Title: Revelations (part 2)
Author: Angela Rae
Category: Max/Liz, Michael/Maria, Isabel/Alex, Kyle/Tess (M)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these fabulous characters, more's the pity. They are the exclusive property of 20th Century Fox Television, Regency Television, Jason Katims, Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns. To quote some of my favorite fan fiction authors, I'm just borrowing – I'll return them as I found them. Cross my heart!
A/N: Quick recap, I first started this story back in 2000 at the end of Season One, but I had to stop writing before I finished the fic. Over a decade later and I ran across the old message-board hardcopy. Now, I just want to see if I can finish what I started back when I was 20. I really hated the direction the show took after Season 1 and want to see if I can write what I think should have happened! Rated M for safety reasons… this fic is set at the end of "Destiny", ep 1:22. Mostly this is for me, just to see if I can finish, but like any fanfic author, I'm a total review junkie (so R&R plz)! Hope you Enjoy!
Inside the incubation pod he had inhabited for the first years of his life on Earth, Max Evans' heartbeat and breathing slowed until they barely registered to the pod's LS sensors. His mind narrowed its focus with almost unbearable intensity on the one thing he wanted, he needed most.
Liz Parker.
The energies of the pod concentrated, swirling around him, pulling him deeper into the trance-like state. He felt himself swallowed in a void that threatened to stretch into endless forever. Fear flooded his mind and he began to fight the irresistible pull of that darkness.
Liz.
In desperation, his soul reached for hers. Searching for the one person who was his anchor in this world, he reached – and felt her. He was enveloped in the heat of her, their souls entwined… and held fast.
He felt her silky hair under his fingertips as he tucked an errant strand back behind her ear.
He saw the way her soft lips curved in a slow, gorgeous smile as she laughed at one of Alex's jokes.
He felt the smooth texture of her skin as she fitted her body to his in a shattering embrace.
He saw the promise in her eyes as she told him she loved him.
He heard the sound of her voice telling him they would always make their own destiny.
The memories washed over him. They were halting at first, and then they came faster and faster… each leaving something of itself behind. Slowly, the void filled until it vibrated with warmth and light. With Liz.
She was there. He could feel her inside him. The connection was so strong.
At last he turned his attention to the questions swirling in his head. They were like powerful voices, all screaming for immediate answers! Answers he didn't have yet. But as long as Liz was there, he could do anything. Even face his future without fear.
He accepted that he and Tess were together in another life, but did it follow that they were meant in this life? What of Michael and Isabel? And now that he knew where he was from, and what his purpose was, how could he help his people? Hundreds of such questions churned in his head but one stood out above the rest: Could he sacrifice Liz to meet the needs of his people?
No! his heart screamed the answer.
I would, his head said with devastating clarity.
It won't come to that, Max thought fiercely. I won't allow it to come to that.
With a new determination, Max Evans felt something within him that he had never thought to feel again.
Hope.
(***)
Liz woke from intense dreams with a start.
She looked over and saw Maria was still sleeping, though her dreams seemed restless. Maria's eyes were squeezed shut as her head thrashed slightly from side to side. Her breathing was heavy, as if she was struggling for each breath she took.
Liz placed her hand on the side of Maria's cheek, smoothing back her hair as she whispered, "Shh… Maria, everything is okay. Shh…"
It was a lie. Everything was not okay and Maria's dreams showed it. But Liz continued to soothe her friend until Maria's body went limp and she seemed to drop into a deeper, more restful, sleep.
Liz took Maria's hand again and held it close as she lay back down. She turned her face and looked out the window.
The V constellation blazed brightly from the heavens. The stars glowed, strong and steady, and Liz's gaze remained fixed on their pattern as the memory of her dream washed over her.
Max had been calling her name. He had been trapped in some kind of black void that was pulling him under; his hand had been stretched out toward her, his eyes pleading for her to take it. Liz remembered that she had been unable to resist, no matter the price.
As her fingertips had touched his, he had grasped her hand in a firm grip. The connection had been instantaneous and complete, as if it had never been gone.
Memories of the way his eyes glowed with desperate love when he said she meant everything to him; the way he traced the rim of her mouth with his tongue, as if to memorize her taste, before drawing her into a soul-shattering kiss… those and a hundred more came flooding through her in that moment. She had felt as if their souls were becoming one.
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, made molten silver by the moonlight, to disappear in the mahogany waves of her hair. Liz felt despair course through her veins. It had only been a dream. It wasn't real. The newborn hope that had sprung up in her heart died quickly and painfully.
