What is the Truth?
By Didi
Disclaimers: Do I really need to do this? I mean how many of you would believe me if I did say that I owned them all?
Note: Starts just at the end of Season 2 but I'm writing it my way cause I simply refused to except the way the writer screwed up that storyline. So, here's my take on the end of the episode and what happens afterwards. Forget everything that was on UPN, it didn't happen.
Caution: I can handle creative criticism and all but please no flames of any sort. Oh and if you are a Max/Liz fanatic, I doubt you'll like this story much.
"Spoken," *thoughts*
~~~~~
"Max, she's got to eat," Alex argued softly, trying to avoid looking in Isabel's direction. He could have kicked himself, mouthing off like that. "Just let me go in there so that she isn't..."
"She'll be fine waiting another two minutes," Max replied softly, his eyes darting from the guy in front of him and his sister. He wasn't blind, even if he was distracted, something was decisively wrong. "What's going on?"
He didn't even bother pretending not knowing. "Isabel and I had a disagreement."
"What kind?"
"With all due respect, I know you're her brother and everything, but what goes on between Isabel and me stays between the two of us unless she decides that she needs to tell you." He nodded his head and sat the tray down. "Take it in when you think it's appropriate to interrupt whatever it is Michael is..."
The muffled yelling from the room distracted them both. They got into each other's way as both reached for the door at the same moment. Max came to his senses first. "We have to let Michael ride this through."
Alex turned as the shouts from within subsided. "And then what?"
Max sighed, he wasn't sure which hurt worse, his head or his heart. "I wish I knew."
~~~~~~~~~~
Tess stared at him, her cornflower blue eyes wide with shock and disbelief. She didn't want to believe him, didn't want to believe that he remembered. It would be easier, infinitely easier if no one ever remembered except her. She had thought that she had been the only one to remember, and only after months of regression sessions with Nasado pushing her on. She did not like to remember the painful memories that left her shaken for days after.
But she could see it in his eyes; he knew what happened that fateful day. He had the same haunted look. "Michael..."
"It would be so much easier on me if I hadn't remember," Michael said, sitting down slowly on the bed, the exhaustion obvious on his face. "So much simpler if I didn't know about that day."
"I can help," she offered tentatively. The dark look she received for that had shrugging her shoulders. "It was just a thought."
Michael shook his head, bodily turning toward her and placed his arms on either side of her legs, effectively caging her. "Tell me what I'm missing here, Tess. I remember that day as if it was something I watched in a movie. It was like someone else's nightmare but... but it happened to me, to us."
She watched him, her eyes trying hide the fear that made her insides quiver like the jello Alex is always trying give her. "Max never has to know. There is reason he ever has to know about that battle."
"You think you keep it from him? You think I can keep it from him?" Michael asked with a dry laugh. "In case you haven't noticed, our past does not seem to want to stay in the past. It'll come out, sooner or later it will all come out."
"Michael..."
"Why were you there?" he asked sharply, his eyes watching hers for any sign of falsehood. "Why in god's name were in doing in the strait that day?"
"Saving your lives," she bit back with anger. "I did it for him, for our people."
"And ended up killing us in the process," he shot back with just as much heat. "Zan fell apart after you slipped into that coma!" he got up, feeling the need for some action so he doesn't give into the urge to shake some sense into the petite blonde. "Why do think he had you sent to safety? You and that baby, you were everything to him. Two minutes before we went into battle, that's all he talked about. You and the baby. What did he want to ask of me when he thought there was a chance he may die? 'No matter what, make sure Ava and the baby is all right.' That's what he made me promise. And what do you do two minutes after I promise that I would protect you with my life?" His eyes accusing her, "You get yourself killed!"
Tess bit her lip. She remembered her husband, her king, her Zan. The way he would bring her flowers on every ninth day of the week. How he would lay in bed and rub her swollen belly, talking to their unborn child. The way he looked when his eyes fell upon her, full of joy and wonder. How he loved her on nights when the three moons that circled their planet was full in the sky.
But she also remembered Max. She remembers Liz Parker. She remembers that way he turned from her, even after learning the truth about their past. The way he pushed her away from him time and again. The repeated declaration of love for another. She could still see the hate in his eyes when he threatened to take her life. The way he looked when he said that he did not love her.
