AN: Okay, hereare the nexttwo chaptersand I want to dedicatethem to my first reviewer: Red-rumm - Applause:-) Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter .

Disclaimer: I don't own "Roswell"…

Ways of Life! – Chapter 8

"Maria already told you that I'm from Roswell. She, Michael and Liz are also from there. I, Michael and Isabel – that's my sister; she lives in Philadelphia now. - were adopted."

"You were adopted!"

"Yes. Isabel and I walked out of the desert and were found by a couple. They became our family."

"And Michael?"

"He was found by someone else. The point is that we met him later in school and we discovered that we three had something in common. We were somehow special."

"Special… "

"Yes. We can change the molecular structure of things – that's how I healed you."

Jake frowned. He wasn't sure whether he understood. "Uhm… Can you show it to me?"

"Sure." He looked around the room, then turned to the only chair and moved his hand. From one moment to the other the plain wooden chair became a Mackintosh-chair in a shining red colour. Max smiled. "I always wanted to sit on one of those." He moved his hand again over the chair and it got its old shape back. Jake stood gaping. Max saw the puzzled expression on the face of his son. "More", he asked and the boy nodded slowly. Max touched the wall behind him and the faded yellow paint became a fresh green.

"Wow… I… don't know what to say."

"Hm… But you want to know why your father can do these things, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

Max sat down again. "It has to do with the place we came from as we walked out of the desert at the age of 5. We didn't come out of nowhere but from a hidden cave."

"A cave?"

"Yes and no. It was a place that looks like a cave and contained our incubation chambers. - They were there since 1947."

Jake's face went white. "1947… Roswell… you mean… you are.." He lifted his forefinger.

Inward Max smiled at this gesture. It remembered him so much of Liz. I wished she would be here with me to explain my son about his extraterrestrial heritage. "The incubation chambers were brought with the ship that crashed… and nearly fifty years later we were born."

Jake's cheeks regained colour but his mind worked so hard on this story that the words he spoke came somehow uncoordinated out of his mouth. "Alien… you … are an alien!"

"I prefer 'Not from this world." This time he really smiled because of the déja-vu-feeling. "Sorry", he said becoming serious again. "No good times for humor."

Jake nodded. "Right. On the other hand… I can't get it into my head. I still expect someone to say 'Joke!"

"Of course."

He looked at Max. "Of course?"

"Of course. This is a story I wouldn't believe myself… but…I am who I am. And I can only tell you the truth."

"Then thanks for being honest. Could you… could you tell me about my mother – please?"

"Your mother… was Tess – Tess Harding. She was one of us."

"Why didn't you mention here until now?"

"Because Tess came back to Roswell when we were already in our teens."

"And.. what happened?" Jake almost didn't dare to ask. The way Max spoke of her – that she had been one of them…

"When she came back Liz and I were going together." – "The woman you came in with just now." – "Yes."

"Does that mean.. Tess… was only an affair", Jake asked trying to understand.

"No. I was in love with Liz… and I am today. But it was a difficult time. There were so many things happening." Max shook his head. "Tess was there for me when Liz and I broke up. She was so sympathetic towards me and that I first had to accept something."

"To accept what?"

Max turned to him. "We were made for each other, you know? Literally. – On Antar – that's the planet we are from – we were king and queen and we loved each other. We had these visions of our common past when we kissed." He sighed. "But then she did something… I couldn't forgive her. She left earth – pregnant."

"But when she left why am I here? And what did she wrong?"

"She was obsessed with the thought of translating a special book belonging to this whole alien-stuff. It ended with a friend of us dying because of her obsession." His voice had become low telling Jake about Alex. With the next words it strengthened. "She came back… with you. She named you after me, you know? – Zan. That's the name I had on Antar in another life. - The moment I saw you, I loved you."

"I know", Jake said. "I really know." He sounded surprised.

Max nodded and smiled. "Shortly before I had to give you away I planted a memory in your mind – with all my love and wishes. I hoped you would always feel it."

"That's why I remembered you! I dreamed of you and… yes, I did feel this memory! That's why I never stopped believing in the good – whatever came to break me."

'Whatever came to break me.' He speaks so natural of the years he had to fear he wouldn't survive. "I'm really sorry for that, Z – Jake", he said feeling tears rising in him. "I thought you would be safe when you are away from me. I was wrong. This world is dangerous enough – without alien-related dangers. I didn't want you to suffer…" He didn't finish the sentence. "I'm sorry."

"The place you found for me was good. My adoptive-parents loved me. When I was 6 they died in a car crash. You couldn't have known that this would happen. – The next 7 years weren't nice", he said bitterly but then smiled. "Nonetheless… I am here."

Max drew a deep breath. "And that's a good thing. The problem is we can't stay here. It is a hiding-place we have to leave soon. We think that the FBI followed your trace from Roswell to New York and Boston. They might have thought that some day we would come into contact with you or that you would show signs that you are like us."

"And am I?"

He shook his head. "No. I wouldn't have given you away when you were. To grow up with abilities you don't understand… isn't easy. You are human – that's the holy secret – the irony of the whole situation. You had the chance for a normal life. Now it is complicated again."

"Why? I'm with you… that's important. You won't send me away again, will you?" Panic showed in his eyes.

Max took his hand to calm him down. "I don't want to. But maybe I have to. You have a family who is searching for you right now and the FBI is after you again – and after us. We have to leave Boston; our disguise is lost. The question is, whether it is better for you to come with us – be on flight for quiet a long time… or whether there is a better opportunity."

AN: I know this is a short one, but the next follows... now!