Michael continued flattening out the map. "I got this at the ranger station. See this x? I think that's the peak I saw. It looks like this dirt road goes right past it, only about fifteen miles from the freeway. I think we should go check it out."

"We don't have time." Max argued. "We'll be getting back late enough already after going to the cave."

"We don't need to go back to the cave. I already checked it out, there's nothing there." Michael knew he didn't always have the best control over his powers but he was really getting annoyed by how the others treated him. Every time he wanted to do anything he always had to have Max there backing him up. And anything he managed to do was held in suspicion. Like when he had found Atherton's place. "You're right, we don't have much time. I would rather spend it going where I know there's something than wasting more time here."

Tess was quick to jump in the conversation. "I think Michael's right. We should see what's there."

It would be another two months before Max saw Liz again, he didn't want to cut it shorter than it had to be. But he realized that he had no argument for keeping them all there. He wanted to talk to Liz again and it looked like it would have to be now. "I'll go tell Maria and Liz."

Maria and Liz sat quietly in the corner, both trying to pretend that their attention was not on the table across the room.

"Ugh! They call this food!" Maria stabbed at her salad with disgust. "For five bucks you think they could afford some carrots or cucumbers, or something. Look at this lettuce, it's practically brown."

Liz only gazed across the room, absentmindedly stirring her ketchup with a French fry. Then her attention came back to the current moment. "You know, Maria, I think you're right. Michael has been acting kind of weird. I don't think I've seen him look at you once the whole time we've been here."

This was not exactly the conversation that Maria wanted to have, but it was better than sitting in silence. "I wouldn't say he's acting weird. That implies some kind of baseline normal, which with Michael has never been the case." She sighed and threw her napkin over the half eaten salad. "What gets me is it seems like it was going well, at least for a little while. I mean, we had some ice cream, watched a movie, then suddenly it's like I don't even exist."

"Well, maybe it's better this way. Maybe it will make it easier for you to move on." She knew that Maria wasn't going to believe that, especially from her.

"Yeah, right." Maria glanced over at the table where everybody else was and saw that Max had gotten up and was walking toward them. "Looks like the Czechoslovakian council is over. Hey, Max. What's up?"

"We've decided to go check out this thing Michael found. We're going to leave as soon as everybody's done eating."

Maria sensed that Max hadn't come over just to tell them that. "Good, then I still have a few minutes to check out the gift store."

Liz looked at Maria, trying to get her to stay, but Maria just tilted her head meaningfully at Max and walked away. She was alone again with Max and unsure what to do. Max slid into the chair Maria had just vacated and pushed the unfinished salad aside. He stared at the empty table until Liz started to wonder if he was going to say anything at all. Then his eyes met hers and nothing else mattered. It was just him and her and everything else seemed to melt away. Liz felt that if she could just stay in this moment with Max so close and the rest of the world so far it would be all she would ever need. But as much as she wanted to hold onto it, time continued and the world came rushing back.

"So, do you know when you're going to be coming back to Roswell?"

"Um, yeah. Right before Christmas."

He was quiet again for a minute. "Liz, I want things to be okay between us when you come back. I don't want to have to avoid you or have you run away if I happen to be in the same hallway."

She had spent all this time trying not to think about Max, she hadn't thought ahead to being in Roswell again. But she had to face it eventually. "I know. I don't want that either. I just want everything to be the way it was before..." She couldn't finish the sentence. She didn't want things to be like they were before Max had healed her. As much as it hurt her now she knew she would never give up the time they had had together for anything.

"Liz, if what happened that day at the Crashdown...hadn't, do you think we ever would have been more than lab partners?"

"Would you have let us?" Max didn't have to answer. If he had ever wanted to tell Liz how he felt about her before, he had Michael and Isabel there to talk him out of it. It was only by acting without thought that had given him the most important day of his life. He wanted to tell her that he was glad she had been shot, that being forced to let her in on his secret was the best thing that ever happened to him and he wasn't going to just let that slip away. He wanted to tell her a lot of things. But Michael was waiting for him by the door, eager to leave. He managed an awkward good-bye and left.