She didn't want to remember that. She didn't want to remember this life. But she did, only too well.
"Tess?"
She turned to him, eyes filled with tears of pain she had hoped to bury. "It doesn't matter. Nothing about that life matters now." But she knew it wasn't true. It was that life, that lifetime with Max that she lived and died for now. She took a deep shuttering breath and swept a knuckle over her eyes. "Michael, you love Max and Isabel like they were your family. Do this for them. Convince them to go."
Michael stared at her for a moment as if she'd lost her mind. "And let you make a liar out of me again?"
"Michael..."
"I promised Max... Zan... whatever you want to call him that I would protect you no matter what. Remember your wedding day? Remember the vows I made before you and Zan, before the entire army? I would give my life to protect you. Just as every soldier under my command would."
She shook her head in disbelief. "You made that vow another lifetime ago."
"Does not negate the promise," Michael yelled. "My three priorities in life, protect Max, protect you, protect Isabel."
"Then protect Max! Protect your king, Michael. You know better than Max or Isabel what could happen if Khivar comes here." Michael's life, the way he grew up, he could face reality better than the others could. In many ways, while Max and Isabel were sheltered from the harshness of life, Michael had faced it. "All you would need to do is turn away from this." She argued, eyes bright with fear. She had to convince him since Max wouldn't listen to reason. "No one ever has to know about those the promise. Isabel and Max does not remember anything of our past. No one will ever know but me."
"I'll know!" he replied soberly. "I *will* know."
Slumped against the wall, she was almost ready to call in defeat. She can work and reason with anything but someone's honor. Just like she can take any kind of scorn or hatred just as long as she can be true to herself. Swallowing her pride, "Michael, I'm begging."
He turned to look at her, her whole body language pleading with him. "Tess, I can't."
She nodded slowly. "And I can't let you save me."
Michael understood, better than the others. "You know that I can't let you die, right?"
Tess stared at him, eyes dry and old. "So what do we do now?"
"Good question."
TBC...
By Didi
Disclaimers: Do I really need to do this? I mean how many of you would believe me if I did say that I owned them all?
Note: Starts just at the end of Season 2 but I'm writing it my way cause I simply refused to except the way the writer screwed up that storyline. So, here's my take on the end of the episode and what happens afterwards. Forget everything that was on UPN, it didn't happen.
Caution: I can handle creative criticism and all but please no flames of any sort. Oh and if you are a Max/Liz fanatic, I doubt you'll like this story much.
"Spoken," *thoughts*
~~~~~
"Max, she's got to eat," Alex argued softly, trying to avoid looking in Isabel's direction. He could have kicked himself, mouthing off like that. "Just let me go in there so that she isn't..."
"She'll be fine waiting another two minutes," Max replied softly, his eyes darting from the guy in front of him and his sister. He wasn't blind, even if he was distracted, something was decisively wrong. "What's going on?"
He didn't even bother pretending not knowing. "Isabel and I had a disagreement."
"What kind?"
"With all due respect, I know you're her brother and everything, but what goes on between Isabel and me stays between the two of us unless she decides that she needs to tell you." He nodded his head and sat the tray down. "Take it in when you think it's appropriate to interrupt whatever it is Michael is..."
The muffled yelling from the room distracted them both. They got into each other's way as both reached for the door at the same moment. Max came to his senses first. "We have to let Michael ride this through."
Alex turned as the shouts from within subsided. "And then what?"
Max sighed, he wasn't sure which hurt worse, his head or his heart. "I wish I knew."
~~~~~~~~~~
Tess stared at him, her cornflower blue eyes wide with shock and disbelief. She didn't want to believe him, didn't want to believe that he remembered. It would be easier, infinitely easier if no one ever remembered except her. She had thought that she had been the only one to remember, and only after months of regression sessions with Nasado pushing her on. She did not like to remember the painful memories that left her shaken for days after.
But she could see it in his eyes; he knew what happened that fateful day. He had the same haunted look. "Michael..."
