Author's Note: I really want to finish this fic. It's one of my favorites that I've written so far, so I'm going to keep at it. And hopefully it doesn't take me another year to finish.

Help, please! – I want to re-write the summary. But I'm not the best at summaries, so can anyone make any suggestions??

One more thing—There's a twist in this chapter that is going to have somebody throw flames at me. –Please don't.

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Chapter 10: Not the only one

Sheriff Valenti's body was tight with tension, fear for the safety of his family made him unyielding. "Yes. And I've finally caught him."

Max looked up from where he was kneeling. "Sheriff, please, listen. I'm not the one you're after. I wasn't even born then." His eyes pleaded with the man, "I would never hurt anyone. Please, trust me."

Valenti stared at him, now unsure. "I don't know…"

"Sheriff, please," Tess's soft voice made all the men in the room turn to look at her. "I know that Max isn't a killer. He could've just let you call an ambulance—not revealed himself. But he did—to save me and the baby. That type of person wouldn't kill. I know it. If you don't trust him, then trust me. I know him—he didn't do it."

Michael's hands clenched Tess's shoulders absent mindedly; she jerked away from him, giving him a glare. He looked down apologetically for a moment, before launching into what Tess called 'protective brother mode.' He moved towards Max, threateningly, "If you hurt my sister I'll kill you." It was said chillingly calm.

Max didn't blink, automatically responding. "I would never do anything to hurt her. She's…" He trailed off, not really knowing how to continue the sentence. Soulmate was too cliché and he didn't know what else to call her—he'd never felt so connected to anyone in his entire life and he didn't even know her last name.

"I know—." Michael was interrupted by the loud urgent squawking of Valenti's police radio.

The radio practically squealed, "ALL UNITS. ALL UNITS. PLEASE RESPOND. 10-71 AT THE CRASHDOWN CAFE. ADVISE AMBULANCE IS NEEDED. SHOTS HAVE BEEN FIRED. ALL UNITS PROCEED WITH CAUTION. SHOOTER STILL INSIDE."

"Shit!" The curse slipped from Valenti's lips. "I have to go—." He looked around the room, studying the young man before him. "I don't have time for this—but I trust Michael and Tess. You can go, but I'll be watching you."

Kyle grabbed his father's arm before he took off. "Dad, wait. A 10-71? So, someone was shot? At the Crashdown? Do you know who was shot?"

Valenti pulled away from Kyle. "I don't know yet, son. I have to go. Just…" He motioned around the room where all of the young people stood listening to the radio in horror as it continued to release its frantic information. "Be careful. Call me if you need anything."

Tess looked sad, "We were just there. Oh God."

Suddenly, Max's cell phone began to ring. He jumped up from his position on the floor and flicked it open. "Hello," he said. "Mom? What's wrong? Mom, just calm down. What's wrong?" The new Valenti family watched as the blood drained from Max's face. "Isabel? Is she alright?"

He began looking frantically around the room for his jacket. "Listen, Mom. I'll be there, just—Tell her I'm on the way." He stopped for a second, his expression now completely panicked. "NO! Mom! Don't call an ambulance! I'll be right there! Please, just trust me. She'll be fine…just don't worry."

He was scrubbing his hands over his face as he began to tell his mother to calm down over and over again. Once he hung up, he threw his jacket down and cursed. "Shit! I don't have a car."

Kyle walked over slowly, "I do. I'll drive you home. Your sister okay?"

Max licked his lips. "Thank you. And I'm not sure. She's been shot…she ran from the Crashdown and somehow drove home. She's bleeding. I have to go." He walked out the door with Kyle, Michael, and Tess following behind. It seemed to take him a few moments before he realized they were following him.

He looked at Tess, his expression vacant. "We're coming with you. Kyle, Michael, and I can help."

"Thank you, Tess." He got into the vehicle and prayed for it to go faster. The radio in the car gave them no solace as it started airing the news about the local 'massacre' at the Crashdown.

Everyone in the car practically froze as they listened to the heart-wrenching details. "Live News Update! The, what some are calling a massacre at a local alien themed eatery, is finally over. The mad-man, after a shooting spree killing two people and seriously injuring five others, finally stopped, put a gun to his own head and killed himself." The radio squawked. "Our prayers go to the victims of this horrible attack."

