One
Max Evans walked into his children's bedroom and smiled at the sight of them sound asleep. Five-year-old Caleb was wrapped up in his blue blanket while three year old Sarah slept with her teddy bear. He quietly shut the door and headed to his own room.
Liz was sitting up in bed, reading a book. Her belly was round with child; their third child was due in six months. She set her book aside and motioned for him to join her in bed.
"Are they asleep?" she asked.
He nodded as he got in bed. "How did we get so lucky with such well- behaved children?"
Liz shrugged. "It was destiny."
Max looked at her strangely.
"What?" she said.
"It's just that word," he said. "It just makes me remember."
Liz hesitated. "Tess?"
"Everything we went through in Roswell."
"What else do you remember?" Liz placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Or would you rather forget?"
Max leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "I have a long day tomorrow. Lets go to sleep." He reached for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it off.
Michael Guerin knew Santa Fe was the right place to relocate after leaving Roswell. He had opened up a bar with a few friends when he had moved to the city, but after a few years, his friends moved on, allowing Michael to have complete control over the place. Space was now one of the hottest spots in New Mexico. Celebrities, tourists, everyone made it a priority to visit Space.
It was a busy Thursday night. Michael was doing his usual rounds of greeting the people: a handshake there, a smile there, a quick peck on the cheek; that's all it took to keep the business coming. He made his way through the dance floor when Alan, one of his security men, approached him.
"Mr. Guerin, your wife is here to see you," he said.
"Damn." Michael shook his head and walked to his office.
Beth was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. She turned to face her husband with a smile. "Hi, honey."
"What are you doing here?" He took a seat behind his desk. "Run out of vodka at home?"
Beth kept the smile on her face. "What? I can't come see my husband at work?"
"You only come see me here for two reasons," Michael said. "Money and…on second thought, you only come here for one reason."
"That's not true." She got up and walked around the desk. "I was feeling lonely tonight, sweetie." She straddled him in his chair. "I missed you."
"You should have just called the pool boy," he said.
Beth nibbled on his ear. "But, I want you, Michael."
Her warm breath on his skin was driving him crazy. He grabbed her suddenly and threw her down on top of his desk.
"I like it when you're rough," Beth said between kisses.
Michael didn't reply.
Friday morning in Santa Fe was usually slow for Isabel Evans-Ramirez. Her gift shop didn't open until noon when the babysitter could come over. She placed her two-year-old son, Alex, in the playpen as she went to make breakfast. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she opened the refrigerator door. She took out the milk and juice along with the eggs and bagels, and then stopped. She didn't need all this food. She was doing it again: making breakfast for three.
Jesse had moved out three weeks ago. They had both agreed that they needed time apart, but they both knew that divorce papers were on their way. He was now living in an apartment downtown near his law firm.
Just then, the phone rang. It was Jesse.
"How's Alex?" he asked.
She glanced at her son, who was quietly playing with his stuffed animals. "He's fine. I think he knows you're missing."
"How?"
"He seems sad."
"I can come over today after work," he said. "Is that okay with you?"
"Of course. You don't need my permission to come over and visit your own son," Isabel said.
"I'll be over at six."
"I can make dinner."
"That'll be nice."
Isabel smiled. "See you then."
Kyle Valenti walked into The Crashdown restaurant and took a seat in a booth. A teenage girl approached him with an order pad.
"The usual, Mr. Valenti?" she said.
"Yes, Katie."
"Coming right up." The girl headed for the kitchen.
Maria came out of the back room and smiled at the sight of her husband. She kissed Kyle and took a seat across from him. "I thought you couldn't make it for breakfast today."
"I dropped the twins off at Amy's," he said.
"So, you could come surprise me at work?" She leaned over to kiss him again. "How sweet."
"You know you should really change the dress code here," Kyle said.
"What?" Maria said. "Those alien aprons and antennas?"
Kyle nodded.
"Those are signature uniforms, Kyle Valenti," she said. "It's something I promised Mr. Parker I would keep enforced when I bought The Crashdown from him."
Katie came back with Kyle's order. "One Black Hole just for you." She set the cup of coffee in front of him. "Enjoy."
"Before you go, Katie, can I ask you a question?" Kyle said.
"Sure."
"Do you enjoy wearing your uniform?" he said.
Maria kicked him under the table. "Don't mind, Mr. Valenti, he hasn't had his coffee yet. Go ahead, honey, drink it."
"I'm fine, thanks," he said. "So, do you, Katie?"
Katie looked at Maria, as if contemplating if there was a right answer. "Well, I do enjoy the antennas."
Maria smiled smugly at Kyle.
"Thank you, Katie," he said.
"No problem," she said as she went to tend to other tables.
"Let me run my business, darling," Maria said. "I don't tell you how to run the body shop, do I?"
"That reminds me, I have to get going," he said taking the coffee with him. "See you at lunch." He kissed his wife on the cheek before leaving.
Before he reached the body shop, Kyle stopped by his father's home. Jim Valenti was reading the newspaper in the living room as he walked in.
"Kyle," Jim said with a smile. "On your way to work?"
