Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Merry Christmas everyone!

Chapter Thirty-Six: Image of Perfection

It took Liz less than a minute to figure out that something was wrong. Max and Michael were standing together, talking about something in hushed whispers, and Isabel was leaning against the lockers next to them, her gaze wandering back and forth across the hallway. Most of the students did not even bother paying attention to the three, unless it was perhaps to wonder why Isabel was still hanging out with her brother and Michael instead of with Tess and her friends. That particular story - of Isabel's miraculous rise to the realms of the popular - had not yet died down even though it had been nearly a year. It was strange, the things high school students would find to use as gossip.

But Liz did pay attention to the three, and saw the way Max's eyebrows came together, knitted into a look of concern. The way Michael and Isabel exchanged pointed looks when they thought Max was not looking.

She took a few steps towards Max, and found her way suddenly blocked by Tess.

"Nasedo, disguised as Agent Pierce, just killed two Senators. Max is flipping out because he gave Nasedo the go ahead to do this, and now he's having doubts," the blonde hissed in a low murmur. "Fix it."

Liz gaped. "Fix it? How?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "You're his girlfriend. Talk to him. Do that whole... compassionate, I love you, you're still a good person, blah, blah, blah... thing."

And just like that, she was gone, drifting back into the crowd and disappearing down the length of the hallway.

Liz turned and met Max's gaze. His shoulders were slumped forward, and his entire body seemed near to crumbling in on itself. His expression was confused, lost even... But his eyes never wavered from her face.

She walked forward with determination, not entirely sure what she would say. It was hard to console someone for giving allowing an alien killer to take two lives. What would she say? What could she say that would make up for what he had done? He was still a good person, and she knew that. The real question was did he know that as well?

"Hey, Liz," Isabel greeted her. "I'm going to... uh... go to... class..." She threw a pointed look at Michael, and the two of them hurried away, leaving Max and Liz alone in the hallway. The brunette waitress watched them walk away with a mixture of amusement and frustration. Clearly, like Tess, they thought she would somehow be able to fix this. But she had no idea where to even begin, particularly since she was never privy to the details of the deal with Nasedo anyway.

"Hey," Max greeted, giving her a tired smile.

"Hey," Liz answered. "What's up?"

"Did you see the paper this morning?" Max asked. "Two Senators were killed in their homes in Washington DC. Looked like some kind of break in. The press is blaming an internal unit within the FBI," Max answered, not bothering to lower his voice.

Liz accepted this in silence. She knew no one would ever wonder why they were interested in politics given that she was often seen as a geek by most of the student body. So as long as they didn't mention Pierce, aliens, or Maria, this was a perfectly safe topic. On the other hand, the fact that they could openly talk about these deaths did nothing to help her figure out what to say or how to deal with the fall-out of this plan.

"The senators had families, you know," Max added. "I... wives and children. Parents. Brothers and sisters. And now..." He stopped, shrugged.

Liz lowered her voice and whispered, "Not your fault."

"Isn't it?" Max countered, lowering his voice as well. He caught Liz by the arm, pulling her through the crowded hallway towards the eraser room where they would be able to talk in private. Closing the door behind him, he squinted through the dim light and continued, "I told Nasedo he could go ahead with this plan. I told him it was okay."

"Did you know that he was going to kill the senators?" Liz countered.

"No..." Max admitted, a little reluctantly. "No, Nasedo just said attacks..." He trailed off with a weary sigh and added, "But I should have known. This is Nasedo we're talking about. He has no soul and we both know he'd never leave any loose ends. Of course he was going to kill them."

Liz took his hands in her own. "Max, listen to me. This is not your fault. You could not possibly have known what Nasedo would or would not do. In fact, for all we know, Nasedo would have killed them anyway. Do you really think he always goes to you for permission before carrying through with one of his plans? You did not do this, you did not kill those two men. Nasedo did."

"That's what Isabel said," Max replied bitterly. "But don't you understand, Liz? This is my fault. There blood is on my hands. I'm the king, I'm supposed to be able to protect people. I have to be able to do that, to save people... or else..." He stopped again, and did not finish the thought.

But Liz, sensing that this was the crux of the problem, pressed gently, "Or else what, Max?"

"Or else I am no better than him," Max murmured, his answer barely audible. He leaned back against the shelves of supplies and closed his eyes, taking a slow breath. "If I don't do this, I am no better than him."

"Who? Nasedo? Khivar?"

"No. Zan."

