to the stars...”

Michael scrubbed at his hair roughly. He’d been expecting “Armageddon-Amy Deluca” style, but so far she just looked like she was going to puke. She must be seriously wigged. She hadn’t even looked Maria in the eyes one time during the whole talk- about the twelve, Maria‘s at-the-buzzer transformation, or even the deadline for leaving Earth. Although at that point, Amy’s nodding did become more of a psychotic jerky sort of thing.

Michael winced and touched Maria lightly on the arm. I think she’s had enough.

“Mom? You okay?”

Amy kept nodding, her blue eyes blinking rapidly. “Kyle was right,“ she murmured.

Michael stepped in closer. “Right about what?“

Her gaze snapped up to Michael and then her eyes narrowed slightly. She was back. A thin, pointy finger danced in his face. “What I want to know is, Mr. Alien-masquerading-as-a-normal-if-badly-groomed-teenage-boy, do you still intend to marry my daughter on this godforsaken planet of yours?”

“MOM!”

Amy held up her hand. “I know this is an absurd question to ask when my daughter has just told me that she‘s going to live in a galaxy far, far away, but I still want, no I NEED an answer for this- and from Mr. E.T. himself. ”

Michael put his game face on. He could feel that Maria was torn. She didn’t want him to have to defend himself again, but she did want to put her Mom’s fears to rest. Michael agreed, especially since they didn’t know when and if they’d ever see Amy again after tonight. It was sort of the least he could do. “I’ll tell you what I told Maria. I want to marry her no matter what planet we’re on. And I promise you,” he looked Amy dead in the eyes, “I will take care of her.”

Amy studied him closely, then relented. “Good. Because I can be one hell of a tough mother-in-law if I need to be.”

Michael’s mouth quirked to the side. “No doubt.”

*You make it sound like you have a choice.*

He grinned and Amy looked between the two of them with raised eyebrows.

Michael hesitated. “We have a mindlink now. So I kinda’ HAVE to take care of her.”

“Yeah,” Maria added. “Or I’ll put him in the alien equivalent of the nuthouse.”

Michael looked down on her smug face and wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

“Mind... link?” Michael looked over to see Amy wide-eyed and nodding again. Damn. Too much information.

Michael glanced over Amy’s shoulder just in time to see Max carrying Liz out of the back of one of the vans. He jerked his head at Michael and Maria. “Uh, be right back.” He grabbed Maria’s hand.

“Uh, Mom, just go talk to the Sheriff. He’ll help you figure it all out.” Michael was already pulling Maria along, worried this might have something to do with why Liz was still unconscious. The twelve was all assembled by the time they got there, plus a tall blonde who was holding Joey’s hand. Michael paused and frowned at her.

Max had also noticed the girl and hesitated. Joey sighed and dropped the girl’s hand, taking a few steps to the front to whisper in Max’s ear. Max’s face went slack and his head whipped over to look at the girl. The girl saluted Max sarcastically. A wide grin broke out on Max’s face, and Joey slapped him on the arm. Max tried to smother his smile as she walked back over to the girl and took her hand again. It looked... wrong. Michael scowled at Max as he started to speak. He couldn’t talk about anything in front of a stranger. Was he losing his mind?

Max hesitated as he caught the look. “Okay, everyone. Maybe I should just go ahead and explain who our guest is so that we can get past the paranoia. Is that okay with you?“ He nodded at the girl, who stared at Max and then nodded reluctantly.

“Okay,” Max faced everyone with what Michael recognized as an almost hilarious grin. “I have it on good authority that that- she- is Kyle Valenti.”

******

Alex knew better than to not believe Max, but the grin that spread across his face was incredulous. No way could that be Kyle!

Max continued. “Matpatha, the other guardian, changed him in order to get him out of the hospital safely. So we can speak freely.”

Oh, this was too good. Alex left Isabel’s side and ambled his way over to Kyle, aware that Max was watching his progress keenly. Kyle stood there in his high heels and mini-skirt, looking for all the world like a martyr ready for the fires.

