posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:11:27 PM
Oh gawd, I can't believe I'm posting this horsesh*t! This is the very first fan fic I ever wrote, and it's absolutely horrible!

Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell, so don't sue! The Premature Pickle Palace is Eerie's creation.

Rating: Pg-13ish

This is about what could have happened if the aliens didn't find each other till their teenage years and how the humans could have found out differently.

Part 1

Max picked his things up off the floor and tried to ignore the snickers and giggles coming from the students all around him. He just wanted to get home and forget this day ever happened. Of course, that's how he felt every day.

Max wasn't exactly what you would call popular. In fact, you could call him down right dorky. But it didn't bother Max too much. Sure, sometimes he felt left out and depressed, but he was used to it. Ever since he could remember, his only friend had been his sister, Isabel.

Isabel was what most people called a freak. She had dyed her hair purple and she wore tons of leather and had an obsession with fish net stockings. Like Max, she had no other real friends. Part of the reason for that was because she was just so quiet and seemed like she was off in another world.

And she had a good reason to act that way. She had a lot to think about. So did Max. They were aliens. They had come out of some type of pods, wandered naked to the side of a nearby highway, and were picked up by two nice people who took them in.

Isabel and Max started out their lives looking like normal 6 or 7 year old children. But they couldn't speak English (or any language for that matter) and they were extremely shy. They seemed to only trust each other. That relationship had lasted for the next 10 years. They were both aware of their alien powers.

Isabel seemed a little reckless with her powers though. She wasn't scared to use them in public. Whereas Max was afraid to use them, even in private. But if Max got too emotional over something, his powers just sort of did stuff on their own. Like every time he even looked at Liz Parker…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Liz and Maria walked into the Crashdown Café and into the back room to change into their uniforms. On the way back, they ran into Kyle Valenti, Mr. Preppy himself. Liz couldn't stand Kyle, but it was obvious that he liked Liz a lot.

"So ladies," said Kyle. "Working again today? What a pity. You should really get out more, Liz. Live a little. How about you and me go see a movie tonight? Afterwards, we can go back to my place. My dad's got the night shift. Hey Maria, you could come back to my place too. I'm all for a threesome." Kyle winked at Maria and looked at her, obviously checking out her chest.

An extremely pissed off look came across Maria's face. She stepped up to Kyle and slapped him.

"BASTARD! PIG!" she screamed. Customers were starting to stare, but she didn't care. "How dare you talk that way to me! And how dare you ask Liz out! You don't deserve her, you fucking pig!"

Kyle put a smile back on his face and walked towards the door. As he was about to leave, he turned and looked at Maria and Liz and said, "Ta ta, ladies. My offer still stands, though."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Michael walked around the corner of the school and saw Alex and Tess, the two most popular people in school, making out against the building. He just couldn't resist yelling, "Can't you two get a room or something? At least see if the eraser room is available!"

Alex and Tess looked towards Michael, as evil smiles spread across their faces.

"Lookie here," said Alex. "It's trailer-trash Guerin!"

"How lucky for us," said Tess. "I just love running into smelly ugly trash like him."

Michael looked down at his feet, trying to walk quickly past Alex and Tess. Alex stepped away from Tess and stepped in front of Michael.

"Where do you think you're going, Guerin?"

"Um, Alex. I thought you were smart. School is over. I'm going home." Michael tried to push past Alex, wishing the stuck-up football player would leave him alone.

Alex pushed Michael backwards. "You calling me dumb, Guerin? Huh? Bad idea." With that he punched Michael in the mouth.

Michael knelt to his knees, holding his mouth. Alex kicked him square in the crotch and turned towards Tess. He put his arm around her and they walked away laughing.

Michael struggled to his feet and reached out his hand. All of a sudden, Alex and Tess seemed to trip and fell in a big puddle.

Tess turned and looked at Michael with a look that scared him. In fact, it scared him A LOT. That look seemed to say "I know what you are Michael Guerin." But that was impossible, right? No one could know that Michael was different. That he was an alien.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:12:17 PM

Part 2

Max and Isabel walked into the Crashdown, their usual after school hangout. They found a table and sat down. Isabel stared at all of the people around them.

"Max, have you ever thought that we don't have friends because we're aliens? I mean, has it ever occurred to you that there might just be something about us because we are alien that inadvertently drives others away?" Isabel looked at Max and for the first time, Max realized just how lonely Isabel was for friendship.

He'd always known that he was lonely, but Isabel usually acted as if friends were the last thing she wanted. It hurt Max to see his sister this way, and he knew he should probably talk to her about it, but he didn't know how to respond to her question, and he had something else on his mind. Liz Parker.

Liz Parker was the girl of his dreams. She was funny, smart, and totally hot. Plus, she wasn't all stuck up like other girls. Sure, she didn't go out of her way to be nice to him or anything, but she didn't join in when her friends made fun of him. Ever since they were kids together in grade school, Max had felt something for her.

But he knew she was out of his league. She went out with boys like Kyle and Alex. Popular boys.

Max stared at Liz as she waited on customers. God, how he wished she would just smile at him. But of course he knew that then his powers would definitely do something weird on their own.

After a few more slow minutes of sitting in silence, Maria came to wait on Max and Isabel. Max and Isabel didn't know her too well, but Max knew that she and Liz were inseparable best friends.

"So what'll it be?" said Maria, taking a pen and pad of paper out of the pocket of her tacky alien-head apron.

"Um…I'll just have a burger and a chocolate malt," said Max.

"Same here," said Isabel. "And could you bring us a bottle of hot sauce?" Maria gave Isabel a puzzled look, but nodded her head and walked away.

Max looked across the room at Liz just as she turned in his direction. Before Max could look away in embarrassment, Liz flashed him a smile that practically melted Max's heart right there. He smiled back at her, but it felt corny, like his smile was a little too wide and a little too enthusiastic.

Liz slowly made her way over to the table that Isabel and Max sat at.

"Hi Max," she said. "Hi Isabel. Did Maria take your order?"

Isabel smirked at Max as he blushed and said, "Hi Liz. Yeah, she took our order. So…how's school going?"

HOW'S SCHOOL GOING? He was talking to Liz Parker and he actually said HOW'S SCHOOL GOING? What was wrong with him?!

Liz smiled and said, "Great, actually. My grades are much better than I thought they would be. Well… all except for biology. I just don't understand it…"

DING-DING-DING!!!! Bells went off in Max's head. He was getting an A in biology…

"Well, I'm actually doing pretty good in that class. If you ever need help or anything…"

Liz sat down next to him and said, "Oh that's great, Max! Do you think you could tutor me? I really need the help…"

Max tried to catch his breath. He was sure that he was blushing dark red by now. Having Liz so near him was making him so nervous and excited. She was actually talking to him! And just the thought of tutoring Liz…spending time with her…

"SURE!" he blurted out. "I mean…if you think that's a good idea, I'd be willing to do it." He looked away in embarrassment, sure that she could see his eagerness. Isabel certainly could. She was turning red from trying not to laugh at him.

"Ok, great!" said Liz. "I get off work at 6 tonight. Come over here then and we can go upstairs and study." Max nodded his head, not trusting himself to say anything. Liz stood up.

"Well, I should get back to work unless I want Maria to kill me." She walked away and Max looked at Isabel.

Isabel burst out laughing. "God Max, that was the funniest thing I've ever seen. You're redder than a tomato and you act like your in middle school again, all desperate and eager. But seriously…good for you for making a friend." She started laughing all over again.

Max just blushed some more and smiled. As long as he got to spend time with Liz, Isabel could laugh all she wanted.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:13:14 PM

Part 3

It was 5:00 and Maria desperately wanted to get off duty at the Crashdown and go home to soak in a nice bubble bath. She finished serving table 3 and walked over to Liz. "Hun, do you think you can handle it from here on? I really need to get home and relax."