He nodded. "I bought you some coffee." He handed the cup to him.
"Thank you." Jim took a sip and pointed to the newspaper. "Looks like Michael made the front page again."
Kyle picked it up and saw that there was an article on a fight that had erupted at Space.
"All of this publicity is only helping him," he said.
"Have you heard from anyone lately?" Jim asked. "Max? Isabel?"
Kyle shook his head. "I talked to Isabel last month, but Max and Liz, and Michael, it's been ages."
"Well, I guess it's true then," Jim said. "Once you get to leave Roswell, you never want to come back."
Two
Jeremy Gilbert finished smoking his cigarette and opened up his spiral bound notebook.
Last night I had a dream. I dreamt about my real parents. I dreamt that they had found me and that they wanted me to be their son again. They wanted to be a family again. When I woke up, I was tingling all over and I swear I was glowing a weird green color. Not unless I was still dreaming.
"Hey."
He looked up to see his best friend, Lindsey Elliott, standing before him. He stopped writing and closed his notebook.
"What's up?" she said as she came closer.
"Don't you have Bio right now?" he said.
'Don't you have English right now?" she said.
Jeremy moved to make room for her under the bleachers. She sat down and saw all the cigarette butts on the ground. "Hand them over."
"What?"
She sighed.
Jeremy handed her his cigarette pack. "You're cruel."
"You'll thank me later when you're not coughing up a lung," Lindsey said.
"I had another dream," he said.
"About your real parents?"
Jeremy nodded. "It was like they were really here with me."
"Do you think they're in Pennsylvania?"
He shook his head. "I was adopted in New Mexico."
"Maybe they're still there."
"You think so?" A glimmer of hope spread through his body. "Maybe I can talk to my parents and see if they know anything about my adoption."
"What do you want to find out, Jeremy?"
"The truth."
After school, Jeremy ran home as fast as he could so he could start on his investigation. Christina Gilbert was folding laundry in the living room with the television set on. She was listening intently to the talk show.
"Hi, Mom," he said.
"Hey, sweetie. How was school?"
"Just another typical day of your average sixteen year old boy." He sat down next to his mother. "Can we talk about something, Mom?"
"Like what?"
"Roswell, New Mexico."
Christina turned her eyes away from the talk show and looked at her son. "What about it?"
"I want to know about my adoption, and my parents, I mean, my biological parents."
"Jeremy, do we have to do this now?"
"I have a right to know," he said.
"Yes, you do, but I think it'll be better if your father was here also."
"You're trying to stall, Mom. Just tell me something, anything, please?"
Christina looked into Jeremy's desperate blue eyes. "It was your father that gave you away. He was only eighteen, about to graduate from high school. I never met him, but I met his parents, your grandparents, when we were going through the adoption procedure. They were very nice and caring people."
"And my mother?"
"They didn't mention her, only that she was also young like your father."
"That's it?"
Christina sighed. "Honey, you're sixteen years old, you're healthy, you have a wonderful home here with your father and I. What are you searching for?"
Jeremy remembered his dreams. "Hope."
Three
Michael entered Isabel's Treasures and started to examine the glass statues that were on display in front of the store. He picked one up of a ballerina.
"You break it, you buy it," Isabel said coming up behind him.
He set it back on the table. "Is that how you treat all your customers?"
"Just you," she said smiling. "So, what are you doing in my part of the neighborhood?"
"You mean away from the drug dealers and hookers?" he said.
"Michael."
He shrugged. "I was thinking how we live in the same city, but we hardly see one another."
"I have Jesse and a baby, you have Beth and the club," Isabel said.
"How are they?"
"Alex is great. Jesse though, he moved out three weeks ago."
Michael's eyes filled with concern. "Why? What happened, Isabel?"
"It was getting harder and harder to live together, to stay together, even for Alex's sake," she said. "Then one day we decided we needed to take a break."
"How long of a break?"
"I think he's bringing the divorce papers over tonight."
Michael took her into his arms. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she said.
"Have you told Max?" Michael asked.
"No, not yet, but I will." Isabel pulled away from him. "By the way, have you heard from anyone lately?"
"If I can't keep in touch with you, how do you expect me to keep in touch with the others?" he said.
"True," she said. "I just wonder that's all."
"About what?"
"About how everyone else is doing in their lives."
"Max?"
Max looked up from his computer. Henry, another sales agent, was standing in the doorway. "Yes, Henry?"
"Mr. Simmons wants to know when your progress report will be ready," he said.
Max looked through a folder. "Tell him tonight."
"Alright, I'll tell him," Henry said leaving.
The truth was that he hadn't even started on his report yet. He had spent the entire day staring at his computer screen and pretending to do work. His mind was a million miles away.
The California sun was shining brightly outside as Max stared out the window. He had another dream last night. It was fuzzy with images of Tess, his son Zan, his life in Roswell. It had been nearly ten years since he and Liz had left Roswell, why did he have those images in his head?
Just then his phone rang.
"Hi, Daddy," Caleb said.
"Hey, Caleb!"
"You work?"
"Yup, I'm at work. What are you doing?"
