"Eww!" Screeched Maria in disgust. "I would hope not!"

Michael's expression mirrored that of Maria's declaration, as did Alex's. He wasn't about to let this conversation linger in this area longer than necessary. "Give us a break Isabel. The last thing we want to hear about is Max and Liz's love life. You couldn't have really thought we wanted to hear those kinds of details. At least not from you."

Maria, gave him a stern look as she slapped his shoulder. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"You know."

"What?" As the smirk on his face grew, he stated the obvious. "I know you want to find out things from Liz, so don't you act like you don't."

"I would never ask her a personal question about that."

"Oh wouldn't you? I'd be willing to bet the first words out of your mouth, when your alone with Liz is going to be, ‘how was it'."

Alex agreed with Michael, he'd known Maria far to long, and knows her far to well to think anything different. "Would you two please get back on the subject at hand?" He turned away from Michael and Maria, bringing his full attention to Isabel. "We want to know if anything weird happened when they . . . " He couldn't bring himself to say it, because he was sure that if he did it images he didn't want to see would flood his mind. "Well, you know. When they. . . ."

Overwhelmingly relieved, Isabel didn't see any harm in telling them what she knew about the visions. "He did tell me something, but it's more traumatic to think about then the idea of Max and Liz being together."

"Huh?"

"It seems that this ceremony they were telling us about was used to find your perfect mate or something like that. It supposed to lead you to the people that will be a part of your destiny. I guess in most cases that you mean your mate. That's what they thought when they were shown Michael and me. Thank goodness that didn't pan out, or at least I don't think so. He told me that the four of us didn't feel right with each other like that. We tried to make it work, I think by the sound of some other stuff he told me about, but in the end we knew something was wrong. The four of us went back to the place the preformed this ceremony to question the pairing, but for some reason we did it under the darkness of night. That's when four people were revealed to us. These four people were meant to be our mates."

"Do you know who the four people are?" Maria asked with concern. She couldn't imagine what she would do if Michael was supposed to be with someone else.

"He wouldn't say, but then again, I think I know."

"What? How?" asked Alex having the same concerns as Maria, only they were about him being with Isabel.

"In the mine, he said that it would take the eight of us to activate the orbs. I think that must mean Alex, Maria, Liz, and Kyle are the four that were revealed to us."

"First go back a second, your saying you and Max thought you were supposed to be together? That's so gross! I mean, now we know you aren't really brother and sister, but it still feels like an incest type situation. Double eww. I changed my mind, I don't what to go there." She wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. "You think that Kyle is supposed to be with Tess? That might explain why Liz wanted me to watch them in there." She gestured toward the mine entrance.

"She did?" Asked Alex, after Maria nodded there was a pause as they waited for Maria to continue. Seeing that she didn't get the hint he asked, "Are you going to tell us what you saw?"

*~*~*~ Inside the mine Tess continued to cry into Kyle's chest as he rubbed slow comforting circles on her back and whispered comforting words in her ear. He'd never felt so helpless before. She clung to him as if her life depends on it, but then if it was possible, she didn't seem to realize that he was really there.

She could feel the warmth of his body, beyond that, nothing registered. She was lost, lost in an overpowering sense of confusion. *How did this happen? Why did this happen to me? It wasn't supposed to be like this, not like this. Could they be lying, or maybe playing some kind of cruel joke? Maybe they're doing this just to get me to stop pursuing Max. That's it, they have to be lying. They're trying to trick me. *

She almost convinced herself, but then the doubts crept in. *But what if they aren't. What if they're telling the truth, and Max really is my brother not my mate? That would mean, that would mean I've kissed my own brother. That I've been fantasizing about my own flesh and blood. Could things get much grosser than that? * A shiver ran down her spine as she contemplated what could have happened if she had succeeded in luring Max away from Liz, and then later found out he was her brother.

Not realizing it, but she began to speak her thoughts out loud. "No, it just can't be. We ‘were' meant to be together, Nesado said so. How long has he been telling me that Max and I were meant to be together? But, what if he was wrong about how we were to be together. Could I have misunderstood what he meant? What if he intentionally mislead me? Would he have done that, I know he doesn't care much for humans? He's always said they are weak, but would he do this to me? Does he hate us too, we are humans now too, right? He did say we aren't like him, that we were genetically engineered from human DNA. But then what about our destiny, the reason we are here one Earth, the reason we were engineered? He wouldn't do anything to hurt us. He knows if he did, we wouldn't be able to fulfill our destiny. He wants to see us succeed, why else would he have protected me all of these years?"

