Chapter 62 The end is near

Larek sat after his little outburst at a wall with his hands hiding his face and his legs pressed at his body. He regretted destroying the small tv, but it had felt good, at least for a few minutes. Now he wondered how they could prevent the world from knowing their secret. He wished he would have never agreed to take this challenge, although it had been nice to see his former friends again. But at this moment right now, he wanted to be someone else on some other planet, hopefully with no problems, well not so big problems. He felt the glances of the people around him, waiting for an order or some solution to the current situation. Truthfully he had no idea what they should do or what they could do at all. It had been a live broadcasting and probably thousands if not more had been watching it. Other news station and news programms would be also showing the scene soon and more people would have proof for aliens. They had managed to avoid the FBI with a little bit of help from the Sheriff, but now they would know the truth. They couldn´t let that happen. Not just a few lifes were on the line, it were much much more. Too many to count. Dropping his hands Larek looked up at the frightened faces. Nolak was missing from the group, apparently already doing something. Breathing out relieved he stood up, feeling some of the pressure easing off of his back.

" Feeling better or you want something different to throw?", Max tried to banish the tension hanging thickly in the air. All right, it didn´t look too good for them at the moment. But that didn´t mean they couldn´t change it. They were all smart and could think about some plan for their problem.

Larek nodded his head, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He usually didn´t lose his temper, that had been more Rath terrain. But it was either destroying something or exploding, which he would have prefered, at least then he could have spared himself the pity glances. " It´s over. I just needed to relieve some testosterone".

Max looked at him with sympathy, having felt the same. It was like everything was falling apart around them and nobody could do to stop it. What they needed was someone that had the strength and the stubbornness to stand up against Marianna. Unfortunately the only one capable of that was dead and the other was presently on the dark side. " Good, because we need you thinking clearly now and not losing your cool. We have to stop the broadcasting stations to transmit the filming material around the world. But how can we do that?".

" Larek! Come quick. Something unbelievable happened", one of the doctors from sick bay was coming towards them all. His face was showing his surprise evidently. But thankfully it didn´t look like it would be bad news this time.

Larek turned to the excited man, wondering what went wrong. He was glad that he had let his frustration already out. " What? Jerry Springer inviting Maria to his show?"

The doctor frowned at that comment. He wasn´t understanding the joke and he didn´t want to. Besides he wasn´t here to listen Larek saying stupid things, he had more important news. Finally something joyful. " No. A few moments ago two person had been transfered into one of our rooms".

" But I thought nothing alien could come in?", Kyle was confused. Didn´t Larek tell him that this base was protected from intrution from the outside? If that wasn´t the case anymore, maybe they could sent someone to get Maria back without using the elevator.

Larek thought the same thing until a few seconds ago. Something must have happened to the protective shield Nolak had built on the base and the area around it. Facing the doctor he asked the question everyone wanted to know. " Who are this persons?".

The doctor glanced quickly at the athletic young man before turning his attention back to the man in front of him. " The Sheriff and his wife".

" My parents are here? How are they? How did they come here?", Kyle didn´t even wait for an answer. Fastly he stormed into the direction of the hospital wing of the base without looking after the others. He didn´t care about their bad situation anymore, he had to see his parents and make sure that they were at one piece.

Tess glanced at the stunned faces of her friends before following her boyfriend, having the need to see for herself that this really happened. Seconds later the whole group got in gear and trailed after the two, led in front from Liz and Max. Isabel and Larek built the end. Alex was still in sick bay, because a doctor wanted to see after his leg and maybe heal it, so that he could walk again, at least quicker than originally intended. He was even the first noticing the many people storming in the room and staring unbelievable at Jim and Amy lying peacefully on the cots. He hadn´t really grasped the thought that they were here and the way they got here. They just appeared out of nowhere, puff and voila. It was like magic. The doctor treating him had immediately dropped what he was doing and went to his new patients. Shocked he checked them for any side effect of being orbed or how they made it through the tight security from Nolak. Thankfully they both had survived without any mutations or new injuries so far.

Kyle´s shock eased away at the picture from his parents and he made his way at their side. Touching their arms he felt tears prick his eyes. They were real and they were here with him. " Are they alright?".

" Yes. Unless you count the wounds they had before they appeared", Alex stood up from his wheelchair, sighing with relief when he noticed his feet carrying his weight and the nonexistent pain in his leg. Finally he wasn´t trapped in this rolling thing anymore.

Isabel smiled at the picture and threw her arms around him, happy that he was better. Although she liked to wheel him around and take care of him. But she knew the day would happen when he could walk on his own feet again, even though she would have liked it not so early. " I´m glad to see that you´re better".

Alex grinned joyful, feeling better with the arms of the most beautiful woman around him. If she would react everytime he was over an injury he would start risking his bones with dangerous things. Maybe he would begin with extreme skateboarding. " Yeah well I´ve got good genes", he caught the worried expression of his friends over the shoulder of his girlfriend and wondered if it was the special appearance of Maria on tv that put the frowns on their faces. " So you heard about the tv performance, too?".

