"LIZ!? Liz?? Are you still in here? Oh please God, Liz??"

Isabel was only a few seconds behind Maria. However when Isabel entered the bathroom, she was electrified with an amazing sense of despair. It was a tangible force radiating from somewhere in the room. Isabel had always been more sensitive than others, due to her alien abilities, but she'd never felt anything remotely similar to this. Gasping, she collapsed against a wall and doubled over her stomach. It was physically painful for her to experience such intense emotions. She simply concentrated on breathing. In and out, in and out...her head clearing a bit, Isabel realized who was the source of her discomfort.

**It has to be Liz. Who else could it be?**

Unsettled by the acute depression which was enveloping her rapidly, Isabel called out to Maria.

"Maria, she's here!! I can feel her..."

Maria DeLuca was too hysterical to catch precisely what Isabel was saying. If she had, she would have pounced on her friend, demanding answers. Instead, Maria continued to attack each stall hoping to find Liz. Walking to the second to last stall, Isabel reached for the handle and pulled back. It was locked.

"I found her."

The statement came out as more of a whisper.

**I've never been able to feel Liz's emotions before, what's going on? What's different? I've got to tell Max and Michael...**

Waving her hand in front of the lock, both her and Maria pushed open the door.

"Oh my God, Lizzie??"

Two pairs of eyes fell on a crumpled form curled-up on the blue and white tile floor. Maria kneeled down next to Liz and moved a strand of dark hair from her face. It was slightly damp and clung to Maria's finger. She noticed that Liz's blue shirt was clean, there was also no visible evidence vomit. Although, Maria noticed, her face was awfully pale.

"Liz? Come on, Liz, you gotta wake up. I need you to wake up, babe."

Maria was utterly terrified, she was shaking Liz's shoulder desperately. At the sight of her best friend unable to wake up, fear gripped Maria's heart.

"What's wrong?" she demanded harshly. "Do something Isabel! Wake her up, heal her, just DO something!!"

"Maria, calm down."

Isabel covered Maria's hands with her own and pulled them off of Liz.

"I think she's only asleep. Look, her eyes are opening..."

Maria cried out and swept Liz up into a tight hug; both girls were shaking violently.

"Don't you do that to me again," Maria warned. "We gotta stay together! Gotta be strong. Remember?!"

Isabel breathed out a sigh of relief, she hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath.

Liz felt warm hands lift her up into a back-breaking hug. Her eyes fluttered all the way open, and she tried to focus. Two figures swam in front of her, after a moment of panic she saw they were Maria and Isabel.

**Isabel!?! Oh, she must have gone running to Maria.**

Liz vaguely remembered lying on the cold floor, for was seemed like eternity, until she obviously feel asleep. Somewhere along the line she must have cleaned up herself, as well as the bathroom. Still not entirely sure of what happened or what was happening presently, Liz tried to focus on Maria.

Maria had pulled the stop from her mouth and was now speaking her mind, "-on the bathroom floor!?? What's up with you, I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong. Why didn't you come to me? Why didn't you stay home for that matter? Isabel told me you got really sick!!?"

Isabel put her hand on Maria's arm warningly.

"Um, Maria? I think you need to lay off on the questions, at least for now. We need to get her home."

"Excuse me?? Have you known Liz since kindergarten? Are you her best friend?"

Maria's voice was loud and indignant.

"No," Isabel sighed, "but it doesn't take a genus to see that she needs to get home and rest. She doesn't need us grilling her now. There'll be plenty of time for that latter..."

Liz managed to catch the gist of the conversation, she lifted her eyes to Isabel in thanks. Isabel looked down and glanced at the shivering girl in Maria's arms. Strangely, she felt compelled to look Liz in the eyes. What she saw there made Isabel tremble. The anguish and despair she had experienced earlier from Liz, was barley the tip of the iceberg. Wrenching her eyes away from Liz's painful gaze, Isabel faltered a few steps back.