Kyle's hands tightened on the wheel as he neared the Crashdown Café. The entire area was surrounded by police, EMTs, and firemen trying to hold back the crowd of people begging to know if their loved ones were in the restaurant. The mayor was currently holding an emergency press conference as the local news reporters surrounded the man and threw questions at him with a frenzy that no one had seen in the small town since the fabled 'UFO Crash.'

Kyle spotted his father directing the officers to tape off the crime scene, while comforting a young waitress as her friend was wheeled away in a body bag. They watched as she reached out a blood covered hand towards her friend and then started screaming. Sheriff Valenti gently held her back.

The officers at the scene forced them to detour. And they passed by the restaurant they'd all been sitting in an hour before, with mixed feelings of horror and relief.

The man on the radio started going on about how society and video games drove young people to violence. Tess reached over and turned off the offending sound. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

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Max didn't even wait for the car to stop before flying out of it and running for his door. "Mom! Isabel!" He screamed their names as he frantically searched the house.

"Max! In here." Diane Evans cried out from Isabel's bedroom. "Oh, God, Max."

Max ran to the bedroom, barely noticing that the others had followed behind him. He jerked to a stop as he saw his sister, bleeding on the bed. He slowly moved closer to find that she was emitting some kind of electric force—her hands were sparking green colored flashes. "Isabel," he spoke softly, "I'm here." He turned towards his mother, wanting her to get out of the room, "Mom, I'm going to need a first aid kit…also, needles and thread. You need to boil the needle before you give it to me. Now, Mom!"

Isabel was shaking, her body nearly in convulsions as the pain washed over her body. "Max.."

"Oh, my god!" Tess couldn't help but gasp.

Isabel jerked in fear, eyes flashing towards the doorway as she three strangers. "What are they doing here, Max?"

Max turned her face so she could look at him, "It's alright. They're friends. Don't worry about that now." Looking down, he saw the bullet hole that tore through her abdomen. He focused his powers on his sister's wound, praying to have enough power to save her... he shook with exhaustion, unable to keep up the concentration needed to heal her wound completely. He gasped as he fell back against the bed, trying to catch his breath. "God, Issy. I can't--."

Tess came up behind him. "Yes. You can, Max. You just need to focus. I can help." She pulled him up slightly, but was pushed aside as Michael nodded towards her belly. Michael took over with easy, letting him rest his back on his chest.

"I hope you have a good idea, Tess." Michael mumbled.

She took a deep breath, then rested her hands on top of Max's. "Max, use your powers, and let Michael and I help you. Michael and I have done this a couple of times—just focus and draw strength from us."

Tess focused on Isabel, "Isabel, you have to help us too. Focus your internal energy…focus on healing."

Together, the four shared their combined strength…and slowly, the sparks flying off Isabel stopped and her wound healed until there was no trace that she was ever shot.

Afterwards, Max slumped into Michael, unable to hold himself steady. Michael grumbled, but held him tightly, unwilling to let him fall. Tess sat beside Isabel on the bed. She just stared at her. "Are you alright now?"

Isabel struggled to sit up and gladly accepted Tess's hand. "Yes… How? Who are you?" Isabel just stared at the blonde haired beauty. "I—Do I know you?"

Tess shook her head. "Yes. You called me a whore at the Crashdown a couple hours ago." She looked upset. "I'm Tess. This is my brother Michael—and I think you already know Kyle."

Isabel's face flushed a dark red. "Oh, my god. I'm so sor--."

Tess didn't let her finish, slowly rising from the bed. "Michael, Kyle. Let's go home. I think we should make some dinner and bring it over to the Sheriff—and the other officers. The way things look there—they aren't going to be eating any time soon. It'll be good for them." With a wave of her hand, the blood vanished from the sheets.

Isabel gaped at her… "Oh, my god. You're one of us."

Kyle was open-mouthed and speechless from watching the scene. "Okay." He nodded, swallowing hard as he pretended that what he saw was normal.

Michael gently lowered Max to the bed, then lifted his legs. "Get some sleep, man. We'll see you."

The boys followed Tess and grabbed her after Mrs. Evans barreled into her. "Oh, God. I couldn't find the thread." She was crying, absolutely hysterical.

"Mom," Isabel called out, walking up to her. "I'm okay."

