Epilogue
"Are you ready to go?" asked Deech as he helped his new wife up off the ground in front of the statues adorned with flowers
"Yes" she said "I wish I could have met them, but I know what they did for me"
"Everyone knows. That's why I'm here with you" he replied as he wrapped an arm around her back and led her back to the car
"I know" she whispered sadly "It's just I wish I knew who my parents were. I would have given anything to grow up with them around"
"What about the Coppers?"
"Matthew and Lilith? Oh I love them for taking me in and becoming my family and I love the fact that I have a big brother to look out for me but it's not the same. I've always wanted my mommy and daddy. I think it's even worse with me being pregnant, they're not going to see William being born"
"You don't think it's Antarian hormones playing havoc with your emotions do you?" he asked as he started the car and headed back into town so they could finish packing. Charlie glared angrily at her husband and he swallowed hard; her powers were lethal on their own and when she was pissed off he had to pretty much run to the hills. Once when they were dating and he'd screwed up royally she had used her powers to make a dog house and made him sleep in it outside the house. After that he'd placated her with a bouquet of flowers from every flower shop in town, she had eventually forgiven him
"Hm" she grunted as they reached the ship that her cousins had made for them, it was designed with Granolith technology "I guess I'll feel better when we get to the Dorado Constellation and I can give birth to our son on your home world"
"Okay then well let's go" he led her to the ship were everyone was waiting to say goodbye. Maria was standing there at the fore front of the little crowd and as soon as Charlie was out of the car she pulled her into a hug
"Auntie Maria! I'm going to miss you!"
"I'll miss you too, you be sure to come back and visit us old folks"
"Hey, speak for yourself! I'm still as young as I was twenty years ago!" Michael protested as he put his arm around his wife's shoulders
"With more than a few grey hairs?" Claudia chuckled playfully making him scowl but it didn't reach his eyes
"I'm going to miss you, little Charlie, I remember when you were half pint and always following me around"
"I'll miss you too uncle Michael" she replied as he pulled her into a hug
"I'm very proud of you, and I know Max and Liz would be proud of you too. You're a good daughter" he whispered into her ear and she began to tear up.
"Bye" she said finally before turning to her cousins "Thank you for the space ship"
"Eh it wasn't that hard to build" said Serina, Jacob glared at his big sister and just shook his head
"Gonna miss you Chaaarlieee" said Benji as he stepped forward with his little sister next to him and held out a worn weathered book "This is from all of us. I'm sorry mom and dad couldn't make it today... they wanted to know that they're sorry and they're really going to miss you. Open it when you get on the ship"
"I will do" she nodded then hugged Benji and Beth before turning to her uncle Kyle and auntie Laurie who were standing there with Tess, Zan, Ava, Adam and all there children.
"You take care and come back to visit us"
"I will..." she said seriously as Laurie started crying
"And I want to see my great nephew as well..." added Zan "He's going to be a strong kid... he's an Evans"
"Sorry, Claudia, but we have to get going..." said Deech
"But Matthew and Lilith aren't here yet" she told him then they all saw a motorbike coming towards them kicking up dust. Giacomo Copper almost crashed as he gunned the engine and jumped off the bike quickly to come running over "Where's mom and dad?" Claudia asked, he shook his head sadly
"They couldn't make it... so I came. I don't know what they're playing at! They said they were busy giving you one last surprise but it doesn't look like they'd get it here in time"
"So they're not coming?" she asked as her husband wrapped his arm around her shoulder protectively
"I'm sorry baby sister" he answered her as she began to cry. He pulled her into a hug then carefully handed her back into the arms of Deech who took her towards the ship known as G Mack 2 and used the crystal to go inside. It was designed so that there was a difference in quantum space, meant that it was compact and streamlined on the outside but built like a mansion on the inside. Rose, Serina and David had created several new scientific laws by making it and the government wanted to get their hands on it but they firmly said no because it was a wedding present for their cousin.
He laid his wife down on the bed in the bedroom then went to the main control room to start it up, leave the atmosphere then put it on automatic pilot to his home world. Once autopilot was synchronised he hurried to the bedroom to find his beautiful wife fast asleep; she'd cried herself to sleep.
"Oh Claudia" he sighed as he lay down next to her; as an empathic humanoid he could feel her pain and it was devastating knowing that the people she wanted to say goodbye to the most had failed to be there.
"Deech" she whispered in her sleep, he snuggled closer to her and her fingers tightened around his clothing.
