused her
to materialize, suddenly the blonde girl was standing before him.
"Hi Max," she said with a coy smile.
"Oh hi," he said, trying not to let his embarrassment
show. He stuffed his hands in his
pockets and looked around nervously.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you," she said. "I thought you might have some
questions."
He looked at her suspiciously and then nodded, "Yeah."
She indicated a nearby bench. "Why don't we sit and talk."
He took a seat on one end of the bench and she sat close to him,
invading his personal space. He
scooted over a little to make some extra room between them, moving to the end
of the bench. He hoped she didn't
notice and asked a question to distract her, "So you've lived with Sam and
Cuerena since you came out of the pod?"
"No just Sam. It
was Cuerena's job to look after another set of pods."
Max was surprised.
"Oh, I didn't realize there were others, but of course there must
have been if they wanted to keep the race alive."
Max had gotten the wrong impression but Alyssa let him go with it,
especially since it brought up the subject of keeping the race going. "Yes we were sent here to help our
race continue."
"So are the four of us related? Isabel and Michael have always seemed like a brother and
sister to me. Are you our sister
too?"
Max saw an angry blue flame ignite in Alyssa's eyes. She rose and started to walk away but
she stopped after a few steps. She
turned slightly, looking back over her shoulder and said flatly, "No Max,
I am not your sister."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Tuesday, August 28th, 2003)
Max awoke in a cold sweat again. Every night for the last week he had dreamed of being with
Alyssa. He had never dreamed of
being with anyone but Liz, before Alyssa had come into his life, and he was
disturbed by the nightly images of them together. He loved Liz with an intensity that left him breathless, but
that did not stop the dreams of Alyssa.
He got out of bed and headed for the kitchen, hoping to clear his
head. He poured himself a glass of
juice and sat at the table in the dark room. It was very quiet in the apartment since Isabel had gone to
stay with Liz, and Michael had moved into the hotel with the aliens.
The others, as he had started calling them, had been in town for a
just over a week. They had met
with him, Isabel and Michael several times, but every time Max asked specific
questions about their past, Sam gave vague answers or changed the subject. The others were definitely hiding
something.
A knock at the door startled Max and he spilled juice onto the
table. He cleaned it with a swipe
of his hand as he glanced at the time on the microwave, two-seventeen. Crossing to the door, Max opened it a
crack to reveal Alyssa. He hadn't
seen her since they had talked on campus a couple of weeks ago and he was
surprised by her presence, especially at this time of the night. "Uh," he started nervously,
"what are you doing here?"
She smiled, "I was just in the neighborhood. Can I come in?"
Against his will, Max watched himself open the door to admit
her. He noted that her eyes raked
over him quickly and suddenly the t-shirt and boxers he was wearing seemed like
too little protection against her intrusive gaze. He backed a step away from her. "I'll um, I'll go get dressed."
"No," she said softly, reaching for his hand, "it
isn't necessary."
The sound of her voice seemed to soothe his distrust and he stood
woodenly as she took his hand in hers and advanced slowly toward him. But that wasnÕt what he wanted inside
and he tried unsuccessfully to resist.
"What are you doing to me?" he demanded.
"Do you feel it too?" she asked innocently, as she used
a greater dose of her powers to bring him to heel. "There is something happening between us."
Max shook his head, "No. I don't want this."
Alyssa took another step, that brought her body into contact with
his. "You don't want this,
don't want me?"
"No," Max said breathily, fighting the feelings running
through him with all of his strength.
"I love Liz. We are
getting married."
"I know," Alyssa said, as she increased the flow of her
powers into him and forced him to slowly lean down and kiss her. She reveled in the feeling of his lips
on hers, strong but gentle. It was
as it should be; she knew it with every fiber of her being. She pressed herself into him, and for a
moment he deepened the kiss as she wished, but the amount of power she was
expending was quickly exhausting her and when she lessened the amount of
influence, Max broke away.
He backed away quickly and looked at her with wide eyes. "What did you do to me?"
She smiled, "It was nothing you didn't want."
