Thanks for coming back to read! And thank you very much for the reviews :) This is a girl-only chapter, hope you enjoy!

XXI

Significant Others

It wasn't working. It hadn't worked for the past three nights, and it wasn't working now either. Isabel felt frustration creeping all over her body as she lay on her bed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't dreamwalk Dave. The doubt that Dave was, after all, an alien was eating her up as badly as those green sparks were eating Kyle. Neither one of them had confided those facts to anyone in their group, though, so they were both silently suffering in their respective apartments.

She had been going around and around what she had seen in Ray's dream the night before. And for all she could decipher, Ray thought that Dave and Jake were humans. He couldn't understand why Isabel was asking such things; he had thought it was the most hilarious thing ever too. And then she had had no choice but to leave his dream, without a real answer. She had to dreamwalk Dave -or Jake- to get to know that for certain.

Except that Dave was an impossible matter, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to dreamwalk Jake just now. She was still gathering the nerve to do it, trying to convince herself that Jake wouldn't think it odd.

Just like Kyle had decided that the group didn't need more pressure, Isabel had decided to keep her suspicions to herself 'til she had something more solid. If Max or Michael were thinking that Dave could be an alien, they hadn't said a thing about that. Everyone had thought that Dave was being honest when it came to telling them how he had discovered them.

It all had made sense when Dave had told his story, Isabel thought again, but beside his word, there was nothing else to prove that he was human, or even if his way of discovering them had been exactly like that. And then again, if she dreamwalked Jake, and if he turned out to be human, that didn't automatically prove that Dave was too. She was going in circles with this, and it was very frustrating. She had been going around the same theory for two nights now.

Isabel tiredly closed her eyes. She needed to sleep, she knew that, but too many things were swirling in her head for that. She knew, beyond a doubt, that Dave would bring Jesse into their conversation, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about Jesse or not. Was he running for his life? Had anyone gotten to him? Was he still looking over his shoulder? Was he having a nice life now?

Did he still think about her?

How could she ever think that marrying Jesse was a good idea? It all had seemed so clear back in the day… Despite what everyone had told her, it all had seemed worth it. She let go a small, sad smile. Worth it… How hollow it sounded in this empty bed, and how selfish she felt as well. She had wanted it all, hadn't she? She had wanted to graduate high school, to go to college, to marry, to have a family of her own… All things that any normal person would want.

She shut her eyes trying to let go of all these thoughts. But she couldn't keep them at bay. Why had she kidded herself about having a normal life with Jesse?

She hadn't been stupid, no. Impulsive, maybe, but not stupid. She had just buried Alex, which had made her feel that life was really short. She couldn't mourn Alex any longer than she had, because all she could picture was Alex's grin, Alex's joyfulness, Alex's way of enjoying life. Kyle had told her about a week after Tess had left, that Alex wouldn't have had it any other way. That his life had been unique and that was all that Alex had ever wanted. So she had decided that enough was enough, and that Alex would want her to keep going with her life.

It had been then that Isabel had started to let it go. About a month afterwards, she had cut her hair, changed its color, and decided that she would change everything in her life too. She was now a college girl. There was no Special Unit anymore. No alien enemies had shown up. Tess was gone… summer was going by without much happening. Max, Michael and her had all agreed on their renewed vow about not telling anyone anymore. But things between the three of them hadn't been the same after everything that had happened in the last weeks Tess had been around. They had also agreed to let go of ever wanting to go back to Antar and had decided to live in this world.

Her brother hadn't said it, but he had been disappointed that neither she nor Michael had wanted to help him in his impossible quest of finding his son. So he had said nothing more about her nephew, and had taken to himself whatever plans he had had.

And Michael… well, it was practically impossible to find Michael without Maria… And so, Isabel had begun to feel kind of lonely now that the two boys who had grown up with her and had shared almost everything she had ever done, had gone their own separate ways.

But it was okay, because she was planning on having a life of her own as well. To have her own future without them attached to her every move. And that future had just materialized once her father had been able to convince her to go to that boring company picnic on July 5th.

It had been so casual. Two strangers talking out of the blue since both of them were practically dying of boredom, watching the grass grow. He had made her laugh before ten minutes had passed. And that had been it. She hadn't smiled this much for a long time. Kyle was always joking around her, but it always felt so forced, like he was putting up on some show so she would get to laugh. But Jesse hadn't known her, or her past, and yet there he was, so easily getting from her what no one had been able to do for two months. The instant Jesse had smiled, she had fallen in love with him.

