Maria listened as Liz went on and on about the kiss she had shared with Max, and how she saw things. The night of the blind date left an impression, and in Maria’s mind, not a good one. Obsession was good in some things, but in others…too much of a good thing was often…fattening.

“Here, have this, and any time you feel yourself spiraling out of control, put 4 drops under your tongue, ok?”

Liz took the vial frowning at it, trying to find a label. “Ok.”

Seeing Max, Maria recommended immediate medication. “Now would be a good time.”

Liz turned following Maria’s glance, seeing Max. “Hey.” Maria shaking her head, left them to talk.

“Hi.” Max looked at the vial. “What's that?”

“Oh, um, it...it's nothing. You know, Max, the other night, when...when we kissed, I, um...”

“Yeah.” Isabel interrupted Max and Liz at that moment, unconcerned about what they were discussing.

Isabel ignored Liz, her attention only on her brother. “Hey. Something's up with Michael. He's acting weird.”

“Weirder than usual?”

“Yeah, no, I just saw him at the other end of the hall, and he just went the other way.”

Max shrugged. That didn’t sound too weird to Max. Michael often avoided Isabel when he could, depending on the circumstance and the time of the month. “Well, maybe he didn't see you.”

“No, he was ignoring me. He practically ran into the mens’ bathroom. Will you just go in there and see what's going on?”

Max sighed. “Right.”

“Thank you.”

Max gave Liz an apologetic smile. “I'll see you later. Sorry.”

“It's ok.” She watched as Max entered the men’s room.

Michael was in there all right, and Isabel hadn’t been exaggerating. Michael avoided eye contact, and Max frowned at the way Michael seemed to be hiding something.

“Hey, Michael. You all right?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.”

Max pursed his lips thoughtfully. “'Cause, uh, Isabel thought...”

“Can't a guy get some privacy?” Michael quickly entered a stall, closing the door firmly. Max looked up when the bell rang.

“I'll wait.”

“Max, just get outta here.”

“You can't stay in there all day.”

“Max, I'm serious. Just leave me alone. I'll be out in a second.”

“Fine.” Max walked to the bathroom door. He pushed it open allowing it to close by itself. Quickly sitting on the counter, Max waited for Michael to emerge. Max jumped down immediately when he saw Michael’s black eye.

~~~

Picking up rocks off the train tracks, Michael distracted himself with throwing them as far as he could, as if he could that easily toss away his problems.

“How did it happen?”

“He was drunk.”

“Hank?” Michael made a face. No, frickin’ Santa Claus. Who else? Max saw the face, but refused let it drop. “Has it happened before?”

“Couple times. This was the worst, though. Never left a mark.”

“Michael...” Max swallowed hard.

“Don't.” Michael held up a hand. “I don't want you feeling sorry for me. I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me.”

“Everyone's gonna ask.”

“Not if it's gone. Fix it.” Michael turned to Max to make a request that took almost more than he had…asking for help. “Please. I tried, but I...”

“And what about the next time?”

“There won't be a next time.”

“Michael, you don't have to protect him. He's not even your real father.”

“No kidding,” said Michael sarcastically. Max quickly passed his hand over Michael’s eye, removing the bruise.

Michael felt his eye. The pain was gone. “I don't want anyone else to know about this.”

“Michael, you can't just...”

“Maxwell, it's between you and me.”

~~~

Maria and Liz were discussing her inability to resist Max until Maria got a load of her mother and Valenti flirting. Feeling ill, she shook her head rushing to anywhere, but the geriatric mating convention. Seeing Max and Isabel talking at a table, and not their usual booth, she almost went over to see if they had seen Michael. He had stood her up for their usual breakfast date. Isabel seemed upset, and before Maria could convince herself to interrupt, the object of her query appeared.

Michael frowned when he entered, catching the tail end of Max and Isabel’s discussion…him.

“Ooh! My favorite little wrestler!” Amy said, giving Michael a friendly squeeze on her way out.

Michael hardly noticed, his attention on Max and Isabel. “Hey.” He took a seat at the table.

“Hey.” Max looked nervously at Isabel.

“Hey,” said Isabel, her eyes more expressive than she could imagine. Michael looked at them both, and a look of betrayal and anger crossed his face.

“You told her?” Michael shook his head at Max. Unbelievable! He was out the door and across the street.

“Michael!” Isabel followed him, with Max close behind. “What are you gonna do? Pretend it didn't happen? You have to do something.”

“Like what?”

“Tell someone. Report him.”

“Yeah, to who? Valenti?” Michael could keep the disdain from his voice. She never lived in the system. She couldn’t know. There was no one. “Yeah, that'd be a smart idea, wouldn't it?” Telling Valenti would be suicide.

“Max told me this has happened before.” Michael looked at Max, his anger at the world redirected at his friend.

“Look, I'm sorry, but I had to tell her.”

“Look, everybody's got problems. If it wasn't this, it'd be another thing.” Michael shrugged off Isabel’s hand. “I'm a big boy. I can handle it.”

“Maybe you could talk to my dad. He's a lawyer. He could help. He once told me about this...this case he had where he helped a minor get permission to live on his own.”

“Forget it, Iz. The last thing we need is for me to go to the courts and bring all this attention to us.” Michael tried to walk off, but she stopped him again.

“Well, if he hurts you again, Michael...”

“He won't.”

Isabel was unconvinced. “You could use your powers.”

“I had to stop myself last night. I can't control my powers like you and Max.” Michael ran a frustrated hand through his untidy hair. “You guys know that. Especially in the state of mind I'm in. If I did anything, I'd probably kill him.”

“Well, all I know is you can't go back there. So stay with us. At least until Hank calms down.”

Michael looked away, already gone. “Fine, if it's gonna shut you up.” He walked off before she could stall him again.

Max saw his sister’s face as she watched Michael stalk away. “How are we gonna explain this to mom and dad?”

“I'll think of something.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Yeah. In fact, I think it would be good for Michael to be part of the family.”

~~~

Maria moaned as she and Liz entered her house. It was a long shift, and she never got an opportunity to talk to Michael. There was nothing on her agenda for the night but a ton of homework.

Liz stretched tiredly. “Oh, I am so wiped out. I don't know if I'm good for any studying tonight.”

Maria saw a pie her mother had made. “Here. Sugar rush. Always works for me.”

“Ok.” Liz looks at the pie, noticing it was already half eaten. “Maria...”

Maria didn’t notice as she tiredly sat down on a hat that had been tossed on the chair -a sheriff’s hat. Sheriff Valenti’s hat. Standing up, Maria held it in herself in horror. “Huh!” Showing it to Liz, they both looked around the room for some place to hide when they heard muffled laughter.

Liz’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God!”

“I know, come on.” They moved back to the door quietly, opening it, then closing it loudly. “Mom! I’m hoooome!”

Amy quickly appeared through the swinging door that led to the living room. Putting her back to the door, she tried to smooth down her disheveled appearance.

“Hi, girls! Uh,” Amy smiled as she tried to appear nonchalant at their presence, “...what are you doing home so early?”

“It's 10:30.”

“Oh, my God! I must have lost track of time.” Amy moved her hand over her messy hair. “Uh, you want some pie?”

“No, no.” Maria couldn’t imagine trying to eat pie, or anything else. The nausea was welling upward into a nice upchuck.

“No, thank you,” Liz said politely sticking real close to Maria.

“Um. Uh, we...we're...we're gonna go in my room and study, and you should go to sleep, ‘cause you've got a really big day tomorrow!”

“I will.”

“Soon?”

“Very.”

Maria’s eyes narrowed, as she stressed her point. “Alone?”

Amy made a face. “Of course! I'll be right there.” She jumped a little when the swinging door suddenly opened, and Sheriff Valenti entered the kitchen, his clothes quite rumpled. “Uh, right after I say good night to the sheriff.”

Jim had the grace to blush at the two teenage girls. “Evening, girls.”

“Hi, sheriff.” Liz said politely. Maria elbowed her sharply in the ribs.

~~~

The evening with the Evans was a disaster, and Michael could’ve predicted that easily. His day had gone from bad to worse, all in a space of a few hours. Unable to stand the cloying family life of the Evans, aka, the Cleavers, he was out the door.

“Michael. Michael!” Isabel rushed out the door after him. “You didn't have to be so rude to my dad.”

“Rude? He was sticking it to me for no reason.”

“It was a game!”

Michael’s jaw flexed, a warning sign that he was at his limit. “He doesn't like me.”

“He doesn't know you.”

Michael shook his head. Yeah, ten years of being friends with his children, practically being raised sleeping on his son’s floor, and no, Mr. Evans didn’t know him. “I don't want him to know me.”

“He could help you. You just have to speak up and tell him the truth.”

Michael stared at her in disbelief. She couldn’t be that simple. “And what? Be a poster child for domestic abuse? It's not gonna happen.”

Isabel put a restraining hand on his arm. “You have to do something, Michael. Please don't just pretend it didn't happen. Please.”

“See ya.” Michael shrugged off the hand, his body already moving fast to blend into the shadows.

Max quietly came up behind Isabel. “He's not easy, Isabel. Never has been.”

“I know that.” Isabel wrapped her arms around her center.

“You can't push him like that.”

“He was acting like a child.”

“Maybe.” Max swallowed hard, the reality of Michael’s situation only just now hitting him. “And maybe you need to stop treating him like one.” Max looked out in the dark where Michael disappeared to, his hand clenched at his side. “He can't make up in one night what he's never had in a lifetime.”

“I'm really scared for him, Max.”

~~~

Michael entered the trailer that was his home and found an angry Hank.

“Where the hell have you been?”

Ignoring him, Michael strode into his room. Lying down on the bed, he stared at the ceiling for a moment in the dark, sighing, his arm over his eyes as he tried to find rest. His insides were still shaking.

Isabel had meant well, but to her, it was so uncomplicated. She was naïve in thinking he could fix his life so easily. Tonight, sitting in that house, watching Max and Isabel, it was apparent how different their lives were from his. They could never understand. He had never had a mother, a woman who cut up green beans into small pieces hiding them in mushroom soup, or a father who played board games. Seeing them, everything he never had, and never would have was glaringly apparent.

Tonight, he never felt more alone in his life. Michael closed his eyes, thinking his life could be easier…if they never opened again.

~~~

Maria was sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair. Amy knocked, and stuck her head into the room.

“Maria. I need to ask you for some space.” Amy entered Maria’s room and sat down on the bed behind her daughter, meeting Maria’s eyes in the mirror. “I can't feel like you're judging me all the time.”

“I'm just trying to look out for you, Mom.” Maria answered. She’d been looking out for her mother her entire life since her dad left. Watching out for her mother had become an art form.

“What are you so worried about?”

Maria looked at her mother in the mirror. “I just don't want you to rush into anything.”

“Anything? Or Jim Valenti?”

“I don't trust him, okay, and I don't want him to use you. So...”

Amy bit back a rising nausea at her daughter’s attitude. “What would he be using me for?”

“Well, for the same thing all men want.” Amy winced at the jaded view her sixteen year old daughter had of the world, her, and men.

“Right.” Amy cleared her throat. “Maria, there are like three single guys in all of Roswell and two of them live in the Desert Inn retirement community. Ok?” Amy tried to make Maria understand. “Jim is a nice guy. He has a good job, he's responsible, and he's fun.”

“He's a cop. And you're a hippie.”

“Well, opposites attract. I don't know.”

“The man's got a lot of baggage, Mom.” Maria had reason to know that, but she couldn’t tell her mother about Jim’s alien obsession. “He's been married once.”

“Who hasn't been, these days?”

“No, but he's that type, you know? That guy...that tough guy who, like, can't open up, or admit he has emotions or, you know, admit that he needs you, you know?” Maria moved around facing her mother. “Those are the most dangerous of them all, I promise.”

Amy looked at her daughter sympathetically. “Don't worry, honey. Michael will come around.”

“Mich...what?!?” Confusion ran over Maria’s face. What did Michael have to do with this? “Michael? I was not...I didn't say one thing about Michael.”

“Sure you didn't.”

“I meant hypothetically.” Her mother was obviously laboring under some false assumptions.

“Whatever, honey.”

“Just...just take it slow, all right?” Maria stressed, her concern heavy in her voice. “Once they get physical, you know, once they get what they want, they disappear.”

Amy went still, very still. She saw that Michael had been around a lot lately, but he never came over officially, and they never went on dates. She cleared her throat. “I hope you're not talking from experience.”

“Just yours.”

“Oh.” Amy didn’t know what else to say. She was relieved, and she wasn’t. It was a toss up. Not wanting her daughter to be sexually active, she was relieved that Maria’s world views were not learned from personal experience. On the other hand, Maria’s jaded cynical view of relationships was completely learned from Amy’s mistakes, and that was a bitter pill.

~~~

Michael awoke from his sleep by the sudden opening of his door. Hank stood in the doorway, drunk, and angry. He dumped a basket of dirty laundry on Michael’s head.

“Told you to do the wash.”

“I'll do it later.”

“Today.”

“I'm not your maid.” Michael got up, moving around Hank, wanting out of there.

“Oh, you're right. You're good for nothing. Do the wash now.”

Pushed too far, Michael couldn’t take it. “Go to hell, Hank.”

“No wonder your parents left you out in the desert. Who'd want ya?”

Michael felt that worse than any slap. “Who are you, father of the year? You're a man who keeps me around just to collect the monthly check!”

The trailer door opened, Max and Isabel entered. Michael stared at them in shock and embarrassment.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“We heard some yelling.”

Max looked at the angry older man uncertain of him. “What's going on?”

Michael glanced at his foster father, and then Max and Isabel. He could handle Hank alone, but not with them there. “Just get out, all right?”

Hank saw Isabel and leered at her. “Well, helloooo, dolly.”

“Shut up, Hank.” Michael said, wishing Isabel would just leave before things got nasty.

“Yeah. Wanna have a drink with me?” Hank moved towards Isabel, but Michael stepped in the way.

“She doesn't want a drink.”

“Who the hell are you, her lawyer?”

“Leave her alone, Hank, all right?”

Hank shoved Michael out of the way. “I asked her a question. I'm waiting for her answer.”

“Here's your answer.” Isabel took Hank’s drink throwing it all over him. “If you ever touch Michael again, I will kill you!”

Hank grabbed his gun. He pointed it directly at Max. “You're gonna kill me? I don't think so!”

Max held up his hands. “Just take it easy. We're going.”

Michael stepped towards Hank holding his hand out. His powers were out of control and a chair moved across the room to slam into a wall, shattering into pieces. The refrigerator door opened and closed. Loose objects whirled around the room like an indoor tornado. Hank, scared, could no longer control his gun as it pointed wildly in all directions, discharging. Then suddenly all was quiet. Hank stood in the silence, shocked at the occurrence, until he found his feet again.

“What the hell?!? Oh, you little bastard. You're a freak. I always knew it. You're a freak!”

Max grabbed Michael’s arm, pulling him from the trailer. “Michael, let's go.”

Michael hesitated, and Isabel stopped in the doorway. “Michael, we have to go. Now! Michael!”

The three aliens left the trailer in a hurry, leaving a dazed Hank behind. It was dark, and the jeep was parked nearby. Michael’s steps faltered the closer they got to the jeep, and the farther they got from the trailer.

Hel looked at Max and Isabel. “Congratulations, you made it worse. Now he knows.”

Isabel bit her lip, sorry for the part she had played in the scene in the trailer. “Michael, Hank was so drunk, he's not gonna know what he saw and he sure as hell isn't gonna remember it in the morning.”

“Isabel, I can't go back there.”

“Good,” said Isabel.

Michael looked at her astounded by how dense she could be. “You just don't get it, do you? I know Hank's a jerk, but that's the only thing I had, and now you guys screwed that up for good.”

“Look, just come back with us for now.” Max didn’t want to argue. They needed to be gone.

“Max, for how long?” Michael flopped his arms in irritation. “I mean, two days, three days...what's that gonna do? I...”

“We'll figure something out.”

Incredible. Michael shook his head. They didn’t understand. They couldn’t. “Max, I don't belong there. I don't belong there, I don't belong here…I don't belong anywhere.”

Isabel tried to calm him. “Michael, we understand why...”

“No, you don't,. Isabel. You don't understand.”

Isabel was at the end of her tolerance. “So you got a raw deal, no one's saying that you didn't.” Isabel ignored Max’s gesture of caution. “But, God, Michael, you finally have a chance to change it. Would it kill you to ask for help, just once in your life?”

“Yeah, you know what? It would.” Michael shook his head, turning away and striding off.

Max swore softly under his breath. “Where are you going?”

“Doesn't matter,” Michael retorted as he swatted a plant and disappeared around the corner of the trailer next door.

Isabel bit her lip. “Michael, wait.”

At that moment it started to rain.

~~~

Maria was combing her wet hair, staring in the mirror, but not seeing herself. Her mind was somewhere else, somewhere not here, somewhere not Roswell. Every time her mother started a new relationship, Maria found herself wallowing in a bog of depression.

Sensing something, she turned. Michael was at her window standing in the rain. Opening the window, she quickly helped him inside.

“God, you could get pneumonia.” She wiped him off with a towel. He just stood there, allowing her to dry him at will. “Here, take your shirt off.” She helped him. “Hold on. You're shivering.” Maria looked at him, his eyes meeting hers. Her breath caught in her throat seeing the pain, despair, and misery in his eyes. He was never open, and for once, his walls were down. She wordlessly wiped a tear from his cheek. “Come here,” she gently whispered, leading him to her bed. He hesitated for a moment. “Shh, it's ok.”

Michael climbed into her bed, Maria following him. “You don't have to tell me, it's ok.” She molded herself to him, giving him human contact. His body shook as he began to cry, and Maria hugged him ever closer.

He held himself stiffly for a moment, and then suddenly he turned in her arms burying his face in her body. Maria made a sound of distress in her throat, her hand moving over his back, soothing him as her other hand moved through his wet hair. Resting her chin on his head, she cried softly, his presence here confirming something she always suspected, but never knew how to ask.

~~~

Michael woke early, the night slowly giving way to dawn. He could feel her body heavy on his back, as he slept on his stomach hugging a pillow. He started to move away, to leave before she woke, but Maria’s arm tightened around him.

“Stay,” She whispered softly, her mouth brushing against his ear. It felt like she had kissed him.

“Maria…” Michael’s voice was low, still thick with sleep. She didn’t need trouble like him.

“Sleep. Just sleep.”

Michael sighed allowing his body to sink deeper into the bed, to let the need for rest lulling him back to sleep. The warmth and weight of her body was an unfamiliar comfort, one he needed.

~~~

Amy opened Maria’s door yawning as she read the morning paper. “Maria, honey, you're gonna be late.” Looking up, Amy froze, her mouth opening in shock. There was a boy in Maria’s bed! Not any boy, but a Michael Guerin boy! In a rush of panic, Amy took in the two bodies molded together in sleep, the peaceful innocence of their sleeping faces. “Oh, my God!”

Maria startled awake at her mother’s voice. It took a moment for her remember, to realize what the warmth was next to her. “Oh! Mom...”

Michael woke at the same time. He hurriedly removed himself from her bed grabbing his shoes and shirt. Not an easy task, as Amy was beating him over the head with her newspaper, her voice hysterical.

“Get out! Get out of this bed!” Amy literally chased him out of room. “Out of this bed! Out!”

Michael ducked as he darted under her raised hand. “Take it easy.”

“Get outta my house!” Michael didn’t stop to talk to Maria; he quickly moved out of the room and house, obeying Maria’s mother’s hysterical demands.

“Wait!” Maria tried to intercede. “Mom! Mom! Mom...”

Shaking, Amy commanded her daughter, in a rare form of parenting. “Maria! Kitchen, now!”

Maria sat at the kitchen table nibbling on a nail, watching her mother pace. She started to say something, but decided to wait. Her mother was busy mumbling to herself.

“My baby girl is having sex.” Amy said.

“I am not having sex.”

Amy stopped staring at her daughter, her disbelief more than apparent. “Then what exactly did you do?”

“Nothing.” Maria couldn’t explain. “We just slept.”

Amy snorted. “Yeah. I know that one. I've used that one.”

Maria looked away in disgust, unhappy with her mother’s reaction. “You act like I have no self-control.” God! All the years she avoided any entanglements of the nature that landed her mother into early motherhood, and this lack of faith was crushing.

“Oh, yes, because teenagers are known for self-control.” Amy said sarcastically. “Especially teenage boys.”

“Michael is not like that, ok?” Maria reassured her mother, but hesitated. Actually… “Well, sometimes he is, but...”

“What?!?”

Maria sighed. He might be an alien, but he was still a sixteen year old boy. Some things seemed pretty ubiquitous. “But not last night, all right? He was upset about something. I don't know what he was upset about, but sex was like the last thing on his mind.”

“Oh, thank you. There is a God.”

“That's. Why. I let. Him stay.”

“Oh, yeah, and what exactly were you thinking letting him stay here, young lady?” Amy couldn’t believe the double standard. It was okay in Maria’s eyes for her to sleep with a hormonal sixteen year old boy, but Amy, who was an adult, wasn’t allowed? “And besides, why is it ok for you and not ok for me?”

“I'm sixteen...”

“Yes, you are sixteen-years-old, and no sixteen-year-old daughter of mine is gonna have sleep-overs with boys, got that?”

Maria looked away. Now she was going to play mother? “Whatever.”

“No, not "whatever". Maria, as you so subtly pointed out last night, my history with men has pretty much been a train wreck.” Amy swallowed hard. Maybe she hadn’t always taken care with what she allowed into Maria’s life, but this morning was a wake-up call. Maria was growing up, older than Amy had been when she had gotten pregnant. Denying it, hoping it wouldn’t happen, was delusional parenting. “And I don't want you to make the same mistakes. Now, I can't go back and change my life, but I will be damned if I watch yours go down the same way. I love you too much.”

Maria bit her lip. There was a lot to Michael, but he wasn’t a mistake.

~~~

The class was taking an exam. Michael tried to concentrate. Looking up with the rest of the class when the Principal stuck his head through the classroom door. He motioned for Michael.

“Michael.” Michael followed the man out of the class as the other students watched him leave.

~~~

Michael’s jaw clenched as the Sheriff looked at him over his desk.

“Neighbors heard gunshots.”

“I don't know anything about that.”

“But you were there last night?”

Michael shrugged. “Went home to get some stuff.”

“What time was that?”

Um...,” Michael scratched his eyebrow, “does it matter?”

“You were the last person to see him.”

Michael stopped slouching in his chair. “What do you mean, I was "the last person to see him"?”

“I called the plant. He never showed up for work.”

Michael relaxed again, resuming his indifferent attitude. “Maybe he's passed out somewhere. I don't keep track of him.”

“Neighbors also said they heard an argument.” Jim searched the young man’s face for a reaction. “And then, later, more sounds. Screaming. Crying. Tortured sounds, like an animal. Almost inhuman, they said.”

“What are you talking about?” Michael’s incredulous expression was hard to miss.

“Where were you, son?”

“Out.” Michael refused to involve Maria in this. Keeping his mouth shut, he continued to evade Sheriff Valenti’s questions.

~~~

Maria sat in the Crashdown trying to concentrate on Liz’s conversation about her trying to get over Max, but her mind kept wandering. Michael didn’t show up to at their usual meeting place. She had brought him breakfast and a lunch, but he never came.

“You know, what you said really made sense, and I've been sticking to it. And you would be so proud of me. I mean, just last night even, I said it really clearly. No.” Liz said, not noticing that Maria wasn’t paying attention. “Of course, Max wasn't there...but when he is there, I'll be ready for him.” Liz looked at Maria realizing that her friend wasn’t responding. “Are you even listening to me?”

Maria physically shook herself out of her stupor. “Oh, sorry. I'm sorry.”

“What's wrong?”

Maria bit her lip, desperately thinking of an excuse for her distraction. “Oh...well...” The entrance of Isabel into the Crashdown helped as she stopped beside Liz and Maria.

“Have you guys seen Michael?”

Liz shook her head while Maria’s attention was suddenly alert. “Maybe.”

“Come on, Maria, you have to tell me. It's really important.”

“Well, if it's that important, then you tell me.” Maria said, unwilling to rat Michael out, even to Isabel. “I'm worried about him, too.”

“I can't.”

“Ditto.”

Maria’s stubborn chin made Isabel sigh. “All right. Michael's in trouble.”

Liz looked between the two girls. “What...what kind of trouble?”

“It's Hank. He's, um...” Isabel swallowed hard, almost choking on the truth, “he's been hurting Michael, and Max and I are trying to help.”

Maria sucked in her breath, her worst suspicion confirmed. “Oh, my God, Isabel.” She looked away. She had hoped that what she had slowly began to suspect over the past month or so was not true.

“Michael made us promise not to say anything.”

Maria licked her lips, her voice thick with suppressed emotions. “He was with me last night.” She told Isabel. “All night.”

“Whaaat?” Liz turned in her seat to stare at her friend. “He spent the night, Maria? What happened to "no"?”

“He never told me what was wrong. We just slept. And then,” Maria cleared her throat, “...in the morning, my mom came in, and he took off, and I haven't seen him since.” Isabel stared at Maria with the same amount of shock that Liz had on her face. Neither had the opportunity to comment as Max entered the Crashdown.

“Valenti's got Michael.” Max told Isabel.

“Why?” The fear in Isabel’s eyes spoke a volume what the others were feeling.

“Hank's gone, and they think he had something to do with it.”

Maria’s stomach churned. Michael, he was alone in jail.

~~~

Amy entered the kitchen singing under her breath. “And she said...” The words stopped in her throat at the sight of her daughter. Maria looked…

“Hi.” Maria cleared her throat. “Um, you know the boy that I slept-but-didn't-sleep with?”

Amy put the groceries on the counter. “Unfortunately, the shock has indelibly printed his face on my brain.”

“He's in jail.”

“Oh, this just gets better and better, doesn't it?” Amy shook her head. Heredity, it had to be. She had genetically passed the gene to fall for losers and jerks on to her daughter.

“He didn't do anything, ok?” Maria said angry at her mother’s sarcasm. “Your good friend, Sheriff Valenti, is holding him because he can't explain his whereabouts last night.” Maria stressed the ‘last night’ part of the information. “And personally, I think it was very noble of him to protect my dignity.”

“Oh, yeah. How very Bonnie and Clyde of him.” Maria’s jaw firmed and the cleft in her chin deepened in irritation.

“Anyway, since the Sheriff seems to like you so much, I thought maybe you could tell him where Michael really was.”

Amy shrugged. “Well, I could.”

“Mom, I know maybe he didn't make the best impression on you this morning...”

“No, Maria, this has nothing to do with him. This is about you and me. I need to be able to trust you.”

Maria swallowed an angry response. She, until recently, never gave her mother a reason not to trust her. Refusing to risk Michael’s freedom over her wounded pride, Maria breathed in deeply. “Then trust me. I swear to you, he's a good guy, and he's in trouble.” Maria gave her mother a pleading look. “I wouldn't ask you otherwise.”

~~~

Maria and her mother waited in Valenti’s office while Jim went to free Michael. Amy had come through. She told Jim where Michael had been the previous night. Now both she and Maria were leaning against the wall, neither talking. Michael followed Jim into the office, but stopped at the sight of Maria and her mother. Maria smiled slightly at him.

Amy looked at the two. “Wait for me outside.”

Maria quickly grabbed Michael’s hand and pulled him outside before her mother changed her mind. They stopped outside in the hall, away from the door.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did.” Maria stared at the wall next to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Maria looked at him. Her eyes searched his face. No he wasn’t. He was running. Biting back a retort telling him not to do anything stupid, she nodded.

“Thank you,” he said softly, not sure if he meant for last night, or her getting her mother to get him out of jail.

Maria squeezed his hand. “No…thank you. You didn’t have to do that. You could’ve told him the truth. But, for what it’s worth…thank you.”

They shared a look. Michael was the first to look away. No one ever expected him to be gracious or noble. Normally, he would’ve turned over to get himself out of trouble, but not on Maria. Never on her. Her belief in him was all he had.

~~~

Michael found Max and Isabel. They were strangely quiet. “So, everything's ok?” Max asked.

“Oh, yeah, great.” Michael said because that was what they wanted to hear.

“Michael, about Hank being missing, you didn't...,” Isabel bit her lip, “...you didn't do anything to him, did you?”

“No.” Michael looked at her, shaking his head. “What...you thought...”

“No no.” Isabel quickly denied.

Max quickly interceded. “So, what did Valenti say?”

Michael faced went blank. “Well, he said he was gonna find me a new foster situation.” Michael stressed. “Not a home. Situation.”

Max felt a sinking in his stomach. “I'm sure he meant...”

“No matter what home I get, it's a substitute for the real one.”

“Michael, you can't just run away.” Max said looking at his friend, desperate as an unsettling feeling settled in his stomach.

“Watch me.”

“Where are you supposed to go?” Isabel asked, feeling the same desperation as Max.

“Anywhere but here.” Michael’s jaw clenched. He had enough. “You two can stay in your nice little world with your pot roast and your monopoly games, ‘cause it's pretty clear to me you're not interested in finding our real home. But I'm going to. I'm gonna find Nasedo. He's my family.”

“And what are we?” Isabel asked, her voice rising in anger. “You want to know what I think, Michael? I think it's time you either put up or shut up.”

Michael stared at her, what liking he had for her sank another level. Her life was perfect; what could she know of his, or even understand? Life was so tough when there was a roof over your head, money, hot food, and people who cared. “Very poetic, Isabel.”

“You act like a five-year-old.” Isabel didn’t know how to stop. Desperation and fear was eating at her stomach. Michael had been growing so far away from them lately…ever since Max saved Liz Parker. He had gone to Maria for comfort…Maria! “When are you going to grow up and stop blaming everybody else?”

“Is that what you think, Max?”

“I think it's not safe out there. I think Nasedo is dangerous, Michael.”

“You don't know that.”

“You heard what Hubble said.” If only Michael would believe, but Isabel had been right before. It would take proof to convince Michael. “He's a killer, a shape-shifter, and he's out there. He could be anyone. Now, we need to stick together now more than ever.”

“You're wrong, Max.” Michael went to take off, too tired to fight with them. He could never win with them. It was their way, or no way. They couldn’t understand. They never would.

“Go on and run, Michael, it's what you do best.” Isabel said nastily.

