SATURDAY
Max, Michael, Isabel, Kyle, Maria, and Liz were all gathered at the Crashdown, talking about the fair. Since the whole town was going, the six of them decided to go together.
"Well, why don't we all meet here tonight around five o'clock?" Liz asked.
"Sounds good to me, right Max?" Isabel said.
"Yeah, Mom asked us to do something today, but we'll be done early," Max replied.
"I'll be there too," Maria said.
"Me too," Michael told them.
"I guess I can clean tomorrow," Kyle laughed.
"Great! So everyone will meet here at five o'clock, and we'll head to the fair," Liz finalized.
"Well, we better get home, Iz. Mom is gonna want us to finish whatever she has for us to do before we go," Max said.
"Okay, I'm coming! See ya, guys!" Isabel shouted from the door.
"Bye!" They called after her.
"I better go too," Kyle said.
"Okay, have fun vacuuming," Maria told him, and Kyle left. Maria turned to Michael. "I can't believe you're really coming to the fair. I didn't think you would."
"I've gotta watch out for you, Maria. Of course I'm gonna come," Michael replied.
"Shh!" Maria whispered.
"Uh, Maria, I'm gonna go upstairs okay? I'll talk to you later," Liz said.
"Alright," Maria said, absentmindedly.
"Maria, I gotta go now too. I'll see you at five," Michael said.
"Oh, wait…can you drive me home?" Maria asked.
"Sure, come on," Michael replied. Maria followed Michael out to his newest project, an old Toyota he had found at the dump. He had been working on it all summer.
Michael walked around to the passenger side and helped Maria in.
"I'm not helpless you know."
"I know, I'm just…I don't know, it's weird."
"It is weird. How do you think I feel?"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, just stop talking about it," With that Maria ended their conversation. Soon they were in front of her house. Michael stopped at the door, let Maria out and watched her go inside. When she waved from the window, Michael sped off towards his apartment to go get ready.

5:00PM
Liz came down the stairs and through the Crashdown. It was very crowded, and Liz felt almost guilty that she wasn't working, almost. But she shrugged it off and walked out the door. Maria was already waiting.
"How long have you been here?" Liz asked, surprised to see her friend had arrived early.
"Mom just dropped me off. She said she needed the jetta for a trip or something," Maria replied.
"Okay. So I guess we have to wait for everybody now huh?" Liz asked.
"I know, I wish we could just go. We should have agreed to meet at the fair." Maria said.
"Oh well, too late for a change of plans now." Liz replied. A few minutes later, Max and Isabel pulled into the parking lot in their new jeep.
"Hey, Isabel, Max," Liz said.
"Hey guys, no sign of Kyle?" Isabel asked.
"Nope, not yet," Maria replied.
"But I see Michael," Liz said, pointing down the street at the lone figure.
"I hope Kyle doesn't take his sweet time, because I swear-" Maria started, exasperated.
"What? You swear what?" Kyle asked. He had come up behind her, and she hadn't noticed, but by the sound of everyone else's laughter, they had.
"Haha. Very funny," Maria said, sarcastically. She scowled at Kyle, "Can we go now?"
"Yeah, let's go. It's getting dark," Liz said. Michael, Maria, Kyle, and Liz climbed into the back of the jeep, and very uncomfortably, they drove to the fair; listening to complaints about it being too crowded and no one bringing a second car the whole time. When they got there Liz and Maria decided to go straight to the roller coasters, and seeing as no one else liked the roller coasters, they went alone. Kyle, Michael and Max went off together and Isabel was left to wander the fairgrounds alone, just the way she wanted it. Ever since Alex's death, Isabel felt like she wasn't a part of the group anymore. Her connection with Alex had been her strongest tie to the humans. The truth was, Isabel missed Alex more than she would ever be willing to admit. Isabel often talked to Alex, late at night when she felt truly alone. He was her sole confidant, no one else could ever imagine that beautiful, confident, funny, Isabel Evans felt like life was over because of one less dorky guy who drooled all over her. She had too many of those anyway right? But Isabel hoped in her heart that someone would see through her little act, and talk to her about it, help her move on. As Isabel moved through the fair, seeing all the couples holding hands, she remembered when she and Alex had been together. How it could have been them now, but it wasn't. That, she supposed later, was what had brought her to the vacant lot behind the fairgrounds. She sat against one of the trailers, looking out at the world around her, and started to speak to Alex. As soon as she did, he appeared next to her. Only a fragment of her imagination, but it still made her feel better to think that she would always remember his face.
"God, Alex. I know you're really gone, even though I can't get over it. I know that you'll always be with me, but that doesn't help. I miss you too much," Isabel told him.
" I know what we had was special, Isabel. Special to me, special to you, even though you wouldn't admit it. I loved you. But I'm gone now, and you'll always have my heart. You need to move on, you need to get over me. I know it will be hard," Alex laughed, "But you can do it. And I know you know the one person who can help you through it." Isabel thought about this.
"You mean, Kyle?" Isabel asked, bewildered.
"Kyle likes you. You knew that ever since the day you and he played practical jokes on Max together. And you like him too. That's what will make the relationship work. You know each other's secrets. You couldn't be more perfect for each other. You'll see, Isabel," Alex told her.
"You always knew the right thing to say. I'll miss that," Isabel said, looking up at him. "I really did love you."
"I know. I loved you too," With that, the imaginary Alex disappeared.

