Max and Michael were running in the darkened school corridors from some nameless threat. They hid behind some lockers, peeking around the corner, checking for pursuit.

“I think we lost them.” Max told Michael breathlessly.

“Are you sure?” Michael glanced around nervously, not as certain as Max.

“Not really.”

“Where's Isabel?” Michael asked, his voice rose almost in hysteria. “God, where’s Maria?”

“They’re gone, Michael.” Michael showed signs of falling apart, but Max grabbed him, giving him a shake. “Now pull it together or we're gonna be next.”

“Okay, okay, what - what do they want from us?”

“We need a plan.” Max told him. “We can't fly by the seat of our pants anymore.”

“They gotta want something.” Michael’s body was shaking. “Maybe we can talk to them.”

“It's time to step it up. Face the demon. No more hiding.”

“What are you talking about?” Michael asked as he checked the hall for their pursuers again. He turned back around, but Max was gone.

“Max! Maxwell?” Michael called almost hysterically. Suddenly there were men all around him, dressed in black-ops gear pointing their guns at Michael. He raised his hands, afraid and alone. Backing up slowly he shook his head in denial. “No, please, no!”

Ignoring his pleas, they shot him. His body jerked from the impact of the bullets and he woke up, gasping for air, touching his chest to check for bullet holes. Sinking his head in his hands for a moment he tried to calm down. It was a dream, just a dream. Getting out of bed, he walked through the dark apartment into the kitchen. Another wave of fear and helplessness washed over him. He slammed the refrigerator hard with the heel of his hand, leaning on it for a moment before opening it to take out a brown envelope. The money that Bobby Dupree tried to bribe him with to desert Laurie, to walk away and never look back weighed in his hands. Sick and tired, he tried to quell the rising nausea and residual fear. This had to end. Something had to change.

~~~

Maria woke in a fright as suddenly Michael was on her bed, his hands on her body waking her. He was normally quiet when he came into her room at night, careful not to wake her or at least wake her gently.

“Michael?” Maria breathed through the pounding of her heart almost in her throat. “What's going on?” She saw his face and sat up, her hand going to his face. He still was sweating. “God, are you sick … is that it?”

“We’re leaving; that's what's going on. You and I-- we're getting out of this town for a couple of days.”

“What?” Maria sat up in bed, scooting over and literally dragging him beside her so she could push him down, trapped for interrogation. “Why? What's wrong?”

Michael visibly sank into the bed in tiredness, his body moving into the softness of the mattress. “I need a road trip. I gotta clear out the cobwebs.”

“Michael, what the hell are you talking about? We just got home from Tucson.”

“I'm talking about getting out of this two-bit town for a couple of days and having some fun.” Michael answered. Tucson wasn’t fun. It was alien stuff … work. He needed a damn vacation from his life, from being alien. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, there's nothing wrong with that.” She searched his face. He looked bad. Tired and there was a fine tremble in his body. Her voiced gentled. “You wanna tell me what's really going on?”

“Nightmares. I can't shake `em; I've had `em every night for two weeks.” Maria bit her lip. She hadn’t been spending as much time with him, not since Sean had moved in, and he didn’t come over as much because Sean was there and they didn’t get along. “I mean my brain needs a vacation, or I swear to God I'm gonna lose it on someone or something, and it's not gonna be pretty.”

“Okay, we'll take a vacation.”

“Yeah, today, now, let's go, out of town.”

“Today?” Maria frowned at the urgency he was showing. “But ... we need a plan.”

“Screw the plan, let's just go.”

Maria nodded. She could get away. That would involve talking to her mother, but she couldn’t see it being a huge problem. “Okay, I need you to calm down just a moment, and tell me about these dreams. What has you spooked?”

“Maria, can’t we by-pass the psycho-babble and just blow Dodge?”

“Just tell me.” Maria pushed him back in the bed, removing his shoes. Covering him up with her duvet, she waited patiently. Michael sighed and began to tell her what he was dreaming. Maria listened, her eyes thoughtful and intense.

“Michael, you gotta trust me here.”

“Oh, come on!” Michael didn’t want this. She was going to reason him out of his vacation.

“You need to go talk to Max.”

“What? Max? Why?”

“Because your dreams aren’t about me, and they aren’t about Isabel … they’re about Max leaving you alone.”

“Maria, I told you to stop watching Dr. Phil!”

“No, just listen. Maybe you need some time with Max. You know, one on one buddy time.”

“Max and I have had a hard time lately.”

Maria nodded. “Okay, I know that … so that’s why I’m going to act as a go-between, keep things even.”

“We’re going?”

“Absolutely,” Maria reassured him. “We need a cover story, so no one looks for us. Max can’t just take off. So first we'll go to school …”

“I cannot make it through another day of school.” Michael told her honestly.

“Look … you talk to Max and give us some time to cover our tracks and we're out of here. Okay?”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Michael lay back in the bed, his body visibly relaxing for the first time in almost two weeks.

“So … where are we going anyway?”

“You're gonna love it. It's a place without rules, without responsibilities, a place where we can forget about our troubles, it's a city of dreams.”

“Graceland? You’re taking me to Graceland!” Maria said excitedly laughing at the look on Michael’s face lying down in his arms. “Okay, joking. So tell me. Where would this heaven be …”

“Vegas … we're going to Vegas, baby”

~~~

Maria sent Michael off to the shower before picking up the phone and calling Max. She talked to him for a few moments, telling him in simple English what Michael wouldn’t say when he talked to him. Max was quiet, but he agreed that they needed to get Michael out of town, make him calmer before he lost it.

Hanging up the phone, Maria concentrated on her closet. Crap. Crap … crap. She needed new clothes, all her old ones were boring her. Going down the hall, she tapped on her mother’s door entering when Amy called to her.

“Mom, can you lend me …”

“Michael’s here?”

“Yeah. He’s in the shower.” Maria went to Amy’s closet. “He came in last night, really late.” Maria took a dress she liked and went to sit on her mother’s bed while watching her mom put on her makeup at the vanity. “He’s not doing so well.”

“What’s wrong?”

Maria glanced at the bedroom door. “Nightmares. He’s walking a very tight rope. I think being chased by a deranged killer, the shooting, and Grant’s death has left a little something behind.”

Amy turned to look at her daughter. “He should go to the psychologist. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. Most people have a hard time after a traumatic injury.”

“Kyle became a Buddhist.” Maria said more to herself. And Liz became … something else.

“What?”

“Nothing. Mom, he thinks he needs a vacation … to get away from here, from everything.”

“Oh, am I going to like this?”

“No. But I think it’s important for him.”

Amy sighed. “Okay … where?”

“Vegas.”

“Oh, no! Maria, you’re underage.”

“I know. So I mean how much trouble can we get into?”

“Uh-huh.” Amy stared at her daughter as a huge list slowly evolved in her mind. Tons.

“Mom, he’s looking really bad. I think the little sleep he got in my bed last night was all he’s had in about two weeks. He was shaking and almost sick. Michael is never sick.”

“Fine. You walk past every Vegas wedding chapel … do not enter! Under any circumstances. No tattoos, no piercing, and absolutely … no wild drinking parties!”

Maria gave a yelp of excitement, rushing to hug her mother and giving her a big sloppy kiss on the cheek. Reaching over, she grabbed a few more things from her mother’s closet. “Love you!”

“Maria...,” Amy called to her as she was almost out the door.

“Yeah?”

“Call me if you need bail money.”

~~~

Max and Michael were walking through the school as Michael explained to Max what he wanted to do. Surprisingly, Max was more receptive than Michael had expected him to be, and they agreed to leave after school. Stopping at his locker, Michael pulled out the Dupree money.

“You know, you don't have to blow the whole 50 G's in one trip, Michael. We could take $10,000 and still have a good time.”

Michael shook his head. He couldn’t explain it, but it had to do with loyalty. He wouldn’t betray Max in another life, and he wouldn’t betray Laurie in this one. The money was a bribe … tainted. Blood money to walk away from his own blood. “I don't want the money, not one thin dime.”

“But just think about it for a minute. You could use that cash to build your future.”

“The money was a bribe, it's tainted. You don't build your future on that.” Michael felt his edge becoming sharp. He didn’t want to explain it, and he sure as hell didn’t want to have Max talk him out of what needed to be done. “Besides I think it's haunting me. I wanna get rid of it.”

“Michael, be reasonable.”

Michael lost it, shouting at Max. “Hey! I'm not gonna be reasonable! This isn't a reasonable day in my life.” He shoved the money into the locker slamming it closed.

“Ok, Okay.” Max said quickly needing to calm Michael down. Maria had been right. Michael wasn’t dealing very well. “That's a lot of cash to keep in your locker.”

Michael used his powers to lock it. “I defy the National Guard to open it.” He nodded to Max. “Now go ahead and make a plan for our escape, and then let's go.”

Isabel walked up at the tail end of the conversation. “Go where?”

“Nowhere,” Michael said brushing her off. “Meet me in the lounge in fifth period and have a plan.” he told Max as he walked away, and Max and Isabel started walking through the hall.

“Where are you going fifth period?” Isabel inquired.

“We're … going to Vegas.”

“We?”

“Michael and I.” Max said weakly adding in, “and Maria.” He saw the look on his sister’s face. “It's really for him, he needs a break.”

“And I don't? Do I really have to give you the list of all the things that I have had to deal with lately?” Isabel demanded.

Max literally gulped, “No.”

“Then I'm sure I don't have to stand here and convince you that if anyone needs a break it's your loving sister, who has asked for so little and given so much.”

“No.” Max said praying she wouldn’t try to convince him further.

“And I'm sure that whatever plan you come up with will work just as easily for four as it will for three, right?”

“It will now.” Max said, defeated. Why did he answer his phone that morning? Why didn’t he stay home sick?

“Fabulous, I'll see you in the lounge later.”

~~~

Michael and Kyle were in Spanish class, both not concentrating. Michael was reading and Kyle kept glancing over at him.

“¿Dónde est´ Felipe?” The teacher prompted.

“Felipe esta en la cocina.” The class responded except for Michael and Kyle.

Kyle glanced at the teacher before throwing a piece of paper at Michael. “What’re you reading?”

Michael glanced to see where the teacher was before showing Kyle a book about gambling. “Vegas, baby.”

“You're going?” Kyle asked, his interest definitely piqued.

“Si.” Michael said smugly feeling good for the first time in weeks, almost … optimistic.

“¿Y qué hace Felipe en la cocina?” The teacher prompted.

Kyle responded with the class while flipping through the book “Felipe come huevos.” He whispered to Michael, “When?”

“Fifth period, Max is making plans.”

“Do you have room for one more?” Kyle asked hopefully.

“Sorry, aliens only, you understand.” Michael informed Kyle.

Kyle’s eyes narrowed. “Is Maria going?”

“Sure, but they don’t get much more alien than DeLuca.”

Kyle shrugged. Michael had a point. Maria tended to be the extreme. He always took the little mating dance Michael and Maria were doing as more like extreme dating. Kyle took some money out of his shirt pocket and passed it to Michael.

“Put a quarter on red for me.” He told Michael.

The teacher noticed Kyle’s distraction from the class. She said to Kyle, “Pepe ¿qué pasa?” Reaching down, she confiscated the gambling book. “Hmmm, detención. Los huevos son buenos.”

“Los comemos con salsa.” The class responded as Kyle got detention. Kyle glared at Michael, “Triple it, or die.”

~~~

Tess was walking down the hall, when Kyle caught up with her. “Hey, hey, hey.” Kyle said, stopping her. “Even though you held out on me, I'll cover with Dad, in exchange for a dime on black.”

Tess frowned, suspicious that he was suffering a brain trauma. “Did somebody step on your head in gym?”

“Hey, knock it off.” Kyle hooked his arm through Tess’s and walked her to her locker. “I'm talking about your "Martians-only" field trip to Vegas.”

“I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not going to Vegas.”

“Oh, maybe it's a surprise.” Kyle told her, noticing Maria. Lucky girl. She was strange enough at times to pass for alien. “Max, Maria and Michael are organizing the whole thing.”

“Really? Where did you hear that?”

~~~

Maria hooked onto Michael on the way to mid-morning snack. In their rush that morning, they both forgot to eat breakfast. “So someone’s been talking. Kyle was telling Tess about an ‘all alien’ trip to Vegas.

“Nope. She can’t come. They can’t come. It’s just you, me, and Max.”

“Whyyyyy?” Maria didn’t see the big deal. They had all been in the trenches lately. Kyle and Alex almost dying in the gandarium cave, the others digging like unhappy miners in the pouring rain, Isabel kidnapped by a murderous Grant, her and Laurie chased by the killer, and Michael shot.

“Because things are gonna happen that the faint of the heart shouldn't see.” Michael informed Maria. Nope. The others were not up to the task.

“Oh, pleeeease!” What, he was going to dance Coyote Ugly on a bar in his bvd’s? “Besides how are you paying for this trip anyway?”

“The Dupree's money.”

“That's $50,000, Michael.”

“Yeah, and I'm gonna spend every cent of it.”

“Oh really?” Giving her frozen pizza roll friend the once over, she took a firm stance. “Okay, where are we staying?”

“I got a double on the Clean & Cheap.” Maria nodded. Uh-huh. That meant her and Michael in one bed, and Max in the other.

“Okay, how about food?”

“There are a few buffets I thought we could check out.”

“Okay, you're up to about $37 with tax. What else?” Michael was quiet. “Come on. Nobody can spend money like I can spend money, but even I will need help to waste through this pile in a three day weekend. We need more people on this trip, Michael. Maybe you’re not the only one needing to get away, blow the pressure of being in Roswell and in the thick of alien central, 24-7!”

“All right, all right, a few of them can tag along. But you’re responsible for keeping them all away from me … and Max! This isn’t some kissy-kissy romantic retreat where we sit around the hotel room playing Spin the Bottle or Truth or Dare. I have stuff to do.”

Maria jumped up and down, very happy to have this huge fun trip with all their friends. “Thank you, thank you!” She kissed him on the cheek never noticing the knowing glances of other students watching them.

“Hey, hey. Don't go telling everybody in the whole damn school, and let's keep this low profile. Seriously!”

Maria made a face at him. “Who are you talking to? Baby, this is me!” Maria rushed off to change the reservations and organize a real trip to Vegas.

Michael watched her leave, smiling slightly at her enthusiasm, but a little overwhelmed by being mauled by the DeLuca war machine. “Yeah, I know you. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

~~~

Maria was working on talking Liz into the trip during science lab.

“I booked a suite at the Bali Hi hotel and casino. Amenities include marble statuary, world-class shopping and lighted tennis courts.”

“Vegas just isn't my idea of fun,” Liz told Maria, not wanting to even set foot in that town.

“The pool has a water slide.” Maria tempted her friend.

“I'm sorry.” Liz shook her head. Nope. Anywhere else … but not Vegas.

“In the shape of a giant flamingo.” Maria sighed when Liz remained unyielding. “Please come with me to Vegas, Liz! Michael is gonna be off doing some dumb guy thing, and I really need a gal pal.”

“No.”

“Pleeeeease!” Maria wheedled.

Liz rolled her eyes. Resisting Maria’s pleas was hard … the girl, she had a way of getting things. “Maria, the reason I'm not going to Vegas … is because I was married there.”

“What?” Maria looked around. Okay, so something else Liz forgot to mention? She sincerely hoped this wasn’t part of the sleep with Kyle sham to convince Max to move on taken just a tad bit too far.

“Yes, when Future Max came, he told me. We got married in Vegas at the Elvis chapel, and it was the most romantic night of our lives. So basically, I don't want to go Vegas -- ever.”

“All right, you know what? There's a lesson to be learned here.” Maria told Liz, needing her friend to let it go, and start living her life instead of holding on to a future that would never happen. She couldn’t clothe herself in black and mourn what would never be. God! If being married in a sleazy Elvis Chapel was the most romantic night of Max and Liz’s married life, then they really needed to rethink their romance. Geez. “What happened between you and Max is unspeakably intense, but the marriage thing never actually really happened, so you've gotta let go of it. You've got to create your own memories, and that's what we're gonna do in Vegas with Michael's money.”

Alex arrived joining his two favorite girls. “Ohh, I love the smell of formaldehyde in the morning.”

“Alex, pop quiz.” Maria said smiling at her friend, the eternally upbeat Mr. Whitman. “If you were given the chance would you rather a) dissect pig babies?”

“Embryos.” Liz corrected.

Maria waved that off. Whatever! Who really cared except Liz? “Or b) get an all-expense-paid trip to Vegas?”

“When do we leave?”

“Today after fifth period,” Maria informed her friend who knew how to live. Now the other one … “Come on, Liz, all the cool kids are doing it.”

“I would really appreciate if you would respect my decision.” Maria started singing Viva Las Vegas. “Maria.” Liz begged her.

“Viva, viva Las Vegas.” Maria had no mercy.

“Maria.”

“Viva Las Vegas.”

Liz looked to Alex for help, but Alex had nothing to say, obviously he thought like Maria.

~~~

Michael was walking down the hall when Tess caught up with him.

“Michael, hey, I hope you don't mind, but I invited Kyle on our trip to Vegas, 'cause you know, he's been really a stand-up guy, and he did, technically, save the world from the crystals and everything.”

Michael gave Tess a ‘what our trip’ look. Dammit, Maria. It had to be. He thought extra people meant old Parker, who would refuse to go and skip class or break a few rules, not the entire school.

“Yeah, and I just wanted to let you know, too, that when I first moved to town I felt like a complete outsider, you know, no friends, barely any family, but you really helped me feel welcome. And this trip you know -- wow!” Tess jumped up and down hardly able to contain her excitement as she hung on Michael’s arm. “It's just so great of you to organize it for us all, and we can all use some time away, plus, I've always wanted to go to Vegas! So can I tell Kyle it's okay?”

Michael surrendered. Helpless to spoil Tess’s good feelings, he resigned himself to a few extra people in his space. “Sure I'm glad to have him. And you, by the way.”

“Thank you.” Tess rushed off to get Buddha Boy on track for fun and debauchery in Vegas.

~~~

Michael took the money out of his locker. Walking to the lounge, he turned the corner and beheld the entire gang, sans Max and Liz. A chauffeur was holding a sign that said "Guerin Party".

Michael’s mouth opened in disbelief. “This is low-profile?”

Maria hugged his arm. “Don't you love that little hat?”

Michael froze when the principal’s voice came from behind him. “Going somewhere, Mr. Guerin?” In dread, Michael slowly turned to face the principal but instead finding find Max standing there with a goofy smile. “Pretty good Principal Forrester, huh?”

“Yeah, you're a riot.” Michael told him. “What's the plan?”

Max handed Michael a piece of paper. “At this very moment, the debate team is leaving for a two-day meet in Santa Fe. According to this piece of paper, we're going with them. If anybody asks, our original oral topic was Space Travel: Wave of the Future or Misbegotten Dream?”

“Catchy.” Alex complimented.

“All right, let's go.” Michael told the group, wanting to get the circus freak show on the road. Exactly when did his stolen weekend away from Roswell with just him and Maria turn into this … he didn’t know, but he sure as hell knew who to blame. Grabbing Maria, he leaned down. “You and me! We’re sitting together. I have a few choice comments to make.” Maria sputtered a little as everyone began to follow the chauffeur out to the car and then the airport.

“Hey! You got room for one more?” Liz yelled at them running to catch up. Maria smiled and threw herself into Liz’s arms hugging her friend. Perfect!

“Oh, I'm so proud of you.”

“Yeah,” Max said to Liz, a little shocked that she would join the party. “… but let's get out of the hall before someone starts asking questions.” The remaining four started to leave, but Michael stopped Liz, his arm barring her way. She glanced up at him questioningly.

“No lecturing, no moralizing, no whining about spending money on the homeless. This weekend it's about fun and debauchery.” Michael warned her, his eyes narrowed, still unable to believe Liz Parker could understand such concepts. “You got it?”

“Yeah.” She said making a face. “I know how to have fun.”

“Right.” Michael offered his arm to Maria, and given the chance, she took it.

“Oh, you know what, Spaceboy? You better sit with Max, and I’ll take Liz. The whole broken up thing … and plus, Liz and I, have girl things to discuss.”

“Uh-huh. Fine, but we will be having that talk. I promise.”

Maria watched his back as he walked towards the car with Max. She made a gesture of disbelief. “Did you not hear him threatening me?”

“Maria … Vegas?”

“Yeah. Sure. Hmm.”

~~~

“Here we are …” The bellboy said showing them into the suite. “The Presidential Suite. You've got three bedrooms, three baths, state-of-the-art entertainment system, six person Jacuzzi,” The man went on and on, as Maria took money from Michael’s stash. “… heated to a toasty 102. Is there anything else I could get you folks?” He asked as Maria handed him his tip. Smiling the man definitely wanted to serve them. “Uh … thanks. I'll go get you some ice.”

Maria waited until the bellboy had vacated the room before screeching in excitement, rushing off to find her and Michael’s room before the others tried to dominate the master bedroom.

Tess ran around too, eager to search out the place. “I bet they have towel warmers.”

Kyle went to the entertainment center. “Let's see about some in-house porno.”

“Hold on!” Michael told the group before they could scramble away. “Line up, ID's out. This town has some restrictions about having fun. I'm gonna fix that.” He went over and moved his hand over everyone’s IDs. “You are no longer high school students from Roswell, New Mexico … you are of-age party machines.” Michael altered the birthdates on all the IDs with a pass of his hand. “These are your aliases. You will use these aliases for the duration of our trip. Sound off.”

Kyle glanced at his. “Okay, Harvey Wallbanger.”

