A.N. Slight violence, especially near the end, in one specific section.

Chapter 5 of 5

Liz had been back in Roswell for only three hours when they came down on her. It's like the Pod Squad and company minus Maria were waiting for her to get home. "What is the big deal so I know an alien name." She snaps at them, after her last encounter with Lex she was a little crabby—all right maybe a lot crabby.

"You know an alien name that only Tess and Nasedo knew about." Max shouts at her, he's lucky her parents were out to dinner or Max would be getting a face load of her mother and father demanding to know why he is yelling at their little girl. When she returned home she didn't feel like going out so she told her parents that she'd heat something up here.

"First off, all of you entered my parents home uninvited. That makes each and every one of you criminals. All of you are lucky I haven't called the police to put you in jail." Liz addresses the whole room she is not a happy camper.

"You weren't home Liz." Isabel argues.

"And you know what that means in human society? That means you wait until the person comes home. Not use your alien powers, not traipse around my parents home, and certainly not go through my personal and private things." She snarls.

Liz fights every alien molecule pulsing inside her begging to be let loose on the stunned group in front of her. After her episode with Lex a strange occurrence happened with her powers…she learned to control them. How weird is that? With the memories she was given and now the powers blending seamlessly with the rest of her she certainly isn't the same as when she left. Mentally shaking her head she gets back on track, if she were an enemy she could understand the others breaking into her home but she has been there for them for two years didn't that count for anything?

"It's a damn good thing we did break in or we wouldn't have seen your flow chart of who killed Alex. How could you not tell us you were doing this? Or that you heard of Zanthra?" Max demanded.

Liz rolls her eyes, right the "King" wanted answers and she had to jump, when he can take a flying jump off her balcony and get a one-way ticket to the pavement below. Instead of answering she shakes her head and continues to unpack ignoring the fuming boy King.

Max hates being ignored, he storms up to her grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. "Don't you turn away from me. I want answers for why you kept these things from me, from us." His grip tightens on her arm; Max doesn't notice Michael inching forward.

Michael doesn't agree with Liz keeping information that's important to his family to herself. They had a right to know but he doesn't agree with Max using physical means to get his answers. The brooding alien had enough of that with Hank and he wouldn't tolerate Max doing the same thing to any one else.

"Back off Max." Michael pushes Max back forcing him to let go of Liz's arm. Red fingerprints mar Liz's flawless skin, he wouldn't be surprised if there are bruises where the red is tomorrow.

"Max what exactly is it with you and using physical violence to get your point across? When Michael went to Topolsky with the orb you punched him. When I wouldn't give up searching for Alex's killer you grabbed me…similar as to how you grabbed me just now. I have no idea where you got the idea that you can force someone into submission but let me tell you right now that you aren't my king. You don't rule over me."

Maria climbs the stairs to the Parker's home, this is it, she breathes in deeply mentally preparing herself for the yelling and screaming that is bound to happen. Raising her hand to wrap her knuckles on the heavy wooden door she stops a millimeter from the door, she hears shouting inside, Max must have already rushed over to confront her.

Without knocking Maria lets herself inside, Liz needs someone to stand beside her, her friend can get mad about her entering uninvited later. The voices get louder when she enters the apartment; Maria shuts the front door behind her softly although she doubts anyone would have heard it if she closed it normally.

"God dammit Max, I'll admit at the funeral emotions were running hot we all said things that we probably wouldn't have said otherwise at the very least we'd have said them calmer. But how could you think that I'd come to you with anything after you bruised my arm from clutching it so hard wanting me to drop finding out more about Alex's death." Her jaw clenches.

"What I was doing had nothing to do with aliens at least not than. Did I think aliens were behind Alex's death? Yes. Do I still think that? Hell yes, now more than ever. However all the information I was gathering at the school was not alien related it was human related so whatever idiotic thought you had about it revealing your alien secret was completely wrong. This might come as a shock to you Max but not everything involves you and your alien status."

Maria walks through Liz's door, at first Liz shoots her glare over to her, unsure if Maria's going to start in on her too. Max noticing Maria enter the room lets out a sigh of relief. "Glad you're here Maria, maybe you can tell Liz that keeping this from us was wrong, that what she's doing is endangering us all."

Max is so sure that Maria will side with him, he can hardly believe it when she doesn't. "I'm sorry Max but I can't do that. I do think that Liz keeping this information for you, Isabel, Michael and Tess was at least partly wrong but I can't blame her for not telling you." She never takes her eyes off of Liz; "I'm so sorry Liz. I'm sorry I picked them over our friendship."

Liz feels tears well up, "Why did you?" That's all she wants to know.

"I was hurt. Hurt that you were pushing me away, it was like you didn't want to be my friend anymore. And after Alex it just got worse, the only time you spoke to me was to tell me the latest in arsenal of theories about Alex's death. Michael has been the only one that's been here for me and I couldn't lose him too." Tears fall from her eyes as she watches Liz realize the extent of Maria's pain.

