Enemy on the Inside
by
Disclaimer: Not mine. Jason Katims. The WB. UPN. All not me, so I guess they're not mine.
Author's Note: This is cliche. I admit it. Hurt/comfort stories are really done much too often. But a good H/C story is the only thing that can make me cry, and I like to write them, as well. Please give it a chance.
Setting: AU-post 'Departure'. Alex is alive, Tess is gone, there is no kid. Michael and Maria as they were, Max and Liz together again, Alex and Isabel, too. Isabel and Kyle's (platonic!) relationship occurred as it did on the show.
Summary: Max's life is threatened by an illness that no one thought would claim the health of the King. What can a helpless group of teenagers do against an enemy that strikes from the inside?
Rating: By chapter
CHAPTER FIVE-PG
Liz stared, in shock, into space for what could have been as long as five or six seconds. Then, gathering herself and ignoring Maria's probing gaze, filled with worry, she managed to respond. "We'll be right there."
Isabel didn't answer, only hung up. Liz listened to the click on the other end of the line, and then sat in the desert, in stunned silence for a long moment. Maria, ever impatient, chose now to learn to virtues of waiting, and sat, simply watching Liz, until her friend could or would tell her what Isabel had said.
Liz came out of her trance abruptly, and grabbed her things, picking up Maria's and tossing them at the other girl. "We have to go," She told her friend. "Max is on the downhill."
Maria didn't question, didn't ask for confirmation. She simply loaded their things into the Jetta, and climbed into the driver's seat. Liz was already buckled into the shotgun seat, staring straight ahead, yet not really looking at anything.
She heard Isabel's broken voice in her head, over and over again. She didn't think she'd ever heard the alien girl's voice crack or break, but she had now. It had trembled, too, in anguish over her brother's condition, something Liz could certainly relate to.
The ride seemed to take forever to the dark-haired human, but it lasted only an anguishing twenty minutes with Maria driving far past the speed limit. They knew that the Sheriff would understand, and probably clear any tickets they might get, but even if they hadn't, the girls probably wouldn't have cared. Max needed them, and that was all that mattered to Liz.
It mattered to Maria, because it mattered to Liz.
Of course, Maria considered Max a friend, even a close one. But she felt so incredibly awful for her friend, because she knew how she would feel if it were Michael's life on the line. Her and Max had a wonderful, open friendship, and she knew she would mourn him with every cell in her body, but it wasn't the same.
Maria knew the feeling of not knowing if you could get through another day without the person that you loved by your side. For an anguishing hour, that day that the aliens had been going to leave, she'd known the feeling.
Pulling into the Evans' driveway, Maria threw on the parking brake, and watched Liz scramble out of the car. Pulling her keys from the ignition and locking the doors, Maria followed at a fast, but still much more sedate pace.
Alex opened the door, worry and pain written all over his face. He and Max had never been close, but Alex hated to see anyone hurt, and now it was doubly hard, because he knew all of the pain Isabel was experiencing, too. Maria felt for him, knowing that Isabel would never be the same after this. She and Max had a mysterious bond, and Maria wasn't sure what it would do to her, to have him die.
Ushering them silently upstairs, Alex walked dejectedly, with his head down. Maria wasn't sure she'd seen her friend this sad in years, not even when Isabel had rejected him repeatedly. He was taking this incredibly hard, Maria knew. Mostly, probably because of Isabel's pain.
Maria was sure that her best friend was probably an emotional receiver of some kind. He always seemed to know what to say, how to see just what was bothering you, and he always got too upset when other people were. It had made life harder on him in the past couple of years, as Maria and Liz suffered through their first real years of trauma, but he'd come through just as strong a friend as ever, something for which Maria was eternally grateful.
She slowed down as they wandered down the hall towards Max's bedroom, and sidled up to Alex. Pressing herself against him, she felt her body react with plain, wonderful friendship, aching for his pain, and wishing there was something she could do. Technically, they were really in the same place, caught between people who were very close to Max, but realistically, Alex had a lot more to do than she did.
