Max looked shocked himself, and couldn't meet Liz's eyes.

Maria sat up, confused and ran her hands through her messed hair and frowned. She had no idea what was wrong with Michael all of a sudden, but it made her feel self-conscious.

Liz looked around at Michael and Maria, then back to where she still sat on Max's lap, but now he was looking down, as if wishing she wasn't there.

Liz slowly got up off of Max's lap and went to sit near Maria. They exchanged worried looks but didn't know what to say or do.

Isabel and Alex heard Michael swear aloud and they too pulled apart.

Isabel sat up and watched the scene unfold before her and she too frowned. What was going on?

"Max?" Isabel questioned when it looked like no one else could think what to say. Then she looked to where Michael was still standing, with his back to the room.

"What's going on guys?" Isabel asked starting to worry. Had they gotten a vision? What!?

"I don't understand. All we had was one sip?" Max finally said, still looking down. He couldn't believe the things he had said and done! And how he had been all over Liz all night! How could he do that to her? First he hurt her by telling her he needed distance, then he said they should at least be friends, and then he pulled her into his arms tonight, and had been all over her. What must she be thinking? Max swallowed in panic.

"What do you mean one sip?" Isabel asked, realization dawning on her that the guys were now totally sober and shocked at their behavior.

"I mean one sip." Max said and looked over at Isabel with an agonized look.

Isabel looked at Alex who was still enjoying the affects of the alcohol, but not as out of it anymore. He nodded to her silent question and frowned. He should have thought of that earlier. They had only had one drink.

"Well, at least now we know what happens to us if we even touch that stuff." Isabel remarked with a raised eyebrow. Then she looked at Liz and Maria and frowned. The guys might have had no control over their actions, but the girls were paying for it now. And it was all her fault.

Liz didn't know what to do. She knew Max had been drinking, but she hadn't realized that he had been so out of control, that he would later regret tonight. She felt like dying. Here she had let him kiss her and cuddle with her after he had wanted his distance, and now that he had sobered up, he obviously hadn't changed his mind. What would Max think of her now? How easy could she be? When he'd said he needed them to back off, she'd given in, but as soon as he wanted her again, she just melted for him? She swallowed.

Maria's own mind was churning but she was getting angry. It was dawning on her that now that the guys were sober, they were no longer feeling the way they had when drunk. What crap! She thought. If Michael was going to use her when he was drunk, and then toss her aside when he was sober he had another thing coming!

"So now that you guys are sober, you're sorry for playing with our feelings again, but your not interested? It was all a mistake, you didn't really mean any of that?" Maria asked in a low, but angry tone.

When Michael still didn't turn around, Maria got up and pulled him around. "You don't really want to be with me. You don't need anyone, but if you drink, than you can forget that crap and use me, only to throw me away again when you are thinking without your lower anatomy!?"

Liz glanced up and caught Max's eye as they all listened to Maria, but she quickly lowered her eyes from Max's, and bit her lip. Maria was right. They had been used again.

Max felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach. He knew Maria was right. He might not have had enough control to watch what he'd said and done tonight, but that didn't mean he hadn't meant it all. He did love Liz, and he wanted to be with her. All the alcohol had done was let her see what he had been trying to keep from her. For her own good, or so he thought. Only he hadn't meant to hurt Liz again. He had never been as happy as he had been tonight. They had all laughed and joked and enjoyed just being normal teenagers. Isabel and Michael had also. And Max had had the girl he loved with him, and it had felt good knowing he had the right to touch her and hold her and kiss her. He wanted to tell Liz that he had been stupid to step back, that he didn't want that anymore. He wanted what they had had tonight. Only he had hurt her again, and Liz probably hated him now.

Michael swallowed and listened as Maria yelled at him. She was right. She deserved better than this. He had seen Hank many a times try to use his drinking as an excuse for some of his behavior, but Michael wouldn't do that to Maria. He just didn't know what to say, or even if she would listen, she was so angry. And hurt. He would own up to what he had said and done. It was only right. He might not WANT to be with Maria when he was being cautious and logical, but he knew that when his guard was down, she was there. That she would always be in his heart. In his most vulnerable moments, his brain would remind him what he had been trying to deny. That he needed Maria. That he loved her. Had never loved anyone before and never known anyone who could loved him just the way he was. Until Maria.

Isabel could tell from the agonized looks of defeat on Max and Michaels faces that they knew Maria was right, and that they wanted to make it okay, but just didn't know how.

"This is all my fault you guys." Isabel admitted on a shaky breath. Alex looked at her in confusion, and she smiled at him and took his hand.

Then she said to all of them. "I was the one who set this whole night up. I conned Max into inviting Michael and Alex over, knowing I was inviting the girls over, and I wanted us all to get together." She swallowed.

Then she let go of Alex's hand and started pacing, rubbing her hands up and down her legs trying to think how to make this right. "I saw what a difference you three made in Max, Michael and my life when we let you in. At first I'd been scared. Scared of the changes that were taking place. It was no longer just the three of us. I wasn't the only girl and didn't have Max and Michael's undivided attention. And I made Max feel guilty for that." She admitted and looked from Max to Liz with apology written on her face.

"I know I helped the guys keep you at arms length. I helped feed their own fears and need for things not to change and get out of control. It didn't take much; I know that Michael and Max were just as scared as I was to let you guys in. All they needed was the excuses I gave them to pull back. Only, these last couple of weeks nothing has been right. Instead of everything going back to the way it was before, before the shooting, things were just wrong. Max was no longer Max, Michael had an ever sharper edge, and I...I was even putting up a harder barrier than ever before." Isabel continued. Then she stopped pacing and sat down in one of the chairs.

"I stupidly thought that by pushing you three out of our lives again, we would go back to the way we were, and be safe. Only it didn't work. It left us all feeling more afraid, more alone and more distant from everyone, and even each other."

She glanced up at Alex who was still standing listening like everyone else was. "I'm so sorry." She said to him in a whisper. "I'm sorry for the way I thought we would be better off without you three in our lives." She said and then turned to Liz and Maria as well. "And when I realized that we, all three of us, needed you three in our lives, that it was somehow meant for us six to come together, I tried to make it right, by planning tonight. I set you all up; I borrowed that skin flick from Ginny Gonzales, and planned on using it to help seduce you three guys. And I knew that it would help make Max and Michael turn to you two again." She looked at Liz and Maria as she said this. "I didn't mean for them to use you. Just to realize what they really wanted." Isabel admitted and then just looked down, having said all she could. She didn't know if Alex, Liz or Maria would ever forgive her.

When she finished, the room was quiet. No one knew what to say or how to start.