Okay I'm so excited for this chapter. Mostly because I've moved on from the previous massive chapter into new things and soon we'll have some huge events that I have wanted to write about since I started this. Thanks to kbeth82 again for the reviews - always stoked to read those. And well I say I'll be done in 5 chapters and then my outline changes, so we'll see how true I am about that one. This chapter is already only half of what I meant to post.
It was us
He's in the desert on top of the cliff from those dreams. He sees her below and can almost smell the flowery scent of her hair and feel the heat of her skin. He needs her. But… everything turns black… a black hole in the ground… he's trapped and hopeless. Then she's standing on a balcony, golden and ethereal, a true Princess. He's behind her, looking like the type of man she deserves, confident, proud, the image of wealth and strength, polished and flawless even with wild dark curls. He's just like her. He says something and she turns to kiss him with abandon.
"Isabel?"
The scene changes and she's with that man again, smiling and running through a field of tall yellow plants with bright red flowers at the top. They look happy.
"Such cavalier behavior. How dare a great Lord engage in such a thing?" she teases.
"Your fault, Princess. You bring out Kiv," he answers with a smile.
"Just Kiv."
"For you. Just Kiv."
She giggles and then yells, "Last one to the lake has to explain everything to your mother!" She runs.
He's in the black hole again and feels like he's been trapped underground forever and is suffocating. He hears a voice echoing around him. "She's a sun and you are the reason she died."
Then he's holding her bloody body in his arms. ""Please, don't go where I can't follow. I need you. I need you both. Please, stay with me. Lonnie! Please!"
"You can't protect her. Leave her, she's better without you."
Then they are in the desert. She's pushing a swing with a smiling toddler in it. Michael runs to them, but just as he reaches them they burst into a pool of blood.
"No! Adam! Izzy! Help!" he screams, standing on the bloody ground with the creaking of the gory swing accompanying his cries. "Help! Someone help me!"
"She's safe without you. Leave her," the voice says.
Then he's in the trailer. Hank is speaking. "Useless boy. Get out of here!"
He's deep in the black hole again and he's getting buried. It feels like he's there forever until he's in a field screaming and fighting with everything he's got. There's blood and fire everywhere. He's fire itself with his body red and everything around him flying aflame. But it all hits him at once, icicles the size of baseball bats cut him like spears, sharp rocks and waves of water hit him but he runs past them through all the pain, then one large ice sword goes through his stomach. He should be dead, he needs to die, but it won't end this way. He breaks the sword and stands, throwing Nicolas off balance. There's hundreds of figures fighting, but he can't focus on any of them anymore. His vision is blurry and he can't really think, until...
"Die you son of a bitch," he hears and looks at a golden figure coming his direction, right at those hateful green eyes. Kivar. He makes one last effort and raises his hand. Lava erupts around them and a group of skins nearby burns. But Kivar is still approaching with his hand raised as well. He feels a sharp pain spreading from his head to his chest as he flies through the air. He lands on a massive boulder and then a large golden sword runs through him. Those hateful green eyes look at him with disdain. "Die, your bastard."
He feels more than hears his own whisper, "Vilandra."
"She'll return and rule at my side. But you, you die!"
He's back in the black hole, battered and alone, feeling death take over. He's never been this hopeless and afraid. Even with Hank, he could see an end, he could look for his alien half and had Max and Izzy and his anger and his hope. But this… nothing makes sense. He's sprawled on the floor and can't control anything. All is fear… and pain, so much pain. The voice echoes again. "Even at your best, you lose. You're worthless, useless. You're nothing."
"Izzy," he murmurs, "Izzy, Izzy…" Her name is soothing, like a prayer. He doesn't even know why he's saying it. It just makes sense. Then she's there in her pajamas, kneeling by him.
"Michael? Oh my God, Michael!"
"Izzy," he whispers again, with tears making the cuts on his face sting.
"Vilandra," the voice says.
"It's you! Leave him alone!"
"What are you doing here?"
She ignores Kivar and takes his head on her lap. She combs her fingers through his hair. "Michael, fight, please. It's not real, Mikey. It's not real."
"He's weak. Look at him," he says. Michael writhes in pain, but barely makes a sound.
"Stop hurting him! It's me you want!" she says as she raises one of her hands.
