Who Died
and Made You King…….
Life is hard in normal circumstances, but for Jesse
Ramirez, it was unbearable. One day he was married to a woman he loved, and
suddenly he woke to find himself married to a woman he didn’t even know.
Caught in the vortex of the spiraling lives of the aliens, his life joined that
undeniable force, spinning out of control.
Max … Max, who was dead returned home with Liz. Whatever
existed of his life force had transferred into Clayton Wheeler. The alien was
stronger than the old man, and Clayton’s body had transmuted into Max’s, but
he remained Clayton with Max buried deep inside him. It was Liz … the thought
of her that kept Max from moving on, held him to the new body. Clayton, confused
by feelings of love for Liz, and a growing fear and hatred, killed his wife,
Merris, and then tried to kill Liz. In a moment of control, Max told Liz to kill
him, to save herself, but instead Clayton and Liz fell from the attic of her
dorm, and only Max’s shield saved Liz’s life, as he crashed through the
trellis, killing both him and Clayton. Liz brought him back, and suddenly, Max
who was dead again lived.
So Jesse, who suddenly found himself caught in a huge alien
conspiracy, opened his door to his dead alien brother-in-law. Needing to find a
way to deal, Jesse consulted a therapist, Dr. Weiss, using an excuse of being
married into a Mob family, he tried to find a way to rise above it all, to find
a way to rescue himself and his wife.
Michael and Max were waiting around a corner, covertly
observing Jesse as he made his latest appointment to Dr. Weiss.
“He’s under enough pressure, Michael. He could snap.”
“We have to know, Max.” Michael said, not really
putting much effort in convincing Max. Jesse exited the doctor’s office.
Michael went to follow him. “Let's go ...”
Max stopped him. “Where?”
Shrugging off Max’s restraining hand, Michael gestured to
where Jesse went. “After him. We've gotta find out what he's talking about in
there.”
“If he's in therapy, he's obviously upset. Getting in his
face is a bad idea.” Max could see that Michael wasn’t convinced. “
...I'll figure it out.”
“I'm not gonna sit back and wait for something to happen
like you always do.” Michael’s voice went cold and hard. Since that night,
he literally had done nothing but spy and watch Jesse, especially now that he no
longer had to work at Meta-Chem.
“Michael, I said I'd take care of it. Let's get out of
here.”
Max walked off, leaving Michael standing, dissatisfied.
Reaching down, Michael felt a burning on his chest. The pinpricking burn was he
enough to concern him. It was like small ant bites, slightly hurting, but more
annoying. Pulling back his shirt, he stared at a mysterious pattern of glowing
dots on his chest in a V-formation. Michael laughed to himself under his breath,
recognizing something inherently familiar. Staring down the empty hall where Max
had walked away, a thought … occurred to Michael. Smiling suddenly he left the
offices. There was nothing there he needed at that moment.
~~~
Maria entered the Crashdown as Max was leaving. Nodding,
she quickly went to the counter.
“Hey, Liz. How’s it going?”
Liz smiled at Maria, taking in Maria’s street clothes.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing much. Just picking up a special order. You think
Juan has it done?” Maria made a face. “You’ll notice I waited until
Spaceboy wasn’t working to order it! I would have to wait like sometime this
month. He piddles.”
“I thought it was because the two of you always work
together, and you’re too busy distracting him.”
Maria smiled, a dimple on her cheek deepening. “Oh, it
could be that too. I admit to trying to distract him.”
Liz leaned on the counter. “How is that going? Is he
bummed about
“Actually, he hasn’t said. I think so much happened so
fast. It was hard. A week in
“Good.” Liz followed Maria’s stare. “Dad has being
pretty understanding. They wouldn’t give him back his deposit, and two weeks
away…it came down to a pretty expensive vacation for me.”
“It was a good thing it was you and not me.”
“What do you mean?” Liz asked, confused.
Maria shrugged. “Me and Mom, sometimes we barely meet the
monthly bills. There’s not that kind of expendable cash to toss about, and
lose on a whim. A private school deposit and tuition would probably be my
mom’s entire yearly income. Things have been better since she opened the new
shop, but it’s still tough.”
Liz bit her lip, suddenly feeling bad about how nonchalant
she was about tossing away her parents’ money. She was worried that Max took
her granted at times, but now she wondered if that wasn’t true about her and
her parents.
“Is she really gone?”
Maria nodded. “The shop in
“Is she still having nightmares?”
Maria nodded. “Yeah, the whole mindwarp thing and Larek,
it left something behind. She’s confused by these dreams that almost seem
real, but can’t be. I think she’s avoiding
“I can imagine.” Liz leaned a hip against the counter.
“So how is the dating thing going?
“A little strange, but I’m liking it!” Maria made a
face. “I mean, I miss my mom, but I’m glad she’s not here to run
interference. I’m having a hard enough time lately, especially since my
birthday, to pin everything down.”
Liz smiled sadly knowing how much Maria missed her mother.
“At least you have Michael.”
“Sure, and isn’t he a strange bird lately? You know, he
always looked at me … gave me his complete attention, and he still does in a
manner, but lately … he’s distracted. I think something happened to him too.
Maybe watching Max die, and Isabel almost doing the same. I don’t know how he
healed her, but I can’t stop thanking God for that. If Isabel died …”
Maria couldn’t finish it. “I don’t know, Liz. I don’t think I can take
any more of this … losing people. Alex. Max. Isabel almost... It’s so real
now.”
“I know.” Liz moved things around on the counter.
“Max wants us to try again.”
“Well, you brought him back from the dead with your
mysterious powers. Maybe you own his butt now?”
“Things can’t go back to the way there were. I told him
that.” Liz breathed out loudly. “I don’t know what I want to do. I want
Max, but not on the terms where I have to follow his life, his wants, his needs.
I think I want something a little more equal this time.”
Maria looked over as Luis put her order up in the window
waving at her. “Well, you be strong, Lizzie. There’s my order. I need to go
find the other half of my project and feed him.”
“You going somewhere with Michael?”
“Yeah, he just doesn’t know it yet.”
“The dating thing.” Liz guessed.
“Yep. I trapped him at a concert the other night, sent
him a new CD, and … I’ve been giving him enough hints to get on with it! For
god’s sake, my birthday was over two weeks ago, and the man is falling asleep
on the job.”
“Maria, you’re insane. You realize that? Your
relationship with Michael is like this huge complex show of him trying to get
your attention, then you both trying to get each others, and now, you trying to
get his. What’s the problem this time?”
“No clue. I look in his eyes, and he’s there. He is
definitely there, but then he changes, seems to be off thinking of other things,
and he just tucks me under his arm. I feel … I feel like something put on a
damn shelf until he has time to deal with me.”
“He did take you out to dinner for your birthday. A
really nice dinner.”
“True, but I think he had more planned, and he didn’t
follow through. I want the follow through!” Maria sighed. “I guess, it’s
my turn. I’ll just have to hog tie myself an alien boy.” Maria waved goodbye
on her way out.
~~~
Entering Michael’s apartment, Maria put the takeout order
down. The place was a mess. It was messy with just Michael, but since Max moved
in, it was impossible. Sighing, she picked up things along her way searching for
Michael. He wasn’t on the back stoop area or the back room. Gathering clothing
she recognized as Michael’s she went into the bedroom.
“Oh!” Maria quickly turned around.
Michael was standing in his room in nothing but a towel
staring at something.
“Hey,” Michael said unconcerned.
Suddenly shy around him, Maria avoided gawking at him.
“God, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be dressing.”
“You’ve seen me in a towel before.” Michael tossed
the towel watching Maria’s back with interest. “If you turn around anytime
soon, you get to see me in less.” Michael’s smiled widened as Maria’s
‘Oh, god’s’ under her breath were anything but quiet.
“Are you going to get dressed or what?”
“I don’t know. This might be a new stage for me.
Nudist.” Coming up close to her, he leaned in and said quietly in her ear.
“What do you think?”
Maria took a deep breath, turning, she met his eyes and
refused to let hers drop any further. Pushing his dirty clothing in his hands,
which covered up a plethora of skin, she tilted her head. “I think if you did
your laundry, you might actually have something to wear, and save yourself the
nudist lifestyle.” She owed him a few. Leaning closer, her hand going to rest
on his waist, her fingers brushing seductively against his skin, she continued,
“Lucky you, I brought you something special, but I’m afraid it will require
clothing, so you have a choice…”
“A choice,” Michael said thickly, his eyes darkening.