Alex ignored Joey’s fiercely protective glare and clapped Kyle on the back. “So, Kyle, found the cure for feminine itching yet?”

Kyle buried his face in his hands, shaking his head from side to side.

Alex took in a deep breath. Just smell that humiliation. Lovely.

“Alex!” The tone of pleading in Joey’s voice broke through Alex’s blissful haze immediately. She looked so devastated. Alex cleared his throat and adopted a lower tone. “Uh... sorry. Never let it be said that Alex Charles Whitman kicked a man, I mean woman, when she was down.”

“Alex.” This time her voice was a growl.

“I’m stopping!” He put his hands up in protest. And he was going to. But this was Kyle Valenti transformed into a GIRL who was just now recovering enough to look him in the eyes. It was irresistible. Alex leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Just for future reference, if I were you, I’d buy the kind with the wings, for added protection.”

The hands that shoved him away felt distinctly stronger than they should have been which somehow made the whole thing funnier to Alex.

******

Max adjusted Liz in his arms, feeling the burning in his shoulders that let him know he was reaching his limit again. How long had he been holding her like this? The thought threatened to take the smile right off of his face. But it didn’t matter how long it took, the important thing was that she was OKAY. He knew she was. That’s why he was calling this meeting.

“Okay, listen up. We’ll work on getting Kyle transformed back, but until then, no more jokes, okay?”

Everyone turned to look at Alex, who was being firmly held by Isabel’s side. “What?” He asked with raised eyebrows. Max smiled wider. He just felt better seeing that at Alex’s inexhaustible sense of humor hadn‘t changed, even after all he’d been through.

“Let’s move on, alright? I have favors to ask of all of you. There are things that I want to get done before Liz wakes up.”

“Max, she IS waking up, right?” Max glanced up to see Michael’s worried face.

“Yes, she’s fine. Don’t worry. But we only have five and half hours left and Liz really needs for this to happen. Will you all help me?”

He saw nods and bows from everyone in the group. His eyes stopped on Mrs. Parker as she wiped tears away. She nodded. “We’ll do anything we can, Max.”

Good. He wanted to make Liz’s last few hours on Earth something to remember. Maybe that could erase the horror of what she’d been through. He at least had to try.

******

Liz lay there, her body heavy against the mattress. It felt as if sleep was just inches beneath her, reaching up with a gaping mouth to claim her again. If she could just get her eyes open, maybe she could wake up.

She forced her eyelids up, seeing nothing but vague shapes in the semidarkness all around her. The room had a deodorized, sanitized smell to it, one that was not at all familiar. She blinked, but nothing came into focus. It was just too dark.

A voice drifted in from the another room, but the syllables were meaningless to Liz. Who was that?

She blinked her eyes open wide a few times, trying again to fend off the weariness that had infused her body. Maybe she should get up, so she wouldn’t fall back asleep again.

Slowly, she sat up, feeling dizzy from the slight motion. How long had she been out? It felt like hours... days. Where was everyone? What had happened? And whose voice was that? Another familiar one...

Liz groggily rubbed her face with one hand, trying to conjure the last thing she remembered. Oh, the energy blast... and Max’s body... everyone just laying there after the attack. The memory cut a knife through her heart.

Max? MAX?

She could feel him... but just an awareness of him. He wasn’t answering and she couldn’t feel anything from him. Oh god. What had happened? Had they all been captured again? She had fallen unconscious and hadn’t been able to protect them like she should have. “No,” she whispered.

She jumped to her feet and had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over. “Hello?” She called out softly. “Is anyone there?”

Irrational fear gripped her. Why hadn’t Max stayed with her? He’d said he wouldn’t leave her again. Had someone kept him from keeping his promise? “Hello? Max?”

As she reached for the door handle, a sudden gasp and a scurrying out in the next room made Liz hesitate. There were no more voices. Liz gripped the handle and swung it open.

Immediately, she was attacked by a sobbing body- Maria! What was wrong with her?

