Maria and Liz watched Alex as he sat on his bed with his guitar across his lap, his fingers drumming on the soundboard. He was talking to Isabel on the phone.

“Yeah, it was a great night for me too.”

“Yeah? So what are you doing tonight?” Isabel asked.

“Tonight?” Alex glanced at Maria and Liz in desperation for something to say. They were both signaling to him to say no. No! Absolutely not! “I can't.”

“Whyyyy?” Isabel’s voice took on a pout, confused that he didn’t want to spend his free time with her. Last time, when they sort of got together, he was there for her all the time.

“I have a, ah,” Alex made a face as he tried to hear Liz and Maria’s whispers. “I'm studying.” They both nodded enthusiastically.

“Alex. An A is the best you can get.”

“Yeah, I know. But I gotta, I've got a monstrous final in, ah,” Alex threw his hands as Maria and Liz grabbed the nearest book on his desk holding it up for him to see. “Robert Frost?” Alex questioned as Maria and Liz shook their heads frantically. “English. Eng … English -- I've got a killer final, Mr. Broski's really puttin' the screws to us.”

Isabel said playfully and he could imagine her on her bed talking to him, “Well, if you'd rather stay and study, not come out and play with me …”

Alex gritted his teeth as the girls whispered, "Stay strong!" and made a big show of flexing arm muscles. Alex almost lost it. “I don't want to, but I have to.” Maria and Liz exchanged looks of triumph and glee as they high-five’d each other for a job well done.

“Well, if you change your mind, I'll be at the Crashdown, probably until closing. So...”

“Okay, well ... I'll see you later.”

“Okay.” Isabel said reluctantly, uncertain what just happened there as she hung up.

Alex sunk back onto the bed groaning. Maria and Liz quickly moved next to him.

“I'm so proud of you!” Maria told Alex.

“This blows.” Alex put his arm across his eyes.

“Well, at least you have the upper hand.” Maria pointed out.

“Yeah, you've got her chasing you.” Liz agreed with Maria, also proud of their boy. “Who'd have thought that?”

“Not me,” Maria admitted. Never in a million years did she imagine that Alex could play it so cool, so masterfully with Isabel.

“She's thinking about me. Even now, she's on her bed, and she's thinking about me.” Alex repeated in shock and aw, the tragedy of him being there with his two goofball friends and not next to Isabel, speeding their freshly renewed relationship alone.

“Okay. So, are we done with this Isabel thing?” Maria asked, the human friend’s coalition against an earth dominated by aliens. “All right.” She turned her ever seeing eyes on Liz, the seriousness of the situation imperative enough to ask. “Max kissed Tess.”

Liz got off the bed, not ready to go there, not even with her two oldest friends. Heck, not even with herself in her room alone at night, all depressed. “Maria, let's go to work.”

“Okay.” Maria kissed Alex on the cheek. Liz’s back off signals were up and high. Best part of valor was to back away, and attack at a different angle at a different time.

“Come on.” Liz told Maria before turning to Alex. “Alex, you be strong, Okay?”

“Strong, strong, strong,” Maria chanted in an encouraging mantra.

Liz made a playful gesture of iron man at Alex. “Just be strong, okay?” Alex nodded smirking at them, happy to see them together, all of them laughing. It felt good. It felt like old times. “Goodbye.” Liz said as she and Maria left his room.

Alex sighed harshly as he stared at his ceiling, muttering to himself, “Strong. Str … Yeah.”

As Liz and Maria reached the door on their way out a delivery kid arrived outside.

“Hey, is this Whitman?”

“Oh, yeah.” Liz yelled to Alex in the house. “Hey, Alex, your food's here!”

“Here, come in.” Maria told the delivery guy, letting him into the house turning back to Alex, blowing him a kiss with a sassy wink. “Bye.”

Alex approached the delivery man happy to see his food. “Ah, it's about time.”

“Sorry, man, I got turned around on Cherry Drive.”

“Yeah.” Alex took his takeout order handing over a credit card.

“Thanks.” The boy quickly processed the card.

Alex checked his order. “Hey, this isn't even warm.”

“Aw, yeah. Sorry. You better nuke it.”

Alex lost it, his face fusing with color as his eyes became confused. “I'm, I'm … I'm so sick of this! I'm … Always the same thing, always cold. Always the same thing -- I'm just so sick of everything.”

The delivery guy frowned at Alex, perplexed by his reaction. He took the receipt for the credit card handing it to Alex. “Here, could you sign here? Please?”

Alex took the receipt quickly signing still talking more to himself. “Why does life have to be so wrong? Why does everything have to be a lie?”

“I dunno, dude.” The kid took the credit slip and quickly left an upset Alex.

Alex opened a soda taking a sip. His eyes wandered to a framed picture. Picking it up, he stared at a picture of Leanna and himself in Sweden. He pondered it as confusion moved over his face.

~~~

Jim was driving his pickup truck when he arrived at an accident scene blocking the road way. There were flares, a wrecker, and an ambulance. Jim got out, seeing Hanson.

“Hey, Hanson. Whatcha got?”

“Pretty bad.” Hanson told Jim his face clearly upset. “A sedan doing about 70 did a head-on with a semi.”

“Fatalities?”

“Yeah, one.”

Jim caught Hanson’s look, so he had to ask. “Anyone I know?”

Hanson had no words, only a mournful look. Jim walked around him to go look for himself.

~~~

Maria gave a short scream as falling plates shattered at her feet. Michael lifted a brow at her as he innocently pretended that it wasn’t his fault that she reacted so violently to the little pinch he gave her when she wandered by. She was upset. Her shift was over half an hour ago, as was his, but her replacement was late.

“Not a word.” She warned Michael. Looking at the mess, she shook her head. “Great.” Maria quickly shoved the mess onto a dirty dish tray.

Michael smirked, watching her go into the back room to dispose of the mess. He waited for her at a table with Max.

“You are so full of it.” Max continued, drawing Michael’s attention back to him and away from the irritated Maria.

“I just call it like I see it.” Michael answered smugly, his eyes still where Maria had disappeared. She was so damn … colorful... when she was in a snit.

“You can't compare The Matrix to Crouching Tiger.”

Michael made a face. The hell he couldn’t. “Crapping Tiger is a chick flick with kung-fu.”

“First of all, Crappi …” Max caught himself. “Crouching Tiger is actually about something. Love. Honor. Trust.”

“Matrix is about something,” Michael reassured Max. “Illusion, reality, gunfire.”

“You simply can't prefer Keanu Reeves to Michelle Yeoh. You can't.” Max said firmly strong on that point. “I won't let you.”

Michael chuckled as Liz sat at a table by herself, doing some accounting. Isabel and Tess were in a booth, joking with Kyle over some pictures from the Prom.

In the back room Maria dumped the broken dishes. She was startled to turn around and find that she was not alone. Valenti was in the back doorway, his face a study in misery as he looked right through her.

“What?” Maria asked, not without a little apprehension, her hand going to her heart. Her mother?

In the Crashdown the others jumped in shock at Maria’s scream of distress from the back room. “No!”

Michael immediately went on alert and was already halfway to the back door when Maria burst in, she ran straight into Michael’s arms, her head buried in his chest, clinging to him as her entire body shook. He glanced down at her. She was crying, violently. His hand went up as he stared at the back door, prepared to murder whatever had hurt her. Jim Valenti entered and all others slowly stood up their eyes on him and Michael lowered his hand.

“There's been an accident.” Jim told the group, his eyes glassy and his voice hoarse with emotion. “Alex is dead.”

~~~

The group of them stood outside behind City Hall with Jim watching at a nearby parking lot behind the city morgue. The Coroner’s van arrived as two attendants got out and Jim quickly intercepted them getting them out of the way so Max could try to heal Alex. They waited as Max approached the van alone.

“He'll need to use his powers, to open the doors.” Isabel said in a running commentary, needing the comfort of them doing something, bringing Alex back. Max entered the van. He shut the doors and opened the body bag. He took a deep breath and reached in to put his hand on Alex’s chest, trying to bring him back to life.

Maria was behind Michael, her head resting on his back as his hand reached behind him holding her firmly to his back. Liz stood to the side of them staring straight ahead, her eyes never leaving the van, waiting for Max … praying.

“… and Alex will sit up suddenly, and Max will jump back, and the whole van will shake a little.” Isabel said as the van remained motionless. “… the whole … the whole van will shake, and they'll come running back here with big goofy grins on their faces, and we'll have to come up with some kind of cover story for Hanson and everybody …” Isabel wringed her hands as Maria gave an audible cry of pain as Max emerged from the van alone. Michael’s hands tightened on her. He could feel the wetness of her tears through the material of his shirt as her hands tightened on his waist.

Max somberly returned to the group.

“Max?” Isabel shook her head in despair.

Valenti rejoined the group giving Max a questioning look as the answer sank in. “I think you should all go home now.” Jim told the group of youths.

Maria looked up from Michael’s shoulder to see the attendants transferring the body. Taking Alex … away. “Oh my God!” She cried almost collapsing as Michael quickly turned and pulled her into his arms, supporting her.

“Come on, I'll take you home.” Michael led Maria away, his arms tight, not letting her go. They didn’t notice the others, both of them wrapped up in their own misery and each other. Maria kept muttering to him that they couldn’t leave Alex. They couldn’t leave him alone. He’d be cold.

Max looked helplessly at his hand covered with Alex’s blood. Isabel gave him a hard stare before she then turned away sharply, practically running in the direction of their home. Max had saved Liz, his love, but not hers. Not Alex.

“Max. Go after her.” Tess encouraged her eyes red rimmed and upset.

Max paused glancing at Liz. “Liz, …”

Liz still staring dully at the van said sharply to Max, “Yeah. Go after her, Max.” Left with few choices, Max went after his bereaved sister. Valenti gathered Kyle and Tess to him to take them home pausing for a moment for Liz, but she remained unmoving. Giving up, Jim left her there to grieve as she would. There was no helping them now. Alex was gone, and all that was left was learning to accept it.

~~~

Maria didn’t make it. She couldn’t finish the walk home. Michael easily picked her up and carried her the rest of the way as her arms circled his neck, holding him tightly as she cried in his chest. The walk was long, but she wasn’t heavy … she wasn’t a burden. Walking into the DeLuca house, he stopped in the doorway when Amy saw them, saw her crying child.

“Maria! What happened?” Amy stood up slowly her eyes on her child, and then on Michael. His eyes were darker than she had ever seen them, and she caught a look in them of pain. Amy quickly sat back down on the sofa. “Michael?”

Michael took Maria to her mother easily transferring her to Amy, he slowly stood up.

“Michael?” Amy begged as her daughter wept uncontrollably on her and she held her tight.

“Alex,” was all he said. Amy’s hand went to her mouth and then Maria’s head as tears flooded her eyes. Michael couldn’t leave them. He stayed as their crying cut at him. Standing at the window he looked out into the night as the tears moved down his face unnoticed.

~~~

It was early dawn when Kyle’s alarm clock woke him. He really wasn’t asleep anyway. He spent the night staring at the ceiling above the sofa. He rolled off the sofa and started doing his morning pushups. Routine. It was all he had left. He completed a few, but couldn’t do any more. He sat up miserable sinking his head in his hands.

“Hey, Dad.” Kyle said quietly when his dad came into the room.

“Morning,” Jim sat down on the sofa to look at his son slumped on the floor, sitting there still. “Not a very happy day, is it?”

Kyle gave a small shake of the head. He couldn’t breathe or move, or … anything. Alex, his comrade in arms facing death by blue alien crystals, dying this way? This way? Senseless. Kyle couldn’t settle his stomach or the shaking in his body. He sat back on the sofa and wrapped in a blanket hoping for some warmth.

“Listen. Ah, this may not seem like very much right now, but there's something I'd like you to know. Alex died yesterday.” Jim stressed. “He didn't die today. And I don't want you remembering it as if it happened today. All right?” Jim stared at his miserable son, pausing. He patted the blanket. “Happy birthday, Son.”

Kyle pressed his father's hand with his own, as a tear moved down his face.

~~~

Isabel was sitting in a booth at the Crashdown when Alex came up behind her.

“Psst.” Alex said scaring her.

Isabel jumped up seeing Alex. “Oh, Alex!” She hugged him tight laughing and crying at the same time. “Oh, Alex! Oh my God, I thought you were dead.”

“Aw no, no,” Alex laughed as he returned her hug. “Listen, that was, that was just a big misunderstanding. Everything's fine, right?” Isabel nodded a watery agreement as Alex handed her into the booth. “Sit down, sit down.” He took the seat across from her. “So, how're you doin'?”

“Fine,” Isabel said her eyes eating him up. Smiling she laughed at herself. “Fine, now.”

“Good. So, have you made any decision about college yet?”

“Yeah, I think I'm gonna stay.” She told him. “Graduate with Max and you guys.”

“Good.” Alex smiled at her happy that she made a decision he loved. “Good, because... I'd miss you if you were gone.”

“Yeah, I would miss you too.” Isabel’s eyes filled with tears again remembering the past years, all the times she pushed him away, replaced him with other people … all the time she wasted looking for something that was right in front of her. “I just, I just don't want to be away from you anymore.”

“No, ah, no worries about that -- I'm not goin' anywhere.” Alex glanced at his watch grimacing. “Except band practice. See, I'm runnin' late, and the guys are waitin' for me, so I gotta jet.” He stood up and leaned over Isabel. “But I'm gonna see you tonight, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Isabel answered through tears, just happy to be with him as they kissed.

“Okay. I’ll see you later.” Alex said emphatically before leaving as Isabel watched him walk out the door.

“Isabel.”

Isabel frowned in her sleep.

“Isabel,” Diane Evans voice said as it broke into her dream. “Isabel, wake up, honey.” Isabel woke. Sitting up, she looked around confused at being in her room with her mother sitting on the side of her bed.

“Oh, my God, it was just a dream. It was just a dream ...” Isabel began to cry again as she realized that she had dreamt Alex alive, but he was dead.

“Oh, sweetheart. Ohh...” Diane hugged her daughter.

~~~

Michael entered the room as the phone rang. Handing Amy two cups of hot tea, he went to answer it. “DeLuca residence.”

“Michael?” Sean said his voice irritated from hearing Michael’s voice. “What, are you sneakin' breakfast or just finally moved in? Don't you have to be at school or somethin'?”

“Sean, shut up, okay?” Michael said talking low into the phone, glancing over to keep an eye on the two weeping women huddled together. “Alex was killed last night.”

“What?” Sean’s voice went quiet and solemn. “How?”

“Car accident.”

“Awwww, Geez...” Sean sighed in the phone. “How's Maria?”

“Pretty torn up. Same with your aunt.” Michael kept an eye on them. Maria had cried nonstop all night long. She wasn’t eating. She wasn’t good. Not good at all.

“Look. I, ah, I got this court thing in Albuquerque -- they're tellin' me I gotta stay a couple more days. So, could you -- you know, look after my family?”

“I'll take care of 'em.” Michael promised. Sean didn’t have to ask. They were his family too.

“Thanks.” Sean paused uncertain what else to say. “Later …”

~~~

“Sean?” Nancy Parker said when she answered the phone.

“No, Max.”

“Sorry, Max. I thought you were Sean. I just … I just got off the phone with him.” Nancy took a deep shuddering breath. “This is horrible -- I, ah, I can't even believe it.”

“Me neither.”

“How are you doing?” Nancy asked, concerned for all of Liz’s friends. “I know … you were so close to him.”

“Not as close as Liz. How is she?”

“She's not doing so … so well.” Nancy rubbed her forehead, a parent caught in a situation that was impossible to navigate. “I, ah, I think she's in denial.”

“Can I talk to her?”

“She's not here, she's out. She went out -- I don't even know where she went.” Nancy Parker bit her lip. Her relationship with her daughter wasn’t close, hadn’t been for a long time. She regretted that. “I think she just needs a little bit of space right now.”

“Right. Um, can you just tell her that I called? Thanks.” Max hung up.

While Max was talking to Liz’s mother, Liz was walking alone in an auto junkyard. She walked it twice searching, finally she saw a wrecker with a car on it covered by a tarp. Climbing up, she pulled back the tarp to look at the wreck of Alex’s car. Biting the inside of her mouth to keep from screaming, she opened the driver’s door and looked inside. Blood, there was blood everywhere. Observing it with detachment, her eyes moved over the area as if memorizing everything, seeing it in her mind, Alex’s last moments. Frowning, she spotted a piece of paper lodged between the seat and the door. It was the picture of Alex and Leanna -- except that Alex's face has been cut away.

~~~

Maria finally made it to school. She paused at Alex’s locker which had been transformed into a memorial of flowers and cards. Michael’s hands held her tightly from behind as she stared at the gifts left there. For a moment, Maria leaned forward resting her forehead on the locker, and then pulled away kissing her hand and touching the locker door. She glanced over to see Liz.

“Liz.”

Liz came over hugging her frowning at Maria’s pale face. “Hey. How you doing?”

“Not good.” Maria admitted honestly. She didn’t even know why she was there, but where else should she be? Michael was an ever constant figure just at her shoulder, quiet, but a comfort.

“Just try and get through the day, okay? Just keep moving forward, keep breathing.” Liz encouraged.

“Okay.” Maria said nodding. “How 'bout you? How are you?” She was only just noticing how calm and put together Liz appeared. Michael had had to practically dress her that morning.

“I'm fine.” Liz assured her emphatically.

“Come on, it's me.” Maria shook her head. That was impossible. She was a basket case, and Liz … Liz had as much connection to Alex as she did. “You don't have to put up a front.”

Liz took out the picture she found showing it to Maria, needing someone else to see what she saw. “Look at this.”

Michael glanced at the picture too over Maria’s shoulder. “Isn't that …”

“Yeah, it's Alex and Leanna in Sweden.” Liz confirmed for Michael. “I found it in the wreck.”

Maria’s face paled even more, something Michael swore was impossible. Her mouth opened in shook as she looked physically ill. “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”

Michael stepped in quickly to help support her, taking most of her weight. “It's all right.” He held her head firmly forcing her eyes to focus on him instead of the threatening confusion. “Hey, it's all right.”

Maria’s arms went around Michael so tight it was if she were trying to climb into his body. “Oh, my God!” She stared at her friend … at Liz in a dawning horror.

Liz was oblivious to everything but the picture and her own thoughts. “Look. Look at the way it's been cut up. Someone cut off …”

“I'm gonna be sick!” Maria’s face fused with color for the first time since she got the news from Jim. “I can't believe you went there!!” she screamed at Liz as hysteria rose in voice and bile in her throat.

“Maria!” Liz said, screaming back at the devastated Maria, shoving the mutilated picture of their friend in Maria’s face, her fervor increasing as she needed someone … Maria to understand, to listen. “This means something. Why is Alex's head missing?”

“Stop it!” Maria yelled at Liz, begged her as tears streamed down her face. Michael pulled her back as Maria made a step forward to confront Liz, to make her stop, to shut her up. “Stop it!!”

“Shhh -- it's okay.” Michael told Maria as he rocked her against him, holding her away from Liz, away from the deranged girl intent on making Maria hurt.

Liz faced with their united front turned away. “It means something.” She told them.

“Yeah, that you’re whacked,” Michael thought. He continued making shushing noises to Maria as he took her to their usual spot, the eraser room. Michael put her into the room, setting her down. He bent lower so he was at her level where she sat, her eyes unfocused and the little color she had bleeding away again.

“Maria.” She wasn’t hearing him. “Maria!” he said loudly as she lifted her eyes to his. “You stay here. I’m going to get you something hot to drink. I’ll be just a few moments.” Maria didn’t make a sound. “Maria? Do you understand?” She nodded. Michael kissed her forehead as he left the room reaching over to lock the door, keeping her safe from Liz, inside where he could find her.

It only took Michael a few moments to find Liz, still walking around with her blank face, staring at everyone suspiciously. Michael came up behind her fast turning her around.

“What the hell was that?!” Michael took his hands off the slight girl, fists tightening in anger. He would like to wring her scrawny Parker neck. “She’s your friend! The only one you have left. How could you ambush her when she’s barely standing?”

“It means something, Michael. I’m right. Maria has to know. She has to know that …”

“That you care more about being right than about her pain? Do you honestly think she can hear a word you say? All she could see was that picture of her mutilated friend, the same friend that died a day ago!” Michael ran his hands through his hair in frustration as it became apparent nothing was clicking in Liz’s brain. Whatever the damage was in there, he didn’t have time or inclination to worry or fix. He needed to get back to Maria. She was his … his …

“I don’t know what this is, or what you were expecting to accomplish, but until you can act like a friend to Maria, understand how devastated she is … stay the hell away from her! You hit at her like that again … I’ll come for you, Liz Parker, and it won’t be good.” Michael didn’t even wait to see Liz’s reaction. He stalked away in a cloud of anger as people watching the interaction with interest quickly moved out of his way.

~~~

Hanson and Jim went to the hospital to question the truck driver whose semi had the collision with Alex’s car. They questioned him harshly, but one thing was apparently clear, Alex had swerved into the trucker’s lane in a head on collision, and the trucker had swerved to get out of his way.

They followed up on their next lead in piecing together Alex’s last moments before the accident. At school they requested an interview with the kid who delivered Alex’s takeout that afternoon. Jim questioned the kid while Hanson checked with Alex’s teachers.

“I don't know -- he just got really depressed. It was weird, you know? I mean, I deliver a lot of cold food -- and usually people just get pissed off. You know? They don't act like it's the end of the world.” The kid told them nervous at being questioned. Did being late make Alex snap? Was it his fault?

“Is that how he acted, like it was the end of the world?” Jim asked quietly.

“Yeah.”

Jim hated the answer. “He say anything specific you remember?”

“Life was wrong. Everything about life is a lie. Why does it have to be that way?” The kid was repeating Alex’s rant. “Stuff like that.”

“Okay. Thanks, Jerry.” Jim dismissed the kid as the bell rang ending the session and Hanson walked into the room they were using for interrogations.

“Talked to his teachers,” Hanson handed Jim the file. “None of them saw anything unusual in his behavior at the time. But, looking back they saw some warning signs: moody, sometimes confident, even cocky; other times sullen, quiet, unfocused.”

“Sounds like every teenager I ever met.” Jim said as he read the file.

“Listen, I … know you don't want to talk about this theory.”

Jim looked up from his reading. “Don't go there.”

“Jim, there's a pattern here.”

“No, there's not.” Jim told Hanson firmly.

Hanson pondered it for a moment. “I hope you're right.”

~~~

Tess and Max were watching from behind the bleachers as a growing memorial for Alex on the athletic field was progressing. Students gathered in the bleachers watching the growing display of flowers, lit candles, and signed a placard.

“There was so much … blood. I wasn't prepared for that.” Max told Tess.

“You had to try.” The alien girl told him as she held onto his arm in sympathy.

“I didn't want to touch him. And then his skin was so cold.” Max started to cry. He buried his face until Isabel, Michael and Maria walked up. Max turned away until he could wipe away some tears and compose himself.

“School's brought in the official grief counselor. She's got all our names, so -- be on the lookout.” Michael told Max.

Maria was pale and shaking, not in pain of grief, but rather in anger. Pointing towards the field, her voice raised, breaking under the pressure as she barely held on. “Do you see these people? Who are they?! They don't even know Alex. They weren't even his friends. And they're sitting there praying and crying and putting on this show as if they gave a damn about Alex while he was alive?” Michael grabbed the angry pacing girl to quiet her, to keep her restrained before she exploded into a mass of anger and went and charged into the memorial. “God, it makes me so angry!”

Michael bent his head and whispered to her in a low tone, his hand stilling her angry body. She nodded, and looked up at him, and the others were silent as the two did a silent communication. Slowly, with her anger spent, Michael pulled her firmly into his arms and against him.

Kyle had walked up watching Michael comforting Maria, waiting until Maria calmed down enough to talk. “Hey.” He took a long pause, his jaw clenching as he tried to remain in control. “Mr. Whitman called the house this morning, and asked if me and you and you,” Kyle indicated Michael and Max, “would be pallbearers tomorrow.”

Michael nodded as he held Maria, his chin on the top of her head. “Right.”

“Sure.” Max agreed.

Michael took a seat, keeping Maria with him. He didn’t trust her not to look through the bleachers and see the memorial service and take off in a flurry of anger.

Isabel was quiet through it all, but she had something to tell them. It was easy, but she told her mother already, and all that was left was the others.

“I have something to tell all of you. I know this is a bad time, but … umm, I'm graduating early. I'm leaving in June to start college in the fall in San Francisco.” God, she needed out of Roswell, away from the memories, away from everything.

Max stood up. “When did all this happen?”

“I've been thinking about it for awhile. I talked to Mom this morning and she's fine with it.”

“Look, Isabel, this isn't the time to be making snap judgments about things.” Max told her. Michael glanced over as he literally held Maria almost on his lap, his hands soothing her as she stared off. He kept his hand on her face, holding her close to him as he watched the Max and Isabel fight.

Isabel couldn’t believe he couldn’t see how important this was for her, how much she needed it. “This is my life, Max.”

Max saw the firm look on Isabel’s face. “No one is disputing that.”

Maria finally stirred. Alex was dead, not even buried and the aliens were going to argue over their futures? Couldn’t they give at least a day or two before they demanded the world return to revolving around them and their self-centered lives? “Do we have to talk about this right now?” Maria asked desperate for peace, desperate for a calm in Alex’s death, not a war.

Michael could feel the girl in his arms lean into him spent. She was too tired to go on, and so was he. “Maria's right -- this isn't a decision that we have to make today.”

“This isn't a decision we have to make at all, it's my decision.” Isabel told Michael. “I've made it. I'm leaving Roswell.”

“Fine.” Maria said standing unable to be there any longer. “Glad we took this commercial break to get your life settled … now can we go back to the business of burying one of my best friends? After all, it’s not like we’re talking about you leaving for what? Months? Alex is gone forever, and can’t we give him at least a few days of thought? That’s more than any of those,” Maria waved at the mass of mourners who never had a moment of time for Alex, who discounted him, made fun of him and were out their all upset over his death, “posers ever gave him in life.”

“Maria …” Michael whispered softly, seeing her ready to lose it.

“Can we all for just a few days, or at least until we bury him in the ground let it be about him, and not us? We have our entire lives to obsess over our needs, wants, and lives. Alex … Alex has none.” Maria walked away to disgusted and unhappy to be there.

Michael didn’t even pause, he took off after her. The group remained quiet as they watched Michael catch up to her. He turned her around, and they watched as he talked to her before pulling her into his arms holding her for a moment before leading her away from the memorial, and home.

