[u]Part 16[/u]
"Liz, are you sure this is a good idea?"
Liz sighed, leaned back wearily so that it was cradled against the head- rest of the passenger seat. They had walked over to his house to pick it up his parents' car after the others had left for the quarry, Liz not wanting to have to explain to her mom and dad where she was going with their vehicle. Alex's parents were not nearly as on top of him when it came to staying out late on school nights. It didn't hurt that he had three older brothers. The Whitmans had just been too tired by the time Alex came along to give him many rules at all. While the Parkers were by no means unreasonably strict, they did always want to know where Liz was going when she took the car and Liz was tired of lying. Since she couldn't tell her parents that she was going to a run-down motel in the middle of the desert, she preferred to just tell them she was going out with Alex, something they always approved of. She had been lying for weeks now. It was exhausting. If she could avoid it from now on, she was going to try.
Of course, she was about to turn her entire life into a lie again by pretending that she was willing to turn on Max. But she would just ignore that fact for the moment. She was tired enough. She didn't have the energy to even contemplate it.
"I'm not sure of anything any more," Liz admitted, staring out the window at the setting sun, which was throwing its shadow over the desert scrub they were passing through. "All I know is that this is all totally screwed up and I have to protect Max. These people want him dead Alex - for something he didn't even do!"
"But maybe he did do it Liz," Alex said tentatively. "I don't know Kate very well, but she doesn't strike me as evil. She's never set out to deliberately hurt anyone that I've seen. Maybe Max [I]was[/I] who they say he was."
Liz turned her head, scowled at him. "He wasn't. I [I]know[/I] it."
"How?"
"Because I [I]know[/I] Max," Liz replied firmly. "I just do. Whatever Kate thinks he did, she's [I]wrong[/I]."
There was a long silence and then Alex asked quietly, "Liz, you don't really believe what they've told you about yourself, do you?"
Liz didn't reply for a moment, wondering how she could explain to someone who had never really experienced an alien connection that there were some things that just could not be denied. Not once you [I]knew[/I]. "I do," she told him. "If it had just come down to Will's word, I think I could have ignored the whole thing, but Max.deep inside, he knows the truth about me too."
"But what about what Max said? What about the fact that you have human DNA?" Alex demanded. "I just don't get that Liz."
"I don't either," Liz admitted. "It's just something else we're going to have to try and figure out."
"And you're positive that Will is going to just accept you? That just because you want him to leave Max alone, he will?"
Liz thought about Will, thought about the way he looked at her. "Yes," she whispered.
"Oooo-kay." When Liz looked at Alex again, he was shaking his head. "I've learned enough by now to not bother to question the alien chaos. You seem to know what you're talking about Liz. I just hope you're right."
Liz reached out, gently laid her hand on top of Alex's, which was clutching the gear shift. "Thank you for coming with me. I.I really didn't want to do this alone."
Alex looked at her out of the corner of his eye, quirked a sad grin in her direction. "Can't abandon my best girl now, can I?"
"Still, thank you Alex." Liz really meant it. When she had told Max that she was not going to take no for an answer, that she fully intended to infiltrate into Will and Kate's lives to find out what was going on with them, the only way she had finally managed to convince him to allow it was by telling him that she would take Alex with her. Max trusted Alex to keep her safe and, if he couldn't, to call in reinforcements. And, in the end, Max knew that he had to let her go, as much as he didn't want to. Because until they knew the truth about the new aliens in town and what they wanted, there was no way to even figure out how to deal with them. But by pretending that he was agreeing because Alex was going, Max could gracefully give in without making her any less aware of how worried about her he was going to be.
"You don't trust me?" Liz had demanded, scowling at him, but not really angry.
Max had just looked at her seriously. "Liz, you don't think about your own safety. You don't think about yourself. If there's anything that this past week has shown, it's that you don't put yourself first. Alex will do that." He paused and then had added darkly. "And it's not that I don't trust [I]you.[/I]"
Deep down, Liz knew that Max was right. When it came to protecting him and her friends, she became single-minded. It would be handy to have someone watching her back. Plus, while she was a lot more sure than Max that Will and Kate would never hurt her, she didn't entirely trust them either. It was reassuring that she would have someone with her that she [I]could[/I] completely depend on.
Not to mention, it would be a lot less lonely.
"So, speaking of best girls," Liz said, trying to lighten the mood in the car, "What's going on with you and Kate?"
"What?" Alex demanded, sounding really surprised. "What are you talking about? Nothing!"
Liz raised an eyebrow. "Right. Alex, I saw the way you looked at her earlier."
Alex wrinkled his brow. "How did I look at her?"
"Like you thought she was kind of intriguing."
"Liz, I so don't need [I]another[/I] alien princess to obsess over. Particularly one who's gunning for our friends. You are imagining things."
"Hmmmm," was all Liz said, grinning when Alex snorted. "I know you Alex and I know when you're obsessing and you are obsessing over this girl." She was serious when she continued though. "What about Isabel?"
