Maria bolted straight up in her bed, the sweat rolling off her body. She looked around her room and realized that she had been dreaming. Her hands were shaking as she reached up and pushed the damp hair off her forehead. She flopped back down on the pillows and tried to remember what she had been dreaming about. Nothing was coming to her, no images, not even a wisp of whatever had frightened her. Turning her head she read the numbers off the alarm clock that sat next to her bed. 5:45AM, damn, what the hell had she been dreaming about? She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. Her body was still shaking from the unknown dream. How could she not remember it, but be so damn frightened?

“Well whatever it was I don’t want to have that one again.” Her voice sounded strange in the quiet bedroom. Throwing back the covers she crawled out of the bed, switching the alarm to off on her clock, she tried to stop the shaking in her legs. She and Liz had the early shift at the diner on Saturday’s, she was a little early but she decided to start getting ready. Wobbling towards the bathroom she laughed out loud, “real good DeLuca, you’re too old to be scared by the monsters in your dreams.”

It was a little weird, here lately all her dreams were usually filled with one person, if you could call him a person she thought to herself. Every since the night in the Crashdown, the night the heat had driven everyone home, home to the air conditioners and fans, her dreams had been filled with Michael Guerin. He filled her dreams with kisses and touches, touches that would have made her blush in the awake world. She smiled to herself just thinking about it. At first it was just kissing, a lot of hot and heaving kissing, but ever since Michael had dumped her at the soap factory the dreams had gotten a lot more hotter, more erotic. “Big Jerk!” Maria wanted to hate him, needed to hate him, but then he had gotten sick, they had been so worried that he would die. But they had gotten help from River Dog and Michael had gotten better, he had even kissed her in the vision. But after that he hadn’t tried to be alone with her again, or done anything that could make Maria think he wanted to get back together, but he had been nicer to her, talked to her without the sarcasm that was usually threaded through their conversations. She liked this Michael better, but at the same time she missed his kisses, his touch.

Dropping her pajama’s on the floor, knowing her mother would yell about them later, she turned the water on and stepped into the shower. She let the water cascade over her trembling body. This was one of the small pleasures of Maria’s life, taking long hot showers, her mother always complained that she cost her more money in hot water than in shopping.

She knew that last nights dream had nothing to do with Michael, she knew that no matter what, dreaming about him would never cause her to be this scared, hell, she had been terrified for a few seconds when she had awoken. No, she knew that last night her dream had been different, she didn’t know how she knew this, but she did.

She heard the door suddenly open, her mother always walked into the bathroom while Maria was in the shower, it was one of the hazards of two women and one bathroom.

“Maria how many times do I have to tell you…” Amy DeLuca began.

“Not to leave my clothes laying on the floor.” Maria mimicked her. It was becoming their regular morning routine. Tipping the shampoo bottle upside down, Maria let a large puddle of the gooey substance collect in the palm of her hand. She opened her mouth and whispered, “don’t use too much shampoo, that stuff doesn’t grow on tree’s you know.”

“And remember, don’t use too much shampoo, it doesn’t grow on tree’s you know.” Amy yelled over the roar of the shower.

“You haven’t forgotten about my trip to Albuquerque have you? I won’t be home till Thursday, are you going to be alright?” Amy said as she opened the medicine cabinet and removed a few items, stuffing them into a small make-up bag, she turned to the shower again.

“I remember, and don’t worry, I can handle six days by myself.” She had before, so what was the big deal,” I’m a big girl now mom. What is it this time, crystal’s or more of those little plastic alien drink stirrer’s, I get confused.” Maria rinsed the shampoo from her hair, repeating the procedure with her favorite conditioner.

“Plastic’s, the wonder of the world.” Amy said as she reached for the door handle. “Remember if you need anything you have the number to the hotel. And if can’t reach me, Nancy Parker told me she would keep an eye on you.”

“What time are you getting home on Thursday?” Maria said as she watched the bodywash drip onto the sponge.

No answer. Reaching up she pulled the curtain aside, she was alone in the bathroom. Once again, no bye, no kiss, no hug. Typical Amy DeLuca. Shaking her head she pulled the curtain back across the rod, squeezing the sponge a few times she proceeded to run it down one arm, then the other. She started humming a song as she ran it over the rest of her body. She stood under the hot soothing water and let it chase away the anxiety left from her dream. After a few minutes she turned the water off and stepped from the shower. Snagging a towel from the towel rack she briskly ran it over her hair. Wrapping the towel around herself she proceed to wipe the steam off the mirror and finished getting ready for work.

Walking into her bedroom a few minutes later she removed the towel and noticed what looked like silver paint smeared acrossed her chest, reaching up with the towel she tried wiping it off. No matter how hard she rubbed it wouldn’t come off. She stepped up to the large mirror that hung over her dresser.

She couldn’t quite contain the loud squeak that emerged from her mouth. She couldn’t quite believe what she saw nestled between her breast, a hand print, a large handprint. It glowed a eerie silver, almost iridescent. It stretched from one nipple to the other. Reaching up she ran her fingers lightly over it, it was warm to the touch, warmer than the rest of her skin.

Racing to her bag, she snatched up her cell phone, hitting the speed dial she waited for Liz to pick up.

“Hello.”

“Lizzie, you are not going to believe this, but…” Maria screeched into the phone.

“Maria? Maria slow down, I can barely understand you.” Liz said, Maria could hear the sleepiness in Liz’s voice.

“Okay, breathing here, I’m calming down.” Maria slowly took air into her lungs. “Liz, remember when Max saved your life in the diner, well what exactly did that hand print look like? I mean what color was it, how did it…..”

“The one on my stomach? Is that what your talking about, it looked like somebody’s hand, it was silver and it glowed. Why?” Liz couldn’t understand why Maria was asking her about this at 6:20 in the morning.

“Liz, get your butt downstairs, I’ll be there in a few minutes. You are so not going to believe what I have to show you. And let me just say at this point that some…Czechoslovakian has a lot of explaining to do.” Maria said as she hung up the phone and moved towards her closet, grabbing the first thing she came to she dressed as quickly as possible. Grabbing a pair of socks, shoes and her handbag she raced down the steps. The more she thought about it, one of them had to have entered her dream, and once there decided she needed to be scared silly, well if this was Isabel’s fault she was going to get some serious verbal ass kicking.

Chapter 2

Maria unlocked the back door to the diner. Stepping through the door, she re-locked it behind her. Liz's dad wouldn't be down to officially open up for another 30 minutes yet. Ducking past the kitchen entrance she entered the employee lounge. Well, it really wasn't a lounge; just a room with a few chairs, a sofa and some tables but it was the only place the employee's had for their breaks. Spying Liz sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal she threw her uniform down on the sofa and threw her hands in the air.

"I'm gonna kill her." Maria said.

"Who?" Liz asked, munching on a spoonful of Captain Crunch.

"Isabel Evans, that's who. She did it again. I'm telling you Liz, she can't control herself. She promised me she wouldn't do it again, but she did. And she is so dead." Maria kept her hands flying in the air.

Liz wondered if you tied Maria's hand together if she would still have the ability to talk. With Maria everything was always said with so much flair.

"Maria, just calm down and tell me what Isabel has done," Liz said.

Maria threw herself on the sofa, she didn't care that she was sitting on her uniform, at this point, she was too angry to worry about it. "She made a little trip last night; she was in my dreams again. I don't remember any of it, but this morning when I woke up I found out she had left a little present for me."

"What do you mean a present?" Liz was totally confused here.

Maria stood up again, walking towards Liz she unbuttoned her top. "This. Just look what she did to me, Liz! She is so going to pay for this."

Liz immediately saw the silver handprint. Her eyes almost popped out of her head. She tentatively reached a hand out towards Maria's chest. Realizing what she was doing she pulled her hand back. "How do you know it was Isabel? Why not Michael? This seems like something Michael would do, not Isabel."

Maria buttoned herself up again. "That's what I thought, too, at first. But think about it. Michael hasn't said or done anything to make me believe that he was gonna enter my dreams. He's more of the "tease me about it, then do it, then tease me some more kind of guy." No, this wasn't Michael; this had to be Isabel. I mean, this dream was scary . . . really scary."

"I thought you couldn't remember the dream?" Liz asked her.

"I don't, but I remember being terrified, the shaking in your shoes kind, but I wasn't wearing any shoes." The small blonde woman had started pacing back and forth in the small area between the sofa and the table. "I don't think I have ever been as scared as I was this morning, Lizzie. Not even when I found out about . . . them. You know what I mean."

"I think so. Let me get this straight, you think that Isabel entered your dreams last night and did some kind of . . . Czechoslovakian thing to scare you? And then she left that hand print on your chest?" Liz had forgotten all about her cereal by this time. "But why? I thought that you and Isabel were getting along a lot better."

"So did I. But, come on we're talking about Isabel Evans here. Who knows what goes on in that brain of hers," Maria told her.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Liz couldn't fathom why Isabel would do something like this.

They both heard the door leading from the upstairs apartment open and then close. They could hear Liz's dad coming down the steps.

"I'm gonna kick her ass, that's what," Maria whispered as she snatched up her uniform and headed towards the bathroom.

It was 2:15pm and Liz had run upstairs to change out of her uniform. Both hers and Maria's shift had ended at 2. She had called Max from upstairs and asked him if he could come to the diner. She didn't tell him what the problem was yet; she had to get Maria's agreement before actually telling him what had happened.

Knocking on the door of the bathroom she whispered, "Maria it's me, let me in."

She heard the door unlock and stepped through, locking the door behind her. "I called Max. I told him we needed to talk to him."

"I don't want to talk to Max, I want to talk to Isabel," Maria said coldly. She was checking out the handprint in the mirror, it had gotten brighter.

"But I think we should discuss it with Max first. He's more level headed than Isabel. And he should know what she's doing . . . if it is Isabel," Liz told her.

"You still think it's Michael, don't you? I'm telling you Liz, Michael wouldn't do something like this." Maria donned her top. Turning, she leaned her hip against the sink. "Trust me, it's the Ice Queen. I've done something to piss her off and she's getting back at me."

Liz still didn't look convinced. "But, out of the three of them, Michael has the least amount of control over his powers. What if he went into your dream without realizing it? I know you two aren't seeing each other anymore but, come on, all you have to do is look at him whenever you're around. He watches you all the time. He still likes you, Maria. What if he went in and couldn't control himself, and that's how the handprint got there?"

Maria shook her head, "No, YOU think he still likes me. I don't. He never cared enough about me to need to get over me. I was just a little fun in the eraser room, that's all. I'm cool with that." She really wasn't but she didn't want to get into a discussion about Michael with Liz. Her friend was still hurting from Max's "we have to take a step back" move. Men, they sucked big time.

"Well, he'll be here soon. Are you coming out front?" Liz said as she unlocked and opened the door.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a little while." Turning back to the mirror she opened her top again.

Liz heard the bell over the door ring and watched as Max and Isabel Evans, along with their friend Michael Guerin, entered the diner. The place was practically deserted. The noon meal was over and it was still too early for the dinner crowd.

"Hi Liz," Max said as the three of them walked towards the booth she was sitting in. She stood, figuring the lounge would be a better place for their discussion.

"Hi Max." She smiled at the others. Isabel smiled back. Michael swung his head around. He would never admit it, but he was looking for Maria.

"So, what's up?" Max asked.

"We better talk in the back, I don't want anyone to over hear us," Liz said as she headed towards the back of the diner.

As they passed through the lounge's door, Max asked again, "So, what's going on?"

"Something happened last night that I thought you should know about it," Liz said, glancing at the bathroom door. Maria was going to come out of there any minute and Liz didn't want her going for Isabel's throat without giving the girl some warning.

"What?" Isabel asked. She took a seat on the sofa, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Well, Maria had a dream . . ." Liz began.

"A dream, I came the whole way down here to hear about Maria's dream," Isabel said sarcastically.

"It's a bit more than that," Liz tried again. "Someone was in Maria's dream last night."

Three heads automatically turned to Michael, he raised his eyebrows and said. "Guilty by association, is that it? I have never, nor will I ever, enter Maria's dreams." He wanted to, he wanted to so badly, but he was afraid of what he would find there; afraid he would find what he had always been looking for there.

"What the hell is that smell?" Michael said as he looked around. "What does your dad use to clean this place?"

"What smell?" Liz asked him. She didn't smell anything. Well, nothing out of the ordinary; being a diner there were various smells throughout the place.

"It's like a salty smell," Isabel said from the couch.

"Yeah, reminds me of the ocean," Max said. Liz looked at both of them strangely. She didn't smell anything like that.

