YOU SAY YOU'LL GIVE ME EYES
IN A MOON OF BLINDNESS;
A RIVER IN A TIME OF DRYNESS . . .
A HARBOR IN THE TEMPEST . . .
BUT ALL THE PROMISES WE MAKE
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,
WHEN ALL I WANT IS YOU . . .
U2

As quickly as passion had exploded between Isaac and Michelle, it evaporated in the space of a single heartbeat. The pair suddenly felt something strange . . . something that was very wrong. Isaac pulled away slightly and rolled to his side of the bed, scanning the room quickly for any signs of something out of the ordinary. The sense of alertness from earlier was back and intensified into something a whole lot more like panic. Adrenaline slid into Isaac's blood with such force that he could actually taste it. Michelle sat up slightly and searched his face for answers to the troubling sensations creeping up and down her spine. Before Isaac could fully assimilate everything that was happening, the door to his bedroom suddenly swung open. Without a moment's hesitation, he shoved Michelle to the floor and landed heavily beside her. In the next moment, he felt his mother's presence and insistent apology for scaring him half to death ringing in his ears. She had no idea that her presence wasn't what had caused the fear to begin with.

Surging up from the floor, he leapt across the bed and toward the two older women who stood there. Knocking them to the ground, and the air out of their lungs in the process, he yelled to Michelle to stay down.

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Joel heard Isaac's first audible syllable. Not even knowing or caring what it was, a rush of movement ensued like a falling house of cards. Responding solely to the urgency, he threw off the blanket dragging Olivia to the floor as gently as possible. She woke up as the sudden rush of cool air chased away the cocoon of warmth she had been enveloped in. He tried to reassure her as best he could considering the fact that they *were* on the floor and there was really no way around that small detail. He desperately wanted to help Isaac, but leaving Olivia alone was out of the question . . .

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Max, too, heard Isaac's shout, and with startling speed broke through the doorway of his son's bedroom, only to find way too many people in it for his peace of mind. Suddenly, he was quite relieved that he'd gotten up during the night and put some shorts on. Isaac was crouched beside Liz and Maria, who were trying to recover their wits along with their air supply. Max immediately sought out Liz to make sure she was unharmed and next his eyes travelled to Isaac's glittering gaze. Something was definitely very wrong here. Before he could ask what it was, Isaac disappeared around the other side of the bed and reappeared with Michelle right beside him. Max closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to prioritize the questions he had for his son, who had some incredible amounts of explaining to do.

Max: (voice strained) "What happened, Isaac?"

Isaac: (too distracted to even realize that he had just been summarily caught with Michelle in his bedroom by not one but three parents) "I don't know. . . . I just felt something strange . . . "

Before he could even try to explain, Michael followed closely by Isabel and Alex, arrived taking in the scene in an instant.

Michael: (eyes falling first on Maria and then Michelle and then focusing steadily on Isaac) "What the hell?"

Isabel: (glancing around the room and then at Michael) "Oh my God." (unconsciously seeking out and finding Alex's hand)

Alex: (blowing out his breath) "Oh boy."

There was no mistaking the underlying fury behind Michael's words, but there was also no missing the intent. Michael had questions for Isaac, but they weren't going to take place until everyone was safe . . .

Max: "Did you see anyone? . . . Anything at all?"

Isaac: (fear still filled his voice, communicating more effectively than words) "No, but I know something happened."

Max: (placing his hand on Isaac's shoulder) "That's good enough for me."

Isaac turned to his dad then, and not only drew strength from the confidence that he'd shown in him, but something else . . . something more fundamental . . . his identity. He was the son of a very powerful man . . . a ruler . . . a leader . . . a king.

Max: "Let's make sure the girls are all in a safe place and then we'll take a look around."

Michael watched the interchange between Max and Isaac approvingly, but somehow it was a lot easier to be proud of Isaac before he discovered Michelle in his bedroom . . .

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Even though, Max had pretty much decided that the boys would end up with the girls before the night was finished, it was a lot harder to face the reality. He stood in the doorway to the bathroom and tried really hard to be reasonable. Joel was lying on the floor in a protective posture, beside his daughter . . . his baby . . .

At least, Olivia was sleeping.

Joel stared up at Max every bit as silent as the older man.

Max: "We need to move the girls to the back bedroom and then we're going to take a look around outside."

Joel nodded and got up, picking Olivia up with ease and standing in front of Max, waiting to follow him to the other bedroom.

Max took in the picture of Joel holding Olivia and knew that the boy, err, man, would likely die before he'd let anything happen to her. It was easy to recognize in another man what was in your own heart. The realization was oddly comforting and heartbreaking at once.

Max: (grudingly but making an effort) "Thank you for staying with her."

Joel's face reflected the surprise he felt at those words and then he shrugged just a little.

Joel: "I couldn't leave her alone."

Max nodded this time in understanding and led the way to the back of the house.

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Olivia woke up briefly and wondered what was happening but still felt too weak to concentrate. Her mind wandered over the possibilities as she tried to sort out why Joel was carrying her around in the middle of night, when she was just so tired . . . .