"Isabel doesn't love me," Alex said quietly. "I mean, I know she cares about me, but she's not in love with me. Which doesn't mean I'm interested in Kate. I mean, I have spoken to her a grand total of three times."
"Aliens are [I]very[/I] attractive Alex. All Max had to do was tell me what he was and I fell for him. It doesn't take long," Liz teased.
"I don't think it's just the alien part that attracts you Liz," Alex shot back. "Much to my chagrin, then [I]and[/I] now, I know that you and Maria had certified Max as a West Roswell hottie long before his Czechoslovakian heritage was common knowledge." Liz smiled, knew he was right. Alex narrowed his eyes and continued, "But, since we're on the topic of otherworldly attraction, what about you and Will? I actually can't quite believe that Max is letting you go off to be with him."
Liz sobered. "Max doesn't run my life Alex. But whatever Will seems to think we were to each other before, it doesn't matter anyway. It's Max I love now."
"What are you going to do if Will doesn't accept that?" Alex asked. "Tess has more than proven that just because one destined partner isn't interested, it doesn't mean the other one is just going to give up. And, as far as we know, Tess doesn't even [I]remember[/I] being with Max. Will seems to remember you, doesn't he?"
Liz frowned. "He says he does."
"So what if this big scheme to protect Max by letting Will get close to you blows up in your face Liz? Because what if the more time Will spends with you, the more he loves you and the more determined he is to get rid of Max once and for all?"
"He wouldn't do that," Liz whispered, trying to ignore the lump that was forming in her throat.
There was another long silence. Then Alex said, "Liz, what if you fall in love with [I]him[/I]?"
"What?" Liz flared, shocked. "That could [I]never[/I] happen!"
"Didn't Max find himself attracted to Tess?"
"Well, yes, but she was mindwarping him," Liz insisted. "We know that." Alex seemed to accept this comment readily enough, didn't say anything more about it, because, in the end, he knew what Liz knew. There was absolutely no way that Liz would ever betray Max like that. She [I]loved[/I] him. She had always loved him. If there was one truth about her past life that was becoming ever more clear to her, it was that.
She and Max were meant to be together. She didn't yet know how or why, but she knew it was true.
[I]But what about the way you felt when you first saw Will?[/I] A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her. [I]What if Alex is right and you find yourself falling for him?[/I]
What if this plan to save Max ended up hurting him even more in the end?
"It won't," Liz murmured quietly to herself. "It won't happen."
But she was no longer quite as focused as she should have been when Alex pulled his parents' Volvo to a stop outside the door to the motel moments later. Her heart was thundering in her chest. She was nervous she realized - nervous that she would feel the same instant attraction to Will that she had that morning when she again laid eyes on him.
Now that she and Max were finally back on the same wave-length, having that happen again .She didn't know if she would be able to handle the guilt. This morning, things had been so bad between Max and Liz, she had relegated the instant connection between she and Will to her loneliness and misery. What if it was more than that?
Liz bit her lip, stared at the motel, wondered suddenly if this was all a [I]really[/I] bad idea, if both Max and Alex were right that she was playing with fire here. But, deep down, she knew she wasn't. She knew her own mind and she knew her own heart. It was Max she loved. She [I]knew[/I] it.
She felt her heart start to beat more calmly as she reached out to take Alex's hand for support. She [I]knew[/I] herself. No matter what she was told and what she learned tonight and over the next few days, Max Evans was her soul mate.
And no one - not even Will Spencer - was going to convince her otherwise.
***********************************************
Kate lay staring up at the ceiling, her exhaustion so complete, she couldn't even get up to go tell Will that she was back. She didn't know how she had managed to screw up so completely, but coming face to face with Zan again like that.It had been devastating.
They had connected and now she knew for sure that Max Evans did not remember [I]anything[/I] about being Zan. He could not be held responsible for what he couldn't remember, could he? Morally, she knew it was true. Before, she had been allowed to doubt all the people - Liz, Alex - who told her that Max didn't [I]know[/I] the truth. She could still pursue the granolith and blame him for the mess they were all stuck in. But now that she knew for sure that he didn't remember [I]any[/I] of it.
She could not hold him responsible. None of them could. And, somehow, she was going to have to convince Will of that. Because, if they punished Max Evans, a virtual innocent, for Zan's actions, then, in the end, they were no better than Zan, were they?
Kate managed to turn her head at the sound of a light knock on the door. "Come in," she called out weakly, lifting her arm and sending a jolt of energy towards the lock and making the door swing open. She really hoped that it was Jack and not Will. She didn't know how she was going to tell Will that Max Evans was now beyond their reach. He was going to be furious - especially now that the whole thing had become so personal to him because Rowena was involved.
But Will was no more a murderer than she was. He would have to accept it. She would [I]make[/I] him accept it.
Her prayers were answered when her cousin poked his golden head through the crack she had created. "Katie, what're you doing in here?" Jack asked, entering quickly and shutting the door behind him. "Will said that you'd gone out."
Kate frowned slightly. "Then why are you knocking?"
