Maria woke up startled, just as she had been every other morning when the lights turned on to wake them up. She knew that she would rather stay in bed all day than get up, but she was afraid. Afraid of what Topolsky might do if she refused to eat. Right now, she just tried to enjoy the feel of Michael’s body so close to hers. Of course, they would be freezing otherwise, but somehow just laying in his arms made her feel so safe even though she was anything but under the circumstances.

Michael woke up as he felt the gentle caress of Maria’s hand on his unshaven cheek. He almost forgot where he was for a moment because he would be blissfully happy just to wake up like that every morning. Then his eyes registered the bright light in the room and knew it was time to get up in this place where Topolsky seemed to be the ruler. He smirked out of the unhappiness that they were in. He loved Maria, but he never would have wished anything like this on her ... ever. He wouldn’t even wish this on himself. He held her close for a moment, smiling as his hand felt Maria’s abdomen even though he wouldn’t wish a baby on the both of them at such a young age either, but since Maria would have otherwise been dead- and neither one of them could live with that- they would have to live with this.

He began to sit up in bed remembering for the millionth time that Max still hadn’t returned to his dreams. He never did tell Maria about Max coming into his dream because he didn’t want to worry her until Max had an actual plan.

Michael and Maria walked into the main room, where breakfast was awaiting for them and sat down to eat. Today was that one dreaded day of each week when Maria had to visit Dr. Carlin so he could record her progress. So far, Maria hadn’t even felt any symptoms that she was pregnant. Still, she was and the only thing she really wanted was to get out of that compound ... with Michael and with this unborn baby inside her.

It was then, as she watched Michael eating the cereal that they were provided when she decided that Michael had neglected to tell her something. She looked into his averted eyes as she said, "I can’t believe this."

He looked at her in his usual unhappy way and said, "what, besides the fact that we’re still trapped in here?"

Maria exhaled loudly and said, "You’re hiding something from me. All that we’ve been though and you’re hiding something."

"Maria," he started, but she interrupted,

"don’t lie to me, Michael."

Michael dropped the spoon back into his now empty bowl and said, "I didn’t want to worry you." Maria stared at him coldly as she took another bite of her cereal and Michael continued reluctantly, "I saw Max, in a dream about a month ago. He knows."

Maria nodded and said, "he knows? So why nothing? Why are we still here?"

Michael poured himself another bowl of cereal and said, "He said he’d be back in my dreams when they have a plan. I guess they’re having trouble ... we don’t even know where this place is, Maria."

*****

"Do you even know what you’re doing Alex?" asked Isabel. Alex had been trying to find out where this place was where Michael and Maria were being held and he wasn’t having any luck.

He sighed frustratedly and after looking over at Liz he said to Isabel, straight to her face, "Isabel, I know more about this than you do, okay? It’s hard enough just to hack into the FBI database without getting tracked and doing it more than once makes this even worse." He looked at Max who wasn’t very happy about this and then looked at his computer as he punched the keys and said, "I’ve searched under Topolsky, but her current operative isn’t listed. Where else can I look?"

Suddenly, he heard Liz speak, "What about an agent Pierce? You remember when she mentioned that name?"

Alex used the mouse and then returned his fingers to the keyboard as he said, "I didn’t think about it, but I’ll try his name."

As he typed, Isabel spoke, "I just wish that we knew something more about where they are. You might as well have tried hybrid in the search box for all the good it’ll do you, Alex."

Alex shook his head in disgust and then typed in "hybrid" in the search box just to see what the results were. He knew he had a limited amount of time in the database so any suggestion was worth trying. Before clicking his mouse on the search button he added "Topolsky" to the search prompt. He pressed the search button with his mouse and then let his eyes widen in reaction to what showed up under results.

He looked up at everyone and said, "Hey, take a look at this." Alex pressed the print button as everyone gathered around his monitor.

He heard Max say, "Jesus. A whole month and we didn’t even think of it."

Liz put her arm around Max and then asked Alex, "Does it say anything about where she’s doing this?"

Alex, his eyes still widened, looked over at Liz and said while pointing at his screen, "We hit the jackpot. We can find everything we need from here."

