Title: Legacy
Summary: Sequel to "Out of the Woods." I highly recommend reading it before trying this one. It is archived at the Fanfic.net. Basically, Max is gone, and the others have no idea whether they will ever see him again.
Category: Everyone but with a strong M/L slant.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. The characters and concept belong to Jason Katims and Melinda Metz. Tarsus of Dernia and all Illyrian characters belong to me. Lyrics by Sarah McLachlan, Phil Collins, Amanda Marshall, Garth Brooks, Frozen Ghost.
I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memory.
Remember the good times that we had,
Let them slip away from us when things got bad.
Clearly I first saw you, smiling in the sun,
Want to feel your warmth upon me
I wanna be the one.
I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memory.
I'm so tired, I can't sleep.
Standing on the edge of something much too deep.
It's funny how we feel so much
But cannot say the words
We are screaming inside but we can't be heard.
I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memory.
So afraid to love you.
More afraid to lose.
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose.
Where once there was a darkness,
A deep and endless night,
You gave me everything you had,
Oh, you gave me life.
I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memory.
Weep not for the memory.
Sarah McLachlan
Prologue - Dreams
* Max *
He remembered her only when he was asleep.
It was then that she haunted him.
Dark hair, dark eyes, a beautiful face with perfect features, gazing at him with love in every look.
And then her name would come to him like a gift.
Liz.
Visions of her were his only comfort in a world that had gone mad.
Flash*
Young Liz on the playground playing with Maria - the first time he had ever seen her.
Flash*
Liz bent over her biology book, her dark hair hiding her face, until she absent-mindedly tucked it behind her ear, revealing her profile in deep concentration.
Flash*
Liz in the Crashdown, laughing with Maria, her alien antenna head-band bouncing as they clung to each other giggling.
Flash*
Liz staring up at him in shock after he had saved her - the day that he had put his heart - in fact his entire existence - on the line to preserve a life more precious to him then his own.
Flash* Flash* Flash*
She was everywhere.
"I really don't think you should leave."
"I don't care."
"You were the one person I really wanted to talk to."
"Do you still think that's a good idea?"
"Max, I didn't come here for permission. I came for the pendant."
"I guess these are the things we do when we feel a certain way about someone."
"How is it that I can be the happiest I've ever been in my whole life and the saddest at the same time?"
"You made me a part of this Max."
"And what if I believe you tonight?"
"I know I'm supposed to be, but I guess I'll just have to put myself in your hands."
"I love you."
Liz.
"Jaxon! Wake up!"
Jaxon Falconer, King of Illyria, Blue Prince sat up blinking.
He shook his head, blinked at his second-in-command, Tarsus of Dernia.
"What's going on?" He asked groggily. His mind was searching frantically for something that had been there only moments before.
Not something - someone.
"Your parents.." Tarsus replied, his lips pressed together in annoyance. "They've attacked the Citadel."
Jaxon's mind snapped to full consciousness. "Get my sword."
She was gone.
Part 1
How can I just let you walk away from me
Just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here taking every breath
For you.
You're the only one, who really knew me at all.
How can you just walk away from me
When all I can do is watch you leave
Cause we shared the laughter and the pain
And even shed the tears,
You're the only one who really knew me at all.
So take a look at me now,
Well, there's just an empty space
And there's nothing here to remind me,
Just the memory of your face.
Well, take a look at me now
There's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds
And that's what I've got to face.
I wish I could make you turn around
Turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you
So many reasons why.
You're the only one who really knew me at all.
Now take a look at me now
Cause there's just an empty space,
But to wait for you is all I can do
And that's what I've got to face.
Take a good look at me now
Cause I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I've got to take.
Phil Collins
September 5, 2001 - Roswell, New Mexico
Journal Entry 98
I'm Liz Parker and nine months ago I died.
Or at least that's what it feels like.
When you left Max - my life just ended.
Oh, I go through the motions. I have kept my promise to you. I am strong. I am a rock. I am everyone else's shoulder to cry on.
I refuse to cry.
Max! Where are you???
I am trying so hard to be strong but it just gets harder and harder every day.
I feel so alone. I miss you so much.
Everyone misses you. It's like we've all gone to sleep waiting for you to come back, even though Michael keeps telling Izzy that its not going to happen.
You'd think that he'd be the one who'd want you back the most, since its all his fault in the first place.
I know that the way I feel about Michael is completely irrational, but I can't help it. I try to hide my anger, but I think that Maria knows and I'm almost sure that Isabel is beginning to suspect too.
Liz Parker looked up abruptly from her journal when the telephone in her bedroom began to ring. She sighed, glanced down at the leather-bound book on her lap.
She knew that if she stopped writing now, she might not come back to it. It seemed impossible to believe but it was the first time she had picked up her journal since the week after Max Evans had disappeared.
After he had left, she had read if from cover to cover, reliving every wonderful, heartbreaking moment of their entire relationship. Then she had returned it to its hiding place behind the brick in her bedroom wall and had ignored it.
She had known that trying to write in it would have been too much. She was always at her most emotional and open with her journal. She had a promise to keep to Max - emotional meant weak.
Liz had finally given in today. She had needed something to turn to since her friends were off limits.
She couldn't turn to any of the others. If she had started with them, the floodgates would have opened and that would have been the end of her resolve.
She knew that they were all worried about her, wanted her to open up. But she had to be there for THEM.
She had promised.
After the third ring, Liz finally gave in. She laid aside her journal, climbed in through her bedroom window, picked up the phone.
"Hello?" She knew it had to be one of four people: Isabel, Alex, Tess or Kyle. No one else ever called her anymore. Everyone else at school thought she was weird.
Liz didn't mind. All of her friends were now considered weird too.
"Hi Liz." It was Isabel. Liz blinked. Her friend sounded uncharacteristically cheerful, totally unlike the morbid Isabel Evans who had haunted Roswell since Max had left. Liz had once heard Kyle's old football buddy Paulie mutter to someone as he had passed Liz and Isabel in the hallway, "Just looking at her makes me depressed."
There was no question that Isabel had taken her brother's "death" hard. For that was what everyone in Roswell thought had happened to Max Evans - that he had fallen into a freezing cold river on the Father's Camping trip the previous January and had drowned.
Although Max's body had never been found, no one had any reason to doubt it. Max's parents and Sheriff Valenti were the strongest supporters of the story. Only ten people knew the real reason that Max Evans had disappeared.
"What's going on Iz?" Liz demanded, her heart suddenly beating faster.
"Just get over here now." Isabel told her cryptically. "Something has happened. Don't worry! It's nothing bad."
Liz bit her lip, trying not to hope. Hope was a luxury they could not afford. "Is it about Max?" She finally managed to ask.
"It's complicated. Just hurry." Before Liz could ask another question, Isabel had slammed the phone down in her ear.
Liz stared at the receiver in her hand, shook her head in annoyance. She finally replaced it on the telephone and went to grab her car-keys off the bedside table.