"Hey, I wasn't in the mood to walk in on you if you [I]were[/I] here. These close quarters are getting to be a bit much," he admitted, flopping down in a chair near the TV. He picked up the remote. "Will's watching the news. It's boring. I came in here to watch cartoons."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Jack, are you [I]ever[/I] going to grow up?" She demanded, sitting up carefully.
He grinned at her. "Why? What's the point?"
And Will wondered why she didn't think Jack was up to all the responsibility he gave him, Kate thought, shaking her head. "Where have you been all day?"
"Around," Jack replied non-committally, flicking on the TV with his powers and then using the remote to switch the channels. "I met that friend of Rowena's - Alex Whitman." He looked at Kate, his expression darkening. "Oh, and I ran into Rath. Moron." He focused his attention back on the television, not even noticing that Kate's mouth had fallen open.
She lifted her hand, waved it at the TV, shutting it off.
"Hey!"
"Excuse me, but you can't just tell me that you ran into Rath and then watch the Transformers," Kate snapped. "Did you tell Will this? You were supposed to be undercover."
"He didn't know it was me." Jack waved his hand in the air dismissively. "They're all preoccupied by something else. Zan, Vilandra and Ava all came in with one of the humans. They totally forgot about me." He grinned at her. "And what Will doesn't know won't hurt him."
"Jack!" Kate flared, exasperated. "You were in the same room as [I]all[/I] of them? Are you crazy?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't the one who teleported right into Zan's arms an hour ago," he replied slyly.
Kate swallowed, narrowed her eyes. "How did you know that?"
"Like I said, I've been around today." His blue eyes met hers, suddenly serious. "And like I said Katie, what Will doesn't know won't hurt him."
"Jack, I'm going to tell him."
"Right."
"I [I]am[/I]!"
"Why?" Jack demanded. "What's the point?"
Kate bit her lip. "Jack, I connected with Zan." She swallowed. "He doesn't remember anything. I'm guessing that none of them do. We can't hurt them to get the granolith. And if they won't tell us, then we're screwed."
Jack leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "And that's why you won't [I]tell[/I] Will that Katie."
"What?" Kate demanded, confused. "I won't tell him what?"
"That Zan doesn't remember," Jack replied. "We need the granolith. We have no choice Kate. We have to do whatever it takes to get it."
"But Jack! Max Evans is innocent! We can't just use an innocent person!"
"Was he innocent when he destroyed the Harvest?" Jack demanded. "Kate, you didn't [I]feel[/I] the destruction. Not like I did. Those people are [I]dying[/I]. And that is Max Evans's fault, whether he remembers being Zan or not."
"That wasn't Max's fault. He didn't destroy the Harvest. I did."
Kate and Jack both turned their heads. Kate stared at the blonde girl standing in the doorway, so completely flabbergasted to see that they were no longer alone, that she momentarily just sat looking at her. "Who are you?" She demanded finally.
Jack leaned back in his chair, lifted his feet up and set them on the bed next to her. Kate wrinkled her nose, slapped them aside so that they thumped to the floor. He was no better than an annoying younger brother on occasion. She forced herself to push aside her irritation and focus on what he was saying. "Oh, did I forget to mention Courtney? She's someone I picked up in my travels today. She was hanging out in Rath's apartment. Will's just been chatting her up." He winked at Courtney, who glared at him. "Lovely for a traitor, isn't she?"
Kate stared at Jack, not understanding her cousin's strange behavior since he had entered her room. Jack was usually the most compassionate of people, but he was acting completely out of character. What was [I]wrong[/I] with him?
She jumped to her feet as Courtney stumbled into the room. Kate helped the other girl to the bed. She looked like she was about to collapse. "Are you okay?" Seeing a Skin in such an advanced stage of decomposition.It only reinforced to her how absolutely vital it was that they get their hands on the granolith. "Who are you?" She repeated quietly after she had settled Courtney against the pillows.
"She's one of those stupid Rath worshippers," Jack replied for her. "She's madly in love with him. It's really kind of cute." He scowled at her this time. "Except for the traitor part."
"I'm not in love with him," Courtney said quickly, folding her arms across her chest and raising her chin. Kate could tell she was lying by the spasm that crossed her face at the taunt though.
"But you know him?" Kate asked. "Well?"
"Well enough to know that I'll never sell him out to you freaks. I wouldn't tell Khivar anything and I'm certainly not going to tell you two," Courtney snapped, turning her head and looking pointedly at the wall, clearly unwilling to say anything else.
Kate glanced at Jack, who was narrowing his eyes in annoyance. Kate felt her eyes widen when she actually saw him make a move, like he was going to physically shake Courtney to get her to talk. She reached out and pinched her cousin. "OW! What was that for?" He demanded, rubbing his leg and glaring at her.
"It's for being such a jerk. This is one of our people Jack. If she's supporting Rath, it must be for a reason." Kate looked back at Courtney, who was now staring at her suspiciously. "We know Rath was a good man," she continued. "Loyal to the end. It wasn't his fault Zan betrayed everyone - including him."
