Michael's eyes widened. He let go of her and stepped back. Sierra looked
away. Michael had a dazed look in his eyes.
"Michael's your father?" Max blurted out.
"Well, it would explain the attitude, and the hair." Maria muttered. Sierra rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Wait, if Michael's your dad, how come you called my dad grandpa? Don't tell me science somehow manages to have men give birth in the future." Kyle said. Sierra narrowed her eyes at him.
"I was.......am going to be.......whatever........born two years from now, dumbass, not 100." Sierra snapped. Kyle raised his hands up defenselivly.
"Sorry, no need to bite my head off."
"Wait, so, I have a kid at 20?" Michael said. He looked at Sierra. "Nice try kid. You almost had me there. Now, who are you, really?"
"God dammit!" She screamed. "Look, I really don't give a crap if you believe me or not. The fact is that I got to protect you all from Sparky, or else you all won't have a future..And neither will I." Sierra said. The room was silent.
"Who's your mother?" Isabel asked. Sierra looked at her.
"Look, I'm five seconds from having a vain pop, do you really think that info is important?"
"I think it is." Michael said. "That is, unless you're lying."
"You know what! I don't friggen need this!" Sierra screamed. "Call me when Travis is about to burn your insides....Again." She spat out, leaving.
Sierra ran as fast as her beaten, bruised and burning with pain legs could carry. She finally collapsed onto her knees, panting, ten blocks away from the Crashdown, only because before then she thought the others had been following her. Tears fell down her cheeks. She was weak. She let part of her out. Now they knew who she was. She had just wanted to go in, make sure Travis didn't fry them, and leave. No part of her wanted to re- connect with them, only to know that in seventeen years, they all would be dead. And there was no way to stop that from happening. Travis was already born in this present, so killing his mother-not that she hadn't done that already in her time-now would do nothing. He still grows up, and still murders all she cared about.
Michael had wanted to go after the girl, but Max stopped him.
"Max, what are you doing?!" Michael asked. "She's getting away!"
"Michael, you're treating her like the enemy. She's your daughter." Max said. Michael yanked his arm away.
"She is not my daughter. I can't believe you actually bought that story! Trust me, the last thing I'd ever do is help bring a being into this world."
"He's right." Maria said. "He's not the caring for other creatures kind of person." Michael decided to ignore that little comment and continued glaring at Max.
"Her little buddy just tried to kill Maria, and you're just letting her go?"
"Did you see how those two were going at one another?" Jim asked. "I think those two are anything but buddies."
"Don't you think it's possible it was an act to get us to trust the little bitch?" Michael asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Michael, don't call your daughter a bitch." Isabel said.
"She is NOT my daughter!" Michael growled.
"OK, let's not get so wrapped up in the whole was she telling the truth or not bit." Liz said quickly. "All we know right now is that there is at least one person, that guy, Travis, trying to kill us. And I have a feeling he's not going to stop until he does so."
"Liz is right." Kyle said.
"So, what should we do?" Maria asked.
"Stick together I guess." Max said. "Liz and Maria sleep over at Isabel's place. Michael and I will be at his place, and Kyle and Jim at theirs."
ROSWELL, NM, 2019
Sierra stood before the court, ready to be reprimanded for her actions.
"Sierra, you do understand why you are here, correct?" One of the prosecutioners asked. Sierra nodded, willing herself not to cry.
"Have you anything to say in your defense?" Another asked. She kept her eyes downcast. She looked over to the side, seeing Anna's parents, their tear soaked faces.
"Sierra, the court asked you a question." Came one of the voices.
"No." Sierra said softly. "I have nothing to say, except my apologies." She said.
"Apologies do not rectify the situation, Sierra." They said.
"I know." She looked up at them. "All the apologies in the world wouldn't fix anything."
"You know what you did was wrong."
"Yes."
"Then why did you do it?" Sierra pursed her lips before responding. She took a breath.
"I saw an officer down, in a very dangerous situation. I wanted to help."
"The officer gave you orders to leave. You went against said order!" Came one of the prosecuters voices.
"I couldn't let him die!" Sierra yelled, her tears leaking. "If I had, then I suppose I'd be here, being prosecuted for abandoning an officer, my father." She said angrily.
"Sierra, you will address this court with honor and respect!" They said.
