PART 8


Maria was going through the cabinets while Michael stood there, staring at a spot on the floor without seeing but thinking. He had two choices. He could stay in Roswell and stick to his plan; go on searching while he watched Max raise a family. Or he could go to LA, start a new life and pretend he was human. Either way it sucked.


“So Michael, care to tell me why you bit Max’s head off out there?” She was nibbling on a chocolate bar and watching his thoughtful stance over it.


He shrugged. “Felt like it.” He should have guessed that Max The Little Snitch had a purpose when he’d danced with Maria. He’d ran to mommy to complain. And that guy was supposed to be a king. Huh! King my ass!


Maria was dead serious. She was going to leave and he was going to be alone again. He needed to be taken care of, it wasn’t right to leave him like that. Her maternal feelings towards him scared the hell out of her. She wasn’t strong or motherly… So why the hell did he make her feel like that?


“Why are they so afraid of you Michael?”


He was back to his shut down self. He talked slowly, in a nonchalant and teasing manner. “Cause I’m dangerous and scary.”


She both loved and hated his attitude. It was sexy and fulfilled that secret James Dean fantasy of hers. But that wasn’t the point now. She didn’t need Rebel Without A Cause at that moment. She needed him to be just Michael. Her Michael.


She smiled and stepped closer. “You're not scary.”


He moved closer to her and stood menacingly. His voice was low. “I am scary. You're just too stupid to see that.” The point was to shut her up. Or get her too angry to make her lose her focus. But it backfired. She wasn’t intimidated or angry. She was a fast learner and getting really good at managing him. He hated being managed.


Her eyes were daring him to do something. She was proving her point. She wasn’t scared one bit. “We both know I'm not stupid. And believe me, you're not scary.” Her lips curved up a little and made him lose all sense of logic.


He was losing control again. Why was she doing that? And more importantly HOW was she doing it? He was drawn to her against his will. He tried to remember his rules but none came to his wandering mind. He was in a land far, far away from reality, where nothing existed but them. No boyfriends, no dreams, no aliens…


A loud shriek coming from upstairs made them jump apart. That was it, he was going to have a heart attack in one of those pre-kiss moments they had. There was a divine force trying to keep them apart it seemed. In his mind he cursed everything supernatural, himself included, in a very colorful way.


Maria’s hand flew to her chest involuntarily, trying to keep her heart from bursting out. She couldn’t even begin to think who could make a sound like that. It sounded like a wild animal. She ran to the stairs without giving it a second thought. She was acting on impulse, as usual.


It was dark, so she walked around trusting her memory. She bumped her toe and started jumping around. “F-uck! F-uck! F-uck!” So her memory sucked. What else was new?


She felt two large hands pulling her from behind. She tried to scream but a hand covered her mouth. She was kicking and biting but apparently her opponent didn’t give a damn. Where the hell was Michael?


She was being dragged towards Amy’s bedroom. Once there, she realized they weren't alone. She could only sense the others in the dark. She tried to turn towards her capturer, which was a totally futile attempt. He wasn’t letting her go anytime soon.


“Stop moving.” It was a male voice, coming from behind her. Nothing she couldn’t guess from the hands; he sounded like a big, scary guy.


He turned her abruptly. “Anyone else in the house little girl?” The voice and the hands weren’t fooling. He was tall and big and looked definitely vicious. Maria started talking hurriedly when he released her mouth, but there wasn’t even a hint of fear in her voice.


“No, noone else.” She had watched enough action movies to know how to handle a situation like this. Michael was no Bruce Willis but he had to do. “Just take what you want and leave.” She was panicking inside but there was no way she was letting him know that. Her voice was confident and her eyes held no fear.


“Believe me, I will.” He threw her to the floor and commanded “Stay there.” He turned on the lights and she saw who the others were. Max and Liz. She had thought they’d left with everyone else. How long have they been there she wondered. She forced herself to remember when she’d last seen them but couldn’t. She had been so wrapped up in finding Michael, she hadn’t even realized… No! Not now. There would be a lot of time to feel the guilt later.


