Liz enveloped in the warmth and love of her man and their children finally fell asleep, her own tears drying on her cheeks.

The 8 of them couldn't bear to be apart after what had happened in the last 24 hours, so Jordan had told the four from college to stay at the ranch house while they tried to settle up the funeral arrangements and stay until after the funeral itself.

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

Liz was dreaming.... * she went down a long corridor and stopped in front of a solid white door. When the door opened, she was shocked and happy to see her parents and all of the adults thought dead look up from their positions in the cell.

What were they doing here? They were alive? Liz frowned in her sleep thinking she must be dreaming and that she should wake up because the thought of her parents not dead only to wake up to reality would be too much.

Then a voice could be heard. Whoever had opened the door to the cell was now addressing the adult captives.

"Soon I will have Max Evans, his wife and their half breed babies. Then your reason for still existing will be gone." The voice sounded pleased.

"Max won't risk Liz and the babies for you you maniac!" Diane Evans cried out.

The man with no face chuckled. "He will have no choice. His wife will not be able to live thinking she could have saved your lives with her own. They will both show up for the sake of their family and what will happen to all of you if they don't.

"They will come to this abandoned airbase and give themselves up for the sake of their family, only to find out that there is no hope for any of you. But by then it will be too late and I will have them." The voice laughed coldly, making Liz shiver in her sleep.

Liz's eyes flew open and she turned her head to see Max still asleep quietly beside her. She was still wrapped up in his arms, but now she slid out of bed quietly, and went into the bathroom to wash her face.

Liz looked in the mirror and tried to think about what her dream meant. Was it just a dream? God she didn't want to think that their parents and friends were being held captive because of her and Max, but if they were alive! Liz took deep breaths trying to decide what to do. Should she tell Max her dream?

Then the thought of it being real, and a trap for her and Max, came back to her. And then her vision of Max surrounded by blood, with his mom over him crying that he was dead came to her and she shivered and gripped the sink. NO! Even if her dream was real, she could not tell Max about it. Then she would be cementing his fate. What could she do? And how could she keep this from Max? Their thoughts could be like one most of the time, and when one was upset the other could feel it, read it.

Liz looked over at the time. It was a little after 4. She figured if she showered and left Max a note that she went to the lab for a bit since she couldn't sleep, that she might figure out how to keep him from reading her mind. It was screaming right now, but she knew once she calmed down, she could contain it somewhat.

Max lay awake as he listened to Liz take a shower. He had woken up when Liz had, but didn't want her to know it. His own emotions were churning. That dream! It had seemed so real, and something that an alien hunter would do. He remembered Topolsky and the special unit she had worked for. They probably hadn't given up. He didn't know whether to rejoice if they were alive, or curse that their family and friends were being held because of them. Where they being tortured for information? God he didn't think he could stand that thought! And had Liz woken up to the same dream? Is that why she was up and taking a shower. Her own mind churning? Did she think it was more than a dream or did she just think it was a nightmare that she needed to wash away? He hoped to hell Liz thought it was just a nightmare. Because he knew what he was going to have to do. He had to make sure it wasn't real. And the only way to do that was to find this abandoned air base himself. And he knew Liz would want to come along, or try to talk him out of going since she was afraid of her own visions of his death.

Max concentrated on deep even breathing when Liz came out of the shower and dressed, then wrote a note and slipped out of the room. Max jumped up to read it and was relieved when he saw what she'd written.

Max love,

I had a nightmare and couldn't go back to sleep. You looked like you were finally getting some needed sleep so I decided to go to the lab for a bit. I'm also going to check on Maria and the others too. I'll be back later.

Love,
Your Liz.

Max showered and dressed as well, all the time thinking of how he was going to find this air base and how he would get their parents out if it were true.

He would need help if they were really imprisoned by more of Topolsky's people. He would have to tell Kyle, Michael and Alex, and he knew he needed Jordan's help as well. But he hoped they would go along with what he had planned, because he believed it might be the only way for them.

He just had to keep the girls from finding out. And since all eight of them had close mental ties he had to make sure the guys kept this as blocked from the girls as they could. Which would probably mean stay away from them, as he would have to do with Liz.

He was relieved she'd made it so easy, by going to the lab today. He hated not sharing this with her. They never kept secrets…but he didn't want her risking herself or the babies for anything. And he knew she wouldn't let him go if she knew. Especially if she knew what he planned.

**********

Liz waited for Maria in her lab. When she heard Maria's hurried footsteps down the hall, Liz stepped into the hall and met her best friend in an embrace.

"Oh my God Lizzy!? What is it? You sounded so strange on the phone." Maria said as they went back into Liz's lab room.

"What did you tell Michael?" Liz asked pacing and wringing her hands.

"I just told him that you needed to talk. He got a phone call right after that so I didn't have to answer too many questions or he probably would have sensed my anxiety. What is it that you don't want Michael or Max to know about?" Maria asked worriedly and went and stood in front of her pacing friend to get her to stop.

"Liz. What IS it?" she pleaded.

