“You said we would go find him in a month,” Isabel said quietly, setting her fork down. It was impossible to sit here and pretend nothing was wrong, that there was nothing more important than eating Chinese take-out. “It’s been a month.”

“I said we’d think about it in a month.”

“Think about it?” Isabel’s voice rose near to a shriek. “You expect me to just sit here and think while Alex is in there being interrogated and tortured by.. them?” Each word was laced with miserable sobs and shot out hard as iron until she didn’t feel like the strength was there and whispered the last word.

Maria pulled up a char next to her for Isabel and let her cry on her shoulder. Despite their initial misgivings about each other, they’d become closer over the years until the rift was virtually extinct.

Tess envied Maria and Isabel. Sure, she was friends with both of them, but they had been through so much together. Tess felt like she had walked into the middle of a movie and would have to spend the rest of the time catching up, all the while new scenes were passing her by. Not as much today, but there were still times when she felt that gap between her and them, and right now was one of those times. Tess slowly edged over to Isabel and put a hand on her back; it seemed like the a quasi-normal thing to do.

Now Maria and Isabel were crying and Tess ws ending him looks of death. Great, now look what you did. You made the girls cry. Smooth, Guerin. Maria finally wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at Michael with a look of pain and sadness that pierced Michael’s heart with spears of guilt. “Look, I’m sorry It’s just, the risk-”

“The risk?! You risked it when Max was captured, you risked it when we were being hunted by the Evil. Why is this any different? Why, Michael?”

“It just is, okay? God, do you girls always have to gang up on me like this? It’s still too dangerous. We aren’t going.”

Isabel slowly stood up, knowing Tess and Maria were on her side gave her strength and courage. “It’s not just your decision, you know.”

“You don’t- You guys wouldn’t...” Disbelief traced the lines of Michael’s face.

“Oh, you bet we would.” Isabel and Maria stood a little straighter, challenging him to stop them.

“Are you guys crazy? By yourself? He was captured by the Evil. Those guys, those aliens, they’ll stop at nothing. You, of all people Maria, should know that. Do you want to be held for ransom... again? I won’t let that happen again, to any of you.”

“Then come with us.” Tess piped up. With those simple four words she knew what she had done. She’d transitioned from outsider to insider. Part of the group. Sure, she agreed with Michael fully and wholly, but when Maria and Isabel smiled with such satisfaction at her, it was all worth it.

Michael looked hard at all of them, standing there in a row, like they were ready for battle or something. “We could all be captured and killed.”

“We could all save Alex and get out of there.” Maria stared him down.

“We have to take the chance, with or with out you, Michael. We don’t need your permission,” Isabel added.

Silence filled the room, pressing into Michael’s ears, forcing the air out of his lungs. “But you need my help. I got Maria out, I know the place... You’ll need me when we get Alex out.”

Maria threw her arms around Michael’s shoulders and showered him with kisses. Isabel smiled her goddess-is-pleased smile while Tess was still basking in the pleasure of being accpeted. “This isn’t as great as it seems. We need to plan- If Maria, you would, get off of me!” Maria was still wrapped around Michael kissing his face. Isabel giggled and pulled Maria off of Michael.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Setting: A remote abandoned lodge in Montana; inside a small room most likely formerly a bedroom that was now a plain room with walls painted a shocking white. The room was furnished with a chair and a mattress. Alex was handcuffed to the chair which in turn was metal and melted into the steel floor. Alex was sitting there, with a look of mild boredom on his face, mixed with determination present only if you dug deep down into his emotions.

Alex sighed as he heard the door click open. Merrill walked in with is usual surreptitious sly smirk on his face. It was disgusting. “Aah, Alex,” Merrill glanced down at his cliboard as if he just couldn’t remember the name of his only prisoner, “Another day together? I’m excited,” Merrill mocked. Alex could go through a day with him in his sleep. He comes in, asks questions, I refuse to answer them, he asks why, threatens to kill me, then brings the “doctors” in. Alex inwardly winced at the thought of the “doctors’.

“Well, I think we’ll start with the questions. Don’t you think?” Five minutes, his saply sweet cover will be blown.

“That’ll ge great.” Alex plastered a fake grin on his face, something he’d mastered long ago.

“Alright, where are Michael, Isabel, and Tess?”

“Cruise ship in Mexico, where else?”

“Why the sarcasm, Alex? You know it doesn’t get us anywhere.” A fake sigh escaped him and mock sadness passed over his face. “We don’t want to call the doctors in, do we?”

“Bring it on.” The steely determination of Alex’s face hid the fear that overpowered his nerves.

“Only because I do so hate to see you in pain, I will ask you one last time. Where are Isabel, Michael, and Tess.”

“Princess Cruises to the Bahamas.”

“Damnit, Alex!” Merrill threw down his clipboard and stood menacingly over Alex. “Where are they??!” Alex merely smiled slyly at him. Merrill’s rage lessened and he pressed the button on the side of the wall Alex had come to know and despise.