Banner by Leta

Author: Debbie
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Roswell<-- Not mine. Just taking the characters out on loan for a bit.
Author's Note: I don't read spoilers, so I haven't a clue what's going to happen in VLV. But when Leta said she was hoping for a Liz/Tess/Kyle/Michael pile, I just *had* to turn that into a story! Thank you Leta for the idea and for the great banner (above). Bennie - thank you for letting me borrow one of your concepts for the ending, and thank you (as always) for beta-reading.
Feedback: Yes please! This is quite a different 'mood' for me -- let me know what you think.

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The first thing she was aware of was the headache. Pounding headache. It dominated all other senses, rendering thought incapable. Slowly, however, her awareness returned.

Fuzzy, cottony mouth.

Eyes that didn't want to open, afraid of what light there might be on the other side of her eyelids.

Oversensitive sense of touch -- blankets that seemed unaccountably heavy as they bunched up around her feet. And then:

Vague memory -- discovering that alcoholic beverages didn't taste so bad when mixed in the proper proportions.

Liz chuckled ruefully to herself. Whatever it was that she drank, it had obviously hit her hard. Well, she'd learned one lesson on this trip - never again! That decided, Liz stretched languidly. Then she then froze.

There was someone in bed with her.

She hadn't noticed the weight of the arm draped over her at first, so focused was she on her other discomforts, and whoever it was was lying far enough away that their body wasn't currently touching her anywhere else. But when Liz had stretched, she had definitely bumped into someone.

Probably Maria, she realized. The four girls were all sharing this hotel room, and there was only a single king-sized bed with 2 rollaway cots. Because the hotel was hosting a local convention, there hadn't been any other free rooms and they'd had to make do with what they'd been given. In the end they had decided to draw lots -- Liz and Maria won the bed; Tess and Isabel were going to take the cots.

A hair tickled her nose and Liz reached out a heavy hand to brush it away. Her fingers encountered curls. Curls? Trusting her head not to explode, Liz cautiously opened her eyes. Sure enough, blond curls filled her field of vision. Tess. She must have forgotten who won the bed -- either that or she thought she'd beat Maria back to the room and usurp the more comfortable sleeping surface for herself, Liz thought in amusement.

Realizing she had to use the bathroom, Liz started to gently remove the arm that was draped over her, but froze yet again when she realized that the long, heavy limb couldn't possibly belong to Tess. Liz sat up carefully, holding her head in one hand as she took in the complete scene -- there was Michael on Tess's other side, sound asleep. His arm was long enough that it reached completely over Tess to rest on both her and Liz's bodies. And... Liz's bleary eyes traveled over the rest of the bed ... was that Kyle draped crossways at the foot? The heavy weight on her feet that she had previously discounted as belonging to the bunched-up bedding was actually Kyle's head. As her fogged brain tried to process what it was seeing, Liz also became aware of the fact that her clothing seemed to be missing. And, now that she thought of it, the other jumbled body parts that were exposed above the tangle of sheets were also all bare.

Liz quickly scanned the rest of the room -- the cots were empty.

What the heck happened here last night?

Liz eased out of bed and grabbed the terrycloth robe out of her suitcase, tying it on hurriedly before anyone could wake up and see her naked. On her way to the bathroom she set up the in-room coffeemaker and got it going. It didn't take the miniature pot long to finish brewing and she was soon able to pour herself a steaming mugful. Then, coffee in hand, Liz curled up in a chair to watch the others as they continued to sleep. Assisted by the mediocre but caffeine-packed beverage her hangover started to clear, although her memory remained a blank. Liz still had no idea how she had ended up in bed with Tess, Michael and Kyle. To end up with any one of them would be pretty weird, but all of them? Why weren't Michael and Kyle at least in their own room across the hall with Alex and Max? And where were the other two girls? And why were they apparently all naked?

She decided to try piecing together what she did remember. Hangover or no, Liz was still a scientist at heart and found comfort in tackling things logically. Let's see...

Liz started off the evening in the company of Maria and Isabel. They wandered around the shops for a while, but eventually the endless rows of kitschy souvenirs started to bore her. When Maria spotted a string of outrageous clothing boutiques, Liz took her leave and left the other two girls to continue shopping. She played the quarter slots for a while, but that, too, started to lose its appeal in short order. Abandoning her one-armed bandit, Liz wandered around for a bit until she came upon Michael losing badly at one of the craps tables. With nothing better to do, she decided to stay and cheer him on. Michael's luck quickly began to improve, and, after the fifth straight round in which he'd won after asking her to blow on the dice, he declared Liz his lucky charm and offered to buy her dinner as a thank-you.

