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

[Bored to Mundane life]

Crashdown Café, 15th January, Wednesday, 3:25 p.m., Break Room

Liz sighed as she plopped down to the sofa. The lights flickered, and then a loud *CRACK* sound distracted her. She scowled, mainly because she didn't like storms. Even if it was only half 4 p.m., it was dark outside. As if night had fallen before it should or something. She rubbed her arm a bit, trying to relieve some of the muscle ache. She was starting to hate her ability to heal quickly...even from muscle aches. Last Tuesday, she had woken up, put on the weights and went to school. Only when Marcus had pointed it out had she realized that she had been walking pretty much normally, even WHEN she had her weights on. She had been dumbfounded by it, but when Marcus had explained that her body had adapted to the extra weight, she'd been smiling. However, that joy hadn't lasted that long when Marcus had changed her weights to more heavier ones. Instead of wearing 10 extra pounds on her arms and legs, she now wore 15 pounds on each of her limb. Oh, and we can't forget the new vest...which weighted 30 pounds instead of the 20. That meant she was wearing a good 90 extra pounds on her. It wasn't as bad as it had been from the start, but it did slow her down...not to mention caused her a lot of muscle spasms. It was a good thing that the weights were inconspicuous enough to let her wear normal clothes, and no one was even aware that she was carrying extra weight on her. Her wrist weights had been dubbed as 'butt ugly leather armbands'. She found it strange that her friends didn't comment on them, but she had taken some measures to conceal them...even if her waitress uniform wasn't good for that. Still...she had to admit that she felt a bit lighter every time she removed her weights, so maybe there was some kind of benefit from this. Still...it didn't increase her chances in beating Connor. She COULD hold on almost 40 minutes before he would disable her, which irritated her a bit. Her bouts with Marcus were pretty much similar, except he ALWAYS cut it short after 5 minutes. However...Liz had learned some new tricks in the process, but Connor's experience over her didn't give her a chance to utilize them fully. ["One of these days...I'm going to get the best of him, even if I die trying,"] Liz thought, and was brought back to present when Maria walked in from the back door.

"You're late," Liz said, giving a light-hearted glare to Maria. She was too worn out at the moment to care about anything.

Maria opened her locker and pulled out the waitress uniform. "Liz, today is the first day of the rest of our lives," she said.

Liz stared at Maria weirdly for a moment. "Spending time with you mother again?" she asked, and stretched lazily. There was a slight kink in her back...a small *snap* later. ["Ah...much better,"] Liz thought.

Maria shook her head, ignoring Liz's little jibe. "No, I mean it. Aren't you tired of being a slave of men?" she asked.

Liz snorted and said more to herself than to Maria, "Definitely your mom." Maria continued on, as if not hearing her.

"Tired of spending every waking moment pining over them, just for us to get our hearts crushed in the end. It's time to branch out, to explore other possibilities. You and me, babe, together," Maria ranted, and had already turned to face Liz, who was only half-listening to her. But when Liz noticed Maria fingering the hem of her shirt, she frowned.

"Maria, what are you..." Liz started, but was stopped short when Maria pulled the shirt over her head. She stood there, clad in her bras and...a navel ring.

"Tadaaa!" Maria said, gesturing her navel ring.

"Oh my God!" Liz exclaimed, standing up from the sofa, rather slowly thanks to her weights.

"We are turning over a new leaf. We are enjoying our wild and crazy years to the fullest. You know, having fun for a change," Maria said as she stripped away from her pants and started to put on her waitress uniform, but she didn't button up her uniform.

Liz hadn't removed her eyes from the navel ring, and now was frowning at Maria. "Yeah, but skewering my navel isn't exactly my idea of fun," she said. ["Just getting the rest of my body punctured through by Connor's swords is enough for me, thank you very much,"] she thought.

Maria snorted, but in agreement. "Yeah, relax, honey," she said, removing the ring without a problem, much to Liz's surprise. "You think I'd let anyone get near me with a needle?"

Liz raised an eyebrow as she took the ring from Maria and stared at it for a while. Until now, she hadn't really thought about getting a piercing...even IF it would only be her ear. She idly wondered if she COULD get a piercing at all, thanks to her Quickening. She looked at Maria. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

Maria closed her uniform. "Oh, I bought it from a tomfoolery store near my mom's shop," she said.

"Liz, could you give me a hand here?" Jeff yelled from the dining area, and Liz just got a rather wicked idea. Maria stared at her for a moment, but then smirked when she saw Liz place the fake ring on her nose.

"Yeah," Liz said loud enough before walking to the dining area and to the counter. Jeff had his back to her and didn't see her yet. Then he turned around, and his eyes widened.

"Holy God, what the..." he started, but couldn't finish his sentence.

Liz smiled. "Relax, Dad, it's a fake," she said as she removed the ring from her nose, giving it to the snickering Maria.

Jeff stared at her for a moment, and put the box he had in his hands away. "Ok, is there anything else I should know about?" he asked, waving his hand over Liz. "A tattoo, maybe? Or..."

Liz shook her head. "No. Nothing," she said, and made a sign over her heart.

Jeff sighed, shaking his head. It just wasn't enough that her daughter was an Immortal...she had these 'Headhunters' to deal with as well. But even picturing her daughter wearing a tattoo or a piercing was a bit too much. "You've been so busy with school and new friends that...we don't even get a chance to talk," he said. In fact...he was starting to feel old.

Liz sighed as she took a seat. "I know, Dad."

"We could make up for it this weekend," Jeff said, earning a confused look from Liz.

"This weekend?" she asked.

"Isn't that the father's camping weekend?" he asked. "I saw it listed on your school calendar."

Liz nodded. "Yeah, it is this weekend. You're right," Liz said.

"You still want to go, don't you?" Jeff asked hopefully.

Liz was a bit shocked to hear that. Yes, she loved her father. Very much, in fact. But a whole weekend with him? "Yeah...yeah, Dad, I would...I do want to go. It's just that, you know, not that many people I know are actually gonna be going. Because they've sort of...outgrown it," she said.

"Oh," Jeff said, sounding disappointed. "Is that how you feel?" he asked.

Before Liz could answer that, Milton Ross barged into the café, his head whipping back and forth as if searching for something. "Where's Max Evans?" he finally asked from Liz.

Maria frowned. "I thought he worked for you, dude," she said.

Milton ignored the comment, and stared at Liz for a moment. "You...you're Max's girlfriend, right?" he asked, much to Liz's AND Jeff's shock.

"She is?" Jeff asked, slightly dumbfounded. When had he missed THAT little detail?

Liz shook her head. "No, not really," she said.

Milton grabbed Liz's hands, but gently. "I have to find him," he said.

"Why?" she asked, and even Maria was listening with more attention than she normally would. "What's going on?"

Milton actually smiled, like someone had just given him the best Christmas present one could think of. "Just everything we've been waiting our entire lives for. There's been a sighting," he said, and both Liz and Maria stared at him with wide eyes.

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

UFO Museum, 3:56 p.m.

Max had arrived to the Museum a bit late, something he chided himself for through the whole way. But when he had parked the car in front of the café, the only spot with decent parking lots, Milton had practically jumped him and started to drag him to the Museum, ranting something about 'the biggest thing that ever happened in our history and you are late'. But when Milton had finally stopped to take a breath and explained what was going on to Max, he was at all ears. Now Milton had a map of Roswell in front of him as he briefed everything to Max.

"It was here, out in Frazier Woods," Milton said, as he pointed the spot on the map. "A close encounter. How many of us can say we've had that?"

"How'd you find out?" Max asked, his attention focused on the map.

"Police scanner," Milton said, earning a surprised look from Max. Milton saw the look and said with a knowing look, "You can never trust the law to share information."

Max nodded. "Well, who reported it?" he asked.

"Some hiker named Buzz," Milton said, eyeing the map a bit.

Max blinked. "So...it could all be just a hoax," he said.

Milton shook his head, raising his finger in a 'pay attention' way. "Oh, no, it's real all right," he said. "There's corroboration. Uh, 2 motorists, a family that was camping, and a fly fisherman by the name of Rocky Calhoun. I've seen a lot of hoaxes, Evans. I can smell it a mile away. This..." he pressed his finger to the map, "...is no hoax."

Max nodded, but he was still a bit skeptical. "Frazier Woods is a big place," he said.

Now Milton really smiled. "Not when you know where the cops are looking," he said, and moved his finger a bit. Max blinked.

"Near the Indian reservation, huh?" he said, hiding quite well his shock. He turned back to Milton. "So...what exactly did these witnesses see?"

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

Martial Arts Studio, 5:36 p.m.

"A flash of light?" Connor asked from Richie, as he parried one of Liz's cuts. ["Damn, that was too close for me taste,"] he thought.

"Yeah, that's what I saw, Connor," Richie said, taking a swig from his beer. He had been heading back from a quick trip to Lubbock 2 days ago, in his attempt to find parts so he could improve his motorcycle, when that flash of light nearly turned him into a road kill.

"Ya sure ya weren't seeing things?" Connor asked, dodged Liz's thrust and nicked her from the cheek.

Marcus barked some instructions to Liz from the other side of the mat, and Liz nodded. Richie shook his head. "No way, man. That thing nearly blinded me...and caused me to swerve off the road," he said.

"Then what do ya think it was?" Connor asked, parried and punched Liz with his elbow, forcing her to back away. He gave a quick glance to Richie. "I mean...it could've been a bolt of lightning."

"No way, no how THAT was a bolt of lightning. One, it was TOO damn steady. Two, it lasted a LOT longer too," Richie said.

Connor frowned, parried several of Liz's attacks and then blocked a kick that was directed to his groin. He swatted Liz's sword aside and kneed her to the gut, placing the blade against her exposed neck. "Ya're not suggesting that the aliens have landed, do ya?" he asked.

Richie shrugged. "I don't know. But it sure as Hell wasn't a lightning bolt," he said.

Connor shook his head, then turned to Liz. "Not bad, lass. 42 minutes straight. However...I could see that ye were distracted," he said.

"I agree," Marcus said from the side.

"It was that 'sighting'. It's...bothering me," Liz said, and Marcus nodded knowingly. Connor, however, scowled.

"Lass, I wouldn' worry too much about that. Aliens donnae exist," he said.