"Draw in."
"Drawing?"
"Uh-huh."
"Give me the phone, Caleb," Liz said in the background.
"Bye-bye, Daddy."
"Bye, Caleb."
There was a shuffle as Liz took the phone from Caleb. "Max?"
"Yeah?"
"Cal wanted to talk you so sorry if I disturbed you," she said.
"It's okay. I'm not actually in the working mood today."
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay, but…" He paused, unsure on his how to explain to Liz his worries.
"But, what?"
"It's just this feeling that I have." He sighed. "It's nothing. I'm going to be late tonight for dinner."
"Call me if you need anything, okay?" Liz said.
"Okay. Love you." He hung up the phone just as a sharp pain hit his head. He clutched his temples and collapsed to the floor.
Jeremy had fallen asleep after talking to his mother. Once again, his dreams were filled with blurry images of his real mother and father. His memories were all scattered as if he had lived two lives and his mind was trying to figure out which one was real and which one was fake.
Suddenly, an image became clear. It was his father. He had dark hair and eyes. He was reaching out for him. Jeremy reached out for him also and as soon as they made contact, his eyes flew open.
He was in his bed, in Pennsylvania, far and away from Roswell, New Mexico.
"Oh, my god, Max!" Liz rushed over to his side in the hospital room. "What happened? The doctors said you had a server migraine."
"Where are the kids?" he asked.
"In the lobby with Serena," she said. "Tell me, Max. What happened?"
"He's trying to contact me again," Max said.
"Who?"
"My son."
"Caleb?"
"Zan."
Four
Jim had retired from Roswell Investigations five years ago, but every once and awhile he would stop by the place. Detective Marshall Higgins was a man in his late thirties whom Jim had passed on the torch of "man in charge" when he had retired.
"Jim, checking up on us, huh?" he said as he extended his hand.
Jim shook his hand. "I can't stay away, Marshall, especially when you're in charge."
Marshall laughed. "You were the one who promoted me."
"I must have not been thinking clearly," Jim said. "Anything exciting going on?"
"This is Roswell, Jim," Marshall said. He grabbed some files from his desk. "A man wants to know if his wife is cheating on him, a mother suspects that her daughter is seeing an older man, and a young man thinks he saw an alien last night."
Jim looked at him sternly. "What was that last one?"
"I'm joking," Marshall said laughing. "You think that living in the city where a so-called alien ship crashed, we'd get more alien reports."
Jim joined in on the joke. "Leave that to the FBI, Marshall."
Just then, Detective Larry Carter walked in. "Just received an inquiry from Pennsylvania." He handed Marshall a piece of paper. "Here's his information."
"Thanks, Larry." Marshall looked over the writing and read it out loud. "Jeremy Gilbert, age 16, from Langston, Pennsylvania. He was adopted in Roswell when he was a baby. He wants to find his real parents."
"A little ambitious for a sixteen year old boy, isn't he?" Larry said.
"Does he have any leads on where his parents might be?" Jim asked.
"Just one," Marshall said. "Says he was adopted from the Evans family."
"Here we go again."
Kyle looked at Maria with a weary look.
"What?" she said. "I feel like I'm seventeen again, ready to fight off evil aliens and the FBI, only problem is that I'm married with twins."
"I was shocked too, "Jim said as he paced his son's living room floor. "Can you believe it? After all these years, he's looking for Max."
"But I thought Max did something to him," Kyle said. "He gave him a different memory so he wouldn't remember his alienness, right?"
"It's probably fading away," Jim said. "He must have tapped into his real memories."
"What about him being 100 percent human?" Maria said. "Do you think that's true still? What if he's starting to heal people, or blow stuff up?"
No one answered her.
"We need to contact the others," Jim said.
Five
Isabel turned on the stove with a wave of her hand. It had been awhile since she had used her powers. She raised her hand to the cabinet and a box of spaghetti noodles floated to her.
Alex giggled at the sight as he sat in his high chair.
She kissed him on top of his head. "Now don't go telling anyone, okay?"
She raised her hand and the refrigerator opened. The spaghetti sauce floated to her.
"Isabel."
The glass container fell to the kitchen floor as Isabel turned to face Jesse. "Jesse, I didn't here you come in."
"You know how I feel about you using your powers in front of Alex," he said.
"I'm sorry." She quickly began to pick up the broken shards of glass on the floor, a little too quickly. A piece of glass sliced her right hand.
"Isabel." Jesse grabbed a towel and placed it on the wound. "Be careful."
They looked into each other's eyes. Isabel felt herself get lost in his warm brown; Jesse felt hypnotized by her icy blue.
"I'll go get the first aid kit in the bathroom," Jesse said, breaking away from her. "I'll be right back."
When he left, the phone suddenly rang. On the other end was Jim Valenti.
"Hi, Jim! It's been so long. How have you been?"
"Fine, thanks. Isabel, you need to come back to Roswell," he said.
"What's wrong? Are Maria and Kyle in trouble?"
"No," he said. "It's Max."
