Max breathed a sign of relief that they had all made it out but it didn’t last long when he saw Liz trying to help her sister.
She was using her medical training to keep her sister alive. He watched her applying pressure to her sister’s gunshot wound not even noticing the blood on her hands and clothes.
"I can’t get the bleeding to stop and her pulse is getting weak. I’m going to loose her." Max could see a couple of tears fall from her face. He could tell that she was so distressed that she didn’t even think to ask for his help.
"Liz, try to wake her up." He moved over and assessed the damage. Liz had removed what he thought was a jacket that was wrapped around her sister’s waist and it was then that he noticed that she’d been shot in almost the same spot that Liz had been when he healed her. He placed one hand on the wound and slid the other one underneath Liz’s hand on the back of Max’s head.
"Come on Maxie. Open your eyes. He can’t help you unless you open your eyes." Liz pleaded. When nothing happened Max tried, "You have to let me help you. Liz needs you. Your family needs you." Max knew how important family was to all the siblings.
Liz kept it going, "Yeah, remember we still have a lot more catching up to do. I didn’t get a chance to tell you all about Max and Roswell. You have to come visit with Logan."
At the mention of Logan’s name she opened her eyes. "Logan." A second later, Max was in and able to open a connection. He worked as quickly as he could and wasn’t surprised when the flashes started.
**FLASH**
Max making a deal with Logan to help her find her brothers and sisters.
**FLASH**
Max sitting in front of a row of lockers talking her friends
**FLASH**
Max and Logan’'s first kiss
**END OF FLASHES**
When the healing was complete Max pulled back and looked at Liz. "I healed the gunshot but she’s lost a lot of blood. I don’t know if she’ll make it with out a transfusion."
Liz nodded and removed her jacket; "I’m on it." She turned to the back seat where Kyle and Michael were watching and said, "Kyle."
Knowing what she was planning to do Kyle pulled a large first aid kit out from under the front seat. He handed her a large rubber band tie and started pulling out the equipment she would need.
Liz began to tie the rubber band around her up arm then one on her sister’s when Michael asked, "What are you doing?!"
"She needs blood so I’m going to give her a transfusion. They taught us in field medicine." She took one end of the hose and inserted the needle into the lifted vein of her sister’s arm then started to insert it into her own arm but Max’s hand stopped her.
"You can’t. I know you guys are sisters but your blood types might not match." He said weakly. He had already felt a little drained from the shield when he got in the car. The gunshot had done a lot of damage and it took the a lot more of his energy to heal her.
"Doesn’t matter. X5s are universal donors. It makes it easier if we’re injured." She could see Max still wasn’t sure. "Don’t worry. I’ve done this before with Kyle." She said. Liz removed his hand and inserted the needle in her vein. It didn’t take long for the blood to start flowing. A little later they could see the effect of the transfusion on the injured X5. Her color came back and was starting to stir. When Liz gave all that she could, Kyle helped her pull out both needles and bandaged the needle punctures. He started pulling out another transfusion set. He watched Liz check on Max to see if he would need to give blood too.
Liz checked her sister’s condition and stated, "It’s not needed. I gave her enough. She’s going to be weak but she’ll be all right. The blood will regenerate quickly since we heal faster than normal or we would still stand the chance of losing her." Kyle let out a loud sigh of relief and Michael actually smiled. She looked up at Max and said, "Thank you. You didn’t have to do it but you did."
"When I heard you saying that you say that you were going to lose her I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t let that happen anymore than let her die. So I did it. What good is this power if I can’t use it."
Liz felt her heart swell with love for him at his words. He wouldn’t have let her die regardless of who she was but the fact that he knew Liz couldn’t stand to lose another sister was the main reason he’d healed her. She leaned over and kissed him gently on the mouth but stopped when they heard, "Before you guys get horizontal on top of me, maybe you could explain what the hell he did to me."
Max, Michael, Kyle, and Liz all looked down to see she was awake. "How do you feel?"
