In The Background:
BIY

Author: DocPaul [email protected]
Spoilers: Up to Baby It's You.
Distribution: Exclusive to "Cause we know..." & Mud.

Maria and Liz checked their bags quickly to make sure they had everything they needed. Amy and Liz�s mom had already said it would be okay for them to visit the University at Las Cruces for a few days as a possible place to apply for college. They had to find all they could about Alex, because Liz would never rest until they got answers and Maria couldn�t let her go alone.

Maria looks back at Liz as they headed for the door. �You got everything?� Laughing to herself Maria could almost feel the excitement and adrenaline rush of pursuing an adventure. It wasn�t a new feeling, just usually one associated with Michael. Maria opened the door to find her usual missing in action partner standing on the doorstep. Both girls stopped and look at Michael in shock.

�Michael!� Maria felt her stomach fall at the sight of him. This was going to be bad. Maria could feel Liz standing next to her on the balls of her feet, almost jumping out of her skin.

Michael looked at them both and Maria could see his eyes narrowing as he took in their bags and the fact they were obviously off on some adventure. Maria could see him putting things together. Lately Liz was hardly his favorite person and her almost obsessive single-minded pursuit of everything Alex and alien was royally pissing Michael off. Michael was offended by the implication that he and the others were responsible when he felt Alex�s death intensely and it surprised him how much Alex had wormed his way into his life.

�Where are you going?� Michael looked at Maria quickly and then at Liz.

�Santa Fe.� Michael could feel his irritation level already rising at Liz�s quick response.

�What�s in Santa Fe?� Keeping eye contact with Liz, he watched as she quickly tried to compose a lie with her usual deadpan eye-rolling look, but Liz was the crappiest liar in Roswell. Her breaking voice gave her away every time. Maria�s standing next to her nodding her head and avoiding his eyes was really pissing him off.

�Uh, Alex�s� grandmother. She couldn�t make it to the funeral and so; they are having a memorial service.� Michael watched Maria�s face as she listened to Liz�s explanation still avoiding his eyes.

�Right.� Michael looked at Maria and gestured at her looking back at Liz with narrowed eyes. �Let me talk to Maria for a second. It�s personal.�

�Okay. Sure.� Liz looked at Maria.

�You want to take this?� Maria handed Liz her bag.

�Yes, you�.� Liz looked at Maria hard and quickly at Michael. �I�ll just be in the car.� Liz walked around Michael looking back hard at Maria hoping she would hang tough.

�Okay.� Maria kept eye contact with Liz as she moved around noticing Michael looking quickly at Liz and then away barely containing his desire to shove her away.

Michael waited until the very irritating Liz left before entering the house and closing the door behind him. He watched as Maria took a defensive gesture. He could almost see her stiffing her back to confront him. Crossing his arms, he stood the ground blocking her only exit.

�Where are you going?� Michael held Maria�s eyes in full contact.

�Santa Fe.� Michael would have felt a sense of pride in how strong she was being, if she wasn�t starting to irritate him in lying to him.

Letting his voice become firmer and brooking no bullshit, he asked again. �Maria, where are you going?�

�Michael�� Maria was finding it too hard to keep lying to Michael, even for Liz.

�Liz doesn�t want us to know because she and Max are at war. But here is the thing; I am not going to tell Max. But I need to know, because if wherever you are going turns out to be dangerous, I�m sure as hell going to be there to protect you. So, where are you going?� Michael stood firm knowing that Maria was not given to lying to him for any reason.

�We�re going to Las Cruces, to the University. And if Liz finds out I told you, I will lose her as a friend.� Michael could feel the exasperation rising in him at exactly the position Maria was finding herself in, caught between him and Liz. Michael caved with a sigh.

�First sign of danger, you contact me. Promise?� Maria was looking down at his chest when she suddenly looked up at him realizing he was going to be reasonable and this wasn�t going to be a fight.

�MM-hmm.� Looking at her beautiful face and feeling a sense of foreboding, he needed her to be very clear on what he was expecting in exchange for his being reasonable.

�Absolutely promise?�

�Yes.� Maria smiled at his beautifully serious face.

�Ok.� Michael reached over a kissed her on the cheek before opening the door for her and following her out with a sigh. He would have pushed her up against the door and really kissed her, but if he did there was no way in hell he going to be able to let her go off with Liz. If he were smart he would keep her in Roswell and strangle Liz Parker�s scrawny neck for putting Maria in the position of lying to him and putting herself in danger.