Liz gave her a sympathetic look and said, "Sure Maria. I don't think we'll be too busy tonight. Go on home." She gave Maria a big smile.

"Ok, thanks, but hun…why are you so happy?" asked Maria. "I mean, I didn't think that by me leaving you would get so happy…"

"It's not that, Maria. I have a study date tonight."

"With who?! Is it that really hot guy in our gym class? Oh, I knew you two would get together!" Maria started jumping up and down.

"No, Maria. Calm down. I have a study date with Max Evans."

"Max Evans?! That dorky kid that hangs out with his sister? Eww… hun, that's gross. I think he and his sister have more than a brother-sister relationship going on…I mean, incest is more common than most people think."

"Maria! Max and Isabel aren't like that….I can't believe you would say that! And Max is not a dork…well, ok, maybe he's a little nerdy, but that doesn't mean he isn't nice. I think he'll be fun to hang out with. Plus, I just really need help with biology."

Maria gave Liz a skeptical look. "Whatever you say, it's your decision. Have fun studying." They hugged each other good-bye and Maria walked out of the Crashdown.

She walked up the street, wanting to be home in that bubble bath as soon as possible. Maria started daydreaming about nothing specific, but she wasn't watching where she was going.

She stepped into the road, not looking in either direction to check for cars. She got halfway across the street when she heard a car slam on their brakes and someone honking their horn. She looked up quickly, knocked out of her daze, and realized that the car that was honking and slamming on it's brakes was about 5 feet from her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Michael got up and brushed him self off, touching his hurt mouth to heal it. He looked around to see if anyone was looking and then reached his hands between his legs and cupped his crotch in his hands. That was what hurt the most…his precious alien jewels. He healed himself and tried to get himself back together. He started walking down the street again, looking around to be sure that Alex and Tess had really left and weren't standing behind a tree waiting to jump him.

Michael started daydreaming, thinking about all the ways he would love to use his alien powers to kill Alex and Tess. Well…maybe not kill them, but definitely hurt them.

He wasn't really looking where he was going, but just as he was about to step into the street, he heard a car slam on their brakes and honk their horn. He looked up sharply, wondering why the person was honking.

In horror he realized that a girl was standing in the middle of the road, about to be run down by a car. It was Maria Deluca…the girl he had always liked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maria tried to run, but she was stuck there, she just couldn't make her legs work. The car seemed to be coming at her in slow motion. And then it hit her and all she knew was pain. Her whole world was pain.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Michael saw the car moving towards Maria, and it seemed to be moving in slow motion. He flinched and then screamed as the beautiful girl was hit by the car, and went flying a few feet down the street.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maria couldn't open her eyes, and she didn't know if she was alive or dead. She assumed she was probably alive, because she thought, if she was dead her pain would be gone, right….

She heard people stopping and yelling for someone to call 911, she heard someone sobbing and saying that he didn't mean to do it, it was an accident. That must be the person that had hit her.

A new wave of pain rolled over Maria and she blacked out again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Michael took about two seconds to consider what he should do before he came to a conclusion. He was an alien right? He had powers, right? He had just used them to heal himself…so wouldn't it work if he tried it on Maria?

He had never healed a human before, so he didn't know what his powers would do or if they would work, but it was worth a try. He couldn't just stand by and let this girl die in the street as he stood there watching, knowing he might be able to help.

He ran out into the street and yelled, "Hey, step away from the girl. I'm a doctor!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maria came back to consciousness again, but she still couldn't open her eyes. She heard someone yell that they were a doctor and she felt like she was floating in heaven, she was so happy. She was still alive and now there was a doctor here…she was going to live! And then she blacked out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Michael knelt down next to Maria and looked carefully at her. She didn't look as battered as he had thought she would look. She seemed to have a broken arm, and possibly a broken rib or two. She was bruised pretty badly, but that was about as bad as it got.

He decided to start slow, so he placed his hands on her arm and concentrated on her. As he felt his powers start to work, something amazing started to happen. He was seeing flashes of Maria's life!

He saw her as a toddler, playing dress up and having a tea party. He saw her as an older child, playing hide and go seek and tag. He saw her as a young teen trying on makeup and giggling with a girl that was probably Liz Parker, her best friend. He saw her as she looked recently, eating lunch in the cafeteria.

Michael looked down and was surprised to see that her arm was healed. He quickly pulled her shirt up a little and put his hand on her lower ribs, wanting to hurry up before someone got suspicious. He healed her, without seeing the flashes this time, and stood up.

He looked around and noticed that many people were looking at him. He knew he had to say something, but what? Hi, my name is Michael Guerin and I am an alien? That wouldn't go over too well.

"Um...she should be fine, she's just bruised up, but I don't think anything is broken. The ambulance can take her to the hospital to be checked out, but I really think she's ok," he finally said.

All of the people in the street gave a relieved sigh. Michael slowly stepped away from Maria and walked towards home, hoping no one would follow him to try to talk to him and also hoping that Maria wasn't conscious when he healed her. If she got suspicious, he could be in big trouble.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:13:56 PM

Part 4

Liz slowly brushed her hair as she stood in her room, thinking of her study date and whether or not Max would be a lot of fun to hang out with. It was 6:00 and he would be arriving any second now. Liz hadn't heard about Maria's accident yet, which was surprising, considering how fast word usually spread in small towns like Roswell.

She heard a knock on her bedroom door and it slowly opened. Max's head popped into the room. "Hi there," he said. "How are you feeling? I totally understand if you don't want to do this tonight. The whole thing with Maria has got to be so tough for you."

Liz looked at Max in confusion. What thing with Maria? Why would she want to cancel the study date? "Max…what in the world are you talking about?" she burst out.

He looked at her with a shocked and pity-filled face. She didn't know. He had to tell the girl of his dreams the bad news about her best friend. Damn. He took a deep breath and said, "Liz, right after Maria left the Crashdown she was hit by a car."

Liz turned pale and her mouth kept opening like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out except for little gaspy breaths. She sank down on her bed as the first tears welled up in her throat.

"Is she…alive?" she asked, fear pounding in her heart.

"Yes, and the doctors say she should be fine. She's just really bruised. Liz, you really didn't know about this before?"

"Oh, I am SO happy she'll be ok! And no, no one told me. Right after she left, my dad let me off shift and I have been up here for the past hour."

A silence fell in the room after Liz finished talking. Max felt slightly uncomfortable standing in Liz's room as she sat on her bed, tears streaming down her face. He walked over to her and cautiously put his arms around her. He wasn't sure how she would react to him hugging her…most girls would probably scream that he had cooties or something…

But Liz hugged him back, and as that happened, a special bond was made between the two of them. At the time, they weren't consciously aware of it, but that bond was what would shape their future.

After a few minutes, Liz calmed down, and Max reluctantly let go of her. He stood up to go, thinking that there was no way in hell she would want to study at a time like this. Liz stood up quickly and grabbed his arm.

"No, Max. Don't go…I really need someone to talk to right now. I don't feel like studying, but…well…do you think you stay for awhile?"

Max smiled and said, "Of course, Liz." They sat back down on the bed and once again there was silence.

After a while they started to talk about Maria and that topic turned to their childhood and to school. A long time later, Max looked at the digital clock on the nightstand next to Liz's bed and was surprised to see that it was 10:00. They had talked for 4 hours!!!

Liz saw Max looking at the clock and she glanced at it, too. "Oh, Max. You really should get home. Your parents might start to get worried soon. I can't believe we talked for so long."

They both stood up and Max looked down at Liz. All of a sudden he had an urge to do something he had never in his life done before. He wanted to ask a girl out. He wanted to ask Liz Parker out.

