What did my vision mean? Isabel asked herself, for what felt like the ten millioneth time. Where did it all begin? What is the sacrifice?

She kept coming back to one idea...

For Isabel, life had begun the night that Diane and Phillip Evans had found she and Max on the side of the road...

Was that what Max meant? Was she supposed to go there?

She wouldn't mind. A visit to a place that symbolized a feeling of security to her would not be misplaced at this time. It would remind her of a time when Max and she were just free to be part of a family, completely unaware that their real parents had destined them for so much more. They had been free to let the Evans' love them. Sure they had had weird powers and had had to be careful that no one found out, but they had been just Max and Isabel Evans then.

But nothing would ever be that way again.

Isabel worried about her parents.

They had been nothing but supportive since Isabel had told them the truth of her and Max's origins. She was sure that they might have taken it harder if they hadn't been mourning her brother so intensely these past months...for longer than that in fact. The Max that had disapeared on the Father's Camping Trip had been THEIR Max, but they had not known that for themselves. To Isabel's mom and dad, Max had still been the anti-Max - the rebellious, disdainful teenage nightmare they had been forced to endure for several months...they had been victims of the act Max had been forced to perpetuate by Tarsus of Dernia.

Isabel knew that her mom was gradually beginning to recover. She and Izzy were closer then ever, now that there was no longer any secrets between them. While Diane would never completely get over losing her son, her connection to Isabel had always been stronger - mainly because Max had always kept himself slightly guarded around her.

But her dad - he had lost his beloved son, not once, but twice...first in spirit, and then in fact. Phillip Evans had become a shadow of his former self.

This fact was reinforced to Isabel when her parents poked their heads into the room a few minutes later. "Hey honey! Hi Alex."

"Hi Mom. Did you guys have a good time at the movies?" Isabel asked, frowning with concern at the strained expression on her father's face. He seemed sort of out of it, as usual.

Isabel felt Alex squeeze her hand. He knew how much she worried about both her parents and how they were handling Max's disapearance.

"It was fine." Diane replied, sounding tired. "We're heading up to bed now sweetie. Can I get you anything before I go?" Isabel's dad still had not said a word. He gradually began to make his way to the stairs, plodding as though he was exhausted.

"No, thanks Mom. I'll just see you in the morning."

"Alright. Goodnight then. Don't stay too late Alex."

"I won't Mrs. Evans. Good night." Alex replied. Isabel could hear the concern in his voice.

When Isabel's mother was out of ear-shot, he turned to her. "Your dad is like still totally losing it huh?" Isabel just shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Alex sighed. "I think maybe you should Iz."

Isabel scowled at him. "I really don't want to fight with you about this Alex. We have other things to worry about right now."

Alex looked away, seemed a little frustrated. "Fine. Did you come up with anything?"

Isabel was relieved that he was letting her change the subject. If she dwelled on how much her parents missed Max...well, it would make her think about how much SHE missed him.

And then the hope that had been growing within her would flicker out...

She couldn't allow that. They didn't have time for that. Liz was gradually beginning to lose it, Maria was almost gone....and Michael - he was going to kill himself with guilt.

They needed Max.

"Not really." Isabel replied. "The only thing I came up with was the place where my mom and dad found us on the side of the road?"

Alex shook his head. "That just doesn't sound right, does it?" He looked down at the floor. "But wait...what about the pod chamber? I mean, that's where you were born right?"

Isabel's head snapped around to stare at him. "That's it!" Isabel threw herself at him, began raining delirious kisses all over his face. "You're a genius!"

Alex kissed her back. "Too bad I'm not a genius more often." He managed to reply. He was laughing.

Isabel jumped off the couch, pulled him up after her. "Let's go."

Alex followed, but asked, "Shouldn't we call the others?"

"I want to go by myself first - make sure we're right." Isabel replied. She stopped in the front hall, groaned when she noticed that her car keys were missing. "Darn! I forgot I lent the jeep to Michael." She grabbed his hand, pulled him back in the direction they had come from.

Isabel paused at the stairs, called up. "Mom! I'm taking your car to drive Alex home."

"Okay sweetie. Don't be long." Mrs. Evans' voice filtered back.

They were on the road five minutes later.

Liz was seated on the floor of the Crashdown, her back against the counter, staring at the spot where Max had healed her two years before.

She had been there for almost an hour, calling out to him with her mind...willing him to answer her again.

She had started to wonder if she was going crazy - it wouldn't surprise her at all.

Liz took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried once more.

MAX! CAN YOU HEAR ME?

MAX! PLEASE!

Nothing. Only silence.

Liz was suddenly unbelievably weary.

Missing Max was so tiring...it was like an ache, one that became bigger and bigger every day. There was no relief either. It wouldn't go away - ever.

Or at least not until she was able to hold him in her arms.

She let herself curl up on the floor, in the exact spot she and Max had made their first connection. She realized that it was actually a bit morbid, but she didn't care. It made her feel close to him.

I really should call Isabel, Liz reflected to herself. I should tell her what I thought happened.

But Liz didn't really believe it anymore. It had all been a figment of her imagination.

Max was gone. He was never coming back. She was just going to have to begin to accept it. She knew that she could live a fairly productive life without him. There were other rewarding things in life besides love.

She could become the brilliant molecular biologist she had always wanted to be...

It didn't make her feel better. If anything, the emptiness in her soul grew bigger.

None of it would mean anything without Max.

Liz was shocked when a tear began a slow journey down her cheek.

NO! NO! NO!

STRONG! I HAVE TO BE STRONG! I PROMISED!

She squeezed her eyes shut, willed the tears to stop.

It was no use.

The release of that one tear was like opening the gates to a floodway. Within moments she was sobbing...

She wept for Isabel, who lived without the brother that she had loved more than her perfect life...Isabel Evans had only ever wanted to be normal, to be human - but she had been willing to give it up for Max, if he had wanted her too.

She wept for Maria - for her best friend, who was dying...if Max was there, he could heal her...Liz just somehow knew it.

She wept for Alex, Kyle, Tess...all of whom were nothing but loyal friends, all of whom didn't know what to do to help her or Isabel or Maria or Michael.

She wept for Mr.and Mrs. Evans, who were confused and distraught...and had lost a son without ever having a chance to really know him.

Yes, she even wept for Michael...although she was still furious with him, she knew deep down that his own guilt was probably even worse then her hatred.

And, lastly, Liz cried for herself...for the empty life that stretched out before her without her soulmate, her best friend, her other half...

She cried herself to sleep on the spot where Max Evans had saved her life - where her life had truly begun...

And that was when the dream came...

Liz blinked her eyes, sat up, stared around her in amazement.

She KNEW that she had fallen asleep on the floor of the Crashdown - but she certainly was not there now.

She was sitting in a field of yellow grass, her eyes just above the level of the tops, which were waving in the breeze...

Above her towered an immense stone. It threw a shadow across the entire area.

Liz slowly climbed to her feet, looked around, felt her heart beating a mile a minute. The standing stone was not alone. It was one of many that stood in the field of gold, surrounding her, dwarfing her.

It was a stone circle.

Liz did not have time to examine what this could mean. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a flash of movement...

She slowly turned her head.

It was then that she knew she was dreaming.

For standing not ten feet from her, under one of the gigantic, towering stones, his beloved eyes wide with shock, was Max Evans.

Liz stared back at him, could not seem to form a word.

She saw Max swallow, open his mouth to speak.