Max looked over at Michael to see if he could gauge his reaction to his news about Tess and the baby. At most Michael seemed pretty upset that this was going to put them all at risk. Even the information about alien sex seemed to only intrigue Michael as interesting information. Max was actually surprised that Michael wasn�t more interested in the details, but rather it was more like he noted the information and filed it away for the next round of Who Wants to be A Millionaire, or Ben Stein�s Money.

There it was again. Michael was biting his nails and discretely looking at his watch. Max continued to discretely observe Michael while they rested between sets. It was strange to see Michael actually agitated.

�What�s up with you, Michael?� Michael looked over in confusion.

�What do you mean?�

�You. You have looked at your watch no less than eight times since we started playing, and you have been biting your nails since this morning. So what is going on?� Michael looked at Max and thought about how to under play this. He hadn�t realized he was being so obvious.

�Maria.� Max perked up.

�What about Maria? I mean is she still missing?� Michael faked nonchalance.

�Nope. I know where she is. It�s just she promised to call me, and I haven�t heard from her yet.�

�So where is she?� Michael almost swore under his breath.

�She�s off shopping. Her mom thought she needed to go do something normal, to get her mind off of Alex. I almost went with her, but Ms. DeLuca thinks we are becoming too attached and she thought Maria needed to spend sometime alone with her own thoughts.�

�That sounds, reasonable.� Max almost smiled at the look on Michael�s face, and maybe Ms. DeLuca was right, because Michael looked pretty attached to Maria, and she to him. It was true. Since they came back from Tucson they had been closer than close, and in truth since before Christmas, but after Tucson it was like they were only going forward with no looking back, and once Alex died they became inseparable. No one could predict how hard Alex�s death hit both of them, and how Michael�s natural instinct to protect his family would kick into high gear making Maria almost the most important person in his life, and surprisingly Amy DeLuca. Liz accusations had put Michael in a middle ground caught between the humans and Maria and his alien family. He was working hard to keep all parts together and even to bridge the rift between Max and Isabel. Michael couldn�t take losing any more people in his life at this time.

Max was surprised when Michael suddenly stood up and gathered his stuff. �Are you going somewhere?�

�Yeah, I think I�ll go find Maria.� Michael scratched his eyebrow and looked at Max intensely. �She always finds a way to get into trouble.�

�Sure. I noticed that.� Max laughed to himself as Michael took off at a fast pace. Looking down at his watch he was surprised that Michael actually made it over eight hours before going to retrieve his Maria. They really were getting better.



Michael made it to Las Cruces just before nightfall. The University was spread out, but he drove around the major parking lots until he found the Jetta. They were on campus. Parking his bike next to the Jetta, he left a note on the windshield and took off across campus hoping to spot Maria. After over an hour and as it got darker he was beginning to worry he wasn�t going to find Maria and Liz. He might have to go back to his bike and the Jetta and stake it out until they showed up.

It was the music that drew his attention first. The voice sounded familiar. Oh, ho� Lovely. But it�s not for sure that I won�t ever change, yeah. Though my love is rare, yeah, yeah, yeah. � It took a few more buildings closer to the quad before he realized that he was hearing Nelly Furtado, one of Maria�s favorite singers currently. Though my love is true, yeah yeah, oh, oh. I�m like a bird; I�ll only fly away. I don�t know where my soul is. I don�t know where my home is. And baby all I need for you to know is. I�m like a bird. I�ll only fly away. I don�t know where my soul is. I don�t where my home is. Your faith in me brings me to tears. Oh, even after all these years, � Moving quicker, Michael moved towards the group of concert goers, because if there was one place to find one, Maria DeLuca, it would be at a concert by Nelly Furtado. You don�t know me all that well. No, no, you don�t, even though my love is rare� She wouldn�t be able to resist. I�m like a bird; I�ll only fly away. I don�t know where my soul is. I don�t know where my home is. �.

He entered the quad in time to see two figures across the way moving fast at the other side. It was they, Maria and Liz. Michael quickly scanned the area to see who was chasing them. Moving fast after them, and not finding anyone chasing them, Michael realized that they were in fact chasing someone else. He could feel cold anger rising inside and a real touch of nausea. It wasn�t until he saw Liz pulling Maria behind her run into the street and barely avoided getting them both hit by oncoming traffic that he felt the heart stop into his throat.

Michael broke out in a full run rushing to catch up with Liz and Maria. They made it to the other side of the street, surprisingly alive. Both girls were looking up and down the sidewalk, obviously trying to find the person they were pursuing. Michael with barely contained anger reached Liz Parker first. Grabbing her shoulder he pulled her around to face him ignoring her gasp.

