Ch-Ch- Changes……

At The Cow Patty, Liz and Kyle were sitting at a table watching Maria singing with Jim’s band, the Kit Shickers. Kyle watched in horror as Jim and Maria did a love song duet. Flashbacks from his dad’s strange detour into mid-age crisis hit him hard, increased by the horror of seeing it again with Maria.

“Am I the only one who sees the creepiness in this?” Kyle asked.

“Get a grip, they sound amazing.” Liz said absently, looking around for the rest of the gang. “Ugh, where's everybody else?”

Kyle wasn’t listening to Liz, too busy obsessing over the sight of his father cavorting around with a young girl, especially Maria. “There are so many other duets out there. Clean duets. Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt can keep their hands off each other, so can Elton John and Kiki Dee.”

“Elton John likes boys,” Liz pointed out.

“Yeah. Well, did the Captain ever grind on Tennille?”

“What? Who?”

Kyle glanced at the stage again, his face losing color. “Oh, in the name of all that is holy, stay off each other! I gotta wash my eyes...” Kyle went to find a bathroom and a fifth of vodka.

“Hey.” Max joined Liz kissing the side of her head.

“Mmmm. Hi. You missed half the set.”

“Yeah, I got held up at the library.”

Liz frowned, then smiled. “Oh. Well, um, are Isabel and Jesse coming?”

“Uh, they're in Santa Fe tonight.” Max admitted.

“What about Michael?”

Max shook his head. “I dunno.”

“This is a big thing for Maria. She's been practicing for like over a week. None of her friends showed up.” Max turned to watch Maria on the stage and he smiled at her enthusiasm and showmanship.

“I don't think she's gonna notice.” Max glanced at Liz and she wasn’t smiling. “Come on, I'm sorry.”

“I'm not the one you should be apologizing to.” Liz said crossly, her face pinching in pain for a moment.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” Liz waved it off as unimportant. “I think I'm coming down with something.”

“Well, there is a bad flu going around.”

“Ah, perfect.”

“Yeah, it's terrible. Fever, sore throat, nausea,” Max stood up holding out his hand. “And an uncontrollable urge to dance.” He pulled her from her seat.

“No. no, please, Max.” Liz protested as her other hand touched her plate, and the plate turned red as food came from the food, unseen by Max and Liz. “Please I don't …” Laughing Liz allowed Max to drag her on the dancing floor anyway.

A waiter came over to the table and tried to pick up Liz's plate. The plate was hot enough to burn him. He went off to get something for his burn leaving the half melted plate on the table.

~~~

After the gig at The Cow Patty, the group went to the Crashdown for a late night snack and talk. Liz came from the back carrying a plate that she sat in front of Maria.

“Pluto Potato Skins on the house.” Liz sat down beside Maria tiredly.

“Thank you.” Maria glanced at her friend. “What’s up? You look tired.”

“I think I’m coming down with something.” Liz moved her tired body feeling all over. “Congratulations, Maria, but I'm gonna call it a day, okay?”

Maria squeezed Liz’s hand. “Okay, bye.” Maria frowned at as Liz went.

“Bye.” Liz walked off almost too tired to make it upstairs.

Jim came over and took Liz’s empty seat. “Maria, before I forget,” he handed her money, “here's your cut from The Cow Patty. It's not much.”

Maria made a face at the idea of singing for money, and not love. “Come on, it's all for the love of the loaf.”

“Hey, the guys and I have been talkin’ and we put it to a unanimous vote. How would you like to sit in with the Kit Shickers on a more permanent basis?”

“No Shick?”

“Mm.” Jim smiled at her humor, seeing her mother in her in that instant. “I mean you wouldn't just be singing back up either. You'll sing a few solo numbers, we'd sing together of course. Um, I've been working on a set list. "Baby It's Cold Outside.””

“Nice.” Maria smiled politely. She could do a few covers, and hopefully start sliding her own stuff in.

“Umm, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."” Jim suggested.

“Classic.”

“Islands in the Stream.”

Maria made a face. “Not unless you kill me or hold me by gunpoint.”

“Forget that one, what do you say?”

Maria glanced at the older man. She always thought she would be in a band with Alex, but Jim was just as important to her. They had history. “Sure.”

“Great.” Jim smiled nodding his head. He could already see an increase in their popularity with Maria on the stage. A woman that had been watching and taking notes at the gig, entered the Crashdown and looked around. She saw Maria and Jim. “Practice is tomorrow. Can you make it?”

Maria nodded. “Yeah, my social calendar is surprisingly very empty lately.” Maria admitted still missing Michael, and not really wanting to obsess about his absence too much.

The woman walked up to Maria. “I am loving you. Dominique Lazar Producer Records,” she said handing Maria her card. “I was at your show.”

“Oh, thank you. Jim Valenti, lead singer. Nice to meet you.” Jim smiled big and charmingly.

Dominique ignored Jim. “You were really, really good. P.S. - I never say that.”

“Well thanks, it was a new set.” Jim told the woman not letting her attitude freeze him out. “Maria's a nice addition, don't you think?”

Dominique finally glanced at Jim. “Oh, were you there too?”

“Lead singer.”

“Oh. Oh, yeah, sure. Good job.” Dominique turned back to Maria. “Maria, Maria, what?”

“DeLuca.”

Dominique wrote Maria’s name down in her notebook. “Maria DeLuca, I can work with that.”

“Okay, Earth to the lady with really great boots, by the way.” Maria said really admiring the nice tooled soft leather with a wicked side strap.

“Thank you.” Dominique loved this girl.

“Um, I don't know who you think I am, but I can-- I can guarantee you got the wrong gal.”

“I am an ANR Executive.” Dominique went on to introduce herself. “I have been scouting the Southwest for talent. Sweetheart anyone with a voice like that who can work an outfit like this is definitely not the wrong girl, you got a minute?”

Maria wasn’t sure how to act, she tried for nonchalant, but her heart was beating almost out of her chest. “Yeah, sure.”

“Great.” Maria and Dominique start to leave to find a private booth, so they could talk.

“Oh, here.” Dominique handed Jim one of her cards.

~~~

Liz walked into the back of the Café after leaving Maria, she saw her dad working. Moaning, she tried to hurry to the stairs before he could talk to her.

“How was the show?” Jeff asked not looking up from his work.

Liz stopped in her tracks. “It was good.” Liz breathed hard. She was so tired. “Goodnight.”

“Little early for bed, don't you have homework?”

Liz turned at the stairs to face him. “Yeah, I did it all ready.” Upstairs, she just had to get upstairs.

“Mrs. Fletcher called from the Guidance office.” Jeff informed Liz, sitting back from his work. “Two C's in Spanish and AP History.”

“Umm, it's because I had two pop quizzes the same day that an English paper was due. Everybody bombed.”

“Right. Is that the same excuse you're gonna use at your Harvard interview?”

“I really have a headache.” Liz confessed, those stairs seemed so long. “Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

“You know, I backed off that whole boarding school thing, because you promised you were gonna get your life together, and going to Harvard has been your dream since you were what? Six.”

“Five, and that's because you put a poster of Cambridge over my bed.”

“Yeah. Sweetie, you've got more brains and talent in your little finger then all the kids at Roswell have in their entire bodies.” Jeff told his daughter proudly.

“Dad, please.” Liz begged really needing to just lie down.

“I am serious. How many of them are even thinking about going to college?” Jeff frowned at her pale face going over to a supply cabinet. He shook out two aspirin and passed them to Liz. “They're just hanging around watching TV dreaming about becoming rock stars.”

Maria burst in from the café her hands raised up in the air. “Wahoo!!  A label wants to sign me, I'm going to be a rock star.”

~~~

Michael was watching the monitor, not talking. He was in a bad mood. It was the state of his normal attitude lately. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes.

“That is the third sigh in the last ten minutes,” said Steve from his seat.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Hmm,” Steve glanced at the other guys shrugging. “Is this about the change in schedules going to two man shifts, or you upset about something else?”

Michael shrugged. “Naw, I happy to drop shifts, and everything. I bought what I wanted to buy, but now, I’m thinking it was a bad purchase.”

“Maria.” Steve guessed.

“Look, not that I don’t appreciate everyone’s advice, with the exception of a few really disgusting ones, but …”

“Butt out?” George asked.

“Yeah.”

Monk pushed his chair back. “What’s the count, Mike?”

“Twenty-two days, seven hours, and fifteen minutes with some change.”

“So you two aren’t talking?” Fly asked hopefully, not wanting to bump Mike or anything, but he wouldn’t mind Maria becoming a free agent.

“We talk. We go the movies. She says goodnight, and goes home … alone.” Michael sighed again. “I’m trying to keep her at arms length until her birthday, but I didn’t expect her to take it as a sign that I wasn’t interested in her in other ways, and now she spends all her time not crossing over these stupid invisible lines between friendship, and something more.” Michael looked at the others. “I was spending more time, and closer to her two years ago, than I am right now.”

“Did you try just confessing?” Steve suggested. “Just come clean, try to make her understand what the delay is, but you know … let her know exactly where you’re heading?”

“I can’t. I tell her, and I don’t think it will stop at a talk.” Michael confessed.

“So, just increase your efforts to be in her face all the time, in her life, just so she can’t forget you’re there. I mean, what is she doing tonight?” Steve asked.

“She was singing with a band at the Cow Patty.” Michael admitted.

The other guys all went still, they looked at one another. Steve cleared his throat. “You missed her concert?” Michael nodded as the others groaned. Steve rubbed his face. “Oh, that was a mistake.”

Michael shook his head. Sure it was. Lately everything he did was. “Look, I could’ve gone, but then I would have to sit there watching her sing on stage with a guy old enough to be her father, them all over each other, or her in a tight outfit with all these rednecks drooling all over her.” Michael’s hands clenched. “I can take a lot, but not that!”

“Aw!” The groups said together. “Jealousy!”

“I’m not jealous!” Michael said as the monitors in the room blew. Everyone stood still, confused by the event. Michael covered his face when Steve’s voice came out of the dark.

“Okay, what the hell just happened?”

~~~

Maria was pacing around Michael's apartment waiting for him. Frowning as the hours ticked away past his shifts end at Meta-Chem. She paced in anxiety wondering if she should’ve waited for him at the Café, he might have gone there for breakfast. Sighing, she sat on the sofa, read a magazine, put it down, picked it back up, and unable to calm down, she went back to pacing.

Michael came through the door noticing her immediately. He glanced around noticing that Max had already gone for the day. “Look, I miss that thing with you and Valenti last night, cuz I have to pick up an extra shift.” He shut his door putting the groceries down.

“Michael.”

“And sitting in bars listening to music doesn't put Snapple on the table.” Michael explained quickly not wanting her to think he didn’t care, didn’t want to be there. Even though he hadn’t wanted to be.

“I was worry, you were late.” Maria looked at the groceries and his tired face. “Are you okay?”

“We had a little problem last night at work. It required a special repair crew to come in and while all the security grid was down, the night crew had to do walking rounds.”

“Damn. No wonder you look tired. I’m sorry, I just needed to tell you something, but maybe …”

“Maria, please?” Michael sighed tiredly. He wasn’t sleeping. He wasn’t doing much of anything.

“Yeah, okay, well I need to talk to you.”

“You got five minutes. That is what it takes to warm of this frozen dinner in the microwave, consume it, and hit my bed face down in that order. I can give you five minutes of consciousness, then I can’t be held responsible.

“Your existence frightens me.” Maria put a hand on his arm, hating to see him so tired and obviously not sleeping.

“Four minutes, DeLuca, then it’s goodnight.” Michael pressed the start button on the microwave as his version of nutritious breakfast began to be irradiated.

“A woman from a record label saw me perform last night and offered me a demo deal.” Maria told him in one fast sentence and breath.

“A what?”

“A demo deal. It's like a test run for an artist to see if they have any potential. They're gonna record three or four songs with me and they are going to pay for everything.” Maria literally jumped, hopping around in excitement. “Can you believe it?”

“No.” Michael said more to himself, his stomach lurching.

“Oh god, stuff like this happens to people like Alicia Keys or I don't know, Fiona Apple or somebody. Not me though, not in Roswell. I'm just, oh, I am just freaking out!” Maria hugged him forgetting she wasn’t doing that anymore, needing to feel him. Laughing, she couldn’t let him go.

Michael breakfast beeped. “I got potatoes in there.” Michael said stupidly, holding her to him, closing his eyes, savoring the feel of her next to him.

“Want to hear something really stupid, Michael? When Dominique, the um, label chick, told me about the news, the first thing I thought of was I can’t wait to tell Michael.”

“That's stupid?” Michael’s stomach dropped more, as he felt himself being propelled from her life even more. “Thanks.”

“I'm sorry, wrong choice of words. You know what I mean! I couldn’t imagine not telling you. Seriously, you're the first person I wanted to share this with. I've been waiting here for two hours.”

Michael hugged her, knowing this was her dream, what she had tried to rediscover since Alex died. “I am really happy for you, Maria.”

Maria laughed and hugged him again. “MTV here I come.” She kissed Michael for the first time in a long time forgetting he told her he couldn’t handle kisses. She kissed him again. Maria suddenly stood back remembering herself. “I’m sorry. I got carried away.” She couldn’t help it. Her hand moved out and swept across his face, lovingly stroking his cheekbone. “You look tired. How about I feed you and put you to bed.”

Michael nodded forgetting his damn TV dinner breakfast. “Okay. You want to do something for me?”

Maria nodded. He was always there for her. “Name it.”

“Stay with me until I fall asleep. I haven’t been sleeping.”

Maria searched his face. He wasn’t kidding. She could see the tired lines marking his face, and the drooping of his shoulders. “C’mon.” Maria led him into his bedroom, pushing him down on the bed. She quickly removed his shoes and shirt pushing him flat, rolling him to his side so she could lie down next to him. Holding him from behind, she spooned in real close whispering in his ear, “this is it, Michael. The start of our dreams, everything we wanted and worked for is coming true.”

Michael didn’t hear. All he could feel was her touch, her arms holding him.

~~~

Max and Liz were at their AP Biology class. Liz was finding it hard to keep awake. Max kept waking her up before she got into trouble. Liz complained of having a foggy head with an inability to concentrate. Max listened sympathetically as Liz explained that her father was a little radical currently due to an interview she had in two days with a Harvard recruiter. Needing to get her lab over, Liz went to get supplies. She picked up an Erlenmeyer flask glancing into the mirror. Staring in horror at her own face, she gasped when it was completely gone. She stared in disbelief then suddenly her face came back. Turning to see if Max noticed, he was at their lab station completely oblivious to what she was doing.

~~~

Liz was at the doctor's office sitting on the examination table when the doctor came in. He was reading her file, quickly smiling at her.

“Liz, your white blood cell count is normal which eliminates any bacterial infection. Uh, you may have a virus.” He glanced at her lab panel again finding nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to explain her chief complaint of tiredness. “Are you experiencing any dizziness?”

Liz shook her head. “No.”

“Coughing?”

“No.” Liz denied.

“What about uh …” Liz frowned as suddenly her hearing went, and she couldn’t hear what the doctor was saying. She watched his mouth moving, but she couldn’t hear anything.

“Are you sexually active, Liz?” the doctor asked as a routine question for all teenage patients.

“No. No, Dr. Fink, no, um …”

“I can’t help you protect yourself unless you are completely honest with me.” He told her, knowing her past history with a troublesome youth.

“Protect me from what?” Liz was confused. What? He thought she had a sexual disease?

“When you're young, Liz, sometimes you overlook the consequences of knowing someone intimately, and there's a possibility that you may catch something, even from someone you love.”

~~~

Liz walked out of the doctor’s office no closer to understanding what was wrong with her than before. Maria glanced up when she came out the door, standing to meet Liz holding both of their jackets and book bags.

“Liz?” Maria said with worry on her face, as she searched her friend’s face. “Anything?” Maria’s mouth opened. “Oh god! What’s wrong?”

“Maria! Okay, nothing. So don’t freak. My blood work was all normal, and I just got the weirdest lecture about safe sex in my life.”

“Oh.” Maria breathed easier. “Not the standard, ‘Sometimes you overlook the consequences of knowing someone intimately, and there's a possibility that you may catch something even from someone you love’ lecture or was it the one about how birth control isn’t hundred percent, and can’t block STDs?”

“The first.” Liz and Maria went to take the elevator downstairs. “Thanks for coming with me. My dad would’ve freaked.”

“No problem. I was just sleeping with Michael.”

“Sleeping sleeping, or just sleeping?”

“Just sleeping.” Maria cleared her throat. “I told you, he made it perfectly clear that he just wants to be friends, and not that kind of friends. You know … friends.”

“Maria, I think you got this wrong.”

“Look, let’s not talk about my dysfunctional life, and my sort of, not sort of relationship with Michael. Let’s talk about you for a moment. What’s worrying you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the whole idea that I could catch something. I mean what if you don’t need sex with an alien to get infected, and it doesn’t show up in lab tests?”

Maria’s mouth opened as she stopped in her tracks. “You mean like alien herpes?”

~~~

After Maria dropped her off, Liz couldn’t concentrate enough to study. Too many thoughts went through her head, and she could shake the idea that something was wrong with her. She sought out the only other person who might or might not understand.

Kyle was working at Toby’s Garage. He paused in his overview of somebody’s engine to talk to Liz. “Strange symptoms? Shoot.”

“Umm, fatigue, and total inability to concentrate.”

Kyle shrugged. “Me, every day.”

“I've been having some hallucinations.”

“Yeah? Like what?” Kyle asked, suddenly interested.

“Well, I looked in the mirror at school and my face totally disappeared.” Kyle laughed thinking that Liz wasn’t that plain. Her face was hardly a blank. “I mean--No, for real. This is serious Kyle something strange is happening to me.”

Kyle wiped his hands on a grease rag. “Okay, why are you telling me this?”

“What makes me different from everybody else is the fact that I was brought back from the dead by an alien.”

“Yeah. So was I, and now that you've touched on one of my deepest, darkest fears, let’s just assume that what you're going through is stress.” Kyle picked up a book and pointed to the title. “Buddha, Take Me Away. This book has gotten me through some very tough times. Here, Young Grasshopper, take.” He handed Liz his most valuable resource of inner peace as he went to check on a bell from a potential customer.

Liz looked at the book and tossed it on the bench on top of a radio. The radio turned on and a song came on for a second. She took the book off the radio and it turned on again, this time longer. Liz stood up and placed her hand near it. Sparks started flying and the radio played static. Kyle heard the noise and walked over to Liz.

“Did you just …?” Liz placed her hand near it again as sparks flew causing Kyle to jump back. “You did. Whoa.”

“Kyle, I think I'm changing.” Liz confessed her worse suspicion.

Kyle stared at the radio, then at Liz, and finally at his own hands. “Have you talked to Max about this at all?”

“No, I don't want to tell Max not yet.”

“But he's the one who healed us, he needs to know.” Kyle felt worried, not only for Liz, but for himself.

“I'm scared to tell him.”

“Why?” That made no sense. They were together. “You go to him for everything.”

“No, he risks so much when he healed me. It's what made me fall in love with him.” Liz admitted.

“Yeah, me too.” Kyle admitted.

“Kyle!” Liz said in shock smiling at the joking look on Kyle’s face.

“Look, what's going on here is really scary. If I don't lighten the mood, I might lose it.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“If it's too difficult for you, I'll go talk to him.”

“No!” Liz quickly said, afraid that she made a mistake confining in Kyle. She didn’t even want to tell Maria. “Um, sorry. No, um, could you just please respect my feelings.”

Kyle reluctantly nodded. “Let the record show, I think this is a bad idea.”

“Noted. I have to go.” Liz stopped for a moment. “That includes Maria, Kyle.”

“Liz …”

“No. She has enough issues with Max. If she finds out about this, she will freak, think I’m dying, and I can’t tell you how much damage that will do with her teetering friendship with Max. They are just now slowly coming out of this animosity since Enigma, and I like the peace.” Liz started to leave.

“Liz.” Kyle called to her, hating to see the girl that was once his girlfriend out there alone, with both Max and Maria out of the loop. “You're not alone in this. If you need anything, call me.”

“Thank you.”

~~~

Steve sucked down another coffee, this one with twice the sugar as he stared over the cup at his friend. “Mike, I’m not getting what’s making you freak here.”

“She’s getting a recording contract.”

“I know. I thought that was her dream, the goal that she had set. This is a good thing, right?”

Michael breathed deeply. “It should be, but then why do I feel this way?”

“What way?”

Michael stared at the wall as Cheryl listened to the two men talking quietly. “Like she’s leaving me, moving on, and I’m not that important.”

“I doubt that, Michael.” Cheryl offered kindly. “I’ve met Maria. You are her world.”

“I was. Things have been strained lately.”

“The whole ‘she needs to be eighteen’ thing?” Cheryl guessed.

“Yeah. I can’t be too close to her without it going somewhere else real fast, but I still have twenty-one days … three frickin’ weeks!”

“You’re half there, buddy.” Steve consoled Michael.

“It’s killing me.” Michael admitted. “I never realized how much I depend on her presence, her touch. She’s afraid to touch me right now. She thinks I just want to be friends and nothing more, so all the ground we crossed the last few years is now just gone.”

“You were working on her birthday present,” said Cheryl. “How’s that going?”

“Great. I made all the arrangements. We’re going to Albuquerque for the weekend. I’ve got hotel arrangements at a real nice place. Reservations at a real nice restaurant, not our usual type, but one with candles, wine lists, the whole tamale. Concert tickets, and I found a place to go late night for music and dancing.”

“That sounds really nice, Michael.” Cheryl said, surprised at how much forethought went into the planning.

“Yeah, I just need to keep from losing it for another three weeks then all my work will be rewarded.”

Cheryl went still. She frowned. “Rewarded? Your work?” Cheryl cleared her throat. “Exactly how are you planning to be rewarded?”

Michael made a face. “Is this a trick question?” Steve shrugged. Like he knew? “You know … we’ll be free, me and Maria to finally do it. Be together. Get …” Michael frowned at the look on Cheryl’s face. “What?”

“Get it on?” Cheryl asked with a loud voice, obviously offended by something. “Let me get this straight. Your birthday present to Maria is to treat her to this really nice romantic weekend just so you can get laid?”

“What?” Michael shook his head. “Did I miss something?”

“Did it occur to you that you and she … you aren’t even dating really? That you just threw her a curveball, and she now thinks you only want to be friends? So what? After six weeks of a cooled down friendship, you take her to this huge weekend and expect her to be so appreciative that she … she just gives it up to you?”

Michael thought for a moment, and then nodded while scratching his eyebrow. “Yeah.”

Steve smiled and gave him two thumbs up.

“No.” Cheryl said shaking her head. “Uh-huh. Where did you get this stupid plan?” Michael immediately glanced at Steve, who shook his head frantically before Michael snitched him out. Too late. Cheryl caught the exchange. “Oh! You?” She stared at her husband in disbelief. “God!” She turned to Michael. “First … you are no longer allowed to play with Steve. He’s a dating moron. Second, good move on the romantic weekend, but it would only work if you were already intimate with the girl, or on the verge of being intimate. Trying to work in the first date? Uh-uh.”

“Uh-uh?”

“No.” Cheryl shook her head. Seeing Michael’s despondent face. “Okay, the pathetic, someone stepped on my puppy look is very effective. There is only one way to salvage this.”

Michael sat up straighter. Finally, professional help. “Steve, do the dishes. Cheryl’s busy.” Michael told his friend. “You said salvage right?”

“Right. You’re going to have to talk to Maria. Make her understand that you don’t want to be just friends. That what she thought was happening was happening, and that you are still heading that way. You’re going to have to confess what you’re doing, tell her that you need to slow it down until she’s of age, and then you’ll be more comfortable to pursue this relationship.” Cheryl took a breath. “Michael, you’re going to have to remind her why she loves you as a friend, ever considered being more, and then just be honest as to why you’re keeping away.”

“Oh. Honest?”

“Honest.” Cheryl wasn’t sure that anything was connecting in his brain. “You want to write this down?” Michael gave Cheryl a look and she sighed. “Okay, I’ll write it down.”

“Word for word … exactly what I should say.” Michael begged.

~~~

Michael showed up to listen as Maria was singing and playing the guitar at the recording studio. He stayed against the back wall watching, his eyes never leaving Maria. He smiled when she finished, and she saw him. She waved him to meet her at the door when she left the studio. He got there at the same time as Dominique, who immediately nabbed Maria, ignoring Michael.

“So Maria, do you drink?”

“Only at parties at times, and I am officially a lightweight at one to two beers. Otherwise, at home or elsewhere? No.”

“Drugs?”

Maria made a face. “No way!”

Dominique smiled at Maria’s reaction. She tried to explain the questions. “I mean, me, personally I couldn't care less, but the boys upstairs, they make me ask these questions.”

“Why?”

Dominique shrugged. “You know, just millions of teenaged girls and their allowances. Oh, how old are you again?”

“Eighteen.”

“Oh great, that's what you're going to be telling people for the next three years.”

Michael finally spoke up making himself known. “Hey,” he said to Maria kissing her on the cheek. “I just wanted to stop by and see how things are going.” Michael glanced at Dominique. “Actually she’s officially still seventeen.”

“Michael.” Maria smiled at Dominique. “Officially, he’s correct, but my birthday is in three weeks, then I’ll be eighteen.”

“You are..?” Dominique looked the tall boy over.

“Hi, Michael.” They shook hands.

“Hi. Dominique Lazar.”

“Michael, he's uh, just …” Maria searched for a good description.

“I'm the boyfriend.” Michael said without blinking. “Is her being seventeen a problem?”

“It shouldn’t be. She’ll just need a parent’s signature on the forms, and everything is good to go.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” said Maria. Great, now she and Michael would need to make a special trip to Las Cruces.

“Oh Maria, sweetie, you need to tell me when you can travel.” Dominique said taking out her palm pilot to make notes, and order reservations.

“Okay. Where are we going?”

“New York.”

Michael frowned. “City?”

“Yeah. Well, if my people love what we did here then we'll record the demo over there.”

“How long will she be gone?”

“Best case scenario, forever.” Dominique laughed, “she can bus back to this town when the mayor is gonna cut a ribbon for something.” Dominique continued to laugh delighted with her find. Maria laughed too in a high pitch giggle full of disbelief. This was happening so fast.

“New York?” Michael repeated.

“Is that a problem?” Dominique looked between the two teens.

“Oh, no, no, no, not at all.” Maria reassured the woman confused by the look on Michael’s face, one she couldn’t place.

