Tess and Liz were entering the Crashdown when Liz's cell phone rang. "Hello?"
"Liz, its Isabel. Got any idea where Tess or Michael are?"
Liz looked at Tess. "Um, yeah. Tess is standing next to me and Michael's in the kitchen, why?" Tess mouthed 'Who is it?'
"Can you have them meet us at Logan's hotel room? Its important."
'Isabel,' Liz mouthed back. "Does this have to do with last night?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, I'll tell them to come immediately. Which hotel?"
"Roswell's 'finest', Pedro's Place," she said laughing. "Thanks, bye."
Tess practically bounced with curiosity and concern. "What's going on? Is it Kyle? Is he okay? Where do I have to go?"
"Stop!" Liz exclaimed at the flow of questions. "That was Isabel and she said that you and Michael need to meet her and Max at Logan's hotel room at Pedro's Place Hotel and that it was important. That's all she told me."
"Well, what are we waiting for!" she ran back to the kitchen and told Michael. The two headed out the back door to his dirt bike and took off. Liz watched them drive away. 'I'm not letting them leave me here not knowing what's going on!' she thought stubbornly as she dialed Maria's number.
The X-5 group plodded into the hotel room. Logan figured they'd be hungry by now so he ordered room service. It was obvious that no one felt like going out. Once the food arrived the mood seemed to lighten a bit. They kept the conversation light and friendly. Max grilled Niyah and Kyle on what they'd been up to and where they'd been. Kyle actually got them all laughing by telling stories of the crazy alien escapades.
There was a knock on the door and Logan answered it. "Hi, Isabel, Max," he said surprised to see Max Evans and Isabel standing at his door. "Come in."
Isabel smiled and entered, walking straight to Niyah. Max Evans noted the congenial atmosphere and grinned, realizing that Kyle must have made peace with Zack. It was almost friendly in this room.
"Niyah, there's someone here you should see," Isabel said beaming a 100 watt smile. A smirk formed at the corners of Max Evans' mouth. Niyah glanced at her uncertainly as Isabel walked to the door. She motioned for someone to come in and then he stood there in the doorway! ZAN!! Her heart stopped and she forgot how to breathe. It couldn't be possible. He was dead! She had felt it, she was certain of it. But…
"Niyah, its really me," he whispered. She was so beautiful, standing there shocked. He felt himself slipping into her eyes until he saw the fear in them. "It was just a cover," he continued, finding his voice. Everyone faded into the background. There was never anyone else around when he looked at her. He could feel her sadness, her shock and struggle to believe it was really him. He had to make her understand why he'd kept her in the dark for so long. "I knew Lonnie was gonna try somethin' so I played possum," he said walking towards her. "I'm sorry I couldn't let you know. I thought I had to eliminate them first, to keep you safe."
Tears sprung into her eyes. This was a dream. It had to be. "Zan," she breathed, her voice catching in her throat. She reached out slowly and touched his face, gasping at the contact. "You're real," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. "This is real."
He took her face and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "I promised I'd never leave you didn't I?" and he kissed her gently, slowly opening the mental connection between them, trembling at the intensity of it. She wrapped her arms around him tightly as if he would disappear if she didn't hold tight enough. He hugged her back, laughed and spun her around in circles until she laughed with him. Everyone was smiling, and even Zack smirked. The joy radiating from Niyah infected all of them and raised all their spirits.
"You're alive!" she said kissing him again, crying openly now but from joy not sadness.
"So, you're Zan," Zack stated, his statement pulling them away from each other.
Zan glanced at him. "I guess that makes you Zack."
Zack looked from one to the other. "You're not coming to Canada anymore, are you?"
Niyah shook her head as Zan wrapped his arms possessively around her. "No. I promise I'll leave the USA but I'm not coming with you." Zack nodded and even smiled a little at this. At least she was getting out of the country and it appeared that Zan could take care of himself, and her if he had to.
