Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is taken from End of the World. God knows THAT'S not mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine. Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.

Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R[/b]

Chapter Eighteen – Live to Tell

The ringing of the phone pulled Alex Whitman from a deep sleep. He rolled over in bed, and his arm crept out from under the blanket and reached blindly towards the nightstand. He banged around the nightstand until he found the phone. He grabbed the receiver and muttered an incoherent hello into the mouthpiece.
"Alex, is that you?" asked the voice on the other end of the line.
"Muwmph," Alex yawned. "Yeah, it's me," he amended groggily. "Who is this?"
"Alex, it's Tess."
"Oh, hey Tess, what do you want?" asked the now wide-awake Alex. "And did you know it's only 6:30 on a Sunday morning?"
"Oh, I woke you," said Tess solicitously. "I'm sorry Alex, it's just that I need some help, and you were the only person I could think of to ask." Alex rolled his eyes, and reached over onto his nightstand and slipped the platinum ring that Isabelle gave him on his finger. "No problem Tess, what can I do for you?"
"I really need to talk to you, alone. Can we meet somewhere?"
"Mmmm, yeah," said Alex, thinking quickly. "How about that new pancake house that opened up. It's opened 24 hours. In about a half an hour?" he asked.
"Oh Alex, you're a real lifesaver," Tess cooed over the phone. "Is uh, Kyle still there?" she asked in a casual voice.
"Oh yeah," lied Alex. "He's sound asleep on my bedroom floor. Why, do you want to talk to him?"
"Oh, no, I just was wondering if he was still there, or on his way home?" said Tess.
"Don't tell anybody that I called you or that we are meeting. It's a secret," said a voice in Alex's head.
"I'll just leave him a note telling him I went for a jog," said Alex. I'll see you in half an hour."
"Thanks Alex," said Tess. "You're the best."

Alex hung up the phone, and rolled out of bed. He threw on some clothes, brushed his teeth and reached for the phone. He punched in Michael's number and tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for someone to answer.
"Kyle!" he said. "Yes, I do know it's almost 7:00 a.m. Shut up and listen for a second. Tess called me."
"What!" shouted Kyle, his voice still filled with sleep.
"Yeah, she has a favor to ask me and wants to meet with me right away, and she is trying to warp me into keeping it a secret. We're meeting at the new pancake house that opened up. She was also looking for you. She wanted to make sure you were still here. I told her you were asleep.
"Thanks, man," said Kyle. "Okay, I'll spread the word about what's up. Meet us at the CrashDown as soon as you can. You remember the code, right?"
"Yeah, how hard can it be to remember song N-17 on the jukebox if we need a meeting," laughed Alex. "Listen, how's Ava doing?"
"She's okay," said Kyle. "It's weird, she looks so much like Tess, and there are parts of her that are like Tess too, but for the most part, she's entirely different. She's really nice." Alex smiled as he listened to his friend's voice soften as he spoke about Tess.
"Just remember, my parents are going away on that cruise next week. She's more than welcome to stay here while they are gone. Tess might get suspicious if we keep her away from Michael's apartment for too long."
"Good thinking," said Kyle. "Listen, you be careful with Tess. There's no telling what she's up to with this meeting."
"Don't worry, I'm not exactly hero material," laughed Alex. "I'd better get going if I'm going to meet her on time. Oh, by the way, I told her I was leaving you a note saying I was going jogging. Take it easy," said Alex as he hung up the phone.

Alex slipped out of the house, and drove across the quiet streets of Roswell. He parked several blocks down from the pancake house and walked to the restaurant, using the time to compose himself for what might lie ahead. A jingling bell announced him as he opened the door of the new restaurant. A cursory glance showed him that he and Tess, aside from a waitress and a cook, were the restaurants only occupants. He slid into the booth across from Tess, and quickly grabbed a menu to hide his nervousness.
"Hey," he said, nodding.
"Hi Alex," Tess replied. "Thank you so much for meeting me like this."
"No problem," he said. "I wasn't really sleepy anyhow."
"Liar," she answered with a smile. "It was really selfish of me to wake you up so early on a Sunday morning, but what I have to ask you is really important, and I didn't want to wait any longer.

"You two kids ready to order?" asked the waitress as she approached the table.
"Uh, yeah," said Alex, glancing quickly at the menu. "I'll have a short stack of buttermilk pancakes with blueberries, and a cup of coffee."
"And you dear?" the waitress asked, turning towards Tess.
"That sounds good," she answered. "I'll have the same thing." The waitress scribbled something down on her pad, and took the order over to the kitchen. She returned with a pot of coffee in her hand and made short work of filling the cups. Tess and Alex waited until the waitress was out of earshot before resuming their conversation.

"So," said Alex, fiddling nervously with his spoon. "What did you need my help with?"
"Alex, you're really smart," said Tess. "And you're really great with computers, so I was wondering, if you could possibly figure out a way to help me with a project of sorts?"
"I can try," said Alex. "What's it for, school?"
"I'd rather not say right now."
"Okay, but it's going to make helping you a bit difficult. Can you at least tell me what you want me to do?"
"It's kind of like translation stuff," said Tess vaguely.
"Oh you mean like from English to Spanish, or something?"
"More like something to English," said Tess.
"Oh, said Alex faintly, knowing what she wanted.
"I'll give you all the details later," said Tess. "Just promise me that you'll help me."
"Uh, yeah, sure I will Tess," said Alex.
"Thanks Alex," said Tess, smiling faintly. She closed her eyes, and an intense look of concentration crossed her face. "And remember," she added. "Don't tell anybody about this."

As she spoke, Alex could feel her probing his mind, trying to erase all vestiges of the conversation from his memory.
"I want this party to be a surprise for Max," Tess said. "Don't forget, don't tell anyone."
"I won't tell anyone, Tess," said Alex. "A surprise party won't be a surprise if everyone knows about it."
"You're terrific, Alex," said Tess, standing up to leave. "Thanks again. I'll see you later."
"Wait," said Alex as she slid out of the booth. "What about your breakfast?"
"Oh, I'm not very hungry. Thanks anyway."
"See ya," said Alex, as he reached for the two plates the waitress placed on the table. "I'm glad she's not hungry, because I sure am."