***
Her window was open. It was the first thing he noticed. The lights were still on
and her car was still in the driveway. He almost let himself stop worrying.
He climbed in the window and looked around. He couldn't hear anything. No shower
running. No laugh tracks coming from the TV. No happy Maria music blaring.
Nothing. It didn't feel right.
He must have called her name a dozen times. He expected to see her in the
kitchen eating ice cream just like she said she would. No one else was in the
house.
He told himself that she was just over at his apartment. Maybe she'd taken a
walk or something. She was probably looking for him right now. He'd go over
there and find her and she'd be fine. He would cuss her out for scaring him and
wring Tess's neck and then everything would be fine.
He slipped on something as he was letting himself out. He felt glass crunch
beneath his shoe. He lifted his foot and saw the shards of glass lying in an
oily puddle.
It smelled like Cyprus oil.
He found Maria's keys and took her car. He took the shortest path between
Maria's and his apartment. He drove as fast as he could.
***
He found her in his bed. The blue light of the moon outlined her. He could just
barely make her out. He let himself breathe a sigh or relief and he walked
towards the bed.
He could hear something. Barely. He told himself that it was radiators hissing
and then remembered that it was still too hot to have them running at all. It
sounded like breathing. Shallow. Ragged. Barely audible.
It was coming from her.
He let his eyes adjust so that he could see her more clearly in the darkness. He
stepped towards her. He reached the doorway: he saw the yellow-black bruises
beneath her eyes. He moved closer: he saw the cuts that covered her face, her
arms, her legs. The floorboards creaked: he saw the dried blood that matted her
golden hair. He reached the foot of the bed: he could saw the blood spotting her
pants and pooling between her legs. He came up to her. He leaned over her. He
saw silver peeking out from under her shirt. He pulled it up and saw the
handprint on her belly.
"Oh," His voice broke. He fell to his knees beside her.
She jerked and looked up at him. "Michael?" The corner of her mouth tore when
she whispered his name.
"Shh… shh… don't speak." He put his hand to her cheek. She flinched beneath his
fingertips. She bled onto his hand. She bled everywhere. And the handprint was
smeared across her belly.
[No.]
"Michael," Her lip split and bled. "Our baby." She reached out to touch him. "I
hurt so bad. It's the baby. Please. Our little girl." She brushed her hand
across his face. She turned away from him. She closed her eyes.
[No.]
He shook her a little.
[Don't.]
He gathered her into his arms carefully. "Come on, baby."
***
She was a mass of color.
Silver and gold. Green, white, and red. The handprint. Her hair. Her eyes. Her
skin. Her blood. Everything mixed together. She didn't look real. She didn't
look human. She didn't look like Maria.
Michael didn't look at her. He couldn't look at her. He was too busy trying to
get help for her. He found Max, Liz, Isabel, and Alex back at the Crashdown.
They could help her. They could save her.
Everything was mixed up. He carried Maria into the café. He saw and heard the
reactions of those around him. He looked at her for himself. His reaction was
the same as everyone else's. His terror and Max's were one in the same. His
screams were indistinguishable from Liz's. Only his thoughts were his own.
[Maria... Our baby.... I'll kill him.]
They took his pixie girl to a bed in a back room; same bed he stayed in when he
was sick. He wished that he were lying there in her place now.
He couldn't speak clearly. He repeated himself in his mind. [Maria. The baby.
Save Maria. Save the baby.]
He saw he come in out of the corner of his eye. He saw blonde wavy hair and pale
skin. He wanted to hurt her. He heard her gasp when she saw Maria. He wished
that Tess was in the bed instead of Maria.
He felt Max take his hand. Max said that it would take all of them to heal
Maria. He cringed when Tess took his other hand.
***
Maria screamed.
She did not scream when Nacedo took her. She didn't scream as his knuckles dug
into her face and her belly. He called her bitch, whore, mother of a half-breed.
He took Michael's face more than once as he hit her. He attacked her and her
baby. She did not beg him for her life. She did not scream in fear or pain. She
would not give him the satisfaction.
She wanted to run to Michael when she saw him standing in his doorway. She
wanted to cry out when he realized that she was hurt. She called his name
softly. She didn't cry out even though it felt like her insides had been ripped
out. She had to be strong for him.
She barely moved when they healed her. Light flooded the room. She watched her
cuts and bruises disappear before her eyes. She saw images of all of them:
images of her lover, images of her friends, images of Tess. Michael was
instantly at her side when the light dissipated. She smiled up at him, to put
his mind at ease, but said nothing.
The ache in her belly was still there.
She saw the hurt in Michael's eyes and the worry in Max's and screamed.
The pain in her belly worsened and she screamed. She screamed with each
contraction. She screamed and knew that her baby was already dead. She screamed
as she delivered her daughter.
And then she fainted dead away.
***
Liz found him sitting at the counter. "Michael?" She asked shakily.
He said nothing.
"Michael, please talk to me."
He stared at the napkin holder in front of him. He'd run away from her again.
He'd run out of the room as soon as she passed out. He didn't know what else to
do. His daughter was dead. His… Maria was unconscious. He had to get out of
there. He had to run.
"Max says that Maria is fine. She passed out. That's all. She'll be fine." Liz
walked up to him and touched his shoulder lightly.
"Don't touch me."
Liz dropped her hand. "Michael--"
He flew to his feet. "Don't even start, Liz. Don't try and tell me that you know
how I'm feeling, because you don't. You have *no* idea."
"Michael, I'm not saying that I know how you feel."
"Good. Just don't start with your sentimental shit."
"What?"
Michael paced beside the counter. "Poor Michael. Don't worry. Everything will be
okay," He said mockingly. "Don't give me that. Everything will not be okay. My
baby is dead, Liz. She didn't even get the chance to live. And I didn't do a
thing about it."
"You couldn't have known. It's not your fault."
"It is my fault! I should have stayed with her. I *knew* that something was
wrong. I knew it and I didn't do a damn thing."
"You tried. We all tried."
"I didn't try hard enough." One tear escaped the corner of his eye and coursed
down his cheek. He flicked it off before Liz had the chance to see it.
"You're only human, Michael."
He snorted. "If I was human, this never would have happened."
Liz sighed. "Okay, so you're not human. You're not God either. You couldn't do
anything."
"I could have!"
"The baby was already dead, Michael! She was gone before we even had the chance
to save her and there's *no* way she could have survived. The damage was already
done."
Michael looked her squarely in the eyes. "Get out." He said icily.
"No."
"I said get the hell away from me."
"I love her too, Michael!" Liz yelled. "Look, Maria is my best friend and you
know as well as I do that she's going to need all of us now."
"She won't need me," He whispered. "I let our baby die."
"She'll need you most of all, Michael. She loves you. You know that. But how are
you going to help her when you're a wreck?"
"And how am I supposed to feel, Liz?"
"The same way everyone else feels. You think that you and Maria were the only
ones who lost something just now? I loved the baby too," She sniffed. "I was
supposed to be Auntie Liz. Maria and I would have gone shopping for baby clothes
and baby things. I would have thrown the baby shower. I probably would have
knitted booties, for all I know." Liz brushed tears out of her eyes as she
walked towards him. She looked straight at Michael. "I love them both. And
believe it or not, I love you too. My first priority is Maria. I'm going to help
you because I know it'll help her. And because I know you're gonna need someone
to lean on right now, even if you won't admit it." She touched his shoulder.
Michael sighed. "It's just…" his voice broke.
"You don't have to say anything. Just know that we're here for the both of you."
Liz said. She sighed heavily. "Listen, now that you're down here you might as
well stay down here. I really don't think that you should go up there right now.
Max and Isabel are… they're getting Maria… and the baby…" She fumbled with her
words. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
"I know," Michael said.
"Yeah."
She started to walk away.
"Liz?" Michael called softly.
"Yeah?"
