pygmalion

By DocPaul

Chapter Twenty-nine: Touch my tears, with your lips

Touch my world with your fingertips,

And we can have forever,

And we can love forever.

Day Forty-three: Tuesday, 1:43 am

“Michael, I don’t know if I can do this.” Max looked at the dead body on the slab. His fingerprints had been run, but there were no matches. He was labeled as a John Doe. The altering they needed to do was enough of the genetic code in the entire body to match the sperm samples taken as evidence in the rape cases. Max had only started using his powers a few months ago, and so much of it was still new. This was a level of complexity that was perhaps beyond him.

Michael swore, his anxiety increasing. They needed a body or the PD would continue to look for the rapist forever. More than that, he needed this Rath person to be found so Maria wasn’t connected to his death in any way.

What?

Not strong enough. He isn’t capable yet.

You are. Link.

Michael paused. He could always feel Maria in his mind, but he had never thought to join to her over so much distance. They had left her at the loft after they destroyed Rath’s body. He didn’t want her to deal with this too.

Too far. I need to touch you.

Try.

Michael tried. Failed. Too far. She was across town. She was right though. He was a transformer of energy. He should be able to easily transmute the body to Rath’s. He would alter the sperm to be unique, but not the rest of the body. It would remain human. The authorities would assume that this man was exposed to some mutagens that rendered him productively sterile, unable to reproduce. Perhaps it would explain his murderous and vicious activities.

Michael cleared his mind at her urging. There He could see it in the distance. A light. Walking towards it, he could see the focusing crystal….the prism clear in his mind. His body tensed in excitement. A desire rushed through him as he felt the energy of his body seeking the purity of hers. The rush was orgasmic…intoxicating. Searching the strands, he found one that looked purplish in color, mentally picking it up he dropped it again. Wrong one. Blue. No. An almost teal one. That was it. Concentrating, Michael didn’t notice Max’s face as he reached out his hand and ran it over the body, leaving the bullet marks. The face was Rath’s. Not Michael’s. The man they had pursued in the club, but a slight alteration to make him look like Michael, but not so closely. The tattoos and piercings appeared, and finally Michael paused intently at the groin area. That part had to be perfect. Match completely. The difference between the DNA of the sperm and the rest of the body would have to be explained by science as a marvel. All that mattered was the DNA, and that it matched the samples left by their rapist.

Michael suspected that the aliens would never allow the FBI to retain the body. They would intervene and destroy it themselves. He didn’t care, as long as no trails led back to his home and his family. He couldn’t have the body of Rath be found with the burn marks made by alien powers…this John Doe died from gun fire. Nothing extraordinary except the sperm.

Finished. Michael reluctantly broke his connection with Maria. Slumping for a moment as the rush of energy powering down left him weak, he could honestly say he felt good. More than good. He felt great. Horny. Sexually overhyped. Totally turned on.

“You okay?” Max looked at the body twice. Damn, Michael had done a good job! The body looked like Rath, but surprisingly not much like Michael. Enough to draw laughing jests, but not enough to cause suspicion. “How the hell did you do that?”

