Michael kept throwing side-ways glances at Max. Max had been calm for a while after talking to Liz, but now he seemed frantic. He was staring out of the window, his hands clenched in fists on his thighs.

"Maxwell…"

"Just drive, Michael. Please don’t ask anything." Max didn’t want to discuss anything about his feelings in front of Tess who was sitting silently in the back seat. He was trying to keep himself together, but it wasn’t easy. Something was seriously wrong with Liz. He sensed a mixture of fear and anger from her that made his heart pound in his chest. What was he doing to her? If her hurts her I’ll kill him.

They met Jim Valenti in front of his office. He watched with concern as Max got out of the Jeep. "Are you okay, son?"

Max nodded mutely, but Jim saw through him. Max’s body was racked with small, almost imperceptible tremors and the Sheriff marveled again at how intense the feelings between Max and Liz were. Max could say what he liked, but Jim knew he was quietly going out of his mind about Liz.

"Let’s talk in my office." Valenti led them inside. The discussion went quickly. The bottom-line was that they needed to find Sarah’s Eric and convince him to help them. He was the only one that might possibly know where Liz, Nancy and Sarah were kept.

"Well, I have three guys under surveillance right now that may be this Eric guy. One of them was hanging around the Crashdown a lot and one of the waiters called asking us to check him out."

Max jumped up. "Then let’s do it!" He was getting more desperate to find Liz by the minute.

Everyone followed Max out of the door, but halted when Max made a strangled sound and grabbed the doorframe with a shaking hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"No Tim! Please don’t do this!" Sarah cried. She was cuffed to the wall, he hands above her head. Tim had made sure that she was cuffed first, wanting to humiliate the human that wormed herself into his race as much as possible. He had held Nancy by the throat while busy with Sarah, thereby ensuring that Liz didn’t try anything. Then he had cuffed Nancy to the cot. He had no real use for her, but her presence kept the fear of the other leader’s mate on an acceptably high level. Of course Liz had made a fuss when he worked on her mother, so he had to silence her for a while. He looked at Liz lying crumpled on the floor, blood trickling from her lip where the back of his hand had caught her. What is it about these pathetic women that so ensnared Eric and Max?

Nancy was crying. She seemed to do that a lot lately, but right now was the first time she truly realized how much her daughter had gone through during the last year. She had listened to some of the stories of what had happened to Liz, but now she saw.

Liz was only out for a few seconds. She moaned softly as she came to. "Max…"

"No, your precious Max has not pitched up to save you yet. Methinks you have too much trust in him." Tim dragged her upright roughly, his fingers bruising her upper arms. "Now, let’s get you all trussed up for the feast."

Liz glared at him. She would not give him the satisfaction of crumbling. She could feel Max was closer and the knowledge kept her going. She closed her eyes and bit her lip as Tim cuffed her to the wall too.

Max…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Michael grabbed Max, holding him upright. "Hey Maxwell!"

Max gripped the doorframe so tightly, that his knuckles turned white. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The others watched as he pulled himself together with effort. "We have to hurry. Please." He spoke through stiff lips, his voice low and urgent. Hold on, Liz, I’m coming! Michael and Jim glanced at each other, knowing that something had happened that Max wasn’t sharing with them. "Max--."

But Max was already moving out towards the Jeep again. It felt like a white-hot knife was twisting in his gut. Only he wasn’t sure if it was as a result of fearing for Liz or the hate he was starting to feel for the guy hurting her. For she was hurt, of that he was sure…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz felt the cuffs biting into her wrists as she basically hung from them against the wall. She was still a little dizzy from that backhand Tim had dealt her, but the sight of her mother close to losing it made her doubly determined to remain strong. When Max came she would give in to the blackness trying to overwhelm her. But only after she was sure he was safe…

"Mom, it will be okay. I promise."

"How can you say that?" Nancy sounded choked.

"Because I believe in Max."

There was a flicker of hope in Nancy’s eyes. "Liz, I can see how much you trust in Max, but did you see how easily this Tim killed Marcus? He didn’t even touch him! How is Max going to withstand that?"

"Tim was a warrior on Eric’s home planet. They are deadly, killing machines. That’s why he was sent here. To be the one to finally… kill Max." Sarah sounded tired.

Feeling the blackness coming closer again, Liz closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing again. A few silent minutes later, her eyes snapped open. That’s it! Soldiers needed a war to feel useful. The soldiers were revolting against Eric’s pacifism. "How many soldiers came with Eric?"

Sarah’s eyes were fluttering closed, she was obviously not going to be conscious for much longer. "Sarah, please! It’s really important! How many soldiers?" Liz was close to yelling, hoping to startle Sarah back. It worked partially.

"Wh-- What?"

"How many soldiers?" It hurt to talk by now, because her lip was starting to swell. And every time she spoke the cut in her lip started bleeding again.

"I think… I think ten? But I’m not sure…"

Think, Liz, think! Knowing she had to let Max know about the soldiers somehow. But she was feeling faint, they not eaten all day and being beaten didn’t help much either. But I have to help Max.

Nancy watched in growing admiration as Liz fought to stay conscious. Her face showed the signs of Tim’s assault, and she could see red welts starting to form on Liz’s wrists. All this for Max Evans… "Liz, honey, are you okay?"

"Have to talk to Max…" Liz mumbled.

Nancy thought fleetingly that Liz was delirious, but then she remembered how earlier Liz had seemed to talk to Max.

Liz felt herself slipping away from reality. No… have to warn Max! Warn him that—something important. Warn him… But he was waiting for her, in that dream world where she couldn’t feel the pain. He stood there as beautiful and strong as ever, holding his arms open for her to run into. She flung herself into his embrace and whispered: "Hold me, Max." And because this was her dream, he said: "Always. My Liz."

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the end it was laughably easy to find Eric. Max and Michael both saw him at the same time. He was sitting on the edge of the pavement across the street from the Crashdown and, ironically, right in front of the UFO Museum. The others stood back, watching as Max approached Eric. Michael kept a watch out for Eric’s men. Surely they couldn’t be far away…

Max halted a few feet away from Eric. He knew that he should hate him, but just like with Tess, he felt nothing. He remembered nothing. All he saw was a guy with sadness lining his face. Max saw the moment Eric became aware of his presence. His body tensed perceptibly and he slowly stood up.