“LIZ! I am so sorry! Are you okay? Are you okay?” Maria pulled back to look at Liz, wiping furiously at her eyes. “Oh god, you’re pale. I swear, I will never ask God for anything else in my entire life, but I owe him so many things now it is not even funny.” Then she smiled. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Maria. Is everyone else okay?” Maria’s eyebrow quirked up. “You mean, everyone as in Max?”

Liz couldn’t help the slight smile on her face at Maria’s look, but her worry drove it away quickly. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. He’s about to drive everybody crazy trying to-”

“Maria, shush!” Isabel appeared in the hallway behind Maria. Then she smiled at Liz. “You know your friend has a big mouth, don’t you, Liz? I’m glad you’re okay now. Max kept saying that you’d wake up soon.”

“Yeah, he’s been saying that for the last two hours.” Maria grumbled.

“Good thing he was right or Dagon would have to find itself a new king.”

Liz was still in the half-darkness of her room and she instinctively moved past Maria into the lighted hallway. Maria grabbed her arm and held her back. Liz looked at her strangely. “What is it?”

Maria looked at Isabel, who nodded back vigorously. “It’s okay. She can come in.”

Liz glared at both of them and stalked forward. This was the last thing she needed right now- more secrets.

But as she walked forward, she saw nothing out of the ordinary in the large sitting room. They were obviously in a hotel, a very nice hotel, because there was yet another bedroom beyond the sitting room. Liz turned back to the other girls suspiciously. “Why do I get the feeling that everyone is NOT telling me something?”

They exchanged secretive looks and Maria smiled at Liz. “Because you are engaged to the sweetest man on the face of the earth, girlfriend, and that’s a fact.”

“Does that have something to do with why he’s blocking me?” Liz was still trembling inside at the question.

“Probably,” Isabel intoned with a small smile. “I imagine he’s a mess right now.”

“Why?” Liz stepped forward, hoping to force more out of Isabel.

“That’s enough talk for now. We have orders, you know.” Maria shot a look at Isabel, who nodded and headed off to the other room. “Are you hungry, Liz?”

Liz sighed. “No, actually I feel kinda’ numb right now.”

“Well, maybe after you take a hot bath, you’ll feel like it.”

Liz stared at Maria. “You want me to take a bath now? Why can’t I go see Max?”

Maria walked forward and grabbed Liz by the shoulders, propelling her into the nearest bathroom. “Because HE wants you to take a bath, and for very good reasons, my dear.” Maria flipped on the light and smiled knowingly at Liz. Then as Liz opened her mouth to press further, Maria raised a hand to stop her. “No, don’t even try it. There’s no way you’re getting information out of me tonight. Just relax and obey orders like the rest of us are doing, ‘kay, chica?”

Liz sighed again and nodded as Maria closed the door. It was actually a nice thought, taking a bath. She did feel a bit grungy after wearing that hospital gown and...

A shudder ran through her. She was glad to see that she had on jeans and a t-shirt now instead of that hospital gown. She’d have to thank somebody later and make sure they burned that stupid thing. She never wanted to see it again.

“I’ll be right out here, Liz, so just relax. If anybody tries to come in, I’ll just blast ‘em to kingdom come with my lazer-beam eyes.”

Liz smiled, but did feel better knowing they wouldn’t leave her. She turned to look around the large bathroom. Wow. Who was paying for this? There was a fluffy towel set, a bottle of bubble bath and a silk robe on the small stool beside the tub. Liz smiled and then lost her smile almost immediately. She jumped forward and grabbed the bottle. It was the same kind Max had bought her to use before their wedding. And the robe was the same soft pink silk...

Tears came into her eyes. He had said that the robe was his love for her and that it would keep her safe and warm. She remembered that every time she had worn it at home. How did he...?

“Liz, babe, we’re on a schedule here.” Maria’s voice came again from outside the door. “You better start running some bath water or I’m comin’ in there to do it for you.”

“Okay, okay...” Liz leaned over and turned the water on, glad for Max’s thoughtfulness, but wishing that he were here instead. Or that he would at least unblock her.