Part 9

             “I think we all agree that I should meet with Khivar tonight.  However, it won’t be easy to get the others back.  I have a really bad feeling as to what they have in store for me.” Serena paused for a moment before continuing.  “First, we need to find out how our three captives are doing.  Do any of you have any suggestions as to how to accomplish that?”

             Larek gave Serena an odd look and replied, “Well, why don’t you just astral project to them?”

             Serena opened her mouth and closed it, then opened it again and replied, “Yeah, I think I could do that.  I guess I was so freaked I forgot about that power.”

             She shook her head and sat on the floor cross-legged, then began to concentrate on her family’s presence.  As usual, she sensed Rafe first, and then she picked up on Michael.  With intense concentration, she found Liz.  Serena pulled herself to them, relieved to see that they were together.  When her full image appeared, Liz and Michael let out startled gasps while Rafe smiled and threw his arms around his mother.

             “Hello sweetie.  Are you okay?” Rafe nodded so Serena turned her attention to her brother and sister.  “Hey sis, brother.  Don’t be alarmed, this is one of my powers, astral projection.  I hope that you two are also okay.  We know that Khivar and Nicholas are behind this, but is anyone else involved?”

             Michael nodded and said, “Yeah, my duplicate, Rath, Izzy’s duplicate, Lonnie, and that little bitch, Tess.  Other than that we know nothing.”

             Serena’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Tess.

             “Okay, we’ll take care of this.  Are you sure you’re all okay?”

             Liz nodded and threw her arms around Serena, holding her younger sister tight.  Michael then took both girls into his arms for a group hug.  As they were hugging, a flash hit both Michael and Liz.

             *********Memory***********

             The three were at their parents’ funeral, just after it ended.  Serena stood leaning on a tree with her arms wrapped around herself, shivering. 

             “Sweetie, are you alright?” Rath asked as he and Rayana walked up.

             Serena shook her head and cursed when she started crying.

             “A solider is not supposed to cry, a solider is not supposed to cry,” she kept mumbling as she rocked back and forth.

             “Serena, you’re a fourteen year old girl, of course you’re going to cry when your parents die!  I was amazed that you held it together at Neo and Mara’s funeral,” Rayana exclaimed.

             “But I didn’t hold it together when they died.  When I first found out, I ran to my room and cried for hours.  After their funeral, I went to their room and cried while curled up on their bed.  I’m too sensitive to be a solider!” Serena cried miserably.

             “No, you’re not.  I’m just as sensitive as you and I’m a solider,” Rath said.

             Serena knew he was right and ran into her brother’s arms.  Rayana joined them and said, “I promised Rath yesterday that I would never leave either one of you.  I want you both to promise the same thing.”

             “I promise,” Rath and Serena said in unison.

             ********End memory**********

             Michael and Liz looked each other in the eye and smiled.  They knew that they had had the same memory flash.

             Pulling out of the embrace, Serena said, “I should go, I’m using up a lot of power right now.  We’re going to get you out of here.  I love you all,” as she gave Rafe one more hug.

             She stepped away from them and disappeared.

             “I’m worried about her, Michael.  I don’t want her to do any risky to save us.  I need to get to know her, I need her to live,” Liz said quietly as Michael put an arm around her and the other around Rafe.

             “I know what you mean, sis.  I need her too.”

             Khivar waited patiently for his wife’s arrival.  ‘I hope for her family’s sake she doesn’t pull anything stupid.  I’d hate to have to tell Rafe that his aunt and uncle were killed because of his mother,’ he thought evilly as he looked around.  At the stroke of midnight, Serena stepped into view.  He knew she wouldn’t be late.

             “Hello, my wife.  I’m pleased you could make it.”

             “Fuck off Khivar.  Just tell me what you want so I can get my family back as soon as possible.”

             “The thing is, Serena, what I want is your life.  I want you to sacrifice your life to save your loved ones,” he said slowly, as if trying to drag the pain out.

             Serena wanted to do a million different things.  She wanted to scream, cry, attack Khivar, agree, run away, etc.  Most of all, she wanted to think.

             “Give me 24 hours to decide,” she said numbly.

             Khivar agreed and left.  ‘Once again, what am I going to do?’ Serena thought as she walked back to Brody’s car.  When she climbed in, Brody could tell that something was wrong.

             “So what did the bastard want?”

             “Nicholas showed up and said that Khivar couldn’t make it tonight and that I have to come back here tomorrow at midnight.  I guess that just gives us more time to plan.”

             Brody didn’t miss the fact that Serena wouldn’t make eye contact with him.

