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Don'tpanicDon'tpanicDon'tpanicDon'tpanic...

Silently repeated, the words had become a litany in the last hour, as Laura struggled to maintain her composure in the face of the nearly paralyzing fear. She stared straight ahead at the black ribbon of asphalt that stretched out ahead of the car, seemingly endlessly amid the cornfields, out into the western horizon. Her hands tightly gripped the steering wheel, her nails digging into the plastic, as she forced herself to take steady, even breaths.

She was fighting a constant battle to keep the tears at bay, but she kept telling herself that she had to stay strong and in control for Maximus' sake. It was up to her and her alone to get him back safely to the CrowesNest where he belonged. She glanced briefly at him as he sat slumped beside her in the passenger seat of her Pontiac, his eyes closed and his face turned slightly towards her. He'd been sleeping for quite a while now, but she could tell by the shallow, slightly labored breaths that he was growing weaker with each passing mile. She'd been driving for hours now, only stopping once to fill the gas tank, and the strain was beginning to take its toll. She rubbed the back of a shaky hand over her tired eyes, finding it hard to stay focused on the road. Each and every trip to the CrowesNest was different -- it was never the same route twice -- and she wondered how long it would take this time. Maximus wouldn't last much longer at this rate, she knew in her heart, and she was terrified at the thought of losing him now that they had finally reconciled.

"Oh, Max..." she whispered quietly, moving her right hand down from the wheel and laying it on his thigh. She gently ran her hand up and down his leg, wondering how she'd ever be able to forgive herself if anything happened to Maximus because he had left the CrowesNest because of her.

When his hand moved to cover hers, she jumped, startled, as he softly said, "Careful, little girl... Don't start something we're not able to finish..."

She smiled to herself, relieved that he was awake, and briefly amused at the fact that her hand had come to rest nearly over the crotch of his pants. She looked over at him, and managed not to let her smile fade, in spite of the fact that she was frightened once again as she gazed into his eyes. His beautiful aquamarine eyes -- which were normally so vibrant and sparkling and full of life -- were a dull, listless shade of gray now. They were beginning to match the shade of his skin, which was now gray and ashen too. He looked terrible, but she made sure she did not let him know it.

"Well, we could always pull over and crawl into the back seat for a little while..." she joked half-heartedly, turning her attention back to the road.

"That sounds tempting," he replied, his voice still a quiet whisper. He tenderly held her hand, brushing two fingers slowly over hers. "...But I think we should wait until we get back to the CrowesNest. Then we can pick up where we left off..."

"That sounds tempting too," she replied, turning to smile warmly at him. He smiled back, and she watched as his eyes slowly closed again. She swallowed hard, then tentatively asked, "How are you feeling?"

".... Tired.... Very tired," he replied, sighing heavily, his breathing noticeably labored. "But I'm sure I'll be fine once we get back."

"Yes, I'm sure you will," she said, silently praying for that to be true. "I know that the Boyz will know what to do."

"They'll be ready for us," he said. "... They know we're coming... I... I can feel it... I know it sounds strange... But I can feel *them*..."

"Really?" she asked, looking closely at him. "One of the girls -- Michelle, I think -- was telling me that all of you Boyz have a connection to each other too... but I didn't realize you could communicate with each other."

"Neither did I... I can't actually talk to them... But I know that they're with me... And that they want me to come home... I think they know that we're on our way." He chuckled softly. "I suppose I can no longer deny that we are indeed 'brothers'."

"No, I don't suppose you can... We'll be there soon, Max. Just be patient; I'll get you home."

"I know you will," he said, smiling up at her. "I trust you."

"Thank you," she smiled, blushing slightly, squeezing his hand. His eyelids drooped, then closed, and her smile fell. She struggled to think of something to say; she felt it was important to keep him talking. "Max..." she began. "What do you want to do when we get back? After we get settled again, I mean. What do you think of going riding? I'm sure Argento and Scato have missed you. We could have the restaurant pack us a lunch and head out into the woods. Or down to the beach... What do you think...? Max?"

"...That sounds lovely. I have missed my horses too..." He took a deep breath, wheezing slightly. "But how to choose...? Making love with you on the beach... or on the soft grass in the woods...?" He started to smile. "How about both...?"

She laughed slightly. "You're insatiable, General. Don't you ever think of anything else?" she teased.

"I could say the same for you, my dear, after the last 2 days..." he countered, then fell silent once more.

"Well, with you around, what woman wouldn't want to spend day and night in your arms?" she said softly, squeezing his hand. He smiled and squeezed back, but didn't say anything. She turned back to the road, brushing a stray tear from her face, praying that Maximus would hang in there long enough to get him home safely.

After about 20 minutes, Maximus suddenly sat up, pushing himself forward in his seat, gesturing out the windshield. "Turn there," he said, pointing to an exit sign that came into view.

"Where did that come from?" she said, picking up the map from the dashboard. "There isn't supposed to be another exit for 7 miles."

"Turn *now*," he insisted, then slumped back. "Don't ask me how I know this is the way -- I just know," he whispered, clearly exhausted just by the effort of sitting up.

"Okay, Max, I'm turning," she said, slowing the car and easing off onto the exit ramp. It led onto a small, two-lane highway that meandered through the cornfields. They were alone on the highway now -- there wasn't another car anywhere in sight. "This must be it," she said, almost to herself. "It just... feels right." He did not answer, and she assumed he had fallen asleep again. She concentrated on guiding the car through a series of turns and curves through the fields, and then into a dense forest that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The sunlight filtered dimly through the thick tree limbs and leaves above. Then, just as suddenly, the trees thinned out, falling away from the road, and they were back in the bright sunlight again.

Things began to look *very* familiar, and when the car reached the top of a hill, Laura let out a heavy sigh of relief, smiling happily.

There was the ocean!

She could just make it out on the edge of the horizon, beyond another thicket of trees, but there it was! They were back in the CrowesNest!!

She tapped the brakes and took her foot off the accelerator, steering over to the shoulder and stopping at the side of the road. "Max! We made it! We're back!"

She turned to him, and her smile fell when she noticed he hadn't moved or responded to her. "Max...?" she repeated, gently nudging his shoulder. But he just lay there, motionless, and she felt her blood turn to ice. "Max...!?" She shook him, a bit harder now, but still there was no response. "Oh, god... Max!!" She leaned closer, checking for a pulse and breathing. He was alive... but barely.

"Oh, shit...! Oh, god, what have I done...?" Tears began to stream down her face. "Max, please wake up... We're back now; you said you'd be okay once we got back..." She shook him again, almost violently for a moment, but it was obvious now he was unconscious. "Max!" she cried, hugging him tightly, more tears flowing. After a few moments, she regained control of herself, letting go of him and settling back into her seat. "I'll get help -- the Boyz will know what to do..." Dragging a sleeve across her eyes, she shifted the car back into drive, and floored the accelerator, taking off down the road in a cloud of dust.

"Where the fuck are they?"

Bud paced back and forth in front of the tavern, agitated and impatient. His hands were jammed deep into the pockets of his loose-fitting trousers, the collar of his white shirt open a few buttons beneath the rumpled suit jacket. He was wearing the same clothes that he'd had on the day before, as did many of his brothers. Most of them hadn't slept much the night before, and the strain was beginning to show on them all now that late afternoon was approaching.

"They should have been back a long time ago," he ranted. Bud's fuse was the shortest of all of his brothers, and it was showing with full force now, especially since Trisha wasn't around to calm him down.

"Take it easy, Bud," John said as he sat on one of the benches in front of the tavern, his arm around Tina. "Making yourself crazy is not going to bring Max back here any faster."

"One of us should be out there looking for them," Bud continued as if he had not even heard John. "The damn car could've broken down, and they're stranded somewhere."

"And how are we going to find them if they are?" John replied. "How do we know which route they took? They could be anywhere... No, we all stay here and wait."

"I'm fuckin' tired of waiting, John." Bud took a hand out of his pocket, rubbing his forehead before running his fingers through his 50's crew cut. "Max is in deep shit -- I can *feel* it," he said, patting his heart briefly, "And it's driving me nuts."

"We *all* feel it, Bud," John reminded him, gazing out at the horizon, hoping that by sheer force of will they could bring Max back home before it was too late.

Tina rubbed John's arm, trying to console him. "What are you feeling now...? Is Max that bad...?" she asked quietly, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Yea, it's bad, darlin'," he answered, laying his head against hers.

Frightened by the anguished look in his eyes, Tina said soothingly, "Laura would never let anything happen to Max. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

He nodded. "I know he's on his way back... I just hope it's in time," he said, wringing his hands.

"We never should have let him leave in the first place," Bud continued to rant, continuing his pacing. "He's only been here a couple months -- he has no idea what can happen to him. Someone else should have gone after Laura and brought her back here instead."

John shook his head. "You saw how determined he was. He wanted to go after her, and he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer."

"This is all my fault," came a muffled voice from the open tavern doorway. Michelle was clinging to Colin, wiping a tear from her eye as she buried her face against his broad chest. "If anything happens to Max, I'll never forgive myself.... I'm the one who helped him leave."