~~~

As Michael took Maria home, on the field, the delivery kid, Jerry, was telling his story to a rapt circle of listeners. “So, finally I left. He was losing it and you could totally see it in his eyes. I mean, he was on his way out of this life.”

“Is that a fact?” Liz said sharply as the other students saw her and moved away.

“Ohh …”

“I'd like to ask you some questions if you have the time.” Liz said coldly, her tone brooking no denial.

Trapped, Jerry nodded staring at the emotionless girl wondering if she was on her way out too.

“And then what did he say?” Liz asked as Jerry told her what he told Jim.

“I don't know. I mean, "Life isn't right" or "Life is wrong" -- something like that.”

“Yeah, and then what did you say?”

“Well, I said "Whatever, dude."”

Liz made a huffing noise in disbelief. “"Whatever, dude"? That's your reaction to a man who is devastated and on his way out of this life? Isn't that how you described him to your fan club?”

“Look, I wasn't …. I mean, uh, I'm sorry I sounded like that.”

“Yeah. If you remember anything else, anything, my parents own the Crashdown, you can usually find me there.”

~~~

Jim stared at the picture that Liz found in Alex’s card with a growing unease.

“I know that this photo means something. I know it.” Liz said.

“Yeah,” Jim said quietly, pondering.

Liz caught Jim’s reaction. “What?”

“Well, I don't really know.”

“What?” Liz knew it. Jim was holding out on her. “Don't give me that! You’re onto something -- this is a clue, isn't it?”

“Maybe. We're a long way from …” Jim didn’t want to admit how the investigation was shaping up.

“You. You have a theory about this, don't you?”

“Liz …” Jim gently moved her towards the door not able to voice something Liz wouldn’t want to hear or believe. “Liz, this has been a very, very difficult day, and I think maybe the best thing for you now …”

“No!” Liz shook her head. She wasn’t going to be put off. Alex was dead, and someone was responsible.

“… would be to go on home and try to get some …”

“No, I do not need another grief counselor -- I want some answers! I know what happened to Alex was not an accident. I know it with every fiber of my being and I’m gonna find out the truth, so cut the crap and tell me what the photo means to you.”

Jim sighed, but nodded. “Okay … . You're not gonna like what I'm about to say.”

“Tell me.”

“It's beginning to look more and more likely that Alex may have deliberately turned his car into the oncoming traffic.”

“Wha … Wh …” Liz shook her head disbelieving. “Why would he do that?”

Jim shook his head sadly, equally perplexed. “The last couple of weeks, people have noticed changes in Alex's behavior. Moodiness, lack of focus. His grades started to slip.”

“Oh, please!” Liz said in derision. No way! No fucking way!

“Liz, I interviewed the truck driver, I … I went to the accident scene, I saw the school reports.”

“You are saying that Alex killed himself over bad grades?!” Liz couldn’t believe it, wouldn’t believe it. It was impossible.

“We may never know exactly why Alex did what he did. But … Look at this,” Jim picked up the photo, “… this is part of the puzzle, isn't it? I mean, look at it! He deliberately defaced his own image. This … believe me, it … it tears me up to even have to say this …”

Liz snatched the photo from him. “Thank you for your time.” Walking away from the house, she slowly paced the dark streets of Roswell alone, her footsteps faltering and unsure. Walking for as long as she could until nausea overcame her, she stopped and threw up.

~~~

Max glanced over to his window when there came a knock. It wouldn’t be Michael; he always came inside. It could be Maria. She always knocked. Or Tess … Max stood back, surprised to see Liz there.

“I don't want to be alone. Can … can I stay here tonight?” Liz asked. She couldn’t go to Maria, not after earlier that day, and how upset she had made Maria. How could she tell her best friend that the world would believe that their life long friend, Alex committed suicide? She couldn’t, and then there was Michael who wouldn’t let her anywhere near Maria. Max … he was all she had left.

“Sure.” Max stood aside and allowed Liz to climb in herself. He was too afraid to offer her a hand, not after what went on between them. He looked her over, and she looked terrible. Her face was pale, and she was smaller than he remembered. He could see the lines of tiredness etched into her face.

Being a friend, or trying to be, he listened as she told him what she had done since they found out about Alex. Her voice hollowing as she got to the part about Alex’s suicide.

“That's crazy.” Max said, shaking his head. Not Alex. Never Alex.

Liz was pacing her hands gesturing wildly. “Yes, I know. That’s what I said.”

“Alex would never do something like that.”

“No, of course not! It's ridiculous.” Liz stopped her pacing for a moment. “And … you know what's gonna happen -- Hanson is gonna go and he's going to put that in his report and it's going to be in the newspaper for every single person to read. All of his friends, his family.”

Max got up from where he was sitting listening to Liz. “No.”

“"Alex Whitman's death was declared a suicide yesterday by the Roswell Sheriff's Department"!” Liz said dramatically already seeing the headlines in her mind, the sheer horror of it … the lie!

“We won't let that happen.” Max reassured Liz. “I'll … I'll talk to Valenti. He's just jumping to conclusions.”

“Just the fact that his parents have to go through this, this nightmare. They do not need to think that their son …” Liz slide down to the floor beside Max bed hiding her face, to upset to continue.

Max sat down next to her. “Liz, I'll handle it.”

“Thank you.” Liz stomach growled. Embarrassed she put her hands over her stomach. “Oh.”

“Hungry?” Max asked gently his eyes moving over her face, compassion strong on his face.

Liz nodded “That was embarrassing.”

“No, that's all right. When's the last time you ate?”

“Um …” Liz couldn’t think. What day was it? Was it only a day ago? “Ah, yesterday, I think?”

Max stood up and offered her his hand. He led her into the kitchen and made her sit while he searched for something quick and easy to feed her.

“How does frozen macaroni and cheese sound?” Max asked holding up frozen macaroni and cheese and Liz nodded. They sat in the kitchen eating together reminiscing about Alex.

“Remember the time he electrified Mr. Hoffman's desk?” Max asked smiling to himself, enjoying the memory.

“Yeah. You know, he almost got suspended for that.” Liz told him as she finished a bite.

Max shook his head. “Never happen. The teachers loved him. That guy could get away with anything At the Prom, I overheard Mr. Hoffman telling Señora Villa the whole chair thing. Thought it was a riot.”

Liz put down her fork. “Yeah, about the Prom -- I saw you kiss Tess.” Max glanced at her in shock, not realizing she had seen that. Liz paused trying to find something to say, but couldn’t put in words what she felt. “It's okay. You're moving on.”

“Liz.” Max’s heart was in his voice. It wasn’t want he wanted, it never was. Circumstances kept warring against his desires, and he was losing the battle.

“No. We've discussed this. You're moving on and I’m moving on, and that's a decision we've made.” Liz told him needing to be strong about this. She knew all along, since Future Max, that Max and Tess getting together would be a possibility. She knew that, and no matter how hard she tried to prepare herself she had still been floored by seeing them. “I just wanted you to know that I saw you and that I'm okay with it, okay?”

Max didn’t know what else to say, so he nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Liz pushed the empty plate away and stood. “Thank you very much for the macaroni and cheese, and, um, thank you for listening.” She walked to the door. She didn’t really belong there anymore. Liz paused before walking out, she glanced back at Max. “Just always be my friend. Will you do that, Max?”

“You know I will.” Liz smiled sadly and left. Good. She was slowly running out of them.

~~~

Michael came into the living room and handed Amy another hot cup of liquid, sitting on the edge of the sofa watching over her. The DeLuca house was in mourning, and as crippled as Maria felt, Amy was suffering much the same.

“Oh, no more tea. Thank you, Michael.” She had drunk a sea of tea, and cried an ocean of tears.

“It's not tea. Hot buttered rum -- help you sleep.” Michael told her, noticing her surprised look as she tasted the drink. “My foster dad taught me to mix drinks before I could ride a bike. He called it job training. If all else fails I could always tend bar.”

Amy glanced at the young man sad that so much of his youth had been spent with a monster like Hank. “Oh, what a charming man.” Amy hid her face in the mug, unwilling to talk about things that still hurt Michael. Someday he would tell her, like he told her about being able to mix drinks. They had time. “Ah, is Maria still asleep?”

“Finally,” Michael said rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. “Yeah, she keeps kickin' off the covers though.”

“Oh, she always does that.” Amy glanced at the boy. “Or at least she used to until you started sleeping with her.”

Michael squirmed a little. “Oh … about that, you know that we don’t … that we aren’t …”

“Yeah, I know. Why do you think I let you stay?” Amy looked at him. He really was a beautiful boy, both inside and out. “You know, I think this is the most time you've ever spent in my house in one block. Usually it’s a night here, a meal there. Never days.”

“Yeah, I … I could leave if you want.” Michael offered. “Just, it's nice to be around people.”

“No, no. That's not what I meant at all.” Smiling at his earnest face, so serious. “Ah, what I'm trying to say is that you've really been great for my family. And it's a wonderful thing to see my daughter loved. And I would like to see a lot more of that. And, as far as I'm concerned, you'll always be welcome in this house.”

Michael was speechless. He assumed that Amy tolerated his presence in Maria’s life, most of the time with apprehension. It was strange to have her actually extend him an invitation. “Thank you.”

Amy sipped the rum. It was good. She glanced at him. “Maria is complicated, much more than many would suspect.”

“I know that.”

“I know you do, but it goes deeper. She feels things deeply … holds them inside, maybe longer than she should.” Amy didn’t know how to explain. “I … her father, even when he was here …he wasn’t. Girls, they tend to naturally bond to their fathers, but Maria didn’t have that. Her father, he never tried. Never cared. She … carried that a long time. He would give her presents, things to pay her off to leave him alone, to pay off his neglect.”

Michael’s jaw clenched as he thought of the Dalmatian puppy and a crying Maria.

“I nurtured her as much as I could, but I was young. Having a child at seventeen, that wasn’t really a good decision any way you look at it.” Amy felt the tears run down her face. “God, I loved her from the moment I saw her. My precious child. A child raising a child, but I didn’t care. No one was going to ever take her from me. She was mine. We grew up together, and in so many ways because the treatment she received by her father, she grew up faster and harder than I did.”

“She loves you.” Michael told the older woman.

“She loves you, too.” Amy licked her lips. “That’s the point, Michael. Maria has an easy time making friends, but a hard time making really close relations. Alex. Liz. Me. Sean. You. That’s it. People know her, but no one really gets close enough to really know her. I think, now that Alex is gone, all that’s really left is you and me, and more you than me. I made mistakes. I left her alone too long. It was hard being a single parent, and even as an excuse, it’s a poor one. She has a hard time being comfortable, really comfortable around people.”

“She fakes it.”

Amy laughed. Trust Michael to understand that. “Yes, she does. She loves Liz with all her heart, but Liz doesn’t really know her. Not really. She’s just Liz’s wacky friend, Maria. The person Liz depends on to listen to her, understand and be there when she needs support. It is perfect for Maria, because that’s something she does well. Alex understood her more. He really felt her. Maybe it was the music, the fact they communicated at a level that was more sounds than spoken words. There was always this underlying connection between them as children. He would take on Goliath for her. Until you, he had been her hero, replacing Sean.”

Michael nodded remembering Alex slugging him in his apartment for kissing Courtney, telling him he couldn’t treat Maria like that. That she was special. Alex understood more than anyone realized.

Michael was quiet for a moment. “Is that why she is terrified of falling in love?”

Amy stopped drinking the rum, and stared at him in surprise. He saw more than she realized. “She can’t form attachments easily, but when she does, they’re so strong. If broken, she’s devastated. When her father left she was sick for over two years, nervous, depressed, and even destructive. It got better, and then Sean came and she attached to him, and then he left too. He’s still paying for that, but in his defense, he’s very much like Maria and when his parents died …” Amy shrugged. “He lost his parents, and later because he was spiraling out of control, self-destructive and angry, he lost Maria too.”

“And now Alex.”

Amy couldn’t help it. She started to cry again. “He really was such a wonderful young man. Whatever Alex did, he did with heart.” Michael stayed with Amy as she cried, his mind more on Maria sleeping in the next room. What would happen to her when he left?

~~~

Alex and Isabel were sitting at the Crashdown café facing each other.

“You're not really here, are you?” Isabel asked, already knowing the answer.

“No.” Alex shook his head, his eye gentle. “You're talking in your sleep.”

“God, I wish I could really talk to you, Alex.”

“I'm the next best thing. What do you want to say?”

“That I'm sorry.” A tear ran down Isabel’s cheek. “I'm so sorry.”

“Me too.”

“I never should have called you.” If he had stayed home. If he … If.

“I called you, remember?”

Isabel rubbed the tear off her face. “I never should've brought you into any of this.”

“Any of what?” Alex asked confused.

“Me. My life.”

“You think being with you had something to do with what happened?” Alex asked curiously.

“Yes, I do. I don't know how, but …” Isabel didn’t know how she knew, but she did. It felt wrong. Alex being gone felt … wrong. “God, if you hadn't been involved with me …”

“Hey, if I was really here, I'd tell you you're full of crap. You know that.”

“Yeah, but it wouldn't make me feel any better.”

“I better go.” Alex told her holding her hand for a moment.

She tightened her hand on his. “Why?”

“I'm not making things any better for you.”

“No, please.” Isabel kept his hand. “Please don't go.”

Alex gently extracted his hand from hers. “I'm already gone.” He told her gently. “This is just a dream, a dream that you'll eventually wake up from.”

“Will I see you again?” She asked as he stood up to leave.

“That depends on you. But I have a feeling, I wouldn't want me to be here.” He leaned over and kissed her one last time. “'Bye, Isabel.” Alex walked to the door.

“I love you, Alex.” She called to him, crying as she watched him leave, telling him in her dreams what she never got to tell him in life.

Alex smiled. “I think we both know, I loved you too.” He walked through the door and in her dream, Isabel rolled over to ball up crying.

~~~

The procession at Alex’s funeral was a long walk, longer than distance, longer than heart. It was the final walk in a lifetime of friendship, one cut too short. None of them had been prepared to say goodbye, and there was nothing left to do, but to walk on. Max, Michael, Kyle and Jim were among the pallbearers as the others followed watching the earth prepare to swallow up a love one. Maria sang ‘Amazing Grace’ her voice breaking in places as she tried to not cry, doing this one last thing for Alex.

Michael stood next to her, and when she went to put a rose on Alex’s grave, he stood behind her holding her firmly about the waist. They stood and listened to the final words, as all those who loved Alex watched him be laid to rest. With his arms firmly around Maria’s shoulder, holding her tight to his front, he was surprised when Amy’s hand found his other one. Reaching around, he brought Amy up under his other arm and kept both Maria and her mother close.

Afterwards, Max went to urgently talk with Valenti. Liz, riding away in her father's car, turned to see them talking.

Jim knew what this was about. “If this is about what I said to Liz the other night, I don't have any apologies to make.”

“How can you say that to us? How can you even think …”

“This is difficult for everybody, Max.” Jim told the young man.

Max lost his temper. “Alex Whitman did not kill himself, okay? It didn't happen. And you'd better not let Hanson or anyone else put that in some file.”

Valenti grabbed a sheaf of papers from inside his truck. He held them out to Max. “Here.”

Max glanced at the pile of papers. “What's that?”

“It's everything we've discovered about Alex Whitman over the last two days. Read it, Max.” Jim face was serious, and Max glanced at the file. Valenti waited while Max read.

~~~

At the Whitman's house, everyone gathered after the funeral for the wake.

Kyle was pouring drinks. “So, Frisco, huh?”

“Yeah,” Isabel took the drink.

“I think it's great.”

“Yeah.”

Tess and Michael were walking around the buffet table. Tess was fixing a plate for herself and Michael was fixing one for Maria. “What about the chicken?”

“Maria hates barbecue. There's gotta be something here she'll eat.” Michael kept looking. Maria needed to eat. She literally hadn’t touched food since Alex died.

“Is she okay?” Tess asked concerned by Maria’s pale appearance, and the way she seemed to stare off into space.

“Not really.” Michael cleared his throat. He never seen a broken heart before, but the wave of pain and despair he got off Maria was something he never expected to feel. The depth of it was so much more than he could understand, and yet, it felt so familiar to him.

“Liz?”

Michael shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s around here somewhere. Hopefully not with Maria upsetting her.”

Liz was outside. She found Mr. Whitman outside by the pool staring off across the way. Liz approached him quietly almost uncertain that she should bother him.

“Hi, Mr. Whitman.”

“Liz, how are you?”

“Okay.”

Mr. Whitman looked out over the pool remembering the summers his son and the girls would play there. “Well, I … ah, hope you know how much Alex loved you and Maria. He just thought the world of you two.”

“Thank you.” Liz said not ready to talk about Alex. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Can I go sit in his room for awhile?” Liz asked afraid the answer would be no.

“I … ah, I haven't been able to bring myself to go in there just yet. But, sure, go ahead.”

Liz couldn’t talk about Alex, but she felt his loss. She hugged Mr. Whitman. “Thank you.”

~~~

Liz sat on Alex's bed, holding his bass guitar. She had no musical talent, not like Maria and Alex, but it was a comfort to feel the strings, to hear their tones as if somehow Alex was there.

“I really need your help. I know something's wrong. I know what they're saying about you isn't true. But I don't know where to go from here. I really wish you could …” Liz stopped swallowing hard, almost losing what little control she had left, “… give me some advice, point me in a direction.” She put her chin on the guitar staring at nothing in particular. She noticed the Robert Frost book remembering the last time she saw Alex, and his phone call to Isabel.

Putting the guitar aside, she went and picked up the book running her hand over the cover. A page was marked with some tickets. Liz opened it smiling slightly at the marked page for the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Liz read it to herself, and then glancing at the tickets, she closed the book. “Thank you.” She whispered.

~~~

When Max and Valenti arrived at Alex's house Max was immediately pulled away by Tess.

“Come on.”

“What's up?” Max asked as he watched Jim walk away to find Amy DeLuca.

“I don't know, but Liz says it's urgent.”

Max dreaded this, but allowed Tess to lead him to Alex’s room where the others were waiting. Michael and Maria were sitting in the window seat. Michael was sitting back with Maria almost in his lap. He was leaning forward on her with both his arms around her hugging her to his front.

Isabel was on the bed, Kyle sat on a chair, and Liz was standing. Once Max and Tess joined them, Liz began.

“Everything I'm about to say is gonna come as a shock to most of you, but something's happened, and you need to know what's going on. Valenti and Hanson are about to declare Alex's death a suicide.”

Isabel sat up straighter. “What?”

“No, it's not true, okay?” Liz quickly denied before Isabel got upset. “It's not true.”

“How could they say that?” Maria asked her entire body stiffening in anger. “Of course it's not true.”

“Well …” Max said hating this. “I'm not so sure.”

“What?!” Liz turned on him viciously, her mouth opening in disbelief. “Max, come on -- we talked about this. You said …”

“I know, but I've read the file.” Max explained. “Valenti showed …”

“Oh …” Liz said with sarcasm. “Valenti showed you the file.”

“I don't want to believe it either, but I saw. The evidence is pretty convincing.” Max told Liz and the others, his eyes meeting his sister’s, hating the misery he saw in them.

Michael shook his head. “I can't believe it was suicide.”

“It wasn't a suicide and I can prove it.” Liz insisted as she took the tickets she found and showed them everyone. “Five minutes ago I found these here, in Alex's room. They are concert tickets to Beth Orton. Alex bought them on the day he died, probably for him and Isabel. The concert is tonight.” Liz said waiting for a reaction. The others were quiet. “Don't you get it? You don't buy concert tickets on the day you kill yourself. You don't make plans for the future when you are not planning on having a future.”

Maria sat up straighter in Michael’s arms. “She's right, there's no way. There's no way.”

“I don't know.” Tess said. “You know, a couple of concert tickets? It's pretty slim evidence.”

Maria turned on the alien girl in anger. “You don't know what the hell you're talking about, okay?”

“Hey. Hey.” Michael quickly interjected pulling Maria firmly back against him before she jumped Tess strangling her to death, his hands quickly calming her as he addressed the group. “There's nothing to gain with this argument, one way or another. We know Alex. We know what kind of guy he was, and we know he'd never kill himself.”

“Exactly,” Maria whispered against Michael, her hands tightening on him.

“So, as far as all the people in this room are concerned, it was an accident, nothin' more.” Michael stated. Nothing and no one would ever convince him that Alex committed suicide. He knew the other boy, and it wasn’t possible.

“It wasn't an accident.” Liz told them, unwilling to let this just end. “He was murdered.”

“Murdered?” Kyle glanced at Liz and then the others.

Max couldn’t believe how far Liz was from rational. He knew she was hurting. He was hurting too, they all were. But Alex was gone, and nothing would bring him back, not even trying to find a reason or excuse for how his once brilliant short life could come to such a tragic end. “Would you listen to yourself? Who could possibly want to murder Alex?”

“I don't know yet.” Liz confessed. “Maybe somebody with a grudge against him … or, maybe an alien.”

Max stood up from where he was sitting on the desk. “That is not what happened here.”

“Would you just think about it for a minute?” Liz demanded. “If there is anything any of us should have learned over the last year and a half, it's that nothing is ever what it seems.”

Isabel stood up too, horrified that Liz voiced the very fears she had in her dreams, not able to handle them in the light of day. “What is that? That's not evidence! That's not proof we had anything to do with this!” She couldn’t be responsible for Alex’s death like Grant’s. She couldn’t have lost him because of what she was.

Tess stood up too when Isabel’s voice rose in anger. “Keep your voices down, for God's sake!”

“You cannot deny the fact that a key member of this conspiracy just died under very suspicious circumstances.” Liz told Isabel and Max as they stood together, united as always.

“I'm with Liz.” Kyle told the others standing up as well. “There's somethin' not right about this.”

“It was a traffic accident. There's nothing otherworldly about that.” Max insisted. He read the report. Alex was alone and he swerved into the other lane of oncoming traffic.

Michael held Maria to keep her clear of the fighting, but he couldn’t just dismiss the possibility like Max was. “What possible reason would an alien have to kill Alex?” Michael asked Liz, giving her a chance to explain to convince them.

“Isabel, for one.” Liz concluded drawing a gasp from Isabel. “We know that there's an alien named Khivar who wants to bring Isabel back to your world.”

“No!” Isabel screamed at Liz. This wasn’t her fault! This was not.

“If Khivar discovered that you and Alex were …” Liz tried to explain to Isabel, not blaming Isabel, but needing her to consider the possibility.

“No! No! You're just making this up!” Isabel was on the verge of hysterics as Max grabbed his sister, holding her to him trying to calm her.

Max faced Liz squarely, upset that Liz was letting her grief run her reason beyond rational thought or consideration for others, to use it to hit at Isabel when she was already suffering immense pain. “You don't know what the hell you're talking about! You don't know anything about Khivar, or our world.”

Liz was hurt that Max would turn on her, not believe in her instincts. “You don't want to think that Alex was killed by an alien because that would mean you are responsible!” She yelled at him.

Liz’s accusation rang in the room between the group, and what could not be broken in almost two years of trials and tribulations was split in two. The room was silent.

“Let's go.” Max told the others, his voice cold and angry as he eyes never dropped from Liz’s angry stare. Max left the room with Isabel and Tess. Michael whispered in Maria’s ear for a moment, and she nodded before he stood up a followed the other aliens.

Liz watched as Michael exited the room and she turned to Kyle and Maria. “I know what I know. And I am gonna find out the truth.” Liz vowed. “I owe that to my friend.” Liz stomped out of the room alone. Only Kyle and Maria remained.

