"What are you thinking Michael? And if it isn't too hard would you mind not calling me that." Max Evans said to his best friend as he gunned the engine and pulled out of the trailer park.

"Touchy today aren't we Maxwell." Michael knew he had struck a nerve when Max tried to shoot him his worst glare, but failing miserably. Michael began to laugh at his friend's attempt, and couldn't stop for the life of him.

"What is so funny 'space boy'?" Max retorted.

Michael instantaneously stopped laughing and glared at Max. Max could feel the chill in the air because of the glare and shivered. This tiny reflexed sent Michael into a new fit of snorting laughter. Max was watching his friend clutching at his sides, being unable to breathe and began to laugh himself.

After a few minutes Michael coughed and stopped laughing. "Alright Michael is all business now." Max thought. He cleared his throat and began, "First of all Maria is the only one who can call me space boy..." Max's eyebrows raised quizzically at this but Michael kept plowing forward, "...next what is up with this new guy in town?" This piqued Max's curiosity.

"What new guy?" Max asked hoping this guy meant nothing but was soon to be disappointed.

"Well. The female population of West Roswell High thinks he's the new thing." Michael said obviously upset. Max cringed at this.

Max was just pulling into the school parking lot when some jerk cut him off. He was just about to flip him off, because of the mood he was in now. At the last second he thought better of it and watched Michael let loose words he'd himself had never heard before. "Calm down it's alright. He just cut me off." Max said calmly.

"That's not all he has done. That jerk is the new guy in town. Fresh from the hellish bowels of LA." Michael seethed. Max could hear the venom in his voice.

"Oh." Max replied as this was the only thing he could think of to say at the time. He himself felt his anger raise a couple notches.

Max pulled into his usual parking spot and there she was. Her hair was slightly moving because of the crisp autumn breeze. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what she was wearing. His Liz was dressed to kill, and she knew it. Max regretted that they weren't together. He shouldn't have pushed her away. He had caused her so much pain, yet she still smiled and was there to help. He casually looked at her, so as not to be noticed by his other half. He was always cautious around Michael with Liz. Michael hated that he was so close to her. But now was an exception, even Michael was checking her out. Though Max knew his friend had no interest at all in Liz, it still made him angry that he was looking at her.

Liz was wearing a black skirt that almost reached her knees, showing off her beautiful long legs. It was matched with a crimson silk halter that was showing off strong but dandified shoulders. To match this lustfully flirtatious outfit was a pair of leather knee-high platform shoes. When his eyes drifted back to her face, she rendered him into paralyses with her stunning smile. "God she is sensational." He thought as he stared at him.

"Come on lover boy." Michael said pulling Max out of his trance. "Oopps.." Max thought, "I guess he noticed."

"Don't want to late for class, Mr. Responsibility." Michael retorted.

"Be late for what Michael, class? You hardly ever go, so why worry about me?" Max said as he glanced sidelong at his friend.

"Ouch." Michael said and pouted as he got out of the jeep. Michael could always put an infectious smile on his face, and Max knew it. As Max killed the engine and began to climb out he saw his friend had already disappeared among the student body. He also saw that Liz had begun to approach. Max swung out of the jeep the rest of the way; with the intent to meet Liz half way but was stopped by a bouncing mass of blonde curls. Maria.

"Ohhh Liiizzzie..." Maria squealed as she bounced up to her friend, "...you look great!"

"You should say that you pick out the outfit." Liz commented as her friend attempted to spin her in circles to get a better look.

"Oh that skirt does wonders for your legs, and I just have to borrow that halter." Maria spun Liz and squealed while she did it. All the girls did was giggle when they stopped to catch their breath.

"I feel ridiculous in this outfit. I'm going to change." Liz said in protest to Maria's compliments and began to run for the bathroom, and ran straight into Max.

"Well I think you look very attractive. Why change?" Max said watching Liz blush and duck her head.

"Um, I have to go now." Liz said and moved hastily away from Max's piercing gaze. He watched her go until she had disappeared into the school.

Liz stopped to catch her breath for a moment just out of Max's sight. Her mind began to race with so many questions and worries it made her dizzy. Liz thought she was going to be sick. "I feel so naked when he is around. Like he can see right through me, like he can feel my raw emotions. I wonder if he can because he healed me? Oh my god what if he knows I didn't sleep with Kyle. Does he know how I really feel? He can read me like a book, I just know it. He probably feels what I feel. I can't bear to cause him this much pain. It's all my fault. I ruined it for me. I can't believe that I would cause the end of the world. This is just how it has got to be though. For the rest of my life everyone will be second best to Max Evans." At this last thought Liz's tears began to streak her face. She hastily ran for the bathroom.

Back at the jeep, Maria and Max were deep in conversation.