Diane stopped crying abruptly, her hands flew to her mouth and she paled. "But you—you were bleeding and the electricity…"

"Mom. I'm fine." Isabel racked through her mind to come up with a rational explanation. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Michael, Kyle, Tess, and Isabel watched as the woman started shaking her head in horror. Her voice took on a screeching tone. "No! You—you were shot, Isabel! You were bleeding! It wasn't a nightmare! You—You!"

Tess jumped in, "Mrs. Evans," her voice took on a different tone—one that Michael joked was her 'Queen Tess' voice. "Listen to me…you just had a nightmare. Nothing happened." Her face became one of strong concentration, "You must've left the radio on while you were napping on the couch. You woke up and thought Isabel was one of the people who'd been shot."

Isabel watched silently, trying to school her reaction to seeing someone else with abilities. "What are you doing to my mother?"

Tess's eyes flashed, angry. "I'm not hurting her…In a minute, she won't remember anything. Unless you want her to know that you and Max are aliens from outer space!" She put her hands on her hips, "Yes, I know! And I'm trying to protect you—protect us; so, just shut up."

A couple seconds later, Diane blinked, then yawned. "Oh, hi, honey. I just woke up—I think that I just heard that there was a shooting at the Crashdown. That's so awful." She pulled her daughter to her into a hug. "I'm glad you weren't there." She soothed her child, before pulling away to ask, "Where's your brother? He wasn't there, right?"

Surprised, Isabel quickly responded with the first thing she thought of. "No. Mom. He's asleep in my bed. We were talking about my new dress for the spring formal and he fell asleep. I guess I bored him. Guys, you know, you can't talk to them about anything." Isabel laughed lightly. "Are you okay?"

With a deep breath, Diane answered, "That dream…was so real. But as long as my children are safe—I'm perfect." She seemed to now notice there were others in the room. "Oh, I'm sorry, Issy. Here I am going on and on, and you have friends over."

Kyle spoke up, "Oh, that's okay Mrs. Evans. We were just on the way out."

Michael nodded, "Yeah. Sorry, if we woke you." He grabbed his sister's hand, then pulled her out towards the door.

"Bye, Mrs. Evans."

The door closed behind them; leaving Diane wondering curiously about her Issy's new friends and Isabel in complete shock.

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Her mother had gone back to the couch and turned on the television. She watched in horror and made several comments, which Isabel paid no attention to.

"Mom," Isabel excused herself, "I have to call my friends. They were there too."

She quickly ran to her room, and shook her brother awake. "Max! What the hell is going on? Who are they?"

Max blinked back heavily, trying to understand his sister's questions. "Wha?"

"Max! Focus! Who were those people?" Isabel snapped at him.

A smile appeared on Max's face, giving him a slightly goofy look. "You mean Tess?"

Isabel threw her hands up. "Of course, I mean Tess! Max, who the hell is she? And what did she do to mom?"

Max looked confused, "What do you mean? Is Mom okay?" But the question woke him up fully.

"Yes."

"Oh, god. She saw you bleeding, Isabel. She's going to ask questions--."

Isabel turned away from her brother, then swung back, "No, she's not, Max. Tess somehow erased her memory. She thinks it was all just a dream."

She went over to the bed, and putting both hands flat against the mattress, leaned over her brother. "Max, what the hell is going on?"

Max wasn't phased by his sister's 'strong arm' tactics; he was used to them. He just leaned back, and answered her honestly. "I don't know, Issy. All I know is that she's like us and so is Michael. As for the rest, I can honestly say that I have no idea."

He continued on, "Right now, things are going to be incredibly hectic. We need to stay calm. We'll figure things out…but for now, we need to act normal."

Isabel stood tall, "No, Max. I want to know! You can't expect me to just pretend like I wasn't shot. You tried to heal me—and you almost couldn't. What was that about? You've always been able to heal me!"

Max lowered his head. "That's because I was drained…I'd used my powers before I came here."

"What do you mean, Max? Did anyone see you?"

Max licked his lips, "Tess—she, I mean, the baby was sick. She collapsed…" Isabel turned away from him, a look of disgust on her face. "Listen to me, Isabel. She would've died. The baby couldn't breathe! I just—I'm not sure what happened, but after I healed her, the baby…I don't know—It was like we were apart of each other; that we were connected in a way I've never felt before."

"Oh, god. Now, you're going to start spouting love sonnets! Put it in your pants, Max! She's pregnant! Did anyone see you?"

Max looked around the room—she was his sister, but the way she was talking about Tess was making his blood boil in anger. "Just Kyle and his father," He ground out in between clenched teeth.

