Part 33 - Taking the Queen

The first thing Maria noticed when they drove up to the Evans house was how quiet the street was. There were no other cars around, no people walking by on a Sunday stroll, no children playing in the street. She tried to dismiss it as just a sign of her nerves (after all, she had almost been killed not even an hour earlier), but the quiet seemed too much. It was eerie, as if all life in this neighborhood had been erased.

At the feel of Michael's hand on her shoulder, she shook herself out of her morbid thoughts. They were all getting out of their respective cars, getting ready to go up to the house. She gave Michael a reassuring nod and followed him out of the car.

Valenti paused at the front door for a second, waving back the others to stay behind him. The door was ajar.

"Someone forced their way in," Michael whispered to the older man, pointing to the faint burn marks around the edges of the door, signs that someone had blasted their way into the house.

Valenti just nodded as he took out his gun. Behind him, he could hear Isabel's sharp intake of breath at his action. Alex took her hand as the sheriff slowly opened the door and entered the house, looking around, gun ready to shoot at anyone who threatened the group.

Michael followed next, then turned instantly to block the others' entrance. He could feel the amounts of pain in the house - the walls practically screamed with it. "Max, Izzy, why don't you wait out here?"

Max looked at him, understanding, but pushed his way past Michael anyway.

"No way," was all Isabel said as she shook off Alex's hand and followed her brother. The others followed more slowly, Maria and Liz linking arms. They could feel the tension coming off the aliens. Something was very wrong here.

Valenti had already checked out the living room and hallway. Nobody there. The house was perfectly silent except for the tentatively slow footsteps of the group.

"Kitchen," Michael said, pointing the way. That was where the vibes were coming from. What was it with kitchens, anyway? First Dagmar, now this.......

Valenti pushed open the door, spinning around to check things out. At first, he didn't see anyone. Then he saw the feet poking out from behind the counter in the center of the room. He rushed over to see Dianne Evans lying on the floor, eyes closed, face grey and ashen. His eyes quickly went to the large pool of blood surrounding her. The blood was still coming through from whatever injury there was.

"No! Mom!" Isabel pushed past him and ran over to her mother, falling to the floor next to her, shaking her body, ignoring the blood she was getting on her hands. "Wake up!"

"Damn," Valenti muttered. "Alex, get Isabel off her! Now!" Alex grabbed Isabel's shoulders, and pulled her back a bit.

"Iz, let us check her out." When Isabel tried to shake his hands off, Alex's voice sharpened. "Isabel, you're just making it worse. She might not be dead yet!"

"She's not." Valenti found a weak pulse. "She's still alive, but I'm not sure for how long."

"Kyle, Tess, go check out the rest of the house," Michael said absently. He couldn't sense anyone else in the house, but the Skins who attacked might have left them a message or something. Like the dying body of Max and Isabel's mother wasn't enough. Then his whole attention went to Max.

Max was just standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring down at the scene. Valenti had turned Dianne's body over carefully to show the huge bleeding wound in her back. It was just like the one on Nasedo when he came to Max's window that night months ago. Alex was holding Isabel, trying to keep her from going back to the unconscious body. Max knew they had only come into the room a minute ago, but it seemed like a lifetime.

Funny how time works in moments like that. While he could see everything in front of him very clearly, a part of his mind wasn't there at all. A part of him was back on Antar, holding his father as he died in his arms. Max stood froze, trapped in that moment. He didn't even pay attention to Isabel calling for him. She hadn't been there, after all. Just him and his father.

"Max." No, that wasn't true - he hadn't been alone then. It hadn't just been him and his father at that moment. Max forced himself to look away from the two scenes in front of him to see Michael standing at his side, calling his name. "She's not dead yet, Maxwell." Michael was concerned by the blankness in his friend's eyes. He grabbed Max's arm, hoping the physical contact would help jolt him out of his shock. Max blinked, processing Michael's reality, that he was there. Just like the last time. "She isn't dead. Go do your thing. It's not too late for her."

"Right." Max nodded and forced himself to walk over to his mother's body. Trying to ignore the hopeful look on Isabel's face, he reached over and put his hand over the injury yet. She wasn't dead yet. It wasn't too late.

Desperately, Max tried to reach out and form a connection. It shouldn't be hard to do, after all. This was his mother, the woman who had taken care of him his entire life on Earth. The woman who had taught him and Isabel how to read, who had held them when they had nightmares. The woman who baked them cookies, helped them with their homework, who taught him how to dance. The woman who watched movies on TV with him all those nights when he was heartbroken about Liz, and who never pressed him to tell her what was the matter. His mother.

And he couldn't do it. He couldn't form the connection. He couldn't heal her. The blood just kept flowing.

"Max, what's wrong?" Isabel's hysterical voice sounded so far away as he stared down at his blood-coated hand in shock. Why wasn't it working?

Closing his eyes, he tried again. Pouring everything he had, all his energy, into it.

Still nothing.

"What's going on, Max?" Valenti asked. Max opened his eyes and looked the sheriff in the eyes.

"It's not working."

"What do you mean, it's not working?" Isabel's fear and grief was turning into anger. "You saved Liz and an entire hospital wing full of strangers, but you can't save our own mother?" Max flinched at the accusation.

"Try again." He hadn't even realized Tess had come back until he heard her voice. "Try to combine your energy with ours." Tess took his free hand, then took Isabel's with her other one. Michael took Isabel's other hand from Alex.

