Max pulled up to his parents' house, everyone was already there as shown by
the number of cars, except his parent that is. He saw Maria's jetta and
knew that Michael had probably gotten a ride from her. The two were still
over as a couple, but they were becoming closer as friends. He stopped the
car and thought about what was going on. It had been strange that Isabel
had called to inform him about a meeting at his house, called by his wife.
Liz was okay though, because Isabel would have said otherwise. As he
approached the door, he wondered what waited for him inside.
Max walked into the living room to find everyone except Liz, sitting down. "Hey guys, what's going on? Where's Liz?" he asked as he looked around
"She's upstairs." Maria explained, "She hasn't been feeling well, she figured it was the flu, and I think she's in the bathroom."
"Be right back." Max said turning on his heels and rushing upstairs. Back in the living room, Maria and Isabel smiled at each other, both thinking how cute Max was acting.
Upstairs, Max stopped outside the bathroom and knocked softly. "Liz?"
"Come on in Max, its unlocked." She called through the door. Max walked in to find Liz sitting on the side of the tub with a wet cloth against her forehead. Kneeling down next to her he asked, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, it'll go away."
"The flu?" he asked, still concerned. "Maria mentioned that you thought you might have it."
"I did, but now I know that's not it." Liz said standing up.
"Careful." He said as she swayed slightly.
"Relax, I'm okay. Wait until both Is and I are like this next month." Liz said walking over to the sink.
"Wait a minute?" Max said confused, "What? Liz, what's going on?" Liz turned to him and smiled. "Nothing that won't be better in eight and a half months."
"Eight and a half months! What's going on Liz?" he asked in shock, then an idea popped in his head, "Wait a minute. Liz, you're not? Are you?" he asked taking her hands. Liz shook her head and smiled. "Twins."
"Really? Oh Liz, that's wonderful." He said pulling her into his arms. "But what about. you know?" Max asked looking at her face.
"I'll explain everything downstairs, but I wanted you to know first. And I have to tell Isabel that she's expecting too, so please don't say anything until I tell her in my way so she can be the one to tell Jesse." She said with a smile.
"All right, well, lets get down there." Max said opening the door, and the two of them made their way back down to the others.
~*~*~*~*~
Everyone looked up as Max and Liz entered the room. The two sat down, as Maria began to talk.
"Chica, are you okay?" she asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Liz said as Max smiled
"So, what's up Liz?" Isabel asked
"Well, after I got home today, Ava showed up."
"Ava? What was she doing here?" Michael asked
"She wanted to warn us. Tess and Kivar are coming. They could be here anytime in the next two months."
"What? Why?" Isabel asked sitting forward, the shock on her face mirrored on everyone else's.
"Ava has something they want." Liz began
"Then why are we involved?" Kyle asked confused.
"Because they want me," Liz began, and then finished softly, "Dead."
"What?!" Max said looking at her in shock; the same shock that showed on everyone's faces.
"Liz, why?" Maria asked, the first to find her voice.
"I'm a threat to their plans. They want to use Max's son as the only legitimate claim to the throne."
"But how is that a problem? We don't even know if we can have children with a human, none of us have." Isabel pointed out.
"Isabel, how have you been feeling lately?" Liz asked softly.
"Fine, why?"
"No headaches, tiredness, any of the usual flu symptoms?"
"No Liz, you know we don't get sick like that."
"Must be a human thing." Liz muttered, so only Max could hear her. Then softly asked, "What about dreams and voices?"
Isabel's face went pale as soon as Liz said that, "How do you know?" she asked in shock.
Everyone looked at Isabel, wondering what was going on. They looked back at Liz as she spoke.
"It's weird isn't it." Liz said, more of a statement than a question. "You almost think you're losing it when you hear the voices and no one is around, or no one else hears them."
"How are you hearing them? I thought they were memories, or something like that." Isabel said softly.
Liz smiled, "No, they aren't memories." Liz said standing up and going over to kneel next to Isabel. "Is, you trust me right?"
"Of course. Why?" Isabel asked as Liz took one of her hands with one of her own.
