Unbreakable - A Beautiful Lie (AU M/L ADULT) COMPLETE 5/5/17 + A/N 5/5/19

[Natalie36]

amazing and I loved her and diana's time together

[Morning Dreamgirl]

Feedback Chapter 66

Okay - I'm so excited for this chapter and the next one! Apparently I'm a bit of a geek for this story.

FINALLY!

They're *finally* reunited.

Bet the Sgt's not too happy about that.

I have a feeling that Sean's perfectly happy not to go near Liz again but the Sgt? Definitely not a happy cookie.

I don't know why I was expecting some big rescue party. After all it's not like that would even be feasible. They'd be going up against military. More military than any members they might have on their side. Plus there's nowhere they could hide - we've read that repeatedly in the story. And they'd have to be able to let Max and Liz rest and recover before they would be of any help in the rebellion. The best place to do that is at the Evans with Philip monitoring them. Can't really expect the aliens to just leave them alone to get better if they had escaped.

So this makes the most sense. But that doesn't mean I was expecting it. I definitely wasn't expecting Command to be the one who showed up. See? You threw me off *twice* in this chapter.

I'm not surprised that Liz had so many questions though. Apparently neither was Command. I think he was amused with her - even if he had a creepy smile.

Seriously though, he knows that she'll be good for the community. Even if she's turned it a bit upside down. (To put it mildly.) She's only ever fought to defend herself when necessary, she hasn't told any humans and even in the overwhelming fear she felt (while in the condition she was in) she was still respectful towards him. All of that has to (play in her favor and) bode well in *his mind* for a new way of doing things. Maybe she'd be the catalyst and the example for how the community should operate going forward. Or, you know, maybe he's demented and wants to kill them together. But I doubt it.

Now comes the question of who told him she was inquisitive? I don't think it would be the Sgt. It sounds almost like a compliment and I doubt the Sgt likes Liz much at this point. So I'm thinking it's from someone who does like her. Which means either Philip, Max, Alex, etc.

Perhaps there was a trial for the two of them that we don't know about yet. That's been my gut feeling. Like they were tried and perhaps (somehow) not found guilty. Sean did say that Max was awaiting trial. He was "hopeful" that Max would be killed. It doesn't mean that he would be though - or that he would be found guilty. Philip might have had more than one reason to get those protocols. Maybe he actually did need them and it was just a benefit if he got to push Max towards Liz. (I wish I could just see in every character's head! )

Anyways - back to what actually happened in the chapter and not just conjecture about other chapters. (Although - every time there's a big new revelation I go back and think "Ah! So that's what she was hinting at!")

They could have also just had people who knew Liz well answer their questions. Alex would be the prime candidate for that. Sgt and all might have thought it was to gain knowledge that might be useful in breaking her but there might have been others who weren't interested in breaking her but rather in knowing her. Hmm... Options, options.

That would also be another reason to explain why they've been held captive so long. Maybe it made more sense to wait until after the trial (or even just questioning). If they were found to be not guilty (even if they weren't completely innocent) the rebels might have had more losses then they could handle if they want to sustain any kind of opposition.

So many questions! Me thinks Max isn't going to be happy that there were people who (even) might have been able to get Liz out but didn't.

So why was it Command who came to Liz? Obviously there's a reason he was the one instead of sending someone else - even if that someone *wasn't* Philip. But then again Philip would have made the most sense as he's a doctor (has been Liz's for about a decade) and she was injected with something. Something that Command had a 50/50 shot at getting from Philip. (I figure he either got it from Philip or the Sgt.)

So why him? Was it to save Liz from associating Philip with anything negative that was happening there? Because she's going to need to trust him fully to get through all this.

Side note about Philip - when is he going to tell Max everything? I'm assuming Max's mind is equally Unbreakable so it should be safe to impart all the info to him (helping Liz, the resistance, etc.). But then that might be more emotion based than Philip is used to displaying. Maybe the only way Max finds out is if he has to heal his dad to the point of forming a connection. Because I get the feeling that Philip wants his son to live his life and not be beholden to him. He wants Max to carry the responsibilities he'll be entrusted with but he doesn't have the emotional capacity (that we've seen so far) to really open up to his son. And maybe that's not 'logical' enough for him. So maybe a massive healing is required. Maybe that's the only way Max will ever know how much his father *has* been on his side over the years. (And I have a feeling Philip stuck his neck out for Liz too throughout her childhood and adolescence. I could see the Sgt wanting to push an early bond by perhaps trying methods other than sex - worked for M/L - and Philip objecting to it and putting his foot down.)

Ugh! Back off this chapter again. Bad me!

So Command drugs her, she's dragged through the darkness outside and inside (and a long dark hallway) until she's thrown in another dark prison cell with Max. But this one has no furniture. I have a feeling they were more abusive to him than they were to her.

After all *he* should have known better. *He* initiated the bond and *he* was the one who didn't tell the council of what had happened. *He* was the one who let a human walk around with knowledge that aliens exist and *he* was the one who slept with a gaea. Plus if they thought *he* was the one keeping the connection open...

The sparseness of the room and all of the above basically guarantee he was treated worse than she was. Which is horrible but at least he'll know how to help her in (almost) every situation. And it means he's stronger than he was when he went in (emotionally, etc.)

It'll be interesting to see what happens next. He's so protective of her now that he has her back.

But the real question is "why?"

Why have they been reunited? Why now? Why did they drug Liz in the first place just to take her to Max.

I know what might answer some of questions - the next chapter! Has it been 24 hours yet? *Sigh*

[Morning Dreamgirl]

Feedback Chapter 67

I love you.

Just so you know. I so appreciate it that she didn't wake up and we didn't find out that they had been tortured together for the last three days or something.

There was a lot in this chapter. (And it was a long one to boot! Yay!) Emotionally you just wanted to run in there and hug them both until everything was right again. I don't think either one of them want to be touched by anyone (except each other) right now but that still doesn't get rid of the feeling.

The part where Liz tries to hide it all from Max and he sees glimpses of what happened to her was just heartbreaking. She obviously wasn't ready for him to see that and he really isn't in any state to *see* it.

He's obviously still shielding her though. It must have been pretty bad. You wonder if he was ever beaten to keep *her* from being beaten. It wouldn't be the first time something similar has happened.

Either way he obviously doesn't want to add to her emotional turmoil by having her find out what happened to him. It's not really something he can hide though. She'll figure it out through their bond if nothing else. It'll just get stronger now that they're together and I doubt he'll be able to keep her all the way out.

But, as he probably knew when she's been beaten (at least feeling snippets of it after the fact), he probably knows just how long she's been suffering. He wouldn't want to do anything that would add to that pain.

The whole "more experiments/tests" comment from Max confirmed a thought I had nagging me in the back of my head. They would obviously test him more than they would Liz. He's a hybrid and if they thought it was originating from him (at least at the beginning of their "experiments") it stands to reason they'd put him through a lot to see how/why it's so strong.

Let's say they left Liz alone the last six days after Sean tried his last rape attempt on the fourth day. If they realized at that point that the bond was Unbreakable (or at least finally started to suspect that it was) that means instead of Liz being tortured the last six days they basically were experimenting on and testing Max. (To include probably torturing him as well.)

Obviously, as Liz suspects and as we've discussed, Max was probably tortured more for being a criminal and because everyone knew what he had done. They probably didn't worry about experimenting the first four days because they were more concerned with breaking the bond. So any torture he underwent then they could have planned to "fix" just like they planned to with Liz. If Sean was supposed to fix Liz than the best mind wipers could (theoretically) once again wipe Max's mind of any torture, etc. So he would have been punished the first four days but (again, theoretically) not suffered any long term mental or emotional consequences as a healer.

Of course that's all to pot now. If they've been experimenting on/testing him the last six days it makes sense that he would have been able to reach Liz they day before she was moved as well. (If they weren't necessarily trying to weaken him as much as before.) Of course if they *did* find a way to break the bond during their experiments it would be beneficial to have Liz still weakened. Thus the continued starvation, etc. that she went through.

Of course undergoing all the experiments might have been something Max shouldered without much complaint if he thought it would keep him from being immobilized so they couldn't hurt Liz. And it (possibly) kept them distracted from her. Now that she's there though he has to be worried about what their experiments are going to consist of.

I am curious though - why not shut down the connection on both sides before? If they saw that merely weakening Max and Liz wasn't working, why not attempt the same set-up they did when moving Liz? As long as she was conscious when Sean raped her (*shudders*) they would have to assume a strong connection would be made. I'm curious why they didn't go with that option.

I'm also curious as to who is monitoring and/or running all these tests/experiments. It seems like something Philip would normally be heavily involved in. But with it being his son/Liz (and the entire situation in general) it doesn't seem like he would be allowed. But I don't think they could cut him out completely since he *is* their primary healer. :-/

I wonder (if he is forced to be involved) how that's been working out. I don't imagine they'd want him to have actual contact or interaction with Max. But what if Philip was called on to be involved in an experiment (what better way to test his loyalty as well)? It could have been Philip who gave Max the extra energy on day ten (if it was needed) to reach Liz and not any secret rebel members or just the connection. So many possibilities here...

Do Antarians have heightened senses over all? They feel more strongly (though the range of emotions is limited in full bloods). They crave spicy and sweet foods (taste). We had hint that Max could almost hear Liz (or at least she felt like it) at the beginning of the story when she was talking to Maria in the cafeteria. Maybe he almost could simply by focusing his hearing on her. And now there's this "you smell like chemicals" statement. Obviously what you eat or otherwise have in your system has an impact on your scent. But for him to pick that up (along with the other things) makes me wonder if their senses are heightened along with their emotions.

Which also adds in to why Max and Liz respond so explosively to each other when they're together. If she's feeling all these things emotionally through their connection *plus* his increased sense of touch then her increased physical reactions/release make sense. Especially given their incredibly strong bond. Add in the fact that she's a gaea - as the Sgt alluded to - and everything sort of clicks.

The good news is at their age at least their not interested (I imagine) in seeing how strong any potential offspring would be. It seems that gaea offspring are extremely powerful when created with a strong Antarian. The Sgt. thought so at least or he wouldn't have been so insistent on having children with Nancy. Makes you wonder if any gaea offspring would fight in the rebellion. Not that there are that many but still...

I don't know if I can pick out just one (or even three!) favorite parts in this chapter but I know I *loved* when Max was yelling at them/talking to the camera. It perfectly encapsulated that moment mentally when he realized that they weren't going to be a part of this any more. That he and Liz would fight against it any way they could. That he had (maybe) started to stop with the self-hate and instead focus on just loving her, protecting her and not necessary aligning himself up with the "alien" camp any more. No more just following their rules and being "a good boy in the community." I think he needed that as much as he needed to get all the emotions out it caused.

But trying to hold himself together by anchoring himself to her (much in the same way they did in his bedroom while they were talking) was heartbreaking. Not being able to escape the pain he was finally being overwhelmed with - that's just horrible given where they're still at.

I'll have to admit the Carters showing up with a gun surprised me. At first I was all "Max can't use his powers so Liz probably can't tap into them. Thus the gun." But the two of them not being able to use *their* powers shouldn't have any effect on the Carters using *theirs*.

There are only two reasons I can think of that the Sgt would have a gun. First off could be having to deal with the fact that Max doesn't have powers. We don't know for sure yet what's causing that. Superman had kryptonite as a weakness. Maybe there's some kind of energy field that can be switched on around the room which would nullify any power that the aliens have. That would explain why Max doesn't know what happened to his powers and why the Sgt/Sean wouldn't have any.

The second reason would be through intimidation. A lot of people in the world are scared of guns and even if you're not you would be in that situation. So maybe it was to intimidate them and make them realize that there are other ways they can be hurt as well. Ways that wouldn't be easy to recover from as if they were thrown against a wall.

Of course it could be a combination of both of those. Though by showing up with a gun (if it's purely because they have no powers) they're basically giving that piece of info away to Max and Liz. Doesn't seem like the smartest move. But then going in without any kind of weapon/defense against an angry boyfriend/bonded/husband/whatever isn't the wisest choice they could make either.

All of this is going to draw them closer and actually make their bond stronger in the end. I guess that's really the only upside to all of this. That and Max is going to see that Liz is able to keep people out of her mind so he won't have to keep things from her any more. However, that means anything else he keeps from her would be by choice. She probably won't appreciate that when it happens. It's going to be a hard habit for Max to break (especially with how protective he is of her). Some of the stuff it was safer for her to not know but some things he's probably been keeping from her because he doesn't want her to be hurt or to turn away from him (her mother is a prime example of *both* those reasonings).

Okay - I'm sure I've missed something or meant to say more somewhere but going to post it anyways.

[Morning Dreamgirl]

Feedback Chapter 68

Okay - just going to go with the flow this time as I write here and there when I can instead of breaking it up at the beginning and then filling everything in. So if it's sporadic and jumps around you know why. And you've been fully warned in advance.