"No, it doesn't, it smells like the woods. It's a musty odor," Michael said as he wrinkled his nose.

The bathroom door opened. Maria took one look at Isabel stretched out on the sofa and went for her. "YOU!"

Isabel drew herself up as quickly as possible. Ducking behind Max, she stuck her head around his shoulders and snapped at Maria. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

"You promised me you wouldn't do it again! Well, I guess your promises don't mean anything, do they?" Maria said harshly. Liz moved in front of her. She had to calm her down; she didn't want her father coming in here. She didn't want to deal with that right now.

"Just calm down Maria, we can discuss this rationally, ok?" Liz said.

"I don't want to calm down, I want to know why she did it," Maria said.

"Did what? What happened in your dream?" Max asked the irate girl.

Maria didn't want to tell him the truth. If he knew she didn't remember it, he would wonder why she was getting so pissed off. She wasn't sure if she could show Max and the others the handprint.

Liz apparently didn't have the same worry. "Show him Maria."

"I can't show him . . . that," Maria told her. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

"How else is he going to figure out how it happened?" Liz questioned her.

"If Isabel would just come clean, I won't have to show anybody. Yours went away after a few days." She sheepishly looked at the floor. "I figured we could just tell him about it. I wasn't planning on showing it off."

"Maria, I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't done anything. I told you I would not go into your dreams again, remember?" Isabel told her.

"Yeah, I remember, but how the hell did I get this thing then?" Maria said hotly.

"What thing?" Michael demanded. He was suddenly feeling dizzy. He wondered if it was that God awful smell. He didn't realize he voiced his thoughts outloud. "What the hell is that smell?"

"What smell?" Maria turned to him.

Michael took one step towards Maria, "What the hell kind of perfume are you wearing?"

Maria glanced at the others. "I'm not wearing any perfume, what are you talking about?"

"Can we get back to the problem here? What don't you want to show me?" Max asked. He could smell it too, but he didn't think it was that bad.

"Maria, you're going to have to show him. How can he help you if he doesn't know what the problem is?" Liz quietly told her friend.

Turning back towards Max and Isabel, Maria closed her eyes. This could possibly be her most embarrassing moment in her entire life. Taking both hands she reached for the top button on her shirt and started to unbutton them, one by one. When the last one was undone she grasp both sides of her blouse and slowly pulled them apart.

"Oh my God," Isabel gasped.

"This happened from your dream?" Max asked her. She opened her eyes and slowly nodded her head.

She was totally unprepared for the hands that reached out and grabbed her. Spinning her around Michael pushed her up against the wall. Snarling into her face, he demanded, "Who the hell have you been with? Tell me, who was it

Chapter 3

Maria barely had time to react, Michael pushed her back against the wall, she felt the back of her head hit against the paneling with a resounding thud, she suddenly saws stars. Barely recognizing it, she heard his voice.

"Who the hell have you been with? Tell me, who was it?" Michael snarled. For just one moment it was as if he was locked outside of himself watching as everything happened around him, he had no idea why he was acting like this, no idea why he would attack Maria. It felt as if someone else had control of his body.

It only took a few steps for Max to get to him, wrapping his hands around Michael's hands he tried to pry his fingers off of the frightened girl.

"Nobody, I haven't been with anybody." The fear could be heard in Maria's voice. "M…michael you're scaring me."

"Michael let her go, for God's sake Michael, stop it!" Max yelled. He could see Michael's finger's digging into Maria's flesh, he knew there would be bruises on her arm's. He tried to get through to him again, "Michael, LET HER GO!"

One moment Michael was forcing Maria against the wall, in the next second pictures started hitting him in his mind, hitting him fast and hard. //Maria laying in her bed, sleeping, a man standing over her, reaching for her. Michael tried to call out to her, but he couldn't move his lips, he watched as the man ripped open her T-shirt, watched as he laid his hand on her, he saw Maria's body arched up off of the bed, heard her crying out in pain. The man stopped, removing his hand from Maria he turned until he was looking right at Michael, "I'll be waiting for you, all of you. You'll know where to find me."// Michael didn't know how he knew, but he knew the man was talking to him. To him, Max and Isabel.

Releasing Maria's arms, Michael slid to his knees. His mind was swirling with the images that had flew through his head. As soon as he had released her arms Liz pulled the girl away from him. "Are you okay?"

Maria nodded her head, she knew if she tried to speak she would start crying.

Michael leaned his forehead against the cool wood paneling. He was trying to figure out what the hell had just happened to him. He shook his head trying to clear it, pushing away from the wall he looked towards Maria, "Are you alright, I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that, I'm sorry."

Maria could see the confusion in his eyes. She knew that Michael always wanted to be in control, he very rarely accomplished this, but she knew he tried. But she had never seen him like this before, she didn't know what to say. Nodding her head again she realized her top was still open, grasping both sides of the shirt she pulled them together. Her hands were shaking so hard she didn't think she would be able to button it at the moment.

"We have to get out of here before my dad comes back here to find out what the yelling is all about." Liz said.

"My house, we can go to my house, my mom is out of town for a few days." Maria told her, her voice shook as she spoke.

"Let's go." Max told all of them as he headed towards the door of the lounge.

"I have to get my car, it's parked out back." Maria said as she turned towards the bathroom to collect her purse and uniform.

"You take Liz, I'll drive Maria over." Michael said.

"I don't think that's a good idea. You can go in the jeep with us, Liz can drive Maria." Max told him.

"NO!" Michael shouted. "I'm going with her. You take Liz."

"Michael what the hell's the matter with you?" Isabel had never seen her friend like this. She could feel the anger, anger mixed with confusion, it was practically rolling off of him. He was starting to scare her. "Does it really matter who rides with who?"

"Yes it does, I'm taking Maria." Michael said, he turned as Maria came out of the bathroom and snatching her purse from her he removed the car keys, he then motioned for her to move ahead of him towards the back door.

As they walked towards the door Liz turned to Max, "what's going on? Why is he acting like that?"

"I don't know, lets just get to Maria's house, maybe we can figure out what the hell is going on. With both of them." The three of them left the lounge and headed for the jeep.

As Michael pulled out of the alley he turned to Maria. She was still sitting there holding on to her top, he could see her fingers still shaking. He wished he could say something that would help her relax but nothing came to mind. "You might want to button your shirt up."

She looked at him like she couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Your shirt, the buttons, you might want to button your shirt again." He told her again.

As he words finally sunk in she slowly hooked each button together again. "What the hell was that back there?" Her voice was still quivering.

"What do you mean." Michael didn't want to discuss this with her, how the hell could he make her understand something he didn't. He had to talk to Max first, had to explain too him what had happened to him back at the diner.

"Cut the crap Michael, you know what the hell I'm talking about. The caveman routine? What the hell were you thinking? Maria snapped at him.

He shook his head, the smell was back, the dank musty odor was permeating his nostrils and causing him to feel dizzy again. "I don't know."

Maria glared at him from the passenger seat. "You don't know? You have no idea why you suddenly had to manhandle me? And let me tell you something buster, I didn't like it one bit. Don't ever do that again do you hear me?"

Michael kept his eyes on the road, he suddenly pictured that damn handprint in his mind, and with it came the urge to reach out and grab her again. He didn't know why, he didn't understand what the hell was happening to him. He fought it down, he gripped the steering wheel so tight that the blood rushed out of his hands. Taking deep breathes he opened his window and turned the air conditioner up full blast, "open your window, I can't breath with your damn perfume all over the place."

"Why are we opening the windows and using the air in the middle of December? And I already told you, I'm not wearing any perfume." Maria said as she wound her window down.

"You can't smell that? It's enough to make me want to puke." Michael told her as he gulped fresh air into his lungs from outside the car.

"I don't smell anything." Maria looked at him like he was crazy. He was really starting to scare her again. Why had she automatically agreed when he decided he would drive her? Why hadn't she gone with Max and Liz?

"Don't think your getting away without explaining yourself to me Michael." Maria said, she wasn't letting him off that easily. "You can change the subject all you want, I want an answer, why did you grab me back there?"

Michael turned to look at her again, he still didn't know what he could tell her. Looking into her eyes he realized she was determined to get an answer out of him. "I don't know. I don't know why I did it. I won't do it again, we have to talk to Max first, okay. I promise you I won't hurt you again, "

Maria raised her eyebrows, "what do you mean you don't know? And what do we have to talk to Max about?"

"One minute I was right along with everyone else, trying to figure out which one of us was in your dream. But suddenly it's like I couldn't control myself. I just got so damn mad at the thought of somebody being in your dreams, somebody touching you. I don't know how to explain it any better than that." Michael knew he wasn't making any sense.

Maria thought for a moment, "so you were jealous?"

"No, I wasn't jealous." Michael said. Taking his eyes off the road for a second he turned and looked at her again. "I was mad, I don't know why but I was mad, okay. Who was in your dreams?"

Maria looked out the window, this is the part she had been dreading, she knew he would think she was crazy. "I don't remember." The words were mumbled.

"What?" Michael ask her.

The words came out in a rush. "I don't remember the dream. I know it sounds stupid, but I don't remember any of it. All I know is I woke up terrified out of my mind and this stupid handprint was on me."

Michael just turned and looked at her. She didn't remember any of it. How could that be, when he had touched her he had seen it all, why couldn't she remember it?

Maria couldn't read the look in his eyes. "What? Honestly I don't remember any of it."

Michael was stopped from answering, they had arrived at Maria's. He pulled the car into an empty parking space in front of Maria's house. Max and the others were already there.

Alex Whitman was sitting on the front steps, as the others approach him he knew something was up.

"You forgot about the movies didn't you?" He said to Maria.

"Yes, I did, I'm sorry Alex but I don't think I'm up to going to the movies today," Maria said as she turned back towards Michael, she extended her hand.

"What?" Michael ask her.

"My keys, you have my house key." Maria told him. She took the keys from him and opened the door.

As they all filed into the house, Liz and Isabel filled Alex in on what had happened.

As soon as the door was shut Michael pulled Max to the side, "I have to talk to you."

"Can't it wait Michael, we have to figure out what the hell is going on here." Max told him.

"I think I have." Michael said.

"Have what?" Maria said, she had seen him whispering something to Max and she wanted to know what had been said.

"I need to talk to Max first." Michael told her.

"Is this about me?" Maria had placed her hands on her hips, if it was about her he could damn well say it to her too.

"Michael if you know something tell us." Isabel said.

Michael realized he was never going to get to talk to Max alone, not now.

"I know who was in Maria's dream." He told them.

"It was you wasn't it?" Isabel smirked. "I knew it, why didn't you just say so…."

"Damn it Izz, it wasn't me." Michael said, he couldn't believe this, they still thought it was him.

"Who was it Michael?" Maria took a step closer to him. He could see the fear in her eyes again, this is why he had wanted to talk to Max first.

"I don't know who he is, but I do know he's one of us." Michael said. "He's like us, not human."

Max and Isabel stared at each other for a few moments, trying to take in this new development.

"How do you know this?" Liz ask, she couldn't contain her surprise. "I mean, Maria didn't remember her dream, how do you know who this guy was?"

Michael turned and looked at the rest of them. "I saw him."

"What the hell are you talking about Michael, when?" Isabel was getting confused.

"Remember when I grabbed Maria in the diner, I had a vision," Michael tried to explain it to them. "I saw it all, step by step. I saw him touch her, I saw him hurt her. And then he spoke to me, he said "I'll be waiting for you, all of you. You'll know where to find me." I have no freakin idea what he meant, but I do know he was talking to us three."

"What did he look like?" Max ask. "Can you describe him?"

Michael closed his eyes, he tried to recall what he had seen in the vision. "He was tall, taller than me, he had light brown hair, that's about all I remember. I know I've never seen him before. Not around Roswell."

"Why Maria, why did he enter Maria's dream?" Alex ask. "Why not one of you guys, I mean if he wanted to get a message to you, why not send it directly to one of you?"

"Yeah, why did he have to screw with my head?" Maria said.

"I don't know. All I know is he knew I would find out, he knew I would tell Max and Isabel about it." Michael told him.

"But the important question is how are we going to find him? He said we would know where." Isabel ask Max. "Do you know what he was talking about?"

"I don't have a clue." Max said.

Chapter 4

"So now what?" Liz said searching all the faces gathered in the room.

"Wait a minute," Alex said. "If he contacted you once using Maria's dream, maybe he’ll try….”

"Don't say it, don't even think it," Maria told him menacingly.

"He's right, that may work," Isabel told Max.

"No, you're not listening here people, I said No!" Maria screamed.

"But how do we all get in at the same time?" Max said looking back at his sister. "Michael and I don't have that much experience at dreamwalking."

