Part 30 - Shadowed

Liz was waiting impatiently outside the Crashdown when Alex drove up the next morning. She ran to the passenger door and jumped in as soon as the car came to a stop, not even bothering with morning greetings before launching in to the lecture.

"You're late. You know that you had us all terrified last night, right?" She glared at him, squashing the tiny tinge of pity she felt when she saw how utterly exhausted he looked. She had been scared half to death when Isabel called to report that Alex was missing, and until Kyle spotted him walking back from the park and called her, Liz had visions of learning that Alex had been killed by Skins. The whole experience had just slammed home what a dangerous situation they were all really in until Nicholas was stopped. "Poor Isabel was almost frantic when she called us. And we were all out searching through Roswell for you."

"Nice to know you care." Alex's attempt at a smile faded at Liz's glare. Sighing, he went on sincerely. "Honestly, Liz, I told you last night that I was sorry. What do you want? More blood?"

"What I want to know is why an intelligent person like you would go off wandering alone, walking through Roswell without anyone even knowing where you were going. Do you honestly not get why we were scared?"

Alex turned the corner, staring intently at the road so that he wouldn't have to see the look on Liz's face. He knew that he'd terrified his best friend, and that bothered him a lot. "I get it. Okay? I promise not to do it again." Liz shook her head and turned away. Alex felt the need to give more of an explanation. "I just needed some fresh air. That's all. I wasn't gone that long."

"Two and a half hours!" Liz was practically screeching. "Can you imagine all the things that could happen to you in two and a half hours?"

Alex thought about how quickly Michael had killed Pierce. "I know that it doesn't take long for something to happen," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, he went on in a louder voice. "I lost track of the time. I didn't realize how much time had passed." As he parked in the school lot, he looked at her and sighed again. "Look, Liz, I've apologized. I spent almost an hour groveling on the phone to you, and then another hour with Maria. She even had Michael get on the phone to tell me how stupid I'd been. And the only reason Isabel didn't come over to yell at me more last night was that Kyle crashed at my place, and he promised her that he wouldn't let me go wandering off again. So, don't you think you can all stop yelling at me now for having the nerve to go out without asking permission?" His voice started to get testy at the end there. He got that they were all worried about him, which was nice, but he didn't need a group of baby-sitters telling him when he could or could not leave his own house.

He was surprised by the sudden tight hug. "I was just so afraid we'd lost you," Liz whispered. "I don't know if I could handle that. Please be more careful."

Alex's momentary anger melted away. He would have been just as frightened if it had been Liz or Maria who was missing. "I promise, Liz. Am I forgiven?"

"Of course." Liz got out of the car and waited for him before walking inside. "But you still have Isabel to deal with. And she might be a bit more upset than me."

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Isabel opened up her locker, only partly paying attention to Maria's chatter. The girl really had too much energy. Personally, Isabel was exhausted. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, what with searching the town for Alex and then the nightmares. And even though Alex turned up safe and sound, she couldn't quite get over the feelings that the nightmares were real somehow, that she really was losing Alex. Losing Alex was unacceptable. She's just found him. Isabel had no intention of letting him go. But she wasn't sure how to fight against something she could only sense, but couldn't see.

She wasn't even paying attention to her opened locker until she heard Maria's little squeal of surprise. "Wow." Maria sounded surprised. "I guess Alex must really be trying to make up for last night."

Isabel just nodded in agreement as she took out the bouquet of flowers that had been placed inside her locker. Sterling roses - her favorites. "They're beautiful." She smiled as she held them close and took a deep breath of their fragrance. Okay, so maybe she wasn't losing Alex after all. Finding her favorite flowers and surprising her with them was such an Alex thing to do.

Maria looked down at her watch. "Okay, I've gotta go. I'm meeting Michael in the eras....... I'm meeting Michael before check-in with Liz. See you in a little bit." She was off in a flurry, just as Isabel noticed Liz and Alex coming from the other direction. Carefully, she placed the flowers back in her locker.

"Hey, Isabel," Liz smiled at her. "I'll just let you two talk for a few minutes, then see you at Maria's locker." She went on, hoping that Max was already there. With the Alex scare the night before, they hadn't had much time to figure out what to do about Hanson. Prioritize, Liz thought to herself. Deal with one crisis at a time.

Isabel glared at Alex, tapping her foot on the ground. The flowers might be nice, but that didn't mean he was off the hook already.

Alex seemed to understand this as he held out his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I know. I was an insensitive idiot to go wandering off like that without telling anyone. You all thought that evil aliens had murdered me. It was a very wrong thing to do, and I'm sorry. But in my defense, I'd like to point out that I'm not the only one who's broken the no-wandering rule. Michael keeps walking off on his own."

Isabel's look made him gulp nervously. It would frighten much tougher and larger men than Alex. "So now you're using Michael as your example and guide for proper behavior?" she asked icily.

"No," he answered quickly. "Not at all. I'm just pointing out that we all make mistakes." He looked at her eagerly, hoping for some signs of forgiveness. Not yet. "But I've seen the error of my ways, and I'm very sorry. I promise that I won't do it again. Honestly. Cross my heart." He did just that, crossing his heart and putting up his hand like someone giving a solemn oath. Isabel almost relented at the remorse in his face. Alex really did sound sorry. But there was still something to address.

"Why did you lie to me?" That was the part she hadn't been able to get over. Alex was the one person in her life who she would have thought was totally incapable of lying to her.

He shook his head in confusion. "What are you talking about? I didn't lie to you." He moved a little closer to her, then a little more when she didn't say anything. He reached over and took her hand, never breaking eye contact. Isabel felt her pulse start to speed up at having him so close, but she wasn't going to let this one drop. It was too important. She needed to know if something really was wrong with him or if she was overreacting.

"You said you weren't feeling well. Then you went off on your little walk. So, why the lie?"