�I want to know everything.� Michael looked at Liz darkly, and then at Maria. He could still feel the lump in his throat that had resided there at the sight of her running across the quad with Liz and almost into the path of a car. He should have known better to trust Liz with Maria�s care.



Liz looked over at Maria while she was arranged stuff at the table at the window. It was dark outside and Michael took off just moments ago to go pick up some food for dinner. Somehow in their investigation and pursuit of Leanna, Liz and Maria never found time to eat. It took one look and a disapproving Michael to bring home the reality that Michael wasn�t going to leave them alone. As long as Maria was there, Liz was sure that Michael was going to stick like glue.

�Maria did Michael mention getting his own room for the night.� Maria looked over at Liz from the window.

�Get real Liz, he�s not letting me out of his sight after almost watching us step into traffic, and he is too afraid what you will get into to let you out of his sight either.�

�So you are saying that he�s sleeping here, with us?�

�Don�t worry, he will take the floor or share my bed.� Liz looked up with a thought of interest on her face.

�You do that a lot lately, don�t you?� Liz felt her curiosity peaked. In Las Vegas it took a while before the realization that she was in a room with Isabel and Tess, and Kyle, Alex, and Max were sharing a room, and that Michael and Maria were sharing the last room.

�Do what?� Maria looked out the window and watched the Jetta pull into the parking slot in front of the hotel room. Michael got out with a bag and a box of pizza. �Michael�s here. Pizza!� Maria chirped happily. God, she was starved.

�You share a bed with Michael a lot.� Maria paused and looked over at Liz feeling bad about the state of affairs between her best friend and Max. And Maria also felt bad with how little time they had spent on their friendship over the last few months. She tried to tell Liz about things that were happening between her and Michael, but somehow it never happened.

�Yes.� Liz just nodded and looked away as the door opened and Michael came in. He went over to the table and handed Maria the pizza and put the bag down, and with a quick kiss on her cheek, he grabbed the ice bucket and was back out the door.

The silence between them as they ate was thunderous. Maria tried to keep up conversation, but Michael was still pissed at Liz, and Liz was not appreciating having pissy alien boy in their room. Maria was just happy that Liz was not mad with her for telling Michael where they were going.

�So, anything interesting happen in Roswell while we�ve been gone?� Asked Maria while taking another bite of her pizza. She paused when she noticed Michael startled stillness, and his quick discrete look over at Liz before he just shrugged. Uh oh, this didn�t look good. Looking over at Liz, she tried to see if Liz noticed the look, but once again Liz was too busy flipping through her notes and stuff she collected on Alex, barely bothering to eat her pizza.

It wasn�t until Michael and Maria were cleaning up the pizza remains that Liz finally joined the world long enough to announce her intention to shower. Maria smiled and watched her go into the bathroom before finally turning back to Michael.

�Spill.�

�What?� Michael scratched his eyebrow and avoided Maria�s eyes.

�Don�t what me, Michael. I saw your reaction when I asked if anything new happened in Roswell, and you looked at Liz.�

�Maria�.�

�I told you where we were going. So, I don�t know why I can�t know what is going on, especially if it involves Liz.� Michael sighed and looked over at the closed door and hearing the shower come on.

�It�s Max.� Maria looked over at the door and took Michael�s hand and pulled him over to the bed against the wall sitting close to him on the bed so they could talk to each other in lower tones.

�Max? And�.� Maria moved in even closer.

�Max and Tess. Things sort of advanced between them.�

�Advanced?� Michael watched Maria�s eyes narrow. �How advanced are we talking here? It was just a kiss, a moment of weakness.�

Michael scratched his eyebrow again. �You know the things we do?�

�Yes.�

�More advanced than that.�

�Wait, we�.� Maria�s eyes widen and she actually turned red in the face. �All the way? As advanced as possible?�

�Yes.�

�That b�� Michael quickly put his hand over her mouth and pulled her struggling body into his to calm her down.

�Shush, calm down. Liz will hear you.� Maria slowly calmed and he pulled his hand away.