Isabel and Liz were both talkers. Isabel didn't seem like it, on first encounter, but once her trust was won, she was an articulate speaker, who preferred to express her grief in words rather than actions. Liz had always been someone who felt that leaving things unsaid only let wounds fester. Alex was trying to keep up with both of them, trying to be supportive to a girl who was losing her twin brother, and a girl who was losing the only man she thought she'd ever love.
Maria only had to deal with Liz.
Michael, for all that he'd opened up, and managed to show Maria his affection and love, was the crappiest talker she'd ever met. Words seemed to scramble between his brain and his mouth, and his sentences came out all wrong more often than not. For this reason, he'd learned early on that it was safer not to talk at all. Out of this beginning, was Stonewall Guerin born.
Maria tried, tried to get him to speak about his pain, because she knew that he and Max were closer than most brothers, but he wouldn't have anything to do with it. At night, he would cry as they made love in his bed, and she would kiss the tears off his face, but he'd made it clear that talking was just not going to happen.
Reaching Max's door, Maria and Alex stopped to observe the sight before them. Max, pale and sweaty, was blue-lipped and clearly having a hard time breathing. Isabel was holding one of his hands, Liz the other. Kyle was standing in the corner of the room, clearly not sure quite what to do, and Michael was hovering over the group, not really doing anything, but just being there.
Maria and Alex watched their friends silently for some time. Finally, Max fell asleep, and the rest of the group moved slowly from his room, all but Isabel, who stayed behind to watch him.
Reassembling in the living room of the Evans' house, Michael took his role of second-in-command without even a thought. Maria thought momentarily that it was funny he had so much trouble with the idea, but was such a natural in the role, but quickly returned her attention to the matter at hand.
Which was, what they were going to do with Max.
He couldn't stay at home any longer. The Evans' were growing suspicious, and wanted to talk him to a doctor. Now that he was more ill, they might skip the whole doctor thing, which the twins could handle, and go straight to the hospital thing, which Maria wasn't sure that they could.
It was clear that Max, and someone else, would have to leave the town once more.
*********
Michael surveyed the room, wondering who to send with Max. Isabel was the obvious choice, because of her alien abilities and her close connection to Max, but he knew that Liz wouldn't let them go without her. Which left him with a tough decision. Risk Isabel's wrath, and reduce the possibility of the missing teenagers being found by reducing the number of parents looking, or allow both girls to go with his friend, and have to deal with the parental repercussions either way.
Plus, there was always the question of whether either of them would listen to him, had he made up his mind or not.
His eyes swept the room, taking in the state of the alien crowd. Alex was clearly distracted, thinking, and Liz was too, though her head was tilted in the direction of the staircase, clearly watching for any sign from Isabel of Max's condition. Maria was watching him with concern in her eyes, and Kyle was shifting his gaze between all of the five people in the room, never looking at the same place for long.
He spoke, without meeting anyone's eyes.
"Look, it's obvious that Max needs to be gotten out of here." He paused, looking to Maria for... something, he wasn't quite sure what, and she smiled at him, mysteriously giving him the strength to continue.
"Someone's got to go with him, of course. Someone to tell us when we need to meet up with them to... say our good-byes, as well as to take care of him." Tears shone in Liz's eyes, and Michael felt bad for putting them there, but that Max was going to die was a fact of life, one that, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't avoid.
"I know Isabel will want to go. And Liz won't leave his side, I'm sure of that." Michael met Liz's wet eyes, and saw a half of a smile in them, reflecting her gratitude. "I know we all want to go, but we really can't."
Kyle nodded from his corner of the room, watching Michael out of the corner of his eye. "We know," He told the alien, speaking for all of the humans in the room. Maria and Alex nodded their heads in confirmation.
