After Tess

By Karen

Email: Omarsfan1@aol.com

Rating: R

Disclaimer: All characters, situations, etc used to be the property of the WB.  Now they’re the property of UPN.  Bottom line – none of it is mine.

Summary: After the events of “Departure”, each member of the group tries to put their lives back in order; Max and Liz work on rebuilding their relationship; Isabel develops an irrational fear; several familiar faces return to Roswell looking for the granolith; Bob the jeep makes a miraculous recovery!!

Category: Other

Author’s Notes: This is for Jill, who had the wonderful ideas which are the basis for this story.  I am but the humble scribe.  Feedback always appreciated!  Enjoy!

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Part One

“Just hold still,” Max said impatiently.  “It won’t hurt.”

Kyle mumbled something beneath his breath, but allowed Max to put his hands on either side of Kyle’s head.  In a few moments, Kyle felt a tingling sensation, then his head felt amazingly clear – clearer than it had in a month.  Kyle opened his blue eyes and looked warily at Max.

“What do you see when you do that?” Kyle questioned.

Max shrugged.  “Nothing I would tell anyone else.”  He gave Kyle a reassuring smile and walked over to where Liz and Isabel were standing.  They were all in Liz’s bedroom above the Crashdown.  As soon as Tess had disappeared into the atmosphere, Max had whisked Kyle back to privacy where he could heal the brain damage Tess had induced with her mind warp.  Max would have to find a way to deal with Amy DeLuca later.

“Is he okay?” Isabel asked, wringing her hands.

Max nodded.

Isabel released a sigh.  “Thank God.  I couldn’t stand any more of that finger tapping crap he was doing.”

Kyle looked up indignantly from his seat on Liz’s bed.  “Ya know, I’m sitting right here,” he started.  “If you’re going to talk about me, you might want to do it a little more quietly.”

Liz laughed and Max shot her a glance.  Then it dawned on her – Kyle was on her bed; she’d never explained to Max what had really happened with Kyle.  Liz bit her lip and took Kyle by the arm.  “Glad to hear you’re feeling better,” she said as she pulled him to his feet.  “Now please leave.”

Kyle looked at her in confusion.

Liz looked to Isabel.  “You, too.  Goodbye.”

Kyle stumbled into Isabel as she backed toward the door, both of their faces confused.

“I need to talk to Max,” Liz explained and shut the door on them before either of them could protest.  She turned to Max, who was suddenly behind her and reaching for her.  She moved out of his grasp.  “Not yet,” she said in determination.  “Sit down.”

Max’s expression matched those of Kyle and Isabel.  “I don’t want to sit,” he argued gently, reaching for her again.

Liz gave a nervous little laugh.  “Trust me – you’re going to want to sit down.”

Max gulped.  What could be worse than finding out Tess was pregnant?  What could be worse than finding out Tess killed Alex?  What could be worse than finding out Tess had betrayed them all?  Max had found out most of that information in the last few hours and it had all been devastating.  He wasn’t sure he could take any more bad news.  And from the look on Liz’s face, it had to be something major.  Without additional protest, he sank slowly to her bed.  His heart started to trip in his chest and he suddenly felt a little light-headed.

Liz paced before him a few times, then stopped in front of him and attempted a smile.  It was weak.  “Look, Max, about Kyle –“

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Max said, nearly breaking into a smile himself.  She just wanted to talk about Kyle.  Kyle he could deal with.  He’d dealt with that months ago and had come to terms with it.

“Please let me speak,” Liz said.  She hesitated, not sure where to start.  Finally she sank down to the bed with him and took one of his hands in hers.  He looked confused again.  “I set you up,” she said bluntly.

Max’s expression didn’t change.  This much he knew.

“Do you care to know why?” she asked delicately.

He nodded slowly.

Liz drew in a breath.  “You made me.”

Max’s eyebrows rose.  “I did?”

Liz scratched her forehead with her free hand.  “Not really you.  An…older version of you.”

