He surveyed the unfamiliar room impassively. Walking forward, he noticed a picture frame sitting on the desk. He picked it up, stared down at it.

It was a picture of six people, four of whom he recognized.

Jaxon's eyes were immediately drawn to his own face. He was smiling slightly, but it was clear that he wasn't really paying attention to the camera, but, rather, was focused on the girl sitting on his lap. It was Liz. She had her arm around his neck and she was laughing, her forehead resting against his cheek as though she was too weak to hold her head up.

Directly to their right was a tall, skinny boy with dark brown hair and twinkling eyes. Mirana was standing beside him, her hand in his, smiling openly at the camera.

To their left was Tristandor. He was scowling, but it was not in an angry way. Rather he just looked amusingly frustrated. It was clear that the girl beside him was talking to him. Her mouth was open and she clearly had no intention of looking at the camera. Tristandor's arm was around her though and the way he was holding her...it was clear that they were a couple.

Mrs. Evans came up behind him, glanced over his shoulder. "That was taken on your seventeenth birthday - yours and Izzy's." She told him sadly.

Jaxon glanced at her over his shoulder. He liked Mrs. Evans - Mr. Evans too - he was sorry that he did not remember them...and he was also sorry that it hurt them so much that he did not. "Who are these two?" He asked her, curious. It was clear that they had been friends of his...it was also clear that they were MORE than friends with Mirana and Tristandor, which just served to confuse him.

His sister and Tristandor were supposed to be married to each other. Or at least that is what Tarsus had told him.

"That's Alex, Izzy's boyfriend." Mrs. Evans explained. "And that's Maria." She paused. "She's Liz's best friend and Michael's girlfriend..."

Max turned to look at her curiously. It was clear that the woman he was told was his adoptive mother wanted to say something more. "She's very ill at the moment." She finished lamely.

Jaxon stared down at the picture briefly. He wondered why Maria looked so familiar. He knew that he was supposed to know her, but it was more than that...

He carefully replaced the picture on the desk. "I'm sorry." He said.

Mrs. Evans gazed at him for a moment, smiled briefly again. "Well, I guess I better go make sure that Jennetta is settling in with Isabel." She finally said. She paused, then turned to leave the room. "Sleep well Max."

"Mother." She whirled around. Jaxon realized that the word sounded highly unatural. He remembered what he had heard Mirana call Diane Evans. "Er - Mom." Her eyes filled with tears. "Thank you."

She hurried back towards him, hugged him before he could stop her. He realized that he didn't mind. He actually sort of liked it. "I'm so glad that you're back Max. We've missed you so much."

"Thank you." He said again, feeling utterly unsure of what to say.

Jaxon watched her leave a moment later, went to carefully sit on the bed. He swallowed, looking around the room again, wishing that he remembered something...anything.

He sighed, fell back against the pillows and closed his eyes.

He was exhausted, sure that he would fall asleep immediately. He semi-hoped that this was all a bad dream and that when he awoke he would be back in his tent in Dernia. He wouldn't even mind waking up in the Citadel. He would be happy anywhere that wasn't this strange planet that he clearly had spent many years on...

And he remembered none of it.

But if he had not come here, he would not have met Liz.

His eyes snapped open at that. He clenched his jaw. No matter how hard he tried to be immune to her charms, he could not stop thinking about her.

She was driving him crazy.

He had sat beside her on the airplane returning from the land she called England to the land of America. Being so close to her had nearly driven him insane. Even when he turned away from her, the clean scent of her had managed to invade his space, making him want to turn around and crush his lips to hers.

In the Miami airport he had felt her eyes on him the whole time, serious and concerned and shining with some emotion that he was trying to avoid at all costs.

And so he had concentrated on being furious.

He had tried to be furious at Tristandor for stealing Jennetta away from him, but to see her face light up the way it did in his presence...well, that hadn't worked.

So, he had tried to be furious at Mirana for betraying him...but one look at the hurt expression on her face every time their eyes met...well, somehow that had been a failure too.

Finally he had tried to be angry with Liz - for bewitching him, for trying to comfort him. It was clear that she knew exactly when he was upset and it frightened him. What frightened him even more was that he seemed able to feel HER emotions as well. And although she was sad that he could not remember her, the overwhelming emotion he was receiving from her was love.

In the end, he had settled on self-loathing. It was easiest. He hated himself for being drawn to these people, even though he knew that they had betrayed him in the past and would do so again in the future.

Now, as he lay on this strange bed in this strange bedroom, he tried to think about what he was going to do. He had to get Jennetta safely home somehow...but he had absolutely no idea how he was going to go about doing that.

Jaxon gave up trying to sleep. He knew that he wasn't going to get any rest until he checked on Jennetta once more.

The Evans household was quiet as he opened his bedroom door and pushed open the door next to his. He knew it was Isabel's room for he had seen Mr. Evans bring Mirana's suitcase in her when they had gotten back from the airport.

It had been strange to arrive at the Roswell airport. There had been several people waiting for them, including Mrs. Evans and a man everyone called the Sheriff. The Sheriff's son, Kyle, was there as well.

Liz had hurried forward to hug Kyle. Jaxon had been surprised when a pang had hit him. He realized that it was jealousy. But it had quickly flown from his mind when Mrs. Evans had taken him into her embrace, weeping all over him.

The Sheriff had moved forward to shake Jaxon's hand. Jaxon had blinked when Valenti had pulled him forward to give him a quick hug. "We're glad to have you back Max." Jaxon had seen Liz smiling at him affectionately as he stared at the Sheriff, perplexed. She had mouthed that she would explain later.

