Disclaimer: I don't own the series Roswell or any of its original characters. All I own is the plot and my imagination.
A/N: So, the whole weekly update thing has been thrown out the window, since it took me two weeks to upload this chapter and, therefore, I'm changing the weekly update thing into the I'll-update-as-often-as-I-can-thing. Dilek, this chapter is for you once again and I made this one a couple of pages longer because I know how you've been waiting for me to update.
A Second Coming
Part 4: What Tomorrow Might Bring
''When you don't know if you'll make it through it…''
Isabel went into the kitchen that morning fully dressed instead of wearing the pink bathrobe she usually wore to breakfast, doing so out of decency for Alex and respect for Jesse; however, she discovered that she wasn't the only one who was up when she found Michael in her kitchen.
He held up his coffee mug before she could say anything and made her question redundant. ''Maria forgot to buy coffee again. She works at a diner, but still she manages to forget the coffee. Go figure. You want some?'' he asked courteously before taking a sip of his coffee.
Isabel nodded and he poured her a mug. ''Thanks,'' she appreciated and sat down at the table with him.
''So, how is he?'' Michael immediately dove into more of a no-nonsense conversation with his follow-up question, though not before he had handed her the bottle of Tabasco.
''From what I can tell,'' Isabel began,'' he's doing good for someone who has been dead for a while and is now alive again.''
''Do you think anyone else knows about him, you know being…''
Isabel shook her head. ''No, we're the only ones who know. He hasn't even told his parents yet.''
''And his grave?'' Michael bluntly asked, having absolutely no problem with doing so.
''Empty, but still there, so there wouldn't be any unwanted questions and attention. According to Alex it was Serena's idea.''
''Huh, well, at least she's smarter than she looks.''
''Michael,'' Isabel disciplined him.
''Well, what do you expect me to say?'' He shrugged. ''I don't know her and, therefore, I don't trust her.''
''You should give her a chance.''
''Are you sure you're not just saying that because she's the one who brought Alex back?''
''She gets my benefit of the doubt because of that, yeah, but there's also something about her that makes me trust her. I don't know… Besides, why would she have brought Alex back if she didn't have the right intentions, why go through the trouble?''
''To get us on her side, of course.''
''Maybe her side is the one to be on,'' Isabel retaliated. ''We'll just have to wait and see what she has to say.''
''And who the unexpected guest is… I don't like being in the dark.''
''You never have,'' Isabel told him. ''But it's good that you're cautious because it means that you'll be ready for whatever when we aren't. You're always looking out for the rest of us, Michael.''
Michael didn't say anything in return and Isabel didn't go into his sudden quiet streak; instead, she smiled and continued to drink her coffee, and, thanks to Alex who strolled into the kitchen, the silence didn't get the chance to become awkward.
''Morning,'' he greeted and joined them at the table.
''Morning,'' Isabel returned, hiding the smile that appeared on her face at the sight of Alex's messy hairdo.
''Hey,'' Michael said with a nod.
''Did you sleep well?'' Isabel politely asked him.
Alex nodded. ''Yeah,'' surprisingly well even, considering that, you know…''
''It's a good couch,'' Michael pointed out. ''And I should know since I've spent my share of nights on it when Maria… Hey, baby,'' he quickly changed the subject and brought his head fully up.
''Space boy,'' Maria replied with a smile and leaned in to give him a kiss, after which she turned to Alex and threw her arms around him.
''What's this for?''
''Just for being here. I'm really glad you're back,'' Maria shared. ''And so is everybody else.''
''That's the vibe I've been getting,'' Alex said, ''but thanks for saying it again, Maria.''
''What are friends for? Anyway, I just dropped by Liz's and she wanted me to ask you if you wanted to have breakfast with her, Max, Serena, Kyle, me, well, she just wanted everyone over at her and Max's because of Serena being there.''
''Sounds good to me,'' Michael agreed while getting up. ''At least we can keep a close eye on her that way.''
Maria rolled her eyes. ''You know, it might be possible for people to actually be who they say they are.''
''I'm being careful.''
''Or paranoid,'' Maria shot back.
''Uh, guys, before we go over there, does someone have any clothes I can borrow?''
''You can borrow some of Michael's,'' Maria offered Alex.
Michael nodded. ''Yeah, man, come on.''
''Okay, thanks.'' Alex got up.
''So, Liz and Max's place in fifteen minutes?'' Maria proposed to Isabel.
She nodded. ''See you in fifteen.''
She took her time finishing her coffee when they left and, afterwards, made her way into the living room to fold up the sheets that she had given Alex for the couch. After doing that, she had only a few minutes to spare and decided to use those to give Jesse a quick call because she felt like it was something that she needed to do and couldn't wait.