"I keep telling you, 'Chelle, it's not your fault," Colin said as they both sat down on the tavern steps. "And we don't even know for sure what's going on.... I'm sure he'll be just fine, luv," he said, softly kissing the top of her head as he hugged her tightly.

"Colin's right, Michelle," Bud said. "It was up to us to make sure he understood what kind of a risk he was taking. And we blew it," he said, casting a sideward glance at John.

John sat up straight, glaring at Bud. "Don't you start with me again. I warned him about *everything*, White. I don't know what the hell happened -- maybe he wasn't paying attention, or maybe it's just that damn indestructible general/gladiator complex he has -- but I DID warn him. And *you* talked to him too, so don't get self-righteous with me... Besides, we don't know yet *why* he's late. So just keep your accusations to yourself, okay...?"

Bud turned away, staring down at the ground, kicking at a stone. "... Sorry, John..." he said quietly. "I -- I'm just worried about him..."

John relaxed, as did the rest of the group. More of the brothers had wandered out from the tavern now -- Lachlan, Cort, Alex, Jeff Mitchell and Jeffrey Wigand were clustered around Colin and Michelle on the stairs. Some of the ladies were there too, following after the men -- Liz, Peaches, Stef and Sy. "We're all worried about him, Bud," John said.

Tina watched as Lachlan, Jeff and Alex wandered out into the parking lot, staring out at the eastern horizon. "Lachlan...?" she called out, and he turned towards her. "What's going on...?"

"Not sure..." He turned back towards the road leading to the Real World. "I just have this odd feeling."

"Me too," Jeff said. "I think... I think he's almost here. I can't really explain it, but...." His voice trailed off, and, shrugging his shoulders, he moved to Lachlan's side.

"God, I hope so," Tina said. "Last time I checked, Laura hadn't even read my emails telling her to bring him back immediately." She shook her head. "It isn't like her not to check her email right away."

"Maybe she was occupied with other things," John said with a brief grin, kissing the side of her face.

Tina blushed slightly. "Yea, maybe," she giggled. "I'll be *very* curious to hear what they've been doing these last few days... All alone at Laura's apartment..." she grinned.

"Well," John said quietly, "if you find out anything from her, do me a favor and tell *me*, because I know I'll never get anything out of Max." There was a rather amorous gleam in his eye as he looked at her.

"But I thought you two didn't want us to talk about that kind of stuff between us girls," she joked, softly stroking his hand.

"Well, I think we've decided that's a lost cause," he smiled. "I -- "

He didn't finish the sentence, his attention suddenly drawn away to the road. A red car was speeding over the top of the hill, its driver frantically honking the horn as it neared the tavern.

"That's Laura's car!" Tina exclaimed as she and John jumped up, and all of them moved forward into the parking lot. More people streamed out of the tavern to join them.

The car horn wailed in a continuous blast as the car neared the parking lot, its brakes screeching loudly as it turned, sliding sideways several feet and kicking up a cloud of dust and gravel before it as it finally came to a stop a several yards from the group. They all rushed forward, surrounding the car.

Laura leaned across Maximus' limp body, flipping open the door lock. Bud yanked open the passenger door, and John was the first to lean inside, kneeling on the doorframe as Laura sobbed, "Oh, god, John! Help him! He passed out, and I can't wake him up!" Tears streamed down her face as she clutched at Maximus' shoulder. "I -- I thought once I got him back here, he'd be okay!" she stammered, her words coming out in a rush.

John put his ear to Maximus' chest, sighing with relief as he heard the steady, albeit slow, heartbeat and felt his chest rise and fall with a shallow breath. He turned back towards the others, looking up at Bud who waited anxiously behind him. "He's alive, but he's unconscious. Help me get him inside." He backed out of the car, unbuckling the seat belt and tilting the seat back so that the gladiator lay almost prone. Bud moved beside him, and between the two of them, they were able to pull Maximus out of the car and into the waiting arms of the rest of his brothers.

Laura climbed out of the car, hurrying around to the passenger side. Her path to Maximus was blocked, however, by what seemed to be a wall of men. A wall of very handsome men, of course, and even in her distress, she did not fail to notice how *many* handsome men were clustered around the general's limp body as they carried him towards the tavern. It seemed as though every single one of Russell Crowe's incarnations were present, a sight she'd never seen before here. John, Bud, Cort, Alex, Steve, Zack, East, Jeff, Colin, Lachlan, Arthur, Jeffrey, Andy -- they were all here -- even Kim Barrett, Dominic Maloney, Johnny and the seldom-seen Jack Corbett and Mannie. And Hando was there as well, hovering at the edge of the group, looking decidedly disturbed too before he caught sight of her and began to stare daggers in her direction. Everyone was there -- with the notable exception of Sid 6.7, which she was grateful for.

She managed to elbow her way through part of the crowd as they entered the tavern, and laid a hand on Maximus' arm, whispering to him, "It's okay now, Max; it's okay. You're back home now." She caught a glimpse of Sid at the bar as he watched them all head towards the back of the tavern, but she turned away, ignoring his amused smirk as Colin said, "Let's put him in the fireside room."

"Damn he's cold," Lachlan said. "His skin's like ice."

"I think he's in shock," John said. "We have to warm him up."

When they reached the door to the fireside room, Bud and John carried him through, and the rest of the group filed inside quickly, moving to the sofa where they gently laid Maximus down. "Get some blankets," John barked at the others. "And someone start a fire." No one moved, staring at Maximus with worried, anxious glances.

Bud looked up and growled, "MOVE IT, damn it!! This isn't a goddamn freak show!"

That startled them all, and they moved in a flurry of activity, Andy and Arthur scurrying out of the room first, saying they'd bring blankets. Cort and East and Mannie went to the fireplace, gathering wood and kindling from the corner and stacking it in the hearth.

Colin left in search of the first-aid kit, and Lachlan disappeared, saying he'd come back with some water and a glass of wine, in the hopes that the alcohol might help revive him. Jack and Kim and Johnny wandered back into the main room while the others milled around and watched. "Is there anything else we can do?" Steve asked, obviously wanting to help but at a loss as to what to do.

Bud and John looked at each other. "I don't know," John said, brushing his hair back from his face. "Just stay close. We may need everyone later -- depends on how soon we can bring him out of this." The other's nodded in understanding, and a few more wandered out into the next room.

Meanwhile, Laura had knelt down at the side of the sofa, near Maximus' head, reaching over the armrest to tenderly stroke his forehead. "Can you help him, John? Max said you'd know what to do," she said, brushing a few stray tears from her cheeks. The rest of the ladies had gathered around her too, watching worriedly.

"We're going to do everything we can for him. Now that he's back in the Nest, he shouldn't get any worse. It's just a question of how long it'll take for him to get better," John said, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

There was a short silence, then Bud spoke. "Why did you wait so long, Laura? Max should have been back here by last night." There was more of an edge in his voice than he had intended, but he was too upset to take it back.

Laura looked up at him, momentarily taken aback at the hostility in his tone, and glanced around to find that everyone was staring at her too, waiting for an answer. She stared back at Bud, letting her hand rest against Maximus' cheek as she replied in a steady, calm voice, "Bud, I love Max. Do you really think I would *knowingly* let something like this happen to him...?" Bud blinked, his brow furrowing slightly, and she continued, "I didn't bring him back sooner because I did *not* know that anything like this could happen. Max himself told me we didn't even need to leave until *tomorrow* morning!"

White's jaw dropped slightly. "Tomorrow...!?" He shook his head in disbelief, and Laura nodded.

"Yes, *tomorrow*, Bud. When he started to get sick this morning, I rushed him back here as fast as I could. Believe me, if I had *any* idea that this could happen, I never would have let him stay as long as he did. But he kept assuring me that everything was fine, and that we had plenty of time. He..." Her voice faltered, cracking slightly as she looked down at the Spaniard's face again. "He wanted to spend more time alone... Maybe he said what he did so I wouldn't worry." She stroked his forehead again. "But I'm sure he didn't realize something like this could happen if he stayed away too long.... God, this is all my fault. He left the CrowesNest because of me..."

Bud snorted, glaring at John. "Tomorrow...? How the hell did he get that idea, John?" He looked over at the ladies. "Michelle?", he said, staring pointedly at her, accusation written all over his face.

"Bud," Michelle began, "I did *not* tell him -- "

"Excuse me!" a voice said loudly, and they all stopped, looking over at Jeffrey Wigand. "This is *not* the time for this," he said firmly, a rather disgusted look on his face. "Later, we can figure out what happened, and how to keep it from ever happening again. But for right now, we need to concentrate on making sure Maximus recovers. That's the only thing that matters right now -- not which of you is most to blame!" he snapped.

They all looked at each other, rather sheepishly, and there were muttered apologies all around. A moment later, Andy and Arthur returned, each of them carrying a couple of heavy blankets. "This is probably more than you need," Andy said, "but we weren't sure, so we brought a lot."

"Thanks, guys," John said, as he and the ladies spread two of the warm blankets over Maximus' body, leaving only his face exposed, gently removing his heavy boots as well. The smell of burning wood began to permeate the room, and East, Cort and Mannie stepped back from the fireplace as the small fire crackled in the hearth, slowly growing in intensity as the larger logs began to burn, and the temperature of the room slowly rose.

