1 [b]Part 6[/b]

The figure had moved in front of her with a lanky grace that Liz knew all too well, his brown hair falling just the way she liked it. Overwhelmed, Liz could hear herself gasping, her eyes unable to look away.

Alex.

Alex was right in front of her, smiling gently at her.

Inwardly, a part of her sneered at herself, knowing deep down that it was just a dream…but for this one moment, the subconscious part of Liz made it seem real. She wanted it to be real, wanted it with a desperation that boarded on extreme.

Alex looked solemn, the unusually serious expression appearing alien when she compared it to the light hearted nature of the young man before her.

"Alex," Liz whispered, her heart wrenching as a thousand memories flashed past her. The good times with Alex, the bad times…all of that was now gone, snatched away by a self absorbed blond – and a future Liz herself had helped create. She stepped forward, her face imploring. "Alex, is that you?"

He smiled, with that effortless grin that lit up a place in Liz's heart that had been missing since his death. "Hello, Liz."

The guilt, which had always lingered in the back of her mind like a formidable shadow, rose in full force at his words, its waves of pain crashing around her, buffeting her until her knees trembled under the pressure of holding herself up. Her mind filled with endless "if onlys". If only she had protected him better….If only she hadn't changed the future, Alex would still be alive…but the world itself would perish. She felt as though she were being pulled in too many directions at one time as her heart and mind battled.

Upon hearing his voice again, Liz sobbed, throwing herself into his arms and felt them come around her in warm comfort. "Alex, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am for what I did…changing the future. Everything I changed it helped…it helped kill you." She buried her face into his chest, her shoulders heaving. "I miss you, Alex," she cried painfully, her words muffled. "I miss you so much!"

Alex squeezed her tightly causing her to look up, her eyes tinged red. For a moment, she was speechless at the serenity that radiated so warmly from his manner. "Liz, you mustn't blame yourself," he told her, his voice ring with such authority that Liz could not hide her surprise as she dashed tears from her cheeks that she had not even been aware shedding.

"But I do!" she cried helplessly. "I tried to make it up to you, by discounting the official story that it was suicide, but it didn't make the pain go away. It didn't bring you back! I hurt so much, Alex. I hurt so much for you." She wrenched herself from his arms, knowing that she didn't deserve his kindness. She wrapped her arms around herself, in an attempt for comfort when she knew there was none. Her throat worked painfully in time with her cries, and Liz knew this was her mourning for him, long overdue.

Determined, Alex reached forward and gripped her arms, his clasp firm yet gentle as he peered into her eyes. "My death wasn't your fault, Liz. Surely within yourself you must realise that. I'm grateful that you have forced the others to discover what they were too blind to see, but I don't want you to do this to yourself anymore. Fate always plays its hand, and it was a game I lost." He smiled faintly, his eyes lighting up with a wisdom Liz didn't quite understand…a wisdom that was beyond her reach. "It happens," he told her, shrugging lightly. "It happens to good people all of the time, and there is nothing that you can do about it."

Liz nodded numbly for his sake, swallowing her sobs. Her guilt was something that would always remain, Liz knew, despite his words. It would ease with time but would never fully dissipate.

"Why are you here?" she whispered, stepping back from him. Her eyes swept him over, taking in the determined posture, one that spoke silently of urgency.

"Liz, you can think of me as a sort of messenger…there is something that I can help you with, guide you to...and we don't have much time. I can only take you part of the way," he cautioned, releasing the clasp he had on her arm. "The rest you must take alone."

He turned from her, his dark hair shining in a light that appeared to grow larger and brighter with every single moment. He faced it without hesitation, his posture speaking of confidence. Darting a grin Liz knew all too well over his shoulder, he raised his hand, palm upward, toward her.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Speechless, Liz nodded before clearing her throat to speak firmly. "Yes." She placed her hand within his own and felt the light flash brightly in response. The whiteness engulfed them and Liz closed her eyes, momentarily dizzy by its shine. When she opened them, she found Alex watching her, his manner expectant.