�We have to tell her.�

�No. No we don�t.� Michael continued to hold her strongly as she started to protest. �Maria, this is not about us, this is between them. If we get involved now, we will be trapped in the middle forever. Do you want that? I don�t know why Max is compelled to explore his destiny with Tess, or why they remember things about their past life together, and Isabel and I don�t. Sometimes I think it is because they did have a life together, and Isabel was in love with Kivar, and I was a soldier. I don�t know. I just know how I feel right now, but I can�t tell Max how to live his life, and I am sure as hell not going to let anyone tell me how to live mine.�

Maria stopped for a second and thought about Michael was saying. They would be forced to choose between Max and Liz, and either way one of them was going to lose their best friend if they wanted to stay together; otherwise it was going to break up their relationship. �Oh god, I hate this. I hate that we are all being torn apart again.� Maria moved even closer into Michael�s arms. �I�m afraid Michael. I�m afraid we are losing our family.�

Michael hugged her closer still and whispered in her ear. �I know.�


When Liz finally left the bathroom she was shocked to find them both stretched out on the bed against the far wall talking to each other in low tones and she was even more shocked to watch Michael�s fingers slowly move over Maria�s face, his mouth kissing her brow and then gently her mouth. It was so different from the first time she saw them in the CrashDown. Then it had all been fast and furious, passionate, but this was gentle and loving, more adoring. Suddenly his mouth found hers and all the passion Liz saw before was suddenly real and back with a vengeance, but with a deeper feeling to it. They almost seemed to glow together.

�Sorry.� They pulled apart to look over at Liz.

�Liz, that�s okay.� Maria quickly sat up, yet keeping her hand on Michael�s thigh. �How was your shower?�

�It was good. Umm, you know, I think I am going to go for a quick walk. I don�t think I can sleep right now and I don�t want to watch T.V.�

�Liz, I don�t��

Liz cut Michael�s protest off in mid-sentence. �It�s okay. I promise just a walk, no investigation, and I will stay in well lit areas, and be right back.� Maria watched Michael nod his head okay.

�I�ll shower while you are gone. You still need to tell me everything that is going on.�

Liz went to open the door, and looking at the two of them she made a decision. �You know, I think Maria should tell you everything. I think I am too close to it and it will come out wrong. Maria seems to be the only person with a clear head and who has all the information. After you get all the information from Maria, you can ask me anything else you want to know later.�

�Okay.� Michael watched Liz leave the room and pull the door closed behind her. Michael turned to look at Maria. �Well?�

�Let�s go take a bath. I�ll tell you everything while we get ready for bed.� Maria got off the bed and reached into her bag to grab her bathroom stuff. Gesturing for Michael to follow her she took off towards the other room. With a quick smile, Michael walked over to the bedroom door and made sure Liz had shut the door all the way. He hoped she took a key with her.

Michael was more of a shower person until recently, and whenever he was with Maria, than he was definitely a bath person. He liked the feel of her wet skin next to his, the feel of the soap moving over his skin as she ran her hands over his body. Closing his eyes he enjoyed the feel of her tongue in his mouth tasting him and her hand griping him hard. He liked the way every molecule in his body seemed to energize and align themselves to every molecule in her body with the intensity moving from his mouth along his body everywhere her body touched his to his toes and vibrating back upward. If what Max described was anything to go by, then this was only going to get better and better. He wasn�t sure if he really cared that much about the floating sensation, but the hour culmination thing was a bonus. He and Maria were up to over half an hour at their level of advancement, but imagining them going all the way was something to look forward too.

Maria stirred out of his arms at the sound of the outer door opening. Liz was back. Reaching up Maria kissed Michael again and then moved away from him reaching for a towel. �You rinse off, and I will go make sure Liz is okay.�

Michael watched Maria wrap herself in a towel and leave the bathroom shutting the door behind her. Michael slowly pulled himself up in a sitting position and pulled the drain. Closing the shower curtain he stood up and turned on the shower to rinse off the soap from his body giving Maria time to talk to Liz.

�Hey, how was your walk?� Liz looked over at Maria covered only in a towel with her hair piled on her head and a definite bite on her shoulder. Liz felt her color rise up her neck and cheeks, along with feelings of envy.

�It was fine.� She watched Maria digging through her bag for something to wear Liz decided to ask the question she needed to ask, the one she was thinking about for the last hour. �Um, you and Michael, you are getting real close.�

�Yes.�

�Do you want me to get another room? I mean are you, do you need, um, I mean is Michael wanting to, that is��

�Liz! Liz, it�s okay. Michael isn�t going to let either of us out of his sight, and he�s okay. Don�t worry about it.�

�He�s okay?�

�Yeah, he�s all taken care of for now. He�ll never agree to us sharing another room or you sleeping alone, so just stop worrying.�

�If you are sure�� Liz felt her skin heating when the words, he�s all taken care of for now registered. What the hell did that mean, and maybe she really didn�t want to know.

