Crash……..

Maria glanced over at the others doing homework at the next booth at the Crashdown. She noted that Liz was playing footsy with Max under the table, but she drowned out the conversations, too caught up in her own thoughts.

Depression. She was definitely depressed. This was the worst bout of it in years. Usually this type of depression was associated with her mother’s failing relationships, but for once, this had nothing to do with her mom. It was Michael. All Michael. He still hadn’t spoken to her, and he was actively avoiding everyone, even Max. He had even  suggested that Max find another place to flop.

It was depressing to see him so aloof and far away, so untouchable.

At that moment Michael walked in with an armload of boxes for the restaurant, and his steps faltered when he saw Maria looking at him but then he stalked off into the back room.

“No?” Liz asked softly to Maria who shook her head giving an exasperated sigh. No. He still hadn’t talked to her, and at this rate, she was wondering if he ever would. Depression? Maybe her heart was broken? Her mother was gone, too afraid of Roswell, now setting up a new life in Las Cruces, and Michael was an untouchable. She was lonely, sleeping in a silent house, unable to stop her brain from obsessing.

“What?” Max said confused.

“Still no apologies from Michael,” Liz whispered. Maria didn’t comment. She didn’t want an apology, even if Liz thought she deserved one. Michael had done nothing to her, not really. She just wanted him to talk to her, to quell her fears, be her friend again.

“… bah …” said Max, unsure why it was so important right now, at this moment. Michael was still reeling from the incident. Time. He would get better.

“Hey,” interrupted Kyle, “you know that king-thing tattoo on Michael's chest?”

“That's gone.” Liz said offhandedly, staring at Max. “Max is king, now.”

Maria rolled her eyes. Yeah, great fucking improvement, but obviously it was important to Liz, after all she was holding off on getting involved with Max again … but now that he was king again, she conveniently forgot her caution as her foot was moving all over him. Alien kingship. Good riddance in her mind. Let Max keep it. He obviously was accustomed to making bad decisions, and unlike Michael, he rarely had any remorse for the consequences of his actions.

“I know, I know.” Kyle said waving off the whole king thing. Who frickin’ cared? Did it come with money, prestige, or even power? “But what I was going to say is, that maybe Michael can get, like, ‘I'm eternally sorry’ tattooed there instead, and just flash it every half an hour, regardless? Saves time, cuts stress...” He turned to Maria. “Do we know the faux pas?”

Maria shrugged. She had more pressing things on her mind. First and foremost, she might need to go back on antidepressants. She wasn’t sleeping at night.

Liz answered for Maria. “He, uh, threatened her life saying anyone that knew about the alien thing should be taken care of, shoved her out of a moving vehicle and left her in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night,” Liz listed the grievances adding, “without a shirt.”

Michael stormed out of the kitchen, tired of listening to them talk about him. “The car was stopped! And I never threatened to kill her!”

Maria frowned not wanting to be part of this fight. She was sick of fighting. It made her stomach hurt … not a little, but a lot. “You suggested I'd be better off if I was dead, and Jesse, and everybody else who knows about your little ‘secret’ …” Maria reminded him, wanting to smooth over the edges, explain how Liz was coming up with those conclusions.

“It was just a suggestion.” Michael said, his anger hitting a new level when everyone gave him a skewed look at his response. He could feel the need to be defensive, to defend his own nature, and he hated that. “Why am I always apologizing to you guys about who I am?”

“That wasn't you, Michael!” Maria finally fully entered the fray. There was a lot to Michael, but he wasn’t totally without conscience.

“Yes, it was me. Max was dead, I was king. I did what I had to do.”

“Fine.” Maria didn’t want to argue, but when she had kissed him … she felt him, and he had been different. He had been Michael, but there was a difference there as well. Usually she saw him in color, vivid and alive … but the Michael she kissed in the Jetta had lacked color, and his aura had been black, dark and lacking real light.

“I'm not sorry about it, either.”

“Fine!” Maria snapped, tired of it, all of it. He wouldn’t talk to her, and this was it? Now not only was she no longer on his side, but he was pushing her into the category with the others. Him against them. It was lonely out there on your own, and Maria was horrified that he was choosing it over everything they could’ve had.

“No, I'm not sorry.” Michael said more to himself as if he was trying to convince himself as he walked off towards the door.

“Fine,” said Maria, feeling a need to cry. Her face was stark and drained of color, her lips and eyes the only sign of life.

Michael saw that. He saw how haggard she looked. Sleep, or the lack of it, was wearing on her, and she was obviously unhappy. Unable to change that, or even knowing how to start, he slammed the door hard on his way out, breaking the glass. Everyone looked shocked and concerned. Maria could only shake her head.

She wanted to give him space. It was always the best way. Michael always found his own balance, his own level, and it took time. Maria wondered if she could hold on that long … long enough to give him the time he needed to find himself, find something to even it all out. Her hands were shaking, from what, she couldn’t say. Rage? Anger? Fear? Loneliness.

Kyle made a snorting noise. “Damn, he’s out of control!”

“God, my dad is going to …”

“Shut up!” Maria said to them all. “Just shut up! Stop dissecting him like he’s a freak! He never asked to have that damn crest transferred to him. And I for one, am glad it’s gone. Whatever it was … I think it’s corruptive.” She was too tired to stand. She was going home. Maybe take a nap, but more than likely, she was going to stare at the ceiling.

“Maria, we didn’t mean …” Liz said, trying to calm her friend down. Maria was on an edge, a sharp one. Anyone could see that.

“Yes, you did. You always do! Michael is accountable for everything. Why did he get the crest? Because Clayton Wheeler had evidence that there was an alien that could heal. He suspected Michael, and it cost Michael his friend, Monk. What gave Clayton Wheeler his first evidence about a healing alien? Your uniform, Liz! Why the hell didn’t you burn it? Or … the miracle children from Christmas. Who healed them? Who proved to Clayton that a person was available possibly to heal him of his diseased state? Michael only got the job at Meta-Chem for one reason, they were looking hard at him … he was exposed because when he went with Max on his little guilt trip. He was photographed in the hospital, and didn’t even know it. How about Burns? Do you happen to remember another person … persons running around last year robbing convenience stores, stealing alien diamonds … looking for a son that they’ve now all but forgotten?” Maria laid it all out clearly. “Who exposed him, Max? Who died because of that exposure, causing the crest to transfer? Not Michael. He was an innocent in all of this, but I’ll tell you one thing. He’s right about one thing … he was a better king.”

Maria saw the shocked disbelief on their faces.

“He was. He knew what had to be done to ensure survival. He didn’t apologize for it, or back away. He never faltered or teetered in indecision. King Michael was everything an alien king should be. Maybe by our human standards it wasn’t what we wanted or wanted to see, but for an alien? I think he was probably exactly what he was programmed to be.” Maria took off her apron. “Why should he apologize? When did you ever, Max? Did you ever say you were sorry for Alex? Tess? Saving Liz, exposing Isabel and Michael? When have you ever felt the need to apologize for anything, even if it meant climbing on a ship and leaving Liz forever? I counted at least twice that you almost did that.” Maria was out of there. “Keep your damn crest … be the king of whatever the hell it is that the stupid title comes with, because here on planet earth, it means nothing. You are so much better suited for it. In truth, Michael is too good for it. It did nothing but lessen him.”

They sat there in silence as the back breakroom door swung shut behind her.

~~~

Michael was out in the desert, using a twig to make holes in the dirt in the V-shape of the royal seal of Antar. He tossed the stick, kicking the dirt with his foot. He was of two natures, and a large part of him wanted that crest back. It had felt good. Right. A master of his own destiny, and not a pawn, it gave him something … something he didn’t know he was missing. Confidence.

He sighed heavily. It was over. All of it. Being king. His friendship with Maria. Gone. He regretted both, especially Maria. He abused her, and how he could walk back in the door after that, he didn’t know.

Getting on his bike, he was heading home. There was only so much avoidance he could live with, and he really needed to talk to Maria, if not for his sake, than hers. She looked terrible.

Michael frowned when he had trouble starting his bike. There was a loud noise in the sky above him. Looking up, he saw two bright objects streaking across the night. They collided, exploding in midair as the remains hurled to the ground, each crashing separately in bright fireballs, one blue and the other red. Suddenly Michael’s bike started up. Frowning at his bike for a moment, he kicked it off, riding towards the crash site.

He could see the crash site from a high position as he rode towards it. There was a parachute lying on the ground amidst the burning wreckage of an Air Force jet. Michael slowly dismounted his bike to walk around the site. Searching the parachute ejected pilot’s chair he found a helmet with the name on its side. Standing, Michael searched the area around him looking for the pilot.

“Griffin! You okay?!” There was no answer as Michael kept searching circling the crash site. “Hey! Anybody?!”

Michael turned into the distance at the sound of approaching vehicles and a helicopter. They were military vehicles, and the helicopter was overhead searching with a light. 

Oh damn! Michael rushed to his bike. He couldn’t be here! He tried to start his bike, but it wouldn’t turn over. Nervously licking his lips, he looked over his shoulder at the fast approaching vehicles. Finally the engine started and Michael sped off, putting distance between him and the military types.

~~~

A crash in Roswell was a big event. The famed crash of ‘47 put the small cow town on the map. It was big news and big business. Liz’s father, Jeff Parker was fast to replenish his supplies and mark up all his merchandise for the in rush of alien junkies.

Liz sat in uniform at the counter watching the news report while Mr. Parker enlisted Max’s aid in bringing out more merchandise from storage.

“ ...stimulate Roswell's dwindling tourist business, local officials are downplaying the entire incident. As of right now, our inquiries to the national transportation and safety ...”

“Anything yet?” Jeff asked his daughter.

“They're downplaying it.”

“Even better,” said Jeff with a huge smile, “… make it look like a cover-up. And Max, thanks for helping. Would you mind re-marking those prices?”

“Uh, sure. What do you want them to be?”

“Double everything.”

Liz frowned at her father as he put Max to work on alien souvenirs. “I can do it, Dad.”

Jeff shook his head gesturing to Liz and Maria, both in uniforms ready to work. “No! You two have to be here to handle the rush.”

Maria who was brooding, lost in her own thoughts finally registered the conversation. Looking up, she said incredulous, “The rush?”  She really hadn’t time for this. Spaceboy had been AWOL all night.

“Yeah!” The business man in Jeff Parker was inspired beyond glee. “Oh. You're too young to remember. Back in 1986 there was another ‘unexplained incident’ outside of town. This place went wild!” Jeff suddenly remembered something.  “Oh, Max, there's a box of neckties, the alien neckties, in the backroom near the … mustard containers. D'you mind?”

“No problem.” Max was off again to conquer the back storage area.

Liz watched Max walk off and cleared her throat. “Umm … I don't think they're there any more.” She quickly followed as her father became engrossed in the newscast as he gestured to it with a 'look at this, now' gesture to Maria.”

“ ...get ready to our news conference. From what I'm told, Major Pete Carlson, from the United States Air Force, will be conducting the briefing this morning, although they have yet to claim responsibility ...”

“Unexplained.” Jeff told his captive audience of one, Maria. “All he's got to say is it's unexplained. An ‘unexplained incident’. An ‘unexplained encounter’ … Call it ‘unexplained’ and those UFO freaks will be flooding this town … and we'll be swimming in cash!!” he exclaimed gleefully, with entrepreneurial fervor. Maria gave him a look. He was whacked. Certifiable. She shrugged, shaking her head. No worries. She had seen that same gleam in her mother’s eyes too often to call Belleview yet.

Jeff noticing how unimpressed Maria was, searched for his daughter. Only just realizing she had vacated the area with Max, he yelled to her in the back. “Liz!! Can you give me a hand out here??”

Liz voice called out from the back area. “Coming!” Maria bit back a smile as Mr. Parker looked at his watch. No! He was going to time her! She lifted an amused brow when Liz came rushing back into the restaurant with the box of ties, quickly kissing her dad’s cheek sitting next to him and Maria to watch the newscast.

Max, who watched Liz leave, barely had time to breathe as Michael came through the back door.

“Hey …” Michael said drawing Max away from his Liz watching.

Turning, Max frowned at the disheveled Michael. “Where have you been?”

“Investigating a potential threat to our existence.”

Max sighed guessing correctly. “You were in the desert?”

“All night.” Michael confirmed. “Ah … you couldn't see much. They got perimeters around the perimeters out there.”

“Leave it alone.” Max told Michael.

“I …” Michael stopped. It hadn’t taken Max long to forget he wasn’t his boss or king. “Max, are you nuts? I saw it. It killed the engine on my bike. It went right over my head.”

Max was interested despite himself. He promised Liz he was only interested in one thing … her, but this was too hard to ignore. “What'd it look like?”

“Like a really great sci-fi special effect. Only real.”

“It was probably an Air Force jet.” Max told Michael needing it to be nothing alien, nothing distracting.

“How do you know?”

“Word's out. Unofficially.” Max told Michael as he walked away towards the lockers.

“Yeah, Max, I could tell you an Air Force jet was involved, but the question is, in what?”

Max turned back slowly, warning Michael off, forgetting that he wasn’t the king, and he wasn’t the boss. A lifetime of ordering Michael around was too difficult to alter. “Look, we're too exposed right now. Especially with Jesse.”

“At least he came through.” Michael was still surprised that Jesse killed Burns to protect Isabel.

“He killed a federal agent. And right now, the last thing we need is some bona fide alien from another world who's looking for trouble.”

Michael couldn’t believe Max. All these years, with all that had happened from Alex dying to his own White Room experience, and Clayton Wheeler, and Max was still an idiot. When did Max hiding his head, hoping it wasn’t so, ever work or ever protect them? If there was a bona fide alien out there, crashed and looking to get jiggy with it, pretending or avoidance wasn’t going to make them magically disappear, just because Max didn’t want to deal with it. Maybe it was better to see trouble coming rather than have it ambush you.

“You scared I might find something?”

Max clarified. “… I'm terrified they'll find you.”

Michael rolled his eyes, and turned to leave. “Then I'll handle it.” He walked out the door, leaving Max frustrated and apprehensive with him.

~~~

In the dining area, Maria and Liz were on one side of the dining area, working with the ties, while Liz's dad was up near the counter, where he and some customers were watching the news on TV.

Liz glanced at Maria. They had barely spoken since Maria lost it on them after Michael had left. “Did you talk to Michael?”

Maria shook her head. “He was gone all night.” She sighed looking at the ties with little green alien men. “He’s not talking. I know he will when he can, but it’s hard. My mom is gone to Las Cruces. The store here is all but sold. Michael isn’t talking. I’m …” Maria went quiet. She didn’t want to confess to be alone, upset, and really afraid, but there it was in a nutshell … all she was feeling.

“He’ll come around, Maria.” Liz cleared her throat. “One thing I’m coming to accept is that he is your best friend, and you’re his. He won’t walk away from that.” Liz didn’t finish what she wanted to say. Michael wouldn’t walk away from Maria like Liz did when she fell in love with Max. “I wish I still had that kind of relationship with you.”

“Liz …” Maria didn’t know what to say. Michael was different with her than with others, and she knew most of them didn’t understand that. “Liz, we’re still best friends.”

“It’s okay. I understand that your feelings for Michael have changed, and I hope you someday get to tell him that.” Liz smiled, a part of her sad that she didn’t have that same type of relationship with Max. All they ever had was their love. They went from being strangers to being in love, and it didn’t allow for much in the area of friendship building. There was always too much between them, too many expectations, and too much pain.

Maria and Liz both looked over at Jeff’s voice talking to the television. “Come on … ‘unexplained’ … ‘unexplained’, baby … one little word … I'd even take ‘unknown’! Come on, say it … Say it!”

On the TV, reporters waited as Major Carlson approached the podium.

“Major Carlson,” asked a reporter, “was it a UFO last night? Can you tell me, was it a UFO?” Major Carlson walk past the reporters, followed by a young woman Air Force Cadet. “… or a test flight?”

The TV Reporter turned to talk to the camera and the viewing audience. “We're not going to get many words from right him now. Stepping up to the podium and the microphone right now is Major Carlson, who is expected to confirm what most people in Roswell have already heard through the grapevine, that the UFO seen last night was an Air Force jet on a cross-country test flight that apparently experienced …”

They watched as Major Carlson went to make his announcement.

“Contrary to some reports this was not, repeat, not, a UFO or an unexplained incident. This morning, at twelve minutes past midnight …”

Liz and her dad had been blowing up inflatable green aliens. When Jeff heard the news, he groaned and let his alien deflate balling it up in his hand.

“Ohh!” Jeff said in misery, “I think it's time for a going-out-of-business sale.”

“I'm sorry, Dad.” Liz hugged her dad. “Sorry.”

At the outdoor news conference, Major Pete Carlson was still speaking.  “… crashed nineteen miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. The jet was based at Edwards Air Force base in California.” Michael joined the crowd listening to the Major's speech. “… and was engaged in a cross-country test flight in night conditions. There were no weapons on board. The name of the pilot was Colonel Theodore Griffin. He is the one and only casualty in this unfortunate accident.”

Michael listened frowning at the incredulous account, obviously a lie.

Carlson continued. “That's all I'm prepared to say at this time, however, Air Force Cadet Connie Griffin, Colonel Griffin's daughter, would like to say a few words.”

Michael listened as the woman, a young cadet talked to the crowd. She told a little bit about her father and his death. Frowning, Michael almost walked away, but he couldn’t.

Speaking from the back of the crowd, Michael asked a question. “Excuse me, are you saying he didn't eject?”

Connie peered through the crowd seeing where the question came from. “No, he didn't have the chance to eject.” Before Connie could make any further comments, Major Carlson came forward ending the conference.

“That's all we have time for now. If we get any more information we'll let you know.”

Michael peered to his side to find a stranger staring directly at him. He looked away, but could still feel the man’s eyes on him. When he looked back, the stranger simply looked away. As Michael looked away again, the man returned to staring at him. Uncomfortable, Michael decided to leave. The stranger stared after him as he walked away.

~~~

Connie Griffin was drowning her sorrow. It seemed fitting to be in a room as rundown as the ones offered at the Pineview Lodge. Pouring a stiff drink on the rocks, Connie toasted her father’s memory before taking a drink from the plastic cup. It took a moment to register the creaking door as Michael walked into her motel room.

“You might want to keep your head clear,”  he suggested.

“Who the hell are you?” Connie stood up straighter, unwilling to show fear.

Michael ignored the question. “I believe your father's alive.” Reaching under his jacket, Michael pulled out the helmet he found in the desert. “He made it out of that plane.” He handed her the helmet.

“Where did you get this?” Beyond skeptical, she couldn't believe what she was holding. Stepping away from Michael, Connie examined the helmet.

“In the desert, about a half a mile from the crash site,” said Michael emphasizing the rest of it, “next to his ejection seat. But, he wasn't there.”

Connie frowned staring at the helmet. Suddenly, she whirled angrily to face Michael.” What kind of sick bastard are you, huh?”  Michael was taken back, puzzled by her reaction. “Really, where did you get this?? Some Army-Navy surplus? You buy some rub-on letters right after the news conference?”

Michael sighed holding his patience.  “There's something in the lining you may want to look at.”

Connie stared at Michael for a moment before she searched the lining. A photograph. It was on of her father holding her up as a child, like she is flying. On the back there was a child's scrawl, ‘Daddy’s Angel’. Connie released a sob, and began crying. Michael, uncomfortable, but not wanting to leave her alone moved towards her, speaking softly.]

“Hey … it's okay …” He put a hand on her shoulder in comfort much like he had done to Maria countless times, but she reacted differently.  To defend herself, she elbowed Michael punching him hard in the face as he bent over, holding his nose.

“Agh! Damn!”

“Who are you?” Connie’s angry tone and stiffly held body in attack mode was enough to make Michael stand back a little.

Michael swore under his breath, also angry. Hell, what was it with everyone always hitting him? What was he? A damn punching bag? “I just wanna know why they lied!”

“It doesn't matter.” Connie told him.

“What?” That made no sense. Her dad was alive and the government lied about it, and she didn’t care?

“Whatever is going on, they must be doing it to protect national security.” She explained to Michael as if she were talking to someone of challenged intelligence. “That's what they do!”

“They lied to you.”

“Whatever I'm told, they tell me for a reason.”

Michael couldn’t understand her. He never would understand unquestionable loyalty to an authority, especially to one that deserved no such regard. “Your father may still be alive.”

“Carlson wouldn't lie about that,” Connie said. Her father had to be dead.

“How do you know?” Michael asked a slight sneer moving over his face. Of course they would lie. He had reason to know how the government lied. “How do you know that?”

“Get out! Before I have you arrested for looting the scene of a military investigation. That's a Federal offense, buddy. You could go away for a long time.”

Michael could only shake his head. Hesitantly, he turned to leave. It was hard. For a moment there, she reminded him of Maria. Connie held the helmet as the door shut. Crying, she looked after Michael, wondering. Her father … alive?

~~~

Michael watched from a discrete distance as Connie Griffin met the officer from the press meeting. His curiosity was sparked, and after a lifetime of weariness of the government, he wasn’t as naïve as Connie believed him, or even as she was. Trusting he was not.

Michael swore under his breath when he watched Connie hand Major Carlson the helmet. Fool! Shaking his head, he watched her get in her car and drive away. Starting to follow her, he stopped for a moment when another man came up to Major Carlson.

It was the spectator at the press meeting. The man who took an interest in Michael.

Michael’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he followed the man discretely keeping far enough behind him to avoid being seen on his bike. 

~~~

Connie Griffin was driving down the road at night, when a vehicle started tailing her. She couldn't see much in her rearview mirror except glaring lights. The vehicle rammed her car. Pulling around her. it forced her off the road. The pursuer car screeched to a halt as her car rolled and crashed.

Connie was stunned, the whistling of sound still in her ears as she hung upside down held in place by the seatbelt. Struggling to get free, she cried for help

“Help me, please!” Sobbing, she pulled on the belt that had tightened on impact. “Somebody, please - help me - help - help me.”

Kneeling down, the man that had been talking to the Major and watching Michael peered into the car. He smiled. “Hey. It's a beautiful night. Just … try and relax … enjoy the desert air.”

Connie looked at the man with his smile, and she suddenly struggled even more crying out all the time, hoping for a rescue. The man stood up and placed a small timer device on the undercarriage of her car. He walked away as the device began to count down in seconds. Without sparing Connie another thought, he drove away.

As soon as the car cleared the road, Michael pulled up on his bike. Swearing under his breath, he rushed over to her overturned car. He knelt down to look in at her, to assess her status. She was alive and still trying to get free.

“Cover your face!”

Michael waited until she complied before using his powers to blast the door off its hinges. He reached in to get her loose. When they stood up, there was only twelve seconds left on the timer as it continued to tick down. 

“How did you do that?”

“Do what?” Michael feigned innocence.

“The door … how did you …”

“The crash loosened the hinges. Come on!” He dragged her out of there. There was only twelve seconds left on the timer that they didn’t know about.

“What?” She kept looking back at the car, puzzled, as Michael tried to pull her away.

“C’mon, I think we should get going …” There was only six seconds left. Michael pulled Connie further away, to his motorcycle.

“Wait a minute, how did you know I was …”

“I told you that you were being lied to. I had a feeling they'd try something once you turned that helmet in to Major-with-attitude.”

“You followed me?” Connie said in indignation, forgetting he just saved her from her car. “Who the hell do you think you …” Connie’s car exploded in a fireball cutting off her rant as both she and Michael hit the ground.

