PART 20


Michael grabbed her arm as she stumbled over the stairs. She had been running all the way from the parking lot and had been too impatient to wait for the elevator.


She’d been babbling for the last fifteen minutes as they drove back home – not home, he corrected himself, Maria’s apartment… Yeah, that was better- but Michael still had no idea why they were in a hurry. It was impossible to make out what she was really trying to say.


And of course there was this little fact that he was too busy watching her lips move, to really hear the actual words.


Maria rummaged through her bag frantically but couldn’t find the key. She almost dropped the bag, not able to hold it with her shaking hands. She finally gave up and turned the bag upside down, spilling its contents on her feet. Her eyes caught a glint of her keys and she dove for them.


Michael caught up with her and found her on the floor surrounded by some… things… scattered around. He looked at them in wonder. She carried all those things with her? There were some stuff that reminded him of a movie he’d once seen, about a psychotic dentist. He shivered at the memory.


She had found the damn keys but now she couldn’t fit it in the keyhole. She was on her knees and her hands were shaking. She tried the other key and then tried it upside down…


Michael was really getting worried over her weird behavior but even that couldn’t stop the smirk creeping up his lips at the sight of Maria fumbling with the keys. He gently reached his hand over hers and stilled it. Maria raised her head to look at him in confusion. He calmly put his hand on the lock and pushed the door open as he heard the click.


She gave him a small, child-like smile and ran inside. He shook his head smiling and skipped over her bag to enter the apartment.


When he entered the bedroom, Maria was still babbling and this time Max was the one looking confused. Isabel approached him with her usual motherly attitude.


“Do you know what she’s talking about?”


He shrugged. “Nope.”


“Wait, where are the bags?” She looked around Michael with a scowl.


“In the car.” Michael offered, cowering as he expected her to blow up.


“Michael Guerin, when I send you shopping, I actually expect you to bring them to me, not leave them out there. Everyone has responsibilities, Kyle and Alex have been working their asses off. You can't just…”


Maria cut her ranting. “Will you guys listen???”


“Oh yeah, what the hell is so damn important?”


Maria glared at Isabel. She sure was a princess but that was HER damn home! She noted to get back at her for that bitchiness and focused on what was important.


“I figured it out.” She said triumphantly, facing Max. “I finally figured it out and we are so damn stupid.”


“You figured what out?”


“The baby. Why he’s crying.”


“Wha… Why? How?”


Max crossed his arms and watched her with skeptical eyes. This wasn’t anything to joke around for him.


Maria couldn’t believe that he was giving her the exact look he had been giving Michael whenever he had tried to say something important, but she didn’t dwell on it. She tried to concentrate on Liz, not Max. Max was weird, one minute he was Prince Charming, the next he could be The King of A-ssholes.


“You said he’s making his presence known, right?” She paused a moment and waited for Max to nod.


“Why would he do that? Cause he’s trying to reach someone.”


Michael watched her eyes as she talked. She was enchanting like that, all excited and animated. He desperately wanted to grab a pencil and catch that look of her. His fingers itched to draw. But he did the next best thing. He memorized it, so he could put it on paper later. And maybe he could even paint her. He wasn’t really that good at painting. But he could learn for her. He had to. Her eyes deserved more than black and white could offer.


“Reach who? Evil aliens? Why would he wanna do that?” Isabel asked sarcastically.


Maria thought she would have blown them up if she had any powers. God, they were so irritating. She had been nothing but friendly with them. She’d given them her home and all she ever did was help. And they were still treating her like the enemy.


She glared at Max and Isabel, and walked to the bed with a scowl where Liz was watching them with innocent and torn eyes. Maria sat on the bed, ignoring everyone and held Liz’s hand.


“Your baby is looking for you Liz. He’s not like us. He has a different level of communication. He’s trying to reach you but he can't, cause you’re different. You're human. You can't hear him. So he keeps crying. You have to tell him you're here. Okay?” She softly kissed Liz’s cheek and without giving anyone a second glance left the room.


