Chapter Twenty Eight

The next morning all the kids came to help the Parkers' pack up the last of their stuff into the truck. Valenti had ordered that since they had been a part of this scheme, they should apologize with this gesture. So they all came to the Crashdown at 6 the next morning to help. Everyone was still aching from their trip back but they all came to say good bye to Liz's parents and help out.

" I can't believe you're really leaving Mr. Parker, " said Maria as Jeff closed the truck up.

" It is unbelievable. I never thought I would leave this place " he said taking a look at the Crashdown again. He looked down at Maria. " Take care of her Maria " he said tilting his head towards Liz.

Maria smiled at him. " Of course Mr. Parker. I won't let him do anything to her " she said " But you don't have to worry Mr. Parker, Max will never hurt Liz. I know from experience that he would do anything for her "

They both looked at Max and Liz. Max was stroking Liz's hair and saying something to her, making her laugh softly. They both sighed watching them. Maria looked over at Michael, Isabel and Kyle. Michael and Kyle were about to get at it again just as Isabel whacked the both of them on the back.

" Ok I think we'll be heading out now, " said Jeff.

Liz's smiled faded as she looked at her parents. She walked over to her parents and gave them a hug. She closed her eyes to try and hide the tears. " I love you both and I'm going to miss you so much "

" If anything happens you can always come to Florida, " said her mother looking at Max.

" You take care honey "

" Yeah dad " she said smiling weakly.

" You're coming for Christmas right? " asked Jeff trying to lighten the mood.

" Of course dad " she said looking at Max. Max smiled at her reassuringly.

" That's too long, " said Nancy hugging Liz again. " My baby girl "

" Good bye Mr. and Mrs. Parker " said Max

" You take care of her Max, " said Jeff shaking his hand.

" I will, " said Max

" Maria " said Nancy looking at Maria.

" Mrs. Parker " said Maria hugging her.

" Make sure nothing happens to her, " said Nancy

" I won't "

" You guys are great for helping us here. Thank you really " said Jeff looking at the rest of them.

" You're welcome " they responded.

" Shouldn't the new owner be coming now? " asked Kyle looking around.

" Where is this guy? " asked Michael impatiently.

" Oh look, " said Jeff " Here he comes now "

Everyone almost didn't want to look. They all looked at each other and grimaced. One by one they all turned around to look at the new owner of the Crashdown.

" Brody? " said Maria walking forward.

Liz looked at Michael's reaction. She knew he wouldn't like it. Michael had a frown on his face.

" Brody, you bought the Crashdown? " asked Max.

Brody only grinned as he walked towards them. He looked at Jeff and shook his hand.

" Everything is ready for you Brody, " said Jeff Parker handing Brody a key to it. " I hope you enjoy your time here as I have "

" I'm sure I will Mr. Parker, " said Brody taking the key from him.

Maria couldn't find any words to say to him. She was just in shock.

" So why'd you decide to buy the place? " asked Michael.

" I think of it as an extension to the UFO Center " said Brody " People can enjoy a good meal and then enjoy the Center more " he looked at Liz. " You can live here in the Crashdown if you can take care of the paper work that goes into this. I don't know much about owning a restaurant " he looked at Maria and Michael " And the two of you can have your old jobs back if you want them " he looked at Max " But I still need you to help me with the Center "

" Well guys " said Jeff as he put his hands on his side. " I think my wife and I will be heading out now "

" We'll see you during Christmas honey " said Nancy as she kissed Liz's cheek. " If anything goes wrong you can come to Florida "

" Christmas mom " said Liz hugging her one last time.

" Take care Lizzie, " said Jeff as he hugged her and went inside the car. He almost didn't want to look at her cause he didn't want to break down in front of the other kids.

Both her parents got into the truck and waved one last good bye before driving off. Liz stood there trying not to cry so much. Max stood behind her and put his arms around her.