“Any more questions?” Michael asked glancing over at her shocked face.

~~~

Max and Liz were at Michael’s apartment studying. Liz had asked a few times if it was okay for them to be there, but Max shrugged it off. Michael hadn’t told him point blank to get out, so technically, he still lived there. Maybe.

The back door opened, and Michael suddenly walked in, his feet faltering as he saw Max and Liz in his apartment.

“Hey!” Michael swallowed his natural reaction to ask them what they were doing in his place, but he had other things to worry about at the moment. Max and Liz turned, looking over at Michael, who was with Connie Griffin. “This is Connie. Her father is the pilot of that crashed Jet. Air Force says he's a traitor on the run, but Connie doesn't buy it and neither do I. They tried to kill her.”

Connie glanced at Michael and the other two teenagers, uncertain, her voice still shaky. “Michael says he can help me.”

“Do what?” Max asks as he stood up.

“Find my father.”

Max walked over towards Michael gesturing to outside. “Talk to you for a second?” Max and Michael went outside into the back. “What's going on?”

“That's what we gotta try an' figure out.”

Max was more than a little exasperated. “What I'm tryin' to figure out, Michael, is you. I don't even know what to say.”

“That's why you gotta trust your second-in-command to know what's right.” Michael told him. He needed to do this. Max couldn’t understand, but he really needed to see this through.

“‘What's right"? What's next? JFK was killed by aliens? What's happening to you?”

“Me? What's happening to you?” Michael said in amazement. “We've got a major situation here and you don't seem to care.”

“What situation would that be? Her or you?”

Max turned to walk back into the apartment, leaving Michael speechless, incredulous. Michael reached out and dragged Max back.

“What, Max? Are you my boss again? What, if I’m out of control as you term it, you just gonna kill me? Put me down? You sit in my home … swear you aren’t my boss, and yet you use me, my home, and my friendship to your advantage, by your damn leave! Always the King! One that doesn’t chose to lead unless it personally interferes with his lame life. Maybe I need this? Maybe for once this isn’t about you?”

~~~

At the Crashdown, Maria sat two milkshakes down in front of the assassin, the man watching Michael and who tried to kill Connie, and Major Carlson. The assassin looked mostly unremarkable, like a 30s-something yuppie with medium brown hair, a receding hairline, a crooked nose, and a cold, bored expression. His dress was casual, a windbreaker, pressed blue shirt, and khakis. As always, Major Carlson was in uniform. His friendly-looking face under tight control as he focused on his duty.

“Ready to order?” Maria asked pleasantly, already regretting the extra shift she picked up to get over her Michael problems.

The man smiled his strange smirk, pointing to Carlson. “Major?”

“I'm fine with this.”

Maria nodded looking pointedly at the other man. “And …”

“Uh, could I have … a … penne pasta with chicken, sundried tomatoes … in a marinara sauce, please.”

“Ah, no … we only have spaghetti.” Maria already had a long day. Trying to be patient, she brushed her loose bangs back with the pencil she had in her hand.

“That's not what I want.” The man said frowning at the menu.

“What you want is the Olive Garden.”

Major stared hard at the assassin, intervening in his ordering. “He'll have a hamburger. Just bring him a hamburger.” At the edge of her patience, Maria nodded walking off.

The man leaned towards the Major. “I don't eat red meat.”

Ignoring him, the Major had more important issues to deal with. “Did you do it?” He sighed in relief when the man nodded then smiled. He was one sick man. He smiled as he takes a pull on the straw in his milkshake, a man that enjoyed his work. “Did you find anything in her hotel room?”

“No.”

“What about the helmet? Who gave it to her?”

“Kid named Michael Guerin. I ID'd him off a local news tape.”

“Are you sure it's him?”

“I will be, after I break a few of his fingers.” He smiled again. “This is a great milkshake.”

Back near the kitchen doors, Maria put some dishes in a pan giving a hard sideways look to the Major's companion.

“Sundried tomatoes …” She scoffed which turned into a gasp as Michael suddenly snatched and dragged her into the back kitchen area.

“We need to talk.”

“Ow!” Maria pushed his hands off her. “You should be slapped!” She straightened her uniform, not in the least bit pleased to see Michael. He had ignored her forever, then suddenly manhandled her. Before she could list her grievances, she turned to see Max, Connie, and Liz standing behind them. “Who's this?” What? He ignored her, then shows up with another woman. Maria’s eyes narrowed with deadly intent.

“Uh, ah … Connie Griffin.”

“Ohh!” Maria’s mouth rounded in sympathy. “You're the pilot's daughter, right?”

“Yeah, she's in trouble.” Michael told Maria, his hand unconsciously stroking the area he had gripped her. She bruised easily.

“My father's missing.”

“M-missing?” Maria said confused, she shook her head at Michael. “Isn't he …? The news has been saying that …”

“No, he's not dead.”

Max joined the conversation breaking the silent looks between Michael and Maria. “Michael says the man with the Air Force guy is a killer.”

Liz walked over to the kitchen door to look through the window at the Major and the assassin.

“Yeah, he ran her car off the road and tried to blow it up because she has proof the Air Force is lying to the public about her father.” Maria lifted a brow. He had been busy, and it somewhat upset her that he did it without her. Depressed, Maria went to look out the window with Liz after Connie nodded confirming Michael’s story. The entire group exchanged worried looks as Liz peers through the small door window.

“Come on guys, the Air Force is hiding something. Maybe a crashed UFO.” Michael said, needing a little help from the reluctant Scooby gang. Max  breathed in slowly looking over at Connie, who looked at him pleading.

Standing, Max nodded asking Michael, “What do you propose?”

“They're leaving!” Liz said over her shoulder.

The entire group walked over to watch the two men leave. As the two left the Crashdown, Michael and Max went out into the dining area to watch them further, through the main doors.

“I say we hook the small fish to hook the big fish.”

“Do you really think there's a ship mixed up in this?” Max asked quietly.

“I'm not sure, but I'm not sure it's important anymore, either.”

“So what is?” Max asked surprised by Michael’s answer.

“Doin' the right thing.” He needed that right now. Being King had left something in him, something dead … sick, and he needed it purged.

Max looked back towards the kitchen, where he could see the three girls looking out through the pass-through.

“Was there a collision?”

“What …” Michael was confused, he followed Max’s glance. “Between me and her?”

Max shook his head turning back, frowning at Michael's mistake. “Between her father's ship and a UFO.” Michael glanced over at Maria. “What, are you no longer interested in Maria?”

“Don’t be stupid. And, Maria is none of your business.” Michael told Max. “As far as the ship? Maybe. I dunno. You gotta help me.”

Max owed Michael that much, and he knew it. “We force the little fish to talk, and we're at risk. We may have to kill him.”

Michael was speechless for a moment. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, and he wasn’t sure his soul could take much more in the way of violence. He spied two decorative alien Halloween masks on a shelf.

“I got a better idea.”

~~~

At the Air Force base, Major Carlson walked into a secure room, where a man in a dark khaki Air Force jump suit lays chained to a cot with his head covered in a cloth sack. As he reached up to remove the sack from the prisoner's head, Carlson critically viewed the bruises on the prisoner’s face. He smiled at his old friend.  

Connie’s father, Ted Griffin blinked owlishly at the increased light. “Pete.”

“Ted.”

“So what now?”

The Major started to speak, but just said, “No more questions.”

Carlson shook his head. “No more questions …”

“Well, I got one for you.” It only seemed fair. He was a dead man anyway he looked at it. “Who was flying that thing?”

Carlson smiled and shrugged. “As soon as we figure out how to get the cockpit open, we'll have an answer to that question.” His smile faded. “… but I'm afraid you won't.”

“Because I'll be dead.”

“Actually …” Carlson walked to the end of the cot, picking up once of Griffin’s chained feet, by the boot toe, he dropped it back down. “You already are.” 

“I never ejected.” Griffin guessed.

“No.”

“What does Connie think?”

“What the rest of the media-fed world thinks, that you … brought a malfunctioning billion dollar jet down into an unpopulated area to save lives.”

“And the guards outside my door?”

“They think you're a saboteur and spy. And they'd like to see you shot.”

Griffin nodded, grieved but resigned. “And here I am, just a guy who ran into a UFO.” God. A UFO in Roswell! Who’d have thought?

“Well … we've got … protocol in these situations.”

“Protocol,” Griffin repeated. That was an awesome thought. That meant that the secret of alien conspiracy cover-up by the government was a true one. Amazing.

The Major covered Griffin’s head again. “I'm sorry, Ted.”

Griffin groaned as Carlson put the sack back over his head and walked out. Angry but powerless, Griffin jerked the chains in frustration.

~~~

The assassin crept into Michael's dark apartment. Using a flashlight to look around, he was wearing latex gloves. The front door suddenly creaked back open, but the doorway remained empty. He pulled his gun in caution, frowning at the door. Cautiously, he looked around the place until his light fell upon two alien-looking figures standing in the corner. Before he could shoot, the gun was knocked out of his hand by an unseen power. It hit the wall with such force it knocked a hole in the plaster and embedded itself. The last thing he saw was an alien figure as it punched him.

~~~

The man was sitting in a chair. Max’s green energy force held his arms down. He couldn’t pull loose.

“Oh, my god …” He looked over to see the two alien figures watching him from behind the distortion of a bright green energy field.

“What do you want?” He asked angrily, his tone defiant. There was no response from the aliens. “What do you want?” He asked louder.

“Where is Colonel Griffin?” The first alien asked in a high-pitched distorted voice. No answer.

“Where is Colonel Griffin?” Alien two asked in the same high-pitched voice.

“I … I … I don't know who that is. Look, what is this?”

An alien extended a hand towards him, and suddenly he was spinning in his chair, so fast he couldn't see anything. As the man was spinning, the force shield dropped. Max and Michael were dressed in the Halloween masks and some sort of silvered reflective sheets. They turned behind them briefly, glancing at each other with a quick smile, to breathe out of some helium balloons before turning back to the man in the chair. Max put his force shield back up.

“Where is our ship?” Max asked.

The assassin gaped at them, gasping and speechless. Max gestured to Michael, raising his arm and moving his fist up and down. Yeah, the man was a total jack-off.

“Prepare the probe.” Max told Michael menacingly. Michael winced under his mask. Yeah, right, he always got all the shit jobs. Literally.

“Wait. I … wait … I … I swear, I … I don't know anything!”

“Where is Colonel Griffin?” Michael asked again. “Where is our ship?”

The man still refused to answer.

“We will get answers.” Max told the man as he walked towards him. The man took off spinning again.

~~~

It was early morning. The group had held up at the Crashdown after the interrogation. Michael had briefly told Maria about the interrogation as Connie listened, and Maria frowned, worried that maybe Max and Michael had a tad too much fun. Michael continued talking as he finished dressing in the assassin’s clothing barely glancing up at the stairs when Max and Liz came down. 

“They're gonna kill him.” Michael said, trying to tie the tie after another failed attempt. Maria brushed his hand aside and did it for him.

“What?” Connie’s voice raised in concern, and a touch of disbelief.

“He saw something and they need to get rid of him. A clean team is on its way to pick him up and take him to the desert.”

“I'm getting there first.” Max informed Connie. She glanced at Max finally seeing his uniform. It was a highly decorated high-ranking Air Force shirt, and Max was holding a beret.

“Where'd you get those clothes?”

Michael quickly interrupted before Connie asked to many questions. “We've got a plan.”

“You've 'got a plan'?” Connie looked at the four teenagers, shaking her head in disbelief. “No, no, no, no. We're talking about my dad, here. I'm not just gonna let some high schoolers…”

“Hey!” Maria said, taking offense at the diss. They weren’t just any ‘high schoolers’, they were experts. “We've had practice, okay?”

“Who are you people?”

“We're the good guys.” Michael reassured her. “Maxwell, we gotta go.” Michael headed towards the door.

“Yeah.” Max said to Michael as he looked at Liz. “You know where to meet us …”

“In two hours.”

“Right.” Max put on his beret. “Connie, we'll get him back. I promise.”

Max turned towards the door, but Liz reached out to touch his elbow.

“Hey, be careful. If there really is a spaceship, don't get on it.”

Max smirked. “Not a chance in hell.”

Michael stood at the door for a moment, his eyes meeting a quiet Maria’s. He walked back to talk to her. She was hugging herself, looking at him doubtfully.

“I’ve been away lately.” She nodded at that understatement. “There are things … things left unsaid, and I want to talk to you about them, but not until after this.” Michael glanced at the time. “Is that okay?” Maria nodded. Michael breathed in relief. At least she was still willing to talk to him. “By the way, I'm sorry for suggesting you'd be better off dead.” It was an apology he owed her, one that weighed on him.

Maria nodded and smiled wryly. She couldn’t talk, not now, there was too much she needed to say, and even more that she was afraid of saying. Shaking her head, she punched Michael on the shoulder.

“Go.” She said gesturing towards the door and Max. “Do a good thing.”

Michael gave that smile she liked, the one that was tenuous and shy. He started to walk away from her, but stopped to pull her in his arms, hugging her tight. He whispered in her ear, “I missed you.” Then he was gone, heading for the door.

Maria watched as Michael and Max left, Michael glancing one last time before he went through the door, a slight smile pulling on the edge of his mouth.

“They're going to need IDs to get on the base.” Connie told the girls as she bit on a fingernail in worry. Maria and Liz exchanged a knowing glance.

~~~

Diane Evans was in her kitchen making breakfast for herself and Isabel. With Philip and Jesse gone, Diane was able to talk Isabel into spending the night after a long day of shopping. Nervous about what she was doing, Diane made a huge breakfast. Pancakes. Isabel liked pancakes.

Diane called to her daughter. “Isabel? Honey, breakfast is almost ready!”

Isabel called back to her mother she would be there in a moment, she answered her cell phone. It was Jesse.

“Hello?”

“Did I wake you up?”

“No, I'm up …” Isabel sighed. It was good to hear his voice. “How are you?” She asked, her voice a little unsteady. He didn't answer, but she could hear a heavy sigh.

“Jesse …”

“Your father's asking questions.”

Isabel sat down on her bed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, he's on to you. He knows I'm covering something up. He knows it's something bad.”

“How can he know that?” They were careful. They covered their tracks.

“Because he's not stupid, Isabel.”

Isabel worried a nail, as her pretty face marred with worry lines. “What did you tell him?”

“I didn't tell him anything.”

Isabel was clearly upset as her voice wavered a bit. “When are you coming home?”

“We'll be back tonight.” Jesse’s voice paused over the phone. “Where are you?”

“At my mom's.”

“Is she giving you the third degree?”

“Yes.” Isabel breathed out in a whisper.

“It's just a matter of time. They're working on this together now.”

“Dammit … dammit!” Isabel didn’t want this to happen. She didn’t want to lose her parents like she was losing Jesse.

“It's just a matter of time.”

“I have to go.” Isabel disconnected her phone abruptly, leaving Jesse shaking his head on the other end of the line. He turned off his phone looking grim.

Isabel sat on her bed in a high state of agitation. Using her powers, she sent objects in the room flying around her in a whirlwind. In the kitchen, Diane heard strange sounds coming from Isabel's room. Going down the hall, she knocked on the door.

“Isabel? Are you all right, honey?”

With one flick of her hand, Isabel sent everything back to its rightful place. “Yes, mother, I'm fine.” Her voice lowering to a hushed whisper. “… just fine.”

Isabel walked out of the room never noticing on a shelf, hidden in a small gift bag, a video camera has been recording everything.

~~~

At Rogers Air Force Base, Max and Michael arrived in a van commandeered from the military with the help of the girls. Max was driving with Michael next to him wearing the assassins face as they were passed into the complex.

“It's up here, on the right.” Michael told Max from behind his mask. He was wearing a mask altered to appear as the assassin.

“Got it.” Max glanced at Michael. “Go check out the ship. If there is one.”

Michael paused before jumping out. “And if there're occupants?”

“We'll deal with it later. I got this.” Max located Connie’s father in a room under heavy guard. He used his fake credentials to get him into the room with a gurney, under it was the gagged and bound assassin. Liberating Griffin, they put the assassin in the Colonel’s place with the black bag over his head.

~~~

Elsewhere, still in disguise as the assassin, Michael walked around a secured area. From an observation booth, he looked down into a large hangar-like area which was buzzing with activity. There were several persons dressed in safe suits, working at various stations and equipment. There was a large area curtained off, with hanging sheets of plastic from the ceiling and personnel moving in and out of an area. 

Using an electronic pass card, he entered a room with a "Bio Hazard - Entry Prohibited" sign on the door. Walking past tables where various objects were being studied and tested, Michael saw a small object of interest. He palmed it and walked off.

~~~

Liz glanced at her watch one more time. It was almost time to leave, but the minutes were ticking down at an incredibly slow rate, or at least it felt like that. It didn’t help that Connie was nervous and worried.

“It'll be okay.” Liz told the young cadet.

“I should've gone with them.”

Maria squeezed her hand in comfort. “You would've been stopped.”

“They could die …” Connie told the two teenage girls, trying to stress the danger.

“They've had practice …!” Liz reassured her,

“Dying?”

“No,” Liz said quickly covering it up. “I meant, things like this.”

“Do things like this happen a lot around here?” Liz and Maria exchanged a look. Connie caught the look between the two friends. “Why don't you leave?”

“We've tried.” Maria told her, thinking of her New York trip and Liz’s two weeks in boarding school.

Liz shrugged. “No place like home.”

“If they get him out …” Connie started in a doubtful voice.

“They will.” Liz reassured her again.

“We won't be able to go home. They'll come after us.” Connie saw her suspicions were correct as Maria and Liz both looked at her sadly, neither of them denying it. Connie’s stature straightened. “Let 'em.”

~~~

At the base, Michael and Max rendezvoused. Michael was still in disguise, and Max was wheeling the cart back out, no body on top.

“Is there a ship?” Max asked Michael.

“There's a ship.”

“Dammit!” Max said as he and Michael opened the side door of the van.

“Don't you hate it when I'm right?”

“Usually,” Max said as he stopped to really look at Michael. “But to be clear, I don't hate you.”

“I know that.” Michael looked at the empty gurney. “Where's Griffin?”

Max removed the sheet, so he could help Griffin up from where he had been hiding.  “The guard gave me some trouble.” They helped Griffin into the van. “We've gotta go.”

They cleared the gate of the Air Force Base, before Michael used his powers to transform his disguise into one of the alien Halloween masks. He peeled it off, and tossed it aside.

Michael glanced back to the base that was showing increased activity. “This is where I'd step on it.”  Max had to agree as they sped into the desert.

While Max drove, Michael crouched in the back of the van to talk to Colonel Griffin. Michael handed him a wet washcloth for the cut on his lip.

“Thanks.” The Colonel said while dabbing his busted lip with the wet cloth.

“Not a problem.”

“Now … who are you?”

“The cavalry,” Michael reassured the man. “Your daughter's waiting for you. She knows everything.”

“Everything?” Griffin asked, his voice showing concern for his daughter’s involvement. 

“Enough to know that your lives are going to be very different from now on.”

“I guess that means we'll be running.”

“I guess so.” Michael decided to give the Colonel a bit of advice. “You might wanna keep the UFO thing to yourself.”

“How do you know about that?”

“We've got our ways.” Michael said flippantly, but the Colonel’s face didn’t alter, but remained firm on Michael.

“I was an eyewitness,” said Michael giving more details. “I saw your plane hit the other ship. That was how I found your ejected seat, helmet, and no you. I told your daughter.”

The older man stared at the young boy for a moment, in awe of how close his life could’ve been over had not this one teenager witnessed the crash. “Thank you.”

Michael nodded, an unusual smile pulled at his mouth, as he climbed back up into the front seat.

~~~

The van pulled up to where the girls were waiting with Max's convertible. Colonel Griffin jumped out of the van's side door as Michael and Max climbed out of the front.

“Dad!”

“Connie! Oh!” The two, father and daughter hugged in a tight embrace as Max put his hand on the side of the van, changing the color of it.

Michael gave them a few minutes to reunite before intruding. “I think you guys better get going.”

“Yeah.” The Colonel had to agree, as he held his daughter. “They're gonna be looking for a silver …” He stopped talking when he noticed that the van was now white instead of silver.  “Uh … wasn't that van …”

Connie walked over towards the van, stopping in front of Max. “How did you … do that?”

Max shrugged looking at Michael. “Like the man said, we've got ways.”

Connie gave a huffing laugh before addressing Michael. “Thank you.” She gave him a big hug, and a quick kiss on the cheek as the others watched. Maria with her arms crossed bounced on her foot impatiently as the embrace ended. She wasn’t ready to actually see Michael around other women, especially ones that owed him everything. Things had been so much easier when they were just friends, before Michael had the crest.

Griffin rushed to the driver’s side of the van. “Let's go.” The group of teens watched as Connie and her father drove off, to a destination unknown, but assuredly not Roswell.

~~~

Liz smiled at Max. “That was different. Saving someone else's bacon for a change.”

“Yeah …” Max agreed, “it feels good.”

Michael pulled the stolen artifact out of his pocket. It was a black cone with no markings. “There's a ship.”

“Wonderful …” Liz said rolling her eyes. “And is there an alien pilot?”

“Don't know …” Max told her.

Maria looked at Michael.  “Don't you wanna find out?”

“For now we should stay as far away as possible from that base.”

“Fine with me,” Max said agreeing with Michael.  “Let's go home. Just … it's been a day.”

Michael and Maria stood back as Max and Liz went to get into the Cheville. Smiling, Maria gave Michael a coy expression as she circled around in front of him, looking at him expectantly. He reached out to touch her, and Maria easily walked in closer to him.

“We need to talk,” he told her.

“We do.”

“I think I’m ready. How long can you stay?”

“As long as it takes.” Maria quickly hugged him, happy to have him back. “You did real well, Michael.”

While Liz and Max got in the convertible, Michael picked up Maria and put her into the back seat as he jumped in beside her.

~~~

When they got back to Michael’s apartment, he got out of the convertible giving Maria his hand to help lift her out of the back. Pushing her towards the apartment, Michael turned back barring Max and Liz.

“Hey, look. I, um …” Michael scratched his brow. Staring at Max, he blew out the air from his lungs. “Look, I need some space for a little while. I need to talk to Maria, and I want to cook her dinner tonight, so you think you can find someplace else to flop?”

“I guess I could go visit Isabel. Jesse’s out of town.”

“Great.” Michael got that done, so now he was in a hurry. “Yeah, just um, … call before coming back, or you know what? I’ll call you.” Michael rushed off before Max found a way to con his way back into the apartment.

“Talk?” Liz asked skeptically. “I don’t know, Max. Maria’s been upset lately, and …” Liz shrugged. “Maybe we should run interference for her.”

