Part 2

Liz had to practically drag herself to school Monday morning. She had
finally fallen asleep around four, only to have the alarm jolt her awake two
hours later. The thought of seeing Max again was the only thing that gave
her the strength to get out of bed.

Home room crawled by at a snail's pace. If she could only make it through
to biology class. She just needed to look into his beautiful dark eyes
again, to see if that spark was still there. Everything would be all right
when she saw him.

Except Max never showed up to bio - or any of the classes they had together.
He wasn't in school at all. Liz felt a pang of worry, though she couldn't
really explain why. She had to find Isabel or Michael. They would know
what was up. He was probably just sick or something. Only he never got
sick. She tried to stay in control and not let her imagination run wild.
Max probably had a good reason for missing school. Still, she couldn't
shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.

"Something's wrong," said Maria, approaching Liz's locker. Liz wanted to
agree with her wholeheartedly, but she knew how Maria could overreact.
Someone needed to keep a level head if this really did turn out to be a
crisis.

"What's wrong?" said Liz, as calmly as she could manage.

"Michael's not in school today," she said.

"Yeah. Neither is Max." Liz tried to keep it casual. "You know, they
probably just went for a drive or something so I wouldn't worry."

Just then, Isabel walked up and immediately lodged herself into the
conversation. "No. I would worry if I were you. Max has been missing
since Saturday night."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Liz was no longer able to contain her
panic.

Isabel urged Liz to lower her voice. "I didn't want to cause any alarm. I
kept expecting him to walk in the door any minute. Then, this morning, I
found this note in the Jeep."

She handed the note to Liz. It was Max's handwriting. Liz read aloud,
"Isabel, I've found something. I won't say what in case it turns out to be
another false lead, but it could be important for all of us. I am going to
check it out for myself. I'll be back as soon as I can. Please cover for
me with Mom and Dad and don’t tell anyone, especially Michael. You know how
he gets. Love, Max." Liz looked up from the note, trying to read Isabel's
expression. "Do you believe it?" she asked.

"Not for a second." Liz didn't believe it either. It wasn't like Max at
all to go off and investigate something on his own. It was much more
Michael's style. Max was the one who weighed the options, considered
things, made a plan. He didn't usually act on impulse. Liz could see the
fear in Isabel's eyes reflecting her own. They both had a bad feeling about
this.

"Wait. What about Michael?" asked Maria. "He's not in school either."

"He was this morning. He was acting a little strange. He just went into
the bathroom and I haven't seen him since. Maybe he knows what's going on.
I don't know how to explain it, but Max is in some kind of trouble.
I...feel it. Somehow I know it."

"I feel it too," said Liz. Isabel looked at her, eyes wide. "Last night.
I think...I felt him. I think Max was trying to reach me somehow."

"Did you dream about him by any chance?" asked Isabel anxiously.

"No. I hardly slept at all last night."

"Hey. Aren't you guys worried about Michael at all?" asked Maria,
frustrated.

Just then the bell rang. Maria walked off in disgust. Isabel waited until
Maria had gone and said to Liz, "Meet me at the Crashdown after school. We
can talk then. In the meantime, just act normal."

Normal. Liz had been hearing that word a lot since finding out the truth
about Max, Michael and Isabel. Strangely, she couldn't remember hearing all
that much it before she knew that there anything other than normal to be.

* * *

When Max awoke he found himself in a cold, gray cell with a single glass
door and no windows. He could have easily gotten out of there if he wanted
to, but he knew he wouldn't get very far. It was just what they were
waiting for. How dumb did they think he was?

He knew Isabel wouldn't buy the note. They had made him write it to keep
his friends from asking questions. He didn't mind doing it. He would
prefer that the people he loved stayed away and out of danger. If there was
a way out of here he would find it. He just hoped that his friends wouldn't
try anything heroically stupid in the meantime.

Fortunately, he had a secret weapon. He could communicate with the outside
and they would never know about it. The problem was, you couldn't go into a
person's dreams if they weren't dreaming. He had tried to go into Liz's
dreams last night, but it didn't work. It could have been that he was out
of practice. He hadn't even thought of attempting such a thing in years and
he had never been as good at it as Isabel was. Maybe it was because he
didn't have Liz's picture to concentrate on. No, that wasn't it. He knew
every line, every shape, every pore of her smooth, perfect face. He held on
to that image, cherished it. It was the only thing that had kept him sane
this far. She must not have been asleep when he'd tried.

