PART 12

Alex and Isabel

Before they left the Department, Max and Michael stopped to check up on the lab boys. They were still chuckling over scaring the crap out of Kenny Price. What a prick! Just for being super stupid, obnoxious, and creepy, they decided to keep him on their list. Max asked Michael how Maria was doing over Dianne's death, and Michael just shrugged. Maria was keeping things close to her chest, not giving out much. Michael knew that eventually it would all cascade out of control.

"Simon, do your boys or the lab technos have anything for us?" Michael asked as they entered the room. A small group of technicians was standing around the computer trying to make comments or suggestions.

"Guerin! We've been working on the computer all morning. The system is totally trashed. The entire hard drive appears to have been degaussed." Simon stopped to talk to a technician and they appeared to be arguing.

Max and Michael looked at each other. This confirmed their worst suspicions. Dianne had found or located information that was a danger to the killer. Cassie reported to them all the information they had dug up, and told them that hardcopies existed. But there were no hardcopies retrieved from the scene.

They stayed for only a little longer before they headed home. Max looked over at Michael and frowned. The whole tossing a University official, and then threatening him if he in any way, shape, or form harmed, caused harm, or caused a single tear to be shed by one Maria DeLuca, then he would be having a visit from one Michael Guerin was a surprise. Whatever had happened between the two the day before was obviously fixed.

When Max returned home, he was surprised to see Isabel dressed and ready to go out. Usually she waited a little later than four in the afternoon to take off for the night.

"Iz? You're not going out? I'm home tonight, and I was hoping we could do something. Maybe go out for dinner?"

Isabel looked at Max and frowned. She had plans. After learning more about Michael and his new relationship, and seeing Michael so incredibly upset last night Isabel had made some decisions. She was going to confront Alex Whitman...no more cat and mouse games. It was time to get on with it.

"I can't, Max." Isabel felt bad. Max had always supported her completely. She had run through her inheritance in no time flat and then started eating away at Max's too. Despite all the things he did, all the sacrifices they made, they were becoming increasingly out of touch. Isabel knew it was her fault. She was practicing a lifestyle he couldn't understand, support, or even try. They were growing farther and farther apart.

"Isabel..."

"I've got to go." Before Max could stop her, she was out the door. Max went to the living room window and looked out across Roswell. With Michael involved and busy, Isabel off doing what she did, Max suddenly felt incredibly alone.

Max went over, picked up his address book, and flipped through it. Hesitating for a few moments, he asked himself what it was about him that made it impossible for him to stand his own company. Taking the phone, he made the call.

"Hi, Lisa? It's Max Evans. I was wondering if you were busy tonight." Max paused and listened to the woman he had dated a few times, but not seriously. "Great! How do you feel about dinner, and an art opening at the Civic Center? Okay I'll pick you up by seven..."

After Max hung up the phone, he thought about what Michael said. He did find fault in every woman he dated, never finding a reason to commit. Max went and poured himself a half a beer and sat down for a moment to drink. Women like Dianne Forrester, and even Maria DeLuca were outside his range. They were the type of women a man wanted to keep. Max always made sure to date only women looking for a good time, maybe interested in a light affair that might go somewhere, but not ones that were the kind that tied a man up inside with thinking about them. Liz Parker was one of those women. She didn't look like she understood what it meant to just live in the moment and not get all trapped up in the emotion.

So despite his fascination with her, his wanting to understand that look of otherworldliness she seemed to have, he never bothered to pursue her. Liz Parker had too much baggage, she was too much of an investment, and more than Max could afford at this time. Taking care of Isabel was already hard enough, but to exchange a guardianship of one for another was beyond his abilities. Until Max could make a commitment, she was a definite miss. Seeing her with Sean DeLuca was driving him crazy. Sean wasn't a serious man, a man that would give Liz forever. Sean was all wrong, almost as wrong as Max.

What Michael didn't understand, was that it wasn't the women who were wrong. It was Max. He wasn't looking for forever, just for a temporary fix, a few moments of pleasure, of pretending that he was happy and alive, and then to move on. Staying attached and in one place too long caused problems. Building relationships that were dependent on one another caused problems. When something happened, like the death of a beloved person or parent, then what? Max never saw his sleeping around as just another variation of what Isabel did, but in the light of day, it was a harsh reality almost impossible to ignore.

Thinking of Maria DeLuca suddenly, Max felt that twinge in his stomach, a forbidden feeling, as if somehow if he let himself, he could fall for her. It was obvious that she only had eyes for Michael, and that she didn't really see him.

Max knew he could never do anything to jeopardize his relationship with his partner. Maria DeLuca was threatening to become a major fascination, and no matter how he looked at it, or turned it around, he was becoming obsessed with finding someone just like her.

Michael let himself into the loft through the garage expecting to find Maria still working on his car. When he entered the loft, he stood shocked at the flurry of activity. There were about half a dozen young adults moving around running power cords across the room, setting up a few large tables, and phone lines. Michael counted three computers.

