Righting Past Wrongs

by Vardy

The long-awaited sequel to Sins of the Mother and Confessions of a Lost Soul. Now that Future Isabel has returned, can they repair the damage left after Departure? Future Isabel POV

Righting Past Wrongs

By Jenna Vardy (StarGazerGirl)

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell – I think that's fairly obvious. 

Summary: Final part of the Repairing the Damages Trilogy. Sequel to Sins of the Mother and Confessions of a Lost Soul.

Author's note:  I know everyone hates these long author's notes, so feel free to skip it, but I just had to say something with the end of this fic, the final part of my trilogy.  This has been a long time coming – 14 months since Sins of the Mother was written, 13 since Confessions of a Lost Soul, and 12 since this story began, over on the Fanfic Board at RU.  There were times when I was ready to pull out my hair, and even more times when I was ready to throw in the towel and try to forget I ever heard the world Roswell.  But I didn't, couldn't, for two reasons. My wonderful readers – for the ones who stood by me from the first installment of Sins, all those months ago, who clamored for the sequel I had never even envisioned writing, who sent me weekly e-mails and bumped up the thread when I lost faith in the show and my writing, and also for the ones who've joined me along the way. I thank you so much for all your support. And, for the characters who inspired this fanfic.  For Katherine Heigl and her portrayal of Isabel, for Colin Hanks and his wonderful Alex.  I know they'll never read this, but they really did weave a spell in my mind that I couldn't ignore or forget.

***

March 3, 2001 - 1600h

When I was a child, choices seemed so simple.  Right versus wrong, good versus evil.  The good guys always won and the bad guys are always punished.

But I'm no longer a child.  I'm an adult, and now I know that nothing's that simple.  Now I know there are many shades of grey.

After everything I have done in my life - both the good and the bad - I honestly do not know whether I'm good or evil.  Maybe I'm a mixture of both.  A shade of grey.  But I guess it doesn't matter, because I'm going to do the right thing now, for once in my life, when it really counts.

Actually, now that I think about it, I don't know a lot of things.  There are really only two absolute certainties in my life, two things that will guide me on my journey, two things that will influence my actions.  Two things that I will remember in my last few seconds on this world.

One is that I love Alex Whitman more than life itself, and to give him the life he deserves, I am willing to sacrifice my own.

And the second?  That I must atone for my sins.  For her sins.  Do penance.  Repair the damage.  Right the wrongs.  Change the future.  Save the world.

Easy job, right?

But that's why I'm here.  I honestly believe that my entire life has been preparing me for this moment of truth.  My fate was sealed in another lifetime, on another world.  I told Tess that she had one chance to make things right, and that she had to take it.  She did, and so will I.  This is my chance, and I am embracing it wholeheartedly.  Even though it means my certain death - and my son's - I have no other choice.  I've never had a choice.  This is what I was born, or resurrected, to do. I have lost too much and come too far to do anything else.

I know what I must do, and I am willing to do it. 

And when the end comes, I will hold my baby in my arms and I will close my eyes and picture my love's face.  And I will smile.

*

March 1, 2001 - 1749h

"What do we do now?" Max asked me, and I had to bite back laughter.  I think I'm giddy with relief.  Alex will live, and this Isabel will have the future she deserves. 

And so will my son.

"We make the world a better place," I whispered.

That earned me a strange look from Liz.  "Haven't you just done that?"

Wearily, I shook my head and sank into a chair.  Doesn't she know by now that nothing's that simple?  That nothing's that easy?  I wish I had the time to give them all a few moments of relaxation, a few moments of peace.  I know, better than anyone, that there will be little enough time for rest in the days to come - in the next two days that will determine the course of the future, the lives of the people I love, the fate of six worlds.

But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.  Time is of the essence right now, and it doesn't include relaxation.  "No.  Healing Alex isn't enough.  That's the easy part of my mission."

"Suppose you tell us about this mission," Michael demanded, plunking himself on the sofa and unceremoniously dragging Maria onto his lap.  She didn't complain, though, and I smiled a little to myself, thinking of my Ria.  She would move heaven and earth to be that close to her Michael.

She won't have to.  That's my job.

"I have a message for you, Maria, from your future self," I told her gently. 

She looked surprised.  "What is it?"

I smiled a little as I pulled a small, silver, octagon-shaped disk from my backpack.  I couldn't wait to see the expressions on their faces, and I knew it would probably be difficult for them to absorb, but I had promised Ria. 

And I'm not willing to break any more promises.  Not again.  Not now.

I set it on the table and twisted the base.  A hologram of Maria Guerin flickered into existence, and there was a collective gasp as everyone took in her pregnant belly.  "I'm pregnant?" Maria demanded, not tearing her eyes from her future self.  Michael only gaped at the girl in his lap.

"Uh-huh."

"And I'm actually helping you end the future?" she demanded, finally tearing her eyes from the image to stare at me.

"Yup.  And you and Kyle will be coming back yourselves if I fail."

"What the hell was I thinking?" she demanded. 

"You were thinking about your child, Ria," I snapped.  I was getting tired of everyone interrogating me.  "In the future I live in, your child will be lucky if she's ever born.  It's only a matter of time before the Skins catch up to us.  And once we're wiped out, there is absolutely nothing standing in the way of Kivar's take-over of Earth."  She blanched, and I gentled my tone.  "That's what the message is about," I added, flicking the tiny button that controlled the sound, and Ria's words came tumbling out of the hologram's mouth.

"If you're listening to this, I guess Izzy was able to go back in time.  I guess this must be a shock for both of you.  I thought long and hard about this, about whether I should let her tell you I'm pregnant, but I decided I had no other choice.  You both deserve to know.  And if it convinces you to help her…" the hologram version of Maria paused, visibly struggling for control of her emotions.  But that didn't stop a tear from splashing down her cheek.  "We got married, Spaceboy.  You and me - we did it.  There were times I was ready to give up, times when I never thought we could last, but we made it.  After Alex died, you supported me - you were there for me when I needed you.  You got a chance to go home with Tess, and you gave it all up to stay with me.  And we've never really been apart since.  It would be two years in September…but you died, Michael.  You died trying to save my mom, and I didn't even get a chance to tell you we were going to have a baby.  It's a girl, Spaceboy.  We're having a daughter."

"A little girl," Michael whispered, awestruck.

"I've already named her Emma."  The holographic Maria smiled sadly.  "But she won't be born in this reality.  It's up to the two of you to create her in your future.  That's why I'm doing this - changing the future.  Because I refuse to let my baby be born in a world gone mad, in a world where she doesn't have a father, in a world where we're living in constant fear that we will be destroyed.  I want more for her than that.  But I also want her to be born - which is where the two of you come in.  Maria - you can do it again.  I know you can.  I was afraid that by changing the past, we would never get together.  That without that specific string of events, we would miss our chance at happiness this time around, but I'm trusting you to make it happen again.  And we were happy…and I truly believe we will be again.  I have faith in you, Michael.  I have faith in us.  So help Isabel change the future, for both of us, and for Emma."  Tears were dripping down Maria's eyes as she stared at the holograph of her future self.  "I love you, Spaceboy," she whispered as she disappeared.

Michael pulled the tiny girl sitting on his lap close and clung to her for a few minutes.  Then he turned to look at me.  "Tell me what you need me to do."

*

March 1, 2006 - 1803h

Maria Guerin POV

"Ria!" Kyle shouted, shaking me awake.  "The signal!  Izzy activated the hologram.  It's begun."

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and held out my hand for him to help me up.  "Or else someone else found it."

He paled a little, and I knew he hadn't considered that possibility.  I didn't want to, either, but there was no way in hell I could ignore any possibility.  Not when the fate of a world rested on our shoulders.  Not when the fate of Michael and my baby depended on me.  "Do you really think that's the case?" he asked.

"I don't know," I told him honestly.  "But we both know there hasn't been a major shift in time yet.  That means the Skins haven't been wiped out.  And we're losing our window of opportunity."  I began to pace, wringing my hands nervously.  I wished I had some Cyprus Oil, but that was sacrificed for more important supplies in our last frantic flight from Canada.  "We both know it's only a matter of time before the Skins track us here."

"And the pod chamber will be the first place they look," Kyle added, voicing what we both knew to be true.  "Are you saying you think we should go back now?"

I chewed on my bottom lip nervously as I frantically tried to order my thoughts.  "What if we wait too long, Kyle?  What if we wait and the Skins catch us and Izzy can't do it by herself?  We both know our past selves can't get too involved.  Not in the final stage, anyway, not if they want to live the future we're fighting so hard to create.  What if this is a Royal Four thing, and Izzy's powers just aren't enough?"

"She's got Robbie," he said logically, but I wasn't in the mood for logic anymore.  I've never been one to just sit by and let things take their course.  Especially when they were this important.

Especially when the lives of the people I loved the most in this world were at stake.

"Robbie's not much more than a baby, Kyle.  And we both know she'll try to protect him.  The four of us are the last of the Royals.  When we were healed, we gained powers.  Nothing as strong as theirs, I know, but maybe, just maybe, they're enough to hold them off while Robbie and Isabel do what needs to be done.  Could you really live with yourself if we sat here and did nothing and we fail?"

Slowly, he shook his head.  "But by leaving here, we leave the Granolith unprotected, and that could be a disaster.  It would fall right into the Skins hands, and we can kiss the future goodbye anyway."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced the image of Michael's face out of my mind.  I had to think with my head now, not my heart.  "In twelve hours, we'll lose our window.  We can wait for another ten, and then I'm going back, with or without you."

He nodded.  "I can live with that.  Ten hours, and we'll both go.  But what about the Granolith?"

I picked up my bag.  The weight of the explosives somehow comforted me.  "That's what this is for.  We won't be leaving anything behind for the Skins to find.  We'll at least delay them from taking over Earth."

*

March 1, 2001 - 1813h

"The plan's really very simple," I told them.  "The future you made, Liz, was one where Alex was absent.  But that's not possible, not if we're to fulfill our destinies."

"Destiny?" Liz asked shrilly.  "Haven't we heard that word enough?"

I hid a smile.  Five years ago, when I was the Isabel I was sitting across from now, I would've reacted the exact same way.  But destiny - that's easy.  Easy compared to a world gone insane.

"The destiny our mother told us about - it's not as simple as that.  The four of us, we made up the Royal Four.  We all know that.  But when my mother told us who we were in our past lives - that I was engaged to marry Michael and Max was married to Tess - she wasn't telling us that we were meant to be in this life, as well.  In fact, in order to fulfill our destiny, we can't be together like that," I told them.

"What are you saying?" Max asked me, hope shining in his eyes as he clutched Liz closer to him.

This time I couldn't help but smile.  I'd almost forgotten, in the years of pain and fear, the way my brother looked at the girl he loved, back when life wasn't a daily battle.  I'm glad I saw that look now, as much as it disgusted me then.  Because it's just another reason for me to fight to make things right.

"In the book, towards the end, there is a prophecy about a child.  This child - he's the true heir.  This child will bring about another millennia of peace and prosperity.  Our destiny is to win the war that's tearing apart our people.  But it's not our destiny to rule those people." I paused, knowing that what I was about to say would be hard for them to accept.  Hell, it was still hard for me to accept, and I've known about it since before my son was even born.  "The Child of Prophecy has been foretold on our world in the ancient texts, just as our existence has been foretold.  Twins - a boy and a girl - the last children born of the royal line, who will be reborn on another planet and return in the time of greatest need and save Antar from its biggest threat.  And they will bring with them a child, the true heir, the most powerful ruler our world will ever know."

"So who is this child?"  Maria asked, leaning forward.  Then she paled.  "Not…not the child I'm pregnant with, right?"

I shook my head.  "No.  In my reality, we assumed the Child of Prophecy is Max's son with Tess."