The line about Max having tried being quasi-respectful and him being tired of Liz in pain/exposed to all this piqued my interest. It sort of solidified a thought I had running around in my head that they very likely used Liz's confinement as a way of controlling Max. Basically going "if you don't do xyz then she's the one that's going to suffer for it."

It would be yet another reason why he wouldn't want her to see what had happened to him. For her to know what he might have subjected himself to for *her* safety probably would, as we discussed before, put her into a state of shock and pushed her over the edge. (Especially given the fact that her main tormentors were still alive at that point.)

It also goes hand in hand with the "another experiment/another test" and then leading up to the whole threat that the Sgt (and Sean) gave when it was stated that they weren't being let out. And, of course, would be a huge reason why Max would be trying to get Liz out of the prison he'd been in for so many days.

Naturally you wonder what has been going on. They obviously haven't been turning off Max's powers often (or at least it doesn't sound like it). So how did they manage to have him immobilized before? And given the strong reactions Max had towards Sean I don't think Sean has been to see him. If he had then I'm pretty sure Max would have tried to kill him already before just out of anger for attempting to rape Liz in the gym and then almost killing her at the meeting. Also, had Sean actually made Max heal him after Liz bit him he wouldn't be trying to play the cocky game that he did in this chapter.

So then the question becomes, if Sean was focused on Liz and breaking her couldn't we say the same for the Sgt? At the very least the Sgt would be dealing with the two of them so I imagine someone else would have to be helping him with Max. Who would that be? The mayor? Max has a pretty strong reaction to him at the meeting. Command? If would be another reason why Max would have tried to be respectful throughout his confinement. No sense angering the one person who could authorize your death. And if Command had already spoken to Max it makes more sense that he would then want to see Liz.

So if someone else was helping to break Max where were they during the scuffle between him and Sean? I would have thought that Max and Liz being brought together would be just as important as when Sean last tried to force a bond with Liz. Yet when Liz ran to find a phone or some way of helping Max there was almost no one around. A couple of voices and that was it.

I'm actually pretty surprised that the Sgt took Sean with him into the room to be honest. He had to have seen that Sean was more riled up than usual. Very likely due to the fact that Max and Liz were back together. I can imagine he *would* snap if he had gone through so much to attempt a bond with Liz only to have her given back to Max (in any form) less than two weeks after she was "arrested" (for lack of a better word). Especially if they actually *did* leave her alone after the fourth day. He then would have only had four days to attempt a bond with her and very likely would want revenge on her (after her last act of defiance) as much as he would on Max. So "rewarding" the two of them by bringing them together probably caused him to snap.

How did his father not see how close to the edge he was?

I did love the protectiveness of Max though - as well as his attitude in the entire situation. He's basically done taking crap from anyone, he's not going to let anyone even talk badly about Liz without calling them out on it and he's finally becoming more secure in who *he* is. I really hope that this security bleeds over into how he feels about his heritage. They've just suffered incredible pain at the hands of the full-bloods (and possibly some hybrids, we don't know). But the same "alien" heritage has kept them alive (literally) time and time again.

I've noticed that other people refer to their heritage as "Antarian" and Max refers to it as "alien" even in his thoughts. It makes sense when other people refer to it with humans (ie Liz) as "alien" because they're using terminology that is understandable to her. But Max so disliked his heritage he doesn't even call that part of himself "Antarian." I hope Liz (and the bond) can help him overcome that. There's probably good things about their culture that Liz *would* like but she's only seen the bad and in Max's eyes there hasn't been any good.

And yet their bond has been incredibly good. It's been what has not only saved them but also what has allowed them to fully trust each other so soon even if Max hasn't been completely honest with her all the time. And it now means that he *can* be honest with her (even if he's probably still inclined to keep things from her to protect her - bad! bad Max!) because not even Command can get into her thoughts.

Oh - the part where Liz calls Philip? One of my (many) favorite parts of the chapter! (Along with Max provoking the Sgt, Sean, teasing Liz after he's hurt, etc. etc.) The fact that her first thought was to call him goes to show just how much she trusts him. She could have called Alex and asked him to send help. But she knew who could help and didn't hesitate to call him. Then again she's done that (to some degree or other) two other times when Max was hurt.

And yay for the rescue group! *laughs* I knew they'd come sooner or later. They were obviously together during said phone call given that Liz heard everything. So if Dr. Evans recognized the number and put it on speaker phone (which explains why she would hear all those background noises so easily) it stands to reason there's more than just one or two people with him. And if he got there that quickly (because you can bleed out extremely fast) then he was obviously close by. So the people around him have to be higher up to some extent as well to not draw attention to the fact that they're with Philip when he's obviously close to where M/L were being "stored." (Mr. Guerin being on the council and Philip's protector is one example - especially after he already helped with Max once before.)

As far as this being the last dream she had playing itself out... I'm curious as to when they're going to find out how/why Liz has these dreams. Obviously it's the connection showing them things before they happen to warn them. But it has to be a huge help with a potential war looming. Or at least if they've basically left the prison without permission. Hmm...

I seem to remember somewhere there was mentioned Liz being scared of monsters with large claws, etc. under her bed. I had wondered if that was part of the alien's real form. If she saw something with her mom when she was a girl and that her subconscious never forgot it (or at least all of it). Can you imagine seeing the monsters you thought were under your bed as a child? Or something that was worse then what you remembered but eerily similar? That would cause you to be terrified any time you were around a full blood for awhile. Some things you just can't un-see.

I really don't know how they're going to be separated now. How do you deal with Max refusing to leave her (or her him) when they both still live with their parents and her father knows nothing (including where his daughter has really been for almost two weeks)? And I doubt Liz will go home as soon as they walk out of there. See? You've still got so much left to explore I'm all giddy! *laughs*

Liz obviously puts Max above everything. Even if this wasn't clear before (you'd have to be incredibly stupid as you read to not know that) it's obvious given that she wasn't passing out upon seeing all the blood and dealt with Antarians in their true form while trying to save Max. How much they deserve each other!

A quick side note: In Chapter 47 when Mr. Evans comes downstairs in the Hondo house he tells Max to call his mother because "She's expecting you for dinner." Interesting that he didn't say "We're expecting you for dinner."

Any particular reason he wouldn't have said that?

It's interesting how many clues you leave for future chapters when you're not exactly sure what happens in all the future chapters, don't you think? I personally think it's that spark of genius you have inside you.

I know you've said you'll include Diane's story at some point. I'm quite interested in whether she and Philip share a connection and if Philip ever does let her in. Philip mentioned that he understood "what it was like" with a connection when Max and Liz came clean their morning after. Yet Max has said again and again that "connections between humans and aliens are rare." So I'm wondering, if one of the reasons they're rare is because Antarians have difficulty opening up emotionally to non-Antarians. If that's the case then even with a connection (which might be required for Philip to have with his wife given his status) he might have difficulty letting her in. But then maybe he doesn't and he just doesn't show that kind of attitude towards her in front of their children. After all there has to be some reason that Diane never left. Even more than wanting to fully be there for her children.

I think that if Philip and Diane *do* share a bond (even if it's rare for humans/Antarians to do so) it will go a long way in her understanding Max and everything he went through for Liz. Because, while she might be proud as a mother that he's so loving and protective and (obviously) head over heals for Liz, that mother part of her is still going to find it very difficult to not want to pull her son away and try and protect him (even if she has no means of doing so). Especially after finding out that he almost died (yet again) for Liz. Add a potential war and it's going to be imperative that she understands a bond at least to some degree to fully stand behind her son in his choice of a mate. And let's be honest - as I've grown to like Philip more and more I'm secretly hoping that after everything is said and done he's able to have a better relationship with his wife as well.

Okay! Feel free to post more! *laughs*

[Morning Dreamgirl]

Feedback Chapter 69

You sneaky girl!

I was so hoping that Jeff knew or would be told. I mentioned it repeatedly. And you never broke down! Ha!

Well I suppose I should say good on you for managing to keep it secret. Of course now I'm thinking about other things I kept wondering about (Maria, Michael, etc.) and where that leaves those theories. Hmm...

I *am* glad that Jeff knows though.

I'm quite curious how long he's known. Was it just after they were rescued? That doesn't seem right though because he wouldn't be looking better if she had technically been "missing" the last eleven days prior to his finding out. But if he knew on the first day or beforehand he had to have been told at some point what was happening to her as well. So, again, how did he get to looking so much better? To the point where he could carry her?

I'm thinking Dr. Evans might have had something to do with it. As a parent he would understand what Jeff would go through if a child was missing. And as a doctor he knows the support structure Liz would need after being either rescued or released. Besides, Jeff is sitting next to Liz when she woke up. If Alex or Isabel told him I doubt he would be there in the middle of the day when anyone could see him and tell Dr. Evans. (Because Alex and Isabel can't be the only ones there, wherever "there" is.)

So Max and Liz were kept at the Institute. Interesting.

So the first time he was sent as a child and it wasn't as deep a bond and it took eleven months. And yet they thought they could break it again? First off those at The Institute have to be upset or intrigued. After all, they would very likely know Max's history of time there. And now he's back again for the same thing. Makes you wonder if they guessed that the bond never actually went away to begin with.

It would also make sense that the first four days they focused on Liz and then after that focused on Max (when they realized that the bond wasn't going to be broken).

It must have been really bad if Max didn't tell her but if he also became "quite violent" when the people he knew tried to keep him from Liz. Which is interesting in and of itself. After all, he knew that these people got them out and/or are the ones looking after them. Yet he still wasn't afraid of becoming aggressive when it came to watching over and protecting Liz. So whatever happened he feels like he needs to watch her constantly. (It just reinforced him worrying over her constantly like we read in 46 when he was making Liz pancakes.) Hmm...

And Alex and Isabel being there makes me wonder just where "there" is. So where is "there" now and how did they (whoever "they" are) manage to get Max and Liz out of The Institute? Obviously it was a matter of life and death at that point but where did they go and how did they get there?

And Sarah? Will she make an appearance soon? Because it seems like she would at some point. But then maybe not. Maybe she died a long time ago, maybe being married to the military means she's less likely to be a part of the rebellion.

Speaking of the military Liz killed the Sgt and Sean in the previous chapter. So does that mean the Guerins are now considered second in command? Mr. Guerin was sitting on the other side of Sgt. Carter at the council. Even if he's not high in the US military (and we don't know if he is or isn't) he could now be considered the highest in the military and Command's second. Which would be awkward for Max/Michael. I don't think Max plans on sharing Liz with Michael any more than he planned on sharing Liz with Sean.

And a random note: anyone else have a feeling that Command was quite an active part of Max's captivity?

It's horrible that Jeff realizes what Liz was going through as a child. Of course we don't know if he's known for years or for a much shorter time. But given that he revealed the last part of the story *now* and hadn't revealed it when he told the story before... Well it leads me to believe that it left a large mark on him but he knew better than to say anything. Sometimes what you *don't* say is more important than what you do. And we know Nancy was planning to kill Jeff too, so...

I'm glad that he's able to be there for Liz though. And that he obviously realizes she's bonded with Max. The fact that he seems to support it makes it even easier. Though it'll be interesting to see how Max reacts to all of that. Liz (and her family/friends) has always represented freedom and normalcy for him. For Jeff to accept Max and support a relationship between Max and his daughter... I think that would go a long way to help heal Max's self-loathing (even if he's not aware of that healing right away). And of course to know that Liz can be honest with her father... That has to take a major load off of him. He never wanted her to have to carry his life of secrecy.

Still it would be hard for Jeff to "let Liz go" so early in her life. But better to let her go willingly and happily to Max than be forced into a false relationship and taken from him via Sean.

I'm glad Alex is able to help regulate her emotions. But I think that he's having problems because their bond is getting stronger. I don't think it's fully developed yet. I feel like they're still waiting for that "snap" or whatever when it's finally fully "sealed" and at that point I don't think other Antarian's powers are going to be able to work on them. At least not without Max and Liz being aware of them and being able to stop them. (To include motor control, etc.) That would make them incredibly powerful.

Obviously Alex has made his decision about who he will stand by. I think he made it a long time ago but to be with Max and Liz now when others must be looking for them, well he's basically going against his own. So that can't be a good ending if they lose. I think he's stronger and more mature than Liz has seen of him. Much like Maria having grown lately. I think a lot of things have been going on behind the scenes that even Max isn't aware of which has made Alex grow up pretty fast.

If Max still needs 14 hours (minimum) and he was sedated *before* Liz than he was much worse off than he let on. Of course it could be that his body requires more energy than hers. And he's healing from more than she is. But still...

I loved that he wrapped his arm around her even when he shouldn't have. And the way Isabel and Alex were trying to lighten the situation... They'd be really good together. Think we should give them a couple of slaps instead of having Isabel slap Max?

Let's just hope that when Max *does* wake up he doesn't threaten Jeff, thinking he's a full-blood. That wouldn't exactly start them off on the best footing in Max's mind.

