A/N: thanks for all your feedback guys. I still love to hear what you think. x
Liz stood in the corner of her great room. She was wearing her old clothes. She hadn't even been able to make herself touch the rich antarian clothes in the wardrobe. They all symbolized what Kivar wanted her to become. They were all clothes for a queen, he wanted her to become his Queen.
She just didn't understand why. Why her? Surely it should have been Isabel. Why not Isabel? Liz stopped, scolding herself for wishing this fate on anyone.
With shaking hands she smoothed the front of her shirt in an effort to regain some normality. She'd barely even been able to make herself get dressed. She was so scared. But she couldn't let him see it. If she let him see it them he'd know that he could break her so easily. She had to be strong. Besides the others would notice she was missing sooner or later and come and get her, right?
But would they notice she was gone? Would they care?
Liz felt like slapping herself. She was getting hysterical. Of course they would care if she was gone even if they didn't perhaps know where she was…
Liz shot her eyes up as the door opened. Once again she met with the ice cold gaze of her enemy.
'Not wearing your nice new clothes? Perhaps I should have stayed to dress you. Perhaps we could do that now…' said Kivar his eye shining with desire.
Liz wanted to scream, she wanted to break down and cry. To crawl into a small ball and hide from the world. But she couldn't. She mustn't. 'What do you want from me?' Her voice quavering slightly.
Kivar leered at her. 'Ahhh the intelligent little Liz Parker isn't quite as clever as she's renowned to be.' He took a step closer to her, 'I want you to be my wife, to have my children, to be my queen.'
She swallowed again, trying to look defiant. 'Why? Why me?'
Kivar raised one eyebrow. 'You mean to say you don't know? This does add a new turn on things. Could it be that Larek's child doesn't know. Surely not. Perhaps she was stupid enough to believe that it would be possible without you…'
Liz hugged her arms closer around her figure, his ramblings just making her more nervous. She hadn't been told? Told about what? Why her?
Suddenly he looked back up at her. 'So you do not know. Ah well, that is no problem.'
'Why me?' said Liz again, desperately this time. She needed answers.
'Because you are the one I want and the one I need.'
The one he 'needs'? Liz went quiet for a second as a thought occurred to her. She pulled herself together again and spoke, her voice still remaining strong. 'What about Tess, and Max's son?'
Once again Kivar looked at her surprised. 'Max's son? She didn't tell you? My, my Ava really hasn't changed.'
'Tell me what?' demanded Liz. Her eyes flying from the floor back to his face. All her fears melted away for a second, replaced with undeniable curiosity. She wanted to know. What was going on?
'Ah well, it's not my story to tell. Perhaps I will send Ava to you at some point. Anyway as for what we shall do with her. I think I'll leave that up to you to decide. After all you have been looking for a little revenge haven't you… And I would deny my queen nothing. No type of Ipleasure/I will be too much for me to give to you.'
Liz pressed herself back further against the wall her curiosity once again melting away into fear and revulsion. She silently cursed herself for standing where she was, there was no method of escape. He could advance on her and there would be nothing at all she could do to defend herself.
Kivar leered at her noting her stance and her averted, scared eyes, 'Fear? Yes I like fear. Fear is… good.'
Liz clamped her eyes shut trying to block out his words and his face. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to be at home. She didn't want to be with Kivar, she wanted to be with… with Max.
Suddenly she felt warm breath on her face. Her eyes flew open just to find Kivar staring back at her, a few centimeters from her face. 'You're so beautiful,' he said. His eyes raked over every centimeter of her body, once again making her feel dirty and used.
Liz shrank away from him as he lifted his hand to brush her cheek.
Cold. His hand was so cold.
She tensed her muscles and clamped her eyes shut preparing herself for whatever could come next. But it never came.
Instead she heard a curse from in front of her and opening her eyes she saw Kivar turn away from her, his eyes closed. 'How do you do this to me?' He demanded as though she should know the answer. 'Perhaps you told more of a truth than you realised. Perhaps you are Leandra, Goddess of Enticement.' He clenched his fists as if fighting off some unknown enemy. Suddenly he turned back to her. 'But you shall be mine this time Leandra. No one else's. Never Ihis/I again!'
Liz closed her eyes once again as he hurried from the room. Slowly she let herself slump to the floor, a tear pricking at the corner of her eye.
'Make's you think, doesn't it?' said Kyle suddenly.
'Huh?' replied Maria.
'I mean Liz and everything…'
'What?' said Maria, still looking confused.
