Chapter 35
"Look at me!" Michael said in shock at what he had just heard, loosening one of the arms he had around Liz he moved it up to her face so he could force her to look into his eyes …
* FLASH *
Liz in the past life playing with her brothers and sister in the grounds of a great castle, the sun was shinning and a little way behind them sat Catherine and their father watching their children play together laughing and smiling with happiness.
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Liz meeting Max for the first time when they were young at the palace and looking to Michael for reassurance when she found out that Max and her were destined to be together forever.
* FLASH *
Liz and Michael taking part in a commitment ceremony with Max and Maria when they were young, both looking at each other helplessly and knowing sadly deep down that they were going to be separated.
* FLASH *
The betrayer showing them self to Liz, Michael and Max before killing Max and watching Liz scream with horror as Michael ran up to stand in front of her telling her to run before being killed.
* FLASH *
Liz holding Michael tightly in her arms as he took his last breaths silently comforting him while looking defiantly at Tess waiting for her to finish her off to.
* FLASH *
Liz feeling jealous every time Michael left her and Ava and went home to Maria.
* FLASH *
Liz dreaming that she and Michael were together and each time, waking up just as he was about to kiss her.
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Liz not feeling comfortable around the group anymore so disappearing off to the desert or the compound whenever she saw Max or the rest of them.
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Every time Liz ate something, she was unable to stop herself from running to the bathroom to throw everything back up again – a clear sign that her anorexia had returned.
* FLASH *
Liz sitting alone on her balcony every night when everyone was asleep crying.
Michael took a deep breath as he disconnected from Liz trying to process everything he had just seen, but he couldn't get his head around it. Liz realising that Michael had dropped his arms from around her started to move further and further away from Michael so that she could watch his reaction and also curse herself for letting him see too much; when she had moved just out of arms length from him Liz slowly let down the barrier that she had put up around her thoughts to block Michael out, thus enabling her to go into his thoughts and feelings and work out what he was feeling. * Maybe if we had had this connection when we were younger I wouldn't be feeling so confused now * she said more to herself then Michael but she knew that he would of heard it anyway.
As she had let down the mental block that she had been holding up since they had been back in Roswell, Michael was overwhelmed by the thoughts and the feelings that Liz had been having about everything that had happened to them in the past few months and he realised that she had been struggling to deal with this by herself so that they wouldn't come to be having the conversation that they were having now.
While all of Liz's thoughts were pouring into Michael, all of the ones he had been having were flowing into Liz, as she floated away from Michael, Liz tried to process everything that she had made him keep from her. Liz realised how worried Michael had been about her and the way that she refused to talk to him about what was upsetting her or the way that she refused to let him into her head so he could be comforted by her presence in his. She also felt how conflicted he was by the happiness he felt whenever he was with Maria but also how he missed not having Liz around in his life everyday like they had been in the cave. * So what do we do now? * She asked silently as she sat crossed legged in the middle of the sky waiting for an answer.
"Where do you think they are?" Max asked as he sat down in the Crashdown. The others had decided to finish their night out because without Michael and Liz it just seemed pointless. Kyle was helping Ava fix some drinks, while Isobel and Maria were sitting at the bar talking excitedly about the baby. "I don't know" Alex said, "Michael will bring her home though, I promise you"
"I know, it's so annoying that he knows where she is and how he can help her and I don't"
"I know Max, but that is the way it is going to be, and we all had to cope with it a life time ago just the same as we do now" Alex said reaching over and lightly touching his friend's arm. Max smiled at him and then leant back against the wall with his eyes shut.