"I didn't lie." Alex moved even closer, hoping that she could hear the truth in his voice. "I wasn't feeling well. I felt pretty awful, actually. I mean, I broke a date with Isabel Evans. I must have been sick." Taking encouragement from the almost-smile he saw on her lips, he brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on the back. "But I couldn't get to sleep. So, I thought a short walk would help me get to sleep. You know, fresh air." Turning her hand over, he kissed her palm. Isabel was starting to have a hard time holding on to her anger. After all, he really did seem to be sorry. And it was just a misunderstanding, after all. "And then I lost track of the time." Alex pressed a light kiss on her lips. "I'm really sorry, Iz. I never meant to scare you. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do."

"I guess I can forgive you. This once." Wrapping her free hand behind his head, Isabel leaned over and gave him a slower, deeper kiss. For two and a half hours last night, she'd been afraid that she would never be able to kiss him like this again. It made each moment with Alex even more precious. When she finally pulled back, she relented and smiled. "Especially since you gave me flowers." Reaching back into her locker, she pulled out the bouquet. "They're so gorgeous!"

Alex just looked at them, a polite smile on his face. "Yeah, I guess so. But they're not from me. Must be from one of your other admirers. Although that doesn't narrow it down too much, does it?"

Isabel looked from the flowers to him. "Really? They're not from you? But who else could have put them in my locker?"

Alex laughed as he slung an arm around her shoulder. "It's not really all that hard to break into a school locker, my lady. I'm pretty sure I could do it if I really wanted to. I know for a fact that Kyle and Maria can. I don't know about Liz, though." The mental image of Liz sneaking about the school breaking into people's lockers just made him laugh again.

"That's just weird," Isabel whispered as she put the flowers back again. "And I'm getting tired of weird things going on." That reminded her of something she'd wanted to discuss with Alex last night. "Alex, I've been having more nightmares."

He looked down at her in concern, giving her a little reassuring squeeze. "The same ones as the other night? Something chasing you?"

"Yeah." Taking courage and hoping that he wasn't going to be too angry with her, she went on and confessed. "I tried to get into your dreams two nights ago." She could feel his body suddenly tense up, but he didn't say anything. He just let her go on. "I know I said I wouldn't, but I was so scared. I wanted to be with you. I knew that you could keep me safe, that nothing would hurt me with you." He relaxed a little, but she could tell that he was still pretty upset. "Anyway, I couldn't get in." She moved away a little, nervously playing with her necklace.

Was it her imagination, or did she see a flicker of relief on his face? "Well, I'm flattered and all, Izzy, but I'm not sure what you wanted from me anyway. They're your dreams, after all. Not much that I can do about them." He turned and started to walk down the hallway, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He was just going to dismiss the nightmares and drop the subject? She didn't think so.

"It wasn't like other times when I couldn't get into people's dreams, Alex. This was different. I could almost touch your dream, but there was a wall blocking it. A hard silver wall. I've never seen anything like it before, and I don't know who or what put it there, but it wasn't there the last time I dreamwalked you."

Alex shrugged. "So?"

She couldn't believe his attitude. "So? There's some freaky wall blocking off your dreams, and that's all you have to say?"

Alex smiled at her placatingly. "I'm sorry that you had a bad dream, Isabel. But I can't help you on this one because I don't know anything about this wall or whatever it is. Sorry."

Isabel didn't say anything - she just stared at him in shock. She had seen the look in his eyes, and she had seen something almost unbelievable. Had Alex just lied to her face?

Apparently, he didn't pick up on her stunned silence. Alex picked up her books and started down the hall. He turned and looked back. "We'll be late for check-in. You coming?"

Isabel nodded mutely, turning to close her locker. As she pushed the flowers back, a card fell out to the floor. It must have been with the flowers. Bending down, she picked it up.

On one side, a simple message was written. Always.

Frowning, she turned it over, looking for a name. There wasn't one. Instead, there was a symbol drawn on it. A dot with a broken circle surrounding it. Tracing the lines, Isabel remembered the last time she'd seen that symbol.

She and Michael had been standing in front of the library on Valentine's night. He had formed that same symbol on the grass in front of the building, hoping to use it as a signal to contact Nasedo. Nobody had come that night. It was still months before Nasedo and Tess came into their lives.

Thinking back further, Isabel could remember where she'd seen the signal before. No wonder Michael had picked that drawing out of all the ones in the cave drawings. Even without conscious memory, he'd recognized the symbol of his original faction. The symbol of Kivar's house. The mark of the Skins.

"Kivar," Isabel whispered as she crumpled up the note in her fist.

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Max looked up from the display of grey alien sketches he was organizing as he heard footsteps approaching. Expecting to see a tourist, Max prepared to go into his usual speech for visitors to the UFO Center. Instead, he was very pleasantly surprised to see Liz walking up to him, a soft smile on her face.

"Hi," she said gently. "I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?"

"No." He put down the pictures and walked around the display case to kiss her. Definitely better than a tourist. "Just busily preparing information for the masses about the truth concerning aliens." His voice held an almost hidden glimpse of mocking laughter. Max sometimes wondered what Brody would do if he told him the truth - just walked over and introduced himself as the exiled, reincarnated king of the planet Antar.

"And a valuable service it is," Liz said dryly as she looked about the museum. "There doesn't seem to be many knowledge seekers here today, though."

"Slow day." He pushed her hair off her face, letting his hand linger on her cheek. "So, what brings you here?"

"Well," she said coyly as she walked over to some chairs. Max followed her over. "I finished doing my research for our history paper. You remember our history paper?" She reached over and took his hand, placing it on her thigh.

"Yeah." He was more interested in staring at her fingers, though.

"Well, it occurred to me that we never did decide what to do about Hanson. And then I thought of a very simple way to find out if he's a Skin or a human."

That got Max's attention. "What?"

"Hello there." Max and Liz both nearly jumped at Brody's interruption. Max quickly got up, trying to pretend that he wasn't sitting there holding hands with his girlfriend when he was supposed to be working. From the amused twinkle in Brody's eyes, Max hadn't managed to pull it off too well.