'You know how's she's got out.' explained Kyle.
Maria just stared back at him like he was talking in Antarian. 'Have you been drinking something? Out of what?'
'Here, the abyss, everything!'
Maria raised her eyebrow still looking confused.
'You know how she's got out first! Got away. It's just I always thought that she would be the one of us that was in it for the long haul. You know her and Max and the soul mate thing. I mean it must have been serious, she dumped me for Ihim/I!'
'Oh!' replied Maria finally understanding.
Serena just snorted. 'Perhaps there's only room for one love in your life Kyle.'
Kyle turned to her, his heart beating quicker. Could she have felt it too?
Maria grinned at Serena, 'Yeah I see it too. I guess a love that big could be pretty self involving!'
'Yeah, after all not everyone finds the love of their life so close to home.'
Close to home? What on earth were they on about. Antar wasn't close to home! Antar was miles away. He hadn't found the love of his life close to home. 'What?'
'Oh Kyle, didn't you realise?' said Maria with a grin at Serena. 'The love of your life has been staring you in the face for so long and you just didn't see!'
'What? Who?'
Maria glanced at Serena. 'Shall we open his eyes to the love?'
Serena grinned back at her. 'Why Kyle surely you must have noticed how much you love…'
'IYourself/I' They both shouted at once and collapsed into a fit of giggles.
Kyle blushed crimson and turned away. Surely Serena didn't really think that. She couldn't think that! He wouldn't let her! Ever since she'd walked into the room and he'd dropped that bottle on his foot, well ever since she'd walked into the room, he'd know that she was the only girl for him. In this world or another he'd never look at another girl again not even Jody Ann Paterson. And that was promising a lot!
Serena looked up stifling her giggles. Her eyes fell on Kyle's hunched and dejected shoulders and she immediately felt sorry. She hadn't meant to upset him, it was meant to be funny. She didn't believe he really loved himself. Of course she didn't believe it. That just wasn't possible when all the while she was praying for his heart to be engaged on… well, be engaged.
Maria couldn't breathe, she swore in a second she'd pass out. That was just too funny. Serena was SO on her level. That girl had one hell of a sense of humour! She reached her hands up to brush the tears of laughter from her eyes and then paused. Why was she the only one laughing? It was really funny! Not just funny but REALLY funny. She raised her eyes and immediately caught sight of the look Serena was giving Kyle. Well now, she thought, that looked promising! That looked more than promising, that looked positively sold! And what about Kyle? Casting a glance over his hunched form she knew immediately how he felt. The normal Kyle would never have got annoyed about a joke like that. On 'In Love' Kyle would get annoyed like this. This looked great, she was SO in the mood for some match making!
Maria opened her mouth to speak to them as her cell rang. Both Serena and Kyle both turned immediately towards her, their eyes catching for a second and a deep blush filling both their cheeks. Maria began to fumble in her bag.
'Bloody bag… Where is it?… Aghh.. I know you're there… Just.. Ah-Ha! Hello Maria Deluca her- Mrs Parker, hi…' Maria turned to look in confusion at Serena and Kyle. 'Uh yeah, this morning… When? About half nine, I think… What's going on?…' Kyle and Serena watched as the blood drained out of Maria's face and her hand began to shake. 'Yeah sure, I'll get back to you if I hear anything.'
Slowly she lowered the phone away from her ear, placing it gently into her bag. 'We've gotta get out of here.'
'What's going on?' Demanded Serena but Maria was already out of the door. Serena started off after her.
'What about-' started Kyle pointing hungrily at the pizzas just being placed on the side.
'Just come on!' yelled Serena over her should at him.
Kyle turned indecisively towards the pizzas his stomach leading his mind.
'Come on!' shouted Serena and she ran along the path away from him.
Making a decision Kyle threw several notes at the pizza boy, grabbed the pizzas and ran after them.
Liz shivered, pulling her arms closer around her. She felt cold in the darkness. But she didn't want to move. She felt safe in the corner, no safe wasn't the right word, no where could be safe on this God forsaken planet but she at least felt a little more safe huddled in this small corner away from everything.
Kivar hadn't been back since earlier and now the sun had set and darkness had enclosed the room. It was cold, she knew that. And there were blankets resting just a few feet away but she didn't want to move and get them. She didn't want to move into the open. She just didn't want to move. If she lay still enough she could dream herself out of there, dream herself back into another world. A world where she would be safe. A world where there was no Kivar to hurt her and no mistakes to haunt her. Just peace.
