Ellie
ginger
Eve
Ditte
Carolyn x2
Natalie
mirae01
Ti88
PML
dreamerfiend
stefuh
angelina
zaner1
Omega Ram1
So so sorry for taking so long with this update everyone, hopefully this story hasn't been forgotten, You are all so great, your fb so inspires me to write, thank you so so much!! Im probably rusty especially with this story, hopefull its ok. thanks so much for being so patient with my absence, and yes you sweet people my little girl is getting better every day 
thanks so much for continuing to ask. 
Chapter 19.
Scattered memories that jumbled out of order of time flickered inside Max’s head as he rested against the damp cave wall.
Maria stood with folded arms looking down at him with apprehension not quite convinced that Riverdog had ‘cured’ him.
Breathless from running back up the treacherous mountainside Michael noticed her indifference.
“Maria it’s ok,” Rubbing her shoulder tenderly he leaned in and whispered against the shell of her ear, “I can feel that it worked, he’s different, the connection that the three of us share feels ‘right’ again.”
Looking up at him with confused skeptical eyes Maria stared over at his caressing hand that continued to rise and fall against her arm.
Leaning carefully with her scarf between the wall and her skin for protection from germs bugs and other creepy crawls that she wouldn’t be happy about touching her, Isabel rolled her eyes and sighed.
Michael still trying to catch his breath shrugged his shoulders puzzled by their behavior.
“What? What’s with the staring?”
In an obviously bored impatient tone Isabel pointed to his hand, “Number one you are being incredibly helpful with out an argument or lengthy discussion over who is giving orders and who is following them. Two, you are comforting someone with selfless affection that you know will not be rewarded with some sexual favor. Three you are comforting someone with selfless affection that you know will not be rewarded with some sexual favor. Color me surprised to say the very least Michael.”
Instantly removing his hand Michael stood tall with his arms now folded across his chest that he was trying to push up and out to make him look more muscular.
“I was just trying to suppress Maria’s need to get hysterical the way she does in a crisis, the last thing we need is negative energy surrounding Maxwell right now.”
Raising her eyebrows Isabel cocked her head to the side and chuckled sardonically. “Oh yes and you would be the expert on staying calm and cool in a stressful situation.”
“At least I don’t get all judgy and critical like you! Is it all possible for once in your life to keep one single solitary opinion to yourself? I suppose retaining your crown of Bitch of the Year is still your secret weapon for dealing with out of control dangerous missions.”
“Hey did you just say I’m hysterical?? And this coming from a boy who thinks blaring ‘enter sand man’ is the sure fire cure for just about everything!”
“Quiet children! Your leader is trying to speak, now is not the time for adolescent bickering, your lives are very much at risk. Go home and tend to Max and the girl, they are far from well and need to rest and heal.”
Feeling as if they were just sent to the principals office the three of them became instantly silent as they knelt down to hear Max more clearly.
Reaching out Max grabbed Michael’s arm still very much concerned for Liz.
His voice was weak and trembling as he tried to block the quick moving flashes of memories that shot out of order through his brain like a pinball machine.
“We’re wasting time, you have to get Isabel and Maria down to the car. She could be anywhere and I can’t fight her like this. We have to get somewhere safe.”
Brushing some dirt off her hundred dollar jeans Isabel closed her eyes as something quite important dawned on her. “Max where exactly can we go? The only place without parents is crawling with FBI agents, which maybe dead or alive thanks to our misfiring man with a plan over here.”
Drawing in a deep breath Max tried to steady his rapid heartbeat. “Riverdog has a shack up past the old mill on Bear Head Mountain. We’ll be safe there, at least for now.”
Simultaneously the girls uttered the word ‘shack’ shocked at what that implied.
Maria pulled her arms through her coat as she walked glumly towards the entrance to the cave mumbling to herself about no running water and how she would hold it forever before peeing in a hole in the ground.
Kneeling down once more Isabel suddenly felt bad for her ranting as sweat trickled down the sides of Max’s handsome face.
“Sorry little brother I guess this night is just getting to me, I don’t like not knowing where that bitch is. It’s giving me the willies, I know its impossible but I can’t help feeling as if she’s watching every move we make.”
Shaking as he tried to focus on standing up Max nodding in agreement, “The sooner we get out of here the better, we’re too vulnerable right now. Go with Michael, I’ll be down in a minute.”
Signaling to Maria to just go she sat down next to Max and put her arm around his shoulder supporting his sweaty spinning head.
“Isabel what are you doing? Go with Michael, its not safe here.”
Winking she squeezed his shoulder, “Sorry Max, where you go I go, we don’t separate, remember?” Looking sadly down at their laced fingers Isabel lowered her voice. “I didn’t mean …sorry Max I-I …”
Cutting her off he smiled faintly. “ I do remember, the pact we made as kids. I do remember.”
Her eyes glassed over with uncommon tears feeling as if she got a little piece of her brother back. “I missed you, I was so afraid I had lost you forever.”
Flashing a crooked smile Max’s hoarse voice whispered against the coolness of the cave. “Not a chance.”
They both look up in time to see Michael and Maria turn on their flashlights as they exited the darkened entrance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting in the large dark blue car Jim shook his foot nervously and tapped his fingers on the dashboard. “Look my son hangs out with these kids, you need to fill me in on what’s going on.”
Distracted by the list of names that she had been looking up in her notes Kathleen mumbled as she intermittently crossed off some and circled others. “ Not recently he hasn’t, we believe he’s safe at the moment. The main focus is on Max, his sister their friend Michael Guerin and three others.”
Twenty minutes had gone by, twenty long minutes of Jim being patient watching her choke back tears and anxiously run her fingers through her hair.