"We all know why I'm here. So, just hurry this up and discharge me already." Sierra shot back.
ROSWELL, NM, PRESENT DAY
Michael walked along the park the next morning. The air was crisp and raw, normal for January. He wore his leather jacket, with his hands stuffed in the pockets. He stopped abruptly when he saw a body asleep on the park bench. It was Sierra. She was in a small shivering ball, asleep. He slowly walked over to her and sat at the edge of the bench. He looked at the girl, who supposedly was going to be his daughter. She was an ok looking girl, if she really was his daughter, maybe he worried about her and boys and such. Instinctively, he removed his coat and covered her with it. The warmth of the jacket jarred her to consciousness with a small startled gasp, sitting up, expecting to see some crazed hobo or something. Michael put a hand on her shoulder. Sierra looked at him. She calmed down a bit.
"Hey." She said softly.
"Hey." He responded. Sierra pulled his jacket closed over her arms.
"How'd you find me?" She asked.
"My paternal instincts lead me to you." He said. Sierra narrowed her eyes into slits.
"So I guess your snotty sarcasm wasn't something you developed just when I was born." Sierra rolled her eyes. "If you don't believe me, you could've just said so."
"Fine, I don't believe you." Michael said. Sierra nodded.
"All right then." She got up and tossed Michael's jacket at him, walking away. Michael caught the jacket in mid air and placed it on the bench. He got up after her.
"Wait." He said. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Suddenly, he was hit with an onslaught of images.
Michael stood dancing in a large banquet hall, wearing a tuxedo, with a little girl, about four or five, dressed in a white dress holding his hands and standing on his feet. She had brown hair that went to her shoulder blades, done in a half ponytail with flowers and white ribbon interwoven in her hair. The little girl smiled up at him, and he smiled lovingly back at her.
"Higher daddy, higher!" The little girl giggled as Michael pushed her on a swing. Michael chuckled.
"If I push you any higher, you'll fly to the moon."
"Yeah!" She said, excited. "I want to go to the moon!" Michael laughed.
"But," he said, stopping the swing. "Wouldn't you miss mommy and daddy? I know we'd miss you." The girl looked up at him, and giggled.
"You and mommy come with me, of course." She said. Michael smiled. He knelt before her.
"And what about Uncle Max, Aunt Isabel,, Alex, and everyone else?" He asked.
"We can all go to the moon." She said. She thought for a second. "Do we have to bring Alex? He's a doodie head." Michael laughed, scoping her up in his arms, tickling her sides.
"I think he has to come with us." He said. The girl laughed and wriggled against Michael.
"Daddy!" She said between laughs.
"How could you do this!" Michael was older now, yelling at the girl, but she was older now too, she was Sierra. She was standing before him in a room, tears in her eyes.
"Dad, I'm sorry." She said.
"You're sorry? You're sorry? Is that all you have to say for yourself?!" He yelled.
"What do you want me to say?" She cried. "I know what I did was stupid. I'm stupid. I am so sorry." She sobbed, crumpling to the floor. Michael looked at her. Part of him was angry, angry that Sierra would do this, but part of him saw his daughter in pain. He knelt before her and wrapped his arms around her.
"You are not stupid." He said gently. "You're my baby girl, nothing about you is stupid." He said.
"Daddy, I'm so sorry, I thought....." She sobbed. Michael rocked her back and forth.
"Shhhh, shhhh." He whispered. "It's ok. It's ok."
Michael gasped as the connection broke. He stared at Sierra, shocked. Sierra looked back at him.
"What just happened?" He asked, once he was able to speak.
"I......I don't know." She said. "That's never happened to me before....except..."
"Except what?" He asked. Sierra looked at him.
"No......Nothing." She said, shaking her head. He looked at her.
"Where those memories?" He asked. Sierra nodded.
"You and me and at Kyle's wedding, you and me at the park, and you and me fighting, a few weeks before you and mom died." Michael looked at her. She sighed. "I shouldn't even be telling you this. Informing you about the future's gotta have some sort of consequence."
"Who..Who's your mom?" He asked. Sierra looked at him.
"I've got to go." She said, pulling her arm out of his grasp, which had been slack from the images. She went to walk away.
"Wait," he said. Sierra turned back to him. "Where are you going? How will we find you again?"