"It's alright Max I think she's just a little nervous wearing that outfit around any testosterone junkies." Maria exclaimed. "You know Liz, hates to be noticed. Though she is a dish in that outfit and will attract a lot of attention." Maria loved Liz but ever since Future Max came to her she didn't get out a lot and Maria would do anything to get the old Liz back. She'd even go as far as to make Max jealous and piss him off.

"Excuse me?" Max was puzzled at what Maria meant. "Testosterone junkies?"

"Guys." Maria giggled the answer and turning on her heel to followed the path Liz had taken.

Liz was rushing through the halls, with her eyes downcast, so rapidly that it was too late for her to stop crashing into a guy and almost hitting the floor.

"Ahhh." Liz gasped as she hit the guy full force and began to tumble.

"Whoops. Jeez are you alright?" The gorgeous guy had caught her seconds from her impact with the floor.

"Huh?" Liz was speechless. A guy with shocking blue eyes and blond hair was staring directly in her eyes and for a moment everywhere around her became hazy. "Uh yeah I think I'm okay," Liz began trying to stand, "I'm sorry."

Just as Liz got to her feet a sudden rush of dizziness hit her hard causing her to pass out and crumple to the floor.

"Whoa! I better get you to the school nurse." The boy picked her up and walked to the nurse's office being ever so careful not to jar her head.

"LIZ!" Maria cried entering the nurse's office to see her friend lying unconscious. "Liz?"

"She can't hear you." The voice came from behind her giving her quite a start.

"My name's Liam McKenzie." Liam extended his hand to Maria.

"Maria." She replied.

"Your friend gave me a scare. She came running down the hallway right into me. She almost paid a visit to the floor before I caught her, but as soon as she stood up she fainted." Liam said trying to fill Maria in. The two chatted for a while about what happened and what would come to pass.

"Will she be okay?" Maria asked whimpering.

"I honestly don't know. The nurse went to go call an ambulance." Liam said in a soothing voice.

"Oh my god no!" Maria was in tears before she could finish the sentence. "No, no, no, no, NO!" Maria ran from the room for the only comfort she could find.

Maria burst though the art room doors and stood there crying. Michael looked up from his canvas and paled. He dropped his brush and sprinted to Maria's side and ushered her to a more private place. The quad.

"What is wrong?" He asked rocking her back and forth as if she were a hurt animal.

"Liz is being sent to the hospital. She fainted in the hallway and hasn't woken up yet." She said as sobs racked her whole body. Isabel and Max were approaching the two and had caught the end of their conversation.

"Who hasn't woken up yet?" Isabel asked.

Maria sucked in her breath as if there was a sharp pain in her chest. She turned to face Isabel and her brother with a blotchy tear streaked face.

"Oh my god Maria!" Isabel was shocked at the sight of her face. Maria was always the upbeat cheery type that could put a smile on your face. The girl before her was not Maria. By the look of Michael's T-shirt she'd been crying a great deal. Michael's shirt was streaked from the collar past his right pectoral muscle. Isabel almost laughed when she saw all the mascara streaks. Michael the "stone wall" would never fit in as a comforting person.

"What happened?" Max asked, breaking the unbearable silence. Maria's eyes began to well up with tears at the very question. Michael saw this and pulled her head onto his chest before she had begun to cry again. Michael felt her snuggle in closer to his neck, where the tears traced a new path down to his collar bone.

"Maria said that Liz was running to the bathroom to change and collided with the new guy and she either smacked her head on the floor, or fainted." Michael stated this so matter-of-factly it made Max shiver.

"Did they take her..." Max began. His eyes were darting back and forth making his panic obvious.

"To the hospital." Michael finished.

"Well let's go." Max bolted for his jeep and was followed by Isabel, and Michael who was supporting Maria as they walked.

As they entered the bleak and grim room, they saw a dainty figure, with dark hair laying in a hospital gown, on a freshly made bed. To her right was a doctor, Max guessed that he was checking her vital signs.

"Oh," the doctor began, "are you family?"

Maria stepped forward without hesitation, "I'm her sister and these are Liz's cousins." She quickly made reference to all the people surrounding her.

"Well then, I'll be back in a few minutes." The medic said as he ducked out the door.

At that point Maria burst into tears and her knees began to buckle at the sight of Liz. Her resolve and composure melted the instant the doctor left. She collapsed on the floor before Michael could get to her. He began to pick her up but his loving intentions were rejected with a swat of Maria's hand. Maria sat there on the linoleum floor and rocked. Ragged sobs racked her body, as Michael watched his lover's beautiful, strong, intelligent form wash away into a small, scared little girl. A single tear traced a path down his cheek, as he watched her back heave, and heard her desperate gasps for air.

At that distinct moment, Michael crumpled down beside Maria and began to rock her tenderly back and forth. She clawed at him, desperate for his comfort and support.

