Part 24 - Reflections on the Past

Dagmar watched quietly as Valenti and his young charges gathered up their belongings and headed out into the early morning darkness. Tess went and got into the sheriff's car, while Valenti stood by the door waving good-bye as the Jeep started off. Dagmar's interest was on the two getting on the bike.

Without exchanging a word, Michael and Maria had both gone to the bike. It was an unspoken understanding that wherever they were going, they were going together. Maria wasn't really sure what was going on with them, but she had finally gotten tired of fighting it. She trusted Michael and was more than happy to let him take the lead for now.

As she climbed up behind him on the bike, her hands traveled up his legs before coming to rest around his waist. She could feel his heartbeat speed up at her contact, and smiled. He reached behind her and pulled her body up even closer to his.

That was enough for Dagmar. "Michael!" he called out as he stepped outside. At the sound of his voice, Valenti looked over. Neither Michael nor Maria did. He wasn't even sure they had heard him.

Maria scooted forward even closer, kissing Michael at the base of his neck. "Keep doing that, and I'll probably end up driving off the road," Michael whispered gruffly.

"Well, we don't want that, do we?" Maria replied with a little laugh. "I'll be good. At least until we get back to the apartment." At his small moan, she laughed even more.

Michael heard a voice calling his name, but it sounded as if it was from far away, and it certainly wasn't important. Ignoring it, he reached to turn on the ignition, but was stopped as a hand grabbed his. Looking up finally, he saw Dagmar standing there.

"What do you want?" he asked irritably, as he pulled his hand away.

Dagmar looked nervous, he noted. Good. Then he noticed Valenti walking up behind Dagmar, and got even more frustrated. Why wouldn't they just let him and Maria be alone?

"Actually, I had a few more things to discuss with you, Michael. I thought that perhaps Sheriff Valenti could take Maria home while we talk."

Michael could feel Maria shake her head behind him. "No," he said simply and reached for the ignition again.

"It's important," Dagmar insisted, reaching for Maria's arm to pull her off the bike. He stopped almost instantly, though, when he saw Michael's hand raise in his direction. Letting go of Maria quickly and taking a small slow step back, Dagmar never took his eyes from Michael. "I'm sorry, Michael, but it really do need to speak with you. Privately."

"You know, kids, Maria's mother thinks she's with me, that the Jeep broke down." Michael barely paid attention to Valenti's calm voice. He was too busy staring at the other alien, the one trying to take Maria away from him when she didn't want to go. Right before he decided to take action, he felt a small hand gently join his raised one. Looking down at the intertwined fingers, hands lowering, he felt a moment of confusion. What was I thinking? Oh, yes. Maria. He looked behind him and smiled at her. He didn't even notice Dagmar take a shaky breath and visibly relax.

Smiling back at Michael, Maria asked, "Why does she think that?" Not that I really care.

"Well, Amy was a bit concerned at the thought of you and Michael spending any time together right now. Something about his seeming upset when she saw him earlier."

That got both of their attentions. "You saw my mother earlier?" she asked. "What did you do to her, spaceboy?"

"Nothing." At her look of disbelief, he went on. "Don't look at me like that, Maria. I didn't do anything. I was polite. Do I look like I want to be smacked over the head with a newspaper again?"

She had to laugh at that image. "No, I guess not." She quieted as she remembered the look she'd seen on Michael's face at the hospital. With so much else going on, it had been easy to forget about that. If he had looked anything like that when he saw her mother, no wonder that she had sent out the cavalry looking for her little girl.

Steeling herself for the emptiness she knew was coming, Maria got off the bike, eluding Michael's hands reaching out to keep her there. One of them had to be mature and rational. Too bad it always had to be her. "If my mother thinks that I'm coming home, then I'd better go home. Otherwise, she might come looking for me." Michael didn't see anything, but she could see the look of pain in his eyes. "Just let me convince Mom that you aren't a crazed stalker or something. I'll see you tomorrow. I absolutely promise." Before he could say anything, she leaned over and kissed him.

