When Kyle and Tess finally strolled into the dining room of the Crashdown, the dinner rush was just tapering off. The only familiar face was Alex, sitting with his Galaxy fries at a table big enough for two. (Well, aside from one of the waitresses, who Kyle had decided was kind of cute several months ago.)

Tess didn't waste any time pulling a third chair over to Alex's table. "Good evening. Mind if we join you for a minute?"

Alex looked up, blinked a little at what he saw, and chuckled to himself. Tess' idea of dressing up for the evening had included a denim skirt that stopped a few inches above her knees, and a long-sleeved top that showed off most of her stomach. "Actually, go and grab that empty booth. I'll gather my stuff and join you."

"Alright, sir, I'll give you a hand," Kyle said, picked up Alex's root beer float and took it with him.

"So, where's everybody else?" Tess asked once Alex and his fries were settled in the booth.

"Let's see. Max and Liz went out dancing. Michael and Maria are probably making out on a rooftop, knowing them. Isabel is spending some time with her parents, and then there were three."

"Right, okay. How are things going between you and Leanna?"

"Alright, I guess." Alex spooned up some ice cream. "I mean, I miss her, and it's hard thinking about doing the long-distance thing for months and months before we'll have a chance to see each other again. She wanted to fly stateside this summer, maybe meet me on the East coast or something, but it looks like that's not going to work out. Plus - well, like an idiot, I said something about Isabel to her on the phone a few days ago, and I think that Leanna's getting paranoid about her."

"Ooh, that's not great," Tess admitted, looking up from the menu that she'd opened up. "At least, not you and Leanna as a couple. I'm kind of surprised that you don't want to get back together with Isabel, actually."

"Well, I'm not sure that Isabel would even take me back now, she's so pissed with me about the roof and binoculars thing," Alex pointed out.

"She's not pissed, not really," Tess insisted. "She feels rejected, and she's hurt. But even so, I do think that she wants to be with you, Alex. She's been going on and on about seeing a different side of you, ever since you got back from Sweden." There was an awkward pause. "Do you really like Leanna that much, that Isabel Evans doesn't have any appeal to you anymore?"

"Max mentioned that you were upset that Isabel had gotten sucked into our whole Valentine snafu thing," Kyle put in.

"Oh, really?" Tess said. "I'm so sorry, that was completely my fault - can't even read a sign when it's hanging there a foot in front of my face. I shouldn't have gotten Isabel involved."

"No, no, it's okay, guys," Alex said, laughing. "I was a little taken aback when I realized that Isabel had another date on Valentine's day, but so did I. That's not the problem. But I'm not sure I can trust Isabel, not in that way. That she'd never do anything to hurt me, have my back in a crisis no matter who we're up against and move heaven and earth to get me help if I was in trouble, yeah, I know that I can count on her. But it's been too many times now that Isabel has decided that she can't afford to be open to love, not with me. And I can't just keep... keep letting her in and ending up feeling like I've been run over by a Honda. Yes, I know that if she's really ready and I don't give her that chance, I could be missing out on something amazing, but... I guess I'd want some way to be sure beforehand, and I don't have any idea what that would be."

"Yeah, that's a tough one," Tess agreed quietly. "And in the hopes of moving us on to a happier topic - how much action did you actually get from Swedish Leanna? None of this 'gentlemen don't kiss and tell' crap - you're not that much of a gentleman."

Alex broke out laughing, met Kyle's intent gaze, and shrugged, shaking his head. "Leanna - is an amazing kisser, though she seemed to get offended at the notion that we give any credit to the French for kissing, or for a particular kind of kissing." Tess giggled. "Beyond that, well, we fooled around one time, two nights before I left to fly home, but that wasn't really second base. Are you satisfied with those details?"

"I guess we'd better not push him," Kyle said to Tess. "He really is pretty gentle, about the most gentlemanly teenage boy we'd find in town."

"Alright, alright," Tess said.

"Your turn," Alex prompted. "How are things going with the two of you?" Tess' eyes widened. "Not asking for the same kind of details, really, more about what it's like for the two of you to get together when you were - well, you had a dynamic that wasn't quite that before, though I'll admit there might have been a current of sexual tension for a while."

