"I's don't like dis." With pursed lips, her curvaceous hip resting against the cement wall of their makeshift bed room, Lonnie glared at Rath as he shoved a few mismatched clothes in a duffle bag she knew they didn't own that morning.
"Lonnie will you shut it?" With a tense look over his shoulder toward the dirty sheet that separated their love nest from the other living quarters. The girl never could keep from flapping her gums.
Pushing off the wall with the grace of a cat, Lonnie made it as far as the bed. Her hands were curled into fists, anger and frustration rolled off her frame in waves. "Did ya think perhaps Nicky boy has something' up his sleeve? Dat dis is all some grand plan to divide and conquer."
Rolling his eyes, Rath moved past her, careful not to allow their bodies to touch. Over the last few months something had been off, his usually strong sexual drive had shriveled. A situation no hot blooded male, or alien hybrid for that matter ever wanted to admit to.
There was a time Lonnie's sick and twisted mind got him rock hard. Now just the thought of having her body pressed against his, just one word came to mind, nasty. And not the sweaty, raunchy kind he enjoyed nailing.
"Don't have time for this Lonnie. This is my chance to get off dis rock."
"Yur chance?" Her brows shooting up, Lonnie's pupils darkened and expanded.
"Ya know what I mean." Grabbing his jacket from the filthy ground, he spared her a look of irritation. "Cud you stop yapping your jaw and help me get my gear?"
"I ain't stayin' here." Mistrust colored her face. Reaching down, and snatching his jacket out of his grasp. "I's bustin out of this place wid yous."
His eyes raked down her body and he shook his head. Over his dead body.
He was sick of living in the sewers. Done with the whole living off the streets and taking it day by day. Too man to admit it, but recently he'd been having dreams. Images of what he was sure their lives had been back on Antar.
Lonnie, or actually Villandra, had been a tough chic. There was no denying she'd been spankable, and if you didn't look too close she was dumber than a box of bricks. His betrothed had been one sharp broad. Acting like the dutiful sister to the King of Dumbasses, while planning secret 'meetings' with her lover and the Crowns enemy.
This version of Villandra standing in front of him, her lip curled back was a weak imitation. Street smart, tough, cruel. Qualities he admired. But deep down, there was nothing going for her. So what if she could push around Ava. Who couldn't? After what he remembered of their past queen, it was the only bright spot in his usually uneventful day. Her snarky comments and smack talk to Da Man was this side of awesome.
But that's where her reign ended. In her past life she'd been on a council that determined the fate of a planet, whether it was for show or not. Let Lonnie think she was the one pulling everyone's puppet strings. He'd cut his a long time ago.
There was another face that got his rocks off. All sugar and spice on the outside, but the energy packed inside that hot, tight bod was finger lickin' good. Course he could do without all of the emotional baggage, love was for pussies.
Just because he grew up in the sewers didn't mean he was red helmet stupid. He could read, write, if he really wanted he could talk like the rest of the drone population. Walking the streets he watched the masses. Studied them like the disgusting bugs they were.
Love. What a pointless waste of energy. Nothing good ever came from it. Humans had a tendency to do some epically stupid things when they let down their walls. Then they created these parasites that drained them, slowly sucking away their energy and any desire to live.
"Lonnie, dis aint no family vacation." Tugging his jacket out of her hands, he ignored her growl of anger. "Sumpthin's goin' down. This is what I's been waiting for."
"How come's I'm getting' a feelin' yur ditchin' us?"
Cuz Lonnie wasn't a retard. Mentally kicking himself, Rath knew he'd tipped his hand one too many times. Did he plan on kissing the Big Apple a big juicy kiss goodbye? Fuck yeah. But if Lonnie and the rest of the pod rejects followed him on his vision quest they'd screw it all up. Time for a little damage control.
Prowling back to her, ignoring the nauseous feeling bubbling in his gut, Rath penetrated her with heavy hooded eyes. Licking his tongue over the ring on his lower lip, he smirked when Lonnie's scowl turned into sinister satisfaction.
Snaking an arm around her waist, his other hand went instinctively to her breast, making sure to squeeze it just a little harder than what could be considered as pleasurable. If he was going to have to do this, the least he could do was make their last time together unfreaking forgettable.
"Table three's looking for their check." Heaving a tub of empty dishes from the table near the back room to rest above her hip bone, Courtney saw Liz heave deep frustrated sigh from behind the counter. Her hands slightly shook slightly as she fought with the soda dispenser. The root beer had been giving them hell over the last week.
"Parker, you planning on delivering this food anytime today?" Michael's sharp bark forced Courtney to quickly shift on her heel to see his grumpy expression as he tossed another basket of fried crap on the thruway. His eyes boring holes into Liz's back as she ignored him.