“Well. I guess it's us versus them.” Kyle told Maria who just stared at Alex’s room sadly. It was all mixed up.

~~~

Liz was in the Crashdown sitting alone, looking at pictures of Alex. Remembering the hard times and the good times they'd been through, she finally broke. The tears streamed down her face as she covered her eyes with her hands. Someone knocked on the front door. Wiping her face, she turned to see Jerry, the delivery boy. Liz went to let him in. As she stood aside to let him enter, she noticed that it was raining and thundering.

Jerry was nervous, unsure that he should be there. “I thought about what you said. You know -- if I remembered anything? Look …” He gave Liz a piece of paper from his pocket. “I got his credit card receipt. The company kicked it back 'cause of the way he signed it.”

Liz glanced at the place where Alex was supposed to sign his name. Instead of a name it was a string of binary digits, 11100100100111011001.

“Does that mean anything to you?” Jerry asked Liz.

Liz nodded. “It means I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep …”

~~~

Michael stood in the doorway watching her. She was sitting in the dark looking outside at the rain. “You need me to be somewhere else?” he asked quietly.

Maria shook her head. Sighing, her body visibly relaxed now that he was back. “I’m sorry,” she said. Michael was surprised. She had hardly talked since Alex died. He didn’t know he could miss a voice so much.

Entering the room, he crossed to the window and crouched down by her chair so he could be more at her level. “For what?”

Maria finally looked at him. He could see the tear tracks on her face. “For … I don’t know, clinging so much to you … needing you.”

Michael sighed and lowered his face into her lap as her hand came to the back of his head. “Do you honestly think this is all for you?” he asked her thickly. He didn’t understand loss. He never had nothing to lose until two years ago when his entire life opened up to include more people, now he understood exactly how much his life had changed … how much fuller it had become knowing the impact the humans had made in his life.

Maria bent over him to rest her face in his hair. “Take me away from here,” she begged.

Michael looked up at her. Standing, he held out his hand. “C’mon. Let’s go chase the sun.”

“It’s night already.”

“We’ll find it.” Michael told her taking her from the house to his bike. They drove all night in the rain until somewhere east of Roswell, the first rays of sunlight dawned.

Maria and Liz were in Alex's room with his dad. They had pictures spread out on Alex’s bed, and Maria was going through them.

“It's a two page yearbook spread, a collage that captures, you know, everything Alex was,” Maria explained to Chuck Whitman.

“You guys are just great friends to Alex, you know, still.” Chuck said, thankful to see the two girls who meant everything to his son. “Oh, and Liz, tell your folks thanks for the food they sent over.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Liz said not really listening. She held up a stack of cards. “What are these?”

“Condolence cards from floral arrangements. You can take a look at them if you'd like.”

Liz reads a few, and then holds up one. “The Olsons?”

“Yeah. Alex's host family in Sweden.” Mr. Whitman told Liz, glad to have something to do … anything. “It's awful to admit, but Gloria and I didn't even think about contacting them.”

“Well, then, who did?” Liz demanded, her face suspicious.

“I'm assuming someone from the school. Alex's entire trip was set up through the guidance office.” Chuck looked around his son’s room and he couldn’t be there any longer. “Well, looks like you guys are gonna be here for a while. I'll order a pizza.”

“Oh, no,” Maria told the older man kindly, her eyes moving over his face. He looked worn. “You really don't have to order …”

“It's nothing.” He quickly left the room.

“Liz, you're being rude.” Maria told her friend, still upset with her, how distracted and unyielding she was acting.

Liz started looking through Alex’s computer. “Alex put every single thing about his entire life in this computer. There has got to be something in here to help us figure out what really happened.”

Maria didn’t want to talk about Liz’s murder theory. She couldn’t. It took every moment of every day, all the strength she had to simply breathe, to put one foot in front of the other.

“Mr. Whitman let us go through stuff for the yearbook spread. You can't look through his stuff for clues. It's immoral.”

“What's immoral is that someone murdered Alex.” Liz demanded. “Look, we have got two clues here-- the numbers on the Thai food receipt and his girlfriend Leanna. Will you start looking through his desk drawers? See if you can find anything.”

“I don't think so.” Maria shook her head. She couldn’t do that. She couldn’t violate her friend’s privacy. “No.”

“Why, Maria?” Liz couldn’t begin to understand Maria’s feelings, or anyone else’s at that time. She barely had feelings herself. Her entire life was narrowed to one obsession, one need … finding Alex’s killer. Nothing could ever be more important than that. “Come on. We've only got a few hours here.”

Maria could fathom what was happening to her friend. “Does Max know that you're doing this?”

“I'm just looking for the truth. I don't think that Max is interested in that right now,” Liz answered vaguely as she went through some of Alex’s files.

“God, I hate this. It's like this chasm has formed between everybody since …”

“… since I said aliens were responsible for Alex's death.” Liz finished for her.

“Yes.” Maria admitted. “Look, I really don't think we should do this without them knowing. It's just gonna make things worse. As it is, Michael and I have barely talked to each other in days. He’s trapped between us and them, and I don’t want that for him. I don’t want it either. He’s an alien, and he sure as hell knows he didn’t kill Alex, or have anything to do with it. I can’t be caught in a war between you and them. It’s not fair.” Maria frowned when Liz didn’t respond. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Why would he lock this document?” Liz muttered under her breath, staring at the computer screen.

“What?” Unreal! She couldn’t get through. A brick to Liz’s head couldn’t get through her thick skull.

“Inside this folder, there's five subfolders, and in the last subfolder, there's one locked file. None of the other files are locked. It's like he was hiding it.” Liz finally paid attention to Maria. “Do you have any idea what his security code is?” Maria’s face gave her away. “Oh, Maria.”

“Look. I really don't think that we should …”

“… just tell me.”

Maria sighed. “Try ‘I, the stud.’ He's let me log on to his e-mail account a few times.”

Liz quickly typed in the phrase. “Oh, my God. Look at this. Look.” On the computer we see the words "Leanna is not Leanna" filling the screen.

~~~

Max and Tess were walking into the school before the next period started. They saw Liz in the quad talking to a group of students.

“So, you're saying this definitely has nothing to do with the AP computer class.” Liz asked.

“Nothing we've been working on lately.” The boy handed Liz back the piece of paper. “This is binary code. The ones and zeros are usually used to tell a computer how to operate.”

“I need you to be more specific.” Liz told the boy. “What does this particular sequence mean?”

The boy shrugged. “Without an application, it means nothing.”

Tess and Max were walking by, and Max stopped to talk to Liz. Tess saw him looking at the other girl, so she smiled and went to leave him alone.

“So, we still on for studying?” Tess asked before she left.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Max nodded distracted as he watched Liz. “Your house?” he asked glancing at Tess.

“Yeah. I'll see you there.” Tess walked off as Max went over to see Liz.

Seeing Max coming her way Liz quickly said goodbye to the other students. “I'll talk to you about this later.” She turned to Max. “What's up?”

“Liz, I just want to talk this through. I don't want this to turn into a war between us, between everyone.”

“Yeah. Neither do I.”

“Look. The other day at the wake, you were upset about Alex. I understand how you might have said some of the things that you said.” Max admitted trying to be reasonable.

“Mm-hmm,” Liz crossed her arms.

“I'm willing to forget about it, wipe the slate clean.”

“Max, maybe it wasn't right for me to say what I said just then, and maybe I could have said it a little bit calmer. But I don't regret it. It's true.”

“Liz, the way you're going about doing this isn't safe. Talking to people at school, asking questions.” Max looked around the quad at other people watching them. “Whenever we decided to do something, we always decided as a group.”

Liz stared at him. “Do you believe me … about Alex?”

“No.” Max was sorry, but it was the truth.

“Well, then we can't act as a group right now, Max.” Liz walked away. There was nothing else to say.

~~~

Liz found Maria in the music room. She had all of Alex’s instruments, and she was trying to set up a camera to do a photo spread of them. Liz was supposed to be helping, but she was too busy talking.

“Look, whatever happened to Alex happened while he was in Sweden. You know that ‘Leanna is not Leanna’ document? It was created on January 16 while Alex was still there.”

“Will you hold this like this?” Maria asked as she handed Liz a camera light.

“Yes.” Liz juggled it holding it still while Maria looked through the lens. “Leanna is not Leanna. Well, you think about it in alien terms. It could mean that she's a Shapeshifter or a Skin or some other type of alien that we don't even know about yet.”

“You know what?” Maria was fed up. “Think about it in human terms, ok? What if he and Leanna got in a fight or what if he caught Leanna flirting with another boy or something?”

Liz ignored Maria going on with her investigation. “I started playing around with the sequence of ones and zeros that Alex wrote on the delivery food receipt the night he was murdered.”

“Please. Do not use that word, Liz!” Maria begged. She was struggling enough, but Liz was making it impossible for her to go on, to continue, and the thought of Alex murdered … “Please.”

“There were twenty altogether.” Liz told Maria not hearing a word that wasn’t her own. “Then I counted the number of letters in the phrase, "Leanna is not Leanna." seventeen. Not a match, until I counted the number of spaces between the words. Seventeen letters plus three spaces equals twenty.” Maria stared at Liz in amazement. “What if there's a connection?”

Michael walked in. “Hey, can I talk to Maria for a minute?” he asked Liz.

“Sure.” She had things to do. Michael took the camera light from her.

“Give me that.” Maria took back the light, putting it down.

“So, what's Liz accusing us of now?”

“You know what?” She couldn’t be in this. She wouldn’t be in the middle of this. “If you're here to trash-talk, I'm gonna have to take a rain check, 'cause that is the only way I'm gonna get through a simple school day without losing it, all right?” God! He knew how upset she was, and she knew he got angry once he replayed the whole scene, and understood exactly what Liz was accusing them of, but it didn’t bring Alex back. Nothing could. There was no sunshine, no music, no day. There couldn’t be. Not with Alex gone.

“Well, you gotta tell her to get off this Alex thing.” Michael searched her face. She was still pale, and he suspected she hadn’t been sleeping again.

Maria rubbed her forehead. “What if she's right, though, you know? What if …”

“All the more reason for her not to get involved. It's dangerous. It's not for Liz to look into, or you.” Michael sighed. “Look, Maria. I don’t know. I just don’t know. Alex, he was a friend to us all. But if she is in any way right, I don’t want you anywhere near this, okay? If Alex can die, so can you and Liz. Talk to her.”

“God, I hate this. I just hate that there's this division between all of us.”

“Well, then, maybe Liz shouldn't have blamed us for killing Alex.”

“That is not what she said, Michael.” Maria looked at him. “Why are you being this way? You of all people always look for the unexplained. You understand obsession or needing to find answers. What makes you so different from Liz?”

Michael pulled her close to him. “I wouldn’t get you killed. Liz barely knows she’s alive, let alone you, and I don’t trust her to not rush in foolishly, taking you with her. I buried Alex, and that was hard. I can’t bury you too.”

“Michael …” Maria rested her head against him her arms hugging him tight.

Michael cleared his throat. “What are you doin'?” He asked as he looked at the instruments.

“It's a yearbook collage Liz and I are doing in memory of Alex.”

Michael looked at all the instruments lined up along the wall. “And this would be the …”

“It's a picture of all his instruments.” Maria said looking at her arrangement, hating it. “It's lame, isn't it?”

“Kind of,” Michael looked at her. “Need help?”

“Why? Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I, um … I could use a ride to the photo shop to get some color copies.”

“Okay.” He could do that.

“And then I gotta track down this non-clump spray adhesive, and my X-acto knife is missing.” Michael grimaced. He sort of knew what happened to that, but he was admitting nothing. “And, yeah, I haven't collected half of the stuff that we wanted to put in the collage and, on top of everything, I have a major deadline to meet.”

~~~

The four aliens were outside taking a walk on the side of a road. They were talking about Liz and her investigation. Michael kept glancing at his watch needing this latest super secret alien meeting to be over.

“She's obsessed.” Max told the others. “She keeps talking to people, asking questions.”

“Has anybody thought about the possibility that Liz is right?” Isabel asked, not wanting it to be so, but unable to forget her dream where she felt the same thing … that somehow Alex knowing her killed him. “I'm the last person who wants to even remotely consider it, but it's us. Stranger things have happened.”

“No. She isn't right.” Max said refusing to even consider it.

“Max, if we just thought about it …”

“Isabel, no. Liz is wrong, and even if there were anything remotely alien about this, our cover is the best defense. It always has been.”

“Not quite. I got a letter from San Francisco.” Isabel told him. “They wait-listed me.”

Max’s jaw clenched. “Really?”

“Yeah. It's good news.” Isabel reassured him. “You know, Mrs. Fletcher's got everybody working in the guidance counselor's office to get me recommendations, and my teachers are helping. I mean, this could really be a good chance for me.” Max just looked at her then down. “Some people would say, congratulations.” Isabel suggested.

“We'll talk about this later.” Max told her, his voice firm.

“Sure.” Isabel said as she stopped walking and Max and Tess walked away together leaving her and Michael standing there. “You’re awful quiet, Michael. Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“What’s to say? I did as he ordered me. I talked to Maria and asked her to tell Liz to stop it.”

“Is that going to work?”

Michael started walking again. He didn’t trust Max and Tess not to leave them there, and he didn’t want to have to walk back in with Isabel alone. Last time he had to walk more than half a mile with her, she bitched the entire way.

“Not a chance in hell.” Michael stopped for a moment. “Max is right. The Parker is as obsessed as they come, and I can’t say whether she’s wrong or right. I just know that if she’s right, she can get into more trouble than she knows.”

Isabel wasn’t really listening. She was too busy staring at her brother and Tess. “I never thought I’d see Max with Tess, and him and Liz on opposite sides.”

“It is strange.” Michael said, his eyes narrowing. “Maybe that’s all there is to true love?”

Isabel sighed shaking her head. “No, there is so much more,” she said thinking of Alex.

~~~

Max and Tess were sitting together on the floor studying. Max was rubbing Tess’s feet while she read.

“The kiss at the Prom.” Tess said tentatively, bringing up a subject that somehow had been put aside. “The infamous kiss.”

“Right.”

“With what happened to Alex, I can understand putting the subject on hold. I couldn't deal with it, either. But now, I just-- I can't help wondering where we are.”

“Right,” Max wasn’t sure himself. “Right. You and me together, it scares me. Right or wrong, I feel like if I follow that road, I can never go back.”

“You're scared to go home.”

“What is home? Is home really up there?” Max asked shrugging. “I just feel like this whole idea about where we come from... and I want to believe it. I want to understand it more and more, but it just feels like this dream … this... this dream that I can never really quite touch or see or … feel. And earth just seems so much more … real.”

~~~

Sean wiped his hands to open the kitchen door. He was surprised to see Liz.

“Hi.” Liz said.

“Hey.” Sean stood aside so she could come in. “Maria isn’t here.”

“I … I came to talk to you.”

“Hmm,” Sean went back to working on the plumbing. He hated plumbing, but his aunt asked him to try, so there he was. “Sorry. I really have to finish this.”

“It's okay. I just wanted to talk.” Liz leaned a hip against the cabinet.

“I'm really sorry about Alex.” Sean told her from under the sink.

“I got your flowers. That was sweet.” Liz told him. “Thank you.”

“The girl in the shop said they'd smell nice.” He didn’t bother to get his cousin and aunt any. They both hated funeral flowers, watching them die somehow seemed too poignant.

“Mm-hmm. They did.”

“Cool.” Sean took a hammer and banged on a pipe in frustration. The damn sink was never going to drain.

“You know, I was thinking about our trip to the bowling alley.” Liz began.

Sean stopped banging to look at her. “Yeah?” He got up and tried the plunger again.

“Mm-hmm. I was trying to remember how we got in.” Liz asked.

“Oh.” Sean turned back to his black art of plumbing waiting for Liz to just come out and ask what she wanted.

“I mean, did you use, like, a Swiss army knife or something? You know, to open a lock, I thought that you stuck a knife in and jiggled.”

“Uh, I, uh, I used a pick that I made from a bicycle spoke.”

“Oh.” Liz bit her lip. “But you could use a Swiss army knife, right?”

Sean put the plunger aside. “What are you trying to do, Parker?”

“Break into the school.”

Sean shook his head and looked away. “Okay. You are aware that I have a record, right?”

“Yes, and that's why I'm just asking for a little how-to advice.” Liz told him.

“Okay. You know, I'm not allowed within 1,000 feet of that place.” God, if he got caught, he was no longer a juvenile, but rather an adult. His probation would be toast.

“I know, and I would never put you in that position.”

“I can't help you, Parker. I'm sorry.” Sean couldn’t do it. He had family. They needed him. He couldn’t risk everything he worked for to get back to them. Glancing at Liz, he saw it. The look. She was going either way. Sean ran his hands through his hair. Damn.

~~~

Inside the school, at night, Sean was in dark clothing as was Liz. Liz stood behind him as he quickly and slickly picked the lock to the guidance counselor's office.

“So, what, do you want to change one of your grades or something?” Sean asked wondering why someone like Liz would need to break into the school.

“Yeah. Something like that.”

Sean popped the door and once inside found keys. He handed them to Liz. “One of these keys should take care of the filing cabinets. I'm gonna do a sweep of the halls.”

“Okay.” Liz said.

“Hurry.” Sean went outside and quietly walked the halls. In his head he called himself all kinds of stupid. He should just walk out, leave Parker to her fate. He got her in, and that was all she needed. He was out of there.

Liz found Alex's files in a filing cabinet. She took it and went to makes copies of information about his trip to Sweden. Sean came back just as she's finishing up.

“Our time's up.” Sean told her.

“Okay. I don't think I got it all.”

“One rule about breaking and entering-- never stay in the same place for more than five minutes.” He gestured for her to hurry. They needed to move.

“Well, does that mean we can go back?” Liz asked.

“Come on.” Sean took her hand. The exited the office, but stopped when a security guard shined his flashlight in their faces. Busted.

“Hold it right there, you two.” Sean moaned under his breath. He should’ve walked.

~~~

Michael tossed the bags he had been assigned to carry on Maria’s bed in relief, but then quickly changed his mind. He swept them off into the floor, and took the bed himself. Sighing in relief as he shut his eyes, but oomphed when Maria tossed her bags on top of him.

“Have pity, Maria. You dragged me to hundreds of stores. I didn’t even know Roswell had so many.”

“I don’t know if I have everything I need. Maybe we should’ve gotten the other color of poster board.” Maria sat next to him taking the bags and placing them on the floor with the other ones. “This is going to look bad, and it’ll be my fault. God, all I want is …”

“Maria!” Michael stopped her. He grabbed her by the face, kissed her quickly on the mouth, and then rested his forehead on hers. “Stop it. It’ll be perfect. Whatever you do, Alex would’ve thought it was perfect.”

Maria gave a sob, and Michael pulled her with him to lie on the bed. He let her cry for a few moments. “How long are you going to cry? It’s been a week.”

“I know.”

“You don’t eat. You don’t sleep. And now this project is killing you.”

“It’s important to me. It means something.”

“I know it does.” Michael rubbed his eyes tiredly. He wasn’t sleeping much either. “Between this and everything else, I’ve got Max acting like a walking zombie. He’s acting strange, like this thing between him and Liz is a real vendetta. I don’t get it. He’s ordering us all around, snapping at Isabel, and the only person he listens to is Tess.”

Maria sat up sniffing, quickly wiping away the tears, happy to talk about his problems, anything that took Alex off her mind for two seconds.

“How strange is strange?”

“Strange strange, Maria. Carl Sagan strange.”

“That’s strange.”

“Hmm,” Michael said.

“Hmm?”

“Um hmm.”

“Then maybe you should …” Maria gestured to her window.

“No. I promised I’d help. Max will have to wait.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm?”

“No, I was just thinking that if I could talk to Liz, and you could talk to Max, maybe we can end this thing.” Maria made a face. “Of course, I would first have to find Liz. Then once I found her, tackle her, restrain her … most likely with duct tape, especially her mouth, if I miss the mouth, then she’ll just keep telling me her theories. Then I’ll have to brain her hard on the head to get her attention, which I’m not even certain would work, then …”

Michael sighed. “So, I should talk to Max, because he’d be easier to get through to.”

“Hmm.”

Michael nodded. “Hmm.”

~~~

Max was walking alone through the park at night. He heard a whistle that startled him. Turning around, he stopped when he saw it was Michael.

“Don't do that.”

Michael joined Max. “This whole thing with Isabel and college …”

“She can't go.” Max said flatly. Michael nodded recognizing a refusal to discuss a subject.

“Do you want me to talk to her about it?” Michael asked. “Things seem a little tense between you two.”

“Okay.”

Michael made a thoughtful face. “No problem.” Max started to walk away. “Max...”

Max stopped looking back. “What?”

Michael shook his head. “Nothin'.” He couldn’t let it go. “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Michael said not believing it.

“Good.”

“'Cause you sort of snapped at Isabel before.” Michael explained. “You know, about the Liz thing. She was just saying it was a possibility.”

“I know. It's just--if I want to hear theories about Alex's murder, I could talk to Liz.”

“Yeah.”

Max took a deep breath and made eye contact with Michael. “You think we have something to do with it?”

“I have no idea.” Michael admitted. “I just wouldn't want our leader to be forming opinions based on what he wants to be true instead of what really is true.” he said, repeating a complaint he had with Max numerous times in the past, his inability to really accept things to be true, or to consider the possibility because he didn’t want it to be. “Anyway …” Michael went to walk off.

“Michael...” Max called to him before he could leave. “The idea that Alex might have died just because we're here … I can't bear it.” Max confessed. “All those times you would run off chasing some clue to find out where we come from. Why we're here. Where we belong. I always thought you were chasing something that wasn't out there, because in my heart, I believed that we belonged here, you know? That we were human.” Max stared across the park. “Lately, I've been thinking that you might have been right all along.”

“Lately, I've been thinking I might have been wrong all along.” Michael confessed, his eyes serious. Max stared at him in shock for a moment before they both walked away from each other in opposite directions.

~~~

Liz and Sean were detained until the security officer called the police. Sean groaned when he recognized the cop. The cop obviously recognized him as well.

“Stay here.” Hanson told Liz. He walked Sean a short distance from Liz. “What are you doing, Deluca?”

“What do you think, man?” Sean asked in a belligerent tone. “She's hot. I was trying to get in her pants.”

“So you broke into the school?”

“Well, the chicks dig an adrenaline rush.” Sean confined to the officer. “Not this one. She's a buzzkill, deputy.”

“You're a real zero, Deluca. You know that?” Hanson walked over to Liz. “Young lady, I hope you appreciate the seriousness of your actions tonight.”

“Oh, yes, sir.” Liz said solemnly, almost stuttering.

“I know you're a good kid, and your parents are good folk, too, so I'm gonna let you off with a warning. A strong warning. You got it?” The officer asked Liz, making sure she understood.

“Oh, yes, sir. Thank you.” Her stomach fell as she watched Sean being led away in cuffs. He looked at her one last time as he was escorted away.

~~~

Jim found Max to tell him about Liz and Sean. “Anyway, Hanson told me about it. They were at the school. I didn't get all the details, but it sounded a little out of character for Liz.”

“Unless she was looking for something more specific,” Max said more to himself.

“Well, if that was the case, I figured you'd know what this was about.” Jim told him. “Listen. I am more than happy, Max, to be left in the dark. In fact, sometimes I think I would prefer that. But you guys are usually a lot more careful about it than this.” Jim was unhappy. He still had to talk to Amy. He saw her for a few moments at the station, and she didn’t look good. Whatever Liz was into it just cost the DeLuca family a lot, especially Sean who was looking as formal charges as an adult, and Amy who was working at bailing him out. Sean just broke the conditions of his probation.

“I'll take care of it.” Max told Jim, who nodded and went to go find a very despondent woman.

~~~

Liz hung up the phone after leaving another message for the Olson family in Sweden, Alex’s host family. She turned to find Maria standing in her doorway. The look on Maria’s face said it all.

Liz felt the blood drain from her face. “Maria.”

“Do you have any idea what you just did?” Maria asked. No. She was not going to be reasonable. She was not going to take being ignored. “He could go to jail for this. Real jail. My mother is trying to scrape together bail money for him!”

“I didn’t mean … I didn’t ask him to come with me.”

Maria shook her head. “Like he would just let you go all alone? You?” She shook her head. “I just lost one friend. I can’t stand to lose another, but tonight? Tonight, you came very close, Liz! You might come from a ‘nice’ family that the police will look the other way for, but my family, they aren’t given that much leeway … especially Sean.” Maria bit back her tears. She couldn’t lose Sean again … not again, not now.

“Maria, I’m sorry.”

Maria threw up her hands. She couldn’t take it. The blood was rushing in her ears and there were black spots in front of her eyes. “Tell that to my mother and Sean.” Maria turned on her heel and left Liz sitting there staring at the empty door.

~~~

Isabel was at a table outside looking at brochures when Michael found her. Michael walked over and sat down next to her.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Isabel said still looking through the brochures.

Michael picked up one. “So, this is the college.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Isabel said enthusiastically. “As a freshman, my housing choices are pretty limited, but this is the dorm I want.” She showed Michael. “It's close to everything good.”

“Nice.” Michael said making a thought face.

“Yeah.”

“But you can't go.”

“Excuse me?” Isabel said, not believing Michael said that.

“Isabel, you know the drill. We have to stay in Roswell. We stick together. It's a given.” He hated that it was true, but the Granilith was there. They didn’t know what it was or why it was important, but there it was.