Max could feel the other three's energies pouring into him and directed it towards the wound on his mother. Still nothing. He was trying with everything he had, everything they had, and he still couldn't form the connection. If he didn't feel her faint pulse, he would think that she was already dead.

Exhausted, Max fell back, feeling Tess and Michael's hands come up to stop him from falling. "I don't understand it. I can't form any connection with her. I can't heal her." He winced and looked away from the silent pain and reproach in Isabel's eyes.

Without waiting to hear more, Maria was on the phone dialing 911. If Max couldn't hear her, then they were going to have to give old-fashioned human means a try. Liz had found the household first aid kit by then, and was trying to staunch the bleeding. Anything that might help Mrs. Evans hold on until the ambulance got there.

Isabel wiped away her tears and sat there, talking to her mother, telling her how much she loved her and begging her to hold on until the ambulance got there. Saying that everything was going to be all right, even though anyone who heard her could tell she didn't believe it for a minute.

"The rest of the house is quiet." Max could hear Kyle quietly talking to his father. They all seemed to be so far away. He looked down at his bloody hands, then over at Michael.

"It's just like before," he said clearly.

Michael winced, then shook his head. "No, it's not. She's not dead, Max. You gotta hold on to that."

Max looked away, shaking his head. It was all happening again.

In the distance, they could hear sirens.

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It wasn't long afterwards that they were all gathered in a hospital waiting room. The doctors were working on Mrs. Evans, trying to get the bleeding under control, to save her. Valenti was talking with hospital security as the others gathered in pairs throughout the room.

"Are you okay?" Kyle quietly asked Tess. She had been silent since they left the Evans house.

"What?" She looked at him blankly for a minute, then nodded shakily. "Yeah. It's just....... that wound looked the same as the one that killed Nasedo." She shrugged. "Just brought up some stuff, I guess." She looked over at Max, standing blankly along a wall, then over at Isabel, sitting next to Alex, silent tears running down her face. "Not that it's anywhere near the same thing. Nasedo was never really a father to me. This is so much worse for Max and Isabel."

"Hey. Don't do that." Kyle put his arms around her and pulled her close. "He was the only family you had for a long time. You're allowed to grieve for him."

"Well, I have a real family now, right?"

"Yeah," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Kyle?" she asked hesitantly.

"What?"

"Do you ever worry about the sheriff? When he's out doing his job, I mean? Do you worry about him getting killed in the line of duty?"

Kyle looked across the room at his father, remember how his dad rushed into the house first today, how he always tried to go in first when they were in trouble. "All the time, Tess. All the time."
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Maria looked over at Michael, sitting so stiffly next to her, attention focused on Max. When she reached over and placed her hand on top of his, he jumped slightly before turning to her. "Hey, spaceboy."

"Hey." He looked around. "I hate hospitals."

"Yeah." She followed his gaze back to Max. "Why do you think it didn't work? Max's healing, I mean."

"No idea. I thought he could............" Michael's voice trailed off, then he started again. "I was sure he could save her. That things would go differently this time." He clenched his fists in anger. "Max and Isabel don't deserve to lose another parent because of my kind."

"They're not your kind, Michael. You turned your back on them a long time ago." He wasn't meeting her eyes. She hated that. When Michael wouldn't look at her, that meant he was either beating himself up about something or he didn't want her to know his feelings. All she was getting through the connection was cold hatred and anger, feelings she associated more with Tymrath-memories than with her Michael. She reached up her hand and turned his face to hers. "This isn't your fault. Anymore than what happened to their father back there was your......"

"She could have been my mother, too, you know," he interrupted her abruptly. "If I had just been able to overcome my fear that night. If I had trusted them more. Maybe the Evanses would have adopted me, too." He put his head down in his hands, his next words muffled. "I always envied Max and Isabel their lives. There I was, stuck with Hank, and they had everything I ever wanted. I almost hated Max for that at times. But I never wanted to take it from them."

"Of course not, Michael." She ran her hand in comforting circles on his back.

"My fault," he muttered. Not really understanding, she simply put her arms around him and pulled him close.
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Liz walked up to Max, and leaned against the wall next to him. She put her hand in his, but he didn't even seem to notice. He just kept staring blankly at the wall opposite him. She'd never seen him this non-responsive. Never.

"The doctors will do everything they can to help her, Max," she said softly, trying to give him some comfort.

"I couldn't heal before, you know," he said in a calm voice. That very calmness bothered Liz. It was too detached from what was going on. "I couldn't do anything to stop him from dying. I just sat there, holding him, watching him die. I should have died that day, too, but Tym saved me. I remember wondering why. It didn't make sense to me at the time."

"Max, you did your best."

He went on as if he didn't even hear her. "Healing must be something I got from the human DNA. One of those 'human' powers that Nasedo told Michael about." He stopped and gave a low, bitter laugh. "Not that it helped much today." He did turn to Liz then, and she almost stepped back from the pain in his eyes. His protective shock was starting to wear off. "Why didn't it work, Liz? Why couldn't I heal her? She's my mother!"

"I don't know, Max. I'm so sorry." She took him in her arms and held him as he leaned into her as if all his strength was gone.
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"She has to be all right. She can't die." Isabel kept repeating it over and over again, so quietly that Alex wouldn't even be able to hear her if he wasn't sitting right next to her. "I need her too much. She can't die."

"We have to hope, Izzy. The doctors here are good. They'll do everything they can."

She just shook her head. "She doesn't even know the truth about us, Alex. We've been lying to her our whole lives."