"Oh my GOD!" Maria shrieked from the doorway making everyone jump. "Who the hell are you?!" Liz, Michael and Tess dashed in after her to see what was going on and stopped suddenly noticing that there were two Max Evans'! Liz couldn't believe it. One looked like her Max and the other…She happened to catch his eye and the direct look he gave her made her heart stop for a moment. It was like looking at her Max Evans but times ten. He was breathtaking in a punk ass sort of way, sexy as hell, with definite naughty-bad-boy potential. It made her shiver. 'If only Max could let go like that a little…damn, that's attractive! Now I see why Maria falls for the bad boys.' Max Evans looked at her curiously, noticing the slight flush on her cheeks.
Kyle stepped in, attempting to explain. "Zan wasn't really killed and he came here looking for Lonnie and Rath."
"But how'd you manage to avoid a truck?" Michael asked in disbelief.
Liz stepped next to Max Evans. "Um, yeah, Ava said she saw you die. I mean…I don't understand," she managed to stammer.
Zan looked at her and once again she shivered. "I knew for awhile that Lonnie was gunnin' for me. With the Summit comin' up it was the perfect time to end it once and for all. I smelled a big set-up so I stepped out just in case and whaddya know? They tried to whack me. Go figure."
"What do mean, stepped out?" Max Evans asked, curious.
"Astral projected."
"What?" several people asked at once.
"But what purpose would that serve? I mean, astral projections are just an extension of the corporeal form and…" Kyle started.
"Hold up, Buddha boy, this girl's not following," Max interrupted using Tess' name for him. "What the hell's an astral projection and keep it real, aiight?" she said to Kyle.
"It's like sending your spirit out, sort of an out of body experience but people can see the projected self. Its transparent like a ghost but…"
"Not mine," Zan interjected. "I worked on it for months making it tangible. I couldn't use my powers in my astral form but it was solid."
Liz pieced together the sequence of events. "So, you weren't really walking with them that night but using your astral form."
"Actually, I was there but once I realized that somethin' was up, I switched. Two seconds later my astral self had to let Rath know exactly who the man was, then BAM, fuckin' Mack truck slammed into me. Hurt like a mutha fucka and took all of my energy to stay alive but it's a helluvalot better then being dead, yo. It sort of put me in a coma for awhile but I came to eventually," his jaw clenched and he looked at the floor. "Just too late to stop…"
Niyah pulled him closer. "Me too."
Again Liz grasped his thoughts. "Too late to help Ava," she said softly. He nodded.
Max Evans shifted mental gears. "So how did you learn to do this astral thing?"
"Some old hag fortune teller grabbed me on the street once, told me I had great power. I told her 'no shit', figurin' she was tryin' to scam me, not that I had anything to fence... But she wouldn't leave me alone so I finally listened to her trippin'. She knew her stuff, taught me how to astral project and some telekinesis. Course she don't know I'm not human but she can marinate all she wants, yo."
Logan's head was starting to hurt trying to follow Zan's speech patterns. Even after listening to Max for hours this jive talk was hard on the ears. "Okay, sorry but, ah, who exactly are Lonnie and Rath, and why do you look like Max Evans and what was the Summit? Just for a little clarification."
Tess piped up. "There were originally eight of us, two sets of four in case one group didn't work. We didn't know our DNA was identical until recently."
"Rath looked like me and Lonnie looked like Isabel. Ava was Tess' double," Michael continued.
"The Summit was a meeting of five separate worlds in a system governed by Antar the main world. It's sort of a civil war over there and it was an attempted peace summit that didn't work," Max Evans figured that was enough explanation. They didn't need to get into all the royalty stuff.
Logan's eyebrows shot up. "A five world civil war?! And I thought this planet had problems," he muttered. "I don't think I need anymore clarification. My head is starting to hurt."
