They hadn't said anything since leaving the room over an hour before. Isabel needed to walk and think. Kyle knew that she let him be there but understood that she could just as easily dismiss him. So he was just happy to be there with her. She didn't let one tear fall. Not one. But her eyes broke his heart. He wondered if he could ever get her to love him the way she loved Alex or even Jesse. That was the only reason he was still with all of them. Well, that and he knew he had some alien parting gift just waiting around the corner ready to pop up. He just couldn't let go of the hope that given enough time she would turn to him and realize that they were perfect for each other.

When they got back to the motel, she didn't stop at Max and Liz's room. He guessed that she just wanted to go to bed. It had been a really crazy day. Kyle watched her reach for the door but it wouldn't budge. He pulled out the key but she didn't wait she held her hand over the knob to unlock it. "Hold on" Kyle could hear Michael say through the door before some banging and a lot of shuffling. Isabel squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from the door.

After about a minute, a flash of light appeared through the crack of the door and Michael opened it. "Hey" he said playing it cool. Kyle couldn't help but smirk but Isabel didn't look happy as she glared at him on the way in. "I'm taking a shower. Air the room out." Kyle noticed Maria's cheeks burn pink. He felt kind of sorry for her. He would have apologized for the blonde's behavior but that would have only pissed her off further. Instead he started getting ready for bed.


Max had them all meet at the corner diner for breakfast after an early morning wake up call from Larek. Isabel almost didn't go. It meant skipping her run and she hated messing with her routine. Especially if she was going to have to endure both sets of shiny, happy couples. Max and Liz were perpetually adorable. She'd almost grown used to it but when Michael and Maria were lovey dovey, Isabel just wanted to scream. Why didn't it ever seem to work out for her but both of them found what she longed for on the first try? She loved Jesse but no one had loved her like Alex and when he died she felt empty. Her love fore Jesse managed to fill it for a while but the longer they were apart the wider that void became.

"So what are we doing here?" Isabel said as she slid into the booth. Larek was there with Max and a groggy looking Liz. Kyle slid in next to her and put his arm on the seat behind her head. "Let's wait until Michael and Maria get here before we start" Max said evenly as he scanned the menu. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath. She knew she was being bitchy but she didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be anywhere but this stupid diner at 7:40 am really held no appeal. It only looked less appealing when she caught Michael walking with long strides over to the table. Maria was walking quickly behind trying to keep up. She looked happy and Isabel resented it. If she hadn't been blocked in she might even have left. "Isabel, are you okay?" Her brother asked as he reached across the table. She moved her hand out of his grasp. "I'm fine." It was obvious she was not okay but no one dared press her further.

As soon as orders were made and they had a little more privacy, Max started. "We need to figure out what we are going to do." Michael sipped his water. "We could still go to Canada." Larek shook his head. "They will be expecting you to flea and north is the logical direction. If your enemies expect you to be somewhere, don't be there. I suggest that for at least a while, we stay here. I have procured a residence." Maria's face changed from the dreamy eyed look the minute Larek started talking. "We can't stay here. They will be looking for us here." Kyle nodded in agreement but Larek's face was unchanging. "We will simply have to make them think that we have left." Michael was going to say something when the food arrived and everyone went quiet.

They all started to eat when Michael finally looked back at Larek. "How would we make them think we left?" The alien smirked and tilted his head toward another table. Five men and two women sat there with a mountain of food on the table between them. They looked like they had just wandered out of a Phish concert. Isabel could even see Birkenstocks. "How are a bunch of stoners going to help us make the UNIT think we are gone?" she asked really not seeing the connection. Michael smiled. He must have understood. "We give the van to them and give them some phony address for the best place to score weed. We can say it was like Jerry Garcia's personal hook up or something. No way they would pass that up." Michael said laying the plan out. Honestly, it sounded viable even if it did leave them with out transport. "Won't they be paranoid about strangers giving them a van?" Liz asked. "Nah. We will just tell them it was Jerry's van and his last wish was that it and the knowledge be passed on from person to person like a right of passage." Isabel was a bit impressed. That could work. "Well, you can't give it to them looking like we do. They would never believe that we were Garcia's chosen few. Come on Sparkle and Moon Dust." Isabel said to Liz and Maria. "I'll fix us up in the bathroom. You guys can take care of Kyle and Larek, right?" Max nodded and the girls headed for the ladies room.


The transformations were comical at best. Liz (Moon Dust) was decked out in a bohemian tier skirt, shirt made of hemp and sandals. Maria (Sparkle) got the special treatment with extremely low rise pants, heavily embellished baby doll top, pigtails and body paint. Isabel (Felicity) went with a flowy patchwork sundress and braids pulling back the shoulder length hair from her face. Liz couldn't help but laugh when she saw the boys. Michael (Marley) was sporting dreadlocks and a tunic. Larek (Om) had a tie died shirt with a heart in the center of it. Max (Dylan) wore a bucket hat and head to toe denim with a medallion that hung almost to his navel. But Kyle (Trent) was the worst. He had a thick mustache, a vest, and Birkenstocks. "Not a word" he warned the girls when the giggling started. Even Isabel couldn't help but crack a smile. They looked ridiculous.

"How do we know that the UNIT will follow the van out?" Liz asked Larek before they moved toward the hippies. "They have had the van under surveillance since early this morning. I heard one speaking to another saying that reinforcements would be needed before they could make their move. They know that we can change our appearance. So as long as 7 get into the van, they will assume we are in disguise." Larek replied. Liz could only shrug.