"No, no, no, Liz. The keyword here is *cleavage*. Your breasts are awesome right now- with nursing and all. You need to take full advantage of that fact." Maria returned to one of the racks in her store and continued to search for the perfect sexy dress for her best friend to wear tonight. Liz was planning the first romantic evening with her husband since their twins had been born, and Maria wanted to make sure everything was perfect for her.

"No, ick, Maria. My body sucks right now. I feel so fat. I need something with dark colors that doesn't show off the fat too much." Liz said quietly, kneeling over the baby stroller in front of her to stick a fussy Matty's pacifier back in his mouth.

Maria chuckled. "First of all, Liz, take a look in the mirror- nothing about your body sucks, okay?" She turned Liz around to face a nearby full length mirror. Liz sighed. Maria turned back to the rack and spotted a short red tube dress with criss-cross straps in the back. She held it up in front of Liz's tiny frame.

Liz smiled. "I love it. But do you really think he'll like it?"

Maria laughed. "He's a guy, isn't he?" Liz blushed. "Chica, you are going to look fabulous. Max won't know what hit him."

"Thanks for helping me, Maria." Liz looked down at the twins, who were stirring in their stroller. "Oh, it looks like they're hungry." She picked up Matthew and Dylan and brought them close to her chest.

"You can use the back office to feed them, if you want, sweetie. Are you sure you've got all the arrangements in order tonight? Cause I wouldn't mind taking any of the kids, if you want total privacy..."Maria said, winking at her friend as she helped push the baby stroller towards the back of the store.

Liz laughed and rolled her eyes as she took the babies into the back office and worked on unbuttoning her shirt. "Thanks for the thought, Maria, but I've got everything under control. I got Richard to take call for me tonight, Mom's taking the twins, Jordana's staying with Michaela, and Adam has a date with Lauren..." She smiled.

"Adam and Lauren? That's so sweet!" Maria gushed. "So... how's he handling all the stuff with... Tess and everything?" She placed the red dress behind the cash register so she could try it on later.

Liz sighed as her babies began to eat. "I don't really know. He's becoming really withdrawn from Max and me, and I'm worried, Maria. I think he's upset that we kept the whole 'destiny' thing from him." Maria leaned next to a file cabinet in her office and watched her best friend intently.

"I guess it's just going to take time, you know? It was hard for all of us to deal with, and we've had like fifteen *years*." Maria said softly. She smiled at how quiet and peaceful Matty and Dylan had become the second they came in contact with their mom. They had only been eating for a few moments and they were already drifting back to sleep.

Liz was silent as she watched the angels nestled in her arms. Her thoughts turned to her oldest son and wondered if he was thinking about Tess right at that very moment as well.

* * * *

"So, did you understand *anything* in Biology today? I was *totally* lost." Lauren said as she sipped her bottled water and leaned her head back against the tree trunk. Adam looked up from his bag of pretzels and smiled at her, watching with adoration as she dug her fork over and over again in her pasta salad, looking for the perfect piece to put in her mouth. He was thoroughly enjoying his favorite part of the day- lunch with Lauren in a quiet part of the quad.

"Wha-what?" Adam asked, dazed. Lauren smiled as she rolled her eyes.

"Adam-Michael Parker Evans." She said firmly. "You're hopeless." She laughed.

"What, Lauren Michelle Valenti?" He asked, smiling. She stuck her tongue out at him. "I guess I just can't stop staring at my beautiful girlfriend. Sue me." Lauren blushed, looking into his eyes as she gave him a quick kiss.

"You are too much, you know that?" She asked. He shook his head as he took a bite of his sandwich and swallowed.

"No, no. I think you're wrong on that one." He replied, smiling at her.

"You are! I've never had *visions* when I've kissed someone before. You're special." She smiled sweetly at him. He snapped his head up when he heard her say this.

"Visions? What kind of visions?" Adam asked her.

"Yeah... like the first time you kissed me, I saw us at this cave. It was really strange. But it felt so real." She said. "Why is that?"

Adam gasped to himself. This was getting really weird. "I-I- I dreamed that the other night."

"Adam? I can see inside your head? Why?" She asked with confusion.

He never wanted to tell her the truth about him more than at that moment. He looked at his feet instead and played with a piece of grass. "I-I don't know... so, about tonight... what movie were you thinking about seeing?"

Lauren looked at him, puzzled. She didn't know why, but she felt like he wasn't telling her something... and she didn't like it. "Um, I thought we were going to see that new Gwyneth Paltrow one? That romantic comedy thing?"

Adam nodded his head. "Ahh.. a chick flick! Oh well, Gwyneth's a babe, I think I can handle it." She gasped playfully, grabbing a piece of popcorn and throwing it at his face. He smiled back at her and crawled closer to her, giving her a sweet kiss. As the kiss intensified, he began seeing things from inside her head...