"Hello," Liz smiled up at him. "How are you feeling today?"

"Much better. You know, I haven't seen Maria around much lately. Tell her Sidney said hello, would you?"

Liz nodded. "Of course."

"Great." Brody turned back to Max. "Since it's so slow today, I'm going to head out early and go home. Can you close up for me? Oh, and when Sheriff Valenti comes by, just give him the statement I have typed up in my office. It just states that apparently nothing was taken in last week's break-in."

"Sure. No problem."

"Thanks." Shaking his head a little in amusement, Brody started to walk away. "Don't forget about the party here Friday night." Then, he went up the stairs and exited the building.

The second he was gone, Liz was on her feet in excitement. "That's perfect. This gives us a chance to try my idea."

"Which is?"

Liz gave him a smug smile. "We call Valenti and ask him to send over Hanson for Brody's statement instead of coming himself. Then, we bring out the pentagon." She stood back and waited while Max figured out where this was heading.

"We hide the pentagon somewhere where Hanson has to walk by it," Max said slowly as Liz smiled eagerly. "And if he's a Skin........"

"If he's a Skin, then he goes flying." Liz was proud of her idea. "And then we know for sure if we're dealing with an evil alien or a human. At least it gives us a start for planning how to deal with him."

"It could work." Max felt a slow grin form on his own face. It was nice to be proactive for a change. "Okay, I'll call him. I'll come by later and tell you what happened."

Liz looked at him as if he'd suddenly gone crazy. "Well, that really shouldn't be necessary, Max, since I'm going to be here when you try it. After all, it's my plan."

"No way, Liz." Before she could say anything, he put a finger on her lips. "I'm not taking any chances with you, Liz. You mean too much to me to put you in any more danger."

Liz sighed in fond exasperation as she moved his hand away. "Max, let's try to be realistic, okay? We are all in danger. All of us, humans and aliens. It's awful and it's unfair, but there it is."

"I hate thinking about how much we've screwed up your lives."

She shook her head. "No, Max. It's none of your faults. It's not your fault that some sore loser on another planet wants you dead. What?" she asked as he started to laugh softly. "What's so funny?" She put her hands on her hips and looked at him indignantly.

"Nothing really. I was just imagining the look on Kivar's face if he heard himself described as a sore loser. It makes him sound like a little boy throwing a temper tantrum in a sandbox or something. I think he pictures himself as someone a bit grander."

Liz dismissed the talk of Kivar with a wave of her hand. "The point is, I'm going to be at the same risk whether I stand with you and fight for what's important to me, or whether I sit at home and hide in my closet. Given the choice, I'd rather take my chances and stand with the person I love."

"You're not leaving, are you?" Max had to admire her determination.

"No."

"I love you, Liz."

"Really?" She moved back up to him again, smiling up. "How much?"

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Max pulled her closer for a kiss. When they parted, he whispered down to her, "More than anything else in the world. You know that, right?"

She nodded, learning her head on his chest. "I know. What I think about all that you've risked for me....... Max, that's why I have to help you. It's an equal partnership. It has to be."

He just nodded. "Okay. Let's make the phone call."

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Maria leaned back on the hood of the Jetta, admiring the view. Michael was standing out there in the desert, dressed only in a pair of jeans, concentrating intently as he practiced blowing up rocks. She had to admit that the explosions of shattered rocks were impressive, but she was much more impressed by the way Michael's muscles moved as he swung around to face another boulder. And then there was the way that his hands moved and gestured as he brought them up to attack the stones. It made her remember what it felt like to have those hands touching all over her body. Maria fidgeted a little as she thought about the previous night's activities in Michael's apartment.

Michael turned around. She couldn't see his expression, but she could hear the annoyance in his voice as he yelled at her. "Stop it, Maria. How am I supposed to concentrate when you keep distracting me like that?"

Jumping down from the hood, she skipped over to him and started tracing patterns on his chest. "I can think of some other distractions we could do, you know."

Michael's arms went around her waist, instantly pulling her closer as his head went down to kiss the spot where her neck met her shoulder. But then he gently pushed her back, shaking his head. "No. I need to practice, Maria. This is why I didn't think having you come along was such a good idea," he pointed out.

Maria sighed in annoyance. "Do you realize how freaked out Liz would have been if you went wandering around alone again? Especially after the whole thing with Alex last night? Besides, I think you have the hang of blowing up rocks, spaceboy." She rolled her eyes as she gestured to all the gravel that now surrounded them. "Maybe you should try something that actually moves."

He grimaced in response. "And what do you suggest? A rabbit? A coyote?"

"No." She was shocked. "You can't just kill an animal for practice. That would be wrong." She looked around and had an idea. "How about if I throw some rocks? That way you could practice aiming at a moving target."

He could feel her eagerness to help out. Maria was trying to be supportive of his life. He supposed it was the same as his listening to her sing, only she got a lot more enjoyment out of her pasttimes than he did. But enjoyment or not, this was something he needed to do, and she understood it. So, Michael nodded. "That would be a good idea." He stood back and watched as he quickly went over to pick up a rock. "Not that one! It's too big." Rushing over to her, he took her arms before she could lift it up. "You'll hurt yourself." He tried to control the sudden pounding of his heart. He wasn't sure what had caused it, but he'd panicked at the sight of Maria trying to pick up the rock.

She looked at him in surprise. "It's just a rock, Michael. It wasn't going to bite me or anything."

"I know." He ran his hands over her body to reassure himself that she was okay. "But it was too heavy. You could have strained yourself picking it up."

"Over-protective much?" She didn't sound really angry, though. More like thoughtful. "I'm not made of porcelain, you know."

"I know. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful." Michael had that stubborn look on his face, so Maria gave it up. When he had that look on his face, nothing on Earth was going to change his mind. So, she sighed and pointed to a smaller rock.

"How about that one? Does that pass the Michael Guerin Insanely Protective Seal of Approval?"

He smirked at her. "Yeah, I think you can handle that one."

