The training went well. Michael needs some work, but Max, he was focussed and effective. Was it because the girl wasn’t here? We decided to increase the pressure on him, watching his reactions. Nothing really affects him deeply, nothing but the possibility that the girl may leave his life. The evidence is piling up.

They were gone for four days. Four days in which Liz’s body was starting to ache from being separated from Max’s. She would wake shaking and aroused during the nights, knowing without evidence that he was thinking of her. Knowing that he had been dreaming of her… of them. She would whisper his name: "Max…" hoping he would hear somehow and know she thought of him too.

During the days, Liz, Maria and Alex spent most of their time with Jans. He took them around the camp, had lunch with them, told them stories about the people in the camp. He seemed entranced by Liz, his eyes followed her everywhere and he touched her whenever he got a chance. Hugging her lightly when she laughed, pushing her hair out of her face when it escaped its ponytail. Maria and Alex looked at each other every time this happened, wondering how Max would take all of this.

Liz didn’t seem to notice. Half of her thoughts were always with Max. She wondered how he was doing with Tess. She had moments where it felt like he was standing next to her, about to touch her and she could feel the heat of his hand on her skin. These moments were so real that disorientated her and she had to make up excuses for her lapses in concentration to her friends. She was getting comfortable with Jans and was hungry to learn everything that she could. She so wanted to make Max proud.

Most of the people in the camp were involved in crafts that they could sell later to buy supplies for the camp. Maria had immediately joined some women who were making clothes. Mostly shirts and blouses in wonderful colors. Alex seemed a bit lost until he found out the camp had a few computers from which the group was doing some research. He subsequently volunteered to help with the software.

This left Liz alone with Jans again. So they talked about biology and how little difference there was between Max, Michael and Isabel’s bodies and those of humans.

~*~*~*~*~

Max was frustrated after the first two days of training. Not with the training, but with Nick’s unwillingness to tell him anything that would help him and Liz. He had carefully avoided answering any of Max’s questions about his past. About their home planet and their parents. And mostly about him being married to Tess.

Tess was also doing her best to make his life hell. She practiced her mind control almost exclusively on him, sending him images of them being together in the most basic of ways. It only started going better when he exploded after a particularly graphic vision that left him trembling with an assortment of emotions. Nick took her to the side and spoke to her quietly while Max tried to get the images from his mind. They were so different from the ones his imagination conjured up on its own accord. Those were filled with images of Liz. Of how perfect she would look and feel, lying in his arms with her bare skin next to his. He grimly realized that the only thing Tess’ visions managed to do was increase his fantasies about Liz.

He would wake up in the night, his body hard and aching, and his heart racing. The dreams of Liz felt so real that he was surprised every time his hands didn’t find her next to him.

On the third night, Nick sent him to find Tess who hadn’t returned from a walk in the desert. Max went, because he felt responsible for all of them, but he was not prepared for what he found.

She was standing at the base of a rock formation, her bare skin shimmering in the pale moonlight. Max was speechless. She smiled when she saw him: "I was waiting for you." Her voice was soft and sultry as she slid her hands over her naked body.

Max let his eyes travel over her. She was beautiful and she was the first girl he had ever seen like this, but he felt… nothing. His body remained unaffected and his heart untouched. This was nothing like her mind control visions that created false reactions from him. This was real and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never feel about her the way he felt about Liz. With Liz, his body reacted instinctively, explosively, without needing conscious inducement from her.

Tess was coming closer and he held up his hand. "No Tess, whatever you thought was going to happen here, its not." He watched her halt in confusion. "Let’s just go back and forget this happened." He turned around and started walking away. "I’ll wait for you over there. Get dressed."

Fury took hold of Tess the likes of which she has never experienced before. How could he be immune to her? He was a 17-year old guy, for crying out loud. Even worse, he was an INEXPERIENCED 17-year old guy. Little Miss Prim was the reason for his actions, she just knew it! Nick had told her to stop with the visions and try the reality. To try and seduce Max the normal, human way. And look where it got her! Max was even more determined to stay away from her. She dragged her clothes back on, her movements jerky with anger. She would just have to target the weak link in this triangle: Liz Parker…

~*~*~*~*~*~

They arrived back at the camp late in the afternoon. Maria and Alex came running up, exited to see their aliens again, though they were careful not to hug or kiss them. If there was anything they learned these few days, it was the high esteem the people in the camp had for their "royal family" and their destiny. Max got out of the Jeep, his tiredness disappearing in the light of the fact that he would see Liz again. His Liz. He felt her near, but couldn’t see her yet. He listened with one ear to the chattering around him, but his eyes were scanning the area for a glimpse of her.

Then he saw her. His first impulse was to run over to her and drag her back to his tent. Any tent. She had been away from him too long and his heightened physical awareness of her was driving him insane. But the reunion was not how he pictured it. Some guy had his arm around her and she was laughing up at him. Max felt a red haze of jealousy settling over his vision. It blurred everything but the view of another man with his hands on Liz. He clenched his hands into fists and started towards them when Michael grabbed his arm.

"Max! You can’t do this!" Michael’s voice was low, but it held an urgent note. Max looked ready to kill the guy with Liz and this would not be a smart thing to do with half of the camp’s inhabitants staring at them. He took a step back as Max swung around, ready to flatten whoever was keeping him from tearing the guy of Liz. He was stopped short when he heard his name, said by the one voice that could always get his attention: "Max!"

Liz had stopped a few paces away, trying not to create a scene. She had seen Max’s reaction to Jans being with her and she desperately wanted to tell him that he had nothing to worry about. She wanted to tell him that her body had known the moment he had arrived back at the camp. That she had to force herself no to run into his arms. That she had temporarily forgotten the name of the guy with her when she saw him look at her.

She tried again, seeing the wild look still in Max’s eyes. "Uhm… welcome back. I… WE missed you." Max was staring at her, his eyes slowly running over her as if trying to see if Jans had left a mark on her with his touch. She watched as the look in his eyes slowly transcended into something new. Those wonderful hazel eyes were becoming darker as they traveled back up her body from her feet. Stopping for a few moments in some places before continuing their burning path to her face. It felt like he was touching her with his hands, skimming his fingers over her naked skin and Liz forgot to breathe. She crossed her arms over her chest protectively as his gaze finally lifted from her breasts to her lips. His eyes were hungry and hot and created a sharp need low in her stomach.

Michael still had a hold on Max’s arm and started to drag him away from Liz. He had watched with concern while Max ate Liz with his gaze. Hell, he was sure EVERYONE was watching Max devouring Liz with that look. If he left him and Liz together like that for any longer, they would melt the Jeep!

Max was looking back at Liz while Michael continued to force him in the direction of the showers. ‘Tonight’, he thought. Tonight NOTHING will keep him from Liz. Not his destiny and certainly not the disapproval of his friends.