“Maybe we should give them space.” Max looked at the closed door. It was frickin’ about time.

~~~

“Michael?” Maria said searching behind his back. “Where are the others? Max and Liz …”

“Took off.” Michael closed the door, coming into the apartment closer to her. It felt strange to be too afraid to enter her personal space. He hated that. He hated that he had created the rift.

“Why?”

“I asked them to.” Michael came closer, picking up a strand of her hair between his two fingers testing the silkiness. “We need to talk.”

The Talk. Yeah, that was overdue by about three years, but definitely now that it all came to head with evil King Michael.

“We do. Did you want to sit down?” Maria tried to move a little away from him, to keep her distance. He noticed that immediately and brought her back to him with an arm around her center, unwilling to let this split continue.

“Maria …” His voice was hollow and dry. “If ever I make you afraid of me …”

“I am afraid.” Maria said frowning when she saw his react. The flinch was telling, and she didn’t want that. She didn’t want him to apologize or shut down on her before she could finish. “I’m afraid of so many things, it’s not funny.”

“Maria …” Michael held her eyes, his bleak.

“No, let me finish. Please?” Maria took a huge deep breath when he nodded. “I’m not afraid of you … for you at times, but never of you. I’m afraid that my nature of hiding, of avoiding will make me too afraid to reach for the only thing that makes sense to me, the only thing I want. I’m afraid that I’ll spend my entire life protecting my heart from pain and from being hurt that I’ll never feel anything.” She took a shuddering breath as she rushed the words before she became too afraid to say them. Moving close to him, she looked up into his eyes, hers pausing for a moment on his mouth. “But … most of all, I’m afraid that day you weren’t you, that you were someone else, and you’ll never kiss me that way again.”

He moved quickly. Groaning, his mouth found hers and he moved into her, hard. Maria gave a soft sound in her throat, one of almost distress as he surprised and overwhelmed her at the same time, her arm moving to wrap around his neck, so she could be even closer to him.

He was too far away … not close enough. Maria’s hands moved over his body as his did the same, their mouth mated, devouring, as their hands moved offensive clothing aside, gasping when flesh met flesh. Breathing harshly, Michael looked at her through hooded eyes, as he pushed her shirt off her shoulders, his eyes dark and intense as he paused at moving any further.

Maria helped him. Not caring, irritated by the pause, she easily tossed her bra aside mating her naked chest to his, his shirt already removed by her. They both moaned as their mouths moved on each other, gashing teeth and tongues moving, invading. Moving together, their joined limbs lacked coordination as they bumped and stumbled over furniture.

Michael hugged Maria so tight into his body. Her arms moved between them to pull her even closer to him, her hand gripping him hard as nails left half moon impressions on his skin. Michael’s mouth found Maria’s repeatedly coming back for more. He could feel his body responding to the kiss and it grew in need and intensity. His heart sped up and had a fluttery feel like it did when he kissed Maria before in the car, but this was more, much more. His stomach hollowed out and a sensation of being hungry seemed to grow inside of him.

The more he was with Maria, the closer they got, the more he needed. The need was a culmination of years too close, but denied, of a year of wanting her. The night in the Jetta only fueled the need, but now, his body was protesting any signs of slowing down. Need. That he understood. Want. That he understood too. But, this? This was more.

Her skin was too far away. He needed to feel his skin on hers. All of his skin, not just their chests. He wanted her hands on his body like it had been in the Jetta. The hunger seemed almost insatiable.

Picking Maria up to allow her legs to wrap around his waist, Michael meant to carry her to the bedroom, but she wiggled out of his arms, her hands on him dragging him to the floor. Michael laughed. Yeah, he wouldn’t make it. They wouldn’t make it. His craving for her seemed more intense than usual. Ever since he had been King, it seemed like he had opened something, something he couldn’t control or deny. It was like a physical ache deep within his body. He was out of control … they were out of control, so out of control and it felt great.

Michael came back to his senses when she gave a cry at penetration. Shaking his head, his eyes dilated, and he pulled back a little, slowing the action, or at least he tried. Maria’s eyes met his and he swallowed hard at the darkened green of her gaze, as her mouth found his again, and her hands pulled him back into the maelstrom.

Michael couldn’t track the moments, the sex and the passion. It was a hodgepodge of sensations all moving together, with the feel of Maria’s body, her tightness, the touch of her hands on him, and her mouth sucking on his skin. The movement of energy and excitement increased, and climax took on an entirely different meaning as they rolled on the floor, him moving on top, to be pushed on bottom as he held her watching her ride him to completion.

It might have been the first time or second when he got the bruise on his inner thigh, but it was definitely the third time when he fell off the bed, that gave him the bruise on his hip. Maria had followed him down, laughing as she landed on him in a heap. The phone rang, and they ignored it.

Michael was breathing hard. “Should we talk?”

Maria shook her head. “We’ve been talking for three years.” She pulled him under again. “Later.”

Michael smiled when her mouth met his, and suddenly he really didn’t care as long as she stayed and they were together.

~~~

Philip Evans came home that evening. He was surprised to see his wife sitting in the living room instead of meeting him at the door. They had arranged to have her get Isabel home while he had Jesse away. Diane was holding a VCR remote control with shaking hands.

“Honey, I'm home.” He walked into the living room to find his wife watching a video, engrossed and horrified. “What's wrong?” Diane Evans didn’t respond. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the video screen. “Hey, are you okay?” He knelt down beside her, concerned. Honey? Are you okay?”

Diane nodded towards the screen, and Philip turned to look at it. Shocked, he saw Isabel in the midst of a whirlwind of flying objects.

“Oh, my God ...”

He continued to watch in shock as Diane puts her head down against his shoulder.

~~~

“Maria?”

“Hmm?” Maria snuggled deeper into the covers. Michael glanced at the clock and grimaced.

“Are you hungry?” Michael waited as the lump next to him stilled. She was taking stock of herself, and he watched as the cover came down and she flipped over to look at him.

“Actually … starving.” Maria’s hand came up to touch him, her hand gentle on his face. “Any suggestions?”

“Pizza?” Michael suggested, smiling when she nodded. Excellent. That was delivery.

They ate in bed. Maria moved her slices away from him making sure he didn’t scam her out of essential nutrition.

“So, I think we just made new headways in interspecies relations and communication,” Maria joked eying the pepperoni on his slice. Why did he always get the slice with the most pepperoni? Suspecting that he took from hers, her eyes narrowed.

Michael lifted a brow and fed her a piece of pepperoni off his pizza, amused at her reaction when the Tabasco hit her tongue. He chewed thoughtfully, but his eyes were serious.

“Are you okay? Did I …”

“Yes, you did,” Maria said not waiting for him to finish. “You most certainly did, and I lost count at four.”

Michael pinched her side. “I wasn’t talking about that!” He made a face at her.

“Oh?” She said, not so innocently.

“Oh.” Michael stared at his food. “Promise me that this won’t mess us up. I … promise me, Maria that we won’t ruin our friendship by taking this further.”

Maria looked at him. “I can’t. I don’t know where this is going. I just know that I love you, and for a while now I knew I was in love with you.” She bit her lip. “I wish I could see into the future and swear that this is it, that we’ll always be together, because that is what I want. I can’t. I can only promise that I love you, and I won’t leave you.”

Michael tossed his uneaten pizza in the box and set it on the floor beside the bed. “Can I tell you something?”

Maria leaned into him, her hands on him as she kissed him, her eyes on his face. “Always.”

Michael took a deep breath. “I thought … when I was King Michael, when I had the crest that I ruined our friendship again …”

“Again? I don’t remember you ruining it before.”

“When I asked you to send Billy away. You backed away from me, and I knew I overstepped some boundary,” he reminded her lying back and bringing her with him. He was having an impossible time keeping his hands off her.

“Oh.” Maria looked down at him from where he was lying back in the bed. It wasn’t hard to notice that his eyes kept dropping to her breasts. “Well, that wouldn’t quite be true. You didn’t upset me because of Billy.”

Michael tore his gaze away to look at her face. “Maria, you avoided me! I volunteered to be Isabel’s stupid Santa just so I could be near you.”

“Oh, no, you’re right. I was avoiding you, but not because of Billy, or that you asked me to tell him to leave.” Maria laid down on him, her arms crossed on his chest as their legs tangled. “I told you that Billy and I kissed, right?”

Michael made a snorting noise in his throat. “Yeah! You told me.”

“I told you that it was like an awakening, right?”

“Yeah.” Michael answered cautiously, his tone dark and dry. He breathed in deeply as he tried to keep his jealousy under control. She hadn’t been his then … he stopped for a second, his eyes moving over her face. She was his. He actually thought that way. Since that night in the Jetta, since he had been King, actually since the day he kidnapped her and the Jetta to go to Marathon. He didn’t care what she thought. He knew that she was his.

“Well, it was an awakening. I was sleeping, or living in this huge denial about you. Billy kissed me, and I kissed him back. All I could think was that it wasn’t you.” Maria moved a hand up his chest, her fingertips smoothing over his skin. “He was kissing me, and I wanted it to be you,” she shrugged wryly. “How could I share a bed with you after that? I mean my hands, my mouth, everything … I wanted to touch you, and keep on touching you. I didn’t trust myself to be that close to you. I was afraid I’d ….” She made a face. “I don’t know... Take advantage of you, maybe move our friendship someplace you didn’t want, and maybe even risk ruining everything between us.”

Michael sat up a little, shock moving over his face. “Let me get this straight. You avoided me not because I made you send Billy away, but because you wanted to …” Michael cleared his throat. “...do me?”

“Do you?” Maria laughed at that. “Oh … well, ‘doing you’ was the least of what I fantasized about, but yeah, it was definitely the start of it.”

Michael slumped back into the bed. “I’m an idiot!” He shook his head. Months wasted. “Nope, I’m sharing this blame. You’re an idiot too.”

“Well, not that I haven’t mentioned that before, but really you should cut yourself some slack, and …” Maria paused. “Did you just call me an idiot?”

“I stayed on Earth for you.” Michael reminded her, quickly cutting her off.

Maria stopped talking, something that almost never happened. Her eyes were suspiciously bright. “Me? That was why you left the pod chamber that day?”

Michael nodded. “Saying goodbye to you … it was the hardest thing I ever did, and I wasn’t prepared for that. I always thought that I would just walk away. I got there, looked at the countdown, and I knew. I knew that leaving … that if I left that I would be walking away from the most important thing that every happened to me, and I couldn’t do it. What if I never felt about anyone else the way I felt about you?”

“Michael …”

He stopped her. “You don’t have to feel the same way. I just thought you should know.”

Maria sniffed, a slight smiled pulled at her mouth. “Can you still read me? Feel what I feel? Do you still get flashes?”

Michael nodded.

“Good. Then kiss me. Kiss me and tell me if I haven’t always felt completely in love with you.”

Michael didn’t have to be asked twice. Their mouths met in a rush of breath, his hand moving under her hair to hold her head firmly to his as their eyes closed. In a gasp, they both opened their eyes to stare at each other, and with a groan, he pulled her mouth back to his.

Four Aliens and A Baby…….

“Has anyone seen them yet?” Kyle asked Max and Liz as they walked down the hall of the school.

“Nope.” Max was holding Liz’s hand. They had just picked up their senior yearbooks. “Not for the last thirty-six hours. Neither of them is answering their phone, and I went by the apartment. The Jetta is still parked in front.” The three found a table. Liz started to look through the yearbook. It was their senior year yearbook, the last one they’d ever get from West Roswell High. She quickly went to check out their senior class pictures, frowning at the class President and Valedictorian, neither were her. Once upon a time, she would have been a cinch for both those honors, but her grade point took some serious hits over the last year, and definitely over the last three years between missed classes, missed assignments, and tests she had no time to study for.

“Hey! Michael’s picture made this yearbook.”

Max glanced over. “Yeah, Maria dragged him to have it taken, and she turned it in herself. That makes two years straight. Shocking. Michael is officially a high school student.”

Kyle turned the page so he could look at it. “He still looks pissed.”

Liz smiled, chuckling under her breath. She, like the others, wondered about Michael and Maria, but since neither was answering the phone, she had to wait too. Max glanced over at Liz when she gave a gasping sound in her throat.

“What?” He asked concerned. Liz shook her head. “Liz?”

Liz made a small laughing sound. “It’s nothing. I just hadn’t realized … that’s all.”

Max glanced over at what Liz was looking at, and saw a picture of Michael and Maria in the yearbook. They were in the class nominated pages. The two of them had been voted as graduating class “True Love Forever Couple,” a real love match. It showed pictures of Michael and Maria together over the past few years caught unaware. It was strange to see pictures of them together when they were so much younger. Maria touching Michael, laughing up at him as he bent his head to her. They looked so close and intimate.

“Wow. Did you know they were nominated?” Max asked.

Liz shook her head. They had missed the voting, especially since it happened around the time she went to Vermont.

“I’m sure you and Max would’ve gotten nominated if you had been here at the time,” Kyle said.

“Maria and Michael had gone to New York City,” Liz pointed out.

“Together.”

Liz shrugged at Kyle. Yeah, together. That was true. Always together. It was hard to realize that other people looked at all of them so differently than they looked at themselves. Max and Liz considered themselves ‘soulmates’. Liz stared at the picture of her two friends. Obviously to the rest of the world, or at the very least, to West Roswell High, Michael and Maria was the real thing, and had been for a long time.

Kyle saw Liz’s discomfort. “Look, we all spent three years thinking they were together, lovers. They go everywhere together. Eat together. Work together. They practically grew up together. People who don’t know them, just see them from afar … well, they look like something more than they were. That’s all. And now … it’s true.”

Liz nodded. Of course they did. All the school saw was her with Kyle, and then Max, then apart, Max with Tess, them getting into trouble together, then her leaving Roswell. To outsiders, they hardly looked like a true love match destined to last, or in the least bit romantic.

~~~

“Is it okay to come in?” Max asked relieved that Michael had finally answered the phone and said he could come by.

“No,” Michael sighed, and moved aside letting Max into the apartment. “Maria went home to take care of things. She’s coming back.”

“Is that your way to tell me to get lost?”

“Yeah.” Michael went to sit at the breakfast bar. “Sorry, Maxwell, but if I had to choose between having Maria here, or you….”

“I lose.”

“There you go.” Michael looked at the time. It was late afternoon. They had skipped two entire days of school, and Maria was picking up food on her way back. Michael was waiting, eating sunflower seeds while staring at the alien artifact he had picked up at the Air Base. He hadn’t had much time to really look at it since he was otherwise occupied with Maria, and in truth, it was the first chance he had.

Max was wandering around the place looking for clean clothes. He had spent the night before sleeping in his car, and he wasn’t going to be spending the night at Michael’s anytime in the near future. Michael had made that perfectly clear. He wanted to be alone with Maria.

“What is that exactly? You been staring at that thing since I got here.”

“It's part of a crashed alien ship.” Michael said. “I took it from the Base.”

“It’s a black cone. It does nothing. I don't think it makes it any more interesting to watch.”

“It could be from our home planet.”

Max shrugged. Great. Antar. On his list of the top ten places he could care less about. “Or not.”

“Why aren't you taking this thing more seriously? A UFO lands …”

“Crashed. And I am taking it seriously. I'm just not obsessing over it like you.”

“Obsession isn't always a bad thing.” Hell, he just spent almost three years obsessing over Maria, and that turned out really good. Anything risking that was worth obsessing over. “Maybe there are enemy aliens on that ship.”

Max smelt a shirt. His? It looked too small to be Michael’s. “All the more reason to stay away.”

Michael looked at Max in wonder. How could he risk anything coming near them, threatening to ruin their peace, what they had? “Have you been body snatched or something?”

“We have no reason to believe the ship was occupied.” Max said ready to leave. He was meeting Liz, and it was already late. “Even if it was, the occupant probably died in the crash.”

“We didn't die in our crash,” Michael pointed out as he exchanged a pointed look with Max, before Max turned to leave. “What should I do with this thing?”

Max started to open the door, but it opened under his hand as Maria came in. “Keep watching. Make sure it doesn't hatch and release an army of enemy aliens.”

Michael made a face at Max. “I liked you better when you were brooding and paranoid.”

Max returned a pained smile before leaving. He nodded to Maria on his way out, noticing she was carrying takeout from Senior Chows. Maybe Liz wanted to go out?

Maria shut the door. “So you let Max into the apartment.”

“Yeah, to get some of his junk,” Michael said as he kept studying the black cone.

“Hmm, so I take it he wasn’t interested in the newest piece of the alien artifact collection?”

“Nope. He’s in his usual ‘Don’t tell, because I don’t want to know unless it ruins my life’ mode.”

“Well, that’s very … um, human of him.” Maria crossed over to him, dropping the takeout bags. She started to look for plates. “I talked to Liz for a few moments. She said yearbooks were handed out today.” Michael made a noncommittal sound in his throat. “Which I am sure excites you to no end.” She looked at him, smiling slightly. Stealing his sunflower seeds, she slid a plate of food close to him.

“Thanks.” Michael said. Catching himself, he realized that he was ignoring her. “Sorry. I guess this is the first time I really gave this thing much thought.”

Maria kissed the top of his head. “That’s okay. I didn’t expect the honeymoon to last forever, just longer than forty-eight hours.”

Michael wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her closer. “Oh, it’s not over. Once I eat, I’ll make it up to you.”

“Really? I thought you had to work at the Crashdown tonight.”

Michael smirked. “Called in sick.” Michael lifted a brow. “You could put on a nurse’s uniform and take care of me.” Michael visualized a leather nurse’s uniform.

Maria took a bite of her food, chewing thoughtfully. “I could.” Her eyes took on a brilliant green gleam, “Are you going to wear your security guard uniform?”

~~~

At the Air Force base, there was a buzz of activity as several personnel in safe suits were working in the hangar-like area like Michael had entered. Inside, part of the area was curtained off with plastic sheeting from ceiling to floor. The crashed alien ship was inside. A senior officer entered the curtained area.

An Officer stood at attention when his immediate superior entered. “Sir.”

“Any sign of a door or cockpit?”

“No, sir. Nothing yet.” The man watched as his superior looked through the recovered pieces of ship, slowly moving closer to the craft. “Watch your step, sir.” They both looked up at the announcement of a systems analysis beginning to record.

“Commencing systems analysis. We are recording. One … One … Two …”

The senior Officer looked at his staff member. “What about a propulsion system?”

“Nothing definitive. I don't know how this thing ever flew …”

“Well, it had one, didn't it?”

“We just haven't found it yet.” Of course it had one. It flew, or at least long enough to encounter and crash into an Air Force Fighter. “Believe me, we're working as fast as we can without damaging it further …” The Officer stopped talking as sparks suddenly flew out from some equipment being used on the hull.

“Hey, careful!” The Senior Officer warned. “We still want to reverse-engineer this thing.” He approached the hull carefully touching it. At his touch, there was a loud noise. “What the hell was that?”

“… 'don't know …” The Officer looked at the other scientist working on the project. They moved closer as a hole opened in the rough, rock-like material that covered the ship. It revealed a smooth area emblazoned with the alien whirl symbol. A portal opened to reveal a human-looking baby bathed in blue light.

The Senior Officer took a step forward. “Oh, my God …” He began to reach in for the baby when chaos broke loose. The scientist and support staff were screaming and running; blood was splattering; machinery was sparking, exploding, and going dead. Then, just as suddenly, everything was eerily quiet. In a gush of fast air, the baby was whisked away by an unseen force.

~~~

Both Max and Isabel were called to summit meeting type dinner at their parents. Isabel and Jesse, caught in dissention, fought on the way there as Max made arrangements to meet Liz somewhere else away from her father when they were finished.

“Michael’s. Meet me at Michael’s.”

“I thought Michael told you to scram.” Liz lifted a brow. “If I remember correctly, he told you to get lost, that he and Maria were busy.”

Max made a face. “Just meet me there. We’ll make arrangements after we meet up, okay?”

“Sure. I’m sure Michael and Maria won’t mind the intrusion, after all, it’s not like it’s just Michael’s place …” Liz stopped for affect. “Oh, I forgot! It is just Michael’s place.”

Max shook his head at her. “Just meet me. I’ll take care of Michael.”

“Yeah, right...”

~~~

At the Air Force base, several personnel were investigating the destruction surrounding the alien ship. A general was speaking first to another officer, and then to Major Pete Carlson. Carlson still hadn’t explained how the Colonel and his daughter had disappeared, or how an unknown independent contractor was somehow replaced in the Colonel’s holding cell, dying of a tragic accident with a bullet to the head.

General Thompson nodded to the technician. “Play it again.” The group watched as a tape was rewound and then played. It was the taping session that had occurred just before the incident. It had recorded loud crashing noises and screams as the staff was killed. “That's enough.” He spoke to the Major Carlson. “So we lost all sixteen?”

“Yes Sir. All eye witnesses are dead. An automated security camera snapped this as it was leaving the building.” He handed the general a picture.

“I want this thing contained.” He gave the picture back to the Major. “I want Roswell locked down and searched until this thing is found and destroyed. You understand me?”

“Yes, Sir.”

~~~

Jim and Kyle were returning to their house with groceries. Jim flipped on the light to find the kitchen ransacked. There was a smear of blood on the refrigerator door.

Jim retrieved a gun from a wooden rack on the wall. “Stay behind me. Stay behind me …” He walked cautiously into the room, then on into the house with Kyle at his back.