She smacked him lightly on the arm as she walked over. Carefully picking up the rock, aware of Michael's eyes on her, she swung it and then let it fly. Michael's hand came up almost instantly and he blew it up, apparently without needing much time to aim.

They worked this way for almost half an hour. Maria would throw a rock, and Michael would blow it up. While it was better than nothing, Michael was well aware of the limitations of this type of practice. The rocks were moving now, but they were still very predictable. Nicholas wouldn't be. And Kivar certainly wouldn't be, either.

Maria was glad for the interruption when her cell phone rang. "Hello. Liz? Hey, girl, what's up?" Michael noticed the way she frowned and walked up, leaning in closely so that he could hear the conversation too. "You and Max are going to do what?"

"We're going to use the pentagon to see if Hanson is a Skin or not. Don't worry - we know what we're doing."

"Liz, let me talk to Max." Michael grabbed the phone from Maria, ignoring her protests.

"Michael." Max's voice sounded calm. "I know what you're going to say, but we're doing this. And you can't be here when we do. We don't know for sure whether or not the pentagon will affect Hanson, but we know for certain what effect it has on you."

"I should be there. I need to be there." Maria frowned at the note of desperation in his voice, and gently rubbed his back. The idea of Max anywhere near a dangerous situation without him there to watch his back was making Michael tense up into a million little knots.

"I know, Michael. And you will be all the other times. But this really isn't very dangerous. Try not to worry too much."

Maria grabbed the phone back from Michael. "Max, you at least have back-up, right? You and Liz aren't going to be alone with him, are you?"

"We'll be fine. Come by the Crashdown when you get back. And try to keep Michael from worrying too much."

"I'll try." She cast a dubious look at Michael as she hung up the phone. She wasn't sure that it was possible to keep Michael from worrying. He reached out his hand to her.

"Give me the phone." As soon as he had it, he dialed. "Yeah. You know what Max is doing? I can't be there... okay, fine." When he hung up, she could feel his relief. He was still tense, but no more so than he had been all day. Something had relieved his mind about what Max and Liz were going to do.

"Who was that?"

Michael leaned against the car, pulling her close. "Valenti. He's going to be there, and if Hanson does turn out to be Skin, he and Max together should be able to handle it." Kissing her neck, he murmured, "So, what should we do while we're waiting?"

Just at that moment, Maria's stomach growled. Pulling away with a laugh, he put his hand on her stomach. "Hungry, teel-sharan?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, I guess." Glaring at him for laughing, she went on. "Well, I couldn't eat much at lunch today. It was just way too uncomfortable, what with all the awkward silences between Isabel and Alex." She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in close. "Feed me, spaceboy," she half-laughed, half-growled at him.

"Okay. What do you want to eat?"

Maria climbed into the passenger seat as he got behind the wheel. "The greasiest burger that we can find in Roswell."

Michael turned to stare at her. "You want something un-nutritious? You? The queen of the food lectures? The girl who threw away all my pretzels and potato chips and tried to force-feed me apples? What's up?"

She grabbed his hands and placed them on the steering wheel. "I'm just in the mood for a burger, okay? It's not the end of the world." She pointed ahead of her. "So, drive. I'm starving all of a sudden."

"Okay," he answered, privately resolving to tease her about her walk on the culinary wild side all through dinner.

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When Max heard a knock on the door, he quickly opened it. Liz and he had already positioned the pentagon on a side table behind a display on the connection between the pyramids of ancient Egypt and alien visitors. It couldn't be seen, but it would still knock any Skin who came near it across the room. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, only to find Valenti standing there, not Hanson.

"Sheriff Valenti?" Liz's voice came from the foot of the stairs. She sounded as confused as Max felt.

Valenti chuckled as he looked at the two confused teens. "Did you really think I was going to let me do this without any type of back-up?"

"Apparently not," Max said dryly.

Valenti walked down the stairs and looked around quickly. "Where's the pentagon?" Liz pointed over to it. He nodded in approval. "Okay, then." He looked at Liz. "You have a heavy object within easy range?"

"Here." She picked up a heavy pipe that she'd propped up behind a nearby display case.

"Good." He unsnapped his holster so that he could get his gun out quickly, then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the heavy wrench he'd brought along. Human or alien, he was prepared in case of trouble.

When they heard another knock on the door, Valenti went into Brody's office, hiding behind the partially closed door.

"Deputy Hanson, hi." Max tried to smile at the man, but he had a feeling it came out closer to a sick grimace. He couldn't deny the fact that Hanson creeped him out. There was something off about him. Just the way he looked at Max made his skin crawl. He looked like he knew something about Max that he didn't even know about himself. But Max forced himself to act cordial. "Brody had to leave, but he left that statement for you. It's just downstairs."

"Thank you, Max." Hanson followed Max closely down the stairs, tipping his hat to Liz when he got to the bottom. "And hello to you, Liz. How are you doing? No more trouble, I hope."

"More trouble?" Liz asked in a stead voice.

His eyes flickered over her body dismissively before he answered. "Well, there was the break-in here. And then the problems at school with the lockers."

"Right. The lockers." Liz moved a little closer to the display. She really didn't like the way he was looking at her, as if she was a bug or something equally unimportant.

"Here's the statement, deputy," Max said politely, walking over to the table and holding it out to Hanson. As Hanson walked over, he passed the hidden pentagon. Liz held her breath waiting.

Nothing. No bright light. No flying Hanson. Instead, the deputy simply took the papers, thanked them politely, and walked out. Once Max had locked the door behind him, Valenti came out.

"He's human." Liz wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved.

"So was Pierce," Valenti pointed out. "Human doesn't necessarily mean harmless."

Max was still looking at the closed door. Liz touched his arm gently. "Max? What is it?"

He looked down at her with a frown. "I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should have let Michael go after him the other day. There's something wrong with him. I've never seen eyes that look so empty before." He looked over at the sheriff. "That probably sounds stupid."