She paused briefly, glanced lovingly at the picture of Max that sat beside her bed. It was the candid shot of him reading that Maria had snapped almost two years ago. She went through the ritual that had become her habit every time she left her bedroom. Liz brought her fingers to her lips, kissed them and touched Max's pensive face. "I love you Max - forever."
Part 2
Isabel Evans paced the length of her parent's living room, unable to sit still.
She couldn't believe that she had actually been able to get through the day. She had looked for Liz everywhere at school, but she had been nowhere to be found.
It had all started with the thing with Maria. Kyle had come to get her for that. He had come running into her fourth period English class, had ignored the teacher completely, had grabbed Isabel by the arm, barely giving her enough time to grab her book bag off the floor next to her desk. As they ran out of the room Isabel could her Mrs. Jenkins yelling after both of them: "Mr. Valenti! Miss Evans! You get back here right now!"
Needless to say, they had ignored her.
Isabel had been shocked to see Michael hovering near the entrance to the second-floor girl's washroom, a look of terror on his face. She had not seen Michael in close to three weeks. He and Maria had taken off on Michael's new motorcycle the night before school had started and they hadn't seen either of them since.
"What's going on?" She demanded.
"Iz, please." Michael just looked at her with pleading eyes. Isabel shot a questioning glance at Kyle. He shrugged.
"I found him like this. He asked me to get you."
Michael looked towards the girl's room door again. It was clear that he was too upset to talk. Isabel turned to Kyle again. "Go find Tess and Liz." She instructed him, realizing that someone needed to take control of the situation.
Isabel briefly placed a comforting hand on Michael's arm. "Is it Maria?" She asked.
Michael could only nod.
How upset her brother was only reinforced to Isabel how much Michael had come to depend on Maria over the last few months. Although neither of them could really remember anything of their stay on their home planet of Illyria, they were both still clearly dealing with some sort of trauma.
Isabel pushed open the girl's room door to a horrifying - but all too common - sight.
Maria Deluca was retching into one of the sinks. Isabel quickly hurried to her side, stroked her back comfortingly, pulling Maria's still long hair back from her face. She had not cut it since her return to Earth, although she had had to tell everyone it was extensions. "Are you okay Maria?" Isabel asked when Maria seemed to be breathing evenly again.
Her friend looked up, met Isabel's eyes in the mirror. "I've been better." She managed to say before she was bent over the sink again in agony.
This had happened so many times since Maria and Michael's return from Illyria, Isabel knew that they just had to wait it out.
Finally, Isabel was able to grab a paper towel, wet it and place it on Maria's forehead. She led the smaller girl to a couch set up in the lounge area of the girl's room, gently forced Maria down on it.
Maria leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes. "Just another bout of the friendly alien flu." She managed to joke weakly.
Isabel pressed her lips together. Maria was dealing with this far better then the rest of them.
But then, Maria had long ago accepted what the rest of them were still coming to terms with.
Maria was dying.
Now as Isabel waited for Liz, she reflected on what they had managed to find out since Maria and Michael had returned the previous winter.
The fevers had begun a couple of weeks after they had all returned to town from Frasier Woods. Maria had fainted at work in the Crashdown one day, frightening Michael and Liz half out their wits.
And then the throwing up had begun...and the pains in her chest and her stomach.
They had been unable to take Maria to a local doctor. They didn't want any of it to get out to the already too nosy residents of Roswell.
The Sheriff had arranged an appointment in Albuquerque.
There had been absolutely no medical reason for Maria's illness. And yet, it continued to get worse. Maria's mom was convinced that it was cancer, but visits to ten different doctors all over New Mexico had turned up nothing.
It was Alex who had finally guessed what was wrong. "I think that Maria's body is breaking down from the stress of the trip to and from Illyria." He told Isabel one night as they lay on their backs on the hood of the Jeep, both staring up at the millions of stars shining down. Their hands had been clasped between them. Alex stroked the back of her fingers gently as he spoke.
Isabel had been unable to take her eyes away from the "V" constellation that sheltered her world of origin - that sheltered her beloved brother. She had been thinking about Max when Alex's voice had broken into her thoughts - about how much they missed him, about whether he was still alive.
She turned her head, looked at her boyfriend. "What?"
"There's no other explanation." Alex replied, sitting up and staring down at her. "The stress was too much for her body to take."
Isabel frowned in thought. "But why is Michael okay?" She asked finally. "I mean, he was human when he came back."
"Yeah, but he was ALIEN when he went." Alex replied. "And Michael is physically strong - his human body can probably deal with the one trip it took through the portal. But Maria's not strong - and her body had two trips."
"Are you telling me that her body isn't going to recover?" Isabel demanded, feeling tears beginning to well in her eyes. If so, how were they going to tell Liz? Her friend would never survive the news.
No one was fooled by Liz's imitation of Michael's stone-wall. She was lost without Max. If she lost Maria too... It didn't even bear contemplation.
Not to mention, I love Maria. Isabel reflected. She's like the only bright ray of light left in our morbid group.
It was true. Maria was the glue that held them all together these days. Constantly cheerful, never complaining about her physical condition, always ready with a snappy comeback in true Deluca fashion.
Isabel knew that love of Maria was the only force that kept Liz from physically attacking Michael. Liz's anger at and blame of Michael for Max's disappearance grew deeper every day. It was on the verge of exploding.
And just as every day Liz's anger grew, Michael's guilt practically buried him.
But love of Maria kept them all bonded. Michael went on for her. Liz survived for her.
Tess had finally shown up in the girl's room just as the bell was about to ring for lunch. "What's going on?" She asked. Her face whitened when she saw Maria. "Oh no, not again."
"Listen Tess, we need to get her out of here." Isabel told her friend. "No one can see her like this."
Tess swallowed, nodded. She sat down on the couch, pulled one of Maria's arms over her shoulders. Isabel did the same on the other. The managed to carry her to the door, where Michael was waiting to take her in his arms. Kyle hurried down the hallway ahead of them all. He would be the hall monitor if anyone tried to interfere. Kyle was the only one left with any sort of influence on the other students, even though he hung out with a group that everyone else considered creepy. It was those perfect spiral passes of his that did it.
Five minutes later Michael had gently deposited Maria on the back-seat of the jeep, climbed in beside her, pulling her head down on his shoulder. She fell asleep almost immediately.
And it was then that Isabel had the flash.
She heard Alex yell her name as though from a great distance, "ISABEL!"
She felt herself fall into her boyfriend's arms.
It hurt like hell. It felt like a thousand hammers all slamming into her skull at the same time.
*FLASH
"Mirana! The time has come." She recognized the voice - but then she didn't.
*FLASH
"Go to where it all began."
*FLASH
"Your greatest wish will be fulfilled."
*FLASH
"Make the sacrifice and all will be well."
*FLASH
"Use your dreams."
And then a face appeared in her mind - a face so familiar and beloved that it brought tears to Isabel's eyes.
The vision ended as suddenly as it had appeared. Isabel blinked, opened her eyes. Alex was staring down at her in terror, his face as white as chalk. Tess and Kyle were hovering over her.