Colin returned, Lachlan close behind, and John kneeled in front of the sofa, opening up the first-aid kit that Colin handed him, rummaging through it until he found the small vial of smelling salts. He opened the top, and waved it under Maximus' nose a few times, but there was no response. "Damn..." the Alaskan muttered under his breath and put the kit away. Then he tried the wine Lachlan brought, pouring a small amount into the Spaniard's mouth, but again there was no response.

John sat back on his haunches, then gratefully accepted the chair that Tina brought over for him. He smiled a brief thank-you to her as he sat down, then turned back to Maximus, shaking his head. "He's out cold... And I don't think he's going to snap out of this anytime soon. It's going to take a while to get his strength back. He was pretty far gone when he got here."

"Believe it or not, he actually looks better now than he did right before we got to the CrowesNest," Laura said, sitting down on the chair that Michelle brought for her, laying her hand on his forehead again. "He was so pale, that he was actually *gray*... His face, his eyes, even his clothes... They were all gray, as though the life was just bleeding right out of him..." She studied his face, managing a small smile. "At least I can see a little bit of pink in his cheeks again."

"That's exactly what was happening -- the life *was* bleeding right out of him," Bud said as he leaned up against the wall, studying the General from across the room. "If we leave here for too long, we just... fade away after a while." He swallowed hard and turned to stare out the window. The others looked away too, obviously just as uncomfortable with the thought as Bud was. "We can't exist in the Real World for long."

Laura hung her head for a moment. "God, I wish someone had told me that *before* I left." She sighed heavily. "But Jeffrey's right -- this is no time to worry about how this happened." She reached beneath the blankets and took Max's right hand in hers. "All I care about now is making sure Max is okay." She brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly.

Tina patted her friend on the shoulder and looked over at John. "So what happens now? What do we need to do for Max?"

John glanced down at the floor, then turned slowly to look at Bud. They shared a long look between them, then they both stared at the floor again. John got up, pacing in front of the sofa as he brushed his long auburn locks out of his eyes. "I -- I don't know," he finally said.

"None of us knows," Bud added. "Nothing like this has happened before, at least not as seriously. A couple of times before, some of the guys -- Lachlan and Alex, I think -- stayed away a little longer than they should have, but they were both fine once they got back here."

Lachlan rose from his chair in the far corner and took a few steps forward. "About a year and half ago, some of the ladies took me out on a bit of a walkabout in the Real World," he said with a slight grin, winking at Peaches and Liz. "We were gone for days, and I got a bit done in, that's true. But once we got back here, I was right as rain." His gaze turned downwards to Maximus, and he frowned, shaking his head. "But I've never seen anyone as bad as this." Laura paled at that, and he added quickly, "Sorry, luv -- I'm sure he'll be al'right in a tic. Can't keep a bloke like the General down for long." He smiled reassuringly.

"I hope so," she whispered.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Michelle asked. "Just sit here and wait for him to wake up?"

"I'm afraid that's all we can do right now, luv," Colin said as he came to her, putting his arms around her and pulling her against his chest. "It's up to Max now."

The room was quiet for a time, the only sound coming from the crackling of the fire. They all stood around, watching Maximus, waiting for some sign or indication that he was regaining consciousness. But there was none, and finally Jeff Mitchell spoke up, suggesting they all go to the bar for a pint. Most seemed reluctant to leave, but eventually followed Jeff back out into the main room... but not before they each cast a worried glance in the Spaniard's direction.

Now only John, Bud and Colin were left in the room, along with Laura, Tina, Michelle, Stef and Kath.

Tina moved to John's side, then sat down in his lap. As he wrapped his arms around her, she looked at Laura and asked, "What happened with you and Max? I don't mean about him getting sick -- I mean what happened when he first got to Chicago? Did you two patch things up?"

Laura smiled at her friend, grateful to have something more pleasant to talk about. "Yea, we did. Having all that time alone gave us plenty of time to work things out. And we did -- Max forgave me for what happened with Sid, and we decided to just start all over again. It was a *wonderful* weekend," she said, smiling widely, blushing a little. "I -- uh, can't tell you everything. Actually, I can't tell you most of it, because I promised Max I'd keep the details private... But I think you can probably guess what we spent a lot of our time doing..." She lowered her head, her cheeks turning a definite shade of crimson.

The women started to giggle and the men looked amused. "Uh, yea, I think we have a pretty good idea!" Michelle joked, chuckling softly.

"So what *can* you tell us?" Stef asked with a wicked grin. "Did you two go out at all -- or did you spend the whole weekend in bed...?"

Laura blushed more, and Bud said, "Come on, Stef; that's kinda personal. I don't think you should be discussing that now. Especially since he's..." He gestured towards Max's inert form, his voice trailing off.

"I'm not going to say anything else, Bud," Laura said, taking Max's hand in both of hers, stroking it softly. "I promised him I wouldn't talk about it -- and besides, we don't know for sure exactly what's happened to Max. Maybe he can hear us...." She leaned down, whispered softly in his ear that she loved him.

There was a long pause, then Kath said, "So I guess this means we're not going to get any of the 'intimate details'," she joked.

"Nope... But I can tell you what we did last night." She smiled to herself. "I took Max out on the town in Chicago -- to Navy Pier to be exact. It was SO romantic -- I don't think I'll ever forget it..." She went on to describe the whole evening, including the drive downtown, the dinner cruise on Lake Michigan, and the visit to Navy Pier itself. "... We even got a picture of the two of us on the boat -- I'm pretty sure I packed it." She looked up, turning towards one of the windows. "I just realized my car is still sitting out in the middle of the parking lot. And all our stuff is still in the trunk."

"Don't worry about it," Colin said. "We'll get someone to park the car and bring your things in later."

She smiled gratefully, "Thanks.... I just hope we packed all of Max's things. The way we flew out of there, its a miracle we remembered anything."

"We're just glad you're both back." Tina got up and hugged Laura. "I'm so glad you two patched things up -- it's just terrible that things ended up this way though... I wish I'd been able to reach you before Max got sick -- I tried to send you email, since I know you're always online all the time when you're home... But I guess you two were, uhm, 'busy'..."

Laura nodded. "Max wanted us to be totally alone this weekend -- not even any electronic interruptions, so as a favor to him I stayed off the computer." She put her face in her hands, shaking her head. "We picked a hell of a time to 'disappear', didn't we...?" She rubbed her eyes, brushing back a few tears. "I can't believe this is happening. Everything was just wonderful this weekend, and now..." She leaned down to lay a gentle kiss on Max's forehead, then smoothed his hair back. "It's so scary to see him like this."

Bud, who had been watching quietly from his spot near the door, turned away slightly, his thoughts drawing inwards. He felt guilty at having nearly jumped down Laura's throat earlier -- after listening to her describe the romantic evening she and Max had spent together, he realized just how deeply she and Maximus cared for one another. He had begun to have serious doubts about their whole relationship after learning what had transpired between her and Sid, but he was now convinced Laura and Maximus had a strong connection here in the CrowesNest, and that what had now befallen Maximus had been a tragic mistake. And Maximus had deemed their relationship was important enough to him to go chasing into the Real World, risking his own safety, so who was he to dispute that...?

He shifted his weight from one foot to another, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck. He was tired and stiff, his body unable to relax at all, not with Maximus still in danger. It was as if Maximus' weakness was sapping the strength from them all -- he could feel it in his bones, and he suspected all the others could to.

He rolled his head slowly from side to side, trying to ease the crick in his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of purple, and turned slightly, realizing the Sid was sitting at the far end of the tavern, perched on a barstool that allowed him a direct view straight into the fireside room. Straight at the sofa... and Maximus... And Laura.

Moving nonchalantly, Bud glanced briefly at John, nodding as he slipped out of the room, pulling the door shut about a quarter of the way, which was enough to block Sid's view inside.

He walked purposefully towards Sid, who saw him coming and stared back at the cop with the cool, self-assured smile that always seemed to be plastered across his face.

"What the hell are you lookin' at?" Bud asked sharply.

"Like everyone else, I'm merely concerned about our 'dear' brother..." Sid said with mock sincerity.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I know that look, Sid. You can't wait to move in on her again, now that Max is temporarily out of commission."

"You could be right," Sid smirked. "Or perhaps I was thinking, 'How the mighty have fallen'... Interesting turn of events, don't you think?"

"If you don't wipe that goddamn smile off your face, Sid, I'll do it for you.... You think this is *funny*!?" Bud asked, incredulous.

Sid smiled even more broadly than before. "Extremely."

"Haven't you been listening? He could have died..." His voice dropped. "Shit, he still could."

"Personally, I think this place has become much too crowded. One less self-righteous 'hero' would hardly be much of a loss." Bud stared in astonishment, and Sid continued, "My cherie may be sad for a time, but once I'm done 'consoling' her, she'll have forgotten all about her beloved 'General'... All's well that ends well, eh, White?"

"You're even more twisted than I thought." Bud growled, but Sid only giggled, infuriating him further. "Listen, you bastard, you'd better not lay a finger on her, or even talk to her. And don't even think about goin' near Max, not with that attitude."