“Practice.” Michael quickly covered the body, and pushed the slab back into the refrigerator unit. He grabbed the autopsy schedule, and saw that his John Doe was scheduled to be done in the morning by Simon. Michael quickly changed the schedule with a swipe of his hand to another doctor to do first thing in the morning. Simon would remember the face. He couldn’t afford to let Simon do the autopsy. “Done. Let’s go.”

~~~

Michael opened the door to the loft.

It was very dark outside, and the lamps were turned on, illuminating the room with a soft glow. Julia and Sean had gone to bed already. Maria DeLuca-Guerin was standing calmly in the middle of the living room, looking impossibly beautiful, impossibly normal. She looked at Michael expectantly with large green eyes, and Michael closed the door behind him quietly, half disbelieving that the thirty minutes had actually happened. They had linked across space and distance without touching. He was still aroused. Impossibly aroused.

Michael took his jacket off and lifted it in the direction of the coat-rack, not taking his eyes off Maria. The jacket missed the hook and slid to the floor. Michael didn't notice.

Maria took a small step toward him and then Michael was moving forward rapidly, and he had her in his arms, cradled to his chest, and he was caressing the beautiful soft hair. Maria looked up at him, and then snaked her arms around his neck and bent Michael's head down to kiss her.

And then everything began spiraling out of control as they sank to their knees where they stood, lips still pressed together hungrily, hands scrabbling at each other's shirts. Fabric ripped, buttons protested and gave way, and then Michael was bent over Maria on the floor, kissing her nipples, rubbing his face into the soft skin of his wife, working off her worn jeans whose first few buttons were undone because she could no longer button her pants all the way.

Once naked, Maria pushed Michael onto his back and rolled on top of him, grabbing his head and pulling him into a bruising, frenzied kiss. Michael reached into Maria's hair with one hand, tried to pull off his pants with the other. It took too damn much concentration and motor coordination so he abandoned it as hopeless, and he used his powers to make them go away, grabbing a warm handful of Maria's ass instead. He pulled Maria’s pelvis down hard against his, and she lifted her head and moaned.

“You felt it too?” Michael murmured in a low growling moan.

“Yes! Shut up and fuck!” Maria bit his shoulder hard and Michael flipped her over again and got on top.

Pinning Maria beneath him, Michael bent to her throat and sucked furiously. Michael…now, I can’t wait. Now! Need... Too intense.. Maria’s voice echoed in his head in a pleading demand, and now Michael growled.

This time he was going to leave a mark. Someone had entered his territory. Threatened his family. Maria…she was like a song in his blood burning…the sound of war pipes blaring. Maria raised her legs and wrapped them around Michael's waist, rubbing wantonly against him.

The action got Michael's attention. “I love you! God, I can’t…”

Maria stopped his words with her mouth as she took his breath deep inside, her mouth ravishing his. She didn’t need the words. She just needed him.

…..and then Michael stopped suddenly and looked at Maria, who was lying on her back under him, hair spread around her head, breathing hard, nipples red and peaked, as her lower body pushed against his, straining, dripping, legs spread wide under the firm pressure of Michael's fingers. He heard the deafening sound of his own harsh breathing, and he quickly stood up with her in his arms and headed for the stairs quickly. He wasn’t going to make it.

“Lights,” she said in his ear. He cursed and with a wave of his alien hand, the lights were extinguished. He tripped a little going up the stairs in the dark, and Maria giggled until he pinched her ass in punishment. Her pouting mouth was too much to resist, so he kissed her again.

Michael groaned and nearly came with the feel of her tongue in his mouth, the sensation, and the pleasure of it. Finally he made their bed and pulled his mouth away. Watching her through half closed eyes, he brought his fingers to her opening. Tilting Maria's hips up, Michael gently inserted a finger into the tight, impossibly hot, passage and moved it in and out. Maria's hands clenched and one hand came to grab his wrist to encourage him to move faster, harder…deeper. She opened her legs wider to give Michael better access as he ran his finger over that sensitive nub of nerve endings and her hips bucked uncontrollably. Putting a firm hand on her round abdomen and holding her down, he then inserted another finger into her as he sucked her tongue into his mouth again.

“Oh Jesus, Maria. Again. Give it to me again!”

Maria understood immediately and she reached for him mentally, clearing her mind, so whatever it was he sought would be there, found. Light bent. Time slowed, reversing and doubling back on itself. They lost time again.

Maria gasped as the full extent of his unleashed power hit her, and she pushed back feeling it like a live wire on her skin, reached down to grasp his cock. Michael pushed himself hard into her hand as he stroked his fingers in and out of Maria, his head moving down to her breasts as his tongue went to stroked Maria’s nipple with a steady, solid pressure, catching the sensitive swollen nub between his teeth. Maria whimpered.

"Professor," murmured Michael softly, "you're beautiful...you're so beautiful...you have no idea..." He sucked the nipple fully into the heat of his mouth knowing her pregnant breasts were excruciatingly sensitive, as he increased the speed of his strokes in her. "I love you, I want you, always want you..."

Maria tensed beneath him and he knew she was close. He added a third finger, and sped his strokes even faster. "You were made for me, Maria," he said raggedly, "made for me, and you're mine. Come for me" he said quietly, and then he pulled out of her suddenly, bent his head, and softly, deeply kissed where his fingers had been.

Maria spasmed furiously and came. Michael ran his hands over the underside of Maria's thighs, over her hips, feeling the muscles trembling seductively beneath him. He ran lingering fingers over Maria's abdomen, and then began lubricating his cock with her, as he moved his cock back and forth at the opening, wetting himself before entering. Heart pounding, Michael knelt between Maria's legs and pulled her hips up into his lap. He positioned his cock at the entrance to her body and pressed forward gently.

For a moment he thought that he hadn't opened her enough, hadn't prepared her well enough. She was so small in comparison to his body, but then suddenly, slowly he was moving forward into her beautiful, hot, welcoming body. He exhaled a long breath and looked down into her eyes. His heart actually skipped a beat. The green fire of passion and heat met his as Maria’s eyes stared up at him, seeing so much. Him, she could see him without a doubt. She had looked into Rath’s eyes, and she hadn’t seen him, and she knew the difference. She knew. Michael actually smiled and they were finally, blissfully united. Eyes locked, the moment was impossibly long and incredibly perfect...and then it was over and Michael was moving and suddenly, finally, buried deep in her body. Michael Guerin completely, totally and utterly lost control.

He thrust into her hard, and Maria urged him on with her body and her voice as Michael pounded, sliding out and in of her with long, furious strokes. When he would have faltered, pulled back in exhaustion, her voice demanded more and her mouth found his exposed skin and she bit him hard, as blood, his life’s blood fed into her mouth. And he closed his eyes and felt her body contract around him. And it began, in his spine. He was coming and Maria was coming and the world spun and he held onto his wife's warm body as he fell.

It was much, much later when Michael realized that she was sobbing beneath him and only with an effort was he was able to tune into what Maria was saying. "…for a second, such a long second, I was afraid it was you….that I was wrong, and it was you…" and he took Maria into his arms and stroked her cheek, and kissed her for a long minute. And then he nuzzled her neck, and dropped his head to whisper softly into her ear: "You knew, Maria…you knew." A sense of wonder and awe never once left his voice.

A lifetime and he would never find the words to tell her why it was so important to him that she knew the difference between him and his Dupe. But it was. He didn’t like to think that she loved him only by chance…the chance that made him find her first. In a body engineered and made to be replicated at will, in that one moment she confirmed that he was utterly unique and loved, and that she could indeed see a difference. Her mouth moved to join his as her fingers gently stoked his cheek, smoothing the tears on his face away with her fingertips. Together, they could live forever, trapped timelessly in each other.

