Title: Revelations (part 11)
Author: Angela Rae
Category: Max/Liz, Michael/Maria, Isabel/Alex, Kyle/Tess (M) (AR)
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: Rated M for safety reasons… this fic is set at the end of "Destiny", ep 1:22 (with some S2/S3 canon thrown into the AR). This is post S1 the way I thought it should have happened. Hope you Enjoy!
All props go to alecygoodness22 for the Tess descriptor – Your Review made me laugh so hard that I've been dying to figure out a way to incorporate the nickname ever since! So perfect.
This chapter is un-betaed, so let me know if there are any glaring mistakes and I'll fix them!
Liz watched the swinging door close with a sense of relief. She reached to hold Max's hand and he did the same. When their palms met, their fingers intertwined tightly. They found comfort in the simple connection, each feeling the other's presence at the back of their mind like a warm glow, as they stood off to the side and watched the others settle down in the Crashdown's break room.
Liz was reassured by the calm stability Max radiated now that they were all together. It continually amazed her how strong he really was. She knew he gained that strength from all of them, from their belief in him. He was quickly growing to become the leader they all knew he would become. She could feel so many changes in him, they were almost instinctive now.
Liz glanced at the rest of the small group and took a deep breath in this calm before the storm. Isabel and Alex took the couch, still holding hands; while Michael leaned back against the lockers and pulled Maria up against his side, draping one arm over her shoulders as she rested against him.
Suddenly, Max spoke without preamble. "We think they've found us and that one, or more, of them are here."
As Liz had expected, they all began talking at once.
"What do you mean 'they've found' us?" Isabel exclaimed.
"Wait, what?" Alex asked, looking confused.
"I knew it," Michael said his expression hardening.
"Who are you talking about? And, wait… How do you know? Did something happen? What happened?" Maria asked, the edge of hysteria already rising in her voice as she went rigid under Michael's arm.
Max broke through quickly, "We're not one hundred percent sure that they know who we are yet. And as far as I'm concerned, we already have an advantage over them because we know they're here, so the element of surprise is lost. And they don't know that we know, so that might buy us a little more time too."
"Who is "them"? And what do you mean "we know"? How exactly did we find out?" Isabel asked, clearly getting angry now.
Alex put his arm around her shoulders and started to rub her soothingly. As she reluctantly relaxed into his touch, he pinned Max and Liz with a look that said they'd better start explaining. Fast.
Liz looked directly at Isabel when she said, "I had a flash at school today. I was sitting at another table in the quad during study hall and when I touched it, I saw things… felt what he felt…"
Her voice faltered as the memories threatened to overwhelm her again. She felt Max squeeze her hand gently as he sent a pulse of love and support through their link. She grasped those feelings tight and drew on her own strength to regain some emotional balance before continuing.
She kept her voice low as she continued, "I knew it was another Czechoslovakian because his memories were all in black and white, like Nesedo's. First, I saw an orb with lights, I think it looked like some kind of indicator or something; and then, a grey sky with lightening. Then it changed to a flash of me, Max, Isabel and Alex sitting together at lunch, so he was definitely watching us eat in the quad the other day. And then, another boy's face appeared... there were these fleeting impressions when I saw his face. The strongest was fear, but there were other things too… respect, awe, and an absolute loyalty. Max and I think the boy I saw is the leader, the one we're really up against. And I felt what this other one felt. You guys, he hates us. I mean, he really hates us, human and hybrids alike."
"That's everything you saw, Liz?" asked Alex quietly after a stunned moment of group silence.
"Yeah," Liz said softly. Max and she had decided earlier not to mention her vision of the future to any of the others. They'd both agreed that the rest of it was enough for the others to deal with right now.
Liz noticed how hard Maria was working to stay calm, taking deep breaths and leaning against Michael. She was really proud of her friend's determination not to lose it right now.
"So, Liz saw one of their faces," Alex said.
"Yes," said Max, "And, Michael, we want you to try to draw him."
"What?" asked Michael, startled.
"We want you to try to connect with Liz and draw what she saw," Max said quietly, "I'm sure you've all noticed that things between each of us are getting 'closer', for lack of a better term. Liz and I have a stronger connection now. We can feel each other's emotions when one of us is scared or hurt or feels something really intensely and sometimes hear each other's thoughts when we're touching. And from the way you've all been acting, we're betting the same thing is happening to all of you too."