" Heard? We saw it with our own eyes", Larek had thought about what they could do to stop the people from knowing about them the whole time the two lovers celebrated the healed wound. It had been luck that they made it this far without getting discovered, but now that a war was coming it was dangerous for every person curious enough to see real breathing aliens. They knew what would happen if it would leak that the martians had landed on earth. Most of the people would be afraid and the rest would start to plan travels to Roswell.

Alex bit his lip, clearly as worried as everybody else. This could bring more trouble than it was worth. Wrapping his right arm around the middle of Isabel he faced the others. " Do you have a camera?".

Larek stared at him with disbelieve, already thinking about letting the boy check for any head injuries. Why did he need a camera? And what did he want to do with it? Unbelievable, everybody around him was slowly losing their minds. Was someone sane in this room? " Yeah. But I don´t know what you want with it".

" Is there a room we can change into a tv studio, in say like two minutes?", Alex went through a mental checklist. He would need a chair, a table, someone holding the camera, light, a background, papers and a computer with a Internet connection. Then they could put away the most obvious problem within the next hour.

Larek finally realized what his smart friend meant. They would make a counter report and send it on air to prevent the scene from diffusing. Brilliant idea and feasible. But one thing was unclear. " How do you want to get it out?".

Alex raised an eyebrow at the older man like he wanted to say what a dumb question that was. " Hey, your talking to geek boy. I just need a computer with internet and we can hack into every processor from every tv station in america".

" Then don´t waste more time, let´s go", Larek grasped the young boy´s arm and dragged him out. They were closely followed from Isabel, Max and Liz.

Kyle hadn´t even noticed the conversation, he was sitting in the middle of the cots where his parents were lying. He had got a chair and placed him there. His head was turning from one side to the other, always watching for some kinda change. For the first time since everything happened, he felt the grief deeply. The weight of his pain was too hard for him to bear anymore and he started to cry bitterly. Strong sobs wracking his body and big fat drops falling from his eyes. Immediately Tess stepped at his side and embraced him. Shedding tears on her own she felt his arms squeezing her thightly and his face hiding at her belly. Together they let out the sorrow for the last two days and for the next days to come.

Copper Summit

Marianna came around to voices talking heatedly in front of her. At first she thought she was sleeping and this was some dream plane. But then she felt the slight throbbing on her head and the blurry vision combined with a sick feeling in her stomach. Groaning quietly she opened her eyes and the first thing leaping in her eyes were the big windows streaming a whole lot of sunshine through it. Dropping her sight she waited until her eyes had fully adjusted to the brightness before continueing to discover where she was. Looking to her right she saw a large gateway with what appeared to be a heavy lock in front of it. Not finding anything helping her she glanced at her left and noticed chains with hooks hanging from the high ceiling, a anvil standing under them and a big oven at the back. She seemed to be in the workplace of a blacksmith. Trying to turn her body, she finally recognized that her hands were immobile. Gazing along her right arm she found both of them tied over her head with black handcuffs attached on the wall behind her. Jarring at them she made an attempt to free herself. Unfortunately the chains weren´t exactly soundless and so she attracted the attention of the three males in the room with her. Lykus stepped away from his two companions and stopped close before her face, almost touching his nose with hers.

" Glad you could finally find the time to join us".

Marianna stared with pure hate at him, having waited so long for this moment. Even with her hands kept prisoner she was sure that she could take him, just with the fury inside her body. Finally she was eye to eye with her greatest enemy, the man killing everything that meant something to her. Khivar, albeit not in his own body. " I could say the same about you. I was already disappointed to hear that you just sent this small troll to kill me. I have to say I had expected more from you".

Khivar grinned at her, amused about her attempt to be brave. Stroking her cheek, he remembered the way her mother had begged for her life before he had killed her. The satisfying feeling when he saw her eyes losing this sparkle with every drop of blood from her headwound. " I forgot how charming you can be. Where did you learn such language?".

" Don´t you dare act like you had known me! You ignored me for all my life and wouldn´t have even flinched when I would have killed all your men in a battle", Marianna felt her past self pushing her way through the mist in her mind and waiting for the right point to attack. There was so much rage inside her that it was wonder that the huge hall was still standing and not already blasted into pieces.

Khivar´s eyes turned to black at the obvious complain. How could he acknowledge her when he knew that she wasn´t his? To stand the sight of something that wasn´t from his blood with so much power and leadership? To see the betrayal of his wife everyday, even through he never loved her. But she had been his and he didn´t share, with no one. " Do you want to start listing my faults or are you interested to hear why I´m here?".

Marianna raised a questionally eyebrow at the man. He wanted to talk? To her? What was going on? Something smelled fishy here. " I´m listening, as you can see I´m not going anywhere soon", to get her point across she shook her bound wrist.