Michael was yelling from the jeep, "Is she all right?"
"I'm okay." She managed to croak, as Alex helped her to her feet.
And then a smile broke across her face. She couldn't help it.
"I saw him! I saw Max!"
They all stared at her.
They were all still staring at her now as she paced. She had refused to tell them anymore since her outburst, insisting that Liz had to be there.
Michael was seated on the couch, Maria curled up next to him. Her eyes were closed, but Isabel knew she was awake. The pasty colour of her skin was worrisome, but she seemed to be holding her own for the moment.
Kyle was leaning against the wall looking tired. He kept glancing at Tess, trying to pretend that he wasn't. By now they all knew that Kyle was in love with the pretty blonde - well, everyone except Tess. She treated him like a brother.
Alex was watching Isabel with concern. He had kept asking her if she was okay, until Isabel finally snapped at him. He wasn't hurt though. He knew she didn't really mean it. He just continued to watch her quietly, his silent support like a balm to Isabel's soul.
"She's here!" Tess told them, turning away from the window where she had been scanning the street for Liz's arrival.
"Finally!" Michael muttered. Isabel thought briefly that it was weird that Michael was actually eager to see Liz, what with all the glaring she treated him to. But Michael almost seemed to revel in it - it helped him to wallow in his own guilt.
The doorbell rang a moment later. Isabel practically sprinted to answer it, grabbed Liz by the arm and hauled her in to join the others.
Liz came to an abrupt stop in the doorway to the living room. She was staring at Michael and Maria. Isabel saw her friend's gaze darken. "You're back." Liz said tightly.
"Yup." Michael replied. Liz's back stiffened.
"Is Maria okay?" She asked evenly.
"Not so good." Michael replied in a monotone.
Maria opened her eyes, grinned weakly. "Um, I can still speak for myself you know. The alien cooties haven't stolen my ability to communicate."
Liz hesitated briefly, seemed to make an internal decision. She went to sit beside Maria on the couch.
Liz turned to Isabel. "So what's up Iz?" Isabel could see the glimmer of hope on Liz's face. She couldn't wait to see that hope increase.
"I had a flash." Isabel announced. "And I think that Max sent it to me."
Part 3
Liz felt her eyes widen. "What...what do you mean?" She managed to choke out, her heart in her throat.
"Just what I said. Today at school I had some sort of weird flash." Isabel replied. "And Max was in it."
"But how do you know that he sent it to you?" Liz asked, suppressing the hope that was building. Don't do this to yourself Liz, she ordered herself. Stay calm, rational. You know you're only going to be disappointed.
Isabel's brows drew together. "Well, I don't know for sure." She finally conceded. Liz could see that she was beginning to get upset. "I thought...I mean..."
Alex stood up quickly, went to place his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder comfortingly. "Why don't you just tell us what you saw?" He suggested, making the most commonsensical suggestion, as usual.
Liz eyed Michael out of the corner of her eye. She could see that he was leaning forward, listening to Isabel intently. His arm was around Maria's shoulder, supporting her. Liz could not bear to look at Maria. One look at her best friend when she had entered the Evans's living room had upset her enough to have the foundations of her stone wall shake.
Strong - she had to be strong.
"Well," Isabel searched her memory. "The voice was really familiar. I don't think it was Max's exactly, but I definitely knew it." Alex nodded encouragingly. "It called me "Mirana." I think that's my name on Illyria."
Maria's eyes suddenly snapped open. "Tristandor!"
"What?" Michael asked, perplexed. They were all staring at her in confusion.
"That's YOUR name Michael. It just like came to me." Maria's brow was furrowed. "I distinctly remember Max calling you that."
Michael and Maria had very few memories of their time on Illyria. They had all virtually disappeared after the first few days back on Earth. Liz knew that such a giant loss of memory was upsetting to Maria because, although it had only been about an hour on Earth, the time the two of them had spent on the other planet had been close to a year in Illyrian time.
To not have any recollection of that much of your life, especially such a significant part, must be terrifying.
"So you guys WERE with Max then?" Tess demanded. All the information they had managed to glean from Michael and Maria had been confusing to say the least. Michael knew that Max had given himself up to the rebels on his planet so that Michael could be returned to Earth in his advanced human form, but he had no actual recollection of Max on Illyria.
Maria was still frowning, clearly searching her memory. "Definitely."
Michael was beginning to nod. "Yeah. Jaxon."
Liz began to feel impatient. "Okay, so back to your flashes Izzy." She felt a pang of guilt when Maria shot her a hurt look. Sorry, she mouthed to her friend. Maria smiled understandingly, closed her eyes again and leaned back against Michael.
"Well the voice told me that I had to go back to where it all began, make the sacrifice and my greatest wish would be granted." Isabel finished. She shook her head ruefully. "I just realized that I have no idea what any of it means."
"Is that it?" Tess asked, clearly unimpressed.
Isabel scowled at her. "Yes, Tess, that's it." She smacked a hand to her forehead. "Oh wait! The voice also told me to use my dreams."
Dreams.
Liz certainly knew about dreams.
Max Evans had been haunting hers.
If she didn't know for certain that Max's powers did not include the capability to dreamwalk...Well, she had at one point thought that he might be trying to communicate with her that way.
But there had never been any new information in her dreams - just bittersweet memories of her time with Max.
The healing. The excitement and revelation of the advancement of their relationship. Their first kiss. Max taking a step back. The blind date fiasco. The crash/ flash incident that had resulted in the discovery of the first orb. The whole Tess/white room/destiny catastrophe. The nine months apart when she had run away to England and Max had shut all his friends out of his life on the evil shapeshifter Tarsus of Dernia's orders. Max telling her he loved her, to be strong, disappearing in a beam of light, never to be seen again...
She relived it all every night in her dreams.
"Liz, are you okay?" Isabel demanded suddenly.
Liz shook her head, refocused on her friends. "Uh, yeah, sorry. Just zoned out there for a minute." She saw Alex and Isabel exchange a concerned look. Great Liz! Just another indication to further their belief that you are about to lose it. "So, using your dreams. What do you think it means?" She asked quickly, hoping to deflect everyone's attention away from her mental state.
"Dreamwalking?" Kyle suggested from the corner, speaking up for the first time. Liz glanced at him. Her ex-boyfriend looked tired. She knew that he had been juggling football, school and worrying about Liz for a long time now, not to mention struggling to hide his feelings for Tess, who was totally oblivious. Kyle had been such a rock to all of them. He deserved a little happiness. Liz wondered if Tess was ever going to open her eyes.
Liz knew that Tess's lack of interest in Kyle had nothing to do with Max anymore. She had finally given up on that. She had sought out Liz a few weeks after Max's disappearance to tell her that she had come to a decision.
Liz had been surprised to see the curly-haired blonde enter the Crashdown alone one Saturday when Liz was closing up. While there was very little tension between them anymore, they never actually sought each other out. It was too weird.
"Hi Tess. Is something wrong?" Liz had asked immediately, sure that something disastrous must have happened for Tess to be there.