“I've made up my mind.” Isabel said stubbornly.

“What happens if we need you back here? What are you gonna tell your roommates or your professors? "Oh, sorry, Dr. So-and-so, "but I gotta miss sociology "because some fresh gandarium sprang up in the Roswell sewers."”

“Michael …”

“I'm not done.” He told her. “I mean, who's paying for all this cross-country travel? Do you know what a last-minute plane ticket costs nowadays?”

“So, I'll change dollar bills into hundreds.” Isabel said flippantly.

“You can do that?” Michael lifted a brow. He couldn’t do that. There were too many hidden security strands in modern currency.

Isabel shrugged. She’d never tried. “I just need a change.”

“Look. When Alex died, none of us could have known how much it would affect us.” There was more truth in that than he cared to admit. “You running away isn't gonna help you get over it any quicker.”

“I'm just trying to have a life.”

“Yeah, and I'm suggesting you don't make a huge decision right now. Not when your emotions are still running high.”

“Isn't that when you make all of your decisions?” Isabel asked not believing he was lecturing her on acting calm and rational.

“This is final.”

Isabel couldn’t believe it. “It's not for you to say.”

“No, but I'm speaking for Max.”

“You know what?” Isabel stood up gathering her brochures. “You tell Max that if he has something to say to me, he'd best find the time to say it himself.” She walked away.

~~~

Maria was at a yearbook meeting explaining the photo spread she was working on for Alex. Her stuff was still disorganized, and it was not quite finished.

“It's gonna be great.” Maria promised. “I mean, there's still a lot of stuff left to collect. Like, there's this poster of his first gig in Hondo, and then, we're trying to get ahold of this poem that he wrote about when his dog got his leg amputated, 'cause, you know, you can't have a collage about Alex without capturing his sense of humor, so, anyway,” Maria pointed to what she had done, “it's a work-in-progress, clearly.”

The teacher sponsor spoke up. “Well, Maria. Now, you were supposed to be delivering camera-ready art.”

“Art.” Maria looked at her mess. “Yes. I know. It's a lot better than it looks.”

“Ok, we're already holding the presses for this.”

“I understand.”

“And as much as I think that we're all devastated about Alex, I don't think that it's in the wishes of the student body to not get their yearbooks until after graduation.”

“Look.” Maria begged. “If you could just give me forty-eight hours …”

“Okay.” The teacher agreed to the new deadline. She looked at the mounds of materials that Maria already had collected. “Maybe we should think about compromising a little. I mean, do you really need to have every single piece of memorabilia in the collage?”

“Yes. Yes, I do,” Maria told her sincerely, “and I will--we will-- Liz and I will.”

The teacher looked at Maria standing there all alone. “Ok, and where is Liz, anyway?”

~~~

Liz was on her cell phone talking as she walked through a hallway at school. She was trying to locate a building in the photograph of Alex’s, and after searching for the building in every tour book imaginable, she called the Swedish embassy. They were reluctant to help her since her request was unorthodox and they hardly had the staff to look for a missing building, but agreed to try if she e-mailed the picture.

Max found her as she finished the conversation. He walked up behind her as she was thanking a person on the phone profusely.

“What the hell were you and Sean Deluca doing here last night?”

“Max, not now.” Liz told him distracted. “I have to find a place that'll scan this.”

“Why?” Max glanced at the picture of Alex and Leanna from Sweden. “Who were you just talking to?”

“The Swedish Embassy in Washington.”

“This has to stop.” Max told Liz. “I will consider the possibility that Alex was killed by an alien if you consider the possibility that he killed himself.”

“No, he didn't!”

“And what if he did?” Max asked. “Then you are doing nothing but raising people's suspicions about us. You have nothing to lose here, and we have everything to lose.”

“Let go of me.” Liz said coldly. He was insane. How did her questions point to the aliens in anyway? His paranoia was as suspicious as his unwillingness to even consider the possibility.

Max looked down and realized he was gripping her arm. He let it go and walked away.

~~~

Tess found Max in the park. She went up to him, and sat next to him. “Hey. You ok?” Max shook his head. “I want to show you something.” She stood up and invited him to come with her. They went to the observatory and were looking through the high powered telescope.

“You see that star, the way it wobbles?”

Max nodded. “Is that our planet?”

“No, it's called Barnard's star.” Tess told him. “You can see that star from our planet, too.” Tess needed him to see their world as a real place. “Our world's out there, Max. It's not close, and sometimes it seems like a dream to me, too, but it's real, and I know you know that, too. That's reality, Max. This … this is the dream.”

“If that's the truth, when do we wake up?” Max asked her.

“That's up to you.”

~~~

Liz was at her computer, still looking for clues. There was a knock at the door. “Come in.” Liz called not bothering to look to see who it was.

Maria entered and stared at Liz for a moment. “Liz, you missed another yearbook meeting. The least you could've done was call.”

“Yes, I am sorry to have to put all that stuff on you right now.” Liz told her still paying more attention to the computer than to Maria. Between Alex and Sean, Liz was pushing their friendship to the brink of being over.

“Stuff?” Maria repeated in anger. Alex was not stuff!

“Yeah, but you know what? I'm closing in on this Leanna girl. They went on a cross-country tour together. I've got everything mapped out, but this is where things don't add up. Alex's itinerary says they were headed for the Baltic Islands, and the date on the photo matches the schedule, but there is no building that looks like this in the Baltic Islands, or--or in any of the other cities that Alex visited for that matter. I mean, maybe she took him to …”

“Would you just listen to yourself?”

“I don't even know where-- to, like, another country or another planet.” Liz needed Maria to understand, to listen. “Maria …”

“Stop it and listen to me, all right?” Maria begged her. “I need my best friend right now because our other best friend just died, and I feel lost and scared and just completely wrecked, and I know that we're supposed to go to school, and go to work, and finish this yearbook tribute, but I just can't … I don't have a handle on things. I feel like everything is just slipping by me, and I don't even … I don't even know if I'm alive right now. So please, just stop focusing on this thing, that isn't even there. And just be sad with the rest of us, ok?” Maria couldn’t beg more. “Please.”

“So you don't believe me, either.”

That was all that mattered to Liz obviously. Maria shook her head. “I'm … no, I'm sorry, I guess I don't, Liz.”

Liz turned back to the computer. “Leave the Sweden stuff. I need it.”

“God, you know, you're doing this for Alex, but you don't care whose life you screw up in the way.”

That got Liz’s attention. She turned back. “That's not true.”

“Oh, it's not?” Maria made a sound of disbelief. “How about Sean? Have you even thought about him for a second since he ruined his probation for you?” The blank look on Liz’s face said it all. Not even after Maria got upset at her last night did it even register for Liz that Sean was in trouble because of her. “God, I don't even know you anymore.”

~~~

Sean was at the plumbing again. He had a broom handle stuck down the drain. The knock was a welcome intrusion.

“Hey.” Sean said seeing Liz.

“Hi.” Liz suddenly felt … bad. Maria was right. She barely thought of Sean since they hauled him away in cuffs.

“Maria's not here.”

“I know. I wanted you.” Liz licked her lips nervously. “Look, thank you, um, for taking the heat the other night with Hanson. It was very heroic of you. And look, I'm sorry, you know. I know I should've called. Do you have to go to jail?”

“Aunt Amy talked to Valenti, Valenti talked to Hanson. Basically, I'm gonna be doing community service until I'm, like, senile, but they kept it off my record.”

“Thank god.” Liz said sincerely. If Sean was sent up because of this, Maria would never find forgiveness in her body for Liz. It would’ve broken their friendship irreparably.

Sean tried the garbage disposal again. It refused to work. “Piece of crap.” Going to the refrigerator, he took out a soda offering one to Liz.

“Oh, no, thank you.” Liz had her hand on the door. “Yeah, I should go.”

“Armored truck heist?”

“No, not exactly.” Liz said with a small laugh. It was strange feelings to have Sean think of her as a ‘bad’ girl.

“How about some company then?” Anything, anyplace would be better than facing the plumbing nightmare again.

“Oh, I don't think that I would be very good company right now.”

“I don't know, Parker. I'm pretty easy to entertain.”

“Yeah, and I appreciate the offer, but, um, you know, I'm just sort of in the middle of something really huge right now, and I need to be really focused on it, so I should just do it alone.”

Sean lifted a brow, wondering about her. “And you can't tell me what it is?”

“Right.”

Sean took a deep breath. “So, let me get this straight. I can't date you. I can't hang out with you.” Sean stared at her. “Is there anything I can do with you?”

“Uh-uh. Not yet. I'm sorry.” She started to walk away but then turned back and kissed him before leaving.

~~~

Michael opened the door to the knock, shocked to see Maria on his doorstep. She never knocked. She usually used her key. Then it hit him what he forgot.

“The print shop. I totally forgot.”

“You were supposed to pick me up at 4:00.” Maria reminded him, already at the end of her tolerance for everything. “I called you and your line is disconnected.”

“Yeah, I forgot to pay my phone bill.” It had been a busy week.

“I was worried about you.” Maria confessed, her voice breaking. “I thought something happened to you.”

“No, I'm fine.” Michael reached for his jacket. “Come on, we'll go right now.”

Maria walked around him to enter the apartment. She sat on the sofa hugging her body. It was irritating that she was shivering inside, but she didn’t feel cold. “No, no.”

“Maria, the print shop doesn't close until 7:00. We have time.” He watched her rocking herself, and even from he stood he could feel the shivers and an unnatural heat from her body. “Maria, I'm right here. I just forgot.”

“I can't count on you.” Maria said more to herself.

“Yes, you can. I'll take care of this. I mean, I'm right here for you.”

Maria felt the tears, and she couldn’t stop them. “But you won't always be.”

“What?”

“One day you're gonna leave me. You're gonna get on a spaceship and go away, and you being so perfect right now is really not helping me.” Maria was struggling to breathe. She could barely see. The noise in her ears was loud, and she was drowning. “I can't lose anyone else, Michael. My heart can't handle it.” She left before he could stop her. Rushing to the door to follow her, he stopped his hand on the doorknob. Leaning his forehead against the door, he let her go. He had to let her go.

~~~

Liz finally got through to Alex’s host family, but it wasn’t the Olson’s. It was the number for a man named Lind, and he asked that she stop leaving messages. Confused, she tracked down the florist from the condolences card that had been sent by the Olson’s. The Florist refused to give out information. The international order was paid by credit card, and that information was not something they would give Liz. At her last possible avenue, Liz went to the bank and removed all her money from savings just over two thousand dollars for a trip to Sweden.

~~~

Isabel was sitting at a table at school and Max walked up to her. “Great news,” he told her.

“Mine's even better. Mrs. Fleischauer called and talked to someone up in San Francisco. They can't say officially, but I'm high on their list.”

“I figured out a way we can make this work.” Max pulled out a Santa Fe book and hand it to her.

“Santa Fe State?” Isabel read the book’s cover.

“I talked to one of their admissions counselors. They love Santa Fe. They wouldn't shut up about the whole night life there. Best of all, the university has rolling admissions. So you can start as early as next winter.”

“But I didn't apply to Santa Fe State.”

“But that's what the application's for, Iz.” Max explained. “It's perfect. You'll only be a few hours away, and I think we can talk mom and dad into getting you a car or something so you can be mobile.”

Isabel couldn’t believe him. “I don't want to go to Santa Fe State, Max.” She handed him back the book.

“Isabel, you've been indulged in this for too long.” Max told her.

“Indulged?” Isabel said incredulous. She picked up a piece of paper. “In planning my future? ‘Isabel Evans has really enjoyed growing up in Roswell, and as much as she loves her hometown and shows that love through hours of community service, I believe Roswell is just too small to contain the potential of a woman like Isabel Evans.’ This--this is from Mrs. Seymour at the homeless shelter. That's what she thinks about me, and I have dozens, dozens of other recommendations just like it. Do you know why? Because as far as the outside world is concerned, Max, I'm a bright and talented upstanding member of the community of planet earth. I've played the role to perfection. Now, it’s my turn.”

“Don't make me the bad guy in all this.” Max warned her.

“You are the bad guy in all of this.” Isabel told him getting her things together. “How could you send Michael to come and talk to me? It's like the alien mafia.”

“You can't go.”

“I have news for you, little brother. I'm going. I'm going to college in San Francisco. Every teacher in West Roswell High knows it. Mom and Dad are thrilled about it, so either jump on the band wagon or get out of my way. Get out.” She pushed past him walking away as he followed.

“Isabel … Isabel, if I have to, I will do everything in my power to keep you here. I will tell our parents you have a drug problem. I will notify your teachers that you have cheated on every test for the last three years. If you ever leave Roswell without my consent, I will physically drag you back.” Max informed her, his voice strong and cold. “For the last time, the answer is no. Period.”

“You're killing me.”

“You let it get this far.”

“Fine.” Isabel ripped up the letter of recommendation. “This Isabel Evans is dead. You want to be the leader? See how it works without any followers.” She walked away.

A male student noticed her stalking away in a huff. “Ooh, Isabel Evans, you are so hot when you're pissed.” Isabel sent him flying down the hall and against a locker with a flick of her hand and strode away.

~~~

Michael let himself into the DeLuca house to find Amy trying to unstop the garbage disposal.

“Piece of crap,” Amy muttered, not realizing Michael was there.

“Need some help?” Michael asked raising an eyebrow when she turned to his voice. “I'm pretty good with this kind of thing.”

“Michael, you're in a house full of very self-sufficient women here.”

Michael took that information in stride. “Bet Sean loves that distinction.”

“The way Sean does plumbing? It is insult to women everywhere.”

Michael smiled scratching his eyebrow. “Why don't you just get a new one?”

“Me and this garbage disposal have had a pretty good relationship.”

“Yeah, but what if it broke down for good?” Michael asked, not talking about the disposal. “What if, like, in his own way, he wanted out permanently?” He had never apologized to Maria for wanting to leave and return home. It was hard when he was starting to have so much to stay for, but that dream was all he ever had.

“Do you think he's thinking of leaving?” Amy asked standing away from her task to look at Michael, her eyes taking in the seriousness in his. As Maria said, Michael was a one foot out the door man.

“Well, maybe he realizes he can't be around forever.” Michael told Amy, his eyes dark and full of pain. “And to just stay and be here, and crush garbage until he leaves will give people a false sense of security.” Give them a reason to feel the pain of separation …

“Look, Michael, we're both getting what we need out of this situation. And, sure, the disposal won't always be around, but what if. Maybe tomorrow isn't something to really worry about?” Amy tried to stress what was important, what maybe Michael himself didn’t understand … he wasn’t going anywhere, not without a certain person. She saw it in his eyes, the attachment as it flowed equally both ways, an attachment so strong because it was built not on need or want, but love. Love tempered the bond, and that was something not easy to walk away from.

“Maybe,” Michael said in thought, thinking of Maria, and how much pain she was feeling just at the thought of him leaving. He never meant to drive her to her knees, to drive himself. The smart thing would be to walk away now, before it got any worse. That would be the smart thing, but he was never noted for doing things the easy way.

“Give me that hammer,” Amy asked gesturing to the tool on the counter next to him.

He handed her a hammer, she started pounding on the pipes under the sink. Smiling, he reached over her bent form and passed his hand over the clogged disposal, fixing it.

Amy heard it drain. Standing up, she stared into her evil clogged sink in amazement. “Oh, my God!” She laughed turning to hug Michael in her enthusiasm. “Oh, my God! Did you see that? I fixed it.”

“Nice one, Ms. Deluca.” Michael complimented her.

“Yeah!” She laughed and patted him on the stomach before turning on the water to let it run cleanly through the disposal. She gave a little jump of celebration when she hit the switch and that sexy disposal purred like it was brand new. Turning it off, she went to the refrigerator grabbing two cold sodas, two glasses, and a bottle of Tabasco. Sitting a glass, a soda, and the Tabasco at a place for Michael, she took a chair across from his place.

“Sit.”

Michael took the seat staring at the Tabasco, surprised by how much she noticed at time. Shrugging he poured his drink and laced it with the pepper sauce. Looking up he found Amy watching him thoughtfully.

“She’s upset right now.”

“Yeah,” Michael confessed. “I missed taking her to the photo shop. She had a little bit of a meltdown.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’ve never seen her like this. She’s always so in control … sure of what she wants and needs.”

“The plan.”

“Yeah. No falling in love until she’s twenty-seven, even though I can’t figure what’s so important for twenty-seven.”

“It’s twenty years after her father left.” Amy explained. “She’s terrified about making mistakes … my mistakes and her father’s. She doesn’t want to be so dependent on a man who hardly notices her, that every breath is a sharp cut of doubt of her own self worth, nor does she want to trap a man in a relationship who doesn’t want to be there. Twenty-seven was the number she picked where she would be out of high school, out of college, and established in a career, hopefully one where she felt safe and secure.”

“Being safe, is that really important?”

“Not the way you mean.” Amy cleared her throat. “She means not to be financially and emotionally dependent on someone else to survive. I was so young, barely made it through high school, and when her father left, we had no money. I had no job, and no education or training. It was hard. She watched me struggle all her life, and it’s not like she blames me or anything. Maria just wanted my life to be better … not always a struggle.”

“I think you do great.”

“That’s because you are a sweet young man, Michael. What I am today was something that took years to build.” Amy didn’t know how to explain it to him. “Listen, Michael, there’s something you have to know about Maria.”

Michael didn’t like the tone. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just genetics, or maybe a little lack of nurturing. We talked about how Maria’s father never bonded with her?”

“Yeah.” Jerk. Wherever he was, he should stay there.

“Well, it caused some problems for Maria … mentally. It’s why she fakes things, why she hides her true insecurities, and why she avoids attachments.”

“I don’t understand.”

“She and Sean both have it. They suffer extreme unrelenting pain when attachments they form are broken. It sends them on these journeys of irrational behavior … destructive behavior. Sean responds usually physically, taking his pain out on himself by risking his life, his freedom, and everything he has left. Maria does it internally. She holds it in her stomach, and feels it like a cutting pain in her gut until she shuts down.”

Michael listened as Amy described reactive attachment disorder. Horrified, he listened seeing it in himself. All those years, he had no attachments searching for something, and his wild uncontrolled risks to achieve his ends. He wasn’t much different from Sean.

“I’m leaving.” Michael told Amy. Oh God. He should’ve never started this with Maria. He couldn’t see how he could leave without hurting her.

“I know. Maria knows.” Amy sighed. “This next year is going to be hard on her. I need her to be self reliant, without me. It’s getting close to the time that she’s going to need to leave home, and I need the attachment she has to me to be stretched, to give her freedom. I don’t want her crippled to try for her dreams because she can’t stand to be apart from me. Alex dying just makes it harder.”

“So you’re leaving too?”

“Not far. Las Cruces. I’m going to start a new business.” Amy sipped her drink. “I feel uncomfortable here in Roswell right now, and I don’t know why. The UFO Center, it makes my blood run cold, and that isn’t good for a woman who has built her business on peddling alien souvenirs.” Amy had pulled the tab of the coke can and was clicking it annoyingly against the table in a staccato beat. The drumming was irritating Michael, so he reached over and took the piece of metal tossing it in the garbage.

Larek. Brody. Michael wondered how much Amy unconsciously remembered. Obviously enough to feel a foreboding. “So you’re moving?”

“Not at first. I want to establish the new shop. Eventually, I want Sean to take over one of them as my partner. He’s staying with me to learn the business. We’ll use a manager in the new shop until it gets established, and I can afford to move. I want to stay near enough to Maria in her senior year, but not so close that she can’t test the waters. Our new shop is more of an artisan shop, and not so much kitsch. I’ve got some really wonderful local artist lined up, and eventually if I can get the one in Las Cruces established I plan to change my store here as well.”

“And Maria?”

“She finishes high school here. When she’s ready, if she wants, she can move to Las Cruces with us, and go to school or whatever she wants.” Amy looked at Michael. “What plans have you made?”

It was astute of her to realize that he and Maria talked about moving together. “New York.” Michael confessed. “Personally, I think a large city anywhere would be nice. Maybe LA or Seattle too.” New York had the Dupes though, and he didn’t know that he trusted Maria in that city with another alien version of himself.

“I see. Will you go?”

“It’s more of a really good dream.” How could he? He was tied to Roswell, to the Granilith just like the rest. He was as trapped as Isabel, and though he sympathized with her … he knew that they couldn’t leave an alien device and walk away as if it meant nothing. It was a key to his way home, and so he and Roswell … they were inseparable, as unhappy as that thought made him.

“Maybe it will become a reality.” Amy said. “I would trust Maria with you, if you were with her, I could trust her safety in New York.”

Michael didn’t know what to say. Her trust, it was … he had given her little reason to trust him. He started his relationship with her daughter by kidnapping her and the Jetta.

“Maybe you shouldn’t. I’m leaving and it’s already hurting her.”

“It hurts right now because of the recent loss of Alex.” Amy took Michael’s hand in hers. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to her. I never imagined she would let someone she knew was leaving in as close as she let you. It’s a good thing. It tells me that she’s growing, learning to control her impulses that use to rule her. I feel better now knowing that she can survive. She loves you, but she’ll let you go, because she loves you and wants nothing more than your happiness.”

“I …” Michael didn’t even know if he could be that strong. He didn’t know if he wanted Maria to be that strong.

“Why don’t you just tell her that you’re in love with her?”

Michael startled. He hadn’t realized he had been so obvious. Clearing his throat, he started to talk, but he couldn’t. His eyes met Amy’s and they shared an understanding.

“Oh, I see.” Amy said softly. She got up and brushing his hair, she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “I’m sorry, honey. I’m really sorry.”

Michael sat there at the table after Amy left. He should walk away, give her peace, not risking her to his own selfish need to be with her as much as possible as if he were living a lifetime in a short span. He had survived Hank, he had survived many things, but something told him, he would not survive losing Maria.

~~~

Liz was sitting on a fence just outside of Roswell, with packed bags at her feet when Max drove up.

Getting out, he went over to the girl. “Liz, where are you going?”

“Sweden.”

“Are you kidding me?” Max shook his head in disbelief. This craziness had gone on long enough. “Get in the car.”

“No.”

“What did you tell your parents?”

“I'm gonna call them from the airport and tell them my girlfriend in Florida had a crisis and she needed me.”

“They'll call your aunt.” Max told her. “Your aunt will say you're not there.”

Liz shrugged. “Well, then, I'll think of something else.” Liz stood up as the cab driver pulled up.

The cab driver looked at Max. “You the airport?”

“No. Actually, I am.” Liz told the man. “You're late.”

Max put his hand on her arm holding her back when she would’ve gone. “Liz, don't get in that cab.”

“Load it up.” Liz told the cab driver.

Max took one of her bags from her and put it in his jeep. “Liz, get in my car.”

Liz grabbed her bag back. “What are you gonna do? You're gonna throw me in it?”

Max got into her face. “You have to listen to me.”

“Don't even pull that king card on me, Max.” Liz told him pulling away from him. “I'm not Isabel. You can't boss me around.”

“If this is about being pissed at me, fine. Punish me all you want. But what about everyone else? What you're doing puts them at risk.”

“What I'm doing may save their lives.”

Max couldn’t believe how selfish and unyielding she was being. “You have a responsibility to Michael, Isabel, and Tess not to get in that cab.”

“Uh-huh,” He was a fine one to lecture on responsibility. “And I have a responsibility to Alex to find out what really happened.” She was the one that let Alex in.

“Liz, if you go, our friendship is over.” Max told her as she opened the cab door.

“I guess that's the price I have to pay.” What the hell. She paid already once with Future Max, but Alex... she would not compromise Alex. “Somebody killed Alex and covered up his death. Why don't you see that, Max?” Where was young man she fell in love with, the one she trusted to do what was compassionate and right? He refused to even look because he was too afraid she was right. “Wake up.” Liz got in the cab and it pulled away, leaving Max standing there … alone.

~~~

Maria walked into her house to find Michael at the table with all the Alex stuff. He looked up at her, and their eyes met in pain, both of them clearing their throats at the same time.

“What's this?” Maria asked.

“Sit down.” Michael waited until she sat next to him, his eyes on her hands as they rested on the table. They were shaking. He glanced at her, meeting her eyes honestly.

“We've been through some rough stuff lately.” Maria nodded, the pain a physical thing in her eyes. Michael could see it now. Now that Amy explained it to him, he saw the pain and the runaway fear in her eyes, feel it in the strong racing pulse of her heart. “The thing is, you're right. I can't really imagine it happening, but I am gonna leave someday.” Maria nodded. She knew it. She always knew that it would come. “It could be a year, or two, or fifty. But I'm gonna leave.” Maria began to cry silently. He hated hurting her, but he would hate lying to her more. “It sucks. It's the choice we made to be together … to be friends. But there is one thing that I can promise you, and that is that I can give you now.”

Maria was crying and she nodded sadly, taking his hand, she kissed his palm and then closed his hand over it. Reaching over, she moved over to sit in his lap, her arm going around his neck to hug him tight.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to be able to smile and be happy for you when you leave, but selfishly all I can think about is how much I’ll miss talking to you, waking up next to you, listening to you explain to me why things are the way they are in Michael vision. You haven’t left, and I’m already missing you. I lost Alex, and that’s hurting. It was a shock, and I couldn’t be prepared for it. You … you I can, and every day I catch myself forgetting it will happen, and I let myself think you’ll always be here for me.”

Michael framed her face and looked at her. “I will always be here for you, Maria. No matter where I go, or how far. You have to know that you will always be in my thoughts.” Michael stared at her mouth. Closing his eyes for a moment, he just wanted to kiss her, really kiss for real … just once.

Maria did it for him. She leaned in and kissed him softly on his mouth, both of them opening their mouths for a moment, sharing breath. The touch lingered as her hand moved slowly down his neck, and she pulled away. Clearing her throat, she gestured to the stuff for Alex’s memorial on the table. “You still going to help me?” she asked in a slightly husky voice.

“You’ll have to get off me first.” Michael suggested.

Laughing, she pulled a strand of his long hair before taking her seat.

To diffuse the emotion of the moment, Michael picked up a picture and put in on the board. “Now, I was thinking, um, this could go with that.”

Amy who had been listening to their conversation unabashedly waited until they settled before ordering take out and joining them in the kitchen to help on the project. They sent Sean to pick up the food, and together the four of them finished the project. Sharing stories of Alex, stories that Michael never heard, ones that Sean missed while he was away, and from Amy, a special clarity of insight to all things that made Alex something too beautiful for this Earth. It was good to hear Maria laugh again for the first time since he passed.