Mrs. Evans had been delighted to meet Jennetta. When she had asked how they had managed to get her into the country, Isabel had smiled for the first time that Jaxon had seen. "As Maria would say, a little Samantha genie hocus pocus." She had whipped out the passport that she had created for Jaxon's small sister.

"Well, a new daughter! Imagine Phillip!" Mr. Evans had looked pleased as well. Jaxon had frowned slightly when Jennetta had continued to cling to Michael's hand.

"Aren't you coming with us?" She had asked him worriedly. Tristandor had smiled down at her reassuringly.

"I'll come see you soon Jenny. I just have to go see someone else first."

Jaxon had seen Michael scowl when Kyle and the Sheriff had exchanged looks. Kyle had led Michael away, had clearly been telling him something that Tristandor was not at all happy to hear.

Jaxon's brother-in-law had been gone a split-second later, running towards the exit at a dead sprint, Kyle on his heels.

When Jaxon had turned back to the others, he noticed that Liz was watching Michael's retreating back, a slight frown on her beautiful face.

That had pretty much been the last sight he had had of her. Before he knew it, the Sheriff had hustled her away, saying that he would drive her home. Liz had appeared to be reluctant to leave them, but she gave in finally, telling Isabel that she would be over first thing in the morning.

Right before she left, she had come up to Jaxon, had touched his cheek lovingly. "Sleep well Max." Her eyes had been shining as she gazed at his face. "I'll see you tomorrow." He had frozen when she had stood on her tip-toes. He KNEW that she was going to kiss him.

He had felt strangely disapointed when all she did was press her lips to his cheek.

Now, as Jaxon stared down at the sleeping Jennetta, he felt that disapointment again.

He had wanted Liz to kiss him.

No, he had NEEDED her to kiss him.

Somehow the idea had come to him that if Liz kissed him everything would be alright.

It was ridiculous, ludicrous, insane...

But then nothing in his life currently made any sense.

Jaxon stared across the room at Mirana, who was curled up in the other bed.

She could help him.

He was at her bedside in an instant. "Mirana!" He whispered urgently, not wanting to awaken Jennetta. His twin did not stir. He tried again. "MIRANA!" Nothing. And then..."ISABEL!"

She sat up abruptly, stared at him. She blinked, her blonde hair tumbling around her shoulders. "Max?" Her tone was hopeful.

"Er no." He suddenly felt very foolish. "Never mind." He moved to leave the room, silently cursing himself for the romantic whimsy that seemed to have taken control of all his senses.

"Jaxon?" Isabel was suddenly behind him, stopped him by grabbing his arm. "What is it? You can tell me. I'm your sister." She was gazing at him with a mixture of hope and affection...it did not gel with the cold harpy he remembered from Illyria, but then this WAS NOT Illyria.

He eyed her a moment longer...and finally...

"I need you to tell me where Liz lives."

He saw her face light up.

"That I can do." She moved away, picked up a jacket that was lying across her bed. She slid her feet into a pair of shoes. "In fact, I can do better than that. I can take you there."

Liz sat curled up on the chaise lounge on her balcony, a pad of paper lying forgotten on her lap. She was staring up at the "V" constellation in the sky, a slight smile on her face.

She was so happy that Max was back, she could even look at those cursed stars without flinching.

He was back. They had done it.

Well, almost, she amended sternly to herself. They still had to convince him that Isabel and Michael had not betrayed him...oh, and also help him to remember being Max Evans....

But Liz knew that it was only a matter of time. The real miracle had already happened. He had come back to them. To her.

It was only a matter of time.

And then she heard it.

She blinked, shook her head, was sure that she was dreaming...

But no...

There it was again. "LIZ!" It was half a whisper, half an echo of days gone by. She almost didn't dare to go to the edge of the balcony to look over.

It would be too, too disapointing if he wasn't really there.

She forced herself to climb to her feet, to go look down on the alley, to the spot where he had stood so many times before calling up to her.

It was not a figment of her imagination. He was standing there, looking up, a perplexed expression on his face. Liz realized quickly that he wasn't alone. She saw Isabel slinking away into the shadows, clearly wanting to leave them alone.

Thank you Isabel.

"Can I come up?" He sounded worried, and even a little frightened.

"Of course." Liz managed to reply, sounding more confident than she felt.

He was beside her a moment later. "Hello." He licked his lips, appeared not to know what to say after that.

"Hi Max. What's going on?" She tried to sound natural, but there was nothing natural about any of this.

The only really natural thing to do would be to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him, connecting with him, loving him the way that she would never love anyone else.

"I'm not sure." He replied quietly. "I needed to see you."

"Why?"

He paused, stared at her. She felt her heart speed up when his gaze dropped to her lips. "I...I don't...I should go." He finally managed to say. "This is ridiculous. I don't even know why I came here."

Liz watched him turn away, felt her heart go out to him. He was so lost. It was devastating to see him this way. Her Max had always been quiet, but he had also been strong and sure of who he was.

This Max was confusion incarnate.

"I know why." Liz said quickly as he moved to climb back down the fire escape.

He turned around. "You do?"

"Yes." She moved toward him. He backed away from her until he was up against the wall that ran around the balcony. He blinked at her, took a deep breath. "I know you Max. You can't hide from me any longer. You want to kiss me...don't you?"

Liz stopped about a foot away from him. It was torture to do so, but it was up to him to make the next move. He was staring at her, looking fascinated. "May the stars preserve me," He finally breathed, gently bringing his hands up to cup her face. Liz felt her own breath stop. "I do."