Whom among us, part thirteen

Author: Chris Kenworthy

Email: Chris_Kenworthy@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of the Roswell characters. I don't plan to steal them and lock them up in white rooms either. ;-) I just let them out to play from time to time and see what happens.

Distribution: Distribute anywhere you like, now based at http://www.fanfiction.net/~chriskenworthy

Feedback: YES PLEASE!

Category: Roswell future-fic

Rating: PG

Summary: Liz's life changes when, as a university junior, she runs into Max again.

Spoilers: Up to 'end of the world,' kinda

"Are you sure you want to come along, Maria," Liz asked for the second time as people hurried around them packing cars. "I mean, I don't really reccomend humans getting mixed up into this." Sigh. "It was Alex's decision to meet Isabel again, but Kyle was just wanting to visit me again..."

"I'm sure, Liz," Maria assured her, cutting off a ramble of uncertain length, and drawing her aside for a little privacy. "Who knows, maybe I can find a *new* alien boyfriend. Possibly Davin, he's cute and seems fun."

"I dunno," Liz played along, shaking her head. "I'm not sure, but he might be spoken for," she commented, nodding in the direction of Ardra.

"Ah, gotcha." Maria chuckled. "Kenner, then."

"Oh, my god!" Liz pulled Maria closer and intently whispered to her. "Maria, he's Michael's *father*!!"

"No!!!" Maria's mouth dropped open. "You're kidding me."

"I am not," Liz asserted. "Well, maybe better to say he *was* Michael's father, you know. Hybridized at about the same time, 'hatched' about five years earlier, but his essence, yeah."

"Wow. So spaceboy finally found his old man," Maria said under his breath. "I wonder how he felt when he found out. What's he like?"

"Kenner?" Liz tried to come up with something. "You know, I haven't got much to go on. He's all about tactics and the mission."

"Like father, like son," Maria laughed bittersweetly. "Maybe..."

She was interrupted at that point as Max called out "Gather up, people!!" As the group assembled into a loose circle, Max caught Liz's eye and nodded towards Maria questioningly. Liz looked at her friend herself, and nodded. Max smiled.

"Okay, we're moving out, there's a lot of ground to cover and not much time," Max summarized. "Liz is going to be needing to stop and take regular observations of the capsule, watching for course corrections, so she's going to be in the car. Need two volunteers to go with her... thank you, Isabel." There was a few seconds' awkward pause, and then two hands raised into the air at almost exactly the same time. Max nodded at their owners in turn. "Davin... Tess. I think you can all fit into the car, and the remaining eight of us will appreciate not being any more cramped in the RV. Alright people, let's roll out. Remember to keep the radios on!"

The 'radios' turned out to be old CB dashtop models, altered to be able to us a couple of unlikely frequencies. Liz kept the laptop open in front of her as they left the city limits, trying to make it look as if she was calculating when they'd need to stop first to look for evidence that the space capsule had made a course correction. (She had taken a reading with the radio telescope while the vehicles were being packed, just before going to talk to Maria.)

But her mind was too chaotic for logical computation at the moment. It was affecting her very stronly to be leaving Roswell again, only scant hours after she had arrived, and not having had the chance to contact anyone except Maria. No time to go by the Crashdown and surprise her parents... though she hadn't come to visit them for much too long, somehow this was different. All the reasons that she had been staying away from Roswell... well, they had found her in Arizona and brought her home with them.

"So..." The voice broke her out of her turbulent thoughts. It was one of the 'others' sitting in the back seat next to her, Davin, the one she tended to think of as a secret agent. The first one that Maria had joked about. "How does it look??"

"Like a bunch of gibberish, to me, at the moment," Liz confessed, closing the lid of the laptop. The laptop Max had bought for her... (now, why did a part of her mind insist on spelling that out silently. Did it really matter? She had needed it for his mission so Max had bought it.) Shaking herself loose from the silent thoughts that threatened to drag her back down into brooding, Liz added "Maybe in a half an hour it won't be so bad."