Max shook his head.  “I don’t understand.”

She swallowed and forced herself to continue.  “Remember the night you sang to me?  With the mariachi band?”

Max nodded.  How could he forget that humiliation?

“You were already here.  You came back from 14 years into the future to warn me about what was about to happen.”

“I what?”  Max’s eyes were wide, incredulous.

“You used the granolith to travel back in time.  You arrived right before you serenaded me.”  Liz paused a beat to let the news sink in.  “You told me that the world was ending 14 years in the future, and the reason that it was ending was because you and Tess weren’t together.  And the reason you weren’t together…”  Liz’s strength waned and she put a hand to her mouth to hide her sudden urge to cry.

Max squeezed her hand.  “Liz?”

She gasped in a breath.  “You weren’t together because you and I were married.  We eloped.  To Vegas.”

Max recalled the flash he’d received while on their road trip to Vegas, the one where he’d envisioned himself hoisting a wedding-dress-clad Liz into his arms and kissing her.  “It was real…” he murmured.

Liz nodded her head.   “So you – the future version of you – told me that I had to do something to turn you away.”  She gave a frustrated laugh.  “God, I tried everything.  Setting you up with Tess, going to your room to ask you to leave me alone.”

Max remembered Liz coming to his room, begging for normalcy in her life.  He swallowed, felt the sting of tears in his eyes.

Liz continued.  “The night of the Gomez concert, something would have happened that would have made the future impossible to alter.  So, I asked Kyle to help me set you up.”  She shrugged as the first tear rolled down her cheek.  “And he did.  He never laid a hand on me, Max.  He never asked me why I was trying to hurt you.  He just knew I needed to, so he helped.  Please don’t hate him, Max.”

Max looked into her pleading eyes.  No, he couldn’t hate Kyle, but it found it hard to voice those words to Liz.  “What happened?” he asked.

“You saw us in bed together-“

“No,” Max interrupted gently.  “What happened that would have made the future unchangeable?”

Liz paused, drew in a breath, then let the truth out.  “We made love.”

Max’s mouth dropped open at the revelation, at the loss of what could have been.  Instead of sharing the most intimate night of his life with the person he truly loved, he’d found her in bed with her old boyfriend.  The plan had worked – it had cut him to the quick, had sent his mind and body into a tailspin from which he’d never really recovered.  But he understood now why it was necessary, why Liz had done what she had.  She was strong, brave – probably stronger than he was.  Against his will, his tears spilled onto his cheeks and he looked to the floor.

“Max?”  Liz disengaged her hand from his and put it on his shoulder.  “Max?”

Max continued to stare at the floor as his tears rolled silently from his eyes.  He felt as though his heart was ripping in two.

Liz wrapped her arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek.  “Max,” she said softly against his ear.  “Look at me.”

Max lifted his head and Liz nearly withdrew from the sorrow in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said, biting back her own tears.  “I shouldn’t have laid all of this on you today, after everything else you’ve found out.”

He shook his head.  “No, I needed to know,” he said, his voice cracking.  He took her face between his hands.  “I’m the one who’s sorry.  Sorry that you had to be put through that, that you had to make that decision.”  He knew that deep down she’d grieved the loss of what could have been also; perhaps she was still grieving.  He caressed her smooth cheeks with his thumbs.  “God, I love you,” he gasped.  He did love her – so much it hurt.

Liz gave a little laugh and let her tears spill from her eyes.  Max pulled her to him and kissed her with all of the passion he’d been saving just for her.  They tumbled onto the bed together, Max’s hand finding the bottom of her shirt and working its way under.  Liz grabbed his wrist and broke their kiss.

“Not now,” she said more as a request than anything else.  “Some other time.  When this is about me and you and not about everything that has happened.”  Her round eyes searched his.  “Please?”