"Go! I don't want to hurt you!"
"But you would! You already have! Let him be!"
"What could he possibly give you?"
"Friendship, a home, Adam... everything. I will fight for him!"
Michael wants to stand and tells this bastard to go to hell, but it's like he's glued to the dirt and can't manage the smallest of movements. Then he begins to murmur, "not real… not real."
"He can never measure up."
"Up to what? You leave us alone! Get out of his head! Get out!"
Her entire body shines in gold. And for the first time Michael sees her looking completely golden with almost see through skin, different. Isabel, the alien. He feels like they are falling deeper into the ground. He's getting buried alive and taking Izzy with him.
"Stop!" the voice orders.
"Don't get near Michael again!"
"Not real… not real," Michael says like a prayer.
"You can get hurt, Vilandra. Stop this!"
"Not real… not real."
"I don't care! Leave Michael alone!"
Then Michael sees it, growing through the black dirt, the golden flower. The pain lessens and he can see brightness. An image, so far... and yet he can almost touch it. He sees and hears them.
They lay nude on what looks like a bed made of pelts, inside a cave and facing each other. They have Alkalean gazes all around them. The only lights are coming from those flowers and their bodies, making everything look red and gold. They are talking and she looks troubled.
"You can go back home."
"Never, not without you. Listen to me… for the first time in my life, I'm happy. This here with you… I never dared to dream I could have this. You're all I need. The world can end and I will never leave you." She looks at him with adoring eyes and kisses him sweetly. "I love you," she murmurs in between kisses as he leans until he's on top of her.
"Wait… wait, I… I have something to tell you." He looks at her confused. "It's important."
"Lon… we can't move with that ship again. It's getting too dangerous."
"I know. It's not about that. I…" She grabs his hand and places it on her stomach. Her hand glows and his eyes widen.
"Is that..."
"A baby."
"We're not bonded. That's not possible."
"I know, but… he's here, our son. Don't you feel him?"
He looks perplexed. "You… you have my child inside you," he says, sounding scared and vulnerable. She nods and then he smiles a kind of smile that they've never seen. He begins to laugh and she joins him. "A son! We're having a son!" He hugs her and kisses her passionately. Then they are caressing each other feverishly, ready to make love.
"Enough!" they hear and everything around them shatters as if it was made of glass.
Michael awakens with a start. His heart is racing and he's sweating and feels dried tears on his cheeks. He feels his stomach. No ice, no sword. It… it was so real and he's still trembling with fear, but also… something else. He saw… he was happy. No Rath… Rath knew what it was like to be truly happy. Then he sees her running out of the bedroom.
"Are you okay?" she says, kneeling on the floor in front of him. She takes his hands in hers and looks at him like she can see into his soul.
He tries to talk, but his tongue is heavy and his throat feels sore, like he's been screaming for hours. Then the memory of seeing her and Adam drowned in blood hits him hard along with exhaustion and a lingering sensation of pain. It's like he was actually battered in a war but can't quite show it and then there is this ache in his chest that he can't explain. She's still alive and the idea of her not being near scares the shit out of him. She is so beautiful. Has she always been this beautiful? She pulls him into a hug and he clings to her like she's a lifesaver and he's a man that's drowning. She holds him and kisses his left cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. But I'm here now. I'm right here."
He buries his nose in her hair and breathes deeply as he tries to stop feeling like he's hyperventilating and ready to puke. She's alive. She's alive. "You and Adam… not real," he whispers. "Not real."
"Not real. I won't let him hurt you or Adam. We can change and go see him. We'll make sure he's safe. We'll be together and safe."
Almost a week later, they haven't told anyone about Kivar dream walking him. Michael can't really talk about it and Isabel agreed that this could stay between them. He's at the Crashdown, working a Sunday breakfast shift.
"So what are you getting her?" Maria asks.
"What are you talking about?" Michael answers, flipping a burger.
"Isabel, what are you getting her for Christmas?"
"Nothing. Butt out."
"Space Boy!"
"It's none of your business."
"Come on, you have to get her something."
"I'm not buying any presents. You know we can't afford it, so knock it off."
"Didn't you get most of the big stuff for Adam on Black Friday?"
"Yeah. But we need other stuff."
"The car and the bigger apartment?"