It all had happened so fast, and with such passion. Jesse was as full of life as she wished she could be. He had no secret life, no dark past… he was a normal guy. Everything that she was hoping for and so much more. And she could never have enough of that feeling, the one of being so alive, that she had to see Jesse more and more often. He was perfect. Their relationship was perfect.

Or it was for about two seconds when she realized that eventually she would have to confide in him… And she had dreaded that moment. Oh, how she had dreaded it. But she had pushed that thought to the back of her mind. Why would she think about something that shouldn't worry her just yet? Because in those early days, Isabel had known that getting really serious with Jesse would take time. A lot of it.

Except that it hadn't taken all that long... And it hadn't been perfect.

She was always afraid of doing the wrong thing, of saying the wrong thing in front of Jesse. She had gotten so used to being around Maria, Liz and Kyle and using her powers whenever she wanted to in front of them, that adjusting to this new person that didn't know the truth about her had been difficult.

She had been annoyed at some point that Kyle and Maria went to her to ask small favors out of her powers, but that was in part because she couldn't share that with Jesse. She couldn't make things easy for him. She had to cook the "human" way, when a wave of her hand would do wonders instead. She had to wash dishes, to squeeze orange juice… to say that she needed Max and Michael to paint her own apartment, when the irony was that they were going to use their powers to do so, something she could really do very well on her own.

When she actually got too frustrated and started to use her powers all the same, she had to make up all these elaborate scenarios to explain why things worked properly, or why things were done so fast. It was frustrating to no end. It hadn't been even half as difficult with her parents, in part because her parents weren't home most of the time, or she wasn't home all of the time, and, well… it was just easier since their parents weren't snooping around her and asking a million questions like Jesse did.

Not that Jesse didn't have the right to wonder… She had lied so much to him in such a short time that of course she had known she was a damned good liar. She had never questioned it, it was just a given with her. Her life depended on her ability to lie. Before she had even known she was an alien, she had already known that she was different from all the other kids, and had kept that to herself. Gosh, even talking about that with Max had been difficult back in the day; and as they were growing up they just had pretty much avoided the subject.

And she had avoided the subject with Jesse with such efficiency that it had been so clear to her why Jesse was so angry with that. He understood why she had to lie, but he didn't understand why it was so easy for her to deceive him. Not him, of all people. Why hadn't she trusted him? That was what had made Jesse so angry in the end: That she had kept him in the dark, willingly, consciously and purposefully.

He had given her enough opportunities to tell him the truth, Isabel guessed, but how could Jesse even grasp what his wife's secret was all about? Psychic abilities? Yeah, she should have gone with the witch theory… But the part that hurt the most was that Isabel knew that if it hadn't been for a life-death situation, she wouldn't have told Jesse the truth.

It was so ironic, because everyone who knew their secret had known it because there had been a life-death situation. From Max saving Liz and Kyle, to them trusting the Sheriff to rescue Max, to finally telling the truth to their parents so they could flee their own home. She had never been able to picture telling Jesse the truth without Jesse running for his life, betraying her, or just fainting, only to later run for his life and betray her.

She had been so unfair to Jesse… but she had been so scared of facing the harsh reality that Jesse viewed her as something different. This monster from outer space… this stranger that was no longer his wife. So she had put it off… Until Jesse had finally discovered it in the worst possible way. There was no turning back then. He knew and that was it.

But he had stayed.

It hadn't been easy later on. Hell, truth to be told, it had been almost impossible after that. He wanted to think that it didn't matter, but it mattered to him that she hadn't been honest. That she thought he was untrustworthy. That all he could think was that Isabel Evans was just an act. And now there was this whole side of her that he didn't know. And there were all these expectations from Max and Michael that he didn't want –or care- to meet.

It had been the two of them before she got shot, and it had become the two of them plus the whole alien club after that. And Jesse had been so frustrated. It was bad enough that he was worried about what she was, but it was way worse to have all these eyes pinned on him.