"Weak and a little light headed but okay. What happened? I remember being shot and seeing you and Kyle come up to me. The next thing I know I’m back here and you two were leaning over me kissing and I have no bullet wound. Now what’s going on?" Liz could tell her sister was getting impatient.
"We’ll tell you everything in just a minute. We better let everyone else know that you’re okay." Liz said.
"I already radioed the van and let them know she was okay." Kyle interjected.
Liz could see the look of curiosity on her sister’s face so she started to explain; "You were shot. Kyle and I saw it so we brought you back to the cars and I was trying to help when Max stepped in and healed you."
"How was he able to heal me?"
"Well, there’s something we didn’t get to tell you earlier since Lydecker was with us. Max, Michael, and Isabel aren’t from around here." Liz said as she told the aliens’ story to her. Michael gave her example of their ability to manipulate molecular structure by repairing Max’s bullet torn shirt and erased all of Max’s bloodstains. By the time they were finished the cars had just reached Seattle’s city limits.
"They’ve had to live their lives in hiding just like us. No one can know." Liz said.
Max G. looked at Max and Michael and said, "You three act more human than most people I’ve met. I’m glad my sister and brother had you guys around. I won’t tell. I can see why you don’t want Lydecker to know."
At the mention of Lydecker’s name Kyle asked, "Speaking of Lydecker, is he in the van?"
Max and Michael looked at each other before Michael said, "No. You were right, Liz. When Logan gave him the signal to detonate he refused and was about to leave so I decked him. Once he was knocked unconscious and Krit moved him out into the woods."
"So he’s still laying in the woods?" Liz asked. She was worried that he might come after them once he woke up.
"Yes and no. When Zack came back we told him what happened to him and he took care of him." Max could see that Liz, Kyle, and Max all knew what had happened.
"You’re positive?" Liz asked.
"I was with him." Max answered.
Liz wasn’t sure what to think. Her life couldn’t get much better unless Alex was still alive. She had Max, her family, and the threat she’d always been running from were gone. There was no more Tess, no more Lydecker and no more Manticore. It was almost too good to be true. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Max whisper in her ear.
"What are you think about?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her.
She leaned back allowing him to envelop her completely. "Just thinking about how I finally have almost everything I want." He leaned down to kiss her temple as they sat in silence for rest of the trip.
Part 27:
Back at the warehouse:
Everyone was in great spirits when they got back to the warehouse. They had successfully completed their mission and Max was fine. All the X5s hugged each other knowing that they wouldn’t have to be cut off from one another know that Manticore was gone. Zack’s shoulder wound was minor and Max didn’t even have to connect with him to heal it although it did take what was left of his energy. Liz watched her sister and Logan interact with each other. Knowing how close he had come to losing her, Logan wouldn’t let Max out of his reach much to the chagrin of Zack. Liz explained all about what had happened in the SUV on the way back.
When she was done Logan and her sister walked over to her and Max and said, "I don’t know how to thank you enough. She would have died if you hadn’t helped her."
Max blushed under the praise and managed to say, "It was nothing." He looked at Max and joked, "X5’s seem to make it a habit of all getting shot in the same place." Everyone got the joke and laughed.
"I owe you for helping them get inside. They would probably have been caught if you hadn’t been able to get into the security system." He knew that Logan had played a big part in the mission and he’d figured out a way to repay him once he had his energy back plus a little help from Isabel and Michael. They all sat down and compared their versions of the mission. It didn’t take long for Liz to notice how tired Max looked.
"Well it’s been a long night not to mention the last couple of days. Max used a lot of energy tonight and he needs some rest."
"You can’t sleep here in the warehouse. You are all welcome to stay with me. I have several guestrooms and couches that you can use." Logan offered.
They all gratefully agreed, gathered their stuff and set out for Logan’s penthouse. After Logan showed them the guestrooms, Maria, Michael, and Isabel took one room with the girls on the bed with Michael on the floor much to his reluctance. Liz started to lead Max to another room when Zack stopped her.