He might have made a connection of another kind, though. In the early hours
of the night, just as he was about to give up, there was a moment when he
could have sworn he felt their connection, the sensation of Liz's familiar
soul mingling with his own. But it didn't last very long. He wasn't
convinced that it was anything more than wishful thinking on his part. He
would try again tonight. Maybe he could get through to her this time.

* * *

Isabel sat in the Crashdown Café and waited for Liz. She hadn't spent a lot
of time there before the shooting and everything that had happened with Liz
and Max. It wasn't exactly the place to be seen. Besides that, the whole
alien theme creeped her out just a bit. Since "the incident" they had been
coming there a lot to meet and discuss things without having to worry about
who was listening. The place was starting to feel alarmingly comfortable.

The door opened and Isabel was surprised to find Michael walking in,
sporting a nasty black eye. He took a seat across from her in the booth.

"Oh my god, Michael. What happened?"

"Where's Max?" Michael asked forcefully, ignoring her question.

"First tell me what happened to your eye."

"Hank. Now where is Max?" Michael was always evasive about his home
situation, but Isabel couldn't let it drop this time.

"Michael, what are you going to do? You can't just let him..."

"Can we deal with the more important situation at hand please? You want to
explain to me why I've spent the last day and a half avoiding someone who
isn't even around. Do you know where he is or don't you?"

Liz walked up just in time to answer his question. "We don't know. No one
has seen him. We're really worried, Michael."

"Then what are you doing sitting around here?" he asked, sliding out of the
booth.

Isabel caught him by the arm. "Michael, wait. He could be anywhere. We
can't just go off in a blind rush. We need a plan. It's what Max would do
if he were here."

"If Max were here we wouldn't have a problem, would we?" Michael shook
Isabel's hand loose and stormed out.

Isabel and Liz just looked at each other. Finally, Isabel explained, "He's
mad about being the last to know. He's just blowing off some steam. It's
his way of dealing with stuff. Don't worry, he won't go off and do anything
stupid." She consciously left out the word 'yet.'

"Thanks," said Liz, sliding into the booth. "I'm glad one of us here speaks
Michael." Isabel smiled.

"I just wish Max were here, you know? This thing with Michael's foster
father is bad, but we can't deal with it right now. Not with Max missing."
Isabel looked like she was holding back tears. Liz realized what she must
be going through. The two people she cared about most were in trouble and
there was nothing she could do about it.

Liz tried to distract Isabel from her thoughts for the moment. "Isabel,
when you asked me about Max being in my dream, what did you mean by that?"

"Oh. It's just another thing we can do. It's called dreamwalking. We can
actually go to into other people's dreams and walk around, even interact
with the person if we want. Comes in pretty handy sometimes." Isabel
smiled to herself. She couldn't help but think back to the last time she
had gone into a dream - Alex's dream.

"So you think that Max might have been trying to...walk into my dreams last
night?"

"Maybe. Only you said you weren't sleeping so he couldn't have gotten
through."

"Isabel, do you think it's possible he could have made a connection anyway?
You know, while I was awake?"

"I don't know. It's never happened before. He might try again tonight,
though."

"What do I do?" asked Liz, a bit concerned about what Max might see in her
subconscious.

"Nothing," said Isabel. "Just go to bed like normal. If he comes to you,
you'll know it."

* * *

It was twilight. A beautiful desert landscape spread out before Liz. Stars
were beginning to fill the indigo colored sky and the full moon rose over a
distant plateau. Liz walked barefoot through the sand. Although she was
only wearing a thin sweater, she didn't feel at all cold. It was then that
she realized she was dreaming. From behind her there was a noise and the
rustle of sagebrush.

"Hello, Liz." She turned to find Max standing there. He was barefoot and
dressed in what appeared to be white hospital scrubs.

"Max. Isabel said you might come. But how do I know that you're really
here and I'm not just imagining you?"

"I guess you don't."

