Isabel wandered out onto the balcony for a breath of fresh air. Well, as fresh as you could get living in LA. She had been working on her assignment vigourously for the last few hours and had decided it was definitely time for a break.
As she looked out onto the street, she noticed a young man lying in the gutter. It was a little early in the day for passing out in the street, wasn't it? Oh, well, she supposed some people didn't care what time of day it was. The idea formed that this young man reminded her of Alex.
Isabel shook her head. It had been a couple of years since his death, and she was still seeing him everywhere.
She watched as the young man stood up, scratching his head. He seemed rather active for someone who had been drinking or taking drugs. The young man turned around, giving Isabel a good view of his face.
"No, Izzy," she said to herself, "it can't possibly be Alex. I know he looks like him, but a lot of people look like him. You know he's dead."
And thus followed an analysis of the young man before her, wherein she pointed out all the things about him that were totally not like Alex. Like his hair. Alex didn't have hair that would still look perfect after lying on the ground for goodness knows how long. And he had more muscles too - she loved Alex but even with his miltary focused family (especially his father), Alex was still a geeky looking guy. (Isabel refused to consider the possibility that the last two years would have been enough time to build up said muscles).
The young man was acting rather confused. He was looking around as if trying to get his bearings and figure out where he was. Isabel contemplated for a moment, then finally decided to go down and talk tohim - there was a large enough fence that she wouldn't be in any danger if he turned out to be dangerous. Never know with these pass-out-in-the-street types (which, to Isabel, was further proof that it couldn't be Alex).
So she departed her room, trotted downstairs and headed out the front door. She walked down the path to the fence, her eyes on him. As she moved closer, she was becoming less and less sure that he wasn't Alex.
"Hey," she said softly, when in earshot.
He turned around, and the expression on his face brightened.
"Isabel?"
Isabel stopped short. No... no it couldn't be...
"Alex?" she whispered.
"Hey..." Alex grinned. "Umm... so... would you mind telling me where I am? Because last I checked, your house did not look like this."
"LA. I've been going to a fashion design school," Isabel replied, stunned and staring.
"Really? Since when?"
"A few months now."
"Really? Wow, how long have I been gone?"
"Over two years," her voice was getting quieter and quieter.
"Two years?" Alex exclaimed.
"We thought you were dead... I saw you die..." Isabel shook her head violently. "No, no no no no no... you can't possibly be alive still... No! This is a horrible, horrible trick that someone is playing on me!"
Alex frowned.
"Izzy," he said, "I don't know how you could have seen me die... I really don't. I... I was out late one night, and I fell and, well, you're not going to believe me - "
"I don't believe you know."
"- but I fell into this wormhole thing. And it didn't seem like I had been in there for that long... but if it's been over two years..."
"No. No this isn't right. You can't possibly be Alex. Who are you and why are you doing this to me?"
Alex looked alarmed.
"Izzy, I swear, I promise you I'm Alex. I promise you! Ask me anything!"
Isabel was quiet for a very long time.
"If... if your wormhole story is true, then you should be able to remember the last thing you said to me."
The tense expression on Alex's face softened.
"I love you."
Isabel began to cry.
Jessica
Jess heard a bit of comotion and headed out to the balcony. She looked down to the street.
"Isabel?" she called, "IS everything all right?"
Isabel and Alex
Isabel turned halfway towards the balcony, unwilling to turn completely away from Alex.
"Jessssss..." she said, practically wailing, "It's Alex..."
Meanwhile Alex was chewing his bottom lip, stuck on the other side of the rather tall fence and unable to get to Isabel to comfort her terrible shock. He in his own right, hadn't yet comprehended that he had been away for over two years.
Jessica
Jess used her atom manipulation to slow herself as she jumped off the balcony and floated down.
"Oh my God," Jess said, shocked. "You're dead."
Alex and Isabel
"Umm, well, apparently," Alex frowned. "Although, I thought you had to be missing for seven years before they considered you dead, and I've only been gone for two. Umm, although it feels like I've only been gone a couple of days, so..."
Isabel was too deep in her tears to add anything comprehensible at this time.
Jessica
"They found your body, in a car crash. They buried you," Jess replied. "Izzy, why don't you take Alex inside, I'm going to call Max & Liz, and Michael & Maria. Maybe we should call YIRAAS too?"
Alex and Isabel
Isabel nodded slowly, and then opened the gate for Alex to come in.
"Well, heh, they're all going to want to know I'm alive," Alex said jovily. "I imagine the paperwork for bringing someone back from the dead is atrocious."
Jessica
Jess pulled out her mobile as the others went inside. She dialed Max and Liz first.
"Hello?" Max answered.
"Hey, it's Jessi Hanson. Um, you and Liz might want to get here as fast as possible."
"Why? Is something wrong? Is it Isabel?" Max asked, becoming frantic.
"Isabel's fine. better than fine, actually, since Alex just showed up on Frankie's lawn. Max, he's back from the dead."
"We can be there in an hour or so," Max answered immediately.
"Before you leave, can you talk to Leroy Brown, or one of the other YIRAAS agents? They should probably know about this. I can call Michael and Maria."
"Okay," Max agreed, and they hung up. Jess's call to Michael and Maria was about the same, and within ten minutes they were all on their way.
Leroy
Not long thereafter, Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Leroy and a second YIRAAS agent arrived at Jessica's and Isabel's current place of residence.
Isabel's tears had stopped, but her eyes were all red and swollen and she generally looked miserable and yet, happy at the same time.
"Hey," Alex said in greeting.