" Good girl, at least I taught you something", he stepped away from her but careful to always have her in sight. As much as he didn´t want to admit, she was stronger than he thought and more deadly than she looked. He wouldn´t make the mistake to underestimate her, especially now. " Did you know that the Earth has much more to offer than Antar? It´s bigger, the people are vulnerable and much more fun to kill. Except for their politics, which I find very disturbing, I like this planet".

Marianna wasn´t sure she could follow his train of thoughts. Well she wasn´t so experienced with crazy talk and arrogant bastards, so it wasn´t such a surprise there. Maybe if she hadn´t slept in the class about cold hearted, mindless, pitful men trying to take over the world, she would have known what he was talking about. " You forgot the smog, the many crimes, the meaningless wars, children shooting children, fathers touching their daughters, mothers killing their children and stupid politicians trying to rule the country with empty phrases".

Khivar grinned at the picture she was showing him. If she was trying to scare him away she was not so good at it. The things she said was doing the exact opposite, it was making him more interested in this planet where people were destroying each other on a daily basis. Why should he do the damage when there was enough creature doing the dirty work for him? " That´s even better. I can watch everyone killing each other without lifting a finger and enjoy the show. This world has so much potential, it just needs a good leader".

" And you think you´re the right one for the job?", Marianna bit her lip to stop herself from breaking out in loud laughter. She didn´t want to be so cruel to him, but the thought alone that he wanted to take over the Earth was hilarious. Mankind wasn´t made for slavery or to be wiped out. They would fight back with their weapons until their last breath. Khivar should have seen Independence Day, that would save him all the trouble later. " I hate to break it to you, but you will never rule this planet. Even if you will kill me and every antarian men at our base, these humans are more tough than they appear and some of them don´t even have fear in their bodies. They won´t go down without a hard battle".

Khivar pinched her cheek, valuing her for the way she thought ahead. Too bad that it wouldn´t be of use for her. It was such a shame that she had been always such a headstrong young woman, not taking orders and being independent. " I already considered that in my plans. But thanks for reminding me".

Marianna snapped her head away from his slimey fingers. She was worried about all the people dying if he was really putting his plan in action. The children, the animals, the buildings, the art, everything would be just gone. No, she wouldn´t let that happen. " I will stop you. This time you die through my hands".

" I hate to tell you that, but you won´t be alive that long", Khivar pushed his hands in the back of his jeans and pulled something out. It was an old dagger with a hand-carved handle. The wood was from the strongest tree on Antar. On it were the symbols of his kingdom. The scorpion. The sharp blade was reflecting the sun shining on it. " Any last words you want to share with us?".

Marianna turned her glance to the right and saw Nicolai and Rath standing side by side in front of the gateway. Both appeared to be emotionless. But by closer inspecting she noticed that they seemed to be on alert and ready to jump into action. Rath even blinked at her. Confused she faced Khivar again. " Yeah. Fu you, you son of a bitch".

Khivar knew that she would say something like that. Smiling big he striked out with his arm and took all of his strenght to plunge the dagger into the body of this traitor. But suddenly a white light was blinding him and he stabbed aimless forward. With satisfaction he felt a resistance and something wet splattering on his hand. A muffled cry of pain was heard. Joyful he looked up when the light disappeared. Shocked he saw in the dying eyes of his son. Whirling around he detected Marianna standing besides Rath, the same spot where Nicolai had been before. " I was right. You had been the goddess, not your mother".

" That´s the only thing in your mind right now? You just killed your own son!", unbelievable. It wasn´t just her he had dismissed from the start, it had been her half brother, too. No wonder Nicolai had been working against his father.

Khivar gazed at his son hanging lifeless in the handcuffs, blood dripping out of his mouth. For a moment he felt something close to sorrow. But it was gone as soon as it came and he drew his attention to girl he thought had been his daughter. " It´s no great loss. He was planning something against me anyhow. He would have died either way".

Marianna shook her head disgusted at the bastard. She wondered now why she had tried to get his approval so much. He obviously wasn´t worth it. He hadn´t even so much heart to mourn the death of his own flesh and blood. " Oh my god! You really are a ruthless, cold hearted jackass".

" Someone has to be the bad guy, don´t you think?", Khivar had no problem with being this person. Besides he didn´t know what should be so great about being nice. The good people always got the shit end of the stick while the evil ones walked through life without a care.

Marianna didn´t know why she was still standing there and listened to the bullshit he was sprouting. She should put a stop to her misery and kill him. After all he was the one behind the death of her mother, her second family and her lover. He made her life living hell and he didn´t even care about it. " Yeah. But the bad guys never win. The heros always save the day".

Khivar thought about the prophecy the old witch had told him. Someone close to him born with the strength of a goddess would be his downfall. He had been so sure that it was his wife, but now he knew that it had been Marianna all along and he wondered if this was his end. " But I´m not really here, just in this shell of your former fiance. You try to kill me and you kill him while I´m on my way back home planning the armaggedon of this planet".