Max decided that if he didn't do it right away, he would lose his nerve. He bust out with, "Liz, would you ever want to go out with me? We could, like, see a movie or something. If you wanted to." He held his breath waiting for her to yell no and laugh and kick him out of her house forever.

But Liz didn't do that. She looked back at him and said, "Max Evans, I would love to go out with you. How about tomorrow night?"

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:14:23 PM

Part 5

Maria groggily opened her eyes and looked up into the face of Amy Deluca, her mother.

"Oh, honey! You're finally awake! Thank God, I was so worried! How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Water? Crackers? Another blanket?"

"Mom," Maria said with a weak smile. "I'm fine. Just tell me how badly I'm hurt. Can you do that for me?"

"Oh, sweetie. You're going to be perfectly fine. You're very bruised, but you didn't break one single bone." Amy started to cry. "When the police first told me you'd been hit by a car I was so sure you weren't going to make it. I just wanted to stop time so that I didn't have to hear that you were dead or dying. But you're ok. You're really ok. You just need rest, and in the morning you can go home."

"Why can't I go home tonight?" Maria asked, worried that something might be wrong.

"Well, they just want to make sure you're ok…" Amy looked away form Maria. Maria thought her mom wasn't telling the whole truth…something was missing.

"Mom, really, why are they keeping me overnight? You just said yourself that I was just bruised. So why are the doctors keeping me here?"

Amy reached over to her daughter and pulled the blanket back. Maria looked down and gasped. On her arm and on her middle abdomen there were odd marks. Silver handprints.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After Amy left for the night, Maria pulled back her blanket again and stared in wonder and fear at the handprints on her body. How did they get there? What were they made of…some kind of paint? Why couldn't they come off? Why did the doctors have to keep her overnight just because of them? So many questions were running through Maria's head.

She decided to just forget about it for the night and try to get some sleep. Just as she was about to turn off the light over her bed, she heard a very light knock on her door.

Maria looked at the door, wondering if she had really heard that….she knew that visiting hours were over and the nurse said she wouldn't be coming back until the next morning.

There was another light knock. Maria said, "Come in. It's not locked." The door opened and a doctor dressed in full uniform walked in. He walked up to her bed and took his mask off. She gasped…this wasn't a doctor…it was a kid that went to her high school…one of the trailer-trash kids.

"What the hell?!" yelled Maria. "Get out of here! I don't know you! You shouldn't be here! Get out, or I'll scream!"

The guy quickly ran to her side and put his hand over her mouth. "Shh…" he said. "I'm not here to hurt you. I need to tell you something. But first I have to ask you something." He took his hand slowly away from her mouth, as if he expected her to burst out screaming any second.

"What is it? I need to get to sleep?" Maria said. "And could you please tell me who you are?"

"My name is Michael Guerin. I know you were hit by a car this afternoon and I need to know if you've noticed anything…weird…"

"Weird? What do you mean by weird? Why do you want to know?"

"Because only I can explain it to you…and only I can explain to you why you didn't die this afternoon. You're okay now, but when you were hit, you were about to die. I saved your life."

Maria looked at Michael and burst out laughing. "I almost died? That's a hoot! All I have are some bruises…how could I have almost died?"

"First, tell me, have you noticed anything weird…anything at all?"

"Well, I guess it can't hurt to show you…I want you to leave." Maria pulled the blanket back and showed Michael the handprints. "The doctors don't know how I got these handprints on me…they seem very interested in it…they're keeping me over night just because of them."

Michael turned pale and fell into a chair. "Oh my God…" he said. "I knew it would do something visible…"

"What? You know something about these handprints, don't you? Tell me how they got on me. Please. I want to know."

"You got them from me. I'm an alien and I saved your life by healing you. Those handprints are where I touched you." Michael reached over and placed one of his hands on one of the handprints. It was a perfect match.

Maria gasped and blacked out.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:15:36 PM

Part 6

Alex knocked on Tess's door and almost right away it swung open. He smiled and walked into her house.

"Hey Alex," she said. "I'm so glad you're here, Kyle is NO help in planning a party. We really I need you." She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the living room, where Kyle was already sitting on the couch, sipping a Coke. He looked up at Alex and nodded a hello.

Alex plopped down next to Kyle and they both stared up at Tess.

"What do you…uh…want us to do?" asked Alex.

Tess pointed at a pile of paper and said, "Kyle, make flyers. Alex, help me decide what music to play and what food to serve."

Alex and Kyle reluctantly went to their assigned jobs.

"So, Kyle, what's on your mind, man?" asked Alex, who thought Kyle looked a little out of it.

"Girls. A girl. Liz Parker," he said.

"What about her?" asked Alex

"I've been trying to get with her lately. And last night I stopped by the Crashdown at like six and her mom said she had a study date with Max Evans."

"Max Evans!" Alex burst out laughing. "That dope? Why would a pretty girl like Liz hang out with a gay boy?"

Tess looked at Alex. "He's not gay," she said.

"Oh yes he is," Kyle said, knocking his soda over. "Have you ever seen him with a girl? NO. Cause he's gay!"

"Yeah…but…have you ever seen him with a guy? NO…cause he's not gay!"

Alex grinned like an idiot at Kyle. "Man…are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah…I think I am." They both looked at Tess. "Tess…if you're so sure that Max isn't gay, prove it. Get him to sleep with you. It should be no problem for a girl like you…"

Tess threw a pillow at Kyle and laughed. "You know what? I'll do it. Just to prove to you that he's not gay…or at least he won't be when I'm done with him!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tess walked slowly down the block, putting party flyers in mailboxes of certain houses. Actually, she wasn't being too specific…she didn't care who came to her party…just as long as they came and it was the biggest party of the year.

As Tess walked, her mind kept returning to something she'd been thinking about for the past day. Michael Guerin.

Something was just…wrong about that boy. Like when he had stared at her and Alex and they fell. It had almost felt like she were being pushed…but no one had pushed her.

And yesterday she had been driving to work when she saw a girl get hit by a car. Which was sad and all, but the weird thing was that Michael ran up to the girl, saying that he was a doctor, and he had put his hands on her.

Tess saw the girl get hit, and knew she shouldn't have survived. But when Michael walked away, the girl was just bruised. As if she had been magically healed.

She only knew of one other person with the power to heal. Herself. Because she was an alien.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:16:34 PM

Part 7

Liz checked her hair in the mirror one last time and walked downstairs to wait for Max. He had called earlier in the day to ask her if she wanted to go to a Halloween party that he had gotten a flyer about. Some girl named Tess that hung out with Kyle was throwing the party.

She'd said yes and been obsessing all day over what to wear. She'd finally decided to go to the party as a queen. She was wearing a beautiful cream colored formal dress and she had a tiara on her head.

As she was walking down the stairs the phone started to ring. Liz ran back up to her room and managed to pick it up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" she said, gasping for breath.

"Hey girl, it's me! They finally let me out of that hellhole they call a hospital!"

"Maria! How are you doing?" Liz asked, sitting down on her bed, careful not to wrinkle her dress.

"I'm feeling great, I'm even going to the party tonight! You're going, right?"

"Yeah…I'm going with Max Evans." Liz explained to Maria how they had hooked up.

"That's great that you guys connect. He's a little…weird…but he's nice. Anyways, I have something I need to show you tonight. And there's something I have to tell you. I don't think you'll believe me, but I have to tell someone."

Liz heard her father yelling up the stairs. "Oh, Maria, I gotta get going, Max is here."

"Ok, bye chica. See you soon!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Liz walked downstairs and saw Max, dressed in a beautifully tailored suit. He was wearing a crown and had a velvet robe wrapped around his shoulders.

"Max…what are you supposed to be?" she asked.

"Max looked down at his feet in embarrassment. "I called your mom and asked her what you were going to be. She said you were gonna be a queen, so I decided to go as a king. I mean…every queen needs her king, right?" He blushed.

