"Isabel, those sunglasses look ridiculous." Michael snapped. "It's raining."

Isabel swung around to stare at him, lifting the glasses onto her head as she did so. "I was trying to be low-profile." She replied, sounding annoyed. "It's going to be a little hard to do that with you yelling all the time."

"Yeah and wearing sunglasses in the rain ISN'T going to draw attention to you." Michael snorted, turning away.

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Isabel said to Liz in an undertone.

The three of them, plus Mr. Evans, had arrived in Salisbury about a half an hour before. They had gone for a quick lunch at a nearby pub called the Turk's Head (Liz still wondered when a Turk had ever been anywhere near Salisbury) and were now standing outside the tourist office waiting for Isabel's dad to arrange spots for them on a sight-seeing tour out to Stonehenge. They were planning to check out the security features at the heritage site and basically get a lay of the land so that they could return later that night and try and open the portal to Illyria.

Liz was surprised by how cooperative Mr. Evans was being about everything. They hadn't had to lie to him once, which was like a new record for them. Even the illegal aspect of their operation did not seem to bother the straight-arrow a bit.

It seemed that Phillip Evans was willing to risk anything if it meant that his son might be brought home.

Liz heard Michael sigh. She knew that he had heard Izzy, but was choosing to ignore her now.

It was true that Michael was being much more belligerent than usual. Well, actually he was acting much more like the OLD Michael. The old Michael, the non-guilt-stricken Michael had been snarky about a lot of things.

Liz's eyes narrowed. Something had happened.

"Michael, what did Maria say on the phone this morning?" Liz demanded suddenly. She knew that Michael had called her best friend before they had left London. It had been around midnight Roswell time, but he had decided to do it anyway.

Michael turned back to face them, his expression shuttered. "She said everything was fine. Tess is still acting a little weird, but everything was basically okay." He said, sighing again. "I don't know...I just feel like something's wrong back there."

Liz frowned at him. Trust Michael to not be completely focused on the matter at hand. She was worried about Maria too - desperately worried - but they needed to concentrate on Max now. They could only help one friend at a time. And if they could bring Max back...

Maybe he could save Maria.

It seemed that Isabel could tell that Liz was gearing up to lay into Michael, because she smoothly interrupted. "Here comes my dad."

Sure enough, Mr. Evans was hurrying across the Salisbury High Street. Liz flinched when he barely avoided being hit by a car. In typical North American fashion he had forgotten to look in the opposite direction before stepping off the curb.

He looked flustered as he came to join them.

"Are you okay Dad?" Isabel asked worriedly.

"Yes, yes. Just forgot for a minute that everything's backwards over here." Mr. Evans replied in an irritated tone of voice.

"Not backwards." Liz told him jokingly. "Just different."

"Right. Anyway, our tour leaves in about ten minutes. We're to meet the van at the Cathedral." Mr. Evans seemed to calm down a bit when Isabel gently took him by the arm and began to lead him towards Salisbury Cathedral, whose spire towered over the town.

Liz trailed behind her three companions, enjoying the light rain that was misting against her face. This was one of the things she had missed most about England - the fact that one had to bring an umbrella everywhere because while it could be perfectly sunny when you set out in the morning, it would definitely rain at least once if you forgot one.

While Liz's previous trip to the United Kingdom had been under the shadow of grief surrounding her decision to leave Max the opportunity to pursue his destiny with Tess, she had grown to love the country and now considered it almost like a second home. She loved everything about it - the unpredictable weather, the lack of central heating, the fact that there were only five television channels, the snails that one had to jump over on the sidewalk after it rained, the efficiency of the Royal Mail, the fact that soccer was called football...but mainly she loved the sense of history that permeated from very stone and tree and blade of grass.

In England you knew that important and world-changing events had taken place there. You just felt it with every fibre of your being.

Liz was hoping that one more world-changing event would take place there tonight.

Liz threw back her head, staring up at the cloudy sky. As she watched, the sun managed to penetrate through the grey mass, sending a beam down to warm Liz's face.

"You're coming home Max." Liz whispered. "Tonight."

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

"This is the heel stone. It is faced by five great trilithons which form a horse-shoe shape."

The tour-guide droned on. Although Isabel had considered him to be quite cute when she had first seen him, Thomas had soon proved a disapointment. It was clear that he was simply reciting facts that he had memorized, that he had no great interest in what he was telling them. She scowled, exchanging an annoyed look with Michael. He too looked bored by what he was being told. "Who cares if it's in a horseshoe shape? We can bloody well see that! What about the aliens?" He asked Isabel under his breath.