Courtney rolled her eyes. "You're all the same aren't you? Blaming Zan for your own incompetence." She gestured at the door. "He just tried to do it too." Kate knew she meant Will. "I mean, he was no King Arthur, but he certainly wasn't the monster you all make him out to be." She paused, grinned pertly. "Besides, even King Arthur had his weak moments."
"What is [I]that[/I] supposed to mean?" Jack demanded. Kate looked at him again, staring him down warningly. She had no idea what had gotten stuck in [I]his[/I] craw, but if he couldn't stop speaking out of turn, she was going to have to tell Will. She was of superior rank here and she was running this interrogation.
Courtney snorted. "I expect you'll all find out soon enough. You're all so sure history is going to repeat itself. And now that Khivar has his Rowena back, I guess we'll see, won't we?"
Kate realized that this was the second time that Courtney had called Will Khivar. At least, that's who she assumed the Skin was referring to. "How do you know he's Khivar?" She asked quickly. No one was supposed to know. As far as everyone knew, Khivar was still sitting on Zan's throne.
She blinked, realized what she had just thought. She had called it [I]Zan's[/I] throne! It was not Zan's any longer. He had lost it through treachery and violence. What was she thinking? Kate felt a flash of fear run through her. She had been right. That connection with Max Evans had been far more damaging than she had even guessed.
It was [I]Khivar's[/I] throne - rightfully, through conquest. Zan was no longer worthy to sit upon it.
"He has Rowena back?" Jack asked. It took Kate a moment to realize that while she had gotten stuck on the Khivar part of Courtney's last statement, Jack had gone right to the important stuff. It annoyed her even more. She couldn't let distractions interfere. She had to keep her head on straight, particularly since Jack seemed to be going through some sort of weird teen rebellion phase, while Will was almost useless since he had started obsessing over Ro. "What does [I]that[/I] mean?" Jack looked at Kate, clearly expecting her to glare at him again. "C'mon Katie. You want to know too!"
She didn't dignify that with a response. Because she did dammit "Well?"
"That's why I'm in here," Courtney said, looking bored now. "Liz Parker just showed up with her trusty lap dog. They're in with Khivar. He kicked me out."
Liz Parker. [I]Here?[/I] Kate jumped to her feet in panic. This was so [I]not[/I] good. Will wasn't ready to face her. She hadn't even told him what she had seen through the connection with Zan. He didn't know that Max Evans was not the evil creature Zan had been.
He didn't know that Liz Parker was truly in love with him. That Max had not bewitched her, that he had not coerced her, that Max Evans had not even approached her until he had been forced by circumstance to reveal himself to her in order to save her life. But Kate [I]did[/I] know. She knew it all - had [I]seen[/I] it all. And it was going to devastate her brother!
"Jack, watch her!" She exclaimed, throwing the door open and slamming straight into a firm body. Kate blinked, stared up into Alex Whitman's amused brown eyes.
Oh. Right. The trusty lap dog. She should have known.
"Hi!" Alex said. "Will told me to come join the party. Hope no one minds." He looked over Kate's shoulder, only seemed mildly surprised to see Courtney, but his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Jack lounging in the chair. Kate watched his face shut down but he wasn't able to completely hide his reaction, especially since he couldn't help muttering, "I should have known. Four and four."
Alex seemed to regain his composure quickly though because he sauntered into the room, narrowed his eyes at Jack. "I hope you managed to sharpen your pencil."
Jack had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "Didn't know who you were man. Truly. But can't say that I was sorry to find out. I'm glad Ro has had someone like you watching her back all these years."
Alex merely snorted, although he did seem slightly appeased. He looked back at Kate, who was still hovering in the doorway, unsure what to do. "They're going to be a while Kate. You might as well come back in and make yourself comfortable."
"But." Kate stared helplessly at the door across the hallway, her drive to go and protect her brother so fierce, it [I]had[/I] to be the right instinct.
"Trust me," Alex shrugged. "You don't want to be interfering in there. I wanted to stay but it was all I could do to get Liz to let me come this far."
"Why?" Kate asked, finally turning and shutting the door behind her. "Is something wrong?"
Alex sighed, leaned up against the wall. "Other than the fact that Lizzie's entire world has been turned on its head in a single day? Nah."
Kate narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you here?"
"To find out the truth," Alex admitted. "Well, Liz is. I'm here for her."
Kate felt a flash of disappointment. It was enough to make her blink. Why the hell should [I]that[/I] disappoint her? She was clearly losing her mind!
"But.but." Kate was at a loss. After what she had seen after teleporting onto Liz's balcony, she had been convinced that Rowena was staying loyal to Zan. Why would she be here if that was the case? If she was on the other side, neither she nor Zan would ever give Will so much leverage over the former king by playing her right into Will's hands. It was what had destroyed Ro last time after all - playing intermediary.
Alex looked her right in the eyes and said quietly, "Let's just say that Liz's - and my - loyalties are yet to be decided."
With that simple statement, Kate knew that the entire game had changed. Again. But it was the way her heart flip-flopped when he quirked a grin at her that she knew that the rules might be much more than she had ever bargained for.
