Author: Meredith (roswelldreamer@aol.com)
Category: M/L
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Roswell doesn't belong to me... how many times can I say that with a straight face? :) However, the next generation of the Pod Squad, including Lauren Valenti, are mine g>
Summary: Adam-Michael begins having premonitions of his birth mother, Tess Harding, and this causes a gargantuan amount of distress in the seemingly perfect Evans family.
Author's Note: Ten years after "Language.." ended. Baby Jordana is now ten, and Adam-Michael is fifteen years old. All six of the original "Pod Squad" and their offspring are back home, raising their families in Roswell.
Dedication: To anyone who enjoyed "the Language of Longing"~ I don't know if I can live up to that story, but I'm going to try like hell. You guys deserve it.
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solacen : to console, to make cheerful, to soothe, to comfort in sorrow.
A source of relief or consolation....
Stiffening his body against the cold, desert night air, Adam-Michael Evans wrapped a large blue quilt around his tall, thin frame as he walked out on to the porch of his house. He loved this time of night. It was so peaceful. The air was so still that he swore he couldn't even feel himself taking breaths. He sighed, taking in a deep, cleansing breath and thinking about his angel. Her long blonde hair shimmered in the hot New Mexico sun and her dark tan and sparce freckles only enhanced the crisp blue light that radiated from her eyes.
He loved everything about Lauren Michelle Valenti. He even loved the way her full name rolled smoothly off his tongue, like the words were meant to come only from his lips. He adored her laugh. She had the giddiest, most infectious laugh of anyone he'd ever known- even sweeter than his mother's. He often thought about what it would be like to hold Lauren's tiny, delicate body, run his fingers through her locks of gold, kiss her soft pink lips...
A gust of wind suddenly blew on his face, tingling every inch of his exposed skin and making him shudder. It wasn't until moments later that he realized why he had *really* shuddered. It wasn't because of the chill coming across his body, but of something more sinister.
Something- someone- was near, he could feel it. Because he was a full-blooded alien, he could feel things that no one else in his family could feel. He often had premonitions- feelings of things that were going to happen. He had visions, he could sense them. He even knew that his mom was pregnant before she did. The aliens and their children had a mental connection that no one else could understand.
He shook his head, disbelieving what he was feeling- he shoved the ghost of her further and further back into his subconscious. If he forgot about her, maybe she would just leave him alone.
Maybe he would stop shivering.
He pulled the quilt tighter around his body, trying in vain to stop the floods of images crashing into his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and whispered softly, his voice carrying through the still air.
"No."
And with that one word, the images ceased their assault on his senses. He opened his eyes in relief and picked his body up to go back inside to his bedroom. It was 2 AM and his mom was probably awake. She always made him feel better.
As his feet hit the wood of the porch and his body turned in the direction of the house, a gust of wind blew behind him, taking the quilt off his body. He turned around to blame in vain the wind who pulled his safety blanket off his skin.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw her standing right in front of him. As real and as alive as his mother, his father, his sister, Lauren...he shut his eyes, willing her to leave him.
"Adam..." He barely heard a whisper carrying through the wind and into his ears, which were prominent and adorable, just like his father's. His eyes grew big when he opened his big brown eyes and saw that the vision, the eerie feeling, they'd all vanished into the starry desert night.
Liz Parker Evans moaned as she heard her three alarm clocks going off simultaneously. The one next to her bed was easy to shut off- it read "2:00 AM" in a jumble of bright green pixels. The other two alarm clocks, however, were not as easy to silence.
The perfectly-in-tune squealing of her twin baby boys, Matthew and Dylan, echoed through the hallway and into the bedroom she shared with her husband of ten years, Max Evans. Matty and Dylan were prime for their late-night snack and they weren't quieting down until they got what they wanted. She and Max often joked that even at the tender age of eight weeks, the boys knew exactly what tactics to use to get Mom and Dad's attention: two blood-curdling wails got noticed a lot faster than just one lonely scream.
They had a double-team advantage over Max and Liz, but as far as they were concerned, Matty and Dylan were their little princes and they couldn't be happier.
Liz rubbed her sleep-deprived eyes as her husband, who was competing for the title of Mr. Wonderful, grabbed her hand, trying to stop her from rolling out of their bed.
"I'll go..." He said, his eyes swollen shut from sleep, his voice barely above a growl.
"No, hon. It's fine. They need their Mommy, and unless you grow breasts in the next five minutes..." She began, smiling and climbing out of their bed. She reached down to the floor, searching in the dark for her crimson satin robe. She finally found it and wrapped it around he body.
Max laughed and yawned. "Well, I can do a lot of things, but grow breasts, I cannot." He smiled as she leaned down to the bed and kissed his forehead.
"Now go to sleep. You have the early shift in the morning." Liz instructed him.
"Nope, I'm not sleeping until you're back here." He patted the empty space in the bed next to him.
She rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, shut up. How'd you get so damn wonderful?"
"Hey, I'm a 33-year-old boy scout. Sue me." Max said.
Liz took one last look at Max's face as it a sliver of moonlight danced through the window and into the room, finding the most perfect spot to light up his eyes. She walked down the hall, past her ten-year-old daughter Jordana's room, and into the nursery. The babies were still going at it, wailing like it was going out of style or something. She smiled as she saw little Matty lying on his back, kicking his tiny arms and legs around furiously in his crib. She picked him up and he immediately stopped crying. "Hello, my little prince." She said quietly, kissing the top of his head full of soft, jet-black hair. She walked over to the crib on the other side of the room and found his younger-by two minutes- brother, Dylan, and picked him up, his cries immediately ceasing as well. She kissed and stroked their soft heads and walked with them carefully over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. Before sitting down, she used her foot to kick off a rattle that had been laid in the chair. Since she had a baby on each arm, she wasn't able to pick it up and move it. She carefully sat down with Matthew on one arm and Dylan on the other. "Time for your snack, boys." She said as she undid her robe and they began eating. She rocked them quietly, closing her eyes and humming a lullaby to them.
Matthew Phillip and Dylan Jeffrey Evans had been born only two months before, and Liz thanked God every day that she was able to have them at all. They were doubly special- double in that they were twins, and also that for a long time, she and Max thought they'd never be able to hold a baby of their own in their arms again.
* * * * *
Adam-Michael walked past his room and saw that the door to his parents' room was cracked open slightly. He poked his head in and he heard his father's familiar sleepy growl.
"What's the matter, Adam?" He asked, his back to the door and a pillow covering his head.
Adam-Michael paused. His dad seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and it annoyed the hell out of him. "Nothing." He whispered.
"You want to talk about it?"
"I said it was nothing." Adam repeated firmly.
"If it's nothing, why are you up at..." Max began, opening his sleep covered eyes and peering over at the clock. "...2:11 AM?" Adam-Michael hesitated, not knowing what to say to his father. *Hey Dad, I saw my dead mother tonight...* That wouldn't fly too well at 2 AM.
"Sorry I woke you, Dad... see you tomorrow." He said quietly, shutting the door behind him before Max had a chance to reply.
"Adam..." Max said, groaning into the pillow. He loved his son with everything he had, but Adam at fifteen was really trying his patience.
As he headed towards his room, he noticed the light was on in his baby brothers' room. His mother was giving them their two o'clock feeding like she had done every night since they were born. He decided to peek in and say hello. Hearing her calm voice singing Matty and Dylan back to sleep was enough to make him relaxed enough to fall asleep once again with ease.
Liz looked up instinctively as the door to the nursery swung open with a slight squeak. Adam-Michael flinched slightly as he heard the squeak, not wanting to distract the babies from their feeding. Luckily, they were falling back to sleep as they ate and didn't notice the extra noise. Liz smiled as her son tiptoed in the room and grabbed a pillow from the floor and leaned against it.
"Hey Mom." He whispered.
"Hi, sweetie. What are you doing up so late?" She asked, smiling and rocking the babies as they ate.
Adam-Michael curved his mouth into a pensive look and yawned. "I had a bad dream, nothing big. I just can't go back to sleep now that I'm up."