"Isabel," Maria questioned, in the process of helping Liz off the floor. Taking deep, slow breathes, Isabel reassured Maria, "I'm fine, just a little dizzy. You know, haven't eaten in a while."

"Oh, ok..."

As much as she hated to admit it, Maria knew Isabel was right. They needed to get Liz home, and soon. So reluctantly, Maria tried to keep her questions at bay.

"Ya think we can use the Jeep? My mom's Jetta is in the shop..."

Isabel smiled and nodded. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she rummaged through her purse until she produced the car keys. Isabel looked up triumphantly, her cheeks flushed.

"I didn't want Max to drive the jeep, so I refused to give him the keys. He's too out of it to use his powers."

Isabel's voice was filled with amusement.

"Why didn't you w-" Maria quickly shut her mouth at Isabel's warning head shake.

Meanwhile, Liz had been trying to get her voice to operate. She'd opened her mouth and moved her vocal cords, but nothing happened. Swallowing and placing a hand over her throat, she tried again.

"G-guys? Shouldn't you be in class?"

Her voice was soft and scratchy, but both girls heard her anyway. They glanced at each other not quite sure what to say. Finally, Maria turned her green eyes towards Liz and smiled tightly.

"It's lunch time, chica. Actually," Maria said glancing at her watch, "lunch is almost over."

"Oh, shit. I have to get my assignments. I KNEW this was going to be a crappy day."

Liz looked indifferent to her new vocabulary. She was still speaking in hushed tones. Maria's jaw, on the other hand, dropped to the ground the moment the word "shit" came out of Liz's mouth. Isabel simply shot Maria a look that said "I told you so...".

Opening and closing her mouth several times, Maria finally said something, "Well, um, let's get you out to the parking lot. Ok, babe? Someone'll get your assignments for you latter, or whatever...Isabel?!"

Trying not to laugh at Maria's obvious confusion and discomfort, Isabel picked up both of their purses and motioned towards the door.

**No way, not going to happen. They aren't taking me anywhere, I'll take care of myself. Plus, they'll probably get more people involved. Agh uh, and I'm not going anywhere near the Jeep, there's no way. Definitely no everybody-help-Liz project. T-they should b-be helping Max, not me.**

Liz started to pull herself out of Maria's grip, when she almost collapsed on the floor.

"LIZ?!!?"

The two troubled girls screamed out her name.

**Ok, maybe I should let them take me home. I'm so weak... What happened to me? Oh, yeah. I saved the world. I saved the world and in the process hurt the one person I love more than anything. Not to mention, I destroyed any sanity we had left. I have a feeling that our "balance" is completely shot. No more perfect, rational, intelligent Liz Parker. Besides, he won't need you now. He has Tess...**

Liz's face was distorted and tears slowly began to run down her face.

"I'm fine, just a little weak."

Neither Maria nor Isabel had time to respond to Liz's obvious excuse, for a sudden grinding noise erupted nearby. The heavy bathroom door shuttered twice, and then burst open. When small pieces of the ceiling stopped raining down upon them, the trio tried to discern who was standing in the doorway. The colorful language coming from his mouth was a dead giveaway. It only took a few seconds for them to realize who had thrown the door open with such impact.

********** (A few minutes earlier) Michael was at the end of his rope. He'd waited almost eight minutes and there was no sign of Maria or Isabel. What could girls possibly do in the bathroom for eight minutes?

"That's it, they had their chance. This is important."

"Michael, what EXACTLY are you planning on doing? Someone could walk by any second, let's try to relax, take it easy..." Alex was trying to stop Michael from doing something stupid. His suggestions were obviously not helping the situation.

"Ya know, lunch is almost over. Why don't we just talk to them in class?"

Seemingly in response to Alex's question, Michael took a few steps back, strode forward placing his hand upon the door, and exploded into the bathroom.

"SHIT!! What the is he DOING? Ughhhhhhhh, who needs evil aliens when we've got Michael Guerin?!"

