Not What it Seems (CC, Mature/Adult) Michael and Kyle needed

[KatnotKath]

Under NO circumstances can anyone under the age of 17 read or participate in this RPG. NO if's, and's or buts...

Title: Not What it seems
Rating: Mature/Adult
Couples: CC
Category: AU from after departure
Disclaimer: Roswell and it’s characters in no way belong to me, I’m just playing with them, and an idea which occurred to me and seemed interesting. Serina as shown here came from the imagination of Stormwolfstone, as did Aunt Randa.
Summary:

Over the summer after 'departure', the group slowly began to piece together what really happened over the previous year. Tess hadn't just been mindwarping Alex, she'd been doing it to all of them throughout the year on various instances. The memories she created started to break down after she left however, so the gang found out what really happened.

One of the most surprising revealations which they discovered was that Max never slept with Tess, and hence she couldn't possibly have been pregnant with his child. Another was the fact that FutureMax was a mindwarp too.

This was a lot to deal with, and eventually Liz decided that she needed some time alone, going to stay with her Aunt Randa in Florida for a few weeks before the beginning of the new school year, hoping to be able to sort things out in her head. While she was away however, further memories of what happened began to surface, memories of her and Max, together that night at the observatory... Turned out that Tess didn't create a false memory as much as manipulate the real one...

Liz and Max slept together, and, as Liz discovered soon after this mindwarp finally broke - that wasn't the only thing... She was pregnant...

At the same time there's a new girl in Roswell. She goes by the name of Serina - does she have something to do with the group, is she connected to Tess Kivar or Antar in some way.

When Liz comes back to Roswell, what will happen, how will Max and their parents take the news? Will Tess come back?

What happens next?

Authors Note: This rp has already been started on a different board previously. I'll be pasting a number of joint posts onto the thread before we're ready to start. These will be from things which have already been written by those who contributed to this rp previously, but which are necessary to get us to the stage where new posts will start because those who have been in this before don't want to restart completely, yet some of the stuff that's been covered needs to be known about. Anyone who has not seen this before would be well advised to read through the posts which will be put up soon, although of course it’s not compulsory.

New posts will be starting with Liz arriving back in Roswell, and after that what happens is obviously going to be influenced by those writing.


Cast List

Isabel - Storm
Michael
Maria - Madroswellfan
Liz - KatnotKath
Max - Isabelle
Kyle

Original Characters

Serina - Storm
Aunt Randa - Storm

Sheriff Valenti, and any parents can be played as NPCs unless anyone particularly wants to take them.

If you want to bring in another original character PM me with a bio or some information about the character and I'll see what I can do.

Rules

1) I'm asking for sample posts for any of the currently open characters. Those that aren't auditioning have already been in this rp, so please don't think that I'm playing favourites because I'm not. It's open auditions for a week so you can apply for any open character at the moment.
2) No short posts - anyone who knows me is aware I like longer posts (preferably two paragraphs or longer). This gives other people more to respond to in their own posts and I've always found tends to make for a much more enjoyable time.
3) If you're going to be away for a while please tell me then we can either temp a character, or try and make it so that others can continue posting without you. If you don't post for ages with no explanation, I will recast you because it's not fair on others. And if you decide you're not interested, again, please tell me.

Oh, and I know the posts which have been written previously and I'm putting up here are second person, but this is going to be first person for writing as usual other than in JPs.

[KatnotKath]

Here's the first of the posts which have already been written. I'll post more as the week goes on.

**JP set about two weeks before the end of the summer between Liz and Max**

Max was glad that Liz agreed to let him drive her to the train station today. There’s been so much weird stuff going on, it was hard for him to know what to believe, what was real. But he knew he loved Liz and always would. That is the most real thing he knew.

She’d pretty quiet on the ride, and Max understood that. He tried to imagine how hard it must have been for her to deal with ‘FutureMax’ all this time, and then to find out it was all a trick. Just like Tess making him think he slept with her just so she could get Isabel and Michael and him to go back to Antar to their deaths. He should have killed her, himself, he thought. He would have if he’d known that she definitely wasn’t carrying his baby. Just another mindwarp.

His fingers tightened on the steering wheel as the thought crossed his mind, but it’s too late. Liz seemed to notice Max’s tension and she looked over. Max forced himself to relax his grip. He wanted to enjoy what time he had left with Liz and to make this a pleasant ‘good-bye.’

“I’m going to miss, you, Liz.”

Liz nodded understanding the way he felt. She'd miss him too...and if she thought there was another way to deal with this, she'd never leave, but right now she knew that she needed to get her head together, and staying in Roswell she wasn't going to be able to do that...she needed to get away from everyone, to be able to think about what they'd found out without Max and the others around...

That day when it had become clear to all of them that Max had never slept with Tess...that the baby, if it even existed, couldn't have been his...that day had been one of the best in a long time... That was only the start of it all though...after Tess had left, so many memories had started to break down, so many instances of her having deceived them had been revealed... They'd been dealing with them though...dealing as a group...until the last mindwarp that had broken the week before... FutureMax...her encounter with him had all been fixed by Tess...he wasn't real...he was a trick designed to rid Tess of her competition for Max once and for all... And what was the worst thing...that Liz knew she had fallen for it, hook, line and sinker... Tess knew me well...she knew that I'd never put my happiness in front of my friend's safety...she played me... That one night had done so much, affected her relationship with Max so much...finding out that it wasn't real...that it never happened...it had just sent her into a loop and she knew that she had to get away.

As Max said that he was going to miss her, she looked over. "I know, I'll miss you too..." She told him, the words getting stuck in her throat as she tried to continue. "...I need to get away though, I'm sorry, I need to think about things..."

Max nodded. “I understand. Believe me, I do. It’s been … unbelievable. You’ve been through so much. Ever since she came…” Max trailed off. It was hard to even say Tess’ name anymore. Every single memory since she arrived now seemed to have a taint, a suspicion that it might not be real.

He’d been suspicious of Tess and Nacedo from the start. But that summer, after they had helped rescue him from Eagle Rock, he’d accepted him. Trying to forget what he knew of how Nacedo had killed so many people. Trying to forget that Nacedo was the reason he’d been captured in the first place. If he’d been less willing to let them in, maybe Alex would still be alive.

The memory of the night he thought he’d slept with Tess was an especially hard one. He’d been
been so angry with himself over what he’d thought had happened. How he’d betrayed Liz, or thought he had. And it never occurred to him that it might have been a mind-warp. He’d really believed that Tess had become an ally. How could he have been so blind?

“I’m so sorry,” he managed to say at last.

Liz shook her head. "It's not your fault...none of this is our fault Max..." She insisted. Too many times over the last couple of months they had blamed themselves and in truth, there was only one person to blame...the person who did all of it, the person that killed Alex...Tess... She looked down at her hands, fiddling with her fingers as she tried to work out what to say next. It wasn't that she needed time to think about how she felt...that she already knew...she'd known it for nearly two years and nothing would change it... I love Max... It wasn't that simple though...the things that had happened...or maybe that should be hadn't happened...they had affected both of them severely, the pain she had gone through in order to prevent 'FutureMax's future becoming reality once more. I let Max believe that I slept with Kyle...I let him believe I lost my virginity... Nothing would change what they had been through, what she had done, they would just have to work thought it, but right now she needed time...she needed a chance to work through some of it herself, to deal with what she had done... She looked over at Max once more. "We had no way of knowing what she was like Max....none of us did..." She told him softly, reaching out a hand to touch his briefly.

Max nodded, grimly, although he didn’t believe her. It was his fault. He was the leader. He should have seen what she was. What they both were. Because he didn’t, they’d all been hurt. And Alex had paid with his life.

Max saw that they had arrived at the station. He pulled over to the curb and stopped the jeep. Before getting out, he turned to Liz. "Just be safe, okay? I don't expect you to be in any danger but, ... I just worry." He gave her a sideways grin, trying to apologise for his warning, but he couldn't help feeling protective about Liz.

Liz smiled softly as she heard his warning. "Well the same goes for you...be careful Max...all of you..." Her hand reached over to touch his again. "I'll be back in time for school starting, that I can promise..." She paused a moment. "...I just need a little time...I need to be able to think about what's happened somewhere other than Roswell..." She looked at him again. "If anything happens though, you know where I am...don't keep me in the dark about it please..." She reached over and her lips brushed against his cheek.

Max reached up and put his hand on the side of her face, his thumb moved gently up and down over her cheek. They'd been through so much. It was hard to tell what was real, where things really stood, but there was one more thing he had to make sure she heard, before she left. "I love you, Liz."

Liz nodded, trying to hold back the flood of tears which were threatening. "I love you too...that's never changed..." She responded, almost in a whisper. "That's why I promise to come back...to come back to you if you want me..." She sniffed a little and her hand flew up to her mouth as she tried to stifle a little sob.

Max shook his head. “I could never want anyone but you, Liz. I’ll be thinking of you every moment you’re away.” He leaned forward and kissed on the forehead, then wiped his thumbs over the corner of her eyes, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Then he leaned in close and kissed her full on the lips. She pressed forward and he deepened the kiss.

Liz closed her eyes, allowing herself to get lost in Max’s arms for a few moments. She didn’t want to go really…there was no denying that…but she also knew that she needed to…if they were going to move past everything that had happened…she needed some time to spend alone… She stayed where she was for a moment, savouring the feeling of his lips pressing against hers, then slowly pulled away, trying again not to cry. She couldn’t help noticing the clock which hung from the ceiling of the station and she knew that they didn’t have much time left. “I have to go…”

It seemed to take superhuman strength, but Max stopped and pulled away. It would be more than two weeks before he saw Liz again. He wasn’t at all sure how he would be able to bear it. He looked at her in silence. There were no words to adequately express what he was feeling. He’d said it all before, as best he could and nothing was going to change anything. Not that he wanted to change her mind. He knew she was right. This was something that would help her. Maybe he needed it, too, to really sort out everything that happened.

But knowing that didn’t make it one bit easier.

With an effort, he forced the corners of his lips up just a fraction of an inch. Once again, he pushed her hair back, savouring its smooth silky softness. Once more, he stared into her bottomless brown eyes. “I’ll be thinking of you every minute you’re away,” he told her. Just like he’d been thinking of her every minute she was there in Roswell, too, he thought. “You are my dream-girl.”

Liz nodded but didn't trust herself to say anything more...knowing that if she did she would break down in tears, and not wanting Max to see that. She slowly stepped out of his arms, her heart almost breaking as her fingers slipped from his. She picked up her bag and started to walk towards the platform where she knew the train would already be waiting. After a moment though, she turned back, running back to his arms and pressing her lips against his one more time. "I love you Max Evans..." She whispered before tearing herself away finally. Her hand lingered on his for a moment then, as she heard the tannoy announce that her train was about to leave, she looked back at him. "I'll see you when I get back..." She told him, the words getting stuck in her throat before forcing herself to turn and hurry towards the waiting train.

Once she was sat inside one of the carriages, Liz leaned over, straining to get one last glimpse of the platform, and the person she knew would still be waiting there, as the train moved out of the station. Leaving like this hurt her as much as him…it was something that her parents had wanted her to do for some time…they knew that she and Max had been going through a bad patch and were determined that she’d be better off away from Roswell for a while. Liz had resisted their pleas though, turned down their suggestions until she knew there was no other way. If she was going to rebuild her life, she needed to take some time for herself…

An elderly woman sat opposite looked at her, clearly concerned. “Are you alright sweetheart…?” She asked, taking in the tear streaked cheeks of the teenage girl sat opposite.

Liz nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to stop the tears which were by now flowing freely. “I-I’m fine…” She sobbed.

“You don’t look like it…boyfriend trouble is it…?” The woman guessed.

Liz swallowed, trying to get her emotions under control again. “Not exactly…” She whispered.

The woman in front of her didn’t look convinced and nodded knowingly. “I’m sure he’ll come round petal…and if not, well you’re better off without him…”

The tears which had been flowing, and the great efforts she’d made to keep her emotions under control over the last week were catching up with her and she fell back into her seat exhausted and unable to protest further. Looking out the window, she saw the scenery passing by quickly as she moved further and further from Roswell. I’ll be back Max…I promise…

“I love you, too, Liz Parker,” Max whispered as the train noisily pulled away from the station. He stood there without moving, watching it disappear, knowing that his heart was going with it.

A half hour later, he was still there, staring at the tracks. Although two other trains had come and gone, he could only see the one carrying Liz away from him. Finally, he tore himself away and climbed back into the jeep to start his lonely wait.

[madroswellfan]

Oooh this looks good....can I take Maria? Ill send you a sample later today

[KatnotKath]

madroswellfan - you got her great sample post.

Kyle and Michael are still open if anyone's interested. For now here's another of the jps though.

**JP between Liz and her Aunt Randa, Florida... a week after she left Roswell**

Randa walked down the hallway toward's the room her niece often stayed in whenever she visited. Her bathing suit was already in place, towels ready, but she had to see if her niece was up to it. Knocking on her door she called out, "Liz, are you awake?" She wasn't too loud just in case, but she was loud enough that if the younger girl was awake, she'd respond.

Inside the bedroom, Liz was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. She'd been awake most of the night, thinking as usual... Hearing her aunt call, for one moment she considered not responding, pretending to be asleep and hoping that she'd just go away... She couldn't help it, it had been over a week since she arrived, and still she didn't really want to talk to anyone. The little voice in the back of her mind insisted that she couldn't do that though...spending some time alone was one thing, but spending the whole day cooped up in her room was going to do little good. Sighing, she sat up a little in bed and called back. "Yeah, I'm up...you can come in if you want..."

Randa slowly made her way in, not closing the door behind her as she smiled at her niece, "I was wondering if you would like to go to the beach for a while? Get some sun and enjoyment out of this visit since I've been busy at times." She didn't like the idea of her niece being stuck inside, though she also wasn't going to force her to go.

Liz didn't look particularly enthusiastic about this idea. "I'm not sure, I'm not that bothered about going out..." She responded, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Randa giggled, "Alright, well I can see that you are obviously in dream world again. If you ever want to talk, you know where I am..." She smiled and started to head out, she'd promised Liz when she arrived she wasn't going to push her into anything, and she was aiming to keep that promise no matter how hard it was.

Liz sighed. She knew that she hadn't been the easiest guest for Randa this last week... Usually she'd have been delighted to have the chance to go to the beach...it wasn't like it was something that she got to back in Roswell... This visit though, her mind just seemed to be constantly replaying what had happened the last year...even when she dreamt, it was of Alex, or a certain blond alien who she wanted more than anything to forget all about... '

Of course I can't forget about her though...nothing could make me forget what she did...' In the way which she often did, Liz found herself thinking about Alex...the person who had paid the ultimate price for them having trusted Tess... Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, and unable to hold them back, Liz's head dropped backdown and she turned on the bed, trying to muffle her cries with the pillow.

Randa had remained outside of Liz's room, knowing that her niece barely reached out to her family anymore and wanting to be there for her. She sighed as she reached to pull the door completely shut, stopping when she thought she heard Liz crying. She decided to stand there a bit longer, and tried to determine if she should go back in and check on her.

Sometimes, she wondered whether she was indulging Liz too much by not trying to get her to talk, but she also remembered what it was like dealing with people always wanting you to open up. After a few minutes she walked back down the hall and down the stairs toward the kitchen, deciding that she would bake something. She wasn't going to leave Liz in the house alone.

It seemed like hours that Liz lay there. The flow of tears just seemed never ending... 'How do I do this...?' She wondered to herself as the tears finally seemed to dry up. She knew that her aunt wanted to help, but right at that moment in time she didn't feel able to talk about it... 'It's not as though I can tell her the truth anyway is it...?' For a few minutes, not for the first time,
she wondered if she had been wrong in thinking she was best to get away.