             “Uh, yeah, that could help.  Are you sure your family is still okay?” he asked.

             “Yes, they’re fine.  I would feel it if something happened to them.  C’mon, let’s get back to the Crashdown.”

             Brody gave her a troubled look and headed back for town.

             “Do you think she’ll do it, Khivar?”

             “Yes, Nicholas, I do.  She puts family and friends before herself, she did in both lives.  She’ll do whatever it takes not to loose them.  I’ve always believed that she knew we would kill Zan and got herself killed so we would never discover where her niece was hidden.”

             “Do you think she’ll tell Max or the others about her?”

             “No, that would be too risky.  The only people who know where Cera is are her guardians, Serena and Cera herself.  Not even Larek knows.”

             “What are you going to do when you find her?”

             “I’m going to marry her so that the people would recognize me as the true king and would stop fighting with me over it.”

             “You are indeed brilliant, my leaded.”

             Khivar smiled faintly and said, “Go to bed Nicholas.  We have a long day ahead of us.”

             Nicholas bowed and went to his hotel room.  As Khivar gazed out into the darkness, he had a fleeting moment of regret.  Even though Serena could piss him off without doing or saying anything and hated him, her sarcasm and tendency to be a smartass amused him.  She was also the mother of his child.  Khivar shook the thoughts away and resumed his scowl and threatening look.  He could not afford to have any weaknesses, especially one like Serena.

             “Tomorrow,” he said to himself, “will be the day.  Every last pain in my side shall be killed, and I won’t even show Serena mercy.”

                                                        Part 10

            When Serena opened the door to Brody’s house, Max and Larek rushed to the door to hear the news.  Larek stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the emotionless expression on her face, but could feel anger and despair coming off of her in waves. 

             “So, what happened?” Max asked.

             Serena mumbled something about having to go to the bathroom as she shoved past Max and Larek.  Brody stepped into the house in time to see her run for the bathroom.  He shook his head and sighed.

             “Brody, what happened? Why is she so upset?” an incredibly concerned Larek asked.

             Brody shrugged.  “She got back into the car and said something about Nicholas telling her Khivar couldn’t make it and to come back tonight at midnight.  When she told me, she wouldn’t look me in the eye so there has to be something more.”

             While the others sat down to discuss what could have happened, Larek went to check on Serena.  Once in the hall he could hear her sobbing in the bathroom.  He opened the door and his heart broke when he saw her small body curled into a ball on the floor.  She was shaking violently as she cried and he started to say something when he realized she was speaking.  Larek leaned in closer and inhaled sharply when he heard what she was saying.

             “I don’t want to die but I have to,” Serena almost chanted as she lay on the floor.

             Larek couldn’t take it anymore.  “Serena, what are you talking about? Why do you have to die?”

             She jumped when she heard his voice, but remained silent.

             “Serena, what it is?” Larek asked as she sat down beside her.

             Serena quickly regained her emotionless expression and looked at him. 

             She studied him for a moment before saying, “No, you’ll try to stop me.  I can’t let you stop me.  Its my life, not yours!”

             With that, she tore out of the house, leaving Larek confused and worried on the bathroom floor.

             “What the hell was that?” Maria exclaimed as Larek walked back into the living room.  “We were all sitting here when Serena went flying out the door like a bat out of hell.  Max tried to stop her, but she shoved him hard to the ground and ran.  What is going on?”

            “I don’t know.  I went to check on her and found her on the bathroom floor crying and shaking.  Then I realized that she saying something.  I leaned in and she was saying ‘I don’t want to die but I have to’ over and over again.  When I said something to her, she jumped but wouldn’t respond.  I asked her again what was wrong, and she said something like ‘Its my life and I can’t let you stop me’ then she took off.  I don’t know what’s going on with her.  All I know is that something bad happened at the Quarry.”

             “You don’t think it could be…” Max couldn’t finish.

             “Oh no, I would feel it if something happened to Rafe and if someone hurt Michael or Liz, that person would be dead and we’d have no more worries,” Larek said reassuringly.

             “We need to find Serena and figure out what’s going on.  Where do you think she went?” Isabel asked.

             Kyle surprised them all by saying, “Well, she obviously wants to be alone and she’s freaking out about her family.  Liz’s place is packed with people so I would think she’d go to Michael’s apartment.  You know, to feel closer to him.”

             “Wow, you’re probably right.  Max, lead the way,” Larek said as they all headed outside.

             Sure enough, they saw Michael’s light on.  They wanted to get inside to hear if she said anything and luckily they found his bedroom window open.  The group climbed in and walked toward the door.  The sound of Serena’s voice almost made Maria scream, but she managed to hold it in.