~*~*~*~*~
Immediately the two were in a light blue room of sorts. Liz pointed, and Isabel looked over to see four children of similar age playing together. Two of them, a boy and girl, had blonde hair and brown eyes; the other two, also a boy and a girl, had dark brown hair and brown eyes. The four looked up and came over, as they drew closer, Isabel realized that the blonde children had Jesse's eyes, and the dark-haired ones had Max's. The four smiled at the two women then turned and ran to another boy about a year older with dark hair and blue eyes. Isabel turned to Liz, the questions in her eyes.
"Max's son. He has Tess' eyes."
"And them?"
"The dark haired ones are mine, they are due in January." Liz said with a smile, while watching the five children.
"The others?"
"What do you think?" Liz asked softly.
"Mine." Isabel said just as softly.
"February." Liz said with a smile. "They've been talking to us. We had better get back though; I can't hold the connection for long. Don't say anything about my two, Max wants to. And don't say anything about him." Liz said nodding towards Tess' son, "I have to explain him."
"Okay. But, how do we get back?"
"Let go of my hand." Liz said with a smile looking down between them. Isabel looked down and laughed when she saw that her hand was still in Liz's.
"That's easy enough." She said letting go. Suddenly they were back in the room, exactly as they were before.
~*~*~*~*~
"Where did you two go? We've been calling your names for the last ten minutes." Maria exclaimed.
"Jesse, I was wrong." Isabel said turning to him as Liz went and rejoined Max.
"About what?" Jesse asked slightly confused.
"About us not being able to have children with full humans." Isabel said with a smile.
"You mean?" Jesse asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Yes." She said as Jesse pulled her close and whispered in her ear the joy he was feeling.
"Congratulations." Jim said, "But before we really begin celebrating, Liz you knew about Isabel. Does that mean what I think it means?"
"Yes." Max said smiling.
"Oh my God!" Maria said jumping up and running to Liz, giving her a hug. "You're going to be a mom!" she said as they held hands and jumped up and down.
"So is Isabel." Liz said as they stopped.
Maria grabbed Isabel and said, "Forget your social 'queen'-ness, join the club." Isabel shook her head slightly, but began jumping with them just the same.
"Oh my God. You two are going to be moms." Maria cried as the jumped.
"And you're going to be a Godmother." Liz replied.
"Really?" Maria asked, stopping mid-jump.
"Really." Isabel said with a laugh, and the three began jumping around again.
"Excuse us, but can the rest of us give hugs and share in the joy?" Jim asked with a smile.
"Without jumping." Kyle muttered.
The girls stopped jumping, and Maria began to walk over to Kyle, who was trying to get out of his chair, to no avail. Maria smacked him over the head, and grabbed a pillow, with which she continued to hit him with.
"Ouch! Don't just stand there watching! Help me!!" Kyle implored of the others.
"No can do. You asked for that." Liz said as Maria stopped, and Liz and Isabel sat down.
"I hate to break up the joy fest." Jim said with a smirk at his son, who was rubbing his head. "But, I'm guessing we now know why Kivar and Tess want Liz dead." Jim said, causing Maria to sit back down next to Liz.
"Well, they aren't getting to my Chica or my God child." She said protectively.
Liz laughed, "God children. Both of us are having twins, a boy and a girl. I'm due in January, Isabel in February. They all will appear perfectly human, except they will have powers. And, my children are the reason Kivar and Tess are after me."
"Then we will simply fight them." Michael said as if that closed the subject.
"It's not that simple. You aren't strong enough to fight Kivar. You need the powers Tess and Ava possess. And even if I help, we still aren't strong enough."
"How do you know we need Tess or Ava's help?" Isabel asked confused.
"And why are they after Ava?" Kyle asked
"Because, she had Max's son." Liz said looking at Max.
Max looked at her surprised then softly whispered, "How?"
"She found a way to go back, one time only. That's how she learned about Isabel and I, and Tess and Kivar's plan. When they left the room, she took little Alex."
"Alex?" Maria asked.
"Yeah, she let me name him, I didn't think you would mind." She said looking at Max.
"No, not at all. What's his full name?"
"Alexander Charles Evens. He has your hair and Tess' eyes." Liz said softly.
"You actually saw him?" Michael asked
"Actually, I held him for quite some time. But Ava's taken him into hiding until Kivar and Tess are no longer a threat."
"All right, then what are we going to do about them?" Max asked as he began to think.