“I like the sound of that. Give me my options.”
“Get dressed.”
Michael made a face. “I take it one of my options
doesn’t involve me staying undressed.”
Maria could help it. She stared at the moisture on his skin
caught in the natural hollow created by his clavicle. Clearing her throat, she
had to stop herself from putting her mouth there, to taste his skin.
“Maria...” Michael commanded her. Her eyes met his and
they stood staring at each other as their breaths caught, pushed hard in a soft
pant. Maria made a soft sound in her throat as his eyes darkened, watching his
mouth coming closer.
His mouth was just on hers, she could taste him, the breath
of him when the door suddenly opened in the other room, slamming loudly.
Dazed as if she had been just woken, she reluctantly
stepped back, but his hand on her waist held her in place, his eyes hot. No. He
wasn’t letting her go. This was going somewhere.
“Michael,” Maria quickly cleared the throaty sound out
of her voice. “I … get dressed. I brought us a picnic. You feel like a ride
into the desert?”
Michael didn’t say, but he gave a quick nod.
Maria moved away from him, a slight redness moving up her
neck. Fleeing for other places, anyplace away from him, she tried to get some
control over her raging response to him. Her hand had somehow found its way to
his shoulder, shocked by how hard it was to remove it, she fled the room. God,
if he didn’t get on with it, she was not going to be responsible for her
actions.
“Maria, oh, hi.” Max said when Maria came into the
living room. She didn’t say a word. Speech was beyond her. Reaching into the
refrigerator, she took out a bottled water and drank it down. Was it hot in
there? It felt hot. Oh yeah, it was definitely hot. She rubbed the cold bottle
of water across her forehead.
~~~
Maria was rambling. She couldn’t help it. For the first
time in forever, or since she realized that she didn’t just love Michael, but
was in love with him, she felt nervous around him. He was Michael, intense as
always, but there was something else going on with him, something so … alpha
male.
Afraid to ask what earlier was about, she hung on as they
sped across the desert, cross country. Holding on tight to him, she laid her
head against his back, and when they stopped to eat a late dinner, she was
uncertain suddenly what to say. So she talked about everything.
“I think when I graduate, my mom is going to move away
from
“Is she still remembering Larek?” Michael asked, his
eyes narrowing. Maria missed his intense look as she set out the sandwiches and
food.
“He’s a dream. A nightmare. Luckily, she thinks it’s
an acid flashback from her misspent youth. Poor Brody. She’s so nervous around
him, she can barely talk. Lucky for us, Brody has been away most of the time
since that day.
“You saw Brody?”
Maria frowned at his tone. “Not recently. No. Just when
he came back a few months ago, checking up on the
“He’s still in love with you.” Michael said staring
off across the desert.
“He’s not in love with me! Jesus, where is this coming
from?” Maria denied, even though she knew differently.
“You talked him back. No one else could’ve done
that.” Michael searched Maria’s face. “I’m convinced Larek was in love
with you too.”
“How can you know that? You were locked in the room with
everyone else.” Maria handed him a sandwich. “Plus, what does it matter?
I’m not in love with Brody. I’m not in love with Larek. So what does it
really matter?”
Michael shrugged looking at his sandwich. It was his
favorite. Smiling slightly, he mumbled to himself. “It’s the only reason I
let them live.”
“Excuse me?” Maria said, not quite catching what he
said.
“I said you ordered my favorite.”
“Who are you talking to?” Maria scoffed at him. Like
she would order something he hated.
“So what is this about?” Michael asked.
“What? The picnic?”
“Yeah. It’s late. We haven’t come out to the desert
at night in a long time.”
Maria smiled slightly leaning back eating her chips.
“Yeah, well it is getting warmer now. Soon we graduate, and school is over,
and it’ll be summer. I thought we should celebrate being alive, with our whole
lives ahead of us.” Maria sat up moving her hand up his arm. “You’ve been
quiet … not distant, just distracted since Monk died, and the whole thing with
Clayton Wheeler. I’ve been worried.”
“Nothing to worry about. I’m fine. I’m better than
fine.” They missed celebrating her birthday the way he wanted because of
everything that happened … especially the way he had originally planned, but
he had every intention to make it up to her. Michael put his sandwich aside and
pulled her close to him, arranging her to sit in front of him as his arms went
around her. “Watch this.”
He concentrated as the desert around them suddenly
lightened, the air taking on a new smell of flowers. Maria gasped as the ground
next to her awoke. A blanket of desert flowers bloomed as far as the eye could
see.
“Oh god! How?”
“Told you. I’m good.”
Maria glanced back at him. “Really?”
“Really. Trust me. I’ve got it all under control.”
Michael looked at his handiwork, inordinately pleased. “They bloom usually in
the early morning, and only last a few hours. They are very fragile.”
“How did you do it?”
“It’s a light thing. That and the warming of the soil.
I just altered the light band and warmed the air.”
“Just?” Maria laughed amazed. Leaning back against him,
she laid against him comfortably as his arms tightened, holding her. Michael
pointed out the different stars and constellations as they appeared in the night
sky, and they sat there in a field of desert flowers, in the middle of a rare
desert meadow watching a shooting star move across the sky.
~~~
Max was walking the streets of
Max paused. It was Jesse. The night was a dark phantom
covering the small town, but in one of the streetlights, he could see his
brother-in-law standing next to his car on the side of the road. Jess was taking
into his cell phone.
“Well, I've been waiting forty-five minutes. Yes,
“Car trouble?”
“What're you doing here?” Jesse glanced at his watch.
“It- it's two in the morning.”
“When I can’t sleep, I walk.” Max looked pointedly at
the car. “Need some help?”
“No. There's a tow-truck coming.”
“Well, I could take a look…” Max offered.
“No!” Jesse’s reaction was immediate and very vocal.
“Maybe I could fix it.”
“Look…” Jesse said, clearly upset. “I don't want
any part of that alien crap, okay?”
“I'm taking auto shop, Jesse.”
“Just ... leave it alone.” Jesse said slightly
embarrassed at his outburst.
“I know that all of this probably doesn't seem real right
now, but ...” Max said, “if you need someone to talk to ...”
“Thanks, Max, I've got that covered, okay?”
“A doctor isn't going to help you deal with this,
Jesse.” Max said unaware he was saying too much. “Trust me, I…I've been in
therapy before ...”
“Have you been spying on me??!” Jesse face fused with a
flood of color, both from anger and disbelief. Max swore under his breath
realizing he made a terrible mistake.
“You have to realize that if anyone finds out the truth,
we're all in danger. Not just us, but Liz, Maria, Kyle, Valenti.” Max could
stress the point enough. “Think about it, Jesse.”
Having done enough damage, Max walked off as the tow truck
arrived. Jesse watched his alien brother-in-law walk away, his problems suddenly
multiplied.
~~~
Michael entered his apartment carrying a box of alien
artifacts. He removed them from the safety deposit box at the bank. They had
been buried, but after Liz’s power acted up, they had to unbury them. Putting
the box down, Michael started to look through them. The Orbs... The Book... He
stopped. Staring at the symbol on the cover of the alien book, it matched the
symbol on his chest.
“I knew it.” Michael said, a smile moving over his
face. “I'm in charge.”
~~~
It was afternoon. Surprisingly, Max wasn’t sure when
Michael came home last night, if he ever did. He didn’t see him at school
either. Uncertain where Michael was, Max faced down a TV dinner, using his
powers to prepare it. Sitting down, he began to eat his foot hitting a box.
Reaching over, Max stared at the box with the alien artifacts in it.
“What the hell?” Before he could decide what was going
on, there was a knock at the door. Max put the artifacts away before answering
the door to Isabel. She was upset and abrupt moving into the apartment without
being asked.
“Please stop spying on Jesse.”
Max immediately became defensive, justifying his actions,
despite the fault was his for telling Jesse he was being followed. “He's
seeing a therapist. I don't have to tell you how dangerous that is.”
“It's his private life.”
“A luxury he doesn't have anymore.”
Isabel sat down heavily on the sofa. “He moved out.”
