PART# 2
Michael was tapping his hands on the table. Tess was pacing from one place to another while the rest of the gang tried to do something else. It was useless. Maria got so frustrated with Michael's tapping, she said loudly,
"Ok, stop that!! You're driving me crazy!!"
"I'm sorry but I can't help it!" Michael yelled back.
"Don't you dare yell at me, Michael Guerin!!!"
"Oh. and you can yell at me?!"
"Yes, I..."
"STOP!!" yelled Liz interrupting them. Maria looked at her with a suprised look on her face.
"I know you're worried! I'm worried, too! But yelling isn't the best way to handle this!"
"Do you have any ideas?" said Michael sarcastically.
"Michael! Chill out, will you?" said Isabel.
"Max is here!" Tess screamed. Everybody turned to the door to see Max coming in.
Everybody just froze in their place waiting for Max to say something. He finally spoke,
"She's...she's really upset and I...I didn't get the chance to talk to her...much."
"Ok, just tell us what you know!" said Tess, grabbing Max's hands in plea.
Max drew a deep breath. Michael seemed so desperate and anxious to know what had happened.
"So..."
"Her brother died." Max replied. Everybody stood there...shocked, but they were more shocked at the fact that Leona didn't tell them that she had a brother.
"My God! I didn't know!" said Isabel.
"Well, what really surprises me is that she has...I mean...had a brother!" commented Isabel.
"I know!" replied Liz, "why would she not tell us about him?"
"Ok, I thought the important thing here was what happened to Leona!" said Michael, "instead of asking why she didn't tell us about him!"
"Well, we're just saying, Michael." said Liz.
"Well, save it!" he replied, almost angry.
"Michael!" yelled Isabel again.
"What?" he said turning to Isabel.
"Michael, we're all worried, but she also said that she would tell us more when she gets the chance!" said Max. When he saw that the words calmed him down, Max spoke again,
"Now, we all need to go home and get some rest, we need it!"
"I don't think I can sleep right now, Maxwell! Not after knowing what Leona is going through right now!" said Michael.
"Well, we have to if we don't want our butts kicked by the queen of Kung Fu!" said Tess smiling, referring to Leona's ability to fight. Now, everybody laughed at her statement.
Michael apologized to Maria and offered a ride home, which she accepted. Isabel just said that she'd go with Tess. At first, Max protested, but he was defeated by his sister and that left Liz and Max alone.
The silence was awkward for them until Max spoke,
"Hey, do you still have that apple pie you made yesterday?"
`Yeah, why?" replied Liz.
"I want to take some to my mom, that's all."
"Oh, sure!"
It went all silent again. Liz went to the kitchen and came back with a whole pie.
"I said that I just wanted some." said Max after watching her wrap the whole pie.
"Oh, it's alright. I don't think anybody's going to eat it anyway."
"Maria could. She said that she loved it."
"Well, she lost her chance." she giggled. Max smiled when she giggled. It brought back memories.
"So," spoke Max, "Have you received any letters form any college?"
`Oh, God! why now!!' she thought, and waited a little to respond.
"Well?" Said Max waiting.
"Um...yeah...and I made my decision."
Max felt his heart stop when he waited for her answer. `Something tells me that I don't want to know,' he thought.
"I'm going to Stanford." she replied.
Both of them fell silent...not knowing what to say...not wanting to spoil the moment, but both of them knew that they had to say something. Max was the first one to speak.
"That's ...um...that's great! Con...congratulations!"
"Thanks." she replied, not sure if that's what she expected to hear.
"I'm going to Harvard." said Max.
"Wow! Well, I guess we know who won: you!"
"Why do you say that?"
"I mean. I'm going to Stanford and you're going to Harvard, and Harvard is like..." she said moving her hands through the air.
"Yeah, I know. I didn't expect that, but I guess I made it." said Max smiling.
"I always knew you could do anything." she said. Max looked at her not knowing what to think.
"That's why I always admired you."
Max looked into her eyes, asking himself what to expect of this. He still loved her, but he wasn't sure how much. He didn't think there was hope for them, but something in her eyes just told him to believe in her...to wait for her, and he wasn't sure how to do that, either.