Kyle made a grand 'after you' gesture, and Tess replied with a comically annoyed face. Probably she realized that he was as interested in Alex in what her answer would be. "Umm, things are going okay between the two of us - I have to admit that it does feel a little incestuous because I have to sleep in the same house with my new boyfriend - and Mister V has laid down the law about letting each other stay over the night in the same bed, even if I felt ready for that."

"Staying over the night, as opposed to a briefer sort of activity in bed together?" Alex prompted.

"Yeah, that's where Dad decided to draw the line," Kyle told him. "He said he actually found something about that on a support website for the parents of stepsiblings who hook up together." He sighed. "Oh, hey, did you hear about the Grant Sorenson thing?"

"Umm, I'm not sure, I've heard possibly too many things about that particular geologist, but not sure which one you're referring to."

"Okay, well, it started with Kyle and me going biking out in the desert," Tess started.

#

Tess and Kyle had spent half an hour promenading around downtown Roswell, chatting about Tess' history before she got to Roswell, when Kyle's cell phone rang. He checked the call display before answering. "Yeah, Dad? What's up?"

"Hi. I usually don't expect you to keep tabs on your friends for me, but would you happen to know what Michael and Maria are up to tonight?"

Kyle hesitated only a second before answering. "They're out on club business. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's past the time that Maria said she'd be home, and Amy can't reach her. She's starting to get a bit freaked out."

Kyle looked around; making eye contact with Tess, though he wasn't sure how much she'd been able to understand from his terse answers. "They were going to keep an eye on Laurie Dupree - and Agent Duff. I'm not sure if they're still there or just stopped off somewhere to fool around before going home."

Jim considered only a moment. "Where, exactly, is 'there'? Do you know?"

"The roof of the Hi-ho market across the street from the sheriff's station. I think that you can get up there from the back door..."

"Got it." Now Jim's voice got a bit softer, but stayed at least as intense. "I've got a bad feeling, and I want to check this out. I think I can tell Amy that I just want to go drive around and see if I can spot Maria and Michael parked somewhere without her getting more anxious. But - if you're willing, I'd like you to swing by and just keep her a little bit distracted, until I know something."

Kyle nodded with the phone to his ear. "Yeah, that's fine. Do you think it's okay if Tess wants to come along too?"

"Yeah, sure, Amy likes her, and I think the feeling is mutual. Talk to you again soon."

"Yeah. Go get 'em, whatever." Kyle ended the call, and looked over at Tess. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Someone was worried about Michael - was it your Dad?" Tess' eyes were a brilliant shade of blue in the streetlight, and Kyle felt caught in them as he nodded. "Where did he want you to go?"

"To Maria's mom's house, to help keep her from worrying. Maria said that she'd be home by now."

"Right, okay." Tess pulled out her own phone. "I hope your father won't mind having a few Evanses to back him up."

"I don't know," Kyle muttered. "That's what got him into trouble in the first place."

"Yeah... but if Michael's missing, Max will want to know right away."

"I can't argue with that," Kyle said. "But can you call from the car? I'd like to be on our way to Amy's as quickly as possible, and it's only a few blocks back to the Crashdown."

"Okay."

#

The front door to the DeLuca's was half open when Kyle and Tess got to the porch, though the screen door was closed all the way, Tess reached out towards the doorbell, but then they heard a call of "Who is it?" from inside, and Amy scrambled into her front hall, only to noticeably deflate as she realized that the teenaged boy and girl waiting weren't the ones that she had been hoping for - particularly the girl. "Oh, hello Kyle - hi Tess. Did your Dad ask you to swing by and keep me occupied, Kyle?"

Kyle was about to say yes, when Tess opened her mouth first and said, "No, I'm here to see Maria. Why would Jim want us to keep you occupied?" She wrapped her arm around Kyle's back and squeezed his side meaningfully, where Amy was unlikely to notice the caress. Then Kyle worked it through. If they admitted that Jim had sent them, then Amy would have to conclude that they were covering for Michael and Maria's absence, that either the two of them had been up to no good, or there was some secret about where they had last been seen. Both of which were true, and neither of which they wanted Amy to know.

"Really?" Amy stared doubtfully at Tess.