"We all need to talk."
Liz nodded and said, "Let me get him comfortable and I’ll be back."
When she entered the room she saw Max sitting on the edge of the bed fighting to stay awake. She moved over in front of him and said, "Come on it’s just after midnight and you need to get some more sleep. You’ve had three hours in the last two days and a major power drain." She reached down and helped remove his shoes along with his socks. Max just sat there and watched her mother him, loving every minute of it. He started laughing when he felt her small fingers on his bare feet.
"Good. I thought maybe you had fallen asleep with your eyes open."
"No, I’m just enjoying my angel helping me." Max raised his arms as she lifted his shirt over his head. He moved up the bed and looked disappointed when she moved to leave.
She leaned over and kissed him. "I have to go talk to Zack and the others about what we are going to do but I’ll be back."
Max felt a minute of panic thinking that Liz might leave Roswell to be with her siblings. He calmed down when he felt her hand on his arm. "Max, don’t worry I’m not going anywhere but I am going to do whatever I can so that I can see my family."
Max smiled, "Anytime you need a ride, the jeep and I are at your service."
"Thanks for the offer and thank you again for what you did earlier. I only have three sisters left and I couldn’t loose another one. You don’t know what it meant to me." She leaned and kissed his eyes closed. "Sweet dreams." Liz said and left the room to join her siblings.
Part 28:
Everyone looked up at Liz when she entered the room. She looked at Logan, who was now in his wheelchair and said, "Thanks again for letting us stay. He’ll probably sleep for most of the day. Max really wiped himself out."
"It’s the least I could do. When you mentioned their powers earlier I didn’t realize their magnitude." Logan said.
"Yeah, that blast Michael sent was awesome." Krit exclaimed. "And Max’s shield just stopped the bullets in mid-air."
"Well Michael hasn’t always had the best control when it came to his blasts but he has came a long way. From what Max told me Isabel can do small blasts of her own but Max is the only one who can do the shield." Liz knew they would have questions about the alien powers. Max and her had sat on her balcony many nights talking about everything he knew about them.
"Isabel and I have been have some fun with her powers over the last week and I must say I like her dreamwalking. Especially since it doesn’t leave any souvenirs like silver handprints." Kyle said.
"Silver handprints?" Max asked.
"Maxie, will you lift up your shirt where he healed you?" Liz asked. Max lifted her shirt to reveal a silver handprint that was slightly glowing. The X5’s all stared at it curiously.
"Don’t worry it’s not permanent. It’ll fade in a couple of days but there is another side effect that I should tell you about." She proceeded to tell them about the healing fixing the seizures. Max looked really happy about it. She said that it was good because Tryptophan was getting hard to come by. They talked more about the aliens until Zack cleared his throat signaling that he wanted to change the subject.
"Logan’s police contacts confirmed that Manticore was destroyed. Early reports show that additional fires broke out after the initial explosions. Looks like they were trying to cover up the whole operation. Sightings confirmed that some X5’s, X6’s, or X7’s escaped but none of the actual Manticore staff."
"So we’re safe?" Kyle asked.
"Safer. They won’t be hunting us anymore but we should still be on alert. I don’t think we should go around announcing what we are but we don’t have to hide as much anymore." Zack said sternly.
"So we’ll be able to talk to one another? Visit each other?" Liz questioned.
"If we want to. Logan going to do an ‘Eyes Only’ broadcast about the Maniticore." Everyone looked up in surprise at the revelation but Zack ignored them and continued, "He’ll alert Jack, Josh, Zane, and Jondy to contact me and I’ll let them know about all of it. I’ll give out information on anyone location that I have permission from."
Liz smiled and glanced at Kyle, who nodded his agreement, "Well you have Kyle’s and mine permission."
"No surprise there." Zack said sarcastically.
"So where are you going to live Zack?" Liz asked. "Are you going to settle anywhere?"