Michael sat in his office at home, staring a picture that was taken nearly sixteen years ago. It was a group picture from the summer after everyone had graduated from high school. Who would have thought they would end up in these living their lives now? The only exception was Max and Liz. Married with children, of course that was expected. But everyone else. Here he was, rich and unhappy. Isabel was on the verge of a divorce. Maria and Kyle married, now that was unexpected.
The sun was going down the horizon. He was supposed to be at Space that night, but something had come up. Something that he thought he had left behind the summer the picture was taken.
The phone rang.
"Michael? Has Jim called you?" It was Isabel. "Have you talked to him?"
"I just got off the phone with him," he said.
"So you know then?"
Michael was silent for a moment. "I'm coming back to Roswell tonight."
Max and Liz were sitting in opposite sides of the living room. Max was staring down at his hands while Liz looked out the window. The sky was getting dark.
"I have to go back, Liz," Max said.
"No, you don't," she said. "You have a choice. You can stay here with me and the kids."
"Please try to understand," he said.
"I do understand, Max, but it's so hard." She placed her hand on her stomach. "What about the kids?"
"I'll tell them I'm going on a business trip," Max said.
"No, not that," she said. "Do you think they're like Zan?" She held back her tears. "Will they develop powers later?"
Max went to her side. "No, Liz. Don't even think about that. You're safe, and so are the kids. Your powers went away when you stopped using them, and I haven't used mine in years. We're safe."
"We tried, didn't we?" Liz said with a half-smile.
"What?"
"We tried to be normal," she said. "It didn't work."
Six
Paul Gilbert handed his son the bus ticket. Jeremy took it from him and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Paul and Christina hugged him one last time before he got on the bus.
"Whatever you find, I hope it helps you," Paul said.
"Thanks, Dad."
"Wait! Jeremy!" Lindsey was running towards them with bags in her hands. "I'm coming too!"
"What? How?" Jeremy was stunned. "Are you sure?"
"I talked to my parents, and they said it was okay, if it was okay with you," she said.
"Yeah, it is." Jeremy threw his arms around her and twirled her around. "Come on. Lets go."
They said good-bye to Paul and Christina and boarded the bus.
"Ready for an adventure?" Lindsey said.
Jeremy smiled at her. "I'm ready for anything."
A few hours later, the bus stopped at a rest area. It was late in the evening as everyone got off the bus.
"Meet me in the vending area," Jeremy told Lindsey.
Lindsey went to the woman's bathroom and looked in the mirror. She splashed some cold water on her face and ran her fingers through her blond hair.
"Where are you heading, sweetie?" An elderly woman was standing next to her. "Are you by yourself?"
"No," Lindsey said. "I'm with a friend."
"Long trip?"
Lindsey nodded. "New Mexico."
"That is a journey, isn't it?" The woman looked her over. "What's so special about New Mexico?"
"My friend wants to—" Lindsey stopped herself. The woman was suddenly creeping out. "I have to get going." She quickly left the bathroom and met Jeremy in the vending area.
"Cookie?" he said offering the bag.
"Lets get out of here," Lindsey said. She looked over her shoulder. "I think she might be following me."
"Who?"
"That old lady." Lindsey pointed to the restrooms, but there was no one there. "She was there a minute ago."
"Are you feeling all right, Lindsey?" Jeremy asked.
"Lets just get back on the bus," she said.
They got on the bus and it took off soon after.
The elderly woman stepped out of the shadows and watched the bus leave the parking lot. Her face morphed into a man and her dress changed into a black business suit. He took out a cell phone and dialed a number.
"I found him."
Seven
"Why in the hell are you going back to that place?" Beth followed Michael to the front door. "You have a business to run here. What about the club?"
"It's not going to fall apart if I'm gone for a few days," he said as he put on his coat.
"Michael."
Something in her voice made him pause. It was filled with genuine concern. He turned and looked into her blue eyes.
"Be back soon," she said as she hugged him.
He hugged her back and kissed her. "I will."
Isabel finished packing her bags and picked up Alex and held him close. His soft skin felt warm against her whole skin. She tried not to cry.
"Isabel?" Jesse came up to them. "Are you all set?"
She nodded and handed him Alex. "Thank you for watching over him while I'm gone."
"Please be careful, Isabel," he said. "I want Alex to grow up knowing his mother."
She smiled. "I'll be careful."
A car horn beeped outside. It was Michael.
"I have to go," she said. She kissed Alex on top of his head. "Mommy will be back soon." She looked up at Jesse. "Jesse…"
He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.
Isabel grabbed her things and left the house.
Jesse watched from the window as Michael and Isabel left. "Come back to me, Isabel."
"I want to go, Max," Liz said.
Max sighed. "It's not safe, and you know it. The kids and the baby." He placed his hand over hers. "I want you to be safe."
"Whatever happens, Max—"
"I'll be back, Liz," he said. "No matter what, I'll come back to you." He kissed her passionately.
The taxi pulled up into their driveway.
"I'll call you when I reach Roswell," he said.
Liz held onto Max tightly as he walked through the door. She watched him leave with tears in her eyes and then she realized her hand was still raised, clutching nothing but air.