"I say we take care of them." Michael replied
"It's not that easy." Liz said softly, "They have the granolith, and it has a great deal of power."
"Liz, how do you know this?" Isabel asked softly
"Max told her." Maria said without realizing what she was saying. "Oops." She said as realization dawned. "Sorry Liz."
"It's okay." Liz whispered.
"Maxwell?" Michael asked looking at him.
"It wasn't me." Max said confused
"You had to, you're the only one around named Max." Michael said angrily.
"Actually he didn't." Liz said with a sigh.
"Sure Liz, then who did?" Kyle asked slightly sarcastically.
"Liz, I think it's time you told them." Maria said softly.
"I guess so. But I still feel like I'm putting everyone in danger. Anyways, Max told me, but not the Max who is in this room. The not long after Isabel's birthday party, before we went to Arizona, Maria, Alex and I went to a psychic that Mrs. DeLuca goes to. It was in the middle of the week, and that night, Max came back from the year 2014, and a future that no longer exists." Liz said with a sigh, as she stood up and walked towards the window, lost in her memories.
"Max came back to change his future. I still remember what he said that night after Max and his mariachi band left.
~*~*~*~*~
'It's you I trust. It's you I have faith in, and because it's not just about getting me close to Tess. I need you to help me fall out of love with you.' ~*~*~*~*~
"And, he couldn't go to himself, Serina, a friend of my future self, had a theory that if you met yourself in the past, then both of you would cease to exist. It has something to do with quantum mechanics." Liz said shaking her head slightly as if trying to understand.
"That's why you trusted Serina so quickly, and without question." A voice said from the hallway. Everyone except Liz looked up to see Ava standing there.
"Yes, have a seat Ava." Liz said without turning, "If I don't do this now, I never will. And Max needs to know everything." She said with a sigh as Ava sat down. "Max convinced me to help him," Liz said with a shudder. "So, I first tried to make Tess more appealing to the present Max.
"Future Max and I hid in Whitaker's office to watch Max and Tess' meeting. Unfortunately, Max saw me or something, and came over. I was barely able to push the future Max out of view before the present Max came through the door. Max yelled at me, and tried to understand why I set him and Tess up, he even asked me to a Gomez concert in Santa Fe that Friday night.
"Eventually, I got him to leave and future Max came out and yelled at me even longer, reminding me of the reasons he had come, and said that I wasn't trying hard enough, blaming me for Max's actions minutes earlier." Liz said with a smile. "He told me that I had to change. So, I went home, and the next night, I went to Max's house, and told him some big speech about Romeo and Juliet, and how I didn't want to die for him.
"Later that night, I was crying on my balcony and future Max started to disappear, showing that we had accomplished our goals. But, minutes later, he was solid again, and I got yelled at once more. Although, this time I yelled back. "Maria told me later on, that when future Max started to disappear, she had been with present Max, and he had started to believe my speech, but then he realized that he couldn't let go." Liz reached her hand out and touched the glass.
"The next day I saw Maria, and she told me about what had happened with Michael, and an idea began to form in my head. I went to Kyle, and asked him to help me, which he agreed to. That night, the Friday Max wanted me to go to the concert with him, Kyle came over. Future Max declared me insane, saying that he would never believe Kyle and I slept together, or be jealous of Kyle, but I had to try.
"I left him in the bathroom, and Kyle and I laid down in my bed, both of us with our undergarments on. For a long time neither of us talked. Then, we talked about what it was like to be the only two people in the world, who not only knew aliens, but had also been brought back to life by one. Just when I was starting to relax, Max showed up. I still remember the look on his face." Liz said with another shudder.
Max started to get up but Ava stopped him, shaking her head softly. He sat back down and everyone waited for her to continue. "Kyle left right away, and after I got dressed, Future Max and I went back to the balcony. I still remember what he said, that he had been through thousands of battles, and that was the hardest thing he ever had to do.
"He had told me about our wedding in his past, and I asked him if I could have my 'wedding dance'. We danced on the balcony for a few minutes, and as we danced, he disappeared. His future had ceased to be. I remember, that one of the last things he said, 'From now on, the future is to be determined. It's what've always said to you, Liz. We create our own destiny'." Liz said slowly sliding down to the floor.