Liz felt something in her change. At that moment she knew. She knew that she and Max were meant for each other.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Liz and Max got to the party and immediately started dancing. Max was surprised at how nice everyone was to him just because he was at the party with a popular girl.

After about an hour, Maria showed up and Liz told Max that she needed to talk to her. Max went off to see if Isabel was there, because she had said she might show up.

Maria spotted Liz walking towards her and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a back bedroom where two people were making out on the bed.

"Yeah…um…we need to talk," said Maria to the people on the bed. "Get out of here…can't you do two go do that in a car or something?" She shooed them out of the room and closed the door.

"Maria," laughed Liz. "What's so important that we have to be so private about it?"

"This." Maria pulled back her sleeve and revealed one of the silver handprints.

"Oh my god! Maria, is that a tattoo? That is so cool…when did you get it done?"

"Liz…listen to me, it's not a tattoo. And there's another one…" She pulled up the bottom of her shirt and revealed the other handprint on her upper stomach.

"Maria, if that's not a tattoo…what is it? Some kind of body art? And why does it have to be such a secretive thing?" Liz was very confused.

"Liz…I don't really know how to tell you this…so I'll just say it. Don't say anything until I'm done, k hun?" Liz nodded her head slowly.

Maria took a deep breath and said, "Liz, I technically shouldn't even be alive right now. I was hit by the car head on and I flew through the air. I broke several bones and hit my head HARD. But someone saved my life. That's how I got these handprints on me, from the person that saved me. His name is Michael Guerin. He goes to our school…and he's an alien."

Liz looked at Maria, wanting to laugh, but something about Maria's expression told her that laughing wasn't the best thing to do. Maria was either telling the truth, or thought that she was.

Liz sank down onto the be and stared blankly up at Maria.

"Liz, I know it's hard to believe, but you've got to believe me. I'm your best friend, I'd never lie to you."

"Maria, I believe you. A guy named Michael Guerin saved your life. And he's an alien."

The bedroom door slammed open and a guy barged into the room. "What the hell, Maria!" he yelled. "You swore not to tell! Damn it!"

Maria flinched and said, "Liz, I'd like you to meet Michael Guerin."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shortly after Liz went off to talk with Maria, Max walked into the kitchen to see what there was to eat.

He still hadn't spotted Isabel, but that was ok. He picked up a handful of popcorn and walked over to the punch bowl. A blond haired girl was standing next to it.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Tess."

"Are you talking to me?" asked Max, looking around to see if there was anyone else around she could be talking to.

"Yes," she smiled and giggled. "I've noticed you around. Max Evans, right?"

"Yeah," he said. "Nice to meet you."

Tess smiled seductively and rubbed up against Max's arm. "So, you wanna have a real party? We can go up to my room…"

Max looked at her and moved away, feeling totally uncomfortable. "Um…no…maybe you've had too much punch…" he said.

Tess kept her smile plastered on her face even though she was seriously pissed off. How dare a dork like Max Evans turn down an offer like that from her! On to plan B…she'd use one of her alien powers…mind control. She concentrated on Max and sent him visions of them making out.

All of a sudden Max felt totally attracted to Tess. He grabbed her and pressed his mouth over hers. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, getting high on the feeling of kissing Tess.

There were cheers and whistles from other people in the room, which Max chose to ignore. Until he heard Liz.

"Max! Is that you…oh my god…um…excuse me."
Max quickly broke away from Tess and looked up. He saw Liz running out the door and Maria flipped him off and ran after Liz.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Isabel was one of the first people to arrive at the party, but she chose to stand in the shadows of an abandoned corner of the living room. After two hours of boring herself to death, she walked across the room, headed for the kitchen.

On the way she passed a boy, (she knew his name was Alex and that he was the most popular guy in school, but she'd never really looked at him before) and she looked into his eyes.

He saw her at the same moment and stopped talking to his friend.

Both of their hearts beat faster and both felt something they'd never be able to forget. Something like…love. Love at first sight.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:17:39 PM

Part 8

Liz ran out of Tess's house, closely followed by Maria, who was closely followed by Michael.

"Liz, wait up!" yelled Maria.

"Yeah, wait up!" yelled Micheal.

Liz stopped running and leaned against someone's car to get her breath back. Maria and Michael caught up to her and Michael said, "I need to talk to the both of you. NOW."

"Michael, if it's about your…difference in species from us… we can't talk now! Can't you see that Liz and I need to talk, alone?"

"No, I can't. I think what I have to say is much more important that the discussion you'd have about Max making out with other girls."

"Michael, listen to me. Liz and I need to talk for like 10 minutes, ok?"

"No, Maria. It's ok. I want to hear what Michael has to say. I really don't want to talk about Max or what we all saw him doing in the kitchen," said Liz.

"Thank you," said Michael. "I just wanted to say that I didn't want anyone to know about me. But then I saved Maria and I felt obligated to tell her." He looked accusingly at Maria. "And she WASN'T supposed to tell you, Liz."

"Listen, Michael, Maria probably told me because I'm her very best friend. But don't worry. I won't tell a soul. Your secret's safe with me."

"Yeah, me too," said Maria. "Er…well…from now on."

Michael looked at them and nodded his head. "Ok, I guess I'll have to trust you."

Liz quietly said, "Can I ask you some questions about it?" Michael nodded.

"I don't really know much about myself, but I'll try to answer your questions."

"Are there others like you?"

"Not that I know of."

"How did you get on Earth?"

"I'm not sure…but I have no memory of life before I was 6 years old."

"What can you do with your powers, besides heal people?"

"I can change the molecular setup of things…I can unlock doors…I can push people without touching them."

Liz's eyes opened wide as she noticed Max, who had snuck up behind them. He had heard everything.

"My god…" said Max, startling Michael and Maria. "I've found you. I've been looking my whole life…and now I found you."

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:18:03 PM

Part 9

Michael spun around to look at Max. He turned pale and said, "How much did you hear?"

"Everything," said Max. "But don't worry, I can be trusted. I'm an alien, too."

Maria and Liz stood staring at Max, their mouths hanging open in surprise. "Oh. My. God," said Maria. She leaned against the car Liz was leaning on. "I've just entered the Twilight Zone."

Max looked at Liz and said, "About what you saw earlier…"

"Who the hell cares!" yelled Michael. "We need to talk, you and me. First, tell me, are there others, too? And you said you've been looking for me for your whole life. How did you know there were others?"

"I think we should go back to my house to discuss this. Um…Maria and Liz…I think you should come, too…you know about us, you may as well hear the whole thing."

The girls nodded their heads. They seemed to be in a daze. They all walked over to Max's jeep and drove to the Evans house. They walked in and Max said, "We can talk about this in the living room, my parents are out with some friends."

"What about Isabel?" asked Liz. "Where is she? What if she barges in…er…Max? Is Isabel an alien, too?"

Max motioned for everyone to talk a seat and said, "Yes. She is. Until tonight, I didn't personally know of any others besides me and Isabel."

"But how did you know there were others out there?" asked Michael. "I need to know."

"I'll tell you the whole story. Me and Isabel came out of these pods, well, we actually hatched. We found our way out of the caves that the pod things were in and walked to a road. We were completely naked and looked like normal first grade age kids. But we couldn't speak…at least not English. Isabel and I could communicate…somehow. Anyways, we were by the side of the road, and it was right before two people, who ended up adopting us, came along. We saw another boy, our age, naked, walk out of the caves and head in the other direction. We've always thought he must be another one…sort of like our brother. And now I've found him. You, Michael."

Michael looked shocked. "Wow," he said. "It's surprising enough to find out there are others like me. And now I heard about our…birth. I don't even remember that."