"Aww, I'm sorry honey. Do you want to talk about it?" Liz asked, remembering when she was pregnant with Jordana and both she and Adam constantly dreamed about the baby growing inside of her as well as of Adam's birth mother, Tess Harding.
Adam-Michael sighed, shaking his head. "Naw, I don't really remember it now." He was lying through his teeth and his mom knew it. She was too tired to interrogate him so she just left him alone. She smiled as she leaned her face down to the side of Matthew's head resting against her breast, taking in the scent of his sweet perfume. She kissed the side of Dylan's head, which was covered in soft brown hair. She absolutely adored her baby boys and would hold them all day if she could. But with her career, this wish was impossible. She had fufilled her dream in becoming a doctor.
* * * * *
Max's father, Phillip Evans, had died two years before, when Adam-Michael was thirteen and Jordana was just eight years old. He had owned a great deal of stocks and mutual funds and had left all the money from them to his two children, Max and Isabel, and their growing families. Phillip was so proud of Max for fufilling his dream of becoming a doctor that he did everything he could to jumpstart his son's career. He left Max and Liz $100,000 to start up their own private Obstetrics practice. They had accepted the money, and along with one other OB/GYN, started the Evans Family Clinic. The clinic has been up and running for about a year and a half and is run through Roswell Memorial Hospital. Liz and Max, along with their associate, Dr. Richard Larkin, deliver about fifty babies a week. They love the flexibility of their schedules and although they are busy, they always make time for their own children, especially the twins, who realistically, should have never been born...
After Jordana was born, Max and Liz returned to Boston University's medical school and breezed through with babysitting help from their family and friends. They decided to wait until after they were finished with med school and into their residencies before they would try to have another baby. They figured it would be easy for Liz to get pregnant, considering they had no problem with their first child.
They were wrong.
Over a year passed and Liz was still not pregnant. Max wanted her to see a doctor, but was afraid of what he might tell them...they both knew deep down inside of them that something was wrong, but it broke their hearts when the doctor told them that Liz would never again be able to carry a child. He had examined her throughly and had discovered that Liz's womb had been severely damaged by an infection. He couldn't say what it was or what had caused it. In fact, he told Max and Liz that in his thirty years of practicing medicine, he'd never seen anything like it.
Liz and Max were devastated.
The doctor's voice echoed through their minds for days after the visit... "in my thirty years of practicing medicine... I've never seen anything like this..." That's when they realized that the infection wasn't an infection at all.
It was Nasedo.
When he touched a pregnant Liz that day in their Philosophy class, he'd done something to her, something more damaging than they ever knew at the time. That's when Max decided to try his hand at healing his wife for the third time in their lives. If an alien caused this damage, an alien might be able to fix it... healing and prayer were the two words that filled their lives for the next few weeks. And finally, their wish was granted- Liz was pregnant with two healthy baby boys.
The pregnancy was a breeze compared to the exquisite hell Liz went through while carrying Jordana. Tess and Nasedo were long gone, and the only dreams Liz had while pregnant with the boys were sweet ones with two babies nestled on top of fluffy white clouds and all that good stuff.
Liz smiled as she looked up from her twins and over at her teenaged son. Although she hadn't given birth to Adam-Michael, he was hers as far as she was concerned. They even renamed him Adam-Michael Parker Evans after she and Max got married. She loved him with all her heart but there was always this mysterious side she would never understand- his alien side. Being raised by Tess and Nasedo the first five years of his life had had lasting effects on him. He had enormous powers that none of the other children had. Being a full alien, he was capable of every power that Max, Isabel, and Michael possessed, but to an even higher degree because his birth mother was an alien as well.
Adam-Michael shut his eyelids, which were heavy with sleep.
The voice assaulted him again, echoing through his head in stereo.
*"Adam-Michael... my baby..."*
The voice rattled in his brain with the velocity of a Mack truck. He moved swiftly, jumping up from the soft carpet he was lying on and pounding his body into the side of Dylan's crib.
Liz screamed. "Adam!" She picked up the babies and ran over to him as he flailed about the room, arms flying in all directions. She tried to reach out a hand to comfort him, but it was quickly returned back to her. She touched the side of his face and he looked into her eyes. "Adam, what is the matter?" She cried. The babies were screaming now. Liz struggled to place them in their cribs so she could wrap her arms around her oldest son. They continued their totally in sync crying as Adam-Michael fell into Liz's arms. He was at least six inches taller than her and his thin body fell over her shoulders like a rag doll.
"It's her, Mom..." He managed to choke out through sobs.
"Who? Who is it?" Liz asked, searching in his crystal brown orbs for an answer.
Adam-Michael paused, not believing the words as they escaped his lips.
"My mother..."
Liz's eyes grew wide with fear.
"Tess?" She managed to whisper out right before a gust of wind blew through the nursery, shutting the doors closed with a loud bang. Adam-Michael held Liz's stunned glance until another shriek pierced the air. This scream wasn't coming from Matty or Dylan either...
It was coming from Jordana's room.
* * * *
"MOM! DAD!" The scream pierced through the walls of the quiet house.
"Jordana!" Liz cried, taking off like a rocket out of the boys' room into her daughter's. Max had already bolted out of his sleep when he heard the small girl's scream for help echoed down the hallway into his own bedroom. Adam-Michael quickly followed his parents into her room and were disturbed to find Jordana clutching a small pillow to her chest and cowering in the corner of her room. Liz and Max ran to her, flinging their arms around their first born.
"Honey, it's all right." Max said, holding his daughter protectively.
"We're here now, it's okay, everything's going to be okay..." Liz said soothingly, patting Jordana's long chocolate-brown hair that cascaded down her back just like Liz's own.
"Mom, Dad, it was so scary... I thought there was..." Jordana said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand and raising her hand towards an open window.
"You thought what, honey?" Max asked her.
Jordana began saying something, but Adam-Michael walked in, holding a baby in each arm.
"You thought there was...someone there, didn't you?" Adam asked as he looked straight into his sister's tear-filled eyes. Jordana looked at him and quietly gasped. Without a word, she nodded slowly in agreement.
"Someone there? What are you getting at...?" Max asked his eldest son, confused. He walked over and took a fussy Dylan out of Adam-Michael's arms and held him close to his chest.
Liz saw where this conversation was going and quickly stepped in. "It's nothing! Right, Adam-Michael?" She began, stealing a look of concern at the teenager. "It's just really windy out there tonight. She probably just saw a tree moving... that's all, just a tree, a tree..." Liz repeated to herself as she helped her daughter climb back into bed. She seemed to be trying to put her own worries at ease more than her child's. Adam-Michael realized that now was not the time to tell his father what he had experienced that night.
Max witnessed the wordless exchange between his son and his wife and he knew something was not right. The warm newborn in his hands brought him back to reality as he wailed in his arms."Well, if everything's okay here, we really should get the boys back to bed... come on, Adam, you can help me..."
Adam-Michael, still holding his baby brother Matthew, looked up at his father, who was now only a couple of inches taller than him. "Okay, Dad." He walked over to Jordana and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, short-stuff."
"Don't call me that! Goodnight." Jordana said, smiling up at the big brother who she adored. Liz wrapped her arms around her son and gave the baby another kiss on the forehead.
"Goodnight, Adam." She said, giving him a look that said "Don't breathe a word of this to your father." Adam nodded in agreement as Liz rubbed the back of Matthew's head. "Goodnight my sweet baby boy, Matty. I love you." She kissed her daughter's head and sat on the bed next to her as Max and Adam left the room with the two babies. "Honey, are you going to be okay? Do you want me to stay in here until you fall asleep?"
Jordana yawned. "No, Mommy, it's okay. I'll be okay. You have to get up early."
"I'll make your lunch before I go. Is peanut butter and jelly okay?"
"Yeah that's fine, Mom. Goodnight."
"I love you, Jordibelle." Liz said, hugging her daughter.
"I love you too, Mom." Liz walked out of the room and shut the door as Jordana snuggled into her covers once again. As her mother left her once again, she felt an overwhelming sense of dread. She sat up in bed with a jolt as she heard another gust of wind outside the window. She turned on the lamp next to her bed and looked cautiously over to the window. At first, she only saw her own reflection. But as her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a ghostly silhouette staring at her from a nearby tree outside. She could feel the vision's eyes pouring into her own. The sight made her shudder. She was so frightened that she ran over to the window and pulled the shade down tight. Still not feeling much safer, she turned off the light and buried herself under a mountain of sheets, pillows, and blankets that hid her from whatever she was so frightened of...if only she knew what it was.