"Don't you ever get tired of trying to run my life?"

"What I'm tired of is you causing trouble around here. Max wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for you."

"What a delightful thought," Sid grinned. "And I'd be happy to take credit for it... if only I knew *how* I supposedly accomplished it."

"You're the one that scared the shit out of her, sneaking into her room and damn near attacking her. Max never would have had to go after her if you'd just left her alone like you were supposed to!"

"I had nothing to do with his decision to leave ... nor with his carelessness about staying away too long."

A new voice spoke from the next booth. "If ya really want to know who's to blame for this shit, try lookin' in the goddamn mirror..." Hando, settled back in the corner of the booth with his mug of beer, had been quietly observing the events unfolding around him, but now he leaned forward out of the shadows.

Sid turned and stared. "Well, well... It speaks," he quipped.

Bud said, "What the hell does that mean?"

"If ya hadn't let these damn bitches take over the place, you wouldn't have these problems. The General wouldn't be in trouble if it wasn't for *that* one in there," Hando said, pointing to the fireside room. "You're both fuckin' crazy t' be fightin' over the likes of her," he said, pointing at Sid.

"Someone has to show her the error of her ways -- I'm the only one who could satisfy her," Sid said, preening a bit as he smoothed the lapel of his suit.

"The only reason ya want her is because the General does.... It's pathetic the way ya fawn over 'em -- all of ya. You won't see me takin' fuckin' orders from a woman," he said to the room at large. Many of the others had wandered over to see what was going on, and they all glared or scowled at Hando.

"Why don't you crawl back under your rock again? Nobody asked your opinion," Bud said.

"Nobody asked yours either," Hando shot back.

"What are you doing here anyway? You usually don't bother to get involved with anything."

"What the fuck do ya think?" He gestured sharply towards the fireside room. "We finally get a bloke in here that's got his shit together, and I don't want to see anything happen to him. The rest of ya...." he said as his eyes swept over the room, "can sod off for all I care."

Sid rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you've bought into that 'noble hero' bullshit too."

"Fuck off, Sid." Hando stared at him for a long moment. "Sounds like I heard right -- you *are* jealous of 'im..."

Sid's face darkened, and Bud couldn't help but grin slightly. "Since when do you pay attention to anything around here?" Sid replied, scowling.

"I know more than ya think I do... I see stuff; more than I want to most of the time.... Enough to know I don't want any goddamn part of the shit that goes on around here."

"Then the feeling's mutual," Bud said, folding his arms across his chest. "Because no one wants you around either."

Hando leaned back in the seat, a cold smile turning his lips. "You can fuck off too, White."

Bud's eyes clouded, and his arms came back down to his sides slowly as he glared at Hando. "Don't you have someplace else to go?" he warned.

"No..." Hando glanced briefly towards the door to the fireside room. "Not until he gets on his feet again..."

"Aw, how sweet," Sid mocked. "You *do* care, don't you, Hando...?"

Hando glared at Sid, and Bud turned on him, "Just shut the hell up, Sid! This whole mess *IS* your fault, and you know it! You're not happy unless you're causing trouble."

"That's because it's so damn boring around here otherwise," Sid shot back.

There was a loud 'bang' against the wooden bar startled them all, and they turned to find Jeffrey Wigand glaring at them. He had his hand around a heavy glass beer stein, and he slammed it down again. When he had everyone's attention, he looked around in disgust. "What the hell is wrong with you people? Doesn't anybody listen to me? I leave for a few minutes, and you're at each other's throats again!?"

"No one asked for your opinion either, old man," Hando growled.

Wigand's face reddened, and he looked like he was about to take Hando's head off, but then he took a look long at the fireside room, and paused. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped back to a conversation level. "Everybody, just calm down. I know we're all upset by what's happened -- "

"Speak for yourself," Sid said.

But Wigand ignored him, giving him a dirty look. "But there's no reason to fight over this. You three -- " He pointed at Bud, Hando and Sid, " -- ought to go to opposite corners and cool down for a while."

When the three started to protest, Jeff Mitchell and East stepped up behind Jeffrey, and Jeff said, "He's right -- knock it off, all of you."

East nodded, "Come over to the bar, and I'll buy you a drink, Bud."

Bud sighed. "All right. But I have just one last word for you," he said, staring at Hando. "If I *ever* hear you use that word again -- and you know the one I mean -- to refer to the ladies around here, I promise you, you will regret it..." He raised an eyebrow in emphasis and with a warning glance at both Sid and Hando, followed East to the other end of the bar and sat down. Without a word, Andy poured the cop a glass of scotch and set it in front of him.

Jeff, along with Steve, approached Sid. "Come on, Sid; plenty of room in the back. You'll just get yourself in more trouble if you stay there."

"What's wrong with that?" he said, but then sighed as he noticed the rest of the group was ready to join the two and probably forcibly haul him off. "Very well... For now," Sid said and walked to a booth in the back of the tavern.

Jeffrey looked at Hando, but the skinhead just glowered back at him. "I ain't movin', old man, so don't even ask." He picked up his beer mug and leaned back against the seat, disappearing into the shadows once more.

Wigand surveyed the bar, which was now calm and quiet. "It'll do...." he muttered, sighing with relief, and returned to the office behind the bar.

"Laura...?"

The voice seemed to come from far away, and she buried her face deeper in the crook of her arm. "Go 'way..." she muttered sleepily. "I don't wanna go to work today..."

A hand touched her shoulder, shaking it lightly. "Laura," the voice repeated, louder this time.

She jerked awake with a start. When her eyes opened, her first sight was that of Maximus' face, which was inches from hers as she lay curled up on the armrest of sofa. Earlier, she'd been lying there, watching him, and evidently she had fallen asleep. But her hopes that it was *Max* who had wakened her were dashed when she discovered that his eyes were still closed, and he lay motionless, just as he had for the past several hours.

She looked up, discovering that it was John who had shaken her. "Sorry; guess I dozed off," she explained, rubbing her eyes. She sat up in the chair gingerly, wincing as her back protested after being in such an uncomfortable position for so long. She looked around, noticing that many of the Boyz had filed back into the room. It was dark outside now, and the firelight flickered, creating highlighting that further enhanced the rugged good looks of their handsome faces.

Some of them were carrying what looked like a cot, and she asked, "What's going on?"

"We're going to take Max up to his room. We thought it might be more comfortable for everyone, and maybe the familiar surroundings will help..." John paused, shrugging slightly. "We really don't know what else to do right now besides make him comfortable."

"How's he been?" Bud asked. "Any signs he's waking up?"

"Not that I've seen," Laura said, sighing. "He is improving though -- his color's much better, he's warm, he's breathing normally, and his heartbeat seems strong and steady. But he hasn't moved at all, at least not that I've noticed." She reached out to stroke his forehead.

"You don't mind if we move him, do you?" Bud asked.

"Of course not. It's getting late, so we probably should get him into bed... although I never thought that it would be necessary -- I thought he'd just need a little bit of rest, and then he'd wake up," she said, her voice trailing off as she swallowed hard, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. She blinked them back, and stood up, moving away from the sofa. "Go ahead."

They brought over the cot, using it as a makeshift stretcher, and placed it on the floor beside the sofa. Then John, Colin and Bud lifted Maximus off the sofa, gently laying him down on the stretcher. Lachlan, East and Cort joined them, and they picked up the stretcher and carried Maximus out the door and into the tavern, heading for the stairs that led up to the second floor. Laura trailed closely behind, pausing briefly at the foot of the stairs, her eyes straying from Maximus to look around the tavern.

The remainder of the Boyz were clustered around the bar, their eyes following Maximus. Some of them looked her way and smiled at her briefly. But she also spotted Hando at a booth in the corner. He watched Maximus with a guarded, intense expression, but when he noticed her looking at him, he gave her a cold look that went right through her. She turned away quickly... And then someone else caught her eye.

Sid was sitting at a table in the back, and when she made eye contact with at him, he smiled seductively, raising his glass of wine to her and winking.

She averted her eyes, shaking her head as she hurried after the others. Maximus was sick, Sid was picking up where he left off, and now she seemed to have made an enemy of Hando... As bad days went, this one definitely ranked at the absolute bottom.

She helped the others get Maximus settled and take off all his clothes -- except his underwear -- to make him more comfortable before tucking him into bed under several layers of blankets. He never moved or responded in any way during the entire process, having sunk deeply into a coma-like state.

After milling around aimlessly for a while, they all decided to setup a watch schedule, as there would be a constant vigil at his bedside, night and day, until Maximus recovered. Laura refused to leave him at all, so dinner was sent for her and the others who remained. John and Bud took the first watch, and Tina and Michelle stayed also to keep them company.

Laura pulled a comfy chair from the corner of Maximus' room, and set it next to the bed, sitting down and taking his hand. "God, this is such a nightmare," she muttered as she stared at his handsome face. "I keep expecting to wake up and find out it was all just a horrible dream..." She sighed, breathing deeply, fighting to keep from crying.

Tina patted her on the shoulder. "It'll be okay. Just give him time -- he just needs to get his strength back."

"That's what we said hours ago..." She rubbed her eyes, then turned to them. "Could you... Could you leave us alone for a little while? Maybe, if he can hear me, I can reach him. But I just need a little privacy to do it."