The individual conversations stopped as a doctor came into the room, walking over to where Max and Liz stood. Valenti walked over to join them. After a few minutes of quiet conversation, Liz left them and walked over to the others.

She stopped in front of Isabel, kneeling down in front of her. "They were able to stop the bleeding." She looked back at Valenti, who was talking to Max, trying to get through to him. "But the problem is, she's dehydrating at an amazing rate. They're trying to control it, but they're not sure they can. Right now, they've just managed to slow it down."

"Dehydrating?" Isabel asked blankly.

"Yeah. Seems that there's some type of foreign substance in her system. A poison. The wound was probably the point of entry. The doctors have never seen anything like it before. The words 'medical impossibility' keeps being mentioned." Liz reached up and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She had faith in science, but how could science deal with things from another planet, things which they had no knowledge on?

"Impossible meaning alien," Alex whispered.

"Yeah." Liz took a deep breath. "They don't know how to stop it. And if they can't....." her voice trailed off as Max joined them.

"Then she'll die." Max's voice was flat, unemotional.

"Like Nasedo did," Tess said in a tiny voice.

He looked at her. "Exactly."

"No," Isabel shook her head quickly, memories of Nasedo's disintegrating body going through her mind rapidly. "There has to be something they can do."

Liz reached over and took her hand. "They're not giving up, Isabel. They're trying to figure out the exact components of the poison so that they can come up with an antidote."

"If it's something they Skins came up with, then it's going to be hard for them to figure it out. You know, since it's not from Earth." Maria's voice was subdued, too. She couldn't imagine what she would do if it was her mother lying in there.

"Hard, but not impossible," Kyle put in. "They haven't given up yet, have they, Liz?"

"No, and they're not going to. Neither should you." Liz looked beseechingly from Isabel to Max.

Isabel closed her eyes and nodded. When she opened them again, she looked around and frowned. "Where's the sheriff?"

"He's trying to arrange some added security for Mom," Max explained. "Some added security he can trust. Just in case they come back and try again."

"Security he can trust? That could take a while." Max's only response to Kyle's comment was to shrug.

"So, we wait?" Maria wanted to do something to help, but nothing was coming to mind.

"We wait." Max sat down, and Liz quickly sat next to him.

Isabel turned to Alex. "Can you come with me? We should call Dad and let him know what's going on."

"Of course." Alex got up and followed her out of the room and down the corridor.

Back in the room, the silence stretched on.

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When they got to the pay phones, Isabel turned to Alex. "Can you call him please? I don't think I can handle telling him about Mom."

"No problem." Alex gathered her close and gave her a quick hug. "It's going to be okay, Iz."

"You can't promise me that. And you know it." Pulling herself free, she reached in to her purse and pulled out her phone book. "His number's in here. I'm just going to get some water. I'll be right back." Before Alex could protest, she walked off. She needed some space right then.

Isabel walked down the hallways, absently wandering. She'd been so certain that Max could heal their mother, that things would be okay. And then Max would have no choice but to let her tell Mom everything, all about them being aliens. Things would be fine. But it didn't work out that way, and now they were going to lose their mother.

And there wasn't a thing they could do about it.

The helplessness was the worst part. Every time they got past one crisis, another came right up. She was starting to wonder what the point of even trying to fight was, if there was no way they could ever win. The odds were stacked too high against them.

As Isabel wandered, she started to get a feeling of being watched. She glanced around, but none of the few people in the halls seemed to be paying her any particular attention. Still, she couldn't shake the certainty that someone was watching her.

Ultimately, her walk led her through the side doors of the hospital and outside. She walked a few feet, then stopped, glancing around. There was nobody in sight. "I know you're there."

She heard a faint chuckle, then saw a shimmering in the air a few feet away from her. Nicholas appeared. "Hello, Vilandra."

Not caring if anyone saw them, Isabel used her powers to throw him back against the wall. "What did you do to her?"

Not looking the least bit hurt or concerned, Nicholas got up and brushed himself up. "Me? I'm no scientist, Vilandra. I have no idea what's in that particular poison. And I don't especially care. All I do know is that she's going to die if she's not given the antidote soon."

Antidote. There was an antidote. Slowly, Isabel forced herself to lower her hand and try to talk calmly. "What do you want?"

"I think it's the other way around. What do you want, Vilandra?" Nicholas gave her a smug grin. "You really are attached to those humans who raised you, aren't you? I would have thought you'd have better taste."

Isabel tried to rein in her anger. "If you don't want to end up little bits of husk-dust floating through the air like your dear sister, you better get to the point."

She saw something glimmer in Nicholas's eyes at the reference to Whitaker's death. Was it fear? Anger? She couldn't tell, and it was gone almost instantly. "The point is, I'm offering you a deal."

"A deal. What deal?"

"You come with me to see Kivar, and he gives you the antidote so that you can save your mother's life."

Isabel felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. "Kivar? He's here?" Nicholas just nodded. She narrowed her eyes at him. "The last time I went off somewhere with you, I ended up almost getting killed. The last two times, in fact. Why should I believe anything you say?"

Nicholas shrugged. "It's different this time. I'll be honest with you. Your death would make me very happy. But Kivar doesn't want you dead. The other three, yes. You, no. And I follow orders."

"You're lying." She shook her head in disbelief. "Kivar's not here."

"So suspicious." Nicholas made a disapproving clucking noise, then reached into a pocket. "He sent you this as proof." He handed Isabel a ring.