"Um, no." Tess looked mildly uncomfortable. She sauntered up to the counter, taking a seat. "I need to talk to you Liz."
"Okay." Liz had been perplexed, but interested.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to do everything in my power to get Max back here." Tess told her abruptly. Her face was blank. Liz felt her stomach clench. Was Tess still going to try and get Max back for herself? She had thought that that was over.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking." She continued, beginning to fiddle with a straw. "I was really upset when I found out that Tarsus of Dernia told Max that I was insignificant on our planet." Despite herself, Liz felt her heart going out to her former nemesis. She knew how important Tess's "destiny" had been to her. It had been the defining principle of her existence. "But Kyle told me something last week that made a lot of sense. He said that maybe it wasn't a bad thing not to have my whole life mapped out in front of me."
Tess paused, was clearly waiting for Liz to say something. "Uh huh." Liz said dumbly, not at all sure where the other girl was headed with all this.
"Anyway, I realized he was right. I don't love Max. I never loved Max. I don't want to be with Max." She smiled shyly at Liz. "And now I don't have to be."
Liz blinked. "Okay?" She finally said, unable to quite believe what she was hearing.
"I do care about him though and I think that he belongs here. I think if this has shown me anything its that all four of us are insignificant on our home planet now. Max's life is here. He should be where he feels at home. And Liz, I know for a fact that the only place Max has ever felt truly at home was with you. You were the only one who was able to get through to him when he was acting like a jerk. You're everything to him."
Liz had felt tears welling up in her eyes. She had quickly blinked them away. She had held her resolve this long - no tears. "That's great. I mean, that's good. Thanks Tess."
Tess had smiled, hopped off the stool as though a thousand pound weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Yeah, well, I know I told you once that I wished we could be friends. I know you probably didn't believe me, and I don't think I really meant it at the time," she added wryly, "But I do mean it this time."
Liz had just nodded. Tess had not said anything more. She had left, leaving a dumbfounded, but pleased, Liz behind.
As Liz glanced at Tess now, she hoped that the other girl would eventually find her own Max. If it wasn't going to be Kyle, then hopefully someone else would make her heart sing the way that Max did Liz's.
Liz tuned back into the conversation that was milling around her. "No, I don't think its dreamwalking." Isabel was saying. "Remember I tried to dreamwalk Max right after he left. All I got was a big blank space. I think the range is too far."
"Maybe someone is going to try and come dreamwalk you?" Tess supplied.
"Maybe..." Isabel trailed off. "It couldn't be Max, could it?" She suddenly looked at Alex and Liz. "Ohmigosh!"
"What?" Alex demanded. Liz was equally confused.
"I totally forgot! What an idiot I am!" Isabel continued to berate herself.
"Isabel, what?" Michael practically yelled from the couch.
Isabel continued to stare at Alex and Liz in turn. "Think you guys. Remember back, right before Max took off. He locked us up in the cave!"
Liz's eyes widened. She stared at Isabel, then turned to stare at Tess. "Max created an illusion! He made us see that wall there, when it wasn't. Tess! He had your power!"
"Okay, explanation please?" Kyle said sarcastically.
"Right before Max went and podded himself to save Michael, he locked me, Izzy and Liz up in a cave." Alex explained. Liz wondered why none of them had never gone over this before. "Anyway, he did it by creating an illusion of a wall that wasn't there. We could feel it and everything. Isabel managed to make it disappear, but it was definitely a Tess-power type thing."
"We figured that all of you have the capability to perform each other's powers if you really concentrate." Liz inserted. "It would make sense that as the leader Max would be the most powerful, and thus would be the one who found it the easiest to develop his latent abilities."
"So then him dreamwalking US is a distinct possibility!" Isabel finished.
"So Max is trying to communicate with us?" Liz could hear the note of hope that was developing in Michael's voice. Yeah, you had better hope he is! She thought bitterly, since its your fault to begin with. She pushed the reflection aside. The irrationality of her hatred for Michael - it frightened her sometimes.
"Okay, so basically we all keep our dreams available for a little visit from above." Alex instructed them. "He seems to be trying to make his way back to us. I think Izzy was right. It now seems likely that her flash was from Max."
"What about that part "return to where it all began and make the sacrifice?" Maria asked quietly from the couch. "What the heck does that mean?"
They all exchanged looks. "No clue." Alex finally replied.
"Me either." Said Kyle.
Isabel was frowning again. "I feel like I know..." She clenched her fists in frustration. "It's like the memory is right on the edge of my mind and I can't get at it." She glanced at Michael and Tess. "Do you guys know?"
Tess just shook her head, but Michael replied, "It sounds familiar to me too. I guess we'll just have to keep our minds open - maybe Maxwell can tell us if he can get into someone's dream."
God, I hope its mine, Liz thought to herself. What she wouldn't give to be able to talk to Max again, to feel his arms wrapped around her, to caress his lips with her own - even if it was just in a dream.
Alex suddenly stretched his arms above his head, faked a yawn. "I'm suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to go take a nap." He joked. Isabel and Tess laughed. Kyle did too. Michael even snickered. They were clearly all getting a little giddy with the possibility that they didn't have to give up on Max yet.
Although Liz knew that none of them really ever would.
She glanced at her watch. It was only seven o'clock, she realized, disappointed. Hours before bed-time yet.
"Yeah, I could use a nap too." Maria put in. The others sobered immediately. They all knew that Maria was not joking. The fact that she mentioned it meant that she really needed one.
Suddenly the world didn't seem quite as rosy anymore.
Michael quietly stood up, pulled Maria into his arms.
"I CAN walk you big doofus." Maria told him, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm not a complete invalid yet."
"Humour me." Michael replied, then proceeded to ignore her irritated muttering. "So, first one to hear from Max, call right away."
Isabel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, even if it's three in the morning."
"What if we don't hear from him?" Tess asked in a small voice.
"Then we try and figure out the message on our own." Alex decided. "Let's all meet for lunch tomorrow in any case. We'll probably all have some fresh ideas after a good night's sleep."
Michael quickly said his good-byes and carried a still protesting Maria out the door. "Liz, call me!" She managed to yell before the door slammed on them.
Kyle and Tess had clearly arrived together for they were the next to leave. Kyle came and put his arm around Liz and squeezed gently first. "Hang in there Parker." Tess smiled at her and followed him out of the room.
Alex settled back on the couch. He was clearly going to be hanging around with Isabel for a while.
Liz suddenly felt like a third wheel. Everyone was paired up. Even Kyle and Tess hung out with each other more then with anyone else, even if there was nothing going on.
It made Liz miss Max even more.
"Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow." She finally said, feeling awkward. Isabel was still looking at her with concern.
"Are you sure you're okay Liz?" She asked.
"Sure." Liz replied. She needed out of there now.
The stone wall was cracking.
"Bye guys!" Liz practically sprinted to the door. She didn't stop her crazy dash until she was seated in the front seat of her parent's car.
Liz clutched the steering wheel, stared straight ahead.
"Max. Please. Let it be me." She whispered aloud.
