[u]Part 46[/u]
The granolith chamber was quiet. After Jack had convinced Liz that there was a reason she had been left out of the connection, the two of them had taken up their places around Kate, the healing stones in their hands, waiting. What they were waiting for, Alex wasn't entirely sure. Would the others come back for them, or would they just be pulled into the connection when it was time?
All he knew was that it was all taking too long. He couldn't quite believe that they didn't all just get over themselves long enough to bring Kate back. He knew that his anger was irrational - that Isabel, Max and the others were as confused by everything that was happening as he was - but he couldn't help it. Kate had been gone for close to three hours now. What if there was a time limit? Whittaker had implied that there was, that if they waited too long, Kate's human body would be unable to accept her essence any longer. With every second that passed, as Liz and Jack stood patiently, watching the others, who were still hanging lifelessly a couple of feet off the ground, Alex felt his own patience wearing thin.
He could not take his eyes off Kate's lifeless form. He still could not quite grasp that she was no longer in there. He had never seen a dead body before. The emptiness of her expression was beyond what he had expected. It was terrifying. How could that empty shell be [I]Kate[/I]? It was just inconceivable to him. It made him feel helpless, and brought home, yet again, how dangerous his friends' lives were.
It was one of the reasons he had contemplated getting out of the alien abyss permanently - the danger, and the fear that went with it. It hadn't all been about Isabel and her lack of interest in pursuing anything romantic with him. He didn't want to die. He was young and he had his whole life ahead of him. In some ways, it was a terrifying prospect, remaining tied to these people. He could [I]still[/I] get out, could still live a long, healthy life, pretending that he'd never known anything about kings, queens, and princesses from other planets; that he'd never heard a word about four squares, or pods, or shapeshifters.
But, in the end, it was even more terrifying contemplating life without them.
What had happened to Kate - losing her before he'd even had a chance to know her; the fact that she had died before she had really [I]lived[/I] - had driven home that there was more to life than just breathing. That living and loving were not exclusive. He couldn't really choose one over the other. He wasn't just thinking about romantic love either. Because leaving the alien abyss would mean leaving behind Liz, and Maria, and Isabel. It was all or nothing with his friends. And, when it came right down to it, there was really no decision to be made. There never had been. He couldn't even [I]imagine[/I] not being a part of this anymore. He, quite simply, cared too much. He always had.
The real problem wasn't that he wanted out of the alien abyss. The real problem was that he wanted [I]in[/I] -completely. And, because he was human, he would never really be a part of the group. He would never truly be one of them. He would always be left behind, waiting. The question now was, could he be that brave? Could he be strong enough to accept that the people he loved most in the world would always be in danger? That there would always be the threat that one of them would be taken before their time? The possibility was there. The reality of it had been proven by what had happened to Kate, the one person he suspected might someday become the most important of all.
How could he do it? How could he endure it, when just standing here now, when he was pretty sure none of them were really in any danger, was the worst torture he had ever dealt with?
"Are you okay?" Alex felt Maria take his hand. He looked down at his best friend, who was leaning into him, her eyes glued to the spectacle in front of them.
"Not really," he admitted, squeezing her hand. "It really sucks being the one left behind."
"I know," Maria replied quietly. Alex saw Liz's eyes shift slightly from where she stood. She had been staring at Max intently, but she obviously could hear them, and was curious. Maria seemed to notice too, because she lowered her voice. "It's not that I'm jealous of Liz," she continued. "I'm not. I know this has all been incredibly hard and painful for her."
"But she gets to play a role," Alex finished for her. "She doesn't have to stand on the sidelines and just be a cheerleader." He paused, then added, "I guess we know now why everything always seemed more intense between Liz and Max. She was one of them all along." He looked down at Maria, embarrassed, and a little ashamed. "You say you aren't jealous, but, you know what? I was. I am."
Maria sighed, nodding her head slightly, in agreement. "We're complete idiots, you know."
"Yup," Alex agreed. He knew they were. That Liz had been through hell - that if she had been given the choice, she might not have chosen to be "one of them." She had chosen Max of her own free will, but she hadn't chosen Antar. She hadn't chosen Rowena.