- - -


Isabel found her sitting on the balcony, eating chocolate. Once again she cursed her lack of communication skills. But this time she had to make it right, there was no going back.


She sat near her as she did months ago in Roswell. She had no idea where to start, how to start…


“I’m not that cold bitch normally, you know?”


Maria chuckled softly but didn’t look at her. “You could have fooled me…”


“It’s just scary.” Isabel said ignoring her sarcasm.


That got Maria’s attention. “What is?”


“New people.” Isabel turned her head and Maria saw the first time why Alex chose to be with that woman.


“My family is everything I have. Max, Michael, Alex and Liz and of course the baby now… They are all I have in the world. It’s scary that new people can mean new danger. I can't afford to trust easily.”


Maria didn’t talk and just waited for her to finish. She looked like she needed it.


“You did so much for us. You deserve to be trusted. I know that. Michael trusts you and he never trusts anyone. Ever. It’s just that I'm too used to not trusting, it’s kinda hard to break the walls now.” She took a deep breath. This wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be.


Isabel looked deep and hard in Maria’s eyes to make her understand she really meant every word she said. “I trust you. And I'm sorry for all the things that happened between us. But if you're willing to give me the chance and the time, I want to be your friend.”


Maria smiled and watched Isabel as her smile turned into a relieved one from a tense half smile. “Okay. I’d like that.” She said and felt like a five year old kid meeting her first friend. It had to be something like that for Isabel, after all she’d never had real friends except Alex and Liz.


“Liz made you do that, didn’t she?” Maria asked playfully.


Isabel smirked. “Oh no, I volunteered to get out of there before Michael blew me up with his death glare.”


Maria froze not sure how to react to that. Isabel saw her lack of reaction and decided to ask, since they were almost friends now. “So what's the deal between you guys?”


“Nothing.” Maria sighed. “There’s nothing going on between us.”


“Really? I could have sworn there was something. I never saw him like that before. I can't exactly understand his actions, he never lets me understand him but I know he’s not his usual self around you.”


“It’s just complicated.” Maria said, not able to explain but also not wanting to lie to her either.


“Believe me, I know. When you’re an alien, everything is.”


- - -


Maria watched as Max placed his hand on Liz’s swollen belly and closed his eyes.


His hand started glowing. It wasn’t scary like the one she’d seen in Roswell. It was a soft white glow. It appeared to be absorbed by Liz’s skin.


They stayed that way for a few minutes, not moving a muscle as the others watched in awe. Then Liz started to smile.


Her eyes opened and tears spilled down her cheeks. Max’s hand stopped glowing. He opened his eyes and met Liz’s without removing his hand.


No words were needed as Max lay down next to her, hugging her close to his body and closed his eyes with relief.


Everyone tiptoed out of the room and closed the door silently behind them.


“I am never babysitting that kid.” Isabel said as they walked to the living room. “I’ve had enough of his crying to last me a lifetime.”


- - -


Everything was back to the way it was supposed to be the day after that. Liz was happy and calm, Max was finally sleeping and Antarians were all relaxed with the loss of constant crying echoing in their heads.


Maria wasn’t as pissed off as she had been the day before. Talking to Isabel had been a great relief for her. For the first time since she had met them she felt accepted.


Maria sat on the bed, next to Liz. “How are you feeling?”


“Great. Thanks to you.”


“You need to thank Max, not me. He connected you…”


“No. I need to thank you. And I need to apologize. Don’t interrupt, please, I need to do this.” Liz cleared her throat.


“I’m sorry for the way my family treated you. I'm sorry that I wasn’t able to defend you. I'm sorry about the way I talked about Michael. You were right. I had no right to assume. And I'm so sorry that I haven't been a good friend to you. I was too wrapped up in my own life, I forgot about you. I'm sorry.”


“No, no Liz, it was my fault. I never called, I pushed you away. I had problems and I didn’t want you to see that I failed. I am the one that should apologize.”