Alex made sure no one had witnessed small explosion, and jogged forward into the bathroom. Michael was a bit over-zealous in opening the door. The top hinges had dislodged from the door frame and small splinters lay scattered on the ground.

**Well, at least my life never gets boring. Dangerous, crazy, unbelievable, but never boring.**

Shaking his head, Alex continued into the bathroom. He stopped short when he saw Michael doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach.

"What the hell?!! Christ, where the FUCK is that coming from??"

Michael yelled. Gazing around Alex nodded his head towards the three girls hovering by the counter. Isabel and Maria seemed to be ok, but he was worried about Liz. Something wasn't right. Isabel looked at Michael and shook her head. He never learned.

"Hey, suck it up buddy. It's not half as bad as when she was asleep."

"What?! What's not bad? What the hell is he doing here? Do you realize you practically blew up the whole building?!! What were you trying to do, Michael, huh? Permanently bury us?"

Maria was being Maria, while Isabel, Liz and Alex simply looked dumbfounded. Well, actually, Liz had her eyes closed and didn't seem to be paying attention. Taking a deep breath, Alex decided someone needed to take charge.

"Hey y'all, as much as I don't want to break up this little party here, I suggest someone clean up this mess before anyone notices. Not many seventeen year old kids could have caused that much damage while opening a door. I also suggest we get Liz out of here, and preferably home. Considering she doesn't look so good. Come on Lizzie, let's get you to the car..." Alex walked over to Liz and took her out of Isabel's arms. Isabel quickly cleaned up Michael's mess and dusted off both her and Maria's clothes. The later, for once, didn't argue.

"Liz??"

Michael had stood up and was clenching his teeth. His urgent question forgotten. Isabel spun around and glared at Michael.

"Drop it, we'll talk latter."

Isabel looked at Maria.

"Come on, let's go. You have to take care of Liz, she needs you."

"Wait, what's going on? What were you guys talking about?!"

Maria was definitely suspicious, not to mention extremely curious.

"Nothing, he's crazy."

Isabel grabbed Maria's elbow and propelled her out of the bathroom. Michael grunted in response and stepped cautiously into the now crowded hallway. The bell signaling fifth period was about to ring. Straightening up, Michael rudely ignored any questions concerning his visit to the girl's bathroom. Roughly six lockers from the doorway, the turmoil of emotions drained from his twitching body. Sighing with relief, however still bewildered, Michael headed straight to the parking lot.

**********

Isabel slammed the door closed and shoved the key into the Jeep's ignition. The Jeep roared to life and music came blaring from the speakers. Cringing, Isabel turned down the sound and glanced into the rearview mirror. Alex and Maria were whispering softly, their heads closely bent together. Both looked equally serious.

Because of the rain earlier that morning, the top to the Jeep was still up. In the front passenger seat, Liz rolled down the window and let the warm breeze slide through her hair. The emotional breakdown in the bathroom had left her thoroughly exhausted. Slightly conscious of her surroundings, Liz knew Isabel, Maria, and Alex were taking her home. She did remember what had happened during the last two hours and was extremely embarrassed. Normally, she'd be apologizing right and left, but somehow she didn't have the strength to face her mistakes. Her behavior had been off the wall, that she knew. But she just wasn't her customary self anymore. Ever since Max had looked through her window, his face paralyzed in disbelief, Liz Parker had changed. She was now a different person. Her determination and resolve, her good faith, her trust, had all diminished greatly. Looking out the window, Liz was surprised that simply breathing had become such a large task. Each breath took a huge amount of concentration. It was almost as if her body was shutting down, no longer having the will to survive.

Pulling up in front of the Crashdown, Isabel cut the engine and spun around looking to Maria for directions. Maria turned to Alex, who nodded his head and jumped out of the car. Opening Liz's door, he helped her down to the ground. She hadn't said a word since they left school. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her arms clutched desperately round her. Her dark hair was still down and a few strands clung to her face where it was damp from fresh tears. Maria came up behind Liz and place an arm around her. Liz was shivering beneath her touch. Maria looked up, but Alex was already at the top of the stairs with the door open, Isabel standing beside him. Smiling gratefully, Maria guided her friend up to her apartment and through the door.

