The pain eventually began to fade, which made no sense to Liz. She knew the wood was gone; it had exploded into pieces before her eyes, leaving just this darkness. So why wasn’t she awake?

At first, everything was black and empty. Then, she slowly became aware of soft, chalky sand up under her body and sucked in a quick breath. The consistency was so familiar. She swallowed hard and watched as bleached sand appeared around her, stopping at the edge of a black, churning ocean. It was all created right in front of her.

She stood with some difficulty and walked to the water’s edge. A pasty, grey sky slowly appeared, lightening the horizon only a little. A wave splashed against Liz’s feet with a strange, thick sound. She looked down to see the water clinging to her skin like syrup. She grimaced and backed away. If this was the best her mind could do, it wouldn’t be able to protect her much longer. She wrapped her arms around her hospital gown-clad body and walked on the dry sand.

Okay, she admitted it. She missed him. The aloneness was getting frightening already. Before, she had at least been able to feel that Michael was there, even if he was far away from her. But now, she couldn’t even feel that.

What had that hunter done to them? The pain had been unlike anything she’d ever felt before- like part of her mind had been ripped away. She shuddered. At least Michael was with Max. He was definitely going to need healing.

Liz glanced around her dark little world. Was it getting smaller?

She froze. There was a tremor under her feet. And another one. Then, the ground began to tremble. It grew quickly into an earthquake that rattled her teeth and made her fall to her knees. She stopped herself from crying out loud.

This must be the end. Be brave.

She braced herself for the onslaught of pain. Then- the ground was suddenly still. Liz took a deep breath and waited.

It was silent except for the soft waves slapping at the shore. Her eyes were drawn to the center of the ocean. Was it her imagination, or was the water beginning to lighten? It was- in the center. Something was glowing beneath the murky depths, scattering rays of light over the grooves and planes of the ocean floor.

It grew in intensity until Liz could barely stand to look at it. As she shielded her eyes, a strange sound began to overtake the breaking waves. The water was rumbling. Liz’s eyes eventually adjusted to the light and she was amazed to see the water boiling. Steam was rising and clouding up the muddy sky quickly now. The black water kicked and jerked from contact with the light.

In minutes, a hot, heavy fog covered the water, obscuring Liz’s view farther. She huffed in frustration. That light- there was a presence with it.

Or- it was a presence itself. Max? Hope was taking root in her, growing by the second.

The fog rolled in over the shoreline, its misty wisps of chalk sticking to her all over. The glow was still visible, and it drew her. She bit her lip to keep from entering the hot water. She’d be boiled alive. Then the rumbling faded and the waves stopped coming up on the shore.

All was quiet.

Liz stepped farther into the fog. The chalk covered her in a thin sheen now, but she ignored it and walked down further onto the hot sand of the ocean basin. Ahead was heavier fog, and the brilliant, fuzzy glow that drew her on.

Is it Max?

Her steps began to sink into the mushy sand. The chalk was melting. It took effort to lift her feet out and keep walking. A frustrated sob escaped her as she fought to reach the light quickly. Her time was running out.

Just then, a humming reached her ears. She stopped and listened, a slow smile spreading across her face. It was him. All she could see was mist surrounding her and the glow straight ahead, but she laughed out of sheer joy. “Max! Max?”

“Liz? Dammit, where are you?“ His muffled voice led her onward. In the glow ahead, she could finally see the outline of his form moving toward her.

“MAX!“ She ran... until she got close enough to really see him. Then she slowed... and came to a dead stop. He wasn’t IN the glow; he WAS the glow. His entire body was... lit up from the inside so that all she could see was the outline of his features. It was as though his skin had become translucent and his whole body had burned with energy.

“Liz... it’s okay. It’s just me.“

“Max,” she whispered into the heavy air as his presence pushed away the fog. He looked just the same, and yet completely different. All the same familiar lines and angles of his face were there, just... iridescent. It didn’t make sense, but it was him. And he was smiling at her as he approached, love radiating out of his eyes.