"Max's what?" Liz gasped.

I groaned, mentally kicking myself for even mentioning it.  "It's not," I assured her.  "And it hasn't happened yet.  It won't, either, if I'm successful."

"Yes it is," Tess insisted, pushing herself up from her position next to Kyle.  She had been quiet up until now, but I knew that it wouldn't last for long.  "Nasedo told me that my son was the Child."

"It's not, Tess.  You didn't read the book carefully enough.  On the very last page, there is a single line that proves your child could never be the true heir.  The Child of Prophecy isn't a hybrid, like we are.  The child - he's human.  The prophecy states that either Max or I, the last of the royal line, will have a son with a fully human parent."

"I don't believe you!  Nasedo wouldn't lie to me!  Not about this!"

I was too tired to even bother raising my voice.  "He lied about a lot of things, Tess.  And it's quite possible he didn't even know.  You can't deny that the final page of the book was written in an ancient dialect, one that would be very easy to misinterpret.  It took more time for Alex to decode that page than any other page in the book."

She stared at me for a few minutes, challenging me, trying to make me back down, but in the end, she slumped back into her seat.  "It's true."

"Wait," my younger self said suddenly, her voice trembling slightly.  "This little boy - who is he?"

I smiled slightly.  "Your son with Alex.  Robbie."

*

March 3, 2001 - 1620h

I think I've lived more in the last seven years - in the years since Max saved Liz Parker's life - then most people do in a lifetime.  I've experience all the emotions that make us human.  I found love in Alex's arms.  I found devotion with Jake.  I found loyalty and friendship in Maria and Kyle.  I found adoration and trust in my children.

And I found hatred and anger and sadness and horror and pain and desperation from the Skins.

In the last few days, as I've prepared to return to a time before my life really began, in a time before my future spun out of control, I wondered what this new future - the future I am sacrificing everything I love to create - would be like.  Would I be truly happy, this time around?  Would I find love? Friendship? Loyalty? Peace? 

Would I escape the nightmares that plague my dreams and haunt my waking hours? 

I'll have no way of knowing, because that future holds no place for me.  I've seen and done far too much to experience the kind of happiness this new future offers.  And I can accept that.

Instead, I'll give up everything I have left - Kyle, Maria, my unborn niece, my precious son, and my own life - to ensure that this time around, history will not repeat itself.  This time, I will be happy.

And so will he. 

He will get the opportunities he never had in my reality.  He'll get to celebrate his eighteenth birthday.  He'll get to graduate high school and go to college.  He'll get to be a father to our son.  And they - him and my younger self - will get to see how their relationship can develop.  They'll get to see if their love can last.

I hope it can.  That alone will make all this worth it.

I can't control the future I'm creating.  And I don't know if my younger self will ever truly comprehend all I've told her.  The only thing I know is that she won't be cursed, like I am.  She won't be haunted by Vilandra's sins.

I'll atone for Vilandra's sins for both of us.  It's come a full circle.  Vilandra betrayed her brother, her family, her friends, and her entire world for love.

And I'll save my brother, my family, my friends and my world. 

All for love.

*

March 1, 2006 - 1826h

Maria Guerin POV

I rubbed my belly absently.  I know it's doubtful my daughter was even aware of the movement, but it was the only comfort I could offer my child.  And I know, without a doubt, that she understands and shares the terror and fear I feel right now.

I smiled a little, picturing her.  A little girl with my hair - no deity would be so cruel as to bestow Michael's mop on a little girl - and Michael's beautiful eyes.  A little girl with my spunk and her father's courage and determination.  A perfect baby.

Suddenly, my daydreams were interrupted with a sharp kick right below my hand.  I struggled to my feet, already knowing my daughter well enough to know that this wasn't a random movement.  My daughter is already like my Michael - always trying to protect me and keep me safe.  And I've grown adept these past few years at recognizing hidden warnings from the Guerins.

"What is it, baby girl?" I whispered under my breath as I crept towards the cave entrance, my sense on alert.  Kyle was sleeping nearby, and I didn't want to wake him unless absolutely necessary - none of us get enough sleep anymore, and heaven only knows when well get a chance to rest again - but I couldn't risk not investigating.  We've all learned to trust our instincts, to be aware of our surroundings, and if my daughter was doing cartwheels in a time she normally slept, I sure as hell wasn't going to sit around twiddling my thumbs. 

Carefully, I opened the entrance, my hands raised like Michael and Izzy taught me, prepared to defend myself and my child.  Dark clouds blocked the sun, and we were far enough away from Roswell that the glow of the city lights was just a dim smudge on the horizon.  The darkness made me nervous, jumpy - a holdover from a childhood phobia, but nonetheless frightening.

I glanced around and couldn't hold back my gasp of surprise, before I spun back into the cave.  The door slid shut behind me as I leaned against the cool rock, trying desperately to stop the trembling that started deep within my bones.  I knew I couldn't stop my tears, that it was a fool's errant to even try.  And so I once again relied on my instincts and reached out of the cave with my senses, reached across time and place, searching for the one thing I knew that would calm my fears.

Michael.

In the end, I didn't really have far to look.  I only had to look into my own heart.  Because he's never left me.  Not even death could take him away from me.

I took a few deep breathes and clenched my hands into fists.  Too much was at stake.  My baby, Michael, Mom…hell, the whole planet depended on us.  The whole damn future depended on us.  I wasn't about to break down now. 

"Kyle?  We've got a problem."

*

March 1, 2001- 1837h

"Robbie?" Isabel gasped, horrified.  "But he's just a little boy!" 

Well, duh, mini-me.  That's kind of the point.  It is the Child of Prophecy, after all.

I glanced at Alex, and saw an identical shell-shocked expression on his face.  I can sympathize with them both; I know exactly what it feels like to find out your child has a destiny that's beyond your control.  I know exactly what it's like to look down at that sweet little face and know that he's only yours for a little while, that you'll have to give him up to destiny far too soon.  I know exactly what it's like to spend nights staring at the stars, asking yourself why it's your child that has to be in danger, why it's your child that has to unite a world, why it's your child that won't get a choice in his future.  But I couldn't help but smile a little as I saw them clutching each other desperately, my earlier jealousy forgotten.  It looked like they would be okay.  It looked like this Isabel would have the life I was denied, this time around.

"I've brought my copy of the book with me, if you'd like to read it, but that will have to wait until later.  We don't have that kind of time right now.  And that's why it's so essential that Max saved Alex."

"But - if you already had Robbie, then that means I would've too, right?" my younger self asked, clearly confused, as tears trickled down her cheeks, unheeded.  "If you hadn't changed the future, I mean."

"Yes - and you must have him again.  It's absolutely essential and I'll talk to you both about that in private, later.  But the reality I lived - where I had Robbie, Alex died and Tess left - it isn't the right one, and neither is the one Liz changed.  We all have to live in the future, function as a unit, in order to fulfill our destiny.  It's not just alien versus human anymore.  We're all involved in this."

"We know that already," Alex said impatiently.  He was holding my younger self in his arms, stroking her hair as she cried for the child she was destined to have and then give up so he could fulfill his own destiny.

"Well, do you know this?  In my world, in the future I'm fighting so hard to prevent, the Skins are about two months away from winning.  Two months.  That's as long as Kyle and Ria and I figured we could survive before we were killed, too.  We weren't even strong enough to actively try and fight them.  We were just running around like scared little rabbits, looking for a place to hide.  And it didn't make a damn bit of difference!  They just kept on coming, like freaking energizer bunnies on steroids and acid trips.  They just kept on killing us, one and two at a time, and there wasn't a damn thing we could do to stop it.  Kivar wanted us gone before the invasion began."

There was a stunned silence for a minute.  Tears dripped down Liz's cheeks and Alex was clutching Isabel tightly.  Finally, Max spoke.  "How do you know all this?"

"Ria becomes very handy with computers in the next few years.  She can hack into just about any computer on the planet."  I couldn't help but smile at the identical shocked expressions on Maria and Alex's faces.  "Necessity, and desperation, made us all do things we never thought possible."

Necessity and desperation made us do far more things than they'll ever have to know.

*

March 1, 2001 - 1847h

Finally, after a long silence, Kyle cleared his throat and spoke.  "So what's this plan you keep talking about?"

I shook my head a little to clear it.  I had to stay focused on my mission.  My son's future depended on it.  "Obviously, the first step has already been taken care of.  Healing Alex.  The second task is a little more difficult.  Tess, in the morning, you will be approached by Nicholas and two of his men.  He will offer you immunity if you swear to abide by the deal Nasedo arranged and he will finalize the details of the plan.  What we need to do is agree to the deal to return home."

"What? Why?"

"Have you lost your ever-lovin' mind?" 

"Dear Buddha, we're putting our lives in the hands of a nutcase!"

"I told you she was insane!"

"She's been sniffing too much of Maria's crap!"

"How do you know Maria's even using that stuff five years down the road?"

"It's Maria, Alex. Of course she is."

"Shut up, Spaceboy!"

"This is just a dream.  This is all just a sick, twisted dream.  I'm gonna close my eyes, and when I open them, this will all just be a bad dream."

I held up my hand for silence.  "It's not a dream, mini-me.  Now, if you're all finished, listen up.  We need to determine the location of the Skin compound in this time period.  I can almost guarantee that it won't be in the same spot it is in my time, unless they're fundamentally stupid.  Evil?  Yes.  Stupid?  Individually, sure, but under Nicholas, no.  So Tess is our best chance.  If she meets with them and agrees to the plan, she has to get that information from them."

"How do we know they'll tell her the truth?  They aren't exactly the most honest guys in the world.  And how do we know she won't betray us?" Liz asked, glaring at Tess.

"She won't be able to betray you.  She'll be stripped of her mindwarping power."

"What?  You can't take away my powers."  Tess' face turned red from anger as she leapt off of Kyle's lap.  Kyle grabbed her around the waist and dragged her back to the chair, probably afraid that she would claw someone's eyes out.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Max asked.

"Max!  You can't agree to this!" Tess cried.

"I haven't agreed to anything yet.  I just want to know how she could do it," Max stated calmly.  "But I certainly don't trust you right now with those powers," he added. 

"I can't simply remove her powers.  Not alone.  Neither can you.  But my son can."

"And what would happen to the powers?  You've already told us that we all have to be together in this future," my younger self asked.

"They'll be transferred to someone else.  Tess will retain her physical powers, but her mental ones seem to be too dangerous to trust her with."

"Who would you give them to?"

"They would automatically be given to the remaining Royals."  I paused.  "Tess, you know this is our only option.  You've proven, time and time again, that you can't be trusted with those powers.  You'll be able to protect yourself with your other powers, and in time, if Max decides he trusts you, your powers will be returned."

"How?  I mean, if he can't take them away, how can he give them back?" Alex asked.

"Max has the ability to take them away.  He just needs my son as an energy conduit.  In ten months, when he's born, all Max or mini-me has to do is connect with him, and you'll gain access to his powers.  If the time is right, you can restore Tess' powers then.  So what's it going to be, Max?"

*

March 1, 2006 - 1854h

Kyle Valenti POV

The minute Maria spoke, I was awake.  Like regular soldiers, none of us have slept deeply in years - not since they started coming after us.  I think I've forgotten what it's like to feel safe enough to really sleep.

I took in the slight trembling in her hands and her pale face, and pulled myself to my feet, going over to hug her before she said anything else.  I knew that whatever this was, it wasn't good news.

Good news.  That's another thing I've forgotten since the Skins decided we were all walking target practice.

"What's wrong?" I asked, biting back bitter laughter.  What isn't wrong?

"Open your mind," she told me anxiously.  "Concentrate.  What do you see?"

I closed my hand and slumped against the rocky wall, projecting my mind like Izzy taught me.  I felt Maria and the baby strongly, of course, a familiar loving presence that was currently wracked with fear.  But then I felt something close by that explained the source of her fear.