"Can…" He bowed his head. "Can you stay for a while? I mean, if you think that
Maria needs you then you should go but if not… I mean…"
Liz reached out to him. "Come here."
She held him. She petted his spiky hair and cried in his arms. She pretended not
to notice as he cried in hers.
***
"She's awake."
Michael's face was the first Maria saw. The first she looked for when she opened
her eyes. He sat beside her on the bed.
"Michael?" She said groggily.
"Hey…" He whispered. "You gave us quite a scare. Don't ever do that to me again,
okay?" He tried to smile. He needed to be strong for her.
"Michael…what happened?"
Max and the others left the room. Michael turned away.
"You don't remember?" He asked softly.
Maria's face grew pale. "Yes. I remember. I just… I just need to know."
"Know what?" He reached for her hand. She was so cold. There were no scars, no
signs of any damage at all. But she was still cold. And still so pale.
"I can't--" She started.
"We healed you and you're gonna be fine. You can't even tell." He clutched her
hand. He turned away as a tear fell down his cheek.
"Michael--"
"Yeah. You'll be just fine. Everything--"
"I can't feel the baby anymore," She said quietly.
Michael ground tears out of his eyes with his fist.
"Michael, look at me. Please?"
He raised his head. He swallowed hard.
"I already know," She said. She brushed a tear away. "I just need to hear it.
Please. I just need to hear it."
He raised her hand to his lips. One of his tears trickled on to her skin. "She's
gone," He whispered. "Everyone… everyone tried. We saved you, but… It was too
late for her." He looked up at her. "I am so sorry, baby."
Maria closed her eyes and wrapped her hand around Michael's.
"It's all right. Don't be sorry. I'm not."
Michael looked at her quizzically. She pulled closer to him.
"I love you. And I carried your child. We… didn't have her for long, but we had
her. That's a blessing in and of itself." She cupped his face in her hands. "I'm
not sorry about that at all."
Michael's eyes flashed. "But she should still be here. Our daughter would still
be alive if it weren't for Nacedo." He shook his head. "I can't believe I
trusted him." He looked into Maria's eyes. "What did he do to you?"
She could almost feel the bones in her face shattering again. She could almost
feel his fists digging into her skin again. She could almost feel the baby being
ripped from her body again.
Maria looked away. "I was in my room by myself. I was, um, singing to the baby.
My mom used to sing me this pretty little lullaby and I was singing it to the
baby." She swallowed hard. "I didn't even see him. He just grabbed me and
dragged me out the door. He must have knocked me out. One minute I was at home,
and the next, I was at your place. I don't remember how I got there. But I woke
up and he was standing over me. He had this look on his face." Maria embraced
herself and rubbed her arms. "I thought he was going to rape me," She whispered.
Michael covered her hand with his.
"He didn't," She continued. "He just looked at me. He spat in my face and said I
wasn't worth it. Then he started hitting me." She looked up at Michael. "What
did I ever do to him? Why'd he do this to me?" Maria was in tears.
Michael wrapped his arms around her. "Shh… it's okay. It'll be all right." He
took her face in his hands.
"I'll kill him for this. I swear it."
Maria dried her eyes. "No. We can't deal with that. I can't deal with that,
Michael. Not yet." She brushed another tear away with her thumb. "Just stay here
with me for now. Please. Can you just hold me?"
He put his arms around her again. They held each other close as they cried.
***
[He's going to kill me.] Tess thought. She peeked through the door and saw
Michael and Maria asleep in each other's arms. She sighed a breath of relief.
[I'm actually glad she's all right. I don't know what I'd do if she wasn't. That
poor baby…] She saw Alex and Isabel curled up on the floor next to Maria's bed
and Max and Liz curled up on the other side. [Michael is going to kill me. I
don't blame him. His baby would be alive if not for me. No… I take that back.
Nacedo still would have tried to kill them both. The baby might be dead but
Maria's alive because of me. She sighed heavily. I don't know what I'd do if
anyone ever hurt him. I guess I'd want to kill them too. Maybe… maybe Michael
will forgive me. He has to. He loves me. I'm… his sister.] She shook her head
and laughed aloud. [Huh… I don't need to think like that. My mind will get even
more messed up than it already is.] She looked over at Michael again. [I might
as well be his sister. His sister. Nothing else. They're all stuck with me now.
They're my family now.]
"I'll make this up to you," She whispered. "I swear it."
She closed the door behind her.
***
Maria's bed was empty.
That was the first thing Liz noticed after she woke up. She wiggled out of Max's
arms and headed straight for the roof.
She found Maria sitting in her chair, watching the sun rise.
"Maria?"
"It's pretty, isn't it?" the small blonde said without turning around. "You
know, I never get up this early. I haven't seen the sun rise in the longest
time. What time is it anyway?"
"Um… about six I think." Liz said as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Did
you sleep at all last night, Maria?"
"Maybe an hour. Michael and I pretty much stared at each other or the ceiling
all night. I just, um, I couldn't sleep, you know." She picked at her nails.
"Maria--"
"Yeah. So we've been sitting out here for a while now. I just asked him to go
get me a glass of milk or something. I needed a couple minutes by myself."
"Oh… Do you want me to go?"
Maria turned to face Liz. "No. You can stay." Liz couldn't help noticing the
dark circles beneath her friend's eyes. Maria turned back to the horizon. "I can
see why you come up here to write. It's a good place to be alone with your
thoughts. It's just so pretty."
Liz sat down beside her. "Maria, are you going to be all right?"
She said nothing. She folded her knees up to her chest and rocked a little. Liz
put her hand on her shoulder.
"I want to kill him, Liz." She was completely expressionless.
"What?"
"We had her for ten days. I told Michael two Sundays ago. We were just getting
used to her. And he took her away." She said flatly. "I forgot about it this
morning. I forgot she was gone." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Michael put his arms around me. He put his hand on my stomach and I realized
that she wasn't there. I couldn't feel her and it was like losing her all over
again."
Liz put an arm around her shoulder.
"Michael has sworn that he'll kill him. This morning, I almost asked him to do
it."
"You really want that?"
"Yes." She shook her head. "No. I don't know. I can't ask Michael to do that
after what happened with Pierce. And I've wondered if I could do it, but I
honestly think that I wouldn't have the guts. I don't know. But I hate him."
Liz sighed.
"So what does it mean? He killed my baby and he damn near killed me and nothing
happens to him. My baby is dead. My mother doesn't even know that she existed.
My friends are hurting. And Michael is completely torn up. He's angry and upset
and it's almost like he feels guilty about this. He has no reason to feel that
way." Maria stared at the horizon. Her face was unreadable.
"But how do you feel, Maria?"
She inhaled sharply, as if Liz's question had hurt her physically.
"Maybe I wish that it had been too late for me too."
***
"Michael?" Max asked. He walked down the stairs and saw his best friend in the
kitchen of the Crashdown.
"Good morning, Maxwell." Michael said as he got a glass out of the sink.
"What are you doing?"
"Couldn't sleep. Maria and I have been up for a while and she wanted me to get
her a glass of milk." He took a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator and put
it back again. "But, uh, two days ago she said that she couldn't drink milk in
the mornings because it made her stomach hurt." He went to the cupboard and took
out some tea bags. "I think I'll just make some tea or something. She likes tea.
Maybe I can put some milk in the tea. Maybe that would be okay." He looked at
Max. "Did you sleep?"
"A little," He yawned. "How are you both?"
Michael filled the teapot with water. "It was a long night." He sighed.
"Yeah, I know."
"It keeps playing over and over in my head. She was fine in the morning at work.
Then she tells me that she wants to be by herself for the night and I let her
go. Next time I see her, she's half dead and the baby is gone." He picked up the
sugar. "She told me two Sundays ago. It's only been ten days." He shook his
head. "And I trusted him."
"Everyone trusted him, Michael."
