The loud buzz of the door signal shook her from her sleep, and she groaned as she slowly sat up. Her head was throbbing dully, her neck resisting as she attempted to straighten her back out.
"Mrs. Valenti."
She jerked her head away, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through her at the movement.
"Mr. Davies."
"What are you doing here at this hour?"
Her gaze drifted to the clock.
She stifled the groan that was threatening to surface.
5:30.
She didn't get to work until 7 every morning�but it was too late to remind him of that now.
"I�uh�came in early?"
She could see the pity in his face, and knew that she was fooling no one.
"What happened?"
She sighed. Figuring that she might as well just go ahead and spill her guts.
"Kyle and I fought. I�we were supposed to have dinner the other night. I ended up staying here all night, and when I got home, he wouldn't even speak to me. He just�yelled for a few minutes and then left. To the office, probably."
He nodded sympathetically.
"You deserve better."
She dropped her head.
"Kyle loves me. He really does. We just both don't know when enough is enough."
"I know the feeling. Maybe you should take some time off."
Her eyes darted back up to meet his, and she shook her head immediately.
"No. No, I want to stay and work on the new project. I need to."
She knew that he would understand.
"Okay. But after this is over�.vacation. Alright?"
She smiled up at him thankfully, and nodded.
"Thanks, Mr. Davies."
"No problem."
As she watched him walk out, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly would happen when 'this was over'.
Max watched them talking from his cot, wondering what was happening. He trusted Liz completely, but Mr Davies�that was another story. There was just something about him that wasn't right. That was scary.
Every time he came into the room, his heart began to beat a little bit faster. Sometimes, his visits were strange. He would come after Liz was gone, late in the night or early in the morning. For awhile he would just sit and stare at Max, never talking but only staring. And then he would turn away, pull out some papers, write for awhile, and then leave. It disturbed Max. He wondered if he should talk to Liz about it.
It was a few minutes before Mr. Davies left, but when he did, Max could see that Liz was visibly upset.
Yet another thing to dislike about the man.
He could almost forget last night's dream, looking at her. The promises that he had made to himself, the unspoken ones to Isabel.
Her eyes were tired a bloodshot, her face creased and blotchy. Her hair was a tangled mess on top of her head, and her clothes were wrinkled. But the worst thing was the look in her eyes.
"Good morning, Max."
He smiled for her. Wishing that he could somehow make her feel better.
"Morning."
It seemed as if she was planning on saying something else for a moment, but then the look passed and she just sighed.
"How did you sleep?"
She laughed.
"Not the best rest I've had."
"You should've gone home."
She turned her face away, and he grimaced. Oops.
"No. I can't go back there yet."
"He doesn't deserve you."
Why couldn't he seem to keep his mouth shut?
She was watching him again, looking only slightly stunned.
"It's just the opposite. I don't deserve him. He's so good to me and I...just take it for granted. I do love him. I just have a hard time of showing it sometimes."
He flinched. Love. Everything seemed to revolve around it, no matter how much you didn't want it to. She loved her husband. And he loved Isabel.
He did love her. Isabel. At least that's what he would've said a week ago.
But now�sitting in this room, this lab, with Liz�he was all messed up.
Looking at her, he felt so confused. He wasn't supposed to be feeling these things for his captor, but he couldn't control his heart. In his heart, he knew that he was falling for her.
"Do you have anyone, Max? A girlfriend..wife?"
His turn to sigh. He knew the answer, but suddenly it just wasn't the answer he wanted it to be.
"Yeah. A girlfriend."
She wouldn't let her face fall. She willed herself against it.
"Does she know�"
He couldn't look her in the eye. Not while he lied to her.
"No."
"Oh."
A silence fell between them, an almost painful silence. It hurt him, to know that something was finally coming between them.
"What's her name?"
"Isabel."
"Are you two serious?"
She groaned inwardly. What was wrong with her?
"We were."
Somehow, he just couldn't say yes. Even though yes was right, yes was true, he couldn't form the word.
She didn't say anything this time. She didn't even look at him. He wondered how he could fix what had gone so wrong.
"I don't know what's going to happen to you, Max."
He stared at her. She was crying.
"Don't cry," he whispered.
She bowed her head, tears dripping down into her lap.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so afraid�"
"Of what?"
"Of losing you."
His heart constricted. No, this couldn't be happening.
"Why?"
He wished that she would look at him again. But she didn't. She just continued talking to her legs.
"I'm not sure. I just feel so�strange. It's all happened so fast, and I don't know what's going on inside of me. But I do know that all of my life, I've waited for you. I never knew what exactly it was that I was waiting for. Maybe just proof�just hard knowledge. But now that you're here, I know that you are what I needed. You're the answer...to everything. And I don't want to give you up."
Exhale.
"What do you want from me?"
Finally, she looked at him.
"I don't know. I wish I did."
Her lips quivered as she breathed.
"But I do know that I won't let anything happen to you. I swear it."
His whole body relaxed. He was safe. They were safe.
"Thank you, Liz."