To be continued.
"Liz, are you sure this is a good idea?"
Liz sighed, leaned back wearily so that it was cradled against the head- rest of the passenger seat. They had walked over to his house to pick it up his parents' car after the others had left for the quarry, Liz not wanting to have to explain to her mom and dad where she was going with their vehicle. Alex's parents were not nearly as on top of him when it came to staying out late on school nights. It didn't hurt that he had three older brothers. The Whitmans had just been too tired by the time Alex came along to give him many rules at all. While the Parkers were by no means unreasonably strict, they did always want to know where Liz was going when she took the car and Liz was tired of lying. Since she couldn't tell her parents that she was going to a run-down motel in the middle of the desert, she preferred to just tell them she was going out with Alex, something they always approved of. She had been lying for weeks now. It was exhausting. If she could avoid it from now on, she was going to try.
Of course, she was about to turn her entire life into a lie again by pretending that she was willing to turn on Max. But she would just ignore that fact for the moment. She was tired enough. She didn't have the energy to even contemplate it.
"I'm not sure of anything any more," Liz admitted, staring out the window at the setting sun, which was throwing its shadow over the desert scrub they were passing through. "All I know is that this is all totally screwed up and I have to protect Max. These people want him dead Alex - for something he didn't even do!"
"But maybe he did do it Liz," Alex said tentatively. "I don't know Kate very well, but she doesn't strike me as evil. She's never set out to deliberately hurt anyone that I've seen. Maybe Max [I]was[/I] who they say he was."
Liz turned her head, scowled at him. "He wasn't. I [I]know[/I] it."
"How?"
"Because I [I]know[/I] Max," Liz replied firmly. "I just do. Whatever Kate thinks he did, she's [I]wrong[/I]."
There was a long silence and then Alex asked quietly, "Liz, you don't really believe what they've told you about yourself, do you?"
Liz didn't reply for a moment, wondering how she could explain to someone who had never really experienced an alien connection that there were some things that just could not be denied. Not once you [I]knew[/I]. "I do," she told him. "If it had just come down to Will's word, I think I could have ignored the whole thing, but Max.deep inside, he knows the truth about me too."
"But what about what Max said? What about the fact that you have human DNA?" Alex demanded. "I just don't get that Liz."
"I don't either," Liz admitted. "It's just something else we're going to have to try and figure out."
"And you're positive that Will is going to just accept you? That just because you want him to leave Max alone, he will?"
Liz thought about Will, thought about the way he looked at her. "Yes," she whispered.
"Oooo-kay." When Liz looked at Alex again, he was shaking his head. "I've learned enough by now to not bother to question the alien chaos. You seem to know what you're talking about Liz. I just hope you're right."
Liz reached out, gently laid her hand on top of Alex's, which was clutching the gear shift. "Thank you for coming with me. I.I really didn't want to do this alone."
Alex looked at her out of the corner of his eye, quirked a sad grin in her direction. "Can't abandon my best girl now, can I?"
"Still, thank you Alex." Liz really meant it. When she had told Max that she was not going to take no for an answer, that she fully intended to infiltrate into Will and Kate's lives to find out what was going on with them, the only way she had finally managed to convince him to allow it was by telling him that she would take Alex with her. Max trusted Alex to keep her safe and, if he couldn't, to call in reinforcements. And, in the end, Max knew that he had to let her go, as much as he didn't want to. Because until they knew the truth about the new aliens in town and what they wanted, there was no way to even figure out how to deal with them. But by pretending that he was agreeing because Alex was going, Max could gracefully give in without making her any less aware of how worried about her he was going to be.
"You don't trust me?" Liz had demanded, scowling at him, but not really angry.
Max had just looked at her seriously. "Liz, you don't think about your own safety. You don't think about yourself. If there's anything that this past week has shown, it's that you don't put yourself first. Alex will do that." He paused and then had added darkly. "And it's not that I don't trust [I]you.[/I]"
Deep down, Liz knew that Max was right. When it came to protecting him and her friends, she became single-minded. It would be handy to have someone watching her back. Plus, while she was a lot more sure than Max that Will and Kate would never hurt her, she didn't entirely trust them either. It was reassuring that she would have someone with her that she [I]could[/I] completely depend on.
Not to mention, it would be a lot less lonely.
"So, speaking of best girls," Liz said, trying to lighten the mood in the car, "What's going on with you and Kate?"
"What?" Alex demanded, sounding really surprised. "What are you talking about? Nothing!"
Liz raised an eyebrow. "Right. Alex, I saw the way you looked at her earlier."
Alex wrinkled his brow. "How did I look at her?"
"Like you thought she was kind of intriguing."
"Liz, I so don't need [I]another[/I] alien princess to obsess over. Particularly one who's gunning for our friends. You are imagining things."
"Hmmmm," was all Liz said, grinning when Alex snorted. "I know you Alex and I know when you're obsessing and you are obsessing over this girl." She was serious when she continued though. "What about Isabel?"
