Chapter One

Max turned around slowly taking a deep breath, waiting for the axe to fall. He hadn't heard her voice in so long, but he'd never be able to forget it. Tess was back. He saw her feet first as he looked down in front of her. His eyes made their way up her body, swathed in light blue gowns, and finally met her vibrant blue ones. She had aged well; her hair was pulled up on top of her head in a casual bun, strands of white-gray mixed with blond. He remembered her smile instantaneously; he knew the curves of her face, her body. She smiled at him like she was greeting an old friend.

"Hello Max," she said again, her voice dripping with sweetness.

"Tess," he stuttered unable to meet her eyes again.

"Why don't we take a little walk, lover?" She took a step towards him and smiled when he backed up. "C'mon Max, I won't bite. I mean, not unless you want me to." Max set his shoulders and took a step towards her. "Does that mean you'll walk with me? Or I guess we can go to your happy home and have a nice little talk there. I'm sure Liz would love to see me again. Would you rather do that?" She looked over her shoulder. "You live up the street, right?"

"I'll walk with you," Max stole a glance in the direction of his house that held his family. "This way." He turned around and felt her loop her arm through his.

They walked and Tess breathed in deeply. "I really missed this desert air, so refreshing." She said sarcastically. "So how've you been Max? Long time no see. I guess the last time you saw me you were thinking about killing me. Yeah, thinking about killing me and your unborn son."

"That was a long time ago."

"Hmm, I guess it was," she sighed and looked towards the nearly full moon. "So, how is life treating you?"

"Fine, thank you." He looked straight ahead while feeling her tighten her grip on his arm. They looked like two lovers out for a nighttime stroll.

"Good. Life's treating me pretty good, too. Thanks for asking. I love being the Queen. It's such a rush to have all these subordinates catering to my every whim. You would hate it."

"I'm sure I would."

"You would, without a doubt. It suits me perfectly, though. You would make an awful King now, Max. Too human, too much emotion."

"Yeah, I guess I'm funny that way." He let out a deep breath. "Why are you here tonight?"

"I came to see you, lover."

"Why?"

"I have to talk a few things over with you. You probably don't even know how close I came to destroying you, do you?" She giggled. "Wanna guess?"

Max shook his head fighting his stomach to keep down dinner. He thought, why didn't I listen to them and stay home?

"Okay, I'll tell you then!" Her eyes lit up in anticipation. "I let you feel your son and me. You didn't do that yourself, Max, that was me. I did that because I knew it would drive your little bitch crazy!"

"Don't-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't call her names. I think I heard that speech already." She smiled. "But of course, there had to be more. I had Michael; you know that? I had him worshipping me in his dreams. A little more time and he would have done anything I asked of him if your mind-numbing sister hadn't stepped in. That was a blow. I thought it would have been kind of poetic, the second in command killing the King."

"Michael would have never done that." Max said emphatically although his words were soft.

"Okay, see he would have for me, his Queen." Tess giggled again. "I just used little Izzy in that endeavor to make it more interesting, but that backfired. What else? Of course, one of my proudest moments, taking over your little twit's mind. That was quite simple actually and it would have worked. To have you fuck her when I was in control? That would have sent her right over the edge. Damn! Tell me, who figured it out?"

"My little twit," Max grinned to himself.

"Anyway, then I send two apparent bozo's down here to bring you back along with your bitch's head and look what happens there. You kill them." Tess raised her hand to the sky. "I was so pissed! Then I think I have it all planned out for the future, this Sloane, I make you say my name at your wedding."

Max stopped walking and looked at her. "That was you? You made me say that on my wedding day?"

"Pretty good, huh?" Tess smiled proudly. "I would have never thought Lizzie would have toughed that one out. Gotta hand it to her, she is persistent. Now we have little Sloane, the true heir." She snorted. "All the time and effort Khiv and I have spent on Lantham only to find out he can't be the next King because of this little half-breed. She used to listen to me when she was little."

"She doesn't anymore."

"I know Max, don't you know by now that I already know almost everything?"

"Do you know when Sloane's going to win?" He asked with raised eyebrows. "Can you tell me that?"

"Don't be so sure of yourself. Did you forget whom she's up against? Lantham is your son, Max, your flesh and blood, too." Tess let go of his arm and turned towards him so they were facing each other. "Our son. He was conceived from a night of love."

"No, he was created from a night of despair. My despair." Max didn't have time to react before her hand slapped his face, her fingernails raking across his shaven cheek. Blood surfaced between the bits of broken skin in jagged lines.

"You bastard," she spoke between clenched teeth. "We'll see in the end who comes out on top." She stormed away leaving Max feeling like he had been hit by a bullet train. His face ached as he wished he had the power to fix himself. Taking shallow breaths, he walked home on visibly shaking legs.

* * * * *

"I wish he wouldn't have left the house alone," Isabel paced along side the dining room table where Liz was still sitting. "We don't know what's out there waiting."

"What do you think will happen?" Liz asked nervously, dark circles under her eyes, showing the first visible signs of reservation.

"I don't know, Liz." She looked her sister-in-law in the eye and showed her own fear. "I'm scared shitless. I don't know if I'm going to be alive twenty-four hours from now. I don't know if any of us are going to be."

Liz wiped at the wetness in her eyes. "I don't want to die, Iz."

"I know," Isabel leaned over her and squeezed her shoulders before sitting down next to her. She felt reflexively for the engraved names underneath the tabletop. "Me either. I'm so scared, I swear that if I hear a single noise I'll wet myself. All these years and all the freaky things we've gone through and I've never really thought about dying. Now, I don't want to think about it. I want to put on a happy face and go back to my life."

"A boring mundane life sounds pretty good right about now, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I do. Keep the faith, that's what Michael keeps telling me." Isabel forced a smile. "Have faith in Sloane and we'll be okay. No death and destruction."

"I don't know if Sloane can do it," Liz said and sighed. "I don't know if I'll lose her in the process. This is the first time I'd even said this out loud to anyone, but I have doubts."

"We all have doubts."

"I know." Liz conceded. "But I never did, not in Sloane. I thought for sure all of a sudden she'd wake up one morning and have all her powers back and then some. But that morning never came and now I'm scared. She can barely do anything Isabel; you know that. She can do glamour on herself. Somehow I can't see her winning a war by changing from a brunette to a blond. I told you about Jack getting hurt, she couldn't fix him and it was just a cut. God, what about Jack? He's just a little boy who has no idea what's going on or why his family is acting so strange."

"How long is he staying at your parents?"

"I don't know, I guess until it's over."

Isabel looked thoughtfully with her finger poised against her chin. "Maybe Sloane knows more than she's telling? Did you ever think of that?"

"No, not really. Why would she?"

"So the enemy doesn't really know what he's up against?" Isabel raised her eyebrows and grinned. "That kind of makes sense, doesn't it?"

"What about the healing? If she could have fixed Jack, she would have. It's not like she'd heal Lantham to death."

"Do you think we'll get to meet him?" Isabel asked softly.

"I don't want to meet him, I want to see him lose."

"I know, but he is my nephew," she cringed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, I don't even know why I did. I don't feel anything for him, really. He's a part of Max and that makes him a part of me, but I'll watch his demise as easily as you will if that means the survival of my family and friends."

"Max and I have discussed it and he feels torn. Of course, he'll stand behind Sloane, that's not even a question, but to watch the son he's never met die? You know that's going to be hard." Liz looked towards the front door. "Damn it! Why'd he go out alone?"

"Because he's Max." Isabel smiled. "That's what he does. Keep positive Liz; you're always the positive one. We all need you to be our backbone, again. Don't let us down now, you never have before."

Liz smiled and reached over to hug her. The two women turned as Max walked through the front door. "They're here."

* * * * * *

Leia Guerin stomped from her room and plopped down on the couch in between her parents. "I'm so pissed!"

"What's wrong?" Maria asked.

"I can't get a hold of Sloane and I'm worried." She sighed. "Every time I call her I get freaking static, all day! I can get through to ask Liz or Max if Sloane's there, then static. She's blocked me from her head, I already guessed that she would."

"Did you have that problem?" Maria asked looking across Leia to Michael. "I know you talked to Max earlier."

"I got through fine," Michael sighed. "Didn't you?"

"Yeah, but Liz called me." Maria scrunched her eyebrows together. "That's kind of strange. What about e-mail?"

"Oh, that's even better." Leia crossed her arms over her chest. "I've sent her like a billion e-mails today and they all come back as 'Unknown Address'."

"Did you spell the name right?" Michael cringed when he asked.

"Duh! God, dad, of course I did. She's only my best friend!" Leia looked at him with bugged eyes. "She's in my address book, besides, how hard is it to spell SloanieLand?"

"I'm sorry for asking." Michael rolled his eyes.

"I'm going over there," Leia started to rise but was held back on either side.

"Hell no," Maria shook her head. "You are not leaving this house."

"Your mother's one-hundred percent correct," Michael shook his head. "Why would you even try?"

"She needs me," Leia's shoulders sagged.

"Sloane will be okay," Maria said soothingly. "Why don't you try emailing her again. Liz promised to call as soon as they know anything, I'll let you know as soon as I do. Okay?"

"Whatever," Leia stood up and retreated to her room slamming the door behind her.

"I don't like this, it's too quiet." Michael turned on the television waiting to hear news bulletins of space ships arriving all over Roswell; instead it was just a stupid sitcom. "Should I call again?"

"No sweetheart, " Maria snuggled next to him. "They'll call if something happens. Just hang out here with me, okay? I don't want to waste one minute with you until this is over."

* * * * * *

Sloane had been pacing nearly the identical stride upstairs as her Aunt had been downstairs. She knew they were here on Earth. She had felt the dynamic energy shift when they had arrived. It was the Granilith, she assumed, a wonder of another world. There were three of them, but she wasn't quite sure who they were yet. Of course her brother was one; the other two were up for grabs. Would it be Tess? Could be, she mused, wondering if she'd get the chance to meet her.

She shook her head trying to keep her cool. She had to keep her cool. Everything was starting soon, by the next night it will have begun. A fight to the death, hers or Lantham's, one of them would never wake up again. She paced some more trying to clear her head of dreadful images of her family's deaths. Sloane identified those images with that of failure. Failing wasn't something she was going to do. She didn't know how to fail.

Leia had been bugging her all day trying to get in her head. Sloane put up a mental block; she didn't want the added distraction. She had tried to offer an apology via email, but all her efforts sent to PrincessLeiaG were returned to her. For the best, she determined, no distractions.

Holding out her hand in front of her, palm facing up, she watched as the small green flame came to life. She smiled and jerked her hand upward. The flame bounced off her palm then landed back on it, never wavering.

"That's gotta be me," she whispered. "Never wavering."

* * * * * *

Chapter Two

"At the Granilith," Max said absently. "I think we should go there and meet them face to face."

"Are you high?" Liz snorted. "I don't want to meet anyone and I don't want to go to the Granilith. I want to stay here and be with my family."

"You need to go," Sloane walked in the room and looked at her parents attentively. "You're suppose to go. It's a cordial meeting before the rest. You have to go. They're waiting for you."

"Who?"

"Lantham and two others." She nodded. "I can't get a grasp on them, but I know there's two more."

"How?" Liz asked.