And increased mine.

"They're near, aren't they."  It wasn't a question, instead a statement of a fact we both knew to be true.  The only questions now were how many and how long before they started slaughtering us like animals.

She nodded sadly.  And then her eyes flashed with anger and determination.  "I will die before I let them take the Granolith."

"I know.  So will I."  She smiled at me then, and I grinned back at her.  "How many?"

"About a dozen.  Maybe less, maybe more."

I squeezed her hand.  "We'll be okay.  We won't let them down.  We never have, and we won't start now."

She nodded again, this time looking more like the Hurricane DeLuca I know and love.  "Damn straight." 

"You up for kicking some Skin ass?"  I smiled coldly, picking up an alien weapon we 'liberated' from a Skin encampment early on, back when we did more than run and hide.  "I think it's time for some payback, don't you?"

*

March 1, 2001 - 1850h

Robbie Evans POV

Mommy tries to protect me from everything.  She doesn't think I know as much as I do.  I hear her at night, crying.  I don't like to hear my mommy cry.  Mommies aren't supposed to cry.

That's why we're gonna make everything all better.  And Mommy won't cry anymore.

Mommy sometimes kisses me and whispers that she wished I could just be like everybody else.  But I don't wanna be like everyone else.  And I can't be.  'Cause it's my des-tin-y.

I can feel my mommy.  She's scared.  She's trying to hide it, but she is.  And I can feel the lady that looks like my mommy - my other mommy, I guess - and my daddy, too.

Daddy.  I missed him.  I know all about him.  Mommy tells me stories at night, when she tucks me in, all about Daddy.  Auntie Ria tells me what Daddy was like when he was a little boy like me.  Uncle Kyle said that if I ever met my daddy, he'll teach me how to play dodge-ball.  Maybe he'll show me tomorrow.

Mommy says I'm special.  Not like everybody else.  But she didn't have to tell me.  I've always known that.  I've always known what I have to do when I get bigger.

That scares Mommy.  It scares me, too, more than those mean ol' bad guys, the ones that hurted Carly so much that we had to leave her all alone in Canada.  But when I'm a big boy, I can make the bad guys go away.  'Cause it's my des-tin-y.

That's what my grandma says.  Not Nanny Evans, 'cause she went to live with the angels and take care of Christian and Poppy and Jake.  But my other Grandma.  The one that lives in the stars.

I see her at night.  I've never told Mommy that, 'cause I don't wanna scare her or make her cry.  And I don't wanna leave my mommy, not ever, but Grandma says I hafta.  When Grandma said that, I yelled at her and told her to go away and leave me alone.  But she wouldn't, 'cause it's my des-tin-y.

Mommy told me to colour a picture for Daddy.  I know she really only wanted to keep me safe, like she always does.  But I'm gonna hafta be a big boy soon. 

'Cause it's my des-tin-y.

*

March 1, 2001 - 1856h

"Do it," Max told me, gripping Liz's head and wincing slightly at Tess' cry of rage. 

"Tess, it might be better this way," Kyle whispered to her as I nodded and left the room to talk to my son.  "You'll get to be normal…"

I closed the door to Michael's bedroom behind me softly.  I knew it wouldn't do much to block Tess' tears and ranting, but I wanted to protect my son as much as possible from her outrage and pain.  "Hi, baby," I said softly, sitting on the bed beside him.  "Did you finish colouring the picture for Daddy?"

"Yeah.  And I did one for my other Mommy, too."  He crawled onto my lap and showed me the pictures proudly, and I couldn't help but smile at my beautiful, intelligent little boy.  "And one for the lady, 'cause she's so sad."

"What lady, Robbie?"

"The one with the yellow hair.  She's sad."

"Yeah, she is," I answered, unsurprised that he had picked up on the emotions that were running so freely throughout the apartment.  He was sensitive to that kind of thing, even when he was a baby.  It was one of his gifts, something that would make him a wonderful leader someday.  "Do you remember what we talked about, baby?  How you were going to help me fix things so it would be safe for us again?"

He nodded.  "Yup.  We're gonna make everything better again."

"Well, it's time for you to be a big boy for Mommy.  Uncle Max and I need your help.  Will you help me?"

"Of course, Mommy," he said, matter-of-factly, and shot me one of his father's patented why-are-you-even-bothering-to-ask-me-that expressions, accompanied by an Alex Whitman-special grin. 

I cleared my throat and tried to hold back my tears.  I kissed his dark hair and smoothed it back in place.  My little baby boy isn't a baby anymore.  He's grown so much in these last few years that we were running.  He should still be playing in sandboxes and making mudpies, not giving up his life to save the world.  What kind of mother am I?  I couldn't protect my other babies - in fact, I'm making sure they'll never even exist - and now I'm asking my last little baby to be a casualty of a war that began long before he was born on a planet he's never even seen but is destined to rule.

Finally, I got my emotions under control and managed a wobbly smile for my son.  "Thanks, honey.  Why don't we go and see Daddy, okay?"

"Can I give him the picture?" he asked seriously.  As if I could ever deny him something as simple as a picture. 

I nodded and held out my hand.  Robbie glanced at it for a minute, before he straightened his overalls and red t-shirt and then laced his tiny hand with mine.  I couldn't help but grin at his attempt to tidy his appearance.  He may not yet be five years old, but he is my son, after all.  And he'll always be my little boy.  No matter what happens in two days time.

"Let's go see Daddy."

*

March 1, 2001 - 1907h

"Daddy?"  I winced a little when I heard my son call Alex that.  It isn't that I object that my son knows his father.  It's actually the opposite.  Every time he said that one simple word, a word he's never before been able to call anyone, I couldn't help but think of all the years Robbie and Alex missed out on.  And how I will never really get a chance to see my son grow up with his father.  That was for the other Isabel.  Not me.

"Hi, Robbie," Alex whispered, gripping my younger version's hand tightly. 

Robbie's face brightened as he flashed a smile back at his father.  "I made you a picture.  You and my other Mommy."

Mini-me glanced at me in confusion.  "It's for you," I told her, smiling a little at the surprise and happiness I saw flash across her eyes.  She'll be scared, just like I was, but I know she'll be a good mother to her Robbie.  And if being around my son will reassure her, help her be the best mother she can be, I'm willing to share my baby with her.  Because Robbie deserves a better mother, this time around.

"Can we see them, Robbie?" she asked, holding her arms out for my son.  I didn't know whether to smile or cry as Robbie climbed onto the couch between them, resting his head on his father's chest and stroking Isabel's hair softly, reverently, the way he always touched mine. 

So I cried and smiled at the same time.

"This one's for you," he told Alex, his serious tone sounding odd coming from his childish voice.  "See the bunnies?  Mommy always says you like red, so the bunnies hafta have red shirts.  Red's my favouritest colour."

Alex grinned at him and tousled his hair.  "So I see.  You're an excellent artist, Robbie."

"Thank-you.  And this one's for you…what's your name?"

"How about you call me Izzy?" she suggested, glancing at me for approval.  I nodded, and she smiled. 

"Okay.  Izzy, see the doggies?  They're reading a book.  I like reading books."

"It's beautiful, Robbie.  I love it.  I'll keep it forever," she promised.  "What's the other picture?"

Robbie wiggled off the sofa, the pride and happiness that shone on his face from their praise replaced by seriousness and worry.  He chewed his lower lip nervously - a mannerism he's picked up from me, I know - and approached Tess.  She was curled up in Kyle's arms, still crying quietly.  Tentatively, he patted her shoulder.

Tess' head snapped around to face my son.  Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was red.  Mascara ran down her cheeks, criss-crossing with tearstains.  She really did look pitiful - hardly what I expected.  I thought that all the hate and rage and anger I felt for her, that ate away at me all these years, that blackened my soul and battered my heart, would come pouring out.  I really thought I would claw her eyes out.  But I don't want to do that anymore.  She deserves a second chance.  Hell, we all do - that's why I'm here.  She'll be punished enough, in the years to come.  And maybe this time, she'll be a better person.

Maybe that's what they thought about me, when they sent Vilandra to Earth.  

I hope they were right then.  I hope I'm doing the right thing now.

"This is for you," my son told her, handing her the picture as his other chubby hand brushed away the tears.  "It'll all be okay.  My mommy promised me she'd make things better for all of us.  And mommies never break promises."

Tess accepted the tissue Kyle handed her and gave my son a wobbly little smile.  "I don't think it will be okay for me, Robbie."

He frowned and grasped her hand.  Robbie's eyes snapped shut and his entire body stiffened and began to tremble.

"What's wrong with him?" Alex cried, leaping forward, ready to tear Robbie away from Tess.

"What the hell are you doing to him?"  Isabel yelled, right behind Alex.  "Let him go!"

*

March 1, 2006 - 1915h

Maria Guerin POV

I grabbed Kyle's arm and forced him to look me in the eye.  "Trust me, no one wants to destroy the little pricks more than me.  But now's not the time."

"What the hell are you talking about?  They've surrounded us.  They've been hunting us and killing us off, one after another, for the past five years!  Now seems like a pretty good time to me."

"Kyle.  Listen to me.  They haven't attacked yet.  And we can't attack them while we're in here, or we're dead.  Game over.  It's as simple as that.  And if we go outside, we're sitting ducks.  I need you to be with me on this, Kyle.  We've got to come up with a plan."

"A plan?  Ria, we've got a plan.  In fact, we've got two.  Fight or flight.  We either fight them now, or we blow up the damn Granolith and take a little trip down memory lane."

"I know!" I cried, frustrated, as I ran my fingers through my hair.  I began pacing, trying to relieve the ache in my lower back, and rubbing my belly.  The baby was kicking up a storm, probably, in true Guerin style, to give us her input on the situation.

"Well, then what are we waiting for?"

I groaned.  I hate being the calm one.  When I see Izzy again - if I see Izzy again - the first thing I'm gonna do is hug her for saving the world.  Then I'm gonna punch her lights out for leaving me here with a walking, talking Woozle.  A stubborn one at that.

"Kyle," I said patiently.  "We've already agreed that we have to wait as long as possible before we use the Granolith.  We've got to give Izzy as much time as possible."

"What if we don't have the time to spare, Ria?" he asked seriously.  I know he's just as scared as I am, that his recklessness is just an attempt to vent his frustrations over his fears and his inability to do anything.

"Then we'll blow it up with us in it," I answered, cursing the tiny tremble in my voice.

He wrapped his arms around me, and together we sank to the floor.  "It'll be okay, Ria," he told me, taking over my role as comforter.  "We'll do it.  We'll just keep an eye on our buddies out there, and when they get too close, when we have absolutely no more time, then we'll do it.  Everything's gonna be okay."

I gripped his hand and tried to relax.  "I know," I whispered.  "I know."

*

March 1, 2001 - 1923h

"Don't touch him!" I cried desperately. If they pulled him out of it before he was ready, the consequences could be disastrous.

Max and Michael sprung into action.  Michael pulled Alex away from my son, just as he was about to touch him, while Max grabbed my younger version's wrist and pulled her away.

"We've got to help him!" Alex cried frantically, running his hands through his hair - something I know he only did when he was scared. 

"It's okay," I explained calmly.  "It's one of his gifts.  He's clairvoyant - he's reading her future.  It's because of him that we know the future we experienced wasn't the right one.  To use an odd analogy, Robbie's kind of like a temporal metal detector.  He can go through someone's memories of the past and he'll 'beep' if he identifies a focal point."

"Focal point?" Liz asked.

Great.  Now I get to explain theoretical quantum physics - theories even I only have a basic grasp of, after studying them first with Liz and later on my own over the past few years, as we planned this, our final battle - to a bunch of high school students, some of whom are lucky they even made it out of remedial science classes.

Great.  Just great.

