Returning Home
Part 3 of "Home" series
Author: Astrid
Disclaimer: Don't own Roswell, not affliated with it or the WB in any way.
Dedication: to Annie, who has free reign over all my Valenti fics, and everyone else who's been sending me feddback and support.
Archive: my site (once they get rid of the virus on all the computer's on campus); Annie's Valenti Homestead; you want it, all you gotta do is ask
Category: Tess and the Valentis, includes the others; future fic
Summary: takes place 6 months after Between Homes, Tess has had her baby
Notes/Spoilers: uh, none
Feedback: I love it, I love it, I love it!
early October 2001
Tess lies her sleeping baby in the cradle. She looks at her computer, gathering dust. She turns it on and wipes away the dust. She hasn't turned on the computer to check her e-mail since a few days before she went into labor; that was about two and a half months ago. Her mailbox is filled with nearly three dozen messages from Kyle. It's the most recent message she checks first. The one just sent the day before, Subject: URGENT - Life and Death.
Goddammit, Tess, where the hell are you? Why haven't you answered any of my e-mails lately? Are you okay? Is the baby okay? Not everyone in Roswell is okay. My father was shot yesterday. Some guys passing through held up the Crashdown. My dad was there with Mrs. DeLuca. He tried to stop them and ending up taking three shots to the chest. He's in ICU. They don't think he's gonna make it. He needs you Tess. I need you. At least let him know you're okay before he... He won't let Max heal him. Please, Tess. You owe him.
Kyle
Tess stares at the screen in horror. She composes herself and gets off.
She picks up the phone and dials a number, "Hello, Lily? Yeah, it's Tess. I'm not gonna be able to make it in to work. There's a family emergency. Yes, I'll call you when I get back. Thank you."
******
The next day, in Roswell:
The pod squad minus one is at the Valenti house. They're in the dining room.
"They'll chalk it up to a miraculous recovery," Max says.
"My father doesn't want you guys to risk it."
"Even after all the times he's risked everything for us," Isabel asks quietly.
"This was not my decision. If it were up to me, my dad would be in this room right now, eating brunch."
"He'll understand," Maria says.
***
Tess stands outside the front door, with a baby bag draped over her shoulder, baby carrier in one hand, keys in the other. She unlocks the door to hear arguing. She closes the door and walks toward the dining room, setting the carrier and bag at her feet when she stops.
"He said no and he means--Tess," Kyle says, looking straight at her.
The others turn to look at her.
"Hello, Kyle. Everybody. I'm sorry about your dad."
Kyle pushes past Michael and Alex and embraces Tess, "I didn't know if you were gonna come."
"Of course I came--," Tess starts as her baby begins to fuss. "Oh, I didn't forget about you," Tess says, leaning down and picking up the bundle from the carrier and cuddling it.
"Please tell me you're baby-sitting, Tess," Maria says.
Tess looks at the others, "I'd like you all to meet Kylie Michelle Harding. My daughter."
"How-how old is she?," Alex asks.
"A little over two months. She was born July 22."
"Is she why you left? Because you were pregnant," Liz whispers, looking pale and thin.
"Yes."
"Who's the father," Michael asks angrily.
"Does it matter," Tess asks.
"Yes, it matters."
"I'm the father," Max says from the corner.
"Then why is she named after me, Max," Kyle aks, standing beside Tess. "You're not Kylie's father, I am."
Tess looks at Kyle, speechless, tears making their way down her cheeks.
"You knew? This whole time, you knew why Tess left and you didn't tell us," Max asks angrily.
"I-I made him promise! Besides, he didn't even know I was pregnant until after I'd left. He wouldn't have known...if I hadn't left him a note."
"Why didn't you tell us, Kyle? You knew how worried we were about Tess," Isabel yells.
"There are only three people in this world that I trust completely and that I will never betray. One of them is lying in a hospital bed, dying, and I'm standing beside the other two. Unlike you all, I have loyalties and I will honor them until the day I die," Kyle says with force.
Kylie starts crying and Tess starts to rock her, "Oh, Ky, honey, it's okay. You don't have to cry, baby."
"Get out of my house. All of you. Now," Kyle tells the others.