"It's a miracle you kept this a secret all this time." Max said softly, as he started to get up once more, but Ava stopped him again. Sitting down he asked, "Liz, why did he want you and I to be over?" Max asked looking at her.
When Liz didn't answer, he turned to Maria. Maria looked at Liz, then turned back to Max, "She never told me why he came, just that it was to save the world. Although, I don't know where we were. I know that I would have tried to come instead of sending Max, then at least, I could have gone to both of you."
Liz whispered softly from where she sat, "You couldn't come, you were dead. Twenty-five minutes before he came, he held Michael in his arms, dead. Isabel had died two weeks earlier. He left me in the Granolith chamber when he came back, knowing that in minutes Kivar's forces would be in the chamber and I would likely be dead."
"What?" Isabel asked in shock, "Why, how?"
"Because Tess had left years earlier. The four of you form a unit; you can't survive without all of you. He had to keep Tess from leaving. And she left because of me, because of our relationship. That night, when everything changed for the worst in our timeline, out relationship changed in his timeline. I had to prevent that. Among other things." Liz said, saying the last line sadly.
"Oh Liz. At least you still got your wedding in Vegas." Maria said trying to bring Liz back and cheer her up.
"Wedding in Vegas! That's why you two went there to get married." Kyle said, finally understanding.
"Yeah, but it wasn't the same." Liz said standing up and walking towards the mantle.
"Liz?" Max asked as he started to stand up.
"No." Maria said placing her arm in front of him, "Let her be. She's facing an inner demon that she hasn't allowed herself to face before."
"What do you mean?" Max asked as he sat back down.
"Your wedding in the other life was the only thing your future self left her with. She told me everything about it that he had told her. You guys were nineteen; the two of you took off to Vegas on a Friday, and got marred at the Elvis chapel. You had us meet you outside Phoenix at a roadside restaurant where we celebrated and danced all night. After midnight, all of us were tired and sitting down, except you two. The radio played the song 'I Shall Believe', and the two of you danced to it. It became your song. But that's not the demon she's facing now. Those of us who were in Arizona were Kyle, Isabel, Michael, me, and Alex." Maria finished softly.
"Oh no." Isabel said quietly, realizing what Liz was dealing with.
"Yes, if she hadn't done what your future self said, Alex would be alive now, but he would be dead, along with the rest of us, within twelve years."
"That doesn't matter now." Liz said softly, as she walked back to them. There are more important things to deal with. You three can't fight Tess. She knows your powers. Kyle and I have to." Liz said as she continued to stand.
"Me? But I don't have any powers." Kyle said surprised and a bit scared.
"You will, you and I are going to make them manifest themselves tomorrow. We have to start training immediately."
"Yes, and as to Kivar, as soon as they reach Earth, I will sense them and come here. The six of us can destroy Kivar."
"What about Max's son?" Michael asked
"Our protector, Serina will keep him in hiding. She's trustworthy. She was the friend of her future self that Liz was talking about." Ava said.
"Alright. Liz, are you okay?" Isabel asked standing up.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I didn't get quite as long a nap as I wanted this afternoon. What do you say we call it a night. Your parents should be home soon. And there might be questions as to why we are all here, or at least why Jim is here." Liz said with a slight smile.
"Which reminds me. I want you guys to seriously think about something. I think it's time we told our parents, or at least all of yours. All five of the kids will have powers, what if they connect with one of their grandparents, or accidentally do something else? We can't keep it a secret from them forever unless we leave. I don't think anyone really wants to do that." Liz said softly.
"Liz." Max began.
"Just think about it. Please?" Liz said interrupting him, "I'm going to be upstairs. I'll see you guys later. Goodnight." Liz said turning around and walking upstairs.
"Let's call it a night. Hopefully she'll be feeling better tomorrow." Max said
"At least physically, emotionally it will take a bit more time." Isabel said softly, understanding in a way what Liz was going through.
"Tell Liz I'll stop by in the morning about ten." Kyle said as everyone began making his or her way to the door.
"All right. Goodnight you guys, and Congratulations Is." Max said as everyone walked out.
"Thanks Max, you too little brother." Isabel said giving him a hug, "Give her time. She will deal, I know. It took until Jesse proposed for me to really forgive myself for how I thought I caused Alex's death."
