Stargazers Stargaters Part 26
Silence was complete as all of the parents took in the presence of the four missing teens...
...who were teens no more, Jeff Parker noted and it was more than the impressive muscular physiques of Max Evans and Michael Guerin that showed it. 'There was something about their posture, all four of them stood straight and proud...'
'...Max had always been shy; ducking his head a lot, his shoulders always slumped.' Nancy Parker thought as she glanced over Liz's old boyfriend...'Now he looks as though he could handle any situation, especially this one...'
'...Isabel Evans had always been a confident young lady,' Charles Whitman thought, 'but now there is something extra about her...it's in her eyes; a certain knowledge...she reminds me of Captain Carter...have these four kids joined the military? They are just wearing street clothes, not uniforms...'
'...Where have they been all of this time?' Amy DeLuca asked herself. They stand there straight and strong and confident...And Michael, Michael Guerin is trying to hide it but I can see that smirk of his, he's enjoying this; shocking us like this...but man all that bone structure which was just starting to show in his face has really come through...that strong jaw, those high pronounced cheekbones, Maria will just drool over that face...wait a minute...that "glow" of Maria's I saw in the van earlier...and Liz had it too...those two knew about this...well yeah of course they knew...but that means they've been "drooling" over Michael and Max for...'
"How long have you been here? Where the hell have you been all this time? Don't you know that we've been worried sick about you all of these years?" Amy blurted out, her voice dripping with suspicion as she asked the questions which all four parents wanted answers to, but they were all too shocked to ask...But it was General Hammond who spoke next.
"Good morning, Mr. Evans." Hammond said in a respectful voice, ignoring Amy DeLuca for the moment as he stood up to greet all four of them and shook their hands. He would not give away the secret of who these four young people really were, but he would treat them in the manner their royal status called for. "Thank you for coming this morning, sir; will you all please be seated? Let's see, there are two chairs down there for your parents to sit..."
"They can have our seats, General." Colonel O'Neill volunteered as he looked around to the rest of SG-1, who nodded agreeably.
"Thank you, Colonel." Hammond said, smiling at his 2IC as all four members of SG-1 stood up from their places near the head of the table.
Jack might like to tease them, but he had come to respect these four young alien leaders and was determined to help them any way he could. They had enough challenges facing them, besides meeting their lovers' parents again. Daniel placed some gentle pressure on Sha're's shoulder to keep her seated as he stood to give up his seat and SG-1 instinctively took supportive positions, standing behind their four friends. Teal'c made sure that he stood between his new comrades and Amy DeLuca; her angry and suspicious manner setting off his protective instincts. And Max took the seat which the General indicated for him, at his right; he would have preferred to sit next to Liz, but he appreciated that General Hammond was trying to help him by giving him, all of them, a place of honor to sit.
The General's and SG-1's actions; their deference and extreme politeness to Max and the others made Amy, the Parkers and Mr. Whitman pause in their questioning of their kids. What was going on here? Who were Max Evans and the others to this military organization? They were wearing casual clothing and yet they seemed to hold a place of authority, of honor here. Did they work for a senator or...the parents hesitated in their mental questioning...the President of the United States? How could these young people have gained such a high position of authority, to have a highly decorated Air Force General treating them with so much respect...and blast it...where had they been while they were seemingly gaining all of this power? Nancy Parker decided to find some answers but started out in a much more reasonable tone of voice than Amy DeLuca had used.
"Max, Isabel, Michael and...Tess? It is so great to see you again...um...safe and well. You can't imagine how we've all worried about you all these years." She paused and then continued. "Could you tell us please...why did you run away from home? Didn't you know that your parents...all of us, your friends would be worried bout you?" Nancy asked, trying hard to keep an accusatory tone out of her voice. There had to be a reasonable explanation for this...she did not want to believe that shy, polite Max Evans would have caused so much hurt and worry without a very good reason.
"We didn't run away, Mrs. Parker." Max answered in is soft voice. "And our parents knew where we were...they just could not have contact with us after we left. Neither could Liz, Alex, Maria or Kyle."
They had discussed with General Hammond and SG-1 how to go about telling the parents their story; in the end they had decided to allow the Parkers and the others to ask what questions they wanted to and to see where they led them. If the parents just up and demanded that they start from the beginning, they would, but until then, the four aliens would take any questions literally and answer them specifically...and maybe the whole, fantastic truth would occur to at least one of the parents, before the kids would have to come right out and admit that "we are aliens"!
"Maria, Liz, Alex and Kyle knew the truth all this time?" Amy exclaimed angrily, but was interrupted by Jeff Parker.
"But, Liz and the others were miserable for months...years...If they knew where you were and that you were okay...why were they So upset?"
"Well hopefully part of their tears were caused by their miss-ing-us." Isabel replied, rather irritated with Mr. Parker's denseness and she rolled her eyes.
"Why did you have to leave and why did you make it look as though you had run away, then?" Nancy asked.
"And why couldn't you communicate with us?" Mr. Whitman asked, curious rather than accusatory. "And didn't you have to falsify police reports?"
"Okay, we were sent to live in Roswell for our safety, because there was a civil war...back home." Max said slowly and thoughtfully. "Then, eleven years ago, we were finally contacted...and asked to return because the war was at a crucial point and it was believed that we could help to stop it for good...so we left our friends and our loved ones...even though it was the very last thing that we wanted to do." Max was gazing deeply into Liz's understanding eyes, totally blind to the fact that Isabel was sitting in between them. "Once we had left, we could no longer risk communicating with our parents or anyone else because any signals might be traced back to them. Some of our enemies had already found us while we lived in Roswell...and they were...uh...disposed of...but we could Not risk any more of our enemies making the connection between us and any of you."