Sloane shrugged. "I could feel them when they got here." She reached to her father's face and placed her hand over the scratches. She closed her eyes then pulled her hand away. Nothing. The markings were still there. She hung her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't ever be sorry baby," Max hugged his daughter. "Not for anything."

"I'll try," she said softly. "I'll give it everything I've got and I'll try to win. I don't want to let anyone down or destroy the planet." She added with an impish grin. "Seriously, I'll do my best."

"We know sweetheart," Max didn't let go of his daughter. "Don't ever forget that we love you know matter what. We couldn't have asked for a better a daughter, ever. We are so proud of you."

"Sloanie, just be careful." Liz took her daughter's hand in hers. "We don't know what lies ahead of you or any of us. Just be careful." She kissed Sloane's cheek.

Sloane nodded and squirmed out of her father's grasp. "Go. Go meet him. It's the right thing to do."

"You won't come?"

"It's not my turn. Not yet. That comes tonight."

"You already know?" Max asked surprised.

Sloane nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Out in front of the Pod Chamber. In the desert."

"How do you know all of this?" Liz asked in amazement.

"I can't explain it. It's like an internal invitation. I just know how this is going to begin and the rules that go with it. I think someone implanted a giant rule book in my head."

"What kind of rules are you talking about?" Max questioned getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. Was he really getting ready to meet his son?

"Basic ones. When you guys meet. Where and when I come into the picture and what's allowed and what isn't."

"Like what?" Liz asked.

"It's hard to explain. I think that tonight it's more of a 'show and tell' type thing. The real big bad goes down tomorrow, but I don't know where yet." She tried to smile. "Will you two quit looking at me like that? I don't really know anymore than you do. I have no idea what to expect. It's a rulebook, but in case you haven't noticed, things from your planet are sometimes less than vague. Okay?"

"We're scared baby, that's all." Liz wiped at her eyes. "We don't understand all of this and we're scared for you."

"I told you before, everything will be okay. Don't send out 'worry vibes', send out 'my daughter's going to kick ass' vibes for me, okay?"

"Of course," Max hugged his daughter again so amazed that she can even think about joking around right now. "I guess we should go now, huh?"

Liz nodded. The pain in her eyes was so evident. She didn't want to meet his son and she certainly didn't want to see Tess again. Self-consciously, she rubbed her leg through her jeans where her brand was and shivered. "Do I have to go?"

Max looked at Sloane who shrugged. "I don't know Liz, I guess not. Not if you really don't want to."

"Would you be mad if I didn't?"

"Mad? No. But I wish you would. I don't want to go out there alone. Not because I'm scared of them, I just don't want to be alone. I need you with me, Liz. But I'll understand if you don't want to."

"For you Max, I'd travel to the ends of the world handcuffed to Tess to make you happy." Liz smiled and felt the vomit rise in her throat. "Hopefully I'll never have to actually do that."

"You won't, I promise," he smiled at his wife. "Thank you."

* * * * * *

"I guess I'm still forbidden to leave the house, huh?" Leia asked meeting her parents at the kitchen table for a lunch of frozen pizza.

"Afraid so," Michael stated splashing Tabasco sauce on his slice. "We were thinking about watching a movie, wanna join us?"

"Not really, I'm still trying to get a hold of Sloane. Did you guys talk to anyone last night?" She looked accusingly at her parents. "Man! You did! What's going on?"

"They're here in town," Michael said quietly. "Max and Liz are going out to meet them today."

"Who's here?"

"Lantham and Tess for sure. Sloane said there's three of them."

"You talked to Sloane?"

"No, Max actually, Sloane told him. I imagine the other is Khivar." Michael shuddered saying the name of a man he had never met, but who had wanted him dead. "There's suppose to be some type of meeting."

"A cordial one, the battle begins tonight." Leia nodded looking at the dazed faces of her parents. "I just kind of woke up knowing some of this today."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe Sloane jumped in my head when I was sleeping last night and told me."

Michael pushed his plate away and excused himself from the kitchen. He carried the cordless phone into the bedroom. He dialed Kyle's who answered on the first ring. "It’s tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, I heard from Max this morning and now Leia informed me that the actual battle begins tonight. You and Morgan stay in, don't go anywhere. If you need something at the store, get it now."

"You sound worried, Michael."

"I'm way beyond worried. I'm scared out of my mind." He sighed into the phone. "Just keep yourselves safe."

"Isn't there anything I can do to help?"

"No. Just take care of each other. You know if this goes down bad, you'll probably be on Tess's hit list after us." Michael glanced over his shoulder to his lover and his daughter. "Listen to me carefully," he lowered his voice so he wouldn't be heard by the women. "If something happens to me, take care of my family, Kyle. Don't ever let Maria or Leia want for anything."

"Michael, why are you talking like this?"

"Just promise me." He sighed. "I'll be third on the list to bite it, I need to go with the knowledge that my family will be taken care of. I have a safe deposit box at the bank; the key's taped under my sock drawer. My will and a life insurance policy are in the box. If something happens, make damn sure that policy pays off. I don't care how you do it, you and your dad will come up with something, find another body and make it mine. Promise me Kyle."

"I promise, man." Kyle's voice broke. "Call us when you know more, okay?"

Michael promised and headed back into the kitchen. "C'mon. Let's go watch a movie as a family, okay?" He guided the most important people in his life to the living room and sat on the couch with one on either side. He picked up Maria's hand while his daughter messed with the remote control. Maria looked in his eyes and saw the fear. A fear she had never seen before flashed violently. Michael was scared he was going to die. Maria swallowed audibly and snuggled in closer to him, feeling his rapid heartbeat against her cheek. She closed her eyes and prayed.

* * * * * *

Max drove Liz's convertible slowly over the desert floor. The eagerness he had twenty years ago to meet his son had diminished. The conflicted thoughts he had evaporated as they drew closer to the meeting. There was no conflict in the mind, body or soul of Max Evans. The son he was about to meet was not his true son. He was a man here to obliterate his sweet daughter. Max felt the anger roil through him.

As they approached the boulders hiding the Granilith a big black SUV came into view. Liz could make out three figures standing outside of it, one leaning casually against it. A few more yards and she recognized Tess. Her stomach ached at the sight of her worst enemy. The other two figures were men.

"This is it," Max slowed down and looked at his wife. "You okay?"

"Been better, Max." She squeezed his hand. "But we'll get through it. We get through everything together, remember?"

Max smiled feeling the love for him generating off his wife. He nodded and slowed the car to a stop. Taking a deep breath, he got out followed by Liz. They walked hand in hand to the three people, now standing in a line.

"Welcome!" Tess clapped. "I'm so glad you came!"

Max nodded looking at the younger man next to her through his dark glasses. He was dressed in black leather, from top to bottom. Blue tinted glasses had covered his eyes, now they were in his hand. He looked strong, muscular, and stood several inches taller than Max. His short brown hair was spiked. His eyes were his mothers and when he smiled Max saw his own. This was his son.

"May I present our son, Lantham," Tess said looking only at Max as she looped her arm through her sons. "Lantham, this is your father. The fallen King Zan."

"Max. My name is Max."

"You can call me Death," Lantham smiled lecherously and then tilted his head back in a roar of laughter.

Liz tightened her grip on Max's hand as she felt him shudder. Tess saw the interaction and smiled. "Liz, so nice to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same," Liz felt her eyes rolling before she could stop them wishing desperately that she had not left her sunglasses in the car.

The man on Tess's other side laughed and looked to Tess. "You were right, dear, she is a little spitfire, isn't she?" He stepped forward and stood in front of Max. "We meet again, Zan. Wait, I mean Max. I'm Khivar." He extended his hand only to have it declined.

Khivar didn't look the part of a menacing, vile dictator. He looked like an ad for J.Crew. Dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and work boots with his sandy colored short hair, he could have walked right off a construction site. He wasn't much older than Max, just a few extra lines around his eyes. His appearance was such a contrast to Tess in her flowing robes of jeweled silver.

"So, what now?" Liz asked breaking the awkward silence.

"I thought Max might like to spend a little time with our son," Tess looked through Liz. "Maybe we could play catch up, too."

Liz laughed. "I highly doubt that."

"C'mon Lizzie, tell me about the old gang. How's everyone doing?"

Max took a deep breath and looked at his wife. "I've seen enough here, you about ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah," Liz smiled at him. "I was ready about five minutes before we got here."

"You can't be ready to go already!" Tess stomped her slippered foot exaggeratedly in the sand. "I'm sure Max and Lantham have a lot to talk over. I mean, it's not like Max was ever there for his son."

"Yeah, dad." Lantham laughed. "Wanna talk about how I'm going to eviscerate your half-breed daughter?"

Liz took a step towards him making him laugh harder as Max held her back. Max stepped up in front of his son and took off his dark glasses looking him in the eye. "I could never claim a person filled with so much hate as my son. I'll mourn you when you die, but not for long."

Khivar laughed out loud earning him an evil look from Tess. "I'm sorry, dear, but this is straight up comedy. But Max here, actually thinks the half-breed will win."

Liz took her husbands hand and pulled him back to her side. "First off you three look like a freak show out here. Did you ever hear of blending in? Secondly, if any of you ever call my daughter a 'half-breed' in front of me again, I'll kill you myself. A bullet in the head works just as good on you guys."

Max suppressed a smile at the tenacity of his wife. Liz's outburst caused Khivar to laugh again. Tess narrowed her eyes at Liz wanting to kill her on the spot, but she knew Khivar would never let that happen. Not now, there was too much at stake for them.

"Go," Tess waved her hand at them. "They'll meet tonight. I'm sure the fucking Elders have already embedded in her where to go." She turned towards the SUV then back at Max and Liz as they walked towards the car. "Hey Max! It's never as good after your first time is it?"

Max turned around and walked back to her. "Listen, now you're talking about something that happened twenty years ago. Get over it Tess. You weren't that great." He smiled when she fell speechless and walked back to his wife. The Evans' got in the car and left the trio in the dust, literally.

Khivar looked at his mate and wished he were somewhere else. Anywhere else would be fine. He'd actually enjoyed the trip to the mall earlier in the day and wished he back there trying on clothes. "Let's go, this will be over tomorrow night and we can go back home victorious."

"I still want her smart-mouthed little head." Tess growled as she got in the passenger side of the SUV. Khivar got in the driver's side while Lantham walked to the boulders stretching his hulking body across them. He would wait for his half-breed sister there.

* * * * * *

"That was nice." Liz nodded as they tore through the desert leaving a cloud of dust behind them. "Very friendly group."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Don't be sorry Max. This isn't your fault." Liz put her hand on his thigh. "This is just a part of our life. I got used to the freaky stuff a long time ago."

"He's my son, that's my fault."

"People make mistakes all the time. No one is perfect, Max. You and I both know that. If it wasn't this, I'm sure it would be something else."

"But this one could cost everyone's lives."

"It won't," Liz heard the conversation she'd had with Isabel the night before coursing through her head. 'Maybe Sloane knows more than she's telling.' Maybe Isabel was right about that. Maybe her daughter couldn't heal anyone anymore, but that didn't mean she was powerless. "Have faith in Sloane, Max. One thing I've learned, we don't let each other down all that often. I don't think Sloane will let anyone down."

* * * * * *

As night fell on Roswell, Kyle looked out his apartment window. "Everything looks okay out there."