�Positive.�


Liz was the first awake. She didn�t sleep very well lately. The dreams, the nightmares were always there taunting her, reminding her that somehow, somewhere she lost control of her own life and left her friends, Maria and Alex standing on the wayside in her pursuit of her love of Max Evans. All those weeks Alex had been mere hours away, possessed by an alien, controlled by an alien, and they never questioned his cover story of Sweden, or even noticed that anything was wrong with him.

Looking over at the sleeping couple wrapped around each other sound asleep. Michael�s hand was cradling Maria�s head again his chest and his other arm was wrapped firm around her waist while Maria�s one hand rested on his chest curled and the other held onto his arm. They looked like they slept together more than just occasionally, but rather that they were finding ways of making it a real habit. Michael looked so young and peaceful, his handsome face missing it�s usual scowl and frown that only lightened when he saw Maria.

This was just one more indication of how out of balance, how out of the loop she was with her friend�s life. She hadn�t even realized how involved Maria and Michael had become, and suddenly the devastation Maria felt when she saw Michael with Juanita made so much more sense, and all she remembered was ignoring Maria�s pain and turning the conversation back to her and Max. Liz vaguely recalled that when they went to Las Vegas that Michael had taken Maria�s bags in his room leaving the other girls to share a room, and the guys to share the other. So many clues that escaped her, his anger the morning when she showed Maria the mutilated picture of Alex, his holding her with a possessive behavior and how upset Maria was with the split between the humans and the aliens. Liz almost groaned when she remembered Maria trying to tell her something soon after she got back from Tucson, something about her and Michael, and once again Liz had turned the conversation to the subject of her and Max while Maria just smiled slightly and listened with quiet patience.

Being very quiet, Liz gathered her stuff and quietly left the room looking back at them still sleeping. She had miles to go before she could sleep, miles to go and promises to keep. Liz felt so tired, but sleep would not come anytime soon.

Michael woke the next morning feeling very comfortable and content. Without opening his eyes he knew that Maria was lying on him sound asleep. He could hear the gentle sounds of her breathing, and he smiled to himself, he continued to rest. It took a few moments before he remembered that they were sharing the room with another, so reluctantly he opened his eyes to look over at the other bed. Empty.

Slowly moving Maria off his body, he reached down to place a gently kiss on her brow; he got up to look for Liz. She wasn�t in the room, and quickly he looked into the bathroom. Once it was apparent that Liz wasn�t in the room anymore, he looked outside and noticed the Jetta was gone. Swearing under his breath, he went over to wake Maria. It was hard to do since she looked so innocent and peaceful sleeping in their bed. Swearing at Liz Parker under his breath not for the first time, he sat down on the bed and woke her up.

�Maria? Maria, wake up.� He couldn�t help but smile as she slowly stretched and opened one eye to see him. With a smile she closed her eye to go back to sleep. �Honey, wake up.�

�No. Sleepy.� Maria burrowed even more into the bedding.

�Maria, Liz is gone. Wake up.� Maria�s eyes came open and she quickly sat up to look around not noticing the cover sliding down to her waist. It was Michael�s low whistle that made her look down and quickly grab the cover back up. Realizing that Liz wasn�t present it seemed kind of silly to be shy especially since Michael was responsible for her missing top. Remembering last night, the kissing and him feeling her up all over her body while she burrowed into his body Maria almost smiled, but then she remembered the missing Liz.

�Stop that. Liz is missing remember? We don�t have time.� Michael actually smiled at Maria trying to be firm. Reaching down he stopped just mere milliseconds from her mouth. �No time for even a good morning kiss?�

�Idiot.� Maria reached up and pulled him to her the rest of the way. She was right they didn�t have time for this because the next thing she knew, he had moved her over, rejoined her on the bed, and surprisingly the blanket was missing again and the amount of air on her flesh told her she was exposed again only warmed by his hands and mouth. �Michael?�

�I know.� Michael moved away from her and pulled the covers up over her before he started something they didn�t have time to finish. �Liz took the Jetta.�

�Great, she better pay attention to where she parks it.� Maria keeping the sheet around her got up and started towards the bathroom. �Let me get dressed and we can head for campus and try to get a lead on Leanna.�

�Whoa, what about the missing Parker?� Maria paused at the doorway and looked back at him.

�What about her? She will busy at the Litvak Building trying to find someone who not only that knew Alex as Ray, but someone that she can con into trying to reconstruct what Alex was doing. She will not go anywhere without us, so if we don�t find her first, she will find us. And while we chase down Leanna, I will tell you everything I know.�

Michael watched her disappear into the bathroom. Maria was right. Liz needed Maria�s support right now, so if she found anything out, she would find them. Suddenly Maria reappeared in the doorway.