~~~

“Where were you last night?”

Max swore. He had cancelled their pool date. He stopped dressing to look over at Jonathan. “Last night?”

Jonathan frowned. He knew the moment that Max decided to lie to him. Grabbing his jacket he shrugged into it. “You know…nevermind. If you’re going to lie to me, I rather you didn’t say anything at all.”

“Jonathan...” Max sighed and closed his eyes as Jonathan left the room. Damn. Everything had been great until Michael called. He followed Jonathan into the living room. “Don’t be this way.”

“And what way would that be, Max?”

Jonathan opened the door to leave, but Max slammed it shut from across the room. Jonathan stood staring at the door that had just moved from his hands under its own will. Looking at the door, Max, and then the door again, he ventured cautiously, “Max...?”

“This way, Jonathan. You hold things back from me too, you know. Things that you’re uncomfortable talking about or revealing. Well, there. That’s a taste of what I hold in reserve.”

“You did that?”

Max nodded. Advancing slowly, he licked his lips nervously. “I…I’m not from around here, exactly.”

“Albuquerque. You’re from Albuquerque.”

“Before Roswell…yes. Before that…Antar.”

Jonathan leaned his head against the door and closed his eyes. “Max…Antar?” Jonathan stared at Max, whose eyes were strangely dark, unreadable, but glassy with unshed tears. “You want to tell me what you can?”

Max moved closer to Jonathan, his hand went out to touch Jonathan, but he held back. “Yeah, I want to tell you things. What I can tell…isn’t much. I don’t know much or remember anything…next to nothing. I just know that I once lived another life on a distant planet. I was Zan, and I’m now Max.”

“God!” Jonathan looked away and stared at the door. He couldn’t talk.

“I guess this is where you tell me to seek psychological counseling?”

Jonathan licked his mouth and looked back at Max. “The dishes flying around the room that day….that was Maria. You’re telling me that she’s…from somewhere else too? Antar?”

Max shook his head. “No. She’s human. Michael is my brother. Their babies are of mixed heritage. They lend her their power when she’s upset.”

Jonathan closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the door again. “How long?” His voice was so low, Max had to move closer to hear him. “How long have you known that you were…Zan?”

“Since…for over six months, or about that.”

Jonathan nodded, as if it answers so many questions for him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I couldn’t.”

Jonathan was quiet, but he waited for Max to tell him. It was important that Max tell him why he kept it a secret. “It wasn’t about just me…” Max risked touching Jonathan then, his fingers lightly skimming his sleeve and moved down to his hands. “There were others too. Michael. His children, and even the effects of what we are on Maria. Isabel. Tess. And even my unborn son. I wasn’t alone in this.” Max’s eyes pleaded with Jonathan to understand. “I hated not telling you, but believe me when I tell you that I just found out myself, and even I don’t know what it all means. For over twenty-eight years of my life I thought I was human…the son of Diane and Philip Evans.”

Jonathan looked down at where Max’s hand was holding his tightly. He swallowed. “You’re right. I keep things from you too. My past. My life with Vanessa. Things that I’m not proud of, and things I wish I could change. I can honestly say that I walked away from so much in my life. There was never a desire to return to that life…never. But, it still pulls at me. I made promises…promises I later regretted.” Jonathan laughed bitterly. “Honor. A terrible affliction.” Jonathan turned dark black eyes on Max. They showed his sorrow. “I…” Jonathan breathed hard, his eyes became glassy again as he looked away trying to gather his thoughts. “I found you…and it was good….it is good. Better than I ever thought it would ever be…or even imagined it could be. I…” Jonathan could say any more. There was so much he had no words to express what it was that hurt him.

Max moved closer. “I understand if this changes us. I know that I should’ve told you sooner, but I was afraid.” Max licked his lips and ran a hand to Jonathan’s face, holding his face firmly, his thumb rubbing across his cheekbone. “I had to think of the others too.” Max leaned into Jonathan and whispered into his ear. “I’m sorry.”

Jonathan looked at Max. “I’m sorry too. It’s so late for us. We should’ve talked long ago, and now…” Jonathan licked his lips and closed his eyes for a moment. “Now I’m afraid it will break us…the truth will destroy everything.”