It wasn't like anyone other than her friends back in Roswell could understand fully... She shook her head though, knowing in her heart this wasn't the case. 'I just needed to get away from Roswell so much...' Realizing how dry her mouth felt, Liz slowly sat up and pulled on some clothes, not really worrying about what she looked like. Once she was ready, she went over and opened her door before walking through to the kitchen to get a drink.

Randa was silent as she heard Liz come into the kitchen, she was working to take out the last batch of cookies and had dinner already set to go in the oven. When she turned to Liz, she had a smile on her face, even though her eyes showed her concern. "Are you hungry, Liz?" She asked, respecting Liz by trying not to pry. She'd been informed by her folks that her friend Alex had died and other than that she didn't know anything about her life in Roswell.

Liz shook her head. "No...I'm ok thanks...I was just wanting to get a drink of water..." She explained softly. She knew that her flushed cheeks and red eyes would betray the fact that she had been crying and was a little nervous about whether or not her aunt would want ask her about it. She went over to the cupboard, pulling down a glass and pouring herself a glass of water from the jug which Randa always kept in the fridge.

Randa saw the evidence that Liz had indeed been crying and commented softly, "You know, I try hard not to act like your mother or father. I'm not going to try and tell you what you should do, or have to do. But, from time to time, I might give suggestions or make comments. This is one of those times I would like to do that." She paused, placing the meal in the oven since it would take an hour to get done. Once that was set, she turned back towards Liz and motioned toward the living room, "Would you join me for a little while?"

Liz sighed, Realizing that she wasn't going to be able to avoid this any longer and nodded. "Ok..." She agreed, walking through and sitting down.

Randa followed with a can of soda and sat down across from Liz, "I don't know what's going on, Liz. I'm not going to ask. However, one thing I have learned is that keeping in your emotions, drawing away from other's is more harming then you realize. You need to take care of certain aspects of who you are, Liz. Before you lose yourself completely to things you can't control." She started as she looked at her. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but next time you end up in tears, I have a great shoulder to offer you and a listening ear if you ever want it." She paused, giving Liz the chance to respond before she would continue further.

Liz shrugged. To be honest she wasn't really sure what to say... She took a deep breath, taking a sip of her water and looked back at her aunt. She knew that Randa was right...she had been pulling away from everything...she supposed that was one of the reasons she had finally agreed to getting out of Roswell for a while... "I just had a bad year..." She responded finally without giving any details.

Randa nodded, not pushing for more. Instead she continued softly, "Well, that's one thing you are here for sweetie, to get away from things that happened there and have some temporary freedom. I know it's not easy to forget bad things from the past, but there are always things that can help brighten the present. You also need to eat something eventually today." She smiled as she stood and moved

over to kneel beside Liz, "You know, your parent's are tight lipped lately, or clueless. They won't even answer things that I consider to be idle girl talk. Like, I've asked them if you were involved with anyone or how your friends were doing." She paused, "I tell you now, Liz. If you ever simply want to chat about things that most would think was idle and not important even... I'm here. And nothing will get back to your parents, since they can't share with me." She grinned. She was truly tired of Liz's parent's basically keeping her in the dark, it didn't help her find things that might help Liz have common ground with her.

Liz didn't answer. She knew that her parents wouldn't want to talk about her being involved with Max...after all they had decided that he was a bad influence and had been doing their best to make them split up. 'That's not going to happen though...' She told herself. 'He loves me, and I love him...and that's what matters...' At her aunts mention of talking about unimportant things, she almost

like laughing. Idle girl talk wasn't exactly something she'd had a lot of over the last few years. Maria was still there of course and she was, and would always be, a brilliant friend, but since the shooting, their lives had changed...no one could deny that, because it was the truth... "I'm sorry Randa...I know I'm haven't been the easiest guest for you..." She murmured softly.

Randa smiled and lifted a hand to smooth Liz's hair back, "Hey, don't get all down on me. You've been fine. You aren't just a guest here you know. You are family. And as such you have certain rights." She embraced her niece as she continued, "Your secrets are yours to keep, if you want to share it's your decision. I'm sure other's want you to talk about everything and anything under the sun, but I am and will always be the odd ball out in our family. But, I will say this.. there are some very nice looking guy's around here." She was trying to loosen things up.. and yeah, maybe she was fishing for some small detail so she would know where her niece's mind was half the time... but she was also thinking how nice it would be to see those men herself.

Liz couldn't help laughing a little at her aunt's comments. "I'm fine thanks...but if you want to go feel free, I don't want you to feel I need to be watched every minute..." She told Randa. There was no question of her even thinking about any other guys...Max Evans was 'the one' for her...whatever happened, at least she knew that much...

Randa chuckled, "Trust me, Liz. I know you don't need a babysitter. I just think that I've lost my touch lately with men.." she rolled her eyes. "Not getting any younger and luckily I've managed to stay somewhat thin.. but half these men lately.. no brains." She shook her head, "Any men around my age back in Roswell that might be single and looking?" She joked.

Making a real effort to put on a cheerful front, Liz pretended to think. "Well there are some...most of them are younger though...and the good ones are taken..." She replied after a moment. A small smile appeared on her face for a moment as she thought about Max.

Randa grinned as she looked at her niece, "Oh, I forgot. I picked something up for you while I was on my way home from the community project I was working on." She stood up and walked over to her purse, opening it she removed a couple of things and walked back over handing them over to Liz, "I figured I would make it easier if you wanted to call anyone back home, both calling cards have over six hours of talk time each."

Liz smiled as she took them. "Thanks...I guess it would be nice to call maybe..." She commented, adding under her breath a single name. "Max..."

Randa vaguely heard her niece say the name Max and smiled, "Ah, so there is a couple thing going on." She commented, though she didn't say much else other then, "If you call him, you'd better tell him that one of these days I'd like to meet him and if he hurts you he'll deal with your cool and protective Aunt." She grinned as she said it, showing that she wasn't trying to be rude or anything.

Liz shifted in her seat a little uncomfortably, she hadn't realized that she had spoken loud enough for Randa to hear. "Um yeah..." She looked down at her hands before adding in a hushed voice. "He wouldn't hurt me...he loves me..."

Randa placed a hand on Liz's shoulder, "By the way, if your parent's give you any hassle's about dating someone that makes you happy, let me know. Cause, I'll give you a word of advice.. never let anyone stop you from following your heart." She walked back over to her purse, "I've got to get changed and head to another community meeting. We've got some land guru trying to take over some more of

the Seminole land and use it to build all sorts of harmful things and well... we have to figure out how to stop it."

Liz nodded, probably not really completely listening. "Ok..." She murmured, once more lost in her thoughts.

Randa shook her head and made her way back upstairs to change. This time she would have to stay out of the picket teams otherwise she might end up having to spend time in jail again and she wasn't going to have that happen with Liz here.

Randa made it back nearly an hour later, knowing the timer would have shut the oven off about twenty minute's before. As soon as she made it inside she dropped her purse by the door and walked into the kitchen. Grabbing a potholder in each hand she opened the oven and removed the homemade lasagne she'd made. Prepping plates and silverware she then went in search of Liz.

Liz was in her bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the bed while writing in a small notebook. She was feeling a little better than she had been doing earlier and being able to write down her feelings was helping a lot.

Randa knocked on the door to Liz's room and called out, "Liz, are you in there? Dinner's ready." She waited for a response and stretched slightly. Bending over the picket signs they'd been making had caused her back to be sore, but she knew that the other's needed help making them, even though she wasn't going to be with them.

As she heard Randa call, Liz quickly closed the book and slid it into the back pocket of her bag. Despite the fact that there was nothing which could be taken as evidence of anything strange having happened, she was too careful to mention the actual events, she was still very careful of her handling of the book. As soon as she got home it would join her journal in its hiding place.

"Ok, I'm coming..." she called. After she was happy the book was safe, she got up and headed over to the door, opening it. Almost immediately, the smell of food hit her, making her want to throw up.

Randa nodded when she heard Liz say she was on her way and went back down below starting to work on dishing out the food. After a short time she called up, "Liz, are you alright?" Her niece hadn't come down yet and normally it didn't take so long.

Liz bolted into the bathroom, hurrying over to the toilet and managing to lean over just before throwing up. She could hear her aunt calling and was about to call back before she felt another wave of nausea wash over her, causing her to throw up again.

When Randa didn't hear a response she set things down and started up the stairs to look in on her niece.
When she reached the top of the stairs, she started toward's Liz's room planning on checking to see if maybe she'd gotten into another tear fest.

Liz tried to get up, hoping that whatever had caused this feeling would have passed, but as she stood realized that it obviously hadn't, finding it necessary to sit back down and feeling like she could be sick again at any moment.

Randa moved to knock on Liz's door when she noticed the bathroom door was open. Walking down the hall to it she looked in to see Liz, "Oh sweetie, what happened?" She asked her, instantly concerned as she noticed she'd gotten sick.

Liz shook her head, not really knowing what to say. "I don't know...I was fine, I was sat in my room when you called, then got up to come down..." She broke off as she felt her stomach churning once more. "I just..."

Randa leaned down to feel her forehead, then looked at her color. "Alright, you stay here." She reached for a cloth and ran warm water over it before squeezing it our and placing it behind her neck. "I'm going to get you something to help settle your stomach."

Liz nodded. "Thanks..." She groaned leaning over the toilet again just before being sick. "Oh..." She groaned, wishing she knew what was going on.

Randa went down to the kitchen and instantly replaced the food in the oven before getting into the cupboard for a package of Saltine cracker's. Taking out a handful she went back up to Liz and kneeled down beside her as she told her, "I know it will seem like the worst idea, but if you can try and get these down, they should help settle your stomach. My mom used to say they were the nausea-cure-all. She used them when she had the flu, carried children, or simply had no other reason, but got nausea due to nerves or something."

Liz looked doubtful about this but the way she was feeling, she was pretty much willing to try anything. "Ok, I'll give them a go..." She told her aunt, taking one and taking a little bite. "Oh...I really don't know what's going on..." She murmured.

Randa nodded, "Well, let's see if this helps first, and if not we'll take you to a doctor okay?" She was concerned but she wasn't going to push Liz into seeing a doctor, especially since Randa hated all but one doctor.

Liz nodded again, nibbling on another of the crackers. She still felt nauseous, but the actual being sick seemed to be passing. She looked at her aunt. "I just don't understand...it's not like I've eaten anything you haven't is it...?" She pondered thoughtfully.

"Not that I recall, but it could simply be a small bug." Randa responded. "Once we're certain that you aren't going to get sick again, I'll make you some soup and we'll see how that settles with the cracker's." She re-wet the cloth and replaced it on her niece's neck.

"Ok...sorry about this..." Liz apologized, feeling rather awkward about it all. She risked moving back a little as she started to feel a bit better.

Randa smiled, "Don't worry about it. Trust me, Liz. I don't hold your getting sick against you. It happens." She smoothed Liz's hair back. Randa hadn't had any children.. well as far as her family knew so she didn't have the chance to be motherly unless Liz was around.

Liz nodded and smiled gratefully at her aunt. "Thanks..." She murmured, leaning her head back against the wall.

[KatnotKath]

Here's another of the jps

**JP set between Liz and Max**

"Max, It's for you," Diane Evans said, taking her seat back at the table. "Liz Parker."

"Thanks Mom," Max said, wiping his mouth and going to answer the phone. A smile spread across his lips and brightened his eyes long before he picked up the receiver. "Hello, Liz. How are you doing?"

As soon as she heard his voice come on the other end, Liz gave a small smile. It felt so good to hear him again... "Hey, do you know how good it is to hear your voice...?" She asked him softly.

Max’s grin grew even broader. “I only know how happy it makes me to hear yours,” he said. He looked around swiftly. Deciding he was too close to his parents, he hurried into the hallway and then up to his room, taking two steps at a time. “I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered as he climbed.

Even though she knew he wouldn't be able to see her, Liz nodded. "I know, I miss you too..." She cradled the phone against her ear and sat back against the pillows on the bed.

“How are you doing? You and your aunt still getting along okay?” Max asked as he made himself comfortable. Her phone calls tended to be short but he meant to enjoy every minute of it.

"Yeah, we're getting on fine..." Her gaze fell on the phone card which was on lying on the bedside table and smiled knowing that she didn't have to cut their conversation short as she had the few times she had called him before on this trip. "Randa's really cool...even when I was throwing up last night..." It didn't seem like an unusual thing to say to Max, they had agreed there would be no more secrets between them and since it had come up, there was no reason to lie.

“You’re sick?” Max asked with concern. He hated the idea that she might be ill and he was too far away to offer any help beyond words. “I’m so sorry. I wish I were there. Did you see a doctor?” He hoped she would tell him that it had passed and there had been no need.

Liz smiled as she heard the concern in his voice. She felt a little guilty, not having been meaning to worry him... "Yes, I seem to be fine again now...we think it was some sort of twenty-four hour bug or something...I just started vomiting violently..." She shuddered remembering how awful she had felt. "I feel a lot better now though, and Randa was great..." Taking in his question about a doctor, she shook her head automatically. "No, she didn't try to get me to go to a doctor, and don't worry, I'll do everything I can to avoid that if she decides I should..." Liz assured him quickly

Max frowned as Liz described her illness. He, himself, had never been sick and he could only guess how miserable she had been feeling and was very happy to hear it had passed. He heard her quick assurances about avoiding a doctor and bit his lip. “Liz…” He said slowly. “I don’t want you to be hurting for no reason. Unless you need a blood test or something, you should be okay…” Even Max’s organs were perfectly normal on the macroscopic level and he’d had plenty of normal exams for starting school and such. Surely something like a stomachache could be treated without microscopic tests.

Liz sighed, she knew what Max was thinking but the fact was you could rarely predict what a doctor would want to do before they did it... "If I need to go I'll see...but last time I went with something like this was before the day at the Crashdown and the doctor did all sorts of tests, including blood tests..." she sighed. "Anyway, I'm fine now, so it was probably just a stomach bug..."

Max nodded. “Well, that’s good. Everything here has been pretty good, too,” he said. Besides Michael’s twice a day “cheer-up” talks, everything had been normal. Just work and family stuff and hanging out at the Crashdown. “Except, there was this strange girl in the Crashdown, today.”

Liz's ears caught the tone of voice he used when mentioning the girl...almost as though he was a little worried... "What girl, Max...what's happened?" She asked him immediately, forgetting all about anything else for the moment.

Max frowned. He really shouldn’t have mentioned it. Shouldn’t have given her something to worry about when she could do nothing about it. But it had just felt so natural to share it with her. To let her know what was going on. “It was probably nothing. It’s just that she was drawing some of the symbols from the book. I think she was from the reservation so she probably just saw them in the cave or something…”

'The cave...' Her mind was racing. "Have you seen her before, what did she look like...?" She frowned, gathering from his tone that maybe he didn't fully believe it was nothing. "Have you talked to her or anything...?"

“Well, no,” Max said. “I tried, but she wouldn’t talk to us.”

"Ok, so if she's from the reservation, maybe Riverdog would know who she is...?" She suggested after a moments thought. "Or at the very least he might have an idea as to whether or not anyone has been in the cave recently..."

“Yeah. Michael is going to talk to him about now. Hopefully we’ll know something soon. I’ll let you know if it turns out to be anything,” Max told her. There didn’t seem to be anything more to say about the strange girl, except to speculate more, and that wouldn’t settle anything. He hoped she was a friend of RiverDog’s, or had been in the cave. The only other likely possibility was that she was associated with the FBI and had seen them in the files. But she seemed a bit too young to have access to that sort of information. Not to mention, if she was really FBI, she’d have been more than happy to talk to Max and try to gain his trust. At least, that’s what Max thought they would try to do, based on Topolsky… “Have you done anything interesting today? The beach, the water park?”