Suddenly the truth of the situation dawned on him. "You have somehow been sending me
those dreams, haven't you?"
"What dreams?" she asked innocently.
Max looked away nervously.
"Dreams of you and me," he cleared his throat,
"together."
"You can feel the power of the connection between us,Ó Alyssa
said. ÒIt's just like it used to
be."
"What do you mean, like it used to be?" Max asked.
She stepped closer to him.
"The dreams are showing us we belong together. We are meant to be together."
"No," he said, as he shook his head emphatically. "I belong with Liz."
His words infuriated Alyssa so much that for a moment she was not
able to speak. How dare he deny
her for a mere human? She
straightened her shoulders, stood to her full height and raised her chin
haughtily. "On our planet
Max, your name was Zan and I was Ava, your wife."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Wednesday, August 29th, 2003)
The next morning Max met with Michael and Isabel to discuss the
others. "I don't trust them,Ó
Max said. ÒThey want something
from us."
Michael broke in angrily, "They're our people, our
family."
Max looked down at the floor, embarrassed to tell them about what
happened last night. "Alyssa
is doing something to me."
Isabel was suddenly concerned. "What do mean sheÕs doing something to you?"
"She is using her powers on me. Trying to..." Max paused, embarrassed. "She came here last night and
tried to seduce me."
Michael laughed.
"She is using her powers to seduce you? Are you crazy?"
Max shook his head.
"I think about her, dream about her, and last night I found myself
kissing her against my will."
Isabel and Michael nervously looked at one another and pointedly
looked away.
Isabel cleared her throat, "What kind of dreams, Max?"
Max blushed, "Um, you know, dreams that we are, um, you know,
together. She told me that the
dreams show us who we should be with, but I know I belong with Liz."
"Liz is human," Michael reminded him. "You belong with one of our own
kind."
Max looked directly at Michael. "What if they aren't who they say they are?"
"They're here to help us," Michael scoffed.
Max lashed out at him, "How have they helped you
Michael?"
"They are helping me to control my powers so I can recover my
memories."
"And what have you remembered?" Max asked.
Michael looked down, angry at his lack of progress. "I haven't remembered
anything," he looked up, focusing his anger at Max, "but I will when
I have better control. I don't
understand you Max. We have been
looking for them our entire lives and now that they are finally here, youÕre
pushing them away."
"But Michael," Isabel said, the concern evident in her
voice, "if Alyssa is doing something to him," her voice lowered to a
whisper, "to us."
"Isabel, she isn't doing anything to anybody,Ó Michael
said. ÒMax is just a typical
teenage guy. He had a thing for
Liz but now he's noticing Alyssa's, uh..., assets. No big deal."
"But it isn't like that, Michael,Ó Max argued. ÒI love Liz more than ever. Something else is going on and I want
to confront them and find out what it is."
Isabel waited until Max left the room and turned to Michael,
"Alyssa is making us have these dreams just like she is sending them to
Max."
Michael shook his head, "We don't know that. It could be just like she said. The dreams are to show us who we are
supposed to be with."
Isabel looked at him with surprise, "Is that what you
want? For us to be together?"
Michael shrugged, "Maybe we don't have a choice."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Isabel stayed after Michael left, to talk to Max. "Michael and I have been having
dreams about being together too."
"Why didn't you tell me?Ó Max asked heatedly. ÒI was beginning to think I was going
crazy."
Isabel shrugged, "I was embarrassed."
"Do you think the dreams are coming from an outside
source? Like someone sending them
to you?"
Isabel nodded, "I have never thought of Michael in that way
and I still don't. And it does
seem like quite a coincidence we would all be having the dreams at the same
time, and only after meeting Alyssa and the others."
"I understand why Alyssa is sending them to me,Ó Max said,
Òbut why you and Michael too?"
"I don't know," Isabel said, pausing to think, and after
a moment she shrugged and offered her idea. "Maybe she thinks it would be easier to convince you
that you belong with her, if Michael and I were together."