"Don't worry, dad," she smiled. "I'll find you." And with that, she was gone.
"Michael's your father?" Max blurted out.
"Well, it would explain the attitude, and the hair." Maria muttered. Sierra rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Wait, if Michael's your dad, how come you called my dad grandpa? Don't tell me science somehow manages to have men give birth in the future." Kyle said. Sierra narrowed her eyes at him.
"I was.......am going to be.......whatever........born two years from now, dumbass, not 100." Sierra snapped. Kyle raised his hands up defenselivly.
"Sorry, no need to bite my head off."
"Wait, so, I have a kid at 20?" Michael said. He looked at Sierra. "Nice try kid. You almost had me there. Now, who are you, really?"
"God dammit!" She screamed. "Look, I really don't give a crap if you believe me or not. The fact is that I got to protect you all from Sparky, or else you all won't have a future..And neither will I." Sierra said. The room was silent.
"Who's your mother?" Isabel asked. Sierra looked at her.
"Look, I'm five seconds from having a vain pop, do you really think that info is important?"
"I think it is." Michael said. "That is, unless you're lying."
"You know what! I don't friggen need this!" Sierra screamed. "Call me when Travis is about to burn your insides....Again." She spat out, leaving.
Sierra ran as fast as her beaten, bruised and burning with pain legs could carry. She finally collapsed onto her knees, panting, ten blocks away from the Crashdown, only because before then she thought the others had been following her. Tears fell down her cheeks. She was weak. She let part of her out. Now they knew who she was. She had just wanted to go in, make sure Travis didn't fry them, and leave. No part of her wanted to re- connect with them, only to know that in seventeen years, they all would be dead. And there was no way to stop that from happening. Travis was already born in this present, so killing his mother-not that she hadn't done that already in her time-now would do nothing. He still grows up, and still murders all she cared about.
Michael had wanted to go after the girl, but Max stopped him.
"Max, what are you doing?!" Michael asked. "She's getting away!"
"Michael, you're treating her like the enemy. She's your daughter." Max said. Michael yanked his arm away.
"She is not my daughter. I can't believe you actually bought that story! Trust me, the last thing I'd ever do is help bring a being into this world."
"He's right." Maria said. "He's not the caring for other creatures kind of person." Michael decided to ignore that little comment and continued glaring at Max.
"Her little buddy just tried to kill Maria, and you're just letting her go?"
"Did you see how those two were going at one another?" Jim asked. "I think those two are anything but buddies."
"Don't you think it's possible it was an act to get us to trust the little bitch?" Michael asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Michael, don't call your daughter a bitch." Isabel said.
"She is NOT my daughter!" Michael growled.
"OK, let's not get so wrapped up in the whole was she telling the truth or not bit." Liz said quickly. "All we know right now is that there is at least one person, that guy, Travis, trying to kill us. And I have a feeling he's not going to stop until he does so."
"Liz is right." Kyle said.
"So, what should we do?" Maria asked.
"Stick together I guess." Max said. "Liz and Maria sleep over at Isabel's place. Michael and I will be at his place, and Kyle and Jim at theirs."
ROSWELL, NM, 2019
Sierra stood before the court, ready to be reprimanded for her actions.
"Sierra, you do understand why you are here, correct?" One of the prosecutioners asked. Sierra nodded, willing herself not to cry.
"Have you anything to say in your defense?" Another asked. She kept her eyes downcast. She looked over to the side, seeing Anna's parents, their tear soaked faces.
"Sierra, the court asked you a question." Came one of the voices.
"No." Sierra said softly. "I have nothing to say, except my apologies." She said.
"Apologies do not rectify the situation, Sierra." They said.
"I know." She looked up at them. "All the apologies in the world wouldn't fix anything."
"You know what you did was wrong."
"Yes."
"Then why did you do it?" Sierra pursed her lips before responding. She took a breath.
"I saw an officer down, in a very dangerous situation. I wanted to help."
"The officer gave you orders to leave. You went against said order!" Came one of the prosecuters voices.
"I couldn't let him die!" Sierra yelled, her tears leaking. "If I had, then I suppose I'd be here, being prosecuted for abandoning an officer, my father." She said angrily.
"Sierra, you will address this court with honor and respect!" They said.
"We all know why I'm here. So, just hurry this up and discharge me already." Sierra shot back.