As Max was explaining, Maria came to a brilliant idea. "I say this group needs a party." The group looked at her curiously. She ignored the looks and continued on, her enthusiasm and excitement growing with each word. "You know, a little celebrating, like, in honor of all of us and our continuing survival. My mom's out at a convention overnight so I say we all meet at my place by like 8:00 tonight and…well, celebrate."
"Great idea," Liz exclaimed. Just the thing everyone needed to forget about their grief for a little while.
"Something in memory of Ava and Brin, something for all of us…" Kyle continued the idea. "Everyone in favor say aye."
"AYE!" came the resounding response.
"All right," Isabel began, her eyes gleaming with the thought of a party. "This calls for a little organization."
"Oh shit, careful or the party nazi will emerge," Michael mumbled under his breath.
"What?! What did you say?" Isabel said sharply.
Placing a most innocent, confused expression on his face Michael responded, "What? I didn't say anything." The group snickered around him. Zan chuckled at the exchange between the two. It reminded him of what passed between Lonnie and Rath occasionally.
Fighting her own smirk, Isabel continued. "Boys, you go get some supplies and do make sure there is some food along with the alcohol this time, Kyle!"
"Wouldn't want to risk getting an alien drunk. Bad idea," Kyle joked. Tess smacked him on the arm. "Ow! Well, its true! You guys can't hold your liquor!"
"Which is why we need food instead," Isabel explained patiently. "Now, Kyle, Logan, Zack, you guys get the food and beverages. Michael and Max," she pointed to her brother, "you get to come up with excuses for us to be at Maria's and let Alex know about tonight. Niyah and Zan, you two go catch up and do that goo goo eyed thing," she rolled her eyes as she said this. "And girls, lets go get ready for a party!" she finished with a smirk.
"Woohoo!" Maria yelled and dragged Liz out to her car.
"This better be fun," Max stated as Isabel propelled her outside.
"What the hell just happened?" Zack asked, indicating the whirlwind also named Isabel.
Michael and Max Evans cracked up laughing. Kyle shook his head in amusement, "The
Party Nazi happened."
"Never tell my sister about any party or event or she goes all psycho and organizational. Its insane." Max said, attempting to speak in between fits of laughter.
The guys split up to do as ordered, chuckling to themselves as they went. Niyah and Zan barely noticed anyone leaving. "What went down here?" Zan asked smoothing her hair and tracing her jaw gently with his fingers. He needed to know what happened. "How'd you do it?"
She held his face in her hands, her eyes still disbelieving what she knew to be true. "First things first," she said and she kissed him passionately. They stayed entwined in each other's arms, kissing away the hurt and loss. With every passing moment their connection strengthened allowing Zan to see what Niyah had felt, experienced, and done since he 'died'; how she hid from Lydecker's men when they closed in on her in New York, how she collapsed in pain when he'd been 'hit' by the truck and their connection broke, how she'd made her way back to New York intent on killing Lonnie and Rath and discovered them with Ava. He saw her flight to Roswell, her reunion with her brother and the fight that ensued. In turn, Niyah saw the flashes of what Zan had done, the coma, his healing, rushing to find her, the terror when he couldn't locate her and the rage when he discovered Ava's body. Gently she pulled back from him. "I never want to be apart from you again."
"You never will be," he murmured, his lips pressed against her forehead. "I'm yours for life." He could breathe again. Now that she was safe and in his arms he felt a weight lift off his chest and he could breathe. He wanted to lose himself in her eyes, in her smell. He couldn't get close enough, or touch enough of her skin. He needed more of her, all of her. She was everything; she was his life. They made love frantically, as if this all might be snatched away at any moment, reveling in the tastes and scent of the other.
"I love you," she whispered. Those three words were so small and incapable of expressing the enormity of her feelings. As she said them she intensified their connection with a mental push.
He looked at her, traced her features with one finger. "I know. I really know. I can feel it. And I know you know what I feel," he whispered back. She nodded, smiling, and kissed him again.
