Chapter Text
It’s been 2 weeks since Isobel went back into her pod, and Max has spent most of it either at home doing research with her or Michael, or at the cave doing research by himself and talking to Isobel. Liz first overheard him talking to her when she first realised he was coming here, she was coming to check on any chance but found him instead, Liz decided to leave because it was a private moment, but not before she heard him talking. He was mainly telling her about things she was missing, avoiding any mention that he’s Noah’s prime suspect in her “disappearance”, even though they told him that she was in rehab. But usually he tells her pointless things that Liz thought fitted with Isobel’s life, her brunch club, society newsletters, etc.
Today was a hard day, he was brought into question by one of his deputy friends, and questioned by lawyers. Kyle called Liz because he saw Max coming into when he came to visit his mother. Liz wasn’t allowed in the interrogation room but she stood outside pacing, Max was trying to stay calm but she noticed some of the lights flickering, no one paid attention to that because it was minor, but she knew. Max just took it because it was Noah and he promised Isobel to keep an eye on him. After the interrogation, Max was dismissed and he left the station, not before telling Liz a lie saying that he was okay.
He wasn’t okay, hasn’t been since Isobel went into stasis. Michael was doing better than Max, but even he was getting more irritated that they were no where near finding a cure for Isobel. He spends most his days at the Wild Pony in a booth writing notes and calculations. Maria tells her he doesn’t even drink his drink he just sits there and write.
The boys were definitely falling apart, but Liz had to focus on her research. But right now she was driving up to the cave. Because she knew a certain alien, or aliens since Michael has started to join Max, might be. But when she arrived at the cave Max was alone. He wasn’t reading this time. He was just sitting in front of Isobel’s pod, cross legged, not saying anything. She sometimes wonders when he gets this quiet if he’s talking to her. Michael did say that the two of them shared some type of psychic bond.
Liz stands in the back for a minute and just watched him. He looked so little, and so lost. She didn’t know what to do, except let him grieve and worry and work. Because it’s what keeps him going, the idea that Isobel will be back.
“Hiding out?”
Her voice made him snap out of his mind, but he didn’t turn his head, the only reason she knew she had his attention was the way he straighten up a bit.
“Everything okay?” He asked her, avoiding her initial question, this is the first time she’s made herself known to him. Usually she waits until he’s gone to come and check on Isobel. Liz figured out she could get vital readings on Isobel if she weakened the pod just a bit, with a small amount of silver. Things were still the same, Isobel was still sick and dying, but sometimes her vitals would spike that’s how Liz knew it was working.
“I just came to check on Isobel.”
She takes her tools out and sets it up next to Max. They’ve been tiptoeing around each other for a while now. Even when they research they do it in silence. She use to be able to talk to Max without an issue, but so much has changed and happened that it just wasn’t possible to do that now. She sees his eyes when he looks at her, he’s not mad at her but there is something in it. Michael’s words always rings in her head everything she’s alone with Max.
All he ever did was love you. Liz sighed,
”When was the last time you slept Max? And don’t bullshit me because you look like hell.”
“I’ll sleep when we make some progress. I take naps here and there during the day, but I haven’t slept through the night since that night.”
“Max we talked about this, we said it wasn’t going to be an overnight thing.”
“I know Liz but I just can’t sit around and do nothing. Every time I’m in town people are looking at me wondering where my sister is, and if I had something to do with it. Isobel Evans just doesn’t up and leave.”
“You have nothing to do with that Max. You know that.”
“I know that. But I blame myself, because I just didn’t see her. I knew she wasn’t okay but I was too self involve to notice what’s been happening with her, even 10 years ago.”
Max would blame himself for global warming if he could, Liz noticed, but she doesn’t but in even though she wants to say that he’s not the one who made Isobel do what she did. And that it’s not his fault she’s sick.
“We were teenagers Max. Everyone was self involve, it doesn’t mean we’re bad people. Just kids.”
Silent again, sometimes it was their friend and sometimes it wasn’t. Right now it was a friend. Because it gave Liz time to work and Max to gather his thoughts. She could feel him watching her, even if she busied herself, his eyes were watching her as she examined Isobel’s pod. He didn’t ask her what she was doing, which makes her theory of him probably communicating with Isobel almost true.
“Sometimes I wished I didn’t love her as much as I do. Her and Michael, if anything happens to them I don’t think I could survive it. Now she’s here, leaving Michael and me alone. I know it’s not her fault and I know you said I should forgive and I have. But—,”
“You’re still angry.” Liz adds, not a question. Because she knows how he feels. Knowing what she knows about Rosa she wasn’t angry at her anymore. But there was a piece of her heart that would always be angry at her for leaving her.
Even if she didn’t die, Rosa was planning to leave, without her. But Liz choses not to dwell at those memories. Since Isobel went into stasis, Liz has been remembering better things about Rosa. Like the first concert she went to with her how she watch Rosa rush the stage then they are tacos and burgers together in the diner. Because those were the memories that she wanted to remember.
Unlike Max and Isobel she didn’t have a physical bond with her sister. So she couldn’t image what Max was feeling right now.
“You’ll survive Max, you have too.” She turned to him now letting her machine analyse the pod.
“Because you have a life still and you’re here. You just have to hope and believe that she’ll be back. But for now you have to be here, for your sake, and Michael’s.”
“Michael hasn’t been back to his trailer in a week.” Max says, Liz figures, she went back to ask him if she could see his secret bunker a few times but he wasn’t there.
“Is he staying with you?” Max nods,
“At first we just fell asleep because we were looking at everything we could find on the web, anything that might help. But then it just became a normal thing. It’s been a long time since Michael and I haven’t argued, but what’s happening to Iz, really puts things into perspective.”
She wants to take his hand, but she decides not too, Max was already a pool of emotions, she didn’t want to add anymore confusion. Ever since they got back from Texas things changed in the way she looked at Max. She didn’t know what it was but her emotions were always confusing when it came to him. But she did know she was less afraid of what he could do.
But right now he needs her to figure out a way to help his sister and that’s it.