“Does it matter to you? Does it change how you feel?” Max held his breath as it burned in his lungs, his heart felt heavy as it beat in his chest out of control. “Knowing what I am…does that change how you feel about me?”

“Max.” Jonathan put his head back against the door as a single tear moved down his cheek. Max never saw him cry before. It was disturbing. “I’m afraid it will change how you feel about me.”

“God! No! No.” Max shook his head incredulous. If nothing, Jonathan was the one thing that made sense in his life. He was worth it. “I won’t change my mind.” Max was confused by the look in Jonathan’s eyes. Sighing he leaned into him. “Marry me. Forget everything, and marry me.”

Jonathan shook his head. “No.”

“Jonathan…”

“No.” Jonathan pushed Max away from him. “I can’t. We can’t. I won’t marry you.”

Max didn’t know what to say, how to convince Jonathan that things weren’t changed. That everything was still the same with them.

Jonathan moved closer to Max, his head bent and he brushed his mouth against Max’s. “We can’t belong together…not until we tell each other everything. The truth, Max. Every detail about your life, what you remember…and all the things that’s been going on behind my back, including why Maria almost died. Everything.”

Max nodded. Jonathan was right. They couldn’t go forward together until they were equals. “Okay. That means you too. Are you ready to tell me all your secrets, all the ugly hidden stuff in your past? Vanessa?”

Jonathan nodded seriously, then his face lightened. “Oh, I’ll tell you all about it. About every moment of my life, the good…you, the bad…..me, and the ugly…..Vanessa. Everything. There are things, Max. Things I’m not proud of, and things I’ve done to get this far. You can’t know. I wasn’t always the way I am today. I had to change, make decisions, and believe it or not, I had to learn to feel my humanity.”

“Maria.”

Jonathan nodded. “A large part  of this is about Maria. She gave me a lot. My first real friend.” Jonathan moved one of Max’s buttons. “I don’t think you’ll like all the things I need to tell you. Most of it involves the Foundation. How it started. Why it started. Why it was necessary.”

Max was still for a moment. “You’re not going to tell me that you’re using Maria’s Foundation to launder corrupt and illegal monies are you?”

Jonathan laughed and shook his head. “No. Nothing illegal. Nothing that would make you arrest me….well, at least, nothing involving the Foundation.” Jonathan smirked.

“So, I’m to take it that you’ve been bad in the past?”

Jonathan laughed delighted at the look on Max’s face. The wary regard, a spark of caution, and that underlying hint of excitement. “Oh, yeah. I’ve been bad.” Jonathan laughed softly and bent his head to rub against Max’s neck. “Very bad.

Max sighed. “Okay, we wait until you can tell me, and I’ll tell you. As soon as we can get a full evening uninterrupted, we’re gonna talk.”

“I have to take care of some business first.”

Max tilted his head in question.

“Vanessa.”

“Oh yeah. Vanessa.” Max moved his hand up Jonathan’s front. “You also have a date with me. The one that was interrupted last night…I have to tell you about it. We…Michael, Isabel, Tess and myself, we have these twins…duplicates that look like us, but they’re not us. They were made with more alien than human essence in their genetics. Yesterday, Michael’s dupe tried to kill Maria and Michael’s babies.”

Jonathan stood up straighter. “Whaaaat?”

Max nodded. “I don’t understand it exactly. But somehow the twins are tied to this Destiny thing all these aliens are talking about, and…”

“Aliens? More?” Jonathan shook his head. “How many more, Max?”

Max sighed. “Lots. Walkers. Skins. Michael butt-kissing worshipers. A guy named Larek. Another called Kivar. Even FBI Special Unit agents. The whole situation is pretty lousy with alien activity.”

“Shit!” Jonathan wiped his face. “I was just concentrating on my life….with you, and my friendship with Maria, and the Foundation. I missed a lot of things. How could I miss all this?” Jonathan actually looked embarrassed.

Max smiled slightly at his reaction. “Equals, Jonathan. I want us to be equals. I’ll tell you everything. I’m telling about the Dupes right now, because I want you to be careful…my Dupe, Zan, he might approach you. I need to make sure you’re safe. And aware.”

Jonathan closed his eyes and pulled Max into a strong hug. “Max…take some extra time off this morning.”

“To talk?” Max looked at Jonathan in concern. The man was dark. His face was shuttered, and Max noticed a slight tremor to his hands. “What is it? Are you okay?”

“No.” Jonathan was serious. He was far from okay. His whole world, the one he had fought so hard for, was threatening to crumble beneath his feet. “Stay home, and take care of me. We need to talk this out now. We’ve waited long enough.”

Max moved his hands to hold Jonathan’s face firmly searching his face. “Okay.” Max leaned in and kissed Jonathan softly. “I’ll take care of you.” Max whispered softly, “I wasn’t kidding yesterday, by the way. I really want us to be equals.”