They had fought a lot. So much until she was just so sick of it and so sick of feeling guilty all the time that she had really thought it had been the biggest mistake of her life. Until Jesse had come through. He had killed a man to keep her safe. Oh, things hadn't gotten better after that –they got worse actually- but that act had proven to her that Jesse still cared about her. Cared so much in fact, that she was willing to forget all about Roswell and start someplace else. Screw the whole alien mafia for once!

Their fighting got worse. He told her that he needed time to adjust, but in truth Jesse was furious that he had become part of something bad, something dark and secretive and all around wrong. He had been furious too that now he had to lie to everyone around him, and that somehow he was now under Max's and Michael's orders, that he was no longer in control of every aspect of his life. He hadn't been able to understand that now his actions and decisions had to be approved by other people, much younger people for crying out loud.

And it was all going downward… faster and faster… and she was watching it all go to hell. All her hopes, all her future… gone, just like that. And then Tess had crashed… And Jesse had had his second glimpse into her life. That was her secret, alien, running-for-my-life part of her life.

With Agent Burns, Jesse had only gotten to see what it was like when people knew about them. With the Army, Jesse had gotten to see what it was like to literally be running for their lives. It had changed his mind… It had made him understand what it was like to be like her. How odd that things going so wrong for all of them had finally made things go better for her marriage.

Because things got better. After things had gone quiet with the Army, they actually had been getting back into what they used to be, what they used to have. She was still this alien wife, but she was no longer a stranger. Somehow the fact that she had to start all over with her parents, telling them the truth and answering their questions, had made Jesse not feel so alone and singled out. He was no longer the only newcomer into the alien abyss, nor was he the only one over 20 that knew about all of it, the ex-Sheriff excluded, of course.

It was becoming perfect. Until a week later when it was all taken back again. Have the life that you were supposed to have before you met me...

She unconsciously played with her wedding ring on her left hand, a habit born of anxiousness. Every time she thought about Jesse, she would invariably do that. She never took it off, because it was the only link she had with him. Night after night she debated whether she should dreamwalk the man of her dreams or not. And the answer was always a negative one. She couldn't do this to Jesse… not even to know how he was doing. Because if Jesse knew what she could do and then someone else found out… Besides, chances were she was too far away to reach him anyway.

Now she had the chance to know for sure what had happened to him. Max had been right when she had dreamwalked him on Saturday afternoon: Dave had to know what was going on with her husband, because any other thing wouldn't make sense. Not with Dave. The man had done way too many things already, so many complicated things to get to know them, to not know where Jesse was.

A thought crossed her mind in that instant that made her go cold: What if Dave didn't bring Jesse into the conversation at all? Did she want to know all the same? Would he wait for her to bring Jesse into the conversation then? As crazy as it sounded, she hoped that Dave would bring Jesse up, taking the choice away from her, because leaving the option to her would be too much for her heart and soul.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In slow motion, the windows shattered, and a second later, they exploded, making that sound the only thing audible in the whole room. So you don't forget, a familiar voice said behind her, as she watched the scene unfold, not knowing what to do or say.

Maria's eyes opened with a start. It took her a second to register that she was on her bed, and turning her head to the left, she found that Michael was still sleeping, without a hint that he had sensed that she had been having a bad dream. Good.

Taking a deep breath, Maria let herself relax. It had been a weird dream, not exactly a bad one, but it told her that her subconscious wasn't exactly buying what her conscious mind had decided the minute that they had stepped inside this complex.

She had been terrified about what this Dave wanted of the alien trio until he had seriously said that he wanted them to "eat properly"; she had stopped shivering at the thought of the pod squad being trapped here in a dark cell when he had stated that it was "stress" that was going to kill them, and ultimately, when he had asked what their "conditions" were. She had known then that Dave wasn't going to hurt them, because he didn't have to go through all of that to do something that he could easily do in another million, non-nice ways. And as the days had gone by, her belief had been proven right.

She hadn't fooled herself then, and she wasn't fooling herself now, but whatever that man wanted, just as Max had kept saying, it included them being safe.

So, she might have accepted that this wasn't going to be for the worst, but lying awake on her bed in the middle of the night, she realized that she was so calm about this deal for all the wrong reasons. They were safe, and she would bet her life that they were going to be safe for a long time, but she also knew that eventually, that safety was going to disappear. She just knew it.

