Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: This story takes place over the course of two weeks, and each chapter is a new day. I've placed the day number at the start of each chapter, so that you can keep track. Also, for the sake of clarity in this story, I'm pretending that everybody on other planets speaks English. I'm a big fan of the Kyle-Tess-Jim family dynamic, so that will show in this story.

Re: Denethor's Angel: Don't worry, Tess will not forgive the gang to quickly. I'm actually not sure if she is going to forgive them at all. She is currently on the other side of the Universe from them, so, since I don't have to write her reaction to them quite yet, I haven't even given it any thought.

Re: Ellethiel: I agree with you completely. I always thought it was kind of selfish of the aliens to decide not to return home. I mean, I know a lot of people think that it was unfair of the Antarian rebels to expect the Royal Four to give up their lives to save a people they did not remember, but these are lives they wouldn't have even had if it wasn't for the Resistance. If the writers wanted to make a show that focused on the aliens and their relationships with the humans, they shouldn't have decided to make the aliens royalty. But they are royal, and royalty have responsibilities, especially the king, and staying on Earth with Liz just seemed like the show was taking the easy way out. Okay, that's the end of my rant...

Re: Mony19: Glad you like it so far! I agree with you about Tess. She had so much potential, and the writers ruined it all. Even if, in the end, they didn't want to put her with Max, they still didn't have to make her evil. It could be a dreamer and a 'good Tess' story.

Re: Jade: Actually, we aren't going to see the Earth gang for a while. I am right now focused mostly on Tess and her current struggles to stay alive and keep her son safe and regain her title as Queen. But the rest still on Earth will discover the truth eventually, and we will get to see their reactions (and guilt) then.

Re: running wild22: Sorry it is confusing. I am trying to make the story as clear as possible, and the rest of the chapters will proceed in chronilogical order. I'm glad you are still reading.

As always, read and review

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Only One Regret

Three Months Earlier

Day 1

Destiny. It was such a funny word. It meant so much and so little at the same time. It gave her a path to follow, straight and narrow. It gave her a set of steps to lead her through life. It answered the questions that burned in her mind every night. It gave her hope when she despaired, courage when she was scared, and guidance when she was lost. It was something for her to cling to when the rest of the world made no sense.

And when it was gone, it left her in utter misery.

Tess leaned over the balcony and stared at the garden below, one hand resting on her pregnant stomach. She watched as the sun set, mesmerized by the dancing rays of light that cascaded through the air. They had sunset on Earth, but never anything like this. The very air seemed to vibrate with red and gold light as the sun slipped below the horizon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Tess spun around and stared at the man who had appeared behind her. "Larek," she breathed, relieved. "I thought you might be…"

"You're quite jumpy," Larek commented. He walked out onto the balcony, and a few rays of light fell across his face. Tess studied him, taking in his appearance. His skin held a slightly red tinge to it, his eyes were a dark green that seemed inhuman. He was a bit taller than the average Earth man, with long lanky limbs. But other than that, he appeared relatively human.

"Yes, I am," Tess admitted quietly, running a hand through her curls. "It's been a hard couple of days." Her eyes were haunted, windows to her tired soul.

"I know," Larek said sympathetically, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But you are safe here. We have kept your presence secret from everyone, save for myself and a few of my advisors. Don't worry. Khivar will never know."

"Thank you," Tess said gratefully. She turned and looked back out over the balcony. Below her, a small garden enclosed by stone walls sat peacefully still in the dusk. A small pond, a set of twisted trees with deep blue-green leaves, tall grass, and scattered red stones. "I don't know how to repay you for your generosity."

Larek frowned slightly at Tess and replied, "There is nothing to repay me for, Ava. I only wish that I could help you more, that I could tell you who it was that mind-warped this human… Kyle, is it?...into believing that you had killed the boy."

"I don't understand why someone would frame me for that," Tess agreed. "Although, I can tell you that I've narrowed down my list to one suspect." Her hands clenched tightly on the railing, her knuckles turning white. "Khivar."

