Concept of Eternity (HLDR,XO,CC,MATURE) Ch. 24 [WIP]

[Bored to Mundane life]

West Roswell High, 14:09 p.m, Principal's office

Alex was sitting at one end of a round table. On his right was the principal, and on his left was Sheriff Valenti. Alex was somewhat overwhelmed by the fact that Ms. Topolski had just...disappeared. Sure, she walked out from school but to disappear entirely...it was something he had a hard time coping with. Then you add the whole Liz lying to him and what Max and Michael were hiding, and he was developing a one gigantic headache.

"So, you and Ms. Topolski..." Valenti said, but left the question hang. He had asked it a while ago, and now he needed to confirm it.

"...went over my schedule for next semester," Alex said, finishing the sentence. Why was he still lying? Why didn't he tell the truth? Maybe because it was so unbelievable that he had no choice but to lie? ["Argh! My headache is killing me,"] he thought bitterly.

"And there was nothing that seemed odd about her behaviour that day?" Valenti asked. When Topolski had disappeared, he had actually got worried for her safety. Whoever had killed Agent Stevens would probably kill Topolski if...hell, Valenti didn't know the reason. Stevens had had information about Thorne. What kind of information, he had no clue whatsoever. Sure, the guy was shady at best, and a little too mysterious for his own good, but...he didn't seem like a criminal the FBI would chase. There were too many questions in the air at the moment. Who had killed Stevens and why? Who were they working for if not the FBI? How did they know where to go in the first place?

Alex shook his head to Valenti's question. "No, sir," he said.

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 14:15 p.m, library

The librarian handed Liz the book she had renewed. Liz thanked the woman and started to look around the library. She needed to talk to Max, and she was hoping she could find him here. After a little searching, she found him reading a novel.

"Hi," Liz said, getting Max's attention.

"Umm, hi," Max said, a little awkwardly. He knew that Thorne was on his vacation, and he knew that he could spend time with Liz without constantly looking over his shoulder, but he was still resistant to hang around with her.

After a while, Liz decided to cut to the chase. "I saw Valenti talking to Alex. They were at the principal's office," she said.

Max looked at Liz, more worried now. "What did Alex say to him?" he asked.

Liz shook her head. "I haven't been able to talk with him yet," she said, then sighed. "Not that he really would talk to me in the first place."

"Liz, I'm sorry," Max said.

Liz waved Max off. "It's ok. It's not your fault, you know? I'm just a bit worried right now. He won't talk to Maria or me. I've never even seen him like this," she said sadly. Then, to Max's amazement, she seemed to cheer up slightly, but only slightly. "Oh, but there is one piece of good news. Kyle started seeing someone. Vicky Delaney."

"Ok," Max answered, slightly perplexed about that particular information.

"So maybe she's going to take his mind off from his suspicions," Liz said, although she personally knew that he mainly just hated Max.

Max nodded. "Right."

"Right. Oh, and apparently it's gotten really serious, because they are going to this party together on Friday night. You know, at the old soap factory," Liz said.

"Right," Max said, so far having a hard time following Liz's train of thought. Or it might have been the fact that he was staring at her more than paying attention.

"It's kinda funny, isn't it? How people have started pairing up and moving forward," Liz said, and Max stared at her, not understanding. Liz then tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Um...have you noticed anything strange about Michael lately?"

This question got Max awake. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Liz shrugged. "Maybe just the way he acts around Maria. Umm...have you noticed any differences in his behavior at all?" she asked.

"Are you saying there's something going on between Michael and Maria?" Max asked, shocked.

Liz blinked. His reaction was not something she had expected. "Well...I'm not, really. I'm not saying that. Would it be bad if there were?" she asked.

"YES!" Max said indignantly, confusing and disappointing Liz at the same time. "I...I mean...I don't know," he then stuttered, confusing Liz even more.

"Ookay," Liz said, and stood up. "Oh, and if you do speak with Michael at some point, please tell him to stay away from Thorne's home."

Max blinked. "Why?" he asked.

"Because, Marcus said that he will KNOW who to blame if something is missing from his home, and he said he will deal with it in his 'own' way. Also, *I'm* supposed to look after his house while he's gone, so that kinda forces me to deal with the situation, you know," Liz said.

Max nodded, understanding perfectly what Liz meant. "Don't worry, I'll tell him," he said, and stood up as well. Then they both left. Separately.

*************************************************************

Meanwhile, outside Topolski's office

Amy DeLuca was fuming. First, the schools guidance councelor had wanted to talk with her about Maria. Second, now that she had the time to stop by, the guidance councelor was nowhere to be seen. And the heat wasn't helping things at all. So she needed to lash out her bad mood to someone, and the poor clerk who had told her that Ms. Topolski wasn't here took the brunt of it.

"Ok, I need to speak with some kind of authority! 'Cause this is UNACCEPTABLE! I *DEMAND* to know what's going on here! NOT tomorrow, NOT the next day, RIGHT NOW!!" Amy yelled at the clerk, who was reeling back at the indignant woman. The clerk had head rumors about the verbal lashings the DeLuca's could deliver, but he had never believed it. Now, his skepticism was shot to hell.

"I'll see what I can do," he said timidly, and almost ran away. Amy huffed and turned around, and was startled when she saw Sheriff Valenti.

"Oh, SHEEZ!!" Amy exclaimed.

"Amy DeLuca," Valenti said with a grin. He had finished his questioning Alex, and was about to leave when he had heard the really vocal and familiar voice. So he decided to check it out.

"Hello, Sheriff," Amy said, in a normal tone. Her face was slightly flushed from the verbal lashing she had given to that sorry excuse of a clerk.

"So, have you been staying out the slammer?" Valenti asked, his grin never disappearing.

Amy glared at Valenti. "Oh, very amusing," she said sarcastically.

"What are you doing here?" Valenti asked, slightly curious. He knew that Amy was a busy woman these days.

Amy rolled her eyes. "This Topolski woman calls me up, leaves me this cryptic message that I need to come in here and discuss my daughter's future. And THEN when I get here, they tell me she's...well, the word they use is 'disappeared'. You know, I carve time out of my hectic schedule to meet her, and she's not here," she said indignantly, her flush deepening.

Valenti nodded in agreement. "You know, being a single parent myself, I know how difficult that can be," he said.

Amy looked at him with surprised expression. "Really? Well, it looks like we finally have something in common," she said with a smile.

Valenti chuckled slightly. "Will wonders never cease?" he asked.

Amy joined up with his chuckle. "Yeah." Then she looks behind her. "I better go and grill that clerk about this. See ya," she said, and headed to the administration.

"Bye," Valenti said, lingered a bit and then left. ["God that woman looks beautiful when she's angry,"] Valenti thought, then shook his head to the thought. Besides, if he wanted to solve the mystery behind Topolski's disappearance, he had to figure out what she was working on. One thought came to him almost immediately. Thorne. She had been curious about him, and so was he, but he hadn't found anything wrong from the man. Apparently Stevens had, and it cost him his life. Valenti had visited Thorne and asked where he had been during the time of shooting, and Thorne said he had been visiting Howard Ridger, and the old man had confirmed it, even though he was coughing so hard that Valenti thought Howard would puke his lungs out. That meant that Thorne had an alibi, which meant someone else had killed agent Stevens. The question was...who is that person?

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 14:22 p.m, school parking lot

"Alex!" Liz yelled, but he didn't listen. She had managed to track him down, but he wasn't listening to her. Well, that much was expected, but still...she wanted to talk with him. "Alex, please wait. Will you give me a chance?" she pleaded. Alex had stopped to his bike, unlocking it.

"What?" he asked, getting annoyed.

"Let's just try and talk," Liz said.

Alex scowled. "What do you want from me?" he demanded, making Liz flinch. "More blood? A urine sample? How about my kidney?" he asked sarcastically, and pulled his bike away from the bicycle stand.

"Alex, I just want you to be my friend again," Liz said.

"No you don't! You just want to protect Max Evans from whatever it is you're protecting him from. This has nothing to do with our friendship," Alex said.

Liz shook her head. "No, that's not true."

Alex looked at Liz with hurt look. "You said you were going to tell me what was going on, and you didn't, all right! I trusted you!" he said, and turned away.

"Alex, I know," she said in a defeated tone.

Alex sighed, and turned to look at her. "So just tell me now, all right? Just tell me, and it'll be ok," he said.

Liz's mind was in a war. One side was telling her to do it. To tell him the truth. He of all people had earned the right. The other side was telling her that she couldn't tell, that his life would be in danger if she told him. He would have to be wary of everything and everyone is she told him. The other side won. "I can't," she said.

Alex shook his head. "It's amazing. You know what? A couple of weeks ago, if someone were to ask me who I would trust with my life other than my parents, I would have said you without skipping a beat. And now...now I feel like I don't know who you are anymore," he said.

"Alex, I want to tell you, I do, but it's not my secret to tell. Alex, I need to know what you told Sheriff Valenti," Liz said.

Alex mounted his bike. "I want to tell you, Liz...but it's not my secret to tell. Besides, you haven't even said a word about that other secret you are harboring," he said as an afterthought.

Liz's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Something what Mr. Thorne said. That you have a secret that makes you protecting Max pale in comparison. What is it, Liz?" Alex asked.

"Alex, I can't tell you about that either. Not if I...I want to keep you safe," she said, a tear gliding down her cheek and she left, leaving a very confused and frustrated Alex behind. Alex shook his head and started to ride to his home.

*************************************************************

Martial Arts Studio, 17:56 p.m.

"So what do you know about this Connor MacLeod?" Liz asked from Richie, when she blocked one of Richie's downward slash that could have cut her in half.

"Not much really," Richie said, and sidestepped Liz's forward thrust. "I saw him only once, and have heard from him on some occasion, but I can't say that I know the man."

"Okay," Liz said, jumping over Richie's sweep. "What DO you know about him?"

"Well, like I said, not much," Richie said, and blocked two of Liz's lightning fast slashes, but couldn't stop the third one. He grimaced when Liz's Wakizashi sliced his right shoulder. "Anyway, what I DO know about him is that he's one of the toughest Immortals around, and that he's a bit less straightforward than Duncan is," he said while the Quickening healed his cut. He then pushed forward, forcing Liz to back away.

"What else?" Liz said, grunting slightly while she parried and dodged Richie's attacks, getting a small cut to her thigh in the process.

"Well, he doesn't play the Game, if that's what you're interested. But he does fight back if he's challenged," Richie said, and fliched back when Liz suddenly sliced his cheek.

"So he's more like Marcus, right?" Liz asked, pushing Richie back with various cuts and slashes.

"More or less. He isn't hiding from the Game, but he doesn't exactly care about it either," Richie said, and managed to disarm Liz. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed, smiling triumphantly and holding the tip of his Bastard sword on Liz's throat.

"Nope," Liz said with a smile, and dropped to the ground and gave a scissor kick to Richie's leg, forcing him on the ground. Richie dropped his sword, and when he got up, he tried to find his sword, and spotted it a few feet away. He started to crawl to it, but stopped when he felt a blade on the back of his neck. "I think the word you used was 'Gotcha!'," Liz said, a small smile on her face.

Richie slumped on the ground and sighed. "You're getting too good at this," he muttered under his breath.

This time Liz beamed from pride. "Why thank you, Mr. Ryan. Although this WAS a mock battle," she said. This was the first time they could try a fight WITHOUT them putting everything they had into it. It was somewhat a relief for both of them, but Richie still was the one who ended to the mat in the end. Liz glanced at her watch. "Should we stop? I mean, you're sweating more than usual," Liz said, while Richie got up and went to get his sword.

"It's the damn heat," Richie said, and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "I'm from the north, I'm not used to this kind of temperature."

"Well, since YOU find this so uncomfortable, we could call it for the day," Liz quipped and started to make her way to the locker room.

"Thank God!" Richie exclaimed, and Liz giggled to the boy who was as old as her father. "That'll also give me enough time to prepare for my date."

This stopped Liz. "A date?" she asked and turned around.

"Yeah. I met her when I was buying groceries yesterday," Richie said and took a swig from the beer they had in the fridge.

"I hope she's not someone I know," Liz said dryly, raising an eyebrow in the process.

Richie looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think so. She's 22 years old, and one hell of a kisser," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Liz rolled her eyes in mock exasperation and went to the locker room. Once there, she hit her head against her private locker, and growled. Even RICHIE was dating someone. Was it too much to ask that SOMEONE else beside her would be alone during this damn heatwave? Well...Max didn't count, because he obviously had a thing to her, but was afraid of something. ["Most likely Marcus,"] Liz thought bitterly. She loved Marcus like a father or even like an uncle, but his overprotectiveness to her was bordering to ridiculous heights. ["Well, I hope a cold shower will clear my head a bit,"] she thought while she stripped from her clothes, but doubted it.

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 3rd December, Tuesday, 10:02 a.m, school hallway

Liz walked through the mass of students, and majority of them were stuck in a lip lock. ["Sheez, you'd think they would try to find a more secluded place,"] she thought and made her way to girls bathroom. Once there, she saw Maria, wearing a thick turtleneck. Liz raised an eyebrow in disbelief, then walked to her. "What are you doing?" Liz asked from Maria, who just shrugged, although Liz could clearly see that Maria was trying to cover a hicky with that turtleneck.

"Nothing," Maria said.

Liz had to smile to that comment. "Maria, it's 105 degrees outside and you're wearing a turtleneck," she said.

Maria looked at her indignantly. "So?" Maria said, and started to apply some makeup to cover her hicky.

Liz shook her head and handed Maria her own makeup. "Here, try this," she said, and Maria nodded while she took the makeup. Liz then bit her lip. How to approach Maria with the subject? Well, better be blunt about it. "I...I saw you and Michael together at the Crashdown the other day."

Maria looked at her, slightly surprised and also offended. "Were you spying on us?" she asked.

Liz shook her head. "NO! I was just trying to find something cold to drink from the café kitchen, when I...heard...a moan," she said, slightly embarrassed. So was Maria, who blushed. "Is there something going on?"

Maria shook her head while she tried to get over her brief embarrasment. "We were just sucking face," she said nonchalantly.

"Look, I am sure that you're saying to yourself, 'just go for it', right? I mean, sure, you see everyone else going for it," she said, although she silently added, ["Except me."] Then she continued outloud. "Suddenly there's this heatwave, and everybody is going for it."

"It's more than that," Maria said, shaking her head.

Liz leaned to the sink. "How much more?" she asked, slightly skeptical.

Maria sighed. "I don't know. It feels so wrong, but it also feels so...good," she said.

"It FEELS good?" Liz asked incredulously. "What is going on here? You and Michael. Kyle and Vicky. Ms. Hardy and Mr. Krewlick," she said. She had actually stumbled on the two teachers making out when she wanted to talk to Ms. Hardy about her assignment in Biology, but obviously she had been rather busy, much to Liz's embarrassment and getting blind in the process. "Look, the point here, Maria, is that I don't see you and Michael together. Do you two talk or do you just..." Liz said, leaving the question hanging. She personally suspected that they just making out, and that's it.

"Of course we talk," Maria said, a little too quickly. To Liz, that meant that they just...she shook her head, not really wanting to think about it if she didn't want to get worked up in the process. And they didn't have PE today.

Meanwhile, there was a rather similar conversation going on between Michael and Max, and Max was trying to make sure that Michael wasn't doing anything rash, though when Michael had said 'Well, I hate to tell you this, Max, but when I have urges, you're not exactly the first person I think about.' That statement had been rather disturbing yet relieving on SO many levels, though it wasn't exactly what Max had intended when he said that they should discuss before they acted on any of their urges.

"Well, just as long as nothing...bad happens, I think we're okay," Max said.

"Yeah, whatever, Maxwell," Michael said and started to leave, when Max remembered that he had to remind Michael NOT to take advantage from the fact that Thorne was gone.

"Michael," Max said, stopping the other boy. "You remember that Thorne is gone, right?" he asked.

Michael nodded. "Yeah. I actually planned to pay a little visit there at some point, but...I've been...'occupied' with Maria," he said with a grin.

"That's what I DON'T want you to do," Max said sternly, confusing Michael. "To pay a visit at Thorne's home."

"Why not?" Michael asked. "It's not like he's here."

"No, he's not, but he will know it was you," Max said, and Michael grudgingly had to nod in understanding. "Besides, Liz said that she was looking after the house, and she would have to do something...drastic to you if you did something like that." Max blinked. He could have sworn that he saw Michael shudder.

"Okay, I'll stay away from Thorne's house. If not for the sake of my life, then for my manly ego," he said, and left the bathroom. He definitely didn't fancy getting a beat-up from Liz, and he was more than positive that he would be pummeled into a heap in no time. He still felt that shove in his ribs when he had 'borrowed' her journal.

*************************************************************

Crashdown Café, 15:12 p.m.

Jeff Parker was looking at Amy DeLuca and those...sticks with alien faces on them. Amy had decided to stop by to show him these things, just in case he decided to buy them. Jeff had to admit that they would fit to the café's theme.

"So, um, what are these guys?" Jeff asked, completely dumbfounded. Maybe it was because of the heat. Nancy sure was behaving a bit more...intense than she normally did, which wasn't exactly a bad thing for him. Liz on the other hand...she seemed frustrated about something, but didn't show it too much.

"Coctail stirrer. Take a gross. People love them," Amy said, and handled a bundle of stirrers to Jeff.

"Hmmm...okay," Jeff said, looking at the stirrers with a frown.

"And this one glows in the dark," Amy said, showing him one of the stirrers.

"Get out of here. Really?" Jeff asked, actually feeling excited about it.

Amy smiled. "Yes."

Just then, Sheriff Valenti walked inside, and spotted Amy talking with Jeff. He wanted to talk to her, but she wasn't at her shop, and the clerk there had told him that Amy was at the Crashdown. So here he was.

"Sheriff, uh..." Amy said, not really knowing what to say.

"Hi. I stopped by at your shop and they told me you were here," he said, and sat on one of the stools next to her.

"Is there something wrong?" Amy asked.

Valenti shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. It's just, uh..." he said, or at least tried, but it was pretty hard with Jeff looking at the two. Valenti turned to address Jeff. "It's kinda personal."

"Oh," Jeff said, and chuckled slightly as he turned away and went to his office.

"Umm...Amy," Valenti said, getting her attention. "About what happened. It's just, uh...I realize it was a long time ago, and I just want to make sure that you know that...I was just doing my job."

"Oh," Amy said. "Well, I appreciate the sentiment, Sheriff, but it did scar me for life and all, so..."

Valenti looked at her with a stern face. "You were breaking the law. You were stopping honest, hard-working people from doing their jobs," he said.

Amy looked indignant now, which wasn't that much out of the norm when dealing with her. "Those honest hard-working people were destroying a 200-year-old piece of Native American architecture...raping our town from its history," she said.

Valenti looked rather surprised. "Amy, the Native Americans WANTED that thing torn down more than anybody," he said, chuckling slightly.

Amy looked embarrassed, but she did a good job not showing it too much. "That's not the point," she said.

"Actually, it is kinda the point..." he said, but Amy suddenly stopped him.

"There were more than 20 of us out there that day. I was 18. Naive. Clueless. Why did you pick on me?" she asked, rather curious about the answer. ["You're in for a lot of trouble if it was just for fun,"] she thought.

"'Cause you were cute," Valenti said, surprising Amy.

"Cute?" Amy asked, not believing her ears.

"You were wearing the cowboy boots and a little skirt. Well, I had to arrest somebody, so..." Valenti said, now feeling a bit awkward, and a bit apprehensive when Amy's face turned red. It was hard to tell if she was angry or flattered. Then she laughed, but it had an odd ring.

"Well, I don't know what to say," she said, her smile not being exactly nice smile. "I'm outraged. Yes, I am now outraged. You are looking at an outraged woman," she said, then shook her head. "Sorry. It must be the heat."

"I just, uh...I just wanted to apologize. It's good to see you again, Amy," Valenti said.

Amy chuckled slightly, and it seemed like her flush had deepened a bit. "Well..." she started to say, but then Maria walked in, and blinked.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Maria asked, looking at her mother and Sheriff Valenti.

"Oh, hi Maria. Um, you know Jim," Amy said, gesturing Valenti.

Maria raised an disbelieving eyebrow, and looked at Valenti. "Jim?" she asked, then looked at them both separately. ["Oh God, please tell me that my mom doesn't have the hots for Sheriff,"] she pleaded, but when the Sheriff and Amy continued their conversation, it was more than evident to Maria that there were sparks flying. Maria shook her head in exasperation and went to the break room, bumping into Liz in the process. Although it was Maria who ended up on the floor, while Liz took a few steps back.

"Maria, what are you doing?" Liz asked, and extended her hand to help Maria up.

"Liz, you are not going to..." Maria started, but stopped when she saw Liz's clothes. Liz was wearing shorts, sneakers and a white tank top. She was not wearing her Crashdown uniform. "Where are you going?" Maria asked.

"On a jog," Liz said, and started to make her way to the back entrance.

"A JOG?! In THIS heat!?" Maria asked.

Liz pondered it for a moment, and nodded. "Yeah, I am," she said, and left. Truth be told, she COULD have waited for sundown, so that the temperature would drop somewhat, but seeing her parents making out in her dad's office had been a little bit too much for her to handle.

Maria looked at the back entrance for a while, then shook her head in exasperation.

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 5th December, Thursday, 11:23 a.m, near the football field

Isabel and Liz were painting their toenails under the shadow of the tree. To Liz it was somewhat relieving to actually do something they both enjoyed. She didn't exactly consider it 'hanging out' when they were following Michael and Maria to Marathon, even though they had got a lot closer since then. So far they had been talking about fashion and school, not anything regarding Isabel's 'alien' side.

"So, what about guys?" Liz asked, focusing on her toenails at the moment. Isabel stopped painting her own toenails for a moment. "'Cause it kinda seems that you've got all these guys in school interested in you...like, practically every single one of them, but you kinda tend to keep it pretty platonic."

"Have you been researching me or something?" Isabel asked.

Liz resisted an urge to snort to that comment. She didn't have to research it. All she needed to do was to look how Alex's eyes glazed when Isabel walked by and the fact that everyone else started to drool near her was also a dead giveaway for the fact that all the guys wanted her. Liz wasn't exactly sure, but she could have sworn that she saw one of the girls look at her with 'that' look. Anyway, Liz might have jumped to wrong conclusions with that one, but the bottom line was pretty obvious. As for the platonic thing...well, Isabel rarely dated, and even then the guy was left frustrated. "No, I haven't been researching you," she said, but inwardly rolled her eyes to Isabel's lack of sight. "I just...I don't know, I was just kind of curious if there was a you don't move forward with any of it. If it's because of the fact that you're..." Liz said, but Isabel stopped her.

"Are you afraid...I mean, to let someone in? To let someone see who you really are?" Isabel asked.

["You have NO idea how right you are,"] Liz thought. "Yeah, of course I am," she said, and it wasn't a lie.

"Well, multiply that by about a million," Isabel said, and started to paint her toenails again.

["Actually that should be OTHER way around, Isabel. You'll grow old eventually. I don't,"] Liz thought grimly, but just said, "Right."

Isabel looks at Liz, who was continuing to paint her toenails. She noticed that Liz was using clear nail polish, when in her opinion she could use some color. Isabel touches one of Liz's sandals with her index finger. "Open your hand," Isabel said to Liz, who frowned from confusion, but obeyed. Liz was holding her bottle of nail polish, and when Isabel brought her index finger to the bottle and touched it, the polish turned from clear to blue, matching the color of Liz's sandals. Liz looks at the bottle with a dumbfounded look, yet she feeling rather envious as well.

"At least we can do cool stuff like that," Isabel said with a smile. Liz smiled to that comment as well. ["Yeah, but you don't raise from the dead if you get killed,"] she thought while trying out her new nail polish.

They were silent for a while, until Isabel asked, "So, what's going on with your little friend Alex?"

Liz sighed. "Well, he's pretty upset," she said, leaning against the tree.

"Well, you've known him forever. What's the bottom line? Is he gonna cave?" Isabel asked, slightly apprehensive what Liz would answer, even when she wasn't showing it.

Liz shook her head. "I don't know. I kinda wish I knew what was going on inside him," she said absentmindedly.

"I'll look into it," Isabel said, earning a wide-eyed look from Liz.

"What do you mean, 'I'll look into it'?" Liz asked.

"Nothing, forget it," Isabel said, brushing it off, but Liz wasn't that easily pushed away.

"You're gonna dream walk him, aren't you?" Liz asked, although she was accusing her.

Isabel sighed. She had already forgotten that Marcus had told Liz what she could do. "Well, yeah. I have to know if he's gonna break," she said.

Liz pondered it for a moment, though she was now glaring at Isabel. "Just so you know, if you mess with his head, I'll hurt you," she said, her voice dead even.

Isabel rolled her eyes. "Please, don't act like Marcus on me. It doesn't suit you," she said.

"I meant what I said, Isabel. If you do anything that'll damage Alex, I WILL hurt you," Liz said, her glare not disappearing.

Isabel looked at Liz in disbelief. She wasn't bluffing, that was for sure. Isabel always had seen Liz as a timid person, who was slightly intimitaded by taller people, and mainly her. Not now. Not when Alex's health was in her opinion on the line.

"Look, I promise I won't do anything. I'll just make a visit, see what's going on and leave. That's it," Isabel said.

"Fine, but if I see anything wrong with him..." Liz said, but Isabel reassured her that there wouldn't be any problems.

*************************************************************

Evans's household, 23:36 p.m, Isabel's bedroom

Isabel sat on her bed, crosslegged, wearing her red pajamas. She had the schools yearbook open, with a picture of Alex amongs other students. She looked at it for a moment, then pressed her index finger on it. The familiar dirstortion wave ran through Alex's picture, and Isabel lied down on her bed, entering Alex's dreams.

*************************************************************

The Dream State

Isabel looks around. She sees a house behind her, and wonders who it belongs to. Then the door opens, and Alex walks outside, all dressed up in a tux. Isabel looks rather surprised, and decides to follow him. Eventually they come to a building, and since Alex already went inside, Isabel follows him, but stops when she sees the interior. It was a big ballroom. There was a table, a platform for a band, candles and all the romantic décor you could dream about. Which was probably what Alex was doing, and Isabel had to admit, he was doing a good job with it. Then she frowned. Alex seemed to be...just standing there. As if he was waiting for someone. Isabel looks around a bit more, and comes to a conclusion that this was a date. Or...'dream date' to be exact, the way Alex would want his date with...whoever the girl was to happen. ["He's definitely a thorough guy, I have to give him that. But who's the girl he wants to give this for?"] she thought, and then froze when she saw Alex's 'dream date'. It was...her, wearing a red dress, which fit to her like a glove.

Suddenly, a female singer and a band appear to the platform. "We'll take it from here," she said, and the band starts to play out Save Ferris 'Let Me In', and then the woman started to sing the lyrics.

I've been watching you and all you do
For quite some time
Knowing all the ins and outs of you
I should've known what was on your mind
But all the world is spinning round and round
Inside my head tonight
I will fall into the darkness
And I fear I will never see the light

"Hello, Alex," Dream Isabel said, and Alex smiled.

"Hello," he said, and they walk closer, while real Isabel watches. When they reached eachother, they started dancing, slowly.

I've been watching you and all you do
For quite some time
Knowing all the ins and outs of you
I should've known what was on your mind
But all the world is spinning round and round
Inside my head tonight
I will fall into the darkness
And I fear I will never see the light

So let me in
All that I wanted from you
Was something you'd never do
So let me in
Oh please tonight
Don't let this end
Tonight
I'll Fall

"Thank you for inviting me," Dream Isabel said while she and Alex danced.

"My pleasure," Alex said, smiling to Dream Isabel, who smiles coyly back.

"What do you really think of me?" Dream Isabel asked while they swayed with the music.

"I think that underneath that beautiful exterior is an even more beautiful interior. But I have a feeling that not too many people get to see that interior, do they?" Alex asked.

Through no light the darkness seems to be
So very strong
How does one alone against the world
Find the strength to carry on?
What happened to the way we used to love
It seemed as though life had just begun
But now that love has come and gone to fade away
Like the setting sun
Cuz' you won't let me in.

All that I wanted from you
Was something you'd never do
So let me in
Oh please tonight
Don't let this end
Tonight
Cuz' I'm starting to fall
So let me in

Dream Isabel shook her head to Alex's words. "No, they don't," she admitted.

"'Cause it's too scary to show who you really are," he said, and Dream Isabel nodded. "You can show me."

The lyrics stopped for a while. The music playing out, the two dancers completely oblivious to that fact when they moving according with the music, while real Isabel watched.

"I can?" Dream Isabel asked.

"Yeah," Alex said, and then they kissed.

It was all that I wanted from you
It was something you never knew
To let me in
But not tonight
For this is the end
Tonight I fall

*************************************************************

Evans's household, 23:57 p.m, Isabel's bedroom

Isabel woke up with a start, shocked to the core. Had she just seen it right? Did Alex really...love her? Sure, he liked what he saw, that much was obvious, because the rest of the male population in West Roswell High did. But...Alex...he wanted more. He wanted to know her, inside out. Isabel's cheeks started to burn from the blush that crept into her face from that thought. Seeing Alex dance with her...dream self...she felt...jealous.

Isabel shook her head forcefully, and lied back down. She would ponder the situation tomorrow. Or...perhaps go ask him out, just to see if he was as good dancer in real life as he was in his dream. With that thought, Isabel fell asleep. But her night was not going to be restfull.

*************************************************************

The Dream Scape

Isabel frowned. What was happening? She was back in the dream realm, from that she was certain, but...it felt...weird. She was at school, at the hallway. She saw Alex walk by, his eyes locked onto her. Isabel blushed and turned away, not really wanting Alex to see her blush.

"What's the matter? Can't let Mr. Whitman get too close to you?" a voice asked, and Isabel froze, her blood turning into ice. She turned around, and saw Marcus leaning against a row of lockers, his arms crossed over his chest. Then Isabel saw what he was wearing. A heavy trench coat, thick gray sweater, black jeans and woolen socks. Not exactly clothes you would wear in a warm climate, but he didn't seem bothered by them.

"What...how...no, you're a dream. This is a dream," Isabel said, but frowned when Marcus started laughing. ["Besides, WHY would I dream about Marcus, wearing so WARM clothes,"] she thought.

"I'm not a dream, Isabel. I'm here, inside YOUR mind. Using the very same ability you used to get into my head. Although *I* didn't have the need to use a picture as a catalyst," Marcus said with a grin.

Isabel was in shock. Mr. Thorne was able to enter someone's dreams? "Are you...Nasedo?" Isabel asked, finding it a plausible explanation to this. She was quickly proven wrong when Marcus's face grimaced from hatred, but then disappeared as if it didn't happen.

"I'm not Nasedo. I'm just a human being who has practised the use of dream walking. Besides, were not alike in this. You are able to do this naturally, I had to train necessary mental dicipline to be able to do this," Marcus said.

"What are you doing here?" Isabel asked.

Marcus grinned. "Why, I'm here to show you what it feels like when there's someone else in your head. Someone who you don't want to be there, to see your most private thoughts and...fantasies," he said.

"Get out!" Isabel screamed, the dream scape tremoring slightly.

"Oh, I have every intention to do that, Ms. Evans. Unfortunately, even when I'm in your mind, *I* have the advantage. I know stuff from the dream scape that you haven't even bothered to unlock yet. But still, I have to say, I never thought you would start to see Alex in that eye in...well, ever," Marcus said, not affected by the tremor.

Isabel just stared at him. He had the audacity to enter HER mind and mock her. Then again, SHE had entered his mind first, so he was probably paying back at her. Then Marcus seemed to glance around a bit, then back at her.

"I have to go now. Just a small hint, Isabel, for the future. Don't use this gift for entertainment. Ever. It will cause damage to you and the person who you are 'dream walking' in the long run. Bye," Marcus said while smiling, waved and disappeared.

*************************************************************

Evans's household, 00:13 a.m, Isabel's bedroom

Isabel woke up again, this time sweating. What the hell happened? She was...dreaming about something...but...why couldn't she remember anything? She groaned and slumped back to bed. Maybe she would remember in the morning.

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 6th December, Friday, 13:03 p.m, school hallway

Isabel was searching for Alex. Even if she couldn't remember the dream that woke her up in the middle of the night, she sure remembered Alex's dream. Max had disaproved the fact that Isabel had used her powers on Alex, but had relented when she said that Liz was okay with it as long as she didn't do anything to him. Isabel did leave out the small detail that Liz threated to hurt her if she did anything that would damage Alex, but there was no worry for that happening. He had been persistent to know what she had found, and Isabel had only said the half-truth from that. Max didn't need to know what she had seen in Alex's dream. Actually, put to perspective, SHE wasn't supposed to know, but what's done is done. She couldn't take it back, and even if she could, she wouldn't. Besides, there was something about Alex that...she found...appealing. Or maybe it was the heat. She finally found him, heading to his locker.

"Hey, Alex," she called out, getting his attention.

Alex looked at Isabel with wide eyes. Was she talking to her? "Uh...uh...hi," he managed to say, then he inwardly smacked himself to the forehead. ["Couldn't be ANY more lame, Whitman?"] he asked from himself.

Isabel looked at Alex for a while. "You look good today," she said, and she meant it.

"I do?" Alex asked, not believing what he was hearing. Then his brain registered what she had said, and he managed to answer to her. "Oh, thanks."

"So, tonight...that party everyone are talking about, you interested?" Isabel asked, looking him to the eyes. They were staring at her in disbelief, but yet with an emotion she hadn't seen before. Until she dream walked him, that is.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. Like he would actually go there, all alone. Yeah, right. "Yeah, sure. Tell me how it goes," he said and turned away.

"Interested in going?" Isabel asked, getting Alex's attention. She really asked that from HIM? When he turned around, Isabel was standing REALLY close to him, unbuttoning the top button from his shirt. ["This is the CLOSEST proximity I have EVER been to her. Did I die and go to Heaven or did someone replace her?"] he thought.

"Meet me there at 8:00," Isabel said, smiled, and left. Alex blinked. Did she just ask HIM to meet HER at a party? She did. Alex resisted the urge to scream 'YAAHOOOO!!', and just decided to look up. ["Thank you, God!"]

*************************************************************

The old soap factory, 19:57 p.m.

Alex was slightly nervous. Why wouldn't he be? He was here to meet THE Isabel Evans, the 'Ice Princess' of Roswell, and, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl at school. Of course he was nervous. He checked his clothes one more time, to make sure he looked presentable. He was wearing a dark blue button up shirt, dark jeans and regular shoes. Ok, so he didn't have anything fancy, but in his own opinion he looked decent. Well, this was it. He walked inside the factory, and noticed that the party was already going. He also spotted Liz there, and she was trying to get his attention. He did hear her, but didn't bother to answer. A couple of punks passed by him.

"All right, Octavio, let's whip this party into shape!" one of the punks yelled, carrying various equipment for the sound system. The punks buddy, Octavio, nodded.

Alex looked around, then spotted her. "Isabel!" he shouted, getting her attention. She looked breathtaking. She was wearing a red one piece dress, that went to her knees, and her hair was curled from the end.

"Alex!" Isabel yelled, trying to get her voice over the music.

"Hey!" Alex said, not exactly knowing what to say. Well, it was either that or flatter her, and he decided to do that later.

"Hey! You look...you look great," Isabel said, and she meant it. He DID look good. ["Well, almost,"] she thought, and stepped closer, unbuttoning the top button. ["Much better,"] she thought.

After managing to untangle his tongue, he said, "You too." After a brief hesitation, he decided to go for flattery. "You know, I like the way you look in red," he said with a smile.

"I know you do," Isabel said nonchalantly, looking around.

Alex frowned. Ok, how did she know THAT? He hadn't told anyone that he thought red was made for Isabel. Or was she aware of that little fact in some way? Alex shook his head to clear it up a bit. Besides, there was something she needed to ask from her. "So, listen, just to...to clarify, when...when you asked me to come to this party tonight, did you mean like come with you or...or was it more just like letting me know that this party existed, you know? Because that would be amazing in and of itself," he asked, and Isabel looked at him. "I'm...I'm just curious."

"Do you want to go someplace?" Isabel suddenly asked, catching Alex off guard.

"Go...go someplace?" he asked, making sure he heard right.

"To talk," she clarified, and Alex sighed from relief. Or it could have been disappointment.

"Oh, talk," he said. "Yeah, sure...sure."

They both start to walk around, trying to find a secluded and silent enough place so they could talk. Or that's what Isabel at least had in mind, if Alex was correct. So far they had zero luck with that quiet place thing. Almost everywhere were couples making out, and some of them were drunk. After a while, they found a secluded place, and they even managed to find it with somewhat comfortable seats. They were sitting pretty close, much to Alex's discomfort AND fulfillment of his less 'interesting' fantasies.

"You're a really, really good guy, Alex," Isabel said, looking his eyes.

"Oh, thank you, Isabel. Thank you," Alex said, feeling now a little 'less' special.

"No, really," Isabel said, getting his attention. "I mean, most guys are just disgusting animals whose sole purpose in life is to try to maul me. But you're different."

"I am?" he asked, not really believing what she was saying. She was flattering him, while all logic screamed that he should be the one doing it. "I mean, I am!" he exclaimed, smiling. "Oh, yeah. I just...I don't see you that way, Isabel. Well...not that I wouldn't want to..."

Isabel smiled. "Yeah...which is why I think I know that I can trust you," she said.

"Trust me?" Alex asked, frowning.

Isabel nodded. "Yeah, we all can. Liz, Max, all of us," she said.

Alex looked at her in disbelief, then it dawned to him. She didn't care about him. All she wanted to do was to find out what she had told to Valenti. He also figured that Liz had asked Isabel to do this, because Liz knew how much he liked Isabel. "So that's what this is about," Alex said in disdain.

Isabel blinked. "What?" she asked, not understanding what Alex was saying.

"You brought me here tonight to find out what I said to Valenti?" Alex asked, although he knew the answer. Except that he didn't.

"Alex..." Isabel started, trying to set him straight. She was here to tell him the truth, to tell him why he was forced to lie to Valenti. Unfortunately Alex wasn't in a receptive mood.

"Oh, GOD!" he exclaimed, burying his head to his hands. "How could I even believe that you were actually interested in me? Oh, I've been such a fool," he said, and stood up. He was too much of a gentleman to blow up now. Then he hears sirens at the distance, but he didn't care. He was being led on, and he had let him to be. He should have known better. Isabel Evans could get any guy she wanted, why would she bother with him? Then he stumbles on to Liz, who seems to be looking for someone. More than likely she's looking for Isabel or Max.

"Alex. Where is Isabel?" she asked.

Then Alex notices smoke and some firemen. "What's going on?" he asked.

"We have to get out of here," Liz said, and would have headed to the nearest exit, if one of the punks wouldn't have shoved liquor to both of them.

"Here, take these," the punk said, then ran off.

"Liz!" Alex exclaimed, not understanding what just happened. Even Liz looks at him with confused and shocked expression. Then they are being blinded by a light, and Sheriff Valenti is standing there, looking at the bottles they both a holding.

"I need you 2 to come with me," Valenti said sternly.

["Oh crap,"] Alex thought.

*************************************************************

[Bored to Mundane life]

The Sheriff's Station, 22:47 p.m, the cells

Alex was sitting in a cell, accompanied by the punk who had given him the liquor and someone else as well, which pretty much ensured the fact that he was stuck here. Liz was in the cell next to his, also accompanied by two of the punks. One of them apparently was the one who had flirted with her at the party, because he was still too near her, much to her annoyance. Then one of Alex's cell mates belched.

"Good one, dude," the punk said and high-fived his buddy.

Liz was leaning against the bars, looking at Alex. "Alex," she said, trying to talk with him.

"Forget it, Liz," Alex said, not in a mood to talk. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that he was in jail.

"I'm really sorry," Liz said.

"Don't talk to me, please," Alex said, not wanting to hear it.

"This is going to be ok," Liz said.

That was it. He was so sick of it when Liz kept saying that everything was going to be ok, when it was far from it. "Liz, will you shut up!!" Alex yelled, making Liz flinch.

One of the punks gringed at Alex's tone. "Dude...relax," he said, getting Alex's attention, though Alex at the moment felt like he was a lion in a cage. "This has happened to me like 10 times, man. Your parents are gonna be here in no time."

As if on que, the Sheriff walked to the cells. "Lyons, Coleman, Kalinowski and Baker. Rise and shine!!" Valenti barked, getting the four punks up. "Your parents are here."

The punk looked at Alex when he stood up. "See, I told you they'd come. Now look. They say a bond forms when you do time together. I love you man," he said, and made an attempt to hug Alex, who backed away. "No need for that," Alex said.

Octavio, the punk who flirted with Liz at the party smiled to her and said, "Ditto."

Liz gave a look of disgust to the punk. "I think it has to be longer than 2 hours," she said.

"Not necessarily," Octavio said, and slapped Liz to the butt. Big mistake, because the next thing he knew, he was on the floor, in a VERY tight arm lock.

"Do that to me again and I will break your elbow," Liz growled, tightening the lock. Everyone else looked at the scene in disbelief, Alex being one of them.

"OKOKOKOKOKOK!!" Octavio yelled, submitting.

"Parker, let him go!!" Valenti yelled.

Liz, after shaking her head slightly, let go of Octavio. He stood up shakingly and left. Liz glanced at Valenti and frowned when she and Alex were the only ones left. "Where are our parents?" Liz asked.

"They all agreed with me. Some time in jail might make the 2 of you remember what your priorities are. Or maybe just one of you," Valenti said, and glanced at Alex before he left.

Liz inwardly shook her head. Like she didn't have a lot more important things in her mind than school, like surviving her first decade. That would be nice. Hell, she would be happy if she would survive 5 years as a Immortal. She looked at Alex, who was shaking his head. "Alex," Liz said.

"Liz..." Alex said, raising his index finger, telling her that if she started to say that things were going to be ok, he would lose it.

Liz walked to the bars that separated their cells. "No, Alex, this is not as bad as it seems, I promise. Ok, we just...the 2 of us, we have to get our stories straight," she said.

"Liz, I'm in jail, ok!! I'm now in JAIL!! I'm through lying!" Alex yelled.

"Alex..." Liz said, while looking at him in distress. This was bad.

*************************************************************

The Sheriff's Station, 22:59 p.m, parking lot

Max and Isabel were sitting on the jeep, watching as the punks were released, but not Alex and Liz.

"He let everybody else go except Liz and Alex. We are so screwed," Isabel said, distraucht. They should have told him before. He had already earned the right, she knew that now.

"It's gonna be ok," Max said, trying to reassure Isabel. He briefly wondered why one of the punks had stretched his arm, like it had been in a weird position too long.

"We should have told him," Isabel said.