Whatever she had expected Max to say, that was not it. But perhaps she should have known it was coming, given that Max was still so upset about the things he had done while under the influence of his alien half. She licked her dry lips and said, "What do you mean?" hoping that his answer might illuminate the problem, and perhaps offer some sort of solution.

"Zan kills without caring," Max answered. "Not... not without reason. It is a war, and he is fighting to protect his planet and his people... But... he doesn't care about collateral damage. He tells himself that it is necessary, that people will die in a war, and that it will be worth it if he can stopKhivar. He doesn't even care." His breath was coming in shaky rasps and tears pooled in his now open eyes, but did not fall. "I don't want to be him."

"You aren't him," Liz replied forcefully. She wished there was more she could say, but it was difficult to come up with a logical argument for what was such a strange situation. How could she convince him that he was notZan when he was, in fact, made up partially of the alien king's DNA?

And then there was the issue of war. In some ways, Zan was right. It was a war, and people did die, and that could not be changed. If Max let himself get caught up in emotional torment every time he wasn't able to save someone, he would fall apart. Sydney's cancer would be the least of their problems because, no matter what, Max would be headed down a self-destructive path. On the other hand, if Max were to simply stop caring about all the unnecessary death, if he started view life as a commodity, aprivilege and not a right... well, then he would no long be Max.

"You don't understand," Max said, and there was no accusation in his voice, no dismissal, no anger. Just the stark truth that Liz did not understand what it was like to have another presence buried deep within, another soul that could start taking control, start influencing his thoughts, emotions, and actions. "You've never knowingly played with people's lives, made decisions about their future without any regard for their feelings. You've never viewed people as just things to be manipulated, or discarded as necessary. You're a good person. A perfect person, really."

That statement stopped Liz cold. Because she did know what it was like to completely alter someone's future. That was, after all, exactly what she had done by following the advice of the Michael from the future. She had been given something precious - knowledge of a future that would now never come to pass - and had used it to interfere in the lives of others. It had been for the right reasons, had been because she only wanted to save her friends and this planet, to stop them from being destroyed byKhivar... But she had done it, and she hadn't even bothered to tell anyone.

The bell rang, signalling the start of class, and before Liz could think of anything else to say, Max mumbled something about needing to get to class and slipped by her, disappearing out the door.

Alex took a bite of his apple and studied Liz for a moment, noticing the way her gaze kept flickering around the quad. She looked nervous about something, or upset, maybe, but he wasn't sure what could have bothered her so much. As far as he knew, her relationship with Max was finally on the mend, Maria was out of trouble, and school was going well. But there was no denying the worried expression that lingered in her eyes.

"Liz? Are you alright?"

Dark brown eyes looked sharply at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "I'm fine, Alex," she answered, but even as she said the words a dull pink blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks, belying her statement.

"Really?" he asked cautiously, wondering if he was treading on thin ice. Liz, at least, did not have Maria's temper and so was less likely to lose it at him in response to his questions. On the other hand, she still might not be thrilled that he was pushing for answers... but he was worried. She was his friend, after all, and people were supposed to look out for their friends.

"Yeah. Really." She gave a half-shrug and turned her attention back to her lunch.

Alex scanned the quad for any sign of Maria or Max, but neither had ventured from the school yet. Michael, too, was not there, but Isabel and Tess were eating at the far picnic benches, chattering happily with Trudy, Kyle, Cliff, and Jessica. He'd been invited to join them, and when he'd turned down the invitation he'd been forced to deal with Isabel's tempting pout. But Liz had looked so upset and he needed to find out why.

"Liz... for someone who manages to keep the whole alien royalty thing a secret from the entire world every single day, you are remarkably bad at lying."

She laughed a little, but the laughter did not reach her eyes. Looking down, she said, "I don't really want to talk about it, Alex."

"Are you sure we can't help?" Alex murmured, leaning forward. He placed the apple on top of his brown paper bag and stared hard at her, wondering what was going through her mind.

But she just shook her head. "You can't help Alex. I know you can't. It's not... it's over now anyway."

"What's over?"

Liz pushed her lunch away and rose to her feet. "Just having some problems with Max. Well, Max is having the problems, and I am trying to help. It's just... hard, you know? He keeps thinking that I am perfect, but I... I just wish I could tell him, make him understand..."

Now Alex was growing really worried. "Liz? You're not making any sense. At all."

She shoved the remains of her lunch back into her paper bag and answered, "Don't worry about it, Alex. It's nothing."

Alex watched her hurry away, making a mental note to himself to check with Maria at the earliest possible moment. Maybe the pixie blonde knew what was going on with their friend. And if not... well, he'd snoop around if he had to. But something was wrong, and he wasn't going to let Liz pretend otherwise.