PART 2
"Hey, does anyone know where Isabel went? I wanted to show her something," Max asked Kyle and Michael.
"Nope, she wandered off the opposite way Maria and Liz were going," Kyle replied. "But tell me if you find her, okay? I kinda need to talk to her."
"Yeah, all right. I'll see you guys later then, okay?" Max said.
"Yeah, we'll see ya," Michael waved.
"So how about a drink?" Kyle asked Michael.
"Uh, no thanks, I don't drink," Michael replied.
"Come on, just one beer," Kyle urged.
"Alright, fine, but just one. I've got a lot on my mind," Michael told him.
"Fine, just one," Kyle repeated. He walked up to a beverage stand and came back with two beers.
"Thanks," Michael said.
"Sure, anytime," Kyle replied, taking a big swig of beer. Michael also took a long sip.
"Hey, aren't we underage?" Michael asked.
"Well, yeah, but I've got a really great fake ID, don't worry about it," Kyle replied.
"Whatever. This stuff is really bitter."
"You're just not used to it."
"Yeah, I guess."

ABOUT HALF AN HOUR LATER
"Michael, I don't know how you alien guys do it, but you're plastered. I think maybe we should get you home," Kyle said.
"Huh? Home? Nah, I like it here," Michael told him, groggily.
"No man, I really don't think it's such a good idea for you to be here right now…" Kyle went on.
"I said I wanna stay!" Michael yelled.
"Alright, fine. Whatever you say," Kyle answered; suddenly remembering how much bigger Michael was than him.
"I gotta stay I gotta protect Maria and the baby…" Michael muttered.
"Whoa, what did you say?" Kyle asked, surprised.
"M-Maria, she's pregnant, I gotta w-watch out for her," Michael stammered.
"Oh, man, I don't think you meant to tell me about that," Kyle said, wide eyed.
"Nope, it's a big secret. Nobody knows," Michael said.
"Uh, Michael, I think you might want to shut up now," Kyle said.
"What, yeah, ah, sure," Michael said, looking confused.
"Well, umm, let's go over here. You won't be so uh, noticeably drunk there."
"Right," Michael replied.

LIZ AND MARIA'S FAIR EXPERIENCE
"Ooh! This is gonna be so much fun!" Liz squealed.
"Yep, a real blast," Maria replied, sarcastically.
"Hey, what's wrong? Normally you love junk like roller coasters," Liz said.
"I know, I've just been feeling really out of it lately. I've been sick every morning for a while, I just, I don't know…" Maria told her. She felt horrible about keeping such a big secret from Liz, but she couldn't tell her. Liz would be shocked, she would be angry. Liz and Maria had always sworn to each other that they would wait until they were married. But Liz didn't really expect them to keep that promise did she? Knowing Liz, she did. But Liz was the least of Maria's worries. She was going to be a mother. What would she do with a baby? What would her mother say? Would Michael really stay with her? Maria was scared and confused, and Liz's nosy questions weren't helping.
"So you're sure you're okay?" Liz asked.
"I'm fine! Stop acting like I have some sort of disease!" Maria burst out. Her frustration had gotten the better of her, *Crap,* she thought, then, "I'm sorry Liz, it's just that things have been really hard on me the last few weeks. I don't know what it is. But really, I'm fine."
"Don't worry about it, Maria. I'm sorry for being so nosy. Forgive me?" Liz pouted her lips. Maria glanced at her and they both burst out laughing. Together they walked towards the biggest roller coaster at the fair. On their way they ran into Brody.
"Brody! Hi! I've missed you at the Crashdown lately. What's happened to you?" Maria asked.
"Oh, I've just been busy I suppose. Sydney was down for the week, and I had some remodeling to do at the UFO Center," Brody replied.
"Oh, well I'll be looking forward to seeing you again on Monday," Maria said.
"Maria, look, it's Max. I think he wants us to come over there," Liz interrupted.
"Huh?" Maria looked behind her and saw Max waving frantically for them to join him.
"Oh. You go, I want to ask Brody one more thing," Maria told Liz.
"Okay, I'll be right back," Liz said. She walked over to where Max was waving at them.
"What did you want to ask me?" Brody asked Maria.
"Oh, umm, I was wondering about Sydney. I know you must have been pretty young when she was born."
"I was about twenty. Why?"
"Well, I was just wondering because I'm doing my term paper on teen pregnancies, you're wife was like, eighteen right?"
"Yes, actually, she was. As you know, Sydney's mother died shortly after she was born, but it was because of a medical condition. It was hard on both of us, caring for a child, when we both were still children ourselves."
"Would you mind if we talked for a while?" Maria asked him.
"No, not at all," Brody replied.
"Okay, why don't we go down to the Crashdown? We can talk and have some coffee," Maria suggested.
"Sounds good," Brody told her.
"Great, let me just tell Liz. Liz!" Maria ran over to where Max and Liz were talking.
"You haven't seen Isabel have you?" Max asked. Maria, startled by the sudden question replied with a curt, "No," and pulled Liz to her side. "Listen, I'm going down to the Crashdown with Brody, you don't mind do you?"
"Uh, no, of course not. Have a good time?" Liz said, uncertainly. Maria, not noticing the questioning in Liz's eyes, muttered, "Thank you," and rushed off to join Brody.
"Well that was weird," Liz said aloud.
"What?" Max asked.
Oh, nothing," Liz said, suddenly remembering Max's presence. "I guess I can help you look for Isabel if you want."
"Sure, thanks," Max said, gratefully.
"No problem," Liz replied. And they set out to find Isabel.