I glanced at my son, who had stopped trembling but still stood in his trance-like state.  Tess' expression matched his, and I could tell they were deeply immersed in each other's minds.  There was nothing I could do to stop it.  I could only hope that my baby wouldn't see anything that would scare him.  I don't want him to be scared. 

"It's like a cosmic crossroads.  You choose one path or the other, and your choice impacts not only your future, but also changes the course of the future for the entire world," I explained.  "For example, Kennedy's decision not to invade Cuba during the Cold War was obviously a pretty big focal point, but they can be as seemingly insignificant as one person getting hit by a bus when they should've lived another ten years and cured the common cold.  Understand?"

"So when you came back in time, you knew exactly when to come?" Max asked.  "Alex living will really have that much of an effect on the entire world?"

"Hey!" Alex and mini-me cried at the same time, glaring at Max.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.  "I didn't exactly pick a day out of a hat and say, 'gee this seems like a good time for a visit,' Max."

He flushed slightly as Maria giggled.  Liz kissed his cheek and squeezed his hand reassuringly.  "So what about Future Max?"

"Future Max identified a focal point and came back to change the future, but he chose the wrong one.  Tomorrow is the right one.  We've got about a forty-eight hour window of opportunity to change the future.  Or else all this is going to happen again."  I shuddered slightly.  "And believe me, you don't want to live through the same future I did."

"Was it really that bad?" Isabel asked quietly.

"You know yourself, Isabel, so you know me.  We both know that there is no way in hell I would screw around with the timeline if it wasn't absolutely necessary - not even for Alex."

"I thought that's why you were here, though," Michael said, frowning.

"Yes, I'm here to save his life.  That's part of it.  But there's so much more at stake.  The other part is stopping certain events from occurring that will lead to the destruction of Earth.  I'm here to save the whole world."  

Then there was a crash as Tess sank to the ground bonelessly and I watched, horrified, as Robbie's little body jerked repeatedly before he collapsed, twitching slightly.  And then he became completely still.

*

March 3, 2001 - 1640h

Love.  It's a very human emotion, but it's something humans and aliens have in common.  It's the driving force of the universe.  It's the strongest of all the emotions.  Empires have fallen and risen, all in the name of love.

The promise of giving my younger self the chance to be consumed with love, and not self-hatred, is enough to convince me to destroy a world and create a better one. 

The promise that my son will get a chance to grow up with his father, that he will be taught how to play guitar and dodge-ball by Alex, that he will grow up knowing his grandparents, almost makes up for the pain in my heart that comes with the knowledge that Carly and Christian will never be born.

The promise that my brother will have the chance to live his life, to grow old with the woman he loves, to create his own destiny, gives me hope that perhaps he and my younger self can repair their relationship before it shatters irreparably.

The promise that my friends, Michael and Maria, will grow old together and raise their daughter together, makes me believe that we can all be happy, this time around.

And the promise that Kyle can help Tess repair the damage deep inside her heart and become the girl I know is still in their somewhere, tells me that what I am about to do is right.

Love is what's giving me the strength to do this.  And when I look into their eyes, I can see the promise of a better future.

Alex told me once, a long time ago, that he knew I was the only one for him from the very first time he saw me, when we were barely older than my son is now.  I told him that I didn't believe in love at first sight.  Infatuation?  Sure.  Lust?  Definitely.  But love?  Never.

I was so young and naïve back then.  But I'm older now, and I've seen and experienced enough of the world that I can admit what an idiot I was when I was eighteen.  Love can happen in an instant.  It's everything that goes along with love - trust and loyalty and friendship and devotion - that takes the time. 

I realized I loved him, that I had always loved him, deep down, too late.  We built the foundation - the trust and the loyalty and the friendship and the devotion - in those months he knew the truth.  I know now that they were the happiest months in my life. 

But Alex and I didn't get to experience the love together in that reality.  He loved me, and I knew it, but I was too blind to see how I felt.  That's another wrong I've righted.  This time, it will be different.  This time, they will.

*

March 1, 2001 - 1939h

"Robbie," I whispered as I ran to my baby's still body.  I could see my hand trembling as I reached out to touch his face, and I mentally shook myself.  Now was not the time to fall apart.  My son needed me to be strong, and I damn well wouldn't let him down.  Not in the last few days I can call myself his mother.  Because in a few days, that would be her, my younger version's, title.  Not mine.

"Is he okay?" Alex asked, grabbing my hand.  Mini-me was gripping his other hand tightly, and I could feel both of their terror through our connection.

I nodded.  "It happens to him sometimes, when he's taken in too much information.  He's just resting, absorbing everything."  Carefully, I picked him up and carried him over to Michael's couch.  I noticed that Kyle had gathered Tess up in his arms, holding her close like I was holding my son. She was looking around, slightly dazed, and holding on to Kyle like he was a life preserver and she was adrift at sea.  If only my Kyle could see his younger self…he would be so happy.  Maybe they'll get it right this time around.

Maybe we all will.

"Robbie, baby, it's time to wake up," I told him softly, gently stroking his dark hair as I knelt beside him.  "Mommy needs you to wake up now."

Slowly, his eyes flickered open and his dark eyes - my eyes - looked solemnly back at me.  "It's okay, Mommy," he said, patting my face.  "I saw.  It's going to be okay."

I grinned at my brilliant, beautiful little boy.  I'll never know what I did that made me lucky enough to have Robbie, but I'll never stop thanking destiny for giving him to me - even if I only got him for a little while.  "What do you mean, baby?" I asked, gathering him up in my arms.  I shared a long look with Alex, who was holding my younger self tightly in his arms.

"The lady is going to do it right this time."

"What did you see, Robbie?" Max asked, leaning forward.

"She's sad, Uncle Max, but Uncle Kyle's gonna make her happy again.  He misses her."  Robbie paused, snuggling closer to me.  "The lady doesn't hafta be so sad.  It's all gonna be okay."

"What did you see?" Max repeated.

I stifled a giggle that threatened to escape as Robbie shot his uncle a look.  It was the same irritated don't-push-me-around-I'll-tell-you-when-I'm-good-and-ready look that I've given Max on many occasions.

"Uncle Max," he said seriously, frowning a little.  "Mommy says it's not nice to 'ester."

"'Ester?" Maria whispered, confused.

"Pester," Liz whispered back, hiding a smile.

"From the mouths of babes," Michael muttered, earning him a whack on the arm from Maria.

"Robbie, honey, what did you see?" I asked him, softly, hiding my smile.

"Lots of stuff.  The lady in a white dress with Uncle Kyle.  Her holding a baby.  Her being happy."  His tone was solemn, and he looked eerily like a three-foot-high prophet.  "It will all be okay."

*

March 1, 2006 - 2018h

Kyle Valenti POV

"We've run out of time," I whispered, staring outside the cave.  I pivoted, the entrance sliding shut behind me, as I ran towards a trembling Ria.  "They're not even making a pretence of being subtle anymore."

"How many are there?"

"I counted nearly a hundred."

She nodded and began to gather her things.  I watched her for a moment.  The old Maria would've been digging around for her aromatherapy oils and babbling hysterically.  But that was the old Maria DeLuca.  Maria Guerin has grown up.  She's quieter now.  She actually reminds me a lot of Liz, the way she used to be back when our lives were sane.  Back when there was still a Liz.  But Ria's still got her spunk and determination, and I know that alone will be enough to keep her going.

That and my niece.

"Are you ready, Kyle?"

"Yeah.  We've just got to set the timer on the explosives and then that will be it."

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, her lower lip trembling.  I can see she's fighting to keep it together.  "Do we go now or wait a little longer?  We don't know if Izzy's done it yet, and we've only got one chance.  If she can't do it, and we go back now…well, we both know what will happen, and that's simply unacceptable. 

 "No, Ria, I'm not sure about this.  I haven't been sure about anything in five years.  But we don't have a choice.  There are over a hundred Skins out there, and I don't think they're holding Tupperware parties or handing out free samples of moisturizer.  We can wait, but there are only going to be even more of them.  And the longer we wait, the riskier this gets.  Hell, I can't figure out why they've waited this long."

"Can't you feel them?" Her eyes were haunted and full of tears as she looked at me.  "There are more of them coming.  Nicholas is on his way.  They think Izzy and Robbie are in here, and they want them alive.  You and me - we're just two more to add to the body count.  That's the only reason we're still alive.  They're trying to figure out a way to get them.  That prepubescent pipsqueak still hasn't gotten it through his head that Isabel isn't Vilandra."

"Well, neither has she."

Maria waved her hand impatiently.  "If we decide to do this, we're going to have to time this really close.  This cave needs to be exploding around us as we leave.  That's the only way we'll know it can't fall into their hands."

"So do we go?  We can wait a little while longer and try to take more of them out with the explosion, or we settle for the minions and let Nicholas go free."

She swallowed a few times and grabbed my hand in a death-grip.  "We wait.  I want that bastard dead.  He killed Michael, and I want him dead.  He won't get the Granolith while I'm still living and breathing.  Even if I have to strap the damn explosives on my back to do it."

"Okay.  We'll wait as long as we can.  Give Izzy as much time as we can."  I tried to smile, but couldn't quite manage it.  "Hell, maybe we can take Nicholas out."

Buddha, I hope you're listening, because I sure could use some help right about now…

*

March 1, 2001 - 2038h

"Mommy, I saw everybody.  And they weren't sad no more."

I pulled my son into my arms and hugged him tightly.  "I love you," I whispered softly, knowing that my son had inadvertently given me the last push I needed to do what I had to do. 

He grinned at me and threw his arms around my neck.  "I love you too, Mommy."

He gripped my hand tightly and sent me image an image of Mini-me, Alex, and himself playing in the park together.  They all looked so happy, just the way I always dreamed we would be.  They looked like a family.  They were a family.  I have to believe he was sharing his gift with me, that it wasn't just wishful thinking on either of our parts.  Because if the image he showed me was of the future, then everything I've been through in the past five years - all the pain, all the terror, all the hurt and the blame and the self-loathing and the doubt - might almost be worth it.

I smiled down at his sweet face.  Robbie made everything worth it.  "Do you remember what I taught you about your powers, Robbie?"

"Yup.  I hafta think real hard and hold somebody's hand."

"That's right.  Can you be a big boy and help Uncle Max and Mommy now?"

Robbie crinkled up his nose, as if he were deep in thought, and then finally nodded enthusiastically.  He's always loved to help me, even when he was little.  I think, without even knowing it, he was trying to take care of me, because his father wasn't there to help me. 

If things go right this time around, he won't have to do that.  He'll just be a normal little boy, for as long as he can, and destiny be damned.

"Max, take his right hand, and I'll take his left..  You both have to concentrate on Tess' powers, and I'll do the rest, but you need to be connected so you'll know how to undo it, when and if the time comes."

He nodded his understanding,  "Sounds simple enough.  Why can't I do it without Robbie, though?"

"Because although you may have a tattoo on your brain proclaiming you king, little brother, my son is the heir.  He has powers that the rest of us could only dream about."

Max glared at me then, and I glared back.  If he thinks I'm still the same girl he knew, once upon a time, the girl that he could easily intimidate and manipulate, then he has another thing coming.  Although he always had the best of intentions, I'm not about to fall back into that pattern.  I'm an adult now, and for better or for worse, I make my own decisions.  I speak my mind and I follow my heart.  And I don't take crap from anyone.  Not even our fearless leader.

Hell, there hasn't even been a fearless leader in years.  I've been the leader for the last few months.  And look how well that turned out.  Maybe I should listen to him.

Nah.

I watched as my brother's large hand gripped my son's tiny one.  Robbie smiled up at Max and place one hand on Tess' temple, and Max did the same.  I placed my free hand over both of theirs, and took a deep breath to calm myself. 