"Yeah, thanks sis. Goodnight." Max said and he went back inside while Isabel went to the car. He looked towards the top of the stairs wondering how he could help Liz.
Max walked into the living room to find everyone except Liz, sitting down. "Hey guys, what's going on? Where's Liz?" he asked as he looked around
"She's upstairs." Maria explained, "She hasn't been feeling well, she figured it was the flu, and I think she's in the bathroom."
"Be right back." Max said turning on his heels and rushing upstairs. Back in the living room, Maria and Isabel smiled at each other, both thinking how cute Max was acting.
Upstairs, Max stopped outside the bathroom and knocked softly. "Liz?"
"Come on in Max, its unlocked." She called through the door. Max walked in to find Liz sitting on the side of the tub with a wet cloth against her forehead. Kneeling down next to her he asked, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, it'll go away."
"The flu?" he asked, still concerned. "Maria mentioned that you thought you might have it."
"I did, but now I know that's not it." Liz said standing up.
"Careful." He said as she swayed slightly.
"Relax, I'm okay. Wait until both Is and I are like this next month." Liz said walking over to the sink.
"Wait a minute?" Max said confused, "What? Liz, what's going on?" Liz turned to him and smiled. "Nothing that won't be better in eight and a half months."
"Eight and a half months! What's going on Liz?" he asked in shock, then an idea popped in his head, "Wait a minute. Liz, you're not? Are you?" he asked taking her hands. Liz shook her head and smiled. "Twins."
"Really? Oh Liz, that's wonderful." He said pulling her into his arms. "But what about. you know?" Max asked looking at her face.
"I'll explain everything downstairs, but I wanted you to know first. And I have to tell Isabel that she's expecting too, so please don't say anything until I tell her in my way so she can be the one to tell Jesse." She said with a smile.
"All right, well, lets get down there." Max said opening the door, and the two of them made their way back down to the others.
~*~*~*~*~
Everyone looked up as Max and Liz entered the room. The two sat down, as Maria began to talk.
"Chica, are you okay?" she asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Liz said as Max smiled
"So, what's up Liz?" Isabel asked
"Well, after I got home today, Ava showed up."
"Ava? What was she doing here?" Michael asked
"She wanted to warn us. Tess and Kivar are coming. They could be here anytime in the next two months."
"What? Why?" Isabel asked sitting forward, the shock on her face mirrored on everyone else's.
"Ava has something they want." Liz began
"Then why are we involved?" Kyle asked confused.
"Because they want me," Liz began, and then finished softly, "Dead."
"What?!" Max said looking at her in shock; the same shock that showed on everyone's faces.
"Liz, why?" Maria asked, the first to find her voice.
"I'm a threat to their plans. They want to use Max's son as the only legitimate claim to the throne."
"But how is that a problem? We don't even know if we can have children with a human, none of us have." Isabel pointed out.
"Isabel, how have you been feeling lately?" Liz asked softly.
"Fine, why?"
"No headaches, tiredness, any of the usual flu symptoms?"
"No Liz, you know we don't get sick like that."
"Must be a human thing." Liz muttered, so only Max could hear her. Then softly asked, "What about dreams and voices?"
Isabel's face went pale as soon as Liz said that, "How do you know?" she asked in shock.
Everyone looked at Isabel, wondering what was going on. They looked back at Liz as she spoke.
"It's weird isn't it." Liz said, more of a statement than a question. "You almost think you're losing it when you hear the voices and no one is around, or no one else hears them."
"How are you hearing them? I thought they were memories, or something like that." Isabel said softly.
Liz smiled, "No, they aren't memories." Liz said standing up and going over to kneel next to Isabel. "Is, you trust me right?"
"Of course. Why?" Isabel asked as Liz took one of her hands with one of her own.
~*~*~*~*~
Immediately the two were in a light blue room of sorts. Liz pointed, and Isabel looked over to see four children of similar age playing together. Two of them, a boy and girl, had blonde hair and brown eyes; the other two, also a boy and a girl, had dark brown hair and brown eyes. The four looked up and came over, as they drew closer, Isabel realized that the blonde children had Jesse's eyes, and the dark-haired ones had Max's. The four smiled at the two women then turned and ran to another boy about a year older with dark hair and blue eyes. Isabel turned to Liz, the questions in her eyes.