"Sure thing, doll," Bud said as he and the others got up from their chairs and went to the door. "Do you want us to let you know when the food gets here?"

She nodded. "I'm really not hungry... but I know I need to eat something." She turned back to Max. "He'd be upset if he knew I wasn't eating..."

"Yes, he would," John said, ushering the others out of the room and beginning to swing the door shut. "Let us know when you're ready," he said, and quietly closed the door.

Laura turned to Maximus, leaning on the edge of the bed to kiss him gently on the forehead, then on the lips. "I'm so sorry, Max," she whispered. "This is all my fault. This whole mess never would have happened if I'd been smart enough to stay away from Sid. There's always a price for a mistake like that... but you weren't supposed to be the one who had to pay it..."

She got up and moved to the other side of the bed, sliding under the blankets, cuddling up next to him. She covered part of his body with hers, warming him, gently laying her head on his shoulder. She could hear and feel the steady beating of his heart, and watched the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. "I love you so much... I'd do anything to make you well again... If only I knew what would help..." She turned to look at his face. He looked like a different person when he slept, so much the little boy. "I don't know if you can hear me, Max. If you can, I want you to know we're doing everything we can to make you better... You just have to meet us halfway... You have to wake up." Tears started to spill from her eyes, and she had trouble speaking now. She sniffled as the tears rolled down her cheeks, falling onto his chest. "I love you..."

Her hand roamed across his chest, through the dark fuzzy hair, tenderly caressing the lean muscles. She stroked his body intimately, hoping to elicit a reaction from him this way. "Do you remember what we talked about in the car? We said we'd go for a ride, down to the beach, or into the woods... or both..." She smiled, kissing his shoulder lovingly. "We were going to make love on the beach, remember...? Or in the soft grass in the meadow... You remember, don't you...?" Her hand moved across his thigh, and more tears spilled from her eyes. "I miss being with you already. I want to make love to you again, Maximus. I want to feel your arms around me... your lips on my lips..." She rose up on one elbow, kissing him on the mouth, her tongue managing to slip past his teeth and into his warm mouth. But there was no response, and she moved back again, staring down at him.

"Wake up, Max... You're safe now; you're back with your brothers. Everyone's very worried about you. They need you around here, you know... Who's going to take care of Scato and Argento while you're gone...? I'm sure they miss you too... And your garden, Max; who's going to look after it? Things are just starting to bloom -- it needs your attention. I'm no farmer; I wouldn't know what to do..."

He continued to lie there, unmoving, and she wiped away a fresh set of tears. "Wake up, Max, please," she said in a choked sob. "I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to you... I love you so much..." She dissolved into tears, burying her face against the curve of his shoulder, weeping uncontrollably for several minutes, dampening his skin, until she was cried out and the tears dried.

She lay there, draped across his body for many minutes, until there was a soft knock at the door. "Laura...?" It was Tina's voice. "They just brought the dinner trays. You ought to come have some before it gets cold...." Laura sniffled, wiping her hand across her wet, bloodshot eyes, and called, "I'll be out in a minute or two...." She sat up slowly, staring down at Maximus. Not once had he moved at all, and she sighed sadly, sliding off the bed. She grabbed a handful of Kleenex from the box on the nightstand and blew her nose. She gave Maximus a kiss on the forehead before straightening her clothes and moving to the door, opening it...

The next morning she awoke, after dozing fitfully from time to time during the night, as Rick crept into the room with a tray full of food. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows now, brightening her spirits a little. Maximus still hadn't moved, but she could tell he was getting stronger, and she was sure it was just a matter of time before he regained consciousness.

Jeff Mitchell and Lachlan were with her now; sometime earlier -- she wasn't sure when -- they had traded places with East and Cort, who had stood the late night watch. Jeff smiled when Rick appeared, and he went to help him with the tray. As they set it down on the table, Lachlan came to her and said, "Time for brekkie, luv. You hungry?"

"A little," she lied. She really didn't have an appetite for anything, but she knew the three would give her a hard time if she didn't eat something.

"Everything okay?" Rick asked, and they nodded. He took a few steps towards the door. "Leave the dishes and the tray with Liz when you're done. Someone will come by later to pick it up."

"Rick," Laura called, and he stopped. "Stay a minute and have something too."

The handsome young blond seemed surprised. "Well, uh... I don't know. I ought to be getting back."

Lachlan waved him back too. "Stay a minute and take a load off."

Rick looked at Jeff, who smiled and pulled a chair close to him. Rick smiled back and sat down. "Thanks. I guess they won't miss me for a few minutes." They all picked at the breakfast tray, pouring coffee and buttering the toast. "How's the General doing?" Rick asked.

"Not so good," Laura said sadly, but did not elaborate further.

"We're not really sure what's wrong," Lachlan said. "Physically, he seems all right now... but he hasn't woken up. We think it's some kind of coma."

"I never realized something like this could happen to you all..." he said, shaking his head as he looked at Maximus. "How are you all holding up?" he asked, but Lachlan and Laura knew the question was really meant for Jeff.

"All right, I guess," Jeff sighed as he stared at the Spaniard, chin propped on his hand. Rick reached over and ran his hand reassuringly over his lover's back. "It's tough, though -- the waiting, I mean. I remember it was like this with Dad... Not knowing what was going on, or if he could hear me or not. Its pretty scary..." he admitted, and Rick patted him on the back.

"It's going to work out all right. He's a tough one; he'll pull through, you'll see," Rick said encouragingly.

"That's what I thought about my Dad..." Jeff muttered, lost in his own thoughts. Then he realized what he'd been saying, and turned an apologetic eye towards Laura. "Sorry, luv. Don't mean to be so negative. This just reminds me of Dad a little too much, ya know."

"I know, Jeff. It's ok," Laura said.

"You okay?" Rick asked.

Jeff smiled weakly. "I'm managing. Haven't had much sleep though; I'm just tired." He took Rick's hand and squeezed it gently. Rick moved closer and let Jeff lean against him.

They all waited in silence for a while, until Rick said, "Well, I really do have to go now. They'll be wondering what happened to me." He stood up, still clasping Jeff's hand. "Let me know if you need anything."

Jeff stood too. "I will; thanks..." he said and followed Rick to the door. "Talk to you later," he said, then leaned forward to give Rick a brief kiss on the cheek. Rick pulled him into a hug, and held Jeff tightly for a few moments. Then the two separated, and Rick left. Jeff came back to his chair and sat back down again, casting an apologetic glance at Lachlan and Laura. "Sorry about that."

"What are you apologizing for?" Lachlan said. "I don't have a problem with it, you know that. I'm just glad you've finally found someone, mate."

"Don't be sorry on my account either," Laura said. "I know I don't know either of you very well, but you obviously care about one another, and that's all that really counts."

"True," Jeff said, smiling at her. Then he looked down at the breakfast tray. "Come on, you two; eat up. The cook's goin' be upset if he finds out we didn't eat anything." He picked up a slice of bacon. "It's pretty good, you know."

Laura stared at the plates, and had to admit the food *was* quite good. "All right, I'll have a little more," she said, moving to take another half of a bagel and some cream cheese. Lachlan joined in, and soon they had polished off most of the tray except for a box of dry cereal.

"That was good," Lachlan said, leaning back in his chair. "So, luv -- when's the next flying lesson?" he asked.

She smiled her first genuine smile in what felt like days. "Soon, I hope. You have no idea how much I loved that flight you took me up on."

Lachlan laughed, a warm smile lighting up his face. "Even when you were screaming at me while we were making those kamikaze dives?"

She laughed too. "Yea, even then. I can't wait to learn to fly on my own, so then I can try that myself and scare the shit outta *you*,

Lachlan Curry!"

Lachlan just shook his head. "Won't work, Laura," he grinned.

"Why not?"

Jeff chuckled. "Because he thinks he's indestructible when he's up there. No fear, right, Lach?"

He nodded. "No fear... No worries, mate. The sky belongs to me here." He cocked his head as he studied her. "So you really want to do this? Learn to fly?"

"Of course I do! I've been saying that all along. What do I have to do to convince you? Get down on my knees and beg?"

There was a twinkle in Lachlan's eye as he chuckled. "Well, that's a start, luv. Didn't know you felt that way about me though," he teased.

She rolled her eyes, then crumpled her napkin into a ball and tossed it at him. "You're terrible. Max is lying over there, unconscious, and you're flirting with me," she said, shaking her head, pretending to be upset, but laughing to herself nonetheless.

Lachlan just grinned. "Well, I wanted to put a smile on that lovely face."

She shook her head. "You don't know when to quit, do you?"

"Nope, never learned," he said, grinning even more.

Jeff sat there, shaking his head at them both. "And I thought Rick and I were embarrassing," he joked as he reached into a small duffel bag at his feet. "Anyone for a game of cards while we wait?" he said, holding up a deck. Laura and Lachlan looked at each other and shrugged. Why not...?

About an hour when by, with Laura losing miserably at poker to the two Aussie's. She stared unhappily at the pile of 'chips' (which were actually Cheerios that had been left over from the breakfast tray) in front of each man, but there was barely a small handful in front of her.

