I own no part of Rowell, the series, or claim any rights. The plot is mine,
and sorry if it is similar to anyone else's.
... ...
A Son's Worth
... ...
Liz closed the door to the guest room quietly, so as not to disturb it's sleeping occupant. Upon entering the kitchen, she was greeted with the sight of Max feeding his son, and Michael's gruff questioning. "Is she ok?"
Liz nodded. "She seems fine, just a little tired. From what I can tell, she must have been using her powers overtime to escape whoever she has been running from."
"Did she tell you anything about the murders? Who the murderers are, what they want?" Michael demanded.
"Well, she wasn't exactly able to talk while she was passing out on our front porch Michael," Liz told him, amused.
Michael gave her an impatient look. "Liz, this isn't a joke. For all we know, she may be using this whole thing as a way to gain our trust, then turn us over to whoever is in charge. And whether she is on our side or not, she may have endangered us all by possibly leading the bad guys here."
"We can handle what is to come," Max murmured from the kitchen table. He smiled as his son laughingly ate the cereal Max was serving him. Though most of the cereal was on Max, instead of in Zan's tummy, the two seemed content with what they were doing.
"Max," Michael implored.
"My son is home," Max interrupted. "All I know is, that no matter what happens now, my son is only safe with us. The people who cared for him were murdered. Until we know why, and by whom, we are just going to have to deal with it. We might have to get together to gather defenses. We haven't used our full powers in a long time. Our lives depend on our abilities right now."
"Fine," Michael agreed. He glanced down at his watch. "I have to go. Maria has this doctor's appointment and I have to pick her up." He turned to Liz. "Once she wakes up, call me. Maria and me will get here. I called the others. We are meeting here later tonight."
Liz smiled. "Of course Michael. Have you had any luck getting in touch with Kyle?"
Michael shook his head. "The idiot didn't take his cell phone."
Liz suppressed a giggle. "Um, I don't think you are suppose to take a cell phone to nature retreats Michael."
"Whatever," Michael muttered, and hurried out the door.
Zan's giggle rang through the room, and Liz turned to her husband, and 'son'. Eyeing their mess, she sighed, and smiling, headed toward the cleaning closet.
.........
Michael sped through the city streets, passing the Sheriff's car, with a friendly wave. Sheriff Clearly waved back good naturedly. Michael's car screeched to a stop in front of the local doctor's office. Just as he was about to climb out of the car and head inside the small office, Maria hurried out. She seemed emotionally beaten and very pale. Her boyfriend frowned, watching as she slumped into their car, and silently put her seat belt on. His frowned deepened, as his normally talkative girlfriend remained silent, not even offering a greeting. She seemed lost in thought.
"What is the matter?" he asked, concerned. Maria started, and looked around. She seemed to only realize for the first time where she was and that Michael was even there.
"Hmm? Oh. Nothing. I am just a little tired," she replied softly.
Michael started the car. "What did the doctor say?" He was met by total silence. Maria stared out of the window, her eyes riveted to everything but him. "Maria," he paused, a thought forming in the back of his mind. "Maria, are you pregnant?"
From what he could see of her profile, her eyes closed for a moment, before her nearly inaudible reply. "No Michael, I am not pregnant. I just have...a slight flu. The doctor said I should rest. I have another appointment in two weeks."
Michael looked over at her, not convinced she was telling him everything, but knew when to stop (as to before, when he never let ANYTHING go!). He looked down as his cell phone beeped. He looked at the number of the caller and turned onto main Dunwich. They zoomed through Dunwich's popular streets (only two connecting streets, count them, two!), passed Evandez, through the back streets into the large driveway of the "Evan"der home. Without a word, Maria got out of the car and hurried up to the house, without waiting for Michael.
When Michael entered Max and Liz's home, he had an annoyed look on his face. Crossing the living room, he gripped Maria's arm, and whispered in her ear, "We are going to talk about this later." When she tried to pull away, his grip tightened. "Whether you like it or not."
Isabel and Jesse arrived just then, and the group walked into the backyard patio. Sitting at the table was Ava, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. "Hi," she said, smiling hesitantly. Taking any available chairs, the many friends clustered around the uneasy newcomer.