"Stop investigating us. Iz shouldn't have told you anything."
"Chill. She just shared a bit because I asked her about things we, your friends, can buy for the baby shower in a couple of months. Which is why I thought you weren't going to spend that much and would have enough for the deposit to the new place and -"
"Stop talking about money, okay. We didn't get what you put on your baby shower list, so you can't harp about that. But the furniture was expensive. Didn't want some crappy crib that might break with Adam in it."
"Ahh, did you actually read through safety ratings or did Isabel do all that?" Maria says, teasing to get him to be less annoyed. He glares at her. "You did! Oh my God, where is Kyle?"
"You wouldn't dare," he threatens.
"Try me, Space Boy."
"What do you want? The sooner you tell me, the sooner I can kick you out of this kitchen."
"Did Isabel teach you that one? 'Cause god knows I tried to get you to ask me what I wanted for like forever."
"And you wonder why I try not to get as many shifts with you."
"Whatever, you love me. And Adam doesn't let you off the hook. I wanted a present last year and you just blew me off."
"Your point?"
"You need to get her a present, grinch."
"Look, Iz, Max and I stopped doing the present thing in like eighth grade. And you can't compare her to you last year, she's not my girlfriend."
"No, only the roommate you're falling for and the mother of your child."
"Which is why she wants my money to go towards that child," he answers, starting to plate some of the food. Maria smiles. It hasn't gone passed her that he has finally stopped arguing with her about falling for his past life wife.
"She said that?"
"Yeah."
"Those exact words came out of her mouth?" He shrugs. "Michael, you can't not give a present to the girl you live with."
"Watch me," he says, walking away to put the orders that are ready by the pick up window.
"Thanks, Mikey G.," Courtney, says with a wink.
"I don't like her," Maria says.
"She's okay. I just can't figure out what she wants."
"I think she's made it clear she wants in your pants."
"Isabel thinks it's more."
"So Isabel finally said something?"
"Wasn't that your idea, after Courtney's excuses for the file?"
"I'm still suspicious."
"Me too. That's why Izzy dream walked her."
"And?"
"And nothing. She couldn't break into her dreams, which is strange, but not that big a deal. Except..."
"Except what?"
"Iz said that the other day when she told her to back off because we're having a baby, Courtney was weird. She agreed to leave me alone and said to make sure no one jeopardizes something so precious and then tried to touch her stomach. Isabel backed away and looked like she was ready hit her," he says with a smile.
"I bet. She hates anyone going near the fake belly. Why do people think they can just touch a person because she looks pregnant? It's disturbing. And what the tramp said is weird. Plus she's still at it. Look at her, staring like you're her next meal." Michael looks thoughtful. "Oh no. Don't."
"I haven't done anything."
"I know you. Don't start trouble."
"Then how do you propose we find out what she's up to?"
"We investigate, quietly."
At Courtney's apartment.
"Look at all this lotion," Maria says from Courtney's bathroom.
Michael peaks in. "Fascinating," he says sarcastically. "Iz has the same one. Girls and beauty products," he adds, walking back into the living room to search for more clues.
"Does Isabel have closet full?" He says nothing. "Didn't think so. Oh my God!"
"What?" Then he looks in the tub, where Maria found a piece of skin.
"That's disgusting," she says.
"Skins? They must shed. She's one of them." He hears the main door. "Hide," he orders and gets into a small closet in the hallway. Maria gets in the tub and closes the curtain. They hear Courtney moving around the apartment. Then she leaves.
"Follow her," Maria says. They run out the window and get in the Jetta. Maria tails Courtney until they arrive at Michael's apartment building. They see the girl through a window in the building across the street. She has a huge camera and is pointing it towards Isabel and Max who are getting out of the Jeep, holding grocery bags.
"She's taking pictures of them. What the hell!" Michael says as he gets out of the car.
"Space boy!" Maria calls, following Michael.
"Michael?" Isabel calls. He doesn't hear her and walks into the building across the street. Isabel looks at Max with that 'something is wrong' stare. They put the grocery bags back in the back seat and follow the other two. They walk into the building and see an open apartment door.
"Michael?" Isabel calls.
"Watch out!" he says, pointing his hand and Courtney. "She's a skin." He looks at the girl in question.
"You have to see this!" Maria calls from the other room.