Her breath caught as she looked at it. It was exquisite, a ring made of thin filaments of precious silver and pink stone woven together. She knew that ring. It had been hers back on Antar. She'd given it to Kivar as a token of her love for him right after their first night together. She could still remember how it had felt to be in his arms......

"None of that was real," she whispered to herself, looking down at the ring in her hand.

"Of course it was." She looked down at Nicholas's quiet statement. She hadn't noticed him coming up so closely. "You know that. You remember how it felt with him."

She did remember. She remembered sneaking out of the palace to see Kivar. She could recall how she'd dreamed about those stolen moments in his arms, how being with him had been worth all the risks.

Stop it, she commanded herself silently. Clutching the ring tightly, she whispered, "He's nearby, isn't he?" She could feel the pull to be with him. It was so much stronger than it had been in the dreams.

Nicholas just grinned at her.

"Will he really give me the antidote?" she asked, hating the sound of desperation in her voice. But this was her mother's life.

"He just wants to see you, Vilandra. From what I understand, you practically invited him here." That grin never left his face. "But it's your choice. You can stay here if you want. If the human woman dies, it won't bother me any. You decide. She's the only mother you have left, though. And this is your only way to save her."

Isabel tried to get her thoughts under control, but everything was getting so confused in her mind. She knew that she should turn around and go back inside, go back to Max and..... but she couldn't finish the thought. This was the only way to save her mother. And a part of her did want to see Kivar again. She barely noticed the ring as it fell to the ground.

When Nicholas held out his hand, she reached out hers. But then she hesitated. There was something, no, someone, she was forgetting. If only she could think straight. This was wrong.

As Isabel started to pull her hand back, her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Nicholas sighed in annoyance and looked over her body to the Skin standing behind her, syringe in hand.

"You better not have hurt her," he said, crossing his hands and glaring at his assistant.

"She'll be fine," the other Skin rushed to assure him.

"Kivar wanted her to come to him willingly." Nicholas rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Whatever. Help me get her into the car, then go tell Kivar we have her." He looked around with distaste. "The quicker we get out of this stupid town, and off this forsaken planet, the better."

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Michael couldn't stand the sitting around anymore. "Let's go find Alex and Isabel," he whispered to Maria, who nodded agreement. Quietly, the two of them left the waiting room and went down the hall in the direction of the phones.

When they got there, Alex was just hanging up. He nodded in welcome at them. "Mr. Evans is on his way here. It shouldn't take him long."

Michael looked around. "Where's Iz?"

Alex frowned. "She went to get some water." He started to feel a nervous knot growing in his stomach. "She should have been back by now."

"This is not good," Maria murmured.

Quickly, they went through the halls. No sign of Isabel. Questioning a nurse, they learned that Isabel had been spotted going outside, so they followed.

Once outside, they didn't see anyone. Alex quickly ran around the side of the building to keep looking. Michael and Maria moved to follow him, but Michael stopped when he saw something glittering in the grass next to the sidewalk.

"Hold on a minute, Maria." He went over and picked it up.

"What is it?" Maria peered over his shoulder to look at the ring he was holding.

"This was Vilandra's." Michael frowned, trying to remember. "She used to wear it all the time, up until.." His fist clenched around the ring as his voice trailed off, remembering. When he opened his fist again, the ring was a melted lump.

"Let me guess. Something about Kivar, right?" Maria was starting to move beyond nervous to downright panicked, and it wasn't just because she was getting that feeling from Michael.

"We better catch up with Alex," he said shortly, grabbing her hand and pulled her along.

Alex was all the way around the hospital, walking towards the small playground they had back there, before he saw another living soul. But it wasn't Isabel. Instead, he saw Deputy Hanson. Wondering what he was doing there, Alex started to approach the deputy.

Then Hanson looked up and his eyes met Alex's. Alex knew those eyes. He recognized the empty hunger in them. He'd been trapped in dreams with that emptiness, that hate and greed, for nights after endless night.

Hanson smiled and tipped his head briefly in acknowledgement of Alex's recognition. Then, he calmly drew his gun and pointed it at the teen.

Frozen, Alex could only watch the gun as it was aimed at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Michael and Maria approaching. That snapped him out of it. Raising his hand and pointing at Hanson, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "It's Kivar!" just as the gun went off.

Michael didn't hesitate for a minute. Letting go of Maria's hand, he ran, throwing himself through the air to push Alex out of the way. He felt the bullet graze his shoulder as they landed, but ignored it as he stood, determined to stop Kivar. When he got up, Hanson was already turning and walking away, apparently unconcerned. But before Michael could do anything, he heard a noise behind him and looked to see a man jump out from behind a corner and grab Maria.

"Hey!" Maria yelled as she was suddenly grabbed from behind. A rush of adrenalin went through her body as she instinctively started struggling, trying to shake off the man. While the man winced in pain as she kicked him, he didn't let go.

Fine. Twisting her hand, Maria dug her nails into her attacker's skin. The peeling skin that came off only proved that her suspicions were correct - it was a Skin. Which explained why, no matter how much she kicked and twisted, he was able to hold her. Alien strength, she thought bitterly as she prepared to stick her elbow into his stomach and pull away.

Then she stopped and looked at Michael. The instant their eyes met, Maria knew that he wanted her to stay still, to stop fighting. She didn't get it, but she could sense the emphasis in his silent message, so she did.