To be continued...
Summary: Sequel to "Out of the Woods." I highly recommend reading it before trying this one. It is archived at the Fanfic.net. Basically, Max is gone, and the others have no idea whether they will ever see him again.
Category: Everyone but with a strong M/L slant.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. The characters and concept belong to Jason Katims and Melinda Metz. Tarsus of Dernia and all Illyrian characters belong to me. Lyrics by Sarah McLachlan, Phil Collins, Amanda Marshall, Garth Brooks, Frozen Ghost.
I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memory.
Remember the good times that we had,
Let them slip away from us when things got bad.
Clearly I first saw you, smiling in the sun,
Want to feel your warmth upon me
I wanna be the one.
I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memory.
I'm so tired, I can't sleep.
Standing on the edge of something much too deep.
It's funny how we feel so much
But cannot say the words
We are screaming inside but we can't be heard.
I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memory.
So afraid to love you.
More afraid to lose.
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose.
Where once there was a darkness,
A deep and endless night,
You gave me everything you had,
Oh, you gave me life.
I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memory.
Weep not for the memory.
Sarah McLachlan
Prologue - Dreams
* Max *
He remembered her only when he was asleep.
It was then that she haunted him.
Dark hair, dark eyes, a beautiful face with perfect features, gazing at him with love in every look.
And then her name would come to him like a gift.
Liz.
Visions of her were his only comfort in a world that had gone mad.
Flash*
Young Liz on the playground playing with Maria - the first time he had ever seen her.
Flash*
Liz bent over her biology book, her dark hair hiding her face, until she absent-mindedly tucked it behind her ear, revealing her profile in deep concentration.
Flash*
Liz in the Crashdown, laughing with Maria, her alien antenna head-band bouncing as they clung to each other giggling.
Flash*
Liz staring up at him in shock after he had saved her - the day that he had put his heart - in fact his entire existence - on the line to preserve a life more precious to him then his own.
Flash* Flash* Flash*
She was everywhere.
"I really don't think you should leave."
"I don't care."
"You were the one person I really wanted to talk to."
"Do you still think that's a good idea?"
"Max, I didn't come here for permission. I came for the pendant."
"I guess these are the things we do when we feel a certain way about someone."
"How is it that I can be the happiest I've ever been in my whole life and the saddest at the same time?"
"You made me a part of this Max."
"And what if I believe you tonight?"
"I know I'm supposed to be, but I guess I'll just have to put myself in your hands."
"I love you."
Liz.
"Jaxon! Wake up!"
Jaxon Falconer, King of Illyria, Blue Prince sat up blinking.
He shook his head, blinked at his second-in-command, Tarsus of Dernia.
"What's going on?" He asked groggily. His mind was searching frantically for something that had been there only moments before.
Not something - someone.
"Your parents.." Tarsus replied, his lips pressed together in annoyance. "They've attacked the Citadel."
Jaxon's mind snapped to full consciousness. "Get my sword."
She was gone.
Part 1
How can I just let you walk away from me
Just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here taking every breath
For you.
You're the only one, who really knew me at all.
How can you just walk away from me
When all I can do is watch you leave
Cause we shared the laughter and the pain
And even shed the tears,
You're the only one who really knew me at all.
So take a look at me now,
Well, there's just an empty space
And there's nothing here to remind me,
Just the memory of your face.
Well, take a look at me now
There's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds
And that's what I've got to face.
I wish I could make you turn around
Turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you
So many reasons why.
You're the only one who really knew me at all.
Now take a look at me now
Cause there's just an empty space,
But to wait for you is all I can do
And that's what I've got to face.
Take a good look at me now
Cause I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I've got to take.
Phil Collins
September 5, 2001 - Roswell, New Mexico
Journal Entry 98
I'm Liz Parker and nine months ago I died.
Or at least that's what it feels like.
When you left Max - my life just ended.
Oh, I go through the motions. I have kept my promise to you. I am strong. I am a rock. I am everyone else's shoulder to cry on.
I refuse to cry.
Max! Where are you???
I am trying so hard to be strong but it just gets harder and harder every day.
I feel so alone. I miss you so much.
Everyone misses you. It's like we've all gone to sleep waiting for you to come back, even though Michael keeps telling Izzy that its not going to happen.
You'd think that he'd be the one who'd want you back the most, since its all his fault in the first place.
I know that the way I feel about Michael is completely irrational, but I can't help it. I try to hide my anger, but I think that Maria knows and I'm almost sure that Isabel is beginning to suspect too.
Liz Parker looked up abruptly from her journal when the telephone in her bedroom began to ring. She sighed, glanced down at the leather-bound book on her lap.
She knew that if she stopped writing now, she might not come back to it. It seemed impossible to believe but it was the first time she had picked up her journal since the week after Max Evans had disappeared.
After he had left, she had read if from cover to cover, reliving every wonderful, heartbreaking moment of their entire relationship. Then she had returned it to its hiding place behind the brick in her bedroom wall and had ignored it.
She had known that trying to write in it would have been too much. She was always at her most emotional and open with her journal. She had a promise to keep to Max - emotional meant weak.
Liz had finally given in today. She had needed something to turn to since her friends were off limits.
She couldn't turn to any of the others. If she had started with them, the floodgates would have opened and that would have been the end of her resolve.
She knew that they were all worried about her, wanted her to open up. But she had to be there for THEM.
She had promised.
After the third ring, Liz finally gave in. She laid aside her journal, climbed in through her bedroom window, picked up the phone.
"Hello?" She knew it had to be one of four people: Isabel, Alex, Tess or Kyle. No one else ever called her anymore. Everyone else at school thought she was weird.
Liz didn't mind. All of her friends were now considered weird too.
"Hi Liz." It was Isabel. Liz blinked. Her friend sounded uncharacteristically cheerful, totally unlike the morbid Isabel Evans who had haunted Roswell since Max had left. Liz had once heard Kyle's old football buddy Paulie mutter to someone as he had passed Liz and Isabel in the hallway, "Just looking at her makes me depressed."
There was no question that Isabel had taken her brother's "death" hard. For that was what everyone in Roswell thought had happened to Max Evans - that he had fallen into a freezing cold river on the Father's Camping trip the previous January and had drowned.
Although Max's body had never been found, no one had any reason to doubt it. Max's parents and Sheriff Valenti were the strongest supporters of the story. Only ten people knew the real reason that Max Evans had disappeared.
"What's going on Iz?" Liz demanded, her heart suddenly beating faster.
"Just get over here now." Isabel told her cryptically. "Something has happened. Don't worry! It's nothing bad."
Liz bit her lip, trying not to hope. Hope was a luxury they could not afford. "Is it about Max?" She finally managed to ask.
"It's complicated. Just hurry." Before Liz could ask another question, Isabel had slammed the phone down in her ear.
Liz stared at the receiver in her hand, shook her head in annoyance. She finally replaced it on the telephone and went to grab her car-keys off the bedside table.