"My goodness... it really is you..." Liz stared.
"Ahem," Leroy coughed, and held out a pad. "If you wouldn't mind putting your hand on here please?"
"What for?" Alex frowned.
"Well, not that we don't believe you, but we need to verify your identity."
"Ahh, yes, for the 'bringing someone back from the dead thing'. Wasn't I saying that it probably takes an abominable amount of paperwork?" Alex mused as he put his hand on the pad.
The screen chugged away for a moment, then flashed green as it verified Alex's identity. Then he started questioning Alex about his story. Maria noticed that the questioning seemed to upset Isabel some more, and she and Liz pulled her away into the kitchen for a hot drink and a pep talk.
Jessica
"I think my head is about to explode," Isabel said as Jessi poured her some tea.
"I think Michael is going to beat Alex up for disappearing," Maria joked, trying to keep the mood light.
Liz, Isabel and Maria
"Don't worry," Liz said to Isabel, "I'm sure that Leroy is going to do everything he can to find out exactly what happened to Alex."
Isabel nodded.
"Right," Maria agreed, fishing through her bag. "And then Michael will beat up them for making us think that Alex was... well, y'know. Ah ha!"
She opened up a vial and handed it to her.
"Eucalptus," the aromatheraphy-enthusiastic girl explained.
Jessica
"Just when we thought our lives couldn't get any crazier, right?" Jess said. "Well, at least we're never bored." Liz rolled her eyes.
Leroy
Meanwhile, Leroy finished his questions. He took his leave, promising to let them know if they uncovered anything, and they departed. Max stuck out hishand to Alex.
"It's good to have you back," he said.
Alex grinned.
"It's good to be back," he replied. "Hey, I don't suppose my site is still up and running?"
"Umm, yeah, I believe so," Michael replied as they rejoined the girls in the kitchen.
"Cool. I need to start updating it again. I need to come up with a new list."
The girls looked at each other.
"It's Alex," they said together.
Jessica
"So, Alex," Jessi began. "Would you like to stay here tonight? That goes for everybody," Jess said. "We've plenty of extra bedrooms, Frankie makes sure his guest house can hold a lot of guests."
"Sure," Maria said. "Michael and I would love to stay tonight."
"We would?" Michael asked. maria kicked him. "Ow. Yes, we would."
Alex, Max and Liz
"Yeah, sure," Alex replied. "And tomorrow the fun of reinstaing me begins. I suppose I should probably assume Mom and Dad that I'm alive... Now that should be interesting. I don't think they'll buy the wormhole story though, so I hope YIRAAS comes up with something good. Oooh, maybe that should be my next list: ways to cover up a two year disappearence. Yeah! It'll totally cover up my site not being updated in two years! Whoo hoo!"
"Speaking of which," Liz said, "I guess we'd better fill you in on what's happened since you... umm... disappeared."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Do tell."
"Well, Max and I got married."
"It's about time," Alex chuckled.
"Of course, since then, Liz has started this weird, electric shock thing..." Max admitted.
"Ahh, intrigue."
Jessica
"Let's see," Maria said. "Liz and I are at university, I'm in the music program of course, and Michael's at culinary school." She fknew she should tell Alex about the baby, since he was one of her best friends, but the pain was still too fresh.
"My cousin Rachel has three kids," Isabel added, trying not to think too much.
"One of which was with my brother Zac," Jessi said, shuddering. "It still creeps me out that my best friend slept with my brother."
Alex, Isabel, Max and Liz
"I see..." Alex said slowly. "And you're at fashion school, right, Izzy? That's what you said?"
"Yep," Isabel nodded, "with Jess."
"Cool."
"I'm at Uni as well," said Max, "part time. The other part of the time they have me doing stuff pertaining to my rank as Sem King. They really piled on the responsibilities when we got married, that's for sure."
"Sem King," Alex repeated. "I know that we found out years ago, but... I'm still amused. Does that make Liz the Sem Queen?"
"Apparently," Liz replied.
"Are they putting pressure on you to continue the family line, too?"
"Sometimes. But no one who knows about the sparking thing has been."
"Better to get that that figured out first," Max nodded.
"True. Okay, so everyone's at school. Max and Liz finally tied the knot. Liz is doing some weird sparking thing that no one can explain, and cousin Rachel has three kids... Did I ever meet Rachel? I don't remember."
"I don't either," Max replied, frowning in effort to remember.
"Anything else I should know about?"
Isabel
"I'm sure you met her," Isabel said, "At some family holiday or something. Jess and I are in fashion design school," she said. "You remember Jess, right? Zac Hanson's younger sister?"
Alex, Liz, Maria and Michael
"If this was a cartoon, there would be a lightbulb shining above my head right now," Alex replied. "Man, you've changed in two years! And I remember Rach now too, I think. Maybe. I'm sure she's probably changed in two years and I won't recognise her either. Especially after having three kids... wait... three in two? She's been busy."
"Two are twins," Liz explained.
"Ahh. Maria?" Alex asked, seeing the expression on his friends' face, "something wrong?"
"Uh, she and Michael had a baby -"
"Really? That's great! Where is -"
"She died."
"Oh. Oh gee... I'm sorry! That's terrible."
Maria seemed to choke out a laugh and Michael scooted around to put his arms around her.
Jessica
"Okay," Jess said, seeing that there was a lot of tension in the room. "I have some chocolate cake in the fridge, and a bottle of Tobasco in the cupboard. Let's have cake and cocoa," she suggested, taking out some plates and cups. She figured everyone needed to just relax.