Liz waited while each of the others slowly nodded, then she said, "Well, we - Max and I - think that it's not just limited to the person we're "with". We have a theory that it's something that connects all of us, that it's growing to link us all together. Like a web."
She turned to Michael. "So, we want you to try, Michael. 'Cause this is important."
Michael blew out a quick breath. "Okay, we'll give this a shot. So… what? You wanna try it now?"
"Yes," Max said, quietly, "But we have to make it quick. Isabel and Alex are picking up Tess at the bus station soon, so we don't have much time."
"Wait," Maria said, still visibly upset and confused, "Tess is back?"
"Yeah," Isabel replied, "She called me earlier to ask for a ride."
"Well that's just great," Maria sighed, rolling her eyes.
Liz let go of Max, pulled out her order pad and pencil, and handed both to Michael. "You can draw on the back of this right?"
"Sure," Michael shrugged.
Max took the nearest chair out of the corner and gestured for Michael to take a seat. When Michael was settled, Liz stepped forward. She stood behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. It felt a little weird to be in that position but Liz willed herself to get over it as she looked to Max.
"Alright, both of you close your eyes and try to concentrate," Max said, "Liz focus on his face and Michael, I don't know, just try to be open to what she's seeing, okay?"
"Whatever you say," Michael smirked but closed his eyes obediently.
Liz took a deep breath and shut her eyes too. Reluctantly, she concentrated on the face that she was sure would haunt her nightmares for the foreseeable future. Remembered feelings of rage and disgust crept over her, making her sick to her stomach, as his features began to sharpen in her mind's eye. She swallowed on a gag reflex as she whispered, "I see him."
There was a strained silence as the minutes ticked by, Liz struggling to hold onto the image of the face she only wanted to forget; then came Michael's frustrated sigh. "It's no use, Maxwell. I'm not getting anything. This is a waste of time."
"Keep trying," Max said, the tension clear in his voice, "I know you two can do this."
"I don't think so," Michael said, and Liz's eyes popped open as he shrugged off her hands.
Max opened his mouth to object, but Maria beat him too it.
"Oh for God's sake!" the little blonde exclaimed, "Michael stop being difficult! We need this right? So, let's make it happen." She stepped forward and grabbed Liz's hands, slapping them on either side of Michael's neck, skin to skin. "Direct contact is how this works, right? Liz, close your eyes. Can you still see him?" At Liz's nod, Maria grabbed Michael's hand, still holding the pencil, and brought it to the paper. She took his face in her hands and said softly, "Let her in, spaceboy. I'm right here. You can do this."
Michael just grunted, but reluctantly tried to do as she asked. The look of extreme frustration on his face, coupled with Liz's ridged expression, almost had Maria calling it quits when Michael's eyes suddenly lost their focus.
Maria gasped as the connection that bound her to Michael expanded to include another mind. Suddenly, her best friend was there with them – and they saw what she saw. A face. Maria's eyes widened when she felt the roiling emotions of malice, loathing and revulsion that were linked with Liz's vision. Raw fear crept down her spine and she fought to hold down her lunch. Now, she and Michael felt exactly what Liz felt. This boy was evil.
The pencil in Michael's hand flew over the paper as his features came to life in swift stroke of graphite. A slim jawline, not yet fully mature. A slight cleft of the chin. Shaggy hair. A straight nose. Thin lips. It was the face of a teenage boy, probably around sixteen or seventeen. He was cute and all, but nothing about him seemed to merit the intense reaction they felt – until you looked into his eyes. They were utterly devoid of emotion and they betrayed the fact that he was completely inhuman.
Liz shuddered and let go of Michael, stepping back and severing the link.
She looked at the face he had drawn and felt her skin crawl. "That's him."
The others gathered round to look and Liz felt Max move to stand beside her. She leaned into his embrace gratefully. "Does anyone recognize him?" Max asked.
When everyone replied in the negative, he said, "Remember his face. If anyone sees him, don't try anything. Just get away and find the rest of us. We'll need to have some kind of strategy before we move against them."
Liz spoke up. "What we really need is more information."
Isabel sighed. "What we really need is Nesedo."
"Which is why we're sticking to the original plan," Max said, "Liz, Maria, Michael and I will take the Jetta back to the house and wait. Alex and Isabel, you go pick up Tess and bring her back to the house as soon as you can."
