Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, but to the writers and producers of Roswell
Spoilers: After Chant Down Babylon, changes happening where Max is successfully rescued,
and Michael was the one who broke up with Maria.
Loving Destiny Chapter Twenty Five
***
Where we love is home,
Home that our feet may leave,
But not our hearts.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
***
"So what are we planning?" Maria asked warily.
They had been sitting in Michael's apartment for a half an hour. Michael watched, as everyone seemed awkward and uncomfortable around each other. It was true that there had been strains in several relationships within the small group. Nothing was as it had been before.
"Well, we have to find out what we're going to do with Tess," Liz answered slowly. "Don't we?"
Maxwell had been holding hands with Liz as if letting go meant that he'd never see her again. He couldn't help but feel like his past life was slipping away from him and if he didn't hold on to it then it meant losing it all. "She'll go back to Antar," he said calmly.
"But what if she can't Max?" Isabel chimed in. She had been silent most of the evening, since Jesse's hurried departure. "We can't just abandon her after she saved you."
"We can't?" Maria retorted.
Isabel felt torn between her hatred of what Tess had done to Alex, but gratitude that she'd come home to save Max. But surveying the tired and skeptical faces, Isabel didn't think it was wise to voice her empathy for the woman. Isabel ran her hand through her short auburn hair and sighed loudly.
"Look," Michael sighed. He was emotionally and physically drained from the entire night's events. "I think we should sleep on it? Besides we have school in the morning." Michael frowned briefly. Where had that come from?
He rolled his eyes at the stunned faces sitting in his living room. "What? I can't be responsible once and awhile?" he challenged. Michael knew that it wasn't out of responsibility that he had mentioned turning in. He needed some alone time with Max and Isabel. They hadn't had enough time to discuss the message that had been sent to them from Antar, when they arrived back at his apartment with Liz and Maria waiting for them.
"Uh, no?" Maria deadpanned.
Michael appealed to Max, who seemed kind of edgy since they arrived at his apartment. "What do you think Max?"
The dark brooding leader seemed to remain silent for a moment and then nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. Guys, we won't make any decisions tonight. Besides, I need to get home and figure out a way to explain to my parents why I disappeared and how I got back home," he sighed.
Liz moved forward in her seat on the couch as if to get up, and brushed a lock of hair out of Max's face. "Do you really think we should even worry about school right now? Do you think we can?" she asked incredulously.
Max gazed steadily at her when he turned to answer. "Yes. We have to act as if nothing happened." He paused. "I think our best plan would be to just say that some weirdo guys abducted me from the hospital and when I finally found the strength to get away, I made my way back to the desert. And that's where Isabel and Michael found me," he said, pondering whether he'd covered all his bases.
Liz frowned. "But Max, do you think your parents will buy that?"
"They have to," he stated, looking around at the doubtful faces in the room. "Because that's exactly what I'm telling them."
When they had sorted out their stories and the little details, everyone rose to leave. "Are you guys catching a ride with me?" Maria asked curiously.
"Uh, I think I'm going to stay here a little while. To make sure Tess is all right," Isabel stammered. "Besides, I'm not worrying about school tomorrow like you guys are."
Maria's brow creased, a look of tension crossed her face. Suddenly she smiled politely. "Uh, yeah sure. That's fine with me. How about you Max?"
Both Isabel and Liz looked toward Max with scrutinizing eyes. "Yeah, Max. I'm sure your parents would like to know that you're okay," Liz commented.
Max swallowed uneasily. "Well, I probably should stay here and go home with Isabel. Besides, I need to talk to them about some things before my parents start grilling us," he explained.
"But you don't have a car?" Maria pointed out.
"I'll give them a ride home," Michael quickly replied. "It's not like it's so far a way."
Liz and Maria looked at each other sighed. "Whatever you want," Liz said tentatively.
Max hated leaving Liz out of this, but there were things he needed to discuss with Isabel and Michael that would have hurt Liz to hear. He needed to figure out how to explain to Tess that she needed to tell a whole planet of people that he, Max, their king was not planning on coming back. Max wrapped his arms around Liz, whose embrace was tight and familiar. "I'll see you tomorrow at the Crashdown. I don't think I'll be going to school tomorrow. There's too much to sort out at home."
The trio of hybrids watched as Maria and Liz exited the apartment hesitantly, as if willing themselves to go.
~~~
Tess was floating like in a restless dream. Before her stood her mother, tall, regal and majestic in her beauty. As Tess approached her, she saw that her Andaria held Zander. The tiny baby was laughing and giggling as her mother rocked him in her arms. "Mother," Tess called.