"Yeah. I mean, I know that we're not best buds, but... there's something I need to ask her advice on, something that Isabel can't help me with, and - I don't really have any other girlfriends my own age. It's kinduv personal." Tess did a good job at looking from Kyle to Amy, as if apologetic that she couldn't bring her problem to either of them.

"Okay, well - my daughter has not yet returned home, and I haven't been able to reach her phone." Amy sighed. "That's why I was suspicious that you were helping Jim to manage my motherly panic. I'm not sure that either of you should stay over for long, since it's a school night, but you can wait up with me a little. Can I get you anything?"

"Do you have hot chocolate and Tabasco?" Tess asked.

"I think that we should have both of them around somewhere, separately unless Michael's had the same craving."

When the three of them were arranged around Amy's coffee tale with their refreshments of choice, Amy looked straight at Tess. "I have to admit, I was surprised when Jim told me that the two of you were, well, that you were Valentines - and trying to make it work while you're still both under Jim's roof. How's that going?"

"Everybody seems to be asking me that question today," Tess said, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, it's not your fault for being curious. We're doing alright, taking things slow and getting to know each other all over again, all that good stuff."

"Yeah, I guess I know how that goes." Amy nodded at Kyle, and he shook himself, suddenly unnerved at the notion that just looking at him might remind Amy of his father. She'd known Jim when he was around the same age as Kyle was now, and Kyle couldn't remember seeing a photo of his father in his high-school days to try and judge how close the resemblance between them was. "Well, that's good. By the way - Jim did approach me about the possibility of you moving in, to try and reduce the awkwardness of your situation with Kyle, and I hope that you're not upset that I..."

"You thought there would be even more awkwardness with Maria," Tess finished. "I completely understand that.

"Well, it's not just Maria. The cot in the spare room is already spoken for, until Sean figures out the rest of his master plan, and though there's more than one sofa free at night, this house would get a little too crowded with four of running around, all wanting to use the bathroom."

"Yeah, I get the picture," Tess insisted.

"Hey, where was Cousin Sean over Valentine's day?" Kyle put in. "I just realized that I didn't see him hanging around Liz or annoying Maria for a little while. Though I suppose I should feel glad - it could have messed up the whole pact if Liz hadn't been able to focus her attention on Max because Sean was crowding her."

"He went on a little road trip to visit his high school flame, who lives on her parent's ranch up near Santa Fe," Amy said. "Apparently that didn't work out well for him, and then he came back to town to find out that Max and Liz had reconciled, and fell into a full-fledged romantic funk. But tell me more about this pact, Kyle."

"Oh no," Kyle mumbled under his breath.

"Let me try this time sweetie," Tess said, reaching out to cover his hand with hers for a moment. "I didn't hear this part until the day before yesterday myself, but apparently, that rainy morning a few days before the fourteenth, Kyle bumped into Liz and realized that she was spying on Max, and started to ask about why they weren't together anymore. Part of that reason was - well, I'd been stalking Max myself, in my own endearing way, and Liz didn't particularly want the angst of trying to compete with me for Max's attention - not that he was really paying much attention to me, in that way, I just wanted him to."

Tess paused at this point, and Amy nodded, gesturing for her to go on. "So - I guess it was Kyle who proposed the pact - that he'd run interference for Liz, by distracting me with his own cute self for the Valentine's day season, and Liz would ask Max to be her Valentine. Of course, Kyle didn't just come right out and ask me out or anything, which led to a few crossed signals, and I actually went so far as to set him up with Isabel Evans for a big romantic Valentine's dinner. But when Kyle figured out that I was so clueless, he rushed out and found me, and - well, and here we are now."

"Here you are, indeed, and here's to the two of you," Amy said, lifting her mug of mocha coffee in a toast.

"You know, this is a bit of a call-back to a subject that you girls left behind, but I had a notion about the whole housing situation," Kyle announced. "It's a little out there, so we might not end up going for it, but I thought I'd make sure to mention it."

"Oh, and what's that, Kyle?" Amy asked, her eyebrows bunching down slightly.

"We trade Tess - you take Tess in, and we'll take Sean off your hands. Guys' house and girls' house, I guess you could call it. What do you think?"

