Title: Scion's Metamorphosis
Author: hauntedd
Rating: T
Couples: Michael/Liz, Tess/Kyle and others
Disclaimer: These characters are the property of Jason Katims/Melinda Metz
Summary: Liz and Tess Parker have always been close, but when destiny forces its hand, they're caught in the crosshairs.
AN: I've been sitting on this for years. I'd probably continue to sit on it for several more, but I'm going to employ Kathy's strategy and post when the next part is done instead of trying to finish it first.
Prologue
When entered into a situation, a gun immediately changes the stakes. A gun is a catalyst, and after the trigger is pulled your actions become the outcome. No one is ever the same after a gun is entered into the equation.
And if someone is shot, well, then the change is severe and produces disastrous results.
The sound ripped through the restaurant, lead flying through the air at rapid speed, drawing the two of them away from the commotion that had held their attentions moments before. Voices called out, all muddled together as people ran forward, propelled by adrenaline and sheer panic.
But unlike the masses, they stayed rooted in their seats, collectively stunned by what they were witnessing.
There was a loud thud and they were jolted back from their inaction. Someone had been hit.
"Kyle!" Tess shrieked, shooting up from her chair.
When a bullet hits a target, there's only one question with two possible answers that really enters your mind. Do you stay and try to be the hero or do you flee, letting fear win out in the end?
"Tess, what are you doing?" Liz hissed, glaring pointedly as she tightened her grip on the blonde's arm. They couldn't do this – it wasn't right, plus modern medicine would help, if they got him to the ambulance. That was more than the two of them could say about themselves.
"Saving him." Tess replied, wrenching her arm out of the other girl's grasp. "You can either help or get out, but I'm not letting him die."
"I'll help." Liz whispered, startling even herself. She had always been the protective one, adamant about keeping their powers hidden from others, but this was completely different from using their powers to play pranks, like blowing Pam Troy's transmission. And if she didn't help her sister, she had a feeling that both of them would be in grave danger.
"What?" Tess hissed, startled by the unexpected change in her sister's demeanor. She had always said that they couldn't use their powers – that it would harm the balance of things and draw unnecessary attention.
"Better to help you than to alert the media."
We stayed. And life has never been the same.
"Kyle, I need you to look at me."
That was all she heard before starting her task, making a bullet hole in the wall and changing the molecular structure of the blood-stained surfaces to ketchup. It had to go perfectly, if there was any trace of tissue, human or alien, they would be found out. She just hoped the sheriff didn't investigate in detail, which was entirely likely, considering who had gotten caught in the crossfire.
She heard her sister flop against the linoleum and Kyle sputter for air, inhaling and exhaling with dramatic flair. Liz quickly waving her hand over the boy's shirt, removing the blood and draping ketchup across his shirt to replace it.
"What..."
"It's okay. You hit your head when you fell. Tess and I came back to check up on you. Turns out that you were lucky and just got covered in ketchup." Liz informed him, her dark eyes communicating a hundred things, but the overarching message was please believe me.
"She okay?" Kyle coughed out, glancing at the petite blonde girl who had been lying on top of him seconds ago.
"She will be. She just fainted. Tess freaks out easily."
"Right." Kyle replied, indicating that this was far from over.
Our secret wasn't just ours anymore. We had let people in, something that we had agreed not to do. It was something that, at the time, seemed like the right course of action. My sister and I still believe that, but like everything else, there were repercussions.
"Tess, Liz. We need to talk."
"About what? I know you're grateful that we checked on you but it was nothing. In fact, it was our pleasure. Someone dying at the Crash isn't good for business." Liz exhaled, hoping that Kyle would back off. The last thing they needed was to have him on their backs, hounding them for the truth.
"Neither is this," Kyle returned, lifting his shirt and revealing a silver handprint where the bullet had been.
"Put your shirt down!" Tess shrieked exchanging a panicked look with the other girl who shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to mask her shock. They couldn't hide this, not when the physical evidence of their abilities was etched on Kyle's stomach.
"Fine. But you're going to explain why I've got a big glowing handprint on my stomach."
Liz opened her mouth to protest, but Tess pleaded with her to just do what he asked. Frowning, she walked to the door of the music room, sealing it shut to prevent anyone from getting in, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Kyle.