Dominique smiled. “Groovy.”

~~~

Max and Michael were in the desert digging up the alien artifacts they had buried previously. Michael was listening to Max, barely, his mind elsewhere.

“She thinks she’s different, that my healing changed her.”

“I thought that was understood. Didn’t that punked out version of Tess tell her that? That bringing back people was bad?”

“She’s been sick, and then while we were on the bleachers, she started a book on fire.” Max stopped digging for a moment. “She fainted for a moment, and I think she’s gonna get sicker.”

“This is stupid, Max. She’s not an alien. I don’t know what she is. How do you know the healing stones will help her?”

“I don’t, but I have to try.”

“You guys are always giving me crap about being impulsive and stupid. Well you know what's stupid? Sneaking around in the desert while your father is watching our every move.”

“Shut up, Michael.”

“Whose idea was it to bury the alien stuff anyway? What are we? Eight? It's called a safety deposit box.” Michael demanded upset that once again here he was. “This is the second time! Second! First time I had to break my date with Maria when old Billy Bob the Singing Unwashed was here. While I was here the bastard kissed my girl! Now I was supposed to be taking her to Las Cruces to see her mom. She’s on the road alone.”

“I need the book translation. It might have something on Liz's change.”

Michael stopped digging for a moment. “You read it like ten times.”

“Well maybe I missed something.”

“Like you’re not God! And disrupting the natural balance of life for your own personal gain is wrong?” Michael shook his head, not really angry about that, but angry that Max did what he pleased at any given moment regardless of the harm and damage to those around him. “What if there's nothing in there?”

“Well then I'll find somebody who knows something.” Max paused not wanting to say it. “Even if I have to contact the FBI.”

Michael felt a cold trickle of fear down his back. The tone and look on Max’s face was the same one he had that time when Max said he would save Liz again. “Hey Max, I know this is a big deal, but you gotta keep calm. All right? Don't kick up any dust. If we get exposed we can’t help her.”

“It's a risk I'm willing to take.”

Sonnabitch! Michael couldn’t take it again. Once again, a risk Max was willing to take involved willfully risking everyone else’s lives, all for Liz. “My life, Isabel’s, Kyle’s Valenti’s, and especially Maria’s are not your personal fucking playground to toss about at a whim! You cry and whine over everything, small kids, wounded birds, and Liz Parker, but do you even stop to think of us? We’re people, living beings, and you barter us away as insignificant in comparison to her! Do I have to smack some sense into you right now?? I got a shovel here, I'll do it!”

Max used his powers to send Michael's shovel flying a few feet. “There’s something wrong with her Michael, and I don't know how to fix it.”

“And killing the rest of us to find it will be so much better?” Michael asked. “Well figure it out. But this is the last time, Maxwell. This is the last time you risk my life for your great love. You accused me of being dangerous all these years, impulsive and out of control. You wrote the damn book on it!” He held up a finger. “Last time. You risk me again, and those I love, I’m gone.”

“And what if we can’t? What if it gets worse?” Max yelled at Michael. “I've screwed up hundreds of times to find out who we are! Do you know how many times Liz has? Never. And this is what she gets in return. Look, I'm doing whatever it takes to help her. If you got a problem with that you can leave right now.”

Michael stared at Max for a moment before walking away. He picked up his shovel and went back to where Max was digging and helping him dig.

“How many times has Maria screwed up, Max? How about Alex? How about Valenti or Kyle? Why is her life so much more important then theirs? She was dead! A mishap, an unseen accident in the Crashdown was her fate, and her life was supposed to end there. You … you reached out your hand and saved her for yourself … no one else but yourself, and started this entire thing for someone that should be dead! You risk not only me and Isabel … you risk us all.” Michael kept digging.

“Thanks for helping.” Max said quietly, forgetting how angry Michael had been all these years over his actions.

“I’m not doing this for you or Liz! I’m doing this for Maria.” Michael stopped for a moment. “Your impulsive behavior, your inability to care about anything but yourself and your great love is ultimately going to be the death warrant for us all, and it has cost Maria a mother, her home, and Alex. I’ll be damned if I let it cost her Liz too.”

“Michael, you can’t tell Maria.” Max begged not wanting to lose the friendship he had with Maria, the one that was slowly mending.

“The hell I can’t!”

“You can’t. Let me try to heal Liz first.” Max begged Michael. “Please. I can’t stand to hear her cry over Liz like she did over Alex. Please. Let me try to fix this.”

“Fine. You fix it, but if you can’t, if you expose us, or you make Maria cry … I’ll kill you.”

~~~

Michael stood outside the DeLuca house. Maria was back. The Jetta was parked in the driveway. Pausing for a moment, he calmed himself, tried to get his head straight on lying to her. Technically, it wasn’t a lie not telling her, but a lie of omission was almost the same thing.

Instead of using his key or just entering, he knocked.

“Michael?” Maria was confused to see him standing there. He never knocked.

Michael saw the tears on her face, and he groaned under his breath. She knew. She knew about Liz. “Hi. What’s wrong?” He waited for her to tell him.

“I …” Maria shook her head. “My mom, she won’t sign.”

“What?” Michael moved Maria aside to enter the house. “She said no?” Michael hadn’t expected that.

Maria sniffed. “She wants me to finish High School. She said I need to stop trying to grow up so fast. That I only have a few months of school left, and then my life will change.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

Maria shrugged. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

Michael cleared his throat shaking his head. “Okay, you know, that pisses me off! Since when have I ever given you the idea that you’re bothering me?” He watched her face, and she was avoiding his glance. “Fine. That’s it. I’m staying here until we talk, and I mean really talk.”

“Michael …”

“Nope. I’ll sit here and watch chick-flicks, listen to angry girl music, and if I have to, I’ll sit here like a lump, until we talk.” Michael cleared his throat. “I didn’t bring a change of clothes so this could get bad fast.”

“I hate it when you threaten me with body odor.”

Michael grabbed Maria, holding her still to look at him. “Look, I know I pushed our relationship back, and I didn’t mean to do that. I just wanted to slow it down. I know that you thought we were heading somewhere else … someplace more. You weren’t wrong, Maria. We were heading that way. We still are. I just need it to slow down a little.”

“Over two and a half years is snail’s pace, Michael.” Maria pointed out.

“No, it’s not. Not if we needed it to be that slow. I …” Michael breathed in deeply. “I need to take this one step at a time. I don’t want to take it in big leaps, or cheat. For us, there was no looking into each other’s eyes and feeling like this was a huge ‘soulmate’ love. We didn’t go from strangers to lovers in less than a blink. We’re more than that. Better.”

“What are we?” Maria moved her hands up his arms. “Tell me.” She begged.

“Forever.”

Maria’s eyes got big at the conviction in his voice … the lack of hesitation or guise. She could barely breathe, let alone talk. “How long?”

“Give me three weeks.”

“My birthday?” Maria frowned. “You’re waiting for my birthday?”

“I love your mom, Maria.”

“Please tell me that’s in a ‘I feel like an adopted son’ way, and not something icky.”

Michael laughed. “You’re safe. It is definitely not in an icky way, so you can come out to breathe.”

“Thank god.” Maria thought about it. “So this is my age thing.”

“No, this is my age thing. I’ve been eighteen since last summer, months older than you, but I’m much older than that, Maria. I’ve never been a kid, not really, and when I’m around your mom … she makes me feel like a kid. She tells me to pick up after myself, to take out the garbage. She makes me change my shirt because the one I have on has a hole, then she mends it. She remembers my birthday, and she checks up on me in school, goes to bat for me when I’m in trouble, and she trusts me with the one thing she loves most in this world.”

Maria’s eyes filled with tears. “Me.”

“Right. I would rather be dissected in a White Room than to ever dishonor or destroy your mother’s trust.”

“So I need to be eighteen.”

Michael nodded. “Any other girl … would I care? Nope. You? Yes. Your mother made me care. I once promised her that I would take great care with you, and I’m not going to break that promise.”

“Still my best friend?”

“Always,” said Michael. “And that is why you are going to calm down, and meet me later. I have something I have to do.”

“Wait,” Maria pulled him back when he would’ve left. “I thought you were going to annoy me with your slowly stinking personality.”

“Later. I promise. This is important.” Michael glanced at his watch. “I thought you had a meeting with Dominique, some reception or something?”

“I do.”

“Then get dressed. Give her an eyeful of the DeLuca trendsetting fashion while I do my thing.”

“Do your thing?”

“I’m on it.” He kissed her cheek and was gone.

Maria stared at the empty door with her hand over the cheek where he kissed it. “He’s on it. Oh, God.”

~~~

Liz was telling Kyle about her failed Harvard interview while sitting on her bed, and Kyle was pacing, and listening.

“I don’t get it.” Kyle said. “You freaked, or he made you freak?”

“Neither. Both. I don’t know! I … his voice kept going out, and I couldn’t hear what he was saying. It was a lot of things. Then I freaked, knocked over a chair. I just … I had to get out of there!”

“So you ran.”

“I ran, and blew my one chance at Harvard, not that I haven’t been blowing it for a while with my failing grades, but this was definitely the capper.”

“I’m sorry, Liz.” Kyle stopped pacing. “I know how much it meant to you.”

Liz smiled at her ex-boyfriend. He was being nicer to her than she deserved. It was strange, but all those years ago, when she was still his girlfriend, she saw Kyle as an obstacle in the way of her great love for Max. He had never really been that, and she hurt him back then. Here he was now, and it was wrong to use him again.

“I'm sorry, I'm sure there's somewhere else you need to be.”

Kyle shook his head. “No. Look, I offered.”

“I just didn't have anyone else to call.”

Kyle frowned, not getting that. “Maria doesn't know?”

“Uh-uh, not yet,” Liz had the grace to turn a little red. “She went with me to the doctor’s, but I let her think it was just a really bad cold. This record deal is like a really huge thing for her. She's given so much of her life for all this. She’s been lost since Alex died, and this is the first time I’ve seen that old spark of Maria, that youthful ambition and gleam of excitement. I can’t take that away from her, Kyle. I can’t.” Kyle sat next to Liz and put his hand on her shoulder in comfort. Liz glanced at him, knowing this had to be hard for him. “How are you doing?”

“I have no symptoms yet, but you know, Max healed me like a year after he healed you, so maybe I just got this totally cool window of time where I just get to obsess about it.”

Liz laughed loving his unique humor at looking at things. “Lucky you.”

There was a knock on Liz’s window and both Liz and Kyle glanced over to see Max. Kyle stood up from the bed moving away from Liz a little as Max climbed in the room.

“What happened?” Max asked. Liz didn’t answer.

“Show him.” Kyle ordered her, knowing she was reluctant to show Max.

Liz rolled up her sleeves and electricity ran down her arms going through her hands. Max reached out his hand, but held back uncertain if he should touch her. “Does it hurt?”

“It comes and goes.” Max sat next to her. “Am I going to die?” she asked quietly, and Max looked down at the floor. Perhaps that was the problem. She was already dead, and he had only bought her time. Maybe time was running out.

~~~

Maria stopped in the Crashdown on her way to meet up with Dominique. Jim was sitting at the counter, and she went over to him. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Jim looked her over. “You look nice. Got a date?”

“No it's just for a reception thing that Dominique set up.”

“Right.” Jim cleared his throat going back to his drink.

“Listen I never got to thank you. Had you not invited me to sing with the band, this would have never happened.”

“You don't have to thank me.” Jim told the young girl with more talent he could barely stand to look at her. She was always destined to be a star in her own right. “Come on, you were great.”

“Yeah, but so were you.” Maria complimented the older man. He was so much easier to deal with now that he wasn’t chasing her mother around.

“Well, thanks. I thought so too.”

“I just feel like I took something from you.” Maria admitted.

“You didn't take anything. Look, now how often does something like this come along? You have to go with it. I would if it happened to me.”

“I know,” she answered, smiling at Jim, nodding her head. He was giving her a way out of guilt, and it was so like Jim to give so much to the teens.

“Listen, I'm gonna be late for sound check.” Jim got up to leave.

“Okay, well, will you tell the guys I said hi.”

“Sure. Break a leg.”

“Thank you.” Maria watched him walk away, and her face suddenly went serious. This could be it, the last time, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

~~~

Dominique and Maria were at the recording studio waiting for the verdict on the demo. Dominique was putting on makeup and Maria was sniffing Eucalyptus oil.

“So Adam Chase is on his way. He's a legendary producer, honey, and it he likes you stuff you can clear of your mantel and hire a maid to dust off your Grammys.” Dominique frowns at the small vial that Maria was sniffing. “What--what are you doing? What is that?”

“Oh, it's just Eucalyptus, it's to help me keep calm.”

“Yeah, well, sweetie, enough, you smell like J. Lo.” Dominique took the vial and sniffed it. “Whoa.”

Dominique’s partner, Adam walked in. “JC,” she said.

“Dominique. What's happening baby?” asked Adam, aka, JC.

“Well, clearly you looking all hottie tottie.”

“Likewise.”

“Here's our find.” Dominique said indicating Maria. “Adam Chase, Maria DeLuca.”

“Nice to meet you,” Maria said.

“Nice to meet you.”

Dominique waved off pleasantries wanting to get to the meat of the meeting. “So?”

Adam held up Maria's demo. “It's a single.”

“I knew it!” Dominique jumped in excitement. Yeah, she still had the magic!

“It's called "Behavior" I wrote it about me and my boyfriend moving back in our relationship,” said Maria.

“Right.” Adam said putting the demo in the tray. “I've been messing with it, wanna listen?”

“Yes, I’d love to listen to it.” Maria was excited to hear the track, wishing Michael was there since he inspired it. Adam played the revised demo, and Maria frowned, her mouth opening as she listened. The song was more of a techno song, completely altered from its original form.

Dominique didn’t even bother to listen. She was on the phone to someone. “Hi. Yeah, Adam Chase alllllll over it. Oh yeah, the girl is going to be huge. Okay, Okay, bye bye.”

“Slammin', isn't it?” Adam said proudly.

“That's me?” Maria asked in amazement, listening to the foreign voice coming from the speakers.

“Yeah, I remixed the vocals, and I added a few song remixes underneath. You know, it's a little rough around the edges, but you get the point.”

Dominique was impressed. “Wow. It's a number one, isn't it?”

“You know it,” Adam told Dominique as she squealed in delight.

“It used to be a love song.” Maria pointed out, upset they took something personal and mutated it into … pop music muck.

Dominique waved off Maria’s reaction. “Yeah, well now it's one people can dance to.” They listened to the track a few more times, in the hope to get Maria to feel the music, to see how much better it was. Finally Dominique and Maria went to talk privately.

“So you hate it.” Dominique concluded.

“No. No, I was just going for more of a PJ Harvey and that sounded like Britney Spears.”

“I--I complete disagree.”

Maria sighed taking a deep breath. “My music is personal to me, Dominique.”

“Okay. Maria, it’s my job to find artists who can sell records, right? Now, honey, you've got the looks and the voice to do it, but when it comes to the music, baby, you've got to leave that to the pros.”

“So, I'm just a commodity?”

“No, No, you're very talented, but this label is prepared to invest a lot of money in you, and you know, they pay the bills, they have the say. That's just how the way it's always been. Well, look, maybe you need to ask yourself if you really want to do this.”

Maria leaned against the wall nodding her head. Yes, she did.

~~~

Amy looked up when the shadow fell across her from the door. She stared at Michael. “I should’ve seen this coming. She sent the hit squad.”

“No one sent me.” Michael came into the room glancing at Sean. “Sean.”

“Mike-man.” Sean looked between his aunt and Michael, clearing his throat, he smiled. “Think I’ll leave you two to talk.” Sean hit Michael on the arm on his way out. “Good luck, man. I’m pulling for you.”

Michael nodded as he came into the room picking up a book glancing at the title. “I like the new store. It’s … classy.” The local artists were doing incredible work. Michael picked up a hand blown ornament, and stared at the movement of light through the glass giving it brilliant life.

“No more alien junk.”

“Right. That’s an improvement.” Michael said.

“Michael...,” began Amy, not willing to dance around the subject. She was an adult. “I already told Maria no. My decision stands. If she wants to sign in three weeks, then fine, but I’m unhappy with the decision. She’s still just a kid and should cherish the little time she has left. You kids are too busy trying to be adults so fast.”

“I’ve been an adult for a long time,” Michael pointed out.

“I know, honey.” Amy’s eyes moved over his face. “You were cheated, but that never made it right.”

“So has Maria,” said Michael not pulling back his punches. He hated to see the older woman flinch, but like she already established, this was adult discussion.

“I guess I deserved that.” Amy admitted. “Her childhood wasn’t always idyllic, and I didn’t always take the greatest care with her. Things were hard, and I had to leave her alone more than I should, even this last year …”

“She is a survivor. She’s strong. Maria never doubted your love.”

“I know that. It’s Maria who doesn’t always know how strong she can be.” Amy sighed. “I’m trying to give her back some of that childhood, some time to be young and free. All this music stuff … she has the talent, the opportunities will find her.”

“Sometimes, all you get is this one big shot, and if you blow it … it’s over. What if this is it, Ms. DeLuca? What if she blows it because of you?”

“I’m willing to take the chance,” Amy admitted.

“I’m not.” Michael walked around staring at the shop, at the displays. “You think I want to see her succeed so quickly, and move so fast away from me? I could blink, and in an instant, she could be gone.”

“It could happen.”

Michael nodded. “For her … I’m going to take that chance. A blind leap that she won’t compromise herself, that she’ll remain … Maria. I’m going to bet on her. This is a chance, one she needs to take because it’s the first moment she’s really lived since Alex died. She’s slowly pulling herself out of his grave, and I don’t want to stomp on her, push her back in.”

“Michael …”

“This might not work out. I know that. Maria knows that. Sure, she has stars in her eyes, but she’s a very shrewd and seeing person. I trust that she’ll only be blinded by it for a moment, that reality will prevail.” Michael glanced at Amy. “She gets that from her mother. This step is the biggest step she’s ever taken on her own, and I can’t see how forcing her to stay a child is going to accomplish anything when that stupid line is only three weeks away.”

“Michael, it’s months before graduation.”

“True, but it’s a short period of time versus forever.” Michael went to Amy and knelt down closer to her, next to her chair. “I had a dream once. It was all I ever knew. It kept me alive, not matter how many times Hank hit me, called me worthless, or burned me with a cigarette; I didn’t give up. I had that one dream to make me want to live.”

“Michael …” Amy’s eyes filled with tears.

“You have dreams …” Michael glanced around the place. “Good dreams that you’re making come true, for both you and Sean.” Michael looked at the floor. “I discovered when looking for my dream, a totally different one, so much more than I ever had the imagination to begin with … Maria. I can’t give it up. I can’t give her up. And I don’t want her to give up anything either. Dreams can change, they can become so much more than we ever imagined … so much more.”

Amy ran her hand over his bent head. Leaning down, she tipped his head to kiss his forehead. “Where do I sign?”

~~~

Maria was in Michael’s apartment waiting for him to come home. Max was gone, and there was no answer from Liz. Michael walked into the apartment, already having looked for her at her place.

“You moving in?” Michael asked his heart actually speeding up at seeing her in his space again.

“Those label people are bogus. They wanted to turn me into some bubble gum pop princess. They turned one of my songs into complete crap, Michael! It was so humiliating.” Maria sniffed. “Guess my mom gets her wish.”

Michael held up a signed parental permission form, signed and notarized. “Or not.”

“What …?” Maria took the form reading it. “You did this?”

“Told you I was on it.”

Maria laughed shaking her head at him. “My birthday present? Screw it! This is it. You already got me everything possible.” Maria hugged him hard. “How?”

“We talked. She signed. No big.”

Maria rubbed her forehead. “But, now I’m maybe turning down a huge opportunity, I need to think, and I can’t. All I can hear is my emasculated song turned into pop garbage.”

“Let me get this straight, you worked hard these past few months to find your dreams again, and now you're telling me that music isn’t that?”

“It is. You know it is. I’m just not sure I can compromise myself this far. There has to be integrity with art, or it’s just …”

“Window dressing. Kitsch?”

“Exactly.”

“Okay, let’s do this.” Michael led Maria to the sofa. “Let’s do the pro and con game where you mark all the pros to taking this opportunity and the cons. Then we look at the list.” Michael picked up the phone.

“Who you calling?”

“Jesse. I want him to look at the contract, see if there is any loophole before you sign, maybe ways to make it possible for you to walk if they make it impossible.”

“You want me to take this?” Maria asked in wonder.

“I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life wondering if it’s the right or wrong decision, or just looking back on it as the moment you destroyed your own dreams. You never know how a dream will come out until you stand there, Maria. You stand there on the verge of everything, and you stop and wonder if you’ve been following the wrong one.” Hal taught him that. Taught him to look for that moment … when a life changed and it became forever.

“Is that why you left the pod chamber that day?”

Michael stared at her for a moment, his eyes feasting on everything about her, the glow. “Yes.”

“All right. Call Jesse.”

~~~

Max, Liz, and Kyle were in the desert. Max carried Liz in front of the car placing her on the ground. He knelt beside her. Liz was in pain and from her stomach and there was electricity shooting through it. Kyle stood behind Max watching with a growing fear.

“Okay, now what do we do again?” Kyle asked, feeling a need to hurry.

“According to the book, I can use the healing stones to amplify my powers.” Max placed stones around Liz’s body. “If we do that, it might wipe out whatever is happening inside of her.”

“What can I do?”

“Just stay back.” Max ordered as he placed his hand over Liz’s stomach. He tried to heal her. She suddenly started hovering over the ground as Max continued to heal her.

“It hurts.” Liz said.

“Take a deep breath.” Max told her. “It won't be much longer.”

“Stop please, I can’t!” Liz begged.

Kyle stepped forward to help Liz, but Max stopped him. “No.” Max said holding Kyle back.

“Stop!” Liz screamed in pain.

“Hold on, it's working, I can feel it.” Max tried to reassure Liz.

“No!” Liz screamed as the pain increased.

Kyle shook his head. This was wrong. He was killing Liz. “Max!”

“Just a little bit more,” Max begged. “Liz, you have to trust me.”

Liz shook her head screaming in pain. “I can’t!” There was a flash of light as Liz dropped to the ground, and Max was pushed back onto the ground.

Liz slowly sat up scrambling away from Max. “Just stop hurting me.”

Max sat up to trying to go to her. “I wasn't trying to.”

“No, but Max, you do.” Liz said in a moment of honesty, more honesty than she had practiced in a long time. “You always do. Why did you sleep with her?” Liz demanded. Max remained quiet, not able to explain in any manner than wasn’t somehow an excuse. “Why?!?”

“Liz...” Max sat back boneless, unable to justify anything from the last year.

“Every single time you mention your son, I’m reminded of what you did to me. How you were unfaithful. How could you not know that?”

Max tried to touch her. “Liz, please.”

Liz pulled back. “Stay away. You're doing this.”

“No, I'm not. Liz, please.” Max touched her face. “Please.” Electricity shot though Liz’s face as she screamed.

Kyle had enough. He grabbed Max's arm. “Max, Max, Max, stop! Listen to her. You want to kill her?” Max glanced at Liz felled by the accusations in her eyes, the lack of trust coupled with pain, and something that hollowed out his stomach … the fear.

~~~

Kyle pulled up in the car with Liz, glancing at her home for a moment before looking at her. “I'll help you get upstairs.”

“I can do it myself.” Liz told him, her voice mortified. “I really said all those things to Max, didn't I?”

“Yeah.”

“I couldn't help it. Everything just …”

“Exploded?” Kyle asked, feeling it was about time that Max heard the truth from the one place he actually listened. It didn’t matter how many times Michael, Maria, Isabel or even him told him the truth, he never listened. Tonight, he heard it from Liz, and Kyle saw the shock on the other man’s face at it hit him hard.

“How am I going to face him?” Liz asked shaking her head.

“Look, he understands that something went wrong out there. You weren’t in control of what you were saying.”

“But I was.” Liz admitted. “I mean, that's how I feel deep down, and now he knows, Kyle.”

“So what?” Max Evans needed to stop blaming everyone else, taking everyone else to task and using them at his own whim. He needed to either be a part of them as a group, or he needed to move on. No one wanted him for King. Not on this world, not in this life. Here, he had no throne.

“I can’t take it back.”

“Liz, look, you can’t worry about Max right now. You have to take care of you.” Kyle forced her to listen. “You understand?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Why don't you try to get some sleep?”

Liz unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car. Her legs and spirits were heavy as she went upstairs.

~~~

Michael shut the door behind Jesse as Maria sat at the counter reading through the drafted contract. Jesse had called Dominique and told her the changes that were made to the contract, and that once Maria signed, and so did they, it would be binding.

Maria stared at the contract, still indecisive.

“Are you going to sign?”

“I don’t know.” Maria looked at him. Going over to him, she reached up and broke the rules by kissing him softly on the lips. “I did that because I can.”

“Uh-huh. Always the brat.”

“Always,” Maria sighed. “I think I need to sleep on it, and tomorrow, get up, sign it or not sign it, then let Dominique know.”

Michael cleared his throat. “Look, there’s something I need to tell you. I should’ve told you sooner, but all the contract stuff, and going to see your mother …”

“Which I never thanked you for.”

“Sure you did, but if you’re concerned about it, I’ll let you thank me again later … after you’re eighteen.”

“Wow,” said Maria stepping back. “Mr. Guerin, did you just proposition me?”

Michael seemed to think about it. “Did it work?”

Maria laughed. “It was good.”

Michael remembered what he started to tell her. “Maria, what I’m trying to tell you is about Liz.”

“What? Her cold is worse? Is that why she hasn’t been answering my calls? I should make chicken soup, and …”

“No.” Michael stopped Maria before she could invade his kitchen and start cooking chicken soup. “No. Listen. She’s sick. Real sick. She might be dying.”