Amy shook her head. Tess rolled her eyes. "Honey, I think that if you spend much time in a guys' house with Sean DeLuca, you won't long stay the dear and sweet boy that I took as my Valentine," Tess told him after a moment's thought.

"Okay, I guess. The trade idea dies right here. No harm in suggesting it."

There was a pause. "So, what's up in your life lately, Amy?" Tess asked. "Beyond your on-again and off-again relationship with a certain ex-sheriff?"

"Oh, not that much. Business at the shop is doing well, and then there's the time that I spend trying to keep track of my darling Maria." Amy looked around. "Can I ask you something, just between the three of us?"

"Um - okay, yeah."

"About Jim - do you know anything definite about why he was really out there in the woods with Max and Isabel, when they found that poor Laurie girl? I mean, I trust him completely, of course, but - it hurts a little that he hasn't told me what really happened? To be honest, I don't buy the library story any more than the council did, and it makes me wonder exactly what he's trying to hide."

Kyle shot a look over at Tess, and was surprised to find her looking very puzzled. "Well, I understand what you mean, but I don't have much to tell you about that. Max hasn't told me anything about it, really, except - well, I know that Isabel was having bad dreams that week before they found Laurie, and acting very worried about something. I'm not sure if that fits into the whole deal."

Amy considered this. "I know this might sound out there, but do you think it's possible that she was getting premonitions of Laurie in trouble from her dreams?"

Kyle chuckled. "You're being weird again, Missus DeLuca."

"I wouldn't write off such things so quickly," Amy said. "You believe in souls, and reincarnation, right Kyle?" He nodded. "Well, then, isn't it possible that certain things, like psychic dreams, could be real because somebody's soul transcends the limits of the body, at great need? Not everything can be explained in terms of familiar forces and atoms."

Tess shrugged. "Okay, I think that's enough talking about current affairs. How about we play a little cards, and if Maria's not back by the time we've finished one game, then we're heading back?"

"Alright, you've got a deal, but only if you let me teach you the rules of Scopa," Amy countered. "I think I've got a deck around on the bookshelves somewhere."

#

Amy had almost reached eleven points when Jim showed up, having had no obvious luck in finding Michael or Maria. He told Amy that there was still nothing to worry about, that the two of them could have snuck off somewhere to be alone and lost track of time, but as he led his two charges out of the house, Kyle could see worry in his face. "What's going on?"

"No talking about it here," Jim said. "I guess it'll have to wait until we're home."

Kyle checked Tess' face and saw that she looked at least twice as worried. "How about you let Tess ride with you, and you can talk in the truck, while I bring up the rear?"

Jim nodded with resignation. "Alright, see you back there."

Tess restrained herself from asking questions as Jim pulled his truck out into the street. Finally he sighed softly. "Okay, I found the way up to that roof, and there were enough signs that Michael and Maria had been there. They both left in a hurry, or possibly somebody surprised them there. I found a little pair of binoculars, some snacks and trash, a pen and pad of paper, and Maria's black scarf."

"Okay," Tess said. "Is that it?"

"Well, I checked quickly at Michael's place - no sign of them there. And then I called Hanson, trying to make it sound casual, just wondering how things were doing. He'd been called back into the station, and the place sounded crazy."

"Oh, no," Tess muttered. "What happened?"

"I don't think anybody is clear on all the details," Jim said. " I'm not. But here's what I know. Agent Duff tried to move Laurie back to that hospital facility in Texas this evening. The van only made it a mile outside of town. There was gunfire, somebody shooting at the van, and by the time help arrived, Laurie was gone. Nobody knows if the shooter took her, if she managed to run off by herself, or what."

"So she's missing and unaccounted for," Tess said slowly. "Like Michael and Maria."

"Yes."

"Well, thanks for doing what you could, Mister Valenti," she said.

"I guess that there's not much that any of us could do other than stay close to home and wait for news."

"Well, there's one thing that I can think of." Tess paused before continuing. "There are a few places outside of town that Michael might have tried to go if he was in trouble. The most obvious - is the Pod chamber." She wasn't sure if anybody had ever actually mentioned that name to Jim Valenti before, and wasn't about to tell him more about it, but he didn't even ask. "As far as we know, only the four of us can get in there, so if anybody's going to check, it would need to be me, Max, or Isabel. Then, there's the silver mine, and this cave in the reservation, though I haven't been there myself."