Liz shrugged. "Not really, Randa wanted to go to the beach yesterday, I didn't really feel like it though, and she wanted me to make sure I got some rest today after last night..." Liz responded, pausing a moment before continuing. "...and of course what better way to relax and rest than to have a nice long chat with you..." She smiled, taking pleasure in knowing that there was no need to wrap their conversation up at the moment.

Max’s eyebrows went up at that comment. “A long conversation?” he asked. He noted that they’d already been on the phone for nearly ten minutes. He’d been expecting her to say good-bye at any moment. “You don’t have to go?”

Liz smiled. "No, Randa surprised me yesterday by giving me two phone cards...apparently there's over six hours of calls on each..." She explained, pausing a moment before adding. "I had been going to call yesterday after I got them, but with not being well I had to leave it until today..."

“Wow. That’s great,” Max grinned. “Twelve hours and you’re only going to be gone for another eight days. I like the way that math works.”

"Yeah, I have to say I agree..." I respond laughing softly. "I don't think I've been very good at hiding how much I miss you..."

"Not from me, anyway," Max smiled. Absence made the heart grow fonder, as the old saying goes. But for them it was just time, and the absence of another, Tess. They were getting over the havoc she had thrown into both their lives, and were finding their love again. Although they both missed the other horribly through this needed separation, still, it was a happy process. Max settled back, grinning at the ceiling as he prepared to use as much as Liz’s time as she would allow.

[KatnotKath]

A selection of posts set between the group at Michael's house. Some posts have been ommitted but hopefully it will still make sense...

*MAX*

Max watched Isabel and Kyle chatting easily together and he frowned. Not because he was bothered by the two of them, but just because he wanted the same thing. He knew they were all looking to him to be a leader and it was already starting to isolate him a little at times like this. He wished again that Liz were there. He'd come to really appreciate her prescence when things were uncertain.

Just then, there was a small crash at the door, as though someone had tripped on the landing. The door opened and Maria pushed her way inside. "Hey guys," she said, instantly commanding everyone's attention simply by being Maria. She bounced over and flopped onto the couch next to Kyle before turning her attention to Max.

"So? What are you waiting for? I could have been sleeping for another hour so spill it. What's going on already?"

Max shook his head, hiding a laugh that was right below the surface. "Just waiting on you, Maria. Glad you made it."

Kyle

Kyle's discussion with Isabel was interrupted as there came a noise that sounded almost like someone falling through the door. Michael seemed to stiffen for a moment, going into what appeared to be warrier mode, and the whole group seemed to tense. Any worries were soon abated as the door opened though and Maria stepped inside.

"Hey guys..."

She was as bubbly as ever, Kyle notes, even though he knew she was probably missing Liz as much as Max. He guessed at least she had Michael to help her cope though...he couldn't help noticing that Max looked a little out of it. This must be really difficult for him...

Of all the things that we now know Tess did, although killing Alex and making him carry the body has to be the worst, Kyle knew, what she did to Liz and Max had to come a close second... Making Liz believe that if they were together the rest of them would die... She played them...that must feel so terrible...

And then, she still wasn't content with what she had done...she had to trick Max into believing that he had slept with her...

He shook his head mentally. They all missed Liz, but he ccouldn't say he didn't understand her need to get away from here for a while. He'd be glad when the group is all back together though...

Maria bounced over to the couch and dropd down next to him. The feel of the springs reverberated through his back and he looked at her. "Little more gently maybe...?" He kinda requested even though he knew it was not going to do any good.

Maria gave no indication that she'd even heard him and turned her attention immediately to Max. "So, what are you waiting for? I could have been sleeping for another hour so spill it. What's going on already?"

That is so completely Maria...and I love her so much for it...

Max shook his head and Kyle could see that he was trying not to laugh. "Just waiting on you, Maria. Glad you made it."

While Max is trying to be the big leader, I on the otherhand don't have to be any such thing and don't attempt to smother my laugh. Only Maria could get away with that...

The jovial atmosphere that had settled on the group at that moment was all very well, but in truth Kyle knew as well as the rest of them that it wasn't going to last though and soon attention turned back to business as they all focused their attention on Max, waiting for him to start.

*Max*

Max felt the smile spread across his face as Kyle voiced the laughter that he himself had been hiding. He shook his head and suppressed the smile as he stepped forward and sat on the arm of the chair Michael was using.

"We called everyone together because something's come up and we need you all to know," Max said.

"Not everyone," Kyle commented. "Liz isn't here."

Max nodded, thoughtfully. He'd been fully aware of Liz's absence and he knew the Kyle knew that too, but he understood Kyle's need to mention it. Max opened his mouth to say there was nothing they could do about that, when suddenly, he remembered there was.

"You're right. I should call her. She's got a new phone card and can call us back for a conference." With that, Max walked across the room to pick up Michael's phone and quickly dial Liz's Aunt in Florida. After a few minutes, he frowned. "Hi, this is Max. Could you ask Liz to call me later if she has some time? I'll be at Michael's for a little while, or she can call me later at home." Max then hung up the phone and moved back into his place. "We'll have to fill her in later."

With a little sigh, Max started again. "What we needed to tell you is that Michael and Isabel and I have found another alien." Max paused for just a moment to make sure everyone heard and then explained. "Her name is Serena Morgan and she's from the reservation. She about our age. I saw her doodling some alien symbols in a notebook and Isabel dreamwalked her last night. We haven't talked to her yet, but we're sure she is a hybrid, too."

Michael

Michael listened in relative silence to everything, trying not to get occupied by Maria's presence as he was often finding himself doing. Thinking of mud didn't help as much as it used to, so instead he focused on the task at hand while Max explained the situation. His calling Liz seemed nearly normal, though it did seem strange that when they called a meeting she wasn't actually there.

Of course, with everything that happened, it really didn't surprise Michael that she'd need a break. As Max mentioned Serena he simply nodded and sat down beside Maria even though he was certain that she would distract him in some way. He didn't want her to suddenly get mad at him for seeming distant, she often seemed to do just that and it infuriated him even after all of this time.

He couldn't understand why she couldn't be content with the knowledge that he had stayed for her instead of going to his home planet.

As he glanced around he wondered how Kyle and Maria would respond.

*Max*

"Oh yeah," Maria said, sitting up a little straighter. She's the one you chased out of the Crashdown, isn't she?"

Max flushed a little. He hadn't intended to chase the girl away but that is how it ended up. "Yeah, that's her."

"Well," Maria said then, cocking her head to one side. "As Dorothy Gale asked, is she a good witch or a bad witch?"

Max shook his head. "We don't know yet. That's what we have to figure out. We need to decide how to approach her and -" Max stopped suddenly, giving his sister a hard look. "Isabel. You're drumming your fingers again. Are you okay?"

There was always a chance it was simple nervousness, although that wasn't usually Isabel's habit. Max feared it was far more likely a result of another mind-warp that hadn't yet cleared from Isabel's mind. The habit tended to be stronger as the warp was near to breaking, so maybe she would soon know something that had been hidden from all of them. Isabel looked at Max for a second. "I am?" she turned and looked at her hand, she hadn't even been aware of what she was doing. Quickly, she pulled her hand into her lap, grabbing it with her other hand. "Why now? Why would I be remembering something now, after all this time? What would Tess have wanted me to forget in the first place?"

Kyle

Kyle grinned as Max mentioned calling Liz. He knew that it wouldn’t be like having her there with them, but it was certainly better than nothing and from everything that had been said, it seemed like this was one meeting they should have as a group – the whole group.

It was for this reason therefore, that he was disappointed when it appeared Max had simply gotten a machine and left a message asking Liz to call him back. He shrugged and nodded as Max said she’d have to be filled in later, turning his attention to his friend as he sat back down and began to explain what this was all about.

He had been given a very vague indication the night before as to what the meeting was about, but VERY was the operative word, the whole group having learnt a long time ago that phones were not safe methods by which to discuss anything out of the ordinary…you never knew who was listening…

Nothing he had been thinking though, prepared him for what he was about to hear.

**JP for Max, Isabel, Michael, Maria, Kyle and Liz**

"What we needed to tell you is that Michael and Isabel and I have found another alien." Max paused for just a moment to make sure everyone heard and then explained. "Her name is Serena Morgan and she's from the reservation. She about our age. I saw her doodling some alien symbols in a notebook and Isabel dreamwalked her last night. We haven't talked to her yet, but we're sure she is a hybrid, too."

Another alien… The first thing that Kyle thought of was Tess… Michael, Max and Isabel seemed to be fine, and Max had even saved his life at one point of course, but their record with other aliens was hardly encouraging… Nasedo and Tess had both turned out to be real traitors, he couldn’t help feeling wary of anyone who wasn’t already part of the group and hadn’t proved themselves as yet.

"You both saw her," Isabel informed him. "She was at The Crashdown yesterday. You would have passed her for only a moment Kyle, but I bet you remember her Maria."

Kyle closed his eyes, trying to picture the scene the previous day. He did remember someone, but nothing very specific…there was a girl in the booth, but there was nothing to say she was anything like the others…

As soon as he thought this, Kyle felt like laughing at himself. What did that mean…they didn’t have green skin or something like that… He shook his head mentally. He was getting as bad as Maria used to be… If there was one thing he should have gathered over the last year and a bit, it was that appearances could be deceptive…

No one would have thought that Tess was a scheming, murdering b****…She had manipulated their thoughts and played them for fools, and they had all fallen for it because she looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth – or something like that anyway… No, he had learnt that lesson the hard way, and didn’t intend to be taken in again.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Maria was quicker and as she started, he fell silent, waiting until she had finished until adding his bit.

As it happens, Maria asked exactly the question she had been about to and he looked over to Max, awaiting an answer. The response given was less than satisfactory. They didn’t know…so what were they going to do to find out…?

His attention was torn away from these thoughts as Max mentioned Isabel’s drumming fingers though. He couldn’t believe that he had missed it before. They all knew full well what this usually meant and he doubted that it would be good.

“I am…?”

He noted that Isabel sounded surprised and saw her immediately try to stop. “Why now…? Why would I be remembering something now, after all this time? What would Tess have wanted me to forget in the first place..?”

He shook his head, at as much of a loss as everyone else. It had been a couple of weeks since the mindwarp about FutureMax had broken and he for one had thought that must have been the last. The number of things she had tricked them all about…the number of times she had manipulated them… He knew they found it hard to trust anything that they remembered from being around her, and in truth he had begun to wonder about before…who knew how long she had been around before she actually revealed herself…what she might have been doing… Maybe he was being paranoid, but it was hard not to be given the circumstances…

Reaching over, he closed his hand over Isabel’s squeezing it reassuringly. “I don’t know…but if that is what is happening, we’ll all be here for you when you do remember whatever it is…you don’t have to go through this alone…”

Maybe that sounded soppy, but he got the feeling that Isabel just needed someone, anyone, to give her some reassurance…

*Max*

It was soon clear that Isabel was still affected by at least one of Tess's mindwarps, as Max assumed were the rest of them. Everytime they thought they'd uncovered the last big deception there always seemed to be another.

Kyle offered his support and Max echoed it, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Of course. We'll all get through it together," he said. It was the way they had all managed so far. Helping each of them through as the false memories break and the real ones come back. Max hoped Liz would be okay out in Florida. If she had another break-through, she would be alone.

Even as Max was thinking this, Michael's phone rang. It almost makes him jump. Michael gave out a sigh, annoyed at the interuption while Maria quickly rose to her feet. "I'll get it," she volunteered.

Max looked up, wondering if it could possibly be Liz calling already. He was torn between needing to talk to Liz and needing to support Isabel, but he found himself rising to his feet and watching Maria expectantly, one hand still resting on his sister's arm. "Is it Liz?" he asked, even as Maria said, 'hello.'

Maria nodded quickly and said, "Yeah, he's here," before holding the phone out to Max. He stepped across the small room and took it as Maria confirmed what he was expecting. "It's Liz."

"Liz? I'm here," Max told her. "I'm glad you called."

~Liz~

Sitting on the bed, Liz waited, counting the number of rings on the other end of the phone. It wasn't picked up quite as soon as she might have expected but pretty soon the line was picked up.

"Hello...?"

She smiled as she reognised the voice. Maria...it was good to hear her friend, even just saying something as mudane as hello, she missed the group so much... "H-hello, Maria...it's Liz, is Max there...?" She didn't know why, but for some reason her voice was shaking a little... Perhaps it was a sign of the fact she had been feeling a little off...

"Yeah, he's here..."

Liz heard some shuffling about in the background and a muffled voice saying something that she couldn't make out.

As she heard the next voice that came on the line, she couldn't care less what had been said though, smiling as she heard the familiar warm tone. "Liz I'm here...I'm glad you called..."

She reached up to brush a stray strand of hair away from here eyes as she shifted the phone to her other ear. "Of course I called back...I'm sorry that I didn't catch you when you first rang..." She didn't want to worry him, so didn't mention why she had missed him, instead moving the conversation on. "So, what were you wanting...?" She couldn't imagine that Max had simply phoned because he wanted to talk to her, not only because she had said she would call again later that day, but more due to the fact that he was at Michael's, and from the fact that Maria was there too, she guessed the whole gang would be there...

**JP between the group**

Max nodded as Liz apologized for missing the call, although he knew she couldn’t see it. When she asked what he called about, he hesitated. It had seemed like a good idea to include her, but now he wasn’t so sure what to say.

“Well,” he said after a short pause. “We’re all here to talk about that girl I mentioned to you. The one who was drawing the symbols? I think I told you her name was Serena Morgan. She is from the reservation and is also called ‘Moon Crystal.’” He hesitated for just a moment. “Are you on a land line?”

Liz felt herself stiffen as Max mentioned the name of the girl he had spoken to her about yesterday. It had to be a coincidence, because FutureMax had turned out to be a mindwarp, but still, the name brought back some memories she would rather forget. It didn't matter much that she had been told Serena would be a friend, the thing she remembered was who had told her it. She swallowed nervously, biting her lip and trying to stay calm. "S-serena...?" She shook her head more out of habit than anything. She knew Max and the others wouldn't be able to see her, but it was an automatic reaction. "N-no, you didn't tell me her name..."

The shock of all this almost made her miss his question about what she was calling on but she noted his mention of the others, suggesting they were having a meeting and she couldn't help feeling pleased that he would think to include her even while she was so far away. In response to her boyfriend's question, she then nodded again. "Sorry...yes, I'm on the land line ... Randa's gone out to do a little shopping, she'll probably be back in about an hour or so but we should be ok until then if you need me to be on that long..." She didn't bother explaining the use of the phone cards, knowing that Max already understood and guessing that was the reason for his initial call.

Max could easily hear the distress in Liz’s voice but he didn’t quite understand what caused it. Was it just the girl’s name? Looking up at the others, he saw Maria and Kyle listening carefully. He knew that Serena’s second name was news to them and he was glad to share it with all of them at the same time.

“Good,” Max said regarding the landline, as he puzzled over Liz’s reaction. He was glad she wasn’t on a cell. He knew it would be harder for the authorities to listen in on their conversation over a landline unless there was a physical listening devise on one phone or the other. They couldn’t intercept the signal, nor would it be likely for somebody-else to be cross-connected by accident. He didn’t have any reason to believe their group was currently being monitored but in their situation, it didn’t hurt to be a little paranoid. Frowning, he used a bit of power to be sure there were no new ‘bugs’ on his end and found nothing. Hopefully, Liz’s Aunt’s place would be safe, too, since she was rather disconnected from the group. Still, he decided he would choose his words carefully.