* * * * *
"Good morning, Gina, Good morning, Joan..." Max said, walking into the office he shared with his wife as well as their associate, Dr. Richard Larkin. "...when's my first appointment?" He walked behind the desk to bring breakfast to his two secretaries like he and Liz did every morning.
"Good morning, Dr. Evans... Your first appointment is in the waiting room as we speak." Joan replied.
"How long has she been waiting?" Max asked with concern on his face.
"Oh, not long, she was just eager to get her first ultrasound..." Gina said, pulling up a file on the computer for Max to see. "Um, her name is...Theresa Bingham. She's about twenty weeks."
"Ok, just pull up her chart and take her to room three for the check up. I'll be in there in about ten minutes." Max said, walking into his back office.
"Sure thing, Dr. Evans." Gina piped in.
Max yawned and reached over the top of his desk, looking for a pen. When he finally found one in the top drawer, he opened up the closet door in his office and pulled out the lab coat and stethoscope stored inside. He pulled those on over his clothes and made his way into exam room three. "Good morning, Ms. Bingham." Max said with a cheerful smile to the pregnant woman lying on the exam table in front of him. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Dr. Max Evans."
Theresa smiled, shaking his hand and looking deep into his brown eyes. "Hello, Dr. Evans. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard wonderful things about you."
"Oh, stop it, you're going to give me a big head." Max said, laughing as he put the stethoscope to Theresa's chest, feeling for her heartbeat. "So how are you feeling today, Ms. Bingham?"
"Please, call me Theresa. And I'm feeling great. The second trimester has been a breeze so far, compared to the hell I went through the first three months..."
Max smiled. "That's normal...it's typical for mothers to enjoy the second trimester much more... not as much nausea and cramping, that sort of thing."
Theresa smiled as Max pulled her shirt up halfway to reveal her pertruding belly. "Well that's a relief."
Max smiled, using his foot to wheel the ultrasound cart over to the table and flipping on the equipment. The monitor hummed as it warmed up. Max grabbed the camera-like piece of equipment and placed it on top of his patient's belly. "So, do you want to know what the sex is?"
Theresa smiled. "No, I want to be surprised. I just want to make sure the baby's okay...you know, ten fingers, ten toes, that sort of thing..."
"Yeah, that's important..." Max said, smiling, as he watched the baby on the monitor.
"Yeah, I don't want an alien baby!" Theresa said, laughing oddly. Max's eyes narrowed into an somewhat suspicious glance. He couldn't help it- any mention of aliens around him, no matter how innocent, made him uneasy. Theresa gasped as a fuzzy black and white image came up on the monitor. "Is that my baby?"
Max pointed to several spots on the monitor as he pointed out body parts on the fetus. "Everything appears to be normal... you sure you don't want to know the sex?" He asked her again as he noticed the key defining characteristic of the child on the monitor.
Theresa hesitated, then a smile spread slowly across her face. "Sure, why not!"
"Ok, you're having a boy." Max said, smiling, pointing to a little speck on the monitor.
Theresa giggled. "Is that...?"
"Yes, yes it is." Max said, smiling.
Theresa's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, I'm so happy..." She smiled.
"You want me to print out his first picture for you?" Max asked, motioning to the printing device attached to the ultrasound.
"That would be great!" Theresa said, smiling. Max printed out two pictures for to take home.
"There's one for you, and one for your husband..."
"Oh, I don't have a husband." Theresa said quickly.
"Oh, excuse me, I didn't mean to..." Max began, embarrassed, but was interrupted by his patient.
"No, it's okay!" Theresa said, smiling. "I don't mind. You didn't know." There was an uncomfortable pause in the room as Max handed her the pictures. Their hands touched for a moment and Max snapped his back as he felt an electrical charge go through their touch. He looked into her eyes for a moment and felt a chill go down his spine.
"Have we met..." He stuttered out. "...before? Your eyes..."
Theresa smiled. "I don't think so, Dr. Evans."
Max couldn't control the words coming out of his mouth. "You just...your eyes are so...familiar...are you sure we haven't...?"
Theresa nodded. "Not that I know of, Dr. Evans. Maybe we knew each other in a past life or something..." She said, laughing at the ridiculous notion. Max looked into her eyes one last time before diverting his gaze to a nearby chart. This odd feeling was just too much for him to handle.
"Well, Theresa..." He managed to stutter out. "I think we're all finished here today. If you see Gina and Joan out front they'll schedule your next appointment in four weeks." Max said. "Congraulations again." He hurried out of the room, leaving Theresa in a daze.
She laid her head back on the exam table with a smile. She fished in her purse, looking for her wallet. Tucked inside, between credit card receipts and a little bit of cash was a picture of a young boy. The corners were worn and the picture was becoming faded with time. She rubbed her fingers over the picture of the boy, his dark hair, his dark eyes, his wide smile...
"Got ya." She said to herself with a smirk.
* * * *
"EVAN MAXWELL GUERIN! GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW, BUDDY!" Maria Guerin screamed at the top of her lungs, clutching a small toy car in one hand and the small hand of her three-year-old daughter in the other. She then heard the footsteps of her eight-year-old son padding down the hallway into the living room.
"What, Mom?" The sandy blonde-haired boy said with his arms crossed and a pout on his face.
"You *know* what. Did you throw this at your sister?" Maria said sternly, thrusting the small car in his hand.
Evan smirked into the face he inherited from his father. "She's lying." He said calmly.
"Mommy, he HIT ME WITH THAT!" Parker Marie Guerin squealed at the top of her lungs, stomping her feet in frustration. Her wavy blonde hair bounced on top of her head in time with her movements.
"Mom, I didn't hit her! I swear!" Evan cried. "I've been in my room playing on the computer the whole time!"
Maria sighed as she looked from her son's shocked face to her daughter's angered one. She often found herself in this situation. Parker was at the age where she needed a lot of attention and it seemed between working a full time job and trying to take care of the house, Maria wasn't around enough to give it to her. "Parker, sweetie. I'm sorry you were hurt. Please stop crying, okay honey? Evan, you can go back to your room, okay? Just stay away from her." Parker sniffed back tears and wiped her wet face with the back of her hand.
Evan's eyes narrowed into an angered glance. "You always take her side!" He screamed, running into his room and slamming the door behind him.
"Evan! Wait!" She cried behind him. Maria sat with her face in her hands, trying hard not to cry. Parker wrapped her tiny arms around her mother and rubbed her arm.
"Mommy, don't cry. I'm sorry if I made you cry." She said quietly. Maria turned to her daughter and planted a big kiss on her cheek.
"Come on, shorty. You want to help me start dinner?" Maria said, grabbing her daughter's hand and leading her into the nearby kitchen.
"Okay, Mommy. When's Daddy coming home?" Parker said, taking a seat at the kitchen table while Maria began pulling items from the cabinets.
"In a little while, honey. He had to work late today." Michael had gotten a job working for an architect outside of Roswell. His art skills helped him land a job which allowed him to work with teams of other designers on houses and other buildings. He had plans to open up his own office in Roswell so he could be closer to his family. Maria and Isabel owned their own clothing and home furnishings store called Perfectly Alienated. It was on the main street of Roswell, right next to the Crashdown Cafe, which the Parker family still owned, and across from the UFO Center, where crazy Milton was still the manager. Michael had helped with the design of the store, which Maria and Isabel featured their own line of clothing which they call "Mimmal". It's a funny name for a line of clothing, but it was special to them. "Mimmal" stands for "Maria, Isabel, Max, Michael, Alex, and Liz." With Maria and Isabel each contributing their unique styles, their clothing is a hot seller in the store.
"I want my Daddy!" Parker cried, slamming her fists into the table and pouting. Maria sighed, a laugh escaping her lips. Parker was definitely Daddy's little girl. From the moment she was born, she had Michael wrapped around her tiny little finger. It was amazing to Maria how much a wife and kids had grounded her husband. He wasn't the same person he was when they were in high school.