"Thank you." he replied. Liz looked at the clock and then at Max.
"You better go home. It`s getting late."
"Yeah, well, thanks for the pie."
"Sure," she said smiling. Max got up from his chair, taking the pie in his hand.
`Max?" called Liz.
"Yeah?" he replied turning around. Liz hesitated.
"Say hi to your mom for me."
`Ok, I will." He turned away, heading outside to his car. Liz just stood there, disappointed in herself because she didn't say to Max what she needed to say. She let the tears fall down her cheeks, thinking that once again she had lost her chance.
Leona was lying down in her bed, crying. Her parents entered the room and Leona got up while she wiped the tears away.
"Honey, we have to tell you something," said Mrs. Johnson.
Leona looked at her mother with confusion. `What could possibly be there?' She hoped that it wasn't bad news.
"We found out who killed Pierce!" said Mr. Johnson, "and believe me, I can't believe they did it! I mean, how could they?"
"They? Dad, what are you talking about?" said Leona even more confused.
"We've been loyal to them! And this is how they pay us?"
"Dad! Mom, what is he talking about??!" she said almost desperate, and pleading with her eyes to her father so he doesn't tell her what she's thinking about.
"The Royal Four! That's what I'm talking about!" said Mr. Johnson almost screaming. Leona was shocked. She couldn't believe what her father was trying to imply.
"The Royal Four killed our son!"
"How do you know?" said Leona, "What makes you think they did it?"
"Our people did witnessed it!" replied Mrs. Johnson, as she saw her husband pacing from one side of the room to the other.
"I, for one, won't let them get away with it. I'll make sure they pay for their crime, even if it's the last thing I do in my life!" Now Mr. Johnson was filled with anger. Leona could see the rage in his eyes. But she was lost. How could the Royal Four kill someone who tried to help them escape from the government?
"David," said Mrs. Johnson seeing the shocked face of her daughter, "you need to calm down so we can explain everything to her!"
"Please ...do!" she said in her coolest voice. She didn't want to cry, not unless she finds out the truth.
Mrs. Johnson sat down with her daughter and started,
"Remember when Derek changed his name to Pierce?" her mother said, "Well, when he was at the Special Unit, he tracked down the Royal Four so we could get a hold of them and at the same time he worked in a case that probably involved them as murderers. They killed their victims leaving their silver handprint on the bodies.. Later, he was told to come to Roswell, where the murders were taking place. Finally, he found them, and even if he tried to make them see that he was there to help, they didn't listen to him and one night..."she suddenly stopped then she went on, but not for long, "they set up a meeting with him when..."now, she completely stopped and started to cry. It was clear for Leona that she couldn't go on. Mr. Johnson kneeled down to hug his wife and Leona spoke to finish her sentence,
"When they killed him!" She said it without believing what she has just said. She felt that something was wrong and whatever it was, it was something big.
"How long has he been dead?" Leona asked without looking at them.
"3 years and a half!" said Mr. Johnson. Leona was lost in her thoughts. She had too many questions, and not one of her answers seemed to make sense. Nothing made sense to her anymore. She knew them too well, or that's what she thought, but the truth was out there and she was determined to find out .
"I'm going to give them a chance to come clean." Leona said, looking at her mother and then at her father, who were now looking at her in surprise. They knew that she was up to something and they grew confused.
"To come clean?" replied Mr. Johnson.
"Yes, I am going to talk to them about Pierce. If they tell me truth, I'll get to know what really happened!" Leona seemed so sure of herself at that time that they almost believed that it was going to work.
"But, they think you're human." commented Mrs. Johnson, "How could they possibly tell a human about that? Unless..."
"No, I haven't told them anything about my background. I was about to do it tonight because they kept bugging me about a promise I made to them."
"Then...?" replied Mr. Johnson.
"They'll get nervous and they'll spill. If they don't tell me anything, I will use something else."
"But you think they are going to say anything? You just told that boy, Max Evans, about your brother!" said Mr. Johnson trying to make his point, "They won't tell you because you practically are Pierce's sister!"
"They won't trust you anymore." recalled Mrs. Johnson.
Leona didn't seem to listen to them. It seemed as if she already had a plan.