Richie snorted. "Damn, man. Do you honestly think that we are the only intelligent beings in the Universe?" he asked. Liz found herself nodding in agreement, even if she knew the truth to that already.

"I'm not saying THAT. What I DO wonder is that if there ARE aliens, why they would bother come here?" Connor said.

Richie blinked. "Hey...that's a good point. Maybe they're 'experimenting' with some of the mortals?" he suggested.

Liz scowled. "You've watched too many episodes from X-Files," she said, then she blinked. "Maybe they brought Elvis back."

The 3 other Immortals blinked, then started laughing. Liz watched them in confusion. "Was it something I said?" she asked.

Connor managed to get himself in check. "Lass...*chuckle*...Elvis is an Immortal," he said. Richie was actually rolling on the floor, shaking from laughter. Liz, however, didn't find the situation amusing.

"Oh...so Elvis is an Immortal. You COULD have mentioned THAT little detail earlier," she snapped. Ok, maybe she didn't FULLY believe in the whole 'aliens taking Elvis' thing, but she had never thought about the possibility of him being Immortal.

"Sorry, Liz. But you never asked, and we never thought to bring it up until now," Marcus said.

"Well, *I* am going to take a shower now, and leave. I still have homework to finish," Liz said and marched to the locker room. She closed the door rather harshly, making Richie wince.

"I think we made her mad," he said.

"Nope...she's just angry that we laughed and kept the fact about Elvis from her," Marcus said.

"Well...I hope she gets over from it," Richie said.

Connor waved him off. "Relax, lad. The lass can't stay angry to anyone too long," he said, and wiped some of the sweat away.

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

West Roswell High, 16th January, Thursday, 9:03 a.m., school hallway

Liz opened her locker and picked up her Advanced Biology book and put away her Trig. book. When she was about to close her locker, she noticed Maria walking towards her...but Liz's eyes then saw that Maria seemed a bit...bigger than yesterday. And if the exclamations from the male students was any indication, they had noticed it too. Maria saw Liz's weirded out expression and smiled, gesturing her 'slightly' enlarged chest.

"It's an aqua bra," she said, and Liz raised an disbelieving eyebrow. "You know, all the fun of implants except without the invasive surgery part."

Liz closed her locker, still staring at Maria. "You have officially lost it, Maria," she said.

Maria shook her head. "No, I have found it, babe, ok? I've had 3 phone numbers already and it's only 2nd period," she said, grinning.

"What?" Liz said, staring at her as if saying 'prove it'.

"Yes," Maria said. Then one of the boys walked to them, except that his eyes were pretty much locked on Maria. ["Or specifically her chest,"] Liz thought with slight disgust.

"Hey, Maria," the student said, still keeping his eyes on Maria when he was walking away.

"Hey, Neil," Maria said, keeping an eye-contact on the boy until he disappeared to another hall. Then she turned to Liz. "Do you see what I'm saying?" she asked, and Liz refused to comment on it. Then Maria smiled. "Ok, do you want to try this thing on?"

Liz shook her head. "Oh, no, Maria! I am not going to..." Liz started, but paused when she saw Max disappear into the Eraser room. "Who is Max meeting in the Eraser room?" she asked.

Maria gave a disapproving glare to Liz. "Ixnay on the ining-pay, remember?" she said.

Liz grimaced. "I am SO not pining over him, Maria," she said, then turned her attention back to the Eraser room. "I'm only curious, that's all. Besides, I hate not knowing what's going on with him."

"His decision, if I recall," Maria said, and Liz nodded in agreement. Then they see Michael walk into the Eraser room as well.

Maria grimaced. "No wonder he couldn't make a commitment," she said. Liz had to snort to hide her amusement. That statement had invoked an interesting idea in Liz's head. One she didn't want to voice out.

They hadn't realized that Alex had walked behind them until he said, "Ok, I give up. What are we staring at?"

Liz and Maria turned to Alex, who raised an eyebrow as he stared at Maria's chest. Maria smiled and thrust her chest up, and Liz gestured them. "This is an aqua bra. Would you like to try it on, Alex?" she said.

Alex grimaced. "Yeah, maybe later. Here, have a flier," he said as he handed both of them a piece of paper. "If I pass out enough of them, then I could raise my P.E. grade from a 'C' to a 'B-'." ["And this is the first time I'm envying Liz when it comes to her training,"] he thought grimly.

Liz read the flier quickly, and her eyes widened. "Oh. Ooh, the father camping weekend?" she asked, and Alex nodded. Liz looked at Alex and Maria hopefully. "I don't suppose either of you would be..."

Alex stopped her before she could finish her sentence. "Did I mention that I'm not very athletic, except in dodgeball?" he said. Liz gave a pleading look to Maria, who quickly shook her head.

"No dad, remember," she said.

Liz sighed in defeat. "Well, I hope mine has finally outgrown it," she said.

Alex frowned. "Hey, I thought Marcus was always as a supervising teacher along with Coach Clay?" he asked.

Liz nodded. "Yeah, and I may love my father and him, but I HATE camping," she said. She frowned when she saw Alex staring past her. "Alex?" she asked.

"Oh, gee, look at the time," Alex suddenly said, surprising Liz. "I gotta go. I'll see ya guys." Liz and Maria stared as Alex walked pass him, and then realization dawned. Isabel was at her locker...alone.

"Like a puppy in heat," Maria said, shaking her head.

"Oh yeah," Liz admitted.

"He's my next project," Maria said, and Liz shook her head in exasperation as she made her way to her class.

Isabel was about to head to the Eraser room where Max had decided to 'summon' her for a meeting. Like she hadn't better things to do. Like watch over her shoulder in case Marcus was there. What he had said had terrified her to the core, and if he was ready to go as far as killing Max if he crossed the line, who said she was out of the possiblity? The feminists most likely, but for some reason Isabel doubted that Marcus would even spare a minute to hear any lectures from them. To him, she wasn't human, which was true. So, killing an alien, hybrid or not, probably wouldn't bother him that much. Still, even at night she felt rather self-conscious before she went to sleep. She hadn't picked him up in her dreams, which was a relief, but she, after what he had said to her...hadn't even dreamed to enter his subconscious. Then Alex appeared next to her. "Hey," he said, and handed out a flier.

Isabel blinked, and took it. "Hey," she said, then raised an eyebrow. "Do you want something, 'cause I have to meet my idiotic brother in a minute."

Alex shrugged. "I don't know," he said. Then he seemed almost thoughtful. "Do aliens enjoy cinema?"

"Alex..." Isabel said slowly, glaring him.

"Oh...yeah, the 'a' word, sorry," Alex said, chagrined. "Anyway, there's this Fellini retrospective at the art house theater this Friday night, and I wanted to know if maybe you wanted to go?"

Now Isabel just stared at Alex. Was he asking her on a date? And he even managed to do that without stuttering? Ok, maybe he always had been rather straight with her when they talked, but this was something new. She still shook her head. It wasn't going to be that way between them. It just couldn't. "No, I'm not really into that," she said.

Alex seemed crestfallen for a second, but he covered it well. "Ok," he said.

Was he being blasé about this? ["Since when did he start to play hard to get with me?"] Isabel wondered.

"Then how about a regular movie?" Alex asked, confusing Isabel even more.

"Well...I don't see why not. Sure, I'll go with you," she said.

Alex smiled, but resisted the urge to 'whoop'. "That would be great. See you later, Isabel," he said, and left.

Isabel blinked and shook her head. Had she just agreed to go out with Alex? Well...he wasn't that bad looking, and he didn't exactly back away when she was feeling snappy. And he definitely spoke up his mind when he wanted to. "Maybe this won't be so bad after all..." she murmured, and made her way to the Eraser room. Once there, she muttered acidly, "I can't BELIEVE I'm in the Eraser room with YOU two."

Max ignored her comment. "We need a safe place to talk. Anyway, I found out a lot about the sighting from Milton," he said.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Told you that place would get to you," he said.

Max continued, ignoring Michael, "5 people saw a big flash of light in Frazier Woods."

"5 basket cases," Isabel said, clearly not interested.

"Then why has Valenti already closed off a 4-square-mile area of the forest near the Indian reservation?" Max challenged, and this got Michael's and Isabel's attention.

"You mean near the cave?" Michael asked. Max nodded.

"Max, you don't think this sighting..." Isabel started, but couldn't find herself to finish the sentence. The odds for this sighting to be 'real' weren't exactly great.

"It was no coincidence. We need to get there before Valenti does in case there's something to find," Max said. Lately, Valenti had started to show more interest on the three of them, and it might have been Max's paranoia talking, but Valenti seemed almost dead set to find answers. He already had a bundle of questions.

Isabel nodded in agreement, but then made a valid point. "Yeah, but we have no idea how many guys he has patrolling there. If anybody saw us, then it would just make him more curious than he already is," she said.

Max thought about it. "What do you do in Frazier Woods?" he asked.

Isabel frowned, but still answered, "You hike, you fish, you camp out."

Max seemed sheepish now. "I can't believe I'm going to suggest this, but we could go on that camping trip this weekend," he said.

"You're kidding me, right?" Michael said incredulously.

Isabel nodded. It made sense. "If anybody found us, we would just be kids missing from our school group," she said.

"There's only one problem," Max said, looking at Michael. "It's a...it's a fathers' camping weekend. Get to know your dad kind of thing."

"Guess that leaves me out, huh?" Michael said, his expression non-chalant.

Max nodded. "Guess so," he said.

Isabel eyed the flier she had got from Alex, and saw something disturbing. "Umm...Max," she said, getting his attention. "Mr. Thorne is one of the supervisors there."

"Sucks to be you," Michael commented, which earned glares from Isabel and Max.

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

Parker household, 9:50 p.m., Bathroom

Liz put on her bathrobe and started to head back to her room. Now when she had been wearing heavier weights on her, it felt weird to walk without them. She felt...so light, that it wasn't even funny. She shook her head, trying to clear her confusion from the fact that her body was going through these changes thanks to Marcus's idea for training. She stepped back into her room, just as her father walked in.

"Hey, now!" he exclaimed, and turned around.

"DAD!" Liz exclaimed as well, cluthing her bathrobe in a self-conscious way.

"Oh, gosh. I should have knocked," Jeff said, shaking his head.

Liz sighed and made sure that her bathrobe was secured. "No, it's ok, Dad," she said as she took a seat on her bed.

