A/N: If you haven't seen Shallow Grave by this point, this chapter is really going to confuse you.

Disclaimer: insert standard disclaimer here

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Altered States #7 – Intimate Stranger

            "You're a ghost, or something," muttered Alex. He raised his voice. "And I want you to leave me alone!" The tall man just gave him a sad and disappointed look. Alex felt strangely chagrined. "I don't call anyone Master," he added, hoping he was making a point. He had come here for some coffee to dull his buzz. Adam had drunk the last cup, than left a polite if useless note telling someone else to get more.

            "Obi-wan, you're drunk. Please have a seat and let me explain," said the strange man patiently. Come to think of it, why was he responding to that name anyway? It sounded Chinese…

"Yeah, Obi-wan. Have a seat," snickered Liath under her breath. Sarah elbowed her. This was getting more interesting by the minute.

Alex shook his head. "Go away," he said desperately. "Stay out of my dreams. Stay out of my mind, and most importantly stay out of my life!" He turned and rushed out of the shop. Qui-gon did nothing to stop him.

"That went well," said Adam, draining his cup of tea, and placing it with a determined clink on the table top. "I have just one question." Qui-gon, Lia and Sarah all looked attentively at him. Adam stared at the man.

"Why are you wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt?" he asked. He had been distracted by the psychedelic coloured shirt ever since he realized that a so-called Jedi was wearing it. The girls focused on the shirt as well, than burst into laughter.

Qui-gon looked down at his admittedly colourful shirt. The girl in the shop had assured him it was perfect for him. On the plus side, it seemed to have convinced the trio of his good intentions. Liath motioned for him to take a seat, so he pulled an empty chair over from one of the other tables and sat down.

"So," began Sarah thoughtfully. "If you're a Jedi you can use the Force." Qui-gon frowned at her. These people obviously knew quite a lot about the galaxy, but it was all through the medium of something called Star Wars. Who knew what Mr. Lucas had gotten wrong? He came to a decision.

"Yes, I can," he said. Lia looked sharply at her friend, realising what she was up to.

"So perhaps you could give us a demonstration. A visible one preferably," asked Sarah. Qui-gon shifted his chair so it blocked the view of the coffee shop employees, and quickly looked around to make sure only Obi-wan's friends would see his little demonstration. Master Yoda would probably scold him for using the Force in such a manner, but if it convinced these people of his sincerity, he was willing to forgo a little pride. He concentrated on the table. Gently, the tea cups slid off their saucers, and the two saucers hovered into the air to circle around each other at a dizzying speed.

Lia clapped her hands together in delight. "Oooo. Can you make them dance?" she said. Sarah hit her upside the head.

"Just ignore her," Sarah said to Qui-gon as he lowered the saucers back to the table. "We should never have let her have caffeine."

"Perhaps you could tell us more of your story, and more about Alex," said Adam in a careful tone. The floating saucers seemed to have unnerved him. They listened quietly, and perhaps in a bit of awe at Qui-gon's tale.

"So Lucas is an alien?" exclaimed Lia at one point "I'm never going to be able to take that man seriously again."

"You took him seriously before?" asked Sarah. Lia shrugged.

"It's the plaid shirts. They get you every time," she said. Adam shushed her, and they let Qui-gon continue his story. When he finished, they sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Sarah spoke up.

"What do you want from us then? You've already spoken to Alex. There's really not much more we can do," she said.

"Even if Alex is who you say he is, he obviously doesn't believe it," pointed out Adam.

"He could have amnesia," suggested Lia. Adam nodded in agreement.

"Like in your book?" asked Sarah.

"Well hopefully not like in my book. That's just weird," said Lia. "I doubt Alex is a woman in disguise anyway."

"Do I even want to know?" asked Adam. He addressed Qui-gon. "As Sarah said, what do you want of us?" Qui-gon regarded the young man and his two companions. He felt unsettled after recounting the events that had brought him to the planet. There was something here he was unable to comprehend.

"The Force is telling me to wait for Obi-wan," he said, ignoring their half sceptical looks. He stood up and pushed his wet hair over his shoulder. "I will contact you shortly once the Force reveals what I should do." He left the shop, not even noticing the pouring rain as he was lost deep within his meditations.

The three flatmates watched him go. Sarah sighed as she looked at their empty cups. "So what do we do about Alex, or Obi-wan, or whatever you want to call him?" she asked the others.