Max Evans walked into his children's bedroom and smiled at the sight of them sound asleep. Five-year-old Caleb was wrapped up in his blue blanket while three year old Sarah slept with her teddy bear. He quietly shut the door and headed to his own room.
Liz was sitting up in bed, reading a book. Her belly was round with child; their third child was due in six months. She set her book aside and motioned for him to join her in bed.
"Are they asleep?" she asked.
He nodded as he got in bed. "How did we get so lucky with such well- behaved children?"
Liz shrugged. "It was destiny."
Max looked at her strangely.
"What?" she said.
"It's just that word," he said. "It just makes me remember."
Liz hesitated. "Tess?"
"Everything we went through in Roswell."
"What else do you remember?" Liz placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Or would you rather forget?"
Max leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "I have a long day tomorrow. Lets go to sleep." He reached for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it off.
Michael Guerin knew Santa Fe was the right place to relocate after leaving Roswell. He had opened up a bar with a few friends when he had moved to the city, but after a few years, his friends moved on, allowing Michael to have complete control over the place. Space was now one of the hottest spots in New Mexico. Celebrities, tourists, everyone made it a priority to visit Space.
It was a busy Thursday night. Michael was doing his usual rounds of greeting the people: a handshake there, a smile there, a quick peck on the cheek; that's all it took to keep the business coming. He made his way through the dance floor when Alan, one of his security men, approached him.
"Mr. Guerin, your wife is here to see you," he said.
"Damn." Michael shook his head and walked to his office.
Beth was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. She turned to face her husband with a smile. "Hi, honey."
"What are you doing here?" He took a seat behind his desk. "Run out of vodka at home?"
Beth kept the smile on her face. "What? I can't come see my husband at work?"
"You only come see me here for two reasons," Michael said. "Money and…on second thought, you only come here for one reason."
"That's not true." She got up and walked around the desk. "I was feeling lonely tonight, sweetie." She straddled him in his chair. "I missed you."
"You should have just called the pool boy," he said.
Beth nibbled on his ear. "But, I want you, Michael."
Her warm breath on his skin was driving him crazy. He grabbed her suddenly and threw her down on top of his desk.
"I like it when you're rough," Beth said between kisses.
Michael didn't reply.
Friday morning in Santa Fe was usually slow for Isabel Evans-Ramirez. Her gift shop didn't open until noon when the babysitter could come over. She placed her two-year-old son, Alex, in the playpen as she went to make breakfast. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she opened the refrigerator door. She took out the milk and juice along with the eggs and bagels, and then stopped. She didn't need all this food. She was doing it again: making breakfast for three.
Jesse had moved out three weeks ago. They had both agreed that they needed time apart, but they both knew that divorce papers were on their way. He was now living in an apartment downtown near his law firm.
Just then, the phone rang. It was Jesse.
"How's Alex?" he asked.
She glanced at her son, who was quietly playing with his stuffed animals. "He's fine. I think he knows you're missing."
"How?"
"He seems sad."
"I can come over today after work," he said. "Is that okay with you?"
"Of course. You don't need my permission to come over and visit your own son," Isabel said.
"I'll be over at six."
"I can make dinner."
"That'll be nice."
Isabel smiled. "See you then."
Kyle Valenti walked into The Crashdown restaurant and took a seat in a booth. A teenage girl approached him with an order pad.
"The usual, Mr. Valenti?" she said.
"Yes, Katie."
"Coming right up." The girl headed for the kitchen.
Maria came out of the back room and smiled at the sight of her husband. She kissed Kyle and took a seat across from him. "I thought you couldn't make it for breakfast today."
"I dropped the twins off at Amy's," he said.
"So, you could come surprise me at work?" She leaned over to kiss him again. "How sweet."
"You know you should really change the dress code here," Kyle said.
"What?" Maria said. "Those alien aprons and antennas?"
Kyle nodded.
"Those are signature uniforms, Kyle Valenti," she said. "It's something I promised Mr. Parker I would keep enforced when I bought The Crashdown from him."
Katie came back with Kyle's order. "One Black Hole just for you." She set the cup of coffee in front of him. "Enjoy."
"Before you go, Katie, can I ask you a question?" Kyle said.
"Sure."
"Do you enjoy wearing your uniform?" he said.
Maria kicked him under the table. "Don't mind, Mr. Valenti, he hasn't had his coffee yet. Go ahead, honey, drink it."
"I'm fine, thanks," he said. "So, do you, Katie?"
Katie looked at Maria, as if contemplating if there was a right answer. "Well, I do enjoy the antennas."
Maria smiled smugly at Kyle.
"Thank you, Katie," he said.
"No problem," she said as she went to tend to other tables.
"Let me run my business, darling," Maria said. "I don't tell you how to run the body shop, do I?"
"That reminds me, I have to get going," he said taking the coffee with him. "See you at lunch." He kissed his wife on the cheek before leaving.
Before he reached the body shop, Kyle stopped by his father's home. Jim Valenti was reading the newspaper in the living room as he walked in.
"Kyle," Jim said with a smile. "On your way to work?"