Kyle, Logan, and Zack walked through the grocery store, Kyle piling things into the cart as Zack pushed. He was in the middle of telling them about getting Max Evans drunk by accident. "I mean you should have seen him," he laughed. "He could barely stand up and his eyes were crossing from just one sip! It was crazy!!" Kyle could hardly speak by now he was laughing so hard. Logan had tears in his eyes from laughing and Zack was actually grinning.
"Poor guy must have had the mother of all hangovers the next day," Logan remarked, wiping his eyes.
"Actually, he was okay. And the best part is he didn't remember a thing. Complete blank."
Now this Zack couldn't believe. "Yeah, right."
"No, I'm serious," Kyle insisted, tossing more chips into the cart. "Hey, grab more Sam Adams," he told Logan. "Anyway, he didn't remember anything and I guess he did some embarrassing stuff around Liz, like using his powers in public and stuff."
"Figures," Zack snorted.
"Oh please! No lectures on secrecy and safety. Max Evans wrote the book on that topic. The guy's a walking paranoia case! The most uptight control-freak I've met since the last time you came to Roswell," Kyle retorted good-naturedly as they approached the checkout.
"Well, he should be. If they were discovered more people'd be after them than after us. He's smart to be careful."
"How'd anyone find out in the first place?" Logan asked once they were back in the car.
"Liz got shot by accident. Some freak in the Crashdown shot off a gun and she got hit. She was dying and Max couldn't let her go like that. I mean, he'd never even spoken to her before but talk about a life long obsession. Turns out he'd been 'in love' with her since he was six, never mind that I was dating her. Anyway," Kyle grinned. "Turned out okay I guess. She's just as smitten as he is. Got really nauseating, the whole zoning out into each other's eyes thing."
"Yeah, I can relate," Zack murmured thinking about Max and Logan. "So, think we're all actually up for a party? That this'll even be fun?" He knew he wouldn't enjoy it. Every one here had someone. He'd have to watch everyone else with the one they loved. He especially despised the thought that Max and Logan would be together tonight. Besides, he was tired and not really in a party mood, having just buried his sister. Maybe he should go, just leave and check on the other X-5s.
"The words 'Maria Deluca' and 'party' go hand in hand and with Isabel in charge…it'll kick ass," Kyle replied knowingly. They drove into Maria's driveway just ahead of Max Evans and Michael.
It wasn't like hanging with her boo and the Jam Pony Gang, but these girls were all right once she got into this party thing. For the past hour Isabel and Tess had been decorating the house with their powers, lighting tons of candles, making colored lights and creating awesome music jams. Now the girls were trying on outfits and altering them via alien abilities.
"I like the red on her better," Tess stated, indicating that Max should keep her form-fitting shirt red instead of blue.
"But that's my color," Isabel huffed. "Alex loves me in red."
"No, Isabel. Alex just plain loves you," Maria corrected her. "As in mad, crazy, 'can't-get-her out-of-my head-insane-obsession' loves you. You're his goddess and you know it, girl." Maria slugged Isabel lightly on the arm.
Isabel blushed and smiled. "You think so? I..I mean after everything…"
"Isabel," Liz forced the tall blonde to sit. "He adores you and you KNOW that! Wear a snowmobile suit and he'll still consider you the sexiest thang in the room tonight."
Max was laughing at this exchange. It reminded her of all the conversations with Original Cindy regarding Logan. She always stressed about what to wear and if he would he notice anyway. Now she knew better. It was nice to see that she wasn't the only female who worried about this kind of thing. The girls continued the beauty routine and even got Max into it. When they considered themselves presentable they looked in the mirror together.
"Damn! We look good!" Tess exclaimed.
"Good enough to eat," Max commented wickedly. They heard the boys drive up and enter the kitchen. "I say we go knock 'em dead, girls," she purred with a smirk on her face. They gave each other high-fives and headed for the kitchen.