Tess laughed. “Piña Colada.”

Alex made a face. “Tom Collins.”

“Brandy Alexander.” Isabel said smiling at Tess.

“Oh! Margarita Salt.” Maria called out in her throaty sexy voice belonging to a speakeasy.

Liz grimaced at her new name. “Shirley Temple.”

Max lifted an eyebrow at his. “Rob Roy.”

“And I'm your host, Dr. Love.” Everyone giggled, then stifling them from Michael’s glare. “Since I'm sponsoring this operation, you will follow my rules. Your bank is three grand. This cash is to be spent here. There is no hoarding it. Rule number two - and this is the biggie. Rob Roy and Dr. Love run alone. You see us at a table, you find another one.” Michael made sure everyone understood, spending an extra moment glaring at Liz, just in case she didn’t get it. “Any problems, questions, or concerns, contact management, my trusty assistant, Ms. Margarita Salt who will take care of everything. If there are no other questions …” Everyone shook their heads quickly. “Good, then go out and clobber the house.”

He didn’t have to beg twice. Alex ran first, then Kyle, Isabel, and then Tess. Michael hooked Maria’s arm to keep her near as they talked to each other in a low tone. Max approached Liz.

“I was uh … I was kind of surprised to see you were down for this kind of trip.”

“Oh, oh, well, you know, I could say the same thing to you.” Liz wasn’t sure she appreciated that she was considered such a dull killjoy, but happy that Max was in the same category.

“I'm only here for Michael. He's uh … he's kinda going through something. I just wanna keep an eye on him.”

“Oh!” Liz made a face. “So this is not a vacation for you.”

“It's the last place I'd wanna take a vacation.” Max told her.

“Yeah, me too. I'm just here for Maria.” Liz said truthfully.

Michael glanced up from his talk with Maria noticing Liz. Frowning in irritation he fixed a problem immediately. “Hey Shirley. Didn't you hear the Dr's orders?”

“Yeah, I'm sorry. We were just …”

“Good, yeah, cool, good. Bye.” Michael pushed her towards the door.

“Okay.” Liz looked back. “Bye.”

“She's exhausting.” Michael observed under his breath, making a face as Parker looked back one last time. Maria punched him on the arm and rushed off after Liz. Michael shrugged. Yeah, let Maria take care of it, she actually liked Liz. Turning to Max he gestured to the place. “It's pretty swanky huh?”

“Yeah, it's great.”

“I mean … time for fun. Pick your poison. Blackjack, craps, roulette.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you want.”

“That's not the spirit I'm looking for Robbie.” Michael told Max, needing him to be a tad bit more enthusiastic about the entire thing. “But, don't worry, Dr. Love will show you the way.”

~~~

The four girls were walking through the casino with Maria reading something and the others looking around.

Tess couldn’t stop smiling. “This is so cool.”

“Hey. What should we do first?” Isabel asked as Maria dialed a number and was talking to someone.

Liz glanced around overwhelmed, uncertain where to begin “I think we should try and play a game.” Standing around gawking like they were doing was going to be a dead giveaway to Security.

Maria disconnected her phone. “Okay. I'm set. I just booked a salt scrub at the spa.”

“Wait, wait.” Liz said stopping Maria. “What happened to needing a gal pal?”

“I'll be an hour tops.” Maria reassured Liz already having her beauty treatment scheduled, and dammit, much needed. The trip to Tucson had done terrible things to her complexion, and after watching Courtney shriveled up into disgusting dried skin, she was almost paranoid about moisturizing. “Have fun, guys.”

“Okay, bye.” Isabel said waving Maria off, completely understanding. Later she would have to schedule herself something too. Maybe a massage. “Okay ladies let's just dive in.” Isabel walked into the main casino without a problem, but the security guard stopped Liz and Tess

“Excuse me, can I see some identification?” He asked the two obviously underaged girls.

“Sure.” Tess gave him her ID as Liz passed hers over as well.

The security guard glanced at the information handing them back their IDs. “Nice try, girls, the video arcade is that way.”

“Uh, excuse me, we're twenty-one.” Tess told the man.

“Yeah and I'm Charo.”

“You know, I'm sure we can find another form of I.D. in here somewhere.” Tess told the man more than happy to mindwarp him into letting them inside.

“We are seventeen years old.” Liz confessed laughing nervously. The security gestured them off to the arcade.

“Mm - hmm. Good job.” Tess said crossly at Liz.

“I'm sorry. Very, very sorry.” The two girls walked off together, unhappy not being able to have fun, and even more unhappy in each others company.

~~~

Isabel, Kyle and Alex were all sitting at the same blackjack table

“Show me how it works.” Isabel said watching the cards, confused.

“All right. You put your bet here.” Kyle instructed Isabel, and she followed his instructions. “And the point is to get to 21. Kings are worth 10,” Kyle gestured to the dealer, “so you get another card, now you've got 16,” he gestured to the dealer to hit them again, “so another card, now you go to 25, and he takes your money away.”

“Gee!” Isabel said watching her money disappear easily. “What a great game. Thank you.”

“I'm sorry, you have to play more than one hand.” Kyle told her. It was never a short investment game.

“Kyle, this is math, not exactly what I'm looking for in a vacation.” Isabel told him while Alex continued to watch the play.

“Well, this is the gambling capital of the world.” Kyle pointed out. “What are you looking for?”

“I guess I'll know when I see it.” Isabel left the two young men to their gambling. “Later.”

“All right.” Kyle turned back to the tables.

“She is right you know.” Alex pointed out. “It's math. More precisely, AP Statistics, which dictates that an all-or-nothing strategy has the best chance of beating the house.” Alex put his entire bankroll on the table.

“That makes no sense.” Kyle told Alex as he gestured to the dealer. “Hit me.”

“Hit me.” Alex said his mouth opening in shock when he lost and the dealer took away the cards and all of his money.

Kyle grimaced, interested in Alex’s strategy. “You took that one in the shorts.”

Maria came up behind the two, not seeing how devastated Alex was. “You will never believe what I've found in the spa locker room.”

“Oh, God. My heart hurts.” Alex said dramatically.

“A booking agent is holding auditions.” She informed her friend. “Alex, Alex I need the hugest favor from you. I need an accompanist.”

“I play the bass guitar.”

“No, no. You could fake it in the piano.” Maria told him. “It's just some simple chords changes. It first starts off with an E and then in the bridge it goes …”

Alex, too upset with his crushing loss, made babbling noises and then shouted above Maria to get her attention. “Maria -- I just lost $3000, all right?”

“Alex, I'll...,” She patted him on the arm unconcerned. “I'll give you my $3000, if you help me get this gig. Please.”

“The key was E, right?” Alex said getting up to follow Maria.

“Right.”

“All right. What's the tune?” Alex asked as they walked out of the casino leaving Kyle playing blackjack alone.

“Hit me.”

~~~

Max and Michael were at the craps table moving up to the bar.

“Coming out.” The stickman called.

“Basic rules 7 or 11 on the first roll you're golden.” Michael informed Max. “2, 3 or 12 you lose your shirt.” Michael pushed Max into place to roll. “We've got a first time roller here.” Michael informed the man.

“No.” Max said not to sure about gambling. “You go ahead. I'll just watch.”

“Ok, I'm gonna roll. Trust me, Max, you're gonna love this game. It's fast, it's loud, it's everything living in Roswell isn't. Here we go.” Michael threw the dice got a 6.

“6, point 6.” The stickman announced. “Coming around.”

“Okay, now if I roll a 6 we win, if I roll a 7 we go bust.” Michael told Max as he glanced at the stickman. “6 the hard way.” He told the man and gestured to Max placing chips on the table in front of Max. “In for him too.” Michael rolled.

“6 hard way.” The stickman announced.

“Ohh!” Michael said excited and having fun. “Pay the man.”

Maria came up next to Michael pushing an observer out of the way. Michael didn’t even glance at her, but his free arm went around her waist pulling her in closer to the table. “Amazing news. I have an audition.”

“Now, keep with me here folks, I'm here to win,” he told the crowd around the table, and he told Maria, “and I don't see you.”

“Hello? Don't you know what my dream has been since, like, the beginning of time?” Maria told him, pouting a little. He knew. She was sure she had told him. “It's to start my singing career in a smoky Vegas, supper club.” Michael rolled the dice, ignoring Maria for the moment.

“7 winner.” The stickman called out.

“Sweet.” Michael smiled stacking his chips in front of him letting the pile ride, as the crowd around the table went wild.

“I'll be up on stage right? In front of a great band, and I'll belt out some torch songs, there'll be a spotlight, my makeup will be perfect. I'll have …” Maria continued until Michael interrupted her.

“Maria, I’m winning here.”

“Are you not listening to me? This could be my big break, right now,” Maria informed him, an important moment in her life, and he was determined to miss it? “Don't you want to come, and like cheer me on, and like give me a …”

“7 winner!” was announced again as Michael took the next turn.

“Oh!” Michael slapped his hands excited bowing to his loyal followers. “The king, ladies and gentlemen.”

“Michael!”

“Maria, stop being a pill. I'm in the middle of something important.” Michael caught her before she could stomp off. “Maria, girl … I’m winning money. Important money.”

Maria glanced over the bar at Michael’s pile. “How much you up?”

“Quite a few grand.”

“Epic! We could take that holiday to Hawaii, and …”

“Oh no you don’t! I won the bet over Christmas. I pick vacationland. Daytona is having this sweet dirt bike rally in June, and …”

“I found this incredibly small string bikini with a thong.” Maria informed Michael. “Parasailing, surfing, water sports, and …”

“Hawaii?” Michael said with some thought. “That … I might appreciate Hawaii.” He looked at his pile. “We need some more money.”

Maria looked around at people waiting for Michael to roll again. “Would you back up! Can’t you see the man needs space?” Maria shooed them off. She gave Michael a quick peck on his cheek. “Get back to work, Spaceboy. Remember … you own this bitch!”

“Yeah, I own this bitch!” Michael repeated, picking up the dice. He was going to own the whole damn place before he finished.

Maria hurried off to make her audition and reschedule her salt rub. She was going to need the salt rub before Hawaii.

~~~

Isabel was playing the slot machines. She started looking around and saw all of the couples hugging and kissing. Feeling a little melancholy about her own state of affairs concerning Alex and Grant, when she heard a woman behind her cry out in distress.

“Oh, no!” The woman was behind her, standing in a stained wedding dress.

“Oh! No. Please hurry.” The woman begged a waitress who was rushing to get a damp towel.

“Are you okay?” Isabel asked.

“Lord, help me.” The woman said in a southern accent. “Wedding's in a half and hour. My maid of honor gets food poisoning from the breakfast buffet, and now some dumb Canadian slams into me with his merlot.” The waitress returned with some water and salt, to remove the stain.

“Let me try to help here.” Isabel took the damp clothe from the waitress. “Thank you.”

“My mama told me not to elope.” The woman fretted, on the verge of tears. Isabel surreptitiously used her powers to remove the stain.

“Well, actually, I think we've got it out.” Isabel said straightening.

“Well honey! Aren't you just my good luck charm?” The woman said as she stared at her pristine dress. “What's your name?”

“Brandy.”

“Brandy, that's pretty.” The woman offered Isabel her hand. “I'm Tracy. Well it's so nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

Two tall men walked up to the woman calling her name. “Tracy?”

Tracy smiled grabbing on the man closest to her. “This is my hubby-to-be Glenn, and his best man, Dave.” Dave and Isabel shared a look. “Brandy just saved my behind.”

“Hi.” Glenn said.

Laughing Isabel returned the man’s greeting. “Oh! Hi it's nice to meet you.”

“Hello.” Dave said.

“Hi.”

“How's April?” Tracy asked Dave.

“Hmm? Wishing she'd never tried the crab omelets.”

“Uhh! Perfect. Well what am I going to do now?”

“Well,” Dave said giving Isabel a glance, “maybe Brandy is free for a couple of hours?”

“Brilliant, Dave.” Tracy beamed. “Brandy, will you be my maid of honor?”

Isabel smiled. “Sure.”

~~~

A fat man sitting behind a desk smoking a cigar waved at Maria. “Ok, Blondie. You're up.” Alex was at the piano playing as Maria started singing. She did quick and snappy show tune with lots of aplomb.

“Honey, you've got some set of pipes.” The man said.

“Well, I …” Maria blushed flattered and pleased with her audition.

“No, I was … I was truly moved.”

“Thank you.”

“No, no. Thank you.” The man said giving Maria a direct stare. “Now take off your clothes.”

Maria face altered to a "What the hell are you saying?" expression as Alex stood up taking offense. “Hey! Who do you think you are? You treat her like a lady!”

“I'll treat her like a stripping lady, 'cause that what she's auditioning for.” The fat man said.

Alex snatched the flyer from Maria. “Give me this flyer.” Alex read to Maria. “New talent, big money … Oh! Oh! B.Y.O.G-String.”

“No!” Maria grabbed the flyer reading it. “Damn …” She paused for a moment looking at the man. “Exactly how much does this pay?” Alex shook his head dragging her out of the room. “Alex … I was just asking!”

~~~

Max and Michael were still playing at the same table. Michael was on a roll winning big. Real big.

“Dr. Love says give it up for 10 the hard way.” He rolled and won as the crowd around him went wild, and a woman kissed his cheek.

“You're cheating,” Max said in shock, the reason for Michael’s run of luck finally dawning on him.

“You wanna say that a little louder?” Michael said. “I don't think the stickman heard you.”

“This isn't right, using your power like this.” Max said.

“God! You do belong with Parker. Two sticks in the mud.” Michael shook his head. Was Max always that annoyingly moralistic? He didn’t remember that from their younger years hanging out together. “Thanks for the sermon, Dad.”

“It's not what we came here …” Max started.

“No! We came here to have fun, which is exactly what I'm doing.” Michael told Max as he turned to talk to the group of strangers who were more supportive. “Folks this is the fourth set of dice they give me. But when you have the hot hand, you have the hot hand.”

Michael rolled the dice, he won of course and everyone cheered. Max glanced over at the casino manager.

“I feel an 8 coming.” Michael said.

Max grabbed Michael gesturing to the manager. “Michael, he knows.”

Michael shrugged it off. “He doesn't know anything. What's he's gonna say, that I'm using my mysterious alien powers?” Michael rolled again and won.

The manager came up after that turn. “This table is closed.”

“What is this crap?” Michael demanded.

“You're done. My advice is to take your winnings and move on down the strip.” The manager said gesturing for Security to show Michael and Max out.

“Yeah, we will.” Max said wanting to draw no unnecessary attention to them.

“The hell we will,” Michael said getting angry that everyone was determined to ruin his fun. “I'm here to gamble. There's a table right over here.”

“Listen, punk...” The manager began.

“Punk?” Michael countered dangerously. He punched the manager, and they pushed into Max, as Max tried to get Michael out of the fight. Security moved in to break up the disturbance.

~~~

Liz and Tess were in the arcade together as Liz played pinball and Tess ranted and raved over not being allowed into the casino.

“You know what it is? It's because we're small.” Tess gave it some thought. “If we weren't so damn short, he would have totally bought that we were twenty-one, so what I'm going to do, I'm going to mindwarp the security guard, making him think that we’re 5' 10'' and then we just go in.”

“Tess, I'm fine here in the arcade.” Liz told the alien girl as she continued to play her game.

“Great. I'm stuck in the party capital of the world with Liz Parker.” Tess said mournfully, unable to believe her bad luck. “No, if we're feeling dangerous we could challenge a couple of eight year boys to foosball or go for to the Ice Capades.

Liz stopped playing her game, irritated at how everyone seemed determined to inform her that she was the world’s most boring person. “You know, for your information I didn't want to come to Vegas in the first place. I knew that this was going to be the most miserable trip of my life. I knew it, but I didn't listen to my instincts.” She gave Tess a penetrating glance. “And by the way Tess, I don't enjoy being stuck with you either.”

“Fine,” Tess walked off to go find a party, or fun, or anything that didn’t include Liz Parker because it automatically would be both of those things just from her absence.

“Good.” Liz said going back to her game.

~~~

As Maria and Alex went to enter the Presidential Suite, they were almost trampled by Tracy and Glenn leaving.

“Oh! I almost forgot.” Tracy said turning to toss the bouquet which Isabel caught. “Bye.”

Glenn smiled at Isabel. “Thanks for everything, Brandy.” He waved at her and his best man on his way out with his bride.

“No problem.” Isabel called to them as Maria entered with a raised eyebrow.

“Do I have to ask?” Maria said.

“Tracy and Glenn just got married and I was their maid of honor.”

“Who's that?” Maria asked motioning to the best man.

“That's Dave.” Isabel offered Maria a piece of the wedding cake she had ordered to be delivered for the happy couple. “Cake?” Alex saw Isabel with the other man and decided he had better places to be, and better things to do. He booked.

Isabel was taking a picture with Dave when the phone rang. Maria went to answer it while stuffing her mouth with cake. “Honeymoon Suite, Margarita speaking.”

“Maria, it's me.”

“Me who?” Maria asked innocently, recognizing Michael’s voice.

“Yeah funny.”

Maria sighed unhappily still eating her cake. “Do you know were I was tonight?” She asked her evil gambling ex-best friend. “I was auditioning to be a stripper.” She exclaimed putting a dramatic hand to her breasts. “Little innocent me.”

“Did you get the job?” Michael asked nonchalantly.

Maria banged her phone on the table hoping it broke Michael’s eardrums. “You don't even care.” Maria told him. “This wouldn't have happened if you have been with me. You could’ve flattened the man when he demanded I take off my clothes!”

Michael sighed as a police officer looked at him pointedly indicating the time. “Is there someone else I can talk to?”

“We are talking.”

“No, I can't, I'm in jail with Maxwell.” Michael told her.

“You went off and got arrested without me!” Maria couldn’t believe him. Whose name was tattooed on his butt exactly? Not Max, obviously.

Michael interrupted her again. “What you need to do is shut your trap and get down here and bail us out.”

“Wait a minute...” Maria said, her mind working deviously. “If you're in jail that means that this is your only phone call.”

“Exactly.”

Maria immediately slammed the phone down, taking her cake into the back master bedroom as Isabel and Dave watched her go.

“Who was she talking to?”

“The owner of this suite … for lack of a better word or description, we’ll just call him her husband.”

~~~

Kyle was still at the blackjack table and Alex had rejoined him. Alex glanced at Kyle’s huge pile of chips.

“Doesn't Buddhism disapprove of gambling?”

“Actually Buddha himself first coined the phrase ‘Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run…’” Kyle told him smugly as he fondled his piles.

“And yours is obviously a deep and abiding spiritual faith,” Alex concluded as Maria came up to them.

“All right, boys, cash out.” She told them.

“You're just gonna have to back off.” Kyle told Maria putting his arms protectively around his piles.

“Yeah, Grasshopper's on a roll, baby.” Alex informed Maria with a twinkle in his eyes.

“I gotta bail Max and -- if there's enough money -- Michael, out of jail.” She was still debating bailing out Michael even if she had enough money.

Kyle had the fever. He couldn’t see anything but his chips, his ever growing stacks. “My winnings, my money, go away.”

Maria sighed hating to have to do this, but …to the dealer she smiled. “He's in Gambling Anonymous; I'm his sponsor. Could you please help me keep this poor lost soul from further traveling the path of destruction?”

The dealer shook his head at Kyle. “I'm sorry sir. Casino policy.”

Kyle couldn’t believe it. “Thank you.” He said to Maria.

“Thank your higher power.” Maria informed him. Yeah, Spaceboy had some ‘splaining to do. “Chop, chop, boys. Mamma has a full body massage and a herbal wrap in two hours.”

Kyle tried to pick up his winnings but he couldn't because there were too many chips to haul.

“Alex, you wanna help him?” Maria suggested.

Kyle practically snarled at Alex when he reached out to help. “Mine! Back off.”

“Oh, this is not good. I’ll bail out the two visitors from space, and you look up the gambler’s hotline for Buddha … he seems to be on a path to ruin.”

~~~

While Max and Michael were in jail Isabel was dancing with the best man, Dave guy. He talked her into going back to his less expensive hotel room, but definitely much quieter as the disaster party of Kyle, Alex, and Maria returned to the suite.

Max and Michael weren’t having as much fun while languishing away in lockup.

“Are we having fun yet?” Max asked sarcastically.

“No, thanks to you,” Michael’s tone was bitter and angry.

“Hey! This isn't my fault.” Max said while hanging on the bars glancing over to Michael who was on the cot. “If you hadn't been showing off …”

“Here we go, another lecture.” Michael said to himself. He turned around and yelled to the general lockup community. “Hey, everybody gather 'round your cell doors, because Max here is going to give another lecture.”

“Shut up!” A man down the cell block yelled back to Michael.

“What's with you?” Max demanded.

“What's with me?” Michael repeated. “Not you, definitely not you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Max demanded. “The only reason I came on this trip was for you.”

“Oh yeah, out of the goodness of your big, fat, bleeding heart. You skipped out on sixth period, and you went to Vegas for poor screwed-up Michael. Yeah, big hand, Max.” Michael started clapping.

“Whatever.” Max scoffed. “You're talking to yourself now, Michael, I'm done.”

“And I'm talking to myself.” Michael said. “Gee, Michael, why would you want to go to Vegas with Max in the first place? Sounds like a really stupid idea.”

Max stared at Michael as he continued to answer himself.

“No, no. See you don't get it. Max and I, we're guys, and sometimes guys just like to go out and tear it up for no good reason.”

Max turned around but he continued listening to Michael’s rage.

“But Michael, Max is no fun, he's a straight arrow! He's a responsible guy.”