Michael walked off, more than ready to leave. He obviously had stayed too long. He was messing up their perfect lives.

Michael made a last parting shot. “I’m the child? You know what’s pathetic? You can’t even see me. You’re terrified that your life as you know it will end…that you’ll have to leave everything you have. Me? I’m terrified of what I’ll never find, what will never be…the what ifs. I have nothing to lose, I’m already at rock bottom, and from here, and everything looks up.” He walked away, not bothering to look back. There was nothing there.

~~~

Isabel sat on her bed, her hands holding the healing stones. Max entered her room without knocking.

“I thought I locked that door.”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, you did.” Looking at the stones, Max frowned. “What're you doing?”

“You see this?” Isabel held up a stone. “This is all I know about who we are. These stones that River Dog gave us at the cave when Michael was sick. They're the only things we have from the place we came from.” Isabel looked at Max. “It was the first time I realized we had a home somewhere...a real place.” It was a place she never thought of, or wanted to look for, because Michael was right. She had a home, and she was happy. “They don't mean anything...not without Michael.” How could they? No one wanted them except Michael. It was his journey, his quest, and his only hope for a real life as far as he could imagine.

~~~

Max walked through the dark trailer, following the sounds in the back room. Pausing in the door, he watched Michael for a moment.

“Packing?”

Michael looked over from his chore. “You could call it that. Everything I have fits in this bag.”

“You have me. You have Isabel.”

Michael pushed a few more items into the bag. “Say goodbye, Max.” Michael looked at a silver ring. Maria’s. She had him hold it once. He never gave it back. He put it on his small finger on his left hand.

“I can't.”

What did they want from him? “We'll keep in touch, all right?”

“It's not good enough.”

Michael almost snarled in anger. He had been saying that all his life for all the attention they paid. “Well, it's gonna have to be, all right? So say goodbye.”

“I can't.”

Max was making it harder than it needed to be. “Max...”

“I know what you're scared of, Michael.”

“No, you don't.” Michael said quietly. How could he? They didn’t even speak the same language.

“You keep telling me how lucky I am,” Max said desperate to make a connection, “...to have a great home, great parents. But in one way, it's harder for me, because when I screw up, I have no excuses.” Michael remained unmoved. Max’s perspective…oh yeah, it was about him again, about Max. “But you, you can do and say anything you want because you have Hank, and you can blame it on that. But what happens without him? It'll all be on you, that's what.”

How clueless. Michael couldn’t believe it. No one ever blamed Hank for his failures, they only blamed Michael. A cruel unfeeling individual might even suggest to Michael that he needed to ‘get over it’ and stop whining, fix his life. Everything was so easy when it wasn’t about you. Looking at Max, Michael felt…sad, and disillusioned. All these years, and it always came back to the same thing…he wasn’t good enough.

“Well, leave it up to me to still screw it up, huh?”

“It's ok, Michael, because if you do, we'll all still be there for you.” Max suggested. “Maybe you have to start thinking about someone other than yourself, Michael. The three of us belong together. There's a reason that we're together. We're family. So, go if you want to, but no matter where or how far, we will always be connected.” Max handed Michael a package. “Isabel and I wanted you to have this. It means nothing without you.”

“See ya.” Michael took the package and picked up his bag, walked around Max, and left.

~~~

Maria froze at the tap on her window. She sat there afraid to move. Closing her eyes for a moment, she breathed in deeply when the tap came again. Gathering her courage, she opened the window to let Michael in. It was hard to miss his bag on the ground beneath her window.

“You’re leaving.”

“Yeah,” Michael slowly stood shifting on his feet. “I just came to say goodbye.”

Maria gulped, biting her mouth on the inside. “Where will you go?”

“I don’t know. Anywhere not Roswell.” Michael noticed how she avoided looking at him. “I’m going to find Nasedo.”

Maria looked up sharply. “Alone?”

Michael shrugged. “I’ve been doing it alone all my life…why break a pattern?”

Maria felt it. The same feeling she got when she sat watching her father walk away. Throwing herself into his arms, her slim arms went around his neck, hugging him tight as Michael’s arms went around her. She was slowly teaching him to like being touched.

Michael shuddered as a vision hit him. Maria, a young Maria, sitting on steps crying, wearing red sneaker with a Kermit patch on them, hugging a Dalmatian. He saw it in a flash, but what made his heart stop in his chest was the wave of emotion hitting him. Despair. More than that…pain.

“Don’t,” said Michael hoarsely.

“What?” She said against his neck.

“Don’t feel pain for me.”

Maria breathed in a painful breath. “You’re just a kid.”

“I’ve never been a kid, Maria.”

Maria left him for a moment. She went to her table and picked up a dark marker. Grabbing his hand, she wrote her cell number on his hand in indelible marker. Clearing her throat, she tried to speak normal. “I know you don’t need anyone, but…” Maria looked at him. “If you should ever find you need…anything, call me. I’ll come for you, I promise. I don’t care how far away.” Maria closed his hand over the number on his palm. “I hope you find what you’re looking for, Michael.”

Michael quickly hugged her again, holding on for a moment more than he should have. Kissing her cheek, he started to leave.

“Wait!”

Maria dug in her special drawer and then came to stand beside him at the window. “Here, take this. It’s all I have on hand.” Her collection of tips that she hadn’t deposited into her bank account.

Michael looked at the cash, and he shoved it back in her hands. “No, I can’t take your money.”

Maria folded it, putting it in his shirt pocket. “Yes, you can. Promise me that you’ll eat, stay dry, and occasionally get a full night’s sleep.”

Michael nodded. He couldn’t speak. Her eyes were full of tears, and she didn’t try to stop him. He climbed out the window. As he bent down to pick of his bag, Maria called to him from the window.

“I know what you’re afraid of…” Michael paused in the dark. “It’s the same thing I am.” Maria hurried before he walked away. “I’m afraid that I’ll wait my entire life for a dream that will never come true, and my life will be spent, wasted…waiting. I’m afraid that I’ll spend my entire life too afraid to feel…always waiting to be disappointed.”

Michael’s eyes were dry, but he could feel it welling inside. One small earth girl, and she found something in herself that was the same as he had, an unspoken language. Michael knew he had to walk away before he couldn’t.

Maria closed the window unable to shut it completely, waiting for him to come back…to come home. Hope. Without hope, she had nothing. Maria sat on the edge of her bed, unable to stop it, she slid to the floor. Lowering her head to her bent knees, she wept.

~~~

Michael stood in the rain waiting for a ride. Sitting down for a moment, he held the package that Max gave him in his hands, trying not to think. Standing when he saw headlights, he hitched a ride with a truckdriver.

“What a joke.” The driver said after a few moments.

“Huh?”

“Roswell.” He nodded at a sign. “Wouldn't bother, but it's on my southwest route. Sell a lot of soda in these tourist towns.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I don't know why in the hell they come here.” The man said, meaning the tourist. “Aliens, I guess.”

Michael opened the package that Max and Isabel gave him. The stones fell into his open hand. He juggled them around in his hand for a little while, thinking of their significance, how important finding them had been to him.

“Ain't no aliens in that town. Let me ask you something. If you were an alien, you can go anywhere in the world, would you pick Roswell?” The man laughed, answering his own question. “Trust me, there ain't nothin’ in that town.”

Michael held the stones and he flashed on the Balance, the image of him walking with Max and Isabel in the desert. Looking down at his hand holding the stones, he flashed on Maria…him kissing her on the dream plane. His hand was open, and he could see the silver of her ring on his small finger, her phone number on his open hand. She hadn’t needed to write it there. Michael discreetly used his powers, removing it. He knew it by heart…he would remember.

~~~

Maria rolled over when a hand touched her shoulder. Squinting to see in the dark, she looked up at Michael. Not saying a word, she sat up hugging him tight. He held her for a long time, until she moved back in the bed making room for him.

Lying down, he waited for her to ask, but she didn’t. As he was drifting off to sleep, he felt a brush of her lips against his cheek.

~~~

Michael woke early. Looking down at a sleeping Maria, he smiled shaking his head. His greatest flaw…his inability to change, and yet somehow because of her… The clock alerted him to the time. Gently untangling himself from her, he covered her up on his way out the window before Ms. DeLuca found him again. Pausing, he looked at the silver ring on his finger. Pulling it off, he placed it on her bedside table with her money. On his way out the window, he looked back. Reaching over, he took the silver ring back before going through the window.

Isabel walked into the kitchen, stopping when she saw Michael. “What are you doing?”

“Making an omelet. What does it look like?”

Isabel smiled, happy to see him. “I didn't know you could cook.”

“Yeah, well, uh, there's a lot you don't know about me.” Michael suggested, meaning it in more ways than she could ever comprehend.

“Yeah. You're full of surprises.”

“Yup.” Michael said whipping the eggs.

“Thanks.” Isabel said smiling. Michael just nodded, understanding her relief. Perhaps he wasn’t the only one that had a hard time changing. Isabel needed her world organized in a manner that she could understand.

Philip Evans entered the kitchen, equally surprised to see Michael cooking. “Good morning.” Michael said, suddenly uncertain, but he came that far. Despite what others might think. He wasn’t a coward.

“Hello, Michael.”

Michael cleared his throat. “I thought I'd cook breakfast for the family.”

Diane Evans entered the kitchen, smiling at the group, uncertain what was going on. “Ah. Well, well...what's going on here?”

Philip met his wife’s eyes. “Uh, Michael is making breakfast for everyone.”

“Hmm. Looks good.”

Michael cleared his throat, taking a deep breath. “Uh, there's another thing, sir...”

“Yeah?”

“Uh,” Michael moved on his feet, trying to physically find the internal balance he needed to do this, “...I was wondering if you could help me. Uh, I wanna...I wanna find a way to live on my own, and I was told that it could be done.”

“It's complicated. You'd have to file a petition for emancipation...go before a judge.” Philip warned.

“You know, I'll do whatever it takes. I've thought about it, and I want to take control of things. And I think I'm ready to do that now, so...”

Philip met his daughter’s hopeful eyes, and he smiled. “Why don't you come by my office this afternoon and we'll talk. I'd like to know more about your situation.”

“Yeah, this afternoon then.” Michael wondered what Maria’s day looked like.

~~~

Max and Isabel were standing in a judge's inner chambers, waiting with Michael and Mr. Evans for the proceedings to begin. They were presenting a petition for emancipation to the judge for consideration. Michael asked for the proceedings to be held for as long as possible. He looked anxiously at the door.

The Judge looked at his watch. “Mr. Guerin, could we perhaps start?”

The door to the Judge’s chamber opened, closed, and then opened again. They could hear Maria’s voice outside.

“I told you, I’m expected!” They could hear a man’s voice, and Maria’s voice rising. “I’m not that DeLuca! I’m her daughter! Look, buddy, you are obstructing…”

Philip quickly opened the door. “Maria? We were waiting.”

Maria quickly shrugged off the guard’s hand whispering loudly at him, ‘Told you!’, before smiling pleasantly at Philip Evans. Entering the room, she caught Michael’s amused look. “Sorry I’m late.”

“You’re fine.”

The judge cleared his throat. “Ms. DeLuca, welcome to my chambers. I’m glad to see you here absent of your mother.”

Maria smiled at the judge that she knew a little too well. “Thank you, Sir. She’s taking your orders that she not enter your inner chamber for six months very seriously.”

“That’s good to know.” The judge nodded to Philip that they should take their places. Michael took a seat near the judge with Philip to his left. Maria, Max and Isabel witnessed the proceedings.

“And does the minor, Michael Guerin, pledge to take charge of his life as an adult from here forward?”

“I do, your honor.”

“And do you understand that you will be solely responsible for your financial, educational, and medical decisions as they may arise?”

“I do, sir.”

The judge looked at Michael, noting all those that accompanied him on his first step into adulthood. “And I might add, young man, that you are fortunate in having these folks here today,” he smiled at Maria, who he knew very well, “...who have an interest in your future...and have shown a confidence in you that is reflected in my decision. I hope you can live up to that faith.”

“I'll try, your honor.”

“I hereby grant your petition for emancipation.” The judge signed the paper and passed it to Michael to sign. Maria, Max, and Isabel watched, as he signed. As he set the pen down, he looked over at them, nodding. Maria smiled, but her eyes suddenly narrowed as she caught the flash of silver. Was that her ring?

The subject was sex. Or maybe it was all things leading up to sex, who could say? Since the moment the humans became involved with the aliens, there was this question on everyone’s mind. Could humans and aliens be intimate, and if so, would there any consequences?

The two camps of thought pertaining to these questions were mixed. Max and Liz, who wanted to be together said no, that it was meant to be, or specifically that they were ‘soulmates’ and therefore, destined. So what was to fear?

Isabel took a more middle of the road approach, skeptical, yet hopeful that out there somewhere was someone for her. Since she wasn’t as attuned to her alien side, as say, Michael was, she tended to think of her future mating being a mixed relationship of alien and human. After all, the three were alone, they were related, and the possibilities were slim of alien-alien mating. Alex agreed with Isabel, hopeful in the same regard that he would be the one for Isabel, but he liked to hold his cards to his chest just in case something strange happened.

Michael was at the farthest extreme. There would be consequences. Of course there would be. They were aliens, and they didn’t belong there. There was a world far away waiting for them to find it, and strange things happened, well, because they were aliens. That was a mantra of Michael’s life. He was the most willing to accept the strange, bizarre and unnatural, because his entire life…he expected. Maria agreed with him. Perhaps it explained their ever growing friendship. Michael expected things to be weird, and in his view, there wasn’t much out there weirder than Maria DeLuca. Maria, on the other hand, felt that aliens more than likely carried unknown diseases, and should be held with utmost suspicion, except for Michael, of course, who was more than willing to keep himself apart.

So when Liz started to experience strange occurrences while kissing Max, everything from hot flashes, visions, and feelings best not mentioned in polite company, the party lines began to buzz, as the topic of the day turned to what the heck was happening. Again, the factions all lined up. Max wondered if it was real. Isabel thought it was a pile of stupidity, and Michael needed it to lead somewhere.

~~~

Michael had come to accept that Max would never be able to comprehend his budding relationship with Maria. For Max, it had to be more intimate, only because he couldn’t imagine Michael opening up enough to anyone who wasn’t an alien. Michael never bothered to correct Max’s assumptions, merely because explaining it would require Michael to understand it, and he didn’t. It was what it was. Simple to everyone of concern, namely him and Maria. It wasn’t that great a mystery except for those annoying people who needed everything spelled out.

Walking down the hall in the school, Michael listened to Max halfheartedly, his mind on the class he forgot to go to the previous week. His luck, there would be a pop quiz today. He really should give it a miss as a bad idea.

“Did anything like that ever happen to Maria when you two...”

“No.” Michael quickly went on, before Max could ask for more details. “Maxwell, let me assure you, you have not experienced anything I have not experienced many times or caused to be experienced.”

Max raised a brow, smiling at his friend. “Then how can you call yourself my friend?”

“What?”

“A friend wouldn't have kept something like that to himself.”

~~~

Maria found Michael at his usual place high in the bleachers. Joining him, she handed him a bottle of Snapple.

“Oh, Michael, why did I know I would find you here?” She sat down. “Hi.”

“Hey.”

Maria opened her Snapple taking a drink. “Did you hear?”

“The Max-Liz thing, with the flashes?” Michael nodded sipping his drink, checking the inside of the cap for a free bottle. “She's your friend. What do you think?”

“That Max and Liz have discovered some new sensation?” Maria frowned. “It seems somewhat unlikely.”

Michael thought so too. “Extremely unlikely.” He drank from his Snapple, thinking.

“Are you worried?”

“More curious. I really could care less about what passes as passionate interludes between Max and Liz, but this begs a question.”

“You mean that this might have some alien connections, a part of your quest.”

Michael mulled that over. What else could it be? “Maybe.”

“I hate it when you’re like this.”

“Like what?” Michael asked her, confused.

“Enigmatical. Like you think you know, but you’re not sharing. And knowing you, this is probably more B.S. than anything, since you don’t know any more than I do.”

“Did I say I did? Nope. I just think that this is alien driven. That’s all.”

“It could be a connection between Max and Liz.”

Michael snorted. “You think so?”

“I don’t know, but I’m worried. What if she gets sick? Where do we take her? Can we even take her to the doctor?”

Michael shrugged. Maybe it was one thing to speculate, but for the most part, they should just wait and see.

~~~

Max and Isabel were at Michael's new apartment. Max and Michael were talking about what happened with Liz, while Isabel put away Michael’s groceries.

“She said it was as if she was inside the ship looking out,” Max said, “...when it came crashing toward Earth.” Michael lifted an eyebrow. Then it couldn’t be from Max, since they were in pods, and not able to see.

“Did she see anyone else on the ship?” Michael moved closer, trying to appear nonchalant, but his excitement level was rising. “Like our parents?”

Isabel snorted. “Yeah, or Captain Kirk and the Klingons?” She looked at Michael. “You got a paper-towel holder?”

“No.” Michael tried to ignore Isabel, he was busy. “What if it's real?”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “It's not real. What's wrong with you guys?” Opening the refrigerator to put away food, her nose shriveled and she stepped back. “Oh, God! Not even baking soda's gonna help with that.”

Michael had enough of her snotty comments and snobbish behavior. “You know what, Isabel? If you don't like my new place, you can leave.” He looked at Max, ignoring Isabel…the new Martha Stewart. “Continue.”

“I see things from inside her head. Maybe she's seeing things stored deep inside me.” Michael doubted that. They had been incubated until they were six. How could Max know things about the crash unless aliens had a collective consciousness? Michael stored that thought away to talk to Maria about later. This might require research, or at the very least, a Sci-Fi movie night.

“What do you see inside her head?” Michael had his own opinion what was in Liz Parker’s head, but here he had a possibility of Max confirming it.

“I can't tell you.” Max shouldn’t have said anything. Michael wouldn’t let this go. “It's private.”

“Since when do we keep secrets from each other?” Michael’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. Liz Parker again! She had clues to his past, and Max was calling it private? “Maxwell, come on.”

Isabel looked up in the cupboard ignoring the discussion. “Do you have a juicer?”

Michael gave Isabel a nasty look, mentally tossing her annoying self out of his home. “Isabel, you're pushing it.”

“They're Liz's personal thoughts, Michael...not secrets.”

“Ok, yeah, so they're personal thoughts.” Michael’s face clouded in thought. He had personal thoughts…fantasies, and imagining them didn’t make them real. “How do you know they're real?”

“I'm not sure.”

Isabel sighed. All this over some stupid Liz fantasy. Wanting it over, Isabel couldn’t see what the big deal was. “Can't you just ask her?”

“I don't want to embarrass her.” Max had the grace to turn slightly red, and Michael made a face, glad Max was the one to see those visions, and not him. Only visions he wanted to know about were the ones that found him a way home.

“Maxwell, if this is real...if there's any chance this is real...you owe it to us and to yourself to find out.” With that said, Michael’s mind began to churn out different possibilities. He couldn’t trust Max to be completely honest, especially when Liz Parker was involved. “And in the meantime, I'm gonna pursue my own avenues.”

They never got to ask Michael exactly what those avenues were. The door opened to Maria struggling to get a key out of the lock. “The lock sticks. We’ll have to put that on the landlord’s list of things to repair. Where did you put the check-in papers?” Maria looked up seeing Max and Isabel “Hi, guys! Great apartment, huh?” Maria shut the door with her foot as she dragged three huge bags inside. Michael quickly went to help her.

“What is all this stuff?”

“Stuff. I told you not to worry. I collected a few things you’ll be needing.” Maria happily shoved two bags at Michael. “Some of the pans are old, but they’ll work.”

“You have a key?” Isabel asked, sharing a look with Max.

Maria didn’t appear to hear. “I got the industrial cleaner for the refrigerator.” Maria went and opened it. “Hey, I thought I told you not to put anything in there until we cleaned it.”

“I didn’t.”

“Whatever.” Maria quickly removed the milk and refrigerator items. “You get to clean it. I’ll take the bathroom.” Maria made a face at Isabel and Max. “You can’t believe some of the places we looked at! One barely had running water. This was the best of the lot within Michael’s price range. We were lucky to find it. Lots of space. Needs some cleaning and work, but not too bad, and it qualifies for the Public Assistance discount.”

“Isabel hates it.” Michael said. “It’s not up to her standards.”

“I didn’t say that.” Max quickly grabbed his sister.

“We better go. Mom will be waiting dinner.” Max dragged Isabel out, ignoring her questions about why Maria had a key.

Michael started unpacking the bags Maria brought. Dishes, pots and pans, and a few other essentials. “I thought they’d never leave.”

“Oh? Why?” Michael shrugged, but he kept peeking over at Maria as she rearranged the cupboard of food that Isabel had unpacked. “Michael, you want the cereal high or low? I was thinking it would be better low since you’ll probably eat it more often.”

“Definitely low.”

“Coffee?”

“On the countertop, not that it matters, I don’t have a coffee maker.”

“Sure you do. I brought you a percolator. It’s a little old fashioned, but it makes a mean cup of java.” Maria looked over at him. “So what’s up?”

“What?”

Maria sighed. He was scratching his brow. A dead giveaway. “Just ask me, okay?”

“Fine.” Michael cleared his throat. “You know these flashes that Liz is getting?” Of course she did. It was all any of them were talking about. “I’ve been wondering if I could give them too.”

Maria dropped a box she was holding. “You want to kiss Liz?”

“No!” Michael picked up the box and put it away on a shelf. “Actually….I was, um…hoping that maybe you would help me out.”

“Help you out?” Maria’s face cleared as she came to understand his request. Her voice squeaking unnaturally. “You want to make out with me?”

Michael wavered on his feet again, scratching his neck, then rubbing it. “Yeah…not really make out, but more of an…experiment.”

“Experiment?” Maria bit her lip, searching his face it was hard not to see how important this was to him.

Michael bent close to her, his mouth close to hers. “It doesn’t have to mean anything, just a kiss or two, to see…”

Maria stared at his mouth, her own mouth suddenly dry. He…she…oh god. She stepped back quickly, her face red. “I don’t think so!”

Michael’s face fell. He had expected her to agree, to offer to help him out. Her refusal hurt. “Why not?”

“Why not?” Maria saw the look, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t. “I don’t know? Maybe because my best friend is getting weird rashes? Running a fever! Maybe because I’m worried about her, and no one else is, including her! Maybe because all you care about is what you get out of this, but not what this would mean to me! I don’t know! Maybe because I don’t want to kiss you!”

Michael’s face shut down. “Well, since you don’t really want to know me…maybe you should leave?”

“Michael…”

He turned away, and Maria stood there watching him for a moment. Sighing, she grabbed her bag and left.

~~~

Isabel frowned as Michael banged around in his apartment. She had been afraid that he would be busy with Maria, but he had been alone. Max was meeting them, but so far he hadn’t shown up. Discussing how these images could be created, at times Michael appeared distracted, almost out of sorts. Maybe his other avenues hadn’t worked out.

“So if Liz is accessing hidden memories in Max, that would mean each of us has this information in some part of us we're just not conscious of.”

Michael very much doubted that. How could Max know things before he was born, while on the trip from their homeworld? “Or she's getting messages from somewhere or someone else.”

“Nasedo?”

“I don't know. I mean, why did she see the crash, the soldiers?” It didn’t make sense. He, Max, and Isabel weren’t born yet. They wouldn’t have seen the crash. It had to be an eyewitness. “Maybe it was all planned this way...that this is how we'd find out who we really are,” Michael said sourly, “...by connecting with humans.” He hated that thought. He was never going to find out anything if it was true, because one mean spirited human girl refused to…be easy.

“Connecting?” Isabel frowned at his attitude. He seemed distracted.

“The more they connect, the more we find out.” Michael shook his head. Great, now he had to rely on Max and Liz. He hated that. Think of the devil, and he appears. Max entered his apartment without knocking.

“Uh, listen...Liz is on her way over.”

Isabel stood up, wiping imaginary dust from Michael’s apartment off of her. “Ok. We'll leave.”

“You guys don't have to leave.”

Michael slid into his jacket and clapped Max on the shoulder. “Go for it, Maxwell, for the good of all mankind, you lucky, undeserving dog.”

“Michael, that's not what this is about for me.”

Michael made a face. Like he cared? Once again, Max wasn’t seeing what was important. “Don't make me beg you to do what you and Liz obviously want to do anyways. I really don't see a problem with it.” They wanted to get all hot and bothered, and if it came with a little bonus of flashes that gave the aliens clues, then what the heck was the problem?

“The problem is treating someone I care about like a thing...to be used.” That hit a mark, a sore spot, one Maria had left behind earlier.

“What, and that's what I'm about?” Michael resented the implication that he was an unfeeling user, willing to sacrifice whomever to achieve his goal. It might be true, but he resented that his friend didn’t think better of him. “Is that what you're saying?”

“The words are coming from your mouth, Michael.”

Isabel quickly stepped between them before it got out of hand. “Ok, you guys, stop. Enough.”

“Listen, Maxwell...you are a sensitive guy.” Michael refrained from snickering at that. “And you have available to you one of the top three seduction lines in history...with ‘It's gonna help me find my home planet’. And you're refusing to use it.” Michael stared at his friend in disbelief. “No guy is that sensitive. Use it.”

Isabel turned off the light next to the door, and with a snap of her fingers caused the candles in the room to light up to form a romantic atmosphere.

Michael looked at his apartment. He remembered protesting when Maria set out the different candles from her mom’s shop, but now, it was made his place look different. “Nice.”

“Mmm.” Isabel surveyed her handy work as the door opened to admit Liz. Another person forgetting to knock, and later Michael would remember to care, but right now, he had another agenda in mind. Isabel moved out of the way. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Liz said, suddenly uncomfortable facing the aliens.

“How's it goin'?” Michael asked, hoping for more information.

“Strange.”

“I'll bet.” Isabel looked at her watch, hating this small talk.

Michael agreed. They were out of there. “All right. We're leaving now. But I got some Chaka Khan cued up in the CD player.”

“We're leaving. Bye.” Isabel followed Michael out of the apartment. Shutting the door softly behind them. Isabel looked at Michael curious about where he was going since his home was being otherwise used. “You going to do something?”

Michael frowned. At a loss of how to occupy his time, he shrugged. “I’ll go hang around, until Liz leaves.”

That sounded….Isabel shrugged. “Let me know how it goes.” She took herself off to find her own avenues to explore.

~~~

Maria stood at the door, staring at it, as if it would open on its own. Holding the key in her hand, she breathed in deep not sure that facing the wounded lion in his den was such a great idea. She should give him time to get over it, but knowing him, he would just seethe. Opening the door, she wished she hadn’t.

“My God!” Maria covered her eyes, turning around. “I was looking for Michael. Um, something tells me he isn't here.”

~~~

In the Jetta, Maria was giving Liz a drive home, her beautiful face drawn and concerned by her friend’s actions.

“Liz, what was going on in there?”

Liz frowned. “What was going on?” she repeated.

“Yeah, it looked like it was getting pretty serious...like,” Maria glanced at her friend, “very serious.”

“Maria, I have my mother for these lectures.”

Maria bit her lip returning to her driving, her eyes suspiciously wet. “I'm worried for you.”

“Why?”

“Because this isn't you.”

“Yes, Maria, see,” Liz gestured to herself, “...this is. This is me. I'm sitting right next to you.”

“I just don't want you to go too far.”

“I think I want to.”

“Are you crazy?” Maria stopped watching the road for a moment. “This is dangerous. This isn't like a game!” Maria swerved, cursing under her breath. She turned her attentions back to her driving before she killed someone. “We don't even know what could happen!”

“Look who's talking! You were the first one to take the plunge, Maria!” Liz voice rose in anger. This was no one else’s business, but hers and Max’s. “You’re the one hanging with Michael in cheap motels!”

“Michael and I are just friends! Ok, fine. I kissed him once, but it was a friendly kiss. But, look, I wasn't getting visions, and I didn't have glowing hickeys and rashes and...,” Maria was upset that Liz was not listening, not taking this seriously, “...look, Liz, the bottom line is that we don't know what this is about, all right? Female spiders can, you know, bite off the males' heads after they mate. What if they need someone to mate with to get certain information, you know? And then...Pfttt! You know?”

“What're you been trying to say? That Max is just gonna bite my head off?

“Uh, no.” Maria tried to stress her point. “What I'm saying is, how do you know that he's not like using you?”

“Maria, because it...it...it feels right. I'm sorry. It feels right in a way that nothing has felt right in my life before.”

“God! You’re sixteen! Have you even asked yourself why? Very few people our age ever feel something right…God! Stop growing up so damn fast!” Maria’s head hurt. “The fact that you aren’t even worry over tossing your virginity away for some smooth talking alien Lothario has me worried! My Liz, my best friend would toss and turn, think it to death, and then think some more. You’re not doing that! You’re acting on an urge, without thinking the consequences, and that alone makes me worry.”

“Dammit, Maria. This is none of your business. No one but mine and Max’s.” Liz’s throat hurt. A part of her had heard Maria…and she was right. There was this other part that wanted this, wanted this special connection to Max, because she could do this. Only her, and it made her important to him, important to his life.

Maria pulled over dropping Liz off behind the Crashdown. Liz had snuck out, despite being grounded by her parents. “Fine. I can’t stop you. I can’t even talk sense into you. You can’t give this up, not even at the risk of your own health.” Liz got out of the car there was nothing else to say. “I guess begging you to take care is going to fall on deaf ears as well. I just wonder if this ends…knowing Max, if it ends with you changing irreversibly, affecting your health negatively, will it be worth it?”

“It will,” Liz said. She walked away climbing up to her room. Maria watched for a moment.

“I hope you’re right.” She whispered, ignoring a tear on her cheek. “I hope you always feel that way.”

~~~

Maria was on her way home when she saw Michael lying on the hood of a car outside the Crashdown. Finding a parking space, she pulled over and went to talk to him.

“Michael.”

“Hey.” His tone was unfriendly, and he avoided her eyes. Okay, so he was still pissed at her.

“I was, uh...I was looking for you at your apartment, but I found Max and Liz instead.”

Michael shrugged, not in the least bit surprised. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” So he knew. Left them to it.

“They still there?”

“No. I just drove Liz home.”

