He had figured out by then that she wasn't going home. He had a good idea it was because of the fight he had mentioned with her husband.
She'd worked for hours, doing busy jobs on her computer and finally resorting to card games. And then she'd turned around to face him, her expression strange. It had sort of scared him a little. But not for himself.
She'd started talking to him then, not about science or his home planet or him being an alien�just about his life. She wanted to know everything about him..or so she said. He'd found himself telling her things, too, things he would never have told anyone else. Personal things.
It was strange and scary..this connection that he felt with her. With this scientist whose job was to study everything about him�eventually, that would include his insides.
He wondered what would happen when that time did come. If the lab would decide that they needed to cut him up, like he'd seen in the TV specials. Would she be there, scalpel in hand? Or would she help him?
He had no choice but to just wait�and see.
"Max! Max!" He looked around him anxiously, disoriented. Where were the glass walls�Liz?
"Over here!"
He struggled to follow the voice, which floated out to him through thick layers of fog.
And then he saw her�.the flash of blonde hair, red satin pajamas. "Isabel." The word came out almost as a relieved sigh.
"Oh my God Max�we were so worried.." Her arms were wrapped around his neck before he had even recovered from his confusion. She squeezed him tightly, and he could hear the tears in her voice as she spoke. "What are we going to do, Max? Are..are you alright?"
She pushed him away suddenly, holding him at arms length while she inspected him thoroughly. "They didn't..hurt you, did they?"
He shook his head silently. "Talk to me, Max! Please..please."
"I'm fine, Is."
She shook her head quickly, stepping close to him again. "No, no�you're being held captive! Do you have any idea�"
"Yeah. But don't worry, Is. I'm working on it." He knew that she would never understand about Liz. He couldn't take the chance of explaining to her.
"What do you mean?"
"Just trust me. Everything's going to be alright."
She was shaking her head again, backing away this time. "Don't do this, Max! Not now, God, not now! You've got to stop trying to handle everything on your own! This is bad..really bad. We have to work together. We have to get you out of there."
He could feel their connection slipping, and knew they didn't have much longer. "Just this once. I swear, I know what I'm doing."
"We're in danger too, Max. Remember that." Her voice had softened considerably, her fear showing through.
"I know. I won't let anything happen to you guys." Finally, she nodded.
"Okay. Take care of yourself."
"Bye Is."
Even as the image of her was fading away, she stepped close to him once again. "I love you Max. Remember that."
She placed a soft kiss on his lips, and then she was gone.
He woke up with a start, eyes adjusting to the dark of the room immediately. It took him a moment to realize that Liz was calling his name. "Max! Max, can you hear me?"
A flash of Isabel appeared before his eyes, and he felt a twinge of guilt. He had to keep things in focus. He had to, for them. "Yeah."
"What happened?"
"What do you mean?" He said a silent prayer that he had not given anything away in his sleep.
"You were�muttering something. I couldn't understand you. I thought you might be having a bad dream�"
"Yeah. I was having..a nightmare. Sorry." He could only see a dim outline of her through the intense blackness, but he noticed that her shoudlers slumped a little as she spoke.
"I can't blame you."
A little of his resolve melted away. "It's not your fault."
Her sigh echoed through the room, hitting his ears full blast. "Thank you for saying that, Max. But�it is. It's just as much my fault as it is everyone else's."