"Isabel doesn't love me," Alex said quietly. "I mean, I know she cares about me, but she's not in love with me. Which doesn't mean I'm interested in Kate. I mean, I have spoken to her a grand total of three times."
"Aliens are [I]very[/I] attractive Alex. All Max had to do was tell me what he was and I fell for him. It doesn't take long," Liz teased.
"I don't think it's just the alien part that attracts you Liz," Alex shot back. "Much to my chagrin, then [I]and[/I] now, I know that you and Maria had certified Max as a West Roswell hottie long before his Czechoslovakian heritage was common knowledge." Liz smiled, knew he was right. Alex narrowed his eyes and continued, "But, since we're on the topic of otherworldly attraction, what about you and Will? I actually can't quite believe that Max is letting you go off to be with him."
Liz sobered. "Max doesn't run my life Alex. But whatever Will seems to think we were to each other before, it doesn't matter anyway. It's Max I love now."
"What are you going to do if Will doesn't accept that?" Alex asked. "Tess has more than proven that just because one destined partner isn't interested, it doesn't mean the other one is just going to give up. And, as far as we know, Tess doesn't even [I]remember[/I] being with Max. Will seems to remember you, doesn't he?"
Liz frowned. "He says he does."
"So what if this big scheme to protect Max by letting Will get close to you blows up in your face Liz? Because what if the more time Will spends with you, the more he loves you and the more determined he is to get rid of Max once and for all?"
"He wouldn't do that," Liz whispered, trying to ignore the lump that was forming in her throat.
There was another long silence. Then Alex said, "Liz, what if you fall in love with [I]him[/I]?"
"What?" Liz flared, shocked. "That could [I]never[/I] happen!"
"Didn't Max find himself attracted to Tess?"
"Well, yes, but she was mindwarping him," Liz insisted. "We know that." Alex seemed to accept this comment readily enough, didn't say anything more about it, because, in the end, he knew what Liz knew. There was absolutely no way that Liz would ever betray Max like that. She [I]loved[/I] him. She had always loved him. If there was one truth about her past life that was becoming ever more clear to her, it was that.
She and Max were meant to be together. She didn't yet know how or why, but she knew it was true.
[I]But what about the way you felt when you first saw Will?[/I] A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her. [I]What if Alex is right and you find yourself falling for him?[/I]
What if this plan to save Max ended up hurting him even more in the end?
"It won't," Liz murmured quietly to herself. "It won't happen."
But she was no longer quite as focused as she should have been when Alex pulled his parents' Volvo to a stop outside the door to the motel moments later. Her heart was thundering in her chest. She was nervous she realized - nervous that she would feel the same instant attraction to Will that she had that morning when she again laid eyes on him.
Now that she and Max were finally back on the same wave-length, having that happen again .She didn't know if she would be able to handle the guilt. This morning, things had been so bad between Max and Liz, she had relegated the instant connection between she and Will to her loneliness and misery. What if it was more than that?
Liz bit her lip, stared at the motel, wondered suddenly if this was all a [I]really[/I] bad idea, if both Max and Alex were right that she was playing with fire here. But, deep down, she knew she wasn't. She knew her own mind and she knew her own heart. It was Max she loved. She [I]knew[/I] it.
She felt her heart start to beat more calmly as she reached out to take Alex's hand for support. She [I]knew[/I] herself. No matter what she was told and what she learned tonight and over the next few days, Max Evans was her soul mate.
And no one - not even Will Spencer - was going to convince her otherwise.
***********************************************
Kate lay staring up at the ceiling, her exhaustion so complete, she couldn't even get up to go tell Will that she was back. She didn't know how she had managed to screw up so completely, but coming face to face with Zan again like that.It had been devastating.
They had connected and now she knew for sure that Max Evans did not remember [I]anything[/I] about being Zan. He could not be held responsible for what he couldn't remember, could he? Morally, she knew it was true. Before, she had been allowed to doubt all the people - Liz, Alex - who told her that Max didn't [I]know[/I] the truth. She could still pursue the granolith and blame him for the mess they were all stuck in. But now that she knew for sure that he didn't remember [I]any[/I] of it.
She could not hold him responsible. None of them could. And, somehow, she was going to have to convince Will of that. Because, if they punished Max Evans, a virtual innocent, for Zan's actions, then, in the end, they were no better than Zan, were they?
Kate managed to turn her head at the sound of a light knock on the door. "Come in," she called out weakly, lifting her arm and sending a jolt of energy towards the lock and making the door swing open. She really hoped that it was Jack and not Will. She didn't know how she was going to tell Will that Max Evans was now beyond their reach. He was going to be furious - especially now that the whole thing had become so personal to him because Rowena was involved.
But Will was no more a murderer than she was. He would have to accept it. She would [I]make[/I] him accept it.
Her prayers were answered when her cousin poked his golden head through the crack she had created. "Katie, what're you doing in here?" Jack asked, entering quickly and shutting the door behind him. "Will said that you'd gone out."
Kate frowned slightly. "Then why are you knocking?"