Her mother looked up from Zander and frowned. "You haven't accomplished your mission," Andaria stated quietly. "You need to convince him to come back Tess."
Tess swallowed, shaking her head in defeat. "But I can't. He said he wouldn't go."
Andaria lifted Zander up and rested him against her shoulder. "Your son needs his father Tess. And you know that Max needs you. He's just not willing to admit that right now," Andaria spoke in soothing tones, careful not to awake her grandson. "He's afraid Tess, and he's confused. Max has a choice and he doesn't want to take the road less traveled."
"How can you be so sure of his feelings for me?"
Andaria smiled knowingly at her child. "Because I remember how you two looked the day we celebrated your betrothal," she whispered. "And because you were destined to be my child. From the day Zan saw you on the Cliffs of Inoria until your deaths on the Plains of Balin, you and Zan have been inextricably linked. And no human child will keep him from you. No matter how intoxicated he may be."
Suddenly her mother faded in a clouded mist and Tess awoke in a dark room, with only the stars twinkling above her as companions. Tess swallowed and remembered that she had blacked out after healing Max. The dimensional shift had been a strain on her body, though she didn't feel it when she caught sight of Max's body. Adrenaline had kept her going, and given her the strength to complete the task that had been laid before her.
Now that it had been half-completed, Tess needed to keep her sight on the finish line. She needed to convince Max that he was in love with her. He was just too afraid to let himself feel it.
Tess laughed to herself. It seemed quite pathetic to her that she was scheming a way to make Max fall in love with her again. She didn't think that it was right. If everything her mother had said were true, Max would realize that Liz wasn't the one for him.
Tess swung her legs over the side of the queen-sized mattress and listened intently to the whispers beyond the closed grey door. She wasn't ready to face the barrage of questions Michael, Isabel, and Max would ply her with. So after a moment, Tess decided to bide her time alone in what apparently was Michael's room.
The floor was cluttered with clothes and magazines. Tess chuckled at the thought of what kind of life Michael would have had, if Isabel weren't apparently attached to that stranger in the Granolith chamber. She'd have Michael whipped into shape in no time. As Tess amused herself with what kind of lives they might have lived had everything gone according to plan, she was oblivious to the soft creak of the door opening.
"Tess?" Isabel whispered. "Are you awake?"
Tess was startled and turned around to find Isabel squinting in the darkness, searching for her. "I'm awake," she answered.
Now it was Isabel's turn to be startled. The tall brunette's head jolted up and her gaze fell upon Tess, who was lit in the pale rays of the evening light. "Oh, good. Can I come in?"
"Suit yourself. It's not my place, right?" Tess scoffed. "Besides aren't I your prisoner?" She made little quotations with her index and middle fingers.
Tess readied herself for an attack from her former friend. She knew how devastated Isabel had been when Alex had died. In fact, Tess was surprised that she even gave her the time of day. "Have you guys decided what to do with me yet?" Tess asked, her voice softening towards the one person who could possibly understand her.
Isabel fumbled her hands against the wall, and finally found the light switch. "No, we thought you might just be planning on going back to Antar." Tess watched as she sat down warily on the edge of Michael's bed. "You know we're all thankful that you saved Max," she offered slowly. "We just kind of got caught up in the surprise of everything."
Tess shook her head and turned her gaze back towards the stars. "They didn't get caught up in everything, they just hate me," she retorted. "Not that I can blame them." She closed her eyes and was glad that Isabel wasn't in there to attack her or try to get rid of her. The relaxed cadence of the conversation was comforting to her. She missed having someone to talk to.
"So why did you come back?" Isabel asked.
Tess turned from her own thoughts and looked at Isabel who sat with one leg tucked underneath her. "Why do you think I came back?" she countered.
"I think you came back because you love Max."
The simplicity and insight of the statement made Tess laugh. "Are you sure? I think a lot of them would think that I came back to finish him off," she replied.
"If you did, then he wouldn't be alive, would he?" Isabel countered.
Tess swallowed and nodded. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "You were always the smart one Isabel," Tess smirked.
"So what was it you were trying to say to Max tonight?"
Tess frowned, hoping to mask the sudden nervousness that came over her. "What do you mean?" she asked. She tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear.
"It was like you were going to tell us something about the night Alex…"
Before Isabel could finish her sentence, Michael came barging in. "So is she awake or…." Michael stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell upon the two women in conversation. "Uh, since she's awake, we need to talk," he coughed.
