Nancy, Liz's Mom comes up the stairs carrying a stack of folded clothes. She sees Liz turning the door knob to her room. "Hey sweety did you and your friends have fun last night?"

Yeah mom, it was great. I'm going to get some sleep now. I'll set my alarm, so you don't need to worry about waking me for my shift. I'm going to sleep as long as I can, okay?"

"Okay sweety." Liz turns the door knob to her bedroom. "Liz, I'm glad that you had fun."

"Thanks mom." Liz walks into her room and changes into an over sized baby blue t-shirt and goes through her bed time routine. Once ready for bed she pulls her journal out of it's hiding place in the wall and sits down on the edge of her bed. She takes the cap off of her pen and starts writing while she waits on Max's call.

Liz's Journal Entry:

Today is February 28, 2000. I can't say that our plan went off with out a hitch, in fact a lot happened that we didn't count on. To start, Max and I both were out of control. To explain, let me put it this way, more times than not, we completely forgot that anyone was watching. Our emotions, our desires took over and it felt so good, so right. I know I'm in trouble now, because I believe that we're both highly aware that the real thing is going to be better than anything that we've ever dreamed. Therefore the temptation to find out is really strong in both of us. A.k.a.: It's time to start thinking about precautions.

It's so surprising how quickly things can change. Just when I was to the point of crossing the line with Max; you know the line; Teomner showed up.

Everything was going pretty much as we had planned until Isabel woke me and Max up. You see, we didn't count on Teomner having a hidden camera in the room he put us in. Our element of surprise was gone. That's when things really went wrong. I don't want to go into too many details, but I'll say this, Teomner and Nasado are both dead. Teomner killed Nasado, and we found that if we work together, as a team, we can over come any obstacle`.

There is something that keeps bothering me about tonight other than the deaths of Max's father and Uncle. I'm sure that I heard Nasado voice giving me a clue of how to stop Teomner, but it was after Teomner killed him, but how can that be. Here's the other part, if it was really his voice that I heard, and not my imagination, which it could have been. Why did he pick me to talk to? Why not Isabel or Max, or even Michael? Why me? I guess I'll never know.

Tonight Maria and I have to work the evening shift. Before work we are all going out to tell Riverdog what happened, and then the others are going back to Teomner's house. They want to see what they can find. Max, Isabel, and Michael still have a lot of questions that need answers.

Liz closed her journal when the phone rings.

**********same time*************

Max ran through the nights events in his head on his way home. I can't believe how things turned out. It was definitely a night that I will never forget. (A smile spreads across his face.) Starting with how Liz felt in my arms, the touch of her lips, the smell of her hair, the warmth of her soft skin pressing against mine. We definitely went to far tonight, but oh my word she felt so good, so right. I can't believe that we were actually stripped down to only our... (Max shakes his head trying to shake that train of thought. He was already excited and now it is just getting unbearable.)

I suppose I should be grateful to Teomner for stopping things when he did. Otherwise Liz and I would have really been embarrassed. Michael would have had a field day and never let us live that down. It's bad enough as it is. How did I let things get so out of control. As if I didn't know the answer to that one. It was Liz!

I can't let things get out of control like that again. At least not until I know how to protect Liz. After all it only takes one time, and our lives could change forever. We're definitely not ready for any unexpected surprises. We're just going to have to avoid situations that will tempt us. Ya right, as if that were possible, we're always tempted. We'll just have to take precautions. I have to protect her, I can't let things get out of hand.

At least, thanks to Nasado and Teomner we know that we're compatible. I know that if something were to happen, Liz would be okay. And in the future we'll be able to have a family. Just not anywhere in the near future.

I can't get over the fact that my father and uncle are dead. That sounds so weird, father and uncle. I wonder if Teomner even knew I his nephew. (Max never once thought that Teomner's death was his fault. There was nothing he could have done differently. He hadn't had time to think, only time to react, and he knew it.) If only they hadn't died. We could have learned so much more about were we came from, and what to expect in the future. What am I thinking ; there's nothing I would have wanted to learn from Teomner. He just wanted to control me, my family, and friends.