They had been floating in silence for nearly an hour now, not talking to each other not even in their heads as though waiting for an answer to magically appear to them to help them through the mess that they were in. * Michael? * Liz asked hesitantly from where she was sitting * Michael? *
* What? * he finally responded from where he was sitting cross legged a couple of meters away
* What do we do now? * Liz asked as she began to move closer to him
* I don't know * he replied looking at her as she moved closer to him
* You want to know the strangest thing? * she suddenly said as she reached him
* What? * he said
* Well before we knew any of this, I always felt as though I could feel someone sharing my thoughts and feelings, even when I was really young; obviously I was too young to make any sense of it at the time so I created I guess an invisible friend to take on the role of someone who knew everything about me who was able to read me just as I could to them *
* I know the feeling * Michael replied smiling slowly at Liz
* Michael I know that this is hard but we have to sort it out before we go back to Roswell … before we face our friends *
* I know, but there is not a lot we can do really is there? At the end of the day we are family and Maria is pregnant with my child I can't leave her for something we are not even sure is real do you understand? *
* Y… yes … I think I do * Liz replied sadly feeling pain flow through her body, she stood up and turned away from Michael * I know it hurts, but what else can we do? * Michael said to her standing up to; he moved over to Liz and pulled her into his arms while at the same time trying to push the pain that he was also feeling out of his mind. Liz pulled away and looked him straight in the eyes before moving her hand up to his face as he lent in and slowly kissed her.
* * * * * * * * *
* FLASH *
The eight of them had decided to make one last stand against their enemy so while Zan, Ash and Marcus had prepared the army for deployment and Melinda, Ava, Tess and Vilandra had evacuated as many of the women and children as possible into hiding; Rath and Hanos were talking to their parents "Mother please you have to go" Hanos said as they stood in front of great ship that was getting ready to depart the planet, " We won't … we can't … leave our children to face death," Catherine said her face wet with tears, "Father you have to leave, if you don't and we all die who will help to rebuild the planet? Protect the planet's population from Kivar and the other rebel factions? We need you to stay safe until then" Rath said appealing to his father praying for him to understand how hard it was for them to make this decision "Very well my son, my daughter; we will do as you insist, but you must make a promise to us in return"
"Anything Father" Hanos replied
"Promise you will come back to us along with the others" Catherine said as she gathered up Rath and Hanos to hug them and kiss them goodbye. "We will be fine Mother I promise" Hanos said as she felt tears stream down her cheeks as she broke away and turned to her father who held his arms out and as she walked into them they closed around her tightly, "We love you and want you to remain safe are you sure you will not come with us?" he asked Hanos
"You know that is not possible Father, we have to find out who the traitor is and if we were to come with you then all of us would be put to certain death, this is for the best" Hanos replied as she held her father tightly, he in return kissed he forehead and said, "very well, Catherine we must leave now" realising that time was not on their side. Rath pulled away from Catherine and then proceeded to hug his father goodbye as Catherine and her husband boarded their ship; Rath pulled Hanos away from the ramp as it began to retract neither of them taking their eyes of their parents as they stood at the door and looked down at their eldest children until the ramp had completely retracted and the door closed shielding them from view; realising sadly this would be the last time any of them saw each other again.
The ship was preparing to take off when Rath and Hanos heard screams from outside the door, * we need to give the ship time to get out of here * Hanos said looking hard at her brother,
* I know * Rath said looking at Hanos,
* I will have to mind-warp all of them to hide us and the ship * Hanos said as she watched the enemy on the other side of the door trying to prise their way through it. * Ok, lets do it * Rath said as he and Hanos moved to the side of the room. "Commander we are under attack, you are cleared for departure, get them out of here" Rath said into the radio link on the side of the wall, not waiting for a response Rath opened the launch doors and without hesitation the commander of the ship took off into the sky,
* Go! * Rath said to Hanos watching her close her eyes and focus on wiping the ship from everyone's memories and putting a false memory in place of the one she had just taken away, realising she needed help Rath connected to Hanos to boost her powers. Once she was certain it was done the two of them disappeared out of the shuttle bay to safety just as the army of the enemy burst through the doors expecting to find the Royal Party there as their insider told them that they would.
* The insider has to be one of us * Rath said to Hanos as they ran for the others,
* Only the nine of us knew that our parents were leaving the planet * Hanos replied shocked that one of them had betrayed them. * We have to get to the others * Rath said looking at the ruins of the city that had once been magnificent, * they will be again * Hanos promised as they ran to their partners, their friends, their family and … the traitor.