             “Khivar, I have made up my mind.”

             “So soon? I thought you wanted a day to think about it.”

             “I know, but I realized that I had to do the right thing.  Tell me when and where and I will meet you there.”                                                                     

            “Very well, Serena.  I must admit that I admire your strength.  Not many people would kill themselves to protect their family.  Go to the abandoned military base across from the Lazy Inn just outside of town in one hour.  Make sure you bring a car so your family can leave.  Goodbye Serena.”

             After she turned off her communicator, Serena flung herself onto the couch and cried.  Larek started to go to her, but Brody grabbed his arm.

             “No, don’t let her know we know.  Let’s go to that inn and watch for her.  We’re not going to let anything happen to her,” Brody whispered.

             Larek frowned, but complied.  The rescue team of six climbed back out the window and headed for the inn.

             “I don’t like this, Michael.  I can feel Serena’s feelings and they’re not good,” Liz said as she paced back and forth.

             “I know, I feel them too.  I wonder what’s going on.”

            “Maybe I can help,” Rafe said.

             “What do you mean?” Liz asked.

             “I have the power to dream walk people and I can do it when they’re awake too.”

             “Well, don’t just sit there then.  Dream walk your mother!” Michael nearly shrieked.

             Rafe tried to stifle a laugh; his uncle was the most wound up person he’d ever met.  He sat down on his bed and instantly connected to his mother.  ‘Whoa, something is definitely wrong’ thought Rafe as he was hit with her anger, despair, grief, guilt, love and pain.  The strongest emotion was her anger.  He could tell that his mother was ready to snap and kill someone.  ‘God help the next person who pisses my mother off’ he thought as he continued to try figure out was what going on.  Just when he thought he’d found what he was looking for, Serena’s voice boomed, “What do you think you’re doing Rafe?  Get out of my head, NOW!”  Rafe gulped and did as he was told.

             “Well, what happened?” Liz asked as Rafe came to.

             “Mom discovered me and kicked me out of her head.  Something bad is going on, though.  She’s ready to snap.  The only good news is that it seems that she has a way to get us out of here.”

            “How is she going to do that?”

             “I don’t know, Uncle Michael.  She has a plan, though.”

             Michael could not suppress his smile when Rafe called him ‘Uncle Michael’.

             “Let’s just hope it’s a plan that won’t get her killed,” Liz said.

             ‘I hope you’re right, Aunt Liz.  If I saw what I think I saw in her head, my mom’s not going to be around to see me turn five,’ Rafe thought glumly.

             “Where is she?” an impatient Maria whined.

             “Right below us,” Max answered.

             Maria looked down from the balcony and saw Serena pull up in a strange car.  ‘I wonder where she learned to drive’ she thought.  The group slowly left the motel and followed Serena on foot.  Serena stood in front of the base’s front gait with her permanent emotionless expression.  Precisely on time, Khivar and Nicholas walked out of the compound with Liz, Michael and Rafe in tow.  Bringing up the rear was Tess, Lonnie and Rath.

             “What the hell are they doing here?” Isabel wondered aloud.

             The others continued to watch as Kivar’s group approached Serena. 

             “You made it, I see,” Khivar said.

             “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

             “No, but the others had their doubts.  Anyway, here is your family.  You can see that they are unharmed.  Now, as for our deal, are you ready?”

             “Yes, but release them first.”

             “Very well,” Khivar said as he shoved Michael and Liz toward her.  Rafe quickly escaped from Rath’s grip and ran to his mother.

             “Go to the car and drive to Brody’s,” Serena said to Michael as she handed him the keys.

             “No, first you tell us what’s going on,” Michael demanded.

             “Do not argue with me, brother.  Do I as I told you,” Serena commanded in an icy tone.

             Michael started to protest, but Liz grabbed his arm and steered him toward the car.

             “We can’t just leave her, Liz.  They’re going to kill her, I can see it in their eyes.”

             “I know, but I can feel Max’s presence.  He and the others are around here somewhere and they can help her.  Right now we need to do as Serena said.”

             Michael gave in and the three climbed into the car and took off.

             “Now its time to pay your debt, Serena,” Khivar said.

            Serena nodded and watched as Khivar began to build up his power.  When he raised his hands toward her, Serena thought ‘This is it.  This is when I die.”  As soon as they realized what was going on, Isabel and Larek shot up and screamed, ”No!”

            Khivar was taken off guard and he accidentally let his energy escape and hit them. 

             “No!” Serena screamed as she ran toward the two fallen forms.