They had accepted out of fear, and God knew that Michael, Max and Isabel were having the worst part of it all, but they had also accepted out of hope. Or so she kept reminding herself. The interesting part was that this whole thing had turned into anything but what they had envisioned. But then again, the fact that they had envisioned a future full of gloom and doom was something easy to beat with this complex.

She sighed. Sleep was nowhere to be found, and she just couldn't lay awake waiting for the alarm to go off. Because Michael was blocking her view, she couldn't look at her clock. And she didn't want to move, because it was hard enough for Michael to fall asleep for her to just awake him for no good reason. She had to regain her sleepiness, she decided.

She tried… for about three seconds. She had too much going on inside her mind to try to really relax. She had been thinking a lot about everything on her life lately. About Max saving Liz and how that had gotten her to Michael. About how they had been on and off more times than she wanted to count. About why she was here and what role she had on the group. And now she had been dreaming about her interview with Dave. It all had started right, though Michael had offered to walk her to Dave's door. Which she had accepted without a single concern, until Michael had faced Dave in his office, had raised his hand, and had shattered and exploded the entire window behind the man. So you don't forget.

That had been when she had awakened. Liz had told her what Michael had done, and Maria had had to wonder what that would mean for her future interview. What would she say about Michael? "He breaks windows, that's what he does". Well, yeah, he did that a lot, but Michael did so much more than just break things out of frustration. She knew Dave was going to make some reference to that window, and Maria wasn't sure which approach was better: To play it cool, or to defend Michael, or to… well, just say nothing about it.

She knew that Liz had tried that approach, "say nothing about it", but if that man had made Michael talk for three hours, she was going to be a field trip for him. Maybe she should be the one to talk. That way, she could just babble on about whatever issue she wanted to babble about, not leaving Dave space to ask things she didn't want to talk about.

Sure, well… she could try, now, couldn't she?

She was getting weary of things, though. She was getting weary of the pressure on the group, pressure that they didn't seem to be able to elude. She was still sore all over because of the gym, and now she was having nightmares about Michael kicking Dave's butt. Things weren't getting as easy as anyone would have wanted, and the knowledge that Michael was very capable of making her dream come true did not do wonders for her nerves.

She turned to look at a very asleep Michael, and after staring at him for ten seconds, she smiled and whispered, "Silly…"

Michael didn't have to tell her -no one had to tell her- that ultimately, Michael had shattered that window because Dave had been pushing it, and she was more than sure that it had had something to do with her and her safety. Dave wasn't a fool, he knew exactly where the Czechoslovakians' weaknesses laid: With their human counterparts. Pierce had once used it against Max in the most unforgivable way; now Dave was playing a different game, but he knew exactly what cards he needed to play.

What she didn't know was if Dave had anticipated Michael's outburst. She had been waiting for something to happen, but she had thought that Michael was going to shout some things, not break them. Not that Michael was telling her much of what he had said either. He was shutting her out in more ways than just their new found connection. He was trying to leave her out of what was going on with him regarding everything.

And that was fine, because Maria knew that Michael was scared. Scared for them all, scared for bringing her along. Michael was keeping his distance with everyone for the moment, so he could take a look at things and get to know what was going on. Then he would open up again, more sure of where he was standing, knowing what he had to do to protect those he loved.

Of course, Maria's patience was running thin by now. She hadn't said much to Michael about that because she knew he needed to come to terms with this whole situation, but she was starting to miss his vibes. To miss his closeness… To miss his touch.

The thing was she knew that Michael was feeling very vulnerable right now. As long as he felt that things were out of control and that dangers were just about to jump around the corner, he would put that damned wall around him. As if his feelings were this distraction, she guessed. Ha. Please. When was Michael going to learn that emotions were his greatest source of energy? He probably needed her more than ever rightnowtoo, but it had to be Michael who had to realize that, or otherwise, they were going to end up arguing in a very serious way, and she just couldn't deal with that. Not now. Not two days before her interview, and certainly not two days before her birthday.

It was so weird to be in this place, with so many unknowns, and to see Michael sleeping just like that, as if he wasn't worried beyond sick. She sensed that Michael was really tired by now, so he had no other option but to fall asleep and stay asleep for the entire night. Good. He really needed that. And it gave her the rare pleasure of staring at Michael, just because she loved how he looked asleep.