Maria was busy talking to a group of people, and Michael just watched her. She was still pale, and her voice raised and then lowered unnaturally. The slight tremble in her hand that worried him the most. She wasn't going to stop. He just knew that if she slowed down, sat still for a moment, that it would hit. Dianne would come rushing in and she would lose it.

Going over to her, Michael imposed himself between her and the few students. Maria finally looked at him and frowned. Suddenly her face cleared, as she seemed to recognize him.

"Michael."

"Wha’cha doing, Professor?" Michael pointed look at the group of people just as the doorbell rang.

"Maria! Food delivery!" The young man said who answered the door.

"Hold that thought, I'll be right back." Maria went over to the door and let the three deliverymen in carrying containers of foiled food. "Just set them up on the kitchen bar. Tony, did you bring calamari? I told Mario to make two antipasto platters. Now I think I should have told him three..."

"He made you three, also two seafood ones, a veggie, and three lasagnas. He also sent his homemade ravioli fresh from the oven backed in special cheese sauce. The salads are over there, and fresh bread, bread sticks, and garlic cheese bread." The man handed her an order form. Maria quickly checked it over and signed her name taking her receipt.

"Thank him for me!" Maria walked the men out as the entire students made their way to the large quantities of food, and began making up plates of it.

"Professor!" Maria turned back to Michael and nodded, stopping to tell the student where drinks were and headed upstairs towards her bedroom with Michael on her heels. "Okay, what's going on?"

Maria sat down on the bed and took a deep breath. After Michael left a few hours ago, she checked her email. She had been shaking inside since.

"After you left, and Sean was still sleeping, I decided to check my email. Dianne had emailed me all the research she had received." Michael swore under his breath and sat next to her. "She sent me a message. It was time coded at one in the morning."

Michael didn't like the way her voice was wavering, quickly pulling her into his arms; he could feel the deep tremors. Picking her up, he took her into the bathroom and started a hot bath. "Okay...it's okay...you don't have to tell me what she said. The killer wiped her computer, and they must know we could find the information again. They just wanted to stall us. This will help."

Maria's teeth were chattering. "She wrote me. I was the last person she ever talked to by email. Oh god, she wanted to know if you were into threesomes, being that you were so "godlike"." Maria started to laugh, and then with a hiccup, a sob left her body as she began to shake.

Sh-it! Michael tossed off his shoes and climbed into the bath in his clothes quickly removing his shoulder holster and gun putting it on the bath next to them, grabbing her body close to him. Dammit, all this repressed sorrow was doing her nothing but damage. She needed to cry, to find some outlet instead of letting it rack her insides apart.

"Maria?" Michael heard Sean's voice in the bedroom.

"Sean!" Michael called him as he held her. It wasn't as bad as when she saw the Kovitch murder scene pictures, but it was close. He needed to get her warm and calm and talking.

Sean came in and saw them in the bath, and started to cuss. "What the hell is going on? Who are all these people, and why are you bathing in your clothes? Maria..." Sean finally saw her face and stopped talking. Looking at Michael, he quickly turned to get something hot, hot tea.

Michael's brows flexed in confusion. Sean still looked sick, and from all his sleeping, he still looked like he needed more. This case, the stress, and even Dianne's death was hitting him hard. When Sean returned he passed Michael a cup of hot tea laced with lots of sugar and a finger of scotch. He handed Michael two sleeping tablets from his private reserve. He used them when he was on long stretches in Vice, and came home in the middle of day and couldn't sleep because of the light and noise. Sean watched Michael feed her the tablets and the tea speaking in low soothing tones.

"She needs to learn to cry instead of bottling it all up inside." Sean said looking at his cousin resting against Michael, her body shaking. He had slept through all the chaos downstairs. "Who are all these people?"

"No clue. I went out to take care of an interview and just got back to an invasion." Michael gently wiped Maria's face reaching down to kiss her head, and then her pale lips. Sean cussed under his breath. He slept through all that! Michael had left Maria because he was home, but he wasn't in any shape to take care of her. Here she was almost in shock again and breaking into pieces. Worthless f-uck, this had to end soon!

Michael looked over helplessly when Sean suddenly stood up and barely made it to the toilet before he was violently ill. Sh-it, the man was shaking so hard his hand could hardly hold him over the toilet bowl as he dry heaved. What the f-uck was up with him?

"Sean? Sh-it, I think you need to go to the doctor's office. You look like crap. You usually look like crap, but this is major crap!" Michael said trying to lighten the moment.

"A-sshole! Man, I feel like I have mono or something. Real weak, and I swear my heart feels like it is pounding out of my chest. The nausea is okay unless I eat, then it's worse. I threw up blood earlier."

Michael looked at the man. He looked like he was in pain. "I'll call Max to come get you. He'll take you to the doctor."

"No. I'm fine. I think it's passing. Maria is my major concern right now." Sean got up on shaky legs and went to rinse out his mouth and wash his face. Michael looked down and found Maria sleeping against him.

"Sean, are you steady enough to grab me a bath sheet?" Sean nodded and took it over to Michael as the man stood up with Maria in his arms. Sean tried to avoid checking out his cousin's naked body. God she was so small. He didn't know how much more she could take before it broke her to pieces, or she perforated an ulcer. Michael took her into the bedroom and put her to bed, quickly covering her with the quilt as Sean brought a few more blankets over.