"I'm okay with that," Michael said, his voice containing the bare minimum of his usual snarky tone, "Tess might not be a favorite with some of our group right now, but she should still have a say in all this. It's her life too."
"Much as I hate to admit it, since she's like this little blonde gerbil with a destiny complex, I agree with Michael," Maria said, "This is big and we should all have a say in what we do next."
"Okay, then," Liz said, "We'll do the hand-off to Karen and José right now and head straight to Max and Isabel's house."
Alex held out his hand to Isabel. "I guess that's our cue to get going."
Max and Isabel shared a quick look before she and Alex left to head to the bus station.
Liz, Maria and Michael went about quickly closing out their shifts, and Max waited patiently as they did a fast swap into street clothes, before they all climbed into the Jetta drove to the Evans'.
(***)
It was quite possibly the worst car ride of Isabel's life… and that included the mad dash to save Max from the clutches of the FBI.
Tess was perched like a hyper-active canary on the back seat of the Jeep and she wouldn't stop babbling.
Maybe it was due to the tense feeling that had enveloped the SUV ever since they'd picked her up, but Tess seemed determined to fill the silence - which might just be her way of dealing with feeling uncomfortable. Not Isabel. She preferred to suffer in silence. And she liked it best when everyone else did too. Had she really said she'd felt sorry for this girl?
She could tell Alex was picking up on some of her irritation because he kept glancing over at her, trying not to laugh.
Traitor, she thought. And she couldn't even get properly mad at him! The corners of her mouth kept twitching with a barely repressed grin because he was making these funny contorted facial expressions as he tried really hard (she could tell) to stop himself from breaking up over the whole situation.
"So, I waited for hours," Tess rambled on, her voice so determinedly cheerful it put Isabel's teeth on edge, "and suddenly this delivery truck pulls into the lot. And I'm just about to do a mind-warp, because really who delivers to an abandoned gas station, when this guy in the dorkiest purple uniform jumps out and hands me a vase of petunias. I mean, can you believe it? Petunias.
Then he just pulled out a clipboard and was like 'sign here' and got back in his truck and drove off. He didn't even ask me if I wanted a lift back into town. Anyway, there was a card in the flowers. So, I left the flowers at the gas station and brought the card back for Max."
Tess took a deep breath and Isabel thanked God.
But then the pint-sized blonde pulled a small, white square out of her front pocket and opened her mouth to continue, "Here it is. It says 'Can't get away from work, darling. Still involved in the assigned project. How about one week from that day we spent on our special rock? Same time, same place. Love, Ed.'. So, it looks like he'll meet us at the pod chamber on Sunday afternoon."
Tess smiled and looked back and forth between the two of them like someone expecting praise… which she obviously wasn't going to wait for, because then she took another breath. "In the meantime, I'm going to have to figure out what to do with the house. I mean, it's not like Nesedo is coming back for good anytime soon and the place is way too big for just me. And anyway, rent's due this Friday, and I have no idea how to pay it, so… um…" She let the thought trail off suddenly, finally looking like she'd run out of conversational steam, when Isabel pulled into her driveway and shifted into park.
Isabel sighed and turned to look at Tess in the back seat. The other blonde just looked back with a wide-eyed stare.
"There've been some developments since you left," Isabel said bluntly, trying to sound less irritated then she actually was. She knew she wasn't really angry with Tess; she was just worried and lashing out at the most convenient target. She knew Alex noticed her restraint when he looked at her with warm approval, which instantly made her feel a little better all on its own. "Max asked us all to meet up at the house tonight to talk everything out. I told Mom and Dad that we were having a study group for finals so we have an excuse to all be in Max's room for a little privacy."
"All right," Tess said slowly, just noticing the red Jetta in the driveway. Her brows drew together in a frown but she didn't say anything more.
They all got out of the Jeep and walked to the front door. As Isabel turned the knob to lead the way into the house, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the obvious signs of some serious upset in Tess' expression.
She sighed and thought, Max, you better have some kind of plan here…
(***)
Liz Parker sat down on Max's bed and settled in to wait for the others to arrive.
Michael and Maria were still in the kitchen with Max. She'd gone ahead to have a moment to herself to think. Her mind was still reeling from the implications of the visions she'd had in the quad that afternoon. Their enemies were here, among them. The danger was real and they didn't have enough information to protect themselves. Liz really hoped that Tess came back with something useful.
