Liz!

She could feel the presence of Max in her mind and desperately tried to block him out. Her despair heightened when she realized that that was basically impossible. Max was the origin of their connection and his connection to her was stronger than hers to him, so he got in easily.

I’m sorry, Max.

So much pain from both of them it threatened to overwhelm her. Why does she keep on doing this to him? She was his greatest weakness…

No, you’re my greatest strength! Don’t give up on us.

Max…

No Liz. I’m never letting you go again!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Isabel gasped when she let go of her brother, breaking the connection with Liz. Max hadn’t been able to reach her on his own while she was drugged and Izzy had to dreamwalk to help them. Looking at Max, she saw him wipe at his eyes surreptitiously and she marveled yet again at how strong the feelings between Max and Liz were. And at the fact that they were sent across galaxies so that her brother could find a love here on earth that would ultimately save their people.

The Jeep bumped over the rough terrain as Michael drove to the camp at break neck speed.

"I shouldn’t have left her this morning!" Max burst out. "I knew something was wrong."

"Yeah well, she shouldn’t have gone off on her own either!" Michael sounded harsh.

"Shut up, Michael!" Max was losing his temper.

"Okay, guys!" Isabel was left trying to make peace between her two very different brothers once again. "You are both worried about her, I know it. So let’s not fight! Max, did she say anything that could help us?"

He shook his head mutely, the connection hadn’t lasted long enough.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Diane and Nick were waiting for them when the Jeep roared into the camp. Max jumped out before it came to a complete standstill, practically running towards his mother.

"She left with Marcus and Nancy to go to Roswell a few hours ago…" The terrified look on her son’s face alerted Diane that something had already happened to Liz as she had feared.

Max took several deep calming breaths, putting his arm around his mother’s shoulders. "Let’s all go meet in the dining tent. We need to come up with a plan."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Waking up slowly, Liz felt her whole body ache. Blinking her eyes a few times, she wondered why she couldn’t see? Finally she could make out a thin sliver of light that seem to be coming from underneath a door. Darkness. She was in darkness.

A soft sobbing close to her interrupted her thoughts. "Mom?" She crawled towards the sobbing, bumping into legs on the way. Hands gripped her shoulders, leaving her gasping in fear.

"Liz?" The soft voice seemed vaguely familiar.

"Yeah?"

"It’s… Sarah. I’m so sorry that he found you. Because of me."

"Sarah! What is going on? Who has us here? Why does he have you too?" Liz realized she was firing questions at poor Sarah and decided to change her tactics. The sobbing hadn’t stopped yet and she now knew it was her mother. "Just give me a few minutes, I have to get to my mom."

Finally locating her mother’s slumped form on the floor, Liz put her arms around Nancy. Her mother stopped crying immediately. "Liz? You’re safe? Thank god!"

"Mom, I’m so sorry! This is my fault. I should have waited for Max. I --."

"Max! Isn’t he the reason we’re in this mess from the beginning?" Nancy had trouble not yelling.

"No Mom. I’m the reason we’re in this mess…" Liz spoke softly, trying to understand that her mother’s reactions were the result of fear, not hatred towards Max. "We just need to hang on, he will come and find us."

Nancy was speechless. The quiet and unshaken trust in her daughter’s voice completely silenced her.

"No one knows where we are." Now it was Sarah’s turn to sound despondent.

"Max can find me. And he WILL." Liz tried to allay the fears in the room without actually telling Sarah why Max would be able to find her.

Sarah was quiet for a few moments. "Your connection is that strong?" Her voice was filled with wonder… and envy. "Eric just sometimes senses intense emotions from me."

"What are you talking about? Sarah? Who are you?" Liz was starting to get a weird feeling about the girl.

"Uhm… How much does your mother know about… about Max?"

"Enough. Tell me!" What if this were part of an elaborate trap for Max!

"I’m… Eric is… Eric is the leader of his people. People that came to earth originally to find… Max."

"To destroy Max, you mean!" Liz was getting upset. "And I thought you wanted to help us! You just wanted to find Max so that you could--."

"No!" Sarah cried out. "Eric doesn’t want that anymore. But some of his people, they told him that Max wanted to kill him first. So we came here. But I saw you two together the other day. Max is not a killer and I thought, maybe if you and I could get them together we could stop this madness. But then Devin disappeared and --."

"Devin tried to kill me the other day." Liz interrupted her.

"What! But that’s… Eric didn’t tell him to do that! Maybe that’s why… Oh god, Liz! They are going to kill Eric AND Max!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Max paced during the meeting. Liz was finally awake, but her emotions were fluctuating wildly and he couldn’t make out clearly what was going on. "Maria, I need you to call the Sheriff and have him try and see what he can do in Roswell so long. Michael, I need you with me. You’re our protector…" He shared an intense look with his second-in-command before continuing: "I’m going to try and see if I can’t connect with Liz one more time, maybe she can give us some clues that will help us to find them."

Max looked up as he saw Nick entering the tent after speaking to some people that were standing outside. "They are worried about her, Max. You should talk to them." Nick’s quiet voice was firm. Their Queen was missing.

"Later," Max nodded and glanced at Jeff. He hadn’t said a word yet, but was sitting as if in a daze next to the Evans’. "Mr. Parker, I’ll find them. Both of them."

His words brought a flicker of hope to Jeff’s gaze.

"What should we do, Max?" Isabel didn’t want to feel useless.

"I need you here, coordinating things from this end. I don’t want a surprise attack against the camp while we’re away. Where’s Tess?" Max looked around, seeing her standing behind Nick. "You’re coming with us. We will probably need your mind warp powers."

Nick stopped him before he left the tent. "Max, do you know what Liz did with that carved box I gave her after your bonding ceremony?"

Max was confused. What did this have to do with saving Liz? "Yeah. Its in our… my tent. Why?"

"You need to give it to Isabel, in case… something happens. It should always be in the hands of whomever is going to bear our next king."

Going pale, Max fought the instinct of shouting that nothing will happen to Liz. Because he knew that he couldn’t promise that. "Come with me then."