"Max also told me that the four of them were leaving...and why...and I agreed to help Philip and Diane handle any legal/Police-type problems. Philip and Diane never made a missing person's report and the FBI was never contacted, so there was no falsification of Police reports; no laws were broken. But we allowed the public to believe that they had run away and everyone assumed that we were doing everything we could to search for them...so whenever I was asked if there was any progress on the case, I always had to say..."
"...that everything which needed to be done was being done, but there were no further leads or results at that time." Jeff quoted.
"They became just four more statistics, easily forgotten by the Press and the public." Diane said with tears in her eyes. "We didn't stop our friends from posting fliers around the county or on the Internet, but we didn't encourage them either and we didn't help them...so eventually even those efforts faded away as well...but we never forgot them. We never gave up totally that we would someday see our kids again!"
"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad." Max apologized miserably, but then continued. "It was important that no one...uh...back home linked our return with the four kids who disappeared from Roswell, New Mexico...who were mourned and greatly missed by loved ones who they left behind...who would make excellent hostages to command our cooperation and surrender."
"So you are saying that...that you guys are some sort of...royalty? That's why keeping you safely hidden was so important to our government and yours...and that's how you know General Hammond and the SGC...they had something to do with our protection?" Amy asked warily but curious.
"Our parents..." Max indicated Isabel and himself. "Were King and Queen before the war and our father was killed shortly before the fighting broke out. It was our mother who sent us to...Roswell while she stayed behind to lead the Resistance and keep my father's...uh...throne from being usurped."
"Have you...taken up your birthright then, Max?" Nancy asked a little dreamily. "Are you King Maxwell now? Is...is your...uh...birth-mother still alive?"
"Yes, we have all taken up our birthrights, as you put it." Max said softly but he straightened up his shoulders. "I followed in my father's footsteps and so have Isabel, Michael and Tess. Isabel, being a princess is one of my advisors, next to our mother and Michael and Tess are the offspring of two of our parents' best friends, who were also Royal Counselors to my father. They have taken their late parents' places and have also become two of my most trusted advisors as well...And yes, our...birth-mother, Valaria is still alive...and would very much like to meet all of you...especially you, Liz." Max said, reaching out his arm and took Liz's extended hand in his own. "I've told her all about you; how much I love you and now that..." But Max broke off when he remembered that the two of them were not alone, Isabel was sitting in between them for goodness sake, she was sitting forward so that they could see and speak to each other behind her back...but everyone in the room was watching them and could hear everything that they said. Max cleared his voice and spoke. "In fact, we have arranged a very special celebration, during which SG-1 is to be honored for helping to save our people...our parents, Liz, Alex, Maria and Kyle are all coming and so must you all." Max casually slipped the invitation in.
"How...how did SG-1 save your people and why have we never heard anything about your civil war, or...was it the Goa'uld SG-1 saved you from?" Mr. Parker asked.
'Man you are so close to figuring out the whole thing; just a few steps further, Mr. P.' Max thought to himself.
Anything to do with the Goa'uld; on or off of this planet is highly classified and the Press has never been allowed to report word one about them." General Hammond said firmly, deliberately skipping over the first part of Mr. Parker's question. "You may have heard about two bright lights suddenly appearing in the night's sky just over a year ago? It was explained away as colliding meteors but it was actually two Goa'uld mother-ships which SG-1, at great personal risk to themselves, managed to destroy just in time...the world is not ready to hear about such nightmares almost coming true. And I'm sorry that you folks have to learn about them at all, but things like that are a part of our children's lives now that they work for the SGC." General Hammond said.
"It's so strange that we've never heard anything about King Maxwell though." Amy teased but with determination. "The Press would just love to cover your story...young, handsome, bachelor-of-the-year, King Maxwell Evans!" Amy pantomimed a huge newspaper headline spreading out above their heads. "I can't believe that no one even covered your coronation...you did get one of those, didn't you?"
"He got two of 'em, Mrs. D." Michael smirked as Max blushed.
"Something...just is not...adding up here." Jeff Parker broke in thoughtfully.
"What do you mean, Jeff?" Nancy asked.
"Max and the others are rulers of some little country No one has ever heard of before...where a civil war was waged for...by my count...at least ten years, which no reporter ever reported on as well...Come on, we all heard about Sarajevo, where in the world could you live where at least one reporter wouldn't have heard about a ten year civil war?" Jeff Parker asked in frustration. "Okay, I'll buy that you four met SG-1 when they came to your...country to fight the Goa'uld...but what are you doing here now? Did you just travel all this way to invite us to a party...to pick us up and fly us back to your home, or what? And with all due respect to our Royal Highness, it would seem to me that if SG-1 saved your bacon, it is you who should be acting all overly polite, kissing their shoes than the other way around!"
"Mr. Parker!" The General barked out, shocked.
"Dad!" Liz cried out, angry.
"Jeff, for Pete's sake!" Nancy exclaimed to her husband.
"No, he's right..." Max said sincerely. "We owe SG-1 and all of you so much...you saved our people and reunited us with our loves...Liz, Alex, Maria and Kyle."
"You would have done just fine without us; I bet you could have blown Apophis out of the sky even without our planning C4 all over his ship...with all that advanced weaponry you have and the way your allies came flying in..."
"Not to mention the way you were able to save and heal Sha're." Daniel added, but then he bit his lip, worried that he had said too much.
"You don't have nuclear missiles...do you?" Nancy asked hesitantly.
"No, we don't have any nukes, Mrs. Parker." Max assured his future mother-in-law.
'We have defenses which are way more powerful than any nukes Earth has.' Michael thought to himself with a smirk and saw a similar look on Jack O'Neill's face. The older warrior was thinking along similar lines.
'We shot two "enhanced" nuclear missiles at those mother-ships and they didn't even scratch the shields.' He remembered, but did not say any of that out loud.
"But you were able to blow up an advanced space ship and heal Mrs. Jackson." Mr. Whitman clarified and Max nodded. "Liz was telling us that a Goa'uld host usually dies once the symbiote leaves it because the host no longer has an immune system...but you knew how to fix hers'?"