Jeff let out a humorless laugh. "I got to get better at this privacy thing," he said.

"It's no big deal, Dad," Liz said. "So...did you want something?"

Jeff turned around slowly. "Yeah, uh...listen, sweetie, about this camping weekend," he said and sat down next to her. "We should just go and take the advantage of the time together. I wouldn't miss that for anything."

Liz gave him a half-hearted smile. "I was actually going to say the same thing."

Jeff nodded. "And I can get to know that guy Max you've been hanging out with and, uh, he has a sister too, right?" he said.

Liz nodded. "Isabel."

"And the guy with the hair?" Jeff asked.

"Michael," Liz clarified.

"Michael, yeah."

Liz nodded again. "Yeah, but I don't think they're even going," she said.

Jeff was slightly confused about that. "Oh. Well, even if they aren't going to be there, I'd...still like to hear about that...Richie character, not to mention that guy with a weird accent...Conner?" he asked.

"Connor...MacCleod," Liz said. "And it would be better if you'd talk with them yourself."

Jeff nodded. "I'll remember that," he said, and hugged her. "Thank you for doing this with me."

Liz returned the hug, but she really didn't feel that comfortable to talk about her training with her father, and she kept hoping that he would change his mind at the last minute. Well, since that wasn't going to happen...she just had to deal with it the best she could. But she had to admit...she was glad that she COULD spend time with her dad. "It's not a problem, Dad."

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

Crashdown Café, Friday, 2:46 p.m., Break room

Liz descended the stairs, carrying a backpack and some other camping gear with her. Marcus had, surprisingly, cancelled the training session for the day, but Liz suspected that he was making his own preparations for the weekend. While he WAS only as a supervisor there, he always made it look like a survival training than just regular camping. Liz hadn't really given to it that much thought the previous times she had been in this camping expedition, but now she knew differently. However, Marcus HAD told her that they would be performing other form of training at the woods. She idly wondered what he had been talking about...especially when he had told her to pack her knife, which was stashed in her backpack. She was putting the camping gear on the floor along with the tent when Maria walked in.

"Running away from home?" Maria asked, raising an eyebrow to the assorted camping equipment.

Liz put the stuff away and gave a pitiful look to Maria. "Maria, I'm begging you for mercy. Please come with me," she pleaded.

Maria shook her head. "Chica, I told you, my idea of the great outdoors is rolling the window down in my car on the way to the mall," she said. "Come on, I love your dad. *YOU* love your dad."

Liz nodded. "Yes, I do. I love him...but in the normal father role, which is like 5 minutes at a time, just a few times a day...NOT for an entire weekend with no TV," she said.

Maria made a face. "Yeah. I've always found fathers grossly overrated myself," she said.

"And, you know, he has been getting so nosy lately. It's like he wants to know every single detail of my life," she said, but added silently, ["He knows a big part of it already, but I don't think he'd be ok knowing how many times I've been REALLY hurt during those training sessions."] Then she added, "He even asked me about Max and Michael and Isabel."

Maria made an attempt to think about it...for a few seconds, then she shook her head. "Mmmm, no. That's why me and my mom have the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," she said, and turned away.

"I'll pay you," Liz said, stopping Maria. Ok, that was low, but she wanted a friend there to balance things up. Marcus didn't count.

Maria turned back to Liz. "How much?" she asked.

"25 bucks," Liz offered.

"$100," Maria countered.

"Uh, $50."

"$75."

"$62.50."

Maria stared at Liz. "How do you do that math so quickly?" she demanded.

Liz shrugged, then added, "Ok, $62.50 and then I'll do your math homework for a week."

Maria nodded in approval. "You're good," she said.

Liz smiled as she opened her locker and started to count the money. "I know. Thank's for doing this, Maria," she said as she handed the $62.50 to Maria.

"Yeah, just remember that when we're freezing our asses off back there," Maria commented with a disgusted face.

Back at the café, about an half an hour later, Max, Isabel and Michael were talking about when River Dog had come to see Michael last night, and had told him that the sighting was genuine. Isabel, however, had come there to tell Alex that they couldn't go to the movies because of the fathers' camping weekend.

"So River Dog saw the light?" Max asked from Michael, who nodded.

"The dog himself," he said.

"And he said it was real?" Isabel asked from Michael, who nodded again. "You do realize what this could mean?"

"Our first real proof. Could even lead to actual contact," Max said.

"If we haven't had it already," Michael commented, getting Max's and Isabel's attention.

"What do you mean?" Max asked from Michael, who gave him a look that said 'Isn't it obvious?'

"Why is River Dog following me?" he asked. Max shrugged, and Isabel stared at Michael. "I mean, why does he care?"

"Because he knew the fourth alien," Isabel said.

Michael nodded, but his expression said that he didn't believe that explanation. "Yeah, that's what he said."

"And you don't believe him?" Max asked.

"How does he know so much?" Michael asked from Max, who had to admit it was pretty odd. "I mean, how did he know how to heal me when I was sick? I mean, that's some memory from when he was a kid. And where did he get those stones from? Maybe River Dog is the guy we've been looking for all along."

"The fourth alien?" Max asked incredulously.

"I think he's our father, Maxwell," Michael said.

Isabel shook her head. "I don't think so, Michael," she said, then thought of something. "Maybe it's Marcus."

That received a sarcastic laugh from Michael and a dumbfounded look from Max. "What gave you THAT idea?" Michael asked.

"He dream walked me," Isabel said plainly. THAT sunk in better.

"He did WHAT?" Michael demanded, nearly standing up, but repressed the urge. "And you didn't tell us THIS until now?"

Isabel sighed. "I didn't remember it until a week ago. Although, he DID say that he wasn't one of us, and most definitely not Nasedo," she said.

"If he isn't, then how was he able to do that...let alone make you forget the whole thing?" Max asked.

Isabel shook her head in exasperation. "I don't know, Max. But the fact is that Thorne is something a lot more than he allows us to believe. We already know he's not 'normal', but really, how FAR does 'normal' describe him?" she asked.

"Nothing is normal about him," Michael said, shaking his head. "And I highly doubt he's our father...considering the pure hostility he has shown to us...or you 2 specifically." Then Michael narrowed his eyes to Isabel. "And WHY wouldn't River Dog be our father? Because you 2 already have one?"

Isabel shook her head. "No, that's not why I..." she started, but Michael cut her off.

"River Dog knows more about us than Philip Evans ever will, no matter how many camping trips you guys take," he said, silencing Isabel and Max for a moment.

Meanwhile, on the booth a good distance away from the E.T. booth, Alex, Maria and Liz are talking. Alex tried to appear as casual as he could, but he just couldn't ignore the giddy feeling inside him. "Ok...is she looking at me?" he asked casually.

Liz and Maria exchanged a look. Liz glanced towards the three aliens, and then back at Alex. "No, she's not really looking at you," she said.

Alex chuckled to himself, and the girls looked at him weirdly. "Isabel Evans and Alex Charles Whitman out on a date?" he asked from himself. "I thought she'd say 'no' right there and then, but that she actually said 'yes'? That's miraculous all in itself."

"You ok, Alex?" Liz asked worriedly.

"Hmm?" Alex mumbled, as if not hearing her for a moment. Then he nodded. "Oh, I'm fine...it's just that so long I've fantasized about this moment...and it's actually happening. It's amazing...wait...," he frowned, "why DID she agree to go out with me? Did she find me attractive or...was it out of pity? Wait, it's a joke! It's a practical joke!" He glared at Liz and Maria. "You two are in on it. YOU bastards!"

Liz made a 'calm down' gesture. "Alex, calm down...I think your paranoid schizophrenia is kicking in again," she said.

"Right," Alex said simply, then shook his head. "I'll just...go to the bathroom and have a little talk with myself." With that, he got up and left. Maria shook her head as she and Liz headed back to the counter.

"See what I'm saying?" she said, gesturing at Alex's general direction. "These Czechoslovakians have way too weird of an effect on us. And if you don't stay away from them, Liz, I'm going to be picking up the pieces of your heart for the rest of your life."

["Somehow I doubt that,"] Liz thought, and shook her head as they reached the cash register. "No, you're not, 'cause I'm staying away from him, Maria. Max and I haven't even talked to each other for days," she said.

"Really?" Maria asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Liz said, wondering what Maria was getting at.

Maria seemed almost triumphant now. "Then why has he been staring at you since he came in?" she asked.

Liz blinked, and gave an incredulous look to Maria. "He HAS?" she asked.

Maria was surprised to not see an hopeful look from Liz. "Well, glad that I don't have to go do an intervention on you, but Liz, you have to make him think you're over him. That your life is so exciting," she said, and Liz snorted to that. "Lie if you have to. It's for your own good."

"I'm not so sure about that," Liz managed to say just before Michael and Max walked to the register.

"Hey," Max said.

"Hey," Liz said back, but there wasn't much of pining in her voice, much to Maria's delight.

Max shifted his weight from one foot to another, much to Michael's annoyance. "Haven't seen you lately," he said.

Liz nodded. "I've been busy," she said curtly.

"She means she's been kind of busy," Maria stepped in, earning a confused look from Liz AND Max. "We've BOTH been kind of busy."

"I can see that," Michael remarked dryly.

Maria nodded. "You know, getting ready for the big weekend and all," she said, giving a wink to Liz, and completely missing the ever intensifying glare she kept sending to her.

"You have a big weekend?" Max asked, slightly confused and a bit hurt.

Maria nodded. "Dates," she said, and now Liz was only barely able to restrain herself from knocking Maria's lights out. If THIS was supposed to be helping her, then it was NOT working. "We have dates...with men."

Michael raised an unamused eyebrow. "Men?" he asked.

"These college guys we met during winter break and, um, they're taking us to dinner...an expensive dinner," Maria said, grinning like Cheshire cat now. Liz was now wishing that the earth would open up and swallow her.

"Great," Max said, his eyes dim. "Well, have a good time." He paid their drinks and he and Michael left. Liz turned to Maria.

"Maria, next time when you get an urge to help me...DON'T," she said, and went to the coffee maker.

"What? I was doing you a favour," Maria said, and Liz snorted.

"Oh, no. You only made me feel uncomfortable...not to mention humiliated. And do you have any idea what Marcus would have said if he had heard you?" Liz demanded silently.

