“What did Valenti say?” Maria asked as she put a sweater over Liz’s shoulders and sat next to her.

“Uhm, he said that he’ll put everybody on the case and he’ll contact the state police and…” she sighed. Liz knew that it wouldn’t do any good.

“Liz, we’ll find her. I mean, we found Max that time, right?”

“Right,” Liz said not really believing it.

“It’s gonna be Ok, Liz,” Maria said as she hugged her.

“Yeah, it will,” Liz said in return trying to at least make Maria feel better.

“I’m gonna see if Alex is here already,” Maria said as she saw Max standing by the window. She knew that Liz and Max needed to talk.

As Maria walked up to Max who was still standing in the same spot he said, “The other’s are on their way.”

She nodded in return and then crawled out the window leaving Max and Liz alone.

Max stood still for a while, then went over and sat in front of Liz who glanced at him briefly and then looked down at Sarah’s picture again.

Finally Max said, “Is that why you left?”

Liz looked at him. “No,” she shook her head, “That’s why I stayed away…I left because…because I knew that what happened that night…it was never supposed to happen. We were never meant to be together…like that. And that night we both went against everything we knew was right…It was a mistake…” She said and then looked at her daughter’s picture. “The best mistake I’ve ever made,” she said barely holding the tears back.

“God, Liz, what if something like this happened and I wasn’t there?” Max said as he stood up. “How would I be able to help you? To protect you? How would I know? And what if…what if she got sick or something? How would you know what to do?”

Liz also stood up and faced him, “She doesn’t get sick…like you,” she said softly.

Max looked at her as the knowledge that he really was a father began to sink in. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked softly.

“I wanted to…I wanted to call you every day since I found out that I was pregnant.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know. I was hurt, angry, jealous, scared…take a pick!” she shouted, “And you…you had Tess and medical school and I knew that if you’d known about Sarah, you’d drop all of it in a second. You’d give up everything that you worked so hard for for us. And I just…couldn’t do that to you.”

“So, you made the decision for me,” Max said as a statement.

“I made a mistake…but people make mistakes!” she shouted.

Max wanted to say something in return, but then he realized something. “That’s why you didn’t go to Harvard, isn’t it?”

Liz looked at him and then down.

And Max realized that if anyone was the victim in this scenario, it was Liz. She gave up her dream to give him his. The ironic thing was…the only thing he ever dreamed of was being with her.

“They’re here,” Maria said through the window.

Liz and Max both looked at her, then at each other. They stood like that for a moment and then Liz walked to the window…to face the “firing squad”.

**********************************************************************

Max walked into the diner first, with Liz and Maria behind him. Isabel, Michael, Tess, and Alex were sitting.

“Ok, what the hell is she doing here?” Maria asked Liz while looking at Tess.

“It’s Ok, we need as much help as we can get.”

“Liz, it’s nice to see you again,” Isabel said with a smile.

Liz tried to smile back, but failed miserably. She looked at Maria, then down.

From the expressions on Max, Liz, Maria, and Alex’s faces everyone understood that they should skip the pleasantries.

“So, Max, what’s the urgent urgency?” Michael asked.

Max looked at Liz as if asking for her permission to talk. With her eyes she told him to go ahead. He turned back to the rest of them and said, “Tonight Liz’s daughter was…”

“You have a daughter?” Tess asked Liz interrupting Max. Everyone looked at her as if saying, “Now is not the time.” “Sorry,” she said.

“Her daughter was kidnapped…” Max continued, “By the FBI.”

“Why would the FBI kidnap …” Isabel began to ask but then saw Max looking down with a guilty look on his face and Liz looking at him and Isabel knew at that moment why. “Oh, my God, Max…”

Michael was about to repeat Isabel’s question when he saw Max and Liz look at each other and he also realized why. “Yours?…she’s yours?” he asked Max.

That’s when Tess finally realized what everybody else in the room already knew. “You slept with her?!” she practically screamed at Max as she stood up.

“When?” Michel asked Max.

“The prom,” Max answered.

“Are you insane?!” Michael yelled at him.

“How could you, Max?!” Tess also yelled at him. Somewhere deep inside she still held on to the hope that one day Max would change his mind. And now that hope was gone completely. And it hurt.

“Hey, you stay out of it!” Maria yelled at Tess.

“No, you should stay out of it,” Michael yelled at her.

“Don’t you talk to her like that,” Alex yelled at Michael.

“Don’t you tell me to stay out of it. She’s my goddaughter.” Maria, also, yelled at Michael.

In the next minute all six of them were yelling at each other. Except for Liz. She stood in the middle of the room feeling like somebody was cutting her heart…piece by piece. All she heard was noise. She felt like the world around her was just one big noise.

“STOP!!!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. When they all looked at her, she said, “What is wrong with you? Don’t you get it? None of it is important now. None of it matters. What matters is that my daughter is in the hands of the FBI. The same FBI that tortured Max. And all you can do is point fingers to who screwed up the most. God…I mean…” she broke down and started crying, “She’s my daughter.” She couldn’t fight it anymore; couldn’t hold it in. Liz ran out of the room as the rest of them stood in silence.

********************************************************************

Max found Liz on the floor in her bedroom’s bathroom. She was crying uncontrollably. He couldn’t stand seeing her hurting like that. He’d give up everything to take away her pain. He slowly got down on his knees in front of her and put his hands around her.

“I can’t lose her,” she said crying.

“You won’t…I won’t let that happen,” he said as he held her tighter. “I won’t let that happen.”

******************************************************************

Maria and Alex were sitting in one of the corners of the diner, while Michael, Isabel, and Tess all sat at different tables. They were all silent, deep in their own thoughts.

When Max walked in they all looked at him as if he contained all the answers. Max looked at Maria and Alex briefly as he walked pass them and towards Michael. He walked up to the table where Michael was sitting and sat opposite of him.

“Michael, I know what you think of me right now, but…” Max started but Michael interrupted him.

“I doubt that.”

“Believe me, whatever you think of me…it doesn’t compare to what I think of myself right now. But Liz was right…none of it matters right now. This little girl…she’s only 5 years old. And she’s in the hands of the group that doesn’t answer to anybody. She’s in danger…not because of something she did, but because of who I am. And I have to get her back…But I can’t do it without you,” Max said.

Michael looked at Max for a moment, knowing that Max was right.

“So, what do we do now?” he finally said.

“We call Nasedo.”

As they turned around they saw Liz standing in front of them.