A.N. This was supposed to be the last part, but a late night text fest with TrueLovePooh made me realize there was more to be written. So this part is dedicated to her. Thanks Pooh, for making me remember the importance of goodbyes.

Winds of Change

Chapter Thirty – Never Say Goodbye

They arrived without fanfare, at the cliffs overlooking the deserted quarry. For a while, they all stood silently, looking at each other and pondering the events that brought this strange group together. One by one, Liz, Alex, Michael, Isabel and Max shared what they remembered and their theories on how time was changed and what the outcome would be.

Silence reigned as everybody digested the massive amounts of information that had been shared. Maria was the first to break the silence that threatened to overwhelm them.

"So how do we fix this?" she asked.

"I don't think we can," said Alex. "Liz thinks the Granolith is important, but I'm not to sure, but it's worth checking out."

"What about Nicholas?" asked Max. "We need to find him, before he finds us." By us, he meant Liz, and everybody knew it. For some unknown reason Liz seemed to be his intended victim.

"I've been thinking about that," said Alex. "Do you suppose if he eliminates her, it will seal this reality and destroy the other one? I mean in our time, the real time, Max saved Liz. Maybe he planned all along for Liz to die. Does it make any sense?"

"Yeah, it makes all together too much sense," said Max, bitterly. "Like I said, we need to find him before he finds us."

"He usually seems to find us," said Michael. "I mean, none of us really knows what he looks like, so it's not like we can go looking for him."

"I know what he looks like," said Isabel. "He's a mean, nasty, spiteful man forced into the body of a mean, nasty, spiteful 12 year old boy. But when he looks at me, it's not with the eyes of the boy, it's with the eyes of the man he used to be."

A hot wind circled around them stirring the dust up, and filling their eyes with grit. The sun beat down on them, and in the sky, a lone bird wafted on the air currents, drawing their attention upward for a moment.

"So, does anybody have a plan or something?" asked Maria.

Nobody answered, but all eyes turned to Max, and he blanched under their scrutiny.

"Why is everybody looking at me?" he asked. "I'm not in charge?"

"Max, you used to be a King on your old world," Liz said, gently. "People look to you for leadership, even now."

"I'm not a king," said Max. "I'm just a kid, I can't be in charge."

"Well, somebody needs to make a decision, Maxwell," Michael said. "Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions?"

"I guess maybe we should split up or something, and Liz should not be in the group that goes looking for Nicholas" Max volunteered.

"And the man says he's not a leader," Kyle said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Do you have a better idea, Valenti?" demanded Max.

"Far be it from me to step on the toes of El Presidente," said Kyle, holding his hands up. "By all means, let's split up. As long as I'm not in your group, I'm good."

"Look, before anybody goes anywhere, and before this turns into a testosterone fest, can I talk to Liz, Maria and Kyle alone?" Alex asked. "Why don't you three start brainstorming some places for us to search, and we'll be done in a minute."

Alex waited until the other three walked a short distance away before he turned to the others.

"I suppose you're wondering why I called you all here today," he quipped.

"Alex, don't," Liz said, her voice catching slightly. She knew what he was doing, and she didn't think she was going to be able to deal with it.

"Liz, I have to," Alex said. "I didn't get to before, and if there is any chance that any of you will remember this, I need to do it."

Liz nodded, and scrubbed her hands across her cheek, wiping away the tears that covered her face.

"Kyle, look, Isabel is going to need you when this is all through. Be there for her," asked Alex. "Be her friend."

"Count on it, man," Kyle said. He held out his hand in an uncharacteristic gesture of maturity, and Alex reached out to grasp it, tightly.

Alex released Kyle's hand and turned to Maria, who was sobbing, silently. He opened his arms to her, and she fell into them, and he held her tightly, as her shoulders shook.

"Maria, don't," Alex whispered, rubbing her back, gently. "It isn't going to change anything."

"I know, but it's wrong. It's just so wrong," Maria wailed. "You, me and Liz, we've been friends fo-forever. I can't stand the thought of losing you."

"Maria, I'm already gone," Alex said softly. "You're not losing me again, you're getting a chance to say goodbye. We didn't get to do that, at least I don't think we did," he added. "Now we can, and I can tell you how very special you are, and lucky I am for knowing you."

"I love you, Alex," Maria whispered, her voice breaking.

She pulled away from his arms and turned to Kyle who held her tightly, while Alex turned to look at Liz.

"Hey, Parker," he said, smiling gamely.

"Hey, Whitman," Liz replied through her tears.

"So, did you ever think, way back when we were sitting in Mrs. Sullivan's science class that we'd be standing here trying to change the space time continuum or whatever?"

"No, Alex, I can honestly say that it never once crossed my mind," she half sobbed, half laughed.

"Yeah, me either. Look, you know it has to happen this way, right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Liz admitted. "But I hate it, Alex. I really hate it."

"Like I told Maria, it's already happened, this is just like a bonus, a chance for us to say goodbye."

"No," Liz whispered. "No goodbyes. I'll never say goodbye to you, Alex. You'll always be in my heart."

"I know that," Alex said. "And you'll always be in mine."

The two friends hugged tightly, saying their last farewells. Alex pulled away slightly and whispered something to Liz and passed a small envelope to her. She nodded, and slipped it in her pocket, and the two, along with Kyle and Maria, made their way to where Max, Michael and Isabel waited a short distance away.