[u]Part 21[/u]
Serena knew the instant that he was on to her. While Zan had always been good at hiding his emotions, his eyes often betrayed him. It was usually only for an instant, but Rowena had once told her what to look for and she saw it happen now. The pupils dilated slightly and there was a superficial narrowing before his expression became once more implacable.
She bit her lip. What was she going to do? She wasn't ready for her secret to come out, wasn't ready for Khivar to know the truth. It had to be on her own terms or he would never accept her.
[I]Pretending to be Rowena is the coward's way out. Pretending to be Rowena was what got you all into this mess in the first place.[/I]
The thought was so abrupt and so unexpected, she took an involuntary step backwards. Zan's eyes were now locked on her. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to understand what was going on. Because he was working without his memories, because he only had access to his instinct, he hadn't quite figured it out, but he knew something was wrong. She should have known that it couldn't last. His connection to Ro was far too strong. Liz Parker had been mistaken for his soulmate for too long now. The change could not have stayed hidden.
And, so, there was really no way around it. She needed his help. As much as she knew it was a mistake, she was just not ready to confront Khivar. Glancing at him now, she could see the fierce expression on his face as he continued to glare at Zan. Khivar did not take betrayal lightly. She was not ready to risk everything - not until she absolutely knew exactly how much he remembered about before. Because while she knew from his conversations with Liz that he remembered most of it, some of it was wrong. What she didn't understand was why. She also knew that he had deliberately left things out, accentuating the positive.
He had not told Liz that Rowena had not always been a completely willing wife.
No, that had only changed once [I]she[/I] had replaced her sister. And the most horrible part of all was that he was going to figure out that Rowena had never loved him - that Serena had taken her sister's place to save Ro from a marriage she did not want. He was not going to understand and he was not going to believe that he had ended up with the only one who could have ever been right for him anyway.
He wouldn't see it that way though. Because it was not [I]her[/I] he loved. And she just could not face it yet.
"I'm with Max," she blurted without thinking. She saw Khivar glance at her, frowning slightly. He couldn't be suspicious! Liz had told him that she was not going to turn on Max. It wasn't entirely illogical that she would want to be paired with him now. He did not know that she had taken over Liz's body, that her essence had established itself through the blood on the scarf around her wrist.
She fingered the scarf lightly, felt her heart beginning to beat unsteadily. If he knew that it had worked, giving her back the item she had most treasured in her past life, he would immediately get the wrong idea. He would think she was Rowena. And she couldn't continue that lie any longer. When she revealed herself to him, it would be as Serena and no one else. Until then she would stay Liz Parker.
Serena swallowed, looked at Zan, whose eyes had narrowed even more. "It might be better if you go with one of the others Liz," he said, almost challengingly. "We both know the town. It doesn't make sense for us to be together."
She raised her chin, hoping it wasn't too suspicious, and insisted. "Alex can take Will and Kate. We'll send Michael and Maria out together, Isabel with the sheriff and Kyle with Tess. It does make sense Max, if you think about it. This way there'll be a human and a." She paused, searching for the code word she knew Liz used for aliens. "Czechoslovakian in each group."
"I don't like this." Serena sighed, glancing at Khivar, who had returned to glaring at Zan. It didn't surprise her though. One of the things she had so loved about Khivar before was his complete inability to hide his vulnerability - at least to her. As much as he came across as competent and secure in his position, he had harbored a secret jealousy of Zan, who, despite his father's disappointment in him, had always been held up in their system as the shining example of what a prince should be. Just because Zan's father had wanted his son to be even more than he was did not mean Khivar had not known that Zan was worthy of his throne.
Or at least he had been until what happened to he and Rowena. Serena still regretted that she had ever left them, but how could she have known what was going to happen? She could not have known, had not even dreamt it could. It was why she had gone to Zan in an attempt to reason with him after he destroyed Valonia. She really could not believe that he could have changed so much. And she had been right. It was only when she had looked into his eyes right before he had killed her that she had known the truth. And, by then, it was too late.
But the eyes never lied. At least not Zan's. And right now they were staring at her, burning into her as though he was trying to turn her inside out, as though he was trying to read her thoughts. She tried not to fidget under his regard, forced even breaths, made herself maintain her facade of calm. She was glad when another voice pulled Zan's attention away from her.
"Will, stop being so difficult." It was Karana speaking, Khivar's sister. "We have no choice here. Every minute we waste is a minute less likely we're going to find Jack."
