It's not denial. I'm just selective about the reality I accept. - Bill Watterson

A stream of light came bursting through the balcony doors causing the darkness to fade. An alarm clock quickly filled the room with its redundant ringing causing Liz to slam her hand on the off button and awake from her slumber.

What the strangest dream. She thought as she burrowed her head into her pillow for a few moments of relaxation. She had yet to see her parents the other night when she came home, and they were to have dinner together tonight.

Stretching her arms she placed one foot on the floor and froze. She felt something that shouldn't be there. Her stomach was big…could she subconsciously still be clutching a pillow? With a trembling body she hesitated lowering her head and saw her belly that no doubt looked pregnant.

This is just a dream. This is just a dream. You're imagining it Liz. Tess was a bitch in your dream truly she wouldn't do this to you in real life. Wake up! Pinch yourself! I'm pinching myself! Why aren't I waking up? She thought panicking as she pinched harder and harder hoping to awake from reality.

After ten minutes of nonstop poking and prodding Liz came to a realization.

"This is real…this is happening. Oh my god! Tess is such a bitch!" Liz cried to herself as she began to brace around the room in her pajamas. She ran to her closet and began to throw clothes on and burst into tears at the reflection in the mirror.

"These shorts are too tight. My shirts make me look pregnant!" she panicked as she tried on the majority of her closet before giving herself a small smile.

"Dresses! Yes! I can wear those!" she squealed as she saw the ten dresses that were in her closet. She was pleased to see they were airy, non-tight, and big so no one would be able to notice.

She felt delighted as she put on the navy blue dress with white flowers and giggled at the sight of herself. She looked like a normal upcoming junior. She didn't look like she was sixteen and having a baby. If the dresses were like this she hoped she wouldn't look like she was pregnant at all. If she just told her parents…no one else would have to know until after the baby came. Yes…that seemed like the best solution right now.

So what if she was in denial?

Oh god…she had to tell her parents. What was she supposed to say? Hey mom last night Tess from the future came over and gave me her baby so now I'm pregnant! Oh and by the way if the father finds out he'll kill me, and I'm a 100% alien!

Like that would go well…all it would do was question her sanity. Liz began to clean her clothing up by separating them into piles as she labeled them so she could give them to the local thrift store. As she was doing so she ran by what she had done in the past three months to find a plausible story of why she was three months pregnant.

Hmmm…three months ago….Oh my god….

A light bulb went off in her head and Liz knew she had the perfect excuse in her mind. Now all she had to do was tell her parents.

Liz drove down towards the thrift store and walked in with her three bags of clothes and looked for the owner Mrs. Addeline Johanneson or Addy as she preffered. Luck behold it she ran straight into her.

"Liz! What are you doing here?" Addy asked.

"I got back from Florida yesterday and went through my things and I have things to give to you!" Liz told her as they went through her clothing together as she helped her price how much the items were worth. She wasn't surprised to be received with $200 dollars of free clothes towards the thrift shop since she gave away her old wardrobe. Since she didn't have many clothes left she went around the room and tried on ten dresses that she absolutely adored and hid the baby bump. After that she went to the register and got her purchases rung up.

"Liz…can I talk to you for a second honey?" she asked suddenly as she was about to leave the store causing Liz's eyes to bulge before nodding her head and walking towards the backroom with her.

"Yes Addy?" she asked learning to never call her Mrs. Johanneson.

"As you know I've been looking for an assistant to price the items and pick what is good and bad for the store." She told her bluntly causing her eyes to widen.

"I really want to but my dad wants me working at the Crash Down." Liz contemplates as she bit her lip.

"Working at a diner while pregnant is not the safest choice Elizabeth." She sternly told her causing her to look up in surprise.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She denied not looking her in the eye.

"Honey…I was just like you when I was your age. That's how I know. When I got pregnant at sixteen in my hometown I did the same thing. I had to get rid of all my clothes because my belly could not fit in them and all I could think of was about how fat I looked in them. Listen, working in a diner is dangerous with all the smells. I won't judge here and to be honest you're the best at these kinds of things." She pleaded and Liz couldn't help but nod her head in reluctance.

"I'll take the job. I was just…hoping you wouldn't tell anyone about the baby yet…I just haven't even gotten the nerve to tell my parents yet." Liz told her and let out a breath of relief with she nodded her head.

"So…I've got to ask. Is Max the father? "She asked and she shook her head no causing the older woman's eyes to widen.

