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The sun was beginning to rise when Max, Liz, Michael, and Maria finally made it back to Max and Liz’s apartment. Max carried Liz into their bed, pulling off her shoes and tucking her in tight. She barely stirred. Her face was pale and sickly, and she obviously was in a great deal of pain. While Michael and Maria fell asleep immediately on the sleeper sofa in the living room, Max laid beside Liz and watched her sleep. His eyes were baggy and the dark circles of sleeplessness were beginning to show, but he didn’t care. As long as he was awake, he could protect her from whatever was killing her.

She squinted in her sleep through vivid bouts with pain and nausea. Max couldn’t help but break into choked sobs. He kissed the top of her forehead, which he had been cooling with a washcloth. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a fleeting thought occurred:

Dear Lord, make this baby disappear.

He couldn’t believe he was saying that about their child, but it was just too hard for Liz. She just couldn’t go on living like this. The dilemma of their situation made him cry even harder and more forcefully.

Liz opened her tired eyes then, moaning.

“Liz,” Max said, kissing her. “Please let me know what I can do to help you.”

“Just…hold me.” Liz said. “I’m scared, Max.” She crawled into his waiting arms, crying against his bare chest. He petted her smooth brown hair and kissed the top of her head.

“It’s going to be all right.” Max said, trying to blindly reassure the both of them. “At least you’re not throwing up anymore…has your nausea gotten any worse?”

“Actually, the nausea is going away…” Liz said. “I’m just so, dizzy…” Her eyes fluttered closed again.

“Get some sleep.” Max said. “Save your strength.”

“No, I’m not, I’m not…” She said, “…tired. Just dizzy.”

“Well, do you want me to make you some hot tea or something? That always helps you sleep.”

She frantically cried.

“NO!” She screamed. “No! I don’t want tea!”

He turned around, startled by her frantic screaming.

“Lizzie, honey, what’s wrong? I thought you liked tea.” He said, walking back towards her and pulling her back into his warm embrace. She curled into his chest.

“That’s what made me sick, I think…I mean, I drank it and it tasted kind of funny, but Morgan kept making me drink it, and I was too weak to stop…”

“What?” Max cried, his eyes glowing with rage. “She did what?”

“She was forcing it down my throat, telling me it would make me feel better, but it tasted awful, and I tried to stop her…” She said, crying and moaning like a child.

Max looked at her with horror. “Morgan was acting so strangely tonight. She stood in front of the door when I was carrying you out, Liz, she was physically trying to stop me from leaving with you.”

Liz was shaking her head. “I can’t put my finger on it, Max…”

“But…”

“Something’s definitely…wrong with her…” Liz said. “She…she…”

“She what?” Max asked frantically.

“Oh my God!” Liz said, sitting up in her bed like a rocket, her breath ragged, her eyes overflowing with tears of pain.

“What, Liz, what?” Max asked, holding on to her.

“I just remembered something…like it was pushed back in my head and now…it’s so clear…” Her eyes were wide and glowing.

“What? What is it?”

“I thought I heard…Tess… calling my name, over and over in my brain…” Liz said, closing her eyes. “’Goodbye, Liz…Goodbye, it won’t be long now…’” She kept repeating. Liz shuddered, burying her face in Max’s chest, trying to get the voice to go away. Max looked down at her, crumbling.

She’s losing it. She’s having a nervous breakdown. She’s in pain because of me.

Liz clutched her stomach in pain. “Shh, shh, baby, shh, no one’s ever going to hurt you…”

Max put his hand to her stomach, staring at the strange glowing symbol that seemed to be fading. It mesmerized him. He gently laid Liz back on the bed, soothing her cries.

“No one’s going to hurt her. No one is ever going to hurt her.” Liz kept repeating.

“Lizzie, who’s trying to hurt her?” He asked, laying beside her, nuzzling into her neck and soothing her with gentle kisses.

“Tess. Tess is going to hurt our baby, Max. I can feel it. She’s hurting her now.” Liz began crying.

“Tess is hurting you now? ” Max said. “How do you know?”