"Yeah, but I thought that he was my family." He got out a cup and placed the tea
bag in it. "He killed my little girl and he tried to kill Maria. I was supposed
to protect both of them. I'll fix it, though. I promised her."
Max sighed. "What are you going to do?"
Michael poured hot water into the teacup. He looked Max squarely in the eyes.
"I want to kill him."
***
"We can't all stay here. "Liz said. "The Crashdown opens in an hour or so."
Everyone was awake and gathered in the little room. Isabel, Max, Liz, and Alex
stood around the bed where Michael and Maria were sitting.
"So what do you suggest we do? And what if he tries something again? I think
it's better if we all stay together," Isabel said.
"Yeah," Alex said. "But I see what Liz is saying. Six kids living in the back
room of a restaurant would be a little suspicious. We've gotta go somewhere
else."
"Where? I'm not going home. I'm not leaving any of you," Isabel said.
"But what about our parents?" Max said.
"Okay…" Liz said. "Max, you and I can go in to work today and clear our
schedules. I'll cover for Michael and Maria. I'll say that they're both sick or
something. We can all make up some excuse for staying together for a while. Alex
and Isabel, you can both go with Michael and Maria. We'll all meet up later."
"Where?" Isabel asked.
"What about Michael's--" Alex started.
"No," Michael said. Images of Maria's bloodied figure flashed before his eyes.
"I don't want to go back there. She doesn't need to be there." Michael said.
"And Maria's house?"
Maria remembered Nacedo dragging her through the door. She squeezed Michael's
hand. "It's okay," She said. "We can stay there."
"But--" Michael started.
"It's okay. I want to go home." She turned to the others in the room. "But we
don't need you guys to baby-sit us."
"I'm not leaving you two, Maria," Liz said.
"She's not saying that," Michael said. "But you guys should try to act normal.
We'll be all right."
"Michael--" Isabel started.
"They're right," Max said. "They need a little time to themselves. But we're not
letting you two alone." He said to Michael and Maria.
"Yeah, someone needs to stay with you, at least at night." Alex said.
"We don't need protection--" Michael said.
Maria touched his hand. "They're just worried about us. Humor them. Someone can
stay in the spare room."
Michael sighed. "Fine. Who?"
Maria heard the doorknob turn. Michael was the first to see her walk in the
room.
"I'll do it," Tess said. "I'll stay with you."
Max, Liz, Isabel, Alex, and Maria held Michael back as he flung himself at Tess.
"Damn you! Bitch!" Michael writhed in Max's arms. "Let me go!"
"I'm sorry!" Tess shrieked.
Michael lunged at her again. "Stay the hell away from us!"
"Michael!" Maria screamed. "Stop!"
"I will break your damn neck," He growled at Tess.
"Michael, please! Maria would be dead if not for her!" Alex yelled.
Michael twisted around in Max's grasp and faced Maria. "What?" He said.
"Alex is right," Maria said. "You said she told you that I was in trouble, so
you could save me. She's betraying her father for us. I think that says
something."
Tess cringed at the word 'father'. Michael tried to shake out from under Max's
grasp.
"She's been setting us up the whole time! Why should we trust her now?" Michael
asked.
"I'm not saying that we should trust her. You know, she's not exactly the light
of my life. But… part of me wants to rip her hair out and the other part of me
says that her motives are pure. Something tells me that she really is sorry. I
think she's being honest."
Maria touched Max's arm. He let go of Michael.
"So what are you saying?" Michael asked.
"She was partly responsible for saving my life. We might not trust her, but we
should remember that."
Michael glared at Tess. "I don't like this."
"I'll make it up to you. I promise." She said. She looked at Michael and Maria
pleadingly.
"I don't like it either," Max said. "I don't want her around you guys. We can
all stay. We can just take turns or something."
"Max--" Tess began.
"You keep your mouth closed." Michael said. He turned to Max.
Tess looked away. "I'm not going to leave this alone." She said under her
breath.
The others ignored her.
"Come on," Liz said. "My dad should be opening up this place soon. Let's all
just go." Liz hugged Maria. "I am coming over tonight. Don't even try to stop
me."
Maria smiled a little. Tess watched her take Michael's hand and leave. Max, Liz,
Alex, and Isabel followed. Tess watched them go. She brushed away the tears she
had been hiding and walked out of the little room.
***
Michael watched Maria sleep. It had been four days since she'd lost the baby.
Max, Isabel and Alex had already stayed over and now Liz was in the other room.
Just in case. He didn't know what Liz could possibly do if something happened,
but he knew that Maria wanted her there. Liz was making Maria happy and taking
her mind off of things for a little while. And if Maria was happy, Michael was
happy.
He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her. He could just barely see
her in the moonlight.
[You can't even tell that anything happened.] He thought. [She shouldn't be
going through this.]
She'd been so strong. He was a wreck. She's been the one holding him while he
cried, calming him down when he'd been angry, and reassuring him when his doubts
and feelings of guilt had surfaced. He didn't know how she did it. He didn't
know that she could be so strong.
***
She was falling apart.
Maria woke up after Michael had finally fallen asleep. She wondered if he'd been
crying again. She knew that he cried at night sometimes when he thought she was
asleep. She touched his face and checked for tear tracks, but there were none.
She put her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
She didn't know how he did it. He'd been taking care of her. Protecting her. He
hadn't left her side since… the baby was taken from them.
Maria jumped at a noise. [It was probably just Liz.] She thought. She'd been
jumping at every strange noise and every shadow she'd seen for days now. She
brushed her hand against Michael's side. [Calm down, girl. It was probably just
Liz.]
His faces haunted her. He'd switched faces several times while he beat her. She
saw his faces in her dreams. She could almost feel his fist tearing her skin.
She could still remember the sound of her own screams as she miscarried the
baby.
She slid closer to Michael and shut her eyes. [I gotta go to sleep.] She pulled
the covers up around them and drifted off to sleep.
She dreamed of a green eyed little girl with scruffy hair.
***
"Max?" Maria said the next afternoon. She opened the door and let him into the
house.
"Hey, Maria." He looked over her shoulder. "Where's Michael?"
"Oh he's in the kitchen making lunch. Do you want me to get him?"
"No, that's okay." Max raised an eyebrow. "He's making lunch?"
Maria smiled a little. "Yeah. He shooed me out of there after I burned some
Ramen noodles." She read the curious look on his face. "I'm a waitress, not a
cook. There's a really good reason for that." She laughed a little.
Max's smile faded away. "So how are you doing, Maria?"
"Well… I'm okay. I've been better, but two days ago I was a whole lot worse."
"I can imagine."
"I don't know what I would have done without him," She said, gesturing towards
the kitchen. "He's been really sweet. He's just a little too protective,
though."
"Yeah. I kinda expected him to answer the door."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I think he's scared that something else might happen to you.
Maybe he thinks that Nacedo's going to try something else."
Maria sighed. "I don't think I'm as fragile as he thinks I am."
"You've been through a lot, Maria. Both of you have."
"I know. But what's done is done. Nacedo took our child. He can't hurt us any
worse than he already has."
"I think you're wrong, Maria. I think that Nacedo can do a lot worse. And I
think that's what Michael's really afraid of."
Max and Maria turned to see Michael coming into the room, eating a sandwich.
"Hey, Max. I didn't hear you come in." He mumbled.
"Oh yeah. I just stopped by to tell you that I can't come tonight. Mom and Dad
want to have a family night so I'll have to stay home."
"That's okay," Maria said.
"You sure?" Max and Michael eyed Maria carefully.
"It's just that we really haven't had much time to ourselves… in a while," She
said.
Michael nodded. "It's all right. We'll be fine, Max."
***
"Why don't we get out of the house?" Maria asked later that night. She sat on
the couch and looked up at Michael.
He stood with his arms folded. "I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Why? We've been cooped up here for days."
"We've been out."
