There's just no rhyme or reason
Only this sense of completion
And in your eyes
I see the missing pieces
I'm searching for
I think I've found my way home
I know that it might sound more than a little crazy
But I believe
::CHORUS::

**************************

Liz yawned as she opened her locker the next morning. She had had a miserable night and now this morning, it was starting out strange as well. Max had forgotten to pick her up this morning, so she had called Maria who was usually late herself, to come get her.

When Liz had mentioned to Maria how unlike Max it was to have forgotten her, Maria'd shrugged and said he probably had car trouble and when she saw him, he'd have an explanation.

Liz frowned at how off she felt. She had had nightmares last night. Strange ones again about Max in trouble, and then she'd felt the pain, anger and fear, and then nothing. She had also needed to be with Max and had had to fight that as well, knowing that they both needed the sleep. She had hoped that Max hadn't been up on and off all night with the wanting as well. She would hate to be the one keeping him up when he needed sleep so badly. He had looked so pale yesterday. Maria had told her she was worrying too much. But Liz couldn't shake the feelings she was having of trouble. She would have to tell Max about her feeling he was in danger. He would take her seriously. He knew she had special vibes right now. She had to warn him of whatever, so he could be prepared.

As she turned from her locker, she saw Max running down the hall toward her. He stopped when he got to her, and frowned looking worried.

"Liz! I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up! The jeep broke down. Here's your milk though." He smiled when he saw Liz wasn't upset.

As Liz smiled and took the milk Nasedo had handed her, he sighed. Of all days for the stupid jeep to break down. He had waited for Evan's sister not knowing if she was coming with him or not. He had watched Max's schedule, and knew that he always picked Liz Parker up 20 minutes before school, unless Isabel was running late. But some days Isabel didn't ride with Max and Liz and Nasedo had waited too long to see if she was going to ride with them that morning or not. Then when the jeep had broken down, he's been about to fix it when the sheriff had come by and stopped to help. The help was looking under the hood, then calling a towing service. By which time Nasedo knew he was too late in picking up Liz Parker. But he smiled as he remembered the thermos of milk that Max always brought for Liz every morning. At least the kid was consistent, Nasedo thought.

He watched Liz take a sip and wrinkle her nose. Now what? He thought.

"Ah...Max. You forgot the Tabasco Sauce." Liz whispered, leaning in close to him.

"Ah...oh...I did? Sorry! I guess since I was running late...besides I'm not having any so I figured I'd give you a break on the stuff." He quickly put in.

How the hell was he supposed to know that Max put Tabasco in his girlfriends milk!? He followed them enough to know and overhear that it was milk he brought for her everyday, but Tabasco??

Liz looked at him blankly for a second, then blinked and nodded.

"Something wrong Liz?" Nasedo asked, not liking the look that had passed over Liz's face. He had a feeling he had already done something wrong. He had told Tolpolsky that Liz was going to be the hardest to convince. That they should have taken her as well. But Topolsky had been firm on no humans being hurt. She said her people would not be happy with her if she hurt a human.

Now Nasedo cursed as he realized that there were too many intimate things that he couldn't possibly know that went on between Max Evans and Liz Parker. He knew if he connected with her he could find out what some of those were, but he wasn't sure if she could connect back with him, and he couldn't take that chance. Another reason Nasedo had wanted to take Liz.

Liz noticed the narrowing of the eyes watching her and she quickly smiled, suddenly looking totally besotted with the man in front of her.

But Liz knew for a fact that this was not Max! But how could she prove it without making him suspicious.

"Max...I missed you last night. Could you tell last night how much I missed you?" she asked leaning closer to him and putting a hand on his chest.

"I actually slept really well Liz. I guess I really needed it." Nasedo had a chill up his spine telling him that Liz was suspicious. Her question was a leading one. He knew he couldn't answer it correctly. And he'd been right. He'd seen the little shift in her eyes when he'd answered. She was suspicious. He would have to let Topolsky know that he was right. That they had to do something about this before the whole thing was blown.

Just then, the bell rang. Nasedo sighed relieved to be able to get away from the knowing eyes for a bit.

"Well, see you in Biology. Gotta go!" Nasedo quickly hugged the girl and gave her a kiss on the forehead and smiling, he started off.

"You forgot something." Liz smiled.

Nasedo stopped, thinking. He knew many times Max would just kiss Liz on the forehead before they separated for class, so he wasn't sure what she was looking for. He didn't want to get too close to her in case they made a connection. He came back up to her and looked intimately down into her eyes.

"I'll give you a proper hello and goodbye later. If I kiss you now I won't stop." He said and with a wink, he loped off.

Liz waved after the man who looked like Max and swallowed, trying not to pass out. That was NOT MAX!

Even if she could forget the mistake he made with the Tabasco, and then his trying to cover it up by saying he wasn't drinking any, or forget his not kissing her or hugging her when he first saw her, she could not forget the fact that this was the first time he had not intimately, and secretly put his hand on her tummy to greet the little ones. He was almost obsessive about that, as Liz liked to tease him.

She had to talk to tell someone. She tried to think whom, and then saw Michael heading toward his own class. "Michael!" Liz called out and ran down the hall toward him.

Michael stopped when he heard her, and then ran meeting her half way when he sensed her anxiety and saw it in her face and heard it in her voice.

"Liz! What is it? Are you sick? Are you going to faint?" Michael asked as he stopped before her and looked her over.

Liz swallowed and shook her head. She had to get her thoughts together if she wanted Michael to believe her.

"Michael, there's something wrong. Max isn't Max." She started.

Michael raised an eyebrow. He didn't want to tell her he thought she was the one that wasn't herself, he knew how the slightest thing could set her off and he certainly didn't want a crying female on his hands.

