Chapter Five: Forgiveness
It was around two o'clock in the morning when Michael came home. Liz had been in the kitchen watching television, chewing on some Pringles.
"Took you long enough," Liz teased as she turned the television off.
Michael sauntered over to her, stretched out on the couch, and laid his head on Liz's thigh. "I'm beat. Who knew Kyle had that much shit he had to move?"
Liz laughed and began to idly play with Michael's hair. "I can't believe it's just us in the house again. It almost feels empty without him."
Michael became silent as it sunk it. Kyle had moved out.
He sat up, suddenly tense, and rubbed his eyes. "It does."
They both were thinking the same thing in their silence. Kyle is and always had been a part of their little family. But missing Kyle was a step neither of them had gotten to yet.
"He's going to be OK, right?" Liz finally asked. "He said that this would make it better."
Michael put an arm around her shoulder and nodded. "He's going to be fine eventually."
Michael had expected today to be a male bonding moving day type of thing. Instead, it had been sobering for both men. Michael expressed to Kyle that he was genuinely worried about him and confessed that Kyle was like his brother.
But that was forgotten as Liz spoke her next words. "Max is coming soon, Michael. And maybe with all of this Kyle stuff going on you haven't thought it about it but..what are we going to tell him?"
He didn't respond.
"Are you afraid?" Liz asked almost inaudibly. Michael looked up at her to find her biting her bottom lip and her brown eyes large and imploring. It was that age-old 'Liz' look that made her appear young again. When she was full of curiosity, back before her life was tainted.
Michael lifted himself up from her lap. "When we first left, I felt guilty."
Liz furrowed her eyebrow and reached out to comfort him. "I did too, Michael. We talked about this already."
"No. Not that kind of guilt. It was different. I just felt like if anything happened to either of them, I knew it would have been my fault."
"Michael, you don't have to play that role of protector anymore," Liz reminded him.
"I've never had to play it. It's who I was-who I still am. I don't know if I can go back to that. And I'm afraid that with Max around, that comes out-the need to put him first."
On some level, Liz knew that was inside of her too. But she kept quiet, Michael had enough issues with Max. "But I won't let you," Liz said firmly. "You got your girls to protect now."
Michael shrugged. "Sometimes I think you guys can take care of yourself just fine. Sometimes."
"Michael," Liz said softly. "What about Maria?"
When Michael just looked at her with question in his expression, Liz frowned.
"Max will tell her," he replied sourly.
Liz just dropped the subject. Michael had had a long day. She kissed his forehead and smiled gently at him. "Let's go to bed."
Michael looked at her gratefully and stood up. He gazed down at his wife whose eyes were already closing shut.
"Dad, I'm doing fine, OK? I'm not far from Michael and Liz. If anything happens..," Kyle was explaining to his overly concerned dad. His apartment was still littered with boxes and the only thing that was set up was his TV. After moving in with Michael last night, he had crashed. He awoke to his phone ringing and the loud voice of his father.
"But if your powers act up, people could see you," Valenti expressed his concerns.
"I can control my powers, Dad."
"When you're sober."
It hit him like a ton of bricks. So that is what this is about, he thought. Kyle clenched his jaw and said in a calm voice, "Well I'm doing everything I can to stay sober. So it shouldn't be a problem."
"Son..," he began.
"I have to go, alright?" Kyle said quickly. "I'll call you later."
"No! Wait-"
"I'm really not in the mood right now, Dad."
"I want you to come home so you can visit," Valenti rushed out.
"You know I can't right now with the whole Max thing going on," Kyle quickly excused.
Kyle felt bad for dodging his father's attempts but he wasn't ready for this yet.
"But I want you to come home. I want you to meet someone…," and his voice trailed off, anxious for his son's response.
"Natalie," Kyle stated dryly.
He heard Valenti take a deep breath and he rushed out. "Before the wedding."
Kyle's face went pale and his hands squeezed the phone unmercifully. "You're going to fucking *marry* her? Dad, what the hell are you thinking?" he found himself yelling.
"We've been engaged for six months now, Kyle. I wanted to tell you but you never *talk* to me and..," but Kyle couldn't hear anymore. Had his father planned this? It wasn't as if Kyle hadn't felt like everyone else was moving faster than him before, but now it was just driven home. *Into* his home with his new soon-to-be mother. Kyle was too mature to have a can't-replace-my-mother complex and he knew that. Even so, Kyle couldn't help the reaction he had nor the first question that can out of his mouth.