Isabel was now back inside the fairgrounds, surrounded by real people. She felt almost different, like she could spend one night not drowning in her sorrows. Soon she ran into Kyle, the very person she was looking for.
"Kyle, hi!" Isabel said, smiling brightly.
"Hey, Isabel. Look, I think I need your help," Kyle said.
"What do you mean?" Isabel asked.
"Michael, he's ah, drunk," Kyle replied.
"Drunk? But he knows we're not supposed to drink!"
"I know, but I…"
"You what?" Isabel asked, concerned about Michael.
"I, ah, found out some stuff," Kyle replied.
"What do you mean? What stuff?" Isabel continued, intrigued.
"Umm, secrets," Kyle replied.
"What secrets? Kyle, you're driving me insane! Just tell me already!" Isabel shouted.
"Well, Michael was really out of it, and he kind of let it slip that…that Maria's pregnant," Kyle finished. Isabel stopped.
"Wh-What? She, he, they? What?" Isabel stammered.
"I know…" Kyle trailed off. Isabel sank to the ground. Kyle sat down next to her, placing a protective arm around her shoulder. A few minutes later Michael approached the two of them looking dazed.
"What happened?" He asked.
"What happened?" Isabel questioned. "What happened? You and Maria happened! I can't believe you would do that! And she's…she's, oh, just forget it. I can't believe you could be this irresponsible. God Michael, expose us all!"
"What are you on about?" Michael asked, looking even more confused, as well as worried.
"We know that Maria's pregnant," Kyle told him.
"What? How?" Michael stammered.
"You told me when you were drunk," Kyle replied.
"I was drunk?" Michael asked.
"Yep," Kyle answered.
"Wow. It's been a long day," Michael said.
"Yeah," Isabel agreed.
"I'm sorry, Iz. This wasn't supposed to happen."
"It never is," Isabel replied.
"Isabel, can I talk to you, I know now might not be the best time, but I, uh-"
"Sure, yeah, let's go. I need to get away from him," Isabel said.
"Great, I think," Kyle agreed. They walked away from Michael, but he didn't notice. He was too busy worrying about what Maria would say when she found out everyone knew. She'd be worse than Isabel, and that was saying something. At that thought, Michael set out to find Maria before anyone else could tell her the wonderful news.

AT THE CRASHDOWN
"So, Brody. Was it hard, when you first started out with Sydney?" Maria asked sweetly.
"Well, yes, but mostly because her mother was gone," Brody answered.
"So it would have been easier if she was there?"
"Probably, but not by much. Babies are very difficult to take care of. Becoming a parent is like entering into a very scary new world."
"Yeah, but was it worth it?"
"Of course it was worth it," Brody answered, a bit surprised, "I had a choice to make when Sydney's mother died. I could have given her up for adoption. I thought about it for a while, contemplating whether or not to give Sydney away. In the end I knew I couldn't, I guess I always did. She was my only connection to Laura, and I knew I could never let that go. (A/N: Since I've found no name for Sydney's mother, and no real concrete storyline of what happened, this is my version, and Laura is Sydney's mother's name.) After everything, when Sydney was one year old, her grandmother took her. I see her as often as I can, but really it's not enough. I love her so much, Maria. You'll understand when you have children," Brody finished.
"Wow. That's so sad. I mean, uh…"
"I know what you mean," Brody smiled, "By the way, when is that term paper due? As I recall, school doesn't start for quite a while, and they don't normally give term papers out over summer break."
"Hahaha, summer school?" Maria tried.
"Don't worry about it, Maria. You'll make a great mom," He paused, "All in good time."
"Thanks, Brody. For everything."
RING RING
"That's my cell," Brody said, "Excuse me, I have to take this. I'll be outside, okay?"
"That's fine. I need to go pick up something for Mom at the UFO Center, I'll be right back," Maria replied. They walked out of the café together. Maria headed across the street while Brody leaned against the wall of the Crashdown.

"Isabel. About what I wanted to talk to you about, uh-" Kyle began.
"Kyle, I kind of wanted to talk to you too," Isabel interrupted.
"Okay, but I want to go first. I know we were never the best of friends, but I think we make a good team. I really like you. You're sweet, kind, beautiful. I guess, what I'm trying to say is, maybe we could, uh…get together sometime maybe?" Kyle asked, shyly. He looked up at her. She was smiling.
"I'd love to," She answered.
"Wow, great. That's great," Kyle stammered.
"Do you wanna go get a cup of coffee? You know, set a time for our date, get to know each other a little better…" Isabel suggested.
"Yeah, good idea," Kyle replied. They walked towards a small café inside the fairgrounds. It was on the second floor so they waited for the elevator.
"Oh, I was supposed to tell you," Kyle said as they climbed into the empty elevator, "Max was looking for you. He needed to tell you something or show you something. I don't know."
"Oh, well I'll catch up with him later," Isabel said.
All of a sudden the elevator gave a great lurch.
"Oh my God, what was that?" Isabel asked.
"I don't know, but we're not moving," Kyle answered. They tried pressing the emergency button, but it wasn't working. The phone was dead too.
"Looks like we might be here for a while," Kyle told her.

PART 3
Max and Liz were walking around the fairgrounds together. They told themselves they were looking for Isabel, but they both knew they were enjoying each other's company.
"Ooh, look, The Ferris wheel. I remember when I was little, my dad used to take me to a little park near our house. There was a miniature Ferris wheel that I always used to ride. Ever since then, the Ferris wheel has been my favorite," Liz told Max, happily.
" Well, do you wanna go on?" Max asked.
"Oh, I..." Liz began.
"No, really. Let's go on," Max said.
"Well, fine. I mean, if you really want to," Liz agreed.
"I do," Max answered. The two of them forgot their search for Isabel and walked towards the brightly lit Ferris wheel. As they stood on line they got to talk, more than they had in a long time. It felt good.
Finally it was their turn. Before Liz could pull her tickets out from her back pocket, Max paid for her too.
"You didn't have to do that," Liz told him.
"Sure I did. It was the friendly thing to do," Max said.
"Whatever," Liz laughed. They climbed into the Ferris wheel and waited for the next people to get in. Soon they were at the top. Liz looked out around her. It was beautiful. She could see all the people at the fair. She could look at all the people on the roller coasters; watch all the couples that were holding hands. She could even see the Crashdown. She wondered if Maria and Brody were still inside. They probably were. Those two could talk for almost as long as Liz and Maria themselves. As Max and Liz's compartment came down again, Liz focused on Max.
"Isn't it beautiful up there? You feel like you are the center of the universe, looking down on all the people…its such a strange feeling," Liz said.
"I know what you mean," Max replied. Finally the ride started and Liz took Max's hand. He looked at her quizzically, but all she did was smile. Just when the ride started to go really fast, the ground shook. All the lights went out and the ride twisted out of control. Max pulled Liz into his arms, protecting her. Their cart sped off the track and was hanging by a single thick wire.
"Oh my God, Max. What's happening?" Liz whimpered, holding onto him as tightly as she could.
"Shh, it's okay. It'll be okay," Max whispered into her ear. Soon the earthquake stopped, and all seemed quiet again. Then, all of a sudden there was a great tremor and the cart behind theirs careened off the track. "Liz get down!" Max shouted. He let go of her and she got to the bottom of the cart. She pulled at his arm motioning him to get down too, but it was too late. The other cart swung into theirs, hitting Max directly in the back of the head.
"No! Max!" Liz screamed, "No, please! Max…" Liz was sobbing. She pulled him down into the bottom of their cart and looked at the back of his head. It was a deep wound, and it was bleeding badly. She took him into her arms and began to stroke his head. Her tears flowed off her face and onto Max's shirt.
"Please be okay," She whispered.