Max’s response was to smile gently at her and tuck her head into his chest.  Exhausted from the night’s and morning’s activities, they eventually fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Kyle stared at the tabletop in the Crashdown dining room.  “I can’t believe she did that,” he muttered.

Isabel, seated across from him, looked at him with sympathetic eyes.  “I know, Kyle.  None of us expected that.”

He looked up at her.  “You don’t understand – she lived under my roof.  She was part of my family.  And to just kill Alex like that…”  His voice trailed off as he shook his head.  “She made Christmas for me and my dad.  It was the first real Christmas we’d had in years.”

Isabel smiled gently.  “She’s not evil, Kyle.  She just had a mission and she would do whatever it took to carry out that mission.”  She grimaced.  “Tess never had a human side.  She never understood what it was to live on this world.  Nasedo must’ve really beat it into her that our other world was all that mattered.”  Isabel shuddered at what kind of existence that must have been.  She turned her attention back to Kyle.  “How’s your head?”

Kyle gave a little shrug.  “Fine.  Perfect.”  Then his expression fell to one resembling a dear in the headlights and his words came out in a machine gun rattle.  “Oh, God.  That - that dream thing that you do – that whole playmate thing we did – did you weaken my brain, too?  Oh, God, you did, didn’t you?  At this rate, I won’t have enough brain cells left to graduate high school.  And forget college.  Next week I won’t be able to remember how to tie my shoes.”

Isabel reached over and took his hand.  “Kyle, stop,” she said gently.  He did stop and met her eyes.  “I didn’t hurt you.  You’re fine.”

He withdrew a bit.  “Oh.”  He blinked.  “In that case, can we dreamwalk Jodi Ann again?”

Isabel heaved a disbelieving sigh and released his hand.

Michael opened his eyes and squinted against the late afternoon sunlight streaming through his apartment windows.  He and Maria had returned to his apartment after leaving the pod chamber and had fallen asleep on the couch nearly immediately.  It had been a long day – 36 hours without rest, walking from the sight where they’d wrecked the jeep to the pod chamber, then the mental stress of discovering Tess’s treachery.  They’d both been exhausted and had simply collapsed on the couch together.  But now he was alone.

He lifted his head and saw that Maria was perched on the coffee table beside the couch, her knees primly together, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes locked on his face.  Michael jumped at her closeness.

“What the hell are you doing?” he snapped, still startled by her staring at him.

Her bottom lip quivered.  “You stayed for me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He let out a sigh and scratched his head.  He nodded and reached for her.  She joined him on the couch and slid into his embrace.

“You gave up another whole life for me,” she continued and he nodded again.  “Why did you do that?  Is it about the nookie last night?”

Michael laughed, something that momentarily threw Maria off guard because Michael never laughed.  “No.  I stayed because I love you.”  His hands smoothed her back.  “I’ve found my home.  Right here.”

Maria snuggled into him, rubbed her cheek against his.  Then she heard his stomach growl.  She lifted her head and looked into his tired face.  Smiling, she disengaged herself and went to the refrigerator and pulled out the pasta that had almost gone to waste the night before.  She frowned as she looked around for the microwave.  Michael didn’t have one.

Michael sat up and motioned to her.  “Bring that here,” he said.

Maria grabbed a couple of plates and some utensils and brought the bowl of pasta to Michael.  He closed his eyes, concentrated and waved his hand across the top of the bowl.  Soon Maria could smell warm spaghetti sauce and her lips curved into a smile.  She sat down on the couch and put the plates on the table to allow Michael to dish out the pasta.

“Now I see why you don’t have a microwave,” she said.

“Get time and money saver,” Michael agreed as he twisted some pasta onto his fork.

They ate quietly, then Maria reached over and brushed his hair away from his forehead.  “I love you, Michael,” she said.

Michael smiled at her.  “I know,” he confirmed, then proceeded to feed her from his plate.

Later that night, Max lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling.  Too much had happened – with Tess’s betrayal and Liz’s revelation of her not sleeping with Kyle – for him to sleep.  That paired with the nap he’d taken with Liz earlier in the day had induced in him a painful case of insomnia.