Kyle just let her ramble on, it was clear that she was having a hard time with this. He didn't count on the way it was affecting him. Once again he became aware of how vulnerable she really was. She wasn't as unaffected by those events around her as she like to let others believe.

"Oh I just don't know anymore, I just don't know." The more she thought about it the more confused she became as the battle within her raged. There were so many question, but no answers to go with them. And yet the bombardment of questions continued to plague her mind to the point she begging for them to stop. Eventually they did stop, but only after she voiced one final question for her own ears to hear. The question that ruled out all the others. "What am I going to do?"

Kyle was pretty sure the question hadn't been directed at him, but he was going to take advantage of the opening. "Tess, everything is it's going to be okay, you'll see. So what? You aren't meant to be with Max. What's so great about him anyway? He's always so serious and dull. You need someone that can make you smile and help you see that life isn't just about fulfilling your destiny. You know there is more to life then going through the motions."

She pulled back from his chest, almost startled to see him. She looked around the empty room, and was grateful that the others were gone. Then looked back at Kyle with a questioning look. "Why did you stay with me, when everyone else left?"

He touched the side of her face gingerly and looked into her eyes. "Because you needed someone."

She managed a weak smile and to mutter her thanks before leaning back into his chest. Tess wasn't ready to be alone, and he made her feel safe and, and they both sat there without saying a word for the longest time. It was finally Kyle that broke the silence with a light hearted, almost joking voice. "I suggest we get up from the ground. That is, if we can. My legs have been asleep for at least the last ten minutes."

Tess stood to her own feet, and attempted to help him up as well. She was so drained of emotion her voice sounded almost timid as she said, "I sorry, I didn't realize."

Sincerely, he responded, "No problem, it was worth it." He didn't care why she was letting him hold her, all that matter to him was that she did. It took a few minutes for the tingling feeling to leave his legs, and the ability to walk to return. Once it did, they made their way outside. Everyone else had left and only their two cars remained. Kyle was hoping that they didn't have to say goodbye. He really wanted to stay with her and make sure that she was going to be all right and he tried to relay that in his words. "Tess, are you going to be okay. We could stay here for a while longer. Or if you want to go, we could go somewhere else."

She didn't want to be alone. However the feelings she was getting earlier when Kyle looked at her only added to her confusion. "Thanks Kyle, really, but. . . . "

"I won't take ‘no' for an answer." He blurted out without thinking. "Look, I know I've made it obvious that I want to be more than friends, but if friends are all we can be, then I'll have to accept it ‘for now.' I just don't think that you should be alone. So you pick the place, and I promise to behave myself."

"I don't really want to go anywhere but home right now." It wasn't that she wanted to home. She just didn't want to go out in public. It was the idea of breaking down where someone would see her that was on her mind.

"Then home it is. Do you want to ride with me or should I ride with you?"

"I really don't think that's a good idea." She was about to say them being together wasn't a good idea, but for some reason, something else came out of her mouth. She didn't know where it came from. However, when she saw the spark in Kyle's eyes, as a result, it didn't seem to matter. "Why don't you follow me instead. That way we don't have to worry about coming back out here later to get the other car."

~*~*~*~

As they pulled away, the same dark complected man that's been following them appeared from the shadows. He quickly made his way over to a small mound where he concealed his car. Once inside his car he pulled a miniature glowing orb from his pocket. *Looks like things are getting back on track, but will it be soon enough? *

"Time will only tell, but I must warn you. If you do not discontinue your interferences, their enemies will find you, which means they could find them sooner as well. I know that your actions are for a good cause, but caution is of the greatest importance."

"May I ask one question?"

"As you wish."

"They will be turning of age soon, and then their enemies will be able to find them. If this were to happen, will I be able to assist them then? Don't answer that, I already know, if I interfere it would throw off the delicate balance of things. Let me ask this instead. Is there a way that I can direct them in the right path without bringing the attention of their enemies?"

"There is only one way, find their protector and warn him not to interfere in their choices."