"Do you need to borrow some clothes?" Sean checked out Michael's soaking clothes doubting he really had much that would fit Michael's larger frame.

"No problem. I've got some here." Sean's eyebrow went up at that. Since when did he start moving clothes over here? Sean watched as Michael opened up a drawer and took out a Roswell PD t-shirt, and a pair of sweat pants. He quickly took off his clothes and put on the dry ones, using the towel he had covered Maria in to wipe off the moisture. Taking his wet clothes back into the bathroom to drape them over the shower door, and retrieve his gun and holster, Michael used a towel to wipe up the water on his way back to the bedroom. Sean watched him cleaning up the water and then hanging the towel over the balcony railing to dry.

Damn. Michael Guerin obviously didn't feel the need to wear underwear! Sean whistled under his breath when Michael went into the bathroom. Double damn! He guessed it was only fair after he had flashed Michael with his naked body the other night, but seeing Guerin's package up close was a shocker. Sean was suddenly experiencing penis envy. Damn, it wasn't even...Sean just shook his head. He needed his brain washed out, all he could think of was his tiny cousin and that monster and...he just shook his head again. Some things were better not to even contemplate.

"Sean, I'm going to go downstairs to find out what the hell is going on. Why don't you lie down on the bed next to Maria, keep an eye on her, and rest?" Sean groaned, and normally he would've refused, but in truth, the smell of food from downstairs was making his stomach rock and pitch again. So instead, he just acknowledged Michael's request and stretched out on the bed. Michael wasn't surprised when he was asleep almost immediately.

Alex saw her immediately. He didn't know how she got into the club before opening hours. The bartender was setting up bar for the night and restocking. He saw Alex and nodded his head towards Isabel. Alex acknowledged the nod, and quickly went to find his band member Freddie.

A few moments later, he returned to the main bar, and the bartender discreetly found something to do in the back stock areas. Isabel sat there sipping on a dry martini and munching on extra olives. Sensing someone watching her, she turned to see Alex just standing there with his hands on his waist looking at her.

Isabel smiled large and turned in her seat to see him fully. He looked so wonderful in nothing but a pair of tight jeans and a t-shirt, his hair unruly, and his face unshaved. She liked his hair curled at his neck and behind his ears. The dark color offset the glint of metal from his earrings.

"Alex!"

"Isabel." Alex sighed and decided to get it over with. "What are you doing here? It's not bar hours yet. This place can't serve until posted hours. It's against the law."

Isabel smiled at that. "What do you know about the law?"

"I own the club. Knowing about the law and liquor regulations is what keeps this place open, and only raided a few times a year." Alex didn't like giving out that much information about himself, but he was going to get up close and personal with her real soon, so he might as well come clean.

"You own Club Hell! That's priceless. I love this place. I come here all the time."

"Yeah, I know. I think you're determined to make me a rich man before I'm thirty." Alex had set a limit to her drinks just recently. He didn't mind people coming to party in his place, but he didn't believe in taking money off people and then sending them out to die in cars on their way home.

"I thought the other guy we talked to the other night was the owner."

"Actually, he's the manager. He runs the place, does the ordering, hiring and firing. I just watch from the stage." Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, lighting up. "I noticed you here the other night talking to Sly." He noticed a lot more than her socializing with a hardcore dealer, because she was impossible to ignore.

"Yeah, he's okay." Isabel was cautious about mentioning what Sly did for her.

"He's not okay, and he's not supposed to be dealing in my club. Look Isabel, I don't care what you do for entertainment, but I don't like to see hardcore drugs done in my club. I have my people watching for creeps who use Ecstasy, Rohypnol, and other substances to entrap people. I'd don't allow hard drug use in my club, even though drugs do find a way in here. If we can catch it, we usually close it down immediately." Alex looked at her and felt something close to pity. This was going to be hard.

"I'm sorry! I didn't..." Alex cut her off.

"My people party. They do some sh-it, but nothing hard, nothing so abusive it takes away your life. I know you're trying to get into the inner circle, close..." Alex paused not wanting to sound too knowledgeable or even self-assured. He wasn't sure she could take it in her condition. "I left orders that you're a no-admit."

Isabel could feel her blood draining from her body. Guess she had her answer. He didn't like her, because he didn't like her. Simple.

"I'm sorry...I'll go." Isabel reached for her stuff, but he stopped her. He needed to treat her rough and cruelly, but Alex wasn't a man that believed in kicking wounded animals.

"Do you want to know why I ordered you off? Do you want to know why all staff and band members keep clear of you?" Isabel just shook her head no. She didn't want to hear the cruel mean words. Men had said worse to her in the past six years, but nothing as cruel as she said to herself. Somehow, she just knew that words from Alex's mouth would be the worst. They would somehow really mean something.

Alex ignored her protest and told her anyway. Sometimes the only way to cure an illness was to lance it, to cut into the festering underbelly and cut away the disease. "I didn't want to see you whoring it up with my people. I didn't want you doing it with me!" Alex watched her get up and run, and he pursued her. When she was close to the wall, he reached her and pushed her up hard against it moving into her personal space.