"Well, considering the way he feels about the aliens, I'd say he'd be thrilled," Maria said. Liz shook her head.

"No, he'd probably find those 'college men' and killed them on the spot," she said, and then she saw Alex walking to the booth where Isabel was still sitting. Maria frowned and turned as well, then sighed defeatedly. "Oh, great," she muttered.

Alex had taken a seat opposite to Isabel. "So, Isabel..." he started, and Maria shook her head in disappointment. "Another one being sucked into the alien abyss." Liz gave a disapproving glare to Maria, and prayed that Isabel wouldn't hurt Alex emotionally.

"Listen, about our plans tonight..." Alex started, but Isabel's eyes suddenly widened and she started to apologize.

"Oh, God, Alex, I'm so sorry," she said, earning a confused look from Alex. "My dad is insisting we go on this lame camping trip together. I...I have to cancel."

"Cancel?" Alex said, disappointed.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, Alex," Isabel said. In fact, she would have preferred to go to a movie with him instead to this camping expedition if it weren't for the sighting. She frowned when Alex's expression changed from dejected to almost thoughtful. Then he started to shake his head.

"No, not at all. Don't worry about it," he said, and now Isabel felt officially lost. "It's funny, 'cause I was just about to tell you that I was gonna have to cancel 'cause of this of this fathers' camping weekend fiesta. I mean, you know how dads can be sometimes."

Isabel blinked. "YOU'RE going camping?" she asked.

Alex nodded. "Some coincidence, huh?" he said, but inwardly he smacked him to his temple...repeatedly. ["How stalker does THIS feel to you, Whitman?"] he asked from himself.

"Huh," was all Isabel could say.

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

[Bored to Mundane life]

West Roswell High, 4:40 p.m., school parking lot

It was chaos. That's was the first word that Marcus could think of when he saw various students and their fathers milling around the parking lot, carrying their camping gear. Marcus snorted. These people were more used to staying inside and have a warm meal with all the comforts of home added into the mix than trying to survive in the wilderness. He had been living through nature's condition for more than a 1000 years; so he probably had the advantage over them, but still, that didn't give him the right to just flat out tell these people that they were pathetic. Then again...this wasn't survival training...as much as Marcus would want it to be. Jack Clay walked next to him and handed him the list of all the people who would be attending. Clay took in the attire what Marcus was wearing and frowned. It was 4:43, with only 46 degrees outside, but Marcus seemed almost at home with his camouflaged vest and pants, black shirt and hiking boots. He even had a knapsack that reminded Clay from his time in military. To him, this guy seemed ready to just disappear to the wilderness for months.

Meanwhile, Liz, Jeff, Maria and Alex were heading to the bus that would be taking them to the Frazier Woods. Then Alex saw his father. "Pops!" he yelled, then turned to Liz. "Yeah, let me go get my dad and then get the tags for that. Pops!" Liz watched as he left. She had seen Mr. Whitman on many occasions when she and Maria were at their house, and she couldn't just get over the fact how TALL he was. She had to crane her neck back a lot before she could look him to the eyes. She saw what Marcus was wearing and raised an eyebrow to that. She had heard that he had been in Vietnam, but to see him in military fatigue was...weird. The only thing that was missing was the black paint they put on their face. She didn't think too much for his lack of heavy clothing, mostly because she knew he was used to a colder weather than this. She checked her own choice of clothing. A dark green vest, lacking the pockets when compared to Marcus's vest, a sweater, mittens that left her fingers bare, dark jeans and boots. She still had her weights on, and she was also glad that the weight vest could be hidden underneath her own vest. She still wondered why Marcus wanted her to bring her knife along.

On the other side of the lot, the Evans's were making their way to the bus. "Are you sure you guys really want to do this?" he asked from Max and Isabel, who nodded.

"We've been looking forward to it," Max said.

"Yeah, absolutely," Isabel piped in. "Not to mention the mosquitoes, pit toilets AND animal droppings. Yes!" Even a deaf person could have heard the sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, I can't say that it doesn't make me happy to see you two joining in like this," Philip said, ignoring Isabel's comment. In fact, he was happy that they were at least giving an effort.

"Well, that's our new policy, Dad. We're joiners," Isabel said, and turned to Max. "Right, Max?"

"Yeah, joiners," he agreed.

Meanwhile, near the bus. "Maria, I'm glad that you're going to come with us," Jeff said, as he put the tent away.

"Yeah, me too," Liz said as she checked through her backpack to make sure everything was in order. When she was done, she started to look through people, when she stopped, her eyes widening from shock.

Jeff continued, oblivious to what was happening around him. "Because there's something that I think we should all talk about, and it'll be good to get away from all the outside influences that you've been..." he said, Maria nodding several times just to give the impression that she WAS listening.

"Oh, my GOD!" Liz suddenly exclaimed, getting Maria's attention.

"...distracted by," Jeff finished, only to realize that he was being ignored. "What the..."

"Oh, my God, Maria! He's HERE!!" Liz whispered angrily, staring at Max who hadn't seen her yet.

"Ok, no problem," Maria started, thinking something. "Let's just, um, let's tell them that the 2 college guys had midterms, and we're gonna meet them next week in Albuquerque."

Liz gave an incredulous look to Maria. "Maria, having a life is one thing, but having a whole fantasy life is just a little bit troubling, don't you think?" she demanded. Maria just shrugged.

Then coach Clay started to read the names from his list. "Bennet, Butler!" he yelled, and the people walked to him, signed the paper Marcus was holding and stepped into the bus. Then Kyle walked to both of them. "Hey, Valenti," Clay said.

"Hey, coach," Kyle said, not feeling exactly happy about this.

"I understand we're going to be bunking together this trip," Clay said, and Kyle resisted the urge to groan. Marcus just shook his head.

"Yeah, umm, hope you don't mind, but I would much rather bunk with Mr. Thorne," Kyle said hopefully. Besides, thanks to Thorne, he was getting a good grade in History.

"No tent," Marcus said, earning a surprised look from Kyle. Seeing this, Marcus clarified. "It's a luxury you can't have in the wilderness."

Kyle blinked, and looked to Clay as if hoping that he would say it was a joke. Clay just shrugged. This time Kyle DID groan.

"I'll take it from here, coach," a voice said, and Kyle actually smiled a bit when he saw his dad walk to them. He had a tent in hand. "New tent, right?" he asked as he put it away.

Kyle nodded. "Right," he said. To say he had been disappointed when his father had been more interested about the sighting than from him. Now, it seemed that he was coming around. "I thought you had to work."

Valenti just shrugged. "Oh, they'll get a hold of me if they need to," he said. "I'll go check us in."

When Valenti made his way to Marcus, he saw Jeff Parker already there, signing the check-in paper. Valenti was surprised to see the VERY military look Marcus was giving, and found it odd since there was no record of Marcus Thorne ever serving in military...ever. There had been several people with a first name Marcus, but no Thorne. Valenti filed this for something to remember later, and then turned to Jeff. "Hey," he said, getting Jeff's attention. They shook hands. "Squeezed another year out of it, huh?"

Jeff chuckled. "Oh, yeah," he said. "You know, you're lucky you got a boy."

"Hello, Sheriff," Mr. Whitman said as he greeted the 2 men.

"Hey, and it's Jim," Valenti said. "This weekend it's Jim."

"So, Frazier Woods, huh?" Mr. Whitman said, rubbing his hands together, shivering a bit. It was hard to tell if it was from the cold or something else. "I don't know about you guys, but it makes me a little nervous."

"Why?" Valenti asked, but he suspected the reason behind Chuck Whitman's nervousness. "It's a well-marked campsite."

"I mean about the sighting," Chuck said, not even trying to hide his apprehension. "Isn't it close to where we are going?"

Valenti nodded. "Ah, it's 3, maybe 4 miles. It's nothing to worry about," he said. Then he saw Max and Isabel walking to them with Philip Evans. ["If THEY are here...then it really was more than just a flash of light,"] Jim thought.

"Coleman. Daskal. Evans. Hausman," coach Clay called out, and the people stepped into the bus. Max paused for a moment when Marcus stared at him and Isabel a bit longer than he had to. Luckily Philip didn't see it. Liz, on the other hand, was wondering if she should be angry or frightened at the moment.

"He's gonna find out, Maria," she whispered angrily. "They're going alphabetically."

"Kalinowski. Parker," Clay called out, and Max stopped when he was getting on board the bus and turned around. His eyes landed on Liz immediately.

"No expensive dinner?" he asked casually, and Liz rolled her eyes.

"There's been a change in plans," Maria said, and sighed sadly. "And we were making such progress."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Liz asked.

"You're practically drooling after him, chica. Again," Maria said.

"No...I'm NOT," Liz said sharply, and stepped on the bus.

Some distance away from the bus, Valenti was talking to one of his men at the perimeter that surrounded the area where the sighting had occurred. "Yeah, it's me. Tell Miller to put some extra men on the perimeter. I think something might happen tonight. I want to be ready," he said, then closed his cell. He would have to keep a close eye on the Evans' kids now.

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

Frazier Woods, 6:14 p.m., the campsite

Marcus walked through the site, grimacing. Everytime he got here, he just couldn't shake of the disgusted feeling he got from this campsite. It was TOO well placed for his taste. He preferred a spot that wasn't cleaned. So he had searched a very specific spot that he always used. He now stood in the middle of the woods, the campsite about 12 yards behind him. ["Good, this spot is still unspoiled,"] he thought with approval, and put his knapsack on the ground, removing the sleeping bag.

On the other side of the campsite, which was relatively closer to the reservation, the Evans's were finding their own camping spot. Philip pointed at an open spot near the trees. "Hey, this looks like a good one," he said, already making his way there.

"What about over here?" Max asked, gesturing a open spot near the woods. "It's closer to the trees."

Philip studied it for a moment, then nodded in approval. "Yeah, good call," he said, and started to set up the tent. Max walked closer to Isabel and whispered, "It'll be easier to get away if we're near the woods."

Isabel glanced towards Valenti with a worried expression. "This is crazy, Max. Valenti is right here," she whispered back.

"That's exactly why we have to do this, Isabel. If that sighting is real and there's something out there, then we have to find it first. We have no choice," Max said, and Isabel reluctantly nodded in agreement. She, however, was relieved that Alex was there.

