A/N- I don't own anything but this story.

Chapter 3- Making Plans.

Liz was about to argue when another surge hit her hard. Swaying he noticed her about to drop and caught her just as she fell. She was burning up. Damn it Max. He wasn't far from his house and carried her to his place, using his power to open the door and drop her gently on the couch. He made her decision for her. He rang her dad. Jeff answered. ''Hello?'' Michael closed his eyes and took another look at Liz. She was too pale and covered in green.

Praying she wouldn't hate

him for doing this, he answered ''Hi Mr Parker, it's Michael.'' ''Michael, what's wrong? Have you seen Liz? She went out for a walk and I haven't heard from her.'' Her dad was worried. He quietly swore. ''Well Mr Parker, Liz found me sat on a bench and we got talking. She passed out on me. She has been down with a nasty virus for a few days now and it could be the flu. I know she was meant to leave tomorrow but she needs a week at least to get over this.'' Her dad was quiet. ''So that is what happened with the screener for Harvard. She has the flu.'' He winced. Max had mentioned something about a Harvard interview and Liz but still. Ouch. This could have cost her a dream, her main dream. No wonder she wanted out.

''She tried to tell me she had a headache and I just kept pushing her. Ok, does she need a doctor or a good nights rest and the week off work and school

? Michael, which one is it?'' Michael just knew he would be in trouble with Liz when she woke up. He sighed. He knew what he needed to do. At least she'd be alive to argue with him. ''It's the second one. I'll keep an eye on her tonight here and call the doctor myself if I need to. Is that ok?'' He heard her dad sigh in relief. ''Yeah, that's fine Michael. Just bring her home in the morning ok?'' ''Sure Mr Parker.'' ''Call me Jeff, Michael, please. You are taking care of my daughter tonight. I think that puts us past our titles don't you?''

Michael had to smile. ''Yes it does.'' ''Good. I'm glad you agree Michael, as far as I am concerned, according to my daughter, you are a good friend to her. I'm glad she has you watching over tonight.'' He was stunned. ''Thank you.'' ''You're welcome. Good night and please give Liz a kiss good night from me. On the forehead should be fine.'' Michael heard the message loud and clear. I'm trusting you with my daughter tonight, don't make me regret it. ''Got it?'' His tone was sharp. ''Got it.'' ''Good. Good night.'' ''Good night.'' Her dad hung up. Michael breathed a sigh of relief; that was close! How had Liz covered them all this time?!

He made his second call to Maria. She immediately picked up. ''Michael, what is it? Do you know what time it is?'' he immediately sighed in frustration and said the one thing that would shut her up. ''It's Liz. She's passed out, covered in green on my couch.'' Maria reacted as predicted. ''She's what?! What happened? Is she ok? Of course she's not ok, she's passed out. I'm on my way.'' Michael fought the urge to hit the wall. ''Maria, STOP! Liz is safe here tonight, you pack for New York.'' He was struggling to control his temper. ''How can I go to New York now? Liz needs me.'' Her pitch was rising in protest.

'DAMN IT! If there was one thing he and Liz had both agreed on, it was to keep the others safe and that included Maria. She refused to go now, she would be in danger. She had to get out now.' He made up his mind. ''Maria, sit down now. Liz wants you to go right?'' He'd made it an order. His second one tonight. His first had been followed through by his own hand he'd hoped. He had no control over this one. The quiet ''yes'' played into his hands.

He'd been guessing. He guessed he knew Liz better than he thought when it came to Maria. ''I'll get Liz to call you when she wakes go to New York.'' ''Fine. She'd better call.'' Her tone was petulant. ''She will. She told me to tell you to go to New York'' ''Liz said that?'' He winced. Keeping his tone light, he replied ''Yes.'' ''So, when I speak to Liz, my best friend, tomorrow, she will confirm this?'' Her tone hurt. ''Yes'' he said with a sigh.

Maria sighed. ''I'm sorry Michael, I'm just worried. I trust you to keep her safe. Just tell her I'll call her in the morning and see what you can do to help her please?''

''Of course Maria, it's ok. Have fun in New York and good luck.'' He hoped that would be the end of it. As usual, he was wrong.

''So you'll see what you can do to help balance her out then?'' Maria was insist. ''Yes'' he hissed ''I promise. I was going to do that anyway.'' Maria was immediately repentant. ''Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?'' ''You never gave me the chance to'' he uttered with a sigh, throwing his head back in frustration. ''Fine, fine, when she wakes up, just give her a hug from me. Night space boy.'' ''Night Maria'' Michael finally hung up the phone and turned back to a green, glowing Liz.