“River Dog claimed she’d never been in the caves so Isabel did a little late-night research for us. It seems that she is Czechoslovakian, too. She seems to know more about ‘home’ than we do although nothing that matches places or people that we know. We’re trying to decide how to approach her.” He paused for a moment, still wondering what had upset Liz. “Do you know her? You seemed to recognize the name…”

Liz noted Max's choice of words and realized that he was being careful - probably just in case anyone was listening in. She had to admit that she had examined the phone, and certain areas of her room at Randa's rather carefully when she had first got there. It might have seemed a silly thing to do, it wasn't as though she thought Randa would watch her or anything like that, but given past experiences, she tended to be of the opinion that it was better to be safe than sorry. She remained silent, while listening to what Max had to say. It didn't take much for her to read between the lines and understand what Max was meaning, but for someone with no inside knowledge, the conversation would probably seem perfectly normal.

As Max asked her if she knew Serena, mentioning her reaction to the name, Liz paused a moment, trying to work out how she could keep up the ploy. "N-no...I don't know her... The name just seems familiar... I...uh, just thought I'd heard the name before...maybe on the night you serenaded me... I guess I was wrong though...funny how the mind can play tricks on you..." She told him carefully, hoping that he would understand what she was meaning. It was the closest approximation she could think of, and despite the fact she had checked the phone, she didn't want to take any more risks than were necessary...

Isabel and Michael both sat up a bit straighter as they heard Max mention Liz’s recognition of the name. They glanced at each other and then at Max, waiting for some clue regarding Liz’s response.

Max frowned at Liz’s awkward explanation. It was clear that there was more involved than she was comfortable saying over the phone. He was glad she was being cautious although it did leave something to be desired in regards to clarity. Her mention of mind-tricks immediately made him think of Tess and the mention of his serenade cinched it. Liz had told him that was the night ‘Future Max’ had first appeared. Obviously she was telling him that Serena had been mentioned in a mind-warp. Did that mean that Tess had known about Serena Morgan? Tess hadn’t brought her into the group. Would that mean she wasn’t a friend of hers, even if she knew about her? Maybe Tess didn’t trust her. That might mean that she could be a friend to them, but he couldn’t jump to that conclusion yet.

Max forced a smile onto his face, allowing his voice to reflect a bit of amusement, as if they were sharing a private joke. “Oh sure. That’s happened to all of us. Like a tune that has you drumming your fingers and you can’t get it out of your head…”

As he said that, Kyle practically shot out of his chair. He stood over Max, breathlessly waiting to find out what was going on. Max held up a hand, suggesting calm as he spoke into the phone. “Uh, Liz. I’m going to put you on speaker-phone, so everyone can hear you, okay?”

Waiting, Liz listened carefully to Max's response, gathering from it that he had understood what he was talking about. She smiled at the realization that she had been successful in getting across the information needed. As Max mentioned putting her on speaker-phone, she frowned, puzzled for just a moment, knowing that Michael's phone had no such capability unless he had changed it since she had left, before realizing that doing something like that would be pretty simple for Max or Isabel and nodding again despite knowing he couldn't see her. "Sure, that's fine..."

Max nodded using his powers to transfer the signal from the phone into the speakers for Michael’s stereo. Max put down the hand set and turned back to the rest of the group. Liz waited a moment, listening for the click on the other end that indicated that he had put down the phone. "Hi guys, missing me...?" She asked in a light voice.

The indication that Liz might know Serena, or the name at least came as a surprise to Kyle to say the least. Max's mention of tapping fingers was enough to get his complete attention though. He stiffened, waiting to hear more but couldn't help smiling a little as Liz's familiar soft voice began to sound in the room. "Hey Liz, good to hear from you..." He told her in an equally soft voice. "You sure do pick the times to go on holiday, you're missing some interesting stuff..."

Liz laughed softly as she listened to what he was saying. "So I hear...It's not fair, everything happens while I'm gone" She commented, adding the last in a gentle, joking tone, mainly just on the off chance that anyone was listening in. How she wished she could be there with them instead of hundreds of miles away though... Coming to Florida had been the right thing for her, but she sure missed her friends and would be looking forward to getting home at the weekend.

Max smiled. “We all miss you like crazy.”

“Especially Max,” Maria added with a wicked grin. Max gave her a mock-glare but didn’t contradict her.

Even without seeing, Liz could well imagine the looks being exchanged by her friends and it brought another smile to her face. "I miss you guys too..." She responded softly, unable to keep from laughing as Maria mentioned Max. "Well, I have to say the same goes both ways..." She shot back quickly.

Max smiled at her warm words, but quickly grew serious. He took a deep breath and tried to bring the conversation back on track. “I was just telling them that you might have heard the name Serena before. Do you think she might be a friend of someone we know?” Max glanced at the others around the room. From their expressions, he was pretty sure that they’d all caught the references to drumming fingers and he believed they would all know he was talking about Tess. The same comments directed his worried thoughts back to Isabel and the new mind-warp that was near to breaking. He would have to come up with a way to tell Liz about that, too.

Phrasing her answer right took another few minutes but finally Liz thought she had got it right. "I don't know about friend, maybe that's too strong a word, but I'm pretty sure the name was mentioned... Now whether or not it's the same girl I wouldn't know... And of course I'm not sure I'm even remembering it right..." She trailed off, deciding to see if she was getting her message across before trying to say anything further. This conversation was certainly taking rather more effort than originally expected...

Max nodded. Serena wasn’t a very common name but it wasn’t completely unique. “I guess you’re right. It could be a co-incidence,” Max said. “And even if it were the same girl, you’d have to wonder why we were never introduced. Maybe the two of them didn’t really see eye-to-eye, as it were.” If Tess hadn’t considered Serena to be on ‘her side’ maybe that meant the new girl could yet be a friend to the remaining hybrids. Although she could also be an ace-in-the-hole that Tess had just never opted to use.

Max shook his head. “I guess we’ll have to get to know her a bit better to find out. Any ideas of how to best approach her?" His last question was directed not just to Liz, but to the whole group. "She ran off when I tried to talk to her yesterday, but I don't know if it was just because she didn't want me to see what she was drawing or if it's possible she already knows something about us. I don't want to scare her away."

~*Michael*~

"Well, last night we mentioned checking and seeing what others thought of the idea of Kyle and Maria making the approach." Michael replied, thinking that someone needed to bring something up to them just in case. *Max*

"Right," Max nodded. "She ran from me earlier, but I don't know if that was just because she didn't want to show the symbols or if she actually knew us. If she's been watching us, she'll know that Maria and Kyle are our friends, so I don't know if you'll really have better luck or not, but it might be worth a try, if you're up for it."

Max looked carefully at both of them before casting another worried glance at Isabel. She had stopped drumming her fingers but she was definately still pre-occupied. He walked over and put a hand over hers before turning back to the group, still speaking loudly enough for Liz to hear him clearly.

"Of course, we can be sure that one of us is nearby, in case she doesn't react well."

~Kyle~

Kyle nodded a little awkwardly as the suggestion had been brought up. He wasn't too sure about this. "Are you sure..." He bagn to ask, trailing off as Max began to explain the thinking. He felt a wave of relief as Max said one or other of them would be nearbye and nodded again. "I guess...if that's what you think would be best..." I give a wry smile. "See what exciting assignments you're missing out on by going on that trip Liz..."

~Liz~

Listening carefully, she nodded even though she knew the others wouldn't be able to see her. Right now, how she wished she was back there with her. She had come away to gather her thoughts sure, but having a meeting when one of them was so far away wasn't exactly ideal, and she felt pretty useless... Sighing, she couldn't help laughing at Kyle's comment though. "I'm missing a whole lot more than exciting assignments..." She responded softly, hoping that Max would understand without her actually saying it that she was missing him. "I'll be back soon though, so I'm sure I'll be back in the thick of it in no time..."

*Max*

Max smiled softly at Liz's words. He was missing her, too. Far more than he wanted to say although he knew that every one of them probably knew.

He was glad that Kyle agreed to help by approaching Serena. "I wish there was another way," he told him, "But we really don't have a lot of options. It might not even work. It's not like we know when we're going to see her again." Max frowned slightly, thinking about that. "We'll have to see if I can find out if she has a job or some other comittment so we can find her without just walking up to her house," he added, almost to himself. That would be far too confrontational.

Turning, he looked over the group. "So, everyone keep an eye open - especially Maria - she may be coming back to the Crashdown if we haven't scared her off entirely."

Then Max stepped back a bit closer to the phone and added, "Maybe we'll have some answers by the time you come back, Liz. I know I'm looking forward to having your help." and more than that, he thought. It wasn't her help on a particular mystery that he missed most. It was Liz herself. Luckily, he knew that wait would soon be over. Kyle

“I wish there was some other way…but we really don’t have a lot of options…”

Kyle nodded as he listened to what Max had to say. The two of them might not have got off to the best start, mainly for the reason that they both wanted the same girl of course, but he had come to respect the guy that tended to take the lead in their small group and he knew that he meant what he said. He shrugged. “No sweat Max…if I get into trouble, I’ll just yell…” He said, trying not to show how much the idea of dealing with this girl un-nerved him… It wasn’t the fact of dealing with someone that could be another alien – he did that enough of course, but the fact that he didn’t know her. The last time someone had shown up like this, it had been Tess, and they all knew how that had ended…

Looking over at Isabel, he suddenly realised that she looked tense and reached out for her hand. “Hey…you ok…?” He asked softly, tuning out, although not completely, from the rest of what Max was saying. He was still listening with half an ear, and would probably hear if something was said that affected him, but for now, he didn’t like the look of how Isabel was acting.

They had each been through the experience of mindwarps breaking…more than once… By now Kyle himself was pretty familiar with the warning signs, and Isabel was displaying a whole lot of them… ‘Just when we thought we knew everything…something else rears its head…’ He thought to himself silently as he waited for her answer.

~Liz~

Listening patiently as the planning continued on the other end of the phone, Liz felt her stomach begin to churn again a little. She swallowed, picking up the glass of water that Randa had left with her earlier and taking a small sip. She didn’t intend to let some stomach bug bring this ‘meeting’ to a premature end for her… She might not have been able to do anything really, being so far away, but at least she knew what was going on, and that was always good…

That’s not to say that she would always like what she heard, but to be cut off from the others was the last thing that Liz wanted. She had wanted to get away yes, but the idea of that wasn’t then to isolate herself. She needed some time alone, but she still wanted to know what was going on at home. They were a close group – partly from necessity, and if anything happened to one of them, and she didn’t know about it, she would never forgive herself.

As Max said for everyone to keep an eye open for this girl, Liz determined that if she hadn’t been located before she got home, she’d have to do some digging of her own. Of course in fact, that might work better than the others, her not having been around before…

“Maybe we’ll have some answers by the time you come back, Liz. I know I’m looking forward to having your help…”

She smiled as she heard the gentle edge to her boyfriend’s voice and couldn’t help nodding although she knew he wouldn’t be able to see. She pressed the handset a little closer to her ear, just wishing she could be there with him. “Well if you don’t have any answers about her, maybe I could try t-“ She broke off, the turning of her stomach becoming too much once more and her hand flying to her mouth. “I’ll be back in…a m-moment…” She struggled to get out before leaving the phone lying on the bed and hurrying out of the room to make for the bathroom.

*Max*

"Liz?" Max asked as she suddenly stopped speaking. "Are you okay?"

There was no immediate answer to his question although he heard some background noises he couldn't identify. It was probably Liz moving, but he couldn't quite picture what was happening.

Max grabbed the handset then, canceling the speakerphone alterations so he could listen directly to whatever was going on. "Liz?!" he called out. The only response was the sound of a door hitting the frame, but not quite catching. "What's going on?"

He strained his ears, searching for a clue as to what was happening at Liz's end of the connection. Was she hurt? Was it a breaking mind-warp? Max glanced at Isabel, knowing that she, too, seemed to be close to remembering something. He bit his lip, worrying over both of them, wishing there was something he could do to help... Isabel reached for Kyle's hand without even fully realizing it. Kyle was the key to her lost memory, she was totally sure of that. But as soon as she touched his hand, it all came flooding back to her. A look of horror formed on her face as she suddenly jumped to her feet and ran into the bathroom. Once there, Isabel kneeled over the toilet and retched until her body was shaking. She sat on the cold tiles, sobbing. "Alex, I'm so sorry," she whispered.

~Kyle~

Kyle felt Isabel reaching for his hand and looked at her squeezing it reassuringly. Apparently the actual effect was something quite different though, and instead of reassurance, he saw a look of horror on her face. "Izzy...what's wrong...?" He asked her gently.

She didn't respond and as she pulled away, running for the bathroom, he headed after her. Hesitating for only a moment, he pushed open the door at the sounds of retching and dropped down on the floor next to her. When she was done, and collapsed on the floor, he pulled her up, holding her in his arms in as comforting a fashion as he could. "It's ok Izzy...it's over..." He told her softly. He hadn't got a clue what she had seen, but he was certain that had just been another break of a mindwarp and he knew all he could do was simply show her he was there for her until she was ready to speak.

~LIz~

Liz was only too aware that Max was probably worrying on the other end of the phoneline. she hadn't been able to give him any warning or explanation, just said that she had to go before dropping the phone and rushing from the room.

She groaned and leant back over the toilet as she felt herself heaving once more. She hadn't thought that there was anything left to bring up, not having eaten anything that morning, but apparently her body disagreed and she found herself heaving over and over.

The churning in her stomach went over and over and there was just nothing she could do. It would ease for a few moments, but as soon as she thought it was over, and moved to go back and resume her phonecall, assuming Max was still connected, she found herself having to dive back over to the toilet before she had even reached the door. As soon as she thought that it was over, it simply started over again.

Ooooh, I feel dreadful...

She was the one that had told Randa to go out, but now she was once more feeling like this, she found herself wishing that her Aunt was still there. In fact anyone's presence would be welcomed right then within reason. Her mother or aunt, father or even Max would have been the top of her list, but any of her friends would have been an imporvement of being there on her own.

Finally, she found that there was indeed nothing more to come, simply dry heaving, and she stood up, shaking a little as she tried to fix herself a drink of water. Flushing and putting the lid down on the toilet, she sat down weakly and brought the glass to her mouth, taking a small sip and swallowing hesitantly.

Even this, she worried might cause her to be sick again, but for now it seemed to be ok and she felt herself sigh with relief as she swallowed without consequence.

Breathing in and out for a moment, she looked over at the clock which stood on the shelf, trying to figure out how long she had been there. Unfortunately when she had come in, she hadn't exactly been in a state to take note of the time and although she had a vague recollection of the time she had called Max, she hadnt a clue how long they had been talking before she had been forced to flee.

I need to go back...see if they're still on the line... She forced herself into a standing position, grabbing onto the side of the bath for some form of support. Her legs felt like jelly, and her hands were shaky at best.

Little by little, she made her way from the bathroom, along the corridor, and back into her room. She saw the phone still lying on the bed where she had left it and as she reached the bed, dropped down onto it as gently as she could, propping herself up with the pillows and curling up tightly, reaching for her glass of water and one of the saltines which she took a bite of, washing it down with some water and taking another few deep breaths before picking the handset back up and raising it to her ear when she felt ready. "Max...are you still there?"

*Max*

Max watched helplessly as Isabel and Kyle raced for the bathroom. There really wasn't room for more than two in there, anyway, although he needed to be there for Izzy. And yet, he still had Liz on the phone and there was definately something wrong there, too.

"Liz?! Are you there?" Max asked again. There was no response. He bit his lip, looking towards the bathroom again. His sister was with Kyle but that didn't stop him from wanting to be there too.

"Kyle? Is everything okay?" He called, but he got no response. Max bit his lip, still torn between both girls. He walked to the bathroom with the phone still in his hand, knocking on the door. "Kyle?"

"It's okay, Izzy. It's over," He heard Kyle say. Max frowned. It sounded like Isabel was recovering from the mindwarp, although it surprised him to hear Kyle use the nickname. He hadn't thought Isabel had ever let anyone but himself, Michael or Alex call her that. He took it as a sign that they were all getting closer. Of course, she hadn't actually 'let' him yet, and might still object to it.

