A.N. Title comes from a class I took way back in my undergrad days. Dr. Reagan, you rock!

Tomorrow's Yet to Come

Chapter Nineteen – Tests and Measures

"Wh-what do you mean, you're not sure he's Zan," said Liz.

"He looks like Zan, he acts like Zan, but he doesn't talk like Zan, and some of the things he's saying, they're just not very Zan like," said Ava, worriedly.

"You don't sound like you did when you first came here," said Liz, trying to remain calm.

"Yeah, but I made a concentrated effort to not talk like that," said Ava. She picked up a pillow off the bed, and clasped it to her stomach. "Liz, I'm afraid."

"Maybe he made an effort not to sound like Rath and Lonnie either," said Liz, reasonably. "I mean if he had a job and everything, maybe he had to sound better educated. You did what you had to do to fit in here, maybe he did the same."

"It's possible," Ava said, doubtfully. "But he kept asking about how Tess was planning on going back to Antar. He was like obsessed about it or something."

Liz struggled to keep the fear out of her voice. "Did you tell him?" she asked.

"No, I didn't tell him anything about the Granolith," said Ava. "I lied to him and said that Max healed all of you, and that was how you developed your powers."

Liz let out a small sigh of relief. "Good," she said. "We didn't want to tell him too much. Not right away, anyhow," she added. "Zan never cared about getting back to Antar before?"

"No, he was always saying this was our home now. If they had wanted us on Antar, they would have found a way to keep us safe. He also never believed you guys existed. I mean, he played along when our protector told us about you, but when it was just him and me, he'd always go on about how you weren't real. That you were just some story the protector concocted to keep us in line."

"Well, he was telling the truth about that, anyhow," said Liz, recalling the earlier conversation in the Valenti living room. "Have you noticed anything else? I mean, I know you only talked with him for like fifteen minutes, but was there anything else that made you question his identity?"

"I'd really need to spend some more time with him to get a better idea," admitted Ava. "Maybe get him talking about stuff only he and I would know about. But I'm worried about Kyle. He's not going to like the idea of me spending too much time with Zan."

"Tell me about it," said Liz, wryly. "He saw Zan touch your face, and put his arm around you, and it took Michael and Alex to hold him back. If he could have raised his hand up, he would have killed him."

"Gee, I'm so feeling the testosterone," said Ava. "It's so sweet that he's jealous."

"Well maybe you could go talk to the jealous Buddha, and let him know that he doesn't have anything to worry about," suggested Liz. "And we have to figure out a way to have a planning session without letting Zan know what's going on, at least until we're certain he is who he says he is."

"Liz, I love him so much," said Ava. "Part of me can't even believe he'd waste time being jealous. I've never loved anybody but him, and I can't see myself ever loving anybody else."

"Yeah, I'm familiar with that feeling," said Liz. "I've never really loved anybody but Max, and I know, that for me, there will never be anybody but him."

"I'm going to go talk to Kyle, now," said Ava. "Maybe you could fill the others in on Zan, while Max is still outside with him?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Liz. "And Ava? I hope he is your Zan. I know you really cared about him a lot."

"Thanks," Ava said gratefully. She watched while Liz slid off the bed and walked to the door.

"Why don't I send Kyle in here to you," she said. "That way you'll have some privacy."

Liz crossed the threshold and walked into the small living room. "Kyle, Ava needs to talk to you," she said. She looked at Michael, Maria, Isabel and Alex, who all watched her expectantly. "Yes, Houston, we do have a problem."

"Freaky, isn't it," said Zan, staring at Max.

"Yeah," agreed Max. "It was weird seeing Rath and Lonnie and Ava standing next to Michael, Isabel and Tess, but let me tell you, that was no way as weird as this."

"I never thought you were real," said Zan. "I thought you were some fairy tale our protector made up to keep us in line. You know, something to threaten us with."

"And I never knew you existed," said Max. "And then I thought you were dead."

"Well, here I am, brother," said Zan, spreading his arms out.

"Which leads us to the question of why?" asked Max. "You said you didn't believe we were real, why come find us?"

"I told you, I that Michael and Isabel were Rath and Lonnie. When I tried tracking them down at our crib, I found that yearbook, and here I am."

"You'll have to excuse me if I say that seems a bit to simplistic," said Max. "You tormented my family, and now you want us to welcome you with open arms. Sorry, it isn't going to happen that way.'

"You're suspicious of me," said Zan. "I don't blame you. I would be too if the situation was reversed."

"This is getting us no where," said Max. "Jim's going to be back with dinner soon, why don't we head inside and see what the others are up to?"

"This, as you call it, isn't going to end until you either believe I'm telling the truth, or you kill me," said Zan.