"No. I've learned to trust my instincts. You should do the same." Valenti put the wrench back in his pocket. "Well, I think I can manage to keep Hanson very busy out of town for a few days. That should buy us some time to try and figure out what's going on with him." He smiled at them. "You're going to want to tell the others about this, of course. Tell Kyle and Tess not to be home too late. It's a school night."

"Good night, Sheriff." Max pulled Liz close.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Just doing my job." And Valenti went on home.
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Later that night, after Max and Liz had filled them all in on Hanson's human status, Isabel was home preparing for sleep. While she was glad that Max and Liz were safe, a part of her was still upset at them for taking such a chance. What were they planning to do if Hanson did turn out to be a dangerous Skin? Liz might be good at the science aspect of things, and Isabel had to admit that she had turned out to always put the aliens' interests first, but she wasn't going to be much use in a fight. And Max's powers were more defensive than offensive. They should have told Isabel what they were going to do. She could have helped. At least Valenti had been there.

How much help would you have really been? she asked herself in annoyance. It's not like you can concentrate on anything other than the fact that Alex might be lying to you. Why would he do that?

Isabel couldn't stop her mind from going around and around in circles. Two images kept dancing in her mind - the look on Alex's face when he denied knowing about the wall and the card that came with the flowers. Kivar's symbol.

Isabel looked over at her bed with apprehension. She didn't want to go to sleep. She was too afraid of the dreams that she knew would come. And what scared her the most about the dreams was that a part of her wasn't afraid of them. A part of her wanted to go to the figure in the dreams. So far, she'd been able to keep control. She hadn't given in to the temptation. But what would happen if she did?

She'd told Max about the card earlier. He hadn't said anything, just looked at her. What was there to say, really? They'd all known that Kivar was behind things with Nicholas and the Skins. This was just a reminder.

She sat down nervously. She wondered how long she could go without sleep and still be able to function well. But if she stayed awake, she'd just keep thinking about the mess with Alex.

She grimaced. What a choice. Sleep and nightmares or stay awake and obsess over Alex. Neither choice was particularly appealing. And she hated being so afraid all the time. It made her feel weak and defenseless. She ran her hands through her hair. She couldn't even call Alex.

Thinking about Alex made her remember their earlier conversation. "They're your dreams, after all." That's what he'd said.

Isabel sat up straighter suddenly. Alex was right - they were her dreams. And more than that, she was the dreamwalker. That was her gift. Isabel had been walking around people's dreams all her life, since before she could even talk. And she'd been letting some shadow chase her and weaken her in her own dreams, on her turf.

No more. It was time to take back her dreams.

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Isabel walked through the hallways of the palace. She always seemed to return her. She supposed it was fitting. This was the place where Vilandra had grown up, where she'd fallen in love, where she'd betrayed her family. The place where she'd died. It made sense that she'd be brought back here, to this most important place for Vilandra, by someone who wanted her to believe that was who she still was. Well, she knew differently.

Entering the throne room, she ignored the pillar in front of the throne. She'd relived her death at Tymrath's hands often enough over the last week. This dream was going to go differently. Looking around into the shadowy corners, she cupped her hands around her mouth to be louder.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" No answer. Now Isabel was starting to get pissed. "I know you, Kivar. I guess I always knew." Isabel walked around the room, staring into every corner and crevice. "I just didn't want to admit it. But now I admit it." She stopped and threw open her arms. "You want me, come out here into the open. Into the light. Or are you just too scared?"

A figure detached itself from the surrounding shadows and walked out into the room. He was still cloaked in darkness, though. Isabel couldn't see his features. It didn't really matter. "I could never be afraid of you, my dear Vilandra."

Isabel could feel a shiver go up her spine when he said her old name, and the faint urge to run to him. But it was faint, so much fainter than ever before, and it was easy to crush it down. Instead, she thought of the way she felt empowered during the group connection. Max was right - there was power there that Kivar could never understand.

"Let's try this one final time, shall we? I'm not Vilandra. Not anymore. You really aren't very bright, are you? No wonder you haven't been able to squash the resistance in the fifty years since you took over the blood-stained throne." With a thought, Isabel turned the throne red. Kivar gave a small jump and she smiled in satisfaction. This was the first time she'd been able to consciously control the dreams he'd been in. Or maybe she'd been able to all along, but she hadn't know it.

"Your blood, Vilandra." Kivar tried to regain control. The floor around her was covered in blood. With a wave of her hand, it vanished and the floor shone again.

"You don't know anything about me." With each word, she moved closer. "I'm stronger now. I don't want you. I have everything I need and I'm going to hold on to it. I'm not that selfish needy little princess you knew. I reject you, Kivar. I am Isabel Evans. This dream is mine, not yours, and I don't want you in it." She paused and took a breath. "Get lost, Kivar. You want me, come face us in person. All of us." She gave him a fierce smile. "You might just be surprised at what you find."

Before Kivar could respond, she held up her hand. A blinding light shone from it, illuminating all the dark corners of the throne room. When it faded, she was alone. Then she woke up.

When she fell back to sleep, Isabel had only pleasant dreams. No signs of Kivar to be found.

----------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the week passed uneventfully. Isabel wasn't foolish enough to think that was the last she'd ever hear from Kivar. Nobody she knew was as strong in the dreamworld as she was - that was the only reason she'd been able to get rid of him so easily. If he did take her up on her dare, and come for her in the real world, things might be different. But at least now she could get some sleep. She'd take what victories she could.

There were no more strange episodes with Alex. On the surface, it seemed that things were fine with him. Every time she brought up the subject of his dreams, though, Alex grew irritable and changed the subject quickly. She knew that something was going on, but couldn't figure out what to do about it. No amount of scolding or coaxing could get Alex to admit to knowing anything about the dream wall. Maybe he really didn't, but Isabel couldn't let go of her doubts.

Valenti kept his word about keeping Hanson busy. Every day, Hanson was sent out on patrols out of town, or to nearby towns for court appearances or to gather information. It was amazing how much busywork Valenti could come up with when he put his mind to it.