Michael jumped off the car still ignoring her. He walked off in the other direction. “Great. I don't have to miss the hockey game.”

Upset, Maria couldn’t believe him. “Yeah,” she called after him, “the night is still young! If you hurry you can maybe go pimp off Isabel to some greasy fat trucker at the local diner!” Maria turned on her heels and walked away.

She missed Michael stopping in his tracks. He turned back in time to see her car pulling away.

~~~

Tired, Maria brushed her hair back from her face. She awakened early by a call from Liz and Max’s parents frantically searching for their children. Her mother involuntarily stared at Maria’s shut window, and Maria gave up. She couldn’t sleep. Not that she had slept all night. Her fight with Michael was weighing on her.

She knocked on his door, but her feet wanted to leave. Michael opened it, and he stood there unmoving.

“Max and Liz aren't...” Maria never finished telling him that their friends were missing.

“I heard.” Michael looked away uncomfortably. Her parting shot hurt, but having Liz and Max’s parents search his place for their children, as if his apartment was some seedy place for underage sex, smarted on top of Maria comments. He didn’t appreciate the image they all seemed to have of him, and worse, he hated that he was the one who created it.

“Look, I just really need you not to be cold or mean. If that's impossible, you can just let me know.” Maria went to leave.

“You wanna come in?” Michael asked quietly.

“Yeah.” He stood aside, letting her enter. Going to the sofa, he folded the blankets. He still hadn’t gotten a bed. Guess some part of him was relieved that Max and Liz hadn’t done the deed on his makeshift bed.

“Have a seat.”

“Thanks.” Maria cleared her throat. “Can we talk about what happened?”

“Talk on.”

“I want you to know that it wasn’t you, that my not wanting to help with the flashes, it wasn’t about you. It was about me.”

Michael sat down. “I don’t understand. I mean, so you’re not attracted to me, and the thought of kissing me is repulsive. I can deal.”

“You’re wrong you know.” Maria put her hands between her knees and squeezed them hard. She didn’t want this, but she had promised to be honest with him. “It’s not that I’m not attracted to you that made me refuse.” Maria licked her lips looking up at him. “It’s the opposite. It’s because I feel very attracted to you…and I don’t want that.”

“You don’t want to be attracted to me?”

“Yes…no! I mean…” Maria stopped confused. Michael bit the inside of his cheek, but a smile slowly moved over his face. She couldn’t know how adorable she looked when she was confused. He could see that little girl she once was…the one he saw in flashes. “I don’t know what I mean!” Maria moved her hair off her sweaty forehead. Damn him, he was making her nervous.

“Want some help?”

“No! I can do this! I can…just give me a second.” Maria breathed in hard. “I…I was afraid. Liz, she’s changed. Max let her see his soul, or whatever, and my friend hasn’t been the same. I’m afraid that if I see inside you…deep, that you’ll become my ‘Max’, that you’ll become the one thing I can’t let go of, and I know I’ll have to. Maybe not to today, tomorrow, or even next year, but someday you will leave.”

“I will.”

“I know that. My eyes are wide open to that fact, and I can’t…I don’t want to have to feel that again…being left behind. I don’t want to look up at the sky wishing you’d come home to me. I rather look up there, think of you, and hope you found everything you dreamt of.”

“So…you were afraid to kiss me in case we actually made a connection.”

“More than that. I was afraid I would connect with you, and for you, it would be just conveniently using my friendship to get something you need. And, I don’t want to be used like that…not by you. I don’t want to use you, and I don’t want you to use me. I want all the help I give to be of my own free will, and you to accept it the same way. A two way street, Michael. I need our friendship to be a two way street, equally. Neither of us ever doing anything we can survive or live with.”

“I did want to use you. You were right about that.” Michael looked at his hands ashamed how he wanted everything from her, with him giving nothing back. He was ashamed to admit that he was mad because she refused. Maybe she saved them both from something neither of them could afford. “I don’t think it would’ve been a one way street,” he conceded. He confessed that he was attracted too, but he didn’t want it either…at least not now. He wasn’t ready to exchange one dream for another, and he might never be. Maria acknowledged what he was saying with a nod. They were on the same page…attracted, but unwilling to go any further. Friendship was enough, for now.

“There was something else I was afraid of, and maybe it is stupid, but…”

“Tell me.”

Maria cleared her throat, feeling foolish. “I was more afraid that we would kiss, and I wouldn’t get any flashes. I was afraid of you needing me for something, and failing you.” Michael sat up a little straighter at that. His heart was heavy in his chest. So much uncertainty and doubt she had in her, and he made it all come to the surface. “I…I was afraid I wouldn’t be good enough, because I’m not Liz, and we’re not Max and Liz. I didn’t want to be a failure in this…not good enough.” Maria looked at him. “I don’t want to change the way I feel about you.”

“Maria…”

“No. It’s okay. I was wrong and unfair to imply you were nothing but an alien pimp, using people to achieve your goal. If something went wrong, it was because of me. I'm the one who's scared. I mean, I fake all kinds of things all the time with everybody. It's just you were the first person I actually ever admitted it to.” Maria looked at her hands between her knees. There, so he knew. She was flawed in so many ways.

Michael laughed more in self derision. “Well...thanks for sayin' that,” he took one of her hands, “but it's not really true.”

Maria finally looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“It's not true about you being shut down all the time.” So maybe if she could be honest, so could he. “I happen to know that for a fact.”

“Really?” Maria turned to really look at him. “How?”

“Because you let me see you.” Michael nodded his head. “I get flashes from you…not all the time, but a few times, and it didn’t take any magical ‘letting you look into my soul’ crap to get there. I saw you, Maria. When you were a young girl and your dad was leaving. The red sneakers, Maria. One had a Kermit patch on it, and the shoelaces were blue, and you had your Dalmatian dog with you there, licking off your tears. And I saw a whole bunch of other stuff as well.” Michael scratched his brow. He didn’t know if the flashes Max got from Liz was real, but he always felt the ones he got from Maria were. “Was I right?”

“Yeah. Um...that dog died when I was, like, seven. Right after my father left.”

“Kinda rough?”

“Yeah. I'd say so.” Maria looked at him in wonder. He saw her, understood things, without even a kiss. “I really didn't care about the stupid flashes. I knew you did, but I didn’t want us getting closer to be about that. I wanted…” Maria wasn’t sure how to phrase it, or even what she wanted to say. “I just wanted us to be close. If you ever do kiss me in that way, I think I want it to be for me and you, and not some higher alien purpose.”

Michael got it. She didn’t want to cheapen the feeling by using it. She wanted it to be about them, and how they felt, and nothing else.

“Thanks.” Michael reached over and pulled her into his body, hugging her close as he kissed her on the temple. Somehow, she took a simple thing as a kiss, and made it more than that. Strange as it might be, he wanted it too. He wanted it to be for real, and if he couldn’t have that, then he’d rather not know what he was missing. She might have just saved him from finding it impossible to leave.

Michael hated his job. Flipping a burger at the Crashdown, he pushed on it hard removing some of the grease. Taking two plates, he put it up in the window.

“Ladies, food doesn't taste better cold, all right? Push the special. I'm tired of flipping burgers.”

Maria and Liz were ignoring him. Michael rolled his eyes. Typical. He groaned when Max and Isabel entered the Crashdown. God, another Max and Liz mating session. He moved back into the kitchen, more willing to cover himself in grease than have to watch them ooze all over each other.

“Would you?” Liz asked Maria gesturing to her order that was up. Maria nodded. “Thanks. Table five.” Maria nodded again giving a little curtsey.

“Max and Liz warning alert,” said Maria kindly to Michael.

“Yeah, I already got the nauseating vibe.”

“I think they’re sweet.”

Michael glanced over at Max and Liz. “Overrated. You’re just relieved it’s them and not you.” Maria made a face at Michael. “We still on for tonight?”

“Yeah. This place is a drag. Are we closing?”

“Looks that way. Too bad. The great spots will be gone.” Maria watched her friend leaning back against the order window, with Michael leaning over by her shoulder.

“Look, if we leave right now, we can make the 7:35.” Liz said. “I won't even change.”

Isabel was confused. “Leave? We just got here.”

“We kind of planned on seeing a movie.” Max informed his sister.

Liz sent a pleading look over at the order window. “Maria, would you mind?”

“Go ahead.” Maria waved them off. Liz would be worthless otherwise. The place was dead anyway.

“Thank you.”

Maria looked at Michael. “See, we need to work on cultivating a life. A real life. Here we are, stuck working the closing shift when we have pressing plans.”

“It's kind of immature, really.” Michael observed.

“Really. Oh please tell? They go off on a date, you and I get left to clean, and we have that thing…”

“Just a couple of horndogs looking for a place to make out.” Michael rolled his eyes. “They have to search for privacy, and nothing like being pushed in a tight backseat. I mean, we don't need that. We got my apartment, you know? We’re free spirits away from prying eyes.” Maria looked at him, lifting an eyebrow. She was so sick of work, and they had places to go. Michael smiled wickedly. Their supervisor had just left.

Isabel, put out because Max had deserted her, finally made a selection “I guess I'll just have the special.”

Michael and Maria looked over at Isabel, saying it at the same time, “Uhh...we're closing early.”

~~~

Max and the others let themselves into Michael’s apartment. It was dark in the living room, and there was a light coming from the bedroom. They could hear Maria and Michael’s voices.

“Maria. Maria. I’m not….it’s too tight!”

“Stop whining! It looks perfect! Here try to bend over…the other way.”

Michael swore. “That’s it, I’m going in my normal clothes.”

“They’ll spot you! Michael….here just try…” Maria glanced at the door. “Max.”

“What?” Looked up from were he was trying to belt up a pair of boots, unable to bend in the tight leather pants.

Maria gestured to the bedroom door. “Look.”

Michael glanced over, his face clouding when he saw Max and the others. “What the hell are you guys doing here?” He looked at Maria. She was wearing a leather micro-mini and a tiny red lace camisole. He quickly tossed her his shirt.

Liz’s eyes were wide taking in Maria’s outfit, or lack of it, Michael in tight black leather pants, no shirt, and boots. It looked like they walked in on an interesting scene. Liz cleared her throat, the other people in the room unable to speak. “Topolsky.”

“She's back.” Isabel said sourly. Michael and Maria shared a look. They had always expected her to return, but months after she left, they had relaxed their watch.

“She practically just attacked us in the car at Buckley Point.”

Maria lifted a brow at Liz. “Buckley Point? I thought you went to the movies.”

“It had bad reviews.”

“She said we were in danger,” Max told Michael, “...all of us. And to just act normal until she contacts us again.”

Alex rubbed his face. “Would that be, you know, alien normal, or just plain "we're the subjects of an FBI manhunt" normal?”

Michael reached in his drawer for another shirt. Sliding into it, he shook his head. “This sounds wrong, like some sort of trap.” Maria had to agree with him. That Topolsky was a slick character.

“No, Michael.” Liz was certain that Topolsky was telling the truth. “She was really scared. I believed her.”

“Yeah. Let me remind you, Liz, that you believed her the first time, too.”

Alex at the end of his tether got into Michael’s mocking face. “Hey, you want to know what? Where would you be if Liz and I didn't stick our necks out to expose her?”

Isabel pulled Alex back. “Ok. Just calm down, all right?”

Alex asked Liz. “Do you really think she's here to warn us?”

“She wasn't the same person she was before.” Liz told the others. “You know, and the way that she was talking, she seemed like she was just as scared for herself as she is for us.”

“Then I say we listen.” Alex voted.

“I say we don't!” Michael couldn’t believe it. It was all starting again. “All right, it's just a new tactic. She scares us, makes us think we need help, and all we're really doing is admitting who we are. All right?” Maria frowned at Michael. She could feel it, his barely concealed panic. “I don't trust her, and none of us should.”

“Whether we trust her or not, it doesn't hurt to take her advice. We're normal teenage kids. No one says the word "alien" or talks about this in public. Anybody could be watching. And I think we should keep this here.” Max passed Michael the smooth orb he and Liz had found in the desert during their out of control phase. “It's the safest place we've got right now.”

“I can't believe she's back. I thought this was all over with.” Maria said. Michael hugged her to his side, but he knew what she meant. She had hoped it was all over.

~~~

Michael and Max entered the Evans’ home. Michael reached for orange juice from the refrigerator as Max quickly grabbed glasses before Michael drank out of the carton. Passing him the glass he looked at Michael critically.

“You want to tell me about it?” Max asked.

Michael shrugged. Max had been hounding him all day. “Nothing to tell.”

“Maria is half naked in your bedroom shoving you into a pair of leather pants two sizes too small, with a bare chest, and there is nothing to tell?”

“Look, we were going out. The group of you ruined that, so what’s to tell? Drop it, okay?”

“Out? On a date?”

“Max,” Michael warned. Drinking his orange juice, he sighed. What was so hard with ‘none of your business’? Seeing Max’s interest, Michael figured a lot. “Look, Maria wanted to do something more than our usual theatre hopping, so…”

“More? You mean she wants to…” Max lifted an eyebrow.

“Would I be here with you if that was what she wanted? Hell, Max, I’m a guy. Give me a break! No she wanted to get out of the usual teenage rut. We were crashing a fraternity party with live music. The operative word is ‘were’, but those plans fell through.”

“So,” Max said causally, “you two spend a lot of time together. I can’t remember you ever changing in front of me, and Maria pulled some of her clothing out of your drawer.”

“She has a few things at my place. So?”

“She has a key to your apartment.”

“Yeah, and technically so do you! Maria can’t pop a lock like you and Isabel…she needs a key. Personally, I’d appreciate a little forewarning before people just enter my place. Think you can master that knocking thing?”

Max’s eyes narrowed. There was more going on here than Michael was admitting. They had to be a couple. “You know, Liz keeps mentioning how she never sees much of Maria anymore, you know…since we started dating. I think it’s making her unhappy. So how about you and Maria come out with us to dinner?”

“Like a date? You want us to double date with you and Liz?”

“Yeah. What’s so hard about that?”

Michael ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. A date? I really don’t date. I wouldn’t know where to begin. I mean I generally hang with Maria, but this makes it feel like something…I don’t know, formal?”

“I’m sure it would make Maria happy.” Michael lifted a brow at that. “She probably misses Liz too. Girls like those kind of things, double dates. They like flowers in the middle of the day and messages left in their lockers. You should…”

“How do you know women so well?” Michael and Max spun around in shock at the voice in the doorway. There was a petite blonde girl with startling blue eyes resting against the door jamb. “Don't let me stop you. This is fascinating.”

“Who are you?” Max asked, frowning at the stranger in his kitchen.

Isabel came through the door. “She's my friend.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How come we've never met her before?”

“God, Michael, could you be any more rude?” Isabel asked in irritation. What was he doing here anyway?

“Actually, it's kind of refreshing.” Tess said reassuring Isabel that she wasn’t offended. Tess smiled at Max. “I'm Tess.”

Isabel waved off the two irritating males. “This is my brother Max and our friend Michael.” She quickly introduced them, wanting them gone.

“Nice to meet you.”

Isabel grabbed two bottles of orange soda. “Here you go. I'll meet you back in my room.”

“Don't forget the extra sugar.” Tess smiled again at Max before going through the kitchen door.

Isabel turned on the two males. “Ok. What's wrong with you guys? She just moved here. I'm helping her catch up.”

“She looked pretty caught up to me.” Michael observed his suspicious gene on full alert. “Topolsky was a plant when she showed up at school. This girl could be, too.”

“She's a transfer student, Michael.”

Max agreed with Michael. Things were too risky. “She's a stranger, Isabel.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. Typical. “Well, it's not like I'm going to fall in love with her and tell her our secret and compromise our very existence.” she said, hitting a mark on Max and the risk he took with saving Liz. “I thought we were supposed to be acting normal, right? Heck of a job you two just did.”

Isabel left the room, grabbing additional sugar on her way out. Michael shook his head. “I don’t trust her.”

“You don’t trust anyone.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m still alive, thank you. I’ll check her out.”

~~~

The group of six friends met at the quarry to discuss Topolsky again. Liz had received a message from Max, or who she thought was Max, to meet her at Senior Chow’s. It hadn’t been Max. Topolsky slid into her booth, warning Liz that a special unit of the FBI had their names. All of their names, and they were watching the six of them and Valenti.

Alex’s hand moved nervously as he paced the entire circuit around their group. “So, she wore a wig, huh?”

“Alex, I mean, she was so scared! I've never seen anyone that scared before.”

Alex laughed sarcastically as he continued his pacing, “Taken a look at me lately?”

“Don't you get it? This is exactly what she wants. She’s spooked the three of you.” Michael told Liz and Alex, including Maria in the group. “And now she's waiting for you to deliver the three of us straight to the FBI.”

“No, Michael.” Liz couldn’t let them, the aliens. get away with that anymore. “It's not three and three anymore. It's the six of us now.” Liz looked at Max. “We need to start making our decisions that way.”

“There's no decision to be made. We trust no one. We never have, and we never will.” Isabel said, at the end of her limits. She was so sick of this, so sick of being afraid, and thanks to Max saving Liz, it had been nothing but fear since that day. “God, if you think you can even begin to understand what it's like to be us in this...” The unbelievable gall of Liz, to think she understood anything, that she could be a part of this.

Max interrupted Isabel before she went off on Liz. “I think we're all a little on edge right now, Isabel.”

“Max, if there's a hunter out there, who do you think he's coming for first?” Isabel turned away, upset that Max was siding with Liz…always Liz.

“There is no hunter out there, ok?” Michael couldn’t believe how easily they were all letting this one FBI agent push them to mass hysteria. They were going to do something stupid. “This is insane. Can't you people smell a set-up, or am I the only one thinking straight here?”

Maria folded her arms in front of her chest, looking off across the quarry. She hated this, the dissention, the factions of humans versus aliens. All this discussion was doing was breaking them apart. “Why don't we put it to a vote? Do we meet Topolsky again or not?”

Alex was the first, his feelings strong. He remembered Topolsky very well, and despite everything, he trusted that she was a straight shooter. “I say we meet, hear what she has to say.”

Isabel shook her head. “I say we stay away.”

“I have to agree with Isabel.” Max said shooting Liz an apologetic look.

“You know my vote.” Michael said walking away from the group a little.

“But if anything happens to any of you, I...,” Liz looked helplessly at Max, “...I think that's why we need to meet her. I think we need protection, Max.”

Michael tossed his hands in irritation. “Great. It's a tie. Hell of a lot of good that did us.”

“No,” said Maria. Hers was the last vote, the deciding one, and looking at the rest of them, she sighed, hating this more than anything. “I...I don't think we should go. I mean, if you guys feel that strongly about it, who are we to tell Topolsky anything about you?”

Michael looked at Maria in shock and in gratitude. He had assumed that she would follow her two best friends of a lifetime. Her support was unexpected. “Four to two, we stay away.”

Alex walked off visibly frustrated, and slowly everyone else followed him except Maria and Michael. Maria stood looking over the quarry. Michael studied at the lines of her back, the stiffness.

“Thanks for seeing it my way.”

Maria nodded hugging herself tighter, unusually cold. “I just really want this to be over with.”

Michael came up behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her back against him in comfort. “It will be. We do what we’ve always done. We deny. We hide.”

“It’s not just you anymore, Michael.” Maria glanced back at him over her shoulder. “I’m trusting you, and your instincts. You’ve had a lifetime of surviving, but this time…it’s not just about you, Max and Isabel. I’m trusting my friends lives on you, and you better not let me down.” Michael shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Drawing her closer, he hugged her from behind, staring out across the quarry in silence with her.

~~~

Maria waited impatiently at the order window. Michael was behind on the orders, and her tables were getting irritated by the time it was taking.

“How many light-years away is my Eclipse Burger?”

Michael glanced over, rubbing an arm over his forehead. “Depends how they feel about raw.”

“I put that order in ten minutes ago.”

“Well, you can't rush an Eclipse.”

Liz came up behind Maria. “Hey, I need that Chili Rocket Dog, Michael.”

“I got a lot on my mind.” Michael told Maria. He pushed a plate over to Liz. “Here, give 'em an order of Saturn Rings while they're waitin'. That'll shut 'em up.”

Liz took the rings and left in a hurry grabbing a pot of coffee along the way. “What’s going on?” Maria asked.

“What?” Michael tried to concentrate on Maria’s Eclipse Burger, as he pounded on it.

“This preoccupation. You’re flipping burgers, not building rockets. So what gives?”

“What's that supposed to mean? This takes some concentration!”

“Michael.”

“Okay…okay. Max is bugging me.”

Liz came up again. “Hey, have you guys noticed that there's a restaurant full of people waiting for actual food?”

Michael ignored that observation. “What are you and Max doing tonight?”

“Oh, we're just gonna stay at home. Try and keep a low profile.”

Michael pushed Maria’s order across the counter. “Act like we got nothing to hide, remember?”

Maria took the plate, adding the essentials to the order. “What do you mean?”

“We should go out tonight. The four of us.”

Maria and Liz both stopped what they were doing responding at the same time. “What?!?”

“That way, if someone is really watching us, we won't give 'em anything to be suspicious about.” Michael added chili to a hot dog, passing it to Liz. “Hot dog.” Liz took the order and scurried off, looking back at the other two in confusion.

“I thought you didn't believe Topolsky.”

“I don’t. Not without more evidence. This is Max’s idea. He’s curious about our relationship. I think he wants a closer view.”

“Relationship? We have a relationship?”

“Evidently, or so Max suspects.” Michael finished another plate. Setting it under the heater, he leaned closer to her. “Look, we can kill two birds with one stone. Prove to Max that he’s reading more into our hanging out than there is, and we come off as nice innocent teenagers out on a double date…eating, having fun.”

“Well, yeah. Yeah. I just thought we'd try it on our own. You know…the making you look like a normal teenager. You realize that we’ll be with Max and Liz, and they will no doubt spend most of the evening staring into each other’s eyes and giggling.”

“One step at a time,” said Michael. She was right. He better eat beforehand, chance of him getting any food down later was slim. Seeing Liz walking towards the order wheel with a handful of new orders, Michael sighed. “I hate this job.”

~~~

Alex walked into the employee area of the Crashdown looking for Liz and Maria. He stopped when he saw them in the bathroom, Maria standing there in nothing but a bra and short skirt, and Liz trying to button up her shirt.

Alex quickly turned around. “Oh, whoa! Peep shows!”

“Ooh, Alex.” Maria quickly pulled on her top. “Don't worry. It's nothing you haven't seen before.”

“Ah, yeah, me and everyone else.” Alex said remembering Maria’s attire the night they walked in on her and Michael. “So, um, in this bag I have tonight's entertainment. I got a box of raisinettes and Scream 2.”

“Hated it.” Maria and Liz said at the same time.

“Ok, well, that's why my chick flick back-up rental was Notting Hill.”

Liz finished buttoning up her top. “Ok, Alex, you can turn around now.”

“So, my place or yours?”

“Oh, um, neither.” Liz said leaving the bathroom with Maria on her heels.

“We're going for Mexican with Max and Michael.” Maria fussed with the hem of her skirt.

“I thought we decided to stay low, you know, with everything that's been going on?” Alex frowned at their attire. “Oh, great. Everyone's invited but me.”

Liz felt bad at disappointing Alex. “No, I don't think Isabel's coming.”

Alex visibly brightened. “Maybe I can talk some sense into her.” Alex followed them out of the backroom. Max and Michael were just arriving.

“Hi.” Liz said smiling at Max.

“Hi. This is for you.” He handed Liz a small gift bag.

“Oh, thank you.” She looked inside. “It's bubble bath.”

“It's supposed to make your skin soft.” Michael rolled his eyes, and Maria elbowed him in the side.

“Thanks.”

Maria looked at Michael in amusement, lifting her eyebrow in inquiry. “You got anything for me, Spaceboy? You know it’s traditional when going on a date.”

Michael’s eyes gleamed with amusement, he leaned down to talk to Maria directly. “Oh yeah, I’ve got something for you…but I’ll give it to you later.” He lifted a brow suggestively, and Maria laughed taking his hand to lead him out of the Crashdown.

Max and Liz both watched the interlude with their mouths open. Uncertain about what just happened, or what to say, they watched Michael and Maria leave the Crashdown.

“We should get going.” Max said.

“Ok.” Liz bit her lip. She needed to ask Maria some detailed questions. Michael was going to give her something personally…later. Oh…oh!

~~~

The four teenagers were sharing a table while they waited for their food. The surface was covered in their drinks and salsa and chips, most of which Michael ate. Michael pulled a paper from his back pocket just as the waitress bought their order. The time during ordering and waiting for the food had been filled with mindless chitchat.

Maria smiled at the waitress, moving back so Michael’s plate could be set down. She thanked the woman when her plate was placed in front of her. Continuing to talk to Liz, she checked over her plate, removing the things she didn’t want.

Liz and Max watched as Maria dumped part of her plate into Michael’s, removing part of his food. Michael kept reading, reaching over, he passed Maria his salad grunting when she indicated the extra sour cream.

Michael started reading a listing of movies and music events to Maria. She made comments while eating, both of them oblivious to their companions. Liz’s brow furled as Michael and Maria kept eating off each other’s plate, and Maria requested more chips, to pass them to Michael when they came.

“Dessert?” Michael inquired.

“The chocolate rush with extra whipped cream?” Maria asked. Michael quickly agreed. When the dessert came, Maria quickly sliced it into two pieces and reaching into her bag, she passed Michael the Tabasco for his half.

Liz cleared her throat. “So, this has been really fun.”

Michael shoved almost the entire dessert into his mouth in one bite. “Yeah, it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be.”

“That’s because you’re every girl's dream date, Spaceboy. I think in a few more years, and once you learn to operate that opposable thumb thing, you’ll be ready for Susan.” Michael snorted chewing his dessert loudly and with his mouth open deliberately at her.

The waitress came and picked up some of the plates leaving two bills. “Here you go. You can pay me whenever you're ready.”

Michael glanced at the bill, and shoved it over to Maria. “You're gonna have to get this one 'cause I don't get paid till Tuesday.”

Maria lifted an eyebrow. “If I remember correctly, it was your turn to shell out, buddy.”

“Yeah, I know, but I got a little tight.” Michael smiled very pleased with himself. “Remember that present I own you later?”

“Oh does that cost money now?” Maria asked cryptically for Max and Liz’s benefit.

“No, that’s on the house,” Michael said pushing the fun with Maria, seeing Liz’s mouth open out of the corner of his eye. “Nope, I’m talking about Portishead tickets. I got ours today, and it tapped me.”

Maria gave a happy squeal grabbing Michael by the face, kissing him lightly on the lips. “Tell me they’re good ones!”

“The best. Why do you think I have no money left?”

“You are the man!” Maria picked up the bill. “I’ll pay for this! But, you’re responsible for the next pizza.”

Michael snorted. “I’ve got it covered.” Maria slid out of the bench to go pay, needing to find some breath mints for Michael’s garlic breath. She still had to sit next to him for a movie. Michael saw Max and Liz’s quiet speculating looks, and he quickly slid out to follow Maria. “I, um…I better get her to get me something for the onions and garlic. Um…yeah.” He rushed off coming up close behind Maria, leaning into her, whispering over her shoulder as his arms went around her waist.

Liz watched for a moment, then she looked at Max. “When did they start dating?” Oh, this looked real serious.

“I told you.”

Michael was talking low to Maria. He kept discreetly looking over at Max and Liz. “I told you he was nosy. You know, this whole dating thing really bites. They hardly said a word all night.”

“Well, that would require you letting them get a word in edgewise.” Maria passed over the money grabbing some mints. Thanking the cashier for the change, she sat down in a set in front of the window. “I guess we’ll actually have to pay for the movie, seeing that Max and Liz are with us.”

“Nope. This is the official end of the date with them. The movie is just us. I’ve had enough of this dating thing.”

“You really got us great tickets to the concert?”

“Front row, first admission. They cost too.”

Maria hugged his arm close, wondering what the heck was taking Max and Liz so long. “You know, to get ready for this concert, we’re going to have to do a full week of Portishead retrospectively. Think you can wean off Metallica that long?”

“I’ll cheat for a fix when you’re not around.”

Outside the restaurant they said goodnight to Max and Liz.

“Yeah, it was like fun,” Maria said politely.

“You’re not going home?” Liz asked.

Maria and Michael both shifted on their feet almost guiltily, not wanting to admit they were ditching Max and Liz. “Oh…yeah, sure. But, um…Spaceboy has a present for me, so I think I’ll collect. He’ll make sure I get home.”

They hurried off as the other couple watched them. Liz looked at Max. “This isn’t good. Why didn’t you tell me?”

~~~

When Michael returned home after dumping Maria off at her place, he swore under his breath when the lights in his apartment wouldn’t turn on. Suddenly out of the shadows, Topolsky appeared. She was frantic, and Michael could taste her fear.

“If I give you proof, will you believe me then?” She had the alien orb that Max and Liz had found in the desert.

“Get out of my house!” Michael said, mustering as much threatening tone to his voice as he could, but he could feel a tickling of sweat down his back. Maybe her fear was contagious, but it felt bitter and dry in his mouth.

“I know what this is.” Topolsky said showing Michael the orb she held in her hand.

“That's a paperweight.”

“It's a communicator, and there's another one just like it. I took it from the special unit evidence vault back in Washington.” Topolsky informed him. “Now, I know they only work when they're together, so if I bring you the other one, if I risk my life for you,” her fear was in her eyes, and she was desperate to convince him, to get his protection, “...I need to know that you’ll take me with you when your people come to get you.”

“You're crazy.”

“No, Michael, look.” Topolsky licked her lips, nervous and agitated. “We are all going to die! And it's not going to be pleasant.” She said all the right things, hitting all the fear that lived in Michael all his life. “We only have one chance. I will meet you tomorrow night at Buckley Point with the other communicator.” Topolsky shoved the orb into Michael’s hand. “If you ignore me this time, there won't be a next time.”