Larek nodded gravely. "Indeed," he agreed. He too ran a hand through his hair. A few of the longer strands fell in front of his eyes and he brushed them away impatiently. "Then again, it was not too hard to come to that conclusion. Was there ever anyone else on your list of suspects?"

Tess sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "No, I guess there really wasn't." She looked away, a tinge of pink showing on her cheeks.

Larek frowned and said, "You're embarrassed about something." He stared at Tess for another moment, then realization dawned and he said abruptly, "You thought the human girl might have been behind it."

It wasn't a question.

Tess slammed her hand onto the railing at the mention of Liz and took a few steps away from Larek. "It was stupid, I know. I mean, Liz would not have had the power to mind-warp Kyle. And as much as I hate her, I also know that she would not have done this to me. She isn't evil, just… " she sighed and closed her eyes. "Just the person who stole the man I love."

"So I heard," Larek replied quietly.

Tess looked at him sharply. "He sold me out. He hated me from the moment I showed up, and then, once he had the chance, he betrayed me. To Khivar! He hated me enough that he was even willing to send his son away if it meant getting rid of me!"

Larek bit his lip, then countered diffidently, "Or maybe he loved his son enough that he was willing to let the women…the murderer…he thought had betrayed him escape if keeping her on Earth would have resulted in his son's death."

"He should never have believed that about me in the first place!" Tess snarled. She turned back and looked out at the distant horizon. "He should never have believed that about me," she repeated softly, her eyes brimming with tears.

"No," Larek agreed. "No, he shouldn't have."

Tess glanced back at him, then looked down at her hands. "Why does it feel like this?" she whispered. "After everything he did, I still love him. I still want him to love me. After everything he did… He's on the other side of the universe, and he still manages to haunt me. Why can't I stop loving him?" she gasped out the last sentence, her voice strangled with loss and hurt.

"Because you are still Ava. And Ava loved Zan more than life itself." Larek stepped up next to her and leaned on the edge of the balcony rail, staring out into the distance, a contemplative look on his face. "I was there, you know."

"Where?" Tess asked, shooting a confused look at Larek.

"At your wedding," Larek said softly. "It was the event of the century." He sighed and shook his head. "Everything was so…dazzling. You looked like…like heaven. And Zan was so happy, his face seemed to glow. Zan's parents went all out on the ceremony. Flowers from every world, syrk from Byar, endolin and rubia from Nathor…"

"I don't recognize those words," Tess said, hesitantly.

Larek turned to her and frowned. "Syrk is a type of material. Like silk, only it has a metallic sheen to it. It comes from the planet Byar, which is one of the many worlds that Antar has…had…diplomatic relations with. Endolin is a type of metal, like silver or platinum, only it emits a faint gold glow. And rubia is a stone, a red one, darker than a ruby, and much more expensive."

"And they come from Nathor?" Tess asked. The words sounded strange on her tongue.

"Yes," Larek replied quietly. "Nathor is a planet in the Southern Beltway." At Tess' confused look, he elaborated, "The Southern Beltway is a string of stars and planets in our galaxy." He frowned and looked away.

"Larek?" Tess asked, not missing the disappointed look in Larek's eyes. "What is it?"

Larek shook his head and remained quiet for a moment. He thought back to the first time he had seen this new Ava, standing at the foot of his council chambers, looking tired, lost, and beaten. The story she told had been heartbreaking, wrenching, and awe-inspiring at the same time. How her family and friends had turned on her, how she had escaped with the Granolith, how she had somehow managed to arrive on his planet.

She had been found by a family merchants who lived in one of the small villages outside of the capital. They had seen her strange ship crash to the ground, and had gone to investigate. They had been startled to find a foreigner who spoke with an odd accent stepping from the wreckage.

Larek had no idea how Ava had convinced them to both take her to Larek and keep her presence on the planet a secret. But she had managed it, and they held their silence.