By some minor miracle, Amy DeLuca hadn't caught Michael on his sleep-overs yet.

And so things went for the next two days. Until Friday night, when the gang attended the party at the UFO Center.

----------------------------------------------------

"Would someone explain to me again why we're here?" Michael looked around the crowded museum. The place was packed with kids from school, all dancing, talking, and participating in other extracurricular activities. While it was a definite improvement over the last event he'd attended here (he didn't see a UFO fanatic in the bunch), the crowds still made Michael nervous. And he wasn't sure he liked Maria being anywhere so stuffy and noisy.

Patiently, Max explained for the fifth time. "Brody is trying to attract some of the actual Roswell natives to the Center. He figured a party like this would be a good way to get some younger people in here."

"Yes, Maxwell, I understand that part. What I don't get is why we personally are here."

"To have fun, maybe?" Tess was already starting to bounce up on her toes at the music. One week back at school and she was already ready for another vacation.

Ignoring Michael's snort, Kyle laughed and grabbed Tess's hand. "Works for me." He pulled her out onto the dance floor and started showing her a creative variation on line dancing.

Michael just laughed at the two of them. They looked ridiculous, but at least they were having fun. Then he felt the tug on his arm and looked down to see Maria looking up at him with a distinctly evil twinkle in her eyes. "No way, Maria."

"I wanna dance."

"No. I don't dance." He was going to stay strong on this one, no matter how cute she looked when she got all pouty like that.

"Michael," she whined.

"Maria," he whined back in exactly the same tone.

"Well, I'm not going to just stand here all night. So either we dance or you can take me to the movies. 'A Beautiful Mind' is still playing."

"No way," he answered automatically as he glanced around the room, checking out the people there and the exits.

"I'm starting to think you're just jealous of Russell Crowe or something."

"Ha." He looked back at her as an idea hit him. Leaning down closer, he whispered into her ear, making her body shiver delightfully. "We could go back to my apartment instead."

"Tempting, but no. Dance first. Apartment later." Maria was determined to get Michael Guerin out on the dance floor. "That is, if you're good."

Michael sighed in resignation. "Maria, I don't even know how to dance." But he was already taking her hand and walking out in the direction Kyle and Tess had gone.

"I'll teach you."

Max laughed as he saw Maria manage Michael so easily. Despite his grumbles, Michael looked perfectly happy out there. "I hope Maria knows what she's getting into. Remember when you tried to teach Michael how to dance back when we were nine, Iz?" Turning around, he was surprised to see that both Isabel and Alex were missing.

Liz smiled at his confused expression. "I think they wanted some time alone." She looked around at the crowd. "Well, as alone as they can get in here, anyway." Liz placed her hands on his shoulder and reached up so that their eyes were level. "Sounds like a good idea to me." She moved that little bit of distance closer, and their lips met. As the kiss went on, everything else faded into the distance. The only two people who existed for them in that moment were Max and Liz.

Finally, Max pulled back with a little groan. "Let me just tell Brody that I'm here." He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "Then we can see if there's a private corner anywhere."

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Alex and Isabel had found a darkened corner and were taking good advantage of it. Finally taking a break from kissing her (he was in need of oxygen), Alex looked down at her and smiled.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

Isabel shook her head flirtatiously. "No. So why don't you?"

He laughed softly. "Your hair is so beautiful. It's like gold or sunshine." He ran his hand through it, loving the way that it curled around his fingers. "And your eyes are amazing, Iz. And then there are your lips." He bent down to kiss them again slowly, tasting the lip gloss she used.

"What about them?" Isabel was starting to have a hard time forming coherent sentences. Her whole body was tingling with excitement and the feel of Alex standing so close to her. She wanted to feel him touching her, but she wanted to see what he was going to do and say. Things had been so strange between them this week, and she wanted him to make the first moves.

"They're perfect." His hand moved down to her shoulder and one finger hooked under the strap of her dress. "And this dress........ Isabel, I have no words for this dress. You look so good in red." Pushing the strap to the side a little, Alex lowered his face to her shoulder, replacing his hand with his lips and kissing her there. She gasped at the sensation and moved even closer to him, putting her arm around his back and pulling him closer.

Then his lips were on hers again, kissing her firmly and gently, all at the same time. It was perfect.

"I do love you, Isabel," he whispered against her lips. She couldn't get the breath to answer, so she just concentrated on sending him all her love and hoped he could feel it somehow.

Alex pushed her against the wall, pinning her there with his own body as he continued to kiss her. The kisses were growing more insistent, and Isabel's body responded. She could feel the desire, the need coming from Alex, along with his love for her. Her legs started to buckle when she felt one of his hands going up under her dress, moving up her thigh, but his other hand caught her and held her up firmly.

As much fun as this was, a small part of Isabel's mind was able to remember that they were in a very crowded public place and their corner wasn't really all that private. Time to cool this down a bit. She tried to take her mouth from his, but he wouldn't let her. Instead, both of Alex's hands were on her arms, holding her tightly against the wall, so tightly that it hurt.

Isabel was starting to get worried. Something was wrong. The kisses had changed. She couldn't feel anything behind them - no love, no Alex. It was like she was kissing a stranger. This wasn't something she wanted anymore, but she couldn't seem to move. She had a sudden flashback to her dreams. Fear gave her a sudden surge of strength, and she pushed at Alex as hard as she could.

Alex went flying back from her. "What is wrong with you?" she whispered, looking at him in shocked fear. She rubbed her arms. She was going to have bruises there if she didn't heal herself. His grip had hurt. She'd never realized before how strong he was physically.

He just looked at her blankly for a minute, and that scared her even more. His eyes were so empty - she couldn't see anything in them, not her, not Alex. Just nothing. She looked out at the dancing floor, trying to spot the others. She suddenly didn't feel safe standing there with him. Whatever was going on, something was wrong with Alex.

When she looked back, she could see him struggling to come back from wherever he was. She could see the first spark of awareness, of Alex-ness, starting in his eyes. He went pale and looked as if he was going to be sick. "God, Isabel........" he started, but then turned and ran away.