And, yet, he was still jealous.
"Is it worth it?" Maria asked him. "Alex, do you think the small part of them we get to share is worth the pain of what we don't?"
Alex didn't answer right away. He felt Liz's eyes on him, met hers. He blinked. He read the expression on her face quite easily, knowing her as well as he did.
She was worried. And, not about Max and the others. Not at that moment. No, she was worried about [I]him.[/I]
Because, after all, it went both ways. Worry wasn't a one way street. They worried about their friends being in danger, and their friends worried right back.
He felt his heart lighten slightly. "It's worth it," he told Maria, smiling slightly at Liz, before shifting his gaze back to Kate. "But I think we're going to have to work on our patience," he added wryly.
"Is there a class for that?" Maria inquired.
Alex brought his arm up around her shoulders, squeezing. "No, but there is a support group."
Looking back on it later, Alex realized that the whole moment had been as if the granolith had been testing [I]them[/I] too. It was almost like it had been waiting for them to accept their part of the burden, of being a part of the group, before it would allow things to move forward. Because as the words left his lips, the time for patience ended.
Alex heard Maria gasp slightly, followed her eyes to Liz. His dark-haired friend was staring down at the stone, which sat in her palms. It was beginning to light up from within, at an even pace, not as erratically as the other stones had when Isabel, Max, and the others had been pulled into the connection without her.
He felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders when the other five gathered around Kate descended to the floor. They still weren't [I]back[/I] in the granolith chamber, but it was obvious that they were back in control of wherever they were.
"Are you ready?" Jack asked Liz.
Alex's friend nodded. Before she closed her eyes, Liz looked at Alex directly again. "We're going to bring her back to you, Alex."
"I know," he told her.
And, as Liz closed her eyes to join the others, he did know it. Just like he knew that he would be waiting for Kate when she opened her eyes.
***
Liz reached out with all her senses. It felt different this time - completely different. Before, when the connection had failed, she hadn't sensed anything, not even Max. It had been terrifying, mainly because she had become so used to his presence lingering in the back of her mind, that when it had disappeared, she hadn't quite been able to adjust to its absence. It had been impossible to accept the big, blank spot where he had been.
The big, blank spot was gone. Oh boy, was it gone.
She was almost overwhelmed by the images passing through her mind.
[I]Shame[/I].
That was Will. Liz sighed, knew that his guilt, over all that he had done, was taking its toll on him. She felt bad that she had reacted so poorly to his revelations. All that he had feared had come true. She knew, deep down, that she had not been wrong about him. He had taken the wrong road, but it had also not taken him long to realize it. With Kate's "death," the price he had been forced to pay for his action was too high.
[I]Determination[/I].
Jack. Liz didn't know him well, but she sensed that it was him. Something in his essence was similar to the way he had convinced her to believe in herself in the granolith chamber. She was looking forward to learning more about him.
[I]Fear.[/I]
Surprisingly, this was Michael. Of everyone, Liz was shocked that he was the one most scared of what they were going to learn. She sensed that it had something to do with Maria. Her friend's face was uppermost in Michael's thoughts.
[I]Calm.[/I]
Liz recognized Isabel next. Max's sister was not afraid. She was, in fact, eager to finally learn the true story of who she had been. It was clear to Liz, though, through the connection, that this was a new development. Something that had happened here had changed Isabel's attitude.
[I]Uncertainty.[/I]
Liz's heart went out to her sister. Tess was unsure that she was ready to know how completely she had been lied to by Nasedo. She wanted to know, but she didn't, at the same time. She was also wary of what Will was going to do - was unsure that he could be trusted. Finally, Liz felt the stirrings of fear in Tess. She was scared of something.that Liz was going to see.
Liz blinked, then sighed. She sent out reassurance to her sister. It wasn't like she didn't already know that Tess still had feelings for Max. It was going to take time for that to change.
[I]Love.[/I]
The last person she encountered was Max, but he was, of course, the one who ended up anchoring her. She was able to shut out some of what the others were sending her, by latching onto him. She couldn't explain how she did it, but it happened. It was a good thing too. The flashes from the others were still coming fast and furious, and were, in fact, starting to give Liz a headache.