"Leave me alone!" Isabel was upset, positive that having him abuse her would break her, be something she couldn't forget or survive.

"No!" Alex's voice lowered. "No. No, Isabel. I will not leave you alone. You asked for this, moved in for it, wanted it for so long...why should I deny you? You wanted me, didn't you?"

Isabel wanted to say no. She wanted to lie, to wipe the self-assured, confident look off his face. He was a man too much in control of his world. She hated him for the strength she saw in him, the strength that mocked her weakness. She couldn't face him this way continuing to be weak so she admitted the terrible sin. "Yes, yes I wanted you!"

Alex moved in, his voice getting even lower as he moved his body hard up against her, letting her feel how aroused he was with their tryst, how much she really could affect him. Almost against his will, he licked the side of her neck and went to nuzzle the area behind her ear.

Isabel felt the breath move from her body in gasping pants as he continued to move up into her body pushing her harder and harder against the wall. She was confused, perplexed by him. He was so different from the men she usually pushed. "I don't..." Isabel closed her eyes and leaned her head back giving him more room to move his mouth on her. Gulping big, she tried to formulate a thought, a complete idea. "I don't understand!"

Alex pulled away and looked at her with eyes raging with emotions she couldn't understand. "No! NO, you don't! And that is why you were banned." Alex pulled away from her telling himself to do what he must before he became trapped by her. This wasn't going to happen.

"Alex, what's the matter?" Isabel persisted, following Alex as he moved away, putting a concerned hand on his bare arm moving her other hand up his naked back under his t-shirt. "What did I do wrong?"

Alex groaned, feeling his senses swirl, trying to move away from her, suddenly frozen into place, unable to move away from Isabel. He knew, he just knew from the moment he saw her across the bar that this could happen. "Isabel, get away from me..." he hissed, trying to shrug free from her grasp.

"Alex, what's...what's...." Isabel stammered, feeling her head swim suddenly, reeling back from the pulse that surged through her, gripping Alex's arm tighter. He was like tasting a live wire, a surge of pure energy. God help her...he was alive and warm.

"Damn it!" Alex snarled, picking her up, turning suddenly towards his club, to the darkened corners with low sofas. Moving backwards, he gasped, staggering until his legs colliding with the couch behind him, collapsing onto it. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head, wondering what the pressure on his chest was that felt so good. Looking down at her beautiful golden hair against him, he could stop himself from winding his hand in it.

"Alex...." Isabel choked, trying to pull free of Alex's grasp, wincing slightly against the near death grip he had on her hair, struggling as Alex pulled her closer, crushing her against his chest. She wanted to face him, straddle him, take him into her hands, but he was restraining her.

"Please! Alex...." Isabel moaned, pushing against him, fighting the pain in her arms as well as the dizziness that assaulted her senses as Alex pulled her into his grasp even harder, gasping out her name. "Alex!" Isabel protested, trying to shove away from him, almost succeeding, pulling clear for a moment. She didn't want him inside a bar, in a car, or up against a dark alley wall. She wanted to be in his bed, a place she could stay, and never leave. Alex's grip on Isabel tightened, his weight shifting onto Isabel as she struggled, the two of them crashing onto the floor, Alex's body covering her smaller body.

"Alex, what the hell is wrong with you?" Isabel gasped, trying to wiggle free of the weight that pinned her to the floor.

"Nothing...." Alex groaned, his eyes focusing blankly on some far away sight, feeling his blood pulse furiously at the feel of her squirming beneath him. "Nothing's wrong....."

"Alex...." Isabel gasped, as he suddenly bent his head to suck on the skin of her neck. She moaned suddenly, feeling her blood boil, relaxing as she felt her body stiffening, surrendering to the weight of his body.

"Isabel...." Alex moaned thickly, lowering himself onto her as he felt her resistance fade, feeling her arms sliding around him pulling him into an embrace. What the hell was he doing he wondered as he felt his hand slide up, stroking Isabel's flaxen strands, caressing her face gently, his fingers trembling at the feel of her skin.

Shaking his head, Alex tried to regain some control. He should have known better letting it get this far. "Isabel...." Alex groaned, shuddering under the touch of her hand. "Don't f-uck with me...."

"What do you mean?" Isabel whispered, lifting her face closer to Alex, letting the smell and feel of him send her body reeling from the waves lust and desire that pulsed from her body as she shook beneath him.

"Don't do this...not unless you understand what it means...." Alex said his hands restraining her when she would have drawn near.

"What?" Isabel moaned her lips moving onto Alex's, gently at first, then sinking into his mouth with a groan.

"Oh, God...." Alex gasped, feeling her tongue probing against his slack and hungry lips, caressing his tongue, pulling it back into her mouth, sucking on it hungrily. "...Is this what you want? Isabel...." Alex moaned, his arms sliding under her hair around her neck, pulling her closer as he fed hungrily on her mouth, pressing his sweating body heavy into her embrace, his legs spreading her apart so he could rest against her hot body, gasping his name.