Realizing Isabel was more than just upset, she was truly unhappy, Max went to
comfort her. “Everyone said this would happen.” Isabel shook head, burying
it in her hands. “I'm such an idiot for thinking that I could make it work
...that I could be happy.”
Sitting next to her, Max glanced at his sister, taking her
hand. “Jesse was trying to get help, Iz. To me, that means he thinks there's
something worth saving.”
Isabel, tired of her life, tired of fighting glanced at
Max. “How's Liz?”
“Cautious.” Max made a face. “And she has every right
to be, but ...”
“It's not easy.”
“Yeah.”
Max and Isabel shared a sympathetic smile, then sitting
quietly with their thoughts as Isabel worriedly fiddled with her wedding ring.
“I lied to him. How do I ever take that back?”
Max didn’t know. “I’ve done worse to Liz. I don’t
know, Isabel. I honestly don’t know. If I knew, I would tell you.”
~~~
Michael watched Jesse enter the psychiatrist’s office.
Jesse. He was a mistake. A loose end. Jesse was telling Dr. Weiss how his
brother-in-law was following him, knew he was coming there. Concerned, the
doctor asked if Jesse would be alright. Jesse was certain Max was harmless, but
it didn’t matter. He wanted out of this life, away from Max and the entire
alien life. Needing to return his office, Jesse reassured the doctor that he
would be fine, but when he left he never saw Michael watching him.
Michael waited a moment, before entering the doctor’s
office. The man was sitting at his desk, talking on the phone.
“Hello?” The man smiled. “Hey, Honey! About 20
minutes. Yeah, I'm almost finished here. Okay. I love you. Bye, bye.”
Michael burst into the office from behind Dr. Weiss forcing
his head down onto his desk so he couldn’t see or identify him.
“What kind of a man listens to another person's secrets
for a living?” Michael demanded, the contempt and anger in his voice making it
hard.
“Please don't hurt me ...”
“Does that make you feel powerful? Huh? Knowing the deep
and dirty things that make someone tick?” Michael asked in the man’s ear,
his power surging in his body. “You don't know what you're dealing with, so drop
Jesse Ramirez as a client!”
Michael grabbed Jesse's file out from under the doctor’s
head rushing out before stunned doctor could collect himself. Once the shaken
Weiss looked up to insure that Michael has really gone, he immediately picked up
the phone.
“Yes, uh ... I need the police, No, uh, make that the
FBI.”
~~~
Max entered the apartment sorting through the daily mail.
Surprisingly Michael was there immersed in reading some papers in a folder.
Michael didn’t even look up or acknowledge his presence.
“Hey. You …” Max said in a cheerful voice, “you, uh
you left your bike parked in front of Mrs. Kierie's door. You know how pissed
she gets about that.” Michael ignored him. “Did you hear me?”
“Yes, sir.” Michael spat out in a curt response his
eyes never leaving what he was reading.
Max frowned at Michael’s tone and attitude, tossing the
mail on the table in front of him. “Isabel … uh, stopped by. I promised her
we'd stay out of this whole Jesse thing. I know you're concerned, and I agree,
that …” Max hurried before Michael interrupted, “our safety should be our
number one focus, but we have to leave this to her.”
“Right. Got it.” Michael continued to read the folder,
not bothering to look at Max.
Fed up with Michael’s attitude, Max stared at the folder
a moment. “What is that?”
Finally looking at Max, Michael waved the folder.
“Jesse's file. I took it. I dealt with the therapist while I was there,
too.”
Max’s mouth dropped in disbelief. “Have you lost it?”
“I'm doing my job.”
“You crossed a line.” Max told Michael in irritation.
“Who said you could do that?” Michael ignored Max again, going back to
reading the file. Irritated, Max kicked the box with the alien artifacts inside.
“How'd you get these?”
Michael shrugged. He had stopped last night on his way to
Maria’s house. She had waited outside the bank when he entered and took them.
She hadn’t known what they were, but he told her he needed them. “I made an
after-hours withdrawal from the safety deposit box.”
“My name was the only one on the access card at the
bank.”
Michael stood. His height suddenly daunting. Walking over
to Max, he got in Max’s face challenging him.
“What?” Michael said sarcasm edged in his voice.
“They're not safe with me?”
Max studied Michael for a moment. “I want you to take
this stuff back. I want you to let go of this Jesse thing.” Michael made a
rude huffing sound, turning to step away. Max reached out to stop him.
“Hey!” Michael shrugged off Max’s restraining hand.
“Michael, I'm serious …” Max never finished, as he
quickly had to dodge a blow from Michael’s fist as he took a swing at Max.
Michael's fist went through the wall. Michael pulled back a
bleeding, broken hand.
Max stared at the hand in horror, and then at Michael.
“Michael, what the hell is wrong with you?!”
“You. You were dead, Max, and now I'm lookin' at you?”
Michael pushed Max off him and away, “… and I don't know, who are you? Are
you a ghost? And you're here in my face all day and you're freaking me out.”
“Let me see your hand.”
Maria entered the apartment, putting down a bag of
groceries frowning at the two men. Before she could ask what was going on,
Michael and Max continued their argument.
“Hey, I'm fine.” Michael moving his hand away from Max.
“Michael, you can’t even move it.” Maria came around
the kitchen island staring at Michael’s bleeding hand in disbelief.
“Hey, just leave me alone.” Michael told Max nastily.
Fed-up, Max gladly complied. After the door slammed shut, Michael painfully
tried to move his hand.
“What happened?” Maria asked, winching at the hand. Her
hands coming up around his, holding the broken limb. “Why didn’t you let him
fix it?”
“I don’t need that damn poser. He is nothing to me.”
“Michael.” Maria frowned at the anger in his tone.
Michael moved his other hand over his broken one, and to
his triumphant surprise and Maria’s amazement, he healed himself. “Like I
said, I don’t need Max.”
“How?”
Michael shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“Is that how you healed Isabel?”
“Lucky for her, yeah.” Michael glanced over at the bag.
“What did you bring?”
“Groceries. You said you were out, remember?”
“I did?”
Maria laughed still worried about his hand. “Wasn’t
that why you left a grocery list in my locker?”
“You have a car. It’s hard to get them all home on the
bike.”
“Uh-huh.” Maria went to unload the groceries. “Hey,
you do know you left your bike parked in front of Mrs. Kierie's door. You know
how pissed she gets about that.”
“So I’ve been told.” Michael shrugged off Mrs. Kierie.
“So what do you want to do tonight? Now that Max is gone, we finally have my
place to ourselves.”
Maria smiled at him, as he stared at the dimple that graced
her face when she smiled. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Doubtful,” Michael said cryptically, but hell, he was
willing to work his way towards what he wanted. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“Movie night! C’mon. I’ll let you pick the movie, and
even make a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies. You can eat all the dough.”
Michael allowed her to pull him outside. Figures she would
find a way to force him to move his bike without telling him to do it. Max
needed to take lessons from Maria’s gentle persuasion.
~~~
Jesse waited for Kyle. His car was at the shop that Kyle
worked at, and Kyle was checking his car out.
“Your timing belt's broken.” Kyle told him while wiping
his hands off on a rag. “I should be able to get another one by tomorrow.”
Jesse ran a hand through his hair. “I hate not having a
car. I feel trapped.”
Kyle looked at Jesse in sympathy, his eyes searching the
older man’s in concern. “How are things going with Isabel?”
“Fine.”
“Look,” Kyle said reluctantly, but his better nature
got the best of him, “if you ever need …”
“… ‘someone to talk to?’” Jesse finished. “That
seems to be a popular sentiment around here.”
Kyle snorted gesturing to a tool. “Would you hand me that
deep socket wrench?”
“Here you go.” Jesse leaned against the car.
“Look …” Kyle said glancing up from his work at
Jesse, “when I first found out, I couldn't
… I couldn't deal. I mean, I had to get out of town for a couple
months. But once I got used to it, there's a lot of good that came out of
knowing …”
“Kyle, I'm an officer of the court. And I see how lies
catch up with people and bring them down. Believe me, there's nothing good that
can come out of this conspiracy.”
“Well, maybe.” Kyle shrugged. “But I realize that I'm
part of something bigger than myself.” Kyle smiled slightly remembering Alex,
and the time he spent with him in the cave, prepared to die as the gandarium
crystals grew around them. That was Alex’s belief, and it was sad to remember
the way it had ended for Alex.