"It would be so much easier on me if I hadn't remember," Michael said, sitting down slowly on the bed, the exhaustion obvious on his face. "So much simpler if I didn't know about that day."
"I can help," she offered tentatively. The dark look she received for that had shrugging her shoulders. "It was just a thought."
Michael shook his head, bodily turning toward her and placed his arms on either side of her legs, effectively caging her. "Tell me what I'm missing here, Tess. I remember that day as if it was something I watched in a movie. It was like someone else's nightmare but... but it happened to me, to us."
She watched him, her eyes trying hide the fear that made her insides quiver like the jello Alex is always trying give her. "Max never has to know. There is reason he ever has to know about that battle."
"You think you keep it from him? You think I can keep it from him?" Michael asked with a dry laugh. "In case you haven't noticed, our past does not seem to want to stay in the past. It'll come out, sooner or later it will all come out."
"Michael..."
"Why were you there?" he asked sharply, his eyes watching hers for any sign of falsehood. "Why in god's name were in doing in the strait that day?"
"Saving your lives," she bit back with anger. "I did it for him, for our people."
"And ended up killing us in the process," he shot back with just as much heat. "Zan fell apart after you slipped into that coma!" he got up, feeling the need for some action so he doesn't give into the urge to shake some sense into the petite blonde. "Why do think he had you sent to safety? You and that baby, you were everything to him. Two minutes before we went into battle, that's all he talked about. You and the baby. What did he want to ask of me when he thought there was a chance he may die? 'No matter what, make sure Ava and the baby is all right.' That's what he made me promise. And what do you do two minutes after I promise that I would protect you with my life?" His eyes accusing her, "You get yourself killed!"
Tess bit her lip. She remembered her husband, her king, her Zan. The way he would bring her flowers on every ninth day of the week. How he would lay in bed and rub her swollen belly, talking to their unborn child. The way he looked when his eyes fell upon her, full of joy and wonder. How he loved her on nights when the three moons that circled their planet was full in the sky.
But she also remembered Max. She remembers Liz Parker. She remembers that way he turned from her, even after learning the truth about their past. The way he pushed her away from him time and again. The repeated declaration of love for another. She could still see the hate in his eyes when he threatened to take her life. The way he looked when he said that he did not love her.
She didn't want to remember that. She didn't want to remember this life. But she did, only too well.
"Tess?"
She turned to him, eyes filled with tears of pain she had hoped to bury. "It doesn't matter. Nothing about that life matters now." But she knew it wasn't true. It was that life, that lifetime with Max that she lived and died for now. She took a deep shuttering breath and swept a knuckle over her eyes. "Michael, you love Max and Isabel like they were your family. Do this for them. Convince them to go."
Michael stared at her for a moment as if she'd lost her mind. "And let you make a liar out of me again?"
"Michael..."
"I promised Max... Zan... whatever you want to call him that I would protect you no matter what. Remember your wedding day? Remember the vows I made before you and Zan, before the entire army? I would give my life to protect you. Just as every soldier under my command would."
She shook her head in disbelief. "You made that vow another lifetime ago."
"Does not negate the promise," Michael yelled. "My three priorities in life, protect Max, protect you, protect Isabel."
"Then protect Max! Protect your king, Michael. You know better than Max or Isabel what could happen if Khivar comes here." Michael's life, the way he grew up, he could face reality better than the others could. In many ways, while Max and Isabel were sheltered from the harshness of life, Michael had faced it. "All you would need to do is turn away from this." She argued, eyes bright with fear. She had to convince him since Max wouldn't listen to reason. "No one ever has to know about those the promise. Isabel and Max does not remember anything of our past. No one will ever know but me."
"I'll know!" he replied soberly. "I *will* know."
Slumped against the wall, she was almost ready to call in defeat. She can work and reason with anything but someone's honor. Just like she can take any kind of scorn or hatred just as long as she can be true to herself. Swallowing her pride, "Michael, I'm begging."
He turned to look at her, her whole body language pleading with him. "Tess, I can't."
She nodded slowly. "And I can't let you save me."
Michael understood, better than the others. "You know that I can't let you die, right?"
Tess stared at him, eyes dry and old. "So what do we do now?"
"Good question."
TBC...