"So when are you planning to tell her that her new son is a half-alien?" Kyle demanded. "Don't you see that it's dangerous to bring anyone else into this?"
"You've said yourself that it's safe now, Kyle," Valenti pointed out to battle his son's worries. "But even if it wasn't, I deserve this, Kyle. I love her. I really do."
"Enough to risk her life?" Kyle spat out without thinking.
"You know I'm not doing that."
Kyle rubbed his hands over his eyes, fully aware that his father wasn't seeking his permission. "Do what you want."
"Son, when Max was here, he told me that I shouldn't be blaming him for you. He said that I should be grateful you're safe and alive."
Kyle snorted. "He's got some balls."
"He's right," his father said solidly. "What happened to you that you won't come home to me?"
"We need to talk about this later. I can't do this right now."
Luckily for him, before his father could convince him anymore, someone knocked on his doorbell lightly. "I'll be right there!" he shouted. "Dad, I have to go," and he hung up the phone.
As soon as he opened the door, he wished he hadn't. "We need to talk about Max," the unwelcome visitor said.
"No, we don't. I'm not his god damn keeper," Kyle spat out.
"Well I am. Can you just hear me out?"
"Fine, Maria, come on in."
The door clicked as it closed and Maria stepped in hesitantly. "I called your dad," she said while looking around. "He told me you were moving. I'm basically just around the corner, you know."
At Maria attempt at small talk, Kyle paled. "What else did he tell you?"
"I know Max is coming," Maria replied. "I know that you could care less about him but I do."
Kyle crossed his arms. "Good to know he has somebody," Kyle remarked. He wasn't sure what Maria was getting at yet.
"Valenti said that he gave Max a PI's number down here."
A sense of dread was beginning to brew in Kyle. Was it possible that Maria knew the truth?
"I can't stop him, Maria."
Maria clenched her jaw tight, faint anger in her stance. "I want you to stop him before he gets hurt."
Kyle recognized that tone. It was the same tone he had used with Maria and Max long ago. Maria made it sound like this was his responsibility and his fault.
"What do you mean?"
"After everyone left us, Max was a wreck. He hardly slept or ate. He acted like a damn zombie and for once we never moved to a different town. He didn't *care* anymore about anything. If he loses her again, he won't make it. And I can't lose *him* so here's the deal. You stop him from finding them. I don't care how you do it or if you get your father and Cal to help you. He doesn't get anymore information or anymore leads. I don't fucking care if you get bodies to show him to prove to him that Liz and Michael are dead."
Suddenly Kyle realized that the ranting raving Maria was gone. She had been placed into the role of Max's protector, serving as the barrier between him and the real world.
"You won't find any bodies," Kyle said in a monotone voice. "And that PI doesn't exist."
"Then where did Valenti send him to?" Maria asked in confusion.
"To Liz."
Maria lost all the color in her face. "To Liz? What are you talking about?"
"And Michael."
Maria froze and she let out a loud gasp. "Max was right the entire time."
"Yeah. He was."
Kyle noticed that Maria had tears in the corners of her eyes. "And they just-do they *know* that Max and I thought they were dead? Are they safe?"
Kyle realized he had probably said too much. But it was too late to take it back now. "They're safe."
And in love and happy-but that wasn't Kyle's place to reveal that much.
"They left like you did, didn't they?" Maria slowly forced out.
"It's more than that," Kyle quickly defended them.
"No," Maria said. "They wouldn't just disappear like that. Why would they do that?"
"To get away from you!" Kyle exclaimed. "They don't have to explain their actions to either of you-you or Max."
"You hid them from me, you bastard!"
"Maria, calm down. When I found out, I was angry too," he tried to reason with her.
"You have no idea-"
"I mourned for them too. I felt grief and guilt like you did. I cried and I screamed. And some nights it was like the loss was too much..all of the loss," Kyle said hauntingly. "But I forgave them."
Cold eyes pierced into Kyle. No forgiveness there. "Max won't."
They were still bound together, all five of them. No space between them could change that. They would always be reaching out, looking for some kind of forgiveness. Maria and Max needed Kyle's, while Kyle just needed his own. In that moment, Kyle realized that Michael and Liz probably weren't going to get any from Maria and Max.
Not a damn ounce.