“Holy … is that blood?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah, I think so.” Jim cautiously entered the dark living room as they heard the door to Kyle’s room suddenly shut. Moving towards it, Jim slowly opened the door, holding his gun ready. Just as he was looking in, there was a blinding flash of light and an explosive sound with glass shattering. They entered the room to find a huge hole has been blasted through the window. Jim and Kyle rushed to the hole, looking out into the night as helicopters flew through the night sky.

~~~

Michael moaned as Maria pushed on his back with added pressure of her weight. She was giving him a back rub, like many others she had given him in the past. This one felt different, sexual, the way her hands moved over his body, smoothed his skin. He smirked to himself. Actually, her back rubs were rarely relaxing in that he usually ended up aroused by them, but at least now he could do something about it.

“You’re not relaxing,” Maria accused.

“Sure I am. I’ll let you relax me other ways too.”

“Perv.” Maria slapped him on the back, leaning down, and her mouth along the side of his neck. “I’ve created a monster.”

Michael lifted a brow, more than a little happy and self-satisfied. “I’m not feeling much pain.” He glanced up at her over his shoulder, “Thanks to you.”

Maria smiled, leaning into him, hugging him from behind. “I don’t want this to change us,” she whispered.

“It won’t,” he promised.

Maria kissed the back of his neck. “We kept the world out for almost two days. When are you going to let Max back in?”

Michael bit back the need to say ‘never’, and instead rolled over, lifting her a little to sit down on him. “Soon I guess.” His hand came up to push her hair off her face. He used to do that all the time, but now it seemed so much more intimate. Maybe that was the point, what they had done together for years was intimate, and this step, albeit it a large one, just felt like another natural step in their relationship. They forgot to feel unsure or shy around each other.

Picking her up, he rolled out of bed and carried a laughing Maria into the living room. Plopping down on the sofa with her in his lap, he turned on the television, their favorite pastime. “What do you want to watch tonight?” he asked hoarsely as she moved her mouth up his neck, nipping the sensitive cords.

“You choose...” Maria whispered, her arms going around his neck as she kissed the side of his mouth. His turn to pick. She was busy. Michael surfed through the channels as Maria tossed his shirt aside, and his eyes darkened as he unbuttoned his shirt she was wearing.

They were on the sofa sort of watching television, or watching as much as they could with Michael lounging back on the sofa with Maria in his arms, them kissing. She was wearing nothing but one of his shirts, and he was nude except for a pair of old sweats that hung off his hips. Maria’s arm was tight around his neck as they kissed, his hand moving up her body under the open shirt and her hand stroking his skin up his chest.

The front door of the apartment flew open as Max entered, accompanied by Tess with a baby in her arms. Michael took a second to register the interruption, jumping to his feet, incredulously when he saw Tess. He raised his hand to blast her simultaneously pushing Maria behind him in protection.

“Tess, you are not here!”

Max rushed forward to get between Tess and Michael his face slightly red from the scene he had just interrupted. “Michael, no!”

“Maxwell, get out of the way.” Michael kept his one hand behind him on Maria so he knew where she was.

“Not until you calm down.”

“Whatever she told you, she's lying,” Michael snarled as Maria moved into his back. He could feel her trembling, and it wasn’t fear.

“Do it, Michael,” hissed Maria. “Blast her between her murderous beady little eyes.”

“She has my son.” Max said, his hand held up to warn Michael off.

Michael noticed the child. “Well, get the baby out of the freakin’ way!”

“No, he needs her. If you kill her, my son will die.”

Michael hesitated and he heard Maria cough ‘Bullshit’ into his back, but he backed off anyway. “Max, what the hell's she doin' here?” He reached around to gather Maria closer, pushing her towards his bedroom door. “What are you doing bringing her into my home?! Near Maria?!”

“It's a long story. But we need to get them out of Roswell.”

“Yeah. My heart bleeds.” Maria was holding onto him refusing to leave him in the room alone with Tess.

“Nice to see you, too, Michael,” Tess said resignedly. She noticed Maria who looked at her with darkened eyes and an angry glare. “Maria, sorry about the interruption. Guess you know all about alien sex now, huh?”

Max warned Tess, “Hey, don't start.” He reached over to take the baby from her, glancing at Maria pleadingly. She purposely ignored him going into Michael’s bedroom to get dressed in something more than Michael’s shirt.

Michael seemed relieved when Maria went into the other room. “What the hell is she doing here anyway?” He held up a hand, answering his own question, “Never mind. The crash. That was you?”

“Yes.”

“That was over three days ago. Why are you showing up now? Couldn’t find any of your murderous alien buddies?”

“Michael...” Max warned.

“Do not warn me off! I’m still alive, as are you, and it has nothing to do with this treacherous little bitch!” Michael’s anger was a tangible thing. “We survived despite her!”

“I was inside the ship, unconscious. I just woke up when they found Zan.”

“Zan?” Michael looked at the baby. “So that wasn’t a lie?”

“It’s my son, Michael.” Max said. “It is my son, and he’s human. Khivar didn’t want him, and Tess brought him back to Earth to protect him.”

“Uh-huh.” Michael looked at the alien girl. “Thought he couldn’t survive on Earth.”

“It was a mindwarp to get Max to activate the Granilith.” Tess told him. She frowned at him. “I don’t know why you’re so angry. You wanted to go home. Once you found the translation and the key, you were ready to go. It took the baby to force Max and Isabel.”

“I didn’t go. I chose to stay here.”

Tess looked over at Michael’s bedroom room as Maria came back into the room. “Yes, you did. You chose to stay.” Tess said quietly, the envy she felt for the human girl was evident in her eyes. Max had to be emotionally blackmailed to leave Earth, and even his great love, Liz lost out when he chose his son over her, leaving without looking back. Michael gave up a lifetime dream for the human girl, a girl he wasn’t even involved with romantically.

“How did she find you?” Michael asked Max.

“My parents. They called both Isabel and me to dinner tonight.” Max breathed out deeply. He might as well get it over with. “They had videotaped Isabel using her powers, and then Tess showed up with the baby. The military was tracking her, and I needed to get her and the baby out of there, so we told my parents the truth.”

“You what?” Maria moved up to place a hand Michael’s back as his voice rose in anger. “Tell me you’re making this all up!” Michael couldn’t believe Max. The bastard. More people in on the secret were just more possible exposures.

Max shook his head. Michael couldn’t believe it. He turned to look at Maria, his anger settling harsh lines on his face when the door to the apartment opened again.

Liz arrived. She had been outside preening, smiling as she came through the door, eagerly anticipating her evening with Max. Michael swore under his breath. Did no one understand the concept of privacy, or even knocking?

Suddenly Tess was blasted through the air. She landed hard in the adjoining room and the others in the room were in shock. They looked back towards the door.

“Get up, bitch!” Liz said in anger. Her outstretched hand crackled with green sparks. Without waiting, she blasted Tess again, knocking her back into the wall as a stunned Max, Maria and Michael watched for a moment in disbelief.

“I'll kill you!” Liz screamed at the alien girl.

 “Liz- -No…” Max quickly handed the baby to Michael as he lunged to grab Liz by her middle, putting himself between her and Tess.

“You're a murderer!” Liz screeched at Tess, Max barely holding her back. “I'll kill you!”

“Liz!” Max restrained Liz pulling her outside onto the patio.

Michael hugged Maria close to his side while holding the baby somewhat gingerly. Smirking at Tess still in a heap on the floor, he twisted the knife even deeper, “Welcome back.”

Outside, Liz was still agitated, pushing away as Max relinquished his grip.

“What??” She screeched at him, her insides quacking. “What?? So you trust her now?”

“No, Liz, far from it.” Max held out a calming hand. “But Tess and my son are linked. Killing her would kill him.”

Liz made a scoffing noise. “Yeah, that’s convenient.”

“Liz, I have no other choice. I have to believe her!” Max pleaded.

Liz looked away from him. “This is insane. She betrayed all of us!” She turned back to stare him down again. “She killed Alex!”

“I know.”

“No, she has to pay for it!” Liz tried to take a calming breath. Tess. Tess in her life again, and once again with an upper hand! She shook her head, unable to take in the concept. “Max, promise me … when this is all over, Tess will pay for what she did.”

“I promise …” Max said solemnly.

Liz looked at him, her lack of trust evident in her face. Tess would win again. She always did. With Max, she always did. “Let me know when it's over.” She turned abruptly, walking off and leaving him standing. Maria started to go after her, but the girl walked through the apartment, not bothering to stop or look back. She walked out just as Kyle was coming in.

“Gee, Liz. Is everything okay?” Liz blew past him without speaking. Kyle made a comment to himself, “ …'guess not.” He stood in the doorway watching Liz disappear.

“Kyle!” Tess said, seeing Kyle. “Thank God you're here!”

Kyle stared at her in disbelief. Coming into the room, he paced back and forth in front of Tess, frowning. “Don't come near me.”

“Kyle, at least give me a chance to explain!” Tess pleaded, her only possible friend cold and distant.

Kyle ignored her, looking to Michael who stood with Maria and the baby. “Why haven't you killed her yet?” Maria made a sound of disgust, her eyes on the baby she wanted to hate, but couldn’t. He was a baby.

“Max wouldn't let me.”  Michael answered as Tess walked over and took her baby back from Michael and Maria, unable to meet Maria’s eyes.

Max reentered the room taking the baby away from Tess. He didn’t want his son used as a human shield for a person who had no respect for human life, even if the person was his son’s mother.

“Come on, Zan,” Max said to the baby, “I don't want you to see this.” Max went into Michael’s bedroom with the child, not wanting the baby to be exposed to any more violence and anger.

“Be careful with him, Max.” Tess called after Max, her hands suddenly empty with nothing to do.

“So, what are you doing here?” Kyle asked, not letting the presence of a baby sway him from his hatred of Tess.

“Ask one of them, I'm sick of explaining.” Tess said, unhappy with the loss of friendship with Kyle, her feelings strangely hurt.

“Okay, why don't you explain what the hell you were doing at our house earlier?”

“I thought you'd help me.”

Kyle made a face. “Then why'd you run away in such a hurry?”

“I was protecting my son.”

Kyle shook his head. “He wasn't in danger.”

“Your father had a gun!” Tess reminded Kyle. “Instincts took over. You're lucky I didn't kill you!”

Kyle laughed ironically. “Oh, I guess I owe you one.” He stopped laughing, his face deadly serious. “Oh, actually … no.”

“Kyle …”

“We took you into our home, Tess. We protected you. And how did you repay us?” Kyle asked in anger. “You brainwashed me into carrying Alex's dead body!”

“I never meant to hurt …”

“Well, too late!” Kyle screamed at the girl. Maria bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears as she looked away, burying her head against Michael.

“You've never even heard my side of the story.”

“You have a side?” Kyle asked in disbelief. He looked at Michael and Maria gesturing to Tess. “The murderess has a side!”

“I was raised by a killer, Kyle … a sick and twisted man!”

“Don't play the victim here, Tess.” Kyle told her, the hurt like a sickness in his eyes. “You know, of all the aliens I've met … you're the only one who has no soul.” He tossed up his hands walking away from her, leaving her stung and frowning.

~~~

Michael pulled Maria aside. “I need you to leave.”

“Michael …”

Michael glanced at the others quickly. Putting his hands under Maria’s hair he forced her to listen to him. “The government is looking for her. They’ll track her here, and I don’t want you here for that. I don’t want you anywhere near her.” He gestured towards Tess. “Look at her. She has no remorse. No care about what she’s done. Just excuses. I can’t risk you near her. Kyle’s right, and I can’t risk you near something with no conscious, no soul.”

Maria breathed in deep searching his face. She nodded. “I’ll check on Liz, but then I’m coming back.” She kissed him on the lips softly. “You think I want to risk you either? You stay … I stay.”

Michael took what he could get. Kissing her, he mated his forehead to hers. “You were always a pain in my ass.”

“Yeah, but you like that.”

~~~

At the Evans home, Diane, Philip, Jesse, and Isabel sat at the kitchen table talking quietly while the military continued to search the house.

Diane looked at her daughter nervously. “This doesn't make any sense, Isabel. You don't look any different.”

“I'm half human.” Isabel told her. Half human? Or all human with some alien mixed in? It was hard to explain or even know.

“And the other half?”

“Mom, please!” Isabel looked around nervously. “Not now …”

“How long have you known?” Philip asked Jesse.

“About a month.” Jesse said. And what a hard month it had been.

“And you're okay with it?” Philip looked at the man married to his daughter, waiting for an answer.

“I'm trying …” Jesse took Isabel’s hand, glancing at her. “She's still the woman I fell in love with. She's still Isabel.” Jesse gave Isabel a warm look which she returned with a smile. Philip looked pleased with the answer, but Diane was still shaking her head. While they talked, one of the soldiers found the tape of Isabel using her powers, and it was confiscated.

~~~

Maria stood staring at Liz, who was lying on her bed. She had been crying. Maria sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Liz to acknowledge her. Suddenly, Liz was up and in her arms, and the two girls hugged, both crying. In all the time that passed, they had never mourned Alex together. At first, Liz was too driven with the idea it was an alien who killed Alex and not an accident, and Maria had been too devastated to care about anything except that Alex was gone.

A year later, the wedge between them created at Alex’s death had remained a constant and unspoken barrier. They superficially went on, but always there was Alex. Hugging, the two girls wept and for the first time in a year, the circle finally closed.

“You’ve been angry with me.” Liz said sniffing.

“Yes.” Maria wiped away tears off her cheek, then off Liz’s immediately going back into Liz’s arms. “I hated you.”

“Maria!” Liz sobbed pushing her hair off her face.

“It’s okay.” Maria breathed in deeply. “It’s okay.”

“I … never meant …” Liz sat back devastated. “I never wanted to lose you.”

“I know.” Maria laughed a short sound that became a sob. “I … it’s me. God, there was this anger, this sadness, and I couldn’t talk to you. I couldn’t even reach it inside myself.” Maria closed her eyes. “They killed him. All of them killed him. Even Michael. Every time their lives dominated, took over ours, became more important, it was a step towards killing Alex.”

“Maria …”

“No. It’s been a disease, Liz. How could we ever be anything but second in importance? How? We’re dealing with people who spent their lives in fear, hiding, and where discovery meant death. Here we were, little humans from Nowhere, New Mexico. Our concerns were so unimportant when weighed against theirs. It was easy for them to overlook us, to miss anything important about us.”

“They notice us, Maria. Michael notices you and Max …” Liz left that hanging.

“I don’t mean that way, Liz. Alex was slowly being murdered, and you and I, did we notice? Nope. He was gone supposedly to Sweden, and we hardly missed him. You didn’t bother to notice until he was dead, and I was a basketcase barely able to get out of bed.” Maria laughed harshly. “Even your obsessive need to prove he was murdered wasn’t really about him. You had no proof. Maybe a feeling, but I really think it was fueled by this anger, bitterness of being cheated out of a life with Max … that he was with Tess.”

Liz didn’t speak. She couldn’t. Today, at that moment, she couldn’t deny that Maria could be more right than she knew. She had felt a wrongness to Alex’s death, but more than that, she felt a wrongness to having no life with Max, not even a friendship.

“I hate Future Max. What an asshole!” Maria ranted, not needing an answer from Liz. “Who asks the true love of their life to give them up, to arrange it, telling them everything so they could spend a lifetime in regret? Cruel! It was cruel and unnecessary. He should’ve gone to Michael.”

“Maria …”

“He should’ve gone to Michael. And he didn’t. So you knew what you lost. What could’ve been. And everyday you watched him with her, knowing she was in your place. Alex’s death became this fight between you and Max. You needing to prove him wrong, to push his alienness in his face … that his alienness murdered Alex. It stopped being about Alex, even in death, and then a few months later you’re forgiving Max, laughing off his involvement with Tess, Alex’s killer.”

Liz was silent. It was true. They had been happy when Alex came home, but when he was out of sight, they barely spared him a thought. Their best friend, and he couldn’t break into or beyond the alien needy zone. Maria was right. It had become a fight between her and Max … once again, all about them as Alex lay dead and forgotten.

Maria cried, unable to stop the tears. “We spent so long being blinded by their bigger lives, more important needs that we forgot to pay attention to each other. We lost Alex because we forgot he was there when he was alive and it let that bitch in. Max let her in, and you spent all your time obsessing over the lost life with Max you could never have. I spent all my time hiding from the hurt of losing one of my best friends to an obsessive love.”

“You didn’t lose me, Maria.”

“Yes I did. One day I woke up, and you weren’t there, Liz. You weren’t there.” Maria shook her head. “They took everything from me. Alex is gone, and no matter how long I live, he’s like this pain in my heart I can’t remove. My mother … she’s lost too. Since Tess mindwarped her over Larek, she’s too terrified to be anywhere near Roswell. And you … I lost you so long ago, I can’t remember when I woke up and realize that we no longer had sleepovers, no longer talked about boys or anything that didn’t revolve around Max and the entire alien thing.”

“Maria, we talked about our lives when you went to New York and I went to Vermont.”

“We were both running away.” Maria scrubbed her face hard with the heels of her hands. “The only thing the alien thing ever gave me was you … your life and Michael. But what came back wasn’t my Liz. Not anymore.” Maria looked at Liz sadly. “I can honestly say, the only real thing I got was Michael. He was the most unexpected gift of a lifetime. I look at him, and I know I’ll never love anything more. He wasn’t the goal, but he is the extreme. Extreme friendship. Extreme fun. Extreme happiness. Extreme sex. He makes it all worth the sacrifices. In a thousand lifetimes, I could’ve never imagined him, and he doesn’t take away from Alex … but makes it bearable to remember.”

“I feel that way about Max.”

“I know you do.” Maria looked at her crying friend, both of them letting the tears fall unhindered. It was about fucking time. A year, and all the anger, bitterness and loss were finally washing away. “I hated you at times for losing yourself in something that you could never have, remaking who you were. Becoming alien is so important to you, because it finally makes you belong. It feels like denial. Why can’t you be important enough by just being Liz? I spent my entire life defining myself as ‘Liz’s wacky friend Maria’, ‘Alex’s gal-pal Maria’, and as my mother’s daughter. They stole that from me. Alex is gone. My mother all but gone. And you … at times, I didn’t even recognize you. You were never this needy, this much of a doormat, but time and again, you would just yield. I hated that more than anything.”

“You were never just my wacky friend, Maria.” Liz told her quietly. “I used you as a mirror of my own ego, my own sense of worth. I loved the envy and adoration in your eyes, the belief that I was better. I hated it more when you stopped looking at me like that, and instead looked at Michael. No one ever could find worth or even believe it to exist in Michael Guerin, not like you did. It was all there. Trust. Belief. An honest belief that he was too good to be true. He went from being this nasty mean bitter alien, to being someone to trust, someone to believe in and go to in time of need. He became that person because he had you.”

Maria looked up at Liz, and the love in her eyes was astounding. “I love you still, Liz. I love you with so much of my heart, as much as I loved Alex.”

“You love Michael more.”

Maria laughed. “As you love Max, but it’s not that. I do love Michael more in so many other ways, but it doesn’t lessen how I feel for you. It’s just different.”

Liz and Maria hugged, both of them afraid to let go, afraid it was too fragile and wouldn’t last … this peace. Maria wanted to tell Liz things, and she couldn’t. Not with Tess back … Tess who slept with Max first, who had intimate knowledge of Liz’s true love. Talking about Michael and their relationship felt like a slap on Liz.

“I hate her, Maria. I hate her.” Liz sat back. “I never thought I could hate anyone before … except Michael.”

“Michael?”

“He took you. Like a thief, he walked in and took you and it was skillfully done; it took me a while to realize what he had done. Possession is nine-tenths of the law, so he owns you.”

Maria laughed, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, sweetie, you got that wrong. I own that man!” She pushed Liz’s hair off her face lovingly. “He didn’t steal me, Liz. He found me discarded on the roadside waiting for Trash Day.”

“I know. Why do you think I hated him? He picked up what I carelessly threw away, and I was supposed to be the smart one.”

Maria sat up laughing. “Did you just call Michael smart?” She rushed to Liz’s desk. “Where’s your tape recorder?! I want to give that to Michael on his birthday.”

Laughing, Liz pulled Maria away. “C’mon, let’s go find something sweet with caffeine.” They went downstairs. Sitting at booth they watched all the activity around them, as soldiers and others moved around town into the Crashdown.

“I blasted Tess and she went flying.” Liz mused as she drank her soft drink. Maria was playing with her straw across from her in the booth, her hand paused.

“I saw. I thought your little power flare-ups were over with.”

“Yeah, me too. But, I saw her and all of this energy just came out of me.” Liz made a face. “I mean, all of this - like - anger and hatred. Oh … I-I just thought that part of my life was dead and buried.”

“Wait a minute. No.” Maria stared at Liz in shock. She couldn’t have been that unaware or in that much denial. “That part of your life was never dead and buried. I mean, you've never truly gotten over that …”

“I forgave Max, Maria.”

“Forgiving Max isn’t forgiving Tess, and that is still not true. You gave up everything to help him find his son, swallowed all the pain he caused when he almost left on spaceships or didn’t call. You didn’t trust him enough to put you first, so you gave up things … said it was okay. But it never was okay, Liz. It never was.”

“Okay, but … I just want Tess out of my life.”

“Well, it's easy enough. Just walk over to one of those men over there and tell them where she's hiding.” Maria said pointedly looking at the soldiers at the door.

Liz looked over and saw the soldiers standing outside the Crashdown doors, questioning people. Maria had been watching them for a while.

“No, I - I can’t do that.”

Maria rolled her eyes. Sure, she couldn’t. Max wouldn’t like that. “Fine. I'll do it.” Maria started to get up.

“No! Sit down!” Liz whispered, her voice nervous. Maria sat down shaking her head. Liz frowned, worried she just lost the ground she had regained with Maria. “What?”

“I’m …” Maria rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache pounding. “I am so sick of seeing one of my best friends like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like, a victim!” Maria’s stomach hurt. All those years ago, when Liz was shot and almost died, she was powerless to save her, to help her, but that wasn’t true anymore. She could save her now. “I mean, you don't have to be a victim …” Maria scooted forward taking Liz’s hand. “Forgive Max, or get him out of your life. It's one or the other. You have to make a decision. It's your decision. It's your life.”

Liz looked at Maria unhappy and thoughtful. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. None of it. It was supposed to be a fairytale, with happily ever after, but with Alex dead and Tess back, all those feelings were back too. The betrayal. The slap in the face to her perfect idyllic love. Like Alex, she hid away the mourning, the anger, and sailed along pretending it was dealt with, but it wasn’t. It was still choking her in the throat. Maria was right. Whoever she became since Max saved her, it wasn’t Liz Parker. It wasn’t her, and she needed to remember who that girl was.

~~~

At Michael's apartment, Michael, Max, Kyle and Tess sat around trying to decide what had to happen. Maria walked in the door, and stared at them all sitting on the sofa watching the news reports. Outside, the lights and sounds of the search were everywhere through the town, with helicopters and soldiers on active search. Maria quickly shut the door as Michael nodded to her. Going to join him, Maria was surprised when he pulled her down to sit on his lap.

“Liz okay?” he asked.

“She’ll get there.” Maria moved her arm around his neck to sit against him more comfortably. They watched the television, as Michael’s hand tightened on her waist.

“An Air Force truck filled with three tons of explosives was stolen earlier this evening … The military has set up checkpoints on every road leading out of Roswell …”

“Nice cover story.” Tess remarked. Maria glared at her. Obviously it hadn’t hit the murderous bitch that sixteen people were dead thanks to her. Now it was the government’s fault to see the aliens as a threat. Rolling her eyes, Maria put her head down on Michael’s shoulder. Tess had brought this danger here, and she didn’t seem to care.

“We're screwed.” Kyle watched the newscast as if it was a death sentence.

“No, we're not.” Max told them.

Michael glanced at Max, raising brow. News to him. It looked pretty bad from where he was sitting. “What've you got?”

Max made a face, so he had no plan, but there had to be something. “I don't know … yet.” The entire group jumped as search lights glared through the apartment, all of them frozen on the sofa.

“Maxwell, we're screwed.” Michael said, his arms holding Maria tight.

The phone rang and Max picked it up.

“Hello.” He listened for a few moments. “What?” Hanging up he faced the others. “That was Isabel. The Air Force found the baby's blankets. The dog picked up the scent. They'll be here in no time.”

Tess was on her feet. “We'd better go. Now. I'm getting Zan.” She ran to the bedroom to get the baby.

Michael called after her. “Hey, you're not the one calling the shots around here!” Michael blew out his breath looking at Max. “But, Maxwell, she's right. We've gotta get the hell out of here.”

Max asked Tess as she came back with the baby. “Do you have enough energy to mindwarp?”

“I think so.”

Max grabbed his car keys. “Okay, great. I'll get the car.” Max was out the door.

“Michael, do you have any milk?” Tess asked.

“Ah …” Michael glanced at Maria who shook her head no. They hadn’t actually made it out of the apartment over the last two days. “… just Snapple.”

“Great.” Tess looked at Zan with worry. A bottle would keep him quiet, make him go to sleep.

Kyle made a sour look at Tess. “Can’t you breast feed?”

“Stop it, Kyle. There’s no time.” Maria looked at Michael. “You going?”

“You want me to?”

Maria wanted to say no, but she could imagine Liz’s reaction if Max drove off in his car with Tess and their baby, alone. “You better.” She looked around the place. “They’ll know she was here, that the baby was here. They’ll look at you … wonder why you were harboring a monster.” Maria didn’t bother to notice the flinch from Tess at her description of her.

Michael looked at his apartment, at Maria. “What’s your plan?” Maria always had a plan. Maria looked at the baby and Tess. “Give me the baby’s blanket.”

“I need it! I already lost one at the Evans.”

“Michael, go find another blanket for her. I need one that smells like the baby.” Maria held out her hand. “Give it to me.”

Tess handed the blanket to Maria noticing how Maria was careful not to touch her.

“I … Maria, I know we were never friends, but …”

“Shut up! You don’t get to talk to me.” Maria shook her head. How could she ever forgive Alex? Her mother? Liz? And especially, Michael? “Just go!” Maria urged when Max came back into the apartment.

Michael stopped on his way out the door. “Whatever happens, I’ll be back.” He kissed her quickly before rushing out of the apartment.

Kyle watched as the door shut. “Maria, we need to go too.”

“No. You need to go strip the entire bed, anywhere the baby laid. Take the bedding downstairs and shove it all in the wash machine. Lots of soap, hot water.”

“What are you going to do?”

Maria went to cabinet under the kitchen sink pulling out a bucket and a bottle of pine cleaner. “Washing that nasty creature’s scent from this apartment.” Maria looked at the door nervously. “Hurry!”

When Kyle came back into the apartment, it was surprisingly neat and smelt of pine cleaner. Maria had remade the bed and cleaned the bathroom as well. She went outside and tossed the baby’s blanket on the ground, making sure there was enough dirt and grime on it before coming back inside and placing over the edge of the sofa with her jacket across it.

“Can you run to the corner convenience store, buy some groceries, anything? Make sure you get a few bags.”

Kyle nodded. “I’ll be quick.” He paused at the door. “Milk?”

“Yeah. And a bottle of whiskey!” God, she needed a stiff drink. Kyle smiled and was out the door as Maria collapsed exhausted on the sofa. Hurry. Kyle, hurry! The groceries weren’t that important, but they helped set the scene.

Kyle barely made it back into the apartment with two bags of groceries when there was a banging on the front door. Placing the bags on the counter, Maria quickly took a few items out moving them over the countertop.

“Kyle, go. Back away. They already saw you tonight, and it’s too much of a coincidence.”

Kyle stopped and kissed Maria on the cheek before he took his jacket and left as she walked to the front door, a carton of milk in her hand.

Maria waited a moment as the forceful banging came again. Taking a deep breath, she chanted under her breath wishing she had her cedar oil.

“Yes?” Maria said her eyes opening in fright at the soldiers before her. Putting her hand over her mouth, she stepped back. “Um … can I help you?”

Maria stood back as the soldiers came into the room followed by dogs.

“Hey!” Maria turned around in anger as the apartment was invaded with a flurry of activity and men in uniform. “Do you have a search warrant? You wait until my boyfriend gets home! I’ll …” Maria went quiet when a soldier held up the baby blanket.

“You want to explain this?” A major asked her.

“The blanket?” Maria blanked out her face, with a confused dumbfound look moving over it. “I found it on my way inside from getting groceries. I’m sure it must be one of the neighbor’s in the building.” Maria’s face suddenly fused with color. “Hey! I didn’t steal it!” Her eyes narrowed. “I found it, I swear. The county district judge will personally vouch for me! Now I know there was that one incident with my neighbor’s car, but that was terribly skewed, and I explained it all to the judge ….”

The soldier looked at the others sighing as the young woman went off on a tirade. In between her rant, she looked at a few of the soldiers, smiling pleasantly as a dimple graced her cheek. “Um, do any of you boys want a Snapple?”

