Disclaimer: Characters and plot lines that appeared in the series, the books, and the concept of Roswell are not mine. Belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, etc, etc…

Part 1

"Two key witnesses are already dead, Ms. DeLuca. That means the outcome of the trial will hinge on your testimony." District Attorney Will Grayson stood behind his desk and did his best to rein his temper in as he reached for a bottle of antacids and shook out a couple of the chalky pills.

Difficult cases he could handle but why did he always end up with the most difficult witnesses too? "You're a very public figure and this case has gotten a lot of attention by the media; your refusal to go into protective custody until the trial is over makes you an easy target. There's already been one attempt on your life and it was only by sheer luck that you weren't killed too."

"Yes, how lucky for me that my mother died in my place." Disdain dripped from the words even though her tired voice held no heat. "Your detectives did a wonderful job keeping her alive." She turned away from the large window that looked down over the city. "How do you explain the deaths of two witnesses and my mother, Mr. Grayson? They were all being protected by your detectives at the time of their deaths."

"Protected, yes," he snapped, "but there is only so much we can do when people won't agree to protective custody."

"Why should law-abiding citizens be expected to be detained in protective custody while the criminals you want them to testify against are free to come and go as they please?" Maria asked, a ferocious look on her face.

"I know the system isn't perfect - "

Maria DeLuca's arms flew through the air wildly as she screamed in anger. "This goes beyond an imperfect system and you know it!"

Will looked at the other man in the office and fervently wished he would say something helpful. Justin Turner was his cousin and the editor of the newspaper where his star witness was employed.

"I'm going home," she said suddenly.

"Could you have been less helpful if you had tried?" he grumbled after she stormed out of the room. "Five weeks is an eternity in a situation like this; does she honestly think she has a better chance of staying alive without protection?"

"Can you guarantee her safety with protection?" Justin asked as he rose to his full height. At six-foot-three with blond hair, blue eyes, and chiseled features he resembled a Norse god. Add to that the deep, raspy voice and it was no wonder that everywhere he went women were constantly throwing themselves at him.

"There are no guarantees in life, Justin."

Justin remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "You're sure you can get her on the stand five weeks from now?"

"Barring any further complications, yes."

The editor nodded. "I'll get her outta the city and keep her off the radar until then."

Will snorted. "How do you intend to do that exactly?"

"Investigative journalism," he said with a grin. "What else?"

"Justin?"

He stopped with one hand on the door and turned to look at his cousin.

"Don't tell anyone where she's gonna be." He shook his head. "Don't trust anyone with that information. It would also be wise to make sure she has plenty of cash; you don't want her using credit cards."

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"Justin, I am not going into seclusion just because no one in the justice system seems to be capable of doing their damn jobs…"

He ignored her ranting as he closed her apartment door behind him, pushing half a dozen locks into the locking position before he turned to look at her. "I didn't ask you to go into seclusion; believe me, if I thought you'd consider it I would've brought it up. But I already know you're too goddamned stubborn to listen to anybody when you're this pissed off."

Maria stalked through the rooms, angrily slapping the wall switches and turning the lights on as she passed them. She was doing her best to ignore Justin because she knew he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted to do anyway; whether she agreed with him or not was irrelevant.

"You wanna stand here an' argue about this all night then that's what we'll do, but I'm not backin' down on this one." He stood in the center of the living room and scowled at the large picture window that was uncovered, revealing the interior of the apartment to anyone who was interested enough to look. Crossing the room he jerked the curtains closed and turned to face her, arms crossed over his broad chest as he stood there and prevented her from pulling the curtains back once more.

"Open them back up."

"Are you tryin' to get yourself killed?" he snapped, grabbing her arm when she attempted to push past him. "Leave 'em closed."

"I'm not afraid of Marcos or his hired guns."

"Maybe you should be, because, damn it, Maria, if you keep actin' like this you're gonna get yourself killed. And maybe you don't care right now, but I do." The hand gripping her arm relaxed slightly and his deep voice gentled. "I know losin' your mom like that was rough, especially after losin' your dad last year when his heart failed, but that's no excuse for just takin' stupid risks like you've been doin' lately."

"I'm not running from that bastard," she stated adamantly. "I will not hide from him. If he comes after me - "

"Why do you say it like it's somethin' that might happen? He will come after you and when he does you're not gonna have any protection because you keep refusin' it."

"Protection," she scoffed. "The protection they can give me here is laughable, and you know it. I tried to tell the D.A. that this goes up higher than just a few cops on the force; we're talking major corruption and it goes all the way up the chain."

Justin sighed and shook his head slowly. "I understand your reluctance to put yourself in their hands, which is why I suggested a new assignment."

"A new assignment?" She shook her head. "No, Justin, you suggested sending me to the middle of nowhere to cover something completely absurd… something I would never in my life cover, and in a place I told you I would never step foot in - "

"Exactly."