Ignoring the two adults standing there, Michael reached up behind her head and pulled her down even closer to him. If he wasn't going to see her for the rest of the night, then he needed to have the taste of her kiss to remind him of what he was missing.

Dagmar and Valenti exchanged embarrassed looks. Valenti in particular was shocked. He didn't think he'd ever seen Michael express himself that physically before. Michael liked to keep his feelings private, not put on public displays of affection, yet here he was, putting on quite a show. As Michael's hands started traveling downward, Valenti decided that enough was enough, and pulled Maria away.

Too dazed to protest, Maria allowed him to pull her away and into the car. Ignoring Tess, she looked out the back window and watched as she was driven farther away from Michael.

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As the car vanished into the darkness, Dagmar turned and went into the house, heading straight for the kitchen. He poured two glasses of soda, and dumped massive amounts of tabasco into them. After a few minutes, he heard Michael enter the house. Without speaking, Michael came into the room, took one of the glasses and sat down. He didn't drink it, though. Placing the glass on the table, he sat back and glared silently at Dagmar.

Remembering the look on Michael's face when he tried to pull Maria away from him, Dagmar didn't say anything. Honestly, he couldn't think where to begin. The silence seemed to stretch on forever.

Finally, annoyed, Michael snapped, "Well? What's so important?"

Forcing himself to smile, Dagmar walked over and sat down across from him. "The language is different, but the attitude is remarkably the same. You never did have a great deal of patience."

A ghost of a smile flitted across Michael's face. "I wasn't exactly your best student, was I?"

"I'm not sure I'd actually call you a student at all. The only times I remember you in the classroom were when you wanted to spend time with Vilandra."

Remembering how his attendance at West Roswell High had improved after he discovered the joys of the eraser room with Maria, Michael smirked. "Well, I didn't need the education. Vilandra studied enough for all three of us. Besides, I learned everything I need to know in other places."

Dagmar looked at him curiously. "You know, it occurs to me that I really never knew anything about your life before you came to the palace."

"You mean Tymrath's life," he corrected. Forcing himself to appear calm, he went on. "Not much to tell. I wasn't anything special until Zandar took me in."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Michael shrugged. "Whatever. And I doubt that you kept me here to ask me about my early education as an alien street punk. So what's really going on?"

Gathering his courage, Dagmar decided to just blurt it out. "It's about you and Maria."

Michael's eyes went cold suddenly as he leaned forward a bit. "I'm not giving her up."

"I wasn't about to suggest that you should," he said very quickly. "I have no intention of trying to separate the two of you. It's obvious that you love her. And that she loves you."

"Yes." Michael was watching him very closely. It was making Dagmar extremely nervous. "Then what were you going to suggest?"

"Just that you be careful, Michael. She's human, after all. That means she's more vulnerable in some ways that you are. I just want you to take that aspect of things into consideration. Be careful. That's all."

"Be careful," he repeated flatly.

"Love her and take care of her, Michael. Love is fragile, and I would be the last one to try and take that away from you." Dagmar's voice was very gentle at the end, and it seemed to get through to Michael. The teen leaned back in the chair, eyes growing calmer.

"I meant to tell you how sorry I was to hear about Moiya. I remember that she would help me clean up when I got hurt." He scratched his eyebrow, remembering. "Which happened a lot. And I'm pretty sure she was the one who first convinced Vilandra to go out walking with me." Michael paused, with a sad smile. "She was always kind to me, and there weren't many who were when I first came to the palace. Her death is a great loss."

For a minute, Dagmar didn't know what to say. It had been so long since he'd had anyone to talk about his teela-mei with, and getting sympathy from Tymrath, no, Michael, was the last thing he'd expected. He finally simply nodded, afraid he'd cry if he tried to speak.

Michael seemed to understand. He reached over and clasped the older man on the shoulder as he rose. Crossing the room, he stopped to look at a box of tic tacs on the counter. Picking it up, he turned back to his host. "What's the story with these tic tacs anyway?"