“What?!”

~~~

Liz was sleeping in her room. Maria opened her door and walked in. “I'm here.” Maria announced as Liz sat up in bed staring at her best friend.

They went out to talk, somewhere away from Liz’s parents, and any possibility of being heard. Sitting on a bench in the park, but Maria couldn’t stop apologizing.

“I am so sorry.”

“Maria, stop apologizing.”

Maria couldn’t stop. They lost track of Alex, and look at what happened to him. “You've been going through complete hell.”

“Yeah, and this is exactly what I didn't want for you to come along for the ride.”

“Don't ever.” Maria warned. They left her out of the loop, all of them. She couldn’t believe they would do that to her. “We are best friends, Liz Parker, so just don't ever, okay?”

“Don’t blame the others, Maria. Blame me. I didn’t want you to know.”

“God, don’t tell me that we drifted that far apart.”

Liz shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t want you to blame Max, because he healed me. He healed me and now I’m changing.”

“First,” Maria stressed with a very emphatic voice. “I don’t care about that … about blame, because Max saved you. I can never regret that, Liz. Never.”

“Not even if it cost us Alex?”

Maria swallowed hard. “Not even then. I can’t place either of you above the other, and I’m selfish and greedy enough to want both. Tess killed Alex. You didn’t.”

“Neither did Max.”

“I know that.” Maria did know that, but she still held Max accountable. He couldn’t play it both ways. Either he was King, or he wasn’t. No matter how often Max claimed himself not to be King, he still followed his nature of being King, taking the lead, ordering everyone about. It didn’t matter. As King, it was his responsibility. “Was that the only reason you didn’t tell me?”

“No.” Liz confessed. She cleared her throat, uncomfortable with the confession she needed to make. “I don’t know if you remember, but a long time ago, when I was first getting those flashes from Max, my skin glowed, and I had the rashes … it gave me this rushing thrill.”

“Yes, I remember that time. You and Max found the alien orb.”

“Right.” Liz sighed heavily. “You interrupted me and Max at Michael’s apartment. You walked in when you were looking for Michael, and found us instead.” Maria nodded. It was something she could hardly forget. “When you took me home you said something to me, do you remember?”

“Something about them biting our heads off?” Maria asked guessing. She had said a lot that night.

Liz laughed. “You did say that, but no … you said that I couldn’t stop my involvement, not even at the risk of my own health. You wondered if in the end … if knowing Max, if it ended with me changing irreversibly, affected my health negatively, would I think it was worth it.”

Maria became quiet remembering that time. She remembered how afraid she had been for Liz, how lacking in wonder at the changes. It felt wrong. It had felt like doom. “I remember.”

“I said it would be worth it, and you said … you hoped I was right, and that I would always feel that way.”

“Liz, I didn’t mean …”

“I know, but it haunted me. All these years later, and you were right, and I was wrong. I do regret it. I’ve often regretted being involved with Max, especially last year, and now this happens, and I can’t help but feel that I ignored Cassandra’s warning.”

“I never meant it that way.”

“I know.” Liz breathed easier for a moment. “Okay enough about me. Let’s settle you.”

“Me?”

“You really shouldn't let this music thing go.”

“I told you that Michael and Jesse did everything. They arranged the contract so I have a space of time to walk if it becomes something I can’t live with.” Maria looked up at the stars. “Michael was so great. He talked my mom into it, and arranged to take off for six days so he could come … just to make sure I would be okay.”

“Then it’s settled. You and Michael leave for New York with this Dominique person with the totally awesome boots.”

“No. It’s off. I’m not signing. I'm just not going to leave you. Sorry.”

“I'm going to be fine.” Liz promised. “Really.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“You think you giving up on your life is going to change mine? It’s time, Maria. Time for both of us to take back our lives from this alien conspiracy, and finally remember what’s important. I want you to go. Go with Michael, because you know that you both were always going to leave together. Go and see if this is the big break, that once in a lifetime chance … see if you can fit. If not … Roswell will be here and so will I.”

“Fine. Tomorrow I’ll invite Dominique to my all-you-can-eat crow buffet.” Maria said laughing as she hugged Liz close. “God, could life be anymore complicated right now. Sometimes I just wish you could close your eyes, and just … be somewhere else.”

Liz dreamed for a moment. “A cafe in Paris.”

“No Jamaica. The beach. The blue ocean. The warm sand between our toes. Michael losing his mind with lust while applying suntan oil on all my right spots. I can so see him as my Cabana boy.” Liz laughed shaking her head at her crazy wacky friend. It felt good to feel like their old selves, even if only for a moment. “Feeling any better?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.” Maria hugged Liz close. “Just promise me that you won’t die on me, Liz Parker, because if you do, I’ll hunt down your ghost and kick you around the block.”

“Tough human chick.”

“Yeah.”

~~~

Liz returned to her bedroom to find Max sitting outside of her open window. Walking over to the window, Liz glanced outside. “Max, what are you doing here? You can’t be here.”

“I've been calling.”

“I was out with Maria.” Liz explained, hating that she felt the need to say it like an apology.

“I thought something happened.”

“No, it didn't, but my dad is going to be up here in a few minutes.” Max tried to look in, she blocked his view. “You really …” She never got the chance to tell him to leave. Max got too close to her and electricity shot through her face. “Max, you have to go,” she begged in pain.

“Look, we'll drive to L.A.. Langley will know what to do. He can fix it.”

“Max.”

“Maria can cover for you. We can be back in two days.”

He wasn’t listening to her. “No!”

“Please Liz.” Max tried to grab her arm as she backed away. Max backed away as well. “Everything you said tonight, we just can’t pretend it didn't happen. I have to talk about it.” Liz started to shut the window. “Liz, please don't shut me out.” They were both close to tears. “What are we going to do?”

Liz struggled to hold back the tears. “I have to figure it out. By myself.” She waited for Max to be gone before going downstairs to talk to her father. It was time for her to make changes. She needed time, space and distance from Max and suddenly, boarding school seemed like the perfect choice.

~~~

Max entered Michael’s apartment to find Michael had been packing. He was talking on the phone, and absentmindedly waved at Max as he finished up his conversation. Max waited.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Packing.”

“I see that.” Max frowned. Michael had threatened to leave forever if Max kept putting his life up for auction against Liz’s. “I couldn’t fix Liz.”

“Sorry about that.” Michael got on the floor and looked under the sofa searching for his green sweater. Nope. Not there. Not anywhere. Michael picked up the phone again. “Maria, yeah, me. Look, you got my green sweater? No, the one your mother got me for Christmas. No. No, it’s definitely mine. I don’t care if it matches your eyes. Pack it. I want to wear it. Uh-huh. Right.” Michael hung up.

“Okay, where are you going?”

“New York.” Michael explained as he went into his bedroom to pack more clothes. “Maria got a recording contract, and I promised Ms. DeLuca not to let her go alone. I could only get off six days after rearranging my work schedules, but it’s long enough to make sure she’s okay.”

“Then you’ll be back?” Max asked breathing easier.

“For a little while. If Maria can work with these people without having to compromise too much, then I’ll come home to get us ready to move for good. I’ll need to work out my notice at Meta-Chem and get all Maria’s crap packed, along with my own while she finds us a place to live.”

“And if she can’t work with these people?”

Michael shrugged. “Then she comes home, goes back to writing music and singing. We wait for the next break and until after graduation to move.” Michael stopped packing. “It’s the same plan we’ve been talking about forever, except this contract just sped it up a little.”

“Right.” Max said to himself. “The plan.” He stared off in space feeling that his concept of life being pulled in all directions. Liz sick from him. Maria barely talking to him. And now … Michael was talking about moving across the continent forever. Kal had been right, Michael didn’t belong to him, had moved beyond him. “Michael, you …” Michael paused waiting for Max to forbid him to go, like he had Isabel. Max took a deep breath letting it out slowly. “You and Maria have a good time.”

“That’s the plan.” Michael stared at Max for a moment before nodding and going back to his packing. Sometimes when change came, it wasn’t always that big or that obvious, but it was still there.

~~~

As Liz rode away from Roswell on a bus heading to Vermont, for the first time in a long time feeling normal. She watched the scenery change, and suddenly, she was more than happy to be free of Roswell, not realizing how weighty it had become.

Michael and Maria were flying to New York, and on the long flight, Maria once again found herself on the aisle seat with her head resting on Michael’s shoulder. He was reading a book, and looked out the window when the ‘fasten seatbelt’ chime went off. He could see the skylines of New York City large in the horizon. Reaching down, he took Maria’s hand and kissed the back of it, gently waking her.

“Hey, Maria, wake up. We’ve arrived.”

Panacea…….

New York City was a world of lights, a place that never slept. There was an energy and movement that hummed along throughout the day. Michael smiled watching Maria move with it naturally, as if she was born to be there. This wasn’t Roswell, and somehow, it wasn’t unfamiliar either.

“That was the most incredible toy store I ever saw!” Maria dug through her bags to find the cute little stuffed animal Michael bought her for Valentine’s Day. “I absolutely love this. Thank you.” Maria kissed him on the lips, both of them holding the touch for a moment as their eyes met. They were sharing a bed again, and it was hard … in more ways than one. Neither of them was willing to pull back, so they just lived with the torture.

“When do we have to be at the studio?” Michael asked hoarsely.

“In two hours. I should change.” Maria kept her hand on him. They had spent the last five days sightseeing, shopping and exploring New York City. Michael had to leave the next day, and she was no closer to deciding what to do with the label, and their offer.

“Still can’t decide?” Michael guessed watching her eyes.

“No. I mean the cover songs are crap. I guess I should be happy to have my voice out there, but music for me was never so much the singing as it was the songwriting. If they aren’t going to let me write … I don’t know.”

“I never knew recording could be so damn boring!” Michael confessed. The constant sound checks, playback, leveling, and endless stops and repeats. It was amazing that an album was ever made.

“Not going to want to be the singing alien sensation?”

“Not in this lifetime.” Michael frowned at the time. His time was short. The plane left in the morning, and he didn’t want to waste too much time watching Dominique try to manipulate Maria into being the perfect mindless client. “How long is today’s session?”

“We’ll be out of there by eight, I promise.”

“Eight?” Michael made a face. They ran over last night until almost midnight.

“Promise. It’s your last night, so I wanted to do something different. I’ve got a Valentine’s present for you too, something … fun. I hear Metallica is performing live tonight, and …”

“What?!” Michael’s heart stopped in his chest. “We have to go! We have to stand around like a bunch of idiots waiting for a chance to see them. I … I might be able to get us in free, and …” Michael already running through the scenario of using his powers to pop locks, and get them backstage.

“And I had Dominique get us tickets. Front row with backstage passes.” Maria gave a loud screech as Michael tackled her. Laughing, they wrestled as Michael demanded to see the tickets. Struggling to sit up, she gave up with a giggle and watched his face as he read the tickets over and over again, her eyes softening as a smiled pulled the corner of her mouth. It was hard to imagine falling more in love with someone, until you did.

“Dear Liz, You know, they say New York can be overwhelming at first, the crowds, the noise, the restless energy. It's supposed to be intimidating to first timers. Not me or Michael. We love it. I don’t care if I stay here, because any large city would be this energizing. I sent Spaceboy home today to get us packed, and already, the city misses him. I miss him. This is our kind of town. In fact, I feel like... I don't know... I feel like we've come home.”  

Maria directed the limo to a place in Greenwich Village after seeing Michael off at the airport. He had only been in the air an hour, and New York already felt unfamiliar without him. The limo pulled up to a young man singing and playing the guitar. Maria stood up in the sunroof of the limo and threw a piece of paper at the guy singing, he turned around. Billy saw her and smiled.

“Maria!” Billy laughed amazed. “What in the world...?”

“I'm a rock star.” Maria said making a laughing face. “Come on, don't look so shocked, I told you I was coming. Sorry about the paper instead of black underwear, but I didn’t have anything I wanted to part with.”

“Story of my life,” Billy retorted, putting his guitar in the case. “I knew you said you were coming, but you didn't tell me you were coming in a limo.”

“Well, what can I say, my label loves me.”

“Yeah, obviously, they gave you a limousine.”

“Gave is a little strong of a word, I actually borrowed it from Dominique Lazar.” Maria laughed at the look on Billy’s face. “You've got to meet her, a real live talent scout. I've got to introduce you guys, I mean, I know she'll just love your stuff so …”

“No, that's cool, man, you don't have to do that.”

“Come on, it's nothing. Get in here.” Maria nodded to the door. “We're gonna be late to my recording session. Let’s go.”

Billy laughed climbing in admiring the interior of his first limo. “So how did you get here without your bodyguard?”

“Michael? I just put him on a plane home. Thought I should wait until he was gone to seek you out … for some reason, he has a problem with you.”

“I bet. So you and him through?”

“Hardly started. He had to get back to work, and look into getting us packed for the big move. I’m still not sure this is going to work. They’re demanding a lot of compromises from me, actually all of them from me … none from them.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah. I’m giving it a few more days before I decide, but until then, maybe I can use my limited connections to help an old friend along?”

“Maria … St. Maria. Patron Saint of starving artists?”

“Hookers I think.”

“Same difference,” Billy laughed as he sat back listening to Maria tell him about her week.

~~~

“Dear Maria, spending a week on a cramped, smelly bus was the most liberating experience of my entire life. The further away I got from Roswell, the more I felt like myself again. You know, like a normal teenager. In fact, when I finally got to the Winnaman Academy it was like coming home. I guess the other girls feel like this is some kind of prison, but I'm actually grateful to have some boundaries clearly laid out for me. With a little discipline maybe I will make it to Harvard after all.”

Liz got off the bus and looked around at the strangeness of Vermont compared to Roswell, New Mexico. The school van was waiting for her, collecting her bags. She was driven to school and given an introductory interview with Dean Hawkins.

“We have very strict rules here at Winnaman. Probably a much more disciplined atmosphere than you are used to.”

“That's exactly what I want right now.” Liz said.

“Good. Because we do have rules, and we expect them to be followed.” She handed Liz a list of rules. “Curfew is at nine. No boys allowed on campus. There will be no smoking, no drinking, and drugs will not be tolerated.”

Liz followed the directions to her room assignment. Knocking on the door, she waited until a girl opened up. “I think this is supposed to be my room.”

“You think?”

“Well,” Liz glanced at the room number again, “yeah, it is.”

The girl let Liz in. “Well, I knew my single was too good to last.”

“Are you Eileen Burrows?” Liz asked reading information about her room including her roommate’s name.

“Yeah, I'm the welcoming committee. You must be umm …” Eileen read Liz’s name tag. “Elizabeth Parker.”

“Did they not tell you I was coming?”

“No. But you might want to lose the name tag, cuz you're an inmate now.” Liz peeled the label off her coat. “So um, Elizabeth... Liz... what should I call you?” asked Eileen as she took out a cigarette.

“Beth. I just go by Beth.” Liz lied as she started to unpack.

Lighting up, Eileen glanced at Liz. “Where you from, Beth?”

“California.” Liz lied again.

“What part?”

“Um, not too far from Disneyland.”

“Ah, lucky you. You leave a boyfriend back there?”

Liz shook her head. “Nope, no boyfriend.”

“Lesbian?”

Liz shook her head again, slightly taken aback. “Sorry.”

“Oh, no I wasn't asking for a date. I mean, there are plenty of girls here who gabble with the whole thing.” Liz nodded listening as she continued to unpack. Eileen held up her smoke. “Is this making you uncomfortable?”

“You know, to tell you the truth, it is. I just got read out by the dean and I don't feel like getting in trouble five minutes after I've been here.”

Eileen lifted a brow. “It was a rhetorical question. I'm not putting it out.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“I was being polite.” There was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” Eileen asked taking a drag.

“Dean Hawkins.”

“Oh, crap.” Eileen quickly put out her cigarette. She sprayed the room with air freshener. Glancing at the door when the knock came again.

“Um... Um... One second.” Liz took off her coat. “One second, one second. I'm just...,” Liz took off her shirt, “changing my clothes. Sorry, I'll be right there.” Eileen hid her cigarette. Liz held her shirt up to her as she lit a candle, and opened the door. “Coming.” Liz opened the door breathing a little hard. “Hi. Sorry, I just wanted to change and get into my uniform …”

The Dean came in looking around the room. “Do I smell smoke?”

“No, I just lit a candle. Is that allowed?”

“Of course,” The Dean handed Liz some papers. “I forgot to give you these earlier. Fill them out and return them to me in the morning.”

“I will. Thank you, ma'am.” Liz shut the door behind the Dean.

Eileen smiled. “Quick thinker.”

Liz sighed in relief of another problem averted. “Practice.”

~~~

At the recording studio Dominique, Billy, and Maria were listening to Maria's demo.

“All right, well come on, this is so working!” Dominique exclaimed, happy with the results.

Maria took the break to introduce Billy. “Dominique, this is my very good friend Billy Darden. He's an excellent songwriter.”

“Oh, great, well give me a demo. I'd love to hear it.” Dominique said with her patented five dollar smile and a hand shake.

“Sure, I mean, if you're really interested I can just play you something right now.” Billy offered.

“No, actually a demo is best.”

Billy’s eyes went serious as he understood immediately. Don’t bother. “Right.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Dominique turned back to Maria. “Okay, sugar, this song is good. I mean, it's really good, you know? I'm just-- I'm not quite sure that it's a home run. Do you know what I mean?”

“So, you don't want to use this song anymore?” Maria said shrewdly.

“Okay, I love it. But the label, I think, might want to go with something just a little lighter.”

“Okay, well if they want a different song, I mean, Billy and I …”

“Actually, I've got the song, honey, right here. Dominique interrupted handing her the lyrics.

“I don't understand, I thought you wanted me because I was a songwriter.”

“Oh, well, baby, we want you, you know, for your voice and your look, everything. Everything. The whole Deluca package.”

“Yeah,” said Maria holding up the lyrics, “but I didn't write this.”

“Yeah, but professionals did. I mean, no offense, my god, you're … you know … you're just new. You're raw.”

Maria read the lyrics again. “I mean, I don't even think like this.”

“Okay. Please try it. All right? And trust me-- I tell you what, you record this song, okay, and if at the end of the day if you don't like it and you want to go with your song, then we will-- we will go with your song. All right?” Maria nodded practicing in her head about compromise. “Okay, cuz I just want us to have options.”

“Okay.” Maria agreed.

“All right then.” Dominique was all happiness and smiles having got her way. Handling talent was her forte.

“Okay.” Maria said sharing a look with Billy, who shrugged not knowing what to say. It wasn’t his call.

Dominique moved everyone into place. “Perfect. Excellent.”

~~~

Maria was back at her hotel room provided by the label. She had Billy order pizza for dinner, and he was downstairs waiting for the delivery man. Checking the time, she picked up the phone and called Roswell. Michael should have been home at least three hours already. She had spent nine hours in the recording studio doing numerous songs, most of which weren’t hers. They were going to start where they left off tomorrow. Taking off her shoes, she laid back on the bed that was way too large without Michael.

While she listened to the phone ringing, she quickly pulled off her top and bra and pulled Michael’s green sweater on. It still smelt like him.

“Yeah,” came a sleepy Michael voice.

“Hey, you,” Maria sat up so happy to hear his voice.

“Hey, you back.” Michael said laying back in the bed to talk to her. “How was your day?”

“Sucked,” Maria sniffed. “How was the flight?”

“Sucked. I got home to jet lag, and a shift that starts at ten, which is in about two hours my time.” Michael frowned when Maria sniffed again. “Are you crying?”

“No.” Maria reached for a tissue. “Yes. I … I just miss you, and you’re all the way across the damn continent! I … the bed is too damn big, and I hate the damn songs they had me sing. They were all bad. Nasty pop trash with no soul, just some whacked up hip hop beat … you know, dance crap that’s supposed to pass as real music.”

“You hate it.”

“I loathe it. And I hate that you’re not here.”

Michael was quiet for a moment. “What are you doing?”

“Sitting on the bed talking to you, waiting for pizza delivery.”

Michael could picture her. “What are you wearing?”

“Your sweater.” Maria hugged herself. “It still smells like you.”

Michael swallowed hard, wanting to be there. Closing his eyes, he listened to the soft sound of her breathing. “I’ll take the first plane back tomorrow.”

“Don’t.” Maria took a calming breath. She was being a baby. It was just his voice, so far away, and she couldn’t touch him. “Don’t. I’m going to the recording studio again tomorrow. If things don’t change, then I’m going to use the clause that Jesse gave me and get out. I didn’t take this deal to be turn into a cheap Pop Queen wannabe. I want to be what Alex was working for. He wrote all his own music, played with his band, did shows, and cut his own CD’s, never losing his artist’s integrity. I want him to be proud of me. I want you to be proud of me.” Maria paused for a moment. “Will you be disappointed in me if I quit?”

“No. Just come home. I’m here.”

“I know.” Maria lay back on the bed. “I thought I could live in this city, that it felt like home, but the moment you stepped on that plane, it stopped feeling good to me. Don’t laugh, but I don’t think it can be home unless you’re here. I don’t think I can sleep without you near.”

Michael closed his eyes and listened to her voice, listened to what she was saying. It didn’t seem possible to fall even more in love with her. “Maria,” he said hoarsely. Thirteen days, three hours, fifteen minutes, and some seconds.

“I know,” Maria laughed at herself. “I’m being a baby.” She sniffed. “I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do. I’m going back tomorrow. I’ll have an honest one on one with Dominique, and if she doesn’t sell it, I’m walking. The songs she wants me to do are a total sell out, even Billy agrees that …”

Michael sat up in their bed. “Billy?”

“Um, yeah. I looked him up in the Village after I dropped you off. I told you I promised him I would.”

“Billy is there?”

“Yes. You knew he moved to New York City.” Maria frowned at Michael’s tone. “What? Are you okay? Michael?”

“Maria, who’s with you?”

“No one. I’m alone.” Maria held her tongue feeling it best not to mention that Billy was downstairs getting food. “Michael, you know Billy is just a friend. Whose sweater am I wearing? Not his.”

“Okay, I … sorry, I, um … so you will call me when you know?”

“Immediately.” Maria hugged herself. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just peachy.” Michael talked to Maria for a few more minutes, until she had to hang up when food arrived. He frowned swearing he heard Billy’s pseudo Elvis voice in the background. Hanging up, he went into the living room. Max came through the door as he headed to the kitchen.

“Hey!” Max greeted him, happy to see him back.

“Yeah. Whatever.” Michael took his Snapple to go look out his back door. Searching the skies, he looked towards the dark east. Billy. Frickin’ “Singing Billy” in New York with Maria … alone. Michael pushed his hand through a window.

“Michael!”

Michael pulled his hand back staring the cut on his knuckle and hand. Sucking the blood, he waved Max and his healing hands off. “Forget it. It’s nothing. I think you’ve healed more than enough, don’t you?”

Max took the slap hard. Staring at his friend, he watched as an upset Michael, oblivious went back into his room slamming the door. Max rubbed his head for a moment, feeling a headache coming on. He picked up the phone and called Vermont again waiting to hear once again that there was no Liz Parker there.

~~~

Meta-Chem Corporation, 11:29 pm, in the security room. Michael was sleeping on the job with Monk next to him. Monk tapped Michael's shoulder. “Mike. Wake up.”

“What?” Michael turned around.

“Check this out.” He tried to stand his pen on his chin.

“You--You woke me up for that?”

Monk was still trying to do it. “I had it a second ago.”

“Man, I miss those other guys. These two man shifts are boring as hell.”

“Already said a number of times,” Monk commented while practicing his human seal trick. Michael took off a bloody band aid on his hand. “What happened to your hand?”

Michael checked out his healing wound. “I put it though a window.”

“On purpose?”

“Maria issues.” Michel put the band aid in the trash. “She saw Billy after I left.”

“You haven’t even been gone twenty-four hours and she’s hanging with another dude? Damn, Mike, not our Maria.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s romantic. He’s just a friend.”

“Like you are?”

Michael’s face clouded. “No, not like me!” Michael rubbed his face hard trying to calm his emotions before he blew the monitors again.

“Hey, you okay?” Monk asked concerned. “Man, no chick is worth that.”

“Maria is,” said Michael simply.

“Okay, maybe Maria is, but damn, you’ve got to get your house in order. Kiss the damn girl already!” Monk gave Michael a sympathetic look. “So, you moving or what?”

“Maria’s coming home, I think. If she dumps the contract, then I think she’ll be home in about two days. One day to dump, one day to make arrangements, and home on the next.” Michael said, a slight lightening of his attitude coming with the thought of her home, with him … away from the great unwashed singing bard. Billy. Michael gritted his teeth.

Monk glanced at Mike. “So, you wanna hang out this evening? I need an opponent. I just got Man in 2002 and the computer keeps kicking my ass.”

“All right, but I get to be the Ravens.”

“Fine, but you can’t have Jamal Lewis cuz he's out in real life.”

“I don't need him, cuz I got Ray Lewis.”

“Well, whatever then, you're going down, sucker!”

Michael smiled. “All right, it's on. Time for the rounds though, let’s go.”

Monk moaned, hating this part the most. After they left the security room for rounds, two men in contamination suits entered the security room, and took Michael's open bag of chips and put it in a plastic bag, vacuumed Michael's hat to get hair samples, and took Michael's bloody band aid and put it in a jar.

~~~

At Winnaman Academy,  Eileen answered the hundredth call for a Liz Parker as she informed the caller that there was no Liz Parker on the floor. When Liz walked by, Eileen put the two together telling Liz it was a call for her. It was Max. He asked about her health and when she was coming home. Liz admitted that she had no symptoms since arriving at the school, and Max was encouraged that maybe Liz could come home soon.

While talking to Max, Liz began to experience rushes of electricity through her hands again, and she was horrified to realize that it was Max who was making her react, even without direct proximity. Lying to him, she hid the fact from him and hung up. The out of control rush of power melted the phone.

Eileen glanced up when Liz came into the bedroom. “Is it Liz or is it Beth?”

Liz sat on her own bed sighing. “I've always gone by Liz, and I'm not from California, I'm from New Mexico. Roswell.”

“And the part about not having a boyfriend?”

“Uh,” Liz laughed making a face, “That guy that was on the phone, he's actually the reason that I'm here.”

“See? Just be yourself and we'll get along just fine.”

~~~

Billy went with Maria to her recording session watching from the sideline as Maria sang. He watched her sing another song not hers, and the irritation moving over her face. He suppressed a yawn staring at the time. It was well after midnight, and they had been there over eight hours. The longer this went, the more irritated Maria became.

Maria stopped singing in mid song, “Okay, can we cut it? I'm sorry.”

“Okay, darling, you don't say cut, I say cut. Okay?” Dominique told Maria in the mic behind the glass of the control booth. “Okay, so we're gonna do it again, and now from the second verse. All right?”

“Okay. Wait.” Maria said, hating that she couldn’t even find five minutes to talk to Dominique privately. “You know, I'm sorry this isn't working for me.”

“What's wrong?”

“I don't know.” Maria stared at the lame lyrics and the bad song. “It's just not me. I'm not feeling it or whatever.”

“Okay, but honey, really, I know what these label boys want, so just trust me on this.”

“No, but I do. It's just these aren't my lyrics. I feel really weird singing them.”

Dominique was becoming irritated, and the more irritated she became the more fake and cloyingly sweet her tone. “All right. Well, fight your way through it, cuz you sound great. Really.”

“I know, but I mean, my songs are, you know, what I am.” Maria tried to explain to the woman.

“Well, this is business. This isn't personal.”

“Well, yeah it's personal to me.” Maria said speaking up for herself, making Billy stand up straighter in the back of the recording control booth from the tired slump he had going. He listened to Maria, cheering her on silently. “It's personal to me. I mean, if it's not personal it's just karaoke. I can just do that back at home at the Pizza Pan.”

“Are you going to sing the song or not?” Dominique asked.

“No, I want to sing the other song. I want to sing my song.”

“Yeah, well, Maria, sweetie, the other song isn't going to work, okay? So we're going to need this song.”

“But we had a deal.” Maria said staring at the woman through the glass waiting at the pause lengthened. Maria gave a nod having her answer. “You're not giving me a choice, are you?”

“Oh no. No, no, no, honey. You always have a choice.” Dominique threatened. “See you can finish recording this demo or you can head back to Roswell.”

Maria took the headphones off. “Then I’ll head back home to Roswell.” She walked out of the recording booth. “You ready?” she said to Billy.

Billy smiled putting his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go get that limo before they take it away.” They walked out of the studio leaving the rest of the crew unsure what just happened, and Dominique staring in shock at the receding back of one Maria DeLuca.

In the limo, Maria decided to go check out of the hotel before the recording company decided to stiff her with the bill. “C’mon. We’ll order late night room service and pack while I find a cheaper room for the night. I also need to call Michael.”

“Look, I can give you a place to flop for the night. Save your money.”

Maria squeezed Billy’s hand, but shook her head no. “Thanks, but no thanks. Spending the night at your place is more trouble than I can handle right now, especially with my singing career in ashes around my feet. Michael finds out, he’ll add the rest of the world there as well.”

“He’s jealous.”