***********

The small peak was cone-shaped, formed as the ground around a large boulder had eroded away over the centuries leaving the rock hanging precariously, as if it could roll down at any moment. They had been over it several times, trying to find anything unusual in the smooth surface to indicate that it might be hiding something inside besides more rock. So far they hadn't, and not knowing what else to do Max joined Isabel and Alex in the jeep where they had been sitting ever since giving up on the search themselves. Alex was sprawled out in the back-seat with his eyes closed and headphones on full blast. Isabel had been taking the opportunity to get some studying done for class on Monday but she closed her book when Max sat down in the driver's seat next to her. She hadn't seen him looking so tired since they had rescued him from Pierce.

"Max, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Don't tell me that. I'm your sister. I heard you up walking around last night, just like I hear you up all night at home. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I guess I'm just having trouble sleeping." Isabel just continued to look at him and he knew she wouldn't just let him blow it off. "I've been having this dream. Every time I close my eyes it's the same thing. The FBI are in Roswell. I run to save Michael and Liz, but I get there just in time to see them both killed."

"It's just a dream. You're probably still just messed up from what Pierce did to you. It will go away."

"It's never 'just a dream' for us, is it? I started having the dream right after I had the vision in the pod chamber. I think somehow the pods gave me the dream. I think it's a warning."

"About what?"

"I don't know."

**********

Tess had tried everything she could think of and still hadn't gotten anywhere. Living with Michael had been so strained lately, she really wanted to be able to show him that she could help him but she didn't know what else she could do.

"Michael, there's nothing here."

"There has to be."

"Maybe it's the wrong place."

"No!" This was the place he had seen, he was sure of it. There was something here and he was going to find it. He put his hand on the smooth wall of stone and cleared his mind of everything but the desire to get through it. For a minute nothing happened, then he felt a surge of power growing within him. He had never felt anything like it before. He let it grow until it felt like it was almost too much to control, then directed it forward. The rock cracked with a thunderous roar, then fell away.

Max, Isabel, Alex and Maria heard the noise and came over to see what had happened. Where the rock had been was a black sheet, like a mirror of polished obsidian. Michael hesitated, then put up his hand again and as he touched the sheet it slid away.

"Great. Another cave." Maria said.

Michael ignored her and looked from Max to Isabel, then turned towards the opening and walked in. The inside was like the outside, shiny and black. The only light was the sunlight from outside glinting off the walls. The space was almost a perfect dome expect for one area of flat wall on the far side. As Michael got closer he could see a ledge in the middle of the wall covered with the symbols he had seen in his vision.

Isabel stood in the middle of the chamber and looked around. "Okay. We found it. Now what is it?"

The ridges of the symbols were sharp and cold under Michael's hand. "I don't know. Did Nasedo ever say anything about this?"

Tess shook her head. "No. But he never really told me too much about anything."

"Well, then maybe it's about time we get him back here and have him explain a few things."

**********

Nasedo walked to his car followed by the sound of his footsteps echoing through the parking garage. All day he spent in the company of men whose job it was to find and destroy him, but the only part of the day he didn't like was the walk to the car. He was designed to be a protector, a sense of paranoia deeply ingrained in him. His mind was always searching where he was for the best way to escape, the best place to make a stand if attacked. He hoped he never had to defend himself here. The lights were too dim, the floor uneven, there were too many turns and obstructions. If he ever came close to the human feeling of vulnerability, it was here.

The footsteps stopped as he paused to unlock the door, but the quiet was broken by a familiar rattle from somewhere behind him. His senses, already heightened by the insecurity of the environment, went on full alert. He knew the sound, and what it meant. He searched for it's source, his body tensing for a fight. Then a man emerged from behind a concrete column.