~~~

Michael, Max and Tess arrived at the checkpoint in Max's convertible, Tess and the baby were in the back seat while Max drove and Michael sat in the passenger’s seat.

Max looked back at Tess. “Here they come. Get ready.” Tess closed her eyes and concentrated as a soldier came up to the convertible shining a flashlight over the car. His light moves over Tess as she makes him only see an empty back seat.

The soldier showed Max and Michael the picture of Tess. “Have either of you seen this woman?”

Both Max and Michael shook their heads no,  Max licking his lips nervously. “Uh uh. I haven't seen her …”

Michael rolled his eyes. Max was a pathetic liar. “Hey, is she the one that stole the explosives?” Michael seemed to be peering at the picture carefully. “Looks too small to even lift a small bag, let alone tons of explosives!” Max looked at Michael in horror.

Search dogs came up and were barking interested in the car, but the soldier saw no one in the back seat. He talked to Max.

“Can I have you open your trunk, sir?”

“Sure.” Max opened the trunk before getting back into the driver's seat when the soldier found nothing.

“All right.” The soldier gestures to Max. “You guys are cleared to go through.”

The soldier was walking off, but Tess suddenly lost her strength to hold the mind warp, and Zan cried faintly. Max turned to the back seat.

“Shhh …”

The soldier stopped walking away. Zan’s cries were becoming distinct, and the soldier shone his flashlight into the car. Tess could no longer hold the illusion, and the soldier saw her holding the baby in the back seat. She tried to cover Zan with a blanket.

“Hold it. Hold it right there.” He leveled his rifle at them. “Get out of the car. Now!”

Tess looked at Max shaking her head. “I'm sorry … I couldn't hold it …”

Michael jumped up suddenly turning his powers towards the soldiers … disabling their cars. “Maxwell, go, go, go, go!”

Max turned the car around and floored it as they screech off under a hail of bullet. Max glanced in the back at Tess and the baby.

“Get down!” Max maneuvered the car as Zan continued to cry loudly. Looking back again in concern, Max stared at his son. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah,” Tess said rocking the child, her mouth kissing his head. “Just get out of here!”

Michael swore. He took the cell phone and called Maria. Talking to her for a moment, he disconnected.

“My place is a no go. The soldiers were there. They found the blanket and Maria told them a story about finding it on her way home, but it’s not safe. They might be watching it.”

Max closed his eyes for a moment. “Isabel. Her and Jesse’s place. She’s at my parents. Have Kyle call. He needs to use a pay phone. They’re probably tracking phone numbers coming to my parent’s house.”

~~~

At the Evans' residence, Jesse, Isabel, Diane, and Philip were straightening up after the soldiers' search. The phone rang and Isabel answered it.

“Hello?”

“They didn't make it.” Kyle told her.

“What happened?” Isabel asked as Jesse straightened from his task of replacing the sofa cushions.

“They got turned back. We need to meet back at your apartment. It's the only safe place left.”

“Okay, I'll be there.” Isabel said as her parents and Jesse came to join her.

“Are Max and the baby okay?” Philip asked, concerned from the look on Isabel’s face.

“For now.” Isabel looked at Jesse. “We've gotta go.”

Diane held her hands together in a pleading gesture. “Isabel. Honey, please … be careful.” Isabel nodded and kissed her mom before leaving with Jesse.

Diane turned to put her face into her husband's chest. “Philip …” Philip Evans held his wife in comfort, his mind somewhere else. So this was what Max and Isabel had lived with all their lives, and he helped in the last year to make it worse.

~~~

At Isabel and Jesse's apartment, Max gently laid Zan down on the bed. He watched him for a moment, awed and amazed. He smiled as Zan played with his fingers, staying with him until he went to sleep as Maria and Liz arrived joining the others in the living room.

Michael immediately went to reclaim Maria. “The apartment?”

“They searched everything. I think I convinced them that I found the blanket, but we still want to stay clear. She can’t come back there.”

“Zan's asleep.” Max told the group as he came into the room.

“We're runnin' out of time, Max.” Jim pointed out. It was only a matter of time before they tracked them to the apartment.

Kyle agreed. “We need a Plan B.”

Sitting on the couch, Tess decided to speak, resigned. “Go.” She told Max. “Go without me. Just get Zan to safety.” The group all stared at her with restrained anger.

“You said he couldn't survive without you.” Max voice was choked with anger. “Another lie?” Tess didn’t bother to answer.

“I knew it.” Michael said in disgust looking at Max. “Remind me to have you look up the definition of gullible.”

“You were going to kill me! I was just trying to stay alive. To keep our son safe.” Tess said excusing herself again. “Now the only way to keep him safe is to let him go.”

Max needed clarification before he took action. “So the baby's not linked to you … at all?”

“No. Zan is completely human.”

Isabel’s mouth opened. “What?”

“That's why they rejected him on Antar. That's why I had to come back.”

“How is that possible?” Max asked. He assumed that a child between him and Tess would be alien.

“It's genetics, Max. She's half human, you're half human. You both have the DNA.” Liz said. “It makes sense …”

Maria made a face. “No it doesn’t! Two halves do not make a whole! I have a friend that is half Native American married to another half Native American. Their children aren’t whole Native American … they are half! You are wrong. They aren’t half human. They are human with some alien. Pierce said Max was completely human with a few cellular exceptions.” Maria shook her head. What the hell was wrong with them all? Didn’t they ever pay attention to anything?

Michael calmed his girlfriend, his eyes staring at Tess. “Wait, let me get this straight. If the baby doesn't need you to survive, then we can kill you.” Maria hugged Michael. Her man. He always got right down to the most important part of the subject at hand.

“Michael …” Max begged, exasperated with Michael’s single-minded view.

“We could.” Isabel agreed ignoring Max. “But the Air Force would still be looking for an alien. Looking for us.”

Michael shrugged. “If the Air Force wants an alien, then why don't we just give them one?”

“Turn her in?” Isabel asked, her eyes turning to look Tess over.

“Yeah,” Maria said getting into this plan, “then they won't be looking for an alien, and they'll leave us alone.”

Kyle nodded. “I'm sensing a Plan B …”

“No.” Max told them. “They would throw her in a White Room and study her like a lab rat for the rest of her life. I've been there. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.”

Maria turned an angry face on Max. “Maybe that’s justice! Do you think Alex wanted to be experimented on by your alien harpy as she turned his brains to mush … tortured him! Took from him and his family by having him branded a teenage suicide?”

“Maria.” Michael said, pulling her close to him, his hands calming her.

Isabel face fused with color as she looked at the alien girl, her anger apparent as Maria’s words reminded them all what had happened to Alex. “Max, this isn't a decision that you get to make. It affects all three of us.”

Maria pushed out of Michael’s arms. “Oh, no, no, no.” Maria shook her head. “Not this time! This is not an alien decision only. She killed Alex. She killed my best friend.” Behind Maria, Liz smiled proudly and smugly. Go, Maria. “I think that we should all get to vote.”

Max looked at Maria and Liz, both of them standing firm. He cut them out during Alex’s death, when Liz confronted them all suspicious of an alien murderer, and he had turned against the human, making it a division of humans versus aliens. He had been wrong. “All right. Fair enough. Let's put it to a vote. 'Yes', we turn her in. 'No', we try to help her.”

“I say 'yes'!” Maria said, voicing her vote loud and firmly. “Turn her in!” Maria turned her back, contemptuously on Tess, unwilling to let anything about the alien girl appeal to her.

Jim shook his head, staring at the young girl he once sheltered. This was vigilante justice. It was an eye for an eye. “We shouldn't be doing this! I vote 'no'.”

“I trusted you.” Isabel told Tess, her hatred of the other alien girl apparent on her face. “And Alex … I vote 'yes'.”

“I vote 'no'.” Max said, avoiding Liz’s eyes. “… Michael.”

“Do it.” Michael said. “Turn her in.” He moved into Maria’s back, holding her from behind. Why was it even a question? Tess killed more people than Alex. She killed soldiers, scientists... She would’ve killed them by turning them over to their enemies. In a court of law, she would’ve been seen as a serial killer, and given the death penalty.

Max looked around the room. “Jesse, what do you say?”

“I never met her or Alex. I shouldn't get a vote.” Jesse held Isabel’s hand, trying to give her his strength.

“Fair enough.” Max looked at Kyle. “Kyle?”

“I don't know …” Kyle hesitated. He hated her. Hated what she did, to him and to Alex, but she was still … Tess. Finally looking back at his father, Kyle shook his head. “No, I can’t do it.”

Maria couldn’t believe it. Did they all just forget what happened? “All right, Liz. Cast your vote, break the tie.”

Liz hesitated a long moment, staring at Tess. Sighing, she closed her eyes for a moment. “I vote no.”

“What?!” Maria stared at her friend in disbelief. This was the girl who wanted to kill Michael like a dog when he was out of control. The same girl that blasted Tess across the room threatening to kill her.  “Are you crazy?”

Liz couldn’t meet the disbelief she knew that would be in Maria’s eyes. “I made my vote.” She walked off into the kitchen with Maria following her.

Max watched the two girls go into the kitchen before turning back to the others. “So what are we gonna do?”

“Wait …” Jim said. “Pray they don't find us.” Tess watched them decide her fate and in a sense their own fate. Left alone with her grim thoughts, Tess looked at her own small hands.

~~~

“Maria, please can we not …”

“No!” Maria brushed an angry tear away. “You said Max promised you that Tess would pay for what she did to Alex! You wanted that! How can all of us risking our lives for that bitch be her paying for anything?”

“Maria … please!”

“Max votes no, and so do you? I guess that says it all!”

“It wasn’t that!” Liz pulled Maria to her. “It wasn’t that, Maria. I swear.”

“God, then explain it to me! Explain to me why one of our best friends was brutalized, tortured, and murdered, and his murderess goes free with our help.”

Liz looked sick. She leaned on the counter with her head resting on her arm. “You think that I don’t want to see her in a White Room, her skin stripped from her body in the most painfully slow torture? Helpless to her tormentors as they slowly dissect her?” Liz looked at Maria in horror. “I want that so bad! I want it enough to taste it, and when I taste it, I dream it. And when I dream, I see it … and it’s not enough! God, help me, Maria … it’s not enough … not for Alex! Never!” Liz sunk to the kitchen floor her hands shaking with a crying Maria collapsing next to her. Liz sunk her head into her hands. Isabel with Jesse and Michael stood at the door to the kitchen, listening to them. Their eyes met, and they couldn’t move or leave as Jesse held Isabel close, and Michael leaned his head back against the wall.

“Then why, Liz? Why?” Maria cried, sobbing. “Why?”

“Because you were right.” Liz breathed in deeply. “You were right. I changed. Liz Parker, your Liz Parker from three years ago, the young innocent girl who should’ve died in the Crashdown that day … she didn’t believe in capital punishment. She didn’t believe in it, no matter what.” Liz looked at her friend. “How did I get from that girl to where I am today? How? If I had the power … I prayed to reach out and crush her to dust with my bare hands … that is how much I hate her! I wanted Michael to save me by doing what should be done, no matter what it does to his soul, and I am ashamed!”

“You were always against the death penalty,” said Maria softly. She glanced at her friend. “Maybe things change.”

“Maybe. And maybe … they shouldn’t. I did. You were right about that.” Liz shook her head, resting it back against the kitchen cabinet. “I looked in her eyes, and I saw me. I saw what I’ve allowed myself to become, what she made me. Her. A murderer. I saw it, and I hated it.”

“So what …” Maria asked sniffing away her tears. “Does that make Michael, Isabel and me murderers?”

“No.” Liz shook her head. “You never wavered, Maria. None of you did. You always believed that she should die, that she should pay, and if the law had their say … that is what would happen. It is justice. Not wrong or right … justice. My problem is with me. I don’t believe in that, or at least I never did.”

“Circumstances change, Liz. How could you know how you would feel about the death penalty until it affected you personally?”

“That is the problem, Maria.” Liz shook her head. “It is the circumstance. Why was it okay for me to protest, oppose a policy of law when it affected other victim’s families, other people … and me, on some liberal white horse felt it my right to tell them what they could feel or not feel. Like telling you, Michael or Isabel that wanting her to pay is wrong. I can’t be that mealy mouthed. I don’t believe in capital punishment. Even still … and yet, I would happily vote Tess to her death. What does that make me?”

“Human.”

Liz laughed. “Maybe. But it’s the circumstance. I hate her with everything inside of me. I do now. I will forever. Is it justice for me, or revenge for what she did to me, to my life, and the trust I had in Max … the trust I had in our love? Is it about Alex … those other people, or is it about me?” Liz looked at Maria again. “I want to be Liz Parker again. The one who was your best friend, the one my parents would recognize and trust, the one who Alex Charles Whitman loved, and … she doesn’t believe in capital punishment. As long as I can’t tell what I am voting for … justice or revenge, then I have to follow what I believed in once upon a time.”

Maria took Liz’s hand in hers and leaned into her shoulder. “Welcome back, Liz. Wish you waited another day to decide to reclaim yourself.”

“I know. I understand.” Liz looked at Maria, smiling sadly. “I couldn’t be wrong forever.”

Maria shook her head. “You weren’t wrong, Liz. Love is never wrong. Sometimes it’s blind … but rarely is it wrong. Love is love. Your heart is your heart, and what else could there be?” Isabel felt a tear run down her cheek as she heard Maria’s words. Your heart is your heart. Alex. Turning, she stepped into Jesse’s arms crying softly on his chest. Michael and Jesse shared a look, and together, they stood guard over the crying women, the two who were sitting on the kitchen floor, and Isabel.

There was never any relief for the victims and those that loved them. There was pain, and then there was time that slowly allowed them to abide and go on.

~~~

Late that night, Maria, Michael, and Kyle slept close to each other on the floor, while Liz was sleeping on the couch. Tess knelt by the arm of the couch, and whispered to Liz, wanting to wake her, but no one else.

“Liz. Wake up.”

Startled, Liz gasped when she saw Tess. and propped herself up on her elbow. “What?”

“Why didn't you vote against me?”

“Because I'm not a killer, Tess,” Liz answered plainly. God help her, she could be. It would be so simple.

“I need a favor. I need you to drive me somewhere.” Liz looked at her with deep distrust. “Please? I know you have no reason to trust me, or not worry that this isn’t another trick to hurt you.” Tess glanced at the three sleeping on the floor. Maria was sleeping on Michael, and in sleep, he looked so young … so peaceful. Kyle did too. She had stolen his peace. “Help me for them. I can do something to make them safe. Maria safe.”

Staring at the others as they slept, Liz glanced at Tess again. Nodding, she quietly got up.

~~~

They drove to a hill overlooking Roswell and Rogers Air Force Base compound. Liz stared at the compound lit up despite the late hour. In the darkness of the night they looked out over a plane of lights. As they sat in the car Tess tried to share some things with Liz.

“Max loves you. Every time we were together. Every time we kissed, he was thinking of you.” Tess glanced at Liz, tentative how she would take the discussion. “He had these flashes … that I saw … and … they were always of you.”

Liz stared straight ahead. She already knew that Max’s involvement with Tess was never a mindwarp, that it really happened, and Max had actually had feelings for Tess. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I know how much it must've hurt you.” Liz turned to glance at Tess, and they stared at each other for a moment as Liz studied the other girl. She saw it in Tess’s eyes. Liz shook her head and Tess nodded. She pointedly looked out at the Air Force Base.

“So you're really gonna go do this, huh?”

“At least I can do one good thing with my life.” She turned to get out of the car, but turned back when Liz made a comment.

“You just did.” Liz didn’t know what motivated Tess the most, Zan or Max, but she doubted it was for the others. Tess started to get out of the car. “Hey, Tess. You're not gonna let them throw you in the White Room, are you?”

“No.”  Tess started to leave but hesitated a moment. “By the way … they were right, and you were wrong. You should’ve voted ‘yes’ because for me … there is only survival whether it is for me or my child, and there is no remorse in that.” Liz frowned as Tess exited the car marching down towards a chain linked fence. She melted a hole in the fence walking through into the compound.

Liz waited in Max’s car. Tess wasn’t going to let them put her in a White Room. Shaking her head, she watched the other girl until she couldn’t see her any longer. Tess was taking them … the rest of them and the baby out of the equation.  Suddenly the base came alive with sound as sirens blared, loudspeakers roared, and helicopters moved quickly towards the area. Suddenly there was a tremendous flash of light that split the night … a blast and explosion down on the base.

Liz’s hand went to her mouth as the base exploded and she could hear the screams of those soldiers working there. “Oh, god!” She knew that Tess wouldn’t let them take her, but not this.

Back at the apartment, a glass of water vibrated from the distant explosion, the windows rattled, and a baby cried, disturbed out of his sleep as his mother perished.

~~~

Maria waited as long as she could, and finally she made the trip. It was two weeks after Tess blew the Air Force Base. Max had moved back into his parents’ house with Zan, and Michael had his apartment to himself again.

“Mom.”

Amy DeLuca came out from the back storage area shocked at seeing her daughter. “Maria! Honey, what are you doing here?” She glanced at the clock. “It’s ten in the morning and a school day.”

“I know.” Maria came into her mother’s new store looking around. “I like what you’ve done with the store. It’s nice.”

“I like it too.” Amy said proudly. “So, why are you in Las Cruces?”

“I had to see you … is that okay?”

Amy went over hugging her daughter, a little guilty that she had bailed on her, left her in Roswell all these months alone. “Always. I miss you.”

Maria stepped back. “Look, a couple of weeks ago something happened, and I really need to tell you about it.” Maria paused when Sean came in from the back area.

“Aunt Amy, I’ve got the order unloaded. I’m going to take off and do the deliveries.” Sean paused when he saw Maria. “M! I wondered when you’d get sick of Roswell and make it down here. Just a few more weeks until graduation, huh?”

“Yeah. Three.” Maria smiled at her cousin. “How are you, Seanie?”

“Good! Did you stop by the house? You’ve gotta see it! I know you said it looked like a wreck, but I replaced a lot of the problems. The roof is next, and …” Maria listened politely at her cousin’s enthusiasm over renovating her mother’s new house in Las Cruces. “You room is still a shambles, but I should have it done in the next few weeks.”

“No rush.” Maria assured him. Amy watched her daughter closely and finally sighed once Sean left to finish up the deliveries.

“You and Michael are sleeping together.” Amy said. “And I don’t mean sharing a bed. You’re actually sleeping together.”

Maria nodded. “I didn’t want to not tell you. So …”

“So you made the trip,” Amy finished.

“Right.” Maria cleared her throat. “I’m in love with him.”

Amy smiled slightly. Yeah, she knew that. She knew it, everyone in Roswell knew it, the world knew it, and apparently, now so did Michael and Maria. “Come on, let’s make some coffee.”

~~~

Amy was quiet and thoughtful for the rest of the day. Every free moment she had, she thought of her daughter. Roswell. She was running away, and she needed to stop doing that. It was costing her the last few precious moments she had with her daughter, and maybe it was already too late.

“Aunt Amy?” Sean said from the door. He had plastered the back room, and was cleaning up for the night.

“Sean, can you run the shop for a couple of weeks alone?”

“Sure. Not a problem. What’s up?” Sean searched his aunt’s face when she glanced at him. He laughed in mirth, more at himself. Of course. “Maria. She’s leaving.”

“I don’t know about that, but she … she’s … she and Michael …” Amy shook her head. “I need to go back to Roswell and see her graduate. I don’t want to miss that.”

“Okay.”

~~~

“Hi.” Michael said hesitantly.

Amy looked up from what she was doing. “Michael.” The young man stood in the doorway taking in the mess. “Inventory. I’m finalizing the sale of the shop, and I needed to check final inventory.”

“Um, Maria told me you were back in town.”

“Figured she would.” Amy looked at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

Michael shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I couldn’t make up all the missed work, so I’m not graduating anyway.”

“So what’s another missed day?”

Michael smiled slightly at the soft censure in Amy’s voice. “No. I know it’s important, but seeing you was more important.”

“Oh?” Amy put down what she was doing. “You want to talk?”

“I …” Michael scratched his eyebrow. “Yeah, we need to talk.”

“About Maria?”

Michael nodded. “Maria.”

Amy cleared her throat. “Do I need to ask you your intentions?”

Michael’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “We are … um, how did you know?”

“Mothers know these things. Hard to miss when your child becomes sexually active.” Amy was intrigued by the slight blush moving up Michael’s neck. No. She suspected that this wasn’t the easiest subject for a young man to have with his girlfriend’s mother.

“I … look, it’s just that you’ve been real decent to me, and I appreciate that at times I made you wonder. I just wanted you to know that this wasn’t something that happened out of the blue, or something we were trying to hide from you.” Michael couldn’t believe how hard this was. “I … you were good to me, and I didn’t want to lie, so …” Michael laughed very uncomfortable. “I … we were heading towards it so fast, and I had to slow it down. I couldn’t … not until she was eighteen, and now …”

“So you came to tell me the truth. You’re sleeping with my daughter sexually.”

“No... Yes... No... I mean, I came to tell you that I’m careful with Maria. I will always be careful with her. She means everything to me. I care more about her safety thousands of times more than my own, and that isn’t going to ever change.”

“I know it’s not.” Amy handed Michael the inventory. “I’ve always known.”