             “Shit, Khivar, we gotta get the hell out of here.  Now!” Lonnie screeched. 

             The five villains jumped into their car and sped away.

             “Larek, Isabel, wake up!” Serena screamed as she shook them.

             Max was also trying to wake them up as the others stood aside in hysterical tears.

             “Izzy, come on, sis.  Come back to me,” Max cried.

             Serena connected with Larek and was devastated when she realized that there was nothing she could do.  She turned to Isabel, but saw the same thing.

             “Oh God, Max.  They’re gone,” Serena murmured.

 Part 11

                Serena lay in bed trying desperately to sleep.  She had taken quite a few sleeping pills, but they didn’t work.  It was two days after Isabel’s funeral and Larek’s memorial service.  Most of the time she and Max walked around like zombies, never showing any emotion.  The only time they had cried was the night of the funeral.  At the funeral and memorial service, the two stood together numbly, not really aware of what was going on around them.  That night, Serena wandered around aimlessly until she found herself in front of Max’s house.  She knocked on his window and the two talked and cried and held each other.  Serena had never cried so much in either life.  After hours of relentless crying, their tears dried up and Max drove Serena back to Brody’s.  Both had remained emotionless after that.  Brody and Michael were taking care of Kyle and Rafe since their parents were barely capable of taking care of themselves. 

             “Why, Larek? Why did you have to go and do that? It was my choice!” Serena cried into her pillow.

             “I did what I had to,” a voice said from behind her.

             Serena screamed bloody murder and rolled over to see Larek and Isabel’s ghosts, along with a tall, dark haired boy’s ghost that she knew from somewhere. 

             “Oh, God, I’m hallucinating.  I think I took one too many sleeping pills,” she said to herself with a crazed look in her eyes.

             “No, you’re not.  We’re really here, sweetie,” Larek said.

             “You’re dead! You’re not real! My mind is playing tricks on me again.  Go away! Do you hear me? GO AWAY!” Serena yelled at the top of her lungs.

             She curled up into a ball and began sobbing uncontrollably.  Brody burst through the door and looked around to see whom she was screaming at, but he saw no one.

             “Serena, Serena honey, snap out of it! There’s no one here, who were you yelling at?” Brody asked as he gently shook her.

             “Larek a-and Is-a-bel and…Alex w-were here.  They were ta-talking to m-me and when I screamed, th-they left,” Serena managed to choke out. 

             “Shh, its okay now.  Nobody’s here.  You just go to sleep, I’ll stay with you until you do.”

            Brody rocked Serena gently until she fell asleep half an hour later.  He sighed and started to leave the room.  As he glanced back at her one more time, he thought ‘Warrior or not, she’s still a child and she has her limits.’  

**************************************************************************************

            “Morning, everyone,” Brody said as he and Rafe joined both Kyles, Liz, Michael and Maria at the Crashdown later that morning.

             “Hey Brody, you look like shit,” Michael said.

             Liz hit her brother and Brody just smiled.

             “We all look like shit these days,” Maria grumbled.

             “Well, one of them finally did it.”

             “One of who finally did what?” Kyle asked Brody.

             “Serena, one of our emotionless twins, finally cracked this morning around one or so.”

             “Really? What happened?” Liz asked, concerned for her little sister.

             “I was coming back from the bathroom when I heard her scream ‘You’re dead! You’re not real! My mind is playing tricks on me again.  Go away! Do you hear me? GO AWAY!’ at top of her lungs and I ran to her room and found her crying hysterically.  When I asked what happened, she mumbled some nonsense about seeing Isabel, Alex and Larek in her room and that they were talking to her.  I finally got her to calm down and she went to sleep.  It was so weird.”

             “Alex? She never even met Alex!” Michael exclaimed.

             “Yeah, well, that’s what she said.”

             Liz sighed.  “She and Max have been completely out of it since Larek and Isabel died.  I know we were all incredibly close to Iz, but Max and Serena were hit the hardest.  Max for obvious reasons, Serena because she blames herself for both of their deaths.  Max will hardly speak and I haven’t seen him cry at all.  I’m so worried about them.

             “Yeah, Mom will hardly even talk to me.  I know she cries in her sleep, though.  The night of the funeral and memorial service she didn’t get home until dawn,” Rafe said.

             “Really? I can’t believe she was out walking for that long,” Michael said.

             “Well, she didn’t walk home.  I couldn’t sleep so I was in the kitchen when I heard a car pull up.  Max dropped her off in his jeep and they both had tear tracks on their faces and their eyes were puffy.  Mom was so oblivious that she didn’t even notice me when she brushed against me on the way to her room.”