Khivar stood with his arms crossed, but Serena could see that he was bending. Kara - or Kate, as she was now known - had always been capable of setting him back on the right course. They had always been a great team, Khivar and Karana, had always balanced each other. When one became emotional, the other remained stoic and vice versa, creating a solid sense of capability when they were together. Serena still believed in her heart that had Khivar and Kara not been separated at the very end, things might have turned out very differently. But when Karana had died at Zan's hands - or so it had seemed anyway - the final denouement of the tragedy that had been their past lives had become inevitable. Without his sister, Khivar had lost his closest advisor, the only person he would [I]really[/I] listen to other than Rowena. And, so, he had also lost himself.
As she gazed at him now, Serena could not help but feel glad that he had been given this second chance - that what he had become had not been counted against him when they had all been sent to Earth to rebuild what they had destroyed. She knew though that this was a turning point. If Khivar rejected Zan's help now.
"Think of it like World War II," Alex suggested, clearly thinking that Khivar was about to agree and wanting to push him over the edge. "We sided with the Soviets to take care of the greater of two evils and then we went right back to hating everything they stood for after." He grimaced, seeming to realize that suggesting that Khivar should go back to hating Zan might not be the best thing. "Or we could all just stay friends," he rushed on to say. Serena tried to look supportive as his eyes met hers. He was expecting Liz of course, so she smiled reassuringly at him as he mouthed "I am so lame."
"Fine," Khivar finally ground out through gritted teeth, as though he absolutely had to force it with every ounce of his strength. "But it doesn't mean anything," he added, meeting Zan's eyes again.
Zan just shook his head in annoyance. "Whatever. I already said I'm not doing this for you anyway." He looked at Serena again. "I'm going to call Michael and get him to bring Izzy and Tess here. They're probably already on their way to the motel."
"The motel?" She asked, confused. "Why would they be going there?" Had Zan been planning a confrontation this morning? If Rath, Vilandra and Ava were all on their way to the motel where Khivar and the others had been staying, it seemed a logical conclusion.
She moved forward, took Zan by the arm and pulled him away from the others, choosing not to look in Khivar's direction to see how he reacted to it. "Why were you going to the motel Max? I thought you trusted [I]me[/I] to take care of Will." She had to know once and for all what was going through his mind. How much did he know?
"I had my reasons," he replied, his eyes piercing. He glanced past her, then took her hand, pulling her further away from Khivar, Kara and Alex and behind the garbage bin so that they were concealed from view. It was only later that she realized that he had done it in case he had to kill her. He had not wanted anyone to stop him if that was how it was going to end. She was thankful that she had not realized it at the time. Because Zan had never been frightening to her. Not ever. "And they had nothing to do with not trusting Liz." He continued, once he had her alone. "But you're not Liz. Are you?"
She blinked at him, not really surprised, but a bit taken aback that he was still as direct as he had ever been. She finally sighed. "No."
His eyes flashed with shock that she actually admitted it. He regained his composure quickly though. He might not remember being a king, but he still was in every way that counted, Serena thought ruefully. "Who the hell are you then? What do you want? Where is Liz? If you've hurt her, I swear I'll."
"I [I]am[/I] still Liz," Serena explained patiently, trying not to flinch as his grip tightened on her arm. "You don't understand Zan. I've remembered who I really am too. My human side still exists. It's just that this is [I]really[/I] me."
"Rowena." He sounded pained. "How? How did this happen?"
"Why are you upset that I might be Rowena?" She asked gently, reaching out and taking his hand. "You love Rowena."
His expression was fierce as he replied, "I love Liz Parker. And you've stolen her from me. I don't know where all these memories came from, but you've changed her. You are [I]not[/I] the same." He ran a hand across his face wearily, his anger draining out of him abruptly as he met her eyes and said quietly, "You are [I]not[/I] Liz."
"No," she explained. "You don't love Liz. You got mixed up Zan. It's understandable, but Liz was never Rowena. She was me. Rowena." She trailed off, could feel her throat closing up at the thought of her lost sister. "I don't know where Ro is Zan."
Zan stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Serena just stared at him, unable to mask her sadness any longer. The sheer irony of this having happened was not lost on her. Khivar had been in love with the wrong person in their past lives and this time it was Zan. But he had to be told. There was no help for it. Because the sooner he accepted it, the sooner things could progress as they were meant to. "There were two of us Zan. You don't remember now, but you knew then. You were in love with Rowena, but I'm not her. She was my sister." She paused and then continued in a rush, wanting the worst of it out of the way. "And, as far as I know, she no longer exists."
She saw the spasm that ran through Max's body. She realized instantly that he was not going to accept this easily. "When I tell you everything, you'll understand. It all started when you."
"[I]Maxwell![/I] Get your butt over here!"
