“My friend has a cabin in the woods on the Texas border. It’s perfect for hiding out for a few days,” the sheriff said.

“Great,” Michael said. At least that was taken care of.

“I’m going with,” Liz said.

“No, you’re not,” Max said to her.

Liz walked up to him and looking straight at him repeated in a firm voice, “I’m going with you.”

Max could see in her eyes that he would be able to fight her on this. “Ok, but you stay behind me the whole time. You get Sarah and you get out, understood?” He hated talking to her that way, but he just couldn’t let anything happen to her.

Liz just nodded in answer.

“We’re going too,” Maria said.

“No,” Michael said in return.

“You’re gonna need us there,” Maria said to him.

“Michael was about to say something, but Valenti cut him off by saying, “Michael, she’s right. We need someone to keep the cars running and ready to go.”

“He’s right,” Max said to Michael.

“Fine,” Michael gave in.

“Ok, lets go,” Nasedo said.

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

Max and Liz were walking slowly, trying not to make a sound. They all split up and Max and Liz took this huge hall that was divided in 4 sections.

Liz felt that Sarah was very close by. She looked around and saw something familiar. She saw a small door in the corner across the room. Then she remembered…Sarah’s dream. “She’s here,” Liz said to Max and before he even turned around Liz was running towards that closet door.

“Liz, no,” Max called out after her, but in that moment something struck him in the face and he fell down.

As Max opened his eyes he saw an FBI agent standing over him. Max got up fast and as the agent tried to hit him again, Max hit him back.

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

Liz removed the wooden block that was holding the door and as she opened it she saw Sarah sitting on the floor hugging her knees to herself. Just like in the dream. Liz dropped to her knees and hugged her daughter.

“Mommy, are you really here?” Sarah asked.

“Yes, I am. I’m here. Everything will be Ok now.”

Tess just walked around the corner when she saw Liz with Sarah. It was amazing to her…how Liz and her daughter were connected…how Sarah looked so much like Max. Just then Tess saw an FBI agent pointing a gun at Liz who just picked up Sarah and was about to leave. Tess knew what she had to do...for Liz, for Sarah, for Max. She ran to Liz as fast as she could.

Liz didn’t even realize what happened. In one moment she felt something pulling her down. As she fell to the floor she heard a gunshot.

Max knocked out the man he was fighting with when he heard the gun go off. He turned around in the direction of the noise and saw Liz lying on the floor. He didn’t think. He just ran to her as fast as possible.

By the time he got to her Liz was already sitting on her knees checking if Sarah was alright.

“Liz, are you Ok?” Max asked as he fell to his knees next to her and putting his hand on her shoulder.

“We’re fine,” she answered.

Max looked at his hand. It was covered in blood.

“You’re not fine, you’re bleeding,” he said panicking.

“No, Max, it’s not my…blood,” as Liz said that they both turned to the side and saw Tess lying face down.

“Oh, God,” Liz whispered as they both saw Tess’s back covered in blood.

Max crawled up to her and right away put his hand on the wound, trying to make a connection. Nothing. He tried again and again. Nothing, just darkness. Slowly, he pulled his hand away in shock.

“What are you doing?” Michael, who along with Isabel ran up to them, said. “Heal her.”

“I can’t,” Max said without looking at them.

“Why not?” Isabel asked.

“She’s…dead,” Max said as he finally looked up.

“What?” Isabel barely pronounced as tears rolled down her face.

“Oh, my God…she saved my life,” Liz said as she too started crying.

“You gotta go, NOW!” they heard Nasedo say as he, too, ran up to them. “You can’t help her anymore…Go!”

Max knew he was right. He got off his knees. “Let’s go,” he said, then turned to Liz and took Sarah from her. Liz didn’t want let go of her, but she knew that they’d be able to run faster with Max holding her.

“Go!” Nasedo repeated.

They all ran through the hall to the window that they used to get in. Kyle and his dad was already there: Kyle waiting outside and the sheriff standing by the window inside.

Michael went out first. Max handed him Sarah and then helped Liz and Isabel to get through the window. As Max and Valenti got out of the window Liz took Sarah from Michael and they all ran to the two cars waiting for them.

Liz, Sarah, Max, and Michael got into the car Maria was driving while Isabel, Kyle, and the sheriff went with Alex.

“Is she Ok?” Maria asked Liz who along with Max was sitting in the backseat. Liz was checking if Sarah was hurt. “Yeah, I think so,” she answered. Then she and Max both saw a big bruise on Sarah’s right wrist, probably because someone held it really tight. Max looked at Liz, then gently put his hand on Sarah’s wrist and in seconds the bruise was gone. Sarah didn’t even notice. Liz looked at him, thanking him silently.

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

When they all go the assigned place, they switched cars. Michael, Maria, and Kyle went in one car, Alex, Isabel, and the sheriff in another. And Max, Liz, and Sarah went in the third one. They all thought that that way they were all protected better in case they were followed.

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

Max and Liz were both silent. Max was driving with Liz sitting in the passenger seat and Sarah sleeping on the backseat. From time to time Max would glance at Liz who was looking out the window lost in her thoughts. When he was sure that nobody was following them he pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car.

Liz looked at him puzzled. Max looked at Sarah to make sure she was still asleep and then turned to Liz. Then he said, “When I woke up that morning and you weren’t there…that was the worst feeling…I just felt…thought that you were ashamed of what we did…That you hated me for it…That you regretted it. And it…hurt…a lot…to know that you regretted something that…was the best night of my life.” He had to tell her that. He needed her to know.

Liz looked at him for a moment, taking in everything he said. Then she said, “I called you…the day I found out I was pregnant I called you.” Max looked at her, about to say, “Nobody told me”, when she continued, “Tess picked up the phone.” Max closed his eyes for a moment, then looked down feeling guiltier than he’s ever felt before.

When he finally looked up at her, he said, “Liz, Tess and I…we were never together like that…Ever.” He needed her to believe him.

She looked into his eyes and knew that he was telling the truth. “I could never regret what happened, Max…because…because it was the best night of my life, too,” she told him.

Max leaned his head on the seat and took a deep breath. “God, I can’t believe how stupid we were,” he said as Liz and he both smiled slightly. They’ve been so miserable for so long because of reasons that didn’t really exist.

“I’m sorry I left that morning,” Liz said softly.

Max looked at her again. “I’m sorry I didn’t come after you.”

They sat like that, lost in each other’s eyes, for a moment. Then both leaned in for the kiss and their lips almost touched when… “Mommy, are we there yet?” Sarah asked from the backseat.

Liz and Max looked at each other then smiled. Liz looked at Sarah and then back at Max. They both felt that that was the question of their relationship. Are they there yet? “Almost, sweetheart…almost,” she said looking at Max.

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

“So, what’s our next step?” Michael asked as they all sat in the living room of the cabin. Sarah was fast asleep in one of the bedrooms.

“Do you think they might find us here?” Maria asked.

“This place can’t be seen from any roads, but who knows,” Jim Valenti said.

“So, what do we do? Where do we go?” Isabel asked.

“Nowhere,” Max said.

“What? Max, not again.” Isabel said.

“What’s your plan, Maxwell?” Michael asked.

“We go public.”

“What?” Isabel asked.

“We go to a newspaper or a magazine and tell them about the FBI kidnapping a little girl,” Max explained.

“Are you insane?” Michael said, “The plan here is to stay alive.”

“No matter who the FBI might think Sarah is, she’s just a little girl, nobody’s gonna be happy about it.”

“She’s an alien little girl,” Michael shouted.

“Do you have a better idea?” Max asked.

“I do,” Nasedo said as he walked in.