�Hey, Spaceboy, aren�t you coming?� Michael smiled and went to join her in the bath. Looked like they did have a little time to kill.

�Maria, did I tell you about the benefits of hot alien sex?� Michael shut the door behind him to keep the warmth of the bath inside. �Max thinks it only happens between alien-alien matches, but we know better.�

�You didn�t tell him?� Maria sounded horrified.

�Of course not! A gentlemen never tells.�




Michael followed Maria into the Litvak Building looking around almost like he was afraid security was going to come and escort them back out. They had spent a few hours at the University library looking up last year�s annual and past issues of the University paper. They found her on the sports page of two issues back in a racing meet. Her name was Jennifer, not Leanna, and she definitely was not in Sweden. It was time to find the Parker bug and go find Leanna, otherwise known as Jennifer Coleman. This girl held answers and the danger factor just jumped up a notch. It was time to retreat and get some backup. No one at home knew what and where he and the girls were or even what they were doing. They were too vulnerable out here all alone, and he couldn�t risk both girls� lives, especially after Maria told him everything they knew and found out. His blood ran cold at the thought that he let Maria take off without him even for just eight hours yesterday. Idiot.

�Where is she?� Michael looked at the professional looking offices and classrooms, checking inside to see if he could spy Liz. They found the Jetta parked outside in the Litvak Building parking lot, so she had to be somewhere nearby.

�More than likely wherever the super computer is with some computer geek helping her find out what Alex was working on.�

They found Liz behind an enclosed glass room sitting in front of a computer terminal with a young man. Holding up a copy of the school newspaper with a picture to the window and motioning to the picture at Liz, Maria waited as Michael reached around her and knocked on the glass. They waited for Liz to get up and open the door, moving over to wait for her at the door. Maria looked over at Michael. She was worried. As the morning progressed and they found that Leanna was really a girl from the University, he became quieter and harder to read. But she knew he was thinking either alien hunter or skin, but either way didn�t matter since it all led to Alex�s death.

�We found Leanna. Her real name is Jennifer Coleman.�

�Yeah, well I�m onto something, too. You guys shouldn�t be here. I�ll meet you in the quad.� Liz made a move to shut the door.

�I got a better idea. We�re going back to Roswell.� Michael looked hard at Liz. She was too out of control, too intense. That is when mistakes happen.

�Didn�t Maria tell you what we found?� Liz couldn�t believe that Michael couldn�t see the importance of what they were doing.

�Yeah.�

�And you still don�t believe that anything is going on?� Exasperation was rising in her face. What did it take to wake up these aliens to the reality of the situation?

�Forget it, let�s get outta of here. The situation isn�t safe for you two.�

�We�re too close to the truth. I�m not leaving.� Liz tried to shut the door in their faces.

�Liz.� Maria watched as Michael moved forward and grabbed Liz�s arm stopping her from closing the door on them.

�This isn�t optional. You�re coming back with us.� Michael could find his irritation level rising again. This girl was beyond seeing the danger she was putting herself in, and in turn, Maria, too. Wasn�t the loss of Alex enough of a warning for her?

�You can�t tell me what to do.� Maria looked at both Michael and then Liz. She could feel the rift growing again. They were at a stale mate until the computer guy Percy broke the silence.

�Liz, I found Ray�s source material.� Liz looked long at Michael one last time before going over to see what Percy found. �Pretty strange looking stuff.� Liz retook her seat with Michael and a resigned Maria coming up behind them. It�s some kind of language. Looks Native American.�

Michael looked over Percy and Liz�s shoulders seeing a program of symbols moving across the screen. The symbols moved faster sparking a flash of memory from The Balance when Michael was sick and dying. It was the symbols mapped out on the dream plane, the symbols from the alien book and the cave. �Where the hell did this come from?�

Liz looked over her shoulder at Michael. �This is what Alex was working on while he was here.�

�What was he doing?� Michael looked from Liz to Percy and back at the screen.

Percy said over his shoulder while continuing to run the symbol program. �Decoding whatever this language is.�

�Translating it into English?� Michael asked Percy.

�Exactly.� Maria looked over at Michael beginning to worry about the look on his face, a look she was coming to recognize as a permanent fixture on Liz�s face of late.

�Was he able to do it?�

�Well, he deleted all the results. The last day he was here, he created this huge text file.� Percy does some more searching of the back files. �He e-mailed it to another address, [email protected].�

Liz looked at the information on the screen. �Jcoleman. He e-mailed it to Leanna.� Liz smiled slightly to herself as Michael watched the aliens symbol move across the screen deep in thought.