Michael’s warm golden brown eyes met the rich dark brown of Amy’s, in that moment, they understood each other perfectly.

~~~

“Hey,” Maria said when a pair of hands came to hold her close. She looked behind to smile up at Michael. “You missed breakfast this morning.”

“I had to do something.” Michael told her.

“Hmm. You going to tell me what?”

“Nope.” Michael laughed at the expression on her face ignoring the other students around them, those heading to class and those just gawking. What the hell was people’s problem? “I ran into Max this morning, him and Liz. They were taking the morning off. Max’s parents took Zan away today, to his new home, and new adopted parents.”

Maria shut the locker door leaning back against it. “Is Max okay?”

Michael shrugged. “He appears to be. It was his decision to give Zan up for adoption, to allow him a normal life, free of all this stuff.”

“He’s human.”

“He’s also alien.” Michael pointed out. “In him there is a part of alien essence. What if it comes out in later years? Who will understand or know how to …”

“Michael,” Maria said taking his hands. “He’ll be okay.”

“I …” Michael rubbed his neck. “I guess I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t give away a baby, my son. I’m too selfish. I would want to know he was okay, that he had everything he needed and was safe. I wouldn’t want to miss a day.”

“I know.” Maria leaned her head into his body rubbing against him. “You want to get out of here?”

“Yeah. Come chase the sun.”

On Michael’s  powerful machine they raced across the New Mexico scenery, chasing their cares away.

Graduation…….

Michael groaned.

“Stop it.” Maria told him.

“Make me.”

Maria tossed a box of dryer sheets at his head. “Michael, stop pissing and moaning. It’s just laundry.”

Michael glanced at the pile of clothing, moaning again without thought. “Maria, this isn’t just laundry. We’re never going to get this done.” What the heck was wrong with the laundry in his building? Maria made him go to an actual Laundromat, something about bulk dryers.

“We toss it in a few bulk loading washers, feed in numerous quarters, and wait. What’s so hard?”

Michael shrugged. He had plans. Plans that were being ruined by laundry day. Maria’s idea. “Why couldn’t we wait until tomorrow or this weekend?”

“Because … we can’t. Michael, things are desperate. You have no t-shirts left for me to steal. All my clothes are dirty, and I have nothing to wear.”

Michael gave Maria a blank stare. He really couldn’t see the problem. So she wears nothing. Worked for him.

Maria threw up her hands. “Fine. I’m going home. Mom’s there, and I bet my laundry is done.” Michael’s snaked out to circle Maria’s body back to him. He didn’t want her to go home. It was nice to have Amy back, but …

“Not so fast. We’re doing laundry here,” Michael pointed out.

Maria kissed him hard, then not so hard as the kiss gentled and became something more romantic. “I know you would rather spend the evening on the sofa watching TV and screwing around, but we’ve been doing that for weeks and weeks. I barely make it to school, and we’re not even getting laundry, groceries, cleaning the apartment, or anything done.”

“I don’t have a problem with it.”

“I know you don’t, but I do.” Maria wrapped her arms around his neck. “We’re moving in a couple of weeks, or supposedly we are, but we still haven’t decided on the coast, east or west. And …”

“Dallas.” Michael said as he leaned back against a gyrating washer plastering her to his front, his mouth nibbling at her neck.

“What?”

“Dallas. Then we could watch the Dallas Stars hockey team.”

“How ‘bout Colorado? The Avalanche? Are you seriously suggesting we choose our new home based on their local hockey teams?”

“It’s essential to my good mental health.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Or …” Michael cleared his throat, “there is the possibility of Seattle. It has a huge music scene, close enough to Vancouver to make trips there possible, and you could do your music.”

“Washington Capitals?”

“Now … don’t get nasty, they are a Eastern division. I was thinking more of the Canucks. Oilers. Better chance of seeing the Flames.”

Maria laughed kissing him. “Is there a reason we’re sticking to the west?”

“No.” Michael lied easily. So what if he didn’t want her on the same coast as Billy the Bard or his alien look-alike Rath, who might or might not be dead? Roswell had Brody and the freaky manifestations of Larek. The west coast looked so much better … being alien free, except for Kal who was a human wannabe.

So, Seattle?”

“Yeah.” Michael breathed easier. “First we stop in Vegas to amass some major scratch, and then we go make a place for ourselves.”

“Together?”

“Always.”

~~~

Maria listened as Liz told her about her vision about a woman dying in a mugging, and how she and Max stopped it, saving the woman’s life. Maria listened, but kept getting distracted by Michael behind the grill, who at times held up a sign that said ‘Seattle’ at her. She swallowed a smile. Seattle. It had possibilities.

“So, you're clairvoyant now?” Maria asked as she put the finishing touches on her order.

“I'm not clairvoyant. It only happened once.”

“All right, do you think you can tell me if Michael’s wish to move to Seattle is a good place for us?” The two of them were standing at the pass-through, waiting for their orders. Michael put more plates up under the heater seeing them looking at him. He frowned shaking his head. Returning to the grill, he decided not to get involved in the girly talk.

“Seattle?” Liz repeated softly, not realizing it was so soon that Michael and Maria were planning on taking off.

“Michael already gave notice to his landlord. We have the apartment for three weeks past graduation. I already started to pack things. We’re storing them at my house, since my mom is still looking for a buyer for the house. It will be safe there until we can get settled and come back for it.”

“I guess I knew you and Michael were making plans, but I never thought about it really happening … you know.”

“Don’t worry, Liz. We’re not going to just disappear. You’ll go to college, and Michael and I will find a new home, and we’ll all keep in touch.”

“Yeah, of course we will.” Liz said not so convinced.

Things were changing fast. Isabel and Jesse were looking at moving to Boston. Jesse got a new job offer with lots of money, and things were looking better for the married couple. Her plans would solidify once she heard from Northwestern. She had been wait listed due to the lateness of her application, and Harvard was definitely out. It had been a hard few weeks as more and more of their graduating class got their acceptance letters, and she was still waiting.

Maria and Liz were both carrying their orders into the dining area. Liz passed by Kyle and stopped. Her nose scrunched up as she made a face. “What have you been doing?”

“It's called ‘workin' for the man’ …” Kyle explained.

“In a sewer?” Liz guessed.

“Close. 'Been flushing septic lines for a 1975 RV …” Kyle stopped talking when Mr. Parker came into the room holding up a letter.

“From Northwestern University.” Liz stared at the letter, not moving. Her future. She had so many plans in her life, so many she lost or gave up, and over the years she almost ruined her chances at ever getting this far. That small white envelope was thin … to thin to hold the rest of her life.

“An acceptance letter?” Kyle asked.

“Well, either that or a dig letter.” Liz said. Suddenly the order bell rang. Liz and her Dad both turned to give Michael a look.

“Sorry.” Michael said making a face. “Your orbit rings are ready.”

Liz's dad took a deep breath and handed the letter to Liz. As she reached to take it, she touched his hand and had another flash - she saw it was an acceptance letter. “I've been accepted!” Liz screamed, excited.

Mr. Parker gave a small laugh. “You haven't even opened it yet …!”

Liz realized her mistake and looked cautiously at her dad, then opened the letter. She read it quickly trying to mustard a little of her initial reaction. “I did, I got in!”

“Ha! Wha-ho-hoo!” Jeff gave his daughter a big hug. She was laughing and smiling. Maria looked on next to Michael at the order window, both of them watching.

Michael glanced at Maria. “So it’s okay for us to leave now?”

“Yeah, now it’s okay,” said Maria. Lines met for a while, traveled together in a parallel destiny, but at times those lines diverted, and that was okay. Maria turned to look at Michael smiling. “Yeah, I’m ready to go.” Michael passed Maria a plate of fries. “I made these just for you.”

Kyle watched Liz and her father slowly clapping his hands, with a strained smile. Talking aloud to himself, “I gotta do something with my life …”

~~~

Kyle invited his boss, Sonny to lunch at the Crashdown. Giving his future a lot of thought, he finally had a plan. “Anyway, thanks for taking this meeting.”

“Meeting? You just said you were springin' for lunch.

“Right. But … I thought we could talk a little …”

“Are you gonna complain?” Sonny asked. “Look, trailer sewage is part of the job, buddy,” he gave a little laugh.

“It's not about that. It's just … that I've - I've actually … I've been thinking about my future.”

“Oh, so it's a money thing. Well, look, all the salaries are frozen. You watch TV? I mean, we're in the middle of a recession, I can’t be doling out money just like …”

“No, no, it's not that, it's not that, it's not that, not that … don't worry about it. Kyle quickly reassured his boss, as Jim came in and saw Kyle and his boss in earnest conversation. He stopped and listened. “Umm, I think that I have a lot to offer. Maybe we could expand … maybe even one day open up a new, uh … garage.” Kyle warmed on his subject. “Anyway, I was just … I was wondering if you would consider … taking on a partner.”

“Partner?” Sonny scoffed, taking it as a huge joke. “Look, I'm sorry, but that's not the way things work. You're a kid. You're not even my mechanic. You're an assistant.”

Kyle sighed disappointed. “Yeah, you're right. Let's just drop it.”

“Partner...” Sonny laughed. “Sounds a little crazy …” Without saying anything or making himself known, Jim Valenti walked away.

~~~

At a motel in Roswell, three men were meeting. One was an Air Force General, the other two were in plain clothes.

The first plain clothes man put in a video tape and played it. “One of my men picked this out of the rubble a couple of nights ago.” It was the tape of Isabel surrounded by a whirlwind of flying objects.

General watched in fascination. “Is she the … thing that destroyed our base?”

“Possibly.”

The second agent shrugged. “There are several candidates.”

General was restrained, but angry. “Can the Special Unit deal with this?”

“The Special Unit no longer exists,” said the second man.

His partner smiled. “Neither does this meeting …”

The General smiled back. “Right.”

“However, the members of the unit do remain in contact with one another.” The second agent confessed, his eyes had a special gleam.

“Then you can take care of this …?” The General asked, standing.

“That's why you contacted us isn't it, General?”

The General watched the tape for a moment. “We lost a lot of good people at Rogers,” he said turning to face the other men. “I don't want it to happen again.”

The first agent reassured the General. “When this is over … these creatures will never bother anyone ever again.”

~~~

Liz and Max were borrowing Michael’s apartment while Michael and Maria were out.

“Where are Michael and Maria?” Liz asked between kisses.

“Out.”

“Out?” Liz stopped for a moment. “Do they know we’re here? Exactly where is out?”

“Dinner.” Max said between kisses. “Maria’s mom was cooking.”

“Okay. Do they know …”

“Technically, no … but Michael won’t mind.”

“Max...” said Liz, not so sure.

“Congratulations …” Max said between kisses wanting to get off the subject of Michael and Maria. He was still at his parent’s house, and Liz’s parent’s house was off limits, so other than the Cheville …

“You said that already.” Liz reminded him. They continued a long winded session of kissing, talking, kissing, talking, promises of going further, until as they kissed, Liz suddenly had flashes of Max, Isabel, Michael, and herself being shot. She sat up with a start, gasping. Max looked at her, concerned.

“What?”

Liz gasped. “We're all going to be killed.”

~~~

“Did you mark the boxes correctly?” Maria asked as she taped another box.

“Correctly?” Michael made a face. “I thought we were coming to dinner, not packing up the house.”

“She made you lasagna.” Maria pointed out as she hefted another box into a group. “Remember, our boxes have to have M&M on them, so Mom knows they come to us, and hers has A&S on it.”

“Right.” Michael moved more boxes into a group. “How much more crap of yours is in the house anyway?”

“You do not want to know.”

“Great.”

“Hey, don’t make fun. For a guy who had nothing, and only lived emancipated for two years, you already have twenty-eight boxes alone. We haven’t even begun packing up the kitchen or anything else.”

Michael frowned at all the accumulated boxes of stuff. “Maybe we should just leave all our stuff with your mom, and hit the road with just the bare minimum. You know do the whole young and on the road thing?”

“Whatever you want, Spaceboy,” said Maria kissing him softly before walking around him. “I’m easy.”

Michael snorted. “Easy? After three years? Easy you are not.”

“That’s not the kind of easy I was talking about, but I have reformed … lucky you.”

Michael smiled, “Lucky me.”

“Why are you lucky?” Amy asked when she came into the garage.

“Nothing!” Michael and Maria chorused.

“Uh-huh.” Amy smiled at Maria. “Upstairs. Attic. You have to go through the old trunks. I need you to decide what you want, and what you’re leaving behind. Most of it was given to you by your grandmother.”

“Today? Right now?”

“Time is short.” Amy pointed out. “I’m leaving later this evening to go back to Las Cruces. Just for two days or so. I’ll be back before graduation.”

“What’s up, Mom?”

“Delivery problem. I need to send Sean to Phoenix, so I need to cover the shop.” Amy explained. “Have the two of you decided on a city?”

“Seattle.” Michael told her. “It rains too much, but there’s a great music scene. And hockey’s not far away.”

“Seattle? That is so far away.” Amy said more to herself. She was hoping Albuquerque, or some place closer. “Well, I guess I’ll have to plan vacations.”

Maria laughed and hugged her mother quickly before going to check out the attic. Michael watched her go. “I should go help her, or I’ll end up carting boxes with every stuffed animal she ever owned.”

“You will.” Amy looked at Michael. “Did you ask her?”

“Not yet.” Michael cleared his throat. “I … there’s something I need to do first, and I’m having a hard time doing it. Can I get back to you on it?”

“Yes. It’s a big step, so take your time …” Amy stopped on her way out of the garage. “Just not too long.”

“Right.”

Amy frowned on her way out of the door. “Did you mark the boxes correctly?”

~~~

Michael and Maria entered the apartment to find it overflowing with people. Everyone was there, Jim, Kyle, Isabel, Jesse, Max and Liz. Michael scowled in disgust. Why always his apartment? Why not the Ramirez or Valenti households? They had gotten a call from Max telling him to meet them and as soon as they saw Amy off, they headed home.

Listening as Max and Liz shared what just happened, Michael frowned even more as Maria’s hand tightened in his and she moved closer.

“It was terrible.” Liz told them. “We were all killed, I saw it.”

Maria cleared her throat. “‘All’, as in everybody?”

“Max, Isabel, Michael, and ... me.” Liz said crossing the room to stand by Max.

“That is hardly ‘all’, Liz, considering it’s only half of us.” Michael pointed out. “I dream we all get whacked every other night. Why the meeting?”

“Liz has started to have premonitions … from … touching people.” Max explained as Liz acted self-conscious. “Um … she saw a woman about to be killed in an armed robbery. We followed them, and we were able to stop it.”

Jesse didn’t like the sound of this. “You believe it? You think this could really happen?”

“I think we should all take this seriously …” Max admitted.

“Okay, so, where do we get popped, when do we get popped, and who pops us?” Michael asked, not knowing if he wanted to take this seriously or not. His life was finally coming together, and another alien crisis wasn’t something he wanted to deal with.

“I don't know.” Liz confessed. “The flashes were sort of impressionistic.”

Jim shared a look with Jesse. “We need more information.”

“Where were you?” Isabel asked. “Where were you when you had the flashes?”

Max grimaced. “Here.”

“Here?” Michael repeated, his eyes narrowing.

Kyle didn’t notice the interaction between the two aliens. “You said you got these flashes from touching people.”

“We were--  … I was … 'touching people' …” Liz rolled her eyes, embarrassed, as the others get the picture.

“How … cozy.” Maria said with not a little amusement, knowing exactly what Michael’s reaction would be.

Isabel, sharing Maria’s amusement, tried not to smile. “I … think we should just focus on what we do next.”

“Right. We should all stay on guard.” Max said quickly, happy to let that subject drop, hoping Michael would as well. “Ah … Liz and I will attempt to … ah …” Max stopped as both he and Liz turned red.

Kyle snickered. “Achieve another flash?”

Max shrugged, more than a little self-conscious himself. “It seems like the thing to do …”

“We’re happy for you, Maxwell, maybe finally getting laid and all, but I suggest you find other quarters to rut around in. My home, for the next few weeks that I still have the lease on it, is not Roswell’s mating den. Try the backseat of the Cheville.”

“Michael...,” Maria admonished, seeing Liz’s embarrassed face.

“You weren’t home.” Max pointed out.

“Yeah, and I’m sure I can picture it in my head. Kiss. Talk. Simper. Kiss. Talk. Talk. Mugging it up suggestively with promises of getting lucky, and … bam! Flash. Yeah, do it on Isabel’s sofa.”

“Um, actually that wouldn’t be convenient …” both Isabel and Jesse said at the same time.

Maria wanting to get this over with, and take Michael away before he really got indiscrete, interrupted. “So … I, ah … I take it I have no homework, right?” Maria asked Max and the others who shook their heads no. “Okay.” Maria turned and gave Michael a look. “So, uh, I gotta speak to you, Spaceboy.”

Michael nodded walking over to his door and opening it, rudely inviting everyone to scram, especially Max and Liz. He gave them a hard long look as they went through the door.

“Did you have to do that?”

“Yes.” Michael voice was cold and hard. “This is the third time I can count that Max just barged into the apartment since I kicked him out. He has a home. She has a home. Why is he making dates with her here? In our home, without even bothering to ask or call … anything?”

“He’s not the king, Michael.”

“Yeah, sure he isn’t. It doesn’t matter, Maria. It’s in his skin. He can rescind it a thousand times and he’ll still think of himself as the king. How many times has he announced he’s no longer the king, not realizing that on this planet … he never was?”

“You’re upset.” Maria said, realizing that this wasn’t about Max and Liz using their place, but something more. “You’re worried about me.”

“She didn’t see you dead, Maria, but then where the hell were you? I know … that you would’ve been with me. Are they just going to leave a witness behind?”

“Michael …” Maria didn’t want to hear this.

“I’m dangerous. Being near me is dangerous for you. I can’t … I don’t want to think of what could happen to you because of me.”

“And then that’s it? I have no input? No say?”

Michael grabbed her, holding her still. “What do you want me to hear, Maria? What do you want to say? That this isn’t something to worry about, or that you’ll be okay, because I don’t know that … you don’t know that.”

Maria rested her head on his chest for a moment. “Come with me to Madam Vivian’s tomorrow, first thing in the morning.”

Michael made a sound of disgust. “Madam Vivian’s! Dammit, Maria, hasn’t that hag caused us enough trouble?”

‘She’s not a hag. She was right about you … a volatile man who looks to the stars. She was right when she told you that you were going nowhere, that what you were looking for … you already found.” Maria paled a bit moving away from him. “Or maybe she was wrong, and I’m presuming too much … that you and me, that you want …”

Michael stopped her. “We’ll go to Madam Vivian’s.”

~~~

The next morning at Madam Vivian’s, Michael and Maria sat together across from the woman, Maria hopeful, and Michael irritated.

“So, what do you want out of this relationship? I mean, where do each of you see yourselves … say, five years from now?” the woman asked them, confused about why they were there when all their stars were aligned together, and they were obviously both aware and wanting this relationship.

“The current theory is, I'm gonna to be dust.” Michael explained.

“’Dust'?” The woman searched the cards. There was indeed a blemish, a cloud on the horizon.

“Dead. Kaput. Finito, Michelito.” Michael explained spelling it out as plainly as he could. Madame Vivian stared at Michael, puzzled and concerned. “No offense, but could we get to the part where you take out your crystal ball an' … I wanna get back in time for WWF.” It wasn’t like he had too many days left to keep up with the current sports.

“I apologize for him.” Maria told the woman. “Michael, please, I really just … I need for you to try 'n help me figure this out, alright?”

“What’s to figure out, Maria? Everything we worked towards is coming to an end, even before we got a chance to really live. I don’t like it, but there it is. She can’t change what’s going to happen.”

“We don’t know that. You don’t know that. Stop assuming that it’s going to go bad. It can … we can change it. I know …” Michael’s face shut down, and Maria watched with an increasing feeling of doom. She knew him. She had reason to know him. Three years, and one thing remained constant … Michael. He made changes, but who he was inside always remained true. He protected those he loved, at all cost … even his own life, his own happiness. She didn’t say anything to him, but her eyes were pleading him to reconsider.

The two of them looked over to see Madame Vivian staring at them.

Maria sniffed. “Um … I apologize. I … I … um … See? It’s hopeless. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

“Maria … would you mind if I speak to Michael alone for a few minutes?”

“Why …” Maria looked between the two. “I wanna hear everything you have to say, though …”

“This is not just about you and Michael. This is … much bigger than your relationship. This is about Michael and him leaving.”

Maria took the slap hard, her face paling “...of course it is. Everything always is, isn't it?” She stood up, squaring her shoulders. “Okay.”

Michael looked skeptically at Madame Vivian as Maria left. He wanted to follow her, to tell her that she was important to him, that their relationship was the only thing important, but glancing at the woman, he realized that she knew he was already gone. He was leaving.

“Michael. Something bad is about to happen.” She turned over cards as he frowned at her skeptically. “Very bad. And there's only one way to keep it from happening. You must believe in the love.” Madam Vivian looked at the young man whose aura held a strange glint to it, a golden hue, and over the years she saw it change slightly, saw it extend to include Maria until their combined auras radiated the same color. “Instinct will save you, but a lifetime of conditioning can also be a burden, then maybe it is time to change … to reach for more. There is doing what is right, and doing what you can live with. This is about living, Michael. You must believe in love to survive.”

“'Believe in the love.' I have no idea what that means.” Maria? Believe in her? What? Michael was confused.

“I know you don't. But try to. It could save your life. And others.” The woman touched his hand. “It can help to define the course of your life.”

“I think you're a fraud.”

Madame Vivian pulled up a card dramatically and held it out towards Michael. “Yes, I know. That is okay, because it is not in me that you must trust and believe … but yourself. A union forged in gold, the rings are strong, but merely symbolic of what is already created … and those are the ties that bind … inside.” She handed Michael the card. “So you don't forget.”

Michael stared at the card, then took it reluctantly. It was entitled The Lovers. Michael started to leave, but Madam Vivian called him back. “Michael, send me Maria. It is the last time I will be able to speak to her, and there are things to say.” Michael’s eyes penetrated Madam Vivian’s and his blood ran cold. She was earnest in her belief that never again would she ever counsel Maria. This was bad.

Maria was outside in the waiting room, clearly upset, and Michael’s initial reaction was to take her … to leave without letting Madam Vivian screw up what was looking to be an impossible situation even more. He sent her in anyway as he paced the floor, staring at the damn card, worried what was being said in there.

“Maria, sit.”

“What? What did you tell, Michael?”

“Only what he already knows … only what he needs. A leopard is more than just the spots he wears, but even a leopard can’t stop being what he is … but he can be more.”

“I don’t …”

“I know. It is not for you to understand.” Madam Vivian took Maria’s hand. “You’re afraid … always looking for that moment when something so perfect ends. It is you, Maria … you that really leaves. You are so certain that they are leaving, that you let go even before you hold on. This time … don’t. Trust. Wait. Believe in love, and it will show you the path. It will lead you home.”

When Maria left the room, she was gray and looked sick. Swearing, Michael took her arm and led her from the place.

“Come on, she's a flake.” He consoled her. “Let's go.”

“I …” Maria gulped the fresh air hard, barely holding back a sob. “Is she right? Am I the one that pushes away … all of them? Sean, my mom, you, Liz …oh god, Alex? Am I that much of a coward that I …”

“Shut up!” Michael used his powers to explode a clay pot sitting on the front step. Maria jumped, startled, the action pulling her out of her own thoughts. “Stop it! It’s not your fault! You don’t …” Michael ran a hand through his hair, uncertain how to fix this, how to fix the damage done. “Maria,” he said holding her face. “You’re not pushing me away. Don’t believe her. She’s screwing with your head again! Smoke and mirrors, Maria. Anything … any phrase can be made to mean something, if you really think about it hard enough.”

Maria nodded, unhappy, but she looked at him, and suddenly she was in his arms holding him tight while he held her close, his head bending to talk to her in low, soothing words that would have meant nothing to anyone but them.

Unknowingly, they were photographed. The Special Unit men had taken photos of Michael using his powers, and more pictures of him with Maria. In a room, the photos of Michael using his powers were spread out on a table with other pictures of Michael talking to Max, Isabel walking down a hall. The pictures were studied closely.

~~~

Max and Liz were lying together on Liz's bed, kissing and making out, trying to spark another one of Liz's prescient flashes. They were doing their usual version of making out, a constant task of kissing and talking, talking, talking, kissing and talking. Finally, Liz had a premonition. It was the same as before with a slight variation. Liz’s flash was of them being killed, and more … a man at a podium, speaking.

Max noted her pause, pulling back waiting for her to talk again, but the look on her face was different. “Did you see something?”

“I saw you get killed again,” she said, but her brow was wrinkled in thought. “Oh, wait, wait a second, there was someone there. I've seen him before …”

“Who was it?”

Liz went to her dresser, sorts through some things for a book. “That face! I know I've seen that face before … Where is that …? This is the guy. He was there the moment that you got … the moment that you got killed. I mean … he was giving a speech or something.” Liz brought the book back over to show the author's picture to Max.

“Bryce McCain?” Max stared at the man’s picture. “He's going to be the guest of honor at the UFO convention.” Max told Liz. “We die June 12th.”

“That's less than two weeks.”

“We have twelve days to figure out how to stop it.”

