Isabel lay there, she could smell the burnt flesh that lay just out of her sight. Kivar had killed her daughter. Her daughter, strange thought that. The girl was almost her age, and that felt strange. It was as though they had skipped the childhood and the girl had grown within a matter of hours into a sixteen-year-old girl.

What was her daughter like? Did she like any of the same things she did? Did she have many friends, did she have a boyfriend? So many questions that would never be answered.

Isabel had tried to put it behind her, what she did back on Antar. To try to make up for it here, by helping others. By being there for Michael and Max. Nevertheless, she could not run from what she had done, what she was. For she was Vilandra, just a different skin.

Angelique had said to her, like mother like daughter. I am just like you. She had grown up with a traitor for a mother, who betrayed Rath – at least that is what everyone thought. She had even been lied to about whom her father was. Kivar had used that to turn her daughter, to use her. Because of her, her beautiful daughter was dead. She would never get to know her, or be her mother.

Her thoughts turned to Michael. Would he hate her now? Blame her for what Angelique had done, think her a curse? Maybe she was. Did she even have anyone who would love her after this? She felt so alone, and she knew she deserved it all… she deserved death. Everyone would be better off without her. She closed her eyes, and gave up her will to live.

OOOOOOO

The gang was sitting in Michael's place. Liz, Maria, and Kyle were there now. Max sat looking lost. Michael paced and threw dagger like looks towards Max. Liz wanted to help Max, but didn't know if that was a good idea. Tess sat next to him, as she looked at MZ, her look thoughtful. Max caught the look and knew she was trying to get into his head.

"We are wasting time here. We need to go get Isabel back. If the government has her, you know what they will do to her Max. Remember what they did to you? Could Isabel take that?"

Max looked up at his best friend/brother. "No." His words were soft, and sad. Michael knew he didn't like to think about that time.

"If it is Kivar where would he keep them?"

All looked at Jim. Michael looked at him, and answered. "Somewhere abandoned, where we wouldn't expect him to be. But how did he get here, if he's here?"

"Then we have to search, and we will find her."

"We want to help Max, we can make up teams." Replied Liz, as her eyes lingered on Max.

"Okay, we search; no one does anything if you find anything. Call for help. We, I mean Tess, Michael and I will go in. I don't want any of you hurt."

"Max, you know we are good at rescue. How about Liz and you, Michael and I, Jim with Tess and Kyle? Michael looked at Maria, and saw the hope there, and he didn't want to hurt her. However, he wasn't teaming up with her.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I think two teams…Max, Tess, Kyle, and Maria in one team, and the rest in mine."

"Sounds good to me, okay we go to the opposite ends of town and move towards the middle. We meet at the Crashdown, say every two hours."

Liz and Maria were whispering as they group went outside. Jim got in his car along with Michael, MZ, and Liz. As they drove away, they could see the jeep headed in the opposite direction.

Michael sat in the front seat. He glanced back at MZ, only two years younger than he did. That was wild, the very idea. When the dreams had happened he had thought about a baby, not a grown up. He couldn't introduce him around with fatherly pride. Otherwise, he would be wearing a straight jacket by nightfall.

The boy sure looked like him, except he didn't have the rough edges he himself did. If he had known about them, he would have found a way to return to Antar before now. While he was growing up, his children were too.

His thoughts turned to his daughter, so like his Isabel. She would be very popular, as Isabel had been. 'They will have to go through me first to take her out.' Then he smiled, and what would he say to the boys, that would be his age? He could see it now…I want to see your drivers license, I want references, and I want you to know the rules of dating my daughter… no kissing, no touching, and she must be home before eight. They would think him nuts, claiming to be her father. He would have preferred to have his family the normal way, and be older than his kids, lot older than just two years. But then when did his life ever be easy? Nevertheless, it had brought him and Isabel together. Made then realize what they should have done before.

Could he trust MZ, or Angelique? What would he do if they had betrayed them, and caused harm to Isabel? He knew that answer, and the thought hurt, almost as much as the idea of loosing Isabel.