Zan blinked. "That's Michael," he said unnecessarily. Serena knew it after all. "What's [I]he[/I] doing here?" He stared at her. "You're still going to tell me everything."
"I will," she promised. "Just make sure we're together. Alone."
"Why can't you just tell everyone. Why all the secrecy?"
"I don't want Khivar to know," she admitted quietly.
"Why?"
"Because he never knew that there were two of us. It is going to come as a blow."
There was a short pause, then Max said. "I believe you. But I want you to know, that none of it changes how I feel about you. Whether you're Serena or Rowena or the queen of Sheba, you are still Liz and you're the person I love. And I'm going to get you back to who you really are."
"Zan."
"Max," he intoned firmly. "We are Max and Liz. Try to remember that." Then he turned and left her staring after him as he went to rejoin the others.
***************************************
Kate grabbed Will by the arm as he made a move to go after Liz and Max. She had not been the only one who had felt the weirdness in the air between the two of them. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but, then, she had never been in the company of both of them at the same time before. She also wasn't sure [I]how[/I] their relationship worked. They were presently engaged in a tense-looking exchange further down the alley. She could actually [I]feel[/I] Will's blood pressure rising as Max grabbed Liz by the hand and pulled her behind the garbage bin.
"She told you she loves him," Kate reminded him quietly, not wanting to hurt him, but wanting him to start accepting reality. "Things might change someday, but, for now, friends is all you're going to get from her Will. You have to control yourself around him. She's not going to put up with it for long."
Will turned his head, glared at her. "You [I]would[/I] side with him. I can't believe how quickly he's charmed you again Kate. He [I]killed[/I] you."
"Okay, I'm getting a headache." This was from Alex. "Can we just [I]stop[/I] blaming people for things that happened in another life on [I]another[/I] planet?" Kate felt a pang of regret at the weary expression on her new friend's face. Alex seemed to be losing some of his steam today. He was more resigned than cheerful at the moment. "Max would [I]never[/I] hurt Liz. I swear to God, [I]I[/I] would hurt her first."
"Well, why is he wasting precious time with her now?" Will demanded, obviously searching for another reason to be irritated at Max. "Is he going to help us or not?"
"We can't do anything until Michael gets back," Alex exclaimed impatiently. "Would you please lighten up?"
Kate tried to hide her smirk as Will stared at Alex, apparently not quite believing that Alex had just told him off. No one [I]ever[/I] told Will off. He had barely had any contact with humans before the last few days and everyone else in his life had always treated him with the respect due his position. But Alex just [I]didn't[/I] and it seemed to flabbergast Will on a regular basis. It had happened several times the night before during their male-bonding session too. Most of Kate's enjoyment had been at Will's fish out of water expense.
Most of it, but not all, she reflected, smiling slightly, admiring the way Alex's eyes flashed when he was annoyed. It was entirely different from the way they looked when he was joking, which was most of the time.
[I]Stop it![/I] Kate ordered herself, suddenly horrified. [I]What are you doing? Jack is [/I]missing[I] and you're thinking about how Alex Whitman's eyes change colors slightly dependent on his mood. Are you crazy?[/I]
"Alex! What the hell is going on around here?"
Kate was grateful for the interruption. She turned and backed up slightly. Rath - or Michael as he was now called - had come through the door and took in she and Will with one glance, his gaze narrowing.
"Where's Maxwell?" Michael demanded. Kate could see more people following him through the door, including Ava, a dark-haired boy wearing a letterman's jacket and Liz's best friend, Maria. The latter hung back, her eyes on Alex, her tentativeness apparent. "Why are [I]they[/I] here?" Kate could hear Michael's attempt at disdain, but he could not hide the slight undercurrent of fear in his voice.
"Max and Liz are having a little confab down the alley," Alex replied. He glanced at Will, grimacing slightly. "They'll be back momentarily, I'm sure. We have a situation here folks."
"[I]You[/I] have a situation?" Michael demanded, abruptly annoyed. "Well, you're not the only ones." He turned his head and yelled, causing Kate to jump slightly. Why was Rath so volatile? He had never been like this before! "MAXWELL! Get your butt over here!"
Kate glanced at Will, who appeared amused. The lack of respect in Michael's demeanor when it came to Zan obviously pleased him. It just worried Kate and drove home the point that these were [I]not[/I] the same people they had been before. There was no way that Rath would ever have spoken to Zan in such a manner in their past lives.
After a moment, Max's head poked around the garbage bin further down the alley. He did not seem unduly upset at Michael's tone as he hurried back in their direction. All he said when he was close enough was "I'm glad you're here."
