Title: Cousins Author: rfrose14 Written: ??/??/?? Rating: PG-13 Part: 4/4 Disclaimer: None. Summary: There's a new killer in Roswell. How close to Max's family can he be? “Where could she be?” Max was pacing around the kitchen of the crashdown. “Max, where ever she is I’m sure she’s just fine.” Isabelle said. “How do you know?! You don’t know that!” Max said. When he went upstairs to check on Liz she wasn’t there. He started to get worried and looked around. When he saw the blood on the floor he panicked. “Isabelle, please just try.” He had been trying to get Isabelle to go inside Liz’s head and see where she was while Michael and Alex were trying to find out what c.e. meant. Max had found that written in the blood and was sure she was trying to tell them something. “Alright I’ll try.” Isabelle said giving up. Max watched her sit down next to a worried Maria. “Could it be initials of some kind?” Michael asked. “Run them through the computer as initials.” “Michael, there are hundreds of people in this state alone with those initials. You have to give me something better to go on.” Alex answered frustrated. “Max, what did you say your uncles name was?” Maria asked with a shaky voice. Michael sat down on the other side of her and put his arm around her. “Carl.” Max answered. Suddenly Max saw why Maria had asked this. “Everett. Carl Everett. C.E.! Michael you’re a genius.” “Liz must be asleep or something because all I’m getting are these weird signals.” Isabelle said. “Try and find where Carl is.” Max ordered. “Okay here goes.” Isabelle closed her eyes and Max started pacing again. There was a long wait. It seemed like forever. She opened her eyes again and said “The soap factory.” “Let’s go.” Max took his coat off the rack and raced out the door. He turned when he heard a little voice. Sally was standing in the doorway to the bathroom. ‘Did she hear anything?’ Max thought. “Where are you going?” She asked. “We’re going out to get a movie. We won’t be long.” Isabelle said coming up behind them. “Thank you.” Max whispered as they left the crashdown. “I think that’s my job.” Isabelle said. “Let’s go.” Alex, Michael and Maria followed her in Max’s jeep. Liz woke up to find herself gagged with her hands tied behind her back. She looked around and saw a room in what looked like the soap factory. She turned her head and saw a table full of knives. She gasped when someone touched her shoulder from behind. “Hello.” He said. It was Carl. She remembered what happened. She just wished that Max would get the little clue she left for him. Carl leaned forward and took the gag out of her mouth. “Let me go!” She ordered. “Not yet.” He answered as he slowly turned toward the knife table. “What do you want with me?” She asked. “You’re just bate, my dear. As soon as Max knows you’re in danger he’ll give me what I want.” “And just what is that?” “The healing stones. I can’t get up enough power to kill him without them.” “What? You seemed to be perfectly fine at trying to kill my father and me.” “Until he intercepted. I would have killed you both, but he is stronger than I am. The only thing I can do is run away from him. Nasado as managed to weaken me. As soon as I am in possession of the healing stones I will be strong again and can kill them all.” ‘Why is it the bad guys always tell their plan to their captives?’ Liz thought. Max turned into the parking lot of the old soap factory. He remember watching Liz and Alex get taken away in handcuffs. He closed his eyes to try and block out the picture but it wouldn’t work. Isabelle, Michael, Maria and Alex all got out of the jeep leaving Max trailing behind. When they got up to the gates, Michael waved his hand over the lock and pushed open the gate. “See, there are advantages to this whole power thing.” Michael said as he walked through the gate. When they got into the building Max heard Liz scream. He ran passed the others followed by Alex then Maria who was followed by Isabelle and Michael. Max turned a corner and saw Liz tied to a chair next to a table of knives. Carl was in front of her holding one. “Liz!” Maria shouted. Immediately Max and Alex dropped back into the shadows. It was too late for Isabelle, Maria and Michael. Carl’s hand shot up and they went flying to the ground, screaming. When Max saw them stand up, Carl was in front of them. “Where’s Max?” he asked after he inspected them. When she heard this, Liz looked up and saw him. Max held up his finger to his mouth. Alex slowly appeared next to him and Liz smiled. After a while, Carl got irritated and shouted. “Where is Max Evans?” “Um…he’s not coming.” Isabelle answered. She had gotten so good at lying because they had to lie to their parents about where they were or sometimes what was wrong with them. “Well then I have a job for you.” He scanned each of them again. “You!” he said to Maria as she jumped like a mouse spotting a cat. “Do you know where the healing stones are?” he asked. When she nodded he said, “good then give them to me,” he turned around and walked toward Liz, “or I’ll cut open her throat.” He held the knife up to her throat. Maria eyes widened and Liz shook her head. “No!” Liz shouted trying to get out of the knot. “Maria don’t! It’s a…” Carl quickly slapped her cheek and put duck tape over it. When Liz turned her head Max saw blood on the cheek Carl had hit. He had to do something. Max grabbed the collar of Alex’s shirt and pulled him into the shadows. “Okay. I’ll go down there and distract him. You get something metal and knock him on the head with it. Think you can do that?” Max asked. Alex shook his head. “Okay, go.” Max got up and spotted a set of stairs. He slowly made his way towards them. When he reached the bottom he was still in the shadows. He looked up to see what Alex was doing. He was making his way towards a set of stairs in the opposite direction holding a metal rod. ‘Good’ Max said to himself. “You touch her one more time and I’ll kill you.” He said to Carl. “That’s a little bit late don’t you think.” He said as he hit Liz again. Max shot up his hand and somehow a burst of wind came out and knocked the knife out of his hand. “So getting smart are you?” Carl picked up the knife and started to throw it when Alex came up and hit him on the head with it. The knife dropped to the floor with a clang, followed by Carl. “Thanks for saving my life.” Liz said to Max as she got out of the jeep. Liz reached up and put a lock of hair behind her ear. “What are you going to do about Carl?” She asked. “Well, Michael thought we could make it look like an accident.” Max answered. “What about the autopsy?” “What about it?” “He’s a shape-shifting alien. I think they’re going to notice he’s a little bit different when the cut him open.” “That’s his problem isn’t it. It isn’t going to point at all to me. I should go now. We have work to do.” Liz watched Max lean forward and kiss her very gently. When Max started to pull away Liz pulled him closer. She finally let him go and watched him drive away. “No one will find out.” Liz spun around to see the familiar man that had confronted her on the street earlier. “I’ll make sure of it.” “Who are you?” Liz asked. “You’ll know when the time comes.” With that he faded into the night like he was never there. Liz looked around and saw no one so she went inside, hoping this man was right. Something inside her told her to trust him so she did.