It took all of her willpower to make them slow down. Feeling Max's familiar presence gave her the final strength to accomplish it. It was what allowed her to join the connection not only with her senses, but physically as well.
In the end, because of it, Max was the one she first [I]saw[/I] in the connection.
He was staring down at her, looking a little astonished, and not a little pleased.
"Hi!" She reached out and hugged him. "You did it!"
Max held her tightly, making her laugh slightly, not at him, but in relief. She could tell by the way he held her, that he had been just about as freaked by her disappearance from his mind as she had been by his from hers.
"I guess so," he murmured into her hair.
She also felt something more. He was a little embarrassed. She wondered at it.
"What happened?" Liz asked, curious
"I'll tell you," Max said, "but later. Right now, we need to bring Kate back."
Liz nodded. "You're right." She smiled slightly. "I have a feeling that I'm about to find out anyway, if this works properly." She didn't elaborate on the fact that she already knew more about the others than she ever had before. She looked around, saw them watching her - waiting. They all seemed a bit tense. Liz realized that she [I]felt[/I] it too - that she was a little overwhelmed by what they had shown her - but more than that, she felt close to them - loved them.
It was pretty clear that they didn't all feel that way. She wondered what they had seen from [I]her[/I] when she'd made the connection.
Well, at the moment, it was unimportant. Moving away from Max, she passed Kate's still form in the centre of the circle. She bent slightly, thought of Alex, and for him, she touched her new friend gently on the hair. "We're coming for you, Kate. Just hold on a little while longer."
Taking her place in the circle, Liz glanced around at the others. She wondered what was going to happen next. She felt her attention being drawn to Max, noticed that everyone else, including Will, was turning towards him as well. Her boyfriend was now clearly focused on the task at hand. Somehow, naturally, they were asking him to take the lead. Liz felt a surge of pride when he did so, without a moment's hesitation.
[I]Let's do this.[/I]
She heard Max in her head, didn't need him to elaborate. She knew what he wanted from her.
Without hesitation, Liz threw her entire will towards Max. She felt him catch her easily. Her entire body started to tingle as, what could only be described as, his essence, or perhaps, more exactly, his [I]soul[/I], entwined with hers, filling her up to the point that she gasped, almost unable to handle the [I]completeness[/I] of the sensation.
She couldn't help the thought. She knew that Michael was going to have a field day with it later, but it was the only way to describe it.
[I]This must be what making love will feel like.[/I]
But, that was Max. It was what her connection to him had always felt like. It was different with the others. And this time it was so much more intense, the conclusion was logical. Not that any of this was logical. Not at all.
As they all became tangled up in each other, it was hard to pick out who was who. Liz could feel Max trying to keep them all in line, but their wills were so strong, and so different, it was proving difficult for him. It was a giant mess within moments. Fear, doubt, determination, embarrassment, shame, pride, happiness, misery, hatred. It was all there, until Max eventually started to whittle it all away, refining it into the one thing they needed to accomplish Kate's healing. Liz felt him doing it, could feel his exhaustion at the time it was taking.
He was stripping all of their emotion down to the bare bone, until all that was left was the heart of it. Because at the crux of it all was love. And it was love that was going to bring Kate back to them.
Michael and Isabel got a hold of themselves first, managed to link with each other, thus alleviating some of the stress on Max. They became more clearly defined in the connection when they did it.
The others were a little harder to pull out of the jumble. Liz finally realized that she could sense Tess and Will circling each other, trying to decide if they could trust each other or not. In the end, it was Tess who made the leap. Liz heard her sister snap in her mind, "Get over yourself. This is for Kate."
It worked, because Liz felt a bit stronger, knew that the rest of them felt it too.
Jack was alone, and he was the one who, in the end, was going to have to bring Kate back to the connection. Max would wake her up, but it was Jack who would anchor her.
It was only now, with the seven of them so closely linked, that Liz felt the empty, black space where Kate's essence should be. This was the spot that Max was going to fill with all of their love for the girl they had lost.