Kate watched Liz trail after Max, looking worried. She wondered briefly what Max and Liz had been discussing. Max's frame was extremely tense. He had obviously not liked what he had heard. Kate bit her lip, wondered what this meant for Will. Had Liz made her choice? Had she changed her mind about who she wanted to be with?
"You're glad I'm here?" Michael retorted. "I thought we were [I]all[/I] supposed to be at the motel?"
Max looked behind Michael, his forehead creasing. "Where's Izzy?"
"It's why I came back here in the first place," Michael replied. "Instead of going to the motel where you told me to go."
"Okay Michael!" Maria exclaimed from behind him. "He gets the picture! We [I] all[/I] get the picture! He was supposed to meet you at the motel!"
Max just sighed. "I'm sorry. I got side-tracked. Anyway, everything's changed again." Kate could almost see him trying to resist looking at Liz.
"You're darn tootin' it's changed," Michael replied, reaching into his pocket and tossing something in Max's direction. Max caught it easily and then stared at it. "I couldn't find Isabel, but I did find this."
"What the hell is this?" Max asked, sounding confused.
"It's an orb," Alex supplied helpfully.
"He [I]knows[/I] it's an orb Alex! We all know it's an orb. But you're Mr- Know-it-All these days, aren't you? And did you hear what came before that? No Isabel! Now where could Isabel be? And why is she staying away from all her friends?" This was Maria again, and she sounded upset, angry and like she wanted to cry all at once. Kate watched as Alex looked at his friend guiltily, like he understood why she was so suddenly annoyed with him. What was [I]that[/I] all about? Humans were so confusing. They seemed to constantly have undercurrents in [I]all[/I] their relationships. And ever since Kate had been in contact with them on a regular basis, so had she. It was extremely irritating to not be able to think in terms of black and white any longer.
"I know it's an orb," Max agreed, looking at Maria, worry on his face, then looking away, deciding to ignore her little outburst. "But it's not one of our orbs."
"Obviously," Michael said. "It's green. I found it on the counter in my kitchen," he continued. "I couldn't make it play though."
There was a long moment of silence as they all stood around looking at each other. Or, at least, the aliens did. Because they all knew the only way to make it work.
"We need a pair from a four square to make it work," Will interjected impatiently when it seemed like no one wanted to move. "Ro and I can do it."
"Or Max and me!" Ava piped up, tossing her blonde curls. Kate saw a brief grimace cross Max's face at that, but he managed to quickly hide it. She didn't think that Tess had seen. Kate could not help the slight amusement she felt at it. Obviously Zan was just as reluctant in his chosen mate in this lifetime as in the last. But she should have known it already. Wasn't he in love with Rowena after all?
"Well, since Jack and Isabel are both missing, I guess that's true," Max finally allowed. He turned his head and looked at Liz. "Do you want to." He trailed off uncertainly.
Liz's eyes were sad as she said, "Okay. We'll do it."
"Wait a minute!" Alex spoke up again, having apparently recovered from Maria's little attack. "Are you guys positive that this is a communication device? What if it's a bomb or something?"
"It's a communication orb Alex," Kate told him calmly. "We all recognize it."
"Why were the other ones grey?" Alex demanded. "This one isn't."
"Grey is the official colour of the House of Antar," Kate replied. "Green represents our planet. It's probably a message from our people." A threat of some sort, Kate reflected ruefully. This was likely not going to help the whole "working together" situation. But at least she and Will would be here to defuse it. Or at least [I]she[/I] would, she amended, knowing that the last thing her brother had on his mind was peace. He was here at the moment for Jack alone and as soon as he was found, he would go right back to hating their enemies.
"Oh, okay." This answer seemed to satisfy Alex. Kate liked that he had questioned the situation though. He was obviously only worried. He was, in many ways, an impartial bystander, and it was good to have those voices heard, particularly with all the tension that existed among them all.
Max and Liz were still staring at each other Kate noticed when she turned back to them. Max lifted his arm and handed Liz the orb, almost challengingly, as though he was expecting her to prove something with it. She took it carefully, then moved towards Will.
Kate understood abruptly what was going on. If Will and Liz could make the orb work than it was going to prove once and for all that they were the bonded mates. It would make it official, driving a further wedge between Max and Liz.
She bit her lip as she watched Will gently reach out and take the orb from Liz. If this didn't work, it was going to devastate her brother. Could the fact that Rowena loved someone else - Zan of all people! - interfere with her bond with Will? And, if it did, how would Will react? He was having a hard enough time with everything. If the orb proved once and for all that she no longer belonged to him.It would be all bad, to paraphrase something Alex had said the night before.
Kate waited breathlessly for what was about to happen.