Isabel just stood there for a minute, looking after him. Then she turned and went looking for Max.

-------------------------------------------------------

Alex ran into Maria, literally, on his way to the restroom. She took one look at his face, and grabbed his arm. "What's the matter, Alex? Are you sick?"

Alex pulled back hard, causing her to nearly lose her balance. "Just leave me alone." Then he ran into the bathroom.

Maria looked after him for only a second before she started to follow him in. Michael was there instantly, halting her.

"What are you doing, Maria?" He pointed to the sign on the door - "Men". "There's actually another bathroom for women."

"Alex went in there. He looked really bad. He just pushed me aside and went in there." Maria was so worried about Alex that she didn't even notice the sudden worried frown that formed on Michael's face.

"He pushed you? Are you okay? Did you fall?" He grabbed her, turning her around so that he look down at her face.

She shook her head in annoyance. "I'm fine. It was just a little nudge to get me out of the way. No big deal. Alex is the one I'm worried about."

Michael nodded. "I'll talk to him. You stay here." With that, he walked into the restroom, taking a moment to notice that it was thankfully empty except for him and Alex.

Alex hadn't even noticed him come in. He was staring at his reflection in the mirror, remembering the look of fear in Isabel's eyes. He'd caused that look somehow. He hated himself for that. He pulled back his fist, preparing to put it through the mirror so that he wouldn't have to look at his own face anymore, but was stopped by a strong hand grabbing his arm.

"That won't help," Michael said quietly. Maria was right - Alex did look awful.

Alex shook off Michael's hand, looking at him with anger. "Go to hell." He turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on his face. He wanted to be alone, but everywhere he went, there the aliens were. It was becoming suffocating.

Michael blinked in surprise. He'd never heard Alex so angry before. "What's going on, Alex? You're got Maria really worried."

"Go away." He said it very firmly. "Just go away and leave me alone."

"Alex, tell me what's going on. What's the matter?"

Alex looked up and over at him, laughing bitterly. Michael took an involuntary step back at what he saw in his eyes. He'd seen that look before, many times, but never from Alex. Eyes filled with hate, Alex answered him. "Why should I tell you anything? Why should I trust you, huh? Come on, tell me." Alex suddenly pushed Michael away. Michael was too caught off guard to even defend himself, just falling back until he hit the door and slid to the floor. Before he could reply, Alex was standing over him.

"Tell you what, Michael. Why don't you tell me what your secret is first? How about that? You know, the little secret that you don't want anyone to know about? The personal connection you have with Kivar? Any of this sounding familiar?"

Michael moved away from Alex slowly. He could feel the anger and tension coming from the human boy, and knew that he was very close to snapping. That was about the only thing he did know. "Alex......."

"No'los." He cut Michael off very effectively as he repeated the Antaran word clearly and distinctly. "So, who's the traitor, Michael? And what was the betrayal?"

Each word cut through Michael like a whip's lash. He was totally at a loss. Whatever was bothering Alex, he had never expected to hear so much scorn and contempt in Alex's voice. Ignoring the questions, he returned to the point. "What's going on with you, Alex? What are you so angry about?"

"Damn," Alex whispered. He closed his eyes, a shiver passing through his body. When he opened them again, the hate and anger were gone. All that was left was a sort of bewildered confusion. He looked very young and vulnerable. Michael reached out a hand to him as he slowly stood up, but Alex stepped back, avoiding the contact. "I don't know. I have no idea." He sounded so broken, so tired. "I don't know where any of that came from. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Michael was watching his friend carefully, and didn't like what he saw. Alex looked defeated, like he didn't know what was going on and had given up hope of figuring it out. "What happened?"

"I upset Isabel." Alex's voice was starting to get firmer now, but the look of confusion didn't leave his eyes. "I better go apologize, I guess. Again." With a sigh, he pushed his way past Michael and left the bathroom.

Michael followed instantly. As soon as he was out of the room, Maria ran over to him. "Well?"

Michael looked down at her and she felt an icy terror forming in her stomach. "You were right, Maria. Something's wrong with Alex."

-------------------------------------------------------

Alex found Isabel. "Can we talk?" he asked quietly.

She looked over at him. Whatever had been wrong with him earlier seemed to be over now. "Okay." She led him over to a couch and sat down next to him on it. The crowds had thinned, and there was a little more privacy.

"I'm sorry." He lifted his hands into the air and then let them fall back down again. "I keep saying that, but I mean it. I'm not even sure what happened. One second we're kissing, the next you're pushing me away and looking at me like I terrified you."

"You did," she answered quietly. "The kissing wasn't the problem. That was great. But then it was like you weren't even you anymore, Alex. Like I was kissing a stranger."

"That's when you pushed me away?"

She nodded. "I had to. It was the only way to make you stop. You were hurting me, Alex."

She could see the sharp pain that went across his face. "Oh my God. I hurt you?" He could remember grabbing her arms, but it didn't seem real. It was like something in a nightmare. "I would never, never intentionally hurt you, Isabel. I know you probably don't believe me, but I wouldn't. You're the last person I'd ever hurt."

"I know. I know you didn't mean to, Alex. And I'm not angry. I'm not even scared anymore." She touched his cheek softly. "I love you, Alex. You're the most important person in the world to me. But right now, I'm worried about you. I need to know what's going on. Whatever it is, we can fix it together. But only if you let me in." She looked him deeply in the eyes, wanting so much for him to believe her. "You're the one who taught me that, Alex. We're stronger if we're together. Please, trust me enough to tell me what's wrong."

He shook his head. "I want to tell you, Iz. But I don't know. It's all so confused." He put his head down onto her shoulder, almost sobbing. He didn't understand what was going on.

Isabel stroked his head comfortingly. "We'll figure it out, Alex. I promise you."