            "We treat him like normal," said Adam flatly. "If he wants to forget then let him."

            "And let him destroy himself?!" exclaimed Liath rather loudly.

"I believe we already had this debate today," he said. "I'm not even sure if we should believe Mr. Jedi and his tale."

"What do you think he is then? How do you explain the saucers?" asked Sarah. Adam considered this.

"Maybe he's insane. He watched Star Wars too many times. So he can levitate saucers. You have no idea of what some people on this planet can do," he said. Sarah and Lia wondered what people he was talking about. Lia considered asking him what he meant, but she knew from experience you would never get a straight answer out of Adam unless he wanted to give you one.

"If Alex does have amnesia he could never remember his former life, or he could remember tomorrow," she said instead, then paused. "Maybe we should do some judicious searching of the nearby hospitals. They might have a record of his stay, if it happened around here. He did mention that he's lived in Edinburgh for awhile didn't he?" Sarah nodded in agreement.

"And how do you suggest we get the hospitals to give up confidential patient information?" asked Adam in a sardonic tone. Lia smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm sure you'll think of a way," she said. He just glared at her.

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            Alex flopped down on his bed, not even bothering to kick off his shoes. His door was shut against the intrusion of his flatmates, and that was all he really needed to have some privacy.

            He wanted to sleep, and he certainly felt tired enough to do so, but his thoughts would not settle down. The image of that man kept intruding. His face had been calm, but Alex had cringed inside when he saw the sadness in the man's eyes.  He flipped over, and buried his face in his nearby pillow. He didn't want to think about this.

            Alex didn't remember falling asleep. In fact, he was sure that his inner turmoil just continued on in his mind, but it was interrupted by the strangest sensation. Someone's arms were around him. The gentle sensation of hands on his body. Soft kisses running down his chest. A quiet yet familiar voice whispering sweet words. My love. My friend. Alex. Alex. My love. Where is it? Where did you hide the rest? My love. Where did you hide it?

            The voice grew louder, and the hands were no longer soft but demanding…Alex jerked up and tried to breath, but found his mouth covered by another's lips. He pushed her away just as the door to his room slammed open. Adam stood in the doorway looking concerned, but Alex could only see the woman who was crouched at the other end of his bed. Juliet.

            "Juliet," he whispered, than shivered. His shirt was missing and his trousers were undone.

She looked just like he remembered her. Her blond hair was lose and mussed. She wore a flowing white shirt and nothing else he could see. Those beautiful blue eyes of hers were glaring at Adam with a horrible intensity.

            "Alex," said Adam slowly. "Far be it for me to interfere in your love life, but she broke into the flat." He displayed the object that was in his left hand. "With an axe." Alex looked back over at Juliet.

            "Juliet," he said. "Why?" The word held all the anguish of his cries over a year ago when she had driven that knife deeper and deeper into his chest. She gave him a desperate look.

            "Just tell me where it is, Alex, than we can be happy. We can share the money. I don't mind. And no one will remember what happened. Not even me. Isn't that what you told me once? That you wished you could forget?" Her voice was hoarse with emotion. It was like a stranger was talking to him.

            "I told you I wanted to remember," he said softly. "And to live." She leant eagerly towards him.

            "We can do that too!" she pleaded, letting one of her hands rest on his leg. What had happened to her?

            "Get out," he whispered, than spoke louder. "Get out!" She looked taken aback. She quickly found her skirt and pulled it on. She stopped near the door and was about to say something, but then Adam swung the axe in an arc making it whistle. Juliet glared at him, but Adam met her hard stare with one of his own.

            She looked longingly at Alex, making something deep within him respond. He almost called her back, but something instinctive stopped him. This wasn't right.

            Adam disappeared as he escorted her to the door, but soon came back, the axe still in his hand.

            "I'm going to sleep by the door until we can get it fixed in the morning," he said. "You," he gestured with the axe, "Will be explaining a few things in the morning." He looked very menacing just standing there, and Alex found himself agreeing to the command, despite his great reluctance to explain.

            His door was closed, and Alex lay back down. He stared at the ceiling a long time before sleep overtook him.

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Next chapter: Juliet just can't stay away, but neither can Qui-gon. Will Alex's flatmates ever learn the truth? Will Alex find some peace?

Thank you to all my reviewers. Please review:)