He picked up on the second ring, his voice sounding hoarse. ''Jesse speaking.''
''Hey, it's me… Did I wake you?''
''Yes, but I enjoy being woken up by you,'' he said, making sure that she heard the smile in his voice. '' How are you doing''
''I'm good. You?''
''The same, probably busier, though. My firm's really been taking off.''
''That's good.''
''Yeah, it is. Have you been getting the money I've been sending you?''
''Yeah, I have, but I haven't spent any of it. I told you that you didn't have to do that.''
''You're my wife, Isabel. It's my job to take care of you and just because I can't psychically watch over you, I can still financially take care of you. It's the only thing I can do, Iz.''
''I know, and I love the thought behind it, but it's really unnecessary.''
''You haven't told the others, have you?''
''No, but not because I'm ungrateful, but because I really wanted everyone to be able to make it here without any help, including me. It's the idea, you know?''
''I understand, but I won't stop sending you the money. Who knows when you might need it.''
''Thanks, Jesse.''
''It's my pleasure. So, how are things going over there? Still quiet?''
Isabel bit down into her lip for a few seconds before answering. ''Yeah, things are still quiet.''
''That's good, right? It means you guys are safe.''
''Yeah, everything's been fine so far.''
''That's great, maybe it means that whoever was looking for you and the others has given up.''
''Maybe…''
''So maybe you could come back home soon? I mean, there's no reason to stay there when—''
''Jesse,'' Isabel cut him off, ''I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I'm supposed to have breakfast over at Liz and Max's and I'm already late.''
''Oh, yeah, sure... It's not like we won't talk to each other again soon anyway, right?''
''Right.''
''I love you Isabel Ramirez.''
''I really have to go. I'm sorry, Jesse,'' she apologized and hung up.
She didn't know why she had lied to Jesse about how things really were. She liked to believe that it was because she wanted to protect him and not have him worry about her, but she knew that it was also something else. She feared that it may have something to do with Alex, and how she would have told him the truth if he had been in Jesse's place because, unlike him, Alex did fit into her estranged world. The thought made her feel guilty and the thing that made her feel even worse about it was that, the second she walked into Liz and Max's kitchen, Alex was the only one who was unoccupied enough to notice that something was going on with her. He always had a very attentive eye, especially when it came to her, so it came as no surprise to anyone when Isabel sat down next to him and his eyes instantly focused on her.
''Are you okay?'' Alex softly asked her, so that the others wouldn't hear.
Isabel didn't look at him and nodded.
''You know, just because I've been dead for a while doesn't mean that I forgot how to detect when you're lying about something, like now.''
Isabel shrugged. ''It's just some marital stuff.''
''What kind of stuff?''
''The kind of stuff I don't want to bother you with.''
''Because…''
''Anything you'd like to share with the class?'' Kyle asked, breaking up the conversation a little too loudly for Isabel's comfort, and, as a result, she kicked him.
''Touchy,'' Kyle replied, clearly amused by her reaction.
At that moment, Max cleared his throat and all eyes instantly turned to him.
''Uh oh, why do I get the feeling that we're not getting any breakfast,'' Kyle remarked.
''You already had breakfast, Kyle,'' Liz pointed out.
''Yeah, but you forget that I was once a football player and former jocks don't just have one breakfast, they have at least three, containing preferably eggs and bacon, lots of bacon.''
Liz rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help smile at his comment, just as Isabel and Maria. Even Alex chuckled and Max, Michael and Serena were the only ones who kept a straight face.
''Kyle,'' Max said while shooting him a look.
''I'm sorry, I'm done.''
''You humans are peculiar,'' Serena observed.
Maria eyed the girl. ''Like you aliens are so normal, that's why you're called that, you know, because you're alien.''
''Right,'' Kyle agreed. ''You're not even from this world.''
Max crossed his arms and sat back down again. ''Let me know when you're finished.''
''They're done,'' Liz told him while looking from the others to Max and back again. ''Right?''
Everybody nodded and looked to Max again.
''Good,'' he said. ''Because we didn't ask all of you over here for breakfast. We asked you over here so that Serena could tell us her story.''
''It better be a good one,'' Michael spoke his mind.
Serena faintly smiled. ''You were always the most skeptic out of the four.''
''Why doesn't that surprise me?'' Maria rhetorically asked.
''Anyway,'' Serena began,'' I'm sure Michael isn't the only one who has questions, which is understandable, so I'm going to try to answer, hopefully, all of them. See, theoretically I've lived two lives, the one where I knew you and this one, though, actually, I've only lived one life. I would have died, before my time, in my former, but because I have the ability to heal, I didn't.''
''So you can regenerate.'' Kyle stated.
Serena nodded. ''I guess you could put it that way, yeah. I got a second chance, so to speak.''