"Yeah, to the Crashdown. Or to see Liz or Max and Isabel or Alex. I love my
friends but I don't need to spend every waking moment with them. And I'm ready
to get out of the house. Staying here just… it doesn't help."
"You jump, Maria."
"What?"
"You jump. Every time you hear a strange noise or something, you jump. You're
still scared. It's too soon. We should just stay here for a while."
"You're just as scared as I am. But staying here isn't working."
"So we can stay somewhere else. A hotel or something."
"That's not home. I need to stay in my home but I don't need to stay home all
the time. Do you understand what I mean?"
"What if something happens?" Michael asked.
"What's going to happen? I'm not saying that we stay out all night. And I'm not
saying that you leave me in some dark alley or something. I know you wouldn't
anyway," Maria sighed. "Listen, I know you're worried. It's really sweet. But
I'm not going to break. And Nacedo's not going to attack me the instant I leave
this house. I'm fine, Michael. We'll both be okay."
He sighed and flopped onto the couch beside her. "You sure you want to go out?"
"I'm going crazy just staying here all the time. Maybe if we went out, just us,
we could get our minds off things."
"Well what did you want to do?" He grabbed a fistful of Cheetohs out of the bag
he was holding.
"How about a movie?"
"Which one?" Michael brushed the orange powered simulated cheese product flecks
off of his mouth.
"Well, I've seen the previews for this really great roman--"
"No."
"But it's--"
"A chick flick."
Maria sighed. "Okay. What do you want to see?"
"Blood Wars."
"Oh, great. Another movie where the ending shows the hero and his half-naked
woman having sex on top of a pile of severed heads. Sounds like a whole lot of
fun."
"It's not that bad."
"I'm not going to see it."
Michael sighed. "Okay. Let's do something else." He crammed more Cheetohs into
his mouth.
"We could go for a walk," Maria offered. Michael scowled. "Okay. Bad idea. Well
how about if we go out to eat?"
"Last time I got paid was two weeks ago." Michael said, reaching for the
Cheetohs.
Maria snatched the bag. "Fine. We can stay home. But how about making dinner?"
"You or me?"
"Well I could do it. I think there's some chicken in the back of the freezer."
Michael stood up. "After seeing what you did to those Ramen noodles, I don't
want to see what you could do to chicken. I'll make dinner."
Maria frowned. "Fine. I'm gonna go to my room."
"Fine by me." Michael walked towards the kitchen. Maria followed him halfway
there.
"You know, I can make this green bean casserole thingy to go with the chicken. I
just have to fry up some onions first."
Michael faced her and frowned. "Fry up some onions?"
"Yeah. We don't have any of those crunchy onion things to go on top of the green
beans, but I could probably make some. I've seen Jose make onion rings at the
Crashdown. It can't be much harder than that."
A smile spread across Michael's face.
Maria stood in the hallway with her hands on her hips. "What's so funny?"
"Go on and go to your room, Maria." He laughed. "Just go on and go." He laughed
all the way to the kitchen.
***
They were alone.
He'd been watching them since they'd been back at the girl's house and they'd
never been alone before. One of the other children was usually with them. He'd
seen the other human girl and the dark haired hatchling leave this morning.
He looked into the girl's window and smiled to himself. The hatchling had walked
out of the room and left the girl alone. She was sitting on her bed, playing
with her hair again. Just like last time. She had on different pajamas this
time, something with sickening little smiley-faced clouds painted all over it.
One of the tank-top straps had slid off of her shoulder. He watched her arm
muscles flex as she brushed her hair. The hatchlings had done a wonderful job.
There wasn't a mark on her. No scars, no bruises, nothing. She was almost
perfect.
He shook his head and reminded himself that there was no such thing as
perfection when it came to humans.
It couldn't be like last time. They had to know that he was the one who had hurt
her before. He couldn't win their trust now. He'd have to get rid of all of
them. And he couldn't give Tess the chance to interfere again. Tess was such a
bright girl and she had been so committed to their cause. Now that she was 'in
love' she was useless. What a pity. He swore under his breath. He would have to
take care of Tess later.
He turned back to the girl in the window. He'd let her live the first time. That
was a mistake. There couldn't be any mistakes now. The girl had to die.
But what good is murder if you can't have some fun beforehand?
He got in the house easily. Being a shapeshifter had its advantages. He could be
practically invisible whenever he wanted. He found the hatchling in the kitchen.
He revealed himself right before he grabbed the hatchling's throat.
Nacedo's laughter was the last thing Michael heard before he passed out.
***
"Michael?" Maria called. She stood up and peeked out the door. "I thought I
heard something. Was that you?" The hall was dim. She fumbled towards the
kitchen and nearly fell flat on her face when she tripped over something.
"Did you drop a pan? I almost broke my neck falling over something." She fumbled
to the light and flicked the switch.
She made a noise when she saw him lying there. It was almost as if someone just
pinched her throat shut.
She dove onto the floor beside him. "Michael?!" She shrieked. She shook him
violently. "Michael, please!" He was still warm. She put her hand on his chest.
His heart fluttered beneath her fingertips.
[He's alive. He must have passed out. Oh, thank you, Lord.] She prayed silently.
"Michael, wake up," She pleaded. "Please, baby, wake up!" She slapped him hard.
He did not move.
She heard another noise behind her.
She realized that she was being watched.
She pulled Michael's head into her lap. "I know you're here," She whispered into
the dark. "What? You came back to finish the job?"
No answer.
She put her arms around Michael tightly. "Why are you hiding?!"
She heard a laugh behind her. Nacedo's face emerged from the darkness.
"Looks like it's just you and me again." He said, smirking.
Maria leaned over Michael. "What did you do to him?" She growled.
Nacedo smiled. "Nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you, my dear."
He reached out to her and she saw a flash of light. Her eyes slammed shut. She
felt as if she was falling and she thought she'd never hit the ground.
***
Tess opened her kitchen cupboard. "So what's it gonna be tonight, Tess?" She
thought aloud. "Tomato or Chicken Noodle?" She sighed heavily and picked up the
can of tomato soup. "Let's get exotic. Maybe I can pretend it's Gaspacho. Nah.
It'd probably be nasty if it's cold." She poured the contents into a bowl and
heated them with her hand. She drizzled Tabasco over the soup and laced her
glass of juice with sugar. She flopped down on her chair and sighed heavily.
"This is just pathetic," She said. Her voice echoed through the cavernous halls
of her house. "It's Friday night, I'm stuck in the house, eating alone, and I'm…
I'm talking to myself." She sipped the soup from her spoon. "Gee, Tess… you'd
think you'd be used to being by yourself like this."
She'd always been alone. She never really had a family. She never really had
friends. Spending years chasing after Max, Michael, and Isabel prevented her
from ever getting the chance to settle down and have a normal life, if having a
normal life was possible with Nacedo as a father.
She had to laugh at herself for thinking that. Nacedo was nothing like a father.
He wasn't even like the guardian he'd made himself out to be. Every day before
they came to Roswell was the same. She'd go off to a new school where she'd sit
by herself at lunch, or sit with some guy who was trying to figure out if she
was easy or not. Then she'd go back to Nacedo, who'd rant about closing in on
finding the hatchlings. Every month they were in a new city or state. Every
month she was in another empty new house. She never got the chance to get
attached to anything.
Tess lived in her imagination as a child. She didn't make friends easily at
school, so she made some up in her mind. Anytime the girls at her new school
were mean to her, her imaginary Isabel was there to play with her. Anytime the
boys teased her, her imaginary Max and Michael were there to protect her. Jeremy
Knight shoved his tongue down her throat the first time she was ever kissed. She
could remember how angry imaginary Max and Michael were: they didn't think that
Jeremy was good enough for their Tessie. She and imaginary Isabel gossiped about
it all night: Jeremy was the cutest boy in the seventh grade. Tess still had her
imaginary friends, even as a teen. The more Nacedo chased after the real Max,
Michael, and Isabel, the more he pushed Tess away. She had no one but her
friends to rely on.