It astounded her that their guide was missing the power that Isabel could feel flowing through her as she gazed at the great stone circle of Stonehenge.

It was smaller than she had expected. The name Stonehenge was so attached to mysticism and legend - she didn't know what she had expected, but it had certainly been BIGGER in her imagination.

Of course it didn't help that she was completely surrounded by tourists, not only from her own small tour-group but from the at least fifty buses she had counted in the parking lot when they had arrived. Isabel again wondered why so many tourists decided it was a good idea to wear Bermuda shorts with knee socks and sandals. Somehow it was difficult to picture Druids going about their business in this place that was being photographed and stared at by silly people who were only there because their guide-books told them to go.

"I don't understand why we can't get closer to it." A middle-aged man near her was whining to his wife.

"Maybe because they know you'd knock it over." Isabel heard Michael mutter. She giggled.

It was true that the standing stones themselves were impossible to get close to, at least not with all the English Heritage employees hovering around. They would for sure catch you before you had any sort of chance to get close to the stones. Fortunately the low bars separating the tourist paths from the circle would not prove to be a problem later that night. They were clearly just a barrier to stop people from moving off the paths.

"Why was it built?" A member of Isabel's tour group asked Thomas.

Isabel could feel Michael perk up beside her. Liz, standing nearby, was ignoring Thomas completely though, gazing at the stones, her eyes shining.

Isabel bit her lip. She hoped her friend wasn't get her hopes up too high. While Isabel was positive that she would be able to open the gate, they had no way of knowing if Max would come through it.

They were going on faith here - a lot of it. Isabel was trying to prepare herself for disapointment, but she could see that Liz had no doubts.

She wished that she could feel the same.

The sandy-haired guide began a clearly rehearsed monologue about the origins of Stonehenge. "It is clear that the circle was built in three stages beginning between 2900 and 2500 B.C. by Neolithic peoples. The purpose of its construction is believed to have been a temple dedicated to the worship of the sun..."

Isabel frowned when she noticed Michael whispering something to a kid who looked to be about ten standing near him. The kid's eyes were widening with interest, and he suddenly blurted out in an Australian accent, "What about the aliens?"

Isabel rolled her eyes. Great Michael! Way to draw attention to yourself, she thought. Michael looked most pleased with himself. Isabel could see that her dad's face had whitened while Liz's attention had been drawn by the comment as well. She was glaring at Michael.

Thomas' eyes had snapped towards the boy, a sneer on his face. "Aliens? I think not." The little boy's face fell. Michael's expression of disapointment was almost identical.

A few minutes later Thomas told them that the bus would be heading back to Salisbury in half an hour. "Feel free to take as many photographs as you would like and be sure to visit the gift shop." Their tour-guide called over his shoulder as he ambled off to go flirt with one of the English Heritage people.

Isabel turned to Michael, shaking her head. "What? Did you think he was really going to say: well, yes young man - aliens DID build Stonehenge?"

Michael looked mildly embarassed. "Well, it didn't hurt to try." He motioned towards Liz, who was standing about fifty feet away, staring at the stones intensely. "Is she alright?"

Isabel frowned slightly. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"Because I don't really feel like having my head bit off that's why." Michael replied, sounding sad.

"Is it finally getting to you?" Isabel asked, feeling a spark of hope. She hated the tension that existed between her brother and her best friend. It was draining trying to keep the peace...well, at least trying to keep Liz peaceful, while trying to shield Michael from the brunt of her anger. It didn't help that Michael seemed to enjoy it, having wrapped himself so completely in his guilt over Max's disapearance and Maria's illness.

Isabel knew that a reckoning was coming. And it had to be soon. Maria needed Michael and Liz at peace with each other and they certainly did not need Max to reappear into the middle of a civil war between his soulmate and his best friend.

There was no way that her brother was going to have to choose between the two of them. Isabel would not allow it. "You need to do something about this Michael. This thing between you and Liz...it's like poison or something. She's been able to handle herself around you up until now, but I see her losing it a little more every day. It can't go on."

"She needs to hate me." Michael told her firmly. "It's the only thing that's holding her together. And we both know I deserve it."

Isabel clenched her hands. "That's ridiculous! Michael, you know that Liz is not the kind of person meant to hate anyone. You encouraging her in this is only making it worse. It's destroying her. You guys need to talk about this."

"Leave it alone Isabel." Michael snapped, walking away from her. Isabel gritted her teeth. He was deliberately walking in the opposite direction from Liz.

Isabel rubbed her eyes tiredly. Now's not the time to think about this, she thought. She began walking the perimeter of the stone circle, eyeing the different security features of the site.

