Liz came down the stairs, tying on her apron. She found Maria sitting on the couch in the back room, her chin resting on her hands. "Isn't your shift starting in a couple of minutes?" Liz asked, sitting next to her friend and adjusting her alien antennae. "I've got five minutes left," Maria mentioned, heaving a large sigh. "What?" Liz asked softly. Maria bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "This is where it started. If only I'd kept my mouth shut, not let him in …" Liz nodded slowly and slung her arm across Maria's shoulder, both remembering that awful day two months ago.
**
"He's back," Maria announced flatly, coming from the Crashdown's kitchen. The trio before her looked up in question. "Who's back?" Max asked. Before Maria could answer, Brody appeared behind her. "Larek here," he said, Brody's accent seeming thicker, as though Larek himself had an accent. "Apparently," Maria began, taking a seat in the stool next to Michael, "Mr. Body Snatcher here doesn't have the same taste for pepperjack that our British buddy does." Larek, as Brody, threw Maria a hard stare. "Is that supposed to be threatening?" she challenged.
"Alright, alright," Max stood, facing Larek directly, "why are you here?" "We have a situation," Larek explained, his voice grave. Max exchanged a look with Michael, who jumped up to be at his side, as though two against one would intimidate the small man before them. Of course, neither knew of Larek's true stature.
"What do you think's going on?" Maria whispered to Liz, who watched their boyfriends square off against the 'foreign' alien. Liz shrugged, staring at Max's back. She worried that yet another disaster was about to happen.
"What situation?" Michael demanded, his arms crossed over his chest. "It's time," Larek said, "time for the Royal Four to return to Antar." "Return?" Michael retaliated, "is that even possible?" Larek watched as Max's eyes sought out Liz. "Now is not the place to discuss this," he said, his face distorted in mild disgust. "Look whatever you have to say will be shared with everyone else anyway," Max told him plainly, "now what do you mean it's time to return? How can we do that?" "Not here," Larek stressed, leaving through the door he arrived. Michael immediately went after him. "I'll be back," Max mouthed to Liz, giving her a small smile of encouragement as he left.
**
"Ladies!" They were startled out of their reverie by Jose's booming voice. "There's customer's waiting!" Liz helped Maria up and they grabbed their order pads, heading into the restaurant.
**
Vilandra lifted her scarf over her head, hiding her luxurious sun-kissed hair from view. She hurried down the steps of the palace and through the gates, nodding to the guards who stood watch. Wrapping her cloak and scarf further around her head and body, Vilandra made her way quickly through the crowds and neared the city walls. "You're late," a dark voice called out as she leaned back against the bricks. "I was dining with my family," she explained, "I couldn't risk leaving any sooner." "Come to the gate," the voice demanded. Glancing around, Vilandra stealthily took a few steps to the wrought-iron gate that separated the city from the forest.
A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, and she gasped. "Nicholas!" she reprimanded, pulling back hard. He stepped into view, his smile wide and toothy. "Now now, Vilandra. Since when do you pull away from me? I remember many nights having to tear you from my arms." Vilandra closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. "That time is over Nicholas, and you know that." He narrowed his eyes, jerking his head in her direction. "What do you have for me today?" Taking another quick look around her, she removed a map and sheets of paper from her cloak. "These are Rath's plans for Kathana. I don't believe he's shown them to my brother yet, but they will delay Kathana's attack on Kivar."
Nicholas looked down at the papers. "Why would Kathana still wish to attack Kivar? We've been exiled. We pose no threat." Vilandra shrugged. "Perhaps someone knows of my duplicity. We should be more discreet from now on." Nicholas shoved the papers into his coat. "Well," he muttered, "next time you come, Kivar will be meeting you." He rolled his eyes at her excited smile. "Now get back to the palace before anyone misses you."