" Then I suggest you get your ugly ass here and fight me like a real man or are you too chicken to face me?", Marianna didn´t mind losing Lykus, she knew that sacrifices had to be made in a war and he was one of the few people she could live without. But the thought that she wouldn´t even kill the one she was trying to wasn´t worth it.

Khivar wasn´t too happy about the insult and stretched his arm out. Instead of a blast like Marianna expected a hammer was flying towards her. Before she could react it hit her directly on her forehead and knocked her off of her feet. " Okay whatever you want. Tomorrow at noon in the desert. You, me and our men".

When Marianna stood up from the ground, holding a hand on the spot the tool had made impact, she immediately noticed Lykus lying dazed on the floor, blinking in confusion at her before looking around. It seemed like Khivar had finally disappeared. Walking towards the fallen man she offered him her hand and helped him stand. " Are you okay?".

" Yeah. I think. What happened? Why am I here?", Lykus couldn´t remember anything after he left the base in Roswell. One minute he went to his car and the next absolute nothing. Strange, it was like he lost his memory for a while.

Marianna glanced deeply in his eyes to make sure that it wasn´t a trick and she was really talking to him. Relieved she noted that he was himself again and not Khivar possessing him. That had been a hell of a trip. " Khivar had been controlling you, but now he´s gone".

Lykus eyed her worriedly, checking her visibly for any injury. He didn´t want to hurt her in any kind, not after what he had done to her. Realizing that her hand was on her forehead and red fluid coming from the place he felt disgusted with himself. " Oh god, did I do that?".

" Not really. Don´t make such a fuss, it´s nothing serious", lifting her hand from the small wound she looked at it. Seeing the blood she was thrown for a moment because there was no pain. Not even a pinching. But if she was bleeding so much the bruise had to be hurting pretty bad.

Lykus inspected her skin and was surprised to see a small scratch closing fast. The blood around it was disappearing as well just as quick. Impressed he touched the spot where the injury had been and discovered that everything was gone and nothing was visible anymore. " Woah, you just healed yourself in record time. That´s a pretty neat trick you´ve got there".

Marianna was glad about that gift or else she could be really hurt. Looking at the hammer lying at her feet, she was sure that for anyone else the impact would have been deadly. Thank god for her thick skull. " Part of the goddess deal".

" I know what happened to Michael", Nicolai had told him that information and even through they hadn´t been friends, he felt his loss more than he had thought. Maybe because he meant so much to Maria and she was the one suffering in all this. Or there was a tiny part respecting the other man. Either way it had been a slap for him to know that the royals were one less.

Marianna turned away from him and walked towards her half brother. She didn´t want to think about Michael now, because then she would start crying again and she wouldn´t probably stop soon with it. Besides the sorrow was still too fresh and the pain seemed to choke her. Ignoring the question she stepped closer to Nicolai to see for herself that he really was dead. Although she didn´t feel anything towards him, he was after all still her brother and a small part of her felt sympathy for him. He had been just a product from Khivar and his education. He never had a chance to grow up like any normal boy. Just as she was about to lay a hand on his chest to show her respect, she startled when it was slapped away. Angrily she whirled her head around to look at the basher. Stunned she stumbled backwards in the arms of Lykus. " What are you doing here Rath? Didn´t you destroy enough?".

Rath moved forward and stopped immediately in his tracks when he saw her hand shooting upwards. Holding his hand up in surrender he tried to find the right words to explain a few things. " I´m not here to make trouble. Believe me, I want to help".

" I should believe you? Never", Marianna wouldn´t make the same mistake and trusting the wrong people again. She had finally learned that lesson and she had learned even something new. Concentrating she flung him at the wall behind him and kept him trapped there. Briskly marching in his direction she paused in front of him. " You killed my sister and you hurt my parents. Tell me one good reason why I shouldn´t kill you?".

Rath almost lost his consciousness from the collision with the wood. His breath was knocked from his lungs and the back of his head crashed with full force against the hard plank. He prayed to everything holy to him that he would do anything if his death would be quick and without pain. But seeing his former lover glaring at him with black eyes he was sure that he could forget that. " Because I´m on your side. Your sister had been an accident. You know I would never do something to hurt you".

Marianna glanced in those familiar eyes and she recognized the person she fell in love with on Antar. The same guy who had teased her, stolen her clothes, saved her from Lareks evil two left feet and had annoyed her to no end. And yet she was afraid that it was an ambush. " Why should I believe a thing you´re saying?".

" Because he´s telling the truth. He had to do something to get Khivars trust which would get him the inside scoop which in return was good for us. Yes he planted the bomb on the car, but he placed it so obvious that he knew you would find it and save your parents. He´s pretty heartbroken about the loss of your sister", Lykus was more than pissed to admit it. As much as he wanted to let the other man suffer her fury, after all they never got along even if they stood on the same side, he couldn´t do it. It wouldn´t have felt right after the many things they both had do endure under the watchful eyes of Nicolai and Khivar. Besides if Marianna was getting angry, he had a scapegoat for everything.