“No, it's not bigger, it's all-consuming,” said Jesse,
“there's a difference. They've robbed you of your life.”
“No, actually they gave me one.”
“Stop the cheerleading, Kyle.”
“It's not cheerleading.” Kyle assured him. “I was
shot. And I would've died if Max Evans hadn't healed me.” Kyle scraped his
hand on the motor while working the wrench. Staring at the blood as it welled
from the cut, Kyle swore. “Dammit! I'll be right back.”
Jesse smiled slightly at the ceramic Buddha figurines
around the shop as Kyle went off to tend to his cut. Kyle was perhaps the only
person he trusted to talk to about the aliens. Liz was obviously too far
entrenched, and Maria … she was more than she would admit. Jesse was musing
over his life when a van suddenly drove up, stopping fast. Men in dark suits
emerged accosted Jesse. He struggled to get away, but they forcibly grabbed him
forcing him towards the van.
“Jesse Ramirez? You're coming with us.”
“Who are you?” Jesse screamed frantically looking over
his shoulder for Kyle. “Who are you?! Kyle?! Kyle!”
Kyle emerged only in time to see Jesse being driven away in
the van.
“Hey!” Kyle ran after the van, stopping at it sped out
of sight.
~~~
In a dark, empty warehouse, Jesse sat at a stark table with
his hands cuffed behind him. His head turned to the sharp, echoing footsteps
approaching from behind.
“Hey.” Jesse said as the cuffs were removed. “Hey,
you have no right to hold me here. Anything you found in there constitutes an
illegal search and seizure.” The agent walked around the table allowing Jesse
to finally see him.
“My name is Agent Burns, FBI.”
Jesse felt a slow trickle of fear. “What do you want?”
“Last night, a local therapist was threatened.” Burns
said sitting down across from Jesse. “Your therapist. You said your wife's
family's involved in organized crime.”
“No, there's been a mistake.”
“The guy who did it mentioned you by name.”
Jesse stared at the man, uncertain what to say. The danger
to Isabel and the others was slowly unfolding. “There's no Mob connection.”
“Then why did you say there was?”
“It …” Jesse breathed in deeply, “it was an
analogy.”
“I believe you.” Burns leaned forward. “Now, let's
talk about why you're really here, Jesse. How much do you about your
brother-in-law, Max Evans?”
Burns and Jesse had a long talk. The two of them sat
drinking coffee as they talked.
“I won't lie to you. I'm not the biggest fan of my
brother-in-law.” Jesse confessed. “But, Max is just a kid. Troubled, but not
a threat to national security.”
Burns stood from the table going out of Jesse’s sight,
when he returned, he had a file. “Most of these could never go public. People
couldn't get their minds around it.” Burns crossed his hands on the file.
“He isn't from this world. He's an alien pretending to be a normal teenaged
kid.”
Jesse laughed, a hollow sound that was forced even to him.
“That's nuts, agent Burns.”
“Really?” Burns handed Jesse a folder. As Jesse looked
through it, he saw a series of damning photos, all of them exposing Max and in a
roundabout way the others, including Isabel. “Careers have been destroyed
because of Max Evans. People have died. Good people.”
“Well, if Max is the murderer you say he is, why haven't
you arrested him yet?”
“We tried. I used to be in something called the Special
Unit.” Burns confessed to Jesse. “Now there are only a few of us left. We
knew how dangerous he was.” Burns leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner.
“I have another theory. There are more like him. And they've been able to live
here for the last fifty years under the cover of lies, murder, and deceit. I
promise you, these creatures believe in survival of the fittest. We're an
inferior life form to them. Nothing will stand in their way. Those are just the
victims we know about. Trust me, Mr. Ramirez, we're the good guys.”
Jesse licked his lips sitting back. “How can I help?”
~~~
Michael paced up and down in his apartment not noticing the
frown on Maria’s face. His agitation was apparent. They were still waiting for
Max and Liz.
“How long did he say it would take to get here?”
Michael demanded. They barged in, messed up his date with Maria. They had been
on the sofa watching a movie, and he was watching her. He wanted to celebrate
her birthday his way, and that did not include other people.
“Could you cool it?” Isabel said irritated. “It’s
my husband who’s missing!” Michael made a face. Like he cared. Maria quickly
opened the door to Max and Liz while Kyle searched the refrigerator for
something to drink.
“Max!” Isabel quickly went to her brother literally
throwing herself in his arms. Michael’s face took on a look of disgust and
anger. Turning his back on them, he pushed Kyle out of the way as he grabbed a
drink. Without thought, he got Maria one too.
“What’s going on?” Max looked at the others.
“If you’re through with your date, we have a new
crisis.” Michael said with a bite to his voice. Maria took the drink he
offered, and she sat next to him putting her hand on his leg, hoping to stop his
nervous actions and calm him.
Kyle quickly told Max and Liz the story he told the others.
“They shoved him into a van and then they drove off.”
Liz bit her lip. “Are you sure it was the FBI?” Michael
made a snorting noise under his breath. What? Does she need Kyle to check their
damn IDs?
“They were wearing the uniform.” They all sighed. Black
suits. Nondescript.
“I knew he'd turn on us.” Michael said tossing his
finished drink into the trash violently.
“Michael, he didn't turn on us, alright?” Isabel said,
angry at Michael’s tone and attitude. “He was taken against his will.”
“We don't know that.” Michael stared at her. Isabel. So
much about her angered him, mostly there was unresolved past, and a certain
amount of disloyalty she needed to atone for. Her constant support of Max was
another strike against her. Exposing them to another human … it was a growing
list of dissension.
“I do.”
Michael ignored her. He could care less about her belief in
Jesse or anything. Her loyalty should be to one person, and one person only. Her
King. “I'm going to find him.”
“No. Wait.” Max quickly interceded before Michael went
and caused more trouble than they could repair. “Look, here's what we're going
to do. Kyle and Isabel, go back to the garage, see if there are any clues in
Jesse's car.” Michael rolled his eyes at that. In his car? What the men in
black ran to his broken down car and left a map with the secret government
hideout circled in red? Next he would have them searching for breadcrumbs.
Idiot. “Liz, you and I will start canvassing the streets for any sign of the
Feds.” Michael fed up looked away. Yeah, they could stop the citizenry of
Michael interrupted in anger, “… I'm not going to sit
around on my ass and wait for something to happen.”
“If Jesse gets away, or tries to make contact, that's the
first place he's gonna go.” Max reasoned.
“No, I have my own plan.” Michael turned to leave, and
Max stopped him. Michael looked at his restraining hand with daggers in his
eyes. “Maxwell, I'm warning you … get out of my way.”
“I don't have time to deal with any of your temper
tantrums right now.”
The condescending tone was the final straw. “… And I
don't have time for your …”
Isabel, impatient and angry, snapped at Michael. “Stop
it! Max is in charge. My husband's life is at stake! Just do what he says!!”
Michael’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his demeanor shut down and unyielding.
Storming out, Maria reluctantly followed, uncertain what to make of his mood.
She stopped to hit Max on the shoulder, her sarcasm biting and dripping.
“Thanks for that assignment, Max.” Maria quickly
followed her tortured friend obviously suffering a brain aneurysm. It was just
like Max and Isabel to not want to deal with Michael, and using her as the go
between.
“What is wrong with him?” Isabel asked Max, her anger
still evident in her tone.
“I don't know.” Max shrugged it off. He had no time for
Michael histrionics. “Let's go.”
~~~
Maria held on for her life. Why? Why did she let him have
the keys? Between Hail Mary’s and promising God to stay a virgin forever, she
peeked out of squeezed shut eyes as they sped down the road, tires squealing as
Michael made fast and illegal maneuvers.
“Illegal wrong turn.” Maria put hands over her eyes.
“Truck! Truck!”
“Shut up! I’m concentrating.”
“You’re failing. Hello, Isabel's apartment is that
way.” Maria pointed at the street flying by.
“We're not going to Isabel's apartment. We're doing
things my way now.”
“Uh … well, Max said …” Maria said stopping in
mid-sentence. That wasn’t the right thing to say obviously by the look on
Michael’s face.
“Max should have stayed dead.”
“What did you just say?” Maria couldn’t believe him.
She was there. She saw how broken up he had been over Max being dead. “This is
wrong! Totally wrong! What is going on?”