"I imagine it would," Morgan stood next to him snaking her arm around his waist. "I didn't think this would be like a huge sci-fi battle in the middle of town. It's alien, so it's probably going to go all cloak and dagger."

"You've been thinking about this?" Kyle turned to face his wife.

"Yeah, a little. I doubt we'll know anything until the final outcome. Either we'll all be char-broiled into little human steaks or we'll be turned into leaf-wearing slaves."

"I'd opt for the leaf-wearing slaves if given the choice," Kyle smiled. "After careful consideration and a visual I can't shake, I may also become a vegetarian."

Morgan rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad to be home."

Kyle closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head. "Oh God, I'm so glad you're home. I love you, Morgan Valenti."

"And I love you." Morgan looked up at him and realized how deep her love for him really ran. "If we all die, I'm glad I'll do it in your arms."

Kyle hugged his wife and tried to reassure her. The last part wasn't easy, especially after getting an abbreviated will from Michael over the phone earlier.

* * * * * *

Sloane had locked herself in her room before her parents had gotten back from the meeting in the desert. She had ignored their pleas to talk to her and sat on the floor with headphones blasting in her ears. A metal station with loud drums and monstrous voices was keeping her mind clear. Top form. She had to start out in top form.

As dusk settled across Roswell, Sloane Evans came out of her bedroom dressed in jeans and 'Glam Rock Rules' T-shirt. She kissed her parents on their cheeks and scooped up her car keys.

Sloane waved to her parents on the porch from her car as she left to meet Lantham. Her mind clean of failing thoughts and full of conquering ones.

* * * * * *

Chapter Three

Night began to settle over the desert as Sloane Evans reached the Pod Chamber. Shivering in her T-shirt, she rolled up the windows and blasted the radio. She saw a man standing close to the hiding place of the Pod Chamber and slowed her car down. Headlights flashed on him reflecting on the leather.

"Leather?" She smiled. "I think someone has watched too many bad movies." She parked the car and got out, walking towards him. He seemed to be working hard at pretending she wasn't there until she was almost in front of him. Sloane faced him. In the dying light she saw the man who wanted her dead. The man who had traveled through space to beat her. She opened her mouth to talk but words eluded her.

"Hello half-breed," Lantham smiled at her. Sloane recognized the smile. She had seen the same one every day since she could remember on her father's face.

"Hi," she said nervously looking at his bare muscled biceps hoping this wasn't going to be a battle of physical strength. She stood only a couple inches shorter than he did, but he outweighed her by at least seventy-five pounds. She nodded uneasily not quite sure what to do. Lantham may be an old pro at intergalactic battles but Sloane didn't have a clue what to do or when to do it.

Fifty feet over them, a yellow-green glowing dot appeared causing them both to look up. The dot enlarged and expanded to a giant circle in the sky. The rim of the circled rained down creating a dome of dim yellow-green light surrounding the pair and about twenty yards in circumference.

"Our arena," Lantham looked to Sloane nodding upwards. "Nothing we do will be seen by people who don't know we're here."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Sloane edged away from him.

"Nice? I'm not being nice. Nice would be not wanting to disembowel you, I'm only being agreeable because I was told to. If it were entirely up to me you would have never made it out of your vehicle."

"Well," Sloane turned her back on him and walked a few feet away then turned quickly on him, "Then I'm glad it's not up to you." She raised her hand to the sky kicking up a wind so fierce that sand pelted Lantham's face leaving red blemishes behind. Lantham covered his already bitten face and raised his own hand throwing the wind back at her. Sloane smiled and the wind stopped.

Lantham and Sloane walked to opposite ends of the dome and looked at each other; staring each other down. Sloane felt a surge of confidence sweep through her and raised her arms towards the sky. The ground beneath them began to shake. Sloane stood proudly on what looked to be the only thing not shuddering. She laughed when the hulking Lantham fell to his knees. She quit laughing when he stood and she felt herself flung into the dome wall. Sliding down the study glowing wall she hit the sand and was sure every bone in her body started to ache. She looked to Lantham; it was his turn to laugh. Sloane forced herself to stand, never let them see you're hurt.

* * * * * *

Michael paced in front of the couch. Between looking at Maria and looking at the closed bedroom door that Leia hid behind he was getting a headache. It was almost ten o'clock and he hadn't a word from the Evans' since Sloane had left their house. He was worried for Sloane and scared for everyone else, himself included. After a brief argument that had sent Leia into her room in a near tantrum, the house was quiet. There had been no argument from his side, Leia had wanted to leave and try to help Sloane and Michael had forbidden her. End of discussion. A few mild outbursts by Leia and the eventual door slam ended it for her. It was futile. Michael wouldn't let any of his family leave the house; not until this nightmare was over.

"You going to talk to her?" Maria asked from the couch where she had taken up residence.

"No." Michael shook his head. "No reason to. She thinks I'm keeping her here because I don't think she can help. That's partly true, but the bigger part is I don't want her getting hurt."

"Will you tell her that?"

"When it's over, maybe." Michael shrugged and thought he'd tell her if he were still alive.

"Call Max again, see if he's heard anything."

Michael nodded and was walking towards the phone when a knock at the front door nearly sent him screaming. He raced to it hurdling over the coffee table. He flung the door open to see his deputy, Jo Davie. He let her in and watched her starting at him. "What's up Davie?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," she smiled a hello at Maria. "Something bad's going down."

"I know."

"It's in the desert. I drove out there but nothing looked out of place. But this energy, God, I've been feeling it the last few days. I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin. So, I was just wondering if this thing that's going on has anything to do with you taking a few days off."

"It might, Jo. I don't really want to talk about it though." He sighed. "Just do me a favor. Take care of yourself and Sam. Keep an eye out for anything strange. Leave town if you want to, tell someone to cover your shifts from me."

"It’s really bad," Jo stated and abruptly reached to Michael and grabbed his arm. She closed her eyes as he fought to get out of her grip. Within seconds she drew her hand back and rubbed it with her other one. "Jesus."

Maria stood up and took her place next to Michael. "What?"

Jo met Michael's eyes and then looked at Maria, shaking her head. "Nothing, really."

"Right," Maria put her hands on hips and looked at Jo. "Yeah, I'm going to believe that. What did you feel?"

Michael's shoulders sagged, he nodded at Jo then closed his eyes.

"Death," Jo said quietly. "I saw death."

"Oh God," Maria closed a hand over her mouth but not before a sob escaped. "No!"

"Wait," Jo reached and touched Maria's hand. "Just a feeling of death, not actually his death. I'm sorry, I should have said that up front."

"Jo, we need to be alone, okay?" Michael tentatively hugged his deputy and friend. "Just listen to what I'm saying. It is bad and it could get a lot worse. Just act accordingly, okay?" Jo nodded and retreated from the Guerin/DeLuca residence. "Maria?"

"God," she walked into him and clasped her arms around his waist, her head resting on his chest. "I'm not letting you go, Michael."

"I know," he closed his eyes and hugged her. "I know."

* * * * * *

The minutes had seemed like hours to Sloane. She was tired, she felt like she was draining. The bruises and bumps on her body were aching. She was thirsty on top of it and having sand kicked in her face and down her throat every ten seconds wasn't helping.

She got up off the desert floor again after another deep blow from Lantham and took a deep breath before facing down him again.

"Ready to quit, half-breed?" He bellowed at her followed by a vile laugh.

"Never," she panted and wiped her hands on her jeans. "Never, you asshole." She added quietly and outstretched her hand in his direction. A sheer wind of power blocked her and knocked her on her ass again. If this was only show and tell, she thought, she really might get her ass kicked during the real thing. Standing on weakened legs and throbbing knees she took a deep breath and pulled forth an attitude. She cocked her to the side and looked at her adversary. "Hey!"

Lantham put his hands back at his sides and looked at her, waiting. "What half-breed?"

"My name is Sloane Evans. You can call me Sloane or you can call me champion but don't call me half-breed. If you can't remember Sloane, a simple 'girl' will do."

"What do you want, girl?"

"Okay, short attention span," she felt exhilarated that some of her mother's obstinacy and Leia's smart mouth seemed to swell from inside her. Her father's compassion was pushed to the side. Now was not the time for compassion. "I need to ask you a question."

"What?"

"Is this throne you want really worth killing your half-sister for?"

Lantham answered her question with a bolt of electricity hitting the sand in front of her sending her into a coughing fit. Over her own coughing she could hear him laughing. Okay, she thought, I guess it is. She fought back with her own brand of powers and was delighted to see Lantham fall back into the dome wall.

The dome around them evaporated before Lantham could respond to her last blow. The walked closer to each other as the dome slowly disappeared. They watched in awe as the dome departed the same way that it had arrived, into a dot of green yellow-above them.

Sloane looked to her opponent, "I guess that's it for the night?"

Lantham nodded and raised his eyebrows. "Yeah. Sleep tight half-breed. Tomorrow is for real. Tell your parents you'll see them on the other side because when I annihilate you, they're next."

"You ever hear the phrase 'don't count your chickens before they've hatched'?" Sloane asked.

"What does poultry have to do with anything?"

"Let me rephrase," Sloane reached back into the crevices of her mind. "Okay, 'danger breeds best on too much confidence', Pierre Corneille." She knew her father would be proud of that one: in the desert and quoting a sixteenth century French playwright.

"Whatever, girl." He shook his head walking back towards the boulders as a black SUV emerged from it's hiding place.

"Okay, how about this one: 'it ain't over until the fat lady sings!' " Sloane called to him as the back door of the SUV opened and he got in. She smiled to herself as she walked to her car. As she reached for the door handle, the SUV pulled almost soundlessly up next to her. She looked at the tinted windows and waited. Nearly out of patience, she opened her car door as the front passenger window on the SUV whooshed down. Sloane took a deep breath and looked at her new visitor. She saw the blond hair and blue eyes and knew from her mother's descriptions in her journals, this was Tess.

"So you are the little bitch daughter of the modern era Romeo and Juliet," Tess smiled sweetly propping her elbows up on the sill. "You look too much like your mother to called pretty."

"What do you want, Tess is it?"

"Oh, so you've heard of me?" Tess's eyes lit up. She looked to the driver. "Did you hear that Khiv? They've told her about me!"

Sloane waited for Tess to turn back to her. "Do you want anything else? I'd like to go home."

"Oh no, I just wanted to see you up close." Tess narrowed her eyes. "I mean, while you're still alive."

Sloane was too tired to argue. She wanted something to drink and a long hot bath to sooth her aching muscles. "Okay, you saw. Bye." She got in her car and started the engine without giving them the satisfaction of looking back.

The drive home seemed longer, probably because she wanted to be there more than any place else. A brief cell phone call to her parents and a quick stop at a convenience mart for a soda and she was on her way home. She smiled when she pulled up in front of her house and saw her parents and aunt waiting for her on the porch. They converged on her as she got out of the car, hugging and full of questions.

Sloane answered as much as she could and felt lightheaded. The pain searing her body had finally overcome the adrenaline she had been running on for the last part of the show. Her knees gave out on her. Max caught her and insisted on carrying her inside. He carried her to the couch and laid her down. "Are you okay, baby?"

Sloane shrugged. The sweat still on her skin and in her clothes was beginning to chill her. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she began to cry. "I'm scared."