"I love you"
"Love you" she murmured back that made him smile. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
***
Claudia was in awe at the world before her, she couldn't imagine how such a primitive seeming bunch of people who lived on this forest planet could come up with technology that had mastered inter stellar travel!
"It's beautiful" she said as G Mach 2 landed near a vast shining lake
"I am glad that you like my home. Come, let's go... my parents must be at the temple waiting for our arrival"
"Will they like me?" she asked grabbing his arm and stopping him from using the crystal to beam them out
"Everyone knows of you Princess Claudia, they adore all you've done for the universe"
"Yeah everyone knows I've done a lot of universal charity work but will they like me for me, not the stuff I've done"
"They will like you because you have done that stuff, they know that anyone who has a big heart to give of themselves like you have is a wonderful person and I'm sure that they would be honoured to have you as a daughter in law"
"Our son" she whispered
"They will love him too" then he blinked, his empathy picking up the twinges of pain she was feeling "Our son! He's is coming!"
"Send a signal... ohhh ahhhhh! Get them to come help us!" she screamed as a painful contraction hit and her waters broke
"I'll go to the control room" he cried as he lowered her to the floor
"Deech Harza! If you leave me here alone I swear to God I'll... grrrraaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" she screamed, he rushed off to send the signal then came back and helped deliver William.
Two hours later after much yelling and screaming Claudia was propped against the wall with several pillows behind her holding her newborn baby son while Deech sat beside her
"He's beautiful"
"Uncle Zan was right... he's going to be such a good kid. Look, he has your nose!" she cooed then he looked away
"Love, my parents are here and they brought medical help"
"Go. Go let them in" she said stroked the whitish fluffy patch of hair her son had; he'd gotten that off his father "Little William, you are such a beautiful baby prince"
*
Deech was holding William in his arms while Claudia was holding two crystals in her hands and moving them around in intricate patterns in front of the holographic screen. They had spent several months in the Dorado Constellation and now they were returning home so the large Royal Court could meet the addition to the family.
"Deech! Come quickly! There's a ship coming! I think it's trying to dock with us" she gasped, he got up and hurried over as quickly as possible while carrying their son "Can you sense who they are?"
"No, their shields are powerful. The ship, it is like our ship"
"That's impossible, this ship was custom made. The only other ship that could come close to this one would be the original Granolith and it was destroyed when my parents died" she pointed out. The ship docked and a light filled the room, Claudia closed her eyes quickly and put up a shield against the intruders so she could protect her family
"It's okay" said the youngest intruder holding up his hands, Charlie instantly dropped her shield when she saw who it was
"Giacomo?" she looked at him in disbelief then looked to her foster parents who were stood behind him "What are you doing here?"
"We brought him" explained Lilith as she stepped forward "This is a surprise, for the both of you"
"Both of us?" Giacomo asked as she moved to stand next to his little sister
"Yes. You remember when Kjou, the bodyguard to King Zan told their story to the world?"
"Yeah, of course we know" said Deech stepping out from behind Claudia carrying their son, Lilith gasped then took a step forward but Matthew held her back
"We need to tell them the truth before..." he trailed off, she closed her eyes and nodded seriously
"Kjou didn't know the full story. He didn't know what really happened in the Granolith chamber when Max and Liz died"
"Mama? Papa? What... how could you know what happened? We were living in Italy when the King and Queen sacrificed themselves to save Earth"
"Yes" nodded Matthew "We were. But before we lived in Italy we came from America... from Roswell"
"Roswell? You were born in the Great City?!" Deech gasped in surprise then gasped when he felt them "You are the King and Queen"
"What?!" gasped Giacomo and Claudia in disbelief
"When we went to the Granolith... River Dog was waiting with our clones Matthew and Lilith Copper. River Dog chose their names but we chose their last name; we decided Copper because they were our copies" he explained then waved his hand over his face turning his features back to that of Max Evans while Lilith did the same revealing Liz Evans
"So... who died? If you're clones then... I'm confused" Giacomo shook his head, this was hard for him to hear. All this time he had been a prince... and an alien "I'm... an alien. I'm Antarian aren't I? Why did you ever tell me? Why didn't I show any powers?"