"It would appear so...or perhaps Sha're's condition wasn't so critical since we got her to medical help almost immediately." Max said modestly.
Jeff Parker had been swiveling his head back and forth as everyone else asked their questions and make their comments, but Max had not answered his questions and anyway he was beginning to think that he had found his own answers and started to wave his hands in the air to get everyone's attention. But when he realized what he was about to say...out loud...for everyone to hear, his voice shook at the enormity of it all.
"For crying out loud, why won't any of you just come out and say it? You're leading up to telling us the truth, but then you always stop short." Jeff cried out. "Do you really need us to be the ones who say it?" He took a deep, steadying breath and then continued. "You have allowed us to believe that you rule over some little country...one which has advanced weaponry and scientific breakthroughs even though your people have been fighting a civil war for over a decade...And here's the clinker; no one has ever heard of you. I love to watch those all-news channels on TV, believe me, I would have heard of such a place...and the way our government likes to stick its nose into everyone else's business, they surely would know where you live too...Care to show us on a map where your kingdom or principality is?" Jeff challenged but only nodded knowingly when no one answered him. "You never did answer my question about what you're doing here. Sure, SG-1 helped you fight the Goa'uld when they invaded your home...once again no one saw or heard anything about such an invasion...were you able to silence all of your citizens...or are they all so far away from anywhere else that there's no one to tell...what are you doing here in the SGC? Even if you had one of those Concord planes, it would have to take hours to reach here from wherever you started out. You wouldn't spend that much time in the air just to pick up a few party goers."
"Don't forget about how politely we Have been treated by all of the SGC personnel, even though, as you've noted, we owe them so much." Michael interrupted sarcastically. "Gee, maybe there is something we have that they want."
'You are so close, Mr. P.; come on, put the pieces together." Michael thought to himself.
"Exactly Michael...what could some tiny country no one has ever heard of offer a facility like this one...And the answer to all of my questions is...man I can Not believe I'm about to say this, but...Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess...are aliens...as in from another planet!" Jeff looked around at everyone; at the shocked, disbelieving faces of Nancy and Amy, the thoughtful expression on Charles Whitman's face and the knowing smiles (or smirks, in the case of Michael Guerin and Colonel O'Neill) on the faces of everyone else. Amy had started to shake her head in denial and so Jeff jumped back in, to explain his conclusions.
"There is now way that a civil war could last ten years and not be noticed by some reporter, much less the United Nations. And no society-reporter worth her salt would miss a royal coronation. From what I read in spy novels, there are always ways of jamming your communications signals...if they had been on Earth all this time, I know Max and the others, not to mention Liz, would have found a way to communicate safely with each other. And where on Earth would you find a higher military technology or medical technology than they have access to within this facility?"
"No, Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess have not been on this planet all of these years. And where they were was so far away...and maybe so dangerous that they dared not take their boyfriends and/or girlfriends with them, because they weren't sure that they would ever be able to return. The only thing I don't understand is that if there is a Stargate on your planet, why couldn't you have used it to come and go easily?" Jeff asked.
"Before you answer that, could you please admit to and clarify what Jeff has said already, or deny it all and give a better explanation of where you've been all this time. I just need to hear it from your lips." Charles Whitman requested and the four aliens nodded.
"Okay...here we go..." Max started. "Yes, Mr. Parker is correct...we are aliens; born on a planet called Antar. Isabel's and my parents were the rulers of our world for many happy years, but then a man named Khivar tried to overtake their throne and our father was killed. Our mother sent us to Earth for safety as we had studied this planet and its people many times."
Not for all the gold in the universe was Max prepared to explain the whole living-a-former-life, being killed and then cloned into Human-alien hybrids-thing that actually happened. But he went on to give a brief explanation of how they had actually crashed to Earth in 1947 and then left their protective pods over forty years later, wandered out into the desert to be found by the Evans. In covering what happened as they grew up, Max explained that the civil war on Antar had been going on for over fifty years, rather than just ten and that it was only when they were called back to their home, that the war was able to be won by the Royals and ended.
Isabel broke in and explained how all of their large, fast space ships had been destroyed during the war and the difficulties of communicating across a galaxy...and she covered their unsuccessful attempt to reach their friends shortly after the war had ended. Michael took a turn and explained how their people had rediscovered the Stargate, which had been buried for millennia on their world. He spoke of how Amonette, Sha're's demon symbiote, had come to Antar through the newly opened alien device and how they had stopped her and her Jaffa-warriors. Tess took up the story explaining how Max had saved Sha're and they had welcomed her as a guest after she had been freed.
"And then SG-1 came through the Stargate and right after them, Apophis flew in on his mother-ship and SG-1helped us defeat him and Daniel was reunited with Sha're!" Tess finished.
"We figured out that Liz and Alex had known and still had feelings for Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess...or Zan, Valondra, Rath and Ava, as they are called on Antar...and with Sha're's help we found out that the four of them were probably still in love with their friends here on Earth." Sam Carter took up the story. "And we wanted to surprise Liz and Alex so we tricked them into inviting Kyle and Maria up here to attend Sha're's birthday party...and we invited the Royal Four as well and then...we just stood back and watched after we brought them all together!"
"The last step was to break the news to all of you parents." Liz said. "We started with Mr. and Mrs. Evans and the Sheriff, since they had known the truth about Max and the others before they returned to Antar. The three of them flew up just a couple of days ago...and now you all know the truth too..." Liz looked around the room hesitantly. "How...how are you doing with all of this new information you've been hit with?" She asked closely studying her parents.
"I don't suppose you have anything strong to drink down here, do you?" Charles murmured to his son.
"Besides the mud they laughingly call coffee? I don't think so, Dad." Alex replied.
"I'll be right back." The General said casually and left the room for a moment.