Chris slid his arm around Tess' waist and gave her a broad smile. "Hello, beautiful."

She narrowed blue eyes at him. "That smile and that tone only ever mean that you want something, Chris. What is it?" she asked, shutting her locker and turning to face him. It was the end of yet another school day, and she was tired. She wanted nothing more than to go home, take a bath, and sleep until the end of the school year.

"Maybe all I want is to see my girlfriend?" Chris suggested.

Tess rolled her eyes. "No chance I'm believing that."

"Okay, so maybe I had a teensy favor to ask..."

"Which is?"

"Kyle wanted to do something nice for Trudy. And he asked me what I thought. And I told him that he should just buy her flowers or something. And he wanted to know what kind. And I told him I'd think about it. Only... I don't know what type of flower he should buy her. So I'm asking you."

If possible, Tess' eyes became even more narrowed, and now clouded with suspicion as well. "You want more than that," she said, her voice filled with certainty. She swung her backpack onto her shoulders and said pointedly, "Spit it out, Chris."

"Uh... well... Kyle and I sort of made a bet. About who could... you know... buy flowers... uh, for Trudy. And I told him I'd buy the flowers this afternoon."

"You're buying flowers for my brother's girlfriend?"

"No! Well, sort of. It's complicated."

"Obviously," Tess drawled. "Should I be upset that you're not buying flowers for me?"

Chris looked taken aback. "Do you want flowers?"

"Does any girl ever not want flowers?" Tess countered. "Why is Kyle buying flowers for Trudy anyway?"

"It's some kind of anniversary. Like six months or nine months or something... I don't know, I wasn't listening when he explained that."

Tess blinked. "And you and Kyle are competing to see who can buy flowers?"

"Yes."

"How is that a bet? What is so difficult about buying flowers?"

Chris looked scandalized that she even had to ask. "We can't just go into the florist shop. It's a girl's place. But I told Kyle I was brave enough to go in... even though it is a girl's place... and it would totally ruin my reputation..."

It took Tess a moment to put the pieces of the rather bizarre puzzle in order, but finally everything seemed to click into place and she said, "So you told Kyle you would buy flowers this afternoon. From the florist. But you don't want to take the chance of anyone seeing you going in there... so you want me to do it for you?"

"Yes!" Chris answered, sounding grateful that she understood.

Tess pulled absently at one curl as her eyes slid past Chris towards Michael. The hybrid General paid her little attention as he walked past, but it reminded her that she had yet to talk to him about the mayor or Sorenson . Given everything that Max was dealing with, she had not wanted to go to him, and while it was certainly possible that she could convince Isabel to flirt with the archaeologist again, she wasn't sure that was the right tact. Michael might have a better idea.

"Fine," she said finally, shaking her head in despair at her boyfriend. "But you have to drive me there. And then drive me home."

"Deal!" He kissed her on the cheek. "Meet you at my car."

Tess nodded absently and hurried after Michael, catching him just as he turned the corner. She grabbed his arm and he turned to face her, confusion in his eyes.

"Tess? What's up?"

"I'm tired," Tess said matter-of-factly, "but I can't go home yet because my boyfriend is apparently terrified of flowers. As is my brother."

Michael snickered even though the comment would have made no sense to him at all. "You obviously have quite a problem to deal with," he remarked sardonically, smirking at her. "But why are you telling me this?"

She beckoned for him to follow him and stepped into the nearest empty classroom. Making sure they were alone, she spun to face Michael and said, "We completely forgot about the mayor and Grant Sorenson."

Michael was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Are they still doing stuff with the skeleton?"

"I think so. I asked Jim, and he wasn't sure, but I think he would have heard if Sorenson left Roswell. But he's still here, and we know the mayor is either a skin or working with skins... so, as you so eloquently put it, he must be doing stuff with the skeleton."

Michael did not respond to the sarcasm in her comment and instead questioned, "Do you think Isabel can..."

"I'm not sure that is the best idea," Tess interrupted before he could even finish the sentence. "It worked once, but if the mayor hears that Isabel is asking questions... puts her in danger. And the last thing we want to do is draw attention to ourselves. Not now that things might finally be over."

"Did you talk to Max?"

"Seriously?"

Michael tilted his head to one side as he regarded her, then gave a slow nod. "I suppose you're right about that. We should leave Max out of it until we really need to tell him. But what do you want me to do?"

She blinked once. "You're the one with no common sense and a predisposition for reckless action. I want you to use those somewhat dubious talents of yours and figure something out."