On top of these concerns was the ever present and more frequent feeling of need that was welling up inside her. It was getting harder to manage with each passing day. Liz wasn't sure why she and Max were feeling this when the others obviously weren't, but it concerned her. The cravings for his touch were quickly becoming an overwhelming addiction.
She panted a little, hugging herself hard around the middle, as she tried to fight the discomfort and the instinct to find Max and throw herself into his arms because it was the only place she felt complete anymore.
The impulses grew stronger and Liz shook with the effort regain some kind of control, but when the door swung wide and she saw Max standing there, her resolve crumbled. She sighed with relief as he came toward her – and the same emotion blazed in his eyes as he joined her on his bed.
His hand extended and their eyes remained locked. Liz reached out with the lightest of touches, the connection flaring at the moment of contact. Everything else dropped away and their focus narrowed to each other, the touch of her fingertips brushing down his palm, and the instinct driving them to come together as one.
Liz met his mind with currents of warmth and welcome that rushed over them both as she relaxed into him, trusting in the completeness she only felt when linking with Max. It felt as if their souls were merging, becoming two halves of a perfect whole.
In that instant, Liz recognized their connection to each other for the rare and precious thing that it was. Not even Maria knew her as completely as Max did in these moments of total accord.
Liz's recognition of her surroundings had faded into a dim awareness. As she gazed into his eyes, she suddenly realized what she was feeling. She was feeling Max – all of him. Not just his emotions and thoughts, but his physical being as well. Her mind reeled in shock and she felt the answering sense of surprise and wonder course through his system.
Her lungs expanded to take in each breath and she felt his lungs do the same. Their hearts beat in tandem, echoing each other until neither could be distinguished from the other. But there was still the instinct to do more, urging her to go further. She sensed parts of him that evaded her touch, like pressing up against an elastic bubble that held them both back from a closeness they hadn't thought possible before. She felt him strain to reach those parts of her…
Helpless to resist, she took the final steps as she pushed through every barrier and welcomed his unique presence, mind, body, and soul, feeling him do the same. Overwhelming feelings of rightness and total acceptance flooded their shared mind as each expressed their mutual delight. Strange and wonderful sensations coursed through them as Liz mingled her essence with Max's with an ease that surprised them both.
As one, they were about to take their first tentative step in exploration when sudden pain exploded through their, no his, left arm and they distantly heard someone scream "No!".
Liz was thrown from their connection and the shock of the abrupt loss of contact was terrible, leaving her cold and empty.
She was alone again in her own mind.
(***)
Max opened his eyes, his shoulder throbbing with pain, and found himself staring into Liz's astonished gaze.
"Oh my God, you guys!" He recognized Isabel's voice. Both he and Liz turned to look at her. She was standing next to them, her hand on Liz's arm and Max's shoulder, her mouth drawn in a tight line of worry. Alex, Maria, and Michael stood across from them looking just as upset.
Tess was in the doorway, her eyes wide with anger and betrayal, looking back and forth between Liz and him.
(***)
Moments earlier…
They met Maria and Michael in the hallway and Alex opened the bedroom door, waiting until they had all entered the room before following them in. He was just about to make a bad joke as an icebreaker when he noticed that the others had frozen in shock.
He glanced across the room to where they were all staring wide-eyed and noticed Max and Liz sitting on the bed. It was like having front and center seats to Romeo & Juliet every time they were within twenty feet of each other. Nothing new there, he thought. Then he did a quick double-take.
Wait. Are they glowing?, he thought, astonished.
Isabel unfroze first. Her brother and her friend were radiating light like a nite-bright and it was seriously freaking her out. She reached out to them both and sent a pulse of her power through her palm to shock Max him out of whatever this was.
Relief coursed through her when they both jolted under her hands and turned to look at her, the glow fading away.
"No!" Tess shook her head violently from side to side, like she could somehow erased what she had just seen.
Everyone turned to look at her but she paid no attention to any of them as her eyes locked with Max's.
Everything in her screamed a denial of what she had just witnessed. Max was hers.
He was the one she had lived this entire life waiting to find. Every moment spent on this planet, since the moment of her 'birth', had been spent training to relearn everything she would need to know to be a fitting consort to him and queen for their people. It was their destiny!
And what she had just seen flew in the face of everything she had ever been raised to believe about their future, everything she knew to be true. All of that pain and bewilderment was there in her voice when she asked, "How could you, Max? How could you?"