Friends? Somehow that didn't seem to fit anymore. After what we've been through we're more than friends, much more. I trust each of them with my life. (Max chuckles to himself.) Who would have ever thought that Kyle would become one of the people I would trust with my life? That he would become like family.

I'm almost home, that was quick. Soon Liz, soon we'll be together in our dreams. At least we have that. I can't imagine how much harder it would be for us if we didn't share our dreams. Where should we go tonight? I know the perfect place.

Max jumps out of the jeep, grabs his bag and heads into the house. He was greeted by his mother waiting for him in the living room. "Max, can I talk to you for a moment please."

Max holds his bag in front of himself. He would be very embarrassed if his mother noticed his physical condition. Just the thought of being with Liz in their dream and he was excited. "Sure mom, what's up?"

"One of Isabel's friends just called. She wanted to know why Isabel wasn't at the cast party last night. Can you tell me where she was?"

"Yeah Mom, we went to the party, but it just wasn't our kind of thing. So a group of us went out in the desert for a more relaxing evening."

"So you went too?" Diane asked curiously.

"Yeah, I know we should have checked in, but we figured it was already really late. We didn't want to wake you. Besides we figured that Isabel, Liz, and Maria all had their cell phones if anyone needed to get a hold of us."

"How many of there where you? Who all went?"

"Me and Issy, of course. Then there was Michael, Liz, Maria, Alex, and Kyle."

"Kyle, isn't he the sheriff's son?

"Yeah he's the one."

"Well I'm glad to see that your making new friends, but please next time check in before you make a change of plans like this. Something could have happened to you kids out there, and we wouldn't have known were to find you."

"Sure thing mom, sorry about that." Max turns to head to his room, stops and turns back. "Isabel said that she was going over to Alex Whitman's house. Something about some plans his family has for the day. I told her I'd let you know. She said to call her if there was a problem. I'm going to get some rest for a few hours. I'll set my alarm, so you don't need to wake me. Night."

"Night Max!"

Max quickly called Alex's house. He was hoping to catch Alex and Isabel before they go to sleep. "Hello Alex, tell Isabel that our Mom knows that our group went out in the desert last night."

"Gotcha, I'll make sure she knows. Hey Max."

"Yeah?"

"Pleasant dreams."

Max laughs softly, "You to Alex."

Max hung his jacket in the closet, stripped down to his boxes, grabbed a clean tank top from his drawer, slides it over his head and climbs into bed picking up the phone and dials Liz's number.

"Hello?"

"Hello yourself. Liz just so you know my mom knows that we didn't go to the party last night. One of Isabel friends called here this morning wanting to know way she wasn't there. I told my mom we all went out to the desert. She seemed okay with it. On to more important things, I've been think about were we should go in our dream."

(Can you guess where?)

"Where? To our cabin or back to the beach?"

"Neither. I have somewhere else in mind." Max smiles a dreamy smile.

"Where?." Liz waits from him to tell her where he is thinking about. When he doesn't answer she gets impatient. "Aren't you going to tell me?

"No"

"Oh no you don't, don't do this to me again. Max please tell me. This just isn't fair."

"Now you have another reason to fall asleep." Max teases.

"As if I need another reason to fall asleep." Liz teases back. "Your just lucky that I'm so miserably tired, or I'd think about skipping this trip."

"No you wouldn't, you're curiosity would get the better of you."

"You don't think I could stay away, is that it?

"I refuse to answer that question. I have a feeling I would lose either way."

"Are you teasing me again? You know that I'm going to get even with you for teasing me this morning."

"This morning, when did I tease you, this morning?" Max ask trying to sound innocent. If Liz could see his face, she'd know he knew exactly what she's talking about. At that moment he wished that Teomner hadn't shown up when he did. He would have liked to find out exactly how much farther she would have gone in order to lure him out.

"As if you don't know the answer to that one." Liz could tell he was teasing her again. She's enjoying this playful side of him. Not to many people ever get to see this side of her Max. She loves that he let her see it.

"You got me, I confess. I'll confess to anything you want me too. Just have mercy on me. I need my dream girl with me in my dreams. It's just not as much fun without her."

"When you say her, you better be meaning me. Or your really in trouble Mr."