She paused briefly, glanced lovingly at the picture of Max that sat beside her bed. It was the candid shot of him reading that Maria had snapped almost two years ago. She went through the ritual that had become her habit every time she left her bedroom. Liz brought her fingers to her lips, kissed them and touched Max's pensive face. "I love you Max - forever."
Part 2
Isabel Evans paced the length of her parent's living room, unable to sit still.
She couldn't believe that she had actually been able to get through the day. She had looked for Liz everywhere at school, but she had been nowhere to be found.
It had all started with the thing with Maria. Kyle had come to get her for that. He had come running into her fourth period English class, had ignored the teacher completely, had grabbed Isabel by the arm, barely giving her enough time to grab her book bag off the floor next to her desk. As they ran out of the room Isabel could her Mrs. Jenkins yelling after both of them: "Mr. Valenti! Miss Evans! You get back here right now!"
Needless to say, they had ignored her.
Isabel had been shocked to see Michael hovering near the entrance to the second-floor girl's washroom, a look of terror on his face. She had not seen Michael in close to three weeks. He and Maria had taken off on Michael's new motorcycle the night before school had started and they hadn't seen either of them since.
"What's going on?" She demanded.
"Iz, please." Michael just looked at her with pleading eyes. Isabel shot a questioning glance at Kyle. He shrugged.
"I found him like this. He asked me to get you."
Michael looked towards the girl's room door again. It was clear that he was too upset to talk. Isabel turned to Kyle again. "Go find Tess and Liz." She instructed him, realizing that someone needed to take control of the situation.
Isabel briefly placed a comforting hand on Michael's arm. "Is it Maria?" She asked.
Michael could only nod.
How upset her brother was only reinforced to Isabel how much Michael had come to depend on Maria over the last few months. Although neither of them could really remember anything of their stay on their home planet of Illyria, they were both still clearly dealing with some sort of trauma.
Isabel pushed open the girl's room door to a horrifying - but all too common - sight.
Maria Deluca was retching into one of the sinks. Isabel quickly hurried to her side, stroked her back comfortingly, pulling Maria's still long hair back from her face. She had not cut it since her return to Earth, although she had had to tell everyone it was extensions. "Are you okay Maria?" Isabel asked when Maria seemed to be breathing evenly again.
Her friend looked up, met Isabel's eyes in the mirror. "I've been better." She managed to say before she was bent over the sink again in agony.
This had happened so many times since Maria and Michael's return from Illyria, Isabel knew that they just had to wait it out.
Finally, Isabel was able to grab a paper towel, wet it and place it on Maria's forehead. She led the smaller girl to a couch set up in the lounge area of the girl's room, gently forced Maria down on it.
Maria leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes. "Just another bout of the friendly alien flu." She managed to joke weakly.
Isabel pressed her lips together. Maria was dealing with this far better then the rest of them.
But then, Maria had long ago accepted what the rest of them were still coming to terms with.
Maria was dying.
Now as Isabel waited for Liz, she reflected on what they had managed to find out since Maria and Michael had returned the previous winter.
The fevers had begun a couple of weeks after they had all returned to town from Frasier Woods. Maria had fainted at work in the Crashdown one day, frightening Michael and Liz half out their wits.
And then the throwing up had begun...and the pains in her chest and her stomach.
They had been unable to take Maria to a local doctor. They didn't want any of it to get out to the already too nosy residents of Roswell.
The Sheriff had arranged an appointment in Albuquerque.
There had been absolutely no medical reason for Maria's illness. And yet, it continued to get worse. Maria's mom was convinced that it was cancer, but visits to ten different doctors all over New Mexico had turned up nothing.
It was Alex who had finally guessed what was wrong. "I think that Maria's body is breaking down from the stress of the trip to and from Illyria." He told Isabel one night as they lay on their backs on the hood of the Jeep, both staring up at the millions of stars shining down. Their hands had been clasped between them. Alex stroked the back of her fingers gently as he spoke.
Isabel had been unable to take her eyes away from the "V" constellation that sheltered her world of origin - that sheltered her beloved brother. She had been thinking about Max when Alex's voice had broken into her thoughts - about how much they missed him, about whether he was still alive.
She turned her head, looked at her boyfriend. "What?"
"There's no other explanation." Alex replied, sitting up and staring down at her. "The stress was too much for her body to take."
Isabel frowned in thought. "But why is Michael okay?" She asked finally. "I mean, he was human when he came back."
"Yeah, but he was ALIEN when he went." Alex replied. "And Michael is physically strong - his human body can probably deal with the one trip it took through the portal. But Maria's not strong - and her body had two trips."
"Are you telling me that her body isn't going to recover?" Isabel demanded, feeling tears beginning to well in her eyes. If so, how were they going to tell Liz? Her friend would never survive the news.
No one was fooled by Liz's imitation of Michael's stone-wall. She was lost without Max. If she lost Maria too... It didn't even bear contemplation.
Not to mention, I love Maria. Isabel reflected. She's like the only bright ray of light left in our morbid group.
It was true. Maria was the glue that held them all together these days. Constantly cheerful, never complaining about her physical condition, always ready with a snappy comeback in true Deluca fashion.
Isabel knew that love of Maria was the only force that kept Liz from physically attacking Michael. Liz's anger at and blame of Michael for Max's disappearance grew deeper every day. It was on the verge of exploding.
And just as every day Liz's anger grew, Michael's guilt practically buried him.
But love of Maria kept them all bonded. Michael went on for her. Liz survived for her.
Tess had finally shown up in the girl's room just as the bell was about to ring for lunch. "What's going on?" She asked. Her face whitened when she saw Maria. "Oh no, not again."
"Listen Tess, we need to get her out of here." Isabel told her friend. "No one can see her like this."
Tess swallowed, nodded. She sat down on the couch, pulled one of Maria's arms over her shoulders. Isabel did the same on the other. The managed to carry her to the door, where Michael was waiting to take her in his arms. Kyle hurried down the hallway ahead of them all. He would be the hall monitor if anyone tried to interfere. Kyle was the only one left with any sort of influence on the other students, even though he hung out with a group that everyone else considered creepy. It was those perfect spiral passes of his that did it.
Five minutes later Michael had gently deposited Maria on the back-seat of the jeep, climbed in beside her, pulling her head down on his shoulder. She fell asleep almost immediately.
And it was then that Isabel had the flash.
She heard Alex yell her name as though from a great distance, "ISABEL!"
She felt herself fall into her boyfriend's arms.
It hurt like hell. It felt like a thousand hammers all slamming into her skull at the same time.
*FLASH
"Mirana! The time has come." She recognized the voice - but then she didn't.
*FLASH
"Go to where it all began."
*FLASH
"Your greatest wish will be fulfilled."
*FLASH
"Make the sacrifice and all will be well."
*FLASH
"Use your dreams."
And then a face appeared in her mind - a face so familiar and beloved that it brought tears to Isabel's eyes.
The vision ended as suddenly as it had appeared. Isabel blinked, opened her eyes. Alex was staring down at her in terror, his face as white as chalk. Tess and Kyle were hovering over her.