"Without bad luck I would have no luck at all," she sighed, throwing down her lowly pair of 8's while Jeff chuckled as he scooped the pot into his pile. "I should have known better than to play with you two..."

Laura's voice trailed off abruptly when she caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned towards the bed, and let out a strangled cry of relief as she watched the Spaniard's head move slightly, and a soft noise, like a quiet sigh, escaped his lips. "Max!"

All three scrambled out of their chairs and rushed to the bed. Laura crawled beside him, laying her hand against the side of his face. "Max... Maximus, wake up... It's Laura... Wake up, Max... You're home now; we're back in the CrowesNest... Open your eyes, Maximus... You're safe now..."

Maximus moved his head slowly from side to side, his lips moving, speaking so softly it was almost imperceptible. His eyes stayed closed however, and he did not respond to her, his head beginning to move it an almost agitated manner.

"Come on, mate; open your eyes," Lachlan said. "This is Lachlan. I'm here with Jeff Mitchell -- you know us, mate... You're in the CrowesNest.... Wake up, Maximus," he said, raising his voice slightly.

"Wake up, General," Jeff said, "there's a lady here who's worried about you, mate...."

He still did not respond, his lips moving more, his voice rising to a low whisper, but they could not understand the words.

"What is it, Max? What are you trying to tell us...?" Laura asked, stroking his cheek.

They listened and watched in silence, until Lachlan spoke, "I hate to say this... but I think he's still in the coma, or whatever he's in. Sounds like he's dreaming... or maybe he's delirious..."

Laura shook Maximus' shoulder lightly, and the Spaniard's words rose in volume briefly, but that was the extent of his reaction. She brushed a tear from her face as she sighed, "I think you're right... But what's he saying? I don't think that's English."

Jeff shook his head. "No, it isn't... I'm not sure... But I think its Latin."

"You could be right.... Is Ilaria here? She's the only one who might be able to translate for us." Lachlan told her Ilaria had had to leave a few days ago. "Damn..." She leaned down over him, speaking gently. "What is it, Max? Can you tell us in English? I can't understand you..."

They listened in silence for a few minutes more, and eventually they were able to make out two words. The names "Selene" and "Marcus".

"He must be dreaming about his family..." She scooted off the bed and went to his small shrine in the corner of the room. Reverently removing the small figures of his wife and son, she brought them over to him, pulling back the blankets to bring his arm out from under the covers. She laid the statuettes in his open hand, then wrapped his fingers around them, holding his fist closed.

She blinked back a few tears, and felt an overwhelming sense of loss...

It took a few moments before she realized that not all of the emotions she felt were her own... But there was something more, and she opened her mind to it, feeling as though an icy hand were closing over her heart. She felt cold all of a sudden, chilled down to the bone, and fear began to wash over her. She looked up at Jeff and Lachlan, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "Something's wrong... I don't know what exactly... But I *do* know this is *not* good..."

The two looked at each other, each of them having similar reactions slowly creeping over them. "I know," Lachlan said. "I don't like this either." Jeff nodded in agreement.

"I think I should get the others. Maybe they can figure out what's going on," Jeff said as he rose from his seat at the foot of the bed and went out into the corridor.

Laura and Lachlan kept talking to Maximus, continuing to try to get through to him, but it was futile. A short time later, they heard the sound of many footsteps hurrying down the hall, and Jeff reappeared, followed by Bud, John, Tina, Michelle, Colin, Cort and Peaches.

"What's happening?" Bud demanded as he rushed to the bed. Alex appeared too, slipping into the room behind them.

They explained what had occurred during the last few minutes, then Laura admitted, "I'm scared -- I just have this terrible feeling about this..."

"So do we," Lachlan said. "Can you feel it, John...?"

John paused, staring long and hard at the Spaniard. "Yea..."

"Can't you do anything?" Laura pleaded, feeling helpless and frustrated. She looked down, and noticed that the statuettes had fallen out of his hand as he flexed his fingers slightly. "Max, come on; you have to hear me..." They all watched as his hand rose slightly off the bed, fingers moving as though he were trying to reach for something.

"What is it, mate?" Lachlan said, laying a hand on the Spaniard's shoulder. He gasped a moment later when thoughts not his own flooded over him, flying by in a jumble.... In a moment it had settled, and he found himself out in the open, the sun shining down from an oddly colored sky. The clouds were hazy, almost luminous, with an ethereal glow to them. His hand touched something, and he looked down to find himself walking through a field of golden wheat, the tops of the stalks brushing the palm of his outstretched hand. He looked up again, gazing down the hill, and noticed, far in the distance, the figure of a woman... with a young boy at her side...

Another hand touched his arm, and Lachlan jerked back again, returning to the present, and turned to watch the color drain out of John's face as he slowly drew his hand back from the pilot's wrist. Lachlan gulped, swallowing hard, asking softly, "...Did you see it too...?"

John nodded slowly. "Dear god..."

"What...!?" Bud demanded. "What the hell did you see!?" The others stared at Lachlan and John, waiting for an answer.

"...I saw what Max was seeing, in his mind," Lachlan said with a shaky voice. "...It was the wheat fields... Elysium..."

"He thinks he's back in 'Gladiator'... We're losing him," John added with an anguished sigh.

"No!" Laura said with a choked sob. "Do something! For god's sake, somebody do something...! Max," she said desperately, clutching at his shoulders. "Don't do this. If you can hear me, Maximus, don't do this! Come back to us!" Michelle, Tina and Peaches moved to her side too, calling out too to the Spaniard.

"This can't happen," Bud muttered, shaking his head violently. "This isn't fucking happening!" He turned on John. "What the hell should we do?"

"How should I know?" John groaned, feeling as helpless and frustrated as anyone else.

Alex, who had been watching from the doorway, suddenly moved forward and pushed his way through the crowd. "I've got an idea," he said, purposefully climbing onto the bed. "Get everybody in here that you can round up! Get them in here now! I don't think we have much time!" He reached Max and gently, but firmly, moved Laura aside and pulled all the blankets down off the Spaniard. "If we can see what he sees, it should work the other way too. If enough of us can get through to him, maybe we can pull him back into our world again."

Bud stared. "... That's crazy!"

"You got a better idea?" Alex shot back, then looked at John. "It's our only hope, John."

John paused, then nodded. "You're right." He turned to Lachlan and Bud. "Go get the others." They dashed out of the room, but Jeff Mitchell had already preceded them, and within 5 minutes the room was filled. Roused from their beds, or sitting at the bar, all the Boyz had been within shouting distance of the General, none of them, except Sid, having left the building since Maximus had returned yesterday. They all clustered around the bed -- East, Mannie, Andy, Arthur, Kim, Johnny, Jack, Zack, Steve, Jeffrey, Dominic and Hando -- as the others quickly filled them in on what was happening. Sid was conspicuous by his absence, but no one missed him under the present circumstances.

Several of the ladies had joined them -- Kath, Stef, Liz and Sy, along with Tina, Michelle and Peaches -- and they huddled around the men too as East asked, "What do we do now?"

Twenty-six pairs of eyes turned to Alex. He seemed a bit unsettled by all the sudden attention, but quickly took charge. "Doll," he said to Laura, "come closer and hold him; talk to him. Boys," he said, looking up at his brothers, "gather 'round him, and put your hands on him. Make body contact, like Lachlan did when he 'saw' what Max did. Or touch someone who's touching him if you can't get close enough to him."

"Like touch telepathy or something?" Zack said as he, Mannie and Kim rubbed shoulders as they moved to the foot of the bed, each managing to lay a hand on Max's right ankle or calf. "Sounds like an episode of 'Star Trek'," he said.

Laura looked up and smiled briefly. "It certainly does," she said as she cradled Maximus' head in her lap. "Hang on, Max, hang on..."

"Try to reach him," Alex said, his hand on Max's shoulder. "He might have lost his way; show him the way back..." They all nodded and closed their eyes, concentrating...

*

*

Maximus walked slowly down the gently sloping hill. With each step, the heaviness seemed to lift from his body, until he felt freer than he ever had in his whole life. Happier than he ever thought possible. He looked around him, eyes drifting over acre upon acre of golden wheat all around him. His open hand swept over it, his fingers trailing through the swollen grain spikes. His gaze drifted along the winding dirt road, following it to the top of the hill on the horizon, and he smiled as he recognized the pink-stoned house set among the giant poplars.

Trujillo.

Home.

Faraway on the dirt road, his eyes found and lingered on the distant figures of a black-haired woman and the small child at her side. His wife and son. Selene and Marcus.

Home.

Family.

"Ancestors, whisper to them that I live only to hold them again," he said softly, smiling, and began to quicken his pace towards them.

"Maximus."

The voice was close, coming from behind him, and he paused. Something seemed to be pulling him backwards, but he resisted, moving down the hill once more.

"Maximus!" There was not one voice now, but many, echoing through the quiet fields. He stopped again, and turned to look behind him.

Many men stood behind him, perhaps as many as twenty, all of the same height, the same build... the same face. His face. His brow furrowed as he stared at them. He felt as though he should know them. But their names floated just beyond reach, and he could only mutter, "What do you want?"