He was concerned about the Tess situation, about his impending fatherhood, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Liz.  He couldn’t fathom the hurt she’d gone through, couldn’t comprehend the level of strength it had taken for her to have done what she did.  It astounded him.  Liz was the most amazing creature he’d ever known.

When he’d awaken from his nap, he’d found Liz curled up by his side, her head on his arm.  He’d carefully disengaged himself, kissed her hair, then had slipped silently through her bedroom window.  In the dark, he smiled at the memory of her sleeping peacefully.  Then he frowned thinking of Tess calling Liz a stupid bitch and he wondered silently why Tess had never tried to harm Liz.  If she could kill Alex…

Max shuddered at the thought and rubbed his eyes.  He was never going to get to sleep tonight.

Just then his door cracked open and he rolled over so he could see who was entering.  Isabel peered through the crack and nearly jumped when she realized Max was awake.  He motioned her in.

“I got the video tape back from Valenti,” she said, trying to infuse some cheer into her voice.

“That’s good,” Max responded, his voice soft in the night air.

“I, um, destroyed it already.”

“Okay.”  Max paused, then raised his eyebrows.  “Is there something else?”

Isabel wrung her hands, shifted her position.  “We nearly made a very big mistake, Max.”

Max sat up on one of his elbows.  “I know.”

“To think we could have blasted off – to what?  Certain death?”  She let out a little laugh that was more gasp than laugh.  “Where do you think we’d be right now?  How long do you think it takes to get back?”

Max shook his head.

Isabel bit her lip.  “Okay.”  She started to turn for the door, but stopped.  “Um, Max.  I don’t feel like being alone tonight.”  She hesitated, then plunged forward with her question.  “Do you think I could stay with you tonight?”

He smiled gently at her.  “Of course.”

Isabel gave a relieved smile of her own and rounded the bed to roll out the sleeping bag Michael usually occupied.  Max’s brow furrowed.

“Isabel,” he said.

She looked up at him mid-stoop.

Max lifted the covers, inviting her.  “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”

She smiled, dropped the sleeping bag and slid under his blankets.  They lay on their sides facing one another.  Isabel leaned over and kissed his cheek and he smiled at her.

“I meant what I said,” she began.  “You are my home.”

Max’s eyes creased at the corners as his smile widened.  “As are you.”

“And I could never leave knowing I would never see you again, Max.”

“Nor could I.”

Isabel gave a little laugh.  “Aren’t you agreeable?”

Max nodded against his pillow.  “I’m sorry I haven’t been more agreeable with you, Isabel.  I’m sorry about a lot of things.”

She touched his cheek.  “While Tess was betraying everyone else, did you ever stop to think about what she might have been doing to you?”

Max frowned.  No, he hadn’t thought about that.  All he’d thought about had been Liz and Kyle and Alex, about what Tess had done to them. 

“You weren’t yourself when you were with her,” Isabel continued.  “Let yourself off the hook.  Wipe the slate clean.  Let’s start over.”

Max smiled warmly at her.  “Okay,” he agreed.

Isabel sighed.  “I’m not tired.”

Max shook his head.  “Me neither.”

“Let’s just sit up and talk all night – like we used to,” she suggested, her eyes suddenly bright.

Max matched her smile.  “Okay.”

Somewhere outside of Tulsa, a Greyhound bus bounced mercilessly over some rough terrain, sending its passengers upward then brutally downward.

“This sucks!” one of those passengers exclaimed, drawing disapproving looks from several of the other passengers.  His appearance alone warranted some suspicious glances.

“Chill,” came the reply of his female counterpart.  She rearranged her body in her seat and eyed him from beneath her bangs.  “All you’ve done is bitch, Rath.”

“Of course I’m bitchin’,” Rath replied.  “Who wouldn’t bitch?  Having to ride this freakin’ gray monster half way across the country.”

