Could it get any weirder?

Here he was in his bedroom, lying on the floor with his fantasy girl's head on his chest and- get this- comforting *her*.

Comforting her because he had been at death's door and she didn't want him dead.

In fact, she didn't want him dead enough to save him, if you could believe that.

Which, he couldn't.

Granted, she didn't risk her life and the lives of her two friends by doing it like Max did for Liz.

But still, Isabel Evans reached out and exerted a tremendous amount of energy for him- Alex Charles Whitman!

Unreal.

Not to mention the fact that surrounding this unreal scenario was the background of his room, which besides being the sight of numerous fantasies involving he and the aforementioned fantasy girl, currently looked like it might actually rate high enough to merit federal disaster relief funds.

Totally unreal.

He looked down at Isabel.

Her wide, tear-filled eyes caught him by surprise.

"Hey, you okay?"

He inclined his head to see if they really were tears, or if it was just his imagination.

"Isabel...I'm fine. You fixed me. And by the way, you did a great job on the nose. I think itıs much more refined-looking."

He smiled, glad to see her eyes twinkle at him just a little bit.

Isabel sat up, recovered enough to tease him back.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

Alex grinned and sat up as well.

"Well, I guess maybe we'd better try it out and make sure."

Isabel looked at him suspiciously.

"Sure of what?"

Alex leaned in and whispered, "That they fit together just right when we kiss."

Isabel gave a little gasp, then let her gaze wandered down to his smile.

Come home to Papa, Alex thought as he leaned in...

And the phone rang.

Alex jerked his head toward the noise.

"Not again," Isabel muttered as she grabbed his face in both her hands and kissed him soundly.

Soft lips...warm breath...and that shimmering hair in his hands.

Oh god, how Alex loved that hair...

As Isabel pulled back from him slowly, Alex stared at her in wonder.

Life was so amazing.

One minute, an alienette with a vendetta takes a stab at you, and the next minute, a beautiful goddess (also an alien) heals you and takes you to the seventh of never with one kiss.

Amazing.

And she's leaning in again...

Phone? Phone? What's a phone?

******

Liz sat in the car, taking a deep breath.

Her heart was already pounding, and she wasn't even to the cave yet.

"There is nothing to fear except fear itself," she mumbled to herself. "And, of course, the occasional psychopathic...alien genetic mate of your ex-boyfriend."

She closed her eyes briefly and opened the car door.

She didn't realize anyone was there until she felt the door stop suddenly.

Looking up in fear, she was relieved to see Eddie's face in the moonlight.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there," she breathed out, then paused. "How did you know I was coming?"

"You need a new muffler," he grinned at her.

"Oh," Liz said, a little embarassed. "I guess that would do it."

She stepped out of the car and Eddie reached out his hand to help her out.

She gave him a genuine smile for his courtesy.

"Thank you."

"So, Liz, what brings you out here?"

Liz lost her smile quickly.

"I was hoping to go back to the cave...although now that I'm here, I'm not exactly sure how to get there."

Eddie frowned at her.

"Why do you want to go back?"

Liz hesitated, pressing her lips together as she thought.

"I can't explain, Eddie. I wish I could, but I just have to go. Alone."

Eddie stared at her for a moment.

"I'm not about to let you wander around in those woods by yourself. Just give me a second to get my flashlight. I'll be right back."

Liz watched as he strode off toward the Indian trinket shop beside the road.

If she let him come with her, then he might be in danger, too.

She quickly turned and walked into the dark woods alone.

******

"Maria, Liz said Alex was going to be fine," Michael said, exasperated.

Maria slammed down the phone.

"Then why aren't they answering the phone?"

Michael glowered at her.

"I don't know. Why donıt you call them back and ask?"

Maria rolled her eyes and kept pacing.

"So Liz was driving? When did this happen," she asked again.

"If I'd known you were going to be this annoying, I would have just handed you the phone so you could talk to her yourself."

Maria stared at him a moment, then grabbed the phone again and dialed quickly.

As they waited, Michael threw himself down on the couch.

Maria sighed and hung up the phone. "So why isn't she answering now?"

She looked over at Michael with a calculated look.

"I want to see Alex."

Michael looked up at her.

"No, it's too dangerous."

"I don't care."

He stood up and stared her down.

"You're not going."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I am."

"You're-"

"I'm going."

"It's-"

"Michael-"

"too-"

"MICHAEL-"

"dangerous!"

"I'M GOING," Maria shouted as she grabbed her car keys.

"GOD!"

Michael threw his hands in the air.

"Alright! Alright! If it's gonna shut you up, we'll go!"

He yanked the keys out of her hand and exited, followed a very smug Maria.

******

Eddie swore quietly under his breath.

He didn't realize Liz would go off by herself like that.

It hadn't taken him long to locate the flashlight but when he checked in with River Dog, the old man had wanted to warn him about the presence at the cave...

And of course, Liz hadn't waited.

Eddie set off on his own after her.