When he returned he was carrying something in a small brown paper bag. Jack O'Neill raised one of his eyebrows in surprise and then moved to make sure that everyone had a clean coffee cup in front of them. The General smiled his thanks as he pulled out the bottle of Glenfiddich and started pouring dollops into anyone's cup who wanted some...and just about all of the parents did, but the kids declined.
"Just a hint, General." Michael said as he refused a drop. "You don't want to get Antarians drunk..." He didn't say any more, preferring to allow everyone to think that they became violent or mean, instead of becoming sloppy romantics.
"Oh, uh thank you, Mr. Guerin." The General said before he moved on to pour some of the fine whisky into Philip Evans' cup.
Liz waited, trying to be patient until everyone had downed their drink...smiling as her father coughed several times and pounded his chest with a fist.
"Uh, that's good stuff you've got there, General." Jeff said chuckling at himself.
"I keep it for...er...medicinal purposes." The General explained, but his stern, official expression quickly cracked into a grin and a wink to the table in general.
"Okay...are all of you feeling better now?" Liz asked hesitantly and received some unconvincing head-nods from around the table.
"How...are...you...feeling about what you've just learned?" Alex asked, equally hesitant.
"Actually...it al makes a lot of sense..." Mr. Whitman started to say, but then was interrupted when Nancy Parker cried out.
"The shooting at the CrashDown...Liz was...Liz...was...really...shot...and you...saved her...healed her...didn't you?" She asked, her eyes were huge and her face, white as she thought back to that day and realized that she could have lost her beloved daughter...if not for this young man...this alien.
"Yeah, Mom...it really happened...and Max did save me...He risked exposing what he was...and Isabel and Michael...to save my life." Liz answered solemnly.
"Oh my baby!" Nancy cried out and launched herself up out of her chair and around the table until she could get her arms around her daughter...and then the tears started to spill down her face and she began to cry, rocking Liz back and forth as she clung to her.
"Mom...Mom, I'm okay...it's okay...we're all safe and back together again." Liz soothed softly.
"Max...come over here." Nancy called out as she opened one arm out to him.
Max got up and slowly went to join the mother and daughter, but as soon as she could touch him, Nancy drew him into her arms for a hug as well. Max was torn between embarrassment and happiness at seemingly being accepted by Liz's mother...and being pressed up to Liz's slender form within Nancy Parker's arms. Liz put one of her arms around Max's lean waist and he followed suit so that the three of them could just stand there for a few moments.
Their unexpected behavior got everyone else up and out of their seats as well and a general hug-fest ensued. Mr. Whitman kissed Isabel on both of her cheeks and slapped Alex on the back, grinning. Amy DeLuca gathered Maria into her arms for a hug and when Michael walked over rather hesitantly to the two ladies, she stared at him for several long seconds and then opened her arm to him for a hug as well. Michael cracked a grin and stepped into the warm embrace, his arms going around mother and daughter as well.
Sheriff Valenti, Kyle and Tess were hugging and the Evans made their way to where both of their children were standing with their loves and future-in-laws. But they stopped as they saw Jeff Parker finally walk up to Max and stand in front of him.
"So you are really an alien? And...and you healed my Lizzy?" Jeff asked.
"Yes, sir...I am an alien." Max answered.
"And he did heal me that day, Daddy...or I would've died." Liz said, bringing out the heavy emotional artillery.
"You want to take her...away to live on your planet?" Jeff continued.
"My people need me on Antar, but I...need her...I love your daughter, so much." Max said sincerely, both arms going around Liz to hug her tight.
"And with the Stargate we could come and visit...or you could come and visit us, Daddy...Mom. That's why we made the effort to bring all of you up here, so you could see this place, get security clearance and go through the Gate with us to Antar." Liz spoke quickly and convincingly, all in one breath.
"We would really like you to come and see our home...all of you." Max said looking around the room as he issued the invitation again.
"What do ya think, Dad...will you come with us?" Alex asked his father.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Son." Charles grinned.
"Mom, Dad?" Liz asked. Will you come?"
"I...we...we have to step through the Stargate?" Nancy asked nervously.
"It's perfectly safe Mom and we'll all be there with you." Liz answered her, smiling.
"Then...okay, I'm in!" Nancy said, holding tightly to Jeff's hand.
"Me too!" Jeff said and then became serious as he stuck his other hand out to Max...and Max grasped it tightly with his own.
"Mom, you'll come, won't you...please?" Maria asked, but Amy's bravado was leaving her and the fear was showing through.
"Go to another pl-plan-planet...through th-that thing?" She stuttered, pointing towards the Stargate.
"Yeah, Mom...I bet stepping through the Stargate would be way better than spending months or even years inside a space ship to get there." Maria said, trying to encourage her mother, but she was getting excited at the same time. "Alex says it's a blast, like riding on a rollercoaster!"
"I hate rollercoasters!" Amy cried out and Michael rolled his eyes...he knew how to handle the DeLuca women, so he stepped back and placed his fists on his hips.
"Is this the woman who raised her daughter all by herself...and got arrested for trying to save a Native American artifact-wall...that even the Indians didn't want to save?" Michael asked, trying to sound disappointed in Amy, while keeping a grin and his laughter well hidden. "What are you...chicken?" Both Amy's and Maria's jaws dropped.
"Those are fighting words, you punk! I can do anything I set my mind to. I'm not afraid of anything, especially some muscle-bound, alien-whatever-you-are...like you!"
Michael looked Amy up and down and then into her eyes.
"Prove it." He said softly, never blinking.
Amy's mouth slammed shut and her jaw was clenched into a stubborn line.
"General!" She yelled. "When are we going to move this party off-world?"
General Hammond looked around at everyone else in the room, saw that they were all ready to go and then turned to Colonel O'Neill.
"Colonel, SG-1 and the Antar group have the go-ahead to step through the Stargate in thirty minutes." He ordered.
"Yes, sir." Colonel O'Neill accepted his orders and turned to the group as a whole. "Let's move out!"
