"Liz. Liz!"

Someone was calling her name insistently and the voice was a jarring note in her dream. She wanted to be alone with Max, to find that wonderful oblivion he always brought her, not listen to that irritating voice. Liz concentrated on Max instead, and for a few seconds she found the bliss she always did in his arms and caressing hands. "Max, please…" The note in her voice was one Max would recognize immediately. It was the one she always used to beg him to stop torturing her and fill that place inside her that was created for him.

On the other hand, it was not a tone of voice Nancy Parker had ever heard from her daughter. It silenced her momentarily in her efforts to wake Liz up. Liz’s voice spoke of a longing and desire so intense that Nancy had trouble identifying it with her always cool and in control child. She took a deep breath, trying not to think of what it meant. Truthfully she didn’t know what her reaction would be if her growing suspicions were confirmed. She knows what it SHOULD be, Liz was her daughter after all, but after experiencing all she did the last few days, she was just too confused to indulge in her normal mother responses.

"Marry me, Liz." For a moment, Liz grinned. This was so typically Max. She had already said she would, but he kept worrying that she would change her mind. Like that could ever happen!

"Liz! You have to wake up!" That voice again! Would the person not just go away? Couldn’t they see she was busy with more important things? Like answering Max who was now starting to look worried.

Touching her hand to his lips, she promised: "Yes Max, I’ll marry you…"

Nancy blanched after hearing Liz’s soft words. Marry him! She hoped this was a dream… "LIZ!" Her loud cry alerted Tim, who came barging in.

"What’s wrong, the little princess still out of it?" He walked over to Liz, running his hands over her arms and sides. "These human girls. So weak and pathetic, but so beautiful to look at."

Liz came to with a shuddering cry. Hands that were not Max’s were on her body and it made her feel dirty. The pain in her arms fleetingly overwhelmed her and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Why would he choose you over his intended mate?" Tim was looking at her calculatingly. "Unless you were giving him something to make it worth his while. I mean, Sarah was only too happy to grace the bed of MY esteemed leader. But not those of any of us lowly servants, though." He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "Why is that? Is it because they are Kings?" He pulled Liz towards him sharply by her hair. "Come on, you can tell me!"

Liz had trouble not whimpering from the pain. She blinked furiously to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She would not give him the satisfaction.

"Leave her alone!" Nancy’s voice was sharp.

Tim turned towards her, still holding on to Liz’s hair. "What is your problem? She’s not yours anymore, she’s the mate of an alien leader. You should rather be worried about yourself, lady."

"Mom." Liz’s voice was weak and unsteady.

Nancy recovered from Tim’s attack remarkably quickly. "She will always be my daughter, no matter what. But you’re right about one thing, she is Max’s… mate and he is not going to take kindly to the way you’re treating her!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Eric looked at Max warily. "Who are you?" But he knew. Somehow he knew that this was the Max Evans he had heard so much about since he came to Roswell. Was he coming to gloat over taking Sarah from me?

"Max Evans. Some of your people have Sarah. And my Liz." Max figured he would get straight to the point, hoping that it would circumvent any misunderstandings between them. He saw Eric’s eyes widen in shock, then he felt Michael’s presence behind him. Looking over Eric’s shoulder he saw two men bearing down on them, obviously some of Eric’s bodyguards.

Eric took a while to recover from Max’s unexpected news, but he held up his hand, halting the advance of his men immediately. "What are you talking about?"

"Maxwell, this is not the place." Michael’s quiet voice reminded Max that they were on a public street.

"Would you mind if we go inside to talk?" He gestured at the UFO Museum. Seeing Eric’s hesitation, Max reminded him of their priorities. "Please. We need to find Liz and Sarah before it’s too late." Max prayed that it wasn’t too late already. His connection with Liz had simmered down to a hum in his mind, telling him she was either asleep or unconscious. His mind kept creating the most awful scenarios of what was happening to her and it drove him crazy with worry.

Eric followed him inside and they left Michael and one of Eric’s men at the door. Two deadly sentries intent on protecting their leaders at all cost.

It happened just after Max had relayed to Eric what he knew about the kidnapping. He had included everything that Liz had managed to tell him, but just before Eric could respond Max felt such a surge of emotion from Liz that he felt dizzy. To compound things, he now felt a presence with Liz that could only mean one thing. Tim was touching Liz. Max was overcome with such fury that his vision blurred for a moment as he jumped up from the table. Eric stared at him in surprise as he prowled around the room, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. How was he going to think rationally about finding Liz if all he was consumed with was how scared Liz was and what exactly this guy was doing to her. Breathe, Max, just breathe. Getting hysterical will not help Liz…

"What’s going on?" Eric sounded concerned.

Max was still fighting to regain his composure. He closed his eyes, but it immediately intensified his experience of the pain and fear coming from Liz. He clutched at the nearest solid thing, trying not to sink to the floor under the weight of the sensations. "Liz! Liz, I’m coming. I promise," he whispered.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz! Liz, I’m coming. I promise.

That beloved voice was the final straw that made Liz’s tears spill over. He was here! He was near! He had to be, otherwise she wouldn’t have heard him so clearly. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain and the fact that Tim was still running his hands over her body. She needed to tell Max what she had learned earlier. Please Max. You have to hear me.

Inside Roswell, Max’s head flew up as he heard Liz’s plea. Liz! Are you hurt?

Relief flooded her body as she heard Max’s reply. He could hear her too! Liz told Max what she had figured out about the soldiers revolting as quickly as she could, not knowing what Tim was going to do next. She kept her eyes closed tightly, her mind going a-mile-a-minute to Max.

It didn’t take long before Tim realized something was going on. He dug his fingers into her throat, lifting her up by her neck. "What are you doing?"

Liz whimpered, fighting to breathe.

"If you’re communicating with your alien husband, tell him what I’m doing to you." He grinned. "If he’s anything like that wimp Eric, it will drive him to come running over here in a blind rage. Nothing like rage to stop one from thinking rationally, is there?" He brought his other hand to the place on her stomach where Max had healed her so many months ago.

It felt like someone was pressing a fiery hot poker against her as his hand started glowing next to her skin. Liz cried out in pain.

Michael came in a dead run as he heard Max’s roar of anguish. He found Max against the wall on the one side of the room and Eric standing on the other, watching his purported enemy in total confusion.

Max felt the power building in his body until he was close to exploding. Liz’s screams were echoing in his mind, driving him insane with reaction. I need to protect her… I want him dead! As the thought echoed through his mind, an explosion of white light momentarily blinded him. But how? I had my eyes closed. It must’ve been in my head…

It felt like a bolt of electricity had run through her body. It hadn’t hurt her, but Liz was barely conscious as it is, so she had trouble registering any coherent facts. She heard her mother scream and wondered what had happened. Liz coughed, realizing the pressure on her throat was gone. As her swimming senses became clearer, she noticed the burning hand on her stomach was gone too.

She was blinking furiously, trying to clear her blurred vision when Nancy’s tremulous voice intruded upon her efforts. "Oh my god, Liz. What have you done?"