Title: The Rest of the Story
Name: Lori R 9/02
Email: Gussywussy55@yahoo.com
Category/ Rating: G... Cliffie
Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I should. 
Summary: The missing Cliffie scene from 'Max to the
Max'. This is short.
Feedback: Okay

*************

Nasedo walked with Tess on the level above where
Michael and Isabel sat avoiding one another.
Michael looked Isabel's way just as she looked away.
He'd caught her looking again. He wondered if she was
still feeling the relief from the scare they had both
had just a day earlier or if it was all forgotten. At
least they wouldn't have to worry about being captured
and having a secret like an alien pregnancy found out.
Pierce and the Special Unit would have had a field day
with that one. 
He noticed Isabel glance his way, then off again. 
He remembered how relieved she had been when Max told
them she wasn't pregnant. He couldn't blame her he
guessed. They were kids themselves. Still he hadn't
been as thrilled as she had been. Well not that she
was jumping up and down or anything, but he could
tell. 
He wondered if she was okay. She'd been fairly quiet
since all of this with Max started. Maybe he should
check on her. If anything happened to Max then it was
the two of them anyway, he reasoned.
He got up and walked over to where Isabel was and sat
down beside her. He cleared his throat.
"How are you doing? Everything....okay?" he asked her.
He really sucked at this sensitive stuff, he thought
to himself. Maria was always telling him that.
Isabel looked up at him. "How am I doing? Max is
being held and.... tortured by Pierce and the Special
Unit, but everything is just fine," she replied
sarcastically.
Michael looked pissed and started to get up to leave
when Isabel said, "Michael. Michael, I'm sorry." The
tone of her voice and the remorseful look on her face
let him know that she was.
He nodded. "Yeah, there's a lot to deal with."
Isabel pushed the hair that wouldn't stay back up out
of her face again. "Michael, I don't know what to do.
All of this worry over Max....what he's going
through...what they must be doing to him." She choked
back a sob. "He's terrified Michael. And if something
...worse happens to him, how do I tell Mom and Dad?
I'm scared to death it's going to happen to us to
Michael. I'm having problems dealing with something so
emotional like this after everything the past few
days." She paused as she wiped at her face. "I know
you were relieved. Maria too I guess," she said
quietly. 
Michael sat listening to Isabel pour out all of her
worries. They were so much like his own. He looked at
her oddly though when she said what she had about
Maria and him being relieved.
"I guess we were like you and Alex. Right?" he asked.
Isabel seemed to tense up. "Yeah....r-right," she
nodded without meeting his look.
Michael reached up to push her hair out of her face.
"Right? He's okay with all of that? He understands it
was just dreams. " He'd kill him if he wasn't. None of
it was their fault, so Alex better understand that.
Isabel realized that this was the talk she had wanted
to have with Michael before all of this with Max. But
now it was hard. So taking a breath she said, "He's
been great. It's just...me. I wasn't
as...relieved....as I thought I would be." She didn't
dare look at him. Was he shocked at her admittance?
Michael's mouth hung open as her words sunk in. She'd
been sad she wasn't pregnant?
"What are you talking about? No way you're saying you
wanted to be pregnant." 
Isabel didn't say anything, but something in the way
she was acting made him wonder if he'd been wrong to
think she had been glad they weren't having a baby. 
"You said you were relieved. You even told me we
couldn't have a baby. And you were right. We're too
young, and we didn't know for sure what kind of baby
it would be. Hell Isabel, it could have had 3 heads
for all we know. And I heard you and saw you Isabel.
You were relieved," he told her as he punctuated his
words with his finger in the air.
Isabel nodded her head in agreement, but her shoulders
shrugged as if not. 
"I know. Gawd Michael, I was so scared. What were we
going to do? Have an alien baby and try to raise it
while going to school?" She rolled her eyes. "But when
Max said it was all a dream...." she stared into
space. "I felt this loss." Her hands went to her
stomach. " I suddenly had this empty feeling inside
like something had been taken from me." Then she
looked up at him. "I looked at you and all I saw was
relief. What else was there for me to say? So I
agreed." Then Isabel frowned. "And just that quick you
all moved on like it had never even happened. Never
thinking that I might be feeling a loss." Isabel
covered her face with her hands wearily. "Now this
with Max."

Michael pulled her to him, his heart beating so hard
in his chest it hurt. He'd had no idea that she had
felt like this. Like him. Felt the loss and wondered
why others couldn't see it.
"Isabel." When she looked at him, he told her, "I've
had ...some of those feelings too. But what you said
then, you know, how it couldn't be....well it made me
think. I'm barely supporting myself, so there's no way
I could have supported all three of us. And there's no
doubt in my mind that there would have been three of
us." 
Isabel looked down. "Your Dad would never have
allowed you to be an unwed mother Isabel. And I would
never have let my kid be taken from me. Besides, look
at what's happened to Max. If you were pregnant
there's a good chance you and the baby would have been
next."
Isabel knew Michael was right, but it didn't make
these feelings go away. 
"It was all so real Michael," Isabel reminded him as
she lay her head on his shoulder. And then for a
moment she wondered what it would have been like to
have a child with him. 
"I know. But it's not." Gawd, he knew how real it had
seemed. He'd been reliving those dreams every time his
eyes closed. He'd had his own family. And what still
nagged at him was that it had felt right. He'd been
happy. And it was with Isabel that all this happiness
had happened.
Michael looked at her thoughtfully. Maybe they had
been too quick to ....

"Michael! Isabel! It's time!" interrupted Nasedo, as
he and Tess came rushing down the steps to where 
Isabel and Michael sat.
They looked up as then moved apart. Both were
suddenly self conscious of where they were and why. 
"Is something wrong?" asked Nasedo as he observed
their behavior.
"No....no nothings wrong," said Isabel looking at
Michael with new eyes.
"Let's just get on with saving Max and get out of
here," said Michael turning to Nasedo.
"We can't have any mistakes. If there is something I
should know, then tell me now," ordered Nasedo.
Michael looked at Isabel. "No, everything's fine. Just
fine." Then looking at Nasedo he again said, " Let's
just do this."
Nasedo glanced between the two and nodded. "Then
follow me."
Michael saw Isabel take a breath and blow it out
nervously. He placed his hand on her shoulder and
gently squeezed it in reassurance. "We're together so
it will be okay. I'm not letting anything happen to
you. And I promise you we will find Max and
all of us will get out of here."
Isabel nodded. Suddenly she felt like everything was
going to be alright. She felt safe despite being
inside the bowels of the FBI facility. Michael was
with her. Max had always said Michael was angry and 
impulsive, but lately she was thinking he might be
something more. Protective and caring came to mind. 
She smiled inside at the image as they followed
Nasedo.

End