They all leave, watching Tess comfort her baby. Kylie's still crying, "What's wrong, Ky? Mommy'll fix it."
Kyle walks back over to Tess, "Can I hold her?"
"Yeah. She might not like you--," Tess trails off after handing Kylie to Kyle. She's stopped crying.
"You just wanted your daddy, didn't you," Kyle says, cradling her.
"Why did you tell the others you were he father?"
"Why did you name her after me? Why didn't you tell them I wasn't?"
"I was closest to you than anybody else. And, I didn't know what to say. I wasn't expecting them to be here."
"Because Max always gets what I want. What I love. First Liz, then you, now Kylie. It's not fair. For once, I want to be the one who has it all. Besides, I love you, Tess. And I've loved Kylie ever since I read your note. Let me be her father."
"But--"
"But nothing. C'mon, my daddy'll be happy to see you."
***
"Dad I have a surprise for you."
"Hi, Sheriff. It' me, Tess." The sheriff opens his eyes, "Tess? You're okay."
"Yeah, you on the other hand..."
"Don't worry about me."
"Dad, Tess has someone she'd like you to meet."
"Sheriff, this is my daughter, Kylie."
"She's beautiful. Will you still be here if I get out?"
"Of course she's gonna be here dad. We're getting married. You gotta be my best man."
"I definitely can't die now," the Sheriff says, just before slipping back to unconsciousness.
***
In Kyle's car:
"Why did you tell him we're getting married," Tess asks.
"You don't want to marry me?"
"You didn't even ask me!"
"So, you do want to marry me?"
"You think you can just dictate my life without checking with me first? God, you're just as bad as Nasedo."
"He dictated my life for the first ten years of my life after I got out of that damn pod! Destiny this! Destiny that! 'One day, Tess, you're gonna be the queen. You're going to marry the king and you'll rule your home planet together.' And now, here you are, telling people I'm going to marry you you. Well, let me tell you something, I decide who I'm gonna marry and when, no one else. So you can take your dictations and shove 'em up your ass," Tess fumes, getting out of the car.
Kyle walks into the house, "Tess, I didn't mean--."
Tess turns to him, "What gives you the right? Do you know how hard the last seven months have been on me? Do you have any clue?"
"Do you have any clue how hard they've been on me? Everyday for the past six months, I've had to stop myself from driving up to Stillwater, Oklahoma and bringing you back here. I'm sorry, Tess, I put a tracker on the e-mails I sent you. But I had to know where you were and I'll be damned if I'm gonna just sit here and let you leave again," Kyle yells.
"I'm sorry, Kyle. I can't stay here. I don't belong here anymore. And it's too dangerous for Kylie."
"And you think you'll be safer in some backwards town in Oklahoma? Alone? Tess, we'll protect you, you know that."
"Kyle--."
"Please, just think about staying."
"I'll think about it. I should go check into a hotel."
"No! I mean, you can stay here. In your old room."
Tess looks at Kyle questioningly, "Kyle..."
"C'mon," he says, walking to the room.
It's almost the same way it was before Tess left except that there's a tall rectangular object against the wall near the head of the bed with a cover on it.
"I kept hoping you'd come back," Kyle syas, pulling the cover off, revealing an oak baby crib.
"Kyle, how did you--."
"It was mine. I found it in the garage, brought it in here, covered it up. My dad wasn't home and he doesn't come in here much."
"I'm--."
"Sorry? I know, Tess. Just stay."
"Okay. Kyle?"
"Yeah?"
"Where have you been sleeping?"
"On the sofa. This was your room, Tess. It still is and always will be."
Tess sits down on her bed, putting Kylie's carrier beside her, "You still miss my cooking?"
Kyle smiles, "Like the desert misses the rain. We got some tabasco sauce."
"Hungry?"
"Yep."
Would you mind if we went to the Crashdown?"
"Not really."
***
"What, Michael?"
"When did you sleep with Tess?"
"Last October."
"After you caught Liz with Kyle?"
"Yes."
"That's horrible, Max. Was that your way of trying to get back at Liz and Kyle," Isabel asks.
"I was hurt."
"It's always about you, King Maxwell, isn't it," Michael says snidely, slidding out of the booth.