Tess cleared her dishes from her table and left them in the sink. "Might as well
see what's on TV," She thought aloud. She walked into the living room, flopped
onto the couch, and started flipping through the channels. "Game Show… No…
Baywatch… No… 'I'm where you wanna be, he's coming home to me. Girl, I'm
sleeping with your man.'… I'm not in the mood for a talk show either." She
turned off the television and reached for a magazine. "Hmm… Top ten ways to tell
if he's falling for you." She put the magazine back on the table in front of
her.
She fell in love when she was fifteen. It didn't matter that she didn't know
him. It didn't matter that he was supposed to be her enemy. She mooned over him
for weeks. His name was doodled all over her notebooks. She dreamed of finding
him and the others. She thought that maybe, once Nacedo found them, he would
change his mind about them. Maybe he wouldn't be so hell-bent on killing them.
After all, they were only a couple of kids and they didn't even know where they
had actually come from. What could they possibly do to hurt an entire race?
She didn't know how Nacedo found out. He never said anything about it to her.
But he was the one who came up with the destiny plan. He said that it would be
the best way to get Michael, Max, and Isabel to trust them. Tess was mad at
Nacedo for the entire week after he told her about the idea. But she forgot all
about being angry after he told her that he'd found the hatchlings.
She hated the idea. She hated having to trick Max, Michael, and Isabel into
thinking that they were predestined to love her. But she did as she was told.
She had to do it. It was the only way they would ever trust her. Nacedo told her
so.
Tess laughed again. [I don't know why I even listened to him in the first place.
Everything is messed up now. They'll never forgive me for this.]
Nacedo didn't care about her. He'd admitted as much. When he'd found her, all he
saw was another of his kind, someone to help him in his quest to single-handedly
destroy the enemy. Tess was convinced that he was crazy. But even if they
weren't really related, Nacedo was the closest thing to a father she had ever
known.
But she was so close to having a real family now. She didn't need imaginary
friends anymore. She didn't rely on Nacedo as much as she had. Michael, Max, and
Isabel had actually accepted her. Sort of. All she had to do was show them how
much she loved them.
"Enough of this." Tess jumped off of the couch and grabbed her car keys. "Maybe
Isabel will want to go out somewhere." She left her house and drove towards the
Evans' as fast as she could.
Max answered when Tess rang the doorbell.
"Hello, Tess." He shifted uneasily. "What are you doing here?"
Tess looked over his shoulder. "Actually, I came to see Isabel."
"She managed to ditch family night somehow. She and Alex are out stargazing
somewhere. I'll tell her you came by, though." He started to close the door.
"Wait, Max. Why are you home?"
Max raised an eyebrow at her. "Um… I live here."
Tess shook her head. "No, I mean aren't you supposed to be spending the night
with Michael and Maria tonight?"
"No. We were supposed to have family night tonight. Mom and Dad wanted me to
stay home. Besides, they haven't had a moment alone since last week. Why do you
ask?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she ran to her car and pulled away as fast as she
could. Max shrugged his shoulders, closed the door and then went to his room to
call Liz.
***
Maria opened her eyes.
[Oh, my head.] She thought. She rubbed her temples. [What happened?] She was in
her room, lying flat on the bed. She sat up slowly and looked around.
"You're awake. Baby, I was so worried."
Maria twisted around and saw Michael walking towards her.
"Here, I brought you some water." He sat down beside her and stroked her hair.
"Michael? What happened?" Maria took the glass from his hand.
"You must have had a nightmare. You woke up screaming. You okay, sweetheart?"
"A nightmare?"
Michael smiled. "Yeah. For a minute I thought it was time."
"Time for what?" Maria asked quizzically.
Michael put his hands on her stomach. His grin got even wider. "Time for little
Alexandra Elisabeth Michaela Marie Isabel Maxine DeLuca-Guerin to arrive. That
name really covers all bases, doesn't it?"
Maria looked down and noticed a very swollen belly poking out from under a
maternity version of her cloud pajamas.
"The baby?" She covered Michael's hand with her own.
"Our little girl. She's due any minute, isn't she? She was kicking up a storm
tonight. I put my hand on your stomach and I could feel her." Michael looked
down at her stomach and smiled. "You two are going to have a great time at the
baby shower tomorrow."
"Baby shower?"
"Yeah. I told the girls that you would be there by six. Is that all right?"
Maria looked around the room again. [What is going on here?] She thought. "Yeah.
That's great, Michael." She patted his arm.
"You sure you're okay, darling?"
"I'm… I'm fine. That was just a really strange dream."
"Want to tell me about it?" Michael cooed.
"Um… no… I'm fine. Really."
"Well, that's good. Wouldn't want anything to upset you," He patted her stomach.
"or you. Now come on, angel, let's go to sleep." He kissed her lightly and then
rolled over and laid down.
Maria's hands flew to her mouth.
It wasn't right.
His kiss left her with a hollow feeling in her stomach. [He's not the same.] She
thought. His kiss didn't even taste the same. She licked her lips. She did not
taste Tabasco.
She scrambled off the bed and ran to the door. "Get up. Now." She hissed.
Michael rolled over, climbed out of the bed, and walked towards her. "What's
wrong, sweetheart? Is it the baby?"
Maria backed away. "Don't you dare. Don't even speak about my child."
"I don't understand. What is wrong with you, honey?"
[~The day Michael calls anybody honey, it's all over.~]
Maria looked at him. She looked into his eyes.
They were cold. Too cold. Too dark. Inhuman. She had seen eyes like that before.
She knew whom they belonged to.
"You," She hissed. "What the hell have you done to me?"
Michael shook his head. "Angel, I am completely bewildered here. Why are you mad
at me?"
Maria thought for a moment. "Say my name."
"What?"
"Go on, *Michael.* Say it. Not this 'honey' and 'sweetheart' shit. Call me by my
full name." She said through gritted teeth.
"Baby--"
"That dream seemed too real. That's because it's the truth, isn't it? How the
hell did you do this to me?!"
His eyes went black.
"Hm… thought I'd give it a shot. It almost worked on the dark-haired girl. I
figured that it would surely work on you. You're not quite as bright as she
seems to be." He growled.
Maria rattled the doorknob.
"Door's locked. Window too. Don't get any ideas."
"What did you do to me?" She ran her hands over her face and arms and looked for
any cuts or bruises. "How are you doing this?" She wailed. She grabbed at her
swollen belly.
"Mind control really is very simple. All you have to do is show a human what
they really want to see and they'll believe anything. Who do you think Tess
learned it from, anyway?" He had a crooked smirk on his face. On Michael's face.
"Take it away." Maria's voice was hoarse.
He shrugged his shoulders. "As you wish."
She dropped her hands to her stomach. She was gone. The baby was gone again.
Maria fought back tears.
"You did it again. You son of a bitch. You did it again." She swallowed hard and
ground a few oily tears out of the corner of her eyes.
"Come on now, sweetie. It can't be as bad the second time around."
Maria dove towards him. He reached his hand out and she felt herself flying. She
slammed hard against the wall.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Maria literally could not move.
He walked over to her. "I only gave you what I thought you wanted. Isn't that
what you wanted?" He leaned over her.
"You heartless bastard, how dare you make fun of me?" Her shoulder blades dug
into the wall.
"You silly little bitch, how dare you try to stand in my way?"
"I don't even know what you mean."
"My race would benefit if the hatchlings were eliminated. We don't want anyone
to notice they're gone, now do we?"
Maria laughed nervously. "You're going to kill me and all the other humans
attached to 'the hatchlings' just so that no one notices they're gone after
you've killed them too? You really have lost your mind." Maria's lip quivered as
she spoke.
He pushed her harder against the wall. She thought her spine would break. "I
haven't lost anything. I'm just someone who knows what he wants." She could feel
his gaze drag up and down her body. "And I will get it."