Marianna turned around and stared puzzled at Lykus. He was defending someone he thought was the most disgusting creature he knew? Either Rath was really telling the truth or they both were making common cause. Alarmed she stepped back from them and rummaged around in her pocket for the bullets she had put there. Finally finding them she pulled all out. " Okay I don´t know who I can trust anymore, so I suggest a little game with the nice name Russian Roulette. I´ve got five winchester bullets who can kill a fully grown elephant. I will take two", she held them up for the boys to see. " and reserve them for you in case you try to lie to me. Should I realize you´re not honest with me I won´t hesistate to blast your brains out".

Lykus went forward to explain everything to her, but when he noticed her glare. She wasn´t kidding, she was dead serious with her threat. He could even understand her. If he would be in her situation he wouldn´t react differently. " We´re not the bad guys", seeing one of the bullets hovering in the air, he knew that he wouldn´t get far with a rational approach. " What can we do to make you trust us?".

" Bring Michael back and Lindsey and undo everything that happened in the last days", Marianna was well aware of the fact that nobody had the power to do that, but she was so tired. Tired of this responsibility, tired of being sad, angry or hurting and most of all tired of this life. It felt like a life time since she had been a relative normal teenagers, worrying about clothes, Make up and the cute guy at the mall. She couldn´t even remember the last time she talked to her girlfriends without it being something dangerous or about an attack. If they should come out of this alive, they would make up for it.

Rath´s fear melted at the broken girl in front of him and without thinking twice he strode past Lykus towards Marianna and wrapped his arms around her. Tenderly he started to caress her back while he slightly rocked her. " I´m sorry sweetie, we can´t do that. But if I could I would do it immediately for you".

Lykus felt a little out of place and jealous about the peaceful picture. They both were so made for each other that it hurt to see them so intimatedly intertwined. Like they had made a time transfer and were now on Antar again. " I´ll get back at the base and inform Larek and Nolak about Khivars appointment", picking up that his presence wasn´t longer of use and that they both didn´t even listen to him, he went out of the building.

Meanwhile Marianna had lost all her anger and now there was just grief, hard and painful. The tears she had kept inside for so long broke out of her like out of a damaged dam. All the feelings she had supressed were bubbling to the surface and were almost choking her. Deep sobs were rocking her body and she held tight onto Rath muscular arms. " I want him back. I can´t live without him. I need him at my side".

" I know. But sometimes things happen and we can´t change them even if we wanted", Rath felt tears prickling his eyes, which he tried to blink away. He didn´t know if it was her feelings echoing through him, because of his empath powers or if it was the pain in her eyes that broke his heart. Looking at her head he saw that she had changed into her human form again.

Maria pressed her face at his chest and noticed the familiar scent. It was reminding her about Michael and yet it was different. The strong hands rubbing her back comfortly felt intimate and strange. Actually it was so like her past and her present met the future. Unfortunately it wasn´t so bad. " Everything is falling apart around me and I can´t do anything against it. Again. I lost the father of my children and I couldn´t save him. I can´t defeat destiny nor can I escape it".

Rath was surprised about the fact that she was pregnant. Nobody had told him about it. That was changing everything now, all the thoughts were useless. " Yes you can and you will", he pushed her softly away from his body and looked in her puffy eyes with the red cute nose. " Marianna didn´t know the word giving up and she would have never abandoned her people. If you want or not you´re her and I can see her in you. You were born for this moment and no matter the outcome you will get through it".

" I don´t think I can. I don´t have the strength anymore", Maria pulled her arms back from him and went to the wall besides her, where she slumped on the ground. Drawing her legs at her body she put her head on her knees and watched the outside. It was like the reality and her life were worlds apart. The humans lived on Earth wile she was stuck in a place called hell.

Rath walked towards her and made himself comfortable at her side. Laying his right arm around her shoulder he pulled her closer. He probably needed the contact more than her, but it was a wonderful feeling to have her near again. Until their last conversation he hadn´t known how much he had missed her. " You´re just tired. Maybe you should sleep a little", seeing her panicked expression he smiled at her. " Don´t worry, I will stay with you and protect you from any harm".

Maria wouldn´t admit it but she really was dead on her feet and close to collapse. But the fear of not being on guard and maybe losing more of her family was keeping her awake. And she was afraid to go to sleep and not wake up again. " Thanks for the offer, but it´s not necessary".

" I insist. Besides do it for the babies inside you. It can´t be good for them when you destroy yourself", Rath laid a hand on her belly and immediately two tiny bright spots appeared under her t-shirt, seemingly greeting him. He grinned at her while the feeling of warmth and love was flooding him. That would have been his children if he would have been faster. Sadly they would never know their father and how much he would have loved them.