Michael stood in the dark after she left, his fingers moving over the smooth surface of the orb. He told Maria he wouldn’t believe Topolsky until he had evidence. Now he had it. Liz had been right. Topolsky was more than scared, she was terrified. He promised Maria that she could trust him to protect her friends. Michael looked at the orb in his hand, and he sat down on his sofa staring into the darkness.

~~~

They met at the quarry again. Alex had almost been taken last night, and had Sheriff Valenti not intervened he would’ve been gone. Michael swallowed a rising nausea, knowing that danger had been as close as the back alley of the Crashdown.

“You didn't see his face?” Michael asked. They needed to identify the enemy.

“No.”

“What about his voice?” Liz asked gently. “Did you recognize it?”

“If I knew anything more, don't you think I'd tell you?”

“Just leave him alone.” Isabel said, her fear extending to Alex. He had been afraid before, and they had ignored his concerns. Now she wasn’t so sure. “He's been through enough.”

Max was more concerned that Valenti was in the mix again. “Just tell me what Valenti said to you again.”

“It's not what he said. It's how he said it. And how he knew to be there. It's like he's on our side or something.”

Max couldn’t accept that, not with what happened in the past between him and Valenti. “There are five people in the world that I trust, and they're all standing right here.” Max looked at the entire group. “We can't let anyone else in. Not Valenti. Not Topolsky. Not even a new girl at school. No matter how tempting it is.”

“It's real what she says.” Alex said referring to Topolsky’s warning. “There was something about that guy in that car. It's like our lives are in danger.”

“We don't know what parts of her stories are true.” Liz pointed out. It was easy to hide lies in partial truths.

“That's why we talk to no one.” Max looked at the group. “Agreed?”

“Yeah,” said Alex, the others agreeing. They left, and Michael and Maria remained.

“This is scaring me. I'm sorry.” Maria confessed hating how she felt.

“Why?”

You always told me that your life was hard, that living in fear was something I didn’t want. I listened, but I really didn’t understand.” Maria hugged herself hard. “I can’t imagine what it’s been like, all these years, being you…being a person that had to hide, afraid.” Maria closed her eyes for a moment, pulling back a need to cry. “I want this over. I want you to be safe.”

“Come here.” Michael forced Maria to look at him, his hands on her face. “If anything happens, I mean, to me, I just want you to know that...”

“I know.” Maria said. He didn’t have to say it. She didn’t get flashes, but he never had to tell her how he felt. “Nothing's gonna happen to you.” Maria said, closing her eyes as they hugged, praying that it would be true.

~~~

Maria came into the breakroom to find Michael going through her locker. Her first instinct was to be angry, but the line of his back, his demeanor, made her pause.

“Hey, what are you doing going through my locker?”

“I need to borrow your car.”

“Really?” Her eyes moved over his face. He was hiding something. “For what?”

“Don't ask. I just gotta go somewhere, all right?”

Maria’s chin became stubborn. “Not without telling me.” Maria noticed that Michael had something in his pocket. She pulled it out.

“Maria! Dammit, give me that!” Michael took it back. “Maria, leave it alone, okay? I know what I’m doing.”

“What is that?”

“It's nothing.” Michael looked around, suspecting they could be watched.

“It's that thing...that orb.”

Michael put his hand over her mouth. “Shhh!”

“What are you doing with the orb? Where are you going with it?” There was a hushing silence between them, and Maria held herself stiff, expecting him to lie. “You're supposed to keep it in your apartment for safety, remember?”

“Yeah, so?” Michael meeting her eyes. Damn, if he could’ve gotten the keys without her knowing, it would’ve been better. She had a way of making him tell her the truth.

“Wait a minute. You're going to meet Topolsky, aren't you?” He was. She could see it on his face when she guessed correctly. “After everything you said to the others...”

“Yeah, well...just don't tell them, all right?” Michael took the keys. “I gotta do this thing, but it's safer if I do it alone.”

“I'm going.”

“No!” Michael knew it. She would insist on coming, and it would be dangerous. He couldn’t take a chance on her.

Maria literally stomped her foot, her head tipping to the side. “Hello, Sheriff? Hi. My car's been stolen.”

Michael swore under his breath. She wouldn’t! The hell she wouldn’t. “Fine! You're staying in the car with your head down.”

“Where are we going?” She tossed the rest of her stuff into the lockers, holding her order pad in her hand.

“We're going to Buckley Point.”

“I need a jacket.”

“Hurry up!” Michael turned his back, and Maria quickly left a message on her order pad for Liz and the others.

~~~

“So she was waiting for you in your apartment?”

“She had tossed it. She found the orb.” Michael pushed the speed limit. “She says it’s a communicator.” Michael glanced at Maria. “Whoever these people are, these alien hunters, they are bad, Maria. Real bad. She is afraid enough of them to want our protection, to leave with us.”

“God, Michael! Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Maria looked at his profile, noticing the clenching of his jaw. “This is because I asked you to take care of my friends?” Michael didn’t respond. Maria couldn’t believe him. To protect everyone else, he was going to take all the risk. “God! Did it ever occur to you that I include you on the list of my friends? Maybe I’m worried about you too?”

“If Topolsky is telling the truth, Maria…I have to know what she knows. I can’t protect us from some unknown enemy. I have to know who there are. You said you would trust my instincts, so trust me on this.”

“I don't think this is such a good idea.” Maria said looking out at the dark area.

“You already mentioned that.”

Maria could quell the nervous feeling in her stomach. Michael was the poster boy for paranoia, and he was accepting Topolsky after one conversation. “Y-you're the one who...who thought that she was gonna trap us.”

“She knew what the orb was.”

“It had the symbol on it. She could've just been guessing. How do you know she is telling the truth? Maybe it is an alien paperweight, or transporter, or something else? How can you know?”

“No, Maria...this is real. We're getting close to something.” Michael hated how much his fear was connected to his excitement. He should be cautious, but Topolsky said if he missed this opportunity, it would be the last. He couldn’t let that pass by. He couldn’t afford to.

“Yeah, our grisly deaths.” Maria said. “Look, Michael, I'm really scared, ok, and I don't think we should do this alone. We should go back for the others.”

“There is no time.” Michael glanced at her. She was scared. “I told you, you can stay in the car.”

“No. This is stupid! Putting our trust in a woman that was hunting you only months ago. We can’t just charge in there, impulsively trusting, because you need and want it to be true.” Maria looked around, desperate. “Pull over. Let me out.”

“I can't leave you out in the middle of nowhere!”

“Fine, then take me back! I'm not kidding.” Maria was desperate. He never trusted immediately, and this felt bad, wrong. They were cut off from the others. “You can’t put us in danger like this! Michael…God, please, don’t do this. Stop and think for just a moment.”

“I thought of nothing else all last night.” Michael pulled over because she asked. “Maria, I have to know!”

“It’s not worth your life!”

“It is my life. It always has been.”

~~~

Liz and the others were in the jeep hurrying to catch up to Michael and Maria. Maria’s note told where they were going, but the couple had a lead on them.

“There's only one road up here.” Max reasoned. They had to be able to find them.

Liz looked at her watch. “They can't be more than 10 minutes ahead of us, Max. Just go fast.”

Alex was in the back seat with Isabel, he leaned forward between the two seats. “Look, I don't get it. Why would he go and do this after we all agreed?”

Isabel made a nasty noise in her throat, her voice brittle and biting. “Because he's Michael.”

Max looked back at his sister in the rearview mirror. “That's no excuse this time!”

~~~

“Hey!” Michael said as Maria got out of the car. She walked away from it in the dark. He quickly followed her. He couldn’t leave her there in the dark, alone.

“Michael, it's a mistake. If you can’t value your own life enough to protect yourself, I’m gonna do it for you.”

“This is not your decision to make! This is mine. I’m not asking you to come with me. I can do this alone.”

“It's not just about you! What you do, it affects me.” Maria grabbed his hand, knowing he was already gone. His determination was making him already two steps beyond her. “I can’t let this end…let you end like this. I need you…I need you to take more care. OK, so go ahead and hate me, but I'm not gonna let you get hurt. I care about you too much.”

“Maria, I have been waiting for this my whole life.”

“So have I!” Maria was breathing hard. “I’ve waited my whole life for something better than Roswell, a relief from the mundane. That has been you! You’re my something better. Knowing you, caring, it has given my life that missing meaning, and I can’t…I can’t let this happen. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

They both turned at the sudden appearance of headlights. Michael took Maria’s arm and pushed her away.

“Run, go on! Run! Get out of here! Go!”

“No, I am not gonna leave you!” Maria held onto his arm, unwilling to leave him, but terrified as well. They both visibly breathed easier when Max and the others got out of the jeep.

Max was the first to catch up to them. He held out his hand. “Give it to me.”

Michael kept the orb. He needed it. “Topolsky says it's a communicator.”

“I said give it to me!” Max’s voice broke in anger. “We trusted you with it, and you blew it.”

Michael held it back, Max couldn’t understand. “It does something when it's with another one, and I gotta find out what it is!” Max and Michael struggled for the orb for a moment.

“No one can know we have that!” Max’s anxiety increased as they struggled, he finally punched Michael in the face. Michael hit the ground hard, dropping the orb as he fell.

Maria’s mouth opened in shock, horror and anger moving over the lines of her body. She moved forward, slapping Max Evans hard, then pushing him back, away from Michael who was on the ground. Going to Michael, she knelt down next to him, helping him up.

“You hit me? You hit me!”

“Somebody had to knock some sense into you!” Max screamed at Michael holding his face where Maria hit him. Michael got up to retaliate as Maria moved into his body, holding him back from charging Max, for hitting Max back.

Isabel joined the fray. “No.”

Maria moved harder into Michael’s body forcing him to take a step back, away from Max. Her body was a mass of misery, as her arms tightened around his waist. “Damn you!” Michael yelled at Max. Before any other words could be said, the entire group went still as more headlights appeared. It was the Sheriff. His SUV and another vehicle stopped beside the Jetta and the jeep. The Sheriff got out of his vehicle and a man who claimed to be Topolsky’s doctor, a Dr. Margolin.

“I'm sorry, but Ms. Topolsky won't be meeting you tonight...or any other night.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “So she wasn't lying. You killed her, and now you're here to kill us?”

“No, Michael. He's not.” Sheriff Valenti stepped into the light from the headlights, facing Michael. “This man is from Bethesda, Maryland. His name is Dr. Malcolm Margolin. He stopped by my office this morning...explained a few things about Ms. Topolsky.”

“I've been treating Kathleen for the last 6 weeks.”

The Sheriff looked at all the kids. “Dr. Margolin is a psychiatric specialist.”

“She had a breakdown. She's paranoid delusional. That means that she's desperately afraid of things that don't exist...to the point that she makes up elaborate scenarios to justify the fears that she has.”

“Doctor tells me that Ms. Topolsky was in a facility in Bethesda until a few days ago when she just took off.”

“We traced her credit card here to Roswell, and when I caught up with her she was hysterical...talking about meeting you around here...something about an orb. The Sheriff said he knew you, and that you'd had trouble with her in the past. I didn't want anything to happen to you out here.”

“I checked it all out. The doctor is who he says he is, and Topolsky spent the last month in a mental hospital. I think it's safe to disregard anything she's been saying,” Valenti stressed the point, not only for the teenagers, but for himself, “...to any of us.”

“I'm sorry to have caused you this inconvenience. And don't worry about Kathleen. She should be back in Bethesda by now under the best care available. So please, no more late-night trips to the middle of nowhere. Anything could be out here, and I'd hate to see any harm come to you on our account.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I'm sure we'll all sleep better.” Jim looked at the teenagers. “So it's over. You can go home now.”

Michael glanced over to where he had dropped the orb, and Max seeing his look whispered to him. “We'll come back for it.” The teenagers went to leave, but Liz looked back.

“Max.” She motioned to the Sheriff. Jim noticed something on the ground, and bending, he picked up the orb. Looking over, his eyes met the teenagers’.

“Nice job, Michael.” Max said nastily.

Taking Michael arm, Maria purposely pushed Max aside. “Drop dead, Max,” she told him under her breath, leading Michael to the Jetta. She put him in the passenger seat, going around to the driver’s side, she drove away, not bothering to look back at the others.

~~~

“Here, put this on your lip.” Maria handed him a towel with ice wrapped inside.

“You don’t have to stay.”

“Do not add to it by saying stupid things.” Maria went into the bedroom, picking up things. She pulled back the bedding. Lighting candles, she turned off the bedroom light.

“C’mon.” Maria pulled Michael into the bedroom. Removing his top shirt, she left him in only his undershirt. Michael stood there as she unfastened his jeans pushing them off, leaving him only in his boxers. Maria pushed him on the bed. He sat down heavily.

“Maria, you don’t have to put me to bed.”

“Shut up, and keep the ice on your mouth, otherwise it will swell.”

Taking off his shoes, she held the covers back so he could slide into bed. Michael waited for her to leave, but instead Maria unbuttoned her uniform.

Michael couldn’t speak. She shimmied down to her slip only, and climbed into bed with him.

“Maria…”

“Shh. Go to sleep.”

“You don’t have to stay and take care of me.”

Maria could feel the shiver in his limbs as she moved close to him. “Yes, I do.” Maria looked at Michael. “He was wrong. I don’t care if you’re wrong, or irresponsible, nothing excuses him for hitting you.”

“Maria…you can get in trouble if you stay.”

“So I get in trouble. I’ll handle it.” Michael settled in the bed, glad not to be alone. “I was really afraid you know.”

“I know.” Michael brushed his mouth against the top of her head. “I’m sorry. You were right. I should’ve thought more about what she was saying…not trust so easily.”

“Why did you?”

Michael shrugged closing his eyes as tiredness made his limbs heavy. “She said what I needed to hear…wanted to hear. She was offering information.” Michael was quiet for a moment. “Now we lost the orb, Valenti is suspicious again, and we lost any chance we had to find out more. Max was right. I was wrong.”

“Max,” Maria practically spit out, “has a lot to beg forgiveness for. Until he and Liz got all hot and bothered, this hasn’t really been his quest. He gets one clue, and suddenly he’s the King of us all? Who exposed you to Topolsky in the first place? Who made Valenti suspicious? Who exposed you enough that FBI’s alien hunters are on your tail?”

“We needed that orb, Maria.”

“We’ll get it back, one way or another.” Maria glanced up at him. “Feel bad if you must, because you were a little out of control. I fault you more for taking risks with your own life. As far as the orb? Well, until recently that was completely your quest, not Max’s, and definitely not Isabel’s, so if it belonged to anyone…it belonged to you. Don’t take on more than your share.”

Michael stared down at her golden hair, remembering how afraid she had been, how she refused to back down, or leave him. “Maria, you’re the only real friend I have.”

Maria ran her hand over his chest in comfort, understanding how alone he felt, how alone he felt all his life. “That’s not true. I know it feels that way right now, but it’s not true. They care too.”

Michael was quiet for a moment, he reached down and took Maria’s hand where it lay curled on his chest. Holding it in his hand for a moment, he kissed her palm. “Thank you.”

Maria nodded. They laid there in the bed, both of them tired, but unable to sleep. Maria was as quiet as she could be, but something was bothering her.

“Michael?”

“Hmm?”

Maria bit her lip. “Michael, what kind of doctor tells a bunch of teenagers his patient’s diagnosis and medical information?”

Michael’s eyes opened, he stared at the ceiling. “They don’t. Dr. Margolin was a fake.”

“Oh God!” Maria said as Michael held her closer.

~~~

It was late. The apartment was quiet with only the soft flickering sounds of the candles slowly burning down. He paused in the doorway, struck by the scene. They were asleep. Maria was curled on Michael’s chest, her hands holding him as his one arm was bent behind his head, and the other held her close. Michael’s mouth was swollen from the cut, a red insult…a break in a friendship.

Max quietly walked over to the bed, careful not to wake them. Reaching down, he moved his hand over Michael’s sleeping form, removing the traces of the fight.

Max stepped back, his eyes staring at them for a moment. Turning at the door, he used his powers to put out the candles, darkening the room while they slept. The door never made a sound as he closed and locked it on his way out.

Maria was working her shift with Michael and Liz. No one was talking much, not about the orb, that night, or Max hitting Michael. Liz tried to stay away from the topic, because she could sense Maria’s anger, and she didn’t want to have to defend her boyfriend against her friend. Michael was in the kitchen, and except to talk to Maria or tell them an order was up, he barely said anything. Max and Isabel were sitting at the counter while Liz was working.

Max sees Liz and smiles. “Uh, Miss.”

Liz smiles her voice perky. “Uh, yes, sir?”

Max held out his coffee cup. “Refill, please.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Isabel gagged at the sugar sweetness of the two. “God, do you have to do that?”

Max looked at his irritated sister. “What?”

“Be so public.” Isabel gave Liz a glaring look. “I mean, it's kind of creepy.”

They all stopped talking as Valenti entered the Crashdown. Maria was wiping down a counter, and Liz quickly went to serve Jim.

“Oh, um, hi. Can I help you, Sheriff?”

The Sheriff handed over his thermos. “Just the usual, Miss Parker.”

“All righty, here you go, Sheriff.” Liz quickly scurried off to get it done, and get the Sheriff out. She was very quick, handing the thermos over.

“Thank you.” Jim said, his eyes missing nothing, noting the usual suspects, Max, Liz, Isabel, Maria and Michael. “Folks have a nice night.”

Michael finally left the kitchen and walked up to stand behind Maria. He leaned into her almost resting against her.

“He knows.” Michael said as his eyes followed Valenti.

“What does he know?” Max asked, talking to Michael for the first time since that night.

“He's got the orb.”

“Which proves nothing.” Max said, his voice adding a bite. “And if you hadn't taken it out of the apartment in the first place...”

“Oh, yeah, it's always my fault.” Maria quickly turned, ready to push Michael out of the room if it exploded in a fight, her hands gentle, but firm on Michael’s wrists.

“Blaming each other is not going to change anything.” Isabel said jumping into the discussion to diffuse a potential fight. “So Valenti now has something from our planet in his possession.”

“Even though he has it, he doesn't know what it is, right?” Liz guessed.

“We don't even know what it is.” Michael and Maria shared a look. That wasn’t true. They knew there were two, and together they were communicators. If the Special Unit could decipher what they were with only one, then maybe so could Valenti.

Liz literally jumped when Tess appeared at her elbow.

“What what is?” She smiled at Liz’s reaction. “Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything.”

Isabel gave the others a warning glare. “No, no. Hey we were just... um...” Isabel paused uncertain what to say. “Why don't you join us? Have a seat.”

“Thanks.” Tess joined Isabel and Max.

“Sure.” Isabel smiled at the girl.

“So, what were you guys talking about?”

Liz looked nervously at the others. “Can I get you something to drink, Tess?”

“Oh, thanks.” Tess answered, barely sparing Liz a glance. “Uh, Cherry coke with lime.”

Max was staring at Tess. His face slightly paled. He had a flash of himself with Tess, in the desert, holding hands.

“What's the matter?” Tess asked, noticing Max’s stare. “Do I have something in my teeth?”

“What? No.” Max visibly shook himself awake, seeing Liz, he quickly hurried off. “Let me help you with that.” Max went with Liz into the kitchen.

~~~

Biology lab was more than a little interesting the next day. Not only did Max get reassigned to help Tess catch up, leaving Liz partnerless, but Max was acting very strangely. He set himself on fire during class. Maria couldn’t let it go. The occurrence was too bizarre. In the girls' bathroom, Maria and Liz were talking, Maria exploring the strangeness while Liz tried to convince herself it was nothing.

“Liz, Max was on fire.” Maria couldn’t believe Liz missed how Max had been looking at Tess. “It’s that girl Tess. I’m telling you, something is strange.”

“No, Maria, it was an accident.”

“No, really, I did not like the way she was looking at him.” Actually Maria didn’t like how Max was looking at the girl either, but not wanting to hurt her friend, she refrained from commenting.

“Maria, Max and I are together now, and I don't have anything to worry about.” Maria shrugged, unconvinced. In her book, being with Max Evans was no great feat. The man had major problems, especially with his temper.

“Uh huh.” Maria said unconvinced. “Yeah, it must have been the assignment. I definitely thought I got a biology lesson…you know, animal attraction.”

“Maria, it was an accident. Max isn’t…he doesn’t even know her!”

Maria lifted a brow, not so sure about that. If Max could see into Liz, get flashes from her, how did Liz know he couldn’t do the same with other girls? A person who would strike his best friend in anger, especially after knowing he had a history of being abused was definitely suspect in her books.

~~~

Max and Michael were talking about the same thing in the men’s bathroom. Michael was reluctant to talk to Max, but since it pertained to alien stuff, he relented. He wanted to talk about Valenti and the orb, but Max’s mind was on BioLab and Tess.

“Michael, I'm worried.”

“You should be.”

“It's not about Valenti.” Max said irritated by Michael’s single-mindedness. “It's about Tess, Isabel's friend. I'm having these daydreams about her.”

Michael lifted an eyebrow at that. “Daydreams?”

“Yeah, where we're together,” Max said licking his lips nervously, “...you know, together.”

“I guess you're only human after all, huh?” Michael never suspected Max of having enough imagination to actually fantasize, especially not about someone not Liz…and for Michael, even Liz was a stretch.

~~~

Maria sat on the edge of a sink. “Max isn't human.” She pointed out, a fact that seemed to slip Liz’s mind often, except in the ‘gee whiz’ timing of things. “What if Czechoslovakians can't resist temptation?”

“Ok, so what you're saying is that this not only a romantic problem now, it's, you know, intergalactic.” Liz made a face at Maria’s usual overexaggeration. “Come on, Maria. Don't you get it? You know, Max and I...,” Liz voice held little conviction, “... we're really... we're really happy together, and...”

~~~

Max stared in the mirror. “It's me. I'm the problem. Something's happening to me.”

Michael made a face. “Haven't you ever had a fantasy before?” Hell, half his free time was spent fantasizing.

Max looked over at Michael in the mirror. “This is different. It's out of my control. I can't stop it.”

Michael shrugged. “We'll work it out.”

“Thanks for the compassion.”

Michael rolled his eyes. Once again, Max’s life was the main consideration. It was always about him, his needs, his desires, his wants, and concerns. There were more pressing problems, namely Valenti and the orb. “Valenti has the communicator, and we need to do something about it. This isn't the time for your sex fantasies.”

“Michael, I'm telling you, there's something weird about this. It's like she knows something about me that she shouldn't know. I mean, who is she?”

“Can you focus?” Michael’s voice raised in agitation. “I mean, focus on what's important here, Maxwell.”

“Forget about it! Why did I think you'd be any help?”

Michael shrugged. Who knew. Wasn’t like Max ever trusted him before to be in any way helpful before.

~~~

Michael saw her talking to a group of girls. Moving fast, he quickly culled her from the pack. His arm went around her waist, hurrying her off. Maria looked back at the others giving them a quick wave.

“What is going on?”

“We’ve got work. I need a lookout.”

Maria glanced at him. “Lookout?” A smiled moved over her face. “Tess?”

“You’re good,” Michael said. “You game?”

Maria snorted. “Hell yeah! It’s about time someone looked into that girl. She is highly suspicious.”

“Word. Let’s go.”

Maria looked at him. “What got you so interested?”

“That's classified.”

“Does this have anything to do with Max?” Maria said her mouth opening and then closing quickly. “I knew it.”

“I'm just helping Max out, ok? It's not a big deal.”

“I thought we were a team.”

“What do you mean?” Michael glanced at her in confusion as he popped the lock, pulling her inside.

“We've always investigated as a team.” Maria whispered loudly. “What, you’re now holding out on me?”

“Well, take it easy, Sherlock. When I find something, I'll let you know.” Michael made a gesture at her. “Shhh.”

“Shhh.” Maria said back, peeking out the door. “Make it snappy, Spaceboy. The rat patrol will be on us.”

Michael pulled a folder and quickly found the information he needed. Shoving it back in, he slammed the drawer. “You up to some spying?”

Maria mentally counted her classes left in the day, shrugging. No test. No papers. Boring. “Yeah, let’s go.”

~~~

“He’s fantasizing about her?” Maria’s mouth was open and round.

“That’s privileged information so no going off and blabbing to anyone.”

“Anyone or Liz?”

“Maria…” Michael scanned the house numbers along the residential area. “This way. It should be down the block.”

“She has a right to know. She thinks they’re happy.”

“They are…except for this. He thinks something is wrong.”

“Wrong? Like alien wrong?” Maria asked. Michael made a grunting noise. Michael found the house. He and Maria wandered up to the windows looking inside.

“They’re either are into minimalism or no one lives here.”

Michael had to agree with Maria. The house was empty. A car pulled onto the street. Michael grabbed Maria, and they ducked down behind the bushes as a military vehicle pulled into the driveway. Three men got out and went into the house.

Maria bit her lip. “Michael...,” she whispered throaty.

“I know. This ain’t good.”

~~~

Liz and Max were at the Crashdown sitting in the aliens’ usual booth. Liz, remembering her discussion with Maria, was looking for some reassurances from Max.

“So listen, you know that assignment we have for BioLab?”

“Yeah?” Liz frowned at Max’s distracted tone.

“It was kinda left a little unclear whether Mr. Steigman wanted you to be Tess's lab partner for the day or from now on.”

“I'm sure he didn't mean it.” Max sure hoped Mr. Steigman didn’t mean it.

“Because, if you're going to be her lab partner, I'm kinda stuck without a partner so...,” Liz cleared her throat, “I need to know.”

Max shrugged, uncertain what to say. “Well, I guess we'll just have to ask Mr. Steigman.”

“Right. It's just that we used to have an even number of students, and now that Tess is here, it's odd.” Liz stammered, “... it's an odd number. So, someone is going to be stuck without a partner, you know, mathematically.”

Max sighed. “Could we just stop talking about Tess?”

Michael came up to the table. “Yeah, that's probably a good idea.” He said, nodding to Maria as she went into the backroom to get them some drinks. “Can we talk?”

Max smiled at Liz. “I'll be right back.” Max went over to join Isabel at a table as Michael slid into the booth.

“Ok.” Liz voice broke, biting her lip, she looked around for Maria who had disappeared.

Michael glanced over at Liz. “She's a liar.”

Max frowned uncertain who Michael was talking about. Liz? “Who?”

“Tess. We went to her house.”

“You went to her house?” Isabel was horrified, looking at Max who sat in the booth next to her. “Why?”

“I was passing by.” Michael lied, not wanting to get into another argument with Isabel, especially not about her new friend. “The point is: it was empty. Not a single box. They don't live there. It's a cover.”

“She did just move in, Michael.” Isabel shook her head, amazing. He was amazingly dense and paranoid. Rushing around town, breaking into people’s homes? Oh, like that wasn’t suspicious. “I can't believe I finally find a friend, and you just assume she's out to get us.”

“There were military people there, Isabel.”

“Military people?” Isabel said in disbelief. “Come on, Michael.”

“Two men with briefcases and suits, and one with an M-16. They don't work at the cheese factory.”

“I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

Michael saw Max’s reaction, his instincts racing out of control. “What?” Michael asked Max, giving Isabel a hard look. He couldn’t believe her. Could she bury her head any farther in the sand? The girl was a stranger, a nobody, and Isabel wanted to defend her over them.

“Nothing.” Max said.

“Maxwell.” Michael warned. He was sick of Max’s selective sharing of information that was pertinent to all of them…to their survival.

Max sighed, leaning closer. “Valenti came to me this morning. Topolsky was killed in a fire. He thinks everything Topolsky told us could be true, the alien hunter...everything.”

Having his worst suspicions confirmed didn’t sit well with Michael. There had been a hope that he and Maria had read more into the situation then there had been, but now… “Why the hell didn't you tell us?”

“I didn't know if it was true.” Max said feeling Isabel stiffening next to him into a ball of misery. He knew she was scared, that she wanted this over…life returned to normal. “I didn't want anyone to panic and do something stupid.”

Michael took that verbal hit straight to the chops. Not anyone doing something stupid…of course, Max meant him. “Hey, I'm trying to figure out which problem to panic over: you having secret meetings with Valenti or your new girlfriend Tess bringing the Army to town.” Michael hadn’t seen Liz, until it was too late. She heard his comment about Tess, and she rushed off into the back room, not looking back. Max made a sound of disbelief at Michael. “You asked for my help,” Michael reminded him.

“Not exactly the kind of help I was looking for.” Max started to follow Liz, to straighten out the problem Michael just caused, but before he follow though, Sheriff Valenti entered the Crashdown. He walked up to their table placing the orb on the table in front of Max.

“Before you can expect somebody to trust you, you've got to trust them first.” Jim said. “Whenever you're ready, Max.” He left the Crashdown as the three alien teenagers watched him in shock.

“You're just making new friends all over the place, aren't you, Max?” Michael said sarcastically. “We need to do something about Tess.”