Liz said nothing, but put her hand on the side of his face, and he got a flash. He could feel the pain inside of her. He could feel the life energy of their child being taken away by something…someone…

Their baby was dying.

Max looked into her eyes as they both sobbed. “No…” He whispered. Liz put his hand on her belly as she laid back in front of him. He got another flash.

<Liz runs over to her, scooping her up in her arms, and they twirl around, laughing and playing together. The little girl is beautiful, she looks like a tiny version of Liz.

He sees himself there too. Liz puts the little girl down and she runs into his arms.

“Daddy! Daddy!” She squeals in delight as she flies into his arms.

“Jordana, my precious baby girl…” He says, kissing the top of her head. “You better stop twirling or you’re going to fall down!”

“But I love to fall, Daddy! Falling in the sand is so fun!” She squeals back.

He smiles, tickling her.

“Daddy stop it! Daddy!” She screams, laughing and squirming out of his arms.

Liz comes over to them then, smiling. “Jordana, it’s time for lunch, sweetheart.” Liz said. “Come eat your sandwich.”

“No, Mommy, I want to play with Daddy.” Jordana replied.

“Aww, come on Lizzie, just a little while longer.” He said, pleading with Liz on his hands and knees before her. Jordana saw him doing this and copied him.

“Yeah, come on, Mommy, pleeeeeease?” She asked, smiling sweetly. Liz squeezed her cheeks.

“Now how can I say no to a precious little face like that? Of course, you can play as long as you want. Just tell me when you get hungry, ok?” Liz said, kneeling down to her young daughter’s eye level.

“Yeah!” She said, squealing with delight. “Come on, Daddy, let’s go make a sandcastle!” Her tiny hand reached out for his and he smiled.

Then it happened.

As soon as Jordana had grabbed his hand, he felt it slipping away.

Tess had appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Jordana and pulling her away from him.

“Tess! No! Let go of her!” He screamed. Tess flung Jordana into her arms and raced towards the ocean spread out like a blanket in front of them.

“Tess! Let go of my baby!” Liz screamed, joining him as they fled towards the water.

But it was no use.

The more they ran, the further Tess took Jordana out into the dark, cold water. Then they both vanished.>>

“Tess!” Max screamed as the flash ended.

Liz looked into his eyes. “That’s how I know. Max, that scene has been playing in my mind all night. Tess is doing something to me, to the baby, I don’t know what it is…” She began crying again, rubbing her tummy.

“Liz, oh God, baby, I’m not going to let her do this…”

“How are you going to stop her?” Liz asked pointedly. “You can’t stop her forcing her way into my body like this.”

“No, Liz, I will. I will stop her. I’ll do anything.” He thought briefly about killing Tess, but then he saw a vision of his son. His son would be devastated at the loss of his mother, no matter how genuinely evil she was. He kissed the top of Liz’s head, then kissed her stomach. “I’m not going to let her hurt Jordana.”

Liz smiled. “I think we should name her that too…”

“I think it’s a beautiful name…” Max said, smiling. Tears came to his eyes. He couldn’t get the image of his beautiful baby girl being ripped from him by Tess. Liz rubbed the top of his head as he rested the side of his head on her belly. Within moments, they both had fallen asleep.

* * * * *

Tess opened her eyes and smiled.

“It won’t be long now. They are both as good as gone…” She said, smiling to herself. She looked over at her nightstand, at a picture of she and Max. She then glanced over to the picture of their son next to it. Using her powers of manipulation, she moved the image of Adam-Michael over to the photo of she and Max. It looked like the three had posed for a picture together. One smiling, happy family.

“That’s better.” She said, smiling. She moved her hands across the photo and brought it up to her mouth, kissing the image of Max. “Darling, we’ll be together soon.” With that, she turned off the light and went to sleep.

She smiled, knowing the plan was set in motion. They had no idea that Morgan was really Nasedo… and she was growing progressively more successful at breaking into Liz’s unconscious…getting her to reject her baby… and now, she just had to break into Max’s dreams, getting him to think about making love to her again.