TBC
Silence was complete as all of the parents took in the presence of the four missing teens...
...who were teens no more, Jeff Parker noted and it was more than the impressive muscular physiques of Max Evans and Michael Guerin that showed it. 'There was something about their posture, all four of them stood straight and proud...'
'...Max had always been shy; ducking his head a lot, his shoulders always slumped.' Nancy Parker thought as she glanced over Liz's old boyfriend...'Now he looks as though he could handle any situation, especially this one...'
'...Isabel Evans had always been a confident young lady,' Charles Whitman thought, 'but now there is something extra about her...it's in her eyes; a certain knowledge...she reminds me of Captain Carter...have these four kids joined the military? They are just wearing street clothes, not uniforms...'
'...Where have they been all of this time?' Amy DeLuca asked herself. They stand there straight and strong and confident...And Michael, Michael Guerin is trying to hide it but I can see that smirk of his, he's enjoying this; shocking us like this...but man all that bone structure which was just starting to show in his face has really come through...that strong jaw, those high pronounced cheekbones, Maria will just drool over that face...wait a minute...that "glow" of Maria's I saw in the van earlier...and Liz had it too...those two knew about this...well yeah of course they knew...but that means they've been "drooling" over Michael and Max for...'
"How long have you been here? Where the hell have you been all this time? Don't you know that we've been worried sick about you all of these years?" Amy blurted out, her voice dripping with suspicion as she asked the questions which all four parents wanted answers to, but they were all too shocked to ask...But it was General Hammond who spoke next.
"Good morning, Mr. Evans." Hammond said in a respectful voice, ignoring Amy DeLuca for the moment as he stood up to greet all four of them and shook their hands. He would not give away the secret of who these four young people really were, but he would treat them in the manner their royal status called for. "Thank you for coming this morning, sir; will you all please be seated? Let's see, there are two chairs down there for your parents to sit..."
"They can have our seats, General." Colonel O'Neill volunteered as he looked around to the rest of SG-1, who nodded agreeably.
"Thank you, Colonel." Hammond said, smiling at his 2IC as all four members of SG-1 stood up from their places near the head of the table.
Jack might like to tease them, but he had come to respect these four young alien leaders and was determined to help them any way he could. They had enough challenges facing them, besides meeting their lovers' parents again. Daniel placed some gentle pressure on Sha're's shoulder to keep her seated as he stood to give up his seat and SG-1 instinctively took supportive positions, standing behind their four friends. Teal'c made sure that he stood between his new comrades and Amy DeLuca; her angry and suspicious manner setting off his protective instincts. And Max took the seat which the General indicated for him, at his right; he would have preferred to sit next to Liz, but he appreciated that General Hammond was trying to help him by giving him, all of them, a place of honor to sit.
The General's and SG-1's actions; their deference and extreme politeness to Max and the others made Amy, the Parkers and Mr. Whitman pause in their questioning of their kids. What was going on here? Who were Max Evans and the others to this military organization? They were wearing casual clothing and yet they seemed to hold a place of authority, of honor here. Did they work for a senator or...the parents hesitated in their mental questioning...the President of the United States? How could these young people have gained such a high position of authority, to have a highly decorated Air Force General treating them with so much respect...and blast it...where had they been while they were seemingly gaining all of this power? Nancy Parker decided to find some answers but started out in a much more reasonable tone of voice than Amy DeLuca had used.
"Max, Isabel, Michael and...Tess? It is so great to see you again...um...safe and well. You can't imagine how we've all worried about you all these years." She paused and then continued. "Could you tell us please...why did you run away from home? Didn't you know that your parents...all of us, your friends would be worried bout you?" Nancy asked, trying hard to keep an accusatory tone out of her voice. There had to be a reasonable explanation for this...she did not want to believe that shy, polite Max Evans would have caused so much hurt and worry without a very good reason.
"We didn't run away, Mrs. Parker." Max answered in is soft voice. "And our parents knew where we were...they just could not have contact with us after we left. Neither could Liz, Alex, Maria or Kyle."
They had discussed with General Hammond and SG-1 how to go about telling the parents their story; in the end they had decided to allow the Parkers and the others to ask what questions they wanted to and to see where they led them. If the parents just up and demanded that they start from the beginning, they would, but until then, the four aliens would take any questions literally and answer them specifically...and maybe the whole, fantastic truth would occur to at least one of the parents, before the kids would have to come right out and admit that "we are aliens"!
"Maria, Liz, Alex and Kyle knew the truth all this time?" Amy exclaimed angrily, but was interrupted by Jeff Parker.
"But, Liz and the others were miserable for months...years...If they knew where you were and that you were okay...why were they So upset?"
"Well hopefully part of their tears were caused by their miss-ing-us." Isabel replied, rather irritated with Mr. Parker's denseness and she rolled her eyes.
"Why did you have to leave and why did you make it look as though you had run away, then?" Nancy asked.
"And why couldn't you communicate with us?" Mr. Whitman asked, curious rather than accusatory. "And didn't you have to falsify police reports?"
"Okay, we were sent to live in Roswell for our safety, because there was a civil war...back home." Max said slowly and thoughtfully. "Then, eleven years ago, we were finally contacted...and asked to return because the war was at a crucial point and it was believed that we could help to stop it for good...so we left our friends and our loved ones...even though it was the very last thing that we wanted to do." Max was gazing deeply into Liz's understanding eyes, totally blind to the fact that Isabel was sitting in between them. "Once we had left, we could no longer risk communicating with our parents or anyone else because any signals might be traced back to them. Some of our enemies had already found us while we lived in Roswell...and they were...uh...disposed of...but we could Not risk any more of our enemies making the connection between us and any of you."
"Max also told me that the four of them were leaving...and why...and I agreed to help Philip and Diane handle any legal/Police-type problems. Philip and Diane never made a missing person's report and the FBI was never contacted, so there was no falsification of Police reports; no laws were broken. But we allowed the public to believe that they had run away and everyone assumed that we were doing everything we could to search for them...so whenever I was asked if there was any progress on the case, I always had to say..."
