Max and Alex stumbled into the same room they'd seen in their vision to find Maria and Isabel arguing heatedly over something, While Michael was staring sadly at his keeper, who was sleeping quietly. His hand was resting on the glass, running his fingers over it gently. "Isabel, it's the only way, how are we going to explain Liz's disappearance? Or Katie's? Or Topolsky's for that matter, people will ask questions. This place is abandoned, why, I don't know, but we can do it here and now and be done with it!" Maria shouted, frustrated and worn.

"No, Maria, no, I'm not going to leave Alex and my parents," Isabel said firmly,

"Katie can stay here, and she’s as real as the next." Isabel pleaded with the smaller girl. "I don't want to lose more people that I love."

Alex's breath caught in his throat. Isabel loved him? He shook off the question and tried to focus, but couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face.

To the side a tall woman with silver hair cascading down her back stood, watching sadly as Michael stroked the clear barrier between him and his broken keeper. She saw the small girl enter with her charge and his companion and smiled, she glided over to the child and picked her up in her arms.

"Katydid," she smiled, "our time draws near."

The girl smiled, oblivious to the fact that the room had quieted and all eyes were on them now. "Yes, it does, and time grows short for all of us. We must take the keys," she looked up and a ghost of a tear fell from one of the green eyes that gazed up.

Those eyes were infinitely innocent, and they bored into the same eyes, the same, save that the other set were filled with infinite pain, wisdom, and reverence.

"Then we must wake her," she looked to the sleeping keeper.

"No, we can do it without her, we can't risk waking her," the little girl said sadly, she held the silver hared woman close for a moment before she was set down.

"What about Michael?" the silver hared woman asked, knowing the answer, but not wanting to frighten the teens around her.

"Ria can take his," the child looked as if she had known ages of suffering in that moment, and tears touched the older apparition's eyes. "She has the strength their keeper has lost."

"Lost? She doesn't notice physical sensations though!" Isabel spoke; she was terrified that her friend may not have been sleeping.

"She does notice them, pain is something real to her, precious. She cherishes the pain she feels because it reminds her that she is, indeed alive, breathing, and feeling once again," the child looked sad, as if she were missing out on something, and Isabel was quiet, despite the protests racing through her mind.

Both Max and Isabel's keepers then advanced and took the hands of their charges. Maria moved towards Michael and drew him away from the barrier, taking him in her arms; she placed a comforting hand on his chest, over his heart. "I love you Michael," she whispered, "I know I've told you, I know you know, but I need you to tell me you love me, just once, never again."

He looked down at her and smiled, taking her lips in a kiss he said it all, his heart warmed and he smiled, but she pulled away, tears in her eyes.

"Tell me," she whispered, "please…"

He nodded, hating himself for making her cry. "I love you Maria," he murmured, the warmth in his heart growing, and she began to cry more. Mistaking her tears, he continued, "you're the moon and the sun and the stars to me, you're more than that crystal, more than the past, present and future put together." He closed his eyes and faced a truth he'd been frightened of. "Life without you isn't worth living, Maria," his voice had dropped to a hoarse whisper, "life without you is worse than death…"

He would have continued, but a deep, ripping pain swept over and through him, and Maria's tears increased tenfold.

"I am so sorry," she sobbed, over and over, "I am, I am, oh god, why do I have to do this?" But it was over and done, and Maria held the first of three keys in her hands. It was a shard, like the stars, of the brightest red, it seemed to glow and she sighed as she put it into the now full satchel with the others.

Isabel had watched and then she looked at her keeper, she held out her hand to the apparition and smiled. "My turn?" she asked with a wavering laugh. Her eyes fell to Michael, breathing heavily and clutching his chest as Maria sobbed beside him.

"I'm sorry," was all the keeper said before placing her hand on Isabel's chest, a small gasp escaped her lips as pain swirled around her, but never touched her. The keeper was draining her pain away from her, taking it into herself. Isabel was grateful, though she was now aware of something being drawn out of her. The heat around her heart wasn't gone; in fact it was magnified as the key was brought out of her. She looked at it, touched her heart. "It's beautiful," she took it in her hands and looked at it. A perfect, multifaceted crystal, shining silver in the light. "Simply beautiful," she murmured again and she handed it over to Maria. Isabel sat next to the sobbing girl and put her arms around her. "It's ok, Ria," Isabel assured her friend, "he's fine, look, just…" she paused, not wanting to articulate the feeling of emptiness she felt at the loss of the key.

Michael looked up and smiled weakly, taking Maria from Isabel. "I'm ok, baby," he murmured, kissing her hair. "And I meant every word I said."

Isabel smiled, despite the pang of jealousy that flushed through her. She didn't notice that Alex had sat down next to her, and she was shocked when he put his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I love you Isabel," he murmured as tears began to fall from her eyes. "I know that you'll have to go somewhere soon, and that you may not feel the same way, but I just…" he paused, thinking of words that could make her pain go away. "I just wanted to see you smile again."

She looked up and smiled brightly through her tears. It was all he needed, and he pulled her close again, soothing her with his hands.

Max looked at the apparition of his sister. She was watching the other keeper, who had sunk to the ground, wearied and pained from drawing out the key. Slowly, sadly, she turned to her brother. "I love you Maxie," she smiled, "I don't want to hurt you," she smiled, "I'll be gone when the key is out."

She placed a small hand over his heart and closed her eyes; she let her memories, her emotions, and her love flow into him as the crystal was drawn. In exchange she got the ache that rested around his heart, she got the searing agony that shot through him, and the tears he would have shed.

As the key emerged she began to flicker and fade, and, when she held it in her hand, she smiled at her brother once, mouthed 'I love you,' and was gone. The key fell to the floor without a sound, and Max let a sob escape him as he lost his sister for the second time. He picked up the shard on the floor, it was the same as the ones that had come out of Michael and Isabel, perfect, beautiful, multifaceted crystal, bright blue with shimmered hints of silver throughout. I reminded him of her hair. He curled up around himself and let himself cry. A soft touch moved his eyes and they met the ancient green of Isabel's keeper's.

"She loved you, she passed with you inside of her, inside her soul. It's the only thing she ever wanted, Max, the only thing she desired. To give her soul for yours. Be happy for her, wherever she is. I promise, when I join her, to tell her you love her," she smiled, the only words of comfort she'd spoken to any, aside from her charge, but the child was her, in ages past.

Max nodded and tried to smile.

"Don't, not just yet," she said, and kissed his forehead gently. She rose and helped him up.