Zack shrugged, "I don’t know. Haven’t thought about."
As the others started talking about how their lives would be changing, Liz tried to come with an idea on how to get Zack to live in Roswell.
Part 29:
Liz crept into the bedroom she was sharing with Max just as the sun was coming up. She knew that none of her brothers were happy that they were going to be sharing a room even if they did finally approve of their relationship but then she reminded them that Max was exhausted and would be sleeping for most of the day. When she also added that Max wasn’t stupid enough to do anything with her siblings in the next room especially since he had seen them in action they had stopped the argument.
Liz sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and began removing her boots. They had spent the last six hours discussing everything. They had decided to stay in Seattle for another three days. Logan had arranged to ‘borrow’ a friend’s house who happen to be conveniently out of town for them all to stay in. Kyle had called the Sheriff and told him what had happened. He was upset that they hadn’t told him but said he would wait to talk to them when they got back. Liz decided to wait and tell her parents when they got back so she would interrupt their vacation. Logan had made the broadcast and before long her other three brothers and sister contacted Zack. Liz and the others had been able to have a short talk with each of them. Zane was arriving from Portland later but Jondy, Jack, and Josh were all on the East Coast and wouldn’t be able to come. They were all going to meet in Roswell next month and stay for two weeks. Liz was going to arrange places to stay when she got back.
She checked on Max before she went into the adjoining bathroom. She showered quickly then threw on a clean T-shirt and sweats before climbing into the bed. She decided to try and take a nap. The stress of the last couple of days had finally hit her and she was mentally tired. Max was sprawled out on his back not leaving much room so Liz curled up on her side. She had just gotten settled when she felt Max’s arm around her waist.
"Did you get everything settle?" He whispered in her ear.
She rolled over to face him and settled in his arms. She leaned in for a gentle kiss before she began to tell him everything. She told him how Logan was the media pirate ‘Eyes Only’ and it was through him that they were able to contact the others easily. She told him about talking to her other siblings and the plan to meet up in Roswell.
When she was done, Max said, "It’s too bad they all couldn’t come but you can call to them and you’ll see them in a month." He knew how happy knowing where her family was now was making her. "So what’s Zane like?"
"He used to be pretty laid back. From what Zack said he still is. He works as a mechanic in Portland and has a dog." She continued to tell the little bit she knew. It made her realize that she was going to have to get to know her siblings all over again. "Kyle and I are going to stay a three more days here with everyone."
Max could tell by her tone that she was silently asking how long he was going to stay. He was torn on what to do. He didn’t want to leave her to go home but knew that she needed time with the family she hadn’t been able to see in so long.
"I was thinking we would leave tomorrow morning. It would give us another day of rest before having to deal with going back to Roswell. Is that all right?"
"Yeah, that would be great. You can meet Zane and get to know the others. Max had mentioned all of us going out with her friends tonight to a bar called the Crash. Kind of like a celebration but I already told them that aliens can’t hold their liquor so there will be a pitcher of Cherry Coke in addition to a beer." Liz giggled remembering Max’s drunken behavior.
"I am never going to live that down." Max said rolling his eyes.
"Why don’t you close your eyes and go back to sleep? I know you’re still drained." Liz could see the exhaustion on his face. "And we still have the whole day to sleep."
"Well in a little bit. I can think of something I would rather do." Before Liz could respond Max pulled her closer for a deep mind-blowing kiss. He pulled back when they needed air but instead of stopping he started kissing down her neck. Liz wasn’t idle while he did this; she used the fact that he was shirtless to her advantage. She loved rubbing her hands along his chest in exploration.
Max moved his hand under the back of shirt and started stroking the bare of her back. He was savoring every one of her touches and every part of her that he touched. It had been so long since they had been like this with each other that they couldn’t get enough of each other. Their kisses became more heated and the hunger to be together grew. Max knew that if they kept going that they wouldn’t stop. He knew now was not the best time so he pulled back and tried to catch his breath.
