Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Melinda Metz, various publishers and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.


The Heart Remembers


As the fog cleared, Maxwell smiled as he recognized the ballroom. As his subjects twirled around him in white ball gowns and black dress suits, he looked around for his beloved. 'Where is she? She should be standing out amongst the ton.' Frowning, he narrowed his eyes. He could feel that she was close but still so far away from him. Turning his head right to left, he released his breath when he caught a glance of her standing near the windows. 'She never over there, I swear if this corruption of our courting is from that guardian, I'll take him apart!'

Gracefully, he moved towards her. For every step he took towards her, she took a half step away. Reaching out a hand, Maxwell touched one of the grey marble pillars. Slowly, he released just a bit of his healing power. The pillar glowed bright before dimming into soft white.

"What are you doing?" Tess demanded as she stopped moving away from him. "Max? Are you alright?" She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt as she gnawed on her lower lip. "Are you scared?"

"I'm not sure," Maxwell faked as he watched her reactions under his lashes. "I remember this, but it doesn't look right and the music it's off."

"Ah, now that you mention it, the music does seem off," Tess replied as confusion clouded her features. Almost as if she was afraid, she came just a bit closer to him. "What do you remember?"

"Well for one the music was more like waltz but softer," Maxwell answered as he started to hum bits of their dance to her. He repeated several bars until the music morphed into their song. "The light, it's all wrong. More colorful, the palest blues and greens, I remember that it danced off the crystals in your hair." Softening light gave born to more visible details. The tiny crystals that sparkled within golden hair, made Maxwell swallow the lump in his throat. 'She is so beautiful, my precious light.' Dragging a hand down his face, he tried to fake his confusion. "We were celebrating something important, I remember that because all my subjects being there."

"Sub..subjects?" Tess questioned confused as she moved even closer to Maxwell. "The celebration was… for Vilandra. It was her engagement party." She placed one hand on Maxwell's forearm as he cupped her other hand. "What?"

"Dance with me, my lady," Maxwell requested as he lead Tess into their dance. With sure steps they waltzed around the room. He felt her relax into his embrace and grow bold as they move in time with the music. "Beauty, beyond beauty. Your light shines." As the song slowly came to an end, a new song started up. Upon hearing the first few cords, he knew at once that Rath and his sister had joined them.

"I know this song," Tess whispered as she looked around her. "I don't remember Michael and Isabel being here."

"It was their party," Maxwell replied as he nodded an acknowledgment to Michael.

"But they didn't come near me, not at the dance, right? She's not mad at me is she?" Tess asked slightly scared at the other half of their group made their way towards them.

"What makes you say that?" Maxwell probed as he felt how tense she was.

"My dress, it's not white," Tess answered softly as she subconsciously touched her dress.

"My prince," Rath greeted softly as he stood stiffly at Vilandra's side.

"Stop it Michael," Isabel hissed her reprimanded. "Love the dress! It's so you." Isabel quickly linked her arms with Tess, dragging her away from the boys.

"Just like last time," Michael mumbled as he watched the two of the talk. Shaking his head, he tried in vain to relax. "Gods, I hate formal parties."

"It was altered when I first showed up," Maxwell stated as he observed his sister and wife. "I don't know how much of that was the guardian's doing or the way Tess interpreted our first true meeting."

"With this much detail, no it was twisted," Michael commented moving closer to Maxwell, he flashed just a bit of his power. "I have come across several power inflictions. He was pushing his end goals to the point where if she refused his programming would take over. It's not a matter of killing him off at this point."

"So what do we do?" Maxwell demanded softly as his gaze strayed over to where his wife sat. "She won't last in the state for long. If his programming in starting to come online we're in for a lot of trouble just being here."

"I recommend that we bring Ava to the fore front," Michael recommended as he flashed yet another bit of power. "He is tracking her from wherever he is, trying to ferret out what she's doing."

"How? That is outside the scope of what protectors or guardians can do," Maxwell grounded out as he too started to flash a bit of his power. "These are coming more and more."