“No. I wouldn’t call it that. He’s … complex.”

Billy seemed amused by that assessment. “Did you mention that you hooked up with me yesterday?”

“Hooked up? There was no hooking up. I told him that I ‘looked’ you up after I dropped him off.”

“And …?”

“And, I hope his apartment is in one piece,” Maria admitted. “Look, Michael trusts me, or he should. If he doesn’t, he better learn. We plan to move from Roswell together, and it will be real bumpy if he can’t figure out how I feel about him.”

“Until recently, I hadn’t realized that you even knew how you felt.”

“Granted, but who wants to live in the past?” Maria sat back, lounging into the leather seat. “I’m marrying Michael Guerin.”

Billy startled. He hadn’t realized that it moved that far in just a few months. “Whoa!”

“Oh, he hasn’t asked, and no, not tomorrow or maybe even the next day. I have this whole ‘Guerin schedule’ and I figure it will take him about ten years to get around to figuring out he should ask me.”

Billy laughed. “And what do you do in the ten years while you wait?”

Maria smiled smugly, her eyes taking on a very brilliant mischief glint. “I give him ten years worth of reasons to finally ask.”

~~~

Michael and Monk were on late rounds of their next shift the following day. Walking through the deserted halls, neither of them was too excited about the job.

Michael tried to open a door. “Secure.” Monk checked it off on his list. They continued walking.

“Do you ever wonder what's behind these secret doors?” Monk asked.

“Can’t say I really think about it or give a damn.” Michael admitted, but then he felt that way about most things.

“I do.”

Michael checked another door. “Secure. Of course you do.”

Monk pressed his thumb on a panel. Access Denied sign lit up. “See, Meta-Chem is too secretive. I'm telling you, they have some crashed alien space ship in there and they're using reverse engineering to steal other cool technology. You know, like, where do you think remote controls came from? Or microwave ovens? Or cell phones?”

“Monk, Meta-Chem is a pharmaceutical company. All they have in those classified labs is some top secret formula from new cough syrup. All right? Come on, let's go.” Monk and Michael walked away.

Inside the room they were standing in front of was a scientist holding up a test tube that was labeled: “Guerin, Michael, blood extract.” The scientist filled a needle with Michael's blood extracted from the band aid.

Scientist glanced at the woman in the room with him. “Are you sure about this?”

“Do it.” The scientist injected the blood into someone.

~~~

Monk and Michael returned to their security monitors after they finished rounds. It was quiet, and Michael checked his monitors before sliding down to take a nap.

“You hear from Maria?”

“Not before I left for work. She called earlier in the day and told me they pushed the recording session back to later afternoon, so I’ll probably have a message from her when I get home.”

“When am I going to get my forty bucks?” Monk asked.

“I'm not paying you.”

“You can’t welsh.”

“Watch me.” Michael told his friend. “Playing an All-Star team against the regular Ravens minus Jamal Lewis, that's not fair.”

“Whatever. Take it up with the league, man. I've spent all my cash on Valentine's Day.”

“You don't have a girlfriend, Monk.” Michael pointed out.

“Yeah. I--I spent it on myself.”

Michael laughed. “You're weird, you know that?” Michael’s attention returned o the monitors as something started beeping. “Hey, we got a code blue in sector five pulling up.”

Monk zoomed in the camera in sector five. A door was open. “We got a breach.”

“A real one?” Michael asked in amazement.

“Yeah, this one ain't a drill, man.”

“All right, uh, call 911. I'll go down and secure the area.” Michael ordered Monk.

Monk picked up the phone as Michael ran out of the room down the hall to the opened emergency door. He saw no one. He closed the door and noticed the little window on the door was broken.

Michael using his walkie talkie reported the situation to Monk. “This area is secure. I don't see anyone.”

“Police are on their way.” Monk informed him. “I'm gonna come down.”

Michael bent down to pick up a piece of glass. The lights went out. Michael swore called Monk back. “Hey Monk, what's going on?”

“It wasn't me. I'm already out of the control center.” Monk said walking and talking to Michael. “Michael, I see somebody.”

“All right, wait there. I'm on my way.” Michael told Monk as he ran. He could hear Monk through the receiver as his friend held the send button.

“Stop! Don't move!” Michael heard two shots being fired.

“Monk! Monk!” Michael yelled in his field receiver as he ran down the halls towards Monk’s position. Monk was on the floor surrounded in a pool of blood.

Michael ran scrambling to get to his friend. He rolled Monk over onto his lap glancing up to see a figure rushing away. “Monk! Monk, look at me!” Michael pleaded frantically. He glanced at the bleeding wounds and then his deathly still friend. “Monk, look at me!! Monk, don't just give …” Monk wasn’t responding. “Monk! Monk!” Michael continued to call as his hand went to Monk’s pulse point. No pulse. “Monk. Monk. No.” Michael shook his head as he began to cry unable to believe this was happening. “You can’t die.”

~~~

It was a long bad night. In a Meta-Chem office Michael was being questioned by a representative of the company.

“Now let me just get this straight...” The lady said, the same lady that had been behind the closed security door having Michael’s blood injected into an old man. “Uh, what happened immediately after the alarm was tripped?”

Michael wasn’t talking very loud, his demeanor subdued. “We found a breach …”

“I can’t hear you. Could you speak up?”

“We found a breach in sector five,” Michael said louder, “and I went down to seal the exit.”

“And Mr. Piles stayed behind?” Monk last name was Piles? Michael hadn’t known that. Why didn’t he know that? “Mr. Guerin?” The woman said pulling him from his thoughts.

“Yeah, he phoned the authorities. And then the power cut, and he walkied me over the radio saying that he saw somebody. And, uh, and then I heard the gun shots.”

“Fine. Well, I think that about wraps it up. Anybody else have any questions?” The woman asked the other people in the room. No one said anything. “Good. Mr. Guerin, you are free to go.”

Michael was confused. “That's it? Don't the police want to talk to me?”

“No, no, no. That's fine. We're going to send out notes from the inquiry over to them.”

Michael stared at the woman suspicious. “No, but I should go down to the station. I'm the only eye witness.”

“That really won't be necessary, Mr. Guerin. You know, you've clearly been through a lot. Why don't you take a couple of days off?”

Michael stared at the woman, his voice low and quiet. “I’d rather work.” Something wasn’t right. He definitely would rather work.

~~~

Michael got home, it was still dark. He was home early from his normal shift, and Max was sleeping. Going into his bedroom, Michael checked his messages. There was one from Maria.

“Hey, it’s me! You won’t believe how whacked this deal was, so I walked. I decided to dump the cushy hotel before they tried to stiff me with the bill. I’m staying with some friends of Billy’s, these girls that sing at a club he sometimes works at. Hey, the girl Tisha, or Teesha, I think is like his possible new girlfriend. She’s really cute! Anyway, call me when you get home, it doesn’t matter how early or late. I’ll have my phone on. I’m heading to the airport tomorrow to see what kind of return trip home I can finagle. I hear there is a huge winter slash early spring storm coming so I need to get a plane quick before I find myself a refugee at the airport. So … um, just call me. I really miss your voice.” Maria’s voice paused.  “Well, okay. God! Um … well, love you. Um, bye.”

Michael held the phone against him for a moment. Turning off the light at the bedside, he hit the automatic number dial for Maria. It rang for a few moments, and he tried not to …

“Hello?” Michael gulped at the sound of Maria’s sleepy voice. He woke her.

“Hey.” he said softly.

“Michael?” He could hear her sitting up. “Michael, hi! Um,” Maria seemed to pause as if she was thinking something over. “What’s wrong?”

“I miss your voice too,” said Michael.

Maria was quiet, but he could hear her breathing. “I’m coming home.”

“Good. I really need you.” Michael said losing control of his emotions for a moment as he rolled over to his side to talk to Maria a tear moving down his cheek.

Maria heard the tears in his voice. “Michael? Oh god … Michael? Baby, what’s wrong? Talk to me, please!”

“Monk died. He was shot at work.” Michael told her as she went quiet. He heard the sharp gasping draw of her breath as she tried to understand what he was saying.

“Monk?” she repeated thickly.

“Yeah. He died in my arms. A security breach at work. He was shot.”

“Oh god! Monk?” Maria was crying. She couldn’t help it. So was he. “Michael? Are you all right? Did you get hurt? Michael, answer me! Did you …”

“I’m okay.” Michael breathed deeply for a moment trying to clear his throat. “It was just Monk. There was so much blood, and … the company questioned me, but not the cops.”

Maria was quiet for a moment. “It was a homicide. How can the cops not talk to you? Michael, that doesn’t make sense. Heck, they questioned you over a pocket knife in the desert, how can they not question you in this instance?”

“I don’t know.” Michael thought for a moment. “Something wasn’t right about the job, the whole shooting. I think I need to talk to Valenti.”

“Wait … you can’t go back there!”

“I have to.”

“Michael,” said Maria, a little out of breath. He could hear her moving around, the rustle of clothes and things. “You behave. Do not go anywhere without me! I mean it. I’m leaving for the airport right now! Immediately. I’m getting on the first plane west, then another and another, but I’ll be there! You wait … understand? Michael?”

“Maria …” Michael exhaled harshly. “I’ll see you when you get here. I need you.”

“I know. I’m coming. You just stay put, and I’ll find you. Don’t … just stay put.”

~~~

Michael knocked on the Valentis’ door. It was still early, and when Kyle answered he stared at the stonyfaced Michael, shocked at the ashen look and the blood smearing all of Michael’s clothes. Michael just walked right in past Kyle without saying a word. Kyle shut the door and followed him.

“Valenti,” Michael said when he found Jim drinking his morning coffee and reading the paper. “I need your advice.”

Jim put the paper aside. “What?”

“Try to catch the guy who killed my friend.” Michael quickly told Jim the events leading up to Monk’s death.

Jim was confused. “Aren't the police investigating it?”

“Yeah, but that's the problem, I'm the only eye witness, and Meta-Chem doesn't want me talking to the cops.” Michael explained his voice rising in anger. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

“Michael, calm down. You're going to have to bring me up to speed. Here, come on and sit down.” Jim gave his son a look gesturing him to get Michael some hot coffee. The young man was obviously still in shock, and the trauma of the event still etched on his face not to mention the blood on his clothes. “Tell me what you saw.” Jim invited to give Michael a course of action, a comforting manner to calm himself.

Michael sat beside Jim on the couch. “I caught a glimpse of a figure, but it was dark.” He nodded at Kyle as he was handed a cup of coffee loaded with sugar.  Kyle leaned on the back of the sofa to listen.

“Well, can you give me any help at all? Was he tall? Or short? Or fat? Thin?”

“He was pretty tall, I guess. It was just so quick.” Michael confessed. “I was just trying to help Monk.”

“All right, what about video surveillance? Aren't the cameras in all those hallways?”

“Yeah, but the power went out and the cameras shut down,” Michael explained.

“Doesn't sound like there's a lot to go on,” Kyle pointed out.

Jim gave it some thought nodding his head, more to himself. “I tell you what, maybe there is a way I can help you.” First, he really needed to get the boy cleaned up. He couldn’t continue to walk around town in clothes covered with his dead friend’s blood.

~~~

Michael was back in the security room working the next night. He had talked to Maria twice. She had made it as far as Chicago before her plane was grounded for a snowstorm coming off Lake Michigan. Maria was looking into alternative transportation including a rental car while staying at the airport on standby. Michael was playing with his yo-yo burning off excess nervous energy after breaking three pencils while beating them on a counter. Jim walked into the security room in a security uniform.

“I guess the interview went well.” Michael commented, noticing how comfortable Jim seemed in the uniform. The man was obviously born to wear a uniform.

“Piece of cake.”

“Drop my name?” Michael asked.

“I really didn't have to, Michael.” Jim pointed out. “She seemed pretty impressed with my resume, you know, being the sheriff and all. Add that I previously applied and was not hired because of a corrupt manager … it was a snap.”

“It must feel good to be back in uniform.”

“Not really.” Jim looked down at his uniform. He was happy with his current life, and the break from law enforcement was much needed. It cost him a lot in his life. His wife. Alienation from his son. “Wanna show me that crime scene?”

“Uh, yeah. Michael put down his yo-yo and led the way. About time someone took this job seriously.

At the crime scene Jim walked the area stooping to look at things. Michael watched with interest the strange concentrating look that moved over Valenti’s face.

“This is the door they broke in.”

Jim nodded. “Good, they haven't fixed it yet.”

“No, I delayed the maintenance request. I figured you wanted to see it.”

“Good thinking.” Jim looked at the broken window talking to himself, working the angles. “Now, if you reach your hand through that hole, you'd still have trouble reaching the handle to unlock it, wouldn't you?”

“Yeah, you think they had a tool or something?” Michael asked, having noticed that same thing before.

“Anything like that turn up?” Jim asked.

“Not that I know of.”

“Now look at that,” Jim pointed to the glass. “You see the shards of glass, how they're all pushed out?”

“Yeah, what do you think that means?”

“It means that whatever broke this window hit it from the inside. No one broke into Meta-Chem that night, Michael.” Jim explained. “They just wanted it to look that way.”

The lady that questioned Michael and hired Jim was watching them through a monitor.

“Are you saying that the guy who killed Monk works here?” Michael asked.

“I'm saying it's a possibility. I still have to check a few things.”

Michael frowned at the area, and for the first time, he was glad Maria wasn’t in Roswell. It felt too dangerous for her to be near. Michael prayed the snowstorm kept her in Chicago a few more days.

~~~

Hanson stopped to talk to Jim at his house after getting a message requesting it early that morning. “I brought that autopsy report that you wanted.”

“Thanks.” Jim said reading through the report. “The company needs that for the insurance, you know?”

“Yeah. It's a shame about that kid.”

“Yeah, so uh, any leads?”

Hanson was suddenly uncomfortable looking at the man that trained him. “Jim, I'm sorry, I can’t discuss an active investigation with you.”

“I know you can’t. Of course you can’t. I taught you. I just figured that uh, well, you know, this being your first homicide case and all, maybe I can help.”

“Well, there is something. We found this shoe print at the scene.” Hanson handed his a photo of it. “I've been waiting for a report back from the FBI lab, but they're so backed up it could take weeks.”

“I know a guy who might be able to help.” Jim offered. “I have to borrow this.”

“Sure. Actually, I uh, made you a copy.” Hanson handed Jim his copy.

~~~

Michael and Jim had the lights off at Meta-Chem. It was early. Just after ten P.M. They had just started their shift. They walked the halls towards the crime scene.

“Any word from Maria?” Jim asked curiously, having a special interest in Amy DeLuca’s daughter.

“No. Last I heard from her, she was stranded in Chicago. I didn’t call her …”

“Because you don’t want her to know what you’re doing?”

“Something like that. She hates being left out of the loop.” Michael cleared his throat. “I figure she’s leaving me message after message right now. I know she’ll leave a message when she knows her travel plans.”

“Hopefully we’ll have this taken care of before that happens … before she gets back.”

“Word.”

Michael looked at the shoe print picture when they stopped at the crime scene looking at the now clean floor. “This footprint is useless, the floor has already been scrubbed.”

“Not completely useless.” Jim said as he sprayed the ground with something, and shined his flashlight on the floor. The footprints appeared.

Michael nodded his head laughing. “That's very cool.”

“Let me see the Polaroid.” Michael handed it to Jim, as he compared the new Polaroid to the copy they had.

“That's our shooter then, right?”

Jim nodded. “Yeah. Let’s see where they lead.” Jim sprayed the floor, and he and Michael followed the footprints along the hall stopping in front of the room where Michael and Monk had stood in front of two days before wondering what goes on back there. Michael tried to open the door; it was locked.

“You think you can open that door?” Jim asked.

“Yeah, no problem,” Michael put his hand over the verification panel and used his powers to make the door open. They looked around quickly before going inside the room.

“What the hell were they doing back here?” Jim asked glancing about the laboratory.

“No one knows.” Michael was looking through test tubes on the table side. He found one that made his blood run cold. Taking it from the rack, he held it up reading the label. It was his blood. “Valenti...” Michael called, not a little upset.

“What is it?” Jim stopped searching to look over at Michael.

Michael shook the test tube. “That's my blood. They've been studying me.”

Jim joined Michael. “You think they know you're an alien?”

Michael searched the counter beside him. He turned on the lamp. There was a bottle of Tabasco sauce in a plastic bag, an empty can of soda in a plastic bag, and some other things of Michael's all in plastic bags. There was also Michael's records folder on the counter along with pictures of him goofing off with his friends, and disturbing pictures of him with Maria hanging out, going to the movies, and even one of her kissing him on the cheek.

“They definitely know.” Michael said. He picked up the picture of Maria kissing him. “They know everything.” Jim took the folder from Michael to read the report while Michael picked up a plastic bag. “That's Liz's uniform,” said Michael in a hollow voice full of doom.

“When she was shot?” Jim asked staring at something he thought was gone long ago. He stared at the familiar piece of material. His blood ran equally cold as he and Michael shared a look.

“And Max healed her.” Michael said his stomach hurting as he could feel the bilious taste of fear moving upward. “We got to get this stuff out of here.” Michael and Valenti grabbed all of it and put it in a box. Before they could leave two people walked in as they hid behind the counter before they were seen.

“Yeah, I'm not a fan of horseradish either. I mean, if I get a roast beef sandwich with Mayo, it's fine.” The one scientist picked up something. “All right. Take a look at this here.”

Jim stood up from his hiding place speaking to the two scientists, suddenly disarming them. “How are you fellows doing this evening?” He walked over to them. “Mind if I take a look at your I.D. badges?” Michael took the opportunity Jim gave him to sneak away from the counter to behind a wall near the door and out of the room.

“Well, I don't think I …” The first scientist started as he frantically searched his pockets. “We don't usually have to carry them.”

“It's a new policy we've instituted since the recent break in.” Jim explained.

“Well, I left mine in the car.” The other scientist confessed. “Do you want me to get it?”

“No, no, no, that's all right. I'll tell you what though, in the future why don't you, uh, why don't you make it a point to keep it on you at all times.”

“Okay sir, I'll be sure to do that.”

“The company is clamping down on everybody since this thing happened. Makes my job a lot tougher, I tell you.” Jim said socially smiling at the two men in a friendly manner. The lady that hired Jim and spied on his and Michael walked in with two guys in suits.

“Hello, Mr. Valenti.”

~~~

Maria double checked her flight schedule. After almost thirty-six hours, she was happy to be getting out. She would still have a layover in Dallas, but at least she was closer to home. She tried Michael’s again, but there was no answer. Already having left too many messages, she disconnected.

Sighing, she called someone else.

“Liz?”

“Maria!” Liz slurred over the phone.

“Liz, are you drunk?”

“Yep! I’m in the Ratsdale, this cool hidden bar in our dorms, and I told Eileen all about Max cheating on me. Screw him! Screw cheaters! I’m alright on my own! Whooohooo!”

Maria held the phone away from her ear as the shrieking Liz sacred a few people next to her away. “Liz? Um, …Liz!” Maria sighed. “Look, why don’t you sleep it off? I’ll call you back.”

Maria hung up the phone frowning. Liz sounded … out of control. Happy? Maria called Michael’s again this time going straight to voicemail. “Michael, hi, me again. Listen, I am boarding my plane soon. I got the first early morning flight to Dallas, and then I have a huge layover there so my phone will be off. I’m going to find someplace to plug in my recharger. I’ve got all my flight information so write it down.” Maria paused for a moment wishing she could talk to him directly. “I’ll be home. I … just take care of yourself. Okay? I’ll be home soon.” Maria paused before hanging up. “I love you.” She hung up the phone.

~~~

Michael was frantically pacing around the apartment listening to the phone. Frowning he, shook his head as he hung up the phone. “Valenti's still not answering. It's been over two hours since our shift ended, he should have been home.”

Max and Isabel were going through the box of stuff that Michael bought back. Max frowned at Michael trying to think of a way to calm him. “Maybe he's on his way over.”

Isabel could believe what she was looking at. “How much do you think these Meta-Chem people know about us?”

Michael picked up the folder on him and tossed it into the box with a loud resounding crash. “Everything.”

“We don't know how much they know.” Max reasoned.

Michael made a face. “Maxwell, they know enough to expose us.”

“I say we go back in there.” Isabel voted. They might have more. More of the rest of them, and not just Michael.

There was a knock on the door and the three alien teens all stopped moving for a moment. “Valenti.” Michael said getting the door. It was a Valenti … the wrong one. Kyle.

“Hey, were you working with my dad last night?” Kyle asked as he came into the apartment. “He never came home.”

Michael licked his lips nervously. “Did he call?”

“No, he never called.” Kyle saw all the stuff on the table. “What's going on?”

Isabel and Max stood up from where they were looking through the box. “We need to go in now.” Max told the others.

“But we can’t go now. It's in the middle of a working day.” Michael reasoned shaking his head. “Max, there are millions of people.”

“Millions of people?” Kyle looked at each of them. “What are you talking about?”

Isabel didn’t know how to break it easy, so she just told him the truth. “Kyle, we think your dad is in trouble.”

They told Kyle everything, and Kyle sat down and looked at the box too, all the stuff inside. He picked up a picture of Michael wearing scrubs. “When were you a doctor?”

Michael looked at the picture. It was getting late, and Isabel had left for home a few hours before leaving him and Max to finish the planning. “It could be either the time I tried to meet Laurie, get information on her to see if she was alien, or that Christmas I went with Max to heal the cancer children.”

Kyle frowned. “Which one, Michael?”

Michael concentrated. “The hall is dark. That would be the cancer children then. I stood outside … guarding the door while Max …” Michael picked up Liz’s uniform. “How they got this from the special unit is a nice mystery.” Michael said, then his brain seemed to comprehend what he was saying. He picked up the pictures from his file. Most of them were of him and Maria. There were pictures of him with all his friends, but mostly, Maria. “There are too many pictures of Maria! I, she’s being targeted.”

Max frowned. “You can’t know that, Michael.”

“Yes, I can. I also know that between Liz’s uniform and you having to save those kids, I became a target and didn’t even know it. What do they have in common? Healing. Liz was healed, and the children were healed.” Michael turned a picture to Max. “Maria became a target. If she had come home with me from New York, or was here that day, I bet you it wouldn’t have been a fake robbery at Meta-Chem, but a mugging somewhere and Maria would dead right now.”

~~~

Michael paced his apartment talking in the phone. “Maria, pick up. Pick up!” He swore as the ringing continued. Getting her voicemail, he left his fourth message. “Maria, it’s me. Listen. Do not come home. Either stay where you are until I call, or catch a plane to Vermont … go visit Parker until I contact you.” Michael took a breath. “Just don’t come home. It’s not safe.”

Michael disconnected holding the phone against his head for a moment. He finally hung it up to get ready to leave. Kyle was holding a walkie talkie. Michael joined them to stand beside Max.

“Okay this is how it works.” Michael said as Max grabbed the walkie talkie from Kyle. “I'm going to go on first, alone.”

Kyle looked at Max, and then at Michael. “Where's my walkie talkie?”

“You don't get one, because you're not coming.” Michael told Kyle.

“But my father is in there.”

Max agreed with Michael. They couldn’t risk any more humans. Liz was gone. Maria had been a target, and now Jim was missing. “Kyle, it's too dangerous.”

“Don't give me that aliens only crap.”

“Kyle look, you are the only ones other than us who knows what's going on. If something goes wrong, we could get trapped. Or worse.” Max reasoned, hoping Kyle would see the sense of him being on the outside.

Kyle sighed. “All right, what do I do?”

Michael grabbed Kyle firmly. “You go to the airport. Park your ass and wait in case Maria shows up.” Michael wrote down the information Maria left about her arrival time. “Do not let her out of your sight, and do not bring her back here or her place under any circumstance. If we're not back by dawn, call Hanson.”

Kyle nodded understanding Michael’s anxiety over Maria. “What do I tell him?”

Michael shrugged. At that point, what the hell. “Tell him your father and three aliens got kidnapped by Meta-Chem.”

Max nodded. “At that point, it won't matter what you tell him. Just get help.”

“All right.” Kyle stepped back. “Just get him and get out.”

“Maxwell, you're going to pick up Isabel and bring her to the plant. I want you there for the three AM shift change. When nobody is around I'll bypass the system and get you both in undetected. You and Isabel will have to split up to cover as much ground as possible. The place is big and Valenti could be anywhere. I'll watch you from the security center, I'll be your eyes and ears. And we will find Valenti.” Michael grabbed his jacket. He was the first up. Michael paused at the door, he looked back at Kyle. “Kyle, if anything happens … you know, would you take Maria to Amy, and tell her … tell her …” Michael stopped. There were not enough words to tell Maria all the things he needed to tell her.

“I’ll tell her,” Kyle promised. Michael nodded and went through the door.

~~~

Isabel quietly got up trying not to disturb Jesse. Carefully, she sneaked out of her house to get into Max’s waiting car. As soon as she left the house, Jesse sat up and looked at his watch. He looked out the window watching his wife get into Max’s car. Grabbing clothes, he hurried after them before they got too far ahead.

Once at Meta-Chem, they looked up into a security camera by the outside of the door. The door unlocked as Michael opened it from the security room.

Jesse was in his car in front of Meta-Chem. He watched Isabel and Max go inside. Isabel and Max walked down the hall splitting up as each of them took separate major corridors

Michael checked the monitors. He saw a scientist coming near Max. He called Max, and Max hid until the scientist was gone. Max opened a door and saw Jim tied up in a chair in the middle of the room.

Jim’s head moved when he heard the door open. “Who’s that?”

“It's me, Max.” Max shut the door behind him.

“Will you get that light out of my eyes?” Jim asked as Max’s flashlight caught Jim directly.

“Sorry.” Max lowered his flashlight and walked to him to begin releasing him. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I could use the bathroom.”

Max finished untying him. “Did they hurt you?”

“No, the woman just threw me in here and left.”

Max called Michael. “Michael, I got him, he's okay.”

“Good. Now get out of there.” Michael called Isabel. “Isabel, Max has Valenti, get back up here.”

“Copy that.”

Max helped Jim to his feet. “Let’s go.” Max and Jim went through the door, and immediately picked up two men. They ran through the halls, but the two men quickly caught up as one shoot Jim in the back.

Max caught Jim as he started to fall seeing the wound in his back, then he glanced at the two men. “No!” Max used his powers to push the two men into the wall and onto the floor. Max leaned Jim against the wall; Jim slid down to the floor. “Can you move?” Max asked.

“I don't know.”

Max ripped open Jim's shirt and placed his hand on Jim's wound. “It's okay. It's okay. Valenti look at me. Look at me.” Jim slowly looked up at Max as Max healed him.

“Thank you.” They stood up as three men surrounded Max at gunpoint. The lady that hired Jim walked up to them.

“So you're the healer,” she said. “You have no idea how long we've been looking for you.”

~~~

Isabel walked into the security room. “Where are they?”

“Last time I saw them they were in Corridor three.” Michael told her. “Let’s go.” They ran out of the room to find the others so they could get out of there. In one of the monitors, Jesse was trying to open a door.

Michael led Isabel to the original lab where he and Valenti found all this stuff. Inside they found a curtain,

“What the hell is in here?” Isabel asked.

“I don't know.” Michael frowned. He hadn’t noticed the curtained off area before. He pulled back the curtain. There was an empty bed. “Let’s go.” He didn’t know what was going on, but they couldn’t wait any longer.