I told Max the truth.  He couldn't do without Robbie, and he needed to be there with me so he would know how to do it in the future.  But this was something I just had to do.  Something I couldn't trust anyone else with.  This was the only way I could convince myself that he would be safe.  Alex. 

Maybe, if I wasn't so damn strong-willed, if I could give in to my emotions, I could do what I really wanted to do.  Do what I dreamed of doing in the years since his death.  If I listened to my heart instead of my head, I could hurt her the same way she hurt me and my son.

But I can't do that.  My fate was sealed in another time, another place.  And so was hers.  Our destiny is to free a world, and as much as I hate to admit it, we need her to do that.

I need her to do that.  Because I refuse to leave this Isabel with my sins, or Vilandra's.  The only sins she will commit will be her own.  I'll right the wrongs of the past so she can face the future - face destiny - with a clean slate.

Tess seemed resigned about what would happen - Robbie shared images of the future with her, and I think that was probably enough to convince her that this was the only option available.

"Are you ready?" Max asked.

Both Tess and Robbie nodded, and I took a deep breath, making the connection.  We all jerked slightly, and like before, our faces mirrored each other.  I could feel their energy combining with my own, feel my powers growing stronger with every passing second, until it felt like the air around us sizzled with repressed energy.

And then I was in.  Four hearts thudded in unison and four breathing patterns matched exactly.  We were one.  I could see into her heart and her soul, just as they could see into mine, and I knew I hadn't made the wrong choice.  Tess is simply a lost soul, just like I am.  And I couldn't live with myself if I took the second chance I had been given without offering her the same.

Mentally, I glided into her brain, searching for the source of her powers, unaware of the passing time or my surroundings.  In that moment, nothing mattered but detecting the part of Tess that made her unique from all but three other people on Earth - her heritage from a former life, from her former world.  Her powers.  They give out an energy all of their own, separate from the normal energy she generates.  It's the one truly alien part of our anatomy.

Carefully, I manipulated the neural pathways in the surrounding areas, blocking her ability to mindwarp but cautios not to hinder her other abilities.  I could feel a tickling at the base of my head, and I knew it was working.  That even I, a future version of the real Isabel, had received the gift, and the balance was restored.

Slowly, my eyes fluttered open as I broke the connection.  I picked up Robbie and kissed his cheek, before I glanced at Tess.  She looked a little dazed, and more than a little teary.  There was a look of heartbreaking loss on her face, and I felt a pang of guilt, but I reminded myself that I had done what was necessary, to protect the two men I loved most in this world.  To protect the future I was trying so desperately to save.  And to protect Tess from her own worst enemy - herself.

Then Kyle pulled Tess into his arms, and she smiled.  And I didn't feel quite so guilty anymore.

*

March 1, 2001 - 2120 h

"Mommy?  I'm sleepy."

I smiled down at Robbie.  His big brown eyes were fighting to remain open and he had curled up on my lap.  "Okay, sweetie.  Just a few minutes and I'll put you to bed."

"Where are you sleeping tonight, anyway?" Liz asked.

"Robbie, honey, can you go put your pyjamas on?  They're in Mommy's bag.  I need to talk to the grown-ups for a little while."

He nodded tiredly and slid off my lap obediently. 

"You can sleep in my bed if you like," Michael told him. 

"Okay," he whispered fighting a yawn.  He grabbed his Superman pyjamas and Bob the Bear and scampered over to Alex and Mini-me.  "I'll see you again, right, Daddy?"

"I promise," Alex told him.  Robbie broke into a grin and leaned up and kissed Alex and my younger self goodnight before running over to do the same to me.  "Auntie Ria, will you sing me to sleep?  You do at home…"

"Sure," she told him, taking him by the hand.  I waited until she closed the door to Michael's room before I spoke again.

"We've already slightly altered the timeline by healing Alex and removing Tess' powers, but there's still much more to do.  The way things happened in my time, we waited here for a few hours.  Max was pissed off at me because nothing happened, and we got in a fight.  Kyle went to football practice, and Max drove Tess home.  I was upset, and took it out on Michael.  We fought, and I ran out.  Everything after that, I only know from Kyle and Ria."

"Tell us," Max said, leaning forward to study me intently.

"Alex caught up to me.  I was running down the streets in the dark, so he convinced me to let him drive me home.  Maria stayed with Michael for a few hours, and then she went home.  Liz was upset because Max was with Tess, so she pretended she was fine and went home to study."  I sighed.  "From what we've been able to piece together, the Skins had been observing us for weeks.  If Alex hadn't come after me, I would've been taken that night."

Across the room, from where they shared the armchair, I could see Alex shiver and pull Isabel closer.  She laid her head on his chest as if she was simply too overwhelmed to exist on her own anymore.

"When they weren't able to grab me, they decided it was time to finally approach Tess.  They waited until Max drove off, but Kyle came home before they were able to make their move."  A tear trickled down my cheek.  "After Alex left, he went to see Tess.  She had to mindwarp him periodically, to keep him from remembering.  At that point, as far as we know, she just wanted the book."

"Is that true, Tess?"  Max's voice wasn't as harsh as I expected.  Instead, it was as if he had aged a decade in the past few hours.  He sounded tired, weary.

She nodded, but didn't look anyone in the eye.  Instead, she concentrated on Kyle's face.  "Yeah.  I knew about the deal.  I'd grown up knowing.  Nasedo said I had two choices: I could either follow the deal he made with the Skins, or reunite with the group and save our planet the way we were destined to do."  Her swift bark of laughter was bitter.  "Obviously, the latter wasn't going to work.  You didn't want to hear anything about destiny.  Max only ever had eyes for Liz, even after he thought she slept with the man I was…"

"The man you were what, Tess?" Kyle asked softly, almost desperately, cupping her face and staring into her teary eyes.  "The man you were what, Tess?" he repeated, a little more forcefully.

"The man I was starting to love," she whispered, burying her head in his chest.  He dropped a gentle kiss on her hair and wrapped his arms around her more securely.

I smiled at them slightly, and Kyle mouthed a 'thank-you' at me.  I nodded slightly in acknowledgement.  If I squinted a little, I could almost see my Kyle - the guy who had become my family and my best friend over the years - smiling back at me, thanking me for making things right for his younger self.

I watched as Maria slipped out of Michael's room and went to sit beside him on the other end of the sofa.  "He's asleep," she told me, and I thanked her silently.

"Anyway," I began, a little surprised that my voice trembled a little, "Tess mindwarped Alex into decoding the book because she wanted as much information as she could get before choosing one path or the other."  I smiled ruefully.  "Unfortunately for us, she chose the wrong one.  That night, when Kyle got home, Max had just spent a few hours ranting about me and mooning over Liz.  And when Nicholas and his goons approached her the next morning, she was upset enough to agree to anything."

"I have a question," Maria said, who had moved so close to Michael while I was talking that she was practically sitting on top of him.  "If Nasedo had a deal with the Skins, why did Whitaker kill him?"

I rolled my eyes.  I should've known little Ria would ask that.  This would be fun to explain.  And I couldn't wait to see their reactions.

*

March 1, 2001 - 2142h

"If you recall, Nasedo was, literally, in bed with the enemy."  I glanced around the room, making sure everyone caught my meaning.  "Namely, Whitaker.  But that wasn't the only team he was playing for."

"He was double-dealing the Skins?" little Ria gasped.

I nodded.  "I'm sure you and Michael remember Courtney.  She and her renegade group wanted Michael as king," I added, in case anyone wasn't up to speed.  "He was working a deal with them."

Max's lips thinned.  "Anyone else our protector was doing business with?"

Hesitantly, I nodded.  The last time I'd seen my brother this coldly furious was after Liz died, in my timeline.  "Us."

There was a stunned silence as they stared at me, wide-eyed.

"Huh?" Kyle finally asked, inelegantly, but aptly describing the question no one else could bring themselves to ask.

I smiled ruefully.  "Nasedo believed in hedging his bets.  After living alone on this planet for fifty years, all he wanted was to go home.  He was willing to help whatever side he had to in order to get home.  Last fall, the winning team seemed to be Nicholas' Skins, and he was going to do it, even if it meant he had to sacrifice the people he was sent to protect."  I paused, desperately searching for words to describe the loneliness he felt, the loneliness I identified with.  "Fifty years.  That's a hell of a long time alone.  From what we've been able to learn, he simply…I guess the best way to describe it is to say that he 'went native.'  He was, supposedly, a good man on our world.  Towards the end, as he spent time around us, he remembered what that life was like."

"So he wasn't going to betray us?  You're telling us he just changed his mind?" Mini-me asked, increduously.

I nodded again, shrugging.  I didn't understand it entirely, either.  "That's not what's important right now, though.  We've got bigger things to worry about.  It's time to fight the last battle.  It's time to save the future and both our worlds."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Liz asked, a little desperately.  "I thought I did that last October, at least until you decided to pop by for a visit."

"It's going to be different this time.  We've got something that Future Max didn't have."

"What?" Max asked, pulling Liz closer.

I ignored him, unwilling to tell him everything until I was ready.  "In just a few more hours, Tess is going to be approached by Nicholas and a few of his goons.  We know that.  But we have to remember that me being here has already slightly altered the past.  Mini-me over there didn't run off crying.  Tess didn't spend the evening with Max, and Liz didn't spend the night pretending she was okay while her heart was shattering."

"Tell us something we don't know," Michael muttered, and Maria smacked his arm.

"That means that the Skins know we're stilled holed up together.  They may decide to change their tactics.  So no one stays alone tonight.  We'll pair up, aliens with human."  I waited until they all nodded in agreement.  "Maria and Liz will stay at Michael's.  I need you both to watch over Robbie," I added, when I saw Liz about to protest.  "Tess and Kyle will stay at home, and Max and I will stay hidden there as well, to make sure everything goes as planned."

"What about us?" Alex asked.

I smiled.  "I think you two have a lot to talk about, don't you?  You'll stay together tonight.  Keep each other safe," my voice lowered to a whisper, "the way you were supposed to."

I smiled coldly.  The final battle was about to begin.

*

March 1, 2001 - 2223

"Liz, Maria, call your parents, tell them you're spending the night with Mini-me.  Alex, if I recall correctly, your parents are in Albuquerque for the weekend," I arched my brow questioningly, and he nodded.  "Mini-me, you'll stay at Alex's.  Tell Mom and Dad…" I paused, blinking back tears, wishing there was some way I could see my parents, just one more time.  Just once.

"I'll tell them Max and I are staying at Michael's," she told me, giving me a sympathetic look.

I shot her a tiny smile, and she nodded slightly in response.  "Tess and Kyle will leave first.  Have no doubt, they've been watching you for a while now."  I turned to Kyle.  "Just drive home normally.  Don't let on you know you're being followed - you'll probably never see them, anyway.  Max will be over shortly - and I'll be over later.  I'll sneak in."

He nodded curtly.  "What about my Dad? You going to fill him in on any of this?"

"Yes…I'll tell him everything."  I sighed.  It would be good to see Jim again…he'd always been good to me, especially right after…  I shook my head.  I couldn't waste time thinking about the past now.  "Max, you and Liz stage a loud fight in the parking lot."

"Why?" Liz asked, confused, from her position on my brother's lap.

I sighed again.  It had been a long day, and it showed no sign of ending anytime soon.  "Because messing with time is dangerous, Liz.  You, of all people, should know that.  We need to keep this as close to the timeline I experienced as possible, for as long as possible.  What we do not only affects us…it also affects the lives of hundreds of other people, indirectly."

"What do you mean?" Max asked, and I had to repress a smile.  Both he and Liz had on their scientist faces.  Everyone else just looked bored.

"Say in my timeline, Liz went home, and because it was dark, she took a cab.  In this reality, if she didn't, not only would the taxi driver not get his fare, he might also get hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light because he was headed away from the Crashdown instead of towards it."