Michael was yelling from the jeep, "Is she all right?"
"I'm okay." She managed to croak, as Alex helped her to her feet.
And then a smile broke across her face. She couldn't help it.
"I saw him! I saw Max!"
They all stared at her.
They were all still staring at her now as she paced. She had refused to tell them anymore since her outburst, insisting that Liz had to be there.
Michael was seated on the couch, Maria curled up next to him. Her eyes were closed, but Isabel knew she was awake. The pasty colour of her skin was worrisome, but she seemed to be holding her own for the moment.
Kyle was leaning against the wall looking tired. He kept glancing at Tess, trying to pretend that he wasn't. By now they all knew that Kyle was in love with the pretty blonde - well, everyone except Tess. She treated him like a brother.
Alex was watching Isabel with concern. He had kept asking her if she was okay, until Isabel finally snapped at him. He wasn't hurt though. He knew she didn't really mean it. He just continued to watch her quietly, his silent support like a balm to Isabel's soul.
"She's here!" Tess told them, turning away from the window where she had been scanning the street for Liz's arrival.
"Finally!" Michael muttered. Isabel thought briefly that it was weird that Michael was actually eager to see Liz, what with all the glaring she treated him to. But Michael almost seemed to revel in it - it helped him to wallow in his own guilt.
The doorbell rang a moment later. Isabel practically sprinted to answer it, grabbed Liz by the arm and hauled her in to join the others.
Liz came to an abrupt stop in the doorway to the living room. She was staring at Michael and Maria. Isabel saw her friend's gaze darken. "You're back." Liz said tightly.
"Yup." Michael replied. Liz's back stiffened.
"Is Maria okay?" She asked evenly.
"Not so good." Michael replied in a monotone.
Maria opened her eyes, grinned weakly. "Um, I can still speak for myself you know. The alien cooties haven't stolen my ability to communicate."
Liz hesitated briefly, seemed to make an internal decision. She went to sit beside Maria on the couch.
Liz turned to Isabel. "So what's up Iz?" Isabel could see the glimmer of hope on Liz's face. She couldn't wait to see that hope increase.
"I had a flash." Isabel announced. "And I think that Max sent it to me."
Part 3
Liz felt her eyes widen. "What...what do you mean?" She managed to choke out, her heart in her throat.
"Just what I said. Today at school I had some sort of weird flash." Isabel replied. "And Max was in it."
"But how do you know that he sent it to you?" Liz asked, suppressing the hope that was building. Don't do this to yourself Liz, she ordered herself. Stay calm, rational. You know you're only going to be disappointed.
Isabel's brows drew together. "Well, I don't know for sure." She finally conceded. Liz could see that she was beginning to get upset. "I thought...I mean..."
Alex stood up quickly, went to place his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder comfortingly. "Why don't you just tell us what you saw?" He suggested, making the most commonsensical suggestion, as usual.
Liz eyed Michael out of the corner of her eye. She could see that he was leaning forward, listening to Isabel intently. His arm was around Maria's shoulder, supporting her. Liz could not bear to look at Maria. One look at her best friend when she had entered the Evans's living room had upset her enough to have the foundations of her stone wall shake.
Strong - she had to be strong.
"Well," Isabel searched her memory. "The voice was really familiar. I don't think it was Max's exactly, but I definitely knew it." Alex nodded encouragingly. "It called me "Mirana." I think that's my name on Illyria."
Maria's eyes suddenly snapped open. "Tristandor!"
"What?" Michael asked, perplexed. They were all staring at her in confusion.
"That's YOUR name Michael. It just like came to me." Maria's brow was furrowed. "I distinctly remember Max calling you that."
Michael and Maria had very few memories of their time on Illyria. They had all virtually disappeared after the first few days back on Earth. Liz knew that such a giant loss of memory was upsetting to Maria because, although it had only been about an hour on Earth, the time the two of them had spent on the other planet had been close to a year in Illyrian time.
To not have any recollection of that much of your life, especially such a significant part, must be terrifying.
"So you guys WERE with Max then?" Tess demanded. All the information they had managed to glean from Michael and Maria had been confusing to say the least. Michael knew that Max had given himself up to the rebels on his planet so that Michael could be returned to Earth in his advanced human form, but he had no actual recollection of Max on Illyria.
Maria was still frowning, clearly searching her memory. "Definitely."
Michael was beginning to nod. "Yeah. Jaxon."
Liz began to feel impatient. "Okay, so back to your flashes Izzy." She felt a pang of guilt when Maria shot her a hurt look. Sorry, she mouthed to her friend. Maria smiled understandingly, closed her eyes again and leaned back against Michael.
"Well the voice told me that I had to go back to where it all began, make the sacrifice and my greatest wish would be granted." Isabel finished. She shook her head ruefully. "I just realized that I have no idea what any of it means."
"Is that it?" Tess asked, clearly unimpressed.
Isabel scowled at her. "Yes, Tess, that's it." She smacked a hand to her forehead. "Oh wait! The voice also told me to use my dreams."
Dreams.
Liz certainly knew about dreams.
Max Evans had been haunting hers.
If she didn't know for certain that Max's powers did not include the capability to dreamwalk...Well, she had at one point thought that he might be trying to communicate with her that way.
But there had never been any new information in her dreams - just bittersweet memories of her time with Max.
The healing. The excitement and revelation of the advancement of their relationship. Their first kiss. Max taking a step back. The blind date fiasco. The crash/ flash incident that had resulted in the discovery of the first orb. The whole Tess/white room/destiny catastrophe. The nine months apart when she had run away to England and Max had shut all his friends out of his life on the evil shapeshifter Tarsus of Dernia's orders. Max telling her he loved her, to be strong, disappearing in a beam of light, never to be seen again...
She relived it all every night in her dreams.
"Liz, are you okay?" Isabel demanded suddenly.
Liz shook her head, refocused on her friends. "Uh, yeah, sorry. Just zoned out there for a minute." She saw Alex and Isabel exchange a concerned look. Great Liz! Just another indication to further their belief that you are about to lose it. "So, using your dreams. What do you think it means?" She asked quickly, hoping to deflect everyone's attention away from her mental state.
"Dreamwalking?" Kyle suggested from the corner, speaking up for the first time. Liz glanced at him. Her ex-boyfriend looked tired. She knew that he had been juggling football, school and worrying about Liz for a long time now, not to mention struggling to hide his feelings for Tess, who was totally oblivious. Kyle had been such a rock to all of them. He deserved a little happiness. Liz wondered if Tess was ever going to open her eyes.
Liz knew that Tess's lack of interest in Kyle had nothing to do with Max anymore. She had finally given up on that. She had sought out Liz a few weeks after Max's disappearance to tell her that she had come to a decision.
Liz had been surprised to see the curly-haired blonde enter the Crashdown alone one Saturday when Liz was closing up. While there was very little tension between them anymore, they never actually sought each other out. It was too weird.
"Hi Tess. Is something wrong?" Liz had asked immediately, sure that something disastrous must have happened for Tess to be there.
