Title: Soldiers

Author: Dontia

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything but the plot.

Spoilers: I’m so beyond the "reality" of the show. Some of you think that’s a good thing.

Rating: R

Summary: It’s Veteran’s Day. Soldiers gather.

Notes: Sequel to "All Hallow’s Eve". Season Two doesn’t exist except for brief glimpses. Season Three not at all.

Feedback: It’s the circle of life. I love to write, you love to read. Tell me you love reading, I’ll continue to love writing.

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On Veteran’s Day, Tess wakes up. She’s surprised Michael’s not beside her and goes looking for him. She finds him staring out the living room window, a picture in his hand. "What’s wrong?"

"I didn’t hear you come in," says Michael, continuing to stare out the window.

"What’s happening out there?"

"Nothing. I got a call a little while ago."

"Bad news?"

"Remember I told you about Hal? Last year he told me the story of the crash?"

"I remember," says Tess softly, wrapping her arms around Michael. "Is he okay?"

"After all he did for us, I should’ve had Max heal him. Then maybe…"

"He’s gone?"

"A friend of his found my number. Said Hal talked about me all the time."

"We could go to Florida for the funeral."

"It was today, it’s over already."

"I’m sorry Michael."

"So am I. He’s the one who got me to look at things differently. Got me to see that there are people who help others because it’s the right thing to do, not because they get anything out of it."

"He was a good man."

"The best. He showed me what it means to be a soldier."

Tess continues to hold Michael as he looks out the window and mourns his friend.

***************************************

Later that day, Tess goes over to the Evans house. She smiles when Max opens the door. "Hey."

"Thanks for coming," says Max, hugging her. He leads her to the living room, where the windows are open.

"Isabel still won’t speak to you?"

"No. I’m still trying to figure out how this is my fault."

"If you’d kept Liz away from Kyle, she’d be happy and with him right now. Least, that’s what she said when she was torching pictures of all of you."

"I just keep messing everything up."

"Max, this is not your fault. You didn’t make Kyle and Liz…I’m sorry."

"Don’t worry about it. I know Liz and I are over. How are you and Michael doing?"

"Okay. Really happy, actually. And I feel terrible saying that when I know you’re miserable."

"Don’t be. You and Michael deserve to be happy. I’m glad you have each other. Has Maria made a decision about Alex’s marriage proposal yet?"

"Not that I know of. You’ll be the first one she tells."

"Tess, I’m really confused."

"About what?"

"Maria was always just Liz’s best friend. Now she’s the mother of my child. And I’m having all these feelings for her. I don’t know if it’s because she’s Leda’s mother or what I should do about it."

"You have feelings for Maria?"

"I’m about to mess everything up again, aren’t I?"

"Not if you’re honest. Decide how you feel and what you want. Then tell everyone instead of making them guess."

"Thanks Tess."

***************************************

Outside the house, Rath and Lonnie look at each other wide eyed. They grin and quickly sneak away from the house.

"Did you hear that?" says Rath.

"Of course," says Lonnie. "I was right there. What do you know, Max has an heir to the throne. With a human."

"And my goody two-shoed twin is givin’ it to the queen. Good for him."

"That’s disgusting. What would he want with her?"

"I wondered why she was livin’ with him. They’re shackin’ up."

"Guess this means you don’t get to sweet talk Max’s brunette."

"Too bad."

Lonnie hits him on the side of the head. "Let’s call Nicholas and get out of this hellhole."

***************************************

At the Crashdown, Kyle sneaks into the kitchen. He cautiously looks around before approaching Michael. "Is Liz around?"

"Damn," says Michael, dropping a frying pan. "Don’t do that."

"Sorry Guerin. I thought you’d have better reflexes."

"What do you want?"

"Your help with Isabel. She still won’t talk to me."

"Cause you and Liz were-"

"Nothing happened! We were messing around and stopped before things went too far."

"Uh huh. I believe you."

"Your false sincerity is as bad as your girlfriend’s."

"Thanks. You want Izzy to forgive you, keep begging and give her time. And if she ever kisses you again, keep images of Liz and other girls out of your head."

"How was I supposed to know the alien thing worked like that? Did Tess ever see visions of Maria?"

"I’m not that stupid."

***************************************

In her bedroom, Liz sighs at the knock on the door. "Come in."

Nancy Parker walks in. "Honey, you have to get out of this room."

"Why?"

"Because it isn’t healthy for you. You’re a teenager. Go out, have fun."

"I don’t have any friends to have fun with anymore."

"Michael asks about you every day."

"That’s because he feels sorry for me."

"You don’t need help in that department, you’re feeling sorry enough for yourself."

"Mom!"

"Elizabeth, you’ve had to deal with some harsh realities lately but I refuse to let you give up. No daughter of mine would. And the fact that you stopped living would make your Grandma Claudia ashamed."

"I don’t know what to do," says Liz tearfully.

"Go for a walk sweetie. You don’t have to figure it all out right now. Just make baby steps."

"All right. I’ll, I’ll go for a walk."

"A long one. I’ll see you at dinner."

Nancy waits for Liz to grab a sweater. Then she puts her arm around her daughter and walks her out of the Crashdown.

***************************************

Maria’s sitting in her living room watching Alex play with Leda. She smiles at the look on his face. "I can’t marry you."

"What?" says Alex, looking up from where he’s blowing strawberries on Leda’s stomach.

"I can’t marry you."

"Maria-"

"You can’t talk me into it, I’ve made up my mind."

"Let me put Leda in her crib, then we’ll talk."

"Okay."

Maria nervously paces as she waits for Alex to get back.

"You thought about it?" asks Alex when he gets back.