After they thanked Percy and started to leave the Litvak Building, Maria paused and asked Percy for one more favorite. �Do you have a student directory?�

Percy smiled at the quiet young girl with clear beautiful eyes. �Sure.� He reached over his desk and pulled down the current school�s year green sheet directory. Maria smiled and quickly searched for Jennifer Coleman address and information. Noting the assigned dorm, she handed the directory back to Percy and allowed Michael to usher her from the room with Liz following close behind.

Outside they consulted the campus map that Maria and Michael had picked up earlier at the library. Maria found the dorm building in the legend and they located it on the map. It was in walking distance. The room was on the third floor. They went to see if Leanna was home. Michael was uncertain about letting both Liz and Maria come with him, but he knew Liz would not listen, and Maria would not desert Liz. With a sigh of resignation, all three of them went to knock on the door. Maria could see almost feel Michael�s body tightening in preparedness behind her. When the door opened it wasn�t Leanna, but another girl.

�Oh! Hi, we were looking for Le�um, Jennifer Coleman.� Maria asked smiling.

�Sorry, that�s my roommate. She�s not here.�

�Well, do you know when she�s going to be back?� Michael asked coming up behind Liz and Maria.

�Probably not for a few days. She had to go home all the sudden.�

�All the sudden?� Liz looked at the girl.

�Yeah, she got a call this morning. Her mom is in the hospital, so she just packed up some stuff and went.� Michael removed the watch from his pocket.

�That�s just terrible �cause I know that Jen and her mom were pretty close.� Michael watched the roommate closely to see how she would take what Maria was saying, checking the time and putting away his watch. They needed to get moving. Time was wasting. �Listen, um, before she left, did she happen to give you some notes from physics class she said I could borrow?�

�No, she didn�t say anything about it.�

�Oh, you know, they are probably in her room.� Liz tells Maria and Maria makes a gesture of acceptance that of course they would be in Jennifer�s room. Liz walks into the dorm room past the frustrated roommate with Michael following closely with the roommate protesting. �You don�t mind if we just, you know, grab them.�

�Well actually, she just �� Maria came up around the girl following Michael and Liz, walking backwards and placing herself in the doorway to Jennifer�s room blocking the roommates view of what Liz and Michael were doing.

�Do you remember what hospital her mom is at?� Asks Maria to distract the roommate. �I would just love to send her some flowers, �cause I really think the support of other, you know, friends can really help through a hard time.� Michael and Liz began to search the room, Michael took all the mail and putting it under his shirt in his waistband while Liz searched for papers. �Like, there was this time when my grandfather died.� Maria gestured a heartfelt look. �He did, and I was�I was just so wrecked, I �I couldn�t stop crying, and then I received this basket of cookies from �everybody in my English class,� The roommate focuses on Maria�s story. �And it put a smile on my face for the first time in weeks.� Liz showed Michael a shelf of papers and rushed out past Maria and the roommate.

�Here we go we�ve got the notes.� Liz rushed past confusing the roommate.

�Thanks a bunch.� And Maria quickly followed Liz with Michael rushing out of the room to follow them. The roommate was left confused and feeling ran over by something she couldn�t explain.

�But, uuh�.� The roommate followed them out of the dorm room with a sigh of exasperation.

Michael, Liz and Maria headed down the stairs to the outside terrace balcony. Liz turned to look at Maria. �So Leanna did see us last night. She knew that we were on to her, and she skipped town.� Liz looks back up the stairs at Michael.

�God, who knew we were so intimidating, huh?� Said Maria as she and Michael walked down the stairs with Michael pulling the mail he took from Leanna�s room out from under his shirt and started rifling through it.

Michael read the letters handing them to Liz as he read them off. �Magazine renewal notice, credit card application, bank statement, and something from Open Sky Property Management.� He passed the rest of the mail to Liz and Maria as he opened the letter from the Property Management firm. �This is a bill for rent on property outside of Las Cruces.� Maria and Liz looked at the paper with Michael and Liz looked up at Michael as he took off, she quickly followed, and Maria recognized that look on both of their faces.

�I�ll drive.� No more obsessed psychos are allowed to drive the poor abused Jetta. Someone needed to be reasonable.

The located the property outside of town in a barren industrial waste area. You could see oil pumps working around the area and the road was unpaved. The building was old and deteriorating with many of the walls replaced with hanging sheets of plastic.

Maria and the other walked in cautiously with Maria careful not to touch anything. She was more than happy to admit to being afraid and she was very happy that Michael was with them. �I�m guessing not a party pad.�

�Why would anybody rent this?� Liz also kept her hands in her pockets.

