Part 23

Michael sighed as he shut Max’s bedroom door softly behind him, leaving the soft sounds of Liz, Maria, and Alex’s chattering, as he strode into the kitchen, opening up the refrigerator and pulling out a carton of orange juice.

Without even thinking twice about it, Michael opened the carton and took a big gulp of juice, a natural reaction to living alone…not having to share with anyone else. He didn’t have the life experience of a family and friends the way Max and Isabel did. They were all he had…until Maria, but things were even tense there at the moment. Because of him…because of all that he was afraid of.

And all of these new developments in his life, among their group, was bringing all of his fears right back to the surface. It was reestablishing all of his previous fears…that no matter how hard he tried…no matter how much Max and Isabel tried, he, Michael Guerin, was truly an outsider in this world…even in their small, tightly knit group…he had no true purpose.

The whole world seemed to revolve around Max. Max was the king…he was the purpose in sending them here in the first place. Isabel was sent as his sister, his blood relative, second in power only to him back on their home. And Liz was his love, his destiny, his strength…without her Max was empty, unable to function.

But what about Michael? He was sent here as Isabel’s husband, but he wasn’t…not really. They weren’t in love. They didn’t belong together. And Max’s second in command…what was that? Someone to pick up the slack and do Max’s dirty work. He wasn’t there out of love, or devotion, or anything else…he was just there to be an extra set of hands to protect Max…

Only now there were two more sets of hands to share that job with him, so where did that leave him? The two new protectors came from home…they were more powerful then him, more knowledgeable than him…more prepared for their position, while he was just left fumbling for a clue. And to make matters worth…Max and Liz both felt a connection to them…a primal connection…one that Michael didn’t understand and could never be a part of.

Growling, Michael crunched the orange juice cartons in his hands, throwing it violently into the trash can to relieve the tension building up within him.

He wanted answers…and maybe the two new protectors would be able to answer them.

---- ---- -----

Liz giggled as she flopped back on the bed, using Alex’s chest as a pillow, and he groaned in mock pain as Maria joined the two of them, three friends comfortably resting in a tangle of limbs.

"So…Liz…" Alex started. "Are you doing okay? I mean it seems to me that these changes are effecting you more than anyone else."

"Yeah, how are you holding up, babe?" Maria asked. "I mean, a week ago you thought you were human, and now not only are you the newest member of the Pod Squad, but you remember your past life, and have a weird freaky connection to some new aliens in town? I know I’d be flipping out!"

"Yeah, well, actually…I’m okay." Liz replied easily.

"You’re kidding, right?" Maria asked.

"No, I’m not kidding!" Liz insisted. "Seriously, you guys…I think I’ve always known. All of this…everything that’s happening to me…it just feels right. The only thing that really freaked me out was the thing with my parents…"

"Even the whole Tess thing didn’t freak you out?" Alex asked curiously.

"No…not really…because Max was there keeping me safe."

"So what’s it like?" Maria asked. "How does it feel to have all these new memories running around in your head?"

"I don’t know…it’s really hard to explain." Liz sighed. "It’s like…some of the time I become this, I don’t know, this perfect meld of both Liz’s, where both sides of me are completely connected together. That’s when I can remember both lives so clearly, like there’s no difference between the two…but that’s pretty rare. Most of the time the me that you know, from this life, is in complete control, and the other stuff just kind of feels like a long lost dream."

"Has there ever been a time where the other side, the alien side, has been in complete control?" Alex asked cautiously.

Liz paused briefly before carefully replying. "Yeah…once."

"What happened?" Maria asked, as she rolled over, and propped her head up on one elbow to face her friend.

"It was the other morning…" Liz explained. "The first after Max and I went through the memory retrieval. I woke up and saw him lying beside me in bed, and it just felt so normal, so right…like we had woken up together every single day of our lives. For a few moments, I forgot that he wasn’t my husband…nothing even felt strange until I remembered everything."

"Wow..." Alex joked. "Sounds like you had a real ‘alien encounter’"

Liz chuckled at her friend’s bad joke, but couldn’t help noticing that her other best friend had fallen uncomfortably silent.

"Maria…what is it?" Liz asked gently.

"Nothing…I’m just being stupid." Maria sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "Just ignore me."

"No, Maria…if it’s something you’re feeling than it’s not stupid. What’s wrong?"

"It’s just…for those few minutes where you became pure alien Liz…you didn’t even know that I existed. What if it happens again, Liz? Your alien side is becoming stronger every day. Liz…what if…" Maria’s voice trailed off as she found herself unable to even say what it is she was thinking. Liz understood immediately anyway.

"What if I don’t need you anymore." Liz finished quietly. "Maria…that isn’t even a possibility. I need you…both of you…in my life. Max…my heritage…none of those things can ever replace you. You guys are my best friends…you’re a part of me…one that my alien side is just going to have to learn to live with."

Maria nodded, and Liz reached forward and pulled her into a tight hug. A moment later Alex joined them, and soon the three friends were just a tight group hug, a tangle of arms, legs, and tears, right in the center of Max’s bed.

--- --- ---- ----

Michael nodded to Max and Isabel as he met them in the hallway in front of Max’s bedroom, on their way back to rejoin the group.

"Everything okay?" Michael asked quickly.

"Yeah." Isabel replied quickly.

All three heads turned quickly at the sound of a loud knocking on the front door behind them…

"You guys head back in." Max suggested. "I’ll get the door."

Isabel nodded quickly, and pushed Max’s door open as she and Michael disappeared inside.

"Hey guys." Max greeted quickly as he opened the front door. "I figured it was you…come on in."

"Hey Max." Alyssa greeted him. "We figured everyone would have questions once you told them…you could probably use some help in answering them."