Part 13
Max and Serena struggled in protest as they were dragged into a small room. Serena finally saw the faces of the two who had grabbed them—and one face was Felee's!
"Felee! What are you doing?" Serena's eyes were wide in shock and horror. "Are you a part of—are you a Rathan?"
"No! Shh!" Felee hissed. "Someone'll hear you!"
"You know him?" Max stared at Serena.
"What are you doing here?" Felee asked in a whisper. "You could get seriously hurt! And who's that?" He asked, directing the question at Serena."
"This is Max, King Zan."
Surprise showed in Felee's eyes for a passing second before his face again became unreadable. He knelt down on one knee in front of Max, and the smaller man standing next to him did the same. "I—I had no idea."
"You're not a Rathan?" Max looked down at Felee's silvery head glinting dully in the dim light of the small room.
"No, my lord. I told them that I was, to help you out." His voice was still low. "We can't be too loud; anyone could come in…"
Serena continued to stare at him. "That still doesn't explain why you dragged us in here the way you did. And who are you?" Serena then glanced at the smaller silver person standing next to Felee.
"We were afraid you'd be recognized. Don't worry—no one saw us. We just wanted to get you out of there as quickly as possible." Felee paused. "This is Marc. He got here about the same way I did."
"How did you recognize us? How did you know who we were through the charm?" Serena's dark eyes pounded into him.
"I'd know you anywhere." The deep-felt sincerity in Felee's voice surprised Max.
"We've got to hide them," Marc told Felee. "We'd better go."
* * *
Liz closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and, strength somewhat renewed, asked the man, "Serena's your sister? Who are you?"
"Clem; I'm her little brother."
Gwynhyfar watched the scene from the doorway, unsure of what to do.
"Why are you here?" She asked slowly.
"I just… escaped. I have to… help you save her." Clem was out of breath, panting; he had apparently run there.
"Leese isn't going anywhere in her condition," Gwyn cut in.
"What?" Liz stared at Clem.
"Save… your baby."
"My baby!" Suddenly Liz was very alert. "Where's Claudia?"
"With Jarret, with the Rathans."
"Max and Serena are there."
"We have to contact them, then. I know where they're keeping Claudia."
Liz shifted in the bed, uncomfortably aware of how weak she was, but she wanted to save her baby. "I can contact Max."
* * *
Isabel closed her eyes, concentrating. She and Alex were sitting next to each other at their kitchen table, Tess and Kyle across from them. Tess held Isabel's hands in hers, saying, "I'll try to give you as much of my power as I can."
"Why are we even doing this?" Kyle asked suddenly. "What can we possibly do to help by contacting them?"
"I just have a feeling, Kyle. I have this feeling that I need to contact them. My son is urging me forward." She looked directly at him, saying, "Please trust me."
"I'll be right here if you need me, Izzy. I love you," Alex said quietly but firmly.
"Are you ready, Isabel?" Tess asked, looking at the other woman intensely.
"I'm ready."
* * *
Liz sat across from Clem, holding his hands in hers. He had some of the powers of his sister, though he did not have the ability to shapeshift. He gazed at her with slight concern. "Are you sure you can do this?"
Her face was set, determined. "I could do anything for Claudia."
"Just focus on Max."
She closed her eyes, searching for his presence with her mind. She knew it was there, but it was so far away. Please hear me, Max. Where was he? He wasn't even as far as he had been the first time she had ever contacted him this way. New York was much farther from Roswell than he was from her right then. An irrational fear that she would never be able to find him flooded her mind, and she broke the connection with Clem.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
She was on the point of tears, or perhaps she had moved beyond that. "I'm not strong enough." It was barely even a whisper. "My husband and my baby are going to die because I'm not strong enough."
"You can do it, Leese." Gwyn suddenly urged her on.
"I know you can," Clem told her, following suit. "Just try one more time. You can do it."
Liz took a deep breath. "Okay, let's try again."
A smile stole across Gwyn's face as the other two again joined hands.
This time, Liz felt differently. She pressed more firmly into the unknown, searching for Max, knowing he was out there. Somewhere. This time, she felt another presence. She could feel someone familiar—no, it was two people—pushing her forward, giving her strength. Flashes told her that the stronger presence was Isabel, and the second presence was her baby. She was pregnant! Liz reached out for Max, and finally, she found him.
* * *