"What?" Max asked, his eyes wide.

"Alex. We should have told him about us. I...I know this sounds crazy, Max, but I feel something about him...like, he's ok...like, we'd be better off including him," she said. Max just stared at her.

*************************************************************

The Sheriff Station, 23:30 p.m, back at the jail cells

"Alex," Liz said, but he kept ignoring her. "Alex," she said more gently this time, but no reaction. "Alex, I just need to talk to you. Um, I just want to..." she said, but Alex cut him off.

"Let me just ask you something...did you arrange that whole Isabel thing?" Alex asked.

"What...what Isabel thing?" Liz asked, not understanding. She HAD seen Alex with Isabel, but she thought that they were really on a date. Or just being friends, which would have been a good thing as well.

"You know, I mean, uh...her trying to seduce me into keeping quiet?" Alex asked.

"I don't know anything about that, Alex, I swear," Liz said, though she felt her anger rising from what Isabel had done. It didn't seem like Alex had heard her, because he was now pacing and ranting.

"'Cause it's...'cause it's just so low, you know? I mean, she's just low. And I'm done. I'm done protecting you...or her, or anyone else you're associated with. 'Cause I'm telling Sheriff Valenti everything. Verbatim. About replacing Max's blood at the hospital, discovering Topolski was FBI, everything," Alex said, and he meant it. He was fed up.

Liz shook her head, panicking slightly. "No, look, look, Alex...look, listen to me. You had just...you should know all the facts before you do something like this," she said, her voice getting from frantic to defeated.

Alex looked at her. "Well, I thought that wasn't your secret to tell," he said.

Liz nodded, but she still continued. "Alex, the reason that Isabel did whatever she did is not that she's low, she's just...she's scared," she said.

Alex looked at Liz to the eye. "Scared," he said, not really believing her.

Liz nodded. "Yes."

"Scared of what?" Alex asked.

Liz hesitated. How would she say it? She couldn't exactly just...blurt it out, because someone might hear her. "She...she's scared of being different," she said. ["And so am I, to put it frankly."]

"Oh, come on!" Alex said, exasperated. Then he turned away from Liz. "Save it."

"Alex, listen to me. Max, Michael and Isabel, they are different from us. They're different from us in a way that, if the wrong people find out, they would be in a lot of trouble," Liz said.

"Liz, I know the whole drugs thing is a load of crap. I mean, why would the FBI be interested in 3 kids into drugs?" Alex asked.

"Alex, you're not listening to me. This doesn't have anything to do with drugs. Alex...Max, Michael and Isabel...they aren't from around here," Liz said. She was telling him the truth. Why couldn't he hear it?

"Where are they from?" Alex asked, but he was still skeptical to anything Liz might say.

Liz didn't answer, she just pointed the roof with her index finger.

Alex frowned. "What? Like, Wyoming?" he asked. What the hell was Liz trying to tell him?

Liz gringed. He wasn't getting it. She pointed her index finger higher, hoping that he'd get it. She got it with the second time.

"Oh...ok, fine. Canada. They're Canucks. So what, you're saying that the FBI is all over them because they're like...illegal aliens?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, sort of," Liz admitted, but Alex still hadn't understood. "Alex, they're from...somewhere else."

"Liz, what are you talking about?" Alex asked. Okay, so they were illegal aliens. But...if they weren't from Canada, then where.

"God, there isn't any way for me to say this, but to just...but to just say this, ok? Alex...they think they were in the 1947 crash. Ok, they were like in these incubation pods for a really long time...like 40 years, and they came out in like the form of humans...and now all of these people suspect them. That's why Topolski was here, and that's why Valenti arrested us, and that's why we're here because he knows I'm involved. I'm really sorry, Alex, but...you're involved too," Liz said. There, now she said it. She told him the truth.

"Liz, are you ok?" Alex asked her.

"Alex...you don't even understand," Liz said, not believing that Alex still didn't believe her. "The past few months have been like absolute torture lying to you. I will never, ever lie to you again. I promise."

Alex was about to ask something else, but then Sheriff Valenti stepped inside, and looked at them both. Liz stepped away from the bars that separated hers and Alex's cell. Valenti looked at Liz for a moment. He never thought that Liz could have the skill or necessary strength to toss a guy on the floor like she had done to one of the guys who had got a bit too personal with her. Okay, so the punk deserved it, but...Liz was holding the guy in a arm lock, and she wasn't strong enough to keep it for that long, even if she could do it techically. Now when he looked at her, she seemed physically more defined than before. Valenti then turned to Alex.

"Whitman, did you sleep alright?" Valenti asked, but Alex didn't say anything. "What do you say we down to my office?"

Alex stood up. "No. Right here. I'm ready to talk," he said.

Valenti nodded. "All right. I want to know what your involvement is with Liz, Max, Michael and Isabel. And I also want to know what happened with Ms. Topolski," he said.

Alex glanced at Liz, who looked at him with pleading eyes. She was silently telling him, 'Don't do it, please!' Alex then turned back to Sheriff. "I'm ready to talk about the fact that I'm a kid. I'm 16 years old. I'm a sophmore in high school, so what could I possibly have to do with a teacher leaving? What does any of this have to do with you, anyway?" he asked.

Valenti was slightly taken back by Alex's response. He had expected him to speak up, but apparently he was wrong. "I'm just doing my job, son," he said.

"I was at a party! And my only wish was that while I was there, I engaged in some sort of depraved activity, like drinking or sex, but I didn't. I didn't break any laws," Alex said.

"Everybody who was at that party was trespassing on private property, and both of you were minors in possession of alcohol," Valenti said, trying to make it sound like he had the right to arrest them, which he did have. He was just pushing the limits of his authority.

"This has nothing to do with that party, does it?" Alex asked, and Valenti remained silent. "Sheriff, I want out of here...right now. I demand it, or I'm going to get a lawyer and I'm going to sue for abusive treatment of a minor. I may be 16 years old, but I know my rights."

Valenti pondered Alex's statement for a while, but he knew the kid would do it. It was in his eyes. Valenti nodded to Alex, and opened his cell, along with Liz's. "Get out of here, both of you," he said.

Liz looked at Alex for a moment, then at the sheriff. She nodded and walked out from the cell, and she and Alex left the station. Once outside, Liz sighed from relief.

"Alex, you were amazing," she said, smiling to him.

"Well, yeah. Yeah, I was," he said, grinning sheepishly.

"Uh, so...um, how do you feel?" Liz asked, slightly worried. "You know, about what I said?"

"Well, a part of me, uh...part of me feels like you've gone insane, and the other part of me feels like I want some of the massive doses of hallusinogens you've obviously been taking. But...I don't believe in aliens," Alex said, looking at her.

"Neither did I..." Liz started, but then stopped. She looked at him to the eyes. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Well...I believe that you believe. Leave it at that," he said.

"Ok," Liz said, a bit disappointed. Then Alex pulls her into a hug, to which she responds. Still, there was one more secret to tell. Except that this one was a LOT more difficult to tell than the truth about Max, Michael and Isabel.

"Get home safe," Alex said to Liz when he pulled away from the hug.

"You too," Liz said, still not sure if she should tell him about her immortality. If she did, he would be a good target for a headhunter to use as a hostage. But...so were everyone she was assosiated with. No, she had to tell him. At least, that way, he knew what was coming.

"See you at school," Alex said and he started to leave.

"Alex, wait," Liz said, getting his attention. He looks at Liz with confusion. "Alex, last Tuesday, when I wanted to know what you told Sheriff, you asked me about my secret."

"Yeah, but...I already told you what I thought about a minute ago," Alex said.

"Not that one, Alex. The one you heard from Thorne," Liz said.

"Oh...that...well, I'm curious, but..." Alex wanted to say that it wasn't a big deal anymore, but Liz didn't agree.

She walk to him, holding a piece of paper. She had written it before she had went to the rave. The address to the Martial Arts Studio. "Come to this address tomorrow around 2 p.m. I will tell you then what mine and Mr. Thorne's secret is," Liz said.

Alex looked at the paper slip with a frown. "This has nothing to do with Max, does it?" he asked, and Liz shook her head.

"Be there, please?" Liz pleaded.

Alex nodded. "Okay, Liz. I'll be there," he said, pocketed the paper and walked away.

Liz let out a shuddering breath. She was going to tell him, and that thought terrified her and excited her at the same time. What if he didn't believe her, like he didn't now? Then she had to prove it to him, and after that...well, all things considered, there would be no secrets between them, and that thought made her feel happy. She smiled and started to walk to her home.

*************************************************************

Martial Arts Studio, 7th December, Saturday, 14:01 p.m, the parking lot

Alex got off from his bike and looked around. He didn't exactly see anything special about it. It was just an old warehouse, with some of its windows being boarded shut. Why did Liz want to talk with him here? Her home or his home could have been just fine. He looked at the entrance, a big metal sliding door, that was slightly open, probably left like that for him. Alex walked to the door and slid it open, and stepped inside. What he saw almost knocked him from his feet. The interior of the warehouse was drastically different from the outside. The whole place looked like it had escaped from a kung-fu flick, with all the good stuff with it. There were racks which held different type of weapons. Swords, polestaff's and daggers were all neatly lined up. The floor was clean, and there were two rings. One with ropes, and one without. There were punching bags, speed bags and a whole bundle of other exercise equipment.

"Liz?" Alex called out, but wondered what the hell was Liz doing in a place like this.

"Hello, Alex," Liz said, coming out from her locker room, her hair still moist from the shower. She had just finished her exercise, and was glad that Alex hadn't arrived sooner. Somehow she didn't think that he needed to see her and Richie in one of their weekly beat-up sessions in unarmed combat. Good thing he left at least 30 minutes before Alex got there.

"Yeah, hi. What the Hell is this place?" Alex asked, looking around him in awe.

"This is the place where I have spent 3 hours every night for the past 3 months, training Martial Arts and swordmanship," Liz said nonchalantly.

Alex looked at Liz like she had grown another head. "You're kidding me, right? Why would you suddenly start training Martial Arts, let alone swordmanship? I mean, do they give extra-credit at PE from something like this?" he asked.

Liz shook her head. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought. "Alex, come with me," she said, and walked to the benches. Alex followed, but still continued to look around him.

"Sit," Liz said, and Alex did as told. Liz took a seat next to him.

"Ok, what I'm about to tell you can't leave from this building. You can't tell about this to ANYONE. Not Maria, not Isabel, not even your parents. You can't tell NO ONE about this. Can you promise that to me?" Liz asked.

"Umm...okay, I think I can do that...if you'd tell me what this is about?" Alex said.

Liz took a deep breath, brazing herself for the inevitable. This was it. No going back. "Alex, do you remember the day I got shot?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do, Liz. Vividly. I was really worried about you that day. I'm just glad that you came through with it unharmed," Alex said.

Liz tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, a motion that told Alex that something was wrong. "I didn't," Liz said.

"What?" Alex asked.

Liz looked at Alex to the eyes. "Alex, I didn't survive that day. I died. I was shot, and it killed me," she said with a serious face.

"Uh, Liz...no offence, but you're not dead. I mean, if you WERE dead, you would be a ghost, and since you aren't transparent and everyone can see you, you can't be dead," Alex said.

"Yeah, I'm not dead at the moment. As a matter of fact, I won't be able to die completely for a VERY long time," Liz said, her serious expression never leaving from her face. "And when I say long time, I mean for eternity."

Alex blinked, then shook his head. "Okay, back up, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"Alex, I'm Immortal. I told you yesterday that Max, Michael and Isabel are aliens, REAL aliens, that they are different. Well, I'm as much different from you as they are, except that I'm more 'human' than them. The only difference is that...I can't die," Liz said.

"You can't die?" Alex asked. "Like...you aren't allowed to die or..."

"I am not able to die, Alex. From anything. Well, there is a way for me to die, but that's rather hard to happen by regular means of accidents and mishaps," Liz said.

Alex stood up. "Okay, I think I need to search this place and track down those VERY strong hallusinogens you've been taking here. But it would help if you'd tell me where they are," he said, and started to look around for a hiding place for those drugs.

Liz sighed. She knew Alex wouldn't believe her if she just TOLD him. Now she had to prove it. She stood up while Alex looked under the boxing ring, and briefly wondered what kind of weapon to use. She could use a sword, but...it would leave a REALLY big mess, and she might die on the spot, and it would take a while to wake up from it. She could use a dagger, but then it would be probable that Alex would think it was a fake dagger. She settled for a dagger, because it was rather easy to prove that it was authentic AND sharp. She took one of the more exotic daggers. An Athame. It had a wavy pattern in its blade, and it was very sharp. She walked to where Alex was still trying to find a secret compartment for the hallusinogens. "Alex," Liz said softly, startling Alex.

"Where are they, Liz?" Alex asked, and looked around.

Liz ignored him and handed the Athame to him. "Hold this," Liz said, and went to her locker room to get a towel. She didn't want to maul her clothes, even though she knew that she would have to burn them. She did have a extra set of clothes here. Two sets, just in case. Liz eventually came back with the towel in hand, and saw Alex looking at the dagger with incredulous look.

"What's this for?" Alex asked, when Liz took the Athame away and handed the towel to him.

"All right...Alex, open the towel and hold it in the air, and keep it a good distance away from you," Liz said, and Alex did as he was told, but he still thought that Liz was losing it. Then, Liz cut through the towel with the Athame, and sliced a slit into it. Alex looked at the towel with an astonished look, then at the Athame. It was sharp, and VERY real. He wrapped the towel around his left hand and extended his right one.

"Let me try," he said, and Liz nodded. She handed the Athame to Alex, who then unwrapped the towel, and then started to poke holes into it. Sure enough, it was a real dagger.

"Well, Alex. Is it real or not?" Liz asked from him.

Alex nodded, his gaze shifting between the Athame and the now ruined towel. "Yeah, it sure is, but...what are you going to do with it?" he asked.

Liz took the Athame from his hands, and looked him into his eyes. Then she turned the Athame so that the blade pointed at her. Then, in a very quick move, she plunged the Athame into her chest, just below the spot where her ribcage was. She screamed in pain, which was only marginally smaller compared to the time when Richie had opened her stomach. It still hurt. Blood started to flow from the wound, and Liz fell on her knees, but she was unable to pull the dagger out.

"Oh my God! Liz, what...why..." Alex said, looking at Liz with wide eyes. God, she was going to die right in front of him.

"A-alex...pull it out...please..." Liz wheezed out, some blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. That probably meant that the damage was worse than she had intended, or it might be because she had bit a piece of her lip, if the tingling there was any indication.

Alex kneeled next to Liz, and grabbed her hands gently. Then he pulled her hands, and yanked the dagger away, the sickening sound of muscle being torn thundering around the large room. Liz was now gripping on the puncture wound, trying to stop the blood from flowing out of her body, and also keeping her awake long enough for Quickening to work on its magic.

"I'll call an ambulance," Alex said as he dropped the Athame and got up. He didn't get far when Liz grabbed his hand with her blood drenched right hand.

"No...ambulance...I'll be...just fine...in a minute..." Liz said, her face grimaced from the pain.

"Nononono, Liz. You NEED an ambulance, because you can't possibly..." Alex started to say, but suddenly Liz's grip tightened.

"Look!" Liz said, and moved her left hand away from the wound.

And what Alex saw...it shocked him to the core. He could see the wound, the blood and...good God, he could see her stomach. It took all of Alex's willpower not to puke on the spot. What he saw next...it got him silent. There was something...blue...glowing at the wound. Like electricity. It was closing the damaged muscle's, and then it went to fix the skin, closing the wound right in front of his eyes. He looked at Liz, who was panting, but still very much alive, when logic was screaming, no, YELLING him that she should be lying on the floor, dying on his hands. She wasn't. When the wound closed, Alex looked at Liz one more time...before he fainted.

"Well...I guess I'll have to get used to that reaction," Liz mused, and wiped the blood from her jaw, but only succeeded in smearing her face. "I better go and clean up."

About 30 minutes later, Alex was suddenly woken up by something VERY cold and wet. He sputtered slightly, and wiped the water from his eyes. He tried to get up, but the sudden pain that went through his head told him to stay still. ["Where am I? I remember waking up, showering, doing some program to my webpage..."] he thought, then his eyes widened. The warehouse. Liz. Liz telling him some REALLY weird story that she couldn't die anymore. Liz using some REALLY weird knife to tear a towel into pieces, then plunging the said knife into her chest. He pulling the knife out, and trying to get over his shock so he could call an ambulance. Liz stopping him and showing him how the wound healed. Then...black. He shot up from the floor and saw Liz standing there, holding a bucket in her hand. He wiped his eyes again, and looked at the spot where he had...seen her to hit the knife. The blood was gone, which told him that he must have hallucinated. Then he saw it. There was a small but still visible mass of healed skin on the EXACT spot where she had plunged the knife. And it was disappearing as he was looking at it. He looked at Liz. "Is it too much to hope that I might have dreamed the whole thing?" he asked, and Liz nodded her head, showing the bloodied Athame, and then pointing it at the spot behind him. Alex turned around and saw a pool of almost dried up blood, although it was still moist.

"We have a lot to talk about," Liz said, and Alex couldn't do much than to agree.

About an hour later, Liz had told Alex everything. What had happened to her that day at the Crashdown, the first time she felt the 'buzz', which explained the near fall Liz had experienced, much to Alex's relief and horror. She told him about Marcus, and how old he was, which pretty much nearly knocked Alex's lights out again, and what he had told her about the Immortals. She told him how they couldn't die, and what was the only way to kill her kind, which got Alex feeling nauseus. Then came the hard part, but she managed. She told him about the Game, the Headhunters and how she was taught by Marcus to defend herself. She also told him who Richie was, and Alex couldn't believe that the guy was around his own father's age, only a bit younger. She even told him some details about the training, and this time Alex DID vomit when Liz told him how Richie had opened her stomach, and that she had STILL managed to remain conscious. Over all...he took it rather well...and this time he didn't doupt her. The evidence...was MORE than convincing enough.

"Are you ok?" Liz asked, feeling slightly worried for Alex, who was holding the bucket in his hands.

"I'll live," he said dryly, still feeling a bit queasy at the pit of his stomach. He looked at Liz, who would remain the same, no matter what. "So...you're...going to live forever," he said.

Liz nodded, a sad smile on her face. "Yeah," she said.

"And you're going to be eternally as young as you are now, depending from the fact that some nutcase Headhunter doesn't cut off your head," he said, his stomach lurching from the image of Liz getting beheaded by a psycho.

Again, Liz nodded.

"Jeesus, Liz, you're going to be 16 for the rest of your life, and THAT'S for all eternity," Alex exclaimed.

"Umm...preaching to the choir, Alex," Liz said.

"Sorry, I just...needed to say it outloud. And I can't...tell this to anyone?" Alex asked.

Liz shook her head. "No one. Not even Maria," she said.

Alex had to give a sarcastic snort to that. "Well, when she eventually figures this out, it's more than likely that she's going to react the same way as I did," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess she will," Liz said, agreeing with him.

"Still, you DO realize that after the initial shock wears off, that is when she recovers from her concussion, she's going to yell at you," Alex said, feeling serious at the moment.

Liz nodded. "I know, but she's not ready to hear this. Not yet, anyway," she said.

"So...what now?" Alex asked.

Liz sighed, leaning the bench they had been sitting for about an hour. "Well, now...we behave like nothings changed. To everyone else, I'm still 'Little Lizzie Parker', the straight A student," she said.

"Well, NOW you're straight A student when you can finally get some work done at PE classes," Alex said, and Liz started laughing.

"Yeah...I guess you're right," Liz said, giggling.

"Still...I don't know if I can act...the same way around you now," Alex said.

"Alex, I've been doing it for the past 3 months, and you haven't suspected anything. Well...you DID suspect something, but that was because of Max, Michael and Isabel, and the way I did anything to protect them," Liz said.

"Yeah, but..." Alex started, but Liz cut her off.

"Alex, the reason I told you this was because I didn't want to lie to you anymore. I know it started because of Max, but...if I wanted to be honest with you, I HAD to tell you about this," Liz said.

"What about the others?" Alex asked.

"They have enough problems of their own with them hiding from the government, I SO don't want to add up Immortal Headhunters into their list of problems," Liz said.

Alex's face grimaced from the image. "Yeah, I guess it could be a tad overwhelming to them," he admitted.

"So...are we...ok?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, we're okay, Liz. It...it might take some time for me to get used to this. Also, NOW I know why Mr. Thorne is so good history teacher," he said.

"I know," Liz said, and they talked some more. Then Alex decided to leave, but not until he helped to clean up the blood from the floor, which was a bit hard for Alex, when he couldn't stand the sight of blood.

*************************************************************

Highway 380, 18:23 p.m, 14 miles to Roswell

A silver colored Porche Boxster was driving through the highway. Connor MacLeod looked around, seeing nothing but sand and occasional small plants and cactuses. He thought only for one moment why he was here. Marcus. He called, asked a favor and Connor was more than willing to give him that. Why? He didn't know. Maybe it was because of he was bored or because they were friends. That didn't matter, what mattered was that he had got the next flight to Roswell, or at least a city close to it, and the only city near Roswell at the moment had been Oklahoma City. Once he had landed, he had rented a car. A Porche. Good car, but this particular model was a bit too flashy for his taste. He preferred older models.

Connor sighed. His adopted son was now 19 years old, and attending college. Planning to major in psychology. ["Heh, the lad always had the ability to read people,"] he thought, grinning slightly.

Then his grin disappeared. ["It has been a while since I taught someone to fight. And now...I have to teach a fledgling Immortal,"] he thought, wondering why Marcus hadn't bothered to cut off his own vacation for the sake of the girl? Then he shook his head. He'd never learn to understand Marcus. If possible, the man was even more hard to understand than the legendary Methos. But, he didn't know Methos. His kinsman Duncan did, or so Connor was told. Connor shook his head again, not really bothering himself with trivial thoughts. He was here, that was all that mattered. He turned on the radio, and grimaced when Backstreet Boys 'Larger Than Life' was playing out. God, how much he hated the so called 'modern music'. Elvis, now there's a man who can sing.

It took Connor a while, about 30 minutes, to find the Crashdown Café, the place where Marcus's charge was living, or if one wanted to be specific, in the apartment above the café. Again, it wasn't his concern. He had felt the 'buzz' when he was parking the car. It wasn't big by any standards, so that pretty much told him that the girl WAS indeed a fladgling. ["Well, better go over there and meet the lass,"] he thought, got out of the car and walked into the café. There weren't that many people there, but it was near closing time, so that wasn't all that surprising. He frowned when he couldn't pinpoint the exact location for the 'buzz', so he started to look at the people inside. Majority of them were males, with only 2 girls as customers, and 1 as a waitress. Then the back door opened, and a brunette girl walked in, and the 'buzz' lovered into a very soft humm. That's the girl, and since she had locked her eyes on him, it meant that she knew what he was. ["She's smart,"] Connor thought.

Liz looked at the man at the café entrance. He was around his mid 30's, gray, long hair tied into a ponytail, gray trench coat, white button up shirt, jeans and, amazingly, sneakers. She had felt a 'buzz' growing in intensity for the past 10 minutes, and she had been feeling on the edge during that time. It wasn't as strong as Marcus's, more on the level of Aurora's. She walked to the man calmly, and got a weirded out look from some of the patrons and Maria. "Not here," Liz said, and gestured the break room. The man nodded, and she lead him there, and to upstairs. Her parents were dealing with the inventory at the moment, which gave them some privacy. Once they had reached the living room, she turned to look at the Immortal. "I'm Liz Parker," she said politely.

Connor looked at the girl, and studied her for a moment. Marcus's touch showed. The girl had muscles, but she wasn't overdoing it. Just enough to make it visible, and subtle enough to remain somewhat normal. Except with that ridiculous looking outfit. "I'm Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod," he said, his scottish accent marking his speech.

"So...you'll be teaching me for the time being," Liz said, studying her temporary teacher. He didn't seem that strong, but...what Marcus had told her so far, Connor was expert swordman, but lacked Martial Arts skills. Well, that definitely didn't mean he was a pushover, and Liz knew that.

"Aye," Connor said curtly.

Liz narrowed her gaze on him. "Do you really have gray hair?" she asked.

Connor shook his head. "Nay. It's dyed. Helps me keeping meself a bit older than I truly am," he said.

Liz sighed. "Sorry, but I don't know that much about you, and have little idea what to talk about," she said.

"No need for apologies, lass. Ye're young. Besides, Marcus told me I could use his apartment for the time being. Ye have the keys?" Connor said.

Liz nodded. "Yeah, he called me in the morning about that. Here they are," she said and fished out the keys from her apron. Connor accepted them.

"So...when will we start?" Liz asked.

"Day after tomorrow. I'm tired, and I need to get used to this town if I plan to stay here for a month," Connor said, putting the house keys to his coat pocket.

Liz nodded. "I could show you around..." she said, but Connor stopped her.

"Thank ye from the offer, but I prefer doing that alone. We can talk later if ye insist," Connor said.

Liz nodded. "Yeah, later. Well...I guess I'll see you on Monday," she said.

"Perhaps even tomorrow, if the café is open. But now...I'll have to go. I had a long ride, and it might take a while before I find Marcus's house. Goodnight," Connor said, and started to make his leave.

"Umm...goodbye...for today," Liz said, and Connor stopped for a while, then left. "Well, that went well," she muttered, and went back to the café.

*************************************************************

Parker household, 22:37 p.m, Liz's balcony

Liz was sitting on her lawn chair, reveling in the cool night air. She was writing on her journal at the moment, deep in thought.

'It's December 7th, and the heatwave finally broke off, and I'm probably the only person in Roswell who didn't benefit from it. Well, Marcus doesn't count, because he isn't here at the moment. But maybe it's for the best. Because Max Evans and I had given in to temptation, if we had kissed each other even once, it would have taken us somewhere we BOTH know we never should have gone. Still, a part of me wanted that to happen. The talk we had yesterday at bio...it got my blood boiling, making me anticipating something to happen, but I chalk that up to the heat, because it pretty much drove everyone crazy. I know it did that to my parents. *shudder*

I hope that Alex is okay. I know he said so, and that he said that it might take some time to get used to the idea of me being Immortal, but I know he lied. There's going to be some much trouble for me in the future. Headhunter might make a visit, or I could get shot or hit by a car. Alex knows that aside from a Headhunter, those things wouldn't kill me, but I think that he will never be okay until he sees me die more than 4 times inside a month or so.

Anyway, I finally got the chance to meet the Highlander, or Connor MacLeod. He seems nice, but he looks rather old with that long gray hair of his. Although he DID say that it was dyed. Apparently the Quickening doesn't stop your hair from growing. That's a good thing, considering that I would have to change my hair style over the decades. That is if I live that long. I'll get a chance to test my skills against him tomorrow, but I have a feeling that I won't stand a chance against him. He's a lot older and experienced than Richie is. Well, that'll put me that much closer to sparring with Marcus, but I fear that he'll put me through living Hell when I have to face him. Besides...I know it's too early for me to think about this, but if it would come to a point where only me and him were left...I don't think I would be able to take his head. I'm not sure how he feels about it. All I can do is ask. Oh, and I wonder what kind of a person Mr. Dickinson is? I mean, it'll be less than 2 months until he comes here. I'll probably turn into a babbling machine when I meet him...'

"Liz! Are you there?" a voice said, and Liz frowned. It was Max. What was he doing here? Liz closed her journal and walked to the edge of the balcony. She sees Max, looking at her.

"Hi," he said.

"Umm...hi," Liz said, surprised that he was there.

"Can I come up?" Max asked.

"Yeah, sure," Liz said, walking away from the edge. It didn't take long from Max to climb up the ladder. Liz looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "Very impressive."

Max shrugged. "I try."

"You really can't stay long," Liz said, looking inside her room through the window.

"I know," Max said. "I just wanted to tell you that I've been thinking a lot about last night."

"Yeah, me too," Liz said, looking at him to his eyes.

"When I saw Valenti taking you away like that...it just hit home for me, you know? How much knowing me has screwed up your life," he said.

["WHAT?! Me being BORN and dying at the age of 16 and getting back to life was the one that got my life screwed up, not you!!"] Liz yelled in her thoughts. Liz shook her head to Max. "No, it's just the opposite," she said.

"Thank you from saying that," Max said, blushing slightly.

"It's the whole truth, Max," Liz insisted. ["Definitely. If anything, MY life is going to screw up yours, eventually."]

"I better go," Max said, already turning to the ladders.

"Why?" Liz asked.

Max hesitated for a while, then turned around. "'Cause if I don't go right now, things are going to change," he said.

"Change how?" Liz asked, walking closer to him, moistening her lips slightly.

"I'm going to have to touch your hair...'cause it's so soft...and I'd have to tell you that...no matter what we go through, it's all worthwhile for me because we're together," he said, and they were now a breath away from one another.

"And then?" Liz asked huskily.

"And then...I'd have to do this," Max said, and pulled Liz into a gentle kiss. Liz was slightly surprised by the sensation, but quickly recovered, kissing him back with more intensity. They pull back when oxygen becomes an issue, panting for air, both of them flushed. Then Liz pulls him into a more deep, passionate kiss, and they stay that way for a while, their tongues dueling.

TBC...

[Bored to Mundane life]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen (that I know of). I thank you all for your patience, you have been a wonderful group. Anyway...special thanks to go for LittleBit, Liz Parker Evans (x5), NewYorker18 (x4), roswellian504, Asabetha, LEL (x5), Roswelllostcause, Sternbetrachter, PhoenixFlamez, MaryJean, angeleyes (x3), KEmperor (x2), LizzyBug (x3) and Norma Bates. Extra thanks to NewYorker18 from beta-work.

Anyway...thank you all from your FB and reviews. And Norma Bates...its good to see you're finally here. Ok, maybe you were just reading as much as you could.

But...without further delay...here's part 22. As you probably have guessed by now...it's set to 'Balance'.

Title: "Concept of Eternity"
Author: Bored to Mundane life
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. If they did, Alex would have lived on and season 3 would have been a lot more different. The only character that belongs to me is Marcus Thorne. I also hope that Bruce Dickinson doesn't mind if I use him in this fic.
Synopsis: Liz Parker is having just a regular day at the Crashdown, when suddenly an argument between two customers gets out of hand, and she's shot. She is raced quickly to the hospital, but she dies en route. But before she is considered as a lost cause, her heart starts beating. Later on, her history teacher, Marcus Thorne, tells her that she's an Immortal. She'll be then pulled into the life of the Immortals, better known as 'The Game'. With no way out. But her apparent resurrection has raised other peoples attention as well. And Liz suddenly finds out that she isn't the only one harboring a considerably large secret. But how does Max Evans, his sister Isabel and Michael Guerin fit into this?
Category: Crossover, Roswell/Highlander, strictly CC.
Rating: PG-13, probably R at some point.
Feedback: Definitely appreciated. And definitely needed, so I know that my writing isn't going to waste. Afterall, this IS my first fic.

Part 22:

Crashdown Café, 13th December, Friday, 15:24 p.m.

Liz was cleaning up the milk shake machine, a big smile on her face. Normally she hated doing this, but today...no. It was amazing how some days just seemed like...'This is it, this is the End of the World', and then change to 'This is the best day of my life'. Liz was having the latter at the moment, or specifically, ever since she and Max kissed. Liz's smile, if possible, broadened from the memory. She had told Alex about her Immortality and met Connor MacLeod before that, but her mind still kept repeating the kiss in her mind, over and over again. What she felt, what flavor did his lips taste and how she just crawed for more, even if she would die from the lack of oxygen. Liz grinned to that last thought. Who knows, it just might be worth it. She couldn't die. But...Max could. Liz doubted that Max would complain from the way he would depart from this world if he would die in the middle of a make out session from the lack of air, but everyone else definitely would. Especially her. Well, a girl can dream, right? Then Liz's gaze fell on Maria, who had been seething ever since the rave a week ago. She had talked with Maria yesterday, and found out that Michael had broke up with her. Why...that's a good question. Because as far as Maria could tell, there was nothing wrong going on. Maybe it was just...that Michael couldn't let anyone close. Yeah, that sounded more than probable. He was a loner, and he kept everyone at least an arms length away, even Max and Isabel, as crazy as it sounds, considering the fact that to Michael, the 2 of them were his only family. Maria had now reached Liz.

"God, this day sucks! Table 2 says their bacon's not crisp enough. Isn't anybody ever satisfied?" Maria asked sarcastically when she was lounging next to Liz.

Liz just looked at Maria with a sympathetic look, and then heard the bell ring. Someone had entered the Crashdown, but Liz was too focused on her task at the moment to look. It wasn't MacLeod or Richie, because there was no 'buzz'. Then she heard Maria scoff, "Well, if it isn't Prince Charming and Quasimodo."

Liz looked at Maria weirdly, then to the café entrance, and she smiled. Max and Michael were now sitting at their usual booth, and Liz blushed slightly. She still remembered the kiss, and everytime she remembered that in his precense, she would blush. Not from embarrassment, more likely from the fact that she SO wanted to kiss him again.

Meanwhile, at the booth where Max and Michael were sitting, Max found it odd that Michael was feeling awkward. It was actually the first time he had seen Michael this way. There was one thing constant about Michael, and he was rarely nervous or awkward about anything. Apparently that constant idea was stripped away, and Max would like to know why. Max opened his backpack and pulled out the Trig. book.

"Hey, do we have to eat here?" Michael asked, while he put his own backpack to the table, pulling out his History book. He actually attended History classes now when Thorne was gone, because Mr. Sommers wasn't as hard with homework as Thorne was.

"I'm, uh, really in the mood for a piece of Men in Black-berry pie," Max said, but his true motive was to see Liz, again. Liz wasn't the only one who felt good after their kiss last Saturday. Then Max smirked. "Reminds you of something, doesn't it?" he joked, wondering if Michael got it.

Michael's face was unreadable. "Compared to nuclear winter, no," he said, and glanced around, while Max gave him a worried look.

Behind the counter, Liz was fixing up a Cherry Cola to Max, knowing well that he liked it. Maria on the other hand looked at Liz weirdly, not understanding what she was doing. "What are you doing?" she finally asked.

Liz glanced at Maria with a smile. "Max likes Cherry Cola," she said, and Maria rolled her eyes. "What does Michael like?" Liz asked, interested.

"Cherry Cola with arsenic?" Maria asked sarcastically, and Liz looked at her. It was getting more and more clearer that Michael's and Maria's break up was one sided decision, namely Michael's. Liz finished making the Cherry Cola, then abruptly stopped. A 'buzz'. Definitely not Richie's. That left Connor, and since the 'buzz' was slowly intensifying, he was coming here. Liz was rather curious what Connor thought from Roswell. For the past 5 days, Connor had been walking through the streets of Roswell, looking at the local bars, restaurants and shops, and getting familiar with the town. Connor had said that they would start their training at Monday, but then had postponed it when he told her he needed to study the town a bit more. Liz didn't mind, instead, she had encouraged the over 400 year old Immortal to do just that. Liz cleared up her head, ignoring the already intensifying buzz. She would have a chance to talk with him when he arrived. Liz noticed that Maria had whipped up a Cherry Cola as well, and they both made their way to the booth where Michael and Max sat.

Michael looked at the approaching Maria, who's look could only be described by a word...homicidal. Ok, maybe Maria didn't have that in her, but her verbal lashing could definitely be more than he could handle. He turned to Max. "Can we please leave? I'll buy you a whole one at the House of Pies," he said.

Max blinked. "What's your problem, Michael?" he asked. "I thought maybe you'd want to see Maria."

Michael scrathed the back of his head uncomfortably. "We...kinda broke up," he said.

"What?" Max said, not believing what he was hearing. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

Michael shrugged. "Look, I don't...I'm not sure if we did or didn't. I mean, it's confusing," he said. Truth was, he had said that he didn't want to get intense with her, even though he had wanted that. And Maria had left to get some air. He hadn't said that it was over, but...he didn't exactly deny it either. Besides, it was hard to tell what Maria was thinking about it, and how much she had told Liz. Just then, Liz and Maria walked to the table, Liz towards Max, and Maria towards Michael.

"Cherry Cola, on the house," Liz said to Max with a smile, who smiled back.

Maria on the other hand, she was scowling at Michael. "Yours is $1.25," she said acidly.

Michael looked at Max, who was looking at him weirdly. "Guess it's not really confusing anymore, is it?" he asked, and got up, in the process hit his knee against the table, knocking the Cherry Cola over the table. Max's and Michael's books drop to the floor, and Michael shakes his head, giving an apologetic shrug to Max, who was shaking his head as well. Michael kneels to the floor, intending to pick up the books. He picks up Max's notebook, and notices a loose paper inside it. He pulls it out, and his eyes widen when he sees hieroglyphic symbols on it. He looks at Max. "What's this?" he demands.

Max looks at Michael sternly as he gets up. "Put that away," he said, glancing around. Liz and Maria looked confused about their behaviour, but Max then noticed how Liz seemed like she was 1000 miles away. He could have seen things, though.

Michael had his eyes still fixed on the paper with the hieroglyphics. "Now, I know this. This is from..." he said, but Max stopped him.

"Not here, Michael," he said, and pulled the paper away, shoving it into his pocket.

Michael looks Max straight to the eye. "What are you hiding from me, Max?" he asked.

Max shook his head. "Michael, not now. Later," he said, shoving his books into his backpack and waited Michael to get his own pack. He gave an apologetic glance to Liz, and paid for Michael's drink, then they both left.

Liz kept her gaze on Max for a while, until Maria nudged her gently. Liz turned her gaze on Maria. "What was that about?" she asked.

Liz sighed. "It seems that Max hasn't told them what we found from that cave River Dog took us," she said, and Maria nodded to this, then shrugged and went to fetch a towel to clean up the mess. Liz on the other hand was now focusing on the buzz. It was getting closer. As a matter of fact, it was so close that it might be coming from the parking lot. Liz walked behind the counter, and true enough, Connor MacLeod walked inside, and looked at Liz. Liz gestured a booth at the far back, and Connor nodded, making his way there. She didn't move until Maria walked past the old man and started to wipe the table from the spilled Cola. Liz walked to Connor, holding her ordering pad. "Welcome to the Crashdown. Can I take your order?" she asked with the patended waitress voice, and Connor raised an eyebrow. Liz sighed and whispered, "Listen, I can't exactly talk with you yet, so you might just order something while you wait for my shift to end."

Connor nodded, and glanced at the menu. His brow furrowed from the strange names. Connor wasn't too interested from movies. Sure, he was there when the first movies were played out, but that was pretty much it. He glanced at Liz. "What would ye recommend?" he asked.

Liz pondered that for a moment. She didn't know him personally, so she had no idea what he would like. ["Well, better play it safe,"] she thought. "Today's Special," she said.

Connor looked at the menu, but it didn't say what it consisted. "What's in it?" he asked.

"Umm...fried steak with chili pepper, french fries, fried onions, salad, dessert and a drink of your choice," Liz said, remembering the special. Actually, that had been more easier to say to this particular costumer, when she SHOULD have used the 'alien themed' names. She thought against it.

Connor nodded to the information, and handed Liz the menu. "Then I'll take Today's Special, and a beer," he said.

Liz wrote it down on her order pad, smiled and walked away. She put the order to the wheel, and glanced at the clock. It read 3:38 p.m. She walked to the break room, and from there to the kitchen, avoiding José while he was busy with her order. Liz opened the refrigerator and frowned. There were a few selection of beers, and she briefly wondered what to take. She shrugged and picked up the brand Marcus and Richie drank, which was Carlsberg. She walked back to the dining area and gave Connor his beer. "Here's your drink, sir. Your order should be ready in a minute," she said, and Connor nodded to this. Liz then left.

Connor glanced around, taking an occasional sip from his beer. It wasn't his usual brand, he preferred Jack Daniels, if there was no scotch, but he wasn't picky. The café was rather interesting, with its alien theme. He had studied the town thoroughly, getting to know the sites, hangouts and the alleyways. Other than a few places he found interesting, there wasn't that much else to get his attention in here. The UFO Center had been a rather boring experience, but the presentation about various 'evidence' about aliens and government cover-up had been rather hilarious. Connor got a few deathglares from some of the people in there so he was forced to stiffle his amusement. ["Ah, how naive and gullible the mortals have become,"] he thought, and sipped his beer. He had bumped into Richie Ryan when he was checking out the local bars the other night, and had talked with him. Not much, mainly what was interesting in the town, and Richie had said it was down right boring, if it weren't for the occasional brawls at the bar he was attending every 3rd night. Connor chuckled softly to that, and his musing was brought to stop when Liz brought his order in. He looked at the food, and it looked good. He just hoped it tasted good.

"That'll be $21.50. You can leave the money on the table with the tip, or call one of the waitresses," Liz said, and left. Connor dug in, and, amazingly, he liked the food. It was good.

While Connor was enjoying the new culinary experience, Liz was removing her waitress uniform and putting on her street clothes. She briefly wondered where Alex was. She hadn't seen him since last Saturday, when she revealed her own secret to him. Well, it was a lot to take, no doupt about that. Maybe he was just sorting out his head, trying to accept this whole new world that was thrown right in front of his face. Wait, let's put it into perspective. TWO worlds that were thrown into his face. Yeah, that definitely required some time in private, with no one else as your company but your thoughts. She tied her sneakers and closed her locker, then made her way to upstairs. She glanced towards the kitchen, and watched how her mother fixed up dinner to herself and Jeff. Liz sighed. There had been so many things going on with her 'unnatural' life that she had little to no time to spend with her parents. Sure, they asked if she was okay and how was school, but they didn't really pry any details from her, and Liz was too busy herself to talk with them. Liz briefly hoped that she could cut the training a bit so she could have a chance to at least have a family night once or twice this month. The fact that they were going to a stargazing camp-out for the weekend didn't help. Yeah, Liz wasn't blind or gullible. They probably wanted some private time, watching the stars and doing...Liz shook her head quickly. She did NOT want to go there. The heatwave had been bad enough. Well, Christmas was definitely going to be a family night, no doupt about that. Liz headed to her room, and prepared her duffel bag for today's session. Since Connor wasn't experienced in Martial Arts, they would be focusing on swordmanship. She packed her spare clothes, and made a note to herself to go buy some new ones. Then she walked to one specific spot on her floor, right next to her bed, and kneeled. She pulled the loose board aside, and grabbed her Wakizashi. She placed the sword on her bed, and put the board back in its place. She then stood up and put her sword into the duffel bag and pulled it over her shoulder. She glanced to the hallway from her room, then made her way downstairs, and from there to café. She saw that Connor was finishing his dessert. She sat on the opposite side of the booth, placing her duffel bag under the table.

"Enjoyed your meal?" Liz asked casually.

Connor nodded. "I was skeptical at first, but this is really good," he said, and finished his dessert.