She protested, saying it wasn't necessary and that she hadn't really done anything, but he insisted. Deciding it was easier to go along with his whim ... and that, hey, it was kind of nice to see Michael in a good mood for a change ... Liz finally agreed. Besides, she actually was pretty hungry. They chose a local Italian restaurant and, while waiting for their table to be called, spotted Tess and Kyle walking by. Liz and Michael quickly flagged them down and then changed their table request so the four of them could sit together.

Liz had lately realized that Tess felt like much less of a threat when they were all in a group, and things were even better between them when Max was absent altogether. In fact, Liz conceded, she'd actually found herself liking the blond girl over the past few weeks. Tess had a great sense of humor, she was loyal, and was clearly willing to use her abilities to help out whenever needed. Maybe they weren't so different after all...

Anyway, the four of them had a great time at dinner, talking about the good and bad luck they'd had at gambling, the weird people they'd seen, and, in Tess's case, a narrow escape she'd had when she thought a guard was going to challenge her fake ID. Kyle ordered a drink with his vegetarian lasagna, and then goaded Liz into getting one too.

"Aww, c'mon, Liz," he said with a good-natured grin. "This is Vegas. No parents. Fake ID. Don't you want to have some fun for a change, drop the good-girl act once in a while?"

And Liz had to admit, the idea had been awfully appealing. Always doing the right thing could be so ... tiring ... sometimes. So she had accepted Kyle's challenge, ordering ... what was it again?... a Long Island Iced Tea.

It had tasted surprisingly good. Not like alcohol at all.

Tess had declined to order a drink at first, but after she saw Liz enjoying her beverage, she asked to have a couple of sips. Apparently Tess had never heard the story of how easily Max had gotten intoxicated and Liz, whose thoughts were already getting fuzzy, didn't think of it in time to warn her.

"Tesssss," she remembered saying with some difficulty, as the blond girl handed back the glass, "umm... you probably shouldn't have done that."

"Done what?" Tess said. She seemed to have some trouble focusing her eyes on Liz.

"Uh ... had that drink. Max got terribly drunk last year after just a sip of Kyle's whiskey."

"Yeah," Kyle grinned. "He was a real wuss. No tolerance at all."

Tess giggled at Kyle's description.

"Oh, come on," Michael snorted. "You mean to tell me Max got that drunk on only one sip? I figured he'd had at least a couple of beers or something." He turned to the blond girl sitting across from him. "Tess, you're pretty little, but I doubt a big guy like him would have a problem holding a sip."

Before anyone could stop him, Michael swiped Liz's drink and took a few swallows. "There, s-s-seee?" He shook his head suddenly. "S-s-sh-ee? S-s-sh--- Hey, why won't my tongue work right?"

Liz, who by this time was feeling quite drunk, vaguely remembered that she and Tess had collapsed in giggles as Kyle grinned wickedly in the other boy's direction. "See, man? I told you. You guys are all ... wusses."

And that, Liz thought as she finished her coffee, was the last thing she really remembered.

She sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the remaining occupants of the bed, wondering if any of them would recall what had happened either. She had never known for sure if Max's claim to have forgotten what he did in his drunkenness was true or just a cover-up. Somehow, she suspected the latter.

One of Michael's hands twitched in his sleep, the silver ring gleaming dully in the dim light as his fingers stretched open and then relaxed again. Liz found her attention caught by his hands. Michael really did have beautiful hands, with long graceful fingers. Hands that were the conduits of powers she could only barely comprehend.

Powers... powers... Something started to nag at the back of her mind. Hadn't Ava said that Liz had some sort of abilities now? Liz suddenly recalled how she'd been able to work with Isabel's powers -- was it because she'd received a minor gift of her own after being healed? Was that why she'd sometimes received visions after touching people? Liz had assumed that she could only be the passive recipient of people's thoughts. But maybe she could try to actively extract something out of someone's head, too. Could she learn for herself what had transpired?

Liz bounded out of her chair, ready to put her theory to the test, but then she paused. She was talking about eavesdropping, poking around in someone's private thoughts. But Isabel does it all the time with Dreamwalking, she thought. Maybe there was a looser code of ethical conduct among the aliens. Besides, there was a good chance that she wouldn't be able to do anything on her own anyway -- what harm was there in trying? Determined, Liz tiptoed over to the bed, and laid her hand gently on Michael's arm. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what Max and Isabel had each said to her in the past, that she should blank her mind out and relax.

She almost gasped aloud when she felt the connection lock in, throwing pictures into her mind's eye.

Michael carrying a very giggly and unaccountably affectionate Liz down the hall, weaving slightly as he walked, Kyle and Tess in tow.

Michael undoing the buttons of Liz's top, bending to take her small upright breasts in his mouth.

Liz caressing Michael's smooth, muscled back as he hovered over her, thrusting within her.