"Okay Ava, tell them everything," Max ordered.
Ava looked down at the table for several seconds, then looked up at them. "I found out about the deal between Tess and Khivar a few months after I left Roswell. I got in touch with our protector...Lonnie, Rath's and mine," she clarified. "She warned me to get involved so that I could be sent to Antar with Tess. She said that if I didn't then I would never leave this planet. That time Max and Tess traveled to the Conference, Tess was approached by Khivar. He wanted to know how her relationship with Max was going. He stepped up the plans, because of the uneasy in Antar. After Tess managed to return to Antar with baby Zan, she was treated like a queen," Ava laughed at her words. "From what I have gathered from my protectors contacts, when the child was born seemingly completely human, Khivar went into a rage and order the deaths of 'the Traitor' and her son. Tess escaped and left Antar a banished woman."
Michael shifted in his seat. "What does this have to do with what is happening now?"
"It has a lot to do with it. We may think that Antar consists of only Khivar and his creeps, but it is a lot more. There are people there. And when they had Zan there, they felt that all the years with Khivar's tyranny were finally at an end. Then to have their hope taken away..." Ava unclasped her hands and sat back. "For the past few months there have been riots and mobs, talk of a revolution. Khivar realized that the only way to get control of the situation was to bring back Zan and adopt him. It is the only way he can safely maintain power. The problem is, there was no one left on earth who wanted anything to do with Khivar. Until he found Lonnie and Rath. They were still pissed about getting ditched by Tess when they helped her out. So in order to get a ticket straight to Antar, they had to find Zan, and kill a few loose ends on the way."
Maria leaned forward. "By loose ends, you mean the ones involved in the "Assassination" project in the 50s?"
Ava nodded. "The project was headed by some big shot scientist who claimed to have been abducted by aliens. The idea was to create an idea on how to kill a hostile invasion of aliens, whose physiologies were very different from humans. The project was cut in 1956, because a news reporter came across evidence of the project's existence, and was going to create a huge blow up, ridiculing the government. The project was exposed, but by then it was to late...everything had been wasted, and everyone in the project was reassigned."
"What about the corporate guys," Liz asked.
"Ah," Ava smirked, "They are a few of the donators to the project. The Big Guys. They supplied the resources for a lot of important research...I guess they are just revenge killings."
Jesse crossed his arms and stared pensively at Ava. "So all these murders are being done by two half aliens?"
Ava nodded.
"Not just that. These two are...you could say identical twins of Michael and I. Lonnie is a Bitch times ten version of me, and Rath is the hard core punk gangster version of Michael." Jesse stared at his wife, complete surprise on his face.
"None of you are safe. They want your blood. Even Liz and Maria's. All they care about is getting Zan, and getting to Antar. Now, for taking the child from them, they have decided to kill me too."
"We should leave. We are not safe here," Michael said.
Ava smiled sullenly. "No matter where you go, they will find you. If you are going to make a stand, do it here, where they can't do a lot of damage. But you have to think this through clearly. Do you want to do this? My life doesn't matter right now. But you can still save yourselves. All you have to do," Ava swallowed anxiously, "is give Zan to Khivar." Her gaze found Max's. "How much is your son worth to you Max?"
Max answered immediately. "He is worth my soul...my life. I will not give him up again. I will die before Khivar takes him."
Liz took Max's hand and said, "I will die for Zan too. He is our son now."
Max turned to Michael, Isabel, Maria and Jesse. "I will understand if you all decide to leave. It won't be safe for you here."
Isabel gave Max a stern look. "Like I would leave you here to defend my little nephew alone. Dream on!" Jesse nodded, in total agreement with his wife.
"Yeah, get real Max," Michael said in his exasperated tone. "Like I would leave you here to get all the glory without me!"
Maria gave them all a small smile. "I'll stay. Someone has to help Liz and keep Michael under control!"
Everyone laughed. Ava stood, a grin on her face. "I was hoping you all would say that. For as long as you need me, I will stay and help you fight Lonnie, Rath and Khivar. No matter what it takes."
"Yes," Liz echoed softly. "No matter what it takes."