"I know baby," Max sat with his daughter and hugged her while she cried into his shirt. Liz sat on her other side and stroked her dirty hair while Isabel paced behind the couch.

"It was so scary. He's so powerful I don't know if I can beat him."

Max looked at his wife and saw the desperation in her eyes. "Sloane."

"I'm sorry, I don't want to let every down and kill them!" She cried harder. "I'm just a kid, I'm still in high school! I'm not a freaking warrior, I'm just a girl!"

"I know," Max rubbed his daughter's back feeling some of his confidence in her slip away.

"You said you kept up with him tonight, Sloanie." Liz whispered. "You have powers, right?"

"I have some powers but I don't think they're anything like his!" Sloane turned to her mother and then back into Max's shoulder. "I just want to go to bed." Max helped his daughter up and walked her upstairs leaving Liz alone in the living room. When he sat on her bed, Sloane looked to him. "I have powers, but they're no the same one's I used to have. They're better, I think, except that I can't heal anymore."

"It's okay," Max looked to his hands in his lap and sighed. "We love you and believe in you. Everyone does."

Sloane excused herself to take a bath before her father started asking anymore questions. Not tonight. Tonight she had to rest. After a hot soapy bath she lay underneath cool sheets and regained some of the conviction she'd had earlier that night. Seeing her parents had collapsed the bravado she had displayed to Lantham and even Tess. Seeing her parents had brought her back to the reality that she might not win.

* * * * * *

"So far so good, I guess." Morgan looked at her husband tenting the cover over their heads and shining the flashlight in his face.

"I'm blind!" Kyle laughed pushing the flashlight away. "It's almost three in the morning and nothing's happened, that's gotta be a good."

"Yeah," she grinned. "Do you think it's safe to come out from underneath the blankets yet? I doubt during an alien attack that a 200-count comforter is going to save us."

"Nah," he took the flashlight from her hand and turned it off. "I like it under here, let's stay."

* * * * * *

"Was she really that powerful?" Tess looked at her son over the back of her seat while Khivar drove towards the hotel.

"I don't think she knows anything, though." Lantham wiped the sweat from his forehead. "She almost looked surprised when things worked out for her."

"You can use that, you know." Tess grinned. "Tomorrow night, play with her and let her think she might be winning and then pull out all the stops and while she's trying to gather her shit and make it work, obliterate her." She looked to Khivar. "What do you think about that plan, Khiv?"

"Sounds good," he nodded and pulled into the lot. "Any idea where it's going to happen yet?"

Lantham shook his head. "Fucking Elders haven't mentioned shit to me. It'll be at night, that's all I know."

"Perfect. I can't wait to watch tomorrow as we officially and without ceremony keep control of our home." He absently rubbed an emblem that hung on a silver chain inside his shirt. "Maybe we can stop by the mall tomorrow and I could get a couple more pairs of these boots to take back home?"

"What is your abnormal obsession with the mall?" Tess wrinkled her nose.

"When you've never been in one and all of a sudden everything you could ever imagine is right in front of you, you think it's kind of neat."

Tess rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

They drove the rest of the way in silence and pulled up in front of the hotel for the evening.

* * * * * *

Chapter Four

Darkness fell on Roswell before Sloane knew where to go. The message that came to her through her thoughts was chilling. A day of worrying, pacing and wonder had ended with the knowledge that she wasn't going anywhere. She looked long and hard in the mirror as she pulled her silky dark hair up into a ponytail. A West Roswell High School sweatshirt, well worn by her father, and faded jeans were her battle dress. She approached her parents and aunt in the living room; her face was ashen. Max jumped up from his easy chair to his daughter's side. "Sloanie, what's wrong?"

"It's here. We're to fight here." She said absently meeting each pair of adult eyes with her own.

"Here? Like in Roswell or here like, right here?" Isabel asked.

"Here here. Our house."

"This house? You're going to battle in here?" Liz looked around the room.

"Outside," Sloane smiled. "The backyard. I guess you guys are supposed to be able to watch."

"But the dome you talked about," Liz rubbed her suddenly cold arms.

"Lantham said if you didn't know we were there you couldn't see us. You all know."

"I don't want to watch!" Liz cried out sharply. She stood and paced the room. "This is fucking crazy. Not only do I not want my daughter to fight this bastard, I certainly don't want to have to watch it!"

"Liz," Max warned.

"I'm sorry, but this is bullshit." Liz continued to pace until Sloane took her arm.

"Mom, I know you don't have all the faith in me that you did before," she held up her hand to ward off interruption. "I wouldn't either if I were you. But try to remember one thing, I will do everything that I can to keep this family safe. I don't know if I'll win, but if I don't, I'll have given it every bit of strength I have."

Liz nodded and pulled her daughter close. She looked past Max and Isabel to the kitchen where a slight glimmer of orange-yellow light appeared through the back window. With a jagged intake of breath, she pointed towards the kitchen. Sloane knew immediately the light was coming from a spot in the sky, it was beginning.

She walked to the kitchen with the others behind her and placed her hand on the backdoor knob. She kissed her parents and aunt and then walked outside. Lantham, dressed very similar to herself in jeans and a T-shirt, was waiting for her at the other end of the yard.

The playing field was much shorter tonight that the night before, less room to duck and hide. Less room for everything. As she stepped in the magical ring, the dot above them began to descend. A dome similar to the other one covered the backyard, although tonight's was a glimmering orange-yellow color. The dome looked alive.

Sloane took a deep breath and looked behind her. She saw three faces looking out the back door windows. She smiled at them and wondered if they could see her. She waved and they all waved back, so they could see her, she thought that might not be a good thing.

"Half-breed, have you said your good-byes?" Lantham called from the other side of the yard.

"I only have one good-bye to say tonight and that's to you," she whipped her hand through the air as a green cloud formed in front of her. With a look, the cloud bolted across the yard and met its target. Lantham fell backwards clutching his throat. His own fingernails ripping into his skin. He regained his footing and seemed to be breathing deeper as he unleashed a wall of power at her, which she easily blocked and sent back on him.

Sloane regarded the strength Lantham was using with confusion. Last night he seemed stronger, was he holding back and if he was, why? Her mini-thoughts were interrupted by a blow to her midsection that sent her reeling into the closer than expected wall. She heard the laughter and felt the anger course through her. Standing on shaky legs she pulled power from somewhere deep inside and lashed out him. A flicker of green flame raced across the open ground and attached itself to the hem of Lantham's jeans. He tried to shake it off, but the little flame clung to him blazing a hole through the denim. Sloane watched the flame intently as it bore up his leg while he tried to fight it off. Finally with a hand gesture and screaming, he managed to kick it to the ground and stomped on it.

Sloane watched in despair as the flame she thought would save her became ash underneath Lantham's boot. The flame had appeared for her weeks ago, so magically, so controlled. She watched the spot on the ground where the flame had been extinguished and saw a spark, then nothing.

She faced her enemy again and he walked closer to her. Turning around she saw her parents and aunt now standing in the open backdoor; fear on their faces. They were a distraction to her. That would work to Lantham's advantage, always wondering what her parents were doing was driving her crazy. She wished they'd just go back inside.

"If you give up now, half-breed, I promise your death won't be near as painful." Lantham leered at her then nodded towards the house. "Or theirs."

Sloane fought to control her breathing then meet his blue eyes with her amber ones. "Fuck you." A bolt of energy ripped from her and sent him falling to the ground.

Sloane met Lantham as he stood and walked towards her. They circled each other and backed down to the other end of the dome. Sloane saw Tess and another man leaning on the other side of the back fence. She knew it was Khivar from her father's description. She smiled at them both and then gave them the finger and turned back to see light glinting off Lantham's teeth making her smile. He looked like a colossal Cheshire Cat.

"You shouldn't be smiling half-breed."

"You shouldn't be calling me half-breed you moron. I told you my name is Sloane!" She yelled. "Get used to it, remember it because it's going to be the name of the woman who kills you!"

Lantham laughed tilting his head back. Sloane walked up to him and pulled back her fist and punched his exposed throat. Lantham coughed and watched her jog down to the other end of the playing field.

Sloane felt exhilarated with the physical contact, although she hoped he wouldn't reciprocate. She knew he could annihilate her with one natural blow. The touch of skin to skin had sent shocks through her. She wasn't able to tell if they were adrenaline shocks or familial shocks. It didn't matter; she wasn't dead yet and didn't plan on dying. At least not tonight.

* * * * * *

Tess leaned on the fence at the back of the Evans' property with Khivar at her side, both watching the battle intently. The sounds from inside the dome were filtering out making Tess cover her ears every few seconds.

"This is getting redundant, I wish he'd just finish her. He should pummel her after that little incident. Doesn't she know she's not supposed to be physical?" Tess sighed.

"Physical in causing death, dear." Khivar smiled at his mate. "She can poke him and punch him as much as she wants as long as she doesn't kill him. The same goes for him, but he'd end up killing her like that."

"These stupid rules and this stupid heir issue. A female. All this because they had a fucking daughter."

"We tried to change the past, present and future and we couldn't do it. This is how it ends. The Elders said this was the final conflict. At the end of the night we'll either go home victorious or into a life of solitude."

"I don't want to hear about that, Khiv. We're not going to lose."

"She's more powerful than Lantham led us to believe," Khivar said softly. "The flame. She called the flame."

"And Lantham killed it," Tess rolled her eyes at him.

"No dear, it was the flame of death." Khivar explained pausing for a thunderous crash from inside the dome to pass. "Only a handful of people have ever been able to call it as their own. That goes back generations. If she were able to call it larger, Lantham would be dead already."

Tess whirled on him. "You're just now telling me about a fucking little flame?"

"I had no idea she was strong enough to even call it, let alone use it." Khivar defended himself. "I would have never believed a half-breed like her would be able to do it. I can't. Can you?"

Tess looked back to see her son fall again then take down the half-breed with a flip of his wrist. "Don't be so ignorant. Can it come back?"

"Maybe. If she can truly control it, it'll come back. But if that's as large as it gets, it's virtually harmless."

Tess nodded and looked through the dome watching Max wrap his arm over his wife's shoulders. She shook her head and focused back on the battle.

* * * * * *

"It's starting," Leia marched into the living room after a day of pissed off silence.

"What is?" Maria looked up at her daughter from the couch.

"The battle, mom. What else?" Leia rolled her eyes. "It's at her house. In the backyard. They're fighting in the backyard; can you believe that?

"Are you sure?" Michael asked walking up in back of her. He had been keeping an eye on her all day.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She said and sat next to her mother. Michael sat on her other side. "God, do you have to follow me around all day, dad?"

"Yeah, I do. If I trusted you not to do anything stupid, I wouldn't."

"You don't understand. I should be there for her."

"To do what Leia?" Michael tried to keep his anger in check. "To watch her fight or to get killed?"

"Yeah, there's a lot of confidence in here tonight isn't there?" Leia snorted. "Thanks dad."

"Damn it Leia! I don't want anything to happen to you, okay?" He sighed.

"Whatever." She stood and stomped back to her room and slammed the door behind her.

"She's so angry," Maria commented.

"I know and I'm sorry. I won't let anything happen to you or her. If I have to be an asshole about it, I will." He leaned back on the couch feeling his heart race. Was it almost over? Was the battle almost over or was it their lives? "I'm scared Maria."