"I told you, he'll be home in a little while. Don't be a silly girl. So what would you like for dinner?" Maria asked. "Pizza? Chicken? Hamburgers?"
"Pasketti." Parker said firmly, her arms crossed on her chest.
"Spaghetti? That sounds good." Maria said, pulling out a box of spaghetti noodles from the cupboard.
"Mama, when are we going to see the babies again? I want to see the babies." Parker said, opening up a coloring book on the table and reaching for some nearby crayons.
"Uncle Max and Aunt Liz work a lot. Maybe we can go visit Dylan and Matty this weekend when they're not working."
"I want to see them now!" Parker whined.
Maria sighed, resting her head in her hands. The terrible twos had grown into the terrible threes for her daughter. She wasn't sure if she was going to make it until Graduation Day with this one.
* * * * *
Theresa Bingham laid lesiurely in her bathtub, her pregnant belly stealing most of the mountain of bubbles from the rest of her body. She couldn't get her mind off her doctor's visit that day. Was Max on to her? Did he figure out the mystery that quickly?
She laughed. "He's smart. But he's not that smart. He's not expecting this." Just then, her relaxing bath was interrupted by a knock at the door. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I told you NEVER to bother me when I'm in the tub! I need time alone to think!"
"I'm sorry..." A voice called from behind the door. "But I thought you'd want to hear about this..."
Theresa rolled her eyes. "Fine, come in."
A blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman walked into the bathroom, a newspaper clipping in her hand. "This was in the paper today." She thrust the paper towards Theresa.
"I can't read that when I'm in the BATHTUB! I'll get it all wet. You idiot!" Theresa said, her auburn waves cascading down from the pile of hair on top of her head. Her blue eyes pierced visciously into the woman hovering over her. "Read it to me."
"Okay." The woman said, clearing her throat. "Local architect Michael Guerin to open his own office in Roswell."
Theresa smirked. "The boy's doing well for himself. Keep reading."
" '...until recently, thirty-three-year-old Guerin had been working solely for The Rittenbauer and Sons firm in Los Topicos, fifty miles outside of Roswell. After designing several buildings on Main Street, including the clothing store Perfectly Alienated, owned by his wife, Maria, and friend, Isabel Whitman, Guerin has decided to open his own office and work on projects ranging from houses to other businesses right here in Roswell. Guerin has lived in Roswell his entire life and he and wife Maria have two children: eight-year-old Evan and three-year-old Parker.' "
"Awww...what a cute little family. But with Maria? She's such a tramp. Michael could do so much better." Theresa said, sucking her teeth in disgust. "Frankly, I'm disappointed that they ended up together."
Theresa's companion arched her eyebrow. "Well, you have been gone for a very long time, Tessa. What did you expect to happen?"
"Whatever. The stupid Guerin family is of no interest to me. If my brother wants to ruin his life, so be it." Theresa said, rolling her eyes.
The companion sighed. "Theresa. You can't keep calling him your brother. We have to keep a low profile, remember?"
"This is our home, Nasedo! Who is going to say or do anything? No one, okay! No one!"
"Quit calling me Nasedo. Call me Jessica, like we planned, okay? God knows who could be watching and listening right now! I've spent too much time recovering your body to screw things up now." Jessica said firmly.
"You are WAY to paranoid, you need to CALM yourself down. How much longer to I have to be in this ugly body anyway? I'm tired of being pregnant. My legs are swollen like two Christmas hams and my breasts hurt like hell." Theresa said, splashing her feet in the warm bath water.
"Give me a few more weeks. Just a few, the crystals aren't working as well as I hoped..."
"Well why NOT?" Theresa screamed.
"Why NOT, Tessa? Why NOT? Because we don't have Max, Michael, or Isabel to heal you, that's why not. It's clear they want nothing to do with us."
"When has that ever stopped us?" Theresa said, laughing.
"True... but we forcing them to help us isn't going to do us any good. In order for the crystals to work, we need your four complete energies..." Jessica said sincerely.
"Are you telling me I will never get back to my real body?" Theresa said with a terrified look in her eye.
Jessica paused. "No. It's just going to take a little while longer. Be patient. I've spent the last ten years of my life trying to get you back, Tess. I care about you like my own child. I mean, God, I almost killed myself trying to give you the power to shapeshift. So please, just trust me. You know you can."
Theresa paused, dunking her head under the water and coming back up quickly. "You promised me my son. If I don't get my son..."
"You'll get your family back. You have my word." Jessica said firmly.
"I know I can count on you, Nasedo." Theresa said, holding Jessica's hand and pressing it against the side of her face.
"Until then, keep doing what you're doing. Keep trying to get inside his head."
"It's been so long...I can't wait to hold him in my arms again and tell him how much I love him."
"Who? Adam-Michael or Max?" Jessica asked with a smirk.
Theresa laughed. "Both."
* * * * *
Liz carefully laid Matthew down in his crib as Max did the same for Dylan.
"Goodnight, angels." Liz said, kissing each baby's head and moving towards the hallway. Max flipped off the lights and he shut the door behind them. Making their way into their bedroom, Max sighed. "What was that sigh for?" Liz asked, smiling, as they pulled down the covers on their bed and snuggled down into the sheets together.
"Do you ever get the feeling, when you look into someone's eyes, that you know them...even if they are a complete stranger?"
"What, like another life or something?" Liz asked, caressing Max's chest lightly with her fingers.
Max paused. "Yeah. I mean, I had this patient today. I'd never seen her before in my life, I know that... but for a second, I thought..."
"You thought you knew her from somewhere?" Liz asked, staring off into space.
"Yeah. I know it sounds ridiculous." Max said.
"No, it isn't ridiculous, sweetie." She replied, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes. There was a silence between them as they each relaxed more in each other's arms, trying to fall asleep.
"Liz."
"Yeah?" She asked quietly, her exhausted eyes fluttering closed.
"What happened to Adam-Michael last night?" He asked. Liz's eyes flew open.
She paused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, this morning, when Jordana had her nightmare, Adam asked her if she'd thought she saw someone...what did he mean by that?" Max asked.
"I don't know honey, why are you asking me?"
"Well, after he asked her that, you gave him a look to try to make him be quiet."
Liz sat up. "Umm..."
"Are you hiding something from me?" Max asked her pointedly. Liz's expression told all. He pressed on further. "What is it? We don't keep secrets from each other."
"I just don't...want to upset you."
"Oh, baby, nothing you ever say would ever hurt me..." He ran his fingers through her long brown hair. "So just tell me. Please?"
Liz sighed. "Adam-Michael thought... he saw...Tess...last night."
Max gasped. "What?" He asked, choking on the words.
Liz nodded. "He was outside on the porch, he couldn't sleep. He got this...premonition, or something...she was there."
Max grabbed Liz and pulled her body close to his. "Oh my God." His eyes were wide open with fear. "But it was just that...a premonition...right?"
"Yes. But when I was feeding the twins, Adam came in from outside and sat with us for a while. When he was in there, he heard...her voice...in his head...speaking to him..."
Max fumed. "Dammit!"
"Max, please be quiet, you'll wake the kids... nothing's happened yet... just some scary coincidences...."
"Then Jordana had her nightmare...she thought she saw something or someone... it was Tess, wasn't it? God, Liz, why didn't you tell me?" Max screamed.
"I didn't tell you for *exactly* this reason! I knew you'd flip out! And I just can't deal with that right now." Liz said, her eyes filling with warm tears. Max looked deep into her eyes as his own eyes began brimming with tears of frustration. He pulled her close to him as they laid back down on the bed. He rubbed her hair with his hand and tried to sooth her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." He said softly.
"It's okay, it's not your fault. I should have told you sooner..."
"No, you were right not to tell me...I'm sorry...I'm not going to let anything happen to you...or the kids." Max said firmly, kissing the top of her head. "I love you."
"I love you too." She said as he lifted her chin with his hand and kissed her. She held onto him tightly, needing to feel protected from every fear bouncing around in her brain. She needed peace. She needed calm. She needed him. After a few quiet moments between them, she returned to his lips, and with every kiss, she felt herself and her fears slip away...