Liz smiled. "Thanks, but I can't take the credit. Shall we go?" she asked, and Connor nodded and gulped down the rest of his beer. He stood up, and left two $20 bills on the table. Liz looked at him curiously.

"Tip," Connor said, and Liz nodded. Then they both left the café, and Maria looked at her curiously. What was going on with Liz's life? She always left almost precisely 4:00 p.m, alone or with that Redstone guy, and came back 3 hours later. Now she was leaving with a man who looked to be in his mid 30's, maybe 40's if that hair was really gray. But the weirdest part was that Liz never told her what she was doing, and she never seemed uncomfortable with these people. And Maria knew it had started when Liz got shot, when she had talked with Marcus about...something. Maria sighed, and went to the booth that guy had occupied. Maria checked the bill, and read the sum. $21.50. She started to gather the dishes, and picked up two $20 bills. ["Well, the guy definitely gives good tips,"] she thought, and put the money away, focusing on her task. She would think about Liz's weird behavior later, and she wondered where Alex was.

*************************************************************

Martial Arts Studio, 16:12 p.m.

Connor glanced around. He was impressed, to say the least. He had seen Duncan's dojo, which was more than good enough for training, but this went beyond that. This gym was perfect for various training methods, to physical, mental and weapons. And to say he was impressed was saying a lot, because he was rarely impressed by anything.

"So...how do we start?" Liz asked, getting the Highlander's attention.

"First...I want to see how ye fare in combat. Then we go from there," Connor said, shrugging off his trech coat and putting it on the benches. Liz noticed that he had a sheath wrapped on his waist, and he pulled a very impressive looking Katana from the sheath, making a few practice swings with it. Liz opened her duffel bag and pulled her Wakizashi out, but didn't pull it out from its sheath. Then she felt a buzz and heard the familiar rumbling of Richie's motorcycle, and a quick glance to Connor told her he had felt and heard it as well. It didn't take long for Richie to walk inside.

"Hello, Mr. MacLeod," Richie greeted, and the older Immortal nodded. "Been a while from the last time I saw you."

"10 years, if memory serves me correctly, and I'm not counting last Tuesday to it," Connor said, holding his Katana on his shoulder. He then turned to Liz. "Are ye ready, lass?"

Liz nodded, and walked to the mat, Connor following closely. He looked at her choice of clothing, which was mainly consisting of jeans, red spaghetti-strap top and sneakers. He raised an eyebrow and pointed at her clothes with his Katana. Liz's brow furrowed and she looked at herself. Ok, so she was wearing a bit unusual clothing, but nothing she hadn't worn before during these training bouts. She pulled her Wakizashi out from its sheat, and settled into a battle stance. "I've been training like this from day 1," she said, and Connor, after a brief thinking, shrugged and settled into his own battle stance.

"Alright, Ms. Parker, let's see what ye can do. I'll go slow first, and if I see that ye can follow, I'll intensify the attack. Understand?" he asked, and Liz nodded. Connor tensed, and Liz followed suit. Richie was watching at the sidelines, shrugging off his own leather jacket and 'playing' with his Bastard sword. Connor used this moment to study Liz. ["She's not afraid, and if she is, she doesn't show it. That's good, but she needs to know little fear, for her sake,"] he thought, and made the first move. He made a quick sideslash towards Liz, who parried it with ease. Connor nodded inwardly, then followed with 2 more slashes, which were parried as well. This time Connor nodded, and stepped back. Liz tensed, getting ready to anything. Her precaution paid off, when Connor rushed forward, and started to deliver series of cuts, slashes and thrusts. Liz was able to parry and dodge his onslaught, but then she had to move, when the attack was getting too much for her. Connor was incredibly fast, and Liz was starting to have a hard time telling where the next attack was going to come. Then, she remembered one thing that Marcus had said. It was about 2 days before Max and her were in that car crash. ["'Never take your eyes off from your opponents eyes, unless you have to. The eyes tell you where he or she is going to strike. Even when you are dealing with older and experienced Immortals, look them in the eyes,'"] she thought, reciting Marcus's words, and did just that. She locked her eyes on Connor's, which looked like they were as clear as crystal. He was focused, yet amazingly calm. Liz was feeling the adrenaline pumping in her veins, her heart racing faster and faster. She forced herself to calm down and to keep her eyes locked on Connor's. She parried another thrust, then dodged another one, delivering her own slash to his right shoulder. It connected, and made a clean cut. Connor, however, didn't flinch. He looked at his shoulder as his Quickening closed the wound, faster than Liz had ever seen a wound heal so far. She had never seen Marcus's Quickening at work, and could only speculate how quickly he would heal. Connor locked his eyes on Liz, and smirked. Then he started to chuckle. It was even, almost cold chuckle, but his eyes sparkled from something. "Heh, heh, heh. Not bad, Ms. Parker. Hope ye don't mind if I decide to...how do the young ones say...'bring up the heat'," he said, and true to his word, he lashed out at Liz, getting her off balance. Liz didn't see it coming. He moved like a well oiled machine, thowing slashes and cuts towards Liz. Now Liz was using every ounce of strength and speed she had to parry and dodge Connor's assault, and that was pretty much everything she could do. This went on at least 10 minutes, when Connor tried to disarm Liz, but, to his amazement, he failed. Liz had seen it coming, and was able to prevent Connor from disarming her. What she hadn't anticipated was the fact that when she spun back to face Connor, he was ready for her and impaled her stomach with his Katana. Liz gasped and her eyes widened when she felt the sword inside her. Her Wakizashi dropped, and she looked at Connor to the eyes, who just looked at her. "Ye're good, lass, but you have a long way to go before ye're at my level," he said, and pulled his Katana out from her. Liz slumped on her knees, holding her abdomen. Then she heard someone yelling her name, and saw someone tackle Connor. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw Alex punching Connor.

"Alex?" she whispered, not believing her eyes.

*************************************************************

About 10 minutes before, a block away from Martial Arts Studio

Alex was riding around with his bicycle, a lot of stuff going through his head. First, there was the fact that aliens existed. Well, he was still pretty skeptical about that particular detail, but then there was this one thing that kept telling him that it was real. Liz. She was the second thing on his mind. Or, specifically, what she had told him about herself. That she was Immortal. Someone with an INFINITE lifespan, unless her head was cut off from her body. ["Or she is somehow disintegrated into ashes,"] he thought dryly. He still found it hard to believe, but the way she had proved it...well, there was little doupt left after that. Of course there was the possibility of being hypnotised or his mind being taken over, but the fact that she had a disappearing scar on her chest and a pool of blood on the floor was still a really good load of evidence.

Alex sighed. Now he knew why Liz had been so persistant to lie to him. Not about Max, Isabel and Michael. He had that one covered pretty well. No, about her Immortality. Hell, as far as he knew, Liz hadn't told anyone yet. Well, she did say she had told her parents, but they didn't know the WHOLE truth. The Parker's didn't know about the Game and about the Headhunters. He knew. Aside from Marcus, who was now teaching Liz how to fight with a sword, and Richie...Ryan, wasn't it? Yeah, those two, who were Immortal's themselves knew the truth. And now, Liz had confided in him about this. Her own secret. And Thorne had been right. It was by far bigger than the fact that aliens existed, even though that news in itself was big enough as it is. They weren't alone in the Universe. Truth be told, Alex had always thought that there was something out there, but actually hear that he had been going at school with 3 of real live aliens...that was a bit too much info, but he was over that. No, what was bigger than that was that there were about 3000 individuals who couldn't die or age, fighting over some nebulous 'Prize', even when they had NO IDEA what it was. It sounded stupid, even ridiculous on so many levels that if someone would have flat out told this to his face, he would have laughed and called the guy crazy. But when Liz said it...with a serious face, no less...it kinda sunk in. It was happening, all around them, all around the world. That also explained some of the unsolved cases he had heard in the news, when the police had been dumbfounded about some bodies that were decaputated, and there had been no sign of a murder weapon, and not a hint from motive. Alex knew they were Immortals who had ended up as a losing participants to the Game. While he had been pondering this over, in his own privacy, he had been doing some research. At first from the...aliens. It hadn't been much, mostly about stuff from the Crash and the various 'supposed' government cover-ups. Like he said, it hadn't been much. He HAD done some research on Immortals in general, and had come up with mythology crap about Vampires, Demons, half-Gods and Gods. Nothing about Immortals. Then he had researched unsolved murder cases where the cause of death had been beheading over the last 2 centuries, and he had hit a unbelievably large jackpot. There had been at least over 230 unsolved cases, and then there was the possibility that there could have been more. More beheaded corpses, when the Egyptians were ruling. When civilization had been evolving and advancing over 5000 years, people with extremely long lifespan had been walking among them, and the Game had been going on at least about...how long was it...3000 years? When Alex had figured that out, he had only one answer in his head for that info. 'Holy shit!' Yep, that summed it up. That definitely put a large damp over the fact that there was other intelligent life out there, in the vast depth of the Universe.

Alex shook his head, stopped the bike and glanced around. His gaze fell on the building his worldview was rocked into something completely different. The warehouse, or specifically, Martial Arts Studio, specifically built to train Liz into the art of swordmanship and Martial Arts, so she could survive the Game. Alex had to shake his head to that statement. He couldn't even fathom how much doing it had costed. Well, Thorne might have saved some money when he didn't change the exterior, but the interior...that was a completely different ballgame.

["Well, I might as well could go and say 'hi'. I haven't seen her for a while, and I know she has been looking for me, along with Maria,"] he thought, and pedaled towards the warehouse slash studio. He noticed that there was a motorcycle parked on the lot, along with a silver colored Porche Boxster. Impressive looking car, at least in Alex's opinion. Whoever was the owner, had to be loaded with money. Alex got off from his bike, and leaned his bike against the wall. He walked to the door, which was slightly ajar. He frowned when he heard metal glanging against metal, and grunts. He slide the door open for the rest of the way, and saw Liz fighting with a guy he had never seen before. He had a long gray hair, tied into a ponytail, and he was wearing a gray shirt, black khaki pants and sneakers. He had a VERY impressive (and sharp) looking Katana in his hands, and he definitely knew how to use it. Alex took a brief moment to look at Liz, and was surprised to see her armed as well. He didn't know what type of sword Liz was using, but it was shorter than the older man's weapon. Then, he saw how the old man tried to disarm Liz, but failed when Liz countered it and spun around, probably using her momentum to her attack. To Alex's horror, it failed, which was pretty obvious when he heard Liz gasp, and saw the old man's Katana poking out from her back. Alex was seething, his face red from anger. He didn't even hear what the old man said to Liz, and got even more angry when he saw the old man pull his Katana out from Liz, who fell on her knees. Alex had had enough. He yelled Liz's name and rushed towards the old man, who looked at him with a shocked look. Alex jumped towards the old man, tackling him with the efficiency that would make Kyle Valenti jealous, and started to pound his face with his fists.

"What the bloody hell is this!?" the old man yelled, while Alex kept pounding him.

"Alex!! STOP!!" Alex heard Liz yell, and he stopped, looking behind him. Liz was standing now, still holding her abdomen. Alex blinked, and shifted his gaze between Liz and the old man. He then stared at Liz.

"Liz, he was going to..." he started, but frowned. What WAS he going to do? Liz smiled at him, which confused Alex even more.

"Alex, I appreciate the effort, but this wasn't a challenge," Liz said, now standing a bit more straight.

Alex blinked, and looked at the old man, who was glaring at him, but wasn't trying to push him away. As a matter of fact, he was still holding the Katana in his hand. If he WAS going to...behead...Liz, then wouldn't he have killed him by now? Alex scratched the back of his head in embarrassement.

"Could ye get off me, lad?" the old man asked. Alex got up, and looked at Liz, who was giggling at him. Alex turned red, this time from embarrassement.

Liz stopped giggling when Connor glared at her. "Sorry," she mumbled, looking at her abdomen. The wound was closing, so it didn't hurt as much as it did before. "Alex, say hello to Connor MacLeod. Connor, this is Alex Whitman, one of my...'mortal' friends," Liz said, gesturing them separately when she said their names.

Connor eyed the lanky boy suspiciously, his eyes so clear that Alex felt like Connor was looking through him. Connor then turned to Liz. "He knows?" he asked.

Liz nodded. "I told him last Saturday, about...4 hours before you showed up," she said.

Connor looked at Alex again. "How much did ye tell him?" he asked, and Alex could hear a thick scottish accent from his voice.

"Everything," she said evenly.

"Can we trust him?" Connor asked, and Alex felt like he should say something, but what could he say? He didn't know how old this guy was, and besides, Alex had a feeling that if he would manage to get as old as Marcus, HE would be suspicious.

Liz nodded, looking at Alex confidently. "Yes, we can trust him. *I* trust him without hesitation, and so can you," she said. Alex had to smile to that.

"I'll make my own judgement from him...eventually," Connor said, and walked to the benches. He sat down and looked at Richie, who was trying to stiffle a laugh, not fully succeeding in it, if the occasional snorts you could hear from him were any indication. "Mr. Ryan, if ye have had enough, would ye step over to the mat, please," Connor said evenly, and Richie looked at him. Then he groaned and walked to Liz, who had recovered enough to continue, and had retrieved her Wakizashi. Alex was looking at both of them incredulously.

"Mr. Whitman!" Connor yelled while he was sheathing his Katana, getting the boys attention. "Could ye come over here, and let the young ones have their usual training bout?"

Alex looked at Richie, who was leaning on his Bastard sword like it was a cane or something, and then to Liz, who was holding her...short sword on her shoulder. Liz smiled. "It's ok, Alex. Richie isn't as tough as he seems," she said.

"HEY!!" Richie exclaimed, indignant. "I'll let you know, I've been holding back a lot. Now...that's not the case."

Liz raised an amused eyebrow, and she smiled. "Really?" she said playfully, and Alex had a hard time to believe he was seeing and hearing correctly. Was Liz being...casual...about this? "Let's find out, shall we?" Liz challenged, and settled into her own battle stance. Her wound was now nothing but a small scar. Richie got ready as well, but neither of them didn't move yet, mainly because Alex was in the way. "Alex, I'll be fine. Just go sit to the side, and enjoy the show," she said.

Alex raised an unamused eyebrow, but left. He was reluctant at first, but didn't say anything. Liz had been doing this for 3 months now, so who was he to tell her to stop? He could try, but it was very unlikely that Liz would listen, so he walked to the benches where Connor MacLeod was sitting. Alex sat as far away from him as he could, being mindful of the fact that he had pummeled the guy. But...there was not a single mark on him, and that confused Alex. He knew he hadn't been exactly holding his punches, but...there was nothing. Then he realized he probably should apologize or something. "I'm..." he started, but was unable to form a coherent word, let alone a sentence when Connor looked at him with those sharp eyes. "I'm sorry, for attacking you."

To Alex amazement, Connor started laughing. It wasn't the same as it had been with Liz, this was genuine laughing. "Lad, ye have nothing to apologize fer. I know how it must've looked fer ye, seeing a sword poking out yer girlfriends back," Connor said, grinning slightly.

"Liz and I are friends, nothing more," Alex said, feeling awkward for Mr. MacLeod's speculation. Him and Liz? A couple? NAH!!!

Connor looked at Alex for a moment, then at Liz, who was parrying and dodging Richie's attacks, and dishing out some of her own slashs and cuts. ["The lass is faerin' better than I thought,"] he thought, then turned back to the mortal. "Really?" he asked.

Alex nodded. "Really. I've known her for 5 years now, and I love her like a sister. Besides...I...have my interest on someone else," he said.

Connor nodded. "I see. A friendly advice fer ye. Never interfere in a challenge, unless ye want to cut yer life short," he said, his expression serious.

"Hey, I thought you were going to kill her, what was I supposed to do?" Alex asked indignantly, taking his eyes off from the fight between Liz and Richie.

Connor sighed. The lad truly cared for Ms. Parker. "Lad, listen what yer elder is telling ye. If yer friend here wishes to survive, she has to have her mind on the fight. She can't protect ye and herself at the same time," he said, his eyes having a slight worry shining from them.

Alex looked at Connor straight to the eye. "I can take care of myself," he said, and turned his gaze back to the fight, and winced when he saw Richie cut Liz's shoulder.

Connor rubbed his jaw slightly. "Aye, I know that. But ye have to understand one thing. If I had been a Headhunter, I would have killed ye on the spot, even before ye were able to tackle me. Think about it, lad, fer yer life may depend on it in the future," he said, and looked at the two combatants for a while. Then he turned back to Alex. "Want a beer?" he asked casually.

Alex looked at Connor with incredulous look, then shook his head. "I...don't drink," he said. He winced again when he saw Liz made a big gash to Richie's chest, forcing the boy as old as Alex's father to back away.

"Neither do I, lad. I prefer scotch," Connor said, and stood up, making his way to the refrigerator, still keeping his eyes locked on the two fighters on the mat. Connor opened the fridge and peered inside. There was only one type of beer, and now Connor knew why Liz had given him the brand at the café. Connor suspected that since she had probably seen both Marcus and Richie to drink this brand, he might like it as well. Well...it was an honest error from her part, which Connor would correct eventually. He sighed and picked up a bottle, opened it without much effort, and headed back to the bench where Mr. Whitman was sitting, transfixed by the fight. ["Apparently this is the first time the lad has seen his friend like this,"] Connor thought while he sipped his beer.

"So...um...how old are you?" Alex after a while of silence. Well, silence between him and Connor, he didn't exactly count Liz's and Richie's grunts and yelps of pain as 'noise'.

Connor glanced at Alex, then shrugged. "I'm 463 years old, born in Glenfinnan, Scotland," he said, earning a wide eyed look from Alex.

"F-four...hundred...and...sixty...years old?" Alex stuttered, while he looked at Connor.

"Hey, don't wear it out by stutterin', lad. Marcus is a lot older than me, in case ye haven't forgotten about it," Connor said, sipping his beer again.

Alex just looked at Connor with a dumbfounded look. He knew that Marcus was old, but the way Connor had said it, like it wasn't a big deal, that was something he had a hard time believing. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Richie howl from pain. When he turned to look at them, he saw that Richie was kneeling, his hands cupping his balls, and the tip of Liz's sword was being pointed at his throat.

"Were you still holding back?" Liz asked.

"N...no," Richie managed to say through his cleched teeth. Even with his Quickening, it would take a while before he would recover from this. Liz pulled her Wakizashi away, and walked to the edge of the mat, and sheathed it. She glanced to the benches when she heard clapping. She first thought it had been Alex, but was proven wrong when she saw Connor clapping to her. Alex...he was staring at her with his mouth wide open.

"Ye're good, lass. Ye would fare well against younger Immortals, but I doubt that ye would be able to fight older Immortals yet," Connor said, then pondered something for a minute. "I suggest that ye perform some of yer old exercises, and then...do whatever it is that ye do, we'll continue tomorrow." With that said, Connor gulped down the rest of his beer, put the bottle away and walked to the benches. He picked up his Katana and wrapped it on his waist, then put on his trench coat. He looked at Liz and Richie, who were now talking about something. Connor shrugged and left.

Alex looked a bit uncomfortable now, so he decided to leave. He got up. "Umm...Liz," he said, getting her attention. "I'll be going now, so...have fun." He then shook his head and left.

Liz sighed, and glanced her clock. It read 4:59. "Umm...Richie, could we stop around 5:30?" she asked.

Richie looked at her weirdly for a moment. "I suppose. Why?" he asked.

"I...umm...I'm going out with...Max," Liz said, blushing slightly.

Richie raised an eyebrow. "Out? As in a date?" he asked with a smirk.

"NO!" Liz exclaimed, but her blush deepened.

Richie chuckled slightly. "Hey, by all means, go. Have fun while you still can, 'cause when the training is over, I doubt you'll be having much free time when you'll get sucked into the Game," he said, and went to pummel a speedbag. He was moving slower than usually, mostly because his groin was still sore from Liz's kick.

Liz looked at Richie for a while, then sighed while she made her way to a punching bag, and let go, throwing various punches and kicks to it. Was it a date? Or were they just hanging out? One hell of a good question, if there ever was any. Something she herself definitely wanted to find out, but now, she turned her mind to Alex. He had attacked Connor, trying to protect her, even if he would have died trying, which would have been more than probable if Connor hadn't been just testing her. But...she couldn't blame anyone but herself from that. She might not be alone, but when it came to something so serious as the Game...she was better off alone. Because if she went into it alone, the Headhunters wouldn't be able to use her friends as hostages...or worse, kill them to get her off-guard. Besides, if Alex would do something like this again, while she was fighting a REAL challenge...she wouldn't forgive herself and probably would decaputate herself if Alex would die trying to help her.

Richie stole a small glance to Liz while he was practising his speed. She was giving all she got to the poor punching bag, and it started to look like she would rip the damn thing off from its seams. ["Probably thinking about Alex,"] he thought, remembering what the lanky kid had done, thinking that Connor had been the enemy. It was hard to balance mortal and immortal life together, and in the process trying to protect your mortal friends. Richie had never told his mortal friends (or specifically girlfriends) about his Immortal life, and it was better that way. That all would change if some nutcase decided to kill or kidnap them, trying to lure him into a challenge. Well, so far that hadn't happened, but he still didn't take chances with his relationships. Mainly because he was afraid. Afraid that a Headhunter really did go after his girlfriend and use her to get him.

After pounding the punching bag for 15 minutes, Liz decided to stop. She sighed, fetched her Wakizashi and headed to her own locker room, and started to remove her clothes. She tossed them to the garbage can, because they were too stained and torn from her bout with both Connor and Richie. She grabbed her towel and walked to the shower, and started to rinse off the sweat and dried blood. She used this time to think about the oncoming...date...with her and Max. She had so much going on in her head, the biggest and foremost thought was her...'unique' situation. Not that Max was in any way normal either. He was as much as weird as she was, but...she couldn't help but wonder if this...she wouldn't use a word 'relationship' yet, but it was the best she could come up with at the moment...would work. She knew that Max would eventually die. Liz sighed. She had to tell him sooner or later, but how? It wouldn't be as easy as it had been with Alex. Mainly because Max would definitely feel betrayed for her keeping a secret from him, while he had told her his. Liz shook her head. Now was not the time to think about this. She would tell him...when Marcus would get over his resentment towards all 3 of the aliens. Liz turned off the shower, wrapped the towel around her body and stepped outside. She walked to her locker, picked up another towel and started to dry her hair. After she was done, she combed her hair straight, and started to pick up her outfit for the...'date'. It wasn't much, just a dark blue sleeveless V-neck top, dark jeans and sneakers. Nothing fancy, but nothing too casual either. After she was done putting her clothes on, she checked herself from the mirror. She didn't bother herself with makeup, just a bit of lip gloss. After she was done checking herself from the mirror again, she put her sword into the duffel bag and slung it onto her shoulder. When she walked to the training area, she noticed that Richie was about ready to leave.

"Richie!" Liz called out, stopping the man. He glanced at her curiously when she made her way to her.

"What?" he asked.

"Could you give me a ride home?" she asked. "I need to get my sword back."

Richie stiffled a chuckle. "Right. Can't have you going to a date with a sharp weapon, now can we?" he said, smiling.

Liz scowled at him, but didn't comment either. Richie shrugged and said, "Sure. Just go outside while I lock this place up."

Liz nodded and walked outside to Richie's motorcycle, waiting.

*************************************************************

[Bored to Mundane life]

Crashdown Café, 17:23 p.m, the alley

Alex leaned his bike near the back entrance to the café. He had been riding around, trying to clear his head from what he had witnessed. Okay, so what had he seen so far? Liz had been fighting against a man, named Connor MacLeod, which had turned out to be a test of skill, check. Said man had impaled Liz with his weapon, check. Alex had done the dumb thing and tackled the guy and tried to pound him on the ground, key word 'tried'. Check. Liz had recovered with amazing speed, and started to make sport out of other Immortal, Richie. Check. And won. Check. Alex shook his head. When he thought that he had gotten SOME sense into this revelation of what Liz was now, she just had to go and kick his head back into confusion. ["Well, I can't exactly blame her. It's still hard enough to accept the fact that she can't die, and I've only seen her recover TWICE from mortal wounds. Maybe I need to see her actually die once before I'll be able to shrug this off...NO, I will not go there. Not yet,"] Alex thought, smacking his temple. He was now at the main entrance to the café, and he saw Maria inside, leaning onto the counter and sticking needles on alien doll. Why, he had no idea.

"Anyone I know?" Alex asked playfully, but the recent events with Liz had put a serious damper on his humor.

Maria looked at him sharply, then exclaimed, "Alex, where have you been?!" She put the doll away and lowered her voice to normal level. "We've been looking for you the last couple of days."

Alex sat on a stool in front of Maria and sighed. Now he had to tell her how he felt about the whole alien deal and not tell her about Liz. "Oh, well, I've been feeling, you know, a little rocky about...things, you know? So I took some time off, did some personal reflection and a little research," he said. ["And now I have to do that all over again,"] he thought.

Maria nodded to that. "So, um, where did you come out in all of this?" she asked.

Alex examined the alien doll Maria had stuffed full of needles for a bit, then put it away. "Well, I have 2 theories," he said, looking Maria straight to her eyes. "One is that...uh, you and Liz have been brainwashed by a drug cult."

Maria snorted to that theory. "And the other?" she asked.

"Well, the other is...I'm trapped inside some extremely long, extremely weird nightmare," he said. ["Which it techically is...except that I'm VERY much awake,"] he thought.

Maria nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, well, the first couple of days were pretty tough for me, too, but trust me, they will not hurt you...I mean, physically. Besides, if they DO try that, Marcus would definitely beat the living hell out of them for doing something like that. That definitely helped me to cope with the situation," she said.

Alex took a double take when Maria mentioned Marcus, but then remembered that he DID know about the aliens, but aside from Liz, Richie and Connor, and now him, no one else knew about the older Immortal. Besides, Alex now remembered how Marcus behaved around the aliens and had come to a conclusion that Marcus, for some reason, hated the aliens, and that the aliens were afraid of him. Well...Maria definitely had a point there. "What actually makes you believe in any of this?" he asked. ["Well, I believe that Immortals exist, but...the aliens...well, that's pretty hard to accept at this point, even if I do believe,"] he thought.

Maria stroked her chin slightly, her gaze at the ceiling. "Well...I guess when I saw Max's hand glow and heard them talking about aliens like it was no big deal kinda changed my thinking," she said.

Alex nodded to that piece of information. "Well...maybe I should talk with one of them directly," he said to himself.

Maria nodded. "Yeah."

It was now Alex's turn to look thoughtful and he stroke his chin. "Maybe Isabel," he said to himself.

"Isabel," Maria repeated, looking at Alex's expression. Then she shook her head, and turned Alex's face to hers. "One piece of advice, ok? Don't get involved with them," she said, and Alex's brow furrowed from confusion. "I mean, look at me and Michael. Granted, the passion was outrageous, but in the end, they're pretty heartless," she said.

"Really?" Alex asked, not really believing it. Ok, he did believe it, if Isabel's behaviour had been correct, but he had been wrong about her motives then. Then they both heard a distinct sound of a motorcycle, and then it started to disappear. ["Richie had a motorcycle..."] Alex thought, but then heard the back door of the café open, and he assumed it was Liz. He shook his head, and turned to Maria. "Do you mind getting me a Pepsi?" he asked.

*************************************************************

The Evans's household, 17:58 p.m, Max's bedroom

Max was sitting on his bed, his eyes downcast. Michael was behind him, leaning against the wall near the bookshelf and Isabel was standing not too far away from Max, looking at the drawing from the symbols from the cave River Dog had taken Max and Liz. Isabel just looked shocked, nothing else. Michael...it was hard to tell what he was thinking when his face was so impassive. Like a wall.

"I just drew it from memory," Max said to Isabel. "It was painted on the wall of the cave River Dog took us to. I don't even know if it means anything."

Isabel sat next to him, her eyes still on the drawing. "Of course it means something," she said, looking at Max with a glare. "Why else would we all recognize it? Just like the pendant, Max. It's like our language or something. It's familiar, but I can't seem to remember how to read it."

Michael stepped closer to the two, his own glare so intense that if looks could kill, Max's head would have disappeared. "What I want to know is how long were you planning on keeping this from us, Max?" he demanded.

Max looked at Michael. "Too much was happening, Michael. Topolski was all over us, and I couldn't risk that...I just thought I should wait, that's all," he said, but it had been a nicer version from what he almost said.

Michael shook his head. "No, no, no," he said, forcing Max to look at him. "Go ahead and finish that. You couldn't take the risk that what? I would go do something stupid?" he demanded. Max had never been good at lying, and when he was, it irked Michael to no end.

Max stood up. "That's not what I said," he said.

Michael scowled at Max. "Well, you didn't have to," he growled.

"I'm sure Max had his reasons, Michael," Isabel said, automatically playing the referee for them. God knew they needed it.

Michael glared at Isabel. "Yeah, that he couldn't trust me with that," he said, then turned his glare to Max. "But he could trust Liz."

"She was there. I couldn't just..." Max started, but then stopped. "Why am I defending myself?" he asked from himself suddenly. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you. Because you would jump to some wild conclusion and go off and do something crazy without even telling us. I didn't think that was particularly wise with the FBI following us around."

"Be that as it may, you should have told us. If not then, then at least when Topolski and the FBI disappeared," Isabel said, feeling hurt for being left out, but she understood Max's reasoning. Michael would have done something ridiculous. The doorbell rang at the backround, but the 3 kids didn't acknowledge it, until Mrs. Evans yelled to them.

"Max, honey?" she called out, and Max's attention was brought to the present. "Liz is here."

Michael and Isabel both looked at Max with a questioning look, but Michael's look quickly turned into a glare. Max looked a bit uncomfortable. "We're just...going out," he said.

"You're going out?" Michael asked incredulously, his glare turning into a shock.

"What? Like a date?" Isabel asked, feeling shocked as well.

Max shook his head. "No, not at all," he said. "We both just felt like Chinese food. It's no big deal." He had walked to the drawers and picked up a navy blue long sleeved shirt.

Isabel raised her eyebrow when she saw this. "Then why are you changing your shirt?" she asked.

Max didn't answer. Instead, he glanced at his clock, and shook his head. "I'm late," he said, and turned to Isabel and Michael. "We'll figure out the questions we want to ask, and then we'll go back to River Dog together, ok?" Max noticed that Michael was glaring at him. "Please, Michael. Leave it alone for now."

Michael shrugged. "Fine. I'll wait," he said.

"MAX!!" Mrs. Evans yelled, probably feeling a bit embarrassed that her son was acting like an idiot at the moment. She really liked Liz, and she'll be damned if her son messed this up. Ok, so she liked to play matchmaker sometimes, but she thought she had raised her son better than this.

"We'll talk when I get back," Max said, and made his way to the lobby. Liz was standing there, making small talk with Mrs. Evans. She was wearing sneakers, dark jeans, dark blue V-neck top and dark jean jacket. How she could make something so casual look so beautiful, he didn't know. And the fact that she didn't seem to wear any makeup only punctuated that statement. Liz finally noticed him standing there, and smiled. That smile alone was enough to get Max's heart racing.

"Well, you FINALLY had the courtesy to show up," Mrs. Evans said, a slight hint of aggravation and embarrassment in her voice. "What kept you?"

Liz looked at Mrs. Evans with a nervous look, then turned to look at Max, who was fidgeting uncomfortably. "I...had a...thing to finish and..." he stuttered, not able to find a good excuse.

Diane rolled her eyes to her son. "Oh, for God's sake, will you two get going," she said, pushing Max towards Liz, and they both blushed to Mrs. Evans's not too subtle attempt to play matchmaker. Once they were outside, Liz gave a confused glance to the house, then at Max.

"What was that about?" she asked.

Max shook his head. "It's nothing really...my mom's just...well, she never liked it when I kept to myself all the time and now..." he started to say, but Liz didn't let him finish.

"You know what? I don't think I want to know, 'cause this reminds me too much from some of the experiences I had with Grandma Claudia. Trying to get me to go out with boys and stuff. So just...don't," she said.

Max nodded, and remained silent for a time being when they continued to walk down the street. After a few minutes of silence, Liz asked, "So...where are we going?"

*************************************************************

Crashdown café, 18:24 p.m.

Alex was sitting on one of the booths, sipping some of his 2nd Pepsi and thinking through stuff. He had thought through the more immediate stuff on his way here, but now...he was thinking what Connor, the 460+ year old Immortal had said to him. That he should stay away when Liz was fighting a challenge. His heart kept telling him 'NO! Don't listen to him!', but...Alex couldn't ignore the tiny voice in the back of his head that told him that he had no choice. Alex had tried, REALLY tried to pound Connor on the ground, but whatever he had managed to dish out...it had no effect. Ok, that was too rash, because it DID have effect on him, not just any long lasting effects. Connor was right, Alex admitted that. If Connor had been a Headhunter...Alex would be dead right about now, lying on his own pool of blood. Alex sighed. If that would happen, Liz would never forgive herself and probably would turn suicidal, for not protecting him. He still needed some time to think this, because at the moment, he couldn't go either way. He wanted to help Liz, no matter what, and he wanted to stay with her, yet still keep his distance when a challenge was given to her. ["God, how did my life became so God damn complicated?"] he silently asked from himself, his head starting to ache from too much thinking. He massaged his temples a bit, trying to alleviate the pounding headache his thinking had caused. The bell above the café's main entrance rang, indicating that someone had entered the café. Alex didn't care who it was, too occupied with his own thoughts.

"Is this seat taken?" a feminine voice asked, and Alex knew that voice too well. He glanced up and saw Isabel standing near the table, looking at him.

It took Alex few seconds to register her question. He shook his head. "No, be my guest," he said. Isabel nodded and took a seat opposite from him.

Maria decided to walk to them. "Hi, welcome to the Crashdown yada yada yada, can I take your order?" she said in an annoyed tone. Well...there were only 3 people present at the moment, and they were Maria, Alex and Isabel. And since Maria knew both of them, she didn't bother to give the proper speech.

"Just a Cherry Cola," Isabel said, keeping her gaze on Alex.

Maria nodded and looked at Alex. He shook his head. "No, I'm good at the moment," he said.

"Ok," Maria said, and walked away, leaving the 2 in a VERY awkward silence. They were still not talking to eachother when Maria brought Isabel's Cherry Cola, and left to clean the counter...again. Alex kept glancing everywhere else, making sure that he didn't look Isabel, and Isabel kept her gaze on the table, sipping her Cola. After 3 VERY long minutes, they couldn't take it anymore, and they both said in the exact same moment, "I'm sorry from the way..."

They stared at eachother for a while, then turned red from embarrassment.

"You first," Isabel said.

"I'm sorry that I jumped to conclusions at the rave last Friday," Alex said, his head low, but then he lifted his gaze to hers. "But I think you realize why I did that."

Isabel nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry that...that we didn't tell you...earlier," she said.

Alex nodded, then shrugged. "Well, we're past that now...and now I know...what...you are," he said, and the silence fell over them again. Then his brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Isabel groaned and rolled her eyes. "My brother went on a date with Liz, and Michael...he decided to act like himself again," she said, and took a sip from her Cola.

Alex chuckled softly. "At least they are enjoying themselves, unlike the rest of us," he said, gesturing himself and Maria.

"Please, let's not talk about anything concerning 'human-alien relations' at the moment," Isabel pleaded.

Alex nodded. "Fine, but...I have some questions..." he said.

Isabel nodded. "Okay, I'll give you that. What do you want to know?" she asked, feeling slightly annoyed about Max's behaviour, especially the way he had kept information from them. She had gotten over it when she reached the café, but now when Alex mentioned her reason for being here...well, she remembered, which didn't exactly put her into a positive mood.

"Ok, bear with me, 'cause there's a lot of things in my mind that I don't get about you. The first and foremost would be this. If you're alien...how do you look like human?" he asked. "I mean, the human body is the most complex machine in the universe. No matter how sophisticated your race is, I mean, how could you possibly just take a human form?"

"Fine. I'm not an alien," Isabel said, not exactly caring what Alex thought at this point. She was still a little peeved at Max.

"Hey, give me a break, ok? It's not everyday when you're told that someone you've known for a good part of your life is suddenly NOT what you thought you were," Alex said, slightly annoyed. That statement actually was meant towards Liz as much as it was towards Isabel. Isabel just shrugged. "Ok, here's what I don't get. Why on earth would...excuse the phrase. Why would you be sent here to begin with? I mean, what purpose could you possibly have?"

"To wipe out the world, one annoying teenager at a time," Isabel said, her face devoid of any emotion. It wasn't like she knew an answer to those questions, and she was getting annoyed.

"Sorry," Alex said, turning his gaze away from Isabel.

Isabel sighed. It wasn't Alex's fault that they had lied to him. Hell, even they didn't know all the answers. "I don't know," she said in a defeated tone, and Alex looked at her with confused expression. "When we came out of the pods, we looked just like normal kids. We've never been anything else but what you see. No green skin, no antennas. We have emotions, we feel pain and we probably have more questions about ourselves than you do." To Isabel's last statement, Alex had to raise an eyebrow. He had a hard time believing what Isabel was saying, but he knew she was telling the truth. Her tone was similar to Liz's when she told him about the Immortals, so it had to be true. They didn't know. Ok, even Immortals didn't know where they came from, they just exist, but at least they had...well, a some kind of purpose in life, though Alex wouldn't exactly use that phrase to describe them. He was brought back to present when Isabel continued. "I mean, haven't you ever felt different from everybody else? Like if you tried to reveal your true self to someone, they just would never understand."

Alex had to nod to that question. He did feel like that sometimes, especially regarding some things about his own personal life...and fantasies. And he guessed that Liz of all people knew exactly how they felt. "Yeah," he said.

"Well, that's what it's like to be us," Isabel said. "We're just as human as you are, Alex...only we can manipulate the molecular structure of things."

Now Alex got confused. "What?" he asked.

Isabel looked through the table, and her gaze fell on a ketchup bottle. She touches the bottle with her hand, and to Alex's amazement (but not shock), the ketchup turned into mustard.

"Wow!" was all he said. Ok, it was a definitely good proof for what she said. No human would be able to do that. Still...it wasn't as...intense as to see Liz heal from a very fatal wound, to see some form of electricity to repair the damaged muscle and skin.

Isabel on the other hand WAS surprised. He hadn't freaked, like she had expected. He seemed amazed, sure...but there was something else in his eyes. Something that said...that it wasn't as...spectacular as he had thought. Ok, so maybe she was over-reacting a bit.

"So..." Alex started, but then stopped for a moment. "Is there anything else I should know about you or from Max and Michael?"

"Well...we all share the same capability to manipulate molecular structure. We can also receive flashes when...things get intense, and we don't get sick, thanks to our...peculiar genetic make up," Isabel said, sipping from her Cola again. "Max has another ability besides these 3. He's able to heal."

Alex had been sipping his own drink when she said that, and nearly choked. He coughed a bit, and then looked at Isabel with incredulous expression. "He can heal?" he asked, and Isabel nodded. "So he probably would have used it to..."

"To save Liz that day?" Isabel asked, and Alex nodded. "You're right, he would have. Fortunately...he didn't have to, but that still didn't stop things from going down the drain."

"Yeah, I...I guess I know what you mean. That is if you are talking about Topolski," Alex said, and Isabel nodded. Alex was silent for a while, then he looked at her. "What about Michael and you?"

Isabel sighed. "Well...Michael doesn't have anything other than what I said, and he has trouble controlling them as it is. Me...I'm able to dreamwalk," she said.

"Say what?" Alex asked.

"I think the best way to describe it is that I can enter peoples dreams," Isabel said.

"Really?" Alex asked, and received a nod as an answer. "Well...that's...interesting, to say the least."

Isabel looked at him with slightly concerned expression. She hoped that he didn't ask her to tell if she had entered into his dreams, because that answer might hurt him. To her relief, he didn't.

"So...any clues about...where you're from?" he asked, drinking the rest of his Pepsi.

Isabel pondered that question for a moment, then pulled the drawing from the symbols Max and Liz had seen at the cave. "This is the closest we've ever come to any kind of connection with our..." Isabel said while she handed the picture to Alex.

"With your home...yeah," Alex said, getting a quick glimpse to the drawing, and back to look Isabel to her eyes.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. Then she sighed. "Look, that staring thing is making me very uncomfortable."

Alex was taken back by this statement. "What staring thing?" he asked.

"You haven't taken your eyes off me all night. It's like you're waiting for me to turn into something else," Isabel said.

Alex blushed slightly. Ok, she had caught him, and true, he was staring at her, but not from that reason. The real reason...well, he didn't want to go there at the moment. "Oh, I'm...I'm sorry. I won't stare at you anymore. I'll just..." he started, then turned his eyes on the drawing. "I'll look at this."

Isabel raised an eyebrow, then snatched the paper from his hands. "I think you've seen enough for one night," she said, putting the paper away.

*************************************************************

At the 'Black Eight' pool hall, 18:46 p.m.

Liz studied the the balls on the pool table with a analyzing look. She could easily get 2 of her own fully colored cue balls into pockets, but it would just as well end her game there when she had no place to shoot the white cue ball anymore. The black 8-ball was near the left corner pocket, and she had no way to get it from the spot where the white cue ball would land when she got 2 of her own out. Then again...Max was really lousy in billiards. They had been playing for the past 30 minutes, and she was eating him alive. 4 games. They had played 4 games so far and she had won each. Well...she couldn't really blame him. He DID say that he hadn't played that much. That pretty much improved her chances in a ridiculous way, so she decided to gamble. She leaned in for the shot, and stole a glance to Max. He was leaning against the cue stick, scowling at the cue balls. Liz chuckled inwardly. It was probably killing him to lose, but...maybe she could give him a really good consolation prize after this game. His bruised manly ego could definitely use it. She shot the white cue ball to the other 2, and they both sunk in the pockets. Then the white ball ended up right where she expected. And since she had no way to hit 8-ball from that spot, she shot it where Max had no chance to get a clean shot to his own striped cue balls.

"Very nice," Max said appreciately, but he was dying inside. But...he didn't care that much as he should. Just to see Liz smile when she beat him in this game was a good enough prize for him.

Liz smiled to Max, and watched how he tried to line up his own shot. She sighed. Jeff, along with Marcus, had taught her to play pool, and Marcus always bested the 2. Sure, Liz could give a hard fight to her dad any given day, but Marcus, who seemed to excel in almost everything, was out of their league. Something told Liz that over those years Marcus had wandered around, he had to play with the best, and that thought wasn't too far fetched, when you thought about it. He definitely had the time to learn. Liz decided to help Max out now, even though he had been doing relatively good in the previous 2 games. Hey, she couldn't help to step into a teacher role when it came to billiards. She had done that when she had played with Kyle on more than one occasion. She leaned to him, much to his distraction, and said, "Make sure it's lined up."