Michael had been about to rush the attacker, when he saw one of the Skin's hands go into his pocket. Michael had no idea what was in there, but he could tell from the Skin's body language and the look in his eyes that there was something there. And if it was a weapon of some sort, something that could hurt Maria, then Michael wasn't taking any chances. As it was, the other arm had gone up around Maria's neck, threatening to choke her if she kept up her struggling.

The worse thing was, Michael could tell that this Skin, whoever he was, was capable of hurting Maria. Of killing her. Just like he had been able to pick up the recent violence in the Evans house, Michael could sense it clinging to this Skin, although in a weaker amount. He didn't think it was a coincidence.

"Come any closer, and she's dead," the Skin said quickly, starting to back away slowly, holding Maria as a shield between him and Michael. His hand came away from his pocket, in order to hold Maria tighter.

So Michael stood still, and hoped that Maria would do the same. He didn't dare try anything, not with Maria's life in danger. He could feel Maria's anger, and under that, her fear, and it was only making his own terror worse. One wrong move here, and their life was over.

He couldn't act if he was petrified with fear. Frantically, Michael searched through his memories, trying to remember some of the calming techniques he'd learned as Tymrath. He pushed his fear down as far as it could go, locking it away to deal with later. He forced himself to focus on the problem objectively, to not dwell on the fact that it was Maria standing there in danger.

He couldn't lose her.

Instead of fear, Michael focused on the anger. The hate. Kivar. That was easier for him to deal with. He could work if he was angry. He couldn't work if he was afraid.

Maria felt the jumble of emotions going through Michael, and felt him eventually calm down. Well, calm was the wrong word. Focused was better. And as she felt him focus, she felt her own breathing slow down. She trusted Michael. With every breath, she could feel him reassuring her. He would take care of this.

Carefully holding his hands to the side, Michael started to walk slowly towards them. Doing his best to appear non-threatening, he searched for any idea of how to get that Skin to let go of Maria. Then he remembered something that Nicholas had said at their last meeting.

"Your name used to be enough to terrify any of our people. I knew soldiers who would rather take the risk of execution for desertion rather than face you in battle."

And that gave Michael an idea.

Frowning in concentration, Michael started to speak quickly in Antaran. Maria couldn't understand what he was saying - the only word she recognized was Tymrath's name. Oh, and the word "teel". Something about hearts. But from the cold fury radiating from him, she doubted he was discussing anything romantic.

Alex had gotten to his feet by then, too. He had even less idea of what Michael was talking about than Maria did, but he could see the effect it was having on the Skin. The other alien was growing paler by the word, and his hands were starting to shake, loosening their hold on Maria. All his attention was focused on Michael, not the girl in his arms, and there was a look of total terror on his face as he looked at Michael.

Michael was only watching the Skin with part of his attention. The rest was focused on Maria. When he saw that the Skin had practically forgotten that he had a hostage in his arms, Michael caught Maria's eyes and looked down, hoping she'd understand.

Maria suddenly elbowed the Skin in the stomach and dropped to the ground. In a flurry of movement, Michael was on the enemy alien, throwing him through the air and against the hospital's back wall. Alex ran over to Maria as Michael stormed after the Skin.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked her in worry.

"Two near-death experiences in one day," she answered grumpily. "It's a bit much, don't ya think?" She tried to control her shaking. "Next time, I get to save one of you two."

"Oh, I don't know." Alex forced a grin. "You were holding your own okay there for a while. I think you tore off about half of his Husk."

"Eww, don't remind me." Maria took a deep breath, trying not to hyperventilate. "Yeah, I'm okay. How about you?" She looked over at him. "That bullet didn't hurt you, did it?" '

"Nah," he hurried to calm her. "Besides, it was only my first near-death experience of the day. I'm still behind you."

"Ha, ha. Let's try to keep it that way, okay?" At the loud thump behind them, they both turned to see Michael beating the Skin's head against the wall until he lost consciousness. Then Michael dropped him to the ground, rushing back to Maria.

"Maria." His hands were running all over her body, checking to make sure she was okay.

"I'm okay. Honestly." She could feel Michael's calm facade slip totally and the panic return, along with relief. It was almost enough to overwhelm them both. She was glad she was already on the ground. She doubted she'd be able to stand.

"He could have killed you," he whispered.

"I'm fine." She wanted to reassure him. Michael was more worried now that it was over then he'd been able to be at the time.

"Shh...." he whispered gently, leaning his head towards her until their foreheads touched. "Just let me check." Before she could ask him what he was talking about, he closed his eyes. Without even knowing why, she found herself doing the same. She could feel his breath just a few inches away from her face, feeling his hands gently rubbing circles on her upper arms.

And then she could feel him even more. She could feel him inside her, checking her out like Max had, only not from the outside like Max. It was as if Michael's spirit was actually inside her body, as if their souls were mixing someplace where bodies were unnecessary, and the only thing that was important was the way they felt towards each other. Every inch of her was tingling and filled with Michael's love for her. Even though his hands never left her arms, she felt as if he was touching her all over. Every cell in her body was joined with Michael's.

It was the most intimate feeling she'd ever felt in her life.

And then it stopped. She opened her eyes to see him looking down at her, that look in his eyes again - the one that said she was the most amazing thing in the world.

"You're okay." He said it with such relief that she had to laugh at him.

"I said that. One of these days, spaceboy, you're going to have to start listening to me."

He just smirked at her, then got up, pulling her up with him. Then he turned back to Alex, who was just standing there watching them. "So, Hanson's Kivar, huh?"