Next, Michelle was placed beside Olivia in Max and Liz's bed, followed by Maria and Liz. Once safely ensconced, Joel and Isaac and Max and Michael and Isabel and Alex made their way to the living room.

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Michael could barely contain his emotions and it showed. Discovering his daughter albeit on the floor in Isaac's room had not been a stellar moment in his life as a parent. If he didn't love Isaac so much, he'd kill him without remorse or question, but he couldn't force himself to stop loving the kid, even now, but that didn't mean he wasn't mad as hell at him.

Alex: "What's this all about?" (rubbing one hand over tired eyes)

Isabel: (alert and focused despite the hour) "What are we looking for?"

Max turned to Isaac and waited to see if he had anything else to add.

Isaac (grimacing) "It was just a feeling. I'm sorry. I don't know how to explain it. I just knew something was really wrong . . . "

Isabel: "It's o.k. , Isaac. That's worth investigation considering everything else that's happened tonight."

Isaac shot an appreciative glance at his aunt in thanks for her support.

Joel: "Maybe we should split up and look around outside . . . "

Max: (sharply) "No."

Taking in the mutinous expression on Joel's face, he decided that this was a good time to explain himself.

Max: "I don't want anyone alone. We need to be with at least one other person. (Joel's expression altered perceptibly with the delivery of Max's concern.) "Michael, why don't you take Isaac with you, and Alex and Isabel can go together, and I'll take Joel with me."

Both Isaac and Joel were stunned at Max's choice of pairings. Isaac because his dad obviously trusted him and didn't feel the need to supervise his every move, and Joel because Max had chosen him at all. Max secretly hoped that Michael and Isaac would be able to come to some sort of understanding without bloodshed. The sooner the better. The group quietly disband and headed out of the house through varied exits.

Isabel and Alex scoured the back of the house, closest to the bedroom where the women were huddled together. Liz thanked God that she could recognize and make out the forms of her sister-in-law and best friend. Otherwise, she might have been terrified to see two people lurking around her backyard just now . . .

Isaac and Michael took the side of the house and made a close inspection of the ground and anything else that seemed pertinent, finding absolutely nothing . . .

Isaac glanced cautiously at his father's best friend and his "uncle" in every way except the literal. Isaac knew that if they had not been in the middle of an extremely dangerous situation, he would be facing a very bad scene right now.

Isaac (pausing for a moment): "I know this isn't the time, but I need to say something to you."

Michael stopped and turned to face Isaac, even though he really didn't want to. He just did not want to hear what he was fairly certain Isaac was going to say.

Isaac: "I love her."

Yep. That's what he didn't want to hear. Damn.

Michael: (barely maintaining the anger he had felt earlier and feeling very old) "You're right. This isn't the time to talk about it, Isaac."

Isaac: (voice filled with regret) "I know. I just want you to understand that I want her forever."

Michael: (exploding as quietly as possible) "How can you say that? You're only 17 years old!"

Isaac: (quietly) "Isn't that how old you were when you met Maria? My mom and dad were married at 18."

Michael: (calming slightly as the truth of what he said sank in) "What are you saying, Isaac?"

Isaac: (taking a deep breath) "I'm saying that as soon as we graduate, I want to marry Michelle."

Memories of Isaac in diapers and then as a toddler, and later as a small boy clouded Michael's mind and made the idea of marriage seem . . . ridiculous . . . ludicrous . . . preposterous. But, then, those images had very little to do with the man who stood before him now.

Michael: (stunned) . . . . . . . . "Look, I don't see anything here. Maybe we should find the others."

Isaac: (disappointed but understanding) "Yeah. Maybe we should."

Michael: (silent for a moment more but then meeting Isaac's eyes) "I can think of worse things than having you for a son-in-law."

Isaac remained quiet and thankful, because as blessings went, that was probably the best he could've hoped for from Michelle's dad . . . and he was still alive, too.

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Max's eyes continuously scanned the area in front of the house, which in Joel's opinion, was the most likely place that they would find something. Isaac's bedroom faced the front of the house . . .

Joel watched Max in fascination and not a little bit of respect as he diligently uncovered every single avenue . . .

Finally, Max, pointed to the ground directly beneath Olivia's window, which was just a bit farther down than Isaac's.

As Joel looked on, Max waved his hand over the area and it began to glow in certain places. The outline of footprints became distinctly clear after a few seconds had passed and Joel wondered if he'd fallen down the rabbit hole for at least the third time that night. It was one thing to acknowledge that they were aliens, but to watch them actually . . . being aliens, was another thing altogether.

Alex and Isabel, gradually made their way to where Joel and Max were safeguarding the outlines of two sets of prints. In a few minutes, Michael and Isaac joined them with nothing to report. As they approached, however, Isaac wished vehemently that his fears had been unfounded. He would have gladly been a fool rather than be right in this case.

Isaac: "Dad?"

Max: (expression grim) "You were right, Isaac."

Isaac: "Wish I hadn't been."

Max said nothing but the entire group, including Joel, which would bother him later, felt the enormity and the sheer magnitude of what was facing them. They couldn't be on guard every second of every day . . .

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