“You don’t have to do that, Max. We’re fine as we are.” Jonathan was quick to offer Max an out. Sexually, Max was always the top. There was something about him that seemed to demand to be control, to be the dominant partner. To Jonathan, it didn’t matter. He rarely had questions about his own masculinity. It was always strange to find Michael the dominant partner in their professional life. It took a while for him to realize that Michael and Max were neither dominant nor submissive, but rather they had a very defined relationship where each played their part regardless of how others viewed their partnership. Michael was the dominant detective, but Max was the dominant leader.

Max smiled and backed Jonathan up against the door. “Oh c’mon, give me a break! I asked before all this started, and I was serious. I want us to be equals. No tops, no bottoms. Just us. Least you could do is admit you’re excited about the prospect of getting in me.”

Jonathan let Max kiss him, muss him up hard against the door. “Oh, I am more than a little excited. I’m having a hard enough time to clear my damn head.” Jonathan laughed in shock. “You’re killing me here…Zan? Is that okay? Calling you Zan?”

Max shrugged. “Does it matter? Do you want to call me that?”

Jonathan’s eyes went dark again. “Oh, I think I’ll stick to Max. This…Zan? I don’t know, and don’t love. I love you.”

“No matter what I am? What I was?”

“No matter. The past is past, Max. There is just here…now. Us. Agreed?”

Max looked at his fiancée. Damn. A man. He was in love with a man. Amazing. Everything in him was telling him not to mess this up…not to treat it lightly or cheaply. “Agreed. We talk. Everything on the table…and then we go on from there.”

Jonathan nodded. “I’m worried, Max. When I tell you about why I married Vanessa, and I tell you about the Foundation…” Jonathan shook his head and looked at the floor. “This isn’t going to go well for me. I just swear to you, that I had a reason…a purpose. A promise I made to someone long ago…and I couldn’t walk away from that promise, no matter how much I wanted to, and how hard I tried.”

Max went with his instincts. “It was a promise to someone you loved.”

Jonathan for once in his life actually suddenly looked pale. “Yes,” he said softly.

“You said you never felt love before…that before meeting Maria…you never knew how to feel. How?” Max ran a hand across his stomach. “You loved this person, and…”

Jonathan moved into Max, stilling his hands, forcing him to really listen to him. “I did love, or what I thought was love…my version, or the best I could understand. I hurt, Max. I hurt, a lot. Then I learned the difference from Maria. I learned just how painful love could be, and how bittersweet. Then I met you, and I learned how wonderful love was as well. I loved someone once, but that was long ago. Compared to you…how I feel about you…right now? There is no comparison. I really, really feel you.”

Max sniffed a little. “Okay. I’m calling in sick!”

~~~

“Who was that?”

“Max. He’s not going to be in until later today. He’s sick.”

Maria looked at Michael and her eyebrow went up. “I’ve never known you to be sick, except when you were feeding me.”

“Well, there was that one time when I called in sick when we were…”

“Oh!” Maria smiled, the dimples on her check deepening. “Do you think they’re…”

“I think it’s none of our business.” Michael said with a sour look on his face. “Max…he worries me.”

“Why?”

Michael shrugged. “He’s going too fast. This thing with Jonathan just came out of the blue, and now he’s suddenly talking about marriage and stuff.”

“I think it’s sweet.”

Michael made another face at that. ‘Sweet’ was a girl term. But then Max... Whatever.

Maria frowned at her journal. “Michael, do you feel like making a special trip to Mexico once the babies are born?”

“Why?”

Maria held up her journal. “This site is finally open. A friend of mine has been working on it for over six seasons, and he’s published quite a bit of information, but now…now the site is open for other anthropologists and archaeologists. I was thinking a nice little busman’s holiday might be good.”

Michael shrugged. “Maybe. But can the twins go to someplace that remote when they’re newborns?”

“Well, not immediately, no. But sooner or later, we can take them places.”

Maria continued to read, making noises under her breath. Michael gently took the periodical from her hands. Leaning forward on the counter, he tipped his head and waited. Maria just made a grimace. “I sort of miss it.”

“Miss….?”

“My life.”

Michael nodded. He was afraid of that. She had given up a lot of her professional life to have the babies, and since they moved in together, she had hardly spent any time doing research or traveling. In other words, her life had been on hold. His life was intact. He went to work almost every day, and it was still an active part of his life. Nothing had changed for him. Not really. He was happy. He had a better home. He was way luckier in the sex department than before he met her. Actually he was real lucky. He had a family and a life that others envied, married to a woman that people liked and respected. Life was good.

Maria’s was decidedly different. She used to go to University functions, and spend time with her University friends. She used to do field work, lecture and teach classes. Her schoolwork was filled with student conferences, working on her dissertation, and grading. And once the museum stood on top of her busy social and professional schedule. Now her life was almost completely the loft, him, his life, and the babies. Somehow, his life had sucked hers away.

“Maria, I…” Michael didn’t know what to say. He wanted her to be happy, but he couldn’t find a way to tell her to go back to work. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want her tired, sick, or exposed to danger.

“It’s okay.” Maria smiled slightly, kissing his as she passed him. “I need to go sort the laundry so you can drop it off.”

Michael watched her walk up the stairs. Some days, he really needed Mikey. He wished his dad was still there.