“I'm here, aren't I?” Max pointed out to Michael.

Michael finally spoke directly to Max. “This is a private conversation.” He then continued on his colloquy. “As I was saying, Michael, it's like this: Max and I, we used to be tight. We grew up together, and it's no big deal that we can go out and have fun for a couple of days, we used to be friends.”

“Oh! Give me a break.” Max said standing up from the other cot. “This isn't about friendship. This is about your irresponsible, reckless behavior.”

Michael stood up too. “Hey! I've been going through some heavy stuff the last couple of weeks. In case you missed it, I got shot.”

“I know, I healed you.”

“You put your hand over my shoulder and you did your little trick like a robot.” Michael told him. “You're a machine, Max. You wouldn't know the first thing about what it takes to heal me.” Michael stared away from the other boy who had always been his brother. “To really heal me,” he repeated in almost a whisper. Shaking his head, he looked down at his shaking hands. “Ever ask yourself why Maria can heal me with just a look … without a touch, and you with all your powers leave me cold inside like death?”

~~~

Max, Michael and Maria arrived back at the hotel room after she bailed them out. Shutting the door, she stood with her back against it watching the two alien boys. Max picked up the phone and dialed while Michael sat down and turned on the TV. Maria frowned at the two.

“Yeah, when's the next flight to Roswell?” Max inquired into the phone. “Nothing sooner than that?” He made a few arrangements and hung up the phone.

Maria came into the room. “Michael, make him stay.” Michael ignored her. Maria walked toward Max. “No, no, wait, please, please, don't go. I'm... I'm blowing the rest of Michael's cash on a beautiful expensive dinner tomorrow night. I've even taken care of what everyone's wearing.”

“He's not invited anymore,” Michael intoned, never taking his eyes from the TV.

Maria looked back at Max and Max looked at her sadly, but firmly. “Thanks, but I'm just gonna go home.” He gave her a slight smile before leaving.

Michael put down the remote when the door shut behind Max. “Finally my vacation can begin.” He got up from the couch and went into his and Maria’s room.

Maria stood there helpless, undecided what to do or where to go. Finally, she ran to the door, quickly following Max. He was at the end of the hall waiting for the elevator.

“Max!”

The alien boy turned when Maria called his name. “Maria, I can’t …” Max’s elevator came and he got inside. Maria jumped in with him. She reached over and hit the stop button as it started to descend. “Maria.”

“Don’t go! I know he gives you no reason to stay, but stay anyway.”

“It’s best this way.” Max’s dark eyes met hers. “We were close once, but over the years, since I saved Liz that day, there’s been this wedge between us.”

“Max, it’s not Liz. It’s not just that. You know that.”

“I know he never forgave me or even tried to understand why I did what I did.”

“No more than you ever understood him, how much all he ever wanted was your belief in him when you time and time again shut him down, stood up against him with Isabel, leaving him the odd man out. He was devoted to you in the last life, and equally devoted to you in this one, and what has it gotten him?”

“I’m wrong, cold, and robotic. Michael already told me that, Maria. You don’t have to rub it in.”

Maria grabbed his arm. “I’m not trying to do that! I just want you to look at this from his point of view, from his vision.”

“Maybe he should look at things from mine and understand why I had to save Liz, why I got us into all of this.”

“God! You’re asking a boy that has no knowledge of love to understand your motivation? Where is he supposed to get that from? The back of Hank’s hand? All the times you told him he was wrong? The people in Roswell who treated him like a disease? You, who have been given everything, are upset because he has no language to understand your point of view! What if it was him that was found with Isabel, and adopted by the Evans, and not you? Who would you be today? Would you even be someone that Liz could love?”

“Maria …” Max rubbed a hand along his neck. Maria was wrong. Michael did understand love. It was in his eyes every time he looked at Maria, but maybe he didn’t understand what it was he was feeling. “I don’t know what he wants from me.”

“Maybe what you can’t give. I just know that his dreams aren’t about me and they aren’t about Isabel. He’s replaced Isabel with Laurie … he has a sister … so Isabel is gone. You’re his brother, the only brother he ever knew, and the only brother he wants.”

“He’s right. I can’t heal him.” Max searched Maria’s face, the look of determination and concern with an underlying desperation. He could never break into their world, not after all this time. Michael and Maria were like a united front against all things not themselves. “You can.”

“Max …” Maria shook her head. No. Impossible. “Don’t you understand? Can’t you understand? He took a bullet through his body. He was lying up there bleeding to death, powerless and alone. Fear … dammit, Max, he waited his entire life for death to take him, but this was the first time he felt the coldness move through his body. He always was in this with you and Isabel, and when he died, he always thought it would be with you. He was alone, and in truth, all this time he thought he was prepared to die. This brought it home, made it real. Why can’t you understand? You lived through the White Room, you faced death, felt how real it was.” Max closed his eyes. He had spent a summer in therapy coming to terms with everything. Why couldn’t he understand Michael needed the same? “He found the strength to stay with us, and kill the Queen. He almost didn’t make it like you almost didn’t make it out of the White Room. He came for you.” Maria pleaded, her voice dropping to a whisper, “he came for you.”

Max picked up her hand. Leaning in, he kissed her softly on the lips his eyes holding hers sincerely. “You have more healing power for Michael in your voice and a mere pinky than I have in my entire body.” Max shook his head. “Michael doesn’t need me. He has you.”

“Max, don’t … I can’t.”

“You can, Maria.”

Maria grabbed Max as desperation climbing up from her stomach. “You’re right. I could make him feel better, but do you have any idea the damage I would risk to myself, to my control, to all the protection I’ve created for myself in my life? You can’t imagine what you’re asking of me, and in truth, I’m not ready … not even for Michael. Not yet. Maybe never.”

Love. Max saw it in her eyes. All she felt was there, but it was clouded by fear and desperation. She couldn’t risk loving Michael that way, in a way that would heal him. He was leaving, and that was a truth she lived with every day. Holding him at bay, in that safe place of ‘friend’ was all the protection she had.

“Maria …”

“Max, please just stay! It will help. It will be a step in his direction. A start.” The elevator alarm began to ring. It had been on stop too long. Max reached over and hit the run button. He and Maria watched each other in silence. When the elevator reached the lobby, Max sighed.

“Every day, I find myself envying Michael because of you. I envy Liz and Alex as well. I never had a friendship that was uncomplicated by other things. Michael and I, we’ve always been put into these categories and it’s always a struggle. Isabel … is my sister, and she supports me from love and that connection, even when I’m wrong. Liz …we, I … it has been too difficult to rise above everything else to find a place to just be friends. Even my friendship with you was never about you and me, but Liz.” Max made a face at himself, at his own life. “I never had a friend who was my friend through thick or thin, that had a reason to believe in me without some other connection making it so. You can heal him, Maria. You already do, even if you don’t realize it. You do it because you trust and believe in him, and you never had to. You do it of your own free will.”

“Max, please …” Maria begged one last time as Max stepped out of the elevator. He watched silently as the door closed taking Maria upstairs again, back to Michael where she belonged. “He needs you,” she whispered to the closed door. “He’ll always need you.”

~~~

Liz was still playing in the arcade when Max walked up behind her. He watched her for a few moments before letting her know he was there. “Not bad.”

Liz smiled slightly embarrassed. “Oh, well, yeah. Yeah, after playing six hours and a 1000 quarters, you sort of get a rhythm going.”

“Yeah, I heard you were down here.” Max smiled wryly. “I just want to let you know I'm leaving.”

“Oh!” Liz let the ball drop so she could face Max. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. It's just … Vegas. Kinda make your skin crawl.”

“Yeah.” Liz noticed a poster on the wall advertising the "Elvis Chapel". “I mean, who would ever want to get married in an Elvis Chapel, right?”

Max followed her glance and laughed. “Not me. Not in this lifetime.”

Liz was distracted by the poster and what would never be. “Yeah …” She agreed weakly when in fact it was all she wanted.

“Well, I've got a plane to catch, so …”

“Yeah, right.”

“See you in Roswell, Liz.”

“Yeah.” Liz said again watching him leave.

~~~

“C’mon.” Maria said tossing a jacket at Michael.

“Watching TV.” Michael said ignoring her from where he was stretched out on their bed. Maria glanced at the program. Braveheart. Again?

“Yeah, well I’ll tell you how it ends.”

“Not going anywhere, Maria.” Michael said stubbornly.

Maria jumped on the bed and crawled over to him getting on top of him. Trying to pin him to the bed and steal the remote they struggled, until the struggle took on a real competitive edge, and finally they both stopped, exhausted. Looking at each other, they both started laughing.

“Where?”

“Huh?”

Michael made a face. “Where did you want to go?”

“Vegas, baby! Big lights. Big town. You totally lost all that money for Hawaii, and this place won’t let you gamble, so we need to go somewhere else.”

“Not in the mood to gamble.”

“Uh-huh. Sure you’re not.” Maria opened on her bags and tossed clothes around haphazardly, until she found the dress she stole … um, borrowed from her mom. Heading for the bathroom, she stripped off her top tossing it back in the room as she went to change. Michael sat up, and waited. Maria finally emerged with her hair tossed around her face, new makeup on, and a dress that was too tight, too short, and skimpy material that almost looked transparent.

“What …” Michael gulped. She looked …

Maria read his question easily. “Out. You don’t want to gamble, but I do. I’m going to go try my hands at roulette, and then maybe some dice, or at least find a high roller that wants me to grace his arm and blow real hard on his … um, dice.”

Maria went to the door, looking back. “You coming … Dr. Love?”

Michael was off the bed that quick, crowding her at the door as they both tried to go through it at the same time. “Lead the way, Margarita … and that dress, it should be illegal.”

“Great huh? It belongs to mom.”

“Now, somehow, I’m offended by that!”

~~~

The special dinner that Maria arranged for them was wonderful. They were all there except Max and Isabel, all dressed up and seated at a table.

“Now this is the Vegas that I love.” Maria told Liz, smiling at her friend. They finally got to gal-pal around that afternoon while Michael discovered that the game controller would reach the Jacuzzi and he, Alex and Kyle spent the afternoon blowing up things. Maria and Liz had gone to the spa for a full beauty treatment, and played the slot machines for a couple of hours. And because everyone was busy, they took off to check out the shopping along the strip and other casinos.

Alex had a camera, and he stood up and took a picture of everyone. “All right. Smile, beautiful people. Yeah, there we go.”

Maria looked at Michael smiling as she smoothed down his suit. “You clean up nice, Spaceboy.” Her eyes suddenly serious. “I'm sorry that he didn't make it.”

“Well, I’m not.” Michael answered her, slightly distracted. “I'm thinking a cheeseburger will go down nice right now.”

“You just had lobster,” Maria pointed out.

“Yeah, but I'm still hungry. I'm gonna go hit the fast food joint across the street.” Michael told her holding out his hand. “Green, please.” Sighing, Maria reached into her dress and pulled some money out.

Michael leaned down kissing her cheek. “Thanks.” He walked off as Maria shook her head.

“Cheeseburger? Why do I even try?” Damn, she should’ve saved the money and taken him to Jack-in-the-Box.

“Well, at least he wore a tie.” Liz pointed out.

“Liz, I'm worried. I plan to be a worldly woman, and how can I be? I plan to share a place with him, and I am thinking something like an IKEA nightmare with a touch of breaking edge … well edge, and Michael … well, Michael is trapped in a world of armpit farts and PlayStation? He's just so …”

They heard a drum rolling on the grandstand, they all turn around and shockingly saw Michael on the stage.”

Michael went up to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight you're in for a rare treat--a dream coming true. You're gonna love listening to this performer, and even though she'll never believe it, I love listening to her too.” Michael made eye contact with Maria as she stared at him in shock, and slowly she smiled that slow smile he loved, the one that captured her entire body in starlight. “Please welcome to the stage … Miss Margarita Salt.”

Perfect. He was so damn perfect!

Maria went up to the stage as the audience clapped, and Michael leaned in to whisper to her before leaving her alone on the stage, “I think you know this one.”

Maria did know that song. She sang it all the time in the shower. Trying not to laugh, she started singing, it becoming easier as she got into the song, and as Michael watched from behind the curtains.

Tess stood up pulling Kyle with her. “We're dancing.”

Alex was taking pictures of Maria and when Kyle and Tess started to dance, of them too. He almost didn’t notice when Isabel came to stand next to him.

“I uh... I thought you had other plans.”

“I thought I did too.” Isabel admitted. “I don't get it. He was exactly what I was looking for from this town. A good-looking smartass, that I could just chew up and spit back out, you know?”

“But?” Alex asked.

“But, he went to get ice and I went to get a cab.” She still couldn’t figure that one out. She spent the entire day brooding over what the hell was her problem, what she really wanted. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a one night with Dave, the best man. It hadn’t been Grant either. “And so here I am, alone again. God, I must be the biggest freak on the planet.”

“Well, I'm sorry but that's just not true.” Alex told her, being the man he was. They might not have worked out, but she was still his friend. “When you're ready for it, you'll find someone, and you'll make him the happiest man ever.”

Isabel looked at him noticing how he was dressed, and how he never judged her. “Would you like to dance?”

“Love to.” Alex said putting away his digital camera for a nice rest. Damn thing ate up too many batteries anyway.

Liz was sitting by herself at the table, looking at her friends. There was a tap on her shoulder and she looked up to see Max holding out his hand out to her. Michael saw him and smiled before turning back to listen and watch Maria live her dream of singing in a lounge in Vegas.

“I thought you'd be home by now.” Liz said confused at how he could be there when they thought he left over twenty-four hours before.

“I was on my way, but I had this weird moment.”

“What do you mean?” Liz asked.

“Well, I saw this vision.” Max told her, laughing at his own foolish thoughts. Maybe it was only a dream, something he wanted but couldn’t have. “You and me, jumping out of the cab like we'd just been married in Vegas.”

“That's weird.” Liz said quietly.

“Yeah, it was like this memory flash of something that really happened, but then …”

“Max. Oh Max.” Liz started to tell him … everything. Future Max. Kyle. Everything. But then the music stopped, and the moment was lost as everyone was clapping.

Maria turned to Michael motioning for him to come over to her. Michael joined her on stage ready to escort her off.

Maria wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed him on the mouth gently. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Michael smiled and they kissed again before he led her back to their table. The rest of the evening was fun for everyone. For the first time since they left Roswell, they were all together, and the laughter and talking was open and carefree. Max and Michael still hadn’t talked, but the fact that Max never left was enough of a start to break the tension between them.

“Thank you.” Max said.

Maria shook her head frowning. “For what?”

“For what you said.” Max cleared his throat. “I got to the airport, but there wasn’t a flight until the red-eye. I sat there thinking about what you said, and it bothered me.”

“What did?”

“That I found it so easy to give up. I gave up on Liz, despite all the hopes and dreams I have for us to be together. I walked away from the Summit, and an entire world left teetering on the balance of destruction. I guess I decided that it wasn’t my world anymore, and they weren’t really my responsibility, and yet … I kept the Granilith.” Max shook his head. “I used the excuse that I couldn’t leave … not without Isabel and Michael, and yet there I was … walking away from him, not even trying because the harsh reality of how he felt wasn’t something I wanted to face.”

“You came back.”

“Yeah. Skipped the flight, rescheduled it back with the rest of you, and then I walked around the rest of the night, and much of the day. All of you were already gone by the time I got back.” Max looked at his duds. “Thanks for the clothes. I found them in mine, Alex and Kyle’s room.”

“I was hoping, but …”

“I know. I gave you no reason to believe.” Max laughed as he saw Kyle, Alex, and Michael laughing together at something. “What he did just now, the whole music thing …” Max shook his head. Not in a thousand years would he imagine Michael not only arranging it, but making the announcement in a room full of people. It was the closest he came to saying ‘I love you’ to Maria in a full room confession. “He’s really changed, and I’m beginning to see that. I guess I never really took the time to notice.”

Maria squeezed Max’s hand, leaning over, she gave him a kiss on the mouth, much like he gave her earlier in the elevator. “There is time.” Maria told him as she missed Liz and Michael watching them as Michael’s eyes narrowed.

~~~

Everyone arrived at the suite, laughing as they closed down the dinner club. They all froze when they saw Jim sitting on the couch. He held up the "Guerin party" sign.

“At 3:30 the day before yesterday, Vice-principal McClure contacted me. Apparently, my son didn't show up for detention. Newsflash to me, so I called some of Kyle's friends. Nobody knew where he was. So I made a few other inquiries, and without alarming any of your parents I deduced that you were all missing.” Jim told them staring each of them down, one by one. “By 4:30 I was in a panic. Thought maybe it was a mass kidnapping or an invasion. I knew you guys had to be in some kind of trouble, because there was no way that you would just take off without telling me.” Oh, it took him until the next day to piece together where they went. Amy DeLuca was actually the one who gave him the clue. It took him that long to locate her in Tucson. He found the sign at the airport. It took him this long to drive to Vegas from Roswell.

“We just took a little vacation.” Max said.

Michael quickly nodded. “It's like spring break.”

“So you skipped school.” Jim said his jaw hardening as he clenched his teeth. “Missing class is excusable if it involves saving a planet-- yours, mine, or any other. It is not acceptable if it is done in the name of under-age gambling! Is that clear?” They all shook their head, not wanting to upset the only adult in the room. “Each one of your parents is going to hear from me later today.” Maria opened her mouth to mention that her mom knew that she and Michael were in Vegas, but Michael’s arm tightened around her keeping her quiet. He suspected that would set Jim off in a rampage. “I expect you back in Roswell this afternoon.” Jim got up to leave. Liz, Isabel and Alex guiltily went to their rooms to get some sleep as Jim ordered, “Kyle, get in the car.”

“I was up $1600.” Kyle complained.

“Now!!!!” Jim exploded.

Kyle jumped and scuttled out of the suite behind Jim, too embarrassed to look at anyone else.

Michael made a face. “I'm glad I'm adopted.”

“Yeah, me too.” Tess agreed.

Jim’s voice roared from outside the suite door. “Tess! Don't make me come back in there!!!!!!!” Tess’s eyes bulged and she skedaddled out of the suite without another word. She was already in enough trouble.

Max turned to Michael and Maria. “You, uh, tired?”

The two looked at each other, and shrugged. They had a few more hours of night and all morning before their flight. “What do you have in mind?” they asked in union.

“Find a game? I seemed to have forgotten to gamble with my bankroll. I believe the rule was no hoarding.” Max pulled out the three grand Michael had given him.

“Let’s go!” Michael said enthusiastically.

Maria looked around for Liz, but the bedroom door was closed behind Liz and Isabel. They must have gone to bed. She stopped Max. “I can stay here if you want to …”

“No.” Max looked at Michael. “I might need a buffer, at least for a while. Are you too tired?”

“I’m fine.”

Max, Maria, and Michael went to find trouble in the town called Sin City. They hit a few places up and down the strip, and finally settled into a late night poker game. There weren’t enough seats, so Maria sat in Michael’s lap and helped him play his hand while Max played next to them. They were up large, and suddenly on the run. Michael and the main player, a man everyone else referred to as The River Man were down to an all-in pot.

“You need to cover, kid.” The River Man said. “It’s all or nothing. You got enough scratch?”

Michael looked at Max who was tapped and shaking his head. Michael glanced at his card. No way. Full house! Dammit.

The River Man looked at the bird on the kid’s lap. “How about the chick? I’ll take her as an even trade.”

Maria opened her mouth in shock at the suggestion. “What?” she sputtered. Hey! She wasn’t property.

“Okay.” Michael said.

“Michael!”

“Shush, listen to me.” Michael showed her his hand. “I can take this!”

“And if you can’t?”

“Don’t do it, Michael.” Max warned.

“It’s Hawaii.” Michael said gesturing to the pot.

“How sure are you?”

“Sure.”

“Very sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Maria bit her lip looking at Michael and then Max. “You better be, or else!”

“Call!” Michael told the man. He laid down his full house Kings over eights.

The man lifted an eyebrow. That was a decent hand. But … He laid down a straight flush in spades. Not good enough.

“What?” Michael said not believing he lost … everything, well, especially Maria.

“What? What do you mean, what?” Maria said as a man gave her an arm to lead her away. Maria looked back at Michael. “Michael! Do something.”

“Maria …” Michael and Max were standing at the table as Maria disappeared with a gambler called The River Man. Michael looked at his hand and the other man’s. “I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t either,” Max told him. “You just gambled away Maria.”

“I lost Maria.” Michael rubbed his face. “Oh, this can’t be good.” Michael glanced at Max. “Did she look angry to you?”

“Oh yeah!”

“Hmm. Definitely not good.” Michael hit Max on the shoulders. “We better go find her.”

~~~

Max and Michael searched Vegas for Maria until around seven. The city was moving around to early morning business. They stopped at a coffee kiosk to buy a cup of coffee to go.

Michael paid for the coffees. “That's the last of it.” He told Max as he tipped the lady.

“You, uh, you were right.” Max told him as he added a flavoring to his coffee. “I do act like a machine sometimes.”

“Forget it, I probably said too much.” Michael glanced through the flavors finding hazelnut. Maria’s favorite, and where the hell was that wacky dame?

“No, it's all right. It's uh, it's something I needed to hear. You needed a friend, and you got a chaperone.” Max sipped his coffee waiting for Michael to finish doctoring his. “I'm sorry. I guess I just feel so responsible for you, and Isabel, and even Tess. Sometimes I let that get in the way of letting you know how much … how much you mean to me. That without you, uh, uh … I'd be lost, Michael.”

Michael scratched his eyebrow. “Whoever sent us down here was smart, you know?” He smiled slightly. “Because they sent us together, and as long as we stick together, we're gonna make it.”