Max adjusted his cue stick, then turned to her. "Like that?" he asked.

Liz nodded, and stepped away, allowing Max to make the shot. He did manage to hit his striped ball, but ended up sinking the white cue ball into a pocket as well. Max shook his head, and Liz smiled. She saw it the minute the white cue ball hit the striped one, but she could have probably picked up the less obvious one as her target. Max then turned to look at Liz, and she gasped softly, then started to laugh.

Max's brow furrowed. "What?" he asked, confused. He couldn't have been THAT bad.

Liz managed to stop her laughing. "Y-you have chalk on your face," she said, stepping close to him and wiping it away from his cheek. He looked at her for a moment, then walked to a mirror, making sure there weren't any more. Liz smiled and took the white ball from the pocket and put it on the spot where she had free shot to the 8-ball. She lined her shot and the rest was pretty obvious. Direct hit to 8-ball, and the white one was still on the table.

"Like that," Liz said, smiling.

"Ok, I think we are done bruising my ego for the moment, wouldn't you agree?" Max said, putting the cue stick away.

"Hey, we could still go for one round," Liz said, leaning against the table.

Max shook his head. "No, I think we're done. Besides, I know when I'm out of my league," he said.

"And it only took 5 games for you to figure it out," Liz quipped, making Max cringe. Oh yeah, she got him with that one.

"Point taken," he said, massaging his neck slightly.

"Hey, I was just teasing. Besides," she said, grinning mischievously (my, she's feeling bold tonight. Probably because of the high of so many wins), "I think I have a perfect consolation prize for you."

Max raised an confused eyebrow, but he couldn't stop wondering why Liz was grinning like a cat that ate the canary. She walked to him and gave a quick kiss right to the lips. Max was definitely got off guard there, and he just stared at her when she put the cue stick back to the rack. Liz then took her jean jacket and looked at him. "Are we going?" she asked.

Max got out from his shock, and smiled while he shook his head. Yep, that definitely was a perfect consolation prize for him. They got out from the pool hall, and started to make their way to a chineze restaurant. "I don't know about you, but I'm really hungry," Liz said.

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you kept winning," Max suggested, and Liz shrugged her shoulders. "Who taught you to play?" he asked, looking at her.

"My dad at first, then Marcus decided to step in as well," Liz said.

"Wait. You're telling me that Mr. Thorne taught you to play pool?" he asked, not believing it.

Liz smiled. "Yeah. It's not that hard, it's just a simple use of mathematics...or geometry, to be specific," she said. "Besides, Marcus was the one who taught me all that fancy stuff."

Max shook his head incredulously. "He really is like a father to you, isn't he?" he asked.

Liz pondered that question for a while. In 3 months...Marcus Thorne had become something more than a father figure. She couldn't exactly say THAT to Max now, but...maybe the next best thing would be sufficient. "Well...I wouldn't say that," she said, getting Max's attention. "He's more like a...a really cool uncle."

Max looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Liz burst into giggles. "What?" she asked.

"You said 'cool'. I never thought you could force yourself to say that," he said.

"I have you know, 'Mr. Evans', that I'm perfectly capable to say a lot less intelligent words just as much as you are. I just don't bother, 'cause it degrades the value that Marcus means to me," she said, her giggles disappearing.

Max nodded. "I think I get it," he said.

"Do you now?" Liz asked, while they were getting closer to the chinese restaurant.

Max shrugged. "Well...maybe. I mean..." he started to say, but his brow furrowed from confusion. "How DID you get to know one another? I mean...you're not really related, and as far as I can tell...you don't have that much in common."

["You couldn't be more wrong with that statement, Max. I know now that the reason he got close to me was because I was a pre-Immortal...but I also know that somewhere on the line, he got all fatherly on me, and I can tell. But I can't tell Max that. Not yet,"] Liz thought, and kept her gaze on Max while they crossed the street and walked inside the restaurant. "Well...when he first got here, I remember being rather curious of him. And he didn't exactly react badly to me like most people do when I stared at them," Liz said, earning a perplexed look from Max. "I was 8, for crying out loud," Liz said indignantly.

"Ok, ok," Max said, trying to prevent a temper tantrum from exploding.

Liz glared at Max for a while, then he continued. "Anyway, he actually had a conversation with me, and after that, before he became the history teacher to high school, he got to know my parents, and me through them. My parents and..." Liz's voice broke slightly, "Grandma Claudia became good friends with him. Well...now he's like a family member...in spirit."

Max nodded thoughtfully. Still...he could tell there was something she wasn't telling him. Something that only Liz and Marcus shared. It was...what? A bond? A mutual admiration in intellectual level? Or something completely out of the norm? Ok, they definitely did NOT have a relationship, that much was obvious. Liz still treated Marcus as a second father, and Marcus, true to his word, was even more over-protective towards Liz. The fact that Marcus had roughed him up was more than enough evidence from that fact. No, it was something else. Something...that reminded him from him, Isabel and Michael. A secret only 3 of them shared...until Liz had overheard them talking. Max shook his head slightly. He didn't want to think about secrets and especially Marcus at this point. He was going to have dinner with Liz, and he would definitely focus his attention on something else now.

After they had ordered the food, they spent a bit over 30 minutes there, eating and occasionally talking about mundane stuff, nothing related to aliens, government or...from Liz part...Immortals. Liz liked this. It felt...normal. Right. Ok, the fact that Marcus wasn't here probably put Max into more ease for being with her. She still didn't know why Max felt jumpy around her mentor, and she had tried to ask it from Max, but he had refused to answer. His only answer was that he didn't want to break whatever bond they had. Liz was confused by that, but didn't press on the issue. They were now finished, and were about to find out what their fortune cookies said.

Liz had a small smile when she held the cookie. "Ok, this is my favorite part," she said, and opened the cookie. She took the slip of paper and read it. Her expression didn't change, but Max could have sworn the light in her eyes had dimmed a bit. But only for a second, and then Liz brightened up. "It says, 'this is the best night of your life.'"

"Is that what it really says?" Max asked, feeling a bit skeptical.

Liz shrugged. "Well...it's better than 'a broken clock is right twice a day'," she said.

Max chuckled a bit. "You're right, I like yours better," he said.

"Ok, let me see yours," Liz said, putting the slip away. Max cracked the fortune cookie open, and read the note. He was silent for a while, but then said, "'Ask a girl to dance with you.'"

Liz let a small laugh, and smiled. "Is that really what it says?" she asked.

"It depends on your answer," Max said, his eyes focused on Liz's.

"Yes," Liz said, feeling flattered.

"Then that's really what it says," Max said, crumbled the slip, stood up and offered his hand to her.

"Ok," Liz said, taking his hand and allowed him to help her up. They walk a bit away from their table, and start to dance. A soft, melodical tune could be heard from the speakers, just fitting for a slow dance. There were no lyrics...just music. They swayed along with the music a long time, just staring one another to the eyes. It was so...perfect, yet simple. ["What would I give to be like this forever?"] Liz thought, still keeping her eyes locked on Max's. ["My Immortality, without a doupt."]

"My parents are away for the weekend," Liz said, getting Max's attention. "They're at a stargazing camp-out. Something about Venus being in the morning sky."

Max smiled. "I thought she was right in front of me," he said, causing Liz blush from that statement. Then he leaned his face to hers, their lips brushing slightly. Liz glosed the gap and initiated the kiss, and Max responded. It didn't last long, because Maria suddenly barged in to the restaurant, panting from her running. Liz and Max looked at her in confusion, and Liz was definitely feeling a bit agravated to be interrupted NOW. Her anger disappeared the minute she saw Maria's panicked face.

"Max. Liz," Maria said, her panting dropping down so she could speak properly. "You guys have to come back to the Crashdown. It's Michael."

The minute the words left Maria's mouth and they registered in Max's and Liz's brain, Liz got her jean jacket, Max paid their dinner and all three of them headed back to the Crashdown. When they got there, they see Michael lying on the floor, his head on Isabel's lap. She was stroking his forehead, and he was sweating...a lot. Isabel looked at Max when he kneeled next to her, looking at Michael.

"Something's wrong, Max. He's really sick," Isabel said, her concern evident in her voice.

With the help from Alex, Max managed to haul Michael's sweating body to the break room, and on the couch. Now...10 minutes later, Michael was feeling a lot better. He was sitting on the couch, scowling at everyone. Maria was sitting at the stairs, along with Max and Liz. Alex was sitting on a recliner near the lamp. Isabel walked in, carrying a glass of water. She headed to Michael and offered it to him.

"Here, drink some more water. It's helping," Isabel said. True enough, when they had provided some cold water for Michael, he started to feel a lot better. After 3 glasses, he was now sitting. He shook his head to Isabel, refusing.

"I feel better," he said.

"Maybe he should eat?" Maria suggested, and everyone looked at her. "You know, starve a cold, feed a fever?"

"Echinacea always worked for me," Alex said, shrugging slightly.

"I said I was better, all right?" Michael said loudly, getting everyones attention. "I feel perfectly fine."

"Michael...you were burning up a minute ago," Isabel said, her hand on his shoulder.

"Well, whatever it was, it's over now, ok?" he said to Isabel, who shook her head, exasperated. Michael stood up rather wearily. "I just want to go home."

"I'll drive you," Max said, getting up. Liz glanced at Max, not knowing if she should be feeling offended by the way he was disregarding her. Ok, Michael had been sick, but he was fine now, right? Liz sighed inwardly. This was Max...the one who would help his family no matter what.

"I wouldn't want to ruin your date," Michael said, but his tone made it clear that he wasn't sorry one damn bit. Besides, if you missed the tone, the look that Michael shot to Liz was a definite give away. Unfortunately...that 'look' had a little different effect on Liz than Michael had anticipated. Instead of feeling chagrined, Liz shot a VERY cold glare to Michael, silently telling him what he could do with his opinion, and if she would have voiced it out...it wouldn't have been pretty, and EVERYONE would have been shocked to death.

This silent little interaction went unnoticed from everyone besides the 2 involved parties. Isabel stood up from the couch, and said, "We're leaving now." She looked at Alex, who was rubbing his temples. "Alex, you need a ride?" Isabel asked.

Alex shook his head. "What I really need is a sedative," he said, and got up. "Besides...my bike is here." He started to make his way outside through the back door, and disappeared, deep in thought. Ok...now his head was filled with facts about Isabel, Max and Michael, what they could do and some details how they were trying to cope with their lives. Also...the fact that Michael had been feverish had been rather interesting revelation, considering the fact that Isabel had told him that they couldn't get sick. So what had happened? Alex shook his head again. He SO didn't need to worry with THIS at the moment, not when the things that old Immortal had said to him. Sighing, Alex mounted his bike and started to pedal back to his home. He knew for a fact that he was going to have ANOTHER restless night. He had those after Liz had told him about her Immortality and everything related to it. Even the...Watchers. Alex shuddered slightly, suddenly feeling very paranoid. Even now...there could be someone out there...watching either him...or Liz...wherever she went and whatever she did. ["How can she live with that knowledge, I'll never know,"] Alex thought while he headed home. Then he abruptly stopped. That drawing Isabel had showed him...it looked familiar. Like he had seen something similar before. He turned his head to look at the UFO Center, and pedaled there. This required some researching.

Back inside, Max, Isabel and Michael had left, and Liz and Maria were sitting on the couch, eating ice cream. Liz had vanilla with slight amount of chocolate sauce on it, and Maria had strawberry flavored. They were discussing about Liz's 'date'.

"Nothing even happened," Liz said, digging into her ice cream. "We kept getting interrupted."

"Nothing happened?" Maria asked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow to Liz. She had walked in on them while they were...well, in a lip lock, so to speak. Ok, so maybe she was exaggerating. It was probably nothing more than a peck...thanks to her.

"Mmm-mm," Liz nodded, her mouth full of ice cream. She swallowed and scooped up some more. "Well, yeah. The other night...we...um...we kissed."

Maria swallowed her own spoonful of ice cream, now getting interested. "And?" she queried.

Liz's face turned into a frown, and she shook her head. "I don't think we should talk about it," she said.

Maria's jaw nearly dropped. "Are you kidding me?" she exclaimed. "We HAVE to talk about it. We're the only 2 people in this world capable of having this conversation."

"That we know of," Liz said, and ate some more of her ice cream.

"Don't complicate things, ok?" Maria pleaded, looking at Liz. "Who wants to go first?" she suddenly asked, and Liz only raised her eyebrow. Maria sighed, expasperated. "Fine, I'll start," she said, and thought about her make out sessions with Michael, wondering how she could describe it. Liz could have sworn that she heard gears grinding in Maria's head. "It was...explosive," Maria said.

Liz looked at Maria for a moment, shocked to speechless. Not from the fact that Maria said THAT to describe it. Mostly from the fact that...she was right. "Yeah," she breathed, looking at Maria. "Uh, that's a really good word."

Maria grinned slightly. "Right?" she asked, and Liz nodded.

"It was like every cell in my body felt the same cell in his and started to heat up," Maria continued.

"And I got really dizzy," Liz piped in, getting a somewhat knowing look from Maria. It was true, she had felt rather light-headed after the kiss, and that was something even her Quickening couldn't take away, and from THAT Liz was thankful. VERY thankful. "Did you get dizzy?" Liz asked from Maria, but already suspected that the answer would be 'yes'.

"I get dizzy just thinking about it," Maria said, and Liz had to correct herself. Ok, she had NOT anticipated THAT kind of answer.

Now Liz totally sunk into their little conversation. "Ok, you know like all of that time that I spent with Kyle...I didn't have any of those feelings that I did when I was with Max. What about you?" Liz asked.

"Doug Sohn in the 8th grade?" Maria asked, wondering if Liz remembered.

"Yeah," Liz said, nodding her head.

Maria shook her head. "Amateur," she said knowingly. "Michael is the real deal."

Liz pondered this for a second. It definitely sounded far too good to be...true. Ok, it WAS too good to be true, yet it was. "Ok, now, here's the big question. Do you think that we feel like this just because of the fact that they're like..." Liz said, and left the question hanging, knowing that Maria would catch up.

"Oh, their non-human status," Maria said, nodding.

Liz nodded. "Right."

Then a thought occured to Maria. "What if they've like ruined it for us with anyone else?" she asked.

Liz nodded solemnly. "Yeah," she said, agreeing with that.

Maria shook her head with disgust. "Leave it to Michael to just wreak havoc on the rest of my life, even though he wants no part in it," she said, venom clearly audiple in her voice.

"Maria, he'll change his mind," Liz said, trying to re-assure her friend.

Maria shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, and looked at Liz straight to the eye. "And besides, I've come to the conclusion that it can never happen. I mean, human-alien relationships are bound to be disasters. Just don't think that you can enter into something with Max and expect not to get hurt in the end of it. I mean, me? I'm teflon, babe. Michael starts acting like a total loser...I just walk away. But you and Max, ah. You guys have that whole...look-into-my-eyes soul mate thing."

Liz blushed slightly. Although...she had to admit that Maria had a point. What if something came up? Something that would tear them away from one another? A headhunter could waltz into town, and challenge her. And now...when Marcus was gone, he wouldn't be able to take the challenge for her. And Max. So what if the FBI was gone now? They could come back, and try to kidnap him, or worse, kill him. So many unknowns. Liz tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and Maria immediately knew that she was feeling a bit uneasy at the moment. "Um, yeah, you know, this...this whole thing is just, it's gonna work out. We just have to be prepared for anything that comes our way," Liz said, trying to re-assure Maria about her 'relationship' with Max. Unfortunately...she didn't know if she was trying to re-assure herself more than Maria. Liz sighed, eating the last of her ice cream, which was slightly melted. She knew that she would lose him...eventually. She just hoped that...it wouldn't happen in the near future.

*************************************************************

[Bored to Mundane life]

UFO Center, 14th December, 14:25 p.m, Saturday

Alex and Isabel step inside the UFO Center, and Alex can clearly see that Isabel feels uneasy for being here. Now...he couldn't exactly blame her. That 'alien autopsy' display was probably the main reason why Isabel hated being here. Anyway, Alex had been wracking his brain last night, and he had thought of something that might help Isabel, Max and Michael in their quest for answers.

Isabel shuddered. "This place gives me the creeps," she said.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that now," he said. They were walking through various displays. "Anyway, there's something that I really have to show you. You know the drawing you showed me last night?"

"Stop talking about it so loudly," Isabel hissed angrily, watching wearily to other people at the UFO Center. Fortunately they hadn't heard a thing.

They now had reached to a display about the Inkas in in South America. There were pictures from the ruins, along with some of the hieroglyphics found there. "Well, it's been bugging me where I've seen something like it, so I came here. I looked around, and that's what I saw," Alex said, pointing at the display. "It's this place. It's called Macchu Picchu, right? It's in Peru, and it's full of stuff like this...I mean, exactly like in your drawing."

Isabel wasn't exactly impressed. "Yeah, well, next you're gonna tell me that spacemen came here thousands of years ago to share all their secrets with cavemen, right?" she asked sarcastically. Alex looked rather dumbfounded by her attitude. "Forget it, Alex. Don't you think we've checked all this stuff out?" she asked, and Alex had to agree with that. "It's just some stupid rumor like those ridiculous crop circles and the rest of the lies people tell to make a buck. Just let it go, ok?" she pleaded, and started to walk away. Actually, she felt rather touched that he had tried to help, but he wouldn't be able to find answers here.

"Well what if this could help you find your planet?" Alex asked loudly, stopping Isabel dead on her tracks and getting the attention of every single guest at the visinity. Alex gulped, feeling that now he made a REALLY big mistake, that is if the glare Isabel was giving him was any indication.

"What did you just say?" Milton, the owner of the Center asked from Alex, who remained silent. Milton had heard that comment, and he had practically ran to investigate. He glanced at the blonde girl not too far away, and she seemed familiar.

"Evans' sister, right?" Milton asked, and Isabel nodded. By now, people were watching the interaction curiously, and some of them were leaving, minding their own business.

Milton turned his attention back to Alex. "I don't appreciate your attempt of humor, young man. We UFOlogists don't joke about things like that," he said to Alex.

Alex nodded. "Yes, sir. Of course not. I apologize," he said.

Milton looks at Alex pensively, then walks away. The people around Alex and Isabel shrug and start to leave. Isabel walks to Alex and glares at him even more.

"I'm sorry, I..." Alex tried to say, but Isabel stopped him.

"Do you understand what a mistake like that would do in front of someone who really mattered?" Isabel asked forcefully.

"I'm sorry. It slipped. It won't happen again," Alex said.

"God, Alex," Isabel said, and started to walk away.

"I'm sorry," Alex said, but Isabel didn't acknowledge it. Still, Alex followed her, if not being able to apologize, then at least to act like a gentleman. Then his brow furrowed from thought. He briefly wondered if any of the Immortal's could possibly know something about that language. It was a thought, and considering the whole age factor with them, it was forth to check out. But not now. After he would ask Liz's opinion about it.

While Isabel started to make her way outside, the commotion not too far from the stairs got her attention. Her brow furrowed from confusion, and she decided to check it out. When she managed to push herself through the crowd, her breath got stuck in her throat from what she saw. Max was kneeling next to Michael, who was lying on the ground, in a similar condition as last night. He had sunglasses on, and Isabel was too distraught to wonder about that right now.

"Help me to get him out of here, quick," Max said to Isabel, who walked to him.

"Michael," Isabel whispered sadly while she kneeled next to him, and started to help Max to get him up. Suddenly Alex was there, trying to ease their work.

"Let me help," he said, and Isabel's look stopped him.

"No. Just leave us alone," Isabel said, and Alex felt like she had just plunged a ice cold knife through his chest. Sheez, he could easily keep Liz's secret as a secret, but with Isabel, he just HAD to blurt out something that SHOULDN'T have been said in public. Alex shook his head inwardly, and followed them, intending to help...no matter what Isabel said.

*************************************************************

Crashdown Café, 14:42 p.m.

Liz and Maria are filling bottles with condiments. Since Liz's parents were away, they had left her in charge of the café. It wasn't exactly anything new, she had done it before. She just had to make sure that people did their job and check the inventory. She had called Connor and told him about this, and he, grudgingly, had agreed to put their training on halt for the weekend.

"Ok, so, um...once you're done with the sugars, we just make sure that the salt and pepper shakers are filled," Liz said to Maria, who looked at her wearily.

"You are really letting this whole manager thing to get to your head," Maria said, rolling her eyes.

Then they see Max walking inside from the break room door, and they frown at him.

"Liz."

"Max...um...what are you doing here?" Liz asked, walking to him.

"We came through the back. We need your help," Max said, and walks back to the break room, Liz in tow. Once she walked in, she saw Michael lying on the couch, sweating even more than he did last night.

"Maria," Liz yelled to the dining area, and Maria walks in the break room. When she sees Michael, she rushes to him.

"Michael," Maria exclaims. "Is he ok?" she asked from Isabel.

"Does he look ok to you?" Isabel asked sarcastically.

"What's wrong with him?" Maria asked, feeling Michael's forehead, and pulling it away almost immediately. He was burning up.

"How should I know?" Isabel snapped at Maria. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."

Max turned to Liz, who was looking at Michael with a concerned look. "We need to keep him someplace safe. Liz, can we keep him here?" he asked.

Liz nodded. "Yeah, uh, but let's just take him upstairs. It'll be safer there," she said.

"I'll have to carry him," Max said.

"Yeah...I'll go first," Liz said, making her way to the stairs. She could have helped Max to carry Michael, but decided to not do it. The look on Isabel told her that she might lash out at anyone who dared to lay a hand on Michael...that is if that person wasn't Max and herself. It took a while, but they managed to get Michael's sweating body to Liz's parents bedroom. Now Michael was lying there, sweating even more if that was possible. Isabel pulled the thermometer from his armpit.

"It only goes up to 112," Isabel said, shaking her head.

"We're gonna need some ice and towels. We need to cool him down," Maria said.

"Um, they're in the kitchen and then there's some in the bathroom, too," Liz said, and Maria left the room.

"Are you ok?" Max asked from Liz.

"Has this ever happened before?" Liz asked, feeling helpless. Since she had heard from Isabel that they couldn't get sick, she had assumed that they were immune to any possible disease known to man. Well...now it was obvious that there was SOMETHING that COULD make them sick. "I mean, to you?"

Max shook his head. "Never," he said.

Then, Michael starts to chant something. Max and Isabel exchange a weirded out look, and Liz's brow furrowed from confusion.

"What's he saying?" Isabel asked, while Max leaned closer and tried to listen.

"I don't...I don't know. It's some kind of chant," he said. Then he started to shake Michael gently, trying to get his attention. "Michael, can you hear me? What are you saying? What are you trying to tell us?" No response. "Michael, it's me, Max. Please, let me help you."

Then, Michael opens his eyes, and they are unnaturally white, like there was somekind of mist or fog in front of them. Maria had walked in with the ice and towels, and gasped from what she saw. Michael managed to say, "River Dog." Then he closed his eyes again.

Liz and Max exchanged a look. "I'll go change," she said, and left the room.

*************************************************************

Mescalero reservation, 15:38 p.m.

Max pulled over his jeep, and he and Liz step out. There weren't that many people there, but one in particular got both their attention. Eddie was walking to them, and the angered look in his face told both of them that he wasn't happy about something.

"You're not welcome here anymore," Eddie said to Max and Liz.

"We just want to find out what happened," Max said.

"You told someone what you found here!" Eddie yelled to Max. "River Dog is really angry."

"It's really important that we talk to him about what he did to Michael," Liz said, not being intimitated by Eddie. Still, the worry for Michael's well being was there.

"He tested him. Your friend didn't pass," Eddie said, glaring at the teens separately.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"That's all I know," Eddie said, starting to leave.

"That's not enough," Max said, pulling Eddie from the jacket lapels. "I want to know exactly what River Dog did to him."

Eddie glared at Max, tearing Max's hands off from him. "He wants nothing to do with you. You betrayed his trust, and that's something he wont forgive."

"I don't want forgiveness. I want answers before my friend dies," Max almost yelled, ready to pounce Eddie. He probably would have if Liz hadn't stepped in front of him and pushed him away a bit.

"Max, calm down," Liz said. Max looked at her incredulously, but relented. Liz then turned to Eddie. "Michael is really sick, Eddie. And we don't know what to do. We need River Dog."

Eddie looked at Liz for a moment, then sighed. "I'm sorry, but he's gone," he said.

"Then I'm waiting here until he gets back," Max said, and Eddie nodded to this. Then he walked away. Liz looked at Max, and could clearly see the worry in his features. She herself briefly wondered what River Dog had done to Michael. Well...when the old Native American would return, she might get the answers to that particular question.

*************************************************************

Parker's residence, 15:42 p.m, Liz's parents bedroom

Isabel had been watching over Michael for a while now. She refused to leave his side, and now she was tucking him under thick blanket. Maria then walked into the room, and saw what Isabel was doing.

"What are you doing?" Maria asked.

Isabel glanced at Maria, and gestured Michael who was shivering. "Well, he's so cold, I..." she started, and Maria realized what she was doing.

"Are you kidding?" Maria exclaimed, and rushed to Michael, pulling the blanket away and put a cold towel on his forehead. "He's burning up. Right before I had the chicken pox, I had a really high fever, and my mom had to put me in an ice bath."

"This isn't chicken pox, and he was fine," Isabel insisted, trying to take the towel away, but then Alex entered the room.

"Knock, knock," he said. He was wearing an apron, and was doing his best at keeping the café running.

Isabel glared at Maria. "I thought you said you locked the door," she said.

"The key's always under the mat," Alex said, and turned to look at Maria. "Hey, look, everything's going fine downstairs. I just wanted to come up...see if there's anything that I could do."

"Yes, there's something you could do," Isabel said, and fixed her steely gaze to Alex. "You can get out of here, both of you! And let me take care of Michael. God, he needs me right now, not strangers."

Alex looked at Isabe with a hurt look, but then it turned pensive. "Well...excuse me for being human," he said, and left the room. Maria also gave a hard glare to Isabel, but then softened. She was feeling like a wreck as well, 'cause her feelings for Michael hadn't dimished one bit. She sighed and left the room, leaving Isabel to take care from Michael.

*************************************************************

Back at the Mescalero reservation, 16:01 p.m.

Liz and Max were wandering around the reservation, waiting for River Dog to return from wherever he was. Liz, in an attempt to kill the time, had asked how they had met Michael in the first place, and Max was now telling him about that.

"I remember the first time I saw Michael," he said, recalling the event from his past. "It was in the desert the night we first came out of the pods. The sky was bright with stars and this full moon. Isabel and I found each other first. We didn't know how to speak, but we could communicate anyway. We walked for a while, but we could feel someone else."

"Michael," Liz stated, and Max nodded.

"He said he saw us, but that he was afraid," Max said, continuing his story. "So he just watched us for a long time. When he finally revealed himself, he was standing on this rock. Just like you'd expect from Michael. 'Here I am. Deal with me.' He said it was the hardest thing he's ever had to do...to trust us."

"So, um, how did you guys end up getting separated?" Liz asked, slightly curious.

"We all saw the headlights at the same time," Max said, not missing a beat. "Isabel took my hand. We knew we'd be safe as long as we stayed together. I held my hand out for Michael. I knew he wanted to. He just wouldn't take it. So we just looked at each other for a long time. Wouldn't see him again for 3 years. Isabel would cry every night, wondering where he was."

Liz had a saddened look in her face, and Max wondered if there was something bothering her. "You all right?" he asked.

That pulled Liz out from her daze. "Uh, yeah, it...it's just kinda sad, you know? Thinking of being separated like that," Liz said.

"You're wondering if it could happen to me, aren't you? Thinking of being separated like that," Max said.

Liz shook her head, denying having any thoughts of that nature, when in truth she had been thinking about it. It was something that she had hoped never to even think about. She knew she would lose Max eventually, but...like this...no, that was a bit harder to deal with.

"I've been thinking about it a lot, too...whether this is just our life cycle," Max said, mostly to himself. "And maybe this is how we die."

"Max, it's...come on, it's not..." Liz started to say, but Max was a bit too into his rambling to listen.

"I can understand if you doubts...about us..." he shook his head in the mid sentence, realizing that he said something he shouldn't have. "I mean, second thoughts. Because committing to someone is hard enough without having to wonder...if they're even gonna be there tomorrow."

Liz was silent for a while. If this is how he thought she was feeling, then he couldn't have been more wrong. Liz herself was an Immortal, someone who would have to defend herself against people who would like nothing more than to cut off her head. There was a big chance that her demise would be like that. Getting beheaded in a dark alley, leaving her headless corpse on the ground for the police to find, that is if the Watchers didn't get rid of her corpse before that. How would he be able to cope if her body would be found like that...or if she would just disappear? Liz was torn between the need to tell him that their situation wasn't that different, and keeping her secret from him. Marcus didn't allow it, for reasons he had already made clear before.

About 2 hours later, Liz and Max were still waiting for River Dog, but there had been no sign of him yet. It had gotten dark already. Max was sitting on a bench next the convenient store, and he watched perplexed as Liz sat on the ground, gross-legged and her hands resting on her knees, the index finger and thumb pressed together. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing so evenly that it seemed that she was a VERY alive looking statue. If Max would have been let into her little secret, he would have known that Liz had been, under the tutelage of Marcus, been training meditation. Ever since the time her journal had disappeared, courtesy of Michael, Liz had started to develop a bit more...'not-taking-shit-from-anyone attitude', and it led to a uncontrolled use of her Martial Arts skills. Everynight after that insident had been wrapped up, Liz had spent about 30 minutes at a time, using the yoga methods and breathing lessons Marcus had given her, finding some inner enlightenment. It had been a productive experience, to say the least. She was less prone to go aggressive around Michael now, and her glares were now speaking her mind instead of her elbow or fist. Still, that hadn't stop her from putting that punk from the rave on the ground when he had slapped her butt.

"Liz?" Max asked, but didn't get a reaction. "Liz!?" he yelled this time, but Liz still didn't react. Max scratched his head in confusion, and decided to poke her gently. When his index finger headed towards her shoulder, her hand suddenly snapped into action and caught his hand before he could make contact.

"I'm perfectly awake, Max. No need to shout," Liz said, her eyes still closed.

"I thought that you might have been...I don't know...you seemed almost dead," Max said meekly. "Could you let go of my hand?"

Liz let him go, and craned her head left and right, clearing out the kinks in her neck. She looked at her watch, and pulled out her cellphone. Max knew she was calling for an update on Michael's condition, and he probably would have called himself if he hadn't been more interested on Liz's...well, very uncharacteristic way of waiting.

Liz's brow furrowed, and she closed her cell. "They're not answering," Liz said.

"We should get back," Max said, and got up. Then he looked at Liz, who also got up from her position at the wooden terrace. "Could you tell me what that was?"

Liz looked at Max for a while. "I was just meditating...about stuff. I actually got some thinking done while doing that," she said.

"Meditating?" Max asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah, part of the Martial Arts training you know I've been taking for the past 3 months," Liz said while they made their way to the Jeep.

"Wait, you're still doing that?" Max asked, not believing what he was hearing.

Liz looked at him with a confused expression. "Well...yeah. I never stopped, Max," she said.

Max just stared at Liz, and Liz stared back at him. "You do know that I would protect you, right?" he said.

"I know, Max, but the reason I'm training is so I can take care of myself," Liz said.

"Well...has it been...beneficial?" Max asked.

Liz narrowed her gaze on Max. "Do you want a demostration?" she asked.

Max chuckled softly. "Liz...that won't be necessary," he said.

Liz's gaze turned into a glare, and her hands went to her hips. "So you think I couldn't take you down?" she demanded.

Max gulped, suddenly feeling like he had stepped into a land mine. "Well...I'm...not sure," he said.

Liz's glare didn't disappear. "You are SO lucky that I am not Maria. Otherwise you would get both physical AND verbal lashing from me," Liz said, and turned back to the car.

Max sighed from relief, thanking...whatever was up there at the moment. He knew quite well what Thorne was quite...good with Martial Arts, and if he was STILL teaching Liz...there was no telling what she could do to him if she decided to give him a demonstration. All in all...he got lucky. Then he saw that Liz had stopped, and her head was slightly tilted, as if she was listening something. Then Max heard it as well. Chanting.

"That's what Michael's been saying over and over," Liz said, and Max nodded in agreement.

"It's coming from that tent," he said, and they started to make their way to it. The more closer they got, the louder the chanting got, and it was definitely same chanting what Michael had been doing. Liz and Max look inside the tent, and see Indians chanting, and passing a bowl of...something to one another.

"What are they doing?" Liz whispered.

"I'm not sure. But maybe what's happening to Michael isn't natural at all," Max said, and when they start to leave, River Dog has appeared in front of them. He had a worried expression.

"Bring him here. We might not have much time," River Dog said.

*************************************************************

Parker's residence, 19:12 p.m, Liz's parents bedroom

Max and Liz walked inside the room, and Liz gasped from what she saw. Maria and Isabel were sitting next to the bed where Michael was lying. But what got into Liz was the fact that Michael was covered from head to toe from somekind of...webbing. Maria stood up, walked to Liz and hugged her.

"Thank God you're here," she said.

"Oh, my God, Max," Isabel said, looking at Max with teary eyes, and Max was completely silent from what he was seeing.

"This is really happening, isn't it?" Alex asked from them, looking at Michael's webbed body. He had stayed here ever since Maria had fetched her up here and hold Michael when he had started to convulse.

Liz pulled away from Maria's embrace and looked at Max. "River Dog was right, we don't have time to waste," she said, and Max nodded.

*************************************************************

The cave with the hieroglyphics, 20:30 p.m.

Max, Liz, Maria, Isabel and Alex, along with River Dog, were now in the cave. Michael was laid down on the ground, and River Dog was drawing a circle around him, along with 5 lines, all in equal distance away from each other, and connected to Michael. While he was doing this, he was telling them what was happening to Michael.

"Man who lived in this cave when I was a boy was not like us," he said, finishing the first line. "Some of the elders believed he was an evil spirit, so they decided to test him. He was invited into the sweat, just like I invited your friend. His reaction was quick and severe. Within a minute, his eyes were white, and he developed a fever."

"Just like Michael," Max said, and River Dog nodded.

"Only it took the symptoms longer to show up in your friend," River Dog said, and finished the last line. "That's why I dismissed him at first. But when you told me he was sick, I knew he was another visitor."

"That's an interesting way of putting it," Maria said, earning a small jab to her stomach from Liz, and a look from River Dog.

"Well...that's what he called himself," River Dog said, lighting up more torches. "In my language, the word is 'nasedo'. So that's what I called him."

"And you knew Nasedo well?" Isabel asked.

"I saved his life," River Dog said, continuing his task. "After the sweat, he ran out into the desert, and we were told not to follow him. But I was a boy, and I didn't listen. I found him in this cave, dying. He had to trust me with his secret so that I could heal him."

"And now you'll do the same thing to heal Michael?" Max asked.

River Dog was silent for a while. "I'll try, but I'll need the help of all of you," he said.

"Even me?" Alex said, pointing to himself. He earned a look from Isabel, that clearly said 'Don't even think about it'. She was shocked when River Dog nodded.

"Healing requires energy," River Dog said, and Liz's attention was brought to this particular detail, along with Alex's. "The more we have, the faster we heal. Now everyone, take your place in the circle. There's a line for each of you leading to the center."

They did as they were told, but Liz's mind was racing from this information. What River Dog made sense, but mostly because she had already heard a different version from it from Marcus already. The Quickening. It was energy, almost electrical, and it allowed Immortals to heal injuries with an amazing rate. It also got stronger the older one got, and if she or anyone else from her kind absorbed the Quickening from someone else, allowing her and her kind to heal even quicker than before. If she understood correctly, River Dog would use some strange...whatever to take energy from them...and transfer it to Michael. That earned a silent panic reaction from Liz. Could Michael take the immense amount of energy within her? Yes, theoretically even a small amount of her Quickening would be enough to heal Michael...but it was so pure...like REAL electricity. It was possible that he couldn't handle it. ["Damn it!! Where's Marcus when you need him? I'd even call Connor if he would know about them,"] Liz thought.

Alex, from his spot in the circle, looked at Liz, who he knew was thinking what River Dog had said. He had seen Liz's Quickening at work, and yes, it was energy in nature. But, like Liz, he wondered would Michael be able to handle it. From what he could tell...the energy could only be absorbed by Liz's kind, and no one else. Ok, that was a speculation. Liz hadn't told him anything of the sort, and he was pretty sure Liz hadn't asked Marcus about it. Now...he hoped that he had a LOT more information to go with. And...so was Liz.

While Liz and Alex had done their silent thinking, River Dog had retrieved a pouch. He then took 5 transparent looking stones from it, and started to hand them out to the 5 kids in the circle. "Nasedo gave me these stones," he said, handing one to Max. "They're from his place, and they carry energy inside them."

["Ok, so the energy is coming from them,"] Liz thought, sighing from relief. ["Or...is it a filter of sort?"]

Max stared at the stone with awe, and looked at River Dog. "You mean...these are from..."

"Wherever you are from," River Dog said, finishing Max's sentence while he gave a stone to Isabel. "He said that his body carried the same energy that's in these stones. He called it the balance. He said that the heat from the sweat disrupted it in some way."

"How?" Max asked.

"He told me to hold the stones until my energy activated them," River Dog said, giving a stone to Alex and Maria. "And the balance would be restored."

"And if you didn't?" Max asked, but dreaded the answer. Liz on the other hand, again, sighed from relief when she realized that her own energy wouldn't be channeled into Michael. It would only work as a...key of sorts. But...what if the 'key' would disrupt the stone?

"He would die," River Dog said, giving a stone to Liz.

"So...let's get going," Isabel said, eager to help Michael.

"He warned me, though, that there was a risk," River Dog said, getting their attention. "The balance can pull you in. It's a force that can change both your body and mind unless you navigate properly. Now, clear your mind...and drink from the bowl. Don't change the way you feel about your friend, and you'll come out on the right side," he said, and handed a bowl to Max.

Max looks at the bowl with a frown. There was some clear liquid in there. "What is this?" he asked.

"Water. Something in common with all of us. by drinking from the same bowl, we begin the connection," River Dog said.

Max looked at the bowl for a minute, then took a sip from it, and passed the bowl to Isabel. River Dog watched as Alex and Maria as well took a sip from the bowl. Liz was the last one...and she hesitated. River Dog saw this, and walked to her. He stood in front of her, and watched Liz's eyes, studying her. Her gaze was even, but there was a edge in there.

"You're afraid...not of the healing," River Dog said, and everyone looks at Liz with a confused expression. Liz sighed. "Your fear runs deeper. You fear for..." River Dog stopped abruptly, remembering who, or specifically what, he was talking to. Liz Parker was an Ancient, albeit a young one. Her energy was drastically different from them all, both in amount and intensity. And truthfully...River Dog didn't know what would happen if she took her part in the balance. It could heal the boy faster...or kill everyone involved.

"Take a step back," he said, earning even more confused looks and exclamations from everyone else. "You cannot stop the flow."

Liz looked at River Dog into the eye, and saw that he understood why she was apprehensive. Liz nodded to River Dog, and then gave a sad look to everyone else, while she handed the bowl back to River Dog. "I'm sorry," she said, and stepped out from the ring. Max looked hurt, along with Isabel, and Liz couldn't look at them. Liz turned her gaze to Alex, and saw understanding in his eyes. He knew her secret, and probably guessed why she had to back away. Liz gave a very small smile to Alex, and walked further away from the circle, but not out from their visinity.

River Dog put the bowl away, and started chanting. After a while, others started to chant along with him as well. Liz watched in the distance, and Maria has a stunned expression in her face from the fact that Liz isn't participating. River Dog places a hand to her shoulder, getting her attention.

"She has her own path to follow," he said to Maria. "You take yours."

Maria nods, and joins everyone into the chant. Liz watches with rapt interest as the stones start to glow, first from yellow light, then from bright blue. Then she saw something...breathtaking. It was like the energy from the stones was...flowing from towards Michael. Max, Maria, Alex and Isabel had stopped chanting, along with River Dog, who was standing further away from the circle. The flow of the energy was clear as day, and Liz could have sworn that she saw something else. She walks closer to the circle, and the closer she got...the more clearly she could...see something. She stopped just barely an inch away from the circle, and she saw...Michael, Max and Isabel...standing in the middle of the ring. Max sees her first, and Michael follows his gaze, and spots Liz. Liz gives a small smile to Michael, and a silent apology for not participating. Then, suddenly...Michael tears the webbing apart and sits up, glancing everyone individually. He seemed all right.

"You all right?" Max asked, kneeling next to him, still holding the stone in his hand.

"I went someplace, Max...and I saw things," Michael said.

"But you came back," Max said. "For good this time."

Michael looks at Maria, who was smiling, and then to Liz, who also had a small smile on her. He wondered why she wasn't with the others until near the end, but shrugged it off. He looks at Max, and gives a very rare and very small smile.

"Yeah, I came back," he said, and Max hugs him. Michael...carefully...returned the hug, and eventually the 2 boys got up from the ground.

"Thank you, Maxwell," he said. "No more running. No matter what." Then Michael looks at the stones they all, even Liz, were holding. "Give me your rocks," he said, and started to collect them from each who took part in the ritual. He then walks to the part of the cave where the drawing from the alien symbols were, and started to insert the rocks to various spots. Once the 5th rock was in place, Michael steps back and the rocks slowly glow brighter and brighter, revealing a constellation he had seen while he was sweating from his fever.

"It's a map," Michael said to everyone, who look at the glowing stones with awe.

*************************************************************

Parker residence, 23:04 p.m, Liz's balcony

'14th December. I can't really explain what happened today. I mean...I've always been the one who comes through in the time of crisis. I do what's necessary, and I don't panic. But seeing Michael so sick and having no way of knowing what was wrong or how to help him made me scared. Scared that some day something could happen to Max, and I wouldn't know how to help this person who means so much to me, who means everything.

Well...River Dog finally managed to explain what was wrong with Michael, and as I had hoped. Unfortunately...my own unique situation got me worried. Michael needed the energy from these...alien stones to get better, and our own energy would...activate them. But...I got scared, again. What if my own energy, my Quickening, would destroy, or worse, damage Michael? I couldn't take the risk, and apparently, River Dog saw it too. This also means that someday...if something similar happens to Max...I won't be able to help him. And that thought pains me more than anything else at this moment.'

"Is this a bad time?" Liz heard Max ask. She was surprised, but she knew he was here to talk about what happened.

"No, it's not," Liz said, as she closed her journal, and put it on the table. "Hi."

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," Max said, walking away from the ladder and closer to Liz.

"I'm fine," Liz said, standing up. "Yeah, um...how's Michael?"

"Same as ever," Max said.

"That's really good," Liz said.