"I don't care what anyone thinks," Max asserted. "I love Liz and we are going to be
together."
Isabel smiled at the conviction in her brother's voice. "I like Liz. I think she's good for you, and I know
she makes you happy. If you want
to be with Liz, IÕll support you."
Max pulled Isabel into a hug. "Thank you for saying that. I was beginning to think everybody on two worlds was against
us."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max looked at the three aliens, sitting across from him in exactly
the same places they had occupied the first night they had been there. He had asked them for the meeting but
now that they were there, he just wanted to forget they existed. He was finally happy with his life and
they threatened everything he had worked for.
Cuerena could feel the tension in the room and she sought to
reassure Max. "We're glad you
invited us here. We've looked
forward to getting acquainted."
Max's eyes narrowed, "Exactly how would you do that?"
CuerenaÕs brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm not sure what you mean?"
Max indicated Alyssa with a nod of his head. "Why don't you ask her?"
Sam and Cuerena both looked at Alyssa, but she simply glared at
them and Max continued, "She has been using her powers on me, sending me
dreams, and last night she came to my apartment..." he trailed off. "I know you're keeping things from
us and I want to know whatÕs going on." He paused looking at them closely, "Alyssa said we were
married on our world, is that true?"
Sam looked at Alyssa, "You promised you wouldn't tell him
yet."
Alyssa replied haughtily, "I don't care what I promised. He was going on about how heÕs supposed
to be with his human and he made me angry."
"So was she my wife?" Max said softly. "But why would you want to keep
that from me?"
Cuerena spoke softly, "She was your wife but we didn't tell
you because we thought you might feel," she paused,
"overwhelmed."
Isabel spoke in a haunted voice, "So if they were married,
were Michael and I married too."
Sam answered, "Not married but betrothed."
Max looked across at Alyssa who had a triumphant grin on her face
and he felt nothing. This girl who
had been his wife, inspired nothing in him other than apprehension, and a
thought struck him. "Was our
marriage arranged?"
"No!" Alyssa shouted. "You loved me."
Max immediately picked up on the past tense, "Loved?"
"In our other life, before we were sent here, we loved each
other."
"Why don't we remember our other life?" Max asked.
Cuerena answered, "When you died, your essence was cloned and
mixed with human DNA so you could survive on this planet and blend in with the
humans. Your memories should be
intact but it will take some work with recovery techniques to retrieve
them."
Isabel gasped, "We died?"
"You were killed in the war," Cuerena said.
Max grasped at her words, "If we died, then Alyssa and I are
no longer married."
Alyssa glared at him, "We are in love!"
Max ignored her comment.
"We are half human.
That means I can be with Liz without complications."
The conversation was not going in a direction Sam liked. "You can't be with Liz,Ó he said,
Òbecause you have a duty to your people who sent you here. They are expecting you to return."
"I don't remember them," Max said dismissively.
"You will when we work to recover your memories," Sam
explained.
Max shook his head, "And let you use your powers to influence
me too? I don't think so. I like my life here and I don't want
anything to do with a planet I don't remember." He stood and motioned toward the door, "So you can just
get out of my life and weÕll both forget the whole thing."
A significant look passed between Cuerena and Sam and they stood
together and Cuerena spoke.
"We don't want to push you away. We will give you time to adjust to what we have told
you."
Alyssa started to protest but Sam silenced her with a look, and
then turned back to Max. "We
will soon be getting a house near here and when you are ready, you can come to
us."
Max gave them a cool look.
"You'll have a long wait."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sam waited until they were in the car to confront the willful
girl. "Alyssa you could have
ruined everything. We told you not
to push Max."
"I know," Alyssa sighed. "He just made me so angry, denying our past
together."
"We will have to be careful not to scare him away
completely," Sam warned.
"So stop using your powers on him and no more nocturnal visits
until he cools down."
Alyssa reluctantly agreed but she would not give up that
easily. If she couldn't go after
Max maybe she should turn her attention to Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz listened dumbfounded as Max finished his tale. She felt numb. Max had been married in his other life
and now his bride was here to claim him.