"Max's son. He has Tess' eyes."
"And them?"
"The dark haired ones are mine, they are due in January." Liz said with a smile, while watching the five children.
"The others?"
"What do you think?" Liz asked softly.
"Mine." Isabel said just as softly.
"February." Liz said with a smile. "They've been talking to us. We had better get back though; I can't hold the connection for long. Don't say anything about my two, Max wants to. And don't say anything about him." Liz said nodding towards Tess' son, "I have to explain him."
"Okay. But, how do we get back?"
"Let go of my hand." Liz said with a smile looking down between them. Isabel looked down and laughed when she saw that her hand was still in Liz's.
"That's easy enough." She said letting go. Suddenly they were back in the room, exactly as they were before.
~*~*~*~*~
"Where did you two go? We've been calling your names for the last ten minutes." Maria exclaimed.
"Jesse, I was wrong." Isabel said turning to him as Liz went and rejoined Max.
"About what?" Jesse asked slightly confused.
"About us not being able to have children with full humans." Isabel said with a smile.
"You mean?" Jesse asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Yes." She said as Jesse pulled her close and whispered in her ear the joy he was feeling.
"Congratulations." Jim said, "But before we really begin celebrating, Liz you knew about Isabel. Does that mean what I think it means?"
"Yes." Max said smiling.
"Oh my God!" Maria said jumping up and running to Liz, giving her a hug. "You're going to be a mom!" she said as they held hands and jumped up and down.
"So is Isabel." Liz said as they stopped.
Maria grabbed Isabel and said, "Forget your social 'queen'-ness, join the club." Isabel shook her head slightly, but began jumping with them just the same.
"Oh my God. You two are going to be moms." Maria cried as the jumped.
"And you're going to be a Godmother." Liz replied.
"Really?" Maria asked, stopping mid-jump.
"Really." Isabel said with a laugh, and the three began jumping around again.
"Excuse us, but can the rest of us give hugs and share in the joy?" Jim asked with a smile.
"Without jumping." Kyle muttered.
The girls stopped jumping, and Maria began to walk over to Kyle, who was trying to get out of his chair, to no avail. Maria smacked him over the head, and grabbed a pillow, with which she continued to hit him with.
"Ouch! Don't just stand there watching! Help me!!" Kyle implored of the others.
"No can do. You asked for that." Liz said as Maria stopped, and Liz and Isabel sat down.
"I hate to break up the joy fest." Jim said with a smirk at his son, who was rubbing his head. "But, I'm guessing we now know why Kivar and Tess want Liz dead." Jim said, causing Maria to sit back down next to Liz.
"Well, they aren't getting to my Chica or my God child." She said protectively.
Liz laughed, "God children. Both of us are having twins, a boy and a girl. I'm due in January, Isabel in February. They all will appear perfectly human, except they will have powers. And, my children are the reason Kivar and Tess are after me."
"Then we will simply fight them." Michael said as if that closed the subject.
"It's not that simple. You aren't strong enough to fight Kivar. You need the powers Tess and Ava possess. And even if I help, we still aren't strong enough."
"How do you know we need Tess or Ava's help?" Isabel asked confused.
"And why are they after Ava?" Kyle asked
"Because, she had Max's son." Liz said looking at Max.
Max looked at her surprised then softly whispered, "How?"
"She found a way to go back, one time only. That's how she learned about Isabel and I, and Tess and Kivar's plan. When they left the room, she took little Alex."
"Alex?" Maria asked.
"Yeah, she let me name him, I didn't think you would mind." She said looking at Max.
"No, not at all. What's his full name?"
"Alexander Charles Evens. He has your hair and Tess' eyes." Liz said softly.
"You actually saw him?" Michael asked
"Actually, I held him for quite some time. But Ava's taken him into hiding until Kivar and Tess are no longer a threat."
"All right, then what are we going to do about them?" Max asked as he began to think.
"I say we take care of them." Michael replied
"It's not that easy." Liz said softly, "They have the granolith, and it has a great deal of power."