Liz chuckled. “Look at us, we sound so stupid.”


“Just like old times…” Maria joined her laughter.


“But you should know this one thing. It wasn’t your fault. You had problems and I wasn’t there. If I had been a good friend I would have known something was wrong.”


Maria’s eyes filled with tears. She was so used to blaming herself, now it was hard to accept she wasn’t the only one guilty. “So you don’t hate me?”


Liz hugged her friend. “Why would I hate you? You had always been the best of friends. And you saved my baby.”


“Thank you Liz. Thank you.”


- - -


Michael snickered as he watched Max approach Maria with caution. Maria was sitting on the couch, painting her toenails to the bright pink he began to adore. Max was uncomfortable. Good… He’d deserved it.


He sat next her, careful to not knock over the bottle on the couch. “Uh… Hi, Maria.”


She raised an eyebrow and offered a tentative hi.


“I came to apologize.”


“You mean Liz sent you to apologize.”


Michael was enjoying the show. Max was squirming. It was always a great pleasure to watch The King squirm.


“Yes, kind of. But I wanted to apologize too.”


“So?”


“Uh… Yes… I'm sorry. I was…”


“A jackass?” she offered and Michael had to bite his lip to not laugh at Max’s blush.


“I guess you could say that. I'm not like that normally…”


Michael rolled his eyes with disbelief.


“I don’t care Max. I'm not the one marrying you. You just make sure Liz is safe and happy then I won't give a s-hit about how jackass you can be. Okay?” She said with a predator look.


“Okay.” Max managed to croak out before he split.


Michael’s smirk froze when he heard her talk to him. “Enjoying the show, Spaceboy?”


S-hit. He was caught.


“Spaceboy? What did I do to be promoted from Bobo to Spaceboy?” He covered his uneasiness by verbally attacking her.


It was working. She really was uncomfortable, so she changed subject without raising her eyes from her toes. “Isabel apologized too. She said she wanted to be friends.”


“Really? That’s a first.”


“I guess.” She smirked. “Your family likes me. Unfortunately you’ll be seeing me a lot in the future.”


He wasn’t sure what to say to that. It can't possibly be enough? I hate it that you’ll be coming for them and not me? A million different replies flashed through his mind but the one he voiced wasn’t a pretty one.


“You should stay away.” Her head jolted up and she caught his deep brown eyes.


“Why the hell is that?” She hissed through gritted teeth.


“It’s not safe. You don’t need to be in that mess.” He stated.


“You may not be able to understand this Michael but there are some things in my life that are worth taking any risk for.” Her eyes were boring holes through his. He winced when she spat his name out like a curse.


“Nothing can be important enough to risk your life for.” He knew the statement in general wasn’t true, but he wanted her to believe it. He couldn’t have her get killed because of them. She was too precious to lose. And too stubborn to understand.


“You are supposed to be a soldier, you should know better.”


“I'm not a soldier. I don’t know s-hit about being a soldier. I am just Michael, Rath is dead and gone.”


It sounded like a stranger talking. He couldn’t believe that he was saying this, or more importantly believing it. He was letting go of the only bond he had with his home. His f-ucking home planet… It was now a fading dream along with Rath. He was now realizing that he finally fully became Michael.


Yeah, he was now plain Michael Guerin. And surprisingly, it felt right.


“I don’t think you can understand what I'm talking about.” Maria said softly, hurt evident in her voice. “But trust me on this Michael, you’re not really living if you don’t have anything that’s worth dying for.”


“I have something that’s worth dying for.” Michael whispered trapped in her eyes.


Maria stopped breathing. She couldn’t dare hope. But the way he looked at her…


Michael wanted to tell her. Tell her and get it out of his chest. Tell her and hold her in his arms. And he was about to… He was about to say “it’s you…” when Isabel rushed into the room.


“Maria, it’s Liz, her water just broke…”

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Fic