              “Max was crying? With Serena?” Liz asked.

             “Don’t even go there, sis.  You know that they identify with each other right now.  He just lost his sister and she lost the love of her love at the same time by the hand of the same man.”

             “I know, it’s just that I want both of them to be able to cry with me, you know?”

             “Yeah, I feel the same way.”

             “How are we going to get through to them? It worries me to see them like this,” Kyle said.

             The others weren’t surprised at his attitude.  In the few days since the two deaths, Kyle had become an incredibly sensitive guy.  He was an emotional train wreck at Isabel’s funeral. 

             “I don’t know, I think they both just need their space right now.  If their behavior gets any worse than this, though, we will have to do something,” Liz said.

             The others nodded in agreement.

             “Max, wake up!” Serena whispered as she shook him.

             “Huh? What’s going…oh, hi Serena.  What do you want?”

             “Its just, how do I put this? Basically, I rolled over in bed and saw Isabel, Larek and Alex standing next to my bed.  I totally freaked out and when Brody came in, they were gone.”

             “Do you think you were imagining it?”

             “That’s what I thought at first, but I’m not so sure.  Why would I imagine seeing Alex? I never knew him.”

             Max sat puzzled with this information.  She had a point; she had no reason to imagine Alex. 

             “Ah, good.  You two are together,” Larek said.

             Max and Serena both screamed and latched onto each other.  As soon as they touched, Max had another flash.

              ********Memory**********

             Tears blinded Zan as he walked to his parents’ room.  Their funeral had been only hours before and he was starting to loose it.  When he opened the door to their room, he was surprised to see Serena crying on their bed.

             “Serena? Are you okay?

             She jumped and looked over at Zan.

             “No, I’m not.  You’re parents are…were like second parents to me.  I just can’t believe they’re gone,” Serena cried.

             Zan began crying again and took her in his arms.  Serena was a very close friend and like a sister to him so it pained him even more to see her so upset.  The two friends held each other and cried for hours before finally calming down.

             “We’re going to get through this, Serena, and we’re going to do it together.”

             “I know.  Don’t ever forget that I’m here for you if you need me, your majesty.”

             For the first time since his parents died King Zan smiled.

             ********End memory***********

             “Whoa, I just remembered more.”

             “Now is not the time, Max.  We have three dead people staring at us.”

             “Oh, right.”

             “Finally, they pay some attention to us!” Isabel huffed.

            “Well, excuse me for being more than a little disturbed that I’m sitting in my room talking to three dead people!” Max shrieked.

             “Oh, do not even start with me, Max.”

             “Enough! Calm down, both of you,” Alex hissed.

             Serena sat staring at the three warily, almost expecting them to disappear and prove that she was going crazy.  Meanwhile, Diane Evans stood outside her son’s door in shock.  Not only did she hear her Izzy’s voice, but also Max had talked to her and then she heard Alex tell them to calm down.  While part of her told her that she was imagining it, Diane knew she wasn’t.  She opened the door a crack and used all of her will power to keep from screaming.  Max and that Serena girl were sitting on his bed staring at Alex, Isabel and the friend of Max that had died the same day as Isabel. 

             “What are you doing here? What do you want?” Serena asked.

             “We want to help you and Max destroy Khivar and his followers,” Larek said.

             “Yeah, especially the psycho who killed me,” Alex added.

             “Why did you come to us?” Max asked as he and Serena exchanged a nervous look.

             “That’s simple.  While Michael is pretty powerful and Liz has the potential to be extremely powerful, you two are currently the only ones strong enough to take on Khivar, Nicholas and Tess.  Michael and Liz are strong enough to handle Lonnie and Rath, but not the others,” Isabel replied.

             “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.  I’m just glad I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my life and that I know I’m an alien.  Otherwise, I would have myself committed,” grumbled Max.

            “So, what do you want us to do?” Serena asked.

             “Gather the others and be sure to be at Michael’s apartment at one this afternoon.  We’ll try to find out Kivar’s location in the meantime,” Larek said.

             As he began to fade out, he whispered, “I love you, Serena.”

             “I love you too,” she replied to nothing but air.

             “Well, let’s round up the troops,” Max said.

             “Okay, but get dressed first.  I won’t look.”

 Before she could be discovered, Diane walked back downstairs with a very confused expression on her face.  ‘Something very strange is going on and I’m going to find out what it is,’ she thought determinedly.

 Part 12

“I’m actually afraid of how they’ll react to our news,” Serena admitted as they headed for the Crashdown.

             “Why?”

             “Well, Max, it does sound a little crazy.  Brody might not be too surprised since he heard my ranting this morning, but that doesn’t mean he’ll believe us.”