~~~

Tess found Max at the observatory. She walked up to him carrying a blanket with her. “I thought I'd find you here.”

“My whole life I've wanted to be this person, this normal person. Human.” Max told her. “My whole life I've been thinking that this alien side of me was this bad thing. This thing that made me a freak. This monster. I realize that I haven't just been hiding from the government and the law all this time. I've been hiding from myself. I don't know what's going on anymore. I thought I knew but I don't. I've lost everyone.”

“I'll be here for eternity.” Tess told him, and they kissed.

“I'm ready to wake up now.” Max told her. They kissed again as the kissing became serious taking their relationship to somewhere Max never imagined it would go. While he and Tess were making love in the observatory, Liz was getting on a plane to connect with another to Sweden. Before she could board her cell phone rang. It was from the Swedish Embassy. The building in Alex’s picture was torn down in 1994. It was gone. Liz stood on the airfield realizing that Alex had never gone to Sweden.

Max woke up to find himself sleeping at the observatory with Tess in his arms. He stared down at her for a moment, his eyes dark and unfathomable. Tess slowly woke to find him staring at her intently.

“Hey,” she said softly smiling.

“Hey,” Max responded watching her go back to sleep. A while later, they woke again, and Max drove Tess home. It was late, very late. Going into the house, they woke up Kyle who was sleeping on the sofa. He looked up when they came in, but quickly laid back down.

“I guess I'll see you at school.” Tess said not able to read his face or even guess what he was feeling.

“Yeah.”

Kyle glanced up again from his eavesdropping to see Max and Tess kissing.

“Is everything ok?” Tess asked.

“Yeah … yeah great,” Max told her, his voice neither reassuring nor convincing. They both jumped apart in surprise and guilt when Jim suddenly appeared, obviously upset.

“Where the hell have you … ?” Jim demanded of Tess, until he noticed who she was with. “Max!” Jim’s eyes moved over the two teens seeing more than they liked as both of them pinked up in embarrassment. “Go to your room.” Jim ordered Tess.

“Yes, sir,” Tess hurried off, not wanting to be on Father Jim’s bad side. Vegas had been a learning experience.

“Sheriff …” Max began, but Jim was too tired from staying up all night worried about his alien charge to deal with it now.

“Go home, Max.” He told the young man. “We'll talk about this later.”

“Right,” Jim waited until Max left to turn around seeing Kyle watching, awake on the sofa.

“Hey, Dad,” Kyle piped up. Jim groaned. God save him from teenagers.

~~~

Tess was preparing to go to bed to get a few more hours of sleep when she stared at herself in the mirror wondering if finally sleeping with Max changed her. Was it apparent on her face that she just took a step in life? Looking at herself in the full length mirror she felt something. Placing her hands on her stomach, her mouth opened in wonder.

“Oh, my god!” She was pregnant.

~~~

Liz knocked on Maria's window. It took a few moments, but Maria finally opened it. She stared at her friend in confusion.

“Liz, do you know what time it is?”

“I need to talk to you.” Liz begged desperately. Maria nodded backing up to let Liz into her busy room.

Liz stopped when she noticed that Michael was in Maria’s bed fast asleep. “Oh, God! I’m sorry! I should …”

“Stay right here, and tell me what’s going on.” Maria suggested.

“Maybe we should go …” Liz gestured to the door.

“No. Here is good. We won’t wake Michael. He hasn’t been sleeping. When he gets that look on his face, it would take a nuclear blast exploding next to his ear to wake him, and even then he would just grumble irritated, tell me to answer the damn phone, and roll over going back to sleep.”

Liz shook her head. “You have a very strange relationship with him.”

“Yeah, well, I do strange real well, and so does he.” Maria turned on a light real low covering it with a red cloth to keep it from being too bright and disturbing Michael. Both and Maria and Liz sank to the floor to talk quietly together. They slowly went through the pictures that Liz brought.

“Alex and his supposed girlfriend Leanna standing in front of some building in Sweden--now the problem is … the building was torn down in 1994.” Liz said needing to emphasize the fact. “1994, Maria, think about it, Alex was ten.”

“Ok, I'm so creeped out right now.” Maria confessed rubbing her arms. “So who's Leanna then?”

“You know she could be some girl that Alex never met, put in these photos with him, just like the buildings.” Liz suggested.

“Or she could be an alien killer.” Maria said, her eyes narrowing as she got into the investigation. Hmm. Alien killer … Topolsky had been a Special Unit person. “So wait, if Alex never went to Sweden and he wasn't here, then where was he?”

“I don't know! That's what we’ve got to find out. I can't do this by myself. I really need your help.”

“Mine and Michael’s,” Maria offered.

“No!” Liz glanced up at the bed making sure that Michael was still asleep. “No aliens, Maria. I know Michael didn’t do it, and I trust the others. I just don’t trust them to rationally look for the evidence, especially if it looks like I’m right. Max … he turned against me, and no matter what, he’s still their leader. I can’t let Max stop me, so I can’t afford him finding out in any manner.”

“Michael wouldn’t tell, Liz. He could help us.” Maria licked her lips nervously. Michael was right. If Liz was correct, then this was dangerous, and the two of them … two defenseless human girls were no match for a homicidal alien.

“Maria, swear to me that you won’t tell him. Or anyone. Not until we have more proof.” Liz knew she was putting Maria into a hard spot, but she had no choice. “I need irrefutable evidence, so even Max can’t turn a blind eye.” Liz held Maria’s hand tightly. “It’s not just for Alex, Maria. It’s for the aliens too. I think they’re in trouble, and because Max refuses to admit it, they could be caught defenseless.”

Maria looked up at the bed, then at Liz. Reluctantly she nodded, agreeing with her friend. She would do anything to keep Michael safe, to make sure he survived to see his dreams of home realized. She loved him that much … even if that dream took him away from her forever.

~~~

Max walked into the Evans kitchen to find Isabel up early stretching before her early morning jog.

“Morning. You-you're going for a run?” Max asked the obvious trying to find a way through the silence between them. “That must be up to five to six miles by now.” Isabel ignored him more and switched legs to stretch. “Look, I know you're still mad and everything, but uh, I-I really need to uh, to talk to someone.”

Isabel then stopped her exercises, pulled a chair from the table, slamming it down in front of Max, she sat glaring at him.

“Well, it's not easy to say, but uh, especially to my sister, but uh, you know that Tess and I have been giving a long and kind of cross and last night, we … things … something came up between us … something happened.”

“You slept with her?!” Isabel said in anger. Oh, sure, he can live his life any frickin’ way he saw fit, but the rest of them? A veil was ripped from Isabel’s eyes. But then, he always did as he pleased … like saving Liz Parker no matter how much danger he put them in. Bastard.

“Yeah.”

Isabel made a face of disinterest. “Wow. Congratulations, Max. You lost your virginity.” Isabel unenthusiastically applauded.

“Is …”

“Oh gee, I'm sorry.” Isabel asked sarcastically, her anger making her voice hard. “Were you looking for some sort of comfort or sympathy before you went off and washed her dried sweat from your body? Or hey, did you guys do it in the shower?”

Max couldn’t talk to her. “Forget it.” He went to leave, more than willing to be out of his sister’s vitriolic personality.

“His Majesty will now retire to his room!”

“We didn't plan it, alright?” Max told her angry at her attitude. “It just happened. I'm feeling a little weird about it right now and … I'm just hoping …”

“You were wrong.” Isabel told him. She had no support for him, because he had no support for her. “I don't care about your morning after anxieties, or your delicate feelings, because my feelings sure as hell don't matter to you!” Isabel stomped off leaving Max alone.

~~~

Tess was in front of the school pacing, waiting anxiously for Max. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him finally.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Max said stopping next to her, still a bit uncomfortable with how far their relationship had progressed.

“Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Tess said almost desperate, not sure how to tell him about the pregnancy.

“Oh …”

“Yeah.”

Michael walked up to them as Maria rushed by, hurrying her completed Alex project to the yearbook committee. She stopped long enough to give Michael a thank you peck on his cheek, barely waving at the others.

“Yo.” Michael said to Max.

Max was undone. Acting a little hyper and off he greeted Michael, “Hey, Michael.” Then remembering Tess wanted to talk, he tried to tone it down. “Hey.”

“Hey?” Michael lifted a brow at the two, catching something … off.

“Tess and I were actually just talking.” Max told Michael as he glanced at Tess and nodded.

Michael caught the gist. Get lost. “Alright, later.”

“Great!” Max answered heartily, in false enthusiasm.

“Fantastic.” Michael walked off talking to himself. You’d think he would be used to totally strange and bizarre occurrences since he had spent the evening with DeLucas, but no. That was definitely different.

“We can talk about it tonight.” Tess told Max letting him off the hook for now, especially since he seemed so … flustered by it all.

“Are you sure?” Max asked not happy with how he was treating her, the morning after.

“Yeah. There's no rush.” Max and Tess looked over at Michael, Isabel, and Kyle watching them.

“Max, if it's better for you to keep all this between the two of us right now …” Tess offered.

“No, no it's not.” He wasn’t going to treat her like she was something he was ashamed of. Max reached down and took Tess' hand in his, intertwining their fingers. Tess smiled as they approach Michael, Isabel, and Kyle, passing them.

Maria was walking up behind the group, having delivered her project in overwhelming relief of a job now done. As Max and Tess passed her, so obviously … together, her mouth fell open. She kept walking not watching where she was going until she accidentally bumped into Kyle. Michael reached out and straightened her, pulling her away from the other boy.

“Okay, no one told me that the circus freak show was in town,” Maria commented, her eyes still following Max and Tess as her arm went around Michael’s waist.

“You have no idea,” Isabel said bitterly. “Michael,” she continued, not taking her eyes off her brother as he walked away. “I never thanked you properly for being against destiny and thinking it was crap.” She stared at Max and Tess’s backs. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

~~~

Isabel was sitting alone on the bleachers at the football field, staring at Alex's memorial, as Kyle suddenly sat down next to her.

“So, how do you feel about this whole Max and Tess development?”

Isabel shrugged. “Well, I'm not speaking to my brother, so if you have something you want to know, you'll have to ask him.” She sighed, staring at what was left of a memory of Alex. “God, I hate this place, do you think I have to just sit here and rot for the rest of my life?”

“You know what? You aliens are the most pathetic group of people I’ve ever met.”

Isabel glared at him. “Goodbye, Kyle.”

Kyle started whining in a high annoying voice simpering for Isabel, ‘Oh, we've got to keep our secret safe; we've got to be boring and brooding’. If I had one tenth of your power …”

“What would you do?” Isabel asked, finding something interesting for the first time in forever, or what felt like forever.

“I'd have fun!” Kyle proclaimed his eyes dancing full of mischief. Isabel laughed at his antics and his enthusiasm. “You know, fun? Enjoying myself, getting away from this whole doom and gloom thing you guys wallow in, especially you lately.”

“Shut up.” Glancing at him, she smiled. “What's your idea of fun?” Kyle laughed rubbing his hands gleefully. What wasn’t his idea of fun?

~~~

Kyle pulled out an issue of Playboy from his ever growing magazine collection.

Isabel put her hands up looking at the magazine with apprehension. “I'm not touching that.”

Kyle flipped through to a place he had earmarked from constant … um, use. “Jody Ann Paterson likes long walks in the rain, unicorns, and funny guys.”

Isabel glanced over his shoulder reading. “A playmate? Are you serious?”

“Oh, man, she's not just some playmate, she's playmate of the whole freakin' year!” Kyle informed Isabel with deference, not liking that the girl had no respect for true talent.

“Mmm-hmm.”

“All right, are you sure it's going to work?” Kyle asked not wanting his hopes dashed. Hell, he deserved this. He just had one of the all time worst birthdays ever recorded in human history.

“Well, it has in the past, but of course that was a life-and-death situation.” Isabel said thinking of how she took Liz with her on the dreamwalk to find Max.

“Well, then I'll die happy.” Kyle had to stop rubbing his hands joyfully, it was creeping Isabel out.

“Oh, good.” Isabel and Kyle touched Jody Ann's picture in the magazine for the dream sequence as they showed up in the dream exercising with her.

Kyle rode his exercise bike with vigor his eyes on the prize. “Hey, make her dump her water on her top.”

“I'm gonna have to read Backlash twice after this!” Isabel said in disgust. “Why don't you just go talk to her?”

“I can? Really?”

“Yeah.”

“This is … what do I say?”

“Talk to her about unicorns.” Isabel told him as Kyle gave her two thumbs up and went to talk to the supermodel playmate of the year.

“Hey, Jody Ann...”

The woman didn’t spare Kyle a glance. “This is a private gym.”

Kyle looked around and spotted cake. He reached over and offered to feed the girl cake. She licked the leftovers off his fingers.

“Who are you?” She demanded.

“I'm the towel boy.” Kyle said with the award-winning Valenti smile. “The showers are this way.”

Isabel ended the dream waking in disgust. “Ohh!”

“No!” Kyle cried waking from the journey.

Isabel looked at Kyle in disgust. “Oh, this may come as a surprise to you, but I really don't need to see that!”

“Well, then bring a book, let's go back.” He held the magazine out to Isabel.

“No dice!”

Kyle tossed the magazine. “Oh well, that was good for me, what can we do for you?”

“Have I mentioned that I hate my brother?”

“We can blow him up,” Kyle offered.

“You really have a sick little mind, don't you?” Isabel was delightfully pleased.

“Isabel, Buddha teaches us that some of us are born with stones and some of us are born with jewels, but the most fulfilled of us are those who were born with stones and turn them into jewels.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Kyle sighed. Spiritually aware chicks were so hard to come by. “You wanna get back at your brother, right?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, then bring your powers to the party and I'll drive.”

“All right,” Isabel followed Kyle, and for once, she felt like part of a Michael and Maria type team.

~~~

Maria worked on a computer to uncover an e-mail Alex sent to her while on his trip to Sweden. Finding it, she printed it out and went to find help. She tracked the uber-geek of computer technology. At Derek, the computer geek’s house Maria asked to him to help her uncover the email.

While she waited for him to access things, she had a little talk to herself. “I can’t tell him, I promised. But, if I don’t tell him, he’ll be upset, think I am holding back on him. No. No. I promised Liz. This is important. Okay. Okay then. I’m not going to tell him.” Maria nodded to herself. Without thought, she took out her phone and called Michael’s number. “Michael, hey, it’s me. I can’t tell you what I’m doing, but I need to … well I should talk to you. Um, do you want to go for Mexican? My treat,” Maria hung up. “Damn.”

The computer geek glanced up at the colorful girl in an incredibly short skirt, killer legs, and lip gloss that made him blink. She was … He just stared.

Maria noticed that he stopped typing. “I uh, I need you to tell me exactly where this email is sent from.”

“You're Liz Parker's friend, right?” Derek asked.

“What? Why?”

“Talking to yourself, and wanting to know everything about computers. Difference is that you’re … um, different. I wasn’t sure.”

“Maria Deluca, it's really nice to meet you, so …” She gestured to the email.

Derek looked at the email carefully. “Um, the origination point has been encrypted.”

“Obviously,” Maria said sweetly putting her hands on his shoulder and bending real close. “I-I need you to do your computer nerd stuff and figure out exactly where this email came from.” She informed him sweetly.

Derek cleared his throat nervously by the closeness of the girl. Maria DeLuca. Wasn’t she Michael Guerin’s girl? She was … “Um, you wouldn’t want to, um … you know … go out with me sometime?”

“Hmm...” Maria said appearing to give it some thought. “Um, no. The email?”

“You're asking me to do something illegal.” He informed her.

Confusion moved over Maria’s face as she tried to discern his point. “And …?”

~~~

Max and Tess were sitting on a bench in a park talking about the "truth".

Tess was concerned about him. “You seem quiet.”

“I'm not.” He denied.

“Max, this just isn't the time to feel you pulling away from me.”

Max put his hand around Tess. “It's just … what happened between us … it has all these … implications.” He looked at Tess. “What did you want to say to me before?

“Oh, I don't know if it was such a good time.” If he was having doubts, what she needed to tell him might not be something he could stand to hear.

“That's okay.”

“Well, something sort of came up.”

Max frowned. “Came up?”

“I'm not sure how to say this.” Tess just went for it. “I'm pregnant.”

~~~

While Maria was working over the computer angle, or at the very least the computer geek, Liz was trying to find information that could break the case. For that, she needed Tess. Ringing the Valenti doorbell, she practiced what she was going to say.

“Liz.” Tess said in surprise.

“Hi, Tess.”

“So, are you here about me and Max?” Tess guessed.

“No, um, I … well, I wanted to talk to you, actually,” Liz said. The last thing she wanted was to talk about Max and Tess. She’d rather not think of them at all.

“Oh, sure.” Tess invited Liz inside.

“Um, I just um, you know I have questions about your powers, mind control especially.”

Tess frowned her eyes suddenly bright. “What kind of questions?”

“You know, um, anything that you can tell me, but um, like …” Liz didn’t get to finish as Max came in through the door that Tess had left open.

“Hey, your door's …” Max stopped when he saw Liz with Tess. Liz. He was not very happy to see his ex-girlfriend. “What are you doing here?” he asked coldly.

“Um, nothing, you know, we were just … we're talking.” Liz informed him staring at his cold emotionless face. “I should go.”

“Talking about what?” More Alex being alien, or did Tess tell her about the baby?

“Nothing.”

“Max, you know, it's ok, forget about it.” Tess begged not liking the energy between Max and Liz. The anger was shocking.

“No, I wanna know.” Max told Tess.

“We'll just talk later.” Liz told Tess.

“No, please don't go on my account.” Max insisted. “Go ahead and ask your questions.”

“Max, she's just had a few questions about my powers, that's all.”

“New theory?” Max sneered.

Liz’s face paled. “I just wanted to know some things about mind control and I thought …”

“Oh, so Tess killed Alex. Is that your theory?” Max demanded.

“No.” Liz said solemnly, suppressing a need to cry.

Tess saw how pale Liz was, small and vulnerable against the tirade of Max. “Max, she didn't say that.”

“That's what you're thinking, why don't you just ask it?!”

Liz shook her head denying it. “Max, of course that's not what I'm thinking!”

“Tess, did you kill Alex?” Max demanded.

“Max...!” Tess pleaded for him to calm down.

“What were you doing on the night that he died?” Max interrogated.

“Will you stop it?!” Liz yelled at him.

“Go ahead!” Max told Tess. “What were you doing?!”

“She was with me.” Kyle said quietly from the doorway having heard the loud voices. “We were watching Gladiator on video.”

“An alibi. From one of your own,” Max said nastily to Liz.

“Can I leave now?” Liz asked quietly her face pale and blank of emotion.

“Yep,” Max told her not even flinching despite the obvious betrayal in Liz’s eyes. Liz quickly left and Max shut the door.”

Kyle stared at the angry Max unable to believe he could treat Liz so viciously. “Is everything ok?”

“Fine!” Max demanded turning away as Tess put her hands on his shoulders that were still shaking in rage.

Tess nodded. “Yeah, yeah everything's fine, Kyle.”

~~~

Liz was on her balcony lying on a lounging chair when Maria came in through the window. She was staring off across the way, her face blank. Her whole life, all her dreams, they seemed so far away. Future Max was nothing more than a dream because whatever was of that world, it had slipped away. Max, her Max … the man she married was dead.

“Liz! Liz!” Maria called to her friend.

“What?” Liz’s voice lacked any emotion or life. She was tired. So tired working hard for everyone’s survival, working for Alex, and every step forward, she took two back.

“I was thinking to myself, right.” Maria said pushing Liz’s legs aside to sit on the edge of the chaise. “How is it that Alex sent these emails from Sweden when he wasn't actually in Sweden, right?” Right! Maria bounced in excitement. “So, I took the emails that he sent me and went to Derek, all right, and he used his nerdiness to uncover that the emails were sent from right here in New Mexico.”

Liz sat up. “Are you telling me that Alex never left Roswell?”

“No, he … he did, he just … he didn't go far.” Maria grabbed hold of Liz’s hands. “The emails were sent from a dorm room from the University of New Mexico in Las Cruces.”

“Las Cruces.” Liz stared to the side thinking. “All that time, he was so close. So close.”

Maria searched her friend’s face. “Okay, you look terrible. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Liz shook her head. “I can’t talk about it.”

“Oh, no. You and me,” Maria made a gesture between them. “We’ve been out of sorts lately, and I do not like! I love you, Liz. I love you with all my heart, but you talk to me, or I will … I will take you down. Lay you out!”

“Tough girl!” Liz said her eyes sparkling with mirth.

“You betcha, baby! I can take down the alien baddie! Mr. Guerin, he is putty in my hands. So scootch.” Maria moved on to the lounge with Liz lying back as Liz laid back on her. “So tell, Maria everything. Who hurt you? I’ll get Michael to give them an itch in a place that can’t be scratched.”

Liz was quiet lying on Maria, hugging her hard. She shook her head. It was so good to feel Maria near again. She had been out there alone for so long. Liz began to cry.

“Max,” Maria guessed. “Shh. It’s okay, you can tell me.”

Maria waited and let Liz tell her in her own time, in her own way. For the first time since the entire alien conspiracy spiraled in their lives and altered it forever, Liz did not even try to excuse Max’s actions.

Maria answered her cell phone quickly when it rang. Liz was asleep, and she didn’t want to take a chance on her waking.

“Hey. Do not bullshit me. Where are you?”

“Spacebum. Liz’s balcony. Come find me if you dare.” Maria disconnected. She waited for ten minutes before Michael’s head came up the fire ladder.

Michael stopped when he saw Maria with Liz, both of them sharing a lounging chair. Liz was asleep, her face concentrating as if sleep was all she could handle.

“She finally crashed, huh?”

“Yeah,” Maria looked at her friend. “You bring a crowbar? Want to extract me?”

“Sure.” Michael lifted Liz a bit so Maria could slide out. They put the sleeping girl back on the lounge in a more comfortable position. Maria covered her with a throw, turning off the lights, but leaving on the twinkle lights. Michael frowned. “Should we leave her there?”

“I don’t think it will rain. I’ll stop and tell Mr. Parker that she’s out here. He’ll let her sleep and then take her inside.”

“I could …” Michael offered to carry Liz. It wasn’t like she was huge or anything, and lately she looked even more diminutive than usual.

“No. It’s best we don’t risk waking her. She needs sleep more than anything.” Maria bit her lip. “Did you get my message?”

“Every incoherent line. I got the part where you’re buying me dinner at Senior Chows, so all I want to know is what did you do or are about to do that requires you to pay me off with dinner?” Michael asked wisely. She chose Mexican, his favorite, so it had to be something he wouldn’t approve of.

“Michael,” Maria grabbed him by the waist and rest her head on his chest. She couldn’t do it. Liz needed her, and she couldn’t take much in the way of betrayal right now. “Michael, I almost accepted a date from a computer geek.”

Michael stepped back. “No.”

“Yeah. He wanted to explain technical journals to me and everything.”

“Ewww! You want me to pound him in the ground?”

“Nah, he’s harmless, but I’m obviously suffering a brain tumor. Do you think I need to see a doctor?”