"So do you remember her?"
"No," he said emphatically. "I don't remember her or anything about our planet, and
I don't care." He took Liz's
face in his hands. "I only
care about you."
A sob escaped Liz and she pulled away from him. "But you are married to her."
"NO!!Ó Max denied instantly. ÒWe both died on our planet and so did any commitment we had
to one another. It was another
time, another life, and I don't want anything to do with it. I would have spared you the pain if I
could, and just kept it to myself.
But I couldnÕt do that because I don't want any secrets between
us.Ó Max closed the distance
between them. ÒI love you Liz,
only you."
"But Max," she started to argue, only to be cut off.
"I just want to put this whole alien thing behind me,Ó he
said, cupping her face in his hands.
ÒThe one good that came out of this, is now we know I am half
human. Being human has been my
dream my whole life; that and being with you. And now I have both.
Please Liz," he begged, "I could never care for anyone half as
much as I love you. You are my
heart and soul," his voiced cracked with emotion and tears glistened in
his eyes. "You are everything
to me."
Liz threw her arms around him. "Oh Max," she whispered, "I was so afraid I
would loose you."
Max hugged her back tightly.
"I will never leave you Liz."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Thursday, August 30th, 2003)
(Harvard Campus)
Alyssa watched Liz approach the spot where she was standing. Of course, she mused, Liz didn't see
her because she was using her powers to conceal herself. Alyssa had particularly chosen the
place to hold the conversation because it was somewhat secluded and she wanted
Liz to be a bit afraid of her.
She dropped the mind warp when Liz was three steps away and was
satisfied to see the other girl's look of shock at her sudden appearance.
Liz jumped when the blonde girl seemed to materialize out of the
shadows before her. "Oh,
sorry I didn't see you," she apologized.
Alyssa smiled, "You didn't see me, Liz, because I clouded
your mind."
Liz took a step back and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who are you?" she asked,
fearing she already knew.
"Max told me how smart you are but if you haven't figured out
who I am yet, then he must have been exaggerating."
Liz bristled at the insult but simply said, "Alyssa."
"Now that's better," Alyssa said with satisfaction. "I just wanted to get acquainted
with my husband's," she paused as she looked Liz over head to toe and then
met her eyes again before continuing, her voice dripping with disdain,
"plaything."
"Former husband," Liz corrected her with a smile.
Alyssa was disappointed by her response. "Oh I see he told you. Very honest of him." Her voice dropped to a purr, "But he always was like
that."
"Yes," Liz agreed, trying not to let the other girl get
to her, "he's an honorable person."
"And he honors his commitments," Alyssa said with a toss
of her blonde curls, "like his marriage vows."
LizÕs smile widened.
"You came to warn me off."
"I don't have to warn you off," Alyssa hissed. "When Max remembers me and what we
shared, he will throw you out like yesterday's trash."
"He doesn't remember and he doesn't want to," Liz stated
simply. "We are getting
married in the spring and I will stay with Max until he tells me to
leave."
Liz took a step past the other girl but stopped to appeal to
Alyssa's humanity, if she had any.
"If you did love Max, you would want him to be happy, and for the
first time in his life he's happy."
Alyssa watched the other girl walk away from her. She had to admire Liz's spunk but she
was not about to let the marriage proceed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Royal Sonesta Hotel)
Sam had waited for Alyssa to return all morning and when he heard
the rattle of the doorknob he use his accelerated speed to reach the door as it
opened. He grabbed Alyssa by the
arm and pulled her roughly into the room.
"Where have you been?"
"I went to tell Liz that Max and I were married," Alyssa
related, "but Max had already told her." Her voice rose shrilly, "She plans to go through with
the wedding to my husband."
Sam sighed, "It's time to tell Max about his true
destiny. I wanted to wait until he
accepted us but we can't allow this marriage to take place. When Max recovers his memories he will
be angry that we allowed things to get this far."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Harvard Campus)
Liz wrapped her arms around Max's shoulders as she leaned over him
from behind. "I missed
you."