* * * * *
Part Four::.
"OK, class, now, I want you to use the four wooden sticks on your lab table to secure the frog's hands and feet to the bottom of the tray. We don't want any appendages flying everywhere when we start cutting stuff open now do we?" Adam-Michael's biology teacher smiled with the slightest bit of sick pleasure as he cut open the large bullfrog lying spread eagle on the lab table in the front of the room.
"Oh my Lord. Oh my Lord." The pretty blonde-haired girl sitting next to Adam began to repeat under her breath. She was taking deep breaths in and out but nothing was working."Adam, I can't do this." She said, looking over to her bio lab partner with a green tint to her face.
Adam-Michael chuckled softly. "Lauren, don't worry. You can record everything. I'll do the messy stuff. You don't even have to look if you don't want to." He said, smiling at her.
Lauren smiled back at him. "Really? You don't mind?"
"Of course not. My parents are doctors. I guess I get it from them. You know, the strong stomach thing." Adam-Michael said, picking up a scalpel and taking a deep breath. "OK, here I go. Now the manual says to make an incision from here....to here..." Adam said, calmly slicing open the specimen.
"Oh, my Lord. That is so gross." Lauren said, shutting her eyes tight but opening them again with realization. "Oh, I remember! I remember what this reminds me of now..."
"What could this possibly remind you of? "Adam-Michael asked her, laughing.
Lauren smiled. "No, I'm serious! This reminds me of that 'Alien Autopsy' show my Dad and I watched when I was little...you know, where they take the big knife and slice the alien into little bits...it was so hilarious!"
Adam-Michael's face went sheet white as he imagined one of his own relatives lying on the table in front of him, just like on the show Lauren and the Sheriff had seen. While he was lost in thought, he dropped the scalpel on the floor, causing Lauren to look up from her lab report in alarm.
"Adam! Are you OK?" Lauren asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah. I mean, no, no, I'm not. I need to get...some air...excuse me." Adam said, running from his chair and out of the classroom.
"Mr. Evans! Mr. Evans, where are you going? You need a hall pass, young man!" The teacher said with warning. He walked back towards Adam-Michael and Lauren's lab table and leaned over it, facing Lauren. "Miss Valenti, what happened to him?"
"I don't know, Mr. Jackson, I mean he was fine one minute, then we were talking and the next thing I know, he dropped the scalpel and he ran out." Lauren replied.
"So, I guess he couldn't take it, huh?" Mr. Jackson replied, chuckling. "Looks like you're the one who's going to have to do it."
"What!" Lauren asked with horror.
* * * * *
Adam-Michael had made it to the bathroom and managed to splash some water on his face, trying to get the image of the Alien Autopsy out of his mind.
"Get a hold of yourself." Adam whispered to himself, surprised to hear not only the sound of his voice echoing, but also another, very different, very familiar whisper adding to the chorus. He turned around with alarm. "Hello?" He asked.
No response.
"Jeez, I'm losing it!" Adam cried, turning back to the mirror and looking himself in the face once more.
But the whisper continued, creeping through the room like hot molten lava, spreading to every inch of the room's cinder block walls, making no place safe or silent. Adam-Michael craned his ear towards the window, where the sound seemed to be coming from. As he moved closer to it, he could finally make out the words.
"Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top, when the wind blows, the cradle will rock... when the bow breaks, the cradle will fall...and down will come Adam, cradle and all..." The icy but somewhat comforting voice seemed to call to him, beckoning him to the window. Adam recognized the voice immediately.
"Tess?" He whispered.
"Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top..." The singing continued.
"Tess, is that you?" Adam-Michael said frantically, his voice rising with urgency.
"Turn around..." The voice whispered. Adam-Michael turned around so he was looking in the mirror once more. He jumped backwards a good ten feet when he saw the image before him.
It was his mother, Tess. She was blowing him a kiss.
Adam's eyes watered with hot tears. "Mother?" He asked. "What..."
"Shhh." The image said, holding a finger to her lips. "Soon, Adam-Michael. Soon."
"What? What? Soon?" Adam asked, spinning around frantically, his voice getting louder with each word. "Mother!"
And with that, the image of Tess, as well as the singing, was gone.
And Adam-Michael was once again left alone, trying to sort together the pieces of his heart.
* * * * *
"Mom, you really are the greatest. I am SO sorry the sitter cancelled." Liz said, running into the Crashdown, her purse in tow. She met her Mother, Nancy, at the counter with a hug and a kiss.
"Sweetie, don't mention it. They are wonderful babies. They ate and slept most of the day.." Nancy said, taking her daughter's hand and leading her to the upstairs apartment she still shared with Liz's father, Jeff. "They woke up and were fussy for a while, so we played with some toys and I sang to them. That seemed to calm them down."
"Did they tag team you at all?"
Nancy laughed. "Tag team? Heaven's no. When one was up, the other was up, when one was asleep, the other was too."
Liz sighed with relief. "Good. I'm glad they weren't little monsters. I want to make sure I can call you if this ever happens again..."
"Lizzie, you know you can call me anytime. There are plenty of waitresses and cooks downstairs who handle things. I'm mostly up here by myself all day. It's nice to have some company every once in a while. Even if they can't talk." Nancy said, smiling. They walked into Liz's old room where they had the playpen set up. Matty and Dylan were out like lights. Liz felt a rush of emotion as she saw her babies lying there so peacefully. She sighed.
"They really are so cute when they're sleeping." Liz said, smiling.
"And when they're awake. They're so handsome. They're going to be real heartbreakers one day." Nancy chimed in.
"Like their father." Liz said, smiling. Nancy nodded in agreement.
"So how was work today?" Nancy asked, smiling. "Did you deliver any babies?"
"Two...well really three. One was...stillborn." Liz said, hanging her head.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Nancy said, putting her arm around her daughter.
"Yeah, this is the third time I've delivered a stillborn baby. It doesn't get any easier." Liz's voice dropped to a whisper. "It makes me so thankful for the precious gifts I've been given." She leaned her head down into the playpen and kissed each of her sons on their soft rosy cheeks. Matty and Dylan stirred simultaneously, their soft whimpers turning in to loud cries for their Mom. Liz smiled, picking up Matty as Nancy picked up Dylan.
"Awww. Sweetie, don't cry. Your Mama's here now. Yes, she's going to take you home and see your Daddy, and your sister and your brother..." Nancy whispered in Dylan's ear. He continued to cry.
"I think they're hungry. That's definitely a hungry cry." Liz said. "Are there anymore of the bottles I gave you?"
"You can check in the fridge. I think there are two left." Nancy said as they headed downstairs into the kitchen, grabbing the last two bottles and putting them in the microwave. Liz took them out and tested them on her wrist to make sure they weren't too hot. She then handed one to her mother so she could feed Dylan. They returned back upstairs and sat in the living room, feeding the babies.
"I should probably get home. Jordana will be coming home from school soon and I'd like to be there for her to make her a snack."
Nancy smiled, noticing Liz's furrowed brow at the mention of her granddaughter. "Lizzie. You're not neglecting her."
"What?" Liz asked, confused. "No, I mean. Well, I am kind of worried...that I'm not spending enough time with her. And it breaks my heart. I mean, she's my baby. She's my first."
Nancy smiled. "I understand."
"And I don't love her any less than any of my kids. It's just been hard for her, you know?"
"She's not the baby anymore." Nancy piped in.
"Yeah." Liz said, nodding her head. "She's having a hard time getting used to the fact that there are little people in the house that need Mom's attention too."
"She'll come around. It's only been two months."
"Still. I think I might take her to the Santa Fe Zoo on Saturday or something. I'm not on call, and she loves the Zoo. She wants to be a Vet."
"Oh, really? That's wonderful." Nancy said, rocking Dylan as he ate.
"Yeah, Max can stay home and take care of the boys. I'm sure he won't mind."
Nancy smiled. "Some male bonding time."
"Yeah." Liz said, smiling. "He really loves spending time with the boys. He missed out on so much with Adam-Michael. He missed the first five years of his life. So this is all so fun for him, with his little boys."
"Max seems to be a wonderful husband and father." Nancy said.