Meanwhile Michael looked into rooms as they passed them. �Because they�ve something to hide.�

They all looked around a large bombed out room with plastic sheeting hanging everywhere and an old refrigerator in the middle of the room. Liz went into an adjoining room with Maria closely following leaving Michael to search that room. When Liz entered the next room she saw a laptop computer attached to a printer on and the sound of beeping. Maria followed her into the room and noticed a floating flashing red pyramid to the right.

�Liz!� Maria gestured to the object, as it�s beeping increased in speed and loudness. Michael in the next room turned when he heard Maria�s upset voice and looked through the opening between the two rooms seeing the flashing alien object. Using his powers he quickly pushed the object out of the room that Maria and Liz were in and it went smashing out of the building through a closed window to explode outside.

Liz stood stunned and breathing hard whiles her heart pounded in her chest with Maria still cringing in fear. Looking over her shoulder she looked into the adjoining room at Michael. Michael looked at Liz and quickly at Maria and back at Liz.

�Thank you.� Liz continues to stare at Michael, realizing for the first time that his insistent that this was getting too dangerous for them to continue was a real concern, and had he not been there, both she and Maria would have been dead.

�Yeah, no problem.� His voice was cold as he quickly looked over at Maria and back at Liz, then walked around to join them in the room with the computer.

Liz walked over to sit down at the computer as Maria continued to hold herself together and looked around. �What was that?�

Michael walked into the room behind her. �I�ve never seen anything like it.�

�Yeah.� Maria was still feeling upset, but went over to glance over Liz�s shoulder while Michael continued to search the room.

Liz hit some keys on the computer and the screen loaded a text file. �Oh, my god, this is it. The translation. It�s here.� Michael saw something and reached down to pick up a slim box with a crystal inside.

Maria looked around Liz as Michael picked it up and took the crystal from its box. �What is that?� Michael held it in his hand as Liz printed out the page of the screen.

�Michael.� Turning around he looked at the paper Liz was holding out to him, and going over to join Maria and Liz he took and read the translation, keeping the crystal in his hand.

Liz looked up at him as he read it. �Alex�s translation of the book.�

Maria shook her head while looking down at all of Alex�s work. �All the answers, Michael. Even if Leanna has them, now so do we.�




When they got back to the hotel, Maria was slowly packing together her stuff while Michael repacked his backpack. Liz was organizing all the printed out pages that they copied from the laptop. He held the crystal in his hand and then put it in his back pocket.

Liz could feel his eyes on her. Looking up from what she was doing. �What?�

�This stuff is important to us, Liz. But the price you almost paid, was it worth it?�

�I don�t understand.�

�Maria, Liz. I am talking about Maria. You dragged her into this because you needed help, and you suspected alien involvement. That makes it too dangerous for either of you to run around alone, and unprotected.�

�Michael, I was right�.�

�Do you think that any of this would matter in the least if it cost me Maria?� Michael angrily zipped his bag close. �She is my business, just as much as this is. This single-minded obsession could have cost you the life of your last best friend, and Liz, that cost would have been too much. It�s already too much considering Alex.�

�Michael�� He just turned to leave the room. �Michael, last night, when we first saw Leanna. Maria said no about approaching her, and said that we needed to call you because it was getting too dangerous. I was the one that pursued and pulled Maria with me.�

Turning back to look at her, �I know that Liz. I know that, because I know Maria, and she promised to call me at the first sign of danger. Maria would never break a promise to me.�

�Then why did you come before we called?�

�Because I know you, too. I recognize that single-minded obsession to find the truth regardless of the cost. It is how I have lived my life, when my life meant little to me and the quest was everything. It�s hard, and I am learning not to live that way anymore.�

�Because of Maria?�

�Yes. I can�t risk that the price I have to pay to find answers will be her life. She is my business, and my business involves protecting her. I came because I knew you wouldn�t make her safety a priority, and I also know that Maria would follow you anywhere, because she can�t stand the thought of losing another person she loves. And Liz, if you can�t move away from this obsession, and take notice to those around you and even your own safety, then I consider you the biggest threat in my life and Maria�s right now.�

�Michael �� Once that was said he turned and left the room as Maria came back in with bathroom stuff. Looking up she noticed Michael walking out of the door.

�What is going on? Where is Michael going?�

�I think to check us out.� Maria looked perplexed at a deathly pale Liz and the empty door.

�What is going on?� Looking at the empty open door again. �Liz, what is going on?�

The End.

ITB: Departure.