“Yes. Max it wasn’t like any other connections I’ve had. It wasn’t like when you connect with me. It was more intense. And he didn’t even need to touch me to do it.”

“What did you see when it happened?”

“I saw the crash.” He gave her an odd look and she could tell he thought she meant the crash like as in a spaceship. “The car crash,” she quickly added, “the one that killed his parents.”

He nodded his head slightly, “Anything else?”

“No, that was it. It was over as soon as it began.”

“What did he say?”

“He begged me not to tell you or anyone else. He was scared, Max. Terrified.”

Max ran his hand roughly over his face, and through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“Because, because he asked me not to. I promised him.”

“So why are you breaking that promise?” Liz searched his voice for bitterness or sarcasm, but found none.

There was no easy way to say it, “He killed Tess.”

Max recoiled as if she’d slapped him. “What?!”

“We were talking, and he asked me why I hadn’t told you about him, and why he was here. Then he started asking me questions about her. How I felt when I saw her kiss you, when I knew that you two were destined to be together.” she paused, needing to catch her breath.

“Go on.” he encouraged gently.

“So I told him what I felt, that I was happy she was gone. And he said he knew that, and he knew what she had done to me. I asked him how, and that’s when he told me. He said,” quoting his exact cruel words, “She confessed it all to me in a sleazy hotel room, after I fucked her and before I killed her”

Max didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to feel. He stood motionless, trying to swallow, trying to breath. Trying to make some sense of what Liz had told him.

“You don’t believe me.” she said flatly, ending the silence.

“No, Liz, it’s not that.” Max insisted, gently grabbing her arm, “It’s just that, come on, we’re talking about Tristan here. I’ve known him for as long as I have known Michael.”

“Longer than you’ve known me.” she said quietly.

He pulled her into a tight embrace, softly stroking her hair. “I do believe you.”

She pulled back to look into his face, “Max, what are you going to do?”

He didn’t answer.

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

Max found Tristan where he thought he would, standing on the same cliff next to the ravine where they had met a thousand times as children. The same cliff where he and the other five had also met to discuss Topolsky and the FBI so many years ago. The same cliff where he had comforted his sister over their mother and the truth. He parked the jeep, but didn’t get out. Instead he stared at Tristan’s back for a while. Everything Liz told him passed through his head, almost immediately followed by everything Tristan had told him in the years they had known each other. The memory of meeting the boy was etched almost as deeply into his mind as the first time he’d seen Liz. But this wasn’t the time for a stroll down memory lane. He slowly got out of the jeep, and walked towards the blond haired boy he used to call his friend.

“Why Maxwell, how nice of you to join me.” Tristan said, turning to face him. “The view’s just as magnificent as I remember it.” he said, turning back to the cliff’s edge.

Max just nodded, waiting for Tristan to take the lead as he knew he would.

Tristan turned back around, and with a slightly sweeping gesture asked, “Ever bring her here?”

Max knew he was talking about Liz. He wondered exactly what Tristan was getting at, but didn’t want to ask. Suddenly, before he knew what was happening, Tristan had made a connection with him. Images whizzed through his mind; Liz’s face, Tristan and Liz touching intimately, Liz’s body, Max’s own face screaming in terror. He recognized the surroundings to be the white room the FBI had kept him in when he was captured. Then it was over. He staggered backwards, trying to catch his balance.

Tristan cocked his head and let a lazy smile fall over his face, “Interesting, eh?” he asked, his blue eyes flashing. He took a deep breath of desert air, and slowly let it out. A calm, almost serene look came over his face, and his gaze dug into Max. “Gee Max, I always knew you were the quiet one, but this is ridiculous.” his tone was slightly taunting.

Max tightened his jaw, refusing to take the bait that Tristan had thrown out.

“You know Max,” Tristan said, circling around him, “I don’t think I have slept through the night in over four years. Can you believe that?” he let out a short laugh, “Four years. Mighty long time. What were you doing during those four years? Huh?”

“Why did you come here, Tristan?” Max was tired of the games.

“Why for the peach cobbler of course.” he drawled. He stopped, and standing in front of Max, his body nearly invading his personal space. His eyes grew serious, and his voice lost the taunting tone and took on a dangerous edge, “Don’t you know, Max? I came here to kill you.”

Their eyes locked and again they were connected. This time Max saw Tristan’s own memories. He saw his own mother laughing, Isabel smiling, Michael with a single tear sliding down his cheek. The memories were suddenly wiped out by another. Tess lying in a bed, blood pooled around her head and throat. Max could feel the bile rise from his stomach, but it was overwhelmed by a feeling of darkness. Something coming from deep inside that he had never before felt. It was powerful, and sickening, while at the same time exhilarating. He tired to end the connection but realized Tristan’s power was much greater than his own. A feeling of pure panic that he recognized was coming from himself, not Tristan, began to rise in his body. Just when he felt his body and mind would give out, the connection ended.

When his senses finally came back to him, the first thing that he could comprehend was that he was on his hands and knees. Tristan stood over him, his shadow covering him, blocking the pounding sun. Tristan squatted down to his level, “What’s wrong, Max?” he asked, “Too much?” his voice was back to the taunting tone he had used before. The shadow slowly moved away and Max could hear the sound of gravel crunching then a car engine starting. After a moment everything was silent, and an eerie stillness covered him.

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

As Max drove up to Michael’s apartment he was surprised to find him in the parking lot, leaning over the open hood of his car. He had bought an old, beat up, Chevy a few months ago, and spent more time fixing it than driving it. Max parked the jeep next to him, and with a deep breath, got out.