"...that everything which needed to be done was being done, but there were no further leads or results at that time." Jeff quoted.
"They became just four more statistics, easily forgotten by the Press and the public." Diane said with tears in her eyes. "We didn't stop our friends from posting fliers around the county or on the Internet, but we didn't encourage them either and we didn't help them...so eventually even those efforts faded away as well...but we never forgot them. We never gave up totally that we would someday see our kids again!"
"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad." Max apologized miserably, but then continued. "It was important that no one...uh...back home linked our return with the four kids who disappeared from Roswell, New Mexico...who were mourned and greatly missed by loved ones who they left behind...who would make excellent hostages to command our cooperation and surrender."
"So you are saying that...that you guys are some sort of...royalty? That's why keeping you safely hidden was so important to our government and yours...and that's how you know General Hammond and the SGC...they had something to do with our protection?" Amy asked warily but curious.
"Our parents..." Max indicated Isabel and himself. "Were King and Queen before the war and our father was killed shortly before the fighting broke out. It was our mother who sent us to...Roswell while she stayed behind to lead the Resistance and keep my father's...uh...throne from being usurped."
"Have you...taken up your birthright then, Max?" Nancy asked a little dreamily. "Are you King Maxwell now? Is...is your...uh...birth-mother still alive?"
"Yes, we have all taken up our birthrights, as you put it." Max said softly but he straightened up his shoulders. "I followed in my father's footsteps and so have Isabel, Michael and Tess. Isabel, being a princess is one of my advisors, next to our mother and Michael and Tess are the offspring of two of our parents' best friends, who were also Royal Counselors to my father. They have taken their late parents' places and have also become two of my most trusted advisors as well...And yes, our...birth-mother, Valaria is still alive...and would very much like to meet all of you...especially you, Liz." Max said, reaching out his arm and took Liz's extended hand in his own. "I've told her all about you; how much I love you and now that..." But Max broke off when he remembered that the two of them were not alone, Isabel was sitting in between them for goodness sake, she was sitting forward so that they could see and speak to each other behind her back...but everyone in the room was watching them and could hear everything that they said. Max cleared his voice and spoke. "In fact, we have arranged a very special celebration, during which SG-1 is to be honored for helping to save our people...our parents, Liz, Alex, Maria and Kyle are all coming and so must you all." Max casually slipped the invitation in.
"How...how did SG-1 save your people and why have we never heard anything about your civil war, or...was it the Goa'uld SG-1 saved you from?" Mr. Parker asked.
'Man you are so close to figuring out the whole thing; just a few steps further, Mr. P.' Max thought to himself.
Anything to do with the Goa'uld; on or off of this planet is highly classified and the Press has never been allowed to report word one about them." General Hammond said firmly, deliberately skipping over the first part of Mr. Parker's question. "You may have heard about two bright lights suddenly appearing in the night's sky just over a year ago? It was explained away as colliding meteors but it was actually two Goa'uld mother-ships which SG-1, at great personal risk to themselves, managed to destroy just in time...the world is not ready to hear about such nightmares almost coming true. And I'm sorry that you folks have to learn about them at all, but things like that are a part of our children's lives now that they work for the SGC." General Hammond said.
"It's so strange that we've never heard anything about King Maxwell though." Amy teased but with determination. "The Press would just love to cover your story...young, handsome, bachelor-of-the-year, King Maxwell Evans!" Amy pantomimed a huge newspaper headline spreading out above their heads. "I can't believe that no one even covered your coronation...you did get one of those, didn't you?"
"He got two of 'em, Mrs. D." Michael smirked as Max blushed.
"Something...just is not...adding up here." Jeff Parker broke in thoughtfully.
"What do you mean, Jeff?" Nancy asked.
"Max and the others are rulers of some little country No one has ever heard of before...where a civil war was waged for...by my count...at least ten years, which no reporter ever reported on as well...Come on, we all heard about Sarajevo, where in the world could you live where at least one reporter wouldn't have heard about a ten year civil war?" Jeff Parker asked in frustration. "Okay, I'll buy that you four met SG-1 when they came to your...country to fight the Goa'uld...but what are you doing here now? Did you just travel all this way to invite us to a party...to pick us up and fly us back to your home, or what? And with all due respect to our Royal Highness, it would seem to me that if SG-1 saved your bacon, it is you who should be acting all overly polite, kissing their shoes than the other way around!"
"Mr. Parker!" The General barked out, shocked.
"Dad!" Liz cried out, angry.
"Jeff, for Pete's sake!" Nancy exclaimed to her husband.
"No, he's right..." Max said sincerely. "We owe SG-1 and all of you so much...you saved our people and reunited us with our loves...Liz, Alex, Maria and Kyle."
"You would have done just fine without us; I bet you could have blown Apophis out of the sky even without our planning C4 all over his ship...with all that advanced weaponry you have and the way your allies came flying in..."
"Not to mention the way you were able to save and heal Sha're." Daniel added, but then he bit his lip, worried that he had said too much.
"You don't have nuclear missiles...do you?" Nancy asked hesitantly.
"No, we don't have any nukes, Mrs. Parker." Max assured his future mother-in-law.
'We have defenses which are way more powerful than any nukes Earth has.' Michael thought to himself with a smirk and saw a similar look on Jack O'Neill's face. The older warrior was thinking along similar lines.
'We shot two "enhanced" nuclear missiles at those mother-ships and they didn't even scratch the shields.' He remembered, but did not say any of that out loud.
"But you were able to blow up an advanced space ship and heal Mrs. Jackson." Mr. Whitman clarified and Max nodded. "Liz was telling us that a Goa'uld host usually dies once the symbiote leaves it because the host no longer has an immune system...but you knew how to fix hers'?"