"Max what is going on?" Tess asked as she raced towards him. She tripped over the helm of her skirt in her rush to get to him.

Maxwell easily caught her in his arms. Holding her tight in his arms, Maxwell slowly released his power into her. "Wake up my precious light, I need my Ava. Wake up my beloved."

"Michael, what is going on? It was not like this. There was no attack that day. Right?" Isabel whispered as she clung to him. As his arms wrapped themselves around her, she felt even more concerned as she watched Maxwell pour power into Tess. "What is he doing? I thought we were going to fix pieces at a time? Michael, I'm scared."

"Shh," Michael whispered as he pulled her closer to him. Using his powers he opened a vortex. Holding a struggling Isabel, he slowly backed them into the vortex and out of Tess's head.

"Where are they going?" Tess demanded scared as the room around her went black before it went bright white. The silence was deafening, gone was everything but Maxwell. The white seemed oppressive instead of peaceful. Struggling to control her breathing, Tess tried to catch her breath. "What happened? Where are we?"

"Who am I?" Maxwell questioned softly as he cupped her face.

"What?"

"Who am I?" Maxwell whispered softly as he tucked a stray curl behind her ear. Leaning over he gently placed his forehead to hers. "My precious light, tell me once more that you love me. I just need to hear that you love me."

"Zan? What happened? Of course I love you," Tess whispered as she grasped his shirt. "You're tense. What's wrong, my love?" She tried to tug him closer but found that she didn't have the strength.

"I saw you broken," Maxwell whispered harshly. "I didn't like that."

"No, I don't imagine you would, but I'm not broken. I'm fine. I'm right here" Tess answered as she tried to move closer to him only to find herself frozen. "I can't move, why can't I move?"

"Shhhh, it's just me. It's just me," Maxwell reassured as he inhaled her perfume. "You were hurt, I healed you." Slowly, he started to pour power into his hand that was cupping his face. "You were so badly hurt. I nearly lost you."

"You can never lose me," Tess stated as she tried to move away from Maxwell. "I don't like this, you're frightening me." She tried again to break his hold on her, but her actions proved fruitless. "Stop it Zan, no more."

"I'm sorry," Maxwell whispered as he felt her try yet again to move away from him. Slowly he decreased his power. "The person, who raised you here on earth, was damaged. He has wounded your mind, its worse then we know."

"Zan, please," Tess pleaded as tears pooled in her eyes. "Where are we?"

"We are in your head," Maxwell replied. "The wound was so bad that your body started to shut down." Looking deep into her sea blue eyes, Maxwell took a deep breath. "I can't lose you."

"You can never lose me," Tess reassured as she took a deep cleansing breath. "But you have to release me."

"Never," Maxwell snarled. "You are mine."

"Always, but not like this. You're scaring me," Tess whispered as a tear slide down her check. "I need to move. I don't like it here." Hearing his rasping breath, she pleaded. "Please, let me wake up."

"First I will heal your head, and then we will wake up," Zan ordered as he wiped away her pending tears.

"I am healed," Tess whispered as she tried again to move away. "Please let's just wake up."

"If you were healed, you wouldn't be trying to get away from me," Zan reasoned as he again poured his healing power into his head.

"Zan! Stop, please! Please stop! I can't take this anymore," Tess cried as she continued to fight against his hold.

"I remember everything, my queen. You are the youngest in your family. You were their golden child. Almost everyone loved you, but you made an enemy of Bahiyya of the Gress. You wore a pink dress to my sister's ball, because you thought it was white however when you arrived it turned pink. It was her way of humiliating with the ton," Maxwell whispered as Tess slowly stopped fighting him. "I thought you beautiful and brave that you stayed. Your brothers were overly worried that they had upset their commander, but Rath was glad for the distraction. Vilandra was happy that finally someone caught my eye."

"You're awake? You're my Zan," Tess whispered as tears cascaded down her face.

"I love you, and only you," Zan whispered as the brightness of the room exploded around them.

~TBC