Liz smiled in relief that they had finally found a way to make a feasable plan and get their friends out of whereever they were.

Isabel smiled and said, "thank god!" Alex just shook his head with a smile and looked at Isabel as he said, "No. Thank you Isabel."

*****

Maria was on the beach, listening to the sound of the tide on a beautiful sunny day. She felt happy, too happy to be real. Maria chuckled to herself, at this dream she had managed to concoct. She laid down on the towel she was sitting on and began to rub on some sunblock when she heard, "ahem!"

Maria sat up completely shocked, looking straight at Isabel. She swallowed for a moment in thought and then said, "Okay, no offense but I would never dream about you so you have to be the genuine article."

As Maria stood up, she heard Isabel say with a grin, "Nice to see you too. I guess the imprisonment doesn’t change your dreams much."

Maria hugged Isabel and then looked her in the eye as she pleaded, "please, tell me you guys have a plan. And um, how come you didn’t visit Michael instead?"

Isabel pulled away and replied, "Actually, I insisted on doing the dreamwalking and I couldn’t find any pictures of Michael. Yeah, we have a plan."

Maria looked at her for minute as if to really register that such a thing was actually happening to her. That Isabel was actually in her dream to tell her that she would get out of Topolsky’s operative was quite a miracle. She looked at Isabel who had gotten very silent and said, "well, what’s the plan, Isabel?"

Isabel smirked and said, "Thanks to Alex, we mangaed to conjure up a map so we know where you and Michael are. Thanks to Topolsky you two are thousands of miles away from us."

Maria aked her worriedly, "where, thousands of miles away from you?"

Isabel became unhappy as she told Maria, "Somewhere between Washington D.C. and Baltimore."

Maria nodded, a little shocked, and asked her, "So, how are you guys going to get out here and help us?"

Isabel began to pace a few steps as she said, "We can’t get out to you until summer and that’s another month or two away. I mean, spring break is long gone and we can’t just split even if we want to. We have to expect that people are watching us still even if they have Michael."

Maria said to Isabel, "Yeah, so wouldn’t they still be watching you in the summer?"

Isabel turned to her and replied, "D.C. is a tourist town in the summer. We can go as if we are coming to see the monuments which we have to do for at least one day so we wont’ blow our cover. We’ll probably come for you at night, fewer guards and no one watching would have much to expect from us. I don’t suppose you know where you are inside that place?"

Maria shook her head sadly and said, "I wish we did. Our room is down some long corridor and that’s about all I know. Um our room has a bedroom attached to it, but don’t get me wrong, it does suck being locked up in here for so long with just one person that you can really talk to. Michael doesn’t talk much on a normal daily basis so-"

Isabel cut her off saying, "okay, Maria, point taken. I’ll be back the night before the night when we will be coming. Tell Michael, stay safe and I’ll see you then" and then gave Maria a hug.

Maria returned the hug and said, "see you then and you stay safe too."

Isabel smiled as she faded out and said, "I will, Maria. We all will." With that she was gone and in a matter of seconds Maria woke up smiling.

She registered that wonderful feeling of Michael’s arms around her and gently rubbed the arm that was below hers. When Maria felt him stil enough to possibly be awake she whispered, "Hey, I saw Isabel."

After a second Michael said with sleep still in his voice, "Isabel?"

Maria nodded and continued, "I saw her in my dream, Michael. They have a plan. They won’t be able to help for another couple of months, but they’ll be here."

As Michael pulled her closer to his body he asked her, "why so long?"

Maria answered, "school and having parents who are around all the time. Do you want to know where we are?"

Michael paused in thought at then replied, "besides in this godforsaken place?"

Maria rolled her eyes and said, "Topolsky took us all the way to the east coast Michael. We’re like in Washington D.C.!"

Michael stiffened for a moment almost like he was afraid and then relaxed as he said sarcastically, "that’s great. They’re probably being watched too."

Maria replied, "that’s the other reason that they are waiting. Isabel said she would come back to my head the night before the night that they are coming to get us. I hope their plan works."