"Walk in there. One false move and I will blast you," Michael threatens.
She smiles at him. "You're just like I thought you would be."
Isabel looks at her and raises her hand. "There is three of us and one of you. Do what Michael says and walk in there."
"Truce okay," she says as she does as asked. They walk in the room and find a shrine filled with pictures of Michael and a good amount of Isabel.
"You are one of our enemies, like Nicolas and Whitaker," Isabel says. Max also points his palm towards Courtney.
"Not really. How did you get on to them anyway?"
"We're asking the questions here, ok?" Max asserts. "Now, why are you in Roswell? Where's the rest of your evil army? And why are you obsessed with my sister and Michael?"
"I'm not obsessed with them, ok? I follow him in the… political sense. And she's of interest now because of the baby."
"What the hell do you know about him?" Michael asks. A small table explodes.
"Relax. I'm not your enemy. We want you and that baby to be our leaders."
"Leaders?" Max questions.
"We're not with the other skins. We're renegades who believe that if Rath had taken charge instead of trying to bring back the Valyrs then none of this would have happened. But that's the past and now we're here," she says looking at Michael. "You should be in charge instead of Max."
"In charge of what?" Isabel asks.
"Our galaxy and the Royals. You guys don't remember, do you?"
"Suppose you tell us," Michael says.
"Yeah, the short version, please," Maria adds.
"You're part skin. You father was half skin, half Ratakian and your mother was Antarian. Most of our kind follows Kivar, but a few always knew he would lead us to our doom. You were the King's second and we wanted to follow you, not him or Kivar."
"You're trying to divide them. To put a wedge between Max and Michael," Maria says.
"I just believe in Michael as I believed in Rath."
"I won't betray Max and Isabel," Michael asserts.
"Figures. You wouldn't do it before. First you were loyal to the King and once you broke free, you supposedly became devoted to the Princess. After they died… you and the Queen could have taken over. You two should have left the Palace to gather forces, renew your strength, then defeat Kivar and rule. We would have helped and the Ratakians and Plateiains would have joined. But no, you stayed in the Antarian Citadel and fought Kivar's palars to protect the mission to save the Royal essences. You and Queen Ava knew you were severely outnumbered and still stayed and gave up your lives for them. But now I get it. The Antarians were telling the truth. You conceived the life bringer. She is important."
"Don't get near her, don't even look in her direction!" Michael threatens.
"I'm not going to hurt her. She needs to live and have that baby."
"Why the pictures?" Max asks.
"Proof for my comrades. When they come they'll fight on Rath's side based on my intel. I'm gathering evidence that it's him and that she's pregnant and the life bringer is real."
"What do you know about the Universal Friendship League?" Michael asks.
"That's the cover for a skin's squadron. Nicolas is stuck leading them on the Vilandra mission."
"Vilandra mission?" Max asks.
"Yeah, the mission to bring her back to Kivar, so she can rule beside him."
Isabel looks like she wants to hit something. "Why? I know I was the Princess, but still! What is it about me? Why does he want me so damn much?"
"You are the last Valyr female that can mate and he believes having you is his right. You really don't remember, about you and Kivar?"
"No, I don't!"
"You were supposed to bond with him. The ceremonies were a way to try to bring the largest outer planets back into the fold and end the riots at the edge of the galaxy. Things were going well too. The King bonded with a compatible Plateiaian and with one of his best friends as Ratakian Lord and Antarian Ambassador, most of the west and north had peace."
"Larek? You're talking about Larek?" Max asks.
"Yes."
"And?" Max asks.
"And then it was the Princess' turn to bond with the right Golderian to try to calm down the south. Turns out her compatible Golderian was none other than the Lord of the planet himself. You two had similar powers, similar tastes, gorgeous looks, even spoke in a similar way. It was like watching a pre-made set. I wanted to puke when I saw the perfect couple walking around our planet like they owned everything. Then again when you came you helped the agaletraks bring half the arid fields back to life, so we thought maybe you weren't so bad."
"So, you're saying they were together, Kivar and Isabel?" Maria asks.