****************
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Hope you liked it, and thanks for reading. Oh yeah, and if you want to, please review and tell me what you think!
... ...
A Son's Worth
... ...
Liz closed the door to the guest room quietly, so as not to disturb it's sleeping occupant. Upon entering the kitchen, she was greeted with the sight of Max feeding his son, and Michael's gruff questioning. "Is she ok?"
Liz nodded. "She seems fine, just a little tired. From what I can tell, she must have been using her powers overtime to escape whoever she has been running from."
"Did she tell you anything about the murders? Who the murderers are, what they want?" Michael demanded.
"Well, she wasn't exactly able to talk while she was passing out on our front porch Michael," Liz told him, amused.
Michael gave her an impatient look. "Liz, this isn't a joke. For all we know, she may be using this whole thing as a way to gain our trust, then turn us over to whoever is in charge. And whether she is on our side or not, she may have endangered us all by possibly leading the bad guys here."
"We can handle what is to come," Max murmured from the kitchen table. He smiled as his son laughingly ate the cereal Max was serving him. Though most of the cereal was on Max, instead of in Zan's tummy, the two seemed content with what they were doing.
"Max," Michael implored.
"My son is home," Max interrupted. "All I know is, that no matter what happens now, my son is only safe with us. The people who cared for him were murdered. Until we know why, and by whom, we are just going to have to deal with it. We might have to get together to gather defenses. We haven't used our full powers in a long time. Our lives depend on our abilities right now."
"Fine," Michael agreed. He glanced down at his watch. "I have to go. Maria has this doctor's appointment and I have to pick her up." He turned to Liz. "Once she wakes up, call me. Maria and me will get here. I called the others. We are meeting here later tonight."
Liz smiled. "Of course Michael. Have you had any luck getting in touch with Kyle?"
Michael shook his head. "The idiot didn't take his cell phone."
Liz suppressed a giggle. "Um, I don't think you are suppose to take a cell phone to nature retreats Michael."
"Whatever," Michael muttered, and hurried out the door.
Zan's giggle rang through the room, and Liz turned to her husband, and 'son'. Eyeing their mess, she sighed, and smiling, headed toward the cleaning closet.
.........
Michael sped through the city streets, passing the Sheriff's car, with a friendly wave. Sheriff Clearly waved back good naturedly. Michael's car screeched to a stop in front of the local doctor's office. Just as he was about to climb out of the car and head inside the small office, Maria hurried out. She seemed emotionally beaten and very pale. Her boyfriend frowned, watching as she slumped into their car, and silently put her seat belt on. His frowned deepened, as his normally talkative girlfriend remained silent, not even offering a greeting. She seemed lost in thought.
"What is the matter?" he asked, concerned. Maria started, and looked around. She seemed to only realize for the first time where she was and that Michael was even there.
"Hmm? Oh. Nothing. I am just a little tired," she replied softly.
Michael started the car. "What did the doctor say?" He was met by total silence. Maria stared out of the window, her eyes riveted to everything but him. "Maria," he paused, a thought forming in the back of his mind. "Maria, are you pregnant?"
From what he could see of her profile, her eyes closed for a moment, before her nearly inaudible reply. "No Michael, I am not pregnant. I just have...a slight flu. The doctor said I should rest. I have another appointment in two weeks."
Michael looked over at her, not convinced she was telling him everything, but knew when to stop (as to before, when he never let ANYTHING go!). He looked down as his cell phone beeped. He looked at the number of the caller and turned onto main Dunwich. They zoomed through Dunwich's popular streets (only two connecting streets, count them, two!), passed Evandez, through the back streets into the large driveway of the "Evan"der home. Without a word, Maria got out of the car and hurried up to the house, without waiting for Michael.
When Michael entered Max and Liz's home, he had an annoyed look on his face. Crossing the living room, he gripped Maria's arm, and whispered in her ear, "We are going to talk about this later." When she tried to pull away, his grip tightened. "Whether you like it or not."
Isabel and Jesse arrived just then, and the group walked into the backyard patio. Sitting at the table was Ava, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. "Hi," she said, smiling hesitantly. Taking any available chairs, the many friends clustered around the uneasy newcomer.
"Okay Ava, tell them everything," Max ordered.
