Maria was a little befuddled. She couldn’t even remember waking or standing up. But she was pissed and she knew what she had to do. Everyone except Liz had been taken out and it was her job to restore them.

But first things first.

With her hands down by her side, she flicked one finger and sent the Hunter from Hell up against the hard, white wall. He thudded nicely at least thirty feet away from Liz- which was kinda’ what Maria was going for.

“Maria!” Liz was staring at her. “You go girl!“

Maria. She tilted her head to the side. Hmmm. Boring name. With power like this, she had to have a longer, better name. Like Max’s. The longer the name, the more the power. Hell, the way she felt, she just might be Shrikalankamarigoldenanderschlockenspiel. And that was just her first name! Smile.

“Maria, can you help Max?” The fear in Liz’s voice brought Maria back around again.

“Sure. What’s the prob?” She moved closer, watching the glow from her body warm up the cold tile with smug satisfaction.

“I don’t know. I can’t connect to him. I can’t get in to see what’s wrong!” Liz’s eyes were wide and panicked.

Maria nodded. “Don’t worry. The orb won’t let anything happen to his boy.”

Liz’s eyes filled with tears. “Hurry, Maria. Everyone is hurt.”

Maria closed her eyes and searched out the area surrounding her. Each of the twelve... thirteen? Oh yeah- Alex! Maria remembered his transformation with sudden giddiness.

Okay, there are thirteen here, including me, and they... what did he do to them? She could feel past the power surrounding them, but just barely. They were each traumatized and pained into unconsciousness. But that would be the easy part to fix. It was what he had done to their power that was blowing her mind. It was as if he’d made a cocoon out of their energy, their essence and used it to trap them. As long as their energy fed it, it would remain wrapped around them so tightly that they couldn’t move. And as their energy was used up, it would... collapse, probably killing them in the process.

God, what a horrible way to die. Maria shivered and found Millamalinka’s lightning yellow essence. Beautiful as it was, she could see the toll that the pain and cocooning had taken on her. Hers was already beginning to show signs of collapsing. But how could she reach past Joey’s own energy and heal her?

Connecting was the only way.

Maria grabbed Liz’s hand and pulled her to her feet. Their connection was spontaneous. Images from Liz’s childhood and recent past flew by, almost all of which Maria recognized. And then she felt Liz’s love for Max, her fear for him, and the wrestling she was doing with herself over whether Croazoh had told her the truth.

What did he tell you?

*That Max wouldn’t be accepted as ruler because he chose a hybrid.*

Oh, and Croazoh would know what they because he’s such a fine, upstanding citizen himself as well as a fortune teller. Hogwash.

*That’s what I thought. It’s just...*

Alright, Miss Self-sacrifice- no more of that thinking tonight. Our boys are down. Let’s kick some alien ass - orb-style.

******

Liz felt the orb’s power burn through her again. It was intoxicating, consuming. She automatically reached out to Max with her mind. Again, although she felt power leaving her, she couldn’t feel anything from him. What was wrong with him?

*He’s cocooned.*

Liz stared over at Maria.

*You have to connect with him, heal him from inside himself. It’s the only way.*

Liz shook her head and forced herself to not ask any questions. Time was running out. She pulled on Maria’s hand and knelt beside Max. She held out their hands and placed them on Max’s chest. Then she focused on her connection with Max- on the patterns of thoughts she got from him, on the emotions and... flavors of thought. Max’s connection was different than Michael’s, or Isabel’s, or even Maria’s.

*Which is a GOOD thing. I mean, if any one but Max had those kind of thoughts about you, I’d be worried.*

Focus, Maria.

*Nervous energy. Sorry.*

Resemble Alex much?

*Ha ha.*

Liz tried to focus again- on Max. Everything Max that she could think of...

A sudden jarring pain stunned her and she found herself flat on her back, gasping for breath. Maria was cursing a blue streak through their connection, but Liz didn’t... know how. She couldn’t- even- No- air-

Finally, air whooshed into her lungs. After a few desperate breaths, she looked at her chest and saw that there was no damage from Croazoh‘s attack. The glowing pretty much took care of that.

*That old man‘s goin‘ down. You take care of Max.*

Right. Liz watched as Maria stood and faced the hunter, who was glowing just a tad himself. Liz frowned. Maria blasted power at him and his power shot back. It looked even. Why wasn’t the orb just killing him? Maria was okay, though. So Liz turned her attention to Max, who was still unconscious, flat on his back.

Her heart clenched in her chest. Enough of this! She leaned over and put a hand on either side of his body. Then she slid her lower body over on top of his and let his warmth steal into her. Slowly Liz sank down until her face was only inches from his. Her gaze skipped over the features she knew so well- the ruddy skin, the strong forehead and straight nose, the cleft in his chin and those amazing eyelashes that so closely guarded the eyes that were the window to his soul, the reflection of his amber essence. She wanted him to look at her- with love, with passion- god, with anything! Liz slowly touched her lips to his own, slowly, tenderly, as though her very breath had the power to give him life. The connection had to work now. Flickers of pain and love at the edges of her mind increased her desperation. He was trying to let her in, trying to form the connection.