Feeling her breath catch within her throat, Liz looked around. "Alex? What are we doing here?" she asked, blinking as her eyes grew used to the dimness around them.

The impression of an enclosed space relayed a feeling of murky dampness. A soft glow emitted from four structures lined against the wall. They were in the pod chamber.

"What do you see?" Alex asked, gesturing around himself, encompassing the entirety of the cave.

Liz frowned, part of her confused yet another part intrigued. "I see four pods, the ones that Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess came out of."

Seriously, Alex nodded, his eyes watching her facial expressions sharply. "Is that all?" he queried.

"Yes," Liz said slowly, feeling more and more unsure of herself. "Alex, what is this about?"

Alex smiled gently, stepping forward to brush her hair away from her face and kiss her forehead briefly before resuming his place. "It is time for you to find out, Liz. Use it well and wisely and when you are done with this life, I will be waiting for you…"

Stunned, Liz cried out, her hair whipping about her face by a sudden force that was rising all about her. "Use what?" she exclaimed, fearful without knowing why. "Alex?"

"Good bye, Liz. Good luck," Alex whispered.

Good bye? She had only just seen him again, and already he was telling her good bye? Yet before she could question him, she felt the energy building even higher, and something told Liz that the dream was becoming unstable. "Alex!" she screamed, the sound ripped from her throat as the walls around her began to shake and the Earth trembled beneath her feet. Desperately, she tried to keep her footing as the world tilted. Through her struggles, her dazed eyes watched as Alex brought his palms together, his eyes watching his own actions intently. Briefly, his hands shone brightly and, before Liz's astounded eyes, a gleaming ball of light rose. It was a ball Liz had seen Max create, yet somewhat different.

"Alex!" she screamed again, her arms outstretched in an effort to maintain her balance, a desperate act that became more fruitless by the minute as the ground rocked wildly beneath her. Alex looked up and smiled in reassurance that was tinged with desperation, his brow dotted with perspiration. Making an obvious attempt to gather his strength, he thrust his hands outward, sending the ball careening towards her. This time, her scream was soundless as she helplessly watched the ball zoom towards her. In one last desperate act, she brought her hands up to shield her face before the ball hit.

Instantly upon impact, her body thrummed as though awakened to energy that she had never experienced before, the sheer strength of it so unlike the power surge she had had with Isabel, yet had a vague resemblance to one she had experienced in the Crashdown. As though guided to the thought, Liz realised that she was now tapping into her own power, her own strength that Max had left her with when he had healed her.

The realisation trickled away as she mentally forced her way forward, through the cloud of confusion the surge had caused. A painful ringing echoed through her ears, at times sounding as though they were words, and at other times, sounding as though they were not.

A darkness was teasing the edge of her senses and she succumbed to it, feeling herself falling back. Exhausted, Liz opened her eyes slightly. She had fallen to the ground at some point and now the side of her face lay in the dirt, her breathing causing a rhythmic burst of dust to float across the dirt floor. The darkness was rushing to her now and her eyes rolled back…but not before she saw….

Liz shot up, her gasps filling the cool night air as she scrambled for the light next to her bed. It was still full dark outside, the endless black marred by the bright light of the stars. Liz shuddered, attempting to calm her breathing as she gathered her thoughts. A dream. It had all been a dream. She hadn't actually seen Alex. Her eyes damped and, roughly, she brushed at her eyes before she began to sob. Determined, she threw her covers back and got out of bed, walking towards the bathroom with determined strides. No more crying, she had had enough!

Her hand reached out automatically and flicked the light on, her small bathroom filling with the brightness. Turning on the water, she cupped her hands underneath the cool liquid and brought it upward.

Drip.

Drip.

Water filtered through her fingers, yet Liz didn't notice.

Her eyes disbelieving, she was entranced by the sight of her face…her dirt smudged face.

Dirt.

2 Exactly where it should be, had her dream been real.

3