~~~

“Is there anything else to add, Jim?”

“That’s all I have. The facts to the best of my knowledge.”

“Thank you.” The man quickly made some notes and ended the tape recorded session. “You can relax. If Strickland contests our findings, we might need you to testify in open proceeding, but until then, this deposition is fine.” Jack Baxter stood up and refilled his coffee and Jim’s.

“Does Strickland know that my deposition was today?”

“No.” Jack looked at Jim and frowned. “Thing is Jim, we’re trying to be careful since we lost Andy. Vice is one messed up Cop Shop. It needs to be cleaned. Between you and DeLuca, we should have enough to convict, or at least have him removed permanently.”

“That’s not good enough, Jack. You know we cops hate IA most of the time, but this has dragged on too long. Far too long. Everyone knew Strickland was dirty. His department had some good men in it. Now they’re either gone or stifled. I pulled Sean out, but he made the choice to stand on what he knew.” Jim shook his head. “His ex-partner and friend, Andy is dead. I don’t know that he thinks that’s an even tradeoff.”

Jack closed the folder. “It’s not.” He stood up to leave the room as did Jim. “Andy was an informant for us. He came to us after you and Sean did. He ran into some information he shouldn’t have. It scared him. Bad. He wanted to help, but there was no way for us to pull him without drawing suspicion to him. I think he called DeLuca, because he knew that he was walking too close to the line. DeLuca was his only hope to pass it on before was too late.”

Jim adjusted his shoulder in his sling absentmindedly. “All I care about is having Strickland gone. It burns my ass to think he ran my unit, even for a day, and a week….” Jim practically spit. “I’ll stand, no matter what, but you better bring this bastard down. He cost me more than I can say, and he’s a vindictive asshole.”

“You just watch your sixes, Jim.”

Jim nodded on his way out. “My ass is covered, but there are others…”

“I know. Sean does his thing on Friday. Things go good, we’ll have Strickland taken out by Friday late or Saturday.”

“You better. I’m putting my faith in your department to do the right thing, and do it efficiently and expediently. I suspect that Strickland is behind the attacks on my immediate family, and the attacks on DeLuca’s girlfriend, the Assistant DA. Don’t make me have to send my boys after him. You might not like the results.”