If anything, Isabel's voice grew louder and louder, "His father? His father, Max! His father is the DAMNED SHERIFF! What the hell were you thinking? God, that little whore has you all wrapped around--"

All of her shouting, all of her negative comments about Tess, and his anger for the incident at the Crashdown came to a head inside of Max. Without a single thought, he telekinetically flung his sister against the wall. She landed on the floor with an oomph. When she looked up, a green field surrounded her. His abilities, which had been at a level far below her, suddenly exploded and amplified with an intensity that Isabel had never seen in her brother before.

She looked up in fear, "Max?" She called out softly.

The field was lowered and Max stepped towards her. "Stop yelling at me—I'm not one of your followers, Isabel. I've sat aside and watched you become this…" he waved his hand at her and her room, "…shallow, heartless, self-centered person without a comment. I was willing to let you ignore me, boss me around, whatever you wanted. But—Don't EVER—EVER, Isabel—say that about Tess again."

Isabel stood slowly, inching towards him like an injured animal—hurt at the hand of its usually loving owner. "What's gotten into you, Max? How did you do that? I thought your only power was healing?"

Max looked at her once more, before opening the door. "I'm not as weak as you think I am, Isabel. Perhaps if you cared to talk to me over the past few years…you'd know exactly who I am and what I can do."

Isabel watched as her brother walked out the door, fear flooding through her. She fingered her metallic necklace, worrying it with her finger and thumb. "Who the hell is she? I've seen her before… I've seen them both before…" Her eyes widened, a hand flying to her mouth as she finally remembered. She locked her bed room door and ran to her closet. Reaching, she pulled out the locked storage bin and unlocked it with her powers. She'd secured it so that she was the only one who'd be able to open it.

Not that she'd have to worry—her brother never went in her room without her permission. She demanded it of him. And he always followed her orders. Until today.

She flung through the collections of ribbons and clothing she'd hidden until she reached the bottom. She pulled out a small box and opened it gently, as if the contents were sacred. Well, to her, it was…it was the only clue she'd ever found of where they'd come from. A metallic cooper colored book given to her by a bald headed man on her twelfth birthday.

The man seemed to come out of no-where in the park where she and her friends celebrated. Mom had stepped away and asked Max to help her get the cake from the car. The man came up to her—smiled and handed her a gift. "Don't show this to anyone else, Princess…it's a gift for you on your birthday." It was said to her reverently, and he'd bowed to her before leaving.

She'd been hesitant to take it, her mother reminded them not to take anything from strangers—but it was her birthday and she was not a little child anymore.

So, she hid it away…making sure her brother didn't see it. She knew that he would take it away and tell on her. Her brother always followed the rules. (It was annoying.) And when she opened it later, she was amazed to see a likeness of her and her brother in the pages.

The other images however—they were a mystery. Another boy and girl filled the pages…and she was disturbed to see that the curly haired one and her brother were always together. It filled her with jealousy. What was so important about her brother and the other girl?

So, she hid it away—wanting to forget all about it—forget about the curly haired one that was always paired with her brother. Forget about the dark haired boy always paired with her. After all, she was the Princess. The bald man even said so.

Now, she stared at the book in disgust. It was her! The curly haired picture in the book was Tess. Looking down, her picture was still in the corner—as if she was an after-thought. And the picture of the boy—Michael, she remembered Tess calling him—next to hers.

Everything the book had shown her was coming true.

And it filled her with dread.

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TBC…

Dedication: To those who lost a loved one in Virginia Tech. (I'm sorry for your loss.)

Please review, I want to know what you think… Should I stop?

More notes: I'm not sure what made me think to do this…but the way things are going on in this world; In my eyes, when the show aired, an accidental restaurant shooting over money was absolutely horrible—but compared to the crazy random shootings now… of people just losing their minds and killing a bunch of people for no reason?? It makes no sense to me.

I just figured that if that show aired NOW…perhaps that scene would've played out differently. (I don't know… I was iffy about it, but I finished writing it…and didn't want to erase. But if everyone hates it…I might have to.)

I've left the 'dead waitress' thing hanging…because I'm still unsure as to if the girl was Maria or Liz. (If you have any suggestions…just post a review or email me.) But be nice!

This story wasn't Beta'ed, so any and all mistakes are mine. (I hope you don't find any.) LOL.