Meanwhile, Kyle and Jim had found their own spot, and were ready to put up the tent. Or, at least Kyle was. Jim was trying to find a location that would have a clear signal to his cell-phone. Kyle, however, hadn't seen that particular detail yet, as he reminiscent about his last year here. "I'm gonna break the all-time record. Last year I ate 5 bratwurst. This year I'm going to eat 6. How 'bout you?" he asked and looked at his father, but frowned when he seemed to ignore him. "Dad..." Kyle said as he nudged Jim carefully, startling him. "Focus. Son."

Jim shook his head. "Sorry, Kyle. What were you asking?" he asked and continued to find a clear signal for his cell.

Kyle saw it. "What is that?" he asked, but Jim didn't answer. "What are you doing?"

"I promised Miller that I would keep in touch tonight," Jim said, much to Kyle's disappointment. "You know what? Reception's low in this are. Let's try a different site."

"But I picked this one," Kyle argued.

"Kyle," Jim said, giving his son a look.

"I..." Kyle started, but sighed and picked up the equipment. He followed his father lightheartily, and when he finally picked up a signal, they were on the spot where the Evans's had picked up a spot. Kyle groaned. He REALLY didn't want to be near Evans...at least this weekend. But...his father had different idea.

"Bingo, reception," Jim said happily, then turned to Philip. "Hey, you got space for a few more around here?" Philip nodded, even though Alex and his father had decided to camp at the same spot as well. Max and Isabel exchanged a worried glance by this declaration. It made their task a lot harder.

Then Jim spots Jeff walking nearby with Liz and Maria and waves to them. "Jeff! Over here," he yells, getting the their attention. "Come on, we'll make a party of it."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Liz and Maria say at the same time, but Jeff ignored them.

"Look, there's Alex," he said, pointing at the Whitmans. He turned to the girls. "Come on, it'll be fun. I can get to know some of your new friends."

Liz sighed sadly. ["This is going to be SO much fun,"] she thought sarcastically.

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

Frazier Woods, 7:54 p.m.

It hadn't been that bad...so far. The adults had been talking mostly to themselves, along with Kyle who at least TRIED to have a father/son moment with Jim. Max had first been studying the woods, and then had started to read a book he had brought with him, answering some questions directed to him by Jeff. Isabel and Alex, surprisingly, were doing some small talk as well. Maria had withdrawn herself to the tent, complaining that there were TOO many insects for her taste. Liz, however, had been rather busy herself with Marcus. NOW she knew why Marcus had told her to bring her knife along. He was teaching her how to survive in the wilderness if you only had very little items. Stuff like how to build a small hut from branches, where to search food in case she couldn't get to animals and other stuff.

Now they were hiding behind some trees, watching a deer wandering in the forest peacefully. To Liz, it was surreal to watch a deer so close...a real live deer instead from the ones in movies or nature documents.

"It's beautiful," Liz whispered, awed.

Marcus nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is. But there's something else you're going to learn here," he said, and gestured her to be silent. Liz frowned, but then froze when she saw a coyote appear behind the deer, who had perked up as if sensing a danger. The coyote, however, hadn't made a sound. Coyotes usually wandered around at the desert, but they also liked the cooler climate in the woods...and there was more food in the woods as well. It sneaked closer and closer, as silently as it could. Liz's eyes widened suddenly, and she was about to jump up and yell as loud as she could so the deer would run, but Marcus pulled her to him and put his hand over her mouth.

"You can't interfere with nature," he whispered, and Liz started to struggle him, but she found herself unable to break free. Then she saw the deer sprint away, and the coyote followed it. Liz sighed from relief, but then her eyes widened from shock when two other coyotes jumped the deer, pulling it into the ground. It tried to fight back, but to no avail. The third coyote lunged at the deer's throat, tearing it open. Liz closed her eyes, not able to watch the way of the nature. She read about it, she even had watched it from the documents...but none of it could be compared to actually see it with your own eyes. Liz opened her eyes when she felt Marcus release her, and saw the coyotes tearing the flesh from the deer and devouring it like they hadn't eaten for a long time. More coyotes started to appear, and there were several cubs along with them.

"We have to go now, otherwise they'll pick our scent," Marcus said and started to head back to the campsite. Liz lingered, but followed him eventually, leaving the cruel display of the nature behind her.

When they were far enough, Liz asked, "Why did you show me that?"

"The circle of life, Liz. 'Eat or be eaten', 'The survival of the fittest'...tell me what those sentences mean?" Marcus said, moving through the woods as if it was his home. In a way...it was.

Liz thought about it for a moment, then closed her eyes. "Only the strongest survive," she whispered.

"Exactly. In a way, you can make some small comparisons with the 'Game' and nature. But they aren't the same, even if they are slightly similar," Marcus said.

Liz looked at Marcus. "Why is that?" she asked.

"Because the nature isn't good or bad, Liz. In the wild, you either live, or you die. It's that simple. Even IF you manage to survive one encounter with the predators, you will die from starvation, thirst or several other things. In the 'Game', it's pretty much the same thing. Even IF you survive from a challenge, there's a chance that you'll die when the next person challenges you. The trick is to acknowledge the fact that you WILL die eventually," Marcus said.

Liz raised an eyebrow. "But you're still around, right? That makes your point kinda moot," she argued.

Marcus shook his head. "No, it doesn't. I know I will die one day, and the odds of it being from a challenge are equally great if it were just a freak accident. We are Immortals, yes, but we can't cheat death forever. We can only delay it until our time finally comes. No matter how long it takes," he said.

Liz sighed. "I think you're being a fatalistic," she said.

"Hardly. I don't try to FIND death. I just simply accept the possibility that during the next challenge I COULD die. That line of thinking has kept me alive to this day," he said.

"But you disappeared from the 'Game'. If what you say is true, then why did you do it?" Liz asked.

Marcus didn't answer immediately. "I got tired, Liz," he admitted.

Liz frowned from confusion, and Marcus saw it. "I got tired of death. My son had died in a war that shouldn't have taken place to begin with, not to mention all those Immortals who appeared in the most inappropriate moments had worn me out. So I disappeared, and stayed out from the 'Game', and focused my attention into teaching. And now...after 30 years...I feel better," he said. He looked at Liz, and saw that she was still confused. "You still don't understand."

"Not really," Liz admitted.

"The reason I got tired of it because it was everything I knew for so long, Liz. The constant battle for survival was the only thing that was constant in my life, even when I managed to live a good life regardless of the dangers from the 'Game'. But I never could walk the streets with my senses being aware from SOMETHING. I got tired of it, and NOW I know why Methos was able to live so long...even if he had his own black moments...just like I did," he said. They were getting closer to the campsite.

"Why is that relevant?" she asked.

Marcus gave a real smile to her now. "Because...Methos avoids a fight whenever he can...and lives his own life. The 'Game' is only a small part of his life. Yes, he's aware of it, but only when necessary. Me? I was always searching for threats, EVEN when there were no Immortals around at my particular location. Now I know what is to LIVE...with no need to worry about the 'Game' until it finds you," he said.

Liz seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I think I get it. You're essentially saying that I should try to live my own life, regardless of the 'Game', yet still be ready for it when it becomes an issue," she said. Marcus nodded in approval, and when they came to the campsite, Marcus gestured a vacant spot. "Feeling up for a Tai Chi-routine?"

Liz blinked. "I don't know...I'm not tired, but there's a lot of people here," she said.

"So?" he asked, and then shook his head. "Ok, so you might break some standards the rest of the students have from you, but so what? It's not like you're obligated to them in any way."

Liz frowned, thinking about it for a moment, then nodded. "Ok, let's do this. So what if they see us? That just proves how little they know me...except I think that Maria is going to freak," she said, but got worried in the end.

"Then tell her that you've got tired of the 'Little Lizzie Parker' image everyone keeps seeing in you," Marcus suggested. That was all the encouragement Liz needed, and they both stretched a bit. Marcus stared at Liz's clothing for a moment as he took off his shirt and put his vest back on. "You might want to take off that sweater."

"No way!" Liz exclaimed. "It's too cold."

"Not for long, so you might as well take it off," Marcus said, but Liz refused. Marcus sighed. "Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you."

With that said, he started the routine, and Liz followed with slight difficulty, mostly because of her cumbersome clothes and the added weights. Yes, she had done a kata before with her previous weights, but these were heavier, and it disrupted her balance a bit. She managed to get into the rhythm after a while, and later had started to sweat. It wasn't from the exertion...she was actually feeling too hot...thanks to her sweater. She hated it when Marcus was right with these things, so she called a break to remove her sweater, which didn't take too long. She still had a lighter shirt underneath, a contrast when comparing to Marcus's t-shirt. Liz put her own vest back on, and they continued. When they were done 20 minutes later, Marcus started again with one of his personal kata's, and Liz, not having anything better to do at the moment, started to perform this one as well. She was slightly flushed, and she was sweating only lightly, now that her sweater was off. What they failed to notice was that they were attracting an audience. One of the students, Neil, had been on a hike with his father, and had seen them when they were getting back. Now he, along with his father, was watching the display with interest. Or it could be the whole new way Neil saw 'Little Lizzie Parker'. He had seen Maria in a very approving way yesterday, but this...this was different. He was actually seeing that Liz was attractive in a very natural way. And the fact that her sweaty and flushed skin only accentuated something unbelievably sexy in Liz was only making it better. Not to mention the way her shirt clung on her skin... His father, however, smacked him to the back of his head from the way he kept staring. "Come on, let's go," Neil's father said, and Neil grudgingly followed him. This brought Marcus and Liz out of their training induced daze, and they also saw that Neil and his father hadn't been the only one's staring at them. There were other students and their fathers staring at the display. Some of the students were giving same approving glances to Liz as most of them had given to Maria yesterday. Maria would have probably just bathed in the stares, absorbing them like a sponge, but Liz wasn't. She glared at the people who stared at her. "What are you all staring at?" she demanded. No one was too quick to answer to that question. Liz rolled her eyes and picked up her sweater, heading to the spot where her father had set up the tent. She needed to clean herself from the sweat before it would cool her skin too much. She didn't fancy to get frozen. Marcus glared at them too, and headed back to his own camp.