They both nodded, but Liz looked concerned.  "Are you saying that's what's going to happen?"

"No."  I rubbed my pounding temples, knowing I couldn't even waste the power it would take to stop my headache.  I needed every ounce of strength I had if I was going to take on the world…and win.  And Isabel Evans Bennington was not going to lose - especially to the pipsqueak.  "But up until we change the future, I want things to say as close to my reality as possible."

"What about us?" Mini-me asked, gesturing to herself and Alex.

I smiled.  "I want to talk to you both, and then you can go.  I want to keep you both as far from Nicholas and the Skins as possible…you have a more important job, in a few months time…having Robbie."

They exchanged glances and their hands joined, and in that moment, I knew the future my younger self will experience would be much different than the hell I lived through.  I knew they would be okay.

*

March 1, 2001 - 2303h

I pulled the door tightly shut behind me and squinted in the dim light.  A lamp burned in one corner, casting Michael's bedroom in shadows, but I really didn't need that as I made my way to the bed.  I knew the way instinctively.  It was burned in my head, memories of happier, easier days from so long ago.

I sank onto the bed next to my sleeping son and kissed his forehead gently.  He's always been so strong, so brave…so much like his father.

I looked up at Alex and mini-me from where they sat in the bettered old chair across the room.  They deserved an explanation, and it was time I gave it to them.

"He's beautiful," mini-me said softly, gazing at the sleeping boy we created.

"Yes, he is," I agreed, stroking his baby-soft hair.  "We did good…you'll do good."

Alex cleared his throat and took my younger self's hand.  "How did it happen?"

I knew this question was coming, and I smiled, thinking back.  "It was prom night.  I had to beg you to take me…you looked so handsome that night.  We danced, and I kissed you.  Then we left, and we drove out into the desert and stared up at the stars and…and we made love.  For the first and only time."  I paused, my voice sad.  "A few days later, you were gone.  I didn't even know I was pregnant until after Tess had left."

"Why did you run?"  Mini-me asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"I had this feeling, this need that told me to go.  So I went."  I shrugged helplessly, unable to describe it any better.  "No one knew where I went, no one even knew I was pregnant.  It was some instinct that told me I had to protect my baby.  If I hadn't…I doubt either of us would be alive today.  Kivar wanted me dead, and he wanted the Child of Prophecy.  He thought he had that from Tess, and when he found out he didn't…"

"I have to know.  Am I meant to be with Alex?"  Mini-me looked at me desperately, and I knew she wanted me to tell her that more than anything else on earth.  I knew, because some little part of me, deep inside, was still the innocent girl sitting across the room from me, in desperate need for reassurances.

I wish I could give them to her.  But I can't predict the future I'm creating, any more than she can.

"I don't know," I told her, my tone more gentle than it had been since I arrived.  "It's not up to me.  It's up to you to decide.  The only thing I do know is that you and Alex are meant to have Robbie.  The rest is up to you."

And then the air crackled with pent-up electricity and thunder clapped outside, and I knew the worst had happened.

*

March 1, 2006 - 2240h

Maria Guerin POV

It was time.  We couldn't deny it anymore.

It was time to leave the hellish world I've inhabited for the past few years.  Time to return to the last moment of true happiness that I can really remember.

I'm scared.

Of what, I'm not really sure.  Maybe because I'm wondering if it wasn't really as good as I remember.  Maybe it's something that I built up in my memory and going back to those easy, perfect days - the days when my imperfect relationship with Michael seemed idyllic, the days when Alex was alive, the days when I was whole - will just be a disappointment.

The clamour outside the cave grew louder as the Skins grew more confident.  I could feel Emma kicking furiously, the temper she inherited from me and Michael already fierce.  She's going to be a fighter, my little girl. 

And I'm going to give her a world to fight for, no matter how scared I am.

"Are you ready?" Kyle asked, his voice shaky, and I thought, maybe, it was a pitch higher than usual.

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly before laying it on my protruding belly.  "This is what we're fighting for.  Remember."

He smiled, and for the first time in longer than I care to remember, his grin reached his eyes.  "I know."  He kissed my cheek, and I grinned at my brother.

"You're grimy," I told him as I waved my hands over his body, erasing the decades of dust and dirt he'd managed to accumulate in the past few hours.

"I've been crawling around the cave, setting traps for our little buddies out there," he retorted.  "Let's see how clean you'd be if you were hooking up our little surprise.

"I know," I said softly, and I fought back a shiver.  "They're getting louder.  And I think there are more of them than there were the last time I checked."

"Well, we're not going to wait around any longer.  The window to use the Granolith is open, and the trap is set.  Why don't you start the initialization process, and I'll tempt little Nicky out there."

I nodded, focusing my attention and my energy on the alien control panel before me.  It began to hum under my hands as the blue lights lit up the chamber and the Granolith began to throb with barely suppressed energy.

"Hey, Nicholas! Come in and face us like a man!  Oh, yeah.  I almost forgot.  You're not a man, are you?  A little pre-pubescent squirt for sixty years!" Kyle taunted.

The vibrations rose to a high-pitched whine, and I could feel the charged ions floating around the room.  My hand trembled as I reached out to touch the surface.

It was cool, surprisingly, but it felt almost alive.  It felt familiar, comforting, like it was something I had known as a child and had somehow forgotten, although I knew, rationally, that it was my alien side - the part of me Michael changed when he healed me - that knew this foreign power.  The world seemed to slow down, and I could feel my body merging with it, and I felt timeless, like I was floating through space, anchorless and alone.

And then Kyle was there with me, and we were pulled into the alien machine that was going to take us to a time that I only thought would live in my memories.

The last thing I saw before the world splintered apart was Nicholas's horrified face as the world blew apart.

*

March 1, 2001 - 2343h

The room was still reverberating with the thunder when I burst through the door to Michael's room, Mini-me and Alex trailing behind me, asking what happened.

I didn't need to ask.  I knew.

Everyone stared at me in confusion as I pulled open the door and pulled them into a hug, not caring about their dusty clothes and dirty faces.  I guess that's what staying in a cave for days on end will do to you.

I pulled them inside quickly, desperately hoping the Skins outside would blame the thunder on a freak storm, but knowing they weren't that stupid.  They would be on their guard now, and everything would just become more difficult.

Slowly, I turned to face them, taking in the stunned silence as Ria gasped, clutching her growing belly.

She had seen Michael.

She took as step forward, her free hand stretched out towards him, her face so pale that I was afraid she would faint.  And then, with a strangled "Oh, god," she ran towards him, pulling him into her arms and clutching him desperately.

Kyle grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug as we watched our best friend, our sister in destiny, sob into the chest of the man she had loved for most of her life, the man who had been torn from her arms just a few months ago.  We all knew this wasn't Ria's Michael, but he was what she needed right now.  I just hoped he could give her the love and understanding her Michael would have instinctively known she so desperately needed.

"It's okay," he whispered, as his Maria stared at her older self in shock, and I sighed in relief.

And then Kyle's arms fell from my waist as he spotted her. 

Tess.

Like Ria, his steps were hesitant at first as he approached her.  I could see his hands shaking as he stopped in front of her, and I knew he was minutes away from crying. And then she looked up at him, her big blue eyes brimming with tears, and whispered, "I'm sorry."

He pulled her into his arms in a tight hug, and my eyes closed.  I didn't need to see anymore.  Because I knew.

Just like it was for me, seeing the people I'd lost infused them with the last strength I needed to go through with our mission.  But it didn't make the hurt go away.  It didn't make the knowledge that we would never get to have the life we were giving these people any easier.

But it did remind us why we had to do it.

And then I felt the hand on my shoulder.  The most familiar touch in the world, but also the strangest.  A touch I hadn't felt in what seemed like an eon.

My eyes fluttered open, and I stared into his eyes.  Nothing was said as he pulled me into a hug.  Nothing had to be said, because I already knew.  He was thanking me for what I was about to do.

He was thanking me for giving him - them - the life together that they deserved.

And it was enough.

*

March 2, 2001 - 0625h

The sun was shining overhead, but the air was cool.  I shivered, and tried to remember the last time I experienced a New Mexico sunrise…and couldn't.

I shrugged, knowing it didn't really matter, and watched Tess talk to the skins.  It was strange, how human they looked, yet they were more alien than we were.  They were the stuff that Hollywood movie producers dreamed up.

They were the monsters that haunted my nightmares.

They left, and Tess went back inside, but still I didn't move from my hiding place.  Instead, I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself.  This was the last sunrise I'd ever see, I knew.  Because the time for waiting was over.  I'd learned all I needed to know, and now it was time to act.

Now it was time to create a future for my son…for Alex…for the world.

Tess' powers came in handy as I wiggled out from under the back porch at the Valenti house, masking my movements from any Skins that could still be lurking around.  I knew the end had come, sure – but I didn't want to tip my hand too soon.

"Well?" Kyle asked, when I finally made my way inside, his eyes wide with worry.  Max and Sheriff Valenti just watched me silently, and for once, I sympathized with the burden they felt every day, as leaders, as protectors.  It wasn't an easy task, and I just hoped that I would be able to handle it. 

What is it that my mom used to say?  You won't be given any more than you can handle?  I hope that's true, because this will be the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

"Did you find out everything you needed to know?" Tess' voice was tense, and I could see she was barely holding it together, all of her insecurities coming to the surface.  Funny…I'd never realized, before, how insecure she was, back when we were in high school.  Maybe I hadn't wanted to see…or maybe, it took facing my own insecurities to see anyone else's.

"Yes."  The certainty in my own voice startled me, and I had to fight the urge to look over my shoulder and see the adult-sounding person that was surely standing behind me.  But I knew there wasn't anyone else, and I knew I had to be the leader they needed.  I closed my eyes, and said a silent prayer to a god I wasn't sure I believed in anymore.

Then my eyes opened, and I let out the breath I hadn't even known I'd been holding.  "Tonight, we end this."

*

March 2, 2001 – 0730 h

My parents have always been earlier risers, for as long as I've known them.  When we were younger, it was probably out of necessity, because Max and I had a bad habit of waking up screaming in the predawn hours, dreaming of a place we barely remembered and didn't understand.

Then, later, when we were older, I think it became their time.  They'd sit together in our backyard, sipping coffee and talking quietly. Or sometimes, they wouldn't say anything at all.  The secret smiles and the gentle looks said it all.

Today, it was one of their talkative days, I noticed, as I crouched in the bushes.  It was dangerous, I knew, but if my world was ending in a few hours, I was going to do as I damned well pleased.  And number one on my list?  Saying a proper goodbye to my parents, not a hurried prayer and a grave I'd never seen.

Mom laughed at something Dad said, and my heart squeezed.  I knew that my younger self wouldn't know how much she'd miss that laugh, not for a long, long time, if I had anything to do with it.  But that was what I was fighting for, wasn't it?  For a better life for all of us?  The life we should have lived?

I watched as Dad took her hand casually, his thumb gently stroking her wrist, and I knew in that simple act how much he loved her.  I knew he'd do anything for her.  Because I've felt that kind of love, known that kind of peace.  And I'll make sure my younger self keeps it.

"Goodbye, Mommy, Daddy," I whispered, not even trying to stop the tears that trickled down my cheeks.  "I'll always love you.

Then, with one last look, I crawled away.  I other spots I had to visit on my trip down memory lane.  Other things I needed to say goodbye to.

*

The cemetery was empty, but birds chirped overhead, keeping me company, as I walked through the grass.  The walk had become second nature to me, in those horrible, lonely months after Alex had died, and even now, years later, I could probably do it in my sleep.

But this time, the end was different.  When I sank to the grass this time, it wasn't next to a headstone bearing the name of my best friend, my lover, my soulmate. 