"We have no idea why you didn't. By all accounts you should be as strong as your sister... we're getting off the subject. When we were in the Granolith Chamber the ones we had planned to send back, Matthew and Lilith, decided that they didn't want to go back. Our plan was to send them back so that you would have people to look after you, we never imagined the sacrifice they would give us... we'll show you what they did" said Liz holding out her hand. They all joined hands and a connection was formed between them all, Deech sat out of it because he was holding William and he could see clearly what was being shown through his empathy
A strong violent wind was blowing around the Granolith chamber as the five of them stood there. Max and Liz were crying and clinging to each other as they told Matthew and Lilith to get ready to go back into the past
"We cannot go" said Lilith as she moved to River Dog "We are not Claudia's parents, we could never be her parents. We are not parents"
"We are children. We are River Dog's children" he added "We want to stay here. You are her parents, you should go back in time"
"But we need to stay here to activate the Granolith to stop Kivar from destroying Earth" cried Liz
"Why? It should respond to their DNA since they are your clones" said River Dog "I would be honoured to stay behind with my children"
"But you'll die"
"I will be with my family... you of all people should understand that, besides I read that journal. Doesn't there need to be bodies so they know that you died?" he pointed out
"We will become Max and Liz for you and you will become us... you shall be Matthew and Lilith. Valenti will have our bodies tested and since we're your clones he will believe you both died. The new golden age will dawn and you can be with your daughter when the time is safe" he told them
"The only thing is that you cannot look like yourselves, in order for this all to work they have to believe that Max and Liz are dead. If you show up after the war looking like you do then everything would have been for nothing" the two of them nodded then used their powers to change their features
"I want to stay to make sure that the Granolith is about to blast Kivar to kingdom come before we leave"
"Then let's do it" said Matthew as the four of them reached out to the face of the Granolith and River Dog stood back and watched. The energy began to build up and then Max and Liz went back in time.
"They took our names and they all died together as a family. We were sent back in time to the only co-ordinates the Granolith had and we ended up on my balcony. We both knew that we couldn't stay in America so we picked a country and left, it didn't take us long to learn Italian and then we had you, son, you were totally unexpected but we adored you. Technically you became the first born so you're the one who could rule Antar if you ever wanted to"
"No, I don't. Why didn't you tell me? Did the Royal Court know?"
"No one knew but us and the three people who died that day in the Granolith Chamber. You're the only ones who know" he told them "Now that you know we can't stay in this present time"
"Why can't we?" he demanded of his parents angrily, Claudia was still in a state of shock
"Because if the universe knew that they were alive then everything that had been achieved would unravel. There would be no more peace, everything that they'd worked for would be broken and this Golden Age would cease to be"
"He's right"
"Then where are we going to go?"
"Our Granolith can take us back in time. We asked Serina, David and Rose to build it in secret; they don't know what it was for and by the time they figure it all out we'll be long gone"
"Gone where?" Claudia demanded "We can't leave, all our friends and family!"
"They're safe and happy, they'll live in peace and one day when we'll go back and tell them, swear them to secrecy and tell them everything. But for now we're a family... we need to go" she told her children and son in law
"We've programmed our Granolith to take us back in time. We'll live on the first planet in this constellation so we don't run the risk of meeting any of Deech's ancestors" said Max as he held up a small crystal and they all beamed to their Granolith ship.
"Are you all okay with this?" he asked his children, Giacomo nodded understanding what they had done by what he'd been shown but Charlie was hurt, very hurt, and she shook her head
"All this time, I told you how badly I wished I knew my parents and you never told me. You made me cry myself to sleep believing I was an orphan!"
"It was the only way, can you ever forgive us? We've been with you the entire time; all we did was for you to be happy and you are... aren't you? You have Deech and your... your son, aren't you happy with that?" Claudia stood there thinking about it and she nodded
"I am. I've always wished I knew you and now I have that chance to... let's go back in time" she agreed with their plan then looked at her husband "Are you okay with this?"
"To be with you? To be with my family, yes... I would follow you anywhere to be with you" he confessed and Liz smiled. She moved over to see her grandson and Max began to power up their ship so it would travel back in time.
*
They made their home on the First Planet; it took a while for them all to forgive what Max and Liz had done and the secrets they had kept but in the end they were happy. Giacomo fell in love with a native Doradorian and had three children with her.
A year before Max and Liz passed away they travelled back to Earth, they used their forms that they had when they had lived and raised Claudia and told their family and friends the truth before returning back to the planet they considered their home. The Universe developed and progressed under thousands of years of peace and in hindsight they had made a lot of mistakes but they wouldn't change any of it for the world... any world... because they were happy, their children were happy and that was all that mattered.
The End
