And now she was on this ship with him, going to who knows where. He had thought it was his dream, to see the other planets even if he couldn’t ever see his own. Now he was starting to doubt that. He still wanted to see the planets, but not if it meant that he could lose Maria. Grimacing, he remembered all the times he had scoffed at Max for worrying about Liz. Now here he was, doing the same thing. He might be dragging her into a war. Or to a place where he wasn’t the only amazing alien (apart from the very unavailable Max Evans) around her.

What if he lost her without ever making a real commitment? Her words from the car have been haunting him. You haven’t even married me, you bastard! I’ve been living in sin for years and it’s all your fault.

She was so right.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Isabel was sitting in the lounge area of the ship, watching the comings and goings of the short Dendarians with an expressionless face. From the outside, she looked like the Ice Princess she always tried to emulate, but in the inside she was quaking. She hadn’t wanted to leave her quasi-normal life on earth for a planet unknown, but Max had needed her to come, so she came. And now she was really scared.

The Dendarians have been nice to them all and very deferential to her, but she missed Max. This is first time she had ever felt completely out of her depth, and her brother, with his broad shoulder, wasn’t there to make her feel better. For a fleeting moment, the resentment she had felt when Liz first became the most important person in Max’s life resurfaced. In spite of Liz saying that she wasn’t trying to take Max away from Isabel, she had. She had made Max hers so completely that the rest of them became an afterthought. And the worst was, she didn’t even have to do anything, she did it by just being her. By being Liz.

Sighing, Isabel shook herself. She was being unfair. This is the first time that she really needed Max that he wasn’t there for her. A few years ago, he had flown down from Boston to be with her when she had had trouble with her career. And apparently Liz had made him come. Not to mention all the times he had listened to her prattle on for hours on the phone about her strange relationship with Alex. Max loved her just as much as always, he just wasn’t WITH her as much as always.

"Do you need anything, Your Highness?" It was the girl who had been appointed her servant on the ship.

"No thanks," Isabel said automatically, not really looking at the girl. She was too overwrought to bother about being nice right now. Maybe she could get Michael to contact Max again…

"Iz, are you okay?"

Or maybe she could just talk to Alex about everything.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone was staring at him in shock and he still couldn’t take his eyes of Liz. Liz who was wearing his royal seal. Max’s vision was starting to blur and it felt like his head was being split open with pain. "Shani," he said again, grabbing his head and squeezing his eyes shut. Who the hell was Shani? And why did he remember seeing Liz in the royal garb before? "Liz?" he pleaded, trying to get up and go to her, but the pain in his head forced him back in his chair with a groan. She would be upset, he knew that much even in his half-dazed state. He needed to get to her.

Liz had gone rigid when he called her "Shani". It was the first time in his entire life that Max had mistaken her for someone else and it shook her to the core. She felt sick with fear that Max was starting to remember some great love for Tess or whoever this Shani was as a result of going back to his alien roots. Forcing herself to take a shuddering breath, she took a halting step forward.

"Oh God," Max moaned, clutching his head in his hands. "What is happening to me?" It was a hoarse whisper. "Liz… Liz, please?" he begged again.

Not able to take his pain any longer, Liz pushed her panic to the back of her mind, rushing forward to drop to her knees in front of him. "I’m here!" she cried softly, running her hands through his hair and raining little kisses on his bent head, over his hair and his forehead.

Max was starting to shake, images of Liz wearing that white and green royal outfit and laughing gaily were still spinning through his head. He saw her in a garden, in a huge ballroom among many people wearing similar clothes, looking up at him with wide eyes and a moist mouth. He groaned again. And throughout the visions, he kept hearing himself say ‘Shani’ over and over again.

Nick was next to them in an instant. "Let me try to help," he urged Liz, pulling her away from Max.

"No," Liz pleaded just as Max moaned again, reaching out blindly towards her. Nick let go hastily and Liz fell back against Max. He wrapped one arm around her, pressing her against him and muttering hoarsely: "Don’t leave me again, please… my Shani…"

"Max," Liz said urgently. "It’s not Shani, it’s Liz." She hugged him closer. "Please let Nick help you."

He held her more tightly before mumbling "okay" and letting her out of his embrace. "Don’t go." Max felt sick and dizzy, but he knew he should not let Liz leave before he could clear up this Shani mess. Why did he keep on calling Liz Shani?