"Yeah, they paraded around half the galaxy and the King himself was going to bond them." She looks at Max. "You and Kivar had plans to make him the fourth Royal if he could manage to control the seal. Many of us had concerns. But because of your rules and treaties crap, he was set-up to get the seal of power. You Royals thought it would work since giving the seal of wisdom to Queen Ava had exceeded expectations. But we didn't think it would be like that with our asshole Lord," Courtney says. "He's too ambitious and doesn't care about his subjects, just power; he loves power. So we looked for someone with Golderian heritage who we could trust to take him out without costing our planet too much. And we found the perfect one. Rath was commoner like us, from palar parents but still a regular citizen that had grown to be almost as powerful as the Royals and managed to become the King's second on actual merit. Then we got lucky. You came to our planet as guard to the Princess in one of her trips. I didn't get it since that was not a job for the highest ranked General, but it didn't matter. We got to know you and shared our concerns. You said you would look into it, but made no promises."
She turns to Isabel, "But then when it was almost time for the ceremony, you disappeared without a trace. News were mixed. Some said that you broke the Glannak and the peace treaties, betrayed your family's word and that the King was searching for you and would place you under judgement. Others that the King wanted to overtake the south and forced you away from Lord Kivar and was hiding you. No one knew the real deal, you were just gone and Kivar spread the second story. Then not only the moons, but all of Golderia and the smaller planets loyal to ours went into full fledged war. The entire south of the galaxy had no choice but to side with him. He would have wreaked havoc in any place that did not help him as he made his way to Antar. A few of us tried to contact Rath but no luck. We thought of the King, but he would not hear anything from any skin and even the Ratakians had turned their backs on us. So, it was done. It was war."
"I knew it," Isabel says. "I'm the reason… It was me…"
"No," Michael says. "I… I was with you. I don't know how things happened, but I think that's what we saw in the dream. The end wasn't Kivar, it was a memory. It was the two of us."
"What dream?" Max asks.
"It's none of your business," Michael answers.
"I can't lead if you are not honest with me!" Max scolds.
"Don't talk to him that way," Isabel pleads. "That dream is private."
"Well, I suppose we now know the Princess' reasons," Courtney says, looking between Isabel and Michael. "I didn't believe it when I first got here. Kivar has told everyone that the Princess was forced to call off the bond because the King didn't want peace with the South, that he wanted to conquer us and lessen our Intergalactic standing. That she was loyal to him and that's why she opened the doors to the Palace. But the Antarian version is the truth and the Queen mother is no illusionist that's tricking us all. You ran away together and made the life bringer, didn't you? He actually exists and Kivar killed him and wants his essence gone."
At Michael's apartment.
"She thinks Isabel is really pregnant. No clue about the pods and their location, which is good," Max says.
"So what else did you get out of her?" Tess asks.
"She said Kivar is one of the best mind gliders in our world. That's what they call dream walkers. She said Izzy used to be just as good as he was," Michael says.
Max then speaks, looking at Tess. "But, he's also an illusionist. That's what they call people, aliens, those like you. He can mind warp."
"Maybe that's why his dream walking is different than mine. I can only see what's already there and maybe bring forth memories, like Adam did that one day," Isabel adds. "But Kivar can like… make new realities in someone's head. He can control things in a way I don't think I could."
"That might be why," Tess says.
"Why what?" Alex asks.
"Part of why he went for us two first. Don't you see? His powers are like mine and Izzy's. I was easy to get. Nasedo had me. But I think Iz was next because his powers are similar. Maybe it's like a test, to see if we can handle him."
"You think we're next?" Max asks.
"He attacked Michael already," Isabel says.
"So Max, Max is next," Liz says.
"We don't know that," Tess says. "I have a feeling this man is smart. Max is right. We need to find his reasons."
"We know his reasons! He wants to kills us and steal Izzy," Michael says.
"That's not what I mean. I mean the reasons behind his methods. Why is he coming after us this way and in this order? Why hasn't Nicolas come back to Roswell to take Isabel and get this Granilith they want so bad? Him and Nasedo know exactly where we are."
"You think you should leave Roswell? Move around?" Alex says, looking like it's the worst possible option.
"No!" Liz says.
"We can't leave!" Isabel says.
"Not without Adam!" Michael finishes.
"We know that," Max says.
"And so does Nasedo. He knows Adam is here but he can't get pass the final barrier to his chamber, not without Isabel and Michael," Tess says.
"We'll never let him in there," Michael assures.