Max twisted around and playfully pulled her into his lap. "Not as much as I missed
you," he said, lowering his head to hers for a lingering kiss. After a moment he broke away from her
and pressed his forehead to hers.
"I can't wait until weÕre married. I want to spend every minute of the rest of my life with
you."
Liz smiled, but it faded as she remembered her earlier
encounter.
Max noticed the change in her expression immediately. "Liz, what's wrong?"
"I had a visitor today, who was also interested in the future
of our relationship."
A look of concern crossed his face. "One of the aliens? Are you okay?"
Liz nodded, "Yeah, Alyssa just wanted to let me know that you
were her husband. I think she was
hoping you hadn't told me and I would get mad at you."
Max tightened his grip on Liz as if she would disappear if he
didn't hold her to him. "I'm
tired of their interference. My
life is none of their business."
They were so wrapped up in each other that neither noticed the
arrival of the two shape shifters.
"I am afraid that your life is our only business," Sam
said.
Max and Liz both jumped, startled by the intrusion and Liz started
to climb off of Max's lap, but he held her firmly in place. "You have no right to bother Liz,Ó
Max said angrily. ÒI thought you
were going to wait for me to come to you."
"We have to act in your best interests," Sam said,
"even if you don't remember what they are."
Liz studied the man and woman standing before them as they studied
her in turn.
Sam stepped forward with an
extended hand. "You must be
Liz. You are even more beautiful
than your picture. It is nice to
meet you."
Liz started to reach for the offered hand but Max gently
interceded, taking her hand in his and laying it back in her lap. "What do you want Sam?"
The older man smiled.
"I'm glad you are here together. We have something to tell you that you both need to
hear."
Max shook his head, "I don't want to hear anything else you
have to say. I just want to be
left alone."
"If you were anyone else we would leave you to yourself, but
you are just too important. You
have duties and responsibilities that can't be ignored and you must prepare to
return to our planet."
Max shook his head again, "I'm not going anywhere, especially
not another planet. This is the
only home I want, here with Liz.
Get someone else."
"There is no one else.
You are the last male heir in your line," Sam paused and gave a low
formal bow, "your Majesty."
Max sat dumbfounded, trying to process all that had been
revealed. Finally he shook his
head unbelievingly. "Are you
trying to tell me IÕm some kind of," he paused to look furtively around
and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, "some kind of banished royalty?
"You are Zantor Tageonant, the rightful King of Antar."
"And I was sent to Earth," Max deadpanned, showing his
disbelief.
"You were killed in the war and sent to Earth to be reborn
and prepare to free your people."
Max could feel Liz's tension as it spread into his own body. He didn't know what these people wanted
from him but he didn't believe he was the King of another planet. Even if he was, he thought to himself,
he didn't want anything to do with it especially if it endangered his
relationship with Liz.
He tightened his grip on Liz's hand. "I don't believe you, but even if it were true, I don't
want it. I don't want to be an
alien and I certainly don't want to be a King. I just want to live a normal human life with Liz. She is the only thing that matters to
me."
Liz could hear the pleading tone in MaxÕs voice and her mind
rushed for a way to provide him with relief. Her eyes hardened as she looked at Sam, the so-called
faithful servant, and an idea came to her. She spoke loud enough for all of them to hear, "If Max
is the King, then you must obey his commands. He told you he doesn't want you bothering him, so
leave."
Max smiled with relief, grateful for Liz's quick intellect. "Don't come near Liz or myself
again, any of you, that's an order."
Sam's gaze briefly raked over the small girl sitting with his King
and then he turned his attention back to Max. He straightened, "As you wish."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cuerena waited until they were out of earshot to speak. "Liz is a clever girl."
Sam nodded his agreement, "Maybe too clever for her own
good. I didn't realize this Liz
would be a real threat to our plan.
She seems to have Max wrapped around her finger, but I won't let one
human endanger our mission and our people."
"What do you think we should do?" Cuerena asked.