Nick gingerly put his hand on Max’s head, making a connection. He was hit with the images that have been haunting Max and with the blinding pain that went with them. He tried sending Max some calming thoughts and felt the pain recede after a while as the images stopped. When he stepped back, all he could do was stare at Max in amazement.

Max’s gaze found Liz immediately. She was sitting on her heels a few feet from him and looked ready to bolt. Her teeth were worrying her bottom-lip and her hands were clenched together in her lap. "Liz, come here," he sounded like he had cotton wool in his mouth. "Please," he added and held out his hand to her when she didn’t react. He still felt wobbly, but he wanted her back in his grasp before he asked Nick what the hell had happened to him just now. It was suddenly very important that he not let Liz leave this room. "Please," he repeated.

His beautiful amber eyes were pleading with her and their connection told her that he didn’t understand what had transpired either. She shook off the paralyzing fear that had come back as soon as she saw that he was better and moved towards him cautiously. Everything inside her screamed for her to find out who this Shani was and to do it now, but she heard herself ask "Are you better now?" first.

She was still out of his reach and Max fought down his worry. Liz looked fragile and skittish, causing Max to talk to her in a soothing voice. "I’m fine now… love," he added deliberately.

That galvanized Liz into action and into his arms. "I was so scared for you, Max! Are you sure you’re okay now?" They were both trembling and holding each other tightly.

"Yeah."

Nick and Grace had been observing the whole scene from the sidelines. It was clear that Max had remembered something from his past, his previous life. The one in which he was married to Tess. And it was also clear that Liz had been really thrown by him calling her Shani, although that puzzled them both.

Max finally turned to Nick, still keeping a firm grip on Liz. "What WAS that?"

As soon as he spoke, Liz started wriggling in his arms. "I-I need to go," she said.

"Why?" Max asked suspiciously. He was glad now that he had her firmly anchored to him before starting the discussion with Nick.

"I-I need to go to the bathroom." She could see he didn’t believe her, so she added hastily. "I f-feel sick again." That was a complete lie. "Please." She just couldn’t sit here and listen to a tale of Max’s previous love.

"Liz—" He clearly didn’t believe her.

"Max!" she tried again.

"I’ll go with you then," he floored her by saying. He didn’t make a move, though, just sat there watching her with hooded eyes.

"No, you need to talk to Nick and… and I’d rather not hear this if you don’t mind," she finally admitted. His eyes darkened with pain and she felt like a heel. "Unless… you really want me to stay," she whispered. Why was she acting so selfishly around him? Because you’re deathly afraid of losing the one thing you always counted on, his complete and total love. Something you’ve never had to share with anyone else before. Since he was eight years old, Max Evans had loved her with all of his heart and nothing had ever threatened that love. Even though she had sometimes feared that they would not end up together, she had never feared that anyone could take her place in his heart. She did now. She could fight any living threat to their love, but she could do nothing against an all-encompassing passion from a former life.

"Yes, I want you to stay," Max stated firmly. He could sense her fear and he needed to clear up this whole thing before it got out of hand. "It’s about you too," he told her. He turned back to Nick questioningly.

"I think you have remembered something from your past," Nick said carefully. "Although I am not sure how what you’ve seen is possible."

Max looked at Liz’s downcast head. "I saw YOU, my love," he informed her huskily. "You wearing these clothes in places we have never been."

Liz felt her breath hitch in her throat. "That can’t be."

They stared at each other before looking at Nick, who seemed as lost as they were.

"Maybe you were remembering… Tess and your mind just put… m-me into the images somehow…" Liz stopped when Max shook his head with certainty.

"No." He met her gaze, stating firmly. "It was you."

The simple statement stopped her heart just like it did when she was sixteen. Her eyes glittered when stared up at him. "How do you know?"

"Because I know YOU. I’d know you anywhere." He sounded so sure of himself.

"This is not possible, Max. Forgive me, but your parents showed me all there is to show about your previous life before they sent me to earth, and there was definitely no one there that looked like Liz. And…" he cast an apologetic look at Liz, "you were definitely married to Tess. Not for long, but you were."

"What did Tess look like then?" Max had tightened his arms around Liz at Nick’s last statement.

"Exactly like she looks now. And besides, Liz is completely human."

"Then who is Shani?" Max asked. He was even more confused now. He still did not remember Tess at all, yet these images of Liz wearing his royal seal was as clear as day.

Both Nick and Grace looked at him strangely. "There is no such person as Shani, Max."

"He definitely called me Shani. Maybe she was someone his parents didn’t know about or show you?" Liz asked with her heart in her throat.