Title: 52 Days Of Hades (Yes, with numbers. Fanfiction.net
wouldn't let me upload unless I spelled out '52.' Don't ask my why.)
Notes:
Sequel to "Lest We Forget" which I strongly
suggest you read first. AU, all
conventional couples. I can't promise
that new chapters will be out as quickly as I updated the last story, but I
hope to have at least one every few days.
Chapter One: The Letter
"Max,
have you seen my blue shirt?" Max
rolled his eyes, strolling from the bathroom with a towel draped around his
waist. He rubbed his wet head. "Which blue shirt?" Isabel sighed dramatically and flung her
hands in the air in annoyance. "You
know! The one with the low neck, kinda
frilly at the edges." Max
shrugged. "No, I haven't seen it …
hey!" He turned, catching the rolled up
material before it hit the floor. He
gave Alex a wry, knowing look and turned back to his sister. "Is this what you're looking
for?" Her eyes lit up. "Yes!
Thank you!" "Thank your
boyfriend," Max told her, tossing her the shirt, and heading down the hallway
into the bedroom he and Liz shared. He
rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him, effectively shutting out the
sounds of his happy sister 'thanking' Alex.
Nearly
six months ago, Max and Isabel had moved into the beach house shared by Liz and
Alex. It was a good arrangement, though
Isabel's antics often reminded Max too much of home and he longed for some
privacy for he and Liz. Michael and
Maria moved into the apartment below after Neighbour Tom left (much to Max's
delight). And Kyle and Tess shared a loft
a few blocks away. The group of eight
were closer than ever, spending most of their free time together. The aliens spoke very little about their
time on Antar and found themselves using their powers less and less – usually
only when the need arose (such as healing Kyle's broken wrist) or when they
were lazy.
Max
strode over to his set of dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of boxers. Just as he dropped the towel, he heard the
door open. "Geez!" he cried, bending to
pick up the towel again and hold it against his naked body. "Relax," came Liz's soothing voice. He turned, letting out a sigh of relief at
the sight of her, and dropped the towel again.
She raised an eyebrow and gave his still damp body a quick
appraisal. She also noted that he didn't
move to conceal himself. "Aren't you
getting dressed?" she asked. Max shrugged,
following her to the bed where he stretched himself out. "No need now that you're here," he
teased. Liz shook her head, an amused
smile on her face. "I think you need
another shower," she told him, "preferably a cold one." He made a face and she laughed, dropping an
envelope into his palm. "Mail," she
announced.
Max
sighed, shifting his position, so that he was leaning against the
headboard. Liz moved up beside him,
resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Aren't you going to open it?" she wondered, "it could be from the
university about your degree." He
looked at her, his brows furrowed. "No,
I don't so. There's no return address." "Oh.
Well, if you're not going to open it, I will. I'm dying of curiosity."
Max set the envelope down, and with a predatory grin on his face, moved
his body up and over hers. "Max," she
warned. He bent to kiss her lips. "What?" he asked innocently. "Come on," she said, pushing him away, "just
open it." She watched his uninterested
face and sighed. "The sooner you do,
the sooner we can do … whatever you want." Immediately, he flung himself around and tore at the
envelope. Liz watched as he pulled out
a single piece of paper and read its contents quickly. "Well?" she asked, "what is it?" She saw his familiar blank stare and shook
his arm gently. "Max?" He turned to her, his eyes wide and
innocent. It reminded her of too many
times in the past when he'd been sad or confused. "Oh no," she muttered, "it's bad news, right?" Max swallowed deeply and nodded. "The worst news."
**
"Oh
my god," Tess cried, plopping down on the couch next to Isabel, "I love that
shirt. Where'd you get it?" Kyle stood next to Alex and shook his head. "Women," he said, "do they ever stop talking
about their hair or clothes?" Maria
approached them from behind and slapped their backs as she passed. "Do you men ever stop complaining about what
we women talk about?" "She's got you
there, Buddha Boy," Tess spoke up from her seat, having heard the
exchange. Michael came from the kitchen,
throwing a can of Pepsi to Maria. It
was then that Max and Liz emerged from the bedroom.
"So,
what's up?" Michael asked, "I thought we stopped having the need for these
emergency alien meetings." Max held
Liz's hand tighter. "So did I," he
admitted, "but clearly we were wrong."
He held up the letter. "It's
from Larek," he told them, "something's happened. He needs our help."