Lonnie rolled her eyes.  “We’re being inconspicuous.”

“On a bus?  Yo, duke, we shoulda stole a car like last time.”

Lonnie released an aggravated sigh.  “Told you there’d be no talking about last time.  This time we’ll be smarter about this.  We’re going to get that granolith, without Nicholas, and then we’re out of this wretched place.”  She eyed her partner.  “Speaking of inconspicuous, I thought I told you to lose the hair.”

Rath ran a hand over his Mohawk.  “Yeah, like this is any more noticeable than your freaking face piercings.”

Lonnie balled up her sweatshirt and tucked it between her head and the window.  “I’m goin’ to sleep, Rath.  Leave me alone.”

“Wait.  How’re we gonna to get the granolith?  We don’t know where it is.”

At that Lonnie smiled.  “No, but Mr. Max does.”

Rath looked to her in confusion.  “Like he’d tell us.”

“He doesn’t have to.  I’m sure he told that bitch you lip-locked where it is.  She’d human – she won’t be able to resist for long.”

Rath blinked a couple of times, then the realization hit him and he smiled with her.  Drawing a few more disapproving glances, he cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

Part Two

Liz was refilling sugar containers in the back room of the Crashdown when Max found her.  She looked up, gave him a tentative smile and returned to her work.

“You left without saying goodbye,” she said, no malice in her voice, as she screwed the top back onto a sugar shaker.

“I’m sorry,” Max said as he slid in next to her.  “You looked so peaceful; I didn’t want to disturb you.”  Max moved to kiss her, but Liz backed out of his reach.  He raised his eyebrows.  “Is everything okay, Liz?”

She looked up to meet his gaze and nodded her head.  “Everything is great, Max.”  She wiped her hands on her apron, bit her lip and let out a sigh.  “It’s just that I think you have some issues to clear up before we can move forward.”

Max’s heart sank.  “Issues?”

“Yeah.  With, um, Tess.”

“Liz, Tess is gone,” Max explained gently.

Liz nodded.  “I know.  But what about your son?”

Max hesitated, searched for words, anything that would make Liz feel better about the situation, but Liz continued.

“It’s just that so much has happened,” she explained, looking him straight in the eye.  “Between you and her – I mean, you slept with her, Max.  You gave her your virginity.”

Although her voice held no accusatory tone, Max looked down at his shoes, suddenly ashamed.  At the time, Tess had seemed like the only real thing in his life – he and Isabel were fighting viciously, and words couldn’t even describe what he and Liz were going through.  It had only seemed natural to turn to Tess, his supposed wife, for comfort and understanding.  In the morning, he’d felt conflicted, but the news of the pregnancy had pushed all thoughts of doubt to the back of his mind.  He’d become that robot Michael accused him of being – he saw what his responsibility was and he shut off all of his feelings in order to deal with the situation.  But, he had been so wrong.  So horribly wrong. 

“Max.”  Liz reached down and took his hand and he looked up at her again.  “I’m not blaming you.  It happened.  There is no taking back the past.  All I am trying to tell you is that I need some time.  Some time to digest all of this – what you did with Tess, the fact that you are going to be a father, where that leaves me.” 

“I love you,” Max replied.

Liz bit her lip.  “I know you love me, Max, and I love you.  It’s just going to take some time to come to grips with everything.”

Max looked down at her tiny hand in his.  “Does that mean I can’t see you?”  His voice was barely above a whisper and he feared the response he would get.

Liz shook her head.  “No, that’s not what that means.  It means that I need to take things slowly.  That you need to resolve some of your outstanding issues.  I want to see you, Max, and be with you, but I can’t take our relationship to the next level until some questions are answered.”

Max felt a glimmer of hope.  She wasn’t blowing him off, she was just delaying what they both knew was inevitable.  Max could wait for that – he’d already been waiting a lifetime for her.  He nodded.  “Okay,” he agreed.  “Time.  Space.  It’s yours.”  His eyes settled on her lips.  “Can I kiss you?”