"Oh Maria. I'm sorry too." Matching tears fall down her face. "We were just going in different directions and then when Alex died—I had to throw myself into finding out why his death didn't make sense. If I was around you I wouldn't be able to do what I had to do, if I was around you then I'd have to admit he was gone. I couldn't do that then, I had to find out how he died, and I couldn't cry and do what I had to do." She admits to her.

Not saying another word Maria walks to Liz with her arms open and the friends embrace each other. No yelling, no throwing things, but they're friends again. Kyle hates to interrupt Liz and Maria's moment but there are still explanations that Liz has and probably should share with the group.

Max on the same page as Kyle jumps right in but doesn't ask his questions with the same calm and even tone Kyle would have. "Ok, while this is all fine and dandy you still have to explain yourself. How can you know Zanthra's name? Why do you think he had anything to do with this? And why the hell were you in the paper with Lex Luthor?" That last question slipped out of his mouth unexpectedly, he wanted to wait on that till he and Liz were alone but now that it's out there he can't take it back.

"Well, I'm not sure about the first two questions but she's was in the picture with Lex Luthor because she gave me the honor of being my date that evening. Besides how could the photographers not want to photograph this beauty?" A soft yet firm voice breaks up the hug, as Liz stares at the man that hurt her far worse than Max Evans ever did.

Liz's chin quivers as she remembers the look in his eyes when he ran out on her. "What are you doing here Lex? Last I saw you were running back to the safety of your penthouse." She snaps at him, she won't let him get into her heart.

"I know," He holds flowers in front of him, white lilies, her favorite. Max always thought white roses were her favorite but she just preferred them to red roses. "My father showed me a tape and it shocked me. It was of you in this room, when the—earthquake occurred. At first I didn't believe it but when you kind of zapped at me it hit home that it was real. I shouldn't have run out on you, you're not a monster or freak, you're beautiful, intelligent, and a woman I want to spend my every waking minute with." He doesn't care they weren't alone in the room, she needs to hear that.

Seems no one noticed what Lex said about zapping since the Pod Squad wasn't yelling demanding to know what Lex was talking about. "Earthquake—we didn't have an earthquake." Kyle squints his eyes trying to remember one in the past month; he completely ignores everything Lex said after that. Nobody answers him; they just stand back watching the interplay between Liz and Lex.

"How did Lionel get a video of that?" Lex's words touch her heart but she can't focus on those sweet words now, she doesn't care that he ran away from her anymore she does however want answers from him and she wants them now.

Lex pulls a file from behind his back. "Everything that I managed to dig up in three hours is here. The FBI planted it outside your window, from what I understand they haven't had the opportunity to replace it after the earthquake that you caused. And according to the top-secret files I paid to get access too they're behind your friend's murder."

"WHAT!" Multiple shouts sound around the crowded room, but Lex doesn't answer a single one of them, all he does is stare at Liz. She hasn't said anything about that.

"How?" There are more questions but none that are as important as that one. The trail was leading toward the FBI but there were also some things that never added up. that's why she always thought an alien killed Alex. She'd like to hear what Lex dug up and see how well that fit with how Alex died.

Lex sets the flowers down on Liz's dresser and slowly eases his way toward her till he's standing only a couple feet from her. "Again according to reports they managed to get an alien, an alien that they controlled and Alex had been getting too close to something whether knowingly or not but this alien turned his brain to mush and put him in the car and controlled it into an on-coming semi-truck. You know the rest." Liz begins to sway; the files fall to the ground as Lex grabs Liz around the waist before she slumps to the ground.

Liz isn't out for long, only a few seconds but it was enough time for Lex place her on her bed and to take out his cell phone and begin to call a doctor. When she hears him say 'Dr. Williams' she grabs his phone and shuts it off. "No doctors. I'm fine." Slowly and with Lex's help she sits up. "Just shock is all."

Kyle had run to Liz's bathroom and brought back a glass of water. "Here Liz drink this." He holds the glass in front of her till she takes it. The cool liquid trails down her throat soothing the common ache that comes when you're trying to hold back tears.

"Thanks Kyle." Lex gently plucks the glass from her hand setting it down on the nightstand. "You never did answer my question. Why are you here? I would have thought after this morning you'd never want to see me again." Before Lex can open his mouth she places a hand over his mouth. "On second thought tell me when we're alone." She shoots a brief glare over to Max and Isabel the two she's most upset with. The others are on various scales of her shit list but those two are the worse offenders.

Maria and Michael aren't even on her shit list any longer. She understands why her friend turned her back on her, because she turned her back on Maria first, she was only protecting herself from further pain and rejection. Michael he has only been mildly irritating hardly enough for him to be on her shit list. Kyle and Tess are on the list since they went along with breaking into her parent's home, they weren't high up but they're still on the list.

"I'll answer your previous questions Max and then I want you to take your sister and get out of my parents home. Oh and Lex knows about aliens, so he can listen. Now first question was 'how do I know Zanthra's name' simple because I have your memories. Not just yours specifically but Vilandra's, Rath's, and Ava's too. After Alex died I started getting dreams, at first I didn't realize they were memories till about the third night.