Maria put her hand on top of his and a part of the love was passing over to her. For the first time she really felt that she was pregnant and that two tiny persons were in her, waiting to come into this world. Two replicas of her and Michael. Happy tears fell from her eyes when she noticed them kicking. It wasn´t hard, but it was there. She hadn´t been having time to grasp the whole pregnancy thing with everything going on and she wondered if she would even have the time to enjoy it. " You´re right. A little sleep won´t hurt me".

Rath patted his lap with both hands, ignoring the fact that she gave him right in something. Seconds later she was laying with her head on his legs and fell asleep as soon as she was comfortable while he brushed her hair back and watched her beautiful face. He had dreamed about a reunion with her since knowing that she was here on Earth. But when he saw her so deeply in love with another man, it had broken his heart, even through he knew that the other man had his essence in his body. " I will help you get back what you´ve lost, I swear. This time we both make a difference", bending down he tenderly kissed her forehead before he went back to observing his surroundings.

Dreamplane

Maria was standing again at the beach she had been the first time in her dream. But this time it didn´t feel so calm anymore. Not that it felt dangerous or so, but something felt different. Whirling around she looked if anything was at another place or gone. But everything was at the right spot and there. Confused she dropped her gaze and saw two tiny sets of footprints edged into the sand with larger ones besides them. Intrigued she followed the traces while she kept her ears on alert in case the thing from the last time made an appearance again. A few miles later she tripped over something and crashed on the soft, warm sand. Quietly cursing she turned around and noticed that she stumbled across a huge shell. Crawling towards it she startled when it opened and a wonderful white pearl emerged. Stunned from the beauty, she stretched her hand out to get the expensive ball. But before she even came near it, the thing snapped shut and almost bit off her finger in the process. Pulling her arm back horrofied, she glared at the shell.

" I didn´t want the pearl anyway. In my world I can buy it if I want and you can´t do anything against it. Stupid sea thingy".

Suddenly steps neared her and she turned around in alarm, fearing that it was something dangerous or deadly or both. Jumping to her feet she put her right arm up and surprisingly a green forcefield appeared out of nowhere. " Don´t worry princess. I come in peace".

Maria lost her balance for a moment when she heard the familiar voice. Squinting against the sun she just recognized the outlines of the person in front of her, but she already knew who it was. " Michael?".

" Yeah babe, it´s me", he slowly walked out from the blinding light and touched tenderly her face. A bright smile was on his face and he seemed to be at ease. His amber eyes were sparkling happily and they weren´t so full of worry and sadness anymore.

Immediately Maria threw her arms around him and pressed him tightly at herself. She knew that he wasn´t really there with her and as soon as she woke up he would still be dead, but at least here she could pretend he was with her and alive. Crying softly on his black Metallica t-shirt she picked up the most wonderful smell in the world. Now she knew that it was him. " I miss you so much".

Michael kissed her head while his hands were soothingly massaging her back. " I miss you, too. Much more than I expected".

" Then I grew more on you than I thought", smiling through her tears she pulled back to look in his eyes. For the first time she really felt calm, collected and in peace with herself. She couldn´t remember the last time she had that feeling and it had been much longer when she smiled without it being forced. Cupping his face she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him with a passion that almost blew both of their heads away.

Michael had a nice blush when she released him. It was the cutest expression on him. It made him look like a teenager who just got his first kiss. Never in the time she had known him did he appear more beautiful to her than in this moment. " Oh damn".

Maria was just in the process to say the same, when she heard quiet giggles besides her. Turning her head she didn´t see anyone whether at her right nor at her left side. Glancing down she finally discovered the source of the noise. Belle and her brother were there again. Both trying in vain to hide their snickers behind their tiny hands. " Hello sweeties. It´s nice to see you again".

" They came with me", Michael shocked her with that statement and after he said that the two children walked at his side and pressed their small bodies at him.

Maria eyed the three standing in front of her. They almost looked like a family, at least without a mother. Suddenly she noted the similarities between the young boy and Michael. They were one and the same, just that the boy had green eyes. Turning her attention to the girl she realized she was the replica of her just with brown eyes. Finally she figured out that they were her children. Shocked she held her right hand in front of her mouth. Meeting the glance of Michael she saw the truth in his expression. Kneeling on the ground she put her hands of the faces of the children. " Oh my god. I know who you are".

Belle grinned widely at her mother before embracing her wholeheartly. " I thought you would never find it out".

" I´m so sorry for not recognizing you sooner. I was so busy with everything else. Forgive me", Maria caressed the blonde hair with one hand while the other was still holding onto the cheek of the boy, which she had named Rath because of his moping character. She looked deeply in his eyes which were so familiar to her. Smiling at him she saw his initial dislike dissolve into nothing. His expression softened and he followed the example of his sister and huged his mother. For a few minutes the three paused in this position and enjoyed the closeness.

Until Michael coughed loudly to get their attention. He glanced at the invisible watch on his wrist and then at his family. " We don´t have much time. We´ve got a reason for being here".