Michael was walking through the fairgrounds looking for any sign of Maria or Liz. So far he hadn't seen either one of them. He felt perfectly fine, there were no side effects from when he had been drunk, no headache or hangover symptoms, he didn't even have any recollection of being drunk at all. Michael continued through the crowds. All of a sudden the ground gave a terrible shake.
*Oh shit,* Michael thought, *I'm at a fair in the middle of an earthquake. My pregnant girlfriend could be anywhere, and all my friends could be in mortal danger. This is turning out to be a really great night!*
Michael ran to the nearest restaurant and stood in the doorway until the earthquake was over. He vaguely remembered something about follow up tremors, but he didn't give it a second thought. He ran towards the place where he had last seen Maria, the Ferris wheel. People all around him were screaming, and it was pitch black outside. The fairgrounds where chaotic, but Michael was determined to find Maria. He shouted her name as loudly as he could.
"Maria! Maria where are you?" Michael yelled, uselessly. Up in the Ferris wheel, Liz thought she heard someone calling Maria's name.
* That's Michael! I bet he's looking for Maria!* Liz thought. She stood up very carefully. The cart shook, but it was stable.
"Michael! Michael, up here!" Liz yelled.
"Liz?" Michael questioned. He looked up.
"Michael!" Liz screamed, waving enthusiastically.
"Are you okay? Is Maria with you?" Michael shouted up at her.
"I'm fine, but Max is hurt! He's unconscious, and he's bleeding really bad!" Liz told Michael.
"Okay! I'm gonna try and get you down!" Michael called. Luckily most of the people that had been on the Ferris wheel had gotten out somehow, or were in no condition to notice anything out of the ordinary. All of the fair-goers were also gone, the place was deserted. Michael assumed they were too scared to stay. He ran over to the power box that controlled the Ferris wheel. He used his powers to start it again, carefully watching Liz's cart to make sure it didn't fall. Once he had gotten it about ten feet from the ground, he slowed it down and it stopped at about five feet. Michael ran over to Liz and helped her get Max out of the cart. Then Michael helped Liz out of the cart as well.
"Liz, do you know where Maria is?" Michael asked.
"Last I saw her she was on her way to the Crashdown with Brody," Liz replied.
"Thanks. Oh, do you think you can get him to the hospital? The jeep is over there, here's the keys." Michael said, finding the keys in Max's back pocket. He tossed them to Liz and began to run towards town.
"Yeah, thanks to you too!" Liz called after him, exasperated. Once Michael was gone, Liz had no choice but to drag Max to the jeep. When she finally got him in the car she made sure he was still okay and climbed into the front seat. Liz started the car and sped towards the hospital, breaking more speeding laws than she cared to think about.

Maria walked into the UFO Center. No one was there. She decided to wait for the attendant to come back, and she looked at the t-shirts while she did so. After a while she got sick of waiting and decided to come back later. She still needed to ask Brody a few things. She walked towards the exit, but stopped when she felt the ground move. The sudden earthquake caught her off guard and she fell to the ground. Maria tried to get back up again, but she had broken her ankle in the fall, and she couldn't stand. Maria pulled herself towards the stairs with her arms, but a tremor quickly followed the earthquake and one of the ceiling beams came crashing down, right on top of her.

PART 4
Isabel and Kyle had been in the elevator for over three hours, it was already nine o'clock. They had yet to figure out what was happening in the real world, they were trapped. The phone line was still dead, and the emergency button still didn't work.
"Do you think something happened? I mean, like a storm or something?" Isabel asked Kyle.
"Probably an earthquake," Kyle replied.
"I hope everyone's okay," Isabel said. She pictured Max trapped under an old building, slowly dying. She shook herself out of the awful picture, and concentrated on her alone time with Kyle.
"So, what should we do for the next three hours or so that we're trapped in here?" Isabel asked.
"I dunno. Talk, think, kiss…" Kyle said. Isabel laughed. But when Kyle leaned over and kissed her, she stopped laughing. Things continued on like that for a while. After all, they were alone in a dark small place, who could resist?
"Kyle?" Isabel asked, pulling away from him.
"Hmm?" Kyle replied, sitting up.
"Did you feel that? It was like this big shaking feeling. I'm really worried about Max," Isabel said.
"I’m sure he's fine. He knows how to take care of himself. We took earthquake prep classes in the sixth grade, remember?" Kyle joked. Isabel laughed.
"I hope you're right."
"I am." Isabel leaned over and kissed Kyle. It felt good to have someone protect her from the bad thoughts again.