"Nothing but. Marriage is a big commitment. We can’t do it and hope things work out eventually."

"I guess not."

"But we could…see if things work out so we could eventually get married. I love you Alex, as a friend. I don’t know if I can to see you as anything else, and I don’t think we should get married unless I can. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

"You want us to date."

"You read my mind like no one else."

"Someone has to. All right, we’ll date. I’ll tell my parents that’s what we decided to do."

"I’ll tell my mom. Think we could talk Tess into telling Max?"

***************************************

At the edge of town, Nicholas exits the bus. "This better be good."

"It is," says Lonnie, smiling at him seductively. "It’s exactly what you’re looking for."

"I’m all ears."

"And not much else," says Rath. "Max has a kid."

"He and the queen?"

"Nah, a human chick. Best friend of the chick he was with last time we were here."

Nicholas smirks. "That must’ve broken the queen’s heart, that he’d rather have any human before her."

"She’s sleepin’ with the other Rath," says Lonnie.

"Why? She could do so much better."

Rath glares at him. Nicholas smirks back.

"What about Vilandra?" asks Nicholas.

"I’m Vilandra," says Lonnie.

"I meant the one with class and beauty. Uh uh Lonnie, you need me to get home, remember?"

"She was dating a human," says Rath, holding Lonnie’s shoulder so she doesn’t attack Nicholas. "He cheated on her."

"Just shows humans are stupid. Surprisingly, you did good. And in a short amount of time too. I’m actually impressed."

"Does that mean we get to go home?" asks Lonnie.

"It means you’re a step closer. Get on the bus so we can plan how to use this to our advantage. Hmm, I wonder how the Royal Four’s followers would feel at this turn of events?"

Lonnie and Rath roll their eyes and follow Nicholas onto the bus. A moment later, it starts rolling and heads out of town.

Once it’s out of sight, Liz crawls up from the ditch where she hid when she saw Rath and Lonnie coming.

Having heard everything, she reaches for the cell phone she always carries. Realizing it’s not there because she’s not active in the alien defense squad, she runs back to town.

***************************************

Michael’s in the Crashdown kitchen working. Tess enters.

"What are you doing here?" asks Michael, bending to kiss her.

"I wanted to see how you were about Hal."

"I’m dealing."

Tess nods, unconvinced. "What time is your shift over?"

"In an hour, why?"

"I thought we could take a ride on your bike. Maybe have a dinner picnic under the stars."

"Just a picnic?" asks Michael with a grin.

"You have something else in mind?"

"I’m sure something will occur to me. What are you gonna wear?"

Liz runs in. "Skins."

"What?"

"Dupes."

"Breathe and tell us what’s going on," says Tess.

Liz takes a few deep breaths. "The Skins are in town, so are the Dupes. They’ve been spying on us."

Tess and Michael exchange a look.

"I’ll call everyone," says Tess, pulling out her cell phone.

Michael nods. "Liz, is it okay if we meet here? Everyone?"

"Up on my balcony is better," says Liz. "We’d be able to spot anyone spying on us."

Tess nods in agreement and relays the message to Alex.

Michael hugs Liz. "Thank you."

***************************************

Everyone’s on Liz’s balcony above the Crashdown. She’s repeated the story about what she overheard.

"They know everything," says Max, his mind in overdrive.

"It’s not your fault Max," says Tess.

"I should’ve known they were here. I was supposed to be keeping an eye out."

"We should’ve spotted ‘em but we didn’t. What now?"

"Maybe we should get Maria and the baby out of town," says Jim.

"Good idea," says Amy.

"To go where?" asks Maria. "The aliens that can protect us are here. Out there, we’re vulnerable."

"I doubt he’ll go for them, at least right away," says Michael.

"Why’s that?" asks Kyle.

"Leda’s half human, more than," says Isabel. "Plus I get the feeling Antar’s misogynistic."

"So my granddaughter is safe because she’s a girl," says Amy.

Alex shakes his head. "If you look at Earth’s history, when Royalists get desperate they let females join the succession."

"Alex, stop helping," says Maria.

Michael rolls his eyes. "I meant, I think they’re safe for now because of the other things Liz said."

"What do you mean?" asks Max.

"He was very interested that Tess and I are together, and that Izzy broke up with Kyle."

"He’ll try to spin it that we’re not fit to rule because of it," says Isabel.

"Exactly."

"And it might work," says Tess. "Antarians have no idea why we aren’t doing things the way we did on Antar."

"Isabel’s in danger either way," says Kyle. "Kivar still wants her."

"We don’t know that," says Isabel.

"How could anyone ever stop wanting you?"

Isabel and Kyle look at each other silently.

"What do we do?" asks Amy.

"Bunk up for protection," says Jim.

"We need to move Isabel," says Max. "Mom and Dad are already on edge. An attack would…"

Isabel nods sadly. "We’ll get out stuff tonight."

"Sheriff, can Mrs. Deluca stay with you?"

"You are not sleeping in my house with my daughter when I’m not there!"

"Maria won’t be there either. I won’t have her and Leda in the line of fire."

"Where will we be?" asks Maria.

"At Alex’s. Isabel and I will be at your house as decoys."

"Then what Maxwell?" asks Michael.

"We hope they wait."

"They’re after your kid and you wanna wait? Unbelievable."

"I need a little more time. Alex and I are almost finished decoding the book."

"Our book?" says Tess. "You didn’t tell me you were trying to decode the book."

"I didn’t wanna get your hopes up in case we couldn’t."

"We’ve almost managed to break the last sequence," says Alex. "We just need a little more time."

"What’s the book gonna do for us?" asks Kyle.

Isabel smiles grimly. "Tell us how to defeat the Skins once and for all."

***************************************

THE END