"I know," she scooted over next to him and curled up his arms. "I know."

"No. I don't think you do." Michael closed his eyes and hugged her tight. Visions flashing in his mind. He saw Maria when he first met her and how she got on his nerves to the point of insanity. The babbling then the kindness and understanding. He saw himself the minute he knew he loved her and felt the wave of security wash through him. He saw himself through her eyes and grasped how much she loved him. Staying on Earth for her. Starting a family with her. Being with her. She was his entire reason for living for so long. She grounded him when he thought no one ever would. A heartbeat against his own. Her eyes. Her beautiful eyes and the way they gave themselves over to him. Letting him inside of her, letting him see her for who she was. Clarity in the depths of an otherwise desolate world, he had found Maria and she had made all the difference.

Maria felt his heartbeat slow down and reached to him, her hand running over the stubble on his cheek. "I'll always know Michael. I know everything about you and I know how you see things. It's not over for us, Michael. Remember, as long as we have each other we'll always be okay. Always safe."

Michael squeezed his eyes shut and bent to kiss her wondering if she had felt the lone tear that was streaming down his face.

* * * * * *

Each breath made Sloane's chest hurt. The powers she had were depleting. With each new trick, her head throbbed and her body wanted to collapse. She looked over her shoulder and saw her parents clinging to each other. For them she fought to keep control of herself. Afterwards, she scolded herself, there'd be plenty of time to rest. She rose to her feet and waited for the next blow that came instantly. She fell against the wall and slid into the grass.

Liz looked to her fallen daughter and tried to leave the doorway. Max held her back using all his strength against his fighting wife. Liz screamed at him over the crashing of powers. "Let me go!"

"No!" Max pulled her small body against him. "You can't help her Liz. There's nothing you can do."

Liz struggled and broke free from him and ran back into the house. Max looked to his sister for help, but her eyes were riveted on the conflict in front of her. Max took off after his wife and found her in the living room. He grabbed her arm as she reached for the front door. The clanging from outside was louder as she tried to hear what her husband was saying to her. She looked at him and couldn't understand him. He pulled her close and after an alarmingly loud bang from the back, pulled her down to the floor. They clung to each other as Liz looked to the mantel and saw the picture of Sloane taken at Christmas, then she looked to the one of Jack. She shivered as she realized she was living her dream from years before.

She looked to her husband and saw him point to the picture of Sloane and smile. The loudness took a break and she heard him. "Warrior."

* * * * * *

Leia stepped away from the computer unable to concentrate on anything, well, anything other than Sloane. She hated that she hadn't talked to her friend, but with Sloane blowing her off it didn't really leave Leia with any options.

"She'll always need me," Leia whispered as she paced through her room. She kicked a pillow that had fallen off the bed into the wall. "Doesn't she remember that? Damn it! I should be there."

She opened her door and peeked her head out. The TV was on, but the volume was low. She heard a soft snore coming from the living room. Was her dad actually asleep? The man who hadn't closed his eyes for longer than a blink in almost three days was snoozing on the couch? Leia fought the urge to laugh out loud at her good fortune. She tiptoed through the hall and into the living room where she saw her parents curled up together on the couch. Both of them were very much asleep. She smiled and waited a beat before picking up her car keys. Resisting the urge to jingle, she forced them to stay motionless in her hand using her powers. She made her way to the back door and paused waiting to hear the familiar snore again. Michael snored and Leia opened the back door. Closing it behind her, but not all the way or that awful click would give her away.

She felt like a spy as she made her way around the side of the house and made a beeline to the Tempo parked on the street. She got in the car and waited to see if her father came barreling out of the house. After a few seconds she started the complaining engine and gunned it down the street.

Michael woke up with a start thinking he had heard a car start outside. Trying not disturb Maria, he eased himself off of the couch and went to the kitchen. Noticing the back door not closed all the way, a pit formed in the bottom of his stomach. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he nearly ran to Leia's room and flung the door open. It was empty. He kicked the bathroom door open to make sure as he made his way back down the hall. Empty.

"Damn it!" He bellowed running back into the living room and scaring the hell out of Maria. He looked out the front window. The Tempo was gone. "No! No! No! Damn it! Jesus!" He was running his hands through his hair; veins on his neck were prominent.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked with her sleepy voice.

"She's gone," he looked around for the keys to the 4X4. "Leia's fucking gone!"

"Oh God," Maria stood. "Do you think she went there?"

"Damn it, of course she did." He looked at her through red rimmed eyes. "I have to go."

Maria's face flooded with tears as she stood in front of him. "No, Michael. No."

"I have to get her back," he clasped her biceps. "I have to get my daughter back before she gets hurt."

"Don't leave Michael," Maria began to shake. "Oh God, Leia?" She questioned as if just now realizing where her daughter was going. "No." She shook her head.

"I have to go."

"What if you don't come back?" She cried.

"Don't ever forget how much I love you," he brought her to him and kissed her lips with passion. He pulled away and looked in her eyes. "Always, Maria. Always."

Before she could argue he let her go and walked to the door. With a quick look over his shoulder at her, he was gone.

Maria fell to her knees. She screamed and then cried, her face buried in her hands as she lay on the floor.

* * * * * *

Sloane walked in a semi-circle on her end of the outer space arena taking a chance and looking over her shoulder. Alarm shot through her when she only saw her aunt. A quick look back at Lantham breathing harder and then back at the house. Her parents had rejoined Aunt Isabel; they were standing together in a united front. She sighed and looked back at Lantham as he sent a wicked blow of redness at her. Unable to move in time, Sloane took it head on. She felt ribs crack as the wind was knocked from her. She tried to stand but couldn't find the energy to get off her knees. She crawled a few feet and bowed to the ground. Her breathing was so labored, she was certain a broken rib was puncturing her lung. She looked to her attacker and saw death in his eyes.

* * * * * *

Chapter Five

Sloane stayed on the ground, her arms holding her up shakily. She bobbed her head down away from Lantham's air of triumph. The arms of her sweatshirt were tattered; she had holes in the knees of her jeans.

"You may have beaten me, you asshole," Sloane whispered. "But I swear if it takes me until the time when all the worlds and heavens end, I'll come back and I will kick your ass!"

"Shut-up half-breed." Lantham kicked her shoulder sending her back onto her ass. "It's over. My reign as the true heir is set to begin."

"Go to hell," Sloane cried. Salty tears burning the scratches on her face. "Go to hell."

* * * * * *

Leia Guerin slowed down in front of the Evans house staring with her mouth open. The top of the dome was visible high above the house; the glimmering was beyond belief. In the middle of a nice neighborhood, an intergalactic war was happening. Leia felt butterflies in her stomach as she hit the parked car in front of her. Isabel's car.

"Damn it!" She slammed the car in park and took a deep breath. She got out and heard the thunderous booms from behind the house. She jumped and looked at the next door neighbors in their front yard with their kids and dog, all oblivious to the war next door.

Taking deliberated steps and after a tentative wave to the neighbors, she bolted around the side of the house and stopped in her tracks almost buckling over. What she saw scared her nearly into running away. The glimmering dome she had seen from the front was an arena of some kind and there were two people at center stage. Sloane was on the ground; the beastly man hovering over her had to be Lantham. She turned to the back of the house and saw Max, Liz and Isabel all watching what was going on in the dome. She walked closer to it and heard Max yell her name. She hesitated and then moved closer to the wall. She heard all three of them yelling her name now.

She ignored them and placed her hand on the glimmering wall. It gave way and she stepped through it into the arena. She turned around and saw Max on the other side of the wall unable to get through. "Oh shit." Leia mumbled and took in her new surroundings. The rolling and clashing noises she'd heard from the front were magnified. Although neither of the two people inside were doing anything, colors of energy crashed into each other overhead.

"Who are you?" Lantham demanded turning his attention away from Sloane to the visitor.

"Who are you?" Leia stood a few feet in back of Sloane with her hands on her hips.

"Lantham, heir to the throne." He said proudly sticking out his chest.

"Oh, I'm Leia, heir to beating the shit out of you, you useless piece of space trash."

"He's not so good with names," Sloane said softly looking backwards at her friend and smiling weakly. "Why are you here? God, get out while you can Leia."

"I told you you'd always need me," Leia extended her hand and felt the intensity of emotions as Sloane grasped it. She pulled her friend up and looked her in the eye.

"You have to go," Sloane tried to let go of Leia's hand but Leia's kept her grip tight. "Let go."

"You need me. Why else would I be here? How would I know to come here and stand by your side?" Leia asked. "Why would I be let into this big freaky of a playground if I wasn't supposed to when your own father can't."

"I don't know, but I can't let you get hurt." Sloane rubbed her side with her free hand. "I'm the one who's theoretically going to win this battle and save the world."

"Then why could I just walk in here to help you? You need me Sloane. I've told you a thousand times before, you'll always need me."

"You're her second," Lantham said and backed away a few feet.

"What?" The girl's asked together having momentarily forgotten about him.

"The half-breed's second is a half-breed herself!" He laughed and stepped further away.

Sloane and Leia looked away from him at each other. They understood. As Michael had been Max's second in command in another life, Leia was the same to Sloane.

"Now I get to kill the bitch heir and her second." Lantham spun around once, a red glow hovering in front of him. He sent it towards the girls and it bore in between them, breaking their connection when it broke through their clasped hands. A wall of red stood as a divider between Sloane and Leia.

Leia tried to reach into the wall, but the glow burned her skin. She looked through the transparency and shook her head at Sloane. "It burns."

* * * * * *

Sheriff Michael Guerin sped through Roswell with his flashers on and his heart racing faster than the 4X4 was going. Not my daughter, he slammed his fist into dashboard cracking it, not my daughter. Damn it! The way he had always stood by Max, his daughter was doing the same thing for Sloane.

Cruising through a red light and nearly slamming into an innocent vehicle Michael never flinched and never looked back. One thing was on his mind. He had to save his daughter.

The short drive seemed to take an eternity to finish. His heart nearly failed when he saw the Tempo parked in front of the Evans house, its front bumper over the back one of Isabel's car. He skidded to stop, the front tire on the curb, and switched the flashers off. He got out of the 4X4 and started up the driveway before he noticed the glowing top of the dome. He stopped and stared at it as the next door neighbors waved at him and said 'hello'.

Michael waved back and walked dumbly to the front door. He tried the knob, but it was locked. He walked cautiously around the side of the house and saw the entire dome which held his daughter, Sloane and the assumed Lantham. He walked closer to it and heard his name being called. He turned and saw the Evans' and Isabel on the porch. Liz was calling to him.

Michael pointed to his daughter as a deafening boom from within the dome caused him to duck involuntarily.

"Michael!" Max called to his life-long friend. "Don't! You can't get in there!"

"My daughter's in there!"

"So is mine!"

"Michael! No!" Liz screamed at him.

Michael ignored their pleas and reached the outside wall of the dome. He peered in at Leia who hadn't seen him yet. Running his hands along the smoothness of the wall he noticed the man inside looking at him.

"The Kings second in command has arrived," Lantham laughed and pointed to Michael. "Rath, once a leader of armies will die on the battleground tonight with the rest!"

Leia looked over her shoulder and saw her father. She raced to the dome wall and screamed at him to go away. She knew he was yelling back, but she couldn't hear him.