Isabel stared at the orb, her face losing color. “I'll check it out.”

~~~

Max walked in the rain. He didn’t know where to go, or what to do. One minute he was reassuring Liz that he only wanted her, and the next, he was kissing Tess in the rain. Stopping outside Michael’s door, he knocked, unwilling to just enter. His friendship with Michael hadn’t been the same since he had punched him, and he didn’t want to assume he would be welcomed.

“Okay, I mapped out a plan of attack, but you’ll have to check it out.” Maria was sitting on Michael’s bed with papers all around her. Michael shook his head. Maria and her plans. She meticulously laid out a plan, and they usually followed his instinct.

“You know that your plan will go to the wayside, right?”

“There is no reason to assume that! We have things to do. That Tess creature needs to be watched.”

Michael totally agreed, but the knock on the door kept him from having to admit it. “Stay here. Work on the master plan…I’ll get that.”

“You supposed to be writing your paper, buddy.”

“Yeah, well I’ll get to that too, but some things are more important than a paper about Sumo wrestlers.”

Maria frowned. “Sumo? Michael! Sophist! Dammit, where is your research?”

“What research?” Michael left the bedroom with Maria scrambling to find his backpack to check it for his notes and research. She’d have to look for a long time.

Opening the door, Michael’s body stiffened. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm in trouble, Michael.” Max said entering the apartment. “I don't know what's happening to me.”

“I'm not in the mood right now, Maxwell.”

Max rubbed a hand across his face. “I kissed Tess.”

“You what?” Michael glanced towards his bedroom hoping Maria hadn’t heard and would stay in there.

“It was like,” Max voice broke under the stress, “... it was like something was controlling me.” He grabbed Michael’s arm, hard.

Michael shrugged him off. “What's wrong with you?”

“I'm telling you that it isn't me.”

Michael didn’t know this person. He was so far from his friend. Shaking his head, he couldn’t get it clear in his thoughts. “First you talk to Valenti behind my back, and now you're kissing Tess behind Liz's.”

“Michael, you've got to listen to me, please. You're the only one I can talk to about this.” Max could feel his control slipping. He was in trouble, and Michael wasn’t listening, wasn’t helping. “I'm telling you, there's something else going on!”

“Why come to me?” Michael moved away from Max. Damn him. Guess he couldn’t talk to Liz, so he what, comes back to the old standby? “Why not go talk to your new buddy Valenti about it, alright?”

“Would you leave it alone, already? He gave us back the orb. Maybe he isn't just out to get us.”

“Yeah, right.” Michael snorted. After months of nothing but Valenti hounding them, almost getting Max killed because of Hubble, and now he was a good guy? “Sure. He's on our side. Why don't we just tell him everything?” Max was good at that. Telling their secrets to whomever he felt he could.

“I didn't tell him anything.” Max felt his heart beating hard in his throat. He had no one. No one if Michael wouldn’t listen. “Can't you understand that?”

“No, the thing I can't understand right now is that I used to admire you.” Michael couldn’t get over it. Max had changed, very slowly, but he had definitely changed, and it wasn’t for the good. “You were solid, someone I could trust. Even more that I could trust myself. And Liz trusted you. I don't know who you are anymore, Maxwell.” Michael gestured to the door. “So, why don't you get the hell out of my house, alright?”

“No, Michael, listen to me.” In desperation, Max grabbed Michael hard. He missed a look entering Michael’s eyes. A glimmering fear that was a remnant of being grabbed harshly in the past.

“Take your hands off of me.” Michael struggled with Max.

“Listen to me!” Max pushed Michael hard. “Listen to me! Michael.” They hit the refrigerator hard. Maria hearing the fight quickly entered the room.

“Get off him!”

Michael and Max both stopped, but not because of Maria’s demand. Their struggle loosened a small camera that had been Velcroed to the top of Michael’s refrigerator. They stared at it in horror.

“What the hell is that?” Michael asked, as Maria joined them. She pushed Max off Michael, staring at the small camera in Max’s hand.

~~~

“It's definitely a camera.” Max said, looking at Isabel and Michael. They were sharing their usual booth at the Crashdown.

Isabel bit her lip on the inside. “Someone's been watching us?”

“Valenti.”

Max shook his head. “It's not Valenti, Michael.”

Michael made a face of disgust. “He's sucking you in Max. You don't even know it. He's watching us...always has been. Now he's just using toys.”

“Expensive toys. This would wipe out the budget for the Roswell PD for the entire year.” Max reasoned. The video camera was digital, small, and high powered. It was far beyond Roswell PD’s budget.

Michael made a face, but accepted Max’s rationale. So Valenti was out. “Maybe it's Tess and her father. If they're FBI, they'd have access. We should check them out some more.”

“I already have. Her house was empty because they were waiting for the movers. They were staying at a hotel. Their stuff hadn't come yet. I saw the moving van. I saw the boxes.” Isabel said, leaning on the table. Michael’s paranoia was becoming contagious. “And her dad was normal...totally normal...a little dorky, but normal.”

Michael wasn’t so easily convinced. “What about the Army van outside her house? And those guys in the suits?”

“He's a consultant for the military. That's his job.”

Michael grimaced. “Yeah, "consultant" is just another fancy word for "spy".”

Max sighed in relief. “So there's absolutely nothing suspicious?”

“No.” Isabel rolled her eyes, unwilling to admit to anything, but feeling she needed to. “Well, there was this one thing. I picked up this box of photos to try and help out. She grabbed it from me. She got really weird.”

Max looked up as Liz walked by. She didn’t even bother stopping to talk to him, or make any indication that she saw him. “Liz?” Max quickly got up from the table following his girlfriend.

Isabel looked at Michael. “What was that about?”

Michael shrugged. “That guy's got bigger problems than Valenti and the FBI put together.” Michael spied Maria. Not bothering to tell Isabel anything, Michael went to chase Maria down.

Maria looked up, smiling at Michael. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, sure. I just realized my entire life has been recorded on video, by persons unknown. I’m real peachy.”

“Keen!” Maria put her hand on his arm. “We’ll figure it out, okay?”

“Right.” Michael looked her over critically. “Of course, I’m glad to see you taking this so well.”

“Me? What’s this got to do with me?”

Michael shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know? Maybe because last week I changed in my room, and you changed in the living room…in front of the camera.”

“Oh!” Maria mouth opened in shock. “I…I was wearing…omg! I wasn’t wearing anything!”

“Really?” Michael’s brow went up. Maria had been nude in his apartment and he missed that? Damn, he really had to rethink his priorities.

“Topless!” Maria hit him on the arm. “Not completely nude. Damn, get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Topless.” Michael critically looked at Maria’s endowment. “Oh…okay, that’s okay then.”

Maria’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have said that. Michael quickly sidestepped a possible discussion with Maria about being a sweaty dog boy. “Look, I just came to tell you that you might want to go find Liz. I think she might need you.”

“Oh. God, what happened?”

Michael shrugged, not wanting to rat Max out. “Just go talk to her, okay? She could use a friend.” Maria nodded. She kissed his cheek on her way to find Liz.

~~~

Maria found Liz outside her bedroom, on the stoop. She was crying.

“Liz, are you ok?”

Liz hugged her knees to herself. “No, no. Not really.”

“Michael told me you wanted to talk to somebody. That you needed a friend.” Maria looked at her friend with concern. Spaceboy had been right. Liz looked horrible.

Liz looked at Maria, tears on her face. “Max kissed Tess.”

“You're kidding!” Maria climbed through the window. “You're not kidding. No way, I cannot believe that. What a jerk. Liz, I'm sorry.” Maria took Liz in her arms hugging her tight.

“That's not even like him.” Liz reasoned.

Maria frowned. Liz was right. Max…he was a jerk with Michael, but with Liz…Maria couldn’t wrap her mind around Max cheating on Liz. “I just knew something was up with that chick.” It had to be the new girl, Tess. There was no other explanation. “No, but you're right. That is so not like Max.”

Liz wiped the tears off her face. “I'm so confused, Maria.”

Maria made a comforting sound in her throat, hugging her friend close. “What are you going to do?”

“I don't know.”

“You know that what ever you do, you know I've got your back, right.”

“Yeah,” Liz said, “it's like everything I see with my eyes tells me that he's cheating on me. But everything I felt with my heart tells me that he's not.”

“I don't know if Max is lying or what, Liz, I just... I know that you usually go with your heart, so...”

“I've got to find out what going on.” Maria nodded, her mind on Michael. She and Michael needed to find out what was going on. Her best friend, his best friend, it was the least they could do.

~~~

“All right, come check this out.” Alex said, still playing with electronic equipment.

Michael wiped his hands, leaving the Crashdown kitchen to see what Alex was doing in the breakroom. “Cool how'd you make that work?” He ate a fry from a handful he held.

“It's a wireless system. It's an integrated camera with a microwave transmitter.” Alex made a few adjustments, showing Michael how it worked.

“How'd you know about all this stuff?”

“Oh, I love this stuff. Are you kidding?” Alex laughed, looking at Michael. “Oh and listen, Michael, I mean... I don't mean to get all warm and fuzzy, but I'm really glad to be able to use what I know to help out... you know with... you know what we're doing.”

Michael popped the rest of his food in his mouth munching while talking. “Whatever.”

“Right. Anyway, it has a polarized high grain antenna with an automatic iris, and a built-in wide-angle lens.”

Michael made faces in the camera panning his face around. “That explains why my nose looks so big.”

Maria came in from the dining room joining them. “Hey, guys. What's up?”

“Hey.” Alex smiled at Maria showing her the monitor.

“Nothing. Alex is showing me his toys.” Michael said lifting a brow at Maria.

“What is that, like porn, or something?” Maria checked it out. “Ooo, I'm not as flat as I thought I was!”

Michael, more than happy to rain on her parade, made a face. “It's a wide-angle lens, so...”

“Oh.” She made a face at him, sticking out her tongue. That was twice he made discouraging remarks about her endowment. “So, you are we all set to spy on that wench, Tess?”

“Alex got it up and going, so yeah, I think so.”

Maria looked at Michael. “You got Alex in on this?”

“He volunteered.” Alex nodded to Maria. He sure did. “Plus, Alex has history with FBI types, so if she is that, Alex will be helpful.” Maria smiled seeing Alex’s pleased look at Michael’s confidence in him.

“So when are we going to do this?” Maria asked. “I thought you said you were going to finish your shift tonight.”

“I lied. This is more important. We’ve got to plant this little gem, then sit back and watch.”

“Well, you can't just break into someone's house and plant some camera.” Maria nibbled on the edge of her nail.

“I've already staked out a position in this abandoned warehouse that's in range.” Alex offered.

“No matter who we think these people are, we can't just break into their house. We've got to be smarter than that.”

Michael cleared his throat. “Okay, so you’re good at the sneaky stuff.” Michael told Maria. “Why don't you think of something?”

“About time you learned to appreciate me, Spaceboy.”

Alex looked between the two of them. “You two want to be alone?”

Michael and Maria looked at Alex, both of them frowning. “Why?” they asked in unison.

~~~

At the warehouse, Alex, Isabel, Maria and Michael watched Liz placing the camera in Tess’s house. It was embarrassing watching Liz’s nervousness. They all winced when she was talking to Tess.

“God,” Maria said. “She needs help!”

Michael had to agree. This Tess person had to be stupid not to see Liz’s nervousness. Maria’s idea to send Liz was obviously stupid. Liz was the worst liar. They were watching when suddenly, the camera went dead.

Michael moved closer. “What happened?” He asked Alex.

“The camera's dead.”

Maria bit her nail. “Oh, my God!”

Michael agreed with Maria. Her fear was tangible. “We've got to get over there.”

“And do what?” Alex asked.

“Get her out!” Michael insisted. What else could they do?

Isabel couldn’t believe Michael. “You're the one who keeps telling us how dangerous these people are.”

“What? You just want to leave her there?”

Maria intervened before Michael and Isabel got into another disagreement. “No, he's right.” Maria looked at the others. “We've got to do something. We sent her in. We're responsible.”

“What are we supposed to do, just break down the door?” Isabel asked. “What if everything's fine? What if everything's normal?”

“Are you willing to take that chance with Liz's life?” Michael asked Isabel and the others.

“No,” said Alex.

Maria already knew her answer, and so did Michael. She voiced it anyway. “No.”

“Then let's go.” Michael said.

“Wait.” Maria stopped Michael, her worry evident on her face. “You have to promise me that you are not going to do anything crazy. You're not going to put her life or yours in danger.”

“I won't.” Michael promised. Pushing her hair behind her ear, he moved his hand taking her hand. “I promise. Trust me.”

“Ok, so if we get there and everything seems cool, then let's just let her play it out.” Alex suggested.

Michael agreed. It was the best way to play it out. “Good idea.”

“Wait,” said Isabel, “what about Max?”

Maria, Michael and Alex looked at each other. What about Max?

~~~

Outside the Harding residence they moved in closer to the house, looking in through the window.

Maria saw Liz first. “There she is.”

Isabel looked around nervously. “What are they doing in there?”

“Passing the mashed potatoes.” Alex said watching Ed Hardy build a huge pile of potatoes on his plate.

Michael moved in closer to Maria, looking over her shoulder. He squinted. “Damn, that man is definitely suspicious.”

While arguing possible ways to get Liz out of the Harding house, Isabel looked over, seeing her brother coming down the street.

“Max! How did you know we were here?”

“I didn't.” Max looked the others, confused as to why they were there. “Liz called me.”

“What!” Maria hand tightened on Michael. “When did she call you?”

Max breathed in deeply, his anxiety increasing. “We have to get her out of there!”

Michael ran a hand through his hair. “We can't go in there.”

“Why not?” Max asked.

Maria held tightly onto Michael’s arm. “We could make things worse, that's why not.”

“How could they be any worse than they already are?” Max asked them. “If that really is the FBI in there, who knows what they'll do to her?”

Michael stopped Max from going into the house. “And if you go in there, we know what they'll do to you.”

Max pulled his arm free. “That's a chance I'll have to take.”

“Dammit,” said Michael as Max went inside. Running his hands through his hair, he was helpless to stop Max from doing something irrational.

Maria’s hand rested comfortingly on his back. “It’ll be all right. It has to be.”

~~~

They waited for Max to get Liz out of the house. It seemed like a lifetime before Max and Liz left the Harding household. The others, watching from the shadows, quickly moved to intercept the couple.

Maria grabbed Liz in a hug. “Are you ok?”

Liz nodded. “You know that box?” Liz said to Isabel, who had already seen the box when she had gone to the house before. “It is just full of pictures...pictures of Max.”

Isabel grabbed Max’s hand, looking nervously up and down the street. “Let's go.”

They never noticed Valenti hiding in a car taking pictures with a zoom lens of the activities outside the Harding residence.

~~~

They were all at the warehouse watching the hidden camera. Isabel and Alex manned the camera, while Max and Liz sat in a corner talking. Both of them kept looking over at Michael and Maria sleeping together on the sofa.

“You put yourself in danger.” Max said, unhappy with what happened. “Thanks for believing in me.”

“I went on faith,” Liz breathed in deeply, “...a lot of it.”

“I know.”

“You know, you still kissed her, Max.” Liz pointed out. “I don't know if there'll ever be reason enough to explain that.”

Isabel sat up suddenly from where she had been resting against Alex. “Max, Michael, come look at this!” The entire group got up and approached the camera, watching as Tess came into the room. She took the dustbin full of the pieces of the broken statue and dumped them out onto the piano.

Max and Liz moved closer. “What's going on?”

“I'm not sure.” Isabel said.

Michael and Maria untangled themselves, staring at the monitor. “What the hell?” Michael said as Tess repaired the statue that Liz had broken by passing her hand over them once and then levitating them together. Alien powers.

“Oh, my God,” Liz breathed.

~~~

Maria passed Michael the chips, as she opened her soda. “You’re worried.”

“She’s not FBI, she’s an alien.” Michael used binoculars to look at the Harding house. “You think she’s Nasedo?”

“I don’t know.” Maria sipped her drink. “What is her father? Maybe he’s Nasedo.”

“Maybe.” Michael searched for the peanuts. “Maybe he adopted her, like Max and Isabel’s parents. Maybe he doesn’t know what she is.”

“If that’s true, she pushing it. I mean her Dad works for the government. Now how whacked is that?”

Michael had to agree. “Doesn’t matter how you look at it. They’re involved with the government, and that is whacked.”

Maria made an ‘uh huh’ noise in her throat passing him the peanuts. They had pulled Jetta surveillance duty again. She glanced over at Michael.

“Listen, I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“Yesterday, with Liz.” Maria cleared her throat. “You were really great about how worried you were about her.”

Michael paused. “I wasn’t.” He grimaced. “I mean, I was, but really, I was more worried about you. If anything happens to Liz, I know you would hate it.”

“I would.”

Michael scratched his brow. “Especially since it was your idea to send her in there.”

Maria nodded. Perceptive. That wasn’t a word she normally would’ve attributed to Michael, but he was right. If Liz had gotten hurt, she would’ve never forgiven herself.

“I forget sometimes.”

“Forget what,” Michael asked.

“Forget that we’re children playing in an adult world, that we don’t always understand the rules. You’re right. It’s dangerous. If Valenti is right, then this special unit took Topolsky and killed her.” Maria glanced at Michael. “If they would kill one of their own, why would they stop at a young girl who gets in the way?”

“I told you that this could get dangerous.” Michael stared at the house. “I don’t want this for you. You should be in your bed worrying about finding Mr. Right.”

“What about you?”

Michael shrugged. “It’s different for me.”

“I don’t get that.”

“It just is.” Michael glanced at Maria. “I am what I am. I can’t walk away from this because no matter how far I walk, run, or wish it wasn’t so, they would keep coming for me. There is no out for me…but there is for you.”

Maria took his hand in hers. “You’re wrong. In this, you’re wrong. I’m in this too.”

“Maria, you don’t have to be.”

“I know.” Maria stared at the Harding house. “Maybe you were born into this, but I chose to be in it.”

“Why?” Michael couldn’t get it. They lived in fear all their lives, and here Maria and the others walked into it.

“I…” Maria cleared her throat. “I have to know you’re okay. Safe. I couldn’t walk away never knowing.”

Michael’s mouth went up in a small smile. “Thanks.”

Maria laughed. “Oh, don’t get all mushy on me.”

“Yeah, like that’s going to happen.” Maria smiled leaning against his arm.

Outside the Harding Residence, Michael and Maria were sleeping in the Jetta. Maria’s cell phone rang, she made a sound in her throat, turning to snuggle into Michael’s body. The phone rang again.

“Hello?”

“Maria, are you up?” Maria’s eyes opened to Isabel’s voice, sitting up.

“Yeah, we’re awake.”

“She’s leaving now.”

Maria patted Michael on the stomach waking him. “We’re on it.”

Michael rubbed his eyes, starting the Jetta. “Where are my shoes?”

“I tossed them in the back.”

“Driving without shoes is illegal.”

Maria snorted. “Your point?”

Michael grinned as Tess’s car pulled out. “Just thought I’d mention it.”

~~~

They met in the park after Liz confronted Tess, or specifically was confronted by Tess in the women’s bathroom.

Maria bit on her nail. “So she didn’t hurt you, or threaten you?”

“No. She acted totally innocent.” Liz said looking at the others. “I’m telling you, she has no idea that we found out about her.”

Max didn’t like this. “We can’t trust anything she says.”

“Well, maybe we should trust her.” Michael suggested. “This is the fourth alien we’ve been waiting for our whole lives.” Michael frowned when Maria made a face.

Isabel hugged herself harder, disturbed by recent events, and her dream about Alex and Michael. “I don’t think that anyone, or anything that would pretend to be a teenage girl in order to seduce Max is on our side.”

“Isabel’s right.” Max said sending Liz a look. “It’s a shapeshifter. Who knows what other powers it has that we don’t have? The three of us, no matter what we may discover about ourselves...we were raised human. Nasedo’s an alien. Nasedo’s killed. And judging from the way I felt when I was with Tess, it definitely has some kind of power over us.”

“Yeah, I felt it too.” Isabel said, unhappy with the uncertainty. “Like I was drawn to her for some specific reason. Like I had to let her in.”

Liz frowned. “Isabel, you have to fight it.”

Michael shook his head. Why? Because Liz didn’t want another alien in the group, or because it was an alien that made Max act out of character?

Max saw Michael’s reaction. “You too, Michael.”

“You just want to deny who we really are?” Maria looked away. She had heard this argument between Michael and Max too many times.

“I want us to stay who we really are! Don’t you?”

“I’m the one least involved. The one she won’t suspect.” Alex pointed out. “I’ll get close to her.”

“No!” Isabel said grabbing Alex’s hand. “Stay away from her, Alex. Besides, we don’t even know if Nasedo is Tess anymore.”

Max agreed with Isabel. “Could be anyone at anytime.”

Liz took Max’s hand. “We can only trust each other, now more than ever.”

“We can’t just sit around and wait for her to do something to one of us.”

“Max, Michael and I will find out all we can about her, ok?” Isabel told Alex. “We won’t give her the chance to surprise us. Please, Alex, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“Wait,” Maria looked at Michael nervously, “what are you guys going to do?”

Max answered, not noticing that Maria was talking to Michael. “We’re going to keep following her. Hope she reveals more to us before she finds out we’re on to her. We still got the camera in her house, remember?”

Maria and Michael remained behind when the others left. Maria kicked at the ground.

“They’re going to bury this again. I know they will.”

“You can’t know that, Michael.”

“Neither of them wants to be alien. They would rather be human.” Michael shook his head. They were close, so much closer than they had ever been.

“Caution, Michael. They’re just talking about taking caution.”

“They’ve been doing this my entire life! We are aliens, and no matter how much they deny it, we can’t change that.” Michael stared off across the park, his hands on his hips. “Max wants her to be evil, wrong, so he can explain away kissing her to Liz.”

Maria put her hands on his waist, resting her forehead against his back. “What about how worried you were yesterday with Liz in the house? You didn’t trust Tess then.”

Michael closed his eyes sighing. “I know. I know I didn’t, but I also know that there haven’t been too many opportunities for us to find out anything about ourselves. I can’t let this go.”

“I know.” Maria whispered against his back.

~~~

Liz was making a list as Maria worked, and Max sat there answering her questions. “So that’s it. Science Lab third period, hallway between fourth and fifth, and P.E.”

Max nodded, thinking. That was all he could remember. “I think that’s all.”

“And there was no other contact?” Liz asked. “She didn’t even look at you?”

“Nothing.”

Maria stopped wiping down the counter. “She’s playing hard to get. It’s a classic move. She ignores you, thinking it’s going to make you crazy and force you to go to her.”

“Are you still drawn to her, Max?” Liz asked, holding her breath, waiting his answer.

“No.”

Liz became thoughtful. “Hmm...”

“Which only further necessitates the implementation of my plan.” Maria said.

“Wait.” Max looked nervously at Maria. “What plan?” Michael, listening, lifted a brow in amusement. Oh, this should be good.

“Oh, Operation Never-Leave-Max-Alone-For-An-Instant. That way one of us is always around in case she works the voodoo on you again.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

“No, you’re right.” Maria said. “What you need is a bodyguard - at all times.” Max shot Michael a glare when he snickered while putting an order up. Michael made a face.

Hitting the order bell, Michael pointedly looked at the orders done in the window. “I don’t cook for myself, you know.”

Maria came over picking up her orders, leaning over, she kissed Michael lightly on the lips. “If you can call this cooking.”

“Hey…”

Liz ignored the other two. “You know, Max, Maria’s right. We don’t know what she’ll do to you if she ever gets you alone.” Michael scratched his brow, hiding a smirk. Oh, whatever it was, he was sure Liz wouldn’t appreciate it, especially if the sucking face was any indication.

“I told you, you don’t have to worry.”

“I know. Max, I’m not saying any of this because I’m jealous. It’s just that,” Liz searched for an explanation, “...she’s an alien, Max.”

“So am I.”

Liz turned slightly pink. “Yeah but, what if she’s...”

“The bad kind?” Max asked. “One of the monsters people has been so afraid of since the crash?”

“I can’t help it. You know, no matter how much I get to know you, Tess, Nasedo, I...she scares me.”

“That’s why we won’t let her win.” Max said reassuring Liz. “So go change, we’ll go back to the garage and watch her on the monitor.” Max never noticed Sheriff Valenti coming up behind him.

“Isn’t that against the law, Mr. Evans?” Jim asked. Michael and Maria stopped what they were doing, Michael coming up behind Maria, pulling her back into his body. “I wish you’d stop doing that...hiding things from me. ‘Cause you see, I always know more than you think I do.” Valenti put the miniature camera on the counter. “Ed Harding found that inside his house. Now I know you put it there, and I know it’s special issue FBI equipment, so the question is: how’d you get your hands on it in the first place? You know what it tells me? That Pierce and the alien hunting unit of the FBI are here in Roswell in full force, and they’re paying special attention to you. How am I doing? I need you people to remember something...all of you.” Jim looked at Michael and Maria. “The more I know, the safer you’ll be.” Jim walked out of the Crashdown.

Michael’s arms tightened around Maria. “Don’t even think about it, Maxwell.”

Max shared a look with Michael. Taking Liz’s hand, he led her towards the back breakroom.

“He won’t betray you, Michael.”

“It would be the first time, if he doesn’t.” Michael said bitterly.

“He’s scared. Can’t you understand that? He’s trying to protect you…all of us.”

“I thought you were on my side.” Michael let Maria go.

Maria’s hand reached out and stopped him from walking away. She pulled him back, hard, against her. When dealing with Michael, it was hard to break through to him at times, but Maria found he responded well to human contact.

“I am on your side, you know that. I just can’t let anything happen to you.” Maria glanced up at him. “Stop making this a fight between you and Max. I know you want this, but I wish you would be a little cautious. Sometimes when you get what you want, you find that it isn’t what you expected.” Maria framed his face with her hands. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed or hurt.”

Michael hugged her. He wouldn’t be. Finding home…it meant everything.

~~~

Isabel was in her bedroom telling Max about her encounter with Tess. The strangeness of it was still bothering her. Her hands shook.

“She really scared me, Max. It was like I lost a few seconds of time, and when it was over, I wasn’t even sure if what I remembered had happened or not. Is that what she did to you?”

“Kind of.” Max sat down on the edge of a chair. “It was like she could make my mind go places I wasn’t taking it.”

“How about your body?” Isabel asked, clasping her hands. “I mean, did you feel like something inside of you was changing...like waking up?”

“Something primal.”

“Instinctive,” said Isabel.

“Something not human.” Max looked over at the window when Michael opened it. “What’s wrong?”

Michael shrugged. Like he knew? “I don’t know. You tell me.”

“I called him.” Isabel said, looking at Michael uncomfortably. “I didn’t think any of us should stay alone tonight.”

Michael looked at Max and then Isabel. They weren’t telling him something. Sighing, he climbed in the window holding out his hand.

“Give me the phone. I need to break a date.”

~~~

Michael woke up gasping. Confused for a moment, it took a moment to realize he was sleeping on Max’s floor.

“Michael, what is it?”

“Isabel.”

The two of them quickly went to Isabel’s room, not bothering to knock. Isabel was sitting up in her bed breathing hard, her hand on her chest.

“Isabel?” Max sat on her bed.

“A dream. It was just a dream.”

“Are you ok?” Max asked. “What did you see?”

“It was only a dream.” Isabel said staring at Michael.

Michael stared too, agreeing with her. “It was only a dream.”

They moved downstairs. Looking through the drawings that Max made of the cave symbols, Michael and Isabel searched them.

“That’s the one.” Michael said, gesturing to one.

Isabel leaned to look closer. “Definitely.”

Max looked at the two, confused as to why they shared a dream. “And you’re sure you both had the same dream: the rock formation, the map on the ground, everything?”

“Yeah.” Michael said looking at the other symbols, trying to remember what he saw.

“Think! Was there anything else, anything unusual? I mean...what were you guys doing out in the middle of the desert?

Isabel and Michael said at the same time, “Nothing!” Neither of them was willing to admit to the kisses they shared in the dream.

“Nothing important.” Isabel said, ignoring Michael to talk to Max. “There was this one other thing...when Tess was here yesterday, when she told me to look for signs, she made that symbol out of sugar cubes.”

“So it means something.” Max moved the drawing around to look at the symbols. “If we just knew how to read this!”

Isabel bit her lip, looking at Michael. “Tell him, Michael.”

Looking between them, Max saw the look they shared. “Tell me what?”

Irritated by Isabel, Michael shrugged. “I thought I figured it out once, but…” There, so he confessed that he failed again. Now Max knew.

“But what?”

“I was wrong.”

“What if you weren’t?” Isabel asked Michael. Turning to Max, she explained what Michael did. “Michael used the V constellation to navigate the symbols.”

“How did you know how to do that?”

“I just knew.” Michael didn’t see what the big deal was. “But it didn’t work.”

“But what didn’t work?”

Isabel glanced at Michael, confessing to Max. “The night you were drunk, Michael and I went to the public library. That’s where the symbol was supposed to lead. We though that if Nasedo left us a symbol at the cave, then we should send one back to him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Michael?” Max asked his tone disapproving. Here Michael was always pissed about him keeping secrets all the while Michael was keeping secrets too.

“You mean why didn’t I get your approval?”

“Do you realize what you did?” Max asked angrily. “That’s why Nasedo is here. It’s why he’s pretending to be Tess. You led him right to us.”

“Yeah, I thought that was the goal.” Michael couldn’t believe Max. Once again, he was making it impossible for them to find out anything…that was except for what Max wanted to know.

“The goal is to stay in control. It always has been. Discovery on our terms...no one else’s.” Max paced the room barely to contain his anger. “I mean, this whole search you’ve been on, didn’t you ever think it could lead to this?”

“Lead to what? An answer to every question we ever had? Maybe Nasedo is here to make things better.” Michael stood up, unhappy that once again it was only his quest, and his alone. “Oh, I forgot, what could be better than your comfortable little life in Roswell, New Mexico Why are you so scared to be alien?”

“Why are you so scared to be human?”

“That’s enough, both of you.” God! They never changed. “Do you ever stop to ask how I feel? God. No, you’re too busy deciding who’s right to notice that this is happening to me, too.” Isabel was afraid, and they were too busy arguing over who was wrong. “Oh, God. Whatever Tess did when she was here yesterday, the sugar cubes, the...I think she made me have that dream.”

“Let’s just try to be prepared. You never know when these dreams may come again.”

Michael snorted. “Great…yeah, let’s just try to be prepared for the damn dreams! And how do we do that?” Michael stood irritated. “Oh, I forgot! It doesn’t matter, because no matter what they mean, if it interferes with your cushy little life, then we’ll probably practice ‘caution’ and ‘control’. We can only be impulsive when it’s about you.” Michael threw his hands up in irritation. He was out of there.

~~~

Michael saw her across the way. She was at her locker. Going up to her quickly, he leaned against the locker next to hers.

“Hey.”

Maria glanced at Michael smiling. “Hey right back at you.”

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh, great this usually involves me having to get my car towed.”

“I’m serious here, Maria.”