Liz finally got to the hospital and dragged Max inside; he was still unconscious, and very heavy. One of the male nurses saw her and helped her and Max inside.
"What happened to him?" He asked.
"We were on the Ferris wheel and the earthquake knocked out the power and one of the other cars hit us and he got knocked out," Liz said as quickly as she could.
"The injury looks pretty bad, I'll go get John," The nurse muttered.
He walked off, talking to one of the other nurses and pointing at Liz.
The girl walked over to Liz.
"Hi, I'm Carol, that was Josh. I'm gonna get your friend into a room, and we'll get him some help okay?" Carol said, reassuringly.
"Yeah, it's okay if I stay with him right?" Liz asked.
"Oh, yeah sure. Are you the girlfriend?" She asked.
"Well, sort of. I mean, uh, yeah," Liz replied.
"Follow me." Carol said as she pulled Max on his rolling bed. Liz followed her into a large room with lots of doctors. Carol rolled Max in next to another patient who, by the looks of things, had just finished surgery. Soon they rolled the other patient out and one of the doctors began examining Max's wound.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Liz asked.
"I think so, he'll need stitches, and it might take him a while to wake up. I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside for a little while, it's usually less painful, the less you see," The doctor told Liz.
"Oh, okay. You're probably right," Liz said, "I need some coffee." Liz walked down the hospital corridor trying not to look at the pale green walls. Liz hated hospitals, nothing good ever happened in them. Her grandmother had died in a hospital. Liz wasn't very comfortable being around sick people either. But she had decided long before she had actually arrived that she would stay until Max was okay. Even if it drove her insane. Liz finally found the coffee machine and put in her change. Liz took her coffee and began walking back to Max's room. When she returned, the door was still closed, so Liz walked to the nurse's desk and called Max's parents. She explained the situation and asked them to come down.
Then Liz began to pace in front of Max's door. She quickly got tired of that and sat down in one of the chairs, praying that the doctors would hurry up. A few minutes (that seemed like hours) later, the doctor walked out of Max's room. Just as he did, Diane and Philip Evans came running down the hallway.
"Are you the parents?" The doctor asked them.
"Yes, we're Max's parents. He was adopted though, but I'm sure that doesn't matter?" Mrs. Evans rambled on until her husband quieted her and told her to calm down.
"Good, well. I'm doctor John Ashton; I've looked at your son. Is it okay if this young lady hears Max's condition?" Dr. Ashton asked.
"Liz?" Mrs. Evans asked, suddenly staring at Liz as if she were just realizing her presence.
"Of course. Liz is a good friend of Max's," Mr. Evans said.
"Good. Now, I've cleaned up Max's wound, as I thought, it's rather deep. He'll need stitches, but I don't think there will be too much permanent scarring. He's still knocked out; he might not wake up for a while. You can see him if you'd like, but I need to start the procedure as soon as possible," Dr. Ashton finished. Mrs. Evans was in tears. Mr. Evans guided his wife into Max's room, beckoning Liz to come as well.
"Liz, how did all this happen?" Mr. Evans asked her, looking fondly at his son.
"Well, we were all at the fair and Max and I were looking for Isabel, but we couldn't find her, so we decided to go on the Ferris wheel. And we were on it and right in the middle of the ride, the earthquake struck. So we were stuck in our cart, and we couldn't get out. Then there was a tremor and the cart behind us skidded off the track and Max shoved me down, but he didn't have time to get out of the way. And he got hit, and…" Liz trailed off, fighting the tears.
"I see." Mr. Evans commented. "How did you get out of the cart?" He asked.
"Umm, when the other cart hit us, it swung our cart down and we hit the ground." Liz lied.
"Liz, would it be okay if we had a few minutes alone with our son?" Mrs. Evans spoke up.
"Oh, of course! I didn't mean to-" Liz started.
"Liz, it's okay, you didn't." Mr. Evans interrupted.
Liz turned and quietly left the room. A few minutes later Mr. And Mrs. Evans came out and let Liz go in to see Max by herself. She thanked them as she walked inside.
When Liz entered the room again, she saw Max lying there looking half dead. She thought about how he risked his life for her. It made her very upset to think that she might be the cause of Max's death. Then Liz caught herself.
"He's not gonna die. He's NOT gonna die," She repeated. Liz pulled a chair up to the side of Max's bed and sat down.
"Max. Oh, God. I know…it's been, difficult, with everything between us. But I want you to know, even though you can't hear me. I forgive you. I love you. I'm sorry," Liz took Max's hand and lifted it up to her lips.
"I miss you so much." Liz let her tears fall freely after that. Then she stopped crying and wiped her eyes, getting up from the chair. "You'll be okay," She whispered. Once again, Liz wiped her tears, and left Max's side. As soon as the door opened, Mr. Evans spoke.
"Liz, we have a favor to ask you." Mr. Evans said.
"Of course, anything." Liz replied.
"Can you look for Isabel? I'm sure she's wondering what's happened." He continued.
"Oh, yeah, sure. Right away." Liz said. Mr. Evans smiled at her. She smiled back.
"Thank you, Liz," Mrs. Evans said, "For all you've done." Liz just smiled again.
*You have no idea,* She thought. Liz walked down the corridor and out of the hospital towards the jeep. Liz decided to skip looking at the fair entirely, she hadn't found Isabel there once, and she wasn't going to not find her there again. Liz drove straight towards town.

Michael ran up to the door of the Crashdown. The sign on the door read: CLOSED FOR REPAIRS.
*Obviously,* thought Michael. He banged on the door, but no one answered. Suddenly Michael felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. He spun around, surprised. Brody was standing in front of him.