~~~

The group all gathered near the ruins of the pod chamber - Max and Liz, Michael and Maria, Isabel and Jesse, Kyle and Jim.

“So, who's this Bryce McCain?” Michael asked, his arms holding Maria to his front.

Liz answered for Max. “He's a science fiction novelist, and he'll be at the UFO convention.”

“So we have less than two weeks before we're all killed.” Max said.

“God …” Maria said as Michael tightened his hold on her. “How does this happen? And why now?”

“Well, it probably has something to do with Tess destroying the base.” Liz concluded. It wasn’t hard to imagine that if an alien destroyed an entire base, and all those working on it, the government might take notice.

“Maybe they found your mom's video tape,” Michael told Max and Isabel.

Isabel’s face turned red. “So, what, now it's my fault?”

“I'm just saying they put it together pretty quick,” Michael pointed out, feeling it was a little mealymouthed of Isabel to feel upset at being held accountable for her actions when she and Max spent a lifetime railing on him about his, the most recent one being when he moved the trees aside for his golf shot, and Jesse’s ex-friend saw him.

Jesse quickly interrupted the two before they came to blows, and it dissolved in a full fight. “Look, it's not going to help to point fingers, okay?”

“He's right.” Jim said agreeing with Jesse, the two adult men taking a higher ground than the teenagers. “We need to come up with a plan as a team.”

“A team?” Michael laughed bitterly. Again! Their lives were in danger … exposed, and it always came back to the same place. His life was about to suck, and this time he had too much to lose … too much he loved. “Look at us. It's ridiculous.”

“Michael, you're not helping …” Maria said to him softly, her hand on his arm squeezing him.

“She's right.” Max said appreciating that Maria spoke up since she was the only one that could admonish Michael without it coming off wrong.

“Okay, fine, then, help.” Michael invited Max, dropping his arms around Maria, to take her hand, more than willing to leave if Max had nothing. “What's the plan?”

They all looked towards Max, who sat on the ground with Liz. He gave no answer for a moment, staring grimly off into nothing. Finally, he shook his head. “I won't make this decision for everyone. I'm giving up the throne.” He missed the incredulous look that Maria and Michael shared, and the snort of derision from Kyle. What damn throne? Max rose addressing Michael and Isabel. “I'm not a king. And you're not my second in command. And you're not a princess. We're just fighting for our lives.”

“Well, then, we need to start planning on how to fight back.” Isabel suggested, not understanding why the others weren’t impressed with Max stepping down.

“I've got a better idea. Why don't we get outta Dodge before they land on us? We leave.” Michael suggested.

Kyle frowned. “… and where do we go?”

“Anywhere but here. I mean, let's face it … they know who we are. It's over.” Michael reasoned. “We leave Roswell, we leave fast, and we leave as quietly as we can. We all go separately.” He looked down at Maria, troubled.

“Separately?” Maria repeated.

“Right now we're safer as individuals than we are as a group. I mean, what are we all gonna do if we go together? Get a van?” Michael shook his head. “It wouldn’t work. We’d be a large target. We go quietly into the night, each of us on our own … if they get some of us, maybe they don't get all of us.”

“Wait a minute.” Jim slowed down Michael’s thinking. “We all go?”

“Right now, the only ones in danger, according to the crystal ball here...,” Michael said nodding towards Liz, “are … me, Max, Isabel, and Liz. So, the rest of you are safe. You can stay here.”

Maria stood away from Michael, nodding, she walked away from him, from the others into the desert, not really part of the group any longer. She walked off leaving Michael at a loss. He started to call after her.

“Hey...” Liz said to Michael. “Let me.” She walked off to catch up with Maria.

“If we're going to go, we shouldn't hesitate.” Max told the others. “We should start leaving right after graduation. One at a time. And we don't look back.” The three aliens stood together, leaving Jesse, Kyle, and Jim standing a short distance away from them.

~~~

Liz tried to catch up to Maria, who was still walking away.

“Maria …”

“What?” Maria snarled, her voice hollow and distant.

“No, wait! Wait - Maria, what is your problem? What's your problem?”

“I …” Maria was lost for words. “I can’t change a leopard, and I can’t push away first. What if I’m doing it, and I don’t even know?”

“What?” Liz shook her head. Maria was so different. The last few weeks, her and Michael had become an unbreakable unit, and they were so far off from the others. “I … what?”

“I don’t know, Liz. I have to wait. I just know that I need to wait for love.”

“Maria, you and Michael … you already have plans to leave, and …”

“That doesn’t matter now. Michael has to decide. He’ll never risk me, and I have to wait … I need to wait, to believe in him, trust that he will be who he must be.”

“I don’t get that! Tell him to take you with him! Tell him …”

“I can’t. I can’t push. I need him to decide. It’s important.” Maria wiped a tear away. “I love him! He’s more than my lover … he’s my best friend, but I’ve never asked him to be anything but who he is. I have to respect that.” She looked down at her feet. “I feel that I waited a lifetime for him to leave, and somehow these past few weeks, I forgot. I started to believe that we … that we …” She choked back the word ‘forever’, the one Michael gave her. She looked at Liz. “Am I pushing him away before he can do it? You can see the future, Liz. Tell me! Tell me what to do. I tell myself to wait, but what if I do, and he …? God! Help me decide!”

“Maria, Maria … Maria, listen to me. You've gotta stop!” Liz took Maria's face in her hands, smoothing her hair. “Okay? Who knows? Alright? I can see the future … and I have no idea. Look, maybe you just … you need to try and decide what you want, and then go get it. Okay?” Liz kissed Maria on the forehead, then hugged her.

~~~

Kyle and his father walked back to their truck. “So, I guess we stay here, huh?” Jim said to his son.

“Yeah. This'll be fun. We can take bets on when they're going to repossess our house.” Kyle said dryly.

“I made a call on your behalf.”

Kyle stopped looking at his father. “What're you talkin' about?” Jim handed Kyle a badge. “What's this?”

Jim smiled proudly. “Deputy's badge. Sheriff Hanson wants to give you a shot in the Sheriff's office.”

Kyle stared at the piece of tin that represented everything he hated. “Dad. This is the last thing I wanna do with my life. Being a cop like you and grandpa, that's my worst nightmare.”

“Hey, you can do whatever the hell you want, but this badge is an honor. And being a law enforcement officer is not a nightmare, it's a dream!”

“It's your dream!” Kyle told his father, shaking his head. His dad was a great man, but he missed the obvious. “And why the hell are you callin' in favors to get me a badge, anyway, when all this time you haven't lifted a finger to get your own badge back?” Kyle pushed the badge back to his father, and Jim stopped, in grim thought for a moment.

~~~

Jesse and Isabel talked as they prepared to get in their car. “I'll call Boston and tell them to give the job to someone else.”

“No.” Isabel told him breathing deeply. “Take the job. We'll go to Boston. We'll figure out a way. I'm just not gonna let this stop us anymore.”

Jesse looked at his wife. “Isabel, are you sure?”

Isabel nodded smiling. “Yes. Take the job.” She had been afraid her entire life. She didn’t want to be afraid anymore. Jesse smiled and kissed Isabel, and they hugged.

Isabel smiled at Jesse, before going around the car, speaking under her breath. “I can’t believe it's all ending this way.”

~~~

Max leaned against his convertible, watching Isabel with Jesse, then he looked over to see Michael on his motorcycle. Their eyes met for a moment and Max started toward Michael, but then hesitated. Michael got off his bike and walked toward Max stopping as he saw Maria and Liz coming back.

“Well, I'm not graduating, so I guess I'll be the first to leave,” Michael told Max, knowing Maria and the other heard him.

Max walked towards Michael. “Michael, look …”

“Ah, I'm travelin' light, most of the apartment is packed up, but it is paid up for a few more weeks, so you can use it.”

“I know things between us have been a little, uh …”

“Yeah, well, Maxwell, don't … 'cause ... I can’t.”

Max drew Michael into an embrace and they held each other for a long moment, surrounded at a distance by Maria, Liz, Kyle and Jim, Jesse and Isabel. Michael stepped back and went to his bike, he mounted it and turn to look at Maria. Holding out his hand, he waited for her to come to him. The others watched as Michael and Maria left first.

Maria held on to Michael, she rested with her head on his back. When he pulled up to her house, she gave him back her helmet, leaning into him, they kissed passionately. He rested his forehead to hers. “I need to go pack, do a few things. Stay here. Be safe, and I’ll be back.” Maria nodded, stepping away from him, she watched as he left.

~~~

At the motel, the two Special Unit men detained the woman whose life Liz and Max saved. She was sitting at a table covered with surveillance photos of the aliens and their friends and family. They were detaining her until she identified the two that saved her. Finally under duress, the woman pointed to Max and Liz. The first agent sorted the stack of photos. As he selected certain ones, he had a collection of photos of Michael and Max arguing, of Max and Liz together playing miniature golf, of Isabel and her father at the restaurant where she met with Jesse, and of Maria. He blocked them together into four final photos: Michael, Max, Isabel, and Liz.

“These four. This is everyone. Now we can move.” He told his partner.

“Where?”

“Some place where they're all together. Indoors. A facility we can lock down. Someplace where they won't expect it to happen.”

~~~

Maria sat in her house, too numb to move. She sat in the dark waiting … she waited all night, and part of the day, watching as daybreak lightened the world around her. It was hard when all she wanted to do was run, but she stayed. It was the sound of Michael’s bike that made her go outside. Maria hesitated when she walked out of her door. Michael was sitting out by the curb on his motorcycle. She walked over to him.

“So this is goodbye?”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get back, but I had to make some arrangements.” Michael cleared his throat, his eyes moving over Maria. “I wanted to say that this thing has been screwed up from the beginning between you and me. Us. I should’ve acted sooner, not taken so long to tell you … to kiss you.”

“I …” Maria put a hand to her front. “It was me. It was my fault. I was so scared, and I avoided it … everything. I wasted so much time, Michael. So much … I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so afraid, but … I don’t regret a moment of knowing you … of loving you.” Maria didn’t bother to wipe away the tears as they chased each other down her cheek.

“I wouldn't trade of moment of knowing you either, Maria … not for anything. It's meant so much to me, y'know? From day one, from the moment I kidnapped you and stole your car … I knew you were the girl for me. I never wanted anyone else …”

Maria sobbed stepping even closer, her hands needing to touch him. “Michael …”

“I still don't. Just ... Wherever I'm goin', whatever I'm doin', just know I'll always love you.” Michael shook his head. “I kept telling myself to go … to leave you here, safe. That would be the smart thing. The right thing.” He scratched his eyebrow. “But … the thing is, Maria, it’s not something I can live with. The right thing, not risking you, is not something I can live with. I wouldn’t know you anymore. I wouldn’t know how you are or even if you were okay, and I can’t live with that! I can’t live without you.”

Maria held her breath, unwilling to even breathe as he finished.

“I’ve been alone all my life, and until you came into me … I never knew anything but that loneliness. But … now I do. I can’t go back to being that person, I don’t want to.” Michael held out his hand to her. “Don’t think. I’m begging you, Maria, to just take my hand, chase the sun with me forever, and I swear I’ll stand between you and the world before I let any harm come to you.”

Maria ignored his outstretched hand, and rushed straight into his body. Sobbing ‘Yes!’ she kissed him hard as his hands came up to hold her close. He couldn’t stop kissing her. Last night was the hardest of his life, but he had to go through with it. Every moment away from her, he was afraid he would find her gone.

“I thought …” Maria said huskily, “I thought you’d leave me, for my own protection. I was so sure.”

“You’re right. I was going to … it would’ve been the right thing to do.”

“Then why?” Maria stared into his golden brown eyes.

Michael held up the card of The Lovers. “Trust in love. I don’t believe in much, Maria, but I’ve always believed in you. You’re the only thing on this Earth that I’ve loved unconditionally, and I can’t see that ever changing.” Michael handed her her helmet. “C’mon, we’ve got miles to go before we sleep.”

Maria smiled. Getting on the bike, she put on the helmet and rested against him as they headed west, chasing the sun.

~~~

Michael felt the shock in Maria’s body as they drove up to the small chapel in Las Cruces and she saw her mother and Sean waiting. Michael got off the bike, and held out a hand to her. “Don’t worry. I haven’t gone insane.” Michael cleared his throat. “The thing I had to do last night was your mother. I had to come here and tell her the truth.”

“The truth?”

Michael nodded. “Everything, Maria. I told her about myself, about who and what I am, and why I’m taking her daughter away, maybe forever. I had to. I’ve been meaning to tell her for a while now, ever since I planned to ask you to marry me.”

“Marry you?” Maria’s heart stopped in her throat, and breathing was impossible.

“Yeah. I know I’m doing this all wrong. I had so many scenarios in my head to create the perfect moment. Cheryl and Steve helped me.” Michael confessed. “Things got crazy, and …” Michael pulled a jeweler’s box out of his pocket. He opened it up and showed her the matching wedding rings.

“Michael,” Maria cleared her throat from the unnatural squeak. “I … how long?”

“How long have I planned to ask you?” Maria nodded. “Since I took the job at Meta-Chem. I used my first dozen paychecks to pay for these. I mean … I knew I could just make them with my powers, but I wanted it to mean something … from me to you. You know … something I worked hard for, so you knew that it meant something to me.” Michael stared at the rings of gold. “Truthfully, I knew I was going to marry you the moment I walked out the pod chamber that day, to stay on Earth, and you were there waiting to step in my arms. I never felt home before that moment, and I knew without you … I would never feel home again.”

Maria’s eyes were misty as she stared at him. He was so familiar to her, but then he did something so unexpected, that he took her breath away. “Sean and my mom?”

Michael glanced over at his future in-laws. “I’m taking her daughter away. I couldn’t do that, and steal this important moment from her. I already wrecked graduation, so …”

“So you thought she should be here when we marry.”

Michael stepped closer to her, framing her face he tilted her head to him. “It’s not just for you, Maria. They mean something to me too. Family. I haven’t had that in so long, or even in my living memory, but you gave me that.”

Maria kissed him when his head bent, and whispering to him, she said, “So, we’re getting married?”

“Yeah, if you’ll have me.”

“Oh, I’ll have you, but you could ask,” she suggested, tongue in cheek.

Michael blinked twice. Taking her hand, he pulled her along with him. “We’re getting married,” he stated.

Maria laughed. Now that was her man, her Michael. “Yes, Commander,” she said softly as they joined her mother and Sean.

~~~

Sean handed his aunt another Kleenex. “You gonna be okay?”

“No. Soon. In a little while, I’ll be okay.” Amy gave her a watery smile. “She made a beautiful bride.”

“Yes.” Sean was quiet, knowing so much more than he knew over twenty-four hours ago. “Aliens. It seems so strange. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes …”

“I should’ve known,” Amy confessed. She sniffed wiping the moisture from under her eyes. Her goodbye with her daughter had been emotional, after the wedding they all went out to eat, and it took everything in her body to let Maria go that one last time.

“How? His hair?”

Amy laughed. “No. Madam Vivian. She told me when Maria was young, oh … just under six years old, that her lifeline ran in parallel with another … a commanding presence had awakened … her destiny, and that she would only be mine for a limited time. I obsessed for years that that meant she would die young, until the day I found Michael Guerin sleeping in her bed. That horrible moment, I understood that she carried two lifelines. Hers and his. It was terrible to realize in that moment, that I had spent over ten years waiting for him to appear, and now..., there he was.”

“You believe all they told us?”

Amy smiled, and nodded. “Oh yes. I lived it.”

“We’ll see them again.” Sean promised. So much of what happened that night at the UFO Center was finally making sense.

Amy smiled slowly, the tears still glistening in her eyes. “Oh, of that, I’m sure. I trust Michael to find a way.”

~~~

It was like a game. The flickering shadows on the walls and ceilings were cast there from the firelight. Sinking deeper into him, Maria moaned softly at the sensation of being held, feeling protected, and belonging as his large hand rested like a mitt across her stomach, holding her to him.

It wasn’t cold, but the fire gave a nice surrounding heat to the rustic cabin taking the bite of damp in the air from the lake, as the darkness of the enveloping woods cocooned them into their own world. The crackling of the fire joined the sounds of rustling sheets and soft moans as his hands cupped her from behind as he spooned up to her, molding his body to hers. Michael’s mouth moved slowly long the soft skin of her throat as his one hand cupped her breast and the hand on her stomach dropped lower, touching her intimately as she hissed a ‘yes’ encouraging him to touch her.

Maria’s one arm went up to reach behind her, to circle his head, holding him to her neck as his teeth nipped at the sensitive muscles of her neck. “Michael...,” she breathed throatily as her body moved sensually against him, opening up to allow his fingers to move deeper into her.

“Thought you were resting,” he whispered in her ear.

“Mmm...” Maria smiled to herself.

They were using a cabin on a lake close to Roswell. The cabin belonged to her mother’s friend, and they arrived eight hours ago in the Jetta and on the bike. They were to leave the Jetta there, and her cousin would retrieve it a week later. Michael had carried her into the cabin slamming the door with his foot, forgetting the groceries in the Jetta or anything else as clothes hit the floor and their mouths merged in a fierce mating frenzy, hands pushing away buttons and clothes both groaning at the instant their hands found flesh.

Four hours later, he emerged from the rustic cabin to unload the Jetta and start a fire while Maria slept. He soon rejoined her in the bed, liking the soft sound she made in her throat in her sleep as his colder skin touched hers. He made love to her again while she slept, waiting for the moment she woke to his touch and turned in his arms demanding more.

Maria turned her head to find him looking at her; watching her, watching the shadows play. His golden brown eyes were dark as he bent to kiss her, a small smile playing at his mouth as Maria audibly gasped, holding her breath in anticipation of the tender contact … the movement of his mouth on hers, that one moment would be a gentle touch of reverence to take off in a wild fire of pure passion. They had dispensed with words so long ago, using tactile expression instead … Michael, so much better with touch than words, taught her his language … the one he knew best.

She knew him now, his touch, his lips, and his eyes. The movement of expression across his face was an elegant soliloquy of love and devotion, one rarely spoken, but immeasurable felt as his emotions played along her spine and feeling him was more than a flash. Anticipating him was becoming a pleasurable game.

After the initial out of control passion, and frantic lovemaking, they later returned again to each other to make love slowly, using the gradual learning of years of foreplay, and intimate knowledge to enhance the nuances of the other’s desires. Maria knew that he liked it when she stroked the fine hair just below his bellybutton following with her mouth and nipping kisses to savor him in her mouth. He knew she found his hands fascinating, in the size and strength, contrasted by their gentle movement on her skin. She constantly admired the contrast between his skin and her own. He liked to touch her hair, weaving his fingers through the golden strands as he cradled her head next to his chest. Maria loved the feel of him wrapped around her, his commanding presence dominating her, and yet gentled into a protectiveness that took her breath away and sent her heart racing in her chest. Michael loved the feel of her in his mouth, the way she came apart under him with the whispery sounds of her literally praying his name.

Three years of slow mating created a deeper union, giving them a richness of understanding minus shyness of pretension. There was nothing, but each other and the feelings they shared completely. It was the smallest of touches, the tender sweep of feeling that carried the most weight.

Maria framed his face as she pulled back from the kissing panting harshly barely able to catch her breath. “Should I feed you?” she asked hoarsely.

Michael’s eyes darkened. “Yes.” A moan escaped from her when his mouth traveled down and latched onto a nipple. He blended just the right amount of suction with the tender scrape of his tongue. Oh wow!’ in wonder at her reaction to him. There was a rush of wetness between her legs as he moved downward feasting on her as his mouth savored her flesh and the intimate contact took on a new urgency.

Everything she felt for him was reflected in her unguarded face finally free of doubt and confusion to lay it all bare. He loved to watch her, knowing his ministrations were responsible for what he saw there, his heart open to her for the bravery she showed in not trying to hide it. A lifetime of painfully growing up, they both had come full circle to find themselves finally free of so much of their past, and comfortable in surviving what they would never forget.

“Maria … love …” The persistent ringing of a cell phone stopped him short as reality intruding into the safe world they had created. “Who?” Michael asked himself with pained irritation … who would intrude on their honeymoon, a time for them alone? Michael reached over to the bedside table where the cell phone resided and calmly melted it into a nice pile of plastic. It wasn’t like Maria needed her phone any longer. It would only be a way to track them.

“Please,” said Maria pulling him back to her as his attention quickly shifted back to what was important.

~~~

Liz disconnected the phone with a frown on her face.

“No answer?” Max asked.

“No.” Liz tapped the cell phone on her chin. “She’s been missing since the last meeting. She was very upset, but determined to let Michael go … to do what he felt was necessary.”

“Maybe she went to Las Cruces, to her mother’s place.”

“I should call, but what if she’s not there? I don’t want to get her mother all upset. I went by the house, and …”

“Liz, what’s bothering you?” Max asked. “When we stood around talking about leaving, you know that it was only Michael, us and Isabel that was targeted. We talked about leaving forever. When exactly did you think you would ever see Maria again?”

“I don’t know. I mean before, we were going to Northwestern, and Michael and Maria had big plans to move together. I guess I thought we’d keep in contact, that …” Liz rubbed her head. “I guess I didn’t really connect the dots that us leaving meant forever, and I brushed it off as if it was nothing but something between her and Michael. I didn’t think twice about it being about the two of us never seeing each other again.”

“Maybe she didn’t want to wait around to be the one left behind saying goodbye forever?” Max shrugged. “Look, tomorrow night is graduation. She’ll probably be there. You can talk to her then.” Max grabbed her. “Let’s talk about us.”