They were lying on the floor. Max was covering Liz but they both looked so… dead. She didn’t want to assume the worst but she couldn’t help it. She saw the man walking towards them. What was he doing? All anger and hate she felt inside surfaced all of a sudden. She jumped on his back, without thinking twice of course.


He threw her on the floor easily, with one swift movement. He looked amused. “Look little girl, you’re pretty and I liked your dress but you have no use for me. I would love to play with you later, but now, if you get in the way I’ll kill you. Understood?” She nodded and prayed to god, who she didn’t even believe, for Michael to come soon.


He gave her a cheeky grin which made her stomach queasy. “Good girl…” he murmured sliding his hand through the slit of her dress and touched her thigh. She shuddered at his touch but didn’t protest. If this kept them alive, she didn’t really have a choice.


While his hand moved up to grab her ass, her eyes searched his belt for weapons but couldn’t find any. She had nothing around to use against him either. Except Michael. He was her secret weapon. She hoped that he had called the cops.


The big guy started towards Max and Liz again. She protested in a sultry voice, well as sultry as she could manage in that situation. “I thought we were gonna play?” She pouted.


“Later.” He was a determined guy. That look and pout worked perfectly on every other guy she’d tried. Men were usually too easy.


He kneeled down next to the couple. She was looking around frantically for something, anything to hit his head with. A hairbrush, some slippers… No baseball bats or pans around. So she watched helplessly as he broke the couple apart and placed his hand over Liz’s stomach. He closed his eyes in concentration and his hand started to glow.


Maria forced herself out of her daze and promised that there would definitely be a logical explanation for this, once this whole event was over. They had to survive it first, explanations would come later.


She studied the scene taking place before her eyes. It wasn’t the hand that was glowing but Liz’s stomach… wait, no, her womb. The baby. She panicked even more, he was hurting the baby. She had to do something but she just couldn’t figure what. She stood up, not knowing what to do and saw his head turn slowly, facing her. His eyes were still closed, there was no way he could see her, but she figured he did when he mouthed her one word. “Stay!”


She wasn’t about to say no to a guy twice her size with a glowing hand.


What happened next caught her definitely unprepared. She heard a loud buzz and was blinded by a bright white light. It was coming from the window. Little pieces of shattered glass rained inside the room. She was lying on the floor in an instant and heard a loud thud of something big hitting the wall. She instinctively covered her head and closed her eyes and wished with all her heart for it to be a nightmare.


Then everything went quiet. The room was dead silent but somehow that was even more scary. She couldn’t find the courage to open her eyes. That’s how Michael found her.


She felt a hand touch her face. She jumped and pushed it away, chanting absentmindedly. “No, no, no, no…” Then she heard a familiar voice and calmed down.


“Ssshh… It’s me. Michael. You okay?” She threw herself in his arms. She was shaking and was scared out of her mind. She was holding on to his neck and there was no way she would let him go. She felt his hands on her head, moving down to her shoulders, and then to her waist… He was checking if she was hurt, she realized. She made herself pull back and control her trembling body. She looked at his face with what she hoped was determination. She nodded, fidgeting. “I’m okay, I'm not hurt.”


He didn’t look convinced. He touched her face and looked over her body again. He was worried, hell he was beyond worry but he didn’t have time, he had to trust her words.


“I need you to help me here.” She nodded. “Don’t ask for explanations right now and please don’t freak. Can you do that for me?” She nodded again. “I can do that. Yes, of course.” She was trying to convince herself, but it didn’t seem possible. She was NEEDING explanations desperately and she already was freaked. Just one thought kept her focused. “You gave him your trust unconditionally and now it’s time to prove it.”


- - -


Michael placed Max and Liz in bed and called Isabel. He tried to connect with them himself but couldn’t. He knew Isabel would do it. She was good at that stuff.


Maria checked their pulses. They were alive. She wanted to look at the big guy and see if he was alive but Michael stopped her. He shook his head. “No, he’s dead.”


He couldn’t dare meet her eyes. He was ashamed. He had never meant for her to find out, to see who he really was. A killer. Not even a human one. He was a killer alien.