They started walking down the sidewalk together A couple of women passed them smiling and both boys looked back in a second glance, then looked at each other smiling.

Max sipped his coffee hiding a smile. He felt good for the first time in a long time. “We still have a couple of hours before the flight home. No money. No Maria. So what do you want to do?”

“Well, Maria is a problem, but I think I’m going to have to let her find her own way back home. God only knows where the hell she is. I’ll pay for that sin later.” Max laughed shaking his head at the other two teens’ crazy relationship that defied defining, and yet, it was slowly becoming the envy of the group. “Oh, I don't know. I got a couple of dozen DVD's back in the hotel room.”

“Yeah?”

“Braveheart?” Michael asked.

“How many times can you watch that thing?”

“Ask Maria, she has a running count of what she calls my Mel Gibson fascination. Personally, I’m trying to get the full body count of dead, and I get as far as two hundred and fifty before losing count.”

“Where do you think Maria is?”

“Somewhere devising a revenge to kick my ass around the block a few times.” Michael told Max, more than a little certain he was already dust. That chick had grit.

“You don’t seem too worried.”

“Nah. It might actually be sick, but I think I really get a charge out of it.”

“That is sick.”

~~~

The group of them, minus Kyle, Tess and Maria were waiting for their flight home. Alex and Isabel were quiet watching Michael pace the area like a demented lion as he kept glancing down the terminal searching for Maria. Liz was on the phone talking to Amy trying to see discretely if Maria had called while Max kept an eye on Michael.

They had checked out of the hotel with everything paid for except room service. Luckily Liz had some cash left that she hadn’t found a way to spend in the arcade or with Maria. Michael was pacing with his bag and Maria’s on his shoulder.

“I’m gonna have to stay,” he told Max.

“Michael …”

“I’m not going home without her! Her mother will murder me in my sleep, and …” Michael shook his head. “I’m not going home without her.”

“Maybe we should file a police report?” Liz suggested.

“And tell them what? Michael gambled away his girlfriend to a grifter named The River Man?” Max asked.

Isabel frowned. “Yeah, why don’t you tell us how you managed to gamble away a human, Michael?”

Before Michael could answer Maria came running down the terminal with a group of men, one of them the gambler from previous night.

“Oh god! I was afraid I wouldn’t make it!” Maria told the others as the plane started boarding and they called their seat numbers. “River!” Maria said hugging the man hard, and to everyone’s surprise she kissed him on the mouth before hugging the other men as well.

“You got my number, right Toots?”

“You betcha!”

“Oh, here’s your slice,” the man said passing Maria a huge roll of money bigger than they had started with. “I threw in a bonus since you were … exceptional. You come back anytime.”

Maria hugged the man one more time waving to the others as Liz led her away to the plane. They sat a few seats away from Michael and Max who kept turning in their seats to stare at Maria. She was wearing new clothes … expensive ones... talking to Liz a mile a minute.

“Is he still staring?” Maria asked dramatically counting her new bankroll.

“Oh yeah! They both are.” Liz glanced at her friend. “They searched for you all night, and Michael was refusing to leave without you.”

Maria sniffed. “Least he could do after putting me in a pot.”

“Max said you agreed, that it something about your vacation money.”

Maria waved that off. “Please! He swore he would win. You think I would risk my body for cash or something not a sure thing?”

Liz looked at the stacks of money as Maria counted it with not a little bit of glee. “Well, then exactly where did you get that money? This River guy, he didn’t like pay you to …”

“Liz Parker!” Maria said her mouth opening in shock. “Of course not! I wouldn’t … at least not for money.”

“Okay, then you want to explain the cash?”

“He took me gambling. I was his good luck piece. He decided that Michael came too close to winning and it was because of me. Some of the places we went! A champagne cocktail breakfast game, and he bought me new rags, so I didn’t have to wear the same thing for too many hours. The dry cleaner is shipping my mom’s dress home.” Maria confined in Liz. “I think I was a little tipsy, and his ‘boys’ were really swell.”

“Swell?”

“Uh-huh.” Maria noticed Michael still staring. “So don’t tell Spaceboy. Let him stew on it. Next time he puts me in a pot, he damn well better win, or I won’t be taking him to Hawaii.”

“Next time?” Liz said weakly.

Max strolled through the UFO Center, whistling, on his way to Brody’s office door. Things were quiet, and in the calm after Vegas, everyone seemed to be getting along. He wasn’t back with Liz, but at least it wasn’t as strained. Michael actually played basketball with him, and Michael and Maria were back on their course to become young con artists.

“Brody?” Max knocked on the office door. “Brody, you in there?”

“Max, Hi!” Brody said putting a visor on the desk behind him and leading Max out of the office.

“Hey. You wanted me to reorganize your crop circle files tonight?”

“I did?” Brody said absentmindedly, distracted by other things. “Oh, right, uh--well forget about that. You go off home.”

“Home? I still have three hours left on the clock.”

“Oh, work, work, work. Don’t you have a life?” Brody asked immediately seeing who he was talking to. “O.K., I’ll tell you what, uh, why don’t you fix the weather balloon?”

“Okay.” Max left Brody who hurried back into his office. Excited, he sat down and put on a Virtual Reality visor.

“Computer, run abduction simulation 1.5.” Brody said to his computer in his best Star Trek voice as he typed in the command. “All right, I was home, minding my own business. Suddenly I’m gone for three days. Where did I go?” Brody entered more commands. “Computer, run simulation 1.6.” Brody nodded. That was closer. That was it. “Yes, something like this. I remember being in a room like this, but, but this doesn’t look very alien, more like a warehouse. And there were other people here. Humans.” Brody added more parameters to the simulation. “Computer, add human forms to program, three male, three female. Yes, I was here, doing something. I was talking! If I could just remember what I was …” Brody frowned when the computer gave a loud beeping warning for memory disk full. “Override, continue simulation. Yes, I was sitting here. And to my left I remember a boy. Nicolas! And at the end of the table was … Oh, my god, Max! How could Max be in …”

Brody never completed the thought as he was cut off by a zapped by a bolt of electricity. He moaned as, all the lights went out, and he fell to the floor, unconscious. Max, who was working in the museum, walked to the fuse box to try and figure out what was wrong.

Brody woke, confused, his eyes dilated and not quite right. Opening a file cabinet, he took out a gun and checked the chamber before loading a clip into it.

Max was still messing with the fuse box as footsteps approached. He stopped working when Tess’s voice interrupted him.

“It’s not a fuse; the lights are out all over town, the streetlights and everything.” Tess handed him a gift. “Oh, this is for you.”

“What is it?” Max asked, uncomfortable receiving presents from Tess.

“You have to open it to find out.”

Max frowned at the present. “What’s the occasion?”

“Does there have to be an occasion, Max? It’s just a gift.” Irritated by his reaction to something as simple as a gift, she sighed. “You know, I saw a black sweater on sale, v-neck, and I thought of you. If you don’t want it I can just give it to Kyle.” Tess took the box and started to walk away from him.

“Tess …”

“What?”

“Sorry. Thank you.” He took the box back to look at the sweater. “This was, uh, very thoughtful. I’ll turn on the emergency power.”

Neither of them noticed Brody slowly entering the room moving up on them until he spoke. “Why did you lie to me?” he demanded.

“Brody, what’s wrong?” Max asked moving in front of Tess facing Brody.

“You’re an alien, aren’t you?” Brody seemed disoriented.

Max and Tess both froze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Max told the man, denying everything.

“Yes you do. New York City.” Brody told him, and his eyes seemed to finally notice Tess as well. “We were all there. You and you and me. We were there with the other aliens.”

“Larek?” Max said trying to understand how Brody could remember if he wasn’t Larek.

“There! That’s an alien name. That makes you an alien.” Brody took the gun out from behind his back. “How else could you know that?” He pointed the gun at Max and Tess as Max raised his hand.

“Brody, just put the gun down.” Max ordered the older man trying to reason with him. “I am not an alien and neither is Tess.”

Brody fired the gun, and Max reacted naturally in response to a threat. His force field came up deflecting the bullet from them into a picture. It shattered the glass.

“So how do you explain that?” Brody asked. He gestured to the security computer’s screen as it replayed the confrontation between Brody and Max, showing Max using his powers. “Security cameras are on backup power. It’s all on disk.”

“Brody, please, what do you want?” Max begged, not knowing what else to do. He was exposed and killing Brody wasn’t an option.

“I want you to tell me who I really am.” Brody said, his eyes dilated wrong and confused. “Am I Brody, or am I Larek? What am I?”

~~~

Outside the UFO center Maria, her mother, and Sean got out of the Jetta. Sean was carrying a large box, and Amy shoved a bag into Maria’s hands.

“Oh my god, Mom. No offense, but nobody is going to be clamoring through a black-out to buy one of your ‘George W. is an Alien’ T-shirts.’”

Sean had to agree with his skinny cousin. “Not even if you were giving them away.”

“Oh, come on!” Amy said opening the door to the UFO Center. “It’s called an entrepreneurial spirit, people.” They entered as Brody, Max and Tess looked their way.

Amy was still lecturing, pleased to have a captive audience to her views. “Puts food on the table and gas in the Jetta. These T-shirts are hot off the presses; I want them on the market right now …” Amy saw Brody with the gun pointed at Max and Tess, “or later! Uh, Come on kids …”

“Hey!” Brody called threateningly shooting a warning shot. “Nobody’s going anywhere.”

~~~

“Hey Sheriff,” Hanson said when Jim opened the door. “How you doin’ tonight?”

Jim frowned at his ex-deputy standing on his doorstep during a black-out. “Good, what can I do for you dep-Sheriff?”

“Well, we kind of have a situation brewin’ …” Hanson informed Jim. “Turns out this power outage is pretty serious; an entire grid was somehow taken out.”

“Uh-huh.” Jim wasn’t getting where this was any of his problem.

“Entire town’s totally dark. New Mexico DWP’s a little stumped, so I was thinkin’ that this may be this is what you call a F-E-M-A situation?” Hanson inquired.

Jim sighed, unhappy to help in a job that was no longer his, but then again, it was all about serving and protecting. “Call Ralph. Electrician? Big guy who rewired the station last spring? He’ll know what to do.”

“No FEMA. Ralph.” Hanson repeated.

“Ralph.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

“Um … I’m not the sheriff anymore.” Jim reminded Hanson, the new Roswell Sheriff.

“Right, sorry.” Hanson had the grace to look embarrassed as he wore Jim’s old badge. “Thanks … Jim.” Jim nodded, shutting his door.

~~~

“I have memories of things I’m not supposed to know, but I do know them.” Brody explained to Max desperately. “I know that you’re Max Evans and I also know you’re Zan. None of it makes any sense. All I know is that you’ve been lying to me. And now I want the truth or this is going to the FBI.” Brody said showing Max the security disk.

Sean made a face saying to his aunt, “What the hell is this guy talking about?”

“Too much time at the UFO Center.” Amy guessed.

“Stop talkin’ over there!” Brody yelled at them as he walked over to the DeLuca family.

Max quickly tried to distract Brody from the human bystanders. There was only so much he could do without exposing himself further to both Amy and Sean, and to the security cameras. “Ok, look. Look, I can help.”

“Yeah, well you better.” Brody said to Max angrily. “I want these aliens out of my head.”

“Maybe it would be better if we left you aliens alone.” Amy suggested helpfully.

Brody took some duct tape handing it to Max. “Tie them up.” Max did as instructed and Tess helped him.

“Brody,” Maria said desperately as her eyes met Max’s, and she understood the dilemma he was in with her mother and Sean there. “Brody, we’re close. We’re friends.”

“I’m not close to anyone right now.” Brody told Maria.

She noticed a wound on his temple. “What happened to you?” Maria’s phone rang, and she didn’t know what to do, answer it or not. Brody held the gun on Maria threateningly as she took out her phone.

“Don’t point that gun at my daughter.” Amy said her voice shaking with anger.

“I should get it.” Maria told Brody.

Brody’s head shook no with this hand holding the gun. “No way.”

“I always pick up my cell phone, if I don’t pick it up whoever is calling will know something is wrong.” Maria lied. “They’re probably going to try to come and find me.”

Brody shook his head confused, as he tried to think straight. He nodded gesturing to her to answer. “You tell them you’re busy and they’re not to come looking for you.”

“Hello.” Maria said, hoping it was Michael.

“Maria!” Liz’s voice said over the phone. “You will never believe what happened to me in Bio today.”

Maria sighed. No. Liz would do. “Yeah, I bet I won’t.” Staring at the gun, Maria hurried before Brody lost his patience. “Listen, I’m a little tied up right now so I think I’m going to be late for my shift. Actually, um, I don’t think I’m going to make it to work at all.”

“What’s the matter, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking’ about the menu lately and you know the Galaxy Sub with pepperjack …” Maria said stressing the ‘pepperjack’ part of the message. “It’s not selling all that well, so maybe we should take it off the menu.”

Liz frowned. “Off the menu?”

“That’s enough.” Brody said taking the phone and disconnecting, leaving a confused Liz on the other end staring at her phone. “What was that about?” Brody demanded.

“It was just shoptalk. It’s nothing.” Maria lied, hoping Liz figured out the message.

~~~

“That was weird.” Liz said.

“What was?” Michael asked as he passed the burger to Liz for Isabel. Grabbing extra napkins and condiments, he took a seat too with his own plate.

Liz sat the food down in front of the alien girl. “Maria just hung up on me.”

Michael shrugged. “Happens to me all the time.”

“This burger isn’t cooked.” Isabel complained. “The cheese isn’t even melted.” Isabel went to use her powers to finish cooking the burger.

“Don’t!” Michael warned. “That makes it taste like crap.”

“I want it cooked.” Isabel demanded.

“It’s fine this way because you still get the taste of the grill.” Michael told her as he doctored his meal.

“Yeah, and the possibility of contracting E-coli or Mad Cow disease? No, thank you.” She used her powers to cook the burger.

~~~

Tess and Max were sitting together away from the DeLucas. Brody waited until they were bound before having Max tape up Tess, and then Brody finished with Max. Tess sat next to Max watching Brody carefully.

“I think it’s time we used my Mind Warp on Brody. We’ll walk right out of here.”

“Do it.” Max told her. “Just be careful.”

Tess concentrated trying to get into Brody’s mind to leave a suggestion, but Brody’s mind was fragmented, full of images from New York … from the Summit. He glanced at Tess sharply knowing that she was trying to walk into his mind.

Brody waved his gun at Tess. “Don’t try your mind games on me.”

Tess collapsed on Max, out of breath. He looked down at the girl. “Tess?”

“His mind,” she told Max, “it’s too crowded. I can’t get in.”

Brody walked over to them crouching down to Max. “You really want to help me Max, or Zan, or whatever your name is?” Max struggled to his feet putting himself in front of Tess. “Tell me why I have all this information in my head. Tell me why I know that this thing is called a trithium amplification generator and that when I turn it like this …” The object emitted a light flash that sent Max sprawling on the floor and knocked Tess over. “… you can’t use you’re powers anymore. How do I know that, huh?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Max breathed, in pain. “I really don’t.”

Max strained against the tape around his wrists. So, a mystery was solved. The device had worked against Michael, not because it was responding to him and not Max, but simply because Brody had accidentally turned it on when Michael was near, and not when Max was. Max whispered to Tess. “He’s right. My powers aren’t working.”

Across the room, Maria was trying to comfort her mother, reassure her that they would be freed. “Mom, don’t worry. I gave Liz a coded message. Any minute now fifty cops will be busting down that door and getting us all out of here.”

“What coded message?” Sean asked stopping his struggle with the duct tape around his wrists.

“The Galaxy Sub with pepperjack, it’s what Brody always orders.” Maria explained.

“And?” Sean didn’t get it.

“Liz is one of my best friends, we have our own language. She’ll understand. Trust me.”

~~~

“Maria said something strange.” Liz told them as she watched the two aliens gorging themselves on fattening burgers and cleared her throat. “Galaxy Sub with Pepper Jack. Does that mean anything to you?”

Isabel shrugged biting into her burger and talking with her mouth full. “I don’t really listen to Maria when she’s talking. I’m probably the wrong person to ask.”

“Michael?” Liz asked.

“Pepperjack? What did she say about pepperjack?” Michael asked between chews.

“Something about how we needed to take it off the menu.” Liz repeated shaking her head confused.

“Off the Menu! Are you sure she said that?” Michael quizzed Liz.

“Yeah. Off the menu.”

Michael was quiet for a moment, thinking. Brody. Pepperjack Man. She wanted his order removed … so that meant somehow Brody did something to Maria, something to make her rethink her friendship with him, especially to rethink that he could be ‘the man’ Madam Vivian warned about. Michael put down his burger quickly wiping his hands on the napkin. “I’m outta here.” He was going to find that little Irish accented alien freak and find out what the hell he did to Maria.

“No, wait, we’re still on duty.” Liz reminded him. “We don’t close for another four hours.”

“Come on Liz, there’s no power.” Michael said gesturing to the diner in general. “There are no customers. There’s nothin’ to do.”

“But the power could come back any time.” Liz reasoned.

Isabel made a bad face staring at her burger in disgust.

“I’m sure you can handle the dinner rush.” Max looked at Isabel. “I need to go to the UFO Center. Wait here and I’ll let Max know you’re waiting.”

“Okay.” Isabel said with her mouth still full of burger. “You were right, this is really bad.” Isabel tossed the burger in her plate wiping her mouth. “I’ll come with you.”

“No. There is something I need to do alone. You stay with Liz.” Michael was up and out the door before either girl could protest. Michael moved quickly, upset and wanting to find Brody. He didn’t want any witnesses.

Liz just shook her head at Isabel. They both paused for a moment, then both of them got up to follow Michael. Nothing else going on, they might as well go for a walk to check out the rest of Roswell.

Michael tried to open the door the Center, but it was locked. Thinking it automatically locked when the power went out, he opened it with his powers on the electronic lock pad.

The control pad beeped and Michael opened the door slamming it behind him … the door relocked behind him. Rushing down the stairs, he didn’t notice the group of people tied up, or Brody who was messing with his gun. Brody looked up when he heard the door slam.

“See, I told you, the cavalry was on the way.” Maria reassured her mom, half coming to her feet. Maria saw Michael, and at the same time watched in horror as Brody raised his arm aiming the gun at Michael.

Brody fired and Michael hit the ground trying to use his powers but they wouldn’t work because of the trithium amplification generator.

Maria screamed Michael’s name seeing Brody take a better aim at Michael, helpless on the floor. Maria moved, rushing to her feet, she hit Brody hard with her body messing up his shot, both of them hitting the ground. Michael was stunned waiting for the bullet to impact his body. When it didn’t, he looked to see where the bullet went seeing Maria on the floor.

“Maria!” Michael rushed to her, pushing Brody aside. Picking her up, he moved back from Brody as the man picked up his gun and aimed it at Michael again.

Liz and Isabel heard the gunshots from the Crashdown.

“Were those gunshots? What’s going on?” cried Isabel. They ran across the street to the UFO Center. The door was locked. Isabel opened the door, and she and Liz slipped inside. They glanced down into the main room seeing Brody holding a gun on Michael who was holding Maria in his arms. Isabel made a gesture to remove Brody’s gun, but nothing happened. Liz and Isabel shared a look, and they left quietly.

“We gotta get Valenti.” Isabel told Liz.

~~~

Inside the UFO center, Brody pointed his gun at Michael and pulled the trigger. It just clicked. All the hostages flinched.

“What are you doing here?” Brody asked, recognizing Michael from the Summit, but not recognizing him. He shook his head confused. He took out the clip and puts a new one in loading a bullet into the chamber. “Sit down before I shoot you!”

Michael backed away taking Maria with him. He sat down next to Amy still holding Maria as Amy hugged her daughter and Michael.

Brody turned on Max. “You try to contact your alien friends again, you’ll only make it worse for them.”

Maria’s cell phone rang again. Brody glanced at the phone in his hand, almost as if he was confused what it was.

“My god, he’s crazy.” Amy said hugging her daughter and Michael. The cell phone continued ringing.

“What?!” Brody yelled in the phone, highly agitated.

“Brody, that you?” Jim’s voice inquired over the phone.

“I don’t know. It might be Larek.” Brody said truthfully, missing Michael’s reaction.

“Larek? Ok, uh …” Liz and Isabel exchanged a knowing look. Larek, this couldn’t be good. “This is Jim Valenti.”

“So?”

“I understand you’re having a bit of a problem down there tonight.”

Brody paced nervously. “And you’re going to solve it?”

“Well, I’m gonna try. Why don’t you start by telling me what you’re after?”

“What I’m after?” Brody shook his head agitated and angry as he yelled into the phone. “What do you mean, ‘What I’m after?’”

“Well, as I understand it, you’re holding some people hostage. There’s usually a reason, you know?” Jim said trying to be reasonable. “List of demands?”

“Demands?!” Brody looked at the others. “He wants a list of demands.”

“I could use a burger.” Sean suggested.

“Sean!” Maria whispered loudly.

“Yeah, yeah, right. We got a bunch of hungry people down here, and we want burgers all around.” Brody told Jim.

“And fries.” Sean added.

Brody nodded. “Good. Good. And fries.”

Valenti repeated the order to Isabel and Liz while he tried to talk to Brody. “Right, listen um-couldn’t we at least talk about …”

“No! No talking until we get our food. And when it’s delivered, I don’t want to see any cops.” As an afterthought, Brody screamed into the phone. “And no aliens either, I can tell.” He disconnected the phone. Brody paced for a moment talking to himself as he finally began to move things.