Liz had told her that Max needed a good night's sleep as well, and Isabel didn't look like she was getting much rest either. Not that Liz, Kyle and herself looked that great to begin with, but somehow it seemed as if their three resident hybrids were taking it worse. But then again, what did she know about having to hide powers? What did she know about what it was like to be afraid of being seen as a lab rat?

Michael moved in his sleep, and Maria was afraid that all these stupid things she was thinking were going to wake him up. But he didn't, and Maria let go a sigh of relief. She really didn't need to be thinking about all that crap either. She needed to concentrate on the good things, so she could send those vibes to the love of her life.

Getting on her side so she could have a more comfortable view of Michael, Maria felt relieved. They were still together. Sure, they were still snapping back, and pouting, and she was still slapping him, and he was still ignoring her sometimes, but it was all part of the package. Along with those sweet and spicy kisses, those electrifying touches, and those unexpected surprises that Michael managed from time to time. All handmade, of course. Space Boy did learn his lessons well.

She smiled at memories of simpler times. Not that anything had ever been simple with Michael, mind you, but at times when they weren't so afraid. Times when he didn't have a clue about how to treat women, and when she didn't know how to treat hybrids. She had wanted Michael to be like Max, but with Michael's passionate outbursts and intensity. And he had wanted Maria's sparkles and energy, but without all the romantic crap. He certainly didn't like things slow, and to be honest, neither did she. So somewhere along those first months, they had both seen that what they really wanted was each other, with their moods, and their rudeness, and their tactlessness and all that. He learned to be a little bit romantic. She learned to overlook his failed attempts at romanticism and to celebrate those occasions when he actually got it right. Because when Michael got it right, he got it right.

And for more than three years now they had been on and off and on and off… And she wasn't sure why. Alex had once told her that it probably was because they short circuited each other with so many vibes. Oh, Alex had loved to tease her about that theory of hers, the one about communicating through vibes. She had slapped Alex for that one, but looking back at her story with Michael, Alex might have been correct.

When either one of them got too intense about anything, be it some stupid prom dance or an old friend visiting, they would just collide. Collide as two trains collide, with such intensity that the damage took months to be cleaned up. But it was cleaned up, and they would sooner or later be around each other again. And every time they reunited, they stayed together for longer periods of time. They were certainly learning from their past mistakes, and Maria liked that a lot. They were evolving as a couple, or something like that.

She imagined she could see the future, and in that vision she saw herself as a mother, with Michael as a father. What kind of father would Michael be? She softly giggled at the thought of their daughters having to fight every inch for the right to have a relationship, and somehow she found amusing the thought of scared boyfriends when Michael opened their future home's door.

She imagined Michael fixing their car with theirs sons, explaining to them some complicated subject at night, or just teasing them about a new girl, exercising a patience that Maria knew Michael was keeping in storage for future years. She could picture it so well. She could picture it down to the last detail of Michael's worried eyes looking around the corner, expecting someone to come and take their children away.

A future with Michael… was not an easy one. She smiled though, because a future with Michael was all that she really ever wanted, with the spooky, the crazy and the unexpected. She really didn't want to hope for it, but all the same she was hoping that Dave would take care of every shadow of that future… She tried to pursue her vision, one in which Michael would look around the corner and find nothing. One where he would turn around and look at their kids splashing water over each other as they were washing the car.

Or maybe Dave wasn't the right answer. Maybe they would manage to get lost in the big world, and find that place of their own. One where no one knew them, where they would get to start over. If Dave was telling the truth, maybe ten years from now no one would know about them but Dave himself, and then they would leave this place and go… somewhere.

And maybe she was just the most stupid girl in the entire universe to believe they could make it out of there and actually find the right place to live, but from that instant on, for the next long eight years, Maria never stopped looking for that place, for that perfect place in the entire world where they would belong.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was the familiar smell that awoke her. She couldn't really place where she had smelled it though, as the fog of her dreams was starting to dissipate just now. Slowly and sleepily, she reached with her hand to find that Max wasn't by her side.

Liz frowned as she opened her eyes. Max was nearby, just not as close as she had thought. She still couldn't tell how far or close Max was at any given moment –as he somewhat could- but she was working on it. Still, as she breathed once more, this time the smell brought her memories of home. It was the smell of toast, and pancakes. It was the smell of breakfast being cooked.