"What the hell?" He questioned, backing away from Tess, not registering the hurt that had passed across her face.
"Kyle, you were shot that day in the Crashdown." Liz admitted, taking the lead for her sister and not bothering to address his shock over her melting the door handle.
"No shit. A bullet ripping through your chest isn't something you forget." Kyle returned, his nervousness causing him to be even more sarcastic than usual.
"Is this amateur hour or do you want answers?"
"You tell me. Most magicians don't leave evidence behind, Houdini."
"If we were magicians, we wouldn't have been able to save your life." Tess huffed, her annoyance peaking through her steely exterior.
"So what are you then? My guardian angels? Because I've got to tell you, I've always wanted twins to fill my every desire, protect the boys, if you will."
"You're a pig." Liz replied, folding her arms across her chest.
"No, I'm just a lowly human. You two on the other hand are… what again?"
"We're aliens Kyle, and we risked… I risked our lives to save yours." Tess replied with a frown, meeting his bewildered gaze with her own. She was hoping that all kidding aside, he would understand what that meant.
"What the hell are you talking about? This isn't funny."
"I got images from you, you know, when I healed you. I can show you, if you want. But you have to trust me."
"Fine. Whatever."
Kyle became one of our closest allies and tried to keep his stepsister and her boyfriend, Alex, out of this mess. But the problem with sharing a roof with other people is that they tend to find out your deepest secrets, and Maria was no exception. She caught sight of the silver handprint that lingered on Kyle's body before it disappeared, and our small group gained two more members.
Maria and Alex, like Kyle, became good friends and allies, who protected our secret. Tess and Kyle started to date, eventually falling in love, and things were perfect, for a while. But if I have learned one thing in my young life, it's that there is always another shoe, and it drops exactly when you least expect it.
Destiny. It came into our lives with a vengeance and tried to make us its victim. Max Harding, the third alien, and his protector, Nasedo found us toward the end of the year and had one thing they wanted – destiny to fulfill itself.
"Why are we here Max?" She asked, brushing a stray hair behind her ear as she glared at the boy who was framed by the eerie green glow of their pods. Liz had wanted to spend the night at home with Maria, laughing and eating ice cream like they were normal sixteen year olds.
"We have a duty, whether you two like it or not."
Max glared at the two girls who despised him. He wasn't stupid, despite their beliefs to the contrary, and knew that they both hated him. It gnawed at the back of his consciousness, eating at his buried emotions, threatening to expose his humanity. A part of him did want their acceptance, but he knew that the mission was more important. Emotions were for the weak, and he was strong; he was King.
"And the way to get us to accept you is to force us? Clearly logic isn't your strong suit." Liz replied, hoping to discourage him from continuing his latest attempt at imposing some sense of destiny on them.
"Shut up Liz." Max commanded, trying to bury his hurt under anger. She was supposed to be his sister, to stand by him and his decisions. Instead, she was constantly defying him.
"Why? So you can manipulate Tess into making out with you again?" Liz dug at him. She never would forgive him for the pain he caused Tess and Kyle. A person's mind was sacred, and he had violated that trust.
"She's my mate!"
"Max, frankly, I have no idea what she saw in Zan, but I can't stand you." Tess snapped, making sure to distinguish her past self from herself. She wasn't that girl – genetics be damned. She loved Kyle, she'd risked everything for him, he was the one she wanted.
"You can differentiate the two all you want, Tess, but a part of you adores me," Max leered, his eyes surveying her body, intentionally lingering on her chest.
Liz caught the murderous look in Tess' eye and frowned. She had to do something now to end this.
"Can we get this over with? I think I speak for my sister and myself when I say that we want to spend as little time with you as possible."
"Alright." Max sighed reaching into his pocket for the two orbs. Nasedo had said these orbs would work, even though the two weren't ready for what they would reveal and had refused to go with them. He just wanted his family back.
It's been almost a year, to the day, of when Kyle was shot and so much has changed. We're juniors now and know more about ourselves than I think any of us would like. Except, we're all guilty of lying. To ourselves, each other, we all have secrets, and like anything else, they'll only wind up driving us apart.