             Max sighed.  “I know, but Izzy and the other two will help us prove it.  Let’s just get to the Crashdown and see who’s there.  We’ll call the ones who aren’t.”

             Serena nodded and the rest of the drive was in silence.  When they got out of the Jeep, Serena grabbed Max’s hand and gave him a nervous grin.  As soon as they stepped through the door, seven pairs of eyes stared at them.  Every look contained concern with the exception of baby Kyle who looked thrilled to see his Daddy.

             “Good, you’re all here.  We need to talk to you, but not here.  Why don’t we go to Michael’s? The others are supposed to meet us there in half an hour.”

             “Uh, sure Maxwell.  Is everything okay?” Michael asked, eyeing his baby sister and best friend warily.

             “It will be, I hope,” Serena said quietly.

             Liz and Michael studied the two before them.  Both noticed Serena’s weight loss, troubled expression, dark circles around her eyes and her extremely pale complexion.  Her eyes, though, were the most disturbing.  Their normally bright and shiny green was replaced with a murky hazel and contained a crazed look.  The brother and sister also saw the bags under Max’s eyes, his wild hair, unshaven face and his blank eyes.  They were usually filled with such emotion, but were devoid of that now.  What they noticed the most was how Serena was clutching Max’s hand as if her life depended on it and Max did the same.

             ‘I know things haven’t been the same since my little outburst at Brody’s, but that wasn’t enough to drive him into Serena’s arms, was it?’ Liz thought then shook her head.  ‘What’s wrong with me? Of course there’s nothing between them.  Damn jealousy.’

             “We should go, we don’t want to keep the others waiting,” Serena said.

             “Who exactly are we meeting?” Maria asked.

             “Some old friends,” Max said with a faint smile.

             The teenagers climbed into their respective cars while Serena grabbed Kyle and Rafe so that they could ride with their parents for once.  After a while, Serena noticed Rafe staring at her.

             “What is it sweetie?”

             “Mom, was Larek my father? I felt this really strong connection with him and when he died I felt like a part of me died too.”

             Serena fought back tears as she replied, “Yes, darling.  Larek was your father.”

             Rafe simply nodded and turned to look at the passing scenery.

             “What do you think is up with Serena and Max?” Maria asked as she drove Michael, Liz and herself in the Jetta.

             “I have no clue, but I don’t think that they’re anything more than friends,” Michael said pointedly while glancing back at his other sister.

             “I know, but they’re keeping something from us.  I’m also getting weird vibes from Serena, like something’s wrong but she doesn’t know it.”

             “Same here, but I can’t put my finger on what it is.”

             “What, like she’s pregnant or dying or something?” Maria asked.

             Michael and Liz turned to look at each other; both realizing that they’re recent greatest fear could come true.  They did not want to lose her.

             “Well, you’ve dragged us all over here so can you please tell is what’s going on,” Brody more demanded than asked.

             “We have to wait for the others.  If we don’t you probably won’t believe us,” Serena said.

             Kyle saw the way Serena was desperately trying to star calm and felt his heart brake for her all over again.  Before he realized what he was doing, he had Serena engulfed in a tight hug.  TO his surprise she didn’t pull back, but actually clung to him.  ‘Whoa, déjà vu,’ he thought as a flash hit him.

             *******Memory*******                                                                               

             “What am I going to do, Az? If Khivar finds out about Cera or where she is, it’s all over!” a frantic Serena exclaimed as she paced in his room.

             “Stop pacing! You’re making me nauseous,” Az pleaded while watching his god sister freak out.

             “Sorry, its just that I promised Zan and Rayana I’d figure out what to do with their daughter before anyone, especially Ava and Khivar, finds out.”

             “Have you thought about giving her to a guardian until everything is safe?”

             “That’s a thought.  Argh! Damn Zan and his inability to control himself.  Its bad enough that he was cheating on Ava, but now Rayana is about ready to go into labor.  To top that off, Ava is two weeks pregnant! Damn all you men and the positions you put me in!”

             “Why did he sleep with Ava anyway? I thought he vowed never to touch her like that.”

             Serena stopped and stared at Az.

             “What? What’s going on?” he called as Serena stormed out of his room.

             “That’s exactly what I intend to find out!” she yelled over her shoulder.

             ‘Great, I’ve just pissed off the most powerful teenager in the universe.  Aren’t I a genius?’ Az thought as he lay back on his bed.

             *********End memory**********

             “What the hell was that?” Serena and Kyle exclaimed in unison.

             “What was what?” Michael asked.