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

[Bored to Mundane life]

Frazier Woods, 9:50 p.m., the campsite

The rest of day was also rather uneventful. The rest of the kids spent time with their own dads, and Liz spent some time with her father, answering some of his questions about the little 'display' with Marcus. Liz told him that that 'display' as he put it had been a Tai Chi-routine, and that it was meant to allow one's life-energy flow freely through ones body. There was nothing sexual about it, which put Jeff's mind in ease. However, Maria had been practically giddy to hear that Liz had got the attention of all the other boys aside from Max, Alex and Kyle. Maria had even said that she should take the opportunity to get some dates, but Liz had flat out refused, not even giving a second thought to the idea. Now Liz, Maria, Kyle and Jim were sitting near the campfire, while Marcus, Philip, Chuck, Max and Jeff played poker not too far away. Alex and Isabel weren't around for some reason, and Liz didn't really worry about them. She, along with Maria and Jim, were listening one of Kyle's campfire stories.

"That summer, they found 5 cows, all of them mutilated with surgical precision on Haddie Wexler's farm. When she died 2 months later, they did an autopsy, and sure enough, they found perfectly bored holes in her skull just where she claims the aliens made them when they abducted her that night. That skull is now buried deep somewhere within Area 51," Kyle said, concluding his story. Liz had been slightly fascinated by it, but Maria looked uncomfortable.

"Got 'em on the edge of their seats, son," Jim commented when he turned toward Kyle. He had been watching the poker game for a while, but Kyle's story had got his attention then. "Where'd you hear that?"

"It's one of grandpa's favorite ones, isn't it?" Kyle said, and Jim nodded. In fact, he remembered his father telling him that story a long time ago.

Meanwhile, Jeff, Max, Philip, Chuck and Marcus were too on the edge of their seats. The poker game had been quite interesting. Marcus would have been able to raise all the money from the table, mostly because of his poker face. When he DID bluff, you couldn't tell. He made no outward signs whatsoever when he got good cards, and his stony expression remained even when he got lousy cards. The annoying factor, however, came from the fact that he tended to make SOME kind of sign at some point, making the rest of the players sweat from the tension and also make them worry that he HAD an incredible hand. Max also had a good poker face, his stoic brooding being giving him a lot of practice. Still, Marcus's presence made him edgy, but that didn't break his concentration. Jeff was also good in this game, mostly because he tended to play with Marcus on occasion.

"I'll see your nickel, and raise you a quarter," Max said as he placed his bet on the tree trunk they used as a table. He looked at his cards, having a Full house. Aces and nines. He had good cards, he knew that. The question was what to do with them. Jeff had been striking a conversation with him on most occasions, and him being Liz's dad kind of made Max feel on the edge as well. He wanted to give him a good impression.

Philip shook his head and put the cards away. "I fold. I know better," he said.

"Ha. Too rich for my blood," Chuck said, putting his cards away too. All eyes turned to Marcus, who shifted his glace between Jeff and Max for a while, then looked at his own cards. He had 3 Queens. He admired Max's poker face...he wasn't a pro, but he definitely had the potential. Then there was the factor that he could cheat with his powers when he wanted to, but if Marcus had read Max correctly, he didn't use his powers like that. The boy maybe was dumb, but he wasn't a cheat. He tossed a quarter into the mix. "I'll see your quarter," he said.

Now it was Jeff's turn. "What are you hidin', Max?" he asked, staring at Max with a calculative stare. "Got some power over these guys...makes 'em do exactly what you want? Well, I call. Jacks and eights."

Marcus chuckled and put his cards away. "I only have three-of-a-kind. Not bad," he said. Max stared at Jeff's hand, then his own. He just couldn't force himself to win this one, so he turns Ace of Diamonds into a 2, thus losing the game.

"2 pair. Guess you win," Max said as he put his cards on the trunk. Marcus frowned when he saw the cards, and pulled his 2 other cards back to him and looked at them. He had 2 of Diamonds and 7 of Spades. ["So...Evans changed one of his cards. But why?"] Marcus wondered as Jeff raked the money in, complementing Max from his bluff. Then Marcus realized it. He didn't want to win Jeff. And the answer to that would be Liz. ["I should have known."]

"You guys up for one more?" Marcus asked, and Chuck declined from the offer, going to sit near Jim. It was Max's turn to deal, and before he did that, he changed the Ace he had changed with his powers back to normal. Max, however, wondered why Marcus was smirking at him.

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

Meanwhile, on a spot away from the campsite

Isabel and Alex were sitting on a small clearing in the woods not too far away from the campsite, stargazing. Isabel loved it, and since she was lacking TV at the moment, she decided to do something she hadn't done when she was a kid. She had grown up, and now she wondered why she stopped looking at them? Even if she DID know there was life out there, the stars were...beautiful to her. They hold so many answers, yet she couldn't read it. Since Alex was with her, she was pointing out various stars and star-clusters that were visible in the sky.

"And then to the right of the Milky Way, that's Orion," Isabel said, pointing at the star. To Alex, they had all been the same, but now he was starting to see the subtle differences all the stars had...and he started to see why the stars seemed so mysterious to most of the people.

"Oh, wow," Alex said, as he looked at the spot where Isabel was pointing.

"And see the north star?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah."

"Ok, now look a little to your left...and a little further out, that small group of stars right there, that's the Cygnus constellation. It's the furthest we can see from here," Isabel said.

"It's amazing," Alex said.

"What is?" Isabel asked, a bit confused.

"Staring at the stars with you," Alex admitted, looking at her, then at the stars. "I mean, I used to look up there, and the stars were just stars. One was just as good as the next one. Somehow with you...I mean... It's so wondrous, you know? I mean...each star is...is a mystery. So full of possibility. This is so much better than seeing a movie."

Isabel smiled, feeling her cheeks flame up a bit. "Thanks," she said.

"Hey, listen, um...since we didn't get a chance to go on our date tonight, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to do something together next Friday," Alex said.

Isabel looked at Alex, shocked. "Our what?" she demanded.

Alex was taken back by Isabel's outburst. "Well, not a date. That's probably the wrong word..." Alex started, but Isabel stopped him.

"I just thought we were going to the movies, you know, to hang out, to have fun, talk like real friends..." she said. She had thought correctly. Alex HAD asked her on a date, and she couldn't let herself to accept it.

"Well, yeah, me too..." Alex started to say, but Isabel wouldn't let him.

"It can't be a date, Alex. Don't you understand? It can't be anything like that," Isabel said, got up and left. Alex stared after her. "Why not?" he asked from her silently, but she couldn't hear him.

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

Frazier Woods, 22:38 p.m., the campsite

Liz spat the toothpaste out from her mouth and drank some water to wash the rest of it away. She heard someone approach her location, but ignored it. She wasn't exactly the only one who wanted to brush their teeth. She WAS surprised to hear Max's voice, but only for a second.

"Always be prepared," Max said, gesturing Liz's toothbrush.

Liz straightened herself and turned to look at Max. "Well, contrary to what some people might think, gambling is not a dental hygiene alternative," she said, and started to head back to the camp when Max stopped her gently.

"Liz, wait," he said, but let go of her when she glared at him. "Is this the way...things are gonna be between us from now on?"

"I think YOU were the one who wanted it to be this way," Liz said, a hint of anger in her voice that made Max wince. He shook his head.

"No, I didn't," he insisted, earning a raised eyebrow from Liz. "I wanted us...to slow down, not screech to a halt."

Liz snorted. "Well, why didn't you just say so? Oh, yeah, you probably did...at least that's how you THINK you said it. To me...it was 'screeching to a halt' as you said. But do you know what your problem is, Max?" she asked from him, and he just shook his head, not understanding her question. "You don't let me in. You just shy away when things start to get uncomfortable to you."

"I think you're keeping stuff from me too, Liz," Max said gently.

Liz's gaze turned grim. "You KNOW it's because Marcus hates you. I don't understand fully why, but I know he does. And you still haven't tried to make amends with him," she said.

"I know," Max said, but he still hesitated. "It's just... I'm afraid of him."

"All the more reason to start finding a way to get to his good side, Max. You aren't helping by staying in the shadows," Liz said, and started to head back to the camp. Then she stopped, and turned to him. "Max, I know what is really going on."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Liz sighed. "It's obvious, Max. I just hoped that you would have brought it up yourself, but you didn't. You're here because of the sighting," she said evenly.

Max panicked. "Please, no one else can know," he said.

Liz shook her head sadly. "Max, I know you think...that we shouldn't be together, and maybe you're right. But you made me a part of this, whether you like it or not," she said, and walked away, leaving a very troubled Max behind.

Liz headed straight to her tent, and saw Jeff there, near her backpack. Liz frowned. He seemed startled for some reason.

"I thought you were washing up, sweetie," he said.

Liz got inside the tent and pulled the zipper, closing the tent. "I'm finished," she said, then gestured her backpack. "What are you doing?"

"I...uh...found this," he said awkwardly, showing her the knife Marcus had given her. "Would you explain to me what this is?"

Liz sighed. "It's a survival knife. Marcus gave it to me some time ago, and asked me to bring it with me so he could teach me some survival skills in the wilderness. But it's also for protection if I'm not carrying my sword," she said, sitting next to her dad and taking the dagger from his hands.

Jeff blinked. "I...um..." he tried to say something, but he just couldn't. What COULD he say? He knew nothing about the situation Liz was in. He shook his head. "This is so much. There's been so many things going on with your life that I have no idea from...that I feel that I'm no longer a part of your life anymore."

Liz closed her eyes for a moment, then looked Jeff to the eyes. "Dad...I just...I don't know what to tell you without making you worry. I guess it's a part of the whole privacy thing. I mean...I don't know everything about your life before I came along...and I'm not so sure I WANT to know. You know what I'm saying?" she said.

Jeff nodded sadly. "I guess so," he said. Liz gave him a small smile and put her knife back to her backpack. Then she went back outside, where her own sleeping bag was.

Sometime after midnight, Max and Isabel sneak off to the woods. Liz had been waiting for this, and she got up slowly as well, and took her flashlight, but didn't light it. She follows them stealthily, keeping them in her line-of-sight but staying out from theirs. Then they disappear suddenly, and Liz frowned. They couldn't have ditched her that fast...unless they were waiting for her. She glances around, and lit her flashlight the minute she hears a soft noise to her right, pointing the light straight into Max's eyes. He blinks.