ROSWELL, NM, PRESENT DAY
Michael walked along the park the next morning. The air was crisp and raw, normal for January. He wore his leather jacket, with his hands stuffed in the pockets. He stopped abruptly when he saw a body asleep on the park bench. It was Sierra. She was in a small shivering ball, asleep. He slowly walked over to her and sat at the edge of the bench. He looked at the girl, who supposedly was going to be his daughter. She was an ok looking girl, if she really was his daughter, maybe he worried about her and boys and such. Instinctively, he removed his coat and covered her with it. The warmth of the jacket jarred her to consciousness with a small startled gasp, sitting up, expecting to see some crazed hobo or something. Michael put a hand on her shoulder. Sierra looked at him. She calmed down a bit.
"Hey." She said softly.
"Hey." He responded. Sierra pulled his jacket closed over her arms.
"How'd you find me?" She asked.
"My paternal instincts lead me to you." He said. Sierra narrowed her eyes into slits.
"So I guess your snotty sarcasm wasn't something you developed just when I was born." Sierra rolled her eyes. "If you don't believe me, you could've just said so."
"Fine, I don't believe you." Michael said. Sierra nodded.
"All right then." She got up and tossed Michael's jacket at him, walking away. Michael caught the jacket in mid air and placed it on the bench. He got up after her.
"Wait." He said. He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Suddenly, he was hit with an onslaught of images.
Michael stood dancing in a large banquet hall, wearing a tuxedo, with a little girl, about four or five, dressed in a white dress holding his hands and standing on his feet. She had brown hair that went to her shoulder blades, done in a half ponytail with flowers and white ribbon interwoven in her hair. The little girl smiled up at him, and he smiled lovingly back at her.
"Higher daddy, higher!" The little girl giggled as Michael pushed her on a swing. Michael chuckled.
"If I push you any higher, you'll fly to the moon."
"Yeah!" She said, excited. "I want to go to the moon!" Michael laughed.
"But," he said, stopping the swing. "Wouldn't you miss mommy and daddy? I know we'd miss you." The girl looked up at him, and giggled.
"You and mommy come with me, of course." She said. Michael smiled. He knelt before her.
"And what about Uncle Max, Aunt Isabel,, Alex, and everyone else?" He asked.
"We can all go to the moon." She said. She thought for a second. "Do we have to bring Alex? He's a doodie head." Michael laughed, scoping her up in his arms, tickling her sides.
"I think he has to come with us." He said. The girl laughed and wriggled against Michael.
"Daddy!" She said between laughs.
"How could you do this!" Michael was older now, yelling at the girl, but she was older now too, she was Sierra. She was standing before him in a room, tears in her eyes.
"Dad, I'm sorry." She said.
"You're sorry? You're sorry? Is that all you have to say for yourself?!" He yelled.
"What do you want me to say?" She cried. "I know what I did was stupid. I'm stupid. I am so sorry." She sobbed, crumpling to the floor. Michael looked at her. Part of him was angry, angry that Sierra would do this, but part of him saw his daughter in pain. He knelt before her and wrapped his arms around her.
"You are not stupid." He said gently. "You're my baby girl, nothing about you is stupid." He said.
"Daddy, I'm so sorry, I thought....." She sobbed. Michael rocked her back and forth.
"Shhhh, shhhh." He whispered. "It's ok. It's ok."
Michael gasped as the connection broke. He stared at Sierra, shocked. Sierra looked back at him.
"What just happened?" He asked, once he was able to speak.
"I......I don't know." She said. "That's never happened to me before....except..."
"Except what?" He asked. Sierra looked at him.
"No......Nothing." She said, shaking her head. He looked at her.
"Where those memories?" He asked. Sierra nodded.
"You and me and at Kyle's wedding, you and me at the park, and you and me fighting, a few weeks before you and mom died." Michael looked at her. She sighed. "I shouldn't even be telling you this. Informing you about the future's gotta have some sort of consequence."
"Who..Who's your mom?" He asked. Sierra looked at him.
"I've got to go." She said, pulling her arm out of his grasp, which had been slack from the images. She went to walk away.
"Wait," he said. Sierra turned back to him. "Where are you going? How will we find you again?"
"Don't worry, dad," she smiled. "I'll find you." And with that, she was gone.