"You've been pushing yourself hard," Davin observed quietly.

"Yeah, I have," Liz agreed. "And a good thing, too. If I'd stopped to rest, I'd probably only just be getting to the Pod Chamber right now. Be stuck up there for five or six hours, maybe, if I wasn't driving myself. And you guys don't have that time to spare." She sighed and stared out the window. "The hardest part is only beginning."

"Indeed," Davin agreed. "It will be more than a day and night's drive to the region of Alberta that you indicated. How frequently will you have to make observations during that period?"

Liz grimaced. "Not sure yet. The capsule is starting to approach Earth in a spiraling descent, that is oriented mostly above the Western hemisphere. There will be a few periods later on in the approach when we won't be able to see it, as it starts to circle the planet faster and faster in low orbit, but it'll be in plain view for a while." She sighed. "Probably we'll make the first sighting in two and a half hours or so - I don't have any figures to back that up, but intuitively it *feels* right."

"Then perhaps you should r--"

"...Rest until then??" Liz finished. "Maybe in theory but I don't think so. I could never get to sleep at a time like this, and if I did the shock of waking so soon again would more than cancel out the rest I got. You know what I mean??"

"I believe so, but sleep is not the only way to rest," he whispered. "I believe I could enable you to achieve a restorative trance state. Personally, I find it even more restful than sleep and easier to rouse from after only a short time."

Liz's curiosity was peaked. "How? By talking me through it, or using your powers??"

"Best as a mixture of both," Davin explained. "May I??" He reached out a hand towards hers.

Liz hesitated a second, and then shrugged. "What the hey - go ahead!!"

He reached out to touch her, and after a second, Liz felt something. It was a relaxation, of both body and mind, but not a lack of energy, like she was falling asleep. It was more like her energy was being directed inward, without tension. Healing. Rejuvenating.

"Did you feel that?" she heard Davin's voice asking, and she nodded. "Continue. You can relax your system further than I can at this level of the connection." And she found that she could.

"Have no fear. Surrender to the peace. I won't let anything go wrong." By now Liz could not tell if the voice was Davin's or a part of herself, but it didn't matter. The reassurance was welcome from either source.

Although she couldn't remember it too clearly afterwards, Liz didn't lose awareness or any time. She was aware of time passing, though it seemed to be faster than usual. She enjoyed old memories, worked her way through logic puzzles that she had forgotten the answers to, and thought about the her/Max/Tess situation without distress. When her internal clock told her that two and a half hours had passed, she didn't want to rejoin the outside world. But she did anyway.

* * * *

Maria smiled awkwardly as she came up to the slightly older man that Liz had pointed out. "Umm... Kenner, right??"

He nodded pleasantly at her. "Miss DeLucca."

"Are you... I mean, Liz said..." Nervousness had consumed her vocal chords, and Maria couldn't seem to get the right words out.

"If we are to have a conversation, perhaps I should pre-empt the bedroom??" Kenner suggested. Maria's mouth dropped open. "Since it is the only reasonably private space available."

"Uhh... oh. Yeah, that sounds good," she babbled softly. At first, a very different thought had run through her mind, but what he said made sense. Soon, the occupants of the bedroom (Davin and Ardra, who hadn't actually been sleeping, just reading quietly,) had been evicted, and Kenner led Maria inside. As he had said, it was the one chamber in the RV that was actually enclosed - a double-sized bed and not much room for anything else. Still feeling nervous, if for another reason, Maria propped herself up on one of the window ledges as a makeshift chair, her bare feet resting on the bedsheets, and Kenner sat differentially on the side of the bed opposite her. It struck her that he was making an effort to be as nonthreatening as possible, which somehow didn't entirely reassure her.

"So... you, you're Michael's father??"

Kenner considered that. "Perhaps better to say that I *was* his father, given the lifetime that has passed since then. But since I am still the same individual that I was then, and he as well, your statement is basically correct. Certainly since he was born of no other father and mother in this life, I am the closest thing he has yet found."