Lantham strode closer and tossed out an energy that caused Leia to fly back away from the wall. Another energy, a violent red storm, rushed through the dome wall and hit Michael in the chest. He flew into the air back several feet and landed hitting his head on the cement foundation of the Evans' house.

He lay there motionless; eyes closed. Blood dripped from his mouth and ran from his ear.

* * * * * *

Tess clapped, "I couldn't wish for a better show!"

"Rath, so easily beaten. A fraction of the man he used to be." Khivar shook his head. "Astonishing."

"I can't believe we're going to witness the death of the Royal Three right here!" She paused waiting for a clap of noise to pass. "I thought we'd have to drive all over this dismal town to track them down. And here they are; one down and two to go."

"It's not over yet and you've miscounted. Don't forget about the half-breed and her apparent second." Khivar watched in awe as Lantham continued to belt out punishment keeping the two half-breed girls apart. "He must get through them to get to the rest."

"Did you not just totally watch what my baby did? His powers went beyond the dome, beyond where they're supposed to be able to go." Tess explained. "He's more powerful than I ever thought possible. He will rule our home like a true King should."

"I don't know how he did it though, that shouldn't be possible." Khivar shrugged. "It was most impressive, he is powerful."

"It was beautiful," Tess said in a sing song voice.

"It could have been luck."

"You just don't have enough confidence in my son." Tess snapped and then looked back proudly at her child.

"I helped raise him and I consider him my son too. Don't ever tell me what I do and do not have in him, got it?" A flash of true anger rolled off of him reminding Tess of his strength and her place.

"I'm sorry, Khiv. I know." She bowed back from him and returned her attention to the battle and what was happening on the other side of the dome.

* * * * * *

Max and the two women watched in horror as Michael's seemingly broken body lie still on the ground. I have to heal him, Max thought as his body shook with fear and anger; I have to get to him. It's Michael. My brother. Max looked to his crying wife and sister and kissed them both on the lips. Before either of them had a chance to react; Max had bound out of the doorway and was running towards his damaged friend.

Sloane called Leia way from the dome wall and saw the tears on her face. "Don't let him beat us, Leia. You can't help your dad in here but you can help save your self and your mother and everyone else."

"My daddy." Leia cried, one hand wiping at swollen eyes, the other touching the dome wall. She turned back to her father's body. Shrinking against the glimmering bright wall, Leia sobbed.

Sloane tried to reach through the wall as Leia had and got equally burned. "Damn it and damn you to hell, Lantham!" Sloane screamed in his direction as he let loose another amazing display of power. This one caught Sloane in her already broken ribs and carried her back into the wall before letting her slide down into the soft grass on the hard ground. She clutched her sides and cried out in pain.

Lantham turned his attention back to Leia, but something going on in back of her caught his attention. The fallen King Zan was nearing his second. With a force like the one he had used on Michael, Lantham sent out another and knocked his father backwards away from Michael. Leia screamed and crawled along the bottom of the dome closer to the red wall of anxiety.

Max scrambled to his feet and felt the air being sucked out of his lungs. He looked towards the dome as his son was raising his hands to him. Max fell to the ground on all fours and gasped for breath. A sadistic shade of mixing reds and violets and glints of silver encircled him and then imprisoned him. Max caught his newly found breath and stood in a prison of energy that he couldn't break through. His powers were useless inside his prison walls. He beat at the razor-sharpened walls until his hands bled. He fell to his knees and screamed a primal cry. He was trapped and he felt his energy being sucked out of him. The walls seemed to thrive on whatever he gave then. He felt his arms and legs weaken.

* * * * * *

"Just when I thought it couldn't get any better!" Tess laughed looking at Khivar who pleased her with a smile of his own. "Look at him in there! He's as powerless as a rock."

"Nice simile," Khivar nodded. "He was such a powerful King and now he's merely a man."

"A man in a prison, put there by his son. I swear, when things come full circle I couldn't be happier."

"I'll have to admit, Lantham is doing a hell of a job in there. And you were right, I would have never believed he was this powerful or capable. He's tearing things up in and out of there." He pointed to the house. "What do you think the little spitfire's going to do?"

"Give up," Tess smiled maniacally.

* * * * * *

"Let me go, Isabel, damn you!" Liz fought her sister-in-law who was holding her wrists with all her strength.

"I can't let you go," Isabel cried. "You have to stay here. You can't help any of them!"

"That's my daughter, husband and friend out there who need help!"

"That's also the only family I've ever known!" Isabel's tears stained her face and dripped onto her silk shirt. "If you go out there, he'll kill you!"

"I can't stand by and watch them die," Liz sobbed. She looked over her shoulder to Max in the prison box. He was on his knees, not even able to keep his head up any longer. Her eyes followed the path to Michael's broken body. "I don't know if Michael's even alive!"

Isabel shook her head. "I don't know either. Please Liz, please don't leave me."

Liz looked back into the pleading eyes of her sister and friend and nodded. Isabel pulled the smaller woman close and they cried into each other as they slid down on the porch. Neither of them wanted to look at the pain in front of them.

* * * * * *

While Lantham watched in sheer pleasure at his weakened father trapped in a prison of power, he forgot about Sloane and Leia. Neither of which had forgotten about each other.

Leia looked to Sloane and waited. Sloane nodded and with the last bits of her energy heaved her body towards the glowing red barrier the same time Leia did. Their bodies broke through the wall and landed on the ground in a twisted pile. Sloane screamed out in pain gripping her sides, she was wheezing. Leia reached to her and they clasped hands.

Leia stood first then pulled up Sloane. The two girls looked to their common enemy and raised their arms to the sky.

* * * * * *

Tess watched with her eyes wide. "Oh shit."

Khivar nodded in agreement. "See, too cocky for his own good. Too busy gloating over Zan to notice what's going on in front of him." He kicked at the dirt. "See, they're together now. If they're going to stop him, they'll have to stay together. They're so much stronger together; you saw what happened when they were separated. If that boy's got a half a brain he's going to have to start trying everything he can think of to get them apart."

"I know," Tess said meekly. The joy of watching Michael and Max being wounded if not killed was leaking away as she felt the destruction of her only child was imminent. "Oh sweet Lantham, don't give up now. Break them apart and then tear them to pieces."

Khivar shook his head and felt the chained emblem under his shirt through the fabric. "I'm not looking forward to spending the rest of my life in solitude, dear."

"We're not going to," Tess snapped at him. "It's not over!"

Khivar nodded, he knew it wasn't over, but it was damn close.

* * * * * *

Chapter Six

With their hands raised in the air, Sloane and Leia let forth a giant sphere of energy, green mixing with purple, colors rolling over each other. The sphere knocked into Lantham throwing his body to the ground. As the energy ball evaporated, Lantham rose and threw out his best work yet. Displays of powers and colors came at them from every direction, but not one of them touched them. Everything he tried to do to separate the friends hold on each other was failing.

"We're going to beat him, Sloanie!" Leia managed a slight laugh as she looked to her wounded friend.

"Together." Sloane nodded and grimaced from the pain of the cracked ribs. With her other hand raised in the air she looked to Leia and actually grinned. "Ready?"

"Let's see what we're really made of!" Leia screeched and mirrored Sloane's movements.

Two slender arms, bonded together at the hands, one in the tattered remains of a sweatshirt, the other in pushed up sleeves of a dress shirt. Each shirt belonging to their fathers at one point in time. Each girl knowing they were different from the rest of the planet. The two girls, so much alike and so different at the same time.

Leia with her loud mouth and never care attitude, demure Sloane always following the rules. Two different women possessing one powerful tool between them. The power to win. Sloane closed her eyes and waited until she knew Leia had done the same. Calling on everything she had ever known or believed it, she felt the heat rise though her body from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She heard Leia gasp and knew she felt the same thing. Sloane squeezed Leia's hand and looked over at her. Their eye's met, amber on green, they looked back towards Lantham as a flame appeared on the ground before them.

The mini-flame, hardly bigger than one found on a match head began to grow. They watched in awe as the green flickering light, with colors of amber, blue and white bouncing inside of it, kept growing. The flame stood and seemed to almost kneel before them, it was as tall as they were and the heat radiating from it was scorching.

"Did we do that?" Leia whispered as the dome fell silent.

"We called it," Sloane smiled and nodded at the flame.

The flame, like a well-trained dog, turned from the girls and marched down the yard towards Lantham.

* * * * * *

Liz and Isabel were standing again, holding on to each other watching and waiting. Isabel suddenly gasped. "Oh God, how could he have left in the middle? That would have passed already? If Max didn't leave, then how are we here with Sloane? How did this future happen?"

"He didn't have to go back," Liz said slowly looking at her husband trapped in the prison walls. "He did what he had to the first time; Sloane was conceived. He made sure of that so his future, the now, wouldn't be changed."

Isabel looked doubtfully at her sister-in-law. "I don’t understand!"

"He didn't actually change the future, he just made sure it would end up like this. He succeeded in doing that twenty years ago. This future is stable, after Sloane was conceived there was no reason for him to go back because it already happened. Tess can't keep disrupting the past otherwise it would be a never-ending cycle." Liz explained frantically while watching Sloane and Leia controlling a giant green flame. "Oh God, look."

Isabel watched the arena and gasped at the flame that seemed to be kneeling in front of the two girls. "What is that?"

Liz shook her head and spared a glance at Michael. So still. So alone. She fought the urge to run to him and try to help, but she knew she couldn't. There was only one person who could help him now and he was trapped in some alien prison that apparently was rendering him powerless.

* * * * * *

"Is that the flame?" Tess asked quietly pointing into the dome. "Is that the fucking flame of death?"

"I'm sorry, my dear, it is." Khivar sighed. "The end is near now, Lantham cannot survive the flame. The half-breed and her second are more powerful than I had ever imagined."

"No!" Tess screamed and hopped over the fence tearing the gowns of gold. She ran to the dome and banged on its walls screaming her son's name. Her face went wild with rage. She ran the perimeter of the dome and came face to face with Liz and Isabel on the porch. She stood on the bottom step. "You bitches!"

"Go away Tess, it's almost over." Isabel said calmly.

"That's Queen Ava to you," Tess spat out at her. Her breathing became harsher as she pointed to Liz. "I'll kill her myself if I have to. Never am I going to let a half-breed little bitch rule my world and sentence me to an eternity of solitude. Never!"

"We didn't make up the rules," Liz said forcefully, glad that Isabel had chosen to hold onto her hand. "Get the fuck out of here, Tess."

"You," she still pointed at Liz, seething. "You will never tell me what to do, ever! That is my son out there and I will not let him fall!"

"You don't have a choice," Liz fought back. "You're the one who caused this. You're the one who'll bear the guilt of his death."

"Losing is not an option," Tess looked over her shoulder, sickened, she turned back to the two women. "He can't lose. He has the blood of royalty in him. My blood. Max's blood." She sneered hoping for a reaction from Liz.

"Max will watch him die for his daughter. Lantham isn't a son to him and you damn well know it! This is it, Tess, this is the end. All the tricks you've pulled are almost over." Liz felt her leg absently.

"Oh yes," Tess smiled watching Liz touch her thigh. "I almost forgot. The little reminder of me. Who do you think Max thinks about when he makes love to you and sees my name on your thigh? When he runs his hands over you and feels my name underneath them?"