Max watched in dazed astonishment as she turned and ran from the room. The entire group was silent for a moment before Liz laid a hand on his shoulder. Her compassion for Tess' situation was there in her eyes. It was obvious that she was going to go after her.
Maria's hand shot out and took hold of Liz's arm. "I'll do it, Liz. No offense, babe, but you're probably the last person she's going to listen to right now."
Liz nodded in understanding and her look clearly communicated a gratitude her best friend understood completely. Isabel looked torn and Alex just looked at Maria with relief that she was taking charge of this situation.
Max took Liz's hand again and their link flared as they share feelings that were complex and would take some time to work through.
Michael reached over and laid a hand on Maria's shoulder. "You want me to come with you?"
Maria smiled, loving him all the more for the concern and caring in his eyes. Even though he didn't show his feelings easily, and probably never would, the bond between them allowed her to sense just how deeply he loved not just her, though the feelings he had for her often overwhelmed him, but all of them. Maria shook her head and let the link between them express her love for him. His mouth softened to smile slightly as he absorbed the rush of emotion and he let go of her shoulder.
Maria smiled back, saying, "It's girl talk, spaceboy. No boys allowed."
He nodded as she shared another quick look with Liz and Isabel before she was out the door and in pursuit.
(***)
Maria was running by the time she finally found Tess, who was already halfway across the park before she caught up to her.
"Tess, wait up," Maria called out breathlessly, jogging up alongside the other blonde with a grimace she quickly hid when Tess whipped around to confront her.
"Get away from me, Maria." Tess' tone was low and menacing. "I'm not in the mood for your 'silver lining' speeches or your oils or whatever you're peddling. I'm out of here." With that, she turned back toward the street and began to walk away.
Maria reached out for Tess' arm, saying, "Wait, Tess, I…" She never got a chance to finish the sentence.
A pearly white wall of energy sprang from Tess' hand and shoved Maria back. "I said stay away from me!"
Maria sat frozen on the ground for a moment, trying to fully take in what she was seeing. Tess was surrounded by some kind of force field. This is just great, Maria thought, totally exasperated, but not scared.
She took a quick moment to congratulate herself on her calm response. Not so very long ago she would have run screaming for the hills. But ever since her bond with Michael had strengthened, she had felt tougher, more grounded. At least she didn't freak about alien weirdness so easily anymore.
That's me, she thought ruefully, The new and improved 'Been Around the Alien Block One too Many Times' Maria DeLuca.
Tess was walking away again and Maria had to think fast if she was going to stop her. Besides, no one got away from Maria when she was in 'fix it' mode.
Well, tackling the other blonde to the ground was out. There was no way Maria could get close to her if Tess could cheat and use 'alien force fields' and stuff. That meant words were her only option, given the situation.
So, Maria started to shout after the retreating girl.
"What? That's it, Tess? You're just going to run away? What's the matter – you don't have what it takes to face the truth?" Maria cocked an eyebrow as Tess turned around, glad she had struck a nerve, and kept going, "That's life! It's not perfect, but so what? That's the way the cards are dealt! It's not supposed to be fair!"
Maria's voice was beginning to go hoarse as Tess stalked back toward her, but still she continued, "The world won't change just to suit your idea of how things should be. It won't do that for anyone."
Tess was only a few feet away from Maria when she abruptly dropped her shield and stopped.
"You don't understand," she practically hissed, "You don't understand anything. How could you? You think you know us? You think you know Michael? You have no idea who we are or what you've done here. We had a destiny! To be together and protect our people. But that's all gone now… I have nothing left. Nothing."
Whatever anger Maria felt when Tess began to speak snuffed out under the sudden wave of sympathy she felt for the other girl who looked so small and seemed so lost all of a sudden. Her tone was soft as she said, "Tess, there's something that you need to understand… You make your own destiny, you shape your life. No one else can do it for you." The last words came out in a near whisper as Maria noticed the tears pooling in Tess' eyes and her heart went out to her.
She could still remember each vivid detail of Michael saying he loved her and then walking out of her life. She knew what it was to feel as if the world had dropped away and there was nothing left to hold onto.
Maria took Tess into her arms and held her tight as the other girl began to sob.
"Shh… shh… It'll be okay, it'll be okay," Maria whispered. All the while she rocked Tess slowly back and forth.
