Best Laid Plans
Part 7

By Prestor John

Disclaimer: All of the standard: Don't own 'em, just borrowing 'em.
Summary: My AU diverges when Max kisses Tess in Heart of Mine.
Category: Other
Rating: PG-13
Authors Note: My first fiction, so be gentle and honest. Hell, if you can’t be gentle, just be honest! :) Let me know what you think. Mega thanks to Jayfff & Cobray for beta reading, and to Robin and Fadre for editoral comments and reminding me of the rules of grammar. :)

Maria found Liz curled up in a ball in the corner of her balcony still crying twenty minutes later. She managed to coax Liz back inside and on to her bed. Sitting there with Liz’s head in her lap, gently finger combing Liz’s hair out, she said, “It’s ok Liz, I’m here. I got your back chicka, so just talk when you’re ready.”

Liz lay there for several minutes before she started talking softly. “I don’t know what to think anymore, Maria. Max says he still wants me, not Tess. I promised future Max… but now…”

“Well,” started Maria, “Alex is the expert on space-time continuum/Star Trek crap, but the way I understand it, the future that future Max came from doesn’t exist any more. You already succeeded in changing that future. So, anything that happens now is uncharted. What future Max said doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Maria!” exclaimed Liz sitting up with pain and fear in her eyes, “How can you say that!? Of course what he said still matters, it’s…”

Maria interrupted “It’s what you’ve been basing your life on these last several months, therefore if it’s not important anymore, you don’t have it to fall back on.” Reaching out and gently grabbing Liz’s hands Maria continued. “You can’t go on living your life based on a future that no longer exist.” Impulsively Maria leaned in giving Liz a hug. “Time to start living your life based on what you want, girlfriend. Time to decide what, or who, you want.”

“I don’t know,” whispered Liz as Maria pulled back. “I don’t know anymore”

“Well, I’ll help you anyway I can, you know that right?” responded Maria. After Liz nodded Maria added, “And While Max has his faults, being a Czechoslovakian not the least of them! All I’ll say about Sean is EWWWWW!!!” Maria scrunched her face up and stuck out her tongue.

Later that night at the Evan’s house, Isabelle was lying down on Max’s bed with a picture of Tess. Max was sitting at his desk slowly going over everything that had happened in the last 24 hours, and the last year, and how he was going to work everything out. Alex came bustling in with a tray of drinks he had insisted on getting from the kitchen himself. Isabelle smiled at him as he came in. She couldn’t believe that she had ever pushed him away. Well, she decided as she accepted a glass from Alex, I’m not going to do that again! Being with Alex last night at the prom and spending all day today with him, just wandering around town, holding hands, was the best time she’d had in a long time. She was happy. God, it felt good to be able to say that and mean it!

“Ready Is?” asked Max, feeling uncomfortable watching his sister and Alex stare at each other with that loving look. He now knew what Isabelle had been complaining about when he and Liz had started dating. Well, hopefully he had taken the first steps to getting Liz to let him back in. Now, however, it was time for Tess.

“As ready as I’ll ever be” Isabelle replied, as she scooted over on the bed and pulled Alex down beside her. Max started to open his mouth about the two of them getting so comfortable, and intimate, on HIS bed. Isabelle saw him open his mouth and shot him a glare that killed the complaint in his throat. Taking a deep breath and laying her head on Alex’s chest, she stared at the picture of Tess.

At first Isabelle seemed to be trapped outside of a smoky wall of flashing lights and random sounds. She knew that this was Tess’s dream; she just had to get in. After a few moments of pushing and prying at the wall she found a spot where it let her slip in. She almost wished she hadn’t made it.

“SISTER” yelled Max

“SISTER” yelled Kyle

“You’re just my sister” they yelled together in an exceedingly sarcastic tone. Isabelle looked around trying to get her bearings. Both Max and Kyle were wearing the tux’s they had worn at the prom, and the background that kept flashing behind them was of West Roswell High. As she brought her hands up to cover her ears from the incessant yelling, Isabelle turned around and saw Tess standing behind her.

Wearing the dress that she had worn at the prom, Tess stood there looking at Isabelle, “What are you doing here? Get OUT!” Waving her hands in a shooing gesture she propelled Isabelle flying backwards. Isabelle just had time to yell, “Where are you?” before she hit the wall of the dream. She slid down it and looked up at Tess, “Tess…” she began.

“NO! Screamed Tess and waved her arms again as her clothing began to morph. Isabelle just got a brief glimpse of Tess’s new outfit before she was knocked out of the dream and back to the real world.

Tess woke up with a start. Shit! She hadn’t thought that Isabelle could get into her mind. She didn’t think Isabelle had seen anything to give them an idea where she was, but one of Nasedo’s rules was at the first sign of trouble move on. She hadn’t planed on staying at Carlsbad Caverns long anyway, too close to Roswell. But she had hoped to stay here for a while to give her a chance to think and plan.

Well, she thought to herself, no time for that now. She quietly got up and started packing her few belongings. The housing the park provided for its tour guides was horrible with very thin walls. Tess got everything together in her duffle bag and backpack in less than 5 minutes, and left the room that had been her home for less than a day. She got opened the back of her SUV and threw her stuff in. Shutting the hatchback she started around to the drivers door.

PSST! She jerked as she felt a sting on her left shoulder. She spun around as she reached up and felt something protruding from her back. PSST! PSST! She felt two more stings in her abdomen, as the realization hit her that what she was feeling was a dart sticking out of her shoulder. Tess was unconscious before the fourth dart hit her and she fell to the pavement.