“Oh sure,” Michael said leading her to Liz window so they could find the Parkers. “Every day that I’ve known you.”

~~~

Liz and Maria were in a hurry. They had their bags packed and escape velocity was hitting maximum. Maria was in more of a hurry than Liz. She had a certain window of Michael avoidance before he suspected something.

“Got everything?” Maria asked.

“Hmm-hmm.” They opened the door to find Michael standing in front of them.

“Michael.” Maria squeaked, her face looking guilty as sin.

“Where are you going?” Michael asked his eyes immediately going to the bags.

“Santa Fe.” Liz lied.

Michael’s eyes narrowed. Liz Parker was the world’s worst liar, and Maria, she could lie a blue streak, but not to him. “What's in Santa Fe?”

“Uh, Alex's … grandmother, she couldn't make it to the funeral and so they’re having a memorial service.”

“Right.” Michael held open the door. He all but told Liz to scram. “Let me talk to Maria for a second, it's personal.”

“Ok, sure, uh …” Liz went through the door looking back at the quiet Maria.

“You could take this.” Maria said handing Liz her bag.

“Yes, I'll...I’ll just be in the car.” Liz said making eye contact with Maria.

“Okay.”

Liz exited as Michael entered the DeLuca house and closed the door. “Where are you going?” He repeated.

“Santa Fe?” Maria said wincing when she heard it come out more of a question than a statement.

“Maria,” Michael’s voice took on a firmness. “Where are you going?”

“Michael...” Maria pleaded. She was in a terrible situation, caught between her two best friends.

“Liz doesn't want us to know because she and Max are at war,” Michael said knowing full well this was Liz’s doing, “so here's the thing: I'm not going to tell Max, but I need to know, because if wherever you're going turns out to be dangerous, I'm sure as hell gonna be there to protect you.” Michael bent his head a little. “So, where are you going?”

“We're going to Las Cruces, to the University.” Maria admitted in a rush of breath her hand resting on his chest. “And if Liz found out that I told you, I will lose her as a friend.”

Their eyes met, and Michael nodded. Friends. Maria had few of them, and their number was getting smaller all the time now that Alex was gone. He sighed. “First sign of danger - you contact me. Promise?” Maria nodded her head smiling slightly at him. “Absolutely promise?”

“Yes.” Maria promised crossing his heart with her hand. Michael leaned down and kissed her before opening the door to let her go. He watched them drive away.

~~~

At school Max and Michael were lining up for yearbooks. “Liz and Maria aren't in school today.” Max observed suspicious that if anyone knew where Maria was, it was Michael. If he knew where Maria was, then he knew where Liz was as well.

“Yeah, I noticed.” Michael said signing for two yearbooks, one for him and one for Maria.

“Have any idea where they are?” Max asked.

Unlike Liz and Maria, Michael had no problem lying, “Nope.” He flipped to the picture pages. He couldn’t believe he let Maria talk him into turning in an actual picture. He looked at the one she selected. He looked … normal.

Max shook his head. “Like I don't have enough to deal with already.”

Looking through yearbook pages, Max turned to the page where his picture was located and saw that his class photo had been replaced with a picture of an alien. “Look at this!” Max demanded.

Michael didn’t even glance at it. “Mine sucks, too. I blame, Maria. Why did she choose that shirt?” Max and Michael glanced over at Kyle and Isabel who were watching with giant smirks on their faces. Michael lifted a brow at the two conspirators, and having been told the nitty-gritty on the Max and Liz latest fight, he glanced at his friend. “So, what else are you dealing with?”

“I’ve got to get outta here.” Max said.

“Let’s play some B-ball.” Michael suggested. He could use the exercise. Max shrugged. It would be nice to just let go for a while and play a game.

Michael took the ball out. “So are you going to tell me what is going on with you?”

Max tried to block Michael and he went around and sank the ball. “Just stuff, you know?”

“Relationship stuff,” Michael guessed.

Max bent over, breathing hard as Michael tossed the ball to him. “Well, Tess and I are sort of …”

“Yeah, I know.” Michael watched as Max made a shot from the free throw line. It swooshed the hoop. He caught the return and tossed it back to Max.

“The thing is the other night, things between us kind of … advanced.”

Michael stopped playing, his eyes narrowed. “How far did they advance?”

Max went over and sat down on the bench taking a towel and wiping off. “I would say they advanced just about as far as possible.”

“You and Tess actually had …” Michael paused. Maybe he didn’t want to know.

“Hot alien sex, yes.”

Michael made a face. Okay, so maybe he did want to know. “How was it?”

“Well, it's probably a lot like human sex. Except the point of culmination.”

Michael made another face. His ‘What the fuck you talking about?’ face. “The point of what?”

“You kinda feel like you're floating and this … this hot electric energy courses through your body.”

“How long does that last?”

“About an hour,”

Michael made a remark under his breath. Great, overkill. A ten minute orgasm would be incredibly sufficient for most people … there was a reason the French call it the ‘little death.’ An hour? After the initial rush, exactly what was the point unless it came with this drug euphoria?

Max interrupted Michael’s thoughts. “The thing is, there's been a complication.”

“What?” Michael slid a little away from Max. “Alien herpes?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Michael breathed a sign of relief. Hey, he gets infected it better come with some rewards. “Whoa, clearly, you didn't have any performance problems, and other than getting Tess pregnant, which you're too smart to do, what else could there be?”

Max just looked at Michael.

Michael’s mouth opened in shock. “You got Tess pregnant? Holy crap!”

“She says it's growing fast. Nasedo said alien pregnancies take about a month.”

“What's inside her?” Michael asked, not taking the information as good news. “I mean, is it human? Is it alien?”

“Well, we can't exactly go get a sonogram.”

“You're actually going to go through with this?” Michael couldn’t see this as a good thing. A teenage pregnancy was never a good thing, but an alien one?

“I don't know if I have any choice here. This is out of my hands. I can't tell Tess what to do!”

Michael made a snorting noise. Since when? He told everyone else what to do. “Why not? You're the king.”

“Which makes her the queen.”

Michael needed Max to think about this … to really think. “Maxwell, if this thing comes out green with four fingers and three eyes, that puts a major cramp in our hide-in-plain-sight strategy.”

“So, what are you suggesting?”

“I'm suggesting you point out to Tess how this could screw up our lives … forever. She's gotta know - this affects all of us!”

“I don’t know that I can do that.”

“Why the hell not?! You can tell Liz not to investigate because it will ‘expose’ us and she has a responsibility to us. You tell Isabel she can’t leave Roswell … ever. You’ve been threatening me, ordering me all about for years since long before you exposed us by saving Liz or even the Christmas children.”

Michael stood up and grabbed his stuff. “You’ve been exposing us for years at your whim, and this is just a bunch of the same old- same old crap.” He picked up his bag. “You know, you won’t even listen to Liz. You hurt her. Treat her like she’s the threat, but what if she’s right? Something is not right here. I knew Alex, and there wasn’t a suicidal bone in his body. He loved life. He loved his life, his friends, his parents, and his music. As far as I could see, he had everything to live for and nothing to lose. I can accept an accident, but never suicide. So why aren’t we asking the questions?”

“Alex was not murdered.”

“Yeah, you keep saying that, and while you’re chanting it, keeping your head buried so far up you ass, like you always do … take a look around and see if you can find yourself, Max. My friend would’ve never treated Liz like this, and he sure as hell wouldn’t have slept with anyone but her. You keep trying to create the perfect illusion of a perfect world, but I suggest you look for pods, because I swear someone bodysnatched you.”

Michael started to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“To find Maria,” Michael snapped, not bothering to tell him where. “She usually gets in trouble if I leave her alone too long.”

Max sat there as Michael stomped off, all alone. All he had now was Tess.

~~~

At the University in Las Cruces, Liz and Maria were searching a dorm room which was bare. The place looked cleaned and sterile.

“Probably empty,” Maria guessed. They must not have placed a new student there.

“Nothing.” Liz said shutting another empty drawer. They kept searching until a student came by.

“Excuse me?” The student called to them. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Uh, yeah, um, actually we are looking for a friend who stayed in this room for a while.” Liz told the student.

“Ray.”

Maria tilted her head. “Ray?”

Liz nodded quickly. “Yes, Ray.”

“He was here for a couple of months; hardly said a word; very weird guy.”

“Did he see what he was doing here and maybe like why he came in the middle of the semester and all?” Maria asked.

The student shook his head. “You don't understand. Ray never left the room. The only time he opened the door was when they delivered his Thai food.”

Liz stood up straighter. “Thai food?”

“Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Food fetish, if you ask me.”

Maria held up a hand. “So, wait, you mean he literally never left the dorm?”

“Well, at least not in the daytime.” The student confirmed. “There was this one night I was out partying. I came back pretty late. I saw him coming out of the Litvack building. It was, like, 4:00 in the morning. We're the only two people on campus. We're like five feet away from each other. The guy doesn't even acknowledge my presence. Pretty creepy.”

Maria frowned biting on a nail. “Yeah, sounds it.” Alex, what had he gotten into?

“So what's in the Litvack building?” Liz asked.

“Computers. I mean I'm not really into that kind of stuff, but apparently the University has this incredible super computer.”

~~~

Inside the pod chamber, Max and Tess looked for information they had about their past lives.

“What are we doing here?” Tess asked looking around the old pod chamber.

“This is everything we have from where we come from.” Max took the alien book and flipped through it. “This book … if we knew how to read it, it would probably have all the answers for us.”

“What answers are we looking for?”

“I guess answers about what exactly we're getting ourselves into.” Max admitted. “Tess, this is my child, too and I fully accept that, but I also want you to know that this is your decision and I will respect whatever you decide …” It was a good thing neither Isabel nor Michael was there. They both would’ve mutinied over him giving Tess the right to decide the fate of her own body and life.

“Max, I'm having this baby.”

“Okay.” Max put the book away and stood up.

“Thanks for the support,” Tess told him looking up at him.

“I said I would stand by you.”

Tess face altered for a moment, going not anger, but resigned. “Don't sound so excited about it.”

“Hey, my entire life changed overnight and I think I'm entitled to get a little freaked!”

“And I'm not? Don't you think I'm a little flipped out by this whole …?”

Max didn’t want to argue with her too. “That's not what I meant, I …”

Tess started to feel pain. She doubled over. “Max.”

Max went to her quickly, his arms supporting her as she sat. “What is it?”

“The baby.”

Max pulled up Tess' shirt and saw the red handprint glowing from inside Tess' stomach. He put his hand over it. In flashes, increased respiratory rate, Max started to hyperventilate.

Tess watched him, her eyes worried. “Max?”

“I … saw the baby. It's a boy.”

~~~

At Las Cruces, Maria and Liz were walking towards campus. Maria redialed her cell phone. She tried calling Michael six times, but he didn’t answer … just the machine.

“Hey. Me. Listen, this is like the sixth time or so. We’re onto something, and I think you need to be here. It’s getting majorly creepy.” Liz pulled on Maria’s arm. “Gotta go. Find me. And Spaceboy, could you bring my leather mini that I left at your place? There are some seriously hot boys on this campus.”

“Maria!” Liz said trying to get Maria off the phone. “We’re investigating!” Sighing, Maria hung up wondering where Michael was. “We're so close, Maria. We're so close to figuring this all out.”

“I hope so.”

Liz and Maria both stopped in their tracks when they heard a familiar voice coming from an all campus party and the bandstand. They turned towards Nelly Furtado who began performing her song “I’m Like A Bird” as Maria hung on Liz in excitement.

“Oh my god, it's Nelly Furtado.” Maria exclaimed. “Please, one, one song?”

Liz was excited too. “Okay, one song.”

“Ok, okay.”

Maria and Liz rushed over to join in the crowd for just one song by Nelly Furtado. Maria was mouthing the words and dancing to the music, excitement and color giving her a vibrant look. Liz smiled at her friend before looking around in the crowd. Her smile faded as she saw Leanna … Alex's ‘Swedish babe’ grooving to the music about 30 feet away.

Liz took Maria’s arm to get her attention. “Oh, my gosh. Maria, that's her! That's the girl with the blond hair, that's Leanna, that's her!”

Maria shook her head. “Wait a minute, no way, no way. Let's see.” Maria and Liz looked at Leanna's picture to make sure. The girl must’ve sensed their interest, Leanna stared back at them.

“That's totally her. It's the girl from Sweden.” Maria agreed. “What the hell is she doing here?”

“We have to go talk to her.” Liz said ready to go over and talk to the girl.

“N-n-nooo, this is getting too dangerous.” Maria told Liz. “We have to call Michael …”

“She's leaving, we gotta go get her.” Liz insisted. “Come on, come on.”

Left with no options, Maria ran after Liz. They cleared the crowds and stood on the roadside searching for the girl. Maria and Liz started to run as they saw Leanna on the street.

“Right there.” Liz said pointing to the other girl.

They started to chase after Leanna, but unfortunately they weren't fast enough when they tried to get across the street. Maria yelped as a car almost hit her. She and Liz hurried to the other side of the street under a blast of loud horns. As a bus passed by, Leanna disappeared. The two girls looked around helplessly as they lost their prey. Suddenly, a hand grabbed Liz's shoulder. It was Michael.

“I wanna know everything.” he told Liz, his eyes wandering to Maria. He pointed a finger at Liz, “You, tell me everything, and you,” he pointed at Maria, “big trouble!” She gulped when she read the look in his eyes. It was his, ‘Lucy, you have some ‘splaining to do…’ look. Dammit, this was so not her fault!

~~~

Michael, Maria and Liz got rooms for the night. They paid for two large bedrooms with a connecting door. Both rooms had a king size bed. They left the door open between the two as they sat on the large bed with all the information that Liz and Maria had gathered between them.

Michael went through it all, piece by piece, quietly listening to the two girls. He was surprisingly silent, but Maria could feel his attention. They ate food they ordered as the three of them talked about what they should do the next day. Finally, the lack of sleep caught up on Liz. She was running on nothing but bad pizza and fumes.

“I’ve gotta go to bed.” Liz went to go to the other room, she paused looking at Maria. “Maria?”

“I …” Maria glanced at Michael. “Give me a moment,” she told Michael. Following Liz, she closed the door slightly. “Look, I think you need rest. I’ll stay with Michael.”

Liz had expected that. “I know, Maria. It’s okay. You finish explaining everything to him. Make sure he gets it.” Liz looked over at Michael on the bed reading. “I know you two like to be alone.”

“No. It’s nothing like that, or anything. Just …” Maria cleared her throat. “Since Alex … well, since Alex, I … Michael, if he’s there I sleep better. That’s all.”

“It’s okay, Maria. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

Maria closed the door between the two rooms softly, resting her hand on the door.

“You okay?” Michael asked.

“Yeah. Getting better,” Maria went to rejoin him on the bed as he kept going through the photos and evidence. “It’s been so hard to be so far out of sorts with Liz, especially with Alex gone.”

“I told you to call me. You promised.”

“I did. Check your machine. I left message after message.”

“I was on my way here.” Michael lay back on the bed. He was warm, he was full, and he knew where the hell Maria was. Life was pretty good. Add in the fact that Max’s life was for crap, and for once his was looking pretty good in comparison.

“So what happened to get you here?”

Michael shrugged. “They passed out yearbooks today. I picked yours up, and the Alex memorial pages look good.”

“Really?” Maria smiled.

“They do. My picture was whacked.”

“Oh, do not start on me. That shirt was excellent. You looked sexier than hell in it.” Maria reassured him.

“Great. Now you want me to model men’s clothes?”

Maria hit him on the stomach. “Hey! We get you to exercise more, lay off the pizza and burgers, and you could make money. I’ll put you in on the list for when we move to New York.”

“Modeling?”

“Well, I know you’re leaving … someday, but it’s not like you invested in your education. I think I mentioned it a few times that you should take your future seriously, more like preparing to be here forever in case they don’t come for forty more years.”

“Oh you mentioned it … a few times.”

“So, since you don’t want to be a mental giant, we can just pedal your boytoy looks.”

“Thanks.” Michael pulled her hair. “I get my picture taken in my underwear, then so do you.”

“Michael!” Maria sniffed. “I was going for nude.”

Michael sat up a bit. “Really?”

Maria laughed loving how gullible he could be at times. “So what got you heading this way?”

“Imagining you almost getting run over by a car.”

“Oh! It barely …”

“… missed you! I know. I saw.” Michael shook his head. “I told you to stay out of danger, to call me, and then I walk around a corner and see you and the Parker running out into a busy street without pausing.”

“I … I couldn’t let her go alone.” Maria defended herself and her actions. “I told her we had to call, but Leanna was getting away, and …”

“And … Liz couldn’t let that happen so she risks her life and yours without pausing or even noticing.”

“It’s not like that, Michael. She was right.”

“I know, but this stops, Maria. Right now. You stick with me, and we go home together. If Parker wants to get herself killed, well then she can. I’m not going to let her take you with her.”

Maria stared at him. He was deadly serious. She noticed a long time ago that when Michael got serious, his soldier’s face … the Commander came out, and he didn’t take much in crap from anyone.

“What happened, and don’t flub it off again. Something got you here fast. What was it?”

“Max. He’s acting …” Michael didn’t know how to explain it, but there were too many things that had a edge of being off. Alex’s death, Max’s newfound irrational tyranny, the breach between Max and Liz, and now Max’s uncharacteristic relationship with Tess that happened in a blink. It had to be more than him remembering their planet. Or maybe it was. Maybe it woke his internal Zan, and in truth, that alien king was a real serious jerk.

“Something is off. I can’t figure it out, but I don’t believe in so many strange circumstances happening at once.”

“Strange circumstances?” Maria asked, curious by news that Michael thought Max was acting out of character.

“Max and Tess, they’re a thing.”

“Yeah, I saw that.” Maria admitted. She hated to see it, but in a way, it was the very end that Future Max came to create; it was the cost Liz paid for the world. She hated it, but it was hard to say that this wasn’t meant to be.

“Things advanced.” Michael said glancing at the closed door hoping Liz couldn’t hear the conversation.

“Advanced?” Maria’s brow creased in a frown. Then understanding dawned, and Maria’s mouth opened as a slight blush ran up her cheeks. “Sex! They …”

“All the way.” Michael confirmed.

“Eeeeck!” Maria made a spitting noise.

“There’s been a complication.”

“Complication?” Maria lifted a delicate eyebrow. She moved away from him a little. “Alien herpes?”

“Worse.”

“What could be worse?” Maria scoffed. Then it happened again. She figured it out. “Pregnant!” She hissed as she made a hacking noise.

“Can you get that hairball out by yourself, or you need some help?” Michael asked watching her reaction.

“I’m telling Liz.” Maria said. That bastard! He went two years barely beyond holding hands with Liz, and now two minutes after he gets with Tess … she was pregnant? “Damn. I told you alien girls are easy.”

“I know! I really wish I knew what chicks on Antar look like.”

“You’re whacked.” Maria slid off the bed to go talk to Liz when Michael hooked an arm around her middle and dragged her back. “Michael! Stop.”

“No. You stop. I told you. Not Liz.”

“She’s my friend. She has a right to know.”

“True.” Michael agreed. “She does have a right to know. Not from us. Max is responsible for telling her. She deserves to hear it from him.”

Maria stopped wiggling and settled. “You’re right.”

Michael smiled. “Did you just say that I was right?”

“Shut up.” Maria sniffed. Maria glanced at him her face taking on a bit more pink. “So did he tell you how it was? You know the whole alien mating thing?”

“Hour orgasms.”

Maria rolled her eyes snorting. “An hour? Oh, leave it to aliens to have to overdo everything … not that it wouldn’t be appreciated.” Maria gave Michael a speculating look, intense enough to make him squirm.”

“Stop it,” he told her. His luck, she was thinking of how instead of modeling for money, they could start an escort business with him as the main menu.

“Think of all the repeat customers.” Maria suggested.

Michael threw his pillow at her head, and Maria dodged it laughing as Michael dove for her. After a scuffle that had all the pictures and papers on the floor and totally wrecked the bed, they both laid back exhausted and panting for breath. Maria rolled to her side to look at him again. Her eyes kept dropping to his hands.

“So when you’re …” her eyes stared at his beautiful hands, “alone, doing it … you know, for yourself, do you get that hour release?”

“That’s it.” Michael’s eyes darkened and he went to tackle her again. Maria eluded him dancing away.

“Michael … I was just … inquiring minds and all that. Michael!” Maria squeaked dancing out of his arm length.

~~~

At school, Kyle and Isabel played another prank on Max. Kyle pulled the fire alarm switch for a fire drill. Everyone got up to get in line. When Max went to get up and his shoes were stuck to the floor.

“Okay, everyone, this is a fire drill. You know the procedure … go to the nearest exit in a quietly and orderly fashion.” The teacher instructed. “Okay, people, let's keep going, come on, keep moving. This could be for real, keep moving. Moving, people.” The teacher paused at the door when Max remained behind. “Care to join us, Max?”

“That's a classic.” Kyle told Isabel from where they observed Max’s humiliation.

“Mr. Evans, I do not find this amusing. You can ever be certain when a fire drill is an actual emergency.”

“I'm coming.” Max told the teaching, bending down to use his powers to alter his melting shoes.

~~~

Liz split up with Michael and Maria. They took the assignment of trying to discover who and where Leanna was while they left her the science geek stuff. Heading towards the Litvack Computer Sciences building, Liz talked to a professor who agreed to help her.

“So, what exactly so special about these computers, anyway?” Liz asked.

“Nothing yet,” The professor admitted. “Right now they’re just multi-million dollar toys. The greatest potential's in the field of cryptography. In theory, a quantum computer can break just about any code.”

Sitting at one of the computers, he attempted to find something.

“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. He was definitely trying to decode something; something major.”

“Is there any way of finding out what he was doing?”

“Maybe, I'm not sure if what we did can penetrate.”

Liz bit her lip. “Wanna try?”

The professor smiled. He loved a good challenge. “Right.”

~~~

In the Valenti living room, Max and Tess were sitting on a couch. Max was going through classified ads on apartments.

“What are you doing?”

“I've been thinking. If we're gonna have a baby, maybe we should get a place of our own.”

Tess put down what she was doing. “You mean that? Really?”

“I don't know how practical it would be. I don't even know if you want to.”

“I want to start planning our future.” Tess reassured him. “I just wonder if that future is gonna be in Roswell.”

Max stopped looking at the ads. “You want to go somewhere else?”

“I always thought the ultimate plan was to go home. Our real home.”

“It is. Someday.” Max told her, the very thing he told Michael for years. “But we don't know when that's gonna be. I think we had enough to deal with the in here and now. Don't you?”

Tess face was blank for a moment. “Yeah, you're right,” she agreed without too much conviction.

They continued to look through the alien book, with Max putting away the newspaper for now. They were in Tess’s room having vacated the living room before Kyle was due home. They were going through what they had.

“You want something to drink?” Tess asked Max.

“Sure.” Max said without looking up.

“You want regular or diet?”

“Regular.” Max said glancing up at her. “Thanks.”

Max put down the book and went back to the newspaper. He saw that Tess drew a heart with an arrow through it and written Max underneath. Suddenly, the sound of breaking glasses and Tess crying out came from the kitchen.

“Tess?” Max hurried to the kitchen. “Tess, what is it?” He asked as he went to her, his arms around her. She was on the kitchen floor, having fallen there in pain.

“The baby...” Tess said breathing out in pain. “Something's wrong.”

Max put his hand on her stomach, like a sonogram. He could see the baby wobbling and feeling pain inside. The strain registered his face. Suddenly he fell back, with a sharp intake of breath, with fear.

“Max, what's wrong with him?”

“He's sick. It's the atmosphere. This planet is poisoning him!” Max’s eyes met Tess’s. “Our son is dying.”

~~~

“We’re supposed to be looking for Leanna,” Maria reminded Michael as he started working on his second burger at the Student Union. She grimaced as he added extra Tabasco.

“We looked all morning. It would help to know her name. This wandering around campus with the hope of seeing her sucks.”

Maria opened her burger pulling off what she didn’t want, shoving it on Michael’s plate. Onion. No thanks. “Pass me the mustard.” Michael gave her the mustard and watched as she wrote something on her meat patty before closing the bun and taking a bite.

“What did you write?”

“None of your business,” she told him with her mouth half full while chewing. She waved a fry at him. “You’re going to be no use to us if you keep shoving grease down your gullet. I’m thinking we should consider the Atkins’ Diet for you.”

“Over my rotting corpse,” Michael stole some of Maria’s fries since he had eaten all of his. “You want to prostitute me … fine. These are the goods.” Michael belched elegantly.

“God! We’re going to starve!”

Michael was chuckling when Maria looked around and found a stack of the Campus newspaper. “Hey, they had Nelly Furtado last night. You think they have anything else interesting scheduled?”

“You think Nelly Furtado is interesting?” Michael asked his expression indicating that he thought her taste was lacking.

“Oh, please! You love her. You just are afraid to admit to liking someone that’s a ‘chick’s’ thing.”

“I’m not going to the Lilith Fair, Maria. Don’t even start on me.”

“A little Sheryl Crow might do you good.”

Michael snorted taking more of her fries. He picked up a newspaper too. Flipping to the social calendar, he quickly found what he thought would be interesting, immediately mentally thinking of excuses to get out of the ones that Maria would like and he would not. Turning to the sports page, he stopped chewing when he saw a picture on the sport page. Taking out the picture of Leanna, he put it next the photo.

“Maria?”

“Hmm?”