“Yeah, tragically, so am I.” Maria shut her locker door. His face was a study. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Michael looked around at the other students. Taking Maria’s hand, he pulled her behind him. “Come with me.”

~~~

Maria sat back on the desk in the back janitor’s closet. Michael was ranting.

“Are you through yet?”

Michael stopped pacing. “No!”

“Hmm.” Maria sighed. “I’m just surprised you were able to suppress it until now. Thanks for not waking me up in the middle of the night.”

Michael sat down next to her. “Sorry about canceling last night. Isabel was all wiggy about Tess.”

“So she thinks Tess is influencing your behavior? Hers and Max’s?”

“Something like that.” Michael shook his head. “Max is being cautious. Wait and see. Do you know how often I’ve heard that?”

“Michael…”

“God! Every time I think we might be making some progress those two throw on some type of brake!” Michael sat back dejectedly. “Isabel told Max about the library. I can’t believe she did that, but I should have. She’s always on Max’s side.”

“Maybe she doesn’t see it as being on one side or another.” Michael made a sour face at her. She was always trying to make him see reason. “Hmm. So let’s talk about this dream.”

“Symbols. There were symbols in the desert. It reminded me of the hallucination I had when I was sick.”

Maria hit him in the stomach with a light tap to his stomach. “The kiss, Michael!”

“It was just a dream.”

Maria glanced at him, noticing his discomfort. “Uh huh. So you kissed her in the desert with all these symbols around, and then what happened?”

Michael shrugged. “I startled awake. It was nothing.”

“How can it be nothing? I mean, you’re all willing to accept everything strange that you find, but you discount this.”

“Maria…”

“Okay, okay, don’t go all stone cold alien on me! I just saying…you’ve known Isabel for ten years, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So…in ten years, have you ever felt…you know, like kissing her or dating her?”

Well that was the problem. Michael rolled his eyes. Leave it to Maria to catch onto the most uncomfortable thing about the dream. “Maria, she’s my sister. I’ve always thought of her as my sister. So…no. I’ve never imagined kissing her or dating her. So can you drop it?”

Maria cleared her throat. “I suppose if that’s what you want.”

“I do.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Maria was quiet for a moment, but she couldn’t hold it back. “But…”

“Maria!”

“No, hear me out. What if this dream is pointing you to a way of learning more about you? Maybe it takes you and Isabel to unlock some secret, or something. How can you not accept that or at the very least explore it?”

“And if it is this Tess person making the dreams, then what?”

Good question, and Maria was uncertain. “Well, I’m just saying that you’ve expressed your alieness all your life, feeling more alien than human. You’ve been waiting for your life to be strange and bizarre, and now it is…it is and you dismiss it, just because it doesn’t feel right?”

“Maria, I’m not ignoring it. I’m think it’s going to take a lot more than a stupid dream to make me feel that way about Isabel. I’ve got more years thinking of her like a sister, and it’s not easy to change that.”

Maria hugged his arm. “Maybe. I just think that you shouldn’t close your mind. Your life is strange, and it’s not impossible to think this couldn’t be happening.”

“Whatever.” Michael scratched his brow. “What about Max?”

Maria shrugged. “Well, kiss him too, if it helps, but personally, I never really thought of you as leaning that way.”

Michael gave a small laugh of derision. He couldn’t help it. With Maria, you always never knew whether to laugh or cry, she was such a damn scream.

~~~

Michael was in his apartment with the maps he used before to locate the constellations, trying to locate the four squared symbol.

“Where the hell are you?”

He looked up to see Tess in the window. Glancing quickly at the sofa, he noticed that Maria hadn’t noticed. She was still lounging on the sofa with her earphones on, reading a magazine while humming. Tess drew the four square symbol on his window. Michael left the table walking over to the window.

“What does that mean? Where is it?”

“You already know.” Tess said. “You’ve been there before.” Maria sat up when Michael had walked by. Taking off her earphones, she went to join Michael. They watched as Tess walked away.

“You’re right, Michael. That chick is majorly whacked.” They both stared at the four square symbol.

~~~

Michael entered Max’s bedroom. “Pullman’s Ranch.”

“What?”

“The four squared symbol on the map, that’s where it is.”

“I’ve never even heard of it.” Max turned in his chair.

“That’s because the government took it over in 1947.” Michael said sitting on the side of Max’s desk. “Three guesses why.”

“Close to the crash site?”

“It was the crash site, Maxwell.” Michael tried to contain the excitement out of his voice. “But it’s not on any maps anymore. It’s like they erased any trace of it. But I can find it. The cave painting will lead us right to it.”

Max frowned as a skeptical look entered his eyes. “And you just figured this out all by yourself.”

“Yeah.” Michael cleared his throat. Okay, so Maria helped, but she wouldn’t mind him taking all the credit.

“Michael, if Nasedo is doing anything to you, you can’t trust it.”

“Hey, I remembered it, ok? I had a flash.” Michael shook his head. Again, Max was fighting against them learning anything. “You’re not the only the only on who gets them.” There had to be a reason. Max was holding back. “So, what happened at the library? Did you and Liz discover anything while tailing Tess?”

“Nothing.”

“What she just took Kyle there for no reason?” Now that was strange. Who heard of going on a date to the library…well unless you were Max and Liz. Tess didn’t look to be the ‘study date’ type.

“I said nothing happened. We’ll talk to Isabel in the morning.” Max tossed the sleeping bag to Michael. “You better spend the night here again.”

“I actually have a real bed you know. Your floor and the sleeping bag aren’t really comfortable, Max.”

“Did you want to talk about this with Isabel or not?”

“Fine.”

Max watched Michael bed down. “Or maybe you had another date with Maria? You two always seem to be in each other’s company.”

“So? What of it?”

“Nothing. Just mentioning it.”

“Yeah, whatever. Say goodnight, Maxwell.”

“Goodnight, Maxwell.” Max said softly. He watched Michael cover his eyes with his arm.

~~~

Michael startled awake again. This time, he didn’t wake Max. Leaving the room quietly, he went to Isabel’s room. Her light was on. Entering the room, he found her standing at the window. She must have sensed his presence.

“You’ve seen them too, haven’t you?”

Michael came up behind her. “The dreams.”

“The rock formation...the symbol.”

Michael nodded. “The two of us.”

“The baby.” Isabel said softly, finally looking at Michael. “I think it’s all true, Michael. I think I’m pregnant with your child. How can this be?”

Michael, remembering his conversation with Maria, shrugged. “Something weird like this had to happen sooner than later. No matter what Max wants to think, we’re not human, Isabel.”

Isabel looked back outside, staring at the stars. “Oh my God, Michael, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out.” Michael hated to say it. “We better go tell Max.”

Isabel and Michael entered Max’s bedroom to find his bed empty and the window open.

“Max?” Isabel turned to Michael. “Where could he have gone?”

Michael took a deep breath. “I think I have an idea. C’mon. We better go find him.”

~~~

Max had a vision of himself coming out of the pod. Isabel and Michael were already out. There was a fourth pod with a girl with blond curls. They left her there. Michael stared at Tess, they stood across from each other. Neither noticed Michael and Isabel coming closer. They were in the desert, at the rock formation.

“You know who I am now, don’t you?” Tess said to Max. “You understand our destiny.”

Michael reached Tess first. He grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Max. “Hey. What the hell did you do to him?” Thinking of the dreams he shared with Isabel, Michael said, “To all of us?”

“Michael, stop it.” Max made Michael release Tess. “She’s not Nasedo.”

Isabel stared at the girl, her fear still alive. “Then who is she, Max?”

“She’s one of us.”

“What do you mean, she’s one of us?” Michael asked, his voice hard and unbelieving. Max didn’t answer. He took off, up along the rock formation, climbing.

Isabel followed him. “Max, what is it?”

“Max.” Michael followed as well. They came to the flat face of the rock formation. Max moved his hand over the rock face showing a handprint. Placing his hand on the print, the doorway to a cave appeared.

Michael looked at Max. “How did you…?”

“I just knew.”

Isabel stared at the cave, her hand on Max’s arm. She didn’t want this, none of this. “Max, we can’t…”

“We have to, Isabel. We have to find out.” Max explained, finally agreeing with Michael.

They entered the cave, Isabel looking around and staying close to her brother. “What is this place, Max?”

Tess entered the cave behind them. “It’s where we were all born.”

Isabel shook her head, backing up. She didn’t want this. None of this. Her hand was on her stomach. “No. No. No, I don’t believe this.”

Max moved towards his sister. “Isabel, wait!” He looked at Michael. “We can’t leave her alone, Michael. Come on.”

Tess stopped Michael before he could follow Max and Isabel out of the cave. “You want to know, don’t you? You want all the answers.” He was the inquisitive one. He was her only hope. “I can give them to you, but first you have to convince them that I’m not your enemy.” Tess handed him a book. A strange metallic book, heavy and alien. “Max didn’t tell you about this, did he? Take it. It will prove to them that I don’t want to hurt you. If you convince them then I can explain everything.”

Michael stared at the girl for a moment, then at the book in his hand. Another secret that Max had kept to himself. Michael went out of the cave taking the book with him. At that moment Tess’s father, Ed Harding materialized out of the wall.

“How could you bring them up here like this? You know the Special Unit is close. You saw that camera! Who do you think put it on them in the first place? Our friend, Pierce.”

“Oh yeah, so why don’t you just kill him?” Tess asked. “According to Max, you’ve done that before.”

“What has he been telling you? You’re going to trust him over me?” Nasedo needed her. He couldn’t let them move away from him. “Listen, you and I have spent a lot of time together. Now I don’t want to say we’re family…”

“You’re not my family,” said Tess angry with him. “You never will be. Max, Michael and Isabel are.”

“Fine. Go have your little reunion. If I have to kill people, I kill people. Pierce is dangerous. You all still need me if you expect to survive him.”

Tess hesitated in leaving. “You’re really scared of Pierce, aren’t you? More than the others.”

“He’s smarter. He’s closer to the four of you than anyone’s ever been.”

~~~

Michael caught up to Max and Isabel. They were heading to the jeep that Isabel and Michael had driven to the desert. Michael laid his hand on Max’s shoulder in anger.

“You knew about this all along!” Isabel took the book from Michael.

“Liz and I saw Tess take it from the library.” Max confessed hating the look of betrayal on Michael’s face.

“It’s some kind of strange language.” Isabel said, more to herself. She needed answers dammit, not more cryptic messages.

Michael couldn’t let it go. Max had done it again. He had kept things from him, things that Liz knew. “Why would you keep something like this from us?”

“Oh, my god!” Isabel said when she turned a page.

“What?” Max hurried to her side.

“This is me!”

Michael glanced over their shoulders. “It’s all of us.”

“How did they know what we would look like?” Isabel asked Max.

Michael frowned. He saw the pods. “‘Cause we were designed.”

“That’s impossible, Michael.” Max said. He couldn’t accept that.

“Whether you want to face it or not, we weren’t born, we were engineered.”

“Do you understand what you’re saying?” Max asked Michael. “What that means we are? I won’t believe that.”

Isabel hated it, but there was too much evidence to substantiate Michael’s beliefs. “I think he’s right. I mean, we’re paired just like in the pods. Max and Tess, Michael and me.”

“No, I belong with Liz.”

Michael shook his head. “Not according to this.”

“All that stuff Tess was talking about: signals and destiny, that’s what this is.” Isabel looked at Michael. “You and me and the baby, that what this is.”

Max stood up straighter looking at the two of them in shock. “The what?”

“Isabel thinks she’s having a kid.” Isabel winced at his tone, hating how impersonal it was.

“Yours?” Max asked, his disbelief evident on his face, slowly being replaced by anger. “Now who’s keeping things from who?”

“It’s not what you think.” Isabel explained quickly, not wanting to deal with another Max and Michael war. “We were never really together. It all happened in those dreams we were having.”

Max breathed easier. “You can’t get pregnant from a dream.”

“How do you know? We don’t know how we get pregnant.” For once, Isabel let herself feel the frustration Michael at times felt with Max. Denying things didn’t make it not so. “All I know is that something is happening inside of my body, and we don’t know what it is.”

Michael hated seeing Isabel so afraid, so unsure. “I’m going to Tess. She’s the one person who could tell us what the hell is going on.”

“No. You can’t just go asking her things.” Max couldn’t believe how nonchalant Michael was about dealing with Tess. “We can’t trust her any more than we can trust Nasedo.”

“They may be the only ones who can help us, Max.” Michael looked at Isabel frowning. They had to do something before Isabel lost it.

“I’ll go. Look at the pictures. If she is going to talk to anyone, it’ll be me.”

Isabel was thankful for Max wanting to help, but he was giving in easier than she thought he would. “I thought you just said we can’t trust her.”

“Who said anything about trusting her?”

“What are you saying?”

Max squeezed his sister’s hand. “I’m going to get her to tell me what’s happening to you no matter what.”

~~~

Michael caught Maria on his way into the kitchen. “Hey, I need to talk to you.”

Maria glanced at her watch. “Um, I’m on a break in about half an hour. How about I come and mess with you then?”

“Yeah, sure. Come into my office,” Michael said gesturing to the Crashdown kitchen, “when you get the time.”

“Done. Now go make me some Saturn Rings!”

“Yassah, boss.”

“Oh! I like! Keep that thought.” Maria sashayed out of the breakroom into the dining room.

Isabel sought Michael out. She found him on shift. He was massacring some burgers.

“Hey, you’re late,” said Michael, his smile fading when he saw Isabel and not Maria. “Sorry. Hey, Iz. I thought you were…”

“Maria?”

“Yeah.” Michael flipped a burger. “You okay?”

“Just…I was worried, and I didn’t want to be alone.”

“Sorry I can’t leave. My shift just started.” Michael noted her paleness. She was nervous. “Look, you can hang here, okay? I have to cook, but you can pull up a seat outside, and we’ll wait for Max together.”

“What if Max doesn’t find anything out, or he does and it’s what we thought?”

“Let’s not go there until we know something.” Michael wasn’t ready to really face the reality of it.

“Oh god, Michael, I’m so scared.”

“You have Max, and you have me.”

“I don’t even know who you are anymore. I mean, are you my brother or my mate?” Isabel asked. “I can’t forget that dream, can you? You were so happy Michael. I’ve never seen you that happy.”

Michael shrugged. “Well, I’ve never been that happy before.” He had little in his life to be happy about. Being part of a family, belonging, that was a dream, one he feared might never come true. It was a goal, something to work towards someday. Michael didn’t notice Maria standing in the doorway. She overheard him and Isabel talking, and backed out, leaving them alone.

“Is that what you want?”

Michael glanced at Isabel. “Honestly? I don’t know.”

“Well, what is this going to do to everyone else: You and Maria, me and Alex?”

“Maria and me?” Michael frowned. What did this have to do with his relationship with Maria. He couldn’t lose Maria. “Let’s not think about that right now. I just want you to know that I’m not going to let you go through this alone. It’s my baby too.” Michael didn’t know how this was going to work, but he didn’t have much to give up. He wouldn’t give up a child. Ever. “Maybe this is the way things are meant to be. ‘K?”

~~~

Maria found Michael behind the Crashdown dumping garbage.

“Hey. Sorry I didn’t find you earlier.” Maria watched him sigh deeply as he sat down the garbage can. “I came to find you. You and Isabel were talking. I didn’t want to intrude.”

“Did you hear?” Michael asked. “What did you hear?”

“Mmmmm....something about an alien baby?” Maria suggested.

“God, I can’t talk about that.”

Maria pursed her lips. “Okay, it’s just I’m a little confused. I know I encouraged you to explore the possibilities, but…Jesus, Michael! Um, kissing first…maybe a date! You went from dreaming about a kiss to being a father in less than twenty-four hours!” Maria took his hands in hers. “Honey, I know you’re in a hurry, but slow down, cowboy!”

“It’s not what you think.” Michael leaned against the wall. “There was no kiss. Nothing. The whole thing was in a dream, and Isabel thinks she’s pregnant.”

“And it’s yours?”

“Yeah.” Michael said his voice bleak. Maria covered her face with her hands. Her whole body was shaking. Michael looked at her confused, worried by her reaction. She was crying? “Maria? Jesus…”

Her laughter escaped. She wasn’t crying. She was laughing.

“Maria?”

“Sorry!” Maria held up a hand. “I’m so sorry! I’m not laughing at the situation, just the irony of it. God, Michael, you been hoping, wanting something to happen to you forever, and this happens! Talk about being careful about what you ask for, you know?”

Michael glanced at her. They were both leaning against the wall, sharing a look. Suddenly, they both started laughing. Maria reached over and pulled him into a big hug.

“It’ll be okay. Whatever happens, we’ll deal, right?”

Michael kissed her on her forehead. “Thanks, Maria.”

“Can I call you Daddy?”

Michael leaned into her. “God, I hate you!” Michael hugged her tight. She had a way of making him feel better. Her levity of the situation helped to ease the tension that had coiled his body since that dream.

“I know.” Maria kissed his cheek. “You’re not alone, Michael. You and Isabel, if this happens to be true, you’re not alone. You have all of us. We’ll help.”

“Thanks.” Michael pulled away, putting his head back, leaning against the wall again. “There is this alien book that Tess had. It has all our pictures, Maria. All of us. Tess isn’t Nasedo. She’s one of us.”

“One of you? What does that mean?”

Michael scratched his eyebrow. “She suggests that we were sent in pairs…engineered to be together. Me and Isabel, and Max with her.”

“What does that mean for Liz?”

Michael closed his eyes knowing that his wanting the book to be true, to be a real lead to his past would hurt Maria’s friend. “I’m not sure, Maria. It seems that we were engineered. The book has pictures of us. They knew what we would look like.”

“Oh God, Michael. Liz…she’s…” Maria took a deep breath, leaning against Michael. Glancing at him, she shook her head. “Damn, I know you been looking for a meaning to your life, but damn, Michael! I never thought it would some alien ‘Noah’s Ark’, sending you out in mating pairs. God, guess that takes all the mystery out of your life, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

Maria shrugged. “Most of us wonder who we’re meant to find. You basically had that problem taken away.”

“What about love?”

Maria looked at him. “Do aliens even have that?”

Michael leaned against the wall again. “Obviously, it’s not that necessary. I can’t think about that right now. It’s taking all I have worrying about Isabel.”

“How is she?”

“Scared.”

“Sixteen…pregnant with an alien baby by a guy who was her brother a day ago. Yeah, I can see that.” Maria shook her head. “Damn, you’re right. Your life sucks.”

Michael glanced at her. “What do you mean? Sucks normally, or is this a new suck?”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously, no sucking necessary…I mean, excuse the pun, but you just procreated without any procreation necessary…taking the only fun part out of the whole thing. Damn, Michael, you just got left with all the hard stuff, with none of the perks. Underage parent, no money, no real job, no education, a child, the expense, the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and endless bills. Least they could’ve done is left you a little…begetting?”

Michael leaned his head back sighing. Maria was right. He did get gypped again, but in truth, the thought of ‘begetting’ the regular way…specifically with Isabel, that just freaked him enough to give him a stomach ache. He really needed more than twenty-four hours to get over the ten year idea that she was his sister…right now, she was still that, so the thought was kind of sickening.

~~~

Alex located Isabel. He sat down next to her at the bar.

“So, I heard you have a situation.”

Isabel turned pink, embarrassed to be talking about this with Alex. “Who told you?”

“Maria.”

“Maria knows?” Isabel said horrified. Michael must have told her. Groaning, Isabel couldn’t imagine what their conversation had been like. If it was her boyfriend looking at having a baby with another woman…damn.

“Look, I just want you to know that if you’re having trouble dealing with it, I’m here.” Alex’s jaw clenched.

“Alex, you have no idea what’s going on.”

“Does Michael love you?”

Isabel shut her eyes for a moment. She couldn’t answer that. She knew he cared, but love? God. “It’s not that simple.”

“It should be.”

“Alex, would you stop!” Isabel begged. She was at her wits end. “We’re not dealing with some troubled teen pregnancy, ok? We’re talking about alien babies.”

“Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think I’ve known that from the start?” Alex looked at her. She only agreed to be his girlfriend a day ago, and already, he was uncertain if it was over before it began. “That if I decided to go forward with this that things might get weird. Look, you said that you were ready for a relationship. Whatever’s going on now, I know that you meant it. I know that it was real.”

“It was.” Isabel said softly to him. “It was real.”

“I’ll be here when you need me.”

~~~

“Here.” Maria put a glass in front of Isabel.

Isabel looked up at Maria, her face felt suddenly hot. “Maria…”

“Okay, I know it looks gross, but you really should try it.” Maria placed a bottle of Tabasco beside the glass.

“What is it?”

“All natural, full of fiber and vitamins, extra folic acid protein shake.” Maria leaned on the counter. “All the things needed for a healthy baby.”

Isabel laughed softly. “You made this?”

“Yep.” Maria grimaced a little. “Of course, I’m not sure how good it is. It might take a few different tries to find a good recipe. I added extra kelp to help build your iron, and it’s a wonderful source of iodine.”

“You didn’t have to do this, you know.”

“Not a problem.” Maria smiled gently at Isabel, feeling for her predicament. “My mom was pregnant with me at fifteen. It wasn’t easy. I already told Michael, but you should know too. You’re not alone. We can handle this. I’m sure.”

“I didn’t think Michael would tell you.”

Maria made a snorting noise. “Oh, he tells me almost everything.” Maria saw Isabel’s shocked reaction to that. “I know. Strange. He didn’t at first, but I think that over the past few months, he thinks of me as a sounding board, someone that listens and doesn’t judge.”

“You don’t judge?”

“Not really. I know when he’s wrong, and I tell him. I do try to understand how he feels and where he’s coming from.”

“The baby…did he say?”

Maria bit the inside of her lip. She couldn’t tell Isabel anything. “I can’t say. I don’t think even Michael knows himself.” Maria leaned her head on her hand, her elbow on the counter. “I’m afraid I made him laugh over it.”

“Laugh?”

“It’s just so ‘Noah’s Ark’, you know?” Isabel laughed a little. “But, really, if you think about it, this is kind of a gift.”

Isabel made a face. “You lost me. A gift? What are you talking about?”

Maria shrugged. “Well, it’s all taken care of for you. After all, we humans spend our entire youth wondering about love, that magical time when you meet the ‘One’, or who we hope is the ‘One’.” Maria got into her subject. “Think, no dating. No romantic courtship, which by the way in Michael’s case, might be a godsend. No wondering, ‘does he care?’, ‘does he really love me?’, and ‘will this last forever?’ Think about it, Isabel. All the mystery of falling in love, the mystery and the anxiety is taken away. Pretty much, they told you who you’re with, and it’s like this huge alien cosmic, no-brainer.”

“That’s a gift?”

“Sure. No risk. No broken hearts. No love. Just there. A plan all laid out. They couldn’t have made it any simpler.”

Isabel stared at the drink. “No, they couldn’t have.”

Maria patted Isabel’s hand. “Well, you try that. I’ll go work on a new concoction. Maybe a bedtime drink. Michael is still on shift. He won’t be off for another hour or two.”

~~~

Michael came out from the kitchen placing a glass of milk next to Maria’s grotty mixture.

“Here, calcium. Believe me, it will be better than Maria’s brew.”

Isabel laughed to herself looking at the two drinks. “Michael, this can’t be.”

“I know.” She was missing the point, just like Max. They were aliens. It would probably get stranger before it got better. “But, why not?”

Max walked into the Crashdown. He came over to Michael and Isabel.

“Isabel, you’re not pregnant.”

Isabel breathed in easier, but she needed to be certain. “Are you sure?”

“Tess says the dreams are just to guide us in our destinies. She says the constellations have aligned and awakened our biological drives but the usual methods still apply. You can’t get pregnant from a dream.” Max looked at both Michael and Isabel. “This is good news right?”

“Yeah,” said Isabel, glancing at Michael uncertain if it was good news for him. He really wanted to belong to a real family.

“Really good news.” Michael said. “What about this destiny thing? I mean are we still meant to pair up? You and Tess, me and Isabel?”

“That’s our choice. Michael.”

Michael wasn’t sure about that. “I saw the book, Max, I’m not sure we have much to say about it.” How could they know what was programmed in them?

“We control our own lives. I won’t let any book tell me what to do.”

Isabel sat back relieved. Her conversation with Maria hit some sore spots. She had to agree with Max. She wanted it to be about love. She wanted to decide who she loved, and when she was ready to have a baby…she would like to choose the father of her child. “Well at least it’s all over for now, right?”

“Yeah.” Michael made a face when he saw Maria coming in from the back room. She was carrying a glass with a slight greenish tinge, adding some milkshake mix to it. “Umm, I got someone to talk to.” Michael shook his head. “Before she goes and milks a cow.” Michael hurried over to Maria. “Hey, false alarm, no baby.”

Maria turned and leaned against the counter to look at him. Great, who was going to drink this stuff? Maria sat the glass down. “Is Isabel all right?”

“Yeah.”

Maria grabbed the front of his shirt. Pulling him towards her a little, she lowered her voice. “How about you? Are you okay?”

“I…yeah.” Michael said. Then he looked at Maria, and his body seemed to deflate. “Damn Maria. I can’t even get myself out of bed to make it to class.” Michael ran a hand through his hair. “A baby…at sixteen? I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Maria put her hands on his waist resting her forehead on his chest. “I’m sorry. I know that you’re looking for something. I hope it wasn’t this, for your sake.”

Lifting her head off of him, he kissed her forehead, resting against her. “Thanks.” He whispered.

Max looked over at Michael and Maria. He turned to Isabel. “What, so everyone knows, even Liz?”

Maria heard that. She went over to Isabel and Max, with Michael following her. “You didn’t tell Liz?”

Max frowned. “I haven’t seen her since this morning.”

“What are you talking about?” Maria’s mouth opened in disbelief and horror. “You picked her up an hour ago. I saw you guys leave.”

“I didn’t pick her up. I just got here.”

“Max, I saw you.”

~~~

Outside the Crashdown, they tried to decide what to do. Maria was a mess. Michael could feel her shaking body.

“I can’t believe this.” Maria said against Michael. He moved his hand up underneath her hair, cupping the back of her neck. “I can’t believe Nasedo has her.”

Max paced a few steps. “We’ve got to find out where they are.”

Alex couldn’t believe it. He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. “How are we going to do that?”

“We’ve got to go to Valenti.”

Michael couldn’t believe Max. “And tell him what? That there are two of you? That there are two Max’s? The good one’s right here, but please help us catch his evil twin.”

“Michael...,” Maria said against him softly.

Michael leaned down. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to her.

“That’s not what he means.” Alex said defending Max, whose only interest was to find Liz.

“Then what are we going to say?”

“I don’t care what we say.” Max told Michael. “Liz’s life is at stake. Valenti is the only one with the resources. He could put out an APB; he can contact other towns.”

Isabel swallowed hard. Fear, it was a constant companion lately. “If we tell him, he’ll know everything.”

“I don’t care anymore.”

“You can’t make this decision by yourself, Max.” Michael told Max, his anger holding his body stiff. “Not this time.”

“We all have to agree,” Isabel agreed with Michael. They were exposed. Too many mistakes done on impulse.

“Since when?” Max asked, he looked at Michael. “Weren’t you the one who went off with Topolsky by yourself? Liz’s life is in danger, and suddenly we’ve got rules.”

“No, there’s always been rules: Tell no one.” Michael couldn’t believe that Max would just conveniently forget he started all this. “You’re the one who broke that. You’re not going to do that again.”

Maria couldn’t take it. All this fighting over what? Her friend was out there, in the hands of a murdering shapeshifter. They didn’t have time for this. “Wait, wait, maybe we don’t.” Maria put a stalling hand on Michael’s stomach, feeling his stiff body, ready to face off with Max. “Ok look, as far as Valenti knows, there’s only one Max. That’s you. So as far as he knows, you’ve taken Liz.”

Michael looked down at the blonde head resting on him. “What are you saying, Maria?”

“I’ve got a plan.” Maria quickly outlined what she had in mind.

Michael stopped her before she could go do her part. “You sure about this?”

“Trust me.” Maria looked at him. “I trust you. I’m trusting you to bring Liz home.”

“Maria,” Michael nodded. “I’ll bring her back. No matter what it takes, I’ll bring her home to you.”

~~~

Maria and Alex sat in Valenti’s office. Alex was sweating, but he hoped the Sheriff didn’t notice.

“What do you mean he’s taken Liz?”

Maria licked her lips. The Sheriff still made her nervous. “Well, at first she wanted to go with him, thinking it was like a romantic getaway.”

“Yeah, but then he started getting strange.” Alex added, following the story Maria made up. “You know, at least that’s what she said when she called us.”

“Yeah. She said that,” Maria cleared her throat, “… that he was scaring her and that she wanted to go home but he wouldn’t let her.”

“It’s like he’s kidnapped her or something.”

Maria allowed her natural nervousness come through to add to the story, to make the Sheriff take her serious. “Sheriff, I’m really scared. I mean, you know I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

~~~

Michael came up fast behind Tess. Taking her arm, he roughly dragged her away with him.

“Michael!”

“What’s going on?”

Tess did a little skipping step to keep up with Michael. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about.” Michael looked down the street before crossing. “Nasedo has Liz.”

“I didn’t know!” Tess actually stuttered.

“The hell you didn’t.” Michael’s jaw flexed. “You want us to trust you, but how can we if you don’t tell us what you know.”

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

“Hey, Valenti is involved now.” Michael told her, still not happy about Valenti. “If this thing goes the wrong way, he’ll know everything, and that puts us all in danger, including you.” Michael stopped at the jeep, literally tossing her inside. “Now, get in the jeep.”