Tess held her hard and continued to cry as she accepted comfort from a girl she barely knew and would never have thought cared. When the tears had lessened, Maria pulled away a little and guided her over to a park bench, sitting down beside her. She held Tess' hand and waited for her to speak.
"We were meant to be, you know." The words came out calm, if a little stilted. "Max and I were fated by design." That last word came out with a self-mocking laugh, as if every illusion, every dream, she had ever cherished died the moment she stopped believing those words.
"I don't know who I am if I'm not for him, Maria," Tess whispered painfully.
Maria's hand tightened in hers when she asked quietly, "Do you want to be with Max because you love him? I mean, do you even know him? Or do you think your feelings for him come from being raised to believe he is your mate so you sort of have to feel that way about him?"
Tess looked over at her but remained silent, just listening, as Maria continued, "Just because you're not with Max, doesn't mean you can help your people, you know."
Tess concentrated on keeping her breathing even and studied her hands, which were clasped together so tightly her knuckles were white, as she considered Maria's words. Her thoughts were totally scattered and she didn't know what to do anymore. Her whole life had been devoted to training to be a good queen for her people and knowing she was pledged to be mated to someone she didn't even remember from another life. Nesedo was as close to family as she had and she couldn't bear to disappoint him, they'd worked so hard toward the ultimate goal of saving their people and following the preordained path laid out to that end.
Now that was all changed. She realized now that Max and she would never be together in this life. There was only one girl meant for him and that was Liz… it would always be Liz.
"You're right," Tess said, laughing a little through her tears. "My whole life has been based on a lie. What an idiot you guys must think I am… I am so stupid." An obvious kind of sardonic self-loathing had crept into her voice.
Uh oh, Maria thought. She wondered exactly how she was supposed to handle this new twist, knowing she could really use some help at that moment.
Her head snapped up when she heard the crack of a branch beneath a foot. Then, as if in answer to her silent plea, Max and Alex emerged from the darkness. They were followed closely by Michael, Liz and Isabel.
The entire group surrounded the two girls on the bench. Michael moved to stand behind Maria and rested his hands on her shoulders. Maria relaxed when she felt their connection flare with warmth and support, knowing now that everything would be alright.
Liz came to stand beside Maria as Isabel moved to Tess' side. Alex took up position right next to Isabel, and Max knelt down in front of Tess. Tess was staring at the ground, refusing to look up at any of them.
Max broke the silence first, saying quietly, "No one thinks you're stupid, Tess."
Tess snorted a little in disbelief but still wouldn't meet his eyes.
"We need you," Max said softly.
That caught Tess off-guard and her head came up in surprise. "No you don't," she said, her tone laced with defeat, "You guys have your little group and it's obvious that I don't fit in. I've been on the outside looking in for a long time now and I'm tired of trying."
"You don't need to try to be anyone but who you are. And you are one of us. You belong with us, Tess," Isabel said, "We're your family." She smiled when Tess glanced at her uncertainly. Then she took Alex's hand and reached for Max. Max took her hand and she nodded toward Liz to show she wanted him to reach out too. The rest of the group quickly caught on to Isabel's plan and Max reached for Liz, Liz for Michael, and Michael for Maria, until they were all linked except for Tess.
"Isabel's right," Max said, "There's a reason we were all sent here together. It's going to take all of us to free our people. You're an irreplaceable piece of our whole, Tess."
"Are you with us?" Max asked, as Alex and Maria held out there hands to her.
Tess hesitated for only a second before taking the hands offered to her. It was like closing a circuit. The shock ripped through her and she felt a connection she'd never known before, support and warmth flooded through her. She could feel their emotions like they were her own. The bonds between them glowed in her mind like distant stars, except between Max and Liz, that link blazed like a miniature sun and their devotion to each other was clear. In the midst of it all, she felt them calling to her, a sense of welcome enfolding her.
In that moment Tess felt as if an unbearable weight was lifted off her shoulders. She wasn't alone anymore.
She opened her eyes to look at Max.
"You love her."
"She is my soul," he said with a helpless smile.
Tess sighed. "I know." Then she smiled a little through the tears. "I guess I've always known somehow. I just didn't want to see it. Well, that's over now. It's time to grow up and stand on my own."
"Not alone, Tess," Isabel said quietly, "Never alone again."
"Well, then I guess we need to make some plans," Tess said. She looked at Max and Liz. "And there are some things I think you two should know."
TBC…
A/N: R&R is always appreciated. So, press the little blue button… :)