posted on 6-Oct-2001 2:45:10 PM by Burgundy
Title: If You’re Gone
Author: Burgundy
Email: spidermonkey222⊕springmail.com
Category: Max/Liz
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: None of the characters, etc., are mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while.
Summary: Future fic, everyone is 25. They’re still combating their enemies, etc. Written after VLV. This is my first future fic, so be kind. *happy* Feedback welcome!

Author's note: I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to this fic. I hope you guys are still interested in reading it. This is the first new part I've posted since May. Parts 1-10 are on the repost board at viewthread?forum=repost-fan-fiction&id=1019 Tell me what you think. *happy*

Part 11

Michael stepped into the last room in the hallway, a small room that looked dusty, as if it was used for storage. He was about to leave when he heard footsteps outside in the corridor. He ducked behind what appeared to be stacked furniture.

Three men came into the room, one holding a smaller man hostage—a man Michael recognized as Clem, Serena’s brother.

The third man shut the door and stared at Clem for a minute. “I knew your sister was Gueyere, but I didn’t think she would do anything. I would have promoted you to higher ranks if you had shared this with us, but I always thought you were too cowardly to give her any information.”

Clem stared at the ground and said nothing.

“Surely you knew that if you said anything to her, I would find out. I have my ways.”

Suddenly, the hostage looked up at his captor. “Jarret, I can’t believe you would do this. How could I not have known you could do this? Please don’t hurt her. I didn’t mean…” Clem choked on the words.

Jarret put his hand on the wall, and a silver handprint glowed to life. The small area of wall slid aside to reveal a dark, narrow passageway. “Let’s go,” he directed the guard to go first, stopping for a second to survey the room.

Michael felt a sneeze coming on, and he put his finger to his nose, but it was no use. The sneeze echoed through the room. He was discovered.

* * *

Max and Liz were waiting for Serena at the meeting point in the corridor that they had chosen earlier.

Serena came up to the pair and cried, “Liz!” Then, more concerned, she asked, “Where’s the baby?”

Liz’s face was dark and set. “Jarret has her.”

Serena gasped.

“I was surprised, too. He was our friend.” Liz shook her head and then looked to Max. “He’s Michael’s great-nephew. Or Rath’s, I should say.”

“Where’s Michael?” Serena asked suddenly.

“Shouldn’t he be coming back anytime now?” Max asked.

“It’s been an hour past the time we said we would meet. I think I know where he might be, where some of Khivar’s men go. It’s a special place Clem told me about—not even Khivar knows.”

Liz closed her eyes for a moment and then looked at Max, pressing her lips together determinedly. “I know I’m too weak to go with you right now,” she began matter-of-factly, “but our baby’s life is more important.”

“I have friends nearby you can wait with. Safe friends,” Serena added.

Liz nodded, continuing to watch Max’s eyes. “Find Jarret and bring my baby back to me.”

* * *

The warm, orange light of the setting sun filtering through the Venetian blinds made a beautiful pattern on the kitchen table as Alex and Isabel sat eating dinner.

“Izzy?”

Isabel looked up and smiled at her husband.

“You’ve been acting different lately.” Alex’s words were slow and cautious—he knew he was treading on soft ground. “Is anything going on that I should know about?”

“Well, I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you, but things have been happening so fast lately…”

“Tell me what?”

Isabel put her napkin down next to her plate of baked ravioli and looked into Alex’s eyes. “I’m pregnant.”

Alex dropped his fork.

* * *

Serena led the way to the passageway Michael had seen earlier, quickly waving her hand over the entrance, walking a short distance, down a long flight of stairs, and then darting to a side corridor. She put her hand on Max’s shoulder, pulling him to the wall. “It is very important that you stick by me the entire time; this place is a maze designed by the Rathans to further divert intruders.”

“Rathans?”

“I believe you had contact with one of them years ago—you mentioned a skin with the earth name Courtney?”

“The Michael worshippers?”

“What?”

“Those who believed Rath should have been king?”

“That’s right. From what I’ve gathered, Jarret seems to be one of them.” Serena looked at him strangely for a moment, then glanced up and down the corridor. “Do you realize you’ve been speaking Upper Antaran the whole time you’ve been here?”

“I have?” Max suddenly realized that she was right—he did sound different.

“I knew you would remember. You just needed a little nudging.” Serena smiled. “Let’s go find your daughter.”

* * *

M: Knowing you has made me human.

[ edited 2 time(s), last at 30-Oct-2001 6:10:15 PM ]
posted on 23-Oct-2001 1:53:24 PM by Burgundy
Author's note: Sorry it took me so long to get this part up. I've been really busy with classes and stuff lately. But anyways, here's part 12.