"Yeah." Alex had a determined look on his face. "I'm thinking that his being here might have something to do with Isabel's disappearance."

"Kivar just tried to kill you, Alex. Have you really thought about that?" Maria asked her friend.

He shrugged absently. "I've decided to repress that particular thought until later. After we find Isabel. Then I can have a total break-down."

Michael was looking back over at the unconscious Skin. "That one let Kivar get away. I bet he knows where they took Isabel."

Maria followed his gaze. "Do you think he'll tell us?"

Michael smiled coldly. "He'll tell."

"Hey," Maria remembered something. "What did you say to him that freaked him out so much?"

"Not much. Just let him know who I was, and told him about some of the things I did back then." His look changed to contempt as he looked at the other alien. "It didn't take much to scare him. Coward."

Maria opened her mouth, then decided not to ask. She didn't need to know the details. Before she could say anything else, Michael had turned to her and was cupping her cheek gently with one hand.

"Maria, I want you to go back inside and let the others know what's happened. Send Tess to find us, okay? We might need her help."

"What about the others?"

He thought a minute, then shook his head decisively. "I think we can handle asking this guy some questions without needing the entire group. And Max shouldn't have to leave his mother. Not for this." He turned to Alex. "Can you go find us an empty room inside that we can use?"

"Sure. No problem." Alex went in through a side door.

"Michael, I don't like leaving you." Maria was starting to get a bit concerned. Now that his relief was fading a bit, she could feel him starting to build up that cold wall again. But under it, she could sense something that left her confused and worried. There was a mixture of fear and excitement. The fear she could partially understand.

The excitement worried her.

He smiled down at her. "I'm okay. Trust me, this is something I can handle." He enveloped her in a hug. "Tell the others what's going on, okay, teel-sharan?"

Despite her doubts, she nodded and went back inside. She could always come back after letting the others know what was up.

The minute they were gone, Michael walked over to the unconscious body. He frowned down at him, thinking about his threat to kill Maria. That wasn't acceptable - she wasn't part of their fight. Quickly and efficiently, Michael pushed down the collar of the other's shirt, nodding in satisfaction when he saw that there was no chain there. No necklace. He hadn't really expected there to be one, as frightened as this guy had been, but it could have been an act. It never hurt to be careful.

Next, Michael looked through the pocket the Skin had been reaching for, his frown only increasing when he found the pocket knife. So that was what he was going for - a knife to hurt Maria with.

Looking around, Michael noticed a jump rope on the ground nearby. Perfect. Smiling a little, he picked up the rope. He hauled the Skin to his feet and prepared to carry him inside.

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When the Skin woke up, the first thing he saw was Alex looking at him steadily. "Michael, he's awake."

"Good." Michael walked around in front of the Skin, looking down at him, absently shifting the knife from hand to hand. "Took him long enough."

Instinctively, the Skin tried to get up, but couldn't. He was tied to the chair with the jump rope Michael'd found. "Stop that!" Michael said harshly, and he did. He remembered the stories he'd heard about Tymrath, and he didn't particularly like the look he was getting.

"So," Michael started. "Here's your situation. You laid hands on someone under my protection. Not the smartest move." Michael's voice was hard and level, lacking any emotion but leaving no doubt as to his sincerity. "You have only two things going for you now." Alex perched up on the counter in the corner, watching. He recognized that he wasn't a participant in this particular fact-finding mission. Tess would keep everyone away from this hallway as long as she could, but every moment they spent was a moment longer where Kivar had Isabel. Michael seemed certain that he could get the information they needed to find her, and Alex had no interest or intention of interrupting him.

Michael crouched down in front of the Skin, taking the knife and slowly tracing it up his cheek, barely touching the skin. "The first thing is, I can find some measure of understanding for loyalty to your commander. Even if it is Kivar, and especially since, fortunately for you, you didn't actually hurt her." The pressure on the knife increased, causing it to dig deeper. "The second thing is, we need information." Michael leaned back, removing the knife. "So you have a chance to get out of here alive. But only if you cooperate."

The Skin nodded quickly.

"What's your name?"

"Allan." The shaking in the Skin's voice disgusted Michael. This guy was no fighter. Why had Kivar sent him?

"Not your Husk name. Your real name. Your Antaran name." When the Skin didn't answer right away, Michael slapped him hard. He tried to ignore the conflicting emotions rushing through him as the Skin's head snapped back. Concentrate on the objective.

"Eustan," he managed to get out.

"Eustan," Michael said slowly, thinking. "Nope. Don't know you." Michael stood up and looked down, arms folded. "Why would Kivar send you, anyway? You're no fighter. What are you doing here?"

"I'm a scientist. I worked on the poison."

"And the antidote?" Alex slid down and walked over to stand next to Michael.

Eustan's eyes slid from Alex back to Michael. "Answer him," Michael said sharply.

"Yes. There's an antidote." Speaking more quickly, he went on. "We don't have much of the poison, but Kivar has some, along with the antidote. We couldn't bring much with us from Antar."

"So there is an antidote." Michael pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Time to deal with that later. "Where's Isabel?"

"Who?" Eustan seemed genuinely confused.

"Vilandra." Alex was starting to get impatient now. It could be seen in the tension flowing through his body, and heard in the tone of his voice. Michael could empathize. If it was Maria who was missing, he'd be beyond impatient by now. He'd be tearing things into little pieces. Possibly starting with Eustan.