"What’s wrong, Max?" Liz asked confused.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead, "Nothing’s wrong. I just think we should stop before we go farther. Our emotions have been in overdrive and we’ve been apart for so long that I don’t want us to do anything that we’ll regret later." Liz nodded her head in understanding. "Plus your brothers can do major damage to me if they heard us, since they are right down the hall. Not to mention what your sisters might do if they thought I was taking advantage of you."
Liz laughed at the fact that Max who was king of an alien planet was worried about getting caught making out with his girlfriend. "I had to tell them something along the same lines so that they would let me stay in here with you. So I guess we shouldn’t break their trust. If you think they’re bad now, wait a few months. Kyle will be unbearably overprotective for two days."
"Why?"
"That’s when my next heat is." Liz blushed and continued, "Kyle was right when he said we lose control."
"Oh." Max could see how embarrassed but had to ask. "What exactly happens?"
"Kind of like how things were with the orb but a lot worse. I pretty much want to jump any male around me. Except for my brothers."
"What do you do when the time comes?"
"My mom or Kyle keeps an eye on me. It’s the only way to keep me from doing something stupid." Liz hated that she had so little control during those two days.
"Has something ever happened?" Max asked.
Liz nodded. "Yeah. I mean I never slept with anyone but I’ve sort of come on to a couple guys that I normally would never have otherwise."
"Really? Who?"
"Sean." Liz bit her lip "There was one guy over the summer but Kyle and Zack intervened."
"Well I’ll fight off your advances as best I can but I know how stubborn you can be." Max laughed.
Liz playfully smacked him and changed the subject, "Well I can see your still not completely back up to strength so let’s get some sleep." Max nodded and pulled her up so she could lay her head on his chest. Five minutes later they were both sound asleep.
______________________________________________________________________________________________ Epilogue:
Three weeks later:
Liz had been back in Roswell for two and a half weeks and nothing could wipe the smile off her face. The time she had spent in Seattle had been some of the best she had in a long time. Her family accepted her friends completely since they had proved themselves. They all had a fun night out and she liked her sister Max’s friends. The funniest part of the night was when they had to break up Kyle’s and Max’s friend Herbal’s philosophy discussion. The X5’s couldn’t believe it when they heard Kyle quoting Buddha.
The next day, Michael wheeled Logan into his office alone with Max and Isabel following. Five minutes later, the door opened and out walked Logan. It took them all of a minute to realize that he didn’t have the braces on and that the aliens had healed him. Her sister had ran up and launched herself at Max, hugging and thanking him for healing Logan. Shortly after that Maria and the pod squad left for Roswell. Liz spent the days exploring Seattle with her siblings and the nights they would go back to the Crash or stay at the house playing poker. They had all been inseparable for the remainder of their stay and it made Liz realize how much she would miss her other siblings that they had lost along the way. The three days were over and it was time to go back to Roswell. She had hated to leave but knowing that she would see everyone next month helped her to go.
She had talked to her other three siblings several more times on the phone since their first conversation. She didn’t like that they were so far away but they had settled into their lives there and weren’t going to leave. She figured having five out of nine siblings close was lucky. They were still trying to find a place for Zack to settle down now that he didn’t have to be constantly checking on all of them. Liz and Kyle had tried to convince him to move to Roswell or even Albuquerque but so far they couldn’t get him to say for sure. He was going to be there tomorrow to get a lay of the land before the others came.
Everyone waiting at the Crashdown when her and Kyle got back into town. Her parents weren’t due back for another day so they had complete privacy. Michael heated up the fryers and they all ate Saturn Rings and Space fries while they all relayed what they had been doing. They were all closer than before now that no secrets were between them. Alex’s absence was felt but Liz knew he wouldn’t be forgotten.