And I'm so wanting to see the interaction between Liz and Philip for the first time. He's going to finish working his way into her heart before she knows it. I think she's already pretty deep into his. It'll make any other future spouse Isabel marries have to work that much harder. (Hear that Alex? Better get started now!)

So... *bounces in chair excitedly*

They're out of torture, they're being looked after and they're not being separated any more. It's not all roses and open fields from here on out. But I'm still smiling!

So...

[Morning Dreamgirl]

Feedback Chapter 70

Dear lord! Talk about a nightmare! I can imagine that is how Liz felt every moment that she was in captivity. Technically even before she was captured. Ever since she realized what her role meant and just how dangerous everything was getting she had to of been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Literally for weeks now she's probably felt like she could die at any minute.

I'm curious as to how Max got into the dream though. Obviously it was through the connection. But I have been curious before when he went that night to answer Liz's questions. He obviously knew that she had been having nightmares. I just wonder if he had ever seen them before. Obviously it would've been more about the fire, but did he have to focus in order to see her nightmares at that point?

I'm glad that Max was able to help her in the nightmare. Can you imagine the anger, guilt and just sick to the stomach feeling he would've had? At that point he did not know that it had not happened. And the sad part is Sean was mentally sick enough to do something like that. Although I don't think he would've put himself at risk. So he would have found a way to make sure he was never the one who was shot. Still, just the fact that he put such fear into Liz has to make Max more than a little annoyed that he wasn't able to kill Sean with his own two hands. Of course even if he had he'd still have all the anger he carried to deal with and Liz's brokenness as well. It is going to be a long journey for the two of them. Max is right though, just waking her up wouldn't have fixed it. They're going to have to deal with the root of the problem.

I'm glad that Jeff is secure (and mature) enough to give them some privacy to talk. If he knows everything that's been going on as Isabel claims he does then it would be hard for him to leave Liz unattended.

I do wonder how much he actually knows though. I can't imagine he would be that calm if he knew *everything* Liz and his wife suffered through. He might be around friendly faces right now but even these friendly faces had a hand in the matter. Dr. Evans would've healed Nancy again and again after the Sgt raped and beat her. Mr. Whitman, as far as we know, never stopped in to stop it. So in some ways they were covering up for the Sgt - even if it was to keep all of their people safe. That has to be a hard pill to swallow for Jeff. How do you merge that with these being the same people who have tried to pull Liz out but only after eleven days of torture? I'd be angry as heck and wanting to rake *all* of them over the coals.

He's got to be wondering why they ever allowed Max and Liz to be tortured. Especially Phillip. Philip knew the inhumanity the Sgt carried and just how much damage he could do without technically killing someone. So to allow Max and Liz to fall under the Sgt's control instead of getting them out safely beforehand has to make no sense to Jeff.

It also makes me wonder about the fire. We still don't know how the aliens knew to set the fire when they did. Someone had to have been told that Liz and Jeff were heading back. That's the only way that Max would've been there. He went there, he specifically said, to make sure that Liz was okay. I imagine his father had something to do with that. It was really the least suspicious way for Max to be able to heal Liz in a way that required deep healing.

But then how did they make sure that Liz was the one that went up to try to save her mother instead of Jeff? It almost seems as though she was mentally "encouraged" to do so. And Jeff was "conveniently" distracted enough to let her.

So she runs up which causes Max to run up after her and then a deep healing is able to take place. I'm not sure that they imagined it would be quite that bad though - another reason Philip might have had problems healing Max. (Besides not doing it all the way to encourage the bond to grow between the two of them.) But that means that they have a very strong mind reader on the rebellion side.

So, if one of my (possible) theories is correct:

Someone told the rebellion they were heading home early, the mind reader (most likely) sets fire to the Crashdown then encourages Liz to try and save her mother. Which leads to Max rescuing Liz and healing her, forming their connection. Philip doesn't heal Max all the way to encourage it to grow and strengthen (perhaps not realizing how badly Liz was injured). Or perhaps it was so Max would *have* to heal Liz again to (again) deepen the bond at a faster pace.

This leads me to think the mind reader they have on the rebellion side is quite high up. Maybe one from The Institute? Sarah's husband perhaps? Maybe the same one who helped load Max into the SUV? He obviously couldn't let on that he was any where near the scene either before or after without being questioned as to why he didn't step in to erase Liz's mind after Philip left with Max. Which makes me think he was the one who helped take Max away that day. It would get him away from the scene quickly as well. He could have changed how people saw him even if he can't change his shape (if he's a hybrid and not a full blood). My gut tells me he could change his shape if he wanted to though. Hmm...

Anyways, all of *that* to say if Jeff really knew *everything* would he want Liz anywhere near even the rebellion? Max surely wouldn't. It'll be interesting to see how much is revealed now that the rebellion knows no one can't get into their minds and now that the rebellion is ready for their next step.

I'm glad that Max and Liz were able to talk for awhile though. Even if it was only for a very short time. While they technically have the bond, the fact that Liz is able to talk openly about her issues and potential fears is good for her healing - and his. He's always tried keeping things from her to keep her safe but hopefully this will help him to finally open up as well.

It sucks that both Liz *and* Max have to suffer because of Sean pretending to be Max. I thought of Liz being jumpy occasionally and Max feeling guilty but there's more to it that I didn't think of at first. Liz obviously has to work through it being "Max" that assaulted her the worst and it being "Max" that she burned. Even if it wasn't him just the fact that she has those images in her mind could be enough to cause nightmares for a long time. Like if, when she started burning him, he turned into the "real" Max.

And of course Max has those images in his mind as well (I assume anyways, since she showed him how she burned Sean). So he saw "himself" violating Liz. Even if he knows he would never do that and would never treat her like that he knows it was another alien (in this case Sean) who did. I could see how he might have nightmares of himself violating Liz (even if if wasn't "himself" himself) and he couldn't do anything to stop it. After all he's hated himself for a long time because of his heritage. I can see how he could have that self-loathing grow as his anger towards the other aliens grows for hurting Liz. (His anger towards them would lead to anger towards himself for not keeping her safe which would lead towards self loathing.)

Nightmares of himself hurting her (or others looking like himself) wouldn't be too far off. Sub-consciously (or even consciously) he would be blaming himself for everything that happened to her. Especially since she never wanted to go to the meeting in the first place. He knew of her dream, of how she didn't want to go and how in all likelihood they would be punished or possibly even killed. And he still agreed with his father and took her there. That could take longer to get over than almost anything else I imagine.

And it doesn't help that right now he doesn't trust anyone outside of Liz. When they both were pulled from the Institute even the ones who were helping them tried to keep him away from Liz. They fought him and then sedated him. I can't imagine it built trust even if it was to help he and Liz heal. In fact if probably will do the exact opposite. Liz almost died trying to save him and they wouldn't let him stay with her when she obviously needed him. He might have just woken up and be focused on Liz right now but all those things will have to be dealt with. Especially if there *is* a rebellion.

Because that means that everyone he trusted was lying to him. Very likely for years. Once again it was strategy (just like the Sgt. letting Nancy have a child with Jeff). Only this time they would have dragged him into it instead of dragging her *out* of it. Even Alex who was supposed to be helping him (if his presence is any indication). It makes you wonder how much Isabel knows (or knew) as well. She did ask Liz once how Liz would know who was bad or good. (Referencing Alex directly but the question seemed more general at the time - even more so now.)

And if the rebellion is real they aren't much better then the Sgt and company. They want to use Max and Liz just like the other side did. Yes, this way they'd probably get to stay together and (hopefully) a better system would be put into place but they still haven't been honest and want to use them. So it's basically going to be a "lesser of two evils" kind of thing. Which isn't exactly the kind of relationship (or motivation) if there is a rebellion. Especially if they're both traumatized. :-/

So all that being said I'm interested in what exactly Mr. Evans is going to tell them. You'll probably give us lots of info but tease us by having it be over the next two or three chapters like when Max answered Liz's questions the first time and after their night in Hondo. So I fully anticipate lots of cliffhangers. (Lord help us!) *laughs*

Quick observation though: if Philip was drained after healing Max and transferring energy to Liz (because she was almost surely very low - dangerously so) why not also have two or three aliens transfer energy to him in addition to resting? Then he wouldn't have still been resting when Isabel talked to Liz after they'd been out of it for three days. But then maybe he's just taking it easy after and getting extra rest. Plus we don't know yet what he's been doing behind the scenes since Max and Liz were rescued. Or what all he was doing during their captivity.

And it probably wouldn't have mattered much about him being ready to talk to them before now since they weren't awake. But they are *now* so... Spill! Time to learn more alien secrets! *laughs*

[Morning Dreamgirl]

Feedback Chapter 71

Sneaky girl!

How you manage to answer a couple of questions and raise a ton more is beyond me!

So Philip obviously has been with the resistance for quite awhile. The possibility is high that he is even one of the original members of it. The Whitman family being a part of it makes sense. They've been protecting Gaeas so they would have seen (or at least known about) the things Nancy went through because of the Sgt's treatment. If they're empaths then they'd have known how her heart still carried everything even if her memories were gone. And no one should have to carry all that.

The Guerins being a part make sense in the fact that they're the Evans protectors and there would be a strong relationship there. But on the other hand I've been wondering what finally pushed them to that decision. A relationship with the Evans would encourage it but would it finalize that decision when the Guerin family is obviously so high up in the military? Being a traitor is a big thing, especially given their rank in society.

And of course I wonder about Michael whenever the Guerins make an appearance or are mentioned. I'm not sure how much he knows but I think he knows a lot more than Max has known up until this point. There's been too much going on and he's taken a step back (or a step forward) one to many times for it to be a coincidence. I think he's helped cover for Max more than Max realizes. Whereas Max thinks Michael would enjoy frightening the humans and would turn Max in if he broke the law I have a feeling he's been "going along" with Mr. Evans and keeping secrets, helping to soften blows, etc. A lot of his attitude towards humans might be a facade much like Max's is. And just like it would have been dangerous for Liz to know that about Mr. Evans it could have been dangerous for Max to know about the Guerins. (If he was taken to the Institute and they went through his mind the entire Guerin family would be in trouble.)

The name Dresden is a red flag. You don't just throw out random bits of information for no reason. Was that the man who showed up at the fire and helped pull Max into the black SUV? But then he was mentioned right after Command so maybe he's not an ally but another enemy. Maybe he was Sarah's husband (which seems unlikely - why not identify him as such?) or someone that worked with him at the institute? Maybe he's the one who will take over the Sgt's position if the Guerins don't? (They were the ones to the right of the Sgt at the meeting.) Either way he holds a pretty high position for Philip to mention him. Let's hope it's in a good way.

The phrase "rupture of a society" seems key. Usually for something to rupture there's a lot of pressure below ground or behind the scenes. So it's something that's been building for awhile. That sort of makes sense. Given that Max said dissenters are taken to the Institute and Liz saw something no child/no human child should see. So has this been something that's been building since then? For there to be an actual rebellion force (no matter how big or small) they have to have been around each other long enough to know they can trust each other.

So what started off this rupture? And what's been the lynchpin recently to make it more feasible or desirable to attempt an uprising *now*? Maybe they're group knows it's not much longer until they're identified and punished? Maybe because the second is now dead but was without a gaea? And then there's still the question of how they kept Liz from being taken and held by the Carters until she was ready. Or why they didn't just step in instead of making M/L attend the meeting. Heck, they could have even pulled her beforehand when Max was handed down the sentence for accusing Sean. Even if they hadn't double bonded yet the rebellion had to have known they were close. But then maybe they thought Max would rebel against sleeping with Liz if he knew that the rebellion would want to use them like the current society would. There are so many nuances I almost don't know which direction to take in my questions. Hmm...

And the bit about the community being scattered and disorganized... How is that even possible given his many branches of government the Antarians have gotten in to? It seems like it would all be run with an iron fist. Max's continual punishments are proof of that. But then maybe he was punished not just because of his involvement with a gaea but because of what his involvement was causing. If that's the case he's lucky he's a healer or he'd have been killed a long time ago (like Philip stated in their dining room). Though why he wasn't pulled to the Institute before it got too far... He's definitely has had a lot of people looking out for him.

It's interesting that Alex can't read Liz any more. She's obviously put up a very strong wall. I'm wondering if that's normal. For Antarians I mean. Obviously humans shouldn't be able to do that at all. But if Antarians are able to hide all their emotions or put up that strong of a wall then how do mind wipers ever get their assignments accomplished? I think it's rare someone can do that - regardless of their genetics.

Which makes me wonder what else M/L will be able to do when their bond is completed. Max was able to go to her in the shower before. Will Liz be able to do the same? Would they be able to see and hear what the other does even over distances? Would they be able to keep other aliens from accessing their motor functions? Command seems like he wasn't expecting to be able to control Liz and not have access to her mind. Obviously they're different parts but if the bond is strengthened/completed I don't think he'd even be able to do that (control her I mean). It would make a fight a lot more fair and actually give the resistance a chance of over throwing the current structure.