He nodded. "I bought you some coffee." He handed the cup to him.
"Thank you." Jim took a sip and pointed to the newspaper. "Looks like Michael made the front page again."
Kyle picked it up and saw that there was an article on a fight that had erupted at Space.
"All of this publicity is only helping him," he said.
"Have you heard from anyone lately?" Jim asked. "Max? Isabel?"
Kyle shook his head. "I talked to Isabel last month, but Max and Liz, and Michael, it's been ages."
"Well, I guess it's true then," Jim said. "Once you get to leave Roswell, you never want to come back."
Two
Jeremy Gilbert finished smoking his cigarette and opened up his spiral bound notebook.
Last night I had a dream. I dreamt about my real parents. I dreamt that they had found me and that they wanted me to be their son again. They wanted to be a family again. When I woke up, I was tingling all over and I swear I was glowing a weird green color. Not unless I was still dreaming.
"Hey."
He looked up to see his best friend, Lindsey Elliott, standing before him. He stopped writing and closed his notebook.
"What's up?" she said as she came closer.
"Don't you have Bio right now?" he said.
'Don't you have English right now?" she said.
Jeremy moved to make room for her under the bleachers. She sat down and saw all the cigarette butts on the ground. "Hand them over."
"What?"
She sighed.
Jeremy handed her his cigarette pack. "You're cruel."
"You'll thank me later when you're not coughing up a lung," Lindsey said.
"I had another dream," he said.
"About your real parents?"
Jeremy nodded. "It was like they were really here with me."
"Do you think they're in Pennsylvania?"
He shook his head. "I was adopted in New Mexico."
"Maybe they're still there."
"You think so?" A glimmer of hope spread through his body. "Maybe I can talk to my parents and see if they know anything about my adoption."
"What do you want to find out, Jeremy?"
"The truth."
After school, Jeremy ran home as fast as he could so he could start on his investigation. Christina Gilbert was folding laundry in the living room with the television set on. She was listening intently to the talk show.
"Hi, Mom," he said.
"Hey, sweetie. How was school?"
"Just another typical day of your average sixteen year old boy." He sat down next to his mother. "Can we talk about something, Mom?"
"Like what?"
"Roswell, New Mexico."
Christina turned her eyes away from the talk show and looked at her son. "What about it?"
"I want to know about my adoption, and my parents, I mean, my biological parents."
"Jeremy, do we have to do this now?"
"I have a right to know," he said.
"Yes, you do, but I think it'll be better if your father was here also."
"You're trying to stall, Mom. Just tell me something, anything, please?"
Christina looked into Jeremy's desperate blue eyes. "It was your father that gave you away. He was only eighteen, about to graduate from high school. I never met him, but I met his parents, your grandparents, when we were going through the adoption procedure. They were very nice and caring people."
"And my mother?"
"They didn't mention her, only that she was also young like your father."
"That's it?"
Christina sighed. "Honey, you're sixteen years old, you're healthy, you have a wonderful home here with your father and I. What are you searching for?"
Jeremy remembered his dreams. "Hope."
Three
Michael entered Isabel's Treasures and started to examine the glass statues that were on display in front of the store. He picked one up of a ballerina.
"You break it, you buy it," Isabel said coming up behind him.
He set it back on the table. "Is that how you treat all your customers?"
"Just you," she said smiling. "So, what are you doing in my part of the neighborhood?"
"You mean away from the drug dealers and hookers?" he said.
"Michael."
He shrugged. "I was thinking how we live in the same city, but we hardly see one another."
"I have Jesse and a baby, you have Beth and the club," Isabel said.
"How are they?"
"Alex is great. Jesse though, he moved out three weeks ago."
Michael's eyes filled with concern. "Why? What happened, Isabel?"
"It was getting harder and harder to live together, to stay together, even for Alex's sake," she said. "Then one day we decided we needed to take a break."
"How long of a break?"
"I think he's bringing the divorce papers over tonight."
Michael took her into his arms. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she said.
"Have you told Max?" Michael asked.
"No, not yet, but I will." Isabel pulled away from him. "By the way, have you heard from anyone lately?"
"If I can't keep in touch with you, how do you expect me to keep in touch with the others?" he said.
"True," she said. "I just wonder that's all."
"About what?"
"About how everyone else is doing in their lives."
"Max?"
Max looked up from his computer. Henry, another sales agent, was standing in the doorway. "Yes, Henry?"
"Mr. Simmons wants to know when your progress report will be ready," he said.
Max looked through a folder. "Tell him tonight."
"Alright, I'll tell him," Henry said leaving.
The truth was that he hadn't even started on his report yet. He had spent the entire day staring at his computer screen and pretending to do work. His mind was a million miles away.
The California sun was shining brightly outside as Max stared out the window. He had another dream last night. It was fuzzy with images of Tess, his son Zan, his life in Roswell. It had been nearly ten years since he and Liz had left Roswell, why did he have those images in his head?
Just then his phone rang.
"Hi, Daddy," Caleb said.
"Hey, Caleb!"
"You work?"
"Yup, I'm at work. What are you doing?"
