Liz turned and kissed her son's face, "Thanks for helping me find my way back, Dave." Then she turned to her mate and touched her forehead to his, "Love you, Max. Without your strength and love I wouldn't be here."

Isabel's face was wet with tears as she watched her brother's joy as he hugged and kissed his mate. Looking forward, Liz saw Isabel for the first time. "Isabel? I’m so glad you're safe now!" Isabel brushed her tears aside, went forward and threw her arms around her brother and his ready-made family. His aura clearly indicated that his heart was now complete.

Surfacing momentarily from his overwhelming happiness Max noticed Michael was standing apart, a wistful expression on his face. He looked like that emotionally isolated teenager he used to be before Maria's love had given him the security he needed to truly grow up. Max reached out the arm that was around Isabel. "Michael."

He let the pride and love he felt for his friend show clearly in his face. This mature, responsible adult was the main reason Isabel and the other captives were safe. "Impressive job, Michael." He hooked Michael's arm and drew him closer, squishing Isabel accidentally.

She squeaked, but grabbed Michael and kept him from moving away. It just felt so good to be together again. "Liz, I want to formally introduce you to 'Spike'." Her voice was amused as she looked aside at Michael to see his reaction. But he was feeling too good to even try to pretend to be offended. His grin was infectious.

Totally comfortable and not at all stressed with the closeness, Liz squirmed around in the mass of rejoicing people and tried to see Michael. Finally she saw his spiky hair and tried to keep a straight face as she acknowledged the introduction. "Michael. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm glad you and Isabel are safe now. Maria will be so happy to see you." Liz remembered his impending fatherhood and wondered when he was going to tell his friends. It wasn't her secret to tell so she couldn't congratulate him.

Finally the doctor's assistant broke them up, insisting on completing Liz's examination to insure that nothing had been overlooked. Max didn't want to leave Liz but at that moment the intercom buzzed. A nurse answered it and the captain's voice was clearly heard requesting that the chief medical officer's along with Max, Isabel and Michael's presence in the debriefing that was scheduled to start as soon as they could get there.

Accurately reading the expression on Max's face, Dave reassured him. "I'll stay here with Mom."

Max clapped him on the shoulder, "Thanks, Dave." He leaned in and gave Liz a kiss. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She brushed her hand lightly over his cheek and returned his kiss, suddenly too overwhelmed to speak."

When Max, Michael and Isabel entered the briefing room, the captain and his officers stood up and gave them a standing ovation. After they were all seated the captain began the debriefing. "Mr. Evans, Ms. Evans, Mr. Guerin. On behalf of the whole crew and myself I want to thank you for your assistance. There is an excellent chance that we will be able to repair our computer with the help of the Al'Centrans who stayed on the generation ship. And once the computer is repaired, we will have a good chance to return to our own time.

Max looked relieved at that news, but then a negative thought intruded. "Um, Captain, have you decided what you'll do if you aren't able to return to your own time?"

"We've had this discussion and decided to stay on the generation ship if we are unable to return. In our time, the presence of the generation ship is not widely known so we won't disturb the timeline."

"But your families…" Isabel's voice was filled with compassion.

"Our families will be safe. We'll just have to be satisfied with that." The captain's voice was firm. He gathered his thoughts and continued the briefing. "We've taken the last of the dissidents into custody and they will be dealt with harshly when we return."

"And if the worst happens and you are forced to stay here in our time, what will happen to them?" Michael had had the closest association with the dissidents and knew how ruthless they were.

The captain's face was grim. "The Al'Centrans from the generation ship have established small bases in the asteroid field. The dissidents will be marooned on one. We will provide supplies, but they will never leave there."

He continued. "Our computer repairs are progressing on schedule. We will begin the return trip to Earth later today. You and your group will be returned to Earth."

"And Dave?" Max wanted to be sure on this point.

"Young Mr. Parker is extremely important to the timeline. He must go back, but Mr. Evans, Ms. Evans, Mr. Guerin, I must ask that you not tell him any more about the future. If he has too much knowledge, it might influence his actions and change what we have worked so hard to preserve.

As the briefing continued, Max began to feel uneasy. He attributed it to being separated from Liz so soon after her ordeal and tried not to show it. He reached out and attempted to 'path Liz, but couldn't make contact. But instead, he felt Dave's mental touch.