Liz took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how to say this. I don't want to get your hopes up if it's not true, or if it is true...what can we do about it. I mean, I can't let Max go out there. He will surely be killed because I SAW his death!" Liz started babbling.

"Chica! Start from the beginning. Take deep breaths." Maria advised and sat Liz down in a chair.

***********

That's the STUPIDEST thing I've ever heard you say bro!" Michael swore and paced Jordan's living room where the men were all talking.

"You have a better plan Michael? A better way of getting this Pierce to let them go?" Max asked calmly. He looked down at the note he had in his hands. Right before he had left to meet with the guys, he'd received a telegram with the proof that their family was still alive and that Liz's vision had been real.

It was address to both Mr. and Mrs. Evans and told them to meet this Pierce guy out in the desert about 30 miles from here, alone tonight, in exchange for their parents. He had also sent all three sets of wedding bands from their mothers to prove he had them. He also stated if they didn't come alone, they would not see their parents alive.

"You are NOT going to give yourself up to them! What makes you think Pierce will believe that you will have Liz come only after he releases all the parents, and what make s you think Pierce will release them?" Alex tried to stay calm himself.

"They will want Liz and...our babies..." Max choked on the thought. "So they will have to give up the parents for Liz."

"Like he would believe that you would give up Liz and the babies for our parents?" Kyle added, not liking this cockeyed plan either.

"He will believe that Liz will give herself up for her parents. He isn't a man with human emotions or he wouldn't be suggesting taking a woman and her…. children and.…doing God knows what to them. He is thinking Liz would give herself up for her parents... but he obviously doesn't know about the human mother or any mother who would NEVER give up anything for her children. Liz won't do it. Liz won't give herself up with our children inside her. I would worry that she would do it if she weren't pregnant. But with the babies to protect, Liz would never do it." Max assured them.

"Not even for you Maxwell?" Michael asked, giving them all pause.

"No. She would risk anything, including herself, but not our children. I know Liz. The way I would not risk anything for her, she will not risk anything for our babies. She will fight another way. But she will not give herself up, that much I know. And that is what I'm counting on. No matter what happens to me, I know Liz and the babies will be okay." He said calmly. That was all he cared about.

"And besides, this will all end fine if you guys can get into the place once I'm there to tell you where to go. Pierce has no idea that I can communicate with you mentally. So once he takes me to where our parents are, I can let you know how to get there and you can use Michael and Jordan's powers to free me and if Pierce doesn't let the parents go, you can free all of us. But it's crucial that I get taken to where our parents are."

Jordan had been quiet up until now. "Let's go with this plan for now since we don't have much time. Max has to be out by the old Canyon by 5." He said quietly.

"You have another idea Uncle Jordan?" Max questioned watching the older man closely.

"Perhaps." Jordan said quietly.

********

"So what do we do?" Maria asked, biting on her fingernails and pacing now.

Liz was sitting in the chair trying to think of how they could find out where this air base was.

"I think I know what air base that person might have been talking about." Cassie said suddenly. Her own green eyes wide with worry and her pale face even more pale against her vibrantly red hair.

They all looked over at her anxiously.

Maria and Liz had called the other girls as soon as they could, to come up with a plan to keep Max out of harm's way.

"Isabel, remember that time we stopped on the way to Albuquerque from here. There was an old sign, something about a military base…it was a very old sign and faded and knocked down, but that one time Kyle had to make that pit stop on the way home and we stopped by the side of the road, I saw the sign. It's about 50 or 60 miles from here. Maybe the base was further in away from the highway, but not too far from the sign if this wasn't a nightmare...that could be the place." Cassie explained.

Isabel's eyes widened. "It wouldn't hurt to go look? At least then we'd know if this was more than an nightmare or not."

"How do we get close enough though if it IS an abandoned base that someone is holding our parents at? Do you think we'll just be able to walk right up to the gate?" Maria asked looking at them like they were crazy.

"That is where Cassie and my powers will come in to play. We will somehow all get close enough to at least see if there is a base and if there is, if there's activity of any kind. We will have to go at night, cause during the day that place would be too open if it does exist out there in the middle of the desert." Isabel suggested.

"So we go...tonight." Liz said quietly. "And we don't tell the guys. Cause they won't let us go, and we CAN'T let them go. Or….or Max will be killed if it is true." Liz's voice was barely audible.

"That's right... we'll make sure it's true first Liz. Then we'll figure out what we can do from there." Isabel comforted her friend with a hand to her shoulder and squeezed.

"Liz...don't you think you should stay here and let us go look to see if there really is an air base out there somewhere? I mean... Max would KILL us if you were hurt at all, specially with the babies...and how big you are right now so close to term." Cassie reminded Liz...saying what they all had wanted to say.

Liz swallowed and looked down at her stomach. She had thought of that, but she felt confident she would be okay. That she and her babies would be safe.

"It will be okay...I'll go with you guys just to see if there is a base. If there is, and there's activity, we'll be able to see if from far enough away to still all be okay and we'll come right back. I won't be in danger."

They all looked at each other, still not convinced. "Guys, if I stay here and I'm worried about you...Max will pick up on it immediately." She reminded them.