Michael glanced at Maria who was literally in this lap. His hands weren’t bound, and Brody seemed to forget that. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

Maria nodded. “You could’ve been killed!”

“I got the pepperjack message and came to check it out.” Michael told her.

“God! I wanted Liz to call the police, not send you!” Maria leaned into him, still upset how close it had been.

“My fault. I read the message wrong. I was actually coming to check on Brody.” Michael glanced over to see Amy chastising Sean for ordering fries. “Why aren’t my powers working?” Michael asked as he glanced over at Max and Tess, both of them shaking their head. Theirs were gone as well.

“Brody turned on that device thing … the one that hurt you before. It is like this dampening field that turns them off.” Maria quickly explained.

“Then we’re helpless. Powerless.”

Maria sniffed. “Yeah. Welcome to the human race.”

The both turned as Brody’s babbling continued while he was piling stuff up at the bottom of the stairs.

“Nobody comes in, and nobody goes out. We’ll all just stay here together. Like one big, happy family.” Brody said with labored breathing. He walked over to Tess and Max. Talking to Tess while taking an alien mannequin next to her, “Excuse me, love. Just need to borrow your cousin for a while.” He started back toward the pile but stopped walking suddenly and turned back around. A knowing look moved over his face. “That’s it!”

“What?” Max said, almost afraid to ask.

“Dimaras rock. I couldn’t remember before but the name just came to me. Dimaras, after the third moon. That’s where you two first met. You must remember? Dimaras rock, it... it juts out over the water.” Brody said looking off. “Ah, I can see it so clearly. The moon hanging over the horizon.” Tess closed her eyes, remembering. “And the color of the water … crimson red. I was there with you before you were king.” Max gave Brody an incredulous look. “We were swimming, and you looked up, and saw her on a rock. You said she was the most beautiful girl you’d ever seen.” Max and Tess shared a look, Tess’s eyes bright. “But of course you were too afraid to go talk to her. I offered to make the approach on your behalf, but you told me not to.” Brody laughed as Max broke his eye contact with Tess to glance back. “Back then you were always so nervous and quiet. But lucky for you I was neither shy nor obedient. So I went and met her and introduced you two the same night …” Brody chuckled as if it were a good memory.

“… at a party.” Tess said quietly remembering it all. Max looked at her, dumbfounded. He turned to Brody.

“That’s a nice story.”

“It’s not a story. It’s the truth.” Brody was even more confused. “Don’t you remember?” Tess glanced at Max, but he wouldn’t look at her. That hurt. Tears filled her eyes. “Please, Zan, I have to know that what’s in my head is real.”

“I’m sorry, Brody.” Max told the man quietly. “But none of that is real. None of that happened.” Tess stared at him, even more hurt than before.

“But you do love her. I know you do.” Brody insisted. “I was there when you met!”

“You’re wrong. We’re not in love. We never have been.” Max repeated at Brody glanced at a visibly upset Tess, who looked away with tears in her eyes, defeated by a knowledge that Max would never want to know, and refused to remember.

~~~

Jim, Liz and Isabel watched as Hanson went to the UFO Center and pulled on the doors.

“Dammit, it’s Hanson.” Jim said more to himself. Jim took the cell phone and dialed.

“Hello?” Hanson said as he answered the phone.

“Step away from the door.” Jim told Hanson.

“Sheriff?” Hanson circled around looking for Jim. “Where are you?” He glanced up and saw Valenti waving at him from the roof outside Liz’s bedroom. “Oh, there you are. I had Ralph look into the power outage. Turns out the surge that cause all this emanated from the UFO Center here. Figured I check it out.”

“Turn your flashlight off and get up here.”

Isabel frowned as she watched the new Sheriff coming to join them. “This could be alien related. You shouldn’t have invited him into this.”

Jim didn’t agree. “It’s safer having him up here then goin’ in there with his gun, stirring things up.” Jim waited until Hanson climbed up to the room. “The UFO Center is an old fallout shelter. So it only has one set of doors and they automatically lock whenever the power goes out. Now I think there might be some people trapped in there.” Jim informed him.

“You need any help?” Hanson asked happy to have someone who knew what was going on.

“Sure, sure, but, uh -- with traffic lights out all over town, I think you’re going to have your hands full.” Jim told the Sheriff.

“Right, traffic control. I should probably take care of that one first.”

“Good, good.” Jim encouraged Hanson. “Yeah I got this one covered I think.”

“Thank you, Sheriff. Uh, Jim.” Hanson climbed back down the fire escape, off to direct traffic.

“Watch yourself, now.” Jim called to his ex-deputy.

~~~

In the kitchen of the Crashdown, Isabel and Liz were hurrying to finish the food order as Isabel passed her hand over the burger cooking them, despite what Michael told her about them tasting bad.

“What about the fries?” Liz asked.

Isabel used her powers to heat the oil under the fries while Jim repaired a small camera to be attached to Liz. His face appeared on a small screen.

Jim smiled encouragingly. “I’ll be able to see whatever you see. And I’ll be …”

“… watching the whole time.” Liz said as Jim attached it to her coat.

“All I want you to do is deliver the food. Let me get a good look at the layout of the room,” He adjusted the camera, “what’s goin’ on down there, who’s positioned where.”

“And then I want you …” Liz and Jim said at the same time.

“To get right out, you told me.” Liz reminded Jim.

“Right.” Jim got the food from Isabel, and they sent Liz in.

~~~

“Ah, supper’s here. I’ll buzz her in.” Brody said almost socially as the door buzzed. Amy glanced at Maria literally sitting on Michael. Brody had bound Michael’s hands after he ordered food, so he and Maria were discretely struggling together trying to undo the other’s duct tape.

“When he goes to get the food use your teeth, and bite through the tape.” Michael told Maria.

“No. Mine have been bound longer. I can maybe control Brody. You … you, he’ll just shoot. You bite through mine, and …”

“Maria, I have a better chance of getting us free, now …”

Amy shook her head as the two next to her continued arguing as Brody called to Liz Parker from the top of the stairs. “Yeah, yeah, come down. I’ll, uh, I’ll move some of this stuff. Mind your head there. Here, I’ll give you a hand.” Amy watched the man with something akin to horror on her face at the change in his tone, the nice pleasant voice and polite manners. He was deranged, a split personality. God! They were dead.

“Okay …” Liz said looking around at everyone.

“So, what have we got here?” Brody asked looking at the box full of takeout.

“Oh, we have got, uh, seven burgers and seven fries.” Liz told him.

“Great, lovely, uh … now, great.” Brody began counting his money to pay and Amy shook her head unable to associate a bill paying polite man to the maniac ranting about aliens and holding a gun on her daughter.

“Oh, oh no. It’s … it’s on the house.” Liz said nervously.

“Oh, no, no. I insist, please.” Brody handed her a large bill. “And, uh, keep the change. I think I’m rich.” Liz glanced at the hundred dollar bill. Okay, no wonder Brody was Maria’s favorite customer, or used to be, if he tipped this well all the time.

“So, um, is that it? Can … can I get you something else?” Liz asked wanting to get enough time to show Jim everything.

“No, no that’s fine. You can go. And thanks for the food.” Liz nodded and looked around the room before heading for the door. Brody tasted a burger, a dissatisfied look on his face. “Is there a new cook at the Crashdown?”

Startled, Liz stuttered a little. “Excuse me?”

“These burgers, they taste different.” Brody commented.

Maria realized what happened, that an alien … or specifically Isabel must have cooked the burgers due to the power outage, shook her head furiously at Liz. Oh, no. Alien cooked burgers sucked in taste. Liz didn’t catch Maria’s frantic gesture. “Oh, oh well see there’s no power over there either so we had to use a little butane grill.”

“So how did you cook the fries?” Brody asked suspicious, his demeanor changing, as Maria groaned and hid her head against Michael. Max finally clued in that something was about to happen.

“The same way?” Liz said more as a question than a statement.

“No, no, you didn’t. You used alien power to cook this food. You’re one of them!” Brody yelled his gun turning on Liz. He gestured for Liz to move. “Come on-get!”

“No!” Liz’s hands went up in fear.

Max quickly stood up to distract Brody. “Brody, let her go. Larek!” Max called, desperate.

“Get down!” Brody screamed pushing Max to the floor. Sean reached out with his feet and tripped Brody as he walked by. Brody dropped his gun and Sean scrambled to get it first. Brody beat Sean to it pointing it at Sean who struggled to his feet to stand between Liz and Brody. “That was a stupid thing to do.” Brody told Sean.

“She’s not an alien. She’s just an innocent girl.” Sean told the crazy man. “Leave her alone.”

Before Brody could react, the cell phone rang again. “What!?” Brody screamed into the phone irritated by everything.

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure you got the food, and that everything was okay.” Jim said.

“Okay? No, everything is pretty far from okay.” Brody continued to rant into the phone, his voice rising in a loud cadence, almost unintelligible.

Sean whispered quietly to Liz, “Reach into my coat pocket.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.” Liz reached in careful to keep an eye on Brody as she pulled out a knife.

“You talk to me about trust, then you send aliens in here.” Brody said to Jim as Liz started to cut Sean’s hands free. “What do you think I am? An idiot? You’ll be lucky if anyone comes out of here alive, ever!”

Freed, Sean slowly and carefully moved up behind Brody with the knife in hand. Brody disconnected in anger, still not seeing Sean.

Seeing Sean’s intentions, Max yelled, “Sean, no!”

Brody turned in time to see Sean, and the two men struggled over the knife. Sean and Brody fell to the floor wrestling for the knife when Brody suddenly sat up. He looked in shock as he stared at the bloody knife in his hand. Sean moved on the floor in pain, having been stabbed in the stomach. Maria, Amy and Liz all stood up in shock, all of them horrified.

“Sean!!” Liz screamed as Maria tried to get to her cousin, but Michael held her back. He went instead, pushing her back to safety away from the deranged Brody. Liz glanced at Max, her eyes were full of accusations and anger.

Michael grabbed Sean and quickly pulled him away from the shocked Brody, back to his family as both Amy and Maria moved to be beside him, both women pale and trembling, tears filling their eyes as they saw the blood.

“Michael,” Maria whispered in pain. Michael took off his over shirt leaving himself in only a tank. Using his shirt as a bandage he looked at the knife wound. It was a clean cut across the abdomen. Adding pressure, he looked at Sean.

“I think it’s a clean wound, easy to fix if we can get you to a doctor. It doesn’t look too deep.” Michael glanced over at the angry Brody tossing boxes all about the place mumbling loudly to himself.

“Oh, my God, Sean, are you okay?” Amy asked searching her nephew’s face.

“Yeah,” Sean reassured his aunt, hating the fear he saw in her eyes and in Maria’s.

Liz looked to Max, and with some determination goes over to him. “Max, heal him.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?” She demanded. “It’s your fault he got stabbed. Heal him!”

“I can’t use my powers.” Max motioned towards the device. “Brody activated that device. Brody’s a good man. This isn’t his fault. Sean might’ve killed him.”

“But it’s okay for Sean to get stabbed?” Liz reasoned, upset with Max’s decisions.

“Of course not,” Max said hating to see the disbelief in her eyes as she returned to sit with the others as Michael continued to fashion a tight bandage around Sean. Her belief that he didn’t care about Sean hurt.

“Too tight?” Michael asked Sean.

“Nah, it stings a bit, but surprisingly only painful when I move too much.”

“Yeah, well then don’t move so much.” Michael told him. “What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know. Freedom? Get my damn family away from a madman?” Sean looked over at Max, as did the others. “What is with your friend, Max?”

“Hard to say. I think he didn’t want you to kill Brody, and more than he wants Brody to kill you.” Michael helped Sean back into his shirt. “Maybe you have two people,” he glanced at the concerned Liz, almost in tears, “or maybe even three people who worry about you … who care that you live.”

Sean met Michael’s eyes, and the two men shared an understanding. “I wasn’t planning on dying.” Sean told Michael.

“Yeah, well most people who die from violent crimes rarely do.” Michael told him, having some experience with that himself. “I do know that Maria doesn’t handle loss very well, and maybe you should remember that.”

“Maybe you should too.” Sean said to Michael.

Liz came to kneel beside Sean. “Are you okay?”

Brody stopped his raging and tossing boxes for a moment to notice his hostages were moving around freely. He noticed Sean’s hands were free, as were Liz, Michael and Maria’s. They had yet to free Amy. “Who said you could unbind yourselves?” The poor confused man grieved. His eyes moved to Liz, who originally was unbound and freed Sean. Troublemaking alien.

~~~

“Hey,” Sean said weakly to Liz as she hovered over him. Occasionally he glanced to the side noticing Max watching them.

“Hey.” Liz answered, smiling. He had come between her and Brody, and he didn’t have to do that. Unlike Max and the others, he had no special powers, no advantages except his own courage.

“When this is all over do you wanna grab dinner?” Sean asked.

Maria’s mouth flew open in disbelief, as Michael looked away chuckling. “How can you be wounded and on the make at the same time?” Maria asked, astounded at men.

“Are you serious?” Liz asked, equally astounded as Maria.

Sean motioned to his bleeding stomach. “I’m bleedin’ here. Doesn’t get much more serious than that.”

“Yeah, let me think about it.” Liz told him.

“Hey, aren’t you involved with someone?” Maria asked motioning to Max. She loved Liz, but a girl who carried pictures of a certain alien in her pocket and was obsessing about said alien, wasn’t necessarily the best choice for her cousin.

~~~

Tess watched the others and then glanced at Max whose eyes never left Liz as she sat next to the wounded Sean. “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”

“It’s hard to describe what I feel for Liz.” Max answered.

“I know. It’s what you and I used to have.”

“Tess …” Max didn’t want to talk about the past, about another life that was over.

“You know, everything Brody said is true. I know it is.” Tess told him as Max glanced at her, and then back to Liz.

“I have to do something before more people get hurt.”

“Way to change the subject.” Tess mumbled upset by how resistant he was to any mention of their past and Liz.

Max slowly got to his feet. “I’m gonna talk to Brody.”

“And what are you gonna tell him?”

“The truth.”

~~~

Jim was still watching with Isabel everything happening inside the UFO Center. Hanson had come by, and he was going to be a problem. The new Roswell Sheriff figured out that something was going on, that there might be hostages, and Jim was unable to stop him from leaving. Jim watched as Sean DeLuca was stabbed. He tried to see the wound better through the camera on Liz’s jacket. He didn’t notice Kyle at first coming through Liz’s bedroom window.

“I wish I could see that wound better.” Jim told Isabel who was nervously chewing on her nails watching her brothers in a hostage situation. “We gotta get in there.”

“Dad! Dad!”

“Kyle!” Jim said turning to Kyle as he came out on the roof. “What are you doin’ here?”

“I heard over the scanner that the cops are getting ready to storm the UFO Center. They called sharpshooters in from the State Police.”

Jim groaned. Guess he now knew what Hanson meant about having to do something. “Damn it. Those guys will shoot anything that moves.”

“What’s goin’ on down there?” Kyle asked joining his dad and Isabel to look at the screen.

“Hey, I think we’re about to find out.” Jim said as they all watched the screen. The camera moved around the wall and Jim pointed to a box. “I thought Brody got rid of that thing.”

“What is that?” Isabel asked.

“You see that panel?” Jim asked as both Kyle and Isabel nodded. “That controls the fallout shelter’s lockdown mechanism.”

“You think it still works?” Isabel asked.

Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. If it does, it could be a way to keep the cavalry out long enough to end this thing without anybody getting’ killed.”

“Well, great.” Kyle said. “How do we get to it?”

“It’s too risky to try to get inside. There might be a way to activate it from the outside.” Jim seemed to consider their options. “Kyle! You think you can get me the blueprints for that place?”

“Where am I supposed to get those?”

“Library, third floor, in the back.”

“The library’s closed.”

“Kick the window in!” Jim told his son. “Go!” Kyle quickly scrambled back through Liz’s window as Jim and Isabel went back to watching the computer screen. They watched as Max stood up and approached Brody while Liz pointed the camera at them.

~~~

“Everything you’ve been saying tonight is true.” Max told Brody. “I am an alien. I’m the king of another planet. Tess is my wife.” Max didn’t notice Liz flinching at him calling Tess his wife.

“So these memories I have are real?” Brody said.

Amy nodded, leaning over to whisper to Michael, Maria, Liz and Sean. “Reverse psychology, it’s the oldest trick in the book.”

“Yes, all of them.” Max confirmed.

“But if I’m Larek, an alien, and you’re Zan, also an alien, w-what are we doing here?” Brody was confused … so confused.

“Surviving. Biding our time until we return.”

“So we’re going back to our home planet, someday?”

“Yes. You, Me, Tess.” Max said, hoping the answer would be one Brody wanted to hear.

“And the others?”

“All of us.”

Brody seemed to relax. “It’s incredible.”

“Now I think it’s time you put down the gun.” Max ordered softly.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Brody relaxed, almost ready to give up his gun when he suddenly spotted Liz trying to point the camera in his direction, her actions bumbling and in no way discrete. “What’s that? What have …” Brody stood up in anger holding the gun forcibly again, waving it at Liz. “What’s that?! She’s wearing a camera! I’m going to kill you!” he yelled at Liz, pointing the gun.

Max quickly moved between Liz and Brody, the gun resting on his chest. “You want to shoot someone, shoot me. This is my fault.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Brody warned his head moving to the side as they heard sirens approaching. “Cops.” He waved his gun at the group. “Get in the office! All of you! Go! Move now! Go! Get in there! Move!”

The cops arrived with Hanson directing things as helicopters moved overhead and sharpshooters taking location. Isabel and Jim lost the video feed.

~~~

“This is bad.” Sean said as Michael helped him into the back room.

“This is really bad.” Maria said agreeing with her cousin. “They always put you in the back room before they shoot you.”

“No. Stop it. We’re gonna be fine.” Amy told her children trying to stay optimistic. “We’re all gonna get out of here, I promise.” She glanced at the larger teen. “Tell them, Michael.”

Michael nodded. “Yeah, this is bad. We’re done. Stick a fork in us.” Amy hit him on the arm. Couldn’t he lie just once?

Max was wandering around the office. “Look at this.” He said to the others going to the VR assembly picking up the virtual reality visor. “It looks like it short-circuited or overloaded or something.”

Liz walked over with Michael and Maria. They all stared at the visor that had a darkened area from an electrical discharge. “If Brody was wearing this when it short-circuited …” Liz started.

“A powerful jolt of electricity might have been sent right to his brain.” Max concluded.

“That must be how he’s accessing Larek’s memories.” Tess said nodding. It made sense.

“Ahem, Alien 101 for the rest of us not in the know?” Maria suggested, hardly knowing what VR was all about, or caring.

“Humans only use a small percentage of their brains at any given time. Aliens, when they use humans as vessels, tap into this unutilized portion.” Max explained, giving it the best explanation as he got it from the Dupes. “The shock may have somehow given Brody access to a part of his brain only Larek uses.”

“And all of Larek’s memories,” Tess concluded.

“So if this was caused by some sort of injury …” Liz added.

Max nodded knowing where she was going. “That means I can heal him.”

Tess shook her head. “But you can’t. The pentagon.”

Michael frowned staring at the closed door. “We’ve gotta get him to turn it off.”

“I’m gonna go talk to him.” Maria said heading for the door and Brody.

Michael hooked an arm around her center. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting us out of here, and hopefully Brody too.”

“Maria …” Michael held on. “Don’t. He’s not Brody. I don’t know what he is, but his memories are whacked, full of Larek. Name one alien that hasn’t been off.”

“You,” Maria said simply. She smiled and patted his cheek, her eyes serious as they met his. “Brody … he won’t hurt me. I promise.” Maria looked over to where Brody was frantically pacing still mumbling to himself. “Brody?” she called.

The man looked over at her, and Michael almost stepped back. That wasn’t Brody. The body was, but the look, the recognition, was completely Larek.

“Maria,” Larek said.

~~~

Back on the roof, Kyle came through the window. “I’ve got ‘em.” Jim, Isabel and Kyle looked at the chaos in the streets as sirens and the helicopter were heard.

Jim worked quickly. He went through the plans showing Isabel and Kyle what he was looking for. “I was right. There’s another control panel in the back alleyway.”

Kyle nodded. “Ok, that’s no problem. I can get back there.”

“We can get back there.” Isabel said stressing her involvement as well.

“It’s gonna be pretty dangerous,” Jim warned them. With the insanity Hanson had called, there would be sharpshooters and armed police everywhere.

“We can take care of ourselves.” Kyle said glancing at Isabel who quickly nodded.

“All right, look. Inside the control panel, there’s a lever that activates a set of steel doors. But it hasn’t been activated in years.” Jim warned.

Isabel stood up ready to go. “We’ll activate it.”

“All right. Be quick about it. We’re running outta time.” Jim reluctantly sent the two teens to get to the back panel while he went to try to redirect and slow Hanson down.

~~~

When Maria approached Brody, he suddenly walked to meet her. Before she could say anything, he went past her and slammed the office door shut, locking the others inside, with Maria and himself on the outside. Maria was momentarily taken aback, but she held her ground, unwilling to leave Brody behind.

“I …”

“Maria.”

Maria blinked. “You … remember me?”

“You are Maria.” Brody shook his head a moment as if to clear it. “I know you, and I don’t. It’s like the memories are there, and if only I could touch them.” Brody sat down dejected.

Hating to see him so upset, Maria sat next to him. “I deliver lunch to you almost every day.”

“I bet I enjoy that.” Brody said his eyes moving over her beautiful young face as both he and Larek stored the memories of her.