Maria slumped onto the sofa. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, no one was listening to her. She dropped her head into her hands.

"It shouldn't be that hard to do. Usually I use a picture, but since we have Maria here we can all just touch her and fall asleep," Isabel explained to them.

Liz watched her friend. She knew Maria wasn't handling this very well, but Liz knew that Max and the others would never hurt her. Kneeling down in front of Maria she tried to pull the girl's hand's away from her face. "Maria." Maria wouldn't look up at her. "Maria, look at me." The others had stopped talking, they stood and watched as Liz tried to reassure Maria. "Maria. please look at me."

Maria raised her eyes to Liz, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Maria, they won't hurt you, you know that." Liz wiped the tears away. "They would never hurt you; they're just trying to help you."

"I'm not scared of them Liz, but Michael said he watched that man hurt me. I don't remember the dream, but I remember how I felt when I woke up and I don't want to feel that way again, I know I'm acting like a baby, but I'm scared Lizzie," Maria sobbed.

Liz wrapped her arms around her best friend. Maria was usually the one comforting Liz, not the other way around. She didn't know what to say to her. She soothingly ran her hands up and down Maria's back trying to let the girl know that everything would be alright. "It'll be okay, I promise, it will be okay." Liz raised her eyes to Max. She trusted him; she knew he would never let anything happen to Maria. She let that trust shine through her eyes.

Max smiled back at her. He knew that she was trusting him to keep Maria safe, and he would. No matter what he wouldn't let any harm come to her. Hell, he didn't have many friends, he wasn't about to lose one.

Maria saw the looks pass back and forth between Max and Liz. Gripping Liz's arms she stood up. Looking around the room she nodded her head and said, "Lets do this, before I lose my nerve."

Alex watched the four people get comfortable. They needed as much room as possible so they had moved the sofa and two chairs back out of the way and the old coffee table had been pushed up against the wall. Maria was on the floor directly in the middle of the room, Isabel was laying next to her on her right, Isabel had wanted Max to lay on the other side of Maria but that had brought about another loud negative from Michael; he was bound and determined to be there. Max hadn't wanted to waste anymore time arguing with Michael. So, laying at Maria's feet, Max had placed one hand on Maria's right leg. Isabel was holding her right hand and Michael was clutching her left. Alex figured that Michael's gripe was probably cutting off her circulation but Maria didn't seem to mind.

Alex walked over and switched on the stereo. Selecting a CD, he hit play and let the soothing music flow about the room. At the sound of "Never An Absolution" from the Titantic soundtrack, five heads turned towards him with blank expressions. "Hey, I thought it would help." He reached out to switch it off.

"No, leave it on, it's okay. You never know, it might help, cause I need all the help I can get right now," Maria said. She felt like she was on display; she didn't think she would be able to fall asleep like this. She squeezed Michael's hand and she felt his fingers tighten on hers. She looked over at him, wondering what he was thinking. He had such a funny expression on his face.

"What?" Michael said to her.

"You look like you want to throw up," Maria remarked.

"It's that damn smell, I can't breath. I think it's coming from you," Michael twisted his face up.

Suddenly sitting up she yelled, "Me! You think I stink?"

"No, I don't think you stink. I think whatever he did to you, it's making you give off this really disgusting smell," Michael said as he looked up at her.

"Michael, will you just let it go for God's sake, the smell is not that bad." Isabel was tired of hearing about the smell. She couldn't understand Michael's reaction. "Max do you think it's that bad?"

"Well, no not really, it's kinda a good smell. I told you, it smells like the ocean." Max sat up sniffing the air. "It reminds me of the beach, salty."

"The beach? Only if all the fish had up and died." Michael threw himself into a sitting position, he couldn't comprehend that they thought it smelled good.

"You think I smell like dead fish?" Maria started to stand up, she wasn't going to sit here and listen to this.

Liz had had enough. She knew her friend; given a chance, Maria would back out of this. "Maria, sit back down, you're only trying to find a way out of this and you can't do that. We need to find out why this is happening. Don't you want to find out why Michael thinks he smells whatever it is he's smelling…well, from you."

"All right, but when this is all over he is going to owe me a huge apology. I do not stink. At least I bathe everyday. Can you say the same thing, Michael Guerin?" Maria smirked at him.

"Even if I didn't I wouldn't smell as bad as you," Michael said as he pulled her back down to the floor.

"Can we just get this over with," Isabel let her annoyance creep out in her voice. "Michael will you just let it go." Turning back to Maria she calming said, "Just relax Maria, we'll do the rest."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Maria mumbled as she laid back down on the floor.

"Just don't be picturing me all green and glittery again, okay?" Isabel jokingly said.

"What?" Max said.

"Nevermind, lets just do this," Isabel said as Maria glared at her.

Liz and Alex watched for the next hour as everyone tried to relax enough to sleep. Finally, after a lot of gripping from Maria, they were all in a deep slumber. Liz noticed that Max had this really cute and adorable snore. She covered her mouth before the giggle that was working its way out of her had time to escape.

Isabel stood with Max at the foot of Maria's bed. They watched as Maria tossed and turned in her sleep.

"She's dreaming about sleeping. She has no imagination whatsoever," Isabel said as she shook her head back and forth.

"Where's Michael?" Max asked as he looked around.

"Here I am," Michael said as he stepped through the bedroom door. "Got lost I guess."

"So now what?" Michael said as he joined the other two at the foot of the bed.

"I guess we wait," Max told him.

"For what?" Michael questioned. "And stop staring at her."

Max couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm not staring at her, I'm waiting."

"Well, just as long as you don't watch her, she's not even dressed for Christ's sake." Michael watched as Maria tossed on the bed. The blankets were pulled to her waist but every time she moved the covers slipped further down her body. He watched as her skimpy little tank top slid up, exposing the white skin of her belly, he raised his eyes to the little red hearts that ran along the neckline. He thought she looked so sexy laying there, and he didn't want Max noticing it.

"Michael, we're supposed to be watching her. That's what we're here for, remember?" Isabel said loudly, too loudly.

"I'm trying to sleep here, can't you just stop the arguing?" Maria said from the bed. Sitting up, she pulled the sheet up to her chest and glared at the three of them. "So, did he come?"

"No, we just got here. We haven't seen anyone. I do smell that salty odor though, it's stronger in here," Isabel said.

"Yeah, I smell it too," Max added.

"See, I told you, it's coming from Maria," Michael snapped at them.

"It is not coming from me! If you say I stink one more time, I'm gonna…" Maria turned to Isabel, "This is a dream, right? I can smack him, kick him, anything I want to in here, right?"

"Yeah, but he can hit you back, just remember that," Isabel said with a smile. Sometimes she didn't get these two. She knew they liked each other, but sometimes they just plain drove her crazy. "I think he's right Maria, I think the smell is coming from you."

"Not you, too. Well Max, do you think I stink too? Just join the crowd why don't you," Maria said with a jeer.

"Oh, you don't stink my dear, never that."

The voice had come from out of nowhere, it was clearly male, but there was no body to go with it.

The three people standing at the end of the bed automatically backed up. Maria shimmied up to the head of the bed. She could hear him, but she couldn't see him anywhere.

"Who are you?" Max asked as he turned and looked around the room. He couldn't tell where the voice had come from.

Maria started to crawl out of the bed. She figured she would be safer if she was standing with the other three.

Isabel saw him first. She watched mesmerized as the wallpaper next to Maria's bed started to press out from the wall. The diagonal lines that made up the design of the paper took on shape, you could clearly make out a head, then shoulders. She called out to her brother. "Max," pointing towards the moving shape she realized that Maria was going to be directly in front of it. "Maria move, now!"

She never made it. Two arms came from the wall. They reached out and grabbed Maria by both of her arms, pulling her back against it. As she fell back, she felt a chest pressed against her back. Turning her head she saw what she thought was a head but it was covered in stripes, there were no eyes, no mouth, just the pattern of her wallpaper. "Oh God!"

"No, I'm not God, not even close."

Chapter 5

Maria struggled against the arms that held her but he was too strong, she couldn't get away.

Looking directly at Michael the stranger said mockingly, "You think she stinks?" He laughed out loud, "Yeah, you newbies, you crack me up. You know absolutely nothing, your body is telling you one thing, but you're not listening. Why do you think it makes you sick, huh boy? Why do you suppose you don't like it and it doesn't bother them?"

"Because it's your smell," Michael growled at him. He didn't know how he knew the answer, it was suddenly just there, flashing across his brain, just as the pictures of this man in Maria's dreams had. He was barely holding on. Seeing Maria in the man's arms was tearing Michael apart; the anger was so strong he could almost taste it. He didn't know what was keeping him from ripping this jerk's head off. Looking down into Maria's face, he knew the answer to that. He couldn't take the chance of this man hurting Maria. "Let her go."

The man laughed, "Oh, I don't think so, she's the only thing keeping you from kicking the shit out of me. You still don't get it, do you? I marked her because I knew you would be the one to drag the others in here. I couldn't use the little brunette. She has walls, guards up; this one doesn't. I got in so easily. She's like an open book. I just appeared as you and she let me walk right in, let me touch her." He let one hand trail down over Maria's shoulder, down over her breast; resting his hand on her stomach he pulled her against him tighter.

Michael, a small growl escaping his lips took a step forward. Max reached out and grabbed his arm. "Michael."

Max watched as features started to take shape on the man's face. The wallpaper design was slowly replaced with skin and two eyes, a mouth and a straight nose. "Who are you?" Max asked him. "What's your name?"

"They gave me the name Ezekiel. You can call me Zeke," the stranger replied.

"What do you want with us?" Isabel demanded.

"Well see that's a long story. But hey, I'm getting used to telling it, every time I come across one of you newbies I have to go through the whole routine. You don't know jackshit. You listening?

As Isabel and Max nodded the man named Zeke went on with his explanation. "We come from the same planet, but don't think that means anything. We're different as night and day."

"What planet?" Max asked him.

Zeke smiled, "Well see that's the problem, if I tell you that now, then you can't earn any points during the game."

"What game?" Isabel said.

"You're starting to repeat yourselves, you know that. Questions, that's all you freakin newbies have, endless questions." Zeke shook his head back and forth, he should be used to this by now.

Max started to say something but Zeke cut him off. "Let me just sum it up for you, my kind destroyed your kind. All peaceful and sickening, that's what your kind were. We liked the fight, we liked the hunt. It's simple; we hunted you, we won. But a few of your kind escape from home. The powers that be decided that a select few would be dispatched to finish you off. My father was one of those chosen. I've taken up his cause. I'm a bounty hunter, I hunt your kind."

"Our kind, I thought you were our kind?" Max asked him.

Zeke grinned, "You're kidding right? God you're fresher than I thought, you don't know anything do you?"

"No, we don't, we're still trying to figure out who we are, and where we came from," Max said as he took a step forward.

"Just stop right there, no closer. You're fine right where you are." Zeke linked one arm around Maria's neck causing the girl's air supply to be cut off. She let our a small squeak.

"You don't have to hurt her. We're just trying to understand what's going on. Why did you used Maria to talk to us? Why not just talk to us in the real world, why here?" Max questioned him.

The man removed his arm a fraction of an inch, allowing Maria to draw in air. "You think we're the same, well you're wrong, dead wrong. Where we come from you're nothing but meat. My kind wasn't good enough for your kind. We might have shared the same planet, but that's about it. Your kind were too busy playing at peace and tranquility to understand what we needed, what we wanted."

"Why are you doing this? Can't we just sit down and talk about this? I'm willing to meet with you, talk with you. We want to find out everything we can about our home world," Max pleaded with the man.

"There's nothing to talk about. We hunted your kind there, we do it here. Enough said, I just wanted to let you in on the rules of the game. I hunt; you die. If you don't die right off, I'll answer one of your questions. Just one. That's all the rules you need to know."

"That's it, you think we're going to let you come after us, just let you hunt us down like animals?" Michael yelled at him. "I don't think so."

The man's face showed confusion for a moment. "Not you, you're not like them. You're a hunter like me. I don't know how the hell you three ended up together. You should be hunting them, instead you're their friend. I don't get that. But I can't hunt you, that would be breaking the rules. But I can have a little fun while we are at it, I can play with your mind, that's why I took your woman, why I marked her. I knew it would drive you crazy."

"What the hell do you mean he's not one of us?" Isabel snapped. "What rules are you talking about?"

"No he's not, he's like me, not interested in that peace crap. Anger is what gets him off, isn't it Mickey boy?" Zeke grinned at Michael. "My father was a hunter before me, he taught me how to hunt your kind, how to take you down. We hunted your kind on our home world, and we do it here too. Hell, it's easier here. My father said here you can hide anywhere, these humans are stupid. They have no powers at all, not like us."