Liz turned away from the stars, ever-present reminders of the one thing she wanted most and could never have again. She squeezed her eyes shut against the painful memories and curled to tuck her knees up under her chin.
"Oh, Max. Why did you have to save me?" Her whispered question was met with no answer but an empty silence that echoed in her heart.
(***)
Max's body convulsed and he felt his stomach fall, as if somehow momentarily left behind, as he dropped out of trance.
His eyes opened wide, temporarily blind, until he blinked rapidly to clear his vision. He focused on the bluish glow of the membrane surrounding him. His hand stretched out and his fingers slowly traced the white veins criss-crossing its surface. Flashbacks of the last time Max had observed this singularity drifted into his mind.
Déjà vu, he thought.
Extending his arms, palms out, he pushed. The elastic skin encasing him offered only a slight resistance before it gave way.
Birthed for a second time in this life, Max Evans felt out the ground as he rose to his feet. His eyes adjusted rapidly in the dim light of the chamber. He was still sorting through the conclusions he had reached during his time in the pod when he noticed the three people asleep at his feet. They had been partially hidden by the semi-darkness.
"Isabel, wake up," Max said softly as he reached down and gently shook her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice.
"Max!" she exclaimed, launching herself into his arms. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
Michael and Tess woke at her shout and jumped to their feet.
"Maxwell!" A relieved grin spread over Michael's face as he watched Max and Isabel embrace for a long moment before letting each other go.
Standing back from her brother, Isabel asked, "What the hell did you think you were doing?" Her voice was rough with the memory of her worry.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, Iz," Max said as he looked around the group. "I just needed a place to sort some things out." His expression became reflective and a little confused as he gestured to the incubation pod behind him. "It… wanted to help me."
Isabel nodded, accepting even if she didn't fully understand.
"So, what now?" Michael asked, stepping forward.
Max looked over at him and his expression was that of someone committed to a course and determined to follow it through. His time in the pod had been a gift. His mind felt clear and he had reasoned through the issues that had threatened to overwhelm him. Now, all that remained to do for the moment was to start the process of straightening out the mess they were in.
"Now, we contact Nesedo," Max said.
Tess' eyes widened in surprise and she asked, "But how do we find him? He's Agent Pierce now, so we have to wait for him to contact us, right?"
Max shook his head. "We have the phone he used to call Pierce when he kidnapped Liz."
Tess saw his eyes flash with some undefined emotion as he said the other girl's name, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Max continued, "He gave it to me to return to her. The number is still in the memory."
Max pressed a button and lifted the phone to his ear, saying, "All you have to do is press 'Redial'."
"Hello, Agent Pierce, please," he said to the muffled voice on the other end of the line. He shook his head slightly, "I know, 'There's no Agent Pierce.' Ma'am, would you just pass along a message? Tell him 'The girl will be in Hondo at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon.'" He paused, listening intently. "No, I understand. Just tell him, alright? Right." Lowering the phone, Max pressed 'END'.
Michael's eyebrow rose, silently asking what that was all about.
Max looked around the group. "We need more information before we can make any decisions about how we're going to handle… all this." He motioned around the cavern, referring to all the revelations in their origin and their purpose that had been so recently revealed.
"Tess," he said, looking at her again, "We need to know everything we can about this other alien race and our own. I want you to go to Hondo and wait for 'Pierce' to show. I'm sure he'll get our message. Take as long as you need but come back as soon as you have answers. Then, we'll decide what course of action we want to take… and, while you're with Nesedo, you might want to have him write you a note so you can explain this little vacation from school when you get back."
Privately, Max considered his personal and practical reasons for sending Tess on this trip. It was true that she was the best option when it came to dealing with Nesedo, but it also gave Isabel, Michael and him much needed time to sort things out without her interference.
"Until then," he continued as he gestured to Isabel, Michael and himself, "we need to get home."
Max turned to his sister and best friend. "How long was I in there?"
"You were in the pod for two days," Michael answered.
"Two days!" Max's voice was disbelieving.
"Yeah," Isabel confirmed, adding with a tired smile, "Mom and Dad are probably in full-on panic mode right now."
"Well, we can figure out our stories on the way back," Max said, grimacing, "Right now we need to get Tess to Hondo."
"Okay, so let's go," Michael said, walking to the entrance. Max smiled at Isabel as they all followed him out into the sunlight.
TBC…
A/N: R&R is always appreciated, so press the little blue button… : )