"Nothing for the time being," Sam said. "We did receive an order from our
King." He paused weighing
their options. "We have
time. We will continue to work
with Michael. Max trusts him and
when Michael remembers his past he will be able to convince Max."
"You have been working with Alyssa for over ten years and she
barely remembers anything," Cuerena pointed out.
Sam nodded, "It is more difficult than I thought without the
memory retrieval devices but I expected her to remember more. It's almost like she has a mental
block."
Cuerena nodded, "Maybe the memories of her other life are
just too traumatic."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz kissed the furrows on Max's forehead, willing the tension from
him and he buried his head into her neck and released a heavy sigh. She spoke softly with a teasing note in
her voice, "So not only are you an alien, but you are the King of another
planet." She gently raised
his head and kissed a line down his nose and gently brushed his lips with her
own. "What have I gotten
myself into?"
Max smiled and pulled her to him for a lingering kiss. When he reluctantly broke away from
her, he spoke in a strangled tone, "Liz, I know things are getting really
weird, and I would understand if you don't want to be with me..."
Liz silenced him with a shake of her head. "Max don't you realize what you
are to me? What you're always
going to be? You are the love of
my life. I will stay with you as
long as you want me."
"Oh Liz," he sighed, "I don't know what I did to
deserve you but IÕll never let you go."
Liz sat back from him so she could look into his eyes. "Max I know we planned to get
married in the spring, but what if we just went into town tomorrow and found a
Justice of the Peace."
Max smiled, "You want to elope?"
Liz nodded, a grin spreading across her face. "I want to be with you. Together we can do anything."
"But you deserve to have a big wedding with all of the
trappings, the dress, the flowers, the reception with bridesmaids and your
family. You would get cheated out
of all of that."
"I don't care about any of that. I just care about you." She shrugged, "We could always have another ceremony
for our parents and friends, but this will be just for us."
Max took her hand in his and kissed the ring he had placed
there. "Liz Parker, will you
marry me tomorrow?"
Liz smiled.
"There is nothing I want more."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Royal Sonesta Hotel)
Michael waited for Sam and Cuerena in the living room of their
hotel suite. They usually started
the training sessions in the afternoon but they were late and Michael was
anxious to ask them about his betrothal to Isabel. The images from their shared dreams came rushing forward and
he closed his eyes trying unsuccessfully to block them. He had always thought of Isabel as his
sister and the thought of being with her was disturbing to say the least.
He watched anxiously as the door to the suite opened but sank back
into the sofa disappointed when Alyssa walked in. "When are Sam and Cuerena coming back?" he barked.
"Hi to you too Michael,Ó Alyssa greeted him. ÒCould you be any more rude?"
"Whatever," he said dismissively. "I need to talk to them."
Alyssa approached him slowly, with an amused look on her
face. "What's so
urgent?"
"It's none of your business."
"This wouldn't have anything to do with your betrothal, would
it?" she asked innocently.
Michael started to rise and she laughed, "Don't get so angry. I was only teasing you."
"Funny," he huffed. "If Sam shows up tell him I'll be back in an
hour."
Alyssa sighed, Michael really had no sense of humor. She watched as he turned and walked
away from her and considered the possibilities. Max's best friend and second-in-command could make a
powerful ally and he could help persuade Max to accept the truth. She quickly decided that she really
didn't have anything to lose, but she waited until Michael was almost at the
door to drop her bombshell.
"I have all the answers you need."
Her words stopped him just short of the door and he spun around to
confront her. "What are you
talking about?"
Alyssa casually walked into her room, and after a moment, emerged
with a worn paperback book which she handed to him.
He took the book from her and glanced at the title. "I'm not sure how Harry Potter is going to help," he sneered,
thrusting the book back at her.
Alyssa rolled her eyes and passed her hand over the book. The paperback facade dissolved to
reveal tarnished metal pages held together by rings, with what appeared to be
an alien symbol etched on the front.
Michael's eyes widened, "What is it?"
"It's from our world," she said, as she flipped through
the pages, finally stopping on one that showed two males with two pregnant
females. "And this is our
destiny."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC
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