Pullman Ranch, outside Roswell, New Mexico

[izzyalienqueen]

Isabel drove the car to the end of road and parked. "Come on," she told Wyatt. "It's just a bit of a hike into the hills there."

[For the boyfriend, and potentially massive amounts of slowplay.]

Comments

[blessed_twice]

"I'm supposed to be all macho and say that I'm the one who does the looking out," Wyatt grinned. "But I like having a girlfriend who can kick ass."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

That made Isabel laugh. "Just remember, I can kick yours if you don't keep me happy."

[blessed_twice]

"A knight's duty is to please his lady," Wyatt said. "Just tell me what will put a smile on your face, and I will but do it."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I don't have to tell. You always seem to know," she admitted. "It must be magic."

[blessed_twice]

"Or one of my angelic powers," Wyatt said. "Maybe you're supposed to be my charge."

He may have been a mite bit jealous that Chris had a charge, and he didn't.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I can't write rhyming spells," Isabel pointed out. "Isn't that a requirement? But if it's not, then maybe. I mean, I've already proved I can kick demon butt."

[blessed_twice]

"Nah, not all charges are witches," Wyatt said. "Some are future Whitelighters, and some are just people who may one day do something that will have a really good effect on some part of the world."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"That's sounds a little too close to Destiny for my comfort," she said, shaking her head. "I've done my part of world saving. It wasn't fun."

[blessed_twice]

"I'm kinda looking forward to it," Wyatt admitted. "And seeing what all this twice-blessed stuff is about."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I never really wanted it," Isabel admitted. "I just wanted to live my life. But when we found out the truth, I realized that I really didn't have a choice. I mean I'd died once. Who I am now? Is because they gave me a second chance." Despite what Vilandra had done. "I figured I owed it to them."

[blessed_twice]

"You've got a choice now, don't you?" Wyatt said. "Like how you're back here again? I mean back at Fandom."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"That was a very lucky accident. I could have wound up, god, I don't know where. But it wouldn't have been good. Then Max and Michael wouldn't let me come back." And after hearing even a few of their stories about their two additional years on the planet, Isabel felt guilty for being secretly relieved that they hadn't let her go back. "Now? The planet's gone. There's no longer a choice to be made."

[blessed_twice]

"Gone?" Wyatt frowned. "I don't think you told me that part. What happened."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I haven't talked about it much. I guess I feel guilty for not being more upset. But it was never home to me. If that makes sense?" she asked quietly. "As for what happened, there'd been too much warfare, too many new weapons, each more destructive then the last. It was just too much. The rift that brought me back was just the beginning."

[blessed_twice]

"Makes sense," Wyatt said. "It's like how my parents don't feel like my parents to me." He hugged Isabel closer. "I'm sorry."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel wrapped her arms around him, grateful for the comfort. "It's okay. I'm just glad Max and Michael were able to get away. It was another weird time thing. You know how I made contact with them in August? Then they turned up just a few weeks later? It'd really been two years for them. They stayed till the end, trying to get as many people resettled on some of the other, more sympathetic planets as they could."

[blessed_twice]

Wyatt kissed the top of her head. "Do you wish you'd been there until the end?" he asked.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Maybe. Okay, no. I guess I'm glad I wasn't. Not when I see how much it's effected them," she admitted. "They're doing okay now. But it was hard on them. Is hard on them still. And me being there? Well, it would have added a few extra complications."

[blessed_twice]

"I'm glad you weren't," Wyatt said. "I guess that's selfish, but I wouldn't have wanted you to get hurt."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It's a little late to wish that," Isabel said quietly. "I wasn't afraid of the dark before I went there."

She pulled away and looked around the chamber, lit only by the light from the flashlight and the fading light from the door. "Can we go outside? It'll be easier to explain."

[blessed_twice]

"Sure," Wyatt said. "But I can help with the light at least." He threw up one hand, and three golden lights appeared above them, bathing the room with their glow.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." Taking Wyatt's hand, Isabel led them out of the pod chamber and slowly started to walk down the path towards the car. "Hopefully this is going to make sense. I'm trying to avoid having teal deer turn up outside their native habit." It was a weak attempt at humor, but it helped relax her just a little. "Kivar was the one that had taken power after we were killed. He attempted to rule while the royalist forces did what the could to stop him. It was pretty much a stalemate for almost sixty years. But then Tess returned to Antar, with the Granolith and with Max's son."

"The Granolith is, was, so many things. But mostly, it was symbol of royal power. Possessing it, and Max's son, suddenly gave Kivar more legitimacy then he'd had since the war started." She knew she was skipping over lots of backstory. But really, most of it was meaningless now. "The other thing to know about Kivar is that he was obsessed with Vilandra, that's who I was before. So when he heard that we'd returned, he decided that another way to increase his hold on the throne would be to take a royal wife."

[blessed_twice]

Wyatt tensed. "This guy better be dead," he said. "Because if he's not, I'm going to make sure he is."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"They're not one hundred percent sure. He disappeared with Zan, Max's son, when things were getting really bad. But no one's heard from him. So more then likely he's dead." Isabel has done a pretty good job of convincing herself he was dead, because otherwise she wasn't sure she'd be able to leave her room.

[blessed_twice]

"He's not ever going to hurt you again," Wyatt said. "I promise you that."