The whole complex, including the gift shop, the visitor's centre and the tunnel leading out to the circle itself was surrounded by chain-link fence, topped off by barbed wire. Isabel wondered briefly if it would be electrified at night. She and Michael should have no trouble getting through it, but it would be a heck of a lot easier if it was just wire.

They would have no way of knowing until that night whether security guards would be posted or not. It was more than likely that they would. They were going to have to find them all and disable them before they would be able to open the portal. Michael would be able to knock them unconcious with his blast - he had refined it enough for that. It wouldn't be pleasant, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Isabel glanced at her watch. It was 3:00. She had checked the sign on the way in. The site closed at 6:00. That gave them just enough time to go back to Salisbury in the tour van, rent a car and by the time they drove out through the rolling hills to the stone circle it would be dark.

She felt her stomach clenching with nervousness and excitement. If only they knew that Max would be where they needed him...

She wished that there was someway to communicate with Max - to find out if he was going to be waiting for them...

Isabel paused, stared at the heel stone intently.

She could try.

She wandered to a secluded corner of the site. Isabel could hear the mutter from the tourists in the distance. She could see her father talking to Michael near the heel stone, pointing out something to her friend.

She sat down on the grass, which was still damp from the recent rainfall. Isabel saw Liz heading in her direction, saw her pause as she seemed to realize what Isabel was doing. Trust Liz - always so in tune with those around her...well, except for Michael of course.

Isabel closed her eyes, tried to concentrate on shutting out the noise from the hundreds of people milling nearby. She conjured an image of Max in her mind...called to him...

* MAX! LET ME IN! *

She could feel herself fading from the earthly plain, could feel energy running through her veins and into her mind...more power then she had ever felt before in all her thousands of dreamwalks...

She realized that it was the lay-lines...hundreds of them seemed to meet under the gigantic stone circle...and somehow, she, Isabel, was tapping into them.

And suddenly...the vision came...

But it was not really a vision, more like a connection...

Flash*

** Mirana! **

Flash*

** Can you hear me my child? **

Isabel could feel her heart speeding up. She recognized the voice...it was the same one from her earlier visions. But this time it seemed to be speaking directly TO her, instead of AT her.

* I can hear you! * She screamed back with her mind. She concentrated on pulling the energy from the laylines into her mind, focused on throwing that energy behind the words she was sending out. * Who are you? *

Flash*

** I am your mother! ** The voice replying sounded strange, like it was emotionally overwrought. ** I have connected with you at last! **

Isabel felt the connection slipping. * Mother! Stay with me! *

Flash*

** Mirana! I have much to tell you! **

* Max! Where is he? Please mother! *

Flash*

** Your brother is almost lost to you my daughter, almost lost to all of us.**

Isabel could feel her breath leaving her body. MAX! She forced herself to calm down.

* Is it too late mother? *

Flash*

** No my child, but you must open the gate tonight. He needs to return to Earth - to remember who he was...is...**

* But how can we be sure he will be there? *

There was a pause. Isabel frantically reached out with her mind. She wondered if she had lost the link to her mother.

* MOTHER!*

Flash*

** He will be there Mirana. I will make it so. ** The voice sounded more distant...Isabel could feel the connection ending...

* No! Mother! *

She was only met with silence.

Isabel finally opened her eyes. Liz was sitting nearby, watching her quietly, clearly there to make sure that no one disturbed her. Isabel could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

Liz crawled over to join her, put her arm comfortingly around her shoulders. "What did you see Izzy?"

"I didn't SEE anything..." Isabel whispered, choked up. "I SPOKE to my mother."

She watched Liz's eyes light up with joy. Her friend squeezed her again. "I'm so happy for you!"

Isabel smiled through her tears. "She's going to help us Liz." Liz looked at her questioningly. "She's going to help us get him home."

Liz's eyes filled with tears of happiness as well. The two girls hugged, bonded in their amazement and hope.

The moment was shattered as Michael's voiced penetrated the fog surrounding them. "What's going on?"

Isabel could feel Liz tense. Her friend's face froze. Isabel's spirits deflated a little.

"I just connected with my mother." Isabel told him, climbing to her feet. Michael looked impressed.

"What'd she say?" He demanded eagerly. Isabel watched sadly as Liz began to walk away from them. She turned back to Michael, saw him flinch slightly, but he quickly refocused on her.

As Isabel told him, she wound her arm through his, silently offering comfort.

It was time to do something about the state of affairs between Michael and Liz.

She knew now that Max WAS coming back - it was just a matter of all the pieces falling in to place. Nothing was going to spoil it. Liz and Michael were just going to have to get over themselves.