It was late evening. The Crashdown was closed and they were all sprawled in booths and at the counter.

Only Maria was missing. Michael had gone to pick her up after school but she had been too tired to come. Amy Deluca had not even let him through the front door, although Maria had attempted to sneak out through the window. Michael had forced her back into bed when he had gotten one look at her though.

He had not spoken since arriving at the Crashdown. He was brooding at the counter, clearly listening to the conversation, but also too upset to participate. Liz actually felt her heart go out to him at one point. He looked so lost and alone...She quickly suppressed the feeling.

Maria's absence just emphasized how important it was to get Max back as soon as possible. Which was why Liz had come to a decision. Isabel had agreed with her. They were taking control of the situation and no one was going to stop them. Not even their parents.

"Could you for once be serious?" Tess asked Kyle now, sounding irritated. Liz knew that she was still stewing about the decision that Isabel and Liz had reached before Kyle had joined them.

"Do you really think you're going to get away with this?" Kyle asked, ignoring Tess, but sounding a little hurt. "Your parents are never going to let you go. I mean, its the middle of September. You are all going to flunk out."

It had been decided that Liz, Michael and Isabel were going to England to check out the Stonehenge angle. It was clear that it was important and they had been the three chosen to go not only because of their close relationships with Max, but also because they were the only three who had had direct visions or dreams about the stone circle.

Of course, Maria had shared Michael's vision, but she was just too weak to go. Michael had originally argued against leaving her behind, saying that if they did manage to get Max back, Maria should be close by so that he could heal her as quickly as possible, but he had said nothing about it since Maria had been unable to join them that night.

"We've thought of that, of course." Liz told Kyle. "Michael is eighteen and technically can do what he wants now."

"Not to mention, I'm already flunking." Michael spoke up for the first time, his voice a monotone. "Might as well really go down in a blaze of glory."

Liz saw Isabel shoot a concerned look towards her brother. "I'm going to be honest with my parents." Isabel continued. "They'll let me do it I'm sure, if they think that it might bring Max back."

"I just don't understand why I can't go." Tess said in a sulky voice.

"Because we need one Czech to stay behind for protection." Liz sighed. They had gone over this a million times already, but Tess was still very upset.

"I don't see how I'm going to protect anybody." Tess snapped back. "My power doesn't work that way...it's not defensive OR offensive. It's pretty damn useless as a matter of fact." She muttered, her lips pressing together in fury.

"You're not coming Tess. Deal with it." Isabel replied testily. "You and Alex and Kyle need to stick close to Maria. She cannot be left alone."

"I know that none of you want me around. That's the real reason. You've never wanted me around!" Tess' voice was nearing a shriek. Liz blinked. She watched Tess jump up off her stool and race out the doorway to the restaurant.

"Jeez!" Michael had his hands over his ears. "Is she going insane?"

"She's just stressed out." Kyle was scowling at them all. "She cares about Max just as much as the rest of you do. I still think you're all crazy by the way. There's no way that the Parkers are going to let Liz go anywhere." He stalked out of the Crashdown. Liz was sure that he would find Tess and try and calm her down.

Alex was sitting quietly in a booth, nursing an alien blast. He spoke up for the first time in a while. "Kyle's right Liz. Your parents are never going to agree to this. And I don't think your parents are going to just let the three of you head off the continent without a chaperone." He directed this last comment at Isabel.

"We're going to ask my dad to come with us." Isabel replied. "He has some holiday time coming up...and I think he needs to do something productive to snap him out of his funk." Isabel looked hopeful. "I'm sure he'll agree."

"And that's why I'm not telling my parents." Liz told him.

"WHAT?" Alex bellowed, jumping to his feet. "Might I inquire where I was for that part of the conversation?"

Liz and Isabel exchanged guilty looks. "Er...you were in the bathroom." Isabel finally said.

"This is lunacy! Iz, your dad will never agree to letting Liz come without permission. We don't even know if the stone circle means anything! Why would it make such a difference? I mean, Izzy brought Maria and Michael back without Stonehenge getting involved." Alex had flopped back in his seat, a pained expression on his face.

"I just know it's important." Liz told him firmly. "And that's where Tess comes in...she'll make Mr. Evans think that my parents are at the airport when we leave." She knew that she sounded more confident than she felt. She would not feel totally secure until they were seated on a plane across the Atlantic. She pushed that thought aside for the moment. "Now the only question is, where are we going to get the money? Alex, what did you find out on the 'net?"

Alex was still shaking his head. "We are all slowly but surely losing it..." Isabel sighed, went and ran her hand down his back.

"Please focus Alex."

"I managed to find a seat-sale...five hundred bucks a ticket from Miami." He told them in a subdued voice. "Leaving tomorrow afternoon."

Liz began calculating their finances mentally. "I have five thousand in my checking account..."

"What the hell? Did you rob a bank?" Alex eyed her with interest.

"Big tips." Liz wiggled her eyebrows at him. "My grandma took pictures at the crash site you know." Alex rolled his eyes.

"And I have 1500 dollars." Isabel added.

"We should be okay for a while then." Liz told them. "But England is really expensive and the exchange rate is terrible."

"So it's there and back as fast as possible." Michael spoke up again. "We can't leave Maria for long anyway."

They all exchanged loaded glances.

"We are going to get Max back." Isabel told Micheal reassuringly. "I promise."

Michael ran his hand through his spiky hair in frustration. "I hope so...Maria needs him..." Liz thought she heard him add in an undertone, "And so do I," but she might have been hearing things.

She was not going to start feeling sorry for Michael Guerin. She knew that he felt guilty, that Maria's illness was almost impossible for him to bear...but it was his fault in the first place.

He should be suffering.

A tiny voice in the back of her mind told her that she didn't really feel that way, but she pushed it away ruthlessly. She needed to stay mad at someone...

If she didn't, she might fall apart.

Liz knew that she was balanced precariously on the edge of despair. Everytime she let herself hope...

Seeing Max in her dream had been magical, but also devastating.

That he didn't recognize her...

If she let herself think about that, she might never get out of bed again.

Liz shook her head, forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand. "Okay, we need to get those tickets. Alex, that's your job."

Alex nodded, headed through the door to the break room to use the restaurant's computer.

"I'm going to talk to my parents." Isabel informed them.

"And I'm going to Maria's." Michael stalked out of the restaurant.

Liz sat down on one of the stools at the counter, placed her head in her hands. She breathed deeply, trying to calm down.

If this worked, they could have Max back in less then a week. A day and a half to get to England, another day to figure out how to get into Stonehenge...and then they would activate the orbs.

But for the first time Liz allowed herself to reflect on the one thing that could go wrong...The one thing none of them had wanted to contemplate.

If Max didn't remember them...if he really thought that he was Jaxon Falconer and had always been Jaxon Falconer...