"Liz? Are you there? Are you okay?" He asked again, talking into the phone. There was still no response as he slowly opened the door. Isabel was on the floor next to the toilet where Kyle was gently holding her, rubbing her back.

Max dropped to his knees behind Isabel, gently rubbing her back. "Hey. We're all here. It's okay," Max said, repeating Kyle's assurances.

Just then, he finally got a response on the phone. "Max...are you still there?" he heard Liz ask, her voice surprisingly weak and unsteady.

"Liz!" He said urgently, grabbing the phone with both hands now. "I'm here. Are you okay? What happened?" Max was fairly certain that Liz, too, had just recovered from a mind warp - and at exactly the same time Isabel did. They seemed to be quite big, and he wondered if they were related, although he didn't yet know what Isabel had been made to forget... Isabel was shaking, hardly noticing Kyle until he called her Izzy. The other boys called her that sometimes, but Kyle never had. It was odd to hear, but not really bad. Max came in then and Isabel tried to wipe her face clean, but almost immediatly he headed back to his phone call and his precious Liz. "I didn't stop it. I saw everything, I saw you...I didn't even try to make her stop. God, I knew all the time!"

Isabel couldn't meet Kyle's eyes. "Alex called me, the night he died. He told me that he remembered and Tess mindwarped him. He was going to your house to confront her. I wanted to come, he told me not to worry. I snuck over anyway, and I watched them fighting through the window. I watched her kill him! You came in then, and I ran to the door to try and help him, but Tess caught me halfway. You were already under her spell then, you were gathering Alex up and she made me forget. Sent me home. I could have saved him and I didn't do anything until it was too late!" ~Kyle~

As Max came into the room, Kyle's eyes picked out the fact that he was still holding the phone and he lookd at him questioningly, although saying nothing.

He wanted to find out what had happened to Liz, but he knew that Isabel needed him right now... Continuing to rub her back, he was pleased to see Max kneel down next to her too...although that only lasted a minute as he suddely started speaking into the phone again.

The look on his face showed relief, then worry again, and Kyle wondered what had happened. He was about to ask if Liz was ok, when Isabel started t explain what she had seen. He felt his chest tighten as she spoke of what he had done, and could fully appreciate how she was feeling. He pulled her close, rocking back and forth. "You can't blame yourself Izzy...we've been over and over this...only one person is to blame, and that's not you..." He pushed her back a moment to look into her eyes. "You did what you could...you went over there to try and make sure he was ok..."

Pulling her back into his arms, he held her close again. "We're here for you...don't forget that...you don't have to go through this alone..."

Strictly speaking, unless it turned out someone else was there, this particular mindwarp would be an individual...much like Liz's of FutureMax, but that didn't change the fact that she had everyone's support...they were in this together...

*Max*

Max frowned when Liz didn't respond right away. Was she okay? What was she going through all alone? How he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her 'till she was alright again.

Then Isabel started talking, describing the what the broken mind-warp had just uncovered. Isabel had been there, near enough to help Alex but Tess had stopped her. Everytime it happened, Max was surprised again at how freely Tess had manipulated them, mindwarping them at nearly every turn to have her way. Killing their friend...

"Izzy," he said, gently, his voice full of concern as he searched her eyes. Once again, one hand reached out to touch her back. "I'm so sorry."

There was really nothing more to say. They'd all tried to help Alex in different ways, but Tess had been able to stop them at every turn. He'd often wondered about that horrible night he'd gone to the hearse to try to heal Alex while Tess and the others waited outside. It was a night of horror for him and he wondered if it was all real. What if he could have done something but Tess stopped him then, too? He wasn't sure which would be worse...

He'd never known that Isabel had left the night that Alex had died. Did that mean that he'd been mindwarped, too? He could barely imagine what it might feel like for Isabel to actually see Alex die. The two of them were just getting a new balance in their relationship and then it was over. His heart went out to her and he rubbed her back gently. "We're here..."

~Liz~

"Max..." Liz was relieved to find he was still on the line. The concern in his voice made her chew her lip a moment though... She wasn't well, but she didn't want to worry him... After all, it wasn't as though he could do anything to help - he was thousnads of miles away, across the country...


At the same time though, she knew if she tried to tell him she was fine, he would likely only worry more, she wasn't good at lying to him...

He sounded distant too, as though something had happened. She felt her chest tightening and and a growing feeling of dread...what was going on back there... She hadn't been gone that long, and everything had seemed fine before, but now...

Reaching over for her glass of water, she took another sip and couldn't help noticing that her hand was shaking. She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. Being sick just had that way of making you feel awful... "Sorry Max...I didn't want to leave you guys like that, only I had to go and empty my stomach..." She gave a wry smile even though she knew he wouldn't be able to see.

"It seems that twentyfour hour bug is something a bit more..." She explained softly, trying to reassure him. "I'm ok...just I can't seem to keep anything down...and the mere smell of food makes me want to throw up..."

Feeling her stomach curning slightly once more, she picked up another saltine and nibbled a little as she raised herselt into a more upright position although she was still sitting on the bed, and still leaning against the pillows. She cradelled the phone to her ear, hoping that she would be able to manage without another quick disappearence...

Sighing, she tried to keep her attention focused on the person she knew was on the other end of the phone, thinking how much she wanted to see him, and
consoling herself with the thought that she would be able to do just that when it came to the weekend. "I miss you guys..." She told him softly, realising as she did that she was repeating something she had already said earlier but in the end not minding so much.

She just wished he could be there with her... Randa was great, but she missed Max so much... Now that she had the phone cards, she could of course look forward to some longer calls, but it still wasn't the same as being there with him... All this stuff was going on with Serena, and all she could do was listen as the others explained...

She could hear some voices in the background, one raised, sounding distressed, but she couldn't make out who it was or what was being said. The feeling she had that something was happening, of the bad variety, was getting worse though... "Max...what's going on...is everyone ok back there...?" She asked with a growing feeling of trepidation.

*Max*

Max heard Liz on the line again and listened carefully as she explained about the extended twenty-four hour bug. He frowned slightly, having assumed that her trouble of the day before would be all sorted by now. If she was still puking over nothing....

But at least it wasn't another mind-warp.

"It's okay, Liz. You can't control it if you're sick. I'm sorry you're not feeling well." Max told her soothingly. He heard most of Isabel's desperate description and could feel the anquish in her tone. He bit his lip, wanting to talk to both girls. Kyle was there, assuring Isabel and Max hoped desperately that she would listen. He hated that look of helpless desperation on her face.

"Is she okay?" Max heard Maria from over his shoulder. There wasn't room for anyone-else in the bathroom but as Max turned, he could see that Maria was straining to see and also searching Max's face.

Max wasn't completely sure which 'she' Maria was talking about, but the answer was almost the same. "Not really, but I think she will be...." At least, he hoped so. Isabel looked so ... broken.

Then Liz was on the line again. "Max...what's going on...is everyone ok back there...?" she asked, just like Maria just did.

Max shook his head, although he knew Liz couldn't see it. "Not at the moment," he told her. "But it will be. Isabel just broke through a major mind-warp. She was there when Alex died and Tess..." Well, Max thought, biting his lip. What Tess had done was obvious. But Alex dying had to be about the worst possible thing he could think of for Isabel to witness. For all her 'ice-princess' show, she was really very vulnerable and Alex had been closer to her than any human -- possibly even more than their parents... ~LIz~

"Not just at the moment..."

The words cut into her. As Max proceeded to explain, as much as was needed, what had happened, she found herself cursing the fact she was so far away. She wanted to help her friend, Isabel had helped her through so much, just as the rest of them had, over the past few months, and she wanted to be there...

When she had first gone away, it had been what she needed, she had no doubt of that... Perhaps even now, she needed a little time, but at the same time, she found herself wishing that it wasn't still another week until she was due to go back. She wanted to be due back now, she wanted to feel Max's arms around her, and see her friends again...

Of course the sickness wouldn't make it ideal to travel, but she pushed away this little concern.

If it wasn't for the fact that she had to beg her parents to go away, she would ask to go back early, but as it was, she knew it would sound suspicious if she did. She had to make it through this week, and then she would be back...

She would be back with her friends, and back with Max...

Swallowing, she turned her attention back to the phone and nodded although she knew he couldn't see her. "Alright...I'm sorry I'm not there Max...I wish I could be back with you all..." She paused a moment. "I might not be able to be there, but I'm thinking about you all though, I know you'll all be there for Isabel..."
*Max*

"Yeah, we'll take care of her," I say to Liz on the phone. I should probably let her go since I know know that Liz is okay - or at least that it's just an ordinary illness. She's over her crisis and can take care of herself just fine. While Isabel... Isabel is still shaking and very unhappy, blaming herself for something she didn't do.

And yet, I can't let go of Liz. I need her. Even if she's not here, I don't want to break the connection we have over the phone. And I'm sure she doesn't want to hear about it afterwards, either.

I look back at Isabel, reaching again for her knee. "Isabel. You didn't sit back and do nothing. You went there. You were there for him. You tried. The only way to have stopped it would have been to kill Tess, and none of us knew that she was a threat then. You didn't know."
[/b]

[KatnotKath]

A selection of posts set between the group at Michael's house. Some posts have been ommitted but hopefully it will still make sense...

*MAX*

Max watched Isabel and Kyle chatting easily together and he frowned. Not because he was bothered by the two of them, but just because he wanted the same thing. He knew they were all looking to him to be a leader and it was already starting to isolate him a little at times like this. He wished again that Liz were there. He'd come to really appreciate her prescence when things were uncertain.

Just then, there was a small crash at the door, as though someone had tripped on the landing. The door opened and Maria pushed her way inside. "Hey guys," she said, instantly commanding everyone's attention simply by being Maria. She bounced over and flopped onto the couch next to Kyle before turning her attention to Max.

"So? What are you waiting for? I could have been sleeping for another hour so spill it. What's going on already?"

Max shook his head, hiding a laugh that was right below the surface. "Just waiting on you, Maria. Glad you made it."

Kyle

Kyle's discussion with Isabel was interrupted as there came a noise that sounded almost like someone falling through the door. Michael seemed to stiffen for a moment, going into what appeared to be warrier mode, and the whole group seemed to tense. Any worries were soon abated as the door opened though and Maria stepped inside.

"Hey guys..."

She was as bubbly as ever, Kyle notes, even though he knew she was probably missing Liz as much as Max. He guessed at least she had Michael to help her cope though...he couldn't help noticing that Max looked a little out of it. This must be really difficult for him...

Of all the things that we now know Tess did, although killing Alex and making him carry the body has to be the worst, Kyle knew, what she did to Liz and Max had to come a close second... Making Liz believe that if they were together the rest of them would die... She played them...that must feel so terrible...

And then, she still wasn't content with what she had done...she had to trick Max into believing that he had slept with her...

He shook his head mentally. They all missed Liz, but he ccouldn't say he didn't understand her need to get away from here for a while. He'd be glad when the group is all back together though...

Maria bounced over to the couch and dropd down next to him. The feel of the springs reverberated through his back and he looked at her. "Little more gently maybe...?" He kinda requested even though he knew it was not going to do any good.

Maria gave no indication that she'd even heard him and turned her attention immediately to Max. "So, what are you waiting for? I could have been sleeping for another hour so spill it. What's going on already?"

That is so completely Maria...and I love her so much for it...

Max shook his head and Kyle could see that he was trying not to laugh. "Just waiting on you, Maria. Glad you made it."

While Max is trying to be the big leader, I on the otherhand don't have to be any such thing and don't attempt to smother my laugh. Only Maria could get away with that...

The jovial atmosphere that had settled on the group at that moment was all very well, but in truth Kyle knew as well as the rest of them that it wasn't going to last though and soon attention turned back to business as they all focused their attention on Max, waiting for him to start.

*Max*

Max felt the smile spread across his face as Kyle voiced the laughter that he himself had been hiding. He shook his head and suppressed the smile as he stepped forward and sat on the arm of the chair Michael was using.

"We called everyone together because something's come up and we need you all to know," Max said.

"Not everyone," Kyle commented. "Liz isn't here."

Max nodded, thoughtfully. He'd been fully aware of Liz's absence and he knew the Kyle knew that too, but he understood Kyle's need to mention it. Max opened his mouth to say there was nothing they could do about that, when suddenly, he remembered there was.

"You're right. I should call her. She's got a new phone card and can call us back for a conference." With that, Max walked across the room to pick up Michael's phone and quickly dial Liz's Aunt in Florida. After a few minutes, he frowned. "Hi, this is Max. Could you ask Liz to call me later if she has some time? I'll be at Michael's for a little while, or she can call me later at home." Max then hung up the phone and moved back into his place. "We'll have to fill her in later."

With a little sigh, Max started again. "What we needed to tell you is that Michael and Isabel and I have found another alien." Max paused for just a moment to make sure everyone heard and then explained. "Her name is Serena Morgan and she's from the reservation. She about our age. I saw her doodling some alien symbols in a notebook and Isabel dreamwalked her last night. We haven't talked to her yet, but we're sure she is a hybrid, too."

Michael

Michael listened in relative silence to everything, trying not to get occupied by Maria's presence as he was often finding himself doing. Thinking of mud didn't help as much as it used to, so instead he focused on the task at hand while Max explained the situation. His calling Liz seemed nearly normal, though it did seem strange that when they called a meeting she wasn't actually there.

Of course, with everything that happened, it really didn't surprise Michael that she'd need a break. As Max mentioned Serena he simply nodded and sat down beside Maria even though he was certain that she would distract him in some way. He didn't want her to suddenly get mad at him for seeming distant, she often seemed to do just that and it infuriated him even after all of this time.

He couldn't understand why she couldn't be content with the knowledge that he had stayed for her instead of going to his home planet.

As he glanced around he wondered how Kyle and Maria would respond.

*Max*

"Oh yeah," Maria said, sitting up a little straighter. She's the one you chased out of the Crashdown, isn't she?"

Max flushed a little. He hadn't intended to chase the girl away but that is how it ended up. "Yeah, that's her."

"Well," Maria said then, cocking her head to one side. "As Dorothy Gale asked, is she a good witch or a bad witch?"

Max shook his head. "We don't know yet. That's what we have to figure out. We need to decide how to approach her and -" Max stopped suddenly, giving his sister a hard look. "Isabel. You're drumming your fingers again. Are you okay?"

There was always a chance it was simple nervousness, although that wasn't usually Isabel's habit. Max feared it was far more likely a result of another mind-warp that hadn't yet cleared from Isabel's mind. The habit tended to be stronger as the warp was near to breaking, so maybe she would soon know something that had been hidden from all of them. Isabel looked at Max for a second. "I am?" she turned and looked at her hand, she hadn't even been aware of what she was doing. Quickly, she pulled her hand into her lap, grabbing it with her other hand. "Why now? Why would I be remembering something now, after all this time? What would Tess have wanted me to forget in the first place?"

Kyle

Kyle grinned as Max mentioned calling Liz. He knew that it wouldn’t be like having her there with them, but it was certainly better than nothing and from everything that had been said, it seemed like this was one meeting they should have as a group – the whole group.

It was for this reason therefore, that he was disappointed when it appeared Max had simply gotten a machine and left a message asking Liz to call him back. He shrugged and nodded as Max said she’d have to be filled in later, turning his attention to his friend as he sat back down and began to explain what this was all about.

He had been given a very vague indication the night before as to what the meeting was about, but VERY was the operative word, the whole group having learnt a long time ago that phones were not safe methods by which to discuss anything out of the ordinary…you never knew who was listening…

Nothing he had been thinking though, prepared him for what he was about to hear.

