Chapter 27 – Tidal Wave of Memories

Max reached out and touched Liz's cheek, then drew back his hand sharply as he watched her beautiful face transform into a mask of horror. In that one minute, the missing pieces shifted into position, and she knew what it meant. What it meant for her, for Maria, for Isabel, and most of all for Alex. She knew what had to be done, and how it was going to affect them all.

Liz looked up into Max's eyes, and then turned to run. He reached out and grabbed her by the arm, just as the world began to shift and tremble in a way that was becoming all too familiar. As the world around them shifted, Liz felt the memories slowly fade from her mind. She closed her eyes tightly and forced herself to repeat one sentence over and over again.

When the tremors subsided, Max released his grip on Liz's arm, and stepped back. His apology for grabbing her died on his lips when he realized that Liz's lips were moving, softly repeating something over and over again.

"Nicholas has shifted us to an alternate reality. Nicholas has shifted us to an alternate reality. Nicholas has shifted,"

"Liz, Liz!" Max shouted. "Snap out of it." His voice rang out on the deserted street. "What are you talking about?"

"Nicholas, it's Nicholas. He keeps shifting time, Max. He sent us back, back to before Alex died."

"Liz, are you sure you're okay. You didn't fall or anything during that earthquake, did you?" Max asked, looking at her fearfully. "You're really starting to worry me."

"Max, listen," Liz said. "I need you to concentrate. Think hard. This world, this time, it isn't real. Nicholas did it. He shifted time. Remember, he did it once before. Only this time, instead of making people disappear, he,"

"This time, he changed time completely," Max finished. "I know, you said it; more than once, actually. But what kind of proof do you have?"
Liz felt her hopes rise, then crash down to the ground in a matter of seconds. She felt certain Max would understand, even remember, but he didn't. Nobody did. She took a deep breath.

"Max, listen to me. You didn't save Maria in the CrashDown a few weeks ago. It was me, and it was a couple of years ago. I promised to keep your secret, but I told Maria, and later, we told Alex."

"What about Kyle," Max asked, his voice tinged with jealousy. "Come on," he added, taking Liz by the hand. "Let's start walking. We must look pretty suspicious standing out here so early in the morning."

Liz ignored the jealousy in Max's voice, and tried to ignore the tingle that shot through her body when he took her hand in his. She followed his lead, and began to walk slowly down the residential street, enjoying the sight of the rising sun as it peeked above the mountains in the distance.

"Kyle didn't find out until he was shot and you saved him," Liz said quickly as the memories crashed into her mind like a tidal wave. "Tess and Nescado came t Roswell, as did the Special Unit. You were captured and taken to the White Room."

"The White Room," Max whispered.

Liz looked up at him as they walked and saw the beads of sweat that dotted his brow. It was then that she realized that while his conscious mind may not remember, there was some part of him that did remember their true reality.

"Kyle got shot, and Sheriff Valenti begged you to save him. You did, Max. You saved him just like you saved me. Later, you activated to communicators that gave you a message from your mother. In this message, she explained how you, your sister, her fiancée, and your wife," Liz paused to swallow the bile that threatened to choke her at the word wife. "But the communicators also let your enemies know where you were. You managed to destroy them, but apparently, Nicholas survived."

"Maybe he shifted himself out somehow," said Max. "Before Tess unleashed her conflagration."

"Max, you remember!" Liz shouted. The joy she felt at him remembering overshadowed the pain she felt at hearing Tess' name once again.

"I do, but I don't," Max admitted. "It's kind of like rereading a book that I read a long time ago. Bits and pieces of it seem familiar, but it's very vague."

"Right," Liz said, bitterly. "Pretty damn convenient. Anyhow, what else do you remember about Tess?"

"She wasn't who she said she was," said Max. "Well, she was, but she wasn't our friend, that's for sure. She had her own agenda."

"Yeah, she did," said Liz.

"And Alex died because of it," Max said, his voice heavy, his heart heavier.

"Right," Liz said, tears shining in her eyes.

"But it's okay now, isn't it?" asked Max. "I mean, yeah, things are a little different, but Alex is alive."

"I don't think so, Max," said Liz. "I don't think it's okay, on several levels. First, I keep jumping back and forth between the two realities. I don't know how, but I was able to bring this back with me from the real time to this time," said Liz.

She held out her hand, and Max saw the memorial card from Alex's funeral resting on her outstretched palm. He swallowed the tears that threatened to choke him at the sight of his friend's face staring up at him from the memorial card.

"I don't know much about time travel or whatever, but I don't think that should be happening," Liz continued. "But the question remains, why is he doing it this time? Last time it was because Michael destroyed the husks. Why now?"

"It wasn't just for revenge," Max said slowly, trying to process the flood of memories that clogged his mind. "They wanted something. Something you told me not to tell them about."

"The Granolith," said Liz. "But it's gone. Tess used it to go back to Antar with," her voice caught as the painful memories of Max's betrayal in the arms of Tess came rushing back.

"With my son," Max finished.

At his words, Liz stopped and looked down at the ground, trying to hide the tears that filled her eyes.

"We have to shift time back," Max said, suddenly.

"What?" Liz shouted her voice filled with anger. "A few minutes ago, you were all for leaving time the way it was because Alex was alive."

"And you were saying it wasn't right on several levels," Max said.

"But Max, if she shift time back to where it belongs, Alex will die," Liz said.

"And if we don't!" Max shouted. "My son will never be!"

Liz glared up at Max and turned and began to walk away. "Maybe that isn't such a bad thing!" she shouted as she ran down the street.