Everything always had to be confusing with aliens. Maria shook that level of uncertainty away. "Did he... I mean, do you know anything about me?? Aside from being Liz's friend??"

"Oh, yes." Kenner's face slowly broke into a smile. "I have heard *much* about you, Maria Evain DeLuca."

"REALLY??" she burst out, surprised. "From who? Michael??"

"Mostly, yes. Bits and pieces from the other Royals, but Michael was the one who both had the most to say on the subject of yourself, and chose most often to come to me when he wished to tell."

Maria opened her mouth - and then realized that she had no notion what to say. She realized that she was shaking her head in disbelief, and couldn't seem to stop.

Kenner's voice grew softer, more sensitive somehow. "I suppose there was no way you could know, but he was very unhappy at leaving you behind in Roswell when the foursome had to begin their quest. Even by the time they met our four, he was deeply conflicted about his decision. Miss Isabel wanted to do something or say something to help him resolve the situation, but she could think of nothing that would help. She had very similar issues regarding young Mister Whitman."

"Wow," Maria muttered. "Well, I guess they got over it. Because of your down-to-earth, sports-and-combat-metaphor advice??"

Now it was Kenner's turn to blink in confusion. "I served as a sounding board for each of them to talk out their thoughts, yes. Michael more than Isabel - she would often speak with Davin or Ardra, or her brother for that matter. I take no responsibility for the conclusions that either of them came to."

Maria picked up something subtle in the older Hybrid's tone. "Do you think that Michael and Isabel made the right decision?? Staying together?"

"I would not presume to intervene in such a matter..."

"*You're his father!!*" Maria called out, surprising herself with her vehemence. "If it isn't your place to poke an interfering nose into Michael's love life and disapprove of who he wants to marry, then whose??" And the thought that Kenner could be a valuable ally, if he approved of HER, was something that Maria couldn't shake out of her head. If she was really going to make a play to try and win Michael Guerin back, that was.

"As I said, I 'was' his father," Kenner repeated. "In another lifetime. Now, I am his retainer, the advisor of the Royal Four. It is no longer my place to play a parental role in his life. I feel that down to the core of my spirit."

"Oh," Maria muttered. Her heart was sinking. "Ohh."

"However, I might be tempted to interfere in his life as a well-meaning friend, on your behalf, Maria."

This time Kenner's words knocked Maria off her feet - literally. Caught completely by surprise, she lost grip on her perch in the window and collapsed onto the edge of the bed in a heap. As soon as she could, she picked her head up to look Michael's soul-father (or whatever) in the eye. She had to track a little to find his face, since he had gotten up off the bed in alarm as her impact shook it.

"Run that one by me again, a little slower."

"You love Michael - very much."

"Says who??" she shot back suddenly, though she wasn't really in the mood to argue the point.

"I can see it in your eyes. And there is much about you, Maria, your passion, your fire, which would be good for him now. Though their union seems successful enough from outside, I have been wondering lately if Michael and Isabel have been growing apart over the past year. They do not realize it yet, and it might be entirely an illusion in my mind yet. Allow me to watch the signs, and look for a tactical opening."

"Tactical opening?" Maria repeated, crossing her denim-clad legs underneath her. "Are we planning a war here??"

"Not yet."

* * * *

Alex crawled up on the small chair beside the storage chest, kneeling on it as he tried to get a better view of the road ahead of them.

"Looking for anyone in particular, Alex??" a warm voice said behind him. Startled, Alex twisted around, getting up on one foot to turn around the quicker - and bumped his head against the low ceiling. He grunted in mild pain and frustration and settled down into the chair. As the blue stars cleared away from in front of his eyes, he saw the person who had adressed him. Max Evans.

"Your darling sister," he muttered, not able to quite keep an accusatory tone out of his voice. Max had organized the volunteering process that had let Isabel into the smaller vehicle - and then closed occupancy just as Alex had been deciding whether to follow her there. Now, he had no idea if he'd see her again before they got to this landing site in Alberta, so many hours ahead of them yet.

