something from the archives: say goodbye - part 42

click on the links for parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,  31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41.

read on for part 42...

Part 42

Liz snuggled closer into Michael’'s warm embrace. She still wasn’'t ready to face the morning. It was as if the keen sense of loss she’d felt when Alex had first died was occurring all over again. Back then she’'d only felt comfort when close to Michael. This time she was lucky enough to be able to revel in the comfort he could now freely give.

“"Morning sweetheart,”" he whispered in her ear.

“"Mmm. How’'d you know I was awake?”" She replied with a stretch.

"“I'’ve been watching you closely for the past hour. You realize how beautiful you are?”"

Liz turned to face Michael, her eyes glowing with love for him. “"You make me feel so beautiful, precious. Do you know how much I love you?”"

"“Yes. I feel the same way about you,” "Michael pressed a kiss on her forehead, before lightly brushing her lips with his, “"Do you think your parents will be upset?”"

“"Considering how easy-going they’'ve been about us? I'’d be surprised if they were.”"

A light tapping noise cut through the stillness, and the door opened slightly to reveal Nancy. She smiled at both of them before cheerily saying, “"Hey you two, are you both up for some homemade banana walnut pancakes?”"

“"Mom, that sounds heavenly. Michael and I will be right out,”" Liz said.

Nancy nodded and closed the door, leaving Michael to his shock, and Liz to her silent laughter.

“"What?”" Michael growled when he’d had enough of Liz laughing at him.

"“Baby, it’'s just your face—when Mom opened the door—and then when she just offered breakfast—it was a Kodak moment.”" She replied between peals of laughter.

“"Well, I’'m glad you’'re getting such a kick out of this. Let'’s go eat some breakfast and then we’'ll have to talk.”"

Liz sighed and nodded. At least waking up in Michael’'s arms had started her day out on the right note.

*****

Max, Maria, Isabel, and Kyle looked up from their booth as Michael and Liz walked over to join them.

“"What is this all about Michael?”" asked Max concerned because Michael never called meetings, usually he showed up because they were inevitably at his apartment.

“"The translation to the Destiny Book.”"

“"What about it?”"

Michael cleared his throat before continuing, “"Liz and I tried some of her powers when we were alone after training. Thing was while they hadn’'t been manifesting themselves while you two were working together, or while Kyle and I were working together, I asked Liz to try it with me.”"

“"And?”" asked Maria impatiently.

“"Well, it worked. So Liz and I wondered if maybe there was something in the Destiny Book that we were missing.”"

“"Michael, we’'ve all read that thing cover to cover. What more could it possibly add to our knowledge?”" asked Isabel.

“"Not a thing. In fact, the whole thing is crap. The real translation doesn’'t exist, Alex was able to keep enough away from Tess.”"

“"What do you mean?”"

Michael sighed, “"I'll let Liz explain.”"

He grabbed her hand as she began to speak, lending her the strength to get through her story. “"He left me clues. And last night I put them all together. Using the program he had used to decode the book, I realized that there was another level of programming. Putting together the clues he left I was able to reach that second level. This second level contained two things: the real Rosetta stone to decoding Antarian symbols, and a letter.”"

“"What did it say?”" Isabel asked eagerly.

Liz pulled out the sheet of paper she had printed Alex’'s letter on from her pocket, and placed it on the table in front of Isabel. Nodding her permission as Isabel reached out with shaky hands to unfold it.

Isabel and Kyle read it over silently, tears brimming their eyes, before passing it to Maria without comment. Sobs racked Isabel’'s body as Kyle held her tightly to him. His own tears wetting his cheeks and her hair.

Maria looked up from where she was reading the letter, “"He knew,”" she said, “"He knew about the both of you.”"

“"What?”" asked Max as he leaned over Maria to read the letter over her shoulder.

"“He knew about Liz and me.”"

“"Do you think he knew about us?”" Kyle asked Isabel.

"“He must have,”" Isabel replied giving him a shaky smile.

“"What does this mean for us, Liz?”" asked Max as he finished reading the letter.

“"It means that everything we thought we knew is a lie.”"

“"Tess wasn’'t pregnant,”" Max stated quietly.

“"No, she wasn’'t. She couldn’'t have been.”"

