Chapter Thirty-Three

I thought that maybe you guys wouldn't really understand the relationship between Tess and Eric if I didn't at least provide some explaination so just be openminded and review. Next Chapter soon...

Eric could remember the day he met Tess and everything that happen after. It was 12 years ago on his sixth birthday party. All his classmates from school had come with gifts. Aunt Kayla, his mother's friend arrived that same day from digging expedition in Roswell with her own little gift.

A little girl.

Tess had beeen pretty thin wearing a white dress, her small face surrounded in long curly golden hair with twinkling eyes, rosy cheeks and a big sunshine smile. Eric only six years had been reminded of the Angel paintings from church and immediately took a liking to her. Of course that had before he found out that his mother had offered his birthday to be shared with Tess as a way to welcome the little girl in their lives. To Eric that meant that he had to share his birthday presents with her and being six that had been a horrible thought. That night before Kayla and Tess returned to their house next door, Tess had given Eric his presents back without a word.

The next day at a church picnic Eric noticed Tess sitting by herself and something come over Eric to cause him to ask her to play hide and seek with him and the other kids. Looking back, Eric should have found it strange that she seemed to find everyone effortlessly. But that was the day that Eric and Tess become inseparatable. Eric asked her to get married the next year when they were seven. Two years later, Eric helped Tess try on for cheerleading at Charlestown middle school, a short of a painful memory.

Tess and Eric were such a cute couple even before they knew what the word meant. Cute as little buttons, well at least everyone thought so even their parents. The two survived Middle School together as best friends. Eric remembered those years because that's when their shared their first kiss.

Not the day when they were seven during that pretend wedding when Eric still disgusted at the idea of girls had given Tess a peck on the cheek. Their first real kiss happen when they were twelve years old after a swimming pool party. They were walking home and it began to rain. Eric remembered grabbing Tess's hand while they ran.

"I can't believe this" Tess had declared her voice filled with fastraution, "Who has a swimming party and then it rains?"

"Someone who didn't check the weather" Eric had said before holding Tess and twilling her around, her laughter filled the air and that made him smile.

"Who has a party without checking the weather?" Tess had asked out of breath.

That's when Eric stopped before looking back at her, "Does it matter, we have been in water for the last few hours and this is a summer shawor so the water is warm"

In a moment their eyes met and for the next few minutes a cute soft of ackwardness arose between the two veiled by small amounts of laughter here and there.

"Tessa" Eric had only said stepping closer to Tess, pushing her hair aside and leaned foward before giving her a kiss. Both where rather inexperianced but somehow that kiss was the sweetest thing ever.

"That wasn't how I imagined my first kiss" Tess had said right afterwards

"Funny, this is exactly how I imagined mine" Eric had spoken after her, "It was with you"

Tess had just flashed him a smile before she taging him and fled leaving Eric with no choice but to follow her.

They shared little kisses after that until highschool began. Fourteen years old and was about the same time that Tess's memories were transformed into dreams or nightmares...depending. Eric was there helping her with that sugesting that if Tess was able to write about her dreams or maybe paint what she saw it would be better for her. For Tess, her fourteenth year was when everything began to unveal. That was the year that Thomas Harding showed up as Tess's biological father, her dreams become fully pleadged, her mother was diagnosis with lung cancer because of all the dirt in her lungs.

It was also the year that she found out that she was an alien.

The year Eric learned of that fact. He was freaked out in all honest.

Eric and Tess were standing inside her room sitting on the bed when spiders began crawling up all over Eric's body. He had been so scared considering that he really hated spiders and feared those six-legged freaks. Then a few moments later, the feeling of those spiders was gone and Tess was sitting there looking at him in expectance.

After she had told him that she was an alien, Eric had laughed out loud afterall he had never heard of anything more rediculas that had been before she had mind-warped him.

"You really are an alien" Eric had been scared shitless when he stated that sentence and looking very alarmed unable to notice that Tess's face was tear striken.

Eric had left that night without another word. Avoided Tess that entire week until finally he found himself missing her so very much. He went to her and found her reading a book, tears streaming down her cheeks reminding him once more that this was Tess...

His Tessa.