Max and Michael looked at each other and Michael slowly stood up and walked over to Max. He held out his hand, but Max didn't shake it. He stood up and hugged Michael.

Michael smiled weakly, looking extremely uncomfortable. He backed away and sat down again.

"So," said Michael. "You seem to know more about us than I do. Do you know why we're on Earth, or how we got here? Are there just the three of us, or are there even more?"

"I think it's just the three of us. And I have no idea how we got here or why. I had always hoped that when I met you, you would have the answers to those questions."

Maria and Liz were looking around the room absently. They felt excluded and knew that this was a big moment for Max and Michael.

"Um…maybe we should go. You guys need to catch up…on your whole lives," said Maria.

"No," said Max. "Stay. Ask questions if you have any more."

Liz looked at Max and said, "I have a question. But it's not about your alienness."

"Ok," said Max.

"Just be honest with me. Are you and Tess a couple?"

"Liz. NO. What you saw…that shouldn't have happened. I don't know what came over me. I don't like Tess like that…I like you."

"Ok. Well…I need to think about this. Can you drive me home?"

"Sure," Max said. "And I can drive you guys," he looked at Maria and Michael, "back to Tess's to get your cars."

They all walked out of the house and got back in Max's jeep.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:18:38 PM

Part 10

Over the next two weeks Liz and Max started going out on an almost daily basis.

Michael and Maria also started going out. A couple of times the two couples went on double dates.

Max told Isabel about Michael and how Liz and Maria knew about them. Isabel, who had never really had friends before, started hanging out with Liz, Maria, and Michael.

Everyone quickly figured out that Isabel liked Alex Whitman. Even though Michael hated him, they all decided it would be fun to set up Isabel and Alex.

The whole group was hanging out at the Crashdown one day when Alex came in. (Liz had asked him to come to help her with her math homework.)

Alex walked up to the booth they were all crammed into and was about to say hi to Liz when he saw Isabel. He instantly turned red and then stammered, "U-m, h-h-hello. Isabel, right? I-I-I'm Alex."

"I know, " said Isabel, making Alex turn even redder.

Michael stood up and pulled Maria up with him. We should go…study, Maria," he said. They walked away.

Max and Liz also stood up. Liz looked at Alex and said, "Sorry, Alex. I can't study with you now. Max needs me to…do his laundry."

Max looked at Liz, trying not to laugh. They walked out of the Crashdown, leaving Isabel and Alex alone together.

"You know they were just setting us up, right?" asked Isabel.

Alex looked into her eyes and said, "It's not such a bad thing…being set up with you."

Isabel blushed and tried not to look flustered…but damn…Alex was so hot! And he seemed to like her! She decided to ask him out…no point in waiting.

"Alex, do you think maybe we could go out sometime? I mean…I know you hang out with more popular people than me usually…but…well…I'd really like to get to know you." She looked up at him, expecting to see a mean smirk on his face, but she just saw his amazing eyes staring into hers.

"I'd love to Isabel. Thank you for asking."

They had a long conversation…and the next night went out together. They started going on triple dates with the rest of the group. A week later, they decided to let Alex into their secret…which brought about some MAJOR problems later on for the three aliens.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:19:09 PM

Part 11

It was the big day for Isabel: she was going to tell Alex she was an alien. She wouldn't do it alone, of course. Everyone else would be there to give her moral support-even Michael. He and Alex had been getting along very well lately.

Isabel walked into the Crashdown and sat in a booth. Liz and Maria walked over and sat down next to her. A few minutes later Michael and Max came in.

"Are you sure you want him to find out, Izzy?" asked Max. "I mean, I don't think it'll happen, but there's the chance that he'll push you away."

Isabel looked angrily at Max. "Of course I want to tell him, Max. I want him to know. We all trust him enough to tell him…of course he won't push me away. Alex isn't like that."

They all hung out for another half hour until Liz's dad closed up for the night and went upstairs. Isabel walked behind the counter and called Alex's house. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Alex. It's Izzy. Um…can you come down to the Crashdown now? Liz's dad is letting us hang out here. He even closed up early."

"Sure, sounds like fun. Be there soon." He hung up. Isabel gently put the phone down and walked back to the booth. She looked like she was in a daze.

"Are you okay?" asked Maria.

"I'm fine. Really. I just want this part to be over with." Maria patted Isabel on the back comfortingly.

After another fifteen minutes, Alex walked into the Crashdown. He saw the group and smiled. He sauntered over, grabbed a chair, and sat down in it backwards.

"So," said Alex. "What's up? What are we all talking about?"

Everyone looked nervously at everyone else, but no one made eye contact with Alex or said anything to him.

"Ok," said Alex. "We don't have to talk. We can sit. Hey! I know! Let's have a staring contest!" He tried to make eye contact, but no one was even looking at him.

"Geeze," he said. "Tough crowd. You're all acting like I'm some type of three-headed alien."

Trying a crack at humor, he raised his fingers in the peace sign and said in a high-pitched voice, "My name is Lexor. I come from the planet Oogabooga. I come in peace. Take me to your leader."

There was silence. Alex slowly lowered his fingers and stopped smiling.

"Ok, will someone tell me what's going on? Did someone die? Cause you're all acting really weird. In fact, you're all scaring me."

Isabel took a deep breath and said, "Alex, there is something you need to know. About me. And Max and Michael, too. I know it's going to be hard for you to believe. But I swear to you that I am telling the truth." She turned to look into his eyes and said, "We're aliens."

Alex looked at everyone and was scared. Either Isabel was telling the truth, that she Max and Michael were aliens, or these people were the best liers in the whole world. He stood up from his chair and said, "I don't know if I want to believe that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Michael. "Do you believe it or not?"

Alex looked at Isabel and then at everyone else. "I believe you," he said. "But I can't talk now. I have to talk to someone."

Before anyone could tell him to swear not to tell anyone else, he had run out the door.

Isabel looked up at Max, tears in her eyes. "I guess you were right," she said. "He's pushing me away. He doesn't want to talk about it…he couldn't even look me in the eyes. He ran out of here like he was terrified. I was so STUPID to tell him!" She stood up and slowly walked out of the Crashdown.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:19:57 PM

Part 12

Everyone looked at each other, not sure what to do. They all wanted to go after Isabel and comfort her, but they also knew that she probably needed to be alone now.

Max stood up and said, "I should probably go now. It's getting kinda late anyways. See you at school." He leaned down to kiss Liz. He walked out.

Michael and Maria also left, and Liz went upstairs to go to sleep.

As Max walked outside he noticed that Isabel had taken the Jeep. Which meant that he had to walk home.

He sighed and started to trudge down the deserted street. Geeze, he thought, Roswellians have no night lives. There was no one out, and it was only 9:30!

He continued to walk. After a while he started to feel uncomfortable. He felt like he was being watched or followed. He turned around and looked down the street, but it was hard to see into the shadows.

He turned back around and walked quickly but quietly, trying to listen for other footsteps.

There. He stopped. He turned around, but no one was there. But he could swear that he had heard footsteps…

Someone stepped out of the shadows. At first he didn't recognize who it was. Then he saw the curly blond hair and he groaned quietly. It was Tess. The last person he wanted to see.

"Oh, Max! Fancy meeting you here!" exclaimed Tess, with obvious mock surprise.

"Cut the crap, Tess. What do you want? Were you following me?"

"Maxwell, don't be so paranoid. I'm not a psycho stalker. I just want to talk."

"About what, Tess?" asked Max. "I'm not interested in you. I'm going out with Liz. And that kiss…that should've never happened."

"Oh, Max. Don't be dense. You're in total denial. You know you like me, not that frigid freak, Liz."

"Don't you dare talk that way about Liz! Just because she's not a slut…like SOME people…it doesn't give you an excuse to be rude. Now, I'd like to go home. Good night." He turned around and started walking again.