             “Kyle touched me and I’m assuming he had a flash just like I did,” Serena said in shock.

             “What was it about?” Liz asked her sister.

             “It was when I went to visit my god brother, Az, and I was complaining about Rayana’s and Ava’s pregnancies and I realized that something wasn’t right about the situation and stormed out of the room.”

             Max’s face paled.  “Pregnancies? Ava and Rayana?”

             Serena gave him a weird look and said, “Yeah, haven’t you remembered any of that yet?”

             “One small memory, but I didn’t really think about it.  How could I have gotten both of them pregnant if I didn’t love Ava?”

             Luckily, she was saved from answering by the sound of Larek’s voice.

             “Right on time, good.”

             Rounds of “Oh my God”, “Holy shit”, “I’m seeing things”, “You were right” and sobs surged through the group as they saw Alex, Isabel and Larek. 

             After the outbursts had died down, everyone turned to look at Max and Serena who they realized hadn’t said anything.

             “Thank God, I was beginning to think we’d been stood up,” Serena said to Larek with a sad smile.

             “What do you mean? What the hell is going on here?” Michael demanded.

             Max looked Michael in the eye and stated, “They’re the ones we were waiting for.”

             “Oh,” was all Michael could see.

             “How? Why?” Liz asked as she looked at Alex with tears in her eyes.

             “We’re here to help you, Lizzie.  God, I’ve missed you all so much,” Alex replied.

             “We’ve missed you too,” Maria said through her tears.

             “Sorry to break this up, but we don’t have much time,” Larek said as he motioned for the mortals to sit.  “We tracked Khivar and his followers to an abandoned house on the north side of town.  They’re well aware of the fact that Serena and Max have had nervous breakdowns and plan on using that to their advantage.  However, since Serena and Max seem to have calmed down a bit, the odds are in our favor.”

             “The reason we’re here is to help prepare you for the battle you’ll face with them,” Isabel explained.  “Khivar, Nicholas and Tess are incredibly strong and only Max and Serena are strong enough to take them on.  Rath and Lonnie aren’t as strong so Michael and Liz can easily beat them.  If, by some miracle, we can train Liz and Michael enough, they could be strong enough to tackle Tess.”

             “Why can’t I help? I’m just as powerful as my mother,” Rafe whined.

             “No!” Serena and Larek said at the same time.

             “We can’t risk you joining me, my son,” Larek said.

             Rafe hung his head in defeat while Serena wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

             “Hopefully, your day to fight will never come,” she whispered into her son’s ear.

             He sighed and nodded that he understood.

             “I hate to say this, but we need to go.  It takes a lot of energy to travel here.  We’ll see you all soon.  I love you Serena.  You too, Rafe,” Larek whispered as he disappeared.

             “We love you all,” Isabel said as she and Alex disappeared.

             Those remaining sat in silence for a few moments until Serena suddenly gasped.

             “What’s wrong?” Liz asked.

             “I can feel a presence, one I haven’t felt in a long time.  Whoever it is, they’re coming closer.”

             The door flew open to reveal a beautiful girl who appeared to be around 18 or 19.  She had long brown hair with beautiful amber eyes.  The girl glanced around the room until her eyes rested on Serena.

             “Hello Serena,” she said in a velvety voice.

             “Oh my God, it’s you,” Serena said in awe.

 Part 13

              The girl smiled and just looked at Serena as Serena struggled to pull herself together.  When she finally began talking, the others were shocked to hear her speaking in Antarian.

             “What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you never to leave Hanar’s unless I or another member of our family came and got you!” Serena screeched. 

             “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stay.  Hanar found out about you coming here and was royally pissed.  He let it slip when I asked him what was wrong and I knew I had to come here.  Face it, with Vilandra gone, you need me,” the brunette beauty said.

             “I swear to God, Cera! I can’t believe you came, but you’re right.  Wait, have all of your powers developed?”

             “Yes, but what does that matter?” Cera asked.

             “It means that we just might be able to bring back Isabel and Alex,” Serena replied.

             “Huh? Who?”

             “Oh, Isabel is the name that Vi goes by here.  Alex was her boyfriend.”

             “Oh, the one Tess killed.  Well, yeah, I can resurrect them as long as I have their bodies.  How come you said just Isabel and Alex?”

             Serena fell silent and Cera realized why.

             “Oh God, Serena.  I’m so sorry.  Why did Larek’s body disintegrate and not Vi- I mean Isabel’s?”

             Serena shrugged.  “I have no clue, actually.  Maybe his body was more damaged or maybe it had something to do with being full-blooded Antarian.  I really don’t know.”

