"I have a feeling."

"A feeling?" Michael echoed, disbelief obvious in his voice.

"You were the one that said I love her. That love goes both ways."

"Max," Michael began as he scrubbed his eyes with his fingers, "don't you think it's time to admit that she's not going to come trudging up the mountain to say she's sorry?"

"Leaving this spot would mean giving up on her. I'm not ready to do that yet."

"But she gave up on you." Michael prepared himself for Max to defend Liz and wasn't planning on backing down until he saw his side. But to his surprise Max was silent for a long pause. When Max did turn and raise his eyes to Michael, they were flooded with tears.

"I know," he said, his voice breaking with sadness. "Why did she do that?"

Michael's shoulders slumped in the defeat that he didn't think would come this way. "I don't know," was the only thing he knew to mumble. "Hey, let's go," he said, gently pulling on Max's shoulder.

Max swatted his away. "I said I'm waiting!" he yelled like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Max-"

"She's coming back Michael," he insisted, cutting Michael off. "She is coming back," he repeated saying each word deliberately, although his voice was wavering.

"Max...no she's not." Michael wanted Max to see the truth and the only way he saw left was to just blatantly point it out. He was quickly becoming frustrated with Max's childlike insistence in this delusion. This time he grabbed Max by his upper arm and pulled him to his feet. "Let's go," he said softly yet forcefully.

"No," he replied through clenched teeth.

Michael's breaking point came with those two letters. He began pulling Max towards the cave and when he wouldn't walk, he drug him.

"Michael, she's coming back, she's coming back Michael, I need to wait for her!" Max was babbling over and over. With a burst of strength he broke free of Michael's grip, lost his balance and stumbled to his knees. His babbling turned to sobbing and he buried his face between his knees. Michael had obviously expected Max to be upset but didn't think it would be to this extent. He kneeled down to place a hand on his friend's back. Max abruptly raised his head and through his crying shouted "Liz!" in a scream that had to make his throat raw. The commotion brought Isabel and Tess from the cave, worry etched on their faces.

Isabel ran to her brother's side and wrapped her arms around him as he continued to cry and mumble, "Come back, please come back." A lump formed in her throat and tears threatened to spill over as she looked up at Michael and Tess, a pleading in her eyes. Not a word was exchanged as a look of understanding came upon her. Michael almost thought he saw her age before him as a wisdom not yet learned creeped into her face. A deep silence came over the three, the only sound being Max's whimpering. Isabel placed a kiss on her brother's head and murmured, "She will be back. But there's work to be done first." She wouldn't have imagined that he would have actually been listening, but as a response he pulled his sister into a tight embrace.

And on a desert mountainside four adults breathed the last few moments of the adolescence they so desperately clung to.