Grateful for the change in topic, Dagmar quickly answered. "I was hurt badly by the tests the army put me through. I don't know if you've noticed it, but our bodies are easily influenced by certain foods and substances found here on Earth." Remembering Max's experience with alcohol, Michael nodded. "Well, I've found that sugar helps me with the pain. Hence, the tic tacs. I also like Pez, especially when I can find the dispensers shaped like little green aliens."

Michael laughed at that. "Freak," he said with some affection. "I'm leaving now. But I promise to keep your advice in mind. I would never do anything that would endanger Maria."

"I'm sure you wouldn't."

As he turned to leave, Michael said, "Meilya Eda Eith." Then he was gone.

Dagmar smiled at the Antaran words traditionally spoken at the tiasa to show devotion to one's mate.

Her life before everything.

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As he heard the bike start off, Dagmar let loose a deep breath. He hadn't been that frightened since escaping the army. Even finding out what Urza had done was nothing compared with facing Michael just now.

Moiya. Of all of them, who would have thought it would be Tymrath to sympathize on her loss?

Shaking his head, he walked over to the open door and looked out across the desert. He was lucky that the conversation had gone as well as it had. He knew better than to try and get between Tymrath and something he wanted.

Of course, the problem was, it wasn't really Tymrath. If it had been, he'd know what to expect. And no way would he have even tried to interfere in his relationship with Maria. But he wasn't Tymrath, not completely. And he wasn't really sure how Michael Guerin would react to anything. He was unpredictable.

Still, that was as much interference as he was going to offer. Any more would be dangerous, not to mention pointless. Things had already progressed too far between Michael and Maria to stop. All he could do was hope that Michael meant what he'd said and would try to be careful for her sake. That and pray that Maria was strong enough to be there for him and get through what was coming.

Dagmar shivered as he remembered that instant when Michael's hand had come up to stop him from touching Maria. The look in his eyes at that moment had been pure Tymrath - cold and determined. For a second, Dagmar was sure he was going to die. He'd survived a bloody civil war, months in the underground resistance, the crash on Earth, imprisonment and "testing" by the government - all to be killed by one of the very children he was charged with protecting. Very simple. Not to mention ironic. Then Michael pulled back. That was something reassuring. The only ones who had ever been able to control Tymrath had been Zandar and Vilandra, and to be quite honest, Vilandra's influence had never been that total. Only Zandar could pull Tymrath back from the edge. But Michael had been able to stop himself. That was something new and different.

He was proud of the boy. That was something new, too. He laughed to himself.

At any rate, he thought they were going to be all right. They'd faced their pasts and it hadn't broken them. In fact, they seemed stronger than ever. He was the most concerned about Tess, but there wasn't much he could do about that. He wondered if Urza had ever considered the possible consequences of his actions.

No, of course he didn't. He just wanted to finish his mission, and it didn't matter to him who got hurt in the process.

Dagmar wondered what Urza had thought about his old mentor. Had he recognized the progress Michael had made in this life, or had he merely wanted him to be like Tymrath? Not that it mattered - Urza was dead and gone now. At least he died protecting the Royal Four. That would likely have satisfied him.

And then there was Max. He had the potential to be such a good king - even better than he had been before. He was strong, but not hard yet. Hopefully, he wouldn't ever become as hard as Zandar had been. Become too hard, and you're too easy to break. Of course, in this lifetime, he hadn't stood by and watched as his parent was murdered. Max and Isabel had been raised by two parents who loved and supported them. That could make a difference.

Dagmar frowned as a sudden thought occurred to him. What was the Earth expression?

"History always repeats itself."

Heart filled with a sudden dread, Dagmar turned around to go for the phone. Before he reached it, he found himself knocked across the room. Hitting the wall hard, he fell to the ground and looked up at the open doorway.

"Lesson's over." Nicholas smirked down at him.

Reaching up desperately to block Nicholas's next attack, Dagmar never saw the figure in the shadows behind him. Everything went black as two energy blasts, one from in front and one from behind, went through his body.

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