Banner by Nicola

Conduit

Author: Bennie
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
Characters: Liz/Isabel/Michael
Spoilers: MitC
Author's Note: Sorry, no smut. Just a quickie, playing with the possibilities, you know? This is Part 1 of the Transference Series.

This fic was nominated best L/I/Mi in the Deep End Awards.

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“Okay, Isabel, what is it?” Liz´s voice was steely, resolute. She spoke quietly but with determination.

“What is what?” Isabel said, not really looking at the other girl. One hand patted her hair absentmindedly. As if Isabel Evans had ever been seen with anything so banal as a flyaway.

Not wanting to give the other students in the hallway anything to gossip about, Liz spied a dark room and pulled Isabel into its relative privacy.

Once there, she turned to find Isabel staring at her. She shivered and smoothed her own hair, which suddenly felt as though it were standing on end.

“Well?” she demanded.

“Well, what?” Isabel echoed faintly, and then licked her lips.

Liz paused with her mouth open, unnerved by Isabel´s behaviour. She began again, but this time her tone was calmer, more curious than angry.

“Isabel, why are you acting so … strange around me?”

“Strange?” Isabel repeated.

“Yes, strange. As in weird, odd, out-of-the-normal, spaced-out strange. I … I thought we´d become friends. Friends don´t treat each other like this.”

A tiny smile played about Isabel´s lips as she watched Liz rant.

“Last week –” she murmured.

“Last week? When we did that – that mind-meld thing to save Max? Oh my god, did we connect? Did you see into my head? What did you see? Isabel, what did you see?” Liz´s eyes grew dark, haunted. Did Isabel know about her visit from the future? Would she tell Max?

This could be bad.

Isabel hadn´t answered yet, just stood there looking bemused. But she didn´t seem distracted anymore. In fact – Liz caught her breath suddenly, as she felt the full weight of Isabel´s gaze on her.

Isabel was … studying her. But not in a “pitiful human, let´s crush and destroy her” kind of way. She looked … intent. Not menacing, exactly, but … she was moving closer. And with every step she took, Liz felt as though something was tugging at her.

She paled. “Uh, I think I´m going to be late for class. I´ll just, um, see you later then,” she said quickly, and edged towards the door.

Isabel´s reached out with one long arm and grasped her elbow. Her grip was gentle but Liz was unable to move. A palpable tension filled the air, and she felt flustered. All of her earlier bravado had completely abandoned her.

“You want to know what I saw?” Isabel asked softly.

Feet frozen in place, all Liz could do was nod.

“I,” Isabel whispered and suddenly her face was very near. Liz was mesmerized by the sight of pupils dilating, of warm puffs of breath against her own cool skin.

“Saw,” Isabel continued, her hands reaching up to cup Liz´s face, to caress the soft skin surrounding wide brown eyes.

“You.” And then she leaned down and kissed Liz. Lightly, barely pressing flesh to flesh.

But the effect was immediate and intense. Liz pulled back shakily.

“What was that?” she whispered.

Isabel cocked her head in amusement. “I kissed you.”

“No, no,” Liz shook her head for emphasis, unwilling to address that particular issue right this second. “I mean, that … that jolt. I felt it when you … touched me. What was that?”

“I don´t know,” Isabel admitted. “But … did it hurt you?” And her question spoke volumes to Liz. Not, ‘did it hurt because I didn´t feel it and I´m curious´ but ‘did it hurt you because I felt it and it didn´t hurt me´.

“No,” Liz said honestly, thinking aloud. “It felt …” and she searched for the words.

“Good,” Isabel stated more than asked, and Liz found herself nodding before she could stop herself.

“What is it?” she asked, suddenly feeling very close to tears. She didn´t know if she could handle many more alien revelations.

To her great relief, Isabel grew serious. “I´ve been thinking about it ever since we merged,” she said thoughtfully. “I think that you are a sort of conduit.”

“A conduit?” Liz asked, trying to follow. “You mean,” and her inner scientist reared its logical head. “You think I act as a sort of channel, or catalyst, or something? For what?”

“For energy. Our energy.”

“‘Our´? You mean, ‘alien´?”

Isabel nodded. “When I tried to use my energy to help you reach Max, I felt you take it and change it somehow. Made it bigger, expanded it –”

“Focussed it,” a low voice interrupted.

Both girls turned to see Michael Guerin emerge from the shadows. Noting their surprise, he shrugged. “Hey, you two barged in on me. I was already in here.”

“Why?” Isabel inquired. “Maria,” he answered simply. “Ah,” she said. A look of understanding passed between them.

“What did you mean, ‘focussed´?” Liz asked, desperate to return to the topic at hand.

Michael looked at her. “When you´re around, I can feel the difference. Your energy, it pushes things.”

“Pushes?” Now Liz was downright confused.

He thought for a moment, then spoke, quietly. “When I was sick, I was about to give up–”

“Michael, no!” Isabel argued immediately.

“I was, Izzy,” he said gently. “You know I was. But when Liz stepped into the circle it was like all the energy you guys were trying to give me just, just –” and he gestured with his hands.

“Multiplied?” Isabel offered.

“Yeah. It was enough to bring me back.” His hands dropped back to his sides. Isabel walked over to him and hugged him. Hard.

“What does all this mean?” Liz asked, a little scared now. And for some reason, the sight of Isabel hugging Michael made her feel … something. She didn´t know what.

“It means …” Michael said, looking at her keenly. “You´re a part of this. Maybe you have been from the beginning. I don´t know. But we need you.” Isabel nodded in agreement.

“I, I can´t. Not now. Not …with Max and Tess …” Liz protested. Weakly. The power of Michael and Isabel looking at her – that intensity, together, at the same time – was incredible. It gave her goose bumps. It pushed aside the fear. It made her want … something.

That something she couldn´t, or wouldn´t, identify.

“Forget Max and Tess,” Isabel suggested, licking her lips again. She walked back towards the smaller girl, hips and hair swaying hypnotically. “Can´t you feel it? The way the air´s charged?”

“Y-yes,” Liz stuttered slightly, unable to think clearly. Isabel reached her then, and slowly traced one long finger down Liz´s arm, as if she knew that anything more aggressive would break the spell.

Then Michael was in front of her, eyes serious and jaw set. “Liz, can you walk away from this? I tried, but … don´t you feel it? The, I don´t know, the … power?”

“Oh, god, Michael, don´t come any closer,” Liz gasped as Isabel´s hand found its way to the back of her neck, and he stopped, waiting.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because … because it´s getting stronger, as you g-get c-closer” and then Liz had to stop talking because Isabel´s mouth had latched on to the side of her neck. She whimpered, unable to deny the hum of electricity running through her. Michael just smiled, an oddly gentle smile, and moved towards the two of them.

And the air sparked as the three came together to the sound of Liz Parker moaning … in absolute pleasure and greedy desire.

;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

“Hey Alex, have you seen Liz? We were supposed to meet for lunch and –” Maria forgot what she was chattering about when she noticed her friend´s rather shocked expression.

Following the direction of his gaze, she gasped as Michael Guerin held a door open for Isabel Evans. Both of them looked … well, ravished was the only word that came to her mind.

“Well, I guess they decided to go after their ‘destinies´ after all,” she murmured, and was surprised to find herself more relieved than upset. “At least now we know where everything – and everyone – stands,” she sighed, and smiled fondly at Alex, who started to reciprocate but then froze again.

Turning back, Maria almost fainted. Because Michael didn´t close the door right away but waited until a similarly dishevelled Liz Parker walked through.

And closely, very closely, the three of them walked away. Together.

“Don´t be so sure,” Alex said, and she just shook her head in wonder.

The End