"I'd rather have you punishing them for their crimes than giving them the chance they don't deserve!" said Mr, Johnson, who now seemed to be resentful for what she was doing. "You're a goddess. For Pierce...for us...they deserve to be punished!"
Leona looked at him as if she couldn't believe what he said, then hardened her face and spoke,
"I'm here, and fortunately, alive to protect the Royal Four and to lead them through this war, not to punish them. The last time I did that, it all went to hell. The war started and our people were killed and enslaved. Even if they cried and prayed for help and salvation, the gods couldn't do anything because it was done, mostly by the curse I put upon them, and the unexcused rage between my father and the King Father. I'm here to make sure they go home alive and stop the war."
"Leona, even when you brought them back to life and gave them the gifts of the gods, The Royal Four turned out to be the way they were in their past lives...using their gifts for evil!" replied Mr. Johnson with exasperation "What makes you think Max Evans is any different from Zan, or Isabel from Vilandra? They both have the same DNA! They're clones!!"
"True enough," said Leona, "But the Roswell Royal Four have a huge difference from the New York Royal Four. The firsts are more human than the seconds. The human DNA softened Max's heart."
"Well, I didn't know our King had a heart, if he ever had..."
"Dad, please...stop!!" pleaded Leona. He stopped talking, but the silence was unbearable for Mrs. Johnson. She broke the silence by saying,
"Why don't we get some rest? We really need it."
"I don't think I can sleep, but I think we better let Leona sleep. She needs it more than we do."
he replied. Leona had her head down trying not to cry.
"Good night, honey." said her mother, and just when they were about to head toward the door, she called them,
"Wait, I...uh..." they stopped and turned around. "I'm so sorry. Mom, dad, the Royal Four...they will get what they deserve, but right now there are so many questions and I need them answered. Please, understand that I'm just trying to do my job."
"Honey, we understand but it's just that..." he replied sighing, "we don't always agree with your plans or getting too close to them because sooner or later, they'll probably hurt you."
"I'd like to see them try!" she said sarcastically, "Besides, I know they won't hurt me."
"I trust you." he said looking at his wife and then stretching his hand out to her, "We trust you."
"We must not forget that we can't risk losing them. With the gifts of the gods, they will make my father surrender. He might feel powerful and dangerous, but he doesn't know that he has a bigger match that can take him out. We practically need them."
"Plus the Messiah..." commented Mrs. Johnson. Leona sighed. She didn't have any idea where to find the Messiah. The gods just told her that the chosen one would be the human that was brought back to life by the king.
Leona looked at the people that were in front of her. She smiled at them and they both asked in confusion,
"What?"
"I just realized that I wouldn't know what I would do without you."
"Oh, honey!" replied her mother, hugging her.
"I know things would have been different if you were my real parents." she said in the arms of her mother/aunt.
"There's nothing else we would like more than that, but your mother was a wonderful woman. I'm glad I had her as my sister." replied her uncle patting Leona's head.
"I never understood what your mother saw in your father anyway." said her aunt, releasing her, "He is a monster, whose place belongs in hell!"
"Hear, hear!" replied Mr. Johnson.
"But I can't forget that he's my father and that I have to respect him anyway. He might have done horrible things, but I can't help but love him because he gave me my half mortality and without it, I wouldn't have understood mortals like I do now."
"Ok, you know what? You need to rest. Tomorrow, you start whatever big plan you have for your little friends." said her uncle yawning.
`I have a plan already, and you, more than anybody, needs to rest."
"Well, she's right, we better." replied her aunt who was now heading towards the door, "Good night, sweetie!"
"Night." she replied, as the couple closed the door behind them. As it closed, she started to cry. She fell to her knees covering her face with her hands and she began to sob uncontrollably.
The pain she could take, but the betrayal...that was what wounded her most...the secrets they kept from her, secrets of which they were ashamed but she didn't even know that.
She wondered every night: `Why? Why couldn't her father just get along with the King? Why did Vilandra betray them in the first place? Why couldn't she be with the man she loved?' Every night, when there's a moon and stars, she says a prayer in her head:
"Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan..." and then she drifts off to sleep.