Maria stood up from the sandy ground without releasing the hands of her children and faced him. She had been so happy to see them that she forgot about everything else going on. She should have known that she wasn´t here to have a reunion with her lover. Of course there was always something else. " What give´s?".

" I know you have heard about the granilith. We got some information about it and I know you won´t like them", carefully he took her hand and stroked over the back of it with his thumb to take away the fear a little. After all the complete responsibility was laying on her shoulders and she was the only one capable to end this war, which had been raging for centuries now. " Okay, this granilith was built for Nemetona. She is the only one able to control it".

Maria was puzzled for a moment. As far as knew that was a good message. Nemetona lived deep down inside her and nobody else would know how to activate or use the thing. But nothing in her world was easy any longer, so she was prepared for the downside of the deal. " I hear a but in all this".

Michael hated to be the one bringing bad news, but it had to be done. If she wanted to do everything in her power to defeat Khivar this time, she needed all information that would give her an advantage. Besides he didn´t want to see her joining him so quick. " Yeah. A goddess has a body that can come through everything, which is the reason that she has so much power. To activate the granilith she needs to use all of her energy. Unfortunately you are a goddess just with the body of an antarian woman, which means you can use the granilith, but there´s a chance that you won´t survive the lose of so much energy".

" Are you trying to tell me that I can end this war but I won´t be alive to witness it?", Maria felt her children squeezing her hands tightly, like they would know the implication of what was going on. Maybe they knew already what would be happening in the future. After all they weren´t even born and yet they made the impression to know more than her.

Michael saw the fear in her eyes and all he wanted to do was taking her in his arms and telling her that everything would be okay. That she would survive this and there would be a happy ending. Unfortunately he had no influence with future events.The only thing he could offer was to stay at her side and guide her, maybe even giving her a little hope back. " I´m sorry. I know this isn´t what you wanna hear right now, especially after everything you went through. But we wanted to tell you the options, so that you can decide what do to. The ball is now in your court and no matter what you choose the kids and I will be behind you 100 percent".

Maria sensed a heart attack or at least her brain would explode in the next seconds. How could he say something like that to her? It was like deciding between dying from burning or drowning. Both were painful and not in the least comfortable. She couldn´t just sacrifice herself in her state. Well if she wouldn´t be pregnant she would do it in a heartbeat. But now she had to consider her babies in her decision. On the other hand she couldn´t let Khivar win this time. The people at the base were counting on her and she had promised to protect them. " What would you think when I would choose to run away instead of facing my fears? If I would let everyone down?".

" Then we would still got your back. We love you and nothing you would do could change that", Michael put both of his hands on her cheeks and pulled her face close to his until their lips touched in a sweet kiss, much to the amusement of the two children at their feet.

Maria enjoyed the spicy taste he always left on her mouth. She knew that this would be the last time she could feel those strong hands touch her tender skin, the last time this pouty lips would meet hers and the last time she would feel so loved and at ease with someone. Crying softly she stepped back from him to see in his eyes. She wanted to mesmerize the way he looked at her, because she would never experience another man regarding her with so much adoration and passion again. " I love you, too. All three of you".

Michael wiped her tears from her face with his thumbs. It broke his heart to see her like this. He always knew she was a emotional person just hiding behind her tough exterior, but the deep hits of the last week had taken its toll on her and left a few scars behind. She would never be the same again after this. " We know that. And remember: You will never be alone. We´re constantly with you".

" Daddy, it´s time. We have to go", Belle plucked on the trouser leg of her father. Her brother was looking over his shoulder at the people walking towards them, noticing that their visit was finished.

Maria shook her head and more tears spilled from her eyes. She didn´t want them to go, they had to stay longer. She didn´t want to be alone anymore. " You can´t leave me now! There are still things I want to tell you".

Michael smiled at her like he already knew what it was that she wanted to say to him before he disappeared into nothing in front of her eyes.

" Bye mommy", Belle pouted sadly, her pretty brown eyes glittering with unshed tears while her lips trembled slightly.

Maria kneeled on the ground and wrapped her arms tightly around her children. She wanted to never let them go again, out of fear for never having the chance to see them, because no matter what way she went it wouldn´t end good for her. " I love you both very much. Never forget that. And be good to daddy", she felt them nod their heads and whispering that they also loved her before she almost crashed face first in the sand, because they disappeared too. Thankfully she caught herself in time and stood up. Startled she noticed that she wasn´t alone. A group of persons had placed themself a few metres away from her and were staring in her direction. Persons she knew very well. Glancing at them she saw Mael, King Salem, Queen Lutezia, Abidale, both of her antarian parents and Lindsey. Everyone who ever died because of her.

Hewlik was the first to come forward and like the last time he didn´t appear angry. His eyes sparkled with happiness and serenity. Immediately he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, which he hadn´t done very often when he was alive. " My angel. Glad to see you again".

" Me too. What are you all doing here?", not that Maria had anything against the visit from the people, who had been at one point pretty damn close to her. But it was strange to see them all in her dream. Even though she enjoyed the warmth of her former fathers strong arms.