But then how do they think they'll be able to keep control or set up a new (hopefully better) system if they don't have the numbers to over throw the current one without Max and Liz? If they need M/L what happens when they go to college? What happens when they pass on decades and decades from now? They might have powerful children but neither one of them seem interested in leading. And they're definitely not interested in being enforcers. But if they help overthrow Command (if it isn't all a big set up by him) that's basically the role they're going to be forced into. Someone has to be strong enough to keep the new system in place long enough for people to actually embrace it and want it.

It's heartbreaking that Max can't read Liz and can't connect with her. Being connected with her is what got him through a lot of the rough patches (to put it mildly) just as much as it did for her. And any time they told him that they'd hurt *her* if he didn't comply he could (I imagine) go to their bond and *feel* her - calming himself down and allowing him to think a little bit more clearly.

Even if she can't bear to have anyone in her mind right now it's the very thing Max *needs*. He needs to feel her, to be surrounded by her and to be able to heal with her. But given how hard she's been fighting to keep people out it makes sense that she would revert to that once she found out another group wanted in. She would just completely shut down. Even if the group that acts like they want to help her. And Max, loving her so much, will allow her to keep the bond shut down even if it hurts him more and more every day and puts his healing back.

It's really a bad place they're both in.

Let's fix it and make it all happy! *laughs*

The whole shower bit was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. For Liz to be so locked in her head and so desperate to get clean - to wash everything bad away - you captured that beautifully. And I'm glad she was given that time. I have a feeling the conversation changed to her when she left though. Or even why Philip even had them go to that meeting if he's part of a rebellion. Though that seems slightly unlikely unless Max walked around to calm down before joining her. Because I don't think that conversation would be a calm one. A very enlightening one, maybe even the first time we see guilt from Philip, but definitely not a calm conversation. I wonder if Max would ever forgive his father for putting Liz through that when he could have stopped it beforehand.

So, obviously, I'm intrigued about what happened in the conversation when Liz was in the shower. But I'm also heartbroken that she ended up in there and just felt like she wasn't safe - not really - and like she had to work so hard to get clean. That's so hard to have to go through that, the poor girl. And then seeing the blood when she cut herself... She doesn't like blood to begin with and then to have the memories of her mother's miscarriages and all of that blood... Just absolutely heartbreaking.

And then to be so terrified and locked in her head that she ended up screaming when Max came into the shower.

I'm glad he didn't let her run away. She's already doing that mentally as well and he can't stop it. But at least he was able to stop her from doing so physically. She needs to be close to him right now. He's the only one who's gone through torture with her (to some extent anyways - if the changes to his body are any indication) and he's the only one who can help her feel safe.

I think part of her withdrawal is just as much not being able to handle what might have happened to *him* as much as it is trying to work through what happened to *her*. If it wasn't for her he wouldn't have been taken and tortured, etc. And she hasn't asked what happened to him since they were in the dark room. Even if her mind is focused on other things right now and it's technically the day they woke up. She didn't ask what happened while they were in the "safety" of the shower. I think she's afraid of seeing more - and hearing more - of what the aliens are capable and willing to do, even to one of their own.

I like that Max was able to open up to Liz so intimately by taking a shower even after everything that happened to him. He trusts her completely and is desperately trying to hold on to her. But that's not really surprising given how long he's loved and protected her. Besides he's seen this kind of behavior from her during their check-ups. She's just trying to protect herself and he knows when to push and when to pull back.

The shaving part was especially sweet. She needs confidence and to have trust between another person because right now she doesn't even trust herself. She can't trust her own emotions because they're all over the place and she can't trust her usual confidence and control because both of those were taken from her and broken during her time in the room. (She accepted that they could do whatever they wanted, etc.)

So to see Max and her share something as personal as that and to see him (literally) support her when she needed it... It's a great representation of where they're both at right now. I'm hoping that soon it'll be Liz taking that step forward so Max doesn't keep reaching for someone who keeps running away. Because every time she pulls back from him cuts into him a little bit more deeply.

The bit at the end where he's holding her and they talk about needing toothbrushes? Thank you! It was that little bit of lightness when it was nose needed.

Okay - ready for more!

[Morning Dreamgirl]

Feedback Chapter 72

I *loved* this chapter. (Tired of hearing that yet?) It just sort of sucked you in from the get-go.

First off they're obviously somewhere with a lot of rooms if they were moved (in addition to each having separate rooms before). I have a feeling that Liz was technically on Institute grounds when she was being held separately from Max but I don't think they're there now. They technically could be but it seems unlikely.

The bad aliens obviously know M/L are gone by now. That means the ones closest to them (the parents, the protectors, etc.) would all be on high surveillance. Which leads to the question of how all these people are able to come and go without raising too many eyebrows. (Or even how they were able to just leave their lives and stay wherever "there" is. Either way would single them out as being a potential part of the rebellion.)

I imagine that they're likely staying there - less chance of leading the wrong person back. Which means that Max isn't just going to be going up against his dad about this. There are other people who have stuck their necks out to try and keep him and Liz safe as well as pulling them out of their torture and hiding them now. His dad is probably the one most likely to be listened to by Max so it makes sense that he would talk about these topics with him before anyone else tried.

Max knows a lot of this stuff (about starvation and the human body/soups, the connection, the need to fight, etc.) but if he was protective and insistent on Liz having free choice before he's going to be off the charts about it now. She's been damaged and at this point no one can be sure of her recovery. No one knows how damaged she is because she *is* putting up a wall.

So on that level it makes sense in Philip's eyes for Max to try to force the connection open from his side. If he can get in then the connection can start helping her and they can get an honest assessment of her mental status. Of course Max knows just how much Sean messing with her mind hurt her emotionally before. And from the glimpses he saw before she dropped down her walls it's easy for him to appreciate that she needs time right now. (Something they don't have if there's a group of people on both sides waiting for the first strike.) However, the longer she goes without help the harder it is to get it - the longer her walls are up the harder it could for her to open them again.

So they're both right and both wrong. And they both want the current structure removed. They both want Liz healed. But they're going at it from two different ends.

Heck even the food demonstrates that! Why not get a list of options Liz has and let her choose? They've compromised and its a win-win. Sadly they can't see it is that simple because they're both stuck in their corners. And while Max is right - Liz shouldn't have to fight for a cause that's not her own, for a society that has hurt her or allowed her to be hurt - if she doesn't then there's never going to be an end. At least not a happy one for her and Max.

There's no way that Max is going to want to listen to anything his dad says though. Not only is he obviously upset that Philip didn't help Liz more directly but it was his dad who suggested that they attend the meeting. Max has to be livid (to put it mildly - I don't think there's a word to describe how mad he is) towards his father. If he knew about the rebellion and was a part of it he could have just pulled them out and put them in that safe place to let their bond continue developing. It would have been easy enough to leave some false clues that indicated Max and Liz had made a run for it. It would have bought everyone some time and set the bad aliens looking in the wrong direction.

But for whatever reason Philip had them go to the meeting. And that caused more pain than anyone should have to suffer. If he thinks Max will submit to anything now (even if it's the right thing) he's wrong. The only one who can get through to Max is Liz.

Diane obviously knows this. She knows where her son's heart lives and its in the slip of the girl that was hiding under the covers as two men fought to help in another room.

I loved the talk Diane had with Liz. It answered a lot of questions while at the same time raises a couple more. *laughs* Tired of hearing *that* yet?

So obviously it was a genetic thing with Diane. That makes me wonder just how close a genetic match Liz is. I'm thinking she's probably as close to perfect as they've found. Otherwise there's no way Philip would use that excuse when he went to Hondo. If Max knows Liz was a close match (and I'm pretty sure he would given his involvement of her check-ups) then Philip saying that would only encourage Max to double-bond with Liz because they *would* have a high chance of creating a healer. Also if she wasn't a good match why bother to bring that up? He would know it was a sore spot with Max and that's not a button you want to push when you're trying to make someone bend to your will.

So if Liz is a good match and a gaea and they have a strong bond I'm thinking she won't have as many issues as other people obviously have (as hinted at by Diane). And the connection between the mother and the child helps support another theory I have about all of Nancy's miscarriages.

I figure that alien pregnancies use a lot of the mother's energy. Even more so than a normal pregnancy. Add on to that the fact that Nancy would fight Steven's presence and she might have fought against the presence of his children as well. Liz fought Sean without even trying. So if he had tried to create a child with her it would have likely ended the same way as her mother's pregnancies.

In that way Max being so prepared was just another way of protecting her. Without knowing if a double-bond would work and likely knowing her mother wouldn't carry a hybrid to term (even if not knowing the whole history of how bad it was) he wouldn't have wanted Liz in that position until he knew she'd be able to not miscarry. (And of course there's that whole "still in high school, haven't even really dated and sneaking around an alien society's harsh laws" bit.)

It's also interesting that Philip would have caused Diane to abort if Max hadn't been a healer. I wonder if that would be just so he could try again or if he would go on to the next "option."

Max had obviously known for awhile - it makes me wonder what kind of discussion (fight) Diane and Philip were having that led to such a topic being brought up. And how they could have let Max overhear it.

It would be hard to hear that if he wasn't a healer his father would have discarded him. Ignoring everything else (about the beliefs he holds for his society) it's enough to make him hate his heritage... That they could be so cold and callous towards his mother, his sister and himself. He and Liz are a lot alike in this situation. They were both created for "strategy."

I'm surprised he still thought his father was a good guy after that. It *would* be a hard pill to swallow. It also adds to the hatred he feels towards the society/himself. If he thought he would have to do the same thing one day... No wonder he holds to Liz so desperately. She's his freedom in so many ways - and she's his purity in a lot of ways too, even if she's a fighter.

In many ways Steven became more alien because of his relationship with Nancy and his assigned occupation. While Philip became more human because of his and his children. It's so relieving to know that Philip truly loves his wife - even if it didn't happen right away. I think that will help Max (and Liz) accept the society (or whatever it becomes) after everything. To know that the aliens *are* capable of loving? It changes everything for those who survive into the new era.

Seeing Max fight his mother (while that's a sad thing) just goes to show exactly where Max's battle line is drawn. Around Liz. Just him wondering what his mother was even doing in the room and being worried about Liz over any concern/happiness for his mother demonstrates that. Defending her (or at least feeling like he should and following that) goes to show how even his family comes after Liz now.

It must be hard though. I get the feeling that when Max was saying "He should have tried harder" he wasn't just talking about Philip. The guilt he carries for not protecting her at *all* times must be almost suffocating. Especially if she cut him out. He feels like she doesn't trust him on some level. Let's hope she's able to open the bond soon so they can both heal. Even while being tortured/punished/experimented on they still had the connection.

And, lastly, can I just say that Diane being so open and willing to talk to Liz and *be there* for her is just what the doctor ordered. Liz hasn't had anyone to talk to and even if it's awkward or embarrassing at least she knows she has an option now. Especially since she's missing Maria so badly. And of course having Diane show emotion for her... Everyone else is trying to put on a brave face but what Liz needs is someone who gently acknowledges what happened and will just *cry* with her. No apologies, no guilt, just go through the emotions with her.

I think Diane is going to play a huge role in her emotional repair and life from here on out (as well as helping to get her to eat). And the more she helps Liz, the more Max is helped (and the relationship between him and his father).

Anyways - loved this part!

[begonia9508]

Great part! It was really nice to read Diane's point of view about her life, with her falling in love with her husband, who obviously wanted to only have an heir with the right blood to make an healer!

But Max and Liz's felt in love at school so it was another history and a bloody one, at that! Thanks EVE

[max and liz believer]

Answers to your feedback in this post, chapter in the next

Ashley (Morning Dreamgirl) - Hello dear, there you are That was a lot of feedback. A lot. So a lot of feedback to your feedback will follow below.

Apparently I'm a bit of a geek for this story.

*laughs* Oh, you're wonderful

I don't know why I was expecting some big rescue party. After all it's not like that would even be feasible. They'd be going up against military. More military than any members they might have on their side. Plus there's nowhere they could hide - we've read that repeatedly in the story. And they'd have to be able to let Max and Liz rest and recover before they would be of any help in the rebellion. The best place to do that is at the Evans with Philip monitoring them. Can't really expect the aliens to just leave them alone to get better if they had escaped.

I’m not surprised that you did expect a big rescue party. After all, that’s what usually happens, isn’t it? But then, it probably would have happened sooner. Obviously, something else has been going on for this whole thing (captivity) to drag on.

And taaadaaa - Command is the one to do the move. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s ”good”, as I’m getting a subtle hint from you about. Maybe he just wanted to go in there and see for himself exactly who that Liz Parker is, instead of handing the task of sedating her over to his lackeys. It would also help to confirm that he was making the right decision (in his world) to move on to the next part of their plan - moving Liz and re-uniting her with Max.