"Draw in."
"Drawing?"
"Uh-huh."
"Give me the phone, Caleb," Liz said in the background.
"Bye-bye, Daddy."
"Bye, Caleb."
There was a shuffle as Liz took the phone from Caleb. "Max?"
"Yeah?"
"Cal wanted to talk you so sorry if I disturbed you," she said.
"It's okay. I'm not actually in the working mood today."
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay, but…" He paused, unsure on his how to explain to Liz his worries.
"But, what?"
"It's just this feeling that I have." He sighed. "It's nothing. I'm going to be late tonight for dinner."
"Call me if you need anything, okay?" Liz said.
"Okay. Love you." He hung up the phone just as a sharp pain hit his head. He clutched his temples and collapsed to the floor.
Jeremy had fallen asleep after talking to his mother. Once again, his dreams were filled with blurry images of his real mother and father. His memories were all scattered as if he had lived two lives and his mind was trying to figure out which one was real and which one was fake.
Suddenly, an image became clear. It was his father. He had dark hair and eyes. He was reaching out for him. Jeremy reached out for him also and as soon as they made contact, his eyes flew open.
He was in his bed, in Pennsylvania, far and away from Roswell, New Mexico.
"Oh, my god, Max!" Liz rushed over to his side in the hospital room. "What happened? The doctors said you had a server migraine."
"Where are the kids?" he asked.
"In the lobby with Serena," she said. "Tell me, Max. What happened?"
"He's trying to contact me again," Max said.
"Who?"
"My son."
"Caleb?"
"Zan."
Four
Jim had retired from Roswell Investigations five years ago, but every once and awhile he would stop by the place. Detective Marshall Higgins was a man in his late thirties whom Jim had passed on the torch of "man in charge" when he had retired.
"Jim, checking up on us, huh?" he said as he extended his hand.
Jim shook his hand. "I can't stay away, Marshall, especially when you're in charge."
Marshall laughed. "You were the one who promoted me."
"I must have not been thinking clearly," Jim said. "Anything exciting going on?"
"This is Roswell, Jim," Marshall said. He grabbed some files from his desk. "A man wants to know if his wife is cheating on him, a mother suspects that her daughter is seeing an older man, and a young man thinks he saw an alien last night."
Jim looked at him sternly. "What was that last one?"
"I'm joking," Marshall said laughing. "You think that living in the city where a so-called alien ship crashed, we'd get more alien reports."
Jim joined in on the joke. "Leave that to the FBI, Marshall."
Just then, Detective Larry Carter walked in. "Just received an inquiry from Pennsylvania." He handed Marshall a piece of paper. "Here's his information."
"Thanks, Larry." Marshall looked over the writing and read it out loud. "Jeremy Gilbert, age 16, from Langston, Pennsylvania. He was adopted in Roswell when he was a baby. He wants to find his real parents."
"A little ambitious for a sixteen year old boy, isn't he?" Larry said.
"Does he have any leads on where his parents might be?" Jim asked.
"Just one," Marshall said. "Says he was adopted from the Evans family."
"Here we go again."
Kyle looked at Maria with a weary look.
"What?" she said. "I feel like I'm seventeen again, ready to fight off evil aliens and the FBI, only problem is that I'm married with twins."
"I was shocked too, "Jim said as he paced his son's living room floor. "Can you believe it? After all these years, he's looking for Max."
"But I thought Max did something to him," Kyle said. "He gave him a different memory so he wouldn't remember his alienness, right?"
"It's probably fading away," Jim said. "He must have tapped into his real memories."
"What about him being 100 percent human?" Maria said. "Do you think that's true still? What if he's starting to heal people, or blow stuff up?"
No one answered her.
"We need to contact the others," Jim said.
Five
Isabel turned on the stove with a wave of her hand. It had been awhile since she had used her powers. She raised her hand to the cabinet and a box of spaghetti noodles floated to her.
Alex giggled at the sight as he sat in his high chair.
She kissed him on top of his head. "Now don't go telling anyone, okay?"
She raised her hand and the refrigerator opened. The spaghetti sauce floated to her.
"Isabel."
The glass container fell to the kitchen floor as Isabel turned to face Jesse. "Jesse, I didn't here you come in."
"You know how I feel about you using your powers in front of Alex," he said.
"I'm sorry." She quickly began to pick up the broken shards of glass on the floor, a little too quickly. A piece of glass sliced her right hand.
"Isabel." Jesse grabbed a towel and placed it on the wound. "Be careful."
They looked into each other's eyes. Isabel felt herself get lost in his warm brown; Jesse felt hypnotized by her icy blue.
"I'll go get the first aid kit in the bathroom," Jesse said, breaking away from her. "I'll be right back."
When he left, the phone suddenly rang. On the other end was Jim Valenti.
"Hi, Jim! It's been so long. How have you been?"
"Fine, thanks. Isabel, you need to come back to Roswell," he said.
"What's wrong? Are Maria and Kyle in trouble?"
"No," he said. "It's Max."