"He really is."
"Where ever did you find him?" Her mother asked, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"Oh, he kind of...fell out of the sky..." Liz said, smiling. Nancy smiled back at her.
* * * * *
Liz unlocked the door to her home, pushing the double baby stroller through the doorway and into the house. There was something that seemed different about the place. Liz picked up the babies and took them into the kitchen, where she found Adam-Michael's car keys and bookbag lying on the table. He wasn't supposed to be home until after Jordana.
"Adam-Michael!" Liz cried. "Honey, are you OK?"
There was no answer. Liz held the babies close to her as she walked down the hallway into Adam's room, knocking on the door before entering. She gasped at what she found. "Adam!" She cried, running towards him. He was kneeling in the corner, a blanket wrapped around himself, his face dripping in sweat, his knees hugged tightly to his body, rocking slowly back and forth. "Adam! Adam, what's wrong?"
Adam continued to whisper. "Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top..." He sang the children's rhyme over and over to himself as his body swayed back and forth.
"Adam, what happened? Please, tell me! "Liz cried. "Was it Tess? Please! Tell me!"
Adam-Michael looked into Liz's eyes, and Liz felt a shiver go up and down her spine. She swore she could feel Tess Harding's icy stare pouring into her. This made her draw her hand back quickly from her son.
"Soon." Adam-Michael managed to choke out through tears. "Soon, she said soon. Soon, Mom."
Liz reeled, finally letting her tears of terror and anger flow freely from her eyes. "No. This can't be happening."
Adam-Michael let out a shrill cry that scared Liz to death. He sounded like a wounded animal. He looked into her eyes as Matthew and Dylan began screaming in Liz's arms. "Mom. I'm sorry." He whispered. "I don't know what came over me..."
"Adam, honey..." Liz said, gently lying the babies on Adam's bed so she could hug her oldest son. "It's OK. What happened to you?"
"I can't...I don't want to..." He began, shaking his head as tears began forming in his brown eyes.
Liz nodded her head. "It's OK, it's all right. We can talk about it later. When Dad comes home, we'll all sit down and talk about this."
"I don't...want to worry him. It could be nothing."
"But it could be something. We're dealing with an alien here."
Adam-Michael paused. "I'm an alien, too, Mom."
Liz sighed, knowing she'd made a really stupid comment. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean it like that. I mean, we don't know about your life cycles... I mean, what if you can...I don't know..."
"Come back from the dead?" Adam-Michael asked with a twinge of skepticism in his voice.
"Yeah." Liz said quietly.
"I hope not." Adam-Michael said. "I mean, Tess is my real mother. And a part of my heart will always be with her. But after what she did to you, Dad, Jordana, everyone... I won't let her do it to you again."
Liz put her arms around his waist. He was at least eight inches taller than her and he towered over her. "I know sweetie. We're not going to let anything happen to any of you. Your Dad and I would rather die than see harm come to any of you."
"Thanks, Mom. But hopefully we won't have to worry about that." Adam-Michael said. "Maybe I'm just imagining all this."
"Still, we don't know what she's capable of. Remember, Nasedo is still out there. For all we know, he could have taken those healing stones and restored her body back to life..." Liz added.
Adam-Michael looked at her, puzzled. "Healing stones?"
"Yeah. They're these stones that this Indian named River Dog gave to us: me, your Dad, Aunt Isabel, Uncle Alex, Michael, and Maria when we were in high school. See, Michael got really sick, and he almost died. We used those stones and chanted. We brought him back to life." Adam-Michael nodded, turning to the bed and picking up a squirming Dylan. Liz picked up Matty and held him close to her, smelling his sweet baby smell.
"I missed these little guys. Hey buddies! How's life treatin' ya?" Adam asked Dylan, rocking him back and forth in his arms. Dylan only responded with a yawn. Adam and Liz laughed. "Yeah, I'm pretty beat too." He wiped the leftover tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Do you want to come out into the kitchen with me? Jordana's coming home soon and I wanted to make her a snack." Liz said.
"Sure." Adam-Michael said, following his Mom down the hallway from his room into the kitchen. He rocked Dylan in his arms as his barefeet relished the cool kitchen floor. "Hey, Isn't Zach's birthday today?"
"Yeah. Aunt Isabel and Uncle Alex invited us all over for dinner. Do you want to go?" Liz asked him as she began pulling out items from the refridgerator to make Jordana's after-school snack.
Adam-Michael paused and nodded his head. "Sure. That sounds cool. I haven't seen everyone in a while."
"Yeah, it will be good for you. Help take your mind off things." Liz said, placing Matty in a carrier that was set up on the kitchen counter so she could watch him while she was cutting up celery.
Adam-Michael nodded and sighed. "I hope so."
"So how was school?" Liz asked.
"Mortifying."
"What happened?"
"Well we were dissecting this frog today in biology class.... and Lauren Valenti is my lab partner...."
"Kyle's daughter? That's so cool!" Liz said, smiling as she cut up celery and spread peanut butter on top of the slices.
"Yeah, and she's the most beautiful girl at West Roswell..." Adam-Michael said, smiling. Liz smiled. "Anyway, I was doing the cutting cause she was really grossed out by the whole thing. And she mentioned something about that 'Alien Autopsy' show a while back and I lost it."
Liz nodded. "Understandable."
"Yeah, to you, but not to her! I dropped the scalpel and ran out of the room." Adam-Michael said, grimacing.
"Aww, honey, I'm sure she's forgotten all about it." Liz said. "So...you and Lauren are friends?"
"Yeah, *just* friends."
"Ever thought about asking her out?"
"Mom..." Adam-Michael said, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Liz said, giggling. "OK, I won't pry anymore. But you *do* know that before your Dad and I started dating, I dated Lauren's Dad for a while..."
"No way!" Adam said, smiling.
"Yup." Liz said, grinning. "He was a big jock, which I didn't like too much. But he was a great kisser."
"Mom. I don't need all the details." Adam-Michael said, rolling his eyes.
"Sorry. Again." Liz said, grinning as she finished Jordana's snack.
The door swung open and slammed loudly as Jordana Isabel Parker Evans bounded into the house. "Mom! I'm home!"
"We're in the kitchen, honey!" Liz cried. Jordana walked in with her bookbag slung over her shoulder and smiled.
"Wow, looks like a party in here! What are you doing home, Adam?" Jordana asked as she threw her bookbag on the kitchen table and walked towards her brother, giving him a hug. Adam kissed her on the top of her head. Jordana kissed Dylan's soft brown hair.
"Oh, I wasn't feeling well at school, so I got an early release." Adam-Michael explained. Jordana nodded and headed over to Liz, giving her a big hug. Liz kissed her on the cheek and handed her a celery stick with peanut butter and raisins sprinkled on top.
"Here, I made your favorite." Liz said, putting her hand on the side of Jordana's face. She really was exquisite. Deep brown eyes, long chestnut brown hair, round face, soft pink lips, rosy cheeks.
"Thanks, Mom." Jordana said, smiling and taking a bite of celery. "Hi, Matty! Hello, baby baby baby!" Jordana said, playing with Matty's foot. Matty responded by wiggling his arms and feet slowly and smiling.
Liz and Adam-Michael looked at each other and silently agreed that Jordana couldn't know about the Tess situation. Not until they knew for sure what was really going on. They weren't completely sure if Tess had started invading Jordana's subconsious as well, but they knew it was only a matter of time.
"Hey, are we still going to Aunt Isabel's and Uncle Alex's tonight?" Jordana asked her Mom as she chomped on the celery sticks.
"Yep. Your Dad's getting off work at 7, so he's going to meet us there." Liz said as she nibbled on one of the celery sticks she'd made for her daughter.
"Cool. Michaela got the new 'Hot Boys' CD and I can't wait to hear it." Jordana said, smiling with glee.
"ICK!" Adam-Michael cried. "Boy bands are so lame."
"Shut up." Jordana said. "They happen to write all their own music."
"Yeah, that's why the songs SUCK!" Adam cried, giggling. Jordana stuck her tongue out at him and playfully punched his arm.
"Well it's better than that stuff you listen to. You can't even understand the words!" Jordana cried, munching.