"I imagine he's thinking 'what a pretty tattoo my wife has.' I got it covered up." Liz grinned and pointed in back of Tess. "You're about to lose."

Tess took a step towards the women and then felt herself being lifted off the ground. Khivar had her around the waist. "No, dear. They're right, we are about to lose."

Tess crumbled in his arms and turned back to the dome. Khivar held her around the waist as they watched.

The flamed circled Lantham in speeds so fast, it looked like a wall of green fire was around him. He staggered and fell to his knees as the flame descended on him. His screams were the only sounds as the flame tore into him. Then there was nothing. The flame became dormant; Lantham's screams were over.

Sloane and Leia looked to each other with their hands still clasped, neither girl knew for sure if it was over. They watched as the flame became smaller and smaller as it traveled back up the yard towards them. After a mutant twisted bow, it was gone. Sloane looked down the field; Lantham was on the ground on his back.

They walked hand in hand down the yard and stood above him. His eyes were open; the whites had turned brown. The flame didn't mark him and Sloane had an overwhelming urge to scramble away before he jumped up. They always jumped up at when you thought they were dead, she mused as a sharp pain ran through her midsection.

Leia knelt and placed her free hand on his bare neck. "He's on fire."

Sloane looked confused and felt his face, there was no breath. "He's been burned from the inside. Oh God." She stumbled backward bringing Leia along with her. "Oh. God!" Her eyes filled with tears.

"No Sloane, don't get upset." Leia took her friend into her arms. "It had to be this way. He would have killed you if he could have, you know he tried. He would have killed us both. This is how it was supposed to be."

"He was my brother," Sloane whispered then looked to the body again. She led Leia back to Lantham and stood over him, looking into his discolored eyes. "I told you there was only going to be one good-bye tonight, you son-of-a-bitch. Good-bye Lantham."

The two girls turned away and walked hand in hand towards the back of the house. Sloane's staggering steps made the trek slow, her free hand clutched to her side. Leia kept her eyes on the fallen image of her father while Sloane glanced nervously from her mother and aunt to the swirling prison walls that held her father. Wouldn't they ever come down?

Their attention had shifted from their respective father's as they neared the wall of the dome closest to the house. Liz and Isabel were still on the porch while Khivar and Tess were directly in front of the porch steps.

The wall in front of them began to fade, and then it got sucked up back into the small orb of light and then vanished all together. Sloane watched as the red walls binding her father disappeared as well. She let go of Leia's hand and stumbled over to Max's kneeling figure and wrapped her arms around his neck. His breath was shallow, his arms too weak to hug her back. She cried on him as they rested together on the ground.

"Sloanie?"

"It's over daddy!" She kissed his sweaty forehead. "It's over. We're safe."

"Lantham?" His voice was hoarse.

"He's gone, daddy. I'm sorry but I had to. Leia and I both," Sloane looked away from him long enough to see her aunt and mother charging towards them. Both women hit the ground around Max and his daughter and hugged them. Tears and smiles.

Leia rushed to her father's side and picked up his hand holding it to her cheek. She checked his pulse; it was there, barely. She began to cry and rested her head on her father's chest.

"Daddy, please don't die."

* * * * * *

"I don't want to watch the happy reunion," Tess turned her attention towards the back of the yard where the broken body of her son lay. "I want to see Lantham."

Khivar nodded and led her down to Lantham's body with his hand on her back. Tess knelt in the grass and touched her son's skin. She pulled her hand away and looked to Khivar.

"He's burned from the inside," he sighed looking at the man he had considered a son. "I doubt he felt much." Khivar lied to Tess about that. Although he hadn't been able to hear them, he knew there had been screams; screams of sheer pain.

Tess reached to her son's face and closed his eyes. She bowed over him and wept.

* * * * * *

Maria DeLuca, with a chapped face and swollen eyes, grabbed her car keys and walked out the front door. It had been too long and she hadn't heard a word from Michael or anyone else. Something was wrong and she was damn well going to find out what it was.

Putting on her determined face, she got in her car and started it before crying again. A knot in her stomach told her things were not all right and she needed to find Michael and Leia. She drove across town, much slower than Michael had, all the while waiting to see some huge lightning bolts or something more freaky zoom out of the sky. Keeping one eye on the road and one on the sky she made it to the street where the Evans' lived.

She cringed when she saw both her daughter's and Michael's cars parked haphazardly in front. She pulled into the driveway and with shaking hands took the keys out of the ignition. Taking a deep breath she got out of the car and walked to the front door. It was locked and no one was answering her incessant knocking. Of course not DeLuca, she scolded herself, Leia said it was in the backyard. Of course it was; all alien battles took place in backyards.

She walked around the house and took a deep breath as she turned the corner. The first thing she saw were three figures at the back of the yard, one was on the ground, one kneeling and one was standing. The kneeling one was Tess; the blond hair had given it away. Maria squinted; the one on the ground had to be Lantham. Sloane did it, she smiled, and it's over because Lantham's dead! She would have clapped if she wouldn't have looked towards the house and seen her daughter. Leia was lying on top of someone; her body was heaving. Maria recognized the boots in an instant. Michael's boots. Oh sweet God, she began to sway back and forth as the realization hit her. No!

She staggered the few feet to get to her family and collapsed next to her daughter. Leia put her arm over Maria's shoulder as Maria stared at her fallen lover.

"No!" Maria whispered harshly. "I won't let you die Michael! I won't let you go! I need you here with me. Leia and I both need you here with us! We're not ready to lose you."

Leia looked away from her father long enough to see Sloane, their eyes met and Sloane sucked in a deep breath.

"Sloanie," Liz grabbed her daughters shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Michael," she pointed to the small family huddled over his body. "Michael needs help."

Isabel felt her heart leap with fear. In the excitement of getting back Max and Sloane, her thoughts had drifted from Michael and his injuries. She let go of her brother's hand and ran to Michael's side.

"Michael," she whispered and touched his face. "Oh God, no!" She looked back to her brother. "Max! You have to help him!"

Liz heard the pain in Isabel's voice and tried to help her husband to his feet. Max was weak. The prison had drained him, physically and emotionally. He stumbled, putting all of his weight on his wife, and collapsed on the ground next to his sister and his friend. His breath was labored. Barely enough energy to lift his hands and lay them on Michael's chest.

Nothing, Max's brain went into panic. No connection was established. He couldn't do it. The prison had stripped him of his powers temporarily and in his already weakened state; he couldn't heal Michael.

Liz bent down next to him and felt Michael's neck for his pulse. Still there, but thready. Liz cried and kissed Michael's clammy forehead. With her shirttail, she wiped the blood away from his mouth. She caught Maria watching her and reached over for her hand. Maria took it and squeezed.

"I can't lose him," Maria told Liz as she met her gaze. "I can't lose him, not like this."

Liz nodded afraid to speak; she couldn't lose him either. None of them could. Max wiped his teary eyes and laid a hand on his friend's forehead. His brother. Max was getting ready to watch his brother die in front of him because he wasn't able to save him.

Leia turned away from her father and looked at Sloane, still a few feet away. "He's dying."

* * * * * *

Chapter Seven

Sloane stared back at her friend's pain. Everyone's pain. Not Michael. It wasn't his time. She dragged herself the few feet to the small crowd and took Leia's hand. She offered her a weak smile.

Sloane looked to Michael and saw his chest barely rise. Leia was right, her daddy was dying. She looked at Maria, her face distorted from agony. Her mom and aunt hung onto each other with tears flowing steadily down their faces. Her dad stroked Michael's head and told him he was sorry as his own tears dripped down on Michael's face.

Sloane felt the heat rise through her body, the knowledge radiated inside of her. She clasped her side and struggled to get her body right next to Michael's pushing Leia further away. She ripped his shirt open while the others watched in amazement. Laying two injured hands on his chest she squeezed her eyes so tight they felt like they would never open again. She leaned closer to him and laid her head in between her hands on his almost still chest. Tears spilled from her eyes as she felt his spirit drifting away.

"No," Sloane whispered into his cool skin. "No. It's not your time, Michael. You're still needed here."

Sniffling and crying was silenced as the rest of them watched with heated anticipation. Max put his hand on his daughter's shoulder only to have it shrugged off. Sloane kept her face against Michael's skin; her hands remained steady on his chest.

"I'm a ruler," she whispered not loud enough for anyone else to hear. "I will mend you." Heat surged through her hands as she made the connection to his fleeting soul. "Michael."

Sloane gasped and drew her hands and head away as Michael's eyes opened. He met Sloane's gaze before she collapsed on the ground beside him, her head in her father's lap.

"Michael!" Maria screamed and wrapped her arms around his beck.

"Daddy!" Leia cried and joined the family hug.

Max stroked his daughter's hair as she sobbed into his leg. "It's okay, baby." He whispered to her. "Everything's okay." He felt her nod against him.

Michael sat up and looked at all the faces staring at him. His gaze fell on his daughter's face and he reached to hug her and pulled her tight against him. "When I tell you to stay home, damn it, do it!" He smiled.

"I had to be here," Leia smiled wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm her second." She motioned to Sloane who was still on the ground. "We did it. We won!"

Michael reached for Maria's hand and brought it to his lips. "I'm okay."

Maria nodded and buried herself in his arms with their daughter. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"I think you were," his gaze turned to the hurt image of Sloane lying on the ground. He broke away from Maria and Leia and reached to Sloane. She looked at him, their eyes met, and he smiled. "Thank you."

Sloane nodded and closed her eyes. "It wasn't your time." Her body shook as the sobbing began to cease. She sat up with help from her mother and aunt and reached out taking Michael's hand in her own. "They still need you. We all do." Her breath was heavy.

Michael looked to his bare chest and got gooseflesh. The handprints left by Sloane were greenish-silver and beautiful. One of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. He ran a finger along them and felt heat. His attention went back to Sloane whose eyes were closed again, her weak body still shaking. "Does she need help?"

Max pulled his daughter tight against him and willed himself to heal her broken body. The prison had stripped him of powers that he felt slowly mounting inside of him again. He pushed her hair away from her face and whispered in her ear. "Did you know you could heal again?"

She shook her head. "No, but I knew I had to fix Michael since you couldn't. I couldn't let him die." She looked in her father's eyes and smiled. "I wish I could fix myself because I feel like I'm dying. I have broken ribs, maybe more."

"Soon, baby, soon. I'll fix you soon." Max stroked her hair with his face resting against hers. "I'm so proud of you."

Isabel Evans stood next to her sister-in-law and looked down at her niece. The little girl who spoke in whispers and could steal breath. The teenager who didn't speak. The woman who saved the world was once the little girl who could never color in the lines. Some people just weren't meant to live their lives within the lines. Sloane was one of them.

"So, everything's over?" Michael asked.

"Yeah," Liz knelt next to him and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Everything's perfect. The girls did it together."

"So, that little butterfly really did save the world, huh?" He smiled at the joke between him and his friend, one of his best.

Liz laughed in between her tears. "I don't know what I, what we all, would have done if we lost you Michael."

"I'm so glad you don't have to find out," he laughed as Isabel took his hand and Liz excused herself to call her parents and check on Jack, just in case. "Iz."

She knelt next to him and hugged him. "Michael." It was all she had to say. She backed away and let her brother take her place.