"Max and I…we never…To be honest I don't even know who the father is. It was the night I went down to Florida…I went to the clubs to forget, you know? I just thought…for once I don't want to be me. No more looking over my shoulder to make sure Tess wasn't hitting on Max…it was just me and the alcohol you know. No second guessing. For the first time in my life I felt…free. Then this guy came up to me and told me that I was beautiful and that he wanted all of me. I was so stupid, wasted. It's just for the first time I didn't feel questionable…we went to his room…had sex…then I left. Then about a week and a half later I found out I got pregnant and I didn't even know that father's name. My aunt didn't even know. God I was so stupid!" she cried testing out her story. Part of it was true except some random guy coming up to her and having sex, and she did have the father's name.

It must have worked because Addy had tears flowing down her cheeks as she came over and gave Liz a motherly hug.

"Shhh…its okay sweetie. We all make mistakes sometimes we get the largest repercussions though." She wisely told her and she couldn't help but nod her head.

"He's not over me. Maria kept calling in and telling me that. When he finds this out he's going to think I betrayed him but I didn't!" she realized as her tears fell quicker.

Tess got what she wanted; there was no way that Max would want her now. Would the pod squad kick her out?

"Listen to me. This is not your fault. Do not let him make you feel bad about yourself okay? Ever since that girl came here your boyfriend has been playing you like a yoyo back and forth. You broke up and for the first time in a long time a man came up to you and made you feel like you were the most special person in the world. He took advantage of you Liz. You said you were clearly drunk so do not blame this on yourself. Do you hear me?" Addy demanded in her passionate tone that made her want to laugh. She nodded her head, because even if the story was false in a way she was taken advantage and she had nothing to do with this baby.

"Good. Now you're makeup looks good. No more tears. Heck it doesn't look like you cried at all. Now pull yourself together, grab your new clothes, and walk with confidence do you hear?" Addy asked with her hands on her hips with a glare that told you not to disobey.

"Yes mam!" Liz replied giving her an army salute and gave a soft giggle.

"Tomorrow seven a.m. that's when you start!" she called after her as Liz grabbed her things and headed out. Liz turned around gave her a nod and mouthed thank you and walked off to the Crash Down café for a much needed discussion with her parents.

Walking down the street she couldn't help but feel like someone was watching her. Turning around she felt her heart beat fast at what she saw.

"M—Max?" she asked flustered unsure of what to say.

"Hey Liz its good to see you again. We've missed you this summer. Your dad said you were in Florida?" he questioned as if her father would give him wrong information.

"Yeah…listen Max it was nice seeing you but I've really got to go." She motioned towards the café that was in front of them.

"Listen…about what my real mother told us in the cave. Screw destiny, I don't want to be with Tess I want to be with you. That was in a past life, but this a new one." He pleaded trying to hold onto her arms but failed due to the fact that Liz pushed him off.

"I—I can't do this Max. My life is completely messed up right now, and the two of you should be together. Okay? I want you to be with her and be happy because it's obvious that I was never the one you truly wanted." She replied. Before she could even make it to the door she felt his hand on her shoulder causing her to have a terrible sense of déjà vu as she faced him once again.

"Why? Michael and Maria are still together? They're defying destiny? Why can't we?" Max pleaded clueless causing Liz to look at him for the first time truly and was shocked at what she saw.

"You don't get it do you Max? The reason we can't work out is because your past wife wants to be with you! Michael and Isobel don't want to be together and that's fine. I just…I can't be part of this twisted triangle anymore. I'm trying so hard to move on and I think you should too." She told him as he stood dumbfounded. Pausing before opening the door she asked him the one question she had been thinking since she had woken up this morning.

"Haven't you wondered that in some weird twisted way, the reason Tess wants to be with you was because maybe just maybe your love was so strong in your past life that it must be torturous to watch the love of your life in past memories and present time be completely in love with someone else?" she questioned quietly before opening the door and passing by her confused pod squad who no doubt wondered what had just occurred to make Max look so thoughtful, lost, and so confused.

They were in denial. They all were. Max with his attraction to Tess. Liz with the reality of being pregnant. Tess with the idea that everything would be handed to her. Isobel believing she could live a normal life. Michael for not letting people in. Kyle trying to pretend that everything in his life could still be the same. Alex with his need to believe that Isobel could never love him. Maria believing that her life would not suffer some tragedy for loving one of the Royal Four.

It was time for them to face the facts. They needed to get over them. If what Tess said was true she had fourteen years to get these aliens into shape before their enemies came to Earth and she would be damned if she did not get them to start facing the facts and reality.

Refusal to believe until proof is given is a rational position; denial of all outside of our own limited experience is absurd.–Annie Besant