"Alex...." Isabel moaned, feeling his hands moving under her dress that he had unbuttoned along the front, his fingers exploring across the trembling flesh beneath him, marveling at its warmth. She gasped softly, pushing Alex's shirt up, burying her face in his chest, nuzzling her face into the taunt skin rubbing her mouth across his nipple ring, whimpering his name repeatedly.

"Isabel...." Alex whispered, his shaking fingers wrapping around the head that was pressing into him, holding her closer, and stroking her already regretting what he had to do. It would be so easy to just give in, take what she was offering freely. Alex didn't know it was going to be so hard when he made the decision. Nevertheless, hard it was, feeling her body throb under the weight of his as it pinned her to the floor, holding her fast.

"Oh God, Alex...." Isabel moaned, feeling the hot wetness of Alex's tongue as it sought out her nipple, pulling it into his mouth, his hands cradling Isabel against him. "Oh my God...." Isabel breathed thickly, her body arching up against him, her hands sliding down, fumbling with the zipper that pressed into her, eagerly wanting to release the full weight of him into her hand.

Alex pulled back from her, keeping her hands out of his pants. "Do you understand, Isabel? Is this what you want?"

Isabel arched into him, pushing her body hard into him, struggling to have him release her so she could take him. "Yes...god yes, I want you, just you..." Alex watched her eyes closed, hearing her struggled breath, and needing to force her to say it, to acknowledge her options.

"Then say it. Tell me Isabel, tell me what you want."

"You, I want you..." Alex gripped her hard and gave her a little shake to pull her out of this drug-like state she was in, to make her listen and talk.

"The words, tell me what you want me to do to you Isabel. I need the words." Alex watched her eyes clear as she focused on his taking in large gasping breaths, trying to calm her over heated body.

"I want you to sleep with me, take me to bed..."

"The truth Isabel! What do you want from me?!" Alex pushed her even harder.

"I want you to f-uck me! And keep f-ucking me until there's nothing left but..." Alex didn't let her finish.

Alex moved his body down hard on her crushing her to the floor, keeping eye contact, making his eyes hard and expressionless. "If that is all you want that I can give..." He moved his hand down the front of her exposed body his mouth taking her nipple back into it and biting her not so gently hearing her gasp of pain. He angled his body along hers moving his hand down to slide down and under the waistband of her panties finding the moist hot core he knew was already ready to receive him. Without any kind of foreplay or care, he sunk his fingers into her in an act of violation. "Is this how you want it? Does this feel good enough to get you through the night?"

Isabel looked at him confused. The act didn’t bother her as much as the lack of emotion and warmth from his voice. He was with her just a few moments ago wanting it as much as she was. Her voice trembled at the confusion. "Alex? Alex..."

"OH! I'll f-uck you. I'll take you anyway you like Isabel, any place, any time, and often. I'll f-uck you so often and hard that you won't be able to sit for a week if you want. That I can do, that's easy. It's no investment on my part. So is that all you want from me?" Isabel hated the way his hand was suddenly cruel and almost mean.

"No, no I want..."

Alex removed his hand from her, both of them coming to grasp her shoulders and sit her up with him. "What do you want from me!"

"I want you to love me!" Isabel was shocked at her answer, horrified at the look he gave her. He stood up and reached down to pull her up on shaking feet. Pulling her clothes back together, he zipped his jeans and searched for a cigarette. Finding one, he lit it and leaned back against a wall looking at her critically.

"I can't. I can f-uck you, take you to bed like thousand of nameless girls I do. In the morning I'll feed you breakfast and toss you out of my place with no promises, no guarantees. If you can take that then we can continue. I can promise to use your body, to f-uck you everyway imaginable, and I'm game for most things, but I can't love you." Alex watched her closely, saw her face shudder with emotion.

"Why? Why can't you?" Isabel was mortified at what he was saying. Three weeks ago, she wouldn't have cared. She would have just wanted the physical gratification, the numbness. But not with him. He was different. She thought he might be the one to bring her back alive. She could feel his energy, the life-force of his music around him, but how could she be so wrong?

Alex moved in and tenderly cupped her beautiful face running his thumb up across her cheekbone. "I can't love a woman that can't love herself. I'm no savior, no knight in shining armor, but I won't be another man in a long line of men, who use you physically and throw you away, taking advantage of your pain. Do you want me to love you?" Alex asked waiting for her to nod yes. "Then learn to love yourself first."

Isabel didn't know what to say. Why should he even care? She was nothing to him, less than nothing. All he saw when he looked at her was how weak and destructive she was. "Then we can never..."

"Look! If all you want from me is some momentary gratification, a little something to tide you over until you find another man to whore yourself too, then fine, lets go do it. I'm game. I haven't tried to hide the fact that my body responds to you...but, if what you want is more...more for you, more for me...then that takes work." Alex moved in and took her mouth in a long hot passionate sucking kiss putting feeling into it. "Baby, the work is on your side. I don't save broken souls or mend broken wings. You want me, then you need to heal yourself."

"I tried, I really have, but I don't know...."

