BountyHunterpart7

Isabel grinned at Michael's response. She had known this Maria DeLuca was tough and had attitude; maybe just enough to keep her illustrious partner on his toes.

"Back to you," Michael shifted in the chair, uncomfortable talking about Maria DeLuca. "So, you gonna do it? Move in with him?"

"I think so," she smiled brilliantly, sheer happiness painted on her face. "I guess it's time we quit playing around and made something�Concrete."

"You and Alex have been playing around since high school," Michael laughed. "I think it'll be a welcomed change for you both. What did Max say?"

"I didn't tell him," she folded her arms over a white tank shirt and grinned. "I do not have to tell my brother everything, besides, it's none of his business what I do."

"Do I detect some sibling problems?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

"Not exactly," she rested her elbows on the papers in front of him. "Max's just getting on my nerves. All this pop psychology talk he babbles on and on about is really getting annoying, you know?"

"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "I know. Once he graduates and voyages out into the real world, he might settle it down. You know, once he realizes he's not Freud and not everyone has a complex of some kind he'll be okay."

"Does he diagnose you, too?" She asked surprised.

"All the time, he always tell me I have anti-social personality disorder."

"Really? I'm obsessive compulsive." Isabel laughed. "Okay, enough bashing of the brother, what's the next step on Liz Parker?"

He shrugged and pursed his lips. "I don't know. Are we even sure she's headed this way?"

"No," Isabel opened a folder in front of her. "We're not sure of anything. They know she grew up here and her mom is still here so the guess is that she might come home. You know, you can always go home again."

"Right," Michael leaned forward in his chair. "It's all about human nature."

"Human nature," she repeated. "You're not going to go all Max-like on me, are you? I have to make sure I can still depend on someone for sanity. And as scary as it sounds, I depend on you."

Michael looked up at her and knew it had taken a lot out of her to tell him that. As much as they bitched at each other and tried to get underneath one another's skin, they were closer than blood. Michael knew he'd be lost without Isabel and now he had verbal confirmation that she would be lost without him.

"So, you're saying I'm your voice of reason?" He asked trying to suppress a grin that he knew would drive her crazy.

"I won't say it again," she smiled and scanned the pages in front of her. "And I won't ever admit it. So let's move on. Liz Parker. Did Maria DeLuca give you any hint about what Ms. Parker said to her?"

Michael shook his head slowly.

"Oh God, you hit on her didn't you?" Isabel sighed and then laughed while rolling her eyes.

"I tried before I knew who she was," he admitted. "I didn't know that this big bad bounty hunter was going to be so damn hot!"

"Why am I not even surprised," she laughed again. "Leave it to you to hit on the one person you're in competition with."

"Well, I didn�t get very far." He shifted in his chair again. "I did offer to work together on it, though."

"And?"

"She shot me down and got all tough," he grinned thinking about the small blond woman in his face telling him they weren't friends and it wasn't going to be like a cop-buddy movie. "You'll like her. I can see it already."

* * *

Maria sat leaned over in the jeep until she felt she was baked thoroughly. She wondered that if in her overheated state of mind she had scared off the one person in this freaking hot-ass town that might be able to help her track down Liz Parker. Michael Guerin.

She sat back against the leather seat and nearly screamed when it scorched her skin. She turned around and pulled a T-shirt from the back seat. She put it on over the bucket seat as a makeshift seat cover and then leaned back again. Warm, yes. Searing skin, no.

"Okay DeLuca," she picked up her soft drink from the drive-thru and rolled the waxy cardboard coolness against her forehead. "These are your options. You can either go back into your hotel room and lay on top of the air conditioner or you can get to work and start finding out everything you can about little Miss Liz Parker."

It wasn't even about the money anymore; Liz Parker had used Maria's fleeting compassion against her. She felt like a fool for letting it happen and she wasn't about to let it happen again. No one made a fool out of Maria DeLuca and got away with it.

She weighed the options and wasn't happy about either one of them. She was in a town she knew nothing about. She didn't have any connections here like she did on the West Coast and Vegas. Maria DeLuca was completely alone.

Sure, she knew she had all the important paperwork on Liz Parker. She'd already managed to blow it with the mother and now she was at a dead-end.

It had been eight years since Liz Parker had been in Roswell; a lot can change in eight years. Changes Maria had no idea about. Maybe nothing had changed in eight years. Maybe nothing ever changed in Roswell for all she knew.

Maybe some things were about to change in Roswell.

She took a deep breath and turned the radio up before backing out of the parking place.

* * *

"So, are you just going to sit here all day and wait for Liz Parker to walk in the front door and turn herself in?" Isabel asked after several minutes of silence and non-motion from Michael.

"You think she will?" He asked with sarcastic joviality.

"Why don't you go and check out the bus station and the train station. If she's coming to Roswell, she has to get here some how." Isabel kicked at his legs underneath her desk. "Shoo!"

Michael sat up in the chair and thought about egging Isabel on about something, anything; but his constant ribbing sometimes erupted into a mind shattering argument and he just wasn't in the mood. He'd already been severely told off by one beautiful woman today, he didn't need it done a second time.

He stood and pulled his sunglasses off of his head as the bell above the door chimed. Both Isabel and Michael turned towards the door but only one of them knew the person who walked in.

"Oh, shit." Michael sighed.

TBC