Michael focused his attention on his alien leader's girlfriend, now. "You'll need to get him as far from here as you can," He told Liz, "But not so far that we can't meet you in a few days if need be." He tried not to mention, again, the now-assured possibility that they would need to say their good-byes to Max.
Liz nodded shakily.
Michael continued. "I can't really order Isabel out of going, but I'm going to try and persuade her, very hard. We don't need the Evans' and the Parkers looking for their missing children, and if Isabel's around, she can cover for Max."
He looked over at Liz. "Liz, you're going to take him to Laurie's place in Tucson. We'll warn you if the parents for some reason think to look there, but it should be pretty safe from human interference." He looked around the room, and then his gaze returned to Liz, and he gave her as much of a compassionate glance as ever came from Michael. "Liz, why don't you go be with Max?" He proposed. Liz nodded, never giving it a second thought, and jogged up the stairs.
Michael returned to the rest of the group. "Maria, I don't know how long Liz will be gone," He said softly. "Cover for her as long as possible, but eventually, we may just have to say that we don't know where they are."
Maria nodded, and Michael's eyes wandered the room again.
"Kyle, we'll need your dad in on this, because we're going to need to keep the search for them confined and under control as much as possible." Kyle nodded, but Michael gave no acknowledgment. "I'll call Laurie, and tell her Max and Liz, and maybe Isabel are coming."
Steps on the stairs distracted him, and Michael looked up to see Isabel heading down the stairs, tapping her shoes on the wood as softly as possible. She joined the group silently, her eyes red with past tears, but dry, for the moment.
Michael turned to address her. "Isabel, I really think it would be a good idea if you stayed here."
Isabel didn't get angry or openly upset, simply stated her decision firmly and decisively. "No."
"Isabel-"
"No, Michael."
Michael stared down his sudo-sister for a long moment, and then sighed. "You realize how much harder that's going to make it on the rest of us?" He asked her, though the tone in his voice was dull and free of any real heat.
Isabel didn't answer, but didn't withdraw her insistence, either.
Michael sighed again, and nodded. "Alright. Here's the plan, then.
"You're going to take Max to Tucson, and stay with Laurie. She won't rat on you, she'll help you if you need it, too. But don't get near her aunt and uncle."
Isabel nodded, and Michael continued. "If you need to get a hold of us, call my place, and my place only. Don't call either of Maria's numbers, one of parents might answer them. Certainly don't call here or to Alex's, and don't call the Sheriff's, either, because the parents might be there. So, don't call anybody but me."
Isabel didn't answer, just held his gaze and waited for him to continue. Michael looked over at Maria, who sat placidly in the corner of the couch, and continued. "You leave in two hours. Tell Liz to get her things."
********
Two hours and seven minutes later, their things loaded into the back of the Jeep, Isabel, Liz, and Max pulled out of the Evans' driveway. Tearful good-byes were exchanged, and everyone cried, even Michael, who rarely did so, and Kyle, who wasn't even all that close to the alien king.
Alex hugged Isabel, and told her that he would come as he could, as soon as she called, and they both parted with tears in their eyes. Maria clung to Michael after giving Max a heartfelt hug and brave speech. Max's eyes had filled with tears, but he had been smiling weakly by the time Maria finally stopped talking, oddly enjoying listening to her ramble on.
Lying with his head on Liz's lap, covered by blankets in the backseat of the Jeep, Max raised a hand weakly and waved good-bye to Michael, Maria, Alex and Kyle, who still stood in the driveway of the Evans' house. They all waved back, and among the four, not a single eye was clear of their salty anguish.
The rest of the day, and half the night later, Isabel pulled the Jeep into the elaborate driveway of Michael's sister/granddaughter/cousin's house.
Laurie stepped from the doorway looking sad, but much more together than the last time Isabel had seen her. "Hello," She greeted them, and Liz noted the proper patterns of speech she still employed.
Max dragged himself out of the back of the Jeep, and leaning heavily on both Liz and Isabel, managed to walk himself inside. Breathing hard, he wanted to continue, but his sister and girlfriend forced him to stop and rest in the foyer. Falling onto the couch, he managed a smile for Laurie, in-between pants.