"“Does the new translation change the meaning of the threat?”" asked Kyle.

"“No, it doesn’'t. Apparently, Alex provided the correct Rosetta stone but fudged the translation. Tess didn’'t bother double-checking it. She thought he was completely under her control.”"

“"I guess he was always stronger than any of us gave him credit for,”" Isabel said quietly.

Maria erupted in the short silence that followed, “"He died for you. God, this is why I want out. I’'m not involved. I’'m not a changed human. I haven’'t been healed. I’'m not going to be anyone’'s lifemate. I want to be free of this—of you.”"

"“Maria—“—"

“"No, Liz. I don’'t want to hear it. Look you have Michael, apparently, it was you and him that were meant to be. This letter of Alex’'s, makes it painfully obvious that his sole function was to die for the cause. I’'m not going to do that. I’'m not willing to do that.”"

“"So what do you want us to do Maria?”" asked Max.

"“Just leave me alone. I don’'t want to know what you’re up to. Don’'t call me, unless it’'s about having fun. For the last two years I’'ve felt like I’'m sixteen going on seventy. I’'ll keep your secret. I just don’'t want to be involved in protecting it.”"

"“Fine, go then,”" Max ordered quietly. The group watched in silence as Maria gathered up her things and left the Crashdown without a backwards glance. “"Okay then. Let’'s get back to the subject at hand, what does the threat mean?”"

“"How’'d it go again?”" asked Kyle.

“"There is more you have to fear,
The end of the world is near.
Son and father will meet
At the royal four’s defeat,”" recited Liz.

“"So if Tess wasn’'t really pregnant, then who are the father and son the poem is talking about?”"

“"Well, what if it’'s Max or Michael’'s father?”"

“"What? So our dad is evil?”" asked Isabel indignantly.

“"Not necessarily, he might be on our side.”"

“"This is speculation—the fact is we don’'t even have a Royal Four,”" said Max.

“"Evans, I think you’'re wrong. We’'re the royal four, right?”" Kyle asked Liz.

“"We might be,"” she replied.

“"But I’'m the King,”" complained Max.

“"In a faulty translation—maybe becoming royal has to do with your lifemate, after all, your powers don’'t achieve their full maturity until you’'ve bonded.”"

“"This isn’'t fair. I don’'t believe it.”"

“"Believe it or not Maxwell, for the first time we seem to have finally gotten a bit of truth. Now have you been working on Brody the way we had originally planned?”"

“"Yeah, I have. Actually, today he has a meeting with some investors and I’'m in charge of the museum. I’'ll have access to his computer.”"

“"Great, I’'ll give you a zip and you can download as much as possible onto it. If you run into any software encryptions give me a call on my cell. I’'m looking at flowers with Mom today.”" Liz responded.

“"Ok. Anything else? I’'m on in ten minutes,”" asked Max while he gathered his stuff together. The group waved him goodbye and remained in silence.

"Liz?”" asked Isabel, “"Do you think he might have left a letter for me?”"

“"I don’t know. I can try and see though.”"

“"Thanks, I just—I want to know it’'s okay.”"

“"About you and Kyle?”"

“"Yeah.”"

“"You realize that you aren’'t betraying him or his memory at all by being together.”"

"“I know that Liz. I just—I'‘d like to have his blessing. You know?”"

“"Yeah.”"

“"Isabel, we have to go meet your parent’s for lunch." Kyle stood up and ushered Isabel out of the booth.

"“Oh right. We’'ll see you guys tonight, right?”"

“"What’'s tonight?”" asked Michael.

“"Some gala charity thingy Isabel is making us attend—please tell me you’'re going too, Guerin. I refuse to be the only sap whose been suckered into wearing a tux tonight.”"

"“Oh yeah, did I forget to tell you about it Michael?”" Liz replied absently.

Michael glared at Kyle, before smiling at his fiancée. “"Yes, you did. You’'re lucky I love you so much." He glanced down at his watch and stood up too, "Shoot, I’'ve got to go, Jeff and I have to go over some things with the accountant.”"

“"See you later baby,”" Liz gave Michael a quick kiss before grabbing her jacket, “"I'’ll walk you guys out.”"