Liz gave a giggle at his request.  It was the first time since she’d been 13 that someone had asked permission to kiss her.  She nodded her head – how could she deny him?

Isabel folded, unfolded and refolded the napkin.  She glanced toward the Crashdown kitchen door, her eyes darting nervously.  Where was Max?  He said it would only be a few minutes.  It had been longer than that.  She was alone out here in the dining room with a ton of strangers.  She didn’t know how much longer she could stand to be by herself.

The napkin ripped.  Isabel looked down at the two pieces and felt the tears start to well up in her eyes.  She wiped at them viciously.  She was losing it – officially losing it.  She was on the verge of tears over a stupid napkin.

Isabel looked back to the kitchen door and saw Max’s head pass the window.  She breathed a little easier – he was still back there.  He hadn’t left her.  God, she was going insane.  Of course Max wasn’t going to leave her.  He never would.  If he would only come out and be closer to her, she’d feel safer.

“Hey, Isabel.”  Maria’s voice.

Isabel looked up at her friend, who was dragging her order pad from her apron pocket.

“Maria!” she said, probably a little too chipper.  “How are you?”

“Just peachy.  Want to order something?  Drink?  Appetizer?”

How could Maria act so calm about all of this?  She was going about her business like nothing had happened in the last few days.  Why was she acting like life just went on, like their lives hadn’t been turned upside down?

“Um, can I just get a glass of water?” Isabel managed.  “I’m just waiting for Max.”  She gestured toward the kitchen.

Maria followed her gaze and smiled.  “Oh, yeah, back there rekindling the flames, is he?”  She gave a little giggle, thinking of what Liz had in store for her.  Hmm, maybe she should warn Liz…

“Yeah,” Isabel smiled, hoped she didn’t appear as nervous as she was.

“Alright.  One water.  Be right back with that.”

As Maria walked away, Isabel wondered if she would ever feel calm, ever feel safe again.  She knew the nervous twisting in her stomach was irrational, but she appeared to have no control over it.

“What I Did On My Summer Vacation” by Kyle Valenti

“Let’s see.  Last year I was mortally wounded, but an alien brought me back to life.  This year, I was mind warped and brain damaged, but the same alien healed me…and some day the men in the white coats will prepare a room for me next to Grandpa’s.”

Kyle laughed at his scribbles on the side of the newspaper.  What a story he had.  No one in the universe would believe what had happened to him in the last 12 months.  He’d had both close calls, had roomed with an alien, had taken said alien to the prom, said alien had killed one of his best friends…

Kyle frowned as he thought of Alex.  Before the whole mess had started with the shooting last spring, Kyle had been just another one of the jocks, making fun of Alex for his athletic ineptitude.  But the events of the prior spring had opened Kyle’s eyes to the world, had made him reevaluate his place in life.  Alex had proven to be a geek, sure, but he was also one of the most loyal, trust-worthy friends Kyle had ever had.

Sitting back in his chair at the dining room table, Kyle let out a little sigh and rubbed his eyes.  He was a poor judge of character.  While Tess had been wheedling her way into his heart – first as a love interest and then as a sibling – he’d looked past all of her faults, her ability to be totally wicked.  What a strange twist of irony – only by giving up his cynical side had he seen the value in Alex, but by turning off the cynicism, he’d totally misjudged Tess.  What had it taken for her to reach into Alex’s brain and destroy him?  How could any living being have that much disregard for life?

Kyle looked up as he heard the front door close.  Shortly, his father appeared, his sheriff’s Stetson in his hand.  Kyle smiled – his father looked happy to be back in the saddle.

“Hi, Dad,” Kyle said.

“Hey, son.”  Jim Valenti hung his hat on the rack and slid into a chair opposite is only child.  “Are you okay?”

Kyle shrugged.  “No big deal.  Saw the doctor yesterday.”