*Lauren lying on her bed, reading 'Romeo and Juliet' for English class and diligently taking notes.* *Lauren watching him as he slowly cut into the lab specimen on the table in front of them.* *Lauren dancing on a coffee table as a little girl, her mom and dad smiling and clapping for her* *Lauren running her hands through his hair as they shared their first kiss.*

He broke away from the kiss quickly and looked in her eyes.

"What, Adam? Did you see something too?"

He shook his head. "N-no. It's nothing." Lauren slumped back against the tree stump and sighed. Something was definitely up with him, and she wasn't going to rest until she figured it out.

* * * *

"Nasedo, is this really going to work?" Tess asked as she laid out her clothes for the evening's events.

"Of course it is, Tessa.. you have complete shape-shifting power now. We can do this. I promise you, by the end of the night, you will have Adam-Michael back." Nasedo replied quickly, still going over the plan carefully in his mind.

"And Max?" Tess asked hopefully.

"I don't know. After seeing what we do to his family, he may not like you very much..." Nasedo began, raising his eyebrows at her.

"I don't care anymore. Damn him! I just want my son. Just him. Damn the rest of them." Tess said coldly, absentmindly drifting her hand down to her womb and cradling it. Sixteen years had gone by since she carried Adam-Michael and had brought him into the world. He would no longer forsake her after tonight.

* * * *

"Max!" Liz nudged her husband forcefully, pointing to the waiter standing before them. "He asked you what you want to eat."

"Oh- sorry." He was broken out of the spell she had cast on him. His wife looked so incredible, he could hardly see straight. She was wearing a tight red dress with her hair pulled up loosely so that curly little tendrils framed her face. God, how he wanted her. "I-I'll have the grilled chicken pasta, I guess."

"And, um..." He watched her as she grazed her finger daintly over the menu, finally coming to rest in the steak section. "Filet mignon. Medium well, please." The waiter nodded and took their menus before he left. Max looked at her and chuckled.

"Filet mignon? You must be hungry." Max said, sipping his water. She scooted her chair closer to his and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Oh, I'm hungry alright... but it isn't for steak." She nibbled softly on his earlobe and he groaned softly.

"Liz, stop it. Or we'll never make it through dinner."

"So you're on to my plan, Doctor Evans. You're a quick one." She continued to nibble as her tongue darted out to touch the tender spot behind his ear. He gasped.

"Doctor Evans, behave yourself. Am I going to have to take you home?" He asked her playfully.

"Oh, you promise?" She asked, smiling. He looked at her in awe. They'd been married for over ten years and it barely felt like ten days. The passion he felt every time he looked into her eyes amazed him so much that it sometimes brought him to his knees, praying to God that he would have her for the rest of his life and into the next one.

* * * *

Michaela popped a CD in her stereo and walked back over to her bed, where Jordana was stretched out and reading a copy of "Seventeen". "So, what's Adam up to tonight?" She asked, flopping down on the bed and returning to the picture she was drawing.

Jordana rolled her eyes. "He's got a date." She mocked him.

Michaela laughed. "Adam's got a date? Go him! Is it with the sheriff's daughter?"

"Yeah, they're all kissy-face now... making me sick. Ew." Jordana stuck her finger in her mouth, making a gagging gesture. Michaela playfully hit her on the arm.

"Be happy for him!"

Jordana shook her head and smiled. "No, no, can't. Don't like her."

"Why don't you like her? She seemed nice at Zach's birthday party..." Michaela asked as she stopped her drawing to grab a box of colored pencils out of her nightstand.

Jordana was quiet. "I- I don't know. She just isn't good enough for him."

Michaela rolled her eyes. "You're his sister, Jordy. No one will ever be 'good enough' for him in your eyes." She colored in the rock formation she had delicately drawn on her paper.

Jordana ignored her statement, instead pointing to what she had drawn. "What's that?"

"I don't know what it is. I dream about it all the time though. I wish I could figure it out. It looks kind of like a cave... do you think?" Michaela turned her head to the side as her cousin examined the drawing.

Jordana closed her eyes as she had a flash of the same cave. Had she and Michaela been having similar dreams?

Isabel popped her head in the door and smiled at them. "Hey girls, Dad and I made some popcorn, would you like some?"

"Sure Mom." Michaela said, shutting her sketch book quickly.

Isabel caught a glimpse of what she was drawing and gasped. "Michaela. Can I see what you drew?" Michaela looked up at her with worried eyes.

"Um, okay." Michaela opened her sketch book to the drawing of the cave. Isabel's eyes widened.

"Sweetheart, do you know what this is?" She asked, sitting down on the bed with her niece and daughter. Michaela and Jordana shook their heads.

"We've both dreamed about it, though. Is it important?" Jordana asked her.

Isabel smiled. "This is the cave where me, your dad--" She pointed to Jordana. "--and Michael were all born."

"I saw four of these weird looking sacks in my dream. Were they you guys?" Michaela asked tentatively.

Isabel nodded. Jordana looked confused.

"Who was the fourth?" She asked her aunt.

Isabel was silent. "How about that popcorn now, kids?"

