"No you don’t. If you come with us then you will only be miserable."

"I am not leaving her side. I will be miserable if I do leave her." Max replied coldly. Alisa turned and cuddled against Max’s arm, a smile displayed on her face. Max subconsciously placed a hand on her stomach and then continued to speak. "If I leave her I will also be abandoning our baby." Seymour gasped and looked at Max in surprise. How did he know?

"How do you know she is pregnant? And what do you mean your baby?"

"We saw the baby after we made love last night." Max didn’t want to have say any of this, but he knew it was the only way for Seymour to see why he had to go with them.

"Oh…" Seymour was amazed. Ray had said that Alisa had to live because of their baby as if she didn’t know, but Max had just said that they both saw the baby when they made love. How could this be possible. "Ok, if you’re going to come then you can’t tell anyone, and we leave now."

"I have to tell Isabel, Tess…. and Michael." Max’s voice strained when he mentioned Michael. He didn’t want to tell him, but if he couldn’t just leave without saying something.

"Isabel already knows. And you will not tell Michael. I do not want him to know where Alisa is." Seymour replied coldly. Max nodded in agreement. "Now get ready, we leave in fifteen minutes. You don’t have to worry about bringing much, we have plenty of supplies, clothing and money." Max nodded again and got up from his bed. He pulled out a small bag and quickly packed a few changes of clothing, his toiletries and a few photos of his family and friends. If he had to leave then he at least wanted something to remember his friends by. He then ripped a piece of paper out of his notebook.

Isabel,

Sorry for leaving you without saying anything, but I had to go with Alisa. She is pregnant and I am the father. She needed to go back home and I couldn’t leave her. I promise to return some day. I’ll keep in touch. Please tell Tess, but never tell Michael. He may be my brother, but he can’t know.

Love,

Max

Max looked over the note for a second and then shoved in into an envelope and placed it on his desk. Seymour asked if he was ready and Max said yes. Alisa was still asleep, so Seymour picked her up while Max opened his window and slipped out. Seymour handed Alisa to Max through the window and then followed. They rushed over to Max’s jeep and sped off towards the airport.

They arrive in California three hours later. Seymour leads Max and Alisa to the long term parking and over to his car. He knew he would need it again, though when they had left California to go to Roswell, New Mexico he couldn’t figure out why Ray had insisted on leaving the car here. Now he understood.

"So, which house?"

"Are Paula and John still alive?" Alisa can’t help but remember her old best friend Paula, and her baby, John. He was to be the next messiah.

"She still lives in Lake Tahoe."

"Can we go there?" Alisa asks. Max agrees not caring either way as long as he gets to be by her side. Seymour nods his head in agreement and they all pile into his car. Seymour driving and Max in the passenger seat with Alisa on his lap. Alisa is still upset about the loss of her brother and daughter, but she has overcome the crying stage.

"Max… what about Maria and Alex?"

"I’m sure Isabel will tell them what they need to know. Don’t worry. If we can, one day we will go home, but only if it is safe for you and the baby." Max states as he places his strong hand on her stomach. Seymour smiles at Max’s affection for Alisa.

When the three friends arrive in Lake Tahoe at Alisa’s cabin Paula is already outside waiting with a small boy right by her side. Alisa breathes a sigh of relief and walks over to her old friend.

"I know." Paul murmurs as she takes Alisa into her arms. Paula had always been able to sense things from Alisa in her past life, so she wasn’t surprised when she could feel that everything that had just happened to Alisa.

"I’ve missed you two so much…" Alisa looked down at John and smiled. He was a handsome little boy. Seymour exchanged a look with Max that told him that now they should leave the two girls alone, but Max shook his head. He didn’t want to leave Alisa’s side, not right now.

"Paula, I’d like you to meet Max… and of course you know Seymour."

"Its nice to meet you Max." Paula shook his hand gently and then turned to Seymour and gave him a small hug. She then turned her attention back to Alisa. She looked her over carefully. When Ray had called her to tell her they had found her he had also said that she had really changed.

"I changed." Alisa simply stated after reading Paula’s mind.

"I can tell, you look great… " Paula gave Alisa a knowing grin.