"Ah." Max settled into the opposite chair. "Just what is going on between you and Isabel, anyway?? I've picked up on the angst but none of the details."

"Really?" Alex laughed shortly. "What do ya know? I guess some gossip doesn't actually travel at the speed of light, after all."

"If you haven't noticed, I *have* been a little busy lately," Max mentioned, chuckling hollowly. "So, care to fill me in?? I won't press if it's none of my business, but..."

"No, it's okay," Alex said quickly. "The nutshell is that... Isabel mentioned something, this core mind-link thing that if she does it with me, it might help her keep a better handle on her powers. Except, no sooner does it get out of her mouth than she's telling me that I can't choose to go through with it, that she doesn't think I'm ready or that I understand what I'm getting into."

"Oh." Max thought about that a second. "Did she tell you anything about it?? I don't think I've heard, though the designation sounds reminiscent of..."

"...Vulcan mind melds," Alex finished in unison with Maxwell, and laughed a little bit. "Yeah, apparently that's not too far off the mark. Each of us would be completely at one with the other's mind for an indefinite instant, and would keep part of the other person in their psyche afterwards." He somehow couldn't add the word 'forever' before afterwards - it seemed too melodramatic, and was probably understood.

"No secrets... no barriers," Max whispered, apparently struck by the thought of it as Alex had been for a second. "Well, I can understand you being frustrated, but -- did it occur to you that maybe Isabel is scared of the prospect?? Total intimacy can be a very frightening thing, and considering you guys' history..."

"Wow," Alex muttered. "You know, I guess I never did think of it quite that way - not consciously, at least. Thanks." His face fell. "I guess that means I should give her her space until she comes to her own decision??"

"Not necessarily TOO much space," Max laughed. He pointed out the window, and Alex turned around just in time to see the sedan screech to a stop on the shoulder. "I'll ask her if she wants to switch back to the RV once we hit Montana."

Alex smiled. "Thanks."

"Any time."

* * * *

Liz jumped out of the car as soon as it had come to a complete stop, before the dust had even settled. Time, as usual, was critical. She rushed to the trunk, wrestled out the radio telescope, and when she turned towards the empty plain that the highway cut through, Tess was there. "Give you a hand??"

Liz gratefully let her hybrid rival carry the heavier end of the telescope until up to the flat rock plateau she had spotted as a good spot to make observations. As Liz was setting up the tripod, Tess muttered "Shouldn't we try to get further away from the road??"

"No time, and it doesn't matter anyway," Liz replied. "Are you worried about light pollution from the headlights and overhead lamps, or about people seeing us and wondering what we're doing??"

Tess chuckled softly. "Not sure. Both, I guess."

"Light pollution isn't a big problem now. I can take my bearings by the guide dials alone, though I'd rather spot a few bright stars if I can to make sure I'm on the nose. As far as people wondering what we're doing -- nothing much to be done about that I guess. None of them will be able to tell that we're using a radio telescope, or know that we have no business with it if they do."

Tess nodded slightly, and things were quiet as Liz took her bearings. "Listen, Liz, I..."

"I'm sorry, but could you not talk to me right now?" She had to admit she got too much secret pleasure out of being able to say that. "The observations will go quicker if they can take up my entire attention. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say back in the car, okay??"

Tess nodded again, and Liz threw herself into her work, avoiding the fact that this excuse would not last her forever. Sure enough, before too long she had found the radio signature of the space capsule, jotted it down, and was packing up. Tess pitched in for that too, and soon they were roaring back onto the interstate once again. Davin had moved into the front with Isabel, Liz noticed, leaving the backseat for Tess and she.

Liz considered booting the laptop out of standby to punch the new figures into it, but that wasn't really something that needed to be done immediately, and so smacked of a rationalization. She noted the time carefully on the same sheet as the declination and right acension before she could forget it, and turned to Max's wife. "Yes??"

"Umm, I'm not quite sure what I wanted to say," Tess admitted sheepishly. "Thank you, I guess that was part of it. Thanks for helping us to find this thing."

Liz sighed. "You're welcome."