"Of course I mean you. Who else? Now be quiet and go to sleep, so I can have my way with you."

Liz giggles and closes her eyes, "See you in my dreams."

Reverently he says, "I'll be there. I love you Elizabeth Parker."

"I love you too Max."

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

It didn't take long for both Max and Liz to fall asleep. They had both been up more then 24 hours straight.

Max and Liz are sitting on a blanket in the desert under the starry sky. The same location they had shared their evening together that very night. With only a few changes. There was no chill in the air, and no eyes watching their every move.

"Do you like?'

Liz answers by sitting up on her knees and raping her arms around Max's neck pulling him in for a deep hungry kiss. Her hands wander down over Max's strong neck and back. She run her fingers through his dark thick hair pulling him closer. Once again needing to fill his warmth. The warmth that she felt as his flesh touched hers that evening. Liz slid his tank top up his chest and over his head tossing it carelessly to the side. Then run her hands over his shoulders. She closes her eyes as she feels his hands touch her sides. She enjoys the touch of his hands as they move up and down the length of her body.

Max slowly eased her oversized baby blue t-shirt up her body and over her head; while attentively watching the flesh that is coming into view. He is overwhelmed by the need to feel her body pressing against his own. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder guides her body from her kneeling position down to the blanket. Laying himself on top of her. Their kisses have become exploratory. Max searching the most recessed areas of her mouth. He slowly draws his finger tips up the side of her bare leg. Liz sighs at the sensation of his touch. Breaking the kiss only for a moment. Max, short of breath, whispers "I think this is where we left of earlier."

With one fluid movement Liz rolls Max off of her, onto his back, and she straddle his hips. However, she's caught off guard when Max's hands move over her flat stomach, up over her breasts, to trace her collar bone, and slowly back down to caress her breasts with eagerness.

Max leaves one hand caressing her breast while continuing to glide the other hand down over her ribs, to her stomach, and traces along the elastic of her panties.

Max no longer thinking with his head, but from the desires that have built inside him. "This is something I wanted to do to you last night." He slides his fingers past the panty line. He rolls Liz onto her back. He slides his hands under her panties at her hips. Liz raises her hips allowing Max to pull them down. He slowly removes them, letting his hands caress her legs all the way down. Without missing a beat Max removes his boxers and lays on top of Liz.

Liz moans in pleasure at his weight on top of her as she wraps one arm around his neck and the other stroking his back.

Pleadingly Liz cries. "Max, yes please yes."

(Sorry that's as far as I go. The rest is up to your imagination.)

After their love making Max and Liz lay quietly in each others arm. Enjoying the feeling of unity that they again have shared. Both are wondering: As great as this feels in our dreams, how much better would it feel reality.

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

Isabel and Alex are standing in front of the symbol in the desert. Isabel follows the path on the right and Alex follows the path on the left. As they reach the center they take each others hands and step into the center. They hear a voice. "You are now one. Cling unto one another and your destiny will unfold."

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

4:00 p.m. Saturday, Maria and Michael, Alex and Isabel are sitting in their usual booth. Max has pulled up a chair and Liz sitting in his lap. Kyle has also pulled up a chair.

"This isn't going to be easy. How are we going to tell Riverdog?" inquires Isabel

"My dad always says, Straight up is usually the best way." suggest Kyle.

"We better get going, Liz and I have to back here for work at 5:30."

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

Max's jeep, Maria's car, and the truck pull into the reservation as far back to the cave as they can go. As the teens all pile out of the vehicles Riverdog and Eddie appear. Riverdog looks solemn.

Riverdog and Eddie turn and walk back to the cave, followed by the others.

Once everyone is in the cave. They settle into circle on the ground.

Max swallows hard, trying to eases the knot in his throat. "Riverdog we're realize sorry to have to tell you, but Nasado's dead."

"I already know." The youth look at each other in shock. "How could you know that already?" Asks Michael.

"Nasado came to me in a vision. He told me he had returned to the collective. He asked my to give you a message. He said, ‘ It is now up to you to find your own destiny."

Isabel and Alex look at each other. "Max! As we went through the ceremony we were told something similar. We were told that to cling unto one another and that our destiny would unfold."

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