"Oh my god!" Isabel said when she, Max and Liz burst in to the room 20 minutes later. "What happened to him?"

She ran to the bed and took Michael's hands in hers.

"He collapsed in school" Tess explained. "Kyle and I took him here. Is that okay Liz?"

"Of course" Liz answered.

"How long has he been like this?" Max asked.

"About 20 minutes" Tess answered. "But he woke up once. Right before we took him here."

"Did he say anything?" Liz asked.

"Actually…the only thing he said was Maria."

"Maria?" Liz asked.

"Yeah."

"Maybe I should see if can make a connection to him, and see what's going on with him" Max said and took a step towards Michael.

He gently released Isabel´s hands from Michael's, and took one himself.

He closed his eyes and tried to make the connection…

"Maria!" Michael yelled. "Maria!"

"You don't have to scream spaceboy. I'm right here," Maria said with a smile on her face.

"Maria! It's really you" Michael said.

"Yeah, it's me. So don't just stand there like some alien-freak. Come and give me a hug."

Michael was in front of Maria in two long strides. Then he pulled her into his arms.

God, it felt good to feel her. To smell her and touch her again. Michael felt like it had been years.

He pulled away and looked at her. Really looked at her. She was so beautiful.

"Are you okay?" Michael asked. "They've hurt you, haven't they? I could feel your pain. I could feel everything they did to you."

"Don't worry about that," Maria said.

She gently put her hands behind his head, and pulled his face to hers.

Their lips touched, and Michael felt a tingling sensation run through his whole body.

He deepened the kiss and the sensation grew stronger.

Then Maria suddenly pulled away.

"Although I could stand here and kiss you forever, we do have more important things to do" she said.

Right, Michael thought. For a second he had forget the situation they were in.

For a second he had forgot that this wasn't reality. This was some kind of alternative universe.

Maybe they had met up in the dreamplane?

But he had been in school when it happened.

Maria interrupted his thoughts.

"So what are we gonna do now?" she asked.

"We are going to get you back." Michael said and touched her chin. "You and…"

"And the baby" Maria finished for him. "Our baby."

"Yeah." It felt weird to hear Maria talk about their baby. "What's the deal with that anyway" Michael said, trying to sound casual about it.

"What's the deal?" Maria said smiling. "I actually don't know. But it has been 8 months already since we…you know."

"I know" Michael said. He remembered it very clearly. It had been the best night of his life.

"I guess it has something to do with you being an alien-freak" Maria joked. "I just hope it doesn't come out with green skin and one eye."

"Hey! I take fully offence to that comment" Michael said, and tried to look hurt.

"Yeah right, stonewall Guerin!" Maria exclaimed.

"That wall is gone you know" Michael said, turning serious. "Thanks to you, hurricane DeLuca. You broke it."

"One of my proudest moments" Maria said. "But enough about that. What's your plan? Do you guys know were I am?"

"Alex did."

"Alex?" Maria asked, obviously confused.

"They sent him here to help us get you back" Michael answered.

"Alex is back? Oh my god! That's sooooo great!"

Maria started running around in the desert, laughing and screaming Alex's name.

"Michael" he heard someone say from behind him. Michael turned around and saw Max standing in front of him.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Max said. "You passed out in school, so I connected to you and then I came here."

"Max!" Maria yelled and started running towards them.

"I just told her about Alex, Michael explained. "It's like she's on a happy-pill or something."

When Maria reached them she threw herself in Max´s arms.

"This must be my lucky-day" she said when she let go of him. "First Michael comes. And then he tells me that Alex is back. And then you show up here too. What did I do to deserve this?"

"Just being Maria is enough" Max said and smiled at her. "Everybody misses you a lot" he continued. "But not to worry. We have a plan."

"Yeah? So when am I going to hear about this plan of your's?" Maria asked.

"How about right now?" Max said.

"Sounds like music to my ears."

Maria grabbed Michael and Max´s hands and started walking.

"Just bring it on," she said happily.

And while they told her, she kept swaying their hands back and forth.

It felt great to see Maria smile like this, Michael thought.

Although he knew that before he had came, they had tortured her. They had done things to her that Michael didn't even want his worst enemy to go through.

And he had felt it too. He had felt Maria´s pain like it had been his own.

But when he saw Maria smile and laugh with him and Max, he forgot about all that for a moment…

TBC... Please rewiew!!!!!