To be continued.
Serena knew the instant that he was on to her. While Zan had always been good at hiding his emotions, his eyes often betrayed him. It was usually only for an instant, but Rowena had once told her what to look for and she saw it happen now. The pupils dilated slightly and there was a superficial narrowing before his expression became once more implacable.
She bit her lip. What was she going to do? She wasn't ready for her secret to come out, wasn't ready for Khivar to know the truth. It had to be on her own terms or he would never accept her.
[I]Pretending to be Rowena is the coward's way out. Pretending to be Rowena was what got you all into this mess in the first place.[/I]
The thought was so abrupt and so unexpected, she took an involuntary step backwards. Zan's eyes were now locked on her. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to understand what was going on. Because he was working without his memories, because he only had access to his instinct, he hadn't quite figured it out, but he knew something was wrong. She should have known that it couldn't last. His connection to Ro was far too strong. Liz Parker had been mistaken for his soulmate for too long now. The change could not have stayed hidden.
And, so, there was really no way around it. She needed his help. As much as she knew it was a mistake, she was just not ready to confront Khivar. Glancing at him now, she could see the fierce expression on his face as he continued to glare at Zan. Khivar did not take betrayal lightly. She was not ready to risk everything - not until she absolutely knew exactly how much he remembered about before. Because while she knew from his conversations with Liz that he remembered most of it, some of it was wrong. What she didn't understand was why. She also knew that he had deliberately left things out, accentuating the positive.
He had not told Liz that Rowena had not always been a completely willing wife.
No, that had only changed once [I]she[/I] had replaced her sister. And the most horrible part of all was that he was going to figure out that Rowena had never loved him - that Serena had taken her sister's place to save Ro from a marriage she did not want. He was not going to understand and he was not going to believe that he had ended up with the only one who could have ever been right for him anyway.
He wouldn't see it that way though. Because it was not [I]her[/I] he loved. And she just could not face it yet.
"I'm with Max," she blurted without thinking. She saw Khivar glance at her, frowning slightly. He couldn't be suspicious! Liz had told him that she was not going to turn on Max. It wasn't entirely illogical that she would want to be paired with him now. He did not know that she had taken over Liz's body, that her essence had established itself through the blood on the scarf around her wrist.
She fingered the scarf lightly, felt her heart beginning to beat unsteadily. If he knew that it had worked, giving her back the item she had most treasured in her past life, he would immediately get the wrong idea. He would think she was Rowena. And she couldn't continue that lie any longer. When she revealed herself to him, it would be as Serena and no one else. Until then she would stay Liz Parker.
Serena swallowed, looked at Zan, whose eyes had narrowed even more. "It might be better if you go with one of the others Liz," he said, almost challengingly. "We both know the town. It doesn't make sense for us to be together."
She raised her chin, hoping it wasn't too suspicious, and insisted. "Alex can take Will and Kate. We'll send Michael and Maria out together, Isabel with the sheriff and Kyle with Tess. It does make sense Max, if you think about it. This way there'll be a human and a." She paused, searching for the code word she knew Liz used for aliens. "Czechoslovakian in each group."
"I don't like this." Serena sighed, glancing at Khivar, who had returned to glaring at Zan. It didn't surprise her though. One of the things she had so loved about Khivar before was his complete inability to hide his vulnerability - at least to her. As much as he came across as competent and secure in his position, he had harbored a secret jealousy of Zan, who, despite his father's disappointment in him, had always been held up in their system as the shining example of what a prince should be. Just because Zan's father had wanted his son to be even more than he was did not mean Khivar had not known that Zan was worthy of his throne.
Or at least he had been until what happened to he and Rowena. Serena still regretted that she had ever left them, but how could she have known what was going to happen? She could not have known, had not even dreamt it could. It was why she had gone to Zan in an attempt to reason with him after he destroyed Valonia. She really could not believe that he could have changed so much. And she had been right. It was only when she had looked into his eyes right before he had killed her that she had known the truth. And, by then, it was too late.
But the eyes never lied. At least not Zan's. And right now they were staring at her, burning into her as though he was trying to turn her inside out, as though he was trying to read her thoughts. She tried not to fidget under his regard, forced even breaths, made herself maintain her facade of calm. She was glad when another voice pulled Zan's attention away from her.
"Will, stop being so difficult." It was Karana speaking, Khivar's sister. "We have no choice here. Every minute we waste is a minute less likely we're going to find Jack."