Tess glared at his back and started to use her mind control powers again. She was sure that this time she'd be able to get Max to sleep with her. After all, that bitch, Liz, wasn't around to ruin everything this time.

She concentrated hard. Max stopped walking and turned around slowly. He walked slowly back towards Tess. He grabbed her around the waist and started to roughly kiss her. He pulled her over to the wall of a nearby building and pushed her up against it, never breaking contact with her lips.

Tess silently congratulated herself, kissing Max back. She sent him more images, hoping it would work.

He slowly rubbed his hand down her back and reached up her shirt.

He knew he was losing control now-but who cared! It was amazing how he felt now. He ground his hips into Tess's.

This is awesome, he thought. I never thought I'd be doing this with her. The girl I love.

WHOA! He stopped kissing Tess and backed away. What the hell was he thinking? He did not love Tess! What had he just done?

Once again with Tess he seemed to have lost control. Something was wrong. Why did he always end up kissing Tess, even though he started out not wanting to?

"Dammit! What's wrong with me?" he asked himself. "I didn't mean for that to happen, Tess. I'm going home now. And please…don't come near me ever again."

"What's the matter, Max? Can't say no? You know you can't resist me. Just give in."

"No, I have Liz. She's the one I want to be with." He walked away, but Tess didn't follow him or run after.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alex ran down the street toward the Valentis' house. He had to talk to Kyle. Kyle was his best friend. He could help Alex make sense of what Isabel had said.

And after he talked to Kyle, they had to talk to Tess. To tell her that he had found the other three. He knew that all of her life, his friend Tess, who was an alien, had been looking for the other three aliens she knew existed.

Alex reached the house and started pounding on the door. Jim Valenti opened it and said, "Damn, Alex. Don't break down my door. It's the only one I got. Come on in, kid." He ushered Alex into the living room and yelled, "Kyle! Get your butt out here! Alex's here!"

Kyle came running through the kitchen, and threw a football at Alex. Alex caught it and said, "Kyle, I really don't feel like playing football. I need to talk to you. Something happened. Something BIG."

Kyle gave Alex a questioning look and led him to his bedroom. They sat down on opposite ends of the bed.

"So, what BIG thing happened?"

"I found the other three aliens." Kyle looked at Alex and his mouth dropped open.

"Oh my god… are you serious? You're serious. We have to tell Tess! NOW! She needs to know! Who are the aliens? Tell me! I want to know!"

"It's Isabel and Max Evans and Michael Guerin. Now Tess's destiny can happen. But she'll need our help."

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:20:25 PM

Part 13

Alex and Kyle ran through the hallways the next morning, frantically searching for Tess. They'd stopped by her house the night before, but she hadn't been home.

They finally spotted her, walking out of a girls' restroom. They ran at her and grabbed her. They pulled her outside onto the football field.

"Geeze, boys…why are you being to touchy-feely? It's only 8 in the morning! Did you poor guys not get some last night or something?" She giggled and then realized that Kyle and Alex weren't smiling. In fact, they looked like they were going to keel over and die.

"Tess, can you ever be serious?" asked Kyle.

"Of course," she said. "Sorry…what crawled up your butt and died?"

"HA HA. Me and Alex gotta tell you something. Actually, I'll let Alex tell you because he's the one who found out."

Tess looked expectantly at Alex. "Yes, Alex?" she said.

"It's about finding the others."

"You mean…" Her eyes opened wide. "Alex, are you saying…Alex, did you find them?"

Alex slowly nodded his head, letting a grin spread across his face.

"Yes!" Tess screamed happily and jumped at Alex, giving him a huge hug. She jumped up and down with excitement.

"Who, Alex? Who are they?"

"Michael Guerin, and Isabel and Max Evans."

Tess stopped jumping and stared at Alex. "Max Evans?"

"Yeah…why?" said Alex.

"Well…it's just…he and Isabel are brother and sister, which means Isabel's destiny is to be with Michael. And Max is my destiny. It's just a little weird…I mean…that could explain why my mind control isn't totally working on him."

"Why are you using mind control on Max?" asked Kyle.

"To get him to sleep with me! Duh! You were the ones to dare me, remember?" said Tess, flicking Kyle on the head.

Alex grinned and said, "Tess, we didn't think you'd use mind control. We thought you'd just offer him sex, or something."

"I did…he turned me down."

Alex and Kyle looked at each other, trying not to laugh.

"It's not funny, you guys! And besides, now I HAVE to break up Max and Liz and get Max to sleep with me. It's our destiny."

"How do you plan on doing that? I mean, he turned you down and the mind control thing isn't working."

"I'll think of something," said Tess. "In the meantime, let's get back inside before we get in trouble."

As they were walking back into the school, Tess said, "How'd you find out, Alex?"

"Isabel told me. In fact, Liz and Maria know about the other three, too."

"Hmm…that could be a problem. But did you tell Isabel about me?"

"No! We're going out…but I've known you for much longer. I wouldn't tell anyone without your permission!"

"Good boy," she murmured under her breath.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After school that day, Tess walked into the Premature Pickle Palace. (It was the dumb little salad bar place next to the Crashdown, that Max worked at.)

She sat down at a table and spotted Max, wearing his dorky little Premature Pickle Palace outfit, which consisted of an apron with a cucumber on it that said 'We've got the best cucumbers in town' and a crown with cucumbers all over it. All in all, it was a really dorky outfit.

Tess waved her hand and said, "Waiter! I'd like to order!"

Max turned around and saw Tess. He reluctantly walked up to her. "Welcome to the Premature Pickle Palace," he said, sounding bored to death. "The home of Chef Pablo's Premature Pickle Palace Party-in-your-mouth Salads. May I bring you a beverage?"

"No, really, that's ok. I'm actually not here to eat…the food here would probably kill me…I came to tell you that I know about you and that I'm your destiny."

"What do you know about me? And what the hell do you mean, you're my destiny?"

Tess lowered her eyes at Max and stood up. "Don't play dumb with me, Max. You know what I'm talking about. You need to forget about Liz. The future of our world depends on us." She walked out of the Premature Pickle Palace, leaving behind her a truly confused Max.

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:20:54 PM

Part 14

Alex walked into the Crashdown and saw everyone hanging out in that one particular booth that they always seemed to like.

"Hey, Alex!" yelled Michael. "Come over here for a second! We need to talk."

Alex walked over and said, "If it's about your secret then let me just tell you that it's safe with me. I won't tell."

"So that means you believe?" asked Isabel shyly, not making eye contact with Alex.

"Yes…I said that last night, didn't I? I believe you."

"Well then…why did you run out of here so fast and say that you had to talk to someone?" asked Max suspiciously.

"Um…I was just a little shaken up, I guess. I didn't really have to talk to anyone…that just sort of popped out of my mouth. Don't get all paranoid, I didn't tell anyone."

"Would you like us to explain some stuff to you? I mean…you aren't asking us questions or asking for proof…I just find it hard to believe that you just…accepted it so quickly," said Isabel.

"I trust you," said Alex, lifting her chin to look into her eyes. "I don't believe you would lie to me…so I believe you. You don't have to prove anything. But I would like to hear about your lives and why you decided to tell me and Liz and Maria about this."

Isabel, Max, and Michael told Alex everything they knew about their history, which wasn't much. And they told Alex about Michael saving Maria and him confessing to her about it. They all talked for a really long time. Max looked down at his watch, finally, and jumped up.

"Damn! I'm late for work!" he said. "I gotta get going, see you guys!"

He started running out the door when Alex asked, "Where do you work, Max?"

"Don't laugh at this…The Premature Pickle Palace." Everyone burst out laughing. "Hey, I told you not to laugh!" He ran out the door, looking embarrassed and angry.