“Found her.”

~~~

Liz and the professor were still working when Michael and Maria found them. They were watching the computer screen as Maria and Michael knocked on the door to get Liz's attention.

“It'll be in for just one second.” Liz said to them through the door. Maria put the newspaper with Leanna’s picture on the glass. Liz came out the door.

“We found Leanna. Her real name is Jennifer Coleman.” Maria told Liz.

“Yeah, well, I'm onto something, too.” Liz told them. “You guys shouldn't be here. I'll meet you in the quad.”

“I got a better idea; we're going back to Roswell.” Michael told Liz.

“Did Maria tell you what we found?” Liz couldn’t imagine that he didn’t understand everything they showed him last night.

“Yeah. I got it, Liz. I’m not an idiot. That’s why we’re going back to Roswell … now.”

“And you still don't believe anything's going on?” Unreal! How could he just want to walk away? They were close. So close.

“Forget it. Let's get out of here.” Michael told her. This was real, very real. The girl wasn’t in Sweden, and whatever happened to Alex, started here. “The situation isn't safe for you two.”

“We're too close to the truth.” Liz told him stubbornly. “I'm not leaving.”

Michael grabbed her wrist. “Liz.” Maria begged. She agreed with Michael. It was getting too dangerous to be out there on their own. She was standing with her two best friends, and losing either of them wasn’t something she could take.

“This isn't optional. You're coming back with us.”

Liz pulled her arm away. “You can't tell me what to do.” Liz was sick of it, the aliens and their dictatorial attitude over everything and everyone. She wasn’t their damn servant or follower.

“Liz,” the professor called to her, “I found Ray's source material.”

Liz glared at Michael before going back to the computer as Michael and Maria followed. Maria whispered heatedly to Michael. “Could you not provoke her!”

“I should’ve brought duct tape. She’s …” Michael didn’t finish as he saw the computer screen.

“Pretty strange looking stuff,” The professor said. “It's some sort of language. Looks kind of Native American.”

Michael looked at it closely, receiving flashes from the time he'd seen the symbols while ill. He was on the dream plane … the Balance. A flash of him with Maria kissing, and a rush of symbols moved through his brain. They were alien symbols from the book.

Michael pushed Liz aside. “Where the hell did this come from?”

“This is what Alex was working on while he was here.” Liz told him.

“What was he doing?” Michael asked the professor.

“Decoding whatever this language is.”

“Translating it into English?” Michael asked staring at the symbols he knew, but could never understand.

The professor nodded, “Exactly.”

“Was he able to do it?” Michael asked as the two men ignored Maria and Liz as they worked on the translation.

“Well, he deleted all the results. The last day he was here, he created this huge text file. He emailed it to another address: jcoleman@ulascruces.edu.”

Liz took the paper with Leanna’s picture. “jcoleman.” She looked at Maria. “He emailed to Leanna.”

“Then we need to talk to Jennifer Coleman,” Maria said. She smiled politely at the professor. “I don’t suppose you have a student directory? A green sheet?”

“Sure.” The professor went to his desk area and took down the current student green sheet for the school year. Maria thanked him looking for the name Coleman.

“We’ve got an address.” Maria told the others.

~~~

Liz, Michael, and Maria went to Jennifer's dorm room. “I'm sorry. Jennifer isn't here,” Jennifer, aka, Leanna’s roommate told them.

“Well, do you know when she's gonna be back?” Michael quizzed her.

“Probably not for a few days. She had to go home all of a sudden.”

Liz’s eyes became suspicious. “All of a sudden?”

“Yeah, she got a call this morning, her mom's in the hospital, so she just packed up some stuff and went.”

Michael talked to Maria under his breath. “Do your thing, baby.”

Maria pushed the amateur hour out of the way, her elbow sinking into Michael’s stomach as she placed herself in front of Liz. “That's just terrible because I know that Jen and her mom are pretty close.” Maria said smoothly and full of sympathy. “Listen, before she went, did she happen to give you notes from physics class she said that I can borrow?”

“No, she didn't say anything about it.” The roommate said shaking her head.

Liz joined in picking up Maria’s cover story. “Oh, you know, they're probably in her room. You don't mind if we just, you know …” Michael and Liz pushed passed the roommate before she could protest with Maria on their heels.

“Well, actually, she just …” The roommate followed them flustered by their actions.

Liz and Michael were in the room first going through collected mail, etc. and putting it in their pockets, while Maria turned quickly in the doorway blocking the roommate’s view and distracting her.

Maria was big in the door, which was a surprising task given her slight body. “Do you remember what hospital her mom's at?” Maria asked not even waiting for an answer. “I would just love to send some flowers, 'cause I really think the support of others, you know, friends, can really help someone through a hard time.” Maria oozed in sympathy. “Like, there was this time when my … my grandfather died. He did, and I was … I was just so wrecked, I … I couldn't stop crying,” Maria sighed wiping away an imaginary tear, “and then I received this basket of cookies from … from everybody in my English class, and it just put a smile on my face for the first time in weeks.”

Liz came through the door waving a small shelf of papers at Maria. “Here we go. We got the notes.” Michael quickly followed as Maria smiled pleasantly at the roommate.

“Thanks so much.” They all vacated the dorm room quickly. Outside the door, Michael put his arm around Maria’s waist.

“Grandfather? You need to practice your distraction techniques. You’re rusty.”

“Hello? I was brilliant! Plus, am I the one that forgot the duct tape? Be glad I can think on my feet.”

“Such a good little soldier.”

Liz ignored them as they walked down the stair staring at the mail she took. They stopped outside the dorm to go through Jennifer, aka, big fake Swedish hottie’s mail.

“So Leanna did see us last night. She knew that we were onto her and she skipped town.” Liz concluded.

“God, who knew we were so intimidating, huh?” Maria said congratulating herself and Liz on their powerful presence.

“Me.” Michael said distractedly as he read the mail he had. Yeah, those two human chicks scared him all the time. “Magazine renewal notice, credit card application, bank statement, something from Open Sky Property Management. This is a bill for renting a property outside Las Cruces.”

Maria’s arm was around his waist as she read over his shoulder. “I'll drive.”

~~~

They found the rental address outside of Las Cruces in an abandoned industrial park, with industry and run down properties. The building was abandoned and run down. It didn’t look like anyone had been there in forever.

“Guessing not a party pad,” Maria observed as she and Liz walked together holding on to each other, both careful of what scared them. For Maria it was rats, and for Liz … spiders.

“Why would anybody rent this?” Liz asked careful to walk around a pile of something.

“Because they got something to hide,” Michael told them walking quicker than the girls, not so squeamish about the décor.

They searched the place. Liz and Maria discovered a computer in the room off the kitchen and when they went in, it sets off a security device … a glowing, red, pyramid shaped object that started to beep faster and faster, building speed to explode.

“Liz!” Maria screamed. Michael, who was in the other room, rushed to them. Seeing the explosive, he used his powers to propel it out of the window, just before it exploded. Michael reached out and pulled Maria into his arms as he breathed harshly. He had barely made it from the other room in time.

“Thank you.” Liz said.

“Yeah, no problem.” Michael said not even looking at her. He was too busy looking Maria over, then pulling her into his arms hugging her tight. “What did I tell you about wandering too far?” God, Amy DeLuca would kill him if anything happened to her precious daughter, and he would never forgive himself.

Liz went to sit at the computer. Maria pulled back and pointed it out to Michael. “Computer, Michael.” He nodded but kept hugging her.

Liz started to type up as Maria slowly untangled herself from Michael. “What was that?” She asked him.

Michael glanced at the broken window where he propelled the explosive. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“It’s garbled.” Liz told them. “I can’t … I think it’s encrypted.”

Maria went to stand beside Liz. “Try the string of numbers Alex wrote out. Derek told you it would only have meaning to the application of the program it’s part of. What if it’s the key to break the encryption? The supercomputer broke the encryption, right?”

“Right,” Liz quickly typed in the string of the binary code. Maria and Liz watched as the unintelligible alien script suddenly altered into English.

“Print.” Maria said as she hugged herself. They needed out of there before they wander across another alien trap.

Michael was searching the room. He found a small box with a crystal.

“Oh,my god.” Liz said in wonder as she picked up the printed pages scanning them. “This is it. The translation. It's here.”

“What is that?” Maria asked Michael.

“I don't know.” Michael held the crystal in his hand wondering what it was for.

“Michael.” Liz called giving Michael the printed page of Alex's translation of the book.

Maria stood next to Michael, her hand on the small of his back as they read together. “All the answers, Michael. Even if Leanna has them now, so do we.”

Michael glanced at Maria, and nodded. He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. “Thank you.” he told her. He glanced over at a quiet Liz who was watching them. “Really. Thank you.” He said to Liz too.

“I would feel better if …” Maria suggested gesturing to the door.

“We got the hell out of here.” Michael said. He nodded. “We leave once the entire translation is printed. No wandering. I don’t want us to trigger any more traps.”

They got back to the hotel and Michael’s bike. Michael had the translation and the crystal. They hadn’t found Leanna, or found the truth about who killed Alex, but they were close to a truth.

Liz went to check them out while Maria stood next to the driver’s side of the Jetta. “Michael, I think …” She cleared her throat. “I think that it was too easy to break what Alex was doing.”

“What are you saying?”

Maria looked to where Liz went. “What if we were supposed to find the translation? Say whatever or whoever was controlling Alex lost control, and he encrypted his work with that binary code. They … Leanna had the translation, but couldn’t crack the encryption. She needed us to find it … to open the encryption.”

“Like from Alex’s death to here are breadcrumbs? Someone who needs the translations helped us along the way to make sure it was found?”

“Yeah,” Maria licked her lips nervously as she watched Liz coming back. “All the negative pressure on Liz, it only served to make her more determined, and I can’t swear that something or someone wasn’t working her … making her as obsessed as she became.”

Michael thought it over. Liz’s insane investigation, the way she accosted Maria with the mutilated picture of Alex, the way she never truly mourned. “Okay, I need you to stay with me, Maria.”

“Michael, I’m fine.”

Michael looked at the Jetta, and then at Liz. No. No way was he letting Maria alone with Liz again, not while she could be under unknown control. “Un-uh, she charged in without watching, or caring what happened to you … to Sean when he helped her.”

“What’s going on?” Liz asked.

“Can you drive?” Michael asked.

Liz nodded. “Sure. Why?”

“Good.” Michael tossed the keys to the Jetta to Liz. “Maria’s with me.”

“Michael …” Maria said seeing the flash on Liz’s face, a look she couldn’t explain.

Michael and Liz faced off, both of them poker faced, but they understood it well. Michael was staking his claim. Maria was his, and he didn’t want to leave her unguarded with Liz.

“What are you saying, Michael?” Liz asked her voice dry.

“I’m saying that last night I got here in time to see you pull Maria with you into traffic that barely missed hitting her. Today? If I hadn’t been here, you would’ve triggered that explosive, and neither of you would’ve survived.” Michael pointed out. “I told you it was dangerous.”

“You wanted to follow the leads as much as I did.”

“Not at risk of Maria. You want to know what I’m saying?” Liz nodded. “I’m saying you’re dangerous, and you have been for a while. You barely notice that Maria is alive when she is with you, and I can’t take a chance you’ll get her killed. You might have enough friends to bury them one by one, but I don’t. Maria comes with me.”

Liz’s eyes met his, and she met what Maria liked to call Michael’s Commander’s face. Her jaw clenched. “Fine.” She smiled at Maria. “I’ll meet you at the Crashdown.”

“Liz …” Maria said helplessly caught between the two of them.

Michael gestured her to go. “Hey! Don’t put a dent on the Jetta. Mrs. DeLuca hates it when we do, and she’ll blame me.” Liz huffed. Getting into the Jetta, she headed home.

Maria watched before turning back to him. “Did you have to be so mean? Everyone’s been against her lately, and she was right.”

“Yeah, she was right, but how right, and with what extra help … I don’t know.” Michael caught Maria’s arm. “You go nowhere alone or with anyone without me. You understand?”

“Michael, Liz isn’t going to …”

“Maria. An alien killer is out there. It could be like Brody … someone that they reach out and take control of, and we might never know who is who. Not even Liz. Only person I trust with you is me.”

He was deadly serious. “Okay.” She agreed.

“Good soldier.”

~~~

Max picked up Tess and took her back into her bedroom. Lying her down on the bed, he went to get a wet towel and cold water for her. She was hot … to hot. He sat there watching over her as she slept. She was pale, and had a fever. When she woke up, he had her drink a glass of water.

“You slept for a few hours. How are you doing?”

“Better.”

Max smoothed down the covers over her. “You warm enough?”

“I'm okay. How it's going with the book?”

“I have no idea how to read it, that's the truth. I thought how I wish what I think I thought. I feel like I'm letting you down.”

“You're the one person I know I can count on in this world. I have faith in you, Max. I always have.”

Max smiled at her and kissed her on top of the forehead. “When that happened before - when you fell - I guess I suddenly realized that I could lose you. All this time I thought of you as this person that just would always wait for me - forever. I've been taking you for granted. I'm sorry about that.”

~~~

At the Crashdown, Kyle approached his new partner in crime, Isabel about more pranks on Max.

“Hey,” he said sitting down across from Iz. “I'm a guy and I know what freaks guys out. Max wakes up tomorrow - one testicle!”

“No, thanks.” Isabel said, still remembering the look on Max’s face after today’s prank. She was angry at him, but humiliating him was … it felt wrong.

“What?! What are you talking about? We're in an alien joyride, sister. Sky's the limit.”

“This just isn't making me feel any better.” Actually, it was making her feel worse. Max was her brother, and despite their differences … she loved him.

Kyle sat back giving it up. “Well, can we like dreamwalk Jody Ann again?”

“I'm going.”

Kyle wasn’t happy about losing his nice spiteful party on a person that burned his ass more than one. “But what about getting back at Max?”

“I'm over Max.” Isabel told him.

“You know, Buddha teaches that this is …”

“Kyle, if you quote that fat, bald man to me one more time, you're gonna wake up, one of these mornings …” Isabel pointed to Kyle crotch, the place where he lived. “ZAP!”

Kyle watched her leave reflectively tightening his legs closed. Those aliens … they had a mean streak.

~~~

At the Valenti's, Max was putting out the trash after cleaning up the mess from the broken glass. The can was overflowing and the trash keeps landing on the ground. After picking it up a couple of times, Max's frustration took over and he started kicking the cans and throwing the trash around. Sliding to the ground against the wall, Max started to cry. Isabel, who had come to find him, found him there seeing it all. She approached him, concern etched on her face.

“Max?”

Max glanced up at his sister miserable. “Tess is pregnant.”

“What?” Isabel shook her head. One time. One day. How?

“She's pregnant and the baby's dying because it can't live in this atmosphere.” Max told her.

Stunned, Isabel sat next to Max. He looked bad. This had to be one of the worst days of his life, and she hadn’t helped.

“And … I don't know what to do because I … I'm so scared. And I don't know what to tell Mom and Dad because I … it's like what would I even tell them. They don't know who I really am. I feel so irresponsible, and stupid and … I know this is supposed to happen, because it's our destiny.” Max held his head in his hands. “Oh my God, what am I gonna do?”

Isabel stood up and held out her hand to Max. “Max, come with me. Come on.”

He looked up at her looking exactly what he was. A young boy, too young to handle all the responsibility pushed on his shoulders. Wiping his tears, he took her hand. Isabel took him to a stream at a park and they stood on the bridge over the stream.

“Do you remember Bigfoot?” Isabel asked him gently.

“My guinea pig?”

“Yeah.” Isabel said. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Sure. Mr. Martinelli's dog got into his cage and killed him.”

“Do you remember what happened the next day?”

Max shook his head. “I don't.” Isabel waved her hand and it began to snow. “It snowed.” Max said finally remembering. It was like a miracle.

“It was the first time we ever seen it. It snowed for two days. Biggest storm to hit in Roswell in a century. It was a disaster for everyone but us.”

“We built snowmen.”

“We made angels.” Isabel reminded him.

“And pelted Michael with snowballs,” they both laughed.

Isabel smiled remembering a time when things had been so much simpler. “It was magic.”

“Just like this.”

“Max, I had no idea what you'd been going through. My problems are really nothing compared to this, so I'm sorry.”

“No, they're not. Your problems aren't nothing. They're important. Your life is important.” Max told her, not wanting her to take all the blame for their fight, especially since it was his. “I'm sorry for not realizing that.”

“We'll figure something out. We'll figure something out for you and Tess and your …” Isabel realized that she didn’t even know what the baby was. “Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?”

“A boy.”

“Wow. You're having a son.”

“Yeah, a son. A son!” Max allowed himself to be awed by that information for the first time since he found out. Isabel hugged her brother, and both of them turned as Michael’s bike came towards them over the bridge.

Michael took off his helmet as did Maria, who was holding on to him. “A little public, isn't it?”

“It's a freak storm, you know, who cares?”

“Oh!” Maria looked around in wonder. She shoved the helmet at Michael and climbed off the bike to watch the snow. She ran off the bridge and was on the grass twirling in circles, her tongue out trying to catch snowflakes.

Michael shook his head at Maria. “Not me, I got bigger things to talk about.” He turned back to Max and Isabel. “Maxwell, there's two things I need to tell you. First is, I've been lying to you about Maria, Liz, and the whole investigation. Instead of stopping 'em, I've been helping 'em. Second thing is, it was worth it.”

Michael pulled the translation they found from where he had it shoved up his leather jacket in the back, and the crystal. He handed Max the translation and Isabel the crystal.

“What's this?” Max asked.

“It's everything we've been looking for. It's a translation to the book. You know - the book.”

Isabel’s mouth opened in shock. “You're kidding!”

“Not even a little.”

Isabel leaned into Max to stare at the translation. “Well, what does it say?”

Max read through a few pages. “It's the way home. We can go home.”

Michael got off his bike and stood on the bridge watching Maria dance in the snow laughing. His face was dark. “Yeah, we can go home.”

Inside the Granilith Chamber, Max, Tess, Isabel and Michael were using the translation of the Destiny book and studying the crystal; they had a way home. There was no time left to question. Tess was pregnant with Max’s baby, and the child was dying. It couldn’t live on Earth.

“This is a key.” Max said showing the others the crystal. “When we insert it the Granilith will transport us … home. It will take twenty-four hours for it to prepare itself. When it's ready, we have to be on board or we don't go. The Granilith is capable of one mission, only one. When we use it, it's gone. It's our only way home.” Max looked at the others. “Is everyone ready?”

Shaking her head, Isabel couldn’t believe it. “This is happening too fast.”

“We have no choice, Iz.” Max said his eyes met Tess’s.

“What about Leanna?” Michael asked. “She's still out there, how can we leave? I mean, she's already killed Alex, what's to stop her from killing Liz or Kyle or Valenti or … Maria.” Michael voice stumbled over Maria’s name.

“I'll take care of Leanna,” said Max.

“Max ... ” Tess said holding her stomach, pain moving across her face.

Max inserted the crystal ‘key’ into Granilith and a clock magically appeared on the wall, starting a twenty-four hour countdown.

“Everyone say your goodbyes.”

~~~

Liz, Maria, Kyle and Sean were sitting at a table outside at the Crashdown. Maria stared at her cousin shaking her head.

“Oh Sean, you really gotta lose that earring. It's just so like you're obviously trying.”

Sean made a face at Maria. “You're retarded, you know that?”

“I think it looks cute!” Liz chirped in, rewarded with a smile from Sean.

Maria rolled her eyes at her best friend. This flirting thing between Liz and her cousin was icking her out. “Okay, let’s hear from somebody other than the lowly Parker. Kyle?”

Kyle shrugged. “Isn't it like a gay thing anyway?”

“No, it is not a gay thing.” Sean told Kyle in irritation. “I've got to get out of this town, I really do.”

Maria glanced over at Kyle frowning at him. “Would you please stop that? Please?”

“What?” Kyle looked at Maria, confused.

“That tapping thing, you've been doing it for like an hour!” Maria gestured to Kyle’s right hand that was moving nervously on the table.

“I have?” Kyle was going to comment further, but Max and Michael entered the small outdoor courtyard. He made a face of distaste. “Oh, Heckle and Jeckle…I'm out of here.”

Sean looked over following Kyle’s glaze and the same grimace of irritation and distaste moved over his face. Max Evans. Michael, he was starting to get a grudging respect for, but Max. Un-uh. “Yeah.” The two young men left without talking to Max and Michael.

Max said to Liz, “Can we talk upstairs? Please?” Michael waited until Max and Liz left to sit down across from Maria. She searched his face. He looked serious, deadly serious.

“What? Oh god, somebody's dead, isn't' …?”

Michael winced, feeling bad that he frightened her. Since Alex, she had lost a lot of her ability to cope with everything. “No, no, no.” Michael picked up her hand that lay spent on the table, too weak to move. Fear did that to her lately. It gutted her. “It's nothing like that.”

Her eyes roamed over his face. It was something. She knew his looks, and this one was too serious, even for Michael. “Then what is it?”

“I have to see you tonight.”

“You see me almost every night.”

“This is special.” Michael couldn’t stop staring at her. Twenty-four hours … it was such a short time. Such a short time to cram in what remained of a lifetime of knowing someone.

“Can’t you just tell me?” She asked gently.

Michael shook his head, staring beyond her, trying to pull it back together. He felt … he felt … He cleared his throat.

“I need to get outta here, just for a little while. Can you get off and come?”

Maria nodded getting up to go change out of her uniform. Whatever it was, it had to be serious. He would tell her in his own way … in his own time. Maria hurried. Michael had looked on the verge of tears, and that wasn’t like him.

~~~

While the others were taking care of last minute business, Michael and Maria chased the sun across the desert. Michael enjoyed the feel of power, Maria at his back, and nothing weightier than the pull of the wind on their bodies as they sped across the New Mexico highways.

Max and Liz went to take care of Leanna, but they had been wrong. Leanna was nothing more than an innocent human pawn, set up to be Alex’s killer. The real killer was out there, unknown. Max was forced to break the news to Liz that he had no time to find the real killer, and to take care of it, that he only had twenty-four hours. Upset, Liz listened as Max tried to explain that Tess was pregnant and they were forced to leave immediately. Betrayed, Liz broke down, angry with Max for betraying everything they could’ve been. It was all too late.

~~~

Valenti took care of a very ill Tess. She had added something to his and Kyle’s life, and it was hard to see someone so young, not only pregnant, but unmarried facing a journey to a world she never really knew outside of half baked memories. It would’ve been easier if he was certain she would be okay, but there was no way of knowing that.

