Richard Weston's POV
(Northwest of Black Lake, en route to Calhoun Manor)

We spotted each other behind the wheel as we took turns driving through the night and into the next morning.

With their necks bent to the sides, both Janos and Roarke were fast asleep. Which left me and leech by my side. "Tell me something, Gabriel? Why did you come along? I'm sure you had better things to do than this." I glanced at him quickly, trying to keep my eyes on the road.

Sighing heavily, Gabriel looked out the side window and answered without looking at me. "You may not believe me, but after having lived so long, I find the presence of Aria refreshing. She is different, and a new type of entity that I would like to know better. Plus, regardless of the treatment, I have received from you and those two, I do owe her my life. Unlike many others, I repay my debts when I can." He had good reason then... I found this surprising.

"Yeah? Well, it would be a good idea to remember that you have no hold over either of us and never will. I won't let you use her like some chess piece in your governmental power plays either." I told him in a tired and weary voice.

Turning back to me he removed his sunglasses and placed them in his breast pocket. "Get over yourself, Richard. I mean no one any harm. At this point, I'm just hoping that she's alright. Aria can be tough when needed, but she has a warm, kind, and curious interior. If not, with all the power she can wield, she'd have laid us all to rest long ago. I believe that that is the one thing I find so fascinating. She has the power yet doesn't use it for personal gain. God knows I would have." He spoke truthfully, and I was finding it hard to find fault in his words. Many would have used her power that way. But I wonder why he confessed it so freely?

Pulling off the interstate, I gassed up the SUV one last time, I took the shorter roads where the fields of bright green led into a bit of thick forest. Dappled sunlight bounced off the silver of the hood of the car and I pointed to the lush and overgrown vegetation that covered the once-proud manor in the distance. "We are going there. It's where Aria and I first met. She was staying here briefly, getting to know humans through observation. The locals thought it was haunted." I began to explain as Gabriel sat forward on his seat.

"Uh, Richard? What locals? We haven't seen a town for miles." His brow furrowed.

I glanced at him with a rueful smile as I turned the SUV onto the long driveway. "Your dear government may have covered up that one, once they had their hands on her. She obliterated the entire town of under 8,000 people. Children included. God, I was so afraid, and disgusted...told her to get away from me. At the time, she didn't seem to understand why I cared so much. Later on, though, I learned that she literally didn't feel anything at the time. Only a touch of concern toward me. Later, when she began to feel emotions, I caught her crying over it once." I couldn't help but shiver at the memory, of the fear, confusion, and curiosity during those days as a not too willing companion that never could leave.

Roarke's deep voice sounded off as he slowly blinked the sleep from his eyes. "I knew she could be harsh when necessary, but damn... It's hard to believe that it's Aria that did such a thing." Slowly he sat up and in the process, the movement woke up Janos who stretched a little.

Seeing this in the rearview mirror as I inched the SUV up the driveway, I took a deep breath. "Look, when We get there, I'm going to need all of you to hang back at the car until I clear things. We don't know what condition she'll be in. Aria will be less likely to lash out at me, than one of you if she is injured or in pain. Alright?" One by one, the others agreed.

In the back of the SUV, John Mayfair had just finished up with a phone call, when he turned to us. "Okay boys, I spoke with Adam Carrol in our research department at NASA. The energy coming from that ion trail was cross-compared with Aria's original arrival and the two ion trails are exactly the same. It's definitely her in there." He finished as he placed his phone back in his shirt pocket. His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.

The trees broke wide as we turned in the driveway and I stopped the SUV in front of the huge dilapidated manor. It looked as if the forest surrounding it was trying to swallow it up. Climbing ivy and moss covered the place. What was once white, tall and stately, was now broken down and neglected. The white panels of wood now had cracked paint, if any, and the old white columns were beige-gray with age. Ivy and vegetation climbed up them from below and greenery wrapped around them, coming down from the rooftop.