As Max slowly poured their healing love into the darkness that was Kate's soul, an brief, bright flash blinded Liz, although she knew that her eyes were not open. She felt a great tearing within, as though her very heart was being torn from her body. She swallowed, trying to control the pain. It wasn't so bad. If it meant bringing Kate back, it was worth it. She thought she heard Tess scream. Liz tried to find her sister within her mind, to soothe her, but by the time she got there, she was already being comforted by Will and Isabel.
She could hear Jack calling out in her mind. [I]Kate! Katie, we're here for you! Kate! Come back![/I]
And, then, abruptly, it all stopped.
It was as if the entire world had stopped turning. Liz sensed that she was holding her breath.
Gradually, slowly, Liz became aware of a delicate presence on the edge of her awareness.
Kate.
She was there.
It was only then that the air rushed back into Liz's lungs. Later, when she and Max discussed what had happened, she realized that all seven of them had stopped breathing in order to take that first gulp of air with Kate, as she came back to them.
Opening her eyes, Liz found herself back in the cave beneath the granolith chamber.
Liz met Max's gaze across the circle. He looked entirely too pale, but he managed to smile weakly at her.
And, then, they both dropped their eyes to Kate. She still lay quietly on the floor, but, Liz felt tears threatening as something else became clear.
Kate's eyes were open. Not only that, but they were alert. A slight frown was forming on her pretty face, as she obviously tried to understand what had happened to her.
It was Alex who moved when the dark-haired girl struggled to raise her head. He was on his knees beside her a moment later, helping her to sit up. Kate was looking around, her gaze drifting from face to face, as though trying to place them.
For one, brief, horrifying moment, Liz absolutely [I]knew[/I] that Kate did not recognize any of them. She looked at Max, who seemed to be coming to the same conclusion.
But, in the end, they needn't have worried. Kate's gaze came to rest back on Alex, who was cradling her gently against his chest. She licked her lips, smiled slightly, and then, very carefully, reached up and touched his face.
"Alex."
To be continued.
The granolith chamber was quiet. After Jack had convinced Liz that there was a reason she had been left out of the connection, the two of them had taken up their places around Kate, the healing stones in their hands, waiting. What they were waiting for, Alex wasn't entirely sure. Would the others come back for them, or would they just be pulled into the connection when it was time?
All he knew was that it was all taking too long. He couldn't quite believe that they didn't all just get over themselves long enough to bring Kate back. He knew that his anger was irrational - that Isabel, Max and the others were as confused by everything that was happening as he was - but he couldn't help it. Kate had been gone for close to three hours now. What if there was a time limit? Whittaker had implied that there was, that if they waited too long, Kate's human body would be unable to accept her essence any longer. With every second that passed, as Liz and Jack stood patiently, watching the others, who were still hanging lifelessly a couple of feet off the ground, Alex felt his own patience wearing thin.
He could not take his eyes off Kate's lifeless form. He still could not quite grasp that she was no longer in there. He had never seen a dead body before. The emptiness of her expression was beyond what he had expected. It was terrifying. How could that empty shell be [I]Kate[/I]? It was just inconceivable to him. It made him feel helpless, and brought home, yet again, how dangerous his friends' lives were.
It was one of the reasons he had contemplated getting out of the alien abyss permanently - the danger, and the fear that went with it. It hadn't all been about Isabel and her lack of interest in pursuing anything romantic with him. He didn't want to die. He was young and he had his whole life ahead of him. In some ways, it was a terrifying prospect, remaining tied to these people. He could [I]still[/I] get out, could still live a long, healthy life, pretending that he'd never known anything about kings, queens, and princesses from other planets; that he'd never heard a word about four squares, or pods, or shapeshifters.
But, in the end, it was even more terrifying contemplating life without them.