"Liz, how do you know this?" Isabel asked softly
"Max told her." Maria said without realizing what she was saying. "Oops." She said as realization dawned. "Sorry Liz."
"It's okay." Liz whispered.
"Maxwell?" Michael asked looking at him.
"It wasn't me." Max said confused
"You had to, you're the only one around named Max." Michael said angrily.
"Actually he didn't." Liz said with a sigh.
"Sure Liz, then who did?" Kyle asked slightly sarcastically.
"Liz, I think it's time you told them." Maria said softly.
"I guess so. But I still feel like I'm putting everyone in danger. Anyways, Max told me, but not the Max who is in this room. The not long after Isabel's birthday party, before we went to Arizona, Maria, Alex and I went to a psychic that Mrs. DeLuca goes to. It was in the middle of the week, and that night, Max came back from the year 2014, and a future that no longer exists." Liz said with a sigh, as she stood up and walked towards the window, lost in her memories.
"Max came back to change his future. I still remember what he said that night after Max and his mariachi band left.
~*~*~*~*~
'It's you I trust. It's you I have faith in, and because it's not just about getting me close to Tess. I need you to help me fall out of love with you.' ~*~*~*~*~
"And, he couldn't go to himself, Serina, a friend of my future self, had a theory that if you met yourself in the past, then both of you would cease to exist. It has something to do with quantum mechanics." Liz said shaking her head slightly as if trying to understand.
"That's why you trusted Serina so quickly, and without question." A voice said from the hallway. Everyone except Liz looked up to see Ava standing there.
"Yes, have a seat Ava." Liz said without turning, "If I don't do this now, I never will. And Max needs to know everything." She said with a sigh as Ava sat down. "Max convinced me to help him," Liz said with a shudder. "So, I first tried to make Tess more appealing to the present Max.
"Future Max and I hid in Whitaker's office to watch Max and Tess' meeting. Unfortunately, Max saw me or something, and came over. I was barely able to push the future Max out of view before the present Max came through the door. Max yelled at me, and tried to understand why I set him and Tess up, he even asked me to a Gomez concert in Santa Fe that Friday night.
"Eventually, I got him to leave and future Max came out and yelled at me even longer, reminding me of the reasons he had come, and said that I wasn't trying hard enough, blaming me for Max's actions minutes earlier." Liz said with a smile. "He told me that I had to change. So, I went home, and the next night, I went to Max's house, and told him some big speech about Romeo and Juliet, and how I didn't want to die for him.
"Later that night, I was crying on my balcony and future Max started to disappear, showing that we had accomplished our goals. But, minutes later, he was solid again, and I got yelled at once more. Although, this time I yelled back. "Maria told me later on, that when future Max started to disappear, she had been with present Max, and he had started to believe my speech, but then he realized that he couldn't let go." Liz reached her hand out and touched the glass.
"The next day I saw Maria, and she told me about what had happened with Michael, and an idea began to form in my head. I went to Kyle, and asked him to help me, which he agreed to. That night, the Friday Max wanted me to go to the concert with him, Kyle came over. Future Max declared me insane, saying that he would never believe Kyle and I slept together, or be jealous of Kyle, but I had to try.
"I left him in the bathroom, and Kyle and I laid down in my bed, both of us with our undergarments on. For a long time neither of us talked. Then, we talked about what it was like to be the only two people in the world, who not only knew aliens, but had also been brought back to life by one. Just when I was starting to relax, Max showed up. I still remember the look on his face." Liz said with another shudder.
Max started to get up but Ava stopped him, shaking her head softly. He sat back down and everyone waited for her to continue. "Kyle left right away, and after I got dressed, Future Max and I went back to the balcony. I still remember what he said, that he had been through thousands of battles, and that was the hardest thing he ever had to do.
"He had told me about our wedding in his past, and I asked him if I could have my 'wedding dance'. We danced on the balcony for a few minutes, and as we danced, he disappeared. His future had ceased to be. I remember, that one of the last things he said, 'From now on, the future is to be determined. It's what've always said to you, Liz. We create our own destiny'." Liz said slowly sliding down to the floor.
"It's a miracle you kept this a secret all this time." Max said softly, as he started to get up once more, but Ava stopped him again. Sitting down he asked, "Liz, why did he want you and I to be over?" Max asked looking at her.