             Cera embraced her aunt and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll at least bring your friends back.  One day you’ll be reunited with Larek and it will be forever, but not yet, okay?”

             Serena smiled at her niece and nodded.

             “Well, is anyone going to clue us in as the what the hell is going on here?!” Michael asked.

             Serena drew a deep breath and said, “Guys, may I present Princess Cera Darken of Antar, Zan and Rayana’s daughter.”

             Liz and Max sat staring at the beautiful girl in front of them who, in some twisted way, was their daughter.

             “How? You’re so young, but you should be at least 54 years old!” Maria exclaimed incredulously.

             Cera giggled and replied, “Actually, I just turned 55.  When we hit 18 our aging drastically slows and we look pretty much the same until we hit 80, then the aging picks up again, but still nowhere near as fast as humans do.  Are you going to introduce me to everyone or not, Aunt Serena?”

             Serena smiled.  “This is Kyle Valenti, the one Tess named Kyle after; this is Maria Deluca, the woman who stole my brother’s heart; Brody Davis, yeah, the one Larek used to possess; Michael Guerin, my incredible brother and your uncle; you already know Rafe and Kyle.  Finally, may I present Max Evans and Liz Parker, your parents.”

            Max and Liz held hands and rose to meet their daughter. 

             “Hi,” Cera said shyly.

             Though Liz knew that she wasn’t technically her mother, she couldn’t help but feel like it.  Liz grinned and drew her daughter into a tight embrace.  When Max joined them, all three couldn’t hold back their tears.

             “So, we finally meet,” said Cera while trying to wipe her tears away.

             “You are so beautiful,” Max gushed.

             “Yeah, well, look at my parents.  How could I not be?”

             Liz cried even more and hugged her daughter again.

             “I know we’re not biologically your parents, but I would like to think as if we were if you’ll think of yourself as our daughter,” Liz whispered.

             Cera nodded and said, “I would be honored.”

             Serena handed Kyle over to Max.

             “Hey Kyle! Did you miss your big sister? I bet you did! I haven’t seen you in two weeks and I know I missed you,” Cera said to her little brother.

             “Ahem.” Serena cleared her throat.  The three turned and looked at her.

             “Cera, I believe we have some work to do.”

             “Yeah, let’s get this show on the road,” Cera said.

             “What are you going to do?” Kyle asked.

             Serena looked around the room and said, “We’re going to bring Isabel and Alex back from the dead.”

             “Khivar, I am getting tired of sitting around.  When are we going to attack?” an impatient Tess whined.

             Nicholas rolled his eyes and muttered, “I really do not like her,” under his breath.

             “As I said earlier, Ava, we’re waiting until tomorrow when Max’s parents go to work and Brody leaves Serena alone at his house before we strike.  We must go after Max and Serena separately or they could easily destroy us,” Khivar answered.

             “How come you’re so scared of that little boy and the fairy?” Rath asked.

             “Because, moron, Serena is the most powerful being in the galaxy, at least the most powerful mortal.  If we go up against her when she’s at full strength, you and Lonnie especially don’t stand a chance.  If Max discovered how powerful he really is, then we’d really be fucked.  If he wasn’t one of the royals and Serena had never been born, Zan probably would have been named the protector of the Royal Four.”

             “Damn, he’s that powerful?” Lonnie said.

             “Yes.”

             “Well, since we’re not doing anything, I’m going to bed,” Tess said as she stalked out of the room.

             “Khivar, why do we have to keep her with us? The gerbil really pisses me off,” Nicholas complained.

             “I know.  As soon as Serena and the others are disposed of, she’s next on my list.”

             “Good, I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate her.”       

            Khivar laughed and sent Nicholas, Lonnie and Rath away.  When he was sure they’d gone, he reached into the middle drawer of his desk and pulled out a picture.

             “How did it come to this? I never meant to hurt you in either life, but I have no choice.  I may love you, but I can’t have you around to destroy everything I’ve fought and killed for,” he said softly to the only picture he had of Serena and himself where they actually looked happy.

             Khivar closed his eyes and sighed.  He gave the picture one last glance before he put it away.  ‘Damn you, Father, for making me do this,’ he thought bitterly.  ‘If only Max knew the truth, maybe he’d understand.  No, he would never be able to grasp why I had to betray my best friend in the world.’

             Once again Khivar closed his eyes and fought back the tears that were ever present since he hated himself for what he’d become.  ‘I have to keep my promise, I have to kill them,’ he thought.

             With that, his face hardened again and he went to bed, knowing he’d need all of his strength for what the next day held.

 Part 14   Index