Tess swallowed and unconsciously smoothed a non-existent wrinkle out of her t-shirt. The same t-shirt she'd worn the night she had lied to Max and was banished to Antar. She hesitantly moved towards the door, slowly stepping past Michael, her eyes gazing intently up at his.
Tess prayed that she was prepared for what seemed to be a long night ahead. As she strode down the small hallway and into the living room, Tess met Max, who was pacing back and forth, deep in thought. "So what's the sentence?" Tess said mockingly. "How guilty am I for saving your life?"
~~~
Max looked at Tess, whose face was dark and almost expressionless. She was trying to hide her emotions, but Max knew that Tess was just putting on a front for everyone. "We haven't condemned you Tess," he sighed.
Tess feigned extreme relief. Her eyes widened in surprise and her jaw dropped opened. Pressing her left hand to her chest, Tess cried out, "You mean I didn't do anything bad by saving your life?"
Max saw Michael groan out of the corner of his eye. "Look Tess, I know you came to help me out, but what are your plans now?" he asked, deciding that bluntness was the best way to handle the situation.
"Well, hmmm, Max, what would you like for my plan to be?"
Max glanced at Michael and Isabel, who both seemed to have found an ounce of forgiveness for the woman, and then back down at Tess. "I thought you might be going back to Antar," he said uncomfortably. "Unless there was something more to this trip?"
"Antar. Yes. Let's talk about Antar Max. You know, the place where you are the king?" Tess sat down on the couch and crossed her legs neatly in front of her. "What do you plan on doing about that problem?"
"What problem?" Michael asked gruffly.
Max felt a lump develop in his throat as Tess scoffed, as she looked around at the trio. "What problem do you think Michael?" she said in a condescending manner. "The fact that a planet full of people are waiting for their great king to return. You got the message didn't you?"
"Did you send that?" Isabel asked sitting beside Tess on the couch.
"No," Tess replied. "But Andaria told me that a message had been sent, preparing you for what's coming up next."
Max cleared his throat and rested his hands on his hips. "And what does that mean?" he demanded, staring intently at his ex-fiancé, if he could call her that.
"What do you think it means?" she challenged.
Suddenly Michael burst in waving his hands in the air. "Wait, who's Andaria and what is coming next?" Michael shouted.
Max sighed frustratingly. He hated that she was so cryptic with her messages and never explained herself. "Are you going back to Antar?" he asked darkly.
She seemed to sit there for a moment pondering his question. Finally she slowly nodded her head and spoke. "Yes," she answered. "But..." He knew there had to be a 'but'. "But what?" Max asked.
"But you have to come with me." Tess leaned forward, resting her arms on her thighs. "All of you." She looked at Max, then Michael, and lastly, Isabel, who seemed stunned at the revelation.
Max frowned. "I'm…we're, not coming with you," he stammered.
"Well, that's the only way you're going to get rid of me. And oh," she paused. "Just to let you know, Khivar doesn't know I'm gone."
"So?" Isabel choked out. "So what if he does or doesn't know?"
"Well that would depend if Max cares about his son or not," she countered.
"What about him?" Max scowled. "What does he have anything to do with Khivar?"
"Well he's living with Khivar, Max, so Khivar matters."
Max was dumbstruck. How could she let him have Zander? Max shook his head in disbelief. During her arrival, Max gave her the benefit of the doubt, when it came to her motivations, but now he knew she couldn't be trusted.
'How do you know Max?' a voice asked inside. 'You don't know what it was like for her.'
Max rubbed his mouth, which had grown stubble, from not shaving. He knew he couldn't just jump to conclusions. "What have you done to Zander?" he yelled, trying to control his overwhelming anger.
"I didn't do anything!" Tess yelled. Standing up, her face twisted in anger. Her mask of unconcern and carefree attitude was replaced with cauldron of mixed emotions. "I had to leave him with Khivar. I had no control over it."
Max debated whether he could believe her or not. "I can't believe you left him with that scum," he spat.
Tess laughed though tears began to run down her face. "There are a lot of things I can't believe you've done Max, but hey, anything for a life lived with Liz right?"
The cheap shot filled Max with disgust. "You know what? I don't have to explain anything to a woman who murdered a supposed 'friend' of hers."
Complete silence filled Michael's apartment. Max took the opportunity to catch his breath and calm down. He'd never been this angry before.
"I think we should leave you two alone," Isabel said awkwardly
"Why?" Michael frowned. "We're a part of this. We need to find out what's going on and besides, if we're not here, Max might just strangle her."
Max closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Isabel's right. I need to talk to Tess alone for a moment. Can you guys give us a few minutes?"