Isabel waited a moment before entering Max’s room. Upon entering she immediately saw his note. She tore open the envelope and once she read the note she fell to the floor and cried. How could Max just leave like this? She knew he loved Alisa, but this was going just a bit far. He was supposed to be protecting them, but instead he was off playing daddy and loyal boyfriend. After a few minutes Isabel collected herself and called Alex, Maria and Tess and told them to meet her at the cliffs. She wanted to tell Michael too, but she did respect Max’s decision about not telling him, for Alisa’s safety.

Maria and Alex drove up to the cliffs in silence. They knew something was wrong if they were meeting at the cliffs. When they arrived they saw Tess and Isabel.

"Thanks for coming…" Isabel said quietly. Alex left Maria’s side to go comfort Isabel who looked like she had just cried for days on end.

"Where’s Michael and Max?" Tess and Maria said simultaneously.

"Michael doesn’t need to be here for this…" Isabel choked out. Alex could feel that there was more to the story then Isabel was saying, but he wasn’t going to press her to tell him.

"So why are we here? And what about Max?" Tess chirped in.

"Max is gone." Isabel couldn’t say anymore, she was already in tears and clinging to Alex. Maria just stared at the ground and Tess was fuming.

"And Alisa?" Tess could barely say her name, but she had to know.

"She’s gone too… She’s pregnant, and Max is the father…" Isabel again could barely choke out the words, but managed to. Tess was visibly mad now, and Maria was suddenly hysterical at the thought that her best friend is gone. Alex tried to comfort Isabel, who was crying, and Maria who was barely breathing.

"That’s not possible! How would they know so soon? And I thought she was in love with Ray!" Tess shouted. "MAX IS MINE!"

"No Tess, he isn’t. Max is gone, with Alisa and Seymour. He isn’t any of ours. He promised Ray to take care of her, and now he is…" Isabel replied coldly. She couldn’t believe that all Tess could think about was Max being with Alisa.

"Why doesn’t Michael need to know?" Maria finally blurted out. She didn’t understand why Michael shouldn’t know this. Isabel looked at Maria, regret filled her eyes and she silently pleaded that she didn’t have to say anything, but Maria just glared back waiting for her answer.

"Something happened earlier this morning… I’m sorry Maria…please…"

"Tell me Isabel. I knew something was wrong when Max came over this morning and threatened to kill Michael, so tell me." Maria replied softly. Tess was now looking at Isabel intently waiting, and Alex seemed like he knew something was wrong.

"Max had to go home, so he asked Michael to come over and watch Alisa. When Max got back Alisa was hysterical and he didn’t know what was wrong so he brought her back to our house." Isabel once again tried to leave it at that, but Maria just glared at her.

"Michael raped Alisa…." Isabel said quietly. Maria’s whole body felt a new weight push down through her, and he heart split in two.

"Yeah right. She’s lying." Tess curtly replied.

"No, I saw it… the whole thing. Max and Alisa were together the night before, and when she got out of the car she was in pain, and Max thought he had caused it. When he went to heal her he saw everything. When he brought her into the house she was sobbing. When he left to go see Michael I connected with him and I saw everything… it’s all true… I’m so sorry Maria." Isabel pleaded, but Maria wasn’t listening. Alex wasn’t either, they were both walking away, arms around each other, towards Maria car. Alex let Maria take the passenger seat and he got in on the driver’s side. They never even looked back.

"So, now what do we do?" Tess asked.

Isabel just stood there, tears streaming down her face as she watched Maria and Alex drive off. They didn’t even say good-bye, they simply left.

"Maria…" Alex tried to choke out some words, but it was hard. He was visibly upset about everything. How could Max let that happen to Alisa, but he knew that Max wouldn’t let that happen, and he didn’t mean to. But that still didn’t mean he wasn’t mad at the four aliens. One of them had hurt their best friend in the worst way possible.

"I never want to see them again…" Maria said quietly before she drifted off the sleep. She dreamt of her best friend Liz and how she was always trying to be friends with Michael and bring the whole group together. She had never led Michael on, and she was going out with Max! Then she dreamt of how beautiful Alisa/Liz had become when the changes took over her, and how she had watched Michael staring Alisa/Liz. She had seen him do it so often, but she thought it was just because he was amazed with her powers. Then she dreamt about how awful it must have felt for Alisa to have to go through that.