Liz leaned back into Max. " I'm glad they're leaving Max "

" I know Liz "

" They're going to be safe now, " she said. " This would have been a lot harder to do if they were still here. But I'm going to miss them so much "

" We have Christmas " said Max squeezing her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Brody I don't know what to say " said Maria as she walked him to his car after he had been given a thorough tour of the restaurant. " And I always have something to say, " she said giddy.

Brody laughed as he walked nervously next to her.

" Why did you do it? "

" I guess I couldn't live without a Galaxy Sub with extra Pepper Jack, " he said smiling. He stopped when he got to his car and opened the door with his key. " You have a job now and you get to keep your best friend "

" Brody, I… "

" As long as you keep bringing me those Galaxy Subs you will always be taken care of "

" That's sweet of you Brody, " said Maria as he got into his car. " Brody? "

" Yeah? "

" Thank you " she said leaning in the window. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. " You're more generous than anyone I've never met "

" So I expect everyone to be here 9 am on Monday morning. I have a lot of things I would like to change in there "

" Sure " said Maria saluting him. " I'll gather the troops for you Monday morning "

He smiled at her one last time before driving off.

" That man is just too good for words " she said watching his car drive off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Are you all right my Lord? " asked Thaman

" I'm fine, why wouldn't I be? " answered Michael.

" It maybe wise to keep an eye out for Brody "

" Why? "

" He may be interested in something you already have " said Thaman tilting his head towards Maria.

" I don't have to worry about anything, " said Michael " There is nothing about Brody that Maria is into "

Thaman looked down.

" What? Why? "

" Then why have you been standing here by yourself staring at them like a jealous boyfriend? " observed Thaman.

" Thaman I'm not jealous, " said Michael as he joined everyone else in the Crashdown.

Thaman stood there a minute and smiled to himself. He waited until Maria had safely joined the rest of the group before he went inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" I hate school "

" Well don't worry Space Boy, " said Maria as they walked the halls together. " One more year and you won't have to deal with it anymore "

" I don't see the reason, " he said huffing.

" Well start thinking about your future Guerin because you're not leaving Earth "