Part 12

Michael had been caught by surprise when Jarret had bowed down to him, but he quickly realized that Jarret and the other man were in the same category as Courtney—“Michael-worshippers,” so to speak. He decided that playing along would be the best way to get Max and Liz’s daughter back, and he went with them down a narrow, mazelike passageway.

Just before going down a long flight of stairs, Michael asked Jarret sharply, referring to Clem, “Why are you bringing this man with us?”

“He betrayed us to the Gueyere and must be brought to justice.”

“Wouldn’t it make things worse if he were missing? Seems to me it would be better if you just wiped his memory of the last day’s events and set him back where he was.”

Jarret hesitated in the passageway.

“We… do not have that ability, my lord. Only Nicholas and a few of his cohorts are capable of that.”

“You can’t even do that?” Michael scoffed. “Bring him here,” he ordered, gesturing to Clem.

Michael put his hand on Serena’s brother’s head, and the man winced, gritting his teeth. Michael winked at him, and Clem took the hint.

“Where…?” Clem blinked rapidly.

“You were having another one of your fainting spells, but you’re better now. Take him back to his post,” Michael told the guard who had previously been holding Clem.

The guard looked to Jarret.

Jarret barely skipped a beat. “You heard what the man said. Go!”

Clem and the guard hurried up the stairs and out of the dark passage.

* * *

“Marua Leese? Marua Leese?” Liz heard a voice calling from the front room of the little apartment, quickly getting closer. Some of the Gueyere just couldn’t adjust to calling her ‘Liz’.

“Who knows I’m here besides Max and Serena?” Liz asked, suddenly frightened by her own question.

“I’ll go check to see who it is,” Gwynhyfar, the young woman sitting next to her said quickly, getting up to walk towards the door. “If anything happens, go to that place I showed you.” She was referring to a hidden room behind a panel next to the small, stone-carved bed Liz was currently propped up in. Gwynhyfar was one of Serena’s friends, the rebel she had been referring to when she spoke of leaving Liz with someone safe.

Suddenly a young man came rushing into the room, followed quickly by Gwyn. It was ‘Tweedledee’.

“Marua Leese! I’ve been looking for you! I couldn’t find my sister, so I knew I could tell you.” The little silver man was panting, leaning down with his hands on his knees, out of breath for some reason.

“Your sister?” Liz asked, drawing quick breaths. “Who’s your sister?”

“Serena. Don’t you know Serena?”

* * *

Alex was pacing up and down the living room floor. “We can’t keep you here, but we can’t possibly send you to the rebel base.”

“Calm down. I’ll handle it. We’ll handle it.” Isabel told her husband evenly.

“I just… don’t want anything else to happen.” He ran his fingers through his hair and stopped pacing to look at her. “I’m just worried about you.”

“I know.” She smiled at him, but suddenly her smile turned to a wince. “Oh!”

“What’s wrong?” Alex took her hands and sat down next to her.

“I think he’s trying to tell me something.”

“He?” Alex’s gaze broke into a faint smile—“I’ve got a son”—before returning to the issue at hand. “What’s he trying to tell you? What’s going on?”

“He’s giving me his power—so that I can connect with Max and Liz and Michael.”

“Can you?”

“I don’t know; I’ve never gone such a distance with my powers before. I’d need Liz to strengthen hers, but I don’t know…”

* * *

Max and Serena finally came to a small archway that opened into a gigantic hall with vaulted ceilings.

Serena, using her abilities to charm passers-by into thinking that she and Max were nothing special, peered around the corner at people talking, laughing, and playing music.

Max looked bemusedly at the celebration taking place in front of them. “Isn’t it a bit early for that?”

Serena pointed at the head of the long table. Michael was feasting merrily with Jarret and his brethren. “They have their king.”

Suddenly, someone came up and grabbed them from behind, dragging them into a room off the corridor. Serena was trying to say something, but Max couldn’t make out the muffled sounds caused by hands clamped against her mouth.

* * *


posted on 26-Oct-2001 1:38:24 AM by Burgundy
Thanks for the feedback! I should hopefully have the next part up sometime in the next few days.

If you're lurking and you don't post b/c you don't like my story, feel free to leave critical feedback. I want to improve my writing! *happy* Thanks!

Burgundy
posted on 30-Oct-2001 6:08:16 PM by Burgundy
Part 13

Max and Serena struggled in protest as they were dragged into a small room. Serena finally saw the faces of the two who had grabbed them—and one face was Felee’s!