~~~

Maria walked off the plane trying to stay upright. She was exhausted, but not for long. The moment she saw Kyle, all tiredness left her body. Michael?

“Kyle?” Maria felt her stomach drop. “Oh, god! What went wrong? Where is Michael?”

“I don’t know for sure.” Kyle confessed. He took Maria’s bag. “C’mon, I’ll tell you on the way home. We don’t have much time!” His father was out there, and her Michael. They couldn’t stop for coffee and conversation.

~~~

The lady opened a door, behind her one of the men was holding Max, another holding Jim.

“What do you want from us?” Max demanded.

“Not us.” The lady corrected. “Just you; the healer.” She gestured to her men and they all walked into the room. “Bring him in.” She ordered as an old man, the old man injected with Michael’s blood was wheeled in. The woman put her hand on his shoulder. “Heal him.”

Max and Jim, both held at gunpoint shared a look. Max asked, “Who is he?”

“My husband. Clayton Wheeler. He owns all of this.”

Jim looked from the old man on the verge of death to the younger woman. “So you're what? A few days away from inheriting his millions?”

“I don't care about that.”

“Right.” Jim made a face of disbelief. The woman was a good thirty years younger than her husband, maybe even forty. The man was really old. “You just happen to fall in love with a man twice your age who just happens to be a multi-millionaire?”

“Quiet! You don't know anything about me.” The woman told Jim, her hand remaining on Clayton’s shoulder. “Have you ever been married, Mr. Valenti?”

“Once. Didn't stick.”

“Well, I've been married for twenty-two years. That’s a long time to be with someone. Things change. Feelings change. Motives change. He is my husband now, and I am not going to lose him.”

“What's wrong with him?” asked Max.

“He's old. Unfortunately all the money in the world can’t stop the aging process. Believe me, we've tried everything. And then we heard a story about a girl in Roswell who was shot with no ill effects.”

“Liz.” Max confirmed wincing. It always came back to Liz, and the first time he healed her … the first exposure. “That's why you have her uniform.”

“We analyzed that thing for two years. The best scientists in the world couldn't figure that out. And then we got another little tip. Several children with terminal cancer mysteriously healed.”

“In Phoenix.” Max said quietly. So Michael had been right. He had been exposed because he helped Max. “The surveillance picture of Michael in the hospital. You thought he was the healer.”

“We set it up so he would need to heal, and since his girlfriend was unavailable, we had to improvise. We couldn’t wait for her to get home … my husband couldn’t wait. We thought he was the healer, well, until he couldn't heal his friend. Then we knew we had the wrong guy.”

“You killed Monk as a test?”

“My husband is dying. We're desperate.”

Max shook his head at the woman, unbelieving that someone could forfeit another’s life without remorse. “That's no excuse to kill someone in cold blood.”

“What's done is done. Now heal him.”

“It doesn't work like that. I can’t save someone from a natural death.”

“I think you can. Those children were ill naturally … by the hand of fate. You healed them. And you will heal my husband.” She snapped her fingers. The men pushed their guns into Max and Jim's throats.

Max nodded and kneels in front of the old man. He placed his hand over Clayton's chest; his hand glows white. Max tried as hard as he could. The white light intensified and expanded. As Max healed Michael and Isabel were running down the halls looking for them, unable to locate them in the huge vastness of the laboratories. They couldn’t afford to split up.

Max continued to try to restore health to the man, but his powers were fading as his hair began to turn gray and his life force was fading. Max began to sweat more than usual when he healed someone, the room shook, test tubes shattered around the room.

Jim watched the use of power, the out of control pull from Max’s body to the surrounding environment. “Max! Max! Stop!” The man holding Jim cold cocked him with  a gun and Jim fell to the floor.

The room lit up as Max turned old, getting wrinkles and more gray hair. Clayton screamed and pushed Max away. His wife checked him, and she took Clayton and quickly left. Max slowly collapsed to the floor, old and white-haired. A circle of fire emitted from Max's body and engulfed his body as the room caught on fire. The guard left the room immediately before they became trapped leaving Jim unconscious on the floor, and Max dead in the fire.

~~~

Jim woke coughing surrounded by fire. “Max!” Jim crawled to Max, to the burned out shell of Max. “Max!” He reached out to touch Max, and Max turned into dust.

~~~

Kyle was telling Maria everything as they returned to Roswell. They were only a few miles away when Maria’s phone rang. Kyle glanced at her hopefully that the aliens had found his father.

“Michael?!”

“Maria!” Maria frowned when the frantic, still inebriated voice of Liz came over the phone. “Liz, honey, I can’t talk! I’m trying to get ahold of Michael, waiting for him to call. I told you that I would call back once you were sober, and …”

Maria stopped talking and listened. She glanced at Kyle in horror, but quickly reassured Liz. “Liz, I don’t know! I really don’t. I am almost home right now. Kyle and I will find the others, and I’ll call you back. Just … I’ll call you back.” Maria disconnected. “Drive faster, Kyle. Liz said Max is dead.”

Chant Down Babylon……..

Michael and Isabel were still searching for Max and Jim. As they ran down the hall, the alarms went off. Michael headed towards a special wall with a security monitor and relay. He quickly checked the information.

“What?” Isabel demanded.

Michael read the information from the security display embedded in the wall.

“We got a fire in section C-Charlie.”

“That must be where they are.” Isabel concluded.

“Let's go. This way.” Michael took off with Isabel following until he came to a section. He opened the locks that engaged immediately at the first alarm of fire shutting fire doors. “Here!”  They ran to the area, stopping in front of a door with a flashing red light next to it. “That's it!”

Michael and Isabel held out their hands in tandem, blasting the door open. A wall of flame poured out. They tried to shield their eyes from the heat while still holding hands up towards the door.

“I can’t put it out!” Michael yelled at Isabel.

“Valenti! Max! Are you in there?” Isabel screamed into the engulfed room where Michael doubted anyone could survive. Suddenly, a figure came into view leaping through the flames. It was Jim who had been trapped inside until Michael and Isabel blew the door saving him … giving him a way out.

Jim screamed as he stumbled forward and dropped at Michael and Isabel's feet, coughing and choking from the heat and smoke.

Isabel dropped next to him. “Where's Max? Jim, where's my brother?!”

Valenti gasped for breath. “Dead.”

Isabel mouthed, “What?” and then a disbelieving, “No – No!” Isabel started to run towards the flame-choked doorway. Valenti put an arm out to catch her, holding her back. He struggled to restrain her from going to the burning room.

“Come on, this whole place is going to go up!” Jim yelled to the frantic girl, pulling her away

“No! I'm not going without him!” Isabel screamed.

Valenti held her firmly. “He's dead - I saw it with my own eyes. He's dead!”

Isabel screamed, “No! No!” She pleaded, “Michael … No!”

Valenti started to drags her away towards escape as she struggled against him, still screaming. Michael stood staring at the wall of flame, unwilling to leave. “Michael!” Jim yelled at the young man. “We’ve got to go! Come on!”

“Michael, no!” Isabel screamed not wanting him to give up on Max, not wanting to leave without her brother.

“Let's go!!” Valenti pulled Isabel away down the hall. Michael remained for a few moments longer, kept looking at the wall of flame until finally he followed.

Outside the smoke-filled building, Michael came out the door, coughing and choking, removing his tie and security belt. He joined Valenti and Isabel. Jim examined his own burned hand as he related what happened with Max.

Valenti gulped in the fresh air, “… hit the floor. Flames poured out from his body … started the fire.”

Isabel held onto Michael as he was bent over coughing trying to catch his breath, she looked up at Jim. “No, he can’t be dead. He can’t be dead!”

Valenti didn’t know how else to convince the girl. “Look, I tried to get to him … but his body collapsed into dust.”

Michael looked up, and at the same time he and Isabel noticed Merris Wheeler leaving the building with a hunched Clayton, flanked by the gunmen in suits. They were about to get into a black limousine and drive away.

Michael saw them, standing in anger. “There they are.”

Isabel turned to Valenti. “Is that them?”

Jim nodded. “Yeah, but they're armed …” The two aliens both walked towards the limousine. “Wait! Dammit!”

Enraged, Isabel and Michael bolted off to confront Max's killers. Merris stood at the door of the limo after Clayton was inside, seeing them approach she coolly directed her men before getting into the limousine. “Take care of them.”

The men lifted their guns to start firing. Isabel screamed in fury as she and Michael lifted their hands to blast the gunmen. The gunmen opened fire. A shot hit Isabel in the abdomen and she reflexively clutched at Michael, falling to the street, even as the gunmen were blasted into the air. They flew over top the car, and fell dead as the limo sped off into the night. Michael dropped to the ground with Isabel, holding her as Jim rushed to them. Jim quickly examined Isabel, who was gasping in pain.

“What?” Michael begged, his hands covered in Isabel’s blood, it was too soon after Monk for his brain to comprehend the trauma, to make any sense of it.

“It's bad. Give me your shirt.” Michael quickly removed his security shirt for Valenti to press against the wound. He glanced at the burning building. He would never need it again. Standing for a moment, he reached out his hand and pushed power into the fire, causing it to accelerate exploding in the night. He would come back later and salt the very earth that housed evil.

“… shirt … Max … Max …” gasped Isabel in pain.

Michael knelt down to talk to Isabel. “You're gonna to be all right.”

“Just hang on.” Jim begged as he held the shirt tight to Isabel. Jesse, who had been trying to get in the building came out from where he had been hiding when the Wheelers and the gunned men had exited, came yelling, rushing out of hiding towards his fallen wife.

“Isabel!”

“Max …” said Isabel weakly as she was slowly losing conscious from blood loss.

“Stay awake …” Jim ordered the young woman.

“Isabel!” Jesse came up close enough to see Isabel. “Oh, my God …”

Valenti glanced up at Jesse. “She's been shot. I don't know how bad it is.”

Isabel saw Jesse and she weakly tried to reassure him, “… it's all right … it's all right.”

“Oh, my God,” said Jesse again as he pulled out his cell phone and began to dial. “Have you called an ambulance?”

Michael took the phone from Jesse disconnecting it. “No ... no, no-no, no!” Michael said as Jesse tried to take his phone back.

“Well, what's wrong with you?!” Jesse demanded glancing down at his dying wife.

“Hey, no ambulance! No hospital!”

“She'll die, you idiot!” Jesse punched Michael. The cell phone fell from Michael’s hand as he hit the ground and Jesse grabbed for it. Michael wrestled with Jesse to keep him from using the phone. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Michael held Jesse shaking him hard. “Hey, you can’t take her to the hospital - you can’t!”

“Why?! Tell me why?!”

“Because your wife isn't human!” Stunned, Jesse stopped fighting and stared at Michael. “Okay, understand that? Your wife is not human.”

Jesse wrenched away from Michael, started to stand. “Stop that crock of crap!”

“Ramirez!” Jim called and Jesse looked over at him. “Look!” Jim gestured to Isabel who was partially on Jim’s lap. Jesse stood slowly to his full height staring, stunned to see crackling energy sparks flying from his wife's blood-covered, trembling hand. “It's true, Jesse. I know you don't want to accept it, but it's true. She's not human.”

What …?” Jesse ran a shaking hand through his hair in disbelief.

“She's alien.” Michael told the distraught man. “We both are.”

~~~

Maria left another message for Michael as she and Kyle finally made Roswell. They were heading for the Valenti house, unable to go to Michael’s place or her home.

“Michael, it's Maria - please pick up the phone, 'cause Liz called and she has this completely wrong idea that something's happened to Max, and I - I just I really need to hear your voice right now!. Maria hung up. She glanced at Kyle. “Maybe they’re back? I should maybe try Isabel and Jesse’s place, and …”

Kyle jaw clenched. Max dead. What about his father? “We go to my home. My dad will contact me there. I know he will.” Kyle glanced at the pale Maria clenching her phone. “Maria … Michael, he wanted me to tell you that he …”

“Don’t!” Maria said breathing hard. “He … he’ll tell me himself.” A tear ran down Maria’s face as she punched Michael’s number in again. “Oh, Michael, Michael, Michael! ...come on ... please ...!” Kyle finally drove up to the Valenti house.

~~~

Jim’s SUV was weaving through traffic in the night, honking its horn and speeding down the road. A car horn blared as they barely missed the other car. Jesse was in the front seat trying to use his cell phone, and Michael was in the back seat holding the gravely wounded Isabel, pressing his shirt against her gunshot wound. Michael's cell phone was ringing incessantly.

“Paul?” Jesse said getting hold of someone. “Yeah, it's me, Jesse. Can you hear me? Paul!” Jesse turned to shout at Michael, “Look, can you turn that thing off?! I …” Michael found the phone and turned it off tossing it over his shoulder. “Paul, yeah, it's Jesse. Can you hear me? I- I can barely hear you … Can you hear me?”

Isabel faintly called to her husband. “Jesse …”

Jesse glanced at Isabel, fear and worry etched on his face. “Just hang on, okay? Honey, … just hang on …” He went back to his conversation on the phone. “Look, yeah, I got an emergency … and my wife's been shot … If I could go to the hospital I wouldn't be calling you!!  … He - hello?? Yeah …”

Michael glanced at the cloth that was once his shirt. The blood was pooling between his fingers. “Hey, the shirt's soaked through, what do I do?”

“You keep the pressure on - we can’t do anything about it now!” Jim ordered swerving to miss another car.

Isabel seemed delirious. “No … Max …” Isabel said needing Max to heal her.

“No, Max isn't here …” Michael said choking on the words. “We're gonna take care of this. Wake up … wake up. Don't leave us … just …” Michael asked Jesse, “Are - are you sure about this doctor?”

“He's not a doctor anymore, he's - he's an old friend from the neighborhood …”

“What the hell does that mean?!” Michael demanded. Not a doctor?

“Just - it means just shut up and let me just …” Jesse stopped talking to Michael when Paul came back. “Paul! Yes - one shot through the abdomen - !- a - a handgun, possibly …”

“Big.” Jim told Jesse. “Nine millimeter.”

“Nine Millimeter!” Jesse repeated. “Look, just - just meet me at my apartment - okay? The address is one twenty six …”

“We're going to my house!” Jim told Jesse. “It's closer!” Jesse quickly repeated Jim address to Paul.

~~~

Jim rushed into his house with Jesse carrying Isabel in his arms, followed closely by Michael. Blood was on everyone's hands as Michael kept up with Jesse holding the soaked shirt against the wound.

“Get her on the sofa …” Michael said.

Jim rushed to the sofa and cleared things off it making room. He reached up to help Jesse. “Got her, got her …”

They work together to lay Isabel down as the commotion brought Kyle and Maria rushing into the room from Kyle’s room where Maria was calling Michael again.

“What's going on?” Kyle demanded stopping when he saw Isabel. “Oh, my God, what happened?”

“She's been shot.” Jim told his son as he kept applying pressure to the wound.

“Michael!” Maria rushed to Michael’s side. He turned and picked her up in a strong hug, turning her away from the sight of Isabel dying.

“She - what?” Kyle couldn’t comprehend the words.

“Kyle, there's a trauma kit in the garage. Get it. Go!!” Jim ordered. Kyle ran out to the garage.

Maria glanced at the pale Isabel, noting the soaked shirt. “I’ll get some towels!” She left Michael’s side and rushed to the linen closet.

Jesse was holding Isabel's head. He continued to speak reassuring to her throughout all the commotion. “Everything's going to be okay … everything's going to be okay … everything's going to be okay.”

“I don't wanna die … please …” Isabel begged her husband, “please … I don't wanna die …”

“You won't. You won't, I promise, okay?” Jesse looked at Jim, nearly hysterical. “Look, j-just do something!! Please.”

“I'm doing everything I can …” Jim told him as Maria came back with towels. Jim replaced Michael’s shirt with a towel.

“Where's the doctor?!” Michael demanded pacing, frantic for someone … anyone that could help.

“Kyle!!” Jim yelled for his son, needing the trauma kit and the sterilized bandages.

“He'll be here!” Jesse told Michael. Maria went to Michael, and he pulled her close, hugging her in comfort.

“Kyle!!” Jim yelled again.

Kyle ran in with the kit and handed it to his father. “She needs Max … Where's Max?”

“Max is dead.” Michael told Kyle as Maria pulled back from him, she glanced up at his face, and tears filled her eyes and she hugged Michael again.

Delirious Isabel heard that one name. “Max … no …”

“What?!” Kyle shook his head. He knew that Liz thought … Liz said, but he … no.

“Max is dead, alright?!” Michael yelled at Kyle trying to wake the other man up. There was going to be no miraculous save this time. Max was gone, and they had nothing to heal Isabel with.

“Max … no …” Isabel kept weakly repeating.

There was loud knocking at the door. Michael quickly kissed Maria on the forehead, and went to answer the door. Jim tossed a soaked towel and applied a large sterilized pad to the wound.

“You the doctor?” Michael inquired to the man on the doorstep.

“Yeah.”

Michael moved out of the way and gestured towards the living room and sofa. “There.”

Paul went directly to the couch, medical bag in hand. He knelt next to the patient. “Clear out - clear out - give me some room.”

“Paul … thank God …” Jesse said relieved to see his friend.

“I got it. Take a look here.” Paul pulled out a pen light to examine Isabel's wound.

Jesse talked in a comforting tone to Isabel. “The doctor's here, okay? The doctor's here …”

“I'm going to have to go in and find the bleeders - there's damage to the liver - Clear that table,” Paul said to Kyle and Jim before looking at Michael, “you - in my car there's a tank, a monitor, a ventilator bag, and a, ah, blanket tied up with chord, okay?” Michael rushed off. “I can’t make any promises, Jesse - she's lost an awful lot of blood.”

“Do everything you can, gonna alright.”

Paul quickly gave Isabel a shot as Maria and Kyle cleared the table. “Alright, let's get her on the table, alright? Brace, brace, brace … get her back - one, two, three, ready - lift!” Jesse, Valenti and Paul picked Isabel off the sofa and took her to the table. “Easy does it … get her middle … let her down easy, let her down easy … let her down easy.” Michael returned with the equipment. Paul nodded. “Tank right here - monitor there, bag on the counter, give me the blanket over here.” Paul ordered as Maria quickly helped Michael. “Alright, she's gonna need a transfusion. Anyone know her blood type?”

They all went still, and Maria shared a look with Michael. He nodded. “Uh, yeah, I'm her type.”

“Okay, who can tap this kid's vein?” Paul asked.

“I can.” Jim offered, grabbing supplies and Maria to help him.

Paul spread out his surgical instruments telling Kyle and Jesse to scrub. They were going to have to assist him. “Alright, let's get to work, guys.”

~~~

In Clayton and Merris' bedroom that same night, Merris was dressed in a negligee, sitting by her husband, who was lying on their canopy bed with the sheets pulled completely over himself. He was shivering and gasping as Merris tried to talk to him. Taken aback, Clayton’s voice had an eerie vibration to it. Concerned, Merris removed the sheet to find that Clayton now looked like Max. Shocked, Merris let Clayton look at his reflection. Clayton scrambled out of bed, shocked to be another man, but Merris came up behind him. She held his shoulders and told him how Max tried to rejuvenate him.

Clayton wanted to talk to Max, to know why Max made him look like him, but it was too late. Max was a pile of ash as Merris assumed the rest of Max’s alien friends were. Clayton slowly adjusted to the idea that this was his body, getting used to the idea of being young and strong. Merris knowingly suggested that he being young and energetic wasn’t such a bad thing. Clayton/Max picked up his wife and took her to bed.

~~~

Maria sat with Michael, her hand in his as his blood was removed for Isabel. His eyes were heavy and he watched Maria through hooded eyes, feeling sleepy.

“Thanks for coming home,” he said quietly.

Maria’s eyes met his, and there were tears in hers. She nodded, and leaned over him, hugging him, her head going to his. “I’m sorry it took so long.”

“I left you messages not to come.”

“I know. I ignored them.”

“So that was why you weren’t answering your phone?” Michael said suspiciously.

“When do I ever take orders?” Maria sniffed. She buried her head against him for a moment sobbing, catching it back in her throat. “It could be you on that table right now!”

“I wish it was.”

“Michael …” Maria shook her head. “Isabel is hard enough, but you … Please, don’t say that.”

“I’m going to be here all alone, Maria. If Isabel …”

“She’s not.” Maria said glancing over at the dining room table, the quiet men working fast trying to save Isabel. “She can’t.” Maria reached over for a glass of juice and a straw. “Here, drink some juice. You’re losing too much.”

“She can have it all.” Michael said. “I can’t take much more, Maria. Alex, Monk, Max, and now Isabel? I can’t …”

Maria forced the juice on him. “Yes, you can. You’re strong. I swear, Michael Guerin, I’m so sick of you always being so willing to leave me.”

Michael stared at her. “I’m not.”

“Then drink the damn juice!” Maria left Michael too upset to talk to him at that moment. She found Jim watching the surgery. “Michael’s too tired. I think he gave too much blood. I have him drinking juice, but …”

Jim nodded. “I’ll start an IV and give him some volume back. Let me see what Paul has on hand.” Jim squeezed Maria’s arm leaving her to go see about Michael.

Maria took a short walk into the kitchen to get herself something to drink. Sinking to the floor behind the counter, she pulled her knees to her chest and laid her head on her knees to cry. She let the tears fall and the sobs shake her body for a short while before wiping away the tears and clearing her throat. Taking a deep breath, she made the call she was dreading.

The phone was answered almost immediately. “I finally caught up with Michael.” Maria began after Liz demanded to know what she knew. “I'm so sorry.” Maria told her friend.

“I knew it.” Liz said quietly more to herself. “How?”

Maria sniffed trying not to cry again. “Um... He died um  … in a fire trying to save Valenti's life … an-  … Michael said that he was really heroic.” Maria hugged her knees tighter. “I'm so sorry …” Maria broke down and cried while Liz just sat there silently on the other end listening, her own eyes brimming with tears.

~~~

Clayton/Max and Merris were lying in bed together, enthralled in passionate embrace sharing the benefits of alien sex given to Clayton from Max. Merris was taken aback when Clayton rolled away as he was hit by strong flashes of Max and Liz together. The flashes were painful. Clayton cried out Liz’s name loudly as the excruciating pain radiated through his body. Merris, not happy to have her husband calling out a young eighteen year old girl’s name, sat up and listened to her husband.

Clayton/Max got up from the bed leaving Merris tangled in the sheets. “This is serious.” Clayton told Merris. “She's somebody Max Evans knows … someone from his life.”

“You must've gotten some of his memories.” Merris concluded. “Clayton, come back to bed.”

Clayton/Max shook his head. “He's in there. He's inside my head.”

“Who?”

“Max Evans. He's still alive. He's in my head. This head … This head …” Clayton stared at his reflection, seeing only Max Evans. “I know you're in there, Max. I know you are. You want something, don't you? What is it you want?” Clayton flashed on a face. “Liz.”

“What was that?” Merris asked wrapping herself in a sheet to go stand beside her husband. “Clayton, are you all right?”

“Is the Gulfstream fueled and ready to go?”

“Always. Where're we going?”

“Vermont.” Clayton. Max told Merris. “We're going to Vermont.”

~~~

Daylight brought no comfort to the Valenti house as the group of people waited for Isabel to regain consciousness. Valenti and Michael were sitting on the sofa as Paul sat on the coffee table in front of Jim, bandaging his burned arm and hand. Kyle cleaned the table where Paul had just done surgery on Isabel. Maria was gone. She walked out before Michael could stop her. He sat on the sofa in a daze watching Jim’s hands be bandage, his stomach hollow from worry about where Maria went.

“She's far from okay.” Paul told Jim and Michael as he worked on Jim’s hands. “I removed her spleen and tried to repair the liver, but  … it's meatball surgery at best. The real question is whether infection sets in. If that happens …” Paul finished and got up to get a beer.

“What?” Michael asked.

“Well, to have a fighting chance, she'll need a lot more than I can do in your dining room.” Paul explained. “She'll need a hospital.”

Michael shook his head. “That's not an option.”

“Neither is letting her die.” Kyle said quietly, having not said much since he dad got home.

“No one's dying yet.” Jim told Michael and Kyle trying to head off an argument. “We don't have to face that decision right now. Let's just wait and see what happens, okay?”

Maria came into the house carrying a small bag of things. Jim lifted a brow in inquiry. “Isabel’s stuff. I went to her and Jesse’s place. I … she’ll feel better if she has clothes … her clothes.” Maria’s face was pale, and Michael could see the tears in her eyes. He stood to go to her, but she quickly avoided him.

Jesse came out of the room where Isabel was. He stopped and talked low to Maria who nodded. She gave Jesse back his keys and went into the room to be with Isabel. Jesse watched until Maria shut the door before walking into the living room pulling on his coat.

“She's uh … she's still sleeping.” Jesse told the others. Jesse addressed Michael, “You and me. Outside.” Michael sighed knowing that he wasn’t going to get to talk to Maria in the immediate future. Jesse and Michael walked outside into the back yard.

Paul frowned as Michael and Jesse left wondering what that was about, but instead shrugged it off as none of his business. He asked Jim, “You mind if I smoke?”

“No …” Jim paused as the man pulled out a joint. Oh, what he hell. He wasn’t a cop any longer, and it wasn’t like he didn’t have a long list of illegal activity to his own sheet now since knowing the aliens. “Go ahead.”

Kyle watched Paul lit up and he said sarcastically, “I can’t imagine why you lost your license.”

Valenti gave his son a hard look. They needed the man. This wasn’t the time.

~~~

Maria sat with Isabel watching her closely. Isabel looked bad. She was sweaty and pale, and Maria didn’t think she was sleeping. She looked to be in pain. Wiping a tear, she held Iz’s hand.

“Please, please don’t die.” Maria sniffed. “I … I … Michael needs you. If you leave us, he’ll be alone. All alone on this planet with no one like him. He can’t lose you too, just after Max.” Maria stumbled over Max’s name. Putting her head down on the bed, she cried. She had been mad at Max, but she never stopped loving him. He was a friend. Someone she had believed in, looked up to and admired for a time. Despite everything, she never stopped believing that he belonged with Liz. Never. Not even in their darkest hours.

“Isabel, I know it’s hard to fight, but I know you. I know you. You fought so hard to love Jesse, to find a real place in this world. I can’t … just don’t go. Jesse needs you. Michael needs you. I need you. Your parents … what do we tell them? Max … oh god!”

Maria fumbled with her phone for a moment, and called Liz. Liz answered but said nothing.

“Liz. Talk to me.” Maria met the silence wiping her tears. “Isabel is dying. She was shot, and … she doesn’t look good and there is no Max to … heal her.” Maria talked in the phone knowing Liz could hear. “Please … please come home.”

“I can’t,” said Liz quietly. “There is nothing there anymore. Nothing except memories, and I … I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“How can this be good? Liz, we have no body to bury, no way to say goodbye, but you should be here! You can’t be out there all alone. Please …”

“It’s spring break,” Liz said.

“Good. Come home. I’ll send you an airline ticket.”

“No. I’m staying here … alone.” Liz hung up.

“Liz?” Maria redialed. The phone rang and rang until finally it was answered. “Liz … do not hang up! I need to …”

“Hello?” Maria frowned at the unfamiliar voice.

“I … is this Liz’s phone?”

“Yes. She just took off, so I answered.” The girl on the other end paused. “I’m Eileen, the roommate.”

“Hi, I’m Maria, the best friend. Where did Liz go?”

“I don’t know. I tried to get her to come with me for spring break, but she refused. Something’s wrong. What's going on with Liz? Did something happen with her ex?”

“Yeah. He's  … um … he's dead.” Maria choked out.