“You do.” Maria confessed. “I do too.” She bent her head to keep his attention from wavering. “You … and I, we were building a good friendship. It was a little strange. I’m only seventeen, and you’re … older, but I really enjoy your friendship, the way you listen and talk to me about things. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

Brody sighed. “There’s just so much in my head right now. I can’t figure out who I am anymore.” He stared at Maria. “I look at you, and you … you are familiar.” Brody leaned over and kissed her. Maria held still for a moment, before sitting back her eyes meeting his. “That wasn’t a memory was it?” Brody asked.

“No. You never … we never kissed before,” Maria said carefully, slightly disturbed by the man who looked like Brody, but then suddenly looked completely foreign to her. “It never came to that.”

“Then is must have been a fantasy. Whose? Larek’s or Brody’s?” Brody put his hands to his head shaking it. “I can’t figure it out. There are like two voices in my head, two sets of memories, and both of them have you in them! I can’t understand that. I can’t …” Brody glanced at Maria. “Did you meet Larek?”

“No. Just you.”

“Then I don’t understand how he has memories of you. I don’t understand how he can be in love with you, too.”

“Brody …” Maria was lost.

“Who am I?” The man asked in a tortured voice.

“You’re Brody Davis.” Maria told him, her eyes sincere and clear of guise. “You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re sensitive and you’d actually make a damn good boyfriend for someone.”

Brody noticed the ‘someone’ understanding that it probably wouldn’t be her. “I sound pretty good.”

“You are.” Maria said smiling at him. “Really, you are. Your daughter is so lucky to have you as a father.”

That shocked the man. “I’m a father?”

“You don’t remember?”

Brody held his head in his hands shaking it in horror. “It’s like my whole life has been stolen from me.”

“Her name is Sydney.” Maria told him getting up to look around. “I know you keep a picture of her in here somewhere.” Smiling, she found a picture of Sydney tacked on a bulletin board. “Here. This is Sydney.”

Brody started to cry as he stared at the small child. “I don’t remember her,” he sobbed. Maria sat next to him again, her hand holding his.

~~~

Kyle and Isabel were in the alleyway trying to activate the fallout doors. Finding the lever Kyle pulled it. Nothing happened. Isabel turned as she heard footsteps and she reached in to use her power to get it working, fast. They were running out of time.

~~~

Sean was trying to pick the lock to the door with Michael standing at his side. They argued over the lock for a few moments, but Michael stood back since his expertise in breaking and entering usually required his powers, which currently were defunct.

Amy wasn’t helping matters as she paced in a fury, staring at the closed door occasionally going over to pound on it. The boys, her boys were taking too long.

“Oh, he’s gonna kill her. Oh, my god, my baby!” Amy said hysteria moving up into her throat. “He’s gonna kill her. We need to get out of here now!” She screamed at both Michael and Sean.

Max tried to calm the hysterical woman. “I don’t think that he’s …” Max stared despite the frantic shaking of both Michael and Sean’s heads. They both knew better than to try to reason with Amy DeLuca on a tear.

“Oh! I have had enough out of you for one day, Max Evans. Okay?” Amy said dismissing Max as ineffective and a large part of the problem. Alien? Alien her ass! Why was her child out there and she was stuck in here with a pseudo alien-wanna-be idiot? “My nephew and Michael are gonna get us out of here so I can save my precious daughter.” Amy turned on Michael and Sean yelling at them. “And what is taking you so long? Are you criminals or not?” Michael and Sean both winced. “What kind of bad boys are you? My child … out there! Me. Here. Denied. I want out of here, and I want out of here now!”

“I’m trying!” Sean told his aunt, feeling the trickle of pressure.

“Let me try.” Michael insisted trying to push Sean out of the way.

“Back off, Guerin! I’ve busted more locks than you’ve lived in years. So back off.”

“You’re pathetic at it. I could’ve tossed it in two seconds. It’s only an eleven pin hold. Just turn the tumbles!” Michael could see it in his head, almost feel the pins, but that idiot Sean was in his way. “Move it!”

“She’s my cousin!”

Michael’s jaw flexed and his eyes became deadly, but before he could say something indiscrete, Amy came up behind the two boys and glared at them.

Michael stood back. “Okay, you do it,” he stood aside, happy to let the other boy take the blame if it didn’t happen. He stared at the door, his face unyielding and harsh. Maria ...

~~~

“Police are coming.” Brody told Maria.

She couldn’t have him distracted. “No, no, no. Don’t worry about that. We have to focus here.” Maria took both of his hands. “Can you do that for me? You have to trust me, okay?” Brody’s eyes wandered over her face. There was no one he trusted more. He nodded. “I can get you your daughter back, Brody, but you have to deactivate that pentagon thing, all right? And let Max heal you.”

Outside, Hanson and the boys were using a battering ram on the door.

“Go, boys!” Hanson said as Kyle urged Isabel to hurry. The police broke the glass in the door. In the alley, Isabel used her powers on a wheel that manually controlled the doors. The gears of the door made a loud grinding noise. Right before the police could get through, the doors closed. “Solid steel.” Hanson muttered shaking his head as he noticed a bullet hole in the ‘Refuge’ sign from where it missed Michael. “We gotta get in there.”

~~~

Sean stood back smiling smugly at Michael as the door opened, thinking he finally got it. “Still got the touch.”

“Yes!” Amy yelled enthusiastically hugging Michael hard.

“No, you don’t.” Brody said standing in the doorway with the gun. He gestured to Max. “Come with me. Move!”

“Where’s Maria? Where’s …” Amy banged on the door as it closed again screaming. “Hey. Hey!”

Outside the police had a blowtorch and were working on the doors. Maria could hear them. She shared a look with Max, nodding to him. Licking her lips nervously, Maria talked to Brody.

“Brody, please. Turn it off.”

“If he heals me, will I remember you?” Brody asked.

“Oh course you will! You’ll remember me and Sydney. Please let Max help you.”

“Will I remember kissing you? That I love you?”

Maria missed the sharp look Max sent her way, her eyes only on Brody. “I don’t know. I don’t know what you felt before. We were just friends.”

“No. We were more. I felt more.”

Maria glanced at the door desperately. “Brody, please! Trust me.”

Brody nodded leaning over, he kissed Maria again, one last time. “He loves you too.” Brody told her before he picked up the pentagon.

“Please.” Max begged.

“Okay.” Brody turned it off. He looked at Max with his clear blue eyes as his held Maria’s hand. “Do it.”

Max placed his hand on Brody’s temple. Max got flashes of a star system, another world, events from Brody’s life, Maria smiling, Brody’s daughter, and he and Tess kissing. Overwhelmed by the rush of both Brody’s memories and those of Larek’s, Max fell backward. Brody started. He looked at the gun confused.

“Wha-What’s this?”

Max sat up quickly gaining his feet. “You were abducted.” He told Brody as he took the gun. “But now you’re back.”

Brody looked about. “Uh, why are the lights off?” His glance stopped on Maria. “Maria! Did you bring me a sandwich?”

“We don’t have a lot of time.” Max told Brody as Maria followed them. “Come on, let’s go.” Max led Brody to his office.

They entered the office and Amy turned to see her daughter hugging her hard around the neck from behind. “Oh!!” Maria turned around to hug her mother back.

“Hi!” Brody said pleasantly to all the strangers in his office.

“Everything’s fine.” Max told the others. “This is all just a big misunderstanding. Nothing happened down here today.”

“My ass, this guy needs to be put away.” Sean said angrily holding his stomach.

“Sean …” Liz said, pleadingly.

“Are you okay?” Amy insisted, refusing to let her daughter go.

Maria patted her mother’s arm where it still hung on to her. “Yes, I’m okay.”

Amy, relieved, rested her head against her daughter for a moment. “Oh, I’m so glad.”

“Listen, Mom,” Maria whispered quickly when Max made a gesture to her. “We can’t let Brody go to jail.”

“Excuse me?” Amy said in disbelief. Jail. A padded cell. Take their choice, the freak was going away. Hold a gun on her child …

“Ok, look, listen. He is a single parent, just like you.” Maria told her mother quickly showing her the picture of Sydney. “This is-This is his daughter. She’s cute as a button, intelligent as ever, and now imagine how devastated she would be if Brody went to jail, mom. Think about that for, like, two seconds.”

“Okay. I thought about it,” Amy said staring at the pleasantly smiling man, “and that man is a danger to his family, his neighbors, his whole community. And I am not gonna be part of a cover-up. Un-uh.” Amy shook her head emphatically. Not going to happen. No way. No Sir.

Sean ignored his aunt and cousin and concentrated on Liz. “Give me one reason why I wouldn’t tell the cops.”

“Because I’ll go out with you,” Liz suggested.

Sean made a face. “Ok, so, I fell down the stairs.”

Liz smiled taking a George W. is an alien T-Shirt handing it to Sean. “Here, put this on.” Sean held it up to himself, modeling it for Liz who chuckled at him. They all looked towards the door as the police were breaking through the steel doors.

Max put the gun back in the file cabinet, his eyes kept darting to Sean and Liz.

Amy wasn’t so easily convinced. “Un-uh. I refuse to lie about what happened down here tonight.” Tess closed her eyes and concentrated. She used her mind warp on Amy altering the older woman perception of events that evening. Amy’s face went blank for a moment, and then she looked around for a second. “Do you think they’re ever gonna get this power back on?” Amy asked the others. “I’ve got other T-shirt deliveries to make.”

“Don’t worry.” Tess told Michael, Maria and Max. “She won’t remember any of it.”

They all filed out of the office when the cops broke through the door and entered in a loud clatter of noise.

“Oh! Deputy Hanson, thank god!” Amy said forgetting that Hanson was the new Sheriff.

“I thought we were gonna be trapped in here for days.” Sean told Hanson and his crew.

“Trapped?” Hanson looked around at the group of people, all who seemed in perfect health and in no way threatened. “What about those bullet holes and that pile of stuff blocking the steps?”

“We were just doing some remodeling.” Max informed Hanson.

“We are?” Brody said confused looking around at the place, amazed by the mess. “Wow! Place is a mess.” Brody looked at the piles of boxes and other things as Isabel, Kyle and Jim came in through the door.

“Oh, Jim! Hi!” Amy said smiling charmingly at Jim. “Ah!” She said walking to Jim.

“Hi.” Jim said taking Amy’s arm to lead her away. “So, you got everything under control here, Hanson?” He inquired politely as he took Amy off to talk about pie.

Brody found the security CD showing Max using his powers. “Where did this come …”

Max grabbed it out of Brody’s hand giving it to Michael. “Michael, I downloaded that band off Napster for you.”

Brody glanced around at his unexpected party. “Who wants a cup of tea?”

Maria went to follow Brody back into the office for tea, but Michael pulled her back against him. He lowered his head to whisper into her ear. “You and me, we’re going to have a nice long talk about this.”

“What?” Maria said looking back into Michael’s eyes, her face a mask of innocence.

“Uh-huh.” Michael wasn’t buying it.

Sean noticed Hanson eyeballing his t-shirt. “I can get you one.” He offered the man.

~~~

Maria saw Brody eating outside at the Crashdown the next day. She paused for a moment, and then excused herself from Michael and Max who were talking at the counter.

“Give me a minute,” she told Michael.

“Hey, our shift isn’t over for another ten minutes.” Michael reminded her. He already stopped cooking and was waiting for Maria to finish.

“I know. I’ll just be a minute.” Maria left Michael and Max and walked outside. “Hi.”

Brody looked up from his sandwich and the article he was reading. “Hi.”

“Sorry to bother you. I only have, like, a minute break but I just wanted to give this back to you.” Maria handed him his picture of Sydney.

“Oh,” Brody said confused, “did I lend this to you?”

“Sort of.” Maria took a seat across from him, her eyes moving over him with worry.

“Sorry,” Brody apologized, “I’ve been feeling a bit out of sorts. More missing time.”

Maria smiled gently hating to see him so confused. “Yeah, I kinda had that figured.”

“Yeah, but this time, I have vague memories.” Brody’s face creased in concentration. “Like a dream I can’t quite remember. The details are hazy, but … I remember how it felt.”

“Really?” Maria’s eyes narrowed. He remembered? “How did it feel?”

Brody stared at her, and then his eyes dropped to her mouth to rest there a moment before looking up into her eyes again. He hesitated. “No, it’d just sound weird.”

“Heh! Who are you talking to?” Maria teased. “What?”

Brody smiled at her his eyes clear as usual. “Well, I felt kind of like I do now. Like, you were somehow there helping me.” Brody admitted his eyes suddenly serious, and Maria blinked when for a second, she thought she saw … Larek. But then, Brody smiled shaking his head. “I wish I knew where they took me.”

Maria slightly disturbed by the movement of expressions on Brody’s face stood up to return to work, but before she left, she genuinely expressed her happiness to see him well. “Well, wherever you went, Brody, I’m glad that you’re back.”

Michael and Max watched the conversation, both men quiet. Maria was up and ready to go back to work, but Brody called to her for a moment.

“Maria …”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for helping Brody.” Larek said.

Maria’s body stiffened. “Excuse me?” Her eyes widened.

Brody smiled his boyish smile, suddenly Brody again. “Maria, was there something else?”

Maria shook her head walking away from him smiling uncertain if she saw what she saw. See glanced over to Michael, and they shared a look, one that made Michael slowly stand.

“What is it?” Michael asked when she came to stand next to him as his arm went around her waist.

“Oh …” Maria glanced over to Brody who had gone back to his reading. “I … um, you know, it’s probably nothing. Just for a second there, I thought Larek was talking to me.” Maria laughed more at herself. “It’s nothing. Let me put in the last orders, cash out, and I’ll be ready.” Maria glanced at Max. “Were you coming with us?”

“Where?” Max asked quietly his mind still on Brody and Larek. Antar. A world he now remembered.

“Downtown Records is having a clearance sale. We got it on good authority they’re dumping out their old stock, stuff that hasn’t been seen in decades.”

“I hoping to find vintage Metallica,” Michael told Max.

Max shook his head. “I probably should go home.” Michael and Maria both looked at him, and he smiled. “Okay, I guess I should check it out. I might run into something I never expected to find.”

“Good.” Maria squeezed Michael’s arm on her way to cash out.

Max’s eyes followed her. He glanced at Michael clearing his throat. “Brody kissed her.”

“What?”

“When he was confused. He kissed her.” Max watched Michael’s jaw firm. “He told her that he loved her … that Larek loved her, and before he let me heal him, he kissed her one last time.” Max cleared his throat again. “The thing is, Michael. I don’t know if it was Larek talking or Brody, but I … for a moment I thought it was Larek.”

“Maria never met Larek.”

“I think when we used Isabel to call home, to access Larek, I think we did something to Brody, something to Brody and Larek that made this last accident possible. I think Larek knows Maria … loves Maria because Brody does.”

Larek. Michael frowned at Brody still eating, and then turned to the sound of a laughing Maria coming out of the back break room with her bag and jacket. She was laughing with another waitress, and leaving a message for Liz for when she got home from the library. Michael stared at her for a moment. She was like light … bright and pure.

Larek was a man of mystery. A volatile man, as were all the aliens. He was a man, and not a boy, and Michael was positive that for an alien, Maria would be the most incredible thing Larek ever saw. Larek, the man? A man in the stars.

Shit.

~~~

After shopping with Michael and Maria, an event too strange to ever repeat, Max stared at the few recordings he found, a few vintage vinyl records, and placing them aside, he went out the window. He didn’t know much about being Zan of Antar, but thanks to Brody’s accident, and Larek, he now knew a few things that were true. That night, Max came in through Tess’s bedroom window waking her.

“Max? Max, what is it?”

Max sat on the side of the bed to talk to Tess. “Well, when I healed Brody … I saw these -- these flashes, of Brody, of Larek, but also …”

“… but also what?” Tess asked encouraging him to tell her.

“I remember you.”

Tess stared at him for a moment before she started to openly cry. Max wiped the tear off her cheek. He remembered her, them, and their life together.

“I’m gonna be sick,” Maria told her image as she listened to Liz tell her about her date with Sean. Liz was sitting on the counter in the girl’s bathroom at the school obsessing over every last detail.

“No. One minute I was letting him down easy and the next minute he was kissing me,” Liz saw the face Maria made. “What was I supposed to do?”

“I don' know, a swift kick to the huevos comes to mind.” Sean and Liz. Liz and Sean. Sean dating Liz. Liz … Maria gave herself a mental shudder to wipe those nasty thoughts from her head.

“You know what the most annoying part of all of this is?” Before Maria could sift through her list that was building in huge proportions in her brain, Liz went on, “I can't stop thinking what Max would think. I mean why? Right? We're not even together.” Liz made a sound of distress, irritated that her brain was Max-hotwired. “God, I have spent two years of my life involved in this thing with Max and I don't even have a date for the prom. And now I feel guilty.” Liz was floundering. She needed help. “Why … why should I feel guilty?”

Because you are. Sean? Honestly. Maria stiffened her backbone. No. Best friend. She put her revulsion hat away and quick changed it to her friend hat. It wasn’t Liz’s fault she has horrible taste in men … okay, maybe it was, but still …

“Oh you shouldn't feel guilty, it was a non-kiss, it's not like you would kiss Sean back. Right?” Maria said applying more lip gloss, but her hand stopped in mid-application as she looked at Liz’s reflection noting the huge pause from Liz. Understanding dawned in Maria’s eyes. “Eww! I'm gonna be sick!”

“Maria …”

~~~

“So you actually remember our planet?” Michael asked curiously.

“Yes!” Max said exasperated. He should’ve never told Michael. The other alien boy’s questions were unrelenting.

“What are the chicks like?”

Max shook his head. “If you're not going to take this seriously …”

“I seriously wanna know what the chicks are like.” If he ever went home, he might someday hook up with someone in that way, and inquiring minds wanted to know. All the alien chicks he met wore human skins, but he was assuming that wasn’t how they looked on Antar.

“It's not that literal, they're just these images. In one way I have this, this really clear feeling about everything. In another way everything seems so ephemeral.” Max said than realized he was talking to Michael. “You know, uh …”

“… transient, fleeting, impermanent, I know what ephemeral means Maxwell. It's my life.”

“Michael, I remember everyone.” Max told him seriously. “You, Isabel …” He looked over to see Tess walking and laughing with Kyle. “For some reason Tess is the clearest.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm?” Max glanced at Michael. “What is ‘hmm’ supposed to mean?”

“Hmm.” Michael’s face was thoughtful. “I wonder how long it would take to get to Antar. Get there. Be what we use to be, and start really living our lives.”

“Why are you curious?” Max made a face. “I mean outside your usual curiosity.”

Michael shrugged. “I don’t know. Restless I guess.”

Max saw Liz and Maria leaving the bathroom. He glanced at his friend. “Or wanting something you can’t have?”

Michael followed Max glance. “Don’t push your feelings on me.” He smiled and shook his head when Maria made a laughing noise and exaggerated gestures at Liz.

Maybe he was lonely in a way he hadn’t expected to be. He had Maria, but there was only so far he could go in his relationship with her. If he dated an alien, his choices were limited. Tess or Isabel. That wasn’t a choice; it was like picking up a can of chili off a shelf, not because you liked chili. And even though it was way out of date, you picked it up because you were hungry and it was all that available. That was all there was … one can. That wasn’t a choice, and he didn’t want his life to be settling for the only can on the shelf.

“So, are you sure don’t remember what the chicks looked like?”

“None of them looked like Maria, Michael.” Max said firmly, getting a surprisingly dark look from Michael. For a moment, he stopped in his tracks when Michael, for an unguarded moment, showed pain in his eyes.

“Michael …”

~~~

“So basically, you’re freaking.” Michael concluded. He and Maria were walking down the hall together. He glanced at the blonde. “You want me to freak too, or you doing okay with it?”

“Oh, rest easy, I’ve got it all covered.” Maria said disgusted. “They kissed!”

“No details. That has to be a firm rule. Liz Parker’s mating attempts, and toss your loser cousin in the mix, and my spew factor is on high alert. Red. Very red.”

“My point exactly.”

“You going to tell me what’s the real reason you’re so opposed to Liz with Sean?”

“No.” Maria stopped to stare at a poster. “Okay, maybe. Fine. Sean, I love him. He’s my cousin, but in truth, I don’t think he’s staying, and more than likely he’ll find trouble. He always does. I just don’t want Liz caught in the wash. She’s had enough trouble lately, and the kind Sean can bring …”

“Maybe he’s changed? Juvie can do that.”

“Do leopards change their spots?” Maria asked motioning to the poster. “I want to go to that. We should go.”

“Oh, you cannot be serious!” Michael said shaking his head at the poster.

“Like a disease.” Maria hit Michael on the arm. “It’s just the prom, Michael. Not an invasion by hostile forces.”

“Just kill me now.” Michael said with an uncharacteristic moment of dramatic hyperbole. “I don't do proms. I don't believe in them.”

Maria shrugged. “You don't believe in anything.”

“That is not true. I believe in you. I believe that someday I will be exposed and my life will end as a stain on a petri dish.” Michael exhaled a deep breath. “And that is preferable to this,” he said gesturing to the poster. “The whole thing is totally bogus. It's completely unnatural.”

“You know what? I … I find it to be really unnatural that you're half alien warrior and half Grandpa Dupree! But I make do,” Maria countered, irritated that he wouldn’t just unwind and take this as a possible fun thing.

“I knew you were going to make this thing into a whole issue.” Michael’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve come to think you’re pretty damn perfect, or as close to perfect as you can get being … you know … human. And then you do this! Makes me rethink my assessment.”

