Her hand squeezed his in acknowledgment of his thoughts. He smiled at her a bit loosely, trying to seem like he wasn’t plagued by fear for her safety.

She squeezed his hand again. *There’s no point in that, you know.*

Max nodded shortly and pulled on her hand until they were both flat against the wall. He leaned forward and checked around the corner.

No one’s coming. So that’s the room where you and Alex were? The one with the... uh, doughnut-hole for a door?

*Yeah.*

Liz was scared. He could feel her fear slide through him. He had to fight the urge to stop and take her in his arms. Right now, they had to press on.

*I know- WAIT!*

Max stopped moving and pressed back against the wall. Then he heard it, boots clicking in the hallway- several sets of them, headed in their direction. Max felt the power begin to churn inside him. Liz’s body heated up in response.

*No, Max- don’t.*

They must have heard the explosions and seen the damaged cameras.

Max grimaced at his stupidity and Liz’s grip on his hand grew painful. He braced himself for a confrontation, pulling Liz behind him- Then the footsteps stopped. After a moment of silence,

Max pressed his cheek against the cold tile and rotated his head until he could just barely see around the corner. Two guards were now posted at the door. Great. There must be more inside, because there were more footsteps than that.

He pulled back and sighed. I’m sorry, Liz. We’re going to have to-

Liz grabbed at Max’s arm. *NO! I’m not doing it- I’m not hurting anyone else.* Max looked over at her in surprise. She was near panic at the thought. He cast around in his mind for the right thing to say, but quickly realized this was not the time for comfort.

*Please, Max. No more killing.* She was begging him.

He turned to face her, willing her to draw strength from him, hating to say this with every fiber of his being.

*What- hating to say what?*

Do you know what they’re doing to Alex?

Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head tightly.

They’ve killed off his immune system and they’re injecting him with alien cells. They’re trying to imitate the transformation that you’ve undergone. We have to get in there and stop it before it kills him. Liz stepped forward into Max’s arms and small sobs escaped.

“Shhh,” Max whispered. She was trembling.

*Oh god, how could they do that to him? Is he okay?*

Not really. I connected with him and he was barely there. Max swallowed convulsively. We have to do this.

*You’re right.* Liz pulled away and wiped her eyes. Max felt a fierce jump in her power. *I’m ready.*

Max looked at the beautiful fire in her eyes and smiled in amazement. He reached out to slide a hand through her hair, feeling the vibrations all the way to his knees. Just being near her-

Liz shook her head at his thoughts. *Stop wasting time. Let’s go.*

Max nodded and turned back to the guards.

******

Kyle and Joey slipped back in the room when his Dad was apparently about done explaining the events to the parents. Nathan went outside with their entry into the “World’s Worst Protector” contest. They should have a nice, long conversation with lots of “what-the-bloody-hells” in it. Nathan had never even met his own protector!

Kyle shook his head and took a seat near his Dad. He checked his watch nervously. At least his Dad was almost done with the de-briefing. He’d promised Joey they’d only be five more minutes before leaving.

To Kyle’s surprise, it was Amy Deluca who was the first to explode. She was up and in his Dad’s face in seconds. “How dare you keep this from me, Jim Valenti?” She poked his chest with a long, thin finger, her hair flapping wildly around her face. “How long have you known this? That my daughter is engaged to a- a-“ Kyle jumped to try and help, but his Dad knew how to handle her. He was holding her gently and talking in a calm voice. “Amy, I’m sorry. But we haven’t lost Maria. She’s fine; left a message on Joey‘s answering machine just about an hour ago. Right now, it’s Liz and Alex and the aliens who need our help. Their lives are in danger.”

Amy’s face lost some of its fire and she abruptly sat on the couch beside him. “Of course.”

Kyle’s Dad took a deep breath and continued on quietly. “Right now, Liz and Alex are being held in some sort of public health laboratory in Berkeley, or at least that’s what Max and the others believe. They are on their way right now.”