“I'm the leader, now.” Michael informed her. “This is
how it should've been from the beginning.”
“All right, you know what,” Maria said, her stomach
souring, “if this is a joke, please note that I am in no way busting up.”
Maria put her hand on his arm. “Michael, this is not funny. I mean it.”
“Look where following Max has gotten us.” Michael
glanced down at the hand on his arm before looking at her. “Alex died, Tess
betrayed us. He doesn't even wanna be king. I want it, and I'm good at it. And
I'm stopping this Jesse thing right now.”
“Jesse's not going to tell anybody.”
“Jesse is human. Nasedo had it right.” Michael did
another quick maneuver as the oncoming cars squealed by, their horns loud and
intrusive. “When somebody finds out, they should be eliminated.”
“Well, if you follow that line of thinking, then that
would apply to me, too, huh?”
“You said it, I didn't.” Michael retorted back, in a
nasty tone.
Maria’s mouth opened in shock, a pricking of moisture was
pooling behind her eyes making them burn. “This isn't you.”
Michael pulled over. He turned in the seat to look at her.
“You know what really pisses me off? No one ever listens to me.”
“I always listen to you! I don’t always agree, but I
listen.” Maria told him, the hurt and betrayal in her eyes. “I have always
been on your side!”
Michael went still for a moment, for the first time in a
long time, he wasn’t a bundle of nervous energy. His eyes searched her face,
resting on her mouth.
“Yes, you have. Always.” Michael’s eyes narrowed.
“I trust you … I know you would never betray me. That I trust.”
Maria put her hand on his chest moving closer, her voice
lowering, modulated to a tone to soothe and inspire confidence. “Can’t you
tell me what’s wrong?”
Michael laughed loud and harsh, pulling Maria even closer.
“Nothing. You don’t get it. Nothing is wrong. Everything is right! For once
in my life, almost everything is right.” Michael looked down at her, his
golden eyes meeting her green ones. “One thing that I plan to fix right now is
this stupid dance! I’m sick of it. It’s not getting me what I want or need,
not fast enough.”
“What dance? Michael?”
Michael growled low in his throat. “Can’t you ever just
shut up, and go with it? Just be honest for once?” Maria opened her mouth in
indignation, ready to retaliate, when his hand moved to cup her jaw, his grip
firm. “Use your mouth for something I can appreciate.” Michael kissed her,
his mouth literally devouring hers, not allowing her a chance to resist or
protest.
Maria’s hand went up above his head, ready to push him
off her, but instead it weakly faltered than came to rest on his shoulder.
Overwhelmed by him, she responded to him, following his lead as he dominated
her.
Breathing hard, Michael pulled back a little looking at
her, his chest heaving. “Okay, hit me!”
Maria’s eyes were huge in her face, her mouth red and
swollen. Michael watched as the living green of her eyes darkened to a deep
forest sage.
“Michael …” Groaning, she slid her arm around his
neck suddenly plastered to his body, her mouth on his, kissing him, biting him,
until he groaned deeply joining her in the feast.
Maria moaned. He was everywhere at once, overwhelming her
senses. She could feel his hands on her body, pushing her clothing aside, as his
mouth moved down the side of her neck, gnawing at the sensitive corded muscles.
Her hands tightened painfully in his hair forcing his mouth back to hers again.
The clashing of teeth, tongues and breath, a hot expiration of passion in the
air heated the interior of the Jetta until the windows fogged.
Maria couldn’t breathe. The laborious wrenching of air
from her lungs was painful, her bones were shaking, and he had too many clothes
on. Not enough skin. Not enough Michael. She pulled away staring at the buttons
on his shirt in confusion, as if she never saw buttons before.
Michael’s body jerked in reaction to her pulling away,
his voice hard as ice, “No! Mine!” just as his mouth crushed down over her
open lips.
“Yes...,” she hissed hotly against his mouth. God help
her, she should care more, but everything she wanted … needed was right there,
in her arms. So long. She had wanted him for so long. Her heart seemed to stop.
Her breathing definitely did and she ceased struggling against the strength that
held her. Michael. All Michael, surrounding her, dominating her. Whimpering in
need her arms tightened on him.
Michael's tongue thrust through her parted lips, invading,
ravishing, taking as his hands moved up to Maria’s head sliding into her hair,
curving, trying to grasp, to hold Maria in place but she was moving all over the
place, against him sensually and he liked that too. Michael grunted into Maria's
mouth and slipped both arms back around her body sliding her shirt off, his
mouth following it as skin became available.
The slick feel of a hot tongue delving deep, seeking, as
his deep groan was answered by a soft moaning sound in her throat. A wall of
hard muscled flesh was pressed to her body. Arms locked her in place. She wanted
the invasion to go on forever. A desperate inhalation forced her to retreat from
him, her hands balancing on Michael's biceps.
Michael. Stared, eyes wild, and inhaling hard through his
nose, face flushed. Just as he appeared to be moving out of Maria's arm’s
reach, she desperately pulled him back, "No. Mine!" hauling Michael
back into her embrace, her body scrambling with help from him to straddle him
between the wall of flesh and the steering wheel, arms curving around the solid
shoulders. One hand, firm on the nape of Michael's smooth neck, dragged his
mouth into range. "Mine," softly murmured before Maria took her turn.
Mouth on mouth, tongue invading, hands restraining.
“The taste of his mouth … want this … want him …
now,” thought
Maria until she stopped thinking altogether. Her arms twined more securely
around Michael's neck and shoulders, not holding as much as trying to meld her
body into the incredible one in her arms.
After a second of shocked stillness, Michael re-entered the
fray. Tongues fought and danced from one mouth to the other and back again.
Their hips had begun to rub back and forth in a slow counter-rock as their
mouths moved, igniting fires, destroying thought.
Maria watched Michael's eyes darken and she was nearly run
over when he began to move faster than she could comprehend, his hands on the
naked skin of her back, his mouth ravishing the pale skin of her shoulder.
Michael was making these fast breathy sounds that were driving Maria mad. She
needed to get at him, to have Michael closer, to feel the hard smooth silk of
his skin that she knew was under that shirt. She halted as her fingers found the
buttons on Michael's shirt, but they were shaking too much to do anything
effective about them.
She leaned her forehead against Michael's shoulder and
splayed her fingers across Michael's chest. With an effort, she took a long
shuddering breath in, ragged breath out. Deeper inhalation, slower exhalation.
Again in, out and she felt her heart slow down to something approaching a
reasonable rate. Above her head, she could hear Michael's own breathing even
out, his heart slow and match her own rate.
“Michael …”
“Don’t stop,” he said hotly against the skin of her
neck, his mouth dropping to kiss the top her breast exposed above the skimpy bra
she was wearing. Michael’s hips did a quick rolling motion that made her gasp
and moan deep as he unfastened his pants. Taking one of her hands, he pushed it
down his body, forcing himself in her hand.
“Oh god! Oh god!” Maria’s eyes rose to meet Michael's
gaze and her heart nearly stopped at the desperate passion she saw in warm
golden brown eyes. Not so aloof or angry any more, oh no, now the million-year
fire of golden amber sparkle. All hers. That fire was all for her.
Eyes locked with his, Maria moved up his chest beginning to
undo the buttons on Michael's shirt, fingers now steady. No need to see what she
was doing. One by one, the buttons submitted to her. When Michael trembled,
Maria ran one hand up over his shoulder and neck, gentling. A soft sound like a
shushing passed through Maria's lips and she felt Michael attend to it and relax
slightly.
The buttons were opened and she pushed it slowly off his
shoulders. As her hands ran up Michael's ribs, drawing the shirt apart, Michael
sighed and arched his back, mouth agape, eyes violent and passionate, but he
uttered no words. Just waited for her with dark golden brown eyes strangely
alive and violent.
Maria's own control was cracking. She had to hurry. Maria
pushed Michael's shirt off shoulders and down biceps, letting it drop to the
floorboard, unheeded. With one move she was fully in Michael's space, her own
bare front brushing across the defined planes of his chest, the scrape of the
soft lace of her bra tormenting him. For a moment Maria focused only on the feel
of skin on skin, warmth to warmth. Her eyes dropping to his chest as she leaned
in to kiss his skin.