Jim looked startled, then smiled.  He knew that Max had worked his magic on Kyle’s head.  “Look, Kyle, about what happened.  None of us saw that coming.”

“I know, Dad.”

“And I want you to know that the others aren’t like Tess,” Jim said earnestly.  “I know that is hard to believe right now since we didn’t recognize the warning signs in Tess, but I know the others.  I know they wouldn’t harm you.”

“I know, Dad.”  Kyle was staring at his scribbles on the newspaper.  Max Evans wouldn’t have healed him if he’d intended on doing Kyle any harm.

Jim studied his son for a moment then nodded his head.  “Okay.  You’re really alright?”

Kyle looked up at his father.  “Yeah, fine.  No headaches, nothing.”  He gave an honest smile.  “What a life we lead, huh, Dad?”

Jim smiled in return.  “Yeah, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world, would you?”

Kyle shook his head.  “Nah.  Think how boring it would be if we weren’t harboring fugitives and killers in our home.”

Jim laughed earnestly and clapped his son on the back.

Max exited the Crashdown kitchen and approached Isabel’s booth.  She looked up at him and smiled.

“Bend down here,” she whispered.

Max shot her a confused look, but stooped so he was eye-level with her.  Isabel reached up to wipe a smudge of lipstick from his cheek and Max reddened.

“How’s Liz?” Isabel asked, feeling relief now that Max was an arm’s-length away from her.

“Fine,” Max said, trying to hide his guilty grin.

“Everything’s all fixed in Max and Liz Land, then?”

“It will be.”

The doorbell to the restaurant chimed before Isabel could inquire further about Max’s back room escapades.  Max glanced toward the door – and stopped short.  He felt his blood run cold at the sight before him and automatically he moved to shield Isabel’s body with his own.  Isabel caught his unusual reaction and twisted in the booth so she could see the door.  She gasped at the same time Maria screamed and dropped a wash pan of plates at the rear of the restaurant.

Max felt his heart start to beat triple time in his chest, could feel his hatred and anger boiling to the surface.  His jaw clenched and his fists balled subconsciously in defense.

Short in stature, platinum blond, a body built to break hearts, she stood in the doorway and glanced at her surroundings.

It was Tess.

Part Three

Alerted by the sound of the breaking dishes, Liz rushed from the back room of the Crashdown.  She nearly tripped over the pile of broken plates; then her eyes settled on Max, his body rigid, his fists clenching and unclenching.  She followed his gaze to the door – and broke into a run.

Max’s head whirled when he saw Liz skate past him and throw herself into Tess’s arms.  At first he thought Liz was attacking her, so he quickly moved to intervene.  Tess could hurt Liz with the snap of her fingers and there was no way he was going to let that happen.  As he reached for Liz’s arm, however, he realized she was laughing and hugging Tess instead of pounding her mercilessly.  Confusion clouded Max’s mind as he felt Isabel’s hand slip protectively into his.

The two hugging girls parted and Tess looked at Max and laughed.  As soon as she opened her mouth, Max knew he’d made a mistake.  “Yo, you look like you seen a ghost,” she said.

Max’s free hand when to his chest and he felt his knees try to buckle beneath him with the wave of relief he felt.  Isabel laughed gently and helped him into a chair.  Liz glanced at him in confusion and wrapped her arm around the new-comer’s shoulders.

“It’s Ava,” Liz said to Max.  “Max?”

Max glanced up at the girls.  Of course it was Ava – Tess didn’t have a nose ring and a pierced eyebrow.  But when did Ava dye her hair all one color?  Oh, what a cruel joke.  Max’s head pounded with the sudden rush of blood.  Isabel handed him a glass of water.

“You okay?” Ava asked as she stepped before him.

“He’s fine,” Isabel answered.  “A lot has happened since you left.”  He put her hand reassuringly on Max’s shoulder.  “You just took him off guard.”