"Let's get you into some comfy clothes, then you can cuddle up in bed and go to sleep."

Maria's voice was gentle and soothing. She opened the door to Liz's room and sat Liz down on her bed.

"I'm just going to find you some pj's to wear. Let's see...ooo, these ones look good."

She held up a pair of red and purple striped flannel pajamas for Liz's inspection, but her eyes were closed. Sighing, Maria sat down next to her best friend and pulled Liz into a big hug. Maria may not've know what was wrong, but she was definitely going to find out.

"Here chica, just slip into these and I'll fix your bed for you. I promise, it'll make you feel better..."

Taking a ragged breath, Liz nodded against her friend's shoulder. Maria gave her one last squeeze and then stood up. Poking her head out into the hall, Maria called to Alex.

"Alex? Could you make Liz something warm to drink? You know, tea or something."

"Sure thing," Alex said on the way to the kitchen. He and Isabel had stayed in the living room, to allow Liz a little privacy. Alex was pulling down a mug and a tea bag as Isabel followed him into the kitchen. She noticed how he looked at home searching through his friend's refrigerator.

"You guys really know how to take care of her, don't you? I mean, you three are really close."

Isabel had witnessed the trio's close relationship before, but it was the first time she really thought about it. Repressing her jealousy, she was amazed how they seemed to know each other inside out. It must be extraordinary to have friends like that. Alex looked the beautiful blonde straight in the eye.

"They're my girls. Liz is my sister, that's all there is to it."

He shrugged and returned to making the tea. Isabel nodded and they waited in companionable silence.

Liz shuffled back into her bedroom where Maria was idly fluffing her pillows. Maria turned around and waved Liz over. She sank into the sea of blankets gratefully; Maria tucked her in with care. Giving her a shaky smile, Liz parted her trembling lips.

"Thank you," she whispered hoarsely. Then all of a sudden, she realized exactly where she lay, and Liz shot out of bed like a canon. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but a small shriek escaped none the less. Maria stood frozen, watching her friend back herself into a corner. Alex and Isabel rushed into the room ready for trouble, their expressions anxious. Maria was looking at Liz as if she'd grown a second head.

"Uh, Maria? What's going on? Lizzie?"

Alex slowly walked towards Liz, unsure of what her response would be. He didn't have to wait long for she backed up further still and bumped against the wall. Trembling visibly she raised a shaky finger, pointing to the bed.

"T-the sh-sheets...they...I c-can't...th-they're dirty."

Liz was mortified by her lack of control, however it couldn't be helped. All her sense of security had been stripped away from her. Liz collapsed into a ball, her knuckles white as she clutched the carpet. Memories immersed her mind while images flickered in front of her eyes.

Kyle...the bed...the window...his face...betrayal...anguish...rage...defeat.

Silence surrounded the group of teenagers, since no one knew quite what to say. Finally, Maria blinked her eyes and tried to compose herself. Considering their lives during past few months, she took Liz's behavior as par for the course.

"Um, don't worry babe. We'll just change 'em real quick, ok? Everything's gonna be fine...there's nothing to worry about."

Rubbing a hand across her face, Maria glanced at the bed and began to haul the blankets off. Not knowing what to do, Isabel scooped up the sheets Maria had deposited on the floor and tossed them into the laundry basket by the bathroom. Alex had gone back to the kitchen to get the tea. In no time at all, Maria had transformed Liz's bed. The pale lavender sheets looked warm and welcoming. A big, soft comforter was thrown over the top. She had placed vanilla candles on the bedside table, and their aroma began to fill the room. Maria turned to Isabel, who gave her a smile of encouragement, and cautiously approached Liz.