Suddenly the symbol on Michael's chest below his left
shoulder began to glow brightly. Maria’s eyes widened, as she sat back a
little, the steering wheel digging in the small of her back.
“Michael, what’s on your chest?” She scrambled off of
him, her hand going to cover the glowing symbol. Michael grabbed her hand, as if
afraid that somehow her touching it would take it away. Leaning beyond her, he
threw open her door.
“You’re distracting me from what I have to do. I
can’t have you distracting me right now … later! Get out!”
“Michael …”
“Get out!!”
Uncertain what to do, Maria got out on the side of the road
as the car squealed off into the night. Confused, it took a moment for her to
assess her situation. Dark. Night. Roadside, and she was only in a short skirt
and a bra.
“Sonnabitch! Damn you, Michael!” Looking around, Maria
hoofed it to the nearest phone she could find. He could’ve at least left her
her shirt.
~~~
Maria was standing on the side of the road next to a sign
for JJ's souvenir stand. She watched the approaching headlights and sighed in
relief when she saw Max’s car. She smiled a thanks at Liz when she handed her
a sweatshirt.
“Okay,” Maria said, “Michael's a freak show ...”
She pulled the shirt down.
“What happened?” Liz was asking about not only the
situation, but Maria’s topless state.
“He's like a desert-wandering Anne Heche times a
thousand, babbling about how Max should've stayed dead because he'd be a better
king or something …” Maria plucked at the borrow shirt. The color did
nothing for her.
Max glanced at Maria, concerned. “That's insane.” But
it wasn’t. He and Liz had talked about it earlier on their date about how
freaked out Michael was about his resurrection.
Maria made a face. Yeah, whatever. “… and he had this,
like, weird thing on his chest.”
That got Max’s attention. “Like what?”
“I don't know, it was like this weird 'V'-thing right
here …” Maria placed her hand where the crest was on Michael.
“Did it look like this?” Max quickly drew the formation
of dots on the frost on the hood of his car.
“Yes,” Maria nodded, “that's it.”
“That's the royal seal of Antar.” Max told them. He
glanced at Liz, “It's a mark I have inside me proving I'm the true king.”
“So Michael was right. He is the king.” Maria said, now
completely unhinged in worry for Michael. Max was the king all his life and look
how messed up he was. Oh god. Poor Michael!
“What if the people that engineered and sent you here
built in a backup plan? You know, in case anything happened to you, Michael was
encoded to step up as leader.”
Maria frowned. That made no sense. The next heir apparent
should be a blood relative, close blood in direct line. Isabel was Max’s
sister, and supposedly, Michael had been nothing more than Max’s second in
command, his lieutenant, and Isabel’s fiancée. Why would a fiancée inherit?
That would have to make Michael an equal relative as Isabel … a brother. Maria
shook her head at her own thoughts. She could care less about Antar politics.
All she cared about was Michael.
Max digested Liz’s assumptions. “But nothing happened
to me. I'm fine.”
“No …” Maria told him, “you died.”
“Max, what … you said that Michael broke his hand.”
“He did.”
“It looked fine to me. Maybe he's inherited other things
from you, too.”
Maria groaned. Oh god, how blind could she be? “It’s
fine. He healed it without really even thinking about it. He healed it the same
way he healed Isabel when she was dying after the surgery. I … we, um … it
never occurred to us to really question it. Max was dead, and we were just happy
that Isabel would live.” Maria bit her lip. “If she died, he would’ve been
all alone.” Maria covered her eyes. “A king needs subjects … oh damn!”
~~~
They met up with Isabel and Kyle at the auto shop. Max
needed to test his powers, so he tried to heal Kyle's cut as Isabel, Liz, and
Maria watched.
“It's not working. I can’t heal it.”
Liz bit her lip, concerned what this could mean. “What
about your other powers?”
Max created a force shield, but it was weak. He shook his
head in defeat. “I'm losing the ones that are unique to me.”
“Great. So Michael's the boss-man?” Kyle looked at the
others. “Think he'll offer a benefits plan?”
“Kyle.” Liz said softly.
“What? I for one am panicking here.” Kyle made his
point. “I love the guy, but I don't want to be a member of any club where he's
the leader.” Kyle glanced at Maria wearing an old sweatshirt of Max. “Of
course, he apparently already chose his ‘girl Friday’, his mate …”
Maria was too busy obsessively worrying a nail to really
hear Kyle. Isabel and Max moved away from the others to talk alone.
“What do we do?” Isabel asked, for the first time,
really concern remembering Michael’s anger from before. She had been hard and
supporting of Max, and given the new information ….
“We have to stop him.” Max told her. He looked at the
others. “This is Michael to the Nth degree … ruthless, impulsive, …
dangerous.”
“The switch got flipped because Max died.” Liz
suggested. “Maybe Michael has to go through the same thing in order to be
reset.” Max turned to look at Liz.
Maria stared at them in disbelief. What? Guess it was
important that Max be king. Maria felt a cold hand of fear moving over her as
she looked at Liz, Isabel and Max. “… No. Max, no!”
“I won't kill him.” Max told her. “I just need to
figure out a way to take the seal back.” Isabel
nodded her agreement. Michael left uncheck would murder Jesse.
“Where'd he go?” Max asked Maria.
Maria looked at the others. “He would go to find
Jesse.” Maria ignored Isabel’s gasp of concern and worry. Grabbing Max, she
stopped him from leaving. “Save him, Max. You save him.”
“I’ll try.” Max reassured her.
“That’s not good enough! Why should I believe anything
you say? You saved Liz for you, Kyle for Jim, and Jesse for Isabel. Save Michael
for me! I mean it, Max. I don’t want your ‘best’ this time! I want you to
finally be a damn king, and do it because he is someone to you! Do it because
you own me for Alex. You want your damn crest so bad … fine take it back, but
only if you can save Michael.”
Max saw her eyes. The breach in their friendship was a hard
one to cure. If something happened to Michael, there would be no friendship
between them ever again, and because he knew she wouldn’t take any promise he
made seriously, he nodded.
~~~
Jesse rushed into his apartment dark apartment. “Isabel?
Isabel?” There was no answer as he went over to his desk. Michael was waiting.
He had been sitting in the dark, waiting in a chair in a distant corner of the
room.
“You told them who we are?”
Jesse whirled around to see him. “Get the hell out.”
“You sold us out, didn't you??!” Michael rose from the
chair, his demeanor menacing and violent.
Jesse afraid, stood up to Michael. “Get the hell out,
now!”
“Didn't you?!” Michael was unflinching. Jesse was
nothing. Puny.
“No …” Jesse backed up suddenly really afraid.
Michael blasted him with his powers slamming him high up
against a wall, pinning him there. Jesse was in pain, squirming, unable to break
free of the effortless hold Michael had on him.
“I told Isabel not to bring another human into the
secret. But she was so in love, so Max said yes.” Michael smiled evilly,
enjoying the pain and discomfort on Jesse’s face, wanting to press home how
unimportant Jesse was to the larger scheme of things. “She was my first, did
you know that? We were together before you were born, and we'll be together when
you're nothing but bones.”
Jesse winced in pain, his eyes never leaving Michael.
“You want my wife?”
Michael laughed cruelly. “Supposedly, I already had your
damn wife, as did many others, Khivar … Nicolas. Who’s to say? She’s
treacherous, as I am sure you now have discovered. Guess she never bothered to
tell you how on your honeymoon she almost left earth with her ‘great love’
Khivar? You’ll notice that ‘great love’ was neither you nor me.” Michael
shrugged. “No matter. I don’t want her that way anyway … if I had, there
would’ve never been a you. I already have an idea for my queen, and it isn’t
Vilandra. I demand unfaltering loyalty, to me, and me alone! Oh, I’ll find
some use for her somewhere, after all, what is a king without those to follow
them? What I have no use for is you, Jesse.”
Michael glanced down in interest seeing a small metal piece
sticking out of Jesse's briefcase. He pulled it out to discover an electronic
device. Holding it up in his hand, facing Jesse he lifted a brow. “What do we
have here?”
“That's not mine.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, his beliefs
confirmed. “How did it get in your briefcase?”
“I don't know!” Jesse struggled desperately.
“Goodbye, Jesse.” Michael lifted his hand to finish
Jesse off as the apartment door burst open and the others rushed in.
“Michael!” Maria said in shock, fear rushing in her
veins. He barely survived killing Pierce … but Jesse?