"But I'm not, Liz," he said.

Liz was shocked to hear that. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean one day it will be me, and I can't keep pretending I'm normal," he said, looking at Liz to the eyes.

["Oh God,"] Liz thought. "Max, look...you know, I didn't...I didn't mean to have doubts. I didn't...I didn't mean to let you down in the cave," she insisted, but she silently added. ["But I couldn't take the risk of killing Michael...or you...for just being what I am."]

"I don't blame you," Max said, and Liz sighed from relief. "You had every right to feel that way, because what you felt is true. We don't belong together."

This shocked Liz to the core, and she realized that she had got her hopes up too soon. He...he thought that she didn't care about him. "Don't say that," Liz said, fighting back tears, and doing a good job with it, even when it was killing her soul.

"The other night, you know, when we went out...and the whole day before...ever since we kissed...I've been off balance," Max said. "You made me forget that anything else existed, but that's not real."

["So what?!! This is MY fault?!"] Liz's head screamed, but she willed herself to NOT let them out. "It's the only real thing that I've ever felt," Liz said, and her tears were starting to push harder against the dam she had constructed.

"Sometimes you have to take a step back to see what's really going on," Max said, taking a step back from Liz. "Maybe that's what we both really need to do right now...find our balance again."

["But I already have found it. Is it my fault that you think you haven't?"] Liz's mind said. "You know, Max...I thought that...I thought that we'd found it," Liz said, her voice barely audiple.

"You don't know how much I wish that could be true," Max said sadly.

"Max...how is it possible that I could be...I could be happiest that I've ever been in my entire life...you know, and now the saddest all at...all at one time?" she asked, her voice just above whisper.

"I think that's what being in love is," Max said.

"Yeah, I think so, too," Liz said, nodding slightly.

"So we'll just take a step back...for a while," Max said.

["That's what YOU'RE taking, not me!"] Liz's head yelled, and she could hear the hurt, even if it was in her head. But she still wouldn't voice out her true feelings. But...if he kept this up...she would. "Well...if that's what you want..." Liz said, but couldn't force herself to finish it. If she did...then the dam would crack down, and she would say something she might regret.

"It's what I need...'cause I'm just as scared as you are," Max said, and walked to the ladder.

"You're wrong," Liz said, and Max turned to look at her, puzzled. "I admit...I was worried...because you're right, you are different. But...I was NEVER scared of you being different. You just assumed. Yes...I was scared when Michael got sick, and I'm sorry that I couldn't step in with you to help him, but...there's something that stopped me. Something that you yourself have been unable to pry out from me, and I know why. Because of Marcus. He's the reason why you haven't come to me and ask why I'm acting so differently from the Liz you've been watching in the shadows for so long. And I...I know that he hates all 3 of you, Max, but you haven't even tried to fix the problem between you. Maybe...just maybe...if you got back his trust to you...I...I could say more than this."

Max was silent, watching Liz with intense gaze. Ok...now he was feeling torn inside. One part wanted to find out what she was talking about. One wanted to get out of this balcony, and find his balance. And the last one...wanted to stay and say she was right. He...along with Michael and Isabel...had done nothing to mend the tension between Mr. Thorne and them. Besides...Max knew that Liz was hiding something from him. He had seen it, but never had pried it, because he thought that she would eventually tell him herself. But...Marcus wouldn't allow it. And what was it that Marcus had over Liz that stopped her? Max kept his gaze on Liz one last time, then started to descend down the ladder. He stopped before he disappeared completely behind the ledge.

"Good-bye, Liz," he said, and continued his descent.

"Good-bye...Max," Liz said, and sat down on the lawn chair, some tears escaping her already cracked dam. Liz stiffled her sobs for a while, then glances up at the night sky, and sees the V-shaped constellation...Michael formed to the cave wall. Liz focuses her gaze on it, lied down, and stared at it, and at the same time her mind kept yelling inside her head...telling her how stupid she was for not flat out telling him...everything.

TBC...

Some info from the next part: My guess is that all of you know that 'Toy House' would be next? Right? And at first...I planned to skip it completely, 'cause it was focused mainly on Max and Isabel. Then I figured...Hell no!! That only means that I have free reign so show you people what Liz is going through while he is mulling over his pathetic life. So...in the next part...you're going to see 'Toy House' from Liz's and Alex's point of view, including more history and info from Marcus, and well get a peek into the much neglected Watcher Hills' life and duty. *grin* There's that...and more.

[Bored to Mundane life]

Hello, my devoted (and impatient, but in a good way) readers. I'm back, and I bring you a new part as well. And to some of you who have been bouncing in your seats for this...it's ONLY been a month since last update. Ok, special thanks to Liz Parker Evans (x4), girlie_girl (x2), NewYorker18 (x5), Asabetha, Roswelllostcause, Sternbetrachter (x3), LEL (x4), LizzyBug (x4), Mysteriousgal, omby, calphysics. Extra thanks to NewYorker18 from beta work.

NewYorker18 *gringe* Ouch...sorry to hear that. I'm not too fond of midterms either...and I have a whole bunch of them next week. And I advice you to re-read this story...I made some changes to it...especially to the end. Not much...but enough in my opinion.

LizzyBug Here's the new part. Hopefully it won't take this long to post the next part, but I doupt it.

Liz Parker Evans Hey...I don't think you're ANNOYING. Just a tad too impatient. I can work with that...*frown* even IF I'm being threatened with bodily harm.

You did?

Ladeia3 Hey...you're a new reader, as far as I can tell, and you posted your FB at the 'Reposted' section. If you DO get to read this new part, could you please leave FB around here in the future? I'd appreciate it.

Okay...enough chit-chat for now. Here it is, part 23. It's not the top quality, mostly because 'Toy House' wasn't my favorite ep in Roswell. Not enough screentime for Liz and Alex, at least in my opinion. And this story is mostly based on what is happening with Liz, Hills, Alex and Marcus during the eps timeline. And I humbly APOLOGIZE from anyone who might be offended by the way I'm describing school system. I really have no idea how it works there. Well...not THAT good idea, anyway. So...without further ado...

Title: "Concept of Eternity"
Author: Bored to Mundane life
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. If they did, Alex would have lived on and season 3 would have been a lot more different. The only character that belongs to me is Marcus Thorne. I also hope that Bruce Dickinson doesn't mind if I use him in this fic.
Synopsis: Liz Parker is having just a regular day at the Crashdown, when suddenly an argument between two customers gets out of hand, and she's shot. She is raced quickly to the hospital, but she dies en route. But before she is considered as a lost cause, her heart starts beating. Later on, her history teacher, Marcus Thorne, tells her that she's an Immortal. She'll be then pulled into the life of the Immortals, better known as 'The Game'. With no way out. But her apparent resurrection has raised other peoples attention as well. And Liz suddenly finds out that she isn't the only one harboring a considerably large secret. But how does Max Evans, his sister Isabel and Michael Guerin fit into this?
Category: Crossover, Roswell/Highlander, strictly CC.
Rating: PG-13, probably R at some point.
Feedback: Definitely appreciated. And definitely needed, so I know that my writing isn't going to waste. Afterall, this IS my first fic.

Part 23:

Thorne household, 16th December, Monday, 7:25 a.m, Guest room

Connor MacLeod groaned when the clock-radio's alarm turned on. 'Bye Bye Bye' from N'Sync started to play out, and Connor violently slammed at the clock, effectively turning it off before the obnoxious song could continue any further. ["Ye Gods, how much I hate this 'music'. Why can't they play anything that actually CAN be considered music?"] he thought gruffly, and got out from bed. He headed straight to the shower-room to get a very cold shower. After that was done, he stood in front of the mirror cabinet, brushing his teeth. He inspected himself critically from the mirror. His hair was gray and long. The hair dye he had used to change his hair color was still doing its job, but he could clearly see his original hair color near the base of his scalp. ["I'm going ta get a haircut today...and get rid of these fake wrinkles,"] he thought, spat the toothpaste to the sink and splashed some water to his mouth, washing the excess toothpaste out of his mouth. Before he left the shower-room, he glanced the glass door near the shower. It was a sauna, and to Connor it seemed like it had been used quite frequently. Connor shook his head. He knew that Marcus was a Scandinavian, but he still couldn't believe that Marcus would have a sauna...in the desert, no less. In Connor's mind, Marcus could easily have the same result if he decided to just stay outside, lying in the sun for about 2 hours straight. Connor shook his head again. It wasn't his business what Marcus did with his time. Connor got out from the shower-room and walked back to the guest room he was using, and put on his underwear, T-shirt and jeans. He preferred to walk barefoot in the mornings, but his old apartment in New York wasn't exactly fit for that kind of activity. Neither was his current home in London. Marcus's house, on the other hand, was practically made for it. Even if people tended to walk around with their shoes on. That tended to be a norm among the American's. Even he did that in his old apartment. He walked past the living room, put on some sandals, and walked outside, getting the mail. There were some personal letters for Marcus; something Connor didn't even give a second glance. Personal was *personal* for Marcus, and he had made damn certain about THAT fact to Connor...a long time ago. Some bills, which he should notify Marcus about, and the newspaper. Connor closed the mailbox and walked back inside, intending to get some coffee before he started to do some thinking for the day.

About 20 minutes later, Connor was still reading the newspaper, sipping some of the extra-strong coffee at the same time. But his mind wasn't focused on the paper. His mind was focused on Liz Parker. Or specifically...what he had seen yesterday. Liz had been...he couldn't exactly put a finger on it...but he could have sworn that Liz seemed...angry about something. But this wasn't the type of anger that you could see clearly from someone's face. No...it was the silent type of anger...the type that could only be seen from someone's eyes and from the way they kept their mind focused on one particular task. He had seen that type of anger too many times in his lifetime...some of them had been with people who he knew nothing about, only as an observer. Other's...well, they were more personal type of people. He shook his head. He hadn't pried what was wrong with Marcus's pupil, but he had better find out fast. That type of anger could be dangerous. He finished his coffee and checked the time. 7:58 a.m. That meant that the time at London would be at least 2 p.m., which definitely put out the option to call Alexandra and find out how his son John was doing at college. He felt bad for leaving them just like that, but what's done is done. He was here, and while he could up and leave at any given time, his friendship to Marcus prevented it. While he found the older Immortal a bit extreme when it came to fighting, he rarely showed arrogance. And Connor suspected that Marcus of all people was the 'down to Earth' type of man. ["Bloody Hell, I think he invented the whole concept,"] Connor thought mirthfully.

Well...since he was unable to call his wife at the moment, he decided to kill some of his time by practicing with his Katana. Life was a harsh teacher, and while Connor wasn't an active participant in the 'Game', there would be a very cold day in Hell before he would completely ignore what was happening around him. With that thought, he folded the paper and tossed it to the kitchen table as he headed to the guest room to fetch his sword. ["After the workout...I'll go and find a barber. Alexandra never liked me hair anyway,"] he thought as he descended to the basement slash gym.

*************************************************************

Hills's apartment, 10:35 a.m, 45th Alameda Street

Adam Hills was sitting on the living room couch, watching the news from the TV with minimal interest. His apartment wasn't big. There was a living room, kitchen, bedroom with a double bed, a guest room and a bathroom with a shower. The living room was scarcely decorated, only having the couch, a recliner, coffee table, a chest of drawers that held the TV and a telephone with an answering machine. Kitchen had the necessary items, like table, chairs, etc. Adam glanced the clock above the TV and sighed. His shift would start inside half an hour, and he didn't want to be late. He got up and checked the messages from his answering machine. There were 3 messages, and last night he had been too tired to go through them. He walked to the cabinet near the coat-rack and opened it. Inside the cabinet was an arsenal of various weapons, ranging from knives to sniper rifle. He took his Glock 7 as the first message started.

*beep* "Hi, this is Anna. Listen, I know you've been busy and all, trying to find that Watcher friend of yours, but there's something I thought you should know. Last Saturday, your assignment, Liz Parker came by the reservation with that Max Evans guy, looking for River Dog. I honestly have no idea what they were doing, but it seemed serious. But just a day before that...another teenaged kid came by looking for him. I didn't recognize him, but whatever happened, River Dog had been angry because of it. Just thought you wanted to know. Oh...and...I miss you. Call me." *click*

Adam raised an eyebrow to the message. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what was the significance with that old Native American and Liz Parker. He knew that the old Indian wasn't an Immortal. He would have known. No...it had to have SOMETHING to do with Max Evans...whatever that 'something' happened to be. Adam briefly wondered who that other teenager could have been, but then suspected it had been Guerin. From what he could tell from his observations, the boy was prone to jump the gun every time something strange happened. He checked the clip from the Glock 7, and holstered it as the second message started. He made a mental note to pay a visit to Anna in the near future...maybe tomorrow.

*beep* "Hey, Adam, this is Joe. Listen, you remember that FBI agent that eventually got out from your hair? What was her name...oh yeah, Topolski. Anyway, what I wanted to tell you was that no one has seen her since you told me she left Roswell. I mean she disappeared without a trace. The hacker division tried to find her personal files, but according to the FBI database she has never worked with them. Adam, what the Hell have you gotten yourself into? Only someone from a REALLY high perch could pull this off, and that pretty much means you got tangled into a mess bigger than just a regular FBI division. Oh, and I did some research from that Immortal, Aurora, you mentioned seeing near there. Since no Watcher has been able to keep a track of her for a really long time, we have no idea why she's there at the moment. The only one she could be interested would be Bruce, but he should be somewhere in Europe at the moment. I'll contact the European branch and find out if he has left. Oh, and there's still no news from Green. Let me know if anything strange happens." *click*

That stopped Adam briefly. ["Topolski just vanished from the face of the Earth?"] he thought incredulously. Ok, he had made pretty sure that the clues (dead FBI agents) had been quite clear what would happen if she didn't back away from snooping Liz's life. But to disappear completely...that was new. ["Or not, depending on who you're dealing with. Joe DID say that someone from a VERY high position could pull it off...so that raises a question. Whom DOES Topolski work for?"] he thought. The lack of information concerning Aurora hadn't been that surprising, but it still left some questions to be answered. And to where in God's name did Simon disappear? The man could be considered anal with his regular reporting times. Hell, you could check your watch from them. Adam put on his jacket when the third message started, all thoughts from his missing colleague gone from his head.

*beep* "Hello there. This is Sir Gareth Walker from London. I am not entirely sure what time it is over there, Mr. Hills, and I am deeply sorry if I disturbed your slumber. No matter. I just wanted to inform you that my assignment, Connor MacLeod, has left England and my good lad who followed him informed me that the Highlander was heading to your hometown. I would appreciate it if you'd be able to report to me his intentions there. Farewell." *click*

Adam was staring at the muted answering machine with shock. How the Hell had he managed to miss almost legendary Connor MacLeod? Adam shook his head. ["I'll be damned. Well...guess my time observing Mr. Whitman's reaction to Liz's secret kind off took my attention away for the time being. Better get my focus back to my REAL job,"] he thought, and left. He was going to be late to his 'paying' job if he delayed any longer.

*************************************************************

Crashdown Café, 15:38 p.m.

Maria watched Liz with concern. Her friend was furiously trying to find something, ANYTHING to do to get her mind off from Max's 'We need to take a step back' thing. Liz had told her the main gist yesterday, but Maria only knew what Max had said. She didn't know what Liz had said or what she was thinking about that little stunt Max had pulled. But, she hadn't been Liz's best friend for nothing if she couldn't read Liz like a book, and BOY, Liz wasn't doing a good job at hiding her anger. Ok, that was a lie. To an outsider, she seemed normal. But to Maria...and possibly Alex, who had asked what had gotten Liz into a state of near homicidal rage, knew better than that. Maria could see it from Liz's eyes. There was bonified rage there, that was for certain. But what troubled Maria the most was that Liz was keeping that rage inside her so tight, that it would only take a VERY small nudge and all Hell would break loose. ["Maybe talking will help..."] Maria thought, and made her way towards her friend, who at the moment was wiping the counter for about...3rd time ever since they had got back from school.

Then, to Maria's amazement, Liz stopped wiping the table for a moment, and glancing at the café entrance for about 10 seconds before continuing her task. Maria wondered why Liz did that from time to time, just stop and stare off into...somewhere, and then act like nothing had happened. The bell at the entrance chimed, and Maria instinctively looked at the door, and her eyes widened...along with every female in the café. And even Liz had stopped her counter cleaning to stop and look at the man with weirded out expression. He was most definitely in his 30's, yet in Maria's opinion, he had the looks that could compete with any actors she found good looking. His hair was gray, yet short in a very stylish manner, and he wore a trench coat, jeans, sneakers and a blue shirt. The man gave a small nod towards Liz, who raised a disbelieving eyebrow, along with Maria. ["Ok...how does Liz know THAT 100% definition of a hunk?"] Maria thought as she watched how Liz made her way to the man who had now seated himself to the booth.

Connor glanced around carefully when he sat to the booth. He had NO idea how big a reaction his youthful appearance could cause. He had suspected that he would get some heads turned, but to actually get the adult women AND teenaged girls to gawk at him had been an unexpected reaction. It made him feel uncomfortable a bit...and the fact that EVERY single female in the café, save from Liz, were looking at him like he was a Greek God turned to flesh didn't help to alleviate his discomfort one bit. He did see the confused look on Liz's face, and was at least happy that her attention had been thwarted from whatever had been riling her up since Sunday.

"Care to explain to me HOW you suddenly appear a lot younger than before?" Liz asked incredulously, trying not to stare him. It would be rude...and that was putting it mildly.

Connor just grinned. "Hey...all I did was get a haircut and got rid of all those fake wrinkles I had. But I can honestly say that THIS wasn't the reaction I expected ta get," he said and gestured the awed looks from the cheerleaders, glassy eyes from most of the girls and dreaming looks from the few adult women at the café. Liz noticed that even Maria was staring at Connor with quite approval. Liz, however, couldn't force herself to look at Connor like THAT. It wasn't...appropriate. And if Liz DID look at Connor like that...she would probably come to the same conclusion as the rest of the women, which was 'What a hunk' or something inside those lines.

"What can I get you?" Liz asked, keeping herself as professional as possible.

Connor just raised an eyebrow and pointed at the clock above break room's door. It read 3:50 p.m. Liz's expression turned from uncomfortable to embarrassed, and she smiled apologetically to him. "I'm sorry. I forgot," she said, and made her way to the break room as fast as she could without looking TOO obvious. Connor just shook his head and leaned against the bench, and frowned when most of the women sighed. ["Bloody Hell...am I really THAT handsome?"] he thought incredulously, and tried to keep himself from fidgeting under so many gazes. ["Alexandra is going ta kill me if she ever finds out about THIS. Only 10 times if I'm fortunate."]

Connor's thoughts were halted when Liz finally came back, wearing a shirt, sneakers and khaki pants. Her duffel bag was flung over her shoulder as she made her way to him. "Ye ready, lass?" he asked as he got up.

Liz didn't answer, just nodded. The ire in her eyes was back, and Connor decided to find out exactly what was wrong, and if possible, ease her anger or take it away completely. But...Connor actually found himself hoping that Marcus would be here to do this. After all, Marcus knew Liz a lot better than he did.

*************************************************************

Finland, Lapland, 4 p.m. (1 a.m. Finland time), 25 miles North from Sodankyla

Marcus was still heading towards the North. He had managed to land in Helsinki with little trouble, but when he had been unable to book a flight to Sodankyla, he had nearly lost it. While he enjoyed watching the lush woods of Finland, he had NO desire to drive through the entire country (no matter if it was small) just to get to his home. And the fact that the weather forecast had predicted some nasty blizzards to the Lapland area wasn't easing his ire to the situation. But...eventually he had resigned and had taken a train as far as Tornio. From there, he rented a car and had been driving through snow filled roads to his goal. Home. Or the area what he had considered home...over 2000 years ago. He had reached Sodankyla yesterday, and had spent some time getting to know the town...even though it was pointless. It hadn't changed that much since his visit from last year. There was more snow now than previous year, which had brought a smile to Marcus's face. Marcus suddenly blinked and pulled over the car. His daydreaming nearly got him driving too far. Thanks to his connections, he had been able to keep the dirt road that lead to his cabin plowed open so he didn't have to walk the rest of the way. Marcus backed up his Honda SUV a bit, and turned right. Since the dirt road had no light poles, he had to activate the long distance lights to actually see something, but the snow that kept falling didn't help to clear his vision one bit. But...he knew every curve and bump on the road...for he had drove through this same road many times over the decades...and rode with a horse during the centuries. Hell...he had even walked during his ripe 20 years of age, so he knew his way around. The scenery hadn't changed either...from the last time he saw it. But...there had been changes over those 2000 years. Where once had been his home village, now stood quite thick and vast forest, filled with spruces and pines. The fact that he owned the land inside 14 miles from his cabin pretty much ensured that the forest would remain intact. After a while of driving ahead, Iron Maiden's 'Strange World' playing from the stereos, the cabin came to his sight. The cabin itself was pretty much like a normal cabin, built mostly from wood. However, the design differed somewhat from what your average cabin would look like. For instance, this cabin was built onto a small hollow on the ground, making the cabin look like it was burrowed on the ground like a huge pillbox. It hadn't been that much of a trouble to dig the slope that worked as a pathway to the cabin entrance. Of course, that is if you thought that digging the damn thing with your bare hands sometime around 2000 years ago, and then smoothing it out over the centuries with various road improving methods could be considered 'trouble'. The cabin itself maintained more common appearance, with its walls made from pine and the roof made from tiles. Okay, that had been a more recent addition, since the roof was originally built from wood. Due to this type of construction, the cabin was a lot easier to keep warm, and if someone was really dumb enough to actually track him here, it was nearly impossible to attack inside...that is if you didn't bring grenade launchers with you. Marcus parked his SUV to the driveway and got out. The blizzards that the weather forecast promised when had arrived here had died out, but it had started raining about 2 days ago. The temperature was around -34 Celsius, which didn't bother Marcus one bit. He drew a deep breath, not even flinching when the cold night air nearly froze his sinuses. ["Home sweet home,"] he thought, and picked up his suitcase, along with the groceries he had bought from the nearby 24/7 gas station, from the SUV and walked inside the cabin.

While the cabin itself was quite old (2030 years old, to be exact), it had gone through so many renovations and re-modeling that Marcus had actually lost count how many times he had refitted the place. Electricity, plumbing and telephone lines were the newest additions to this place he called 'the' home. He flicked the lights on, and his smile deepened a bit from nostalgia. While the interior still looked the same as it did a year ago, he always could see glimpses of his Kaisa and himself spending time together...or pursuing other...'activities'. The interior of the cabin seemed quite standard. The living room took most of the space, along with the adjacent kitchen. A table stood at the right side of the room, with 2 wooden chairs. A big couch and a recliner were lined up so they had a good view to the television. The bedroom wasn't exactly a bedroom. The space that could be considered as a bedroom was more like an overhang of sorts, with a ladder providing access to it. There was a fireplace underneath the overhang, along with a small bookshelf that hold some of the less read books than the one in Roswell. Marcus briefly wondered if he remembered to sweep the chimney during his last stay here. The windows were small, but they were big enough to provide light during the daytime. It had been a lot harder to get the bathroom, shower and sauna done, but he had managed. There was a door near the overhang that lead to the shower-room/bathroom. A very ornate carpet was on the floor and a big bear skin was hung at the wall. There was also a large drawing from Kaisa...even if it was drawn from memory. But...out of all his previous wives, she was the one he remembered with such a clarity that only Amanda could hope to compete. Marcus smiled wistfully when he looked at her long hair, fair features and the leather and animal skin clothes she wore at the time. He allowed a single tear to be shed for her memory, then continued his task.

He dropped the suitcase on the floor and put the groceries to the table, shrugged off his thick trench coat and hung it to the rack. He took the groceries and started to put them inside the refrigerator, after he had put it back on, off course. After he was done, he picked up his suitcase and climbed up to his 'bedroom'. He opened his suitcase and started to unpack, putting his spare clothes to the drawer. Then he made his way back down again, and walked outside, heading to the now snow-covered pile of firewood. Fortunately he always covered it with a large blanket so the snow wouldn't stick to the firewood. Marcus wiped most of the snow away, and removed the blanket, revealing 'almost' dry firewood. He piled up a good armload and walked back to the cabin, his mind blank at the moment. Once inside, he made beeline to the fireplace and started to place them in a neat pile that would burn slower, allowing maximum warmth to the cabin. Once done, he grabbed the old newspaper he had left near the fireplace to collect dust and tore it into small slices, mixing them up with the firewood. He took some matches, and frowned when there were only 2 left. ["Have to remember to buy a new box,"] he thought before setting the newspaper slices on fire, and it didn't take long for the firewood to catch fire.

Marcus smiled as he got up, putting the near empty box of matches back in its place and walked to the living room. It had been so long since the last time he was here...in his true home, where his life was free from worries, free from the hatred of his adopted tribe. Free to live with his wife a life of his own. While a year may not seem so much for someone else...to a man who was old enough to be there when Jesus was crucified (he wasn't...in fact, he was wandering through Siberia at the time), it was a long time. And the fact that this place...this specific location where he died his First Death...didn't reduce the lengthtity of the great memories he still had was only a good thing.

"Home sweet home..." he murmured tiredly, and fell asleep on the couch, the fire from the fireplace warming the cabin gradually.

*************************************************************

[Bored to Mundane life]

Martial Arts Studio, 4:39 p.m.

Connor observed Liz critically when she stood on the other side of the mat. He had allowed Liz to spend some time to warm up before they started the training, but now Connor was REALLY worried. Liz seemed focused enough, but to Connor, she seemed like her mind was wondering around somewhere in Canada by now. ["This is definitely nae good fer her,"] Connor thought. "Ye ready, lass?" he asked, getting Liz's attention back to the present. Liz's flinch from the sound of his voice was good enough proof of that.

"Yes," Liz said, settling into her own battle stance.

Connor nodded, and brought his Katana up. They kept their gaze locked for a moment...and then Connor attacked. Liz parried, and struck Connor to the face with the hilt of her Wakizashi. Connor staggered back, and parried the barrage of thrusts and slashes Liz delivered to him. Metal clanged against metal as sparks flew from contact. Liz backed away, sidestepped and tried to knock Connor on the ground with a wide sweep from her right leg. It didn't work, because Connor had backed away, and delivered a quick kick to Liz's temple. While Connor might not be as experienced in Martial Arts as his kinsman Duncan, he knew enough fighting moves to keep him from being surprised. Liz shook her head slightly, and got back up again. Connor inwardly shook his head. He had a clear sight to Liz's neck for at least 10 seconds, and that would have been enough for a novice to go and cut off her head. Something was definitely bothering the girl, which was distracting her from focusing to the training. And even while Connor had been thinking this over, he was still able to parry and dodge Liz's attacks with far greater ease than he had been when he tested her skills. That had been more of a true fight than what was happening now. Yes, he was supposed to train Liz, but he had no intentions to shove his sword through Liz at this point. He blocked one clumsy attack from Liz while he spared a quick glance to Richie. Even Richie had an incredulous look on his face when he observed the fight. Connor suspected that while Liz was in her current state, Richie would be able to win a match over her if they'd put against one another. Connor dodged a thrust from Liz and delivered a nasty elbow to the back of her head, nearly tossing the girl off the mat. Again he had an opening to Liz's neck while she tried to get rid of the cobwebs, but instead...Connor waited. Since Liz was completely oblivious to what was happening, he had to bring her to the present a bit more roughly than he had originally planned. That meant that he had to toy with her, and he knew that would bring out the anger eventually out of her. ["Better get it out from her system now,"] Connor thought, and shifted his stance when Liz got up.

Richie was watching this ridiculously pathetic fight with growing confusion and disbelief. Last Friday he had seen how Liz had been able to stand against Connor MacLeod a full 10 minutes before getting into the sharp end of the blade. Now...it seemed like Connor would be able to chop Liz into tiny little pieces, and she wouldn't notice a thing. ["Ok, what the Hell is going on?"] he thought, and winced when he saw Connor make a small cut to Liz's cheek. If THAT didn't wake her up, Richie didn't know what would. His attention was taken out from the fight (or slaughter, depending how you saw it) to the front door, and he saw Alex walking towards him, watching in confusion how Liz tried to pay attention to her fight with Connor...and failed miserably in it.

"Hey, man," Richie greeted Alex, and turned his attention back to the fight.

"Hey..." Alex said, but his voice faltered a bit when he saw Connor smack Liz over the head with the handle of his Katana. He grimaced when he saw that the blow had drawn blood. "Isn't that a little...extreme?"

Richie snorted, and Alex had to wonder what he had said. "Man, you really have no clue how good Liz is. She was able to keep up with Connor for at least 10 minutes before he made her stop. Now...I'm surprised Connor is even giving her time to stand up, let alone fight against him," Richie said.

Alex watched in confusion as Liz started to deliver cuts and thrusts at Connor, who practically brushed them off and send Liz sprawling to the mat again, this time backhanding her to the face. "She doesn't seem that bad to me..." Alex said, but frowned. He had seen how Liz made sport out from Richie, and she had seemed more focused then. Now...it seemed like she was distracted. Richie's unamused snort to his statement was quite a good proof of that estimate.

"Alex...Liz is SO out of her game now that even *I* could wipe the floor with her. And when you take under consideration the fact that she can turn me into a bloody mess inside 7 minutes, that's saying a lot," Richie said, his expression serious.

"Come on, lass! If I had wanted ta take yer head, I would have done that by now!! FIGHT BACK!!" Connor suddenly yelled, and sent a kick to Liz's gut, earning a angered look from Alex, and a raised eyebrow from Richie. Richie saw that Alex was about to do something stupid, so he put his hand on the boys shoulder, getting his attention.

"Don't," was all he said.

"Don't?!" Alex almost yelled incredulously. "He's abusing her."

Richie shook his head. "There's a difference between a 'wake up call' and an 'abuse', Alex, and this is the previous one. Something is distracting her, and Connor is trying to wake her up from it. Besides...she'll heal from it fast enough," he said, tightening the grip from Alex's shoulder slightly to make sure that the boy wouldn't move.

Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing, but the fact was he HAD seen the anger shining in Liz's eyes when she was at school today, and it had been distracting her during classes, but not enough to cause confusion amongst the teachers. He didn't agree with Connor's idea of 'wake up call', but given current situation...he didn't have that much of a choice but watch.

Connor was starting to loose his patience. The girl still wouldn't release her ire to him, no matter what he did to her. This called for harsher methods than he was ready to go for, and while there was not much of a chance for a headhunter to stop by here, it still hampered Liz's ability to learn from her mistakes, let alone learning anything new by observing him. "Bloody Hell, lass!!! I'm making fun of ye, and yer practically inviting me fer it! Now FIGHT BACK!!" he yelled and slashed Liz's right cheek, delivering a hard punch with his left fist as a finishing touch. Liz got up, a silent fire burning in her eyes. Good...Connor was finally able to reach to her, even if she would eventually hate him for it. "Are ye really that weak that yer letting me have my way with ya?" Connor asked, and swatted Liz's sword aside, giving him a clear way to poke through her shoulder. Liz didn't scream. If anything...she was getting angrier. "I should quit now while ya still can stand. Otherwise yer friend there will see what happens when an Immortal dies," Connor said, and delivered few cuts and thrusts to Liz, who now parried them without much trouble. Connor smirked inwardly. Now she was getting back to the present. Now he just hoped that this final push wouldn't be too much. "Ya know...I would have been able ta drop ye on the ground a lot faster the other day, but like now...I was toying with ye..." Connor started, but his words were cut off when Liz's onslaught intensified and she managed to thrust her sword into his gut. Connor grunted, but managed to still punch Liz away from him. The Quickening started its work, while Connor just stood there, watching how anger started to break through the emotional wall Liz had constructed.

"That...was uncalled for," Liz said evenly, and lashed out again. Connor parried her slash, and was forced to back away when Liz followed up with a uppercut. She was putting everything she had against him now, and Connor now smiled. ["Now we're making progress,"] he thought as he parried one of Liz's cuts, but was unable to stop her from scraping his knee. Connor grimaced and dropped on his better knee, careful not to let his injured knee touch the ground. He saw Liz ready to go for the kill, but Connor swatted her sword aside and punched her to the gut, hard. That bought him enough time for his knee to heal, and get up to counter Liz's attack. Now Connor was on defense, but he had little trouble to keep up with her now. It was clear that she wanted to hurt him...badly, but she was getting frustrated when she didn't seem to get an advantage over him. Liz managed to pass Connor's defenses and cut his shoulder, but Connor followed with a knee to the gut, doubling Liz over.

Liz was on all fours now, panting for breath. She tried to get back up again, but stopped when she felt the tip of Connor's Katana scraping the back of her neck. "I think we're done now, lass," Connor said, and waited Liz to acknowledge that fact. He knew that Liz had no way to get him off-balance from the position she was in now. Besides...this sorry excuse of training had been gone too long already, and Connor doubted that Liz had learned much from it. Probably a valuable lesson on paying attention, but aside from that...doubtful.

Liz sighed. "Yes...I lost," she said...her voice barely above a whisper.

"Only a training session, lass. Ye'll be spending a lot of time on the floor before ye're ready ta face an Immortal in a challenge," Connor said as he sheathed his Katana, and started to make his way to the sidelines where Richie and Alex stood. Alex was glaring at Connor, while Richie remained nonchalant. Liz followed shortly, a resigned expression on her face.

"You alright, Liz?" Alex asked, concerned. While he was worried what had been bothering Liz, this hadn't been exactly a way for him to find out.

"I'm fine, Alex," Liz said, but Richie's unamused exclamation cut her off before she could continue.

"You are FAR from fine, Liz. You're better than this. Hell, Connor would have made dog meat out of you inside 2 minutes if this had been a real challenge. You were so badly distracted that you even missed the fact that Connor could have taken your head off clean about 6 times during this excuse of a training bout," Richie said, his hands on his hips.

"8 times, Mr. Ryan," Connor corrected Richie while he sipped some of Jack Daniels he had managed to buy and put in the gym fridge.

"Fine, 8 times, but that isn't the point. You were able to do far better than this when you faced Connor first time, and now...what, you decided to get your brains checked out all of a sudden?" Richie said.

"OH, SHUT UP, RICHIE!!!!" Liz suddenly yelled, the fire back in her eyes. Richie was shocked from the sudden burst of anger, while Alex flinched and Connor spat his beer out from shock. "YOU ARE LIKE THE REST OF THE MEN IN THIS WORLD!!! YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR ME AND WHAT ISN'T, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT *YOU* DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT ME!!!!"

Alex raised his hand slowly. "Um...Liz, I think you're yelling at the wrong person..." he started, but the glare Liz sent to him stopped him cold.

"DON'T YOU START WITH ME, ALEX!!!" she yelled, and Alex backed away. "CAN'T I HAVE MY OPINIONS FOR THE MATTER WITHOUT YOU BUTTING IN?!!"

"Nae one said anything about that...we just said that ye're too distracted, which automatically leads ye ta path of gettin' killed," Connor said calmly, after he had wiped some of the beer away from his mouth.

Liz shook her head in disgust. "See...everyone seems to think that they know what's good to me these days. Why can't you just simply ask my opinion before you make rash decisions?" she ranted, earning confused looks from all 3 men there.

"Liz...you sure you're not thinking someone else right now?" Alex asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah...it sounds like you're more pissed at ONE particular representor of the male gender," Richie piped in.

Liz glared at them all before sighing and plopping down to the bench. "I'm sorry... I'm just...really frustrated right now," she said, putting her face to her hands wearily.

"Care to elaborate?" Richie asked curtly, but was silenced when Alex suddenly smacked him over the head...and not gently either.

"We aren't exactly the right people to talk about that if this has something to do with Max, Richie," Alex said evenly, as if daring Richie to argue back.

Connor frowned. "Ye're trying ta tell me that the lass has been out of it simply 'cause of some lad?" he asked, not believing it.

"Yes..." Liz said silently.

"What did Max do, Liz?" Alex asked as he sat down next to her. If anything, he was close enough to her to actually understand what was happening. With the factor of 'I know an Alien' giving him a good insight about the situation.

"You remember what happened 2 days ago?" Liz asked from Alex, who nodded. Connor and Richie frowned, but remained silent. They should have left and give the two some privacy, but they were both old enough to know something about relationships, although Connor suspected that Richie still hadn't learned all of it. Hell, even HE was still trying to figure out why some of the women tended to go ballistic from a drop of a hat.

"Well...Max came to see me later that night, and told me that we should take a step back from our relationship," Liz said. She couldn't even muster any indignation to her voice because she had burned most her anger on Connor, and then all of it when she had blown up to all three of them.

"Wait...he just broke up with you...like that?" Alex asked incredulously, wondering if he had damanged his head at some point and it was affecting his hearing. Liz nod to his question pulled him out from that delusion.

"And...how long have ya two been dating, exactly?" Connor asked.

Richie blinked, and made a wild guess, but hoped that he was wrong with his estimate. "2 days?" he asked.

Liz shook her head. "Longer than that...but you could probably say that we had our first...probably 'official' date last Friday," she said.

"Are you serious?" Richie asked.

"Ok, what did he say exactly?" Alex asked, not really wanting Liz to answer Richie's question.

"Well...he said that we had to find our 'balance'," Liz said the word with a sneer, "and that we needed to take a step back to find out what's really going on," she said, and then snorted in anger (or as much anger as she could muster, which wasn't much). "He just made this decision without my consent."

"Did something happen that day that would warrant the lad ta do what he did?" Connor asked, slightly curious. While he didn't like the way that boy had hurt Liz, there had to be something more behind his decision.

Liz and Alex exhanged glances, which told both Richie and Connor that it was some kind of a private matter. "Look, ye don't have ta tell me all about it, just so that I understand what is going on," Connor said.

"Well...something bad happened to a friend of ours. Actually, Max's friend to be specific. The 3 of them are somewhat of a small family of their own in that respect, so they get worried a lot if something happens to either one of them," Liz explained.

"Three?" Richie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Max, Isabel and Michael. Those three are always hanging around together...most of the time, anyway," Alex said.

Connor nodded slightly. He remembered his own happy times with Dougan and Angus when they had been kids...and before Kurgan had killed him, turning him into a Immortal in the process. Dougan had refused to acknowledge him as a kinsman after that, but Angus had helped him, even if Connor had been banished from his village. But he never forgot Angus...like he had promised.

"Anyway, something bad happened to Michael, and...well...it probably got Max thinking something," Liz finished meekly, knowing that she would get REALLY confused reactions from both Connor and Richie. And she was right, because they both looked at her with confused expressions.

"Care to elaborate?" Richie said, but when Connor smacked him over the head, HARD, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Was it life threatening?" Connor asked. Liz glanced at Alex, who just shrugged, as if saying 'Your call'. Liz nodded to Connor.

"Yes," she said.

Connor nodded. "I cannae tell for certain...but if ye want my guess, I think the lad got spooked and that forced him ta think his own mortality a bit thoroughly. And in order ta do that...he needed ta space. That's why he took a 'step back', so ta speak," he said.

Liz snorted. "I think he got to think about THAT detail a bit more than he bargained for when he and I were in that car accident over a month ago," she said.

Connor raised an unamused eyebrow. "Ye did?" he asked, and Liz nodded. "And he got hurt in it?"

"He bumped his head...and he was unconscious for a while. Why?" Liz asked, slightly confused.

"Because if the lad only started ta think about his mortality NOW, he has ta have something wrong in the head," Connor nearly exclaimed, but kept his voice down. A car accident with his loved one was not enough to shake the boy, but seeing a friend nearly die was? Where was the world going to?

Alex put a hand on Liz's shoulder. "Want a friendly advice?" he asked, and Liz nodded slightly. "When Max comes back to you, and I KNOW that will happen, make sure that he's going to grovel...a LOT, before you even consider giving a second chance to him," he said.

"Yeah...I mean, the guy was into you, that much was obvious, but that really doesn't give him the right to act like THAT," Richie said.

"Listen...I'm glad you are helping me and all, but..." Liz started, but Connor stopped her.

"Listen ta the young ones, Liz. This lad obviously has issues going in his head...but he should be able ta deal with them with YER support. That's what relationships are supposed ta be about. Being able ta show weakness in front of ye so ya can help. And...I think that the lad is somewhat of a brooding type, right?" Connor said, and Liz had to nod to his question. Max was exactly like a brooding type, who kept a lot of issues inside him.

Connor glanced at the clock, and it read 5:58 p.m. They still had a good half an hour before the session could be called over...but Connor doubted that Liz was in the mood. "I tell ya what, lass. We call it fer the day, and continue tomorrow. But I expect ye ta pay attention then," he said sternly.

Liz nodded. "I will," she said.

Connor nodded and turned to Richie. "Ye going or are ya still going ta do something?" he asked.

Richie thought about it for a moment. "What do you say you and I go for a drink?" he said casually, and Connor shrugged to the idea.

"I'm up fer it, just give me a minute ta change me clothes," he said, and went to the locker room, Richie heading outside after he had put his own sword away.

Liz got up wearily, wincing slightly from the bruises she had got during that...not so great session. The cuts had healed already, but bruises tended to take a tad longer. She frowned when she saw Alex linger a bit. "Something wrong?" she asked.

Alex shook his head. "No...well, not now at least. But I just wanted to ask you something. Something I have been putting behind a bit too long already," he said.

"What is it?" Liz asked.

"I was just wondering if you could ask from Connor or Marcus if they know any Immortals who could have been around Lima, Peru at some time around 12th to 15th century?" he asked.

Liz blinked. "Why do you ask?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know... You remember those hieroglyphics from the cave?" he asked, and Liz nodded. "Well, they seem like the hieroglyphics at Macchu Picchu, so I figured if there's a way to prove that they're 'local', it would be to ask from someone who was there," he said.

Liz sighed. "Alex...I doubt that Marcus OR Connor would know anyone from that region. From what I can tell...they both focused their traveling to either North America, Europe or Asia. I'm not sure where else Connor has been, but I doubt he visited South America at any point. But I could always ask Marcus, considering that he's the oldest Immortal I know," she said.

"Hey, it's just a thought, you know. But I'm glad you're giving it a go," Alex said.

Liz watched Alex carefully. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Isabel, now would it?" she asked

Alex blushed, and didn't say a word. Liz smiled and shook her head. "You can go now. I just have to find out how to contact Marcus...wherever he is at the moment," she said.

Alex blinked, his blush disappearing. "Wait...you don't know where he is?" he asked incredulously.

"No...I don't, and I never asked," Liz said, putting her Wakizashi away and started to make her way to the locker room.

"Ok...um...I'll be going now..." Alex said as Liz disappeared behind the door. Alex sighed. "Yeah...going now."