~~~

Isabel was having the hardest time. Her parents. She listened to their usual insane conversations as she searched for Chinese mustard for her father and the finality of it all hit her. She was leaving forever. Going to Alex’s grave, it seemed fitting. Everything there was so final. Home. Home to Antar. Who was she? Vilandra? A betrayer of her family? There was nothing she wanted out there in that big sky. It had all been there, on Earth, her parents and Alex. Her biggest regret was Alex, and she never told him how much he really meant to her, how sorry she was for always pushing him away until they ran out of time. The Prom, it was the last real moment she felt happy and alive, and now…that was all gone.

~~~

Maria arrived at Michael's to find the room lit with candles, a dinner made, and the table set. He had cooked without her. He never did that.

“Michael?”

Michael stood in the doorway staring at her, his tongue seemed too thick in his mouth. God, she was so beautiful, her clear green eyes searching his face, confused and worried. “I know you like Italian, so ...” Michael paused taking a calming breath. He prepared for this his entire life, and now it was harder than he ever imagined. She made it damn near impossible. “And I know Scooby's your favorite.”

“What's going on?”

“Sit down.”

Maria stood at the sofa, her body stiff ready for a brutal blow. “What's this all about?”

“Sit down please.”

Maria reluctantly took a seat. Michael picked up her hand … her small delicate human hand.

Michael swallowed hard. “I love you, Maria.”

Maria smiled uncertain where this was going. “I love you, too.”

Michael breathed in deeply, he wasn’t doing this right, but what was right? “The thing is … you became a friend, a really good friend … my best friend, even better than Max and Isabel.”

“You’re my best friend, too. I love Liz, you know that, but somehow over the past two years, you and I … we have …” Maria bit her lip.

“Become close.”

“Yeah. Close. Closer than close.”

Michael looked down at her hand, intertwining his to hers, holding her firmly. “The thing is, Maria,” he said quietly, so soft that she was forced to move closer to hear him. “I never counted on you … on finding something like you on this world. I can’t tell you how much it’s meant to me … how much your friendship and family has helped me to survive these past two years.”

Maria’s eyes softened as they swept over his face. He really was so beautiful. “I know.”

“I know you do, and that’s a big part of it. How can you know? You just do. I wasn’t looking for a friend, but that was what I found in you. You gave me everything, and so much more. When we first met, I was on this huge out of control path towards self annihilation. I was barely hanging on, and Max and Isabel, they didn’t seem to get that. You did.”

“You’re better now.” Maria brushed his hair off his face. “You grew up when I wasn’t looking.”

Michael kissed her hand. “We grew up, Maria. Together. I always considered Max and Isabel my friends, but they used to make me feel like they tolerated me, that I was breaking into an exclusive club that was only them. After I found out I wasn’t their brother … I guess it made more sense. All I know is with them, I always felt that we became friends and bonded merely because we were alone, alien, and all each of us really had in this big vast world. If things had been different, I don’t think they would’ve wanted to know me.”

“They do love you, Michael.”

Michael shrugged. “I know. But…I feel like I was only let in the door because of what I am, not who I am. You changed that.”

“Me?”

Michael smiled at her incredulous look. She was always so willing to downplay her own importance. She wasn’t Liz with this great soulmate love, some mocked up importance that only existed in Max and Liz’s minds. She wasn’t an alien with this huge mystical destiny or super secret powers. She was just a lowly human … a lowly human with something so unique, a huge capacity to love and accept … unconditionally. There was nothing being offered to her. No destiny. No soulmate love. Just friendship, and that was enough.

“You. You’re the first friend I ever made that became my friend, not because I was alien … and in this case it was more despite my alienness,” Maria smiled at that. He really did scare her at first. “You were the first person who had no reason to like me, except for myself … and the funny thing was, you stayed. Every day that you stayed with me, sought me out, I began to believe that you actually liked me … found something in me worth liking and knowing.”

“I did. I still do.”

“You were the one thing I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t even know to look for you, and one day … there you were, a huge part of my life. Everything.” Michael leaned forward and framed her face, he kissed her gently. “Thank you. You made it so much easier for me to hold on … to keep believing.”

Maria’s hand came up to lie on top of his on her face. “Michael? Can’t you tell me what’s going on?”

“I have to leave. Max, Isabel, and Tess and I are going home.”

“Yeah, I know. Like eventually, right?” Maria stared in his eyes and realization hit her hard. It was there. All of it, there in his eyes, his earnest warm golden brown eyes. He was leaving. “The Destiny book,” she said softly. Michael nodded. “When?”

Michael took a deep breath. “Max activated the Granilith early this morning. It gives us twenty-four hours. It’s a one way ticket home, and we already punched it.” It wasn’t supposed to feel like this. It was supposed to be a celebration of a lifetime dream, but why did it cut a hole out of his heart and stomach leaving nothing but a cold hollow hole? “We're leaving in a few hours. We have to, I have no choice. I don't want to leave you. But we both knew someday this would happen.”

Maria nodded. She was supposed to feel glad for him, happy that finally all his waiting and efforts were being rewarded, but she just felt numb. “How much time do we have?”

“A few more hours. About eight.”

“That was what this afternoon was about? The ride through the desert?”

Michael nodded. “I wanted to capture one last ride with you, one that would last me a lifetime.”

Maria didn’t even know she had started crying. One tear slowly chased another down her cheek, and she nodded at him, trying to smile bravely at him, happy for him.

“There's a lot about you Maria.” Michael said, clearing his throat. Her tears were disarming him, making it harder. “There's a lot about you, but I think what means the most to me is that you're open. You know I can look into your eyes and I can see you. I can see what you're thinking. I can see what you're feeling. How much I mean to you sometimes, how much I piss you off sometimes. But I can always see you.”

“I see you too.” Maria said softly.

“No, no you don't see me.” Michael shook his head. “I don’t ever let anyone in that close, not intentionally.” He sighed. “Remember when Liz was getting the flashes, and I wanted you to let me try with you?” Maria nodded. “I never told you, but I was almost relieved you said no.”

“I thought you were angry …”

“I was, or I acted that way, but truthfully?” Maria nodded. Yeah, she wanted the truth. Between them, there had never been nothing but, not since the beginning. “I was relieved, because I was afraid that we would fail, that I would never be able to open up that much to another person.”

“Michael …”

“The reason you wouldn’t have gotten the flashes is because I wouldn’t have let you get them. I wouldn’t have let you see me. I've never let anyone see me before … because there are things inside of me that I don't want people to see.” Michael’s voice broke to a rush of breath. “There are things inside of me that I'm not so proud of.” Maria leaned over and kissed his cheek, rubbing her face against his. “But I've thought about it, and I wish I could’ve let you seen me.”

“Michael,” Maria said softly.

“It’s too late, but …”

“Michael,” Maria stilled his head, forced him to look at her. “I do see you. All the time, and for a long time now. Do you remember the Dalmatian and my red sneakers with the Kermit patch?” Michael nodded, a frown forming between his brows. “Well, I see you too. I saw you, Michael, as a little kid leaving the pod. I saw you fighting with Hank as a child, and the first time he hit you.” Maria ignored Michael’s wince. “I saw you in the desert with Max and Isabel … walking.” Maria rested her head against his whispering low, afraid a loud voice would break him, break them. “I saw you kiss me on the dream plane, and all the times we spent together. You watch me while I sleep, your hand touches my face. I see myself in this field of stars, eternal and beautiful. How you see me … it is overwhelming, and it humbles me, that you … this incredible being, sees something worth knowing and treasuring in me, a very small human.”

“How?” Michael asked incredulously. How could she get so much from him?

“Because, you let me inside a long time ago. I’ve seen you for a long time, and everything I ever saw only made me know how beautiful you really were … through and through.”

“Maria …”

“Michael …” She took a shuddering breath. She couldn’t do this. Her heart was breaking, but she promised him. It was important to him. This … finding home, it was his lifetime dream. “Something better than Roswell. This is it.”

“There's something I have to tell …”

“Shh.” Maria kissed Michael softly, interrupting him. “You already told me everything you can tell me now. It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” Maria stood up holding a hand out to him. “The ride, it was good, but what I’ll miss most is sleeping with you. I know it started with me holding you, comforting you when Hank hurt you, but it became something more.” Maria breathed through the pain. “I never told you how lonely I felt at times, how lost when my mom was gone … out of town. I know she loves me, but there was always this thought deep inside me, a fear that she wouldn’t come home. That something or someone would take her away, and I would be alone. Then I started to sleep with you, share space, and when she wasn’t there … you were. I allowed myself to not feel alone anymore, or afraid. You gave me that.”

“I know.” Michael licked his lips. “I always knew. I get flashes from you all the time, Maria. Not just flashes, but feelings … strong ones. I never told you, because I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

“Come rest with me one last time. It has to last a lifetime.”

“Maria …” He didn’t know what else to say. He allowed her to lead him into the bedroom. His bedroom. No. Their bedroom.

~~~

Across town, Kyle took flowers to Tess. While in his old room, Kyle saw a flash of Alex in the bedroom. A memory hit him. Alex had been there. Alex in pain. Alex screaming at Tess, and Tess hurting him.

Kyle started, the memories were confusing. He had to tell his father. He started to go, but a desperate Tess stopped him. She mindwarped him again, like she had been doing all along, until Kyle remembered nothing except that he came to say goodbye to her.

~~~

Max and Liz finally returned home from their trip to ‘take care’ of Leanna. The stark reality that an unknown killer was still out there was hard to ignore, and Max was helpless to stay. The timer was already ticking down.

Max gave Liz the amulet from Atherton to remember him by. Tess had his baby, and Liz got the necklace. She had never slept with Kyle, and it was too late to go back and change things between them, between him and Tess, and start over again. There was no way to ever get clean again.

What hurt most as Liz walked away as she stopped in the Crashdown door, was all that might have been. He loved her, and he loved Tess in his own way. Life’s choices should’ve been easier for a boy of seventeen, but they weren’t. After she went inside, Max collapsed against the steering wheel realizing that for the rest of his life, it would always be about regret.

~~~

Max went home, his feet dragging his heavy heart. He found Isabel sobbing on her bed, her heart equally broken. She looked up at him.

“What if I said I wanted to stay?”

Max sat down next to her. “When we came out of the pods and we lost Michael, it was just the two of us in the desert and I knew that I wasn't alone…that I had my sister. To me, earth isn't home and whatever's out there isn't home, but you're my home.”

Together, they filmed a goodbye tape for their parents.

~~~

Max entered Valenti’s home to get Tess. She was waiting for him. She and his unborn son. It was time to go.

“Let's go.”

“Max, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.”

Tess held his hand tightly. It was over. They were finally all the other had, for the rest of their lives. “Right.”

Max kissed Tess and she saw a flash of Max kissing Liz. Standing back from him, she stared at him in disbelief and anger. “You kissed Liz!”

Max remained quiet. He never lied about his feelings to Tess. She always knew what Liz meant to him, how Liz would always be in his heart. It was a life she chose.

“Don't worry,” Tess told him, “you won't remember her where we're going.”

~~~

The bedroom was dimly lit by candles. Maria lay there looking at his back. He sat up on the edge of the bed a few moments ago.

“It’s time?” she asked softly. Michael nodded. He had no words left, nothing left to give her … nothing that wouldn’t hurt.

Maria remained silent as he dressed. He was leaving, and nothing she said would make it any easier. It was never meant to be this hard, but it was.

Michael walked through his apartment for the last time. He couldn’t even afford to kiss her goodbye one last time. Walking past the dinner they never ate, he opened the door. Closing his eyes, he paused for a moment before walking through the door.

It was the sound of her bare feet running fast across the room. “Michael!”

He turned quickly and swept her up in a hug, holding her hard against him. She was crying her arms circling his neck as if she would never let him go.

“Oh, god!” she whispered, her voice low and thick with tears. “I … I can’t …”

“Sh. It’s okay. I know.”

Maria nodded, sniffing back the tears that refused to stay away. “I knew this was coming. I always knew … I just didn’t know it would be so soon … too soon. I’m not ready to give you up, Michael Guerin.”

Michael hugged her so tight. He knew. He knew because he was having a hard time giving her up too.

Maria pulled away and tried to gather her emotions. Searching his face, she tried to smile bravely. She was happy for him, really, she was, but there was so much doubt, worry, and fear choking at her.

“If the baby can’t breathe here, and the Skins … like Courtney needed a special husk to breathe on Earth … how do you know you can breathe on Antar? You’re basically human.”

“Maria …” Michael searched her face. She was rambling.

“Maybe you were never meant to go back. Why did they make you human?” Maria framed his face with her hands. “I know you have to go. I know, but I can’t live not knowing … never knowing that you’re okay. I can’t spend my life in doubt searching the skies wondering if you’re still alive.”

“Maria, I have to go.”

Maria nodded, wiping a shaking hand across her face. “I know. I always knew. You were one risk I was afraid to take.” Maria licked her lips. Holding his face, she made him promise. “I want to feel good about looking at the stars. I want to look up and think of you happy and finally home. So you have to do this one thing for me. A promise.”

“I don’t know if I can keep any more promises, Maria. There is no more time.”

“Promise anyway. Promise me, that no matter what happens, or where you go, that you will find a way, if possible to contact me, to send me a message. Through Larek, or some other way. I don’t care. Send a message home to me that you’re okay. That you live. I need to know that, to go on. Promise me.”

Michael nodded, laughing a little without humor. Larek was the last person he would send a message through to her. Trust her to find the one promise designed to break his heart. Even at the very end, she found a way to take care of him. Michael hugged her one last time, his hand staying on her cheek as long as it could as he pulled away.

“I promise.”

Maria stood in the doorway of his once apartment, framed in the door by the light against the darkness of the night in nothing but her slip and bare feet. She stood in the doorway with her eyes closed listening to the sound of his bike, until she could hear it no longer.

“I love you,” she said softly as her hand slowly shut the door.

~~~

Michael was the last to arrive. He was strangely quiet. Max frowned at him, uncertain what was going on in his mind. This was a lifetime dream for Michael, and Max always expected Michael to be so excited they wouldn’t be able to contain him. He wasn’t that. He was solemn and still.

Michael used his powers to send the jeep over a cliff as Isabel, Max, Tess and Valenti watched. Breathing deeply, he watched another part of their human life burst into flames. It was really over.

Isabel handed the tape she and Max made to Valenti. “This is for our parents. Will you give it to them as soon as you're sure we're gone?”

“I will.”

“Thank you.” Jim pulled Isabel and then Tess into a hug goodbye before turning to Max.

Max couldn’t leave so much undone, but he was out of time. “Look, I need you to protect Liz, Maria and Kyle.” Michael flinched at the mention of Maria’s name, the knowledge she was being left with a killer out there. He remained silent.

“With my life.” Jim held out a hand to Max. “It's been an honor to know you, Max. It's been an honor.” Jim dropped the hand and hugged the alien boy that gave him back his son.

“Same here.” Jim watched as the four alien children walked in the direction of the pod chamber, their last walk home.

~~~

Maria walked into her bedroom, surprised to find Liz lying on her bed. Sighing she threw herself on the bed next to Liz staring up at the ceiling of her room. There was a glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. Michael had put them there for her.

“I can't believe this is happening. I … I just can't even believe it's possible!”

“Um, hmm,” Liz said, too depressed to even speak. She tried to drown her sorrow and broken heart with Maria’s cousin, Sean. It didn’t work. No matter how much she wanted to let Max go, he was still there, in the way.

Maria reached over and took Liz’s hand in hers holding it in comfort.

She just lost her best friend of a lifetime, and Liz lost the great love of her life. Maria didn’t want to examine her feelings for Michael too closely. She was afraid. All this time, she had guarded her heart from him, not wanting to let him in all the way … to love him like Liz loved Max, because she didn’t want to have to suffer when he left.

It was so much easier to look at the skies for the rest of her life thinking of him up there, happy and finally home, and to be happy for him, missing him, but still happy for the time she knew him. Loving him like a lover would’ve been so much harder. She did everything she could to safeguard herself from the fate. So why did it hurt so much? What did she do wrong?

Maria was pulled from her brooding thoughts by the sound of her mother’s voice coming from the kitchen.

“Larek. He says his name is Larek, and he's an alien. Who is Larek?”

Maria sat up looking at Liz. Larek? “My mom...” They both rushed into the other room.

“And he's taken over this whole place. And he's holding us hostage here with a gun. He's pointing a gun at my daughter.” Amy’s voice raised in anger. “He threatened my daughter!”

“Mom,” Maria forced her mother to look at her. “Mom what's wrong?”

“Maria?” Amy looked at her daughter in confusion. “What are you doing up, it's the middle of the night.” Amy’s eyes wandered to Liz. “And Liz? What are you still doing here?”

Amy hand began tapping exactly like Kyle’s had been doing while they were all at the Crashdown. It was the same rhythmic tapping that Alex did on his guitar the day he died. Liz’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Amy’s hand. Tess mindwarped Amy not to remember Larek and the whole hostage event at the UFO Center.

“It's Tess! Tess mindwarped Alex!”

“What?” Maria was still concerned about her mother.

“And Kyle!” Liz pulled Maria away. “Look, we've got to go now.”

They took the Jetta to go find Kyle. Jim would be with the aliens, seeing them off. Kyle was in his reclaimed bedroom. They quickly questioned him. Maria bit her lip, nervously looking at the time. It was running out fast.

“No, there's no way I've been mindwarped. I'd remember it.”

Maria shook her head. “Kyle, that's the whole point of being mindwarped. You don't know that it's happening to you.”

“So I'm supposed to look around the room and what?” It was his room for god’s sake. It was the same room it had always been.

“I don't know, see if you have an unusual response to anything.” Liz hated to push him, but like Maria, she saw their window of time slipping away.

Kyle began looking around the room. He suddenly started tapping his fingers on the dresser.

“Liz …” Maria pointed at Kyle’s fingers.

Kyle shook his head. “Sorry, nothing.”

“Kyle,” Liz moved closer licking her lips, nervous it wouldn’t work. “It could be really close, so keep looking … keep trying.”

Kyle’s face clouded in confusion as he stared in the mirror. He had a vision of Tess and Alex.

“You did this to me, you sent me to Las Cruces.”

“Okay, Alex,” Tess was nearly hysterical, desperate. “Alex let me fix your mind, you're not thinking straight.”

“You mindwarped me for two months while I decoded that silly book for you and now there's nothing left for you to mindwarp. You destroyed my mind! How could you do this to me?”

Kyle entered the room to the sound of Alex’s angry voice, the screaming and pain. Tess couldn’t control them both. “Kyle, get out!”

“What's going on?”

“Kyle, go!”

Alex was holding his head in pain. “I have nothing, I might as well be dead.”

Kyle didn’t know what was going on, but Alex was highly agitated. “Hey just calm down!”

“He's right okay.” Tess said, concentrating on Alex, her eyes squinting as she mindwarped him. “Calm down! Just calm down!”

“No, you can't mindwarp me. No!” Tess does it anyway, desperate to get Alex calm so she could take care of Kyle. Alex collapsed under the strain of the continuous mindwarp. Kyle watched Alex die, but before he could react, Tess turned to work on him.

Outside, Kyle shut the door to Tess’s SUV. “Your duffel's all loaded.”

“Thanks Kyle.”

“Want me to come along?”

“No. Go in the house. I'll take care of everything from here.” Kyle smiled and went back inside as Tess drove off with Alex’s dead body.

Kyle turned to Liz and Maria, horror etched on his face. “I carried his body. She made me think it was luggage. She killed him. Tess killed Alex!”

~~~

Liz, Maria and Kyle were in the Jetta on the way to the Granilith Chamber. They had to hurry. It was already getting light outside.

Liz pointed to a marker. “There's the mile marker. Kyle, how much farther?”

“It's just up ahead.”

They finally made the area of the chamber. Maria and Kyle ran up the hill to the pod chamber as Liz pointed out where it was stopping them from going any further.

“Wait, it's right here.” Liz banged on the rock face. “Hey guys open up.” She screamed as loud as she could.

The three of them screamed at the top of their lungs praying someone inside would hear them before it was too late. “Open up!”

~~~

Inside the pod chamber the four aliens waited as the Granilith counted down the time. Michael stared at the timer, indecision moving over his face. This was the most important moment of his life, the one he had waited for since he left the pod chamber, and it felt wrong.

Hal had been right. His time had come. He wanted to be the One, the Man who looked to the stars for answer. Michael breathed deeply closing his eyes for a moment. He was the Man. He always knew that, because he would never accept anyone else, no other man in her life in that way. He was at the crossroads, standing on the edge of forever.

“Max …” Michael breathed in hard and deep. He couldn’t believe he was saying this. “I can't go.” The others looked at him in shock, Max moving closer. Michael stared at the timer, then Max needing him to understand how important this was to him, how he could mess this one thing up. “Ever since we came out of the pods, I've been on some quest to figure out where I belong.” He couldn’t in a thousand years have expected this outcome. He never counted on love. “I finally found home. The weird thing is, it's here … it's here, on Earth.”

Max stared at his brother … the only brother he ever had. “Maria,” he said softly. Max shook his head in wonder. He knew. He always knew, but he never thought that Michael did or would ever admit it, especially to himself.

“Yeah. Maria.” Michael nodded, laughing softly at himself, not believing it could happen this way. “I wasn’t prepared for this to happen … not to me.”

“You of all people,” Max said in wonder, hugging Michael goodbye. He understood. If thing had been different, he would’ve done the same. “Take care of yourself, Michael. I love you.”

“You too, Max. Take care of yourself. I don’t know what’s out there, but whatever it is, I hope it’s worth all this.”

Max understood what Michael was saying. He hoped it was worth losing Liz and his life on Earth. “Take care of the others. I hope this works out for you.”

Michael nodded, giving a rare smile. “I don’t know how, but somehow, I think it will. I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

Max looked over at Isabel remembering her devastation over leaving Earth and their parents. He and Tess needed to go, but the others should have a choice. “I would understand …”

Isabel shook her head. Leave Max? “What you said before? You're my home too.”

Tess irritated by the change in plans glanced at the timer. “Well, whoever is coming, we have to go. Now.”

Michael lifted a final hand in farewell and exited the chamber one last time. Walking through the dark passage, he moved toward the door, to outside, and towards his future. Nothing was certain any longer except one thing. There was someone out there waiting for him, and he wasn’t ready to walk away from her or the feelings she inspired in him. He didn’t expect her to be easy, because God knew she never had been in the past. But, he had time … they had time. Michael smiled at that.

Opening the door, he stood in shock to find her on the other side of the chamber door. They stood staring at each other in silence that elongated until he sped it back to normal time by pulling her into a hug. Michael didn’t register Liz or Kyle, only Maria.

Maria held him tightly, but she pulled back. They were almost out of time. “Tess killed Alex!”

“What?” Michael looked back at the chamber, at where Isabel and Max were on the verge of leaving with a murderess. Letting Maria go, he ran back inside as the others followed.

“Max stop!” Liz screamed from the door before Max could transfer to the Granilith. “It was Tess. Tess killed Alex. She mindwarped Alex and sent him to Las Cruces to decode the book, but he broke out of the mindwarp and she killed him.”

Kyle entered the chamber with Liz. “It's true, I was there. I witnessed it.”

Max looked at Tess who was shaking her head. “Why didn't you ever say anything?” Max asked Kyle.

“Because she mindwarped me!” An angry Kyle went over to Tess his contempt and pain etched on his face. “You lived in my home, you were like my sister!”

Max stared at Tess in disbelief. How could she be this monster? How could he not sense that about her? “How long?” Max asked Michael, who looked up at the timer.

“About three minutes.”

“Everyone out,” Max ordered, his hand restraining Tess.

“Max …” Michael looked at Max and Tess. He didn’t trust her not to pull something else, not to find a way to take Max with her. He doubted Max would kill her, and much to his own chagrin, he realized he wouldn’t have that problem.

“Now!” Max waited until everyone left before addressing Tess. “Did you kill Alex?”

“I didn't want to.” Tess swore. “I wish I hadn't, but I did.”

“Why?” Max couldn’t understand what threat Alex could’ve been to Tess or anyone.

Tess licked her lips anxiously looking at the timer. “Look Max, the … the clock's ticking, we don't really have time …”

Max grabbed her roughly, like he once did in the desert when he first learned who she was. “Tell me why!”

“He would have told you what I did and I couldn't let that happen.”

“So you just... you just killed him?” Max was horrified. This was the mother of his unborn son, someone he knew intimately, and he didn’t know her at all. She wasn’t who he thought she was.

“I didn't mean to. His brain was just so weakened by the mindwarp, and …” Tess glanced up at the timer, “look, none of this matters now.”

“Life matters Tess. My life, your life, his …”

Tess couldn’t agree. “What matters is getting home, but you could never understand that could you?” Tess’s disdain for Max and his ineffectiveness added a bite to her voice. “I might have been able to teach you but that stupid bitch had you wrapped around her ...”

“Don't you ever call her that!” Max yelled in anger.

“See! Look how fast you run to her defense!” Tess said in bitterness, the hatred of Liz and her scorn on her face. “Why couldn't you ever feel that about me? I'm your wife, Max! I'm carrying your child!”

“This was all some kind of plan to get pregnant and go home, wasn't it?” It was suddenly all coming clear. Destiny, the push to have him followed it, not only the pressure placed on him by Tess, but Nasedo. “Home to what, Tess? To Khivar? To our enemies?” Max held Tess’s arm harshly.

Tess shook his restraining hand off of her. “They're not my enemies, Max.”

“You made a deal with them, with Khivar.”

“No,” Tess couldn’t take credit for that. “Nasedo made a deal, forty years ago.”

Max felt sick, thinking of the Shapeshifter, all he did and said, his assurances. “What was the deal? Tell me!”

“To return home with your child, and deliver the three of you to Khivar.”

“And what would happen to us once you delivered us?”

Tess refused to answer, but even Max could figure that one out.

“How did I ever fall in love with someone like you?” Max asked in disgust, the disgust almost more for himself than for her. She was a pawn in Nasedo’s game, born to the alliance, but still, her sins were her own. “How could I ever marry you?”

“You were different,” Tess spat at him, in spite, “you were a king! Now you're just a boy.”

Max raised his hand to Tess' neck. She stared him down. “You kill me, Max, you kill our son.”

Max’s hand flexed, but he finally released her stepping back. “Go.” Tess reached up a hand and transferred into the Granilith, she looked back at Max all alone. “This isn't over, Tess.”

Max quickly left the chamber hurrying before the place exploded.

Isabel was waiting for him in the outer chamber unwilling to leave him behind. “Max!” The others were there too.

“Quick, go. Let's go!”

Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Isabel and Kyle ran away from the chamber as large pieces of the rock face tore away. They cleared the chamber to stand watching as it disintegrated and the Granilith shot upward into the sky.

Max looked at Liz in regret. “I've been really wrong about a lot. But I was right about one thing: To get you into my life, to be around you, to love you.”

Maria couldn’t listen to it. It would be a long time before she could forgive Max Evans. Forgive him Alex and Liz, and the near death of both Isabel and Michael. Maybe it was unfair to blame him, to hold him responsible for Tess, but he was the King, and ultimately, it was his responsibility. The things he did and the things he said to Liz … there was no forgiveness.

Maria hugged Michael. “You opened the door and you came out … why?” She looked at him. He was alive. Shaking her head, she hugged him again. “I don’t care. I don’t care what made you decide to stay, I’m just glad you did. Whatever it was … I’ll thank God for it until my dying days.”

Michael hugged her hard, his heart feeling full, alive for the first time in twenty-four hours. That hollow feeling was finally gone. He would thank God too, until his dying days. He would thank God for Maria. She was the reason, the only reason any of them lived.

Isabel looked at her brother watching the Granilith disappear from sight. “What happens now, Max?”

“I have to save my son …”

The six of them stared in the direction the ship left until finally Michael took Maria’s hand and led her home, towards the Jetta.

“C’mon, I’m starving.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t pack a lunch for the journey.” Maria almost skipped next to him, her feet feeling lighter than they had in over twelve hours. “That was poor planning on your part.”

“I got to blow up the jeep.”

“Really?” Maria snorted. “Too bad Max didn’t let you blow up Tess.”

Michael put an arm around Maria in comfort, keeping it light. “Well, you know, too much fun in one day would spoil me.”

Maria’s arm went around his middle hugging herself close to his side. “Don’t I know it.”

TBC: TDWNK Season 3 - The Man Who Would Be King