"No excuses, Isabel. I'm giving you three options." Alex looked up and saw Freddie giving him a sign from the door. "You can walk out and never come back, and this never happened. You go on with your life, and I with mine. Or you can decide that me f-ucking you up the ass, and taking you as many ways as I can in one long evening is enough, then here's my key. I'll be home by two, and I can give you until six." Isabel's eyes widened at the key in his hand, the offer to "service" her for one night and shook her head. She knew one night wouldn't be enough, and in some many other ways, it would be too much. "Or final option, you can follow Freddie over there out of here, get in the cab that is waiting, and let it take you to this clinic run by a friend of mine. I made all the arrangements. They'll let you check yourself in, but they won't let you leave until you're ready, if you leave before the program is complete there's no going back."

Isabel looked at him as if he were insane. It was crazy. He was crazy to think it was just that easy. Get in a cab and change her life. If it were that easy, she would have done it long ago.

"It is that easy, baby." Alex pulled her into his arms and held her tight. "It doesn't have to be hard if it's what you really, really want. I'm not offering you any guarantees that I'll still be here, but I'm offering you a different path. This life you are leading, it's a killer, a long hard road, and the other is your salvation. I can't lead you down the path or walk with you, but I can point you in the way. And Isabel? It's that way." Alex pointed to the door and Freddie.

Isabel looked at his earnest eyes, the intent of his demeanor, and then at the door. Taking a breath, a long deep sigh and letting something so old and corrupt out of her, she looked at Alex again. Taking his head between her hands, she reached over and kissed him slowly and deeply. Stopping to rest against him, she breathed in his energy, his assurance for just a second. Finally, straightening her back she smiled unsure at him. "Okay."

Isabel took her stuff and turned away walking unsteadily to the door, but never once faltering. It didn't matter if Alex waited for her, if they ever got together, or even if she ever saw him again. All that mattered was he gave her choices, and for once in her life, she was making this one for her.

Alex watched the door shut behind her. Taking one last draw on his cigarette, which had all but burned away, he threw the rest on the floor and ground it under his heel. Alex wished her luck in a whisper as he turned to go back to his life. "Godspeed."

Maria watched them from her bedroom. When she woke up, she was surprised to see her cousin sleeping next to her, and not Michael. Reaching over to brush the hair from Sean's face Maria was shocked at how feverish he felt. Covering him up, she went to get dressed and join the other workers downstairs.

Michael was talking on the phone and Max had come over to help. He was sitting at a set up table in the living room with all the manuscripts from Professor Kovitch's office. Two graduate students of Dianne's were with him helping him to read the translations. Three other students were on the computers brought from the department following and chasing down articles from the emails Dianne sent Maria. Everything was being hard copied, and there were two men Maria didn't know.

When Michael left Maria and Sean sleeping, he learned that Maria had called in favors with a few graduate students to help her piece together Dianne's research. The entire group was more than happy to lend a hand if it meant helping to find Dianne's killer. Maria decided to move everything to her home since the University hadn't proved to be very safe. Michael talked to Eddie, and together they located everything necessary to get started. Max was more than happy to go back to the Station and have all the Professor's manuscripts sent over.

Maria slept for three hours before she walked down into the mess. Everyone was busy talking at once, all the food she previously ordered was gone, and Michael had called in two technical support members to help the students with the computer work.

Michael watched her descend the stairs. He had hoped she would sleep longer, that the tablets he gave her would have a longer effect. Maria stopped at the base of the stairs and sat down when Michael came over. He sat down next to her.

"You feeling better, Professor?" His voice was low and gentle. This was hard. He felt compassion and worry, and some anger, but Maria...she was just still.

Maria just nodded. "Any progress?"

"Yeah, quite a bit actually. It appears that Professor Kovitch had a huge history with this legend. He translated three different versions of the story, and they all appear almost the same with some variations." Michael looked at her and frowned. He could tell she wasn't paying attention, not really. "Why did you set things up in your home Maria?"

"I took a leave of absence from the University today. I decided it was best to stay away from there for a while. The museum work will be complete, except for the examination of the invoices and stuff. Liz can bring it over here tomorrow. Cassie can help with computer support here." Maria slowly got up and went to the kitchen, checking out her supplies. Michael followed her, sitting down at the bar and watching her search through her kitchen. Michael didn't say a word while she made a list and called in grocery order to a local store delivery.

"When did you take the leave of absence? I had your department head pissing his pants in an interrogation room for almost three hours." Michael watched as she started sorting through a stack of takeout menus. "Maria?"

"I called after you left. Jonathan Stiller is a member of the board of trustees, and an acquaintance. I called in a favor and had him grant me a temporary leave in lieu of the loses I have suffered, and the current police protection I'm being given." Maria dumped out the old coffee and made a fresh pot. Taking a garbage bag she began tossing out the empty food containers and cleaning her kitchen. Michael recognized that she trying to keep busy.

"Jonathan Stiller is a very important man. He owns half of Roswell, which is not saying a lot, but still. So basically you went behind your department chair's back and secured yourself an excuse."