As he walked outside, he suddenly felt cold. It wasn't the air, which was somewhat warm considering that it was December. No, it probably had to do with the way Connor had gotten Liz so riled up at him, and then they'd figured out what had been bugging her. Well...it had worked...but Alex really doubted that he would have gone THAT far if he had wanted to figure out what was eating Liz.

["Besides...it DID work, so what are you complaining about, Alex?"] he asked from himself. ["I just don't want to see Liz get hurt, that's all."]

With that thought still in his head, Alex pedaled straight to home.

*************************************************************

Crashdown Café, 7:01 p.m.

Liz and Maria were cleaning the café, while unbeknownst to Liz, Maria kept staring at her. Maria was confused, to put it lightly. About 3 hours ago Liz seemed like she would snap at any given second, but now...she was her usual self...if a bit more quiet than usual. ["At least she isn't pushing steam from her ears,"] Maria thought, but still decided to find out what had been bothering her. She couldn't have known that the problem had already been solved. "You ok, Liz?" Maria asked.

Liz stopped wiping the glass for a second, and looked at Maria with confusion. "Yeah. Why?" she asked.

Maria blinked. "Oh...no particular reason...other than the fact that you seemed ready to go ballistic from a small move or a word just a while ago," she said.

Liz inwardly sighed. She had completely forgotten that even Maria had been worried about her sudden silent treatment and keeping her ire bottled up quite visibly...well, visibly to her friends at least. "I was just ticked at Max for being such a jackass, nothing else," she said.

"Wait...what did Max do?" Maria asked, her interest peaked at that point.

Liz continued to clean the glass. "Well...you remember last Saturday?" she asked, and Maria nodded. "Well, after we came back, he stopped by and said we needed to take a step back."

"WHOAH!!! Hold on just a minute, chica!!" Maria exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Max broke up with you?!"

Liz shook her head. "I don't think so...but you could say we're on a break of sorts. But seriously...I think he did," she said.

"And you're ok with it?" Maria asked incredulously. The sound of breaking glass shocked her, and when Maria looked at Liz, she saw that Liz had broken the glass she had been cleaning.

"I was NOT ok with it, Maria. That was the main reason why I was practically glaring venom through yesterday and today," Liz said, gently removing some pieces of glass from her hand.

"Well...are you over it?" Maria asked tentatively.

Liz paused for a minute. "Maybe. I'm not really sure. I was hurt, and I still am slightly hurt...but I think I'm going to be ok for now," she said. ["Thanks to the way Connor managed to get it out from my system."] The bruises from her face had disappeared, but she still had some under her shirt. They were healing as she and Maria spoke.

Maria nodded. "Ok...if you say so. But...let me ask you something?" she said.

Liz sighed. "What?" she asked.

"Was it a mutual decision...or did he make the decision for you?" Maria asked.

"The latter, Maria. The latter," Liz said as she walked to the front door and turned the OPEN sign to CLOSED. "And I said how I felt about it."

"Did he listen?" Maria asked.

"I think so...but we won't know for certain until Marcus gets back from his vacation," Liz said, and Maria didn't press on the issue.

*************************************************************

Roswell, 8:01 p.m, Harry's bar

Connor watched Richie with a frown while the younger Immortal tried to keep himself steady...while he was sitting. The problem with their Quickening was that they needed to drink a lot of alcohol before they actually felt anything, and since Connor was the older of the two, he wasn't feeling much of a difference from being sober, while Richie on the other hand was drunk already. 'Already' probably didn't sound right, considering that they had been drinking a good 1 1/2 hours straight. Than again...the fact that Connor had only drank beer, while Richie had drunk a good load of Tequila might have something to do with it.

"Ye think ye've had enough?" Connor asked casually, drinking the rest of his beer. He had been thinking about that lad Liz had been dating, and for the life of him couldn't understand what prompted the kid to break up with Liz. It seemed way out of the blue decision, and even Connor wasn't dumb enough to break it after going out once.

"Nooo..." Richie slurred, completely wasted. But it would wear off inside 4 hours or possibly before. Maybe later, since Richie had drunk 9 bottles of Tequila...a feat that got Connor to wonder if the lad had a huge bladder at his disposal.

Connor put his bottle away and sighed. "I think ye have. Come one, Mr. Ryan, time ta go," he said as he got up and tried to get Richie up as well. Problem was...that Richie was on a roll, and had no intentions to stop yet.

"Hey...I still have space *hic* for one bottle," he said as he pushed Connor away from him. Unfortunately...Connor hadn't adjusted his balance properly, and collided against another patron...who happened to have 2 huge beer glasses in his hands when Connor hit him. The result was that the guy lost the grip of his beer, which ended up soaking his friend.

The guy looked at his beer drenched clothes with shock, and then turned to look at Connor, along with the friend Connor had collided against, with anger.

"Bloody Hell..." Connor muttered silently, not liking the situation. He was sure that if this couldn't be handled quietly...there would be a big fight.

"What the Hell do you think your doing?" the guy who had carried the beer asked, pushing Connor slightly.

"I'm sorry, lad, it was an accident. And if ye push me like that again...ya're gonna find yerself on the floor," Connor said.

"Do you have ANY idea how much getting my clothes cleaned is gonna cost?" the guy who got drenched demanded.

Connor shrugged. "I don't know...wouldn't it be easier ta buy new ones?" he asked.

"Oh, a wise guy, huh? And what's with the accent? You one of them Irish guys?" the man with beer drenched clothes asked.

"I'm Scottish," Connor said curtly.

"Same difference," the guy who had carried the beer said. Big mistake.

Connor's eyes turned cold from that remark. Nobody insulted the Scots and the Irish being the same type. Connor punched the guy who got drenched, sending him crashing against the table, and elbowed his buddy to the gut, who slumped on the ground in pain.

"While the Irish and the Scottish have something in common, we're NOT alike," Connor said, and dragged Richie up from his seat. He walked to the bartender and put a $100 bill on the counter. "That should cover the expenses," Connor said and dragged Richie out from the bar. He was in no mood for a full out bar fight. About a hundred years ago...maybe. Now...no.

Adam Hills watched in silence as Connor and Richie left the bar, and wrote something to his chronicle. He put the book away and drank the rest of his own beer and started to leave as well. He still couldn't believe that the famous Highlander was in Roswell, New Mexico. It probably had something to do with Marcus, Adam was sure of it, and from his observations today, Adam came to the conclusion that Connor was now working as Liz's teacher until Marcus would come back. He gave a quick glance to the two patrons Connor knocked out and shook his head. You just didn't want to mix Irish and Scottish people together, even if the similarity between the two was something to think about...and Adam figured they'd been lucky that they hadn't mixed Connor for a Brit. THAT insult would have definitely broke a bigger fight. Adam paid the bartender for his drinks and left.

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 17th December, Tuesday, 9:02 a.m, school hallway

"You used your powers in front of your mother?" Michael asked incredulously as he and Max walked towards Max's locker. "That is NOT fine."

Max sighed. He had just told Michael how he had used his powers to extinguish a kitchen fire, and his mother had been nearby when he did that. Diane hadn't seen anything, but the way Sheriff Valenti had come by and started to ask questions had caused some trouble.

Max opened his locker and looked at Michael. "Michael, I'm handling it," he said, trying to reassure Michael, which by now everyone should know was easier said than done.

Michael scowled. "Well, I hope so, 'cause dealing with frick and frack over there is one thing," he gestured toward Liz and Maria who were approaching them, "but we can't bring adults into this and expect them to handle it. Adults are the enemy, Max. Remember that," he said.

Max looked at Michael for a moment before saying, "Michael, you say everyone is the enemy."

"They are," Michael said, just before Liz and Maria were able to hear it.

"Hey," Liz said, giving a somewhat less warm look to Max.

"Hey," Max said, feeling awkward now.

"Hey," Michael said to Maria.

Maria scowled. "Yeah, whatever," she said, before walking away, making sure that she went completely opposite direction than Michael did, leaving Liz and Max alone.

"So how's it going?" Max asked while he picked up a book from the locker.

"Fine," Liz said curtly.

Max inwardly flinched from her tone. "That's...good," he said, wondering if he did the right thing when he walked away from her. He still hadn't found his balance...or that's what he was thinking, because he felt more lost now than he did when he was with Liz. Life was so damn confusing, and being an alien wasn't helping.

"Max, you remember that game today?" Liz asked, and Max nodded, silently wondering was she trying to sound annoyed or was she REALLY annoyed with him. Or if she was just tired about something. "The way I see it, it's just a basketball game. We'll go, and we'll watch and then we'll leave. It doesn't have to be a big deal."

Max nodded. "I agree. It's no big deal," he said, but then inwardly frowned when he saw something flicker in Liz's eyes. Was it sadness or something else?

"Right. Just what I was thinking about," Liz said, and started to make her way to her class when a group of jocks walked by, Kyle among them. Before he passed her, he said, "Hey." Liz nodded to him, but she couldn't muster a smile...even a small one. She watched how Kyle walked off, and then continued her way to the class. But she briefly wondered if Max was feeling in anyway miserable at all about this whole thing...or was he just feeling awkward.

Max closed his locker door and not so gently leaned his head against it. No matter how many times he heard Isabel reassure him that he did the right thing when he broke things up with Liz, he still didn't FEEL like he did the right thing. And while he didn't think it was a bad thing to use his powers to extinguish the fire, he couldn't help but think that things were going to be a lot worse.

*************************************************************

[Bored to Mundane life]

West Roswell High, 11:00 a.m, The Quad

Liz was eating her lunch in silence when Alex sat next to her.

"Hey," he said, and started to get his own lunch.

"Hey," Liz said, eating her food with a thoughtful expression.

"Any news from Marcus?" Alex asked.

Liz shook her head. "Sorry, Alex, but I don't know where he is or how to contact him now that he isn't answering his cell," she said.

"What about Connor?" Alex asked.

"I haven't seen him yet, so you might have to wait a while. But if he does know anything, I'll tell you after the game today," Liz said, drinking some of her orange juice.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Just fine...at the moment," Liz said.

Alex nodded, and didn't pry. Liz's situation with Max had been dealt with already, no need to start getting nosy now. They just ate their lunch in relative silence, Alex asking some little things about Liz's Immortality until Maria arrived, and the trio started a normal conversation about regular stuff...and some more talk revolving around the alien trio. Or...in this case, Maria ranting about how insensitive Michael was.

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 6:30 p.m., school gym, basketball game

"Go, Comets! Whoo!" Liz yelled as their team tried to get a basket. They had cut off her training early so she would be able to watch the game. But...since her thoughts didn't revolve around Max and the way he broke their...relationship, she had been able to actually pay attention during the training. She was able to last a tad longer than 10 minutes per bout, but she did learn from it. She still couldn't beat him, though. When they had stopped, Connor had been confused about Liz's reason to go and watch the game at all, but Liz said that she wanted to go. Besides, this was a good way to tell Alex what she had learned from Connor...which happened to be a whole lot of nothing, aside from the fact that Connor had been wandering around Africa along with Europe, Asia and North America...just as she had suspected. She briefly wondered how Marcus was doing, but that thought was put aside when the Comets managed to make a basket. Maria got up and yelled, "Whoooh!!"

Maria, however, saw that everyone was watching her with a raised eyebrow, and Maria blushed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I retract that last 'whooh.'" She sat down.

Michael shook his head. "Humans," he muttered to Max.

"What?" he asked, slightly confused.

"How exited they get over someone throwing a ball through the hoop. It's ridiculous," Michael said.

Max watched Michael for a moment, then shook his head at Michael.

Isabel arrived with 2 of her clique friends and headed to the bleachers. "Is there room for us?" Isabel asked from Alex, who immediately nodded.

"Yeah," he said as he got up and started to usher people to make room for Isabel and her friends. "Excuse me. I'm sorry. Sorry. Excuse me. Excuse me, can you just scoot, like, uh...yeah just all..." he said to other people as the row moved further, then he sat down as Isabel and her friends did the same. "So, welcome to the bleachers. Glad you decided to be a bleacher bum," he said to Isabel, who just ignored him.

While Alex had been ushering people to move, Michael found himself sitting next to Maria. "How you doin'?" he asked politely.

"Fine," Maria said curtly, then turned to look at a guy behind her. "Hey, Elliot!" she called out.

"Yeah?" Elliot asked.

"Can I switch seats with you?" Maria asked.

Elliot blinked. "Umm...sure," he said, and he and Maria then changed seats. Michael wondered what he had done now. He couldn't think about that too long when Isabel got his and Max's attention.

"I need to talk with you for a second," she said, and the three of them left for a more quiet spot at the gym.

Liz watched them go, but didn't give that much thought to it. If they needed help, they would ask for it. Simple as that. She turned her attention back to the game, and after a while the situation was tight, but she didn't let that bother her. She got up and cheered for Kyle. Unfortunately...Liz did this just when Kyle was about to catch a loose ball. He tripped and fell on the floor, and sprained his ankle. Liz watched, mortified, how Kyle yelled in pain. She was so shocked that she didn't see Max watching her with what could possibly called jealousy.

The game eventually came to an end, and with Kyle gone from the roster; the Comets were working a bit harder against their opponent, but were still able to win 21-18 against the other team. Liz was feeling a bit miserable when Alex came to her.

"I think Kyle is going to be ok, Liz. It's just a sprained ankle," he said.

"Yeah...and I'm the one who distracted him," Liz said, getting up from her bench.

"Look, the way I see it, it'll do some good for Kyle to realize that not everything revolves around sports," Alex said. True, he felt sorry for Kyle, but in his opinion Kyle gave too much attention to sports.

Liz glared at Alex for a while, then sighed. "I'm a horrible person," she said.

"No you're not," Alex said.

"What do you want?" Liz asked, not really feeling up to arguing.

"Well...you did say that you were going to tell me what Connor thought about the thing I asked from you about," Alex said.

["Oh, right, that Macchu Picchu thing,"] Liz thought. "Sorry, Alex. Connor didn't know any Immortal from that area...not that he had ever even bothered to travel there."

Alex nodded, although he was disappointed. "It's cool...it was a long shot anyway," he said.

"Hey...we can ask from Marcus if I happen to get a hold of him," Liz said, and the two of them walked out from the gym.

*************************************************************

Finland, Lapland, 18th December, Wednesday, 8:04 a.m. (12:04 p.m. Finland time), Marcus's cabin

Marcus pulled over to the driveway, and got out from the SUV. He had went to get some fresh groceries for the time being, since the ones he got from the gas station had already run out. He had also stopped by at the local greenhouse and bought bouquet made from wood anemones and hepaticas, Kaisa's favorite flowers. He walked into the cabin and started to put the groceries away, but not before carefully placing the bouquet on the table. ["I better call Connor and ask how things are going back there. I hope they aren't being sloppy with Liz's training,"] he thought as he closed the refrigerator.

He took the bouquet and walked outside, taking in the weather. Unlike when he had got here, the sky was now crystal clear, the sun shining brightly. Marcus fished out sunglasses from his pocket and put them on. Getting snowblinded was not his idea of fun, even if he was able to recover from it. Besides, the snow was so white that it was practically shining with equal intensity as the sun. Still...even if it was bright and sunny, the temperature had dropped to -40 Celsius yesterday, but Marcus didn't seem to notice. He had endured worse cold during his wandering at Siberia.

He sighed and started to head towards a very small hill, which didn't have as many trees as the surrounding area. It took him 12 minutes to walk his way to the spot, but it didn't matter. This was the sole reason why he was there in the first place. Kaisa's tombstone lay at the top of the small hill, the area around the tombstone cleared from the snow. ["It sure helps to have friends around here,"] he thought. The offspring of the man he had helped during the Winter War had been keeping his cabin and the area near the tombstone as clean as possible. Marcus had insisted that he should pay them something for doing it for him, but they had been adamant to not take any payment from it. Besides...if he hadn't helped their grandfather...they wouldn't have even born. What could you say to that? Well...Marcus hadn't listened, and had made sure that all the man's offspring got a good education.

"Pitkästä aikaa, rakkaani," (It's been a while, my love) he said to the tombstone, but as always during these visits...Marcus didn't get a response. But he was used to it.

"Toin sinun lempikukkiasi. Valko- ja Sinivuokkoja," (I brought your favorite flowers. Wood anemones and Hepaticas) Marcus said as he lowered the bouquet at the base of the tombstone. He trailed the surface of the stone in silence, bringing back all the fond memories from their time together.

"Toivottavasti Niemimaan perhe on käyttäytynyt hyvin minun poissaollessani," (I hope Niemimaan's family has behaved during my absence) he said with a smile.

"Et varmaankaan tiennyt että olen ottanut oppilaan suojakseni...kuolemattomuuteni puolelta," (I suppose you don't know that I have taken a student under my wing...from my Immortality's side) he said, sitting on the snow covered ground near the tombstone. Then he frowned. "Tai sitten tiedätkin sen jo...jos tarkkailet minua siellä ylhäällä." (Or you might know that already...if you are watching over me from up there)

Silence.

"Jos asia on niin, toivon totisesti etteivät muut edesmenneet vaimoni ärsytä sinua mitenkään," (If that is the case, then I really hope that my other late wives aren't annoying you in any way) he said with a chuckle, but sobered after few minutes.

"Olen huolissani. Liz ei ole kuin 16 vuotias, ja hän joutuu oppimaan kuinka selviytyä Kuolemattomien ja Kuolevaisten maailmassa. Eikä asiaa auta se että hänellä on romanttisia tunteita avaruusolentoon," (I'm worried. Liz is only 16 years old, and she is forced to learn how to survive in the world of Immortals and Mortals. And it isn't helping when she's having romantic feelings towards an alien) Marcus said, and he could have sworn that Kaisa's spirit or soul was now giving him an incredulous look.

"Ymmärrän tunteesi, koska minunkin oli 'hiukan' hankala uskoa sitä myös, mutta kun ottaa huomioon mitä tapahtui 40 vuotta sitten, minulla oli hiukan avoimempi käsitys siitä asiasta," (I know how you're feeling, 'cause I also had a 'hard' time believing that too, but when you take under consideration what happened 40 years ago, I have a tad more open mind about the issue) he said.

"Jos olet tarkkaillut minua ollenkaan, varmaankin tiedät minkälainen tyttö Liz on. Myönnän kyllä että hän on innokas oppimaan asioita...mutta rehellisesti sanoen hän on kuin tytär jota me emme koskaan voineet saada," (If you have observed me at all, you probably know what kind of a girl Liz is. I admit that she's a bit eager to learn things...but truthfully, she's like the daughter we were never able to have) he said wistfully, staring at the blue sky.

"No...miten sinulla menee? Siellä ylhäällä siis," (So...how are you doing? Up there, that is) he asked, looking at the tombstone, but as always, there was no answer.

"Niin hyvin, vai?" (That good, huh?) he said sarcastically, and stood up, wiping most of the snow away from his thick trench coat.

"Nyt minun on mentävä, mutta tulen käymään myöhemmin. Näkemiin," (I have to go now, but I'll stop by later. Good bye) he said, and made his way back to the cabin.

Once inside, he shrugged off his trench coat and took off his scarf. He walked to the couch, picked up the phone and dialed the number to his home in Roswell, New Mexico. It rang 4 times before Connor picked it up.

"Thorne residence."

"Good morning, Highlander," Marcus said. "Hope I didn't wake you."

"Nae, ye didn't. What is it?" Connor asked.

"Just wanted to call and find out how the training goes," Marcus said.

"Well...there was a slight problem 2 days ago...but it is sorted out now. That is if ye're ever able ta really sort out yer emotions after a break up," Connor said.

Marcus blinked. "Excuse me? Did you just say that Liz had broken up from a relationship? When did this happen?" he demanded.

"Well...as fer the relationship, I have no idea. But she went out on a date with a lad named Max. Supposedly something happened ta a friend of his, and he broke up with Liz because he needed ta do some thinking. That's the summary of it, but Liz was hesitant in giving me details," Connor said.

["I'm going to KILL that kid when I get back!!!"] Marcus thought while his right hand squeezed the handset, and it started to cave under the pressure. "Thanks for telling me about that, Connor. I'll be sure to have a little TALK with the kid when I get back," Marcus said through his gritted teeth.

"Umm...alright. Bye," Connor said, and the line went dead. Marcus nearly slammed the handset against the phone, but stopped himself JUST at the last second.

["Better become a religious person REALLY fast, Max, because you're going to need all the help you can get,"] Marcus thought, seething from rage. It was a damn shame that he was unable to bring his own Katana here, because he was in a need to do some serious damage. His gaze went to a specific spot on the wooden floor, and he rushed to it quickly, pulling open a trap door that was neatly hidden. He pulled out an axe and went outside, not even bothering to put on his trench coat. The amount of firewood seemed too small all of a sudden...

*************************************************************

Crashdown Café, 2:37 p.m.

Liz sighed as she packed a pie for Kyle. It was her fault that Kyle had tripped, and she felt incredibly guilty because of it. And if not from the simple fact that it was her fault, then from the fact that she could heal from that type of injury within an hour or so...she had no idea how long it would take from Kyle. It might be a REALLY long time...and he wouldn't be able to participate in any of the sport events. So she figured a pie and notes from Ethics class should be able to make Kyle feel better. There was a chime from the bell, and when Liz turned to look who it was, she was greeted by a sight of Max.

"New home delivery service?" he asked.

Liz shook her head. "No, actually, I was just bringing a pie over to Kyle's," she said, giving finishing touches to the package.

"Oh," Max said, not really knowing what else to say.

"Yeah. I heard that he broke his ankle, so I'm just going to get this over there and hopefully make him feel a bit better," Liz said.

"That's too bad," Max said.

"Well, not all of us can't have 'special healing abilities', Max. Besides, I kinda feel a little bit responsible for because I distracted him at the game," she said. When she saw a confused look on his face (or was it awkwardness), she elaborated, "Hey, it's just a pie."

"Right," Max said, nodding.

"Right...so, I'll see you around," Liz said, picked up the package and left, leaving a somewhat jealous and brooding Max in her wake.

*************************************************************

Valenti household, 3:01 p.m.

Liz walked to the front door and drew a deep breath. She was just going to give this pie, along with study notes, to him and leave. There was no need to feel awkward about it or anything. Then again...she hadn't exactly been in speaking terms with him for sometime now...not after seeing him in a intense make out session with Vicky Delaney at that rave when she and Alex got arrested. Besides...she wondered what had happened after that? She hadn't seen Kyle and Vicky together after that incident, and the rumor mill had been rather quiet about THAT particular subject. ["No need to go there, Liz,"] Liz thought and knocked the door.

"It's open!" Kyle yelled, which was just audible enough for Liz. She opened the door and walked inside. Kyle was sitting on the living room couch, his left leg, which was in a cast, lying on the coffee table.

"Hey," Liz said, getting his attention.

Kyle craned his head a bit, and only said, "Oh, it's you." before turning back to the television.

Liz bit her lip. He seemed to be mad at her. She walked past the couch and put the pie to the table. "Look, I know how much you like the pie at the Crashdown, so I just brought you some," she said, and stood up. "Oh, and I brought you the study notes for Ethics. I thought you might need them for the midterm." She put the notes on the table near the pie.

Liz tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Kyle...I'm really sorry about your ankle, you know...I know how much basketball means to you..." she said, but Kyle stopped her.

"I'm not really in a mood to talk about it," he said, and looked Liz to the eyes. "Ok?"

"Ok, sure," Liz said, nodding. "See ya," she said as she made her way to the front door, but before she leaves, she looks at Kyle...wondering if he's looking back at her. He wasn't, so Liz decided to leave. However...after she left, Kyle glanced to the front door, something akin to a 'thoughtful' shining in his eyes.

*************************************************************

Martial Arts Studio, 6:00 p.m.

"Ye did good today, lass," Connor said, wiping some of the sweat from his forehead. "Ye were actually able ta learn how ta counter most of me moves."

Liz smiled. "Thanks," she said, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Still...ye shouldn't let that get ta ya head. Ye still ended up ta the mat," Connor pointed out.

Liz rolled her eyes to Connor, but she knew he was right. He had a lot more experience over her, and she doubted that she would be able to disarm him for a while. But...she was learning, and that's why Marcus had asked for Connor. But that raised a question. If she was only able to stand against Connor by just keeping up with him...and that was just barely, how well would she stand against Marcus? She had sported the idea of giving him a good run, but now...she doubted it. Marcus was probably a lot better than Connor was, and you add that fact to what she knew about Connor...she had a LONG way to go before she would be even near Marcus's level. And...she still felt bad for Kyle, but she wasn't letting it dictate her thoughts.

"Something bothering ya, lass?" Connor asked.

Liz shook her head. "It's nothing really. I'm just worried about a friend of mine," she said, and then quickly added. "And no, it's not the same as it was with Max. You saw that."

Connor gave her a genuine smile. "Aye...that I did," he said, and headed to the locker room, leaving Liz watching him with confusion. And then what he had said registered in her mind. She hadn't been distracted during the training. That's how he knew. Liz laughed softly and shook her head. She should have known.

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 19th December, Thursday, 11:04 a.m., The Quad

Alex spotted Isabel sitting by herself at one of the tables. That was a rare sight, because there were some things that were constant with Isabel. She always was sitting with either her clique friends or with Michael and Max. Shrugging, Alex made his way to her, and sat down facing her. Isabel looked at Alex with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Alex blinked. "Just thought you might need some company?" he answered, and dug in his own lunch.

"Did I have a sign or something on my neck?" she asked.

Alex munched his sandwich as he looked at Isabel. He shook his head.

"Then what gave you the impression that I might need company?" she asked acidly.

Alex swallowed. "Well...you're either with Max or Michael...or with your little herd of sheep. I rarely see you sitting alone during lunch, which pretty much got my attention, and here I am," he said, looking at Isabel to the eye.

Isabel watched Alex with a raised eyebrow. She still couldn't figure out why he did this. Ok, she had seen his dream about her...which had been nice...she shook her head quickly enough that Alex wouldn't notice. She did NOT need to blush from that memory. Then she had acted as bitchy as she could muster when Michael had been sick, and he was still here. Was there something wrong in his head or was he just really persistent? She, sighing, suspected that it was the latter.

"Something bothering you?" Alex asked casually.

"That's none of your business," Isabel snapped.

Alex wasn't fazed. "Suit yourself. I was just curious," he said.

Isabel stared at Alex in shock. She had just snapped at him and he was still there. He really was persistent. "You're really annoying, you know that?" she said, exasperated.

"Yeah...I could say the same thing about your brother," Alex muttered under his breath as he drank his orange juice.

Isabel blinked. "Ok, what was that about?" she asked.

"Do you have any idea how Liz was feeling after Max broke up with her?" Alex asked.

Isabel shrugged. "I don't know. Besides...Max did the right thing when he put the brakes on. We can't get too attached," she said.

Alex snorted. "She wasn't heartbroken, I can tell you that. She was angry, Isabel. Bordering on exploding from all that suppressed anger she had going on. And seriously...Max has to be a really dense idiot to think that he can make that kind of decision without Liz agreeing with him," he said.

"Alex, we can't get..." Isabel tried to explain, but Alex had none of it.

"What? Because you're practically from another planet?" he asked, keeping his voice quiet enough that no one could hear them. "Just because you're aliens, Isabel, it doesn't give you the right to string the rest of us humans like puppets. Damn it, Max has been having a thing for Liz for God knows how long, and now he decides to break it up...why, I don't know? But I can tell you this already, Isabel. Liz is hurt, yes, but she understands you people a lot better than you think."

"What do you mean by that?" Isabel asked, surprised by the way Alex was talking back at her.

Alex shook his head. "Sorry, but that's something I'm not allowed to tell anyone until Liz is good and ready...or Marcus loosens up around you three. And I think it's only a fairly good estimate that when he finds out what Max did...he's going to be so angry that Max can consider himself lucky if he can walk out from THAT blowout with only bruises. And for what it's worth...I really hope Max gets a beating of his life," he said, and stood up, done with his lunch.

Isabel was mortified. They had completely forgotten about Marcus, and all three of them knew how he felt about Liz. When he would find out...Isabel shuddered. She didn't want to think about it now. She was already feeling torn with the way she wanted to tell her mother about the whole 'I'm an alien' thing, but Max and Michael were against it. She just couldn't understand it. And the way Max was completely ignorant about it just made it worse. ["Well...if anything, I think that if he survives his encounter with Marcus, maybe he gets over himself,"] she thought glumly.

*************************************************************

Crashdown Café, 2:40 p.m.

"Here you go, 1 Will Smith Burger and a Cherry Coke," Liz said to the customer, who nodded to her. She was about to go to the break room when Kyle...'walked' in. That is if you can consider it walking if he was using crutches to help him walk. "Hi," was all she said.

Kyle just watched Liz as she stared at him for a while before coming to him and helping him to sit on one of the booths. He had done some thinking while he was letting his brains rot in front of the TV, and he couldn't shake off the obvious fact that Liz was feeling guilty about him breaking his ankle. And normally Kyle wouldn't have given it much of a thought either, but just the fact that Liz had stopped by...even if she was feeling guilty about his situation, was enough to tell Kyle how much he missed her around. Ok, they hadn't been a 'boyfriend-girlfriend' for nearly 4 months now, and they hadn't exactly been talking to one another after the rave...or even before that either. But HE was starting to feel guilty. And that's why he was here now.

"There you go," Liz said as she made sure that Kyle was sitting comfortably.

"I figured it out," Kyle blurted out, getting Liz's attention.

Liz watched him with confused expression as she took a seat on the opposite side of him. "You figured what out?" she asked.

"It's guilt, isn't it?" Kyle asked from Liz, but wondered if she had any idea what he was talking about.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Ok, it was getting a bit weird now. She hadn't taken under consideration that Kyle could actually figure out why she had been at his house yesterday.

"The pie, the study notes," Kyle said. He now had a faint idea that Liz knew exactly what he was talking about. "It's guilt. You're feeling responsible for my ankle."

Liz shook her head, while inwardly she had to give Kyle a good deal of credit for figuring it out. "No, Kyle, I...I don't feel responsible for your ankle," she said.

Kyle smirked inwardly. She knew exactly what he was talking about, and since she had so hard time admitting it to him face to face, what his coach had said to him today when he had called should get a reaction he was expecting from her. "I just found out that I'm gonna miss the rest of the season," he said.

Liz just stared at him. "Kyle...I'm sorry, Kyle. I, I..." she tried to say it, but found out that she couldn't. And Kyle's smirk told her that he knew exactly what her reaction would be. She sighed. "Fine, I admit it. I feel a little bit responsible," she said. Kyle didn't comment, just listened. "I was sitting there, and I was...I was watching you at that basketball game, and you were getting completely trampled. Kyle, I'm...I'm sorry that our relationship has been over for a while, but when your jock friends beat up Max...I didn't like it, and I said as much to you then." Kyle nodded glumly. He wasn't exactly proud that he had stood up for his friends then. "And now...I think I know how you felt when I broke up with you," this got Kyle's attention, and he wondered what had happened, "and while it's not the same thing...I'm really sorry that our friendship ended so abruptly. And I'm incredibly sorry that you're missing the rest of the season."

Kyle was silent for a while, then gave Liz a small smile. "I'm only gonna be out for 2 weeks, Liz," he said, earning a shocked look from her. "I just said that to prove a point. And as for what happened between us...we didn't hang out that much after our break up, even when it seemed like it, and when the guys gave Max a beating...I wasn't sorry then, Liz, even though you spoke up your mind about it. But I AM sorry that something bad happened between you guys. And...I have to honestly say that I was still hoping you would come back...but I know you won't. I just couldn't let go."

Liz was shell-shocked by Kyle's words. She blinked once, then twice. "Is...um...excuse me?" she said incredulously. "Are you apologizing to ME?" she asked in disbelief.

Kyle shrugged. "I guess...but you know I am," he said.

"Wow," was all Liz said for a while. Then she smiled. "You know...I wasn't aware that this was part of your repertoire."

Kyle chuckled softly. "I didn't either," he admitted.

"So...what changed?" she asked, curious. It felt good to talk with Kyle...and not in a 'boyfriend-girlfriend' way.

"I don't know," he said, his brow furrowing. "I was like...I was just lying there for...almost 2 days, and it gave me some time to think. And THEN there was this whole thing on Sally Jessie. You know...'ex-es on a rampage', and it just...it gave me some perspective. But...anyway, I just...I think it would be great if we could be friends again."

Liz smiled. "You know...I don't think we ever stopped being friends. We just...had a disagreement," she said. "Which should be settled now...don't you think?" Kyle nodded to that.

"So...anyway...about lunch," Kyle said.

"You haven't eaten yet?" Liz asked, slightly shocked.

"Well...there wasn't anything good in the fridge...and dad's still at work, so I figured I could wait a while...but then I couldn't take it anymore and I started to hop my way here," he said.

"Oh...ok," Liz said.

"Anyway...I was hoping for something high in both fat and cholesterol and lacking in any inherent nutritional value," Kyle said jokingly.

Liz giggled. "I think you're just in luck. Let me show you," she said as she picked a menu and opened it. "Right here on the menu is our fatty section. This right here, there's, like, 4 pounds of sugar..." Liz trailed off as she showed Kyle various high-calorie foods and desserts. They both felt good to be talking to each other...even if they were going to be just friends. But they both missed the sight of Max watching them through the Crashdown window, an uneasy look in his face.

Adam Hills stole a quick glance to the two smiling teenagers, and found himself giving them a faint smile. Liz had been acting a bit glum after her brake up with Max...which happened to be a big surprise to the Watcher. But then again...he had no idea what had been going on, and it all lead to Saturday night at the Mescalero Reservation. He finished with his hamburger and got up from the stool, putting a $20 bill on the counter. He saw Max standing outside, staring at Kyle and Liz. Adam inwardly shook his head. ["You have GOT to be the biggest bonehead on the entire planet,"] Adam thought and left the cafe.

*************************************************************

West Roswell High, 20th December, Friday, 11:08 p.m., The Quad

Alex sat on one of the benches at the edge of the quad, eating his lunch. Liz seemed to be happier for some reason. Alex briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that this was the last day at school before the holidays. Or it could have been something else entirely, and he just didn't know it. There hadn't been any word from Marcus yet, and Alex really didn't mind. It was just a hunch when he had asked Liz to ask if her instructors knew any Immortals from Lima. He saw Maria pass by with a thoughtful look on her face...as if she was thinking about something. Besides, the fact that she had passed him without a second glance told Alex that she REALLY was thinking about something. ["Probably still fretting about Michael's lack of acknowledging our help,"] Alex thought bitterly. But he still had to admit that Maria didn't seem to be having THAT type thoughts in her mind at the moment...but that was pure guessing as it was.

"Hi," a voice said, and it belonged to someone Alex knew all too well. Isabel.

"Hi," Alex said curtly, and continued eating his lunch.

"Listen...I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday," Isabel said, getting Alex's attention, but he didn't answer. "Anyway, you wanted to know what had been bothering me lately?"

"Yeah," Alex said, looking at her. Something must have happened to get her opening up to him.

"Well...something happened early this week...and my mom started to wonder if we are hiding something," Isabel started.

"Like what?" Alex asked.

"Max put out a fire with his powers, but mom didn't see it. But then the Sheriff stopped by, and she has been...asking things from Max and me. And...I really want to tell her...about...you know," Isabel said.

"'I'm not exactly around here' thing?" Alex suggested, and Isabel nodded. "What's stopping you?"

Isabel sighed in exasperation. "Max and Michael. They think that if we tell her, she won't love us...me anymore. And I think they're blowing that assumption out of its proportions. I know she wouldn't hate me. She'd be hurt, maybe, but she wouldn't hate me," she said.

Alex nodded sympathetically. Liz had told him how she had told her parents about her Immortality but had deliberately left out the 'Game' from that explanation. She was worried about her parents' reaction as well...but Liz's case was definitely different from Isabel's. Not much, but still different. "The way I see it, Isabel, you have 2 choices. One, you don't give a damn about Max and Michael and go to your mom and tell her yourself," he said.

"I can't do that," Isabel said.

"Why not? Max did the same with Liz...or that's how I heard it," Alex said, frowning.

"Liz overheard us talking about it and confronted Max about it. And like the love-sick puppy he was, he caved," Isabel said.

"Isn't he still like that?" Alex asked.

"Not the point. So, what's the second suggestion?" Isabel asked.

"Two...you let Max tell you how to live," Alex said and got up, heading to his class. The lunch break was about to be over.

Isabel just watched as he went, not able to utter a single syllable.

*************************************************************

Crashdown Café, 19:50 p.m.

Liz was putting the chairs in their rightful place, a small smile on her lips. It was nice to talk with Kyle. And not to mention the fact that HE had apologized to HER had been quite interesting surprise, but definitely not unwelcome. She just hoped that nothing else would go wrong now. The school was over for the time being...and she was already making small plans for the Christmas. Besides...she had bought her presents for her parents a good week before, so that was covered. She didn't know what to give to Maria and Alex, but figured she could worry about that tomorrow. Then there was the training. Connor had agreed to have the Christmas Eve and 2 days after that free from training, but after that, the routine would be back full force. She didn't mind, really. She already learned some new tricks and was pretty familiar with Connor's fighting style...except when Connor had noticed it, he suddenly changed into something different. That had irritated Liz a bit, which resulted her getting her shoulder punctured...again. But she didn't complain. After her break up with Max, things were looking somewhat brighter now then they did then. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a soft knock from the door. She turned around and saw Max standing there. She walked to the door and opened it.

"What's up?" she asked, her voice neutral.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

Liz raised an eyebrow, but stepped aside anyway. Max got in and walked further to the café, Liz watching his every move. He seemed...troubled about something. Liz tucked her red cardigan a bit, waiting him to say something.

"How's it going?" he finally asked.

"Fine," Liz said. "How about you?"

Max nodded. "Yeah," he said, even though Liz could clearly tell he wasn't alright. Then he scratched the back of his head awkwardly when he looked at her. "I just...I want you to know that it's ok. I mean...you don't have to feel uncomfortable if you and Kyle get back together."

Ok, that was so not what she had expected to hear. Liz raised a confused eyebrow and said, "What?"

"I saw you two together at the Crashdown yesterday," Max said, gesturing the booth she and Kyle had used.

Liz blinked. Ok...he DEFINITELY was jealous, that was a fact. And...WHO the Hell did he think he was? "Ok, Max. First of all, that couldn't be further from what's happening," she said evenly, walking closer. Max instinctively backed away because there was angry fire in Liz's eyes. "And secondly...IF it was happening, I sure as HELL wouldn't need YOUR permission, Max!"

Max blinked, then shook his head. "I'm getting out of here," he muttered, making his way to the door. "Now you sound like Isabel."

["What?"] Liz blinked and turned to Max. "Why do I sound like Isabel, Max?" she asked. ["Because if that's the case, I seriously need to have a girl-to-girl talk with her after this. Maybe I should tag Maria along..."]

Max stopped, and turned to look at Liz. "She's got this thing all of a sudden that I'm controlling," he said.

Liz watched Max with neutral expression, then snorted, much to Max's surprise. "Oh, so it's HER thing," Liz said, shaking her head in exasperation. God, Max could be really dense sometimes. Even she could see it now.

"What?" Max asked, puzzled.

Liz looked at Max with 'You are so clueless' look. "Max, just take a psych class, because you ARE controlling," she said, and sat on one of the stools.

"Hey, I am who I am. I've got a lot going on, and I'm trying to make things work," Max said indignantly.

Liz resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Hell, SHE also had a lot going on, even MORE than what Max was dealing with, and she wasn't acting like a big control freak. She dealt with it, and now when she had Alex by her side, it was easier to cope with it. She just wished that she could tell for certain what Maria's reaction to her Immortality would be. Because Liz had this nagging suspicion that Maria out of everyone she knew would take it worse. But she'd deal with that when the time came. Not before. Max...he had this obsession to make things go 'smooth'. "Max, you know what your problem is?" Liz said, getting his attention. "You put everything on yourself...on your own shoulders. Maybe you should have some faith in the people around you." But Liz knew that she was being hypocrite when she said those words. She wasn't being honest to her parents about the 'darker' side of her Immortality. But the difference between her and Max was simply this. She knew how her parents would react, especially her father. It was either convent or bust, and that choice was pretty obvious to Jeff Parker. Straight to convent...for the rest of her life. No...she couldn't tell them yet. Maybe when she finally turned 18, when they couldn't tell her what to do. But until then...she just couldn't tell them. In Max's case, however, it was slightly different. From what she could tell, Max's mother was a loving person. Liz was putting a lot of faith for her now, but she at least suspected that Diane Evans would be able to deal with her children's...unique status. She hadn't met Mr. Evans yet, so she couldn't tell how he would feel about it. But that was how Liz felt about it. Ultimately...it was in Max's hands. Or...in Isabel's hands, if she chose to go and tell her mother behind Max's back. ["Which is something I doubt will happen,"] Liz thought. Then a thought occurred to Liz. Maybe Max couldn't tell his parents because of the same fact she hadn't told her parents about the 'Game'. He wanted to protect them. So that pretty much put them in the same line when she thought about it more thoroughly. ["I hate it when I'm suddenly right."]

Max, however, was thinking what Liz was saying. She was making sense, but the risk was too big. "I'll...think about it," he said, and left. Or, at least tried to, when Liz's voice stopped him.

"Max...have you found your 'balance' yet?" she asked.

Max didn't turn around, not really wanting to look her in the eyes. "No," he said.

"I think you're lying," she said, and spun around, astonished that Liz had said something like that. "I think that you just gave me that as an excuse because of Michael and Isabel."

Max shook his head. "It's not like that," he insisted.

"Bull," Liz said evenly, and Max wondered if she was holding back. She wasn't...she was just tired. "I know you're trying to protect me, Max. And while I find that flattering, I DON'T need you to protect me. I'm not some damsel in distress, and I sure as Hell will never succumb to that kind of part. I can take care of myself, Max...and I can also help you...if you'd just let me. But this whole 'we're Aliens and you're not. Deal with it' attitude is not healthy. We helped you when the FBI was around. We helped YOU when you ended up into the hospital. WE helped Michael just last week, even if I stepped out, and you STILL give us a barest minimum of gratitude. Michael's behaviour tells me that to him...it didn't even happen. But it DID happen, Max. And as much as you, Michael and Isabel hate to admit it...me, Maria and Alex are part of this. Same goes to Marcus. And if you think that ANY of us needs YOUR permission to actually DO something...you have another thing coming. Marcus will beat you to death if you even dare to go as far as doing that." Liz took a step closer to him, her eyes locked on his back. "Max...you have got to let go of your role as a 'leader'. Because you're not fit to lead...mostly because you're too young, and...you think that everything that goes wrong is automatically your fault, when it isn't. Like I said...have more faith in people. And don't think that you can tell all of us what to do."

Max hadn't said a word...and he couldn't. He almost turned his head to look at Liz...but couldn't force himself to do it. He opened the door and left, without a glance behind him.