Liz once again began to shiver. Kivar was everywhere here. She could hear his voice, smell him, sense him everywhere. But what was worse was that for all she knew he could be in the room, he could just be sitting in one of the darkened chairs watching her, waiting for the right moment to strike and do with her as he pleased.
She hated being so defenseless. There was nothing she could do to protect herself at all. Nothing she could do if he tried to hurt her.
She clamped her eyes closer together, screwing up her muscles until they felt like they would burst. She wanted darkness, but not this darkness. She wanted the darkness that had been her friend for the last two years. But this darkness wasn't the same. This darkness was her enemy. It plotted against her. Confusing her senses, causing her to panic. It drugged her. It enslaved her. It over powered her. It took over everything she was, destroying her.
But there was no escape from darkness. It was everywhere. Or at least I Liz's world it was. It had been building up since that day two years ago when Alex had died and soon, soon it would reach it's climax. Darkness would reign.
Max shot his eyes up at the door was flung open his muscles immediately tensing for action. If the FBI had found them-
'Maria,' exclaimed Michael taking in her flushed cheeks and short breath.
'What-' started Max as Serena ran in closely followed by Kyle with several pizzas in his arms.
'She's been taken,' sobbed Maria as she collapsed down onto the floor.
Everything seems to go in slow motion for the next minute. Michael ran to Maria side, shouting about if she was alright. Serena turned and dragged Kyle into the room slamming the door behind him. Adam started demanding answers from Serena and Kyle. Serena and Kyle started demanding answers from Maria. Michael began shouting at Serena and Kyle for upsetting an injured person. Adam began to jump around yelling at Michael to shut up. Isabel and Max watched in confusion. Kyle began to shovel pizza into his mouth and Michael began to shout at him for not paying attention.
'SHUT UP!' screamed Isabel at the top of her lungs.
A deathly silence fell over the room as everyone turned to look at her.
'Thank you!' she said impatiently.
'What's going on?' demanded Max finally.
Maria turned a tear stained face up to him. 'They've got her Max. She was going to get out and they got her!'
Max paled,' Who? Who's got her?'
'Who's got who?' demanded Michael looking confused.
'Liz,' whispered Maria.
Isabel drew in her breath sharply.
'What happened?' said Serena quickly before anyone could interrupt.
'I don't know,' replied Maria miserably. 'Her mom phoned. She never got there. She should have been there hours ago but she never arrived. And she hasn't phoned them and when they tried their phone it was turned off.'
Serena lowered herself into a chair. 'FBI.'
'You think?' said Max. He didn't want this to be true. Anything but this. Say she'd had enough and just gone out to the desert for some space for a while. Say she would just phone any second. She didn't deserve the FBI, no one did, but especially not her. She was the blameless one in all this. The FBI couldn't want her, shouldn't want her!
Memories of the white room began to fill Max's head. He pain, the indescribable pain. It had taken over his sense, blocking everything out. It was everything he could think, see, taste, smell. Just pain, pain and fear. He remembered the holographic head set. That torture had been worse than any kind of pain they could have given him. Liz lying there, just lying there, bleeding and it was all his fault…
'I don't know,' she replied honestly. 'But I don't think Kivar would risk coming to earth just for Liz. He'd take you guys, but not Liz. She's not that important on his scale of things.'
'What do we do?' asked Isabel, watching her brother out of the corner of her eye.
Serena looked at Max. 'This one isn't my call. It's up to you. You know how I feel about following destiny but I can't make you guys choose that over Liz.'
'And we're not going to,' said Maria defiantly. 'We've never been about destiny. We've been about us! Us as friends, us as a team.'
'A good soldier never leaves a man behind!' cheered Kyle heroically, smirking at the line from Toy Story. No one smiled at his vain attempt to cheer them up.
'So what are we going to do then Maxwell?' asked Michael.
Max looked up at them all. The light of defiance shining in his eyes. 'We're going to get her back and we're not gonna leave this planet till she's safe.'
Liz plunged further and further down. Choking, plunging, dying, screaming. The darkness engulfed her. She couldn't stop it, it was swallowing her from the outside but now it was coming from the inside too. She'd never be free. Unless… Unless they came for her. Unless they came soon, came and brought her light back. Unless Ihe/I came and took her out from the darkness.
Suddenly out of the darkness loomed a monster, coming closer, it's mouth open, ready to engulf her completely. To take her and bind her. The darkness was coming for her.
The silence of Kivar's palace was suddenly ripped apart by the sound of a woman screaming.