What had happened to Kate - losing her before he'd even had a chance to know her; the fact that she had died before she had really [I]lived[/I] - had driven home that there was more to life than just breathing. That living and loving were not exclusive. He couldn't really choose one over the other. He wasn't just thinking about romantic love either. Because leaving the alien abyss would mean leaving behind Liz, and Maria, and Isabel. It was all or nothing with his friends. And, when it came right down to it, there was really no decision to be made. There never had been. He couldn't even [I]imagine[/I] not being a part of this anymore. He, quite simply, cared too much. He always had.
The real problem wasn't that he wanted out of the alien abyss. The real problem was that he wanted [I]in[/I] -completely. And, because he was human, he would never really be a part of the group. He would never truly be one of them. He would always be left behind, waiting. The question now was, could he be that brave? Could he be strong enough to accept that the people he loved most in the world would always be in danger? That there would always be the threat that one of them would be taken before their time? The possibility was there. The reality of it had been proven by what had happened to Kate, the one person he suspected might someday become the most important of all.
How could he do it? How could he endure it, when just standing here now, when he was pretty sure none of them were really in any danger, was the worst torture he had ever dealt with?
"Are you okay?" Alex felt Maria take his hand. He looked down at his best friend, who was leaning into him, her eyes glued to the spectacle in front of them.
"Not really," he admitted, squeezing her hand. "It really sucks being the one left behind."
"I know," Maria replied quietly. Alex saw Liz's eyes shift slightly from where she stood. She had been staring at Max intently, but she obviously could hear them, and was curious. Maria seemed to notice too, because she lowered her voice. "It's not that I'm jealous of Liz," she continued. "I'm not. I know this has all been incredibly hard and painful for her."
"But she gets to play a role," Alex finished for her. "She doesn't have to stand on the sidelines and just be a cheerleader." He paused, then added, "I guess we know now why everything always seemed more intense between Liz and Max. She was one of them all along." He looked down at Maria, embarrassed, and a little ashamed. "You say you aren't jealous, but, you know what? I was. I am."
Maria sighed, nodding her head slightly, in agreement. "We're complete idiots, you know."
"Yup," Alex agreed. He knew they were. That Liz had been through hell - that if she had been given the choice, she might not have chosen to be "one of them." She had chosen Max of her own free will, but she hadn't chosen Antar. She hadn't chosen Rowena.
And, yet, he was still jealous.
"Is it worth it?" Maria asked him. "Alex, do you think the small part of them we get to share is worth the pain of what we don't?"
Alex didn't answer right away. He felt Liz's eyes on him, met hers. He blinked. He read the expression on her face quite easily, knowing her as well as he did.
She was worried. And, not about Max and the others. Not at that moment. No, she was worried about [I]him.[/I]
Because, after all, it went both ways. Worry wasn't a one way street. They worried about their friends being in danger, and their friends worried right back.
He felt his heart lighten slightly. "It's worth it," he told Maria, smiling slightly at Liz, before shifting his gaze back to Kate. "But I think we're going to have to work on our patience," he added wryly.
"Is there a class for that?" Maria inquired.
Alex brought his arm up around her shoulders, squeezing. "No, but there is a support group."
Looking back on it later, Alex realized that the whole moment had been as if the granolith had been testing [I]them[/I] too. It was almost like it had been waiting for them to accept their part of the burden, of being a part of the group, before it would allow things to move forward. Because as the words left his lips, the time for patience ended.
Alex heard Maria gasp slightly, followed her eyes to Liz. His dark-haired friend was staring down at the stone, which sat in her palms. It was beginning to light up from within, at an even pace, not as erratically as the other stones had when Isabel, Max, and the others had been pulled into the connection without her.
He felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders when the other five gathered around Kate descended to the floor. They still weren't [I]back[/I] in the granolith chamber, but it was obvious that they were back in control of wherever they were.
"Are you ready?" Jack asked Liz.
Alex's friend nodded. Before she closed her eyes, Liz looked at Alex directly again. "We're going to bring her back to you, Alex."
"I know," he told her.
And, as Liz closed her eyes to join the others, he did know it. Just like he knew that he would be waiting for Kate when she opened her eyes.