"I won't let you hurt my friends," Michael told him.

"Wait, you apparently know more than we do about our home, we need answers. Can't we just put aside our differences and sit down and talk about this?" Always the level headed one, Max tried to get Zeke to calm down.

"I'm done talking. I'll be coming for you. The game starts tomorrow. Be ready." Zeke shoved Maria into Michael and stepped back into the wall. "And Michael, there's only one way to make her yours again, but I doubt you're smart enough to figure it out." He was gone.

Liz and Alex watched as the rest of the teenagers all suddenly came awake. Max sat up and looked at Isabel. Maria turned onto her side and threw her arms around Michael. Michael placed his arms around her and pulled them both up into a sitting position, leaning back against the sofa he hugged her to him tighter. He could feel her shoulders shaking from the sobs coming from deep inside of her. "It's okay, Maria, it's going to be alright."

She pulled back from him and shouted, "How the hell can it be alright, that...that asshole said he was going to hunt Max and Isabel. How can that be alright?"

"What happened?" Alex ask.

"The man, his name is Zeke, he's from our planet, but he's not like us. It seems we had two different factions living on one planet. Zeke's kind hunted our kind." Max stood up and moved forward to help Isabel up. "He's some type of bounty hunter, and he's here to hunt Isabel and I."

"But not Michael?" Alex said. "I don't understand, why not Michael."

"Because I'm a hunter too, just like him. They..or we I guess, don't hunt ourselves," Michael explained to him. "But he does have something planned for me, something to do with Maria."

"The smell, he said he marked her," Isabel exclaimed. "That's why the smell bothers you and not us."

"But why, why Maria?" Liz asked the others.

Staring into Maria's eyes, Michael answered her. "Because he knows I like her, he knows I want her."

Maria blushed but didn't take her eyes from his. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know but I'll be damned if he is going to hurt any of you," Michael told her.

"Why does his kind hunt your kind?" Alex questioned again, his analytical mind was in overdrive. Alex loved a puzzle, he was at his best trying to figure things out.

Isabel pulled herself up off the floor and sat back against the sofa. "He said our kind was more interested in "peace and tranquility", and his kind was more into the hunt. What the hell could that mean?"

Liz turned to Max, "It makes sense, your quiet and peaceful; Michael is always on edge. Max very rarely looses his temper and Michael gets angry very quickly."

"So it's like Michael's people are like…ah..well..like Klingon's and you're…the Vulcan's. Is that it?" Alex was proud of himself for coming up with the answer. He raised his eyes and realized that his three friends wouldn't really like the comparison.

Max made a funny noise and dropped his head.

Alex prepared himself to apologize.

Max raised his head and everyone was surprised at the twinkle in his eye. "Yeah, that's about the best way to describe it I guess."

Chapter 6

Michael glanced at Alex again and just shook his head, "Klingons."

"I said I was sorry…sheesh." Alex scooped up another hand full of chips and walked to the other end of the room; Michael had been glaring at him ever since the Klingon comment.

"Michael, I don't know why you're getting so upset, I mean think about it, in someways what Alex said is true." Isabel was on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table while the rest of the kids were scattered around the coffee table. They were all enjoying the small picnic that Maria and Liz had prepared for them. There were bowls of chips, pretzels and other snacks scattered around the table. Isabel had commandeered the potato chips. "You're always the first one mad, the first one to react to everything."

"Michael mad. Never," Maria said sarcastically. She dropped her head to the back of the sofa and started giggling. Everyone had laughed when Max had agreed with Alex comparisons, everyone but Michael.

"I don't think this is a damn bit funny. This guy is going to try and kill you and Max and you're all sitting around here laughing about it. I'm not laughing; I don't find it funny at all."

"You're not being hunted either," Isabel said.

"That's not the point. What are we going to do about this guy." Michael had turned to Max with this query. He didn't think that Isabel was taking this seriously at all.

"Okay, Michael's right, we have to figure out what we're going to do here. Lets backtrack, he said he was going to start tomorrow. Start what? Is he coming after us right away? How is this supposed to go down? Or are we supposed…" The more Max talked the more questions kept rolling through his mind.

"Max," Liz tried to interrupt. "Max."

"How is he going to come at us, we have to know what to look for…" Max kept right on going.

"MAX!" Liz screamed. All eyes turned towards her, including Max's.

Liz calmly explained what she thought they should do. "We have to do this scientifically. Start at the beginning of the dream, he said he was a hunter. He hunts your kind, right? So we go from there. You're not going to be able to go home tonight. If he comes after you there, your parents aren't going to understand what's going on. I think we should all stay here for the night."

"One big co-ed sleepover, I don't think so," Maria said. It wasn't that she didn't want them to be safe, but having Michael Guerin in her house overnight; she didn't think she could handle that. "The neighbors talk enough about my mom; I don't think I want the same reputation."

Getting up from the couch Maria headed towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Liz asked.

"I feel a fight coming on, I need ice cream," Maria told her as she headed through the kitchen door.

"Bring all you got, and six spoons," Isabel said.

The ice cream was starting to melt all over the coffee table, and the fight about who was sleeping where was still going on. They had all called their parents and informed them of their plans for the evening. If Mrs. Evans thought it was strange that Max was going to be sleeping over at Alex Whitman's house, she hadn't said anything. And she was more than happy to know that Isabel was going to be having a sleepover with Maria and Liz.

"The guys are not sleeping upstairs, and I live here, I get a bed," Maria said as she scooped up a large spoonful out of the cookies and cream carton.

"Okay, so Maria and I are in her room, Isabel can take Mrs. DeLuca's bedroom. Alex, Max and Michael are downstairs. How's that?" Liz said pushing Alex's spoon out of the way to get to the Vanilla.

Alex watched as Isabel sprinkled a liberal amount of Tabasco sauce on a scoop of Cookies and Cream. "How do you eat that? Doesn't it give you indigestion?"

"No, and I'm not discussing this again, we like it this way. Do we constantly harp on any of you for the way you eat things. I mean Maria puts more ketchup than fries on her plate, Liz puts pretzels in her ice cream. And I'm sitting here watching you eat Vanilla ice cream with Little Debbie cakes all squished through it. Do I condemn you? No, I do not." Isabel shook her spoon at him as she rattled off each offense. Alex kept his eyes on the flying drops of ice cream.

Michael watched Maria as she licked her lips again. She constantly licked her lips while eating ice cream; he was beginning to think she was doing it on purpose. He turned to Max, "I'm not sleeping on the floor, I'm taking this couch as mine. You and Alex can flip for the other one."

"I can sleep on the floor, it's no problem," Max said as he swallowed another scoop of ice cream. Sleeping in the same house as Liz was causing thoughts to go through his head that shouldn't be there.

The house was quiet, everyone had been asleep for over two hours. Liz slept on as Maria jerked around on her side of the bed. The girl tossed and turned, then bolted upright in the bed. She glanced around her room and let the last of the dream she had been having slip away. Throwing the blanket back she went to stand up, she let out a small moan as her legs swung out onto the floor. She felt like she had been run over by a truck. Pain radiated from her hips to her neck. She tried to control the shaking as her feet hit the floor. Finally able to stand, she quietly ran out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. Closing the door behind her she leaned against it and let the shaking take over again. Releasing a small moan, she thought to herself, . She remembered the dream this time, the pain, the anger. She remembered every pinch and slap that he had given her. Flipping the light switch on she pushed away from the door and slowly walked towards the large mirror. She was afraid to look, afraid of what she would find there.

Isabel walked down the hallway towards the bathroom, she knew she had heard something, it might be nothing, but she still wanted to make sure everything was alright. Lightly knocking on the door she pushed it open, hoping that it wasn't one of the guys in there. She was pretty sure it was Liz or Maria as the sounds she had heard had come from Maria's room and not the steps.

"Maria, is everything alright?" Isabel said as the door opened the whole way.

Maria jumped and turned to Isabel and tried to keep her voice down, "Jeez, Isabel are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Isabel just stood and stared at Maria, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "What the hell happened to you?"

Maria turned back to the mirror, she pulled her top up and looked at her body. She was covered in bruises, from her thighs to her neck, large purple and yellow ones. She could make out handprints and red, ugly welts.

"Oh my God Maria, what did he do to you?" Isabel choked out. She couldn't believe the marks all over her friend's body. "I've got to get Max." She turned to head out the door.

"NO!" Maria said as she grabbed her arm. "You can't tell them. Remember what Michael did when he saw the handprint, how do you think he's going to handle this?"

Isabel opened her mouth to argue with her, but she didn't know what to say. She knew Michael's temper, and ever since this had started he had been more out of control than usual. "What happened, why did he do this? Do you remember any of it?"

Maria went back to looking in the mirror. A look of anger spilled out of her eyes as she pulled the sides of her boxer's down and saw bruises in the shape of fingers on either side of her hips. "I remember all of it. He did it to piss Michael off, to get some kind of reaction out of him. That's why we're not going to tell him about this. You're going to heal me and then nobody has to know."

"Tell me, what did he do?" Isabel's voice cracked, she wasn't doing a good job of holding the sobs that wanted to escape. She helped Maria to the toilet and gently eased her down on to it. She laid her hand next to her neck, a soft glow appeared and she waited for the bruises to disappear.

"He walked right into my bedroom again. I could see Liz laying there beside me and she never heard a thing. I called to her, over and over again, but she couldn't hear me. He kept hitting me, then he started pinching me. I kept crying, but no one could hear me. He laughed, he just kept laughing and hitting me." The tears had started falling again; Maria felt like she had never cried so much in her life.

"I'm sorry, Maria. If we had never met you then this wouldn't be happening to you. This is all our fault," Isabel said as her gaze met that of the other girl.

"What? These tears? Hell Isabel, I cry at weddings, soap operas, wrestling matches . . . heck, everything. If not this, I'd just be crying about something else," Maria tried to laugh it off.

Isabel watched as the bruises didn't diminish, she tried again. Nothing.

"Maria, we're going to have to tell the others. This isn't working. The bruises aren't going away." Isabel tried again, still nothing.

"No, we aren't telling anyone. I'll just cover them up. You have to help me, Is." Maria gripped the blonde girl's hand. "We can't tell them. That's what this jerk wants, he wants them to know. He kept saying that Michael would really love this. I won't do that to him. I mean, look at you. You're apologizing to me, and you don't even like me. Max and Michael would hate themselves if they new about this. Please promise me you won't tell them. You all have enough to worry about."

"I don't keep anything from Max," Isabel told her. "I tell him everything."

Maria smiled, "That was before you had girlfriends, now you have Liz and I. We keep plenty of secrets. I mean, come on, have you told Max that you like Alex?"

Isabel stood up and grabbed a washcloth from the tub. "I do not like Alex."

"Yeah, right," Maria said sarcastically. "You just spend all that time watching him for scientific reasons, right?"

"I don't watch Alex," Isabel denied. She rinsed the washcloth off and wrapped it around Maria's neck. "This might bring some of the swelling down."

"Then why in all the time that I've known you have you never once offered a ride to me or Liz?" Maria questioned. "But every time you head out the door, what's the first thing out of your mouth? 'Need a ride Alex?' Yeah right. See this is what girlfriends notice, brothers do not. If we don't tell them, they won't know. And we save them all kinds of worry."

"How are you going to hide all these bruises?" Isabel asked her.

Maria thought for a moment. Raising her eyes to Isabel, she smiled. "Sweat suit."

Isabel hooked one eyebrow up. "Maria, I have never seen you wear a sweat suit. You always wear those skimpy little tops and the skirts with the slits up to there."

"Well, I don't own any, but my mom does. I'll just steal one of hers. She won't mind," Maria said, proud of herself.

Michael stood in the kitchen pouring himself a bowl of cereal. He replaced the box on the counter and opened the refrigerator door to retrieve a bottle of Tabasco sauce and poured a liberal amount onto his breakfast. He looked up as Alex came through the door stretching.

"Oh no, not on cereal too," he grimaced as he watched Michael shove a spoonful of the odious concoction into his mouth.

"Yep, want some?" Michael said, offering a heaping spoonful to the boy.

"No, thank you, I'll stick to toast and orange juice . . . without the added sauce," Alex said as he reached for the loaf of bread on the counter.

Max sauntered in next. He walked barefoot to the table and sat down. "Is it me or is that smell stronger?"

"Yep, it's what woke me up this morning. Took everything I had not to run up those stairs and check on her," Michael told him as he joined him at the table.