"Hey, I wasn't in the mood to walk in on you if you [I]were[/I] here. These close quarters are getting to be a bit much," he admitted, flopping down in a chair near the TV. He picked up the remote. "Will's watching the news. It's boring. I came in here to watch cartoons."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Jack, are you [I]ever[/I] going to grow up?" She demanded, sitting up carefully.
He grinned at her. "Why? What's the point?"
And Will wondered why she didn't think Jack was up to all the responsibility he gave him, Kate thought, shaking her head. "Where have you been all day?"
"Around," Jack replied non-committally, flicking on the TV with his powers and then using the remote to switch the channels. "I met that friend of Rowena's - Alex Whitman." He looked at Kate, his expression darkening. "Oh, and I ran into Rath. Moron." He focused his attention back on the television, not even noticing that Kate's mouth had fallen open.
She lifted her hand, waved it at the TV, shutting it off.
"Hey!"
"Excuse me, but you can't just tell me that you ran into Rath and then watch the Transformers," Kate snapped. "Did you tell Will this? You were supposed to be undercover."
"He didn't know it was me." Jack waved his hand in the air dismissively. "They're all preoccupied by something else. Zan, Vilandra and Ava all came in with one of the humans. They totally forgot about me." He grinned at her. "And what Will doesn't know won't hurt him."
"Jack!" Kate flared, exasperated. "You were in the same room as [I]all[/I] of them? Are you crazy?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't the one who teleported right into Zan's arms an hour ago," he replied slyly.
Kate swallowed, narrowed her eyes. "How did you know that?"
"Like I said, I've been around today." His blue eyes met hers, suddenly serious. "And like I said Katie, what Will doesn't know won't hurt him."
"Jack, I'm going to tell him."
"Right."
"I [I]am[/I]!"
"Why?" Jack demanded. "What's the point?"
Kate bit her lip. "Jack, I connected with Zan." She swallowed. "He doesn't remember anything. I'm guessing that none of them do. We can't hurt them to get the granolith. And if they won't tell us, then we're screwed."
Jack leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "And that's why you won't [I]tell[/I] Will that Katie."
"What?" Kate demanded, confused. "I won't tell him what?"
"That Zan doesn't remember," Jack replied. "We need the granolith. We have no choice Kate. We have to do whatever it takes to get it."
"But Jack! Max Evans is innocent! We can't just use an innocent person!"
"Was he innocent when he destroyed the Harvest?" Jack demanded. "Kate, you didn't [I]feel[/I] the destruction. Not like I did. Those people are [I]dying[/I]. And that is Max Evans's fault, whether he remembers being Zan or not."
"That wasn't Max's fault. He didn't destroy the Harvest. I did."
Kate and Jack both turned their heads. Kate stared at the blonde girl standing in the doorway, so completely flabbergasted to see that they were no longer alone, that she momentarily just sat looking at her. "Who are you?" She demanded finally.
Jack leaned back in his chair, lifted his feet up and set them on the bed next to her. Kate wrinkled her nose, slapped them aside so that they thumped to the floor. He was no better than an annoying younger brother on occasion. She forced herself to push aside her irritation and focus on what he was saying. "Oh, did I forget to mention Courtney? She's someone I picked up in my travels today. She was hanging out in Rath's apartment. Will's just been chatting her up." He winked at Courtney, who glared at him. "Lovely for a traitor, isn't she?"
Kate stared at Jack, not understanding her cousin's strange behavior since he had entered her room. Jack was usually the most compassionate of people, but he was acting completely out of character. What was [I]wrong[/I] with him?
She jumped to her feet as Courtney stumbled into the room. Kate helped the other girl to the bed. She looked like she was about to collapse. "Are you okay?" Seeing a Skin in such an advanced stage of decomposition.It only reinforced to her how absolutely vital it was that they get their hands on the granolith. "Who are you?" She repeated quietly after she had settled Courtney against the pillows.
"She's one of those stupid Rath worshippers," Jack replied for her. "She's madly in love with him. It's really kind of cute." He scowled at her this time. "Except for the traitor part."
"I'm not in love with him," Courtney said quickly, folding her arms across her chest and raising her chin. Kate could tell she was lying by the spasm that crossed her face at the taunt though.
"But you know him?" Kate asked. "Well?"
"Well enough to know that I'll never sell him out to you freaks. I wouldn't tell Khivar anything and I'm certainly not going to tell you two," Courtney snapped, turning her head and looking pointedly at the wall, clearly unwilling to say anything else.
Kate glanced at Jack, who was narrowing his eyes in annoyance. Kate felt her eyes widen when she actually saw him make a move, like he was going to physically shake Courtney to get her to talk. She reached out and pinched her cousin. "OW! What was that for?" He demanded, rubbing his leg and glaring at her.
"It's for being such a jerk. This is one of our people Jack. If she's supporting Rath, it must be for a reason." Kate looked back at Courtney, who was now staring at her suspiciously. "We know Rath was a good man," she continued. "Loyal to the end. It wasn't his fault Zan betrayed everyone - including him."