***
Liz reached out with all her senses. It felt different this time - completely different. Before, when the connection had failed, she hadn't sensed anything, not even Max. It had been terrifying, mainly because she had become so used to his presence lingering in the back of her mind, that when it had disappeared, she hadn't quite been able to adjust to its absence. It had been impossible to accept the big, blank spot where he had been.
The big, blank spot was gone. Oh boy, was it gone.
She was almost overwhelmed by the images passing through her mind.
[I]Shame[/I].
That was Will. Liz sighed, knew that his guilt, over all that he had done, was taking its toll on him. She felt bad that she had reacted so poorly to his revelations. All that he had feared had come true. She knew, deep down, that she had not been wrong about him. He had taken the wrong road, but it had also not taken him long to realize it. With Kate's "death," the price he had been forced to pay for his action was too high.
[I]Determination[/I].
Jack. Liz didn't know him well, but she sensed that it was him. Something in his essence was similar to the way he had convinced her to believe in herself in the granolith chamber. She was looking forward to learning more about him.
[I]Fear.[/I]
Surprisingly, this was Michael. Of everyone, Liz was shocked that he was the one most scared of what they were going to learn. She sensed that it had something to do with Maria. Her friend's face was uppermost in Michael's thoughts.
[I]Calm.[/I]
Liz recognized Isabel next. Max's sister was not afraid. She was, in fact, eager to finally learn the true story of who she had been. It was clear to Liz, though, through the connection, that this was a new development. Something that had happened here had changed Isabel's attitude.
[I]Uncertainty.[/I]
Liz's heart went out to her sister. Tess was unsure that she was ready to know how completely she had been lied to by Nasedo. She wanted to know, but she didn't, at the same time. She was also wary of what Will was going to do - was unsure that he could be trusted. Finally, Liz felt the stirrings of fear in Tess. She was scared of something.that Liz was going to see.
Liz blinked, then sighed. She sent out reassurance to her sister. It wasn't like she didn't already know that Tess still had feelings for Max. It was going to take time for that to change.
[I]Love.[/I]
The last person she encountered was Max, but he was, of course, the one who ended up anchoring her. She was able to shut out some of what the others were sending her, by latching onto him. She couldn't explain how she did it, but it happened. It was a good thing too. The flashes from the others were still coming fast and furious, and were, in fact, starting to give Liz a headache.
It took all of her willpower to make them slow down. Feeling Max's familiar presence gave her the final strength to accomplish it. It was what allowed her to join the connection not only with her senses, but physically as well.
In the end, because of it, Max was the one she first [I]saw[/I] in the connection.
He was staring down at her, looking a little astonished, and not a little pleased.
"Hi!" She reached out and hugged him. "You did it!"
Max held her tightly, making her laugh slightly, not at him, but in relief. She could tell by the way he held her, that he had been just about as freaked by her disappearance from his mind as she had been by his from hers.
"I guess so," he murmured into her hair.
She also felt something more. He was a little embarrassed. She wondered at it.
"What happened?" Liz asked, curious
"I'll tell you," Max said, "but later. Right now, we need to bring Kate back."
Liz nodded. "You're right." She smiled slightly. "I have a feeling that I'm about to find out anyway, if this works properly." She didn't elaborate on the fact that she already knew more about the others than she ever had before. She looked around, saw them watching her - waiting. They all seemed a bit tense. Liz realized that she [I]felt[/I] it too - that she was a little overwhelmed by what they had shown her - but more than that, she felt close to them - loved them.
It was pretty clear that they didn't all feel that way. She wondered what they had seen from [I]her[/I] when she'd made the connection.
Well, at the moment, it was unimportant. Moving away from Max, she passed Kate's still form in the centre of the circle. She bent slightly, thought of Alex, and for him, she touched her new friend gently on the hair. "We're coming for you, Kate. Just hold on a little while longer."
Taking her place in the circle, Liz glanced around at the others. She wondered what was going to happen next. She felt her attention being drawn to Max, noticed that everyone else, including Will, was turning towards him as well. Her boyfriend was now clearly focused on the task at hand. Somehow, naturally, they were asking him to take the lead. Liz felt a surge of pride when he did so, without a moment's hesitation.