Max slid out from beneath his daughter's head and hugged Michael. Michael squeezed him back tightly. No words were needed between them.

* * * * * *

Tess wept for her son as Khivar knelt next to her and touched her shoulder. "We should go soon, dear. They'll be waiting for us to return."

"I don't care anymore!" Tess cried. "My baby's dead! I don't have anything to live for anymore."

"It doesn't matter, our fate was sealed a long time ago. We have to go back and meet our destiny."

"Fuck destiny!" Tess spat out at him. "I'm not going back to live alone in a cell until I die. I'll stay here if I have to."

"You can't, dear. We have to go. Even if we take a curved path home, we have to go. If we don't, they'll come for us and it'll be much harder in the end."

Tess looked at him and knew he spoke the truth. She relented and stood. Khivar slid his arms underneath the still warm body of Lantham and picked him up. Carrying him in his arms he walked towards the small group ahead with Tess on his heels.

The attention bestowed on Michael and Sloane shifted with the arrival of Khivar and Tess. Max struggled to his feet and with his sister's help walked to meet them. He looked to the defeated body of his son and laid a hand on his cheek. He bent over and kissed his forehead. "Good-bye Lantham."

Khivar laid Lantham's body on the ground and bowed down in front of Max. "You are a King, Zan, and you raised a warrior. She will be a most powerful leader to your people. I hope when the time comes, she can take pity on our wretched souls and free us from the cells of solitude we're condemned to." He pulled a silver chain from inside his shirt; the emblem at the end was a talisman of the Royal Seal. "I wore this in mockery." He walked to where Sloane still laid on the ground wheezing. He bowed down to her on his knees and pulled the chain from around his neck laying it across her arm. "You are a warrior and the rightful heir to the throne. When you voyage home, please, take compassion on our souls. You proved yourself with your second. They'll talk about you for generations and generations. A powerful ruler." He met her eyes briefly then returned to claim Lantham's body.

Tess glared at the people she had once used as Liz rejoined the group. "I don't feel the same way as he does, but I have to go along with him. As far as I'm concerned, you can all go straight to hell!" She followed Khivar as he carried Lantham's body around the side of the house.

"Whoa," Leia was the first to speak. "Was that not creepy?"

Sloane looked to the amulet in her hands and slipped the chain around her neck and smiled. "Hear that Leia? They're going to talk about us for generations." With her aunt's help, she stood and met Leia in an embrace. "I couldn't have ever done it with out you. You're not my second, you're my equal."

"Yeah, I know." Leia cocked her head sideways and shrugged.

"Girls," Liz put an arm around each of their shoulders. "You made us all so proud. You two working together was beautiful. I think you are going to have a lot of choices to make about the future and different roads to take."

"All roads lead home, Liz." Maria sidled up next to her friend and joined the hug of strong women. "You know that."

"I guess I do, I guess we all do." Liz looked around at her family and friends and smiled. "We need to call Kyle and Jim."

Isabel joined the woman and the bond between them all formed so thick it was almost stifling. No one could tear apart or break down the women of these two families. They were too damn strong.

Isabel volunteered to call and ran back in the house. Kyle promised him and Morgan would be over in minutes and there was no answer at the hotel room in Florida. Isabel came back outside and saw the group had congregated around a picnic table. She took her place next to Liz along side Max and Sloane. The Guerin/DeLuca family took over the other side. "Kyle and Morgan are on their way over and no answer in Florida."

"My mom's probably dragging poor Jim all over the place," Maria smiled as she stood in back of Michael with her hands on his shoulders. She kissed the top of his head. "I love you Michael."

He looked up at her and grinned. "I love you DeLuca. Remind me to marry you someday soon, okay?"

Maria laughed and smiled brilliantly. "Are you proposing to me Space Boy?"

"I guess I am," Michael shrugged. "But do you think you could start calling me Space Man?" The other's laughed and handshakes and hugs were prominent.

Small conversations about the night's events began explaining to Michael what he had missed as he lay dying. They heard footsteps rushing around the side of the house. Kyle was pulling Morgan by the hand. They came to an out of breath stop and stared at their war torn friends. "Hi guys." Kyle bent at the waist trying to catch his breath.

"Is everyone okay?" Morgan panted looking around at all the faces making sure everyone was accounted for.

"Everyone's fine." Max smiled as he rubbed his daughter's arms. "A little banged up, but everyone will be okay. Oh, and Sloane brought Michael back from the almost dead."

Kyle and Morgan's mouths dropped as they listened intently to the all the stories of the evening's events.

Leia was laughing at something Morgan had said when she suddenly stopped and stood up, a faraway look in her eyes. She walked around the table and stood in front of Sloane. "We the Elders bring tidings."

"Here we go again," Liz murmured into Isabel's ear as they all watched Leia intently.

"You and your second have proved worthy of the throne. It heeds the time until you are ready to fill it." Leia's glazed stare went to Max. "The planet misses its leader King Zan and looks to the day when you return to us. You have raised your daughter well and she is filled the knowledge she needs to rule in your absence. Until such a time has been established, the care of the planet is under the protection of comrades waiting for the arrival of the true heir and her second."

"Do they have to go?" Max asked his voice breaking.

"They will choose to go, it's been told in the stars and moons. They are dominant together and they will prevail in any path they choose. When they are ready, we will be awaiting their arrival for the day of a new era, a new throne."

"When?" Sloane asked taking her father's hand.

"When the time comes, you shall see it straight ahead of you. Doorways will be opened and you shall pass through them without fear."

"Anything else?" Max asked cautiously waiting for the bad news.

"We bring tidings of triumph for your day," Leia looked back at Max. "Many lives and planets were saved and spared tonight because of the warrior and her second. Others will not forget this. They are bringers of peace." Leia's eyes closed and she fell back into the waiting arms of her father. He lay her gently on the ground and sat next to her waiting for her to wake up. Max helped his daughter down to sit with her friend. Leia's eyes fluttered open and she looked to all the faces around her and smiled. "The old guys again?"

All of the tension and panic that had been building for months, years for some, evaporated into laughter. Laughter was relieving the stress of waiting. It was over. It was finally over.

"Maria! Leia!" A familiar voice came yelling from the side of the house. "Michael!"

"Oh shit, it's my mom!" Maria covered her mouth and watched as Amy Valenti came running around the side of the house with Jim on her heels. Michael quickly pulled his ripped shirt together to hide the handprints. Amy ran to her daughter and hugged her tight. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Michael and Max looked at Jim for an explanation, but all he could offer was a shrug.

Amy released her daughter and moved on to her granddaughter and then son-in-law. "Thank God, you are all okay! I was so worried!"

"Worried?" Maria stepped closer to her mom. "About what?"

"I didn't know really, just a feeling a mother gets. Jim was no help what so ever, all he wanted to do was keep me in Florida," she looked towards her husband disdainfully with her arms crossed over her chest. "I knew something was wrong and I had to make sure you all were okay."

"We're fine grandma," Leia smiled stepping slightly in front of Sloane to cover her tattered and torn clothes.

"Thank God!" Amy sighed. "I know it was big and I'm glad everyone came out of it okay." She looked to her daughter then pointed to Michael, Max and Isabel. "Weren't you ever going to tell me they were aliens?"

The group stared at Amy Valenti's revelation and then laughed together.

* * * * * *

Chapter Eight- Epilogue

Weeks turned into months after the great battle; time passed before returning life to normal. Michael Guerin is still the Sheriff and keeps his town safe from danger and things that go bump in the night with his favorite deputy, Jo Davie. He does plan on marrying Maria; they just can't seem to set a date.

His closeness to his daughter gets tested as she grows up. Knowing that he'll have to say good-bye to her someday keeps his temper in check. He doesn't know when that day will come, but he knows it will. She'll leave with Sloane to rule together.

Maria DeLuca went back to school. She's striving for a degree in primary education. She wants to be a teacher. Some days she looks at Michael and feels how close she came to losing him for good. Other days she looks at her daughter and feels proud. She still sings occasionally at the club, but now she just sings for the sheer pleasure of doing it.

After Amy Valenti explained that she had been suspecting something was amiss with Michael, Isabel and Max since High School, it was confirmed by the early antics of her granddaughter. She had laughed about no one telling her. Sometimes Jim can only shake his head at his wife and smile.

Isabel Evans and Rick Mineo still live in the cottage, happily. Isabel's 'Robin' series is still going strong, now burning up the preteen charts. After Rick was told of the great 'battle in the yard', he decided to try his own hand at writing. He's almost finished with his first science fiction novel; he calls it ' Rights to the Throne'. And he does classify it as fiction; he always jokes with his wife, who would believe it was real? Isabel and Rick became grandparents later that same year when Rick's daughter, Paige, had a baby boy in Texas. They have yet to see him.

A few weeks after normalcy set back in, Kyle and Morgan Valenti were pregnant. After everything, they had conceived a child together and couldn't be happier. It's a girl. They considered the baby a miracle and decided to name her Adora, a name with Latin origins meaning 'beloved one'. They'll call her Dora.

Max Evans still loves his job and decided he'll never quit being a teacher. With some thought and lots of conversation with his wife, he decided he'd never go to the home planet. He could send his daughter off when she was ready to rule the planet, but he'd stay on Earth. Earth was his home. When Sloane wanted to ask questions about the past, about Tess, about everything; her parents told her the truth not holding anything back. Although Liz was touchy about anything Tess-related, she wanted her daughter to know.

Liz Evans still works for the same office and still loves her job. The hours she sets for herself leave plenty of time to still be home with Jack after school. She talks to her daughter often about the choices she'll make in the future and how she'll stand by her no matter what. Her close relationship with Michael still thrives and is still not understood by the others, just as her Max from the future had told her. Maria and her are still close as well, still sharing secrets and giggling about the past. Something's will never change.

Leia Guerin decided to go to the junior college after graduation and take classes in history. Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it. Although the day was probably very far away that her and Sloane would leave together, she was already planning on what to take with her and who she was going to miss the most.

Leia and Sloane stayed closer than blood. Their occasional fights were small and were always over before the day ended. They took classes at the same times and never got tired of each other's company. Rarely did they discuss what their future held.

Sloane Evans decided against getting a real degree and opted for art classes instead. Her drawings and paintings were amazing. Pictures of places she'd never seen were featured. She knew she'd see them someday, hopefully not too soon. Her reasoning told her she still had a long time on Earth with her friends and family before she was called to the Throne. She amused herself thinking that she was a Ruler and a Leader to a planet. Her? Little Sloanie who talked in whispers and never stayed in the lines.

Her powers became very controlled. She could heal again and still left the silver-green handprints. Heat was her energy and she could call it at will. Her and Leia worked on strengthening their combined powers, usually out in front of the Pod Chamber. The Elders had been right, together they were dominant and would prevail at anything.

Sloane spent a lot of time alone, thinking about what her future might really be like and sometimes she cried. She was torn between the big exciting and the big scary. Something by Robert Frost her father had read to her when she was little kept her grounded. 'And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.'

Almost a year after the battle ended, little Jack Evans was alone in his room when he noticed his goldfish, Spot, was floating at the top of the water in the fishbowl. Jack scrunched his forehead and looked down at his beloved Spot. He dipped one finger into the bowl and touched Spot's side. Within an instant Spot was swimming around again, a tiny silver mark on his side.