So why was it Command who came to Liz? Obviously there's a reason he was the one instead of sending someone else - even if that someone *wasn't* Philip. But then again Philip would have made the most sense as he's a doctor (has been Liz's for about a decade) and she was injected with something. Something that Command had a 50/50 shot at getting from Philip. (I figure he either got it from Philip or the Sgt.)

It might be tempting to send Mr. Evans, considering the injection to be given, but Philip is perhaps not trusted with that in this situation. Or Command just wanted to take control over the situation himself and take the opportunity to ”inform” Liz of what they were doing, while evaluating Liz and her traits.

Seriously though, he knows that she'll be good for the community. Even if she's turned it a bit upside down. (To put it mildly.) She's only ever fought to defend herself when necessary, she hasn't told any humans and even in the overwhelming fear she felt (while in the condition she was in) she was still respectful towards him. All of that has to (play in her favor and) bode well in *his mind* for a new way of doing things.

And you’re right; someone like Liz would be good for their community. Someone that’s strong, but in who she is and also in her ability to connect to aliens (or one in particular ). But for them to take advantage of that, they need Liz on their side. And they have probably already ruined that. She most likely will never trust them. So her apparent strength might instead present a danger to them.

Perhaps there was a trial for the two of them that we don't know about yet. That's been my gut feeling. Like they were tried and perhaps (somehow) not found guilty. Sean did say that Max was awaiting trial. He was "hopeful" that Max would be killed. It doesn't mean that he would be though - or that he would be found guilty.

Maybe Max has been part of a trial (and Liz too - perhaps in both their absence), but Sean might have also lied to Liz about Max ”awaiting trial” or meant it figuratively rather than literal - that he should just pay for his mistakes. Not a ”real” trial. It would make sense, though, if they had been investigated while being captive. While being ”jailed”. It would also support why they are suddenly changing tracks and putting M/L together.

Side note about Philip - when is he going to tell Max everything? I'm assuming Max's mind is equally Unbreakable so it should be safe to impart all the info to him (helping Liz, the resistance, etc.). But then that might be more emotion based than Philip is used to displaying. Maybe the only way Max finds out is if he has to heal his dad to the point of forming a connection. Because I get the feeling that Philip wants his son to live his life and not be beholden to him. He wants Max to carry the responsibilities he'll be entrusted with but he doesn't have the emotional capacity (that we've seen so far) to really open up to his son. And maybe that's not 'logical' enough for him. So maybe a massive healing is required.

Very interesting speculation you have there about Philip telling Max everything. That maybe Max would have to heal Philip to get that information out of him. Not that impossible… But you never know in this story. Max will (should) learn Philip’s story soon enough. There is (obviously) a lot that Philip hasn’t shared - with perhaps no one else outside of himself.

The sparseness of the room and all of the above basically guarantee he was treated worse than she was. Which is horrible but at least he'll know how to help her in (almost) every situation. And it means he's stronger than he was when he went in (emotionally, etc.)

And as you can tell from the reflections from Liz in chapter 67, Max has possibly been treated far worse than she has. Because he’s part of them, they don’t have to think about covering for his absence to the same degree as with Liz, and - as you said - he’s the ”criminal” in all of this.

Liz is just an ignorant human being...

There was a lot in this chapter. (And it was a long one to boot! Yay!) Emotionally you just wanted to run in there and hug them both until everything was right again. I don't think either one of them want to be touched by anyone (except each other) right now but that still doesn't get rid of the feeling.

I have the feeling of wanting to run in there and hug them as well. Especially since they’re my babies. But I think they’ll do a fairly good job at supporting each other right now.

The part where Liz tries to hide it all from Max and he sees glimpses of what happened to her was just heartbreaking. She obviously wasn't ready for him to see that and he really isn't in any state to *see* it.

He's obviously still shielding her though. It must have been pretty bad. You wonder if he was ever beaten to keep *her* from being beaten. It wouldn't be the first time something similar has happened.

Max is still shielding her. He might be weakened, so when he gets really angry it spills over and past his block, but he will try his best to block her from his experiences right now. He notices that she’s not strong enough for that. Especially not while they’re still trapped there. It would frighten her and maybe even put her in some state of shock. Obviously, Liz is trying to do the same for Max, but she’s not as trained and not nearly strong enough. Liz will know what Max has experienced soon enough though. It’s important that he shares it with her - the bond (both the natural and the alien) relies on them being honest and completely open towards each other.

Let's say they left Liz alone the last six days after Sean tried his last rape attempt on the fourth day. If they realized at that point that the bond was Unbreakable (or at least finally started to suspect that it was) that means instead of Liz being tortured the last six days they basically were experimenting on and testing Max. (To include probably torturing him as well.)

Your theory on what might have happened to Max the last 6 days is an interesting one. maybe you’re onto something there.

I am curious though - why not shut down the connection on both sides before? If they saw that merely weakening Max and Liz wasn't working, why not attempt the same set-up they did when moving Liz? As long as she was conscious when Sean raped her (*shudders*) they would have to assume a strong connection would be made. I'm curious why they didn't go with that option.

About them not attempting to block the connection by turning off their powers earlier; Max’s powers might have been ”turned off” this whole time. And since Liz is not alien and doesn’t have any powers, they didn’t think of trying to ”turn off” any possible powers in her as well. They most likely realized (after several ”unfortunate” run-ins with Liz and her ”strength”) that the connection was either giving Liz powers or they had awoken some of her own potential powers. Since they seem to believe that powers are connected to connections (and maybe they usually are), they finally figured out that they needed to turn them off from both Liz’s and Max’s side. And maybe the delay was a combination of them doing something else in those days (for instance, putting Max on trial, deciding what to do next etc) and figuring out how to block powers in a human. Because I’m sure they haven’t exactly encountered any humans with powers before.

Do Antarians have heightened senses over all? They feel more strongly (though the range of emotions is limited in full bloods). They crave spicy and sweet foods (taste). We had hint that Max could almost hear Liz (or at least she felt like it) at the beginning of the story when she was talking to Maria in the cafeteria. Maybe he almost could simply by focusing his hearing on her. And now there's this "you smell like chemicals" statement.

Aliens do have heightened senses. Remember how Sean commented that he could smell Liz when Max was trying to hide them? So Max is not the only one. Apparently, humans are very smelly (that’s why we can never stand downwind if we are trying to hunt an animal) and I heard this interview with a specialist in human olfaction once who said that the human sense of smell is grossly underestimated. We have a very well developed sense of smell, but we don’t rely on it and we don’t acknowledge it in everyday life. Which interested me (because I’m one of those who is personally very bothered by smells - feel them acutely) and made me think that if aliens can utilize the human brain differently than humans, why would they not be able to use senses that we underestimate and ”take for granted” to their full capacity?

Just a thought

The good news is at their age at least their not interested (I imagine) in seeing how strong any potential offspring would be. It seems that gaea offspring are extremely powerful when created with a strong Antarian. The Sgt. thought so at least or he wouldn't have been so insistent on having children with Nancy. Makes you wonder if any gaea offspring would fight in the rebellion. Not that there are that many but still...

There are several reason to suspect that an offspring to a coupling with such a powerful connection would be powerful. But it might also be completely normal. A child would most likely have alien abilities either way, but it might not be colored by the connection at all since it’s specific for Max and Liz. Hence, not making the child as powerful.

I don't know if I can pick out just one (or even three!) favorite parts in this chapter but I know I *loved* when Max was yelling at them/talking to the camera. It perfectly encapsulated that moment mentally when he realized that they weren't going to be a part of this any more. That he and Liz would fight against it any way they could. That he had (maybe) started to stop with the self-hate and instead focus on just loving her, protecting her and not necessary aligning himself up with the "alien" camp any more. No more just following their rules and being "a good boy in the community." I think he needed that as much as he needed to get all the emotions out it caused.

You’re exactly right about Max finally breaking. Finally realizing that it doesn’t ”save” or help him and Liz if he’s compliant. And they’ve done too much now - to Liz - for him to be able to swallow it and go back to be the ”good” and ”reliable” hybrid he used to be.

I'll have to admit the Carters showing up with a gun surprised me. At first I was all "Max can't use his powers so Liz probably can't tap into them. Thus the gun." But the two of them not being able to use *their* powers shouldn't have any effect on the Carters using *theirs*.

The reason why Sean and his father showed up with a gun is most likely because they themselves don’t have powers. But they still don’t trust that Liz and Max are not powerful. They’ve seen frightening things from Liz - even though she’s human (as far as we know ) - so is the connection really tuned down along with the powers? And they’re a bit frightened by Liz to be honest (and we don’t know what Max might have done while in captivity), hence, the gun. This will (I think, can’t remember) be more ”discussed” in the next chapter.

Maybe there's some kind of energy field that can be switched on around the room which would nullify any power that the aliens have. That would explain why Max doesn't know what happened to his powers and why the Sgt/Sean wouldn't have any.

And what would make them all lose their powers? Just like you’ve already hypothesized, there’s something that’s affecting the whole room. Considering that their powers are all based on energies, it should be something that can disturb energies… Right?

*shakes head* So many questions, so many theories When I think I’ve explained them all, I’ve managed to give you some new questions instead…

The line about Max having tried being quasi-respectful and him being tired of Liz in pain/exposed to all this piqued my interest. It sort of solidified a thought I had running around in my head that they very likely used Liz's confinement as a way of controlling Max. Basically going "if you don't do xyz then she's the one that's going to suffer for it."

They very most likely used Liz as a ”weapon” against him, quickly figuring out just how much she means to him. Really, only him knowing that she was in captivity (even if they hadn’t even touched her) would have been enough to torture him.

They obviously haven't been turning off Max's powers often (or at least it doesn't sound like it). So how did they manage to have him immobilized before?

The immobilization of Max’s powers will be explained in the future, but no, it probably wasn’t turned off all the time…

And given the strong reactions Max had towards Sean I don't think Sean has been to see him. If he had then I'm pretty sure Max would have tried to kill him already before just out of anger for attempting to rape Liz in the gym and then almost killing her at the meeting. Also, had Sean actually made Max heal him after Liz bit him he wouldn't be trying to play the cocky game that he did in this chapter.

And Sean has been too busy visiting Liz to pay Max any visits. He might be a bit dense (Sean, that is), but he probably understands to not visit Max in this situation (even if he did taunt Liz that he would).

So then the question becomes, if Sean was focused on Liz and breaking her couldn't we say the same for the Sgt?

And I can tell you that the Sergeant probably wasn’t too focused on Max either, but that will be mentioned in the future as well. My lips are sealed

I'm actually pretty surprised that the Sgt took Sean with him into the room to be honest.

Yes, it’s odd that Sarge would bring his son along with him and maybe we’ll never find out why (considering that they are now dead). Or clues will show up in the future. who knows?

I did love the protectiveness of Max though - as well as his attitude in the entire situation. He's basically done taking crap from anyone, he's not going to let anyone even talk badly about Liz without calling them out on it and he's finally becoming more secure in who *he* is. I really hope that this security bleeds over into how he feels about his heritage. They've just suffered incredible pain at the hands of the full-bloods (and possibly some hybrids, we don't know). But the same "alien" heritage has kept them alive (literally) time and time again.

I think Max is in an interesting position right now. On one hand, he is probably grateful that his ”alienness” has contributed to keeping Liz safe while she’s been in captivity. On the other hand, his alienness makes him part of the same society that has treated Liz so badly. But it’s leaning towards Max actually starting to accept his strength and Liz probably has an important role in that. To sound a bit silly, but she might just be ”completing” him. Bringing forth the strength he has to some degree repressed in attempt to be as normal and human as possible (while at the same time refining his abilities to never have to be put in a submissive position - to give him control and security, in a way).

I've noticed that other people refer to their heritage as "Antarian" and Max refers to it as "alien" even in his thoughts. It makes sense when other people refer to it with humans (ie Liz) as "alien" because they're using terminology that is understandable to her. But Max so disliked his heritage he doesn't even call that part of himself "Antarian." I hope Liz (and the bond) can help him overcome that. There's probably good things about their culture that Liz *would* like but she's only seen the bad and in Max's eyes there hasn't been any good.

Your reflection on Max’s labeling of his race is an interesting one. Yes, he usually refers to them as aliens. Mostly towards Liz (because she - at least in the beginning - wouldn’t have any reference to the word ”Antarian”), but also silently in his head. This is connected to the fact that he sees himself as very alien, in the adjective definition of the word (unfamiliar and disturbing or distasteful), and especially views his community in the same way. He hasn’t learnt to associate himself with being an Antarian yet. Because he doesn’t have any historical connection to the people he came from. Maybe, if he would let himself know more about the good parts of his background, he might learn to become proud of being an Antarian.