-----------------------------------------------------

Max waved out the last of the party-goers. Brody had already gone, leaving him in charge of clean-up. At least he was getting paid overtime. And the others had agreed to stay and help him clean up. And try to figure out what's up with Alex, he thought to himself as he looked at Alex, standing next to Isabel, as if he was afraid to be too far away from her. Michael's attention kept flickering from Maria to Alex. But Max noticed that Alex never looked back at Michael. He wondered what was going on there.

Liz appeared with garbage bags which she handed out to the group. "So, let's get rid of the food and drink first. The rest can wait until the morning, right?" She looked over at Max.

"Right. The Center's closed until the afternoon tomorrow. So that we can all recuperate."

"Great. And then Alex can tell us exactly what's been happening." She started to pick things up, but was distracted by a noise. "Is that someone at the door?"

"Yeah." Kyle walked over to the stairs and looked up. "Sorry, the party's over."

"I'm not here for the party," came a vaguely familiar voice. "I'm looking for someone. I think she might be in here."

"Who is it?" Max came to stand by Kyle, surprised to see the figure walking down the stairs with a smile.

"Liz Parker." The young man's eyes spotted her. "And there she is. Hi, Liz."

"Eddie?" It had been a year since she'd seen the man from the Mesaliko Reservation. She couldn't imagine what brought him here now.

"Yeah." He looked over at Max and pointed. "I remember you. And you," he looked over at Michael.

"Yeah." Michael looked at him suspiciously. "I remember you, too. Thanks for that, by the way."

Eddie shrugged in amusement. "Well, I did warn you about the sweat. Not my fault if you didn't listen."

"He does that sometimes." Maria came over to stand by Michael.

Eddie gave Maria a charming smile, causing Michael to move even closer to her and glare at the visitor. This only seemed to amuse Eddie more. He looked back at Liz. "I assume that these others are friends of yours?"

Liz nodded. "Yeah, they're friends. You can talk in front of them."

"Good." He leaned back calmly and looked at the group. Max and Kyle had come back over and were standing near the others. "Usually, I would go to Riverdog with something like this, but he's off somewhere and didn't bother telling anyone where he was going. So, since you had the other necklace, I thought you might be interested in this one, too." He reached into his pocket, but was stopped as Michael stepped forward and seized his arm.

"Interested in what?" Michael spoke quietly, but it was clear that he expected an answer. There was a clear threat evident in the way he loomed over Eddie. Eddie looked up at him and there was no amusement in his eyes now. He just looked Michael directly in the eyes and answered calmly.

"I was in the cave today and found another necklace. I thought it might mean something to you, since the other one did."

Michael nodded and stepped back. He kept his eyes on Eddie's movements, though, as he took out a necklace and threw it at Liz. Before it got to her, Michael's hand reached out and grabbed it in mid-flight.

He held it up so that everyone could see it. At the end of a simple gold chain there was a black stone. When the light hit it, they could see a faint red glow inside the black.

And Michael recognized it.

"Well, that's all." Eddie turned to leave. "Take care, Liz."

"Thanks," she answered absently, looking at the necklace.

Kyle followed Eddie out and locked the door behind him. "Well, is it from your home planet?"

"I think so," Isabel said, moving closer to look at it.

"It is." Michael sounded like he was forcing the words out. He placed the stone in his palm, hoping he was wrong. As soon as it touched his skin, the cold stone warmed up. It wasn't much, but it was enough to let him know that he had been right. "It was mine. Tymrath's."

Maria looked from the necklace up into his face. He had that same feeling of panic and fear again, same as the other day when he'd learned about her flash. But before she could say anything, Isabel spoke up.

"Really? I don't remember you ever wearing it. How did it get here?" She touched the rock with one finger. "It's warm."

"I never wore it. It was just something I had from before." Michael shrugged uncomfortably. "I have no idea how it got here."

"It's kind of pretty, isn't it? The way the light hits it - it almost sparkles." Isabel really did like the necklace. She wondered why Tymrath had never worn it.

"Well, if you think it's pretty, maybe I can find you something like it for your birthday present," Alex said with a smile as he moved over to look at it more closely. His eyes grew large as he saw the necklace. He grabbed it out of Michael's hand and looked at it, all the color fading from his face. "No," he whispered.

"Alex?" Isabel reached out, but Alex was staring at Michael with a look of growing horror. When Isabel's hand touched him, he jumped and dropped the necklace. Maria quickly picked up the cool stone and put it in her pocket. Michael didn't look like he was capable of moving. He seemed petrified by the look of accusation and fear on Alex's face.

"Don't touch me," Alex turned to Isabel then. "I just need to get away from all this." He ran out of the building.

Isabel was going after him, but was stopped by Kyle. "Hold on, Isabel."

She twisted out of his arms. "We can't just let him go when he's upset like this."

"Agreed. But maybe it would be better if Liz, Maria, and I went. He seems pretty freaked out by the alien thing right now."

"He's right, Isabel." Liz moved over to her. "We'll make sure he's okay."

Isabel looked over at her brother. She wanted to be with Alex, but not if she was going to just upset him more. "What do you think?"

"Liz and Maria have know him forever," Max answered slowly. "It might be better. Just for now."

Isabel nodded slowly, and Kyle started for the door. "Let's go." With quick farewells to their significant others, the three of them went after Alex.

Tess looked at the other three aliens. The room seemed much emptier now. "And the dividing line is drawn. Human and alien."

Max looked at her sharply. "That's not what they meant, Tess. They weren't trying to keep us out of anything."

She sighed as she sat down. "I know. But that's what happened, isn't it?"

Max put his arms around his sister. "They'll take care of him, Iz. We'll figure it out."

"What about the necklace could have upset him so much?" she asked Michael, who shook his head in honest confusion.

"I have no idea." There was no way Alex could know anything about the necklace and what it symbolized, no way he could know enough to be that frightened.

"We have to figure it out, Max." Isabel closed her eyes, fighting tears. "We can't lose him."

"We won't, Iz." His eyes met Michael's. Michael nodded his head silently in agreement. Somehow, they'd figure out what was happening to Alex and they would fix it.

They had to.

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