Ava looked down at the table for several seconds, then looked up at them. "I found out about the deal between Tess and Khivar a few months after I left Roswell. I got in touch with our protector...Lonnie, Rath's and mine," she clarified. "She warned me to get involved so that I could be sent to Antar with Tess. She said that if I didn't then I would never leave this planet. That time Max and Tess traveled to the Conference, Tess was approached by Khivar. He wanted to know how her relationship with Max was going. He stepped up the plans, because of the uneasy in Antar. After Tess managed to return to Antar with baby Zan, she was treated like a queen," Ava laughed at her words. "From what I have gathered from my protectors contacts, when the child was born seemingly completely human, Khivar went into a rage and order the deaths of 'the Traitor' and her son. Tess escaped and left Antar a banished woman."
Michael shifted in his seat. "What does this have to do with what is happening now?"
"It has a lot to do with it. We may think that Antar consists of only Khivar and his creeps, but it is a lot more. There are people there. And when they had Zan there, they felt that all the years with Khivar's tyranny were finally at an end. Then to have their hope taken away..." Ava unclasped her hands and sat back. "For the past few months there have been riots and mobs, talk of a revolution. Khivar realized that the only way to get control of the situation was to bring back Zan and adopt him. It is the only way he can safely maintain power. The problem is, there was no one left on earth who wanted anything to do with Khivar. Until he found Lonnie and Rath. They were still pissed about getting ditched by Tess when they helped her out. So in order to get a ticket straight to Antar, they had to find Zan, and kill a few loose ends on the way."
Maria leaned forward. "By loose ends, you mean the ones involved in the "Assassination" project in the 50s?"
Ava nodded. "The project was headed by some big shot scientist who claimed to have been abducted by aliens. The idea was to create an idea on how to kill a hostile invasion of aliens, whose physiologies were very different from humans. The project was cut in 1956, because a news reporter came across evidence of the project's existence, and was going to create a huge blow up, ridiculing the government. The project was exposed, but by then it was to late...everything had been wasted, and everyone in the project was reassigned."
"What about the corporate guys," Liz asked.
"Ah," Ava smirked, "They are a few of the donators to the project. The Big Guys. They supplied the resources for a lot of important research...I guess they are just revenge killings."
Jesse crossed his arms and stared pensively at Ava. "So all these murders are being done by two half aliens?"
Ava nodded.
"Not just that. These two are...you could say identical twins of Michael and I. Lonnie is a Bitch times ten version of me, and Rath is the hard core punk gangster version of Michael." Jesse stared at his wife, complete surprise on his face.
"None of you are safe. They want your blood. Even Liz and Maria's. All they care about is getting Zan, and getting to Antar. Now, for taking the child from them, they have decided to kill me too."
"We should leave. We are not safe here," Michael said.
Ava smiled sullenly. "No matter where you go, they will find you. If you are going to make a stand, do it here, where they can't do a lot of damage. But you have to think this through clearly. Do you want to do this? My life doesn't matter right now. But you can still save yourselves. All you have to do," Ava swallowed anxiously, "is give Zan to Khivar." Her gaze found Max's. "How much is your son worth to you Max?"
Max answered immediately. "He is worth my soul...my life. I will not give him up again. I will die before Khivar takes him."
Liz took Max's hand and said, "I will die for Zan too. He is our son now."
Max turned to Michael, Isabel, Maria and Jesse. "I will understand if you all decide to leave. It won't be safe for you here."
Isabel gave Max a stern look. "Like I would leave you here to defend my little nephew alone. Dream on!" Jesse nodded, in total agreement with his wife.
"Yeah, get real Max," Michael said in his exasperated tone. "Like I would leave you here to get all the glory without me!"
Maria gave them all a small smile. "I'll stay. Someone has to help Liz and keep Michael under control!"
Everyone laughed. Ava stood, a grin on her face. "I was hoping you all would say that. For as long as you need me, I will stay and help you fight Lonnie, Rath and Khivar. No matter what it takes."
"Yes," Liz echoed softly. "No matter what it takes."
****************
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Hope you liked it, and thanks for reading. Oh yeah, and if you want to, please review and tell me what you think!