Khivar stood with his arms crossed, but Serena could see that he was bending. Kara - or Kate, as she was now known - had always been capable of setting him back on the right course. They had always been a great team, Khivar and Karana, had always balanced each other. When one became emotional, the other remained stoic and vice versa, creating a solid sense of capability when they were together. Serena still believed in her heart that had Khivar and Kara not been separated at the very end, things might have turned out very differently. But when Karana had died at Zan's hands - or so it had seemed anyway - the final denouement of the tragedy that had been their past lives had become inevitable. Without his sister, Khivar had lost his closest advisor, the only person he would [I]really[/I] listen to other than Rowena. And, so, he had also lost himself.
As she gazed at him now, Serena could not help but feel glad that he had been given this second chance - that what he had become had not been counted against him when they had all been sent to Earth to rebuild what they had destroyed. She knew though that this was a turning point. If Khivar rejected Zan's help now.
"Think of it like World War II," Alex suggested, clearly thinking that Khivar was about to agree and wanting to push him over the edge. "We sided with the Soviets to take care of the greater of two evils and then we went right back to hating everything they stood for after." He grimaced, seeming to realize that suggesting that Khivar should go back to hating Zan might not be the best thing. "Or we could all just stay friends," he rushed on to say. Serena tried to look supportive as his eyes met hers. He was expecting Liz of course, so she smiled reassuringly at him as he mouthed "I am so lame."
"Fine," Khivar finally ground out through gritted teeth, as though he absolutely had to force it with every ounce of his strength. "But it doesn't mean anything," he added, meeting Zan's eyes again.
Zan just shook his head in annoyance. "Whatever. I already said I'm not doing this for you anyway." He looked at Serena again. "I'm going to call Michael and get him to bring Izzy and Tess here. They're probably already on their way to the motel."
"The motel?" She asked, confused. "Why would they be going there?" Had Zan been planning a confrontation this morning? If Rath, Vilandra and Ava were all on their way to the motel where Khivar and the others had been staying, it seemed a logical conclusion.
She moved forward, took Zan by the arm and pulled him away from the others, choosing not to look in Khivar's direction to see how he reacted to it. "Why were you going to the motel Max? I thought you trusted [I]me[/I] to take care of Will." She had to know once and for all what was going through his mind. How much did he know?
"I had my reasons," he replied, his eyes piercing. He glanced past her, then took her hand, pulling her further away from Khivar, Kara and Alex and behind the garbage bin so that they were concealed from view. It was only later that she realized that he had done it in case he had to kill her. He had not wanted anyone to stop him if that was how it was going to end. She was thankful that she had not realized it at the time. Because Zan had never been frightening to her. Not ever. "And they had nothing to do with not trusting Liz." He continued, once he had her alone. "But you're not Liz. Are you?"
She blinked at him, not really surprised, but a bit taken aback that he was still as direct as he had ever been. She finally sighed. "No."
His eyes flashed with shock that she actually admitted it. He regained his composure quickly though. He might not remember being a king, but he still was in every way that counted, Serena thought ruefully. "Who the hell are you then? What do you want? Where is Liz? If you've hurt her, I swear I'll."
"I [I]am[/I] still Liz," Serena explained patiently, trying not to flinch as his grip tightened on her arm. "You don't understand Zan. I've remembered who I really am too. My human side still exists. It's just that this is [I]really[/I] me."
"Rowena." He sounded pained. "How? How did this happen?"
"Why are you upset that I might be Rowena?" She asked gently, reaching out and taking his hand. "You love Rowena."
His expression was fierce as he replied, "I love Liz Parker. And you've stolen her from me. I don't know where all these memories came from, but you've changed her. You are [I]not[/I] the same." He ran a hand across his face wearily, his anger draining out of him abruptly as he met her eyes and said quietly, "You are [I]not[/I] Liz."
"No," she explained. "You don't love Liz. You got mixed up Zan. It's understandable, but Liz was never Rowena. She was me. Rowena." She trailed off, could feel her throat closing up at the thought of her lost sister. "I don't know where Ro is Zan."
Zan stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Serena just stared at him, unable to mask her sadness any longer. The sheer irony of this having happened was not lost on her. Khivar had been in love with the wrong person in their past lives and this time it was Zan. But he had to be told. There was no help for it. Because the sooner he accepted it, the sooner things could progress as they were meant to. "There were two of us Zan. You don't remember now, but you knew then. You were in love with Rowena, but I'm not her. She was my sister." She paused and then continued in a rush, wanting the worst of it out of the way. "And, as far as I know, she no longer exists."
She saw the spasm that ran through Max's body. She realized instantly that he was not going to accept this easily. "When I tell you everything, you'll understand. It all started when you."
"[I]Maxwell![/I] Get your butt over here!"