Liz glanced around, and nodded to their host. "I guess you know Isabel," She stated. "I'm Liz, and this is Max." She pointed at her boyfriend, who was still breathing hard on the couch, but coming back from the sickly blue color he turned when he overexerted himself.
Laurie smiled a little, and pointed to the staircase. "When you are ready, I can show you your rooms," She offered.
Liz smiled, and nodded. "Thanks."
Max held up his arms, and grabbed Isabel by the shoulder, pulling himself up. "Let's go."
Liz, a worried expression on her face, nonetheless took her place at Max's other side, supporting a large portion of his weight. The stairs took them a while to manage, but eventually they made it, and Laurie escorted them first to Max's room, a suite of bedroom and bathroom, with a large, queen-sized bed covered in off-white sheets and comforters, and decorated in many shades of white, and very light pastels.
Leaving Isabel with her brother, trying, by alien means, to help his weakened heart circulate the oxygen he took in, Liz followed Laurie to the next room over. Depositing her things, she looked around the room once, noticing it adjoined with Max's by way of the bathroom. Sitting down on the bed, she stared into space for a long moment, and then rose again.
Laurie escorted her back to Max's room, and then took Isabel to the room on the other side of the alien king's. Liz sat down on the side of the bed next to her boyfriend, and looked over at him. Thanks to Isabel's alien-powered help, he was looking fairly normal at the moment, but Liz had seen how pale the other alien was when she left the room. Keeping Max's failing heart running was a real drain on Isabel's system, it seemed.
Kissing him softly on the cheek, she smiled down at him, and resisted the burning sensation in her eyes, trying hard not to cry. Trying to stay strong for Max's sake. After all, it was he who was going to leave this world soon, not her, and he needed her to be strong, right?
Max raised a hand from his side, and wiped a tear from Liz's cheek, a stray droplet of saltwater that had managed to escape her tear ducts, despite her resistance. "It's okay, Liz," He told her softly. "I know how much I'm going to miss you, when I go. And I'm so sad about that..." His voice trailed off, his brown eyes beseeching her to understand.
Liz felt the lump in her throat rise, pushing against her resistance, and ultimately, breaking through. She felt the tears rain down her cheeks in tiny rivers as she collapsed, lying back on the bed and curling up into Max's large but strangely frail form. "I... I should be strong for you," She cried, gasping between sobs. "You must be so scared, and I can't even be supportive of you. Instead, I have to deal with my pain."
Max wrapped his arms around Liz, and pulled her close. "Shh," He comforted her, until she had calmed slightly. Then, pushing pillows behind him, he sat himself, and her, up against the headboard.
"Yes, Liz, I'm scared. But I'm so sad to be leaving you... it must be just as hard for you, knowing that I won't be here soon."
Liz went to protest, but Max pressed a finger against her lips. "I know we haven't really talked about it, but I am dying, Liz. I know that. Isabel's powers can't help me forever, and my heart is failing. It's only a matter of time, now." Max's face looked sad, but resigned. "And it's okay to be scared, Liz. I'm scared to go wherever I'm going next without you, and I imagine it must be just as scary for you to go wherever you're going to go next in life, without me."
Liz nodded, and pressed her head against his chest, careful not to put too much weight on his ribs and heart. She still hiccupped with every breath, her body shaking a little, but had calmed significantly. "I'm so scared, Max. I don't know how to live without you."
Max ran his hand over her silky, free tresses of hair. "And I'm scared to die without you, Liz. But you lived before you met me, and I died before I met you. We'll both make it."
Liz looked up at him, and met his gaze for a long moment. Then, settling her head back, half on his chest and half on the pillows supporting his torso, she snuggled as close to his frail body as she could. "I don't want you to leave, Max," She whispered.
Max hugged her tightly. "I know, Liz."
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