There was silence as Jim drove onto the street where he lived. "If Michael and Maria are in enough trouble that they'd need to hide in any of those places, is it smart to go looking for them? You could draw the attention of whomever or whatever they're hiding from."

"But with all of us together, we're stronger than Michael is by himself - or with only Maria to back him up," Tess pointed out. "There's less to be scared of when we're strong together."

"That's fair," Kyle agreed. "But you're all tired now. How strong are you without your rest?"

"Gotcha," Tess agreed. "No chasing off in the desert until morning."

"And maybe they'll have checked in by then."

"Right." Tess waited as Jim parked the truck in his driveway, and then ran out and over to Kyle's car, to give him a hug for having suggested this driving arrangement so that she wouldn't have to wait in ignorance for longer.

#

Tess woke to the shrill sounds of Avril Lavigne coming from the top of her bedside table. She fumbled the cell phone open, wondering why she hadn't changed Max's ring tone from the one that she had picked while she was still mooning over him. Then again, if she left it like this, maybe it would become a joke in a few more days.

" Max, what time is it?"

"One in the morning, but - I wasn't sure you'd be able to sleep. Sorry about that. I've got news."

The way he put that made Tess shiver. "Hit me."

"Michael's okay, Maria and Laurie are with him. They saw the van leaving with Laurie, followed them, and got Laurie out safely when the shooting started. Now they're halfway to Alamogordo, on the back roads."

"So, it sounds like they're not coming back to Roswell," Tess pointed out.

"No... it's like this. Michael's worried about Laurie. Hanson can't keep her safe, here in Roswell, and the FBI can't even get her out of town safely. She's out of the line of fire now, unless the shooter was able to keep up with Genie, and there's been no sign of him. Michael wants to stay clear until they can figure out what Laurie's story is."

"That might take quite a while, considering how long Agent Duff was about it. I don't think that she got anything useful out of Laurie."

"Yeah, well, I have more confidence in Michael and Maria. Is there anything else important enough for the middle of the night?"

Tess thought about that for a moment. "No. Meet you before school at the Crashdown?"

"Yeah, that's the plan. Isabel and Liz are going to be there, not sure about Alex."

"Okay." Tess punched the 'end' button vehemently and rolled over in bed.

#

By seven thirty, six of them were gathered around two tables pushed together - Isabel, Max and Liz, Tess, Kyle - and Alex. Isabel was looking ice daggers at Alex every chance she got.

Every kind of breakfast food seemed to be on at least one plate, and Kyle couldn't be bothered with thinking of the cute alien names for pancakes or waffles. Tess lowered her voice so only those at the table could hear her. "Any more word?"

"One quick call this morning," Isabel put in. "There was a lot of stuff on the morning news about how the town authorities are looking for Laurie. The window has closed for bringing her back to town. The last thing we want is for some deputy to recognize her and think that Michael was the one who buried her out in Frazier woods."

"Yeah," Max agreed. "Apparently she's so - agitated right now, Michael had to lock her inside the Jetta. He's tried to ask her about the crystals, about the aliens that she says are after her, but she hasn't said anything helpful."

"Maria's mom must be worried," Liz said. "I should swing by her place to check in - keep her from having to chase me down. Make it look like I've got nothing to hide."

"Are you going to let her know that you've heard from Maria?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah, Maria told me that she sent her Mom a text in the middle of the night, actually. That she'd gone camping with friends. I can say that I heard the same thing."

"I don't like the idea of you going there by yourself, with Sean DeLuca around," Kyle said. "Maybe bring Max, to defend your honour."

"No, come on, you're being silly. Whatever Sean thought about me, it's ancient history. And I don't want Amy to think that Max is involved with this at all."

"Why would she think that he's involved, just because he came with you?" Isabel snapped. "He's your boyfriend, after all."

"I don't know, there may be something to that," Tess said reluctantly. "It sounded like she's starting to get concerned about some of the stuff that's going around. If Liz's boyfriend is there, at least it'll make her think that Liz is more concerned by Maria's sudden departure, which kind of undercuts the point of selling the camping explanation."