And like you said; it’s very difficult for Liz to get even an inkling of good impression of the Antarians considering Max’s disgust for them and that it’s his mind that she can see into. Plus, she’s just been tortured by them. On the contrary, Liz does have one very good impression of what goodness aliens are also capable of. She sees it in Max, but also in Isabel, Alex and Philip. Maybe someday the sum of all of these will give her a brighter view of the aliens and remove that urge in her to want to run away and escape that society. Because, as we discussed at an earlier point, Liz is not very likely to want to be part of an alien society (even if it’s with Max instead of Sean) as long as the alien society is ruled the way it is (and has been) now.

But maybe that is to change…

Oh - the part where Liz calls Philip? One of my (many) favorite parts of the chapter! (Along with Max provoking the Sgt, Sean, teasing Liz after he's hurt, etc. etc.) The fact that her first thought was to call him goes to show just how much she trusts him. She could have called Alex and asked him to send help. But she knew who could help and didn't hesitate to call him. Then again she's done that (to some degree or other) two other times when Max was hurt.

Even if Liz wouldn’t trust Philip (which she does, even if she might not be realizing it herself yet), she’s not dumb. She knows that he’s the only one that could save Max right then. Calling someone else would just delay Max’s healing and increase the risk of him dying. So, just like all the other times she’s reached out for Philip, the main incentive is to protect and save Max. It’s all for Max.

I seem to remember somewhere there was mentioned Liz being scared of monsters with large claws, etc. under her bed. I had wondered if that was part of the alien's real form. If she saw something with her mom when she was a girl and that her subconscious never forgot it (or at least all of it). Can you imagine seeing the monsters you thought were under your bed as a child? Or something that was worse then what you remembered but eerily similar? That would cause you to be terrified any time you were around a full blood for awhile. Some things you just can't un-see.

There’s the ”possibility” that Liz has a lot of repressed memories from her childhood. Maybe she’s seen things that the aliens didn’t know she saw, so rather than them erasing them, she has repressed them. As we’ve noticed, Liz’s experiences have a strong ability to bleed into her dreams… Are they some kind of premonitions? Are they some kind of communication from the bond? Or are they just her fears realized? Hmmm

I really don't know how they're going to be separated now. How do you deal with Max refusing to leave her (or her him) when they both still live with their parents and her father knows nothing (including where his daughter has really been for almost two weeks)? And I doubt Liz will go home as soon as they walk out of there. See? You've still got so much left to explore I'm all giddy! *laughs*

I can tell you right now that M/L won’t go home after their rescue. That just wouldn’t be safe. The ”bad” aliens would be able to find them waaaay too easily. Plus, there would be too many questions about Max and Liz’s conditions - considering that they are both rather emaciated right now.

Liz obviously puts Max above everything. Even if this wasn't clear before (you'd have to be incredibly stupid as you read to not know that) it's obvious given that she wasn't passing out upon seeing all the blood and dealt with Antarians in their true form while trying to save Max. How much they deserve each other!

Liz has a real problem with blood. She has repeatedly shown her aversion to blood throughout the story. So for her to press her hands against Max’s wound, feeling the sticky and warm feeling of blood against her palm and his blood spilling out on the floor, she obviously is finding some strength inside of her to not pass out. Especially considering that she’s already horribly weakened and considering that she almost passed out when trying to find a phone (maybe the ”wave” that went through her and killed Sean and Sarge stole some energy from her). Safe to say; the only thing keeping her conscious is the need to safe Max. So yes, her love for him is very strong. Even without the connection (you hear that, Max?)

It's interesting how many clues you leave for future chapters when you're not exactly sure what happens in all the future chapters, don't you think? I personally think it's that spark of genius you have inside you.

It is actually quite interesting how many clues I leave for these future chapters that I don’t even know about myself. I’ve wondered about this myself. Maybe it’s one of my unconscious superpowers? Maybe I already have the whole story in my mind, even if I haven’t thought it out yet. Because I’m surprised myself, repeatedly, that my own clues lead up to actual facts in future chapters. Spoooooky.

I know you've said you'll include Diane's story at some point.

Diane’s story is coming up in ch. 72 Until then; Diane understands Liz’s situation quite well.

You sneaky girl!

I was so hoping that Jeff knew or would be told. I mentioned it repeatedly. And you never broke down! Ha!

I’m kinda proud of myself for being so resilient and not telling you about Jeff More information on Jeff’s involvement is coming up (I seem to be saying this about a lot of things, but hey - it’s true ). But I can tell you that Mr. E probably had some involvement in making Jeff look a bit better and maybe even Alex had something to do with it considering that Alex’s power in a way enables him to heal people emotionally. But obviously, not in the quick-fix kind of way that Philip and Max can with physical ailments.

So Max and Liz were kept at the Institute. Interesting.

Well, Max and Liz were rescued from the Institute. Liz was moved just before that (in a car) so she was probably being held somewhere else. But most likely, Max has been at the Institute this whole time. We don’t really know how many people are employed at the Institute and/or how many would be involved with Max’s ”case”. And maybe such a delicate case like the Max and Liz bond would not be handled by your typical Institute people.

It must have been really bad if Max didn't tell her but if he also became "quite violent" when the people he knew tried to keep him from Liz. Which is interesting in and of itself. After all, he knew that these people got them out and/or are the ones looking after them. Yet he still wasn't afraid of becoming aggressive when it came to watching over and protecting Liz. So whatever happened he feels like he needs to watch her constantly. (It just reinforced him worrying over her constantly like we read in 46 when he was making Liz pancakes.) Hmm...

About Max’s violent reaction to being separated from Liz: Remember that he had just been reunited with her after not knowing really what was happening to her and he had just promised her that he would never let her go again. And then they (doesn’t matter who ”they” are in this situation, according to Max) actually pull Max and Liz apart.

And Alex and Isabel being there makes me wonder just where "there" is. So where is "there" now and how did they (whoever "they" are) manage to get Max and Liz out of The Institute? Obviously it was a matter of life and death at that point but where did they go and how did they get there?

Their current location is to be revealed, but first a couple of chapters into the future. But it’s somewhere they can remain for awhile. To hide and recuperate.

And Sarah? Will she make an appearance soon? Because it seems like she would at some point. But then maybe not. Maybe she died a long time ago, maybe being married to the military means she's less likely to be a part of the rebellion.

Sarah? Hm. Maybe I’ll tie that loose string up someday ;-p

Speaking of the military Liz killed the Sgt and Sean in the previous chapter. So does that mean the Guerins are now considered second in command? Mr. Guerin was sitting on the other side of Sgt. Carter at the council. Even if he's not high in the US military (and we don't know if he is or isn't) he could now be considered the highest in the military and Command's second. Which would be awkward for Max/Michael. I don't think Max plans on sharing Liz with Michael any more than he planned on sharing Liz with Sean.

Maybe Guerin would have been second in command, but their main task are to protect (Michael to protect Max for instance) so then maybe not. There’s also the mayor. And the unfamiliar man. But maybe it won’t matter anymore, considering that the rebellion is (hopefully) breaking ground, and hierarchies and roles are being broken up.

I'm glad that he's able to be there for Liz though. And that he obviously realizes she's bonded with Max. The fact that he seems to support it makes it even easier. Though it'll be interesting to see how Max reacts to all of that. Liz (and her family/friends) has always represented freedom and normalcy for him. For Jeff to accept Max and support a relationship between Max and his daughter... I think that would go a long way to help heal Max's self-loathing (even if he's not aware of that healing right away). And of course to know that Liz can be honest with her father... That has to take a major load off of him. He never wanted her to have to carry his life of secrecy.

Still it would be hard for Jeff to "let Liz go" so early in her life. But better to let her go willingly and happily to Max than be forced into a false relationship and taken from him via Sean.

About Max, Jeff and Liz. Yes, Max and Liz are young and normally Jeff would most likely oppose to ”letting Liz go” at such a young age. But this is not really a normal situation. Jeff will gradually learn that Max and Liz need each other. Especially due to their recent captivity. And his daughter’s happiness and well-being goes before his need to keep her his little girl. Which is too late now anyways. She’s been forced to grow up way too quickly lately. This doesn’t mean that Jeff hasn’t been hesitant. After all, there are hints that Jeff knows of his wife’s history with the aliens and that should make any father scared to death that his daughter will face the same reality. Especially since Max is also alien. How would he know that Max is a good alien and not a bad one? Steven appeared pretty okay to Nancy at first…

But at the moment, Jeff is treading carefully. Because Liz is obviously not mentally fit enough to have a discussion about being ”careful with Max” or ”taking some time apart from Max”. And even to a human, Jeff won’t have troubles seeing the truth in the feelings Max and Liz share for each other.

Obviously Alex has made his decision about who he will stand by. I think he made it a long time ago but to be with Max and Liz now when others must be looking for them, well he's basically going against his own. So that can't be a good ending if they lose. I think he's stronger and more mature than Liz has seen of him. Much like Maria having grown lately. I think a lot of things have been going on behind the scenes that even Max isn't aware of which has made Alex grow up pretty fast.

Alex has always been on Liz’s side. Well, at least since he became her friend. He’s very loyal and he loves her very much (as a friend, of course - no triangle drama here). He wouldn’t be able to support a society that would hurt her repeatedly if he was presented with the possibility of changing the society to the better. He’s stronger than we might know; he also grows quickly (just like Max) because he feels many feelings and develop deep empathic feelings for situations and people in his surroundings.

I'm curious as to how Max got into the dream though. Obviously it was through the connection. But I have been curious before when he went that night to answer Liz's questions. He obviously knew that she had been having nightmares. I just wonder if he had ever seen them before. Obviously it would've been more about the fire, but did he have to focus in order to see her nightmares at that point?

Max has either been watching Liz (as in, being in the vicinity of her room) and noticing her nightmares, felt her feelings of a nightmare, or even shared her nightmares. Of course, all of this could be true, just at different points to their bonding process. Depending on how much of the nightmares he experienced (either through a mere emotional experience or actually falling into the nightmare), he would be acquiring different efforts to ”reach” her. Knowing Max, if he were to start feeling her anxiety (but not knowing what it was about), it might just propel him out of his house (even if it was in the middle of the night) and make his way across town to her house, just to see that she was okay. *shrugs* But that’s just a very hypothetical theory

I'm glad that Max was able to help her in the nightmare. Can you imagine the anger, guilt and just sick to the stomach feeling he would've had? At that point he did not know that it had not happened. And the sad part is Sean was mentally sick enough to do something like that. Although I don't think he would've put himself at risk. So he would have found a way to make sure he was never the one who was shot. Still, just the fact that he put such fear into Liz has to make Max more than a little annoyed that he wasn't able to kill Sean with his own two hands. Of course even if he had he'd still have all the anger he carried to deal with and Liz's brokenness as well. It is going to be a long journey for the two of them. Max is right though, just waking her up wouldn't have fixed it. They're going to have to deal with the root of the problem.

You’re right. Max couldn’t be sure if it was a nightmare originating from a memory or if it was a pure (made-up) nightmare when he entered it. But he knew that he needed to stay calm. If he would freak out too, he would influence Liz’s feelings and make the whole situation worse. She’s not very good with being overwhelmed by his feelings as it is. Sean could have done something like that. Just for dramatic effect. But he probably would have been stopped by his ”superiors”. However, the scene might have been transferred from Sean’s mind to Liz’s as he was in the vicinity of her (since Sean should have been able to push images/memories into Liz’s mind just as the Sergeant had done, but maybe not as efficiently), giving Liz the ”idea” of what Sean wanted to do. She might have not been consciously receiving the scenario, but enough for it to show itself in her dreams later on…

I'm glad that Jeff is secure (and mature) enough to give them some privacy to talk. If he knows everything that's been going on as Isabel claims he does then it would be hard for him to leave Liz unattended.

Jeff would have wanted to stay with Liz, but he’s very close to his daughter and he can see where the source to her comfort and healing lies (through Max). And putting the pieces of his broken daughter back is his first priority, no matter how it’s done. If it’s him that is in charge of the glue or if it’s Max.

I do wonder how much he actually knows though. I can't imagine he would be that calm if he knew *everything* Liz and his wife suffered through. He might be around friendly faces right now but even these friendly faces had a hand in the matter. Dr. Evans would've healed Nancy again and again after the Sgt raped and beat her. Mr. Whitman, as far as we know, never stopped in to stop it. So in some ways they were covering up for the Sgt - even if it was to keep all of their people safe. That has to be a hard pill to swallow for Jeff. How do you merge that with these being the same people who have tried to pull Liz out but only after eleven days of torture? I'd be angry as heck and wanting to rake *all* of them over the coals.

Jeff knows stuff, but he has not really been let in on every single gruesome detail of his wife’s life and certainly not of what’s been going on with Liz. No one - not even Max - fully knows what has happened to Liz during her captivity at this point. And about Mr. Whitman not stopping the Sergeant from abusing Nancy; it all comes back to what Max and the rest have told Liz before. The protector is not to protect the gaea from aliens, but from enemies (which, of course, could be rebellious aliens, but mostly humans). There is no need, according to their system, to protect the gaea from her ”intended”. He is allowed to do what he pleases with her and anyone who might bear witness to it chooses not to see. Mr. Whitman was in no position to stand up against Sarge.