"Hey there, we fixed your bed. Your fairy godmother Maria waved her magic wand and everything disappeared. I put on your favorite color sheets, do you want to crawl in? Get some rest?"

Maria had kneeled down next to Liz, her demeanor filled with concern for her best friend. Liz reluctantly raised her head, but her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Likewise, her face looked empty, as though someone had stolen her very essence. She appeared blank, devoid of life. Maria swallowed and tried to ignore her stomach, which was presently doing some serious flip flops. Whatever had happened to Liz, wasn't going away.

**Somebody is going to get their ass kicked in the near future. NO one gets away with hurting my girl...they're gonna have to answer to Maria DeLuca, and it won't be pretty!!!**

Liz's very stubborn and very protective friend was seething.

Finally, after tucking Liz in, bringing her tea, and placing the telephone within arms reach, Maria was persuaded to leave the room and let her rest. Alex and Isabel had to practically drag her out by her toe nails. They double checked every lock and window fixture, dimmed the lights and tipped-toed down the stairs.

"She doesn't need us hovering over her, she just needs some time to sleep and regroup. Liz has always been a strong person. She'll be fine."

"Really, you think so?"

Isabel stopped to look at Alex, because frankly, she was starting to get slightly unnerved. But even Isabel could see that Alex didn't have complete confidence in what he said.

"Yeah, well I still promised Liz that I'd check in on her in roughly two hours," Maria looked at her watch "At, um, let's say three o'clock."

Entering the Crashdown, via the kitchen door, they saw the lunch crowd was still in full swing. People were demanding food, tables needed to be bussed, and the smell of burnt hamburgers filled the air. They all cringed as an alien blast went flying off a table, with some help from a surly toddler.

"Boy, am I glad I don't have to work today. This place is a mess, absolute hell."

Maria barely avoided colliding with a plate of Saturn rings as she headed for the door. Grease stains would definitely not suit her current outfit. Arriving safely outside the dinner, each took a deep breath of much needed fresh air.

"Where're Liz's parents? I didn't see them anywhere inside."

"I haven't got the slightest idea."

Shrugging at Isabel's question, Alex turned around and opened the passenger door to the Jeep. Maria settled down gratefully in the back seat, resting her head against the window.

"Whatever, I have to get to school before it's over. My stuff's still in my locker, not to mention we missed both 5th and 6th..."

"Yeah, tough babe, you had to miss Trig and Spanish. You must be crushed, damn!"

Maria tried to slap Alex upside the head while Isabel pulled out onto the road.

"HEY! Settle down, you guys're are as bad as Max and Michael."

Isabel was trying to be serious, but a grin crept across her face. Her brown eyes twinkling mischievously. However at the mention of Michael's name, Maria became unusually quiet, no longer interested in attacking her friend. She let out a long, frustrated sigh. The other two passengers decided not to say anything, they could sympathize with Maria's situation.

Isabel's mind began to wander and she was reminded of Max and his odd behavior. Frowning, she chanced a peek in the rearview mirror, her eyes automatically settling on Alex.

"I have to go check up on Max, he's been acting really weird. He might also have some idea of what's up with Liz. The fact that they're both acting strange is probably more than just coincidence. Even though they aren't together anymore, they're still perfectly in tune with each other. It's like they don't even notice it, but they still anticipate the each other's behavior and reactions."

"You're right, that's a good idea."

Alex gave the blonde goddess a small smile, her cheeks glowing in return. Maria nodded her head with a look that was half disgusted and half amazed.

"They've been trying so hard not to respond to each other. It's almost too painful to watch."

"Yeah, Alex, but to some of us it's nauseating. They need to just get over themselves. Life is too short...but then, ya know, there's this whole alien destiny crap too. If you ask me, their pile of shit is way over their heads."

Tired, angry, and very irritated, Maria wasn't in the mood to deal with anything alien related. She simply wanted to find out what happened to Liz, fix it, and then go home. There was a big, steamy, powerfully scented bubble bath calling her name.