The relationships amongst the group grew even more in the following days and weeks. Liz and Kyle started Michael’s training and he learned fast. Liz could tell he enjoyed the training and didn’t mind all the bruises he got. He kept up his end of the deal and let Liz ride his bike. They even talked about buying a beat up motorcycle and restoring it for her. The more time they spent together the more their friendship grew and Liz began to treat Michael like one of their brothers. He and Maria spent as much time as possible together and didn’t fight near as much. Maria had surprised them all when she asked them to teach her how to shoot. She said she didn’t want to be defenseless so Liz taught her as well as Max and Isabel the basics of firearms. Max and Isabel wanted to also know how to defend themselves without the use of their powers. Isabel had opened up and had gotten closer to both the girls. The friendship she had started with Kyle continued to blossom and they began to spend a lot of time together. Liz could tell that her brother was falling for Isabel and she had a feeling it was mutual.
Max and her continued to grow closer and he did everything possible to make things up to her. They had gone out a couple of times alone as well as with the group. He was there when she told her parents about the trip to Seattle. She downplayed her sister getting shot so that there were no alien references. Her parents weren’t happy about them not knowing what was going on at the time but were glad that Manticore was gone. They were very accepting of her relationship with Max now that he knew the truth about Liz. They were happy that Liz could contact her other siblings and planned to close the restaurant the night they arrived so they could have a private party. Liz invited her friends to come and Isabel was helping her plan it.
The only thing left that needed to be done was look for Ava. The search for Ava had her thinking more about being changed. Did she have powers, now? Would her other siblings Max had healed? Only Ava seemed to know. Liz had a feeling she had stayed out West and didn’t return to New York in the attempt to hide from Lonnie and Rath but other than that they didn’t know. Max had tried some searches on Brody’s computer but so far nothing had been found. Liz planned to ask for Zack’s help when he arrived. Since he had been able to track all of them down over the years, she figured he would be good at it.
Liz finished writing it all down in her journal and crawled back in her window. With nothing to do, she decided she might as well sleep. Her last thoughts were of how much her life had changed in the last month.
Next Day: Highway leading to Roswell
Zack made his way south to Roswell on his motorcycle. He had spent the last couple of weeks staying with one of his siblings trying to decide where he might want to settle down. They all felt that he should but he wasn’t so sure if he would be able to after so many years of running. Although he thought if he stayed in Roswell he would be able to keep an eye on Liz and Kyle. They would still be in danger because of their association with the aliens but the town was so small, he didn’t know if it would be able to hold his interest.
In the distance he caught sight of what looked like a girl about Liz’s height trying to hitch a ride. Zack didn’t usually pick up hitchhikers but something in him compelled him to stop. Maybe it was the protector in him. He pulled up right next to the girl and took off his helmet. Once his eyes adjusted to the glare of the sun he got a good look at her. He felt something inside him flutter when he caught sight of her clear blue eyes. He moved his gaze to look her over. She had shoulder length hair that was a mixture of blond streaked with pink and purple. Her skin was light colored and her face looked like she was used to wearing heavy makeup but now had none. She was wearing jeans and a tank top over her small curvy body. There were several piercings and tattoos visible that gave her a hard-edged look but she still had a look of innocence. The overall combination made her one of the most beautiful women Zack had ever seen. He was glad that he stopped and hoped to get to know her on the ride.
"Where are you headed?" He asked.
"New Mexico. You goin’ that far?" She said, as she looked him up and down approvingly.
"Yeah, I’m heading to see my little brother and sister. They live in Roswell. I can take you that far."
"That’s where I headin anyway. Got some friends to see. Got a feelin’ they need me, so might crash there for a while." Zack started thinking that settling is Roswell was sounding better and better.
Zack noticed all she had was a backpack so he figured she traveled around a lot like he did. "Well hop on and we’ll get going. It’s only about three hours away but I was planning to make a stop soon for gas and food." He handed her his helmet.
She took it and slung her leg over the back of the bike. "That cool."
"I’m Zack by the way." He said over his shoulder as he started the bike up.
"Ava."
The End
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