~~~

“Do it again,” Jesse demanded as he and Michael stood in the backyard.

“Jesse …”

“Look, just do it again!” Michael waved his hand over a sharp-leaved plant, turning it into a flowering bush, then back again. “Son of a …”

“How many times do I have to do this?” Michael asked.

“I dunno…” Jesse admitted. “You know, you tell me this crazy story about … another planet, and  … and kings … and Shapeshifters … uh- pod chambers … and every time I come close to believing it I start worrying that I'm strapped down in a room somewhere because I've lost my mind!!” Jesse said his voice raising as he struggled to calm down. “Okay? So just keep doing it until I can accept that I am seeing it and that I am really  … here …”

Paul came through a gate in the fence to join them. “Okay, okay, what the hell's going on here?” he demanded.

“What are you talking about?” Jesse asked naturally going into the same mode that Michael and the others lived in for years … deniability.

“Isabel has a temperature of a hundred and twelve.”

“One twelve?!” Jesse repeated.

“And rising.” Paul confirmed.

“How high can it get before it gets dangerous?” Michael asked remembering Maria’s temperature, and how at one hundred and three, it was considered too high.

“Dangerous?” Paul scoffed. “Hah. Let me tell you something. A hundred and seven is considered fatal in most cases. I've never even heard of a temperature of a hundred and eight.” Paul rubbed his forehead. “Now, obviously I'm not supposed to ask any questions, but if there's something about Isabel that I should know - there's something that could help me, you might want to consider telling me. Now.”

Michael looked directly at Jesse. “There's nothing we can tell you that would be of any use.”

“Okay …” Paul looked between Michael and Jesse for a moment, he gave up. Paul walked back through the gate. Jesse and Michael stared at each other for a moment, then Jesse walked away, too.

~~~

Inside, Kyle was sitting by Isabel's side, holding her hand while Maria went to get ice, and a few other things. She was still unconscious.

“You know, I was, uh … I was thinkin' … uh, heh … see, you're supposed to say, there's a first time for everything,” Kyle gave a slight dry laugh. “… Anyway, I was thinking that, um … since Liz got some alien powers  … when Max saved her life … that … you know, maybe I've got some alien juice too.” Jesse came into the room behind Kyle, but stopped to listen and watch Kyle unobserved. “Maybe I've got the power to heal …” Kyle shook his head as his eyes filled with tears. “So let's just give it a … a try. Kyle held Isabel's hand tightly, and put his other hand against her, concentrating for a moment. But nothing happened. Kyle cried, then tried to smile at Isabel. Jesse walked off. “It was worth a shot. You know me -- I'll try anything once.”

~~~

Michael found Maria in the kitchen cracking ice out of the trays into a bowl. She had towels and alcohol next to her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to give Isabel an alcohol rub and an ice bath.” She said quietly.

“Maria …” Michael looked up at the ceiling.

“Don’t.” Maria warned him. “I have … I have no control over how I’m feeling, so just don’t push me over.” Maria went to leave the room, but Michael stopped her, his arm holding her pulling her tight to his body. He looked down into her stormy eyes.

“I should send you to your mom,” he said.

Maria slapped him. “I hate you!” Maria struggled to get free of him, punching him, but he held on. Suddenly all the fight left her, and her arms went up around his neck, and he picked her up in a tight hug. Michael closed his eyes letting her weep on him. He deserved it. He spent months trying to convince her he wasn’t leaving, and today, he admitted he would gladly die. “Don’t send me away from you,” she said softly against him.

Michael bent his head to talk to her equally soft. “I won’t. I can’t. I need you.”

Maria sniffed looking at him. “I lied. I don’t hate you.”

“I know. I love you too.” Jesse walked into the kitchen, but backed out seeing them together. He unashamedly watched them. Maria’s hand went to touch Michael’s face where she had slapped him, the horror entering her eyes. “Oh god! I hit you! I’m so sorry. That was …”

“I deserved it.”

“No.” Maria kissed his cheek shaking her head. “No, you didn’t. I … I’m out of control. I can’t settle myself. Max … gone. Liz, she might as well be. I think she hasn’t been sober since she found out … or maybe her problem is that even when drunk, she’s still too sober. And now, Isabel?” Maria let out a gasp. “I don’t deal well with loss, and …”

Michael nodded. “I know you don’t, and then I implied I would gladly die.” Maria looked away, but Michael made her look at him. “I would, Maria. I would exchange places with Isabel. She’s my…” Michael laughed shaking his head. It was so damn confusing. “She’s my sister. We’re the same blood.”

“I know, you love her, and she’s going to make it. She has to, and …”

“Maria …” Michael stopped her flow of words. “I would exchange places with Isabel, if she could live. It’s easy to offer when there’s no chance, and I can go on if she doesn’t survive. It’ll be hard, but I’ll live. If it was you … if they had shot you instead of Monk, and I hadn’t been able to heal you …” Michael shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to live either. That would’ve been something I couldn’t survive.”

“Ditto,” Maria said hugging him hard. “Please never suggest dying to me again, Spaceboy, or I will kick your alien tush across Roswell and back.” She kissed him, her hand stroking his cheek. “I’m really sorry I slapped you.”

Michael laughed. “I knew you didn’t mean it. You hit me like a girl.”

“I did not! I hit hard!” Maria pushed him away indignant. “Remember that time I hit you with a right cross? I put you on the ground, buddy!”

Michael laughed remembering their self-defense training when he tried to teach Maria how to defend herself if he wasn’t there, and she needed to protect herself. “You did. You broke your hand.”

“It wasn’t broken. It was a little … smashed.” Maria reminded him. “It was okay because you healed it just like Max would have, and …” Maria went quiet as did Michael at the mention of Max’s name. Michael pulled Maria into his arms hugging her hard as they shared each other’s pain.

“Michael,” said Maria as she hugged him tight, “can’t we use the healing stones? She has a fever, and maybe if we enter the Balance … give her our life force … our energies, she’ll heal. Can’t we …”

Michael framed Maria’s face forcing her to look at him. “The healing stones are gone. Max cracked them on Liz … trying to heal her. We … I’m alone, and I don’t have that power, not the amount needed to do what needs to be done. I’m … I can’t.”

“Try?” Maria begged him.

Jesse cleared his throat from the doorway. “Please try,” he begged.

~~~

“Michael?” Maria inquired from the doorway from where she stood watching Michael beside Isabel’s bed. The alien girl was still unconscious looking even grayer than before, and Maria bit back a cry. She was dying.

“It didn’t work. I tried, more than once. Nothing.” Michael buried his head in his hands. “I can’t do this. I never could, and I’m worse when I’m upset.”

Maria came to kneel beside him. “You healed me.”

Michael’s eyes moved over her face. “I know I did, but you were never close to dying, Maria. A broken limb here, a small cut or bruise there. This is big. Bigger than I ever tried before.”

Maria decided not to push him, to let him calm down from his anxiety. “Liz called. She’s very messed up. Drunk. All the things she dreamed about for three years are now gone, and I don’t think she’ll be consoled any time soon. Also, she said her powers are back with a vengeance and she saw Max.”

“What?”

“She said that he came up to her, and she kissed him, touched his face and the green energy from her hands went into him … made him fall down, and he ran away.”

“You believe her?”

“I don’t know. I just know that if it was you … I wouldn’t want you to be dead either. She said she woke up on the grass. I guess she passed out.”

“Drunk?”

“Yeah.”

“She was seeing pink elephants … pink Max elephants, Maria. He’s gone. Dust.”

“I know.”

Michael stared at Isabel seeing what little life there was left in her leaving as well as Maria came up behind him, hugging him from behind his chair. “When Isabel goes, there will only be me.”

“No. There won’t.” Maria promised kissing his head. She took his hand and put it over Isabel’s. “Try again.”

“I did.”

“For me. You can do this. I know you can.” Maria told him. “I believe.” Maria moved around and sat on the side of the bed facing Michael putting her hand over his, over Isabel’s. “Talk to her. Tell her why she can’t leave us. Tell her, Michael.”

Michael started off first telling Maria, because it was easier that way, but soon he was telling Isabel, hoping she would hear … that she would remember, and come back. Fight. “First day of school, third grade. I'm standing by the lunch line, arguing with that ass, Mr. Trevors. He tells me that the cafeteria won't take my food stamps. I say, "They're for food, aren't they?" And he looks down on me … and he says, with that scraggly moustache and that stupid comb-over, says, uh, "I don't take lip from … welfare punks." I'm about to kick his balls up into his throat … but then I feel someone watching me. It feels like a heat lamp … turned on the back of my neck, and … I turned around and uh … there you are. And you're sitting at a table all by yourself, and you're just staring right at me. So, I walk over, I sit down. You're still staring at me, with those big eyes. And, ah … you pushed your tray of food over to me and you say, "You can have my lunch." Right then I knew you were different. I thought you were different like I was different … only people liked you … they wanted you around.” Michael said admitting how hard it had been for him to be like Isabel … like Max, but to not be wanted or accepted, and despite that, at least he hadn’t been alone … all alone. “...I want you around … I want you around, so, please don't go …”

Michael put his head down on the bed next to Isabel. Maria removed her hand from his, and it went up to move over his bent head as she leaned down, her head against him. Michael free arm came up to wrap around Maria’s center as Michael continued to hold Isabel’s hand, and a healing white energy flowed from him into her. Feeling her unexpectedly wake, he raised his head to look at her as did Maria, shock on both of their faces.

“You still owe me for that lunch,” Isabel said weakly.

Michael made a choking noise as he immediately called into the other room for the others. “Hey, guys! Guys! Come on, get in here, quick!!”

Maria’s hand went to Isabel’s and the two girls shared a look that was long, as Maria smiled through tears exhaling her held breath. She leaned over and kissed Isabel on the forehead. “Thank you,” she whispered to Isabel.

“No … thank you, Maria. You make him stronger.” Isabel whispered, truly believing it. This was the second time she knew of that Maria helped Michael use his powers.

“Did you …?” Maria glanced at the door hearing the rushing feet of large men. “You know, when Michael healed you, did you …”

Isabel laughed weakly. “No. I think that’s something he only shares with you.” Maria wiped her tears as the men arrived and after a quick squeeze of Isabel’s hand, she stood up and away.

Paul, Jesse, Kyle and Valenti rushed in, all of them pushing through the door staring at Isabel in amazement. Michael moved out of the way taking Maria with him. They stood over by the window, with Michael’s arms around Maria holding her close from behind, as she held onto his arms.

Paul checked Isabel over quickly, taking her temperature. “Vitals are steady … temperature's down to … one-o-two.” Paul sat back as if dazed. “God, I need a cigarette.” He left the room before anyone could stop him.

Isabel smiled weakly at everyone hovering over her deathbed. “I heard, Michael.” Isabel explained glancing at Michael. “I heard you. I was somewhere else, but I followed your voice back.” Isabel gazed up at a troubled Jesse, trying to smile.

~~~

Jesse found Paul in the kitchen. Going to the refrigerator, he took out a beer passing one to Paul as he opened his own. He also passed Paul an envelope.

“There you go. You can count it if you want.”

“You're the last person I'm worried is gonna stiff me, Jesse. You're the guy Diogenes was lookin' for. Huh. You know, Diogenes. Walks around Athens, lookin' for …”

“Yeah - lookin' for an honest man. Yeah, I went to college.” Jesse stared into his beer. He didn’t know if he would still see that honest man if he looked into the mirror. In less than twenty-four hours, everything had changed, and he couldn’t … he couldn’t say. The world was no longer the world, not the once he once naively understood. What was honest?

Paul laughed. “So did I. Now look at me. Unlicensed, unwanted, and unloved. And all because I wrote some prescriptions for a few friends …”

“They weren't your friends, Paul. Especially not the one that turned out to be a Fed.” Jesse pointed out, needing there to be a distinction, some discernible rules.

“True. But you know what the truth is? Ultimately I lost my license because … because I'm not an honest guy.” Paul nodded towards the other room. “Neither are your friends in there.”

“Goodbye, Paul.”

“You're involved in something here. I don't know what it is, and I don't wanna know, but it's wrapped up in lies within lies … and that's not what you're about. You're one of the good guys, Jesse.”

“So are my friends.”

“They're liars. You can’t trust them. Not when it counts,” said Paul finishing his beer. “Not when it comes time to ‘Chant down Babylon and destroy the plans of wicked men.’ Bob Marley ...'member?”

“Yeah. I got the reference.”

“Good luck, Jesse.”

“Thanks.” They shook hands, Paul took his leave, and Jesse was left to his troubled thoughts. Staring at nothing, the partially empty beer hung from his hand. He stood there unmoving until Maria moved into the room from the shadows.

She walked over to Jesse and took the beer from him drinking the rest of it, tossing the bottle in the trash. “This won’t help it … it won’t change what you know. You’re in it now, and no matter what, you will change.”

“Are you?”

“Alien? Would it matter?” Maria took a knife off the countertop. She sliced her hand on the palm wincing in pain. Showing it to Jesse, she clenched her bleeding hand. “My blood is red. So is theirs. I feel the cut … the pain. So do they. I mourn the lost of a friend … they mourn the loss of a brother. What makes us so different? They love. We love.” Maria stared into Jesse’s stormy brown eyes. “They love us. I don’t know about you, but for me … it means everything.”

Maria started to walk away. She had had years to come to terms with the truth, and it would take him time to do the same. She stopped at the door and spoke to him without turning around, “For what it’s worth, she wanted to tell you from the beginning. It was why she almost didn’t marry you … why she said no at first. It was never about not loving you, but loving you too much. None of them asked to be left on this planet … they were deserted, and this is the only home they’ve ever known. They spent their lives different and alone. Maybe we can never really understand that.” She left Jesse standing in the middle of the kitchen alone.

~~~

Michael looked at the cut on Maria’s hand. He glanced up at her. “Why did you do this?”

“A point. I was making a point.”

“Uh-huh. Literally.” Michael took her hand in his and their eyes met as he healed her. Maria blinked rapidly as her mouth opened, and she seemed dazed. Her head went to rest against his as she breathed in an ‘Oh god’. Michael licked his lips and leaned forward to kiss her quickly, groaning. “Next time … use a diagram,” he suggested hoarsely.

Maria’s hand went to his cheek, and she couldn’t help it. Moaning his name softly, her mouth went to touch his, to kiss him. Their mouths touched, and Michael’s tongue touched her lip, when her phone rang.

Michael swore and answered it for her. “What?!” Maria watched as Michael’s face changed, and first disbelief and confusion moved over his face, quickly to be replaced by shock. He looked at Maria. “It’s Liz. She and Max are coming home.”

~~~

Jesse sat with the recovering Isabel, careful not to touch her. Neither one knew what to say as Isabel kept rubbing worriedly at her wedding ring.

“Are we okay?” she asked quietly.

“I don't know. I mean, I look at you … and I - I know that I love you …”

“But I lied to you.” Isabel said as Jesse looked down, nodding. “I always knew in my heart that you would never forgive me for that.”

“That's not it.” Jesse told her, finally meeting her eyes with his. “I mean, I - yeah, I'm hurt that you lied to me … but I can get past that …”

Isabel felt a moment of hope. “You can?”

“Yeah. Yeah, eventually … and I - look, I - I'm not perfect. I've told a lie or two. And you, hell, you had to grow up lying to everyone around you … just became second nature.”

“Hey, it was never … never about you. It's just that lying about who I am is a given.”

Jesse nodded understanding that, and maybe that was the problem. “And you were really good at it. Isabel, you were  … really good.”

“That's what the real problem is, isn't it? Not that I lied … but that I'm good at it.”

“I believed you, completely.” Jesse confessed. “I mean, strange things would happen and I … never doubted that I knew you … that I knew who my wife really was … I mean, I - I married Isabel Evans.” Jesse stared at the woman who was his wife, someone he loved, and she was a complete stranger to him. “There is no Isabel Evans. Isabel is - is this person you hide behind. I - I just …”

“You're right, you're right about everything. And even though I'm a … a really good liar … I want you to know that I'm telling the truth when I say I love you … and I love being your wife.”

“Okay …” said Jesse unsure where that left them.

“Where do we go from here?” A tear glistened in her eye.

“I have no idea …”

Who Died and Made You King…….

Life is hard in normal circumstances, but for Jesse Ramirez, it was unbearable. One day he was married to a woman he loved, and suddenly he woke to find himself married to a woman he didn’t even know. Caught in the vortex of the spiraling lives of the aliens, his life joined that undeniable force, spinning out of control.

Max … Max, who was dead returned home with Liz. Whatever existed of his life force had transferred into Clayton Wheeler. The alien was stronger than the old man, and Clayton’s body had transmuted into Max’s, but he remained Clayton with Max buried deep inside him. It was Liz … the thought of her that kept Max from moving on, held him to the new body. Clayton, confused by feelings of love for Liz, and a growing fear and hatred, killed his wife, Merris, and then tried to kill Liz. In a moment of control, Max told Liz to kill him, to save herself, but instead Clayton and Liz fell from the attic of her dorm, and only Max’s shield saved Liz’s life, as he crashed through the trellis, killing both him and Clayton. Liz brought him back, and suddenly, Max who was dead again lived.

So Jesse, who suddenly found himself caught in a huge alien conspiracy, opened his door to his dead alien brother-in-law. Needing to find a way to deal, Jesse consulted a therapist, Dr. Weiss, using an excuse of being married into a Mob family, he tried to find a way to rise above it all, to find a way to rescue himself and his wife.

Michael and Max were waiting around a corner, covertly observing Jesse as he made his latest appointment to Dr. Weiss.

“He’s under enough pressure, Michael. He could snap.”

“We have to know, Max.” Michael said, not really putting much effort in convincing Max. Jesse exited the doctor’s office.

Michael went to follow him. “Let's go ...”

Max stopped him. “Where?”

Shrugging off Max’s restraining hand, Michael gestured to where Jesse went. “After him. We've gotta find out what he's talking about in there.”

“If he's in therapy, he's obviously upset. Getting in his face is a bad idea.” Max could see that Michael wasn’t convinced. “ ...I'll figure it out.”

“I'm not gonna sit back and wait for something to happen like you always do.” Michael’s voice went cold and hard. Since that night, he literally had done nothing but spy and watch Jesse, especially now that he no longer had to work at Meta-Chem.

“Michael, I said I'd take care of it. Let's get out of here.”

Max walked off, leaving Michael standing, dissatisfied. Reaching down, Michael felt a burning on his chest. The pinpricking burn was he enough to concern him. It was like small ant bites, slightly hurting, but more annoying. Pulling back his shirt, he stared at a mysterious pattern of glowing dots on his chest in a V-formation. Michael laughed to himself under his breath, recognizing something inherently familiar. Staring down the empty hall where Max had walked away, a thought … occurred to Michael. Smiling suddenly he left the offices. There was nothing there he needed at that moment.

~~~

Maria entered the Crashdown as Max was leaving. Nodding, she quickly went to the  counter.

“Hey, Liz. How’s it going?”

Liz smiled at Maria, taking in Maria’s street clothes. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing much. Just picking up a special order. You think Juan has it done?” Maria made a face. “You’ll notice I waited until Spaceboy wasn’t working to order it! I would have to wait like sometime this month. He piddles.”

“I thought it was because the two of you always work together, and you’re too busy distracting him.”

Maria smiled, a dimple on her cheek deepening. “Oh, it could be that too. I admit to trying to distract him.”

Liz leaned on the counter. “How is that going? Is he bummed about New York, and the two of you not moving there?”

“Actually, he hasn’t said. I think so much happened so fast. It was hard. A week in New York didn’t change either of us too much, but it definitely has possibilities once we graduate.” Maria glanced over seeing Liz’s dad. “How are things on the home front?”

“Good.” Liz followed Maria’s stare. “Dad has being pretty understanding. They wouldn’t give him back his deposit, and two weeks away…it came down to a pretty expensive vacation for me.”

“It was a good thing it was you and not me.”

“What do you mean?” Liz asked, confused.

Maria shrugged. “Me and Mom, sometimes we barely meet the monthly bills. There’s not that kind of expendable cash to toss about, and lose on a whim. A private school deposit and tuition would probably be my mom’s entire yearly income. Things have been better since she opened the new shop, but it’s still tough.”

Liz bit her lip, suddenly feeling bad about how nonchalant she was about tossing away her parents’ money. She was worried that Max took her granted at times, but now she wondered if that wasn’t true about her and her parents.

“Is she really gone?”

Maria nodded. “The shop in Las Cruces and Sean are taking her time. She says once she gets it up and running, that things will settle.” Maria laughed softly. “I think she really wants to run it herself. Roswell…it’s always been home, but in truth, there’s not much here for her, now that she and Valenti stopped dating…something he never explained. He just stopped calling, I think she’s been needing something more. Better opportunities.”

“Is she still having nightmares?”

Maria nodded. “Yeah, the whole mindwarp thing and Larek, it left something behind. She’s confused by these dreams that almost seem real, but can’t be. I think she’s avoiding Roswell and alien stuff, because of the UFO Convention center, Brody, and everything. It’s tough on a woman whose trade is selling alien junk.”

“I can imagine.” Liz leaned a hip against the counter. “So how is the dating thing going?

“A little strange, but I’m liking it!” Maria made a face. “I mean, I miss my mom, but I’m glad she’s not here to run interference. I’m having a hard enough time lately, especially since my birthday, to pin everything down.”

Liz smiled sadly knowing how much Maria missed her mother. “At least you have Michael.”

“Sure, and isn’t he a strange bird lately? You know, he always looked at me … gave me his complete attention, and he still does in a manner, but lately … he’s distracted. I think something happened to him too. Maybe watching Max die, and Isabel almost doing the same. I don’t know how he healed her, but I can’t stop thanking God for that. If Isabel died …” Maria couldn’t finish it. “I don’t know, Liz. I don’t think I can take any more of this … losing people. Alex. Max. Isabel almost... It’s so real now.”

“I know.” Liz moved things around on the counter. “Max wants us to try again.”

“Well, you brought him back from the dead with your mysterious powers. Maybe you own his butt now?”

“Things can’t go back to the way there were. I told him that.” Liz breathed out loudly. “I don’t know what I want to do. I want Max, but not on the terms where I have to follow his life, his wants, his needs. I think I want something a little more equal this time.”

Maria looked over as Luis put her order up in the window waving at her. “Well, you be strong, Lizzie. There’s my order. I need to go find the other half of my project and feed him.”

“You going somewhere with Michael?”

“Yeah, he just doesn’t know it yet.”

“The dating thing.” Liz guessed.

“Yep. I trapped him at a concert the other night, sent him a new CD, and … I’ve been giving him enough hints to get on with it! For god’s sake, my birthday was over two weeks ago, and the man is falling asleep on the job.”

“Maria, you’re insane. You realize that? Your relationship with Michael is like this huge complex show of him trying to get your attention, then you both trying to get each others, and now, you trying to get his. What’s the problem this time?”

“No clue. I look in his eyes, and he’s there. He is definitely there, but then he changes, seems to be off thinking of other things, and he just tucks me under his arm. I feel … I feel like something put on a damn shelf until he has time to deal with me.”

“He did take you out to dinner for your birthday. A really nice dinner.”

“True, but I think he had more planned, and he didn’t follow through. I want the follow through!” Maria sighed. “I guess, it’s my turn. I’ll just have to hog tie myself an alien boy.” Maria waved goodbye on her way out.

~~~

Entering Michael’s apartment, Maria put the takeout order down. The place was a mess. It was messy with just Michael, but since Max moved in, it was impossible. Sighing, she picked up things along her way searching for Michael. He wasn’t on the back stoop area or the back room. Gathering clothing she recognized as Michael’s she went into the bedroom.

“Oh!” Maria quickly turned around.

Michael was standing in his room in nothing but a towel staring at something.

“Hey,” Michael said unconcerned.

Suddenly shy around him, Maria avoided gawking at him. “God, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be dressing.”

“You’ve seen me in a towel before.” Michael tossed the towel watching Maria’s back with interest. “If you turn around anytime soon, you get to see me in less.” Michael’s smiled widened as Maria’s ‘Oh, god’s’ under her breath were anything but quiet.

“Are you going to get dressed or what?”

“I don’t know. This might be a new stage for me. Nudist.” Coming up close to her, he leaned in and said quietly in her ear. “What do you think?”

Maria took a deep breath, turning, she met his eyes and refused to let hers drop any further. Pushing his dirty clothing in his hands, which covered up a plethora of skin, she tilted her head. “I think if you did your laundry, you might actually have something to wear, and save yourself the nudist lifestyle.” She owed him a few. Leaning closer, her hand going to rest on his waist, her fingers brushing seductively against his skin, she continued, “Lucky you, I brought you something special, but I’m afraid it will require clothing, so you have a choice…”

“A choice,” Michael said thickly, his eyes darkening. “I like the sound of that. Give me my options.”

“Get dressed.”

Michael made a face. “I take it one of my options doesn’t involve me staying undressed.”

Maria could help it. She stared at the moisture on his skin caught in the natural hollow created by his clavicle. Clearing her throat, she had to stop herself from putting her mouth there, to taste his skin.

“Maria...” Michael commanded her. Her eyes met his and they stood staring at each other as their breaths caught, pushed hard in a soft pant. Maria made a soft sound in her throat as his eyes darkened, watching his mouth coming closer.

His mouth was just on hers, she could taste him, the breath of him when the door suddenly opened in the other room, slamming loudly.

Dazed as if she had been just woken, she reluctantly stepped back, but his hand on her waist held her in place, his eyes hot. No. He wasn’t letting her go. This was going somewhere.

“Michael,” Maria quickly cleared the throaty sound out of her voice. “I … get dressed. I brought us a picnic. You feel like a ride into the desert?”

Michael didn’t say, but he gave a quick nod.

Maria moved away from him, a slight redness moving up her neck. Fleeing for other places, anyplace away from him, she tried to get some control over her raging response to him. Her hand had somehow found its way to his shoulder, shocked by how hard it was to remove it, she fled the room. God, if he didn’t get on with it, she was not going to be responsible for her actions.

