Chapter Sixteen: Tess
Chapter Sixteen: Tess

There she is. Isabel … well, that's who she is now. Tess takes a deep breath and carries her tray to her table. "Can I join you?" she asks. "Actually, we're in the middle of something." Tess looks down at the boy. He's a human, so she doesn't pay him much attention. "You're the new girl, right?" Isabel asks, ignoring him as well. Tess smiles. She's letting her in.

Her first glance of her 'husband' is in the kitchen of the Evan's home. She's not sure how she feels about him. He's certainly beautiful, just as she remembers. And the other one. Michael. She doesn't recall him as clearly, but what she does remember is that he's brash and often callous to his enemies. Their personalities are so similar to their former selves, and she's struck with happiness. This wouldn't be as difficult as she imagined.

She knows it was wrong, but she had to do it. The only way he would really let her in is if she manipulates him. He has to see that they were in love, he has to remember what it was like to kiss her and hold her. So, she made him see things. The kiss at the Crashdown, the 'fire' in school, the way her car conveniently broke down just as he was passing by. "I'm with Liz," he tells her firmly. Of course you are, she thinks, but she's not me. She's not your destiny. "We belong together," he goes on, "I don't want anyone but her." "I'm sure you don't," she answers. She pulls him closer with her mind, pulls him down for a sensuous kiss. He can't help himself. "Who are you?" he asks.

Tess decides that she must be more direct. If she goes to Max, he'll only push her away and she can't take that. Michael might be violent. Though Isabel disliked Tess in their former life, she doesn't remember. Tess has the upper hand now. She's the strongest of the four. "… there's no mistaking what's going on. Like no matter who you may be with, or what you may think, that you and this other person are destined to be together." "No!" Isabel dismisses. Tess shrugs, but leans in even closer. " Well, that's the way I feel about Max, and those are the signals that I've been getting from him. Are you sure you've never felt that way about anyone? Pay more attention, Isabel. There are signs all around you." She's smug and leaves the sugar cubes lined up in a four square.

Kyle Valenti. Liz's ex-boyfriend. He's cute, but she doesn't need a distraction right now. He'll do nicely though, the perfect bait. They sit at a table in the library when she spots Max and Liz. "So …" Kyle leans in, "Ancient languages. What does this have to do with our English assignment?" "Absolutely nothing," she tells him. He grins. "I was hoping you'd say that." She smirks. Down boy. "There's just this one book that I need for my history class." He follows her down the aisles. He's relentless. "Well, what do you say we start speaking the most ancient language known to man?" He leans in for a kiss, and for a moment, a fleeting moment, she almost lets him. But then she remembers Max. She's certain he's watching them. She needs to get the book.

No, this isn't what's supposed to happen. He's not supposed to be angry. He's supposed to understand. "I am not like you!" he shouts, "I live in this world! It's all I know. And I will not be a part of anything as evil as you." She backs away, stumbling to the ground. "Is that what you think I am?" she asks. "Show me who you really are! Don't hide behind this face!" She's crying now. He won't stop. "God, Max, that's not who I am. That's not who I am! Think Max. You've seen my face before. You know who I am." Please, he has to understand.

When they leave, she's left alone. But she knows it's not for long. Nasedo appears from the cave wall, angry with her for revealing the whole truth to the others. But she's angry with him for his lies. Is he really a killer, like Max says he is? "What has he been telling you?" Nasedo accuses, "You're going to trust him over me?" Yes, Tess thinks, he's my husband, of course I trust him. "Listen, you and I have spent a lot of time together," Nasedo tells her, "now, I don't want to say we're family …" "You're not my family," Tess spats, "you never will be. Max, Michael, and Isabel are." His cold eyes narrow. "Fine. Go have your little reunion. If I have to kill people, I kill people. Pierce is dangerous. You all still need me if you expect to survive him."

She's alone in the jeep with Liz, performing a mindwarp on Pierce's agents. "Can you just do that with anyone?" Liz asks, "make them see things that aren't even there?" Tess turns to look at her. The girl who stands in the way of her destiny with Max. "Sometimes it's easier to do that," Tess tells her, "than to make someone see something that's right in front of her eyes." Liz doesn't say anything, she knows what Tess means.

All summer long, she tried to get closer to him. Liz was in Florida, he should have been vulnerable enough to come to her, but he didn't. Now here they are, alone for the first time in weeks, maybe months. He's sweet to walk her home. "It's not that I dislike you," he says, when she challenges him about his feelings for her. "You don't have to spare my feelings," she mumbles, "I'm not human. Neither are you." "It's the only life I've ever known," he says. Tess smiles and reaches up to touch his cheek. "That's not true," she says softly, "you lived another life … a life when you loved me." He shakes his head slightly, removing her hand from his face. "I don't remember that."

Max took her to the Sheriff's house, so she'll be safe. When she wakes, Kyle is standing over her, an expression of shock on his face. Since he discovered their true identities, he's been a little wary around them. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asks. She shrugs. "I live here." Smiling, she reaches for the waist of his boxers, snapping them back against his skin. "Calvin Klein. I approve."

She gets to have his room. Yay! And, she loves teasing him about his collection of dirty magazines, his newfound Buddhism. But then he starts getting all hostile, completely ruining her fun-loving mood. "Listen! This whole 'aliens are among us thing' ... it really screwed me up, made me question stuff. Life, reality, my place in this universe ... and you don't understand. You - you guys - you people turned my life upside down. I need a little clarity. I need a little peace of mind." She stands up, getting in his face. "No, I don't understand. I'm a girl from another planet. No family, no friends. Only three other people like me in the world. And the man I grew up with, the man who raised me, he was just murdered. You're right, Kyle. What would I know about needing peace of mind?" For the first time, they begin to understand each other.

God, there's so much pain. Why won't the pain stop? And then Isabel, of all people, is there, helping her up, urging her not to die. They do care, Tess thinks, she's finally found home.

She and Kyle lay across her bed, kissing and groping like the teenagers they are. "Tess," he murmurs. "Yeah?" she breathes, running her fingers through his hair. "Stay," he pleads, "tell the others you've changed your mind. Stay with me." Tess pushes him gently off and sits up. "Kyle," she says softly, "we've already discussed this. I'll be back soon. Don't get all mushy on me now, Buddha Boy." He sighs, defeated, and lays his head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he says, "I guess I'm just a desperate man." Tess laughs and he grins back. "At least we have tonight," she tells him, a hint of suggestion in her eyes. He nods, moving in to kiss her again, and they fall back onto the bed.

Tess' eyes fly open. "Welcome back," Max says. She nods, stunned. The four of them drop their hands, but don't move from their spots. "I still feel like Vilandra," Isabel breaks the silence, "I feel like two people." Max nods. "I know. We are two people, in a way." Michael and Tess exchange a look. They were never as close as they were than when they were Rath and Ava. He nods to her. "How's it going?" She shrugs. "Good … I guess." Max and Isabel share a grin. "What now?" Isabel asks. "It's time to figure out a way home." "Not so fast." They turn. Larek stood before them, a weapon in his hand. "I have orders from the Queen Mother. You're not going anywhere. Any of you."