"Max, how did you hear Isabel yelling all the way across the compound?"

"I didn't. Maria and I were busy checking out the Temple of the Cross, when I suddenly got this chill in my bones. I looked across the compound and I saw you and Michael coming down the slope. He looked over at me and then we both started running towards the river. That's when I heard Isabel crying and my heart almost stopped when I looked down and saw her lying there with those caiman on her heels. Michael and I started blasting away, and then it was all over."

"My God, Max, I don't even want to think what would have happened if you hadn't gotten there in time." Liz shuddered. She leaned over to hug him and he kissed her on the cheek. "So did you and Maria find anything out this morning?"

"Why don't we wait until we're altogether to discuss that, okay?" He nuzzled her neck and sniffed her skin. "Let's go where we can have more privacy," he whispered. "I wanna make out."

He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her up from her sitting position. Then he led her to a sheltered area he had noticed earlier on. He pulled her into an embrace when they were safely out of sight. He kissed her deeply and lovingly, as he rubbed his hips against her.

"Oh, Max, you're making me so horny," she breathed.

"I already am, can't ya tell" he moaned as he rubbed his arousal into her.

"Then do something about it. please!" she begged.

He pulled her shorts and panties down and then pulled his zipper down and removed his stiff arousal. He sat her up on the stone slab and after checking her readiness, he gently slipped inside her, as she caught her breath. He pumped in and out slowly as she adjusted to his fit, and then increased his pace as she encouraged him on. He kissed her passionately, rubbing his tongue on her lips and then pushing it inside to massage her own. They moaned together as their breathing quickened.Their sounds became high pitched as they came closer to their peak until they drowned them out with their lips held tightly pressed together. Their bodies shuddered as they thrusted for the last time.

They were lost in the passionate afterglow, holding onto each other tightly as they came back down to earth. They were like two single elements that become stronger when combined, capable of extreme combustability when called upon. They mumbled words of love and nonsense, kissing each other tenderly as they tasted and smelled each other, like they were leaving their stamps on one another, becoming one.

"MAX, LIZ!" they heard someone call their names.

"I guess it's time to go back," Liz sighed.

"Yeah," Max muttered.

She wiped herself with some leaves, hoping they weren't poisonous and quickly redressed, They then left their rendezvous spot, hand in hand, to join their friends.

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A pair of dark eyes watched them leave.

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The girls went into the women's staff bathroom to freshen up.

"So, where did you two disappear?" Maria winked at her.

"Oh, Maria, give it up!" Liz blushed. She turned to Isabel. "How are you feeling now, Isabel?"

"Much better thanks. I was so scared though," she admitted. "I thought we were gonna die for sure!"

Liz hugged her as tears sprang to her eyes. "I couldn't believe it when I saw what had happened. I'm so glad Max and Michael got there in time!"

"This place gives me the creeps," Liz shuddered.

"I know. Me too" Maria admitted as she hugged both girls.

"Me three," said Tess as she joined all three. "Maybe it would be a good idea if we stuck together more.......well, I mean, not all the time," Tess admitted giggling.

"You Perve!" Maria laughed as she swatted her arm. "Group sex. Hmmm. Well I guess I'm jumping the gun here since I haven't experienced it on a one on one basis yet!" she snorted.

"Ooh, bad mental image......being in the same room with my brother and Michael when......yuk, never mind! By the way Liz, is Max always that randy? He almost tore your clothes off last night in front of everyone," Isabel laughed.

"Omigod, we're we really that bad?" she said in shock, as she covered her open mouth with her hands.

"Yeah, and then some!" Tess admitted, chuckling. "By the way, how come you and Max didn't have headaches this morning? I really knocked you guys out last night. You should have been seeing double today!"

"Well," she admitted, "it might have something to do with the dream we had," she said rolling her eyes.

"Oh, sharing dreams now, are we?" Maria hinted. "I really gotta have a talk with Spaceboy."

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The guys were in the men's bathroom, freshening up, too.

"Hey Max, how come every time we turn around, you two are disappearing?"

"I'll never tell, Kyle." Max grinned at him. "Just you wait buddy!"

"By the way, you two, thanks for saving my ass back there," he said, as he patted Max and Michael on the backs. "That's another one I owe you, man," he said to Max.

"Well, after Carlsbad, who knows what will be next," Max admitted.

"Oh, for crying out loud, you two, you're making me gag!" Alex piped up. "The next thing you know you'll be proposing marriage."

Michael guffawed. "Who gets to do the kneeling?"