"Well, knowing Maria, if he had been in her dreams again she would have woken the whole house up. Maybe it just gets stronger as the day goes on?" Alex said.

Liz pushed the door open and said good morning to the other occupants of the kitchen.

"How did Maria sleep?" Max asked her.

"I don't know, her and Isabel were in her mom's room when I woke up," Liz said as she watched Max out of the corner of her eye. He looked so cute with his hair all tousled from sleep.

Isabel and Maria walked into the room together. Isabel walked to the refrigerator and rummaged around inside for a few moments. "Anyone want any eggs?"

Max turned and looked at her. "You're going to make us breakfast? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

"Yes, I am going to make breakfast and if you make a big deal out of it then you won't get any," Isabel said to him.

"Will there be Tabasco?" Alex asked.

"Only on the side," Isabel told him.

"Okay, count me in," Alex said.

Liz started taking plates out of the cabinet, helping Isabel start breakfast. As Isabel took a head count for the eggs, she watched Maria slide into a chair at the back of the table. She was wearing a blue sweat suit with a white turtleneck underneath it. So far so good; no one noticed, Isabel thought.

Michael watched Maria; she kept her eyes on the table top and wouldn't look up. He watched her wiggle on the chair and a small hiss escaped her lips. He sat his spoon down. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," Maria said without raising her eyes.

"What the hell happened last night?" Michael questioned her.

"Nothing," Maria again answered. She wouldn't look up at any of them and her voice was unusually quiet.

"What's up Michael?" Max wondered why Michael was giving Maria the third degree.

"Maria, look at me," Michael snarled.

"Don't start playing he-man again. Do you hear me, nothing happened last night. I slept like a baby." Maria tried to keep her voice calm. She told herself that she could pull this off.

Michael wasn't buying it. "The smell is ten times worse then it was last night. And you won't look me in the eye."

Maria raised her head. "There is nothing wrong, nothing happened in my dreams, okay? Can we just change the subject?"

Michael got up and walked around the table. Max stood and stepped towards Maria, he didn't like the look in Michael's eye. "Michael, if she said nothing happened, then nothing happened. Why are you acting like this?"

Reaching out, Michael pulled Maria by the arm, yanking her up against his chest he grabbed her chin with one hand and snapped out, "What are you trying to hide?"

Maria tried to hold in the scream, but as her chest slammed against his she couldn't control the moan that escaped her lips. "Awww…"

"Michael, let her alone," Isabel said from across the room.

As Michael looked into Maria's eyes he could read the pain there. Glancing down at the bottom of her shirt, he reacted without thinking. As his hand began to move, Maria realized what he was about to do.

"No!" Reaching out to stop him caused the sleeve of her sweat shirt to rise, exposing the bruises that ringed her arm.

"What the hell is this?" Michael demanded.

"Oh my God, Maria what happened to you?" Liz couldn't contain the shock at seeing all the distorted colors that ran around Maria's wrist.

Max moved closer, grabbing her arm he pulled the sleeve up as far as it would go. "How did this happen?"

"It's nothing, just a few bruises," Maria said. She couldn't meet Michael's eyes. She had tried to keep this from him, she didn't want to think about his reaction to the rest of them.

"It's more than a few bruises." This came from Isabel. "They cover her whole body."

"Mother…" Michael never finished the obscenity. "I'm gonna kill him, do you hear me? I'm going to fucking kill him!"

Chapter 7

“Michael, just shut up! You're not going to do anything, do you hear me? This is exactly why he did this. He's trying to push your buttons, trying to get you to react." Maria tried to get through to Michael, tried to get through his anger. She had to make him listen to her.

Michael stared down into her eyes. He could feel the anger rippling through him like a wave; he couldn't think, couldn't concentrate. All he could see were the bruises and welts that surrounded Maria's arm. He didn't stop to think about what he was doing, reaching out he pulled Maria's sweat shirt up. He could hear Liz's gasp from the other side of the room. He had thought the welts on her arm were bad, but what he saw as he gazed at her stomach almost sickened him. The swelling and abrasions were even worse on the parts of her body hidden by the shirt. Without another word, he pulled her out from behind the table and headed for the door.

"Michael, what are you going to do?" Liz screamed as he made his way through the kitchen and headed towards the door.

Michael ignored her. He pulled Maria through the living room and turned towards the stairs. He felt a hand latch onto his arm. Turning, he found himself staring into Max's face. "Michael, what are you going to do?"

Michael didn't trust himself to speak at first. He took a deep breath and looked at his best friend. "I need to see Max, I need to know what he did to her."

Max started to say something, then stopped. He realized that if this had been Liz he would feel the same way Michael did; he would need to know what that animal had done to her.

Maria watched as Max stepped back. Alex moved forward as if to stop Michael but Max placed his arm in front of him. "No, let him go."

"Keep everyone downstairs." Michael turned and continued up the steps. He could hear the others arguing downstairs; he really didn't care what they were saying at the moment. He could feel Maria trying to pull her arm out of his hand the whole way. As he reached the top he turned and headed toward her bedroom. Pushing the door open he pulled her in behind him and turned and slammed the door.

Maria heard the lock click into place.

He turned and looked at her. "Take the top off."

"I'm not taking my top off. Michael, there's no reason for you too see all the bruises." She tried to make him understand.

"Either you take it off or I do," Michael demanded.

When she didn't move he reached out and grabbed the hem of her shirt. She grabbed the material and tried to stop him. They struggled back and forth for a few seconds. Michael released his hold. Dropping his hands, he stepped back and leaned against the door.

Michael closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened his eyes again and said, "I have to see. Please?"

She looked up into his eyes. She'd never heard his voice sound like that before; he sounded so . . . lost. She took one step back from him. Tightening her jaw, she reached down and pulled the sweatshirt off; the turtleneck followed.

She heard him draw air into his lungs. When he didn't release it, she looked up at him. She knew what he was seeing, the same things she had seen in the mirror that morning. Long ugly welts and abrasions ran across her body; her breast were covered with long scratches and welts. In some areas the blood had risen to the skin and caused blisters to form. Some were small circles, others were long lines that crisscrossed her breast. Her nipples were no longer a dusty rose color, they now had a bluish tint to them. She saw him raise his hand as if to reach for her, but he stopped and dropped it back to his side.

"Is there more?" Michael asked her gently.

She placed her hands on either side of her pants and slide them and her underwear down just enough to show him the marks on her hips and abdomen.

"Oh God." That's it, that's all he said. She closed her eyes; she didn't want to see the look in his eyes as he looked at the marks that ran across her hips.

She jumped when she felt his fingers lightly trail along one of the welts that ran the line of her hipbone. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to stop the tears that welled up in them. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

The hand froze. He felt the anger leave him. "Maria, you have nothing to be sorry for. This is not your fault, none of this is your fault."

"I didn't want you to see this. He did this on purpose, he did this to make you angry. Isabel tried to heal them, but they won't go away. She couldn't make them go away." Maria let the words pour out of her.

She felt his arms enclose her. She just let herself go and leaned into him. Burying her face in his chest, she let the tears fall.

He pulled her face against his chest and stroked his hands over her hair. "Shhh, don't cry, please don't cry." He just stood and held her. He wanted to take her pain away, wanted to erase every mark and line off of her body. Without thinking about it, he closed his eyes and started stroking his hands over the welts and bruises.

Maria felt a tingling moving up and down her body. The sensation crept through her and, as it moved continuously over her, she realized that the pain was gone wherever his vibrating fingers touched. She snuggled closer to Michael, raising her arms to wrap them around him. A quivering took over her body and she could feel a warmth spreading through her; she felt goosebumps raising up all across her skin. Rubbing her cheek over the soft cotton of his t-shirt she let the feelings take her over. She pulled more air into her lungs as she felt his hands roam over her back and sides. She felt more relaxed than she had ever felt in her whole life; she let the feelings surround her.

Michael opened his eyes and looked down at his hand where it rested on the slight rise of her buttocks, it was giving off a soft white light, he watched as he moved his hand up her back, he was amazed at what he saw, wherever his hands touched the bruises and marks disappeared. He brought his hand up her back and removed the abrasions as he went. He couldn't believe this, how was this happening? He had never been able to do this before.

"Michael?" Maria had felt the change in him, felt his body stiffen.

"Shh, it's okay, it's going to be okay," Michael said as he moved his hands over her body.

Withdrawling his hands, he picked her up and moved to the bed. Laying her across it, he fell to one knee and leaned over her, lightly touching his lips to her's. "Trust me."

Reaching down he pulled her pants and underpants the rest of the way off. She raised her hands to try and stop him, but he gently pushed them to the mattress. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

Maria opened her mouth to tell him that she knew he would never hurt her, but her lips wouldn't work. She watched him as he took one hand and gently stroked it over her neck. Turning her head to the side, she closed her eyes and let the vibrations take her over again.

She felt every caress as he stroked her body. She felt like he was taking a paint brush to her, his fingers felt like soft silky bristles as his hands moved over her.

Michael watched the rise and fall of her breast as he removed each mark of violence from her body. It surprised him when her breathing became faster with each stroke. It suddenly hit him that she was becoming excited by each touch, each stroke of his hand. He smiled, it excited him just knowing that he could remove her pain and give her pleasure with something as simple as his healing touch. He watched as she moved her body in rhythym with his touch. The more energy he used the more she moved. He threw one leg over her thighs and brought his other hand into play. Starting at her shoulders, he slowly brought his hands down over her breasts; barely touching them he felt her nipples harden. He watched as a blush swept across her chest, up her neck and across her cheeks. He laid his palms down on her breasts and a moan escaped her lips.

"Michael," she whispered.

"Let it happen baby, let it happen," Michael whispered back to her. He watched as she opened her mouth, her tongue slid out and moistened her lips. He felt himself harden. He moved his hands down her sides to her hips. Sliding them under her, he focused on taking her pain away. Gripping her ass cheeks, he gently squeezed. He held her in his hands for a few seconds and let the energy flow from him. Pulling his hands around to her front, he let his hands shape her pelvic bones. Sliding his hand down, he pushed one of her legs to the side, then lifted his leg and placed it between hers. He watched her face to gauge her reaction. But she didn't try to stop him, she was too deeply into the feelings that he was giving her. He slid his hand up and over the golden curls that lay in the apex of her legs. He watched as his hand shaped her. He closed his eyes for a second and just thought about healing her pain. He wasn't prepared when she arched her body up off the bed, wasn't prepared for the look of pure ecstasy that was etched across her face.

He smiled as her body dropped back to the bed. He watched as her hands gripped the sheet. Thinking only of her, he moved one hand up over her stomach and gently caressed her breast. He again concentrated the energy coming from his hands; as the glow brightened, he heard another moan escape her lips. Closing his eyes he felt her muscles tighten, he was prepared this time when her body arched again, but he wasn't prepared for the emotions that hit him. Throwing his eyes open he watched as she gripped the sheet tighter; he realized he was feeling what she felt. Everything he was making her feel came bouncing back at him. He let the waves of ecstasy engulf him, felt it carry him higher and higher. When he felt like he couldn't take it anymore he followed her into the orgasm that swept through her. He watched her face and felt what she was feeling.

Maria felt like she was falling, then floating gently back down to the bed. She slowly opened her eyes and found Michael leaning over her, staring at her intently. She smiled, stretching her arms out above her head and watched as he returned her smile.

"How do you feel?" he asked as he lightly stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Turning her head, she kissed his fingertips and said, "Happy."

Chapter 8

Liz paced back and forth, she couldn't stand not knowing what was going on upstairs. She knew Michael, he was a bit of a reactionist. He didn't do a very good job of controlling his powers or his anger. After the initial outburst after watching Michael drag Maria up the steps, no one had known what to say. They were all just sitting around, waiting. For what, they didn't know. Liz turned to Max. "Max I think you should go up there and find out what's going on."

Max sat with Alex on the couch, he understood Liz's anxieties; they were all worried about Maria, but at the same time he knew that Michael would never hurt Maria, not intentionally. He voiced his thoughts. "Liz don't worry, he won't hurt her, I know Michael, he's a hothead but he's not angry with Maria, he's angry with this guy Zeke."

The girl stopped at the bottom of the stairs and tried to listen, if she could just hear what was going on it would relieve her mind. When Michael and Maria were together they usually ended up yelling at each other, but there was no sound coming from the second floor. And that is what had her worried, they had been up there for over an hour. What were they doing?

"Max, maybe Liz is right, one of us should go up there and check on them. It's been awful quiet, and with those two that can't be good." Isabel loved Michael like a brother, but she also understood him, he had a problem with controlling his temper.