"Did you think you could sneak up on me?" Liz asked silently, and Max frowns. Isabel walked to them as well.

"You realize you nearly scared us half to death with the way you shadowed us, right?" Isabel said. Liz just raised an eyebrow.

"Go back, right now," Max said, pointing back to the campsite.

Liz stared Max down. "You think you can just tell me what to do?" she demanded. Max didn't answer, and Isabel stared at Liz for a moment. "Max, this matters to me too, whether you like it or not."

"What matters is that we find out what this sighting is all about before anyone else can," Isabel said.

Liz ignored Isabel, and kept her gaze on Max. "Don't leave me out of this, Max," she said. She refused to plead.

Isabel shook her head in exasperation. "This is a mistake, Max," she said. "Getting everyone involved like this is just..."

She stopped when Maria walked to them, her flashlight at hand. Isabel rolled her eyes.

"Oh, great. That's just great. Why don't we just send out a flare?" she asked sarcastically.

"I figured you guys would be having a little woodsy tryst," Maria said, pointing Max and Isabel with her flashlight. Then she turns to Liz. "I hope you're here to talk them out of it, too."

"Maria, they're here because of the sighting," Liz said, getting a wide eyed reaction from Maria.

"That was real?" she asked.

Isabel had enough. "Look, you can stand here explaining it to them all night. I'm going, ok?" she said to Max, and started to walk away. Max gave a pleading glance to Liz, and followed her.

Liz looked at Maria and asked, "Well, are you staying here or are you gonna come with me?"

"You're going with them?" Maria asked, aghast.

"Make up your mind, Maria. I've made up mine," Liz said and started to follow Max and Isabel.

"You can't let go of him, can you?" Maria asked from Liz.

Liz turned to look at her. "I could, Maria...but I don't want to," she said, and started to walk away. Maria gazed back to the campsite, and then to Liz.

"Wait!" she called out, following Liz. Liz smiled and Maria muttered, "You owe me BIG, chica."

"I know," Liz said.

They kept walking towards the area where the flash of light had been seen. Isabel, Max and Liz were walking in silence, although Max would give sad glances to Liz every now and then. Maria, however, was feeling worse.

"Ok, we've been, like, hiking over an hour now," she complained.

"We're getting close," Max said, ignoring her.

"It is officially FREEZING in here," Maria exclaimed.

Liz gave a confused glance to her. "Maria, it's not that cold," she said.

"Really?" Maria demanded, her teeth clattering a bit. "Really, 'cause I'm now wearing an ice bra! Whatever, it's uncomfortable." This earned weirded out looks from Isabel and Max, but Liz shook her head to them, indicating that they shouldn't ask. They didn't. Then Liz stopped.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Isabel demanded. Her question was answered when they heard barking.

"Is that a coyote?" Maria asked.

Liz shook her head. She had seen and heard them pretty close. "No...dogs," she said.

"Search dogs," Max said, and started to run. "Come on, we're close. Come on!" Isabel, Liz and Maria followed, except Maria was left behind a bit. Isabel was surprised that Liz was able to run PAST them, even in this terrain. And SHE had been jogging regularly. She had seen how Liz exercised, but she definitely had underestimated Liz's stamina. Drastically.

After a while, the group stops. The dogs were getting closer, along with the men that were patrolling the area near the sighting. Max was panting, Maria was feeling worse than him. Isabel was only a bit out of breath. Liz, however, didn't seem too troubled by the little trek. Even WITH the weights it had been nothing but a mere sprint.

"We can't outrun them," Max said, still panting. "They're too fast."

"What are we gonna do?" Isabel asked.

Max shook his head. "I don't know," he said.

Liz stared at him for a moment, then she came up with a plan. "You guys just keep going," she said, walking to Maria.

"What?" Max asked, confused.

"Maria and I'll stay here and just let them catch us," she said as she pulled Maria up.

Max was immediately against the idea. "Liz, no," he said.

Liz was exasperated now. First he didn't want her to come with him, NOW he didn't want her stay? Would he just make up his mind already? "Max, we are NOT in danger. We'll just say that we got lost in the woods. This is important for you two, not us. Keep going," she said.

"Are you sure?" Max asked.

Liz nodded. "Yeah. Just go and find what you're looking for," she said

"I will."

"Good," Liz said, then started to shoo them away. "Go, both of you. Go!" Isabel and Max ran deeper to the woods, and Liz and Maria started to get the attention of the guard patrol.

"My moms gonna love this, really," Maria muttered when the patrol came to them. She flinched away from the dogs, but they didn't bite. Liz just smiled and patted one of the dogs, who whined in approval, much to Maria's and the guards confusion.

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

1:45 a.m., the campsite

Liz and Maria were escorted back by the police. When they got there, Jeff was standing there, looking worried and slightly disappointed. Marcus was also there, but he was just angry...you all can tell who to.

"You two scared me to death," Jeff said as he pulled Liz into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'm really sorry," Liz said as she hugged him back.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Parker," Maria said, getting Jeff's attention. "I had to go to the bathroom, and I couldn't handle the pit toilet, so I asked Liz to come with me, and next thing we know..."

"It's ok," Jeff said, stopping Maria. "I'm just glad you guys are all right."

Philip Evans walked to the officer who had escorted Liz and Maria back. "Officer, uh, you didn't find anyone else?" he asked.

"Only that guy over there," the officer said, gesturing Milton Ross who was carrying a metal detector.

"I'm a scientist!" Milton yelled when the police dragged him away. Philip blinked.

"Found him wandering around the woods with a metal detector...looking for space ships," the officer said with a slight chuckle.

"You're making a big mistake, friend!" Milton voice rang through the woods. "We're all in grave danger."

Philip ignored what his sons employer was saying and turned back to the officer. "I'm missing my kids. Max and Isabel," he said.

The officer shook his head. "Didn't see anyone else there. Sorry," he said.

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

Meanwhile, near the cave with the hieroglyphics

"We're here. It's the cave," Valenti heard Max say from his location behind the trees. He had been following them and Ms. Parker when they had left the campsite. He was surprised when Maria DeLuca had joined in later, but had shrugged it off at the moment. He did find it clever when Liz and Maria stayed behind to get caught by the patrol, allowing Max and Isabel to continue towards the location where the sighting had occurred. And now he was certain they knew it was a real deal. Why else would they bother to come here? Then he hears a soft noise behind him, and is shocked to see Kyle behind him.

"Kyle, what the hell are you doing here?" Jim demanded.

Kyle shrugged. "Just wanted to see what was more important than me," he said.

Jim shook his head. "You don't understand," he said.

"No, I don't," Kyle exclaimed, but not loud enough for Max and Isabel to hear. "I don't understand why you're hunting Max Evans, or why you can't just tell me."

Meanwhile, Max and Isabel had walked to a small clearing, only to find Michael and River Dog already there. River Dog was surprised by their presence. "Wait, what are they doing here?" he asked from Michael.

"They came on their own," Michael said, and River Dog nodded to that.

"All right," he said, and looked around. "This is where it'll be."

"What are we looking for?" Max asked, gazing the ground in confusion.

Back at the woods, Valenti is trying to get Kyle leave. "Kyle, you get the hell out of here right now," he said curtly, but Kyle doesn't budge.

"How many times have I heard the stories, Dad?" he demanded, making Jim pause. "How many times you sitting at home listening to Grandma cry while Grandpa spent the night chasing spacemen out in the woods? That's my role now, isn't it? It's ironic." After saying that, he stormed off, leaving Jim alone.

"Kyle, wait," he called out, and Kyle did turn around.

"Now I know why you never wanted to see Grandpa again," Kyle said harshly, his anger to the whole situation kicking in. "Because to him, you were just a low priority!"

Jim winced from what Kyle said, and watched sadly how he stormed back to the campsite, not caring if he stumbled to the rocks in the process. Jim then turned back to where Max and Isabel were, and started to head towards them. Time to get some answers.

At the clearing, Isabel had found a symbol burned on the grass in the middle of the clearing, and was now staring at it with awe. "Oh, my God. It's the symbol from the cave," she said.

Michael watched it in fascination too. "The white light, or whatever the hell it was, caused this?" he asked from River Dog, who nodded.

"Yes. It's a sign," he said. Max stares the sign for a moment, and then turn off his flashlight and start to walk towards it. Michael and Isabel do the same, and follow him. When they are close to it, kneel, hold out their hands over it, and the symbol starts to glow from light blue light. It's the same whirlwind symbol that was in a pendant Isabel found from Atherton's domehouse.

River Dog nodded to himself when he walked to them. "It was meant for you," he said.

"What does this mean?" Max asked, staring the symbol.

"That he's back," River Dog said, earning a wide-eyed reaction from Max, Michael and Isabel. "Nasedo's here."

Then there's a small sound from the woods, and they all tense. "Someone's here," Max said, Michael and Isabel staring around then. They could tell that the symbol stopped glowing when the lights dimmed in their peripheral vision. Then Valenti walked in to the clearing.

Michael stood up and walked in front of the Sheriff. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Sheriff glared at Michael, daring him to do something. "Step out of my way," he said slowly. Michael crossed his hands over his chest, not moving an inch.

"Do as he asks," River Dog said, and Michael looks at him incredulously at first, but relents when he sees Max wipe the sign from the ground with his powers. When the Sheriff walks there, there is nothing. He glares at Max and Isabel.

"Something was here," he said, pointing at the exact spot where the symbol had been merely moments ago. "What were you looking at?"

"We've been lost for hours here," Max said, getting Valenti's attention. "Thank you for finding us."

Valenti looked at the boy incredulously as he, Isabel and Michael start to walk away from the clearing. River Dog had already disappeared, on his way back to the reservation. Valenti glanced the ground one final time, and shook his head in irritation. He was too late.

TBC...

NOTE: This is a really important note, so just bear with me. I have told you on some occasions that this story is based on Roswell's S1, right? With little and big add on's from yours truly? Well, the next part is gonna be a BIG add on, 'cause it would be, in my own opinion, an eppie in the show. In the next part, Bruce Dickinson, along with the band 'Iron Maiden', comes to town, much to the Podsters surprise...and Connor's annoyance. Bruce and Connor aren't exactly friends, but they aren't real enemies either. But Bruce isn't the only new face to show up in Roswell. Aurora is there too...and she wants Bruce...or his head.

