Max didn't stay when they got back. Everyone feared he was leaving town but he assured them he was just getting a room at the hotel in town. He couldn't stay under the same roof as Liz.

Michael understood but in truth, he had no time to worry or think about his brother. Liz had passed out not long after she'd let him in. She'd been unconscious for 10 hours now and he didn't know wether that was due to exhaustion or from the ordeal she'd been through.

He'd originally freaked because he thought he'd missed something while healing her. Isabel and Ava had double checked her and both assured him that Liz was physically healed. Physically, she was fine. But they all knew mentally and emotionally, she'd be broken. Nobody could heal that.

Liz woke up after sleeping for 16 straight hours. But when she woke, she screamed and cried herself awake. It took a long time to calm her down.

Parker stayed with Isabel while the others helped Liz. She distracted him and when she could finally distract him no more, she assured him that his Mommy was fine but feeling sick and he couldn't see her until she was feeling a little bit better. She hated lying to her nephew but it was better that she did.

After the initial outburst, Liz had gone into a comatose state. She didn't eat or speak. She either stared at the wall or slept. On the third day, they all panicked when they didn't find her in bed. It was Michael who found her in the shower, naked, sitting in the middle of the tub, scrubbing herself clean. Who knows how long she'd been there. It was long enough that her skin was raw to the touch; her skin was red and peeling with small patches of blood throughout her arms, stomach and inner thighs. She kept repeating that she needed to get cleaned, which tore at Michael's heart. A lump formed in Michael's throat. If he could bring Zan back to life just to kill him, he'd do it in a second.

Ava suggested mind warping her and erasing her memory. But Michael had seen the side effects that power had. As much as he loved Liz, he wouldn't do that to her. He didn't want her to suffer but he couldn't imagine if something went wrong. Would they could make it worse? What if Liz realized that they had all lied to her. She wouldn't be able to trust him again. And he had just regained that trust.

So, Michael stayed with Liz day and night to watch over her. He held her hand, talked to her, opened their connection to show her good times, show her his feelings, his hopes, his dreams. He fed her and laid with her.

"You're safe now, Liz. You're with me now. You can come out now." He'd whisper to her every night before she fell asleep.

6 days later, Liz awoke. The first person she saw, was Michael. She smiled to herself. She didn't know how long she'd been-away, but she knew it had been a while. Her body felt odd. She stretched and Michael stirred in his sleep. She vaguely remembered connecting to Michael after-after-she didn't want to think about it. It as done. Zan had broken her. She remembered the want and need to die and she wasn't proud of it. She knew he was dead. She knew they would have killed him by now. She wouldn't be here if he was still alive. She recognized her room. Her rooom, in her forever home. They would stay here. She would stay here. Parker, Michael and her would be happy.

She couldn't remember all of what had happened in the cave-after Michael had arrived and she didn't have to. She loved Michael. And she wasn't going to stand in the middle of that anymore. She was going to fight to be with him. She was going to let go of all her pathetic problems-all the stupid reasons of why they shouldn't be. Who cared if Maria or Max were concerned. This was her life, her happiness, her future. Screw everyone else. Even if Michael didn't want to be with her, she'd convince him because DAMMIT they'd wasted so much time. SHE had wasted so much time.

And all of a sudden, she had to touch him-touch Michael. She touched the top of his hand as lightly as she could, as it was laying on her stomach. As she did, Michael's head snapped up.

"Liz?" He looked at her with amazed but weary eyes.

She smiled her response.

"Oh my God." And he was hugging her, kissing the top of her head. "Thank God. Thank God," he repeated over and over.

"I'm sorry, Michael." She finally said, as she hugged him back.

Michael leaned away, schocked. "For what?" He sat on the bed beside her.

"For all of it. For leaving, for drinking myself away, for drinking you away, for dissapearing, for keeping Parker away, for letting Za-him around our son-giving him the opportunity to-" she couldn't continue, her tears were too much for her. She tasted bile in her mouth.

Michael shook his head. "No, Liz. We were both hurt. We both made mistakes. I left you. After we made love, I panicked and by the time I came back, you were gone. That was on me-for letting you believe you weren't the most amazing thing in my life. I knew I loved you. Everyone knew I loved you and I was scared of what that meant, not just for me-you-but the group. I walked away, I hurt you first. You didn't know about Parker," he soothed Liz, now rubbing her back. "We can start over again, Liz. I love you. I have loved you for so long. I will love you for the rest of my life. You and Parker are all I need, Liz." Michael looked deep into her eyes and opened their connection.

She laughed as she wiped the last of her tears. She saw his love for her and she reciprocated the gesture.

Finally, Michael closed the gap between them and kissed her. He kissed her like she'd never been kissed. Her hand dug into his hair and pulled him tight to her body. She was never going to be without him again.

"I'm going to go get Parker. He's missed you." Michael gave her a quick kiss and hurried out the door.

He was back a minute later.

"Mommy!"

She held out her arms with new tears filling her eyes. She thought she'd never see her son again. She breathed Parker in as she hugged him. "I missed you, baby."

"You better Mommy?" Parker caressed her hair and she nodded.

"Yes, Parker. Mommy's all better. Daddy, you and me will always be together now. Ok?"

Parker smiled wide and nodded. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, Parker." And she looked up, as Michael laid with them on the bed. "I love you, Michael."

"I love you, Liz." And he kissed her once more.

"Ew." Parker laughed.

"I think so too, little buddy." Came Kyle's voice from the door.