"Hey, I happen to LIKE it that way!' Adam-Michael said, smiling. "So there."
Liz looked at them, smiling. "Tess will never hurt them, never again. She'll have to get through me first." Liz silently thought to herself.
* * * * *
"Dr. Evans, you have a phone call on line two." Joan said, her voice echoing through the phone sitting on Max's desk.
Max frowned. "Joan, I'm getting ready to walk out the door. I'm already late for my nephew's birthday party. Can you take a message and tell them to call back in the morning?"
"I would, Doctor, but she says it's an emergency."
Max sighed. "Okay. Who is it?"
"Theresa Bingham. You saw her the other day."
Max's heart stopped. That strange yet familiar woman's name echoed through his ears. He didn't have to work hard to recall her face, it was burned into his memory. "Um." He stuttered. "All right, put her through." He looked at the blinking light on the phone for a few moments before finally pushing it and picking up the receiver. "Hello?" He asked quietly.
"Hello, Dr. Evans, it's Theresa."
"Oh. Hi, Theresa. What can I do for you?" Max said with an uncomfortable tone.
*Plenty.* Tess thought as she rubbed her finger across her moist lips. "Oh, I just had a question...about something."
"Sure, anything. What seems to be the problem?"
"Oh, I was just wondering. I've read conflicting reports, about drinking coffee and soda and things with caffeine in it while you're pregnant. I wanted to hear it straight from the doctor- will it harm my baby?" Tess asked, twirling the phone cord around her finger with frustration. She wanted so badly to reach through the phone lines and attack that beautiful man with a million kisses.
Max paused, clearing his throat, about to give his textbook lecture on caffeine. "Well, Theresa. As with anything, moderation is key. Too much caffeine causes your blood pressure to rise, which is extremely harmful to the baby. So it is okay to drink a soda every once in a while or to have a cup of coffee. But only one cup every day. Coffee has much more caffeine than soda, so you have to be careful with that."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Evans."
"Well, I'm glad I could help. Now, if you don't have anymore questions, I'm sorry, I really must go...I'm late for a family gathering..." Max said, pulling some papers into his briefcase and pulling his jacket out of the closet in his office, grabbing the car keys out of the front pocket.
"Oh, that's nice. Someone's birthday or something?" Tess asked, trying to pry for information.
Max paused, knowing he was uncomfortable with this line of questioning but not sure why that was the case. "Um, yes, my nephew is turning six."
"Aww, that's very sweet. Well I hope you have a good time, Doctor." Tess said sweetly, her saccharin voice send a chill up Max's spine.
Max paused. "Thank you, Theresa. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Dr. Evans." Tess said, hanging up the phone.
Max looked down at his hands after he placed the phone on its cradle again.
They were shaking.
* * * * *
Liz looked out of the window above the Whitmans' sink, pacing around the kitchen with Dylan cradled in her arms. "Where is he?"
Isabel Whitman walked into her kitchen, her two-year-old son Ryan slung over her shoulder enduring one of her famous tickle tortures. The sound of gleeful laughter coming from the little boy caused Liz to turn around.
"Liz, he'll be here." Isabel said firmly, placing a comforting hand on her sister-in-law's shoulder.
"I know, I'm just worried." Liz said, sighing.
"Stop worrying." Isabel said, smiling. "Come on, we can put Dylan down in Ryan's room before dinner."
"No, it's OK. I want to hold him for a while. Does Maria still have her eye on Matty?" Liz said, kissing the baby's head.
Isabel smiled. "Yeah, she's got him. Parker just loves him. She keeps giving him little kisses on his face."
Liz smiled at her and nodded. "She is adorable."
Isabel smiled back and nodded in agreement.
"Ryan, why don't you go see what Daddy's doing." Isabel said to Ryan as she put him on the floor to let him run freely through the house.
"Daddy!" Ryan cried, running out of the kitchen and through the living room, into Michaela's room where they had the computer set up. Evan Guerin and Alex were playing a new computer game he had just gotten and Ryan wanted to join the party. "Daddy! Daddy!" He cried, flying towards Alex Whitman with open arms.
"Hey, buddy. You wanna play the game with us?"
"Yeah! Yeah!" Ryan cried, clapping his hands as Alex picked him up and planted him in his lap. Evan sighed, secretly tired of all the babies running around the house. There really wasn't anyone his age in the family to talk to, and it was bumming him out.
"Evan, is that OK if Ryan watches us play this game?" Alex asked him.
"Sure, if you think graphic violence is suitable for a two-year-old." Evan said flatly. Alex ignored the comment, realizing this was Michael's son he was dealing with. The apple didn't fall far from the tree as far as the eldest Guerin child was concerned.
"He doesn't understand any of that stuff, Evan... I think it will be OK." Alex said, gently nudging his nephew into agreement.
Evan's eyes grew big. "Fine, suit yourself. But if Aunt Isabel comes in here and throws a fit cause her baby's watching a bunch of people getting blown up, don't blame me."
Alex raised one of his eyebrows at Evan, realizing that he was right. "Evan my man, I think you have a point. I think I'm just going to take him back out in the living room with everyone. OK?"
"OK, but you're missing the best part...I'm about to shoot this arrow thing with this poison tip, I'm going to shoot him straight through the heart and his blood's going to splatter everywhere and..." Evan began, growing more excited about the prospect of video game anhilation with every word. "Typical eight-year-old boy behavior." Alex thought to himself as he smiled, picked up his son and walked towards the door to Michaela's room.
"I think I'll take a raincheck on that one buddy."
"Oh, and Uncle Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"When's dinner?" Evan asked, keeping his eyes focused on the game at hand.
"Whenever Max gets here." Alex said, sighing.
"I hope it's soon, I'm hungry like a mug."
Alex raised his eyebrow to his nephew. "'Hungry like a mug?'" He whispered under his breath. "OK, Evan, we'll call you when we're ready to eat."
"Sure." Evan said, too enthralled with his video game quest to notice his Uncle leaving the room.
While Evan played video games in Michaela's room, Michaela and Jordana were hanging out in Zachary's room, watching a video he had gotten from the Evanses for his birthday.
Zach turned around, tapping his sister on the shoulder as they sat on the floor of his room, lounging on beanbag chairs.
"Yeah, Zach?" Michaela asked him, signing the words with her hands.
"When will dinner be ready?" He signed to her, trying to vocalize the words as well.
"When will dinner be ready?" Michaela repeated, signing back to him. "When Uncle Max gets here." Zach nodded his head in understanding as they went back to watching the video. The TV was turned up to normal volume with closed captions on the bottom so Zach could understand.
Zachary Alexander Whitman was born with almost complete hearing loss. Isabel and Alex first noticed the signs when he was only a couple of months old. He wasn't responding when they called his name. They would snap their fingers next to his ear and he still wouldn't respond. One night, Michaela dropped a dish on accident and it shattered all over the floor, making an extremely loud noise.
Zachary didn't move a muscle. They took him to the doctor and had him tested for a hearing loss, and their worst fears were confirmed. The family immediately learned sign language so they could communicate with Zach once he began trying to speak. He isn't mute, so he can make some sounds, but it is nearly impossible for him to express himself without signing too. They've even started teaching Ryan some simple signs so he can communicate with Zachary.
"Michaela, can you ask him if he likes the movie?" Jordana asked, smiling at her sweet younger cousin.
"Sure." Michaela said, turning to Zachary. "Zach, Jordana wants to know if you're liking the movie they brought you for your birthday?"
Zach smiled at Jordana and nodded. Jordana smiled back at him. She knew he liked it and that made her happy. The girls and Zachary laid back and enjoyed the rest of the movie while a lot of hustle and bustle was going on outside his room. Isabel and Alex were working hard to make this a perfect party for him. They had the whole place decorated and had ordered a special cake for him. Chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, his favorite.
"Michael, can you move that side of the banner up some?" Isabel asked, looking at the mantle above the fireplace where they had hung Zachary's birthday banner. Michael got up from the couch and carefully moved the banner slowly.
"How's that, Iz?" Michael asked, turning around to face her. She gave him a smile and a thumbs up.