"Take your damn hands off of me."
"I'm afraid I can't do that. What if you try to run away from me? I think it
would break my heart."
"Get the hell away from me!"
"What? You don't like this? I thought you loved me, baby." He leaned against her
and kissed her neck. She cringed beneath his touch.
"You are *not* Michael." Maria had to reassure herself of that.
"But you wanted a perfect lover and now you got me. I just wanted to make you
happy before I have to kill you." He brushed his hand up her side and rested
them on top of her breasts. "You know, I wouldn't normally waste my time on a
human," He lifted his head from her neck and looked her squarely in the eyes.
"But I think I could make an exception for you."
She spat in his face.
He sighed. "Oh, *Maria.* I'm only trying to give you what you want."
***
Michael woke up with a start. He lifted his head from the cool tile of the
kitchen floor and looked around.
[Oh, my head.] He thought. He rubbed his temples. [What the hell happened?]
He thought of the face he saw right before he passed out.
[Maria.]
He ran to her room. The door was locked and he heard voices inside.
[Oh no.]
He reached out towards the door. [Please work. Please, please, please.]
The hallway was bathed in light as the door slid from the hinges.
***
And there he was.
Michael saw himself pressed against Maria, pressing against the wall. Maria
called out to him when she saw him walk into the room. His other self leered at
him for a moment, and then smiled.
"I've been expecting you," The other one said. He turned to Maria. "We'll have
to finish this another time." He released Maria and sent her flying towards
Michael.
Michael caught her in his arms before she had the chance to hit the floor. "Are
you all right? Did he hurt you?"
Maria scrambled to her feet; her arms remained in a loop around Michael's waist.
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt."
"Get out of here," Michael commanded.
"I am not leaving you." Maria straightened her back and did her best to look
tough.
The other self stood against the wall with his arms folded. "Your concern for
one another is really very touching, but can we get on with this?"
Michael moved in front of Maria. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
The other self smiled. "Right now, I'm you. But that can get a little confusing,
can't it?" The other self engulfed himself in blinding white light. He reemerged
with Ed Harding's face. "There. That's better. A lot less confusing."
"I don't care who you look like. You stay away from us." Michael pushed Maria
farther behind him. Maria walked back to stand beside him.
"Sorry. I can't do that."
With that, Michael was thrown through the air like a rag doll. He landed hard
out in the hallway. Michael groaned and stood up again slowly. Maria's mouth
fell open. She charged at Nacedo and promptly found herself flying through the
air, landing near Michael.
"I thought you learned your lesson the first time you tried that," Nacedo said
condescendingly.
Michael snatched Maria's shoulder and pulled her to her feet. "Are you hurt?"
Maria blinked rapidly, then shook her head.
"Good. I told you to leave!" Michael said.
Maria found her voice. "And I said that I'm not going."
"How about I make this easier for you?" Nacedo interjected. Maria was ripped
from Michael's grasp and sent flying across the room again. This time, she
landed in a closet. The door slammed behind her, the lock clicked, and Maria
thumped against the back wall. Michael stood there, in shock, and listened to
Maria claw at the door.
"There. That's better. Now it's just you and me. I can take care of her later."
Michael found his voice. "If you lay one hand on her--"
"You'll what? There's nothing you can do and the other two hatchlings aren't
here to help you." Nacedo snarled.
"I trusted you. I thought you were our friend."
"You thought wrong."
Michael threw himself at him and ended up on the ground again. Before he had the
chance to get up, there was a flash of light that pinned him to the floor, and
knocked the wind out of him. Nacedo kneeled beside him, smiling.
"You know, I'm getting really tired of this. And you two talk too damn much. I
probably would have killed you even if you'd been a member of the true 'alien'
race; you annoy me so much. It's a shame you're all only a bunch of kids. Maybe
you'd have been more formidable enemies if you'd been older. I could have used a
workout. "
"Now who's talking too damn much?" Michael said in a pained voice.
Nacedo chuckled. "You're right. Anything you want to say to me before I kill
you?"
Michael spat in his face.
Nacedo smiled as the slimy glob of saliva slid down his face. "She did that too.
She really is a fighter, isn't she? Should be fun to find out how much fight she
has in her after I get through with her."
Michael could feel Nacedo's fingers coiling around his throat as he drifted in
and out of consciousness.
***
"Michael!" Maria's muffled scream came over the tinny sound of closet hangers
banging into one another. [Gotta get out of here.] She thought. She snatched one
of the hangers from the rack and tried picking the lock. All she ended up with
was a twisted hanger. [okayokayokay…] she thought. [Gotta try something else.]
She leaned against the door and tried to listen to what was going on outside.
She heard nothing.
Maria started hyperventilating. [Gottagetoutnow!] She thought. [Wait… I know…]
She counted slowly. "One… two… three…"
She threw herself against the door.
The lock broke and Maria tumbled out of the closet. She glanced around the room
and saw Nacedo hovering over Michael.
[He's turning blue. He's choking.]
"Michael!" Maria screamed as she ran towards them. She threw herself onto
Nacedo's back and wrenched his hands away from Michael's throat.
Nacedo jumped back in surprise. Maria was still latched to him and began
pummeling him with her tiny fists. "Stay away from him!" She screeched. She
reached around and her knuckles dug into his eye.
Nacedo, howling in pain, reached around and flung her off of him. "Stupid
bitch!" He cursed. He yanked her up by her hair and struck her across her cheek.
Michael laid on the floor, struggling to breathe and regain consciousness. His
eyes were blurry but he could see Maria attack Nacedo. He winced when he saw
Maria's lip split as Nacedo's fist slammed into her face. "Maria," Michael
croaked. "Don't…" Michael rose on wobbly legs. By the time he was standing,
Maria was already sailing through the air for the fourth time.
She sailed, headfirst, into the wall. She made a little gasping noise when she
landed.
Michael wheezed as he scurried to her and sank to the floor beside her. "Maria?"
He coughed. He placed a hand behind her head and lifted her a little. Something
warm and wet spread through her hair and dampened his fingers.
[She's bleeding. Oh no.]
She must have been able read his thoughts. " 's okay… 's just a little cut.
Doesn't hurt at all…" She slurred. Her eyelids lowered slowly. "Get outta here,
Michael… he'll hurt you… 's okay… I'll be fine…" She went limp in his arms.
Michael shook her gently. "Maria? Wake up baby."
She didn't move. Her breathing was soft and ragged, but not as bad as it was
when he found her in his apartment that night. The images of Maria's battered
body flooded his mind again. [It's just a cut… she'll be okay. It's not that
bad… She just passed out.] He could still hear the shape shifter cursing softly.
Michael laid Maria down gently and rose to his feet.
Nacedo was still nursing his eye across the room. "Ow… damn it." He waved a hand
over the bruises and they disappeared. He looked up and was nearly blinded by a
flash of light that threw him against a wall.
***
Michael's wrist snapped when his fist collided with the shape
shifter's jaw. The
skin between his knuckles tore as his fists ripped into the enemy's flesh. His
eyes burned with tears. His ears rang with the sounds of his own screams. He
repeated himself in his mind. [Maria... Our baby.... I'll kill him.] He slammed
into Nacedo again and again. He threw the liar against the wall. He threw the
murderer to the floor. He raised his good hand and prepared to finish it. To
make it up to Maria. To make it up to their baby.
He almost did it. But then the killer spoke.
***
"Go ahead." Blood and saliva seeped from his mouth as he spoke.
Michael was silent. Nacedo hadn't so much as fought back while he was hitting
him. Now he was trying to talk. He eyed Nacedo cautiously. Something made him
listen to the man lying on the floor.
"Go ahead," He repeated. "Kill me. You know you want to."
Michael's right arm hung awkwardly by his side. He bit his lip to keep from
passing out from the pain. He couldn't think about his arm right now. He had to
think about Nacedo. [Maria... Our baby.... I'll kill him.] Michael looked down
at him.