It was awfully quiet up there, Max thought, but if they weren't talking, he would feel like a fool if he walked in on something. He stood and turned towards the stairs. As he walked across the living room he heard the sound of footsteps coming from above. All four heads turned towards the staircase.

Michael and Maria came down the steps together, Maria was wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a pink tank top. Max couldn't believe what he was seeing. There were no bruises, no welts. Maria smiled as she noticed all the wide eyed stares directed at her.

"No more booboo's," she told them with a smile.

"Maria what happened, how did you..." Liz couldn't believe it, Maria's body looked normal once again, there was no sign of the marks that had covered her body when Michael had drug her up those steps.

"Michael, how? What happened?" Max had trouble forming the words in his head. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.

"I don't know Maximillon, I just "wished" I could heal her and it happened. Don't ask me, I have no idea how I did it." Michael shrugged his shoulders as he explained to his friend.

Isabel looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. She couldn't believe it. In all the time that she had known Michael he had never been able to use the healing powers that Max and Isabel had used from time to time in the past.

Maria listened to Michael's voice as he talked, she could just make out the disbelief in the tone of his voice, but at the same time she could see his pride in knowing that he had been the one to heal her, she looked over at him and jokingly said "Don't get too excited space boy, there's two more where you came from, you're not alone on the special bus, just remember that. "

Michael turned and looked at her, he watched as a blush creeped up her neck and acrossed her cheeks, he knew she was remembering the healing, remembering every touch and caress that he had given her. He remembered the pleasure that had coursed through his body, he looked away from her, he couldn't quite handle knowing that he had been the one to give her that pleasure.

"Hey, the smell is gone." Isabel said as she stepped closer to Maria. “The salty smell, it's gone, I don't smell it anymore, do you Max?"

Max took a closer step to Maria and leaned over and inhaled. Looking up into her face he noticed the red stain of embarrassment slowly spreading across her cheeks. He thought that there was more to what was going on here, more than what Michael had told them, something had happened in that room, but he wasn't going to question them now, not in front of everyone.

"You're right, it is gone." Stepping back he returned his gaze to Michael. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Now what are we going to do about Zeke, he said he'd be coming for you two today. We have to have a plan, we have to come up with someway to protect you." Michael told him.

"We'll nothing has happened yet. I say we all stay here, lay low for a few days, I don't think he's going to try and actually break in here or anything." Alex said.

"I agree with Alex, I think we ought to…" Liz started to say but was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone.

Maria walked to the phone and picked it up. "Hello."

"Sure Mrs. Whitman, he's right here hold on." Maria handed the phone to Alex. "It's your mom."

Alex took the phone and listened for a few moments. "Yeah mom, I understand, that's okay, I was going to ask you if I could stay over tonight too, so this works out fine. "Yeah call me here and let me know how she's doing. Okay, I'll see you when you get home, bye." Alex hung up the phone, turning to the others he said, "My aunt broke her leg, my mom and dad are going to be out of town for a few days. Makes it a lot easier not having to come up with excuses to stay here." Alex said as he headed towards the kitchen.

Max followed him, "Alex maybe the three of you should stay at your house, with your parents out of town it might be a perfect time to get the three of you out of here." As Alex turned and looked at him, Max could read the hurt in his eyes. "I mean it would keep the three of you safe, not having to be here if this guy does show up."

Max hadn't known that the rest of them had followed them into the kitchen. Liz's voice came from behind him.

"Max we're not leaving you, any of you. If we can help, well that's exactly what we're going to do. Stay and help. And might I point out this guy just didn't attack you guys, he came after Maria too. We're all in this together whether you like it or not." Max could see the determination in her eyes.

Max turned to Isabel and Michael hoping they would help him persuade the others to go to Alex's house. But they both turned their faces away, he knew he wasn't going to be getting any help from them.

"Okay, then we're going to have to make this house as safe as possible, make sure he can't get in. Anyone have any ideas.

They spent the rest of the day going throughout the house and making sure everything was locked up tight. Knowing that just locking the doors and windows wouldn't keep him out they sat up sound traps, thanks to Alex's laptop they got some good ideas off of the internet for making various household alarm clocks and radios into security devices. They had to make two trips to various hardware stores in town and with empty wallets and full bags they made the trip back home with their consciences relieved.

"Alex if you weren't my friend I would worry about you, but I have to say your little extra activities on the net are paying off here." Maria said with a smile as they hooked up the small wires to the window locks. She watched as he hooked his end of the wires to the small AM/FM radio he had sat on the floor under the window.

He smiled back at her, "You can find anything you want on the net, legal or illegal."

Isabel scrunched down next to him, watching him connecting the wires, "So is this the legal or illegal part?"

Alex's shoulders shook from laughter, "Oh definitely legal." Looking into her eyes he said, "See nerds come in handy don't we?"

Standing up and turning to walk back to the table they had sat up all the stuff on Isabel smirked, "Oh, I've never thought of you as a nerd Alex. Never."

Max checked the lock over the kitchen sink one last time, everything was quiet. He turned to walk back into the living room and prepare to go to sleep. Everyone else had been asleep for about an hour, but he had wanted to check things out one last time. Michael came through the door and ask, "Is everything okay."

"Yeah I just wanted to make sure one last time." He watched as Michael walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of milk. Pouring himself a glass he raised the milk jug to Max. Max shook his head no, "I'm fine."

Michael replaced the milk and added a generous portion of Tabasco to the milk and took a large swallow.

Neither one said anything for a moment. "Can I ask you something?" Max finally said.

Michael knew what was coming. "What?"

"What happened upstairs today? I noticed tonight that Maria gets red every time she looks at you, I was just wondering…ah…well…"

"You were just wondering huh, well, Max I told you, I don't know why or how but I healed her. I just thought about it and the bruises went away." Michael never looked up as he spoke.

"Michael, there's more to it than the healing. What happened between you and Maria?" Max knew Michael was very secretive but he needed to know.

"Why, Max, why do you need to know?" Michael ask him.

Max moved to the table and sat down, "I don't know, it's like we've always shared everything, and I can feel that your keeping something from me."

Michael to the seat directly across from him and finally looked up at him. "Did you tell me what you shared with Liz when you healed her."

"But that was different." Max told him.

"How is it different, Max, cause you love Liz?" Michael demanded. His voice had risen, he lowered it again, he didn't want the others to hear their conversation.

"Well you never hide the fact that you get annoyed by Maria, your very blunt about how you feel about her."

"Am I?" Michael smiled. "Maybe I just keep my feelings about Maria to myself. Why would I need to talk about them with you. You never share your feelings about Liz with Isabel and I. Why should we share our feelings with you?"

"It's hard to put into words how I feel about Liz." Max explained.

Well, that's the same way I feel about Maria. I didn't plan on feeling anything for her, Max, it just happened." Michael struggled to make his friend understand. "With you and Liz it's different, Isabel and I have always known, it's in your eyes every time you look at her, I don't think you know how to hide it. But I had to learn how to hide what I was feeling, it was easier for me. Maybe it has to do with the way you two were raised, you had this great environment, a loving warm family. I had people who were trying to do good, but not knowing how to go about it. Hell with Hank it's simple, he likes getting the check every month, somebody to clean up after him. I've come to understand that, don't get me wrong, I don't like it but I have come to understand him more. With Maria it's like I didn't have a choice, she was there in my face making me think things I've never thought about before. I don't know how to explain it any better than that."

Max decided he would just come out and ask, Michael was being honest with him, and that didn't happen very often. "Did you and Maria make love?"

Michael's expression showed he understood how hard it was for his friend to ask him that. "No, but we came damn close to it. About as close as possible without actually doing it." Michael leaned forward resting his elbows on the table in front of him. "But it wasn't about making love Max, it was about healing her, I just ran my hands over her. All over her, and as I touched her she started feeling things, things that I didn't even know existed. And then suddenly I was feeling what she was feeling. I have to tell you Max, it was intense, very intense. And it made me feel good being able to be the one who was doing it. Do you know what I mean? I did it for her, not for me, but only for her."

Max smiled, remember how he felt after he healed Liz, "Yeah, Michael, I understand exactly what you mean."

"We better get to sleep, we have to be ready for this guy if he comes okay?" Michael said.

They both got up and moved towards the kitchen door. "It's a lot to take in isn't it?" Max ask Michael as they reached the door.

"What?" Michael said, confusion clearly showing on his face.

"Loving someone." Max said.

Michael stopped and turned to Max, "I don't love her."

Max shook his head, "Right."

Chapter 9

Max suddenly came awake and realized he was at the Crashdown. He didn't know how he had gotten here, or why he had been sleeping in one of the booths. He suddenly realized he was dreaming. Getting up he walked to the door at the other end of the room and looked to see if he was alone. Pushing open the door to the kitchen he didn't see anyone, but he heard talking coming from the lounge area, backtracking he headed towards the voices.

He shoved the door open and stepped through, everyone was there, Michael, Isabel, Liz, Maria and Alex. Their voices were all raised in an argument.

"It is not, this is my dream, the rest of you aren't really here."

"No, it's not, you're all in my dream."

"You're both wrong, I'm the one dreaming."

They were all going back and forth, all taking credit for being here. Max stepped into the midst of all this and tried to bring some order into the chaos.

"Everyone, just settle down, I apparently thought this was my dream, but since everyone else thinks it's their dream I could be wrong. Let's all just settle down and discuss this one at a time."

"What's going on Max, why are we all here, I mean one minute I was dreaming about taking a test in Mrs. Johnson's class and the next I'm here. Why were we all pulled into the same dream." Liz's confusion was reflected in her voice.

"I've had that dream. Were you naked? Cause when I have that dream, I'm always naked." Alex ask her, then realized what he had said. "Or not, maybe that wasn't my dream at all."

Michael just looked at him for a second then glanced back at Max, he started to say something then turned back to Alex, "You dream about going to school naked? Nevermind." He shook his head and turned back to Max. "I think we can all thank the mysterious Zeke for this, I don't like it Max, if we're all pulled into the same dream he has to be behind it. He's here I can feel him."

"I think Michael is right, I've never experienced this before in a dream, it's always just me and someone else, not everyone at the same time." Isabel's voice quivered as she spoke. "And there is some else in here with us."

"Isabel let's not panic, everyone has to stay calm." Max knew everyone needed to stay calm if they were going to figure out what was going on.

"Their right Max, he's here I can feel him, his anger, his control." Maria moved around the room, trying to get away from the emotions that were hitting her from all different sides of the room. "But wait, how do I know this isn't my dream and he's just making me think that all of you are here, or maybe this is one of your dreams and he's making you think were all here. Did anyone understand that?"

"I think I understood, but I've never had thought processes during someone else's dream before, I mean if it's my dream I know what I'm doing, but if this isn't my dream how come I know what I'm thinking." Alex realized he wasn't making anymore sense than Maria did. He decided to just shut up while he was ahead. "I'll just shut up now."

"Yeah, why don't you do that." Michael said sarcastically. "Max he's here, I know he's here."

"How did he pull Alex and I in, we've never had any of you in our dreams before, how would he have been able to get us in here?" Liz said. "I mean we have to look at this scientifically, can any of you pull other people into your dreams?"

Isabel turned a cold eye towards her. "I believe I just said that didn't I? We've never done this before, not any of us. Michael and Max never dreamwalk. We were able to get into Maria's dream because we all have the basic know how, but that was the first time. I can go into someone else dream but I never pull people into my dreams. Never."

"Can he hurt us in here?" Alex ask.

Maria didn't even hide the snippiness in her voice, "Duh! Did you see any of the bruises I had, Alex?"

"He doesn't want to harm us, he wants to hurt Max and Isabel, remember?" Liz reminded everyone.

"I don't want to hurt them little girl, I want to kill them." Like before, the voice came out of nowhere.

The six kids all moved closer together. Max pulled Liz and Isabel behind him. Michael moved in front of them all, he wanted Zeke to have to go through him to get to his friends. "Come out where we can see you, what are you, a coward?"

"No, that's more their kinds way." One minute he wasn't there, the next it seemed like the very air in front of them rippled, and there he was, standing between them and the door to the dining room. He held a small silver device in his right hand, it had three rows of glowing buttons on it.

"Where are we, why did you bring us here?" Alex ask him.

"This is the zone. It's part of the dreamworld, but a much higher plane than that. It's where I took Blondie, where I hurt her. There's only one way to get into the zone, and you gave me that opportunity the minute you all went into her dream. I just got all your signatures off of her dream patterns, after that, getting into the other two humans dreams was easy. Then I just yanked you all in here. No matter what you think, no matter what you feel I'll know the minute you do. In here, there are no little special powers that one has over the other. In here, we're equals. And this is where the game is played." Zeke smiled. He knew it was only a matter of time before he bagged his newest trophy. It really didn't mean much, after all, they were so fresh that he had to tell them everything. It wasn't the same as taking down one of the older and more experienced fools, but hell, a kill meant one less of them, and that worked for Zeke.

