They drove all the rest of that day and into the night, and all through the next day until they arrived back at the bungalow, around 8:00 p.m. Tuesday Evening. They all tumbled out of the van, making a mad dash for the house and the bathrooms inside. Since there were only two available, there was the necessary line up in the halls outside. Everyone was a little cranky and on edge after all the traveling they had done since Saturday.

Finally, they had all had a chance to relieve themselves. The next big decision involved showers and who would be the first. They drew names and Tess and Kyle and Isabel and Alex were the first to go. Since they shared, this cut down on waiting time here. Those that remained, started dinner. Ava hadn’t had any real experience in a kitchen before, but with Liz’s direction, she was soon tearing lettuce and chopping vegetables like a pro.

They had picked up groceries on Friday, so the cupboards and fridge were well stocked.

While they were preparing the meal, Ava took a chance to look around the comfortable home. She had never lived in anything so luxurious before and she stared wide eyed at all the beautiful things. Liz explained to her how they had come by this wonderful possession, and she was amazed at Brody’s generosity.

When Isabel and Alex finished their shower, Liz let Ava take their turn. Max was not too happy about this, but he didn’t say anything, as Liz glared at him angrily.

"I’ll have to pay for that later," he thought miserably, as he finished up his kitchen tasks. He couldn’t understand how his life had turned around so abruptly since they had taken Ava under their wing. It seemed like Liz had no time for him anymore.

Finally, it was their turn to jump in the shower. They lathered up under the hot steamy spray, which was rapidly cooling down, as the hot water tank drained from so much usage. Max cursed under his breath, as he quickly rinsed off and Liz raced through shampooing her hair before the water turned too icy to rinse it.

They stepped out of the stall and Max grabbed a towel, flicking it over his body before wrapping it around his waist and stomping into the bedroom. Liz could hear him yanking on his dresser drawers as he searched for something to wear. When she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on his socks, a scowl etched on his otherwise handsome face.

She sidled up to him, and let her towel drop to the floor. He raised his eyes from her feet, slowly traveling up her legs and stopping at her mound before continuing up her flat abdomen and hesitating at her perky breasts. He paused for a moment longer when he went on to her slender neck and up to her smiling lips and finally stopping when he reached her twinkling eyes.

He couldn’t resist her as she stood there, so open for him and he pulled her towards him, planting wet kisses on her abdomen and rubbing his face into her soft skin. He pulled her down onto the bed and started kissing her passionately on the mouth. They both moaned at the sense of closeness that had been absent over the past few days, enjoying the feelings that were being stirred up inside.

Liz rubbed her mound into his arousal and he groaned as he felt himself responding. He shrugged out of his clothes, wanting to feel her skin next to his. They probed each others bodies, needing to belong to one another. He wanted her badly and he wanted her now. He reached down to check her readiness and then he slipped inside, taking her hard and fast. He pumped her with everything he had, and he didn’t think he could last that long. And for once, he didn’t care.

He knew Liz would always be there right with him and he pounded into her body . She rocked with him furiously, and kissed him hard on the mouth as he started to come, shoving her tongue deep inside his mouth as she searched for his. He continued to pump her as she came over and over for him, until he finally collapsed in release, sinking onto her body as the tension left him. She kissed him on the head, mothering him with her love.

That’s all he really wanted from her.....to know that he came first with her. She realized this and that’s why she gave herself to him so completely. She kept murmuring how much he meant to her and he sighed as he listened to her words, rubbing his face into her neck as he breathed in her special scent. He leaned up and kissed her tenderly on the lips and smiled into her eyes.

"I love you," he sighed.

"I love you too," she smiled back. "C’mon. We’d better get dressed. The others are probably waiting for us," she reminded him.

"I’m not that hungry. Why don’t we stay in here for awhile longer?"

"Because that would be rude. And besides, I’m starving. All this sex is making me into a ravenous pig and if I don’t get something to eat soon, I may have to eat you!" she kidded him.

"Well, I’m all for that!" he responded, as he eyed her dreamily.

"Oh God, why do you have to be so irresistible?" she exasperated. "Later," she promised, as she hopped out of bed.

She ran over to her dresser before he could pull her back onto the bed and started throwing on clothes.