**JP for Max, Isabel, Michael, Maria, Kyle and Liz**

"What we needed to tell you is that Michael and Isabel and I have found another alien." Max paused for just a moment to make sure everyone heard and then explained. "Her name is Serena Morgan and she's from the reservation. She about our age. I saw her doodling some alien symbols in a notebook and Isabel dreamwalked her last night. We haven't talked to her yet, but we're sure she is a hybrid, too."

Another alien… The first thing that Kyle thought of was Tess… Michael, Max and Isabel seemed to be fine, and Max had even saved his life at one point of course, but their record with other aliens was hardly encouraging… Nasedo and Tess had both turned out to be real traitors, he couldn’t help feeling wary of anyone who wasn’t already part of the group and hadn’t proved themselves as yet.

"You both saw her," Isabel informed him. "She was at The Crashdown yesterday. You would have passed her for only a moment Kyle, but I bet you remember her Maria."

Kyle closed his eyes, trying to picture the scene the previous day. He did remember someone, but nothing very specific…there was a girl in the booth, but there was nothing to say she was anything like the others…

As soon as he thought this, Kyle felt like laughing at himself. What did that mean…they didn’t have green skin or something like that… He shook his head mentally. He was getting as bad as Maria used to be… If there was one thing he should have gathered over the last year and a bit, it was that appearances could be deceptive…

No one would have thought that Tess was a scheming, murdering b****…She had manipulated their thoughts and played them for fools, and they had all fallen for it because she looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth – or something like that anyway… No, he had learnt that lesson the hard way, and didn’t intend to be taken in again.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Maria was quicker and as she started, he fell silent, waiting until she had finished until adding his bit.

As it happens, Maria asked exactly the question she had been about to and he looked over to Max, awaiting an answer. The response given was less than satisfactory. They didn’t know…so what were they going to do to find out…?

His attention was torn away from these thoughts as Max mentioned Isabel’s drumming fingers though. He couldn’t believe that he had missed it before. They all knew full well what this usually meant and he doubted that it would be good.

“I am…?”

He noted that Isabel sounded surprised and saw her immediately try to stop. “Why now…? Why would I be remembering something now, after all this time? What would Tess have wanted me to forget in the first place..?”

He shook his head, at as much of a loss as everyone else. It had been a couple of weeks since the mindwarp about FutureMax had broken and he for one had thought that must have been the last. The number of things she had tricked them all about…the number of times she had manipulated them… He knew they found it hard to trust anything that they remembered from being around her, and in truth he had begun to wonder about before…who knew how long she had been around before she actually revealed herself…what she might have been doing… Maybe he was being paranoid, but it was hard not to be given the circumstances…

Reaching over, he closed his hand over Isabel’s squeezing it reassuringly. “I don’t know…but if that is what is happening, we’ll all be here for you when you do remember whatever it is…you don’t have to go through this alone…”

Maybe that sounded soppy, but he got the feeling that Isabel just needed someone, anyone, to give her some reassurance…

*Max*

It was soon clear that Isabel was still affected by at least one of Tess's mindwarps, as Max assumed were the rest of them. Everytime they thought they'd uncovered the last big deception there always seemed to be another.

Kyle offered his support and Max echoed it, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Of course. We'll all get through it together," he said. It was the way they had all managed so far. Helping each of them through as the false memories break and the real ones come back. Max hoped Liz would be okay out in Florida. If she had another break-through, she would be alone.

Even as Max was thinking this, Michael's phone rang. It almost makes him jump. Michael gave out a sigh, annoyed at the interuption while Maria quickly rose to her feet. "I'll get it," she volunteered.

Max looked up, wondering if it could possibly be Liz calling already. He was torn between needing to talk to Liz and needing to support Isabel, but he found himself rising to his feet and watching Maria expectantly, one hand still resting on his sister's arm. "Is it Liz?" he asked, even as Maria said, 'hello.'

Maria nodded quickly and said, "Yeah, he's here," before holding the phone out to Max. He stepped across the small room and took it as Maria confirmed what he was expecting. "It's Liz."

"Liz? I'm here," Max told her. "I'm glad you called."

~Liz~

Sitting on the bed, Liz waited, counting the number of rings on the other end of the phone. It wasn't picked up quite as soon as she might have expected but pretty soon the line was picked up.

"Hello...?"

She smiled as she reognised the voice. Maria...it was good to hear her friend, even just saying something as mudane as hello, she missed the group so much... "H-hello, Maria...it's Liz, is Max there...?" She didn't know why, but for some reason her voice was shaking a little... Perhaps it was a sign of the fact she had been feeling a little off...

"Yeah, he's here..."

Liz heard some shuffling about in the background and a muffled voice saying something that she couldn't make out.

As she heard the next voice that came on the line, she couldn't care less what had been said though, smiling as she heard the familiar warm tone. "Liz I'm here...I'm glad you called..."

She reached up to brush a stray strand of hair away from here eyes as she shifted the phone to her other ear. "Of course I called back...I'm sorry that I didn't catch you when you first rang..." She didn't want to worry him, so didn't mention why she had missed him, instead moving the conversation on. "So, what were you wanting...?" She couldn't imagine that Max had simply phoned because he wanted to talk to her, not only because she had said she would call again later that day, but more due to the fact that he was at Michael's, and from the fact that Maria was there too, she guessed the whole gang would be there...

**JP between the group**

Max nodded as Liz apologized for missing the call, although he knew she couldn’t see it. When she asked what he called about, he hesitated. It had seemed like a good idea to include her, but now he wasn’t so sure what to say.

“Well,” he said after a short pause. “We’re all here to talk about that girl I mentioned to you. The one who was drawing the symbols? I think I told you her name was Serena Morgan. She is from the reservation and is also called ‘Moon Crystal.’” He hesitated for just a moment. “Are you on a land line?”

Liz felt herself stiffen as Max mentioned the name of the girl he had spoken to her about yesterday. It had to be a coincidence, because FutureMax had turned out to be a mindwarp, but still, the name brought back some memories she would rather forget. It didn't matter much that she had been told Serena would be a friend, the thing she remembered was who had told her it. She swallowed nervously, biting her lip and trying to stay calm. "S-serena...?" She shook her head more out of habit than anything. She knew Max and the others wouldn't be able to see her, but it was an automatic reaction. "N-no, you didn't tell me her name..."

The shock of all this almost made her miss his question about what she was calling on but she noted his mention of the others, suggesting they were having a meeting and she couldn't help feeling pleased that he would think to include her even while she was so far away. In response to her boyfriend's question, she then nodded again. "Sorry...yes, I'm on the land line ... Randa's gone out to do a little shopping, she'll probably be back in about an hour or so but we should be ok until then if you need me to be on that long..." She didn't bother explaining the use of the phone cards, knowing that Max already understood and guessing that was the reason for his initial call.

Max could easily hear the distress in Liz’s voice but he didn’t quite understand what caused it. Was it just the girl’s name? Looking up at the others, he saw Maria and Kyle listening carefully. He knew that Serena’s second name was news to them and he was glad to share it with all of them at the same time.

“Good,” Max said regarding the landline, as he puzzled over Liz’s reaction. He was glad she wasn’t on a cell. He knew it would be harder for the authorities to listen in on their conversation over a landline unless there was a physical listening devise on one phone or the other. They couldn’t intercept the signal, nor would it be likely for somebody-else to be cross-connected by accident. He didn’t have any reason to believe their group was currently being monitored but in their situation, it didn’t hurt to be a little paranoid. Frowning, he used a bit of power to be sure there were no new ‘bugs’ on his end and found nothing. Hopefully, Liz’s Aunt’s place would be safe, too, since she was rather disconnected from the group. Still, he decided he would choose his words carefully.

“River Dog claimed she’d never been in the caves so Isabel did a little late-night research for us. It seems that she is Czechoslovakian, too. She seems to know more about ‘home’ than we do although nothing that matches places or people that we know. We’re trying to decide how to approach her.” He paused for a moment, still wondering what had upset Liz. “Do you know her? You seemed to recognize the name…”

Liz noted Max's choice of words and realized that he was being careful - probably just in case anyone was listening in. She had to admit that she had examined the phone, and certain areas of her room at Randa's rather carefully when she had first got there. It might have seemed a silly thing to do, it wasn't as though she thought Randa would watch her or anything like that, but given past experiences, she tended to be of the opinion that it was better to be safe than sorry. She remained silent, while listening to what Max had to say. It didn't take much for her to read between the lines and understand what Max was meaning, but for someone with no inside knowledge, the conversation would probably seem perfectly normal.

As Max asked her if she knew Serena, mentioning her reaction to the name, Liz paused a moment, trying to work out how she could keep up the ploy. "N-no...I don't know her... The name just seems familiar... I...uh, just thought I'd heard the name before...maybe on the night you serenaded me... I guess I was wrong though...funny how the mind can play tricks on you..." She told him carefully, hoping that he would understand what she was meaning. It was the closest approximation she could think of, and despite the fact she had checked the phone, she didn't want to take any more risks than were necessary...

Isabel and Michael both sat up a bit straighter as they heard Max mention Liz’s recognition of the name. They glanced at each other and then at Max, waiting for some clue regarding Liz’s response.

Max frowned at Liz’s awkward explanation. It was clear that there was more involved than she was comfortable saying over the phone. He was glad she was being cautious although it did leave something to be desired in regards to clarity. Her mention of mind-tricks immediately made him think of Tess and the mention of his serenade cinched it. Liz had told him that was the night ‘Future Max’ had first appeared. Obviously she was telling him that Serena had been mentioned in a mind-warp. Did that mean that Tess had known about Serena Morgan? Tess hadn’t brought her into the group. Would that mean she wasn’t a friend of hers, even if she knew about her? Maybe Tess didn’t trust her. That might mean that she could be a friend to them, but he couldn’t jump to that conclusion yet.

Max forced a smile onto his face, allowing his voice to reflect a bit of amusement, as if they were sharing a private joke. “Oh sure. That’s happened to all of us. Like a tune that has you drumming your fingers and you can’t get it out of your head…”

As he said that, Kyle practically shot out of his chair. He stood over Max, breathlessly waiting to find out what was going on. Max held up a hand, suggesting calm as he spoke into the phone. “Uh, Liz. I’m going to put you on speaker-phone, so everyone can hear you, okay?”

Waiting, Liz listened carefully to Max's response, gathering from it that he had understood what he was talking about. She smiled at the realization that she had been successful in getting across the information needed. As Max mentioned putting her on speaker-phone, she frowned, puzzled for just a moment, knowing that Michael's phone had no such capability unless he had changed it since she had left, before realizing that doing something like that would be pretty simple for Max or Isabel and nodding again despite knowing he couldn't see her. "Sure, that's fine..."

Max nodded using his powers to transfer the signal from the phone into the speakers for Michael’s stereo. Max put down the hand set and turned back to the rest of the group. Liz waited a moment, listening for the click on the other end that indicated that he had put down the phone. "Hi guys, missing me...?" She asked in a light voice.

The indication that Liz might know Serena, or the name at least came as a surprise to Kyle to say the least. Max's mention of tapping fingers was enough to get his complete attention though. He stiffened, waiting to hear more but couldn't help smiling a little as Liz's familiar soft voice began to sound in the room. "Hey Liz, good to hear from you..." He told her in an equally soft voice. "You sure do pick the times to go on holiday, you're missing some interesting stuff..."

Liz laughed softly as she listened to what he was saying. "So I hear...It's not fair, everything happens while I'm gone" She commented, adding the last in a gentle, joking tone, mainly just on the off chance that anyone was listening in. How she wished she could be there with them instead of hundreds of miles away though... Coming to Florida had been the right thing for her, but she sure missed her friends and would be looking forward to getting home at the weekend.

Max smiled. “We all miss you like crazy.”

“Especially Max,” Maria added with a wicked grin. Max gave her a mock-glare but didn’t contradict her.

Even without seeing, Liz could well imagine the looks being exchanged by her friends and it brought another smile to her face. "I miss you guys too..." She responded softly, unable to keep from laughing as Maria mentioned Max. "Well, I have to say the same goes both ways..." She shot back quickly.

Max smiled at her warm words, but quickly grew serious. He took a deep breath and tried to bring the conversation back on track. “I was just telling them that you might have heard the name Serena before. Do you think she might be a friend of someone we know?” Max glanced at the others around the room. From their expressions, he was pretty sure that they’d all caught the references to drumming fingers and he believed they would all know he was talking about Tess. The same comments directed his worried thoughts back to Isabel and the new mind-warp that was near to breaking. He would have to come up with a way to tell Liz about that, too.

Phrasing her answer right took another few minutes but finally Liz thought she had got it right. "I don't know about friend, maybe that's too strong a word, but I'm pretty sure the name was mentioned... Now whether or not it's the same girl I wouldn't know... And of course I'm not sure I'm even remembering it right..." She trailed off, deciding to see if she was getting her message across before trying to say anything further. This conversation was certainly taking rather more effort than originally expected...

Max nodded. Serena wasn’t a very common name but it wasn’t completely unique. “I guess you’re right. It could be a co-incidence,” Max said. “And even if it were the same girl, you’d have to wonder why we were never introduced. Maybe the two of them didn’t really see eye-to-eye, as it were.” If Tess hadn’t considered Serena to be on ‘her side’ maybe that meant the new girl could yet be a friend to the remaining hybrids. Although she could also be an ace-in-the-hole that Tess had just never opted to use.

Max shook his head. “I guess we’ll have to get to know her a bit better to find out. Any ideas of how to best approach her?" His last question was directed not just to Liz, but to the whole group. "She ran off when I tried to talk to her yesterday, but I don't know if it was just because she didn't want me to see what she was drawing or if it's possible she already knows something about us. I don't want to scare her away."

~*Michael*~

"Well, last night we mentioned checking and seeing what others thought of the idea of Kyle and Maria making the approach." Michael replied, thinking that someone needed to bring something up to them just in case. *Max*

"Right," Max nodded. "She ran from me earlier, but I don't know if that was just because she didn't want to show the symbols or if she actually knew us. If she's been watching us, she'll know that Maria and Kyle are our friends, so I don't know if you'll really have better luck or not, but it might be worth a try, if you're up for it."

Max looked carefully at both of them before casting another worried glance at Isabel. She had stopped drumming her fingers but she was definately still pre-occupied. He walked over and put a hand over hers before turning back to the group, still speaking loudly enough for Liz to hear him clearly.

"Of course, we can be sure that one of us is nearby, in case she doesn't react well."

~Kyle~

Kyle nodded a little awkwardly as the suggestion had been brought up. He wasn't too sure about this. "Are you sure..." He bagn to ask, trailing off as Max began to explain the thinking. He felt a wave of relief as Max said one or other of them would be nearbye and nodded again. "I guess...if that's what you think would be best..." I give a wry smile. "See what exciting assignments you're missing out on by going on that trip Liz..."

~Liz~

Listening carefully, she nodded even though she knew the others wouldn't be able to see her. Right now, how she wished she was back there with her. She had come away to gather her thoughts sure, but having a meeting when one of them was so far away wasn't exactly ideal, and she felt pretty useless... Sighing, she couldn't help laughing at Kyle's comment though. "I'm missing a whole lot more than exciting assignments..." She responded softly, hoping that Max would understand without her actually saying it that she was missing him. "I'll be back soon though, so I'm sure I'll be back in the thick of it in no time..."

*Max*

Max smiled softly at Liz's words. He was missing her, too. Far more than he wanted to say although he knew that every one of them probably knew.

He was glad that Kyle agreed to help by approaching Serena. "I wish there was another way," he told him, "But we really don't have a lot of options. It might not even work. It's not like we know when we're going to see her again." Max frowned slightly, thinking about that. "We'll have to see if I can find out if she has a job or some other comittment so we can find her without just walking up to her house," he added, almost to himself. That would be far too confrontational.