"Let's see…" Nacedo's cuts faded away as he spoke. "I killed your baby. I will
kill your lover if I get the chance. I promise you that. And I'll kill you, your
brother, your sister, and the stupid girl whom you thought was your sister, too.
Now don't you want to kill me first?" He asked condescendingly.
He hovered over the shapeshifter. Michael's legs felt strangely heavy, almost as
if he was rooted to the floor.
"How about I make it easy for you?" Nacedo asked. Light flashed as he assumed
another person's face. Michael looked down into his foster father's eyes.
"There. Now I'm Hank. I beat you for years. I never loved you, I just used you
for the check the state gave me. Don't you want to get back at Hank, Michael?
Don't you want to kill him?"
Michael could barely move.
"Well… that's okay. I already beat you to it. Oh!" Nacedo feigned surprise.
"Didn't know that did you? Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag. Not that you
care. You were always a worthless pile of shit to him. You're probably glad he's
dead."
Nacedo shrugged his shoulders and Michael's hands dropped to his side.
"Well… how about this one?" Nacedo assumed another face. Michael looked down
into Agent Pierce's eyes. "It can't be as hard to kill someone the second time
around, now can it?"
Michael was paralyzed.
"Go on, boy. Kill me. Again. I dare you."
Michael felt himself falling.
"Aren't you a man? Can't you protect your family? Your species?"
Michael felt his head hit the floor. Nacedo's words floated into his head.
"Can't do it, can you?"
Michael saw a flash of light. Ed Harding's face appeared above him. Ed Harding's
hands were instantly locked around his neck.
"I didn't think so."
The lack of oxygen lulled Michael in and out of consciousness. His breathing
slowed. He could feel his throat being crushed. His eyelids grew heavy and he
nearly let them close when he saw someone with wavy blonde hair standing in the
doorway.
***
"Nacedo! Don't!" Tess screamed. She stretched her hand out towards him.
He let go of Michael's collar and stood up to face her. "Tess, what are you
doing?"
"Get away from him," She said trembling.
Nacedo glanced at Michael, then at Tess. "Oh this is cute. You're protecting
them?"
"Why shouldn't I? They're my family now. Leave him alone" Her hand shook as it
hovered in the air.
Nacedo stepped towards her. "And if I don't?"
Tess swallowed hard. "I'll kill you."
"You have some nerve," he said between laughs. "Now go on, get out of here."
"No."
"Tess--" He started towards her again.
"No!" A flash of light exploded from her fingertips and Nacedo was knocked
backwards. He shook his head and advanced towards her again.
"Don't!" She screeched. There was another flash of light and Nacedo fell before
her. "Please, just leave. I don't want to hurt you."
Nacedo smirked. "You are trying my patience." He tried to stand but he found
that his legs were practically cemented to the floor. His mouth fell open and he
looked back up at Tess. "How'd you… What do you think you're doing?"
"Just leave them alone. Just leave us all alone. Please," Tess begged.
"Who do you think you are?" Nacedo struggled to move. "After all I have done for
you, this is how you repay me? I am doing this for you, for me, for our entire
race! Don't you think of anything beyond your hormones? Honestly, Tess, I
thought you were smarter than this."
A tear trickled down her cheek. "Remember what you told me to do if I ever got
close enough to Max to get him into bed?" She kneeled down and faced him. "You
said that I shouldn't hesitate. That I should wait until he was sleeping,
paralyze him, and stop his heart. You wanted me to kill him and I think I might
have. I would have done anything for you. I'll do anything for the people I
love."
Nacedo was motionless.
Tess leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Daddy."
She placed her hand on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat slowing beneath
her fingertips. She watched his eyelids droop. It only took a minute for his
heart to stop completely. It seemed to take him forever to sink to the floor. He
laid there for a moment, completely still, and all she could do was look at him.
Then she dissolved into tears and fell beside him.
***
Michael picked himself up off of the floor and cradled his arm carefully. He
approached Nacedo and Tess cautiously. "Tess? Is he…"
Tess picked herself up off of the floor, pulled Nacedo's head into her lap, and
started stroking his hair. "He didn't think I could do it," She whispered.
"Tess--"
"I didn't think I could do it either. But I promised I'd make it up to you. I
promised I would." One of her tears dripped from her chin to Nacedo's cheek. She
brushed it away with her hand.
"But, Tess, you didn't have to… not like this."
Tess shook her head. "He would have killed you, Michael. You and Max and Isabel.
I couldn't let him kill you. I had to… for you."
"For me? Tess… I don't understand."
"You three are my best friends," She said softly, still stroking Nacedo's hair.
"You always have been even if you never knew it." She patted Nacedo and never
took her eyes off of him. "And I betrayed all three of you. I hurt you all so
badly. Especially you, Michael. Nacedo told me what to do and I did it, no
questions asked. I acted like I didn't even care about you," She said quietly.
Michael was completely silent.
Tess looked up at him and read the confusion on his face. "Isn't it obvious? I
did this for you, Michael. I wanted to protect you. I am in love with you,
Michael."
She turned back to Nacedo and stroked his hair again.
Michael struggled to find words. "Tess… you're my sister."
Tess winced. "No. I'm not. And I'm so sorry I deceived you into thinking like
that." She laid Nacedo's head down gently and looked up at Michael. "I'm sorry.
I should have been honest from the beginning. I tried to stop loving you but I
couldn't. Do you know what that's like?"
He turned when he heard a quiet noise behind him. The girl lying on the floor
groaned and moved a little.
"Tess… I… Maria's hurt. I gotta help her." He rushed to Maria's side.
Tess watched as Michael cradled Maria with his good arm and waited for her to
wake up. Tess looked away when Maria opened her eyes.
"Yeah," She whispered, "I guess you do know what that's like."
***
Two days later…
"Your daddy didn't like the name Alyssa," Maria said to the sky. She sat on one
of the boulders that were several minutes walking distance from the caves. "I
don't see why not. It's a perfectly good name. As if Maddie is any better." She
smiled to herself. "I don't think we ever would have agreed on any one name for
you. I always liked this one name but your daddy would probably have thought
that was stupid too. Oh well," She sighed. "But you know we've got to call you
something. We can't just act like you never existed…" Maria's voice trailed off.
"I am so sorry, baby. I'd do anything if it would bring you back to us. But… I
know that won't happen. The way you left us… it wasn't fair. You didn't get to
live for long and we didn't have you for long at all. But we loved you. And
we'll always love you. I know you're in a better place now. Much better than
rinky-dink Roswell." Maria laughed. "You've got all the space to play and all
the peanut butter and pickle sandwiches you can eat. You'd have liked them. I
know it. All your daddy ever eats is Cheetohs and chocolate cake with Tabasco
sauce. Of course, you'd probably have liked that too. You'd have been the best
of both of us."
Maria hopped off of the boulder. "I'd better go, baby. Your daddy's probably
worried. But I'll be back tomorrow to see you. We both will. I promise."
Maria kissed her fingertips and touched them to the stone. "Goodbye, baby."
She hummed a lullaby as she walked back to the caves.
***
Michael kneeled at the mouth of the cave. He mouthed a silent prayer and laid a
small yellow rose on the ground in front of him.
"I love you, baby." He whispered as he patted the blossom.
He heard footsteps coming up behind him after he'd been alone for a while. He
already knew who it was.
"Hello, Tess," He said without looking up.
"Hello, Michael," She replied. She walked over to him and looked over his
shoulder. "Is that…"
"No. Maria was only three months along. The baby wasn't…" Michael searched for
appropriate words. "Max and Isabel took care of the baby. But we wanted to have
a place for her anyway. Even if she's not buried there." He looked around the
cave. "This is her place now."
Tess nodded and knelt beside him. "Did you two ever get the chance to pick out a
name for her?"