"Um, no." Tess looked mildly uncomfortable. She sauntered up to the counter, taking a seat. "I need to talk to you Liz."
"Okay." Liz had been perplexed, but interested.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to do everything in my power to get Max back here." Tess told her abruptly. Her face was blank. Liz felt her stomach clench. Was Tess still going to try and get Max back for herself? She had thought that that was over.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking." She continued, beginning to fiddle with a straw. "I was really upset when I found out that Tarsus of Dernia told Max that I was insignificant on our planet." Despite herself, Liz felt her heart going out to her former nemesis. She knew how important Tess's "destiny" had been to her. It had been the defining principle of her existence. "But Kyle told me something last week that made a lot of sense. He said that maybe it wasn't a bad thing not to have my whole life mapped out in front of me."
Tess paused, was clearly waiting for Liz to say something. "Uh huh." Liz said dumbly, not at all sure where the other girl was headed with all this.
"Anyway, I realized he was right. I don't love Max. I never loved Max. I don't want to be with Max." She smiled shyly at Liz. "And now I don't have to be."
Liz blinked. "Okay?" She finally said, unable to quite believe what she was hearing.
"I do care about him though and I think that he belongs here. I think if this has shown me anything its that all four of us are insignificant on our home planet now. Max's life is here. He should be where he feels at home. And Liz, I know for a fact that the only place Max has ever felt truly at home was with you. You were the only one who was able to get through to him when he was acting like a jerk. You're everything to him."
Liz had felt tears welling up in her eyes. She had quickly blinked them away. She had held her resolve this long - no tears. "That's great. I mean, that's good. Thanks Tess."
Tess had smiled, hopped off the stool as though a thousand pound weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Yeah, well, I know I told you once that I wished we could be friends. I know you probably didn't believe me, and I don't think I really meant it at the time," she added wryly, "But I do mean it this time."
Liz had just nodded. Tess had not said anything more. She had left, leaving a dumbfounded, but pleased, Liz behind.
As Liz glanced at Tess now, she hoped that the other girl would eventually find her own Max. If it wasn't going to be Kyle, then hopefully someone else would make her heart sing the way that Max did Liz's.
Liz tuned back into the conversation that was milling around her. "No, I don't think its dreamwalking." Isabel was saying. "Remember I tried to dreamwalk Max right after he left. All I got was a big blank space. I think the range is too far."
"Maybe someone is going to try and come dreamwalk you?" Tess supplied.
"Maybe..." Isabel trailed off. "It couldn't be Max, could it?" She suddenly looked at Alex and Liz. "Ohmigosh!"
"What?" Alex demanded. Liz was equally confused.
"I totally forgot! What an idiot I am!" Isabel continued to berate herself.
"Isabel, what?" Michael practically yelled from the couch.
Isabel continued to stare at Alex and Liz in turn. "Think you guys. Remember back, right before Max took off. He locked us up in the cave!"
Liz's eyes widened. She stared at Isabel, then turned to stare at Tess. "Max created an illusion! He made us see that wall there, when it wasn't. Tess! He had your power!"
"Okay, explanation please?" Kyle said sarcastically.
"Right before Max went and podded himself to save Michael, he locked me, Izzy and Liz up in a cave." Alex explained. Liz wondered why none of them had never gone over this before. "Anyway, he did it by creating an illusion of a wall that wasn't there. We could feel it and everything. Isabel managed to make it disappear, but it was definitely a Tess-power type thing."
"We figured that all of you have the capability to perform each other's powers if you really concentrate." Liz inserted. "It would make sense that as the leader Max would be the most powerful, and thus would be the one who found it the easiest to develop his latent abilities."
"So then him dreamwalking US is a distinct possibility!" Isabel finished.
"So Max is trying to communicate with us?" Liz could hear the note of hope that was developing in Michael's voice. Yeah, you had better hope he is! She thought bitterly, since its your fault to begin with. She pushed the reflection aside. The irrationality of her hatred for Michael - it frightened her sometimes.
"Okay, so basically we all keep our dreams available for a little visit from above." Alex instructed them. "He seems to be trying to make his way back to us. I think Izzy was right. It now seems likely that her flash was from Max."
"What about that part "return to where it all began and make the sacrifice?" Maria asked quietly from the couch. "What the heck does that mean?"
They all exchanged looks. "No clue." Alex finally replied.
"Me either." Said Kyle.
Isabel was frowning again. "I feel like I know..." She clenched her fists in frustration. "It's like the memory is right on the edge of my mind and I can't get at it." She glanced at Michael and Tess. "Do you guys know?"
Tess just shook her head, but Michael replied, "It sounds familiar to me too. I guess we'll just have to keep our minds open - maybe Maxwell can tell us if he can get into someone's dream."
God, I hope its mine, Liz thought to herself. What she wouldn't give to be able to talk to Max again, to feel his arms wrapped around her, to caress his lips with her own - even if it was just in a dream.
Alex suddenly stretched his arms above his head, faked a yawn. "I'm suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to go take a nap." He joked. Isabel and Tess laughed. Kyle did too. Michael even snickered. They were clearly all getting a little giddy with the possibility that they didn't have to give up on Max yet.
Although Liz knew that none of them really ever would.
She glanced at her watch. It was only seven o'clock, she realized, disappointed. Hours before bed-time yet.
"Yeah, I could use a nap too." Maria put in. The others sobered immediately. They all knew that Maria was not joking. The fact that she mentioned it meant that she really needed one.
Suddenly the world didn't seem quite as rosy anymore.
Michael quietly stood up, pulled Maria into his arms.
"I CAN walk you big doofus." Maria told him, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm not a complete invalid yet."
"Humour me." Michael replied, then proceeded to ignore her irritated muttering. "So, first one to hear from Max, call right away."
Isabel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, even if it's three in the morning."
"What if we don't hear from him?" Tess asked in a small voice.
"Then we try and figure out the message on our own." Alex decided. "Let's all meet for lunch tomorrow in any case. We'll probably all have some fresh ideas after a good night's sleep."
Michael quickly said his good-byes and carried a still protesting Maria out the door. "Liz, call me!" She managed to yell before the door slammed on them.
Kyle and Tess had clearly arrived together for they were the next to leave. Kyle came and put his arm around Liz and squeezed gently first. "Hang in there Parker." Tess smiled at her and followed him out of the room.
Alex settled back on the couch. He was clearly going to be hanging around with Isabel for a while.
Liz suddenly felt like a third wheel. Everyone was paired up. Even Kyle and Tess hung out with each other more then with anyone else, even if there was nothing going on.
It made Liz miss Max even more.
"Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow." She finally said, feeling awkward. Isabel was still looking at her with concern.
"Are you sure you're okay Liz?" She asked.
"Sure." Liz replied. She needed out of there now.
The stone wall was cracking.
"Bye guys!" Liz practically sprinted to the door. She didn't stop her crazy dash until she was seated in the front seat of her parent's car.
Liz clutched the steering wheel, stared straight ahead.
"Max. Please. Let it be me." She whispered aloud.
To be continued...