"Well, I have to get going, too," said Alex. "But I just had a great idea. Why don't we all go on a quadruple date tonight at the Premature Pickle Palace?"

"A quadruple date?" asked Maria. "Who's the fourth couple?"

"My friends, Tess and Kyle." Maria and Liz shared a look that said, yuck…Kyle…cooties.

"Sure," said Liz, giving in. "Let's all meet there at 8."

"Great," said Alex. "Now I really have to go, bye." He leaned down to kiss Isabel. He walked out of the Crashdown and said to himself, "Tess better thank me for this setup. It's the perfect chance to get the other three to do what she wants." He headed for Tess's house, to talk to her about what the plans where for the night. On the way, he would stop at Kyle's to get him to go with him to Tess's.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

ran to the door and opened it. Alex and Kyle practically jumped into her living room. They were certainly excited about something.

"What is it?" she asked. "I have to condition my hair. This better be good."

"Oh, it's great alright," said Kyle. "Tell her, Alex."

"You and Kyle are going on a quadruple date tonight with me and Isabel, Max and Liz, and Michael and Maria at the Premature Pickle Palace."

"First of all, why am I going at all? Second, why with Kyle? And third…why do we have to go to that tacky hellhole?"

"Because. This will be the perfect opportunity for you to talk to the other three and tell them you know that you discovered who they are and let them know what their destinies are. You can get Max tonight."

An evil smile slowly spread across Tess's face. "Yeah…this would be the perfect chance. I mean…Liz will be there to witness her loving boyfriend turn to me…"

She sat down on her couch and said, "I have a lot of planning to do, boys. A lot of planning. But I won't tell you about it until it's gonna happen. You should probably leave now."

Before Kyle or Alex could say anything in response, she had pushed them out the door onto the porch and slammed the door shut.

"She's scaring me," said Kyle. "What do you think she's planning…nothing dangerous…right?"

"Come on!" said Alex, playfully punching Kyle. "Why would she want to do anything dangerous. That's not Tess at all."

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:21:52 PM

Part 15

Max took off his Premature Pickle Palace apron and crown and walked into the main dining area where all of friends were sitting and waiting for him. He grabbed a chair next to Liz and sat down.

"Let's eat!" said Max, who happened to be VERY hungry.

"Not yet," said Liz. "Kyle and Tess are joining us…they aren't here yet."

"Why are Kyle and Tess coming?" asked Max, worried that something strange with Tess might happen while Liz was around.

"Because they are Alex's friends," said Isabel, giving Max a look that said that he better not make any mean comments or else.

They all sat and waited for a few more minutes until Tess and Kyle walked through the door to join them. Tess walked in and quickly sat down next to Max, leaning over so that he could see her cleavage.

Max quickly looked away, disgusted that Tess was obviously still trying things with him, even when Liz was right there!

After a few more minutes a waiter came along to give them some beverages and they all agreed to go to the salad bar. As they walked over Tess whispered to Max, "I know about you and Michael and Isabel. Don't deny your destiny, Max Evans. You know that you and Liz don't belong together. You belong with me. And if you don't start to see that real soon, I may have to force you into it…which won't be pretty. So, tonight you have to break up with Liz and proclaim your love for me…or you and your friends will suffer the consequences."

Max turned pale and whispered back, "What do you know about me and Michael and Isabel?"

"You're aliens. And guess what, Max? So am I." She walked away, towards Kyle.

Max felt like he had a frog in his throat. He swallowed hard and looked at Liz. No way was he going to break up with her…even if Tess was another alien. And why did she keep mentioning his destiny? Did she know something he didn't?

Everyone got their food from the salad bar and went back to the table. They all sat down and started talking to each other. Max was quiet for a while, but then he started to loosen up and he even found himself laughing at Alex's corny jokes.

Halfway through the night, the head chef, Pablo, came out of the kitchen and walked onto a little platform that was set up at one end of the restaurant. There was a microphone on a stand and he tapped it to see if it was on and working properly. There was loud feedback and everyone groaned.

"Oh, excuse me," said Alex, trying to make everyone laugh…most people just rolled their eyes.

Pablo looked around nervously and said, "How is everyone out there tonight?"

Their whole group looked around them and for the first time that night realized that they were the only people in the whole restaurant. Which made sense, considering the quality of the food served there.

No one answered Pablo. "Um...ok…well, here at the Premature Pickle Palace we have started a new custom. Every night we will be crowning a new King and Queen of the Palace. So, next to your napkins you will find a piece of paper and a small pencil. Please write down the names of the two people, one guy and one girl, that you would like to vote for as the King and Queen. I will be around to pick up the ballots. Please don't tell anyone else who you are voting for. Thank you."

Everyone looked at each other and tried not to laugh. It was the stupidest thing they had ever heard of! They all picked up their paper and pencils and started writing down names.

Tess leaned over to Max and whispered, "I know we're not supposed to say who we're voting for…but I just thought I'd tell you that I'm voting for us. Because you are the King. And I am your Queen." She smiled sweetly at Max.

He turned away, so that he could look at Liz. He thought that if he had to look at Tess for one more second he was going to puke his Premature Pickle Palace salad all over the place. She was so annoying! And the whole King/Queen, destiny thing was getting annoying too. She obviously thought he knew what she was talking about…but he didn't!

Pablo came around to pick up their ballots, looking a little overexcited. "Geeze," muttered Alex to Isabel. "Dude looks like he just got laid."

Isabel choked back a laugh and said, "He's probably hoping for a quickie with Tess later in the kitchen."

They both burst out laughing, not bothering to explain the joke to anyone else. For another half-hour the whole group had fun talking and goofing around. Tess was getting impatient, though.

She finally leaned over to Max again and hissed, "Break up with Liz! I'm warning you…if you don't, you're going to be very sorry. Do it! NOW!"

If looks could kill, Max's glare at Tess surely would have killed her. "No," he whispered. "Never. I don't know where you get all of this destiny crap from, but I will NEVER proclaim my love for anyone but Liz."

Tess groaned and stood up. "Alex and Kyle, I need to talk to you." Kyle and Alex looked at her, puzzled, but when she gave them the evil eye, they jumped up.

"Sure," said Alex. He turned to Isabel and said, "Hold on, I'll be right back." He and Kyle followed Tess over to the payphone, where they could have a little more privacy.

"Boys," she said. "We have to turn to desperate measures. Max isn't paying any attention to what I'm telling him. I have another plan…but it won't be easy…and I'll need your help."

She continued to whisper and told them her whole plan. Alex and Kyle got pale and looked at each other. Kyle gulped loudly and said, "Tess, are you sure there isn't another way…I mean…you could get in HUGE trouble doing that. And there are three of them and one of you…they're probably going to feel the need to defend themselves. One against three aren't good odds. What if they hurt you or even kill you?"

Tess waved her hand in the air as if to brush away Kyle's comments. "That won't happen," she said. "But I need to know…are you guys going to help me or not?"

They looked at each other and nodded slowly. What else could they do? If they said no…well…they'd have to go up against the wrath of Tess. She was not someone they'd want to mess with if she was pissed off.

They all walked back to the table and sat down.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Fifteen minutes later, Tess screamed and stood up. There was cola all over her cashmere sweater. "Damn! This is going to stain!" she yelled. Then she looked at Liz and said, "Your house is right next door. Do you think we could go over there and put something on it so the stain won't set in? Please?"

Tess looked so desperate that Liz, being the nice person that she was, couldn't say no. "Sure," she said. "Come on, we should hurry. Everyone else can just stay here. We'll be back soon."

They walked out the door and Liz said, "You can just borrow one of my shirts for the rest of the night."

"Thank you so much," gushed Tess in a sickly sweet voice. "I don't know what I'd do without you!"