Well now that that was sorted, he just had Max to yell at. She was bad. He'd hoped she'd never get this bad ever and there she was, glowing on his couch. When Max had pointed out to him the fact they owed her, he hadn't been lying. They did. He did.

When he had been drunk that New Year's Eve, it had been Liz that had helped him, not Maria. Well Liz and her dad. Liz had found him struggling on the floor, had immediately dropped what she had been doing, helped him up the stairs with her dad and had lent him her bed for the second time that night and she hadn't lied about why either. It had been the perfect cover for him that night.

He still didn't know how he ended up without his t shirt or jacket on that morning- Liz had never mentioned it- and had honoured their agreement by not telling Maria where he had slept alone. He seriously owed her for that alone. It was time for him to repay the favour. If Max couldn't bring her balance, he would. He'd make it ok for her again. She had gone through enough for them, him. He would make this right for her.

Knelt down next to her, he held her hand and wondered where the heck Max was. Max came barging in at that point. ''Michael, help I...'' Max trailed off when he saw Liz lying there and Michael next to her. He knelt down beside Michael. ''Michael, what happened?'' ''Liz fainted on me when we were talking earlier. Her power surges are getting stronger and one made her faint. She told me what you did to try to heal her was to take it away completely to fix it. You've pushed it too far Maxwell, all she needed was to achieve balance. Her powers are part of her.'' He knew from tonight they were, he just hoped she didn't reject Max's help this time. She couldn't afford to.

Max didn't know what to say to that. ''I was only trying to help.'' Max was sorry, he could tell. He scratched his eyebrow. ''Now you can Maxwell, use one stone and focus on balance instead.'' He handed him Max's stone. Max nodded and Michael stepped back. Max took Liz's hand with his spare hand and focused on balancing her out with her powers. Liz had other ideas.

As soon as Max's power touched hers, she rejected him. She wasn't interested. Max let go of her power with an ouch. That had stung. He looked at Michael, who had seen what had happened. ''She rejected me Michael, he looked lost, I'm going to bed. Can you try to balance her please? She might just accept you.'' Michael was confused by that statement.

''Sure'' he said when Max just looked at him. Max smiled. ''Thank you Michael, now where will I sleep?'' He shook his head before answering ''Take my bed Maxwell, I'll sleep out here.'' Max was surprised and Michael sighed, having felt the need to explain. ''I promised her dad I would keep an eye on her. It was part of the deal for her to stay here tonight. Just bring me through my sleeping bag.'' Satisfied, Max nodded and handed him the sleeping bag. ''Thank you'' Max just stood there, looking at Liz and back at Michael with a warning look in his eye, then with a nod, simply said ''Good night Michael'' with a last longing look at Liz, left the room and shut the door behind him.

'Seriously Maxwell needed to lighten up sometimes, well a lot. As if he'd make a move on Liz. He had been tempted once before when she had that blind date and was all made up. In his opinion, she hadn't needed it. Her look at prom had been perfect for her. Light, simple and natural and completely off limits if he had been single at the time. Now here she was on his couch, looking not human but alien and to him, she suddenly looked perfect. Oh great, why did Max have to choose now to be right.'

Liz whimpered in pain. He picked up his stone and was by her side. 'Please let this work.' Making a connection to her power with his own, he focused on balancing out her energy, aware she had tried this once herself to help him. It truly was time to repay debts. He felt her power responding. It was working. Liz twitched, then relaxed as the power resettled into her body, the green disappearing from her skin and he was hit by a vision of a meeting and something about a mini van.

It faded as Liz woke up, having dreamed of a future she wanted to avoid if she could. She found herself on a couch as she woke up, a semi-familiar one. Michael's, it was his couch. Liz groaned, now fully awake with a massive headache. She fought to remember the last thing she'd done. Arguing with Michael about saving her life, then a power flare up, then nothing except for brief moments of pain, dreams of the future and finally a feeling of balance and peace. She sat up, the pain was gone.

Michael was exhausted and nearly jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up in shock to see Liz awake. ''Michael.'' Her voice was quiet but full of relief. He let go of the stone and hugged her tightly. Keeping an arm around her, he leaned back to look at her. ''You scared me Parker, are you ok? Do you need any more healing or...'' Liz cut him off ''Michael, I'm fine now thank you. Aside from a slight headache, I'm me again.''