“Oh, my God! You are so bent.” Maria shook her head. “I know you don’t think about me as a girl, but I am one. This is potentially one of the five greatest nights of my life!” Maria laughed at herself being all teenager-ish. “I’m not with anyone, and I would like to spend it with my best friend with my other best friends, like a nice time that we’re all together, happy, young and carefree.” Maria closed her eyes. What was she thinking? He did those things for her, and her alone, but this … this would be very huge. “You know what? Forget it. I’m overstepping the boundaries of our friendship. You’re right. It is stupid to imagine you would go.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.”

“Yep.”

“Good.” Michael cleared his throat not sure what he just won. “So you want to plan something big that night? Maybe get out of Roswell? Concert? Something? I’ll let you pick.”

“I can’t.” Michael frowned. “I can’t do anything with you that night. I’m going to the Prom.” Maria told him brightly. She walked off, talking to herself under her breath. Michael frowned as he heard her list names … boy’s names. Other boy’s names.

~~~

Max paused, paced a little, and then straightened his back to go talk to Liz. She was sitting outside at a table in the quad writing. They were friends. She wanted to be friends.

“Hey.”

Liz glanced up. “Oh, hey.”

Max took a seat across from her. “There's a... there's something I've been wanting to tell you.”

“Yeah?” Liz became distracted by the other students around them as they obviously were preparing to go to the Prom, making dates. Liz made a face, “… the Prom.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, it seems like Michael and Maria aren't going.” Liz told Max, still confused by that. Those two went everywhere together.

Max smirked. “Well, I think that one might be a little too early to call.”

Liz actually laughed making a face. “Oh, ‘m waiting for the real side show to begin. Last time I left Maria, she was making a list of all the boys that asked her out with a side list of all the boys, she wouldn’t mind having ask her out, and mumbled something about having Alex computer generate her a list of attributes.”

Max laughed. Oh, that wouldn’t go over well with Michael. “Michael calls that the Maria-Home Shopping Network.”

Liz laughed too, but then became serious. “It's really weird. You know …” Liz cleared her throat, uncertain she wanted to put so much of herself out there. “A year ago I was so certain that the four of us would go together. I always pictured that moment, you know, walking in through those double doors together. I even bought a dress.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” Liz laughed self-consciously. “Well, you know it was around that time last year when we first kissed and everything seemed so …”

“… simple.”

“Yeah.” Taking a deep breath, Liz went for it. “Max, I know that we're not seeing each other and I accept that... I do. But, um, this is my prom, you know? It really means a lot to me. I … I've put a lot of thought into it.”

“Well, you know, we can go.” Max suggested.

Liz sat back, shocked, and pleased. “We can?”

“Yeah, I mean, okay, fine, we're not together, but we're also not with anyone else.” If she wanted them to remain friends, then friends could do this.

“Right. I ... I mean it doesn't have to be some life changing thing. It can just … you know we can just go and have a good time.”

“I would love that.”

“Me too.” Liz suddenly felt lighter, happier. She remembered that Max had come looking for her. “Oh, um, so was there something that you wanted to tell me.”

“Right, I'm starting to remember things. About my planet, my life, my other life.”

Liz sat back. “Wow.”

“Yeah, yeah, it's, it's weird, like, for the first time I can remember things. You know, like what it smelled like. What it felt like to be there.”

“Yeah, that... that's great.” Liz said lacking enthusiasm.

“Yeah, I've been dying to tell you.”

“Yeah, yeah, that, that, that must be really exciting.” Liz said wondering how Maria would handle this, how she would fake interest and support. “Wow, so um, do you remember like actual people, you know, like Michael and Isabel?”

“Yeah, more like their energy than what anyone actually looks like.”

“Right,” Liz almost bit out her tongue, but she had to ask, “What about Tess?”

“Yeah, I remember her too.”

“That's great.” Oh god. Liz looked around for Maria.

~~~

“So,” Maria said moving behind Michael with the strainer to rinse the pasta. “Max told her that he remembered his past life.”

“Yeah, he told me the same thing.” Michael frowned at the lettuce. “Does this look good to you?”

Maria glanced over his shoulder. “No. Lose the outer leaves. They’re gone.” Maria glanced at the clock. “We could’ve eaten at the Crashdown. We both have a shift in a few hours.”

“No. This is better. I thought you said that we ate there too much.”

“True.” Maria accepted a taste of the sauce. “Hmm, is something missing?”

Michael tasted it frowning. “Oregano?”

“Maybe more basil. It lacks … umph.”

“Umph?”

“Uh-huh.” Maria sat down with her paper and added a few comments.

“What are you doing?” Michael glanced over, frowning at a list of names. “What’s that?”

“Potential prom date candidates. The ones with marks next to them are the ones that have so far asked me out. I am making pro and con remarks to help me decide who to say yes to.”

Michael wiped his hand and grabbed the paper. He scanned the list, his face paling. “Brody’s name is on here.” It had a mark next to it.

“Yeah, he is a major consideration. He asked. He’s fun. And most important, he allows me to go to the Prom without breaking my ‘no dating sweaty teen boys’ rule.”

Michael handed her the paper without comment. Brody. Damn. He hated Brody. He could already see it. Brody dressed in an expensive tux, all smiles with gifts for Maria, charmingly making her laugh, dancing with her especially all the slow numbers, and maybe a ride in a limo. Damn.

Michael glanced at the list. “Hey, mark off Mark Peterson. Rumor has it he contracted a highly contagious sexual disease, and that’s why Jen Clark dumped him.

“No!” Maria quickly scratched him off. She frowned at her list. “Bob Kaskill?”

“Closet gay.”

“Damn.”

“Charley Smith?”

“Maria, the boy has a pocket protector.”

“Eek! What was I thinking? Thank you, Michael. You’re a great friend.”

~~~

“What are you doing?” Liz asked at Maria searched the store front a few more times.

“Michael’s missing. I just left him a little under an hour ago, after we finished dinner. He hasn’t shown up.”

“Maybe he got delayed. Juan is here. He’ll cover until Michael shows.” Liz glanced around the quiet diner. It was a slow night. “Not much happening here. It’ll be okay.”

“I’m not worried about the work, Liz.”

“Uh-huh.” Liz cleared her throat. “So did you talk Michael into unbending his ‘no social events that make me look like a human’ rule, and come to the Prom?”

“Nope. Not even trying. I don’t want to beg, and I sure as hell don’t want him to do it if he doesn’t want to. It should be his choice. Not mine.”

“But you want him to take you.”

“Oh course I do! Michael … he, we …” Maria stopped almost as if she was confused exactly what she was trying to say. “Look, I think of the Prom, and I think of Michael. I guess it makes no sense, but he was the only person I really wanted to share the night with. I guess I wanted him to let loose, and for once just pretend like he was an ordinary teenage boy, alive, and young with his whole life waiting for him.”

“You’re a good friend, Maria.”

Maria laughed. “Oh, no I’m not. I selfishly wanted this for myself too.”

“I don’t …”

“I know. I barely understand it myself. I guess I always carried this knowledge that someday, he’ll be gone, and that all this time I have with him is limited. I want … I need all the good memories of him that I can get, because when he’s gone it’ll be all I have left.” Maria was mortified to feel tears in her eyes. Putting her hand to her throat, for a moment she lost control. “Oh god, I can’t breathe!”

“Okay … okay, Maria, slow it down. Deep slow even breaths.” Liz encouraged her friend. It hurt to see Maria struggling to stay calm, to stay in control of her feelings for Michael, keeping them superficial when they ran so much deeper. “You’re going to be alright.” Liz lied. She lied for both of them. Whatever they would be when the aliens left, it wouldn’t be alright.

Neither of them noticed the late Michael when he came in the back way, nor did they notice him listening to their conversation. As quietly as he entered, he left.

~~~

“I’m sorry.” Maria said after washing her face.

“For loving Michael, wishing he would always be around, or for selfishly wanting to spend as much time with him because you’re afraid tomorrow will be the day that would never come?”

“Stop being so smart, Ms. Parker!” Maria blew her nose. “I … it’s hard, you know. My mom has been slightly weird since the whole Brody thing, almost like she’s uncomfortable in her own skin, and with Roswell. I watch her battling it. I’m waiting for Sean to lose it and go on the lam or rob a convenience store. Michael has his foot firmly planted on any platform that gets him off the planet. My father’s gone. I guess my whole life is full of people on their way out, on their way to something better, and I’m just a stopping ground.”

“That’s not true, Maria.” Liz was horrified at how Maria viewed her life. “They … we all love you, even your father.” Maria made a scoffing noise at that.

“Maybe it’s my nature to love people who are looking for something else.”

“Maybe it’s my nature to want what I can’t have.” Liz said.

“Max?” Maria asked softly.

For once, Liz shook her head. “Sean.”

“You want Sean?” Maria asked in disbelief.

“Yes. No. Maybe.” Liz rubbed her face hard. “I know you’re worried, and really don’t want to hear this, but …”

“No, go ahead. You’re entitled. I just bawled all over you. Hit me.”

“Okay, I feel things when I’m with Sean.” Maria made a face. “No, it’s not like Max, it’s not as intense, but I still feel things. Sean, feels likes someone I could love had Max never been part of the equation. I … everything with Max was so otherworldly, and intense, like my blood was racing, but with Sean, it’s like settled, like maybe I’d like to stay awhile and just bask in how he makes me feel.”

“Liz …” Maria licked her lips. “Sean is trying hard to overcome a lot, but he’s still Sean. He’s not a bad boy because he’s bad. He’s a bad boy because he likes the feeling, the rush, how it makes him feel.”

“Maybe you’re wrong, Maria.”

“I hope so. My mother depends on him, leans on him, and she really needs him like the son she never had. Michael has been a big help to my mom, but even my mother knows that Michael won’t be around forever.”

“Sean told me I was special … that there was something about me he always recognized as special.”

“He is not without DeLuca charm. It’s deadly. The law forbids us from smiling directly into the light … lethal.”

Liz tried to find a way to ask, but finally just asked because she had no discrete way to do otherwise. “Sean thinks Max is jerking me around. He has me panting on the sidelines, off the market, while because we aren’t together, he’s free to date other women.”

“Other women, or just Tess?”

Liz finally made eye contact with Maria. “He remembers her. He remembers his other life when he loved her and was her husband.” Maria saw the misery in Liz’s eyes and hugged her friend. How could she ever compete, a simple human girl, against a destiny and a life half a world away?

~~~

Maria spotted Michael at his locker. Going over, she leaned against the one next to his. “So, missed your shift last night.”

Michael nodded taking books and a folder out of his locker. “Alien business.”

“Was it serious? You didn’t call me.”

“Nothing serious. I took care of it easily.”

“Well, we're both off tonight so I'm willing to let you make me dinner and break into a movie,” Maria suggested wanting to try the Thai peanut sauce they flubbed the last time.

“I can't make it tonight.” Michael told her.

“You can't make it?”

“Nah, I got plans.” Michael made a face. “Believe me, the plans, they could get ugly. So … maybe Sean would like to help you cook tonight?”

“Right. Sure.” Maria watched him walk away feeling like he was already gone.

~~~

Isabel glanced at the studying Alex and went for it. “So I think Billy Sorian is going to ask me to Prom.”

“Billy, huh?” Alex said not bothering to look up. “Are you sure? Cuz I heard he was taking Amy Green.”

Isabel made a face. “Well, the point is, I would've said no.”

“Oh.” Alex glanced up.

“What about you, Alex?” Isabel asked under breath chanting ‘Say no, say no, say no’. “Anyone special?”

“Not right now.” Alex confessed. His long distance relationship had petered out, and he dated a singer of the Whits for about two weeks before she went on to the drummer. Thank god.

“Really?” Isabel took a deep breath. “Maybe someone special, from your past, who's ready now and before she wasn't?”

Alex put down his pencil. “Isabel, it would be my dream to take you to Prom.” Isabel smiled. “But then we'd wake up the next morning and you'd be onto the next thing and I'd be right back where I was before Sweden.” Isabel’s smile faded away. “You know, obsessed, pathetic and lovesick. So, I think, amazingly, my answer is no. I'm not going to take you to the Prom.” Alex glanced at her, not wanting to hurt her, but he couldn’t risk his own heart with her again. “Okay.” He went back to studying as Isabel watched him uncomfortable and upset.

~~~

Tess glanced up when Kyle came into the bedroom. She was lying on the bed reading a magazine. Tossing it aside, she sat up. “Oh, Kyle, hey.”

“Hey.” Kyle wavered on his feet.

“What's up?”

Kyle tried to drown out his friend, Malamoot’s crass suggestions that he put moves on Tess, but there it was. He was interested in something more. “Last year, I went to the prom with Trudy MacIntire.”

“Oh Trudy, she's cute.”

“Yeah, and so we went, and everything was okay, but I didn't really know her, ah, so we didn't really have much to talk about, much to say to each other. And so I realized that I feel like I really know you. Which is unusual for me with girls and uh, anyway, I just …” Kyle suddenly felt like his feet were too big or something. “Feel free to say no, or laugh or be outraged or whatever, but would you … want to go to the Prom? You know, with me?”

“You know, I'd really like that Kyle.” Tess answered smiling.

“Oh.” Kyle was dumbfounded, and then he smiled. Heck, that hadn’t been so bad.

“Thank you.”

~~~

“You have to go with me!”

Liz stared at her deranged friend and the piece of paper she was clutching. “Let me get this straight. You broke into Michael’s place, found this paper, and now you think he’s dating some human girl?”

“First, I didn’t break in. I have a key. Second, he obviously meant for me to find out since he left the evidence in the open.”

Liz took the paper with graphite rubbings across it to help bring up the pressure writing. “Maria, you have to scratch a pencil across it to get the information.”

“What’s your point? Who do you think taught me that?” Maria sniffed, clearly upset and unwilling to admit it. “Are you coming with me or no?”

“I’m going to hell, that’s for sure. Sure, let’s go.”

Liz watched her very sick friend in need of medication staring at the address with binoculars.

“You know, I always imagined you and Michael hanging out with twin binoculars, and …”

“His are in the glove. Help yourself.”

“I cannot believe that Michael is seeing a woman … has a girlfriend, I just, I won't. I …”

“Snap out of it sister! Juanita!” Maria pointed to her house. “Proof!”

“I can't believe what’s going on with you and Michael and me and Max.” Liz said taking out Michael’s binoculars struggling to untangle the intricate knots he had made in the strap.

“Liz, what are you talking about? You and Max are going to the Prom.”

“I don't know, I just feel Max and I going in two different directions, like, it's like we're not able to just separate.” Liz got the binoculars up in time to see a woman in the window and Michael coming up to hold her. “Oh!” Liz glanced at Maria seeing her face pale as she saw Michael with the woman too.

“Makes you realize how, like, easy things change. Because people meet other people. I could meet another guy. Or Max could meet another girl, and …”

Maria put down her binoculars. “Or Michael could meet a woman.” Liz reached over a hand squeezing Maria’s arm where it rested on the steering wheel. “I'm okay, I'm okay.”

“Okay.” Liz said softly knowing better. Maria was upset. The mystery would be whether Maria could admit it or even fathom why.

Maria started crying. Laying her head on the wheel, she rested a minute. “Okay, so I’m not okay. Why, why?! I just don't understand, I wish, I wish that I hadn't seen that, I wish that I hadn't figured it out, I wish …”

“What’s bothering you the most about this, Maria? You swear you and Michael aren’t together like that. So he found someone, and maybe you should be happy, or …”

“She’s human.” Maria said miserably.

“So?”

“Alien … that I could handle, but not another human girl.”

“Maria …”

“Look, you don’t understand.”

“Obviously.”

Maria tried to explain, but she kept falling silent. Finally she started. “An alien girl - that would appeal to Michael, and I think he might have hooked up sooner if say he had a selection, a population to look through, but he doesn’t, so he is always like waiting for his life to really begin. He needs to leave this planet for that to happen.”

“Maybe it’s just a date, Maria. It doesn’t have to be serious.”

“Yes it does. For Michael … it has to be serious.” Maria sniffed. “He doesn’t open up and do ‘social’ very well. Actually, he doesn’t do it at all. To get a date, even a casual one, he would have to be something he’s not. Michael isn’t an easygoing flirt.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“I always knew that if Michael dated it would mean two things. First, he found someone he could let inside, someone close enough to really touch him.” Liz stared at Maria. She was right. It was why everyone else was so shocked by Michael and Maria’s friendship. It came with Michael letting Maria in closer than anyone had ever come.

“And second?” Liz asked, almost afraid to as Maria started to openly cry.

“For Michael to date a human girl, which is next to impossible and improbably, it would mean he is admitting that he is never leaving, never going home. He wouldn’t risk his heart, leaving it behind with someone here. Michael would never allow anything to tie him that way, not unless he’s staying.”

Liz turned to stare at the house. “Oh.”

“I guess if that happened, I always expected it to be with me.” Maria told Liz. “I wanted it to be with me.” She whispered softly to herself.

“Maria, we don't know for sure that anything happened. You know we could be reading into this whole thing.” Liz shook her head. There was no way Michael Guerin had given up on his dream of going home. No way.

Maria nodded. She had to know. Michael obviously didn’t want to talk to her, but she still needed to know. “That's why you have to go and ask Max.”

“No, Maria, I do not think that's such a good idea.” Liz said shaking her head.

“Please!”

Reluctantly Liz went to Max’s room. Tess was there with him. The two were on the bed with candles trying to access more of Max’s old memories. Max remembered how the water felt on his old home. Excited, he hugged Tess as Liz came to the window. Looking in she saw them. Slowly backing away from the window, Liz turned on her heels and rushed away.

~~~

Liz walked down the sidewalk, heading home, trying to keep the need to spew under control when she ran into Sean. God, her life …

“You’re like ubiquitous.” Liz told him, not in the least bit confident he understood the word, and maybe that was the point of using it. She needed to emphasize how far apart they were.

Sean smiled slightly not letting Parker at her most pretentious bug him. He knew who he was, and that was enough. “I think I might've figured something out about you, Parker.”

“You know what? I'm not interested!” Liz went to go around him and go around the Crashdown to the back entrance.

“It might fix your problem.” Sean offered.

Oh, that was it! The man had some nerve. “Who says that I had a problem?!”

“Well, look at you.” Sean pursed his lips. “You look like you're about to puke, at the very least.”

Liz’s pale skin pinked up as the flush of anger moved over her. “Hey, do you know what? I do not need this right now, okay? I do not want to hear any more of your stupid, inane comments. I do not want to hear any more of your little theories on life. And I do not wanna write my frickin name in mustard okay? My life is falling apart!”

Sean stared at her. Animated Liz Parker was something to behold. He never imagined to see that much life in her, not since she was younger, playing enthusiastically with Maria and Alex. That was a different girl, alive, sparkly … happy. The Parker he met since being back, was like the remaining image left behind after the real version faded from sight. It was nice to see some life.

“You wanna go somewhere?” He asked kindly.

“Yes.”

Sean took her bowling. Teaching her was part of the fun, but mostly, he took her to watch the stress slowly bleed from her face. Maria used to be that way, so serious that it took everything to make her smile. That was around the year that her father left. It was hard to see beautiful girls, so full of life already aged and weighed by the lack of possibilities. Every moment Liz spent with Sean, she saw her life from a different view, from a fresh perspective, and what she saw was bothersome.

“So um, can I tell you my theory?” Sean asked.

Liz sipped on her coke. “Can I stop you?”

Sean chuckled. Nope. He was a DeLuca. She should know better. “You and I are, are really different people.”

Liz was impressed that he caught the obvious. “That's your theory.”

“But the thing is, if we're so different then why do I feel so much every time I look at you?” Liz stopped drinking to stare at him remembering her conversation with Maria. “I mean it's not completely one sided is it?” Sean didn’t wait for her answer, it wasn’t necessary. Liz wasn’t ready to let go of a dream she had, and maybe she never would be. “This town. Everybody's always looking at me, like … there's Sean, just got back from juvie. What's crazy Sean gonna do next? And that's what I figured out about you.” Sean told her seriously. “You're not that different. I mean this whole arrangement you have with Max, it's like you're not together but you're not apart. I mean I bet you can't even talk to me without wondering what Max is gonna think about it. But meanwhile, you're not getting what you need from him, are you? You're suffocating Liz. We both are.”

Liz shared a look with Sean, and without acknowledging what he said to be true, she bowled. Getting a strike, she let the worries of her life fade away laughing at Sean as he lane walked sliding to and fro, and for the first time in a long time, her mind was free of thoughts of Max.

~~~

Alex sat on his bed practicing his bass guitar when he heard a noise, possibly a knock at his window.

“Hello?” The knock came again. “Who is it?” Alex got off his bed and lifted his guitar as a weapon as he opened his blinds to Isabel. Relieved, he opened the window.

“Hey.” Isabel said.

“Hey.”

Isabel saw Alex holding the bat like a weapon realizing she must have startled him. “Sorry.”

“It's okay.” Alex put the guitar to the side.

“Can I come in?” Isabel asked, unsure what she was asking. Whether he would allow her into his room or his life ever again?

“Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm sorry.” Alex helped her to come through the window. Sitting at his window seat they were both silent until Isabel started.

“Last semester, Miss Rikesdale told me that I only needed to take one more class to graduate. So I did.”

“So you're graduating?” A year early. Alex was impressed. He never noticed Isabel being that gung-ho about school, not to the level of Liz and other brains. Obviously, he missed something.

“You're the only person that knows that.”

Alex sighed and glanced at her. “So are you like, going to college?”

“I have no real idea, but it is a possibility. But what I'm sure of, is that I'm graduating. And this is my last chance to have a Prom, ever.” Isabel said stressing how important it was to her. Alex just sat there in silence giving her nothing, no clue to how he felt. “Alex, please don't make me just sit here.”