"Not really. We just kinda joked around about it. I was thinking about one name
but I'm sure Maria would have hated it. I like the name Madeline too; Maddie for
short. Maria said that's too many M's. She suggested Alyssa Elizabeth. That's
too many S's," He laughed and patted the rose again. "She probably would have
ended up with five or six middle names, just to make everyone happy. Little
Alexandra Elisabeth Anne Michaela Marie Isabel Maxine DeLuca-Guerin."
Tess looked at him quizzically. "Anne? That's my middle name. On official
papers, at least."
Michael looked up at her. "I know."
Tess blushed and looked away. "Where's Maria?"
He stood and walked to the mouth of the cave. "She went for a walk a while ago.
She said she needed to clear her head or something. She wanted to go alone and
there was no use fighting her. Besides… I wanted to be here by myself for a
while too." He looked back at the flower.
He turned his back to Tess. She stood and walked over to him.
"I'm going," Her voice shook as she spoke. "I'm leaving Roswell today. I've
already said goodbye to the others. So I'm on my way out. There's nothing here
for me anymore." She glanced at Michael and glanced away.
He didn't speak, so she started again.
"You and Max and Isabel are the only real friends I've ever had. But I need to
go. I've been told what to do and who to be my whole life. With fath-- Nacedo
gone, I think it's time that I try and figure out who I really am. I can't do
that here." She stole another glance at Michael. "There are too many memories of
the past. And everything's already settled. I've got the house up for sale; my
things are all packed up in my car and… I've settled everything with Nacedo.
Agent Pierce died accidentally and Ed Harding is missing, presumed dead." She
sighed deeply. "So that's it. I just came here to tell you goodbye."
"Where are you going to go?" Michael finally asked.
"We were in Georgia for a while when I was younger. I really liked it there."
She looked at him and looked away. "I guess I should leave." She waited for his
response.
"I could have killed you a week ago, you know." Michael said, expressionless. "I
thought you were my sister but you really aren't. You said that we were your
best friends but you lied to all of us for so long. And you told him where Maria
was. I held you responsible for killing my child."
Tess's breath caught in her throat.
"But you gave Maria back to me. Twice. And you saved my life. I can't ever
forgive you for the way you treated me, Max, Isabel, and especially Maria. But
you saved her life and mine. You went against your father, or whatever the hell
he is, for us. I'll always be grateful for that." He swallowed hard. "You'll
always have friends here, Tess." He pulled her into an awkward hug and then
pulled away quickly. "I should hate you but I don't. You're part of our family
now. I don't think you should go."
Her heart leapt but she tried to calm down a little. "So what are you saying?"
She avoided looking into his eyes. "Do you love me, Michael?"
He thought of Maria. "No, Tess. Not the way you want me to."
"Then I can't stay," She said simply. A tear slid down her cheek. "I can't love
you as a brother. You can't love me…" Her voice trailed off. She looked up at
him. "Can we try to be friends? Maybe you can try to trust me again. And I'll
try… I'll try too."
He nodded.
"Okay then. Goodbye, Michael." She backed away from him quickly.
"Tess?"
"Yeah, Michael?"
"Thank you."
She ducked her head as another tear escaped her eye. " Anytime."
***
Maria saw her running down from the caves. Maria called out as she came closer.
"Tess?" She yelled.
The other girl stopped. She dug the last few tears out of her eyes before she
turned around. "Yes, Maria?"
Maria approached her slowly. "You look like you're in a hurry. You all right?"
"Um… actually, I was on my way out. I'm leaving Roswell today."
Maria's face was unreadable. "Oh… I'm sorry to hear that. I know a lot has
happened… but why would you leave now?"
Tess glanced away. "I just need to go. I have a lot of things to think about.
And I guess I have a chance to start over now. I gotta take that chance."
Maria's face dropped a little. "Wait… I've said some nasty things about you. I'm
sorry about that. I'm not excusing the way you acted and there's still something
about you that something in me just doesn't like… but… Tess, you saved my life.
And Michael's. And now all I have to say to you is… thank you."
"Seriously, Maria, you don't have to thank me. I should be thanking you."
Maria looked at her strangely. "For what?"
"For making him happy." Tess nearly whispered.
Maria wrinkled her brows. "There's some kind of weirdness going on between all
you… Czechoslovakians… that I'll just never understand, isn't there?"
Tess smiled a little. "Take care of him. Make him happy again." She looked back
towards Michael's direction.
"I intend to."
Tess nodded. "Bye, Maria."
"Bye, Tess."
***
Michael stood at the mouth of the cave and waited for Maria. She walked up to
him and smiled sadly when she noticed the little yellow rose by his feet.
"How was your walk?" He asked.
"It was nice. It's too hot out there, though. I thought I was about to fall out.
But it was nice. I got a lot of thinking done. We should come out here again
sometime. Maybe tomorrow."
Michael looked back at the flower. "Why tomorrow?"
"Because I promised her."
Michael kneeled down and brushed a few flecks of dirt from the blossom. "We
should come back tomorrow then."
Maria stood beside him. "We didn't pick a name for her. We probably should…"
"We didn't really have that long to think of one…" Michael said sadly. "And we
never could agree on just one."
"I thought of one that fits." They said at the same time.
Maria smiled. "I thought that you were a die-hard Maddie fan."
Michael echoed her smile. "We can always save that for our second daughter."
"Second daughter?" Maria asked, blushing. "Shouldn't I have some say in that?"
"No. I've nearly lost you more times than I can count, Maria. I'm not going to
risk losing you again."
She couldn't hide her smile. "Well… don't you want to hear my idea?"
"Why? The only one that fits is Angel."
Maria blinked rapidly, then spoke. "Michael, that's the name I was thinking of."
He looked back up at her. "What else could she be? Her mother's already an
angel."
He stood and she drew him into her arms. He kissed her forehead gently. They
held on to each other as if they would never let go. They stood in the cave with
their arms around one another, the yellow rose resting by their feet.
***
EPILOGUE
May (years later)…
He woke up in her arms. It was just after dawn. The morning light flooded the
room and made it too bright for him to sleep. She was the first thing he saw
when he opened his eyes.
He watched her sleep. She was an angel while she slept. She smelled like Cyprus
oil and Wacky Wild Strawberry lip-gloss. Her body laid against his. Her legs
entwined with his. Her hair fell against his chest. He could feel her breathing
against his skin. The little gold band she wore on her finger grazed against his
hand.
She mumbled something and turned over in her sleep. She'd kicked the covers off
of her again and the T-shirt she slept in was twisted up over her belly. He
propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her.
Her round belly was bigger than ever. Her skin was taught and he could see the
some of the thin blue veins that ran beneath it. She'd been complaining about
stretch marks for months now, but there were none. He'd fixed all of them before
she ever had a chance to see them. Her belly button poked out and she swore that
she could not wear anything but cotton because everything else made her itch.
She slept on her side now. She said that she was getting too big and if she
slept on her back, she'd feel like she was being crushed. Her breasts were
swollen and she worried about getting saggy. Her ankles swelled and it caused
her to waddle when she walked. Lately, she was always in the bathroom, in the
bed, yelling, laughing, crying, or emotionless. And he's had to go to Taco Bell
for a Chalupa and a Taco Supreme and go to the mini-mart for M&M's and a V-8
Splash to make her midnight snack four times in the past two weeks.
She was beautiful.
They'd waited for so long. Now his angel, his pixie girl was having his child.
He'd never thought he could be this happy.
He ran his hand over her belly and felt his daughter kick. Her mother rolled
over sleepily and smiled.
"Did you feel that, Michael?" She yawned.
He repositioned himself and looped his arms around her. "Yeah. I felt her,
Maria." he whispered into her hair.
She mumbled something else and fell asleep. He laid there with her in the
morning light. He felt his wife's breathing against his skin. He felt his
daughter's kicks beneath his fingertips.
The smell of waxy strawberries lulled him back to sleep.