"Oh?" was all he felt would be safe to say to that.

"Yes. First he didn't pick me up this morning, which I understand, but then he forgot the Tabasco Sauce in the milk. And then he didn't even say hello to me, and he didn't say goodbye to the babies like he always does either." Liz tried to get it all out.

Then she cursed herself realizing how hysterical she sounded. Calm down Liz and now explain why each of the things Max forgot meant something. She took a deep breath but Michael interrupted her.

Michael felt this was something only Max could handle. A highly emotional female, especially a pregnant one who was feeling neglected was not his area of expertise. Obviously she needed some TLC and Max was being too dense to realize it.

"Okay Liz...relax. I'll go get Max." He said in a soft voice, trying to calm her.

"No! No Michael please...don't do that. Okay?"

"Why not?" Michael looked at her strangely.

"Because...I can't tell you right now. Can you come with me somewhere more private so we can talk?" she asked looking around worriedly. She was so afraid that the alien that looked like Max would sense her thoughts and know what she was up to.

"Look, I'll meet you behind the gym in five minutes okay? Can you get Maria or Alex or someone else too? I want to explain this to as many of you as I can." Liz looked around again; just sensing she had to get out of the hall.

"Okay. Five minutes." Michael agreed and watched her run down the hall. Then he sighed, shook his head and went to get Maria. He knew if anyone could calm Liz down and talk some sense into her, it was Max or Maria. And since she didn't want to see Max, he figured he'd grab Maria. Liz definitely was going through another pregnancy crisis.

"Hey Michael. What's up?"

Michael turned around when he saw Max coming out of the bathroom. "Hey Max. Not much." Michael said. He wanted to tell Max but had stupidly promised Liz he wouldn't.

Nasedo knew where Michael was going, and he had to stop him. "I thought I saw Liz a second ago. Is she okay?" he frowned with a show of concern.

Michael let out his breath. "Yeah, you know Liz. This pregnancy is just making her really emotional. But she'll be fine. She's gone back to class." Michael said and hated lying to his friend. But he also didn't want to upset Liz anymore right now. And if she didn't want to see Max for some reason, he would let Maria find out why.

"Her pregnancy...yeah...that's what it is. She's been really over emotional today." Nasedo shrugged and smiled. "She'll be fine. At lunch, I'll take her on a picnic just the two of us. I think we just need some time together, alone." He winked.

Michael grinned and nodded glad Max already knew Liz was upset and was going to take care of it. "Sounds good. You usually can calm her down like no one else can." He slapped Max on the back and headed off.

He was still going to get Maria, since he had promised to meet Liz behind the gym, and she would be waiting. Then Maria could calm her down, until Max took her out at lunch.

*******************

Nasedo was cold with anger and fury. The teen had broken all the rules and slept with the human! He had helped create another child of mixed blood! How could any Teronian be interested in a human! He shivered at the thought. He hated them all.

But now he had a great reason to get Liz Parker out of the picture. And this time Topolsky would love him for the prize he would bring her. Then maybe she would start to trust him. To believe that he was so brainwashed that he was really on her side.

He didn't care what she did with the girl or Evans. Evans had been a means to an end, and now another disappointment as well. He knew if he got the boy for Topolsky, she would believe him to be on her side, and then he could make his escape. He had been working on a way to get the chip out of his system so they wouldn't know he had removed it, and then they couldn't track him and find him with it. And now he could deliver the second even bigger prize to her, and convince her even more that he was on her side.

*******************

Liz paced behind the gym as she waited. She tried to keep her mind blank. She did not want the alien to sense any of her thoughts.

"Looking for me Liz?"

Liz froze when she heard the familiar voice behind her. But she knew it wasn't her Max. The voice was his, but something was off. She felt the cold coming from the person who looked like Max. She didn't feel Max.

Liz spun around and smiled widely. "Max! Hey. I was waiting for Maria. We're going to skip next period and go to the mall you know? You know how I promised I would go get that special outfit..." Liz leaned in closer and gave him a secret wink.

Nasedo had to admit the girl was good. She had been caught, but played it off like a pro. Only he was not fooled. The humans were so stupid compared to his race.

"Oh, there she is." Max said, and looked behind her shoulder.

Liz turned and then everything went blank.

**********************

Max was in a half-drugged state and had lost track of time. Topolsky had been keeping him drugged enough so that he could not use any of his powers to communicate with his friends, but not enough to knock him out completely.

She had brought him to another room with instruments and a few flat tables that looked like exam tables. Max had tried not to show his fear when he saw his worst nightmare before him. Then Topolsky had given him over to a male nurse, who had made him strip down to his shorts, and then had given him some bottoms to a pair of scrubs, and told him to put them on.

Now Max was tied to the table in the cold sterile room, and had already had blood drawn from him. He didn't know what they were planning next, because before they could continue there had been a commotion out in the hall and Topolsky and the male nurse had left the room to see what it was.

Max sighed at the small reprieve but then felt as if his body had suddenly drain of all his blood when he saw Topolsky, the male nurse and someone who looked like him, dragging Liz into the room.

Max swore and tried to ignore the fear that was deep in his belly. His anger took over. He tried to sit up, fighting the ropes. "What the hell are you doing with her!?" Max spat out trying to pull against the ropes.

"Why Max, you have been a bad boy. You didn't tell us you had gotten a human pregnant. Imagine my superiors' faces when I bring them the first human to be pregnant by an alien." Topolsky smiled wildly, her eyes glazed and wild as she laughed happily.

"Put her on the other table over there and we will get started on her as well. I am going to want a full work up on her and to know what changes her body experiences with an alien growing inside her."