| "Lost" Part3 ************************** �She�s not at home and she isn�t answering her cell phone,� Max says still holding the telephone. Max turns to look at Liz and Maria standing on Liz�s balcony. �This is a nightmare,� Max says, lost. �Calm down, Max. We are going to find her,� Liz comforts him. �She was so� What if she did something stupid�� �You mean more stupid than kicking your and Michael�s ass? I don�t think that's possible,� Maria mocks. �Maria, you are not helping,� Liz complains. Maria shrugs. �Don�t worry, Max. She�s probably with Jesse,� Liz suggests. Max gives Liz an incredulous look. �Oh, sorry. I forgot. That's the problem,� Liz apologizes to Max, not entirely sure why this is a problem. They all hear a noise and immediately the girls run behind Max, who raises his hand, ready to activate his shield. Someone is coming�close�closer� �Aahhh!� Liz and Maria scream. Michael stares at them puzzled. �Michael ?!� Maria yells at him. �What?� Michael climbs the last rung of the ladder and jumps over the small wall. �You scared us.� �Did I? Must be the hair,� he jokes. Maria and Liz glare at him. �Where have you been?� Max asks. "I went to find Jesse at your father�s office. But unfortunately, he wasn�t there and he wasn�t at his place either. Too bad.� �And what were you going to do if he was there?� Liz asks him. �What do you think?� Michael grins. Liz doesn�t answer, just laughs nervously. � What�s wrong with these two?� she wonders trying to understand why Michael and Max are taking this whole situation so badly. �I can�t believe this is happening, Michael. That this is real. I mean�she's Isabel�and she isn�t like this at all. She has always been the strong one, the reasonable one, the one we can always rely on�this doesn�t make any sense. And the things she said about the whole alien thing, about me, about you�she's completely crazy.� �No, Max, she's not. She's right,� Michael says calmly. �What?? What are you saying? Are you crazy, too?� �You know that it's true, Max. Deep down you know. We both know.� Max sits down abruptly, speechless. �She's right. Things changed. Changed between us. It had always been the three of us. Always together no matter what. But after you healed Liz, everything changed. And then after the whole destiny stuff, things just got worse. It just pushed us farther apart. The special link that we had broke. We broke it. I don�t really understand why or how, but she was right, we forgot. We forgot all about Maxie, Mikey and Iz. Maybe it was easier for us that away. Forgetting who we are, we were free to be what we wanted to be--humans. Having forgotten, we were free to move on, to choose our own destiny. And that�s what we did.� Max winces at Michael�s words. He stares at his own hands blankly. �How could I be so blind? So stupid. I never meant to hurt her. I love her so much,� Max whispers. �I know, Max.� Michael taps Max�s shoulder. �What do we do now?� Max stares at his best friend. �We try to fix it,� Michael says firmly. �How? Do you think we should let her get married?� �No way!� Michael yells. Max, Liz and Maria look at him shocked. �I mean. I agree that our relationship isn�t the same anymore and I�m ready to try and give her all the attention she needs. I can spend 24 hours a day with her if she wants, but this marriage thing is crazy. No way. We have to kill Jesse.� "Michael?!� Maria looks at him. She doesn�t know if she's angrier with him about the killing thing or the whole 24 hours with Isabel. What does this mean? What about her? She's his girlfriend, isn�t she? "Ok. So we don�t kill him. But we can hurt him bad enough to make him run out of the town,� Michael suggests. �Hmm, this plan doesn�t seem so bad,� Max wonders. �Max?!� Liz stares at him not believing that he would actually agree with Michael about all this nonsense. �What?� �What?? Are you asking me what? Listen to yourself. You guys are crazy, that�s what. I know how much Isabel means to you two, but�� �No, you don�t,� Michael shouts angrily. �You have no idea.� Liz winces. There are so many emotions on Michael�s voice and eyes. Emotions that she can�t even start to describe. �Michael, let Liz finish.� Max goes to Liz's side, giving her his support. �She�s probably right. We usually don�t think reasonably when it involves Isabel because� well, because it�s Isabel.� �Yeah, right,� Michael mutters, not too convinced. �Go on, Liz.� Max nods to her. �Uh? What?� Liz says, still lost trying to figure out Michael�s reaction. Where did she see something like this before? It was just for a moment but she could swear that she saw something like�like�No. That�s not it. It was so similar but at the same time so different. It was deeper. �Liz?� �Oh sorry, Max.� She shakes her head erasing completely the last thoughts from her mind. � I just can�t understand. If Isabel loves Jesse, why can�t she marry him?� Michael blinks. �Wait a second. No one is talking about love here.� Maria starts to laugh. �Ok, space boy. Let me explain to you. Here on earth, we have this �strange� habit of marrying people mostly for one of four different reasons: money, green card, too drunk to know what you are doing, or finally love. Isabel isn�t drunk; you aliens don�t even drink. It�s not about the money either. So unless our government starts to require green cards so that you aliens can stay on Earth, I guess the only reason left is love. Which makes a lot more of sense, of course.� �Isabel can�t love him,� Michael reassures them. �Why not?� Liz asks. �She...We don�t know anything about him. He's a complete stranger.� "To you. Not to Isabel.� Michael frowns. Is it possible that they're right? That Isabel loves� No, no that�s impossible. But then, why is it impossible? Because he wants it to be impossible. He needs it to be. Because just thinking about it hurts. His heart is arching. Something inside him is burning, making him dizzy. He wants to scream something, but he doesn�t exactly know what. Or maybe he does, but is too afraid. So he just holds in these strange feelings. Like he always does when they come to him. Liz continues, �Why can�t Isabel have what we have, Max?� �Because it�s different, Liz. You know who we are. But, Jesse, he's an outsider. We can�t take the risk.� �So, if Jesse knew about you, would you let him marry your sister?� �I�I don�t know.� �I see. Max, listen to yourself. The alien thing is not the problem here. The problem is that you and Michael still treat Isabel like she's a child. You're trying to protect her and I think that's great. However, Isabel isn�t a child anymore. You have to let her go. If she trusts Jesse enough to want to marry him, why can�t we all do the same? Don�t you think that Isabel's happiness is that important?� Michael and Max stare at each other, trying to find some answers as Liz�s words sink in. |