"It would appear so...or perhaps Sha're's condition wasn't so critical since we got her to medical help almost immediately." Max said modestly.
Jeff Parker had been swiveling his head back and forth as everyone else asked their questions and make their comments, but Max had not answered his questions and anyway he was beginning to think that he had found his own answers and started to wave his hands in the air to get everyone's attention. But when he realized what he was about to say...out loud...for everyone to hear, his voice shook at the enormity of it all.
"For crying out loud, why won't any of you just come out and say it? You're leading up to telling us the truth, but then you always stop short." Jeff cried out. "Do you really need us to be the ones who say it?" He took a deep, steadying breath and then continued. "You have allowed us to believe that you rule over some little country...one which has advanced weaponry and scientific breakthroughs even though your people have been fighting a civil war for over a decade...And here's the clinker; no one has ever heard of you. I love to watch those all-news channels on TV, believe me, I would have heard of such a place...and the way our government likes to stick its nose into everyone else's business, they surely would know where you live too...Care to show us on a map where your kingdom or principality is?" Jeff challenged but only nodded knowingly when no one answered him. "You never did answer my question about what you're doing here. Sure, SG-1 helped you fight the Goa'uld when they invaded your home...once again no one saw or heard anything about such an invasion...were you able to silence all of your citizens...or are they all so far away from anywhere else that there's no one to tell...what are you doing here in the SGC? Even if you had one of those Concord planes, it would have to take hours to reach here from wherever you started out. You wouldn't spend that much time in the air just to pick up a few party goers."
"Don't forget about how politely we Have been treated by all of the SGC personnel, even though, as you've noted, we owe them so much." Michael interrupted sarcastically. "Gee, maybe there is something we have that they want."
'You are so close, Mr. P.; come on, put the pieces together." Michael thought to himself.
"Exactly Michael...what could some tiny country no one has ever heard of offer a facility like this one...And the answer to all of my questions is...man I can Not believe I'm about to say this, but...Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess...are aliens...as in from another planet!" Jeff looked around at everyone; at the shocked, disbelieving faces of Nancy and Amy, the thoughtful expression on Charles Whitman's face and the knowing smiles (or smirks, in the case of Michael Guerin and Colonel O'Neill) on the faces of everyone else. Amy had started to shake her head in denial and so Jeff jumped back in, to explain his conclusions.
"There is now way that a civil war could last ten years and not be noticed by some reporter, much less the United Nations. And no society-reporter worth her salt would miss a royal coronation. From what I read in spy novels, there are always ways of jamming your communications signals...if they had been on Earth all this time, I know Max and the others, not to mention Liz, would have found a way to communicate safely with each other. And where on Earth would you find a higher military technology or medical technology than they have access to within this facility?"
"No, Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess have not been on this planet all of these years. And where they were was so far away...and maybe so dangerous that they dared not take their boyfriends and/or girlfriends with them, because they weren't sure that they would ever be able to return. The only thing I don't understand is that if there is a Stargate on your planet, why couldn't you have used it to come and go easily?" Jeff asked.
"Before you answer that, could you please admit to and clarify what Jeff has said already, or deny it all and give a better explanation of where you've been all this time. I just need to hear it from your lips." Charles Whitman requested and the four aliens nodded.
"Okay...here we go..." Max started. "Yes, Mr. Parker is correct...we are aliens; born on a planet called Antar. Isabel's and my parents were the rulers of our world for many happy years, but then a man named Khivar tried to overtake their throne and our father was killed. Our mother sent us to Earth for safety as we had studied this planet and its people many times."
Not for all the gold in the universe was Max prepared to explain the whole living-a-former-life, being killed and then cloned into Human-alien hybrids-thing that actually happened. But he went on to give a brief explanation of how they had actually crashed to Earth in 1947 and then left their protective pods over forty years later, wandered out into the desert to be found by the Evans. In covering what happened as they grew up, Max explained that the civil war on Antar had been going on for over fifty years, rather than just ten and that it was only when they were called back to their home, that the war was able to be won by the Royals and ended.
Isabel broke in and explained how all of their large, fast space ships had been destroyed during the war and the difficulties of communicating across a galaxy...and she covered their unsuccessful attempt to reach their friends shortly after the war had ended. Michael took a turn and explained how their people had rediscovered the Stargate, which had been buried for millennia on their world. He spoke of how Amonette, Sha're's demon symbiote, had come to Antar through the newly opened alien device and how they had stopped her and her Jaffa-warriors. Tess took up the story explaining how Max had saved Sha're and they had welcomed her as a guest after she had been freed.
"And then SG-1 came through the Stargate and right after them, Apophis flew in on his mother-ship and SG-1helped us defeat him and Daniel was reunited with Sha're!" Tess finished.
"We figured out that Liz and Alex had known and still had feelings for Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess...or Zan, Valondra, Rath and Ava, as they are called on Antar...and with Sha're's help we found out that the four of them were probably still in love with their friends here on Earth." Sam Carter took up the story. "And we wanted to surprise Liz and Alex so we tricked them into inviting Kyle and Maria up here to attend Sha're's birthday party...and we invited the Royal Four as well and then...we just stood back and watched after we brought them all together!"
"The last step was to break the news to all of you parents." Liz said. "We started with Mr. and Mrs. Evans and the Sheriff, since they had known the truth about Max and the others before they returned to Antar. The three of them flew up just a couple of days ago...and now you all know the truth too..." Liz looked around the room hesitantly. "How...how are you doing with all of this new information you've been hit with?" She asked closely studying her parents.
"I don't suppose you have anything strong to drink down here, do you?" Charles murmured to his son.
"Besides the mud they laughingly call coffee? I don't think so, Dad." Alex replied.
"I'll be right back." The General said casually and left the room for a moment.