Michael frowned at the mention of a headache and brushed his hand against her forehead lightly to remove the last of it with a brush of heat, her eyes closing as she let him work. He took his hand away and she looked at him with a smile of thanks. He leaned forward and whispered ''you're welcome'' before lightly kissing her hair. When he had pulled back, she just looked at him puzzled and Michael blushed. ''That kiss was meant to have been from your dad as a kiss good night. He asked me to do it for him in a very safe place. The hug was from both Maria and myself.'' Liz grinned. She watched him fidget uncomfortably, scratching his eyebrow as he did so.

It was then she heard Max enter from the bedroom and froze. Her body language changed instantly. Gone was the relaxed stance leaning on his arm and her emotions had been slammed behind her shield. She didn't move. 'Damn, what was he missing here? She was scared of Max. Why?!' Michael didn't know what to think. Something here was very wrong and he was about to get caught up in the cross fire.

She'd looked away from him to her lap, biting her lip, as if she'd done something wrong. 'Max trusted her, didn't he? The thing with Kyle was so long ago... it clicked. He had to be kidding, right?' Nothing was going on between him and Liz, it was innocent. Right... and Tess had been innocently a friend, then there was supposedly Liz and Kyle, which he had never believed but had never understood. He had a funny feeling Liz wasn't exactly up to telling him why right now, not with the staring contest they had going on with each feeling the other out. Liz moved away from him and he wasn't about to leave her alone with this. Not now. She had barely recovered. He grabbed the back of her cardy to keep her in place. She barely glanced at him. All he got was a quick thought with mixed emotions. She barely sounded herself. 'Michael, please let go. I will be fine on the sofa. I don't want you in the middle of this.' She was pleading with him, her strength gone.

He swore. Even now, she was trying to protect him. 'No. You are not protecting me this time. I won't let you. You need me. Trust me, you are not up to doing this alone right now. No more stonewalling me.' His mental voice was stern but understanding. Liz mentally nodded her ok to that. Physically she just relaxed against him and he unhappily noticed Max glaring at her for her actions.

Max had walked in, expecting to see Michael away from Liz and keeping an eye on her from a distance once he'd helped her and let him know of course. As Michael hadn't seen him yet, he'd assumed he hadn't helped her yet. He'd walked in to find the two of them close together and glared at Liz to make her move away from Michael. She had started to, only for Michael to stop her and she had chosen to stay put, relaxing instead. Max wasn't happy about that. She'd said she'd wanted to sort this on her own, yet there she was with Michael. He'd give her a chance to explain herself.

Max broke the stand off first, his tone cool. Michael's eyebrow rose at that, glancing at Liz's pale face ''You're awake, are you ok now?'' Liz quietly answered ''Yes, Michael has just finished healing me. I am balanced out now.'' Michael noticed she hadn't mentioned him healing her headache or any flashes of the future either of them had had separate or together. She was still protecting him. Only now he was beginning to see why. Max nodded ''Good, think you can sit up now on your own?'' he asked pointedly with a nod at Michael's arm around her back. His ears were red.

It was Michael who to her surprise answered for her with a raised eyebrow.''Maxwell, Parker here has already fainted once and has just got her power balanced out. Even I needed to sleep this off and I am a hybrid. How much more sleep and support as a human do you think Parker here will need?'' His tone was puzzled at Max's behaviour and he scratched his eyebrow in confusion at Liz's response to his reply.

He sensed she was about to move away and tightened his grip. 'Where do you think you're going?' he sent to her, 'you know I'm just trying to help.' Her mental reply shocked him 'Thanks Michael, you do realise you just gave Max a reason to order you to let him take care of me and decide to 'fix' things between him and me to get me to let him get back together with me.' 'He wouldn't, would he?' came his hesitant reply. 'Yep and unless you can come up with a reason to need to talk to me in 5 seconds, he will be.' Michael was surprised and realised there was and it was safe- Maria.

He heard Liz counting down '5,4,3,2...1'. Just as Max was about to speak, he spoke ''I need to ask Liz about Maria. She can see you afterwards.'' Max was hesitant, ''Well if Liz is sure, I mean I could check...'' He never got to finish his sentence. Liz had finally heard enough. 'Did he not trust Michael with healing her or trust him with her or her with him?' Liz paled. 'It was her with him.' She saw red.