Isabel rushed to put herself between Michael and Jesse. Her
hand coming up in defense. “Michael, stop!”
Michael ignored her. He was king. She would follow him, or
he would kill her too. She might be a good bargaining chip with Khivar … he
could sell her, but if she overstepped herself again, he had no problem putting
her down with her worthless traitor husband.
“Maxwell, I was right.” Michael told Max as he joined
Isabel. “He was bugged. He's working against us.”
Isabel and Max held their hands up defensively towards
Michael defending Jesse from him.
“Let him go.” Isabel warned.
Jesse squirmed in pain, his hand on his chest. “Get out
of here, Isabel, he's crazy …”
“Hey, shut up!” Michael raged at Jesse.
“Back off, Michael,” Max told Michael, unwilling to
back down himself. First it would be Jesse, and who was to follow? Liz? Michael
hated Liz for a long time. She was point of the original exposure.
“Nah, he has to die …”
Max blasted Michael, sending him flying across the room
into a light fixture. Maria screamed as he hit the wall and Jesse was finally
released from Michael’s hold. He slowly slid down the wall as Isabel helped
him stand.
Max pushed Isabel and Jesse towards the door, his hand
still up facing Michael. “Everybody out …” Maria hesitated, the look on
her face defiant as she moved towards Michael. “Now!” Max emphasized,
gesturing to Liz and Kyle to take Maria. They both took an arm, dragging her
from the apartment.
“No! Michael … Max! You promised! Max …”
Michael slowly was moving to his feet. Everyone had left
the apartment except Max and Michael, who were preparing to fight.
Outside, Kyle and Liz held Maria back, keeping her from
going back inside. “Somebody please tell me it's going to be okay?” She
begged. Her hands went over her ears at the sounds of fighting inside increased.
Maria was crying, they had to keep pulling her back from going back inside. They
never noticed Jesse and Isabel leaving in their car.
~~~
Max stepped back a few steps as he faced an infuriated
Michael.
“You let him go?” Michael said in disbelief.
Max tried, licking his lips, his nerves frayed. “Michael,
you have to listen to me.”
“Hey, don't give orders to me.” Michael told him.
“You died. I'm king.” Michael opened his shirt to display the brightly
glowing seal. “It's your turn to get in line.”
Max swallowed hard as he saw the seal, but he stood his
ground. He promised Maria, but he couldn’t risk a murderous Michael loose on
the world. “No.”
Michael actually smiled, almost casually. “Okay, then.”
Michael lunged at Max, sending them both over the couch as
they began to fight. Michael punched Max, then opened a hand to blast him. Max,
desperate, grabbed Michael's arm at the last moment deflecting the blast into
the nearby furniture. Using his own powers, he propelled Michael away, who flew
back over the couch. Max scrambled over it to follow Michael.
Michael rising slowly shook his head at Max, as anger moved
off his body in waves. “You're going to be very sorry you did that.” Michael
grabbed a tall wooden candle stand punching and then swinging it at Max. They
struggled, and Michael used the stand to pin Max. He was slowly choking him.
“Follow me or die again.”
Choking and seeing red spots behind his eyes, Max saw the
glass door behind them. Using his powers, he exploded the glass, sending the
shards into Michael's face. Michael backed away, falling to the floor, screaming
from the agonizing pain of glass in his eyes.
A weakened Max quickly rushed over to Michael, pinning him
and grabbing his jacket. “I will kill you, Michael, if that's what it takes to
stop you …” Max said breathing hard, “but trust me as someone who just got
back from there, you don't want to go.”
Max pulled the shirt away from Michael's shoulder, and
clasped his hand firmly over the glowing seal. With a blast of painfully searing
red energy, Max extracted the seal from Michael's shoulder, leaving an ugly burn
mark. The seal transferred to Max's palm, then faded into his body. Sitting
back, gasping, Max studied Michael. The battle was over, but Michael was still
in agony.
The door burst open as Maria ran in, followed by Liz and
Kyle. Once the noise of battle ended, they could no longer hold Maria.
“Michael!” Maria immediately ran to Michael, her hands
moving over him assessing the damage. “What did you do?!” Maria screamed at
Max. Michael couldn’t hear. The pain from the burn on his chest and the glass
in his eyes, he was unable to concentrate on the world around him.
“I’ll heal him.” Max quickly knelt beside Michael on
the other side moving his hand over Michael’s eyes to remove glass. Sitting
back once done, Michael wasn’t moving in agony, but he was still in pain.
“Get me out of here,” he said hoarsely to Maria. Her
hand tightened on his arm.
“We’ve got to take him home.”
“I …” Max looked at the pain twisted on Michael’s
face. “I … I’m not done.”
“He wants to go home!” Maria stood up. “Help me.”
Max was quick to his feet helping Maria get Michael up.
Max seemed to finally notice the destruction in Isabel and
Jesse’s home. Swearing he searched the room for Isabel. “Where are Isabel
and Jesse?”
Maria was under Michael’s arm supporting the bulk of his
weight. “Do I care?” Maria looked at Kyle. “Can you ride Michael’s bike
to his apartment?” Kyle nodded. “Good.” Maria tossed Michael’s keys that
she retrieved from his pocket at Kyle. “Max! Now!”
Max finally helped Maria who was floundering under
Michael’s weight. He glanced at Liz. “Could you wait for Isabel and Jesse?
Let me know when they get back?” Liz nodded watching as they all left her
there, in the center of the destroyed apartment. Liz picked up a broken lamp,
holding it helplessly in her hand. God. Where to start? The lamp fell from her
hands hitting the floor, shattering.
~~~
Michael was lying in bed at his apartment, frowning at a
large scarred area on his chest under his left shoulder. Max held out a bottle
of Snapple towards him, and he skeptically took it. Max sat down on the edge of
the bed to talk to him. Maria was in the room, but she remained silent, her eyes
never leaving Michael.
“How are your eyes?”
“They don't tickle.” It had taken two tries to heal all
the damage. “Thanks for healing them.”
Max nodded. “That was the best I could do with that
…” Max gestured to Michael’s chest as Michael looked down at the scar on
his shoulder. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No.” Michael was inordinately quiet, more than usual,
and especially in comparison to the Michael of the last few days.
Max glanced over at Maria, her face was a study of concern,
with a tear running down her cheek. She wiped it away, turning away from the two
men, her arms hugging her body. “Look, Michael, uh, we both said some things
we didn't really mean to … and I … I … just wanted you to know that, I uh
…”
“Save the touchy-feely stuff, Maxwell. You're the king.
You did what you had to do.”
“I don't consider myself your boss.” Max reassured
Michael, but somehow that stuck in Max’s throat. Their history was a long list
of him telling Michael what to do, censuring him, Isabel siding with Max over
Michael, and though he didn’t feel above Michael, it somehow always came out
that way. Max stood there, devastated by helplessness, a helplessness to restore
or create an equality between him and his once best friend … his brother.
“Got it. It's been a suck day.” Michael wanted Max
gone. He wanted everyone gone. His world was too large at that moment, and a
world of one was all he could handle. “Can I get some sleep?” Max nodded,
not knowing what else he could do.
He glanced at Maria for a moment before going into the
other room. Michael frowned, watchin him as he went. Michael eyes were avoiding
Maria’s. Sighing as she came to sit on the bed, he should’ve known better.
There was no avoiding Maria.
Both of them were awkwardly silent with each other.
Normally, Maria would’ve stayed with him, taken care of him, but suddenly
Michael’s bed seemed an inappropriate place. Something had happened between
them, something that put a wall in their relationship, shattering the
comfortable friendship between them. They needed to resolve things first, and he
didn’t have the energy to do it now. Not now.
Maria’s eyes moved over his face. He was avoiding her
eyes. She recognized the signs immediately. Biting the inside of her lip, she
waited for him to tell her what he needed.
“I …” Michael licked his lips unable to go on. He
gathered his wits, the tiredness in his body pulling at what little reserves he
had left. “We need to talk … I know, but I can’t not right now.” Michael
finally looked at her. “Can I have some space?”
Maria sat back, the request worse than a slap, but she
nodded. Leaning in, she refused to be deterred by the stiffening of his body.
Her hand rested over the scar on his chest as her other hand cupped his face.