Liz listened as Max asked her to marry him, as he changed a piece of charcoal from the grill on her balcony into a diamond. It was the most romantic moment of her life, and after graduation, they were leaving to begin their lives together free of all the alien crap that plagued them for years.

~~~

It was raining. The rain started after midnight, and Michael glanced outside at the moon still shining through the clouds despite the rain. Pulling a naked Maria out of bed, they huddled in a blanket and ran together down to the lake. Laughing, Maria pulled him down to sit with her on the end of the pier as the rain softly saturated their blanket and skin as they huddled together for warmth.

The rain on the lake with the shining moonlight beat a path across the expanse of darkened great unknown. It was metaphoric of their lives, stretching out in front of them with tomorrow like the waters holding untold mysteries.

“Somewhere warm, I’m thinking.” Michael told Maria.

“What?”

“We should go somewhere warm. I was thinking tropical with warm nights, sex on the beach, and lots of sunshine.”

“Tropical?” Maria laughed shaking her head. “And, we pay for this how?”

“We hit a few casinos, collect the scratch, and then I say we go someplace like the British Virgin Islands or whatever. Live in the sunshine for a while.”

“We’ve been chasing the sun for a long time,” said Maria remembering all the times that Roswell became too much for them, and they ran away for a moment of freedom.

“I know. I was thinking of a nice long extended honeymoon.”

Kissing him, she giggled at the waterlogged blanket dumping water on him. “How long we talking, Spaceboy?”

Michael’s eyes went serious. “The rest of our lives.”

Maria blinked, her voice caught in her throat, as her eyes became bright. “I … I’d like that.” Maria reached up and framed his face. “I dreamt of you my entire life, even before I knew you. I dreamt of the possibility of you.”

“No dating sweaty high school boys?”

“Nope.” Maria stroked his cheek. “They weren’t you. Why would I settle for less? I was waiting for the extreme.”

Michael kissed her hard, and long holding her head tight as his mouth devoured hers. “I knew I could leave, but not without you, Maria. Never without you.” He felt a trickle of water down his back, and looked at the rain on the lake. “Time to get wet.”

“Michael? Michael …!” Maria saw the look in his eyes and squeaking, she tried to get away from him. It was the sound of her voice screaming his name as she hit the water as he tossed her in to quickly follow.

They played in the water getting drenched in the rain as they sprayed each other laughing. Michael dragged Maria out of the lake, and when he turned to retrieve the wet blanket, she pushed him back in before running off to the cabin. Michael caught her easily, catching her by her elbow.

Maria resisted and tried to pry her elbow out of his hand, but he only held her more firmly the meeting of their eyes knocking the wind from her lungs. He looked wild. Primitive. She could see a part of him that was Michael when he was king. Tomorrow she would have companion bruises on her body. Groaning, Maria kissed him passionately. She loved him a little out of control. She chanced a look up and his face contained the same expression that threw her on the bed and ravished her multiple times earlier that day. Oh. Her hands moved over the cold wet skin, as his mouth nipped at her neck.

Abruptly, Michael loosened his grip on her elbow. Maria opened her mouth in protest wanting his hands back on her. Whatever she was going to say was swallowed when he crushed her to him covering her open mouth with his.

He persuaded her to relax with a series of deep, drugging kisses that stole her strength as she clung to him. Her treacherous body responded immediately, severing all connection to coherent thought.

When he released her mouth holding her even closer she could only murmur, "No fair … no fair …" Maria’s nose thrust into his warm neck, amazed by how good he smelled. Michael took advantage of her distraction to move his mouth open, up her neck, as he tasted her skin. Since his experiences during Enigma, his senses were completely tuned to Maria. He could find her by touch in a dark room full of strangers, smell the scent of her skin from a distance, and if he closed his eyes he could recall the taste of her.

Michael pulled her head back by the hair to give himself better access to her mouth as he sucked, nibbled, and invaded her mouth with his. Slowly, he walked her backwards in to the warm cabin, his foot kicking the door closed again.

As they moved into the room, their hands were not gentle as Michael crushed her to him, mouth and tongue invading … demanding. Without knowing how they got there, he pushed her up against a bare wall.

His hands were moving over her in haste. All the while his mouth was on hers demanding, violently passionate, asking a question for which she had no answer except a deep moan. Maria ran her hands up his ribs over his shoulders touching him everywhere, her flesh to his. He answered the contact with a low growl.

They were rapidly losing connection with the civilized world. Every touch and feel felt primal, locked in sexual conquest, as he marked her as his, and she returned the favor.

Michael’s mouth left hers at last to taste the soft skin of her neck and moving lower to taunt a nipple with his hot mouth. Licking, kissing, and biting her until she cried out from the onslaught. He was doing such a thorough job of slowly moving over her, that Maria became impatient. She did the one thing she knew drove him crazy … she talked. A nice long stream of suggestions in his ear, most of them pretty graphic.

He grasped both wrists with one hand hauling them above her head. With his free arm he slid her up the wall until they were both at eye level. Pausing for a moment, he looked at her. His eyes were no longer their warm golden brown, but darkened to an almost black with passion. They were both breathing heavily as one watched the other.

“You wanted to do this before didn’t you?” Her voice was husky and knowing.

"Yes…" He drew it out in a harsh, grating affirmation. “What does it feel like, Maria? Are you afraid?”

He was in total control and she allowed it. Somehow she knew he needed this, needed to control her in this act because he was unable to get outside of it. There would always be a part of him, an alien part that rose to dominate his actions, and he needed her to understand it, not be afraid. Every action, every touch was an imprinting of him on her, and her to him. He was letting her completely inside, not hiding anything anymore, especially the raging needs that left him weak. Maria moved her hand over his skin watching the range of emotion on his face. They were becoming one person.

“No, I’m not afraid,” she told him quietly her brilliant green eyes meeting his stormy ones. He needed this, a mating. Since his bout as king and the time he drank alcohol, his senses remained heightened. He was slowly and torturously mapping her smell, taste, touch, sounds, and the very sight of her. “You feel like home to me. I feel you like electricity in an approaching storm, and I want to feel you over me … in me, like a saturating rain.”

What she said was the right answer. He growled deep in his throat, and a slight smile moved over his mouth as he took her permission to be himself as permission to push her wherever he wanted to go. There was also something freeing in giving up control to him. When he lifted her up a little more, pinning her to the wall as he penetrated. Maria was lost for a moment in the feelings unable to separate herself from him, and she screamed his name from pleasure, pain, and submission.

Michael paused a moment, but Maria’s hands moved over him, demanding he come back to her, so groaning he did her bidding. Maria came quicker than Michael as the orgasm hit her strong, dark, and all consuming. Michael’s body disappeared from her awareness as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her, leaving her disjointed and pliable. Michael thrust into her loose body, frustrated that she was no longer with him as he felt the orgasm move through her. It should’ve been enough, but it wasn’t.

Michael pulled her off the wall and down on the floor in front of the fire on a throw rug. It was warm and snug in comparison to the damp rain, and their skin dried. Opening her up to him, his mouth and hands roamed over her body, until his mouth found hers again. Maria kissed him passionately, pulling back, she stared into his face.

“Michael, god …” Maria sat up and quickly sat in his lap taking him back inside as her legs wrapped around him and her arms tightened around his neck. Their heads came together, both of them panting as her hand moved down his front where they were joined and she lifted herself to lower herself back down on him as Michael groaned his appreciation.

The pace slowed becoming long and languishing, drawn out as it turned, picking up speed and passion as their mouths mated with their bodies. Michael lifted Maria off him, and turning her, pushing her front and face to the carpet, he entered her again from behind, his larger body completely covering her as his mouth moved up her back in sucking kisses, one hand on her hip, and the other at her shoulder bracing her as his sweaty skin slid against her in a primal rutting behavior. He loved the power of completely covering her, surrounding her with his body.

He came hard and fast inside of her. The power of it carried Maria with him to come again and again until she couldn’t even feel her heart beating. She shook her head trying to clear it as she began to think he was going to murder her with pleasure.

Afterward Maria collapsed forward and he followed her, his body still covering her; his heart pounding into her upper back as he bit down on the back of her neck, gently … not breaking skin.

It was a long time before either of them could move. Maria’s first coherent thought was that the bed was too far away. Her body hurt, and felt good at the same time. It seemed that he had left a mark in every spot he had been. And there was still a lot of area for him to cover.

At last Michael regained his feet. Stooping, he picked her up and carried her to the bed as Maria tucked her face into his neck. Michael tilted the side of his face and head to cover hers, as if protecting her.

He spooned up to her falling almost immediately to sleep. His body was heavy and he sprawled out on her, his head resting against her breasts as her hands gentled him to sleep, her fingers moving through his sweaty hair. Hers. He was hers, and there was nothing she wanted more.

Michael couldn’t say what woke him. Maybe it was the light of day, or the pull of her fingers stroking him, but he suspected it was the deepseated hunger eating at him. He forgot to eat yesterday, so busy with being with her that they never fed, except on each other.

Maria suddenly became aware that he was awake. When she glanced down he was watching her, making sure she was okay. His hand came up to trace her lips with his fingertip, a soft light in his eyes.

“Hungry?”

“Famished.”

A slow smile moved over his face lightening it into an uncharacteristic youthful look. “I’ll fight you for a bag of Cheese Doodles.”

Laughing, they raced each other to the food supplies they had brought, and sitting on the bed, they ate through everything from chips to chocolate, refueling empty energy reserves.

“What time is it?”

“Late.” Maria glanced at the clock. “We slept away the entire morning. It’s after four right now.”

“Graduation is tonight.” Michael covered his chocolate bar with Tabasco. “You regret not staying for it?”

“Hmm?” Maria seemed to give it some thought. “I don’t know. Let’s see. Getting married to you and having my mom and Sean there. An entire day of sex followed by a night of more. Or … I could’ve gone to graduation and received a piece of paper that means nothing since I can never be Maria DeLuca again in this lifetime. What do you think?”

“How about Maria Guerin?”

Maria brushed his hair off his face. “Okay.”

Michael took her hand, and kissed the rings he put there. “I have to tell you, Maria.”

“Yes?”

Michael breathed in deeply. “Sometimes there’s something dark inside me … something that needs to be fed. I don’t know if it’s Rath or if it’s a leftover from Hank, but when I see you … I feel a peace, a calmness. But that darkness, it never really goes away. With you, it usually gets turned into a raging jealousy.”

“You have nothing to be jealous about.” Maria reassured him.

“I know. I don’t mean another man or anything like that. But … yesterday, when we married, I felt …” Michael shook his head. “Relieved? Like I thought … ‘Good, now she’s completely mine.’ I honestly didn’t know I needed you to be only mine.”

“I think of you as mine too.” Maria pointed out, not wanting him to think he was an aberration.

“Not like this, Maria. I’ve been jealous of your relationships, your mom, cousin, Billy, Liz, your love of Alex, Max, and even your music. I selfishly only want your attention on me, and nothing else. Yesterday when I said ‘I do’ I knew we were leaving together, forever, and all I could think of was how I finally won, that I finally had you all to myself.”

“And leaving before graduation was that?” Maria frowned trying to understand what was troubling him exactly. Her stomach turned to mush at the depth of her emotions for him. “What? Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve chosen you easily.”

“I didn’t tell you because I wanted us out of there immediately. I didn’t want to wait twelve days, being spied on by the Special Unit as they slowly realized that you needed to be added to that list. I wanted to be gone. I wanted you out of harm’s way. I swear, Maria … if one agent placed a hand on you, I would blow up this world to kingdom come.”

Maria was deep in thought, her mind was moving over the future, their future. Most of it was full of Michael, but a part of it was grim when considering his possessive problems.

“Michael, how much do I need to worry about this jealousy thing? Is it going to be this huge problem for us?”

“I don’t know.”

Mara nodded her eyes serious. “I need to know, because not today, not even in the next few years nothing is going to change between us. But …” Maria took a deep breath. “In five to ten years, I want a baby with you.” Michael sat up straighter at that admission. “I don’t know if our lifestyle will allow it, but I want them. More than one. I need to know if this jealousy is going to be a problem with your own children.”

Michael’s hands went to her slim waist, and he bent his head to rest on her stomach. He shook his head before glancing up at her. “That’s never going to be a problem,” he promised. His children. He could never be jealous of his own children. In fact, he’d be equally possessive of them as well. Even mentioning them, even in a future tense, made him hungry to see them, to see her carrying them. Waiting five years, now that could be a problem.

Maria framed his face kissing his mouth softly. “Then we don’t have a problem.”

It was getting late. They were lying in bed, replenished from the food, and talking softly to each other about their future, making plans. Michael wanted to be away from the Roswell area before time was up, before the UFO Convention. They decided to leave immediately.

Maria lay against him watching as his hands moved over the card, the tarot card that Madam Vivian gave him. The Lovers.

“What’s wrong?”

Michael shrugged. He glanced at the card. “I didn’t need the card to remind me about love … about you. I thought she could see how much you were already in me.”

“What did she say, Michael?”

“Something bad was about to happen. Very bad. And there was only one way to keep it from happening. I must believe in the love.” Michael turned the card over in his hand. “She said I must believe in love to survive.”

“Do you? Do you believe in love, Michael?”

“I believe in you. I love you.”

“I know you do, but I’m not the only thing you love, honey.” Maria pointed out.

Of course she was right. “I know but …”

Maria sensed his problem. He wanted to know that the others were okay, that they made it out, but she was his major concern. Getting her free of Roswell, away from harm was more important to him.

“I’d want to go just as much if you were there too,” she said. “You’re not there, and neither am I, but they are. We love them too.”

“Would you walk away without looking back … never knowing?” His voice was far away, sad. “Would you really?” He was quiet, patiently waiting for an answer. He wanted to know if she would pick him exclusively.

“Yes. I would stay away and never know … for you. If that was what you needed.” Maria stroked his face tenderly. “I love the others, but I love you … am in love with you.” This was the plain and unvarnished truth. “I’m only in love with you.”

A smile spread across his beautiful serious face, and he hugged her so tight she could barely breathe. “I’ve always loved you,” he whispered. “It’s always been you. Always.” Michael framed her face and kissed her hard, then gentled the kiss to a long sucking draw of breath. “From the moment you invited me in from the rain, and held me … I was a refugee from an abusive life I couldn’t escape, not physically and never mentally, and yet you touched me, and I knew … Maria, I knew it would be okay. Your touch was the first touch of love I ever felt, the first touch that didn’t hurt. It took away so much, because you gave it freely, never demanding anything back. I was so lost in you from that day, that I never looked back. Your touch was all that I craved.”

“You stayed with me.” Maria said, awe in her voice at how long ago it all began between them, how it grew almost unaware, but still it grew strong.

“Yes. I found myself finding ways to sleep with you … to be near, just so I could feel your body next to mine. For a long time, I didn’t care that it was platonic. I needed your touch, and I was leaving, so I never asked or dreamed of more.”

“But you stayed.”

“I stood there ready to leave forever, and all I could feel was the last time I touched you, felt your hands on me, and I knew I would never feel that again.” Michael kissed her eyes. “I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t go back to living the way I did before you, so I stayed.”

Maria picked up The Lovers card. “This isn’t over yet.”

“No.” Michael got out of bed and held out his hand. “C’mon. We both have to know they’re safe. Let’s get it over with so we can finally go.”

~~~

On the way back outside of Roswell, Michael and Maria were on the bike at the side of the road as a convoy of black cars headed into town through the night. Maria’s hands tightened on Michael as they stared after the convoy for a moment. Michael nodded kicking the bike into high gear as they raced to find the others.

That evening, in the auditorium at West Roswell High, the graduating class of 2002 sat in their bright red robes, smiling, laughing, and applauding as a couple of graduating seniors left the dais. The mood was light and happy as parents watched their children, and the graduates were looking at life outside of high school. Liz frowned at the missing Maria, but she glanced at Max and smiled shyly. No one could be more stunned than the group as the guest speaker was announced, a three-time Hugo Award winner for excellence in science fiction, and an international best-selling author, Bryce McCain.

As everyone else applauded and cheered, the author walked out on stage. Liz’s face paled as she saw him … the man in her vision standing as he had before, not days away at the UFO Convention, but there at that moment. She had made a mistake. They all had. Max, Liz, Isabel, Jesse, and Kyle stared, stunned as the man's identity sank in. They exchanged desperate, frightened looks with each other.

Finally Max took a course of action. Going up to the dais, he sent the speaker away as trained gunmen targeted the group. Max used his powers to turn off the lights of the auditorium leaving only one spotlight on himself. Liz, Kyle, and Isabel slipped away as they were lost in the dark. Isabel paused long enough to hug her parents and return her wedding rings to Jesse. They slipped outside leaving Max talking, all of them shocked when a hand grabbed them.

Maria. She motioned for them to follow closely as she led them outside to the waiting Cheville that Michael had started. Not looking back, she got into the car with the others and raced to the meeting place - the destroyed pod chamber.

In the auditorium, Max continued the distraction as they got away.

“I'm a member of that group of … outsiders.” Max confessed knowing those who hunted him already knew the truth. “I always knew I was different … and for a long, long time, all I wanted was to be another face in the crowd, but in the end … it wasn't possible.” Max paused swallowing nervously. “I guess it never was. So from now on, I'll just concentrate on being who I really am. Some of you might not like that.” Max said anger growing in his voice as the spoke to the darkness, to those prepared to kill him. “Some of you might even find that frightening.” He looked up into the darkness again, an edge of anger in his voice. “But that's not my problem anymore. I have to be who I really am … and let fate take care of the rest. So … thank you, Roswell. Thank you for … for letting me live among you.” Max looked out into the audience at his parents, and was now on the verge of tears. “Thank you for giving me a family. Thank you for giving me a home.” Diane Evans put a hand over her mouth, and Philip comforted her.

The Special Unit men burst in through the door of the auditorium as they moved into position to take Max. The sniper began to squeeze the trigger, but suddenly the auditorium was flooded with blinding bright light. A motorcycle roared down the aisle and bounced up the stairs onto the dais.

Michael yelled at Max. “Let's go!!”

Max jumped onto the motorcycle behind Michael, and they roared off down the aisle, bowling over the Special Unit group, breaking open the doors of the auditorium, and racing off down the dark halls into the night.

~~~

One last time, the group gathered near the ruins of the pod chamber. Michael and Max had just arrived, and they were walking together toward the others. Liz, Isabel, Kyle, and Maria were all leaning against the car. All were back in plain clothes as they discarded their robes. Maria was standing at a short distance away from the others, waiting for Michael to finish.

“Modesty prevents me from taking a bow.” Michael told his brother and sister as both Max and Isabel smiled at him. Max walked over to stand by Liz.

“They probably don't know anything about you, Kyle.” Liz pointed out. “You could still go back.”

Kyle sighed shaking his head. “Even if by some miracle they haven't put me together with the rest of you guys, there's still the little matter of my latent alien powers. Someday I'll be buzzing and crackling like tin foil in a microwave, and I'd just as soon be with my own kind when it happens.”

Michael made a face as he reached out his arm inviting Maria to join him. “Does he really get to start referring to us as his 'own kind'?” Max opened his mouth to respond, but couldn’t find words. Only a few days from Michael, and he already missed him.

“I'm not going back, either.” Maria told the others as she joined them.

“No?” Liz smiled, but wondered where Maria had been, and how she came to be with Michael, whom they all thought had gone.

“No.” Maria looked up at Michael. “My future's here.”

“Maria and I got married the other day. We went to Las Cruces and told her mother the truth, then we tied the knot.” They ignored the others as Michael picked up her left had with the gold wedding band and diamonds, and kissed the back of it.

“We sort of interrupted our honeymoon to come back for you, but Spaceboy couldn’t sleep. He was getting all cranky-like and colicky. He said you were sure to mess things up, so we hurried back so he could pull your fat out of the fire … again.” Maria said with a tongue in her cheek as Michael pinched her side before studying her. She was teasing, but there was a truth to what she said. He smiled, pulling her to him and kissing her tenderly on the forehead, tucking her close to him where she belonged.

“So now we're six.” Max concluded.

“Like I said, you're gonna need a van.” Michael told Max. “But you’re wrong. There are only four of you. Maria and I aren’t coming.” Before the others could protest there was a sudden glare of headlights as an old VW van came roaring up to where they were standing. It screeched to a halt in front of them. Immediately, Michael, Max, and Isabel put up their hands, ready to use their powers to defend the group. The other stood back.

Jesse scrambled out of the van, putting his hands up defensively, talking fast. “Look, just wait -wait! Don't - don't shoot, or, or blast, or whatever it is you do, o-okay?”

Isabel ran up and wrapped Jesse a tight embrace. “Jesse …”

“I'm goin' with you.” Jesse told Isabel speaking in her hair as he hugged her.

Isabel pulled away tearfully. “No … Jesse, you can’t.”

“To hell with Boston, an' - an' to hell with a career and a normal life, whatever that is. I love you. That's all that matters to me.”

Isabel looked at him with sad tenderness. “The fact that you would come here, and you're willing to do this... It means more to me than you’ll ever know, but I can’t let you do it.”

“Isabel …”

“No!” Isabel moved away from him. “I dragged you into this whole thing without ever telling you the truth, and it was wrong … and the only way to make it right is to let you go.” Jesse shook his head no. “So, go. Go to Boston. Start over. Just … have the life that you were supposed to have before you met me.”

“I'm not going without you.”

“You have to.”

Jesse stared at her intensely, but her resolve was absolute. “Will you come back to me?” He asked his eyes bright with tears.

“I’ll keep praying … that someday it will be safe enough.”

“Well … I'm going to count on that.” He took her hand and put the rings back on her finger, then kissed her hand as they shared one last desperate hug.

Isabel was crying. “I love you...,” she sobbed before kissing him, and they walked away from each other.

The group went to get in the van, and Michael and Maria stood at his bike. Max paused looking back at the two. “Michael, you and Maria, you could come with us. You don’t have to go alone.”

Michael held Maria tight to his chest. He was tempted, but he shook his head. “No. We’re better on our own. Driving off in a broken down van with a Roswell bumpersticker is hardly blending in. They’ll be looking for six. I always thought it was better we go as individuals anyway.”

Liz and Maria stared at each other for a moment, before they left Max and Michael to hug. There was nothing they could say. So they hugged and then stepped back. Liz picked up Maria’s hand and stared at the wedding rings.

“Max asked me to marry him last night,” she told Maria.

“Congratulations … I wish …” Maria shrugged. She couldn’t be there, no more than Liz could have been at her wedding. Things had changed, and this was something they never imagined. Neither of them ever imagined a life without the other … without Alex.

“Me too,” Liz sniffed. “He took a charcoal from the grill and made a diamond when he proposed.”

“That’s so romantic.” Maria squeezed Liz’s hand, happy that Liz was getting everything she wanted. Maria glanced at Max, and for the first time in a really long time, she smiled at him … the girl who once was his friend was back. Making Liz happy was a step in mending fences with Maria, and promising to keep her forever was all he ever needed to do to get Maria on his side again. “I finally discovered where all Spaceboy’s money was going from Meta-Chem. He was using it for payments on the rings. I guess I’ll forgive him for all the times I had to pay the utility bill.”

Liz shook her head in wonder. That long ago? Michael watched them with a strange look on his face … almost hungry, and Liz hugged Maria one last time before stepping back pushing Maria towards her husband. Michael easily reached out and brought her back where she belonged. They watched as Max, Isabel, Liz and Kyle climbed into the van leaving Jesse the Cheville. Michael and Maria stood together as the van drove off into the night.

~~~

As the group was driving away in the van, they saw a police vehicle with its lights flashing, blocking the narrow dirt road. They stopped the van, looking at each other worriedly, trying to see what was happening. Finally, Kyle got out of the van and hesitantly walked towards the officer standing beside the police car. As Kyle got closer, the officer tipped his hat and Kyle smiled when he saw his father, Jim Valenti.

“I hear I missed quite a ceremony.” Jim said to his son.

Kyle laughed as he scratched the back of his head. “I don't … think they're gonna … forget … the class of 2002.” Kyle checked out his father’s attire. “That's a nice outfit … Deputy.”

“Yeah,” Jim looked down at himself. “Yeah, well, when you're startin' over, you've gotta start somewhere, right?”

“Right.”

“I, ah … I won't ask you where you're goin', so I can honestly say I don't know, but I can tell you there are a lot of people looking for you … an' right now they think you're headed south to Mexico.”

“Why do they think that?” Kyle asked.

Jim shrugged, taking his usual role as protector to the teens. “I guess they got an anonymous tip.” Jim smiled. “I can get you to Arizona, then you're on your own.” Kyle nodded appreciating his father’s help and blessings. “I mean, you're really on your own.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Jim was choked up over having to let his son go. “It's the least I could do.”

“I mean … thanks for …” Kyle couldn’t find the words. “Just … thanks.”

Jim took off his hat and moved forward to give Kyle a hug goodbye. They were both choking back tears, crying.

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too.” Jim kissed his son, and Kyle finally stepped away to walk off.

“Goodbye … all right …” Kyle nodded, and turned to go. Jim watched, grieved, as his son goes back to get in the van ready to embark on the rest of his life without him.

~~~

As they drove into the night, the van raced the long span of deserted highway through the desert towards Arizona and beyond. The Deputy’s car left them miles back, making a U-turn to Roswell, blinking his lights one last time. Liz drove in silence as she constructed a letter to her father in her head, along with her journal to tell him the truth … her truth and that of her future husband.

Roswell was over. So that was the end. What a long strange trip it had been. Would they ever go back? Liz didn’t know, even she couldn’t see everything in the future. All she knew was that she was with the man he loved, and she was happy.

As the van continued its lonely journey, a motorbike caught up to it on the long stretch of highway. It pulled around them to speed on out of sight as Michael and Maria chased the sun to Sin City where their journey was waiting to begin, leaving the old van with a bumper sticker that said, “Thank you for visiting Roswell” with a small picture of a flying saucer on it, in their dust.

~The End~