Isabel walked back to her car with Tess right behind her. They got into the car and drove back home, neither one of them speaking. Isabel dropped Tess off two blocks from Michael’s apartment. She didn’t want to get any closer, otherwise she might go in there and kill him for ruining everything.

Tess ran up the stairs to Michael’s apartment and burst through the door.

"Is it true?"

"What?" Michael asked blankly. He still felt bad about what had happened.

"You know… is it true?" Tess barked back.

"Yes." Michael said and then got up and walked out of his apartment. Tess followed him through the door.

"I hope you’re happy cause Max is GONE!" Tess yelled after him. Michael stopped abruptly and turned around.

"What?" "Alisa is pregnant, he’s the father, and they left."

"Where?"

"We don’t know. Why did you do it?"

"I don’t know… no, I do know… but I don’t. It’s like something took over me…"

"Yeah, it’s called your dick."

"No, it wasn’t that… and I’m sorry, I feel really bad about it. But something just drove me to her… does Maria know?"

"Yes… and so does Alex… they walked away, finally." Tess said ruefully.

"How can you say that? I may have messed up, but we need them just as much as they need us."

"Well, they walked away. So get used to it."

"Good-bye Tess. I’ll be home later."

Alex had been driving for nearly an hour. He didn’t want to go home yet and he knew Maria didn’t want to ever go home.

"Alex…" Alex looked over at Maria as she stared back at him. "I don’t want to go home, ever… I can’t face Michael, or any of them."

"Neither do I Maria. I don’t trust them anymore. I know Max didn’t mean for this to happen, but I’m still mad him for letting it happen. And I’m and at Isabel for letting it happen also, and for expecting us to forgive them. Michael, well I will never be able to forgive, and Tess, I never trusted her, but when she said Alisa was lying I knew then that we could never be friends again."

"Me too…" Maria sobbed. "So what happens now?"

"We try to find Alisa and comfort her and help her with the baby. At least Max will be with her, and Seymour… but she needs us now more then ever before." Alex replied calmly.

"But they didn’t leave any hints of where they went…"

"We’ll find her."

Seymour lay outside looking at lake when a strange woman came and sat down next to him.

"Who are you?" Seymour asked. He looks her over a few times and concludes that she si something special.

"A friend."

"What’s your name?"

"Alanda."

"You’re here to take me away aren’t you?"

"No… you can’t leave this world until what has been ruined has been set right." She said quietly.

"Like Sita…"

"Yes…"

Seymour got up and joined Alanda. She reached her hand out and he took it and they walked off into the woods.

Alisa felt a shiver go through her spine as she slept with Max next to her. She awoke at the feeling and jumped out of bed. Her body was covered by one of Max’s tee shirts. It hung loosely on her, but her breast filled out the chest portion. She ran out of the room and out of the house towards the lake.

Max felt Alisa stir and when he looked down to where she should be he saw nothing. He quickly became panicked, but when he heard he soft sobs outside he’s fears were eased. He got out of bed and joined Alisa outside.

"Seymour is gone." Alisa said without turning around. She had felt his presence. Max collected Alisa into his arms and let her cry. Her head pressed into his chest and she silently sobbed while Max tried to soothe her.

"Shhh, everything will be ok."

Alex stared at the computer screen in front of him. He couldn’t believe what he had just read on the screen. According to his findings after searching the airlines Alisa, Max and Seymour were in California. He went to work on finding out if they rented a car if they had a car already. He figured that Seymour would probably either get a rental car, or already had car. He found out that Seymour’s car had just been taken out of long term parking.

Alex quickly went to work on finding out Seymour’s license plate number. He easily found that out and went to work on searching for any other information on Alisa Perne or Seymour Dorsten, looking especially for any house addresses. Once he found out all the information he needed he woke Maria up and told her that he thought he knew where Alisa and Max might be. When she asked where he told her about how he had found out they had gone to California and that according to his findings they were either in Lake Tahoe or in San Francisco. Maria pulled out her cell phone and called both numbers. No one answered the San Francisco number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I’m looking for an Alisa Perne." Maria choked out. She hoped that this woman might be able to help her.

"I’m sorry she isn’t home right now, but if you call back in about an hour then she should in." Paula replied.