Michael looked up as the door to the waiting room burst open.  He tensed as Ray hair dishevelled, brown eyes wide with worry, "Amy," he said as Maria's mum ran into his arms.

"Ray, I'm glad you're here," she said.

"I came as soon as I heard," he said leading her back to the couch, "what happened?"

"I don't know", she replied with frustration," they'" she pointed at the door as it were the medical faculty, " are not telling me anything"

The ringing the corner caused everyone to jump Amy picked it up.  Michael had been watching Ray ever since he came in, you'd never have guessed he was an alien, well you wouldn't have guessed that he was an alien.  And Maria had-

No we are not going down that road Guerin

"Hey," he nodded acknowledging him.

"Hey," replied Michael.  After an awkward silence, he said, "I'm-"

"-Michael Guerin, I know, Maria told me about you.  I'm-"

"-Ray, I know" he replied.

"Listen thanks for being here…with Amy."

Michael shrugged, "I didn't do anything."

Ray smiled, "without you being here, I think she would have probably gone crazy, trashed the room, attacked a few nurses that sort of thing."

"Oh, then no problem."

Amy hang up the phone, "Liz, Max and Isabel are on their way up."

Oh this just got better, thought Michael.  Whatever this was.

 

Ray glanced at Michael.

So that's him, Michael Guerin.

 The Michael who had managed to capture and win Maria's heart, the Michael who she always thought about when she looked up in the stars at night or when she sung  "Space-boy", a song inspired by him.  He'd seen the pictures but finally seeing this grown young man his age in real life lead to a pang of jealousy and envy. It had been a long time since Ray felt those emotions but they were coming back with a vengeance.  He'd met Maria five years ago but it felt like he had known her forever. She was his best friend and she was out there missing with some weirdo.

 

The waiting room door burst open again with Liz's dishevelled hair and brown eyes full of worry, she was followed by Max, Isabel, a doctor and a police officer.

"Liz!"

"Ms Deluca," cried Liz as they hugged.

"Hey Michael," said Max as they hugged.

"How are you holding up?" asked Isabel.

"I'm fine," he replied, "I'm not the one in the accident," he added.

All eyes turned to the doctor as he cleared his throat.

"I'm Doctor Wallis," he said greeting everyone in the room.

"Doctor what is going on" demanded Amy.

"Maria and Michelle were in a car accident, Michelle's okay just needed a few stitches, we'll keep her in overnight in case she shows signs of post traumatic shock."

There were sighs of relief all around the room, "What about Maria?" asked Liz. The doctor's silence made Michael uneasy, "Um, I think I'll let Detective Stone take over from here."

Instantly Michael's heart started racing, where was Maria if she wasn't in the hospital?

"Detective?" prodded Amy.

"We have reason to believe that your daughter has been kidnapped."

Eyes grew wide, gasps echoed around the room. 

This cannot be happening, thought Michael.  He'd heard of kidnappings and been involved in rescuing some but to Maria?  He knew what most were like; over obsessed fans, greedy desperate money hungry and those were the safe ones, there were those who wanted them to be their bride or sacrifice them to some god, those were the ones to watch out for.

"How did this happen?" asked Liz.

"Well from Michelle's account and from the scene we've got a few theories-"

"I'm not interested in theories," spat Amy, "I want to know what you know."

"Well what we know is, this was a very carefully planned out kidnapping.  Someone rigged Maria's breaks so she couldn't stop and had to swerve the man standing in the middle of the road.  She hit into a tree but no one was injured.  The man then approached the car, took Maria and left Michelle.  What doesn't make sense though is the car door."

"What do you mean?" asked Michael

"Well, Michelle said it just flew off, our guys back it up too, it's like someone pulled it off and flung it a few metres away but no one would have the strength to do that."

No human being thought Michael as a bitter taste slowly rose up his throat.

"Look I don't care about the door, I want to know where my daughter is and what you people are doing to find her," said Amy.

"We're searching the scene looking for clues, interviewing everyone who came into contact with Maria during her last few hours.  Speaking of which," he turned to face Michael, "Mr Guerin I understand you visited Maria at Hill Crest this afternoon?"

"I did" he answered

"May I ask why?"

"Maria and I used to date…a while back, we just needed to sort some things out, that was about sixish and then I left."

"Where were you between six and eight?"

"What are you trying to say, that Michael-"

"Relax Iz," he said, "he's just doing his job.  I went to a meeting at the Meridian, over five hundred people can vouch for me."

"Thank you," he nodded. "Has maria been receiving any threatening fan mail or anything peculiar?"

"Um no," said Ray, "we've just been getting the regular stuff."

The detective nodded, " well I have to get back to some other leads.  We'll keep you updated on anything we have."

"Thank you" muttered Amy as the doctor and police officer left.

All eyes turned on Michael.

"What happened?" demanded Isabel.

"I was on my way to meet maria in the west gardens, made a pit stop," he paused as eyebrows urged him to go on, "funny thing happened",  he raised his eyebrows to Max, Liz and Isabel, "can I talk to you guys outside?"

"It's okay Michael, I know about your other worldly origins, Maria told me" said Amy.

"Oh, okay,".

Who hasn't she told?

He continued, "saw Michelle float a ball towards her. I did the maths.  Talked to Maria about it, voices were raised, she left, I left."

"What exactly did you figure out Michael?" asked Max, was that an amused twinkle in his eyes?.

Michael ignored it.

"That Maria and Ray there had an alien child" he couldn't hold back his anger, "for freaks sake Max why didn't you tell me! we don't even know if he's an enemy or a friend-"

"-hold on," interrupted Liz, " so you think Ray's an alien?" she asked a look of utter disbelief crossing her face.