Turning, he looked over the group. "So, everyone keep an eye open - especially Maria - she may be coming back to the Crashdown if we haven't scared her off entirely."

Then Max stepped back a bit closer to the phone and added, "Maybe we'll have some answers by the time you come back, Liz. I know I'm looking forward to having your help." and more than that, he thought. It wasn't her help on a particular mystery that he missed most. It was Liz herself. Luckily, he knew that wait would soon be over. Kyle

“I wish there was some other way…but we really don’t have a lot of options…”

Kyle nodded as he listened to what Max had to say. The two of them might not have got off to the best start, mainly for the reason that they both wanted the same girl of course, but he had come to respect the guy that tended to take the lead in their small group and he knew that he meant what he said. He shrugged. “No sweat Max…if I get into trouble, I’ll just yell…” He said, trying not to show how much the idea of dealing with this girl un-nerved him… It wasn’t the fact of dealing with someone that could be another alien – he did that enough of course, but the fact that he didn’t know her. The last time someone had shown up like this, it had been Tess, and they all knew how that had ended…

Looking over at Isabel, he suddenly realised that she looked tense and reached out for her hand. “Hey…you ok…?” He asked softly, tuning out, although not completely, from the rest of what Max was saying. He was still listening with half an ear, and would probably hear if something was said that affected him, but for now, he didn’t like the look of how Isabel was acting.

They had each been through the experience of mindwarps breaking…more than once… By now Kyle himself was pretty familiar with the warning signs, and Isabel was displaying a whole lot of them… ‘Just when we thought we knew everything…something else rears its head…’ He thought to himself silently as he waited for her answer.

~Liz~

Listening patiently as the planning continued on the other end of the phone, Liz felt her stomach begin to churn again a little. She swallowed, picking up the glass of water that Randa had left with her earlier and taking a small sip. She didn’t intend to let some stomach bug bring this ‘meeting’ to a premature end for her… She might not have been able to do anything really, being so far away, but at least she knew what was going on, and that was always good…

That’s not to say that she would always like what she heard, but to be cut off from the others was the last thing that Liz wanted. She had wanted to get away yes, but the idea of that wasn’t then to isolate herself. She needed some time alone, but she still wanted to know what was going on at home. They were a close group – partly from necessity, and if anything happened to one of them, and she didn’t know about it, she would never forgive herself.

As Max said for everyone to keep an eye open for this girl, Liz determined that if she hadn’t been located before she got home, she’d have to do some digging of her own. Of course in fact, that might work better than the others, her not having been around before…

“Maybe we’ll have some answers by the time you come back, Liz. I know I’m looking forward to having your help…”

She smiled as she heard the gentle edge to her boyfriend’s voice and couldn’t help nodding although she knew he wouldn’t be able to see. She pressed the handset a little closer to her ear, just wishing she could be there with him. “Well if you don’t have any answers about her, maybe I could try t-“ She broke off, the turning of her stomach becoming too much once more and her hand flying to her mouth. “I’ll be back in…a m-moment…” She struggled to get out before leaving the phone lying on the bed and hurrying out of the room to make for the bathroom.

*Max*

"Liz?" Max asked as she suddenly stopped speaking. "Are you okay?"

There was no immediate answer to his question although he heard some background noises he couldn't identify. It was probably Liz moving, but he couldn't quite picture what was happening.

Max grabbed the handset then, canceling the speakerphone alterations so he could listen directly to whatever was going on. "Liz?!" he called out. The only response was the sound of a door hitting the frame, but not quite catching. "What's going on?"

He strained his ears, searching for a clue as to what was happening at Liz's end of the connection. Was she hurt? Was it a breaking mind-warp? Max glanced at Isabel, knowing that she, too, seemed to be close to remembering something. He bit his lip, worrying over both of them, wishing there was something he could do to help... Isabel reached for Kyle's hand without even fully realizing it. Kyle was the key to her lost memory, she was totally sure of that. But as soon as she touched his hand, it all came flooding back to her. A look of horror formed on her face as she suddenly jumped to her feet and ran into the bathroom. Once there, Isabel kneeled over the toilet and retched until her body was shaking. She sat on the cold tiles, sobbing. "Alex, I'm so sorry," she whispered.

~Kyle~

Kyle felt Isabel reaching for his hand and looked at her squeezing it reassuringly. Apparently the actual effect was something quite different though, and instead of reassurance, he saw a look of horror on her face. "Izzy...what's wrong...?" He asked her gently.

She didn't respond and as she pulled away, running for the bathroom, he headed after her. Hesitating for only a moment, he pushed open the door at the sounds of retching and dropped down on the floor next to her. When she was done, and collapsed on the floor, he pulled her up, holding her in his arms in as comforting a fashion as he could. "It's ok Izzy...it's over..." He told her softly. He hadn't got a clue what she had seen, but he was certain that had just been another break of a mindwarp and he knew all he could do was simply show her he was there for her until she was ready to speak.

~LIz~

Liz was only too aware that Max was probably worrying on the other end of the phoneline. she hadn't been able to give him any warning or explanation, just said that she had to go before dropping the phone and rushing from the room.

She groaned and leant back over the toilet as she felt herself heaving once more. She hadn't thought that there was anything left to bring up, not having eaten anything that morning, but apparently her body disagreed and she found herself heaving over and over.

The churning in her stomach went over and over and there was just nothing she could do. It would ease for a few moments, but as soon as she thought it was over, and moved to go back and resume her phonecall, assuming Max was still connected, she found herself having to dive back over to the toilet before she had even reached the door. As soon as she thought that it was over, it simply started over again.

Ooooh, I feel dreadful...

She was the one that had told Randa to go out, but now she was once more feeling like this, she found herself wishing that her Aunt was still there. In fact anyone's presence would be welcomed right then within reason. Her mother or aunt, father or even Max would have been the top of her list, but any of her friends would have been an imporvement of being there on her own.

Finally, she found that there was indeed nothing more to come, simply dry heaving, and she stood up, shaking a little as she tried to fix herself a drink of water. Flushing and putting the lid down on the toilet, she sat down weakly and brought the glass to her mouth, taking a small sip and swallowing hesitantly.

Even this, she worried might cause her to be sick again, but for now it seemed to be ok and she felt herself sigh with relief as she swallowed without consequence.

Breathing in and out for a moment, she looked over at the clock which stood on the shelf, trying to figure out how long she had been there. Unfortunately when she had come in, she hadn't exactly been in a state to take note of the time and although she had a vague recollection of the time she had called Max, she hadnt a clue how long they had been talking before she had been forced to flee.

I need to go back...see if they're still on the line... She forced herself into a standing position, grabbing onto the side of the bath for some form of support. Her legs felt like jelly, and her hands were shaky at best.

Little by little, she made her way from the bathroom, along the corridor, and back into her room. She saw the phone still lying on the bed where she had left it and as she reached the bed, dropped down onto it as gently as she could, propping herself up with the pillows and curling up tightly, reaching for her glass of water and one of the saltines which she took a bite of, washing it down with some water and taking another few deep breaths before picking the handset back up and raising it to her ear when she felt ready. "Max...are you still there?"

*Max*

Max watched helplessly as Isabel and Kyle raced for the bathroom. There really wasn't room for more than two in there, anyway, although he needed to be there for Izzy. And yet, he still had Liz on the phone and there was definately something wrong there, too.

"Liz?! Are you there?" Max asked again. There was no response. He bit his lip, looking towards the bathroom again. His sister was with Kyle but that didn't stop him from wanting to be there too.

"Kyle? Is everything okay?" He called, but he got no response. Max bit his lip, still torn between both girls. He walked to the bathroom with the phone still in his hand, knocking on the door. "Kyle?"

"It's okay, Izzy. It's over," He heard Kyle say. Max frowned. It sounded like Isabel was recovering from the mindwarp, although it surprised him to hear Kyle use the nickname. He hadn't thought Isabel had ever let anyone but himself, Michael or Alex call her that. He took it as a sign that they were all getting closer. Of course, she hadn't actually 'let' him yet, and might still object to it.

"Liz? Are you there? Are you okay?" He asked again, talking into the phone. There was still no response as he slowly opened the door. Isabel was on the floor next to the toilet where Kyle was gently holding her, rubbing her back.

Max dropped to his knees behind Isabel, gently rubbing her back. "Hey. We're all here. It's okay," Max said, repeating Kyle's assurances.

Just then, he finally got a response on the phone. "Max...are you still there?" he heard Liz ask, her voice surprisingly weak and unsteady.

"Liz!" He said urgently, grabbing the phone with both hands now. "I'm here. Are you okay? What happened?" Max was fairly certain that Liz, too, had just recovered from a mind warp - and at exactly the same time Isabel did. They seemed to be quite big, and he wondered if they were related, although he didn't yet know what Isabel had been made to forget... Isabel was shaking, hardly noticing Kyle until he called her Izzy. The other boys called her that sometimes, but Kyle never had. It was odd to hear, but not really bad. Max came in then and Isabel tried to wipe her face clean, but almost immediatly he headed back to his phone call and his precious Liz. "I didn't stop it. I saw everything, I saw you...I didn't even try to make her stop. God, I knew all the time!"

Isabel couldn't meet Kyle's eyes. "Alex called me, the night he died. He told me that he remembered and Tess mindwarped him. He was going to your house to confront her. I wanted to come, he told me not to worry. I snuck over anyway, and I watched them fighting through the window. I watched her kill him! You came in then, and I ran to the door to try and help him, but Tess caught me halfway. You were already under her spell then, you were gathering Alex up and she made me forget. Sent me home. I could have saved him and I didn't do anything until it was too late!" ~Kyle~

As Max came into the room, Kyle's eyes picked out the fact that he was still holding the phone and he lookd at him questioningly, although saying nothing.

He wanted to find out what had happened to Liz, but he knew that Isabel needed him right now... Continuing to rub her back, he was pleased to see Max kneel down next to her too...although that only lasted a minute as he suddely started speaking into the phone again.

The look on his face showed relief, then worry again, and Kyle wondered what had happened. He was about to ask if Liz was ok, when Isabel started t explain what she had seen. He felt his chest tighten as she spoke of what he had done, and could fully appreciate how she was feeling. He pulled her close, rocking back and forth. "You can't blame yourself Izzy...we've been over and over this...only one person is to blame, and that's not you..." He pushed her back a moment to look into her eyes. "You did what you could...you went over there to try and make sure he was ok..."

Pulling her back into his arms, he held her close again. "We're here for you...don't forget that...you don't have to go through this alone..."

Strictly speaking, unless it turned out someone else was there, this particular mindwarp would be an individual...much like Liz's of FutureMax, but that didn't change the fact that she had everyone's support...they were in this together...

*Max*

Max frowned when Liz didn't respond right away. Was she okay? What was she going through all alone? How he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her 'till she was alright again.

Then Isabel started talking, describing the what the broken mind-warp had just uncovered. Isabel had been there, near enough to help Alex but Tess had stopped her. Everytime it happened, Max was surprised again at how freely Tess had manipulated them, mindwarping them at nearly every turn to have her way. Killing their friend...

"Izzy," he said, gently, his voice full of concern as he searched her eyes. Once again, one hand reached out to touch her back. "I'm so sorry."

There was really nothing more to say. They'd all tried to help Alex in different ways, but Tess had been able to stop them at every turn. He'd often wondered about that horrible night he'd gone to the hearse to try to heal Alex while Tess and the others waited outside. It was a night of horror for him and he wondered if it was all real. What if he could have done something but Tess stopped him then, too? He wasn't sure which would be worse...

He'd never known that Isabel had left the night that Alex had died. Did that mean that he'd been mindwarped, too? He could barely imagine what it might feel like for Isabel to actually see Alex die. The two of them were just getting a new balance in their relationship and then it was over. His heart went out to her and he rubbed her back gently. "We're here..."

~Liz~

"Max..." Liz was relieved to find he was still on the line. The concern in his voice made her chew her lip a moment though... She wasn't well, but she didn't want to worry him... After all, it wasn't as though he could do anything to help - he was thousnads of miles away, across the country...


At the same time though, she knew if she tried to tell him she was fine, he would likely only worry more, she wasn't good at lying to him...

He sounded distant too, as though something had happened. She felt her chest tightening and and a growing feeling of dread...what was going on back there... She hadn't been gone that long, and everything had seemed fine before, but now...

Reaching over for her glass of water, she took another sip and couldn't help noticing that her hand was shaking. She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. Being sick just had that way of making you feel awful... "Sorry Max...I didn't want to leave you guys like that, only I had to go and empty my stomach..." She gave a wry smile even though she knew he wouldn't be able to see.

"It seems that twentyfour hour bug is something a bit more..." She explained softly, trying to reassure him. "I'm ok...just I can't seem to keep anything down...and the mere smell of food makes me want to throw up..."

Feeling her stomach curning slightly once more, she picked up another saltine and nibbled a little as she raised herselt into a more upright position although she was still sitting on the bed, and still leaning against the pillows. She cradelled the phone to her ear, hoping that she would be able to manage without another quick disappearence...

Sighing, she tried to keep her attention focused on the person she knew was on the other end of the phone, thinking how much she wanted to see him, and
consoling herself with the thought that she would be able to do just that when it came to the weekend. "I miss you guys..." She told him softly, realising as she did that she was repeating something she had already said earlier but in the end not minding so much.

She just wished he could be there with her... Randa was great, but she missed Max so much... Now that she had the phone cards, she could of course look forward to some longer calls, but it still wasn't the same as being there with him... All this stuff was going on with Serena, and all she could do was listen as the others explained...

She could hear some voices in the background, one raised, sounding distressed, but she couldn't make out who it was or what was being said. The feeling she had that something was happening, of the bad variety, was getting worse though... "Max...what's going on...is everyone ok back there...?" She asked with a growing feeling of trepidation.

*Max*

Max heard Liz on the line again and listened carefully as she explained about the extended twenty-four hour bug. He frowned slightly, having assumed that her trouble of the day before would be all sorted by now. If she was still puking over nothing....

But at least it wasn't another mind-warp.

"It's okay, Liz. You can't control it if you're sick. I'm sorry you're not feeling well." Max told her soothingly. He heard most of Isabel's desperate description and could feel the anquish in her tone. He bit his lip, wanting to talk to both girls. Kyle was there, assuring Isabel and Max hoped desperately that she would listen. He hated that look of helpless desperation on her face.

"Is she okay?" Max heard Maria from over his shoulder. There wasn't room for anyone-else in the bathroom but as Max turned, he could see that Maria was straining to see and also searching Max's face.

Max wasn't completely sure which 'she' Maria was talking about, but the answer was almost the same. "Not really, but I think she will be...." At least, he hoped so. Isabel looked so ... broken.

Then Liz was on the line again. "Max...what's going on...is everyone ok back there...?" she asked, just like Maria just did.

Max shook his head, although he knew Liz couldn't see it. "Not at the moment," he told her. "But it will be. Isabel just broke through a major mind-warp. She was there when Alex died and Tess..." Well, Max thought, biting his lip. What Tess had done was obvious. But Alex dying had to be about the worst possible thing he could think of for Isabel to witness. For all her 'ice-princess' show, she was really very vulnerable and Alex had been closer to her than any human -- possibly even more than their parents... ~LIz~

"Not just at the moment..."

The words cut into her. As Max proceeded to explain, as much as was needed, what had happened, she found herself cursing the fact she was so far away. She wanted to help her friend, Isabel had helped her through so much, just as the rest of them had, over the past few months, and she wanted to be there...

When she had first gone away, it had been what she needed, she had no doubt of that... Perhaps even now, she needed a little time, but at the same time, she found herself wishing that it wasn't still another week until she was due to go back. She wanted to be due back now, she wanted to feel Max's arms around her, and see her friends again...