“Excuse me, Sheriff,” Nancy Parker stood up abruptly. “You’ve mentioned Max in the present tense several times now, as though I hadn’t see him get shot and killed just over a week ago, as though the FBI and some damn committee hadn‘t done the most thorough autopsy imaginable on that poor boy‘s body just to prove he wasn‘t... alien.” She paused and took a convulsive breath. “Are you trying to tell me that he‘s not dead?”

Wish Liz was here to see this.

His Dad nodded with obvious apology. “Yes, I’m sorry. I should have said that first. Max is alive.”

There were several gasps around the room. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were obviously relieved that the secret was now out. Mr. Evans covered his wife‘s hand in his own.

“Liz was able to heal him. He went to California with Isabel, Michael and Maria.”

“But- but we saw him. He was dead.” Ann Whitman was quivering with excess energy again. She looked like she would like to bodyslam his Dad. And with one large hand gripping Mr. Whitman’s thigh and the other pulverizing the arm on the sofa, she looked capable of it, too. “There was a dead body, Jim. I saw it. I cried myself into a migraine at that boy’s funeral. Who the hell was I crying for if it wasn’t our Max?”

There it was again- favored son status. Kyle shook of his automatic reaction and decided to field that one since he had been there during the cover-up at the funeral. “That was Larry Trilling’s body, made to look like Max.” He hurried to explain. “We didn’t kill him; I mean, they didn’t kill him. Another alien did... Look, we don’t have time for this right now. I gotta‘ get Joey out of here.”

Mr. Parker cleared his throat and finally spoke up. “So, Joey is...” He nodded his head as though he didn’t want to say the word.

“Yeah, I am. Sorry...”

Everyone’s gaze swung to the young girl rocking back and forth on the stool. She didn’t even meet Kyle’s eyes and that’s when he realized how hard all of this had been on her.

“It’s okay, honey,” Mrs. Evans said. “They understand.”

Kyle crossed to Joey and put a steadying hand on the small of her back. He felt her take in a shuddering breath.

Kyle’s Dad jumped in automatically. “Look, I’m sorry to run down the story like this so quickly, but we have got to get on the road.”

“To Berkeley?” Mrs. Evans spoke up.

“Yes, ma’am. To help save Liz and Alex, and try to keep all of them safe.” Then he hesitated. “If Garrett goes through with his plan, there won‘t be much of a shot for them to live a normal life here at home any more. So if you want to see your kids again, I‘d suggest you come with us.“ There were various expressions around the group, ranging from acceptance to anger to fear.

“What about Garrett?” Mr. Evans stood. “Sheriff, you have orders to stay here and keep an eye on him, right? Maybe you should stay and let us go.”

“No, we need him,” Ann Whitman jumped up, fear on her face. “He’s got to help us get our babies out of that place.”

Everyone looked to Kyle’s Dad again. “Thanks for the concern, Phillip, but I’ll still be doin’ my job if I leave. It may not be what my superiors had in mind, but two of my citizens were taken across state lines unwillingly. That was done on my watch, and I have a responsibility to make sure that they are safe.”

“Then let’s go.” Phillip held out a hand to his wife and helped her stand. There were nods all around the room.

Kyle took in a relieved breath as his Dad went on.

“I sent Hansen to get the van from the Rising Oaks Retirement Center. We can all ride together, or separately. But we all go now.”

Kyle tuned his Dad out as he helped Joey stand. Her face was pinched as her eyes sought his out. “I don’t want to leave you, Kyle.”

He was stunned. “No, Dad and I are going with you. There’s no way I’m letting you go to Berkeley-”

“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t mean that. I mean, I don’t want to leave you and go HOME.”

Kyle blinked. He opened his mouth and then realized there was nothing to say in return. He swallowed hard and pulled her into him. He breathed in the soft, sweet scent of her hair. But even as he felt the painful stirrings in his heart, a smirk curved his lips.

No way.

Kyle Valenti - star-crossed lover.