Liz walked to the door and locked it. She sighed. What she had said to Max had been harsh, but that had been something she had wanted to say something like that for a while now. But when he had said that it was OKAY for her to go back to Kyle...that had been a last straw. So she spoke up her mind...that he was controlling, not caring if she hurt his feelings in the process. However...she couldn't shake off a feeling that she was calling kettle black. She wasn't controlling, but she was a hypocrite, because SHE hadn't told her parents everything. Maybe she should tell her parents about the 'Game'...at some point. Claudia, as much as she could tell, had been able to cope with it. But her parents weren't that open minded when it came to their daughter. But that was the thing...wasn't it? She wasn't their daughter, but she still was...in heart. Liz leaned her head against the slightly cool surface of the glass. "What to do..." she murmured softly, then left as she turned off the lights in her wake.

Maybe she would tell them. But not yet. Maybe when Marcus would be back...but not before.

TBC...

[Bored to Mundane life]

Hi there. This is not another 'A/N'...this is the REAL DEAL. Yes, Part 24 is FINALLY finished...and it turned out to be a bit longer than I intended it to be. But I needed to clear some things up...and maybe confuse you a bit more along the way. Now, special thanks to Liz Parker Evans, NewYorker18, Sternbetrachter (x2), girlie_girl, LizzyBug (x3), Ladeia3 (x2), roswellian504, angeleyes (x2), Tesseract (x4), LEL (x5), omby, Feynor, rosbuffyangelfanatl, Rebel101 and PhoenixFlamez. Extra special thanks to NewYorker18 from the beta-work.

PhoenixFlamez Hey there. And since it's more you're asking, then more shall ye receive.

LizzyBug *wince* Sorry to hear that, Lizzy. But I do hope you're feeling better now...and if you aren't, hopefully this new *extra* long part will help.

Title: "Concept of Eternity"
Author: Bored to Mundane life
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. If they did, Alex would have lived on and season 3 would have been a lot more different. The only character that belongs to me is Marcus Thorne. I also hope that Bruce Dickinson doesn't mind if I use him in this fic.
Synopsis: Liz Parker is having just a regular day at the Crashdown, when suddenly an argument between two customers gets out of hand, and she's shot. She is raced quickly to the hospital, but she dies en route. But before she is considered as a lost cause, her heart starts beating. Later on, her history teacher, Marcus Thorne, tells her that she's an Immortal. She'll be then pulled into the life of the Immortals, better known as 'The Game'. With no way out. But her apparent resurrection has raised other peoples attention as well. And Liz suddenly finds out that she isn't the only one harboring a considerably large secret. But how does Max Evans, his sister Isabel and Michael Guerin fit into this?
Category: Crossover, Roswell/Highlander, strictly CC.
Rating: PG-13, probably R at some point.
Feedback: Definitely appreciated. And definitely needed, so I know that my writing isn't going to waste.

Part 24:

Evans Household, 4th January, Saturday, 8:02 a.m., The Kitchen

Isabel was eating her breakfast silently, thinking how the new year was going to start. Would it be a new beginning for all of them...or the end for her brother, Max. Isabel had been doing some thinking...ever since she had wanted to tell her mother about her...'uniqueness'. Of course...that hadn't come to pass. Her mother was still unaware about their 'alien side' and Max still seemed to be brooding more than it was possible. Christmas had been tense, to say the least. Thankfully the tension had lessened somewhat during New Year's Eve, but Isabel still felt bad for not telling her mother. Well...it couldn't be helped now. She sipped some of her orange juice (laced with Tabasco) as she pondered one of the most troubling aspects with the start of new year. Marcus. He was coming back, and things would return back to the way they had been before he had left...or worse, he would get SERIOUSLY pissed when he would found out that Liz and Max had been in a relationship and that Max had broken up with her. Isabel still believed that it was the right thing to do...but she had gotten so used to the idea of Marcus being gone, that she had completely ignored how HE would feel about it. And Isabel was fairly sure that when Marcus WOULD find out what Max had done...well, Max would be in trouble, and that was saying it nicely. Isabel still remembered what Max had said about Marcus when they had had a 'talk' after the car accident nearly 2 months ago. The fact that Marcus had been able to punch his hand through a locker door had been disturbing news and Isabel shuddered at the thought of what Marcus could do to bones. She had to tell Max about this, NOW. She had already delayed it, hoping that Max would realize that Marcus was coming back. He hadn't, of course, so it was up to her now to bring him up to speed. The problem was...she had no idea when Marcus WAS coming back. For all she knew...he could have returned already. ["Well...he will be there when the school starts day after tomorrow,"] she thought.

Max decided to walk into the kitchen then, his hair still damp from the shower. He walked to the fridge and peered inside, completely oblivious to Isabel's concerned gaze. He closed the fridge after he had picked up a milk carton, and stopped for a moment when he saw Isabel.

"Good morning," he said, as he made his way to the coffee maker, picking up a coffee mug in his wake.

Isabel sighed, shaking her head. "You really don't remember," she said.

Max watched her in confusion. "Remember what?" he asked.

"Max...tell me how many days there are left before school starts," Isabel said, staring at him.

Max blinked. "Umm...one?" he said, shrugging slightly after he put the milk carton away.

"And?" Isabel pressed, hoping to find SOME kind of reaction from him.

"And...what?" Max asked, not getting it. Isabel hadn't been talkative ever since their decision to not tell their mother, but he had no idea what she was trying to say.

Isabel smacked her forehead, irritated. "God, it's January, Max! Are you telling me you have FORGOTTEN who is going to return at ANY moment?!" she yelled.

Max blinked, scratching the back of his head as he tried to come up with an answer. Well...the school would start soon, so it was probably related to that...but he didn't know anyone who would...his train of thought was cut short when realization hit in. "Oh crap," he muttered, his eyes wide.

Isabel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'oh crap' indeed, brother of mine," she said.

Max groaned. "God...how could I forget HIM?" he asked from himself, and then fell silent when he remembered their 'conversation'. "Do you...think he knows about me and Liz?"

Isabel shrugged. "Not really, Max. But I'm betting a good money on the possibility that he WILL find out before school starts," she said.

Max glared at Isabel. "I knew I shouldn't have broken up with Liz, no matter what you and Michael said," he said.

Isabel didn't flinch, but instead, stood up and growled, "You shouldn't have even STARTED anything with her in the first place, Max. And NOW...we're ALL in deep shit thanks to you."

Max put his hands over his face, letting out an exasperated sigh. He had completely forgot about Marcus. He had gotten used to not seeing him for a month, and now it came back and bit him in the ass.

"Ok...I just...have to...make him understand that...I didn't..." he started to talk with himself, trying to think what he would say to Marcus when he would hunt him down.

Isabel shook her head sadly. "Max...you remember what Michael told you after that car accident?" she asked.

Max looked at Isabel for a moment, and then nodded his head. Michael had said that excuses wouldn't work. In fact, it would only make things worse. "So...the only thing I can do is face the music, is that it?" he asked.

"It seems that way, brother," Isabel said.

They remained silent for a while, until Diane and Philip came to the kitchen to get some breakfast of their own. Diane did ask what was bothering them, but Max and Isabel just said that they were already feeling bad that school would start. That answer apparently satisfied Diane, but then Philip started to admonish them about the lack of interest in their education.

*************************************************************

Crashdown Café, 2:25 p.m.

"Here you go, 2 Today's Special, 1 Alien Blast and 1 beer," Liz said as she handed the orders to Connor and Richie. Both men smiled and nodded their head as a silent 'Thank you'. Liz smiled as well and went back behind the counter. The New Year's Eve had been rather interesting day...at least to her, her parents, Maria and Alex. The day when the old year turned to new...and you finally realize how much things have changed. It had been her first Christmas AND New Year's Eve without Grandma Claudia, and that fact had hurt Liz a lot. Jeff and Nancy had been sad about it as well, and all three of them had watched the fireworks with tears, remembering all the happy memories from Claudia. Maria had been pretty vocal how 'lame' the fireworks had been without Claudia, and Alex had agreed with that full heartily, but they both had refrained from saying any of THAT at the Parkers earshot. It would have been rude on their part, and they both missed Claudia as well. Claudia had been the person who could 'liven' any kind of celebration by just being there.

Liz sighed. It hurt to remember the loss of her grandmother, but it hurt even more if she didn't even try to remember all the great times she had with her. Liz also missed Marcus. While she had gotten used to the fact that he left Roswell every December, she still wanted him to be IN Roswell. To guide her, give some shred of insight from his own experiences, ANYTHING to just help her to keep going. Well...the training sessions with Connor helped a bit, but instead of feeling distracted, Liz had been downright depressed. Connor HAD understood how Liz was feeling, even though he had no REAL experience in losing a parent figure. He had been cast out from his kin only shortly before the man who had adopted him had died. Granted, it wasn't the same as losing a grandparent, but Liz had been grateful. It still didn't help to lift her depression.

Maria walked to Liz, who was at the moment leaning against the counter, her head resting over her arms. Maria nudged her friend gently. "You feeling alright, chica?" she asked.

Liz lifted her head to look at Maria. "I'm fine," she said, and returned to her original position...staring out the window.

Maria shook her head, grimacing. "Ok, I can't help you if you don't talk to me, Liz. I have, like, NEVER seen you this depressed before, and I REALLY don't know how to help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," she said, taking a seat next to Liz.

Liz closed her eyes, a single tear managing to escape through her lashes. "I don't want to talk about it..." she muttered.

"Well, that's just too damn bad, chica, 'cause I'm going to drag your ass to the break room and get the story out of you. One way or another," Maria said as she started to drag Liz's reluctant form to the break room.

Meanwhile, Connor had been watching the interaction between his temporary student and her friend with some interest, but his main focus had been Liz. ["Poor lass,"] Connor thought, shaking his head slightly. It was hard enough just being an Immortal. Being an Immortal with family was even harder, especially if the family had older people in it. If Connor's observation had been correct, Claudia Parker's death hadn't fully registered in Liz's mind until Christmas...the time he also had wanted to spent with his son and wife, but being unable to because of his promise to Marcus. Granted, Connor wasn't in depth with the old Immortal, but still, Connor respected the Scandinavian a lot, and he couldn't say 'no' to him. Richie had been almost at home during Christmas and New Year's Eve. Sure, he had made a few calls to the gang in Seattle, but aside from that, he hadn't even bothered to spare a thought to the place. Well...Richie wasn't Connor's problem, and the lad was old enough already to keep his head on his shoulders. The fact that Richie had picked up a few things from Marcus had only increased the lad's chance of survival in the 'Game'.

"What is it, Connor?" Richie asked as he ate the steak. Connor sighed. Well...the lad may be 40, but he STILL acted like a brat when it came to his eating habits.

"I'm just worried from the lass, Richie," Connor said, taking a small bite from his own food.

Richie nodded sadly. "I was there, you know. Well, when the whole family and not-family was waiting for the news," he said.

Connor stared at Richie. "Ya were there with them when the lass' grandmother was ill?" he asked, wondering if the lad was making it up, but doubted it.

"Yeah. I had only seen her from a glimpse, but I could tell the lady had this...aura of gentleness and 100% mirth emanating from her. I mean, when she smiled, I couldn't help but to do just that. NOT doing so felt like...an insult, or something. And when Marcus called...well, I just showed up and gave my support," Richie said.

Connor nodded, focusing his attention back to his own food. Besides...Liz had told him that she missed Marcus. Maybe if the bloody Scandinavian returned quickly, lass would be able to pull herself out of the depression that was eating her. Richie and Connor talked about mundane stuff, and Connor asked how his kinsman was doing. Richie froze briefly, and then just said with a shrug, "Well enough."

Connor shook his head. ["Damn it, Duncan, what did ya do ta the lad?"] he thought. He had TRIED to ask his kinsman the story, but it seemed that both the student AND the mentor were reluctant to talk about it. Frankly, it was starting to annoy Connor.

Then, to both Richie's and Connor's shock, a VERY familiar buzz entered into their radar...and they both grinned and thought at the same time, ["FINALLY!"]

**************************************************************

Meanwhile, the break room

Liz sat on the recliner, looking at Maria while she paced and ranted about life in general, when Liz's mind was actually walking to Los Angeles. Whatever Maria was saying at the moment, Liz just couldn't let herself care. She wasn't THAT miserable, just sad that one of the few most important people in her life was gone...HAD been gone for some time now, but only now did the loss came to fully bring itself known.

"And chica, it is NOT healthy to brood over the fact that Claudia isn't among us. Yes, she's gone, and it hurts me too, but that's the way life is. No one lives forever, and everyone will grow old and die sooner or later," Maria said, finishing her rant.

Liz raised a unamused eyebrow and snorted at what Maria had said. ["Yeah...everyone will grow old and die sooner or later...except me,"] Liz thought bitterly. In fact, she was in worse mood NOW than she had been BEFORE Maria had started to bring up the 'facts-of-life' to her.

Then Liz's eyes suddenly widened from shock. A buzz! A BIG one too!! And Liz knew only ONE person who had a buzz THAT intense. "Marcus..." Liz whispered, got up and ran straight to the café. Maria blinked, staring at Liz's disappeared form.

"Ok...what just happened?" she asked from herself, and followed Liz. Maria was surprised to see that Liz was practically standing in front of the door, pretty much blocking her way. Maria growled and peered through the diamond shape window and frowned. Ok, Liz was definitely standing there, but she was...Maria's eyes widened from disbelief when she saw Mr. Thorne stand at the entrance, smiling. He wore a leather jacket, black jeans, sneakers and a white shirt. A suitcase was lying next to his feet, and his backpack was casually hanging over his left shoulder. What DID get Maria's attention was that Marcus was sweating slightly. She raised an eyebrow. It wasn't THAT hot outside...in fact, it was nearly freezing. But then again, to a desert dweller 50 degrees WAS cold. Marcus...he had had worse.

"What?" Marcus said, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't your favorite uncle-by-name gonna get a hug?" He even spread his hands wide as a welcome. Liz just released a small laugh and nearly tackled Marcus on the ground as she ran to hug him. The rest of the patrons in the café raised an eyebrow to the display, but then ignored it. Richie stared at Connor, who was chuckling softly.

Liz tightened her hug on Marcus. "I missed you," she said so silently that Marcus had a hard time hearing her.

He smiled. "I missed you too, Liz. And I do have to admit that my cabin DOES seem somewhat empty when I'm all alone there," he said, and pulled himself slightly away from the embrace, looking Liz to the eyes. "Maybe next year I bring you along..." he frowned a bit, "...but I don't think you could take the cold."

Liz's smile faltered a bit, and she buried herself to his chest, weeping slightly to Marcus's shock. "I'd like that..." she said, her voice muffled. It was a good thing that Liz didn't see Marcus's expression turn from shock to anger. And Connor knew all too well to WHOM that anger was directed to. Maria also had a pretty good idea about that, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out HOW Marcus could have found out about it. It wasn't like Liz had spread the news about hers and Max's break-up to EVERYONE. What disturbed Maria, though, was the fact that as quickly as it had appeared, the anger in Marcus' face disappeared completely. If she hadn't seen it herself, Maria would have dismissed it as nothing. But hanging around with the alien trio tended to make her vary...especially after the whole 'Topolski incident'.

Marcus allowed Liz to hug him, and turned his gaze to Maria. "Ms. DeLuca," he said, acknowledging her presence.

Maria nodded. "Mr. Thorne," she said politely.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Any...problems I should be aware of?" he asked.

["Oh...he's smooth,"] Maria thought approvingly. Maria knew that Marcus knew SOMETHING, but the way he was baiting her to tell the rest...amazing. "Oh...nothing we couldn't have handled ourselves," she said, shrugging.

Marcus's other eyebrow rose too, and he nodded slightly, not pushing it. He WOULD find out what had been happening eventually. No need to rush it. "Has Mr. Sommers been a good replacement?" he asked.

Liz pulled back from the embrace and looked at Maria for a second, then turned back to him. "NO!" they both said at the same time. "He is NOTHING like you...and truth be told, *I* missed you too...and THAT'S saying a lot," Maria said, and Liz nodded in agreement.

Marcus grinned. "Well, it's good to know you're missed," he said, then turned his gaze to Liz. "And you, young lady...I want to hear EVERYTHING that I have missed."

Liz nodded and turned to Maria. "Will you cover for me?" she asked.

Maria waved her off, smiling. "Chica, you look like your old self again, and if THAT isn't a good enough reason to cover for you, I don't know what is," she said.

Liz nodded her thanks and she and Marcus, after he picked up his suitcase, walked to the break room, and from there to the apartment upstairs. Connor and Richie got up from their booth, paid the bill and left...but not far. They just walked to the alley and waited at the back door, and it was opened few minutes later by Liz. They walked back up, and Connor walked straight to Marcus, giving a brotherly hug to him.

"It's good ta see ye again, Marcus," Connor said as he pulled away. "I donnae think I remember the last time we met."

Marcus snorted. "What? You mean to tell me you already forgot the man who helped you to find Nakano?" he asked with mock indignation.

"Ah...NOW I remember! And I also remember that ya nearly gut me up as well," Connor said, but there was mirth in his voice.

Marcus stole a quick glance to Liz and asked, "Your parents aren't home, right?"

Liz shook her head. "No, but they should return in an hour or so," she said.

Marcus turned back to Connor. "Can you blame me? YOU'RE the one who insisted a challenge, I just wanted to walk away," he said.

Connor scowled. "Ya still didn' need ta gut me up, but..." Connor's expression softened, "...I WAS pretty insisting, wasn't I?" he said.

Marcus grinned. "Damn straight you were," he said, then turned to Richie. "How's life going for you?"

Richie shrugged. "Not complaining. And I can also say that Roswellians DO know how to celebrate New Years Eve with style," he said, grinning. Liz rolled her eyes to that.

"Wouldn't know anything about that, since I never stick around for the New Years," Marcus said dryly, then turned to Connor. "How has the training been going?"

Connor's smile almost disappeared. "Nae as well as I would have hoped. She DOES give me a run for me money, but since ya haven't been around...she's stuck," he said, and Liz glared at Connor. "She isn' learning anything new from me...only countering what I'm doing."

Marcus nodded to that. "Well, if she's able to fight YOU for...how long?" he asked suddenly.

"Lass is able ta keep up at least 20 minutes...but after that, I'm able ta disarm her," Connor said.

"You know, I'm still here," Liz said, waving her hand slightly. They didn't hear her.

"Well, now when I'm back, she should be able to at least get you into a nasty situation pretty quickly. We'll see in a week," Marcus said. "You guys can go now. I have something to discuss with Liz...privately."

Connor and Richie nodded, and started to leave. "Oh, and Connor," Marcus said, getting the Highlander's attention. "You are free to go back to your son and wife now."

Connor gave a lopsided grin. "I came this far with the lass. I'd like ta see it through...especially if she will be able ta beat me," he said, and walked down the stairs. Richie stared at Connor for a moment, and shrugged, following his example. Now the only ones in the living room were Liz and Marcus, who had fallen silent. Liz sighed and sat down to the sofa.

"How much do you know?" she asked, getting Marcus's attention.

"From our alien 'friends'?" Marcus asked, and Liz flinched from the tone she heard in the word 'friends'. "I DO know that you and Max had a...'relationship' going on...and then he broke up with you."

Liz nodded. "I suspected as much. But I HAVE told him how I feel about it...without holding anything back," she said.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Did he listen?" he asked.

Liz shrugged. "I really don't know. He...um...has this tendency to be...controlling," she said.

Marcus's eyes narrowed dangerously. "'Controlling'?" he asked, barely able to restrain himself from snarling.

Liz started to shake her head. "Not like that! Just...*sigh* he thinks that we have to ask permission from him for every little thing we do," she said, her shoulders dropping slightly.

Marcus snorted. "He thinks he's in charge, huh?" he mused. "I'll be MORE than glad to bring him down from THAT delusion."

Liz stood up quickly. "Wait!! You can't hurt him," she said.

"Why not? HE hurt YOU," Marcus said.

"I KNOW that. But it's something *I* have to deal with myself," she said, earning a surprised look from Marcus. "Besides...umm...there's some other stuff that has been...going on lately."

Marcus sighed. "Ok, start talking. BUT...I WILL have a talk with that boy," he said forcefully, and then softened a bit. "But I won't do anything...permanent."

Liz smiled slightly. "Good. Now, take a seat, there's a lot of stuff I have to tell you..." she said, and once they both had taken a seat, Liz started to tell Marcus all about what had happened while he had been away. She told him what had happened during the heat wave after he had left, but decided to leave out the rather humiliating experiences she had had during that time, which included her walking in on her parents AND teachers in a heavy make-out session, along with the fact that she had gotten arrested in a rave. That wasn't something she wanted to tell Marcus, who probably would have given her a lecture. She did bring him in on that Alex now knew both her secret as well as the aliens' secret. Marcus had been surprised by that, and had asked how it had gone. He chuckled a bit from the image of Alex fainting as he saw the wound Liz had done to herself healing right in front of his eyes, but he sobered when Liz told him that she and Max started 'seeing' each other shortly after that. But the real laughter started when Liz told Marcus how Alex had walked in on her little evaluation bout with Connor...and that Alex had managed to tackle the Highlander and pound him to the face. After the laughing died down, Liz told him how Michael had found out about a message Nasedo had left to the cave where River Dog had taken her and Max 2 months ago. Marcus was also surprised to find out about a message, but he didn't really give a damn about anything regarding the aliens, so he didn't go ballistic like Michael. However, Marcus DID get interested when Liz told him that Michael had suddenly gotten sick, without any real reason, until River Dog had given them answers. Apparently, according to River Dog, the heat somehow messed up the aliens' life-energy, which was fatal. ["I have to remember THAT little detail in the future,"] Marcus thought as Liz continued, telling him how they had, sans her, managed to heal Michael and after that, Max had 'taken a step back'. There hadn't been anything interesting happening afterwards, even with her training, although she could count on the fact that she had been rather miserable AND ticked off after Max's decision to 'step back' from her, which she told him. THAT detail had brought a smile to Marcus' lips, who now was thinking over what Liz had told him. The talk hadn't lasted that long, and Marcus was thinking over some things for a while before he opened his mouth.

"Is there a chance that Alex might tell the rest about us?" he asked. Yes, Marcus trusted Alex, but he also knew that the boy didn't like to lie to people...let alone to his friends.

Liz shook her head. "No. He has been able to keep this the whole month you have been away. I don't think he's going to change from that. Although he DOES have some questions for you," she said.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Like what?" he asked.

"I'll let him ask you personally...and I also think he'd like to hear more than what has been bothering him for sometime now," she said.

Marcus raised his other eyebrow as well, but Liz shook her head to that one. "It's better if you don't ask," she said, and Marcus didn't pry. Frankly, he had his suspicions about it already, thanks to his little visit in Isabel's dreams.

"Is there anything else that has been bothering you?" Marcus asked.

Liz bit her lip for a moment, then blurted out, "I want to tell my folks."

Marcus blinked. "You want to tell your parents about...the 'Game'?" he asked.

Liz nodded. Marcus frowned. "Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked. Last time he had talked with Liz about this was that she was adamant to keep them in the dark until she was 18. Now, though, she was willing to risk her father throwing a fit.

"Truthfully? Over 2 weeks ago, when I gave Max a piece of my mind about his 'controlling' issues, I realized that we were pretty much alike. The main reason he was feeling a bit...down...was that Isabel wanted to tell their mother WHAT they were, but Max and Michael were against it. Then I realized that I was just like him. Sure, I'm protecting my parents from what I am, but sooner or later, it WILL include both of them, and...I might not be able to be there if something happens. True, Max is worried that his adopted parents wouldn't love him anymore, but it's not the same with me. My parents know what I am already; they just don't know how dangerous my immortality really is. Besides, if I tell them now, they sure can't start yelling at me for not telling them sooner when a headhunter decides to burst through the front door and challenge me there and then," she said.

Marcus snorted. "I doubt it would come to THAT, but you are right with your reasoning. Actually, I'm kind of glad you finally decided to come clean with this," he said, smiling a bit.

Liz smiled as well. "Well, it wasn't an easy decision. I just didn't want to be like Max. I trust my parents, but I also know that they can be a bit...overprotective," she said.

"Best parents usually are. But it's the ones who try to make the decisions FOR you that are troubling ones," Marcus said, but then regarded Liz carefully. "When do you want to do this?"

Liz sighed. "Honestly? Not yet, but pretty soon. In fact...I guess we could tell this to my parents after my training," she said.

Marcus nodded. "That's fine with me. Now, if you excuse me, I have to take a quick trip back home and unpack my suitcase," he said as he stood up, then stopped. "Oh! I almost forgot."

Liz watched Marcus with a frown when he started to rummage through his backpack. He DID want to give Liz something for Christmas, but hadn't really figured out what until he was at his cabin. He pulled a bundle of...something from his backpack, and Liz raised an confused eyebrow to that. Marcus just shrugged as he handed the bundle to her. "Consider it as a late Christmas present," he said, closed the backpack and picked up his suitcase as he descended the stairs. "See you later."

"Bye," Liz said to Marcus, who had already disappeared from her sight. She studied the bundle for a moment, when she realized that it was actually a quilt...a very ORNAMENTAL quilt. She started to untangle the bundle, and her breath caught her throat when she had the quilt finally uncovered in all it's glory. The image that had been woven in it was a landscape. A landscape filled with spruce and pine, the snow covering the land and the trees in its white blanket. The sky in the image was crystal clear, and the sun shone brightly in it. What boggled Liz's mind was the fact that there was a scent in the quilt that told her it was OLD. *VERY* OLD, and still in good shape. She turned the quilt around, and saw that on the other side was a similar image that she had seen tattood on Marcus' back. However, there were more runes in this one, runes that were even stranger than the ones on Marcus' tattoo. But the level of detail was what caught Liz off guard as well. Whoever had made the quilt had to be so talented that it put the present seamstress' to shame, and THEY had the help from the sewing machines. The quilt Liz had in her hands was handmade. Liz quickly broke from her daze and folded the quilt VERY carefully, and went back to her room, putting her gift at the end of her bed. ["This gift...it's priceless both emotionally AND financially...and he gave it to me. I wonder who made it?"] she thought absently, making a promise to herself to make sure that this gift would NOT suffer any kind of damage...it was just TOO beautiful.

["Well, better finish my shift and then head back to the warehouse. I'm more than eager to learn something new,"] she thought giddily and went back to the café, feeling much more ease now when Marcus was back. However, she did know that 3 certain alien friends wouldn't be too happy with Marcus' return, but at the moment, she really didn't give a damn.

****************************************************************

Martial Arts Studio, 4:30 p.m.

Liz grunted as Connor pushed his katana through her right shoulder. She had been keeping up against Connor for a good 22 minutes until she had made a mistake, which Connor utilized shamelessly. Liz didn't release the grip from her Wakizashi however, thanks to the multitude of times of getting poked through her flesh that had given her some tolerance to pain. She sliced Connor's right knee open, surprising the Highlander with the move, and she backed away from him, pressing her wound as much as she could while trying to keep her sword at hand. Her Quickening was already at work, and Connor was still keeping pressure on his own wound, but it was healing a lot faster than hers. Liz took a gamble, and gave a blind slash to Connor's face, intending to at least nick him a bit. That proved to be a dumb move, when Connor parried her attack and pushed the tip of his katana to Liz's stomach. THAT brought her down to her knees, the pain being too much to ignore this time, and grimly realized that this exercise was over when she felt Connor's katana on her throat.

"Not bad, lass. Ye outdid yerself again, but made some bad judgments at the end," Connor said as he sheathed his katana. The cut over his knee had already closed enough to let him stand. Liz, however, was still winded from this bout.

"Well...you seem to be doing better than I expected, Liz. But...you have to learn patience, and we do have to polish some of the rough edges in your style," Marcus said from the sidelines, so far impressed by Liz's development over the month he had been away.

Liz stared at Marcus for a moment before answering. "But I still need to learn new stuff," she said, and then winced when she realized that she was actually whining. And everyone at present knew that, which along her were Marcus, Connor and Richie.

Marcus chuckled a bit. "That's true, but we'll get there eventually. Now, do you feel like going against me?" he asked.

Liz hesitated for a moment, enough time for Marcus to tell that she wasn't sure. ["Good. She doesn't take herself for granted, and I know she can't take me on yet. Well...not long anyway,"] he thought. However, Liz did nod to his question after a while.

"Yes, but is it too much to hope that you give me a few minutes to catch my breath?" she asked.

"No, it's not. Not at the moment," Marcus said honestly as he shrugged off his leather jacket. He rarely wore it, mostly because he had to keep his own sword at hand. However, this would be a day when the three people aside from him would be the first ones to see his masterpiece. A katana solely made for himself, by his own able hands. The same hands that had crafted Liz's Wakizashi 14 years ago. He opened his duffel bag and pulled three separate pieces that were wrapped in black, silk like cloth. Liz, along with Richie and Connor, stared at Marcus as he removed the cloths individually. There was a hilt, which unlike Connor's, adorned the head of an wolverine rather than the dragon. There also was a very small lever, which triggered whatever small mechanism was inside the hilt. The two other pieces were, at least to Connor, obvious. Two separate pieces of a same blade, but still something to frown for. A katana, if watched carefully, could be considered as two parts. The body and the sharp edge. The body provided the sturdiness, while the sharp edge worked as a cutting instrument, meant to slice someone in half. These parts...were the two pieces to the katana blade, but still confusingly different. The body was made from specially and uniquely forged steel, and it bore runes and images that could be easily associated with it's bearer. It also had several indentations in it. The sharp edge was made out of a different element. Like Liz's Wakizashi, it was forged out from titanium, giving the small blade an orange hue. The blade also had several projections that resembled small hooks. Marcus picked up the edge and the body, and to Connor's surprise, put them together with a small, barely audible, *snikt* sound. Then Marcus picked up the hilt, and pushed the blade in its place, and pressed the lever, and this time a very audible *snap* sound was heard. The lever disappeared completely, giving no hint of its existence at all. A safety measure to ensure that the blade couldn't be removed from the hilt by accident. Marcus studied the blade critically, and swung it. Connor was flabbergasted by the fact that it barely even made a sound...as if cutting the very air in its wake. Marcus turned back to a now stunned Liz, and smiled.

"Shall we begin?" he asked, and walked to the mat. Liz nodded, a bit overwhelmed by the serenity that had surrounded the assembly of Marcus' katana. She had been scared to even breathe too loudly, fearing that she would disturb some VERY important ritual.

"I don't have all day, you know," she heard Marcus say, and Liz blushed as she realized that she had zoned out when she had stared at Marcus' weapon. It was so...beautiful, that it never could have occurred to her that it could be an even deadlier weapon. Liz took her gaze away from the unique katana, and focused her gaze on Marcus, taking in his stance. He seemed casual, almost relaxed, with the tip of his katana barely touching the mat. She remembered that particular pose from the very first day she had touched the kendo sticks. His fighting stance, which gave the opponent a VERY wrong sense of security, because Marcus didn't even look threatening. A grave mistake for anyone who didn't know him. She, however, wasn't fooled, as she settled into her own battle stance. Liz knew, deep inside, that she didn't stand a chance. That didn't mean she wouldn't dish out the best she had.

Richie and Connor watched very closely at the sidelines. They were both having mixed feelings. They were worried about Liz, but also anxious to see how she would fare against Marcus. Connor, however, knew without a shadow of a doubt that Marcus would be playing with Liz the whole time. "This is gonna be a one hell of a show," Richie said to himself, and Connor glared at the relatively young Immortal briefly before turning his attention back to Liz and Marcus. And then the bout started.

Liz started with quick thrust, which Marcus easily batted aside. Liz tried again, this time directing the thrust to Marcus' shoulder. He easily dodged it by leaning away from the blade. Liz, however, was biding her time. She gave few more thrusts, some slashes and one last thrust before backing away to safe distance. She had used her speed to help her out, but Marcus had parried and dodged all her attacks without much of an effort. But Liz wasn't trying to go quickly for the kill. No, she was testing him, and they both knew it. She didn't remove her eyes from him for a second, and that caution paid off when Marcus took a step forward and delivered some of his own attacks. Liz parried and dodged them as well, but only barely. Her shirt had few cut marks, but Marcus hadn't cut her skin. ["He's toying with me,"] she thought, getting a bit irritated, but she quelled that emotion as quickly as it surfaced. Marcus was the very definition of calm when he kept his gaze on her, not even blinking. Liz narrowed her eyes a bit, thinking. She knew she would loose, from that, she had no doubts. What she DID wonder at the moment was if she could nick him...even a little bit. ["Well, no point delaying the inevitable,"] she mused, and attacked.

They traded blows for 5 full minutes, with Liz fighting with different tactics than she had against Connor. She kept her distance as much as she could, but it still didn't prevent Marcus from giving her cuts. They were small, more like paper cuts than anything else, and they healed quickly. Problem, however, was that before they healed, they itched, and even AFTER they healed, it still continued to itch. That was distracting, and she had only managed to slice Marcus' shirt from the chest area. It hadn't even drawn blood from him. Liz had even brought kicks into play, but Marcus still managed to block and counter anything she gave at him. Liz attacked again, and Marcus parried, their swords locking together for a moment. Liz then kicked Marcus in the shin, but he still managed to move his leg in a way that it blocked rather than take injury from her sneak attack. Then Liz tried something drastic. She quickly put her whole weight and strength to push Marcus' sword away, and tried to punch Marcus to the face with her elbow. The keyword being 'tried'. Marcus leaned back from the intended blow, causing Liz to stumble and loose her balance, only to end up as a heap to the floor when Marcus tripped her. She didn't even bother to rise, feeling the cold metal touching the back of her neck. It was over.

"Not bad, Liz. You managed to keep your cool...until the end when you thought to surprise me with that elbow," Marcus said, moving the sword away from her neck and allowing her to stand.

Liz shook her head a bit. "I was hoping that you wouldn't notice," she said.

Marcus grinned. "I noticed the minute I felt you put pressure against my sword. I could have knocked you on the ground there and then, but..." he said, and Liz finished for him.

"You were toying with me, I know," she said, but she still couldn't help herself from pouting a bit.

Marcus laughed. "Liz, you tried to use an old AND dirty trick on someone who has been on the receiving end of it a few times already. Now, you DID manage to give a small scratch to me, even if it didn't draw blood," he said.

Liz shook her head. "It was luck," she said.

"True. But had I been any less experienced, you WOULD have drawn blood. Maybe even give enough damage to force me to retreat. But the 'what if's' don't matter here. I rely on skill combined with patience and gut feeling, amplified with strength and speed. That gives more than enough leeway to fight against any opponent and come out on top," Marcus said.

Liz frowned. "So...you're saying that I should trust my instincts more?" she asked.

Marcus smiled and nodded. "That's right. When you master patience and pure skill, you'll be up there with the big leagues. But you also need experience, and I highly doubt that you would get any of that fighting against me," he said.

Liz nodded in agreement. "I don't argue with that one. I did my best AND pulled every reserve I had, and barely laid a finger on you," she said.

"That's more than most people CAN do to me these days, so all in all you did better than most," he said while sheathing his katana. "Still, we have some work to be done, so let's..." he stopped midsentence when he noticed Alex standing not too far from Connor and Richie...with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Hey Alex," Liz said as she made her way to the refrigerator and get something to drink.

"Hey..." Alex managed to say, still pretty much in daze about what he had seen. Damn, that had been a rather one sided fight, and he had seen some of those when Liz was fighting against Richie. Even Connor had to tire Liz out before he went for the kill...so to speak. But Marcus...he had kept Liz at bay with little difficulty. For all he knew, Marcus could have just stood still on the spot and still win.

"You feeling alright, Mr. Whitman?" Marcus asked, slightly confused why the boy was staring. "I know Liz clued you in on WHAT she is and what she does at the moment, but you seem like someone had just pulled a curtain off your face."

Alex shook his head a bit, then said, "Sorry. It's just that...I never could have pictured YOU carrying a sword...ever."

Marcus laughed a bit. "Trust me, Mr. Whitman. You have no idea WHAT I have been doing to survive over the 2 millenia I've been around, and mastering the use of a sword is at the first place in a very long list," he said.

Alex's rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Yeah...about that...you're over 2000 years old. That's got to be something," he said.

Marcus didn't say anything for a moment, his eyes getting an empty look. "2044 to be exact, Mr. Whitman. 2045 after May," he said.

Liz had walked to them by now, sipping some of the Sprite she had fetched from the fridge. She had frowned when she had seen Marcus go rigid when Alex had commented about his age. Alex hadn't said it, but the underlying message clearly said that it was something to marvel about. Liz knew better. She was young, yes, but she knew that Marcus, out of all the immortals in this building, had lost more mortal friends than Connor. Richie wasn't old enough to deal with a loss of a friend...or lover in the same scale yet, but they both eventually would be.

Alex seemed to have noticed that something he had said had struck a something disturbing, because even the usually talkative Connor had gone silent. "Something I said?" he asked.

Marcus nodded. "Yeah, you could say that," he said, and gave a hard stare at Alex, who took a intimated step back. "Trust me, kid. Being Immortal isn't exactly something to marvel OR envy about. Yes, it helps us to get out of a potentially hazardous situation relatively unscratched, but it doesn't outweigh the feeling of loss when your friends die from age and sickness when you keep looking as fresh as a rose."

Alex took a quick glance at Connor, who was nodding in agreement. Liz had told him about that, but Alex hadn't fully grasped the concept of it until Marcus brought it up. Now he felt like an idiot, thinking that immortality was more like a blessing. No...to them...it was a curse. "Now I feel like an idiot," he muttered.

Marcus shook his head. "No. You just lacked information," he said. Now the atmosphere in the building had turned sober.

"Alex, if I remember correctly, you wanted to ask Marcus something," Liz commented, trying to change the subject. Even SHE didn't like to think about the biggest negative thing in Immortal's life.

Alex blinked, then nodded. "Oh yeah, that. I was wondering if..." he started, but Marcus waved him off.

"That can wait for a minute, boy. Now we start working on Liz's training," Marcus said as he walked to Liz, who immediately put her bottle of Sprite away. "Follow me," Marcus said to Liz as he continued to walk towards a metal equipment cabinet. He opened it and stared at the contents for a while, until he pulled out 4 weights. These weights could be strapped on to your ankles and wrists to provide extra weight. Liz eyed them skeptically.

"What are you going to do with those?" she asked.

Marcus watched Liz for a moment, then smiled. "Not me, you. YOU are going to wear THESE," he showed the weights to Liz, "every day, 24/7, and remove them only if you go to sleep or take a shower. You will wear these even when you exercise, whether it be jogging or performing a kata."

Liz stared at Marcus with wide eyes, not really believing what she was hearing. Connor smiled a bit, and Richie had a sympathetic look on his face. He remembered quite well when Mac had forced him to wear some 10 pounds on him, and that had been pure murder. He also had a faint idea that Marcus was going to up THAT little detail by more than one notch. Alex, however, just raised an incredulous eyebrow to what he was hearing.

"You're kidding me, right?" Liz asked, praying that he WAS kidding. The regular physical exercises had been intense, but she was over that. To wear extra weight would seriously slow her down AND tire her up faster.

"Oh, you won't be wearing any more than 10 pound weights for starts...plus the 20 pound vest here," Marcus said, gesturing the sleek, yet somewhat bulky vest in the cabinet. THIS earned an incredulous look from everyone present.

"Then...that means I'll be wearing a total of 60 extra pounds daily!" Liz practically yelled, not liking THIS one bit. Richie winced from sympathy. Marcus was definitely a lot tougher teacher than Mac EVER could be.

"That's right. When you get accustomed to the weights, I'll increase the amount, and let you get used to them as well," Marcus said.

"Why? How exactly are they going to benefit me?" Liz demanded. Yes, she was happy that Marcus was back, but THIS type of increase in training was NOT what she had in mind.

Marcus grinned. "Well, aside from the obvious increase in strength, your reflexes and speed increase as well. Satisfied?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Liz was still skeptical about this, but she couldn't ignore Marcus' reasoning. Besides, she knew from personal experience when she had sparred against him with kendo sticks that Marcus could suddenly move so fast that she had a hard time even knowing if he had moved at all. So, reluctantly, she nodded and looked at him in a way that said 'Now what?' Marcus smiled and gave the 10 pound weights to Liz, along with the vest. "Go to the locker room and put these on. Then come back here," he said, and Liz nodded as she made her way to the locker room. Marcus then looked at Alex for a moment, then walked to him. "So...what did you want to ask me about?"

Connor and Richie decided to ignore the two and Connor fetched some beer, while Richie focused his attention on practicing the use of his own Bastard sword based on what he had observed from the training bouts between Liz and Connor. Most of the moves Richie had seen didn't apply with his choice of sword, but some of them did, and they would increase his chance for survival even more. Also...he had started to use his head, something he had picked up from what Marcus had told Liz, to try to improve his base fighting style. Normally he fought with parrying and dodging until he got an opening. Now, after his bouts with Liz, and still getting his ass kicked, he had started to develop a style which was a mix of defense and offense...mixed up with something he could think of at the moment. And he did this while he kept a steady conversation with Connor. Richie knew he was out of Highlander's league, but he was getting there...that is if he survived the next 2 decades.

"Well...Liz probably told you about the hieroglyphics that Indian...River Dog, showed them?" Alex asked from Marcus, who nodded and prompted him to continue. "You see, I did some research from them, and noticed that there was a lot of similarities with the hieriglyphics in Macchu Picchu, an ancient Incan city in Lima, Peru."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. Against his judgment, he was interested, but he had never traveled at South America. He had heard some rumors and facts when the conquistadors had invaded the territory in the 16th century, but he had never bothered with it. "That's very interesting, Mr. Whitman, but why would you think that I would know anything about it?" he asked.

"Oh, it's not that. I just thought that if you knew any Immortals from that particular region who could say WHO wrote the hieroglyphics THERE, sometime around 12th to 15th century. That way, we would know if the hieroglyphics are local or 'out there'," Alex said, but he emphasized the 'out there' by pointing his index finger to the ceiling, mindful that the two other Immortal's in the gym didn't know about the aliens.

Marcus found himself thinking what Alex had said. It WAS something to research into, that was something he was certain of, even IF he disliked the alien trio, Mr. Evans in particular. Then he shook his head in resignation. "I'm sorry, Alex. Your theory is interesting, but I don't know any Immortal's who would have been around there at that time," he said, and he could clearly see Alex's disappointment. "But...that doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't know." That got Alex's attention.

"You know someone who does know an Immortal from that region and time?" he asked, hopefully.

Marcus shook his head, earning a perplexed look from Alex. "No exactly. But the Watchers might know," he said.

Alex's eyes widened. "The Watchers?" he asked, clearly surprised from what Marcus was saying.