“Felee! What are you doing?” Serena’s eyes were wide in shock and horror. “Are you a part of—are you a Rathan?”

“No! Shh!” Felee hissed. “Someone’ll hear you?”

“You know him?” Max stared at Serena.

“What are you doing here?” Felee asked in a whisper. “You could get seriously hurt! And who’s that?” He asked, directing the question at Serena.”

“This is Max, King Zan.”

Surprise showed in Felee’s eyes for a passing second before his face again became unreadable. He knelt down on one knee in front of Max, and the smaller man standing next to him did the same. “I—I had no idea.”

“You’re not a Rathan?” Max looked down at Felee’s silvery head glinting dully in the dim light of the small room.

“No, my lord. I told them that I was, to help you out.” His voice was still low. “We can’t be too loud; anyone could come in…”

Serena continued to stare at him. “That still doesn’t explain why you dragged us in here the way you did. And who are you?” Serena then glanced at the smaller silver person standing next to Felee.

“We were afraid you’d be recognized. Don’t worry—no one saw us. We just wanted to get you out of there as quickly as possible.” Felee paused. “This is Marc. He got here about the same way I did.”

“How did you recognize us? How did you know who we were through the charm?” Serena’s dark eyes pounded into him.

“I’d know you anywhere.” The deep-felt sincerity in Felee’s voice surprised Max.

“We’ve got to hide them,” Marc told Felee. “We’d better go.”

* * *

Liz closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and, strength somewhat renewed, asked the man, “Serena’s your sister? Who are you?”

“Clem; I’m her little brother.”

Gwynhyfar watched the scene from the doorway, unsure of what to do.

“Why are you here?” She asked slowly.

“I just… escaped. I have to… help you save her.” Clem was out of breath, panting; he had apparently run there.

“Leese isn’t going anywhere in her condition,” Gwyn cut in.

“What?” Liz stared at Clem.

“Save… your baby.”

“My baby!” Suddenly Liz was very alert. “Where’s Claudia?”

“With Jarret, with the Rathans.”

“Max and Serena are there.”

“We have to contact them, then. I know where they’re keeping Claudia.”

Liz shifted in the bed, uncomfortably aware of how weak she was, but she wanted to save her baby. “I can contact Max.”

* * *

Isabel closed her eyes, concentrating. She and Alex were sitting next to each other at their kitchen table, Tess and Kyle across from them. Tess held Isabel’s hands in hers, saying, “I’ll try to give you as much of my power as I can.”

“Why are we even doing this?” Kyle asked suddenly. “What can we possibly do to help by contacting them?”

“I just have a feeling, Kyle. I have this feeling that I need to contact them. My son is urging me forward.” She looked directly at him, saying, “Please trust me.”

“I’ll be right here if you need me, Izzy. I love you,” Alex said quietly but firmly.

“Are you ready, Isabel?” Tess asked, looking at the other woman intensely.

“I’m ready.”

* * *

Liz sat across from Clem, holding his hands in hers. He had some of the powers of his sister, though he did not have the ability to shapeshift. He gazed at her with slight concern. “Are you sure you can do this?”

Her face was set, determined. “I could do anything for Claudia.”

“Just focus on Max.”

She closed her eyes, searching for his presence with her mind. She knew it was there, but it was so far away. Please hear me, Max. Where was he? He wasn’t even as far as he had been the first time she had ever contacted him this way. New York was much farther from Roswell than he was from her right then. An irrational fear that she would never be able to find him flooded her mind, and she broke the connection with Clem.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

She was on the point of tears, or perhaps she had moved beyond that. “I’m not strong enough.” It was barely even a whisper. “My husband and my baby are going to die because I’m not strong enough.”

“You can do it, Leese.” Gwyn suddenly urged her on.

“I know you can,” Clem told her, following suit. “Just try one more time. You can do it.”

Liz took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s try again.”

A smile stole across Gwyn’s face as the other two again joined hands.

This time, Liz felt differently. She pressed more firmly into the unknown, searching for Max, knowing he was out there. Somewhere. This time, she felt another presence. She could feel someone familiar—no, it was two people—pushing her forward, giving her strength. Flashes told her that the stronger presence was Isabel, and the second presence was her baby. She was pregnant! Liz reached out for Max, and finally, she found him.

* * *



posted on 13-Nov-2001 12:46:04 AM by Burgundy
I'm sorry this is taking so long. I know where I want to go but I'm not sure how to get there right now. I'll try and wrap up the story within the next few parts or so.

Burgundy