brokenbride - Your gut feeling is correct; this story has reached its end. Thank you so much for all of your reviews!

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Elementalmoon, Proxy-Blue22, r. 92, brokenbride

EPILOGUE
Jeffrey

He had heard it all.

The story about the man who had saved his daughter, who had ensured that Jeffrey hadn't lost his whole family the day he had lost his wife.

He had heard the story about Maria's cure, of Michael's search for his equals following the newspaper article about Maria's recovery.

He had been informed of Michael, Max, Tess and Isabel's crawl out of a cave in New Mexico post a lengthy incubation time, after their spaceship had crashed there in 1947.

There had been the detail of Melissa's protective role of the youngsters.

He had heard the story of the Royal Four, which had seemed more like a fairytale, and that an Antarian soul by the name of Aislin was now trapped inside his daughter's mind.

He had heard of the true events concerning the assault on his daughter and the true agenda of the law enforcement. He had been, after some coercing, let in on information about Liz's abduction and how the FBI had abused her civil rights only to gain information against - whom they had referred to as - the enemies.

He had seen deep wounds being healed right in front of his eyes, the color of a wall change with the touch of a palm, hair change from curly to straight in the matter of four seconds, had seen furniture levitate off the floor and flower vases explode into a thousand pieces by the direction of an outstretched hand.

He had also seen the looks between his daughter and Max Evans. He had witnessed the gentle touches, how they always seemed to be touching in one way or the other. His heart had warmed at the small kisses when they had forgotten that they weren't alone and his stomach had fluttered with love as his daughter had brushed her hands down the pregnant curve of her abdomen.

Jeffrey Parker had seen a 22 month-old girl with light blonde hair (so light it was almost white) paint without using crayons, using only the tips of her small fingers. He had seen that same gentle girl tidy her room with a flick of her wrist and talk to the cat as if the cat could actually understand what she was saying.

He had only heard about the woman that had been sent to protect the unusual group; Melissa. He had never actually met her. Apparently, Melissa had done something horrible to his daughter Liz. Something that Max couldn't forgive, even after 'giving it some time'. Their former protector lived on the other side of town and was a pertinent member of the secret society of aliens, but her visits to the home of Max and Liz were infrequent and merely focused on status reports and community updates.

Mr. Parker, father of Elizabeth Parker, widower to Nancy Parker, had at a modest age of 56 seen and heard more than most people did in a lifetime.

He'd had his whole belief system rocked at the core, but had happily let it happen.

As a reward, his family had grown from a number of two to a number of nine. With the future birth of his first grandchild, that family total would reach an even 10.

"Mr. Parker? Are you alright?"

Jeffrey looked up at Alex who was standing beside him, a can of beer in his hand. Alex looked very different nowadays. His skin was forever tanned - a result of spending a lot of time surfing off the Australian coasts - and his previously dark-brown hair was now bleached into a warm golden brown by saltwater and sunshine. He had put on some muscle on his formerly lanky body and there was an assurance in the straightness of his posture that hadn't been there before. Jeffrey dared to presume that Alex had finally found his place in the world.

"Yes," Jeffrey smiled. "I'm fine."

He really couldn't complain. He was sitting on the veranda, with the ocean in front of him and the laughter of children playing on the beach floating around him, with his feet propped up on a small stool and sunglasses covering his eyes. The warm spring breeze was brushing through his short-sleeved shirt and ruffling his hair.

"Dinner's ready," a breathless voice said from behind them.

Jeffrey turned to see Isabel looking at them with a windy smile, before she turned and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Jeffrey looked up at Alex's profile, watched the young man follow Isabel's departure with longing. Alex had given up his whole life to come here. To try his luck at winning Isabel's heart. Jeffrey admired Alex for taking that step. It was not easy to give up your whole life for a woman you'd known for a mere 21 hours.

Apparently, taking chances was not just a Hallmark recommendation; it could come true.

Two days after Liz had revealed their location in Australia - through a coded system of clues that had Alex running all over Boston to crack the code - Alex had quit his life in America and boarded a flight to the land Down Under.

Isabel and Alex had been a couple since the moment his feet had touched Australian soil.

"I guess that's our cue," Alex said, slightly dazed, and disappeared in the manner of a hypnotized person into the living room.

Jeffrey laughed to himself, pushed the sunglasses up into his hair and disentangled himself from the lounger.

"Dad, you can sit there," his daughter said with a pointed finger to a seat as soon as he came around the corner.

Reflections of the sun were still dancing in his vision, making Liz shine with more light than usual. He smiled at the vision as he nodded. "Sure."

"Where are the potatoes?" Michael asked, taking a seat next to Jeffrey.

"They were out," Maria replied, before turning to Elise, who was spinning in the center of the living room. "El, don't let your food get cold."

"Out? They didn't have any potatoes?" Michael questioned.

"No," Liz replied, setting a bowl of string beans on the table.

Max came up behind her and with a peck on her cheek and a brush along the curve of his future child, he sank down in the seat next to where she was standing.

"El, listen to your mother!" Michael said sharply.

But Jeffrey had noticed that Michael had a real soft spot for his daughter. In Michael's eyes, little Elise could not do much wrong.

"I'm a dancing pwincess," Elise called.

"Dancing princesses need to eat too," Isabel said, reached out with her hand behind her, grabbed the girls hand and pulled Elise towards her. She pulled Elise up on her lap and smothered her with kisses. Elise's giggles filled the room.

"Michael, could you put some string beans on her plate so they can cool off?" Maria asked Michael.

"Yup," Michael replied. "So what will it be instead of potatoes?"

"Pasta," Liz replied.

Michael scrunched up his nose. "Pasta? That doesn't go with chicken wings."

"It will now," Isabel said simply, letting go off Elise so that she could run around the table to her seat.

A hand settled over Jeffrey's as he watched the commotion around the dining table.

"You okay, Dad?" Liz asked, looking at him with those warm soft chocolate brown eyes. Her mother's eyes.

He smiled at her, turning his hand over beneath hers so that he could squeeze hers. "Yes, baby girl. It's wonderful."

"What about the Australian beers?" Max asked with a smile and Jeffrey saw him place his hand on Liz's knee. Always touching.

Jeffrey laughed. "Well, it's different."

Max nodded, his grin growing wider.

"I think they're great!" Michael announced, cutting into their conversation.

"That's because you have trouble finding Snapple here," Max said.

Michael shrugged. "What if it is?"

"No, don't play with your food, honey," Maria told Elise on the other side of the table.

Jeffrey looked over to see three string beans dancing around each other, levitating two inches above the plate.

Jeffrey could feel Max's hesitant eyes on him, still trying to figure out if Jeffrey was okay with all of this. But it was hard not to be entranced with the child of Maria and Michael. The way she would innocently use her special abilities - to make the world a prettier place - was endearing.

"Certainly brings a whole new meaning to 'playing with your food'," Jeffrey mused and Liz laughed next to him.

"Yeah," she said and squeezed his hand. "It certainly does."

And there we will leave them. Max, Michael, Isabel, Alex, Maria, Liz, Elise and Jeffrey. And Max and Liz's future child of course.

In their bubble of unique normalcy, creating a life for themselves with purpose, an Earthly purpose.

They will probably never stop looking over their shoulders and will raise their children to be careful about using their abilities amongst strangers.

But in the end, that won't matter.

In the end they are as human as the humans they were raised amongst. They laugh, they cry, they grieve, they dance with happiness, and they love.

On the inside they are no different than an Earthling.

THE END