"Ha, ha you're very funny, wiseguy! I happen to have a very beautiful woman who will back up my manliness!"

"Oh, I don't know Kyle," Max said in a falsetto. "I think your kinda cute," and he grabbed Kyle and started dancing him around the bathroom.

Just then, one of the staff walked and gave them an odd look. The guys burst out laughing and headed outside to meet their girls.

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The guys immediately swept up the girls and started dancing them around on the grass, their laughter ringing out across the quad. Brody looked up from his notes, and shook his head in amusement.

"What's all this about?" Tess asked laughing.

"Only your manly men here showing you how much we love you," Kyle said in a deep baritone.

"Manly men!" Isabel laughed.

"Yes, Muffin. Every girl needs one, you know, to take care of her," Alex waggled his eyebrows.

Maria laughed in scorn. "Oh yeah, and what if your not around, Mr. Man?"

"Manly Men always appear when needed," Michael scoffed as he held up his arms in the muscle man pose.

"Well, Manly Men, come down to earth for a bit, 'cause I want to go over the stuff we found this morning, so I can spend some one on one time with my Manly Man here," she grinned.

"Good idea, Maria," Isabel agreed.

"Okay, we'll go first," Liz volunteered. She told them about how she and Michael had met Ted Ingram and how he might be a good person to talk to when it came time to interpret the symbols. She informed them that they didn't find out anything interesting in their search and that they were just leaving the temple when Max and Michael ran off.

"And that leads us right to us," Isabel spoke up. "Well, you know what happened to us....we were the first course on the luncheon menu for a group of hungry crocs."

"Hey, Iz, that's not all," Kyle added. "Remember, we did find that symbol on that altar."

"Oh, yeah, how could I forget........Oh yeah, I remember now, I was a little preoccupied," she replied sarcastically.

"Well, anyway," Kyle continued, "we took some pictures and Iz sketched the thing, so Alex, I guess we can check it out on the computer later, to see if it matches anything."

"Yeah, sure," Alex nodded.

"Well, I guess we'll go next," Max offered. "Maria and I spent our time at the Temple of the Cross. We looked around quite a bit, but didn't find much. There were a lot of etchings and stuff, but nothing that was remotely like what we were looking for, right Maria?"

"Yeah, but there was something pretty interesting going on over at the Temple of the Sun. Brody was over there with Ahmok and at one point he got so excited, I thought he was gonna kiss the poor guy!"

"Yeah," Max agreed. "It's definitely worth checking out when we get the chance."

"Then I guess were last." Tess spoke up."We probably had the best vantage point in the whole compound. That's how come we knew what was going on with Kyle and Isabel....we could see everything from where we stood," she shuddered, as her eyes teared up. Anyway," she gulped, "there were two temples on the hill where we decided to search. We took the highest temple first, Temple XX. We actually had a run of good luck, didn't we Alex?"

"Yeah, we sure did!" he added excitedly. "We found a whole bunch of interesting stuff there. Tess and I took lots of pictures and Tess made sketches, too. I think we should be able to really use this stuff.

"Sounds good," Max commented.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I sure could use a little siesta about now," Kyle yawned. "I've had kind of a busy day so far."

"Yeah, you're right Kyle." Max agreed. "Why don't we all take a break, and meet back here around 3:00. okay?"

"Sounds like a plan, Maxwell." Michael nodded, and they all took off to find a quiet spot to spend some quality time with their partners.

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Max and Liz returned to their little hideaway. This time, they remembered to bring a blanket to lie on, and Max spread it on the jungle floor for them. They lay down, exhausted from the physical and emotional strain of the morning. Liz lay on her back with her hair splayed out beneath her, as she rested her eyes against the midday heat. Max lay on his side watching her.

He reached out to smooth her hair, gently running his fingers along the chocolate silk. She smiled as she felt his touch, knowing that he was watching her so closely. He leaned in closer to plant a kiss on her cheek and then to nuzzle her ear. She giggled as his nose tickled her skin, and she finally rolled in to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did so.

She opened her eyes to gaze into his golden ones and she was immediately lost in their depths, being pulled through time to a safe haven she remembered from long ago. She flew back to her childhood memories and saw herself in the playground. She saw herself glancing up from her play and seeing Max for the first time. She remembered what it felt like to have his eyes pinned on her so intensely and how safe she felt because of it. She smiled at him but he was too shy to return the gesture. From then on, she would recall that feeling re-surfacing, time and again, when she felt the momentary warmth of his glance, as he walked by.