"And what does it say to her if Kyle comes along with me?" Liz asked. I shrugged. "All right, I guess you might as well come, Kyle, to help defend my honour if Sean tries something."

"Okay, is there any other business?" Alex asked.

"Not yet," Max decided. "I have a few ideas for finding out more about Frazier woods and those crystals, things seemed too risky when I first thought of them. Now we need to play a riskier game. But they'll have to wait until school's out for the weekend."

"Gotcha," Tess said. "Do we meet here at five?"

"No. Isabel, Liz, I'll talk with you in the school parking lot, quarter to four. Everybody else, just keep an eye on your phones, and we'll be in touch. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Kyle snapped off a salute, and Tess nudged him with her elbow.

#

"Hey, Tess?" Max asked guardedly as he noticed her wandering up towards the Jeep, in the parking lot of the Crashdown.

"Well, I was wondering if it wouldn't be too awkward to ask for a ride," she said. "Kyle just gave Liz a lift to Amy DeLuca's place, since she doesn't have a car, but I came here with him, so..."

"Oh, right." Max laughed. "It's silly of me not to have offered, except - well, I guess I'm used to you driving yourself."

"So am I," Tess agreed. "But a lot of things have changed since Valentine's Day."

"Well, if you're going to come, then come." Max gestured to the back seat. Isabel was on the passenger side, and hadn't said anything during the conversation, though she'd been watching Tess intently.

"So, Tess, just out of curiosity," Isabel said as Max pulled out onto the street. "Did you think about asking Alex to drive you to school? Since he's got a car too, I mean."

"Well, I guess it occurred to me," Tess said. "Despite the awkwardness here, I guess I'd have felt even less comfortable presuming on Alex for a favour - and before you say it, it's not because I think of him as 'one of them, not one of us' or anything like that. I just - well, I still haven't gotten to know him that well. I'd like to change that, actually."

"Okay." Isabel turned her head so that she could Tess sidelong. "Did you know that he was really upset with you when you first came to town? I mean, even before you arranged to have Max kiss you in the rain."

"Really?" Tess had to think about that. "What did I do to upset Alex that quickly? I remember teasing you at your locker about if you liked him - and dropping some hints about how much Max was my type." Isabel shook her head, long golden hair whipping around in the wind. "Wait a second. Was it because he was always around when I was trying to get to know you?"

"Not just that he was always around." Isabel sighed, a bit forlornly. "You showed quite a talent that week for showing up just when he was working up his courage to actually make a move - on the conversational level. I wondered if that was deliberate, if you were trying to derail the Alex and I from becoming a couple because of your own agenda."

"No," Tess insisted. "I mean, I thought that you and Michael belonged together, just like I thought Max was supposed to end up with me, but... well, ehh." Tess groaned, not wanting this conversation to go down the track of when she had or hadn't meddled in Isabel and Michael's love lives. "So what's the deal with you and Alex now? I mean... are you just pissed with him because of the way he handled things, or do you want to get back together with him and stop hearing about this Leanna girl?"

"Huh?" Isabel exclaimed. "Well, I don't know, really." She sighed. "I - I miss Alex. Sometimes, yeah, I want him back, and sometimes I think that he's really been through enough crap with me, and if Swedish girl makes him happy, then I shouldn't interfere."

"Okay." Tess paused a moment, and then turned to face Max - or the back of Max's seat, at least. "Max, this may sound like a stupid question now, but are the two of us good? After all that's happened, I mean?"

Max considered that. "We're doing better than we were before Valentine's Day, Tess. I consider you part of the gang, and I do want to become closer friends with you. But - but Liz is still a bit touchy about the history that the two of us have, and so it's going to be hard for you and I to hang out much - until she gets more comfortable with you, and with the idea of you being satisfied with Kyle, I suppose."

"Okay, that makes sense." Tess chuckled. "We could double-date sometime - you and Liz, Kyle and me. That sounds really comfortable, doesn't it?"

Max's groan was so loud that the pedestrians on the sidewalk heard an odd howling noise for a moment as the Jeep passed them by.