She saw his guilt, his shame in his eyes, in the way they avoided her. He was trying to contain his discomfort but his clenching jaw and fists gave it away. She held him lightly and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” She whispered in his ear.


She returned to bed and sat near Liz, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable.


- - -


Isabel entered the room five minutes later followed by Alex. They both were panting. Isabel came to a halt when she saw Maria and turned a questioning gaze towards Michael.


“Why's she here?”


“Why's HE here?” Michael tried to make his point known without causing a big fuss and motioned towards Alex.


“It’s Alex.” She stated the obvious, keeping her guarded posture.


“And that’s Maria. Now stop bitching and help them.” Michael sneered. Isabel didn’t look pleased. She threw Maria a bitchy look which Maria returned. What the hell was that girl’s problem?


Isabel placed her hands over Max’s chest and closed her eyes, making the connection. Maria was getting scared again, finding the scene disturbingly familiar. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Alex, he was watching her with worry. But worry for what, she wondered. Was he thinking like his icy bitch for a girlfriend? She shrugged his hand away. She slowly stepped back, found Michael’s hand and clasped it in hers, her eyes still glued on Isabel.


- - -


After Max and Liz were healed and started to wake up, Isabel asked if they should get rid of the body. Maria was numb and couldn’t even get surprised or scared anymore. She just focused on staying on her feet and the feel of Michael’s hand. She was hearing them but couldn’t really process what they were saying.


“Not yet, let Max check him first. We have to know who he is.” Michael was cold and commanding. Everything was just… too much. Max and Liz had almost died. MARIA had almost died. That son of a bitch had touched her! It made his blood boil. What if he hadn’t been there? What if he had been too late? What if…?


- - -


First thing Max did when he woke up was to check Liz and the baby. When he was convinced that they were okay, he finally turned his attention towards the others. And he noticed her.


He looked at Michael and with an exasperated sigh rolled his eyes. “Is this your doing?” His behavior irritated Maria. He was like one of those stupid parents telling off their children. She had always hated people like that. So when she felt Michael’s body stiffen next to her, she lost all logic. Anger took over.


She started yelling. “Now I am going downstairs, so keep all your bitchy and mean looks to yourselves. And feel free to do those secret things you do. I really don’t care! I just need a drink, a really strong one! So excuse me.” She walked out the door, hardly controlling herself. She knew she would either hit someone or start crying if she stayed.


“What the hell is her problem?” Isabel’s attitude pushed Michael’s anger over the edge.


“What the hell is her problem? She just nearly got killed by an alien. That ugly son of a bitch almost raped her and she didn’t even flinch to keep him away from Max and Liz. And she still didn’t get an explanation to what she saw, let alone a thanks. So, I don’t know, what the hell you think her problem is?”


“Michael calm down. We didn’t mean…”


“I don’t give a s-hit about what you meant Maxwell! Just cut the crap and tell me what's going on! Who was that guy and what did he want?”


- - -


Maria went downstairs, to the kitchen, turning all lights on as she passed. She still jumped at every little noise, every shadow harbored a monster. She opened the top cabinet on the right corner and grabbed a bottle of red wine. She unscrewed the cork and poured herself a glass. She sipped, letting the taste linger in her mouth and smiled approvingly. Then drank the rest in one large gulp.


So that was the secret. Those voodoo things they did. What were they? Psychics? Witches? She couldn’t think of anything plausible. They were normal people. She had known them her whole life, except the big guy of course. A chilly feeling covered her insides at the thought of him. She wondered why they hadn’t even mentioned cops. The guy had attacked them, it wasn’t Michael’s fault.


Come to think of it, she had no idea how the hell he’d killed him? Killed him… Oh god, he’d killed him.


The concept was scary; killing something, murder… But the idea of Michael killing that big guy made her proud. It was sick. But that was what she felt, she wasn’t going to lie to herself to feel better. Michael had protected them and she would have done the same thing if she could. She dropped the glass in the sink and walked outside with her bottle.


She lay there, watching the stars, marveling at their enormity. So many of them, so bright. So close and far away. They’d always made her feel little and unimportant. She forced herself to think about them and not the things that had happened upstairs.