Michael sat in his office at home, staring a picture that was taken nearly sixteen years ago. It was a group picture from the summer after everyone had graduated from high school. Who would have thought they would end up in these living their lives now? The only exception was Max and Liz. Married with children, of course that was expected. But everyone else. Here he was, rich and unhappy. Isabel was on the verge of a divorce. Maria and Kyle married, now that was unexpected.
The sun was going down the horizon. He was supposed to be at Space that night, but something had come up. Something that he thought he had left behind the summer the picture was taken.
The phone rang.
"Michael? Has Jim called you?" It was Isabel. "Have you talked to him?"
"I just got off the phone with him," he said.
"So you know then?"
Michael was silent for a moment. "I'm coming back to Roswell tonight."
Max and Liz were sitting in opposite sides of the living room. Max was staring down at his hands while Liz looked out the window. The sky was getting dark.
"I have to go back, Liz," Max said.
"No, you don't," she said. "You have a choice. You can stay here with me and the kids."
"Please try to understand," he said.
"I do understand, Max, but it's so hard." She placed her hand on her stomach. "What about the kids?"
"I'll tell them I'm going on a business trip," Max said.
"No, not that," she said. "Do you think they're like Zan?" She held back her tears. "Will they develop powers later?"
Max went to her side. "No, Liz. Don't even think about that. You're safe, and so are the kids. Your powers went away when you stopped using them, and I haven't used mine in years. We're safe."
"We tried, didn't we?" Liz said with a half-smile.
"What?"
"We tried to be normal," she said. "It didn't work."
Six
Paul Gilbert handed his son the bus ticket. Jeremy took it from him and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Paul and Christina hugged him one last time before he got on the bus.
"Whatever you find, I hope it helps you," Paul said.
"Thanks, Dad."
"Wait! Jeremy!" Lindsey was running towards them with bags in her hands. "I'm coming too!"
"What? How?" Jeremy was stunned. "Are you sure?"
"I talked to my parents, and they said it was okay, if it was okay with you," she said.
"Yeah, it is." Jeremy threw his arms around her and twirled her around. "Come on. Lets go."
They said good-bye to Paul and Christina and boarded the bus.
"Ready for an adventure?" Lindsey said.
Jeremy smiled at her. "I'm ready for anything."
A few hours later, the bus stopped at a rest area. It was late in the evening as everyone got off the bus.
"Meet me in the vending area," Jeremy told Lindsey.
Lindsey went to the woman's bathroom and looked in the mirror. She splashed some cold water on her face and ran her fingers through her blond hair.
"Where are you heading, sweetie?" An elderly woman was standing next to her. "Are you by yourself?"
"No," Lindsey said. "I'm with a friend."
"Long trip?"
Lindsey nodded. "New Mexico."
"That is a journey, isn't it?" The woman looked her over. "What's so special about New Mexico?"
"My friend wants to—" Lindsey stopped herself. The woman was suddenly creeping out. "I have to get going." She quickly left the bathroom and met Jeremy in the vending area.
"Cookie?" he said offering the bag.
"Lets get out of here," Lindsey said. She looked over her shoulder. "I think she might be following me."
"Who?"
"That old lady." Lindsey pointed to the restrooms, but there was no one there. "She was there a minute ago."
"Are you feeling all right, Lindsey?" Jeremy asked.
"Lets just get back on the bus," she said.
They got on the bus and it took off soon after.
The elderly woman stepped out of the shadows and watched the bus leave the parking lot. Her face morphed into a man and her dress changed into a black business suit. He took out a cell phone and dialed a number.
"I found him."
Seven
"Why in the hell are you going back to that place?" Beth followed Michael to the front door. "You have a business to run here. What about the club?"
"It's not going to fall apart if I'm gone for a few days," he said as he put on his coat.
"Michael."
Something in her voice made him pause. It was filled with genuine concern. He turned and looked into her blue eyes.
"Be back soon," she said as she hugged him.
He hugged her back and kissed her. "I will."
Isabel finished packing her bags and picked up Alex and held him close. His soft skin felt warm against her whole skin. She tried not to cry.
"Isabel?" Jesse came up to them. "Are you all set?"
She nodded and handed him Alex. "Thank you for watching over him while I'm gone."
"Please be careful, Isabel," he said. "I want Alex to grow up knowing his mother."
She smiled. "I'll be careful."
A car horn beeped outside. It was Michael.
"I have to go," she said. She kissed Alex on top of his head. "Mommy will be back soon." She looked up at Jesse. "Jesse…"
He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.
Isabel grabbed her things and left the house.
Jesse watched from the window as Michael and Isabel left. "Come back to me, Isabel."
"I want to go, Max," Liz said.
Max sighed. "It's not safe, and you know it. The kids and the baby." He placed his hand over hers. "I want you to be safe."
"Whatever happens, Max—"
"I'll be back, Liz," he said. "No matter what, I'll come back to you." He kissed her passionately.
The taxi pulled up into their driveway.
"I'll call you when I reach Roswell," he said.
Liz held onto Max tightly as he walked through the door. She watched him leave with tears in her eyes and then she realized her hand was still raised, clutching nothing but air.