He looked at them confused, what was wrong with them, "the alien baby speaks for itself" he said slowly.

"Okay that's it," said Isabel as she stood up," I know you guys were going for tact and patience, but that's a lost cause."

Michael yelped in surprise as she shoved him against the wall

"Iz what the-"

"shut up Michael.  Let me break it down for you since it seems that it can't get through to your dense head."

Across her shoulder he saw Max smirk.  What the hell, had everyone lost their minds?

"Michael look at me and listen very slowly," she said,  "how old is Michelle?"

"seven" he replied.

 "okay," she nodded, "cast your mind back say seven years when we were a few hours from leaving earth.  You there?"

His eyes told her all she needed to know.

"Good, now the fog clears to reveal a younger Michael telling a certain earth girl. We’ll call her Maria that he loves her.  Him and said girl slept together and he leaves.  Said girl is surprised to find herself pregnant, six months later the baby comes, gets discovered begins a prosperous music career, meets Ray here who agrees to not deny or confirm rumours about him being the father of her baby.  And if that wasn't enough she names her little girl Michelle.  Michael, Michelle both start with M are we getting any clearer?"

It was clear, as clear as glass, as clear as air but Michael just had to be sure, "are you saying…"

"yes Michael, Michelle is your child," she added softly, "she's your alien baby."

 

The room receded in size, his breathing shallow, Michael felt like he was being suffocated with too much information.  Stumbling he headed for the door.

"Where you going?" asked a voice faintly

"I need to get some air," he called over his shoulder as he headed for the exit sign.

 

"Think, he'll be okay?" asked Liz

"He'll be fine," Max assured her, "he just needs time to get used to idea."

 

Michael took deep breaths as he stared out into the night sky. 

I am a father, he thought.  Him a father, with child…with Maria, he added.  The thought that he and Maria could have made a life filled him with joy-

Which was quickly shadowed by gut-wrenching guilt as his mind replayed slowly every hate filled word he'd spoken to her and replayed every tear that slid down her cheek and every flinch he'd caused by his words.  He was scum, he was lower than low-

"Hey," said a quiet voice behind him.

"Max,"

"Just checking that you're still breathing and conscious."
"I'm fine, just a little bit-"

"Shocked?"

"Shocked and stupid.  I mean what person fails to recognise his own daughter and to put two and two together Max, I mean seven years do you know how long that is.  How much I've missed, her first walk, word, smile.  I promised myself that I wouldn't be like Hank-"

"You're not Michael"

"No, not about that, the first few years of my life weren't happy memories Maxwell and I promised myself that I would be there for my kids if I had any.  And I wasn't"

"She has great mother and you're here now.  Look you can't go back, but you can go forward and spend now with her."

"Does she even know I'm alive?"

"Yes, Maria told her, told her everything."

That made him feel a little better, that she at least knew that if he had had a choice he would have stayed seven years ago.

But you had a choice five years ago, four years ago, he chided himself

 "So are you coming?" asked Max.

"Why not" he replied, he could do with some more guilt. 

 

Michael held his breath as he looked through the half closed blinds at his daughter, laughing and talking to her grandmother and Liz.

"She's amazing," he breathed in awe.

"and as stubborn as you and Maria put together," smiled Isabel.

"That's my daughter," he repeated, the words completely alien to him.

"Yes, do wanna meet her?"

A second ago he would have said maybe or that he wasn't ready, but now after seeing her and knowing who she was, he was more than ready.

"Yes," he replied as she led him into the room.

He watched nervously as her eyes travelled to Isabel and then on him, did a double take and grow wide.

"Michelle, I there's someone here who wants to see you" smiled Isabel

"Daddy!" she shrieked as she bounded over her bed and wrapped her arms around his knees .  Michael stood there shocked at the little thing wrapped around him.

"I think we'll leave you alone" whispered Amy as she ushered the others out of the room.

She slowly disentangled herself and took a step back to slowly survey him.  Michael cringed at the scrutiny, what was she hoping to find, what if he didn't compare to Ray?

"You look exactly like the pictures, except older," she said as she sat back down on her bed.  Michael took it as an invitation to sit closer.

Unsure of what to say, he asked the first thing which entered his head, "Um…do you know who I am?".

"Uh huh," she nodded with excitement her eyes never leaving him, "Mum told me that you had to go save your planet and that you'd be back when everything worked out…and now you're back." She said hugging him, "I missed you."

Michael's heart grew warm as he returned the hug, "I missed you too and I'm sorry-"

"For what?"
"For missing out on seeing your grown up"

She smiled, Maria's smile, wide, mischievous and welcoming, "Well mom says I'm not all grown up yet and that I'll be a terror in my teens, so you got plenty more to look forward to"

"Yeah" he mumbled, "I guess I do".

He watched as Michelle grabbed her pink bag and took out her wallet, "here," she said showing him a picture of him and Maria in Las Vegas," you can have it back now, she gave it to me to remember you, but I don't need it anymore."

Her references to Maria increased his guilt, like a ten pound weight pressing against his heart; while he had been living a life as a playboy, Maria had been busy raising their child, telling her about her father and the first thing that he did was jump to a very wrong conclusion.

"Have they found her yet?" she asked sensing his thought pattern.

"No," he said slowly an idea formulating in his head, "Michelle, can I try something on you so that we can all see what you saw today?"

She looked at him suspiciously, "will it hurt?" she asked

"No, promise," he said

She cocked her to one side as if assessing the pros and cons of the situation, then smiled widely, "okay"