Hi everyone! I apologize for not being able to update in awhile and I don't have much to give you now either, but at least it's one chapter and I'll continue to write on this story as soon as I complete my other story – which I've been writing on for, well it must be about three years. So it really needs to be finished off. Thank you so much for your patience!

Hugs,

Jo

Chapter 48

"So," Alex said, looking at Isabel out of the corner of his eye. "You are not like…uhm…other people?"
Isabel scratched at a stone protruding from the ground with her shoe, and answered, with guilt in her voice, "No."
"So," Alex said again, "What are you? I mean, what do you do? I mean, what makes you so different from others? I mean-"
Isabel looked up at him, the unusual mixture of fear and amusement on her face. "What do you mean really?"
Alex sighed in frustration, raking his hand through his hair, making it stand up in all directions. Isabel couldn't help but think that it looked incredibly cute, before she stopped her line of thinking, admonishing herself for even feeling the slightest feeling towards this…this… human.
"What makes you so different?" Alex said.
By habit, Isabel looked around herself. They were out in the open street. There weren't any people nearby, but you never knew who was listening.
"Not here," Isabel said.
"Not-"
"Let's wait until we get to the hotel room," Isabel interrupted.
"Oh, okay," Alex said, following Isabel's eyes and looking around him. He still didn't know what he was still doing here. He kept telling himself it was because he didn't want to leave Liz alone, but another truth was making itself more and more apparent. The Amazon woman next to him intrigued him and he wanted to know more about her. She scared him to death, but still he was interested. It was weird. That's the only way he could describe it.

Isabel and Michael had met up with Maria and Alex at the diner, just as Maria and Alex had ordered. They were just about to return to the room, since Alex didn't feel too comfortable with leaving Liz out of his view for too long, when Maria received a phone call from her mother. Michael, not wanting to leave her alone, told Isabel and Alex to go back without them. That's how Alex ended up in Isabel's company, his hands sweating, unsure if it was because of fear, nervousness or just good old hormones. After all, he was walking next to an incredibly beautiful woman, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. That was enough to make his knees shake.

"So, uhm…" Alex nervously chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to come up with something to say to break the silence.
"You always start your sentences like that?" Isabel asked.
Alex's mouth snapped shut and he looked at her in confusion. "Like what?"
"With a word that doesn't mean anything. Just filling space. Like 'so'."
Alex scratched his forehead. "Uhm… I guess. Perhaps."
Isabel just raised an eyebrow and stepped up to the door, discovering that it was locked. And she didn't have a key.
"Alex, do you have a key?" she asked.
"Maria has one," Alex answered.
"Ohkay," Isabel said slowly. She raised her hand and knocked loudly on the door.
No reply.
She hesitated some about what to do, before putting her hand over the lock and quickly looking around her.
"What are you-"
Alex voice was cut off when he saw the bright light emitting from Isabel's hand and he heard a click. The next second, Isabel was opening the door.
"What was- was- You did- what-" Alex started to stutter, his eyes following Isabel's hand when it was opening the door, the light now gone. His voice trailed off when he heard voices inside the room. Isabel's sudden still figure told him that Isabel had heard them too.

The voices of Maria and Michael bickering drifted through the door that had been left ajar after Alex, just seconds later.
"…makes absolutely no sense at all."
"Whatever, Maria."
"No, this isn't just one of your stupid hockey games we're talking about. It's- Oh…"
Michael frowned when Maria suddenly stopped and quickly walked up behind her. "What is…it?"
Looking over her shoulder, his eyes quickly made an assessment of the scene in front of him. Alex and Isabel were standing next to them; Alex was alternating between looking at Isabel and looking towards the double bed, where Maria's and Isabel's complete attention was directed.

Michael couldn't understand a word. But the words filling the room were strangely familiar. Liz and Max were talking to each other. They were both lying on their sides, Max's hand draped over Liz's waist and hers resting against his chest, their faces close together. But they weren't looking at each other. Their eyes were closed and they appeared to be sleeping. If it hadn't been for the fact that their mouths were moving and were forming unearthly words, you could easily assume that they were in fact sleeping.

"What the hell?" Michael murmured.
Isabel looked up at him, discovering first now that he had entered the room. "Michael! What's happening?"
"You tell me," Michael mumbled.
"Do you understand what they are saying?" Maria whispered. She didn't know what she was whispering. It just felt appropriate.
Michael slowly shook his head, his eyes glued to the couple. "I... it's like…"
"It's like I understand the meaning, from the melody of the language, but I can't translate specific words," Isabel said quietly.
"Exactly," Michael agreed, paling more and more with every passing second.
Maria looked at him worriedly. "Michael?"
"How do they know that language?" Isabel asked.
"Okay, could someone let me in on what's happening here?" Maria asked.
Michael glanced at Alex, before leaning towards Maria and whispering the truth, which both Isabel and he knew instinctively, in her ear, so that only she could hear. "It's our language. Our alien language."
Maria's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "It's…? Are you serious?"
Michael nodded, his eyes once again moving back to Max and Liz.
"But how do you-"
"We just do," Isabel answered.
"What are they saying?" Maria asked.
Michael frowned in concentration, and then he shook his head disappointed, with a frustrated sigh. "I don't know what they are saying, just that they are sad… and afraid."
"Why?" Maria whispered. "Is something happening to Liz?"
"I don't think so," Isabel said.

Silence lowered itself over them and Alex looked in confusion back and forth between the persons. "Uhm… what's going on?"
Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him, flashes of surprise in everyone's eyes. They had completely forgotten about his presence.
"Should we wake Max up?"
Everyone looked at Isabel, who was trying to divert the attention back from Alex's question, before he heard something that might make him run away.
"If you can wake him up without touching him, be my guest," Michael mumbled. The purple light was still covering both of them and he definitely didn't want to be the one to try to break through that force field.
"Otherwise we have to stay here and wait for him to wake up," Isabel mumbled, but she didn't move into Max's direction.
Maria looked between Isabel and Michael, reading their insecurities and sighed with resignation. "For God's sake! You guys are the ones with powers and you are scared shitless." Quickly moving up to the bed, she reached out with her hand, something that propelled Michael into action. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
"Are you crazy?" he hissed. "You saw what happened to Isabel when she touched Liz earlier. And you're only human! Think about what that contact could mean to your body."
"What do you mean 'only human'?" Alex asked, but everyone just ignored him.
Michael stared into Maria's stubborn eyes and realized that either he had to do it or she would.
"Fine," he muttered, turned around and clapped his hands over Max's head.
Maria jumped to sigh in defeat. "Is that always your best way to wake up people, Michael? Maybe you should try another method."
Michael shot her a glare, before refocusing his attention on Max. "Hey! Max!! Wake up!!" He emphasized his words with the clapping of his hands.
When Max didn't stir, Michael took a deep breath before reaching out to touch him.
This time it was Maria's turn to stop him. "Wait, Michael. Maybe we shouldn't-"
"Okay, are we staying here forever?" Isabel asked behind them.

Michael removed Maria's fingers from his wrist with his free hand and with one final look into her eyes he touched Max. He could feel Maria's sharp intake of air in anticipation next to him. But nothing happened. He felt a tingle in his fingertips, but he wasn't thrown across the room or electrocuted in any way. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, reminding him of just how afraid he had really been. His hand tightened around Max's arm, shaking him lightly. When Max didn't respond, his motions became more adamant. Why couldn't they wake them up?

TBC…