"But this is only a dream, you can't do anything to us in here." Isabel smirked, "It's not real."

"Maybe not to them," Zeke jerked his head at Alex, Maria and Liz. "I can't kill them, but remember I can hurt them. Unlike them, the two of you can die in here just as easy as out there, and in here it's a lot less messy, don't have to explain anything to the real worlders. It's bag you, tag you, and I'm done."

"Max." Isabel moved closer to her brother, Zeke smiled as he saw this.

"You really think he can help you." Zeke brought his hand up, they all stared at the silver box he held in his hand.

W...what's that?" Liz ask him. She moved a step closer to Max.

"This little thingie, it's a Disrupter. Takes all those little molecule's that make up their earthly bodies and with just one shot...BOOM!" he smiled as everyone jumped. "They're dust, just a memory, and a distant one at that."

Later they would all think back and remember this moment as taking forever, but in fact it took less than a second, they watched as he brought the small box up and pointed it directly at Max and Isabel, they watched as he pressed his finger on one of the little buttons that lined the top of the device.

Alex didn't stop to think, if he had it might have effected the outcome, but he didn't take the time, he just launched himself in front of the other two without even thinking about it.

The wave that burst from the little box hit him squarely in the chest, he couldn't tell if it was a blast of heat or cold that went through his body, he felt it slam into him and felt himself hit the floor. Hard. He opened his eyes expecting to see angels, but instead he saw the ceiling fan that hung in Maria's living room. He heard Isabel scream Max's name and then felt someone tugging on him. "I'm awake, please Dear God tell me I'm awake."

"Alex." He thought it was Max's voice he heard.

"ALEX!" This voice was more feminine than the first one, Alex felt the first set of hands being pulled away and replaced by softer ones, he looked up and saw Isabel's face above his.

"God, Alex, are you alright? Please be alright, please, Alex, say something." Isabel's voice was laced with tears. He couldn't speak, he just kept staring at her face, her wonderful lovely face. She was worried about him, he couldn't think, couldn't comprehend that she was terrified for him. All he could do was smile.

Max smiled to himself, he could see that Alex was fine, but Isabel never gave the poor boy a chance to answer her. "Isabel, if you stop yanking on him he'd be able to answer you."

"Alex are you okay?" This from Liz, she had moved in between Isabel and Max, shoving Max out of the way. Maria's face appeared above hers.

Max and Michael just backed up and watched at the women started probing all over Alex's body to make sure he was fine. The boy never stopped smiling, nor did he remove his eyes from Isabel's.

"He's got it bad." Michael said.

"Yeah, but he did save our lives, you got to give him that." Max said, "He deserves it."

"But why does he have that dopey smile on his face?" Michael ask him.

"Did Maria have a smile on her face after you healed her?" Max whispered to him.

"Humans!"

"Do you need more ice, Alex?" Isabel ask him for the third time.

"No, I'm fine, and I don't think I need all these pillows behind me either. I told you I'm fine, Isabel. It didn't even hurt me. It was more like getting hit with a really cold blast of air while standing in the middle of the desert. No pain at all." Alex had been telling her the same thing over and over again for the last hour, but she was still acting like he had died or something. "I'm fine."

"You saved our lives Alex, and I just want to make sure you're comfortable. There's nothing wrong with showing a little gratitude when someone saves your life." Isabel preceded to pull out one of the many pillows that she had stuffed behind him earlier.

Maria glanced at Michael and raised her eyebrows. It was basically the same thing she had told him a few weeks ago, but instead of being grateful like Isabel and Max, Michael had shut her out even more. That's what made what had happened earlier today harder to understand for Maria. Michael had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want or need her help in the cave. Fine, she had told herself that she could deal with that. But then he had to go and heal her today (Boy did he heal me!). She blushed just thinking about it.

Michael watched as Izzy made a complete fool of herself over Alex. Didn't she realize what she was letting everyone in the room see, she was making it very apparent that she had feelings for Alex, that she cared about him. He saw Liz smiling as she watched the two of them and watching Max, hell you'd think he actually liked the fact that his sister was falling for one of them. That thought sobered Michael, --one of them--, but they weren't -them- anymore, they had proven more than once that they could be trusted, trusted to keep their secret and trust them to watch their backs. Michael tried to think back to when he had stopped thinking of them as outsiders and had started thinking of them as friends. He glanced over at Maria and found her staring at him, and she was blushing again. He knew she was remembering again. Remembering what had happened upstairs. His thoughts were interrupted by Isabel's voice again.

"Maybe you ought to go upstairs and lay down, you'd probably be more comfortable in a bed." Isabel was telling Alex.

"No, no bed. If I lay down in a bed I'd fall asleep, and after what happened tonight, I don't think I'm ever going to sleep again." Alex said.

"He's right Max, we now know that Zeke can only come after us when we sleep, how the hell are we gonna NOT sleep?" Michael said.

"And here I thought we were being down right brilliant with our little anti-break-in devices. We spent an awful amount of money for nothing." Maria said as she looked around the room. "Is there anything on the web that will protect us in our dreams? I don't think so."

"What are we going to do Max?" Isabel ask her brother. "We have to sleep, there is no way we can protect ourselves from him in our dreams."

"Don't forget you said he told you that if he doesn't get you the first time you earned a question, do you think he's going to let you ask him any questions at this point?" Liz told them.

"And even if he would answer you, what the hell are you going to ask him?" Maria said then.

Chapter 10

Maria reached over and pulled on Alex's shirt sleeve for the third time. "Alex, wake up, don't fall asleep."

She whispered this to him, as she didn't want Mrs. Parker to overhear her. Liz was trying to coax her mom into letting her stay one more night.

"I promise I'll be home tomorrow, it's just that Maria doesn't want to be alone, her mom isn't due back till Thursday, and I was sorta wondering if tomorrow night she can stay at our house." Liz crossed her fingers, hoping her mom would agree. "Yes, thanks, Mom, see you tomorrow."

She hung up the phone and turned back to the five very tired people sitting around the room. "Isabel, it's your turn."

"Keep those fingers crossed, my mom only agreed with Max staying at Alex's because of his Aunt breaking her leg, I don't think she's going to let me stay here one more night."

"You never know Iz, maybe her and dad like this time alone." Max said, trying to help out.

"Do you think they're running around your house naked while you're not there?" Michael said, he was leaning back against the sofa with his eyes closed. They were all tired, after their experiences last night, no one had wanted to go back to sleep, they had been awake since 1:45AM the previous night.

"Michael, that has to be the grossest thing I've ever heard." Maria told him.

"I agree, my mom and dad aren't like that." Isabel said as she walked towards the phone, taking the time to smack him on the side of his head as she passed him. "Just cause Hank likes to sit around in his underwear, doesn't mean all parents are like that."

"Hank is NOT my parent, he's the guy who bought my servitude." Michael said snidely.

"Shhh." Isabel said as she dialed the phone.

Maria got up from the comfortable chair she was sitting in and headed towards the stairs, if she sat much longer she knew she was going to fall asleep. She walked into her room and gathered up her aromatherapy things and a few bottles off her dresser and walked back downstairs. Turning into the kitchen she opened the small brown case and sat the bottles around the table and started to mix the difference scents together.

Liz joined her a few moments later. Idly picking up one of the bottles, she took a sniff and replaced it, picking up anther one. "I like this one." Holding the bottle out to Maria, she let the girl read the number off the label. Smothering a laugh Maria shook her head.

"What?" Liz questioned her.

Maria looked up at her and smiled, "Figures. I got that one out of a astronomy guide, it told you how to add different scents together using the different oils that represent the various signs. What your holding in your hand is Max's sign."

Liz's lips quirked upwards, "and where is Michael's scent?

She turned the bottle over and dabbed a few drops on her pulse points.

Maria just shook her head at her, "Liz you don't wear it like perfume, you inhale it."

“You can't avoid the question, I won't let you. Why didn't you make Michael's?" Liz replaced the cap and sat the bottle on the table. She looked directly at her friend, Maria realized Liz was wearing her stubborn face, she wouldn't rest until she got her answers.

"Why bother? I mean, the last thing I want to do is remind myself of what I can't have. Or rather, what he won't give me." Maria told her.

"I thought after what happened yesterday that he might...well, might look at things differently, I mean, you where upstairs for a long time. I could tell by the way you were blushing that something had happened. As your good friend I was going to wait for you to tell me. Before I beat it out of you of course." Liz said with a smile.

Maria sat the bottle down on the table and covered her face with her hands, letting out a huge sigh. Dropping her hands she said, "I don't know what happened yesterday. No, something happened, but I don't understand it."

"Well you weren't screaming at each other, at least not that we could hear you." Liz prompted, she wanted to know what happened, but she didn't want Maria to think she was giving her the third degree.

Isabel walked into the kitchen, overhearing the last part she realized they had been talking about the healing. Joining the girls at the table, she too started sniffing the various bottles that were aligned on it. "My mom said it's okay, but this is the last night, no if's ands or but's, I have to be home tomorrow. So, you're talking about yesterday, are we finally going to find out what happened between you two. And if it's mushy stuff, try to keep it clean okay? After the last two days, I don't think I can take many more surprises."

Maria handed Isabel the scent she had made for her and then proceeded to tell them what had happened. Trying to clean it up as much as she could for Isabel's sake.

"Wait, he actually made you...feel something without actually doing it?" Isabel questioned her. "And he saw you naked?"

"I thought you said you wanted me to clean it up, now who's asking all the impertinent questions?" Maria said. "It wasn't like I had much choice, he was...different, he wasn't cocky about it. I think he was...hurting. I'm not sure. I've never seen him like that before, so I have nothing to judge it by. Know what I mean? I mean, Zeke said that the reason he was doing it was to get to Michael, and it did."

"I just can't see Michael being Mr. Sensitive, he's always using his sarcasm to cover up what he's feeling." Isabel said. "But you are right, the smell, the handprint; he wasn't acting like himself when he saw that handprint. I've seen Michael angry, but he was out of control."

"Well he was totally in control yesterday, it's like he knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't in "manhandling" mode yesterday. And afterwards...he was sweet, he just held me." Maria smiled, remembering the way he kept her locked in his arms, kept laying little kisses on the top of her head. But then she remembered that he had gone right back into "I've got to keep walls around me" mode when they had returned downstairs, and the smile left her face.

"They're in there now discussing what to do next. Max thinks that he should go into the dream again and ask Zeke the question he promised us, but Alex and Michael don't think he should go alone. I don't either, but he's won't let any of us go with him." Isabel explained to them.

"I don't think it's a good idea, I don't think any of you should go, it's too dangerous." Liz said.

"But this is our one chance to find out something, we can't just ignore it." Isabel said, she was torn between keeping them safe and finally getting the chance to learn something about themselves.

"What do you think they will do?" Liz ask her.

"I don't know." Isabel said shaking her head.

A few moments of silence went by, until Maria finally broke it. She asked Isabel what she thought of the scent she had made for her. She explained to the girl about the astronomy connection.

Isabel smiled, opening the bottle again, she sniffed it, "I like it, it's sweet, but there's a spiciness to it also."

"I wonder why?" Maria giggled.

"But you do realize that we don't know our real birthdays, the dates we celebrate are what our parents let us pick when they adopted us." Isabel told them.

"Must be fate then, cause it fits you to a T." Liz said.

Maria smiled at the blonde girl, "do you want to smell Alex's?"

“And what happens if he lied, you're in there alone, we can't get to you, can't help you. He could kill you Max." Michael told him.

"He promised us he'd answer a question if he didn't kill us the first time. This is a chance we can't ignore." Max tried to make Michael understand.

"Oh yeah? He laughed when he tried to kill you. Laughed." Alex said, he joined Michael in trying to get Max to see their side of it.

"So what are we going to do, just ignore our one chance at finding out something about where we come from?" Max argued.

"We know where we come from, a dead planet that's filled with killer's," Michael said grimly. " I don't think 'home' is an option for us anymore Maximillon. Remember what he said, after they killed your kind off, they came here looking for the few that escaped. I think we should ask about them, the ones that made it here. They're out there somewhere, he might know where."

"And I think I should be the one to ask him." Michael told him. Before Max could argue with him, Michael continued. "Think about it, he's not out to kill me, he's been using Maria to get to me, using mind games. But she'll be here with you, safe. I go in, I ask him the question and then I get out. Simple as that."

