Chapter Fifteen: Isabel
Chapter Fifteen: Isabel

Vilandra felt her brother squeeze her hand tightly, but she also felt Rath's grip loosen, so she held on tighter. She didn't know what was happening, or where she was. It was dark, and she no longer felt like herself.

He told her. Idiot! It was bad enough that he had to heal her in a restaurant full of people, but he told her? And now he wanted to pretend that nothing happened. "Act normal? That's your big plan Max? Don't you realize it's only a matter of time before they find us and turn us over to some government agency where they're gonna test us and prod us, and, oh yeah, exterminate us." He doesn't say anything; hopefully he can see the fear in her eyes.

This is great. She's stuck in a car with Maria Deluca, of all people. Might as well have some fun with her. She sticks her hand over the air conditioner. "Oh my god! What are you doing?" Maria screeches. "Just trying to make it more comfortable in here," she explains. "Don't do that in my car!" She rolls her eyes. "Whatever."

God, it was bad enough being stuck doing that stupid assignment with her, then having her tag along while they look for Michael, and now she spills coffee all over them. "That's great." "I was just trying to be nice," Liz apologizes. "Well, don't okay?" She uses her powers to remove the stain. Why is she still standing there? Chattering on about Elle McPherson? "Isabel," Liz says cautiously, "I'm not trying to take him away from you. I mean, I could never even do that." Isabel rolls her eyes. "I know." Like this girl could ever take her brother from her. Still, she supposes she should get rid of the spill on her sweater too.

"Oh my god. Max? Max. What happened?" She's scared now. Nothing like this has ever happened to them before. Liz explains about the crash. "Max," she worries again, wishing for her brother to open his eyes, for everything to be okay again.

Alex is sitting at a table wearing a tuxedo. The lighting is soft and romantic; there are flowers everywhere. And, then to her shock, she appears. She's wearing a red dress and she looks happy. They begin to dance. "I think that underneath that beautiful exterior, there's an even more beautiful interior," he tells her dream self softly, "but I get the feeling that not too many people get to see that interior, do they?" God, how does he know her so well? "It's too scary to show who you really are. You can show me." Both she and her dream self look at him in wonderment. "I can?" He nods. "Yeah."

She's trying to explain to him about something important, but he just keeps staring at her. Stop it! "Look, the whole staring thing is making me very uncomfortable," she tells him finally. Alex doesn't realize what she's talking about. "What staring thing?" "You haven't taken your eyes off me all night. It's like you're waiting for me to turn into something else." He averts his eyes quickly. "Oh," he stutters, "I'm sorry. I won't stare at you anymore." Why does she suddenly regret telling him?

She hates who she is. She hates keeping everything secret, especially from the one person she loves the most. Her 'brothers' stand before her defiantly. "Michael's right," Max insists, "she's not our mother. We are alone here. We always will be. Stop pretending it's different." Tears well in her eyes and she shakes her head. "Max, don't you see what's happening? We're losing her. We're losing our mother." Her voice cracks. "I can't lose her. I need her." Silence, then – "We're not telling her, Isabel. That is final."

In spite of their real reason for coming out to the woods, she feels really happy sitting here with him, staring up at the stars. For someone who's so intelligent, he really knows nothing about the constellations. She has to explain them to him. "It's amazing," Alex breathes. "What?" she asks, leaning in closer, inconspicuously. "Staring at the stars with you," he says, "I mean, I used to look up here and stars were just stars. One was as good as the next. Somehow with you … it's so wondrous, you know?" She smiles.

She really does want to find her brother, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knows that's really just an excuse. Her heart is fluttering in her chest as he leans in slowly; she's sure his is beating just as quickly. The kiss lasts longer than it probably should have, but she' s reluctant to let go. Stepping back, she puts up her façade again. "Nothing." He looks disappointed. "Nothing?" She shrugs. "Nothing relevant to the current crisis." She's grinning as she walks away.

Everything's been so strange lately. First, they discover that her new friend Tess is the fourth alien, and then all those dreams involving she and Michael – together. Could she really be pregnant? It's all falling into place. She and Michael were destined to be together. But why doesn't she feel anything for him romantically? "What is this going to do to everyone else?" she asks him worriedly, "you and Maria? Me and Alex?" God, poor Alex. Michael shakes his head. "Let's not think about that right now. I just want you to know that I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

"If I'm holding onto you, maybe you won't get lost." Isabel smiles sadly at Alex, and they lay down on Liz's bed. She has to do this, she has to help her brother. His mind is disoriented and for a minute she can't find him. He's scared. He so scared and they're hurting him. "You have to go now," he whispers. "No," she shakes her head firmly, "no I'm not leaving you. Max!"

Everyone's saying goodbye. Alex takes her hands in his. "I know what you need to do and I know that you need to do it alone." They hug. They kiss. "Good luck," he whispers.

"We have to kill him. He used an alien weapon. What human could do that? He's a skin ... whatever that means. And he killed Nasedo and he's been stalking the rest of us. We're at war. It's him or us, and I choose us."

"Right, right. The king. I'm sorry, how could I forget? All I know is, Max, you may be the king, but I am not bowing down to you. Not in this lifetime."

"You don't remember, do you? Let me give you a piece of history about your planet. Your name was Vilandra, and you were beautiful ... even more beautiful than you are now. You had a great love ... and for him, for us, you betrayed your brother, your race. History, my dear, always repeats itself."

"Don't worry. You're safe here with us, Vilandra." "My name is Isabel." "For the moment, but when I looked into your eyes, it was Vilandra who looked back." "No."

"What if we don't come back, Alex?" He held her closer. "You will. I expect to see your beautiful face shining back at me in about a month's time, got it?" She tried to smile, but she was so sad. The sun was beginning to rise and soon, she would be leaving. "Alex, I never told you this before," she said, lifting her head from his chest, "but I love you. I really do." He grinned, kissing her softly. "I love you too."

Isabel was crying when she opened her eyes. Max and Michael were smiling back at her. Now, they wait for Tess. They'll be home soon.