"Yes." Maria stopped what she was doing and finally looked at him. "Whatever it takes, no matter how long, we're not stopping until this is finished. You can't work running after me, keeping an eye on me and all the other people who might become involved. Therefore, I am making it easier. I'm moving to a location that you can watch over more easily." Maria moved around the kitchen to come to join him at the bar, moving her hand up to stroke his cheek. Michael closed his eyes to avoid looking at the emptiness in her eyes. "There can be no rest, no forgiveness. This bastard took my family. I don't come from a people that takes that lightly, so it looks like you're stuck with my help, Detective. I have no others in my life I'm willing to part with. So Chinese or Mexican?"

"What?" Michael looked at her confused. Chinese or Mexican?

"For takeout. I just ordered Italian, so that leaves a different variety needed for dinner, and local Mexican and Chinese restaurants around here can deliver big orders, so what do you think? Mexican or Chinese?"

"Kiss me, Professor." Maria stopped to look at him confused. "Just kiss me, and then I'll decide." Michael pulled her close looking at her, wanting to eradicate the pain and sorrow from her eyes. Maria moved her mouth closer and softly joined her lips to his, her tongue gently outlining his lips, sucking his lip into her mouth and then taking his mouth with a soft open kiss, pulling his tongue into her. She kissed him with a great deal of tenderness, touching him with loving hands. Of all the kisses they had shared, this one was special. It was about her touching him deeply, marking him as part of her family. He could still read her fear. In a blinding rush, he felt her, the hurling wave of anxiety and immobilizing fear that held her captive.

"You're still afraid for me, worried that this will touch me through you." Maria wrapped an arm around his neck and held him close. He could feel her pounding heart echoing in his own chest. He understood what she would not say. Fear, being afraid, was an emotion she couldn't afford. Fear was a crippler, and she refused to be handicapped by her own emotions. Sean was correct. She wasn't an innocent. She couldn't be, because the darkness defined her, forged her soul. "Chinese. If you order eggrolls."

Maria smiled and kissed his cheek. Jumping down, she grabbed the phone and started doing what she did best, ordering things. Michael smiled, watching her argue with the ordertaker over what she wanted and how much. Leaving her to handle things he went back to check on the work.

Later, Maria was sitting at a table eating Chinese noodles from a bowl and piecing together the story. Everyone was sitting around eating too. They all had held pieces, but finally it was Maria who put it all in order. She passed Michael a piece of paper with a list of ingredients on it.

"What's this?"

"It's the witch's potion. Those are the ingredients, or what is required to make it. Basically it's a tear list, meaning that this is what you need, but it is missing instructions and amounts." Michael frowned at the list.

"So what does that mean?"

"Well first, most of the ingredients are simple herbs, easily found in herbal shops, homeopathic stores, or new age occult shops. The problem is that there are no instructions. Is this a potion to be drunk, poured over a piece of armor, or even a person? The main ingredient is blood, and that demands a sacrifice. Now historically the sacrifice would have been a strong person, say a brave warrior and/or an enemy. It's like the Native American idea of counting coup . The Celtics ate their dead. It was believed that they were taking in all the greatness and strength of their slain brethren. So the blood, the binding is important."

"So they would want someone with special attributes to slay." Max asked from his seat just beyond Michael.

"Ideally, yes. However, it appears your murderer has been working on this for at least a few months. Janhie was helping them. Now, I know Janhie, so that means he was trying to help someone known to him, someone he couldn't refuse. It would've been someone who took an interest in his stories, in his work. I think you need to assume that this person has ties to him-perhaps family."

"We checked his family members, and nothing came back as very important or significant. They finally released his body. His family is burying him on Friday, tomorrow. I'll have Cap send someone over tomorrow to interview family members and ask about family members living in Roswell and anyone, family or otherwise, who was interested in his work." Max looked through the list. The herbs meant nothing to him. Nightshade? "Isn't nightshade dangerous? So is most of this stuff okay to consume?"

"It could be as innocuous as an herbal tea. People use belladonna and arsenic for beauty aids, and even as medicine. The problem is the amount used. Now any of these herbs could be poisonous in large amounts, especially any member of the nightshade family. So this makes me think that this potion is to anoint the armor, not drink. The blood was the binding agent to "bloody" the armor for the kill."

"If the person drank it?" Max's stomach turned at the thought of drinking blood mixed with herbals.

"It could be poisonous, slowly killing them. This person seems too smart. I doubt they would drink it themselves. I think they would try to anoint the armor and wear it, to see if the properties passed to them." Maria stopped to search for another eggroll. Spying one on Michael's plate she reached for it. Without even taking his eyes off the paper he was reading, he calmly moved his plate out of her reach.

Max watched the interaction with a small smirk. His money was on Maria. "So what went wrong?"

Maria turned her attention back to Max, ignoring Michael. "It didn't work...it's just a legend. There is another artifact associated with this legend, one that would be stronger than the Praetorian armor. It's the witch's blade, her dagger."

Michael looked over at Maria, calmly picking up his eggroll and taking a bite. Maria's eyes narrowed until he bit off half and passed her the remaining piece. Michael asked with while munching on his eggroll, "So I don't get it. I don't see why the dagger was important, or is important."