Liz broke the connection abruptly and brought her hand to her mouth. Oh my god. She and Michael had had sex. She stared at Michael's sleeping form in surprise, trying to wrap her brain around the concept. They'd. Had. Sex. Liz suppressed the sudden urge to giggle - I wonder if I was any good? she thought wildly. Then she shook herself -- Get a grip! This isn't funny! Abruptly she turned to Tess, wondering if she and Kyle had been engaged in similar behavior, and if so, where? Surely not in the same room! Liz felt that maybe her humiliation would be lessened if she knew that she wasn't the only one who had suffered a lapse in judgment. Her insatiable curiosity pushing aside thoughts of sex with Michael for the moment, Liz reached for Tess's arm and repeated the mind-clearing exercise...

Tess and Liz kissing passionately.

Liz cupping and caressing Tess's soft round breasts as Michael pressed his lips to the blond girl's neck.

Tess nibbling and nuzzling her way down Liz's abdomen, stopping to linger in the dark curls at the juncture of Liz's thighs.

Liz came back to herself in a rush. This was getting out of hand. Were these flashes for real or was she seeing some alcohol-induced fantasies? She put a hand to her flushed cheeks. And why was she starting to actually *respond* to these odd visions? To think that she might have actually engaged in such wanton behavior was upsetting, and yet ... she couldn't deny that she was starting to find the activities in these flashes oddly arousing. What was she thinking?!

Just then, Tess rolled over in her sleep, inadvertently exposing the curve of one breast in the process. Liz stared. She found herself suddenly torn between wanting to cover Tess up in respect for her modesty, and wanting to leave the sheets as they were so she could admire the view. She had to admit -- Tess had beautiful breasts.

No, no. This wasn't right. It was bad enough that she was poking around in Tess's head. Reluctantly, Liz reached out and tugged the sheets up a little, hiding Tess's assets from Liz's sight.

Deprived of her unexpected eye candy, Liz's gaze fell on Kyle's well-muscled form. Would the connection technique work on him? she wondered. He wasn't an alien, but if she had been granted some small gifts after being healed, it stood to reason that he had too. Would it be enough for her to see what Kyle's role in all this had been? Liz walked around to the other side of the bed, noting in passing the number of open condom wrappers that lay scattered on the far side. She raised an eyebrow at the quantity. Seemed like she wasn't the only one to have enjoyed herself ... or himself ... last night. Liz briefly contemplated the other possible combinations of people - after all that she'd seen so far, she felt like nothing would surprise her now.

Turning to the last remaining sleeper, Liz cautiously placed her small hand on Kyle's broad shoulder, closed her eyes and took a few slow deep breaths. The flashes didn't come right away, and she was about to give up when she felt the connection begin to form. The mental images were a lot fainter, but the activities and participants were clear.

Kyle trailing an ice cube down Liz's bared throat, circling her nipples, dipping into her bellybutton

Liz grasping Kyle's erection in her hand, pumping him until he climaxed.

Kyle returning the favor, rubbing his fingers around and around in her damp warmth.

This time, when Liz's outside awareness returned, she found herself noticeably aroused. Unexpected these events might be, but it seemed like she'd actually had fun last night. So much fun, in fact, that she was having trouble finding the energy to be horrified. Hadn't she been feeling tired of being good all the time? Maybe Kyle was right -- maybe she needed to let herself relax now and then, to follow her instincts and not her responsible, logical mind every single minute of the day. Not that she wanted to go this overboard every time she needed a break, but still -- Liz smiled as she ran her gaze over the sleeping pile of bodies on the bed -- there was something to be said for some indulgence now and then...

And speaking of indulgences...

Liz fished her cell phone out of her bag and went out into the hall to order room service for all of them. Pancakes, bacon, muffins, fruit, juice, and, of course, more coffee. Forty-five minutes later, a knock announced the food's arrival. Liz signed the bill, tipped the steward, and then expertly carried the laden tray into the room where she found Tess, Michael and Kyle starting to stir.

"Who was at the door?" Tess said groggily, running a hand through her tousled curls.

"Breakfast," Liz replied with a grin. She lifted two of the steam covers with a flourish. "Ta-dah!"

Kyle sat up, the sheets puddling around his waist. "And what's the occasion? We didn't win *that* much money yesterday, did we?"

"Oh, no real reason," Liz responded airily. The robe slipped off one of her shoulders as she set the steam covers down, but she didn't bother to pull it back up. Instead, she paused to look at the others, a suggestive smile playing at the corners of her lips. "I just thought that we'd need to keep our strength up if we expect to be able to pull of a repeat of last night!"

She held her breath as silence fell. Oh, God, what if they didn't remember? Or worse, what if they *did* remember and would rather forget?

Michael spoke first. "I think," he said slowly, "that there are more interesting things we could do with that stuff." He smirked, returning Liz's suggestive gaze. "Pass me a banana, would you?"

It was quite a while before any of them got to the rest of their food.

End.