"C’mon, Max!" she insisted.

"Alright," he grumbled. He got up and started re-dressing, and soon they were ready to re-join their friends.

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When they emerged from the bedroom, their companions just nodded at each other and returned to their kitchen duties. Ava watched the two in fascination as they glided around the kitchen, lingering as their fingertips touched, and then moving on to complete some task. They brushed passed each other frequently, their glowing countenances echoing their renewed love.

Ava recalled the many times that she and Zan had made love. They were the only times when his tender nature emerged. He showered her with his love as he pleasured her body, often cuddling after, as he whispered his true feelings to her. But, too soon, he would return to his old self, as he tried to project the hard image of the leader he was supposed to be. She felt that this was more for Lonnie and Rath’s benefit and not necessarily for her own.

Lonnie and Rath were cruel and crude, and Ava felt that Zan had to live up to their level of meanness, to maintain his position within the group. Sometimes, she would catch him staring at her with that same old softness he demonstrated when they were alone, but then the other two would walk in the room, and his aloof barrier would go up again.

"Dinner’s ready," Maria called as all the casseroles and dishes were finally placed on the table. They all joined her in the dining room, taking their accustomed seats around the table. They brought in an extra chair for Ava, who sat next to Tess.

They talked easily about things in general. Max brought up the fact that the gutters were filled up with some kind of gunk and that they should clean them out before the spring rains clogged them further.

"Well, as long as I’m not the one to have to climb the ladder," Kyle stated.

"Hey, Kyle, where’s your sense of adventure?" Michael jeered.

"Oh, I don’t know, Michael," Kyle shot back. "Maybe I left it in Mexico when that jaguar pushed me over that bank into the waiting jaws of those crocs. "Or maybe it was when we were trapped in that cave-in after the mudslide pushed us over that hill! I can’t really decide!"

"Kyle, I’m sure Michael was just kidding," Tess assured him, as she kicked Michael under the table.

"Ow! Uh.....yeah, I was just kidding," Michael winced, as he leaned down to rub his shin. "You know me....always the kidder," he laughed.

"Ava, we have a lot to talk about after dinner. Things have been a little wild with us lately," Liz pronounced as she turned to her.

"Wow!" Ava thought to herself. "Maybe these guys weren’t as lame as our leaders said they were. They’ve been to Mexico and had run-ins with jaguars and crocodiles and were trapped in a cave-in. My God, I can’t wait to hear the whole story!"

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Kyle excused himself from the table, after the meal, and went to lie down in their room. Tess followed him in a few minutes later.

"Anything wrong, Buddha Boy?" she said as she sat down on the bed next to him.

"No..........uh, yeah," he admitted, not wanting to lie to her. He told her how he felt about Ava and her remarkable resemblance to Tess. She made him a little uncomfortable, and he felt badly about that, but he didn’t know how to handle it.

"I know Kyle," Tess admitted, as she lay down on the bed next to him. "But just imagine how she feels right now. She’s lost the only people who she ever trusted with her secret and now she’s so vulnerable. I don’t want to think what might have happened to her, if we hadn’t found her. She’s part of the family now Kyle, and we have to treat her as such."

"I know, " he agreed. "Look, can we just stay in here for a little while. I need some lovin’ right now," he said as he looked at her with a trace of lust in his eyes.

"Bring it on, Buddha Boy," she sighed, as he wrapped her in a tight embrace.

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"Guys, I don’t mean to be a pain, but I have to pick a bone with someone," Maria complained.

"What’s up Blondie?" Michael asked.

"Well, I remember buying at least three cans of Redi Whip on Friday and when I went to use it again today, there was none in the fridge. "What gives?"

"Maybe it’s the Redi Whip Elves, "Liz joked.

"Hey, that’s a good one Parker," Alex teased her. He sidled up to her and whispered in her ear. "I’d say it was more like the Liz and Max Elves using whipped cream in some form of extracurricular activities."

Liz spun around and whispered in his ear. "How did you find out?" she rasped.

"After our shower, I went into your room for some tissues, and I saw the empty cans in your wastebasket," he whispered. "Next time, destroy the evidence."