Alex took her hand. “Isabel Evans, go to the Prom with me?” Isabel hugged him, laughing, happy …”

~~~

At the Crashdown Cafe, a group of students were gathered, all decked out in their prom wear. Maria was fixing Liz's hair.

“Did you talk to Michael?” Liz asked.

“No.” Mara moved uncomfortably. She couldn’t. There was this sea of seething emotions deep inside her, so volatile, that she was afraid to open them, like Pandora’s Box. “Why? Is he looking?”

“No, just concentrate.” Liz told Maria, confused with how Maria couldn’t know what she felt about Michael. “I thought you had a date, or perspective dates.”

Maria blew out harshly. “I did. Michael found a detractor for everyone one of them, and now I suspect he made up a few things.”

“Brody?”

Maria shook her head. “I … it was tempting, mind you, but no.”

“He likes you.”

“No. He loves me.” Maria corrected. “And that is the problem.” Maria saw Liz’s confusion. “When he was confused and had Larek’s memories, he kissed me … twice. Now I like Brody, and God knows, I am no expert, but personally, I expected to feel more from that kiss than I did. If he was the one … the man, shouldn’t my heart stop in my throat, my hands sweat, and feel like he’s something I couldn’t do without?”

“No response, huh?”

“Friendship. Genuine caring, but otherwise … nope. So letting him take me to the Prom, treat me like a princess … that would be cool for me, but abusive of Brody, and I can’t do that.”

“And?” Liz prompted knowing it was more than that.

“And,” Maria admitted, “Michael is the only person I wanted to share this night with, and he is otherwise … engaged with … What an idiot, I swear, I hope he's lonely tonight.” Maria made a miserable face, forgetting she wasn’t suppose to care. “I guess he doesn’t have that problem anymore. He can go be with the new girlfriend.”

Liz glanced over to the cooking area behind the counter. She caught Michael as he kept staring over at Maria. The look in his eyes, the longing, and something that took her breath away, cut the air like a knife. He looked upset, and vulnerable, and that was something she never expected to see.

When Kyle and Tess entered the Café Kyle sent Tess to a table while he went to get them drinks. It wasn’t going smoothly. They always got along so well, but since they left for the Prom, something changed. They were awkward with each other. Kyle waited to order listening to Maria and Liz.

“No, I think it looks hot, Liz.”

“No, um okay, I'm gonna take a …” Liz went into the back room to take care of her hair, and something else more important.

Kyle walked up to Maria, smiling. “Hello.”

“Hi.” Maria said waiting for Kyle to order from the waitress. After he ordered his two cokes, both he and Maria glanced over to the loud giggling from a booth where his father and her mother sat talking, flirting, and well, general, ewww.

“I caught them making out on the couch,” Kyle told Maria in horror.

“Dude, I caught them making out in the pantry closet in the kitchen.” Maria made a face shaking her head. “It's just so embarrassing. I may not eat canned food again.”

“I know, but there's nothing we can do about it. It’s just raging hormones.” Kyle shared a look with Maria. “And they are our chaperones.”

“Yeah, it's ugh …” Maria glanced over to where Tess was waiting. “Hey so are you and Tess uh … you know?”

“Oh no, actually, it's like, she uh, she's hot and uh, but I feel really resistant for some reason, I can't quite put my finger on.”

“Well, maybe you're just gay.” Maria suggested helpfully.

Kyle gave it a few moments of thought. “No, no …”

~~~

Liz checked her hair and then went to check on Michael. She watched him from the door, his eyes continuously darting out to stare at Maria.

“Hey.” She said watching him startled when he hadn’t realize that she was there.

“Hey.” His shift was over in half and hour, and then he was going to take off … run away for a few hours from Roswell, until this nightmare night was over.

“She doesn’t have a date.” Liz told him.

Michael stopped cooking. “Brody? He asked her, and …”

“She said no.” Liz shouldn’t, but then again it wasn’t like either of them was going to help themselves. “She knows he’s in love with her, and she doesn’t feel that way about him, so going with him would be wrong.” Liz went to leave, but sent one last parting shot. “Plus the person she really wanted to share the night with doesn’t believe in this stuff.”

Liz went through to find Max had arrived. She asked Max if he’d mind if Maria hung with them that night since she was dateless. They all were gathered by Amy to take a group picture.

“Oh come on kids, we have to take pictures.” Amy told the others as she looked around. “Come on, let’s go guys. Oh, Liz, you look beautiful. Maria, you look absolutely perfect.” Amy looked about. “Where is uh, Isabel, Alex, Tess, come on. Let’s take pictures. Who am I missing...?” Amy glanced about. “… uh Michael. Come out here, mm hmm. Come on, let’s go now.” Amy saw her date and made him get himself into the picture. “Uh, Jim, come on, who am I going to stand with? Is that everyone? Oh, oh, this is going to be great, um, Sean …” Amy looked around for her nephew. “Can you take the picture for me?”

Sean stepped up, taking the camera from Amy as she joins the group. He focused in on them, they were all laughing and happy. Snapping the picture, his eyes darkened as he thought of all the things he missed … all things he missed with his parents. Taking the picture, he put the camera down and smiled at his aunt when she kissed him on the cheek. He didn’t want to miss another moment.

Maria was depressed. Being a third wheel with Max and Liz was hardly her idea of a fun night. Maybe she should’ve scrapped the whole idea. Maybe she should’ve taken Michael’s suggestion and go somewhere else for the night.

Prom. Her entire life it seemed like such a big thing. Something to really look forward to, and anticipate. It tasted like ashes in her mouth.

Maria glanced over and noticed Alex and Isabel. Laughing, her mood lightened. Obviously, they found the formula of success. They looked happy. Really happy … Maria sighed heavily not knowing what was making her so depressed. Leaving the table to go check her makeup, and stake out the exits for a quick escape, she mussed at Kyle getting into a fight with his friend Malamoot over Tess. Proms really sucked.

Max and Liz were sitting at a table surprisingly missing a few people. Maria had left a while ago, and Liz was about ready to go find her.

“So …” Max said looking around.

“Yeah …”

“You wanna dance?”

Liz smiled. “Sure.” They walked to the dance floor and the music changed to slow music. They danced for a few moments, but Liz had a hard time relaxing. This was turning out anything like she had dreamed.

“Max, I just want to say that I feel really weird.”

Max leaned back so he could look at her better. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I saw you with Tess.”

“Saw me what with Tess?”

“I saw you with her. I came by your house yesterday to talk to you about something and you were with her.”

Max nodded remembering when Tess was there and why. “We were just trying to find out things about where I came from, that's all.”

“I know, I know, I mean, you know, you keep saying that, but you um, keep on leaving out this really pertinent fact.” Liz explained emphasizing the point of her discomfort. “That you were married to her. I feel like my whole life for the past year has been waiting for some really bad news. Oh, you know, by the way Liz, I remember Tess, and I love her. It's really paralyzing.” It was worse than that. She hated Tess for coming to Roswell and making her life with Max hard, but everyday it became apparent that it was she that was the interloper and not Tess.

“I know it's not easy.”

“No, Max, it can be. It can be really, really easy.” Liz said. “You know, we both just stop pretending.”

Max stopped dancing not liking what was happening. She was breaking up with him again, and this time they weren’t even together. “What do you mean?”

“You know, maybe we're both just holding on to something that'll never be.” Liz said breaking her own heart, but it was what she felt. What she felt since she heard about destiny, that Tess was Max’s wife, and since Future Max told her that marrying Max destroyed everyone. “Max, maybe we should just let go. I have been in so much pain this whole year, and it's like I'm suffocating.”

“Liz.” Max couldn’t believe it. He made her feel like she was suffocating. A very painful moment of finality came over them as Liz shook her head at him. Seeing Maria returning to the dance was like a godsend, a way to end the torture.

“Um, I should go, you know, for Maria.” Liz told him.

“Right,” Max stepped back.

“She's all alone tonight.” Liz explained feeling a need to excuse herself from wanting … needing to be away from him.

“Go ahead.”

“Max.” Liz said seeing the pain in his eyes.

“Go ahead.” He nodded to Maria.

~~~

While Liz broke with Max again, Kyle and Tess had a talk. Kyle finally came to a realization while talking to Malamoot, or better yet, while pounding on Malamoot’s face. He knew why he was resistant to make a move on Tess, and it wasn’t because he was gay like he reassured Maria earlier. He resisted because he saw Tess like a sister. Letting her down easily, he suddenly felt lighter and more in the mood to have a good time.

Max couldn’t say the same thing. His night went from full of promise to very bleak. He hung back and watched Liz and Maria dancing on the floor with abandon, both of them out of their shoes laughing. He watched for a bit, but it was what he always had done. Watch from a distance, watched Liz Parker and her best friend Maria, and wished he could be part of her life. He watched for a while, and then he walked away.

~~~

Michael entered the doors to the Prom. He stopped to look around, trying to find her. Maria saw him first, stopping her dancing as Liz ran into her. They both stared at Michael in unfamiliar formal wear, all in black, not quite a tux, but somehow it suited him better.

“Okay, go.” Liz said pushing Maria towards Michael.

“No, no, me and you, we're a couple now.” Maria said.

Liz laughed pushing Maria harder until she tripped a little straightening to see Michael coming towards her. “Go!” Liz encouraged.

Maria straightened her dress as she and Michael walked up to each other.

“What are you doing here?”

“Came here to dance,” Michael told her, frowning at her attitude.

“Well you shoulda brought Juanita.”

Michael lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “How do you know about her?”

“I followed you to your pod.” Maria said shrugging as if it was nothing.

Michael sighed. He should have known. “Juanita's my dance teacher.”

“Your dance teacher?”

“Yeah, I can't dance.” Michael confessed.

“Yes you can. We dance all the time.”

“That’s to real music, Maria. Not to this stuff …” Michael gestured to the soft, slower romantic tune playing. “I never had a mom or anyone to teach me, and I was suspicious that I wouldn’t be any good at it anyway. So …” Michael shrugged. “And I knew this was a big deal for you so I was taking dancing lessons.”

Maria turned red, and laughing, she put her hands over her hot cheeks.

“Are you laughing at me?” Michael asked. Crazy. He had just confessed to her, and she laughed.

“Oh, my God...” Maria shook her head, astounded at her blunder, and how wrong she had it. “I … I thought that you and … Oh God!”

“Wait, did you think Juanita was some chick I was boffing?” Michael said his eyes narrowing as he tried to piece together how Maria figured out about Juanita.

“Oh, my God...” Maria kept repeating, not sure how to settle what she was feeling. Confused. She was definitely confused. Relieved. Happy. Amazed. God … oh, God!

“How the hell did you find out about it in the first place …”

“Oh, my God, I am like the stupidest person alive.”

“Okay.” Michael agreed, not wanting to argue with her. “Juanita declared me unteachable, but if you want to risk personal injury …” He gestured to the dance floor.

They headed out to the dance floor. Maria laughed as she put a hand on his shoulder. He was stiff, real stiff, and the look on his face confirmed his impending doom.

“Michael, relax! What is the worst that could happen?”

“I could maim you for life, destroy your feet … crushing them to pulp and be forced to carry you around for life.”

“That is bad, but if you remember,” Maria said, “you have fallen on me, tossed me out a window. I think I was almost shot a few times. There was that time you rolled over in your sleep and almost crushed me flat. How about the time we went to Six Flags in Texas and we did that one ride with negative Gs and you threw up on me.”

“I didn’t throw up! The G-factor force pushed all the food out of my stomach.”

“Yeah, some spaceman you are.” They were so busy talking and arguing that Michael never noticed that he was dancing.

~~~

Max was outside sitting alone in the hall holding his corsage. Kyle and Tess were returning to the Prom when they came upon him. Tess patted Kyle on the shoulder.

“I'll meet you inside in a minute, okay?”

Kyle looked at the dejected Max and nodded. “Sure.”

Tess waited until Kyle went inside before going to sit with Max. “You look sad.”

“I think it's really over.”

“You mean with Liz?”

“Yeah. I mean I, I realize that, I guess that on some level that things were headed in that direction. I think it's really actually over.” Tess squeezed his arm in sympathy knowing what it was like to love someone that was out of reach.

~~~

Isabel and Alex were dancing, and it reminded her so much of his dream, the dream she entered so many years ago. He was romantic then, and he was romantic now.

“Alex, I'm going to do something, I said I wouldn't do.”

Alex noticed the look in her eyes. “Don't.” She ignored him and kissed him anyway. Alex drew back.

“I asked you not to do that.”

Isabel smiled when she saw the adoration in his eyes, and reaching up she wrapped an arm around his neck as they kissed again. They were drawing attention, and Maria smiled punching Michael lightly when he made a disgusted sound. Liz was watching too. Looking around, she tried to find Max, but he wasn’t around. Leaving the dance, she went to find him. Hearing voices, she followed them.

“I remembered something else.” Max confessed to Tess. “I don't know how to feel about it.”

“What do you remember?”

“Our first kiss. It was at a party … late at night. And you …”

“I, I leaned in … and whispered in your ear and then you touched my cheek …” Tess helped him, already remembering almost everything about her and Max.

Max nodded. “And then we just …” They kissed.

Liz walked around the corner in time to see them. Shaking her head, she slowly backed away, and then turning she rushed to an exit tossing her corsage in the trash before running out of the school while Max and Tess continued to kiss.

Liz looked for a while, but she finally found his car. She should’ve known. He was parked at the bowling alley. Liz walked in, stopping to watch Sean for a few moments before he turned around and saw her. He smiled.

“What are you doing here Parker?”

Liz shrugged. “I guess this is kind of an addictive sport.”

Sean motioned her on down and taught her how to let her inhibitions go as she lane walked.

~~~

Maria searched for Liz, but she was gone. She and Michael were slowly dancing around the floor looking for Max and Tess as well. They found Kyle laughing with some of his friends over by the punch.

Running into Alex and Isabel, he whispered loudly to them. “For god sakes, get a hotel room!” That made the other couple both laugh as they ignored Michael and continued having fun.

“I don’t think she’s here any longer.”

Michael shrugged. Leave it to Parker to get herself lost, but then again, he owed her. He had thought Maria was going with Brody, and after Juanita told him to hang it up, that he lacked grace, he gave up on the thought of taking Maria to her precious Prom. Then Liz told him that Brody was out and Maria was unhappily going stag.

“Okay, once around the block, we go Parker hunting, and if she’s nowhere to be found we return to the festivities. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Maria put her hand in Michael’s as they left the prom, other students watching them leave. “So what do you have in mind for after the prom?”

“After?” Michael smiled. “Well, if you’re not too tired and want to climb on my bike, I think I have an idea after we stop for a late dinner.” Michael glanced at his partner. “You game?”

“Does it involve breaking and entering, me climbing more than one story, or anything that might destroy my mother’s faith in me?”

“Hmm. Possibly all of the above.”

“Then absolutely! I have to have some fun out of my teen years.” Michael laughed as they systematically went from room to room, and checked out all the major makeout places, most of which were being utilized, but not by Max and Liz.

“The office?” Michael asked.

“Last possible place.” Maria and Michael made for the eraser room which they renamed ‘the office’ and the student population dubbed their personal space since they spent so much time in there. Michael always said it was perfect since when he went in people assumed he was meeting Maria and he could get in a nice long nap undisturbed.

Maria was making a comment as she opened the door. Stopping immediately she gasped as her mouth hung open and Michael ran into her. Michael glance into the room and immediately his hand went up to cover Maria’s eyes.

“Maria!” Amy DeLuca and Jim Valenti both scrambled to neaten their clothes. Michael lifted an eyebrow at the amount of lipstick on Jim’s mouth. Amy darted behind Jim’s larger frame as she straightened the top of her dress. “What...?” she squeaked before clearing her throat, “What are the two of you doing here?”

“Trying for a good teen pregnancy!” Maria told her mother her eyes still hidden by Michael. He quickly moved his hand to her mouth before she got them into trouble they didn’t need. Dammit, they had vacation plans.

“She’s just a little upset, Ms. DeLuca. Um, we seemed to have lost Liz, and we thought that maybe she and Max, um … that is we thought...” Michael gave up. “We’re going. Um, there is like this lock on the door.” Michael suggested actually worried that he was blushing. His face felt a little hot. It might be the situation, or the squirming Maria in his arms as he gracefully tried to back them out of the room with Jim’s eyes showing immense gratitude. “Oh, we were going for a late dinner, and this after party thing, so hope that’s okay, and … um, yeah. Bye.” Michael quickly closed the door.

Jim and Amy looked at each other, and Amy said, “Oh Lord!”

~~~

Leading Maria away, she sputtered and made dramatic gagging and spitting noises. “Did you not see that?”

“Hard to miss. Let’s just try to put it behind us.” Michael was serious. Seeing Amy DeLuca and Jim was in a word … disturbing. He wasn’t sure, but he might have to hit Jim. That in itself was strange to realize they he sort of thought of Maria’s mother as his. Glancing at Maria he shook his head. He was close to Maria, but he didn’t think of her as a sister. His life would be easier if he did.

Michael listened as Maria got it all out of her system, or at least as much of it as he was willing to listen to. “Hey, are we dancing or no?”

“No.”

“Good, let’s go then.”

“What? No! This is my Prom. I want …” Maria stopped and looked at him. “Okay, let’s dance.”

Sharing a table with Alex and Isabel, Michael and Maria never figured out what happened to Max, Tess, and Liz except to assume they left. Kyle finally joined them with a girl on his arm.

“Hey!” He took a seat after sitting the girl. “You guys know Trudy?” Everyone nodded. Maria waited until Kyle was sitting before telling him the story of their parents.

“God!” Kyle actually turned a shade of red.

“I know! How will I ever go back in that room again? My formative years, scarred!” Michael sat back as he listened to Maria and Kyle going through their list of reasons why their parents’ out of control hormones were psychologically damaging to them until they wound down.

“So where is Tess?” Michael asked Kyle.

“Oh, Max gave her a ride home.” Kyle said off handedly while feeding cake to his new date. “I offered to take care of Trudy here since her date, Malamoot found a need to leave.”

“Yeah, he had to leave,” Trudy repeated, but giving more details. “His nose was bleeding and it was getting on his tux. I swear, he’s lost the deposit, but he had to leave.”

“Tragic,” Kyle said smiling at the girl he hadn’t take to Prom last year.

“Oh, I’m sure.” Maria said sarcastically remembering very well who punched Malamoot. Well, then. The question of where Liz went was sort of answered. She and Max must have decided to leave and gave Tess a lift.

Alex, who was having the best night of his life, smiled at the others. “So anyone have plans for after the prom?”

Michael and Maria shared a glance, and Isabel neatly intercepted it. “Oh! No you don’t. C’mon, tell us.”

Michael sighed. “Senior Chows is running late dinners tonight after the Prom. I … we got reservations. After that, we were going to take off to the Point. There’s an after prom rave, with live music.” Michael glanced at Maria and smiled. “Danceable music.”

“Good! We’re coming too.” Isabel said inviting herself and Alex.

Kyle quickly joined in. “Sounds great! Trudy?”

“I’d love to.”

“Wait!” Michael said as the others invited themselves along. Maria laughed next to him, squeezing his hand.

It was okay. She just wished Max and Liz, even Tess were there.

~~~

It was late when Michael dropped Maria home. Actually perhaps it was more correct to say it was early. Maria took a shower and then sat at the vanity in her room filling out a memory card from Prom they had handed out with the picture receipts. Laughing to herself, she answered the different questions and stopped to think about Michael. Her eyes went serious, and she looked in the mirror staring at herself on the edge of admitting something she couldn’t … wouldn’t admit. Michael was …

“You’re finally home.” Amy said from door interrupting Maria’s thoughts. “Did you have a good Prom?”

Maria laughed nodding. “With a few notable places that were just whacked, most of the evening was so much more than I expected.”

Amy came into the room. “About …”

“Mom, I beg you, don’t finish that sentence.”

“So you’re,” Amy cleared her throat, “okay?”

“I’m good.” Amy nodded seeing the card she read what Maria wrote. Seeing it, her heart stopped in her throat. Did Maria even know what she wrote, how it sounded, and how much it revealed? Putting the card down, she watched as Maria tucked it in the album and box where she kept all the things she liked to remember and keep. It was so much fuller than she remembered. There were concert stubs, postcards from places Amy never knew Maria went, a t-shirt, pictures of Michael, both alone and with Maria. There was a stone.

“Maria, about Michael …”

“Mom, please don’t.”

Amy sighed. “Why are you so afraid? Did I do this? All these years, was it me, and you father that’s made you so afraid?”

“I …” Maria shut her eyes for a moment. “I love Michael. You know that. He’s like the best surprise of my high school years. Never … never in a thousand years did I ever imagine him as a friend. He … he is that, and so much more. I tell him things. Sometimes, I don’t even tell him, and he knows. He understands. He’s funny that way. You think he doesn’t notice, or he isn’t listening as you rant and rave, and let the world rage around you out of control, and you … you are so small. Then, he does something. He gets on his bike, he holds out his hand, and he says, ‘Let’s chase the sun!’” Maria glanced at her mom. “He makes it okay to just stop worrying and for a moment, just be free, young, and …” Maria stopped pausing as she struggled to find the word, “happy,” she finished quietly.

“Maria, you have to know that you feel … how he feels. He took dance lessons for you, and …”

Maria stopped her mother. “What I know is that Michael is a foot out the door man. He’s always waiting to leave, for his time. I know that. I know it, and I’m ready for him to leave.” Maria stared at herself again. “I have to be,” she murmured to her reflection.