Michael looked at her. She was right. He couldn't go anywhere. " Doesn't mean I have to like it "

~~~~~~~~~~~~

" What's up Valenti? " asked Tommy as he put his arm around Kyle.

" What is it Tommy? " asked Kyle trying to look for anyone of the group.

" News has it that you got a new chick "

" New chick? "

" Yeah that new girl in town. What's her name? "

" What do you want her name for? "

" Come on Kyle, " said Tommy " Friends hook up their friends "

" No way " he said pushing Tommy's hand off his shoulder. " She wouldn't be interested "

" Come on Kyle, you could as least share something "

" I gotta go now, " said Kyle speeding up. " I'll talk to you later " he said as he turned the corner sharply and almost crashed into the person walking the opposite way. He looked up and put a confused expression on his face. " Isabel? "

" Hey what'd up? " she said in a funny voice.

" Isabel what are you doing here? "

" What do you mean? I go here "

Isabel never talked like this. " You go here? What class do you have next? "

He watched her eyes roam around behind him. " Health "

" Health? " asked Kyle

" Look here, get out of my way. I is busy " she said pushing him aside.

Kyle watched her walk away. This was so wrong on so many levels, he thought. He had to find someone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Thaman I can't do this, " said Isabel looking at the Las Crusas campus.

" What are you afraid of my Lady? "

She sighed aloud before she answered. " Being alone " she answered

" You are never alone, " said Thaman. " I am here "

" I know " she breathed. " That's how I'm going to get my strength. Just tell me you'll always be there "

" I promise you. I will always be here "

" Give me a sign occasionally to remind me "

" I will "

" I can do this, " said Isabel breathing again. " I'm the Ice princess, Social Queen " she straightened herself up and walked through the classroom door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" I'm telling you, " said Michael as he went through his locker. " Algebra II will never come in handy "

" I'm not one to defend math, " said Maria. " But you have to stick with it or else you won't graduate "

" Hey guys " said Kyle walking up behind them.

" Hey " said Maria.

Michael just looked at him and continued going through his locker.

" What's up Kyle? " asked Maria

" Ok so why didn't anybody tell me Isabel was back in school, " said Kyle holding up his hands. " It would be good if we kept our lines of communication going "

" What are you talking about? " asked Michael squinting at him.

" I'm talking about Isabel being here and in school "

" Isabel's in Las Crusas with Thaman, " said Maria.

" So where's the dream couple? " asked Kyle.

" Haven't seen them all day " said Maria.

" Have you checked the Eraser Room? " asked Michael closing his locker.

" Look, " said Kyle pointing down the hall.

Max and Liz were walking hand in hand looking like two light bulbs.

" What's going on guys? " asked Max.

" Isabel's here " said Michael.

" No she's in Las Crusas with Thaman " answered Max looking at Michael.

" That's what I said, " said Michael looking at Kyle.

" I know she's supposed to be in Las Crusas " said Kyle impatiently.

Max turned towards Kyle. " What's going on? "

" I was walking down the hall and bumped into her "

" Didn't you ask her what she was doing here? " asked Max

" I did and she looked at me like I was crazy for asking. She told me that she went here "

" Thaman would have let me know if she was back " said Max.

" But there was something about her that was off " said Kyle.

" What do you mean by off? " asked Liz.

" She was talking like I've never heard her talk before. Like, what'd up and I is busy " he said looking at all of them. " Since when does Isabel talk like that? "

" Isabel doesn't talk like that, " said Max.

" Lonnie " said Maria.

" She has the guts to come back here? " asked Michael.

" Lonnie and Rath must be back, " said Maria.

" Just stay calm, " said Max " They must be up to something and we can't give off that we have a clue. If you see someone that looks like Isabel and even Michael " said Max and everyone looked at Michael.

" What? You don't think it's me? " he asked

" This is my Space Boy " said Maria " Besides, Rath has a thing for Liz "

" He what? " asked Max looking at Liz.

" Hm, yeah Max maybe before but I doubt he still does, " said Liz

" How do you know he likes Liz? " Max asked Maria

" He kissed her "

" He kissed you? " asked Max looking at Liz, holding her defensively. If he had known that he would have given Rath second thoughts about doing it. Then he remembered that at the time he was avoiding Liz like the plague. He clenched his fist in anger at the thought of that whole time period.

" That was when they first came here and I thought he was Michael in disguise "

" You thought it was me? " asked Michael

" I didn't know you had a dupe, " said Liz defensively. " At the time anyway "

" Ok guys " said Kyle putting his hands in front of them. " We're going to be late to class "

~~~~~~~~~~~

Isabel sat in the back row of the classroom in the corner. The Professor had turned the lights off and was giving his lecture with a projector. She sat there bored out of her mind. This class was going to be so boring. She was glad that she had her powers to help her through or else she wouldn't make it. She sat there with her head propped up on her hand. She could feel her eyelids get heavy as the Professor went on about something. She couldn't hear and her eyesight was getting blurry. Her face went forward involuntarily and she hit something with her head. She looked ahead of her but there was nothing there. She smiled as she leaned back into her desk. She looked at the Professor and he was going on about Evolution. Why was he talking about Evolution? This was geography.

" I'm here my Lady " she heard softly in her ears.

" Thank you " she said, she didn't feel tired anymore. She decided to pick up her pencil and start writing notes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max was walking to his next class. He had just dropped off Liz at her class and was now power walking towards his own class.

" Max! " he heard. It sounded like Isabel's voice. He turned around, trying not to look too surprised.

" Hey Iz " he said trying to act normal. He turned around to find Michael and Isabel walking towards him. " Michael "

" Hey Max " said Michael

" How's it going? " asked Max looking back between them.

" I just thought it would be a great idea to go somewhere different today, " said Isabel cheerfully.