She smiled, even laughed a little. The world could be falling apart around them, but Max would still surprise her from time to time with some small things. He tried to take every little calm moment he could find to make it special. And for that she loved him even more.

She turned to see the hour, and her heart made a double beat as she saw that it was already 7:12. She should be at the Gym, right? Just because Max and Michael had gotten the day free, it didn't mean that she, Maria and Kyle had it free as well… right? Besides, how horrible of her not to wake up and at least accompany Isabel as far as the Gym while her sister-in-law headed toward her interview with Dave.

She closed her eyes for an instant and then got up off the bed. She had put the alarm on the night before, she was sure of it, which meant that Max had turned it off before she could hear it. She couldn't believe this was the second time in five days that Max had let her sleep when important things were happening. Sure, she needed the sleep, but she could decide if she wanted to go and be present, or to just keep sleeping. Besides—

"It's okay!" She heard Max half laughing, half shouting to her from outside their bedroom. Almost as if he had known exactly what she was thinking. Of course, she thought, he knows what I'm feeling, and sure enough he knows why I'm feeling that.

For the briefest of moments, Liz froze as she was searching for her right shoe. There was something off with their connection. Something she couldn't really be sure about, but all the same there was something not right… Oh, the connection was there, sure, it was just that she had never felt it so… low before. Yeah, that was it, it was low. Of course, she still hadn't felt how low it would get just the next day. Hell, on a day around eight years in the future she would definitely experience what the lowest meant in terms of feeling Max's connection, but because she couldn't see the future anymore, all these facts didn't bother her right at that moment.

All she knew was that Max was right in the next room and he didn't feel all that close… He wasn't closing off, that much she knew, but as she finally found her shoe and left their bedroom to meet with Max, her worries vanished away as her eyes met with his. Their connection sparkled into life.

"I wanted to surprise you," he said, with a small smile, pancakes being put onto a plate. By the looks of it, he was half through with their breakfast.

She returned the smile, stopping right outside their bedroom door, leaning against the door frame. Yet, she crossed her arms in front of her. "It's a little late, wouldn't you say?" She wasn't looking for an argument with Max, but he had to learn once and for all that she wasn't happy with being left out.

"Not at all," Max said, turning to the fridge to get the juice out. "We got a message from Isabel saying that Dave had re-scheduled her interview for 8:30. And Michael sent one to Ray about us not showing at the Gym till 8:30 as well…"

"He did?" Liz asked, letting her pout go as well as letting her arms fall to her sides, crossing the distance between their room and the kitchen. As Max was pouring the orange juice, she continued to ask. "What did Ray say?" Though to be honest, Liz was thinking more along the lines of what Max had thought about that.

"He sent a message back saying 'okay'," Max answered as he returned to his pancakes. "So I was just about to ask Ray what 'okay' meant, when Michael wrote me explaining."

Liz walked into the kitchen, the smell of toast and pancakes making her stomach growl. Before she could figure out how to ask why Max was not going ballistic on Michael, he casually said, "It's interesting that Ray didn't give us a hard time on that one."

"You were expecting him to?" Liz asked, standing in the entrance that separated the kitchen/pantry from their living room, watching him intently.

"I didn't have an opinion on that one, about asking him for more time this morning," Max said, turning his head to talk to her as he was cooking the rest of their breakfast. "But I think Maria was right yesterday. Once Dave goes, we'll only have Jake and Ray to worry about… so getting to see what they do or don't do is interesting."

Liz nodded. "Besides," Max continued, returning his attention to his pancakes, "I don't think that schedule would have worked in the long run… Not with Michael and Maria having to get up that early…"

Liz laughed, a real laugh, which made Max turn and laugh a little too. It always amused her how Max never laughed all that hard at his own jokes, like he was too modest or something. It didn't matter; she would always get to laugh for both of them.

Finally entering the kitchen, she went to Max to kiss him good morning. It was a sweet good morning kiss, and though Liz didn't mind the spiciness of Max's kisses, she would rather have his sweet taste instead. "You've been eating… honey?" She wondered out loud, narrowing her eyes, making Max slightly blush.