Liz looked up at him and blushed and then giggled. "Oops!" she whispered.

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After they finished clearing up the kitchen, they returned to the living room for a talk with Ava. As Liz had promised, they began to explain the long saga of their existence for the past year and a half, taking turns in revealing the tale. Ava sat transfixed as she listened to all the improbable stories unfold.. Undoubtedly, their lives in New York had not been without danger and intrigue, but not to the same extent as these kids.

It took them the rest of the evening to finish their revelations, and by this time it was close to midnight. Ava had had lots of questions and they answered them as best they could, reminding her that there were many more questions they were still seeking answers to themselves. They had decided to take the opportunity over the next couple of days to search for and explore the cave that they had missed. It was a good chance to find out what Ava’s role would be in the discovery, too.

They would sleep in tomorrow, since they needed to catch up on some rest. They would leave at noon, driving towards Carlsbad and then veering due west until they reached the co-ordinates they had determined earlier from Balam’s information. Since all the rooms were occupied, Ava was given the couch to sleep on. It was a pullout, so she was quite comfortable.

They bade her goodnight, and turned in for a well deserved rest.

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Max closed the door on their bedroom, sinking against the door in fatigue. It had been a long three days, with very little rest and his muscles ached from disuse. Liz beckoned him over to the bed, and he gratefully complied as he collapsed on the cool sheets. He groaned as his back hit the comfortable mattress and he would have fallen asleep right there if Liz hadn’t coaxed him out of his clothes.

"Roll over, Hon," she cooed. "I’ll give you a back rub."

He groaned as he complied, feeling every little twinge as he did so. She rubbed some soothing peppermint lotion on her hands, and rubbed it gently but firmly over his aching back, extending it down his arms and back up again. He jumped as he felt the first cool drops of lotion touch his smooth skin, but then he moaned in pleasure as he felt it take effect.

She massaged the tension in his neck, using her thumbs to draw the stiffness out. She straddled his hips to get a better position as she continued to rub away his aches. Within a few minutes, he was snoring gently, and she smiled and bent down to kiss him softly on the exposed flesh of his back, before she carefully removed herself from his hips.

She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and rinse her face. She glanced in the mirror at her reflection, and realized for the first time how tired she looked. She yawned and turned out the light before heading back to the bedroom. She sat on the bed and set the alarm before turning out the bedroom lamp, and lying on the bed to join Max.

Even in his sleep, he was aware of her presence, and he rolled over on his side and drew her towards him, smiling in his sleep as he felt her tiny bottom settle into his abdomen. He flung his arm protectively over her body and nuzzled her hair, before he settled back into a deep slumber. Liz kissed his arm and smelled his scent, before she dropped off, too. They would remain like this until the alarm woke them late the next morning.

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By the time they all showered and ate the next day, it was well past 1:30, before they were on the road. They had packed camping gear and some food supplies, just in case it took them longer than they expected to find the cave and then to discover what it was they were meant to discover. They also brought along their cameras and paper and pens to record any raw data.

They headed south towards Carlsbad, until they reached the transverse location of the mountain cave. Then, they drove further along the highway, until they located a road that turned to the right, heading west for 86.7 miles. They took into account the extra vertical distance they had traveled from the Carlsbad cave, figuring they would have to hike to the final one, anyway.

Max pulled off to the side of the road at 3:45. It would be dark in another two hours, so they thought they would try to locate the cave while there was still light. They donned their packs and took off to their right into the woods, Max leading the way. They used a compass to pinpoint their direction and followed this line for about three miles, heading due north, until they reached a small clearing.

They laid down their packs and rested, since it had been a long tramp through the woods. There was no trail to follow, so it had taken them awhile, as Max breached a path with his powers. He and Michael took turns, so that neither one would be totally drained by the experience. The two were a little winded by the time they reached the clearing, but they were still able to function normally.

The others took the opportunity to scout around for any possible openings that would indicate the presence of a cave. The brush was thick and thorny and it didn’t appear to be hiding anything. They scanned the perimeter hopefully for any clues. Ava didn’t budge from her spot, but seemed to be concentrating hard as she swivelled on her feet. She stopped abruptly and pointed in a slightly northeast direction.

"There!" she pronounced firmly.