"No." Maria shook her head and pulled her arm out of his grasp as she backed away from him and started to pace restlessly. "No, I told you why I would never go back there."

"Maria, nobody knows about it, and that makes it the perfect place to hide, darlin'."

"Hide." She spit the word out as if it had a bad taste. "Why should I be the one who has to go into hiding? I didn't do anything wrong."

"Y'know, as much as I love that stubborn streak, I don't wanna see it get you killed." He paused for a minute before trying a different approach. "Don't think of it as hidin', think of it as research."

"Research for an article I have no intention of writing."

"Not for an article; write that book you've been talkin' about."

"Write a book about a place that I hate and things I don't believe in." She snorted derisively and finally stilled, watching him as he shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over the back of the couch. "I suppose you intend to stay the night."

"For an investigative journalist you're very observant," he mocked.

"Which would be why you keep me on the payroll." She made a waving motion towards one end of the hall as she walked past him. "You know where the guestroom is."

"What, no perks for puttin' myself between you and dangerous men with guns?"

"I'm not throwing you out, am I?" she shot back over her shoulder.

"Just keep the curtains closed and stay away from the windows," he called when she left the room. "Please." Justin dropped down into one of the chairs and slumped sideways, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. The woman was stubborn, hardheaded, and didn't back down for anything… and if she were anyone else he would've washed his hands of her long ago.

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Maria was growing impatient with Justin's overprotective behavior; normally she tolerated it with good humor, but she was reaching the end of her rope. She felt like she had lost control of her life and because he was the one trying to keep her safe she directed all of her anger at him when she spoke.

"I can handle myself!" she yelled, causing more than a few eyebrows outside of the office to lift in curiosity. "I don't need a goddamned handler!"

"No, you need…" He trailed off and the expression in his eyes became speculative as he glanced out through the glass walls of his office. "Whitman."

Maria sat up so she could turn around, shaking her head when her gaze settled on her friend. Alex Whitman was tall, lanky, had dark, shaggy hair, wore wire-rimmed glasses over his gray eyes, and had a perpetual five o'clock shadow. He was a photojournalist for The Daily Oracle and her best friend, and that was exactly why he couldn't accompany her on this farce of a trip. "No." She rolled her eyes when Justin picked up his desk phone and asked his secretary to page the man to his office. "I realize you're not a big fan of the word no, but, no. I will not knowingly put someone else's life in danger."

Justin sighed as he rested one hip on the corner of his desk. "You didn't knowingly put your mother's life in danger, Maria."

Maria shook her head. "Don't sugarcoat it for me, Justin; we both know what happened." There was no way that she was going to put another person she loved through this. She wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to Alex too. "I said no, Justin."

"Like you said, darlin', I'm not a big fan of the word no." He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her thoughtfully. "Whitman has a dangerous job and he knows how to take care of himself."

"And even with all of his field experience, he will be no match for Marcos if he comes after me." Maria was growling like an angry animal. Why couldn't Justin just respect her wishes?

"I'm not gonna order him to go, Maria."

"It doesn't matter." She slumped down in her chair and drummed her fingers on her knee, acknowledging that he was going to do what he wanted to do regardless of her feelings on the subject. "The minute you tell him what's going on…" She just shook her head when she heard the knock on the door and Justin moved to open it.

"Maria!" Alex greeted, dropping down in the chair beside her with a grin the size of Texas. He tipped his head to one side, studying her when she forced a small, tense smile before turning her attention back to her hands. "Okay, what's up? You look like a kid waitin' in the principal's office for your parents to come and get you. Should I expect to see your mom anytime soon?"

Maria swallowed hard. "No."

Justin suddenly realized that her best friend was unaware of the recent events. "You haven't told him?"

Alex shifted to the edge of his seat, turning so he could look at her more fully. "Maria?" He glanced at their boss, frowning at the man's concerned expression and his friend's refusal to make eye contact. "What's goin' on?"

"Are you aware of the story that Maria's been workin' on?" Justin asked, drawing the other man's gaze.

"You mean the one about corruption in the 14th Precinct?" Alex nodded. "Sure, I know about it; did you finally get enough proof to run the story?"

"She got enough proof, but the story's been shelved for the present time; the situation became complicated when she witnessed a hit by one of Marcos Salazar's people." He nodded when Alex's shocked gaze swung from him to Maria and back again.

"Y'know what?" Maria snarled as she jumped to her feet and pulled the door open. "You can have this conversation without me."

"Maria - "

"I'll be in my office, Justin."

Alex settled back in his seat when the door slammed after her, worried by her unexpected public display of temper. It was rare that she allowed her negative emotions to step out like that, and on those occasions when it happened it was usually due to something that was causing her to stress out. "She refused police protection because she doesn't trust them," he guessed.