“Michael, you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

“No, but you do, and that’s why you’re coming with us.”

~~~

Maria’s plan worked. They followed Valenti to Max. They were stopped by the new Deputy Fischer and given a warning. Along the way, they found Valenti pulled over with agents from the Special Unit. Nasedo had left them a dead body, an agent. Tess warned them not to stop, that the men there were Special Unit agents. She had run from them her entire life.

Suddenly in the distance, the night sky lit up with the alien symbol they had found in Fraser Woods during the camp-out. Nasedo was sending a message. One for the head of the Special Unit, Pierce. He was using Liz to bring Pierce to him, so he could kill him. They went after Liz, uncertain that Nasedo wouldn’t hurt her too.

In the House of Mirrors, Max found Liz and Nasedo, but glass separated them

They got Liz back, but at a cost. Max. The FBI had him. Michael was quiet on the way home. Nasedo went after Max, but that didn’t matter. Max was out there, and things were more messed up than before.

In the kitchen of the Crashdown, Michael, Liz, Tess and Isabel were talking. They had returned from the Carnival. The loss of Max was hard to take, and they were helpless to retrieve him.

“We should have never split up.” Michael said, running his hands over his face. “I mean I never should have left him alone.”

“What are they doing to him? What if he’s already dead?”

Liz couldn’t accept that. “No, no, Isabel you can’t even talk like that because, you know, Max is too smart to let something like that happen.”

Michael stared at Liz like she was an idiot. Max was too smart to let something like that happen? She didn’t get it. They were completely powerless and outclassed. Her belief in Max was touching, but naïve. It was official. Liz Parker was a moron.

Tess didn’t have the same belief in Max. She was much more realistic, but she knew the enemy. “Pierce won’t kill him. He wants to study him.”

“How the hell do you know?” Michael asked. He never got an answer. They heard the front door of the Crashdown open. Rushing to the front, in case it was Max with Nasedo, they found Maria and Alex returning. Liz ran to her friends.

“Oh my god, Liz.” Maria cried taking her friend in a huge hug. “We were so worried…” Maria looked over Liz’s shoulder at Michael. He looked bleak. Maria slowly released Liz. Something was wrong. She could see it in his eyes.

Liz stood back from Alex and Maria, wiping her face. “You guys, they took Max.”

“Who?” Alex asked sharply. “Who did?”

“Pierce, you know the FBI Special Unit. They took him.”

Alex glanced at Isabel. Seeing her face, he embraced her. Maria and Michael shared a look. The misery and uncertainty of his glance was enough. Maria walked into Michael’s arms holding him tight, her hand coming up to touch his face. Michael closed his eyes sighing in relief at the human comfort, or more specifically Maria comfort. Taken. It was a nightmare that all the alien children had shared.

Liz stared at her friends comforting others. Wiping tears from her face, she confronted Tess. “Where’s Nasedo?”

“I don’t know.”

Michael had to agree with Liz. Nasedo should be there. “He’s supposed to be at our side. Where is he?”

“I told you, I don’t know.” They were making her nervous. “He’s never left me alone like this before.”

“Then it’s up to us.” Isabel told them. “We have to find Max.”

Alex couldn’t believe his girlfriend. He knew she was upset about Max, but it was naïve to assume they could match the FBI Special Unit. “Wha… what makes you think we can go up against alien hunters and win?”

“What the hell choice do we have?” Michael put Maria from him. “Let him be a pincushion for Pierce? Let him die?”

Alex didn’t mean that. They had to know that. “No.”

Liz had to agree with Alex. They were completely outclassed. “We have to go to Valenti.”

Michael scowled. What the hell was with Max and now Liz? They were always wanting to run to Valenti. “What, and tell him everything?”

“Max was willing to do it to save Liz.” Isabel wrung her hands. Valenti was a fear, but the FBI was worse. “Maybe now is the time to trust him.”

“What makes you think that Valenti is better equipped than we are?” Tess asked them. How could they want to trust another human with their secret?

“He’s the law. He’s got resources.” Maria pointed out, seeing the firmness of Michael’s jaw.

“So do we. Stronger ones.” Tess stared at the other two aliens. “Look, I know what I can do. What about the two of you?”

“What do you mean?” Michael asked suspiciously.

“Your powers, Michael. Your gifts. You do have them, don’t you?” Tess asked.

Michael nodded. “We’re not too advanced.”

Isabel bit her lip. Tess obviously knew more than they did. “We can do easy things, like change simple molecular structure, but we don’t use them very often. What about you?”

“Being around Nasedo has taught me quite a few things.”

“Wait,” said Alex, stopping Isabel, “what about that dream thing that you can do?”

“What dream thing?” Tess looked at the others confused.

“Sometimes I can go into people’s heads when they’re sleeping.”

“And you can all do that?”

“No, just Isabel.” Michael admitted.

Tess was impressed. “And you can communicate with him?”

“Subconsciously. I’ve only done it a few times though.”

Liz understood what Tess was suggesting. “Look, if you do it to Max, maybe he can tell you where he is.”

“I’ve never done it to anyone who was awake before. I don’t know if I can get in.”

Alex looked at the others. “We won’t know until you try.” Alex asked Liz, “Can we use your room?” Liz nodded and they all went upstairs. Leaving Alex and Isabel in the bedroom, everyone else went out on the balcony. Alex helped Isabel.

Michael kept glancing back into the bedroom. Maria, who should’ve been standing with Liz, saw his look and she followed him to the edge of the balcony.

“Are you okay?” Maria rubbed the small of his back in comfort.

“I shouldn’t have let us split up, Maria.” Michael glanced over at the others. Turning his back on them, he looked out over the back of the Crashdown. “There were agents there, Maria. That’s the closest I’ve ever been to being caught. They wanted Max, not us. Just Max.”

Maria sat on the edge of the balcony, her hand rested on his waist. Resting her head on his stomach, she closed her eyes when his hand wrapped around the back of her neck holding her close to him. She couldn’t tell him how glad it was Max and not him. It felt like a betrayal of Liz, to care more about Michael than Max. She didn’t really even know Max, but she knew Michael.

“You’ll get him back, Michael. I know you will.”

“You can’t know that.” Michael said dejectedly, his voice hollow. He was more than a little worried. He was afraid. Alex was right. They were teenagers going against the FBI’s elite unit, and despite Tess’s belief that their powers were a better resource, Michael knew how his powers worked…or specifically, how they didn’t.

“You’ll do what you have to do, Michael.”

“What if I…can’t?”

“You will, because you have to.”

Michael was going to comment when Isabel woke up. They all rushed back into the bedroom.

“Max! Max! Oh god! Oh my God!”

“What happened?” Michael grabbed Isabel trying to make sense of her hysteria. “What happened?”

“Michael, he’s so scared. He’s so scared.”

“Ok, Isabel, you’ve got to calm down. All right?” Michael glanced at Maria, almost begging her with his eyes for help. He wasn’t good at being a calming strength. Maria gave him an encouraging nod. “You got to tell me what you saw. We got to help him.”

“Oh, god. That deputy,” Isabel cried, “… the deputy that stopped us last night, he’s Pierce. He’s Pierce.”

Alex licked his lips nervously. “Are you sure?” Oh hell, if a cop was involved, they couldn’t risk Valenti.

“He told me.” Isabel told Alex. “And he’s drugging him. He’s hurting him.”

Liz wringed her hands, upset and powerless. “Where is he? Where… where is…?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know where he is.”

“Think hard. He must have given you something.” Tess encouraged. “Think.”

Isabel took a calming breath concentrating on the confusing images she saw from Max. “Ok, he did. He did. I think I know where I’ve seen it before.”

At the UFO Convention Center, they stared at a display of pictures from the fifties and around the original crash era.

Maria read the captions. “Eagle Rock Military Base. This is where they were said to have secretly taken the aliens after the crash.”

“This is it.” Isabel told the others. “This is what Max showed me. This is the symbol on the hall floor on the base.”

Maria continued reading the display. “It says that it’s been abandoned for years.”

“That’s where he is.”

Liz nibbled on a nail nervously. “Look; now we have no choice, ok, we have to go to Valenti.”

The others looked at Liz as if she was insane, but only Michael actually voiced his opinion. “What are you crazy? After we just found out about Deputy Fisher? Valenti’s probably in on the whole thing.”

“We can’t go to a place like that on our own.” Liz reasoned.

“No,” Michael agreed, “you can’t, but we can. Isabel, Tess and I can protect ourselves.”

“With what?” Maria asked, not liking how this was coming down. “Your gifts?”

She knew he would do what he had to. She knew that. “Why not?”

Maria started to point how he hardly knew how to control his powers, that he could get killed, or worse…captured, but she couldn’t. Their eyes met, and she knew that he would never live with himself if he didn’t try.

“God, Michael. Just be careful. You do what you have to…just get him back.” Michael nodded. She didn’t want him to take chances, but he appreciated that she pulled back from voicing her fears. They both knew that there was no other way.

Liz looked at the aliens. “And you guys aren’t going there without me.”

“No. Look, you want the truth? You’re liabilities, all three of you.” Tess pointed out, kindly adding in Alex and Maria, but her message was really for Liz Parker. “We’ve got a better chance of saving Max without you, and that’s what this is all about, right?”

Liz refused to acknowledge Tess, but she had to admit that saving Max was the most important thing, and not her wounded pride. She ignored Tess and concentrated on Michael. “Bring him back to me.”

“I will.” Michael said as Maria’s hand went into his giving it a supportive squeeze.

They didn’t have time. Tess was tired of all the coddling of the humans. Max was in trouble, the longer the delayed, the more likely they would be unable to retrieve Max. “We’d better hurry.”

Maria sighed resting against Michael. He hugged her hard. Maria kissed his lips lightly, her hands framing his face. “You come back. You understand? I do not want to have to come in and get you.”

Michael nodded. He swallowed hard. He had no doubt that she would charge in after him regardless of her own safety. It was an impetus to stay safe. He needed that. He needed a reason to come home.

Michael returned Maria’s gesture, his hands framing her face as he kissed her mouth softly, holding the contact a little longer than normal breathing in her strength. Michael left her, joining the others. The walked out. Michael didn’t look back. He couldn’t.

~~~

The three humans were at the Crashdown trying to not worry. Maria bit her lip. She had too many worries, and there was a trickle of remorse in her soul as she realized that she was concerned most about Michael. It was hard. She hated when he did things on his own. He always got into trouble. Maria frowned, wondering if it made her a bad friend that she was worried about Michael, and not supporting Liz.

Maria glanced at her friend trying to comfort her. “I’m sure they’ve found him by now.”

Alex joined in, sharing a glance with Maria. “They’re probably on their way back.” Alex swallowed his own worry over Isabel moving closer towards a Special Unit that wanted her.

“Yeah, I wish I could believe that one.”

They all sat up straighter as Sheriff Valenti joined them in their booth.

“I’ve been up all night trying to figure out what happened at that carnival. I mean, I know what I saw. Mirrors or no mirrors, there were two Max Evans standing right in front of me.” Jim stared at the trio, putting his cards on the table. He couldn’t get them to trust him, but he had to try. “And now one of them is in the hands of Agent Pierce and the Special Unit, and I’m just hoping that it wasn’t the one that we all care about.” Valenti emphasized that he cared, striking at the weak link in the teenage conspiracy of silence. “Liz, tell me. Let me help,” he said using her feelings to get through.

“We don’t know any more than you do, Sheriff. Sorry.” Liz glanced nervously at Maria who was biting her lip.

“Well, if Pierce has reached the same conclusion that I have, Max is going to need a lot more help than any of you can give him.” Valenti said as a parting shot. He walked out of the Crashdown with the three human teenagers watching him, holding their silence.

“You guys, what if he’s right?” Liz said, injecting a plea for reason in her voice. “I would never forgive myself if something actually happened to them that maybe we could have, like, prevented. I…”

Maria was caught between two friends. Liz wanted Max back, but so did Michael. They didn’t agree on trusting Valenti, and despite that, Maria had to agree with Michael. Valenti had hunted them too long, and with one of his Deputies being Pierce…Maria sighed working for a compromise. “Ok, listen; let’s give them until four o’clock, all right? If they’re not back by then…”

“Right. Ok. Four o’clock.” Liz glanced up at the clock.

Maria tried to calm Liz’s worries. “He’s going to be fine.” Maria wished she believe it herself.

“Yeah,” said Liz, unconvinced.

~~~

While Michael, Isabel and Tess tried to get inside of the Military Complex unseen, their human friends watched the clock’s countdown, becoming more uncertain and nervous as the minutes ticked away. It was already after four. It was eight minutes after, and Maria bit her lip knowing Liz’s patience would be at her limit.

“I’m not waiting any more.” Liz said getting up. “I’m going to do what Max would do for me.”

“Wait a minute.” Maria glanced at Alex pleading for his help to convince Liz. “Are you sure it’s our responsibility to tell Valenti everything?”

“It’s our responsibility to keep them alive.” Liz answered. She couldn’t say when it became the humans’ responsibility, but she felt that way. “You know, Max was ready to trust him, that’s all I need to know.”

Alex was sure if it was the right thing to do, but Isabel was out there too. “What are you going to say?”

“Whatever I have to, to get him to help.”

~~~

Michael, Tess, and Isabel followed a gurney with a covered body to the morgue. They were afraid that it was Max. They waited until the morgue was empty to go inside and check out the body. To their relief, it wasn’t Max. It was the agent that Nasedo had killed to send Pierce a message. They stared at the dead body relieved it wasn’t Max.

Isabel noticed the mark on the agent first. “Oh, my god! Michael, look!”

“What is that?” Tess asked.

Michael stared at the silver handprint much like the one he saw on the picture of the dead Atherton. “Nasedo.”

“That’s how he kills.” Isabel told Tess.

“I swear to you, I’ve never…”

They all startled when an agent entered the morgue.

“Hey. You shouldn’t be here. What are you doing here?” The man said. Michael reacted immediately, using his powers to protect them, he tried to knock the man away. It didn’t work. The agent held up his hand, and Michael went flying backwards as his powers were easily overcome.

“It’s you.” Tess said recognizing the power as the agent morphed into Nasedo in his Ed Harding persona. “Don’t ever leave me alone like that again.”

Nasedo shrugged off her anger. “I have four of you to watch now.”

“I’ve been looking for you for a long time.” Michael told Nasedo.

“Not as long as I’ve been looking for you,” replied Nasedo. “Now you’re about to get yourselves killed.”

Isabel moved away from the alien, uncertain about him. He killed people. “We’re here for Max.”

“This isn’t the local sheriff you’re dealing with,” Nasedo told Isabel coldly. “You should have known better. None of you are equipped to be here. I’ve got to get you out of here.” He shifted into the agent again. “Come with me.” They followed him out of the Morgue, darting into a room when the agent Nasedo was impersonating came into sight.

~~~

Maria was nervous. She and Alex were in the Crashdown waiting for Liz to get back from talking to Valenti.

“You don’t like this do you, Maria?”

“Does it show?”

“Oh, definitely.”

“I can’t help it, Alex. Valenti terrorized me over the whole shooting thing. He hounded us, spied on us, and followed us everywhere. Now, he’s what? A friend?” Maria didn’t know if Michael’s paranoia was rubbing off on her, but she felt nothing but fear. The Deputy was Pierce. Valenti’s father went insane trying to prove that Michael and the others really exist.”

“I see your point, Maria.” Alex breathed in deeply uncertain when there was the fear to trust Valenti was weighted against Isabel out there alone. “I have to worry about Isabel. She’s out there, in danger, and I can only care about her coming back safely.”

“God,” said Maria. “I hate this. I can’t know what the right answer is, but I know Michael wouldn’t be happy.”

“And that matters?”

Maria rolled her eyes. Another person wanting to discount Michael’s instinct to survive. “Yes, actually it does. It means a lot. He is right more often than he’s wrong.”

“Maria…” Alex rubbed his neck. “This thing you have with Michael is hardly different from what Liz has with Max, or even what I have with Isabel. We’re worried too.”

“I know you are.” Maria said biting on a nail. God, where were they?

~~~

Isabel looked nervously at Nasedo. “I don’t think we belong with him,” she told Michael.

“He’s Nasedo, what choice do we have?”

“We could go back up there ourselves.”

“Four is stronger than two.” Michael pointed out to Isabel. “We need them.” She wanted to ignore the first real connection they had to their homeworld. Michael watched Nasedo as well, but his curiosity was piqued.

“He could be working for Pierce. You know, we don’t know anything for sure.” Michael never got to comment as Nasedo joined them.

“The most important part of the plan is timing,” he told them. “Set your watches: 5:47.” He handed Michael a diagram. “This is your escape route. Scan it.”

Michael stared at the paper unsure of what to do. “Scan it?”

“Into your brain.” Nasedo paused when Michael continued to stare blankly at the paper. “You can’t? All right, you have two minutes to memorize it. I know this place intimately. I’ve already escaped it once. Now, if I’m going to save Max, I need help. We need to get through the security door.”

“I could do that.” Isabel offered. “I’ve gotten through doors before.”

Nasedo shook his head at the naïveté of the teenagers. It was a wonder they survived this far on their own. “That isn’t some deadbolt up there. That door is made up of depleted uranium; a metal composed of heavy atoms, which we can’t manipulate.”

“We can’t?”

“You have many limitations.”

Michael moved closer, information like a beacon to him. “They know about our limitations?”

“They know more about you than you do.” Michael frowned. Great, someone else with more understanding than he had. At the rate he was going, he would never learn a damn thing stuck with the ‘wait and see’ philosophy of Isabel and Max. “They’ve been studying us for fifty years. The only way to gain entry is to get through the security scanner.”

Isabel hated how interested Michael was in the shapeshifter, but they needed him if they were going to rescue Max. “Well, how do we do that?”

“I can shapeshift into any of these agents: take their form, even their fingerprints. That’s why they added the X-ray scanner. My bone structure is far from human. I can change my appearance, but not what’s on the inside. Your bone structure, on the other hand, is one hundred percent human.”

Michael frowned. “So you’re different from me?” So Nasedo wasn’t his father. Michael wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Nasedo killed people, but Michael had searched for him all his life. This was just another setback in a long list of them. He was never going to find his parents.

“Biology lessons later.” Nasedo told Michael with a slight smile. “Come on. If I’m going to get through that door, I’m going to need one of you with me, and since the only female agent at the Special Unit is now dead, it’s you and me, Michael.”

“I can’t get through the scanner, either. I can’t change my fingerprints.”

“Yes, you can; you just don’t know you can. I’ll teach you. I just hope for Max’s sake that you’re a quick study.” Nasedo turned to the girls. “I’m going to need both of you, too.” He quickly outlined his plan. He needed Tess to use her mindwarping capabilities to convince Pierce he was seeing something other than reality. Isabel needed to contact Max, to get him to isolate Pierce from the other agents.

Nasedo took Michael back to the morgue while Tess and Isabel hid. Tess explained her ability to mindwarp…to create a believable illusion while Nasedo taught Michael how to alter his fingerprints. They needed fingerprints from a real agent. They needed the dead body.

“Humans are weak and wasteful,” Nasedo told Michael, “which doesn’t bother me. Their brains are incredible machines they haven’t even begun to use. When you were engineered, you were given the capacity to do everything the human brain is capable of.”

Michael frowned. “You mean beside our powers?”

“Those are your powers, Michael. Everything you can do is human. You were just programmed to be several thousand years ahead of mankind, that’s all. But from what I saw earlier, you’ve barely tapped into what you’re capable of.” Michael made a face at the criticism. Nasedo couldn’t imagine how far off he was from being able to use or control his powers. “You can do it, Michael. The only thing stopping you is yourself.” Michael tried to transfer the fingerprint of the dead agent to his own. Frustrated he stopped, breathing in deeply as his irritation increased. “Try again.”

“Damn it, I can’t do this!”

“Yes, you can. The only one stopping you is you.”

“Will you quit saying that? That is not helping me.” Michael wished that Maria was there. She had a way of making him calm down, concentrate.

“Are you just going to let Max die?”

Michael rolled his eyes. Great, that was really helping. “I am trying my best.”

“That is not your best, Michael; it is not your best.”

“Well, give me a pointer, huh?” Michael told the alien in frustration. “Give me a hint. Give me something.”

“It’s inside you. Your program.”

“Hey, I didn’t get the manual, ok?” Michael shouted in frustration. “All this time I’ve been alone. Where have you been? Where the hell have you been? Huh? Why’d you let this happen to us? To me?”

“Emotions are a weakness, Michael. Focus.” Nasedo heard another agent coming. Glancing down the hall, he registered that it was the agent whose face he was using. Smiling slightly to himself, he decided to change his tactics with Michael. “You’ve got until this guy gets to the door, then I’m using his hand, and you know how I’m going to get it. We’re running out of time here.”

Michael stared at the alien. He was deadly serious. He would kill again if Michael didn’t succeed. Michael concentrated, forcing himself to clear his mind. It took some effort, and he was sweating, but he could feel it the moment his hand changed. “I did it. I did it. I think I did it!”

The agent entered the morgue, and Nasedo appeared behind him.

“Agent...” Nasedo said.

“Who the hell are you?” the agent asked looking at both Nasedo and Michael, “and what are you…?” Michael watched in horror as Nasedo placed his hand on the man’s heart and the man dropped like a stone.

“No! I said I did it.”

“I heard you. I told you you could.”

Michael stared at the dead man. “You killed him. Why’d you do that?”

“I can’t take a chance like what happened in the hallway before. There can’t be two of me.”

“How can you do this? How can you kill all these people?” Michael swallowed hard. He hated this. Nasedo was a killer, and there was no denying it. He finally had the proof. “You don’t care, do you?”

“Michael, if you want to survive, if you want to get back home, you’ve got to be willing to fight for that.” Nasedo said, unhappy with Michael’s reaction. Of all the alien children, Michael was the one he expected to be easiest to control and manipulate. “You understand?”

“You’re not who I thought you’d be.” Michael said, betrayed by the very dream he spent his entire life searching for. He had wanted his people to be better than that.

“Neither are you.” Watching the alien children, Michael had been the more accepting of his alien nature, but something was different. His human side was dominating his alien one. Nasedo didn’t have time to worry about it now. It was Max that was important. They needed to get him back. “It’s showtime.”

Nasedo passed his hand over Michael, changing him into an FBI regulation suit. Holding up a comb, he handed it to Michael, who combed his hair into a nice preppy style while Nasedo shapeshifted into the newly killed agent.

Once at the scanner, Michael allowed his nervousness to eat at him a little, hoping that he did indeed change his fingerprints. Placing his hand on the scanner, he sighed in relief when the door gave him access.

“Matheson.” An agent said to Nasedo.

“Afternoon, Agent.” The man looked at Michael seeing his name tag that was the dead agent’s, altered with Michael’s picture.

“Fields. You’re the new agent, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, good to meet you.” Michael said.

“You picked a hell of a time to show up.” The man said shaking Michael’s hand. “Welcome to the Unit.”

“Thank you.” A group of surgeons exited a door heading down the hallway. Michael moved to follow them.

Nasedo stopped him. “Where are you going?”

“Max is in there. We’ve got to go get him.”

“It won’t help Max if you get yourself killed.” Nasedo told him stopping him from doing something impulsive. “We have to do this the right way. Two minutes.”

Nasedo hoped that Tess had Isabel ready to go. The girls were needed as a distraction with Tess using her ability to hold a mindwarp to convince Pierce he was seeing what they needed him to see. Hopefully, Isabel was able to make contact with Max. They needed him ready to go, and alone with only Pierce.

~~~

Michael and Nasedo watched Max in the white room with Pierce. Pierce was forcing Max to activate the orbs. If Isabel and Tess did their jobs right, Pierce would see the orbs activate, and not see Michael and Nasedo entering the room. They waited until Pierce reacted to the orbs. To him, they were glowing. A green light emanated from them.

On the other side of the observation glass, Nasedo smiled at Michael. “Timing is everything,” he said as he broke the glass. Michael rushed to Max’s side, quickly releasing him from the restraints.

Max stared at the agent Michael was with. “It’s Nasedo, Maxwell, don’t worry.” Michael quickly pocketed the orbs. “Are you all right?”

“I am now,” said Max.

“All right. Let’s go.” Michael helps Max to get off the table, all but carrying him when Max collapsed. “Whoa.”

“Get out of here.” Nasedo told Michael. “You know the escape route.”

Michael helped Max through the broken glass. “What are you doing? Come on.”

“I have something to take care of.”

“No!” Michael said, his anxiety breaking his voice. “You are not leaving me again. Let’s go!”

“There are only seconds left. Go!”

Michael reluctantly took Max leaving Nasedo, just as Pierce came out of his mindwarped trance. “Are you all right, sir?” Nasedo asked Pierce. “You were in here a long time. We thought we’d come check.”

Pierce looked around confused. “Where’s the prisoner?”

Outside in the hallway, Michael ran into two agents that had just found the dead agent in the morgue.

“Fields?! What are you doing?”

“Pierce’s orders. I got to get the prisoner out of here.” Michael gestured to the White room. “They need help inside. Go. Now!” As all the agents rush into the observation room, Michael quickly hauled Max out, hoping he remembered the escape route. Michael could hear shots coming from the room behind him where he left Nasedo.

They made the security gate. Michael quickly placed his hand on the scanner as the door started to open. Suddenly the alarms went off. Michael swore as the door began to close again. Michael and Max made it through the security door. Turning, Michael looked back waiting for Nasedo. He would have to open the door for the Shapeshifter. Nasedo didn’t come, but Pierce came running around the corner with his gun drawn. Michael and Pierce faced each other momentarily as Pierce aimed at Michael through the closing door. Sheriff Valenti suddenly appeared helping Michael with Max.

“Come on, come on. Come on!” Valenti aimed at his Deputy, shooting Pierce in the shoulder to prevent him from making the door before it completely closed. Michael and Sheriff Valenti rushed from the complex as Pierce got up from floor. He tried to open the security gate, but the compound was on lockdown and the glass was unbreakable. Pierce swore as his quarries got away.

Michael and Valenti reached the gate around the compound with Max leaning heavily on them. Michael paused when he saw everyone waiting for them.

“What the fuck? Why didn’t you bring the entire city of Roswell!” Michael rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. “That won't keep Pierce for long. We've got to get Max out of here.”

“I know somewhere safe. It's an old silver mine in Galitas off Horseshoe Road.” Jim told Michael. “If we make it there, it will buy us some time. We should split up, make it harder for them to follow.” Valenti looked back at the entrance they had just used. Michael was right, the lockdown wouldn’t last forever. “Come on. Come on.”

Liz ran to Max as Michael pushed him into the backseat of the Jetta. Maria stood at the door holding it open. Liz leaned into the car, “Max, are you alright?”

Tess grabbed Michael’s arm. “Where's Nasedo?”

Michael didn’t have time for this. “Just get in the jeep.” Michael looked over at Alex. “Take the girls to safety now!”

“Come on! Let's go.” Valenti urged them getting into his SUV.

“I don't know about this.” Michael said, his eyes meeting Maria’s.

“I trust him.” Max said weakly.

“Come on.” Jim urged them again, impatient to get out of there before it was too late.

Isabel pushed Liz out of the way reaching into the backseat to hand Max a bundle. “Clothes.”

“Iz,” Michael urged. “Get in the jeep, now! We can’t all go in the same car. If they catch us, they get all four. You go with Tess. I’ll take Max to protect him.”

“What about Valenti?” Isabel asked. “He has a gun.”

“Yeah, so did Pierce! Get in the damn jeep!”

Liz started to get into the driver’s seat of the Jetta. Michael nabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Driving.”

“Uh uh.” Michael looked at a quiet Maria. She handed him the keys. Michael nodded to the Jetta. “Get in, Maria. We don’t have all day. Liz, go in the jeep with the others. Three and three.”

Liz ignored Michael, quickly scrambling into the back with Max.

“Typical,” said Michael under his breath. No one ever listened to him anyway.

The Jetta, the SUV and the Jeep all took off, taking different directions at the first crossroad. Maria glanced at the silent Michael whose face was harsh and angular in the dim light of the dash.

Max was dressing in the back, his eyes occasionally meeting Michael’s in the rearview mirror.

“Max, what did they do to you?” Liz asked.

“It's over.” Max said for Michael’s benefit. “Listen, Liz, if we ever get out of this…” Max didn’t get to finish as Michael swore and the rear window of the Jetta exploded.

“Michael!”

“Maria, get down!” Michael swore as the car swerved. The Jetta’s engine stalled as another barrage of bullets hit the back of the Jetta.

Michael opened the driver’s door and bailed out, pulling Maria with him. They moved to the front of the Jetta. “Maxwell?”

“Here!” Max and Liz joined them.

“We can’t stay here,” said Maria. Michael pointed to the trees and the four teens took off running, Michael helping Max with his shoulder under Max’s arm.

The FBI chased them.

“Let's go. Let's go.” Liz said trying to help Max. “Come here.”

“Back off, Liz,” said Michael. He was having a hard enough time dragging Max. Liz was adding to the drag. “You and Maria run. Now! Max and I will be close behind.”

“I’m not leaving you!” Maria and Liz said at the same time.

“Go!” Max said.

Liz pulled on Max’s arm, while he was still supported by Michael. “Come on, come on, Max.”

Max tried to get her to leave him, to go ahead. “Go. Go.” The teens doubled back onto the road. The agents followed, surrounding them. They were on a bridge. Maria stopped running as agents entered at the end of the bridge. She walked backwards into Michael who had left Max to Liz who refused to let him go.

“Come on.” Liz told Max dragging him onto a guard rail. They looked at each other, and holding hands, they jumped into the river together. Michael came up behind Maria. Picking her up, he dumped her over the railing into the river, jumping over the railing after her.

Liz and Max made their way downstream. Leaving the river, they came to a junkyard, of sorts. There were abandoned cars and vans, all turned over and rusting out.

“We've got to hide,” said Liz breathing hard. “Come on, in here. Come on, Max! Come on, in here. Come on!” They entered an overturned delivery truck. “I think we'll be safe in here for a while. They don't know how far down river we got.” They kissed. Liz got flashes of some of the things that happened to Max in the White room. “Max.” She breathed, her voice full of horror.

Max couldn’t talk about it, think about it, and he definitely didn’t want Liz knowing it. “Where are Michael and Maria?”

“I don’t know.” Liz said glancing outside, pushing the heavy wet hair off her face.

~~~

Maria sputtered in the water. Hate Michael Guerin. Hate. Him. She sputtered evil revenge, slowly drowning when two hands grabbed her and hauled her ass out of the water.

Maria lay on the bank with Michael, both of them breathing hard, wheezing at the water they had swallowed.

“I hate you.”

Michael kissed her forehead rolling to his feet. “Good. I can only get worse, believe me.” He would tell her about Nasedo later, but right now, they needed to find Max. “C’mon. We got to find Max. He’s defenseless. His powers don’t work.”

It didn’t take long to locate the same junked out cars. They stood in the doorway of the van, and Liz caught unaware, screamed. Maria went to her immediately, and while the girls hugged Michael checked out Max.

“Powers?” Michael asked Max.

“None.”

Michael lifted Max’s shirt and looked at the incision on his chest. It was still bleeding. “I don’t think I can heal this, Max.”

“It’s okay. I’ll heal it later.” Max looked down at this chest. “Thanks, Michael. Thanks for coming for me.”

Michael stared at the cut. “Sorry I didn’t get there sooner.” He rubbed his face. He was emotionally tired.

“Nasedo?”

Michael glanced at the two girls lowering his voice. “I don’t know. I heard shots. He was alone with all those agents. He wasn’t able to alter the metal in the place or open the security gates. I had to do it.” Michael didn’t know how to feel. “He’s not our father, Max. He was just a protector. He taught me to alter my fingerprints so I could use the scanner.”

“How did you do that?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Michael glanced at Maria, and finally at Liz. “Why was Valenti there?” Maria bit her lip, her eyes met Michael begging him to keep his cool. “Liz?”