Jack watched Jim walk away. He stood there for a few moments with the folder in hand. Jim was wrong. He actually might like the results too much, and that thought alone scared him. How close to the edge did cops walk? Some days that line was very thin.

~~~

Tess quickly hid the container of ice cream in the trash when he recognized Max’s car in the driveway. She had just finished the whole thing. Max. Looking at the time, she frowned. It was after the lunch hour.

“Max?”

Max had been about to walk away when Tess finally opened the door. “Tess. Hi. I almost gave up.”

Tess smiled and let him into the house. “What are you doing here?”

Max kissed her on the cheek and followed her into the kitchen. “You smell like chocolate.”

“Don’t start with me!” Tess looked at him from the corner of her eye and laughed happily. They were such ogres. Max held up his hands in surrender.

“Only if you promise me a cup of coffee.”

“Done.” Tess quickly filled the coffee pot. “But you’ll have to settle for decaf. Kyle has banned all caffeine from the house. He’s the worst of tyrants.”

“That would be perfect. It’s a little past my caffeine hours,” Max lied. Hell, he drank caffeine up until bedtime if possible.

Tess took a seat next to him. “So, what is it?” Max made a face, but Tess laughed and squeezed his arm. “You visit, but rarely in the middle of the day, and rarely without Kyle.”

“A few things. First. Thanks for not going into labor while I was away last weekend.”

Tess smiled. “Not a problem. Did you and Jonathan have a good time?”

Max nodded. “It was great. Nice to be away from Roswell, bombings, and alien crap for a while. Second...” Max pulled a special instrument from his pocket. “This is a special beeper. It fits on your key chain. I picked up two receivers, so both Kyle and I can carry one each.”

Tess looked at the small implement that was basically a black instrument with a push button to depress. “A baby beeper?”

“Yeah, just depress the button, and it will send a message to both Kyle and me at the same time. The signal continues transmitting until one of us calls in and has them reset it. Basically the beeper company can pinpoint your location, but I think Kyle or I will call you on the cell and see if you’re home or on your way to the hospital.”

“Excessive,” Tess saw his face, and quickly patted his hand, “but efficient and highly innovative! Kyle will be pissed that you thought of it first.” Tess laughed a little at his pleased look. “Was that it? The baby beeper? That’s the reason you’re here in the middle of the day?”

Max cleared his throat. “Actually, no.” He sipped his coffee for a few moments. “I told Jonathan this morning about us…all of us, and the whole alien thing.”

“How did that go?”

“Surprisingly….well.” Max played with his cup a few more moments. “I…Tess, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“About the baby?”

“No. Yes…no.” Max breathed out the air in his lungs. “Yes.”

“Can you be a little more decisive?”

“I had a visitor. A man called Larek.” Max slowly told Tess everything about Larek, his memories. Everything.

Tess sat back, her hands shaking a little. Getting up, she got herself another cup of coffee, and refilled Max’s cup. Damn. Right now, she could use caffeine, or at least the Anthropology department sludge.

“I…Max, I don’t remember this….any of this.” At least nothing she would admit to, or care to remember.

“I know. I only know pieces. Not much more than that. Michael is learning more for us, but the information is coming slowly. I think because we are part of this ‘destiny’ thing, they’re unwilling to tell us too much in case it alters our actions. Or something like that.”

“So you believe this Larek person?” Tess reflexively put her hand protectively on her stomach. “I can’t talk to you about this….not without Kyle.”

Max nodded. “I’m going to tell him too. Today. I’m not asking for you to remember or even to make a decision, Tess. I wouldn’t. Not without Kyle. But I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Zan. My name was Zan, and Larek said that Zan is the name on the Book of Ascension. That can’t be me. It’s my son.” Max looked at Tess. “Our son.”

Tess shook her head. “No.” Tess got up and paced a little shaking her head the entire time. “No, Max. That’s impossible. My son…our son...is human. He lives on Earth. He can’t rule some….stupid planet, halfway across the galaxy. No!” Tess held up her hand. This was insane.

“Tess, I feel the same way. No one is taking my son away. Not now. Not ever. Not while I have breath in my body…I promise!” Max blew out the air from his lungs heavily. “Thing is…I want to name him Zan.”

“What? That’s like a self fulfilling prophecy, Max! You’re going to name him Zan to match the name on the book?”

“It’s not that. Sit down. Let me explain it to you.”

Tess shook her head, but sat down anyway. “This better be good! If you ask me, I say name your next son Zan…a son you don’t share with me.”

“Tess, I need this.” Max’s face clenched as he searched for words. “I…Zan...he wasn’t a very admirable man or alien…or whatever the hell he was. As a King, I think he really sucked. I sucked.” Max pushed his hand through his hair in irritation. “I still feel myself making decisions that are motivated by my own self interest.”

“That’s called being human, Max. Everyone does it.”

“Not a King…or not a good one. His people have to be his top concern. His people. His nation. His reign. Above all else, including his heart.” Max shook his head. “I didn’t do that last time. I know I didn’t.” Max looked at Tess and took her hands. “I remember you. I remember loving you…or loving you as much as I could love anything. Perhaps not as much, but I think there was a fine line between want, love, and desire. Perhaps no real distinction. You were something I needed. I needed a son. An heir.”

“Max. That was a lifetime ago. You don’t owe me any allegiance or explanations. We aren’t the same people.” Tess tightened her grip on his as well. “I vaguely remember you, and that world that has passed away. I loved another. So did you. My lover died, and you walked away from yours. Sold them in marriage to another. No, you weren’t a very admirable King, but you were our King. And now, you’re Max Evans. Let that be enough.”

Max licked his lips. “The thing is that I know that my son…our son...is a better man, or will be a better one than I ever was. I have to believe that. He’s like a redemption for me. Finally a good thing that came from me. I want the name ‘Zan’ to finally be something to be proud of, a name worthy of respect.”

“Max…” Tess, she leaned forward and gently kissed him on the mouth. “Then name him Max. You have proved yourself over and over again in this life. Can’t that be enough?” Tess watched him for a moment. Closing her eyes, she put her hand on her stomach. She could feel her baby moving. Zan. Damn. He was Zan. “Okay. Zan. I…we, Kyle and I said you could name the baby, and if you want to name him Zan…then Zan it is.”

Max picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. He couldn’t tell her how he knew that Zan would be his only child, and that the name was his from the moment he was conceived. It didn’t matter if they named him Philip, Jack, or even Maxwell. On Antar, he would be Zan regardless. Max needed to have that much of a part in his son’s destiny. The right to name him.

“Thank you, Tess.”

Ava sat on the stairs above. Careful to be quiet, she listened and smiled slightly. Good. Zan. That is what she would have named her son, if she could’ve had one. Some things were just meant to be.

~~~

“Hey, Simon, what have we got?”

“Guerin. Good to see you.” Simon sat back from where he was working. “Not pretty. I wondered if Hanson would call you in.”

“Got a time for me?”

“About eighteen hours.”

Michael looked at the woman Simon was working on. Hanson came to stand over Michael. “Sam, you needed some help?”

Hanson squatted next to Michael. “Obvious signs of sexual activity. It hit protocol for the rape cases.” Michael nodded looked down at the naked woman’s body. Her inner thighs were heavily bruised, and dried residue was on the innermost thigh. “Simon, you got samples and pictures?” Simon nodded. Michael looked at the room, and at the body again. “This isn’t the same guy, Sam. This case is an independent. You still want help?”