Eustan just shook his head. But Michael could read his eyes. Eustan knew where Isabel was. He just didn't want to say. He was more afraid of Kivar than he was of them. Time to change that.

"Fine." Michael leaned down closer, smiling again in that frighteningly cold way. "You're about to help me prove a theory I have. Wanna know what it is?" When Eustan didn't answer, he went on. "See, I already know how to kill you. Direct hit to the self-destruct button on your back. Brilliant idea, by the way. But my working theory is that if your Husks have enough human DNA in them to allow you to live here, then they also have enough human DNA in them to let you be hurt like a human could be." His smile grew even wider. "I've been doing some research into human anatomy, you see. Preparing."

"That's what the anatomy books were for," Alex burst out in realization. Michael didn't even look around, his eyes intent on Eustan.

"So, let's find out if my theory's right." Michael reached out and placed his hand over Eustan's heart, starting to gather his energy for a blast of energy. The captured Skin started to squirm in his seat, trying to pull back away from Michael as he could feel the air between them start to crackle with energy. Then, Michael tilted his head to one side, hand travelling up until it was around Eustan's neck. "Or maybe I should just choke the life out of you. The way you tried to do to her."

Michael's hand bent around Eustan's neck, but before he started to tighten it, Alex spoke up. Michael took down his hand and leaned back. "I'm guessing you didn't know Tymrath was here when you showed up. I'm not sure why you're willing to die for someone who would set you up like that." Eustan's eyes slowly focused on Alex, really paying attention to him for the first time. A look of disgust on his face, Alex went on. "I know for a fact that Kivar doesn't give a damn about you or what happens to you. Is he worth dying for?"

When Eustan didn't answer, Michael nodded. "Whatever. You're not going to help us, then you die. As painfully as I can manage." He patted the Skin on his shoulder in an almost friendly manner. "I used to be good at this, you know. But it's been a long time. A lifetime. Literally. This should be interesting." He started to reach out his hand again, but was stopped when Eustan started to yell out information, speaking as quickly as he could.

"There's an old factory outside town where Nicholas has been staying. We've been using it for our base of operations. It used to be a drug company, I think."

Alex nodded. "I know it. That's the factory MetaChem used to be in until they built the new one."

"Good," Michael said shortly, turning away and walking over to the sink in the corner. He splashed some water on his face, feeling sick.

He could hear Alex turn to look after him. "Michael? Are you okay?"

He turned back just in time to see Eustan break the ropes tying him down and push Alex aside, rushing out. Michael quickly grabbed Alex's arm. "Let him go. Tell Tess."

Alex looked at him in confusion, but nodded and left the room.

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After Alex left, Michael slowly slid to the ground, closing his eyes, trying to fight off the terror he was feeling. What am I becoming? He had honestly been planning out the things to do to Eustan if mere threats hadn't been enough to make him talk, things that only a short while ago, he would never have even thought of. Would I have done them? Desperately, he tried to calm down his breathing. That was too close. That was much too close. He had to be careful - he couldn't take chances like that. If he lost control, even for a second.......... But I didn't. And I got the information I needed. Now we can save Isabel. He could have killed Maria. That made the shaking stop. If that Skin had hurt Maria - well, then Michael really didn't know what he would have done. As it was, Michael had recognized the familiarity inherent in the situation, the ease with which he'd fallen into the patterns. Do what you have to in order to accomplish your goal. It had been too easy, it had been too natural. It was so much simpler to just let the anger and the hate sweep him up. That was the trap. That was what he had to guard against. Damn. It was too easy, though. Too easy.

Michael was back on his feet by the time Tess and Alex came back into the room. Tess didn't look happy at all. She glared at him. "Why did we just let him go?"

"You know he's going to warn Kivar we're coming," Alex added.

Michael nodded. "Yeah, of course. But Kivar already knows we're coming." He took a deep breath, rubbing his eyebrow. "Kivar knows that I'd come after her. You, too, I'd guess, after all his time running around in your mind. I don't care if Eustan warns Kivar."

Alex got it. "Oh. You want Isabel to know we're coming."

Michael smiled a little. "I don't want Izzy to think she's alone."

"Okay, Michael, I guess I get that," Tess spoke slowly. "But do you realize that was the same Skin who tried to run Maria down earlier?"

Michael's head whipped around and stared at her for a long minute. The look in his eyes was enough to make even her nervous. It was too intent, too not-Michael. She stared to back away a little. "Michael?"

"That was the same one? He almost killed Maria twice?"

"Yeah. He's the same one. I recognized him when he ran past me."

Michael finally looked away. "Well, it's too late to worry about that now. Now we have to go get Isabel back. That's the most important thing now." Michael looked back at Tess. She was relieved to see that the strange look in his eyes was gone. "Tess, Alex and I are going to go after Isabel."

"I'm coming with you." Her response was immediate.

"No, you're not. You go back and tell the others."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at him. "Is this some sort of 'we have to protect the womenfolk' nonsense?" Alex snorted in the background, muttering something about how it was more like they needed protection from their womenfolk. Tess chose to ignore him for the moment. "Because if it is, then forget that. You know I can take care of myself."

"I know that, and that's not what this is about. Tess, I know what I'm doing."

She continued to glare at him. "Max is going to want to come, too."

"Yeah, but do you really want to be the one to take him from his mother's death bed?" he asked bluntly. When Tess shook her head, he went on. "Don't let them come after us, Tess. Especially not Maria. Understand?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, I understand. But easier said than done, commander." Her voice carried more than a tinge of sarcasm. "How exactly am I supposed to stop Maria from going wherever she wants to go?"

