CHAPTER 41
Maria

She observed the petite girl seated opposite her at the wooden picnic table at their latest pit stop along route SK-11 North. The rest place was situated slightly off the highway, surrounded by a couple of trees, and a handful of picnic tables were positioned around the area in a random pattern. Liz was hugging the thin jacket to her body against the chilly Canadian October air, staring down at the half-eaten apple in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" Maria's concerned question had Liz look up at her sharply and Maria got the feeling that she might have startled her.

The left corner of Liz's mouth twitched, as if she tried to smile but then abandoned the idea. "I'm okay."

"You're looking worse than me," Maria noted, watching Liz look skittishly to her left and then to her right. "And I'm the one that's pregnant."

This got Liz's attention and even pulled a small smile from the girl. "It's just… a lot."

Maria smiled at her reassuringly and nodded. "Yeah."

Liz released one of her hands from its tight grip around her body and brought it to her mouth. Absently, she bit at the edge of her thumb. Meeting Maria's eyes, Liz whispered, "How do you do it?"

Maria gestured around them in question. "This?"

Liz nodded. "Everything."

"I've known these people for most of my life. My entire adult life." She offered Liz a smile. "You get used to it."

Maria watched the brown hair blow around Liz's face in the cold wind. Liz rarely ever put her hair up, Maria noted, while she herself enjoyed intricate braids and creative hairstyles in her blonde hair.

"Although… I've never been on the run with them." She laughed softly. "I've never been on the run, period."

Liz huddled into her jacket. "What about having Michael's baby? That doesn't scare you?"

Maria shook her head. She was a bit shocked about that herself. One should possibly be a bit wary of having an alien baby, but to her - who had known Michael for a very very long time - it seemed natural. It didn't seem the least weird to her.

She shook her head. "No more than having anyone else's child. I mean, of course I'm a bit freaked out about being a mother. I can barely take care of myself and in a couple of months I have to raise a little person. But Michael being who he is - being alien - it doesn't freak me out. It's not odd to me."

Liz nodded and looked briefly to her side. Maria followed her look to their male companionship, standing by their car. For the moment, a red Honda. Guessing that Liz wasn't looking at Michael, but rather at Max, Maria smiled.

Liz caught her smile and a smile of her own fluttered across her lips, before she said, "It's not weird to me either. About Max, I mean."

Maria reined in the smile that wanted to grow larger. Liz was comparing her relationship to Max with Maria's relationship to Michael, which could only mean what Maria had long suspected. Liz had feelings for Max. 'Too strong' feelings probably.

"What was your reaction when he told you?" Maria asked, really wanting to know. "When he told you who he really is."

Liz brought her hands up to her mouth in the shape of a cup and blew hot air into them, trying to warm her cold fingers. She avoided Maria's eyes as she answered, "I was still in shock from what had happened with David when he told me. I think that helped. Nothing could shock me at that point."

Liz's last sentence was accompanied by a sheepish smile as Liz looked up at Maria, and Maria chuckled. "I can imagine."

"When do you think they'll be ready?" Liz questioned, her lips slowly turning a shade of blue.

Maria had a feeling that the pregnancy was giving her hot flashes, which was protecting her somewhat from the Canadian autumn, but Liz wasn't as fortunate.

Maria hitched her chin in the direction of Liz's half-eaten apple. "You're not gonna eat that?"

"No appetite," Liz mumbled evasively, as if she was expecting to be hassled about it.

But Maria let it slide. Everyone could see that the 'road trip' had taken its toll on Liz specifically. Especially with her nightmares and accompanied lack of sleep. Apparently, it seemed to have a negative effect on her appetite. Maria looked longingly at the apple. Her appetite was far from decreased.

"You mind if I take it?" Maria asked, which earned a quiet laugh from Liz. Maria warmed at the laugh, happy to have been able to get a laugh out of the troubled travel companion.

"Help yourself," Liz replied, cupping her hands up to her mouth for warmth yet again.

"You should go and sit in the car. You'll get sick out here."

Liz nodded, looking around her.

She keeps doing that, Maria thought. She's grown even more paranoid than Max.

"Yeah," Liz agreed and rose on stiff legs.

"I'm right behind you," Maria said, snatching the apple off the table and sinking her teeth into it. Mmmmm, fooood.

Liz

She was so tired she could barely stand upright.

The darkness of the evening was intruding on her surroundings as she was pushing coins into the vending machine. Last night had been the first night Max had stayed with her. She had lost the argument, resulting in him from now on keeping watch over her and her nightmares, sparing the rest of the group from the horrors of her dreams.