"Perfect! Thank you." Isabel said, smiling with approval. Michael returned to the floor, where he was working on a puzzle with Parker. Maria was lying on the couch, admiring Matthew's general cuteness. Alex and Ryan pulled out some big Legos and were working on a castle, and Isabel returned to the kitchen to get the food situated for the party. She found Liz still pacing, a sleeping Dylan cradled in her arms.
"I think I see him." Liz said, beaming. She sighed. "Thank God."
"Liz, you really have to stop worrying about him everytime you're out of his sight. It's kind of...creepy." Isabel said, pulling aluminum foil off several plates of food before putting them on the table.
Liz paused before answering the comment. She needed to talk to Max before she told Isabel and the others about Adam-Michael's generally weird behavior and the Tess premonitions. "Well, excuse me for worrying about my family."
Isabel sighed, knowing that Liz and Max were a hopeless case. In their eyes, they only saw each other. She didn't quite understand their relationship, it was totally different than she and Alex's. "Here, let me take the baby and I'll put him down in Ryan's room. Then we can have dinner, OK?" Isabel asked Liz. Liz looked at her with a pained glance before handing Dylan over to her.
"All right." Liz said quietly. She gave Dylan a kiss on his soft head. He stirred a little bit as he felt himself leave the warmth of his mother's arms but was still again as Isabel laid his head on her shoulder.
"Hi, Dylan...you sweet little angel." Isabel cooed at him as she walked into Ryan's room, placing him in the playpen and closing the door behind her. Liz walked out the front door and ran down the driveway to meet Max, throwing her arms around him and kissing him.
"Wow. Hello to you too!" Max said, smiling.
"I was worried!" She replied, mock-hitting him on the arm.
"I'm sorry, baby. A patient called when I was getting ready to leave and that tied me up. Then the traffic out of there was awful. Did I miss anything?" Max asked as they walked back through the Whitmans' door hand-in-hand.
"Not a thing. We were waiting for you to come so we can eat." Liz said, pulling him into another hug. "We need to talk later. In private." She whispered in his ear.
He looked at her with alarm, but soon people were crowding around them.
As Max appeared at the door, a cheer rose from Michael and Alex's lips. "Yes! We're starving!" Alex cried. Jordana, Michaela, Zachary, and Evan filed in the living room from the bedrooms and greeted Max. Jordana ran into his arms, giving him a huge hug.
"Dad, you're late!" She cried, smiling.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry guys. Let's eat!" Max said, clapping his hands together and smiling.
Everyone agreed with that notion. He walked over to Zachary and kneeled down to his eye level. He pulled on Zachary's shirt and Zach turned around to see him. Max handed him a small Dragon figurine he had pulled out of his pocket and placed it in Zachary's tiny hand. Zachary had always loved when Isabel and Alex acted out the stories about valiant knights fighting evil dragons.
"This is for you." Max said and signed.
Zachary smiled, hugging Max. "Thank you, Uncle Max." He signed.
"You're welcome." Max signed. Max and Liz had learned a little bit of sign language so they could communicate with their nephew on a basic level. Max sweeped across the kitchen, walking up behind Liz and putting his arms around her waist. "Where are the boys?" He whispered in her ear.
"Maria's putting Matty down with Dylan. They're in Ryan's room, asleep." Liz said.
"What about Adam?" Max asked, looking around for his eldest son.
Liz paused, feeling her heart drop into her stomach at the mention of him. "He's..he's coming...later. He has a big paper due tomorrow. He was going to work on that...and then come over."
"Oh, OK." Max said, kissing her earlobe.
"All right, guys, the plates are on the end of the table...grab whatever you want, then come in the dining room so we can eat." Isabel said, pointing to the end of the table where there was a large stack of paper plates, utensils, and napkins. Next to the stack of napkins were several bottles of Tabasco sauce: one each for Isabel, Max, Michael, and Adam-Michael, and several for the rest of the kids to share as well. After all these years, Liz, Maria, and Alex still turned their noses up at the hot stuff. Liz grabbed her plate and felt a chill go down her spine. She instinctively turned around to look out of the window, hoping to see Adam-Michael's car pull up in the driveway. She silently cursed herself for letting him stay home alone.
* * * * *
Adam-Michael pulled on a fresh shirt and walked over to the mirror on the wall in his bedroom. He studied his image for a few moments, but after a while, he finally had to turn away. Each millisecond of time he looked at his face in the mirror, the more his skin crawled, the more his eyes seemed to become something-- rather, someone else's...it was making him shiver.
"Stop it!" Adam screamed, covering his ears with his hands. "Leave me alone!" His eyes were shut so tight that tears were flowing from them. The phone rang then, and Adam slowly walked over to the phone in the corner of his room, his eyes still shut tight, his body curled tight into itself, like he was trying to hide from the world. He took a deep breath before answering it. "Hello?" His voice said, meekly. Deep down in a terrified part of his soul, he thought that it was his mother trying to contact him from beyond the grave...
"Adam-Michael? Is that you?" The voice was sweet like honey.
Adam's heart dropped. His eyes flew open, and for the first time in the entire horrifying episode, he smiled.
"Lauren." He said, his voice barely a whisper. It was more like an exhale, like he was too afraid to breathe, but now that she was with him, he could feel himself taking breaths again. "Hey. What's...up?"
"I just wanted to call...to see if, you know, you were OK and all? You had me worried, you left Bio and never came back, I thought maybe you were, you know, sick or something? I just *had* to make sure you were all right." Lauren asked.
Adam-Michael was shocked. She was actually worried about him! "Yeah, Lauren, I'm fine, everything's fine now, I was just a little...nauseous. Yeah, the dissection, it got to me I guess..."
"Not such a strong stomach after all?" She asked, giggling.
"Yeah, I guess not." He said, smiling. She laughed again and he thought he was in Heaven. She had the sweetest laugh.
"So..." Lauren began.
"So..." Adam-Michael added.
"So, what are you doing tonight?" Lauren asked.
Adam paused. This was monumental. Lauren Valenti enquiring about his personal plans. "Oh, I have this family party thing I have to go too...it's going to be lame though, a bunch of little kids..."
"Oh, well I don't have anything to do...I mean, my Dad's working late, so it's just me here, all alone...I'm pretty bored and MTV is showing endless reruns of 'Road Rules'. It's nauseating..." Lauren said, sighing.
Adam-Michael suddenly felt a burst of empowerment. "Do you want to go with me?"
Lauren paused, considering the offer, then smiling. "Well, I wouldn't want to impose..."
Adam-Michael smiled. "You wouldn't be imposing, I mean...you know my parents, right?"
"Yeah, they deliver babies, right? They went to high school with my Dad." Lauren said, twirling the phone cord around her finger.
Adam-Michael laughed. "Actually, my Mom told me today that she used to go out with your Dad before she met my Dad!"
Lauren laughed. "Really? Yikes! My Dad is so... well...he's my Dad..." She giggled again. Adam-Michael sighed. He couldn't believe this was happening.
"So, what do you say? Can I pick you up in like 20 minutes?" Adam-Michael asked hopefully. He had no idea where all this bravery was coming from.
Lauren paused. "Sure." She smiled. Spending time with Adam outside of Bio lab was something she'd wanted to for a while, but she'd never gotten up the courage to ask him. It could be fun to meet his family.
"Really?" He asked, his eyes lighting up. "Great!"
Lauren smiled. "OK, do you know where I live?"
Adam-Michael knew her address, but he lied so she wouldn't get freaked out. "No..can you give me directions?"
"Sure. I live on Oakmont Drive, it's the street across from St. Matthew's Church, I live in the house all the way at the end of the street on the right. 831."
"OK," Adam-Michael said, smiling. He knew exactly how to get there.
"Well, I'll see you soon then." Lauren said.
"Yeah, soon." Adam-Michael said, smiling.
"Bye, Adam."
"Bye, Lauren."
Adam-Michael hung up the phone, and he felt he could take on the world- and whatever spirit was haunting him. Then he heard the icy voice echoing through his mind again.
"Soon, Adam-Michael. Soon."
He squeezed his hands into his head until it hurt. "Stop it." He said calmly, running out of his room and slamming the door behind him.
TBC...