* * * *

"Lizzie, baby, I have to put you down. I have to get my keys." Max said, trying to dig in his pocket, which was being blocked by Liz's thigh at the moment. She was kissing him furiously as he tried to get the door open and she wasn't showing signs of letting go- not even for a second. "Oh, to hell with it." He sighed, putting his hand over the door to unlock it. They continued to kiss fiercely as he carried her through the kitchen and up the stairs to their bedroom. "Liz--Liz--the kids?" He asked breathlessly.

"Gone." She whispered, returning to his mouth. They finally reached their room and made their way over to the King-sized bed in the middle. He placed her gently down on the mattress and quickly began loosening his tie and unbuttoning his dress shirt. Liz worked on getting his pants down and off. After most of his clothes were gone, he turned his full attention to her.

"Turn around, sweetie." She stood up and sighed as she felt his soft hands moving down her back as he unzipped her dress slowly. She stepped out of it as he lowered his mouth to kiss her silky neck and shoulders. "I've wanted to do that all night."

She turned around in his arms and kissed him sweetly. She broke free of his embrace and he whimpered slightly until he saw her walk over to the wall to switch off the overhead light in the room, making the room completely dark. She walked back over to him and whispered in his ear. He used this quick opportunity to return his lips to her neck. "Would you do the honors?" She asked. He smiled into her shoulder, giving it another nibble as he snapped his fingers in the air, illuminating the dozens of candles scattered around the room.

She finally allowed him to pick her up and lay her gently down onto the bed, kissing her hungrily. She rolled him over on his back and worshiped him with her mouth. He removed the last pieces of her clothing and she finally settled on top of him, straddling his hips. She sighed as they came together for the first time since the babies had been born. God, how she missed this. Slowly, slowly, faster, faster... yes. They cried out together as their lovemaking came to a heated climax. She fell on top of him and leaned her head up to whisper in his ear.

"God, Max, I love you."

"I love you." He breathed. "Can you believe that's the first time we've...since Matty and Dylan..."

"Yeah, I know." She kissed him gently on the cheek as their hearts slowed back to normal. "We have a lot of time to make up..."

He smiled at her wickedly and flipped their bodies over so he could lay his head on her heaving chest, listening to her soothing heartbeat. It wasn't long before they had both drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

A nude Liz walked into the bathroom she shared with her husband and flipped on the light. She was searching for her bathrobe. When she found it, she wrapped it around her body and walked down the stairs to get a snack. She yawned as she looked through the cabinet to find her Mint Milano cookies. She turned around and gasped as she saw Michael sitting at her kitchen table. "Michael!" She cried. "What are you doing here? It's 11 o clock!" He walked over to her silently and she could tell he had been crying. "Michael, are you okay?"

"Can we talk? Outside?" He asked her, his bottom lip quivering.

"Oh my God! What's the matter? Did something happen to Maria?" She cried. Michael shook his head.

"No, no... we had a fight-- I needed to talk to you. You know her better than anyone except me, maybe you can help me-- sort things out." Michael said, lowering his head.

"Ok, well, can't we just talk in here?" She asked, putting her cookies down and leading him to the table.

He nodded quickly. "No!" He cried. She arched her eyebrow at him. "I mean, I want to-- have a cigarette--"

"Michael, since when do you smoke?" Liz asked with confusion.

"I'm really on edge right now, okay? It--it relaxes me." He pleaded, looking into her brown eyes. "Please?"

She sighed. "OK. But only for a minute. Max tends to freak out if he wakes up and I'm not there."

Michael rolled his eyes. "You've got him trained well, huh, Liz?" She smacked him playfully.

"Shut up, you jerk!" She cried as they walked through the doorway, shutting the door behind them. "OK, is this better."

"Much." He said, his tone changing as he reached for her neck. She didn't have time to scream as she felt his fingers pressing into the top of her spine. She only saw a bright white light, then nothing but blackness.

* * * *

"Max--" There was a whisper in the darkness of the room.

"Hhmmph." He groaned, rolling over and wrapping his arms tightly around his wife.

"Max, I need you." She said quietly, climbing on top of his hard body and straddling him. She leaned down to kiss him as he was beginning to wake up. His whole body responded to the kiss and he deepened it by searching her mouth with his tongue. This opened the usual floodgate of shared images and feelings between them.

*He and Tess kissing at the pod chamber.* *He and Tess making love for the first time out in the desert.* *Tess coming to Boston and bringing their son, Adam.* *Tess showing up in the park that day, the day Adam came to live with he and Liz.* *He and Tess making love again.* *Tess giving birth to Adam-Michael in the pod chamber.* *Liz and Jordana lying helpless on the floor of a cave with blood dripping from their mouths.*

Max broke away from the kiss in shock, pushing Liz off his body and jumping across the room.

"Max, what's the matter?" She asked calmly, walking over to the side of the room where he was standing.

"You--you--you're not--" His voice shook violently as his face went sheet white. "My wife." He said finally.

"Max, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way." She moved closer to him and smirked as she cupped his manhood in her soft hands. He jumped away from her in disgust.

"WHERE is LIZ?" He cried.