Room 406, evening

[izzyalienqueen]

Once again Isabel was grateful that traveling with Wyatt was so much nicer then regular air travel or even portal. She made it home from Angel's with time enough to run into town to get some chocolate pudding before The Amazing Race started.

Wondering how Michael was doing, she handwavily left him a message then settled back to watch the end of 60 Minutes.

The door was open.

Comments

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"I've heard stuff about that. They could reach you wherever you were?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Ninety-nine percent of the time? Yes," she nodded. "I can only think of twice when things got cut off. When plague hit in the fall. The whole island got cut off from everyone and every where. The other time? Xander went home. And was cut off for six years. Except for us it was only six months."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael nodded slowly.

"So the one time was quarantine, I guess... do you know why the other time happened?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm not a hundred percent sure," Isabel admitted. "Although he'd come from six years in the past. So by the time we were back in contact, things had synced up. That might have had something to do with it."

"Why all the questions?" Although she had an idea.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

He shrugged.

"I just wanna know how things work around here."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Well now you do. Of course having said that? Something bizarre and unexpected will happen," she told him matter-of-factly. "But whatever it is, we'll cope."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Yeah", he agreed with a crooked grin. "Like always."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Pretty much yeah," Isabel nodded, realizing he had no clue just how much they'd coped with. "Just like always."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

There was a comfortable silence for a moment, and then Michael glanced around, noticed the pictures on the walls... and stared.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

It took Isabel a moment to realize what he was staring at. "Oh yeah. Things are a little different for us. But in a very good way."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"A little?" he echoed incredulously. "Who're those girls?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Liz is Max's girlfriend, and Maria is, well, your girlfriend," she explained. "They're very close."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Max... gets a girlfriend." Beat. "I get a girlfriend? Like, they know?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel nodded slowly. She wanted to explain, but at the same time, she didn't want to explain too much. "You do. And they do."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"...how the hell'd that happen?"

It wasn't something he could even imagine, at this point.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

She knew he'd ask that question.

"I can't say." Because she was pretty sure he'd try to stop it. And one thing Isabel had realized over the years was that they needed Liz and Maria.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Why?" he demanded.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Because you'd try and change it. And you can't," Isabel replied. "I wasn't happy when it happened. I was pissed, just like you were. But the thing is? Them knowing? Changed things. It was easier in some ways. And they watched our backs. Hell, we would have been dead two years ago if it wasn't for them."

Of course things were already changed by Michael being in Fandom. But Isabel wasn't willing to risk it. He'd go home at some point and she couldn't take a chance that he'd keep Max away from the Crashdown.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"...look, you don't have to tell me when this all happens. But at least tell me what."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Liz got hurt. Max healed her." She didn't say when, she didn't say where. Hopefully it wouldn't screw things up too much.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"...Maxwell. Always with the healing, I knew that'd get us in trouble someday."

But there was no heat in it.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Tell me about it," Isabel sighed, rolling her eyes. "But honestly? It was the best thing he ever did. It made a difference They made us stronger."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"...they did?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"They did. It wasn't all just making out in the eraser room."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"...but there was making out in the eraser room."

He grinned at her.