Zan blinked. "That's Michael," he said unnecessarily. Serena knew it after all. "What's [I]he[/I] doing here?" He stared at her. "You're still going to tell me everything."
"I will," she promised. "Just make sure we're together. Alone."
"Why can't you just tell everyone. Why all the secrecy?"
"I don't want Khivar to know," she admitted quietly.
"Why?"
"Because he never knew that there were two of us. It is going to come as a blow."
There was a short pause, then Max said. "I believe you. But I want you to know, that none of it changes how I feel about you. Whether you're Serena or Rowena or the queen of Sheba, you are still Liz and you're the person I love. And I'm going to get you back to who you really are."
"Zan."
"Max," he intoned firmly. "We are Max and Liz. Try to remember that." Then he turned and left her staring after him as he went to rejoin the others.
***************************************
Kate grabbed Will by the arm as he made a move to go after Liz and Max. She had not been the only one who had felt the weirdness in the air between the two of them. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but, then, she had never been in the company of both of them at the same time before. She also wasn't sure [I]how[/I] their relationship worked. They were presently engaged in a tense-looking exchange further down the alley. She could actually [I]feel[/I] Will's blood pressure rising as Max grabbed Liz by the hand and pulled her behind the garbage bin.
"She told you she loves him," Kate reminded him quietly, not wanting to hurt him, but wanting him to start accepting reality. "Things might change someday, but, for now, friends is all you're going to get from her Will. You have to control yourself around him. She's not going to put up with it for long."
Will turned his head, glared at her. "You [I]would[/I] side with him. I can't believe how quickly he's charmed you again Kate. He [I]killed[/I] you."
"Okay, I'm getting a headache." This was from Alex. "Can we just [I]stop[/I] blaming people for things that happened in another life on [I]another[/I] planet?" Kate felt a pang of regret at the weary expression on her new friend's face. Alex seemed to be losing some of his steam today. He was more resigned than cheerful at the moment. "Max would [I]never[/I] hurt Liz. I swear to God, [I]I[/I] would hurt her first."
"Well, why is he wasting precious time with her now?" Will demanded, obviously searching for another reason to be irritated at Max. "Is he going to help us or not?"
"We can't do anything until Michael gets back," Alex exclaimed impatiently. "Would you please lighten up?"
Kate tried to hide her smirk as Will stared at Alex, apparently not quite believing that Alex had just told him off. No one [I]ever[/I] told Will off. He had barely had any contact with humans before the last few days and everyone else in his life had always treated him with the respect due his position. But Alex just [I]didn't[/I] and it seemed to flabbergast Will on a regular basis. It had happened several times the night before during their male-bonding session too. Most of Kate's enjoyment had been at Will's fish out of water expense.
Most of it, but not all, she reflected, smiling slightly, admiring the way Alex's eyes flashed when he was annoyed. It was entirely different from the way they looked when he was joking, which was most of the time.
[I]Stop it![/I] Kate ordered herself, suddenly horrified. [I]What are you doing? Jack is [/I]missing[I] and you're thinking about how Alex Whitman's eyes change colors slightly dependent on his mood. Are you crazy?[/I]
"Alex! What the hell is going on around here?"
Kate was grateful for the interruption. She turned and backed up slightly. Rath - or Michael as he was now called - had come through the door and took in she and Will with one glance, his gaze narrowing.
"Where's Maxwell?" Michael demanded. Kate could see more people following him through the door, including Ava, a dark-haired boy wearing a letterman's jacket and Liz's best friend, Maria. The latter hung back, her eyes on Alex, her tentativeness apparent. "Why are [I]they[/I] here?" Kate could hear Michael's attempt at disdain, but he could not hide the slight undercurrent of fear in his voice.
"Max and Liz are having a little confab down the alley," Alex replied. He glanced at Will, grimacing slightly. "They'll be back momentarily, I'm sure. We have a situation here folks."
"[I]You[/I] have a situation?" Michael demanded, abruptly annoyed. "Well, you're not the only ones." He turned his head and yelled, causing Kate to jump slightly. Why was Rath so volatile? He had never been like this before! "MAXWELL! Get your butt over here!"
Kate glanced at Will, who appeared amused. The lack of respect in Michael's demeanor when it came to Zan obviously pleased him. It just worried Kate and drove home the point that these were [I]not[/I] the same people they had been before. There was no way that Rath would ever have spoken to Zan in such a manner in their past lives.
After a moment, Max's head poked around the garbage bin further down the alley. He did not seem unduly upset at Michael's tone as he hurried back in their direction. All he said when he was close enough was "I'm glad you're here."