“You needed help, and…”

Michael shook his head. Max put a hand on his arm to restrain him. “Michael, don’t. Valenti helped. He shot Pierce, and…”

“I better go check the area. I’ll be back.” Michael went to walk off his anger.

“I didn’t tell him anything,” said Liz. “I only told him where Max was…where they took him.”

“He was suspicious enough before. Now he feels he has confirmation of some sort.” Michael looked at Max. “You better be right that he’s trustworthy. Now who’s being reckless with our lives?” Michael looked at Liz when he said it. Yeah, Liz again. It was all about her and about Max, and the safety of the rest of them didn’t matter. Michael left the van.

“Michael!” called Maria. She looked at Liz and Max. “I’ll go after him.”

Liz pushed her wet hair out of her face. “Max, I…I’m sorry. I had to trust him. And…”

“It’s okay, Liz. I wanted to do the same for you.” Max lay back, so tired. The events pulled at what he had left. “What Michael doesn’t understand is I would’ve done the same for him. If it had been Michael, I would’ve felt it was worth the risk.” Max looked at her. “I know you would too.”

Liz looked out the van wondering where Maria and Michael went. They were alone, and Max had no powers. Max had fallen asleep. Glancing at the gash on his chest, Liz closed her eyes. Max gave her more credit than she deserved. If it had been Michael who was taken, she wasn’t sure she would’ve told Valenti if it meant exposing Max. Maria would have. To save Michael, she would have.

~~~

“Are you going to stay out here all night?” Maria asked Michael quietly.

“Better advantage point. I can see the access road.”

“You’re angry.” Maria didn’t bother to add the word ‘again’, but it was in her voice.

“I don’t know what I am.”

Sighing, Maria took a seat next to him on an old bench seat from a van or some other vehicle. “Wanna talk?”

“No.” Michael’s jaw flexed, stiffening.

“Of course not.” Maria leaned back resting her head against the seat.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means.” Maria folded her arms . Michael stared at her. He didn’t need to egg her on. She would do it on her own. Maria’s saturation time for bullshit was exceedingly low, especially when she was under stress. Being shot at was highly stressful.

“Maria…” Michael didn’t want to wait all night, so he gave her a little push.

“Fine! Whatever. You know exactly what I mean, so don’t even pretend! You are the most exasperating of men! I swear. You shut down all the time. You are the most closemouthed…”

“I tell you everything!”

“Yeah, only after I apply the proven DeLuca water torture treatment.”

“Are we going to fight?” Michael asked, his eyes taking on an unusual glint to them.

“You bet, buddy! You are one spoiled individual!”

“Spoiled? Me?” Michael snorted in disbelief. Maria poked a finger hard into his chest. “Ouch! Cut it out, Maria!”

“Spoiled. You stiff-necked, hard jawed, mouth breathing brat!”

Michael bit back a smirk. “Oh, classy, DeLuca. Only two minutes into the fight, and you’re resorting to name calling.”

“And your hair sucks!”

That did it. The glint in Michael’s eyes took on a new aspect, a mean one. “What is wrong with my hair?”

“Nothing. Just knew it would hit you in the chops.”

Michael was quiet for a moment. “How am I spoiled?”

Maria didn’t think he really wanted to know. He equated bratty behavior with being overprivileged. Not with overindulged. “You demand everyone tell you everything. Everything down to the minutest of details. Max holds out on you, and you’re like a colicky baby. I don’t tell you something Liz told me in confidence, you start interviewing firing squad members.”

“That is not true. I tell you everything. Almost always.”

“Uh huh. Not without duress, not without effort on my part. Damn you, Michael Guerin! Getting you to tell a secret or even what you’re feeling is like prying open industrial strength steel traps. You hold everything close to your chest, only sharing information reluctantly. Then you parade around, like some big wounded bear, growling at shadows because someone didn’t share with you or they misjudge you, or maybe just don’t get you.”

“There are things I need to know, Maria. It’s my life!”

“It’s our lives too! You are my life…” Maria bit that back inside. She quickly amended. “You are a large part of my life. You are upset that there is something between Max and Liz…something you can’t understand or believe in. Not believing or understanding it, Michael, doesn’t make it not real. Liz did what she had to do, to save you.”

Michael snorted. “Max.”

“Okay, fine. Be that way!”

“I am that way!”

Maria rubbed her eyes. “I know. I know you are. So she did what she had to do, what she thought was necessary to save Max. He was prepared to do the same for her. They trust, because they have to.”

“Stop making it some big romantic gesture, Maria! It is once again, Liz Parker deciding what is best for my life…Isabel’s and now Tess’s all based on this ‘romantic’ notion that she’s responsible for Max’s life, a huge part of it. She sacrifices us for Max…hell, she would probably turn us over for him.”

“That is so unfair! She would not do that!” Michael shrugged. He didn’t know that. He suspected even Maria was uncertain. “She is a huge part of his life…his soulmate.”

“No she’s not. Max is destined to be with Tess, engineered that way. Liz can fight it all she wants, but she is fighting biological programming.”

“Like you’re destined to be with Isabel?”

Michael frowned. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t…I don’t get any vibes from Isabel, not like Max does from Tess. I don’t know. I just know we were programmed to be what we are. Nasedo told me that. I think a person can fight against their nature, but a leopard can’t change his spots. Max might be fighting a battle he can’t win.”

“So you’re going to go through with this whole destiny thing then?”

Michael’s stomach hurt. “I don’t even know what it is. Maybe. I don’t know. All I know is that if it’s just some alien breeding project, that you so colorfully call the Alien’s Noah Ark, then…no. I can’t do that. There has to be more, Maria! I need there to be more of a reason that I exist, not some alien sperm donor.”

Maria stared at him, at the passion in his voice. “What happened?”

“Bad things, Maria. Really bad things.” Michael hated it, hated admitting it more than anything. “They were right. Max and Isabel were right. Nasedo is a killer. He kills humans like they’re nothing.” Michael turned bleak eyes on Maria. “He’s not my father. We aren’t the same. He says I’m actually human, designed to be human.”

Thank god! Maria didn’t voice it, but she could feel it. Michael wouldn’t survive having a father who was a murderer. “So he knows things…he can tell you, and…”

“No,” Michael said quietly. “I had to leave him behind. There were shots. I think he’s dead.”

Maria moved closer to Michael. Another avenue lost, another dream destroyed. How long could he hold on hoping? “I’m truly sorry, you know that, right?”

“I know.” Michael looked at his hand, it was holding one of Maria’s. “I changed my fingerprints to match a dead agent’s. It was the agent Nasedo killed. He killed another agent right before my eyes, and he only stayed behind because he wanted to kill Pierce.” Michael shook his head. “I can understand him killing for need, to survive or protect, but it’s the lack of conscience I can’t get over.”

“He’s not your father. You don’t have to be like him, Michael.”

Michael pulled Maria closer into his arms, settling back to rest. Closing his eyes, he sighed in relief at the physical weight of her body. He never knew he felt so alone, not until he found Maria and she taught him what it felt like not to be alone.

“My powers…Nasedo said they’re human powers, ones that will evolve among humans over the next millennium or so.” Maria glanced at him, only beginning to understand what he was saying. “The most unique thing I always considered to be a sign of my alieness was my powers, and now I find that they aren’t even alien…they’re human. I do them badly…so not only do I suck at being an alien, but apparently as a human too.”

“I could’ve told you that,” said Maria lightly, but her hands tightened on him in comfort.

“I know. You often tell me how lacking I am as a pseudo-human.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Maria sat up. “If I didn’t think you’d hate it so much, or just hate me, I’d confess that I think you’re more human than most humans. Now how much would you hate that?”

“It’s official. My life sucks.”

Maria smiled slightly patting his cheek before lying against him again. Playing with a button on his shirt, she glanced up at him. “So if the powers are actually human, and I know your passion and heart are human…what exactly do you get from being alien?”

Michael hated her. In that moment, he really hated how she found the way to ferret through all the bullshit straight to the crux of his despair. What did he get from his alien side? All Michael could see in his mind was Nasedo killing humans without remorse, without a care. God help him.

“I don’t know.” Michael couldn’t talk about it anymore. “At least tell me what the hell you think you were doing out there? At the Military base, late night with rogue FBI agents shooting first, not bother to ask questions later?”

“You took a long time. I was worried. I came to get you out.”

“Maria…I told you.”

“Yeah, well guess what? We aren’t together in that way, so you don’t get that luxury. Okay? Hope we’re clear on that.” Maria reached up and kissed him gently on the lips. “I get to choose who I care about, and what I would do. Michael, if it had been you in there, I would’ve gone to Valenti too, so I thought you should know that. So there, I said it. You can start hating me anytime you want.”

“The Jetta is trashed.” Michael pointed out, unsure how to respond to her confession. He had never been important to anyone before. She had risked her life, her relationship with her mother…now that the Jetta was defunct, hosting a severe case of lead poisoning, and she was wet, cold, and a fugitive from evil FBI agents.

“Yeah, I noticed that. I was thinking of just killing myself before my mom finds out.”

Michael hated it. He hated that every time something happened, it was always Maria who took the brunt of the fallout, and it was usually the Jetta.

Michael pulled her closer. He never had a real friend before. Max and Isabel, they were his friends because of the alien things, but in a different world, a normal life, would they have ever talked to him? In the past few months, he spent more time in Maria’s home and even with her mother. Amy DeLuca knew more about him in a few months than the Evans did after ten years of him befriending their children and sleeping on Max’s floor.

Michael used his body to keep her warm. “Thank you,” he said softly in the dark. Her only response was to tighten her arms around his waist, holding him tighter.

~~~

A car engine woke the teens. As Max and Liz emerged from the overturned van, Michael and Maria joined them.

Michael saw the car. “We’ve got to go.”.

Max grabbed Liz’s hand.

Michael stopped Max. “The girls need to go in a different direction from us. They want us…or specifically you. They can get away.”

Liz shook her head. “I’m staying with Max,” Liz said stubbornly.

Maria grabbed Michael’s hand. “We don’t have time to argue! Let’s go!”

They ran off together. At the crossroad of two roads, there were agent cars coming from different directions. Michael pulled Maria with him off the road, through the woods. He looked behind them. Max and Liz were gone.

“Where did they go?”

“Michael,” Maria looked behind them. “Michael…not now! We have to get to the mine. Liz knows where they have to go. We have to get help…get Valenti!”

Maria and Michael went crosscountry. They jumped out on a road almost being hit by a SUV. Sheriff Valenti got out the SUV.

“Michael! Maria!”

They ran to him. Maria quickly getting into the back of the car as Michael took the passenger’s seat.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been searching most of the night.”

Michael pointed in the direction where they last saw Max and Liz. “We ran into trouble, had to hole up. The Jetta got shot up with bullets.”

Valenti looked at Michael sharply. “Did any of you get hurt?”

“No,” said Maria tragically. “Just the Jetta. I’m grounded until I’m seventy.”

Jim looked at Maria in the rearview. “I’ll take care of it. Let’s get Max and Liz first. One problem at a time.”

“Why are you helping us?” Michael asked him.

Jim shrugged. It seemed easy to him, obvious. “There's a right side here and a wrong side. I don't think Pierce is on the right side.” Jim glanced at Michael. “Besides, I like to think that if my son were in trouble somewhere and I wasn't around to help, that somebody would be there for him.”

In a washout, an FBI Hummer suddenly appeared with Max and Liz running in front of it trying to get away. Michael swore. Why the hell did they stay in the open? They should’ve taken off across country on rougher terrain.

“There they are.” Michael said pointing them out to Jim. “Stop the car.”

Michael opened his door. He extended his hand, exerting his powers outward, targeting the Hummer. A flash of light exploded from the palm of his hand, and the FBI Hummer turned over, disabled. Michael missed Valenti’s shocked look. Max and Liz continue running until they get to the SUV. “Get in. Let's go.”

“What did you do?” Max asked Michael.

“I don't know.”

“What do you mean you don't know?” Max asked credulously.

“I don't know, just go!” Michael got back into the SUV. “Come on, go. Go! Go, or get out!”

Jim put the patrol car into gear taking off away from the FBI. He drove to the copper mine. The teens in the car were quiet, Maria staring at Michael’s forbidding profile. Her hands gripped themselves removing all circulation. Michael had exposed himself to save Max and Liz.

“We'll be safe here for awhile.”

Michael’s jaw flexed at Jim assertion. “There is no safe anymore.” Michael left the patrol car. Maria scrambled out quickly following him.

Max looked at Liz and nodded toward the mine opening. “Go ahead. I'll be right in.” Liz looked between the two men reluctantly leaving them alone.

Inside the mine, Liz paused before joining the others. She listened to Michael telling the others what happened.

“I don't know how I did it. I don't even know what I was trying to do. It just happened.” Michael stared at his open hands.

“It's just your own energy, Michael, and how you focus it. That's what Nasedo was trying to teach you.”

Isabel bit on a nail, worry lining her face. “So you did this in front of Valenti?”

Michael winced. He did the one thing he thought he never would do. “Well I couldn't let them get caught.”

“This changes everything.” Isabel said, pacing the room, unable to sit still.

“Yeah, don't you think I know that?” Michael had a bite to his voice, and Maria put a soothing hand on his back.

“So what is Valenti going to do?” Alex asked as Max joined them. Isabel saw him and quickly hugged him in relief. “What are we all going to do?”

“We're going to think this through,” Max said, “and we're not going to panic.”

Isabel was still hugging her brother. “So, you think we should trust Valenti?”

“We have no choice.” Max said. Maria looked at him with her mouth open. He made it sound like it wasn’t a choice he made, or that Liz made. Somehow, it was now Michael’s fault again that they were exposed.

“Yes we do.” Tess told them. “We can go to the chamber and be safe, just the four of us. Nasedo will rescue us, and Pierce doesn't want the rest of you.”

“There is no Nasedo.” Michael told Tess. “I heard gunfire.”

“How could you leave him?” Tess paced, her agitation increasing. “Without him, we’re alone! We have nothing to protect us.”

“Well, Nasedo isn't here.” Max pointed out. “And Pierce will do anything to anybody if he thinks he can get to us.” Max knew that for a fact since Pierce threatened Liz’s life and the others, all of them.

“Well we sure as hell can't stay here the rest of our lives.” Michael said, turning to lean against a wall.

“What do you mean?” Isabel asked, her eyes not leaving Michael’s stiff back. “Leave Roswell for good?”

Michael nodded, he looked at Maria who was standing next to him. “Maybe Tess is right. If the four of us leave, maybe the rest of you could…”

“No.” Maria refused to let this happen. God, they were just teenagers, human ones at that, with gifts they couldn’t even control. “I'm staying with you.”

Alex agreed. “So am I.”

Liz glanced at Max who was still standing with Isabel. “Yeah, we all are.”

Six of them, all only sixteen, Michael frowned. “So where do we go?”

“We go to the pod chamber,” Tess said. “Nasedo said to return there if anything happened. That is where we should go. Alone.” Tess added looking at the humans.

“We're not going anywhere.” Max told the others. “We're taking our lives back.”

“What?” Michael couldn’t believe it. After all this, and Max wanted to return to Roswell? They were exposed. It was time to leave.

“When Pierce told me the things they had done to the other alien… I'll die before I let that happen to any of you.”

Isabel hated it, but for once, she had to agree with Michael. It was time to leave. “Then we have to run.”

“If we run, then he'll just keep hunting us and there's no coming back. Are you willing to never see home again?” Max asked Isabel who shook her head, and then the others. “Any of you?” They were all silent. “Then we have to fight.”

Alex made a face. “Fight the most elite unit in the FBI.”

“Who now knows who we are and everything about us.” Isabel pointed out.

“Pierce does know who we are. But we also know who he is,” Max told them, “and we're stronger than he thinks. We may be even stronger than we think.” Michael glanced at Maria. They shared a common thought. Max was living in a dream world. Nasedo knew more about their powers then they ever would, or could learn in mere moments, and he had spent fifty years running from capture.

“Oh, god,” whispered Maria. Michael leaned into her, pulling her head to his shoulder. Yeah. They were toast.

~~~

The plan was elaborate. Nothing could be simple. They used Tess’s powers of mindwarping to send Pierce’s men off on a wild alien chase to Hondo. The only problem was a run-in that Max had with Kyle who took his father’s gun and followed Max.

Valenti convinced Pierce that he was on Pierce’s side, that he was afraid of the aliens. Offering to lead Pierce to them, he took Pierce to the UFO Center.

At the UFO Center, Valenti and Pierce watch the girls enter an office. Pierce nodded, happy to see his prey near.

“Soon as we see them all, shoot to kill, Sheriff.”

“What about the civilians?” Jim asked. It was Pierce’s last chance to prove himself not to be a monster.

“There's always a price to pay for freedom.” Pierce told Jim, he smiled while saying it. Sheriff Valenti’s blood ran cold. Liz, Maria and Alex…and more than likely, himself, were all expendable. Jim fingered the safety on his gun, but before he could act the lights went out.

“Pierce!” Jim yelled, unable to locate Pierce. So close. He had been so close to ending it right then.

When the lights came back on, Valenti and Pierce were lying on the ground. Max and Michael were there, pointing Pierce’s and Valenti’s guns at them. They moved the two men to the auditorium tying Pierce to a chair. Valenti was handcuffed.

“I can't believe I trusted you.” Max told Valenti bitterly. He nodded to Michael who led Jim away.

“I always thought you were out to get us.” Once they were in the other room behind the stage, in the storage and prop area, Michael released Valenti. “And I'm glad I was wrong.” He handed Jim his gun.

“I'll take care of Pierce as soon as Max gets what he needs.”

Michael couldn’t just accept help without question. “What are you going to do?”

“There's this guy I know at the Attorney General's office. I already put in the call.”

“You think the government's going to do something about Pierce? He’s part of it.”

“He's not the good part of it. See, we don't tolerate secret government action in this country.” Jim checked his gun. “At least not once the press gets ahold of it.”

Michael wasn’t convinced, but he had to start trusting somewhere. “I hope you're right.”

“It's time for this to be over.” Michael and Jim went to watch the show. Max and Pierce were in the auditorium still, and Max was playing a reversed role with Pierce from the White Room.

“Good evening, Agent Pierce. You know who I am. I know who you are.” Max tried to simulate Pierce’s interrogation technique as closely as he could. “And now you're going to tell me everything.”

“I've got nothing to say.”

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's up to you.” Max fingered Agent Pierce’s gun. “What happened to the shapshifter? Did you capture him? Did you kill him? Tell me?”

The others were in the office. Alex was keeping on eye, listening to what was going on in the auditorium.

“Max is pounding him with questions.”

Maria made a face. “He isn't going to answer them.” Pierce was an expert. He wouldn’t break.

Alex nodded agreeing with Maria. She was right. Pierce was trained to resist questioning. Alex squeezed Isabel’s hand. “That's why we have Isabel.”

“I've never dreamwalked anyone who wasn't asleep before.”

Tess wasn’t happy with the involvement of the humans, but she wanted to know where her protector was. “But you did it to Max when he was captured.”

“He was drugged. He didn't fight it. Pierce isn't going to do that.”

“If you can just get in, even a little, you'll see his answers.” Tess couldn’t give up that Nasedo was alive.

Isabel concentrated while Max was questioning Pierce about Nasedo. He refused to let up. Isabel began a dream-walk. She saw Pierce zipping Nasedo into a body bag. He told his offices to hold Nasedo’s body at Jeffords Airstrip out by Hobson. She saw Nasedo’s body placed in an armored truck.

Isabel startled awake from the dream-walk.

Alex held her hand. “What did you see?”

“I'm sorry.” Isabel told Tess. “It looks like he's dead.”

“He's not dead. He can't die.”

Liz frowned at the certainty in Tess’s voice. “Tess, what do you mean he can't die?”

“He said that if this ever happened,” Tess licked her lips, nervous, “that we had the power to bring him back.”

Alex was suspicious, and Isabel was holding his hand hard. “How?”

“He told me to find this Indian called RiverDog. He has these stones.”

“The healing stones.” Isabel told the others. They all knew them well.

“You know about them?” Tess was in disbelief that the others found truths without help, and the extent of the human involvement.

“Yeah, we already have them.” Maria said nonchalantly as if it was an everyday occurrence.

“Then all we need is Nasedo.” Tess felt a renew spark of hope. “You did see where they took him?”

“Yes.”

~~~

In the backstage storage prop area, Michael eyed the Sheriff. He couldn’t get over his natural suspicion of people in authority. Thinking of his earlier discussion with Jim, he tried to piece together what would happen.

“So, this guy at the Attorney General's… Sheriff?”

“Hm?” The Sheriff looked confused.

“The one you called?” Michael’s eyes narrowed. “Is he coming here, or are you taking Pierce to him?”

“I haven't decided yet.”

The Sheriff hadn’t been prepared to answer detailed questions. Michael immediately picked up on the inconsistencies. “There is no guy, is there?”

“If I turn him in, I turn all of you in.” Jim had thought it through. He understood what the teens couldn’t. “He kills people, Michael. It's what the guy does. He killed Topolsky, and Stevens, and six innocent people in that hospital, and who knows how many others. And he was just about to kill all of you.”

While Michael and Jim were talking, Jim’s son, Kyle was sneaking into the auditorium. He was worried about his dad, and he still was suspicious and distrustful of Max Evans. Having a bunch of FBI guys looking closely at Max was enough for Kyle. Max had left Pierce to go talk to the others, to see what Isabel had learned. Pierce saw Kyle, he called to the young man.

Telling Kyle what Kyle wanted to hear, Pierce convinced Kyle to that Max Evans and the others had his father. Pierce promised to help Kyle’s father if Kyle untied him. Pierce takes Jim’s load service revolver that Kyle had and told Kyle to go hide.

Sitting back in the chair, Pierce pretended to be still restrained. When Max, Michael and Valenti walked by, Pierce stood up and shot at them. He missed. Valenti returned fire in the direction that Pierce fled. Jim was reloading his gun when Pierce came back.

Michael saw Pierce take aim on Jim who was still trying to load his gun.

“No!” Michael used his powers to knock Pierce backwards into the wall. Stunned, Michael and Max watched as Valenti checked Pierce.

“He's dead.” Jim picked up the gun next to Pierce. Frowning, he recognized it. “It's one of mine.” Horror flushed over Jim’s body. He went to look behind the curtain. “No. Oh no.” Jim found his son. Kyle was on the ground. He had a bullet in his chest. He took one of Jim’s own rounds. “No. Aw, no, Kyle! Aw, geez, no! No Kyle! Agh!” Jim looked over at Max and Michael helplessly. “Help. Help me. Somebody, help me! Agh. Save my son, please.”

Max quickly knelt beside Kyle. Max put his hand over the bullet hole and healed Kyle.

Kyle’s eyes fluttered awake, confused, he looked at Max and his father. “What the hell just happened to me?”

Jim grabbed his son in a relieved hug, tears streaming his face. “I don't care who you are, or what you are. I'll be here for you. I need a moment alone with my son.”

~~~

Max and Michael went to the side leaving Jim alone with his son. Michael had been quiet since killing Pierce. Maria stood off to the side, not wanting to interrupt, but hoping Max could for once actually help Michael.

“You were just trying to stop him. I know you didn't mean to kill him.”

“But that's just it. I wanted to kill him.” Michael admitted. “I mean, that's all that I could think about. I wanted him dead. Knowing that, I just did it. It just happened. What kind of person does that make me?”

Max could feel Michael receding ever further. “We would have been dead if you didn't help us.”

“No!” Michael moved away from Max. “The bottom line Maxwell, I kill people. I kill people, you heal them.” Maria heard Michael’s voice as it rose in anger. It was more than the anger, it was the despair in his voice that made her go to him. “You're good, and I'm bad.”

“It's not true, Michael.” Max said desperate to get through to Michael.

Michael turned away from Max. He glanced over at Maria. “Just get out of here.”

“What are you talking about?” Maria asked. He was cold. He was receding fast behind those stonewalls, the same ones she spent so long knocking down.

“It's not safe.” Michael couldn’t look at her. Her damn car had bullet holes in it, and it took this to make her see how dangerous his life was, how much danger she was in to really finally sink in. She had more to fear from him then from the FBI.

“It's never been safe.” Maria put a hand on his arm. “What difference does it make now?”

“No, I'm not safe.” God, they always looked outside for danger, but it was living in him. Living large in him. “All right, I mean, I can do these things that I can't control. Look at what I did to Pierce.” Michael glanced over at the dead body. “I'm not going to take that chance with you. I don't want you to be around for what's going to happen.”

“Wait. Don't do this to us, Michael, please.” Maria searched his face. He was already alone. She couldn’t leave him alone. “You need me now, more than you have before, alright?”

“No, I don't need anyone.”

Maria shook her head. “Yes you do. You need me.” Michael turned away, but Maria pulled him back. “Well, maybe I do. Did you ever think of that? Maybe I need you!” Maria held his face forcing him to look at her. “You’ll be alone.”

“I’ve always been alone.” Michael told her. His hand unconsciously went to her cheek. “I’ve never had a real friend, Maria. Maybe I can’t risk you.”

“Michael, why? Why do you have to be alone? I can help you.”

“I can’t take a chance, Maria. I can’t! I love you too much.” Michael kissed her forehead. “Goodbye.”

“Michael!” Maria swore as he walked away. Damn him. Michael Guerin. He got an idea in his head, and he was like a pit bull refusing to let it go. “Damn you! You can run, Michael Guerin. You can run, but you can’t hide.” Maria rejoined the others. Michael was there, but on the edge of the group, refusing to be part of them.

Tess was agitated by the time they were taking leave. “We have to get Nasedo.”

Isabel nodded looking at the others. “I know where he is.”

“We've got to go.” Max looked at Liz. “Now. I can't make you do this.”

“Max, you're not making me do anything. We choose our own destinies, remember?” She wasn’t letting him go without her.

Maria took one last opportunity. She grabbed Michael. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I have to make sure you’re okay.” Maria hugged him quickly. “If you get Nasedo back…if you get him back and he wants all of you to leave…immediately. Promise me that somehow, somewhere you’ll find a way to contact me. That you’ll let me know that you’re okay.” Maria kissed his cheek. “It’s important to me because I love you too.”

Maria walked away. She went to stand next to Alex who hugged her to his side. They watched the aliens and Liz walk away.

~~~

Maria lay there in the dark. She listened closely as the tapping came again. Sighing, she beat her pillow fluffing it. The tap came again. Giving up, she got out of bed and went to answer the tap.

“Something?”

Michael almost had given up. “Hey.”

“Brilliant. I’m all out of hay. How about some crow?”

Michael scratched his brow. “I’m sorry, okay?”

Maria leaned out the window. “I’m sorry, it’s been so long. I seemed to be going deaf in this ear. Try the other one and louder.”

“Maria…”

She backed up to let him in. “It’s been a month. I call. You don’t call back. I should’ve moved my bedroom window across town or something.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“You did. I was just savoring the concept.”

“Are you finished?”

“Yeah, sure, but be warned, I am prone to relapses.”

Michael closed the window to keep the cool air in. “You are a pain in the ass, you know that right?”

“I like to think of it as a calling.” Maria looked him over critically. He looked like shit. “So you run out of hair gel money or something?”

“Thanks, I’m afraid I forgot how charming you can be.”

Maria pushed his longer hair out of his eyes. “When was the last time you slept?”

“Last night.”

“Michael.”

Michael sighed. “It’s been awhile.” About a month, but he didn’t want to admit to that. He had tried to stay away. It was for the best, but he couldn’t sleep. He was lonely, and his place was empty.

Maria glanced at the time. Locking her door, she crawled back into bed. “C’mon. I have the morning shift.”

“I know. I work the evening.”

“Yeah, I noticed the opposite shifts.”

“Sorry about that too.” Michael took off his shirt and his shoes.”

“Uh uh. Shed the denim too. It’s scratchy.”

“If I leave my jeans on, it’s a better getaway from your mom’s wicked newspaper hand.”

“She’s out of town.”

Michael snorted. “Really? Why did you lock the bedroom door?”

“To keep you from getting away when I question you.”

Michael crawled into the bed, sighing in relief when she moved into her usual position. He was so tired. Yawning, he let his bones melt into the bed.

“I have a destiny to be a soldier…to go home and free my people.” Michael whispered in the dark. So, he found that more important destiny, one that was better than being an alien sperm factory. Maria made a face. Trust Michael to pick the destiny that involved more work, less pleasure. Typical.

“I heard.”

“How?”

“Liz.”

“Right.” Michael went quiet. A month after hearing about his destiny and he never gave a thought about Liz. After they recovered Nasedo’s body and used the healing stones to bring him back, they used the orbs to activate a message from Max and Isabel’s mother. After they learned of their destiny, Liz ran away to leave Max to follow it. Michael hadn’t given her a thought since. “How is she?”

“I don’t know. She left. Liz is in Florida for the summer.”

“Entire summer?”

“I suppose. She doesn’t talk to me or Alex right now.” Maria rubbed her face in his back. “Hard to be dumped by both my best friends all at once.”

“Did I mention that I was sorry?”

“Yeah.” Maria moved her hand around his body to hold him closer getting comfortable. “So are you still screwed up over the Pierce thing?”

“Yeah. I’m trying to get past it, but…”

“It’s hard.” Maria pushed him onto his back. Sitting up a little, she searched his face. “I would be more concerned about you, Michael if you accepted it easily, and it didn’t bother you.”

Michael was quiet for a moment. She was right. He missed that. He did care about what it said about him. “I’m afraid, Maria. What if this is what I inherited from my alien side? Stone cold killer? Emotionless and accepting to be assigned to a life lacking in love or real warmth?”

“You didn’t want to feel human, remember?”

“Then once again, the joke is on me. I am human. More than I realized.”

Maria lay down on his chest, her arm going around his waist, the late hour, and a month of tiredness finally catching up with her. “I always knew that.”

Michael once told her, a person could fight their nature, but even a leopard couldn’t change their spots. Michael was discovering he was more human than he ever imagined. Maria wondered how long he would struggle to be an alien, denying his humanity, and when exactly he would learn to accept an essential part of his own makeup.

TBC: The Day We Never Kissed, Season 2….Searching for Antar.

Morning After - Blind Date | Independence Day - Destiny