That night Tess had told him her ill-fated tale in a galaxy far far away and about the on-going war. Eric had been very concerned about Zan so much because the first day of high school, Tessa and him had exchanged rings and made a pact about their future.

Eric and Tess were standing in front of a school building holding the other's hand tightly and engrossed in one another. The other free hand was holding into plastic rings that Eric had gotten for 50 cents each. Tess had thought that it was absolutely romantic thing to do and Eric's little speach had made it all the whole better.

"Okay, this rings are a symbol of our promise to one another to always be friends and always be together...no matter what comes our way. A promise that after these here four years of torment and painful hell, we will get engaged, go to New York City and get married. We'll have two children, Baba and Barbia..."

"Baba and Barbia?" Tess was struggling not to laugh as Eric spoke but he always had a way of making her laugh.

"Shhh" Eric chastened her shook his head before a continuance, "That all our dreams come true, you becoming a dance instructor, me becoming a doctor or whatever...I don't care what I become as long as I'm with you"

Tess smile had grown brighter with that declaration before she rolled her eyes and gave Eric a small kiss.

So Eric finding out that the man of Tess's dreams was real hadn't been a very good thing with him. After the long talk that night between Tess and Eric everything become normal again, as normal as possible. Something of course still bothered Eric, if Tess was an alien..how could Thomas Harding be Tess's biological father? Unless of course he was an alien too? But Eric never had any chances of finding out for the longest time because Tessa's mother passed away and the way Thomas Harding handled Tess kinda made Eric a little unnerved. For one thing, Tessa never talked to Eric about Thomas Harding until Eric brought it up.

Eric and Tess where sitting in Eric's den drinking pepsi and saying nothing when Eric decided to open his big mouth.

"Tessa" Eric had called out to her not knowing how to bring it up and just went with it, "About Thomas?"

"I don't want to talk about it" Tess had claimed in her finality voice.

It had been a week after her mother's death and Eric had wanted to make sure that she was safe and that Thomas whoever he was didn't endanger Tess so he contunued to get a rise out of her just to have her tell him who the hell this guy was.

"He said he is your father Tessa" Eric said looking at her incredulously, "But that isn't true so you are playing with fire..."

"Oh my Gosh" Tess suddenly snapped interupting Eric, "My mother is dead, do you think I care or thinking about Thomas Harding right now? He is here and he thinks he is a father to someone...look can't I grieve my mother without thinking about this alien stuff, can't I be normal for this?"

Eric was silent before nodding his head in understanding, "Sure...okay"

Eric never brought up Thomas Harding's identity after that day, weeks passed by and so did the months. Whenever Eric come to Tessa's home things were different, the whole vibe was different and the way Mr. Harding was acting was still unerving to Eric and the way Tessa acted around him was so fake. She would act as if he was actually her birth father.

It was still uncomfortable for him.

But his patience paid off however because Tess finally told him who Thomas Harding really was. Apparantly he was another alien by the name of Nasado and he was some sort of protector. Eric had been worried when he found out but somehow Tess was convinced that Nasado wasn't a threat. Eric also found out that day that Tess only told him because Nasado wanted to find the others. And by others Eric knew that Tess was talking about her dream man...

Zan the king.

"You are leaving me" Eric was once again in Tess's room and he was really shocked by the turn of events.

"No" Tess had been quick to say looking very much in pain, "I don't want to leave you Eric"

"But you are" Eric said after her looking straight at her, he didn't know how to react to that news. He was angry and the first thing he had wanted to say was that she couldn't leave him and that he needed her but that's not what he said..."I guess we knew that this day would come...you are meant for something great"

"Eric" Tess had whispered his name regrettable but he wouldn't let her say more.

"Millions are you know, counting on you and stuff" Eric had said trying not to be angry with her or be sad.

"And I have to find my family" Tess finally said but Eric knew that she had thought of this for the longest time. Talking about her decision with Nasado.

"I guess I can't be selffish, Right?" Eric had asked with a small smile.

Tess had tried to smile but failed miserable, "I can't be selffish either."

Tess had told Eric that she would be leaving right along with Nasado that night and that was goodbye for both of them.

Until now.