Upon reaching the palace, she had been taken to Larek. He had rewarded the family that had found her, and reiterated how important it was for them to refrain from spreading the news of her appearance. He had then quickly taken her to guest chambers where she could be alone. As he had left her there, he had heard her sobbing quietly to herself.

Now, two days later, he had told only a few of his advisers the truth about the strange woman and the strange ship. His most trusted guard had kept an eye on the merchant family, but they had held to their oaths and not told anyone of Ava. It was imperative that she was kept hidden. If Khivar found out she was here…

Well, Khivar would demand that she be delivered to Antar, and he would most likely kill her. And since Larek's world was, technically, impartial, he would be forced to hand over Ava or risk having the other worlds turn on him.

But the thought of handing Ava over to the that madman of a king…

"Larek?" Tess cut into his thoughts. "Tell me what you are thinking." It was not a request.

At last, choosing his words carefully, Larek said, "It's just…when you first arrived here, seeking sanctuary from Khivar, I was so thrilled to see you. I thought, at last we would have the Queen of Antar back. But now…I guess I am just realizing how little you remember about the other life. And how different you are from the Ava I knew, the one I watched marry Zan."

Tess stiffened. "I am still the Queen," she snapped.

"I don't deny that," Larek replied, lifting his hands quickly in surrender. "And even without your memories, you are still the wife of one of my best friends. But Ava, I am not the one you are going to have to convince. It is the people of Antar that are going to have to accept you. And getting them to do that will be no easy task."

The two lapsed into silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Larek was thinking about the past, about the first time he and Zan had seen Ava, at the beach at Tel'ai. She had been sitting on Dimaras Rock…

But Tess was thinking about the future, and about her son. She wanted him to be safe and happy, somewhere far away from this planet. Some place where he could just be a boy, instead of a prince, a heir to the throne. On some planet, where he could have a loving family and a peaceful, secure, and happy childhood.

But where could she send him? Who would she trust with her son?

" Listen, I just want you to know if anything goes wrong... if you're not able to go home, that you have a home here. That your child has a home here too. I mean, you're uh, you're both part of this family now. We'll figure out what's wrong with the baby. We'll find a way."

Tess looked up at the man she had come to think of as her father and felt the tears prick at her eyes. She smiled at him, and whispered, "Thank you."

Jim stood up and smiled down at his sort-of daughter. "Sure. I'll go get some more warm water." He turned to leave the room, but Tess' voice called him back.

"Thanks…Dad."

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"I just wanted to see what it sounded like," Tess explained, blushing slightly.

"How'd it sound?" Jim asked.

Tess hesitated, then admitted, "A little too weird."

"Yeah…" Jim agreed slowly.

"Yeah..." Tess whispered, closing her eyes against the sudden wave of pain that washed through her abdomen.

Calling Jim Dad had felt weird…so weird…and yet… It had also felt right. But she had been scared and tired, sick, confused, and still not so sure how to act human. And so she had told him it felt too weird.

But she would trust him with her son.

Not that it mattered. Her son could not survive in Earth's atmosphere.

"I've arranged a meeting with a few of my advisors," Larek said abruptly, rubbing his eyes and turning away from the sun. "The ones who know that you are here. We are going to talk about what we should do. Would you like to join us?"

Tess nodded. "Yes, I would." She stretched her arms and turned to look at Larek. "I will be Queen, I might as well start getting involved in my battles."

"Alright," Larek said. "I will come and get you when the time comes." He turned and was gone, leaving Tess alone to her troubled thoughts.

So much had gone wrong in her life, but all of the pain and heartbreak she endured paled in comparison to what was ahead of her. A life on her own, without the people she had come to love, far away from the planet she had come to consider home.

And then, quite suddenly, standing on the balcony watching the strange sun sink below the horizon, contemplating an unknown future on an unknown planet, and facing a long and painful fight against a powerful, cruel, and ruthless enemy, she realized there was only one thing she truly regretted.

She wished she hadn't told Jim it sounded too weird to call him Dad.

Next Chapter: The Council Meeting

Due: Tuesday 11/15