Kissing his now healed eyes, she swallowed any comment she was on the verge of
making. Leaving him without a glance back, Maria went through the door softly
closing it.
Michael winced, the soft closing door sounding like a loud
bang in his head. Many things he would regret, but of all of them, Maria was the
greatest. What had he done?
~~~
Isabel glanced in the living room where Jesse was watching
a cooking show, her eyes closing as she breathed in deeply trying to quell the
rising nausea and the sound of ringing. It was the door. She opened it, shocked
to see Maria standing there.
Jesse never moved or acknowledged the doorbell, so Isabel
slipped outside.
The two girls stood facing each other and finally Maria
sniffed holding out her arms for Isabel. They hugged as Isabel finally broke
down crying. Maria held her, taking as much comfort from Isabel as she gave, her
tears moving silently down her face.
“C’mon.” She took Isabel’s hand.
“Jesse…” Isabel glanced back at the apartment door.
“Probably needs time alone, if he’s in any the same
shape as Michael.” Isabel glanced back once more, but consented. They took the
Jetta to an all night restaurant that served breakfast 24/7 and an endless pot
of coffee.
“I was worried. You and Jesse had disappeared.” Maria
told Isabel while leaning on the table holding a cup of hot coffee. They
hadn’t ordered anything yet, both of them not really hungry. Food was just
another convenience.
Isabel flipped through the menu reading all the types of
pancakes.
“We were leaving. Jesse wanted to leave forever and never
look back.”
“Because of Michael?”
Isabel shook her head. “No. He wanted it before this.
It’s because of me.”
“You or the Czechoslovakian thing?”
“Does it matter?” Isabel asked bitterly. “I am what I
am, whether I want it or not.” Rubbing her face, she tossed the menu aside.
“I never wanted it! Never. All I ever wanted was …” Isabel searched
Maria’s face. “Is … to be you.”
“Me?”
Isabel nodded. Looking across the quiet restaurant, she
stared at all the things she would never be. Human.
“I … if I could’ve been different, all those times
with Alex, all the doubts and pushing him away …” Isabel wiped away an angry
tear. “He was killed by what I am. I never got to tell him how much I needed
him, his friendship and love. I backed away so many times, confused, and when
finally …” Isabel shook her head. “It was too late. I wasted so much time
with him until time ran out.” Isabel looked Maria finally. “When you’re
our age, you think of time as an infinite thing. I never imagined for a moment
that I didn’t have forever with him. I pushed him off for Grant … and that
hurt, I know. Then again for a quick pick up in Vegas. I thought I knew what I
wanted … needed, and I woke up, and there was Alex. I had to work to get him
back, you know. He didn’t just fall back in with me. I had his friendship, but
he guarded his heart.”
“I know.” Maria said softly. She had spent endless
hours listening to Alex … listening to his music.
“I know you do.” Isabel laughed. “You are many
things, Maria, but foremost and always, you are a good friend.”
“I hope so.” Maria smiled wryly. “I struggle every
day with my natural inclination to be self-involved and needy. I figure someday,
I’ll find someone who will make me feel safe enough to let go … to cling.
It’s hard to be strong for everyone … my mom, Liz, Michael … all of you.
I’m afraid to let myself need … what if I never stop?”
“Michael?” Isabel asked softly. Maria’s face
shuddered closing down. Isabel immediately stepped back. Strange that Maria had
always been everyone else’s confidante, but she really didn’t have anyone
… maybe at times Liz, and definitely Michael, but right now, Maria had an aura
of loneliness. “It’s okay. Maybe you can’t talk about him anymore than I
can about Jesse.”
“I’m sorry,” Maria said in a rush of breath.
Life was too hard at times, and it was only in holding real
still that sometimes a person could feel all the edges at once … feel they
could hold their lives together.
“I know you are.” Isabel looked up at the waitress as
she came to take their order. “Oh, I don’t know that I can eat.”
“Sure you can. Eating is the only panacea of sanity.”
Maria smiled at the waitress. “We’ll have breakfast!” Maria quickly
ordered herself a huge one, and Isabel smiling got into it as well. Fats.
Sugars. Lots of comfort in a huge stack of pancakes.
“So where did you and Jesse go?” Maria asked while
pouring more raspberry syrup on her huge stack of pancakes. She glanced around
for the waitress. They had ordered extra sides of everything pork. She needed
her extra bacon. It just didn’t taste right unless it was swimming in syrup.
“He took me to the abandoned warehouse that the FBI held
him. It was the agent that my dad and Max ran into before … an Agent Burns.”
Isabel was quiet at the waitress dropped off the plate of extra bacon, ham and
sausage. “Maria, he was one of the last members of the Special Unit.”
“So it wasn’t really Jesse’s going to therapy, or
Michael intervening that brought the FBI here.”
“No. He’s been watching, waiting since
“An insider.” Maria said putting her fork down.
“Yes. Jesse took me there and ordered me to destroy all
the documents. He went to find Burns.”
“He confronted him?” Maria’s mouth opened. “Oh god!
Isabel …”
“He always suspected Michael, but couldn’t confirm.
Tonight changed that. He already had me and Max. He used Jesse to get the
evidence.” Isabel glanced around the restaurant her voice lowering. “He was
going to kill Jesse, and send in special teams to take the rest of us
tomorrow.”
“Was?”
“Was.” Isabel’s voice went thick. “Jesse killed
him. He shot him with a gun he had since college.” Isabel rubbed her face.
“I did this, Maria. As sure as I brought Alex into this and got him killed,
now I did the same to Jesse.”
“He did it to protect you … all of us, Isabel. It’s
no different than Michael killing Pierce. No different.”
“We destroyed the body. He’ll be a missing person
now.”
Maria sat back in shock, fear a pain in her stomach. Would
it ever be over? Would they ever be safe? Michael had been right, since the
White Room, there was no more safe. There never was. Their mistake was allowing
themselves to believe the illusion, but they were all living on borrowed time.
“Jesse, how is he now?”
“I don’t know. How can he ever come back from this?
Regardless of what he wants, he’s in it now. We made him an accomplice and a
murderer.” Isabel’s entire body shuddered as she took a deep breath,
Suddenly she was unable to eat another bite. Pushing her unfinished plate aside,
she and Maria shared a look of complete understanding.
“Maria, Michael told Jesse about destiny, about Khivar.
He used it cruelly to hurt Jesse.” Isabel stopped Maria from answering, from
defending Michael … even evil King Michael. “It’s okay. I should’ve told
Jesse a long time ago. But, you know what?” Maria shook her head. “It
doesn’t matter. Michael answered a hundred questions for me tonight. I knew he
scoffed and rejected destiny a long time ago. I guess in some ways, I still held
onto this deep seated thought that he really belonged to me … obviously not to
the extent that Tess did for Max. Tonight, I think the veil was ripped from my
eyes.”
“How do you mean?”
“Destiny? I think it was hoax. I never in all these years
ever once felt the need to be with Michael. Never. We were closer when we
thought we were brother and sister … and you know what?
I miss him. I really do. I lost that feeling and closeness. Tonight, I
knew. Whatever Michael was to me in my past life doesn’t matter. If Khivar was
my great love, then what was Michael? Tonight, I chose Jesse’s life over
Michael’s. Khivar was obviously more important than Michael in my last life. I
mean, I opened the gate to let him in, and Michael knew that! How could he? The
Michael I met tonight, he would’ve never … and I mean never
let me open the gate to Khivar. Second in command Michael, soldier Michael …
he would’ve never believed in Khivar and peace.”
“No,” said Maria. Isabel was right. Alien Michael was
as paranoid, intense, violent and direct as a person could be. He would’ve
never shared his woman … he would’ve killed her first, her and her lover.
God, she had never been with Michael in that way, and when confronted with
Billy, he almost burned down
“Exactly! I obviously chose Khivar in my last life, and
in this one … I chose Jesse. God help me, Maria, I would’ve killed Michael
to save Jesse. Whatever destiny ever was? It’s completely dead … a stupid
cruel mindwarp. I know that I feel more for Jesse in my heart, and I would kill
to protect him, even if it meant killing Michael.”
“I know,” Maria said, understanding completely. She
would do the same for Michael. “So where do we go from here?”
Isabel shook her head. She didn’t know. Both women sat
there at a table full of food they could no longer eat, sipping on black coffee.