"Where's Maria?" Michael asked, before Brody could speak.
"I was going to ask you that. Last I saw her she was headed towards the UFO Center. I only just got back from seeing Sydney. She was very sick and was asking for me, but she's fine now. Anyway, I heard the earthquake did some pretty bad damage. I came back to see what the UFO Center looked like."
"Okay, well Maria might still be inside then?" Michael said, mostly to himself.
"I suppose she could be." Brody replied. Michael raced past Brody and through the door to the UFO Center.
"Maria!" He called. "Are you in here?"
"Michael?" Maria whispered. "Is that you?" Maria's vision was blurry, all she knew was that she was trapped underneath a ceiling beam, and she couldn’t get up.
"Maria!" Michael called again. He ran down the steps and looked around him. The place looked okay, besides being unusually messy. Michael moved forward and looked around him.
"Michael!" Maria tried again, but her voice was weak, and she doubted Michael could hear her. Michael glanced around one more time and noticed movement near the wall, by a fallen ceiling beam. He walked towards it, cautious as he moved closer. Soon he saw Maria's body, motionless, trapped under the beam.
"Maria!" Michael yelled, "Maria, are you okay?" He dropped to his knees beside her, and tried to help her out from underneath the beam. Soon he got impatient and used his powers to lift it. At the same time he pulled Maria away and let the beam fall. Michael helped Maria stand and placed his arm around her waist, supporting her.
"Michael, I was so scared," Maria whispered.
"I know, it's okay now. You're gonna be okay," Michael told her. They walked up the stairs together and out onto the street. Michael looked down the road and saw the jeep in the distance.
"Liz?" Maria asked as the jeep pulled over to the side of the road next to them.
"Oh my God! What happened to her?" Liz screamed.
"She was trapped in the UFO Center. She got caught under a fallen ceiling beam," Michael told Liz.
"Oh, baby. You're gonna be okay. Come on, we're gonna take you to the hospital all right? Everything will be fine. I promise," Liz comforted her friend.
"Is Max okay?" Michael asked as he jumped into the driver's seat of the jeep.
"Yeah, he's still unconscious, but the doctor said he'll be fine. He needs stitches though." Liz told Michael. Liz faintly heard Maria's asking about Max, but she ignored it and told her not to worry. Finally they arrived at the hospital and got Maria admitted.
At first Michael was reluctant to leave Maria's side, seeing as Maria had slipped into unconsciousness, but he eventually got up to see Max when Liz came back from calling Mrs. Deluca. Liz stayed with Maria and promised Michael she wouldn't leave until he got back.
Liz sat in the little room with her best friend, looking at all the respirators, cords, ties, and tubes that were surrounding her. Liz remembered all the good times she and Maria had shared. She remembered Maria's laugh, remembered how she cried. Liz knew Maria would be fine, but that didn't stop her from crying for her friend. Liz held Maria's hand and thought about that very day. Maria had been keeping something from Liz.
Liz couldn't help but be annoyed that her friend couldn't share everything with her anymore. It made her sad to think that after all they had been through together Maria still kept secrets. But Liz soon forgot about Maria's secret when Michael walked through the door.
"Max is awake," Michael said, "He's asking for you."
Liz gave Maria a kiss on the cheek and left the room. Liz walked down the corridors and past many rude nurses and patients until she found the corridor of Max's room. Liz came to the door and paused there wondering why Max would be asking for her. Liz decided to put her doubts aside as she opened the door. Mr. And Mrs. Evans were talking to Max; the doctor was there as well.
"Well, Max, your head is fine, you'll need to be back here in three weeks or so to get the stitches removed, but you can go home tomorrow. Okay?" Dr. Ashton said.
"Great, I can't wait to go home." Max replied.
"Oh sweetie, we can't wait to get you home." Mrs. Evans told him. Liz cleared her throat and walked further into the room. All eyes turned on her.
"Oh! Liz, I presume? Yes, Max has been asking for you. I'll be leaving now, Ms. Evans, Sir, would you care to follow me please? We'll discuss…" Dr. Ashton distracted Diane and Philip so that Max and Liz could have some time alone. The door closed and Liz sat on the side of Max's bed. He looked unusually pale, but that wasn't surprising. Liz looked at him and back down at the floor again.
"Liz, I need to tell you something," Max said.
"What?" Liz asked, lifting up her head and looking at Max once more.
"When I got hit, I slipped into unconsciousness, but it was more than that. I, I remembered things…the strangest things. I had visions. It was all so weird."
"Visions of what?" Liz asked.
"Of me and Tess mostly. I remembered things, like her mind warping me and making me believe we had had sex, and the baby. It wasn't really true, it was all lies, and tricks. Liz I knew, I knew that I never could have done that to you, and I didn't. I knew I didn't, but I didn't know…" Max said.
"I know," Liz told him.
"And there's more," Max continued, "I got visions of Tess on Antar.
She was presented to Khivar. She had nothing, no baby, and none of us. I watched her die, Liz. I saw her being executed. It was horrible," Max said.
"Only what would have been done to you had you gone with her," Liz said. Max looked at her.
"Can't we go back? To what we used to be? What we used to have? Liz, you are the most important thing in my life. I love you more than life itself," Max told her.
"I love you too, Max," Liz replied. She leaned over him and they kissed. It was like a dream come true for them both.
"We'll never be apart again," Max whispered.
"I know," Liz replied.

PART 5
Michael sat next to Maria, just as Liz had done, thinking about all the memories they had shared. Michael had spoken to the doctors, and as he had thought, Maria had lost the baby. He knew it would be hard for Maria, for them both. Losing a child wasn't an easy thing to do, even if you didn't want the child in the first place. Michael knew Maria would be heart broken, but they would be okay. He would always love her, child or no child. Eventually Maria would get pregnant again (after they were married, Michael hoped) and then they would have another child. And it would be special, because the child would be wanted. At least, that was how Michael hoped Maria would see it.