Michael gave her a smile and squeezed her shoulder briefly. "I have complete faith in your abilities."

"Whatever." Tess rolled her eyes. "I can't help but notice that you're not telling Maria yourself that she has to stay behind. Coward." Michael really had nothing to say to that. Tess was right.

They walked out and separated, Tess going back to the others, the boys heading out to Alex's car.

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The two were silent until they got to the car. Before they got in, Alex looked over at Michael. "So, why can't Maria come?"

"It's too dangerous," Michael answered shortly.

"And it's not too dangerous for me?" he retorted. "Gee, I'm flattered. Or maybe insulted that you don't care if I get killed by an evil alien or not." Alex's voice didn't increase in volume, but the tone changed. Michael could tell he was getting quietly furious. "I'm getting sick of all the secrets, Michael. It's tiring having to guess at what's going on with you. What's up with you and Maria now?"

Michael gave him the patented Guerin scowl. "The longer we stand here, the more time Kivar has to do whatever he's doing with Isabel. Is that okay with you?"

Refusing to back down, Alex glared back at him. "You really can be a jerk, you know that?" Angrily, he got into the car, starting the engine and pulling away, barely giving Michael a chance to sit down.

As the drove out of the parking lot, Michael looked over at his friend and let out a regretful sigh. "Sorry. That was stupid."

"Yeah."

The silence went on. Finally, unable to handle it anymore, Michael blurted out, "I think Maria's pregnant."

"What?" The car nearly swerved off the road as Alex turned in his seat to stare at Michael in shock. Michael anxiously grabbed the door.

"Road!" he yelled, pointing with one hand as the other held on tightly.

"What? Oh, right." Alex turned his attention to the road, bringing the car back under control.

"And Maria says that I drive erratically," Michael muttered.

"Maria's pregnant?" There was still a note of shock in Alex's voice as he watched his passenger out of the corner of his eye. "Are you sure?"

"Not completely." Michael shrugged, trying to be casual but failing totally. He hadn't even put the thought into words to himself before. "Pretty sure."

"It's not possible," Alex said with certainty.

Despite everything, Michael had to laugh. "Um, yeah, it is, actually."

"That's not what I mean. I mean, she's on birth control. Has been for a year now, ever since your little sleepover that her mom walked in on."

Michael looked at him curiously. "How do you know about whether or not Maria's on birth control?"

Alex looked a little uncomfortable. "It's part of the whole having girls as best friends thing. I get to hear all types of conversations I would be just as happy not to be a part of."

"Okay. Well, I guess it didn't work. Because she's pregnant."

"You think." Alex was having a hard time processing this. Maria pregnant. Michael and Maria as parents. He shook his head - this had been a very strange day. "It would only be a week, Michael, at the most. Isn't that too early to find out? What makes you so sure?" he pointed out.

"Lots of things, but mostly, I could sense another energy when I scanned Maria, after Eustan," his voice dripped contempt at the alien's name, "threatened to crush her throat."

"So, Eustan threatened not only Maria, but also your child." Alex put things together.

"And helped poison Max's mother, and was involved in taking Isabel."

Alex sighed. "No wonder you were wanting to kill him so badly, then."

Michael tensed up and looked over at Alex. "What are you talking about?"

"I could see it, Michael. You wanted to kill that guy so bad it was hurting you not to." Alex turned at the light and kept on going. He decided not to focus on the idea of Michael and Maria as parents and what that meant for them. He had enough to deal with right then - they all did. Yay for denial and repression, he thought with a cynical humor.

"I didn't notice you doing anything to stop me." Michael's voice was low and bitter.

"No, you didn't." Alex's was very quiet. "I could also see that you hated the fact that you wanted to do it. And," his voice gained emphasis, trying to drive what he was saying through the alien's thick skull, "I also saw that you didn't kill him. You're still you, Michael. That hasn't changed." Michael didn't respond to that. "I think it would probably help you to talk to someone about what happened to you before."

"Nothing to talk about." What happened to the good old days when nobody paid attention to him? First Maria, now Alex. Next thing he knew, Liz was going to want to have long discussions about his feelings.

"Don't, Michael. I don't get all of it yet, but from what I've figured out..... Just talk to someone, would you? If not me, then Maria." He looked at Michael out of the corner of his eye. "I'm guessing Max is probably the last one you want to talk to about this, huh?"

"It wouldn't help." Michael crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively. "Talking doesn't change the past. And it doesn't matter now." It didn't involve any of the others, just him. And he intended to keep it that way.

"It might help. You don't know until you try."

"Fine. Why don't you start it, then? You can open up and tell me exactly what Kivar had you doing to Isabel in those dreams." When Alex didn't answer, Michael nodded. "See? It's not important. Some things are personal."

"I hope you're right," Alex said, pointing ahead. "Because we're almost there. And I think we're both going to need to be in our best form going up against Kivar."

"Nervous?" Michael forced a cocky grin. No need to let the troops know how worried he was, right?

Alex looked at him as if he was crazy. "Terrified. What do you think?" But his grip on the steering wheel stayed firm and steady.

Michael nodded to himself. Despite everything, Alex was still Alex, and was still willing to rush into any dangerous alien situation for Isabel. Some things never changed, thankfully.

He just hoped that they were all able to hold onto their true selves as firmly.

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