Michael was tapping his hands on the table. Tess was pacing from one place to another while the rest of the gang tried to do something else. It was useless. Maria got so frustrated with Michael's tapping, she said loudly,
"Ok, stop that!! You're driving me crazy!!"
"I'm sorry but I can't help it!" Michael yelled back.
"Don't you dare yell at me, Michael Guerin!!!"
"Oh. and you can yell at me?!"
"Yes, I..."
"STOP!!" yelled Liz interrupting them. Maria looked at her with a suprised look on her face.
"I know you're worried! I'm worried, too! But yelling isn't the best way to handle this!"
"Do you have any ideas?" said Michael sarcastically.
"Michael! Chill out, will you?" said Isabel.
"Max is here!" Tess screamed. Everybody turned to the door to see Max coming in.
Everybody just froze in their place waiting for Max to say something. He finally spoke,
"She's...she's really upset and I...I didn't get the chance to talk to her...much."
"Ok, just tell us what you know!" said Tess, grabbing Max's hands in plea.
Max drew a deep breath. Michael seemed so desperate and anxious to know what had happened.
"So..."
"Her brother died." Max replied. Everybody stood there...shocked, but they were more shocked at the fact that Leona didn't tell them that she had a brother.
"My God! I didn't know!" said Isabel.
"Well, what really surprises me is that she has...I mean...had a brother!" commented Isabel.
"I know!" replied Liz, "why would she not tell us about him?"
"Ok, I thought the important thing here was what happened to Leona!" said Michael, "instead of asking why she didn't tell us about him!"
"Well, we're just saying, Michael." said Liz.
"Well, save it!" he replied, almost angry.
"Michael!" yelled Isabel again.
"What?" he said turning to Isabel.
"Michael, we're all worried, but she also said that she would tell us more when she gets the chance!" said Max. When he saw that the words calmed him down, Max spoke again,
"Now, we all need to go home and get some rest, we need it!"
"I don't think I can sleep right now, Maxwell! Not after knowing what Leona is going through right now!" said Michael.
"Well, we have to if we don't want our butts kicked by the queen of Kung Fu!" said Tess smiling, referring to Leona's ability to fight. Now, everybody laughed at her statement.
Michael apologized to Maria and offered a ride home, which she accepted. Isabel just said that she'd go with Tess. At first, Max protested, but he was defeated by his sister and that left Liz and Max alone.
The silence was awkward for them until Max spoke,
"Hey, do you still have that apple pie you made yesterday?"
`Yeah, why?" replied Liz.
"I want to take some to my mom, that's all."
"Oh, sure!"
It went all silent again. Liz went to the kitchen and came back with a whole pie.
"I said that I just wanted some." said Max after watching her wrap the whole pie.
"Oh, it's alright. I don't think anybody's going to eat it anyway."
"Maria could. She said that she loved it."
"Well, she lost her chance." she giggled. Max smiled when she giggled. It brought back memories.
"So," spoke Max, "Have you received any letters form any college?"
`Oh, God! why now!!' she thought, and waited a little to respond.
"Well?" Said Max waiting.
"Um...yeah...and I made my decision."
Max felt his heart stop when he waited for her answer. `Something tells me that I don't want to know,' he thought.
"I'm going to Stanford." she replied.
Both of them fell silent...not knowing what to say...not wanting to spoil the moment, but both of them knew that they had to say something. Max was the first one to speak.
"That's ...um...that's great! Con...congratulations!"
"Thanks." she replied, not sure if that's what she expected to hear.
"I'm going to Harvard." said Max.
"Wow! Well, I guess we know who won: you!"
"Why do you say that?"
"I mean. I'm going to Stanford and you're going to Harvard, and Harvard is like..." she said moving her hands through the air.
"Yeah, I know. I didn't expect that, but I guess I made it." said Max smiling.
"I always knew you could do anything." she said. Max looked at her not knowing what to think.
"That's why I always admired you."
Max looked into her eyes, asking himself what to expect of this. He still loved her, but he wasn't sure how much. He didn't think there was hope for them, but something in her eyes just told him to believe in her...to wait for her, and he wasn't sure how to do that, either.