"Its time to come back with us," one of them said as he took a step forward, holding out his hand. "You don't belong here, Max."

Maximus studied him a moment longer, the shoulder-length auburn hair jogging a few memories. Recognition came slowly. "John...?" The man nodded, smiling. "I -- " Maximus turned to look over his shoulder, his gaze falling on the young boy once more. "I must go now..."

"No, Max," an insistent voice said, and Maximus turned as another of the men stepped forward. His mind churned slowly, and eventually put a name to the face. Bud. "It's not your time, Max. We're here to bring you home. To the CrowesNest. You remember the CrowesNest, don't you...?" Maximus nodded slowly, and saw the others step forward, joining Bud and John.

"We're all here to help you, mate, to bring you back," Colin said.

Maximus turned back towards the road again, and discovered that they had moved further away, towards the house, growing smaller and fainter. "No... My family... Selene and Marcus are waiting for me..." he said with an anguished sigh.

"We're your family too now," Jeff Mitchell said. "We're brothers -- and we need you back."

"Maximus... you can't forget Laura either and what she means to you.... What you mean to one another," Lachlan said. "She's waiting for you; she loves you very much, mate... Do you want to leave Laura all alone?"

"It's not your time," Cort said. "Take my hand -- come back with us..."

Maximus turned and looked down and the preacher's outstretched hand. The others had moved closer, forming a semi-circle around him. The panic that had filled him when he saw his family fading away subsided, and he felt safe amid these men... his brothers. Yet still he hesitated. He did not want to leave; a few moments before, he had wanted nothing more than to collapse into the arms of his wife and child and find true peace at long last.

But at the same time he knew that his brothers were right. This was not his time... He didn't belong here, not now. There was another life waiting for him -- with another woman he loved very much, and who loved him too.... Laura...

With a resigned, painful sigh, he turned away from the pink-stoned building and golden fields for the last time, and allowed the men to encircle him. Many hands reached out to him now, but his eyes focused on the tattooed back of one hand in particular. He looked up into the piercing eyes of the lean figure in a long blue coat. "You don't belong here, Max," Hando said in a calm voice. Maximus reached out, and grasped the painted hand...

*

Everyone in the room jumped when Maximus gasped suddenly, drawing in great gulps of air, as if he were a drowning man struggling to breathe. The men took a few moments to snap out of their reverie, and Hando gasped loudly too, reeling back, nearly loosing his footing. Steve and Colin were nearby, and tried to steady him, but he violently rebuffed their efforts to help, quickly recovering himself.

As Maximus' eyes fluttered open and his breathing calmed, Laura leaned over him, tears rolling down her face as she spoke, "Max? Can you hear me? Are you all right...?"

His eyes looked up, focusing on her. "Laura...?" he said in a raspy voice. She nodded, smiling like an idiot, too overcome with emotion to say anything. He looked around, brow furrowing as he realized all his brothers were huddled around them, many of them still with their hands on his body. "...What's happened...? Where am I?"

There was a collective sigh of relief all around, and the men stepped back, breaking the physical contact with him, leaving only Laura who still cradled his head in her lap. "What's the last thing you remember?" Bud asked.

"I --" he croaked through his parched lips, and Michelle poured him a glass of water from the pitcher on the nightstand, handing it to Laura. She helped Maximus drink a few sips, then he took the glass in his own steady hand, quickly draining it. "Thank you," he muttered, then continued, "The last thing I remember, Laura and I were in her car, driving back to the CrowesNest.... And then I must have fallen asleep... I had the strangest dreams... I... I dreamt I was in Elysium," he said quietly, looking down at his hands. "And all of you -- my brothers -- were there..." Then his brow furrowed as his fingers touched the smooth curves of the statuettes of his wife and son that lay beside him on the bed, and he looked up again, his eyes sweeping over the group. "But... that wasn't a dream... was it...?" he asked, his hand closing around the figurines.

John shook his head. "No, Max, it wasn't. We were all there with you. You see, by the time Laura brought you back here, you were unconscious. We couldn't wake you up, no matter what we tried. So we brought you up here and put you in your bed, where you'd be more comfortable. That's why you're laying there in your underwear," he said with a soft grin. Maximus seemed to realize that fact only now, and his cheeks reddened slightly as he realized there were women besides Laura present in the room. There were a few chuckles, mainly from the ladies, as Laura helped him pull the sheets up around him again. "Anyway, that was yesterday. This morning, you started to take a turn for the worse. We realized we were losing you, that you were ready to join your family in Elysium..."

Max closed his eyes briefly. "Yes... But how did you know that?"

Lachlan spoke up. "Because when I touched you, mate, I saw it too. Just like it was happening to me. We are brothers, you know -- it's a stronger bond than any of us realize sometimes."

John nodded. "So when we discovered what was happening, we knew we had to bring you back before it was too late." John turned and looked over at Alex. "Actually, Alex had the idea of how to get through to you." He shook his head, gesturing at Ross. "Obviously, you were right. But how did you know what to do, Alex?" The others turned, listening intently, wanting to know the answer to that question too.

But Alex just shrugged. "I don't know. Lucky guess, really. I suppose, after all the strange stuff I went through with Myra in 'Rough Magic', it taught me to think outside the box... This place has a lot of magic to it too, ya know."

"So somehow, you were able to reach me... in Elysium?" Max asked. "How is that possible?"

"You weren't in Elysium. At least not yet," Bud replied. "You were unconscious... we were able to reach you in your dreams... and talk you into returning to the land of the living."

"Well," Laura said with a smile, hugging him for a moment, "however you managed it, I'm grateful that Max is okay. Thank you, all of you."

"Actually," Jeffrey said, turning to look at his brother in the long blue coat, "one of us in particular was able to pull him over the final step..." They all turned to look at Hando too, some with nods of thanks and appreciation, others with expressions of amazement.

Hando glared back, uncomfortable and unaccustomed to such attention. "What're you all staring at...?" He met Maximus' eyes for a moment, and the Spaniard bowed his head respectfully. Hando ducked his chin to his chest and hurried out the door. They could hear his heavy footfalls as he rushed down the wooden stairs and then the sound of front door of the tavern slamming shut.

The girls looked at each other in bewilderment. "Would somebody explain what that was all about?" Kath asked. "Are you saying that *Hando* was the one who convinced Max to come back?"

"Seemed to be," Bud asked, equally surprised. "Max...? Why did you take his hand over anyone else's...? Do you remember?"

"It is difficult to explain... And the whole experience is hazy at best... I've made friends with many of you in the short time that I've been here, but Hando seemed the most aloof, the least willing to accept us all as brothers. If he could reach out to me, in spite of that... It convinced me that I did belong here..."

"I'll be damned..." Laura said. "I never would have guessed..." She shook her head. "I suppose I should thank him." She looked around the room. "Thank you all for your help."

"I owe you all a debt as well," Maximus said as he sat up, propping himself up against the headboard. "Thank you for looking after me."

Wigand shook his head. "You needn't thank us. You're family. We couldn't afford to lose you."

"No, we couldn't," Laura said, smiling happily, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

When there was a lull in the conversation, Bud ventured, "Max... There's one thing about all this that's been a bit... confusing," he said, trying to be as tactful as possible. "...This should not have happened..." The others looked at him, giving him warning glances. "You were supposed to come back sooner, Max. We told you that you should returned in 36 hours -- 48 hours tops -- and that it was dangerous to stay away longer than that... But Laura tells us you didn't plan on returning until today... What happened...?"

Maximus looked down, as embarrassed as anyone had ever seen him. "I... made a mistake... Lachlan told me he once left the Nest for 4 or 5 days and he only experienced some minor fatigue. I thought I'd be fine for 3."

"But, mate," Lachlan said, looking a bit confused himself. "I also told you I'd been here for more than 5 years when I did that -- not 3 months."

"I told you the same thing, Max," John said. Then he paused, looking at the Spaniard's face. "... Tell me... Did you think we were exaggerating about the dangers...?"

Max sighed. "Honestly... Yes, I did..." There were a few groans of disbelief, chiefly from Bud. "And I felt perfectly fine. I saw no reason to come back so soon."

"And you were havin' a good time and didn't want to come back... Did ya, mate?" Colin asked.

"...No... I didn't," he admitted, turning to look at Laura with a tender expression, taking her hand.

Laura, however, did not know whether she wanted to kiss him -- or strangle him. "But, Max, why didn't you tell me --?" she began, then stopped. The last thing she wanted to do -- now that he was healthy again -- was to get into an argument with him. She sighed, and said, "Well... we'll talk about that later, when you're well again."

"Then maybe you can explain it to me too," Michelle said, looking like she also did not know whether to hug him or hit him. "Max, you *promised* me you'd be careful -- do you have any idea how terrible this has been for *me*? If anything'd happened to you, it would have been my fault -- I sent you out there," she said in a trembling voice, tears in her eyes too.

Maximus held his hand out to her, and firmly grasped hers when she moved closer. "I'm sorry, Michelle. I didn't mean to upset you. I am truly grateful to you for allowing me to find Laura..." He sighed, genuinely contrite. "I was so preoccupied with finding her that I did not consider anyone else." His warm eyes stared into hers. "Can you forgive me?"