"That can be arranged," said Max.

"Pass the fried rice," said Kyle, to the room in general. "I'll tell you, Ava and I have been to a lot of places these past few months, but we never found any place that had Chinese food like this." He heaped his plate with fried rice, and then poured soy sauce all over it.

"Geez, Valenti, that is totally disgusting," said Michael. "Even for me."

"Yeah, well, at least I won't have to share," retorted Kyle. "I have so missed this," he added, shoveling a fork full of rice into his mouth.

Liz brought the conversation around to the different Chinese restaurants they'd all discovered since they left Roswell, and they all agreed that they hadn't tasted anything better than what was on the coffee table in front of them.

"I don't know," said Ava. "Zan, do you remember that one place we used to go to? The Emperor's Dragon, or something."

"Oh yeah," said Zan, without hesitation. "We'd call in this huge order, and then Ava would go in and warp the hell out of whoever was working the counter, and poof, great meal, no cost."

"We, uh, didn't have a lot of money in those days," said Ava, her face red embarrassment. Not only had Zan remembered the restaurant, he had recalled a less than savory piece of her own history.

"What else did you guys used to do?" Maria asked Zan, trying to deflect the attention away from Ava. "We never really got a chance to have like a normal conversation with Rath and Lonnie, what with having to kill them and all. And poor Ava never gets to play when we play let's remember. We've all known each other since elementary school, you know?"

"Let's remember?" asked Zan.

"Yeah, you know someone says, do you remember blah blah blah, and then someone else remembers something else. Okay, it's a stupid game," said Maria, her voice trailing off.

"No, I get ya," said Zan. "I guess if you had a great life, it would be fun to play, but living the way we did, well, it was kind of rough."

"Not all the time, Zan," said Ava. "Remember that one time we stole some skates and went skating at Rockefeller Center? That was fun."

"Even the part where Rath used his powers to send you flying into the wall?" asked Zan.

"Well, that part was less than fun," admitted Ava. "But after they left, it wasn't too bad. Especially that little kid. Do you remember Zan?"

"The one with the broken leg, yeah, sure I do," said Zan. "This little girl, she couldn't have been more than like four or five. She got separated from her parents, and fell. Then some big buffoon fell right on top of her. She ended up breaking her leg. But Ava was so cool, she got right in that jerk's face, and red him the riot act, and took all the attention off the little girl so I could heal her leg."

"That's right," said Ava with a laugh. "Then Zan put her up on his shoulders, and we skated around calling out her parent's name until we found them. They were hysterical."

"Not after we gave them back their kid," said Zan. "They even bought us hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts to thank us. How freaking Mayberry was that?"

"What?" said Max, suddenly. He flashed back in his mind to an encounter with Lonnie, Ava and Rath, and how Rath said everything in Roswell was Mayberry. "What did you just say?"

"Abut the hot chocolate? I said it was Mayberry, why?"

"Why would you say that?" demanded Max. "That particular phrase I mean."

"I don't know," said Zan, clearly puzzled. "It was something Zan used to say. He used to talk all the time about finding you. He used to say you were probably living in some back woods Mayberry kind of town. It got to be kind of a code for us, I guess."

"That's right," said Liz. "Remember, Ava used to say it all the time when she first started hanging out with us. Especially when she got he first glimpse of Isabel, the Christmas Nazi."

"There's no need to go into that," said Isabel, dumping some Hon Sue Gai on Liz's plate. "Eat something Liz, you look hungry."

Everyone laughed as the front door opened, and Jim Valenti walked inside. "I hope you saved me some," he said. "And if you didn't, I'll hold the sodas hostage." He hefted the bag full of soda in his hands. "I can't believe I didn't think to pick some up while I was getting dinner. Of course, I also didn't think the three cases I bought the other day would go quite so quickly, either."

"Sorry, Dad," said Kyle jumping up. "Come on into the kitchen. I'll get the glasses, and you can get the plate of food Ava left in the microwave for you.

"Ava, I love you," said Jim with a smile. "If Kyle hadn't snapped you up already, I'd be pretty tempted.

"What about your lady friend?" asked Isabel, shooting a mischievous look at both the Sheriff and Maria.

"Shut up, Isabel," the said in unison, and Kyle and his father exited the room amid the sounds of laughter.

"What did you find?" Kyle asked softly as he banged glasses around to cover the sounds of his conversation with his father.

"Everything checks out," said Jim. "I even got a hold of someone at the place that he works, and they faxed me a picture of the employees, and he was in the photo, Son. I know you don't like it, but it looks like he is who he says he is."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kyle said glumly, watching his wife laugh at something Zan had said.