“If you wouldn’t mind. My partner has called in sick for the next few days. She said it looked like a late summer cold.”

Michael shrugged. “I can do that. You want to lead on this?”

Hanson looked at the scene, and then at Michael. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d prefer you to take lead, or at least aim me in the right direction. I’d like to know how you know this isn’t our rapist.”

Fair enough. Michael knew because Rath was dead, but since that hadn’t been revealed, he worked the clues for Hanson’s benefit. Normally any domestic rape or violence crime of unknown assailant and nature would’ve been shifted to his taskforce teams.

“First, I see elevation of the larynx and petechiae with ligature signs on the throat. Looks like a frontal attack. You can see the small circular bruising. Fingerprints. The large one will be a thumb. Her tongue blue, Simon?”

Simon nodded, handing Michael a medical light and depressor. Michael quickly donned gloves, checked the eyes and the tongue. The broken blood vessel in the eyes, and blue tongue conclusively confirmed death by strangulation.

Michael leaned back for Hanson to view the evidence. “Strangulation by hand. Rape.” Sam said. He too, had drawn those conclusions, but it was nice to walk through it like a textbook.

Michael nodded. “Approximately eighteen hours ago.” Michael stood up and looked around the room. “The scene is highly disorganized. There was a struggle. The killer left the place a mess. He was feeling the adrenaline load, not in a good way. He was disorganized. Confused. This was an impulse killing, not organized. The killer lost control, and the death was more than likely unplanned. He could have been too messed up to make it too far, so look for someone nearby. A mental patient recently released or boyfriend. I would start with the boyfriend. This looks like a scene that evolved from her denying him something. More than likely it was sex.”

“The boyfriend?” Hanson scribbled furiously in his notebook.

Michael nodded taking off the latex gloves and tossing them in the garbage. “He knew her. The sex was forced, and he strangled her during it. It wasn’t just erotic sex going bad, though. She put up a fight. He bruised her thighs bad, but he felt bad about it afterwards. He finished with her and sat back, and the realization hit him hard. He felt remorse.”

“How…”

Michael pointed at a cloth covering the woman’s face. “He covered up her face. He felt bad, so he tried to give her back some dignity. This killer is conflicted by his actions.”

Michael hit Sam on the shoulder. On his way to check the rest of the rooms. Michael stopped to pat Simon on the shoulder. “Copy me on the report, but primary Hanson. He can pull this one as lead.” Simon nodded. Their pet project of giving Hanson confidence and getting him out of the bullpen had come a long way. “Sam, call me if you need a partner, but I think you can wrap this one. Take uniforms. It should be yours.”

“Michael, besides the killer knowing this woman, how did you know it wasn’t our serial rapist?” Sam looked at the chaos of the scene. It fit the other ones.

“Our rapist has no remorse. He doesn’t believe in human dignity. This killer is conflicted by his actions. Our serial rapist has no conflict over his actions. Different killer.” Michael walked into the bedroom. Lydia Carlson. Age twenty-four. Single. Caucasian. She had barely started living her life, and now it was over.

~~~

It was late by the time Michael finally made it home. He had picked up three more calls that tagged his possible rapist. The results on the DNA of the fake Rath body would be back by the day after tomorrow, at the earliest. The sooner the better. He was getting drowned in possible cases. He was careful to move through the scenes, and return them to the original detective team called to the crime scene. He didn’t want to pick off other teams.

Maria was already asleep when he made it upstairs to bed. The room was lit with a soft light from the nursery. She must have been working on it by herself. He walked inside and smiled as he noticed that she had been stenciling again. The nursery was almost complete. They were having special lights installed that could be dimmed in the corners to give the room a soft glow at night. The baby monitor was built into the wall. Michael ran his hand over the rocking chair. It had a baby blanket made of soft cotton knit lying across it. He ran his hand over the wood. Two cribs. One was covered in pink, with feminine coloring, and the other in more masculine colors. The names were on the cribs. Amanda and Mikey. Michael traced his father’s name on the boy’s crib. Mikey’s name would be Michael like his, but shortened to Mikey like his father’s. Maria had the name Mikey put on the crib.

Michael squatted beside the double bassinet that they would move into their room beside their bed for the first few months. It was so unbelievable that anything from him could ever be tiny enough to fit in that small bed, much less two of them. Spanning his hand, he could almost cover the distance. Unreal.

He turned off the light to go to bed. Maria was almost in the middle hogging the space. She was sound asleep hugging a pillow, with a purring Mr. Boo curled in a ball by her stomach. The cover was off the bed and on the floor. She rarely slept peacefully. Even in sleep, her body seemed busy working, thinking or dreaming. Michael quickly covered her and went to take a quick shower. When he came back, he moved her over to make room for himself as he climbed into bed, his body moving up behind her settling her into his body close. His arms surrounded her, holding her tight to him. Mr. Boo reluctantly rearranged himself back by Maria's stomach.