When Liz didn't answer, he turned to Maria. Maria looked at Liz, then turned back to Max, "She never told me why he came, just that it was to save the world. Although, I don't know where we were. I know that I would have tried to come instead of sending Max, then at least, I could have gone to both of you."
Liz whispered softly from where she sat, "You couldn't come, you were dead. Twenty-five minutes before he came, he held Michael in his arms, dead. Isabel had died two weeks earlier. He left me in the Granolith chamber when he came back, knowing that in minutes Kivar's forces would be in the chamber and I would likely be dead."
"What?" Isabel asked in shock, "Why, how?"
"Because Tess had left years earlier. The four of you form a unit; you can't survive without all of you. He had to keep Tess from leaving. And she left because of me, because of our relationship. That night, when everything changed for the worst in our timeline, out relationship changed in his timeline. I had to prevent that. Among other things." Liz said, saying the last line sadly.
"Oh Liz. At least you still got your wedding in Vegas." Maria said trying to bring Liz back and cheer her up.
"Wedding in Vegas! That's why you two went there to get married." Kyle said, finally understanding.
"Yeah, but it wasn't the same." Liz said standing up and walking towards the mantle.
"Liz?" Max asked as he started to stand up.
"No." Maria said placing her arm in front of him, "Let her be. She's facing an inner demon that she hasn't allowed herself to face before."
"What do you mean?" Max asked as he sat back down.
"Your wedding in the other life was the only thing your future self left her with. She told me everything about it that he had told her. You guys were nineteen; the two of you took off to Vegas on a Friday, and got marred at the Elvis chapel. You had us meet you outside Phoenix at a roadside restaurant where we celebrated and danced all night. After midnight, all of us were tired and sitting down, except you two. The radio played the song 'I Shall Believe', and the two of you danced to it. It became your song. But that's not the demon she's facing now. Those of us who were in Arizona were Kyle, Isabel, Michael, me, and Alex." Maria finished softly.
"Oh no." Isabel said quietly, realizing what Liz was dealing with.
"Yes, if she hadn't done what your future self said, Alex would be alive now, but he would be dead, along with the rest of us, within twelve years."
"That doesn't matter now." Liz said softly, as she walked back to them. There are more important things to deal with. You three can't fight Tess. She knows your powers. Kyle and I have to." Liz said as she continued to stand.
"Me? But I don't have any powers." Kyle said surprised and a bit scared.
"You will, you and I are going to make them manifest themselves tomorrow. We have to start training immediately."
"Yes, and as to Kivar, as soon as they reach Earth, I will sense them and come here. The six of us can destroy Kivar."
"What about Max's son?" Michael asked
"Our protector, Serina will keep him in hiding. She's trustworthy. She was the friend of her future self that Liz was talking about." Ava said.
"Alright. Liz, are you okay?" Isabel asked standing up.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I didn't get quite as long a nap as I wanted this afternoon. What do you say we call it a night. Your parents should be home soon. And there might be questions as to why we are all here, or at least why Jim is here." Liz said with a slight smile.
"Which reminds me. I want you guys to seriously think about something. I think it's time we told our parents, or at least all of yours. All five of the kids will have powers, what if they connect with one of their grandparents, or accidentally do something else? We can't keep it a secret from them forever unless we leave. I don't think anyone really wants to do that." Liz said softly.
"Liz." Max began.
"Just think about it. Please?" Liz said interrupting him, "I'm going to be upstairs. I'll see you guys later. Goodnight." Liz said turning around and walking upstairs.
"Let's call it a night. Hopefully she'll be feeling better tomorrow." Max said
"At least physically, emotionally it will take a bit more time." Isabel said softly, understanding in a way what Liz was going through.
"Tell Liz I'll stop by in the morning about ten." Kyle said as everyone began making his or her way to the door.
"All right. Goodnight you guys, and Congratulations Is." Max said as everyone walked out.
"Thanks Max, you too little brother." Isabel said giving him a hug, "Give her time. She will deal, I know. It took until Jesse proposed for me to really forgive myself for how I thought I caused Alex's death."
"Yeah, thanks sis. Goodnight." Max said and he went back inside while Isabel went to the car. He looked towards the top of the stairs wondering how he could help Liz.