“I need to talk to you.”

“What about, Max? I’m a bit busy.”

“It’s about Tristan.”

“Don’t worry. That thing with him and Liz will pass.”

“No, Michael...”

“Really, if it bothers you that much I’ll talk to him about it. You know how he is.”

“It’s not about that.”

“Then what is it about?”

“Liz told me some things, some bad things. About Tristan.”

“What bad things?” he didn’t like where this was going.

Max took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself to say what had been running through his mind for the past two hours. Just say it, he prodded himself, the faster you say it, the faster it will be over. “Tristan is an alien.”

“What?!” Michael turned his attention on him fully. His eyebrows knitted together and his mouth opened ready to defend his friend.

Before Michael could finish responding, Max drove on. “He was sent here to kill us.”

“Liz told you this?”

“Yeah.”

“And who told Liz this? And how can you believe her? This is Tristan we are talking about, not some stranger."

“He told her.”

“Tristan.” Max could tell he didn't believe it.

“Yes.”

“So let me get this straight, Tristan is an alien who was sent here, to Earth, to kill us.”

Max nodded.

Michael laughed, “Good one, Maxwell. You almost had me there.” he went back to the car he was working on.

“Michael, listen to me. I am serious.”

“If this is true, why didn’t we know before? It’s not exactly something you can hide.”

“I don’t know. But I know it is true.” Max paused, waiting for Michael’s reaction. “He connected with me, Michael. He showed me things, made me feel things. He’s powerful.”

"I don't believe you." Michael said, his voice was low, and slightly dangerous sounding. Max knew he would defend Tristan to the end.

“He killed Tess, Michael! I saw it. I saw her laying in a pool of her own blood. I felt what he felt when he did it. He’s a killer.”

"Maybe, maybe he was just messing with you. Just trying to get your riled up. Like he's been doing by flirting with Liz. Just because he can be a prick sometimes doesn't mean that he is.." Michael trailed off.

“Or maybe he is just a straight out, cold blooded killer.” Max said, his voice low.

“Maybe you don’t know what you are talking about.” Michael shouted angrily.

“Michael, listen to me! You weren’t there! You didn’t see what he showed me. You didn’t hear what Liz told me. He is dangerous. Why won’t you believe me?”

“Because I trust him! I trust him just as much as I trust you, or Isabel or anyone else.” he paused, and continued in a softer voice, “And I know him. He isn’t dangerous. He can’t be.”

“I trusted him too, Michael. This was a shock to me.”

Michael turned away from him, blocking him from his emotions. After a moment, a slightly strangled voice spoke up, “Max, do you really, truly, believe that he is a threat?” He turned back around to face his friend. Even through the tight lipped scowl, and tightly set jaw, Max could see the anguish on his face.

“Yeah,” he responded quietly, “I do.”

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

They all met later that afternoon at the cave, it seemed the safest place. Max, with the help of Liz, explained what was going on. Everything, from what Tristan had told Liz, to what he had shown Max when they connected. For a while, no one responded.

Alex was the first to speak, “Why doesn’t he just do it then? I mean, what’s with all the empty threats and scary connections.”

“I don’t know.” Max said, running his hand over his face. He glanced around the group, but no one else seemed to have any better answer.

Maria suddenly spoke up, “Maybe he doesn’t want to do it. I mean, he did leave and all when he found out.”

“What about Tess?” Isabel asked.

“A slip up?” Maria said, giving a slight shrug. “Okay, that sounded better in my head.”

No one responded. They were all caught up in their own thoughts.

"He's put the ball in our court. He wants us to end it for him." Liz said, the realization hitting her like a boulder.

"End it for him?" Max asked

"Yeah, he wants us to..." she trailed off, not wanting to finish her thought.

"No, you're not saying what I think you're saying." Michael said

"Okay, out of the loop girl over here. What do you think she is saying." Maria asked.

"He wants us to kill him. He's been giving us reasons to kill him." Max said softly, finally understanding.

"End his destiny." Isabel said with quiet understanding.

“We’re not going to though, are we?” Liz asked, her voice quaking slightly.

“No.” without a moment of hesitation the simple answer came from Michael.

“So what are we going to do.” Alex asked, “I mean, we’re not just going to let him come kill you guys are we?”

Max took a deep breath, “No, we’re not going to let him kill us, but we’re not going to let him force us to kill him either.”

“We have to find some sort of middle ground.” Liz said.

“Insane asylum sounds good to me.” Maria replied.

“He’s not insane, Maria.” Liz told her.

“No, but he is a killer.” Max said quietly, “He killed Tess.” The others didn’t respond for a few moments. “He could have killed us.” Max concluded.

“But he didn’t, Max. He didn’t!” Isabel shouted angrily, “Instead he ran away from the only life he knew, from the only friends he had. He did that for us, Max. Would someone who wants to kill us do that?”

“She’s right, Maxwell.”

“How can you be siding with her on this one Michael?” Max erupted, “You heard what he did to Tess! How he killed her without even a second thought.”

“Are we really going to believe that? I mean, he never told you straight out that he did.”

“He showed me her dead body.”

“So? He didn’t show himself killing her.”

“Michael, he killed her. It’s a fact.”

“Why? Because you say it is?”

“He never said he didn’t.”

“What?”

“He never said he didn’t do it, Michael.”

Michael turned away from Max, refusing to listen to anything more.

“Michael,” Liz said softly, walking up to him, “he told me. He told me that he killed her, he wasn’t lying.”