“Maria, oh, hi.” Max said when Maria came into the living room. She didn’t say a word. Speech was beyond her. Reaching into the refrigerator, she took out a bottled water and drank it down. Was it hot in there? It felt hot. Oh yeah, it was definitely hot. She rubbed the cold bottle of water across her forehead.

~~~

Maria was rambling. She couldn’t help it. For the first time in forever, or since she realized that she didn’t just love Michael, but was in love with him, she felt nervous around him. He was Michael, intense as always, but there was something else going on with him, something so … alpha male.

Afraid to ask what earlier was about, she hung on as they sped across the desert, cross country. Holding on tight to him, she laid her head against his back, and when they stopped to eat a late dinner, she was uncertain suddenly what to say. So she talked about everything.

“I think when I graduate, my mom is going to move away from Roswell for good. She finally got a buyer for the shop. Everything checked out, so she has a few things to do to complete the transaction.”

“Is she still remembering Larek?” Michael asked, his eyes narrowing. Maria missed his intense look as she set out the sandwiches and food.

“He’s a dream. A nightmare. Luckily, she thinks it’s an acid flashback from her misspent youth. Poor Brody. She’s so nervous around him, she can barely talk. Lucky for us, Brody has been away most of the time since that day. Sydney is better, so he’s been spending more time closer to her. I think it is his honest guile that has her convinced it was a dream. No one can fake that kind of innocents.”

“You saw Brody?”

Maria frowned at his tone. “Not recently. No. Just when he came back a few months ago, checking up on the UFO Center. I think he is looking to sell it. I guess there’s some interest in it.”

“He’s still in love with you.” Michael said staring off across the desert.

“He’s not in love with me! Jesus, where is this coming from?” Maria denied, even though she knew differently.

“You talked him back. No one else could’ve done that.” Michael searched Maria’s face. “I’m convinced Larek was in love with you too.”

“How can you know that? You were locked in the room with everyone else.” Maria handed him a sandwich. “Plus, what does it matter? I’m not in love with Brody. I’m not in love with Larek. So what does it really matter?”

Michael shrugged looking at his sandwich. It was his favorite. Smiling slightly, he mumbled to himself. “It’s the only reason I let them live.”

“Excuse me?” Maria said, not quite catching what he said.

“I said you ordered my favorite.”

“Who are you talking to?” Maria scoffed at him. Like she would order something he hated.

“So what is this about?” Michael asked.

“What? The picnic?”

“Yeah. It’s late. We haven’t come out to the desert at night in a long time.”

Maria smiled slightly leaning back eating her chips. “Yeah, well it is getting warmer now. Soon we graduate, and school is over, and it’ll be summer. I thought we should celebrate being alive, with our whole lives ahead of us.” Maria sat up moving her hand up his arm. “You’ve been quiet … not distant, just distracted since Monk died, and the whole thing with Clayton Wheeler. I’ve been worried.”

“Nothing to worry about. I’m fine. I’m better than fine.” They missed celebrating her birthday the way he wanted because of everything that happened … especially the way he had originally planned, but he had every intention to make it up to her. Michael put his sandwich aside and pulled her close to him, arranging her to sit in front of him as his arms went around her. “Watch this.”

He concentrated as the desert around them suddenly lightened, the air taking on a new smell of flowers. Maria gasped as the ground next to her awoke. A blanket of desert flowers bloomed as far as the eye could see.

“Oh god! How?”

“Told you. I’m good.”

Maria glanced back at him. “Really?”

“Really. Trust me. I’ve got it all under control.” Michael looked at his handiwork, inordinately pleased. “They bloom usually in the early morning, and only last a few hours. They are very fragile.”

“How did you do it?”

“It’s a light thing. That and the warming of the soil. I just altered the light band and warmed the air.”

“Just?” Maria laughed amazed. Leaning back against him, she laid against him comfortably as his arms tightened, holding her. Michael pointed out the different stars and constellations as they appeared in the night sky, and they sat there in a field of desert flowers, in the middle of a rare desert meadow watching a shooting star move across the sky.

~~~

Max was walking the streets of Roswell. It was late. Michael and Maria hadn’t returned, and somehow, he didn’t want to be there when they did. Earlier, it was obvious that Michael wasn’t happy with his presence, and if he hadn’t known better, he swore he interrupted something.

Max paused. It was Jesse. The night was a dark phantom covering the small town, but in one of the streetlights, he could see his brother-in-law standing next to his car on the side of the road. Jess was taking into his cell phone. 

“Well, I've been waiting forty-five minutes. Yes, Henley Street. No, I'm not going anywhere.” Jesse sighed disconnecting. Closing the hood of his car, he resigned himself to a long wait until he noticed Max approaching him. Uncomfortable, he was trapped.

“Car trouble?”

“What're you doing here?” Jesse glanced at his watch. “It- it's two in the morning.”

“When I can’t sleep, I walk.” Max looked pointedly at the car. “Need some help?”

“No. There's a tow-truck coming.”

“Well, I could take a look…” Max offered.

“No!” Jesse’s reaction was immediate and very vocal.

“Maybe I could fix it.”

“Look…” Jesse said, clearly upset. “I don't want any part of that alien crap, okay?”

“I'm taking auto shop, Jesse.”

“Just ... leave it alone.” Jesse said slightly embarrassed at his outburst.

“I know that all of this probably doesn't seem real right now, but ...” Max said, “if you need someone to talk to ...”

“Thanks, Max, I've got that covered, okay?”

“A doctor isn't going to help you deal with this, Jesse.” Max said unaware he was saying too much. “Trust me, I…I've been in therapy before ...”

“Have you been spying on me??!” Jesse face fused with a flood of color, both from anger and disbelief. Max swore under his breath realizing he made a terrible mistake.

“You have to realize that if anyone finds out the truth, we're all in danger. Not just us, but Liz, Maria, Kyle, Valenti.” Max could stress the point enough. “Think about it, Jesse.”

Having done enough damage, Max walked off as the tow truck arrived. Jesse watched his alien brother-in-law walk away, his problems suddenly multiplied.

~~~

Michael entered his apartment carrying a box of alien artifacts. He removed them from the safety deposit box at the bank. They had been buried, but after Liz’s power acted up, they had to unbury them. Putting the box down, Michael started to look through them. The Orbs... The Book... He stopped. Staring at the symbol on the cover of the alien book, it matched the symbol on his chest.

“I knew it.” Michael said, a smile moving over his face. “I'm in charge.”

~~~

It was afternoon. Surprisingly, Max wasn’t sure when Michael came home last night, if he ever did. He didn’t see him at school either. Uncertain where Michael was, Max faced down a TV dinner, using his powers to prepare it. Sitting down, he began to eat his foot hitting a box. Reaching over, Max stared at the box with the alien artifacts in it.

“What the hell?” Before he could decide what was going on, there was a knock at the door. Max put the artifacts away before answering the door to Isabel. She was upset and abrupt moving into the apartment without being asked.

“Please stop spying on Jesse.”

Max immediately became defensive, justifying his actions, despite the fault was his for telling Jesse he was being followed. “He's seeing a therapist. I don't have to tell you how dangerous that is.”

“It's his private life.”

“A luxury he doesn't have anymore.”

Isabel sat down heavily on the sofa. “He moved out.” Realizing Isabel was more than just upset, she was truly unhappy, Max went to comfort her. “Everyone said this would happen.” Isabel shook head, burying it in her hands. “I'm such an idiot for thinking that I could make it work  ...that I could be happy.”

Sitting next to her, Max glanced at his sister, taking her hand. “Jesse was trying to get help, Iz. To me, that means he thinks there's something worth saving.”

Isabel, tired of her life, tired of fighting glanced at Max. “How's Liz?”

“Cautious.” Max made a face. “And she has every right to be, but ...”

“It's not easy.”

“Yeah.”

Max and Isabel shared a sympathetic smile, then sitting quietly with their thoughts as Isabel worriedly fiddled with her wedding ring.

“I lied to him. How do I ever take that back?”

Max didn’t know. “I’ve done worse to Liz. I don’t know, Isabel. I honestly don’t know. If I knew, I would tell you.”

~~~

Michael watched Jesse enter the psychiatrist’s office. Jesse. He was a mistake. A loose end. Jesse was telling Dr. Weiss how his brother-in-law was following him, knew he was coming there. Concerned, the doctor asked if Jesse would be alright. Jesse was certain Max was harmless, but it didn’t matter. He wanted out of this life, away from Max and the entire alien life. Needing to return his office, Jesse reassured the doctor that he would be fine, but when he left he never saw Michael watching him.

Michael waited a moment, before entering the doctor’s office. The man was sitting at his desk, talking on the phone.

“Hello?” The man smiled. “Hey, Honey! About 20 minutes. Yeah, I'm almost finished here. Okay. I love you. Bye, bye.”

Michael burst into the office from behind Dr. Weiss forcing his head down onto his desk so he couldn’t see or identify him.

“What kind of a man listens to another person's secrets for a living?” Michael demanded, the contempt and anger in his voice making it hard.

“Please don't hurt me ...”

“Does that make you feel powerful? Huh? Knowing the deep and dirty things that make someone tick?” Michael asked in the man’s ear, his power surging in his body. “You don't know what you're dealing with, so drop Jesse Ramirez as a client!”

Michael grabbed Jesse's file out from under the doctor’s head rushing out before stunned doctor could collect himself. Once the shaken Weiss looked up to insure that Michael has really gone, he immediately picked up the phone.

“Yes, uh ... I need the police, No, uh, make that the FBI.”

~~~

Max entered the apartment sorting through the daily mail. Surprisingly Michael was there immersed in reading some papers in a folder. Michael didn’t even look up or acknowledge his presence.

“Hey. You …” Max said in a cheerful voice, “you, uh you left your bike parked in front of Mrs. Kierie's door. You know how pissed she gets about that.” Michael ignored him. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.” Michael spat out in a curt response his eyes never leaving what he was reading.

Max frowned at Michael’s tone and attitude, tossing the mail on the table in front of him. “Isabel … uh, stopped by. I promised her we'd stay out of this whole Jesse thing. I know you're concerned, and I agree, that …” Max hurried before Michael interrupted, “our safety should be our number one focus, but we have to leave this to her.”

“Right. Got it.” Michael continued to read the folder, not bothering to look at Max.

Fed up with Michael’s attitude, Max stared at the folder a moment. “What is that?”

Finally looking at Max, Michael waved the folder. “Jesse's file. I took it. I dealt with the therapist while I was there, too.”

Max’s mouth dropped in disbelief. “Have you lost it?”

“I'm doing my job.”

“You crossed a line.” Max told Michael in irritation. “Who said you could do that?” Michael ignored Max again, going back to reading the file. Irritated, Max kicked the box with the alien artifacts inside. “How'd you get these?”

Michael shrugged. He had stopped last night on his way to Maria’s house. She had waited outside the bank when he entered and took them. She hadn’t known what they were, but he told her he needed them. “I made an after-hours withdrawal from the safety deposit box.”

“My name was the only one on the access card at the bank.”

Michael stood. His height suddenly daunting. Walking over to Max, he got in Max’s face challenging him.

“What?” Michael said sarcasm edged in his voice. “They're not safe with me?”

Max studied Michael for a moment. “I want you to take this stuff back. I want you to let go of this Jesse thing.” Michael made a rude huffing sound, turning to step away. Max reached out to stop him.

“Hey!” Michael shrugged off Max’s restraining hand.

“Michael, I'm serious …” Max never finished, as he quickly had to dodge a blow from Michael’s fist as he took a swing at Max.

Michael's fist went through the wall. Michael pulled back a bleeding, broken hand.

Max stared at the hand in horror, and then at Michael.  “Michael, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

“You. You were dead, Max, and now I'm lookin' at you?” Michael pushed Max off him and away, “… and I don't know, who are you? Are you a ghost? And you're here in my face all day and you're freaking me out.”

“Let me see your hand.”

Maria entered the apartment, putting down a bag of groceries frowning at the two men. Before she could ask what was going on, Michael and Max continued their argument.

“Hey, I'm fine.” Michael moving his hand away from Max.

“Michael, you can’t even move it.” Maria came around the kitchen island staring at Michael’s bleeding hand in disbelief.

“Hey, just leave me alone.” Michael told Max nastily. Fed-up, Max gladly complied. After the door slammed shut, Michael painfully tried to move his hand.

“What happened?” Maria asked, winching at the hand. Her hands coming up around his, holding the broken limb. “Why didn’t you let him fix it?”

“I don’t need that damn poser. He is nothing to me.”

“Michael.” Maria frowned at the anger in his tone.

Michael moved his other hand over his broken one, and to his triumphant surprise and Maria’s amazement, he healed himself. “Like I said, I don’t need Max.”

“How?”

Michael shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Is that how you healed Isabel?”

“Lucky for her, yeah.” Michael glanced over at the bag. “What did you bring?”

“Groceries. You said you were out, remember?”

“I did?”

Maria laughed still worried about his hand. “Wasn’t that why you left a grocery list in my locker?”

“You have a car. It’s hard to get them all home on the bike.”

“Uh-huh.” Maria went to unload the groceries. “Hey, you do know you left your bike parked in front of Mrs. Kierie's door. You know how pissed she gets about that.”

“So I’ve been told.” Michael shrugged off Mrs. Kierie. “So what do you want to do tonight? Now that Max is gone, we finally have my place to ourselves.”

Maria smiled at him, as he stared at the dimple that graced her face when she smiled. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Doubtful,” Michael said cryptically, but hell, he was willing to work his way towards what he wanted. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“Movie night! C’mon. I’ll let you pick the movie, and even make a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies. You can eat all the dough.”

Michael allowed her to pull him outside. Figures she would find a way to force him to move his bike without telling him to do it. Max needed to take lessons from Maria’s gentle persuasion.

~~~

Jesse waited for Kyle. His car was at the shop that Kyle worked at, and Kyle was checking his car out.

“Your timing belt's broken.” Kyle told him while wiping his hands off on a rag. “I should be able to get another one by tomorrow.”

Jesse ran a hand through his hair. “I hate not having a car. I feel trapped.”

Kyle looked at Jesse in sympathy, his eyes searching the older man’s in concern. “How are things going with Isabel?”

“Fine.”

“Look,” Kyle said reluctantly, but his better nature got the best of him, “if you ever need …”

“… ‘someone to talk to?’” Jesse finished. “That seems to be a popular sentiment around here.”

Kyle snorted gesturing to a tool. “Would you hand me that deep socket wrench?”

“Here you go.” Jesse leaned against the car.

“Look …” Kyle said glancing up from his work at Jesse, “when I first found out, I couldn't  … I couldn't deal. I mean, I had to get out of town for a couple months. But once I got used to it, there's a lot of good that came out of knowing …”

“Kyle, I'm an officer of the court. And I see how lies catch up with people and bring them down. Believe me, there's nothing good that can come out of this conspiracy.”

“Well, maybe.” Kyle shrugged. “But I realize that I'm part of something bigger than myself.” Kyle smiled slightly remembering Alex, and the time he spent with him in the cave, prepared to die as the gandarium crystals grew around them. That was Alex’s belief, and it was sad to remember the way it had ended for Alex.

“No, it's not bigger, it's all-consuming,” said Jesse, “there's a difference. They've robbed you of your life.”

“No, actually they gave me one.”

“Stop the cheerleading, Kyle.”

“It's not cheerleading.” Kyle assured him. “I was shot. And I would've died if Max Evans hadn't healed me.” Kyle scraped his hand on the motor while working the wrench. Staring at the blood as it welled from the cut, Kyle swore. “Dammit! I'll be right back.”

Jesse smiled slightly at the ceramic Buddha figurines around the shop as Kyle went off to tend to his cut. Kyle was perhaps the only person he trusted to talk to about the aliens. Liz was obviously too far entrenched, and Maria … she was more than she would admit. Jesse was musing over his life when a van suddenly drove up, stopping fast. Men in dark suits emerged accosted Jesse. He struggled to get away, but they forcibly grabbed him forcing him towards the van.

“Jesse Ramirez? You're coming with us.”

“Who are you?” Jesse screamed frantically looking over his shoulder for Kyle. “Who are you?! Kyle?! Kyle!”

Kyle emerged only in time to see Jesse being driven away in the van.

“Hey!” Kyle ran after the van, stopping at it sped out of sight.

~~~

In a dark, empty warehouse, Jesse sat at a stark table with his hands cuffed behind him. His head turned to the sharp, echoing footsteps approaching from behind.

“Hey.” Jesse said as the cuffs were removed. “Hey, you have no right to hold me here. Anything you found in there constitutes an illegal search and seizure.” The agent walked around the table allowing Jesse to finally see him.

“My name is Agent Burns, FBI.”

Jesse felt a slow trickle of fear. “What do you want?”

“Last night, a local therapist was threatened.” Burns said sitting down across from Jesse. “Your therapist. You said your wife's family's involved in organized crime.”

“No, there's been a mistake.”

“The guy who did it mentioned you by name.”

Jesse stared at the man, uncertain what to say. The danger to Isabel and the others was slowly unfolding. “There's no Mob connection.”

“Then why did you say there was?”

“It …” Jesse breathed in deeply, “it was an analogy.”

“I believe you.” Burns leaned forward. “Now, let's talk about why you're really here, Jesse. How much do you about your brother-in-law, Max Evans?”

Burns and Jesse had a long talk. The two of them sat drinking coffee as they talked.

“I won't lie to you. I'm not the biggest fan of my brother-in-law.” Jesse confessed. “But, Max is just a kid. Troubled, but not a threat to national security.”

Burns stood from the table going out of Jesse’s sight, when he returned, he had a file. “Most of these could never go public. People couldn't get their minds around it.” Burns crossed his hands on the file. “He isn't from this world. He's an alien pretending to be a normal teenaged kid.”

Jesse laughed, a hollow sound that was forced even to him. “That's nuts, agent Burns.”

“Really?” Burns handed Jesse a folder. As Jesse looked through it, he saw a series of damning photos, all of them exposing Max and in a roundabout way the others, including Isabel. “Careers have been destroyed because of Max Evans. People have died. Good people.”

“Well, if Max is the murderer you say he is, why haven't you arrested him yet?”

“We tried. I used to be in something called the Special Unit.” Burns confessed to Jesse. “Now there are only a few of us left. We knew how dangerous he was.” Burns leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner. “I have another theory. There are more like him. And they've been able to live here for the last fifty years under the cover of lies, murder, and deceit. I promise you, these creatures believe in survival of the fittest. We're an inferior life form to them. Nothing will stand in their way. Those are just the victims we know about. Trust me, Mr. Ramirez, we're the good guys.”

Jesse licked his lips sitting back. “How can I help?”

~~~

Michael paced up and down in his apartment not noticing the frown on Maria’s face. His agitation was apparent. They were still waiting for Max and Liz.

“How long did he say it would take to get here?” Michael demanded. They barged in, messed up his date with Maria. They had been on the sofa watching a movie, and he was watching her. He wanted to celebrate her birthday his way, and that did not include other people.

“Could you cool it?” Isabel said irritated. “It’s my husband who’s missing!” Michael made a face. Like he cared. Maria quickly opened the door to Max and Liz while Kyle searched the refrigerator for something to drink.

“Max!” Isabel quickly went to her brother literally throwing herself in his arms. Michael’s face took on a look of disgust and anger. Turning his back on them, he pushed Kyle out of the way as he grabbed a drink. Without thought, he got Maria one too.

“What’s going on?” Max looked at the others.

“If you’re through with your date, we have a new crisis.” Michael said with a bite to his voice. Maria took the drink he offered, and she sat next to him putting her hand on his leg, hoping to stop his nervous actions and calm him.

Kyle quickly told Max and Liz the story he told the others. “They shoved him into a van and then they drove off.”

Liz bit her lip. “Are you sure it was the FBI?” Michael made a snorting noise under his breath. What? Does she need Kyle to check their damn IDs?

“They were wearing the uniform.” They all sighed. Black suits. Nondescript.

“I knew he'd turn on us.” Michael said tossing his finished drink into the trash violently.

“Michael, he didn't turn on us, alright?” Isabel said, angry at Michael’s tone and attitude. “He was taken against his will.”

“We don't know that.” Michael stared at her. Isabel. So much about her angered him, mostly there was unresolved past, and a certain amount of disloyalty she needed to atone for. Her constant support of Max was another strike against her. Exposing them to another human … it was a growing list of dissension.

“I do.”

Michael ignored her. He could care less about her belief in Jesse or anything. Her loyalty should be to one person, and one person only. Her King. “I'm going to find him.”

“No. Wait.” Max quickly interceded before Michael went and caused more trouble than they could repair. “Look, here's what we're going to do. Kyle and Isabel, go back to the garage, see if there are any clues in Jesse's car.” Michael rolled his eyes at that. In his car? What the men in black ran to his broken down car and left a map with the secret government hideout circled in red? Next he would have them searching for breadcrumbs. Idiot. “Liz, you and I will start canvassing the streets for any sign of the Feds.” Michael fed up looked away. Yeah, they could stop the citizenry of Roswell and ask discrete questions … see any FBI types today please raise you hand? “Michael, take Maria back to Isabel's apartment …”

Michael interrupted in anger, “… I'm not going to sit around on my ass and wait for something to happen.”

“If Jesse gets away, or tries to make contact, that's the first place he's gonna go.” Max reasoned.

“No, I have my own plan.” Michael turned to leave, and Max stopped him. Michael looked at his restraining hand with daggers in his eyes. “Maxwell, I'm warning you … get out of my way.”

“I don't have time to deal with any of your temper tantrums right now.”

The condescending tone was the final straw. “… And I don't have time for your …”

Isabel, impatient and angry, snapped at Michael. “Stop it! Max is in charge. My husband's life is at stake! Just do what he says!!” Michael’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his demeanor shut down and unyielding. Storming out, Maria reluctantly followed, uncertain what to make of his mood. She stopped to hit Max on the shoulder, her sarcasm biting and dripping.

“Thanks for that assignment, Max.” Maria quickly followed her tortured friend obviously suffering a brain aneurysm. It was just like Max and Isabel to not want to deal with Michael, and using her as the go between.

“What is wrong with him?” Isabel asked Max, her anger still evident in her tone.

“I don't know.” Max shrugged it off. He had no time for Michael histrionics. “Let's go.”

~~~

Maria held on for her life. Why? Why did she let him have the keys? Between Hail Mary’s and promising God to stay a virgin forever, she peeked out of squeezed shut eyes as they sped down the road, tires squealing as Michael made fast and illegal maneuvers. 

“Illegal wrong turn.” Maria put hands over her eyes. “Truck! Truck!”

“Shut up! I’m concentrating.”

“You’re failing. Hello, Isabel's apartment is that way.” Maria pointed at the street flying by.

“We're not going to Isabel's apartment. We're doing things my way now.”

“Uh … well, Max said …” Maria said stopping in mid-sentence. That wasn’t the right thing to say obviously by the look on Michael’s face.

“Max should have stayed dead.”

“What did you just say?” Maria couldn’t believe him. She was there. She saw how broken up he had been over Max being dead. “This is wrong! Totally wrong! What is going on?”

“I'm the leader, now.” Michael informed her. “This is how it should've been from the beginning.”

“All right, you know what,” Maria said, her stomach souring, “if this is a joke, please note that I am in no way busting up.” Maria put her hand on his arm. “Michael, this is not funny. I mean it.”

“Look where following Max has gotten us.” Michael glanced down at the hand on his arm before looking at her. “Alex died, Tess betrayed us. He doesn't even wanna be king. I want it, and I'm good at it. And I'm stopping this Jesse thing right now.”

“Jesse's not going to tell anybody.”

“Jesse is human. Nasedo had it right.” Michael did another quick maneuver as the oncoming cars squealed by, their horns loud and intrusive. “When somebody finds out, they should be eliminated.”

“Well, if you follow that line of thinking, then that would apply to me, too, huh?”

“You said it, I didn't.” Michael retorted back, in a nasty tone.

Maria’s mouth opened in shock, a pricking of moisture was pooling behind her eyes making them burn. “This isn't you.”

Michael pulled over. He turned in the seat to look at her. “You know what really pisses me off? No one ever listens to me.”

“I always listen to you! I don’t always agree, but I listen.” Maria told him, the hurt and betrayal in her eyes. “I have always been on your side!” 

Michael went still for a moment, for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t a bundle of nervous energy. His eyes searched her face, resting on her mouth.

“Yes, you have. Always.” Michael’s eyes narrowed. “I trust you … I know you would never betray me. That I trust.”

Maria put her hand on his chest moving closer, her voice lowering, modulated to a tone to soothe and inspire confidence. “Can’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Michael laughed loud and harsh, pulling Maria even closer. “Nothing. You don’t get it. Nothing is wrong. Everything is right! For once in my life, almost everything is right.” Michael looked down at her, his golden eyes meeting her green ones. “One thing that I plan to fix right now is this stupid dance! I’m sick of it. It’s not getting me what I want or need, not fast enough.”

“What dance? Michael?”

Michael growled low in his throat. “Can’t you ever just shut up, and go with it? Just be honest for once?” Maria opened her mouth in indignation, ready to retaliate, when his hand moved to cup her jaw, his grip firm. “Use your mouth for something I can appreciate.” Michael kissed her, his mouth literally devouring hers, not allowing her a chance to resist or protest.

Maria’s hand went up above his head, ready to push him off her, but instead it weakly faltered than came to rest on his shoulder. Overwhelmed by him, she responded to him, following his lead as he dominated her.

Breathing hard, Michael pulled back a little looking at her, his chest heaving. “Okay, hit me!”

Maria’s eyes were huge in her face, her mouth red and swollen. Michael watched as the living green of her eyes darkened to a deep forest sage.

“Michael …” Groaning, she slid her arm around his neck suddenly plastered to his body, her mouth on his, kissing him, biting him, until he groaned deeply joining her in the feast.

Maria moaned. He was everywhere at once, overwhelming her senses. She could feel his hands on her body, pushing her clothing aside, as his mouth moved down the side of her neck, gnawing at the sensitive corded muscles. Her hands tightened painfully in his hair forcing his mouth back to hers again. The clashing of teeth, tongues and breath, a hot expiration of passion in the air heated the interior of the Jetta until the windows fogged.

Maria couldn’t breathe. The laborious wrenching of air from her lungs was painful, her bones were shaking, and he had too many clothes on. Not enough skin. Not enough Michael. She pulled away staring at the buttons on his shirt in confusion, as if she never saw buttons before.

Michael’s body jerked in reaction to her pulling away, his voice hard as ice, “No! Mine!” just as his mouth crushed down over her open lips.

“Yes...,” she hissed hotly against his mouth. God help her, she should care more, but everything she wanted … needed was right there, in her arms. So long. She had wanted him for so long. Her heart seemed to stop. Her breathing definitely did and she ceased struggling against the strength that held her. Michael. All Michael, surrounding her, dominating her. Whimpering in need her arms tightened on him.

Michael's tongue thrust through her parted lips, invading, ravishing, taking as his hands moved up to Maria’s head sliding into her hair, curving, trying to grasp, to hold Maria in place but she was moving all over the place, against him sensually and he liked that too. Michael grunted into Maria's mouth and slipped both arms back around her body sliding her shirt off, his mouth following it as skin became available.

The slick feel of a hot tongue delving deep, seeking, as his deep groan was answered by a soft moaning sound in her throat. A wall of hard muscled flesh was pressed to her body. Arms locked her in place. She wanted the invasion to go on forever. A desperate inhalation forced her to retreat from him, her hands balancing on Michael's biceps.