Everyone stepped from the car, and I met them as they came around the vehicle. "Damn..." Exclaimed Janos. "Looks like this place hasn't been touched since the Civil War." And he was right, it hadn't.

"Please, guys, just remember to stay here. Trust me on this, I know better than anyone what she is capable of." I asked them all quietly.

"Good luck man, we'll be waiting for you to say the word," Roarke said as he leaned back on the car.

"Yeah, you be careful in there." Janos chimed in as he walked off to go take a leak somewhere.

Gabriel, for once remained silent, though he nodded. As did John.

Thanking them all, I climbed up the broken marble steps to the broken down pieces of what once has been a solid oak front door. Moving one of the pieces aside, I walked into the foyer and stood looking at all the green foliage inside, that seemed to cover everything. Slowly, I stepped into the main hall and sighed at what at one time must have looked magnificent, the grand marble staircase that split into four directions. It was strange, but I kept on being like I was being watched. "Hello!" I called out into the silence, inhaling the scents of earth, moss, and moisture with my next breath. "Are you here?"

Before I could take another breath, a cloud of white mist rose from the leafy foliage in the direction of the huge round broken paned window that was high above the ground.

"Are you Xavier?" I asked it breathlessly. Slowly, the mist began to solidify into a female human-like form. It was beautiful. Almost iridescent.

Its head moved from side to side like it was curious. But when it spoke, it was using her soft voice. "What are you doing here, and why do you seem familiar to me?" It was Aria! I just knew it was... Using slow methodical steps, she walked around me as my eyes filled with unshed as my stomach tightened. Something was wrong

"I'm Richard Weston. Don't you remember me?" My heart was breaking. From what I could see, my Aria was gone. It was her, yet not her. Unless... Memory loss due to recent trauma? She had stepped back quickly as I said my name, I couldn't help but wonder why...

______________________

Unknown POV

I had come to this overgrown place of shelter because I was drawn here, it had felt...right, and somehow familiar. Though I had only been here a short while, when I heard the voices outside, I felt it prudent to hide among the greenery to observe. Then he walked in.

A tall male with handsome features and even he looked familiar. But how?...and why? I had to know. The clothes that he wore reminded me of another place and time. A movie premiere men in clothes like his, and women...a red gown... I wore a red gown... When was this?

He called out, and so I answered. Curious to see if he had any of the answers I sought. And then he said his name. Flashes of memory hit me hard, making me stumble back a bit. His smile...his laughter...his kiss...and his touch."So Richard Weston, do you always answer questions with questions? To answer yours, I remember you vaguely. Very vague indeed."

Looking down to the gathered vegetation around us, he answered quietly "Sorry about that. I came here, for you. I am your man and I love you. I needed to know that you were alright." His words sent my mind reeling.

I could remember him saying these words 'I love you' to me... It made me remember the foreign DNA... Slowly, I used it to transform my molecules into what became a human form, a Latina with sun-kissed hair. Naked, I could feel the cold in the room. And I looked up to him in question. "Do you remember this form?" I stapled my arms around my chest.

When he looked up, his breathing had become irregular and his heartbeat had accelerated. All in evidence of the light moisture gathering on his skin. The look in his deep brown eyes, I couldn't fathom it was so beautiful and soft. "Aria...my lovely Aria." His words reached me in a whisper.

My mind felt like a key had just been placed in the lock and turned halfway..."What...did you call me?" My body trembled as a feeling of awakening began to overwhelm me.

Richard stepped forward and unbuttoned his shirt. Pulling it off slowly, I got a great look at his muscular body before he gently wrapped the shirt around me, and I let him. His warmth bringing me comfort. "Aria. I called you Aria."

It was like my mind exploded. My memories, Xavier's memories, Richard's memories. The manor, the motel, the hotel, the battle, making love, and Richard being by my side through it all. I love him...God, I love him so much! My conscious awareness couldn't take anymore, and I felt my body collapsing, and there he was capturing me. The last I remember was telling him, "I remember now." Before my world went black.