"I only had a small bite," Max said, stating that he hadn't eaten breakfast just yet. She smiled at him. Of course he hadn't eaten without her. Sitting on their small, round table, Liz kept watching Max cook. She was still sleepy, she was still sore from the exercise. Hell, she was still paranoid and worried and tense, but for one perfect moment, she was content to be in a kitchen, watching her husband cooking her breakfast. It felt so good. It felt so normal. And normal hadn't been around for so long that Liz thought that she had started to forget what not being on the run was like.

"I could get use to this," she said as Max was bringing the rest of the pancakes to the table, the honey bottle in his other hand. He reached out to steal one more kiss from her.

"I could get use to this too," he said as they broke their kiss, caught up into Liz's perfect moment as well.

But a moment was all it was, at least for now, as they both started to eat, reality crashing back about their whereabouts and circumstances.

"Was Isabel nervous yesterday?" Liz asked, pouring honey on her pancakes, as Max was drowning his with Tabasco sauce. There was something bothering Max, she could tell. But then again, knowing Max, it would be some things. It could never be a singular worry with Max.

"The usual, I guess… She's worried about Jesse… and what Dave might tell her about him," Max quietly said, lost in thoughts about last night. "She's worried too about our parents…"

She's worried about this being a bad decision after all, Liz could tell by the way Max was talking. Because they were all worried about that same thing.

"Well, one thing I can assure you is that talking to that man was one of the strangest experiences I've ever had," Liz said about Dave, and that was some statement, being that she was married to an alien king and all… "I mean, the way he goes about our lives… it can be intimidating… But at the same time, he tells you things, you know… he makes you think about our lives… about everything we ever took for granted… I don't know… he can be seriously annoying at some points, but he has this way of asking things… of saying things… I think he's learning his limits though…" Liz finally finished, unsure of her last statement.

"Well, since Michael only shattered his window, maybe you're right," Max said with a small smile. Oh yeah, that was bothering him too.

"Dave was very casual about it," Liz insisted, as she had insisted the night before when Max had arrived at their apartment and Maria was leaving. "I think he was impressed by it, though."

Max barely nodded as he was cutting his pancake into pieces. "Jake was impressed too, when I shattered the door… For a second I could see it in his eyes…" he trailed off. So, this was the other thing that was bothering him. Liz smiled, understanding it.

"You know," she said, looking straight at him, "you're tired, you're all stressed out, you're barely sleeping at all… of course you were going to lose control at some point or another." He didn't look up for a second or two.

"It wasn't a nice feeling, that's all," Max said, trying to let the subject go. Failing, he sighed. Liz knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Max just losing control of his powers at Jake's lab had been a little too much. He had never lost control of his powers in his life. Not even when he had been drunk had he lost control over them. He had lost control over his fears, but certainly, his powers had worked perfectly well. He had been able to do whatever it was that he had wanted to do.

But yesterday he had lost it, the glass door shattering without him wanting it to.

"I could have hurt someone… I could have hurt Jake…" Max said, looking up to meet her eyes. The implications of hurting Jake were actually pretty high, Liz realized, especially with Dave, but still, Max was taking it too harsh on himself, and if he was expecting for that to not happen again, he better find some way of getting rid of all that extra energy.

"You should work your stress out," she said reassuringly. Max slightly moved his head to his right, frowning a little. "You know," Liz continued, "if you don't let go of all that energy, of course you are going to end up breaking something. Maybe… I don't know, maybe something at the gym might take your mind off of things…"

Max thought about it for some ten seconds. "The first time I really need to use my powers," Max said, letting go a small smile at her, "and Jake's not in the schedule."

She smiled as he smiled at his own thought. "I wonder, though…" Max said, his expression returning to a serious one, "what was bothering Jake so much yesterday… that he wanted to argue with Dave so bad?" Liz raised her eyebrows in response. "You should have heard him, Liz. He said he could kill Dave right then."

"What are you saying?" Liz said, remembering her own exchange of words with the famous Jake, how he had wanted to "pick a fight" with Dave. "That Jake and Dave are fighting over you three?"

"Maybe… But it could mean that whatever Dave wants is not what Jake wants… or it could be another million things… I just don't know what is going on between those two," Max quietly said, his pancakes forgotten, "but I'm not sure if being in the middle of such men is a good thing for us or not."

They both locked onto each other's eyes, neither one thinking -not by a far chance- that it was, at all, a good thing.

TBC…