EARLY SUNDAY
Michael walked back into Maria's room, Amy had just come out. She had arrived a few minutes after Liz had called her. Amy thanked Michael for staying with her daughter; she let him know that she appreciated it.
Michael decided not to say anything about the baby, he didn't know if Mrs. Deluca even knew about it in the first place. After all, Maria had only been a few months pregnant. When Michael came in, he took his place beside Maria's bed, watching her carefully for any sign of motion.
Maria was stirring.
"Michael?" Maria whispered.
"Maria, it's okay, I'm here," Michael told her.
"What happened?" Maria asked.
"You were trapped in the UFO Center during the earthquake. I found you, and Liz and I brought you to the hospital."
"Am I okay? I mean, nothing horrible like paralization right?" Maria laughed.
"No, you were really lucky, nothing hit you on the spine or whatever. You're fine. Except…"
"What about the baby?" Maria asked, quietly, "Michael, I've been thinking a lot about everything…and I really don't know if we're ready to be parents. I don't know, I mean-"
"Maria," Michael interrupted, "You lost the baby," Michael told her.
Maria looked up at him.
"I, I lost the baby?" Maria uttered. Her lip was quivering and her eyes filled with tears. Michael took her in his arms, holding her, cradling her. Even he let a few tears roll down his face. When Maria stopped crying Michael pulled her close and hugged her. Then he laid her back against her pillows.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Maybe it was for the best, you know? I know that we love each other, and we'll always be together," Maria smiled at him, "We'll have a baby when we're ready. When we're a lot older. I'll always have this memory, something really special between us. It'll bring us closer if we let it. In some ways it already has," Maria said.
"I love you, Maria," Michael said.
"I love you too," Maria replied. The two kissed again.
"Michael, can you get Liz for me? I really need to talk to her," Maria asked.
"Oh, sure. Your mom is outside; I probably should get the nurses to look at you. And umm, Max had a little accident, he's awake now though, and he'll be fine. Liz is probably still with him," Michael told her.
"Wow. Okay, tell Mom to come in, get the nurses, and then go get Liz.
But make sure Max is okay for me, and make sure Max and Liz are done talking," Maria said.
"Okay," Michael replied. He leant over her and kissed her one more time. Then he walked out of the room.

Liz walked down the hall again, back to Maria's room. Liz knew Maria had something to tell her, and Liz hoped it wasn't anything horrible. Liz hated it when she and Maria kept secrets, and she was going to make her friend promise never to do it again. Liz came to the door and knocked. Mrs. Deluca opened the door.
"Liz! It's so good to see you. I'm sure you want to say hi to Maria. I just wanted to thank you for bringing her here. I'm sure you did a great deal to help her," Mrs. Deluca told Liz.
"Oh, I would do anything for Maria," Liz said. Amy thanked Liz again, hugged her and left the room.
"Maria, are you okay? The last time I saw you, you looked so weak. I was afraid you weren't gonna make it!" Liz laughed.
"I'm fine," Maria told her, "Liz, I need to tell you something. I know I've been acting weird lately. I have been keeping a secret, and I guess I just didn't know how to tell you. But I know I have to tell you now," Maria said.
"What is it?" Liz asked.
"I'm pregnant," Maria told her.
"P-pregnant?" Liz stuttered, that wasn't what she had been expecting.
"Well, I was. I lost the baby. Liz, I know I should have told you, but no one else knows, not even my mother. I swear," Maria rushed.
"Maria, I had no idea. I'm so sorry. Are you and Michael okay?" Liz asked.
"I think we're gonna be fine. This whole thing has really brought us closer together. I'm glad it all happened this way, as horrible as that may sound," Maria told Liz.
"No, I know exactly what you mean," Liz told her.
"So. How's Max? Michael told me what happened. Is he okay?" Maria asked.
"Oh, yeah he's fine. And something really weird happened when he blacked out. He got these really weird visions, how Tess was mind warping him. Everything, the sex, the baby, it was all a lie. And we're sort of, back together I guess," Liz told Maria.
"That's so great! I'm so happy for you, Liz!" Maria exclaimed. Liz and Maria talked more until the nurse came in and told them visiting hours were long over and that she must insist they leave so the patient could rest. Michael came in one last time to say goodnight, while Liz rushed off to see Max one last time.

IN THE MEANTIME
Isabel and Kyle were stuck in the elevator for five more hours, eight all together. When they were found, they had their cup of coffee and something to eat, and Kyle walked Isabel home. Since no one was there, and Max had the keys, Isabel went over to Kyle's house and hung out there for a while. When Isabel went to check Kyle's messages, she figured out where everyone was.
"Oh my God! Kyle! Max and Maria are in the hospital! We've got to get over there!" Isabel said, frantically.
"Iz, calm down. Visiting hours are way over. How about I drive you home and you can talk to your parents. We'll go see Max and Maria tomorrow, if they don't go home tonight. I'm sure it's nothing major," Kyle reassured Isabel as best he could, and Isabel felt happy, like Kyle could always make her feel better, and that was a great feeling. Kyle drove Isabel home, and, as Kyle had told her, Isabel's parents were there. As soon as Isabel found out her brother was fine, she went outside to say goodnight to Kyle.
"Well, they're both fine. Maria lost the baby, I'm almost sure of it. Michael practically screamed it without actually saying it. Max had stitches, and they're keeping him overnight for observation."
"Okay. I'm sure we'll see them both tomorrow at the party," Kyle said.
"Yeah," Isabel replied.
"So I'll see you tomorrow," Kyle said.
"Okay, goodnight," Isabel said. The two of them kissed, and Isabel wrapped her arms around Kyle's neck. They hugged, said goodnight one more time, and Kyle left.