"I never wanted to be the other woman."

Liz looked over at her for a long moment. "Yeah, I guess I know that. But still, you were." And now, maybe Liz was taking that role in her turn, she wasn't sure about that yet.

"I didn't want to take him away from you or make you my enemy. I just... all my life I'd been told things would be a certain way, and when I got to Roswell nothing was the way it was supposed to be. And I loved Max from the first moment I saw him - please believe me, I really did..."

"Look, Tess!!" Liz blurted out. "We don't really need to rehash this. It's over, it's done. You and Max fell in love, and you left Roswell. I thought I'd put it behind me - turns out not one hundred percent, but I'm still trying to, and talking to *you* of all people about it DOES NOT HELP!!"

There was silence for a huge, pregnant moment. Liz suddenly realized that Isabel and Davin had been chatting amongst themselves, but now had fallen silent, obviously because they had overheard most of Liz's outburst.

Liz pulled the laptop to her and pressed the power button to awaken its systems from their power-conservation slumber. The projection of the space capsule's flight sprung to life, and Liz tapped in the figures from her observation and watched as the graphics and numerical figures changed slightly in response.

"Well -- I guess we have a stroke of good luck at last."

"Why?" Isabel asked. "Is the capsule going to be landing closer to us than you expected??"

"No, a little further away actually," Liz said, "but also later. Since catching this thing as it lands or soon after is the important point, I'd say that just got a little bit easier." She considered the projection. "I wonder why after bee-lining it over here from the asteroid belt so quickly, it's braking more quickly than it has to and spending extra time in the vicinity of Earth."

"Maybe it can't take the entry into Earth atmosphere at high speeds," Davin suggested.

"Maybe," Liz allowed. "Well, Max or someone over there will want to hear. Pass me the CB, okay??"

* * * *

"Yeah, I'll make sure that Max gets the message," Kyle told Liz over the speaker, then corrected to make sure he was staying in the middle of the lane. "He just lay down for a rest though..."

"Well, is anyone in charge over there??" Liz's voice came back with a hint of a laugh in it.

"Yeah, I could tell Michael I guess. Over and out."

"Tell Michael what??" the hybrid in question asked, having stepped up towards the front of the RV as he heard his name.

"Results of Liz's first course correction. We're headed a bit further into Alberta than we thought, but we've got more time to get there."

"Hmmm." Michael thought about that a bit. "How much further?? Do we know how we're going to get to the site?"

"Looks like the very north of the Banff national park. Trans canada highway should get us in, and then use the park roads."

Michael nodded, and as Ardra got out of the shotgun seat he took her place. "Okay. How're we doing on time??"

"Still could be tight."

There was a silence for a moment, and then Kyle spoke up again. "Has it been worth it?"

Michael blinked. "What?"

"I dunno. Your life, over the past few years. I mean, from all that I can tell, you've dedicated it to this big alien quest and all. There has to have been some other choice - lying low, making some kind of life with Maria maybe. Dealing with the alien threats as they came, and not going out looking for new ones. Has it been worth the path you've taken??"

Michael thought about that a long while. "There are millions of people, maybe billions -- counting on us back home. It'd be worth a hell of a lot more than I've given away, to live up to their trust."

"Ah." Kyle noticed a large sign coming up at the edge of the highway. WELCOME TO COLORADO was what it read.

"Hey." In the rear-view mirror, he could see that it was Maria, leaning against the back of their seats. Had she been in hearing when Kyle had mentioned her name? "Are we there yet??"

"Lotta miles, and lottuv hours to go yet," Michael told her. "May be good to get some sleep."

"It's one thirty in the afternoon, and unlike most of you, I was actually sleeping last night," Maria informed him. "I'm just *bored*." That complaint hung in the air for a long moment. Michael seemed to be intentionally not responding to it.

"Well, if Michael will take over the wheel, I'll play trivial pursuit or some other game," Kyle offered.

"Fine," Michael groaned, and reached over to hold the steering wheel steady so Kyle could begin to slip away.

TO BE CONTINUED...