"Well, can you tell me what's going on? Are you okay? We've all been so
worried."

"I'm much better now that I'm with you. I don't want you to worry about me.
I just came to tell you that I'm okay and I will get out of here soon."

"Out of where? Where are you Max?"

"I don't know. It's some kind of government facility, I think. Topolsky is
here. She seems to be in charge. They're just watching me so far."

"Max, are you scared?"

He couldn't lie to her, even in a dream. "Yeah. But listen to me, Liz. I
don't want you to do anything that might put you in danger. Tell Michael
and Isabel to stay away too. I will find a way to get out of here if I can.
I will let you know if I need help from the outside. For now, though,
please don't concern yourself with me." She looked down. He might as well
have asked her not to breathe. He lifted her chin tenderly so that they
were eye to eye. "Is that understood?"

Liz's expression softened. "Your life is at stake and you're worried about
me?" Suddenly the scenery changed and they were on her balcony. Music was
playing in the background - the same music that had played the night they
kissed for the first time. She stepped in closer to him.

Max knew it was a dream, but it all seemed so real. Her scent was exactly
the same as it was in the waking world: fresh soap and vanilla. He could
feel her breath warm against his chest. He closed his eyes. The temptation
was so strong he could feel it aching inside him. He wanted so much to hold
her. Her hands reached out for his. He curled his strong fingers around
her slender, delicate ones and brought them up to his lips. It was only a
dream, what harm could there be?

She was so familiar, her soul so comfortable next to his. Being here with
Liz was like being home. How could he have ever let her go? They belonged
to each other. They belonged together. He cupped her face in his hands and
studied her features. His lips quivered just a bit, as if looking for the
perfect place to land.

Liz smiled and said, "Now I know you're not real. I've had this dream
before."

Max looked down at her, intrigued. "Really." One corner of his mouth
twitched just a bit then curled into a half-smile. "Tell me how it goes," he
said in a low, husky voice.

He had never said that in her dream before, but it sounded fun so she went
with it. "Well, first you put your arms around me."

"Like this?" he asked, complying. She nodded. "Then what?" he asked,
playing along.

"Then you touch my face." She took his hand and rubbed the back of his
fingers against her cheek. The touch sent shivers through him. "Like this.
And you tell me that I'm the only one for you."

Max's grin evolved into a more serious expression. "You are the only one
for me."

"And then you say you love me."

Max hesitated for a moment. He had never said it to her before, although he
truly felt it. He wanted the first time to be special. He wanted her to
know that it was coming from him, not some imaginary version of him. He
rested his forehead against hers. "I do love you, Liz Parker. I've loved
you from the first moment I saw you. And this is me, Max, saying it. Not
your dream. Believe that we will both wake up tomorrow and know this has
happened. I will remember it and keep it with me always, no matter what."
She looked up at him. Her eyes were glassy, on the verge of tears. Max
could not remember them looking so beautiful. "I'm going to kiss you now,"
he said carefully.

He bent down and touched his lips gently to hers. Her mouth was so sweet
and tender. She accepted his kiss and reciprocated. It felt warm and very
real. She opened her lips wider, inviting in his tongue and greeting it
with her own. He could feel the supple curves of her body pressing up
against his, causing a certain physical reaction in him that he wouldn't
have thought possible in a dream. Gradually their kiss increased in
intensity. It became more sensual, more passionate. His mouth left hers
and wandered down to her neck. She let out a small squeal of delight as his
tongue found her earlobe. Softly, he blew into her ear and softly whispered
"I love you."

This wasn't like any dream kiss Liz had ever experienced. Could this
actually be the real Max here with her? She had only half-believed it was
possible until now. She reluctantly broke away from their embrace and
looked deep into his intense, soulful eyes. "It is you, isn't it? You're
really here."

"Yes," he answered breathlessly, "I'm really here."

Whooop! Whooop! Whooop! Whooop!

A car alarm sounded on the street outside, yanking Liz from her slumber.
She would never get back to the dream now. The real world seemed so cold
and lonely compared to the glowing warmth of that imaginary place. She sat
up in bed and pulled her covers around her, holding onto the memory of every
detail for as long as she could.

Go to Part 3