Tomorrow's Yet to Come

Chapter Seventeen – Seeing Double

Ava heard the knock at the door, and ran to open it while the others tried to make sense of everything that had happened. She threw open the door with a smile, assuming that it was Jim, and screamed.

"Zan!" She started to reach out to him, but was held back by both Michael and Kyle who ran to her side when they heard her scream.

"Michael, Kyle, let me go!" she shouted. It's Zan."

"So, you're siding with Rath now, Ava?" said the Max doppelganger in the doorway.

"He's not Rath, Zan. Rath is dead, but so will he if he doesn't let me go," Ava said, with a slight edge to her voice.

"Ava, this bastard stalked Isabel and I in New York. There is no way in hell I'm letting you near him," said Michael."

"I never thought you'd turn on me Ava," said Zan.

"Zan, listen to me," pleaded Ava. "I didn't turn on you. These people are our friends. You have to believe me."

"Why, why should I believe you? I went back for you, and you were gone," said Zan."

"Let him in Michael," said Max, from the living room. "If Ava says he's all right, we need to trust her judgment."

Michael and Kyle relaxed their grip on Ava's arms, and she pulled away and threw her arms around Zan. She took him by the hand, and pulled him into the living room. "Zan, you need to meet everybody," she said. "And you need to tell me what happened to you. I tried to wait for you, but Lonnie and Rath insisted on coming here, and trying to find Max. They said if I didn't go with them, they'd kill me, and I knew they'd do it."

"Holy shit," said Zan. "It's really true, there are two of us." He looked at Max, an expression of awe on his face. "You're really not Rath and Lonnie?" he continued, turning towards Michael, and Isabel.

"No, I'm Isabel Whitman," said Isabel. "And this is my husband Alex." Alex just nodded, trying to deal with the figure in front of him. "And this is Michael Guerin, and his wife, Maria," continued Isabel, pointing to where Michael sat on the sofa, his arm protectively around Maria."

"I think you'd better sit down," said Max. "You look about as freaked as I feel."

"It's weird," said Zan. "More than weird, actually."

"Um, how come you're not all into the punk stuff like Rath and Lonnie were?" Max asked, taking in Zan's jeans, sneakers and polo shirt.

"I was," said Zan. "But let's save that for later? I'm still trying to accept the fact that you guys are real."

"What do you mean, we're real?" demanded Michael.

"Our protector told us about you, but I never believed it. I thought it was just some stupid thing he told us."

"So that's why, when you saw us in New York, you thought we were Rath and Lonnie," interjected Isabel.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for that," said Zan. "I never would have freaked you like that if I had known."

"Well, what finally made you figure it out, Einstein?" said Michael.

Zan had the grace to flush at Michael's comment. "I went back to our old crib," he said. "Only this time, I tore it apart, and I found this. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a West Roswell High yearbook. "Part of me thought it was just something Rath and Lonnie came up with, but I just wasn't sure."

"Well why that stunt at the airport?" asked Isabel. "That was you setting off the metal detectors, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was," said Zan, looking sheepish. "I was trying to stop you from getting on the plane, so I could find out what the hell was going on. At that point, I still didn't quite realize you were like me, with powers, you know. But when you used your powers to stop the metal detectors, I knew. Look, this is hard for me, you know? I've hated Rath and Lonnie for the past three years. They tried to kill me. What did you want me to do, walk up to you and say hey, here I am, wanna take another shot at it?"

"I suppose not," said Michael, albeit grudgingly.

"So where have you been?" said Liz. "Why didn't you ever try to find Ava?"

"Zan, this is Liz, Max's wife. She was my first real friend here in Roswell," said Ava. "And before you go on, I want you to meet Kyle, my husband." Ava proudly pulled Kyle by the hand to stand in front of Zan.

"No shit, you're married!" exclaimed Zan. "That's pretty cool. How'd that happen?"

"Another really long story," said Max. "We'd really rather hear about you. How did you get here, to Kyle's house?"

"I was walking around Roswell, and some sheriff guy pulls over and starts yelling at me for being in town, and dragging me to his truck. He seemed to know me, so I just kept quiet. Then he started talking about Ava, and I figured he could take me to her," said Zan. "I screwed up a couple of times, and he kinda started to wonder about me, but I mind warped him, and made him forget."

"You can mind warp now?" asked Ava.

"Yeah, nothing like you, but I just kept working at it, and I can sort of do it a little bit," said Zan.

"Ava, remember, Che'koth said we all have the same talents and abilities, it's just that some are more developed than others," said Liz. "Alex can mind warp too, and so can I, but just a little," she explained to Zan.

"Wait, you're Antarian too?" he asked, clearly puzzled.

"Another part of that really long story," said Maria. "We want to know about you."

"Hey, you're the one that was singing in that club," said Zan. "I was there one night, listening to the band, and that's where I saw Rath. Well, I thought it was Rath," he amended. "Yeah, I knew you were out there," said Maria. "But I couldn't see you. But can we please get back to the story. What happened to you after Rath and Lonnie tried to kill you?"

"I got away, with Ava's help," said Zan. "Only problem was, I ran right into the middle of a gang fight. I got whacked on the head with a pipe or something. I woke up three days later in the hospital. By the time I got back to our crib, Ava was gone. I looked for months. I figured they killed her too. I didn't want to leave New York. It was the only home I'd ever known, so I decided to make a new life there. I lost most of the piercings, shaved, started dressing way more boring, and got a job. I paid attention to how people talked, and I tried to talk like them. I was just living life, until that day I saw Rath, Michael," he corrected himself, "In that club. After that, everything changed."

Ava looked at the others, and read the unspoken messages that passed between them.

"Zan, why don't you come for a walk, and I'll tell you about Rath and Lonnie," she said. She stood up and held out her hand to him. He reached out and took it, and the two walked outside, while Kyle looked on, jealously.

"What do you think?" Max asked the room in general.

"I believe him," said Isabel.

"So do I," said Liz.

"I don't," said Alex.

"Let's kill the bastard," said Kyle, still looking out the window, watching Ava and Zan, talk.

"Michael, what about you?" asked Max.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't want to believe him. In fact, I'm with Kyle on this one, I want to kill him for what he did. But Ava trusts him, so I guess I have to, also. Maria, what about you?"

"Well, other than scaring the shit out of us in New York, he didn't actually do anything. So I guess I'm saying give him the benefit of the doubt, for now. But I reserve the right to change my answer at a later date."

"I'm with Michael," said Max. "I don't trust him either, but I do trust Ava, and if she says he's okay, than I guess we believe him. And we can be pretty sure he isn't behind what happened in California. So that means we're down to one mystery."

"In which case, we need to get to the Granolith, and try and contact Che'koth," said Liz. "And even though I trust him," she paused.

"You don't think we should tell him about the Granolith," finished Maria.

"No, not yet," said Liz softly. "I guess it's kind of hedging our bets." She went and stood next to Kyle who was staring out the window at Zan and Ava. "I just hope Ava doesn't tell him either."