"Well, it has to do with the legend itself. It seems that in or before 69 B.C. when Caesar crossed the Rubicon, there were rumors of Roman armies entering the British Isles. Caesar was claiming all land for Rome and the Empire. Anyway, in the British Isles they ran into the Celtics. The battles were bloody and costly. The Romans never met such a barbaric race of people willing to die at all costs, making howlish noises, eating the dead, and setting the very waters on fire. Anyway, it is said that in a fierce battle, Caesar's Praetorians were slain; and as Dru Rhiannon walked the fields and gathered the blood of the dead, she came upon a still living man. He was a Captain in the Praetorian Guard." Maria paused to take a drink as the others moved closer.

"Of course, he would be a Captain. A lowly foot soldier wouldn't have fit the legend at all." Michael said, and the others had to agree.

"That's neither here nor there. All that matters was that she took him to her home in the earth, and there over many seasons she nursed him back to health. During that time, they became lovers. The soldier, tied by his code of loyalty and honor to return to his position and once again fight at his Caesar's side. Dru Rhiannon tried everything to keep him at her side, but she understood loyalty and honor, so instead she created this potion, and forging her symbol into his armor, she tempered it with the potion curing the metal into a strong impenetrable steel that was resistant to mere mortal weapons."

"I bet my Glock 9mm could do some damage!" They turned to the sound of Sean's voice. He was slowly coming down the stairs still looking pale and sick, but better than he did before he took a nap.

"Well, since I doubt this potion could work, especially since there are no measurements, so I think you are correct. The murderer seems desperate to make this work. If they were trying to drink it, I would think they would be cautious, or experiment on a guinea pig or something other than himself or herself. Either way, I think they're trying to find the dagger."

"Does the museum have it?" Michael asked stealing a glance at Sean as he searched through the packaging to make himself some food. If he didn't know Sean would throw a holy fit, he would remove him from the case due to physical illness.

"I don't know. Janhie might have ordered it like the armor, and that's possible. So far, we haven't found any paper work. Liz will have the rest of the paper work tomorrow, so we'll look for it specifically. I have Eddie running a search for it among collections. It isn’t listed in the Oriental Museum Collection. There are only three other places that retained parts of that dig's collection, two in California, and one in New York City." Maria helped find Sean some food as she talked. He still looked like he was weak. Reaching up, Maria felt his head. He still felt feverish.

Max was still confused. "I still don't see why they need the dagger."

"Well Dru Rhiannon was forced to let her lover go to return to his people. It wasn't long afterwards that while on a battlefield she came across him fighting valiantly against her own people. Her spell of protection made him invincible, and he slew her people without remorse. She caught up to him on the Highland upper moor within a Stonehenge built by the ancients. There they stood face-to-face, locked in battle on opposing sides. There in front of a sacrificial altar he took the sword she forged for him and ran her through."

"Bastard! That's just like a man! Ungrateful, betraying her love!" Maria smiled at Jenny, one of her graduate students.

"It was war! She would've understood. She was a warrior, too!" Eddie said defending the testosterone carrying members in the group.

"She understood it all right." Maria continued. "She removed her own dagger which she blessed and forged in the same fires as his armor and plunged it into his heart cutting through his armor. The dagger was referred to as Caliburnus , which later became called Excalibur ." Maria smiled at the astonished looks on the others faces. "They were buried together in the center of the Stonehenge, armor and dagger, but their legend lived on, and it was in the 1950's that they finally were found again and excavated."

Michael just shook his head. "So what is the dagger used for? You're not telling me that we're trying to recover the mythical sword of King Arthur, Excalibur? "

"No. Not really. The dagger would be important because it was forged in the "heart of the dragon". It holds the witch's power because she used it to sacrifice and procure blood for the spell. Your murderer probably sees it as the ultimate weapon to use in sacrifice. Now that they have the hard copies that Dianne had found, they also know that the more pure or stronger the sacrifice, the more significant the results." Maria looked down at the table. "Janhie knew. He didn't realize at first what was happening, but I think he knew. He said that absolute evil would consume the innocent and pure, and become stronger..."

Eddie sat down on the corner of the table. "So how did the legend of Dru Rhiannon get mixed into Arthurian legend?"

"Not really sure, but some believe that even after death Dru Rhiannon continued to live in the dreamworld, caught within the power of the Stonehenge, and that she became the Lady of the Lake , who passed Excalibur to Arthur. The word "dheigh" means Lady, and its Celtic form is Dru, a sort of title."

"So we search Professor Kovitch's family tree again to find a connection." Max stood up to grab another drink. Michael passed him the Tabasco. "So what else should we do, now that we know what they want? This is a sort of occult thing."

"I'm certain it is occult, as much as one individual...one very sick individual that needs power or strength. It doesn't matter really." Maria stood up and stretched not noticing the male eyes watching her. Sean and Michael did, and both frowned. "I can tell you one thing...your murderer has been killing since about two months ago when they got the armor and the witch's potion from Janhie. I suggest you look for other murders with sanguinary practices. They were trying for awhile, and it looks like they are getting desperate. Killing Chris was a mistake compounded by Janhie, and now Dianne. It's hard to be invisible when everyone is looking for you."