Now her mother stepped closer and replaced Hewlik, who let himself easily be put aside. She squeezed her daughter tightly at her small body and caressed the younger girls beautiful blonde hair. " We´re all here to give you our support. Although we can´t be with you in this hard time, we want to help you the only way we can".

At that Leiana made place for Mael, who was smiling encouraging at her. He took her face in his hands and looked deep in her eyes, like he was searching for something there. After a few seconds he seemed to have found it. " You´re strong and you´re smart. You had been a pretty damn good soldier and the best commander anyone could hope for. Don´t let your fear lead you. You are capable of much more than you think".

" Listen to him, because it´s the only time he will say that", Abidale quipped from behind, trying to ease the sad mood a little. She and the Queen were both smiling warmly at her and made an attempt to look tough.

Finally King Salem walked towards her, his eyes were shining with wisdom and years of seeing the way of the planet with the good and the bad times. His crown was glistening in the sun and almost blinded Maria for a bit. " We know that it won´t be easy for you and more people are going to die under your watch. But if anyones destinied to lead them to win this war, then it´s you. We all have faith in your ability".

Lindsey was the last in line and slowly made her way in the direction of her sister. This time Maria had to repress the urge to break out in tears, because of all present persons, she was the one whose death hit her the hardest. " You have the chance to make a difference this time. You just have to stretched your hand out to grasp the chance".

" I don´t know if I´m strong enough. Look at what it already cost me. I lost so much people I loved because I couldn´t protect them", Maria felt fear crawling up her spine and gripping her heart in a tight hold. She didn´t want to lead a battle just to witness everyone die around her again.

Lindsey picked up the cold hands of her sister and grinned trustingly at her. " We all believe in you".

Maria wanted to shake her head and ask her why they had so much faith in her when not even she trusted herself enough. But in that moment everyone vanished in thin air and left her behind alone with only her thoughts keeping her company. Tottaly upset she dropped down in the warm sand and put her face in her hands, pondering her options. She had to make the biggest decision of her life.

Outside the dreamplane

Rath had his head leaning on the wall behind him. A few minutes ago he had woken up after closing his eyes for an hour. He had been so tired of watching the huge hall and Maria sleeping so peacefully on his lap that he hadn´t been able to stay awake. Besides he just had been having time to take quick naps in the last few weeks, because of the preparation for the war. And since he knew that he had killed a small girl he couldn´t sleep without having nightmares of her. When Nicolai informed him about that fact he almost broke out in tears. Just the thought of ending the life of an innocent had disgusted him. For days he hadn´t been able to look at himself in the mirror. He imagined the pain Maria had to feel and it almost destroyed him. Thankfully Lykus had put his mind right again, even if he would have liked if someone else would have done it. Now he was glad to be helpful and do the right thing and maybe make amends. Looking down at the woman on his thighs, he knew that he had made on thing right. Protecting her. He didn´t want to think what would have happened if their connection hadn´t been intact, although years and even galaxies had been passed. But he also knew that she would never love him the way she had loved Michael. That part of her that had been in love with him was gone now. He had no place on this planet any longer.

" I don´t belong here".

Suddenly he felt Maria stir. Her eyes opened and closed for a few seconds before she was fully there with him. Her eyes were clear and for the first time he saw the little girl she once had been. Fear, anger, love, happiness and sorrow was all mixed in her expression. " How long have I been asleep?".

Rath looked outside and saw that the sun was slowly disappearing. The sky was lit in red and orange colors. It had to be sunset, which meant it seemed to be lose to seven o´clock. " six hours".

" That long? Damn", Maria shoot up from her comfortable place and jumped on her feet, stretching her sore muscles in the process. She felt like she had slept in a small box, all wedged and twisted.

Rath followed her example and stood up, relaxing the tension in special body parts. It wasn´t the most cozy place to sit hours on the hard ground. His ass cheeks and his legs felt a little numb. It would probably take time to get feeling in them again. " Do you want to go back to the base?".

Maria faced him and she saw the man she had been so much in love in her past life. It would be so easy to fall for him again. Unfortunately her heart belonged to Michael and nobody would ever replace him. But maybe they could be friends. " You go back there and help Larek and Nolak preparing the men for the upcoming battle. I will join you all later".

" What are you up to?", Rath had a uneasy feeling in his gut. He knew her, well he had reason to. As much as she thought she was someone different, part of Marianna was so deeply ingrained into her that she didn´t notice how similiar both women were.

Maria broke the eye contact and turned her back on him. She hated to admit it, but she was afraid he could see right through her and detect the truth. She didn´t want that. Not now and especially not from him. " Don´t worry about that. I will be careful", that said she burst into flames and was gone.

Rath stared stunned at the spot where she disappeared. He wondered what was going in the out of touch with the real world mind of hers. Hopefully she was not getting cold feet and deserted everybody counting on her.

TBC