She looked back at him now, this almost-man who loved her so deeply, and wished that they hadn't lost all that time together. He reached up to smooth her cheek and whispered, "I'm here now."

She leaned into his warmth and kissed him so tenderly, it hurt. It was the sweet pain of undenied love and the kiss quickly deepened into something more. She closed her eyes as the rush of his love swept over her, and she sighed more deeply when he pulled her in closer. They lay there for a long time, just kissing and cuddling until they fell asleep.

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They awoke much later, feeling so much better. He helped her up as they picked up their blanket and walked back to meet the others. He held her protectively around the waist as they crossed the quad, and she wrapped her tiny arm around him to signal her gratitude. The others returned in straggling pairs, until they were all re-united again.

"Has anyone seen Brody?" Max asked.

"Yeah, he just left with Ahmok......it looked like they were checking out some other temple," Kyle stated.

"Well, why don't we check out the Temple of the Sun, then?" Max suggested.

They all nodded in agreement, as they headed towards the mysterious structure. They walked up the steps to the small but beautiful building, as it sat on its low rise facing east. It was one of the remaining structures with its roof still intact, and they entered the temple , gazing up at the beautiful murals that decorated its low ceiling. They depicted court life and there were many paintings of rulers dressed in their regal plumes and belts of jade.

One picture that held a place of prominence, showed a scene where a man dressed in ceremonial garb, held a bloody dagger in his hand, while standing over the corpse of a jaguar. The creature lay stretched across an altar, blood dripping from a long slit in its throat, while a group of other men, similarly dressed, stood by. Clearly, this signified a ritual sacrifice, and one of some importance.

They walked along, admiring the detail in the paintings, as they searched for some clues to Brody's excitement. They didn't hear the approaching footsteps of the medium built, dark man who approached so quietly. They turned around, startled when they heard his voice.

It was the site co-ordinator, and he introduced himself as Eduardo de la Cruz. He apologized to them for coming up so quietly, but he had been accustomed to using this approach, in the chance that some pilferers were about. They told him why they were there, and he smiled as he heard their story.

"Well, you are most welcome to look around. Please, let me show you some of the more impressive paintings," and he led them on a tour of the temple, stopping every now and then as he pointed out something of interest. Finally, he came to a standstill in front of a very large portrait of a man dressed in a very elaborate costume.

"His name was WAK KIM JANAHB' PAKAL........that is quite a mouthful, is it not?" he chuckled. "He was the last known ruler of Palenque and he died on November 17, 799. After his death, all the priests fled and the people were left to fend for themselves. They survived and the community flourished for many centuries after, which proves that they were able to continue and lead rich lives without the fear of the sometimes tyrannical rule of the kings and priests."

"Just look at the way they dressed! So grand and pompous in their fancy ceremonial garb. They must have had very strong necks to support such heavy headdresses, do you not think?" he winked as he poked Michael in the ribs. "Look at all those little figures on top of their heads...they are supposed to represent their place in society and their lineage, and if that is not enough, they sit a giant macaw on top of it all! And all those feathers! Some poor birds must have been plucked naked to supply this one," he sighed as he threw his hands up in the air.

The teens laughed at his expression, liking this little man immediately.

"Do you see that jade belt that he wears? It is decorated with the jade heads of past rulers, and those three mirrors that hang from it...well, we think it may represent the journey that they must make as it reflects their past to their future. Who knows?" he shrugged. "We do not pretend to have all the answers. All this digging will never really tell us what life was like back then. I wish I could journey back in time and see what it was really like. But then, I would need a time machine for that purpose, would I not?" he added sadly.

"How long is your stay here?" he asked politely.

They told him and he answered excitedly," Have you heard about the kite festival that is to be held here on Tuesday?"

They shook their heads and he went on to explain the significance of the Festival of the Dead.

"The people take this day to honour their ancestors. They make these huge silk kites, some weighing as much as 100 pounds!" he emphasized. "They are very colourful, and are round. The people from many villages come here to participate and it is a great day of celebration. The Maya have come to terms with the dichotomy of their two religious backgrounds and have managed to blend the old with the new. After all, they both deal with blood and sacrifice, do they not? You must make an effort to attend. You will not be disappointed, I assure you," he promised.

"Well," he glanced at his watch, "I must be going. There is still much to do before Tuesday. I hope to see you then."

He waved goodbye to them and wished them luck with their research.

Max looked at his watch. "It's getting late. Brody will be looking for us soon. I still can't figure out what got him so worked up, though. Maybe, something will turn up later," he shrugged. "We'd better head over to the dock, now."