Epilogue: End of the world (as we know it)

Thirteen years later...

"...and you should have seen Kyle's face when he realized his powers had just worked without his permission. It was like he couldn't decide what emotion to feel."

Liz chuckled, even as she shifted, settling deeper into the spot she'd created. Her voice became softer. "I still can't get him to come here but he gave me these." She shifted the sunflowers so that they were spread out along the desert floor. "He said they were your favorite."

"You know, both Maria and Alex freaked when their powers first showed up from the healing, but they eventually got over it. Kyle is the only one of us who hasn't seemed to accept it yet."

Liz shook her head.

The first time she had come here was after she had mindwarped one of her friends for the umpteenth time and she had been so angry at Tess. This power caused brain damage if a person was subjected to it too much and Liz Parker couldn't seem to stop using it on her friends.

She had actually pounded the earth beneath her until her fists were raw, she was so angry. Max had found her here. He always found her, no matter how far she wandered. He repaired the damage to her hands and dried her tears; the damage to her psyche though, that took a little longer.

The second time she'd come was after she'd used Tess's power for the first time in battle. It had saved them. All of them. And it was the only thing that did. That was when she'd gotten what Tess had done, her final sacrifice. Liz had come here then, but all she could manage was a quiet "Thank you." And then she'd just sat in silence as time passed around her.

She found herself returning over the years though, just to keep Tess apprised of how the battle was going. She'd learned how to cloak this place so no one could see it or find it except those of her group. Her powers were growing now. All of theirs were. It seemed the more they used them, the stronger they became.

"Things are really picking up now Tess. We might finally be getting to the end of this thing." She sighed wearily. "God, I hope we are."

~.~.~.~

Max watched from far enough away that he couldn't hear Liz's words, but even from where he sat he could see the resolve in her expression, even if behind that there was worry.

Isabel poked her head out of the podchamber and Alex looked up. Some wordless communication passed between them as Max watched and then she headed back inside.

"Liz! Time to go!" Alex called from the cliff of the podchamber, refocusing on his laptop briefly before snapping it closed.

Without a word, Liz stood, stretching a little and then dusting off her jeans. After another moment of rearranging the flowers she'd brought, she walked back towards the podchamber.

She crossed over from the hidden area where Tess was buried, crossed from pale desert sand onto burnt, scarred earth.

The changes that the years had wrought, that the battle had brought to the world, had not been pretty, or kind.

Max met her at the bottom of the podchamber and helped as she climbed her way to Alex, who squinted up at her from his perch. "Are you sure about this?"

Her gaze met Max's and he was the one who responded. "She really is Alex. It's what we're supposed to do."

Liz nodded. "It is, Alex."

Alex's worried expression cleared. "Well, alright then." He shoved his laptop into the messenger bag beside him. "Let's get this show on the road then!"

And as she made her way into the podchamber, surrounded by her friends, her last words to Tess were a distant echo in her mind.

"We're going back, Tess. We *have* to . . . Something went wrong and..." Her voice broke. "I had a vision . . . It's all going to end again and we can't stop it here in this time . . . Not without you . . . Serena was killed. It wasn't supposed to happen. It can't happen. So we're going to fix it. Fix all of this . . . We'll see you on the other side . . . I hope you'll come with us . . . " Her voice dropped. "Hope we can convince you to come with us."

Liz shook her head and sighed. Max's hand tightened in hers. He knew her worries; after all, they were his worries too.

Michael stepped past them to close the podchamber door. "I can hear you two stressing from over here. It's all gonna work out. She'll come with us, we'll convince her. And Michaela will have another family member to dote on her when she's born."

Liz blinked, then her mouth tilted upward. "Michael, try all you want, we are not naming this baby 'Michaela'. It's gonna be Michelle and that's it."

Michael grumbled. "I still think godfather should get final naming duties."

Before Liz or Max could answer, Kyle snickered from his spot beside the Granolith. "Hehe. You said, 'doodies'."

Michael just threw Kyle a disgusted look before he was pulled into the Granolith after Maria.

It was silent in the podchamber after Michael left, so it was only appropriate that Kyle's voice rang out, sardonic yet fond, right before the Granolith pulled him in next "...and I feel fine."

Liz shook her head at Kyle's maudlin sense of humor, yet she looked around her, brow furrowed, not sure what they'd come back to...if they managed to make it back.

'End of the world indeed', she thought before taking a deep breath.

"Ready?" Max asked from beside her.

"As I'll ever be."

And together they stepped up to the granolith, to face a new world, to create a new world, a better one. At least this time, they were doing it together, which meant that any one of them could fix it if anything went wrong.

They had already proven that in their world time was fluid, sometimes time was even a lie, but in this, Liz had faith.

The Granolith took Max next, and Liz last. She stood inside it, the podchamber cast in swirling hues and colors from inside. She put one hand against the inside of the chamber, the other against her stomach...and vanished.

Regardless of how it turned out, the world would never be the same again.

~ Fin ~

July 11, 2002 - May 7th, 2016

A seriously way too long journey I took you all on. Thanks for reading! :-)