" I don't think Liz would like me going off without telling her "

" Why does Liz have to know? " asked Michael.

" Because she's… "

" I know you're together but that doesn't mean you can't make time to take your sister out " she really was doing a good impression of Isabel.

" What do you have in mind? "

" Let's just go to the Granolith and talk things out " said Michael

" The Granolith? " asked Max looking at them almost in disbelief. Even they would have to know that the Granolith was gone.

" Yeah, we never really go there anymore. I think it'll be good for us " said Isabel. " You up for it? "

" Sure " he said. " I'll meet you guys later " What do they still want the Granolith for? He asked himself as he walked away. The Granolith was gone. Why were they still after it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" We've got problems, " said Max as he sat beside Liz on a bench.

" Why do they want to go to the Granolith? " asked Liz leaning on him." It doesn't make sense "

" I'm sure they saw it take off on the news " said Michael.

" Something is definitely missing here, " said Kyle.

" Yeah "

" It's weird Max. Did you ever look back there in the Granolith Chamber? " asked Maria.

" There are rocks blocking the whole way to it, " said Max.

" What are you going to do? "

" I have to take them somewhere "

" I don't think you should take them there because we don't know what's still there for sure, " said Liz.

" But if they sense a set up they're going to kill you guys " said Maria " And I think they'll know if it's a bogus place. Don't you think? "

" They have a lot of guts to come back here and be so public, " said Michael.

" They don't care about anything, " said Max as he clenched his fists.

" I don't trust them alone with you " said Liz " They've already tried to kill you once. I know they'll probably try again"

" I'll be fine Liz "

" I'm scared Max, " she said putting her arm around his waist. " They're going to try something " she put her head on his shoulder. " I'm going with you "

" No "

" I have to go with you. I can help you "

" Liz I'm not going to take a chance that something happens to you "

" Well I'm not going to let you go alone and I'm the best one to go " she said stubbornly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isabel was already in the car with Thaman driving down the highway towards Roswell. Liz's phone call was weird. Why would Lonnie and Rath be back here for the Granolith? It was gone. Did they want to finish off and kill Max? She looked at Thaman, who had a calm expression on his face. When she told him that they were after the Granolith he didn't say anything. Just that they should hurry. Maybe he just didn't want to state the obvious.

" Everything's going to be ok right? " she asked looking at him.

" I hope so your Highness " was all he said.

Something's definitely wrong, she thought. " Are we going to make it to the Chamber in time? "

" Yes "

" Thaman something's wrong. What is it? "

" It is nothing "

" Don't lie to me Thaman "

He kept his eyes on the road. " If they find the Granolith, we're finished "

" What? What are you talking about? "

" The Granolith never left Earth. If Lonnie and Rath get their hands on it we are all in trouble "

" And you can't kill them " said Isabel. " Because they're royalty like us " she looked straight ahead.

~~~~~~~~~

" Why you so nervous Liz? " asked Isabel as they rode in Max's Jeep.

" I'm just a little uncomfortable, " said Liz twisting her ring around her finger.

" Something about us making you feel uncomfortable? " asked Michael

" Not you " said Liz trying to remain calm. " Just going back to the Pod Chamber makes me nervous "

" Don't worry, I'll protect you " said Michael hitting her shoulder.

Liz looked at Max. He had a rough expression on his face. She could tell he was trying hard not to hurt Rath. She was so uncomfortable knowing that these two weren't who they looked like and that they had tried to kill Max. If she hadn't had Isabel's help that time, Max wouldn't be there right now. It was hard for her to not hate them for what they had tried to do. Who knows what they had planned for them once they got to the Granolith Chamber.

~~~~~~~~~

" They're coming, " said Michael to the others. Michael, Maria, and Kyle were crouching low over the top of the Pod Chamber. They all watched as Max pulled up in the Jeep. Michael was watching them through his binoculars.

To Be Continued…