I didn't feel the surge of satisfaction I'd expected to feel.  Instead, I felt alone, detached from the world.  In a few hours, I was going to change everything I'd ever known, and my son and my friends and I would be no more. 

Slowly, I brought two of my fingers to my lips and kissed them, then touched them to the undisturbed ground for luck.  If all went to plan, my other self would never know what this place was.

Then, I pulled myself to my feet, shaking off any dried blades of grass that clung to my jeans.  I had one more stop to make, and then I'd be ready.

*

The air was cool and damp, and the high grass was covered with dew, protected from the bright sunlight by the tall trees that surrounded us.  This time, my footing was not as sure, and I had to cling to stray branches in places to pull myself along the uneven ground.

I hadn't been back here, not since that night when it all began.  Back when my life became irrevocably entangled with his.

The rock was still there, I noted as I walked into the clearing.  There were no birds here; instead, silence reigned supreme.  But that was what I needed, I realized, as I lowered myself to the cool surface, the jagged edge biting into my thighs.

It seemed so long ago, when we sat here together, staring at the stars.  I didn't realize it then, of course, but that was when I really began loving him.  His dream of us sparked the feeling, but it truly caught light and began to burn as we sat together, as much as I tried to deny it.

"Hi."

I jumped, startled, spinning and raising my hand in defense, but I relaxed as I saw my own face looking back at me.  She looked alarmed, and I lowered my arm, smiling a little sheepishly.  "Sorry, I didn't hear you." I paused. "I should have know you'd come here, too…"

"This is my first time back," Mini-me confessed, as she chose another rock, not far from mine.  

"Mine, too," I replied, offering a small, sad smile.  "I could never bring myself to come back here, where it all began, before now."

"But you just felt pulled here this morning?" she asked, and I nodded.  She knew what I was feeling, because she was feeling it herself, and for the first time, part of the icy shell I'd built around my heart to help me live through this melted.

"I'll make it better for you," I promised.  "But you need to do something for me, too."

"Anything."

I smiled at the confidence in her voice, remembering a time when I thought I could do anything.  "Live the life I didn't get to live.  Love him the way I wanted to love him.  And take care of our little boy, give him the life he deserves."

"I will," she swore, her eyes delving into mine, my thoughts and emotions mirrored on her face.  I nodded, and we lapsed into silence, reliving our memories of this place, gathering the strength and love and courage we'd felt that night.  Because, for once, it was enough, and our inner demons had finally been laid to rest.

Finally, she stood, and I smiled.  "Ready to kick some serious ass?" I asked, and she grinned back at me. 

"Let's go kick little Nicky's ass to Jupiter and back."

*

March 2, 2001 – 1132 h

I ignored the stares and the murmurs as I strode into Michael's with mini-me trailing behind.  The others had gathered there, for a strategy session, and I know how it must have looked to them.  Two Isabels, both very different woman.  One an adult, a mother, a warrior, a leader; the other, a teen, a daughter and sister, an innocent, a follower.  But it didn't matter anymore, because we were united in a common purpose.

Robbie wiggled out of Tess' arms and ran to me, and without breaking my step, I swung him into my arms and settled him on my hip.  He was getting too big for this, I knew, but it was his last day as my little boy.  After the sun set tonight, I would no longer be his mother.  I'd have to leave that to my younger self, and pray that she did everything right by our little boy.

The big white board I'd requested was propped against Michael's wall, and I grabbed the red marker and began writing.  Piles of the supplies I'd requested the others get while I was on my trip down memory lane were scattered around the room, and I could see Ria in Michael's kitchen, in the kitchen with Liz and Alex, leaning over his laptop, and I knew she was well on her way to completing her task.  My Kyle was in a corner with Michael and Max, pouring over maps and blueprints, and I sent him a silent thanks, knowing he'd make sure we weren't in for any surprises.  After so many years of fighting together, this had become second nature to us, and I think our professionalism had already rubbed off on our younger selves.

"How are you, sweetie?" I asked my son, as I scribbled plans against the board.  He laid his little head against my shoulder, and I couldn't help but smile at his familiar warmth.

"I'm good, Mommy.  I missed you…do you think I can play with Daddy today?"

I frowned, hating to disappoint him, but I knew we didn't have time for distractions.  Not now, not today.  It was too important we get this right – there were no second chances, no room for error.  "I'm sorry, baby.  Remember how I told you we needed to fix Mommy's mistakes?  That it was really important?" He nodded solemnly, and for a moment, I wondered if he really did understand.  "Well, that means Mommy and Daddy and everybody else needs to work here today.  And I need you to be a really good boy for me.  Can you do that, sweetie?"

He nodded, and wiggled out of my arms.  "I'm gonna be a brave boy and do good, like Uncle Kyle told me."  He flashed me a grin – his father's grin – and ran across the room, launching himself into the arms of Tess.  Our eyes caught across the room, and in that instant, I knew I could complete my mission and be secure in the knowledge that Tess wouldn't screw up the future I was making.  I inclined my head slightly in acknowledgement, and a ghost of a smile danced across her lips. Then she turned her attention back to what my son was telling her, and I turned my attention back to business.  I couldn't afford to give into these feelings of melancholy.  I'd spent too much time already embracing my past. 

I cleared my throat, choking over the lump that formed as I looked into their faces, one at a time, memorizing them. Then I spoke, and my voice was steady and sure, belying my fears.  "Does everyone know what you're supposed to do?"

It was time to put an end to this, once and for all.

*

March 2, 2204 h

Michael's apartment was finally silent, I noted absently, as I picked a path through the various sleeping bodies draped over the furniture and sprawled across the floor.  Somehow, I didn't expect people to sleep tonight, the night before the most important day of their lives thus far.  But any nerves they may have had was overshadowed by pure exhaustion, and I couldn't blame them.  We'd spent hours today, formulating and re-formulating the perfect plan, gathering supplies, scouting out our route.  And now, everyone was desperately trying to steal a few hours sleep, before we set out in less than two hours, at midnight.

Michael's backdoor creaked softly as I opened it and let myself out onto the concrete deck.  I smiled a little, imaging him as he'd been the last time I'd seen him here, fixing a car bumper for Maria's Christmas present.  Even though I'd been in Roswell for a few months after that, we'd drifted apart, somehow, and the only times I saw him was when something was wrong.

Sighing, I leaned against the concrete wall that made up the left side of the deck, and slowly slid down until I was sitting on the floor.  My head tilted up, and as silent tears slipped down my cheeks, I stared at the stars.

I felt his presence only moments later, as he, too slipped out of the apartment.  I knew he could see the tears on my face, but I made no move to wipe them away and hide what I was feeling, and he didn't comment on them.  Instead, he slid to the floor a few feet away.  And together, we stared up at the night's sky, the same way we'd looked up at the stars that night in Fraser Woods.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally, his words so soft they were almost a whisper of the wind.

I nodded.  "There are some things I need to tell you…" I began, biting my lower lip, knowing this would be infinitely harder than anything I'd be required to do in the coming hours.

A myriad of emotions crossed his face – hope, pain, love, sadness…far too many to name, and some I wasn't even sure I could identify.  "Isabel…I need to know what happened.  After I…die.  I want to know about my son, about you, about our friends…I need to know."

"There are just some things you shouldn't know."

"You used to say you could tell me anything," he said, his voice sad, resigned.

I squinted at the stars through my lashes, making them twinkle and shine through my tears.  "I will tell you about Robbie…how he was conceived.  That's all you really need to know…after that, this world will be totally different from the one I lived in." I pulled my knees up under my chin, holding them protectively, and stared off into the stars, knowing looking at him would make it that much harder.  "Even that will be different this time…you won't make me ask you to prom twice."

"You asked me to prom and I turned you down?"  His voice was filled with disbelief, and I smiled, remembering everything I'd felt when he finally said yes.  It was like someone had replaced a part of me that had been missing, made me whole – something I hadn't felt since I walked away from him the year before, to complete my duty, learn my destiny…screw up my life.

"I was graduating early, and you were the first one I told.  I practically begged you, that night, to take me to the prom.  You made me promise not to be too beguiling, not to make you fall in love with me again…"

"A promise you obviously broke, if we had a baby together," he finished.  For the first time, he turned to face me, and his fingers threaded through mine.  "Isabel, you have to know – no matter what we've been through, I've never stopped loving you."

"I know," I whispered.  "And I never stopped loving you, either.  Every time I looked into our son's eyes, I saw your face."  I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.  "We were dancing, and Girl Next Door was playing, and I said I was breaking my promise, and I leaned in and kissed you.  You pulled away for a second, and said you asked me not to do that, and I swear, it was like my heart was breaking in two…and then you smiled, and kissed me again, and I knew – I just knew – it was right. I'd finally reached the place I was meant to be, all along."

His free hand reached up to brush my dark hair out of my eyes, and we shared a smile.  "What happened next?"

"You whispered in my ear, asking if I wanted to get out of there…you said you could think of more interesting things we could be doing.  And then you took me home, and we made Robbie…and I remember thinking I was so happy my heart could burst."  My eyes fluttered closed at the sight of his smile.  "But time…it was never on our side.  Then, or now…" I whispered.

His hand tightened its grip on mine, and his other hand tangled in my hair.  "I promise you, I'll give her everything you wanted, everything you needed, this time around."  My eyes opened, and I could see the absolute surety in his gaze.  "I'll be everything she needs…thank-you for doing this for her, for us…"

I watched, transfixed, as his lips descended on mine, and then, as I felt his warm breath mingle with mine, I relaxed into his arms, and knew, finally, that for once, time was on our side, and no matter what happened in another lifetime, in this one, he was everything I needed, wanted, loved…

*

March 3, 1423h

Three cars, three routes, and they were almost there.  I spared a glance in the rearview mirror of the jeep I was driving – god, it felt good to be behind that familiar wheel again – and smiled a little at the sight of my son, stretched across the backseat, head in Tess' lap as he slept.

Tess.  I didn't want to feel sorry for her.  I didn't want to like her.  I didn't want to forgive her, most of all.  I wanted to keep my heart hardened against her, hate her for all she'd taken from me, make damn sure she didn't so it again.  And I'd really only succeeded in the last one.

Mentally, I shrugged. It wasn't up to me anymore. It was up to my younger self and the family she'd create from the friends that surrounded her.  In a few hours, my task would be over, and the future would be up to them.

"Are you okay?" Max asked me softly, from where he sat perched next to me in the front seat.

My eyes remained trained to the bumpy road as we wound our way through the mountains that surrounded the sleepy town of Mapleton, Utah.  Surrounded by farmland and trees, it didn't look like a place a band of enemy aliens would pick as their headquarters.  But Ria swore this was where they were stationed, and I trusted her with my life.  Guess you never knew who your next-door neighbours were these days.

I shrugged in answer to his question.  "I'm an emotional wreck," I told him honestly. This Max wasn't my brother, but there were some things I needed to tell him before I did this.  One last ghost I had to put to rest.  "I…just need you to know.  Even though it hasn't happened yet, and won't happen this time, with any luck, but I still need you to know.  I love you, Max. You're my brother, you're my home, and I'll always need you in my life.  And…I really hope things are different between you and her, this time around."

He looked confused, but still, his hand caught mine and squeezed it slightly. And for one moment, he was the brother I remembered from when we were kids, not the person he'd transformed into over the year and a half after he'd saved Liz, and definitely not the stranger he became in the years afterward.

Then, I saw the Jetta in front of us pull to a stop in a tree-filled area, and I pulled off the road behind them, next to Valenti's car.  Unlike our last trip, this one was done with his knowledge; he'd even loaned us transportation and helped create a cover story.  He'd pulled me aside, just before we left, and made me promise I'd keep them safe.  I swore I would.

And I will, I swore to myself as I slid out of the jeep and grabbed my backpack of supplies and my sleepy son.  Their world was just beginning, and they were going to live in it.