“I’m sitting right here,” Max reminded.  “You don’t have to talk about me like I’m not.”  He stood and gave Ava a cursory hug.  “I’m sorry, Ava.”

Ava laughed, her pretty blue eyes sparkling.  “No prob, chief.”  She turned back to Liz.  “Listen, I’m just passin’ through.  Think I could crash for a while?”

Liz nodded eagerly and grabbed Ava’s bag.  Then she wrapped her arm around Ava’s shoulders and started to usher her to the rear of the restaurant and the stairs that lead to the Parkers’ apartment.  “I want to hear everything you’ve been doing,” Liz chatted.

“I was working as a dancer,” Ava replied before she was out of earshot and Max couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation.

Max turned his attention to Isabel, who was biting her lips to keep from laughing.  “That,” he stated firmly, “was not funny.”

Jeff Parker was glad to meet Liz’s friend Ava.  She was polite, a little on the radical side of life, but her company was enjoyable.  He offered her a job at the Crashdown while she was in town.  Always in need of cash, Ava readily accepted.

A week after Ava’s arrival, Liz, Ava and Maria were closing the restaurant.  Maria still shuddered every time she caught an unexpected glance of Ava – her physical similarities to Tess were hard to deal with.  But Maria liked Ava, liked that she wore outlandish clothes and liked to talk about hair styles and nail polish.  Liz never experimented much with any of those things, so Maria was drawn to Ava.

“Tell me about Zan,” Maria said as she swept under the barstools at the counter.

Liz looked up at Maria.  Ava and Liz had discussed Zan, but Liz had never really filled Maria in on the details.  Liz didn’t think she was interested.

Ava shrugged her slim shoulders as she filled a ketchup bottle behind the counter.  Liz had to laugh that Ava was wearing antennas as part of her Crashdown uniform – how ironic.  “Zan was a lot like Max,” Ava said simply.

“You mean uptight?” Maria giggled, received a glance from Liz.

Ava gave a little laugh.  One difference between Ava and Tess – their laughs were entirely different.  “Yeah, sometimes.  But a good guy, ya know.  Noble to a freakin’ fault.”

Maria rolled her eyes.  “Yep – that’s Max.”

Liz put down her sponge and regarded her friend.  “Maria, can we leave Max alone, please?”

“Why?  You can’t seem to.”

Another giggle from Ava. 

Liz hopped onto one of the barstools.  “I can’t help it.  I love him.”

“As I loved Zan,” Ava said, leaning on the counter.

Liz looked at her sympathetically.  “Do you miss him?”

Ava nodded, her mouth turned down slightly at the corners.  “But, I told you.  Don’t think he ever loved me.”

Maria slid onto a stood beside Liz’s.  “What do you mean?”

Ava shrugged.  “He wasn’t there all the time.  He was always lookin’ for somethin’ – maybe someone - else.”  She smiled at Liz.  “Like I know Max was always lookin’ for you when he knew he was supposed to be with Tess.”

Liz blushed, looked to the countertop.

“You two do the deed yet?” Ava asked.

Liz gasped at her boldness and Maria burst out laughing.  “Um, no,” Liz laughed.

“I did,” Maria announced proudly.

Ava raised her eyebrows.  “Really?  Who with?”

“Mr. Michael,” Maria gloated.

Ava shared a surprised glance with Liz, then addressed Maria.  “How was it?”  Maria raised her eyebrows and Ava backtracked.  “I’m just curious – the whole human/alien thing.  What was is like?”

“You mean you’ve never had sex with a human?” Maria’s voice was incredulous.

Ava shook her head.  “I never had sex with no one but Zan.  I dress like a slut – doesn’t mean I am one.”

Maria reddened.  “I didn’t mean-“

“Chill,” Ava said gently.  “I’m just sayin’ I never tried it with a human.  I was kind of afraid of what might happen.  But you obviously had no problems.  Tell us about it.”

Liz was also looking at Maria intently.  Maria shifted nervously.