"I know every detail about your lives on Antar. To tell you the truth I'd rather not have them mostly because of the headaches they cause. Anyway, from what I gathered from the dreams was that Zanthra didn't like mortals all that much and when Vilandra began to see one he killed that mortal. So you can see how I might have jumped to conclusions about it being him who killed Alex until I realized from another memory that he's dead."

"Now as to how I know he's dead because he didn't die till after all of you were murdered. Because you healed me I'm different. In the future, don't exactly know when but I'm supposed to help you. How I don't know because that hasn't been revealed to me yet, not sure when it will. Next question why did I think Zanthra had anything to do with Alex's murder—well, I guess I already answered that question earlier. So if that's all you can leave now, I need to speak with Lex." She breathes out.

Liz didn't tell them about her new powers, that information she'll only share with Maria, Michael, Lex—maybe Lex, and maybe even Kyle. Max and Isabel look like they're going to say something but Tess and Michael push them from the room saying that now was not the time. After giving Liz a hug Maria and Kyle leave the room too till only Liz and Lex are left.

"Wow." Lex stares up into Liz's eyes. She's trying to see what his true intentions are, he lets her look her fill until she smirks and breathes out a sigh of relief. Apparently she found something in the depths of his eyes that she liked.

"So—what do you want to know?"

"Right now, absolutely nothing except that you forgive me." He clutches her hand. "I'm a complete idiot, I shouldn't have let my father—I shouldn't have let myself believe what he said to me. It doesn't matter what he said, all that matters is that you know I'm scum and hopefully you'll find in your heart to see passed that." He lightly teases with heavy serious undertones.

Liz cups his cheek. "You're not scum. Misguided maybe but not scum. I wouldn't fall in love with scum." She probably shouldn't have said that yet but she doesn't care, it's how she feels.

"That's good to know." Lex breathes out a sigh of relief. She doesn't hate him, which is the most wonderful feeling, she doesn't hate him.

Lionel Luthor stands at his desk facing away from the office door as he dials the phone. "Yes this is Lionel Luthor, get me Agent Saxton." Unbeknownst to him his once closed-door creeps open, a figure fills the opened entryway.

"Agent Saxton, I believe I have some important information for you." He doesn't get any further than that when the figure, which snuck up behind him as quiet and quick as possible, wraps a piece of chicken wire around his neck. The old man struggles with a power and ferociousness that only comes with the desire to live.

In time the struggles stop but not taking any chances with Lionel Luthor playing possum he snaps his neck. No way can he be alive after that. Meredith doesn't make a sound as he closes the office door again, there isn't anyone in the building this late except Lionel so there was no need to worry if someone saw him kill the patriarch of the Luthor family.

Lex's bodyguard stuffs Lionel into a Hefty bag, cleans the office of any traces of blood and leaves carrying the dead Luthor out of his office using his secret passage. Meredith gets to his car, dumps Lionel in the trunk and proceeds to take him where he will never be found.

"Would you like to come to Smallville with me after you finish this year out?" Lex offers. He wants Liz to meet the only person left alive, besides Liz, who mattered anything to him, Clark Kent. "I can have you back here before summer is over if you wish, so you don't miss a second of school."

Liz smiles at him, "Well, I put in for early graduation when my friends and I were on the rocks. The only reason I stayed and planned to graduate with them was because I wanted to be with my friends. But then everything happened and I didn't want to deal with high school anymore. I'll be eighteen in two months, so I can do almost anything I want."

"Really? Will you come to Smallville with me? Stay with me in the mansion?" Lex hopes she's says yes, that would make him jump for joy.

"I'll have to talk it over with my parents first but I'd like that." She agrees. Now all she has to do is get her parents to agree on this idea. Daddy doesn't like Lex too much especially after this morning crying jag, but Mom can normally get Daddy to agree to anything, she'll go to Mom first. Then if push comes to shove she'll go to Dad.

Lex brings her close and gives her a kiss that lets her know all he's feeling. "When do you want to leave?" He pulls back slightly only allowing a space big enough for air to pass through.

"I want to spend time with Maria but how about in a week? Two at most?"

"Works for me." Lex licks his lips. "So are you going to want your own room or will you been willing to stay in mine?"

"Yours definitely yours." Liz assures him. She, Liz Parker is taking control of her life. She still has no clue as to why Lex calmed her green electric charges, but that was a mystery for another day.

THE END

A.N. I'm 100 sure there will be a sequel. I still have a lot of ideas. However since this took me about a year to write on the side the sequel (which probably will be a couple chapters longer) might take just as long. Just a little warning there, it'll be a while before a sequel is up and ready to read. Many of the questions that I left unanswered in this fic will be dealt with in the sequel, but I'm sure there are a couple questions that I didn't even notice so feel free to ask and I'll work it into the sequel.