A/N: In the last chapter "The Wedding" I actually wrote the vows that Max and Liz shared myself. I had forgotten o mention that before because I am a dork. Sorry 'bout that! hehe

Ch. 4

Prayers



"Is he answering his cell?" Max asked with hope.

The Sheriff shook his head negative.

Max sagged in his seat on the passenger side of the Sheriff's Patrol car; he had a deep urge to call on his friends for help but how could he if they all hated him for what he did? Suddenly he sat straight up, "I know where they're going!" Max smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, "I can't believe it didn't even occur to me!"

"Where?!" The Sheriff brightened.

"Pohlman Ranch." Max responded flatly.

"The crash sight?" Valenti posed reluctantly, "I dunno Max, why there?"

"Because… She doesn't have anywhere else to go." Max replied looking out the window.

"If you say so." The Sheriff flipped a U-ie fast and skidded down the road towards where he prayed his son was.

***

This isn't real, it couldn't be. How? When? Where? What the—

"STOP!" A small blonde with curly ringlet hair bounced through the Cathedral doors right when Max and Liz's lips departed.

"Tess?!" Isabel shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Izzy?" Max and Liz replied in unison.

"Yea I'm kinda dream walking you." She responded blushing.

"You are?" Liz asked sadly.

"Yea, but this is what really going to happen, Liz you have GOT to wake up! Or else you will never REALLY truly enjoy or even SEE this day." Isabel admitted.

"Iz? Are you alright?" Max tried to calm her down.

"STOP the wedding!" Tess screamed again, running towards them.

"WHAT are YOU doing here Tess?" Max raged.

"You can't go through with this Max! I'm supposed to be the one in that dress with you holding MY hand! Not her!" Tess cried.

"Why are you here?" Isabel repeated the question.

"I have to get Max back… Or I don't go home." She looked to the floor miserably.

"Home?" Max replied.

Tess nodded pointing upward.

Max shook his head, "No. I don't care! You should have thought of that before you killed Alex Charles Whitman!" Max burst out.

Isabel gasped, not knowing what to do she began to surge power in her hands.

Liz, seeing the glowing that was increasing in Isabel's hands, shook her head no.

"Why?" Isabel asked out loud.

"Because… She's my sister." Liz cried, taking Tess into her arms, where Tess' shoulders heaved with harsh sobs.

"I'm so sorry Arielle… I love you, I do. But I love Zan too! Why did you always get what you want? Why was I always left behind?" Tess blubbered.

"That was a long time ago Tess… In another life… This one's entirely, different."

Isabel's mind was swelling from the unknown; she looked over to Max, "Is this true?"

Max's eyes where wide and clueless, "I--I don't kn-now." He stammered.

"What about ALEX!" Isabel exploded.

"He got in the way!" Tess shouted in anger, "I was at my last straw to get Max to come home with me when- when Alex starts to remember things! I sent him to Las Cruces to translate the text from our planet and-and he started to remember! I tried to mind warp him so that he wouldn't say anything to you guys but-but he said he was going to tell! He was going to ruin everything! So when I tried to mind warp him again he-he just couldn't take it! He just… couldn't. Take. It." Tess sobbed, but then suddenly regained her pride, "Like I said before, sacrifices had to be made. And for them we pay."

Liz's eyes were that of pure and utterly hurtful pain and fury, "Get. Out." She replied through clenched teeth.

Tess was taken back but not scared away, "Or what?"

"Or I wake up." Liz responded with determination.

Isabel prayed that Liz would just decide to wake up anyway, so she coaxed her on, "C'mon Liz, you and me, we can take this bitch down and save Max… You do know she's trying to hurt him at this very moment." Isabel replied honestly, "Max loves you Liz, with all his heart. Tell her MAX!" Isabel shouted to the 'Dream Max'.

"I love you Liz… Evans." He smiled.

"I think I'll wake up now." Liz replied kissing Max one last time.

***

Elizabeth Claudia Parker woke up gasping in air, as if she hadn't breathed it in years.

"Liz!" Maria shouted hoping over the front seat to her best friend's side, with Michael not to far behind.

Isabel awoke with slightly more relaxed sighs as she sat up in the back of Maria's Jetta and fixed her hair.

"Isabel!" Maria jumped to the back and hugged Isabel as she still held Liz in a tight hug.

"Uh, Maria… You're choking me." Liz gasped.

"Oh Liz! I'm so sorry babe! Really!" Maria cried wiping away happy tears.

"My turn." Michael grinned as he fumbled into the back as well and hugged all three girls in his long, strong arms.

"Michael!" All three girls squealed.

"Sorry." He replied still holding on to Maria.

"It's okay space boy… Just don't let it happen again." Maria teased, poking him the stomach.

"Now what?" Isabel asked, breaking the ice.

"We save my husband." Liz replied seriously, looking out Maria's car window.

***

"She's awake." Max whispered to the window, his warm breath fogging it up in the process.

"Max?" Sheriff Valenti asked worried.

"Nothing… Are we almost there?" Max's eyebrows rose.

"Yea, just about a mile more ta go."

"I don't know why she ran. Why did she have to take Kyle?" Max was asking questions aloud.

"I'm not sure son but all I know is… Human or not. She was terrified of your behavior and… Kyle has always made her feel so…so safe." Valenti shook his head.

"I'm so sorry that I brought this in your family." Max ducked his head down in shame.

"No sorry's son, you saved our lives more than once, and I'll be damned if I don't help you out just as many." Valenti patted Max's back reassuringly.

"Wait. Stop the car." Max replied as he hoped out the passenger side.

"Max!" Valenti yelled after him.

"I think they're here!" Max shouted behind him as he ran through the thickets.

"Max! Wait!" Valenti shouted as he tucked his .44 in his back belt and rushed after Max Evans.

Running like the speed of light, Max jumped, hoped, scampered, dashed and sprinted his way through every under brush there was in his way.

"It's not too far! C'mon!" Max hollered over his shoulder before disappearing over a tall hill.

"Christ son!" Valenti bent over huffing, "I can't run like the wind as I used to." Still huffing and gasping for air to refill his lungs he heard Max's shrill call.

"Sheriff!" Max yelled, "Sheriff!" Max came back over the hill over to him, "It-it's Kyle." Max's face was that of true and pure terror.

All color drained from Sheriff Valenti's face, "No." He shook his head as he leaped back to his sore feet and ran with Max back over the horrendous hill, to what he prayed was his safe and alive son. If only all prayers could be answered…