"Michael?" The word caught in Maria's coarse throat. "Michael, why is this happening. She didn't hit her head. She just ran into the guy. Something is not right."

"You are right about that," the familiar voice of the doctor began, he'd entered the room only a few minutes before, "you're sister is suffering from a form of psychiatric catatonia, but in literal terms she is in a trance due to a manifestation of stress and fatigue. In this 'trance' she is partially conscious. Do you have any idea how this could have come to pass?"

Max winced at the question, he knew perfectly well what the answer entailed. Liz had stressed over lots of things in the past few months. Here were the big ones that came to mind: their break-up, his relationship with Tess, his speculated 'destiny' with the blonde gerbil, (that is how he liked to think of her, vermin), walking away from him, Alex's death, trying to defeat the skins, Nikolas, the dupes, and now his son. "Christ!" he thought I should have caused her a mental break-down.

"In theory," the doctors words reached through to Max as he began to pay attention again, "she should recover in a few weeks or so. The sooner the better, that leaves less cause for brain damage."

"What!?!" Max almost jumped out of his skin at the words he spoke. His beautiful Liz harmed in any way was not right.

"Don't worry son, I have a good feeling she'll be fully conscious in no time at all." This was the doctors reply before he exited the room.

The group surrounded Liz's bed and stared at each other, Maria and Michael had slow risen from the floor when the group began to congregate around the bed. They stood side by side, with the same grim tone to them.

Max was the first to begin, "The Parkers will be here soon so let's get this over with. At least one person will be with her at all times. She is not to be left alone. I don't want her to feel like we don't care. Like we'd leave her here, to rot away. Agreed?"

Everyone nodded in approval with no hesitations made. Max was just finishing up what he wanted to say when something was brought to his attention. "When was the last time we saw Nikolas?" "What in the hell are you talking about Max." Isabel said the venom obvious in her voice.

"I don't know I just have this feeling, that he caused this." The unsettling feeling churned in the pit of Max's stomach and he knew that his guard should be up.

Max sat in one of the chairs and began to rub his temples something was really wrong. Why would this accident cause a reaction like the one he just had? Why Nikolas? All of a sudden a blurry image popped into his mind and the image began to slow clear up. It tasted of glycerine, the old Soap Factory. Why there though, he thought? Next a predatory image of a man flashed before his eyes, then the man attacking a young woman. As soon as Max had a clear sense of who the people were, the image dissipated. When Max opened his eyes, he realize that everyone was staring at him. His stern face betrayed him to show his defeat in front of his hopeful friends, and he began to cry.

"I don't know what is happening." He cried.

In the middle of Max's meltdown a nurse entered the room and instructed them to go to the lounge. She had to preform some tests and didn't want to be bothered. "Will you let us know when you are finished?" Isabel asked as they were ushered out the door.

"Yes dear as soon as I'm done." The nurse flashed Isabel a parting smile as they headed for the lounge. As the nurse began to remove the equipment from her cart, she noticed that she had forgotten the labels for the test tubes. "Darn." The nurse cursed under her breath.

He watched them leave the room, and soon after so did the nurse. "This is my chance," he thought. As the figure scooted into Liz's room. "Well hello there, sweetness. Fancy meeting you here. I wonder what the brave king would do if you happen to go missing?" Nikolas sat at the edge of Liz's bed and taunted her. "Oh well," Nikolas sighed "we'll soon see." He began to remove the cover as a few skins entered the room.

"Nikolas, we'll be picked-off easily if she is wearing a hospital gown, let us change her." Beth, his second in command, motioned to the surrounding female population of skins.

"Fine but make it quick. Go down the stairwell. I'll have the car waiting." Nikolas whined in defeat. He wouldn't have minded seeing what things about this girl could get Max so choked up. That would just have to wait. Nikolas stormed out of the room and right into the nurse, sending the labels flying. He caught them and ran for the stairwell.

"Jerk." The nurse said under he breath and went back to get more labels.

"Well," Kate said, "No wonder this girl makes the guys drool. Look what she was wearing." Kate was getting help dressing Liz. "This outfit could make guys have cardiac arrests! " She squealed as they lifted her up to drag her out of the room.

"Wait!" Another skin called. She grabbed some bobby pins from her purse and twisted Liz's silky hair up into a loose but sexy french twist. There were wisps falling out the front for an added effect. The back of it looked like a flower in blossom, and showed off Liz's shoulders even more.

"Let's go, don't want to get caught." Kate said in a harsh tone. As they headed for the stairwell.

As soon as they had Liz in the vehicle an alarm sounded, starting everyone in the car. "Move!!" Nikolas screamed at the driver.

Meanwhile back in the lounge, all of Liz's friends heard the alarm go off. Some kind of code was yelled over the PA, then a room number, and finally a description of a patient. Max's eyes widened in horror as the realization hit him.