"Two Sigorney Weavers," Maria says, putting Isabel and Max's orders on the table.
"Where's Liz?"
"Yeah, like you really care," Maria says, walking off.
"You turning your back on me too, Iz?"
"Max, you're my brother. I'm just gonna go talk to Maria."
Tess and Kyle walk into the Crashdown with Kylie in the baby carrier. They see Max and slide into the booth across from him.
Tess looks at Kyle, "Kyle?"
Kyle looks at her, "Do I have to?"
"Kyle..."
"Fine. You're Kylie's biological father, Evans. Tess and I never slept together."
"What? Tess?"
"It's true. You were right."
"Why, Tess? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say anything earlier today?"
"I never planned on telling any of you. It was wishful thinking that I could avoid running into any of oyu. You don't love me, Max; you never have and you never will. I...I didn't want it to seem like I was trying to trap you. And I...I realized that I didn't really love you."
"Kylie's my daughter?"
"Yes."
"Can I...can I hold her?"
"You're her father, Max," Tess says, picking Kylie up and placing her in Max's arms.
"I think she has my nose."
"As long as she doesn't have your ears," Isabel says.
Kyle laughs and Tess presses her lips.
"What's wrong with my ears?"
"Nothing, Max. So...I'm an aunt?"
Tess looks at Isabel, "Yeah."
"Well, do I get to hold my neice? You know, it's never too early to start giving her fashion tips."
"Buddha, please help this child," Kyle mutters.
"Careful with her, Isabel."
"I know how to hold a baby, Max," Isabel says, taking Kylie out of Max's arms. "Hello, there. I'm your aunt Isabel. When you get older, I'm gonna teach you all about fashion and guys."
"Please don't corrupt my daughter."
"Max, let Isabel spoil her," Tess says. "She's my daughter, too. And Kyle loves her."
"You got a little bit of baby drool on ya, Iz," Michael says.
"Did you just drool on me? Did you? Yes, you did. You drooled on your Aunt Isabel."
"Tess, please take Kylie away from Isabel, she's scaring me," Kyle says as Isabel throws him a look.
"So Max is Kylie's father," Michael asks.
"Yep."
"Well, as long as she doesn't have his ears."
"What's wrong with my ears?!"
"Paranoid much, Maxwell?"
"Is this a Czech thing or can any-- Hey, Kyle. I guess we're allowed, too. What's up," Alex says.
"Isabel's googling over Kylie. It's really frightening," Michael says.
"Oh, I want a baby," Isabel says.
"So do I," Alex says, putting an arm around Isabel.
Max narrows his eyes, "Not with my sister. Not anytime soon."
Alex steps back.
"Kylie can't date until she's twenty-nine," Max says.
"She'll be able to date when she wants to," Tess says.
"We're closing!"
"Can it, DeLuca! Kylie's trying to sleep," Kyle yells back.
Maria runs over, "Ohh, can I hold her?"
Tess looks at her, "Uh...just, um, try to be calm when you're holding her."
Michael smirks.
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Space-boy! My god, she has Max's nose," Maria says, looking up at Tess.
"Uh, yeah, I guess she does."
"Then that means..."
"'Bout time you caught up."
"Stuff it, Kyle."
"What's going on?"
Everybody looks to see Liz standing in front of the counter.
"We were just talking," Alex says.
"Liz, would you like to hold Kylie," Tess asks, taking Kylie out of Maria's arms and taking a few steps towards Liz.
"I might drop her."
"No, you won't," Tess says, carefully placing Kylie in Liz's arms.
Liz looks at Kylie, then Max, Kylie, back at Max, and then at Kylie again. "Did I do a good thing?"
"What do you mean?"
"By pretending to have slept with Kyle to make Max fall out of love with me. If I hadn't, then Max and you wouldn't have... And then there would be Kylie. So, I did a good thing, right," Liz asks, starting to cry.
"Yeah, Liz, you did a good thing," Tess says, hugging her."
"You didn't sleep with Liz?"
"Geez, Evans. Weren't you paying attention? No, I didn't sleep with Liz or Tess. Happy?
"Yeah, actually."
"I hope you and Max are happy together," Liz says.