Kate watched Liz trail after Max, looking worried. She wondered briefly what Max and Liz had been discussing. Max's frame was extremely tense. He had obviously not liked what he had heard. Kate bit her lip, wondered what this meant for Will. Had Liz made her choice? Had she changed her mind about who she wanted to be with?
"You're glad I'm here?" Michael retorted. "I thought we were [I]all[/I] supposed to be at the motel?"
Max looked behind Michael, his forehead creasing. "Where's Izzy?"
"It's why I came back here in the first place," Michael replied. "Instead of going to the motel where you told me to go."
"Okay Michael!" Maria exclaimed from behind him. "He gets the picture! We [I] all[/I] get the picture! He was supposed to meet you at the motel!"
Max just sighed. "I'm sorry. I got side-tracked. Anyway, everything's changed again." Kate could almost see him trying to resist looking at Liz.
"You're darn tootin' it's changed," Michael replied, reaching into his pocket and tossing something in Max's direction. Max caught it easily and then stared at it. "I couldn't find Isabel, but I did find this."
"What the hell is this?" Max asked, sounding confused.
"It's an orb," Alex supplied helpfully.
"He [I]knows[/I] it's an orb Alex! We all know it's an orb. But you're Mr- Know-it-All these days, aren't you? And did you hear what came before that? No Isabel! Now where could Isabel be? And why is she staying away from all her friends?" This was Maria again, and she sounded upset, angry and like she wanted to cry all at once. Kate watched as Alex looked at his friend guiltily, like he understood why she was so suddenly annoyed with him. What was [I]that[/I] all about? Humans were so confusing. They seemed to constantly have undercurrents in [I]all[/I] their relationships. And ever since Kate had been in contact with them on a regular basis, so had she. It was extremely irritating to not be able to think in terms of black and white any longer.
"I know it's an orb," Max agreed, looking at Maria, worry on his face, then looking away, deciding to ignore her little outburst. "But it's not one of our orbs."
"Obviously," Michael said. "It's green. I found it on the counter in my kitchen," he continued. "I couldn't make it play though."
There was a long moment of silence as they all stood around looking at each other. Or, at least, the aliens did. Because they all knew the only way to make it work.
"We need a pair from a four square to make it work," Will interjected impatiently when it seemed like no one wanted to move. "Ro and I can do it."
"Or Max and me!" Ava piped up, tossing her blonde curls. Kate saw a brief grimace cross Max's face at that, but he managed to quickly hide it. She didn't think that Tess had seen. Kate could not help the slight amusement she felt at it. Obviously Zan was just as reluctant in his chosen mate in this lifetime as in the last. But she should have known it already. Wasn't he in love with Rowena after all?
"Well, since Jack and Isabel are both missing, I guess that's true," Max finally allowed. He turned his head and looked at Liz. "Do you want to." He trailed off uncertainly.
Liz's eyes were sad as she said, "Okay. We'll do it."
"Wait a minute!" Alex spoke up again, having apparently recovered from Maria's little attack. "Are you guys positive that this is a communication device? What if it's a bomb or something?"
"It's a communication orb Alex," Kate told him calmly. "We all recognize it."
"Why were the other ones grey?" Alex demanded. "This one isn't."
"Grey is the official colour of the House of Antar," Kate replied. "Green represents our planet. It's probably a message from our people." A threat of some sort, Kate reflected ruefully. This was likely not going to help the whole "working together" situation. But at least she and Will would be here to defuse it. Or at least [I]she[/I] would, she amended, knowing that the last thing her brother had on his mind was peace. He was here at the moment for Jack alone and as soon as he was found, he would go right back to hating their enemies.
"Oh, okay." This answer seemed to satisfy Alex. Kate liked that he had questioned the situation though. He was obviously only worried. He was, in many ways, an impartial bystander, and it was good to have those voices heard, particularly with all the tension that existed among them all.
Max and Liz were still staring at each other Kate noticed when she turned back to them. Max lifted his arm and handed Liz the orb, almost challengingly, as though he was expecting her to prove something with it. She took it carefully, then moved towards Will.
Kate understood abruptly what was going on. If Will and Liz could make the orb work than it was going to prove once and for all that they were the bonded mates. It would make it official, driving a further wedge between Max and Liz.
She bit her lip as she watched Will gently reach out and take the orb from Liz. If this didn't work, it was going to devastate her brother. Could the fact that Rowena loved someone else - Zan of all people! - interfere with her bond with Will? And, if it did, how would Will react? He was having a hard enough time with everything. If the orb proved once and for all that she no longer belonged to him.It would be all bad, to paraphrase something Alex had said the night before.
Kate waited breathlessly for what was about to happen.
To be continued.