Chapter Five: Letting One of Your Own In
(Author's Note: Just wanted to say I'm sorry about not updating earlier, but I'm back now and it's all good. Oh, and to the loyal reviewers of both "Dear Tinga" and "Dear Zack", please, please, review "Dear Ben" as well, I know it might not be my best attempt, but please just review!!)
Onward to the chapter………………………………………
Kyle stood glaring angrily at her sister. "Well, Risa, I'm waiting, aren't you going to tell me??" Meanwhile, Liz's mind was spinning out of control. She couldn't think of a clear way to tell Ty about Zack. The few times that she and Ty had actually spoken about Zack and the others over the years, Ty would abruptly cut her off, his eyes cold and closed at the mention of their older brother. The few rare moments that Ty would talk about Zack, he bitterly called Zack a cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch, for leaving them there, for not being there for them. He berated Zack constantly for not following through on his promise to protect them, for not being the older brother he was supposed to. Liz fiercely defended Zack to Ty, although she never told Ty why it was that, she protected Zack the way she did. The one thing that Ty couldn't understand about his sister, was why she defended Zack against him, if anything, Risika should feel the same way regarding Zack. After all, Ty fondly remembered, just as he was sure all the rest of his siblings did, the days back in the barracks of Manticore, where Risika and Zack had been close, so close that, looking back, if he had been an ordinary, Ty would have sworn that they were lovers, despite not knowing anything about love way back when. What Risika couldn't tell her brother, was that he had been wrong all these years to think that Zack had abandoned them. She could never explain it to her brother of course, but, before even knowing, just recently, that he had been watching over her and Ty for the last eleven years, she had always had this feeling that Zack had always been there, watching over them, protecting them, just like he promised. Somehow, Risika always knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Zack was there, always there, taking care of her, just the way he promised her, that night, eleven years ago, when they all escaped.
A sudden cough from Kyle startled Liz from her reverie. Kyle tapped his foot against the ground impatiently"Well, Risa?? Are you going to tell me?? What's with you anyway, if it's something related us, or to our brothers and sisters, why can't you tell me?? We've never kept any secrets from each other before. So, tell me, Risa, just tell me already!!" Liz still hesitated, knowing full well how Ty felt about Zack, but, they were still brothers, and Zack made it clear to her, that they needed the help of both her and Ty to make the plan work. Luckily for Liz, at that moment, Zack, who had apparently been witnessing her exchange with Ty, and knowing her turmoil, climbed up the ladder and swung himself up gracefully to land on the roof. Looking at Ty square in the eye, he nodded to Liz to explain. Liz swallowed hard before turning to Kyle. "Ty, it's Zack, he's here, here to help us." But, before Liz even got the words, Kyle knew. He knew that he was Zack, the guy who abandoned them, who didn't look out for them the way he said he would. His eyes blazed with anger, as Zack stepped closer to him, and nodded. "It's me, little brother, I'm here." Without hesitating, Ty drew back his fist, and crashed it into Zack's jaw.
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Meanwhile, across town in his apartment, Michael sat on his couch, silently contemplating what to do about the situation with Max. He knew that what he told Maria earlier that day had been true. He loved her, he knew that well enough, and he promised her that he'd never leave her. But what about Isabel?? How could he selfishly stay on Earth, knowing that Isabel was suffering from the loss of Alex and her own brother couldn't care enough to give her a hug, much less try and talk to her about what happened? All Max cared about these days, was Tess, and the baby she was apparently carrying. Michael's blood began to boil as he thought about Max. He just couldn't understand the guy. Maria had told him about what it was that Liz did, but still, Michael couldn't understand Max. He understood that Max felt angry and hurt, betrayed by Liz's actions. He understood that, really he did. But, that didn't give Max any excuse to abandon his sister the way he did, or to treat Liz the way he did, either. He knew that Liz's supposed betrayal wounded Max very deeply, but, that didn't give Max the right to question Liz's loyalty. Just because she no longer loved him, didn't mean that she would betray the group.
Maria had told him about Liz's feelings regarding Max, and quite frankly, he wasn't surprised to hear of Liz's feelings for Max. After the way Max treated her, Michael would've been surprised if Liz hadn't called the FBI in to incarcerate Max. Liz fiercely hated Max with a passion, now and considered him one of her enemies. And the only reason Michael knew that Liz hadn't completely turned against Max, was because of him and Isabel. Michael knew that in spite of everything that Max put her through, Liz still considered Him and Isabel good friends. And Michael, himself, intended to be there for Liz whenever she needed him. Michael had to admit to himself, that Liz had been a very good friend to him, always sticking by him, if not for Maria's sake, then for his own, because he had helped her in the past. He knew that if he were in Liz's position, it honestly would've been very hard for him, not to kill Max for what he had done. Honestly, he knew that even if Liz didn't have the heart to kill Max, he'd gladly do it himself. Max had changed, twisted into someone Michael no longer knew, no longer had any desire to know. Max had changed into a cold, selfish, son-of-a-bitch, who cared about nothing and no one except himself, and that bitch whose child he fathered. Michael never let himself get too close to Tess, and although he wasn't really sure why, he always had this feeling that there was something off about Tess, that she wasn't to be trusted. Despite Max's inability to believe it, and his cruel words to Liz afterwards, Michael believed that an alien killed Alex. After all, the Skins knew about the humans, and could've targeted Alex because they knew that Alex had been a close friend of theirs. Michael snarled a frustrated growl and hurled a glass across the room, where it smashed into the wall. He didn't know what to do anymore, he couldn't save Alex from what it was that took him from them, and he couldn't mourn the loss of the brother he once thought he knew. Max was nothing to him now, maybe he never was. But, he could promise himself one thing; and that was to be there for Maria, Isabel, and Liz, whenever they needed him, at whatever the cost.
tbc………………………………………