Courtney rolled her eyes. "You're all the same aren't you? Blaming Zan for your own incompetence." She gestured at the door. "He just tried to do it too." Kate knew she meant Will. "I mean, he was no King Arthur, but he certainly wasn't the monster you all make him out to be." She paused, grinned pertly. "Besides, even King Arthur had his weak moments."
"What is [I]that[/I] supposed to mean?" Jack demanded. Kate looked at him again, staring him down warningly. She had no idea what had gotten stuck in [I]his[/I] craw, but if he couldn't stop speaking out of turn, she was going to have to tell Will. She was of superior rank here and she was running this interrogation.
Courtney snorted. "I expect you'll all find out soon enough. You're all so sure history is going to repeat itself. And now that Khivar has his Rowena back, I guess we'll see, won't we?"
Kate realized that this was the second time that Courtney had called Will Khivar. At least, that's who she assumed the Skin was referring to. "How do you know he's Khivar?" She asked quickly. No one was supposed to know. As far as everyone knew, Khivar was still sitting on Zan's throne.
She blinked, realized what she had just thought. She had called it [I]Zan's[/I] throne! It was not Zan's any longer. He had lost it through treachery and violence. What was she thinking? Kate felt a flash of fear run through her. She had been right. That connection with Max Evans had been far more damaging than she had even guessed.
It was [I]Khivar's[/I] throne - rightfully, through conquest. Zan was no longer worthy to sit upon it.
"He has Rowena back?" Jack asked. It took Kate a moment to realize that while she had gotten stuck on the Khivar part of Courtney's last statement, Jack had gone right to the important stuff. It annoyed her even more. She couldn't let distractions interfere. She had to keep her head on straight, particularly since Jack seemed to be going through some sort of weird teen rebellion phase, while Will was almost useless since he had started obsessing over Ro. "What does [I]that[/I] mean?" Jack looked at Kate, clearly expecting her to glare at him again. "C'mon Katie. You want to know too!"
She didn't dignify that with a response. Because she did dammit "Well?"
"That's why I'm in here," Courtney said, looking bored now. "Liz Parker just showed up with her trusty lap dog. They're in with Khivar. He kicked me out."
Liz Parker. [I]Here?[/I] Kate jumped to her feet in panic. This was so [I]not[/I] good. Will wasn't ready to face her. She hadn't even told him what she had seen through the connection with Zan. He didn't know that Max Evans was not the evil creature Zan had been.
He didn't know that Liz Parker was truly in love with him. That Max had not bewitched her, that he had not coerced her, that Max Evans had not even approached her until he had been forced by circumstance to reveal himself to her in order to save her life. But Kate [I]did[/I] know. She knew it all - had [I]seen[/I] it all. And it was going to devastate her brother!
"Jack, watch her!" She exclaimed, throwing the door open and slamming straight into a firm body. Kate blinked, stared up into Alex Whitman's amused brown eyes.
Oh. Right. The trusty lap dog. She should have known.
"Hi!" Alex said. "Will told me to come join the party. Hope no one minds." He looked over Kate's shoulder, only seemed mildly surprised to see Courtney, but his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Jack lounging in the chair. Kate watched his face shut down but he wasn't able to completely hide his reaction, especially since he couldn't help muttering, "I should have known. Four and four."
Alex seemed to regain his composure quickly though because he sauntered into the room, narrowed his eyes at Jack. "I hope you managed to sharpen your pencil."
Jack had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "Didn't know who you were man. Truly. But can't say that I was sorry to find out. I'm glad Ro has had someone like you watching her back all these years."
Alex merely snorted, although he did seem slightly appeased. He looked back at Kate, who was still hovering in the doorway, unsure what to do. "They're going to be a while Kate. You might as well come back in and make yourself comfortable."
"But." Kate stared helplessly at the door across the hallway, her drive to go and protect her brother so fierce, it [I]had[/I] to be the right instinct.
"Trust me," Alex shrugged. "You don't want to be interfering in there. I wanted to stay but it was all I could do to get Liz to let me come this far."
"Why?" Kate asked, finally turning and shutting the door behind her. "Is something wrong?"
Alex sighed, leaned up against the wall. "Other than the fact that Lizzie's entire world has been turned on its head in a single day? Nah."
Kate narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you here?"
"To find out the truth," Alex admitted. "Well, Liz is. I'm here for her."
Kate felt a flash of disappointment. It was enough to make her blink. Why the hell should [I]that[/I] disappoint her? She was clearly losing her mind!
"But.but." Kate was at a loss. After what she had seen after teleporting onto Liz's balcony, she had been convinced that Rowena was staying loyal to Zan. Why would she be here if that was the case? If she was on the other side, neither she nor Zan would ever give Will so much leverage over the former king by playing her right into Will's hands. It was what had destroyed Ro last time after all - playing intermediary.
Alex looked her right in the eyes and said quietly, "Let's just say that Liz's - and my - loyalties are yet to be decided."
With that simple statement, Kate knew that the entire game had changed. Again. But it was the way her heart flip-flopped when he quirked a grin at her that she knew that the rules might be much more than she had ever bargained for.
To be continued.