Michelle smiled, tears of relief rolling down her cheek. "Of course I can, Max," she said, bending down to hug him around the neck. "I'm just thankful you're all right now," she said, wiping her cheeks.

Andy picked up a box of Kleenex from the dresser and brought it over to the bed, handing it to the Laura and Michelle. "Here, I think you two are going to need these," he joked, a wide smile on his face.

"Not just them," Tina said, reaching over to grab a Kleenex too, wiping the corners of her eyes. Kath, Stef, Liz, Sy and Peaches did the same.

Bud, however, was still shaking his head in disbelief and muttering obscenities under his breath. "We have to make sure this never happens again, John. I say we create a new rule around here -- no one leaves until they've been here at least a year. Little side trips to the mall are fine, but we can't risk letting this happen to someone else."

"Bud, I don't think you have to worry -- because after this, I'm sure no one will want to leave the Nest ever again," John said.

"I believe you're over-reacting, Bud," Max said.

"Over-reacting...?" Bud looked a bit incredulous. "Max, are you out of your -"

Jeffrey stepped forward, laying a hand on Bud's shoulder. "I think this can wait, Bud. Let the man recover before you take his head off."

John stepped forward too. "Take it easy, Bud -- it's over now. We can all sit down in a couple days and discuss it, but for now, just relax...Okay?"

Bud looked at John and Jeffrey, then Max, and, after a long pause, sighed heavily. "Okay, fine... whatever..."

John looked at Jeffrey. "Thanks, pal. Maybe I won't have to be the referee around here all the time after all," he smiled.

Wigand pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one finger. "Well, sometimes I feel like I'm back at my old job... Teaching high school," he said, shaking his head. "The 'boys will be boys' excuse is wearing a little thin around here," he complained. The ladies laughed, but the men mainly looked embarrassed or indignant.

Laura was fussing with the pillow she'd put behind Maximus' back, trying not to turn into a blubbering mess now that the crisis was over and her adrenaline levels were beginning to crash. "How are you feeling now?" she said, running a hand up and down his arm.

"I am fine -- truly I am," he said, flashing a warm smile at her, then at the others as well. "In fact, I feel quite relaxed... But thirsty," he said, looking over at Michelle.

"Let me get you some cold water," she said, disappearing into the bathroom with the pitcher.

"I am also quite hungry -- ravenous, to be exact," he said, and there were chuckles all around.

"I don't doubt it," Bud said, smiling. "You've missed quite a few meals." He turned to Jeff. "Could you give Rick a call and tell him to have the kitchen stand by? I think they're about to have a *huge* order come in," he grinned.

Jeff smiled. "Sure thing," he answered and left the room, but not without giving Max a warm handshake, welcoming him back. Many of the others left also, after pausing to shake his hand or give the Spaniard a hug. Michelle came back out in the meantime, and Max drained another two glasses of water before setting the glass aside.

Eventually the group dwindled down to John, Tina, Colin, Bud and Michelle. They talked for a bit, then Max asked, "I do not want to appear rude, my friends... but I ask if you could allow us some privacy for a few minutes..." he said, looking at Laura. "I will come downstairs soon -- I do need to eat something, I assure you," he joked.

They all understood, and left.

When the door had closed, Maximus pulled Laura against him. "Come here," he whispered, embracing her, then bringing his hands to her face. He smiled warmly before he kissed her, his strong arms crushing her against his chest.

She ran her hands over his shoulders and upper arms, and could feel the power and strength in his body once again. The kiss slowly deepened as they clung to each other, kissing as though they had not seen one another in months. After a while, Max pulled back, laying his forehead against hers as they gazed into one another's eyes. His brow furrowed as he noticed tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "What is wrong? I'm all right, my dear -- you needn't cry..." he said, raising a hand to brush the wetness from her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she said, sniffling. "I'm just so relieved you're alright -- you have no idea how scary the last 24 hours have been for me. Max, I -- I thought you were going to die..."

He softly kissed her forehead. "No, I don't know exactly what you've gone through -- but I can guess. I owe you a great debt for getting me back here safely. I know it was frightening for you, but I'm proud of how you handled it. You were very brave, my dear."

She smiled. "I don't feel very brave -- I was scared to death..." She took a deep breath, calming down. "But you don't have to thank me -- I'd do anything to help you, you know that. I love you, Max. You mean everything to me -- I'd never forgive myself if I let anything happen to you."

"Nothing has happened to me..." He assured her, rubbing a hand up and down her back. "And I owe you an apology -- I should have been honest about the risks I took by leaving the CrowesNest. But I didn't want you to worry, and I knew if I told you what John told me, you'd insist on returning right away.... I wanted to see more of your world, and to spend more time alone with you... It meant so much to me to share part of your life with you, even if it was only for a brief time," he admitted. He kissed her softly, then sighed. "I never realized something like this could happen to me..."

She sighed too. "I know you didn't.... I understand, but... I just wish you'd told me up front."

"So do I," he admitted, "But that is a thing of the past. I cannot change what happened. But I can promise it will not happen again."

"Damn right, because I'm never letting you leave here again," she said firmly.

He frowned. "No more boat rides...?" he teased.

She shook her head emphatically. "No more boat rides.... At least not in Chicago." She raised her hand to his head, smoothing his bed-tousled hair. "But there are plenty of things we can do here... You promised to take me riding, remember? Down to the beach, or into the woods..." She smiled and kissed him tenderly, whispering, "We could find a quiet spot and make love on the beach and..." she kissed him again, adding with a smile, "well, I think you can use your imagination for the rest..."

"Only my imagination?" he said with a raised eyebrow, chuckling.

She laughed, blushing slightly. "For now, yea..." She leaned back and stared at him, smiling happily. "I'm so happy to see you laughing and joking again..." They both paused as they heard his stomach rumble, and they laughed again. "Sounds like it's time you had something to eat. You need to get your strength back."

"I feel strong enough to pick up where we left off in your bedroom," he said, nuzzling her ear for a moment. "But I do indeed need to eat.... And," he sighed reluctantly, "that means I should get up and get dressed so I'm ready when they bring lunch over."

"Yes, you should." He reluctantly pulled away, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and setting his feet on the floor. She hurried to get up too, saying, "Take it easy at first; you've been in bed for a whole day and you might get lightheaded..." She laid her hand on his arm and watched as he stood up. "... Feeling okay....?"

He nodded, smiling. "Never better." He took a few tentative steps; his legs were slightly wobbly for a moment, so he walked slowly around the room. "No problem," he said. He went to the shrine to his ancestors that he kept in one corner, and carefully replaced the statuettes that he still carried. He said a quick, silent prayer, then went over to the closet. "Now I need some clean clothes." He opened the door, and took a pair of khaki trousers off a hanger and slipped them on. Then he reached back into the closet, saying, "But there is one thing I must do before we go downstairs..." He brought something out, shielding it from her view with his body. "You left this here before you went home... but now you must take it back. I still want you to look after it..."

He turned and handed her his wolf's fur cloak. She put her hand to her mouth, blinking back more tears as she took it from him. "...Like I said before... It's safe with me, Max; I am its Keeper... I'll guard it with my life..."

"I don't think you have to go that far," he replied, repeating his very words the first time he had given it to her for safekeeping, and they both smiled.

He kissed her softly. "...And if you ever feel you have reason to return it to me again... Tell me to my face," he said with a gentle reprimand in his voice.

"I promise," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him. "But that'll never happen..."

Sid sat in the bar, staring up at the second floor landing... Towards where he knew She was... With *Him*.

The others were giving him the cold shoulder, ignoring him, leaving him to sit alone at a table and brood. They all thought that he had been too vindictive to even bother to show his face in support of his 'brother' Maximus in his hour of need...

But they were wrong.... at least to a point. He had followed them all up to Maximus' room, and watched the proceedings from the hallway, unnoticed in the near hysteria that had overcome the room for a time. He had observed the rest of his so-called brothers huddle around the fallen General, participating in some absurd 'group hug' until Maximus had regained consciousness. He had laughed silently at the ridiculous notion that they all shared some kind of mysterious 'connection' between them all -- in spite of the fact that he himself had felt a definite weakness and sense of unease for the last 24 hours, which had now lifted.

It seemed equally absurd that Hando had played some role in the General's recovery, yet Sid had seen the skinhead's face as he'd fled the tavern, and realized that the man actually *did* harbor some feelings for his dear brother.

Such a pity, Hando, he thought to himself, shaking his head. And I had such high hopes for you.

It was also a pity that She had chosen to humiliate herself by fawning all over the General once he had woken up. He'd watch her blubber like a schoolgirl before he'd been forced to retreat to his room, lest he be seen watching them. White had been particularly short-tempered lately, and Sid did not fancy a fight with him at the moment.

Ah, cherie, why do you insist on wasting your time with him? You know you and I are destined to be together, he thought to himself, a cold smile on his lips. Soon I will show you the error of your ways... and your gladiator will be nothing be a forgotten memory once we are together.

Sid's smile widened as he picked up the wineglass that sat before him, swirling its contents slowly. He'd bide his time... until the perfect moment arrived.

On to Part Fifteen

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