She couldn’t help but smile back. “This is all I wanted,” she whispered. “Just to see you one more time.”

His smile wavered. “Don’t give up on me now, Liz. I’m here. A little different, but here.” The smile crept back over his face as he reached a glowing hand toward her.

Despite herself and the love and relief she felt from him, Liz pulled back. Max stopped and looked at her questioningly. They were connected. She knew he could feel her fear wasn’t of him but of the energy inside him.

“Sorry,“ she intoned and made herself stand still as he reached out one finger to touch her arm- slowly. She braced herself, but there was no burning, just a tingling at his touch. As he brought his finger gently down her arm, she gasped to see a small, glowing trail left there. And the skin that glowed was... tingling and hot. She looked up at him in wonder.

A mischievous grin lit up his face. “It’s baaack.“

He didn’t understand. She swallowed. “Max, when you touch me, it feels like it did before, like when we were supposed to find the orb.“

He gulped. “I know.“

“Please touch me again,“ she whispered, the intimacy of her words making warmth creep up her neck. Max reached out a trembling hand to her throat, and an explosion pleasure rocked her senses. Her skin was burning hot under his palm. She knew he was moving it up into her hair, but all she could feel was the fiery trail it left behind. Then his other hand slid around her waist and she gasped, her head falling back in reflex. She could feel his awe at her response to him, and his desire for her.

“Oh god, what happens if you don’t- stop,“ she gasped out.

“I wanna’ find out,“ he whispered as he raised his eyebrows for her assent. She nodded and he came nearer, circling her with his arms. She was immediately lost in hot spasms of pleasure, barely aware of their bodies coming together.

“Do you- do you feel that,“ Liz managed to say as she clung to him.

“Yes,“ he growled in her ear, and turned his face to nuzzle her neck. Or at least, she thought that’s what he was doing. The fire- it was consuming her. She was glowing inside, outside- afraid of it and yet wanting it so badly. Her body arched against his as she fought for control.

“It’s okay,” Max whispered, sensing her fear. “This is how it’s supposed to be. Let it take over.”

She shook her head. How did he know that? The hum in her ears grew to a roar. His words echoed in her mind over and over.

Let it take over.

It was- she couldn’t stop it. The fire spread to fill every atom of her body. She was hot, blazing hot and gasping for air. It was too much; she was getting scorched.

Suddenly, it began to implode on itself. She stopped breathing. The fire inside her contracted- and intensified. It grew smaller and denser, faster and faster until it was the smallest speck of intense, agonizing pleasure. It held there inside her and she trembled in its grasp helplessly.

“Liz?”

Then it exploded inside her with a roar, ecstasy filling up every crevice of her body until she collapsed. The aftershocks kept her immobile but eventually she realized that she was on the ground, in his arms. He was holding her close, his love and overwhelming emotions crowding in on her. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up into his amber face. From up close, it was the most perfect, most beautiful color she had ever seen, like everything good and pure and right transformed into light and emanating from him.

His eyes- they were glowing as well, and she suddenly realized that they hadn’t changed color at all. His essence, his light was the same color as his eyes. It made sense to her. His eyes had always shown her his heart and soul in ways that his words never could; they still did that now.

“You did it,“ he whispered with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “Look.“ He raised his eyebrows and indicated her body with a nod of his head. “You’re beautiful.”

Liz looked down self-consciously and felt her breath leave her. She was glowing- like him, only a different color.

*The color of warm cocoa. Perfect.*

She swallowed at the warmth of his thoughts. She hadn’t managed to retain the hospital gown during the transformation.

*Yes, I noticed.*

She hadn‘t even looked to see if he was- She shook her head to stop the thought, trying to focus on the transformation itself. “How is this possible?“ She felt his arms tighten around her. “Is it just inside my mind?“

“I don‘t think so,“ Max answered soberly. “The real test will be when you wake up. Which should be- be”

His voice warped and she sat up in alarm, feeling the small world swirling into a mass of dark colors.

MAX!

The roar overtook her thoughts and she screamed as gravity pulled them into a whirlpool of darkness.