[I]Let's do this.[/I]
She heard Max in her head, didn't need him to elaborate. She knew what he wanted from her.
Without hesitation, Liz threw her entire will towards Max. She felt him catch her easily. Her entire body started to tingle as, what could only be described as, his essence, or perhaps, more exactly, his [I]soul[/I], entwined with hers, filling her up to the point that she gasped, almost unable to handle the [I]completeness[/I] of the sensation.
She couldn't help the thought. She knew that Michael was going to have a field day with it later, but it was the only way to describe it.
[I]This must be what making love will feel like.[/I]
But, that was Max. It was what her connection to him had always felt like. It was different with the others. And this time it was so much more intense, the conclusion was logical. Not that any of this was logical. Not at all.
As they all became tangled up in each other, it was hard to pick out who was who. Liz could feel Max trying to keep them all in line, but their wills were so strong, and so different, it was proving difficult for him. It was a giant mess within moments. Fear, doubt, determination, embarrassment, shame, pride, happiness, misery, hatred. It was all there, until Max eventually started to whittle it all away, refining it into the one thing they needed to accomplish Kate's healing. Liz felt him doing it, could feel his exhaustion at the time it was taking.
He was stripping all of their emotion down to the bare bone, until all that was left was the heart of it. Because at the crux of it all was love. And it was love that was going to bring Kate back to them.
Michael and Isabel got a hold of themselves first, managed to link with each other, thus alleviating some of the stress on Max. They became more clearly defined in the connection when they did it.
The others were a little harder to pull out of the jumble. Liz finally realized that she could sense Tess and Will circling each other, trying to decide if they could trust each other or not. In the end, it was Tess who made the leap. Liz heard her sister snap in her mind, "Get over yourself. This is for Kate."
It worked, because Liz felt a bit stronger, knew that the rest of them felt it too.
Jack was alone, and he was the one who, in the end, was going to have to bring Kate back to the connection. Max would wake her up, but it was Jack who would anchor her.
It was only now, with the seven of them so closely linked, that Liz felt the empty, black space where Kate's essence should be. This was the spot that Max was going to fill with all of their love for the girl they had lost.
As Max slowly poured their healing love into the darkness that was Kate's soul, an brief, bright flash blinded Liz, although she knew that her eyes were not open. She felt a great tearing within, as though her very heart was being torn from her body. She swallowed, trying to control the pain. It wasn't so bad. If it meant bringing Kate back, it was worth it. She thought she heard Tess scream. Liz tried to find her sister within her mind, to soothe her, but by the time she got there, she was already being comforted by Will and Isabel.
She could hear Jack calling out in her mind. [I]Kate! Katie, we're here for you! Kate! Come back![/I]
And, then, abruptly, it all stopped.
It was as if the entire world had stopped turning. Liz sensed that she was holding her breath.
Gradually, slowly, Liz became aware of a delicate presence on the edge of her awareness.
Kate.
She was there.
It was only then that the air rushed back into Liz's lungs. Later, when she and Max discussed what had happened, she realized that all seven of them had stopped breathing in order to take that first gulp of air with Kate, as she came back to them.
Opening her eyes, Liz found herself back in the cave beneath the granolith chamber.
Liz met Max's gaze across the circle. He looked entirely too pale, but he managed to smile weakly at her.
And, then, they both dropped their eyes to Kate. She still lay quietly on the floor, but, Liz felt tears threatening as something else became clear.
Kate's eyes were open. Not only that, but they were alert. A slight frown was forming on her pretty face, as she obviously tried to understand what had happened to her.
It was Alex who moved when the dark-haired girl struggled to raise her head. He was on his knees beside her a moment later, helping her to sit up. Kate was looking around, her gaze drifting from face to face, as though trying to place them.
For one, brief, horrifying moment, Liz absolutely [I]knew[/I] that Kate did not recognize any of them. She looked at Max, who seemed to be coming to the same conclusion.
But, in the end, they needn't have worried. Kate's gaze came to rest back on Alex, who was cradling her gently against his chest. She licked her lips, smiled slightly, and then, very carefully, reached up and touched his face.
"Alex."
To be continued.