"I'm not gonna be with Max. I'm not even sure I'm gonna stay in Roswell."
'Time to nip this in the bud,' Kyle thinks as he drops to one knee in front of Tess.
"Kyle--"
"Tess, marry me, please?"
Tess' eyes start to tear up, "I...I can't. Not now. I shouldn't have come back," she says, taking Kylie and grabbing the carrier and running out of the Crashdown.
"Sorry," Michael says while Kyle gets up.
"Good going, Kyle," Maria says, hitting him.
"What was that for?"
"You're pushing her. The girl meeds time. I mean, she just had a baby; Kylie's her first priority. You guys are so dense."
"She's right," Isabel says.
"So now what," Kyle asks.
"You wait," Michael says.
***
"I'm so sorry, Kylie," Tess says, crying as she gets out of her SUV. She walks to the front door of the Evans' house and rings the doorbell.
Mrs. Evans answers the door, "Tess? Come inside. Are you okay? Where have you been?"
"I need to ask a favor of you and Mr. Evans."
"Phillip, can you come into the living room?"
"What is it, Diane? Tess, hello."
"Hello, Mr. Evans. You may want to sit down. I...This...This is my daughter, Kylie Michelle Harding. She's...she's your granddaughter."
"Oh, Tess," Mrs. Evans says, hugging Tess.
"She's only two months old. Please help Max take care of her for me. I don't know where I'm going, so I can't take her with me."
"Are you sure about this, Tess," Mr. Evans asks, getting up.
"It's best for now. For Kylie," Tess says, crying.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans look at each other, "We'll take good care of her."
"Thank you. I have to go now, Kylie. But remember, your mommy loves you very much and I'll always be watching you. I'm gonna come back to you one day, I promise. I love you, Kylie," Tess says before placing Kylie in Mrs. Evans' arms. "Bye."
"Good-bye, Tess. Take care," Mr. Evans says, hugging her.
"Good luck and thank you," Mrs. Evans says as she hugs Tess.
Tess gives Kylie a kiss on the cheek, transfering all of her good memories to her before leaving. Tess gets into her car and drives to the hospital. She slips into the Sheriff's hospital room. He's peacefully sleeping. Tess places her hand on his chest and begins to heal him. Images of his life flood into her mind.
"I'm sorry, Sheriff," Tess whispers, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"Tess?"
"I have to go now. Please tell the others that I said good-bye. And tell Kyle...tell him that I love him," Tess says before slipping back out of the room. She barely makes it back to her car before she breaks down in tears, sobbing.
***
Isabel and Max walk into the house. Their parents are sitting in the living room on the sofa.
"We're home," Isabel says as they head towards their rooms.
They both stop dead in their tracks at the sound of Kylie's crying. They both walk back to the living room.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Max?
"Is that--"
"Kylie? Your daughter? Our granddaughter? Yes, Max."
"So Tess told you?"
"Yes, Max."
"Where is she?"
"She left."
"She went back to the Valenti's?"
"No, honey, she left. She wants us to help you raise Kylie. She came by and asked us to look after her. She nearly broke down when she left."
"When did she leave?"
"Not more than an hour ago," his father says.
"Max, let her go. She'll come back when she's ready and when she thinks it's best for Kylie."
"How can you be so sure, mom?"
"Because I know what it's like to be a mother."
***
"Her car's not here," Kyle says, sitting in the front passenger seat of Alex's car.
"You don;t think she left again, do you?"
"She told me she wasn't planning on staying. What the hell was I thinking?"
"You're in love, you weren't thinking."
"Like when you nearly propositioned Isabel in front of Max tonight?"
"What can I say? I'm a fool in love. But, seriously, if you need to talk, gimme a call."
"Thanks, Alex."
"No problem, man."
Kyle walks into the house, already knowing that Tess is gone. He walks back into her room to cover up the crib. There's a piece of paper on the bed. He picks it up and reads it:
Kyle,
I'm leaving Kylie with the Evans'. I think it's best for her right now. I'll be back one day. Please don't let Kylie forget about me. Remember me.
Always and forever,
Tess
"How can I not remember? I'll be right here waiting, Tess," Kyle says, looking at the letter.
Between Homes 2 (Part 4)
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