Of course the sickness wouldn't make it ideal to travel, but she pushed away this little concern.

If it wasn't for the fact that she had to beg her parents to go away, she would ask to go back early, but as it was, she knew it would sound suspicious if she did. She had to make it through this week, and then she would be back...

She would be back with her friends, and back with Max...

Swallowing, she turned her attention back to the phone and nodded although she knew he couldn't see her. "Alright...I'm sorry I'm not there Max...I wish I could be back with you all..." She paused a moment. "I might not be able to be there, but I'm thinking about you all though, I know you'll all be there for Isabel..."
*Max*

"Yeah, we'll take care of her," I say to Liz on the phone. I should probably let her go since I know know that Liz is okay - or at least that it's just an ordinary illness. She's over her crisis and can take care of herself just fine. While Isabel... Isabel is still shaking and very unhappy, blaming herself for something she didn't do.

And yet, I can't let go of Liz. I need her. Even if she's not here, I don't want to break the connection we have over the phone. And I'm sure she doesn't want to hear about it afterwards, either.

I look back at Isabel, reaching again for her knee. "Isabel. You didn't sit back and do nothing. You went there. You were there for him. You tried. The only way to have stopped it would have been to kill Tess, and none of us knew that she was a threat then. You didn't know."
[/b]

[isabelle]

I'm really looking forward to this!

[StormWolfstone]

:D Can't wait to get started again

[KatnotKath]

OOC: well, if you're both eager to start, guess I should really be seeing about finishing putting up these last few posts from the orginal thread - sorry for the delay

(A collection of posts for Max and Liz)

**A couple of days later, very late at night**

~Liz~

Turning over in bed, Liz sighed and looked up at the ceiling… She had been lying in bed for over two hours now, and still nothing happened. She had closed her eyes, but still, she couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t that she felt sick as she had been doing in the mornings…in fact it wasn’t anything that she could put her finger on… She just couldn’t sleep…

Perhaps it was something to do with the fact she was preoccupied with what might have happened back in Roswell since she last spoke to Max. He had said they would keep her up to date, if anything big happened, and she had spoken to him for shorter periods a couple of times using the phone cards, but usually it seemed that one, or other of them, had to go before they had been on long.

She missed him dreadfully… Coming away from Roswell had been the right thing for her, for a time, but she also knew that going back was what she needed to do as well…

After everything that had happened, her mother had briefly mentioned the idea of her going away to school – to get back on track – but she had convinced her that she didn’t need that… A promise to get her grades back up to where they had been…before Max…had been required, but she had convinced them to let her stay… A short break away over the holiday was all she had needed, she had told them… She would be fine…

A short break away from the others, to sort out her head… To try and get over things her parents or aunt couldn’t even comprehend…

Biting her lip, her mind began to go over the events of the past year… The minwarps, the tricks, Alex’s death…the loss of such a good friend…

A single tear began to slip down her cheek, creeping out from the corner of her eye. Sitting up in bed, she wiped it away with the back of her hand and swung her kegs over the side of the bed, standing up and walking over to the window.

Reaching out with one hand, she raised the side of one curtain and looked out at the dark sky…

Turning for a moment, she looked over at the picture which stood on her bedside table…a picture of Max… On impulse, she went back over and picked it up, taking it back over to the window where she stood, looking out…

Her finger trailed around an outline of the face in front of her. “I love you…” She whispered softly.

Continuing to stare out the window, without realising it, her hand began to tap softly against the glass in the frame. Tap…tap…tap…

An image flashed through her mind of another clear night like this… Of staring at the night sky…with…Max…?

The scene didn’t seem familiar… Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate, to retain the image… Her head began to throb as further images began to run through her mind… Meeting Max at the observatory… Talking… And then…more…

Max and Tess… She shook her head – no…that wasn’t right…

Suddenly, everything slipped into place… How that mindwarp for Max had been different… She felt her chest tightening, a sob rising in her throat as she remembered what had happened…

She remembered going to him after she received the phone call…she remembered talking to him… She remembered kissing him, and, she remembered the most wonderful night of her life that had been hidden from her for so long…

As she received a final flash, the face of the girl she hoped never to see again in her life, Liz could bear it no more, and as she reached the bed once more, she collapsed onto it, sobbing desperately into the pillows.

*Max*

Max drove back to town from the airport, enjoying the quiet night. He’d been asked to deliver a package there for Brody, since all the post offices in town were closed at that hour of the day. Now, he shucked his yellow vest onto the floor ‘cause he was done for the night. His jeep crested a small rise and the dome of the planetarium came into view. Max frowned and turned away, not wanting to remember the last time he saw that place at night. The last time he’d been there. When Liz had been so angry at him and Tess had approached, feigning friendship. What happened next was a mind-warp, he knew, but it still hurt to remember it. And it wasn’t just the false memories that hurt, but the real ones, too. The knowledge that he had actually trusted her and Tess had nearly destroyed them all.

With a frown, Max reached over to change the radio station, looking for something more soothing. He didn’t notice how his fingers had started drumming on the steering wheel as he drove. They still hadn’t had the opportunity to let Kyle try to get closer to Serena. Max was anxious to for some movement there. He didn’t like not knowing what sort of threat she might pose to the group…

Ten minutes later, Max parked the jeep at the curb by his house. He sighed as he climbed out, noting that the lights were still on in the kitchen and the living room. His parents were still up. Or, he hoped, maybe it was just Isabel.

Max walked in the house, putting the keys on the hook by the door in case Isabel needed the jeep. Walking through the living room, he saw both his parents watching television. “Hi,” he said.

“Hey, Max,” Phillp Evans said. “Is everything okay?”

“What?” Max asked, feeling a bit distracted as he turned back towards his father. His hand rested on the door-jamb as his fingers continued their repetitive dance on the wood. “Yeah, sure. Everything’s fine.”

“You look a little pale,” Diane noted, eyeing him critically. “Maybe you should get to bed early tonight. Don’t stay up all night talking to Liz.”

“Yeah, sure,” Max agreed, readily. He’d already talked to Liz earlier that afternoon and didn’t expect her to call again, even ‘though it was still two hours earlier for her in Florida than it was there in Roswell. “G’night Mom and Dad,” he said, and then continued to his bedroom.

Max flopped onto his bed, kicking off his shoes as he turned to pick up the picture of Liz that was sitting on the end table by his bed. He ran his fingers gently down the glass covered photo, slowly re-revealing her face. Then he traced the lines of her hair and her chin, pausing briefly to kiss the tips of his finger and press them against the image of her lips.

He paused then, smiling for several moments before suddenly realizing how his fingers drummed against the frame. A gasp escaped him and his eyes widened in fearful recognition. The photo dropped to the bedspread as he grabbed his own wrist. Max bit the inside of his lip, realizing that another mindwarp was coming close to breaking.

He glanced around the room, wildly, wondering how long it had been going on. What had set it off? How close was he? A feeling of nausea settled into his stomach although there was no physical cause. It was just his own dread of what new deception might still remain undiscovered after all this time...

He wondered briefly if Isabel was home but he knew he couldn’t bother her. She’d been through so much. Max was amazed at how fragile she had seemed at times since Alex’s death. No, he wouldn’t disturb her, but he couldn’t let it slip by him, either. He picked up the photo again, staring at it, knowing there had to be more to it than just Liz. He’d stared at the picture every night since she was away, and even before then. Still, it was the most recent thing he touched.

Liz’s gentle smile stared back at Max, but did nothing to ease the worry growing behind his eyes. “Liz…” he whispered, trying to recollect his recent movements. What had started this? The jeep? He was in that every day, it hadn’t caused a reaction before. The same with the familiar streets near the house. Could it be the airport? He hadn’t been there when Liz had almost left for Sweden, it didn’t seem likely. The planetarium at night?

A flash of light dashed across his eyes and Max knew he was close. Sitting up, he turned to look at one of the posters on his wall. This one was a desert starscape with an inspirational slogan scrawled across the bottom. Max had liked it because it made him think of all the unknowns out there and he’d put it on his wall before he’d even known the name of his other homeworld. He stared at it, remembering the night in the planetarium and then his eyes dropped to the photo of Liz again.

*Flash* He was on the floor of the planetarium, kissing soft lips as his hand moved over a bare shoulder. He didn’t see a face, but he was sure he knew who he was with.

NO! Max screamed silently, falling back onto the bed. That wasn’t real. He knew it wasn’t real. He hadn’t slept with Tess.

But the rush of images continued to flash through his mind along with an overwhelming feeling of desperation, love and relief. The face eluded him, or maybe he was avoiding her. But he saw his hand caressing the bare flesh of a trim waist, moving down over a naked hip. A slim female hand, stroked his chest. A long lingering kiss filled his senses as his eyes closed. He felt her warm body against his chest.

Max felt his breath growing fast and shallow as a strangled sound forced itself from his throat. This wasn’t what he wanted to see. This wasn’t real, he told himself. He wanted to see the truth.

In his mind, he saw his fingers pushing wavy blonde hair back from a face that he finally saw was Tess’s. But the hair in his hand darkened and straightened until it was Liz’s straight brown tresses. Pulling back, he saw Liz’s face, so sweet and beautiful. He saw the remnants of tears on her cheeks and he rubbed them away, bending low for another kiss. His body moved forward and back as he made love to her, erasing all the heartache that had lain between them both.

A moment later, he spent himself within her, collapsing by her side and lying there for long minutes, just smiling into her eyes as his hand continued to stroke and caress every part of her. He remembered then how she had appeared at the planetarium while he stared at the stars, so lost and alone. In a few words, he had finally recognized that all Liz had guessed was true and they were no longer on opposite sides.

Then, as they lay so languidly entwined, a shadow crossed the floor and Max looked up to see Tess. He had just a second to notice how her teeth bared themselves in anger, her eyes wide with fury before it was all over.

Gasping, Max could again see the ceiling of his own bedroom and he knew. This was the reason the mindwarp about sleeping with Tess had seemed so real. He did have sex that night. It just wasn’t with Tess.

It was with Liz…

Max ground his teeth together, hating Tess all the more for what she’d stolen from him, from both of them. The memory of such a precious time with Liz, their first, he was sure. Tess had stolen it and warped it into something for her own twisted plans. Even ‘though he’d now recovered it to some extent, it would always be tainted in the way she had used it against him. Grimacing, Max clenched his hands into fists just before every lightbulb in the room exploded.

~Liz~

Gasping for air, Liz turned over, looking up at the ceiling as she continued to sob. To know that something as special as this had been taken from her...from them...

Of all the things that Tess had done, all the warps which had broken, to date the worst had been that about FutureMax... To know that she had played her so successfully, to know that she herself had driven Max towards Tess because of that...

What would have happened if she had told him where to go, or gone to Max when it first happened...? Would Alex still have been there... Would Tess have been uncovered for what she was sooner...? In truth of course it wasn't possible to know for certain... They could theorise, but so many things could have been changed...

Blame couldn't be left on any of their shoulders... It was something each of them had been forced to accept... For some it was harder than others, but the fact was, that what happened wasn't their fault... Only one person was to blame, that person who had killed Alex...that person who had betrayed and tricked them all...

The image of her face, glowering above as she looked up from where she had been laying in the observatory, replayed in her head. The events of the evening were beginning to fall into place, and she was horrified by the fact that it had been hidden for so long...

After recieving the phone call at the airport, she remembered catching a taxi in silence... Her money had all been spent, but that wasn't important to her... She could earn more... The important thing was that this confirmed that soemthing had indeed happened... If Alex wasn't in Sweaden all that time, where had he been...?

She had been on her way home, when they had passed the observatory... She had noticed the jeep, parked up outside, and told the driver to drop her off there... What she had been going to say she didn't know, but she had to talk to Max...

He had been shocked to see her of course, but she had forced him to listen to what she had to say, and in the end had appologised, accepting finally that she had been right all along. Before she realised what had happened, she had found herself being pulled into his arms, his lips kissing her, first on her lips, and then her neck...

She remembered pressing her lips back against his, running through a 'dance' which neither of them had 'performed' in some time...

She had told him how sorry she was, wanting to tell him everything about Kyle, and FutureMax, but he had placed his finger on her lips, telling her it didn't matter... Soon he replaced his finger with his lips once more, and then all the flashes began. Quick and plentiful, they filled her mind as their connection was awakened for the first time in months...

She had missed him so much... Looking up at him, she had seen something in his eyes, and before she could say anything, he whispered to her. "I know...I know everything now..." He pushed away her fears with his attentions, and somewhere in among everything, they found themselves lying down...

The kisses became longer, and the attentions more intense... His hand slipped over her breast, and her top began to ride up revealing her pale skin. She played with his hair, her fingers then trailing down his neck and drawing small circles on his skin.

Not really registering how, she had found herself without her shirt, this state mirrored by Max.

The events of that night continued to flow through her mind as she lay there. The way he had touched her ever so gently, the kisses, first simple and innocent, but growing more intense very quickly. The way they had laid there, together, the way his hand had slid over her thigh, gently caressing...

How these memories had been taken from her she didn't know, how something like this could have happened, and she could have been completely unaware...

Of all the things, of all the deceptions they had uncovered, she couldn't help thinking that this was the worst. To take something so precious...

Oh Max...how could she have taken this from us...how could we have been unaware...?

Turning over in bed, she drew the covers into her chest, clutching at them much like a safety blanket. Each and every other time a warp had broken, she had been with one of the others, or at the very least she had been able to contact them.

Given the time difference, this was hardly a suitable time to phone Max though, and how would she talk about something like this on the phone anyway - it was personal, sensitive... She wanted to be looking into his eyes as she told him...

Five days...five days until she would go home...five days until she would see him again... Could she continue to cope with this alone that long... How would she speak on the phone and not say something...? And yet, how could she tell him something like this over the phone. For all she knew it might cause his own warp to break, and she didn't want to cause him the distress of going through that alone just because she couldn't wait...

"Oh Max...I miss you so much..." She whispered softly through sobs, reaching once more for the picture of him which stood on the bedside table, and then kissing it gently with her lips. "Five days...and then we'll be together...I promise not to leave again...I promise..."

As the words slipped from her mouth, further tears slipped from her eyelids, crying softly. She set the frame back down on the table and then lay back down, her eyes fixed on the picture a she continued to sob silently, her eyelids closing slowly and the tears running down her face and onto the pillow.


***THE FOLLOWING MORNING***

~Liz~

Liz groaned, rolling over in bed as she reached up and rubbed her eyes. Glancing at the clock, she saw it had already gone ten, and she sat up, yawning as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Grabbing a robe to wrap around herself, she slid her arms and knotted the tie around her waist before standing and walking over to the mirror.

She took in her appearance. The only thing that seemed to suggest soemthing might be wrong was her red eyes, caused by tones of crying, and the dark spots under her eyes from lack of sleep. Although she had come up to bed over twelve hours ago, she hardly felt as though she had slept for more than two hours - she probably hadn't in fact, having spent most of the night tossing and turning or crying.

Now that the mindwarp had broken, it kept going over and over in her head. Tess had taken that from her...from Max. She had tainted it with the memories she had placed there... Her first time...a wonderful thing which had in fact happened with Max but that she had been completely unaware of until now. Tess...

Just thinking about the girl who had taken so much from her, threatened to ruin everything, seemed to make Liz's stomach churn again. In truth whether it was really just the stomach bug she had come down with she didn't know, but she wasn't sure if she cared either...

Running through to the bathroom, she dropped down in front of the toilet, dry heaving today since she hadn't eaten anything the night before. Despite the amount she had already cried, the tears had no trouble in coming, and they snaked down her cheeks, dropping onto the floor as Liz finally pulled back from the toilet. She drew her legs up against her chest, wrapping her arms around them to hold them tight and leaning her back against the wall as her head dropped forward and she continued to sob desperately.