They went in the back door of the Crashdown and Liz said, "The washer is in the basement. All the cleaning supplies are down there. Let's head down there first."

"Perfect," said Tess, smiling in a way that made Liz VERY nervous. They walked down the steps and Tess turned to Liz and used her powers to push her across the room, to slam into the wall. Liz hit her head and blacked out. She slid down to the floor and Tess laughed with glee. She only had to search the basement for a minute before she found a whole box of strong-looking ropes. She grabbed one and ran over to Liz. She tied her up and then found an old rag, which she stuffed in Liz's mouth…just in case she woke up and decided to scream.

Tess walked up the stairs and looked around to see if the coast was clear. She ran up to the main house and found Liz's room. Lucky for her that Liz's parents were both working in the café.

She opened the closet and pulled out a shirt. She put it on quickly, throwing her cashmere sweater casually onto the floor. She could always buy another one.

She looked in the mirror to see if she was disheveled and ran back down the steps and out the back door, to the door of the Premature Pickle Palace. She stopped to catch her breath and little and then opened the door.

She made tears well up in her eyes and ran over to the table. "Oh my god!" she screamed.

"What is it?" asked Max, with some concern, not seeing Liz coming in.

"Liz fell down the stairs! I couldn't find her parents! You all have to hurry over there and help me! I can't get her up or down the stairs and I think she might be seriously injured!"

Everyone stood up and ran to the doors, behind Tess. As they were running out, they heard Pablo yelling, "Hey! Wait! You have to pay for your meals! And you have to find out who the King and Queen are!"

posted on 20-Jul-2002 12:22:44 PM

Part 16

Tess was the first one to reach the back door of the Crashdown. She opened it and led the way to the basement steps. "Oh no!" she cried. "She's not here! She must have tumbled all the way down...it's hard to see into the shadows down there!"

Max pushed his way in front of his friends and headed down the steps, with Isabel, Michael, and Maria right behind. Alex and Kyle followed them, then Tess. As soon as everyone was in the stairway, Tess pulled the door shut behind her and used her powers to mold the lock shut...no humans would be able to open it.

Max saw Liz tied up and gagged on the floor and whipped around to face Tess. "What did you do to Liz? Why did you lie to us?" He turned back to Liz and gently ungagged her and untied her.

Michael, Maria, and Isabel all started to yell at Tess.

"You bitch! What did you do, push her down the stairs yourself?"

"Why would you do that to Liz after she was so nice to you?"

"Why would you do this to someone and then show us? Did you think we would be proud of you?"

Tess smiled and said, "I know about you. I know that you are the other three aliens that I have been looking for. And I also know that you have all chosen to ignore your destinies. I can't let you do that. I needed to be with the King. After all, I am his Queen."

Isabel and Michael stared at Tess and exchanged worried glances. Not only had Tess figured out who they were, but she was claiming to be one of them and she was obviously dangerous too!

"Listen," said Isabel. "We really don't know anything about 'destinies', so if you could explain it to us, maybe we could help you out. But there was no reason to hurt Liz!"

"You mean...none of you know about your destinies? Man...I thought with three of you, you would have it all figured out by now."

Tess explained to the other three aliens what their destinies were. As she was explaining it, Liz came back to consciousness.

After Tess finished talking, Liz said quietly, "You can't have Max. I don't care if it's your destiny. You can't have Max!"

Tess turned to Liz and said, "Listen to me, bitch. Max and I were together in another lifetime, we're going to be together in this one. We're going to have a child together. You can't stop destiny."

"No," said Max. "I don't care if our world depends on it, I won't be with you." He turned to look at Liz and said, "Becasue I love Liz."

Liz looked back at him, too astonished to say anything back. Michael looked at Maria and said, "And I won't be with Isabel. I love Maria."

"Aw...come here Spaceboy," said Maria. "I love you too."

Tess yawned and said, "It doesn't matter who you love, that won't stop destiny. Just give in...you're all just making it that much harder on yourselves. And you better all agree to this tonight. Kyle and Alex are on my side, right boys?" She looked at them expectantly.

Kyle nodded his head and said, "Yeah. I'm with Tess." Tess looked at Alex for an answer and he slowly shook his head.

"Tess...I just...I can't. I love Isabel. I can't let her get away from me."

"What?! You're one of my best friends! You can't just team up with the other side! You'll pay for that!" Tess stared at Alex and did what she had done earlier to Liz. He got pushed across the room and slammed into the wall. He couldn't move. He couldn't even talk.

"There," said Tess. "Until the three of you agree to go along with our destinies, Alex is going to be held hostage. Don't push me...I can easily kill him."

Max, Michael, and Isabel didn't even have to look at each other to know that the others were thinking the same thing as themselves. They all turned towards Alex and tried to use their powers to free him.

But nothing happened.

Tess laughed. "It won't work! I'm stronger than all three of you!"

The other three turned on Tess and tried to hurt her...but nothing happened again.

Except that Tess got more pissed off.

"You all want to fight me?" she said. "It won't work. Now, everyone, go join Alex."

Everyone was pushed up against the wall except for Kyle. They could all move a little...at least more than Alex.

"I'll show you why you shouldn't fight back against me!" said Tess. "Let's play a little torture game!"

She looked at Michael and concentrated on him. A spot on his head started to glow green and Michael cried out in pain.

"Stop that!" screamed Maria. "What are you doing to him?"

"Just taking some of his powers...it's extremely painful for him."

As she was doing the same thing to Isabel and Max, Kyle slowly shuffled over to a box on a table. Kyle had been to Liz's house before, and he knew that her dad kept a gun in the box. He wasn't sure if it would work against Tess, considering she was an alien and everything, but it was worth a shot.

Kyle had said he wanted to help Tess so that she wouldn't pay much attention to him...and so far his plan was working. He leaned over and quickly grabbed the gun out of the box and hid it behind his back.

Liz's eyes met his from across the room. She had seen him. He raised his finger to his lips to make sure she understood that she had to be quiet. He noticed that Tess wasn't even looking at Maria and Liz.

He quickly and quietly walked over to Liz and slipped the gun into her hands. He whispered, "When I distract her, shoot. I don't know if it'll work, but we have to try."

He walked back across the room and then yelled, "Oh man...Tess...come here quick! There's all kinds of alien rocks and stuff over here with those weird symbols on them!"

Tess turned to Kyle and walked over. As soon as she was walking, Liz raised the gun, flipped off the safety, and fired twice.

When Tess was hit, her powers over everyone else were broken and the three aliens got all of their powers back. They knew that Tess getting shot wouldn't kill her, she could just heal herself. They all concentrated on draining her of her powers.

Tess struggled and tried to heal herself before all of her powers were sucked out of her...but something was wrong. Nothing was happening. The bullet wounds weren't closing up like they should have...and there was so much blood. She looked down in horror and realized she was bleeding to death.

She died with a look of pure terror on her face and her body slowly turned to a dry husk of dust.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Everyone stared at one another, not really believing that they had killed Tess. They all expected the dry husk to turn back into Tess, who would kill them all.

Finally Alex said, "Is she really dead?"

Max cautiously walked up to the dry husk that used to be Tess and kicked it. It collapsed into a large pile of dust. "Yeah," he said. "Tess is dead."

They all looked at each other and laughed. The three aliens knew that there was still a lot about them that they had to learn, now that Tess was gone. But it was worth it. They were all with the people they loved...well...all except for Kyle. And they all knew that now there was no way the destinies could happen.

Max turned to Liz, who had tears in her eyes and said, "Hey, why are you crying?"

She said, "Because you're so damn perfect!" Everyone laughed. "No, really! Even when you knew that Tess could kill you and everyone else down here, you chose me."

Max walked over to Liz and kissed her. "I chose you because Tess was always wrong. She was never my destiny. You are."

The End