******

Max could feel Liz above him, her hands beside him, the cold tile at his back and the ever-present pain that was slowly making him crazy. His own power was trapping him, draining him to death. He had to stop the cycle of energy somehow. He had to let Liz in.

He concentrated on her and felt a few pricks of consciousness seep through- her love and concern, her desire for him.

Oh God- Liz!

But the power just kept flowing, kept blocking and drawing in tighter. He cast in his mind around for an answer. Then he remembered.

******

It came to Liz in a flash. Max had ended up at the lab somehow. How had he done that? He’d been pure energy, the purest form of his own essence- and he’d been inside her mind until she had been forced to push him out. Could she do that with the orb’s help, transfer herself into Max‘s mind? It was the only thing she could come up with.

She hesitated. How do you ask a rock to do you a favor?

Immediately, the burning inside her intensified and Liz gasped. She was airy, weightless, being drawn inside herself and sucked into a hole so small that she was afraid that she wouldn‘t be- couldn’t be-

But then she was through... and in... Max’s mind? She looked around and smiled. It was the Crashdown.

******

Maria was focused, sending all of the orb’s energy at that hunter. She was no longer just trying to keep him occupied. His power was... incredible. Was this the same wimp she’d just faced earlier? Where the hell had all this power come from?

Of course, the glowing gave her an inkling. The only thing she knew that did that was a pet rock that preferred Dagonians to humans and protected the king above all else.

But why in the hell would it be helping a hunter?

******

Just the sight of the familiar dining room, the smells that accompanied it and the sound of the jukebox in the background- it brought Liz to tears. Max had remembered it so exactly.

*How could I not? How many hours have I spent here?*

Liz spun around but couldn’t see Max anywhere. She smiled and wiped away a tear. “I haven’t been here since that night...” The memory of the kidnapping hit her hard and the smile wavered.

*How about I give you a better memory?*

On the counter beside her, a colander full of strawberries appeared. Liz giggled immediately, remembering the night that had been the explosive beginning of their physical relationship- before hunters, before transformations and even before Tess. That night, it had just been them, and their incredible hunger for each other.

*So you always knock over strawberries this time of night, huh?*

Liz laughed and spun around again, looking for Max. “Only when you’re around. Where are you, Max?”

Then he appeared, smiling at her- but faintly. The diner around her disappeared. He looked so weak. She ran to him and he leaned against her heavily. “You’re going to be fine, Max. Just lay down and relax.”

He did as she asked. Liz ignored the dizzying darkness under him and placed her hands on his forehead. The connection between them had automatically healed his torn psyche and now all that was left to do was stop the cycle of power that held him captive.

Right.

Liz paused, not wanting to admit that she had no idea of how to do that.

******

Okay. Maria thought she was doing a pretty damn good job of accepting all of this weird alien crap. She’d been chased by guys with huge machine guns, seen Alex at death’s door from a freaky transformation attempt, been possessed by a rock-TWICE and now was facing the last and strongest alien hunter all alone. Yeah, she figured she was due for a mini-freak-out right about now.

Because Croazoh was now gray. He was... darking, or whatever the opposite of glowing was. Maria nodded to herself. Yep. That’s what he’s doing. Croazoh’s body was now heavily opaque, like a pair of those sunglasses that turn dark in sunlight. And the harder she threw power at him, the darker he got.

Which was why she had stopped the blasting for now. And was also probably why Croazoh was looking so damn smug.

At least, she thought he was. His face was so grayed out now that his features were almost indistinguishable. She shifted and tried not to obey her body’s command to RUN LIKE HELL!

“Ready to die, hybrid?”

Maria rolled her eyes and responded as flippantly as possible. “God, could you be a tad less overdramatic, please? I hate dark, brooding types.”

“Fine. I‘ll leave the drama for you.”

And he threw the darkest thrust of power she’d ever seen.

******

Liz felt the power closing in, tightening by the second. It was Max’s power, turned against himself. How could she stop it without hurting him?

*Don’t worry about hurting me. Just do whatever it takes. We have to help the others.*

Oh god, Max. I can’t hurt you.

“Do it, Liz.“ He bit the words out through tense lips.

“But I don’t know what to do-”

*Yes, you do.*

Liz looked into his trusting eyes and brushed her fingers through his hair. She did know. A solitary tear ran down her face. He reached up a shaking hand and wiped it away. She grabbed his hand and kissed it passionately. I love you.

*I love you.*

God, when would this nightmare be over? Liz laid her hand on his forehead and let her power flow through him. Immediately, she came up against the cocoon of energy that held him captive. It was made out of his own essence, his own power, and it was going to have to be torn open to get him free.

Liz steeled herself and threw a sharp burst of power at it.

The pain ripped through him and her simultaneously. She arched back and waited for it to fade. As soon as it did, she slashed again- this time with more power, as much as she could give.

And Max... was free.