It wasn't until Michael turned back to the stove, putting his back to the café that Liz sent a silent glare toward the kitchen. Slamming the glass of newly poured root beer on a tray she didn't seem to really care when the beverage started to foam over.
Reaching out to grab a handful of napkins, Liz knocked over a ketchup bottle and wasn't quick enough to save it before it went crashing to the floor. The diner went almost quiet, as the customers turned to the source of the noise. Cheeks stained red, Liz picked up a discarded towel intending to clean up the mess.
"Parker!" Michael's aggravated shout spurred Liz to gather the mess up in the towel and dump the entire thing into the nearest trash. Snatching the drink off the counter, she grabbed one of the waiting baskets.
Heading out from behind the counter, she barely cleared the kitchen window before Michael was at it again. "Hate to burden you, but think you could take some of this crap?"
Liz only paused long enough to glare before she walked away.
Dumping the tub and following at Liz's heel, Courtney quickly snatched the tray out of her hands and hurried to the annoyed customer. With a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes she apologized before spinning back to where Liz was standing.
Reaching out she put her hand on Liz's shoulder and turned her to the back room. Not needing to give her new friend much prompting, Courtney propelled her through the door.
"Care to explain what's going on?"
Headed to the couch and slumping down on it, Liz rested her head against the back cushion and closed her eyes. "Nothing."
"Um - no." Courtney hedged, her eyes wide as she shook her head. "You're walking around like a zombie and Michael's got a redwood reamed up his ass."
Looking exhausted, Liz groaned. "He's been like that since he got here this morning."
Courtney's brow scrunched and she cast a look toward the kitchen. "What exactly happened in the cooler yesterday?"
"Nothing."
Yeah, that didn't sound great. Repeating one word answers meant only one thing, Michael and Liz had taken one huge step backwards. "Okay. So the two of you snarling at each other is normal?"
A shadow flickered across Liz's face. "Something like that."
It wasn't much, but it was better than a one word response. "Liz, I can't help if you don't - ."
"We're packed, food is piling up and you two are back here braiding each other's hair?" Standing in the doorway, hands on his hips, Michael glowered at them across the room.
"Mikey G, I swear if you don't shut up I'm going to -."
"I told you to stop calling me that." His eyes flashing, Michael's opened his mouth but closed it when he took in Liz's limp form. "What's wrong with her?"
"Don't know, was trying to talk to her before you shoved your ugly mug into it."
"I'm fine." With a sigh of resignation, Liz fixed the antenna headband on the crown of her head, before struggling off the couch. Michael snorted before heading back to the grill. Courtney watched as Liz straightened her dress.
"You're not a good liar."
"No, really." Brushing past Courtney, Liz stopped in front of the mirror and grimaced at her reflection. "Just didn't get much sleep last night."
No, she probably hadn't, Courtney muttered softly to herself. How could she? "Let me give you a hand."
"That'd be great."
For the next hour Courtney tried her best to keep up with her tables, while trailing behind Liz to pick up the slack. Typically graceful on her feet, Liz seemed to stumble her way through most of the day.
There was something to be said about destroying a tub of dirty dishes, no one had to worry about washing them.
It wasn't until the lull before dinner when Courtney could take a deep breath. Liz was cashing out the only customer left. When the bell above the door chimed their exit, Liz headed back to the counter with heavy feet.
"Why don't you take a nap upstairs while I prep for the dinner rush." It wasn't really a suggestion, as Courtney shook her head when Liz was about to protest. "Seriously Liz, you've looked better."
"I can't leave you to clean up this mess." Her eyes darting across the front room, Liz took in the destruction of the lunch rush. Long ago she'd learned that a good waitress multitasked. Grabbing empty plates while heading back to pick up their orders made for easier pickup.
But it felt as though her head were filled with cotton all day, and no matter how hard she tried to pull it together the worse she got. The worst part was when she tripped over her own feet on the way to drop off a tub of dishes. Michael, had hurried out to see what happened, his face white, until he saw the mess she'd made. Any concern was quickly replaced with irritation.
"You can." Courtney said firmly, planting a hand on each of Liz's shoulder blades and pushing her through the swinging door and to the bottom of the stairs. "And you will."
"Courtney -."
"Liz." The blonde mimicked back. "Suck it up princess, you're taking a nap. If you don't get your butt up those stairs I'll get Mikey G to tuck you in."
If it were possible, Liz's complexion paled slightly before taking the first step. "Fine. I'll take a nap. But wake me up before the rush."