When he returned he was carrying something in a small brown paper bag. Jack O'Neill raised one of his eyebrows in surprise and then moved to make sure that everyone had a clean coffee cup in front of them. The General smiled his thanks as he pulled out the bottle of Glenfiddich and started pouring dollops into anyone's cup who wanted some...and just about all of the parents did, but the kids declined.
"Just a hint, General." Michael said as he refused a drop. "You don't want to get Antarians drunk..." He didn't say any more, preferring to allow everyone to think that they became violent or mean, instead of becoming sloppy romantics.
"Oh, uh thank you, Mr. Guerin." The General said before he moved on to pour some of the fine whisky into Philip Evans' cup.
Liz waited, trying to be patient until everyone had downed their drink...smiling as her father coughed several times and pounded his chest with a fist.
"Uh, that's good stuff you've got there, General." Jeff said chuckling at himself.
"I keep it for...er...medicinal purposes." The General explained, but his stern, official expression quickly cracked into a grin and a wink to the table in general.
"Okay...are all of you feeling better now?" Liz asked hesitantly and received some unconvincing head-nods from around the table.
"How...are...you...feeling about what you've just learned?" Alex asked, equally hesitant.
"Actually...it al makes a lot of sense..." Mr. Whitman started to say, but then was interrupted when Nancy Parker cried out.
"The shooting at the CrashDown...Liz was...Liz...was...really...shot...and you...saved her...healed her...didn't you?" She asked, her eyes were huge and her face, white as she thought back to that day and realized that she could have lost her beloved daughter...if not for this young man...this alien.
"Yeah, Mom...it really happened...and Max did save me...He risked exposing what he was...and Isabel and Michael...to save my life." Liz answered solemnly.
"Oh my baby!" Nancy cried out and launched herself up out of her chair and around the table until she could get her arms around her daughter...and then the tears started to spill down her face and she began to cry, rocking Liz back and forth as she clung to her.
"Mom...Mom, I'm okay...it's okay...we're all safe and back together again." Liz soothed softly.
"Max...come over here." Nancy called out as she opened one arm out to him.
Max got up and slowly went to join the mother and daughter, but as soon as she could touch him, Nancy drew him into her arms for a hug as well. Max was torn between embarrassment and happiness at seemingly being accepted by Liz's mother...and being pressed up to Liz's slender form within Nancy Parker's arms. Liz put one of her arms around Max's lean waist and he followed suit so that the three of them could just stand there for a few moments.
Their unexpected behavior got everyone else up and out of their seats as well and a general hug-fest ensued. Mr. Whitman kissed Isabel on both of her cheeks and slapped Alex on the back, grinning. Amy DeLuca gathered Maria into her arms for a hug and when Michael walked over rather hesitantly to the two ladies, she stared at him for several long seconds and then opened her arm to him for a hug as well. Michael cracked a grin and stepped into the warm embrace, his arms going around mother and daughter as well.
Sheriff Valenti, Kyle and Tess were hugging and the Evans made their way to where both of their children were standing with their loves and future-in-laws. But they stopped as they saw Jeff Parker finally walk up to Max and stand in front of him.
"So you are really an alien? And...and you healed my Lizzy?" Jeff asked.
"Yes, sir...I am an alien." Max answered.
"And he did heal me that day, Daddy...or I would've died." Liz said, bringing out the heavy emotional artillery.
"You want to take her...away to live on your planet?" Jeff continued.
"My people need me on Antar, but I...need her...I love your daughter, so much." Max said sincerely, both arms going around Liz to hug her tight.
"And with the Stargate we could come and visit...or you could come and visit us, Daddy...Mom. That's why we made the effort to bring all of you up here, so you could see this place, get security clearance and go through the Gate with us to Antar." Liz spoke quickly and convincingly, all in one breath.
"We would really like you to come and see our home...all of you." Max said looking around the room as he issued the invitation again.
"What do ya think, Dad...will you come with us?" Alex asked his father.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Son." Charles grinned.
"Mom, Dad?" Liz asked. Will you come?"
"I...we...we have to step through the Stargate?" Nancy asked nervously.
"It's perfectly safe Mom and we'll all be there with you." Liz answered her, smiling.
"Then...okay, I'm in!" Nancy said, holding tightly to Jeff's hand.
"Me too!" Jeff said and then became serious as he stuck his other hand out to Max...and Max grasped it tightly with his own.
"Mom, you'll come, won't you...please?" Maria asked, but Amy's bravado was leaving her and the fear was showing through.
"Go to another pl-plan-planet...through th-that thing?" She stuttered, pointing towards the Stargate.
"Yeah, Mom...I bet stepping through the Stargate would be way better than spending months or even years inside a space ship to get there." Maria said, trying to encourage her mother, but she was getting excited at the same time. "Alex says it's a blast, like riding on a rollercoaster!"
"I hate rollercoasters!" Amy cried out and Michael rolled his eyes...he knew how to handle the DeLuca women, so he stepped back and placed his fists on his hips.
"Is this the woman who raised her daughter all by herself...and got arrested for trying to save a Native American artifact-wall...that even the Indians didn't want to save?" Michael asked, trying to sound disappointed in Amy, while keeping a grin and his laughter well hidden. "What are you...chicken?" Both Amy's and Maria's jaws dropped.
"Those are fighting words, you punk! I can do anything I set my mind to. I'm not afraid of anything, especially some muscle-bound, alien-whatever-you-are...like you!"
Michael looked Amy up and down and then into her eyes.
"Prove it." He said softly, never blinking.
Amy's mouth slammed shut and her jaw was clenched into a stubborn line.
"General!" She yelled. "When are we going to move this party off-world?"
General Hammond looked around at everyone else in the room, saw that they were all ready to go and then turned to Colonel O'Neill.
"Colonel, SG-1 and the Antar group have the go-ahead to step through the Stargate in thirty minutes." He ordered.
"Yes, sir." Colonel O'Neill accepted his orders and turned to the group as a whole. "Let's move out!"
TBC