Still, there are some things we don’t really know about Jeff. How is he really coping with all of this? Maybe his defense mechanisms are similar to his daughter’s; to remain strong and resilient, work to save others (almost risking your own life for someone else’s safety) and burying everything nasty inside until it destroys you. So they will have to look out for Jeff - he might be an emotional ticking bomb…

It also makes me wonder about the fire. We still don't know how the aliens knew to set the fire when they did. Someone had to have been told that Liz and Jeff were heading back. That's the only way that Max would've been there. He went there, he specifically said, to make sure that Liz was okay. I imagine his father had something to do with that. It was really the least suspicious way for Max to be able to heal Liz in a way that required deep healing.

About the fire; Max was there when Sean did what he did to Nancy. When he ended her life. So Max was already at the Parkers’ residence. He was still there when it was decided to set the house on fire to hide the true cause of Nancy's death. So maybe he just hadn’t really left the ”crime scene” before Liz and her father arrived. Which is also why Mr. Evans knew where Max was when Liz called him. He quickly put two and two together, considering that he probably knew what had happened at the residence. Or maybe he was about to leave when he had a bad feeling (I’m sure he already had plenty of bad feelings about that fire, but you probably know what I mean…) that something more was about to happen. So he went back, only to see Liz about to get into her room - her burning room.

Someone told the rebellion they were heading home early, the mind reader (most likely) sets fire to the Crashdown then encourages Liz to try and save her mother. Which leads to Max rescuing Liz and healing her, forming their connection. Philip doesn't heal Max all the way to encourage it to grow and strengthen (perhaps not realizing how badly Liz was injured). Or perhaps it was so Max would *have* to heal Liz again to (again) deepen the bond at a faster pace.

And then there’s this theory of yours that someone orchestrated the whole thing so that Max would be there to heal Liz. To create that bond. Maaaybe… But then, as you say, to actually make it click that Liz would decide to get into the house and get hurt… It all seems a bit too advanced, doesn’t it?

This leads me to think the mind reader they have on the rebellion side is quite high up. Maybe one from The Institute? Sarah's husband perhaps? Maybe the same one who helped load Max into the SUV? He obviously couldn't let on that he was any where near the scene either before or after without being questioned as to why he didn't step in to erase Liz's mind after Philip left with Max.

And a mind-reader amongst the rebellion? Hmmm… strong theory there

It sucks that both Liz *and* Max have to suffer because of Sean pretending to be Max. I thought of Liz being jumpy occasionally and Max feeling guilty but there's more to it that I didn't think of at first. Liz obviously has to work through it being "Max" that assaulted her the worst and it being "Max" that she burned. Even if it wasn't him just the fact that she has those images in her mind could be enough to cause nightmares for a long time. Like if, when she started burning him, he turned into the "real" Max.

The whole shapeshifting incident with Sean sure has messed with both Max and Liz’s minds. Let’s just hope that the connection keeps them ”real” when it comes to seeing real from unreal in this case.

Max has a lot of guilt to work through about what happened. It will take a long time for him to start to even consider forgiving himself for what happened to Liz. Which he, like you say, feels is his fault. Maybe he will never truly get over it. I guess, in a way it depends on how well Liz handles it. If she can start to get past what happened, Max can let go off his guilt a bit. But if she keeps having nightmares about it etc. Max won’t let it go…

And if the rebellion is real they aren't much better then the Sgt and company. They want to use Max and Liz just like the other side did. Yes, this way they'd probably get to stay together and (hopefully) a better system would be put into place but they still haven't been honest and want to use them. So it's basically going to be a "lesser of two evils" kind of thing. Which isn't exactly the kind of relationship (or motivation) if there is a rebellion. Especially if they're both traumatized. :-/

There’s, unfortunately, no good or bad side here. The rebellion is probably not the exact opposite to the ”old ways”. The laws and how they’ve ruled the world is not going to change over night, if they were to win the ”war”. They have been doing this for many generations on Earth (and who knows if the system has been about the same on Antar), so it won’t be the ”solution” to everything. Which is why Max is going to be resistant against him and Liz’s involvement. Because he knows that the ways of the rebellion are not the end of everything that is corrupt and bad about the ”old ways”. He’s seen too much bad qualities from aliens during his lifetime to be able to trust that everything is going to work itself out. But… At least the rebellion must be better than Command and company. And that’s worth fighting for.

Quick observation though: if Philip was drained after healing Max and transferring energy to Liz (because she was almost surely very low - dangerously so) why not also have two or three aliens transfer energy to him in addition to resting? Then he wouldn't have still been resting when Isabel talked to Liz after they'd been out of it for three days. But then maybe he's just taking it easy after and getting extra rest. Plus we don't know yet what he's been doing behind the scenes since Max and Liz were rescued. Or what all he was doing during their captivity.

About Philip being drained after healing; He can be supplied energy to heal but to return him energy to recuperate - which essentially is the definition of healing - can only be done by another healer. I.e. Max. Which he just gave his energy to. So other aliens can help out with the healing process, but unless Mr. Evans is healing himself they can’t do anything about his own energy. And it would be too late to heal himself in this case, since all of his energy had already gone to Max and Liz. Now, he could have asked for a supplement of energy already from the start - when healing Liz and Max - but he most likely healed Max on the spot (at the Institute) and maybe it was not possible (or safe) to use anyone else’s energies right then. Does all of that make any sense? Other aliens can use their energy to amplify someone’s power/ability, but - unless they’re a healer - they can’t replenish someone’s energy. Two different things, really

How you manage to answer a couple of questions and raise a ton more is beyond me!

I have no idea how I manage to answer questions and raise new ones. I’m not even aware that I’m doing it. I think you think too much, dear

So Philip obviously has been with the resistance for quite awhile.

Philip’s role in this whole ”spectacle” will reveal itself not too far into the future. I’m writing on that passage of the story right now - trying to string all the clues together. And you’re very smart as to realize that it would be natural for the Whitmans to be a part of a rebellion. They do see a lot, being the protectors of the gaeas. And since their primary gaea (Nancy) was treated the way she was, their opinions about gaeas and their treatment might have just gotten even worse over the last couple of years.

The Guerins being a part make sense in the fact that they're the Evans protectors and there would be a strong relationship there. But on the other hand I've been wondering what finally pushed them to that decision. A relationship with the Evans would encourage it but would it finalize that decision when the Guerin family is obviously so high up in the military? Being a traitor is a big thing, especially given their rank in society.

The Guerins are a bit more tricky…

And of course I wonder about Michael whenever the Guerins make an appearance or are mentioned. I'm not sure how much he knows but I think he knows a lot more than Max has known up until this point.

Michael’s role in this whole thing is also brought up again (of course), but he’s not as clear-cut as, for instance, Alex. Michael and Max has never been very close. It’s been more of a ”working relationship” and it shows even during this whole rebellion. Your theory about Michael working behind the scenes, even to the point that Max is not aware, is an interesting one… Hmmm…

The name Dresden is a red flag. You don't just throw out random bits of information for no reason.

I don’t just throw information in there just for fun Dresden is important. Dresden has been involved from the start. At least with monitoring Jeffrey’s involvement in the whole thing. Now, is he a ”good” guy or a ”bad” one?

The phrase "rupture of a society" seems key. Usually for something to rupture there's a lot of pressure below ground or behind the scenes. So it's something that's been building for awhile.

The society has in a manner started to ”rupture”. Just imagine, with the aliens having infiltrated most levels of society and are spread out in different organizations/governmental positions, if some of them (maybe even a majority of them) suddenly switched sides. They would be able to affect things from the inside if they were working for the rebellion. Jeopardizing everything. Changing the whole structure that the ”old” aliens have built up. In a way, making everything collapse. But sometimes, you have to break something/remove it, to be able to rebuild it - from scratch.

It's interesting that Alex can't read Liz any more. She's obviously put up a very strong wall. I'm wondering if that's normal. For Antarians I mean. Obviously humans shouldn't be able to do that at all. But if Antarians are able to hide all their emotions or put up that strong of a wall then how do mind wipers ever get their assignments accomplished? I think it's rare someone can do that - regardless of their genetics.

Judging from Alex’s confused reaction to not being able to read Liz; for someone to completely block their ”colors” is probably not an usual occurrence. So this is different from regular aliens. Makes you wonder if Max or Philip can see her colors right now? If her aura is ”gone”… Which would really stress Max out.

Command seems like he wasn't expecting to be able to control Liz and not have access to her mind. Obviously they're different parts but if the bond is strengthened/completed I don't think he'd even be able to do that (control her I mean). It would make a fight a lot more fair and actually give the resistance a chance of over throwing the current structure.

Since the rebellion believes that Liz and Max are their only true solution to this whole thing, and Command explained to Liz that he could make her unconscious by breaking the blood supply (and hence, oxygen) to her brain, there is the big risk that Command can actually kill people (aliens and humans) with a flick of his wrist. Making their hearts stop beating. So it would be good if someone was immune to this. If he couldn’t affect the motor functions of someone. Like Max and Liz. Taking this into account, there is the possibility that this is what the rebellion is hoping for. What they’re hoping will be the final development of Max and Liz’s bond.

Otherwise, there’s the risk that they won’t stand a chance against Command.

Maybe there aren’t very many left on Command’s side. maybe most of them want to join the human lifestyle and leave their alien lives behind them. Maybe the only thing having kept the old society in check is the fear of Command and his ”almighty” powers. So let’s hope that Max and Liz will be left alone after they have helped to remove Command from his ”throne”. Let’s hope that there are others, with better moral compasses, ready to take over and lead fairly after the field has been cleared.

*shrugs innocently* That’s all I’m saying.

It's heartbreaking that Max can't read Liz and can't connect with her. Being connected with her is what got him through a lot of the rough patches (to put it mildly) just as much as it did for her. And any time they told him that they'd hurt *her* if he didn't comply he could (I imagine) go to their bond and *feel* her - calming himself down and allowing him to think a little bit more clearly.

Even if she can't bear to have anyone in her mind right now it's the very thing Max *needs*. He needs to feel her, to be surrounded by her and to be able to heal with her. But given how hard she's been fighting to keep people out it makes sense that she would revert to that once she found out another group wanted in. She would just completely shut down. Even if the group that acts like they want to help her. And Max, loving her so much, will allow her to keep the bond shut down even if it hurts him more and more every day and puts his healing back.

Max really needs Liz. He knows that he can’t push her. He knows that she has a tendency to pull away when things become too much. But, as you say, she’s also trying to protect him. She doesn’t want him to see what she has been exposed to. And she doesn’t yet understand the power of the connection. How it has the power to help her. And how much she actually needs Max too. But in a way, the connection understands that she needs a break. It let her put the walls down, to protect her sanity. Because the connection is no good if one of them loses their mind.

I have a feeling the conversation changed to her when she left though. Or even why Philip even had them go to that meeting if he's part of a rebellion. Though that seems slightly unlikely unless Max walked around to calm down before joining her. Because I don't think that conversation would be a calm one. A very enlightening one, maybe even the first time we see guilt from Philip, but definitely not a calm conversation. I wonder if Max would ever forgive his father for putting Liz through that when he could have stopped it beforehand.

Max might have not had a particularly calm discussion with his father after Liz left, but that doesn’t mean that Max wouldn’t be able to put that to the side to help Liz. Or he actually did take a short walk to calm down before going to Liz. Ooor, he was paying like zilch attention to the meeting after Liz left, only thinking about where she was and why she was taking so long. So many options

I'm glad he didn't let her run away. She's already doing that mentally as well and he can't stop it. But at least he was able to stop her from doing so physically. She needs to be close to him right now. He's the only one who's gone through torture with her (to some extent anyways - if the changes to his body are any indication) and he's the only one who can help her feel safe.

Even if Max and Liz didn’t go through exactly the same torture (probably), they are - like you say - the only two people that have experienced something like that. And their experiences are similar in that they needed each other and their love was used against them. So they would be perfect candidates to help each other to heal. Max knows, from how Liz usually reacts (from having watched her for a long time and been at her check-ups) that she needs to be coaxed back into reality, or else she will easily just drift into her safe place. And he knows that he needs to show her that she’s not the only one damaged and that it was important to try and start build up her self-worth. That someone trusted her (with a razor close to vital blood vessels) and didn’t see her as incapable or weak.

I *loved* this chapter. (Tired of hearing that yet?) It just sort of sucked you in from the get-go.

I will never get tired of hearing that you love my chapters, so please feel free to continue doing that

First off they're obviously somewhere with a lot of rooms if they were moved (in addition to each having separate rooms before). I have a feeling that Liz was technically on Institute grounds when she was being held separately from Max but I don't think they're there now. They technically could be but it seems unlikely.