All three looked up, to see Kyle, Isabel and Ava standing at the doorway. Kyle had a sad smile on his face. "How you doing, Liz? Sorry to interrupt."

Liz shook her head. "Not at all, come on in. I'm ok, thanks Kyle."

Her family made their way in a little hesitantly. She understood why. She swallowed, trying to push away the thought of her ordeal with Zan as far from her mind as possible. This would be her life now-she would always have to fight to push those thoughts away. And to her horror, now she would also have to endure her families pity. She would be protected now, in a plastic bubble, when it came to them.

Ava was the first to hug her. Liz smiled as they threw their arms around each other. Ava hugged her tight, "Don't do that to me again, Lizzie." It wasn't until Ava said her name that Liz heard the tears in her sisters' voice.

"Never." She whispered back.

Isabel hugged her next. "I feel like I'm always apologizing for all the crap we put you through." Isabel looked ashamed. "How do you not hate us, Liz?"

"You are my family, Isabel. My life started when you all came into it." Liz clarified.

Kyle hugged her and neither said a word. Neither had to. Kyle was a part of her and always would be. She loved him. They were two peas in a pod-both bonded for life. Both had been saved by Max, pulled into this amazing, hectic, stressful, joyful, beautiful world that was their life, had changed with their powers and were in love with alien hybrids. She smiled a how ridiculous that sounded, even to her.

They all slowly found a daily routine. A few days after she'd awaken, Max called and requested to meet Liz. It scared Liz because she didn't know if seeing him would break her once more. But she willed herself to see him, convincing herself that she had Michael by her side if she needed him.

When Max walked into the living room of their home, he stayed on the opposite side of the room and didn't make a move to come closer. He looked like he hadn't slept in a while, thin like he hadn't eaten and sad. She also noticed that when he spoke to her, he didn't look into her eyes. He apologized for what had happened in the past and he apologized for Zan. When Liz tried to tell him it wasn't his fault, he'd stopped her. "That was me, Liz. I version of how far I can go. I version of myself I hadn't realized I had. It wasn't until I witnessed it first hand that I realized I've got it in me to be like that. I've done things in the past that have proven that. I'm truly sorry this happened to you. I don't know when or where my love for you turned into an obsession-which I realize now it is." He bid himself goodbye after explaining he'd be leaving the next morning, not just for the group but for himself. He promised he'd keep in touch with Isabel and Michael and was gone.

Liz felt horrible for the situation but knew it was for the best.

2 months later...

"Hold on, Isabel." Kyle stepped on the gas pedal to get back home.

"It's ok, honey. I'm fine. We can make it." Isabel assured Kyle who was obviously losing it.

"Honestly, Kyle. You should have let Michael drive." Liz rubbed Isabel's back.

"I can drive!" Kyle argued.

"Oh, God. I need to push! I feel like I need to push!" Isabel cried.

"Don't push, Isabel. You're not fully dialated!' Ava warned.

"Why did we choose a home delivery!" Isabel screamed.

"Hold on baby!" Kyle drove faster.

"Um, Parker honey, are you ok?" Liz looked to the back seat where Parker sat.

He simply nodded but he had the widest grin on his face that expressed his excitment.

"You had to have you're baby today." Michael shook his head.

"Oh, hush Guerin." Liz shoved her husbands' shoulder. She smiled. She was Mrs. Guerin now.

"She ruined our ceremony Mrs. Guerin." Michael grinned.

"You're lucky my water didn't break before the ceremony." Isabel said between breaths.

And they were there. Home at last. They all hurried out of the car and helped Isabel out.

The first through the door were Isabel with Ava, followed by Parker and Kyle.

Before Liz reached the door, she was swooped back and was in Michael's arms.

"What are you doing?" She couldn't sop the smile that spread across her face.

"Carrying you across the threshold." Michael explained wickedly.

Liz laughed. "I don't think that it works in our situation. We already live here."

"True. But our wedding day was cut short. I don't want to jinx the rest of our lives. Too bad there's a woman in labor or I would whisk you away to start the honeymoon."

She giggled, "Put me down Mr. Guerin."

Michael raised an eyebrow, "As you wish Mrs. Guerin." And set her down once they were past the door.

"Liz, get in here!" They both heard Isabel's yell from the back room and they hurried to the nursery.

"Unbelievable." Kyle shook his head at them.

"Oh hush, Kyle." Liz took her place by Isabel's head and took her hand.

Michael came in with water and towels and took Parker with him, to wait in the livingroom.

Liz stood pouting at Isabel 2 hours later. "I'm just saying it't not fair. Why do you get to go from zero to birth in 2 hours! I must have pushed for hours and looked like crap. And yet, here you are 2 hours after your water breaks, baby in your arms and still look flawless." She was teasing Isabel but admitted Isabel DID look flawless.

All Isabel could do was laugh and kiss the top of her son's head.

All three women turned as Kyle walking in with Michael and Parker. Parker went straight to Isabel and kissed his cousins bare feet.

Liz's heart warmed.

"So, what are you calling the brat." Michael asked as he put his arm around Liz.

"I think we're going with James Alexander." Kyle answered, still looking at the baby.

Liz smiled. Alex and Valenti would be proud.

"I want one." Michael whispered in her ear and he hugged her tight. Her body curled to his. She loved his hot breath on her ear and his words made her inside warm and tingly. She nodded her agreement and smiled at her bright future with Michael. they had all the time in the world.

"We could always practice, practice and practice." She kissed him as he turned her toward him.

"I need you now, Liz." He leaned his forehead to hers.

"Right back at you, Michael."