"It's always so fun talking to you," Michael sneered. Then he sobered and said seriously, "I'll think about it."

Tess nearly laughed at the comment. They had all changed over the past year, and it was true that Michael had grown more cautious and less prone to his usual careless behavior. But he had not changed that much, and she knew exactly what his idea of "thinking about it" would entail. "While you're thinking about it," she shot back, "try not to get arrested for breaking and entering." After a pause, she added, "And try not to get Maria caught either."

Michael opened his mouth, presumably to contradict her assumption, but she did not let him get a word in edgewise.

"I mean it, Michael. At least try to come up with a way of snooping that does not involve breaking the law. Think things through once of twice before doing something rash. And for the love of God, don't get in more trouble with Amy DeLuca ." Then she flashed him a mocking smile. "And yes, Michael, you really are that predictable," she said, patting him on the arm and walking past him from the room.

"Have fun with Chris," he called after her. "Don't let the flowers terrify you, too."

Courtney ran her hand over the door knob, nodding with satisfaction as the lock gave way beneath her powers. She shoved the door open and stepped into the house, glancing around once. The faint light of the moon barely illuminated the living room, casting long shadows along the wall.

She shut the door behind her.

The sound of footsteps on the floor above her caused her to glance up. Humans, she reflected, were so annoying loud. Even the best of them had no idea how to sneak around, unnoticed. Didn't they know that it was their lack of stealth that so often got them killed? No one would bother them if they could just avoid being noticed.

The footsteps came down the stairs. The door to the living room opened and the light was suddenly turned one, flooding the room with brightness. A man stood across from her, a gun in his hand, dark brown eyes fixed on her. He pointed the gun at her and growled, "Who are you?"

Courtney flicked her hands once at the drapes and they slid shut, concealing her from the outside world. It was doubtful that anyone would be up and about at this late hour, but she still was not going to take that chance. What she was here to do... well, it was best down unobserved. It would cause too many problems if anyone saw anything.

"What the...? How did you...?"

She gave the surprised man a cold look. "Stop acting so surprised," she sneered. "You had Tess Harding in the White Room long enough to know that all your fears about aliens being here were true. You know who we are and what we can do." Her lips quirked into a thin smile. "Too bad you're never going to be able to tell anyone."

Her words were stopped by the sharp crack of the gun's trigger being pulled, and as the bullets raced towards her, she actually smiled.

And then raised one hand and stopped them mid-air, watching as they floated before her. She studied them for a moment with a curious gaze, then dropped her arm, and the bullets clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"Not fast enough," she remarked.

"What do you want?" he breathed, looking uneasily about for a way to escape.

She shrugged. "I'm just following orders. You see, you're one of the few members of the Special Unit who still pose a threat to us. We got rid of Pierce and had most of you disbanded, but you... you're still a threat. And I can't have threats to our plan. We've been working on it for fifty years, invested far too much to let you mess it all up now."

The hand holding the gun started shaking.

"It is unfortunate for you," Courtney continued, nodding. "But your fate was sealed long before you captured Tess. You should have known you couldn't win against us, against our power."

"It doesn't matter," the man spat. "Even if you kill me, more will come! You can't escape us."

Courtney gave an exasperated sigh. "Haven't you been listening to anything I've said?" she demanded. "You were the closest to Roswell, so I was sent to deal with you. But your... colleagues... are being dealt with as well, even as we speak. You've lost your unit and your reputation. Now you will lose your life. Your body will be destroyed and nobody will ever miss you." She shrugged. "Don't take it personally, it's not anything specifically about you. It's just... well... this is a war, and we don't really like having loose ends."

And she raised her hand once more, pointing her fingers directly at the hapless man.

He crumbled to the ground, the gun falling from his lifeless hands.

Courtney waved her hand at him again, and his body dissolved before her very eyes, turning into dust and ash. "I wish I could say I was sorry," she said, "but we all have to survive somehow." She did not like killing, but recognized that it was occasionally needed given that this was a war. All members of the Special Unit had to be dealt with, in any way necessary. "If one of us has to die, human, I certainly will not let it be me. You do not understand just how big of a war you managed to stumble across, but we have an entire planet... perhaps even several planets... at stake. And I simply could not take any chances on this."

Then she pulled out phone and dialed the mayor. He answered on the first ring.

"It's done," Courtney reported crisply.

"Good. The others have reported in as well. The FBI is taken care of."

Courtney closed the phone and walked from the house, careful to turn out the lights and lock the door behind her.

Next Chapter: The Unwelcome Fourth

Due: Sun 1/4