EPILOGUE
Mr. Valenti arrived home on Sunday night to find the house beautifully cleaned.
"Kyle!" He called, "Come down here."
"Yeah, Dad?" Kyle asked.
"You did a great job on the house, thank you," Mr. Valenti told his son.
"No problem, Dad. It was no trouble. After the earthquake, and making sure Max and Maria got out of the hospital, and Isabel and I were okay after our eight hours in an elevator, I came right home and turned on the vacuum," Kyle replied. Mr. Valenti was surprised to hear about Max and Maria and immediately questioned how they were.
"Are Max and Maria alright?"
"Oh, they're fine, " Kyle answered.
"How did you get trapped in an elevator?"
"Oh it's a long story, no big deal."
"Good, well I'm gonna call Amy."
"Fine, I'm going back to bed. Night," Kyle said as he headed up the stairs to his bedroom.
"Goodnight!" Mr. Valenti called after him.

THE END OF SUMMER PARTY ON MONDAY
Diane, Philip, Isabel, and Max Evans arrived first to the party at the Valenti's. Philip and Jim started the grill while Diane and Isabel headed to the kitchen. Nancy, Jeff, and Liz Parker arrived next. Jeff walked over to talk with the men, and Nancy went to see Diane in the kitchen and help with the setting up. Liz walked over to Max at the table and kissed him hello.
"So how are you today?" Liz asked, she hadn't seen him since the previous night.
"I'm fine, how are you?" Max replied.
"Good. Was your night at the hospital okay?"
"Yeah, it was fine. The food was gross though."
" That sucks. Is Maria here yet?"
"Nope, we were the first ones here. I'm sure they'll be here soon."
"I hope she's feeling okay, after the pregnancy and everything."
"Michael told me yesterday that she was feeling much better. They worked a lot of stuff out."
"That's good. I'm gonna go see if I can help in the kitchen, okay?"
"Fine, I see you're so eager to get away." Max smiled at her. Liz leaned down and kissed him again. Then she walked off into the kitchen.
"Hey, Liz!" Isabel said, happily.
"Hi, Isabel. What are you so happy about?" Liz asked.
"Oh nothing." Isabel replied.
"So where were you during the earthquake? Your parents asked me to look for you, but I couldn't find you anywhere, and then I ran into Michael and Maria…"
"I was stuck in an elevator with Kyle. Is Maria okay? I haven't gotten a chance to see her yet."
"Yeah, she's fine, I saw her last night. So you were stuck in an elevator with Kyle?"
"Oh it was no big deal. What about the baby?" Isabel whispered.
"Gone, she lost it," Liz replied.
"Girls," Mrs. Evans interjected, "Could you go set the table please?"
"Of course, Mrs. Evans, we'd be glad to. Right Isabel?" Liz answered.
"Yeah, sure Mom." Isabel agreed. Isabel and Liz took the table settings and walked outside. Isabel told Liz about how she and Kyle had really bonded in the elevator and how they were sort of dating. Liz congratulated her, and turned around to find Maria's car pulling up in the driveway.
"Maria's here," Liz told Isabel. She ran over to her friend, "Maria!" The two girls hugged, "How are you?" Liz asked.
"I'm fine. Doing much better," Maria laughed.
"Good. Guess what? Isabel is dating again!" Liz told her. Maria turned around to face Isabel.
"Who?" She asked.
"Kyle," Isabel replied. Maria and Liz started to giggle.
"What's so funny about the fact that Isabel and I are dating?" Kyle asked. He had come up behind Isabel and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Oh, nothing. It's just sort of weird, that's all," Liz said. Max and Michael walked up to them.
"What's going on here?" Max asked, taking Liz in his arms.
"Isabel's dating Kyle," Maria answered. Michael kissed her hello.
"Well, well, well. Isabel's finally re-entered the dating world. Never thought I'd see the day…" Michael joked.
"Are you kids ready to eat?" Mr. Valenti shouted. The six kids walked back to the table and sat down.
"Before we eat, Amy and I have an announcement to make." Mr. Valenti said. They stood up.
"Okay, I know this may come as a shock to you all, seeing as we've kept it a secret even from our own children," Amy said, Maria and Kyle groaned.
"Amy and are I engaged!" Jim yelled, holding up Amy's hand to show off the ring. Everyone stood up to congratulate them. Kyle and Maria moved away from the crowd.
"So I guess we're gonna be siblings," Kyle said.
"I guess so," Maria agreed.
"Well, it'll be nice. Having a sister,"
"Yeah. It's gonna be cool to have a brother," Maria said. They hugged and joined the line of people, ready to congratulate their parents.

LATER ON AT THE PARTY
"So, Isabel. Is all this marriage talk giving you any ideas?" Kyle asked.
"It better not be giving you any ideas," Isabel replied.
"Believe me, I'm about as ready to get married as a blind blonde in bright blue suit!" Kyle remarked.
"Whatever. You are such a dork!" Isabel laughed.
"I know," Kyle said. He leaned over and kissed Isabel.
"What was that for?" Isabel wondered aloud.
"Love," Kyle answered simply.

It's so sweet that Jim and Amy are getting married. It almost makes me wish I had a ring on my finger," Liz fantasized.
"Oh really? A ring she wants, a ring she shall get," Max told her.
"Don't go getting any clever ideas," Liz warned. Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. Carefully he took off one of the key rings.
"I've been waiting for the perfect moment to give you this," Max laughed, "And now is as good a time as any." Max took Liz's hand and slipped the key ring onto her finger.
"I'll treasure it always," Liz joked, "Oh, Max. I love you so much."
Liz wrapped her arms around him and he whispered, "I love you too, and I always will."

"Michael, I think we should be married as soon as possible," Maria exclaimed.
"Why on earth would you want to do that?" Michael asked, confused.
"I've thought about it, and I'm anxious to become a mother," Maria answered.
"Oh no! Under no circumstances will I go through another ordeal like that for at least ten years!" Michael told her. Maria laughed.
"Relax, I was only joking," She said, "We have to wait until our love has fully blossomed, like my mother's," Maria sighed, rolling her eyes.
"At least she's happy, Maria. And we will be too," Then he added, "But, all in good time." The two of them kissed, and they knew, that 'good time' couldn't come fast enough.
THE END