"Yeah, and I certainly don't blame her there," Justin said, dropping down in the leather chair behind his desk. "Problem is she's refusing any kind of protective custody from any agency. When if first started she allowed Will to assign a couple of detectives that he trusts completely to shadow her, but it didn't stop Salazar's men; there were two other witnesses and they've both been killed in accidents. An attempt has already been made on Maria's life, but she will not back down on takin' the protection."

"What's Amy say about that?"

Justin shook his head. "Amy agreed with Maria's decision."

"Even with the attempt made on her life?" Alex asked, his tone incredulous.

"The attempt made to remove Maria as a threat to Salazar's organization failed, but they were successful in takin' the one thing that meant more to her than her own life."

Alex understood what the man was saying without actually hearing the words and he was shocked to say the least. "When did it happen?"

"Two weeks ago. She blames herself because they went out in public against Will's advice, but you know the DeLuca women don't let anyone tell them what to do." He shook his head. "She couldn't attend the funeral because it was too public and I know that just about killed her, but I haven't been able to get her to talk to me. I had no idea that she hadn't talked to you; I just assumed she called you as soon as it happened." He slammed his fist down on the desk, annoyed that she had managed to slide that past him. "Hell, if I'd known that I would've recalled you."

"Okay, well, knowin' Maria, I'm guessin' this has only made her more determined to testify, so when's the big day?"

"Five weeks from now. Since she won't accept protection of any kind I'm sendin' her out of state - "

"I'll go with her," Alex interrupted. "I've got more than enough vacation time saved up to take that much time off, and more if I need it."

"I figured you'd say that, but I don't expect you to call this a vacation. You'll both remain on the payroll for the duration, so don't worry about that. You won't be able to use anything that could leave a trail, so no credit cards, checks, no personal cell phones, no emails or instant messaging, and absolutely no communication between you guys and this office or anyone affiliated with your personal lives."

"No problem; I'll pull cash from my savings."

"Huh-uh. We have no way of knowin' who they're watchin', and as her friend, you could potentially be on that list. I would just tell you to expense it all on the company credit card, but that could be traced just as easily, so it's gotta be cash. Since it's not unusual for me to deal in large amounts of cash I've already taken care of getting what you'll need to cover expenses."

"Sounds like you've put some thought into this," Alex observed. "I suppose you've already got a destination in mind?"

"Roswell, New Mexico."

Alex scratched his shadowed jaw as he shook his head. "She's never gonna go for that."

"It's the perfect location; no one's gonna think anything of a couple of reporters in town to get the scoop on the truth behind the alien mythology. As far as her not goin' for this idea… well, we've been arguin' about that all damn day."

The photojournalist chuckled at the frustration audible in the big man's voice and he sat up straighter. "Need some backup?"

"Can you convince her?"

He nodded. "I can handle Maria."

"Are you able to leave from here? I know you've been outta the country…" He nodded and left his comment unfinished when the other man waved one hand dismissively.

"All of my gear's in my office along with my luggage; I came straight here from the airport."

"Her gear and luggage is in her office, too." He rubbed his hands over his face tiredly. "She's not happy about it and she's pissed at me for pushin' this."

Alex knew that without hearing it; Maria could be one of the easiest people to get along with, but if you pissed her off… look out! "No problem. How're we getting out there?"

"A commercial flight's too risky and even a private flight will have to file a flight plan, so I thought the train might be the best way to handle travel arrangements; it'll take about 48 hours for the trip, but you should be able to remain anonymous. I've got someone who looks similar to Maria who's gonna hang out at her apartment until you guys are safely outta the city." Justin stood and crossed the room to stand in front of the safe built into the wall; he punched in a seven-digit code and turned the handle to open it. He reached inside and lifted out the small metal case lying on the bottom, carrying it over to his desk and placing it on the polished surface. He sat down once more and remained silent for several minutes before he gently pushed it so that it was resting at the edge in front of the photojournalist.

Alex leaned forward and picked the box up, studying the combination lock before glancing up at his employer. He dialed the three digits at the man's prompting and he raised the lid, eyebrows lifting at the contents. There was more than enough money to cover a lengthy stay out of town, but it was the gun lying on top of the neatly-bound stacks of bills that caught his attention.

He had been required to take a survival and weapons-handling course before Justin had allowed him to take his first assignment covering the more dangerous stories, so he wasn't unfamiliar with guns or how to use them. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

Justin watched him, knowing that even though he could handle the weapon he was a pacifist at heart. "You okay with this?"

Alex shrugged. "No, but I'll do everything I can to protect her." He closed the lid and shifted the numbers so that it locked once more. "Hopefully I won't ever need it." He stood up and stretched, exhausted from the earlier flight. "I'd better go talk to her, let her know what's goin' on."