Last night had been the first night she hadn't been haunted by nightmares, but that might have been due to her insomnia.

Even with the heavy fatigue of her body, the knowledge that Max was sleeping just three feet away (in a separate bed, but still) had kept her awake. Her thoughts had plagued her, forcing her to analyze what Max might feel towards her, analyzing what might happen from now on. Not just once had her mind gone over the kiss at the mall, the feel of his hands on her skin, the restrained pressure against her lips. The memories made her warm, resulting in a lot of tossing and turning under the duvet, trying to get comfortable in her own skin.

In the short intervals that she managed to temporarily abolish her memories, she started obsessing about her imminent danger instead; the danger of being taken by the FBI. Max hadn't had any more premonitions, so there was always the hope that they had managed to change the future and avert the danger.

But Liz couldn't shake the paralyzing paranoia from her bones, couldn't stop herself from jumping at every sudden unexpected noise, wanting to crawl under her covers at night if a tree branch happened to scrape against the window. She had started to expect the worse, had started to become afraid of her own shadow. In an odd way, it would have been a relief to be taken by the FBI, to let it happen. Because the fear of whatmight happen was slowly eating her up inside.

The hardest part was that she couldn't confide in anyone about it. She didn't want to burden the others with her fears and her worries. She didn't want them to perceive her as weak; that she wasn't worthy of their company and this trip.

The coins clanged in the machine and she pressed the button for a chocolate bar. Her appetite was tragic, but she had gotten a sudden sugar craving about ten minutes ago and figured she might as well make the best of it and actually eat something.

There was a dull bang next to her and she jumped, her hand frozen in position, halfway into the collecting tray about to snatch up the chocolate bar. Her heart hammered against her chest as she turned and surveyed the dark parking lot. Empty. Except for two parked cars the parking lot was completely empty. She let a couple of seconds pass without anything happening before she could let herself relax somewhat and quickly pull her hand back. Pushing the bar into her pocket, she hugged the jacket to her body and hurried back into the building, heading towards the motel room.

It was barely after eight p.m., but they had already retired to their rooms wanting to make an early start the next day. Plus, the majority of the group was still recuperating from sleep lost due to her nightmares.

Liz's hand was shaking as she, in the light of the cream-painted hallway, tried to get the key into the lock to room number 203. Max and her room.

After some fiddling, she got the door unlocked and pushed the door open. The room was dark and she automatically reached for the switch to the left as her eyes traveled into the room and froze, before flicking the switch.

There were two shapes on top of one of the single bed and her acute hearing, heightened by her previous adrenaline surge, took in the sound of lips meeting lips, of soft moans and hands gliding across fabric and skin. Her hand hung in the air on top of the switch as she held her breath, letting her eyes get used to the darkness, expecting the worst. Through the darkness, the soft S-curve of a female back on top of a male shape reached her line of vision.

She only watched for three seconds, but it felt like an eternity as she recorded the nightmare, the real life nightmare, in front of her. Of Tess, with her blonde curly hair glinting in the dim light from the opened front door, merely clad in a black lacy bra, straddling Max who was in his boxers. His hands were running across her overly-exposed back, their lips moving together in a sensual make-out session.

Liz felt vomit push its way up her throat as she backed out of the room until she hit the opposite wall of the hallway with her back. The impact jolted her into action and with a hand pressed to her mouth, she ran for the door that would take her to the parking lot. The darkness enfolded her with its coolness and anonymity as she pushed through the glass door. She stumbled towards the bricked wall, bending over a flower bed, prepared to turn her stomach inside out. But nothing came out. There was nothing to throw up; her stomach was empty.

She inhaled sharply, which elicited a violent sob. Startled at the sound, she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and put her other hand up against the bricked wall, leaning her weight against it as she tried to catch her breath. But her weary body wanted to cry, wanted to scream, wanted to rip out the pain from her heart, rip out her heart.

How could he?

She had never felt so betrayed, so hurt. They were not a couple, as she kept telling herself, but there was something there. She was sure of it. He cared for her, as she cared for him.

How could he kiss her?

Her whole body was shaking, and occupied with trying to subdue the sobs which were trying to break her body apart, she didn't hear the sound behind her.

There was a prick at the side of her neck and with a startled cry she started to turn, her body searching for adrenaline, but the needle that had been inserted into her neck muscle had nicked the jugular, making the sedative work quickly as it rushed into her blood stream.

She never saw her attacker.