It sounded stupid but stars always guided her through life. They reminded her how little her life and her problems were compared to the rest of the universe. They fascinated her and made her appreciate life with all its beauty.


That was what life was; living the beauty and enjoying it.


- - -


It was Isabel who finally showed up downstairs. When she found Maria curled up with a half empty bottle in the backyard, she knew she should have sent Max down. She was never good at talking to people. It was different with Alex or Liz. But Maria was a stranger. Not that she didn’t like her. Maria was nice, a little odd but nice.


She sat near Maria not knowing exactly what to say, what to do. “Sorry about earlier. We didn’t mean to sound like that.” Isabel wasn’t begging for forgiveness, just doing what she thought was right.


Maria snorted at her contradicting voice and words. “Yeah, right.” That girl’s ice façade was getting on her nerves. It was too obvious and too damn annoying.


“Whatever. Just wanted to call you upstairs, you know, if you wanna get your answers.” Isabel walked away with that, feeling incapable. She was clumsy and awkward with people out of her small group of friends that truly knew her. Why couldn’t she just be Isabel Evans The Human without being such a bitch?


Maria grabbed her bottle and headed upstairs, just wanting to get it over with. She couldn’t find the strength to care anymore. She was too worn, too tired.


- - -


Maria entered the room, holding the bottle to her chest and noticed all eyes turning towards her. They were the weird ones but they were looking at her as if she was a new specimen. Hellooo?! Just a normal, healthy girl here, not glowing or anything!


She stood and looked over them defiantly. Max and Liz were sitting on the bed in each other’s arms, Isabel stood near the window, Alex was sitting on the floor just near Isabel’s feet. Maria snickered. What was he, her dog? And Michael… Her eyes found him standing in all his brooding demeanor, leaning on the wall, arms crossed and gaze firmly on the floor.


She took one big sip from her wine and crossed her arms, hardly containing her anger. “So?”


Max took the lead and cleared his throat. “Uh, Maria, I guess it would be too confusing for you to handle all of us at once. Maybe we should just leave and one of us could explain… You know Liz could stay with you and…”


“No!” She knew what she wanted, she needed, and wasn’t going to settle for anything less. “You can all go. Michael will explain it to me.” She wasn’t asking but telling. She didn’t even look at Michael for confirmation.


Max looked dumbfounded at her confidence. Michael was a bad, bad choice. Max wasn’t even sure he was still capable of forming long sentences. He’d never had a casual conversation with him since like forever. He tried to protest but Maria wasn’t having any of it. “No, Maria maybe…”


“Max go!” She sounded serious. Max looked at Michael whose gaze was still on the floor. His face held no emotion.


Max got up, helping Liz up with him. He walked out the door, being followed closely by the others.


- - -


Maria sighed and sat down on the bed when she heard the front door closing. “Thank god!” It escaped her lips without really thinking about it. She closed her eyes and drank one large gulp, spilling some on her pretty bride’s maid dress.


Michael was watching her intently. Why was she doing this? He had hoped he wouldn’t even be in the same room when Liz talked to her. And now she was forcing him to look at her face and watch her reaction while HE told her. What was he going to say? He wasn’t good with words. He was going to screw up for sure. She was going to freak! “Don’t think, don’t think, just act, don’t think…”


Maria felt the bottle being pulled and held on to it tighter. He was trying to take it away from her. No way in hell! It was her bottle, he had to get his own. “No! Mine!”


“You’re drunk again, aren't you?” He pulled the bottle out of her grasp, splashing the remaining wine all over the carpet.


She sighed and met his eyes. “No, unfortunately I'm painfully sober.” She started to take the hairpins out of her golden curls from lack of a better thing to do.


“I'm a terrible choice for that speech, you know.” He was equally uneasy. He ran a hand through his unruly brown hair.


“You're MY terrible choice. And I don’t need a speech, just say it already.” The room was silent and still. She was sitting on the foot of the bed and he sat right across from her on the floor, leaning his back to the wall.


There was no easy way of saying it and no possible way of getting out of it. So he just let it go…


“I'm not human.”

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