Max stood and thought about Michael's suggestion, he didn't want to let Michael go in alone, but at this point they didn't have much choice. "All right if we're going to do this then lets get it done."

"I can't believe you're going to do this. You have got to be crazy," Maria said to Michael.

"He doesn't want to kill me, it's got to be me, if we let Max go, Zeke would kill him." Michael explained to her.

Everyone else was in the living room, Maria had followed Michael into the kitchen, she couldn't understand how he could jeopardize himself like this. Michael's stomach was empty, they hadn't felt like eating earlier, but he knew that he would fall asleep faster with a full belly. So he had decided to make a sandwich. He pulled the ingredients out the fridge and was slapping them together, haphazardly.

"Do you honestly think that you can trust anything that jerk says, he could have been lying when he said it was against the rules to kill you. Who's rules, we know nothing about the rules Michael."

"We know nothing about anything, but this is our one chance to find out something, if there are others like us, this is our chance to find them." Michael said without looking at her.

She stood there a few moments, not knowing what to say. The words her heart wanted to say were trying to push themselves out of her mouth, but her brain was telling her that he would only push her away if she voiced them. Her heart won.

"I'm afraid Michael."

His fingers stilled, he dropped the butter knife and turned to her, the moment his eyes landed on her face he knew his own eyes mirrored hers. He would never admit it, but he was afraid too. Afraid that Zeke might have been lying, afraid that he might never see her again, never see any of them again. He moved closer to her and took her into his arms. Pulling her against his chest he laid his lips against her hair.

"I know, but I have to do this, we have all these questions, and we're finally going to get at least one of them answered. I have to do this." Michael whispered to her. He pulled her back a bit and looked down into her face. "Hey, I promise I'll be back, you don't think I'm gonna get myself killed and miss all the opportunities to piss you off, do you?"

She raised her hand from off his back and pinched him, "you better, cause who else am I going to drive crazy with all my babbling, wait, maybe I can start picking on Max's ears."

"Ouch. Just leave Max's ears alone, you hear me." Michael leaned down and placed his lips against hers. He hadn't wanted to think about it, but since yesterday he had been counting the seconds until he could touch her again. He deepened the kiss and moved his hands up to her hair, gripping it with his fingers he pulled her closer to him. When he felt her lips slightly part he took the chance to slip his tongue between them, dragging it along the bottom of her teeth he smiled when he heard a moan escape her throat.

Never removing her mouth from his, she spoke, her sweet breath filling his mouth, "when you get back…well…maybe we can do that healing thingie again."

"You planning on have the tar beat out of you again?" He filled her mouth with his spicy breath.

"No, but I figured we could fake it." He felt the vibrations from her giggle against his lips.

Michael woke up back in Maria's bedroom, he looked around, expecting to find Zeke here but there was no sign of him. He opened the door and looked down the hallway, "Where the hell are you?"

"I'm here, I'm always here." The voice came from the bottom of the stairs, Michael cautiously moved towards the steps. He felt the fear ripple through his body, he didn't trust this guy, anymore than the others, but he figured this was the only way they'd get their answer.

He spied him in the living room as he came down the steps, Zeke was standing staring down at the sofa, Michael couldn't see what he was looking at.

"You said we got one question, I'm here for the answer you promised us. We made it through your game, now you owe us." Michael stepped down off the staircase and circled around the sofa, as he came around the bottom of it he saw Maria laying face up on the couch. //No, she's not here, it's a trick.//

"I'm not falling for this, she's safe, you can't make me believe that's her."

Zeke looked up at him, "she thought she could help you, she snuck off as soon as you drifted off. She's not in the dream state yet, but it shouldn't be too much longer." He moved to the other sofa and sat down.

"So you want answers, answers for them." Zeke shook his head, he couldn't understand why Michael would want to help them. "Hell, how can you stand being around them, haven't you ever wanted to just rip their heads off?

"Nope, they're my family."

"They are not your family, I'm more family to you than they could ever be. One day they'll stab you in the back, you'll see. You'll mean nothing to them in the end, their kind could never understand us, we're warriors, you and I. They're nothing but spineless cowards." Zeke told him.

"You'd never understand, and I'm not going to waste my time trying to explain it too you. No, you owe us one answer. Or was that a lie too?" Michael watched Zeke, he still didn't trust him.

"No. What's the question, but let me warn you, it's always the same, so I can answer you already, no, you can't get home," Zeke said sarcastically, "even if you could, there is nothing back there for them. We control the planet now, we have for years."

"That's not our question, we want to know where we can find more survivors? Where are they?" Michael said, as he finished he saw the would-be Maria start to wake up.

"They've turned you into one of them haven't they, you're all worried about them more than your worried about yourself. I just don't get it. How the hell did you end up with them? It makes no sense." Zeke stood and moved to the other end of the room, he turned his back on Michael. "There's a few more, they're spread throughout the world. Some of them know who and what they are, some don't. It all depends on how old they were when their pods opened."

"Where in the world? How many are there?" Michael demanded.

Without turning around Zeke said, "Forget it, you got your one question, you're not getting anymore, not unless they survive next time."

"There's not going to be a next time." Michael said.

Zeke turned, he smiled, "What do you think you're going to do? You think you can stop me, forget it. We don't kill our own kind, it's against the rules."

"They're not my rules." Michael told him.

Maria sat up and watched the two men; she could feel the tension in the room. She had thought that Michael would be furious with her for following him in here, but she couldn't have stopped herself if she tried. Someone had to help him, so she decided it would be her, she had waited until everyone was watching Michael and had slipped up the stairs to her room.

"Little girl, you can't help him, he might have removed the marks, but he hasn't removed everything of me from you." Zeke answered Maria's thoughts. "Come to me Maria."

Michael turned and looked at Maria, was this really her, how had she followed him here, why? He looked into her eyes and saw fear there, she slowly turned her head and looked at Zeke.

"It's her, she waited till everyone was distracted and crept away like a thief and fell asleep. She thinks she's here to help you. But that's impossible. Don't make me hurt you girl, come here." Zeke repeated.

Maria looked back at Michael one last time, then she stood and headed towards Zeke.

"Maria."

"She won't listen to you boy, she can't. I did more than put the handprint on her, I marked her, way down deep inside, she's mine. You might have found a way to relieve her of the handprint, but I still own her mind. Especially in here." Zeke told him.

Maria walked towards Zeke, she didn't want to, but her feet carried her there, she had no control over her body. "Michael?"

"You know, you two are really pathetic, he thinks he can come in here and kill me, and you think you're going to help him. Pathetic." Zeke reached out and grabbed Maria by the arm, twisting it behind her she turned and faced Michael.

"Let her go." Michael said, he could feel the anger, he could feel it pushing the fear away, he knew he had to stay in control if he was going to get the both of them out of this.

"Oh no, why would I do that?" Reaching behind him he pulled the little gray box out of his waistband. Switching the small buttons, Maria watched as the red button that he had used against Max and Isabel went out, then a green one came on. She watched as he held the box out to her. "Take it Maria."

Maria looked down at the silver box, her mind told her not to touch it, but at the same time she felt her hand rise, clasping the box in her palm she could feel the weight of it, feel the coldness of the metal. Looking up into Michael's face she felt tears coming to her eyes. "Michael?"

"Let her out of this, it's between you and me." Michael told Zeke. He watched the tears run down Maria's face, he wished he could take her into his arms, take her out of this place. It was his fault she was here, once again he thought he could control the situation and once again she would be hurt by his actions.

"Oh no, Mickey boy, you're the one who thought you could come in here and get rid of me, you thought I'd just idly sit by and let you take me out. I don't think so." Releasing Maria's arm Zeke took a few steps back, he watched as Maria stared at the weapon in her hand. "This is so poetic don't ya think. She kills you, then goes back and has to tell the others what she's done. They won't be able to handle it, they'll come roaring in here seeking revenge for your death. Plus the added benefit that she's the last face you're ever going to see. The one person who means more to you than any other is going to kill you, and I get to watch. I love my job."

"Shoot him Maria." Zeke told her.

"No." But even as she said it she felt her hand rise, felt her finger press on the green button. "I won't kill him, I won't."

"You have no choice baby, it's a done deal. You belong to me, you're going to do anything I tell you to do. NOW DO IT!" Zeke screamed at her.

She closed her eyes, if she couldn't see him she couldn't aim at him, but she felt her arm stop, she knew the box was pointed directly at Michael.

"It's okay Maria, this isn't your fault." At the sound of Michael's voice Maria opened her eyes, she stood and watched as he hardened his jaw, stiffened his spine. She realized he was preparing to die, to die at her hands. //No no no no no no!// The word kept repeating in her mind over and over again.

Without stopping to think about it, without batting an eye Maria shifted her arm and twisted her body. In the split second it took for Zeke to realize what she was doing, it was too late. The blast hit him directly in the center of his chest. Michael watched as Zeke's body rippled, watched as his limbs slowly disintegrated, first his fingers, then his arms.

Maria dropped the silver box and shoved her hands over her ears, but it didn't help, she could hear the spine chilling scream as Zeke's body slowly disappeared. She sank to her knees as the eerie sound filled her head.

Michael watched. He watched as every part of Zeke's body disintegrated, every inch. The scream went on, even after Zeke blinked out of existence, there was nothing left except for his scream echoing off the walls. Michael ran towards Maria.

"Maria, Maria look at me." Michael pleaded with her. "We have to wake up now, do you hear me?" Michael shook her as hard as he could. "Maria!"

Michael sat up too fast, he looked around, his head was spinning. He realized he was back in the 'real living room' no longer in the dreamworld. He looked up into Max's worried face.

"Michael what happened?” Max ask him.

Michael ignored him, he looked around the room, searching for her face. She wasn't here. "Where's Maria?"

"She's upstairs, she said she couldn't sit here and wait, she had to do something. She's working on her scents." Liz told him.

"She lied." Michael tore off the sofa and ran towards the steps, he knew what he would find, she would be so scared. "She killed Zeke."

"What?" Isabel demanded. "How, that's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible with that girl." Michael yelled as he rounded the top of the steps and pushed Maria's bedroom door open. He found her crouched in the corner of the room, her body was rocking back and forth, back and forth. He reached out to touch her but she pulled away from him. "Maria." It was said gently, he didn't want to scare her.

"I killed him, didn't I?" Michael could barely hear her.

"Yes you did. You saved my life." Michael said. He felt the others standing directly behind him, but he ignored them, their questions could be answered later. Right now all he cared about was Maria.

"He was going to make me shoot you, I didn't want to Michael, but I couldn't stop myself." The words came out all garbled, she was starting to cry, the sobs shook her body as she spoke.

"But you didn't, you shot him instead. He didn't have as much control over you as he thought he did." Michael smiled as she lifted her eyes to his. "He just thought you were a ditz, that's a mistake a lot of people make, but we all know it's not true."

Maria smiled back at him, "Who are you? You're not Michael, my Michael does think I'm a ditz."

"No he doesn't." Michael said as he pulled her out of the corner, pulling her up to stand beside him he pushed the damp hair out of her face.

"You went into the dream didn't you, Maria?" This from Liz, she realized from what Michael was saying that Maria had been in the dreamworld, she was having a bit of a problem with the concept of Maria shooting Zeke. "She really shot him, it's all over?"

Michael turned to Max and Isabel, "yep, he's dead. I don't think he'll be bothering us again. And he told me there are more like us, their spread out all over this planet, but hell, at least we know they're there. We're not alone, just like we suspected, we're not alone."

"Maria are you all right?" Isabel ask her as she moved to stand beside Maria.

"Yeah, I don't like thinking that I killed a man, but he wanted me to kill Michael. He knew you two would come running as soon as you found out. He needed you in the dreamworld." Maria felt herself sway, her legs gave out and she felt Michael catch her.

"I think this calls for naps all around, don't you think?" Alex said to everyone. "I know I'm ready to fall over. So what do you say to catching some Z's and then later we all get together to play 20 questions?"

Everyone agreed, as they all headed towards the door Max turned to Michael and Maria "You two coming?"

Michael put his hands behind Maria's legs and picked her up, moving towards the bed. He never even looked at his friend. "No, and shut the door on your way out."

Max smiled and pulled the door shut.

"So now what?" Maria said as she got comfortable on the bed. "I just woke up from a nap."

"I think you need to be healed again, you just went through a very trying experience." Michael told her.

Maria smiled. "I think you're right, I do feel a blister on my trigger finger, maybe you can do something about it."

"I'll try my best ma'am." Michael said in his best western accent.

The End