"Thank you." he replied. Liz looked at the clock and then at Max.
"You better go home. It`s getting late."
"Yeah, well, thanks for the pie."
"Sure," she said smiling. Max got up from his chair, taking the pie in his hand.
`Max?" called Liz.
"Yeah?" he replied turning around. Liz hesitated.
"Say hi to your mom for me."
`Ok, I will." He turned away, heading outside to his car. Liz just stood there, disappointed in herself because she didn't say to Max what she needed to say. She let the tears fall down her cheeks, thinking that once again she had lost her chance.
Leona was lying down in her bed, crying. Her parents entered the room and Leona got up while she wiped the tears away.
"Honey, we have to tell you something," said Mrs. Johnson.
Leona looked at her mother with confusion. `What could possibly be there?' She hoped that it wasn't bad news.
"We found out who killed Pierce!" said Mr. Johnson, "and believe me, I can't believe they did it! I mean, how could they?"
"They? Dad, what are you talking about?" said Leona even more confused.
"We've been loyal to them! And this is how they pay us?"
"Dad! Mom, what is he talking about??!" she said almost desperate, and pleading with her eyes to her father so he doesn't tell her what she's thinking about.
"The Royal Four! That's what I'm talking about!" said Mr. Johnson almost screaming. Leona was shocked. She couldn't believe what her father was trying to imply.
"The Royal Four killed our son!"
"How do you know?" said Leona, "What makes you think they did it?"
"Our people did witnessed it!" replied Mrs. Johnson, as she saw her husband pacing from one side of the room to the other.
"I, for one, won't let them get away with it. I'll make sure they pay for their crime, even if it's the last thing I do in my life!" Now Mr. Johnson was filled with anger. Leona could see the rage in his eyes. But she was lost. How could the Royal Four kill someone who tried to help them escape from the government?
"David," said Mrs. Johnson seeing the shocked face of her daughter, "you need to calm down so we can explain everything to her!"
"Please ...do!" she said in her coolest voice. She didn't want to cry, not unless she finds out the truth.
Mrs. Johnson sat down with her daughter and started,
"Remember when Derek changed his name to Pierce?" her mother said, "Well, when he was at the Special Unit, he tracked down the Royal Four so we could get a hold of them and at the same time he worked in a case that probably involved them as murderers. They killed their victims leaving their silver handprint on the bodies.. Later, he was told to come to Roswell, where the murders were taking place. Finally, he found them, and even if he tried to make them see that he was there to help, they didn't listen to him and one night..."she suddenly stopped then she went on, but not for long, "they set up a meeting with him when..."now, she completely stopped and started to cry. It was clear for Leona that she couldn't go on. Mr. Johnson kneeled down to hug his wife and Leona spoke to finish her sentence,
"When they killed him!" She said it without believing what she has just said. She felt that something was wrong and whatever it was, it was something big.
"How long has he been dead?" Leona asked without looking at them.
"3 years and a half!" said Mr. Johnson. Leona was lost in her thoughts. She had too many questions, and not one of her answers seemed to make sense. Nothing made sense to her anymore. She knew them too well, or that's what she thought, but the truth was out there and she was determined to find out .
"I'm going to give them a chance to come clean." Leona said, looking at her mother and then at her father, who were now looking at her in surprise. They knew that she was up to something and they grew confused.
"To come clean?" replied Mr. Johnson.
"Yes, I am going to talk to them about Pierce. If they tell me truth, I'll get to know what really happened!" Leona seemed so sure of herself at that time that they almost believed that it was going to work.
"But, they think you're human." commented Mrs. Johnson, "How could they possibly tell a human about that? Unless..."
"No, I haven't told them anything about my background. I was about to do it tonight because they kept bugging me about a promise I made to them."
"Then...?" replied Mr. Johnson.
"They'll get nervous and they'll spill. If they don't tell me anything, I will use something else."
"But you think they are going to say anything? You just told that boy, Max Evans, about your brother!" said Mr. Johnson trying to make his point, "They won't tell you because you practically are Pierce's sister!"
"They won't trust you anymore." recalled Mrs. Johnson.
Leona didn't seem to listen to them. It seemed as if she already had a plan.