*

March 3, 1542h

The gray concrete and metal building looked out of place in the mountains of Mapleton, but still somehow looked tranquil to me, despite knowing what lurked inside.  My legs were sore from crouching in the low foliage, keeping a close eye on the two guards that patrolled the perimeter of the Skin base, but that didn't matter anymore.

For once, the weather was cooperating with us.  All day, the sky had been gray, and as we approached the base on foot, it had started drizzling slightly.  Fog had rolled in, too, creating a better cover for us.

Beside me, Ria's fingers flew rapidly over the laptop keyboard, calling up the blueprints of the base, and she and Kyle held a hushed conversation as they went over the last minute plan of attack like two generals preparing for war.  Even deeper back in the wooded area, Michael, Max and a younger Kyle rigged up the explosives we'd procured, as Liz made sure the balance of chemicals was correct.  Tess and a young Maria entertained Robbie, making sure he was quiet.

My eyes flittered over to where Mini-me and Alex sat together, holding hands, in absolute peace, and felt some measure of that peace he'd given me last night.  They were why I was doing this.

Michael crept towards me just as the sky opened up and torrents of rain started pouring down on us, and I offered up a silent prayer of thanks to a god I was no longer sure I believed in.  With the sheets of rain and the fog, we would be virtually invisible as we entered the base.

"Do you know the plan?" I asked him softly.

He frowned, but nodded.  "You're sure you won't let me go in with you?"

"Michael…your place is here," I said softly, as my eyes found a younger version of my best friend, cold and miserable, but determined to stay with her friends, no matter what.  "Maria needs you – I'm counting on you to make her as happy as my Ria was." 

He nodded, and took my hand, squeezing it once.  "Tell me what you need me to do."

My breath hissed out of my mouth, and for a second, my eyes shut as my heart thudded in fear.  Please, let me do this right…I can't screw this up now. 

Then the moment passed, and I knew I could do this – I had to do this.  There was no room for emotions anymore, and the clock was ticking.  A glance at my wristwatch showed it was four o'clock.  In one hour, I would be no more…but neither would that little asshole Nicholas.

"Ready?" I asked, glancing at Ria and Kyle, then at the group now holding the prepared explosives.  Everyone nodded, and my hands balled into fists, my nails cutting into the flesh of my palms, leaving little crescent-shaped marks.  "Let's do this."

*

March 3, 2002 - 1627 h

My clothing was dripping with water and mud as I hugged the ground, nearing my second target.  The sound of my own heartbeat, the jagged little pants of breath that came from my own mouth, seemed to echo around me in my own ears, in the dark, silent evening, but the figure in front of me didn't seem to notice. 

Carefully, I tracked him, the same way a cat would track a mouse, my moves echoing the ones I had made just moments earlier, when I'd destroyed the other guard.  With every step he made, I took two, scuttling in closer to him, my hand already raised, ready to go on the attack.  One more step, just one…

I wasn't breathing at all then, we were so close, and then there was no time to think or breath anymore.  He swung around as my hand struck out, hitting him squarely on the back, and I could see the terror in his eyes in that split second.  And then, my fingers found the husk's self-destruct button, and he disintegrated before my eyes, flakes of skin mingling with the rain in a grotesque flurry.

I stumbled back, sucking in fresh air.  I've done this hundreds of times over the years, I'm prepared to commit genocide in less than an hour, but killing…it's just not something I've ever grown accustomed to.  Maybe that's what makes me different from Nicholas and his lackies.  I'd like to think so, anyway.

Carefully skirting the building, I retraced my steps, noting the tiny sensors and the explosives, attached strategically to the sides of the building.  I brushed my wet hair out of my eyes, and smiled, despite the bitter cold and the icy water that ran down my back.  The others had done their job.  It was almost over.

I slid into the shelter of the trees, where we'd set up base.  The others looked as wet and miserable as I felt, but none of that mattered anymore.  Ria was holding her stomach protectively as she and Alex fiddled with the laptop, and I lifted Robbie onto my lap, needing to feel his sturdy little body against mine, just once more.

"We're up," Ria whispered, and I nodded, passing Robbie back to Tess and crawling closer to them to look over Alex's shoulders.  The tiny blue blips seemed concentrated in a single room in the center of the building, and I smiled.

"They're sitting ducks," Kyle breathed, and I flashed him a real grin.

"We just have to pick them off here, and here," I said, pointing, watching as the blips moved along the outer corridors rhythmically, obviously in the middle of a patrol.  "And this is where it will go down."

Max looked at me, and his eyes spoke volumes.  Gratitude, sorrow, admiration, respect, horror.  For the first time in our lives, we were true equals, warriors on the battlefield of life, and we both knew it. 

"You don't have to do it like this," he whispered, his voice hoarse. 

My hand slipped into his, and for a second, flashes of the two of us, growing up, filled my mind.  Part of me wished I could live go back to that easier time, back before things were so difficult between us.  But the rest of me knew I could never go back, not really.  I'd stepped into my past now, sure…but I was just a visitor, not a player, and my role would end soon.

"It's my time," I said softly.  My fingers squeezed his, one last time, and then our hands dropped, and I turned to the others.  "Alex, Liz, Mini-me, you'll be watching our progress on the screen here.  We'll be the red marks.  If something looks like it's going wrong, Mini-me will contact me.  The rest of you will pick off any of the suckers that make it out."  Opening my backpack, I pulled out some deadly-looking weapons, and passed them out.

"What are they?" Maria asked, her eyes wide.

Ria grinned coldly.  "Last time we raided a Skin base, just like this, I suddenly developed a case of sticky fingers."  She fingered one of the weapons idly, ignoring the look of shock on her younger self's face.  "The bastards used these to kill Jake, and Liz and Max…and Michael.  Now, we'll use them to kill them."

*

March 3, 2002 - 1647 h

Carefully, I set Robbie on his feet, making sure his sneakers were fastened securely and his jacket was zipped up.  I took comfort in these small acts…they meant nothing anymore, or wouldn't, soon, but they made me feel better, somehow.  I didn't want to watch Ria's painful goodbye to Michael, or Kyle last reassurance to Tess that he loved her.  And looking at Alex one last time…well, it just might break my heart, all over again.

"Hi."  Her voice was soft, but I knew it immediately.  It was as familiar to me as my own – probably because it was my own.  I looked up, from where I knelt next to my baby boy, and saw her standing awkwardly next to me. 

"Hi," I echoed.

"I just want you to know…I'll do it right this time, for both of us."

I stared at her for a moment, and then dug into the bottom of my bag, pulling out one last thing.  "This is for you…don't open it, until after everything's over, okay?"

She nodded, and then I slid the locket from my neck.  "These are pictures of my – our – babies.  Keep them, and remember Carly and Christian, okay?  And keep Robbie close to your heart, until it's time for you to hold him again."

I thrust the package and the necklace at her, and then turned and picked up my son, sticking the remote-control device that would blow the building – and everyone in it – to kingdom come, in the back pocket of my jeans.  "Ready to go?" I asked Kyle and Ria softly, noticing they'd come up to flank me on either side.  They nodded, and I offered them small smiles.  "This is goodbye, then I guess," I said, turning to the solemn group before me.  "Have a good life," I added simply, then, as one, we turned and ran towards the building.

Maria's belly was big, but it didn't hinder her speed as we ran. And it certainly didn't stop her brain, as she used one of her gadgets to short the electrical lock on the window we'd chosen to use to enter the base.

Kyle wiggled through, and checked the room to make sure it was empty.  Then I handed Robbie to him, and helped Maria through, and pulled myself in, being careful to shut the window behind me.  The last thing we needed was to give them any hint we were here, before we had to.

Carefully, we slithered down the hallway, and for the first time, I was thankful for the way Robbie had been raised.  He knew, far too young, what the consequences could be if we were caught by the bad guys.  And he was like a heartbreaking, miniature soldier as he crept along beside us, his steps as silent as ours, his breathing controlled and even.

You'll have a better life next time, baby, even if it's not with me…

Carefully, almost automatically, we attacked the skin guards, in a bizarre waltz of destruction.  And before I knew what had happened, we were at the doors to the auditorium-style room where the green blips had been concentrated.

"Ready?" Maria breathed, and I nodded, fighting back a nervous shiver.  Throwing open the door, I strode inside the lion's den, with Maria and Kyle following behind.  One way or another, this was ending.  Now.

*

March 3, 2002, 1707 h

"Hello, lover, miss me?"  The chatter stopped, draping the room in silence, and the Skins stood, stunned, and little Nicky stared at us in shock.  They were in the middle of some bizarre form of worship, and I watched, almost detachedly, as the book fell from his hands and clattered to the floor.

"Vilandra?  What are you doing here?"

Then my mind cleared, and I sprung into action.  Making sure Robbie was behind me, I fired into the crowd of Skins, making each shot count, picking them off one by one, the same way they'd done to us over the years, as they hunted us like animals.

It was time they knew how it felt.

"I'm not Vilandra," I screamed.  "I'm Isabel!  And it's time you know that, you little bastard!"

I heard the lasers sizzle from either side of me, and couldn't help but smile as Kyle and Maria began practicing their sharp shooting, their aim nearly as clean as mine, and just as deadly. The Skins were picked off as soon as they surged towards us, and there was no hope or mercy for the ones who tried fleeing to the other doors.  We'd made sure they were locked before we'd started.  There was no room for interruptions, and we were taking no prisoners.

One way or another, it was ending tonight, and I made no effort to tamp down the surge of absolute joy that thought brought me.

The room filled with flakes of skin, and even though I continued to rhythmically pick off our enemies one by one, my eyes remained trained on Nicholas.  I knew he was trying his mind games – I could feel the air tingling, sizzling around me as his power built – but I wasn't the naïve young girl he was expecting.  Dropping my weapon, trusting Kyle and Maria to protect me, I gathered my own strength and fired a volley of his own energy back at him.

My mind touched his, and together, our lips fell open in a scream of agony.  For a moment, I wasn't Isabel Evans Bennington anymore; I was Nicholas, and he was me, and we were locked in a duel that only one of us could ever win.

And then we broke apart, and all I could hear were my own panting breaths.  Reaching behind me, I grabbed Robbie and pulled him into my arms, giving him one final squeeze.  My eyes locked with Kyle's, and he nodded slightly, and I pulled the remote control from my pocket.  Maria's eyes met mine, and she gave me a small smile. 

My eyes closed, and I saw Alex's face as I pressed the button…

*

Epilogue

March 4, 2002 – 1727 h

Isabel Evans POV

It's been a full day since I watched a building explode, destroying the biggest threat we've ever faced…and me, or some future version of me.  I still have to fight the urge to pinch myself, to make myself that everything I've seen and heard is true.

Alex and I talked, the entire way home.  Well, he talked, and I cried.  He told me he loved me, that he would always love me, that he couldn't wait until the day we could hold Robbie in our arms.

Slowly, wearily, I lowered myself onto my bed, and pulled the package she'd given me out of my purse.  Carefully, I opened the locket, smiling at the faces of her – my – babies.  The delicate gold casing was closed again, and I brought it to my lips, before sliding it around my neck.

Then I opened the wrapping paper of the other thing she had shoved into my hands, and found a tiny book, covered with worn brown leather.  Curiously, I opened the book, and began to read.

This is a goodbye, but it is also a confession.  Although I don't expect an absolution.  My sins are too many and too great for me to accept forgiveness.  And they are too strange for me to seek the guidance of a priest.  And so I am left with this journal.  I will write down my sins before I commit the biggest sin of all.  Before I erase everything.

But where to start?  I remember, from what seems like an eon ago, how my friend Liz used to begin her journal entries.  It seems as good a place as any…

It's February 28, 2006.  I'm Isabel Bennington, and this is my story.

End.