Michael looked hesitant, while Isabel rose from the couch and crossed in front of Tess. Max watched as Isabel tugged Michael into the hallway and into his bedroom. Then he turned his sights upon Tess, who had began pacing back and forth, mumbling to herself. "You're going to tell me everything I ask Tess, or there will be hell to pay."
~~~
Isabel sighed heavily as she waited for the sound of the door to close behind her. "Michael what do you think about what Tess said about returning to Antar?"
Michael peered up at her with uncertainty. "I don't know. I wasn't expecting it." He shook his head and leaned his body against the dresser drawer on his left. "I think it caught everyone by surprise," he answered.
Isabel smiled half-heartedly. "Well it certainly isn't something that Tess hinted at when we were talking in here."
"What were you talking about?" he asked curiously. "I mean she always so cryptic."
Isabel shook her head in protest. "I don't know what it is Michael, but I feel comfortable around her. It's weird. Even after all that's happened, I feel like there's still something about her that I know that no one else does. I feel like we have a connection."
Michael scoffed. "Some connection, she's been lying to us since the day we met her." Michael walked towards Isabel and stood at the foot of the bed. "Are you sure she's not just mind warping you or something?"
"No!"
"Well, you never know." He sighed. "I've been thinking though," he wavered. "About what life would be like on Antar."
Isabel studied Michael, who stood kicking a lump of dirty clothes on the floor. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I think that maybe I should go back to Antar," he said hesitantly.
Isabel swallowed hard. She never imagined Michael considering the possibility of leaving Earth for Antar. It made her feel uneasy and disconcerted. "Are you…are you really thinking about it?" she stuttered. "I mean what would you be going to."
"Well, I think that if Max doesn't go back and stop Khivar, then maybe I should. I'm his second in command right? That means if he's not there, then I'm the man."
Isabel leaned forward and slid down closer to Michael. "But you don't even know what you're getting yourself into?" she exclaimed.
"It's just a thought I've been playing with Isabel. I don't even know if it'll happen," he chided. "Don't worry about."
Isabel sat back down on her heels. How could she not worry about it? She needed Michael. He could leave all of them behind.
~~~
Michael wasn't even sure where the thought of returning to Antar had come from. When the words tumbled out of his mouth, Michael knew it was actually he'd been contemplating for a long time. He had always known that his life wasn't here on Earth. As much as he loved Maria, Liz, Kyle, Valenti and the Evans, Michael had dreamed of going home.
But there seemed no viable way for him to return. In fact, Michael didn't even know where home was. So there was no point in even thinking about it. But now? Now Tess was calling them home. She was telling them that there was a whole population waiting for the return of the Royal Four.
Michael glanced down at Isabel who seemed immersed in her own thoughts. He sat down at the foot of the bed. "You know, this is probably just a stupid idea that I'm having. I mean, you're right when you say that there's nobody there for me."
Isabel looked up at him. "You're wrong. I mean you could have parents there right?"
Michael swallowed. Parents. He'd wanted to know his real parents since the day he knew what one was. He shrugged. "I don't know."
"Michael don't lie to me. Okay? I know you have searched all your life to find out just who you are, and now you have your chance."
He studied her concerned face. "Are you telling me I should go?" Michael asked gruffly.
Isabel swallowed and her eyes lowered. "No!" she said softly. "I would miss you too much. But if it's…if it's something you feel you need to do…" Her voice trailed off.
Michael shook his head. He didn't even know what he was thinking anymore. The feeling of losing her in that blinding moment at the chamber came back and Michael knew that he couldn't leave her, whether she would be with him or not. He wouldn't leave her unless she told him to go. And that was something he never hoped she'd do.
"I don't Isabel. I'll...I'll stay with you," he stammered, as she lifted her dark brown eyes to meet his. "And Max, of course." He then added, hoping he hadn't been obvious in his commitment to her.
Isabel smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. "This has been one long night Michael," she said, changing the subject. "Do you think that it'll ever be over?" Isabel gazed warily at the door, which stood between them and Max and Tess.
"What do you think they're talking about?" he asked, awkwardly wrapping his arm around her waist. Michael told himself it was because it was more comfortable that way.
Isabel didn't lift her head to answer. "I think that Tess still loves Max and Max is too scared to leave," she sighed. "I think that Max is fighting between his responsibility between being King of Antar and being infatuated with Liz."
"So who do you think will win out?"
"Take your pick," she laughed, lifting her head to look at Michael. "I think right now it's a 60-40 split for Liz."
Michael sighed. "Yeah, I would have said the same thing.