This is not a solid promise, 'cause it might backfire on me, but I'll TRY to make sure that the next update won't take this long. I hope you enjoyed the fic.

[Bored to Mundane life]

Hi there, folks. Now, I finally have a good reason to just sit back and read the FB you have given me. Two new parts for 'SI' have been written, and I'm now waiting for my beta to take a look at them.

But let's forget other fics for now, and focus on this one...

NewYorker18 Thanks, Keri. And I have to say that it's a downer that you're going into lurker status for the time being . Well, you can always give the FB when you e-mail the betaed parts I send you. That would work.

Anyway, regarding your question why Marcus gave something near priceless to Liz...well, I don't like to reveal much from this story. But let's just say that Liz will eventually start to wonder about it as well, and she will ask from him about it.

Yeah, I agree with you when it comes to Max. 100%

:evil: That's the thing. Isabel had no clue who she was talking to, and thought that she could intimidate him as easily as she does with the rest of the group. But Marcus is someone who doesn't take orders from 'kids'...or let them tell him what to do or how to think.

LizzyBug Thanks...I think. Hope your doing much better now than when you wrote the FB.

And...now you're going to hate me...but I have never been sick that long. A week, tops. But never over that. So I DON'T know what it feels like. I don't think I can even imagine what it would feel like.

Yes, Aurora will be in Roswell. And she and Liz will be doing 2 things. Talk...and fight. And that's all I'm going to reveal from it.

Ok, 'SI' only needs to take a trip to beta-land before posting. Hopefully it doesn't take too long.

PhoenixFlamez *stares at the screen* Ok...I don't how to react to the hug. But thanks from the praises. I can't promise that the next part would be as long as part 24, but I can try. But it will be long. No short parts in this story.

Sternbetrachter Don't mention it, Trude. Just hope you liked it.

Maybe. But she was worried. And while Isabel can be as blunt as a cannon ball about things, Marcus is someone who she can't figure out. And the way Max was acting was troubling her too.

So true, Trude. But Max has to be an ass...about everything. Even in S1.

That's a good point, Trude. And this is how I see it. Max lives in denial-land. As long as he can THINK that nothing happened, it didn't happen. So when Marcus left for a month, Max brushed their little 'talk' out from his mind into a spot where the knowledge would stay just in case someone would refresh his memory. So he was making himself oblivious to the magnitude of Marcus's threat...until Isabel made him remember.

That depends. The older the Immortal, the stronger the buzz, right? But Methos knows how to...'dampen' the buzz, making it appear smaller than it really is. And then there's how long you've been in Immortal's presence. Liz has been near Marcus for a very long time. She can take in the size of his Quickening in stride. Same with Richie. But how Connor and Richie knew it was Marcus...well, it was a deduction. They knew Marcus was coming back soon. They also knew that the odds for someone as strong as he showing up in Roswell were slim. It COULD have been possible for some stranger to show up, but very unlikely. That left Marcus. Deduction. As to how they can tell friend from foe...I don't think they do. They might if they hang around with the Immortal long enough...but I can't be 100% certain from it.

Sorry, Trude...but Marcus is going to be tearing Max out of his illusions pretty effectively throughout the story. And I never liked Max's attitude to be 'boss to everyone'.

That's something that's not very likely to happen.

Are you asking if Alex could 'become' a Watcher? Well, he's a bit young at the moment...but it's not entirely impossible. I'll think about it.

Oh, I bet it would be. Even *I* wouldn't like that idea in Liz's shoes.

Oh, believe me, Trude. Marcus REALLY wanted to tear Max apart. He did. He restrained himself pretty well.

Isabel, Isabel, Isabel. She thinks she can do whatever she wants and make someone tremble in front of her. And then she meets Marcus, who gives back as good as he can and then some. That's disturbing for her.

Funny you should mention that. Because the tension between Marcus and the aliens still keeps going higher and higher. That analogy isn't that far off from the truth, you know. But then the real hell get's kicked in when Tess and Nasedo show up.

No prob.

Hey, I DO remember saying that Alex has more backbone now than he did in the show? Were you that surprised?

Ok...

Well, how SHOULD he feel? I mean, he finally was able to ask the girl of his dreams for a date. Of course he would think that something would be wrong.

Thanks. I liked that part too.

Actually, I got it this way. At least in the show it seemed like Alex was willing to get to know Isabel better. You know, the likes, dislikes...that sort of thing. Then she cancels, and he knows she's going to the camping trip...so why not try to sweet talk pops into it as well. He did it 'cause he wanted to spent time with Isabel. Too bad Isabel is too stubborn to not let anyone GET closer.

And since you read the part, you noticed her reaction to it, which wasn't that bad.

Thanks from the praises.

Ladeia3 Thanks. And I had to make it REALLY long. There was too much stuff that needed to be cleared up.

And I can't make any promises on that one. School is demanding...then there's my VERY unreliable muses and a sudden slacker complex. It's damn annoying. But the only thing I can promise you is that I'll try.

angeleyes Well...it IS my pet project...

zuyx Glad you liked. But I can't make any promises with a quicker update. I can try.

I'm not going to be revealing anything from Aurora and Liz. There's going to be interaction, yes. There's going to be a fight, yes. Anything else is going to be revealed in next part. Oh, and the friction between Tess and Liz is going to be more than obvious, trust me on that one. Tess may be one of the good guys in this fic, but her attitude needs a bit of work. And if you think the tension between Liz and Tess is bad, wait till you see Marcus and Nasedo. Nasedo may not like humans, but Marcus HATES Nasedo. And it'll take a lot to convince the older man to NOT kill Nasedo immediately.

Thank you. I always preferred Liz with a backbone ala S2. I'm just giving her more spunk as a side flavor.

Can't make any promises, remember?

Ansleyrocks Thanks. Yes, they saw the routine, and believe me when I say that Liz is going to be surprised when she gets back to school.

Tess is going to show up...as I have said SO many times before, and she's going to be good. Tess will try to get Max...as she did in the show. And we all know how THAT worked out. Except that Liz is more willing to point out that she will fight for her man...and feigning ignorance is NOT going to help.

Oh, Nasedo is going to be evil. Definitely. And when he finally bites the dust, Marcus is the first one to express his gratitude to the situation.

Oh, it is going to be something, believe me. And Michael is the one whose going to be the paranoid one. Max and Isabel could care less if the Iron Maiden shows up, but they ARE interested how Marcus is so buddy-buddy with Bruce Dickinson.

Asabetha Glad you liked.

Tabasco Liz *blink* I've seen you around the board before...but never here. *frown* How long have you been reading this story before you decided to give FB? I'm not saying it's a bad thing...I just like to know.

Glad you like my fic, though.

LEL Yes, I did, didn't I. Seriously, I needed to make it longer. Stuff needed to be explained, ex cetera. Anyway, glad you liked.

Yes, Marcus is back, and Max is going to be walking on eggshells now...along with Isabel.

Yes, Nancy and Jeff know. And yes, Jeff's reaction was what it was expected. But could he REALLY have been able to make Liz do what she obviously has already declined? Hardly. So accepting it was the only thing he could do...even if he doesn't like it.

So true. And Liz WILL be more upfront when it comes to future aspects of her Immortality. But can Nancy and Jeff take it all just like that? Liz still doesn't know everything about Immortality, her parents even less. We'll see in the future parts how Liz's Immortality affects the Parker family dynamics.

Well, the Parkers was something he had little trouble talking to. He HAD tried to get Liz tell them from the start, remember? As for Max, I may not have wrote it in the part, but Marcus REALLY wanted to tear him apart.

And that is an EXCELLENT question. I wonder why anyone else didn't thought about it? Well, there are going to be plenty changes in the story that will allow Max to live to an old age. But that doesn't mean that Marcus wouldn't beat Max up a bit in the process. Nasedo and Tess are going to be having a really bad affect with Marcus...especially Nasedo. The only one who CAN keep Marcus at bay is Liz. But tell me, LEL. Do you think Liz is understanding enough to let Max explain himself BEFORE she decides whether to let Marcus have his way with him or not?

Well, Isabel is used to get her way with anyone. Marcus just proved her wrong...and not very gently, either. And no, Isabel isn't that quick to make threats with Marcus.

Oh yeah. We ARE going to get some Immortal action. Liz vs Dickinson in a sparring match. Liz vs Aurora...in a challenge. And trust me, the outcome is NOT going to be something you people would expect. And no, I am NOT going to release spoilers from the next part. Part 25 is going to be completely original from the show, since it isn't based on any existing eppie.

Oh, and I got Iron Maiden's 'Dance of Death' album for Christmas. And it ROCKS!! I'm listening it as I'm typing it.

Well, that's from the FB for now. I still have to post 'SI' and write a new part for 'DAA' before I can focus on next part. I'll try to hurry it up with 'DAA' so you don't have to wait too long. But I can't make any promises.

Goodbye for now.

[Bored to Mundane life]

Oh s**t!!! *thinks for a moment* Aw crap, who am I kidding? I know I have been gone for GOD knows how long...with the exception of you readers... ...and I'll leave it at that.

Yes, I have been gone for TOO long. Too long and only managed to do little headway with the part 25. This is a travesty if there ever was one, and I can only blame myself from it. It lifts my spirit to see that you have been looking for some sign of me, and for a new part.

Sadly, I can't give you a new part. Not yet. The reason why I have been MIA for so long is SO pathetic that it even makes myself sick. I lost the EDGE. THE edge that I had when I started writing fanfiction...THIS story. The edge (aka fire aka INSPIRATION) that kept mne writing hours on end, working out the plot so it would work the way *I* wanted to see the show. But I lost it. And it cost me almost a year. A year I KNOW would have probably seen the conclusion of this story and perhaps a start for the sequel. But it didn't happen.

Now...I'm starting to get some of my sense, not to mention my edge, back. It's slow on coming...since my brain has been stuck these past months on 'read and read' mode.

Ok, enough with the excuses. I just stopped by and let you guys and girls know that I haven't abandoned the fic. Or my other fics either. But I have a lot of catching up to do, and I better stop now so I can SOMEHOW wrestle my creative side back in the game.

Thank you...all of you, both the old and the new readers. I WILL get the new part done...and if it costs me in school...so be it.

Yours sincerely
Bored to Mundane life