“Look I think I’ve been pretty calm up till now, I understand you’ve gotten some very distressing news and I feel for you, really I do but if those kids are out there in trouble sitting in this car is not exactly going to help them.”
Sighing she held her hand up as she tried once again to pull herself together.
“Ok I’ve got a few leads on where they might have gone, we’ve been following them for quite a while now. First we’ll check their homes, I doubt that their there but at least we can rule it out.”
Taking his cowboy hat off to wipe his brow Jim’s eyes flared with intensity, “And then?”
Tapping the end of her pencil on her yellow legal pad she bit her lip trying hard to concentrate leaving the fact the her lover was just murdered by the very people she worked for and pledged to protect.
“Ok these two are long shots but Max has recently began working at the UFO museum on Main street, his boss is a fanatic about aliens, maybe Max has struck up a friendship with him, maybe he would protect them, hide them out there.”
Nodding Jim still had a hard time grasping the fact that Max wasn’t human, that his father was right all these years, but to what extent and why was Kathleen trying to protect them. He need answers and needed them now.
“And the third?”
Still focused on her notes she wiped away a stray tear and cleared her throat as she bravely looked up at Jim.
“A few weeks ago we witnessed them taking several trips to a local reservation just outside of town. First Liz went alone, after that Max and went with her. That was the night you decide to play traffic cop and bust my identity. We thought we lost them for a moment but a tracer placed in Liz’s backpack told us exactly where they were. There were more excursions to this Indian reservation but the tracer was lost somehow in the woods.”
“How?”
Shrugging her shoulders she shook her head, we don’t know maybe they found it, maybe it just fell off, regardless it’s a point of interest worth investigating.
Just then a pair of bright high beams popped up over the hill between a couple of trees about a half a mile away.
“Damn they found us”
Looking back at the lights Jim pulled out his piece, “What now?”
Spotting Jim’s bronco just a few feet away she yelled at him to run.
”We have to ditch the car! I’m sure its how they found us!”
Jumping in the car she yelling at him to drive as she quickly turned of the headlights he just turned on.
As they sped down the dirt road Jim took a path he was sure no one would know to follow.
Reaching in her purse Kathleen pulled out her cell phone and threw it out the window making sure it smashed against a tree.
“We need a safe place to go for now until we shake this tail, any ideas?”
Nodding his head Jim tilted up his hat still reeling from the reality of what was happening, still his only thought at the moment was to check on Kyle.
Even though Kathleen was convinced he was safe he had to be sure himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speeding down the twisting curved road they both clung to one another blind from the canvas bags that had been secured over their heads ...they were scared to death.
Shivering and weak Liz snuggled close to Alex for the comfort she knew she could always expect from her best friend.
Her voice cracked as she tried desperately to hold back the sting of her tears.
“I’m so sorry Alex, it’s my fault you’re here. I’m so sorry.”
Equally scared and not afraid to show it his voice trembled just as hard as he nuzzled Liz trying hard to ease her pain.
“Now you listen here little lady, you’re my friend …my best friend in fact. Believe me there’s no one I’d rather be kidnapped with by evil aliens, even if I do end up getting probed with pointy metal objects in places I’d rather never see the light of day.”
Alex’s feeble attempt to lighten the mood was dashed as the Jetta came to a screeching halt.
Several moments went by as they sat in silence with their hands tied behind their backs blinded and unable to move.
Clearing his throat he somehow gathered up the courage to speak to her.
“Listen Tess, it’s true you have Liz, which is clearly what you wanted but there is something you should know.”
She released a soft sigh of indifference as she tapped her nails on the steering wheel waiting for Nasedo to arrive.
Her voice was smooth and silky, sexy in a scary way like a twisted mental patient with the knowledge that she was attractive to the opposite sex and used this sex appeal as a weapon.
“Really Alex, and what exactly would that be?”
Playing on a hunch that she knew more about Max’s powers then perhaps they did he swallowed hard pulling courage from every James Bond movie he had seen. He had to sell this, he had to be confident and cool.
It was no secret none of these qualities were Alex’s strong points but this was Liz’s life that was on the line.
This bluff had to be believable.
“Back in the cave, Riverdog was able to restore Max’s memories…all of his memories Tess. It won’t be long before he finds us, I’m no expert in alien revenge but if I were you I wouldn’t want to face the wrath and power he’ll use against anyone who kidnapped his girl….but of course that’s just me.”
Silence once again filled the tense air until they heard the front door open and slam quickly.
Still blind Liz turned towards Alex, her breathing was shallow, her pulse dangerously slow.
Whispering softly she rested her head on Alex’s shoulder painfully missing her Max.
“That was brilliant Alex…I just hope it spooked her.”
Closing his eyes tight he knew that now Max depended on him to keep Liz safe. How he would do this was lost on him but he would do everything in his power to protect her.
`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leaving Maria behind Michael ran as fast as he could back up the rugged hill tripping over jagged rocks and cacti rattled to his very core.
Stumbling into the cave he fell to his knees unable to look Max in the eye.
Immediately Max knew.
“I’m so sorry. She must’ve been here the whole time watching us. I have no idea how she found us. There’s ho possible way, it just doesn’t make any sense!”
Drained and torn with despair Max fell to his knees clutching his head in his hands.
Confused Isabel wrapped her arms around him keeping him from completely falling to the ground.
“What is it? What happened Michael?!”
Breathless he strained to even say the words.
“Liz and Alex…they’re gone. She’s got them. Tess found us.”
Gasping Isabel mouthed his name fearing she would never see him again as Max shook in her arms with a rage he had never felt before.
He knew more than ever that they had to pull together if they were going to get Liz and Alex back.
This time he would not go it alone, he was smarter, calmer more calculating and by sheer will getting stronger by each passing second.
If it was a fight she wanted...this time he would be ready.
