Liz: "Crying does something to a girl. Your forced too look at life from a different perspective. You have to completely reshuffle your mind. Decide what you wan't to keep, and throw the rest away. Somehow I'm still holding onto my feelings for Max, but I couldn't dislodge them if I wanted to. I guess it's because I know how he cares for me. Though I wonder at the extent of that caring. I wonder, what he really thinks about me."

Fade into Max's bedroom,

Max is talking to Michael

Max: "You know, if you hadn't gotten sick,...I mean, she was saying all this stuff, about how her parent's were away for the weekend, How we could camp out under the stars. I mean, we were going to have,...you know."

Michael: "Sex? (Michael is taken aback) You mean you weren't going to channel your energies into something less dangerous? Like say,...mutual..."

Max: (shakes his head, amazed at himself) "No, I wasn't"

Michael: (still hasn't recovered) "God d'mn!"

Max: "It was the absolute lust that got to me. I always knew that, being an alien I would have different...issues to deal with. But I wasn't quite prepared for the intensity of it."

Michael: "How intense was it?"

Max: "Well,... I had Isabel tie me to the bed last night. It was awful, I could feel how Liz needed me. Poor Isabel, she even had to muzzle me after I started going apes..t"

Michael: "And she was there, lonely for you all weekend, while Isabel had you tied up and muzzled at your own request?"

Max: (sighing, remembering his intense frustration) "Well, not the whole weekend,...I..."

Michael: "I love you man" (he gives Max a hug and a big wet one on the cheek)

Fade into Lab. Max pulls up beside Liz on her right, gives her a brief, broken "Hello" and goes through his notes. Liz ignores him.

Teacher: "OK class, time to examine the structure of cells on the human finger. If the person on the left would kindly put their finger under the microscope, and the person on the right should write down their observations."

Liz stands up and put's her hand under the lens. Max tries to get out of her way, giving a small start at her every movement. He holds her finger to steady it as, breathing heavily, he peers through the microscope. Liz takes this cue to stretch her body out fetchingly under his. Max begins to shake as his breathing gets heavier and heavier.

Liz: "Ow!...Do you have something in your pocket?"

Max backs off. Then raises his hand.

Max: "Can I get a bathroom pass?"

Michael is trolling through the hallway, thinking about his earlier conversation with Max, and about Maria. What Max had said held a lot of weight with him. It wasn't just the sweat that had thrown Michael off balance. That was "the straw that broke the camels back" as the old adage goes. His falling off-balance was a long process that began when he refused to take Max's hand that day, and ended in the eraser room, groping at Maria for lost feelings of warmth and love. But he didn't think it was his relationship with Maria, but being without her that had led to his sickness. She had taught him that at least part of him was human, and that he couldn't run away from that fact. He though of telling all this to Max, but he didn't want to influence him the wrong way. He had had fun with Maria, but they had been careful. Max however, for all his seeming invulnerableness, had a harder time keeping his cool. After so many years of repressing his feelings for Liz, they were now exploding out of him with no discernable rhyme or reason..

Max walks by him towards the men's room. Michael follows.

Michael: "Hey,is everything going okay? Is your 12 steps back program working as planned?"

Max: "Very funny" (he says derisively)

A brief pause

Michael: "Well, things are going better between me and Maria."

Max: (surprised) "You mean you admit that there is something between you two?"

Michael: (Looks a bit flushed) "Well, we're actually,... becoming friends now."

Max: (Still flabbergasted) "Since when did h'll freeze over?"

Michael: "Well, I just made it clear that I appreciated her, and that I wanted to try that talking,...thing that she had suggested earlier." (Michael smiles, quite proud of himself.)

Max: "Michael, you've changed so much since,... it's kind of hard to fathom."

Michael: "Just give me some credit, Maxwell, I had been of balance for longer than you know."

Michael smiles and leaves. Max is left sitting on the sink. It's like they had switched places and personalities.

Shot of Liz driving in her car, in no particular direction. She pulls into the driveway of "Rosie's Breakfast Barn" She enters, the place is cosy, but all dark wood and rustic. She sits down at the bar. A grumpy looking woman takes her order.

Liz: "Could I have a coffee mocha please?"

Waitress: "We don't have any of that fancy stuff here."

Liz: (Grumbles) "You used too."

Waitress: (Looking pugnacious) "What?"

Liz: Listen could you just give me a coffee with a little bit of cocoa added?"

(We can now see Eddie behind her at a booth, an impish grin playing about his lips)

Waitress: (Looking at her suspiciously) "I'll see what I can do"

Eddie: "Don't mind her." (Liz spins around.) "Rosie's been trying to get rid of her for months now."

Liz: (walking towards him) "I couln't imagine why."

Eddie: (gestures to a seat in front of him) "Care to sit?"

Liz: (joins him) "Thanks, I guess I could use some company"

Eddie: "So,...how's your friend?"

Liz: "Which one?"

Eddie: (looking confused) "The one who was sick,...blond hair, white eyes."

Liz: "Oh, he's fine, he's fine. Sorry, I'm a bit,...distracted lately."

Eddie: "I can see that"

Waitress: "Here's your hot chocolate, Missy."

Liz: (grimacing) "Thank you,..I guess." (The waitress stomps off before she finishes)

Liz and Eddie share a cute smiley moment.

Eddie: "So,..."

Liz: "So."

Eddie: "Are you still seeing,...the young man who...?"

Liz: "Max, no. We broke up the other day." (Liz looks away, blinking back a tear)

Eddie: "You still care for him though, don't you?"

Liz: (nods) "Yes, yes I do." (sniff)

Eddie: "Do you mind if I,... show you something? After you finish your drink, of course."

Liz: "Sure."

Max is sitting with Michael outside. Max is trying to study. Michael is waxing philosophically about this and that.

Michael: "Do you think we're meant to,...you know,...with humans?"

Max: "You would bring that up."

Michael: "I'm serious Max, I can't stand to see you like this."

Max: "Then go away."

Michael: (Ignoring him) "Why would you feel this way, if their wasn't a reason? Why would you want to be with her, if you weren't meant to? Instinct doesn't lie,... Maxwell."

Max: "Are my ears failing me,...are you suggesting...?"

Michael:"Nonono, over my dead body, will you ever be alone with her. But I see know reason why you should avoid her, in public, where it is safe. Your not just hurting yourself Max, your hurting me and Iz to"

Max: (sighs)"I'm very sorry Michael."

Liz and Eddie are walking outside. the wind is blowing through their hair as a perfect sunset plays along the horizon.

Liz: "It's beautiful."

Eddie: "So it is, and so are you."

Liz: (blushes then remembers herself) "Listen, Eddie, me and Max just broke up a couple of days ago. It's really to early for me to be, seeing other people."

Eddie: "Sorry, I couldn't contain myself, but that isn't why I brought you here."

Liz: "Then, why did you?"

Eddie: (looking back over the horizon) "Look in front of you. Do you see all of this... beauty.)

Liz: "Yes."

Eddie: "Think when your with Max. Would you give up all of this for him? Because that is the question you'll well have to answer, when the time comes."

Liz: "What time? When?"

Eddie: (Looks at his watch) "About 5:30, time for me to go."

Liz: "No, wait!"

Eddie: (hands her a strange looking nut with writing on it) "If you need to contact me, that's the surest way."

Liz: "Wha,..what's this."

Eddie: (laughs) "My email, see yah around."

Liz waves to him as he leaves.

Fade out