"Yup, sure. Whatever." Liz looked down, her pitiful brown eyes taking on only a hint of strength.
"I mean it."
"Fine. Sleep. Don't let the bugs bite and all that crap." Waving her off with a wink, Courtney waited until she heard the door at the top of the stairs closed tight before grabbing an empty tub.
"Where'd she go?" Michael growled, wiping his wet hands in a dish towel.
"Some tough biker dude showed up." Pushing past his massive form, Courtney chuckled to herself when Michael's attitude slipped a little. "Something about a bike ride."
"What'd this guy look like?" His tone commanding, Michael tossed the towel over his shoulder and headed to the back door.
"Seriously?" Popping her head back through the door, Courtney huffed. "You saw Liz today, right?"
Looking through the window into the back lot, Michael was silently contemplating his options. "Been here all day."
"You're a lot of things Mikey boy, but gullible was never one I had you pegged for." Almost laughing when his shoulders relaxed slightly, Courtney shook her head.
"You're a real comedian." He groused. Hating how easily she'd punked him. When did he start acting like Maxwell?
"I sent little Miss Parker upstairs to take a nap." Quickly filling up the tub with food crusted dishes, Courtney went to one table to the next. Her movements were quick and efficient. "If you didn't notice, she's not really feeling like herself today."
Courtney's words were almost funny and Michael didn't miss the irony. Eye's narrowing on the blonde, he watched her for a few minutes. This was his chance to find out more about Courtney and how she seemed to be fitting into this newest bizarre chapter he called life.
Liz wasn't the only exhausted person today. He'd found it nearly impossible to sleep. Too many things to think about and if he weren't too proud to admit it, a little uneasy of the dreams he might've had.
At five in the morning he came to the conclusion he needed to proceed with caution. Either delirious, or his first sign of restraint, Michael knew it was the best way to deal with this.
Calling Courtney out as an alien, only to find out she was one hundred percent homo-sapiens, well the backlash may not be pretty.
"So where you from?"
Stopping, her face puzzled, Courtney shot him a look. "Why?"
"You never said." Shrugging his shoulders, Michael didn't like the way she was looking at him. "Just wondering."
"Not from here." The corner of her mouth hitched when Michael's expression turned frustrated. "You?"
Something about her knowing tone made him freeze. "Dunno where I was born. Lived in Roswell as far as I can remember. You have family in the area?"
Tossing a wet cloth on a table, Courtney gave him a toothy smile. "Why all the questions?"
"You seem to be hanging out with Liz a lot."
If possible her grin widened. "Jealous?"
"Wha -." Feeling as though he'd been beaned by an out of control fast pitch, Michael straightened. His mind kicked into hyper drive. "Did Liz tell you I kissed her yesterday?"
This seemed to dim the knowing gleam in her eyes. "No, but you just did."
Her entire demeanor shifted, as she took up the cloth again. Scrubbing down the table with a little more force than what was needed, she seemed to be drifting a hundred miles away right in front of his eyes. Her new attitude made him feel slightly uncomfortable, perhaps a little dirty.
"It wasn't a big deal." Not knowing why the words quickly slipped from his mouth, he watched as her movement slowed a little before picking up again.
"I'm sure it wasn't." Moving to the next table, Courtney refused to look over at him. "She could do better."
Okay, that stung just a little. "Who, Maxwell?"
She instantly huffed at his response. "Please, that Abercrombie cutout dufus isn't man enough for her."
Why was he suddenly feeling as though he needed to defend himself to her? To someone who was a complete stranger as a few months ago. A frown marred his expression as he tried to figure out how a few simple questions got him to this point.
"Liz needs someone who understands the word devotion and loyalty." Shifting to another table, Courtney started to mutter to herself, almost as though she'd forgotten he was in the same room. "Someone who will defend her, cherish her, love her the way she deserves."
Almost throwing a few dinner plates into the tub with enough force to crack them, Courtney scowled at another dirty table. "Not the boys around here who have their heads shoved up their asses and only think of themselves."
"Excuse me?" Even though her words weren't entirely directed at him, Michael still felt insulted.
"Maybe it's a good thing that kiss didn't mean anything to you. That there's a chance -." She was breathing hard now, her eyes pinning him with a betrayed hurt expression. "You are not the man I thought you were."
With that she grabbed the filled tub, her face thunderous as she kicked the swinging door open.
Opened mouth, Michael watched in shock at Courtney's exit. Did he just miss something?
She hadn't planned on going to sleep. Had told herself to snap out of it when she caught her eyelids to fluttering shut. But logically she knew sooner or later her body would take the option out of her hands. Not one for all nighters, her battle was short lived.