Max and Liz’s whereabouts will come up in…chapter 76, I believe. There’s really nothing to it, so I could just go ahead and tell you. But I’m not They’re not still at the Institute though. It would be too dangerous to remain there. Plus, it holds bad memories for not only Max and Liz.

The bad aliens obviously know M/L are gone by now. That means the ones closest to them (the parents, the protectors, etc.) would all be on high surveillance. Which leads to the question of how all these people are able to come and go without raising too many eyebrows. (Or even how they were able to just leave their lives and stay wherever "there" is. Either way would single them out as being a potential part of the rebellion.)

Everyone that has allied themselves to the rebellion in some way went underground the second Max and Liz were rescued. Mr. Evans is no longer ”double-agent:ing”, but is instead focusing completely on bringing the bad guys down. All details of this are still being hidden from Liz - and hence also hidden from the reader They all had cover-stories up and ready to go at the time of their ”disappearance”, so it won’t look too odd when they all dropped off the Earth.

I can’t speak for Maria though. She is naturally inquisitive and not easy to fool…

Max knows a lot of this stuff (about starvation and the human body/soups, the connection, the need to fight, etc.) but if he was protective and insistent on Liz having free choice before he's going to be off the charts about it now. She's been damaged and at this point no one can be sure of her recovery. No one knows how damaged she is because she *is* putting up a wall.

Max is not really following his medical training and knowledge of the human/alien body when it comes to Liz. It’s like me, when my pets get sick. I immediately lose all reason and start imagining the worst (cancer, immediate death, etc) instead of the most common explanation that I would naturally (and calmly) come up with if it was one of my patients. It’s just different when it happens to the ones we love. Liz is Max’s blind spot. As well as she makes him see clearer than anyone else. And it’s true; no one really knows what state Liz’s mind is in right now, but one can presume from the way she’s acting around them. Vacant, not paying attention to their discussions, having nightmares, barely eating, spending lots of time alone, locked in bathrooms…

So on that level it makes sense in Philip's eyes for Max to try to force the connection open from his side. If he can get in then the connection can start helping her and they can get an honest assessment of her mental status.

To Mr. Evans the whole thing is still a bit too technical. He doesn’t have the depths of emotions that Max (or Isabel) has. So to him, there’s an easy solution to Liz’s misery. Max should push through her walls and let their connection heal them. Mr. Evans is aware of the power of a connection - even the power of a ”regular” connection - so he’s hopeful to what a connection as the one M/L share can do.

But Max couldn’t force himself through Liz’s walls like that. For one, he’s witnessed how upset she’s become whenever she’s heard of the power of mental abilities - when people’s wills were forced and abused. When memories were removed, when actions were being dictated against someone’s will. Secondly, he knows that forcing through her protective wall would do horrible harm to her right now. It wouldn’t only remind her of how both Sean and Steven tried to force through her walls to break the connection, it would possibly make her lose her trust in him. Make her lose her trust in that he will respect her decisions and her need to be alone. Thirdly, he knows (like you say) that this is her number one defense mechanism. This is how she protects herself. She pulls back and seeks out space to think and recuperate on her own. She’s not used to sharing everything with someone. Especially not someone who is inside your mind the whole time.

So Max is probably the better person at judging how to treat Liz in this situation than his father. But, he can’t let her go too long, as you mentioned. If given the option, she might just decide to drift away from reality completely. Which is why Max is not really ”leaving her alone”. He’s still sticking his nose in her personal space, making her do tasks that she would rather not do. And as will be shown in future chapters, he has specific ways of not allowing her to drift away.

But for whatever reason Philip had them go to the meeting. And that caused more pain than anyone should have to suffer. If he thinks Max will submit to anything now (even if it's the right thing) he's wrong. The only one who can get through to Max is Liz.

It is curious as to why Mr. Evans opted for taking them to the meeting instead of just letting their connection grow so that they could make a surprise attack on the opposition. There’s probably some reason for this…

I hope so

Max is upset with his father for several reasons. Right now, a lot of information is given during meetings that Max is stopping Liz from attending. But Max is certainly there, participating and having opinions. Most likely all in favor of Liz’s safety and well-being - if we know Max right.

I loved the talk Diane had with Liz. It answered a lot of questions while at the same time raises a couple more. *laughs* Tired of hearing *that* yet?

I was not very surprised to hear that Liz’s talk with Diane raised even more questions *laugh* I have no idea how I manage to do that. Which is probably why I’ve written more than 80 chapters for this story, when I never intended for it to be so long. But it kinda just grew underneath my fingers. Gaaaah *cried out in the most gentlest of ways*

So obviously it was a genetic thing with Diane. That makes me wonder just how close a genetic match Liz is. I'm thinking she's probably as close to perfect as they've found. Otherwise there's no way Philip would use that excuse when he went to Hondo. If Max knows Liz was a close match (and I'm pretty sure he would given his involvement of her check-ups) then Philip saying that would only encourage Max to double-bond with Liz because they *would* have a high chance of creating a healer. Also if she wasn't a good match why bother to bring that up? He would know it was a sore spot with Max and that's not a button you want to push when you're trying to make someone bend to your will.

Even if Mr. Evans doesn’t approve of a lot of the old ways of the aliens, he probably agrees with them about keeping the healing line intact. He wouldn’t want his son to be the last one with that ability. It would also be good if the trait could be spread somehow, so the fate of healing didn’t rely on one family - and even one individual. So either Mr. Evans is a lot crueler than we would think and let’s Max and Liz form a connection to help him in his revolution, only to later wish to break them apart so that Max could reproduce with someone that could give him a child with the healing trait. OR, Mr. Evans knows that Liz is perfect for Max. In any way possible. It’s kinda unlikely that such a strong connection wouldn’t be beneficial to Max and Liz in every way, right? And be beneficial to the community. Plus, Mr. Evans has taken Liz’s blood for years. To look for the development of the gaea gene. It would be easy for him to also ”accidentally” look for the gene that is compatible with producing children with the healing gene.

I don’t think Mr. Evans is that cruel, do you? So I’m opting for option number two.

So if Liz is a good match and a gaea and they have a strong bond I'm thinking she won't have as many issues as other people obviously have (as hinted at by Diane). And the connection between the mother and the child helps support another theory I have about all of Nancy's miscarriages.

I figure that alien pregnancies use a lot of the mother's energy. Even more so than a normal pregnancy. Add on to that the fact that Nancy would fight Steven's presence and she might have fought against the presence of his children as well. Liz fought Sean without even trying. So if he had tried to create a child with her it would have likely ended the same way as her mother's pregnancies.

About Nancy’s miscarriages; You’re certainly onto something there when it comes to the energy required to carry a hybrid full-term. *But* there’s also the added factor of Nancy’s mind being in conflict with her body. Her mind was constantly being forced to work against her body - against herself - on the command by Steven. The connection between mind and body is strong and is needed to sustain a balance in the body. Add onto the required energy levels and the fact that Steven was repeatedly pulling energy from her… This could only equal disaster.

And yes, Liz getting pregnant by Sean - successfully pregnant - would probably not happen. Due to the above reasons.

In that way Max being so prepared was just another way of protecting her. Without knowing if a double-bond would work and likely knowing her mother wouldn't carry a hybrid to term (even if not knowing the whole history of how bad it was) he wouldn't have wanted Liz in that position until he knew she'd be able to not miscarry. (And of course there's that whole "still in high school, haven't even really dated and sneaking around an alien society's harsh laws" bit.)

Max wouldn’t jeopardize Liz’s health in any way. Even with his own backward thinking (by not stopping Sean’s attempt at bonding with Liz) he was always trying to protect her. Not force her. Giving her space and freedom. And giving her space and freedom wouldn’t include making her pregnant at the age of 16, while living under the threat of an alien society and recovering from the loss of her mother. He wants everything to be on her terms. Because she’s been subjected to their terms her whole life (even if she’s only known about it for the past couple of weeks).

It's also interesting that Philip would have caused Diane to abort if Max hadn't been a healer. I wonder if that would be just so he could try again or if he would go on to the next "option."

If Max (or Isabel) hadn’t carried the healing gene (it was a 50% success after all), it would have been too dangerous (and completely unnecessary) to let Diane keep the babies, since she would have to be brought into the alien world for no reason at all. With ”useless” children. He would have made she aborted, wiped her memories, and she would have met some other nice man and continued with her very human life. Philip would have moved on to his next possible option, hoping to create a child with the healing trait. We don’t know if Diane was even his first attempt or if he has actually fathered some other children that weren’t ”right”… Horrible thought, huh?

It would be hard to hear that if he wasn't a healer his father would have discarded him. Ignoring everything else (about the beliefs he holds for his society) it's enough to make him hate his heritage... That they could be so cold and callous towards his mother, his sister and himself. He and Liz are a lot alike in this situation. They were both created for "strategy."

Oh, you’re so so right, my friend. Liz and Max were both created for ”strategy”. With the hopes of them carrying specific genes. Liz carrying on the gaea-line and Max the healing-line. And look how perfect they turned out together, those ”manufactured” beings. But somehow, it seems as if it was meant to be. Not just for the purpose of forming an unbreakable bond that will change the whole alien society, but also for the good of Max and Liz and the people around them.

I'm surprised he still thought his father was a good guy after that. It *would* be a hard pill to swallow. It also adds to the hatred he feels towards the society/himself. If he thought he would have to do the same thing one day... No wonder he holds to Liz so desperately. She's his freedom in so many ways - and she's his purity in a lot of ways too, even if she's a fighter.

Max has had a lot of ups and downs with his father. It’s also hard to tell how much of his comments about his father ”being a good man” have been truthful or just part of a facade about the perfect family to the outside. Darker feelings concerning his father has seeped through on occasion. For instance, when Liz brought an injured/beaten Max home to his family on Max’s request and Max reacted to a look Philip gave Liz. He didn’t trust his father there. He was afraid for Liz’s safety. He shouldn’t have felt that if he considered his father ”a good man”. And there’s the repercussions of Philip’s visit to the Hondo house, on the night that Max and Liz double-bond. Max’s dark thoughts did not only spring from that run-in with his father. They were just brought back up to the surface. So there’s most likely a lot of dynamics behind the scene. Not visible to Liz (even though she unconsciously read a lot of it even before she knew the truth about the Evans family).

Seeing Max fight his mother (while that's a sad thing) just goes to show exactly where Max's battle line is drawn. Around Liz.

Yes, Max’s battle line is drawn around Liz. Even when it comes to his own mother. He views Liz as the person that had the least say in all of this and who has been hurt the most; hence she needs protection. Well, then there’s the fact that he loves her more than he’ll ever love anything else, so…

And, lastly, can I just say that Diane being so open and willing to talk to Liz and *be there* for her is just what the doctor ordered. Liz hasn't had anyone to talk to and even if it's awkward or embarrassing at least she knows she has an option now. Especially since she's missing Maria so badly. And of course having Diane show emotion for her... Everyone else is trying to put on a brave face but what Liz needs is someone who gently acknowledges what happened and will just *cry* with her. No apologies, no guilt, just go through the emotions with her.

Ever since this whole thing started, Liz has needed to talk to someone about it. She has been tormented about the fact that she hasn’t been able to discuss what’s been going on with her best friend - Maria. Especially about the sex. Because it’s a big thing for her - with or without the alien flavor to it. So Diane is a good enough substitute. Even if she will never be the ice-cream eating gossiping Maria.

*Phew* That was a lot. And I can't thank you enough for giving me such an insight into your reflections and thoughts upon these last couple of chapters. Thank you so so much!!


Helen (Roswelllostcause)

Liz really needs to let someone in. Holding everything in is slowly eating her alive. I am far from an expert but to me it seems that she may have a case of Post traumatic stress disorder.

Considering what Liz has been through, it's not impossible that she's suffering from an acute form of PTSD Unless she deals with it, it might shift straight into chronic/real PTSD. And we don't want that. That's not easy to heal from.

It was very sweet of Diane to tell Liz her story. That they both not only fell in love with an alien. They also had their first time with an alien. They were both used by the aliens because of something in their genes.

So very true

Thank you so much for the feedback!

P.S. Located Command's location yet?


L-J-L 76

Poor Liz she has to listen to both men argue over her.

Two men that both care very deeply for Liz, but have completely different ways of showing it...

Love the way Diane cares so much about Liz. Love the story Diane told Liz.

Diane is a lovely woman

Hoping Liz will either talk to Max and Diane about what happened.

Yes, because she needs to open up to someone.

Thank you for the feedback!


Natalie36 - Thank you


Eve (begonia9508)

It was really nice to read Diane's point of view about her life, with her falling in love with her husband, who obviously wanted to only have an heir with the right blood to make an healer!

Thank you

Thank you for the feedback!


Chapter 73 in the next post, lovelies.