''So, you basically can't die?'' Maria asked.
Serena shook her head. ''No, I can die, but only when I'm supposed to. I healed myself after the first attack on our planet, but, shortly after, our side, ''she gestured in the direction of Isabel, Max and Michael, ''managed to gain its control back and ward off Kivar, until just recently, when he attacked our planet again. Only, this time, we couldn't win. Everybody knew it. He had made alliances with another planet, Xira, a planet much bigger than Antar. A lot of people were killed because Kivar is known for showing no mercy and only a few managed to escape, including me. I was on one of the few ships that left Antar and on the only one that actually made it to earth. Kivar shot down the others,'' she answered the question before it could be asked. ''Mine was hit, but remained fine until we were about to land. It crashed and everyone, except me, died. After healing myself, I tried to heal them, but I was unable to. It was their time… I had no plan, until I thought of you, the hybrids who can live on earth because you can pass as humans and haven't found a way back yet, which you will, eventually. I decided to go to Roswell first,'' she continued with her story, ''saying that I was a friend, and that's where I heard of Alex's death. I restored his essence and, luckily for me, he could tell me where you were. He said that he had been with you ever since his death, especially with you,'' she told Isabel, who shared a quick and discreet look with Alex. ''And now I'm here.''
''And now you're here,'' Michael repeated. ''You found us. Now, what's the follow-up to that?''
''Well, Kivar's seeking revenge and wants to exterminate all of your kind, especially the remaining three of the Royal Four, so, most likely, he will gather up his best men and come looking for you.''
Isabel's hand went for her neck. ''Kivar's coming after us?''
''Hey, don't worry, Iz, we won't let him come near you,'' Max assured her. ''We'll make sure of that.''
''Like hell we will,'' Michael affirmed.
''Besides, she said that he would most likely be coming after us,'' Kyle tried to help.
''That's right,'' Maria agreed with a nod of her head. ''But, just to be on the safe side, how positive are you that Kivar is planning a kill and destroy trip to earth?''
''I've been through it once before, so I think history will definitely repeat itself. It's how Kivar works,'' Serena informed them. ''And he isn't one for second chances.''
''So, how long will it take for him to find us?'' Liz inquired.
Serena shrugged. ''You guys have done a good job at erasing your tracks, but he has his ways of finding things out.''
''How long?'' Max repeated the question.
''A few days, tops.''
''Max, what are we going to do?'' Isabel asked, her face painfully wrinkled up with worry and concern.
''We fight,'' Serena answered before Max could. ''We have to. He won't stop looking until he has found you.''
Isabel gasped and automatically reached for Alex's hand while silently repeating Serena's words to herself. ''We fight.''
Michael nodded. ''I hate to admit it, but she's got a point, Maxwell.''
Max nodded. ''I know.'' He looked at Serena. ''Do you think we stand a chance?''
She nodded. ''I do. I mean, we have you three,'' she said with a nod, meaning Isabel, Max and Michael. ''You've gotten a good hold on your powers by now and, now, you also have me, and Liz. One of us could train her and show her how to use and control her powers, if she wants to, that is.''
Liz nodded. ''I want to help.''
''Good.'' Serena smiled before looking over at Kyle. ''You've also been healed by one of them, so I think that I'd be able to trigger your powers with a few simple exercises.''
Kyle shook his head. ''No.''
''Why?''
He shrugged. ''Let's call it a bad experience.''
Max nodded and accepted Kyle's reason for all of them. ''We understand''
''Yeah,'' Liz agreed. ''We won't force you into doing anything that you don't want to do.''
Kyle nodded. ''Thank you, but you guys know that I'm still with you, right? I was a pretty decent fighter back in the day.''
Isabel smiled at him. ''Thanks, Kyle.''
''Yeah, Kyle,'' Serena said, ''we could definitely use you on our side.''
It was about then that the doorbell rang and that their conversation was brought to an abrupt halt.
''Is that him?'' Isabel asked, close to panicking.
Serena shook her head. ''No, Kivar needs time to prepare because he doesn't want to lose from you. It's probably my guest. She's a little early, though.''
''She?'' Maria asked.
''I'll get it,'' Liz said while getting up, though Max stopped her. ''No, I'll go. Just to be safe, okay?''
Liz nodded. ''Okay.''
Max squeezed her hand one time before letting go and leaving the kitchen to open the door. Serena got up soon after, as did the others, wanting to see who their guest was. They were on their way when they heard Max say, ''Tess.''
Please review? (: It's always nice to hear what you think, so leave behind a few words. Thanks for reading. Oh, and I'll put this out there again, a while ago I uploaded a Charmed one parter, focusing on Chris, so if you have the time, please check it out. It's called Looking Back At the Future. :)