It was sad, she hadn't even reached her bedroom. The couch was the first thing her eyes landed on and as if on autopilot she was curled up in a ball on one end. Slowly, the day had replayed in her head. From the moment Michael came slamming through the door, to his last scowl.
His reaction to yesterday was almost expected. Michael liked to think his act of indifference was cool and laid back. Acting as though whatever trigger he was currently trying to avoid didn't phase him in the least, the outside world got to deal with his crass mouth and overly developed rude manors. Not that his behavior was acceptable, it was understandable and almost predictable.
Liz wished they could skip past this part and get right to the part where Michael always pulled himself together and become the protector, concerned friend, dependable ally.
It was too late to pull back when Liz realized the dream had sucked her in. Sneaky, with the stealth of a ninja, Liz realized the swirling colors around her were forming into solid shapes. Soon sound filled her ears. She tried to squeeze her eyes shut, not wanting to see what was about to happen.
She needed a break. Need to be given time to process and deal with whatever this was. For days she'd felt herself tittering on the brink of this side of looneyville. What would happen if she just snapped? Lost the ability to keep from becoming some drooling vegetable.
"We won't allow that to happen." Suddenly a room came into focus. Rows, upon rows of book shelves surrounded her. Feeling her heartbeat all the way up into her ears, Liz took an unsteady step back.
Eyes wide open, she scanned the room for the person who'd just spoken. As far as she could tell she was alone.
"I seriously doubt it." A frown marring her features, Liz took a step back and then another. Already comprehending she was in a library closely resembling the one in town, Liz inched toward the Librarian's desk. The position seemed a bit safer than standing out in the open.
"We're not going to hurt you." The voice sounded slightly offended.
"That would be easier to believe if you'd show yourself." She responded as she inched closer to her destination.
"Really Rhia, this is silly."
"I'm not Rhia." Liz snapped irritably.
An entertained chuckle sent chills down her spine. Mocking her in a way that said neither of them really believed this. "And if you aren't Rhia, who are you?"
Almost to the desk, Liz gritted her teeth. "Liz Parker."
"If it makes you feel better to believe that for now then Liz Parker it is."
Throwing herself through the slight opening, Liz spun around and wildly searched the room. A scream wedged itself in her throat when her eyes fell on a teenage boy sitting calmly at one of the desks.
"Who are you?"
"Ouch, that really hurts. Cousin." The smirk on his mouth spoke volumes of just how much fun he was having at her expense. "Oh don't get all insulted. If our situations were reversed, you'd be getting a kick out of this as well."
"Excuse me if I don't laugh." Liz growled when he chuckled again. "So do you have a name, or do I just call you cousin?"
"I guess you'd say my Earth name is Nicholas." Tilting his head to the side he shrugged when Liz didn't have a response. "My Antarian name is Nhichvas."
"Charming."
"You used to call me Vas." Seeing that she still wasn't warming up to him, he seemed a little disappointed. "No dreams of me huh?"
"Nope. Not one."
This time he seemed to frown, taking her words to heart. "We were once very close."
Stopping herself when an apology almost passed her lips, Liz bit down on the inside of her cheek. When the boy in front of her didn't make any sudden moves, but seemed content to sit still and study her, Liz let her eyes scan the room around them.
Hadn't he said 'we' earlier? Was there more people around, watching them?
"I came alone this time. The others felt too many of us may freak you out a little." Almost as though he read her mind, Nicholas smirked when her eyes returned to him.
"What's going on? This isn't like the other dreams."
A sad look entered his eyes as he shook his head. "No, it wouldn't be. No body count." His words weren't funny, and she was about to tell him so, instead Liz was mildly surprised to see his earlier smirk all but gone. "You wanted a break. So here's your break. Why you chose a library is beyond me."
"I like libraries." She responded immediately.
"You loved them in your former life as well." The sad expression seemed to deepen. "So, take this time to recover. I can only imagine what it's been like. Know you are not alone. There are others all around you to lean on."
"Courtney." Why she blurted out her new friend's name, Liz would never know. It was almost as though she needed conformation that she wasn't loco.
"Yes, Courtney would be one of your strongest, most trustworthy supporters. Not only is it her duty to protect you, but she was also your closest confidant back on Antar." Watching him stand, Liz couldn't help the hesitant step back she took. "So take this time to relax, regroup. Prepare yourself for what's about to come."
"Perhaps you could clue me in?" She pressed.
"I could, but that would mean you weren't relaxing." That humored gleam crept back into his eyes.
"So what am I supposed to do?" Disbelief colored her voice as the boy turned his back on her and started to walk in the opposite direction.
"How should I know?" He laughed. "I hate libraries."