Chapter 37: The Bigger Picture

Michael

"Hey, where did my mom go?" Liz asked when she returned with Tristan. She tossed a bag at my chest and I couldn't help the droopy smile that crossed my face.

"She's working some stuff out with the doctors," I explained but the last word was muffled as I stuffed the sandwich into my mouth. Liz groaned in disgust and Tristan laughed.

"Geez, Liz. Don't you train him?" he quipped.

Liz shrugged. "I try but some things never change. You forget, I have to live with him."

"I was stuck with him too before I moved in with Cal," he pointed out.

"And what a beautiful day that was," I muttered. Liz smacked my arm.

"You're telling me."

Once Tristan got over Liz, he and I began to get along most of the time. Didn't mean he still doesn't annoy the hell out of me sometimes.

Liz sat cross legged in front of me and leaned her head on my knee. I felt relieved that she was finally letting me in. I smiled down at her and stroked her hair. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" I asked gently.

Tristan and Liz shared a look. "You felt it?" Liz asked, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yeah. It was like your mind…I don't know how to explain it. I knew you weren't in any danger though."

"I don't know exactly how it works but Tristan did something to me so I could see past my grief. I think I just scared the Council when I mentioned going after Khivar," she explained.

"About that…" I began.

"I know, Michael. I do but this just doesn't seem right to let him slide free on this one," she said with a frown.

"Khivar will get what's coming to him," I assured her.

"Speaking of Khivar, Liz, Nicolas is supposed to come back tonight and I think he'll be expecting an answer."

I glared at Tristan over Liz's head for bringing it up. "Don't you think this is a bad time?"

"No, it's OK," Liz said. "In all honesty, today has helped me make my decision. I can't trust Khivar as far as I can throw him. And I can't let anybody else lose their family if I know that I can prevent it. Besides, everything happens for a reason and I think that Khivar offered me this deal so I could finally accept my destiny once and for all."

"You're beginning to sound like Cal with your talk of destiny and happenstance," I teased.

She tilted her head up at me. "Maybe because I'm beginning to believe it. I mean all of these bad things have happened to me only to make me stronger. Maybe that was the point all along. To test me-make sure I was strong enough."

"So does that mean that you're going to decline his offer?"

"Yeah."

I didn't know whether feel relieved or kind of depressed. "We'll find another way out," I soothed.

Liz remained quiet. Just when Tristan was about to say something else, Max, Serena, Kyle, and Isabel came back. "You guys don't have to hang out here all day," Liz said.

"Neither do you," Mrs. Parker said to her daughter as she rounded the corner.

"Mom…" Liz began.

She held up a hand. "No, Liz. Have a day with your friends," she said with a tight smile.

"Okay," Liz said slowly. She turned to the gang. "Michael and I will meet you downstairs in a minute."

They took the hint and left. Liz's mom sent her a warning look. "Don't you dare, Missy. I've allowed you to protect me for a while now. Now let me protect you."

Liz hung her head. "You're going to do it today, aren't you?"

Liz's mom just looked at her. "It's for the best."

"Call me when you need me to pick you up. You can stay with Michael and I tonight," Liz said as she turned on her heel and began for the elevator. I ran after her.

"Wait. That's it?" I asked her.

"I've said goodbye, Michael. I don't think I could do it again."

Liz

After finally getting everyone gone, I went into work. It's not that I didn't enjoy their company but they kept giving me those looks. I had gotten Michael to tidy up the apartment for my mother's stay and the minute I said 'cleaning' Isabel volunteered and dragged Alex with her. The UFOeatery wasn't too busy. Cal came in around five and pulled on his worn cap, patting it on his head a couple times.

"How you holding up?" he asked once we were in the back room.

I dropped the cleaning towel I had been holding on a nearby counter. "I'm OK," I lied.

"OK enough to be working?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"OK enough to get on with what's left of my life," I replied. "I know you guys are worried about me but sitting in the apartment thinking about him all day isn't going to make me feel better or bring him back."

He nodded in understanding. "You must be pretty deep in denial if you actually want to work," he joked lightly.

I sighed. "Yeah, well, thanks to some alien technology, I've gone right past denial into eerily accepting."

Cal chuckled. "Let me guess. They gave you the whole 'we need you to be stable' speech."

I tilted my head to one side. "More or less, yeah. How do you know all this?"

"Because I know the Council. They offered the same thing to me before I was assigned to Earth. They do that to a lot of people as long as it benefits them. The Council can be confusing at times. Sometimes you think they are doing things from the kindness of their alien hearts. All they have ever wanted was to accomplish the big picture."

"So did you take it? The offer?"

Cal frowned. "I probably should have now that I look back on it. But things were different back then, the Council didn't want stable. They wanted mindless soldiers to fight in the war. The chances of them completely wiping my memories of my wife were too big-and not worth the risk."

Shocked at his newly revealed information about the mysterious Council, I immediately had more questions. All we knew about the Council was that they occasionally told Tristan to pass information to us. "Who are they?"

"I'm just in the dark as you are. There used to be rumors they were dead seers or dead high political figures. No one is quite sure. I guess they just traffic control up there and keep an eye on us."

I had never seen in that kind of light before. "Do you regret it? Not letting them give you peace?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment but then waved a hand dismissively. "It's doesn't matter now."

"I guess you're right."

"So how'd you get those friend of yours to leave you alone?"

"I told them to help Michael clean up the apartment because my mom is staying with me tonight."

"I take it your mother told you about the whole temporary agreement," he said.

"Yeah. She did. Thanks, by the way. Not just for that but everything. You've done a lot for me and my family."

Cal frowned. "I wish I had done more."

"You couldn't have," I said with a deep sigh. "I wish you would have met him."

Cal lowered his eyes. "You'll get through this, Princess," he said in an assuring voice. "I promise."

Suddenly I felt guilty because of my lack of attention to Michael today. Come to think of it, our morning 'date' had been cut short. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front bell dinging, signaling the entrance of a new customer.

"I should get that."

Cal smirked. "You aren't getting paid to stand here, Princess."

"Very funny," I said dryly on my way out. "How far would the Council go, Cal?" I asked suddenly, my wariness beginning to grow.

"They want the bigger picture-the end product," he said simply.

"If these people are really just interesting in the bigger picture with no care for the expense of others, then that does help me. I just let them do something to my mind!"

Cal gave me a sad half-smile. "They'd never hurt you, Princess. You *are* the bigger picture."

*You are the bigger picture*

Cal's words haunted me as I drove back to the apartment. I didn't ask to be. Hell, I wasn't even sure if I even wanted it. My frustration began to overflow and I gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter then I intended to. Even Tristan had said the Council didn't want to jeopardize the bigger picture.

Everything happened for a reason, and I was beginning to believe that. What I wasn't willing to believe was that that reason was me.

My life was being dictated for me and I couldn't do anything about it.

A red Honda beeped its horn at me as I went through a red light. Should've been paying attention.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Were the Council the ones who made all of this up?

Why hadn't I seen it before? If the Seers worked more or less for the Council….dammit! When I had asked Henroz why all of this was happening to *me*, he said I was selected. I had been selected by the Council.

Those bastards *chose* me.

I pulled the car over abruptly, and jumped out. Luckily I found a deserted alley quickly and emptied out the contents of my stomach. My hands rested on a gritty brick wall and tears streamed down my face. A part of me was relieved that I finally had someone to blame. But the rest of me was seething in anger.

And accepting my fate was no longer an option for me. Had Isabel been right before? Had I given up?

It was time to start fighting again.

I was going to do this on my own terms.

And I already knew what I was going to do first.