"I'd rather have you punishing them for their crimes than giving them the chance they don't deserve!" said Mr, Johnson, who now seemed to be resentful for what she was doing. "You're a goddess. For Pierce...for us...they deserve to be punished!"
Leona looked at him as if she couldn't believe what he said, then hardened her face and spoke,
"I'm here, and fortunately, alive to protect the Royal Four and to lead them through this war, not to punish them. The last time I did that, it all went to hell. The war started and our people were killed and enslaved. Even if they cried and prayed for help and salvation, the gods couldn't do anything because it was done, mostly by the curse I put upon them, and the unexcused rage between my father and the King Father. I'm here to make sure they go home alive and stop the war."
"Leona, even when you brought them back to life and gave them the gifts of the gods, The Royal Four turned out to be the way they were in their past lives...using their gifts for evil!" replied Mr. Johnson with exasperation "What makes you think Max Evans is any different from Zan, or Isabel from Vilandra? They both have the same DNA! They're clones!!"
"True enough," said Leona, "But the Roswell Royal Four have a huge difference from the New York Royal Four. The firsts are more human than the seconds. The human DNA softened Max's heart."
"Well, I didn't know our King had a heart, if he ever had..."
"Dad, please...stop!!" pleaded Leona. He stopped talking, but the silence was unbearable for Mrs. Johnson. She broke the silence by saying,
"Why don't we get some rest? We really need it."
"I don't think I can sleep, but I think we better let Leona sleep. She needs it more than we do."
he replied. Leona had her head down trying not to cry.
"Good night, honey." said her mother, and just when they were about to head toward the door, she called them,
"Wait, I...uh..." they stopped and turned around. "I'm so sorry. Mom, dad, the Royal Four...they will get what they deserve, but right now there are so many questions and I need them answered. Please, understand that I'm just trying to do my job."
"Honey, we understand but it's just that..." he replied sighing, "we don't always agree with your plans or getting too close to them because sooner or later, they'll probably hurt you."
"I'd like to see them try!" she said sarcastically, "Besides, I know they won't hurt me."
"I trust you." he said looking at his wife and then stretching his hand out to her, "We trust you."
"We must not forget that we can't risk losing them. With the gifts of the gods, they will make my father surrender. He might feel powerful and dangerous, but he doesn't know that he has a bigger match that can take him out. We practically need them."
"Plus the Messiah..." commented Mrs. Johnson. Leona sighed. She didn't have any idea where to find the Messiah. The gods just told her that the chosen one would be the human that was brought back to life by the king.
Leona looked at the people that were in front of her. She smiled at them and they both asked in confusion,
"What?"
"I just realized that I wouldn't know what I would do without you."
"Oh, honey!" replied her mother, hugging her.
"I know things would have been different if you were my real parents." she said in the arms of her mother/aunt.
"There's nothing else we would like more than that, but your mother was a wonderful woman. I'm glad I had her as my sister." replied her uncle patting Leona's head.
"I never understood what your mother saw in your father anyway." said her aunt, releasing her, "He is a monster, whose place belongs in hell!"
"Hear, hear!" replied Mr. Johnson.
"But I can't forget that he's my father and that I have to respect him anyway. He might have done horrible things, but I can't help but love him because he gave me my half mortality and without it, I wouldn't have understood mortals like I do now."
"Ok, you know what? You need to rest. Tomorrow, you start whatever big plan you have for your little friends." said her uncle yawning.
`I have a plan already, and you, more than anybody, needs to rest."
"Well, she's right, we better." replied her aunt who was now heading towards the door, "Good night, sweetie!"
"Night." she replied, as the couple closed the door behind them. As it closed, she started to cry. She fell to her knees covering her face with her hands and she began to sob uncontrollably.
The pain she could take, but the betrayal...that was what wounded her most...the secrets they kept from her, secrets of which they were ashamed but she didn't even know that.
She wondered every night: `Why? Why couldn't her father just get along with the King? Why did Vilandra betray them in the first place? Why couldn't she be with the man she loved?' Every night, when there's a moon and stars, she says a prayer in her head:
"Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan, Zan..." and then she drifts off to sleep.