"Not in your right minds you wouldn't," Alex says.
Tess looks at him. "You're brilliant."
"What the hell?" Maria comments.
"The only way to get to Adam is to get to you two," Tess states. "If he breaks your minds and makes you do what he says-"
"He could get to Adam," Max finishes. "What was he asking you to do?" Max asks, looking towards Michael.
"To leave… leave Iz and Adam. They're better off without me."
"No, we need you," Isabel says.
"They do. Michael, if you leave, Adam would hatch and none of us could get to him. He'd be trapped in that chamber, a defenseless baby with no food or care or anything," Max says. "From what Courtney says, Kivar manipulates others into doing his bidding and rarely gets his hands dirty. He's trying to lead you two away so Adam dies without him actually having to kill him."
"Dammit!" Michael says, standing up and moving away. He hits the fridge. Isabel walks after him and puts a hand on his shoulder. He turns and hugs her. They separate after murmuring something and face everyone else.
"When you two met her again, did the tramp say if there is any way to guard your heads?" Maria asks. "I mean Isabel couldn't break into her dreams, so maybe?"
"Yeah," Max says. "She said she could feel Iz trying to tap into her head and blocked her. She didn't tell us how. Michael, you should ask her. She responds best to you."
"Okay."
Max continues. "We also need to find a way to be able to tell if one of us is under Kivar's influence and force him out of our heads. Tess you broke free once, how?"
"Adam." Everyone looks at her. "I told you… he made me feel different and then the day we used the instrument and I felt him and Iz and you and Michael, I remembered what Nacedo did with me. It's like Adam can make things clear… like when he's around I know the truth. I remember myself."
"You remember… that's it. Michael, you were right," Isabel says. "It was a memory. It was the opposite of what he wanted. You said… you said you will never leave me."
"I know. I remembered."
"Exactly you remembered that you don't want what he says and we broke free."
"You beat Kivar in the dreams?" Tess asks. Isabel nods.
"Look, I know you keep saying it's private, but you have to tell us. This could help protect us. What happened in that dream?" Max asks.
"Fine!" Michael growls and gives them the basics of the hole and seeing Vilandra die again and battle and Iz and Adam in the desert turning into blood and how Isabel showed up and made him remember.
"That's it? How did Izzy get in your dream? Was there anything special that made you see a memory where you said the opposite of what Kivar wanted? Where you in the Palace? What were you doing?" Tess asks. Michael looks like he wants to explode. "What?"
Isabel speaks. "I… I heard him. I don't know how but… I heard Michael and I followed his voice and found him. Kivar was hurting him… it was really bad and I… I used the shine. It was like that day when Adam was in distress and I just… I had to."
"Then an alkalean gaze started to grow in the hole and I remembered," Michael adds.
"So you made him remember?" Liz asks.
"I don't know. I just wanted to make Kivar stop. That's all I was focusing on."
"And that was it? You just remember saying you would never leave?" Max asks. Michael is quiet. "Michael?"
"No okay," Isabel interrupts. "We… we were…" She blushes and looks to the ground.
Kyle can't contain his laughter. "What's the matter with you?" Maria admonishes.
"Don't you get it? They were having sex," he says smirking. "Course he'd never leave."
"You're dead."
"Michael, not now," Isabel says, getting in his way. "And no we weren't! We… Rath and Vilandra probably did, but when we saw… they were talking in a cave with flowers. I think… I think she was trying to get him to go back home, but he wouldn't leave. Then… she told him about the baby and they kissed and stuff..."
"Stuff," Kyle smirks. "That's what you call it."
"Stop teasing them," Tess warns.
"A cave?" Max says.
"Yeah," Michael says, annoyed.
"In the flash, we fought at the mouth of a cave. Zan wanted to take Vilandra to be judged and Rath wouldn't let him. What Courtney said… it must be true. You ran away together, probably so she wouldn't bond with Kivar. "
"I think so too," Isabel says. "We caused a war. It was us."
Well tell me what you think. I'm still having the Rebel vs. Dreamer debate in my head. I liked the feedback on that one, but we'll see. Also, I think I have almost decided where to go with Maria and that has me super stoked. She's a fun character. And if you are a Cliffie, amazing, cause the wait for those two will be over soon. Promise. :)