"Exactly. They have been around for 800 years, and they also know quite a lot from Immortals they 'watch'. Who knows, one of them might have been there with the conquistadors, following an Immortal or just being there," Marcus said.

Alex nodded to the idea, but there was just one problem. "How do we find this Watcher? I know Liz is being followed by one, but I haven't seen anything even remotely suspicious going on," he said.

"Yeah, Watchers are sneaky when they want to remain hidden, but let's just keep the option open for now until we find them," Marcus said, and turned to look at Liz when he heard her emerge from the locker room. Marcus didn't focus on what the weights did to her appearance, though it was pretty obvious that Liz hated to wear them. She was able to stand AND walk, but she seemed to struggle when she tried to lift her arms. Liz glared at Marcus, who found it somewhat amusing. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Liz's glare intensified, and Alex backed away a bit. If a look could kill...well, Marcus would be a head shorter right about now. "I feel like a snail," she growled under her breath. She hated to wear these weights. She could actually feel the muscles in her body tighten themselves to accommodate the added mass. She COULD move...but barely above her performance BEFORE the intense physical exercise she had gone through nearly 4 months now.

Marcus nodded. "Well, when you get accustomed to them, you won't even know they're there. Now...let's start with a simple Tai Chi routine to get your muscles warm," he said as he walked to the center of the mat. Liz, though her body protested a bit, followed him to the mat and they started the kata, which was meant to soften the muscles a bit.

Alex shifted his gaze between the Immortals and said, "I'll just...go now. Good to have you back, Mr. Thorne." With that, Alex left the building, leaving the 4 Immortals to train.

************************************************************

[Bored to Mundane life]

Parker household, 7:20 p.m., Living room

["Why can't I just die?! Please, I beg you, God!! If you could just kill me now, I would be ETERNALLY grateful for it!!"] Liz thought loudly, staring at the ceiling of her home. Unfortunately for her, HE didn't answer her prayer. Liz groaned and slumped to the sofa, wincing when her aching muscles protested...not to mention the bruises that her vest had created. After the kata Marcus had her perform, they had continued with a bit more advanced stuff, going through steps with and without swords. Liz KNEW it was for her benefit, but she STILL considered what Marcus was putting her through some very twisted form of torture. She had been barely able to move afterwards, let alone take a shower. And when she HAD managed to drag her sweat soaked body to the locker room, she had been shocked to see bruises on her shoulders and back. Oh...and she just COULDN'T forget the fact that her hands and legs felt like rubber...a very HARD rubber.

"Come on now, Liz. It wasn't THAT bad," Marcus said as he watched his charge with amusement.

Liz's glare wasn't as intense as it had been when this had started, but it still hold the same menace. "I swear to God, I'm going to kill you when I'll be able to move," she muttered acidly.

Marcus only raised an eyebrow to that. "Really? Well, we'll just see about that when the time comes," he said and sat on the recliner near the sofa. "Besides, you have it easy at the moment."

Liz barked a mock laugh to that. "HAH!! I HIGHLY doubt it," she said.

"MY mentor put me through what you're going through from the start, and while I admit that I wasn't exactly a pushover back then, I hadn't gone through the same physical exercise as you have. And I DO know how you're feeling at the moment, but you're in an advantage here when comparing me back then. Your muscles have already been subjected to physical torture of some level, which means that your Quickening can heal them faster due to repeat performance. Come morning, you should be 100% fine," Marcus said.

Liz's glare didn't go away. "That may be so, but I STILL have to wear these when I go for the jog, AND at school," she said.

Marcus shrugged. "Fine, be that way. But trust me, you'll benefit from this a lot more than you think," he said. Then he smiled. "You know...you were pretty much the same when I told you to jog daily, remember?"

Liz grimaced from the memory. "Don't remind me," she growled.

Marcus chuckled a bit to that, but stopped when Jeff and Nancy ascended the stairs to the apartment. It wasn't a closing time yet, but it was Jose's turn to take care of the café's closing today, which allowed the elder Parkers to have a small break and talk.

"Jeff, honey, do you have any idea how much a new dishwasher is going to cost?" Nancy asked, slightly apprehensive tone in her voice.

"A lot less than all the money we have burned into that old piece of junk for the past 3 years, and it STILL doesn't work properly," Jeff said, mentally vowed to beat the old junk into million pieces if it broke one more time.

"Are you two still arguing about buying a new dishwasher?" Liz said, getting her parents attention. "'Cause this is only my personal opinion, but I REALLY think you should consider it, mom."

Nancy gave a half-glare to Liz, who just stared back at her. This was a relatively small, yet old argument. Their dishwasher had been working on/off for the past 3 years, and the money spent on the numerous repairs...not to mention Jeff's less than successful attempts to fix it himself to save money, had already came to a level where they could buy 2 new dishwashers for the old one. Still, it was hard to find something that worked AND was cheap, and these two concept rarely worked well together.

"If you want my opinion, you should buy a new one. That old junk is on it's last leg, and when it DOES brake down again, the damage done to the kitchen will add the money that is tossed down the drain by that thing," Marcus said as he stood up, making his way to the kitchen.

Jeff turned his gaze to his wife and smiled. "I believe you're outvoted with this one, honey," he said.

"Marcus's vote doesn't count," Nancy said.

"Does too! He's part of this family...even if only by name," Liz said.

Nancy stared at Jeff and Liz for a moment, then sighed. "Fine, you two win. BUT...I sure as hell am not going to make sure that this new dishwasher isn't going to be like the one downstairs. I told Jeff I should have been with him when he was searching for one, but NOOO, he thought he could pick one himself," she said, glaring at Jeff, who at least had the courtesy to look chagrined. Liz rolled her eyes to that. The reason Nancy had been against the new dishwasher was because Jeff insisted that he could buy one himself. Well, that had been proven a bit wrong when the dishwasher at the café had broken down 3 months after it had been bought. After 2 years of various malfunctions, Jeff wanted to go and buy a new one, but Nancy wouldn't allow it...unless Jeff let her come along. That had broken into a fight, but it still didn't solve the problem.

"Fine, we'll both go find a new one on Monday. Satisfied?" Jeff asked from Nancy, who only smiled to him. "You finally came to your senses, Jeff," she said as she took a seat next to Liz. Jeff shook his head, muttering about how his daughter and wife didn't trust his judgment.

"Jeff...I'm over 2000 years old, but I DO know that Nancy has better bargaining skills AND eyes for equipment," Marcus said as he came back to the living room, drinking some of Jeff's beer.

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Oh great, so YOU don't trust my judgment either?" he asked, offended.

"No," Marcus said without a blink.

Before Jeff could bit out a remark, Liz's exclamation got his attention. "As fun as it is to watch you trying to pull yourself out of this mess...there's something I have to tell you guys," she said.

Jeff and Nancy stared at her for a moment, then at Marcus, wondering what was going on. Their daughter had been awfully silent during Christmas and New Years Eve, and that had got them slightly worried. They both knew Liz was missing Grandma Claudia...in fact, they too missed her as well. Depression was something that didn't suit their daughter. "What is it, honey?" Nancy asked, trying to read her daughters expression, but there was no outward sign from anything that would bother her. That was something Nancy found sometimes rather frustrating. She had no idea what Liz wanted to say, and there was no telling WHAT it was that was bothering her. Liz kept so many things inside herself, only confiding to her friends...or on most cases, Marcus. Maybe it was easier to confide into someone else than your parents. Nancy remembered having similar feelings about her own parents.

Marcus raised an eyebrow, but didn't remove his gaze from Liz. This was it, and tonight he would see how Liz's parents would react to the darker side of Immortality. "It's...actually something I should have told you from the start...at least according to Marcus," he heard Liz say, and grimaced. He wanted HER to tell them. This was NOT his mess to deal with.

Jeff and Nancy stared at Marcus for a moment, who was scowling at Liz, but not maliciously. It more like seemed that Marcus was disappointed. Nancy turned back to Liz. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Liz took a deep breath. "Well...you probably remember the time when I explained about my...Immortality to you?" she asked. Jeff and Nancy nodded, remembering how Liz had proven that little detail...in a way they didn't exactly want to remember. "I...um... *sigh* I didn't tell you everything about it," she finally managed to say.

"Like what?" Jeff asked, slightly confused. Why would Liz hide something from them?

Liz looked at Marcus pleadingly, silently asking him to explain WHY she had decided to keep her parents out of the loop. Marcus sighed. "Jeff, Nancy," he said, getting their attention. "You both know that Immortals are foundlings, correct?" he asked, and they nodded. "Have you ever thought about the reason WHY there aren't any more than a little over 3000 Immortals worldwide?"

Jeff and Nancy blinked, then exchanged confused glances between themselves and Liz. "No...not really," Jeff admitted, and Nancy nodded to that.

"That's what I figured. Well...what do you think could be a cause of it?" Marcus asked. Liz shifted uncomfortably when her parents started thinking about the possibilities, but since they knew that Immortals only could die if their head was removed, that dropped the accidental deaths to minimum. "A volcano?" Nancy suggested.

"Or an earthquake," Jeff added.

Marcus shook his head. "If it only were that simple. And even IF that was the case, it still wouldn't explain the steady amount of Immortals," he said.

Nancy looked at Liz, who was starting to feel more uncomfortable by the minute. She turned back to Marcus. "Then...what is the reason?" she asked.

"The Game," Marcus said simply, but his expression was grim.

"The Game?" Nancy repeated. She stifled a shudder. For some reason she didn't like the implication of that simple name. Even Jeff felt a shiver in his spine.

Marcus nodded. "I really have no idea when it started...but I do know that it has been going on even before I was born. We, the Immortals, are a part of this 'Game', whether we want to be or not," he said.

"But...what's this...'Game'...about?" Jeff asked as he sat on the recliner.

Marcus took a swig from his beer, and rubbed his temple. This was the hard part. "Truthfully? It has to do with this...'Prize'. And...as much as I hate to say this, we, the Immortals, fight to the death...until there's only one of us left," he said.

"WHAT!!?" Nancy and Jeff said at the same time, though Nancy out of shock, and Jeff in anger. "Is this true?" Nancy asked from Liz.

Liz nodded slowly. "It is," she said.

"What the HELL kind of a life have you brought to my daughter?!" Jeff demanded from Marcus.

Marcus shook his head. "It wouldn't have mattered. Even if she hadn't died that day when she got shot, she would have become an Immortal eventually. And she would be pulled into the 'Game' regardless what she OR you think about it," he said, giving a hard stare to Jeff.

"Why is this 'Game' being played in the first place?" Nancy asked. She was worried, but there had to be more than that.

Marcus sighed. "It's because of the 'Prize', but to make this whole thing even more ridiculous is that none of us knows WHAT it is. Personally, I think it's because of our Quickening," he said.

"The thing that grants your Immortality," Nancy stated.

Marcus nodded. "Yes. I know from personal experience that it's a really big rush. The older the Immortal is, the bigger the power rush from the Quickening," he said.

"Not to mention the memories and skills of the Immortal whose Quickening you absorb," Liz said, startling her parents. "At least that's what Marcus told me."

Jeff shook his head. "Wait!! Are you telling me that ALL of you just go about and kill one another...for no better reason than this...'Prize'?" he asked.

Marcus nodded grimly. "You got it in one, Jeff. However...like every game...even this one has rules," he said.

"Rules?" Nancy asked, and to her shock, Liz answered to that.

"The fights are always one-on-one, which means no ganging up on someone. No fighting on the Holy Ground, no matter what religion," she said.

"Then there's the really dumb rule. 'There can be only one'," Marcus piped in, getting the Parkers attention to himself.

Jeff shook his head in exasperation. "Great. You even have rules how to play this massive game of genocide," he said. Nancy stared at Marcus for a moment, thinking about something. Then she asked, "Do you play this...'Game'?"

Marcus shook his head. "Not at the moment, no," he said, earning confused glances from Jeff and Nancy. "I...'disappeared' from the general population of Immortals some 30 years ago, but the only reason I've been able to avoid the 'Game' this long is because I'm one step ahead of them. Normally I would have already left Roswell, just to ensure that no wandering Headhunter would come by and get the idea to try and cut off my head. But...Liz's pre-Immortal status kinda forced me to stay behind. A decision I haven't regretted at all. I never played the 'Game' actively...but that doesn't mean that I didn't defend myself when I had to."

"You mean...you have killed other Immortals?" Nancy asked, paling slightly.

"Only in self-defense. Even when I lost my will to live in the end of 19th century, I never went out there in search of a fight...aside from the occasional bar brawl, but that's beside the point," Marcus said.

Jeff had been silent for a moment. "You said that this...'Game'...has rules, correct?" he asked, and Marcus nodded. "About the thing with the Holy Ground. What kind of land is considered 'Holy'?"

"Practically any land that is considered holy by any religion, for example, the cemeteries, church, Indian burial ground. Those types of grounds are considered among us as sanctuaries, and no fighting can take place there. No Immortal has broken that rule...no matter how evil they are. They may taunt the land itself, but they don't issue a challenge there," Marcus said.

Jeff immediately turned his gaze to Liz, who immediately went to defensive. "No way, dad! I am NOT going to a convent, no matter what you say," Liz said.

"Liz...if the Immortals can't challenge or even fight you on Holy Ground, then you would be safe," Jeff said, slightly taken back by Liz's adamant stand of 'not going'.

"I know that, Dad. But I also know that I CAN'T stay in a convent for the rest of my life...just because you want to keep me safe," Liz said.

"But honey..." Nancy started, but Liz didn't let her finish whatever she wanted to say.

"Mom, I know you and Dad want to keep me safe, but sending me into a convent is not an option. I'd hate it there. And...I...I don't want to waste my life living in a place where I know I wouldn't be happy," Liz insisted.

"What!? Are you willing to go out there, knowing that there are people who would want to kill you? Or worse...to take a life?!" Jeff demanded. What Liz said was true. He knew her daughter well enough to know that she'd hate living in a convent. She was so full of life, but it was for her own safety.

Liz shook her head sadly. "Dad...I already flat out refused from that option when Marcus presented it for me. And I won't relent just because you and Mom are scared that I might get killed if I don't do this," she said.

"There is no other option!!" Jeff yelled, although Nancy disagreed with that statement. However...she didn't want to even consider the alternative...even though Liz already had.

"Yes there is!!" Liz countered. "I can train myself, so I can fight back."

"Out of the question!!!" Jeff yelled.

"Stop it, both of you!!" Nancy finally yelled, silencing them. She took a deep breath and turned her gaze to Marcus, who had managed to finish his beer by now. "I take it that you've already had this conversation with her?" she asked.

"In a way, yes. I didn't have to turn her away from the idea of living on a Holy Ground for the rest of her life, and she did hesitate with the alternative, but she took it anyway," he said calmly, putting the now empty beer bottle away.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Jeff demanded.

"Even if Liz would go to live at the convent and finish her school there, what then? The only profession she COULD take after that would be that of a nun, which hardly suits her," Marcus said, and Nancy had to nod in agreement to that. "Besides, she would only be safe inside the walls of the convent she would be living in, not outside the church grounds. And the fact that the Immortals can sense one another doesn't help her survival one bit. All it takes is one extremely patient Headhunter, who doesn't have to do anything else but wait until Liz leaves the sanctuary of Holy Ground. Then...she'd be VERY dead VERY quickly."

Nancy was shocked to hear that...and even Jeff was silent. He hadn't thought about the long-term possibility...just get Liz to pack her bags and go to the nearest convent to live. Obviously that choice of action was rash and...it would get Liz killed. Yes, the odds of that happening anytime soon was not so great, but the possibility was still there. "So...what IS the alternative?" Jeff asked silently.

"To teach Liz in the use of a sword, along with Martial Arts so she can defend herself if it comes down to it," Marcus said.

"I don't know..." Jeff said, shaking his head to the idea. He just couldn't picture his little girl like that.

"It doesn't matter what you think about it, Dad. I've already made that decision," Liz said, and Nancy shook her head in resignation. She saw it coming. Jeff, however, was shocked.

"What in God's name are you talking about, Elizabeth?!" he said, staring at his daughter with eyes as wide as the saucers.

"Let me guess. You've already started this...'training'," Nancy said, much to Liz's and Marcus's surprise. She just smiled. "It wasn't that hard to figure out, considering that Liz's choices were either convent or this. What I would like to know is...that how long HAVE you been...'training'?"

Liz exchanged a brief glance with Marcus, who nodded. Liz took a deep breath before answering, "A bit over 3 months now...almost every day."

"3 MONTHS!!!?" Jeff and Nancy exclaimed, Jeff actually shocked to hear this. Nancy, however, stared at her daughter a bit more intensively now, and her eyes widened when she saw the subtle yet obvious changes in her daughter. Liz's muscles were visible, but they weren't 'body-builder' type muscles. It was something...silent, hidden strength that was visible in Liz.

Liz nodded. "Yeah. Although, I think that explains to you now why I go for a jog each night," she said.

Nancy nodded thoughtfully. Then she frowned. Now she realized the reason why Liz seemed to disappear for at least 3 hours each day. It wasn't something that interfered with the café, and she had always assumed that it had something to do with her friends or Marcus. Well...it obviously HAD something to do with Marcus after all, but not in social level. Then she realized something, and turned to Marcus. "Is Mr. Redstone an Immortal?" she asked, earning a confused reaction from Jeff.

"Who?!" he asked, already suspicious.

"That boy that was at the hospital when Claudia...um...was in the hospital," Nancy said slowly. Jeff frowned, but then nodded when he remembered who the boy was. Then his eyes widened as well. "Is he a threat!!?" he demanded.

Liz burst into giggles, while Marcus just burst out laughing. "Trust me, Mr. Ryan isn't a Headhunter. But he IS here as a Liz's sparring partner," Marcus said, after he managed to get himself under control.

"Sparring partner?" Nancy and Jeff said at the same time.

Liz nodded. "Yeah. Richie is the living punching bag for me...except that he fights back on the occasion. Well...that was when he first came to town. NOW he's more like a REAL punching bag," she said, the smile not fully leaving her lips.

"What do you mean by that?!" Jeff demanded. Then a disturbing thought occurred to him. "In WHAT way do you two...'spar'," he said, his tone making even Marcus pause for a moment.

Liz was silent for a while, not really knowing what to say. "Umm...Dad, we, umm...we kinda do these 'training bouts' as a 'No Hold Bars' kind of way," she finished. The look of shock in Jeff's and Nancy's eyes was pretty plain.

"So...let me get this straight," Jeff said, very slowly. "You...and this...Mr. Ryan?" he asked from Marcus and Liz, who both nodded. Jeff nodded as well. "You two...you pretty much train in a way where you both...REALLY hit each other...even drawing blood?"

Liz swallowed and gave Jeff an awkward smile. "Well...that sums it up pretty well...except that we also use kicks and...sometimes we even use...swords," she said.

Jeff stared at Marcus and Liz for a while, and Liz was slightly terrified that he WOULD send her packing to the nearest convent right this minute. Instead, to her surprise, he shook his head, rubbing his temples. He muttered, "I need a drink," and walked to the kitchen, and before he disappeared from their sight, Marcus, Nancy and Liz heard him say, "Something REALLY strong."

Marcus, after a while, turned back to Nancy and Liz. "He took it better than I thought," he said, clearly surprised.

Nancy glared at him, not finding his statement amusing one bit. Then she turned to Liz. "So...how old is...Mr. Ryan?" she asked.

NOW Liz gave a genuine smile. "About as old as Dad...39," she said.

Nancy was surprised by that statement. She had only seen the boy on several occasion, and only talked with him once, but she would have NEVER think of him in her own age group. "I...see," she said.

Now Liz was worried. "Mom?" she said.

Nancy raised her hand to stop Liz. "I'm fine, honey. I just...this pretty overwhelming bombshell you two decided to drop on us," she said.

"I told Liz to tell you from the start, but she insisted to keep you out of the truth until she was 18 years old," Marcus said.

Liz glared at Marcus, who just raised an eyebrow and stared back. Nancy was silent for a while, then turned to Liz. "You were really worried that we would send you to a convent...just like that?" she asked.

Liz closed her eyes, but nodded. "I didn't know how you would react, but Dad...he would have wanted to protect me if he thought that it would have been the only way to KEEP me safe. It isn't. It would have been a death sentence for me...both literally and figuratively speaking," she said.

Nancy let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, I know THAT. In fact, I DO understand your...hesitance...to tell us about this. Still...I'm a bit hurt that...you didn't trust us enough to tell about this from the start," she said.

Liz was slightly shocked from what Nancy said. "I'm sorry," she said.

Nancy waved her off. "Oh, don't be, honey. I mean, I KNOW how you feel about a convent...and I agree with you. A girl like you shouldn't be forced to live like that. Besides...I know you are even more stubborn than Claudia and Jeff combined, so you would have probably escaped and disappeared if it had come to that," she said, and Liz blushed. She mumbled, 'Maybe', and Nancy smiled. "Liz...for as long as I remember, you always have had a clear idea what you want. If this is what you want...then I'm not stopping you."

THIS earned a surprised reaction from Marcus and Liz, who stared at Nancy like her head had fallen off. "Oh, don't give me those looks. I'm not THAT dense. Although..." she said, stroking her jaw, "I'd like to know who that man who has been around here mostly throughout December," she said.

Liz blinked before answering. "He's Connor MacLeod, a bit...older Immortal than Richie is," she said.

Nancy turned to Marcus. "As old as you?" she asked.

Marcus snorted. "Hardly. Only 463 years old," he said.

"ONLY 463 years old?!" Nancy exclaimed, her eyes wide. Marcus nodded, and Nancy was silent for a while. "Well...he's definitely well preserved then."

"MOM!!" Liz exclaimed from shock. "Don't tell me you find him attractive!?"

Nancy blushed. "Liz, honey, I love your father very much, and there is not a chance that anyone else would come and take his place...but I am NOT that blind," she said.

She was surprised to see Liz sigh from relief. "Oh thank God. I thought you had a crush on him or something. I think everyone else in the female population in Roswell aside from us HAS," she said in exasperation. Nancy laughed to that.

Marcus raised an eyebrow to that. "He's married, in case you're wondering," he said.

THAT got Nancy's attention. "He's married? Then what is he doing here?" she asked.

"He was here to train Liz while I was away the whole December," Marcus said.

"That's right. I mean, I'm able to fight against Richie and win, but Connor...he's different. I haven't been able to beat him yet," Liz said, sighing.

Nancy's brow furrowed from confusion. "Why do you have to be better than him?" she asked.

Liz turned to Marcus, who started to explain. "Connor is one of the best fighters among the Immortals. His kinsman, Duncan, is in the same line as him. However, there are several Immortals who are better than the MacLeods," he said.

"You being one of them, I take it," Nancy said, much to Liz's surprise.

Marcus nodded. "Yes. Each Immortal has a unique fighting style. They have to have if they even want to hope for a long life. Liz is getting there, but she's still not in the level of Connor. When she reaches his level, AND if she manages to win him in a fight, she has very good chances for surviving several centuries," he said.

Nancy looked at her daughter for a moment, and sighed sadly. Liz, no matter how old she would get, would still look like a girl she was now. Even if Immortal life wasn't bad enough...there was little chance that her daughter would be happy as she was with Jeff. Who could possibly love Liz even when she wouldn't physically age from the age of 16. But she knew without a doubt what would keep her daughter occupied, and that would be the chance to see the stars. That would be possible...in the future. NOW she felt envious of her daugher, but not that much. "Well, I would like to have a chance to meet them sometime. If you don't mind, that is," Nancy said.

"Yes...I would like to meet them as well," Jeff said from the kitchen door, a half-empty bottle of scotch in his hand.

"Just don't go all interrogation mode on them. They are NOT teenagers...even IF Richie tends to still act like one," Liz said, shaking her head. Nancy chuckled to Jeff's dumbfounded look.

"How OLD is 'Richie'?" he asked, suspicion even more profound in his voice.

"Jeff, honey, he's about as old as us," Nancy said.

Jeff blinked, then shook his head. "Never mind," he said, then turned his gaze to Liz. "I...heard what you all said...and I won't be sending you to a convent. That obviously would only make you hate me."

"I'd be disappointed and a bit angry, but I wouldn't hate you, Dad," Liz said.

Jeff smiled sadly. "That's good to hear. But...I'd hope that we would not...talk about this 'Game'...not much anyway," he said.

Liz blinked. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But...Dad, if it comes down to it...I will fight for my life," she said, her eyes hard from determination.

Jeff sighed. "I know you would," he said.

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Parker Household, 10:25 p.m, Bathroom

Liz was sleeping, submerged in the bathtub, the bruises her weights had done to her shoulders being vanished a while ago, not to mention the muscle ache. However, while her body was sleeping, her mind worked through the details of the talk between her parents and her about the 'Game'. They took it rather well, even though Jeff HAD wanted to send her to a convent the minute he realized the meaning of Holy Ground. Well, now he was willing to let Liz continue her training, even though he obviously detested the idea. Nancy had been more supportive than Liz had thought, but she had been glad about it, even if Nancy had been apprehensive to picture Liz with a sword. However, now when she had performed her exercises in her room after her jog, she could tell that her parents were studying her. They had noticed the weights Liz wore during it and had asked about it. She HAD explained it as best as she could, but all they had done was nod. Liz had sighed then. Her parents hated the fact that Liz was training herself to be a killer. Maybe it was true, that she was a would-be-killer, but she had made a promise to herself from the very beginning. She would never, not once, take a life of another Immortal unless it was the last resort. Marcus followed the same code, and he had lived over 2000 years thanks to it. Ok, that was stretching it a bit. The reason he lived this long was because he is THE best fighter among the Immortals. Marcus had explained to Jeff and Nancy the different fighting styles Immortals, the regulars AND the Headhunters would use in a challenge. There were the ones who kept their distance, wearing their opponent out by being patient. Many of the older Immortals used this type of style, and even Connor had used it from the start...until he was forced to change his tactic when Liz got through it. Then there were the aggressive ones, who used brute strength to overwhelm their opponents. Younger ones and several physically strong Immortals, like the late Kurgan, use this type of style. Kurgan, however, had been the strongest Immortal in the recorded history, both by his Quickening AND his physical strength...until Connor took his head. Liz had wondered why Connor never healed as fast as Marcus did. If Kurgan had lived so long...and managed to behead at least hundreds, if not even thousands of Immortals, then Connor's Quickening should be the strongest now. Or at least in the same level as Marcus' or Methos'. Another question for another day. Back to the main topic. Very few Immortals relied on speed to do their work. According to Marcus, Bruce Dickinson was the only Immortal to ever successfully utilize this in his fighting style, and come out relatively unharmed. Liz had been surprised to hear that even Marcus had to resort to unusual means to get the best of Bruce. Liz was both thrilled and slightly scared when she would test her skills against him. Then there were the ones who used dirty tricks. Amanda and Methos both resorted to this type of fighting whenever the situation asked for it. Liz didn't exactly blame Methos for it, mainly because if what Marcus had told her about him was correct, he would much rather stay OUT of the fight, whenever the situation asked for it. Amanda, however, used dirty tricks without shame, and Liz had to wonder how much of a fight it had been between her and Marcus. Then...there were the cheats. Those who used guns or even ganged up to get the upper hand. They were the ones who lacked skill, but were ruthless enough to use any means necessary to get their target. Liz had sobered up a bit during that part of the conversation, and even her parents had been worried. The odds for Liz to come face to face with a group of Immortals were slim, but it WAS a possibility. Marcus and Cassandra were a group of themselves. Cassandra, apparently, could manipulate her Quickening in some way that allowed her to literally control someone with something Marcus referred as, 'The Voice'. It didn't work on those who either had a strong will or knew how to counter it. Adding up the fact that the woman is over 3000 years old anted up with better than good fighting skills gave her better odds against her opponents. Marcus, however, was the ultimate fighter. He used everything he had in a challenge as his advantage. Speed, strength, agility amplified by skill with almost 2000 years of survival gave him already better odds than most had. Added to that was his completely unique and unpredictable fighting style, which incorporated both western and eastern fighting techniques, made him almost invincible. Almost. He was better than anyone else, but that didn't mean he couldn't be beaten. His encounter with Kurgan told her that much. Then, suddenly, she heard a muffled scream, and felt that someone had pulled her out from her serene environment, and gasped. But not out of breath, simply from surprise and the abrupt wake-up.

"My God, Liz, what have I told you about falling asleep in a bathtub!? And I don't think that the fact that you're an Immortal would let you to take drowning lightly," Nancy admonished Liz, who was frowning from confusion. Damn it, she had been so relaxed that when Nancy had woken her up, her brain was too foggy to get her bearings straight. Now, she was staring at her mother with a mixture of annoyance and confusion.

"Umm...Mom, I CAN'T drown. The fact of me being Immortal kinda prevents that from happening," Liz said as she rubbed her eyes.

Nancy was silent for a moment, staring Liz with disbelieving look. "Elizabeth Anne Parker, I REALLY don't like your attempt of humor," she said disapprovingly.

Liz sighed. "Mom, the Quickening is energy inside me. When I breath water in, the energy breaks the water into oxygen and hydrogen, which allows me to breath pretty much normally underwater. It's just that there's a bit of...how to say this...the 'air' in my lungs only feels more dense than it normally would be, but it doesn't kill me. Ergo, I can't drown," she said, staring at her mother.

Nancy was silent for a moment, then she let out an exasperated sound. "You know, Liz, I would have appreciated to know THIS before. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you there, lying motionless on underneath the water," she said, but stopped when the alarm clock she had missed started to ring. Nancy frowned at it, and then turned to Liz.

Liz shrugged sheepishly. "I'm really sorry, Mom. I just...*sigh* didn't want to worry you. Besides," she said as she turned off the clock, "NOW you know why I was so chipper in the morning when I made you guys breakfast."

Nancy blinked. "What does THIS have to do with it?" she asked.

Liz blushed. "Well...the night before that I...um...did pretty much the same thing as I did now. It's...so relaxing," she said.

Nancy looked like she was going to say something REALLY bad, but then shook her head exasperatedly. "Liz, I COULD understand that you wanted to keep the 'Game' as a secret, but THIS is something you should have told me. I think I lost a year or two of my life from the sheer shock," she said.

Liz lowered her gaze, chagrined. "I'm sorry," she said.

Nancy sighed. "Well, I WAS going to ask if you were going to bed anytime soon, but...are you going to stay up all night because of...this?" she asked.

Liz looked at Nancy for a while, then nodded. "I'm too wired up now to even consider sleeping. I think I'll spend the time finishing any school work I have," she said as she got up from the tub and wrapped a towel around her torso.

Nancy shook her head. "So...is that what you mostly do now? Train for this 'Game' and homework?" she asked.

Liz shook her head as she brushed her hair. "Not really. I do hang around with Maria and Alex most of the time...and more with Alex since he knows about my Immortality," she said.

"Alex knows?" Nancy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Liz nodded. "Yeah. I just...couldn't lie to him anymore. So I told him," she said.

"Somehow I think you also SHOWED him? That's what you did with me," Nancy quipped as she started to make her way out from the bathroom.

"Actually...I shoved a dagger into my chest to drive my point across, but generally speaking, yes," Liz said.

Nancy stared at Liz for a moment, then shook her head. "Don't you think it was a bit...drastic?" she asked.

"Well, he did react the same way you did," Liz said.

Nancy blinked. Then she shook her head. "Goodnight, honey," she said as she got out from the bathroom.

"I don't think I'll be getting any sleep, but thanks anyway," Liz said before the door closed.

Nancy walked into her and Jeff's bedroom, still shaking her head. Jeff noticed this. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Nancy sighed. "Do you have any idea how much Liz has changed since the day she got shot?" she asked.

"TOO much. I mean...until tonight, I didn't even realize that she was exercising THAT much to begin with...let alone how to use a sword," he said.

"She kept all this from us because she was afraid how we would react. And I have to admit that she had a valid reason to keep all of this from us," Nancy said as she lied down on the bed.

Jeff lied down as well, frowning. "It's...unsettling. To think that there are people who...if they'd ever find out about Liz would challenge her and then kill her...just like that," he said.

Nancy looked at him for a moment. "You're worried because that is something you can't protect her from," she said. It was a statement, not a question.

Jeff put his head over the pillow, staring at the ceiling. "A part of me wants to pack her belongings and send her to a monastery somewhere...where she would be safe. But it wouldn't matter in the end, because her will to go for her dreams...dreams she has worked so hard for...would overpower her need to BE safe," he said.

Nancy stared at Jeff for a moment, then turned his head to face hers. "She STILL wants to pursue her dream, Jeff. And I don't think that those...'Headhunters'...are going to be enough to stop her," she said.

"I know that, Nancy. I'm just worried that...what if the price is too high? What if...when she's forced to actually take a life, no matter HOW old or evil they are, that we won't be able to recognize her anymore?" he said.

Nancy gave a slight kiss to his lips. "Let's just hope that it will never come to that. You remember how we were at her age?" she asked, and Jeff nodded. "Did you ever think that you would be living here...and owning a café based on UFO theme?"

Jeff chuckled. "No, I didn't," he admitted, but sighed. "Still...what our little girl has to go through is something I never would have wanted her to experience."

"From what I could understand, she was destined for this, no matter what she or us want," Nancy said, earning a surprised look from Jeff. "I mean, even IF she hadn't died that day, there's no way of telling what else could have happened to her. Any kind of accident would have given the same result. She would have become an Immortal...except she would have been more adult to deal with it. And she would be able to have a lot better chance for happiness than she has now."

"Because she won't age from her current age?" Jeff asked, and Nancy nodded.

"She's going to be 16 years old. And...even if she could keep a relationship, people would be talking," she said.

Jeff shook his head. "So much burden from something our girl has no control whatsoever," he said sadly.

Nancy put her hand over Jeff's chest and snuggled close to him. "Let's just be there for her when she needs us...until she no longer does...or that we won't be there anymore," she said.

Jeff nodded and turned off the lights. Their minds were troubled, but eventually sleep, even if it was restless, consumed them.

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A block away from Crashdown Café, 5th January, Sunday, 12:30 p.m.

Max Evans was feeling slightly on the edge. There hadn't been any sight of Thorne so far, but that wasn't what bothered Max. He was still worried about the possibility that Marcus knew about him and Liz, not to mention what measures his History teacher would take. He was actually on his way to the UFO museum to work on some paper filing for few hours, but he wanted to make a quick visit to Liz...just to ask if Marcus had arrived.

He was about to step to the alley where the ladder to Liz's patio was, when someone pulled him there roughly and shoved him against the brick wall. It took a moment for Max to get his bearings straight, but when he did...he wished he would have just gotten unconscious instead. Marcus was glaring at him while pinning him against the wall with only his right hand.

"Mr. Evans," Marcus said slowly, putting more pressure in his right hand, causing Max to wince from the pain. "Do you even remember what I told you when you so foolishly drove off the road with Liz on board?"

"You said you'd kill me if I'd ever hurt or endangered Liz's life," Max managed to say, but the pain on his chest made it hard.

"And when I was gone during the December last year...you and Liz decide to pursue a relationship...only to end when YOU decided to take a 'step back'!!" Marcus said, grabbing Max's shirt and tossing him against the dumpster with a loud *THUD*. Max got back up, only to be turned abruptly to face Marcus again, and this time he grabbed Max's throat, squeezing his windpipe a bit. Enough to tell Max that he would be THIS close to death, but not enough to stop him from breathing. "Tell me why I shouldn't just choke you to death right here, right now?"

Max wheezed a bit, but managed to say, "Nothing. I was...confused, and needed time to think things through. I...I didn't want to put an end to Liz and me. Just...some distance."

Marcus narrowed his eyes, then growled when he hurtled Max against the brick wall. Max coughed for a bit, wincing from the pain on his back. "You are the most pathetic thing I have ever laid my eyes on...but Liz STILL didn't want me to hurt you. So I'm going to respect her wish. But Max...," Marcus said, as he kneeled next to Max, "...next time you hurt her like that...and I KNOW there will be a next time...I won't listen to Liz. I WILL kill you. You see, I have a sauna...and I'm not afraid to use it."

That statement earned a wide-eyed and terrified reaction from Max. Thorne knew what had happened to Michael, which meant that he knew WHY it had happened to him. Max shivered. Michael had been so sick...that even Max had been afraid for him, but also wondered and feared what would happen if he would go through something similar. Obviously Thorne would give him the experience if he crossed the line too much. Only Liz's mercy had saved his hide now, so he decided one thing there and then. He would NEVER, not ONCE, listen what Isabel and Michael would say about him and Liz, and he would NOT do ANYTHING to hurt her...EVER. "I...I never meant to hurt her. But I promise you...I will never do it again," Max said.

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "We'll see, Mr. Evans. We'll see," he said, and left, leaving Max leaning against the wall.

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West Roswell High, 6th January, Monday, 1:00 p.m., History class

Isabel Evans was concerned. While it WAS the start of a new school semester, she found herself having a problem in concentrating. So far other kids who had had History class before her, Max and Michael, had said that it had been like their prayer from God had been answered when Marcus had returned from his vacation. Isabel, however, couldn't even think anything positive about this. Max had told her about his little encounter with Marcus, and he had been positive that Marcus would have killed him there and then if Liz hadn't asked him to not hurt him. Obviously, Liz had a bit more influence over Marcus, and Isabel was glad for it. She had yet to seen him, even in the hallways, but now, her last class for the day, was about to start.

She glanced around. Liz and Maria were talking amongst themselves, and Isabel couldn't really care about what. Max was practically staring the door, as if fearing that Marcus would pop up and rip his head off. ["Not a chance of that happening here, Max. We are at SCHOOL,"] Isabel thought exasperatedly. Michael was pretty non-chalant, but it was obviously from the fact that Isabel and Max had decided to NOT inform him about that little 'incident' last Sunday. The rest of the students, however, were quite uncharacteristically happy. Well, Isabel had to admit that Mr. Sommers wasn't THAT good in teaching history. Just talking about this and that...with no soul. In that respect she had missed Marcus too, but on a personal level...she could do without his intimidating presence.

And...exactly 1:15, Marcus walked in from the door. However...before he had walked in, Isabel had been staring at Liz for a while, trying to understand the human girl. Then she had seen something she remembered Michael mentioning. Liz had blinked, and turned to look at the front door. That was odd, at least to Isabel, and when she turned to look at the door, she had seen the clock. And Marcus indeed walked in, right on time.

"Good afternoon, students," Marcus said, smiling. Almost everyone from the room chorused their 'Welcome back!' enthusiastically. Marcus leaned against his desk as he watched the students. "Ok, tell me honestly, where did you manage to get with Mr. Sommers? I believe we were left to...America's War of Independence."

"I think we reached to World War I already," one of the students said.

There were murmurs of agreement and nods from other students. Marcus nodded as well. "So...were you able to understand ANYTHING from the information between these two subjects and from WW I?" he asked.

There was a collective 'no', just like it had been with the rest of his classes so far. Marcus chuckled. "It's a good thing that Mr. Sommers didn't keep any midterms for you then," he said, and this time everyone agreed to that. "Ok, here's what we're gonna do. We go through the timetable from 1860's to the start of WW I in 1914. There'll be a small pop-quiz in 2 days about this, so I suggest you pay attention. And don't give me any lip about this...'cause the worst grade you can GET from this quiz is a 'C'. That, however, doesn't exclude you from actually reading to this, meaning that if you DO read into it...you'll earn yourself an 'A' at least, maybe even 'A+'."

There was a loud amount of cheering from the class, which Michael found rather amusing. But Isabel, however, hadn't heard all of Marcus' talk. She had been busy staring at him like he had somehow turned blue. But that wasn't it. She had no idea what had happened, but she was certain from one thing without a doubt. Marcus had, somehow, managed to enter into her dreams...just after she had visited Alex's dreams. AND Marcus had managed to make her forget the whole thing until now. And Isabel was pissed. But...what could she do at the moment? She couldn't just stand up, point at him with a finger and yell, 'You dreamwalked me!' That would be REALLY stupid. No...she had to wait for the end of class...which surprisingly went by like that. 2 hours were over in a blink of an eye. ["Weird,"] Isabel thought, but she had probably zoned out in her seething, which pretty much meant that she missed the whole lecture. She glanced around her, noticing that most of the students had already left. There were few making final notes, and Isabel now fully realized how much better teacher Marcus was when compared to Sommers. With Mr. Sommers, the whole class, her included, seemed to be ready to fall asleep. That was not the case with Marcus. Isabel WAS surprised to notice Max and Michael gone, but shrugged it off. They wouldn't leave without her...it was always like that. She gathered her book and notes and put them on her backpack, glaring towards Marcus's desk. Liz was leaning against it, talking with Marcus in hushed tones. Isabel didn't care. She just wanted to get things straight between herself and Marcus. NO ONE violated Isabel 'Ice Queen' Evans's privacy and got away with it. NOT even Marcus Thorne, who obviously disliked her, Max and Michael.

"See you later," Isabel heard Liz say before she left the classroom, along with the last students. Now there was only Isabel and Marcus left. And Isabel didn't waste much time to get on Marcus's face.

"I remember what you did to me," she snarled dangerously, glaring ice-cold daggers on Marcus, who just raised an eyebrow.

"If you're referring to my little trip in your dreams, then I'm guilty as charged," he said, but then he gave her a glare that was even colder than hers. "However...if you think you can talk like that to me, you're gravely mistaken."

Isabel shook her head. "I'll be giving you nightmares for the rest of your life for this," she said, a threat Max and Michael would have taken seriously. However, Marcus only smiled. But it wasn't a nice smile. It was a smile that was so cold and dangerous that it chilled Isabel.

"Really?" he said as he stood up. "Let me tell you something, Ms. Evans. If you think you can enter my dreams ever again, the answer is no. And trust me, I WILL know if you do. And IF you are dumb enough to try it...you will not wake up."

"Are you threatening me?" Isabel asked incredulously.

"Like I said then...I know a LOT more about the dreamscape than you do. And answer me this. Have you EVER thought what might happen if you would die in dreamscape?" Marcus asked.

Isabel was silent for a while. Marcus's smile turned feral now. "You don't know, or you haven't ever even bothered to think about it. So I'm going to give you a little piece of information. If you die in dreamscape, you die in real life," he said, and stared hard on Isabel's eyes. "Or if you suffer an injury in the dreamscape...your body will suffer it as well. So...if you really WANT to pursue your threat to me, I'll make sure you'll be crippled when you wake up. Mr. Evans might be able to heal you...which is why I'm willing to even entertain the idea...and go as far as doing it for real if you use your dream walking powers on me. Have a nice day...and sweet dreams, Ms. Evans."

With that, Marcus put his papers in his briefcase and left, leaving a very shaken and scared Isabel alone in the classroom. ["There...that definitely brought her down another peg,"] Marcus thought as he left the school building.

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