Michael. Stared, eyes wild, and inhaling hard through his nose, face flushed. Just as he appeared to be moving out of Maria's arm’s reach, she desperately pulled him back, "No. Mine!" hauling Michael back into her embrace, her body scrambling with help from him to straddle him between the wall of flesh and the steering wheel, arms curving around the solid shoulders. One hand, firm on the nape of Michael's smooth neck, dragged his mouth into range. "Mine," softly murmured before Maria took her turn. Mouth on mouth, tongue invading, hands restraining.

“The taste of his mouth … want this … want him … now,” thought Maria until she stopped thinking altogether. Her arms twined more securely around Michael's neck and shoulders, not holding as much as trying to meld her body into the incredible one in her arms.

After a second of shocked stillness, Michael re-entered the fray. Tongues fought and danced from one mouth to the other and back again. Their hips had begun to rub back and forth in a slow counter-rock as their mouths moved, igniting fires, destroying thought.

Maria watched Michael's eyes darken and she was nearly run over when he began to move faster than she could comprehend, his hands on the naked skin of her back, his mouth ravishing the pale skin of her shoulder. Michael was making these fast breathy sounds that were driving Maria mad. She needed to get at him, to have Michael closer, to feel the hard smooth silk of his skin that she knew was under that shirt. She halted as her fingers found the buttons on Michael's shirt, but they were shaking too much to do anything effective about them.

She leaned her forehead against Michael's shoulder and splayed her fingers across Michael's chest. With an effort, she took a long shuddering breath in, ragged breath out. Deeper inhalation, slower exhalation. Again in, out and she felt her heart slow down to something approaching a reasonable rate. Above her head, she could hear Michael's own breathing even out, his heart slow and match her own rate.

“Michael …”

“Don’t stop,” he said hotly against the skin of her neck, his mouth dropping to kiss the top her breast exposed above the skimpy bra she was wearing. Michael’s hips did a quick rolling motion that made her gasp and moan deep as he unfastened his pants. Taking one of her hands, he pushed it down his body, forcing himself in her hand.

“Oh god! Oh god!” Maria’s eyes rose to meet Michael's gaze and her heart nearly stopped at the desperate passion she saw in warm golden brown eyes. Not so aloof or angry any more, oh no, now the million-year fire of golden amber sparkle. All hers. That fire was all for her.

Eyes locked with his, Maria moved up his chest beginning to undo the buttons on Michael's shirt, fingers now steady. No need to see what she was doing. One by one, the buttons submitted to her. When Michael trembled, Maria ran one hand up over his shoulder and neck, gentling. A soft sound like a shushing passed through Maria's lips and she felt Michael attend to it and relax slightly.

The buttons were opened and she pushed it slowly off his shoulders. As her hands ran up Michael's ribs, drawing the shirt apart, Michael sighed and arched his back, mouth agape, eyes violent and passionate, but he uttered no words. Just waited for her with dark golden brown eyes strangely alive and violent.

Maria's own control was cracking. She had to hurry. Maria pushed Michael's shirt off shoulders and down biceps, letting it drop to the floorboard, unheeded. With one move she was fully in Michael's space, her own bare front brushing across the defined planes of his chest, the scrape of the soft lace of her bra tormenting him. For a moment Maria focused only on the feel of skin on skin, warmth to warmth. Her eyes dropping to his chest as she leaned in to kiss his skin.

Suddenly the symbol on Michael's chest below his left shoulder began to glow brightly. Maria’s eyes widened, as she sat back a little, the steering wheel digging in the small of her back.

“Michael, what’s on your chest?” She scrambled off of him, her hand going to cover the glowing symbol. Michael grabbed her hand, as if afraid that somehow her touching it would take it away. Leaning beyond her, he threw open her door.

“You’re distracting me from what I have to do. I can’t have you distracting me right now … later! Get out!”

“Michael …”

“Get out!!”

Uncertain what to do, Maria got out on the side of the road as the car squealed off into the night. Confused, it took a moment for her to assess her situation. Dark. Night. Roadside, and she was only in a short skirt and a bra.

“Sonnabitch! Damn you, Michael!” Looking around, Maria hoofed it to the nearest phone she could find. He could’ve at least left her her shirt.

~~~

Maria was standing on the side of the road next to a sign for JJ's souvenir stand. She watched the approaching headlights and sighed in relief when she saw Max’s car. She smiled a thanks at Liz when she handed her a sweatshirt.

“Okay,” Maria said, “Michael's a freak show ...” She pulled the shirt down.

“What happened?” Liz was asking about not only the situation, but Maria’s topless state.

“He's like a desert-wandering Anne Heche times a thousand, babbling about how Max should've stayed dead because he'd be a better king or something …” Maria plucked at the borrow shirt. The color did nothing for her.

Max glanced at Maria, concerned. “That's insane.” But it wasn’t. He and Liz had talked about it earlier on their date about how freaked out Michael was about his resurrection.

Maria made a face. Yeah, whatever. “… and he had this, like, weird thing on his chest.”

That got Max’s attention. “Like what?”

“I don't know, it was like this weird 'V'-thing right here …” Maria placed her hand where the crest was on Michael.

“Did it look like this?” Max quickly drew the formation of dots on the frost on the hood of his car.

“Yes,” Maria nodded, “that's it.”

“That's the royal seal of Antar.” Max told them. He glanced at Liz, “It's a mark I have inside me proving I'm the true king.”

“So Michael was right. He is the king.” Maria said, now completely unhinged in worry for Michael. Max was the king all his life and look how messed up he was. Oh god. Poor Michael!

“What if the people that engineered and sent you here built in a backup plan? You know, in case anything happened to you, Michael was encoded to step up as leader.”

Maria frowned. That made no sense. The next heir apparent should be a blood relative, close blood in direct line. Isabel was Max’s sister, and supposedly, Michael had been nothing more than Max’s second in command, his lieutenant, and Isabel’s fiancée. Why would a fiancée inherit? That would have to make Michael an equal relative as Isabel … a brother. Maria shook her head at her own thoughts. She could care less about Antar politics. All she cared about was Michael.

Max digested Liz’s assumptions. “But nothing happened to me. I'm fine.”

“No …” Maria told him, “you died.”

“Max, what … you said that Michael broke his hand.”

“He did.”

“It looked fine to me. Maybe he's inherited other things from you, too.”

Maria groaned. Oh god, how blind could she be? “It’s fine. He healed it without really even thinking about it. He healed it the same way he healed Isabel when she was dying after the surgery. I … we, um … it never occurred to us to really question it. Max was dead, and we were just happy that Isabel would live.” Maria bit her lip. “If she died, he would’ve been all alone.” Maria covered her eyes. “A king needs subjects … oh damn!”

~~~

They met up with Isabel and Kyle at the auto shop. Max needed to test his powers, so he tried to heal Kyle's cut as Isabel, Liz, and Maria watched.

“It's not working. I can’t heal it.”

Liz bit her lip, concerned what this could mean. “What about your other powers?”

Max created a force shield, but it was weak. He shook his head in defeat. “I'm losing the ones that are unique to me.”

“Great. So Michael's the boss-man?” Kyle looked at the others. “Think he'll offer a benefits plan?”

“Kyle.” Liz said softly.

“What? I for one am panicking here.” Kyle made his point. “I love the guy, but I don't want to be a member of any club where he's the leader.” Kyle glanced at Maria wearing an old sweatshirt of Max. “Of course, he apparently already chose his ‘girl Friday’, his mate …”

Maria was too busy obsessively worrying a nail to really hear Kyle. Isabel and Max moved away from the others to talk alone.

“What do we do?” Isabel asked, for the first time, really concern remembering Michael’s anger from before. She had been hard and supporting of Max, and given the new information ….

“We have to stop him.” Max told her. He looked at the others. “This is Michael to the Nth degree … ruthless, impulsive, … dangerous.”

“The switch got flipped because Max died.” Liz suggested. “Maybe Michael has to go through the same thing in order to be reset.” Max turned to look at Liz.

Maria stared at them in disbelief. What? Guess it was important that Max be king. Maria felt a cold hand of fear moving over her as she looked at Liz, Isabel and Max. “… No. Max, no!”

“I won't kill him.” Max told her. “I just need to figure out a way to take the seal back.”  Isabel nodded her agreement. Michael left uncheck would murder Jesse.

“Where'd he go?” Max asked Maria.

Maria looked at the others. “He would go to find Jesse.” Maria ignored Isabel’s gasp of concern and worry. Grabbing Max, she stopped him from leaving. “Save him, Max. You save him.”

“I’ll try.” Max reassured her.

“That’s not good enough! Why should I believe anything you say? You saved Liz for you, Kyle for Jim, and Jesse for Isabel. Save Michael for me! I mean it, Max. I don’t want your ‘best’ this time! I want you to finally be a damn king, and do it because he is someone to you! Do it because you own me for Alex. You want your damn crest so bad … fine take it back, but only if you can save Michael.”

Max saw her eyes. The breach in their friendship was a hard one to cure. If something happened to Michael, there would be no friendship between them ever again, and because he knew she wouldn’t take any promise he made seriously, he nodded.

~~~

Jesse rushed into his apartment dark apartment. “Isabel? Isabel?” There was no answer as he went over to his desk. Michael was waiting. He had been sitting in the dark, waiting in a chair in a distant corner of the room.

“You told them who we are?”

Jesse whirled around to see him. “Get the hell out.”

“You sold us out, didn't you??!” Michael rose from the chair, his demeanor menacing and violent.

Jesse afraid, stood up to Michael. “Get the hell out, now!”

“Didn't you?!” Michael was unflinching. Jesse was nothing. Puny.

“No …” Jesse backed up suddenly really afraid.

Michael blasted him with his powers slamming him high up against a wall, pinning him there. Jesse was in pain, squirming, unable to break free of the effortless hold Michael had on him.

“I told Isabel not to bring another human into the secret. But she was so in love, so Max said yes.” Michael smiled evilly, enjoying the pain and discomfort on Jesse’s face, wanting to press home how unimportant Jesse was to the larger scheme of things. “She was my first, did you know that? We were together before you were born, and we'll be together when you're nothing but bones.”

Jesse winced in pain, his eyes never leaving Michael. “You want my wife?”

Michael laughed cruelly. “Supposedly, I already had your damn wife, as did many others, Khivar … Nicolas. Who’s to say? She’s treacherous, as I am sure you now have discovered. Guess she never bothered to tell you how on your honeymoon she almost left earth with her ‘great love’ Khivar? You’ll notice that ‘great love’ was neither you nor me.” Michael shrugged. “No matter. I don’t want her that way anyway … if I had, there would’ve never been a you. I already have an idea for my queen, and it isn’t Vilandra. I demand unfaltering loyalty, to me, and me alone! Oh, I’ll find some use for her somewhere, after all, what is a king without those to follow them? What I have no use for is you, Jesse.”

Michael glanced down in interest seeing a small metal piece sticking out of Jesse's briefcase. He pulled it out to discover an electronic device. Holding it up in his hand, facing Jesse he lifted a brow. “What do we have here?”

“That's not mine.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, his beliefs confirmed. “How did it get in your briefcase?”

“I don't know!” Jesse struggled desperately.

“Goodbye, Jesse.” Michael lifted his hand to finish Jesse off as the apartment door burst open and the others rushed in.

“Michael!” Maria said in shock, fear rushing in her veins. He barely survived killing Pierce … but Jesse?

Isabel rushed to put herself between Michael and Jesse. Her hand coming up in defense. “Michael, stop!”

Michael ignored her. He was king. She would follow him, or he would kill her too. She might be a good bargaining chip with Khivar … he could sell her, but if she overstepped herself again, he had no problem putting her down with her worthless traitor husband.

“Maxwell, I was right.” Michael told Max as he joined Isabel. “He was bugged. He's working against us.”

Isabel and Max held their hands up defensively towards Michael defending Jesse from him.

“Let him go.” Isabel warned.

Jesse squirmed in pain, his hand on his chest. “Get out of here, Isabel, he's crazy …”

“Hey, shut up!” Michael raged at Jesse.

“Back off, Michael,” Max told Michael, unwilling to back down himself. First it would be Jesse, and who was to follow? Liz? Michael hated Liz for a long time. She was point of the original exposure.

“Nah, he has to die …”

Max blasted Michael, sending him flying across the room into a light fixture. Maria screamed as he hit the wall and Jesse was finally released from Michael’s hold. He slowly slid down the wall as Isabel helped him stand.

Max pushed Isabel and Jesse towards the door, his hand still up facing Michael. “Everybody out …” Maria hesitated, the look on her face defiant as she moved towards Michael. “Now!” Max emphasized, gesturing to Liz and Kyle to take Maria. They both took an arm, dragging her from the apartment.

“No! Michael … Max! You promised! Max …”

Michael slowly was moving to his feet. Everyone had left the apartment except Max and Michael, who were preparing to fight.

Outside, Kyle and Liz held Maria back, keeping her from going back inside. “Somebody please tell me it's going to be okay?” She begged. Her hands went over her ears at the sounds of fighting inside increased. Maria was crying, they had to keep pulling her back from going back inside. They never noticed Jesse and Isabel leaving in their car.

~~~

Max stepped back a few steps as he faced an infuriated Michael.

“You let him go?” Michael said in disbelief.

Max tried, licking his lips, his nerves frayed. “Michael, you have to listen to me.”

“Hey, don't give orders to me.” Michael told him. “You died. I'm king.” Michael opened his shirt to display the brightly glowing seal. “It's your turn to get in line.”

Max swallowed hard as he saw the seal, but he stood his ground. He promised Maria, but he couldn’t risk a murderous Michael loose on the world. “No.”

Michael actually smiled, almost casually. “Okay, then.”

Michael lunged at Max, sending them both over the couch as they began to fight. Michael punched Max, then opened a hand to blast him. Max, desperate, grabbed Michael's arm at the last moment deflecting the blast into the nearby furniture. Using his own powers, he propelled Michael away, who flew back over the couch. Max scrambled over it to follow Michael.

Michael rising slowly shook his head at Max, as anger moved off his body in waves. “You're going to be very sorry you did that.” Michael grabbed a tall wooden candle stand punching and then swinging it at Max. They struggled, and Michael used the stand to pin Max. He was slowly choking him.

“Follow me or die again.”

Choking and seeing red spots behind his eyes, Max saw the glass door behind them. Using his powers, he exploded the glass, sending the shards into Michael's face. Michael backed away, falling to the floor, screaming from the agonizing pain of glass in his eyes.

A weakened Max quickly rushed over to Michael, pinning him and grabbing his jacket. “I will kill you, Michael, if that's what it takes to stop you …” Max said breathing hard, “but trust me as someone who just got back from there, you don't want to go.”

Max pulled the shirt away from Michael's shoulder, and clasped his hand firmly over the glowing seal. With a blast of painfully searing red energy, Max extracted the seal from Michael's shoulder, leaving an ugly burn mark. The seal transferred to Max's palm, then faded into his body. Sitting back, gasping, Max studied Michael. The battle was over, but Michael was still in agony.

The door burst open as Maria ran in, followed by Liz and Kyle. Once the noise of battle ended, they could no longer hold Maria.

“Michael!” Maria immediately ran to Michael, her hands moving over him assessing the damage. “What did you do?!” Maria screamed at Max. Michael couldn’t hear. The pain from the burn on his chest and the glass in his eyes, he was unable to concentrate on the world around him.

“I’ll heal him.” Max quickly knelt beside Michael on the other side moving his hand over Michael’s eyes to remove glass. Sitting back once done, Michael wasn’t moving in agony, but he was still in pain.

“Get me out of here,” he said hoarsely to Maria. Her hand tightened on his arm.

“We’ve got to take him home.”

“I …” Max looked at the pain twisted on Michael’s face. “I … I’m not done.”

“He wants to go home!” Maria stood up. “Help me.” Max was quick to his feet helping Maria get Michael up.

Max seemed to finally notice the destruction in Isabel and Jesse’s home. Swearing he searched the room for Isabel. “Where are Isabel and Jesse?”

Maria was under Michael’s arm supporting the bulk of his weight. “Do I care?” Maria looked at Kyle. “Can you ride Michael’s bike to his apartment?” Kyle nodded. “Good.” Maria tossed Michael’s keys that she retrieved from his pocket at Kyle. “Max! Now!”

Max finally helped Maria who was floundering under Michael’s weight. He glanced at Liz. “Could you wait for Isabel and Jesse? Let me know when they get back?” Liz nodded watching as they all left her there, in the center of the destroyed apartment. Liz picked up a broken lamp, holding it helplessly in her hand. God. Where to start? The lamp fell from her hands hitting the floor, shattering.

~~~

Michael was lying in bed at his apartment, frowning at a large scarred area on his chest under his left shoulder. Max held out a bottle of Snapple towards him, and he skeptically took it. Max sat down on the edge of the bed to talk to him. Maria was in the room, but she remained silent, her eyes never leaving Michael.

“How are your eyes?”

“They don't tickle.” It had taken two tries to heal all the damage. “Thanks for healing them.”

Max nodded. “That was the best I could do with that …” Max gestured to Michael’s chest as Michael looked down at the scar on his shoulder. “Can I get you anything else?”

“No.” Michael was inordinately quiet, more than usual, and especially in comparison to the Michael of the last few days.

Max glanced over at Maria, her face was a study of concern, with a tear running down her cheek. She wiped it away, turning away from the two men, her arms hugging her body. “Look, Michael, uh, we both said some things we didn't really mean to … and I … I … just wanted you to know that, I uh …”

“Save the touchy-feely stuff, Maxwell. You're the king. You did what you had to do.”

“I don't consider myself your boss.” Max reassured Michael, but somehow that stuck in Max’s throat. Their history was a long list of him telling Michael what to do, censuring him, Isabel siding with Max over Michael, and though he didn’t feel above Michael, it somehow always came out that way. Max stood there, devastated by helplessness, a helplessness to restore or create an equality between him and his once best friend … his brother.

“Got it. It's been a suck day.” Michael wanted Max gone. He wanted everyone gone. His world was too large at that moment, and a world of one was all he could handle. “Can I get some sleep?” Max nodded, not knowing what else he could do.

He glanced at Maria for a moment before going into the other room. Michael frowned, watchin him as he went. Michael eyes were avoiding Maria’s. Sighing as she came to sit on the bed, he should’ve known better. There was no avoiding Maria.

Both of them were awkwardly silent with each other. Normally, Maria would’ve stayed with him, taken care of him, but suddenly Michael’s bed seemed an inappropriate place. Something had happened between them, something that put a wall in their relationship, shattering the comfortable friendship between them. They needed to resolve things first, and he didn’t have the energy to do it now. Not now.

Maria’s eyes moved over his face. He was avoiding her eyes. She recognized the signs immediately. Biting the inside of her lip, she waited for him to tell her what he needed.

“I …” Michael licked his lips unable to go on. He gathered his wits, the tiredness in his body pulling at what little reserves he had left. “We need to talk … I know, but I can’t not right now.” Michael finally looked at her. “Can I have some space?”

Maria sat back, the request worse than a slap, but she nodded. Leaning in, she refused to be deterred by the stiffening of his body. Her hand rested over the scar on his chest as her other hand cupped his face. Kissing his now healed eyes, she swallowed any comment she was on the verge of making. Leaving him without a glance back, Maria went through the door softly closing it.

Michael winced, the soft closing door sounding like a loud bang in his head. Many things he would regret, but of all of them, Maria was the greatest. What had he done?

~~~

Isabel glanced in the living room where Jesse was watching a cooking show, her eyes closing as she breathed in deeply trying to quell the rising nausea and the sound of ringing. It was the door. She opened it, shocked to see Maria standing there.

Jesse never moved or acknowledged the doorbell, so Isabel slipped outside.

The two girls stood facing each other and finally Maria sniffed holding out her arms for Isabel. They hugged as Isabel finally broke down crying. Maria held her, taking as much comfort from Isabel as she gave, her tears moving silently down her face.

“C’mon.” She took Isabel’s hand.

“Jesse…” Isabel glanced back at the apartment door.

“Probably needs time alone, if he’s in any the same shape as Michael.” Isabel glanced back once more, but consented. They took the Jetta to an all night restaurant that served breakfast 24/7 and an endless pot of coffee.

“I was worried. You and Jesse had disappeared.” Maria told Isabel while leaning on the table holding a cup of hot coffee. They hadn’t ordered anything yet, both of them not really hungry. Food was just another convenience.

Isabel flipped through the menu reading all the types of pancakes.

“We were leaving. Jesse wanted to leave forever and never look back.”

“Because of Michael?”

Isabel shook her head. “No. He wanted it before this. It’s because of me.”

“You or the Czechoslovakian thing?”

“Does it matter?” Isabel asked bitterly. “I am what I am, whether I want it or not.” Rubbing her face, she tossed the menu aside. “I never wanted it! Never. All I ever wanted was …” Isabel searched Maria’s face. “Is … to be you.”

“Me?”

Isabel nodded. Looking across the quiet restaurant, she stared at all the things she would never be. Human.

“I … if I could’ve been different, all those times with Alex, all the doubts and pushing him away …” Isabel wiped away an angry tear. “He was killed by what I am. I never got to tell him how much I needed him, his friendship and love. I backed away so many times, confused, and when finally …” Isabel shook her head. “It was too late. I wasted so much time with him until time ran out.” Isabel looked Maria finally. “When you’re our age, you think of time as an infinite thing. I never imagined for a moment that I didn’t have forever with him. I pushed him off for Grant … and that hurt, I know. Then again for a quick pick up in Vegas. I thought I knew what I wanted … needed, and I woke up, and there was Alex. I had to work to get him back, you know. He didn’t just fall back in with me. I had his friendship, but he guarded his heart.”

“I know.” Maria said softly. She had spent endless hours listening to Alex … listening to his music.

“I know you do.” Isabel laughed. “You are many things, Maria, but foremost and always, you are a good friend.”

“I hope so.” Maria smiled wryly. “I struggle every day with my natural inclination to be self-involved and needy. I figure someday, I’ll find someone who will make me feel safe enough to let go … to cling. It’s hard to be strong for everyone … my mom, Liz, Michael … all of you. I’m afraid to let myself need … what if I never stop?”

“Michael?” Isabel asked softly. Maria’s face shuddered closing down. Isabel immediately stepped back. Strange that Maria had always been everyone else’s confidante, but she really didn’t have anyone … maybe at times Liz, and definitely Michael, but right now, Maria had an aura of loneliness. “It’s okay. Maybe you can’t talk about him anymore than I can about Jesse.”

“I’m sorry,” Maria said in a rush of breath.

Life was too hard at times, and it was only in holding real still that sometimes a person could feel all the edges at once … feel they could hold their lives together.

“I know you are.” Isabel looked up at the waitress as she came to take their order. “Oh, I don’t know that I can eat.”

“Sure you can. Eating is the only panacea of sanity.” Maria smiled at the waitress. “We’ll have breakfast!” Maria quickly ordered herself a huge one, and Isabel smiling got into it as well. Fats. Sugars. Lots of comfort in a huge stack of pancakes.

“So where did you and Jesse go?” Maria asked while pouring more raspberry syrup on her huge stack of pancakes. She glanced around for the waitress. They had ordered extra sides of everything pork. She needed her extra bacon. It just didn’t taste right unless it was swimming in syrup.

“He took me to the abandoned warehouse that the FBI held him. It was the agent that my dad and Max ran into before … an Agent Burns.” Isabel was quiet at the waitress dropped off the plate of extra bacon, ham and sausage. “Maria, he was one of the last members of the Special Unit.”

“So it wasn’t really Jesse’s going to therapy, or Michael intervening that brought the FBI here.”

“No. He’s been watching, waiting since Utah … since Max and Liz robbed the convenience store. This was just an opportunity, I think. He saw Jesse as a way in, a way to get proof finally.”

“An insider.” Maria said putting her fork down.

“Yes. Jesse took me there and ordered me to destroy all the documents. He went to find Burns.”

“He confronted him?” Maria’s mouth opened. “Oh god! Isabel …”

“He always suspected Michael, but couldn’t confirm. Tonight changed that. He already had me and Max. He used Jesse to get the evidence.” Isabel glanced around the restaurant her voice lowering. “He was going to kill Jesse, and send in special teams to take the rest of us tomorrow.”

“Was?”

“Was.” Isabel’s voice went thick. “Jesse killed him. He shot him with a gun he had since college.” Isabel rubbed her face. “I did this, Maria. As sure as I brought Alex into this and got him killed, now I did the same to Jesse.”

“He did it to protect you … all of us, Isabel. It’s no different than Michael killing Pierce. No different.”

“We destroyed the body. He’ll be a missing person now.”

Maria sat back in shock, fear a pain in her stomach. Would it ever be over? Would they ever be safe? Michael had been right, since the White Room, there was no more safe. There never was. Their mistake was allowing themselves to believe the illusion, but they were all living on borrowed time.

“Jesse, how is he now?”

“I don’t know. How can he ever come back from this? Regardless of what he wants, he’s in it now. We made him an accomplice and a murderer.” Isabel’s entire body shuddered as she took a deep breath, Suddenly she was unable to eat another bite. Pushing her unfinished plate aside, she and Maria shared a look of complete understanding.

“Maria, Michael told Jesse about destiny, about Khivar. He used it cruelly to hurt Jesse.” Isabel stopped Maria from answering, from defending Michael … even evil King Michael. “It’s okay. I should’ve told Jesse a long time ago. But, you know what?” Maria shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Michael answered a hundred questions for me tonight. I knew he scoffed and rejected destiny a long time ago. I guess in some ways, I still held onto this deep seated thought that he really belonged to me … obviously not to the extent that Tess did for Max. Tonight, I think the veil was ripped from my eyes.”

“How do you mean?”

“Destiny? I think it was hoax. I never in all these years ever once felt the need to be with Michael. Never. We were closer when we thought we were brother and sister … and you know what?  I miss him. I really do. I lost that feeling and closeness. Tonight, I knew. Whatever Michael was to me in my past life doesn’t matter. If Khivar was my great love, then what was Michael? Tonight, I chose Jesse’s life over Michael’s. Khivar was obviously more important than Michael in my last life. I mean, I opened the gate to let him in, and Michael knew that! How could he? The Michael I met tonight, he would’ve never … and I mean never let me open the gate to Khivar. Second in command Michael, soldier Michael … he would’ve never believed in Khivar and peace.”

“No,” said Maria. Isabel was right. Alien Michael was as paranoid, intense, violent and direct as a person could be. He would’ve never shared his woman … he would’ve killed her first, her and her lover. God, she had never been with Michael in that way, and when confronted with Billy, he almost burned down Roswell. “He would’ve never allowed it.”

“Exactly! I obviously chose Khivar in my last life, and in this one … I chose Jesse. God help me, Maria, I would’ve killed Michael to save Jesse. Whatever destiny ever was? It’s completely dead … a stupid cruel mindwarp. I know that I feel more for Jesse in my heart, and I would kill to protect him, even if it meant killing Michael.”

“I know,” Maria said, understanding completely. She would do the same for Michael. “So where do we go from here?”

Isabel shook her head. She didn’t know. Both women sat there at a table full of food they could no longer eat, sipping on black coffee.